JPH06501574A - Image forming member and image member cartridge - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] This bulletin contains application data before electronic filing, so abstract data is not recorded.

Description

[Detailed description of the invention] 〉　. Part Cartridge Blood poison 1 The present invention is a transferable toner! a cart containing an image member on which an image is formed; The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus using RI7. Furthermore, the present invention provides an image member such as The present invention relates to a cartridge that can be loaded into an image forming apparatus.

! I am grateful U.S. Patent No. 4.876, 577, granted to Ogura et al. on October 24, 1989. The issue indicates a cartring, an electronic photo device that accepts a photoconductor drum. cart The charging mechanism for charging the drum and the cleaning mechanism for cleaning the drum. It has both leaning mechanism. The surface of the charged drum is exposed to light according to the image. An access opening is provided to create an electrostatic image on the drum. electrostatic image The image is accessed through another access opening in the cartridge to create the toner image. One of two toning stations that can be rotated to a position facing the near opening. The color is toned with. The toner image is brought into contact with the drum through the receiving sort opening. transcribed into the acceptance note provided. Acceptance sort is one of the cartridges. It is separated from the drum by a special mechanism that is part of the Supplied.

No. 4.591.258, granted to Ninno et al. on May 27, 1986. shows a card J nozzle containing a rotatable photoconductive drum, charging station, Leaning stains and development stations are also located within the storage area. de Receipt notes provided to engage the drum by access openings to the ram The toner S image can be transferred to. Rotation of the drum is controlled by a drive coupling at the end of the cartridge. This drive coupling device must mesh with the drive member of the receiving device. Must be. Do not damage the drive coupling of the cartridge due to careless handling. To prevent this, a protrusion is provided on the cartridge.

Many other references describe such image member cartridges and describe these cartridges. Edges are used commercially in personal copiers and laser printers. in general, The photoconductive drum is driven by a coupling device that follows the drum through the end of the cartridge. be moved. The drive coupling device effectively installs cartridges in image forming equipment. It is necessary to confirm that it has been created.

U.S. Patent No. 4.712.90, granted to Bosnell et al. on December 15, 1987. No. 6 indicates a transfer drum for a color copier, in one embodiment, a series of different colored transfers the toner image of the image onto the receiving notebook supported by the drum, and the drum Rotate the image member so that it repeatedly faces the image member. In another embodiment, different colored Transfer the toner image directly onto the outer surface of the transfer drum to create a multicolor image on the transfer drum ( This multicolor image is then transferred in a single step to a receiver located remote from the image member. Transfer to the insert sheet. Other references are intermediate to form 1 of the shibata web rather than the drum. A transfer member is shown. For example, the U.S. patent granted to Suzuki on June 12, 1984 See No. 4.453°820.

U.S. Patent No. 4.299.4, granted to Ernst et al. on November 10, 1981. No. 74 describes motors, cooling systems, and drives for photoconductive image members. This shows a compact desk-top copying machine that saves space by being placed inside the machine. child The structure is traditionally used to accommodate large, necessary components. To utilize space and thereby reduce the size of a copying machine.

Mokuana Satomi Mjo OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION: A cart containing an image R member capable of forming a toner image on its surface. The idea is to make the ridge easier.

This and other objects provide a means for receiving a cartridge containing an imaging member. Have ii! This is accomplished by an i-image forming device. This device works directly with the image member. or a transfer member that engages through a receiving sheet to transfer the toner image to the image member. have The transfer member is driven by suitable drive means within the device. The transfer member is an image The member is driven by engagement with the image member.

In the present invention, the image member connects a separate drive connection to the device, such as a cartridge. It is not necessary to always have a - at the end of the line. This depends on the structure of the cartridge and the image forming device. This greatly simplifies its loading into the equipment. Instead, the image member is driven by a toner image. This is done by components that are also used for the transfer of images.

Thus, the above-mentioned purpose is to engage the transfer member through the access aperture of the cartridge. A cartridge with an image member that can be moved through a series of stations by This is achieved by

The present invention is particularly applicable to blue in color m-image forming apparatuses. In such a device, A transfer member, such as a transfer drum, engages the image member either directly or through a receiving sheet. A series of single color toner images are then superimposed to form a multicolor toner image.

Another object of the invention relates to a transfer surface associated with a transfer member, an imaging member cartridge.

] To accurately position the #J image member inserted into the image forming apparatus as part of the It is. The transfer member is not part of the cartridge.

