WO2007097346A1

WO2007097346A1 - Cleaning blade and its manufacturing method, mounting method and positioning device for cleaning blade, and cartridge

Info

Publication number: WO2007097346A1
Application number: PCT/JP2007/053112
Authority: WO
Inventors: Atsushi Masuda; Toshinori Sakai
Original assignee: Graphic Co. Ltd.
Priority date: 2006-02-21
Filing date: 2007-02-20
Publication date: 2007-08-30
Also published as: JP4504321B2; JP2007225737A

Abstract

A cleaning blade in which a blade member can be accurately installed. The blade member (2) is stuck on the surface of the blade holder (3) of the cleaning blade (1) on the side facing a blade mounting part (29). A spacer (4) is interposed between the blade holder (3) and the blade mounting part (29). Since the cleaning blade (1) can define the attitude of the plate holder (3) and the distance thereof from the blade mounting part (29) by the spacer (4), the blade member (2) can be accurately installed at the position suitable for removing toner from a photosensitive drum (11) for cleaning.

Description

Specification

Cleaning blade and manufacturing method thereof, cleaning blade mounting method and positioning device, and cartridge

Technical field

The present invention relates to a cleaning blade that is provided in contact with an image carrier in an image forming apparatus and cleans the image carrier, a method for manufacturing the same, a mounting method and a positioning device for a cleaning blade, and a cartridge.

Background art

An image forming apparatus that forms an image by electrophotography is used as a printer or the like. The image forming apparatus forms an electrostatic latent image by charging the surface portion of the photoreceptor with a charging device and then exposing it, and developing the formed electrostatic latent image with a developing device to form a toner image. An image is formed by forming and transferring and fixing to a recording medium such as paper. Of the toner constituting the toner image, the toner remaining on the surface of the photoreceptor without being transferred to the recording medium is removed by the cleaning device. The cleaning device removes the toner by bringing the blade member of the tally blade into contact with the photosensitive member, and cleans the photosensitive member.

Parts such as the photoconductor and the cleaning blade are worn out by repeated use, and their performance deteriorates. Therefore, it is necessary to replace them with new ones. In order to easily replace these components, components such as the photoconductor and the cleaning blade are integrally incorporated in the housing, and are detachably provided as a cartridge in the image forming apparatus. By replacing the cartridge, it is possible to easily replace deteriorated parts such as the photoconductor and the cleaning blade.

When replacing each part of the cartridge, it is required to place each part in the appropriate position on the cartridge. For example, if the cleaning blade is not placed at an appropriate position, the biasing force of the blade member against the photoreceptor will not be at an appropriate value, causing problems such as residual toner or unevenness of the blade member on the photoreceptor. Occurs.

As a cleaning blade, a blade member that also has elastic material force such as rubber is used. There is an adhesion type cleaning blade adhered to a blade support member such as a sheet metal. Further, as shown in FIG. 24, a metal plate to be the blade support member 131 is inserted into the mold, and a material such as rubber to be the blade member 132 is poured into the mold, so that the blade member 132 and the blade support member 131 are connected. There is also an integrally molded cleaning blade 130 that is integrally molded. The die-integrated cleaning blade 130 is widely used because it has advantages such as the blade member 132 being less likely to peel off than the adhesive-type tallying blade (see, for example, JP-A-2004-133261 (No. (See page 3, Figure 3-4)). When replacing the mold-integrated cleaning blade 130 with a new cleaning blade, the mold-integrated cleaning blade 130 can be easily placed in an appropriate position. Has the following problems. The die-integrated type cleaning blade 130 has a higher manufacturing cost than the adhesive-type cleaning blade because a die is necessary for the production of the blade member 132. In addition, since the shape and dimensions of the cleaning blade vary depending on the model of the image forming apparatus, it is difficult to manufacture and replace a cleaning blade suitable for each model. Therefore, an adhesive type cleaning blade is used as a replacement cleaning blade.

When an adhesive type cleaning blade is used, if the blade support member has a flat plate shape, the position of the blade member changes when the die-integrated type cleaning blade is attached to the cartridge. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 25, a blade support member 141 is bent to form a stepped portion 143, and a cleaning blade 140 having a blade member 142 attached to the stepped portion 143 is used!

In the cleaning blade 140 in which the blade member 142 is attached to the stepped portion 143 of the blade support member 141, the position of the blade member 142 is adjusted according to the level of the stepped portion 143. Therefore, an error occurs in the level of the stepped portion 143. Then, the blade member 142 cannot be disposed at an appropriate position, and an error occurs in the mounting position. Further, since the blade member 142 is disposed on the same side as the photoconductor 134 with respect to the blade support member 141, the thickness of the blade member 142 and the thickness of the adhesive layer that bonds the blade member 142 and the blade support member 141 together. If an error occurs, the mounting position of the blade member 142 will deviate properly. The Further, since the cleaning blade 140 is attached to the blade attachment portion 133 of the cartridge in a state where the surface portion of the blade support member 141 opposite to the side supporting the blade member 142 is in contact, the parallelism of the blade support member 141 is low. As a result, the mounting position of the blade member 142 is also displaced by an appropriate position force. Even if an error occurs in the thickness of the blade support member 141, the attachment position of the blade member 142 is displaced.

In addition, if the material of the cleaning blade and the blade member 142 are different from those installed in the cartridge before replacement, even if the blade member 142 can be placed at the same position as the blade member mounted before replacement, When the blade member 142 is brought into contact, the manner in which the blade member 142 falls may change. When the cleaning blade is replaced, the photoconductor 134 is also replaced with a new one. Therefore, the positional relationship between the photoconductor 134 and the blade member 142 that was mounted before the replacement is changed. It is not always the best position relationship.

The attachment position of the blade member 142 is particularly problematic when a small particle size toner having a volume average particle size of about 10 m or less is used for the purpose of high image quality. The small particle size toner has a smaller frictional force from the blade member 142 and the photoreceptor 134 than the large particle size toner having a volume average particle size exceeding 10 m. Therefore, when a small particle size toner is used, if the blade member 142 is poorly mounted and the blade member 142 is not placed at an appropriate position, the toner will pass through the edge of the blade member 142 and the thickness of the blade member 142 will be reduced. A so-called toner slipping phenomenon occurs that adheres to the surface portion on the side close to the photoreceptor 134 of the surface portion on one side in the direction. In order to prevent this toner slipping phenomenon, when a small particle size toner is used, it is required to further increase the mounting accuracy of the blade member.

As described above, in the cleaning blade 140 in which the blade member 142 is attached to the step portion 143 of the blade support member 141, the mounting position of the blade member 142 depends on the difference in the size of the step portion 143 and the thickness of the blade member 142. Appropriate positioning force will shift and mounting accuracy will soon be low. Therefore, sufficient cleaning performance cannot be exhibited. In particular, when a small particle size toner is used, the toner slip-through phenomenon cannot be prevented and the image quality is deteriorated. Disclosure of the invention

An object of the present invention is to provide a cleaning blade capable of attaching a blade member with high accuracy, a method for manufacturing the same, a mounting method and a positioning device for the cleaning blade, and a cartridge equipped with the cleaning blade. The present invention is applied to an image forming apparatus that develops a latent image formed on an image carrier with a developer containing toner to form a toner image, and transfers the toner image to a recording medium to form an image. A cleaning blade that is attached to a blade mounting portion of a cartridge that can be provided and cleans the image carrier by bringing the blade member into contact with the image carrier, the blade member;

A blade support member that supports the blade member on the surface portion facing the blade mounting portion, and protrudes to the side of the blade support member facing the blade mounting portion, and is interposed between the blade mounting portion and the blade support member. And a defining member that defines at least one of the posture of the blade support member and the interval between the blade support member and the blade mounting portion.

According to the invention, the cleaning blade includes the blade member and the defining member on the side of the blade support member facing the blade mounting portion of the cartridge. The defining member is interposed between the blade mounting portion and the blade supporting member, thereby defining at least one of the attitude of the blade supporting member and the distance between the blade supporting member and the blade mounting portion. Thereby, the position and posture of the blade member with respect to the image carrier can be defined. At this time, for example, it is not necessary to form a stepped portion on the blade support member as in the prior art, so that the influence of the dimensional error of the stepped portion on the mounting position of the blade member can be eliminated. Further, since the blade member is provided on the surface portion of the blade support member facing the blade attachment portion, the influence of the parallelism and thickness dimension error of the blade support member on the attachment position of the blade member can be eliminated. Further, by attaching the blade member to the blade mounting portion so that the blade member is opposite to the image carrier with respect to the blade support member, it is possible to eliminate the influence of the error in the thickness dimension of the blade member. Thus, the blade member is formed on the stepped portion formed on the blade support member. Compared to the conventional cleaning blade, the influence of the error on the mounting position of the blade member is small, so the blade member is accurately placed in a position suitable for cleaning by removing toner from the image carrier. Can be installed. It can also be installed easily. In addition, since the blade member can be attached with high accuracy as described above, the toner slipping phenomenon can be prevented and the image quality can be prevented from being deteriorated particularly when a small particle size toner is used.

In the present invention, the defining member is a spacer.

According to the present invention, since the defining member is a spacer, it can be accurately formed into a desired shape. Accordingly, since at least one of the attitude of the blade support member and the interval between the blade support member and the blade attachment portion can be defined with higher accuracy, the attachment accuracy of the blade member can be improved.

In the present invention, the spacer is formed such that the surface portion on the side attached to the blade attachment portion is separated from the blade support member force or close to the blade support member as it approaches the blade member.

According to the present invention, the spacer is formed such that the surface portion on the side attached to the blade attachment portion is separated from the blade support member force or closer to the blade support member as it approaches the blade member. As a result, the blade support member can be attached to the blade attachment portion while being inclined, so that the posture of the blade support member can be defined with higher accuracy. Therefore, the mounting accuracy of the blade member can be further improved.

In the present invention, the defining member is a protrusion formed integrally with the blade support member by perforating the plate-like member forming the blade support member so as to protrude to a predetermined side so as to face the blade mounting portion. It is a part.

According to the present invention, the defining member is a protrusion formed integrally with the blade support member by perforating the plate-like member forming the blade support member so as to protrude to a predetermined side so as to face the blade mounting portion. It is. By forming the defining member integrally with the blade support member, the cleaning blade can be more easily attached to the blade attachment portion. Also, since the defining member can be formed more easily, tally The manufacturing cost of the blade can be reduced.

In the present invention, the protruding portion is formed in a cylindrical shape,

The opening end of the protruding portion is formed so as to be separated from the blade support member force or close to the blade support member as the blade member is approached.

According to the present invention, the opening end portion of the cylindrical projecting portion which is the defining member is formed so as to be separated from the blade support member force or close to the blade support member as the blade member is approached. As a result, the blade support member can be attached to be inclined with respect to the blade attachment portion, so that the posture of the blade support member can be defined more accurately. Therefore, the blade member can be attached with higher accuracy.

The present invention is further characterized by further comprising posture adjusting means for adjusting the posture of the blade support member.

According to the present invention, since the posture adjusting means is further provided, the posture of the blade support member can be more reliably adjusted to a predetermined posture by the posture adjusting means when attached to the blade mounting portion. Therefore, the mounting accuracy of the blade member can be further improved.

Further, in the present invention, the edge force on the side of the blade member attached to the blade support member in the direction parallel to the reference surface to which the cleaning blade of the blade attachment portion should be attached is brought into contact with the image carrier. It further comprises parallel position defining means for defining the position of the blade support member in the direction facing the end on the side.

According to the present invention, since the parallel position defining means is further provided, the blade is in contact with the image carrier from the end of the blade member on the side attached to the blade support member in the direction parallel to the reference surface. The position of the blade support member in the direction facing the end on the other side can be defined by the parallel position defining means. Therefore, the mounting accuracy of the blade member can be further improved.

The present invention is also detachable from an image forming apparatus for developing a latent image formed on an image carrier with a developer containing toner to form a toner image, and transferring the toner image to a recording medium to form an image. The cleaning blade is attached to the blade mounting portion of the cartridge provided in the cartridge and cleans the image carrier by bringing the blade member into contact with the image carrier. Manufacturing method,

A step of attaching a blade member to a surface portion of the blade support member on a predetermined side to face the blade mounting portion;

And a step of providing a spacer so as to protrude from the surface portion of the blade support member on the side to which the blade member is affixed.

According to the present invention, the blade member is attached to the surface portion of the blade support member that is predetermined to face the blade mounting portion, and protrudes from the surface portion of the blade support member to which the blade member is attached. A cleaning blade is manufactured by providing a spacer. Accordingly, the blade support member is provided with the blade member and the spacer on the side facing the blade mounting portion of the cartridge, and the spacer is interposed between the blade mounting portion and the blade supporting member to support the blade. A cleaning blade capable of defining at least one of the posture of the member and the distance between the blade support member and the blade mounting portion can be obtained. In such a cleaning blade, since the position and posture of the blade member with respect to the image carrier can be defined by the spacer, the blade member is placed in a position suitable for cleaning by removing toner from the image carrier. It can be installed with high accuracy.

The present invention is also detachable from an image forming apparatus for developing a latent image formed on an image carrier with a developer containing toner to form a toner image, and transferring the toner image to a recording medium to form an image. A cleaning blade manufacturing method for cleaning an image carrier by attaching the blade member to the image carrier to be attached to a blade attachment portion of a cartridge provided in

Perforating a plate-like member so as to protrude to a predetermined side so as to face the blade mounting portion, and manufacturing a blade support member formed with a protruding portion; and a step of forming the protruding portion of the blade support member on the side where the protruding portion is formed And a step of affixing a blade member on the surface portion.

According to the present invention, a blade support member having a protrusion is formed by punching a plate-like member so as to protrude to a predetermined side so as to face the blade mounting portion. A cleaning blade is manufactured by sticking the blade member to the surface portion of the side of the support member on which the protruding portion is formed. As a result, the blade support member has a blade member on the side facing the blade mounting portion of the cartridge and has a protruding portion, and the protruding portion is interposed between the blade mounting portion and the blade supporting member. A cleaning blade that can define at least one of the attitude of the blade support member and the distance between the blade support member and the blade mounting portion can be obtained. In such a cleaning blade, since the position and posture of the blade member with respect to the image carrier can be defined by the protruding portion, the blade member is placed at a position suitable for cleaning by removing the image carrier force toner. Can be installed with high accuracy.

