JP7210293B2 - cleaning device and cartridge - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a cleaning device for cleaning an image bearing member carrying developer, and a cartridge provided with the cleaning device and used in an electrophotographic image forming apparatus.

An electrophotographic image forming apparatus forms an image on a recording medium using an electrophotographic image forming method. Includes facsimile machines and word processors.

In a general electrophotographic image forming apparatus, an image carrier uniformly charged by a charging means is selectively exposed to light, a latent image is formed on the surface of the image carrier, and the latent image is developed with a developer. After being visualized as an agent image, the image is recorded by transferring it to a recording material. Here, since the developer remaining on the image carrier after the transfer may adhere to the charging means or the like and deteriorate the image quality, it is removed by the cleaning device.

The cleaning device includes a frame body having a space for storing the removed developer, a cleaning member that contacts the image carrier and scrapes off the residual developer, and a cleaning member that contacts the image carrier and scrapes off the developer. A general configuration includes a sheet member for preventing leakage, and end seal members arranged at both ends in the longitudinal direction of the cleaning member to prevent leakage of the developer from the ends.

Each of the sheet members is in close contact with the frame so as to prevent the developer scraped off from leaking. As a method of adhering the sheet member to the frame, it is common to adhere the sheet member and the frame using a double-sided tape.

Further, the end sealing member closes the gap between the frame, the cleaning member, and the sheet member, and has a role of sealing the leakage path of the developer. The end sealing member must be attached to the frame so that the developer does not leak from the gap between the end seal member and the frame, and no small gap is formed between the end seal member and the frame. Therefore, as in Patent Document 1, a convex sealing rib is formed in a contact portion of a frame that contacts the end seal member, and when the end seal member contacts the frame, the seal is In some cases, the stop rib bites into the end seal member. Since the sealing rib bites into the end seal member, the gap between the end seal member and the frame body is eliminated, and the sealing performance can be improved.

JP 2018-084706

However, in the conventional structure, if the thickness of the double-sided tape for adhering the sheet member to the frame is too thick, a gap corresponding to the thickness of the double-sided tape is generated between the frame and the sheet member, and this gap becomes an edge. There is a possibility that the developer cannot be sealed with the partial sealing member and the developer leaks. This is because when the sheet member having the double-faced tape formed on the frame body is attached away from the edge of the seating surface of the seat to which the sheet member is attached, the gap becomes large and the developer is likely to leak.

Therefore, in order to suppress developer leakage, it is necessary to strictly control the thickness of the double-sided tape so that it does not become thick. There was a possibility that it would become a factor that inhibits the improvement of productivity.

As a method for filling the gap, it is conceivable to fill the gap between the double-sided tape and the end sealing member with an elastic member afterward for sealing. It may lead to an increase in unit and production costs.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object thereof is to provide a cleaning device having a simple structure and a sealing structure with high sealing performance, and a cartridge having the same.

A typical configuration according to the present invention for achieving the above object is an image carrier capable of carrying a developer and rotatable, and an image carrier on the image carrier which is in contact with the peripheral surface of the image carrier. a cleaning member for removing the developer; a sheet member for contacting the peripheral surface of the image carrier upstream of the cleaning member in the rotational direction of the image carrier; an end seal member for sealing a gap between the cleaning member and the sheet member; a frame for mounting the cleaning member, the sheet member and the end seal member; and an adhesive member for attaching the sheet member to the frame. a seat surface formed on the frame for bonding, and a seat surface protruding from the seat surface and abutting against the end seal member to seal a gap between the frame and the end seal member. a convex portion, wherein the convex portion abuts on the end seal member upstream of the end portion of the seat surface closer to the cleaning member in the rotational direction of the image carrier, and the adhesion is performed. The member is characterized by being in contact with the convex portion.

According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a cleaning device having a simple structure and a sealing structure with high sealing performance.

1A and 1B are a perspective view and a cross-sectional view of a cleaning device according to a first embodiment; Schematic cross-sectional view of an image forming apparatus according to the first embodiment Schematic cross-sectional view of a cartridge according to the first embodiment 1 is a perspective view of a cleaning device according to a first embodiment; FIG. Perspective view and cross-sectional view of a cleaning device in a comparative example The perspective view of the cleaning device according to the modified example of the first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of cleaning devices according to the second embodiment and the first embodiment; A perspective view of a cleaning device according to a second embodiment.