This latter purpose includes an image forming system that includes a replaceable cartridge, which supports the imaging member. achieved by the device. The cartridge transfers the toner image from the image member to the transfer surface. It has an access opening for photographing. The image forming device is not a part of the cartridge. a transfer member for receiving a toner image from the imaging member; It has a transfer surface associated with the transfer member. Press the cartridge towards the transfer member , thereby pressing the Im image member into transfer engagement with the transfer surface. transfer member and An associated control structure engages the cartridge to accurately position the image member relative to the transfer member. Position.

According to a preferred embodiment, the image member rotates about an axis of rotation. A drum-shaped member with a cylindrical outer image surface on which a toner image is formed. be. The transfer member is a transfer drum having an axis of rotation and a cylindrical outer surface. image form The image forming apparatus is configured to maintain the rotational axes of the transfer member and image member parallel to each other in order to maintain them parallel. and means for controlling the relative position of. Rotation axis of rim member and transfer member By maintaining parallelism between the images, image deterioration during transfer is prevented.

The image member is in precise transfer relationship with the transfer surface associated with the transfer member of the receiving device. In the state, i! Provides an image member cartridge that can be attached to an i-image forming device It is also an object of the invention to.

Brief description of the drawing In the following detailed description of preferred embodiments and examples of the invention, reference is made to the accompanying drawings.

In FIG. 1, the housing and other supporting parts are omitted for clarity. FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view of an image forming apparatus.

In Figure 2, some parts have been removed for clarity. Shown with i-line and omitting other parts FIG. 2 is an abbreviated perspective view showing a drive train of the am forming device.

FIG. 3 shows a portion of the image member cartridge in cross-section for clarity of illustration. 2 is a schematic front view of the image forming apparatus shown in FIG. 1. FIG.

FIG. 4 shows a modified image forming device with a portion removed for clarity. FIG. 3 is a schematic front view of the drive train, cartridge, and gear parts of the machine.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the structural part of the cartridge and installation of the modified image forming apparatus. be.

6 is a perspective view of an over-center spring mechanism forming part of the apparatus shown in FIG. 5; FIG. be.

Figures 7 and 8 (=, Partially charged state and fully charged state, respectively) , is a front view of the structure shown in FIG. 5;

Figures 9 and 10 show the partially loaded and fully loaded conditions, respectively. , a rear view of the structure shown in FIGS. 7 and 8;

Figures 11 and 12 show the partially loaded and fully loaded conditions, respectively. FIG. 10 is a plan view of the structure shown in FIGS. 5 to 10.

13 and 14 form part of the knob 121 shown in FIGS. 5 and 6. FIG. 3 is a front view and a rear view of a circular disk.

FIG. 15 is a cross-sectional view of a transfer drum showing a modification of the drive mechanism for the apparatus shown in FIG. It is.

Back A base An image forming apparatus or printer 1 is shown in FIG. In this figure, 1=, for clarity The printer 1, in which the housing and support structure are omitted, has an image member, e.g. It has a conductive drum 2 which forms a series of toner images of different colors. It is rotatable through a series of stations. The photoconductive drum 2 has a cylindrical shape. It has an image plane which is first charged in charging stage 4 and then charged in charging stage 4. The image is then exposed to the laser 5, which creates a series of electrostatic images. be done. These static electricity ii! The image contains three separate developing units: Toners of different colors are mixed by a movable developing device. Each unit has a color Toners of different colors are applied to one of a series of electrostatic images to create a series of different colored toners. A series of tones of different colors are used to create a color image on the cylindrical II image screen of the drum 2. The toner image is transferred in registration to a transfer surface associated with the transfer drum lO, and As shown in Figure 1, the toner image is transferred to create a multicolor image on the transfer surface. The surface to be photographed is the cylindrical circumferential surface of the drum 10 itself. However, the technology As is well known in the art, toner am is deposited on a receiving sheet held on the surface of a drum 10. It can also be transferred to.

The multicolor image is transferred onto the receiving sheet fed from the receiving note supply device 45. The image is transferred in section 21. Next, the received sheet is transferred to the fusing IF device 23, The fuser fixes the multicolor image, which then passes through a reversing path to the output hopper 44. be transported.

After transferring the multicolor image from the surface of the drum 10 to the receiving sort, A new set of images can be accepted by the cleaner 30 articulated with the transfer surface. Clean it like that. The photoconductive drum 2 is cleaned by a cleaning device 12 during image formation. Continuously cleaned.

