JP7584915B2 - Developer container, developing device, cartridge - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a process cartridge and an electrophotographic image forming apparatus using the same.

Conventionally, electrophotographic image forming apparatuses have adopted a process cartridge system in which an electrophotographic photosensitive member and a process means acting on the electrophotographic photosensitive member are integrated into a cartridge, and this cartridge is detachably mountable to the main body of the image forming apparatus. Conventional process cartridges have a development device unit that contains developer, has an agitation section, and holds development means such as a development roller and a development blade as developing members. They also have a photosensitive unit that is configured by attaching a photosensitive drum, cleaning means such as a cleaning blade and a removed developer reservoir, and a charging roller, etc. to a drum frame. These development device unit and photosensitive unit are then swingably or integrally joined to form a cartridge.

In such a process cartridge, the developing device or developing device unit is usually composed of two parts: a developing container that supports the developing members such as a developing roller and a developing blade and contains the developer, and a bottom member that combines with the developing container to form the developer container. The developing container and bottom member are then joined by ultrasonic welding to the welding flange.

The configuration of ultrasonic welding is described below with reference to FIG. 15. FIG. 15 is a cross-sectional view of the vicinity of the energy director 880a, showing the state after ultrasonic welding is completed.

Ultrasonic welding is a technique in which the vibration of a piezoelectric element is amplified by a welding horn 890, the welding horn is pressed against the horn receiving member 880 with sufficient pressure, and the vibration of the welding horn 890 is transmitted to the energy director 880a provided on the horn receiving member 880, melting the energy director 880a, thereby joining the horn receiving member 880 and the member to be joined 881.

At this time, a welded flange 881a is provided on the joined member 881 facing the welded horn 890 so that sufficient pressure can be applied from the welded horn 890 to the energy director 880a, and the flange is supported by a welded backup 891. In addition, it is necessary to provide a director housing section 880b, which is a space into which the energy director 880a melted by vibration can flow.

Here, in order to reliably join the developing frame and the bottom member by ultrasonic welding, it is necessary to perform ultrasonic welding with stable contact between the joint surfaces of the welding flange and the welding part. In contrast, the materials used for the developer device unit are molded materials such as PS and PP, taking into account low cost and mass production, and therefore warping occurs when each part is molded. For this reason, in the past, there was a configuration in which walls were provided to sandwich the welding director so that the joint surfaces of the welding flange and the welding part could be in stable contact with each other, preventing the joint surfaces from shifting or falling off, as shown in the figures of JP-A-2002-14520 and JP-A-2003-248370.

JP 2002-014520 A JP 2003-248370 A

Here, in order to improve product competitiveness in the market in recent years, there is a demand for smaller cartridges and lower costs, and there is a demand for smaller welding flanges and welding parts, as well as cost reductions through thinner overall parts. Therefore, as an example of thinning the overall parts of the above-mentioned conventional configuration, the above-mentioned FIG. 15 will be used to explain. In order to thin the overall parts, it is desirable to thin the RR and LL parts of the horn receiving member shown in FIG. 15, but if the width of the LL part is reduced, the space of the director housing part 880b described above will become smaller. Therefore, in the conventional configuration, there is a limit to how much the LL part can be made smaller, and therefore, if the thickness of the parts is reduced, the thickness of the RR part can be made thinner, but the thickness of the LL part cannot be made thinner, resulting in a relationship of LL thickness > RR thickness, and the entire part will become unevenly thick. Therefore, in the conventional configuration, if the entire part is thinned, the uneven thickness between the vicinity of the welding director, which is difficult to thin, and other parts that can be thinned becomes large, making it difficult to achieve the precision of the part, and therefore difficult.

The object of the present invention is to provide a developer container that combines stable ultrasonic welding and reduced costs by thinning the parts of the development frame and bottom member, a developing device using the developer container, and a cartridge using the developer container.

In order to achieve the above object, the developer storage container of the present invention comprises:
A first frame body, the first direction being a longitudinal direction;
a second frame body that is welded to the first frame body to form a container for accommodating a developer together with the first frame body, the second frame body being aligned in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction, the first direction being a longitudinal direction of the second frame body;
Equipped with
the first frame body has a first flange portion having a first flange surface provided on an edge portion of the first frame body extending in the first direction and facing a side of the second frame body in the second direction;
The first flange surface is provided with a first wall portion protruding in the second direction, a second wall portion protruding in the second direction and aligned with the first wall portion in a third direction perpendicular to both the first direction and the second direction, a welded portion protruding in the second direction between the first wall portion and the second wall portion with respect to the third direction, and a groove portion provided between at least one of the first wall portion and the second wall portion and the welded portion, the groove portion accommodating a molten portion extending around the welded portion in an energy director to which melting energy is applied during welding of the welded portion ,
the second frame body has a second flange portion having a second flange surface provided on an edge portion of the second frame body extending in the first direction and facing the first frame body in the second direction;
the second flange portion is inserted between the first wall portion and the second wall portion such that the second flange surface is welded to the welded portion of the first flange surface and the movement of the first flange portion in the third direction is restricted by the first wall portion and the second wall portion,
The groove portion includes an annular first groove portion provided on an outer circumferential side of the welded portion of the first flange surface and accommodating an outer circumferential fusion portion extending outward in the energy director during the welding, and an annular second groove portion provided on an inner circumferential side of the welded portion of the first flange surface and accommodating an inner circumferential fusion portion extending outward in the energy director during the welding .
It is characterized by:

As described above, the present invention can provide a developer container, a developing device, and a cartridge that can achieve both a thinner product and stable ultrasonic welding.

FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram of a bottom member in the first embodiment; 1 is a cross-sectional view of an image forming apparatus main body and a cartridge of an electrophotographic image forming apparatus; Cartridge cross section FIG. 2 is a perspective view illustrating a configuration of a cartridge. FIG. 2 is a perspective view illustrating a configuration of a cartridge. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of a guide portion of an image forming apparatus for explaining installation of a cartridge. FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of an image forming apparatus for explaining positioning of a cartridge. FIG. 13 is a perspective view illustrating a configuration in which the cartridge receives a driving force from the main body of the apparatus. Developing frame body FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram of another configuration of the bottom member in the first embodiment. An explanatory diagram of the process in which the developing container and the bottom member are joined together while correcting the warp An explanatory diagram of a state in which the developing container and the bottom member are held by an ultrasonic welding backup. An explanatory diagram of the process up to the stage where the developing container and the bottom member are joined by ultrasonic welding. FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram of a bottom member in the second embodiment. Explanatory diagram of conventional ultrasonic welding configuration

The following describes in detail the embodiments of the present invention with reference to the drawings. However, the dimensions, materials, shapes, and relative positions of the components described in the embodiments should be changed as appropriate depending on the configuration and various conditions of the device to which the invention is applied. In other words, it is not intended to limit the scope of the present invention to the embodiments described below.

