JPH07181857A - Cleaning device, assembling method therefor, process cartridge, assembling method therefor and image forming device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To prevent toner from being leaked even when the length of an elastic cleaning blade is different. CONSTITUTION:This cleaning device 4 cleaning a surface to be cleaned is provided with a frame, the elastic cleaning blade 45, an elastic seal member 200 provided to be opposed to the width end part of the blade 45 and a flexible sheet 202 provided so as to be positioned between the width end part of the blade 45 and the end part of the seal member 200.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a cleaning device, a method of assembling the cleaning device, a process cartridge, a method of assembling the process cartridge, and an image forming apparatus. Here, the image forming apparatus includes an electrophotographic copying machine, a laser beam printer, a facsimile machine, and the like.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A process cartridge will be described below as an example.

In an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine or a laser beam printer, an image carrier and other process means such as a cleaning unit and a developing unit are integrally formed into a cartridge to form a process cartridge. It is known that a maintenance-free image is realized by detachably attaching to the main body of the image forming apparatus.

Conventionally, in such an image forming apparatus, it is general to replace the entire process cartridge with a new one when the constituent members incorporated in the process cartridge reach the end of their life. This replacement work is an extremely simple work such as opening the main body of the device with one touch, taking out the old process cartridge from the inside of the main body of the device, and installing a new process cartridge, and it can be easily performed by the operator himself. Is something that can be done.

[0005]

However, in the above-mentioned process cartridge, the case where the developer is used up (the case where the remaining amount of the developer in the developer accommodating container becomes a predetermined amount or less. The same)) and, of course, when the photosensitive drum (image bearing member), which is a main component of the process cartridge, deteriorates and reaches the end of its life.
It was common to replace the entire process cartridge with a new one. For this reason, the constituent members of the old process cartridge sometimes include members that have not yet reached the end of their life and can withstand further use.

Therefore, it is conceivable to refill the process cartridge that has run out of the developer (hereinafter appropriately referred to as "toner") with toner and replace other consumables and the like. As the replacement of the expendable supplies, it is preferable to replace at least the photosensitive drum and the cleaning blade with new ones. However, the term "new" as used herein includes not only new ones but also those whose performance has been restored by re-polishing.

Along with the replacement of the photosensitive drum, a cleaning blade (C blade) for rubbing the surface of the photosensitive drum to remove the residual toner on the photosensitive drum is simultaneously replaced as a consumable item.

However, at this time, it was attached according to the size of the C blade. Since the C-edge seal has a different dimension from the C-blade used in the recovered process cartridge when the C-blade is replaced, the C-blade is raised to the C-edge seal or vice versa. It is conceivable that the gap is large and causes toner leakage.

Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide a cleaning device, a method of assembling the cleaning device, a process cartridge, a method of assembling the process cartridge, and an image forming apparatus which solve the above-mentioned problems.

[0010]

A typical structure of the present invention is, in a cleaning device for cleaning a surface to be cleaned, facing a frame, an elastic cleaning blade, and a short end of the elastic cleaning blade. A cleaning comprising: an elastic seal member provided; and a flexible sheet provided so as to be located between a short end of the elastic cleaning blade and an end of the elastic seal member. It is a device.

Further, in a typical construction of the present invention, in a method of assembling a cleaning device for cleaning a surface to be cleaned, the frame, the elastic cleaning blade, and the short end of the elastic cleaning blade are provided so as to face each other. An elastic seal member, and a flexible sheet is attached so as to be located between the short end of the elastic cleaning blade and the end of the elastic seal member. Is the way.

Further, a typical construction of the present invention is, in a process cartridge mountable to the main body of an image forming apparatus, (a) an image carrier, (b) an elastic cleaning blade for cleaning the image carrier, and An elastic seal member provided to face the short end of the elastic cleaning blade, and a flexible member provided so as to be located between the short end of the elastic cleaning blade and the end of the elastic seal member. And a cleaning device having a property sheet.

Further, a typical construction of the present invention is, in a method of assembling a process cartridge mountable to a main body of an image forming apparatus, (a) a first frame, an elastic cleaning blade, and a short side of the elastic cleaning blade. An elastic seal member provided to face the end, and a flexible sheet attached so as to be positioned between the short end of the elastic cleaning blade and the end of the elastic seal member. The device assembly process,
(B) a step of assembling the image carrier on the first frame; (c) a step of assembling the developing means on a second frame different from the first frame; and (d) the first frame. And a step of coupling the second frame to each other.

Further, a typical construction of the present invention is an image forming apparatus which can mount a process cartridge and which forms an image on a recording medium.
An elastic cleaning blade for cleaning the image carrier, an elastic seal member provided so as to face a short end of the elastic cleaning blade, a short end of the elastic cleaning blade and an end of the elastic seal member. A cleaning device having a flexible sheet provided so as to be located between the process cartridge and the process cartridge, and a (b) a conveying device that conveys the recording medium. And an image forming apparatus.

Further, a typical structure of the present invention is, in an image forming apparatus for forming an image on a recording medium, (a) an image carrier, (b) an elastic cleaning blade for cleaning the image carrier, and An elastic seal member provided to face the short end of the elastic cleaning blade,
A cleaning device having a flexible sheet provided so as to be located between a short end of the elastic cleaning blade and an end of the elastic sealing member; and (c) a conveying unit that conveys a recording medium. An image forming apparatus having:

[0016]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

Before starting the detailed description of the present invention, a schematic structure of a process cartridge in which a photosensitive drum (image bearing member) and a cleaning blade are incorporated, and a laser beam printer (image forming apparatus) to which the process cartridge is mounted are described. The outline of the configuration of the device will be described.

FIG. 1 is a vertical sectional view showing an outline of the process cartridge C. First, the process cartridge C
Roughly, it can be disassembled into four units, that is, an upper frame (cartridge cover) 1, a primary charging unit (charging means) 2, a developing unit (developing means) 3 and a cleaning unit (cleaning means) 4. Further, the developing unit 3 and the cleaning unit 4 are provided with a developing frame 3A and a cleaning unit 4A for accommodating or supporting the respective constituent members described later. When the process cartridge C is disassembled into these four units, a photosensitive drum (electrophotographic photosensitive member) 4 as an image carrier is formed.
1 is included in the cleaning unit 4.

The upper frame 1 is composed of a frame that covers the primary charging unit 2, the developing unit 3 and the cleaning unit 4 from above, and is in the front-back direction (arrows K1, K in FIG. 1).
Through holes 11a and 11b for passing the exposure light and the pre-exposure light, respectively, are formed at approximately the center in the two directions) so as to penetrate in the vertical direction.

The primary charging unit 2 has a U-shaped cross section and has a shield 21 with its opening facing the photosensitive drum 41.
And a discharge wire 22 arranged inside the shield 21.
And a grid 23 arranged in the opening of the shield 21.

The developing unit 3 is provided with a toner container (developer container) 31 for containing toner (developer), and is arranged adjacent to the toner container 31 and communicated with the toner container 31 through an opening 31a. The developing chamber 32 is provided with a developing sleeve 33 arranged in the developing chamber 32 so as to face the photosensitive drum 41. The developing sleeve 33 is rotatably supported in the direction of the arrow R1.
A developing blade 35 that regulates the layer thickness of the toner applied to the surface of the developing sleeve 33 is disposed above.

The cleaning unit 4 includes the photosensitive drum 4
1 and a cleaning device 42. The photosensitive drum 41 is rotatably supported in the direction of arrow R2, and a protective plate (drum shutter) for protecting the photosensitive drum 41 from unnecessary exposure and scratches is arranged below the photosensitive drum 41. The protective plate 43 is configured to be retractable, and when the process cartridge C is attached to the apparatus main body described later, the protective plate 43 is automatically retracted to expose the lower portion of the photosensitive drum 41. Cleaning device 42
Is captured by a cleaning blade 45 that rubs the surface of the photosensitive drum 41 to remove the residual toner adhering to the surface, a squeeze sheet 46 that captures the residual toner scraped off by the cleaning blade 45, and a squeegee sheet 46. A waste toner feeding member 47 for moving the remaining toner forward (direction of arrow K1) and a waste toner reservoir 49 for storing the moved residual toner are provided.

The process cartridge C thus constructed is mounted on the laser beam printer 50 shown in FIG. The laser beam printer 50 includes a device body 51.
A cover 52 having a rotation center 51a is provided at the lower end of the front side of the apparatus body 51 (direction of arrow K1). This cover 5
No. 2 is normally closed (solid line in the figure), and is opened when the process cartridge C is replaced or when the transfer material P such as paper to be image-formed is jammed (the same figure). The two-dot chain line) is configured. Process cartridge C
Is configured to be temporarily held by the cover 52 in an open state, and to be arranged at a predetermined position (solid line in the figure) in the apparatus main body 51 by closing the cover 52. In the process cartridge C arranged at a predetermined position, the photosensitive drum 41, the developing sleeve 33, etc. are connected to a driving means (not shown) on the apparatus main body 51 side, and the arrow R2, R1 directions (see FIG. 1), respectively. The discharge wire 22 and the developing sleeve 33 of the primary charging unit 2 are also connected to a high-voltage power source on the apparatus main body 51 side.