As shown in the accompanying drawings, the photoconductive drum 2 is supplied to the printer 1 in a cartridge. Ru. This cartridge may also contain other parts of the printer 1. For example, this The cartridge is charged! ! 4. Includes a developing device 6 and/or a cleaning device 12 be able to.

An example of such a cartridge is shown in FIG. In Figure 3, the cartridge The housing is shown in cross section and the rest of the device is shown schematically. In Figure 3 According to the above, the cartridge and the housing 3 are connected to the image member 2 and the laser 5 for exposure. a charging device 4, and an image member cleaning device 12. housing for receiving the toner removed from the image member 2 by the cleaning device 12. sump 11 and toner removed from the transfer drum 10 by the transfer drum cleaner 30. It further has a sump 35 for receiving the water. Furthermore, the housing 3 includes a developing device. An opening 7 and a transfer drum lO allow access to the image member 2. An opening 9 is provided which allows access to.

Articulated/L-30: engaged with or disengaged from the transfer drum 10. It is moved by the solenoid 31 in a slurping manner. The cleaner 30 is located on the front side of the transfer drum lO. It has a cleaning roller that rolls on the surface, and this roller is biased. It is made of a material that allows the removed toner to stick to the roller. Removal The removed toner is scraped off from the roller by a scraping blade 32. Cartridge The opening 36 in the housing 3 receives the scraped toner into the sump 35.

The receiving sheet is supplied from the receiving sorting supply device 20 and transferred to the transfer drum 10. It is made into a photographic relationship. The structure shown in Figure 3 uses a corona transfer system well known in the art. The transfer is performed in a section 21. The transfer sheet is transferred by a movable take-out device 22. It is taken out from the photographic drum 10. The take-out device f22 further melts the transfer sheet. Send it to the wearer 23.

A conventional cartridge having an image member, such as a photoconductive drum 2, is a cartridge It has a relatively complex drive coupling at one end, which connects the toner imaging station. engages a suitable drive in the receiving device to rotate the drum 2 through the It must be. As shown in Figures 2 and 3, such a drive device The motor 42 drives the drive gear 40 and this drive A gear drives a gear 44 connected to transfer drum 10 . The transfer drum 10 is It is made of a somewhat softer material than the conductive drum 2, for example polyurethane. photoconductive The drum 2 engages with the transfer drum 10 through the opening 9 and is moved by the transfer drum 10. is driven by friction throughout its entire operation. Thus, the aperture 9 allows access for transfer. The transfer drum can approach the image member 2 due to the friction-driven engagement. this The structure requires a separate drive connection between the transfer drum 2 and the receiving device. There is no. This simplifies loading the cartridge 3 into the printer 1. The manufacture of the Karika cartridge becomes very simple and the manufacturing cost is reduced. Second The figure shows the drive train from motor 42 through transfer drum 10 and photoconductive drum 2. FIG.

As used herein with respect to imaging members and transfer members, the term "engagement" refers to Preferably, direct contact engagement of these members is preferred. However, it is not preferable However, the engagement may be through a receiving sheet supported by the transfer member.

Although transfer drum 10 is shown externally engaged with motor 42, In order to save space inside the printer, the motor 42 is placed inside the transfer drum 1o. It may also engage internally with the drum lO. This latter embodiment is shown in FIG.

According to FIG. 15, the transfer drum 10 has a base 2 made of aluminum or sII. having an outer layer 201 made of polyurethane cast or otherwise formed over 02. . The layer 201 constitutes a cylindrical transfer surface 207 on which several monochromatic tones are applied. The color image is directly transferred to form a multicolor image. A pair of Ganon 203 and 20 4 support the base 202 and these gudgeons are fixed shafts 205 and 206 It is supported so that it can rotate around the center.

Shafts 205 and 206 rotate about separate portions of a single axis of rotation and are In the light 111Ir, a single shaft is considered for all purposes. shaft 2 05 and 206 are fixed to plates 208 and 209 of the printer mechanism, and are rotated. An internal drive housing 210 disposed inside the photographic drum 10 is supported. internal drive The motion housing 210 includes a motor 212 and a satellite gear box 213. This satellite tooth The car box provides appropriate gear reduction between the motor and output shaft 221. driving gear 222 is fixed to the output shaft 221. The drive gear is driven by the output shaft. The first idler gear 225 is rotated to drive the first idler gear 225. First idler gear 22 5 i:j Idler supported for rotation with respect to drive housing 210 It is fixed to the shaft 226. Furthermore, the second idler gear 227 - is fixed to shaft 226 and rotated by this shaft. 2nd idler - Gear 227 engages with internal gear 230 fixed inside drum base 202 and rotates drum 10 about shafts 205 and 206 and housing 210. do.

