WO2001088632A1 - Unite d'imagerie, procede d'assemblage et de desassemblage de l'unite, et dispositif imageur faisant appel a cette unite - Google Patents

Unite d'imagerie, procede d'assemblage et de desassemblage de l'unite, et dispositif imageur faisant appel a cette unite Download PDF

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Publication number
WO2001088632A1
WO2001088632A1 PCT/JP2001/004086 JP0104086W WO0188632A1 WO 2001088632 A1 WO2001088632 A1 WO 2001088632A1 JP 0104086 W JP0104086 W JP 0104086W WO 0188632 A1 WO0188632 A1 WO 0188632A1
Authority
WO
WIPO (PCT)
Prior art keywords
image forming
unit
developing
developing roller
gear
Prior art date
Application number
PCT/JP2001/004086
Other languages
English (en)
Japanese (ja)
Inventor
Noboru Katakabe
Original Assignee
Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd. filed Critical Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.
Priority to AU58756/01A priority Critical patent/AU5875601A/en
Publication of WO2001088632A1 publication Critical patent/WO2001088632A1/fr

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Classifications

    • G—PHYSICS
    • G03—PHOTOGRAPHY; CINEMATOGRAPHY; ANALOGOUS TECHNIQUES USING WAVES OTHER THAN OPTICAL WAVES; ELECTROGRAPHY; HOLOGRAPHY
    • G03G—ELECTROGRAPHY; ELECTROPHOTOGRAPHY; MAGNETOGRAPHY
    • G03G21/00—Arrangements not provided for by groups G03G13/00 - G03G19/00, e.g. cleaning, elimination of residual charge
    • G03G21/16—Mechanical means for facilitating the maintenance of the apparatus, e.g. modular arrangements
    • G03G21/18—Mechanical means for facilitating the maintenance of the apparatus, e.g. modular arrangements using a processing cartridge, whereby the process cartridge comprises at least two image processing means in a single unit
    • G03G21/1803—Arrangements or disposition of the complete process cartridge or parts thereof
    • G03G21/181—Manufacturing or assembling, recycling, reuse, transportation, packaging or storage
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G03—PHOTOGRAPHY; CINEMATOGRAPHY; ANALOGOUS TECHNIQUES USING WAVES OTHER THAN OPTICAL WAVES; ELECTROGRAPHY; HOLOGRAPHY
    • G03G—ELECTROGRAPHY; ELECTROPHOTOGRAPHY; MAGNETOGRAPHY
    • G03G21/00—Arrangements not provided for by groups G03G13/00 - G03G19/00, e.g. cleaning, elimination of residual charge
    • G03G21/16—Mechanical means for facilitating the maintenance of the apparatus, e.g. modular arrangements
    • G03G21/18—Mechanical means for facilitating the maintenance of the apparatus, e.g. modular arrangements using a processing cartridge, whereby the process cartridge comprises at least two image processing means in a single unit
    • G03G21/1803—Arrangements or disposition of the complete process cartridge or parts thereof
    • G03G21/1817—Arrangements or disposition of the complete process cartridge or parts thereof having a submodular arrangement
    • G03G21/1825—Pivotable subunit connection