Next, an image forming process by the laser beam printer 50 will be described with reference to FIGS. When an image formation start is instructed via a start button (not shown), the photosensitive drum 41 is rotationally driven in the direction of arrow R2, and the surface of the photosensitive drum 41 is uniformly charged by the primary charging unit 2. The surface of the photosensitive drum 41 is exposed to the exposure L by an exposure unit including a laser unit 53, a reflection mirror 55, etc., and an electrostatic latent image corresponding to image information is formed. The electrostatic latent image is the developing sleeve 3 of the developing unit 3.
Toner is attached via 3 to form a toner image. The toner image formed on the photosensitive drum 41 is transferred onto the transfer material P via the transfer device 56. This transfer material P is stored in a paper feed cassette 57 mounted on the rear side of the apparatus main body 51 (in the direction of arrow K2) and is fed by a paper feed roller 59, and further, by the registration roller pair 60, the photosensitive drum 41. It is supplied in synchronization with the rotation of. The transfer material P on which the toner image is transferred is conveyed along the conveyance guide 61 and reaches the fixing device 62. The transfer material P is heated and pressed by the fixing roller 62a and the pressure roller 62b, and the toner image is fixed (fixed) on the surface. The transfer material P on which the toner image is fixed is then discharged to the paper discharge roller 6
3, the sheet is discharged onto a sheet discharge tray 65 formed on the upper surface of the cover 52.

By repeating the above-mentioned image forming process, the toner in the toner container 31 of the developing unit 3 is sequentially consumed. Then, when the remaining amount of toner in the toner container 31 becomes less than or equal to a predetermined amount, the amount of toner applied to the surface of the developing sleeve 33 decreases, and therefore, the toner adheres to the electrostatic latent image on the photosensitive drum 41 via the developing sleeve 33. Toner runs out. When the toner image on the photosensitive drum 41 is transferred to the transfer material P in this state, a fatal image defect occurs due to a blurred image area or insufficient density of a black solid area.

In such a case, in the past, the entire process cartridge C was replaced with a new one, and the old process cartridge C was discarded or reused for another purpose (for example, by melting a resinous member and However, even if the toner runs out, many of the constituent members of the process cartridge C do not reach the end of their lives and can be reused sufficiently. . Therefore, recently, from the viewpoint of effective use of resources,
In order to effectively reuse the reusable member for the same purpose, the old process cartridge C is regenerated and reused by refilling the toner and replacing consumables that need to be replaced. I have to. Here, as the members that need to be replaced, the photosensitive drum 41 whose photosensitive layer on the surface has deteriorated due to long-term use, the cleaning blade 45 which slides on the photosensitive drum 41 to remove the residual toner on the surface, and other sealing members Etc.

Process cartridge C according to this embodiment
When refilling the toner or replacing the above-mentioned member, is first disassembled into four large units, and then each unit and, if necessary, the details are disassembled.

Therefore, first, the procedure for disassembling the entire process cartridge C into the above-mentioned four large units, that is, the upper frame 1, the primary charging unit 2, the developing unit 3, and the cleaning unit 4, will be described.

First, the process cartridge C to be disassembled is set in an air duct (not shown) and air is blown to remove toner and dust adhering to the surface.

Next, as shown in FIG. 3, the left and right wall portions 1a and 1b of the upper frame 1 (the direction of the arrow K1 is the front) are fixed to the cleaning unit 4, and the left and right wall portions 1a and 1b are provided in total of four. Remove the pin 12 of the book. The head of the pin 12 is formed in the shape of a flange having a recess in the center, and this flange is grasped with, for example, radio pliers, and pulled out while rotating. The pin 12 is made of resin and has an engaging portion on the front end side. However, the engaging portion and the flange portion grasped by the radio pliers are easily damaged at the time of pulling out, and the pin 12 is replaced with a new one at the time of reassembly. Before using the process cartridge C,
A seal film cover 13 for protecting a seal film (not shown) that seals the toner container 31 and the developing chamber 32.
Is pulled out with, for example, radio pliers. Since the seal film cover 13 is fixed in the same manner as the pin 12, it is replaced with a new one when reassembling.

Next, as shown in FIG. 3, the left and right sides of the upper frame 1 are grasped by the left and right hands (two-dot chain line) and the left and right thumbs are respectively applied to the two shaded portions in the upper part of the figure, and these portions are held. While pushing down, with the other fingers, the left and right wall portions 1a, 1a of the upper frame 1
The whole slanted part is opened by opening the slanted part (only one slanted part is shown) at the bottom of b to the outside on the left and right respectively. As a result, as shown in FIG. 4, the claws 4a and 4b that are projected to two positions on the upper surface of the cleaning unit 4 and are locked in the engaging holes 1c and 1d of the upper frame 1 are disengaged, The upper frame 1 is removed from the cleaning unit 4. This completes the removal of the upper frame 1 of the four units. The upper frame 1 is reused as it is by blowing air in the air duct to remove foreign matter such as toner and dust adhering to the surface and the inside.

Next, the primary charging unit 2 fitted on the cleaning unit 4 is removed. As shown in FIG. 4 and FIG. 5, the primary charging unit 2 has a leg portion 25 at one end, and is provided by a biasing member (not shown) of the cleaning unit 4 arranged on the opposite side of the leg portion 25. , Leg 25
It is engaged while being biased to the side. Grasp leg 25 with your hand and lightly push it sideways (in the direction of the arrow) to remove leg 2
Lift 5 upwards. This completes the removal of the primary charger unit 2.

Developing unit 3 and cleaning unit 4
Prior to disassembling and, as shown in FIG. 6, the convex portion 3c on the developing frame 3A side and the cleaning frame 4A
The compression spring (spring member) 41a stretched between the two is engaged with the convex portion 4c on the side and removed. This compression spring 41a
A compression spring 41a, which is almost the same as the above, is also stretched on the opposite ends of the developing unit 3 and the cleaning unit 4, and this compression spring is also removed. It should be noted that these compression springs 41a and the like are used for the developing sleeve 3 on the developing unit 3 side.
3 is urged toward the photosensitive drum 41 on the cleaning unit 4 side, whereby the developing sleeve 33
Spacers (not shown) attached to the outer peripheries of both ends of the photosensitive drum 41 contact the non-image forming areas of both ends of the photosensitive drum 41 so that the surface of the photosensitive drum 41 and the surface of the developing sleeve 33 face each other with a predetermined gap. ing. The compression spring 4 described above
1a is reused at the time of reassembly if it is inspected and reaches a predetermined standard.

In this state, the developing unit 3 and the cleaning unit 4 are rotatably engaged at the left and right ends. To release this engagement, the pin 4 connecting the developing unit 3 and the cleaning unit 4
Pull out d using radio pliers. Then, when the developing unit 3 is rotated about 80 degrees in the direction of the arrow in FIG. 6 and the right end side of the developing unit 3 in FIG. 7 is slightly lifted upward, the engagement on the right end side is released and the developing unit 3 and The cleaning unit 4 is separated.

As a result, the process cartridge C is disassembled into four large units including the upper frame 1, the primary charging unit 2, the developing unit 3, and the cleaning unit 4.

Next, further detailed disassembly of each unit, cleaning of members, replacement of members and the like will be described for each unit.

First, since the upper frame 1 has no portion that is rubbed by another member, that is, no portion that is worn, it is reused after being cleaned as described above.

Next, the primary charging unit 2 includes the shield 2
1, the discharge wire 22 and the grid 23 are cleaned. First, the adhered toner and dust on the entire primary charging unit 2 are removed. This is performed using, for example, a cleaning device (not shown). The primary charging unit 2 is set at a predetermined position in the storage chamber of the cleaning device, air is blown to the whole, and the atmosphere of the entire storage chamber is sucked. Next, prior to cleaning the individual members, the connection spring (not shown) is removed, the engagement of the engagement portion is released, and the grid 23 is removed from the shield 21. Then, as shown in FIG. 8A, the shield 21 is placed on the inclined surface B2 of the jig B1 and positioned by the stopper B3 as shown in FIG. 8B. The outer surface of one wall portion 21a and the inner surface (hatched portion) of the other wall portion 21b are cleaned with sillbon paper with IPA (alcohol solution), and then 180
After reversing, the outer surface of the other wall portion 21b and the inner surface (hatched portion) of the one wall portion 21a are similarly cleaned with sillbon paper. At this time, be careful that dust and fluff of the sillbon paper do not adhere to the shield 21. After cleaning the shield 21,
Check the deformation. As shown in FIG. 9, max part and m
A gauge G1 having an in part is inserted into one end of the shield 21 and it is confirmed that the min part smoothly passes and the max part stops lightly. Similarly, insert the gauge G1 at the center and the other end of the shield 21,
Confirm passage and stop of the in part and the max part, respectively. Next, as shown in FIG. 10A, the grid 23 is placed so as to cover the convex portion B5 of the jig B4, and the front surface side is cleaned with the sillbon paper B7. After that, the grid 23 is inverted as shown in FIG.
And the back side is similarly cleaned with sillbon paper B7. The discharge wire 22 is blown with air, wiped dry with CR rubber, and then cleaned with a cleaner pen B8 as shown in FIG. Cleaner pen B
The V-shaped felt is attached to the nib B9 of No. 8, and this felt is impregnated with alcohol. From the one end of the discharge wire 22 to the other end of the discharge wire 22 with the weight of the cleaner pen B8 applied without forcing the valley portion of the pen tip B9 over the discharge wire 22 and pressing it downward. Move in the direction of the arrow. afterwards,
The shield 21 is inverted 180 degrees, turned over, and the same operation by the cleaner pen B8 is repeated to complete the cleaning of the discharge wire 22. If these cleanings restore their performance, the shield and discharge wire 22 will be reused.