A hole 217 in the center of shaft 206 constitutes an outlet for the electrical wires of motor 212.

In the structure shown in FIG. 15, the transfer drum 10:=with its own internal drive. It is provided in the printer 1. This drive does not need to be installed separately on the printer. This saves time in the final assembly of the printer. More importantly, the drive Since it does not occupy space inside the printer, the printer can be made even more compact. .

The structure shown in Figure 15 receives toner images directly onto the surface and then transfers these images. It is particularly useful in driving the transfer drum 10 which transfers the image to the receiving sheet. this is, For such drums, a vacuum source or a receiving note is provided to hold the drum surface. Leaves the necessary space in the transfer device drive housing 210 since no other structure is required It's for a reason. Furthermore, a car driven by the transfer drum 10 shown in FIGS. A cartridge-loaded image member 2 is particularly useful. This is because such a structure Useful space in the drum is not taken up by the drive for the drum 10 or 2. It's for a reason.

Driving the image member 2 using circumferential engagement with the transfer drum 10 through the access opening 9 Although doing so greatly simplifies the cartridge and di Accuracy in the placement of the edge 3 is important. In the structure shown in Figure 3, the cartridge The motor 3 is connected to both the transfer of ms between the drum 2 and the drum 10 and the drive of the drum 2. supported by a receiving mechanism 50 that positions the cartridge for sufficient engagement; It is shown as For best image quality, the nip between the drums iIIm and keeping the rotational axes of these drums parallel. Both are necessary. Doing this for the configuration in Figure 3 requires some image As far as quality is concerned, it is possible. However, for best image quality, the cartridge The manufacturing tolerances of the arrangement of the drum 3, the receiving structure 50, and the drum 10 are very small. Sai. Therefore, mechanisms for more precise positioning are shown in FIGS. 4 to 14.

According to FIG. 4, the cartridge 3 includes a drum 2, a charging stage 3, and a cleaner. a cleaning device 12, including a support for receiving the toner removed from the drum 10. Does not include amplifiers. The transfer drum 10 is supported by a shaft 51, and this shaft is For example, a pair of mechanism plates 208 and 209 shown in FIG. Supported. Furthermore, on the shaft 51 are a pair of triangular shapes at both ends of the drum 10. A shaped plate 52 is supported. These plates are connected by the secondary shaft 54. are further connected to each other, and are rotatable as a whole around the shaft 51, but are not related to each other. It is firmly fixed.

The photoconductive drum 2 is supported by a shaft 57 to rotate about an axis 56. and this shaft extends beyond the end wall of the cartridge 3. shaft 57 is fixed with respect to the cartridge 3, the drum 2 is fixed with respect to the shaft 57. and rotate. Each slot 55 of the triangular plate 52 connects the end of the shaft 57. Shaped to snugly receive.

In order to insert the cartridge 3 in the embodiment shown in FIG. Rotate the shaft 57 slightly counterclockwise from the position shown in the slot. Then, the plate 52, the transfer drum 10, and the The plate 52 is a permanent part of the printer 1 with the cartridge 3 centered around the shaft 51. Rotate clockwise until it lands on stop 62, which is the position. Cartori.

Slide the cartridge 3 down the shaft 57 until a portion of the cartridge 3 rests on another stop 61. Make your heart spin even more. Stop 61 is also a permanent location for printer I.

The slots 55 in the plates 52 are parallel to each other and align with the axis of rotation of the drums 10 and 2. Maintain parallel relationships between them! 4 Composes the surface of God. The stops 61 and 62 are the exposure device. Cartridge so that the storage 5 and developing device 6 can be accessed (see Figures 1 and 3). are oriented entirely within the printer l. The second drum between drums 10 and 2 is the cartridge. The edge 3 is pressed toward the transfer drum 10, and the drum 2 is pressed so that the image surface is It is controlled by a spring 65 that engages the transfer surface associated with drum 10. Furthermore, the cartridge A spring 67 may be used to maintain contact between the edge 3 and the stop 61.

