JPH08190309A - Electrophotographic photoreceptor - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To provide an electrophotographic photoreceptor constituted so that a disk provided with a leaf spring is prevented from being defectively force- fitted in the aperture end of a cylindrical drum because the outside edge of the leaf spring is caught between the flange of the disk and the drum when the disk is force-fitted in the aperture end of the drum. CONSTITUTION: The leaf spring 5 provided on the surface of the inside of the disk 3 has a first abutting part 6 elastically abutting on a shaft 4 and a second abutting part 8 elastically abutting on the inner circumferential surface of the drum 2. Besides, the spring 5 is provided with an inclined part 7 bent larger than 90 deg. toward inside in an axial direction at the middle part of a radial direction and shaped so as to be bent by almost 90 deg. toward outside in the radial direction from the inclined part 7. The second abutting part 8 is shaped so as to be bent by almost 180 deg. to an opposite side to the flange 3a of the disk 3. After the disk 3 is force-fitted in the drum 2, the inclined part 7 is forcibly erected by the swollen part 10c of a pin 10 inserted in the through-hole 9 of the disk 3 and the whole length of the spring 5 is enlarged. Thus, the second abutting part 8 is made to abut on the inner circumferential surface of the drum 2 fo the first time.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an electrophotographic photosensitive member incorporated in a copying machine, a printer or the like.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine, a photoconductor for forming an electrostatic latent image is provided, toner is supplied to the photoconductor to form a toner image, and then the toner image is formed. It is designed to be transferred to paper. JP-A-62-2292
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 73-73 discloses that a resin disk is press-fitted into the opening end of a cylindrical conductive drum to form a photoconductor.

A conventional photoconductor similar to the photoconductor disclosed in this prior art publication will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 13 to 15. The photoconductor 30 has a conductive drum 31 as shown in FIG. A disk 32 that is press-fitted into the open end of the drum 31 and a shaft 33 that extends through the center of the disk 32.
The electrical connection between and is made by a radially extending leaf spring 34 attached to the inner surface of the disk 32.

FIG. 14 shows the disc 32 before it is press-fitted into the drum 31, and in this state, the outer end 35 of the leaf spring 34 attached to the disc 32 is changed to the disc 32.
Of the leaf spring 34 so that the outer end portion 35 of the leaf spring 34 elastically contacts the inner peripheral surface of the drum 31 when the disc 32 is assembled to the drum 32. Was becoming. Further, the outer end portion 35 of the leaf spring 34, that is, the contact portion with the drum 31, is formed by the flange 32a.
Therefore, as is clear from FIG. 14, a configuration in which it is curved approximately 180 degrees toward the outer side in the axial direction, that is, the flange 32a side is adopted. Therefore, the outer edge of the leaf spring 34 is , Facing the flange 32a.

[0005]

Since the conventional photoconductor has the above-mentioned structure, as shown in FIG.
When pressing the disc 32 into the drum 31, the leaf spring 34
There is a risk that the outer edge of the above may get caught between the flange 32a and the drum 31 and cause a press-fitting failure.
Therefore, the present invention has an object to eliminate such a problem, and when the disc with the leaf spring attached thereto is press-fitted into the opening end of the cylindrical drum, the outer edge of the leaf spring is (EN) Provided is a photoconductor that is free from the possibility of biting between a disc flange and a drum to cause press-fit failure.

[0006]

In order to achieve the above technical object, in the present invention, a cylindrical conductive drum,
A resin disc, which has a flange having an outer peripheral surface having substantially the same diameter as the inner diameter of the drum, is press-fitted into the open end of the drum, a shaft passing through the center of the disc, and an inner surface of the disc. Of the shaft and the drum, the first contact portion elastically abutting on the shaft and the second contact portion elastically contacting the inner peripheral surface of the drum. And a leaf spring for electrically connecting between the leaf springs. The leaf spring has an inclined portion that is bent inward in the axial direction by more than 90 degrees at an intermediate portion in the radial direction and that extends at a slight inclination in the axial direction. And a pin member that penetrates through the disc and the leaf spring and is fixed, and that expands the entire length of the leaf spring by interfering with the inclined portion of the leaf spring. After pressing the disc into the drum, For the first time, the second abutting portion is not moved by penetrating the disc member and the leaf spring, and forcibly raising the inclined portion of the leaf spring by the pin member to expand the entire length of the leaf spring. A structure is adopted that elastically contacts the inner peripheral surface of the drum.

[0007]

According to the above construction, the second contact portion of the leaf spring is arranged at a position separated from the inner peripheral surface of the drum at the stage of press-fitting the disc having the leaf spring attached thereto into the drum. Therefore, when the disc is pressed into the drum, the outer edge of the leaf spring is not likely to be caught between the disc flange and the drum.

Further, the leaf spring is bent outward from the inclined portion by approximately 90 degrees in the radial direction, and the second contact portion of the leaf spring is bent back in the direction opposite to the flange of the disc, and the leaf spring is bent. If the outer edge of the spring does not face the flange, it becomes possible to more reliably prevent the disc from being caught when the disc is press-fitted.