In the primary charging unit 2, the discharge wire 22 is used as necessary, that is, by the above-mentioned cleaning.
If the performance of 1 does not reach the predetermined standard, the discharge wire 22 is replaced as follows. First, the configuration of the primary charging unit 2 will be briefly described. As shown in the exploded perspective view of FIG. 12, insulating blocks 21c and 21d are fixed to the left and right ends of the shield 21. A pin-shaped projection 21c1 is formed on the lower end surface of each insulating block 21c, 21d.
, 21c2 (not shown), 21d1 and 21d2 are provided in a protruding manner (see FIG. 13, insulating block 21d in FIG. 13).
(Only the one shown in the figure is shown), and after passing through the small holes 21e1 and 21e2 formed at both left and right ends of the shield 21, one of the protrusions 21d2 is heated and pressure-bonded to form the insulating block 2.
1c and 21d are fixed to the left and right ends of the shield 21. The insulating blocks 21c and 21d have fitting holes 21c4.
(Not shown) and 21d4 (see FIG. 14) are provided, and the discharge wire 22 is fitted with these fitting holes 21c4, 21c4.
The left and right ends are fixed by pins 22a and 22b fitted to d4. The pins 22a and 22b are formed of resin members having a hardness lower than that of the insulating blocks 21c and 21d. Inside the insulating blocks 21c and 21d, as shown in FIG.
1c3 and 21d3 are formed, and this guide portion 21
Pieces 21f and 21g are vertically movable by c3 and 21d3. These pieces 21f and 21g are arm portions 21f1 and 21g1, V-shaped notches 21f2 and 21f2, respectively.
It has 21 g @ 2. Each arm 21f1 and 21g1 has rollers 21f3 and 21g3 penetrating the arm 2f1 and 21g1.
1f4 and 21g4 are rotatably supported, and one notch 2
1f2 and 21g2 straddle the left and right ends of the discharge wire 22 and press these parts downward in the figure. Therefore, the distances from the tips of the rollers 21f4 and 21g4 contacting the surface of the photosensitive drum 41 to the discharge wire 22 are accurately maintained. That is, the distance between the surface of the photosensitive drum 41 and the discharge wire 22 is accurately regulated by the above-mentioned pieces 21f and 21g. In addition, one insulating block 21c
An electrode 22c for applying a voltage to the discharge wire 22 is interposed between the pin 22a and the electrode 22c, as shown in FIGS.

The left and right insulating blocks 21c and 21d are
As shown in FIG. 12, covers 21h and 21i are easily attached and detached. Each cover 21h, 21i has
Windows 21h1, 21i1, locking holes 21h2, 2 respectively
1h2, 21i2 and 21i2 are formed. As shown in FIG. 14, when the cover 21i is covered from above the insulating block 21d, the locking holes 21i2 and 21i2 engage with the claws 21d5 and 21d5 of the insulating block 21d. At this time, from the window 21i1, the piece 2
1g of arm 21g1 and roller 21g4 protrude, and
The pin 22b is pressed into the engaging hole 21d4 to ensure the holding of the discharge wire 22. In addition,
The configuration of the cover 21h is similar to that of the cover 21i described above.

To replace the discharge wire 22, first open the lower ends of the left and right covers 21h and 21i,
The engaging holes 21h2, 212, 21i2, 21i2 are removed from the claws 21c5, 21c5, 2d5, 21d5, respectively, and then lifted in the direction of the arrow. by this,
The left and right pieces 21f and 21g and the pins 22a and 22b fixing the left and right ends of the discharge wire 22 are exposed. The right and left pieces 21f and 21g are not fixed in particular, so they are removed upward along the guide portions 21c3 and 21d3, respectively. Next, the pins 22a and 22b are pulled out from the insulating blocks 21c and 21d, respectively, and the discharge wire 22 wound around these pins 22a and 22b.
Remove.

Discharge wire 22 and pins 22a and 22b
Is replaced with a new one, the left and right ends of the new discharge wire 22 are respectively wound around the pins 22a and 22b about four times, and then the insulating holes 21c4 and 2d of the insulating blocks 21c and 21d are wound.
Fit to 1d4. Further, the pieces 21f and 21g are laid across the left and right ends of the discharge wire 22 stretched between the left and right pins 22a and 22b in this manner so as to extend along the guide portions 21c3 and 21d3, respectively. Further, the insulating blocks 21c and 21d are covered with covers 21h and 2 respectively.
The replacement of the discharge wire 22 is completed by covering with 1i.

The primary charging unit 2 whose performance has been recovered by cleaning or replacing the shield 21 and the discharge wire 22.
Will be reattached to the cleaning unit 4 which has been disassembled, cleaned, etc., which will be described later. At this time, the seal members 21n (never
In FIG. 9, only one is shown). The sealing member 21n is made of artificial leather and is in sliding contact with the surface of the photosensitive drum 41, so that it is worn out a lot and cannot be reused. Therefore, it is replaced with a new one. The seal member 2
A seal member 21m is arranged in the vicinity of 1,
This seal member 1 made of polyurethane foam
Since No. 2 is extremely damaged only by being in contact with the fixing member, it is reused as it is without being replaced.

Next, a method of cleaning the developing unit 3, a cleaning device for cleaning, replacement of members, refilling of toner and the like will be described. First, the configuration of a cleaning device for cleaning the developing unit 3 shown in FIG. 16 will be described with reference to FIG. The cleaning device 70 has a support base 72 fixed to substantially the center of the base member 71, and supports the suction nozzle 73 substantially horizontally via the support base 72. Suction nozzle 7
3 has a suction port 73a at the tip, and an air valve 75 whose opening is adjusted by an air cylinder 75a is arranged at the base end side, and the suction amount is adjusted by this air valve 75. . An outside air suction port 76 capable of only suction is provided on the further proximal end side of the air valve 75,
A suction port 77 of a large vacuum cleaner (suction device) is connected to the toner discharge port 73b at the most proximal end.

A motor (power source) 79 is fixed to the upper portion of the support base 72 in the center of the base member 71.
The output shaft 79a of 9 has an intermediate portion rotatably supported by a bearing 80, and has a developing sleeve 33, which will be described later, at the tip thereof.
The drive gear 81 meshing with the sleeve gear 33b is fixed. The bearing 80 and the drive gear 81 are the cover 8
Covered by two. In the center of the base member 71,
The rotary actuator 83 is fixed so as to be adjacent to the support base 72. Rotary actuator 83
A ground contact 85 is provided at the tip of the rotary shaft 83a that extends horizontally from. The ground contact 85 swings with the rotation of the rotary shaft 83a and comes into contact with and separates from a developing blade 35 of the developing unit 3 described later.

A guide groove 71a is formed on the upper surface of the left half portion of the base member 71 in FIG. 17, and a holding base 86 is reciprocally movable in the arrow direction along the guide groove 71a.
Is provided. The holding base 86 includes a guide pedestal 86a that moves along the guide groove 71a, and the guide pedestal 86a.
And a pedestal 86b for supporting the developing unit 3 from below. This cradle 86b
When supporting the developing unit 3, as shown in the figure, the developing sleeve 33 is arranged above and the toner container 31
Is supported in a state of being arranged below. A stopper 71b is provided on the base end side of the guide groove 71a, that is, in the vicinity of the center of the base member 71, and the above-described holding base 86 is at the position shown by the solid line in the figure and at the position regulated by the stopper 71b. The developing unit 3 is moved back and forth between the standby position M1 shown by the solid line in the figure and the working position M2 represented by the two-dot chain line sleeve gear 33b in the figure. In the developing unit 3 set at the standby position M1, the toner replenishing port 31c of the toner container 31 faces the suction port 73a of the suction nozzle 73 at a predetermined interval,
On the other hand, in the developing unit 3 moved to the working position M2, the sleeve gear 33b of the developing sleeve 33 meshes with the above-mentioned drive gear 81, and the suction port 73 of the suction nozzle 73.
a is inserted into the toner container 31 through the toner supply port 31c. It should be noted that, as shown in FIG. 18, a notch portion 73 notched in the axial direction of the suction nozzle 73 is provided at the lower end portion of the suction port 73 a of the suction nozzle 73.
c and 73c are provided so that the residual toner at the bottom of the toner container 31 is effectively sucked, as indicated by the arrow in the figure.

Next, referring to the block diagram of the cleaning device 70 of FIG. 17 and the flowchart of FIG. 19, the cleaning device 7
The operation of 0 and the cleaning method using the cleaning device 70 will be described.

Turn on the cleaning device (cleaning device) 70 (S
1) The motor 79 is turned on (S2) to rotate the drive gear 81. After confirming the rotation of the drive gear 81 (S3),
The holding table (receiving table) 86 is moved to the standby position (origin) M1 (S4), and when this is confirmed (S5), the developing unit (DT unit set) 3 is arranged with the developing sleeve 33 side upward as described above. In this state, it is set on the holding table 86 (S6). After confirmation (S7), the holder 86 is moved to the working position (cleaning position) M2 (S8), and the drive gear 81 is engaged with the sleeve gear 33b. After confirmation (S9), the developing unit 3 is locked in the working position M2 (S10, S1).
1). In this state, the suction port 73a of the suction nozzle 73 is
It is inserted inside the toner container 31.

Then, the manual switch is turned on (S1
2) Start the timer (S13). The rotary actuator 83 is operated (S14), and the ground contact 8
5 is brought into contact with the developing blade 35 of the developing unit 3 to take the ground (S15). After switching the air valve 75 from outside air suction to nozzle suction (S16), after confirmation (S17),
Cleaning work by suction is performed for a predetermined time (for example, 5 seconds) counted by the timer (S18). After cleaning, the air valve 75 is switched from the nozzle suction to the outside air suction (S1
9, S20), the rotary actuator 83 is turned off (S21), and the ground is released (S22). The automatic switch is turned off (S23), and the work position M2 is unlocked (S24, S25). The holding table 86 is returned to the standby position M1 (S26, S27), and the developing unit 3 is removed (S28).

When the next developing unit 3 is to be cleaned (S29), the process returns to S6. On the other hand, when the cleaning operation is to be finished, the motor 79 is turned off (S30) and after the motor is stopped (S31). The cleaning device 70 is turned off (S32), and the cleaning work is completed.

According to such a cleaning method, as described above, the developing unit 3 is held with the developing sleeve 33 arranged above, and the developing sleeve 33 is forcibly rotated while being placed in the toner container 31. Since the residual toner is sucked by the suction port 73a of the suction nozzle 73 that is inserted, for example, the residual toner sandwiched between the surface of the developing sleeve 33 and the wall of the developing chamber 32 is dropped into the toner container 31. Suction work is possible, and residual toner can be reliably removed.