This prevents rotation of the cartridge about shaft 57. transcription The rotation of the drum 10 presses the cartridge and the cartridge 3 against the stop 61, so the spring 67 is not actually necessary. However, the spring 67 It may be part of the upper part of the printer 1 that is closed onto the lower part after insertion of the printer. P The lower part of the printer l includes a motor 42, a transfer drum lO, a laser 5, a developing device 6, and associated support structures. Spring 65 must be part of the lower part of the device. As part of this closing process, tension can be applied to the cartridge. /or can be added to cartridge 3.

5 to 12 illustrate an image forming apparatus similar to the image forming apparatus shown in FIG. 5 illustrates another method for positioning an image member cartridge. According to figure w45, The cartridge 103 containing the image member 2 is inserted into the apparatus including the transfer drum 10. and 10 rotation axes ensure no image degradation occurs during high quality image transfer It must be loaded in a sufficiently parallel position. High quality i! The statue is of excellent quality IN must be aligned with non-zero accuracy to form a multicolor image.

The transfer drum 10 is supported on a shaft 111, which is connected to the front and rear guide plates. is supported by ports 112 and 113, respectively. Of course, the shaft 111 is the first The guide, which may be in two sections similar to the shafts 205 and 206 shown in FIG. Plates 112 and 113 extend substantially to the right from transfer drum 10; Each of the plates has a support that cooperates with the I4 face 115 and portions of the cartridge 103. including surface 116.

As best seen in FIGS. 7 through 10, Cartrinon 103 is Drive from the unloaded state shown in Figure 9 to the fully loaded state shown in Figures 8 and 1O. To do this, the over-center spring mechanism 120 is actuated.

The cartridge 103 has left and right support bosses 131 and 132 as shown in FIG. The single front support bosses 133 each rest on the rear support surfaces 116 and the front guide surfaces 11 6 and thus these three support bosses rested on the support surface 116. position within the device by the operator. The supporting surface 116 is entirely covered with water. It is flat.

Drum 2 has a support shaft 105 (this shaft also has two parts as shown in Figure 15). mounted within the cartridge 103 while being supported by the and rotates around the central axis of the shaft. Over center spring 120 ( (as described below) and slide cartridge 103 to the left as shown in FIG. push. This action causes the shaft 105 to move between the control surfaces of the guide plates 112 and 113. 115 and comes into contact with it. Control surfaces 115 are parallel to each other. this The direction of these control surfaces is generally tangential to the shaft 111 of the transfer drum. Ru. As can be seen in FIGS. 8 and 10, the overcenter spring 120 Until the foot 105 rides on the control surface 115 and the drum 2 engages with the transfer drum 10. Press the cartridge 103 with the button. The notches 119 of the guide plates 112 and 113 are , the cartridge 103 is no longer supported by the bosses 131 and 133 and is at 5N. state.

Thus, the drum 2 is fully loaded as shown in FIGS. 8 and 10 in engagement with the drum IO. In the inserted state, the cartrinon 103 is placed on the parallel control surface 115. ) 105 and the boss 132 resting on the support surface 116 ). .

Due to this three-point contact, the shaft 105 i is always in contact with both control surfaces 115). It is pressed like this. Thus, the grooved surfaces of drums 2 and 10 are cylindrical; drums are mounted on shafts 105 and 111, with control surface 115 in the correct position. As far as possible, the axes of drums 2 and 10 are parallel.

The parallelism between these axes is a determining factor in image quality in transfer.

For example, if the support boss 133 continues to contact the guide surface 116, the shaft 10 5 from the control surface 115, thereby removing the drum from the control surface 115. Parallelism between the rotation axes is lost. This is the Cartrinon 103 housing and This can be overcome by the manufacturing precision of the bosses 132 and 133. However, Figure 5 In the structure shown in Figure 12, the elements that need to be accurate in the cartridge are the driver. 2 and its support shaft 105. In the receiving device, the control surface 115 It must be accurately positioned with respect to the shaft 111, and the shaft 111 must be rotated. It must be accurately positioned with respect to the photographic drum 10.

Roller 160 is shown in FIGS. 11 and 12. This roller is Cartri, Ji103 part of the structure that prevents the body from moving backwards. The path of the cartridge 103 Complementary rollers or springs at the front are not shown.

In addition, to prevent the drum from disengaging, keep the top of the cartridge closed during operation. It is desirable to press gently downward. This is after loading the cartridge 103. This can be done by a spring as part of the closure of the device.