Definitions

  • the present invention relates to an image forming unit, an assembling method and an assembling method thereof, and an image forming apparatus using the same.
  • the present invention relates to an image forming unit used for an image forming apparatus applicable to a printer, a copying machine, a facsimile, and the like, an assembling method and a disassembling method thereof, and an image forming apparatus using the same.
  • Background art
  • an image forming unit in which a photoreceptor unit having a photoreceptor and a developing unit having a developing roller are connected by a fulcrum pin in a decomposable state and integrated.
  • the driving force is applied from the main body of the image forming apparatus to the developing roller via a oscillating gear and a developing roller gear that are housed in a oscillating lever disposed on an end surface of the main body of the image forming unit and engage with each other.
  • An object of the present invention is to provide an image forming unit having such a configuration, wherein the image forming unit can be easily assembled and disassembled.
  • an image forming unit includes a photoreceptor unit having a photoreceptor that is rotated by a driving force from an image forming apparatus main body, and a photoreceptor unit swayed by a fulcrum pin.
  • a developing unit having a developing roller movably connected and rotating by a driving force from the image forming apparatus main body side;
  • the image forming unit wherein the application of the driving force to the roller is performed via a swing gear and a developing roller gear which are housed in a swing lever arranged on an end face of the image forming unit main body and mesh with each other, After the photosensitive unit and the developing unit are connected by the fulcrum pin, the swing lever is mounted by attaching the developing roller gear to a developing roller shaft.
  • the bottom surface of the swing lever to which the swing gear is attached is configured to abut against the circular protrusion around the fulcrum pin.
  • the photoreceptor unit and the developing unit are connected by the fulcrum pin, and then the swing lever is mounted by attaching the developing roller gear to the developing roller shaft.
  • the bottom surface of the swinging lever can be easily brought into contact with the circular projection around the fulcrum pin.
  • the swing lever becomes an obstacle, and the fulcrum pin is smoothly inserted. I can't do it. This is because the flange of the photoreceptor and the idler gear are located on both sides of the swing lever, and the swing lever cannot be moved freely.
  • the swing lever is attached by attaching the developing roller gear to the developing roller shaft. Because it is designed to be assembled, the imaging unit can be easily assembled.
  • the swing lever may be configured by extracting the developing roller gear from the developing roller shaft. It is preferable that the fulcrum pin be pulled out and then disassembled into the photoreceptor unit and the developing unit.
  • the photoreceptor unit and the development unit disassembled in this way are reassembled after replacing the consumables in the unit.
  • the consumables in the photoconductor unit include a photoconductor, a corona charger, a cleaning blade, and the like.
  • the consumables in the developing unit include toner, a developing roller, a supply roller, a sealing member, a doctor blade. And the like.
  • the swing gear and the fulcrum pin are provided so as to mesh with each other on an axis thereof, and a driving force from the image forming apparatus main body side is applied to the swing gear. It is preferable that a developing drive main body gear to be transmitted is further provided, and at least a part of an upper side of the fulcrum pin is covered with the swing gear. According to this preferred example, since the pressing force of the developing roller against the photoconductor is not generated by the driving force from the image forming apparatus main body side, the pressing of the developing roller against the photoconductor is also performed during driving. The pressure can be maintained at the initial setting.
  • a projection provided around the fulcrum pin is further provided, and a part of the swing lever is preferably brought into contact with the projection. According to this preferred example, the center distance between the swing gear and the developing drive main body gear can be secured.
  • a photoconductor unit having a photoconductor that is rotated by a driving force from the image forming apparatus main body is swingably connected to the photoconductor unit by a fulcrum pin.
  • An assembling method of an image forming unit which is performed via a swing gear and a developing roller gear that are housed in a swing lever and mesh with each other, wherein the photosensitive unit and the developing unit are fixed by the fulcrum pin.
  • the swing lever is attached by attaching the developing roller gear to a developing roller shaft.
  • the photoconductor unit having the photoconductor rotated by the driving force from the image forming apparatus main body is swingably connected to the photoconductor unit by a fulcrum pin.
  • a disassembling method of an image forming unit which is performed through a swing gear and a developing roller gear that are housed in a swing lever arranged on an end surface and mesh with each other, wherein the swing lever is the developing roller gear. After being removed by withdrawing from the developing roller shaft, the fulcrum pin is withdrawn to be disassembled into the photoreceptor unit and the developing unit. And wherein the door.
  • the configuration of the image forming apparatus includes a unit rotating body that rotatably supports a plurality of image forming units in a vertical plane, and sequentially moves the plurality of image forming units to an image forming position.
  • An image forming apparatus for forming an image wherein the image forming unit of the present invention is used as the image forming unit.
  • FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view illustrating an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention
  • FIG. 2 is an external perspective view illustrating an image forming unit according to an embodiment of the present invention
  • FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view showing the configuration of a developing unit housing and a seal member around the developing roller in FIG. 3, and FIG.
  • FIG. 5 is a right side view of FIG. 6 is a perspective view (with the cover removed) showing a part (right side) of the image forming unit in FIG. 2, and FIG. 7 is an embodiment of the present invention.
  • FIG. 8 is an exploded perspective view (with a cover removed) showing a carriage and a photosensitive member positioning mechanism and a driving mechanism of the image forming apparatus according to the embodiment;
