JP7214419B2 - Image forming apparatus, developing cartridge - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an electrophotographic image forming apparatus and a developing cartridge usable therein. Electrophotographic image forming apparatuses include printers (laser beam printers, LED printers, etc.), copiers, facsimile machines, word processors, and multifunction machines (multifunction printers).

A developing cartridge is known that includes a developing unit that supports a developing roller, and end members that are attached to both longitudinal ends of the developing unit so as to be rotatable relative to the developing unit (Patent Document 1). ). The end member is positioned in the apparatus main body to allow the developing unit to rotate with respect to the photosensitive drum positioned in the apparatus main body. With this configuration, the developing unit can move between a contact position where the developing roller is in contact with the photosensitive drum and a separated position where the developing roller is separated from the photosensitive drum. Further, the developing cartridge has a restricting member that restricts the developing unit from rotating with respect to the end member when the developing cartridge is attached to and detached from the apparatus main body.

JP 2017-173805 A

In the developing cartridge disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2002-100000, the regulation of rotation of the end member with respect to the developing unit is released by an operation of moving the developing cartridge relative to the apparatus main body in the direction of the rotation axis of the developing roller. Therefore, in the image forming apparatus configured to move between the first position for attaching and detaching the developing cartridge and the second position for image formation, the end member is positioned at the first position. Rotation restriction is canceled. The end member is desirably restricted in rotation at the first position where image formation is not performed.

A first aspect of the present invention for solving the above problems is an apparatus main body, an image carrier that carries a toner image, a developing member that supplies toner to the image carrier, and a rotatable developing member. a developing frame for supporting the developing cartridge, which is attachable to and detachable from the apparatus main body in the direction of a first rotation axis, which is the rotation axis of the developing member, with the image carrier being in the apparatus main body; an intermediate transfer member to which the toner image on the image carrier is transferred; a first position for attaching and detaching the developing cartridge together with the image carrier; An image forming apparatus comprising: a second position for image formation which is close to a transfer body; The development cartridge is an end member provided at the end of the first rotation axis of the development frame body, and is arranged around the development frame around a second rotation axis parallel to the direction of the first rotation axis. an end member that is rotatable with respect to the body and configured to determine a position in a direction intersecting with the second rotation axis direction when the developer cartridge is in the second position ; a regulating portion including a regulating member movable between a regulating position that regulates rotation about the second rotation axis with respect to the developing frame and a non-regulating position that does not regulate the rotation; It is characterized in that when the developing cartridge is at the first position, it is at the regulating position, and when the developing cartridge is at the second position, it is at the non-regulating position.

A second aspect of the present invention for solving the above problems is a developing cartridge that can be attached to and detached from an image forming apparatus in a state in which an image carrier for carrying a toner image is present in the apparatus main body, a developing member that supplies the toner to the image carrier; a developing section that rotatably supports the developing member; and a toner storage section that stores the toner to be supplied to the developing section. a frame, which is detachable from the apparatus main body in the direction of the first rotation axis that is the rotation axis of the developing member, and is provided at the end of the first rotation axis of the developing frame. an end member rotatable with respect to the developing frame around a second rotational axis parallel to the direction of the first rotational axis, and wherein the developer cartridge is positioned for image formation in the apparatus main body; an end member configured to determine a position in a direction intersecting with the direction of the second rotation axis when the end member is in the state of the second rotation axis, and restricting rotation of the end member about the second rotation axis with respect to the developing frame. a regulating member movable between a regulated position and a non-regulating position, a biasing member biasing the regulating member in a direction from the non-regulating position toward the regulating position; a pressing member configured to press the restricting member against a force so that the restricting member moves from the restricting position to the non-restricting position , wherein the restricting member is In a state in which the developing cartridge is in the image forming position of the apparatus main body, the developer cartridge is pushed by the regulation releasing portion of the apparatus main body through the pressing member to be in the non-regulating position, and the developing cartridge is positioned in the apparatus. When the developing cartridge is not attached to the main body, it is in the regulating position by the urging force of the urging member, and the regulating portion is positioned closer to the toner storage portion than the toner containing portion when the developing cartridge is viewed in the direction of the first rotation axis. is provided on the side close to the developing section .

According to the present invention, it is possible to restrict the rotation of the end member when the developing cartridge is at the attachment/detachment position.