The present invention also provides a cleaning blade mounting method for mounting the cleaning blade of the present invention on a blade mounting portion of a cartridge.

The angle formed between the surface of the blade member that is attached to the blade support member and the surface of the image carrier on which the blade member abuts is a predetermined angle, and the reference surface on which the cleaning blade of the blade mounting portion is to be mounted A defining step that regulates the attitude of the blade support member and the distance from the blade mounting portion so that the position of the blade member in a direction perpendicular to the blade is a predetermined position;

And a mounting step of mounting the cleaning blade with a defining member interposed between the blade mounting portion and the blade support member.

According to the present invention, in the cleaning blade, the angle formed between the surface of the blade member that is attached to the blade support member and the surface that contacts the blade member of the image carrier is a predetermined angle, and the blade The blade support member posture and the distance between the blade support member and the blade mounting portion are regulated so that the position of the blade member in the direction perpendicular to the reference plane of the mounting portion is a predetermined position. It is done. As a result, the influence of the error on the mounting position of the blade member can be reduced as compared with the conventional cleaning blade in which the blade member is attached to the step portion formed on the blade support member. Therefore, the blade member can be accurately and easily attached to a position suitable for removing the toner from the image carrier and cleaning it. In the present invention, the cleaning blade is the cleaning blade of the present invention,

The defining step includes

Preparing a plurality of spacers having different angles and thicknesses between a surface to be attached to the blade mounting portion and a surface on the blade support member; and

The reference surface on which the cleaning blade of the blade mounting portion is to be mounted while the angle formed by the surface of the blade member on the blade support member and the surface of the image carrier is a predetermined angle from the plurality of spacers. And a step of selecting a spacer so that the position of the blade member in a direction perpendicular to the predetermined position is a predetermined position.

According to the present invention, in the defining step, the blade support member of the blade member is changed from a plurality of spacers having different angles and thicknesses between the surface attached to the blade attachment portion and the surface on the blade support member side. The spacer is formed so that the angle between the surface to be pasted and the surface of the image carrier becomes a predetermined angle, and the position of the blade member in the direction perpendicular to the reference surface of the blade mounting portion is a predetermined position. Select. Thus, the posture of the blade support member and the distance between the blade support member and the blade mounting portion can be easily defined. Therefore, the blade member can be easily and accurately attached at a position suitable for removing the toner from the image carrier and cleaning it. In the present invention, the cleaning blade is the cleaning blade of the present invention,

The defining step includes

Preparing a plurality of cleaning blades having different heights between the projecting portions of the blade support member and the angle between the end surface of the projecting portion and a virtual plane including a surface portion supporting the blade member;

The angle between the surface of the plurality of cleaning blades to be attached to the blade support member and the surface of the image carrier is a predetermined angle, and a reference on which the blade of the blade mounting portion is to be mounted. Select the cleaning blade so that the position of the blade member in the direction perpendicular to the surface is a predetermined position. Comprising the steps of:

According to the present invention, in the defining step, the blade member includes a plurality of cleaning blades having different heights of the projecting portions of the blade support member and different angles between the end surfaces of the projecting portions and the virtual plane including the surface portion supporting the blade member. The angle between the surface to be attached to the blade support member and the surface of the image carrier is a predetermined angle, and the position of the blade member in the direction perpendicular to the reference surface of the blade mounting portion is a predetermined position. So that the cleaning blade is selected. As a result, the cleaning blade can be more easily attached to the blade attachment portion. Therefore, the blade member can be easily and accurately attached at a position suitable for removing the image carrier strength toner and cleaning it.

In the present invention, the cleaning blade is the cleaning blade of the present invention,

Between the specified step and the mounting step,

The blade member in the direction parallel to the reference plane of the blade mounting portion and in the direction facing the end of the blade member that is in contact with the image bearing member. The method further includes the step of defining the position of the blade support member in the direction by the parallel position defining means so that the position of the position becomes a predetermined position.

According to the present invention, the cleaning blade is in a direction parallel to the reference plane of the blade mounting portion, and the end portion of the blade member that is in contact with the image carrier from the end portion that is attached to the blade support member. The position of the blade support member is further defined by the parallel position defining means so that the position of the blade member in the direction to face is a predetermined position. Thereby, the attachment accuracy of the blade member can be further improved.

Further, the present invention is a cleaning blade positioning device for determining a mounting position of the cleaning blade of the present invention to a blade mounting portion of a cartridge,

Holding means for holding the blade mounting portion and the cleaning blade;

Position of the cleaning blade blade member held by the holding means in the first direction and the first reference for positioning the cleaning blade in the first direction First position detecting means for detecting a position;

Second position detecting means for detecting a position of the cleaning blade held by the holding means in a second direction substantially perpendicular to the first direction and a second reference position serving as a reference for positioning the cleaning blade in the second direction. When,

The position in the first direction and the first reference position of the blade member detected by the first position detection means, and the position in the second direction of the blade member and the second reference position detected by the second position detection means are output. Output means;

By moving the cleaning blade held by the holding means, the distance between the position of the blade member in the first direction and the first reference position, and the distance between the position of the blade member in the second direction and the second reference position are set. A cleaning blade positioning device comprising: an interval adjusting means for adjusting.

According to the present invention, the blade mounting portion and the cleaning blade are held by the holding means, the position of the blade member of the cleaning blade in the first direction and the first reference position are detected by the first position detecting means, and the second position detection is performed. By the means, the position of the blade member of the tally blade in the second direction and the second reference position are detected. The position in the first direction and the first reference position of the blade member detected by the first position detection means, and the position in the second direction and the second reference position of the blade member detected by the second position detection means are output. Output by means. Thus, for example, the operator can recognize the distance between the position of the blade member in the first direction and the first reference position, and the distance between the position of the blade member in the second direction and the second reference position. . The distance between the position of the blade member in the first direction and the first reference position, and the distance between the position of the blade member in the second direction and the second reference position are adjusted by moving the cleaning blade by the distance adjusting means. Is done. Accordingly, for example, the operator moves the cleaning blade by the interval adjusting unit based on the output result of the output unit, thereby the interval between the position of the blade member in the first direction and the first reference position, and the blade. The distance between the position of the member in the second direction and the second reference position can be adjusted. Therefore, position the cleaning blade so that the blade member is positioned at a position suitable for removing the toner and cleaning the image carrier force. Therefore, the blade member can be attached with high accuracy.

The present invention also provides a cartridge detachably provided in the image forming apparatus, the image carrier,

A housing that houses the image carrier;

And a cleaning blade according to the present invention attached to a blade attaching portion of the Uzing.

According to the present invention, the cartridge includes an image carrier, a housing that houses the image carrier, and the cleaning blade of the present invention that is attached to a blade attachment portion of the housing. In the cleaning blade of the present invention, the regulating member is interposed between the blade mounting portion and the blade supporting member, thereby defining at least one of the posture of the blade supporting member and the distance from the blade mounting portion. To do. As a result, the influence of the error on the mounting position of the blade member can be reduced compared to the conventional cleaning blade in which the blade member is attached to the step portion formed on the blade supporting member. A cartridge can be obtained in which the blade member is accurately mounted at a position suitable for removing the toner from the image carrier and cleaning it.

Brief Description of Drawings

Objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description and drawings.

FIG. 1 is a sectional view schematically showing the configuration of a cleaning blade 1 according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a side view of the cleaning blade 1 shown in FIG.

3A is a front view of the cleaning blade 1 shown in FIG. 1, FIG. 3B is a rear view of the tarting blade 1 shown in FIG. 1, and FIG. 3C is a plan view of the cleaning blade 1 shown in FIG. .

FIG. 4 is a sectional view schematically showing the configuration of the cartridge 10 according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing the configuration of the spacer 31 whose mounting side surface is inclined with respect to the holder side surface. FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram schematically showing the configuration of a positioning device 40 according to the third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a side view showing the configuration of the attachment adjusting portion 41 provided in the positioning device 40. As shown in FIG. FIG. 8 is a front view showing the configuration of the attachment adjusting portion 41.

FIG. 9 is a plan view showing the configuration of the attachment adjusting portion 41. As shown in FIG.

FIG. 10 is a front view schematically showing the configuration of the original device 45 provided in the positioning device 40 shown in FIG.

FIG. 11 is an enlarged side view showing an enlarged portion of the first knife 81 and the second knife 82 of the prototype 45 shown in FIG.

FIG. 12 is a diagram schematically showing how the position of the cleaning blade 1 is adjusted in a direction parallel to the reference surface of the blade mounting portion 29. FIG.

FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing a procedure of a method for attaching the cleaning blade 1 according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 14 is a front view schematically showing the configuration of the cleaning blade 100 according to the fifth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 15 is a sectional view schematically showing the configuration of the cleaning blade 110 according to the sixth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 16 is a side view of the cleaning blade 110 shown in FIG.

17A is a front view of the cleaning blade 110 shown in FIG. 15, FIG. 17B is a rear view of the cleaning blade 110 shown in FIG. 15, and FIG. 17C is a plan view of the cleaning blade 110 shown in FIG.

FIG. 18 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing the configuration of the cartridge 116 according to the seventh embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 19 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing the configuration of the protruding portion 118 that is inclined with respect to the virtual plane including the surface portion that supports the blade member 2 of the blade holder 112.

FIG. 20 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing the configuration of the cleaning blade 120 according to the eighth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 21 is a perspective view showing an observation part of the blade member 2 in evaluation 2. FIG. 22A and 22B are diagrams schematically showing the state of the blade member 2 of Example 3 and Comparative Example 2 after the printing test.

FIG. 23A and FIG. 23B are perspective views showing a contact portion of the blade member 2 of Example 3 and Comparative Example 2 with the photosensitive drum.

FIG. 24 is a cross-sectional view showing a simplified configuration of a mold-integrated type cleaning blade 130.

FIG. 25 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing the configuration of the cleaning blade 140 according to the prior art.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a sectional view schematically showing the configuration of a cleaning blade 1 according to a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a side view of the cleaning blade 1 shown in FIG. 3A is a front view of the cleaning blade 1 shown in FIG. 1, FIG. 3B is a rear view of the cleaning blade 1 shown in FIG. 1, and FIG. 3C is a plan view of the cleaning blade 1 shown in FIG.

. FIG. 1 is a virtual plane perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the cleaning blade 1 and corresponds to a cross-sectional view in the virtual plane including the cutting plane line I I of the cleaning blade 1 shown in FIG. 3A. FIG. 2 corresponds to a right side view of the cleaning blade 1. In FIG. 1, FIG. 2 and FIGS. 3A to 3C, a part of the thickness is omitted for easy understanding. The cleaning blade 1 of the present embodiment is particularly suitable when a small particle size toner having a volume average particle size of about 10 m or less is used.

The cleaning blade 1 generally includes a blade member 2, a blade holder 3 that is a blade support member that supports the blade member 2, and a spacer 4 that is a defining member.

The blade member 2 has a belt-like flat plate shape, and has a rectangular cross-sectional shape in a virtual plane perpendicular to the thickness direction. In a cartridge 10 shown in FIG. 4 to be described later, the blade member 2 is arranged so that its longitudinal direction is parallel to the axial direction of a cylindrical photosensitive drum 11 that is an image carrier. The blade member 2 is formed of an elastic material such as urethane rubber such as thermosetting polyurethane or silicone rubber, for example. Blade member 2 For example, it is affixed to the blade holder 3 with an adhesive. Examples of adhesives include hot melt adhesives such as polyurethane (abbreviated PUR) adhesives, ethylene acetate butyl copolymer (abbreviated EVA) adhesives, and polyamide (abbreviated PA) adhesives. Among these, PUR adhesive is preferable.

In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4 described later, the blade member 2 is provided on the opposite side of the photosensitive drum 11 with respect to the blade holder 3, and is upstream of the rotational direction of the photosensitive drum 11 with respect to the blade holder 3. Placed in. When arranged in this way, the blade member 2 is provided on the same side as the photosensitive drum 11 with respect to the blade holder 3 and is arranged downstream of the blade holder 3 in the rotation direction of the photosensitive drum 11. Compared with the photosensitive drum 11, the blade holder 3 is easily peeled off. Therefore, it is necessary to increase the adhesive force between the blade member 2 and the blade holder 3. As described above, by using the PUR adhesive as the adhesive, it is possible to suppress the peeling of the blade member 2 from the blade holder 3 and to improve the durability of the taring blade 1.

Further, the surface portion of the blade holder 3 on the side where the blade member 2 is attached is preferably subjected to a primer treatment. By performing the primer treatment, it is possible to improve the adhesive force between the blade holder 3 and the adhesive, so that the peeling of the blade member 2 from the blade holder 3 can be more reliably suppressed. The primer treatment of the blade holder 3 is performed, for example, by applying a primer to the surface portion of the blade holder 3 on the side where the blade member 2 is attached. Examples of the primer application method include dating for immersing the blade holder 3 in a tank in which the primer is stored and applying the primer. The primer is not limited to datebing, and may be applied to the blade holder 3 by, for example, a brush or a spray. Examples of the primer include a phenol-based primer and a silane coupling agent-based primer.

The blade holder 3 has a flat plate shape. The blade holder 3 is provided so as to extend in the longitudinal direction of the blade member 2, and supports the blade member 2 on a surface portion on one side in the thickness direction. A holder side screw hole 3a through which a mounting screw 30 (to be described later) for screwing to the blade mounting portion 29 of the cartridge 10 is inserted is formed in a portion near both ends in the longitudinal direction of the blade holder 3. . The blade holder 3 holds the blade member 2 in the short direction. The end opposite to the supporting side is bent to form a bent portion 7. The bent portion 7 is formed so as to correspond to the shape of the housing 15 of the cartridge 10. In the present embodiment, the bent portion 7 is formed to be bent at approximately 90 °, and the blade holder 3 is L-shaped. The blade holder 3 is realized by a plate having a rigid material force such as a surface-treated steel plate, a stainless steel plate, an iron plate, or a copper plate.