[0009]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. FIG. 1 is a partial sectional view of an electrophotographic photosensitive member according to an embodiment of the present invention. The electrophotographic photosensitive member 1 shown in FIG. 1 is used by being incorporated in a developing device such as a copying machine. The photoconductor 1 has a cylindrical conductive drum 2 having a photosensitive layer on its surface, a disc 3 made of resin attached to the open end of the drum 2, and a shaft 4 extending through the center of the disc 3. The disc 3 has a flange 3a extending in the axial direction on the outer peripheral portion thereof. The disc 3 is attached to the drum 3 by the flange 3a.
It is performed by press-fitting a into the open end of the drum 3.

A conductive leaf spring 5 extending in the radial direction along the inner surface of the disk 3 is integrally attached to the disk 3. The leaf spring 5 has a first abutting portion 6 elastically abutting against the shaft 4 by bending an inner end portion in the radial direction substantially 90 degrees inward in the axial direction. Further, as is apparent from FIG. 1, the leaf spring 5 has an inclined portion 7 formed by bending the middle portion in the radial direction inward in the axial direction by more than 90 degrees, and extending slightly inclined in the axial direction, After that, it has a shape that is bent outward by approximately 90 degrees in the radial direction and extends toward the inner peripheral surface of the drum 2. The outer end portion of the leaf spring 5 has a shape curved approximately 180 degrees toward the inner side in the axial direction, that is, in the direction opposite to the flange 3a, and thereby elastically contacts the inner peripheral surface of the drum 2. A second contact portion 8 that contacts is formed.

FIG. 2 shows a state immediately after the disc 3 is assembled to the drum 2. In this state, as can be seen from FIG. 2, the second contact portion 8 of the leaf spring 5 is located at a position slightly separated from the inner peripheral surface of the drum 2. That is, the leaf spring 5 is formed such that the second contact portion 8 thereof is located slightly inward of the outer peripheral surface of the flange 3 a of the disc 3.

The disk 3 has a through hole 9 extending in the axial direction at a radial middle portion thereof, and the leaf spring 5 is also provided with a hole aligned with the through hole 9. As shown in FIG. 2, after the disc 3 is press-fitted into the open end of the drum 2, the pin 10 is inserted into the through hole 9 from the outside of the disc 3. The pin 10 has a head 10a having a diameter larger than that of the through hole 9, and a shaft portion 10b having substantially the same diameter as the through hole 9 and a length dimension substantially equal to the total thickness of the disk 3 and the leaf spring 5.
And a bulging portion 10c provided at the tip of the shaft portion 10b, and the bulging portion 10c has a diameter slightly larger than that of the through hole 9. A means for preventing the pin 10 from coming off is configured.

FIG. 1 described above shows a state after the pin 10 is inserted. As can be understood by comparing FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the inclined portion 7 of the leaf spring 5 is arranged at a portion that interferes with the bulging portion 10c of the pin 10, and therefore the pin 10
The slanted portion 7 of the leaf spring 5 is inserted into the pin 1
It is forcibly raised by the bulge portion 10c of 0, and thereby the entire length of the leaf spring 5 is expanded, so that the second contact portion 8 of the leaf spring 5 elastically contacts the inner peripheral surface of the drum 2 for the first time. Contact.

With the above configuration, the disk 3 is replaced by the drum 2
Since the second contact portion 8 of the leaf spring 5 is located on the inner side of the outer peripheral surface of the flange 3a of the disc 3 when the disc 3 is press-fitted into the drum 2, The outer end (second contact portion 8) of the spring 5 interferes with the drum 2,
There is no possibility of being caught between the flange 3a and the drum 2. In addition, since the second contact portion 8 of the leaf spring 5 is formed by folding back approximately 180 degrees inward in the axial direction, as described above, the second contact portion 8 is based on the shape of the second contact portion 8. Thus, there is no room for the end of the leaf spring 5 to enter between the flange 3a and the drum 2 when the disc 3 is assembled. Then, after the assembly of the disc 3 is completed,
By inserting the pin 10 into the through hole 9, the second end 8 of the leaf spring 5 comes into contact with the drum 2 as described above. An electrical connection can be made between the shaft and the shaft 4.

3 to 12 show a modification of the pin 10. The pin 12 shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 includes a head 12a having a diameter larger than that of the through hole 9 and a hollow shaft portion 12b having a diameter slightly larger than that of the through hole 9. The shaft portion 12b has an inclination of the leaf spring 5. It has a length dimension sufficient to forcibly raise the portion 7.

The pin 13 shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 has a head 13a having a diameter larger than that of the through hole 9 and a shaft portion 13b having substantially the same diameter as the through hole 9, and the shaft portion 13b has an intermediate portion thereof. Has a shape in which the first leg 13c and the second leg 13d are bifurcated toward the tip. The first leg 13c has a substantially semicircular cross-sectional shape, the second leg 13d has an elongated shape, and the second leg 13d is provided with a claw 13e protruding outward. The claw 13e constitutes a stopper for preventing the pin 13 from coming off the through hole 9.

