JPH11348375A - Imaging apparatus and unit to be mounted removably thereon - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To suppress leakage of electromagnetic wave to the outside from a communication position between the body of an imaging apparatus and a removable unit. SOLUTION: A communication unit 22 having a coil serving as an antenna and a memory unit 21 are fixed, respectively, to shield members 60, 61 made of a highly conductive sheet metal. The body side shield member 60 is fixed to a fixing member 8a while being bent, at the upper/lower and left/right ends thereof, to the memory unit 21 side. The cartridge side shield member 61 is fixed to the wall surface of a cartridge while being bent, at the upper/lower and left/right ends thereof, to the communication unit 22 side and made of a highly conductive resilient sheet metal. When the cartridge is loaded to the body, the shield members 60, 61 are fitted each other to shield the communication unit 22 and the memory unit 21 electromagnetically.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus such as a printer, a copying machine, a facsimile and the like, and a unit which can be attached to and detached from an image forming apparatus body such as a process cartridge.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, various inventions have been proposed in which a semiconductor memory is attached to a replacement unit for the purpose of improving the image quality of a copying machine, a printer, and the like, and accurately managing the life of the replacement unit. For example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 8-160680 discloses that a semiconductor memory is mounted on a process cartridge which is detachable from an electrophotographic printer.

The process cartridge disclosed in the above publication integrates a photosensitive drum, a charger, a developing device, and a cleaner, and can be easily attached to and detached from an electrophotographic image forming apparatus. Further, the storage means of the process cartridge is a nonvolatile semiconductor memory,
In that memory, to detect the life of the photosensitive drum,
The cumulative rotation time of the photosensitive drum is stored.

[0004]

In the above-described apparatus, the connection between the non-volatile memory and the main body of the image forming apparatus is performed by a connector.

However, it has been found that the signal to the memory is weak, so that a slight contact failure of the connector may cause a malfunction.

Therefore, as a configuration for connecting the image forming apparatus main body and the memory by an electromagnetic coupling means, two-way communication is performed through the electromagnetic coupling means in a mechanically non-contact manner. It was conceived to avoid defects.

However, in electromagnetic coupling, there is a possibility that electromagnetic waves leak from the coupling portion. Also, the intensity of electromagnetic waves leaking from these devices must be reduced to a certain limit or less according to international standards. Further, extraneous noise enters the coupling portion, which may cause a malfunction.

Accordingly, a main object of the present invention is to provide an image forming apparatus capable of suppressing leakage of an electromagnetic wave from a communication position between an image forming apparatus main body and a detachable unit to the outside, and a unit detachable from the apparatus. It is to be.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an image forming apparatus capable of smoothly shielding a communication position when a unit is mounted on the main body of the image forming apparatus, and a unit detachable from the apparatus.

[0010]

The above object is achieved by an image forming apparatus according to the present invention and a unit detachable from the apparatus. In summary, the present invention provides an image forming apparatus main body, a unit that is detachably attached to the image forming apparatus main body, and includes a storage unit, a first antenna electrically connected to the storage unit, A communication unit having a second antenna for communicating with the storage unit when the unit is mounted on the image forming apparatus main body, and at least the first antenna when the unit is mounted on the image forming apparatus main body; And a conductive shield means surrounding the second antenna.

The storage means is mounted on the same member as the first antenna, and the shield means surrounds the storage means and the member on which the first antenna is mounted and the second antenna. preferable. The communication means has an IC for communicating with the storage means, the IC is mounted on the same member with the second antenna, and the shield means mounts the storage means and the first antenna. A member, the IC and the second
It is preferable to surround the antenna and the member on which the antenna is mounted. The shield means includes a conductive first shield member attached to the unit, a conductive second shield member attached to the image forming apparatus main body,
It is preferable that when the unit is mounted on the image forming apparatus main body, the first shield member and the second shield member cooperate to surround the first antenna and the second antenna. .