In the present embodiment, both end portions in the longitudinal direction of the blade holder 3 are notched, and notched portions 8 are formed. The notch portion 8a includes a first notch portion 8a to be engaged with an engaging portion 9 of a spacer 4 to be described later, and an end opposite to the side on which the blade member 2 is pasted in the short direction of the blade holder 3. And a second notch portion 8b formed in the portion. The first notch 8a and the second notch 8b are formed to extend in the short direction of the blade holder 3 so as to correspond to the shape of the positioning projection provided on the housing 15 of the cartridge 10. More specifically, the first notch 8a and the second notch 8b are each a notch width force, which is a width dimension in the short direction of the blade holder 3, and the width of the positioning projection provided on the housing 15. It is formed larger than the dimension. The first notch portion 8a and the second notch portion 8b prevent the blade holder 3 from moving in the longitudinal direction and allow movement in the short direction. The positioning projection provided on the housing 15 is passed through the first notch 8a and the second notch 8b.

The blade holder 3 is moved in the short direction, and the blade holder 3 is adjusted and fixed in the direction parallel to the reference surface of the blade mounting portion 29, which is the short direction, so that the reference surface of the blade mounting portion 29 is fixed. By adjusting the position of the blade edge 2a of the blade member 2 in the direction parallel to the blade member 2, the amount of the blade member 2 entering the photosensitive drum 11 can be adjusted. Thereby, the position of the blade edge portion 2a in the direction parallel to the reference plane of the blade mounting portion 29 can be adjusted more easily. Thus, the first notch 8a and the second notch 8 are in a direction parallel to the reference plane of the blade attachment 29 and from the end of the blade member 2 on the side attached to the blade holder 3. A direction in the direction toward the end on the side in contact with the photosensitive drum 11, that is, a position in the short direction of the blade holder 3 is defined. The first notch 8a and the second notch 8b constitute a parallel position defining means. The spacer 4 is provided on the surface portion on one side in the thickness direction of the blade holder 3. More specifically, the spacers 4 are provided at both longitudinal ends of the blade holder 3. The spacer 4 has a flat plate shape. In the present embodiment, the spacer 4 is formed to have a uniform thickness, and the surface on the side attached to the blade attachment portion 29 and the surface on the side supported by the blade holder 3 are parallel. The thickness dimension of the spacer 4 is, for example, 2 mm. The spacer 4 is formed with a spacer-side screw hole 4a through which a screw for screwing to the blade mounting portion 29 is inserted so as to communicate with the holder-side screw hole 3a.

The spacer 4 is notched so as to correspond to the notch 8 of the blade holder 3. The spacer 4 has a pair of engaging portions 9 protruding to the side supported by the blade holder 3 so as to be engaged with the first notch portion 8a of the blade holder 3. The engaging portion 9 has a long portion 9a at the free end portion, a width dimension in a direction perpendicular to the thickness direction is shorter than the long portion 9a, and a step portion 9b at the base end portion. The length dimension of the step 9b is slightly larger than the thickness dimension of the blade holder 3. For example, when the thickness dimension of the blade holder 3 is about 1.2 mm, the length dimension of the stepped portion 9b is about 1.25 mm.

The pair of stepped portions 9b are formed such that the distance between the surfaces in contact with the first notch 8a of the blade holder 3 is substantially equal to the notch width of the first notch 8a in the short direction of the blade holder 3. Is done. The pair of long portions 9a is formed such that the distance between the surfaces connected to the surface of the step portion 9b that contacts the first notch portion 8a is larger than the notch width of the first notch portion 8a. . In the spacer 4, the engaging portion 9 is inserted into the first notch portion 8 a of the blade holder 3, and the long portion 9 a protrudes to the other side in the thickness direction of the blade holder 3 and engages with the blade holder 3. Fixed to.

The spacer 4 is formed of a material having a degree of elasticity that is not deformed when screwed to the blade mounting portion 29 with a mounting screw 30 described later. Examples of the material for forming the spacer 4 include acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (abbreviated as ABS) and polystyrene resin, as well as surface-treated steel sheets, aluminum sheets, and stainless steel sheets. A metal plate etc. are mentioned. For example, in the case of forming with a resin, the spacer 4 can be formed by injection molding or the like. In addition, when formed of a metal plate, the spacer 4 is formed by punching, for example. It can be done.

For example, after the blade member 2 is pasted on the surface portion of the blade holder 3 facing the blade mounting portion 29 on the predetermined side, the surface of the blade holder 3 on the side where the blade member 2 is pasted. Manufactured by providing spacers 4 so as to protrude from the section.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view schematically showing the configuration of the cartridge 10 according to the second embodiment of the present invention. In Figure 4, the toner is shown enlarged for ease of understanding. The cartridge 10 includes a photosensitive drum 11 that is an image carrier, a taring device 12 that includes the cleaning blade 1 described above, a charging device 13 that is a charging unit that charges the photosensitive drum 11, and a photosensitive member. The developing device 14 is a developing unit that develops an electrostatic latent image formed on the drum 11, and includes a photosensitive drum 11, a cleaning device 12, a charging device 13, and a housing 15 that houses the developing device 14. The The cleaning device 12, the charging device 13, and the developing device 14 are arranged in this order from the upstream side to the downstream side in the rotation direction of the photosensitive drum 11. In this embodiment, the cartridge 10 is repeatedly used for image formation, and then the deteriorated parts such as the photosensitive drum and the cleaning blade are removed to clean the housing 15, and the cleaned housing 15 is replaced with a new photosensitive drum. 11 and cleaning blade 1 etc. are installed cartridges. More specifically, the cartridge 10 of this embodiment is a cartridge replaced with the cleaning blade 1 of the first embodiment in which the mold-integrated type cleaning blade 130 shown in FIG. 24 is used. The photosensitive drum 11 has a cylindrical shape. The photosensitive drum 11 is formed, for example, by providing a photosensitive layer formed by binding a photoconductive material with a binder on the outer peripheral surface portion of a cylindrical conductive support. In this embodiment, the photosensitive drum 11 is supported by the housing 15 so as to be rotatable about the axis 1 la via the shaft member l ib and is driven to rotate in the clockwise direction indicated by the arrow 16.

The cartridge 10 further includes a drum shirt 17 that covers and protects the photosensitive drum 11 when the cartridge 10 is not attached to the image forming apparatus. The drum shirt 17 exposes the photosensitive drum 11 as shown in FIG. 4 when the cartridge 10 is mounted on the image forming apparatus, and the photosensitive drum 11 when the cartridge 10 is not mounted on the image forming apparatus. 1 Angular displacement drive is performed to cover 1.

The charging device 13 is a charging roller 13 in the present embodiment, and charges the photosensitive drum 11 while being in contact with the photosensitive drum 11. The charging roller 13 has a cylindrical shape, is rotatably supported around an axis, and is driven to rotate in the counterclockwise direction indicated by an arrow 18. In the present embodiment, the developing device 14 develops the electrostatic latent image with a one-component developer made of toner. The developing device 14 includes a toner hopper 19 that is a container for storing toner, an agitator 20 that is a stirring means for stirring the toner stored in the toner hopper 19, and a toner that is a one-component developer in the photosensitive drum 11. A developing roller 21 for supplying toner, and a toner conveying roller 22 for conveying toner to the developing roller 21. The developing roller 21 has a cylindrical shape, is rotatably supported around the axis, and is driven to rotate in a counterclockwise direction indicated by an arrow 23. The developing roller 21 is disposed so as to contact the photosensitive drum 11. The developing device 14 includes a regulating blade 24 that is provided so as to contact the developing roller 21 and regulates the amount of toner transported to the photosensitive drum 11. The regulating blade 24 is supported by the housing 15 via the support plate 25. A seal blade 26 is provided at the opening of the housing 15 to prevent toner leakage from the gap with the developing roller 21. The cleaning device 12 includes the cleaning blade 1 described above and a waste toner button 27 that is a storage container for storing toner removed from the photosensitive drum 11 by the cleaning blade 1. A recovery blade 28 for preventing the toner collected in the waste toner box 27 from reattaching to the photosensitive drum 11 is provided at the opening of the housing 15. The cleaning blade 1 is fixed to a blade mounting portion 29 provided in the housing 15 by mounting screws 30 such as screw screws. The blade mounting portion 29 is configured to be detachable from the housing 15.

A cushion member 32 is interposed between the bent portion 7 of the blade holder 3 which is one end portion in the short direction of the cleaning blade 1 and the housing 15. As a result, the cleaning blade 1 is allowed to move in a direction parallel to a reference surface, which will be described later, of the blade mounting portion 29. The cushion member 32 is formed of, for example, polyurethane foam. The blade member 2 is provided on the side opposite to the photosensitive drum 11 with respect to the blade holder 3. The blade member 2 is supported by the blade holder 3, and is attached to the photosensitive drum 11 at the free end. An edge portion (hereinafter also referred to as a blade edge portion) 2a that is an end portion on the near side is brought into contact with the outer peripheral surface portion of the photosensitive drum 11 spontaneously.

The cleaning device 12 removes the toner remaining on the photosensitive drum 11 after the toner image is transferred to the recording medium by a transfer device (not shown) by bringing the blade member 2 of the cleaning blade 1 into contact with the photosensitive drum 11. Collect in waste toner box 27. As a result, the photosensitive drum 11 is cleaned and can be used repeatedly. The photosensitive drum 11 is repeatedly cleaned by the cleaning blade 1 as it is driven to rotate in the direction of the arrow 16, so that it can be used repeatedly and continuously.

The cleaning blade 1 is attached to the housing 15 prior to the attachment of the photosensitive drum 11 to the housing 15. When the cleaning blade 1 is attached, when the photosensitive drum 11 is attached, the edge portion 2a of the blade member 2 contacts the predetermined position 90 of the outer peripheral surface portion of the photosensitive drum 11, and the blade holder of the blade member 2 The angle formed between the surface supported by 3 and the tangent 90a at the position 90 where the edge 2a of the photosensitive drum 11 abuts (hereinafter referred to as the abutting angle between the blade member and the photosensitive drum). The position and posture of the blade member 2 are adjusted so that the angle is determined.

The cleaning blade 1 is mounted so that the spacer 4 is in contact with the blade mounting portion 29. Thus, the spacer 4 force is interposed between the blade mounting portion 29 and the blade holder 3. The blade mounting portion 29 is placed in an appropriate position and posture by screwing the mounting blade 30 with the cleaning blade 130 of the mold integrated molding type shown in FIG. It is formed as follows. If the spacer 4 is not interposed between the blade mounting portion 29 and the blade holder 3, the blade holder 3 is mounted so as to be in contact with the blade mounting portion 29, so that the blade member 2 has the spacer 4 interposed. As compared with the case where the photoconductor drum 11 is used, it is forced away from the photosensitive drum 11. In this state, the blade member 2 cannot come into contact with the photosensitive drum 11 and the toner cannot be removed from the photosensitive drum 11.

In the present embodiment, since the spacer 4 is interposed between the blade mounting portion 29 and the blade holder 3, the tally blade 1 of the blade mounting portion 29 is adjusted by adjusting the thickness of the spacer 4. In a direction perpendicular to the surface to be mounted (hereinafter referred to as the reference plane) The position of the blade member 2 can be adjusted. Accordingly, the edge portion 2a of the blade member 2 can be easily arranged at the predetermined set contact position 90, compared to the case where the spacer 4 is not interposed between the blade mounting portion 29 and the blade holder 3. Can do.

The posture of the blade member 2 with respect to the photosensitive drum 11 at this time is represented by the contact angle θ 1 between the blade member 2 and the photosensitive drum 11. The contact angle θ 1 is relative to the surface of the spacer 4 on the side supported by the blade holder 3 (hereinafter referred to as the holder-side surface) and the surface attached to the blade mounting portion 29 (hereinafter referred to as the mounting-side surface). It can be adjusted by tilt angle Θ2. The inclination angle Θ 2 of the holder 4 surface of the spacer 4 with respect to the mounting side surface is selected so that the contact angle θ 1 becomes a preset contact angle that is predetermined as a value suitable for toner removal by the blade member 2. The The set contact angle varies depending on the material forming the outer peripheral surface portion of the photosensitive drum 11, the material of the blade member 2, and the like. For example, the cleaning blade 1 is mounted by changing the contact angle Θ1, and the cartridge 10 with the cleaning blade 1 mounted at each contact angle Θ1 is mounted on the image forming apparatus, and sample images are continuously printed on the recording paper. A live-action test is performed. The toner removal performance is evaluated based on the quality of the image formed in this live-action test, the amount of film reduction of the photosensitive drum 11 and the presence or absence of scratches on the outer peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum 11, and for example, Set contact angle Θ1 when there are few image defects such as sweeping unevenness in the image, and there is little film loss on photoconductor drum 11, and there is little scratch on the outer peripheral surface of photoconductor drum 11. Calculate as an angle.

The spacer 4 of the present embodiment is formed to have a uniform thickness, and the inclination angle Θ 2 of the holder-side surface with respect to the attachment-side surface is approximately 0 °. If the contact angle Θ1 does not reach the set contact angle when the cleaning blade 1 is attached with the spacer 4 having such a uniform thickness, the spacer 4 is replaced with the spacer 4 having a uniform thickness. As shown in Fig. 5, use a spacer 31 whose mounting side surface is inclined with respect to the holder side surface. Spacer 31 whose mounting side surface is inclined with respect to the holder side surface, more specifically, the mounting side surface is formed so as to move away from blade holder 3 or approach blade holder 3 as blade member 2 is approached. By using the spacer, the contact angle θ 1 can be easily adjusted to the set contact angle. In FIG. 5, the blade holder 3 as the mounting surface approaches the blade member 2. A spacer 31 formed so as to be separated from is shown.