Schematic cross-sectional view of an image forming apparatus according to Embodiment 1 1 is a perspective view and a schematic cross-sectional view of a drum cartridge according to Embodiment 1. FIG. Schematic cross-sectional view of a developer cartridge according to Example 1 1 is an exploded perspective view of a developing cartridge according to Embodiment 1; FIG. Back side front view and front side front view of developing cartridge according to embodiment 1 FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the vicinity of the rear end member of the developing cartridge according to the first embodiment; FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the vicinity of the front end member of the developing cartridge according to the first embodiment; Sectional view and perspective view of the vicinity of the regulating member of the developing cartridge when the regulating member of the front end member is at the regulating position FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view and a perspective view of the vicinity of the regulating member of the developing cartridge when the regulating member of the front end member is at the non-regulating position; Front view, left side view, and right side view of the regulating member and the pressing member according to the first embodiment FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a state in which a drum cartridge and a developing cartridge are attached to the apparatus main body according to the first embodiment; FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing how the positions of the front end member and the rear end member according to the first embodiment are determined with respect to the apparatus main body; FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the developing cartridge according to the first embodiment and the guide of the apparatus main body; Schematic diagrams showing the case where the developer cartridge according to the first embodiment is at the first position and the case where it is at the second position. FIG. 2 is a front view showing a contact state and a separated state of the developing cartridges according to the first embodiment;

〔Example〕
[Overall Schematic Configuration of Image Forming Apparatus]
(Image forming device)
An overall configuration of an image forming apparatus 1000 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. As shown in FIG. 1, the image forming apparatus 1000 includes drum cartridges 9 (9Y, 9M, 9C, and 9K, hereinafter referred to as 9Y to 9K) and developing cartridges 4 (4Y, 4M, 4C, 4K, hereinafter referred to as 4Y to 4K).

The drum cartridge 9 has a photosensitive drum 1 (1a, 1b, 1c, 1d, hereinafter referred to as 1a to 1d) as an image carrier for carrying a toner image. The drum cartridge 9 further includes charging rollers 2 (2a, 2b, 2c, 2d, hereinafter referred to as 2a to 2d) and cleaning members 6 (6a, 6b, 6c, 6d, hereinafter referred to as 6a to 6d). include. The developing cartridge 4 includes developing rollers 25 (25a, 25b, 25c, 25d, hereinafter referred to as 25a to 25d) as developing members, and developing blades 35 (35a, 35b, 35c, 35d, hereinafter referred to as 35a) as cleaning members. ~35d) and

The charging roller 2 charges the surface of the photoreceptor drum 1, and the developing roller 25 develops the latent image formed on the surface of the photoreceptor drum 1 with a developer (hereinafter referred to as toner) to produce a visible image. It is an image. The cleaning member 6 removes toner remaining on the photosensitive drum 1 after the toner image formed on the photosensitive drum 1 is transferred onto the recording medium S.

Here, the attachment/detachment direction (installation direction) of the apparatus main body 100 of the drum cartridge 9 is the direction along the rotation axis direction of the photosensitive drum. The attachment/detachment direction (mounting direction) of the apparatus main body 100 of the developing cartridge 4 is the direction along the rotation axis direction of the developing roller 25 . The upstream side and the downstream side in the mounting direction of the drum cartridge 9 and the developing cartridge 4 are defined as the front side and the back side, respectively.

A scanner unit 3 is provided below the drum cartridge 9 and the developing cartridge 4 to selectively expose the photosensitive drum 1 based on image information and form a latent image on the photosensitive drum 1 .

A cassette 17 containing a recording medium S is mounted on the lower side in the vertical direction inside the apparatus main body 100 . Then, the recording medium S passes through a secondary transfer roller 69 for transferring the toner image onto the recording medium S and a fixing unit 74 for fixing the toner image fixed on the recording medium S to the recording material. A plurality of conveying units are provided for conveying the recording medium S so that the recording medium S is discharged to the outside. Specifically, a feeding roller 54 for separating and feeding the recording medium S in the cassette 17 one by one, a pair of feeding rollers 76 for feeding the fed recording medium S, and a roller for transferring onto the recording medium S. A registration roller pair 55 for synchronizing the toner image and the recording medium S. FIG. Further, an intermediate transfer unit 5 for transferring toner images formed on the photosensitive drums 1 (1a, 1b, 1c, 1d) is provided above the drum cartridge 9 and the developing cartridge 4 in the vertical direction. The intermediate transfer unit 5 has a drive roller 56, a driven roller 57, primary transfer rollers 58 (58a, 58b, 58c, 58d), and a counter roller 59, and the transfer belt 14 is stretched over these rollers. there is The four primary transfer rollers 58 (58a, 58b, 58c, 58d) move the transfer belt 14 as an intermediate transfer body so that the transfer belt 14 contacts the four photosensitive drums 1 (1a to 1d). Each of them presses the corresponding photosensitive drum 1 . By applying a voltage to the primary transfer roller 58, the toner image is transferred from the photosensitive drum 1 onto the transfer belt 14 (primary transfer). Then, the toner image transferred to the transfer belt 14 is transferred to the recording medium S by applying voltage to the secondary transfer roller 69 .