It is preferable that at least one of the first shield member and the second shield member has elasticity.
It is preferable that the first shield member is disposed between the unit main body and the first antenna. The second
Preferably, the shield member is disposed between the image forming apparatus main body and the second antenna. Further, it is preferable that an insulating member is provided between the first shield member and the first antenna. Further, it is preferable that an insulating member is provided between the second shield member and the second antenna. Preferably, the shield member is electrically grounded. The image forming apparatus includes: an image carrier; a charging unit configured to charge the image carrier; an image writing unit configured to form a latent image on the image carrier; and a developing unit configured to develop the latent image formed on the image carrier. It is preferable to have a developing unit, a transfer unit that transfers an image from the image carrier to a recording material, and a cleaning unit that cleans the image carrier.
Preferably, the unit is a process cartridge having at least one of the image carrier, the charging unit, the developing unit, and the cleaning unit. Preferably, the image carrier is an electrophotographic photosensitive member.

According to another aspect of the present invention, in a unit detachable from an image forming apparatus, a storage unit, an antenna electrically connected to the storage unit, and a unit disposed between the unit main body and the antenna. And a conductive member having the same.

It is preferable that the storage means and the antenna are mounted on the same member. Preferably, the conductive member has a concave shape, and the antenna is arranged at the bottom of the depression. It is preferable that the tip of the conductive member has elasticity. Further, it is preferable that an insulating member is provided between the antenna and the conductive member. Further, at least one of an image carrier, charging means for charging the image carrier, developing means for developing a latent image formed on the image carrier, and cleaning means for cleaning the image carrier is provided. It is preferred to have. Preferably, the image carrier is an electrophotographic photosensitive member.

[0015]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, an image forming apparatus according to the present invention and a unit detachable from the apparatus will be described in more detail with reference to the drawings.

Embodiment 1 A first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. First, an image forming apparatus to which the present invention can be applied will be described with reference to FIG.

In FIG. 2, a process cartridge 3 is detachably mounted on the image forming apparatus 1. The process cartridge 3, which is a detachable unit, includes a photosensitive drum 3a as an image carrier, a charging roller 3b as charging means for uniformly charging the surface of the photosensitive drum 3a, and an electrostatic latent formed on the photosensitive drum 3a. Developing roller 3c as developing means for converting the image into a visible image as a toner image, toner hopper 3e for storing toner, and photosensitive drum 3
and a cleaner 3d as a cleaning means for recovering the excess toner on the surface a.

A non-volatile memory unit 21 as a semiconductor storage means is mounted on the wall surface 3f of the process cartridge 3. A mounting member 8a is supported at a position facing the nonvolatile memory unit 21, and a communication unit 22 on the main body side is mounted.

On the side of the process cartridge 3, a laser scanner unit 14 as image writing means is provided, and scans and exposes the photosensitive drum 3a with a laser beam 9 modulated based on an input image signal.

The sheet is picked up from a sheet cassette 2 by a sheet feed roller 12 so as to face the lower surface of the photosensitive drum 3a.
Further, a transfer roller 4 as a transfer unit for transferring the developed image onto the recording paper P at a transfer timing by the registration roller 24 is provided.

A fixing device 5 for fixing the toner image transferred onto the recording material P under heat and pressure is provided downstream of the transfer roller 4 in the conveying direction of the recording material P. Fixing device 5
A paper transport roller 6 for discharging the recording material P out of the apparatus and a paper discharge roller 7 are disposed downstream of the printer.

Hereinafter, an image forming process in the image forming apparatus having the above configuration will be described.

The surface of the photosensitive drum 3a is charged by the charging roller 3b and scanned by the laser scanner unit 14 to form a latent image on the surface of the photosensitive drum 3a. This latent image is developed by the developing roller 3c to form a toner image.

On the other hand, the recording material P in the paper feed cassette 2 is picked up by the paper feed roller 12, fed to a pair of registration rollers 24, and sent to a transfer position at a proper timing.

At this transfer position, the toner image on the photosensitive drum 3a is transferred to the recording material P by the action of the transfer roller 4.
The recording material P on which the toner image has been transferred is conveyed to the fixing device 5, and
The toner is fixed by hot pressing. After that, the recording material P
Is discharged out of the image forming apparatus main body 1 by a paper discharge roller 7 and is stacked on a tray 8.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an image forming apparatus for explaining a first embodiment of the present invention.