Example 1
Hereinafter, a process cartridge according to an embodiment of the present invention and an electrophotographic image forming apparatus using the same will be described. Here, the process cartridge is a cartridge in which a photosensitive member and a process means acting on the photosensitive member are integrated into one cartridge, and the cartridge is removably mounted on the main body of the electrophotographic image forming apparatus. For example, a cartridge in which a photosensitive member and at least one of the process means, which are a developing means, a charging means, and a cleaning means, are integrated into one cartridge is exemplified. Also, an electrophotographic image forming apparatus is an apparatus that forms an image on a recording medium using an electrophotographic image forming method. Examples of electrophotographic image forming apparatuses include electrophotographic copying machines, electrophotographic printers (LED printers, laser beam printers, etc.), facsimile machines, word processors, etc.

The overall configuration and the image forming process will be described with reference to Figures 2 and 3. Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view of an apparatus main body (electrophotographic image forming apparatus main body, image forming apparatus main body) A of an electrophotographic image forming apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention, and a process cartridge (hereinafter, referred to as cartridge B). Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view of cartridge B. Here, the apparatus main body A refers to a portion of the electrophotographic image forming apparatus excluding cartridge B. The direction of the rotation axis of the electrophotographic photosensitive drum is defined as the longitudinal direction. In addition, in the longitudinal direction, the side where the electrophotographic photosensitive drum receives a driving force from the image forming apparatus main body is defined as the driving side, and the opposite side is defined as the non-driving side.

<Overall Configuration of Electrophotographic Image Forming Apparatus>
The electrophotographic image forming apparatus (image forming apparatus) shown in Fig. 2 is a laser beam printer utilizing electrophotographic technology in which a cartridge B is detachably attached to an apparatus main body A. When the cartridge B is attached to the apparatus main body A, an exposure device 3 (laser scanner unit) is disposed for forming a latent image on an electrophotographic photosensitive drum 62 serving as an image carrier of the cartridge B. In addition, a sheet tray 4 is disposed below the cartridge B, which stores a recording medium (hereinafter referred to as a sheet material PA) on which an image is to be formed. The electrophotographic photosensitive drum 62 is a photosensitive member (electrophotographic photosensitive member) used for forming an electrophotographic image.

In addition, in the device main body A, a pickup roller 5a, a pair of feeding rollers 5b, a transfer guide 6, a transfer roller 7, a transport guide 8, a fixing device 9, a pair of discharge rollers 10, a discharge tray 11, etc. are arranged in this order along the transport direction D of the sheet material PA. The fixing device 9 is composed of a heating roller 9a and a pressure roller 9b.

<Image Formation Process>
Next, an outline of the image forming process will be described. Based on a print start signal, an electrophotographic photosensitive drum (hereinafter referred to as photosensitive drum 62 or simply as drum 62) is rotated in the direction of arrow R at a predetermined peripheral speed (process speed).

A charging roller (charging member) 66 to which a bias voltage is applied contacts the outer peripheral surface of the drum 62 and uniformly charges the outer peripheral surface of the drum 62 (see Figure 3).

The exposure device 3 outputs laser light L corresponding to the image information. The laser light L passes through a laser opening 71h provided in the cleaning frame 71 of the cartridge B, and scans and exposes the outer peripheral surface of the drum 62. As a result, an electrostatic latent image corresponding to the image information is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the drum 62.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 3, in the developing unit 20 as a developing device, the toner T in the toner chamber 29 is stirred and transported by the rotation of the transport member (stirring member) 43, and is sent to the toner supply chamber 28.

The toner T is carried on the surface of the developing roller 32 by the magnetic force of the magnet roller 34 (fixed magnet). The developing roller 32 is a developer carrier that carries developer (toner T) on its surface in order to develop the latent image formed on the drum 62. The toner T is frictionally charged by the developing blade 42, while the layer thickness on the peripheral surface of the developing roller 32 as a developer carrier is regulated.

The toner T is supplied to the drum 62 in accordance with the electrostatic latent image, and develops the latent image. This makes the latent image visible as a toner image. The drum 62 is an image carrier that carries the latent image and the image formed with toner (toner image, developer image) on its surface. As shown in FIG. 2, the sheet material PA stored in the lower part of the device main body A is sent out from the sheet tray 4 by the pickup roller 5a and the pair of feeding rollers 5b in synchronization with the output timing of the laser light L. The sheet material PA is then transported via the transfer guide 6 to the transfer position between the drum 62 and the transfer roller 7. At this transfer position, the toner image is transferred sequentially from the drum 62 to the sheet material PA.

The sheet material PA onto which the toner image has been transferred is separated from the drum 62 and conveyed along a conveying guide 8 to a fixing device 9. The sheet material PA is then conveyed to a heating roller 9 constituting the fixing device 9.
The toner image passes through a nip between the pressure roller 9a and the pressure roller 9b. In this nip, a pressure and heat fixing process is performed, and the toner image is fixed to the sheet material PA. The sheet material PA, which has been subjected to the toner image fixing process, is transported to a pair of discharge rollers 10 and discharged to a discharge tray 11.

As shown in FIG. 3, the drum 62 after transfer has residual toner removed from its outer peripheral surface by a cleaning member 77, and is used again in the image formation process. The toner removed from the drum 62 is stored in the waste toner chamber 71b of the cleaning unit 60. The cleaning unit 60 is a photosensitive drum unit that has the photosensitive drum 62.

In the above, the charging roller 66, the developing roller 32, the transfer roller 7, and the cleaning member 77 are process means that act on the drum 62.

<Overall cartridge configuration>
Next, the overall structure of the cartridge B will be described with reference to Figures 3, 4, and 5. Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view of the cartridge B, and Figures 4 and 5 are perspective views for explaining the structure of the cartridge B. In this embodiment, the screws used to join the various parts will be omitted from the description.