An image forming operation will be described. After the photosensitive drum 1 is rotated and the surface of the photosensitive drum 1 is uniformly charged by the charging roller 2 , the photosensitive drum 1 is selectively exposed from the scanner unit 3 . Thereby, an electrostatic latent image is formed on the surface of the photosensitive drum 1 . The electrostatic latent image on the surface of the photosensitive drum 1 is developed as a toner image by the developing roller 25 . In synchronization with this image formation, the registration roller pair 55 conveys the recording medium S to the secondary transfer portion where the opposing roller 59 and the secondary transfer roller 69 are in contact with each other with the transfer belt 14 interposed therebetween. By applying a transfer bias voltage to the secondary transfer roller 69 , the toner images of the respective colors on the transfer belt 14 are secondarily transferred onto the recording medium S. Thus, a color image is formed on the recording medium S. FIG. The recording medium S on which the color image is formed is heated and pressed by the fixing section 74 to fix the toner image. After that, the recording medium S is discharged to the discharge section 75 by the discharge rollers 72 . It should be noted that the fixing section 74 is arranged in the upper portion of the apparatus main body 100 .

(drum cartridge)
Next, the drum cartridge 9 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 2(a) and 2(b). FIG. 2(a) is a perspective view showing the appearance of the drum cartridge 9 (9Y to 9K). FIG. 2(b) is a main sectional view of the drum cartridge. The drum cartridges 9Y to 9K have the same construction. In this embodiment, the upstream side and the downstream side are defined as the front side and the back side, respectively, in the mounting direction of the drum cartridge 9 and the developing cartridge 4 to the apparatus main body 100, which will be described later. The drum cartridge 9 (9Y to 9K) has the photosensitive drum 1 and the cleaning frame 27. As shown in FIG. The cleaning frame 27 rotatably supports the photosensitive drum 1 via the drum bearing 10 on the front side and the drum bearing 11 on the back side. A drum coupling 16 and a flange are provided on one end side of the photosensitive drum 1 in the rotation axis direction. Around the photosensitive drum 1, the charging roller 2 and the cleaning member 6 are provided as described above. The cleaning member 6 has an elastic member 7 made of a rubber blade and a cleaning support member 8 . The tip portion 7a of the rubber blade 7 is arranged in contact with the photoreceptor drum 1 in the direction counter to the direction of rotation thereof. The residual toner removed from the surface of the photosensitive drum 1 by the cleaning member 6 falls into the removed toner chamber 27a. A scooping sheet 21 is in contact with the photosensitive drum 1 to prevent leakage of the removed toner from the removed toner chamber 27a. By transmitting the driving force of a main body driving motor (not shown), which is a driving source, to the drum cartridge 9, the photosensitive drum 1 is rotationally driven according to the image forming operation. The charging roller 2 is rotatably attached to the drum cartridge 9 via a charging roller bearing 28 , is pressed against the photosensitive drum 1 by a charging roller pressing member 33 , and rotates following the photosensitive drum 1 . .

(Development cartridge)
Next, the developer cartridge 4 will be described with reference to FIGS. 3, 4 and 5. FIG. FIG. 3 is a main section of the developer cartridge 4 (4Y to 4K). FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the developing cartridge 4 with a part of the developing cartridge 4 disassembled for convenience. The developing cartridges 4Y to 4K containing yellow, magenta, cyan, and black toners have the same structure.

The developing cartridge 4 is in contact with the photosensitive drum 1 and rotates in the direction of arrow B while supplying toner to the photosensitive drum 1 to develop a toner image on the photosensitive drum 1 , and rotates the developing roller 25 . and a development frame 31 that supports the development frame 31 so as to be able to. The developing cartridge 4 further includes a toner supply roller 34 that rotates in contact with the developing roller 25 to supply toner to the developing roller 25, a developing blade 35 that regulates the thickness of the toner layer on the developing roller 25, and a toner transport member 36 .

Developing roller 25 , toner supply roller 34 , and developing blade 35 are members elongated in the direction of the rotation axis of developing roller 25 .