In FIG. 1, an image forming control circuit 23 includes a main motor 25, a scanner motor 15, and a paper feed clutch 1.
6, the registration clutch 17, the high-pressure unit 18, the fixing device heater drive circuit 19, and the like are controlled to perform control for forming the image forming apparatus 1.

For this purpose, the image forming control circuit 23 is equipped with a CPU 13 and a drive circuit 26 constituted by a one-chip microcomputer. The drive circuit 26 includes the photosensitive drum 3a, the paper feed roller 12, the registration roller 24, and other rollers. Motor 2 that drives the fuser 5 and the fixing device 5
5. Scanner motor 15 included in laser scanner unit 14, paper feed clutch 1 for controlling paper feed roller 12
6. a registration clutch 17 for controlling the driving of the registration roller 25; a high voltage unit (HVT) 18 for supplying a high voltage to the charging roller 3b, the developing roller 3c, and the transfer roller 4;
A fixing device heater driving circuit 19 that drives a heater in the fixing device 5 is provided.

The high-voltage unit 18 has three types of high-voltage power supplies for charging, developing, and transferring the photosensitive drum 3a.

The high voltage power supply for charging is a high voltage alternating current (HVAC).
27 and an output of a high-voltage direct current (HVDC) 28 are superimposed, and output from an output terminal 29 to the charging roller 3b. The transfer output is a switching output of a high voltage direct current plus (HVTR +) 30 and a high voltage direct current minus (HVTR-) 31, and this output is output from the terminal 32 to the transfer roller 4. For development, high voltage alternating current (DBAC) 33 and high voltage direct current (D
BDC) 34 and output from the terminal 35 to the developing roller 3c.

The nonvolatile memory 21 attached to the process cartridge 3 stores the usage time of the photosensitive drum 3a and the like, and is used for determining the life of the photosensitive drum 3a.

The communication unit 22 is configured by attaching a coil or the like to an IC for communicating with the memory unit 21.

The main body side communication unit 22 will be described in more detail.

The communication unit 22 includes an IC 40 including a modulation and demodulation circuit for performing communication.
A serial signal interface unit 41 for the PU 13; the interface unit 41 includes a CS terminal as an input terminal for a chip select signal, an SK terminal as an input terminal for a serial clock, a DO terminal as a serial signal output terminal, and a serial signal output terminal. DI terminal for input of
It has terminals.

The serial signal specifies the address of the memory, the designation of the read / write, and the data stored in the memory and the data read from the memory in the same signal line in time series.

Further, an encoder 42, a protocol controller 43, a decoder 44, a modulator 45 for transmission, and a demodulator 46 for reception are provided.

The serial signal from the CPU 13 is converted into a protocol suitable for communication by the protocol controller 43, loaded into the encoder 42, and output from the transmission modulator 45 as a high-frequency signal. The received data is demodulated from a high frequency into a baseband signal by a demodulator 46, decoded into a serial signal suitable for the CPU 13 by a decoder 44, and sent from the interface unit 41 to the CPU 13.

The communication unit 22 has a coil 4 serving as a second antenna for transmitting and receiving a high-frequency signal as an electromagnetic wave.
And a tank circuit comprising a capacitor 7 and a capacitor 48.

As shown in FIG. 3, the communication unit 22 is sealed in a flat mold case.

Next, the circuit on the memory side will be described again with reference to FIG.

The memory unit 21 has a tank circuit composed of a coil 49 and a capacitor 50 as a first antenna for transmitting and receiving a high-frequency signal.

A rectifier circuit 51, a transmission modulation circuit 52, and a demodulator 53 are connected to this tank circuit. The output of the rectifier circuit 51 is connected to a power supply circuit 60 and supplies power to a memory IC 58 as storage means. Further, it includes a decoder 54, a protocol controller 55, an encoder 56, a memory interface circuit 57, and a nonvolatile memory 58 such as an EEPROM or a ferroelectric memory.

When the signal is demodulated from a high frequency into a baseband signal by the demodulator 53, the signal is converted by the decoder 54 into a signal suitable for transmission to the memory 58 under the control of the protocol controller 55.