Cartridge B has a cleaning unit (photoconductor holding unit, drum holding unit, image carrier holding unit, first unit) 60 and a development unit (developer carrier holding unit, second unit) 20.

As shown in FIG. 3, the cleaning unit 60 has a drum 62, a charging roller 66, a cleaning member 77, and a cleaning frame 71 that supports these. On the driving side of the drum 62, a driving side drum flange 63 provided on the driving side is rotatably supported by a hole 73a of a drum bearing 73 (see FIG. 4). In a broad sense, the drum bearing 73 and the cleaning frame 71 can be collectively referred to as the cleaning frame.

On the non-driven side, as shown in FIG. 5, a hole (not shown) in the non-driven side drum flange is rotatably supported by a drum shaft 78 press-fitted into a hole 71c provided in the cleaning frame 71. Each drum flange is a bearing-supported part that is rotatably supported by a bearing part.

As shown in FIG. 3, in the cleaning unit 60, the charging roller 66 and the cleaning member 77 are each arranged in contact with the outer circumferential surface of the drum 62.

The cleaning member 77 has a rubber blade 77a, which is a blade-shaped elastic member made of rubber as an elastic material, and a support member 77b that supports the rubber blade. The rubber blade 77a abuts against the drum 62 in a counter direction to the rotation direction of the drum 62. In other words, the rubber blade 77a abuts against the drum 62 so that its tip faces upstream in the rotation direction R of the drum 62.

The waste toner removed from the surface of the drum 62 by the cleaning member 77 is stored in the waste toner chamber 71b formed by the cleaning frame 71 and the cleaning member 77.

As shown in FIG. 3, a scoop sheet 65 is provided on the edge of the cleaning frame 71 so as to abut against the drum 62 to prevent waste toner from leaking from the cleaning frame 71.

The charging roller 66 is rotatably attached to the cleaning unit 60 via charging roller bearings 67 at both ends in the longitudinal direction of the cleaning frame 71 .

The longitudinal direction of the cleaning frame 71 (the longitudinal direction of the cartridge B) is approximately parallel to the direction in which the axis of rotation of the drum 62 extends (the axial direction). Therefore, hereafter, when the longitudinal direction or axial direction is mentioned without any special mention, it refers to the axial direction of the drum 62.

The charging roller 66 is pressed against the drum 62 by the charging roller bearing 67 being pressed against the drum 62 by the biasing member 68. The charging roller 66 rotates in response to the rotation of the drum 62.

As shown in FIG. 3, the developing unit 20 includes a developing roller 32, a developing container 23 that supports the developing roller 32, and a developing blade 42. The developing roller 32 is rotatably attached to the developing container 23 by bearing members 26 (FIG. 4) and 27 (FIG. 5) provided at both ends.

In addition, a magnet roller 34 is provided inside the developing roller 32. In the developing unit 20, a developing blade 42 is provided to regulate the toner layer on the developing roller 32. As shown in Figs. 4 and 5, the developing roller 32 has spacing members 38 attached to both ends thereof, and the spacing members 38 come into contact with the drum 62, so that the developing roller 32 is held with a small gap between it and the drum 62. As shown in Fig. 3, a blowout prevention sheet 33 for preventing toner from leaking from the developing unit 20 is provided on the edge of the developing container 23 so as to come into contact with the developing roller 32. Furthermore, a transport member 43 is provided in the toner chamber 29 formed by the developing container 23 and the bottom member 22. The transport member 43 stirs the toner contained in the toner chamber 29 and transports the toner to the toner supply chamber 28.

As shown in Figures 4 and 5, the cartridge B is constructed by combining the cleaning unit 60 and the developing unit 20. When combining the developing unit 20 and the cleaning unit 60, first, the center of the first support boss 26a of the bearing member 26 is aligned with the first hanging hole 71i on the driving side of the cleaning frame 71, and the center of the second support boss 27a of the bearing member 27 is aligned with the second hanging hole 71j on the non-driving side. Specifically, by moving the developing unit 20 in the direction of arrow G, the first support boss 26a of the developing unit and the second support boss 27a of the developing unit are fitted into the first hanging hole 71i and the second hanging hole 71j. This allows the developing unit 20 to be movably connected to the cleaning unit 60. More specifically, the developing unit 20 is connected to the cleaning unit 60 so that it can rotate (rotatably). That is, the developing roller 32 is connected to the drum 62 in a state in which it can be moved toward and away from the drum 62. After this, the drum bearing 73 is assembled into the cleaning unit 60 to form the cartridge B.

In this embodiment, the non-driven side urging member 46L (Fig. 5) and the driven side urging member 46R (Fig. 4) are formed of compression springs. The urging force of these springs causes the driven side urging member 46L and the non-driven side urging member 46R to urge the developing unit 20 against the cleaning unit 60, thereby reliably pressing the developing roller 32 toward the drum 62. In addition, spacing members 38 are provided on both ends of the developing roller 32. In other words, the drum 62 and the developing roller 32 come into contact with each other at a predetermined contact pressure via the spacing members 38, so that the developing roller 32 is held at a predetermined distance from the drum 62, and their relative positions are determined.

<Cartridge installation>
Next, the mounting of the cartridge B will be specifically described with reference to Figs. 6(a), 6(b), 7(a), and 7(b). Fig. 6(a) is a cross-sectional view of the driving side guide portion of the image forming apparatus A for explaining the mounting of the cartridge B, and Fig. 6(b) is a cross-sectional view of the non-driving side guide portion of the image forming apparatus A for explaining the mounting of the cartridge B. Fig. 7(a) is a cross-sectional view of the driving side of the image forming apparatus A for explaining the positioning of the cartridge B. Fig. 7(b) is a cross-sectional view of the non-driving side of the image forming apparatus A for explaining the positioning of the cartridge B. The mounting of the cartridge B will be described. As shown in Figs. 6(a) and 6(b), the first driving side plate 15 has a guide rail upper portion 15g and a guide rail 15h as guides, and the non-driving side plate 16 has a guide rail upper portion 16d and a guide rail 16e. In addition, the drum bearing 73 provided on the driving side of the cartridge B has a rotation-stopped portion 73c. The mounting direction of the cartridge B is a direction (arrow C) that is substantially perpendicular to the axis of the drum 62 (Fig. 3).