More specifically, the cleaning blade 1 is attached as follows, for example. A plurality of spacers 4 having different thicknesses and inclination angles Θ 2 of the holder side surface with respect to the mounting side surface are prepared. Among the plurality of spacers 4, the position of the blade member 2 in the direction perpendicular to the reference plane of the blade mounting portion 29 becomes a predetermined position, and the contact angle θ 1 becomes the set contact angle. Select spacer 4. In the present embodiment, the positional force of the blade member 2 in the direction perpendicular to the reference surface of the blade mounting portion 29 when the edge portion 2a of the blade member 2 is positioned at the set contact position 90. This corresponds to a predetermined position of the blade member 2 in the straight direction. Next, the cleaning blade 1 is attached to the blade attachment portion 29 with the selected spacer 4 interposed between the blade attachment portion 29 and the blade holder 3. In this way, by interposing the spacer 4 between the blade mounting portion 29 and the blade holder 3, the spacer 4 is not interposed between the blade mounting portion 29 and the blade holder 3. Thus, the blade member 2 can be reliably disposed at a position and posture suitable for removing the toner from the photosensitive drum 11 and cleaning it. Therefore, the cleaning blade 1 can be attached with high accuracy. In the present embodiment, the cleaning blade 1 has the first notch portion 8a and the second notch portion 8b which are parallel position defining means, so that the position of the blade member 2 in the direction parallel to the reference plane of the blade mounting portion 29 is determined. Can be adjusted. Therefore, the cleaning blade 1 is fixed to the blade attachment portion 29 after being adjusted so that the position of the blade member 2 in a direction parallel to the reference plane of the blade attachment portion 29 is a predetermined position. In this embodiment, the position force of the blade member 2 in the direction parallel to the reference surface of the blade mounting portion 29 when the edge portion 2a of the blade member 2 is positioned at the set contact position 90 is applied to the reference surface of the blade mounting portion 29. This corresponds to a predetermined position of the blade member 2 in the parallel direction.

As described above, in the present embodiment, the spacer 4 is interposed between the blade mounting portion 29 and the blade holder 3, and the position of the blade holder 3 and the distance between the blade holder 3 and the blade mounting portion 29 are out of the range. Since at least one of them is defined, the position and posture of the blade member 2 with respect to the photosensitive drum 11 can be defined. At this time, Figure 2 above Since there is no need to form the stepped portion 143 on the blade support member 141 unlike the cleaning blade 140 shown in FIG. 5, the mounting position of the blade member 2 is prevented from deviating from the set contact position 90 due to the dimensional error of the stepped portion 143. be able to. Further, since the blade member 2 is provided on the surface portion of the blade holder 3 facing the blade mounting portion 29, even if parallelism and thickness dimension errors occur in the blade holder 3, the mounting position of the blade member 2 is not affected. do not do. Further, since the blade member 2 is attached to the blade attachment portion 29 so as to be opposite to the photosensitive drum 11 with respect to the blade holder 3, even if an error occurs in the thickness dimension of the blade member 2, the blade member 2 The mounting position of member 2 is not affected.

As described above, in this embodiment, the blade member 2 is attached more than the conventional cleaning blade 140 in which the blade member 142 is attached to the stepped portion 143 formed in the blade support member 141 as shown in FIG. The influence of the error on the position is small. Therefore, the blade member 2 can be accurately attached at a position suitable for removing the toner from the photosensitive drum 11 and cleaning it. Thus, in this embodiment, since the blade member 2 can be attached with high accuracy, a small particle size toner is used only when a large particle size toner having a volume average particle size exceeding 10 m is used. Even in this case, the toner slip-through phenomenon can be prevented and the image quality can be prevented from deteriorating. As described above, the tail wing blade 1 of the present embodiment is preferable because it can prevent the toner slip-through phenomenon and lower the image quality, particularly when a small-diameter toner is used. Further, since the influence of the error is small, the adjustment at the time of mounting becomes easy, so that the cleaning blade 1 of this embodiment can be easily mounted.

In the present embodiment, the position of the blade member 2 in the direction parallel to the reference plane of the blade mounting portion 29 can be adjusted, so that the edge portion 2a of the blade member 2 is more reliably disposed at the set contact position 90. Therefore, the blade member 2 can be attached to a position suitable for removing the toner from the photosensitive drum 11 and cleaning it with higher accuracy.

When attached to the blade attachment portion 29, the cleaning blade 1 is positioned by, for example, a positioning device 40 shown in FIG. FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram schematically showing the configuration of the positioning device 40 according to the third embodiment of the present invention. The positioning device 40 includes an attachment adjustment unit 41 and an inspection unit 42. The mounting adjustment section 41 is roughly It includes an image unit 43, a second imaging unit 44, an original device 45 that indicates a position serving as a reference for positioning the cleaning blade 1, and a transport unit 46 shown in FIGS. The first imaging unit 43 includes a first camera 47 as first position detection means and a second camera 48 as second position detection means. The second imaging unit 44 includes a third camera 49, which is another first position detection means, and a fourth camera 50, which is another second position detection means. The first imaging unit 43 and the second imaging unit 44 image the cleaning blade 1 and the original device 45. In the present embodiment, the first to fourth cameras 47 to 50 are configured to be capable of imaging with multiple gradations, for example, 256 gradations.

The cleaning blade 1 and the original device 45 are transported by the transport unit 46 to one side of the longitudinal direction of the vertical blade 1 indicated by an arrow 51. In a stationary state where the cleaning blade 1 and the master 45 are not conveyed, the first imaging unit 43 is provided so as to face the other end A in the longitudinal direction of the cleaning blade 1, and the second imaging unit 44 is disposed in the longitudinal direction of the cleaning blade 1. It is provided so as to face one end C in the direction. The other end A in the longitudinal direction of the cleaning blade 1 is imaged by the first imaging unit 43, and the one end C in the longitudinal direction of the cleaning blade 1 is imaged by the second imaging unit 44. An intermediate portion between both end portions A and C in the longitudinal direction of the cleaning blade 1 is imaged by the second imaging unit 44 while the cleaning blade 1 is transported to one longitudinal direction 51.

The inspection unit 42 is based on the processing unit 52 to which image information captured by the first imaging unit 43 and the second imaging unit 44 of the attachment adjustment unit 41 is input, and the image information input to the processing unit 52. A display unit 53 that is an output means for displaying an image, and an inspection table 54 on which the processing unit 52 and the display unit 53 are placed. The processing unit 52 is realized by a central processing unit (abbreviated as CPU). The processing unit 52 controls the operation of the mounting adjustment unit 41 and the display unit 53. In the present embodiment, the display unit 53 is configured to be able to display an image with multiple gradations, for example, 256 gradations. The display unit 53 is realized by, for example, a CRT (Cathode Ray Tube) display.

The images of the cleaning blade 1 and the original device 45 captured by the first imaging unit 43 and the second imaging unit 44 are displayed on the display unit 53. For example, the display unit 53 divides the display screen into the same number as the cameras provided in the first imaging unit 43 and the second imaging unit 44, and images captured by the first imaging unit 43 and the second imaging unit 44 are displayed on one screen. To display. In this embodiment, the first imaging Since the unit 43 and the second imaging unit 44 each include two cameras, the display screen of the display unit 53 is divided into four, and four images are displayed on one screen.

7 is a side view showing the configuration of the mounting adjustment section 41 provided in the positioning device 40, FIG. 8 is a front view showing the configuration of the mounting adjustment section 41, and FIG. 9 is a plan view showing the configuration of the mounting adjustment section 41. It is. In FIG. 9, the second camera 48 and the second support means 58 of the first imaging unit 43 and the third camera 49 and the third support means 59 of the second imaging unit 44 shown in FIGS. Since it becomes difficult to understand due to confusion, the description is omitted. The moving direction 51 of the cleaning blade 1 shown in FIG. 6 corresponds to one of the longitudinal directions of the shaft 66 shown in FIG. The longitudinal direction of the shaft 66 shown in FIG. 9 is defined as the X direction, the thickness direction of the base 56 is defined as the Z direction, and the direction perpendicular to the X direction and the Z direction is defined as the Y direction. In the present embodiment, the Z direction is a direction that coincides with the vertical direction. In each figure, these X, Υ, and Ζ directions are represented by arrows X, Υ, and Ζ. FIG. 7 corresponds to a side view of the mounting adjustment portion 41 as viewed from the other side in the X direction. The attachment adjustment unit 41 includes a first imaging unit 43, a second imaging unit 44, a master 45, a support unit 55, a transport unit 46, a base 56, and a distance adjustment unit 72. In FIG. 8, the interval adjusting means 72 shown in FIG. 7 and FIG. 9 is omitted because it is difficult to understand because the drawings are complicated. The first imaging unit 43 and the second imaging unit 44 are paired and configured to be bilaterally symmetric. The first imaging unit 43 includes a first camera 47, a second camera 48, first support means 57 that supports the first camera 47, and second support means 58 that supports the second camera 48. The first camera 47 is supported by the first support means 57 so as to be movable in the direction in which the optical axis of the lens that is the imaging center extends (hereinafter also referred to as the optical axis direction). The first camera 47 can be focused by moving in the optical axis direction of the lens. The first camera 47 is focused by, for example, imaging the cleaning blade 1 by the first camera 47 and displaying the captured image on the display unit 53 shown in FIG. This can be done by moving the first camera 47 in the direction of the optical axis of the lens so that the image displayed in the section 53 becomes clear. In the present embodiment, the optical axis direction of the lens of the first camera 47 coincides with the heel direction.

Similar to the first camera 47, the second camera 48 is supported by the second support means 58 so as to be movable in the optical axis direction of the lens, and can be focused by moving the lens in the optical axis direction. wear. The second support means 58 is supported by the support portion 55. In the present embodiment, the support surface of the support portion 55 on which the second support means 58 is supported is formed in a tapered shape. Accordingly, the second support means 58 is supported while being inclined with respect to the Y direction, so that the optical axis of the lens, which is the imaging center of the second camera 48, is inclined with respect to the Z direction.

The second imaging unit 44 includes a third camera 49, a fourth camera 50, third support means 59 that supports the third camera 49, and fourth support means 60 that supports the fourth camera 50. Similar to the first force lens 47, the third camera 49 is supported by the third support means 59 so as to be movable in the optical axis direction of the lens, and can be focused by moving the lens in the optical axis direction. Similar to the second camera 48, the fourth camera 50 is supported by the fourth support means 60 so as to be movable in the optical axis direction of the lens, and can be focused by moving the lens in the optical axis direction. The fourth support means 60 is supported by the support portion 55 in the same manner as the second support means 58. In the present embodiment, the fourth support means 60 is supported by the tapered support surface of the support portion 55 in the same manner as the second support means 58, so that the optical axis of the lens that is the imaging center of the fourth camera 50 is Z. Inclined with respect to direction.

The first to fourth cameras 47 to 50 are realized by, for example, a CCD camera including a charge coupled device (abbreviated as CCD). The first to fourth cameras 47 to 50 take images of the first knife 81 and the second knife 82 provided in the blade member 2 of the cleaning blade 1 and the master 45 held by the holding means 65 provided in the moving table 61, Generate an image signal based on the captured image. The image signals generated by the first to fourth cameras 47 to 50 are given to the processing unit 52 shown in FIG. The processing unit 52 drives the display unit 53 so that an image is displayed based on the given image signal. The display unit 53 displays images captured by the first to fourth cameras 47 to 50 based on instructions from the processing unit 52.

More specifically, the processing unit 52 controls the positioning device 40 as follows. In the processing by the processing section 52, the blade mounting section 29 and the cleaning blade 1 temporarily fixed to the blade mounting section 29 are held by the holding means 65 provided on the moving base 61 of the mounting adjustment section 41. For example, the operator Is started by pressing an inspection start button (not shown). The processing unit 52 controls the first imaging unit 43 and the second imaging unit 44 so that the blade member 2 and the original device 45 of the cleaning blade 1 are imaged. The first imaging unit 43 and the second imaging unit 44 take an image of the blade member 2 and the original device 45 based on a command from the processing unit 52, and take an image. An image signal based on the imaged image is generated and output to the processing unit 52. The processing unit 52 controls the display unit 53 to display an image based on the generated image information. The display unit 53 displays images captured by the first imaging unit 43 and the second imaging unit 44 based on instructions from the processing unit 52.

The transport unit 46 includes a moving table 61, a moving table driving unit 62, a transmission unit 63, guide means 64, and holding means 65. The movable table 61 is plate-shaped and has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape. The holding means 65 is provided on the surface portion on one side in the thickness direction of the movable table 61. For example, the holding means 65 has a gripping means (not shown), and holds the blade mounting portion 29 and the master 45 of the cartridge 10 shown in FIG. 4 by gripping with the gripping means. The cleaning blade 1 is held by the holding means 65 via the blade mounting portion 29.

The moving table drive unit 62 drives the moving table 61 to move it in the X direction. The movable table drive unit 62 is realized by a stepping motor, for example. The transmission unit 63 transmits the driving force from the moving table driving unit 62 to the moving table 61. The transmission portion 63 extends in the X direction, and is a so-called ball screw including a shaft 66 spirally engraved with a thread groove and a ball nut (not shown) fitted in the thread groove of the shaft 66, and the longitudinal direction of the shaft 66. And a pair of bearings 67 that support both ends. One end in the longitudinal direction of the shaft 66 of the transmission part 63 is connected to the moving table driving unit 62, and a ball nut fitted in the thread groove of the shaft 66 is connected to the moving table 61.

The guide means 64 includes a moving table support portion 68 that supports the moving table 61, a guide rail 69 that includes the moving table support portion 68, and a rail support portion 70 that supports the guide rail 69. The moving table support portion 68 is configured to be able to be fitted to the guide rail 69. In the present embodiment, the guide rail 69 is a slide guide rail provided extending in the X direction. The rail support portion 70 is provided on the surface portion of the base 56 on one side in the thickness direction.