The memory interface circuit 57 divides the data into addresses and data, and executes a read / write operation with the memory 58 in accordance with a read / write command.

The data read from the memory 58 is sent from the memory interface 57 to the encoder 56, converted into a protocol suitable for communication, and sent from the transmission modulator 52 to the tank circuit.

As shown in FIG. 3, the memory unit 21 has a structure in which an IC 59, a coil 49, and a capacitor 50, in which a modulation demodulator and a memory are integrated, are sealed in a flat mold case.

Next, the shield configuration of the electromagnetic coupling portion will be described with reference to FIGS.

As shown in FIG. 4, the communication unit 22
And the memory unit 21 are shield members 60 and 6 respectively.
1 so as to be surrounded by a concave shape.

The shield member (second shield member) 60 on the main body side is made of a sheet metal having good conductivity. As shown in FIG. 4 and FIG. Attachment member 8a provided on housing
And the upper, lower, left, and right ends of the shield member 60 are bent toward the memory unit 21 so as to be slightly higher than the thickness of the communication unit 22.

Further, the shield member 60 is grounded to the housing frame by the wire 62. This ground may be connected to the housing or to the signal ground of the image forming apparatus 23. It is preferable to determine which is better by checking the actual shielding effect.

From the image forming control circuit 23 to the communication unit 2
2 is connected by a bundled wire, but a shielded wire whose outside is shielded can be used for this bundled wire. In that case, the braided portion of the shield wire may be used as the ground.

On the other hand, the memory unit 21 on the process cartridge 3 side is surrounded by a shield member (first shield member) 61 as shown in FIGS. It is fixed to.

The shielding member 6 on the process cartridge side
Numeral 1 is made of a sheet metal having good spring conductivity and has upper, lower, left and right ends bent toward the communication unit 22. In addition, since each end is cut in a strip shape in order to alleviate the distortion of the spring, each strip portion is fitted to the outer peripheral surface of each end of the main body side shield 60 to some extent independently. Contact.

In the above configuration, when the process cartridge 3 is mounted on the main body, the memory unit 21 is pressed toward the main body, that is, toward the communication unit 22, and the shield member 61 of the memory unit 21 is connected to the shield member 60 of the communication unit 22. Fit to cover.

In this manner, the process cartridge 3
Can be mounted on the apparatus main body without any obstruction of the shield members 60 and 61. When the process cartridge 3 is mounted on the apparatus main body, the communication unit 22 and the memory unit 21 are surrounded by the shield members 60 and 61 around them. And its shield potential is connected to ground, so that it is stably shielded at zero potential.

Electromagnetic waves leaking from the communication unit 22 and the memory unit 21 are confined in the shield members 60 and 61. In addition, external noise is generated by the shield members 60 and 61.
Is not reflected inside the shield.

Embodiment 2 Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

As shown in FIG. 7, the communication unit 22
And the memory unit 21 are shield members 63, 64, 65
It is arranged to be surrounded by.

As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the communication unit 22 is attached substantially at the center of a shield member (second shield member) 63 made of sheet metal and fixed on the main body wall surface 8a. The shield member 63 has good conductivity and is grounded.

On the other hand, the memory unit 21 corresponds to FIGS.
As shown in FIG. 7, a shield member 64 made of a conductive sheet metal fixed on the wall surface 3f of the process cartridge is attached substantially at the center, and a gasket 65 as a shield member is provided on the outer periphery of the shield member 64 at the memory unit. 21 and is fixed so as to protrude toward the communication unit 22 side. The gasket 65 has a soft and flexible structure in which a conductive mesh is wound around a band of sponge. These two members 64 and 65 constitute a first shield member.

When the memory unit 21 and the communication unit 22 are opposed to each other, the gasket 65 is attached to a position corresponding to the outer peripheral portion on the shield member 63 on the communication unit 22 side.

Further, the height of the gasket 65 is such that when the cartridge 3 is mounted on the apparatus main body, the tip of the gasket 65 softly contacts the surface of the communication unit 22 side shield member 63, and the communication unit 22 and the memory unit 21
Are set so that a predetermined interval is formed between the two.