The cleaning frame 71 also has a positioned portion 71d as a first positioning portion and a rotation-stopped portion 71f as a second positioning portion on the non-driven side in the longitudinal direction. When the cartridge B is mounted through the cartridge insertion opening 17 of the main body A of the apparatus, the driven side of the cartridge B and the rotation-stopped portion 73c of the cartridge B are guided by the guide rail 15h of the main body A of the apparatus. The non-driven side of the cartridge B and the positioned portion 71d and the rotation-stopped portion 71f of the cartridge B are guided by the guide rail 16d and guide rail 16e of the main body A of the apparatus. In this way, the cartridge B is mounted in the main body A of the apparatus.

Next, the state in which the opening/closing door 13 is closed will be described. As shown in Figures 6(a), 6(b), 7(a), and 7(b), the first driven side plate 15 has an upper positioning portion 15a, a lower positioning portion 15b, and a rotation stop portion 15c for positioning, and the non-driven side plate 16 has a positioning portion 16a and an upper rotation stop portion 16c. The drum bearing 73 has an upper positioned portion (first positioned portion, first protrusion, first overhang) 73d and a lower positioned portion (second positioned portion, second protrusion, second overhang) 73f.

The cartridge pressing members 1 and 2 are rotatably attached to both axial ends of the opening/closing door 13. The cartridge pressing springs 19 and 21 are attached to both longitudinal ends of a front plate provided in the image forming device A. The drum bearing 73 has a pressed portion 73e as a force receiving portion, and the cleaning frame 71 has a pressed portion 71o on the non-driven side (see FIG. 3). By closing the opening/closing door 13, the pressed portions 73e and 71o of the cartridge B are pressed by the cartridge pressing members 1 and 2 which are biased by the cartridge pressing springs 19 and 21 of the device main body A (see FIG. 7).

As a result, on the driving side, the positioned upper portion 73d, the positioned lower portion 73f, and the rotation stop portion 73c of cartridge B are fixed to the positioning upper portion 15a, the positioning lower portion 15b, and the rotation stop portion 15c of the device main body A, respectively. As a result, cartridge B and drum 62 are positioned on the driving side. Also, on the non-driving side, the positioned portion 71d and the rotation stop portion 71f of cartridge B are fixed to the positioning portion 16a and the rotation stop portion 16c of the device main body A, respectively. As a result, cartridge B and drum 62 are positioned on the non-driving side.

The above has been described as an example of a configuration for determining the position of cartridge B relative to the apparatus main body A, but is not intended to limit the means for positioning. A configuration may be used in which the positioning portions are fixed by directly acting on the positioned portion 73d and the rotation-stopped portion 73f on the drive side of cartridge B, and the positioned portion 71d and the rotation-stopped portion 71f on the non-drive side.

Next, the structure in which the cartridge B receives the driving force from the main assembly A of the apparatus will be described with reference to Figures 8(a), 8(b), 8(c) and 8(d). Figure 8(a) is a diagram showing the structure of the driving section of the main assembly A of the apparatus, and Figure 8(b) is a diagram showing the structure of the driving section of the cartridge B. Figure 8(c) is a diagram showing the state before the driving sections of the main assembly A of the apparatus and the cartridge B are engaged.
FIG. 8D is a diagram showing a state in which the power supply of the main assembly A of the apparatus is turned on and the driving portions of the main assembly A of the apparatus and the cartridge B are engaged with each other.

As shown in FIG. 8(a), the main assembly A of the apparatus is provided with a drive transmission member 81 that receives a driving force from a drive source (not shown) of the main assembly A of the apparatus and transmits the driving force to the cartridge B. Also, as shown in FIG. 8(b), the cartridge B is provided with a drive receiving portion 63b on the driving side drum flange 63 to receive the driving force by engaging with the drive transmission member 81. Here, when the opening and closing door 13 is closed and the power supply of the main assembly A of the apparatus is turned on, the drive transmission member 81 moves in the direction of the arrow E in FIG. 8(c). Then, as shown in FIG. 8(d), the drive transmission portion 81b of the drive transmission member 81 and the drive receiving portion 63b of the driving side drum flange 63 engage with each other, and the drum 62 rotates via the driving side drum flange 63. Also, a gear shape 81g is provided on the outer periphery of the drive transmission member 81. Furthermore, a developing roller gear 90 is coupled to the end of the developing roller 32 of the cartridge B. When the drive-receiving portion 63b of the drive-side drum flange 63 shown in FIG. 8(d) is engaged, the gear shape 81g provided on the drive transmission member 81 and the developing roller gear 90 are also arranged to mesh. That is, the drive transmission member 81 rotates the drum 62 via the drive-side drum flange, and at the same time, the developing roller 62 also rotates via the developing roller gear 90.

<Developing container 23>
Next, the developing container 23 according to the present invention will be described with reference to Fig. 9(a), Fig. 9(b), and Fig. 9(c). Fig. 9(a) is a perspective view of the developing container 23, Fig. 9(b) is a view of the connecting port 723c of the developing container 23 as seen from the front, and Fig. 9(c) is a view showing the warped state of the developing container 23.

As shown in FIG. 9(a), the developing container 23 has a shape in which a connecting port 723c with the bottom member 22 is provided on the toner chamber 29 side, which is wide open. A welded flange 723a is provided as a ring-shaped first flange portion along the entire outer edge of the connecting port 723c so as to surround the connecting port 723c. Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 9(b), when the connecting port 723c is viewed from the front, the upper and lower welded flanges 723a are provided at the longitudinal center of the developing container 23 with notches (714, 715) that are sandwiched when the developing container 23 is combined with the bottom member 22, which will be described later.

As shown in FIG. 9B, the cutouts include a first cutout 714 provided at the outer end of the welded flange 723a and a second cutout 715 provided on the toner chamber side, both of which are cut out in the height direction of the welded flange 723a and in the short direction of the developing container 23. Note that in this embodiment, a configuration in which a cutout is provided in part of the welded flange 723a is described, but the welded flange 723a may have a shape with no cutout and a uniform height over the entire area.

Here, the material of the developing container 23 is a molded material such as PS or PP, taking into consideration low cost and mass production. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 9(c), when the part is molded, the part may become warped in a direction in which the longitudinal center portion is greatly convex (the warp profile in the direction of the arrow F, as shown by the dashed line FR) or in a direction in which the longitudinal center portion is greatly concave (the warp profile in the direction of the arrow H, as shown by the dashed line HR).