The pin 14 shown in FIGS. 7 and 8 has a head 14a having a diameter larger than that of the through hole 9 and a hollow shaft portion 14b having substantially the same diameter as that of the through hole 9, and the hollow shaft portion 14b includes: A circumferential protrusion 14c protruding outward is provided at an intermediate portion thereof, and the circumferential protrusion 14c constitutes a retaining means for the pin 14.

The pin 15 shown in FIGS. 9 and 10 has a head 15a having a diameter larger than that of the through hole 9, a shaft portion 15b having substantially the same diameter as the through hole, and a bulge provided at the tip of the shaft portion 15b. The bulging portion 15c has a diameter slightly larger than that of the through hole 9 and constitutes a retaining means for the pin 15.
The bulging portion 15c is divided into four by the cross-shaped slit 15d, thereby promoting elastic deformation of the bulging portion 15c and facilitating insertion work of the pin 15.

The material of the pins 10 to 15 described above is not particularly limited, and may be made of metal or synthetic resin. Instead of such pins 10 to 15, tapping screws 16 shown in FIGS. 11 and 12 may be used. Of course, the tapping screw 16 has a length dimension sufficient to forcibly raise the inclined portion 7 of the leaf spring 5 when screwed into the through hole 9.

[0020]

As is apparent from the above description, according to the present invention, there is no possibility that the leaf spring will be caught when the disc is press-fitted into the drum to cause the press-fitting failure. If the second contact portion of the leaf spring is bent back in the direction opposite to the flange of the disc so that the outer edge of the leaf spring does not face the flange, the biting of the disc when press-fitting is further facilitated. It can be surely prevented.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a partial cross-sectional view of a photoconductor after completion of assembly, showing an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a partial cross-sectional view showing a state before a pin is assembled in relation to FIG.

FIG. 3 is a side view showing a first modified example of the pin.

FIG. 4 is a front view of the pin shown in FIG.

FIG. 5 is a side view showing a second modified example of the pin.

FIG. 6 is a front view of the pin shown in FIG.

FIG. 7 is a side view showing a third modified example of the pin.

FIG. 8 is a front view of the pin shown in FIG.

FIG. 9 is a side view showing a fourth modified example of the pin.

FIG. 10 is a front view of the pin shown in FIG.

FIG. 11 is a side view of a tapping screw as a fifth modification of the pin.

12 is a view of the tapping screw shown in FIG. 11 viewed from the head side.

FIG. 13 shows a conventional example and is a partial cross-sectional view of a photoconductor after assembly is completed.

FIG. 14 is a partial cross-sectional view showing a state of the disc and the leaf spring attached to the disc before being assembled to the drum, in relation to FIG. 13;

FIG. 15 is a partial cross-sectional view showing a state of press-fitting failure due to biting of a leaf spring when the disc is press-fitted into the drum, in relation to FIGS. 13 and 14;

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Photoconductor 2 Cylindrical conductive drum 3 Disc 3a Flange of disc 4 Shaft 5 Leaf spring 6 First contact portion of leaf spring that elastically abuts shaft 7 Inclined portion of leaf spring 8 Resiliently with drum Second contact portion of leaf spring to be in contact 9 Through hole provided in disk 10 Pin 10c Pin bulge 16 Tapping screw

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A resin-made disc having a cylindrical conductive drum and a flange having an outer peripheral surface having a diameter substantially the same as the inner diameter of the drum, the resin-made disc being press-fitted into the open end of the drum, and the center of the disc. A first penetrating portion that extends radially along the inner surface of the disc and elastically abuts the shaft, and a second elastically abutting inner peripheral surface of the drum. A leaf spring having an abutting portion and electrically connecting the shaft and the drum, the leaf spring being bent axially inward at a radial intermediate portion by more than 90 degrees. A pin having an inclined portion extending slightly in the axial direction, further fixed through the disk and the leaf spring, and interfering with the inclined portion of the leaf spring to expand the entire length of the leaf spring. A member having the leaf spring attached thereto. After pressing the disc into the drum, the pin member is passed through the disc and the leaf spring, and the pin member forcibly raises the inclined portion of the leaf spring to enlarge the entire length of the leaf spring. Thus, the electrophotographic photosensitive member is characterized in that the second contact portion elastically contacts the inner peripheral surface of the drum for the first time. 2. The electrophotographic photosensitive member according to claim 1, wherein the leaf spring has a shape bent outward from the inclined portion by approximately 90 degrees in a radial direction. 3. The electrophotographic photosensitive member according to claim 2, wherein the second contact portion of the leaf spring has a shape bent back in a direction opposite to the flange of the disk. 4. The electrophotographic photosensitive member according to claim 1, wherein the pin member is a tapping screw. 5. The pin member has a bulging portion that interferes with an inclined portion of the leaf spring, and the bulging portion constitutes a stopper preventing means for the pin member. Item 5. The electrophotographic photosensitive member according to any one of items 3.