The suction nozzle 73 described above may be constructed as shown in FIG. A pipe 87 having an air outlet 87a at its tip is provided, and the middle portion of the pipe 87 is connected to the suction nozzle 7
3 is provided inside and an air outlet 8 at the tip is provided.
7a is set toward the bottom 31e of the toner container 31. Compressed air is supplied from the base end portion 87b of the pipe 87 and blown out from the air outlet 87a. This allows the bottom 31
The residual toner accumulated in e is raised appropriately, and is sucked by the suction nozzle 73. It is possible to effectively suck the residual toner on the bottom portion 31e that tends to stay. The air pressure used for this blowing may be set appropriately based on experiments and the like.

Next, the cleaned developing unit 3 is disassembled into smaller parts. First, as shown in FIG. 21, screw 3
5a and 35b are removed, the developing blade 35 is removed,
Further, the screws 36a and 36b at the left and right ends are removed, and the left and right arms 36c and 36d are pulled out. Left and right arms 36c,
The developing sleeve 33 fixed to the developing chamber 32 by 36d and the magnet 33a inside thereof are removed to the front (direction of arrow K1). As a result, as shown in FIG. 22, the toner container 31 to which the re-seal member (described later in detail) is attached.
The opening 31a is exposed. Further, the developing sleeve 3
3 is disassembled into details and reused sleeve gear 33b,
It is divided into a bearing (front) 33c, a magnet 33a, a developing sleeve body 33e to be discarded and replaced with a new one, rollers 33d and 33d, a bearing (back) 33h, and a sleeve electrode (not shown). Clean the reusable items by blowing air. Note that the developing blade 35, the sleeve gear 33b, and the like described above are usually reused. However, as a result of inspection, the performances of these reused components do not satisfy the predetermined standard. Items will be replaced with new ones as appropriate. Further, in the developing chamber 32 shown in FIG. 22, the longitudinal seal 33f, the end seals 33g, and 33g that were attached with the double-sided tape were peeled off, and the adhesive on the attached portion on the developing chamber 32 side was removed. Clean with a new longitudinal seal 3
3f, the end seals 33g, 33g are attached with double-sided tape. In this way, the longitudinal seal 33f, the end seal 33
After the replacement of g and 33 g is completed, the toner container 31 is sent to the next resealing step.

Next, the opening 31a of the toner container 31 is
Close with reseal member. This opening 31a is
The new process cartridge C is closed by a seal film to prevent the toner from leaking from the toner container 31 due to an impact or the like during conveyance. At the time of use, the seal film is peeled off, the opening 31a is opened, and the toner in the toner container 31 is supplied to the developing sleeve 33 through the opening 31a. By the way, since the seal film is naturally not attached to the opening 31a of the old process cartridge C that has run out of toner, in the old process cartridge C, before refilling the toner into the toner container 31, It is necessary to close the opening 31a in a state similar to that of the new opening. In the new process cartridge C, it is easy to close the opening 31a with the seal film, but in the old process cartridge C, it is much more difficult than in the new process cartridge C. This will be described with reference to FIGS. 23 (a) and 23 (b).
In addition, these figures are the AA line arrow enlarged views of FIG.

In the novel process cartridge C, the toner container 31 and the developing chamber 32 are constituted by different members before the seal film 91 is attached to the opening 31a. Since they are integrally formed after pasting, the pasting is easy. A frame-shaped flange portion 31b is formed on the entire circumference of the rectangular opening portion 31a of the toner container 31. Further, the developing chamber 32 is also provided with a flange portion 32b having substantially the same shape. On the other hand, the seal film 91 is attached to a frame-shaped substrate 92 having the same shape as the flange portions 31b and 32b. That is, the seal film 91 and the base material 92 are integrally formed in a peelable state by, for example, thermal adhesion. Then, the flange portion 31 of the toner container 31
b and the flange portion 32b of the developing chamber 32, the base material 92
The toner container 31 and the developing chamber 32 are integrally configured so that the toner container 31 is sandwiched therebetween. However, a slit 32c is provided on the side of the developing chamber 32 at a portion corresponding to the seal film 91 so as not to prevent peeling of the seal film 91. When opening the opening 31a, one slit 3
The base end portion 91 of the seal film 91 protruding from 2c
By pulling a in the direction of arrow K3, the bent portion 91b of the seal film 91 is moved and the seal film 91 is completely pulled out as shown in FIG.
1a is completely opened.

On the other hand, when the opening 31a is closed prior to refilling the toner in the toner container 31, the seal film 91 is adhered to the base material 92. It cannot be performed from the direction of arrow K4 in b), and therefore, it is a difficult work performed through the same slit 32c as when the seal film 91 is pulled out.

Next, the re-sealing member for re-sealing the opening 31a and the re-sealing method using this re-sealing member will be described in detail.

FIG. 24 (a) is a front view of the reseal member 90, and FIG. 24 (b) is a view taken along the line BB of FIG. 24 (a). However, in these figures, for the length L,
The dimensions of the width W and the thickness t are enlarged and displayed.

The re-seal member 90 is composed of a band-shaped seal film 91, an adhesive portion 93 provided on the front half portion 91c of the seal film 91, and a release paper 95 covering the adhesive portion 93. The seal film 91 is formed of a resin film, and the front half portion 91 with respect to the entire length L is formed.
The length L1 of c (the portion corresponding to the adhesive portion 93) and the length L2 of the folded portion 91d (the portion other than the adhesive portion 93) satisfy L2> L1, that is, the total length of the seal film 91. Each dimension is set so that L is more than twice the length L1 of the front half portion 91c. The adhesive section 93 can be formed by applying a commercially available double-sided tape or an adhesive. As the release paper 95, one having substantially the same size as the seal film 91 is used. Here, the magnitude relationship of the adhesive force of the adhesive portion 93 to each of the following three members, that is, the seal film 91, the base material 92,
The adhesive force with respect to each of the release papers 93 is maximum with respect to the seal film 91, and then decreases in this order. Thus, for example, when the release paper 95 is peeled off in the state of FIG. 25A, the adhesive portion 93 remains on the seal film 91 side, and the release paper 95 is peeled off to make the adhesive portion 93 stick to the flange portion of the toner container 31. When the seal film 91 is peeled off while being adhered to the base material 92 on 31b, the adhesive portion 93 does not remain on the base material 92 side and is peeled off integrally with the seal film 91. For reference, the specific values of the dimensions of the reseal member 90 used in this embodiment are t = 250 μm (t1 = 100 μm, t2 = 150).
μm, t3 = 100 μm), L = 555 mm, L1 = 2
55 mm, L2 = 300 mm, W = 42.8 mm.

Next, the resealing method of the reseal member 90 will be described with reference to FIGS. 25 (a), 25 (b), 26 (c),
(D), FIG. 27 (e), (f), FIG. 28 (g),
This will be described with reference to (h), FIG. 29 (i), and (j). Note that (a) to (j) described above illustrate a series of resealing operations, and in these figures,
The re-seal member 90 and the insertion plate 96 (described later) are shown in an enlarged manner with respect to the opening 31a and the like.

As shown in FIG. 25 (a), first, the sleeve 33 and the like are removed from the developing chamber 32 in the direction of arrow K1 and the cap 31d is removed.
Is set with its opening 31a facing downward. In the figure, the member indicated by 32e is the slit 3
2c is a leakage prevention member for preventing toner from leaking, and is attached to the flange portion 32b on the developing chamber 32 side. Therefore, as will be described later, when the seal film 91 is attached to the opening 31a, the leak prevention member 32e is compressed and contracted downward, and the leak prevention member 32e secured thereby and the flange portion 31b of the toner container 31 are secured.
It is done through a gap between and. For convenience of explanation, the arrow K5 direction will be referred to as the left side and the arrow K6 direction will be referred to as the right side.

Subsequently, a setting step of setting the re-sealing member 90 so that the sealing film 91, the adhesive portion 93, and the release paper 95 are sequentially arranged from the upper side of the side facing the downward opening 31a. Perform ((b) of the same figure).

Next, the insertion plate 96 is placed on the upper surface of the folded-back portion 91d of the seal film 91, and the leading edge 96a of the insertion plate 96 is placed substantially at the boundary between the front half portion 91c of the seal film 91 and the folded-back portion 91d. A plate mounting process is performed (FIG.26 (c)). The insertion plate 96 is made of, for example, a stainless plate having the same width as the seal film 91. The length is set to be sufficiently longer than the left and right width of the opening 31a so that a sufficient grip allowance can be obtained outside the slit 32c even when the opening 31a is completely covered. There is. Further, the thickness is set to such a thickness that the insertion plate 96 and the re-seal member 90 locked in the insertion plate 96 in a folded state can smoothly pass through the slit 32c. However, in order to prevent buckling or the like from occurring during insertion, it is preferable to ensure an appropriate thickness. In this example,
A 0.3 mm thick stainless plate is used. Insert plate 9
6 and the reseal member 90 have a substantial thickness of FIG.
It becomes maximum in the state of (e), and t4 = 1.
Although it is 05 mm, t5 = 0.8 for parts other than the tip.
5 mm, slit 32c set to 1 mm
Can be passed without any problems in practical use.

Next, the folding step is performed. In this step, as shown in FIG.
The front half portion of the seal film 91, the adhesive portion 93, and the front half portion of the release paper 95 are integrally folded back around the 6a.
The bent portion 90a is formed, and the front half of the release paper 95, the adhesive portion 93, and the front half of the seal film 91 are arranged on the upper surface side of the insertion plate 96 in this order from above, and the upper half of the insertion plate 96 is arranged on the lower surface side. The folded-back portion of the seal film 91 and the folded-back portion of the release paper 91 are arranged in this order from.