Cartridge 103::, pushed to the left (as seen in Figure 8) by any suitable spring mechanism It is better. However, Figures 6, 11, and 12 do not address this feature. 12 illustrates an over-center spring mechanism 120 that is particularly useful.

As best seen in FIGS. 5, 6, 11, and 12, the support housing A housing 125 is attached to the printer 1 by suitable means (not shown) and this housing supports the remainder of the over-center spring mechanism 120. Referring to Figure 6, The person loading the cartridge 103 rotates the customer rotary knob 121. knob 12 1 is connected to a drive roller or drive gear 128 via a shaft 122 L) . Rotating the knob 121 rotates the drive roller 128, which causes the driven roller to rotate. roller 123 is rotated. Driven roller 123i: Driven through shaft 126 It is connected to the nog-124. Thus, rotating knob 121 causes the lenoma 124 rotates around a shaft 126. The lever 124 is the cartridge 103 into its loaded condition to activate the engagement of drums 2 and 10. Hold in this state with the desired force.

A pair of springs 127 are connected to a spring support 141 on the housing 125 and a spring support 141 on the lever 124. It is attached between the spring support rod 142 (see FIG. 5). shaft 1 26, the attachment of the spring 127 extends between the positions. Thus, spring 127 The head center position of the lever 124 is between the hook position and the hook release position. In the position , the shaft 126 is aligned with the mounting position. Figure 6 shows the knob 121. When the lever 124 is rotated counterclockwise when viewed from driven in the circumferential direction, thereby causing the photoconductive drum 2 to engage the transfer drum 10 The cartridge 103 is pushed to the left until the cartridge 103 is pressed to the left. In this movement, spring 127 is pass through the "docenter" position. In the "dead center" position, the spring is at its longest Therefore, it is in a state where maximum stress is applied. Turn lever 124 clockwise When further rotated, the spring 127 presses the lever 124 and the cartridge 103 and When engaged, the cartridge 103 is pushed into the loading position as shown in FIG. car To remove the cartridge 103, rotate the knob 121 clockwise and release the spring 12. Turn lever 124 counterclockwise as seen in FIG. 6 until 7 passes its dead center position. Rotate it in the opposite direction. At this point, spring 127 prevents further rotation of knob 121. The spring 127i: prevents the lever 124 from interfering with ejecting the cartridge. The lever 124 is fully latched as shown in FIG. 5 in contact with the pair of lever stops 143. Press the lever 124 toward the released position. Thus, O1<-center -The spring structure 120 allows the lever 124 to move as shown in FIGS. The hooks shown in Figure 12 are the metal positions, or the hooks shown in Figures 5, 7, 9, and 11. is pressed entirely by a spring 127 toward one of the metal release positions.

Knob 121 is used by the customer who inserts the cartridge. The final position in the state or the stop 143 is touched and the positioning of 124 is sensed. It's better if it's made in such a way that you don't know about it. The knob 121 has a circular plate 149. The front and rear sides of this plate are shown in FIGS. 13 and 14, respectively. Drive system Shaft 122; positioned in hole 152 passing through nibrate 149). P The front surface of the plate 149 has a groove 153 adjacent the front portion of the hole 152. shaft 122 has a protrusion 154, which is formed by grooves 153, 1156 and 157. It rests on the groove 153 except for the part that is not allowed.

In operation, the protrusion 154 engages one of the grooves, $156 or $157. Turn the knob 121 in either direction. Once engaged, rotate knob 121 to Shaft 122 is rotated until an "over-center" condition of spring 127 occurs. this At this point, the spring accelerates the lever 124 to either the full position or the unlatched position. This causes the lever 124 to be in its fully latched or fully latched state. The hook holds the shaft 122 at either end of the groove 156 or 157 until the metal is released. Rotate beyond the This design works without spring acceleration of the lever 124 or with the knob The person rotating lever 121 can fully position lever 124 without feeling the lever stop. There is a selfishness in deciding the position. This is the cartridge 103 or drum 2 or I Remind the operator of excessive rotation of the lever 124, which could cause damage to the Make it stop.