Next, a cleaning device according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described by exemplifying a cartridge including the cleaning device. A laser beam printer will be taken as an example of an electrophotographic image forming apparatus that forms an image using a cartridge, and a process cartridge used in a laser beam printer will be taken as an example of a cartridge.

In the following description, it is assumed that the longitudinal direction coincides with the rotational axis direction of the photosensitive drum, which is the image carrier. Further, the lateral direction is defined as a direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction.

[First Embodiment]
<Overall Configuration of Electrophotographic Image Forming Apparatus and Process Cartridge>
First, the overall configuration of the electrophotographic image forming apparatus and the process cartridge will be described. FIG. 2 is a sectional view of an image forming apparatus main body (hereinafter referred to as "apparatus main body") A and a process cartridge (hereinafter referred to as "cartridge") B of an electrophotographic image forming apparatus, and FIG. is a cross-sectional view of.

Here, the apparatus main body A is a portion of the electrophotographic image forming apparatus excluding the cartridge B. As shown in FIG. The electrophotographic image forming apparatus shown in FIG. 2 is a laser beam printer using electrophotographic technology in which the cartridge B is detachable from the apparatus main body A. As shown in FIG.

A sheet tray 40 for stacking recording media (hereinafter referred to as “sheets”) P is arranged below the cartridge B. As shown in FIG. Further, the apparatus main body A includes a pickup roller 41, a pair of conveying rollers 42, a transfer guide 43, a transfer roller 44, a conveying guide 45, a pair of fixing rollers 46, a pair of discharge rollers 47, and a discharge tray along the conveying direction of the sheet P. 48 and the like are arranged in sequence.

A detachable process cartridge B is attached to the main body A. As shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 3, the process cartridge B includes a charging roller 602, a developing device 20, and a cleaning device 60 around a photosensitive drum 601, which is a rotatable image carrier.

Next, an outline of the image forming process will be described. When the main body of the apparatus receives a print start signal, the photosensitive drum 601 is rotationally driven in the direction of arrow R in FIG. 3 at a predetermined process speed. A charging roller 602 to which a bias voltage is applied contacts the outer peripheral surface of the photoreceptor drum 601 and uniformly charges the outer peripheral surface of the photoreceptor drum 601 . The exposure device 30 outputs a laser beam L corresponding to image information, and scans and exposes the outer peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum 601 . As a result, an electrostatic latent image corresponding to the image information is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum 601 .

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. sent out. The toner T is carried on the surface of the developing roller 25 by the magnetic force of the magnet roller 24 (fixed magnet), and is triboelectrically charged by the developing blade 26 while the layer thickness of the peripheral surface of the developing roller 25 is regulated.

The toner T is transferred to the photosensitive drum 601 according to the electrostatic latent image and visualized as a toner image. That is, the photosensitive drum 601 rotates in the arrow R direction while carrying toner (toner image).

Further, as shown in FIG. 2, the sheet P stored in the lower part of the apparatus main body A is fed from the sheet tray 40 by the pickup roller 41 and the conveying roller pair 42 in conjunction with the output timing of the laser light L. . Then, the sheet P is fed to the transfer position between the photosensitive drum 601 and the transfer roller 44 via the transfer guide 43 . At this transfer position, the toner image is sequentially transferred from the photosensitive drum 601 to the sheet P. As shown in FIG.

The sheet P to which the toner image has been transferred is separated from the photosensitive drum 601, conveyed along the conveying guide 45 to the pair of fixing rollers 46, and passes through the nip portion. The toner image is fixed on the sheet P by pressure/heat fixing processing at this nip portion. The sheet P subjected to the toner image fixing process is conveyed to the discharge roller pair 47 and discharged to the discharge tray 48 .