When the shaft 66 is rotated by the driving force from the moving table drive unit 62, the ball nut fitted in the thread groove of the shaft 66 moves in the X direction, and the moving table 61 is set in the guide means 64 and X Move in the direction. As the moving table 61 moves in the X direction, the cleaning blade 1, the blade mounting portion 29, and the master 45 move in the X direction. In this way, the transport section 46 is arranged in the X direction, which is the longitudinal direction of the shaft 66. Transport appendix 29 and master unit 45.

The distance adjusting means 72 moves the cleaning blade 1 to move the first distance D1, which is the distance between the position in the first direction 84 of the blade member 2 shown in FIG. 11 described later and the first reference position 84a, and the blade member. The second distance D2, which is the distance between the position of 2 in the second direction 85 and the second reference position 85a, is adjusted. In this embodiment, the position of the blade member 2 in the first direction 84 is the position of the edge portion 2a of the blade member 2 in the first direction 84, and the position of the blade member 2 in the second direction 85 is the second position 85. This is the position of the edge portion 2 a of the blade member 2 in the direction 85.

The interval adjusting means 72 is configured to be able to move the cleaning blade 1 held by the holding means 65 in a direction parallel to the reference surface of the blade mounting portion 29. In the present embodiment, the interval adjusting means 72 includes a micrometer head 72a and a holding member (not shown) that holds the micrometer head 72a. In the present embodiment, the micrometer head 72a is operated by an operator. The micrometer head 72a may be driven by driving means controlled by the processing unit 52. By using the micrometer head 72a, the amount of movement of the tail blade 1 can be reduced, so that the first interval D1 and the second interval D2 can be adjusted more easily.

In the present embodiment, two interval adjusting means 72 are provided. One of the two distance adjusting means 72 is provided so as to be in contact with one end in the longitudinal direction of the cleaning blade 1 in the stationary state, and the other is disposed on the other end in the longitudinal direction of the cleaning blade 1 in the stationary state. It is provided to touch. Thus, by providing the two interval adjusting means 72 and moving the tiling blade 1 at both ends to adjust the first interval D1 and the second interval D2, the first interval D1 over the entire longitudinal direction of the cleaning blade 1 is achieved. And the second interval D2 can be adjusted.

The base 56 is plate-shaped and has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape. The first imaging unit 43, the second imaging unit 44, the support unit 55, the transport unit 46, and the guide unit 64 are provided on the surface portion on one side in the thickness direction of the base 56. Legs 71 are provided on the surface of the base 56 on the other side in the thickness direction. The base 56 is installed in the work place via the legs 71.

FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of the master 45 provided in the positioning device 40 shown in FIG. FIG. FIG. 10 corresponds to a view of the prototype 45 viewed from the other side in the Y direction. Figure 10 also shows the cleaning blade 1 together. FIG. 11 is an enlarged side view showing the first knife 81 and the second knife 82 of the prototype 45 shown in FIG. 7 in an enlarged manner. In FIG. 11, only the blade member 2 is shown as the cleaning blade 1. The prototype 45 includes a first knife 81, a second knife 82, and a knife holding member 83 that holds the first knife 81 and the second knife 82. The first knife 81 and the second knife 82 are attached to the knife holding member 83 by, for example, an adhesive.

The first knife 81 and the second knife 82 have a flat plate shape, and a cross-sectional shape on a virtual plane perpendicular to the thickness direction is a rectangular shape. The first knife 81 is provided so as to extend in the X direction so that the longitudinal direction coincides with the X direction. As shown in FIG. 10, the length of the first knife 81 in the longitudinal direction is smaller than the length of the cleaning blade 1 in the longitudinal direction. , C so as to face the middle part. The first knife 81 is an intermediate portion between both end portions in the longitudinal direction, and a portion facing the central portion B between both end portions A and C in the longitudinal direction of the cleaning blade 1 is cut out, so that the cut-out portion 8 la Is formed.

In the present embodiment, three second knives 82 are provided. The three second knives 82 are provided so as to face both end portions A and C in the longitudinal direction of the tally wing blade 1 and a central portion B between both end portions A and C, respectively. Of the second knife 82, the second knife 82a for the other end provided so as to face the other end A in the longitudinal direction of the cleaning blade 1, and one end provided so as to face the one end C in the longitudinal direction of the cleaning blade 1. The second knife for part 82c is exposed at a portion where the first knife 81 is not provided when viewed from the other side in the Y direction. Among the second knives 82, the second knife 82b for the central portion provided so as to face the central portion B between the two end portions A and C in the longitudinal direction of the cleaning blade 1 is viewed from the other side in the Y direction. The first knife 81 is exposed through the notch 81a.

In a stationary state where the cleaning blade 1 and the original device 45 are not conveyed in one of the X directions, the first camera 47 of the first imaging unit 43 shown in FIG. It is provided so as to face the other end portion in the longitudinal direction, and images a portion near the other end portion A in the longitudinal direction of the cleaning blade 1 and the other end portion in the longitudinal direction of the first knife 81. The second camera 48 It is provided so as to face the second knife 82a for the other end, and images the other end A in the longitudinal direction of the cleaning blade 1 and the second knife 82a for the other end.

The third camera 49 of the second imaging unit 44 is provided so as to face one end portion in the longitudinal direction of the first knife 81, the portion near the longitudinal end portion C of the cleaning blade 1 and the one end portion in the longitudinal direction of the first knife 81. Image. The fourth camera 50 is provided so as to face the second knife 82c for one end, and images the one end C in the longitudinal direction of the cleaning blade 1 and the second knife 82c for one end.

The cleaning blade 1 and the original device 45 are imaged by the third force lens 49 and the fourth camera 50 while being conveyed in one direction in the X direction. More specifically, the third camera 49 images the remaining part excluding the notch part 81a in the longitudinal direction of the first nifty 81 and the cleaning blade 1 facing the remaining part. The fourth camera 50 is for the central portion exposed at the notch portion 81a of the first knife 81 when the central portion in the longitudinal direction of the cleaning blade 1 and the original device 45 is conveyed to the position facing the fourth camera 50. The cleaning blade 1 facing the second knife 82b and the central second knife 82b is imaged. As a result, the cleaning blade 1 can be imaged over the entire length.

As shown in FIG. 11, the first knife 81 is provided at a distance D1 from the set contact position 90 described above in a first direction 84 determined in advance. The second knife 82 is generally suspended in the first direction 84.

0

In the second straight direction 85, the distance D2 is provided from the set contact position 90. "First

0

The direction and the second direction are substantially perpendicular ”means that the angle formed by the first direction 84 and the second direction 85 is 0.

12 means 70 degrees or more and 90 degrees or less. In the present embodiment, the angle 0 formed by the first direction 84 and the second direction 85 is about 74 °. The first direction 84 matches the Z direction.

12

The second direction 85 coincides with the direction parallel to the reference plane of the blade mounting portion 29.

A first knife edge portion 81b that is a free end portion of the first knife 81 indicates a first reference position 84a that serves as a reference for positioning the cleaning blade 1 in the first direction 84. A second knife edge portion 82d, which is a free end portion of the second knife 82, indicates a second reference position 85a that serves as a positioning reference in the second direction 85 of the cleaning blade 1.

In the original 45, the first knife 81 has a distance D1 from the set contact position 90 in the first direction 84. The second knife 82 is held by a master holding means (not shown) so as to be spaced from the set contact position 90 in the second direction 85 by a distance D2. First

0

The distance D1 between the first reference position 84a in the direction 84 and the set contact position 90 is, for example, 0.5

0

It is set to mm or more and 0.6 mm or less. The distance D2 between the second reference position 85a and the set contact position 90 in the second direction 85 is set to be not less than 0.7 mm and not more than 0.8 mm, for example.

0

The first camera 47 of the first imaging unit 43 serving as the first position detecting means is arranged so that the optical axis 47a of the lens is perpendicular to the first direction 84. The first camera 47 detects the position of the blade member 2 in the first direction 84 and the first reference position 84a by imaging the blade member 2 and the first niff 81. The second camera 48 of the first imaging unit 43 serving as the second position detecting means is arranged so that the optical axis 48a of the lens is perpendicular to the second direction 85. The second camera 48 detects the position of the blade member 2 in the second direction 85 and the second reference position 85a by imaging the blade member 2 and the second knife 82.

Images captured by the first camera 47 and the second camera 48 are displayed on the display unit 53 shown in FIG. The processing unit 52 binarizes each of the multi-tone images captured by the first camera 47 and the second camera 48 and displays them on the display unit 53 as a binarized image. In the present embodiment, the processing unit 52 obtains a first interval D1 that is an interval between the blade member 2 and the first reference position 84a in the first direction 84 from the image information of the image captured by the first camera 47, and captures the image. The image is displayed on the display unit 53 together with the displayed image. Further, the processing unit 52 obtains the second interval D2 that is the interval between the blade member 2 and the second reference position 85a in the second direction 85 from the image information of the image captured by the second camera 48, and the image is captured. The image is displayed on the display unit 53 together with the image.

In the present embodiment, the cleaning blade 1 is moved by the operator operating the interval adjusting unit 72 based on the image displayed on the display unit 53, and cleaning in a direction parallel to the reference plane of the blade mounting unit 29 is performed. The position of blade 1 is adjusted. More specifically, the cleaning blade 1 includes the first interval D1 within the range defined in advance in the image captured by the first camera 47, and the second interval in the image captured by the second camera 48. It is moved and positioned by the interval adjusting means 72 so that D2 is included in a predetermined range. Thus, the first interval D1 and the second interval D2 are not used. By positioning the cleaning blade 1 in a state that is also included in a predetermined range, the blade edge portion 2a can be more reliably positioned at the set contact position 90.

The predetermined range in which the first interval D1 should be included includes an allowable range that is predetermined based on the interval D1 between the first reference position 84a and the set contact position 90 in the first direction 84.

0

Selected. As described above, the distance D1 is 0.5 mm or more and 0.6 mm or less.

0

In this case, the range of ± 50; ζ ΐη is an allowable range with respect to the interval D1, and the first interval D1 is

0

The predefined range to be included is (D1 — 50); z m or more (D1 + 50) m or less

0 0

Selected for the range. The predetermined range in which the second distance D2 should be included is determined in advance based on the distance D2 between the second reference position 85a and the set contact position 90 in the second direction 85.

0

Is selected within a range that includes the allowable range. As described above, the distance D2 is 0.7 mm or more 0.8.

0

If it is less than or equal to mm, the allowable range is ± 50 m with respect to the distance D2.

0

, The pre-defined range that should include the second interval D2 is (D2−50) m or more (D2 +

0 0

50) Selected in the range of m or less.

Thus, in this embodiment, the blade edge portion 2a is observed from two directions, and the distance between the blade edge portion 2a and the reference positions 84a and 85a in both the first direction 84 and the second direction 85 is Dl, D2. The position of the cleaning blade 1 in the direction parallel to the reference surface of the blade mounting portion 29 is adjusted so that is included in a predetermined range. As a result, the cleaning blade 1 can be more reliably positioned in a state in which the blade edge portion 2a is positioned at the set contact position 90.

FIG. 12 is a diagram schematically showing how the position of the cleaning blade 1 is adjusted in a direction parallel to the reference surface of the blade mounting portion 29. FIG. In FIG. 12, the blade member 2 when the blade edge portion 2a is located at the set contact position 90 is indicated by a two-dot chain line, and the blade member 2 'when the blade edge portion 2a is displaced from the set contact position 90 is shown. Shown in solid line. Based on only the first distance D1, which is the distance between the blade member 2 and the first reference position 84a in the first direction 84, the cleaning blade 1 is adjusted so that the first distance D1 is included in a predetermined range. When the position is adjusted, the blade edge 2a may not be positioned at the set contact position 90. For example, as shown by the solid line, the blade edge 2a If the distance D2 ′ between the blade member 2 ′ and the second reference position 85a in the second direction 85 is not included in the predetermined range, the blade in the first direction 84 The distance D1 ′ between the member 2 ′ and the first reference position 84a may be included within a predetermined range. Therefore, even if the blade edge portion 2a is not located at the set contact position 90, it is determined that the blade edge portion 2a is located at the set contact position 90, and the blade edge portion 2a is located at the set contact position 90. There is a risk of positioning in the state.

As described above, when the cleaning blade 1 is positioned based only on the distance between the position of the blade member 2 and the reference position in one direction, the blade edge portion 2a is positioned at the set contact position 90, and is positioned in a state where The cleaning blade 1 may be attached to the blade attachment portion 29.

In this embodiment, since the cleaning blade 1 is positioned based on the distance between the position of the blade member 2 in two directions and the reference position as described above, the position of the blade member 2 in one direction and the reference position are determined. Compared with the case of positioning based only on the interval, the blade edge 2a can be more reliably arranged at the set contact position 90, and the tiling blade 1 can be positioned and attached with high accuracy.

The second imaging unit 44 is configured similarly to the first imaging unit 43. More specifically, as with the first camera 47, the third camera 49 of the second imaging unit 44, which is another first position detection means, is arranged so that the optical axis of the lens is perpendicular to the first direction 84. Placed in. As with the second camera 48, the fourth camera 50 of the second imaging unit 44, which is another second position detection means, is arranged so that the optical axis of the lens is perpendicular to the second direction 85. . Similar to the images captured by the first camera 47 and the second camera 48, the images captured by the third camera 49 and the fourth camera 50 are also displayed on the display unit 53 shown in FIG. 6 described above. Is done. Further, the display unit 53 displays the first interval D1 and the second interval D2 obtained by the processing unit 52, respectively. Accordingly, even in the vicinity of one end portion C in the longitudinal direction of the cleaning blade 1 where the second imaging unit 44 is provided, the tailing blade 1 is based on the distance between the position of the blade member 2 in two directions and the reference position. Can be positioned.

As described above, in this embodiment, the cleaning blade 1 is positioned in the vicinity of both longitudinal ends A and C where the first imaging unit 43 and the second imaging unit 44 are provided. The edge portion 2a can be positioned and positioned at the set contact position 90 more easily over the entire longitudinal direction of the blade member 2.