The developing frame 31 includes a developing chamber 31c as a developing portion in which the developing roller 25 is arranged, and a toner storage portion provided vertically below the developing chamber 31c when the developing cartridge 4 is attached to the apparatus main body 100. and a toner storage chamber 31a. Each chamber is separated by a partition wall 31d. Further, the partition wall 31d is provided with an opening 31b through which the toner passes when the toner is conveyed from the toner containing chamber 31a to the developing chamber 31c.

A toner conveying member 36 provided in the toner storage chamber 31a agitates the stored toner and conveys the toner to the developing chamber 31c through the opening 31b. Both longitudinal end portions of the developing roller 25 and the toner supply roller 34 are rotatably supported by the developing bearing member 12 on the near side and the developing bearing member 13 on the far side shown in FIG. A development coupling 23 is provided at the longitudinal end portion on the far side of the toner supply roller 34 . Further, the toner supply gear 30 is provided at the longitudinal end portion on the front side of the toner supply roller 34 . A developing gear 29 that meshes with the toner supply gear 30 is provided at the front longitudinal end portion of the developing roller 25 . Therefore, by transmitting the driving force of a main body driving motor (not shown), which is a driving source, to the developing coupling 23, the toner supply roller 34 and the developing roller 25 are rotationally driven according to the image forming operation. A gear cover 20 as a part of the developing frame 31 is provided outside the developing gear 29 and the toner supply gear 30 . Hereinafter, the development frame 31 and members supported by the development frame 31 are collectively referred to as a development unit 39 .

(Front end member and rear end member of developing cartridge)
A front end member (first end member) 37 on the front side and a rear end member (second end member) 38 on the back side are provided at both ends of the developing roller 25 of the developing frame 31 in the longitudinal direction. ing. 5A and 5B show the developing cartridge 4 viewed from the rear end member 38 side and the developing cartridge 4 viewed from the front end member 37, respectively. As shown in FIG. 4, the rear end member 38 is provided with a hanging hole 38a that engages with the boss 13a provided on the development bearing 13 on the far side. 4, the front end member 37 is provided with a hanging hole 37a that engages with a boss 20a provided on the gear cover 20. As shown in FIG. The front end member 37 and the rear end member 38 are rotatably attached to a rotation axis Y connecting the boss 13a of the development bearing 13 on the far side and the boss 20a of the gear cover 20. As shown in FIG. That is, the front end member 37 and the rear end member 38 are independently rotatably attached to the developing frame 31 . The front end member 37 is rotatable with respect to the development frame 31 and the rear end member 38 . The rear end member 38 is rotatable with respect to the development frame 31 and the front end member 37 . In other words, when the front end member 37 rotates with respect to the developing frame 31 , the rear end member 38 can be stopped with respect to the developing frame 31 and the front end member 37 . Further, when the rear end member 38 rotates with respect to the development frame 31 , the front end member 37 can be stopped with respect to the development frame 31 and the rear end member 38 .

Next, a configuration for positioning the front end member 37 with respect to the apparatus main body 100 will be described. As shown in FIGS. 5B and 12, the front end member 37 is provided with a guided portion 37k (one end side positioned portion) and a guided portion 37h (one end side rotation stopping portion). On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 12, the apparatus main body 100 has a main body first positioning portion 99a (first positioning portion) and a main body first rotation stopping portion 106 (first rotation stopping portion). Then, when the mounting of the developing cartridge 4 to the apparatus main body 100 is completed and it is at a position where image formation is possible (second position described later), the guided portion 37k and the main body first positioning portion 99a come into contact, The guided portion 37h and the main body first rotation stopping portion 106 are engaged. This determines the position of the front end member 37 in the direction intersecting the rotation axis of the developing roller 25 with respect to the apparatus main body 100 .

On the other hand, as shown in FIGS. 5A and 12, the rear end member 38 includes a second positioned portion 38c (the other end side positioned portion) and a second rotation stopping portion 38d (the other end side rotation stopping portion). part) and As shown in FIG. 12, the apparatus main body 100 has a main body second positioning portion 98a (second positioning portion) and a main body second rotation stopper portion 98b (second rotation stopper). When the developing cartridge 4 is mounted at a position (second position) where image formation is possible, which will be described later, the second positioned portion 38c and the main body second positioning portion 98a come into contact with each other, and the second rotation stopping portion 38d and the main body second rotation stop portion 98b come into contact with each other. As a result, the position of the trailing end member 38 in the direction intersecting the rotation axis of the developing roller 25 with respect to the apparatus main body 100 is determined.