  • FIG. 8 is an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention;
  • FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view (with the cover removed) of a carriage cut along a plane passing through the image forming position of FIG.
  • FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view showing a part of a swing lever provided in the developing unit in one embodiment of the present invention,
  • FIG. 10 is a left side view of FIG. 2, and
  • FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of driving of a photoconductor and a developing port in one embodiment.
  • FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view illustrating an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
  • FIG. 2 is an external perspective view showing an image forming unit according to one embodiment of the present invention
  • FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along line AA of FIG. 2
  • FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a developing unit housing around a developing roller in FIG.
  • FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view showing the structure of the sealing member
  • FIG. 5 is a right side view of FIG. 2 (with the cover removed)
  • FIG. 6 is a partial perspective view (cover) showing a part (right side) of the image forming unit in FIG. With one removed).
  • FIG. 1 the right end face is the front of the apparatus, and a carriage 2 is provided at substantially the center of the apparatus main body 1, a front door 1A is provided at the front, and a top door 17 is provided at the top.
  • reference numeral 30 denotes a photosensitive member
  • reference numeral 34 denotes a corona charger for uniformly charging the photosensitive member 30 in a negative direction
  • reference numeral 35 denotes a developing roller 31, and supply roller 21 for supplying toner.
  • a developing unit including a seal member 200, a doctor blade 24 for forming a toner layer, and a toner hopper 39 for storing the toner 32.
  • 204 is a swing lever 9 described later. It is a cover for protecting a gear group such as a swing gear 94 including 2.
  • the housing of the developing unit 35 is located between the developing roller 31 and the supply roller 21 to allow the contact between them.
  • a substantially rectangular opening 202 is provided along the longitudinal direction of the roller 31.
  • a receiving portion 201 is provided on one side of the opening 202 along the longitudinal direction of the developing roller 31. Is provided.
  • One side of the receiving portion 201 along the longitudinal direction of the seal member 200 is located, and the other side of the seal member 200 along the longitudinal direction is the opening portion 202.
  • the developing roller 31 is arranged in contact with the wall surface on the other side along the longitudinal direction.
  • Reference numeral 36 denotes a rubber-made cleaning blade for cleaning the toner remaining on the surface of the photoconductor 30 after transfer
  • reference numeral 38 denotes a waste toner removed by the cleaning blade 36.
  • a corona charger 34 and a photoreceptor 30 are attached to the waste toner case to form a photoreceptor unit 37.
  • the photoreceptor unit 37 and the developing unit 35 are swingably connected and integrated by a fulcrum pin 90, thereby forming the image forming unit 3.
  • the photoreceptor 30, the developing roller 31, and the supply roller 217 are each rotatably supported, and each rotate in the direction of the arrow.
  • the toner 32 is a negatively charged toner in which a pigment is dispersed in a polyester resin.
  • the toner 32 is supplied from a supply roller 21 to a developing roller 31 through a supply port 25, and is thinned by a doctor blade 24. After that, the electrostatic latent image is supplied to the photoconductor 30 to develop the electrostatic latent image on the photoconductor 30.
  • the carriage 2 houses image forming units 3Y, 3M, 3C, and 3BK of four colors (yellow, magenta, cyan, and black).
  • the carriage 2 is rotatably supported by the circular tube 21 so that the photoreceptor 30 of the image forming unit 3 of each color is sequentially moved between the image forming position 10 and other retreat positions. Thus, the image forming unit 3 can be switched.
  • the image forming operation position of the image forming unit 3 in the carriage 2 is only at the image forming position 10 where the photoreceptor 30 is irradiated with the pixel laser one signal light 8 and the transfer belt unit 5 and the photoreceptor 30 contact. is there.
  • the image forming unit 3 is connected to a drive source and a power supply of the apparatus main body 1 at the image forming position 10, thereby performing an image forming operation.
  • the other positions are the retraction positions, in which no image forming unit 3 operates.
  • the image forming unit 3 is detachably mounted on the apparatus main body 1.
  • the image forming unit 3 of the color to be replaced is rotated by rotating the carriage 2. It is located below the door 17 and can be replaced by opening the top door 17.
  • the transfer belt unit 5 is for copying the toner image formed on the photoreceptor 30 of the image forming unit 3 at the image forming position 10 and retransferring the transferred toner image to recording paper.
  • the transfer belt unit 5 is composed of an intermediate transfer belt 50 and a group of pulleys for suspending the intermediate transfer belt 50 (a driving pulley 55 A, a knock-up pulley 55 B, a guide pulley 55 C, a tension pulley 55 D) ), A cleaner 51, and a waste toner case 57 for storing the waste toner after cleaning, and these are integrated and detachably attached to the apparatus main body 1.
  • the intermediate transfer belt 50 is formed by coating a fluororesin such as PFA or PTFE on semi-conductive (medium resistance) urethane in the form of an endless belt having a thickness of about 100 m to reduce the overall thickness to 100 m. From a film of 0 to 300 m You.
  • the perimeter of the intermediate transfer belt 50 is slightly longer than the maximum length of A4 receiving paper (297 mm), which is the maximum receiving paper size, for full-color printing of A4 or letter sizes.
  • the cleaner 51 is for cleaning and removing the toner remaining on the intermediate transfer belt 50, and is a screw for conveying the removed toner to the waste toner case 57 with the rubber cleaning blade 53. 5 and 2.
  • the cleaner 51 rotates about a fulcrum 58 in order to prevent the toner image on the intermediate transfer belt 50 from being scraped off while a color image is being formed on the intermediate transfer belt 50. And is separated from the intermediate transfer belt 50.
  • a pulley 55 A is a drive pulley for driving the intermediate transfer belt 50, and also serves as a backup for the cleaning blade 53.