<Bottom member 22>
Next, the bottom member 22 according to the present invention will be described with reference to Figs. 1(a), 1(b), 1(c), 1(d), and 10. Fig. 1(a) is a perspective view of the bottom member 22, Fig. 1(b) is an enlarged perspective view of the wall surface portion (first wall surface portion 710, second wall surface portion 711) installed in the longitudinal center portion of the bottom member 22 surrounded by the frame CY in Fig. 1(a), Fig. 1(c) is an enlarged cross-sectional view cut along CA-CA in the vicinity of the wall surface portion (first wall surface portion 710, second wall surface portion 711) of the bottom member 22 in Fig. 1(b), and Fig. 1(d) is a view of the connection port 722c of the bottom member 22 as seen from the front. Fig. 10 is a perspective view showing an example of another bottom member 22 in which wall surface portions are provided at three positions in the longitudinal direction of the bottom member 22.

As shown in Figs. 1(a) and 1(b), the bottom member 22 is box-shaped and has a connection port 722c for connecting to the developing container 23, which is wide open across the entire area of the bottom member. A horn receiving portion 722d is provided as a second annular flange portion around the entire outer edge of the connection port 722c.

As shown in Fig. 1(b) and Fig. 1(c), an energy director 722a is provided at approximately the center of the horn receiving portion 722d in the short side direction, without interruption around the entire circumference of the horn receiving portion 722d. The energy director 722a is rib-shaped and protrudes outward in a direction intersecting the horn receiving portion 722d, approximately perpendicular to the connection port 722c of the bottom member 22. In other words, it protrudes in the opposing direction between the horn receiving portion 722d and the welded flange 723a.

Furthermore, on the horn receiving portion 722d, at both ends of the energy director 722a, a director accommodation portion 722b is provided to accommodate the energy director 722a melted during ultrasonic welding. The director accommodation portion 722b is provided over the entire energy director 722a, and has a groove shape that ensures a space equal to or larger than the volume of the energy director 722a melted during ultrasonic welding.

Furthermore, when the connecting port 722c of the bottom member 22 is viewed from the front, wall portions (first wall portion 710, second wall portion 711) are provided on the horn receiving portion 722d in the longitudinal center of the bottom member 22. That is, the connecting port 722c (connecting port 723c) has a substantially rectangular opening shape including a pair of long portions that are long in the longitudinal direction of the developing container 23 and a short portion that is perpendicular to these, and each flange portion is formed in a ring shape with a similar shape along the ring-shaped edge. The wall portions are ribbed and extend in the direction protruding from the connecting port 722c of the bottom member 22 in the direction in which the energy director 722a protrudes, and are installed at positions corresponding to the notches provided in the developing container 23 described above.

As shown in FIG. 1(c), the wall surface (first wall surface 710, second wall surface 711) is provided with an induction portion 710a and a holding portion 710b. The holding portion 710b is a surface that is approximately parallel to the direction in which the energy director 722a protrudes from the connecting port 722c of the bottom member 22. The length of the holding surface 710a in the direction in which the energy director 722a protrudes from the connecting port 722c of the bottom member 22 is longer than the length of the energy director 722a in the same direction.

The guide portion 710a is provided continuously at the tip of the holding portion 710b on the side away from the energy director 722a in the direction in which the energy director 722a protrudes and in the direction in which it protrudes from the connecting port 722c of the bottom member 22. The guide portion 710a has an inclined shape having a slope that is inclined in the direction away from the energy director 722a in the direction in which the wall portion (first wall portion 710, second wall portion 711) protrudes as it moves away from the energy director 722a.

In this embodiment, the width of the wall portions (first wall portion 710, second wall portion 711) in the longitudinal direction of the bottom member is approximately 10 mm or less, but this is not limited as long as joining by ultrasonic welding, which will be described later, is possible.

In addition, the wall portion is not limited to one location in the longitudinal center of the bottom member 22 as shown in Fig. 1. As shown in Fig. 10, the wall portion may be provided at three locations in the longitudinal direction of the bottom member 22, and there is no limit to the number of wall portions provided as long as they can be joined by ultrasonic welding, which will be described later. In addition, the longitudinal direction of the developing container 23 in this embodiment is configured to coincide with the direction of the rotation axis of the long developing roller 23, and each connecting port is also long in the same direction, but the configuration of the connecting ports is not limited to this. It goes without saying that the same effect as in this embodiment can be achieved by applying the same configuration as above to locations where the influence of warping is large in various connecting port configurations.

The first wall portion 710 is provided at the end of the horn receiving portion 722d, and the second wall portion 711 is provided on the connecting port 722c side. In other words, after the developing container 23 and the bottom member 22 are welded, the second wall portion 711 is located inside the toner storage portion formed by the developing container 23 and the bottom member 22. The first wall portion 710 and the second wall portion 711 are provided to sandwich the energy director 722a and the director storage portion 722b. The wall portions (first wall portion 710, second wall portion 711) have induction portions (110a, 111a) and holding portions (110b, 111b), and protrude outward in a direction intersecting the horn receiving portion 722d and approximately perpendicular to the connecting port 722c of the bottom member 22.

In this embodiment, the protruding height of the wall surface portion (first wall surface portion 710, second wall surface portion 711) is higher than the height of the energy director 722a. The wall surface portion (first wall surface portion 710, second wall surface portion 711) is formed to have a thickness that is approximately the same as the thickness of the entire bottom member. Here, as with the developing container 23 described above, the material of the bottom member 22 is a molded material such as PS or PP, taking into consideration low cost and mass production. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 1(d), when the part is molded, the part may be warped in a direction in which the longitudinal center portion is greatly convex (in the direction of the arrow J, the warp profile is as shown by the dashed line JR) or in a direction in which the longitudinal center portion is greatly concave (in the direction of the arrow K, the warp profile is as shown by the dashed line KR).

<Connection of the developing container 23 and the bottom member 22>
Next, the joining of the developing container 23 and the bottom member 22 by ultrasonic joining according to the present invention will be described. The developing container 23 as a developer storage container is formed by welding and joining the developing container 23 itself as a first frame body part and the bottom member 22 as a second frame body part. Here, the joining by ultrasonic welding is performed in the following procedure: the developing container 23 and the bottom member 22 are aligned, the welding flange 723a of the developing container 23 is held by the welding backup 891, and the welding horn 890 is lowered to the horn receiving part 722d of the bottom member 22, and oscillated and joined. In the following description, the above-mentioned developing container 23 and one place near the longitudinal center of the bottom member 22 will be described, focusing on the stable joining by ultrasonic welding while correcting the warping of the warped parts according to the object of the present invention. At this time, the relationship between the warping of the developing container 23 and the bottom member 22 will be described below, based on the representative premise that the central portion of the developing container 23 is warped in the outward direction opposite the connecting port 723c (in the direction of arrow F, with a warping profile like the dashed line FR) more than the warping of the bottom member 22.