(Attaching the cartridge to the main body of the device)
11, 12, 13, and 14, the operation of mounting the developing cartridge 4 in the apparatus main body 100 will be described.

In this embodiment, the developing cartridges 4 (4Y to 4K) are attached to the apparatus main body 100 through the openings 101 (101a, 101b, 101c, 101d) shown in FIG. 11(a). Further, the developing cartridge 4 is attached to the apparatus main body 100 in a direction (arrow F direction) parallel to the rotation axis direction of the developing rollers 25 (25a to 25d).

As shown in FIG. 14 , an opening/closing member 110 that can be opened and closed with respect to the apparatus main body 100 is provided on the front side of the apparatus main body 100 . When the opening/closing member 110 is opened, the opening 101 is exposed. As shown in FIGS. 11A, 11B, and 13, an upper guide 105 (105a) as a guide member extending in the mounting direction of the developing cartridge 4 is provided above the opening 101 in the vertical direction. , 105b, 105c, 105d) are provided. The cross section of the upper guide 105 is shaped to have a groove (recess). A lower guide 104 (104a, 104b, 104c, 104d) extending in the mounting direction of the developing cartridge 4 is provided below the opening 101 in the vertical direction. The cross section of the lower guide 104 is shaped to have a groove (recess).

When the developing cartridge 4 is attached to the apparatus main body 100, the following is done. As shown in FIGS. 5A and 13, the lower guide rib 338h and upper guide rib 338g provided on the rear end member 38 are aligned with the groove of the lower guide 104 and the groove of the upper guide 105 provided on the apparatus body 100, respectively. to engage. Then, the developer cartridge 4 is pushed in the direction of arrow F in FIG.

The apparatus main body 100 is positioned between a first position for attaching and detaching the developing cartridge 4 and a second position for forming an image and closer to the intermediate transfer unit 5 than the first position. It has a moving mechanism M for moving the cartridge 4 . The moving mechanism M will be described with reference to FIGS. 14(a) and 14(b). FIG. 14(a) shows a state in which the opening/closing member 110 is opened and the developing cartridge 4 is in the first position for pushing toward the apparatus as described above. FIG. 14B shows a state where the opening/closing member 110 is closed and the developing cartridge 4 is at the second position for image formation. The moving mechanism M includes a lower guide 104, a pressing member 104a, a compression spring 104b (biasing member), and a link member 355. The pressing member 104a is provided on the lower guide 104, and supports the developing cartridge 4 by placing the developing cartridge 4 on its upper surface. The compression spring 104b is provided so as to urge the pressing member 104a vertically upward (to approach the intermediate transfer unit 5). Two link members 355 are provided on the upstream side and the downstream side with respect to the mounting direction of the developing cartridge 4 . One end of the link member 355 on the upstream side is provided on the front side plate 99 so as to be rotatable around the rotation center 99c, and the other end is rotatably provided on the lower guide 104 . One end of the link member 355 on the downstream side is provided on the rear side plate 98 so as to be rotatable around the rotation center 98c, and the other end is rotatably provided on the lower guide 104 . As the two link members 355 rotate in conjunction with the rotation of the opening/closing member 110, the lower guide 104 moves vertically upward. When the lower guide 104 moves vertically upward, the developer cartridge 4 placed thereon moves from the first position to the second position.

As shown in FIG. 14(a), when the developing cartridge 4 is at the first position, it is as follows. The second positioned portion 38c of the rear end member 38 and the guided portion 37k of the front end member 37 have gaps with respect to the abutting portion 98a of the rear side plate 98 and the main body first positioning portion 99a of the front side plate 99, respectively. are doing. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 14B, when the developing cartridge 4 is at the second position, the developing cartridge 4 is urged vertically upward by the pressing force of the compression spring 104b via the pressing member 104a. there is By this urging force, the second positioned portion 38c of the rear end member 38 and the guided portion 37k of the front end member 37 are brought into contact with the abutting portion 98a of the rear side plate 98 and the main body first positioning portion 99a of the front side plate 99, respectively. The positions of the front end member 37 and the rear end member 38 are determined upon abutment.

(Rotation restricting portion of rear end member)
Next, the rear regulating member 40 that regulates the rotation of the rear end member 38 with respect to the developing unit 39 will be described with reference to FIGS. 4, 5A, and 6. FIG. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the developing cartridge 4 taken along kk in FIG. 5(a).