  • the pulley 55B is a backup pulley of the secondary transfer roller 9 for transferring the toner image on the intermediate transfer belt 50 to recording paper.
  • the pulley 55C is a guide pulley, and also serves as a porter for applying a primary transfer bias for transferring a toner image from the photoconductor 30 onto the intermediate transfer belt 50.
  • the pulley 55D is a tension pulley that applies tension to the intermediate transfer belt 50.
  • the intermediate transfer belt 50 is suspended around these pulleys 55A, 55B, 55C and 55D, and can be driven to rotate by the rotation of the drive pulley 55A.
  • Reference numeral 56 denotes a cover for protecting the intermediate transfer belt 50.
  • the transfer belt unit 5 is reliably positioned at a predetermined position when the transfer belt unit 5 is mounted on the apparatus main body 1, and a portion facing the image forming position 10 comes into contact with the photoconductor 30 of the image forming unit 3.
  • each part of the transfer belt unit 5 is electrically connected to the main body side, and the driving pulley 55A is connected to the driving means on the main body side, so that the intermediate transfer belt 50 becomes rotatable.
  • the static elimination needle 7 is for preventing the toner image from being disturbed when the recording paper is separated from the intermediate transfer belt 50.
  • Reference numeral 6 denotes a laser exposure device disposed below the transfer belt unit 5, and the laser exposure device 6 includes a semiconductor laser (not shown), a polygon mirror 6A, a lens system 6B, a first mirror 6C, and the like.
  • the pixel laser signal light 8 corresponding to the time-series electrical pixel signals of the image information is composed of the yellow image forming unit 3 Y photoreceptor unit 37 and the black image forming unit 3 B k in FIG. It passes through an optical path 22 formed between the unit 35 and the unit 35.
  • the pixel laser signal light 8 passes through the exposure window 97 of the tube 21 and the second mirror 98 fixed to the apparatus body 1 in the tube 21 (still stands irrespective of the tube 21).
  • 1 2 is a paper feed unit
  • 14 is a paper feed port
  • 16 is a registration roller
  • 18 is a paper discharge roller
  • 13 a, 13 b, 13 c, and 13 d are these ports.
  • This is a paper guide that connects between the rollers and the contact point between the intermediate transfer belt 50 and the secondary transfer roller 9 and the fixing device 15.
  • the front door 1A is hinged to the device main body 1 by a hinge shaft 1B, and can be opened by leaning to the front.
  • a settler 15, secondary transfer roller 9, static elimination needle 7, paper guide 13 a, 13 b, 13 c, 13 d Front side and registration roller 1 The front side of 6 is attached, and when the front trigger 1A is moved forward, these components also fall at the same time. For this reason, the front surface of the apparatus main body 1 can be largely released, and the transfer belt unit 5 can be attached and detached from this portion, and The recording paper can be easily removed even when the paper is jammed.
  • FIG. 7 is an exploded perspective view (with a cover removed) showing a carriage and a photoconductor positioning mechanism and a drive mechanism of the image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention
  • FIG. 8 is an embodiment of the present invention.
  • FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view (with a cover removed) of the carriage taken along a plane passing through an image forming position of the image forming apparatus in FIG.
  • flanges 41 R and 41 L having taper holes 48 R and 48 L for positioning the image forming unit 3 are adhered to both ends of the photoconductor 30.
  • the outer circumferences of the flanges 41 R and 41 L are rotatably attached to photoconductor bearings 43 R and 43 L fixed to the side wall of the photoconductor unit 37.
  • a coupling claw portion 47 for rotating and driving the photoconductor 30 is provided at the end of the flange 4 1 R.
  • the coupling claw portion 47 can be engaged with the coupling plate 61 on the main body side. It has become.
  • a right side wall 20 R and a left side wall 20 L are fixed to the center circular tube 21 of the carriage 2.
  • partition ribs 23 are fixedly arranged at four places so as to divide the inner part of the carriage 2 into four parts, and the inside of the carriage 2 divided by the partition ribs 23 is provided.
  • An image forming unit 3 of each color is arranged in each space of.
  • the circular tube 21 is provided with exposure windows 97 at a total of four positions through which the pixel laser signal light 8 for exposing the photoconductor passes.
  • the carriage 2 is rotatably supported on left and right main body side walls 1 R, 1 L via bearings 46 R, 46 L.
  • a carriage gear 28 is formed on the outside of the left side wall 20 L.
  • the carriage gear 28 is connected to a carriage driving mechanism 86 provided on the main body side. Is tied.
  • the carriage drive mechanism 86 includes a worm 89 connected to a drive source (not shown), a worm wheel 88, and a gear 87 integrated with the worm wheel 88 and engaged with the carriage gear 28.
  • the carriage 2 is freely rotated and positioned by the rotation of the carriage drive mechanism 86.
  • 45 R, 45 L are fixed to the left and right main body side walls 1 R, 1 L, and prevent the image forming unit 3 provided in the lower half along the outer periphery of the carriage 2 from dropping from the carriage 2. It is a fall prevention guide for.
  • the second mirror 198 is firmly attached to the main body side walls 1R and 1L by a fixing member (not shown) substantially in the vicinity of the center of the circular tube 21 and is always irrespective of the rotation of the carriage 2. It is configured to keep the stationary state.
  • the side walls 20R and 20L are provided with cutouts 26R and 26L at portions where the flanges 41R and 41L of the image forming unit 3 are inserted.
  • the notches 26 R, 26 L and the partition ribs 23 serve as guides when the image forming unit 3 is mounted in the carriage 2. At the side or below the carriage 2, the image forming unit 3 is guided by the fall prevention guide 45 R 45 L and does not separate from the carriage 2.
  • the dimensions of the notches 26 R and 26 L are set larger than the outer diameters of the flanges 41 R and 41 L, and the photoconductor 30 is positioned at the image forming position 10 and the reference position.
  • the photoconductor 30 is provided with play in all directions with respect to the carriage 2 at the regular position. In the present embodiment, this play is ensured at about l mm, so that the positioning operation of the photoconductor 30 is not hindered even if the positioning accuracy of the carriage 2 is somewhat poor.