In the next step of folding back the release paper shown in FIG. 27 (e), the folded back portion of the release paper 95 located in the lowermost layer in the above folding back step is further folded back around the bent portion 90a, In the folding process, the uppermost layer of the release paper 95 is placed further above the front half. At this time, the bent portion 95a of the release paper 95 is not
The bending portion 90a does not coincide with the entire bent portion 90a, but is formed at a position on the lower surface of the insertion plate 96, which is slightly displaced from the tip edge 96a. By doing so, the peeling paper 95 is prevented from being peeled unnecessarily due to the resistance at the time of insertion.

The preparation for insertion is completed by the above-mentioned step of folding back the release paper, and the step of insertion shown in FIG. In the insertion step, the re-seal member 90 wound around the insertion plate 96 in the state shown in FIG.
Insert via c. By inserting the insertion plate 96 to the right, the bent portion 90a of the re-seal member 90 is sequentially inserted deeper along the opening 31a as shown by the chain double-dashed line in FIG.

The above-mentioned inserting step is finished just before the bent portion 90a reaches the right flange portion 31b (two-dot chain line in FIG. 28 (f)), and the exposing step shown in FIG. 28 (g) is started. . In this exposing step, the bent portion 90a is the same as in FIG.
This is for preventing the release paper 95 from becoming impossible to be peeled by biting into the right flange portion 31b in the state shown in (f). That is, as shown in FIG. 28 (g), the base end portion 95b of the release paper 95 is pulled a little to expose a part of the adhesive portion 93 by about 5 mm.

After that, a re-insertion process is performed by the insertion plate 96, and the re-seal member 90 is inserted up to a position where the exposed portion of the adhesive portion 93 corresponds to the flange portion 31b (FIG. 6 (h)).

Subsequently, the base end portion 95b of the release paper 95 is pulled to the left to perform a release step of exposing all the adhesive portions 93 facing the opening 31a (FIG. 29 (i)).

Further, the insertion plate 96 is pressed in the direction of the arrow K4 to perform a bonding step for adhering the adhesive portion 93 to the flange portion 31b well, and a withdrawal step for pulling out the insertion plate 96, as shown in FIG. As shown, the reseal for the opening 31a is complete.

To the toner container 31 that has been resealed, the toner T can be refilled through the toner supply port 31c by utilizing the developing hopper 97 as shown in FIG. A supply port 97b for replenishing the toner T is formed on the upper part of the funnel-shaped main body 97a, and an adapter 97c adapted to the toner supply port 31c of the toner container 31 is attached to the lower end part. . Further, inside the main body 97a, a rotatable auger 9 is provided.
7d is arranged and the replenishment speed of the toner is adjusted by appropriately controlling the rotation of the auger 97d. When the inner surface of the main body 97a is subjected to a fluorine treatment to reduce the friction coefficient, the developing hopper
It is possible to efficiently replenish the toner container 31 with toner from 97.

As shown in FIG. 29J, a cap 31d is attached to the toner supply port 31c of the toner container 31 whose toner has been replenished. Further, in contrast to FIG. The developing unit 3 can be reconfigured by mounting the developing blade 35, the developing sleeve 33, etc., which have been cleaned at.

In the above embodiment, the reseal member 90
When re-sealing the opening 31a of the toner container 31 by using the above, the opening 31a is arranged downward as shown in FIG. 25 (a). May be turned. In these cases, the direction of the reseal member 90 shown in FIG.
It may be changed according to the direction of a, and the other steps are exactly the same as the case where the opening 31a is directed upward.

In the above embodiment, the reseal member 9
The adhesive section 93 of 0 was formed in a rectangular shape, but it can be formed in a frame shape in accordance with the shape of the flange section 31b of the opening section 31a to which the seal film 91 is attached. When the adhesive portion 93 has a rectangular shape, only the peripheral portion of the rectangular portion corresponding to the flange portion 31b is provided for attachment, so that unnecessary toner adheres to the vicinity of the central portion of the adhesive portion 93. Will end up. When the seal film 91 is peeled off in this state, together with the seal film 91,
This adhered toner may be drawn out from the slit 32c and may stain other constituent members, clothes of the operator, and the like. When the attachment portion 93 is formed in a frame shape, unnecessary toner is not attached to the seal film 91, and the above-mentioned problem can be solved.

Next, a cleaning device for disassembling, cleaning and cleaning the cleaning unit 4 will be described. The protective plate 43 (see FIG. 1) and the photosensitive drum 41 are removed from the cleaning unit 4, and in this state, the waste toner described later is removed (cleaning operation). In the above description,
Although the cleaning unit 4 includes the photosensitive drum 41 and the protection plate 43, the cleaning unit 4 will be referred to as a cleaning unit 4 hereinafter even if it does not include them.

The configuration of the cleaning device will be described with reference to FIG. The cleaning device 170 includes a housing 170 that covers the entire surface.
and a transparent cover 1 with a handle 170c on the upper front side (upper left in FIG. 31) of the housing 170a.
70b is attached to be openable and closable. This cover 1
The open / closed state of 70b is detected by the detection sensor 170d. Further, an exhaust port 170e is formed in the upper part on the back side of the housing 170a (upper right part in the figure), and an atmosphere suction port 178 of the auxiliary suction device is connected to the exhaust port 170e.

A stopper base 171 is arranged on the lower front side inside the housing 170a.
The upper surface of 71 is formed into a horizontal surface, and the surface on the back side is formed into a steep inclined surface. Stoppers 171a and 171 made of a rubber material are provided on the horizontal surface and the inclined surface, respectively.
b is fixed, and the swinging limit of the swinging motion of the swinging device described later is restricted by these stoppers 171a and 171b.

On the horizontal surface of the stopper base 171, the receiving base 1
72 is arranged so as to be movable in the front-rear direction. Cradle 17
2 is the air cylinder 175 connected to the back side,
It is configured to move between the origin position M1 (two-dot chain line in FIG. 31) and the cleaning position M2 (solid line in FIG. 31). The upper surface of the pedestal 172 is formed in a shape that conforms to the lower surface of the cleaning unit 4, and as shown by the chain double-dashed line in FIG. 31, the cleaning unit 4 is mounted on the pedestal 172 located at the origin position M1. Is placed on the upper surface of the pedestal 172 in a posture in which the cleaning blade 45 is arranged at the upper rear side and the squeeze 46 is arranged at the lower rear side. Therefore,
The gap G formed by the tip of the cleaning blade 45 and the tip of the squi sheet 46 is arranged on the back side. As shown in FIG. 32, the cradle 172 includes a clamp device 172c including a moving block 172a and a fixed block 172b. Note that the perspective view of FIG. 32 shows the cleaning unit 4 in a state of being mounted on the receiving table 172 (not shown) located at the origin position M1 in the above posture. The clamp device 172c has an origin position M1.
When the cover 170b (two-dot chain line in FIG. 31) that has been opened prior to mounting the cleaning unit 4 on the pedestal 172 of FIG. 3 is closed after mounting the cleaning unit 4 (solid line in FIG. 31), this closure is detected as described above. The sensor 170d detects the position, and the cleaning unit 4 on the pedestal 172 is grasped and positioned. That is,
The clamp device 172c starts the clamp operation in conjunction with the closing of the cover 170b, extends the positioning block 172a of FIG. 32 through an air cylinder (not shown), and abuts against the fitting portion 4b on the side surface of the cleaning unit 4. The cleaning unit 4 is fixed on the other side with a fixed block 172.
It is configured to slide until it comes into contact with b.

The pedestal 172 described above is loaded on the rocking device (moving device) 173 at the cleaning position M2 where the lower end on the back side is restricted by the stopper 173c (see FIG. 31). As shown in FIG. 33A, the rocking device 173 is equipped with a rocking stand 173a in which side plates 173b and 173b are erected on the left and right ends of the bottom plate. The swing base 173a is swingably supported via a rotary shaft 173d fixed to the outer surface of the one side plate 173b, and the other side plate 17b.
3b has a key 17 at a position corresponding to the rotation shaft 173d.
The swing shaft 176b is connected via 6c. The swing shaft 176b, as shown in FIG.
The rotary actuator 176 is configured to repeat normal rotation and reverse rotation within a range of a predetermined angle α via a. By repeating the normal rotation and the reverse rotation of the swing shaft 176b, as shown in FIG. 33 (b) (cross section A of FIG. 33 (a)), the swing base 173a rises up to the horizontal position N1 (solid line in the figure). It is constructed so as to swing at an angle α between the position N2 (two-dot chain line in the figure). Rocking table 17
The horizontal position N1 and the standing position N2 of 3a are respectively positioned by the stoppers 171a and 171b of the stopper base 171 described above. In this embodiment, α = 80 degrees is set.

The impact imparting device 1 for striking the cleaning unit 4 via the motor 177a is provided at the upper portion on the far side at the horizontal position N1 (solid line in FIG. 31) of the swing base 173a.
77 is installed. The impact imparting device 177 is shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG.
7 is a view seen from the side opposite to FIG. 31), the motor shaft 1
A cam shaft 177c (see FIG. 7C) that is provided eccentrically from the center of the end surface of 77b and the swing center 1 on the base end side.
A striking table 177d having a guide groove 177h in which the above-mentioned cam shaft 177c is loosely fitted and which has 77e.
The striking plate 177d is provided with a striking plate 177f screwed to the upper surface of the striking table 177d and a convex member 177g fixed downward at the tip of the striking plate 177f. The striking plate 177f is formed of a plate-shaped member having appropriate elasticity.
Further, the convex member 177g is formed of, for example, a resin having a hardness lower than that of the waste toner reservoir 49 of the cleaning unit 4 to be hit, so that the cleaning unit 4 is not damaged. In the impact imparting device 177, the striking table 177d swings substantially vertically by the rotation of the cam shaft 177c integrated with the motor shaft 177b in the arrow direction,
As a result, the convex member 177g becomes the cleaning unit 4
The operation of separating from (FIG. 34 (a)) and hitting the upper surface of the cleaning unit 4 (FIG. 34 (b)) is repeated. In addition, in the figure, the striking table 177d and the striking plate 177 are shown.
f, only one set of the convex member 177g is shown, but another set is provided, and these two sets are integrally connected by, for example, a shaft, and each convex member 177g is shown in FIG. It is assumed that the cleaning unit 4 is hit at the positions indicated by arrows P and P on the upper surface.