As shown in FIG. 6 , the back bearing member 13 is provided with a rear restricting member 40 as a rotation restricting portion of the rear end member 38 . Further, a compression spring 41 is provided between the rear regulating member 40 and the spring support portion 13b of the bearing member 13. As shown in FIG. Further, the rear end member 38 has a groove portion 38f that can be engaged with the regulation portion 40a of the rear regulation member 40, and a hanging hole 38a. The bearing member 13 has a boss 13a that engages with the suspension hole 38a. When the developing cartridge 4 is not attached to the apparatus main body 100, the hanging hole 38a and the groove 38f of the rear end member 38 are engaged with the boss 13a of the bearing member 13 and the regulating portion 40a of the rear regulating member 40, respectively. (See FIGS. 5A and 6). As a result, the rear end member 38 is restricted from rotating about the rotation axis Y with respect to the bearing member 13 . In other words, the rotation of the trailing end member 38 is restricted so that it does not rotate about the rotation axis Y with respect to the developing unit 39 .

When the developing cartridge 4 is moved in the mounting direction and mounted in the apparatus main body 100, the rear regulating member 40 comes into contact with a projection (not shown) provided on the rear side plate 98 and is pressed in the P direction shown in FIG. Then, as shown in FIG. 6B, the rear regulating member 40 moves in the P direction against the biasing force of the compression spring 41, and the regulating portion 40a of the rear regulating member 40 and the rear end member 38 are moved. The engagement with the groove portion 38b is released. As a result, the rear end member 38 can rotate about the rotation axis Y with respect to the developing frame 31 including the bearing member 13 or the developing unit 39 .

Further, when the developing cartridge 4 is at the second position where image formation is possible, it is as follows. As described above, the position of the rear end member 38 in the direction intersecting the rotation axis of the developing roller 25 is determined with respect to the apparatus main body 100, and the rotation of the rear end member 38 with respect to the developing unit 39 is not restricted. Therefore, when the developing cartridge 4 is at the second position, the developing unit 39 is rotatable about the rotation axis Y with respect to the rear end member 38 positioned in the apparatus main body 100 .

(Rotation restricting portion of front end member)
The front end member 37 will be described with reference to FIGS. 4, 5B, and 7 to 9. FIG. 7(a) and 7(b) respectively show the cutting line FF shown in FIG. It is a cross-sectional view. 8A and 8B are a perspective view and a cross-sectional view, respectively, of part of the developer cartridge 4 in the first position. 9(a) and 9(b) are respectively a perspective view and a cross-sectional view of part of the developer cartridge 4 in the second position.

The front end member 37 has a front regulating member 60 as a rotation regulating portion with respect to the developing frame 31 (developing unit 39) of the front end member 37, and a compression spring 62 as an urging member for urging the front regulating member 60. , and a pressing member 61 that presses the front restricting member.

The front restricting member 60 is provided on the front end member 37 so as to be movable in the rotation axis direction (y-axis direction) of the developing roller 25 . The pressing member 61 is provided on the front end member 37 so as to be movable in the z-axis direction perpendicular to the y-axis. Furthermore, the compression spring 62 is provided between the front restricting member 60 and the front end member 37 .

A detailed view of the front restricting member 60 and the pressing member 61 is shown in FIG. 10(a), (b), and (c) are a left side view, a front view, and a right side view of the front restricting member 60, respectively. 10(d), (e), and (f) are a left side view, a front view, and a right side view of the pressing member 61, respectively. The front restricting member 60 has a restricting portion 60a and a slope portion 60b. The pressing member 61 has a slope portion 61a.

When the developing cartridge 4 is at the first position as shown in FIGS. 7A and 8, the front end member 37 is biased in the -y direction by the biasing force of the compression spring 62, A restricting portion 60 a of the front restricting member 60 is engaged with a groove portion 20 b provided in the gear cover 20 . As described above, the regulation portion 60a is engaged with the groove portion 20b, so that the front end member 37 is restricted from rotating about the Y axis with respect to the developing unit 39 (developing device frame 31). In other words, the development unit 39 (development frame 31) is restricted from rotating about the Y-axis with respect to the front end member 37 .