  • the photoreceptor drive mechanism 60 is provided on each side wall 1R, 1L of the apparatus main body 1 to accurately position the photoreceptor 30 at the image forming position 10.
  • a mechanism 80 is provided.
  • the photoconductor drive mechanism 60 is provided on the right main body side wall 1R, and includes an output shaft 70, a coupling plate 61 fixed to the output shaft 70 and rotating integrally with the output shaft 70, and an output shaft drive. It comprises a gear 71 and a drive mechanism for driving these.
  • the output shaft 70 is movably and rotatably supported in a thrust direction between bearings 77 fixed between the right main body side wall 1R and the base plate 67 fixed thereto.
  • One end of the output shaft 70 is formed with a tapered tip portion 75 having a convex tapered surface following the tapered hole 48R of the photoconductor 30, and the other end of the output shaft 70 is provided. Is formed in a spherical shape so as to contact the thrust bearing 69 R with a small area.
  • the output shaft drive gear 71 is a helical gear, and the output shaft drive gear 71 is fixed to the output shaft 70 so as to mesh with the driving gear 72.
  • Reference numeral 4 denotes a compression spring inserted between the bearing 7 7 and the output shaft driving gear 7 1.
  • the compression spring 7 connects the output shaft 7 and the force coupling plate 6 1 to the photoreceptor 3 side flange 4. This is for always energizing to a position away from 1R ( Figure 7 shows the engaged position).
  • the output shaft 70 is driven by a driving means (not shown) for moving the thrust bearing 69 R, so that the position separated from the flange 41 R, the tapered hole 48 R shown in FIG. Can be moved against the mating engagement position against the panel force, but in any position, the output shaft drive gear 71 is driven so that it engages with the drive side gear 72.
  • the side gear 72 has a wide tooth width.
  • the force coupling plate 61 is used for transmitting power by engaging with the coupling claw portion 47 of the flange 41 R, and has eight coupling claws 65 at its tip.
  • the detent mechanism 80 provided on the left main body side wall 1L will be described.
  • the detent mechanism 80 is supported through a bearing 78 between the left main body side wall 1 L and the substrate 68, and is driven by a drive mechanism (not shown) for moving the thrust bearing 69 L and a compression panel 85. It is constituted by a detent shaft 81 that can move and rotate in the direction. One end of the detent shaft 81 is formed with a tapered surface 84 following the tapered hole 48 L of the flange 41 L, and the other end of the detent shaft 81 is spherical, like the output shaft 70. And pressed against 69 L of thrust bearing.
  • Reference numeral 8 5 denotes a compression spring inserted between the left side wall 1 L of the left main body and the panel stop 8 2 fixed to the detent shaft 8 1. It is for keeping away from 1 L.
  • the image forming unit 3 supported by the carriage 2 is carried to the image forming position with the output shaft 70 and the detent shaft 81 separated from the flanges 41 R and 41 L of the photoconductor 30.
  • the thrust bearings 69 R and 69 L are pushed inward by the drive mechanism, and the tapered end 75 of the output shaft 70 is inserted into the tapered hole 48 of the flange 41 R and the detent shaft 8
  • the 1 tapered surface 84 is engaged with the tapered hole 48 L of the flange 41 L, and the photoconductor 30 is accurately positioned at the image forming position 10.
  • FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view showing a part of a swing lever provided in the developing unit according to one embodiment of the present invention
  • FIG. 10 is a left side view of FIG.
  • the right side wall 37R of the photoreceptor unit 37 is provided with a cylindrical projection 91 having a pin through hole. .
  • a positioning hole 1 16 force is formed in the right side wall 35 R of the developing unit 35.
  • the left side wall 37 L of the photoreceptor unit 37 has a guide groove 115 for guiding the developer port 31 in the direction of the photoreceptor 30.
  • the side walls 35 R, 35 L of the developing unit 35 are disposed inside the side walls 37 R, 37 L of the photoconductor unit 37.
  • the pin holes of the projections 91 provided on the right side wall 37 R of the photoreceptor unit 37 and the positioning holes provided on the right side wall 35 R of the developing unit 35 1 1 6 and the fulcrum pin 90 is inserted from the outside of the right side wall 37R of the photoreceptor unit 37 to the pin hole of the protrusion 91 and the positioning hole 116.
  • the right side wall 37R of the photoreceptor unit 37 and the right side wall 35R of the developing unit 35 are connected.
  • the developing roller 31 is a bearing 105 fixed to the right side wall 35 R and the left side wall 35 L of the developing unit 35, respectively. It is rotatably supported at 106.
  • the bearing 106 is fitted into the guide groove 1 15 on the left side wall 37 L of the photoconductor unit 37.
  • the left side of the developing unit 35 can move along the guide groove 115 along with the developing unit 35 with respect to the photoconductor unit 37.
  • a guide bin 108 is inserted into a hole 107 provided in the left side wall 35 L of the developing unit 35, but this does not determine the positions of both. Both are arranged with a play of about l mm.
  • the photoreceptor unit 37 and the developing unit 35 are combined in the above configuration, and the right side wall 37R of the photoreceptor unit 37 and the right side wall 35R of the developing unit 35 are hung between them.
  • the developing panel 31 is rotated about the fulcrum pin 90 by the compression panel 102, thereby stopping the developing roller 31 while being pressed against the photoconductor 30.
  • the left side wall 37 L of the photoconductor unit 37 and the left side wall 35 L of the developing unit 35 are formed by the bearing 106 of the developing roller 31 and the left side wall 37 of the photoconductor unit 37.
  • the developing roller 31 is attracted to the photoconductor 30 side by the tension coil panel 110, which is stretched between the pin 111 and the pin 111, and thereby the developing port roller 31 is moved to the photoconductor. Stops when pressed to 30.
  • the developing roller 31 is composed of a developing drive main body gear 62 attached to the main body side wall 1, a swing gear 94, and a developing opening roller 3 1. Is driven to rotate via a developing roller gear 96 fixed to the roller.
  • the development drive body gear 62 is fixed to a development drive shaft 63 rotatably mounted on the right body side wall 1R and the substrate 67 via a bearing 66, and the development drive shaft 63 is used for the development drive shaft 63.
  • the developer is rotated from the main body via a developing drive pulley 164 fixed to the drive shaft 63.