<Alignment of the developing container 23 and the bottom member 22>
First, the alignment of the developing container 23 and the bottom member 22 will be described with reference to Figures 11(a), 11(b), 11(c), 11(d), and 11(e). Figure 11(a) is a cross-sectional view of the vicinity of the center of the developing frame immediately before the bottom member 22 is aligned with the developing container 23 that is relatively warped outward, Figure 11(b) is a cross-sectional view of the vicinity of the center of the developing frame showing how the relatively warped developing container 23 and the bottom member 22 are aligned by the guide portion of the wall surface portion, Figure 11(c) is a cross-sectional view of the vicinity of the center of the developing frame showing how the developing container 23 and the bottom member 22 are aligned while the warp of the developing container 23 and the bottom member 22 are corrected by the holding portion of the wall surface portion, and Figure 11(d) is a cross-sectional view of the vicinity of the center of the developing frame showing a state in which the alignment of the developing container 23 and the bottom member 22 is completed while the warp of the developing container 23 is corrected. Figure 11(e) is a view showing a state in which the alignment of the developing container 23 and the bottom member 22 is completed.

The developing container 23 and the bottom member 22 are aligned so that the connecting port 723c of the developing container 23 faces the connecting port 722c of the bottom member 22.

As mentioned above, the center of the developing container 23 is warped outward, toward the side opposite the connecting port 723c, more than the warping of the bottom member 22. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 11(a), before the developing container 23 and the bottom member 22 are joined together, the positional relationship between the welded flange 723a (first cutout portion 714) and the horn receiving portion 722d is misaligned from the specified position.

In this state, when the developing container 23 and the bottom member 22 approach in the direction in which they are joined so that the joint surface 723b of the developing container 23 and the energy director 722a of the bottom member 22 come into contact, as shown in FIG. 11B, the guide portion 710a of the first wall surface portion 710 of the bottom member 22 comes into contact with the tip portion 714a of the welding flange 723a (first cutout portion 714) of the developing container 23. Then, as the tip portion 23d approaches in the direction in which the developing container 23 and the bottom member 22 are joined, it moves on the guide portion 710a, and the warp of the developing container 23 is corrected in the direction of the arrow FH in the figure.

As the mating of the developing container 23 and the bottom member 22 progresses, the contact portion of the tip 714a with the first wall surface portion 710 of the bottom member 22 moves from the induction portion 710a to the holding portion 710b, as shown in FIG. 11(c). When it comes into contact with the holding portion 710b, the correction of the warpage of the developing container 23 and the bottom member 22 is completed. Then, as shown in FIG. 11(d), the mating of the developing container 23 and the bottom member 22 is completed with the joining surface 723b and the energy director 722a in contact.

In this embodiment, the developing container 23 and the bottom member 22 are configured to have a thinned overall part including the vicinity of the joints made by ultrasonic welding such as the horn receiving portion 722d and the welded flange 723d while securing the guide portion 710a and the holding portion 710b of the first wall surface portion 710. Therefore, when the development container 23 and the bottom member 22 are completely aligned, the first wall surface portion 710 protrudes toward the development frame body side beyond the thickness of the welded flange (the alignment direction of the development container 23 and the bottom member 22).

The above description has been given of an example of the warping of the developing container 23 and the bottom member 22, with the central part of the developing container 23 warping outward in the opposite direction to the connecting port 723c more than the warping of the bottom member 22. However, the same effect is achieved even when the central part of the developing container 23 warps in the opposite direction, that is, inward in the direction of the connecting port 723c more than the warping of the bottom member 22. In that case, the second wall part 711 instead of the first wall part 710 described above, the induction part 711a instead of the induction part 710a, the holding part 711b instead of the holding part 710b, the second notch part 715 instead of the first notch part 714, and the tip part 715a instead of the tip part 714a perform the same function.

<Holding of Welded Flange 723a of Developing Container 23>
Next, with reference to Figures 12(a) and 12(b), the holding of the welded flange 723a of the developing container 23 by the welded backup 891 will be described. Figure 12(a) is a cross-sectional view of Figure 11(e) taken along the M-M cross section in a range where there are no wall surfaces, and Figure 12(b) is a cross-sectional view of Figure 11(e) taken along the N-N cross section in a range where there are wall surfaces in the center of the developing container 23.

As shown in FIG. 12(a), the developing container 23 is oriented in a gravity-direction orientation with the bottom member 22 facing upwards, and the welding backup 891 is installed so as to hold the welding flange 723a directly below the portion facing the energy director 722a in the direction in which the energy director 722a protrudes, and is basically installed over the entire area of the welding flange 723a.

As mentioned above, in this embodiment, the developing container 23 and the bottom member 22 are configured to have a thin wall overall while still maintaining the guide portion 710a and the holding portion 711b of the first wall portion 710, so that the wall portions (710, 711) protrude toward the developing frame body beyond the thickness of the welded flange. (See FIG. 11(d))

Therefore, as shown in FIG. 12(b), in the range where the wall surface portions (710, 711) are present in the longitudinal center of the bottom member 22, a recess 891a is provided in the welding backup 891 to avoid interference with the wall surface portions (710, 711). Here, in ultrasonic welding, if the welding backup 891 is not present in a narrow range, the pressure during welding can be supported by the rigidity of the individual parts, so welding is possible. By providing the wall surface portions (710, 711) of the present invention in only a partial range of the bottom member 22, it is possible to limit the recess 891a of the welding backup 891 to only a very partial range.

<Joining of the developing container 23 and the bottom member 22>
Next, the bonding of the developing container 23 and the bottom member 22 by the oscillation of the welding horn 890 will be described with reference to Figures 13(a), 13(b), and 13(c). Figure 13(a) is an enlarged cross-sectional view of Figure 11(e) cut along the N-N section, showing the state in which the welding horn 890 is installed on the horn receiving portion 722d of the bottom member 22. Figure 13(b) is an enlarged cross-sectional view of Figure 11(e) cut along the N-N section, showing the state in which the tip portion 722e of the energy director is melted by the oscillation from the welding horn 890. Figure 13(c) shows an enlarged cross-sectional view of Figure 11(e) cut along the N-N section when the ultrasonic bonding of the developing container 23 and the bottom member 22 is completed.