<Cleaning device>
A cleaning device 60 provided in the process cartridge B removes toner remaining on the photosensitive drum 601 after the toner image formed on the photosensitive drum 601 is transferred onto the sheet P. FIG. The cleaning device 60 is provided with a cleaning member 74 as shown in FIG. The cleaning member 74 is made up of an elastic portion 741 made of rubber or the like and a support portion 740 made of sheet metal or the like. An elastic portion 741 of the cleaning member 74 is formed with a drum contact end 742 that contacts the photosensitive drum 601 and scrapes residual toner (hereinafter referred to as “waste toner”) on the outer peripheral surface. Waste toner is removed from the body drum 601 by this drum contact end 742, and the body drum 601 is used again for the image forming process.

To the frame 62 is fixed a sheet member 90 which contacts the peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum 601 upstream of the cleaning member 74 in the rotational direction of the photosensitive drum 601 during image formation (direction of arrow R in FIG. 3). A seating surface 690 is provided. The sheet member 90 fixed to the seat seat surface 690 abuts against the photosensitive drum 601 at the sheet leading end portion 91, which is the end portion on the non-fixed side, to prevent the waste toner removed by the cleaning member 74 from leaking. prevent.

Further, the frame 62 is provided with a rear seal member 92 so as to seal the gap between the cleaning member 74 and the frame 62. The sheet member 90 and the end seal structure described later are combined to accommodate waste toner. A space 63 is formed.

The waste toner scraped off by the drum contact end 742 of the cleaning member 74 spreads in the longitudinal direction, which is the rotational axis direction of the photosensitive drum 601 , and flows through the opening formed by the drum contact end 742 and the sheet leading edge 91 . It is sent to the toner storage space 63 and stored.

(End seal configuration)
Next, the end seal structure of the cleaning device 60 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 4 shows the cleaning device 60, and FIG. 4(a) is an exploded perspective view of the cleaning device 60 taken out from the main point and viewed from the Y direction in FIG. FIG. 4(b) is an enlarged view of the X portion of FIG. 4(a), and FIG. 4(c) is a view extracted from FIG. 4(b).

As shown in FIG. 4A, the photosensitive drum 601 is coupled to the frame 62 by a drum supporting member 603 and a side cover 604, and is rotatably supported with respect to the frame 62. As shown in FIG.

As shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B, the cleaning member 74 has a supporting portion 740 fixed to the frame 62 by a fixing screw 75, which is an example of fixing means, so that the cleaning member 74 is fixed in the longitudinal direction. End sealing members 80 are provided at both ends of the . As described above, the frame 62 is provided with the seat surface 690 to which the sheet member 90 is fixed, and the sheet member 90 is adhesively fixed to the seat surface 690 by the double-sided tape 95 which is a band-shaped double-sided adhesive member. be done.

The end seal members 80 provided at both ends of the cleaning member 74 in the longitudinal direction are in contact with the frame 62, the sheet member 90, the photosensitive drum 601, and the elastic portion 741 of the cleaning member 74, thereby removing waste from the gaps between them. To seal the leakage path of toner.

The end seal member 80 is composed of a surface layer 81 that comes into sliding contact with the drum surface, an intermediate layer 82, and an adhesive layer 83 that is fixed to the end seal bearing surface 680 (see FIG. 1(b)). The surface layer 81 of the end sealing member 80 of this embodiment is made of an elastic material such as felt, and the intermediate layer 82 is made of an elastic material such as urethane foam.

As shown in FIG. 4(c), the frame 62 is provided with an end seal bearing surface 680 to which the end seal member 80 is adhered and fixed. The end seal seat surface 680 has a step corresponding to the thickness of the end seal member 80 with respect to the seat seat surface 690 to which the sheet member 90 is attached. A part of the end seal seat surface 680 bites in a direction away from the cleaning member 74 than the seat seat surface short inner side end 691 , which is the end of the seat seat surface 690 on the side closer to the cleaning member 74 in the short direction. is provided in

The end seal seating surface 680 and the seat seating surface 690 are composed of an inner connecting surface 682 provided on the inner side in the longitudinal direction, an outer connecting surface 683 formed on the outer side in the longitudinal direction of the inner connecting surface 682, and the outer connecting surface. 683 and the inner connection surface 682 are connected by a short side connection surface 681 parallel to the longitudinal direction. Here, the term "longitudinal direction outer side" refers to the end side in the longitudinal direction, which is the rotational axis direction of the photosensitive drum 601, and the term "longitudinal direction inner side" refers to the center side in the longitudinal direction.