The positioning device shown in FIGS. 5 to 14 positions the photoconductive drum 2 on the transfer drum 10. In contrast, these two drums are positioned with their rotation axes parallel to each other. Accuracy is , shafts 111 and 105, drums 2 and 10, and guide surface 115 manufacturing and Required only during assembly. This parallelism reduces image degradation in high-quality transfers. It is important to eliminate For this reason, the image obtained by overlapping a series of monochromatic images It is particularly useful in multicolor printers that provide high quality multicolor images. This is photoconductive When the drum is driven by a transfer drum (as shown in Figures 1 to 4), two This drive between drums increases image degradation when the axes are not parallel. This is particularly useful since it requires a large nip. While rubbing the photoconductive drum 2 is driven by a dedicated driving means, and the photoconductive drum 2 drives the transfer drum. Either the photoconductive drum 2 is driven separately from the transfer drum. It can also be used in structures.

The manufacture and location of bosses 131, 132, and 133 are important for axis parallelism. It should be noted that the manufacturing of guide surface 116 is also not critical. Furthermore, information Note also that surface 115 maintains the parallelism of shafts 105 and 111. If the two shafts are the same size, then the surfaces 115 are parallel to each other. and the extension of these surfaces must touch the circumference of the shaft Ill. Therefore, if shaft 111 is larger than shaft 105, the guide surface The extension of 115 must intersect shaft 111. 05 is good Preferably, the photoconductive drum 2 is mounted to rotate around this shaft. It is a stationary shaft. This eliminates the need for the guide surface 115 to be a support surface. Become. The shaft 111 may rotate together with the transfer drum 1o, or as shown in FIG. As shown, the shaft 111 is stationary and the transfer drum 1o rotates around this shaft. You may.

The shaft 105 may rotate together with the photoconductive drum 2. instructor In such designs, shaft 105 is preferably supported for rotation in bearings. In fact, these bearings have a housing in contact with the guide surface 115. In a variant, If the surface 115 is made of a self-lubricating material, the shirt) 105 is connected to the drum 2. Both can be rotated on the plane 115.

Each of the positioning structures presented herein has particular applicability and is Although designed for a transfer drum 10 that directly receives a toner image, this A positioning structure is also used for the transfer drum that supports the receiving sheet on its outer surface. Can be used.

Although the present specification has been described in detail with reference to particularly preferred embodiments thereof, However, modifications and changes may be made within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims. It is understood that it is possible.

Continuation of front page (72) Inventor McTougall, David Richard 14450, New York, United States. Fairport, Thornfield Wei (72) Inventor: Michael Lewis New York, USA Park State 14450. Fairport, Silver Fox Drive 7

Claims (21)