With the above-described shield configuration, a shield environment is formed around the communication unit 22 and the memory unit 21 by the shield members 63 and 64 and the gasket 65. In particular, since the gasket 65 is made of a flexible material, the gasket 65 is in contact with the shield member 63 made of sheet metal without a gap, so that the electromagnetic wave does not leak. Of course, external noise does not enter the shield environment.

Embodiment 3 Next, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.

The present embodiment has a configuration substantially similar to that of the second embodiment, except that a gasket 66 is fixed to a shield member 63 made of sheet metal on the communication unit 22 side.
And a gasket 66 constitute a second shield member, and a shield member (first
(Shield member) 64.

As described above, since the gasket 66 is provided on the communication unit 22 side, that is, on the apparatus main body side, the gasket 66 is also replaced when the process cartridges 3 are replaced by a certain number as in the second embodiment. And the number of parts used as consumables can be reduced.
It can contribute to resource saving.

Of course, the shielding effect in this embodiment is not different from that in the second embodiment.

Embodiment 4 Next, a fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.

As described above, when the process cartridge 3 is mounted on the apparatus main assembly, as shown in FIG. 11, the coil (first antenna) 4 in the memory unit 21 is used.
9 and a coil (second antenna) 47 on the main body side are opposed to each other. When communication is performed, the coils 47 and 49 are electromagnetically coupled. The coils 47 and 49 are a kind of loop antenna.

As described with reference to FIG.
9, capacitors 48 and 50 are connected, and the coils 47 and 49 and the capacitors 48 and 50 form resonance circuits, respectively.

If the shield members 63 and 64 are too close to the coils 47 and 49, the capacitance between the coils 47 and 49 and the shield members 63 and 64 increases, so that the resonance frequency changes, , 49 may generate eddy currents in the shield members 63, 64. Due to these phenomena, the communication efficiency of the electromagnetic coupling unit may be reduced. The appropriate distance between the shield members 63 and 64 and the coils 47 and 49 is
Actually, the distance is about several mm to about several tens mm, although it differs depending on the type of 4 and the frequency used.

Therefore, in this embodiment, as shown in FIG.
The insulating members 67 and 68 are arranged between the coils 47 and 49 and the shield members 63 and 64, respectively, so that the coils 47 and 49 do not adhere to the shield members 63 and 64.

As shown in FIG. 11, the communication unit 22A other than the coil 47 includes shield members 63, 64,
It was taken out of the box 66 and housed in the case 70. Therefore, the wires 69 extending from both ends of the coil 47 are connected to the communication unit 22A in the case 70.

The case 70 houses the IC 40 including a modulation / demodulation circuit and the like and the capacitor 48 as the communication unit 22A other than the coil 47, and the case 70 itself also serves as a shield member. Also, the use of a shielded wire for the wire 69 can effectively suppress the emission of electromagnetic waves.

As described above, in the present embodiment, the insulating members 67 and 68 are disposed between the coils 47 and 49, which are antennas, and the shield members 63 and 64, respectively, so that the coils 47 and 49 are shielded by the shield members 63 and 64. , And a decrease in the power transmission efficiency due to the influence of the shield members 63 and 64 can be suppressed.

Further, by separating the coil 47 from the communication unit 22, the mounting portion of the coil 47 can be made thinner, and the process cartridge 3 can be arranged close to the main body.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, but includes modifications of the same technical idea.

[0078]

As is apparent from the above description, according to the image forming apparatus of the present invention, the main body of the image forming apparatus, the main body of the image forming apparatus can be attached to and detached from the main body of the image forming apparatus. A unit having a first antenna connected to the image forming apparatus; a communication unit having a second antenna for communicating with the storage unit when the unit is mounted on the image forming apparatus main body; A unit having at least a conductive shield means surrounding the first antenna and the second antenna when attached to the image forming apparatus main body, the unit being detachable from the image forming apparatus of the present invention. According to the present invention, there is provided a configuration including a storage unit, an antenna electrically connected to the storage unit, and a conductive member disposed between the unit body and the antenna. And a, from the communication position between the image forming apparatus main body and the detachable unit can be suppressed leakage of electromagnetic waves to the outside, also when mounting the unit to the image forming apparatus main body, can shield the communication position smoothly.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a circuit block diagram of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic configuration diagram illustrating an embodiment of an image forming apparatus according to the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing one embodiment of a communication unit and a memory unit according to the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view showing a shield configuration of the first embodiment.