A sealing rib 670 , which is a convex portion protruding from the short side connection surface 681 of the seat seat surface 690 , is provided on the short side connection surface 681 . That is, the seat seat surface 690 has a concave shape in which a region opposed to the longitudinal end portion of the cleaning member 74 on which the end seal member 80 is arranged in the lateral direction is recessed toward the upstream side in the rotational direction of the photosensitive drum 601 . , and the end seal seating surface 680 is formed to bite into the recess. A sealing rib 670 is formed on the inner wall surface of the recess.

<Functions of sealing ribs and double-sided tape>
Next, the functions of the sealing rib 670 and the double-sided tape 95 when the recess is formed in the seat surface 690 as described above are compared with the conventional case where the recess is not formed in the seat surface. will be used to explain.

1A and 1B are diagrams showing key points of this embodiment in which a recess is formed in the seat surface 690, and FIG. 1A is a diagram of FIG. 1(b) is a cross-sectional view of FIG. 1(a) taken along D1. On the other hand, FIGS. 5A and 5B show essential points of a comparative example in which no recess is formed in the seat surface. FIG. 5A is a view viewed from the same direction as FIG. ) is a cross-sectional view of FIG. 5(a) cut at D2. In FIGS. 1(a) and 5(a), in order to facilitate the explanation, the overlapped portion of the double-sided tape 95 and the sheet member 90 is shown transparently in the portion enclosed by the dashed line.

As shown in FIG. 1( a ), the end seal member 80 has a longitudinal inner end surface 801 facing longitudinally inward and longitudinally inward of the cleaning longitudinal end 743 of the cleaning member 74 , and a cleaning longitudinal end 743 . a longitudinal outer end face 803 facing longitudinally outward and outside the cleaning longitudinal end 743; a short longitudinal facing surface 805 facing the drum contact end 742 of the cleaning member 74; It has a short end surface 806 provided to connect the end surface 801 and the longitudinal outer end surface 803 .

The end seal member 80 is adhesively fixed to the end seal seat surface 680. At this time, part of the end seal member 80 enters the recess of the seat seat surface 690, and the short end surface 806 is attached to the seat seat surface. It is adhered so as to abut on the short side connection surface 681 of 690 . Therefore, as shown in FIG. 1B, the sealing rib 670 projecting from the short side connection surface 681 enters the short end surface 806 of the end seal member 80 . Since the end seal member 80 is made of an elastic material, the encroachment of the sealing rib 670 compresses the end seal member 80 (see region [P] in FIG. 1(b)). Toner leakage is prevented. As a result, the waste toner is deposited on the inner connecting surface 682, the short side connecting surface 681, and the outer connecting surface 683 of the frame 62 in FIG. It seals a path for leaking to the outside of the container through a gap with the outer end face 803 (see broken line arrow f1 in the figure).

The double-sided tape 95 is adhered to the seat surface 690 in order to attach the sheet member 90 to the frame 62, and as shown in FIG. ing. Therefore, as shown in area [Q] in FIG. 1(b), the double-sided tape 95 adheres the sheet member 90 to the seat surface 690 and at the same time contacts (bonds) the sealing rib 670, It also abuts on a part of the seal member 80 and is adhered to the frame so as to cover it. As a result, even if the double-sided tape 95 is thick and a gap corresponding to the thickness of the double-sided tape is formed between the sheet member 90 and the frame 62, no gap is formed at the sealing rib 670, so that the sealing rib 670 is discarded. Toner is prevented from leaking.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 5A, in the configuration of the comparative example, as in the present embodiment, the end seal member 180 faces inward in the longitudinal direction and is located further than the cleaning longitudinal end 743 of the cleaning member 74. As shown in FIG. A longitudinal inner end face 1801 on the longitudinal inner side, a longitudinal opposing face 1802 facing the longitudinal end face, a longitudinal outer end face 1803 facing longitudinally outward and on the outer side of the cleaning longitudinal end 743 , and a drum contact end of the cleaning member 74 . It has a short facing surface 1805 facing 742 and a short end surface 1806 provided to connect the longitudinal inner end surface 1801 and the longitudinal outer end surface 1803 .