As shown in FIG. 31, the above-mentioned cleaning position M
The pedestal 172, the air cylinder 175, and the impact imparting device 177 in FIG.
a are mounted on the rocking table 17 and
It is configured to operate integrally with 3a.

The gap G on the back side of the cleaning unit 4 on the pedestal 172 moved to the cleaning position M2 is the air block 179a of the suction device 179 as shown in FIG.
Covered by. FIG. 35 shows a detailed view of the air block 179a. The entire air block 179a is configured to be substantially hollow, and the contact surface 179g facing the gap G of the cleaning unit 4 is almost entirely rubber-like sealing member except for the ejection port 179d and the suction port 179e. 179b is attached. Air block 179
Inside the a, an air supply pipe 179c for blowing air into the cleaning unit 4 is provided, and the air supply pipe 179c is provided.
179d is opened near one end of the contact surface 179g. Further, an intake pipe 179f is arranged inside the air block 179a.
The suction port 179e is disposed near the other end of the contact surface 179g. These ejection port 179d and suction port 179
The contact surface 179g having e is conveyed in the direction of the arrow K3 via the receiving table 172, and the cleaning blade 45 of the cleaning unit 4 arranged at the cleaning position M2.
And the squeeze sheet 46 so as to completely cover the gap G between the tips of the two. Figure 3
5 are indicated by two-dot chain lines A1, A2, A3 near the gap G. These two-dot chain lines are respectively the contact surface 179 g and the spout 1
It corresponds to 79d and the suction port 179e. In this way, the suction device 179 supplies the compressed air Q1 supplied from the base end side of the air supply pipe 179c to the cleaning unit 4 which is in close contact with the air block 179a, and the ejection port 1 in close contact with A2.
The toner is sent from 79d into the cleaning unit 4 through the gap G (Q2) to scatter the waste toner in the cleaning unit 4, and the suction port 179 which is in close contact with A3.
The waste toner is sucked together with the air in the cleaning unit 4 from e (Q3), and the sucked waste toner is sent to the base end side (Q4).

At this time, the waste toner leaked to the outside of the cleaning unit 4 and the air block 179a is
As shown in FIG. 31, the auxiliary suction device (not shown) sucks together with the atmosphere through the atmosphere suction port 178.

Subsequently, the cleaning method of the cleaning unit 4 and the operation of the cleaning device 170 will be described mainly with reference to FIG. 31 showing the structure of the cleaning device 170 and a flow chart showing the flow of the operation, and referring to other drawings as needed. Will be described in detail.

First, the operation of the cleaning device (vacuum cleaner) 170 is started (S1). Next, the cleaning unit 4 to be cleaned is placed on the upper surface of the pedestal 172 arranged at the origin position M1 (S2). When the cover 170b is closed (S3), the detection sensor (door switch) 170d
Is detected (S4), the air cylinder is turned on (S4)
5) The cleaning unit 4 is clamped at a predetermined position on the receiving table 172 (S6). The air cylinder 175 is turned on (S7), the receiving table 172 moves from the origin position M1 to the cleaning position M2 (S8), and the cleaning unit 4
G is adhered to the contact surface 179g of the suction device 179 (see FIG. 35). The motor 177a is turned on (S
9), the impact imparting device 177 is activated, and the impact of the cleaning unit 4 by the convex member 177g is started (S1).
0). As a result, the waste toner attached to the inner wall of the cleaning unit 4 is forcibly dropped and the waste toner is easily moved. The rotary actuator 176 is activated (S11), and the oscillating table 173a of the oscillating device 173 reciprocates once between α = 0 to 80 degrees (S1).
2). The compressed air valve (not shown) of the suction device 179 is opened (S13, S14), and air is blown into the cleaning unit 4 through the gap G from the ejection port 179d (see FIG. 35) in parallel with the cleaning unit 4 The air inside is sucked into the suction port 17 through the gap G together with the waste toner.
Aspirate from 9e. This is continued for an appropriate time, and suction of the waste toner in the cleaning 4 is completed.

The rocking base 173a is rocked back and forth once (S
15). The rotary actuator 176 is turned off (S
16), after the horizontal position N1 of the swing base 173a is confirmed (S17), the motor 177a is turned off (S18, S1).
9), the impact of the cleaning unit 4 by the impact imparting device 177 ends. The compressed air valve is closed (S2
0, S21), when the air cylinder 175 is turned off (S
22), the cradle 172 that was at the cleaning position M2 returns to the origin position M1 (S23). Then, the air cylinder is turned off (S24), and the clamp of the cleaning unit 4 with respect to the pedestal 172 is released (S25). Then, the cover 170b is opened (S26), and the cleaning unit 4 is taken out from the housing 170a (S).
27), the cleaning operation for this cleaning unit 4 is completed.

If the cleaning unit 4 is to be cleaned next (S28), the process returns to S2. On the other hand, when the cleaning operation is finished, the cleaning device 170 is turned off (S2).
9).

In the above-mentioned cleaning process, the impact applying device 1 is operated from S9 to S18 in the flowchart of FIG.
The impact of the cleaning unit 4 by 77 is continuously performed, and in parallel with this, the swinging operation of the cleaning unit 4 and the suction of the waste toner are performed. Therefore, the waste toner adhering to the inner wall of the cleaning unit 4 is knocked down, smoothly moved toward the gap G, and further, the waste toner in the cleaning unit 4 is appropriately blown up by the compressed air blown from the ejection port 179d. And suction from the suction port 179e. By such a series of operations, the waste toner in the cleaning unit 4 can be reliably removed without remaining.

In the above cleaning work, the rocking base 1
The number of swings of 73a, the suction time by the suction device 179, and the like may be arbitrarily set based on the remaining amount of waste toner in the cleaning unit 4, the performance of the suction device 179, and the like.

In the cleaning work shown in the flowchart of FIG. 36, the operator manually performs S1 to S4, and S5 to S2.
5 is automatically performed, and the last steps S26 to S29 are manually performed again. That is, the manual operation is performed until the cleaning unit 4 is first placed on the receiving table 172 at the origin position M1 and, at the end, the cleaning unit 4 after cleaning is taken out from the receiving table 172 at the origin position M1. From the place.

When cleaning the cleaning unit 4, for example, in the series of cleaning steps shown in FIG.
It does not matter at all which steps are carried out manually and which steps are carried out automatically. For example, as shown in the perspective view of FIG. 37, all may be done manually. Place the cleaning unit 4 on a suitable table and fix it.
Hold the suction nozzle 180 of the suction device (not shown) by hand,
The suction port 180a is set to the gap G of the cleaning unit 4.
Press against. Arrow P on the upper surface of the cleaning unit 4
While striking the portion, the suction port 180a is moved laterally along the gap G, and the waste toner inside is sucked.

At this time, if the suction operation is performed while rotating the gear 47a exposed in the vicinity of one end of the cleaning unit 4 in the direction of arrow R3 (during the carrying step), the waste toner can be more efficiently collected. Can be extracted. That is, the gear 47a is meshed with a gear (not shown) fixed to the waste toner feeding member shown by 47 in FIG. 1. Therefore, when the gear 47a is rotated in the direction of arrow R3 in FIG. This is because the waste toner feeding member 47 rotates in the counterclockwise direction in the figure, whereby the waste toner at the bottom of the waste toner reservoir 49 can be moved toward the gap G in sequence.

In the partially manual, so-called semi-automatic cleaning device 170 shown in FIG. 31, it is not necessary to rotate the gear 47a shown in FIG. Cleaning device 1
As an alternative to this, the rocking device 173 is incorporated in the 70, as compared with the case where the waste toner feeding member 47a is rotated by the rocking motion of the cleaning unit 4 by the rocking device 173. This is because the waste toner can be efficiently moved in the gap G direction.

Further, a cleaning device 181 as shown in FIG.
Can also be used. The cleaning device 181 has a housing 70a and a cover 170b, and its basic configuration is shown in FIG.
The cleaning device 70 shown in FIG. The major difference is that in the cleaning device 181 of FIG. 38, the suction port (not shown) for sucking the waste toner in the cleaning unit 4 is manually moved. By moving the moving handle 181a in the lateral direction, the suction port formed integrally with the moving handle 181a is moved along the gap G of the cleaning unit 4 to suck the waste toner inside.

Next, replacement of the cleaning blade will be described.

Now, the cleaning blade 45 is removed from the cleaning unit 4 which has finished removing toner, and the inside of the waste toner reservoir 49 is cleaned with air or the like. Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 41, a new sliding member (flexible sheet) 202 is attached onto the C-end seal 200 attached to the frame 4a of the cleaning unit 4 of the process cartridge which has been collected and cleaned. (Detailed later). Then a new cleaning blade 45
Assemble. Here, the cleaning blade 45 is an elastic cleaning blade 45a (for example, made of urethane rubber,
JISA hardness of about 65 degrees) blade holder 45b
(For example, made of sheet metal such as iron). Therefore, in this embodiment, at the location where the cleaning blade 45 attached to the collected process cartridge is removed, similarly, a hole 45c provided in the holder 45b and a hole 4b provided in the frame 4a are fastened with a screw 211. Then, install a new cleaning blade 45 in the frame 4
Attach to a. A vertical seal 206 seals the back surface of the cleaning blade 45.

Here, the sliding member 202 will be described with reference to FIGS. 41, 42 and 47.