When the developer cartridge 4 is at the second position lifted in the z-direction from the first position by the lower guide 104 of the apparatus body 100, the following is the case. As shown in FIG. 7B, the pressing member 61 receives a force in the Q direction orthogonal to the axial direction of the developing roller 25 by the regulation releasing portion 105m provided on the front side of the upper guide 105 of the apparatus main body 100. . When the pressing member 61 is pressed in the Q direction, it moves in the -z direction. The front restricting member 60 is moved in the y direction. When the front restricting member 60 moves in the y direction, the engagement between the restricting portion 60a of the front restricting member 60 and the groove portion 20b of the gear cover 20 is released. By disengaging the restricting portion 60a and the groove portion 20b in this way, the developing unit 39 (developing frame 31) becomes rotatable about the Y axis. That is, the front regulating member 60 has a regulating position (FIGS. 7A and 8) that regulates the rotation of the front end member 37 with respect to the developing unit 39 (developing frame 31) and a non-regulating position (FIGS. 7A and 8) where the rotation is not regulated. It is configured to be movable between FIGS. 7(b) and 9). The front regulating member 60 is at the regulating position when the developer cartridge 4 is at the first position, and is at the non-regulating position when it is at the second position. Thus, even if the developing cartridge 4 is pushed in the mounting direction until it abuts against the rear side plate 98, the front end member 37 is prevented from rotating with respect to the developing unit 39 (developing frame 31) in the first position. It is in a state of being The rotation restriction of the front end member 37 with respect to the development unit 39 (development frame 31) is released while the front cover 110 is closed and the development cartridge 4 is moved in the z direction toward the second position by the lower guide 104. It has a configuration that

(Abutting and separating operation of the developing roller)
Next, a configuration in which the developing roller 25 moves toward and away from the photosensitive drum 1 in this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 15A shows a state in which the developing roller 25 and the photosensitive drum 1 are in contact with each other, and FIG. 15B shows a state in which the developing roller 25 and the photosensitive drum 1 are separated from each other.

A pressure receiving portion 31 e that receives pressure from the apparatus main body 100 is provided at the lower portion of the developing device frame 31 . On the other hand, the apparatus main body 100 is provided with a pressure member 80 that can move in directions G1 and G2 in FIG.

Further, as described above, when the developing cartridge 4 is at the second position, the positions of the rear end member 38 and the front end member 37 in the rotation axis direction of the developing roller 25 with respect to the apparatus body 100 are determined. Further, when the developing cartridge 4 is at the second position, the regulation of rotation of the rear end member 38 and the regulating member 340 with respect to the developing frame 31 is released. In other words, the developing device frame 31 is rotatable about the Y rotation axis with respect to the apparatus main body 100 . In this state, the pressing member 80 moves in the G1 direction as shown in FIG. 15A, so that the pressing portion 80a of the pressing member 80 comes into contact with the development pressure receiving portion 31e. As a result, the developing frame 31 swings in the arrow Y1 direction, and the developing roller 25 presses the photosensitive drum 1 with a predetermined pressure. When the pressing member 80 moves in the direction of G2 as shown in FIG. 15(b), the spaced portion 80b of the pressing member 80 comes into contact with the pressure receiving portion 31f, so that the developing device frame 31 moves toward the arrow Y2. direction, and the developing roller 25 and the photosensitive drum 1 are separated. With such a configuration, the developing roller 25 and the photosensitive drum 1 can be separated from each other when an image is not formed on the recording medium S even when the developing cartridge 4 is at the second position. As a result, deterioration in image quality due to deformation of the developing roller 25 can be suppressed.

(Position of the rotation restricting portion relative to the handle of the developing cartridge)
As shown in FIGS. 5B and 7 , the front end member 37 of the developing cartridge 4 is provided with a grip portion 370 for the user to grip the developing cartridge 4 and mount it on the apparatus main body 100 . The handle portion 370 includes a wall portion 37b extending in the -z direction of FIG. 7, a recessed portion 37c extending in the z direction, and an opening portion 37d of the recessed portion 37c. The opening 37d is large enough to insert at least a user's finger.

The front regulating member 60 and the pressing member 61 provided on the front end member 37 are provided on the side opposite to the opening 37d of the handle 370 with respect to the z-direction (the direction intersecting the rotation axis direction of the developing roller 25). . Therefore, it is possible to prevent the user from erroneously releasing the rotation of the front end member 37 with respect to the developing frame 31 when putting a finger on the grip portion 370 of the developing cartridge 4 .

If the purpose is to prevent user's erroneous operation, the configuration for restricting the rotation of the front end member 37 with respect to the developing device frame 31 is not limited to the configuration of this embodiment. For example, the front end member 37 may be configured to restrict the rotation of the rear end member 38 with respect to the developing frame 31 .