5(a) and 5(b), the end seal seat surface 1680 of the end seal 180 is provided with a step with respect to the seat seat surface 1690. As shown in FIG. That is, the seat bearing surface 1690 does not have a recessed portion as in the present embodiment. A sealing rib 1670 having a shape protruding from the short side connection surface 1681 is provided on the short side connection surface 1681 formed linearly so as to connect the end seal seat surface 1680 and the seat seat surface 1690. It is

When the sheet member 90 is adhered to the seat surface 1690 with the double-sided tape 195 in the configuration as described above, the sealing rib 1670 is formed to protrude from the seat surface 1690 toward the cleaning member 74 side. Moreover, the double-sided tape 195 attached to the seat surface 1690 cannot cover the sealing rib 1670 . Therefore, as shown in FIG. 5(b), there is a possibility that a gap S corresponding to the thickness of the double-sided tape is formed. Especially when the double-sided tape 95 is thick, the waste toner leaks through the gap S. (broken line arrow f2 in FIG. 5(a)).

Here, it is also possible to move the sticking position of the double-sided tape 195 in the direction of arrow E in FIG. The double-sided tape 195 protrudes from the seat surface 1690 . Therefore, the waste toner tends to enter the gap between the double-sided tape 195 and the seat surface 1690, and the double-sided tape 195 may easily come off.

Another possible method is to increase the width of the double-sided tape 195 only in the portion overlapping the sealing rib 1670 in the longitudinal direction. However, in that case, since it is necessary to cut the region other than the portion covering the sealing rib 1670 in the width direction of the double-sided tape 95, the cut portion becomes waste material, resulting in an increase in cost.

As described above, according to this embodiment, a recess is formed in the seat surface 690 so that the end seal seat surface 680 bites into the seat surface 690 with a step, and the inner wall portion of the recess is sealed. By forming a rib, the sealing rib 670 is covered by a double-sided tape 95 that is applied over both sides of the recess in the longitudinal direction. As a result, even if the double-sided tape 95 is thick, the double-sided tape 95 abuts and adheres to the sealing rib 670, blocking the path through which the toner leaks. For this reason, it is possible to block the path that causes toner leakage with a simple structure, and to improve the sealing performance as compared with the conventional art.

In the above-described embodiment, the sealing rib 670 is provided on the short-side connecting surface 681 of the frame 62 and contacts the short-side end surface 806 of the end seal member 80. However, as shown in FIG. may be configured.

Further, the shape of the recess formed in the seat surface 690 is not limited to a rectangular shape as shown in FIG. . That is, the position where the sealing rib 670 formed on the inner wall surface of the recess abuts against the end seal member 80 is the seat surface short inner end 691 , which is the end of the seat surface 690 on the side closer to the cleaning member 74 . It suffices if it contacts upstream of the photosensitive drum 601 in the rotational direction.

FIG. 6 shows a modification of the above-described embodiment, and is a view seen from the same direction as FIG. 1(a). In addition, in FIG. 6, in order to facilitate the explanation, the overlapped portion of the double-sided tape 95 and the sheet member 90 is shown transparently in the portion surrounded by the dashed line. The sealing rib 3670 shown in FIG. 6 is provided on the inner connection surface 682 of the frame 362 and abuts on the longitudinal inner end surface 801 of the end seal member 80 . It should be noted that the sealing rib 3670 may be provided on the outer connection surface 683 and configured to contact the longitudinal outer end surface 803 .

As described above, if the sealing rib 3670 is formed on the inner wall surface of the recess formed in the seat surface 690, the sealing rib 670 can be attached to the double-sided tape 95 by sticking the double-sided tape 95 over both sides of the recess. , and the toner leakage path is sealed to improve the sealing performance.