The sliding member 202 has a very low friction coefficient (for example, the friction coefficient is about 0.1 to 0.5 (against steel)).
For example, a high density polyethylene (hereinafter abbreviated as HDPE) sheet is bent into a substantially L shape. Then, the base 202a is placed on the upper surface of the C-end seal 200 so that the bent portion 202b is located at the side end 200a of the C-end seal (formed of foam such as sponge) 200. Attach using an adhesive member. Therefore, the bent portion 202b is formed on the side end 200 of the C-end seal 200.
It is located in a free state (not bonded) between a and the side end 45d of the cleaning blade 45. The bent portion 202b is free because the C end seal 200 is compressed by the photosensitive drum 41 and its thickness changes when the photosensitive drum 41 is assembled to the process cartridge. Further, the length l of the bent portion 202b of the sliding member 202 may be appropriately set in consideration of the compression amount of the C-end seal 200 compressed by the photosensitive drum 41. Incidentally, in the case of the present embodiment, as an example, the thickness of the C end seal 200 is about 2.7 m.
m, the amount of compression thereof was about 0.5 mm, and the length 1 of the bent portion 202b was about 1.9 mm.

Therefore, according to this embodiment, in the case where the length of the new cleaning blade 45 to be replaced in the longitudinal direction is shorter than the length of the cleaning blade 45 assembled in the collected process cartridge in the longitudinal direction. Even if there is, since the bent portion 202b of the sliding member 202 is located in the gap between the side end 200a of the C end seal 200 and the side end 45d of the cleaning blade 45, this gap can be filled. Therefore, according to this embodiment,
It is possible to prevent toner leakage that tends to occur due to the large gap. Note that the thickness of the sliding member 202 may be set according to the expected degree of the gap, and in the present embodiment, the thickness of the sliding member 202 is set according to the expected range of the gap of 0 mm to 0.6 mm. It was about 0.1 mm.

In the case of a new process cartridge, the C end seal 200 is the cleaning blade 45.
It is provided within the range of a predetermined gap (within the range in which toner leakage is unlikely to occur) along the side edge 45d of the.

Next, in the case where the length of the new cleaning blade 45 to be converted in the longitudinal direction is longer than the length of the cleaning blade 45 assembled in the collected process cartridge in the longitudinal direction, the gap m Is negative, that is, a case where the cleaning blade 45 runs over the C-end seal 200 will be described.

Even in such a case, according to this embodiment, the bent portion 202b of the sliding member 202 and the side end 45d of the cleaning blade 45 come into contact with each other to press the C-end seal 200 to the outside. . Therefore, even in such a case, the toner does not leak from between the two.

Here, the elastic seal 202 has a low coefficient of friction as described above, and the end surface portion 4 of the cleaning blade 45.
5d is arranged at a prescribed position (intrusion amount). However, the elastic coefficient of the C-end seal 200, the elastic coefficient of the cleaning blade 45, the surface friction coefficient, and the sliding member 2
The friction coefficient of 02 or the like determines the limit overlap amount at which the cleaning blade 45 is arranged at a predetermined position. Note that this overlap amount is appropriately obtained by experiments.

On the other hand, the photosensitive drum 41 is disassembled in detail by the pressing device 182 shown in FIG. The drive gear 41b and the flange gear 41c at both ends are set on the drum cylinder 41d on the jigs 182a and 182a of the pressing device 182 so as to project left and right. Press machine 18
Two lifting members 182b, 182b and jigs 182a, 1
The drive gear 41b and the flange gear 41c are sandwiched between the drum 82d and the drum 82a, and these are removed from the drum cylinder 41d. Although these members are not reused, as described above, they are separated into metal members such as the drum cylinder 41d and resin members such as the drive gear 41b and the flange gear 41c, and then reused as materials. To use.

The waste toner reservoir 49 after the above-mentioned removal of waste toner, cleaning, and replacement of the cleaning blade 45 has been completed.
The cleaning unit 4 is reconfigured by attaching a new photosensitive drum 41 and a cleaned protection plate 43 to the. At this time, it is necessary to secure the mounting accuracy of the cleaning blade 45 with respect to the photosensitive drum 41, but since both are positioned and fixed with respect to the common frame body forming the waste toner reservoir 49, the accuracy of It is easy to secure. Even if a member such as the protective plate 43 is used for decelerating the reuse, if the performance does not reach a predetermined standard due to cleaning or the like, the member is appropriately replaced with a new one.

As described above, in the method of assembling the cleaning unit 4 of this embodiment, the frame, the elastic cleaning blade 45, and the C end seal 200 provided so as to face the short end of the elastic cleaning blade 45 are used. And the flexible sliding member 202 is attached so as to be located between the short end of the elastic cleaning blade 45 and the end of the C-end seal 200.

Next, the assembling of the process cartridge C will be described.

Assembling of the process cartridge C is shown in FIG.
~ According to the reverse procedure to the disassembly of the process cartridge C described with reference to FIG. 7, the cleaning unit 4, the developing unit 3, the primary charging unit 2, the upper frame 1
And reconfigure the process cartridge C.
That is, the developing unit 3 is combined with the cleaning unit 4 (FIG. 7), the compression spring 41a for urging the developing sleeve 33 toward the photosensitive drum 41 is attached (FIG. 6), and the primary charging unit 2 is attached to the upper surface of the cleaning unit 4. (FIG. 5), and finally, by a series of these assembling, the upper frame 1 is covered from above the cleaning unit 4, the developing unit 3, and the primary charging unit 2 (FIG. 4), and the pin 12 This is fixed by (Fig. 3). At this time, the discharge wire 22 of the primary charging unit 2 and the developing sleeve 33 of the developing unit 3, which are required to secure the mounting accuracy with respect to the photosensitive drum 1, are respectively arranged in the photosensitive drum 4.
Since the positioning is performed by the spacer contacting the outer periphery other than the image forming area of No. 1, the accuracy can be easily ensured by simply reconfiguring the process unit C according to the above procedure.

That is, in the method of assembling the process cartridge C according to this embodiment, (a) the first frame, the elastic cleaning blade 45, and the C end provided so as to face the short end portion of the elastic cleaning blade 45. Step for assembling the cleaning unit 4 including the partial seal 200 and mounting the flexible sliding member 202 so as to be located between the short end of the elastic cleaning blade 45 and the end of the elastic sealing member 45. And (b) assembling the photosensitive drum 41 to the first frame,
(C) assembling the developing unit 3 to a second frame different from the first frame, and (d) the first frame.
Connecting the second frame to the second frame,
Is to have.

The process cartridge C reconstructed in this way (see FIG. 1) can be regenerated so that it can exhibit performance almost equivalent to that of a new process cartridge C, thus contributing to resource saving. be able to.

This reconstructed process cartridge C
Is mounted on the laser beam printer 50 shown in FIG. 2 like a new product, and is used for image formation in the same manner as a new product.

When the process cartridge C is reconfigured, the toner container 31, the waste toner reservoir 49 and the like are made of resin, and the cleaning blade 45 is attached to the waste toner reservoir 49 by a tap screw. Therefore, when the cleaning blade 45 is replaced, if the tap screw is removed and then attached again, it tends to loosen. Therefore, a screw 185 having a resin portion 185a in the middle of the screw portion, which is called Nylock (trade name) as shown in FIG. 40, is replaced. As a result, the screw 1 is attached to the female screw portion formed by the tap screw.
Even when 85 is screwed, the loosening and the like can be effectively prevented.

Other examples using the sliding member 202 include the following.

First, another embodiment using a sliding member will be described with reference to FIGS. 43 to 45.

As shown in FIG. 43, the cross section compressed by the photosensitive drum 41 shows the photosensitive drum 41 and the C end seal 2
There may be a case where a step 221 with the elastic seal 202 is generated in the gap with the 00 (however, the C-end seal 200 has a low elastic coefficient and may absorb the step). In such a case, since the waste toner may move laterally from the step 221, this embodiment has a maze structure in which the step and the waste toner container cannot be connected in a straight line. This minimizes the probability of toner leakage. That is, in the embodiment shown in FIG. 44, in the range of the width n, the sliding member 203 is adhered in a wider range in the y direction than when the drum contact is zero. Also, in the embodiment shown in FIG. 45, the step between the C-end seal 200 and the sliding member 204 is made to slip under the sliding member 204 and the rake sheet 46, so that the step between the sliding member 204 and the rake sheet 46 is made. It has been converted into a maze structure.

By applying these examples,
It is possible to prevent toner leakage.

Further, in the embodiment shown in FIG. 46, the slip member 205 is attached to the C end seal 200 in order to eliminate the step between the slip member 205 and the C end seal 200 (to make it zero). Without sliding member 205
Bend the cleaning blade into an L shape from the end surface,
Attach it to the vertical seal 206 or the container. As a result, the same effect as that of the sliding member 205 described above can be obtained, and since there is no step, the effect of preventing toner leakage is further enhanced.

The following are examples of the above-mentioned process cartridges, including those described in the above-mentioned embodiment.

First, the charging means, the developing means, or the cleaning means as the process means and the electrophotographic photosensitive member as the image bearing member are integrally made into a cartridge which can be attached to and detached from the main body of the image forming apparatus.

Next, at least one of a charging means, a developing means, and a cleaning means as a process means and an electrophotographic photosensitive member as an image carrier are integrally made into a cartridge and attached / detached to / from the main body of the image forming apparatus.

Then, at least the developing means as the process means and the electrophotographic photosensitive member as the image carrier are integrally made into a cartridge and attached to and detached from the main body of the image forming apparatus.

The image carrier is not limited to the above-mentioned photosensitive drum, but includes the following, for example. First, a photoconductor is used as the photoconductor, and as the photoconductor, for example, amorphous silicon, amorphous selenium,
Zinc oxide, titanium oxide, organic photoconductor (OPC) and the like are included. Further, as the shape for mounting the photosensitive member,
For example, a drum-shaped or belt-shaped rotating body and a sheet-shaped member are included. Generally, a drum-shaped or belt-shaped one is used.For example, in the case of a drum type photoconductor, a photoconductor is vapor-deposited or coated on a cylinder of aluminum alloy or the like. is there.