In this embodiment, the positioning device 40 causes the second imaging unit 44 to image the tally blade 1 and the master 45 while the transport unit 46 transports the cleaning blade 1 and the master 45 in the X direction. More specifically, the third camera 49 of the second imaging unit 44 images the remaining portion excluding the cutout portion 81a in the longitudinal direction of the first knife 81 and the cleaning blade 1 facing the remaining portion, The camera 50 images the cleaning blade 1 facing the second knife 82b for the central portion and the second knife 82b for the central portion exposed at the notch 81a of the first knife 81. From the image information of the image thus captured, the processing unit 52 obtains the first interval D1 and the second interval D2 over the entire longitudinal direction of the cleaning blade 1, and displays them on the display unit 53.

Accordingly, the operator determines whether or not the first interval D1 and the second interval D2 are included in a predetermined range over the entire longitudinal direction of the cleaning blade 1, and the first interval D1 and the second interval D2 are determined. The interval D2 can be adjusted to fall within a predefined range. Accordingly, since the blade edge portion 2a can be more reliably disposed and positioned at the set contact position 90 over the entire longitudinal direction of the blade member 2, the mounting accuracy of the cleaning blade 1 can be improved.

As described above, in the present embodiment, the conveying unit 46 and the second imaging unit 44 are arranged such that the position of the blade member 2 in the first direction 84 and the first reference position 84a are arranged over the entire longitudinal direction of the cleaning blade 1. The interval detector is configured to detect the first interval D1 that is the interval between the second direction D2 and the second interval D2 that is the interval between the position of the blade member 2 in the second direction 85 and the second reference position 85a. By providing the interval detection means, it is possible to detect the first interval D1 and the second interval D2 over the entire longitudinal direction of the cleaning blade 1, so the first interval D1 and the second interval over the entire longitudinal direction of the tiling blade 1. The cleaning blade 1 can be positioned by adjusting D2 within the specified range and placing the blade edge 2a at the set contact position 90 more securely.

More specifically, the cleaning blade 1 is mounted on the blade mounting portion 29 by the cleaning blade mounting method according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention. Figure 13 FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing a procedure of a method for attaching the cleaning blade 1 according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention. FIG. Installation of the cleaning blade 1 is started in step sO. In step si, a plurality of spacers having different thicknesses and inclination angles Θ 2 are prepared, such as the spacer 4 shown in FIG. 1 and the spacer 31 shown in FIG. From the prepared spacer, the contact angle θ 1 between the blade member 2 and the photosensitive drum 11 becomes the set contact angle, and the position of the blade member 2 in the direction perpendicular to the reference surface of the blade mounting portion 29 Select the spacer so that is in the predetermined position.

The selection of the spacer is based on, for example, a live-action test in which the cleaning blade 1 to which each spacer is fixed is attached to the force cartridge 10 and mounted on the image forming apparatus, and sample images are continuously formed on recording paper. Can be done. In this live-action test, it is attached when the formed image has few image defects such as sweeping unevenness and the film thickness of the photosensitive drum 11 is small. The spacer is selected as a spacer in which the contact angle θ 1 becomes the set contact angle and the position of the blade member 2 in the direction perpendicular to the reference plane of the blade mounting portion 29 is a predetermined position.

The cleaning blade 1 is temporarily fixed to the blade mounting portion 29 with the spacer selected in this way interposed between the blade mounting portion 29 and the blade holder 3. Thereby, the attitude of the blade holder 3 and the distance between the blade holder 3 and the blade mounting portion 29 are defined. At this time, the cleaning blade 1 is not completely fixed to the blade mounting portion 29 but is fixed in a movable state in a direction parallel to the reference surface of the blade mounting portion 29. In this way, the temporary wing blade 1 is temporarily fixed, and the process proceeds to step s2.

Steps s2 to s5 are executed by the positioning device 40 shown in FIGS. In step s2, it is determined whether or not the first interval D1 and the second interval D2 are included in the specified range. In the present embodiment, the operator determines whether or not the force is within the range in which the first interval D1 and the second interval D2 are defined based on an image displayed on the display unit 53 of the positioning device 40. In the positioning device 40, the vicinity of both ends A and C of the cleaning blade 1 is imaged by the first to fourth cameras 47 to 50 of the positioning device 40 while the cleaning blade 1 is stationary. The operator displays From the image displayed in the section 53, it is determined whether or not the first interval Dl and the second interval D2 are included in the specified range.

If it is determined in step s2 that both the first interval D1 and the second interval D2 are included in the specified range, the process proceeds to step s3, and at least one of the first interval D1 and the second interval D2 If it is determined that is not included in the specified range, the process proceeds to step s4. In step s4, the first interval D1 and the second interval D2 are adjusted by moving the cleaning blade 1 by the interval adjusting means 72, and the process returns to step s2.

In step s3, it is determined whether or not the force is included in a range in which the first interval D1 and the second interval D2 are defined over the entire longitudinal direction of the tail blade 1. In the present embodiment, first, in the positioning device 40, the cleaning blade 1 and the original device 45 are transported in one direction in the X direction by the transport unit 46, and at a constant interval in the intermediate portion between both ends A and C in the longitudinal direction of the cleaning blade 1. Each time, the first interval D1 is obtained, and the second interval D2 is obtained at the central portion B between both end portions of the cleaning blade 1 in the longitudinal direction. The interval for obtaining the first interval D 1 can be adjusted by, for example, the conveyance speed by the conveyance unit 46 and the imaging interval by the second imaging unit 44. When it is determined that all the obtained first intervals D1 and second intervals D2 are included in the specified range, the process proceeds to step s6, and it is determined that V and the deviation are within the specified range. If yes, go to step s5.

In step s5, as in step s4 described above, the cleaning blade 1 is moved by the interval adjusting means 72 to adjust the first interval D1 and the second interval D2, and the process returns to step s3. As a result of the operations in steps s2 to 5 described above, the side in contact with the photosensitive drum 11 from the end of the blade member 2 on the side attached to the blade holder 3 in the direction parallel to the reference surface of the blade mounting portion 29 More specifically, the position of the blade edge portion 2a in the short direction of the blade member 2 is set so that the position in the short direction of the blade member 2 that is the direction facing the end of the blade member 2 is a predetermined position. The position of the blade holder 3 in the direction parallel to the reference surface of the blade mounting portion 29 is defined by the notch 8 described above.

When it is determined that all the first intervals D1 and the second intervals D2 obtained in step s3 are included in the specified range and the process proceeds to step s6, the cleaning block is determined in step s6. Fix raid 1 to blade mounting part 29 with mounting screw 30 and proceed to step s7. At step s7, installation of cleaning blade 1 is completed.

As described above, in the present embodiment, the position and posture of the blade edge portion 2a in the direction perpendicular to the reference surface of the blade mounting portion 29 are adjusted by the thickness and the inclination angle Θ 2 of the spacer that is the defining member, and further parallel. The blade member 2 is attached to the blade attachment portion 29 by adjusting the position of the blade edge portion 2a in the direction parallel to the reference surface of the blade attachment portion 29 by the notch 8 serving as a position defining means. 2 can be accurately attached to the set contact position 90 which is a position suitable for removing the toner from the photosensitive drum 11 and cleaning it.

As described above, the cleaning blade 1 of the first embodiment has the notch 8 as the parallel position defining means, but the parallel position defining means is not limited to this, and for example, the cleaning blade shown in FIG. 100 may be a holder side positioning hole 102 which is a long hole. FIG. 14 is a front view schematically showing the configuration of the cleaning blade 100 according to the fifth embodiment of the present invention. The cleaning blade 100 of the present embodiment is similar to the cleaning blade 1 of the first embodiment, and corresponding portions are denoted by the same reference numerals and description thereof is omitted.

What should be noted in the cleaning blade 100 of this embodiment is that the blade holder 101 which is a blade support member is formed with a holder-side positioning hole 102 which is a flat and oval long hole. The blade holder 101 has the same configuration as the blade holder 3 in the first embodiment except that a holder-side positioning hole 102 is formed instead of the holder-side screw hole 3a. The holder side positioning hole 102 is formed to extend in the short direction of the blade holder 101. The holder side positioning hole 102 prevents the blade holder 101 from moving in the longitudinal direction and allows movement in the short direction. The spacer 103 is formed with a spacer-side positioning hole 104 corresponding to the holder-side positioning hole 102, which is a flat and oval long hole. Spacer 103 has the same configuration as spacer 4 in the first embodiment except that spacer-side positioning hole 104 is formed instead of spacer-side screw hole 4a.

The blade holder 101 includes a holder side positioning hole 102 and a spacer side positioning hole 10. It is fixed to the blade mounting portion 29 by mounting screws 30 such as screw screws passed through 4. By moving the blade holder 101 in the short direction and adjusting and fixing the position in the direction parallel to the reference plane of the blade mounting portion 29 which is the short direction, the reference of the blade mounting portion 29 By adjusting the position of the blade edge portion 2a of the blade member 2 in the direction parallel to the surface, the amount of the blade member 2 entering the photosensitive drum 11 can be adjusted. In this way, the holder-side positioning hole 102 is in a direction parallel to the reference surface of the blade mounting portion 29 and comes into contact with the photosensitive drum 11 from the end of the blade member 2 on the side attached to the blade holder 101. The direction in which the blade holder 101 is directed toward the end, that is, the position of the blade holder 101 in the short direction is defined. The holder side positioning hole 102 constitutes a parallel position defining means.

When the holder-side positioning hole 102 is used as the parallel position defining means, the position of the blade holder 101 in the direction parallel to the reference plane of the blade mounting portion 29 can be adjusted in the same manner as when the notch 8 is used. . By using the holder-side positioning hole 102, the blade holder 101 can be moved in a wider range in the short direction than when using the notch 8, so the blade edge 2a can be set more reliably. Can be placed in contact position 90. The cleaning blade 100 of this embodiment has the same notch 8 as in the first embodiment, but in this embodiment, the notch 8 can be inserted with a positioning projection provided on the housing 15. The blade holder 101 is formed in a shape and dimensions that do not hinder the movement of the blade holder 101 in the short direction allowed by the holder-side positioning hole 102.

FIG. 15 is a sectional view schematically showing the configuration of the cleaning blade 110 according to the sixth embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 16 is a side view of the cleaning blade 110 shown in FIG. 17A is a front view of the cleaning blade 110 shown in FIG. 15, FIG. 17B is a rear view of the cleaning blade 110 shown in FIG. 15, and FIG. 17C is a plan view of the tiling blade 110 shown in FIG. FIG. 15 is a virtual plane perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the cleaning blade 110, and corresponds to a cross-sectional view in the virtual plane including the cutting plane line II of the cleaning blade 110 shown in FIG. 17A. FIG. 16 corresponds to a right side view of the cleaning blade 110. Figures 15, 16, and 17A-17C are for ease of understanding. For the sake of simplicity, a part of the thickness is omitted.

The cleaning blade 110 of this embodiment is similar to the cleaning blade 1 of the first embodiment, and corresponding portions are denoted by the same reference numerals and description thereof is omitted. What should be noted in the cleaning blade 110 of the present embodiment is that, instead of the spacer 4, a protruding portion 111 as a defining member is formed in a blade holder 112 which is a blade support member.

The protruding portion 111 is integrally formed with the blade holder 112 by punching a plate-like member that becomes the blade holder 112 so as to protrude to one side in the thickness direction. In the present embodiment, the protruding portion 111 is formed in a cylindrical shape. The protruding portion 111 is formed by, for example, burring. When forming the protruding portion 111 by burring, for example, a pilot hole is formed in the plate member that becomes the blade holder 112, and the plate member at the opening end of the pilot hole is bent to one side in the thickness direction. Thus, the protruding portion 111 can be formed.

The blade holder 112 further has a first notch 114 and a second notch 8b. The first notch 114 is formed by, for example, a burring cage, like the protruding portion 111. First notch 114 is formed in the same manner as first notch 8a in the first embodiment described above. The blade holder 112 has a long hole 115 that communicates with the first notch 114 and extends in the short direction. The first notch 114, the second notch 8b, and the long hole 115 constitute a parallel position defining means, and are provided on the reference surface of the blade mounting part 29 in the same manner as the notch 8 in the first embodiment. The position of the blade holder 112 in the parallel direction is defined. The cleaning blade 110 further includes a seal member 113. The seal member 113 is provided on the surface portion where the protruding portion 111 of the blade holder 112 is formed so as to surround the protruding portion 111. By providing the seal member 113, it is possible to prevent toner from entering between the blade mounting portion 29 and the blade holder 112 in the cartridge 116 shown in FIG.

The cleaning blade 110 is manufactured as follows, for example. A plate-like member that becomes the blade holder 112 is punched so as to protrude to one side in the thickness direction by burring or the like to form a protruding portion 111, and further, the first notch 114 and the second notch The notch 8b is formed to produce the blade holder 112. Next, the blade member 2 is affixed to the surface portion of the blade holder 112 on which the protruding portion 111 is formed, and a seal member 113 is provided so as to surround the protruding portion 111 of the blade holder 112. As a result, a tally blade 110 is obtained.

As described above, the cleaning blade 110 in which the defining member is integrally formed with the blade holder 112 as the projecting portion 111 engages the spacer 4 with the blade holder 3 like the cleaning blade 1 of the first embodiment. Since it is not necessary, it can be attached to the housing 15 more easily than when the spacer 4 is engaged with the blade holder 3. Further, since the protruding portion 111 can be easily formed by a burring cage or the like, the manufacturing cost of the cleaning blade i 10 can be reduced.

FIG. 18 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing the configuration of the cartridge 116 according to the seventh embodiment of the present invention. The cartridge 116 of the present embodiment is similar to the cartridge 10 of the second embodiment, and corresponding portions are denoted by the same reference numerals and description thereof is omitted. The cartridge 116 is the same as the cartridge 10 of the second embodiment except that the cartridge 116 includes the cleaning device 117 including the cleaning blade 110 having the protruding portion 111 shown in FIGS. 15, 16, and 17A to 17C. Have the same configuration.