[Second embodiment]
Next, a second embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIGS. 7A and 7B are diagrams showing key points of the sealing structure in the cleaning device according to the second embodiment, FIG. 7A being a diagram viewed from the same direction as FIG. 1A, and FIG. 7B. [Fig. 7] is a diagram of the first embodiment shown for comparison with Fig. 7(a). As in FIG. 1(a), the double-sided tape and the sheet member are shown in a see-through manner in the portion enclosed by the dashed line.

Since the basic configuration of the apparatus of this embodiment is the same as that of the above-described first embodiment, overlapping parts will be omitted.

In the above-described first embodiment, the end seal seat surface 680 is provided with a level difference with respect to the seat seat surface 690, and the double-sided tape 95 is adhered so as to cover the sealing rib 670, thereby sealing at a low cost. It has been described to provide a cleaning device with a high performance seal arrangement.

Here, an embodiment will be described in which a further effect can be obtained by partially changing the shape of the end sealing member and devising the position of the sealing rib.

As shown in FIG. 7A, as in the first embodiment, the frame 262 is provided with an end seal seat surface 2680 to which the end seal member 280 is adhesively fixed. is provided so as to bite into the seat surface 2690 with a step.

The end seal seating surface 2680 and the seat seating surface 2690 have an inner connecting surface 2682 provided longitudinally inward, an outer connecting surface 2683 which is the outer end of the recess provided longitudinally outward, the inner connecting surface 2682 and the outer side. It is provided so as to connect the connecting surfaces 2683 and is connected by a short-side connecting surface 2681 parallel to the longitudinal direction, and at this portion the seat surface 2690 is formed in a recessed shape recessed toward the upstream side in the rotational direction of the photosensitive drum 601 . ing. A sealing rib 2670 having a shape projecting from the short side connection surface 2681 toward the cleaning member 74 is provided on the short side connection surface 2681 .

As in the case of the first embodiment, the end seal member 280 has a longitudinal inner end surface 2801 facing longitudinally inward and longitudinally inward of the cleaning longitudinal end 743 of the cleaning member 74 and a cleaning longitudinal end surface 2801 . , a longitudinal outer end surface 2803 which is an outer end facing longitudinally outward and outside the cleaning longitudinal end 743 , and a short length opposing surface facing the drum contact end 742 of the cleaning member 74 . 2805.

The end seal member 280 of the present embodiment has a second outer end face 2807 located inside the longitudinal outer end face 2803 and facing the outer connecting face 2683. It has a short end surface 2806 provided so as to connect with the longitudinal inner end surface 2801 .

As shown in FIGS. 7(a) and 7(b), the double-sided tapes 295, 95 provided to cover the sealing ribs 2670, 670 are attached to the frame outside the end seal members 280, 80 in the longitudinal direction. It is affixed so as to adhere to the body 262,62. This is because the end seal members 280 and 80 are generally members such as non-woven fabrics that are difficult for the double-faced tapes 295 and 95 to adhere to and may cause peeling during use. This is because the frame members 262, 62 are firmly adhered to both the inner and outer sides in the longitudinal direction.

In addition, double-sided tape ends 2951, 951, which are longitudinal ends of double-sided tapes 295, 95, must be provided between outer connection surfaces 2683, 683 of frames 262, 62 and side walls 2620, 620. , 620 and the ends of the double-sided tape 2951, 951, a certain amount or more is required in order to stick the double-sided tapes 295, 95 on.

Here, as shown in FIG. 7A, by providing the second outer end surface 2807 on the end seal member 280, the outer connection surface 2683, which is the outer end of the recess into which the second outer end surface 2807 enters, is the end. It is located inside the outer connecting surface 22803 which is the outer end of the inner sealing member 280 . As a result, the outer connecting surface 2683 forming the recess can be shifted inward in the longitudinal direction by the length L, so that the longitudinal distance can be shortened while maintaining the required bonding width and the gap between the side wall 2620 and the side wall 2620 . It becomes possible. That is, the longitudinal length of the frame 262 can be shortened by the length L.

Further, as shown in FIG. 8, between the drum contact end 742 of the cleaning member 74 and the short side facing surface 2805 of the end seal member 280, and between the long side facing surface 2802 facing the long side end surface 743 of the cleaning member 74, , a gap may occur due to a problem of size or attachment of the end seal member 280 . In addition, FIG. 8 is the figure which removed the double-sided tape and the sheet|seat member from Fig.7 (a).