  • the gear 9.9 is a gear fixed to the supply roller 217, and is driven to rotate via a developing roller gear 96 and an idler gear 214.
  • the swing gear 94 Through a pin 93 to a swing lever 92, which is attached to the bearing 105 fixed to the right side wall 35R and the developing roller shaft 215 around the developing roller shaft 215. It is attached rotatably.
  • a tension panel 104 is hung on the swing lever 92 to thereby urge the swing gear 94 toward the developing drive main body gear 62, but the bottom surface of the swing lever 92 is a photoconductor.
  • the unit 37 is stopped by abutting on the circular projection 91 around the fulcrum pin 90 of the right side wall 37R of the unit 37.
  • FIG. 11 is a view for explaining only a main part for driving the photoconductor 30 and the developing roller 31.
  • reference numeral 96 denotes a developing roller gear
  • 94 denotes a swing gear
  • 62 denotes an image drive main body gear
  • 20 R denotes a portion protruding inside the right side wall of the carriage 2.
  • 90 is a fulcrum pin connecting the developing unit 35 and the photoconductor unit 37
  • 91 is a circular projection provided on the right side wall 37R of the photoconductor unit 37.
  • the circular protrusion 91 and the swing gear 94 fall into the cutout 29 of the right side wall 20R of the carriage 2, and the swing gear 94 meshes with the developing drive main body gear 62. For this reason, the image forming unit 3 When the head is shaken with the center as the center, the circular protrusion 91 contacts the side surface 27 of the notch 29.
  • the image forming unit 3 when the photosensitive member 30 is coupled to the output shaft 70 and the detent shaft 81 and is positioned at a regular position, and when the developing drive main body gear 62 rotates, the image forming unit 3 is moved from the apparatus main body 1. Both ends of the central axis of the photoconductor 30 are supported. In this state, when the photoconductor 30 and the developing drive main body gear 62 rotate, the image forming unit 3 receives a counterclockwise rotation moment about the center axis of the supported photoconductor 30. This rotational moment is stopped by the circular projection 91 contacting the side surface 27 of the cutout 29 of the carriage side wall 20R.
  • the image forming unit 3 when the image forming unit 3 performs an image forming operation at the image forming position 10, the image forming unit 3 is moved from the device main body 1 to both ends of the central axis of the photoconductor 30 and the right side wall 3 of the photoconductor unit 37.
  • the circular projection portion 9R of 7R is supported at three places. For this reason, the photosensitive member 30 can be reliably positioned with respect to the apparatus main body 1, and the image forming unit 3 is twisted by receiving the developing driving force, thereby ensuring the contact between the photosensitive member 30 and the developing roller 31. There is no problem that it becomes difficult to perform.
  • the circular protrusion 91 is provided on the right side wall 37R of the photoconductor unit 37, the rotational force of the entire image forming unit 3 is supported by only the photoconductor unit 37. Therefore, the contact state between the photoconductor 30 and the developing roller 31 is not affected.
  • the swing gear 94 and the developing drive main body gear 62 mesh with each other at substantially the center of a fulcrum pin 90 which is a fulcrum of rotation of the developing unit 35 with respect to the photoconductor unit 37.
  • the power received by the development unit 35 from the development drive main body gear 62 is in the direction of the arrow P, which is the pressure angle direction of both gears, and this force causes the fulcrum pin of the development unit 35 to the photoconductor unit 37.
  • No torque is generated around 90, and the developing roller 3 1
  • the pressing force between the developing roller 31 and the photoconductor 30 is not generated by the driving force of the apparatus main body 1.
  • the pressing force of the developing roller 31 against the photoconductor 30 is determined by the spring force Q (the pressing force of the compression spring 102) that is initially set even during the rotation of the developing roller 31. Only the rotational force and the pulling force of the pulling coil panel 110 provided on the left side wall 37 L of the photoreceptor unit 37, and the photoreceptor 30 and the developing roller 31 are always stably contacted with a light force. It can be done. Even if the direction of the force that the developing unit 35 receives from the developing drive main body gear 62 slightly changes due to the fluctuation of the engagement between the swing gear 94 and the developing drive main body gear 62, the developing roller 3 1 And the pressing force of the photoconductor 30 does not fluctuate.
  • the spring force Q the pressing force of the compression spring 102
  • the configuration is simple, inexpensive and high performance. It is effective in realizing.
  • the developing unit 31 is supplied with the developing roller 31, the supply roller 217, the sealing member 200, and the doctor blade 24 in the housing of the developing unit, and the toner hopper 39 is supplied with the toner 32.
  • the toner hopper 39 is supplied with the toner 32.
  • the photoreceptor unit 37 is assembled by incorporating the photoreceptor 30, the corona charger 34 and the cleaning blade 36 into the housing of the photoreceptor unit (see FIG. 3).
  • the side walls 35 R, 35 L of the developing unit 35 are arranged inside the side walls 37 R, 37 L of the photoconductor unit 37, and the photoconductor unit is disposed.
  • 3 7 Right side wall 3 7 Protrusion provided on R 9 1 Pin hole for 1 and right side wall of developing unit 3 5 3 5 Align with the positioning holes 1 16 provided in the R, and support the fulcrum from the outside of the right side wall 37 R of the photoreceptor unit 37 to the pin holes of the projections 91 and the positioning holes 1 16.
  • the bearing 106 for the developing roller 31 fixed to the left side wall 35 L of the developing unit 35 is attached to the left side wall 37 L side of the photoconductor unit 37. It is in a state of being fitted into the guide grooves 1 15. As described above, the photoreceptor unit 37 and the developing unit 35 are swingably connected by the fulcrum pin 90 to be integrated.
  • the swing lever 92 to which the swing gear 94 is attached protrudes from the right side wall 35R of the developing unit 35 together with the developing roller gear 96.
  • an E-ring 203 is fitted to the tip of the developing roller shaft 215 to prevent it from falling off.
  • a tension spring 104 is applied to the swing lever 92.