5 is a view of the communication unit and the shield member of FIG. 4 as viewed from the memory unit side.

6 is a view of the memory unit and the shield member of FIG. 4 as viewed from the communication unit side.

FIG. 7 is a sectional view showing a shield configuration of a second embodiment.

8 is a view of the communication unit and the shield member of FIG. 7 as viewed from the memory unit side.

9 is a view of the memory unit and the shield member of FIG. 7 as viewed from the communication unit side.

FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing a shield configuration of a third embodiment.

FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram showing a shield configuration of a fourth embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 1 image forming apparatus 3 process cartridge (unit) 21 memory unit 22 communication unit 47 coil (second antenna) 49 coil (first antenna) 58 memory IC (storage means) 60, 63 shield member (second shield member) 61, 64 shield member (first shield member) 65 gasket (first shield member) 67, 68 insulating member

Claims (20)

[Claims] An image forming apparatus main body; a storage unit detachable from the image forming apparatus main body;
A unit having a first antenna electrically connected to the storage unit; and a communication unit having a second antenna for communicating with the storage unit when the unit is mounted on the image forming apparatus main body. An image forming apparatus, comprising: a conductive shield means surrounding at least the first antenna and the second antenna when the unit is mounted on the image forming apparatus main body. 2. The storage means is mounted on the same member together with the first antenna, and the shield means is provided on a member on which the storage means and the first antenna are mounted and on the second member.
2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image forming apparatus surrounds an area around the antenna. 3. The communication means has an IC for communicating with the storage means, the IC is mounted on the same member together with the second antenna, and the shield means is provided on the storage means and the storage means. A member mounted with one antenna,
The image forming apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the image forming apparatus surrounds the IC and a member on which the second antenna is mounted. 4. The unit includes a conductive first shield member attached to the unit, and a conductive second shield member attached to the image forming apparatus main body. 2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first shield member and the second shield member cooperate to surround the first antenna and the second antenna when mounted on the image forming apparatus main body. Image forming device. 5. The image forming apparatus according to claim 4, wherein at least one of said first shield member and said second shield member has elasticity. 6. The image forming apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the first shield member is disposed between the unit main body and the first antenna. 7. The image forming apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the second shield member is disposed between the image forming apparatus main body and the second antenna. 8. The first shield member and the first shield member.
The image forming apparatus according to claim 6, further comprising an insulating member between the antennas. 9. Further, the second shield member and the second shield member
The image forming apparatus according to claim 7, further comprising an insulating member between the antennas. 10. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said shield member is electrically grounded. 11. An image forming apparatus comprising: an image carrier; a charging unit configured to charge the image carrier; an image writing unit configured to form a latent image on the image carrier; 2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: developing means for developing the latent image; transfer means for transferring an image from the image carrier to a recording material; and cleaning means for cleaning the image carrier. . 12. The image forming apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the unit is a process cartridge having at least one of the image carrier, the charging unit, the developing unit, and the cleaning unit. 13. An image forming apparatus according to claim 12, wherein said image bearing member is an electrophotographic photosensitive member. 14. A unit detachable from the image forming apparatus, comprising: a storage unit, an antenna electrically connected to the storage unit, and a conductive member disposed between the unit body and the antenna. A unit characterized by: 15. The unit according to claim 14, wherein the storage unit and the antenna are mounted on the same member. 16. The unit according to claim 14, wherein the conductive member has a concave shape, and the antenna is disposed at a bottom of the depression. 17. The unit according to claim 15, wherein a tip of said conductive member has elasticity. 18. The unit according to claim 14, further comprising an insulating member between said antenna and said conductive member. 19. An image bearing member, charging means for charging the image bearing member, developing means for developing a latent image formed on the image bearing member, and cleaning means for cleaning the image bearing member The unit of claim 14, comprising at least one of the following. 20. The unit according to claim 19, wherein said image bearing member is an electrophotographic photosensitive member.