The waste toner scraped off by the drum contact end 742 enters into the gap and continues to rub against the photosensitive drum 601 , so that the waste toner melted by the rubbing heat may fuse onto the photosensitive drum 601 . .

Therefore, as shown in FIG. 8, the sealing rib 2670 is positioned inside the longitudinal facing surface 2802 of the end seal member 280 and contacts the short end surface 2806 from the direction facing the drum contact end 742 of the cleaning member 74 . set in That is, by arranging the sealing rib 2670 in contact with the end sealing member 280 in a region overlapping the cleaning member 74 in the longitudinal direction, the convex portion of the sealing rib 2670 prevents the end sealing member 280 from contacting the cleaning member 74 . (arrow N direction in FIG. 8). Since the end seal member 280 is made of an elastic material, it compresses and deforms when receiving a force (arrow N). As a result, the short facing surface 2805 of the end seal member 280 is brought into closer contact with the cleaning member 74 , and the sealing rib 2670 contacts the drum contact end 742 of the cleaning member 74 and the short facing surface 2805 of the end seal member 280 . play a role in closing the gap between

As described above, according to this embodiment, the end seal member 280 is provided with the second outer end surface 2807, the sealing rib 2670 is located inside the longitudinal facing surface 2802 of the end seal member 280, and the cleaning member 74 is configured to contact the short end surface 2806 from the direction facing the drum contact end 742, it is possible to provide a compact seal configuration with high sealing performance.

A: Main body of image forming apparatus B: Cartridge 60: Cleaning device 62: Frame body 63: Waste toner storage space 74: Cleaning member 80: Edge sealing member 90: Sheet member 91: Leading edge of sheet 92: Rear sealing member 95: Both sides Tape 601 ... Photoreceptor drum 670 ... Sealing rib 680 ... End seal bearing surface 681 ... Short side connection surface 682 ... Inner connection surface 683 ... Outer connection surface 690 ... Seat bearing surface 691 ... Short inner edge of seat bearing surface 740 ... Support portion 742 ... Drum contact end 743 ... Cleaning longitudinal end 801 ... Longitudinal inner end surface 802 ... Longitudinal facing surface 803 ... Longitudinal outer end surface 805 ... Shorter opposite surface 806 ... Shorter end surface 2807 ... Second outer end surface

Claims (6)

an image carrier that carries a developer and is rotatable;
a cleaning member that contacts the peripheral surface of the image carrier and removes the developer on the image carrier;
a sheet member that contacts the peripheral surface of the image carrier upstream of the cleaning member in the rotational direction of the image carrier;
end seal members disposed at both longitudinal ends of the cleaning member for sealing a gap between the cleaning member and the sheet member;
a frame for mounting the cleaning member, the sheet member, and the end seal member;
a seat surface formed on the frame for bonding the sheet member to the frame by an adhesive member;
a convex portion protruding from the seating surface of the seat and abutting against the end seal member to seal a gap between the frame and the end seal member;
has
the convex portion abuts on the end seal member upstream of the end portion of the seat surface on the side closer to the cleaning member in the rotational direction of the image carrier;
The cleaning device, wherein the adhesive member is in contact with the convex portion. The seat surface has recesses at positions facing both ends of the cleaning member in the longitudinal direction, and the protrusions are formed on inner wall surfaces of the recesses,
2. The cleaning device according to claim 1, wherein the end seal member is adhered so that a portion of the end seal member penetrates into the recess. 3. The cleaning device according to claim 2, wherein said adhesive member is a strip-shaped double-sided adhesive member, and said adhesive member is adhered to both sides of said recess in said longitudinal direction. 4. The cleaning device according to claim 3, wherein the longitudinally outer end of the recess is located inside the longitudinally outer end of the end seal member. 5. The protruding portion according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the convex portion that abuts on the end seal member is arranged in a region that overlaps with the cleaning member in the longitudinal direction. cleaning equipment. In the cartridge detachable to the main body of the image forming apparatus,
A cartridge comprising the cleaning device according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

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