Further, as the above-mentioned image forming apparatus, there are an electrophotographic copying machine and a facsimile apparatus in addition to the laser beam printer shown in FIG.

[0124]

As described above, according to the present invention, the cleaning device and the assembling method of the cleaning device, the process cartridge and the process cartridge assembling in which the toner leakage does not occur even if the elastic cleaning blades having different lengths are attached. A method and an image forming apparatus can be provided.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a vertical sectional view of a process cartridge.

FIG. 2 is a vertical cross-sectional view of a laser beam printer equipped with a process cartridge.

FIG. 3 is a perspective explanatory view showing a process cartridge with pins removed.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a state in which an upper frame is removed from the process cartridge.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a state in which the primary charging unit is removed from the cleaning unit.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing a state in which a compression spring for urging the developing sleeve toward the photosensitive drum is removed.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing a state in which the developing unit and the cleaning unit are separated.

FIG. 8A is a perspective view showing a state in which a shield is placed on a jig. FIG. 6B is a side view showing a state in which the shield is placed on the jig.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing how the deformation of the shield is checked.

FIG. 10A is a perspective view showing how the surface of the grid is cleaned. FIG. 6B is a perspective view showing a state in which the grid is inverted.

FIG. 11 is a perspective view showing how the discharge wire is cleaned.

FIG. 12 is an exploded perspective view of a primary charging unit.

FIG. 13 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view in the longitudinal direction of the insulating block of the shield.

FIG. 14 is a vertical sectional view of the insulating block in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction.

FIG. 15 is a vertical cross-sectional view of another insulating block in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction.

FIG. 16 is a perspective view showing the overall configuration of a developing unit.

FIG. 17 is a front view showing a schematic configuration of a cleaning device of a developing unit.

FIG. 18 is a perspective view showing the shape of the tip of the suction nozzle.

FIG. 19 is a flowchart showing the flow of cleaning the developing unit.

FIG. 20 is a schematic view showing another embodiment of the suction nozzle.

FIG. 21 is an exploded perspective view showing a state in which the developing blade and the arm are removed from the developing unit.

FIG. 22 is a perspective view of a toner container.

23A and 23B are operation explanatory views showing a state in which the seal film is peeled off to open the opening.

FIG. 24A is a front view of the reseal member. (B) is (a) BB line arrow line view.

FIG. 25A is a sectional view showing a state in which the developing sleeve is removed from the developing chamber. FIG. 6B is a front view showing the step of setting the reseal member.

FIG. 26 (c) is a front view showing the insertion plate placing step.
FIG. 6D is a front view showing the folding process of the reseal member.

FIG. 27 (e) is a front view showing the release paper folding step.
(F) is sectional drawing which shows the insertion process of a reseal member.

FIG. 28G is a front view showing an exposing step for partially peeling off the adhesive portion. (H) is sectional drawing which shows the reinsertion process of a reseal member.

FIG. 29 (i) is a sectional view showing a peeling step, an adhering step, and a drawing step. (J) is a cross-sectional view showing the end of resealing of the opening.

FIG. 30 is an operation explanatory view showing toner supply to the developing unit.

FIG. 31 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing the outline of the cleaning device of the cleaning unit.

FIG. 32 is a perspective view showing a clamp of the process cartridge.

FIG. 33 (a) is a perspective explanatory view of a rocking device. (B) is A sectional drawing of (a) which shows operation | movement of a rocking | swiveling base.

FIG. 34A is an operation explanatory view of the impact applying device. (B)
FIG. 6 is an operation explanatory view of the impact imparting device. FIG. 3C is a perspective view showing a configuration of a motor shaft and a cam shaft.

FIG. 35 is a view for explaining the operation of the suction device.

FIG. 36 is a flowchart showing the flow of cleaning the cleaning unit.

FIG. 37 is a perspective view showing another embodiment of the suction device.

FIG. 38 is a perspective view showing another embodiment of the cleaning device of the cleaning unit.

FIG. 39 is a perspective view of a pressing device used for disassembling the photosensitive drum.

40A and 40B are a front view and a side view showing a screw provided with a locking member.

FIG. 41 is a perspective view of the reassembled C unit.

FIG. 42 is a sticking portion of a flexible sliding member.

FIG. 43 is a sectional view of a flexible sliding member.

FIG. 44 is a sticking diagram of a flexible sliding member.

FIG. 45 is an attachment diagram of a flexible sliding member.

FIG. 46 is a sticking diagram of a flexible sliding member.

FIG. 47 is a sectional view of a flexible sliding member.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 cartridge cover (upper frame) 2 charging means (primary charging unit) 3 developing means (developing unit) 4 cleaning means (cleaning unit) 11a exposure opening (through hole) 11b pre-exposure opening (through hole) 21 shield 21n sealing member 22 Discharge wire 23 Grid 31 Developer container (toner container) 31a Opening 32 Developing chamber 33 Developing sleeve 33b Sleeve gear 35 Developing blade 41 Image bearing member (photosensitive drum, electrophotographic photosensitive member) 41a Spring member (compression spring) 42 Cleaning Device 43 Drum shutter (protection plate) 45 Cleaning blade 46 Squeeze 47 Waste toner feeding member 49 Waste toner reservoir 59 Conveying means (paper feeding roller) 60 Conveying means (registration roller) C Process cartridge 200 C Edge seal 201 Step between the C end seal of the seat base 202 flexible sliding member 203 flexible sliding member 204 flexible sliding member 205 flexible sliding member 206 vertical seal 221 flexible sliding member have

 ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (72) Inventor Toshihiko Kurusu 1888-2 Canon Kasei Co., Ltd., Kukizaki-cho, Inashiki-gun, Ibaraki Prefecture (72) Inventor Oka ▲ saki ▼ Masahiro 1888-2 Kikizaki, Kashizaki-cho, Inashiki-gun, Ibaraki Canon Inc. Kasei Co., Ltd.

Claims (16)

[Claims] 1. A cleaning device for cleaning a surface to be cleaned, a frame, an elastic cleaning blade, an elastic seal member provided to face a short end of the elastic cleaning blade, and the elastic cleaning blade. And a flexible sheet provided so as to be located between the short end and the end of the elastic seal member. 2. The cleaning device according to claim 1, wherein a surface of the flexible sheet that comes into contact with the elastic cleaning blade has a low coefficient of friction. 3. The surface of the flexible sheet that contacts the elastic cleaning blade has a coefficient of friction of about 0.1 to 0.5.
The cleaning device according to claim 1, wherein the cleaning device is of a degree (against steel). 4. The flexible sheet is attached to the elastic seal member in a state in which a portion located between a short end of the elastic cleaning blade and an end of the elastic seal member is free. The cleaning device according to claim 1, wherein: 5. The cleaning device according to claim 1, wherein the material of the flexible sheet is high-density polyethylene. 6. The cleaning device according to claim 1, wherein a material of the elastic seal member is urethane. 7. A method of assembling a cleaning device for cleaning a surface to be cleaned, comprising: a frame, an elastic cleaning blade, and an elastic seal member provided to face a short end of the elastic cleaning blade. And a flexible sheet is attached so as to be located between the short end of the elastic cleaning blade and the end of the elastic seal member. 8. A process cartridge mountable to a main body of an image forming apparatus, comprising: (a) an image carrier, (b) an elastic cleaning blade for cleaning the image carrier, and a short end of the elastic cleaning blade. A cleaning device having elastic seal members provided to face each other, and a flexible sheet provided so as to be located between a short end of the elastic cleaning blade and an end of the elastic seal member. A process cartridge comprising: 9. The process cartridge, wherein the electrophotographic photosensitive member as the image carrier and the charging device in addition to the cleaning device are integrally formed into a cartridge, which is attachable to and detachable from the main body of the image forming apparatus. The process cartridge according to claim 8, wherein 10. The process cartridge integrally comprises an electrophotographic photosensitive member as the image bearing member, a developing device in addition to the cleaning device, and is attachable to and detachable from the main body of the image forming apparatus. The process cartridge according to claim 8, wherein 11. A method of assembling a process cartridge attachable to a main body of an image forming apparatus, comprising: (a) a first frame, an elastic cleaning blade, and a short end portion of the elastic cleaning blade, which are opposed to each other. An elastic seal member, and a step of assembling a cleaning device for attaching a flexible sheet so as to be positioned between a short end of the elastic cleaning blade and an end of the elastic seal member; Assembling the image carrier on the first frame;
(C) a step of assembling the developing means to a second frame different from the first frame, and (d) a step of joining the first frame and the second frame together. And method for assembling the process cartridge. 12. An image forming apparatus capable of mounting a process cartridge and forming an image on a recording medium, comprising: (a) an image carrier, an elastic cleaning blade for cleaning the image carrier, and the elastic cleaning blade. An elastic seal member provided to face the short end of the elastic cleaning member, and a flexible sheet provided so as to be located between the short end of the elastic cleaning blade and the end of the elastic seal member. An image forming apparatus comprising: a cleaning device having: a mounting means for mounting a process cartridge having: and (b) a transporting means for transporting a recording medium. 13. An image forming apparatus for forming an image on a recording medium, comprising: (a) an image carrier, (b) an elastic cleaning blade for cleaning the image carrier, and a short end of the elastic cleaning blade. A cleaning device having elastic seal members provided to face each other, and a flexible sheet provided so as to be located between a short end of the elastic cleaning blade and an end of the elastic seal member. And (c) a conveying unit that conveys the recording medium, and an image forming apparatus. 14. The image forming apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the image forming apparatus is an electrophotographic copying apparatus. 15. The image forming apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the image forming apparatus is a facsimile apparatus. 16. The image forming apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the image forming apparatus is a laser beam printer.