[Claims] 1. a replaceable cartridge (3) containing an image drum (2) with a peripheral image surface; and the image drum moves its image surface through a series of stations. The cartridge is used to form a series of toner images of different colors on the image surface. The cartridge is rotatably supported on the A means to bring it close to the image surface in order to transfer it to the transfer surface and form a multicolor image pressure. has Further, a transfer surface is associated, and the transfer surface is brought forward through said approximating means. a transfer drum (10) frictionally engageable with the image surface of the image drum; rotation of the image drum, thereby causing the image drum to be brought into frictional engagement with the transfer surface and the image surface. An image forming apparatus comprising: means (40, 212) for rotating. 2. The image of claim 1, wherein the transfer surface is a cylindrical outer surface of the transfer drum. Forming device. 3. The transfer surface is a receiving sheet fixed to the cylindrical outer surface of the transfer drum. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1. 4. means (21) for transferring the multicolor toner image from the transfer surface to the receiving sheet; The image forming apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising: 5. At least one station in the series of stations is connected to the car. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image forming apparatus is positioned inside a cartridge. 6. 6. The method of claim 5, wherein the at least one station is a charging station. The image forming apparatus described above. 7. the image drum is a photoconductive drum, and the cartridge is a photoconductive drum; a cleaning station for cleaning the photoconductor and a cleaning station for cleaning the photoconductor through which the exposure beam passes; 7. The image form of claim 6, further comprising an opening for electrostatic imaging on the drum. equipment. 8. The means for rotating the transfer drum (10) is arranged inside the transfer drum. An image forming apparatus according to claim 1, including a motor (212) located at. 9. An intersection supporting a drum-shaped image member having a cylindrical outer image surface and an axis of rotation. A replaceable cartridge, A transfer drum having a rotation axis and a transfer surface, the transfer surface being away from the image surface. a transfer drum associated with the transfer drum for receiving a toner image; Press the cartridge toward the transfer member to transfer the image surface to the transfer surface. means for pressing into engagement the axis of rotation of the image member with the transfer driver; controlling the position of the axis of rotation of the image member to maintain it parallel to the axis of rotation of the image member; and means associated with the transfer drum. 10. a housing and a drum-shaped image member, and the image member is rotated around an axis of rotation. It is a replaceable cartridge that has a shaft that supports it so that it can rotate. the shaft extends beyond opposite ends of the image member and has opposite ends; Both ends of the foot are accessible from the outside of the cartridge housing and are connected to the image member. is a cartridge having an image surface on the upper side on which a toner image can be formed. , having an axis of rotation and a cylindrical outer transfer surface for receiving a toner image from said image surface. a transfer drum, The image member is imaged so that the axis of rotation of the image member is maintained parallel to the axis of rotation of the transfer drum. a rotating shaft edge of the transfer drum for controlling the position of the shaft supporting the image member; An image forming apparatus comprising: means fixed with respect to the image forming apparatus. 11. the shaft is fixed relative to the cartridge and the image member is fixed relative to the cartridge; It is mounted to rotate around a shaft, and both ends of the shaft are connected to the control hand. 11. A step according to claim 10, wherein the steps extend outwardly of the cartridge to engage. Image forming device. 12. Press the cartridge toward the transfer drum to transfer the image surface to the transfer drum. 11. The method of claim 10, further comprising means for pressing into engagement with the transfer surface. Image forming device. 13. The control means has at least a pair of control surfaces, one of the control surfaces are engaged with each of the opposite ends of the shaft, and the control surface is in contact with the control surface and the shaft. The pressing means extends toward the transfer drum from a position of engagement with an end of the cover. pushing the cartridge in a direction that maintains contact between the end of the shaft and the control surface; and means for simultaneously pressing the image surface into engagement with the transfer surface. 13. The image forming apparatus according to item 12. 14. The transfer drum is supported by a shaft fixed at both ends with respect to the control means. The image forming apparatus according to claim 10. 15. a cartridge housing and a shaft within the housing with a rotational axis centered on the cartridge housing; an image member rotatably mounted on the image member, the image surface of the image member being a replaceable toner image forming station on the image surface; cartridge and A transfer drum rotatable around a rotation axis, which transfers a toner image from the image surface. A transfer method that sequentially brings the transfer surface into a transfer relationship with the image surface in order to transfer to the transfer surface. drum and means for pressing said image surface into transfer relationship with said transfer surface; and said rotation axis applanation. an axis of rotation of the transfer drum for engaging the shaft to maintain the transfer drum in a row; An image forming apparatus comprising: means fixed with respect to the image forming apparatus. 16. The image member is transferred to the transfer member through engagement between the image surface and the transfer surface. The image forming apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the image forming apparatus can be rotated by. 17. means for supporting the entire cartridge in three positions; two of the positions are predetermined positions on the shaft at opposite ends of the image member; 16. The image forming apparatus according to claim 15, wherein said shaft is supported by said shaft. 18. The other of the three positions extends from the cartridge housing. 18. The image forming apparatus of claim 17, wherein the image forming apparatus is located at a support boss. 19. Cartridge housing (3) and moving through a series of stations an image member (2) supported to rotate about an axis as shown in FIG. At least one of the stations displays a series of toner images in front of it. disposed within the cartridge for producing on the image member; The image member further includes means for defining an opening to the image member, through which the toner is directed. - an image can be transferred from said image member to a moving surface through which said image member is transferred; An image member cartridge that can be moved by engagement with such a moving surface. 20. housing and a light guide rotatably mounted within said housing having a cylindrical image surface; electric drum and means for uniformly charging said surface; and an optical aperture in said housing. , through this opening the surface can be exposed to create a series of electrostatic images. , an opening of the housing, and a toner having a different color depending on the image. the aperture by creating a series of toner images of different colors. an opening in the housing through which the electrostatic image can be developed; an opening, through which the transfer surface contacts the moving transfer surface; through which the drum is moved by the moving transfer surface. An image member cartridge having a rotatable opening. 21. cartridge housing; having an image surface and supported for movement to create a toner image on the image surface; image member, means for defining an opening in the housing for the image member; The toner image on the image member is moved by a transfer member of the imaging device. The image can be transferred to the transfer surface through the opening, and further, the rotational axis of the image member can be aligned with the image shape. for cooperating with the imaging device to maintain the transfer member parallel to the axis of rotation of the imaging device. means fixed to said cartridge for An image member cartridge that can be inserted into an image forming apparatus.