  • the oscillating gear 94 is urged toward the developing drive main unit gear 62, but the bottom surface of the oscillating lever 92 is around the fulcrum pin 90 of the right side wall 37R of the photosensitive unit 37. It stops when it comes into contact with the circular projections 91 of.
  • the cover 204 is attached so as to cover the swing lever 92 and the like.
  • the swing lever 92 is moved together with the developing roller gear 96 to the developing unit 3.
  • the image forming unit 3 can be easily assembled. That is, after attaching the swing lever 92 together with the developing roller gear 96 to the developing roller shaft 211 protruding from the right side wall 35R of the developing unit 35, the photoconductor unit 3 is supported by the fulcrum pin 9.
  • the projection 91 provided on the right side wall 37 R of the photoconductor unit 37 and the positioning holes 1 1 6 provided on the right side wall 35 R of the developing unit 35 are included.
  • the swing lever 92 becomes an obstacle and the fulcrum pin 90 can be inserted smoothly.
  • the flange 41R of the photoconductor 30 and the idler gear 214 are located on both sides of the swing lever 92, and the swing lever 92 can be freely moved. This is because they will not be able to do so.
  • the bottom surface of the oscillating lever 92 is mounted around the fulcrum pin 90.
  • the photoreceptor unit 37 and the developing unit 35 are swingably connected by a fulcrum pin 90.
  • the swing lever 92 is removed from the developing roller shaft 215 together with the developing opening gear 96.
  • the fulcrum pin 90 is removed from the outside of the right side wall 37R of the photoconductor unit 37.
  • the developing unit 35 and the photoconductor unit 37 can be separated.
  • the swing gear 94 can be arranged at a position overlapping directly above the swing fulcrum pin 90. That is, at least a part of the upper side of the fulcrum pin 90 is covered with the oscillating gear 94. Therefore, as described above, It is possible to easily adopt a configuration in which the rotating member 31 is pressed against the photosensitive member 30 with a stable pressing force. In addition, in the state where the image forming unit 3 is assembled, there is no possibility that the fulcrum pin 90 is accidentally removed.
  • the consumables in the developing unit 35 include a toner 32, a developing port 31, a supply roller 21, a sealing member 200, a doctor blade 24, and the like.
  • the consumables in the photoconductor unit 37 include a photoconductor 30, a corona charger 34, a cleaning blade 36, and the like.
  • the image forming unit 3 is assembled with the consumables replaced. I can do it.
  • an E-ring 203 for retaining the swing lever 92 is fitted to the tip of the developing roller shaft 211. It is not limited. If the cover 204 that covers the side wall of the image forming unit 3 (see Fig. 2) also has the function of preventing the swing lever 92 from coming off, an E-ring can be attached to the end of the developing roller shaft 211. There is no need to fit 203, and the disassembly and assembly of the image forming unit 3 is further facilitated.
  • the fixing unit 15 heats up, and the polygon mirror 1 of the laser exposure apparatus 6 is heated. A starts rotating and preparation is completed.
  • the initialization mode for maintaining the state of the photoconductor 30 and the intermediate transfer belt 50 may be operated.
  • the detection means (not shown) is activated in accordance with the timing at which the portion uniformly charged by the corona charger 34 on the surface of the photoconductor 30 comes to the exposure position.
  • the head position of the intermediate transfer belt 50 is detected, and in synchronization with this detection signal, the photoreceptor 30 is irradiated with the pixel laser signal light 8 corresponding to the image signal from the laser exposure unit 6.
  • the pixel laser signal light 8 is irradiated onto the uniformly charged photoreceptor 30, an electrostatic latent image is formed according to the image signal, and the electrostatic latent image is sequentially visualized by the developing unit 35.
  • a toner image is formed.
  • the toner image formed on the photoconductor 30 moves to a primary transfer position in contact with the intermediate transfer belt 50, and is sequentially transferred to the intermediate transfer belt 50 at this primary transfer position.
  • the yellow image forming operation ends after the end of the image is transferred to the intermediate transfer belt 50, and the photoconductor 30 and the intermediate transfer belt 50 stop at the initial position.
  • the corona charger 34 charges the photoconductor 30 to ⁇ 450 V, and the exposure potential of the photoconductor 30 becomes 150 V. Further, a DC voltage of 125 V is applied to the developing roller 31. Further, a DC voltage of +1.0 kV is applied to the guide pulley 55 C and the tension pulley 55 D of the intermediate transfer belt 50.
  • the drive source of the apparatus main body 1 engaged with the yellow photosensitive member 30 is connected to the photosensitive member 1.
  • the engagement is released, and the carriage 2 rotates 90 ° in the direction of the arrow.
  • the yellow image forming unit 3Y moves from the image forming position 10
  • the magenta image forming unit 3M is positioned at the image forming position 10 and stopped.
  • the drive source of the apparatus body 1 engages with the magenta photoconductor 30, the image forming unit 3M and the transfer belt unit 5 start operating, and The same image forming operation as in the first case is performed.
  • yellow and magenta toner images are superimposed on the intermediate transfer belt 50.
  • the secondary transfer roller 9 After the black toner image has been transferred to the intermediate transfer belt 50, when the top of the image comes to the position of the secondary transfer roller 9, the secondary transfer roller 9 is brought into contact with the intermediate transfer belt 50 to feed the paper. By transporting the recording paper sent from the unit 12 between the secondary transfer roller 9 and the intermediate transfer belt 50, the toner images of four colors are collectively transferred onto the recording paper. At this time, a voltage of +800 V is applied to the secondary transfer roller 9. The recording paper onto which the toner image has been transferred passes through a fixing device 15 and is fixed, and is discharged out of the apparatus from a discharge roller 18.
  • the intermediate transfer belt 50 and the image forming unit 3 stop again, and the carriage 2 rotates by 90 °. Then, the yellow image forming unit 3Y reaches the image forming position 10 again and is prepared for the next color image forming operation.
  • an image forming unit that can be easily assembled can be realized, so that an image forming unit used in an image forming apparatus that requires replacement of consumables such as toner is required.