S Recording medium 1 Photoreceptor drum 4 Development cartridge 5 Intermediate transfer unit 20 Gear cover 20a Boss 25 Development roller 31 Development frame 37 Front end member 38 Rear end member 39 Development unit 40 Rear regulation member 40a Regulation part 41 Regulation spring 60 Front Regulating member 60a Regulating portion 60b Slope portion 61 Pressing member 61a Slope portion 62 Compression spring 100 Apparatus main body 101 Opening 104 Lower guide 105 Upper guide 105m Restriction releasing portion

Claims (8)

a device body;
an image carrier that carries a toner image;
a developing member that supplies toner to the image carrier; and a developing frame that rotatably supports the developing member. a developing cartridge that can be attached and detached in the direction of a first rotation axis that is the rotation axis of the member;
an intermediate transfer member to which the toner image on the image carrier is transferred;
A first position for attaching and detaching the developing cartridge together with the image carrier, and a second position closer to the intermediate transfer member than the first position and a second position for image formation. a moving mechanism for moving between and in a direction intersecting with the direction of the first rotation axis;
In an image forming apparatus comprising
The developing cartridge is
An end member provided at the end of the first rotation axis of the developing frame, the end member being rotatable with respect to the developing frame around a second rotation axis parallel to the direction of the first rotation axis. and an end member configured to determine a position in a direction intersecting with the second rotation axis direction when the developing cartridge is at the second position ;
a regulating portion including a regulating member movable between a regulating position for regulating the rotation of the end member about the second rotation axis with respect to the developing frame and a non-regulating position for not regulating the rotation;
with
The regulating member is configured to be at the regulating position when the developing cartridge is at the first position, and at the non-regulating position when the developing cartridge is at the second position. An image forming apparatus characterized by: The regulating member is provided on the end member so as to be movable in the direction of the first rotation axis between the regulated position and the non-regulated position,
The developing frame has a groove configured to engage with the regulating member,
2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the regulating member engages with the groove when in the regulating position and does not engage with the groove when in the non-regulating position. The restricting portion includes a biasing member that biases the restricting member in a direction from the non-restricting position toward the restricting position, and is movable in a direction that intersects the direction of the first rotation axis, a pressing member configured to press the regulating member so that the regulating member moves from the regulating position to the non-regulating position against the urging force of the member;
The apparatus body moves the regulating member from the regulating position to the non-regulating position via the urging member by pushing the urging member while the developing cartridge moves from the first position to the second position. 3. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a regulation release unit that allows the image forming apparatus to release the restriction. 4. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the end member is provided at an upstream end of the developing device frame in the mounting direction. A developing cartridge that can be attached to and detached from an image forming apparatus main body in a state in which an image carrier for carrying a toner image is present in the apparatus main body,
a developing member that supplies the toner to the image carrier;
a developing frame having a developing section in which the developing member is rotatably supported; and a toner storage section containing the toner to be supplied to the developing section;
and is configured to be attachable to and detachable from the apparatus main body in the direction of the first rotation axis, which is the rotation axis of the developing member,
An end member provided at the end of the first rotation axis of the developing frame, the end member being rotatable with respect to the developing frame around a second rotation axis parallel to the direction of the first rotation axis. and an end member configured to determine a position in a direction intersecting with the direction of the second rotation axis when the developing cartridge is positioned for image formation in the apparatus main body;
a regulating member movable between a regulating position for regulating the rotation of the end member about the second rotation axis with respect to the developing frame and a non-regulating position for not regulating the rotation, and moving the regulating member to the non-regulating position. an urging member that urges the regulating member from the regulating position to the non-regulating position against the urging force of the urging member. a regulating portion including a pressing member configured as ;
with
The regulating member is in the non-regulating position by being pressed by the regulation releasing portion of the apparatus main body through the pressing member when the developing cartridge is in the image forming position of the apparatus main body. in a state in which the cartridge is not attached to the apparatus main body, the cartridge is in the restricted position due to the biasing force of the biasing member;
The developing cartridge, wherein the regulating portion is provided closer to the developing portion than the toner containing portion when the developing cartridge is viewed in the direction of the first rotation axis. The regulating member is provided on the end member so as to be movable in the direction of the first rotation axis between the regulated position and the non-regulated position,
The developing frame has a groove configured to engage with the regulating member,
6. A developer cartridge according to claim 5, wherein said regulating member engages said groove when in said regulating position and does not engage with said groove when in said non-regulating position. 7. The developing cartridge according to claim 5, wherein the end member is provided at an upstream end of the developing frame in the mounting direction of the developing cartridge. 8. The developer cartridge according to any one of claims 5 to 7 , wherein at least part of said pressing member is exposed to the outside of said developer cartridge.

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