As shown in FIG. 13(a), the welded horn 890 is placed in a position directly below the energy director 722a of the bottom member 22 and in contact with the horn receiving portion 722d. The welded flange 723a of the developing member 23, the energy director 722a of the bottom member 22, and the horn receiving portion 722d are then held in a constant pressure state by the welded horn 890 and the welded backup 891, while the welded horn 890 is oscillated. When the welded horn 890 is oscillated, the vibration of the welded horn 890 is propagated to the energy director 722a, melting the tip 22d of the energy director, as shown in FIG. 13(b).

At this time, the vibration of the welding horn 890 is transmitted to the bottom member 22, causing it to vibrate as well, so that the positions of the bottom member 22 and the developing container 23 tend to shift in a direction intersecting the protruding direction of the wall portions (710, 711). However, in order to perform stable ultrasonic welding, it is desirable that the relative positions of the parts can be maintained.

In response to this, the wall surface portions (710, 711) of the present invention function. When the vibrations cause the components of the developing container 23 and the bottom member 22 to shift in position relative to each other in a direction intersecting the protruding direction of the wall surface portions (710, 711), the holding portions (710b, 711b) of the wall surface portions hold the welding flanges 723a (notches (714, 715) to regulate the positional shift. The oscillation of the welding horn 890 continues until the abutment surface 722f of the bottom member 22 and the joining surface 723b of the developing container 23 come into abutment with each other and welding is completed. During this time, the components are held in a state of being subjected to a constant pressure, so that the energy The energy director 722a gradually melts. The molten energy director 722a is accommodated in the director accommodation portion 722b of the bottom member 22 (extension portion 711g) as shown in FIG. 13(c). That is, before the energy director 722a is welded to the welding flange 723a of the developing container 23, the energy director 722a is provided so as to protrude from the surface of the horn receiving portion 722d facing the welding flange 723a toward the welding flange 723a. The energy director 722a is formed in a ring shape on the ring-shaped horn receiving portion 722d. When the erector 722a is melted by the application of melting energy, it is pressed against the welding surface of the welding flange 723a, and is deformed so as to extend to the inner and outer periphery, respectively, and is joined and integrated with the welding surface. The outer peripheral molten portion extending to the outer periphery is accommodated in the director accommodation portion 722b, which serves as a first groove portion provided in an annular shape between the first wall surface portion 710 and the erector 722a. The inner peripheral molten portion extending to the inner periphery is accommodated in the director accommodation portion 722b, which serves as a second groove portion provided in an annular shape between the first wall surface portion 710 and the erector 722a. The erector 722a is melted and deformed in this way to form the welding flange 723a. By combining with the energy director 722a, the energy director 722a becomes a welded portion that welds the bottom member 22 to the developing container 23 in the product structure after welding. The abutting surface 722f as the abutting surface is provided on the opposite side of the energy director 722a with respect to the director housing portion 722b and is configured to abut against the bonding surface 723b of the developing container 23, which is the opposing surface. Therefore, even if the energy director 722a melts, it can abut against the bonding surface 723b while maintaining a flat state.

Then, the oscillation of the welding horn 890 stops, and once the molten energy director 722a has sufficiently cooled and solidified, the applied pressure is released and the bond is completed.

With the above-described configuration, the connection port 723c of the developing container 23 and the connection port 722c of the bottom member 22 are joined by ultrasonic welding, completing the construction of the developer storage container 718 in which the toner chamber 29 is formed. The developing unit 20 is made by attaching the developing roller 32 and developing blade 42 to this developer storage container 718.

Then, wall portions (710, 711) are provided in a portion of the longitudinal center of the bottom member 22 so as to sandwich the energy director 722a. This configuration makes it possible to stably join the parts by ultrasonic welding while correcting the warping caused by molding, even when the parts are individually warped during molding.

In addition, to enable stable ultrasonic welding, it is necessary that the welding horn 890 contacts the horn receiving portion 722d and the vibration is sufficiently transmitted to the energy director 722a. In the conventional configuration shown in FIG. 15, the wall portion that sandwiches the energy director 880a is on the side of the joined member 881. In this case, in order to prevent the welding horn 890 from contacting and interfering with the wall portion and thus preventing sufficient vibration transmission, the horn receiving portion 880 must cover the joined member 881 and the thickness of the horn receiving portion 880 itself must be made thick. As a result, it becomes difficult to achieve both stable ultrasonic welding and thinning of the parts while correcting the warp during the above-mentioned part molding. However, in this embodiment, the wall portion (710, 711) is provided on the bottom member 22 side with which the welding horn 890 contacts. This prevents interference between the welding horn 890 and the wall surface (710, 711) and allows vibrations to be transmitted sufficiently to the energy director 722a, enabling stable ultrasonic bonding.

Furthermore, as described above, in this embodiment, a groove-shaped director housing 722b is provided between the energy director 722a and the first and second wall surfaces. In the case of the conventional configuration shown in FIG. 15, no groove is provided in either the horn receiving member 880 or the member to be joined 881, and the space formed between the horn receiving member 880 and the member to be joined 881 serves as the director housing 880b. In such a configuration without a groove-shaped director housing, when the entire part is thinned and made smaller, the space formed between the horn receiving member 880 and the member to be joined 881 inevitably becomes smaller, and the space of the director housing 880b becomes smaller. Then, the melted energy director cannot be accommodated in the director housing 880b, and it becomes difficult for the energy director 880a to maintain contact with the opposing surface. As a result, the vibration from the welding horn 890 is not transmitted sufficiently, making it difficult to perform stable ultrasonic welding. In contrast, in this embodiment, as described above, the director accommodation portion 722b is formed in a groove shape, and while a sufficient space for accommodating the molten energy director 722a necessary for stable ultrasonic welding is secured, the entire part including the vicinity of the energy director 722a can be thinned. As a result, the cost of the part can be reduced by thinning while maintaining stable ultrasonic welding. Note that, in this embodiment, a groove is provided as a recess for accommodating the molten energy director 722a, but the present invention is not limited to such a configuration. For example, the bottom member 22 may have a configuration in which recesses are intermittently formed along the edge on the side where the energy director 722a is provided.