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  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Computer Vision & Pattern Recognition (AREA)
  • Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
  • Manufacturing & Machinery (AREA)
  • Sustainable Development (AREA)
  • Electrophotography Configuration And Component (AREA)

Abstract

L'invention concerne une unité d'imagerie à assemblage/désassemblage facile, comprenant une unité photosensible (37) à corps photosensible (30) que met en rotation une force d'entraînement exercée par le côté principal du corps d'un dispositif imageur, et une unité de développement (35) à rouleau de développement relié basculant à l'unité photosensible (37) par une tige pivot (90), que met en rotation une force d'entraînement exercée par le côté du corps principal du dispositif imageur. La force d'entraînement appliquée au rouleau est fournie par un engrenage de bascule (94) et un engrenage du rouleau de développement (96) se situant dans un levier de bascule (92) et s'engageant mutuellement. Une fois l'unité photosensible (37) reliée à l'unité de développement (35) par la tige pivot (90), le levier de bascule (92) est installé par adaptation du rouleau de développement (96) sur un axe (215) propre à ce rouleau, de manière à assembler l'unité d'imagerie.
PCT/JP2001/004086 2000-05-19 2001-05-16 Unite d'imagerie, procede d'assemblage et de desassemblage de l'unite, et dispositif imageur faisant appel a cette unite WO2001088632A1 (fr)

Priority Applications (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
AU58756/01A AU5875601A (en) 2000-05-19 2001-05-16 Image forming unit, method of assembling and disassembling the unit, and image forming device using the unit

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
JP2000148702 2000-05-19
JP2000-148702 2000-05-19

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
WO2001088632A1 true WO2001088632A1 (fr) 2001-11-22

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PCT/JP2001/004086 WO2001088632A1 (fr) 2000-05-19 2001-05-16 Unite d'imagerie, procede d'assemblage et de desassemblage de l'unite, et dispositif imageur faisant appel a cette unite

Country Status (2)

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AU (1) AU5875601A (fr)
WO (1) WO2001088632A1 (fr)

Citations (7)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
JPS62280866A (ja) * 1986-05-30 1987-12-05 Canon Inc 画像形成装置
JPS63178263A (ja) * 1987-01-19 1988-07-22 Canon Inc 現像装置
JPH0221049A (ja) * 1987-12-14 1990-01-24 Ricoh Co Ltd 伝動装置
JPH06242642A (ja) * 1993-02-19 1994-09-02 Matsushita Graphic Commun Syst Inc プロセスカートリッジ
JPH08292643A (ja) * 1995-04-20 1996-11-05 Seiko Epson Corp 現像装置
JPH10187005A (ja) * 1996-12-20 1998-07-14 Mita Ind Co Ltd 画像形成機のプロセスユニット
EP0886191A2 (fr) * 1997-06-16 1998-12-23 Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd. Appareil de formation d'images en couleurs, unité de formation d'images et unité de transfert à bande pour cet appareil

Patent Citations (7)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
JPS62280866A (ja) * 1986-05-30 1987-12-05 Canon Inc 画像形成装置
JPS63178263A (ja) * 1987-01-19 1988-07-22 Canon Inc 現像装置
JPH0221049A (ja) * 1987-12-14 1990-01-24 Ricoh Co Ltd 伝動装置
JPH06242642A (ja) * 1993-02-19 1994-09-02 Matsushita Graphic Commun Syst Inc プロセスカートリッジ
JPH08292643A (ja) * 1995-04-20 1996-11-05 Seiko Epson Corp 現像装置
JPH10187005A (ja) * 1996-12-20 1998-07-14 Mita Ind Co Ltd 画像形成機のプロセスユニット
EP0886191A2 (fr) * 1997-06-16 1998-12-23 Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd. Appareil de formation d'images en couleurs, unité de formation d'images et unité de transfert à bande pour cet appareil

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
AU5875601A (en) 2001-11-26

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