The cleaning blade 110 having the protruding portion 111 is mounted such that the protruding portion 111 is interposed between the blade mounting portion 29 and the blade holder 112, like the cleaning blade 1 of the first embodiment. The position of the blade edge portion 2a of the blade member 2 and the contact angle Θ1 in the direction perpendicular to the reference surface of the blade mounting portion 29 can be adjusted by the protruding portion 111.

In this embodiment, the open end of the protruding portion 111 is parallel to a virtual plane including the surface portion that supports the blade member 2 of the blade holder 112, but like the protruding portion 118 shown in FIG. The blade holder 112 may be formed so as to be inclined with respect to an imaginary plane including a surface portion that supports the blade member 2. In this way, the opening end portion of the projecting portion 118 is inclined with respect to the virtual plane including the surface portion supporting the blade member 2 of the blade holder 112, and more specifically, the opening end portion of the projecting portion 118 is formed into the blade member. As the position approaches 2, the blade holder 112 moves away from or closer to the blade holder 112. By forming so as to be in contact with each other, the contact angle Θ 1 can be easily adjusted to the set contact angle as in the case of using the inclined spacer 31 shown in FIG. More specifically, the contact angle θ 1 can be adjusted by the inclination angle θ 3 of the opening end portion of the protruding portion 118 with respect to the virtual plane including the surface portion that supports the blade member 2 of the blade holder 112. FIG. 19 shows a case where the opening end portion of the protruding portion 118 is formed so as to be separated from the blade holder 112 as it approaches the blade member 2.

The protruding portion 118 whose opening end portion is inclined is formed in, for example, a pilot hole formed in the plate-like member serving as the blade holder 112 similarly to the protruding portion 111 shown in FIG. After inserting the punch from the side and bending the plate-like member to one side in the thickness direction, at the opening end of the formed projection part, the side opposite to the side where the punch was previously inserted, that is, one in the thickness direction of the plate-like member It can be formed by pressing an inclined punch from the side.

The cleaning blade 110 of the present embodiment is attached to the blade attachment portion 29 in the same manner as the cleaning blade 1 of the first embodiment. The cleaning blade 110 is attached in the same manner as the cleaning blade according to the fourth embodiment shown in FIG. In the present embodiment, in step si shown in FIG. 13, instead of the plurality of spacers, the height of the protruding portion and the protruding portion 111 shown in FIG. 15 and the protruding portion 118 shown in FIG. A plurality of cleaning blades having different inclination angles Θ 3, which are angles formed between the end surface of the protruding portion and a virtual plane including the surface portion supporting the blade member 2 of the blade holder 112, are prepared. From the prepared cleaning blade, the contact angle θ 1 between the blade member 2 and the photosensitive drum 11 becomes the set contact angle and is perpendicular to the reference surface of the blade mounting portion 29 in the same manner as the selection of the spacer. The cleaning blade is selected so that the position of the blade member 2 in the direction is a predetermined position. Temporarily fix the selected cleaning blade to the blade mounting portion 29, and proceed to step s2. The steps after step s2 are performed in the same manner as the mounting of the cleaning blade 1 according to the fourth embodiment described above.

As described above, in the present embodiment, the position and posture of the blade edge portion 2a in the direction perpendicular to the reference plane of the blade mounting portion 29 are determined by the height of the protruding portion and the inclination angle Θ3. And adjust the position of the blade edge portion 2a in the direction parallel to the reference plane of the blade mounting portion 29 using the first cutout portion 114, the second cutout portion 8b, and the long hole 115 to clean the blade. Since the blade member is attached to the cartridge, the blade member 2 can be accurately attached to the set contact position 90 which is a position suitable for removing the toner from the photosensitive drum 11 and cleaning it.

In the present embodiment, the force for adjusting the position of the blade edge portion 2a in the direction parallel to the reference plane of the blade mounting portion 29 using the first notch portion 114, the second notch portion 8b, and the elongated hole 115. The adjustment method is not limited to this. For example, as in the cleaning blade 100 shown in FIG. 14 described above, a holder-side positioning hole 102 that is a long hole is formed, the blade holder is moved in the short direction, and the direction parallel to the reference surface of the blade mounting portion 29 is formed. It may be adjusted by adjusting and fixing the position at. Thereby, the position of the blade edge portion 2a in the direction parallel to the reference surface of the blade attachment portion 29 can be adjusted more easily.

FIG. 20 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing the configuration of the cleaning blade 120 according to the eighth embodiment of the present invention. The cleaning blade 120 of this embodiment is similar to the cleaning blade 1 of the first embodiment, and corresponding portions are denoted by the same reference numerals and description thereof is omitted. FIG. 20 shows a state where the cleaning blade 120 is attached to the blade attachment portion 29 with the attachment screw 30. Also, in FIG. 20, the engaging portion 9 of the spacer 4 shown in FIG. 1 is omitted because the drawing is complicated and difficult to understand.

What should be noted in the cleaning blade 120 of this embodiment is that it has two tilt adjusting screwdrivers 121a and 121b and two tilt adjusting screws 122a and 122b. The two inclination adjusting screw holes 121a and 121b and the two inclination adjusting screws 122a and 122b constitute a posture adjusting means 125.

The two tilt adjustment screw holes 121a and 121b are the first tilt adjustment screw hole 121a and the second tilt adjustment screw hole formed on both sides of the opening end of the holder side screw hole 3a in the short direction of the blade holder 3. Includes screw holes 121b. The first inclination adjusting screw hole 121a is formed by an adjusting holder screw hole 124a provided in the blade holder 3 and a screw hole of the nut portion 123a. Similarly, the second inclination adjusting screw hole 121b is provided for adjusting the blade holder 3. The holder screw hole 124b and the screw hole of the nut portion 123b are formed. The screw holes of the nut portions 123a and 123b are formed in the nut portions 123a and 123b of the blade holder 3 by, for example, a tap carriage. The inclination adjusting screws 122a and 122b are, for example, screw screws. The posture adjusting means 125 is a length of a portion of the first inclination adjusting screw 122a that is screwed into the first inclination adjusting screw hole 121a and protruding from the blade holder 3 to the blade mounting portion 29 side (hereinafter referred to as “first Dl) and the length of the portion of the second inclination adjusting screw 122b that is screwed into the second inclination adjusting screw hole 121b from the blade holder 3 to the blade mounting portion 29 side (hereinafter referred to as “screw protruding length”). The posture of the blade holder 3 can be adjusted by adjusting d2 respectively. For example, as shown in FIG. 20, the surface of one side in the thickness direction of the blade holder 3 where the first screw protrusion length dl and the second screw protrusion length d2 are substantially equal is substantially parallel to the reference surface of the blade mounting portion 29. When the second inclination adjusting screw 122b is screwed in and the second screw protruding length d2 is longer than the first screw protruding length dl, the blade holder 3 is elastically deformed in the direction of the arrow 126. The surface on the one side in the thickness direction of the holder 3 can be inclined with respect to the reference surface of the blade mounting portion 29. Thereby, the contact angle θ 1 between the blade member 2 and the photosensitive drum 11 can be adjusted.

As described above, in the present embodiment, the blade holder 3 can be elastically deformed in the direction of the arrow 126 by the posture adjusting means 125 and the posture of the blade holder 3 can be adjusted. The contact angle θ 1 can be adjusted to the set contact angle more reliably. Therefore, as compared with the case where the posture adjusting means 125 is not provided, the blade member 2 can be attached with higher accuracy by the set contact position 90 which is a position suitable for removing the toner from the photosensitive drum 11 and cleaning it. .

In the present embodiment, the spacer is the spacer 4 formed to have a uniform thickness, but is not limited to this, and as shown in FIG. Even an inclined spacer 31. In this way, when using the spacer 31 whose mounting side surface is inclined with respect to the holder side surface, the contact angle Θ 1 is more reliably adjusted to the set contact angle by further providing the posture adjusting means 125. Therefore, the mounting accuracy of the blade member 2 can be further improved.

Example [Example I]

(Example 1)

Using the blade holder 3 made of surface-treated steel, the blade part 2 made of thermosetting polyurethane, and the spacer 4 made of ABS resin, the cleaning blade 1 shown in FIG. 1 was manufactured. A cartridge was manufactured by using the obtained talung blade 1.

(Example 2)

Using the blade holder 112 made of surface-treated steel plate force and the blade member 2 made of thermosetting polyurethane force, the cleaning blade 110 shown in FIG. 15 was manufactured. A cartridge was manufactured using the resulting cleaning blade 110.

(Comparative Example 1)

A cartridge was manufactured using the cleaning blade 140 according to the prior art shown in FIG. A blade holder having a surface-treated steel plate force was used as the blade support member 141, and a blade member having a thermosetting polyurethane force was used as the blade member 142.

(Reference Example 1)

A cartridge was manufactured using the mold-integrated type cleaning blade 130 shown in FIG. A blade holder having a surface-treated steel plate force was used as the blade support member 131, and the blade member 132 was formed of thermosetting polyurethane.

[Evaluation 1]

The cumulative errors of the cartridges obtained in Examples 1 and 2, Comparative Example 1 and Reference Example 1 were evaluated. Table 1 shows the evaluation results. The cumulative error in Reference Example 1 shown in Table 1 is due to the mold manufacturing error and the variation in mold shrinkage of the thermosetting polyurethane that forms the blade member.

[table 1] Example 1 Example 2 Comparative example 1 Reference example 1 Cumulative ¾¾i element

To -Service method 8'--Ringe method (conventional technology) (Integrated molding)

1 Blade thickness —— 0.1

2 Adhesive layer thickness Soil 0.02 Top 0.02 Soil 0.02

3 Holder thickness ― ― Soil 0.04

4 Holder step--Soil 0.1

5 Holder parallelism--0.1

6 'Fall's fallen soil 0.1 ± 0.1 soil 0.1-

7 thickness 0.03 ― ― One

8 8'-Ringe height ― Sat 0.02 ― ― Cumulative error meter ± 0.10 0.10 0.20 Sat 0.07

(Single lii, mm) As shown in Table 1, the cartridges of Examples 1 and 2 have the same cumulative error as the cartridge using the cleaning blade 130 of the mold-integrated molding type of Reference Example 1, and are comparative examples. Compared with the cartridge using the cleaning blade 140 of the prior art 1), it can be seen that the cumulative error is small and the mounting accuracy is excellent.

[Example Π]

(Example 3)

After preparing the cleaning blade 1 shown in FIG. 1 and adjusting the position of the blade holder 3 and the distance between the blade holder 3 and the blade mounting portion 29 by the spacer 4, the above-described cleaning is performed as shown in FIGS. Position the cleaning blade 1 by adjusting the position of the cleaning blade 1 in the direction parallel to the reference plane of the blade mounting portion 29 using the positioning device 40, and attach the cleaning blade 1 to the blade mounting portion 29 of the housing 15. The cartridge 10 shown in Fig. 4 was obtained.

(Comparative Example 2)

A cleaning blade 1 similar to that in Example 3 is prepared, and after adjusting the posture of the blade holder 3 and the distance between the blade holder 3 and the blade mounting portion 29 by the spacer 4, the blade mounting portion 29 by the positioning device 40 is adjusted. A cartridge was obtained in the same manner as in Example 3 except that the cleaning blade 1 was attached to the blade mounting portion 29 without adjusting the position of the cleaning blade 1 in the direction parallel to the reference plane.

[Evaluation 2]

Commercially available laser beam printers for the cartridges obtained in Example 3 and Comparative Example 2 A print test was conducted in which sample images were continuously formed on 30,000 sheets of recording paper. As the toner, a toner having a volume average particle diameter of 5.8 m manufactured by a polymerization method was used. The image formed on the recording paper was visually observed to determine whether an image defect such as black streak occurred. When the cartridge of Comparative Example 2 was used, an image defect occurred when printing on 10,000 sheets of recording paper, and the printing test was terminated at that point.

After the printing test, the contact position between the cleaning blade and the photosensitive drum was visually observed to evaluate which part of the cleaning blade was in contact with the photosensitive drum. The cleaning blade was taken out and magnified 175 times with an optical microscope, and the edge portion 2a of blade member 2 and the surface portion on one side in the thickness direction shown in FIG. 2b was observed. From the observation results, the toner 1 slips through the edge 2a of the blade member 2 and comes close to the photosensitive drum of the blade member 2 V and adheres to the surface portion 2b of the side V. Judged whether or not.

The evaluation results are shown in Table 2.

[Table 2]

As shown in Table 2, with the cartridge of Example 3 in which the cleaning blade was attached using the positioning device, no image defect occurred even when printing on 30,000 sheets of recording paper. On the other hand, in the cartridge of Comparative Example 2 in which the cleaning blade was attached without using the positioning device, vertical streak lines extending in the recording paper feeding direction occurred when printing on 10,000 recording sheets. . Further, as shown in FIG. 22A, the cleaning blade of Example 3 was strong without causing the toner slipping phenomenon to the blade member 2. On the other hand, in the cleaning blade of Comparative Example 2, a toner slip phenomenon occurred, and as shown in FIG. 22B, the portion where the toner adhered to the drum-side surface portion 2b of the blade member 2 as indicated by reference numeral 129 was there.

In addition, as shown by the hatched portion in FIG. 23A, the cleaning blade of Example 3 shows that the edge portion 2a of the blade member 2 is in contact with the photosensitive drum and can be attached at an appropriate position. It was. In contrast, the cleaning blade of Comparative Example 2 was found to be in the abutting state where the drum-side surface portion 2b of the blade member 2 was in contact with the photosensitive drum 11, as indicated by the hatched portion in FIG. 23B. It was.

[Example ΠΙ]

Hereinafter, in the cleaning blade 1 shown in FIG. 1 described above, the type of adhesive for bonding the blade member 2 and the blade holder 3, the presence / absence of the primer treatment to the blade holder 3 and the type of primer treatment are changed. The adhesive strength between the blade member 2 and the blade holder 3 was evaluated.

(Test Example 1)

Using the blade holder 3 made of surface-treated steel, the blade part 2 made of thermosetting polyurethane, and the spacer 4 made of ABS resin, the cleaning blade 1 shown in FIG. 1 was manufactured. As an adhesive between the blade member 2 and the blade holder 3, a mixture of an EVA hot melt adhesive and a PA hot melt adhesive was used.

(Test Example 2)

A tiling blade 1 was produced in the same manner as in Test Example 1 except that a PUR hot melt adhesive was used instead of a mixture of an EVA hot melt adhesive and a PA hot melt adhesive.

(Test Example 3)

Test Example 1 except that the surface of the blade holder 3 on the side to which the blade member 2 is attached is subjected to a primer treatment (hereinafter referred to as “primer treatment A”) that applies a phenolic primer and then the blade member 2 is attached. A cleaning blade 1 was produced in the same manner as described above. The primer was applied by datebing. (Test Example 4)

Except for applying the silane coupling agent primer on the surface of the blade holder 3 on the side where the blade member 2 is attached (hereinafter referred to as primer treatment B), and then attaching the blade member 2 A cleaning blade 1 was produced in the same manner as in Test Example 1. The primer was applied by datebing.

[Evaluation 3]

For each of the cleaning blades obtained in Test Examples 1 to 4, (a) 90 ° peeling test, (b) high temperature and high humidity (abbreviation HH) pressure peel test, (c) low temperature and low humidity (abbreviation LL) The pressure peel test, (d) HH continuous running test, and (e) long-term storage test were performed.

(a) 90 ° peeling test

The 90 ° peeling test conforms to the Japanese Industrial Standard (abbreviated as JIS) K6854-1 and is directed to the blade holder 2 from the blade member 2 shown in FIG. The force was applied in the direction indicated by arrow 150, and the average peel force of blade member 2 was measured at a peel speed of 500 mmZ.

(b) HH pressure peel test

The blade member 2 side of the blade holder 3 is attached to the blade member 2 in the direction of arrow 150 in a high temperature and high humidity (HH) environment at a temperature of 45 ° C and a relative humidity of 85%. The plate was left for 3 months in a bent state so that the distance δ between the virtual plane including the surface of the blade and the blade edge portion 2a was 1.7 mm. After leaving, the blade member 2 was visually observed, and the adhesion state of the blade member 2 to the blade holder 3 was evaluated.

(c) LL pressure peel test

In a low-temperature and low-humidity (LL) environment at a temperature of 5 ° C and a relative humidity of 15%, after leaving the blade member 2 bent for 3 months in the same manner as the HH pressure contact peeling test, visually observe the blade member 2. Then, the adhesion state of the blade member 2 to the blade holder 3 was evaluated.

(d) HH continuous running test

Attach the cleaning blade obtained in Test Examples 1 to 4 to a cartridge, and attach the obtained cartridge to a commercially available laser beam printer in a high temperature and high humidity environment with a temperature of 32.5 ° C and a relative humidity of 85%. , Continuously form sample images on 10,000 sheets of recording paper A printing test was performed. After the printing test, the cleaning blade was taken out and visually observed to evaluate the adhesion state of the blade member 2 to the blade holder 3.

(e) Long-term storage test

The cleaning blades obtained in Test Examples 1 to 4 were each attached to the cartridge, and the obtained cartridge was stored in a dry heat environment at a temperature of 45 ° C for 6 months, and then attached to a commercially available laser beam printer, and a sample was obtained. A print test was performed in which images were continuously formed on 10,000 sheets of recording paper. After the printing test, the cleaning blade was taken out and visually observed, and the adhesion state of the blade member 2 to the blade holder 3 was evaluated.

Table 3 shows the evaluation results of (a) to (e) above.

[Table 3]

Comparison between Test Example 1 and Test Example 2 shows that the use of PUR-based hot melt adhesive compared to the blade member 2 compared to the case of using a mixture of EVA-based hot melt adhesive and PA-based hot melt adhesive. It can be seen that peeling of the base end, which is the end opposite to the edge 2a in the short direction, can be suppressed. Further, from comparison between Test Example 2 and Test Examples 3 and 4, it can be said that by applying primer treatment to the blade holder 3, the adhesive force S between the blade member 2 and the blade holder 3 is improved.

The present invention can be implemented in various other forms without departing from the spirit or main characteristic power thereof. Therefore, the above-described embodiment is merely an example in all respects, and the scope of the present invention is shown in the claims, and is not restricted by the text of the specification. Further, all modifications and changes belonging to the claims are within the scope of the present invention. is there.

Industrial applicability

According to the present invention, it is possible to reduce the influence of an error on the attachment position of the blade member as compared with the conventional cleaning blade in which the blade member is attached to the step portion formed on the blade support member. Therefore, the blade member can be accurately and easily attached to a position suitable for removing the toner from the image carrier and cleaning it. In particular, when a small particle size toner is used, it is possible to prevent the toner slipping phenomenon and to prevent the image quality from deteriorating.

According to the present invention, since the defining member can be accurately formed in a desired shape, the mounting accuracy of the blade member can be improved.

According to the present invention, the blade support member can be inclined and attached to the blade mounting portion by the spacer that is the defining member, so that the posture of the blade support member can be defined with higher accuracy. Therefore, the mounting accuracy of the blade member can be further improved.

According to the present invention, since the defining member is a protruding portion formed integrally with the blade support member, the cleaning blade can be more easily attached to the blade attaching portion. Further, since the defining member can be formed more easily, the manufacturing cost of the cleaning blade can be reduced.

According to the present invention, the blade support member can be inclined and attached to the blade attachment portion by the projecting portion which is the defining member, so that the posture of the blade support member can be defined with higher accuracy. Therefore, the blade member can be attached with higher accuracy.

According to the present invention, since the posture of the blade support member can be more reliably adjusted to a predetermined posture by the posture adjusting means when attached to the blade attachment portion, the attachment accuracy of the blade member can be further improved.

According to the present invention, in the direction parallel to the reference surface of the blade mounting portion and in the direction toward the end portion of the blade member on the side to be in contact with the image carrier, The position of the blade support member is defined by the parallel position defining means. Therefore, the mounting accuracy of the blade member can be further improved. According to the present invention, the blade supporting member is provided with the blade member and the spacer on the side facing the blade mounting portion of the cartridge, and the spacer is interposed between the blade mounting portion and the blade supporting member. A tiling blade capable of defining at least one of the posture of the support member and the distance between the blade support member and the blade mounting portion can be obtained. Therefore, since the position and posture of the blade member relative to the image carrier can be defined by the spacer, the blade member can be accurately attached to a position suitable for removing the toner from the image carrier and cleaning it. it can. According to the present invention, the blade supporting member is provided with the blade member on the side facing the cartridge mounting portion and has the protruding portion, and the protruding portion is interposed between the blade mounting portion and the blade supporting member to support the blade. It is possible to obtain a tally wing blade capable of defining at least one of the posture of the member and the distance between the blade support member and the blade mounting portion. Therefore, since the position and posture of the blade member with respect to the image carrier can be defined by the protruding portion, the blade member can be accurately attached to a position suitable for removing the toner from the image carrier and cleaning it. .

According to the present invention, it is possible to reduce the influence of an error on the attachment position of the blade member as compared with the conventional cleaning blade in which the blade member is attached to the step portion formed on the blade support member. Therefore, the blade member can be accurately and easily attached to a position suitable for removing the toner from the image carrier and cleaning it. According to the present invention, the attitude of the blade support member and the distance between the blade support member and the blade mounting portion can be easily defined by the spacer. Therefore, the blade member can be easily and accurately attached at a position suitable for removing the image carrier strength toner and cleaning it.

According to the present invention, the cleaning blade can be more easily attached to the blade attachment portion. Therefore, the blade member can be easily and accurately attached at a position suitable for removing the toner from the image carrier and cleaning it.

According to the present invention, the cleaning blade is parallel to the reference surface of the blade mounting portion. The blade member is parallel so that the position of the blade member in the direction facing the end of the blade member attached to the blade support member to the end of the blade abutting on the image carrier is a predetermined position. The position of the blade support member is further defined by the position defining means. Thereby, the attachment accuracy of the blade member can be further improved.

According to the present invention, for example, the operator moves the cleaning blade by the interval adjusting unit based on the output result of the output unit, thereby the interval between the position of the blade member in the first direction and the first reference position, and the blade The distance between the position of the member in the second direction and the second reference position can be adjusted. Accordingly, since the cleaning blade can be positioned so that the blade member is disposed at a position suitable for removing the toner from the image carrier and cleaning it, the blade member can be attached with high accuracy.

According to the present invention, the influence of the error on the mounting position of the blade member can be reduced as compared with the conventional cleaning blade in which the blade member is attached to the step portion formed on the blade support member. It is possible to obtain a cartridge that is accurately attached at a position suitable for removing the toner from the image carrier and cleaning it.

Claims

The scope of the claims

[1] The latent image formed on the image carrier is developed with a developer containing toner to form a toner image, and the toner image is transferred to a recording medium to be detachable from an image forming apparatus that forms an image. A cleaning blade mounted on a blade mounting portion of a cartridge provided and cleaning the image carrier by bringing the blade member into contact with the image carrier, the blade member;

A blade support member that supports the blade member on the surface portion facing the blade mounting portion, and protrudes to the side of the blade support member facing the blade mounting portion, and is interposed between the blade mounting portion and the blade support member. And a defining member that defines at least one of a posture of the blade support member and an interval between the blade support member and the blade mounting portion.

[2] The cleaning blade according to claim 1, wherein the defining member is a spacer.

[3] The spacer according to claim 2, wherein the spacer is formed so as to be separated from the blade support member or closer to the blade support member as the surface portion force on the side attached to the blade attachment portion approaches the blade member. The cleaning blade described.

[4] The defining member is a protruding portion formed integrally with the blade supporting member by punching a plate-like member forming the blade supporting member so as to protrude to a predetermined side so as to face the blade mounting portion. The cleaning blade according to claim 1, wherein:

[5] The protruding portion is formed in a cylindrical shape,

5. The cleaning blade according to claim 4, wherein the opening end portion of the projecting portion is formed so as to separate the blade support member force or approach the blade support member as the blade member is approached.

[6] The cleaning blade according to any one of claims 1 to 5, further comprising posture adjusting means for adjusting the posture of the blade support member.

[7] The blade mounting portion is in a direction parallel to the reference surface on which the cleaning blade is to be mounted, and from the end of the blade member on the side attached to the blade support member to the image carrier. The cleaning blade according to any one of claims 1 to 6, further comprising parallel position defining means for defining a position of the blade support member in a direction facing the end portion on the abutting side.

[8] The latent image formed on the image carrier is developed with a developer containing toner to form a toner image, and the toner image is transferred to a recording medium to be detachable from an image forming apparatus that forms an image. A method of manufacturing a cleaning blade, which is attached to a blade attachment portion of a cartridge provided and cleans an image carrier by bringing a blade member into contact with the image carrier,

And a step of providing a spacer on the surface portion of the blade support member on the side to which the blade member is affixed so as to protrude.

[9] The latent image formed on the image carrier is developed with a developer containing toner to form a toner image, and the toner image is transferred to a recording medium to be detachable from an image forming apparatus that forms an image. A method of manufacturing a cleaning blade, which is attached to a blade attachment portion of a cartridge provided and cleans an image carrier by bringing a blade member into contact with the image carrier,

Perforating a plate-like member so as to protrude to a predetermined side so as to face the blade mounting portion, and manufacturing a blade support member formed with a protruding portion; and a step of forming the protruding portion of the blade support member on the side where the protruding portion is formed And a step of affixing a blade member to the surface portion.

[10] A cleaning blade mounting method for mounting the cleaning blade according to any one of claims 1 to 7 on a blade mounting portion of a cartridge,

The angle formed between the surface of the blade member that is attached to the blade support member and the surface of the image carrier on which the blade member abuts is a predetermined angle, and the reference surface on which the cleaning blade of the blade mounting portion is to be mounted A defining step that regulates the attitude of the blade support member and the distance from the blade mounting portion so that the position of the blade member in a direction perpendicular to the blade is a predetermined position; A cleaning blade mounting method comprising: a mounting step of mounting a cleaning blade with a defining member interposed between a blade mounting portion and a blade support member.

[11] The cleaning blade according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the defining step includes:

The reference surface on which the cleaning blade of the blade mounting portion is to be mounted while the angle formed by the surface of the blade member on the blade support member and the surface of the image carrier is a predetermined angle from the plurality of spacers. 11. The cleaning blade mounting method according to claim 10, further comprising a step of selecting a spacer so that a position of the blade member in a direction perpendicular to the predetermined position is a predetermined position.

[12] The cleaning blade according to claim 4 or 5, wherein the defining step includes:

The angle between the surface of the plurality of cleaning blades to be attached to the blade support member and the surface of the image carrier is a predetermined angle, and a reference on which the blade of the blade mounting portion is to be mounted. 11. The method of mounting a cleaning blade according to claim 10, further comprising a step of selecting the cleaning blade so that the position of the blade member in a direction perpendicular to the surface is a predetermined position.

[13] The cleaning blade is the cleaning blade according to claim 7,

Between the specified step and the mounting step,

Blade support of the blade member in a direction parallel to the reference surface of the blade mounting portion End force on the side attached to the member Position of the blade support member in the direction so that the position of the blade member in the direction facing the end on the side in contact with the image carrier is a predetermined position The method for mounting a cleaning blade according to claim 10, further comprising a step of defining the position by means of parallel position defining means.

[14] A cleaning blade positioning device for determining a mounting position of the cleaning blade cartridge according to any one of claims 1 to 7 to a blade mounting portion of the cartridge, and holding the blade mounting portion and the cleaning blade Means,

A first position detecting means for detecting a position of the blade member of the cleaning blade held by the holding means in the first direction and a first reference position serving as a reference for positioning the cleaning blade in the first direction;

[15] A cartridge detachably provided in the image forming apparatus,

An image carrier;

A housing that houses the image carrier;

A cartridge comprising the cleaning blade according to claim 1, wherein the cartridge is attached to a blade attachment portion of the housing.