In addition, in the conventional configuration shown in FIG. 15, the second clamping portion 881c prevents fragments (burrs) of the melted director, which can cause image defects, from entering the toner storage portion 881d through the burr path BT. Therefore, in the conventional configuration, the second clamping portion 881c must be provided around the entire circumference of the fused director, making it difficult to increase the toner volume. However, in this embodiment, the wall portion (710, 711) is provided only in a portion of the longitudinal center portion where the warping is greatest, thereby ensuring a larger toner volume than in the conventional configuration in which the wall portion is provided around the entire energy director 722a. As a result, it is possible to reduce the size of the development unit 20.

Example 2
Next, another embodiment aimed at further miniaturization of the development unit 20 will be described. In this embodiment, the configuration of the bottom member 22 of the first embodiment is further developed, and the configuration other than the bottom member 22 is the same as in the first embodiment, so the description will be omitted. In addition, the ultrasonic welding process procedure is also the same as in the first embodiment, so the description will be omitted. Therefore, the configuration of the bottom member 822 of the second embodiment will be described below.

<Bottom member 822>
Next, the bottom member 822 according to the present invention will be described with reference to Figs. 14(a), 14(b), 14(c), and 14(d). Fig. 14(a) is a front view of the connection port 822c of the bottom member 822 in the second embodiment. Fig. 14(b) is an enlarged perspective view of the vicinity of the wall surface portion (first wall surface portion 810, second wall surface portion 811) of the bottom member 822 enlarged by the frame CX in Fig. 14(a). Fig. 14(c) is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the vicinity of the wall surface portion (first wall surface portion 810, second wall surface portion 811) of the bottom member 822 cut at the CB cross section in Fig. 14(a). Fig. 14(d) is a view showing the director accommodating portion 822b in the vicinity of the first wall surface portion 810 cut at the V-V cross section in Fig. 14(a).

As shown in FIG. 14(a), the bottom member 822 is box-shaped with a connection port 822c for the developing container 23 that is wide open across the entire bottom member. The bottom member 822 is box-shaped so that it will have a space that will become a toner chamber when it is joined to the developing container 23, as described above. A horn receiving portion 822d is provided around the entire periphery of the connection port 822c so as to surround the connection port 822c.

As shown in Fig. 14(b) and Fig. 14(c), an energy director 822a is provided at approximately the center of the horn receiving portion 822d in the short side direction, without interruption around the entire circumference of the horn receiving portion 822d. The energy director 822a is rib-shaped and protrudes outward in a direction intersecting with the horn receiving portion 822d, approximately perpendicular to the connection port 822c of the bottom member 822.

Furthermore, when the connecting port 822c of the bottom member 822 is viewed from the front, a wall surface portion (first wall surface portion 810, second wall surface portion 811) is provided on the horn receiving portion 822d at a part of the longitudinal center of the bottom member 822. The wall surface portion has a rib shape that extends in the direction in which the energy director 822a protrudes and in the direction in which it protrudes from the connecting port 822c of the bottom member 822, and is installed at a position corresponding to the notch portions (714, 715) provided in the developing container 23 described above.

In this embodiment, the width of the wall portions (first wall portion 810, second wall portion 811) in the longitudinal direction of the bottom member is approximately 10 mm or less, but this is not limited as long as joining by ultrasonic welding, which will be described later, is possible.

The wall portion is not limited to one location in the longitudinal center of the bottom member 822 as shown in FIG. 14. As in FIG. 10 of the first embodiment, the wall portion may be provided in three locations along the longitudinal direction as in the bottom member 22. As long as the wall portion can be joined by ultrasonic welding, which will be described later, there is no limit to the number of wall portions that can be provided.

The first wall portion 810 is provided at the end of the horn receiving portion 822d, and the second wall portion 811 is provided on the connecting port 822c side. The first wall portion 810 and the second wall portion 811 are provided so as to sandwich the energy director 822a and the director housing portion 822b.

As shown in FIG. 14(c), the wall surface (first wall surface 810, second wall surface 811) is provided with an induction portion 810a and a holding portion 810b. The holding portion 810b is a surface that is approximately parallel to the direction in which the energy director 822a protrudes from the connecting port 822c of the bottom member 822. The length of the holding surface 810a in the direction in which the energy director 822a protrudes from the connecting port 822c of the bottom member 822 is longer than the length of the energy director 822a in the same direction.

The guide portion 810a is provided continuously at the tip of the holding portion 810b on the side away from the energy director 822a in the direction in which the energy director 822a protrudes and in the direction in which it protrudes from the connecting port 822c of the bottom member 822. The guide portion 810a is inclined in the direction in which the wall portion (first wall portion 810, second wall portion 811) protrudes and in the direction in which the wall portion (first wall portion 810, second wall portion 811) protrudes, as it moves away from the energy director 822a.

The protruding height of the wall surface portion (first wall surface portion 810, second wall surface portion 811) in this embodiment is higher than the height of the energy director 822a. The wall surface portion (first wall surface portion 810, second wall surface portion 811) is formed with a thickness that is approximately the same as the thickness of the entire bottom member. Furthermore, on the horn receiving portion 822d, at both ends of the short side direction of the energy director 822a, a director accommodation portion 822b is provided to accommodate the energy director 822a melted during ultrasonic welding. The director accommodation portion 822b is provided over the entire energy director 822a, and has a groove shape that ensures a space equal to or larger than the volume of the energy director 822a melted during ultrasonic welding.

Here, in this embodiment, as shown in Figures 14(c) and 14(d), the thickness of the bottom member 822 near the first wall surface portion 810 in the protruding direction of the energy director 822a is made thinner than other parts. Therefore, the depth of the groove of the director accommodating portion 822b near the first wall surface portion 810 is deeper than the other areas, i.e., the director accommodating portion 822b not near the first wall surface portion 810. By making the depth of the groove of the director accommodating portion 822b deeper than the depth of the groove of the director accommodating portion 822b not near the first wall surface portion 810, the first wall surface portion 810 can be brought closer to the energy director 822a in the short direction of the horn receiving portion 822d, while securing an accommodation space for the molten energy director 822a. As a result, it is possible to reduce the height of the horn receiving portion 822d of the bottom member 822 in the short direction, making it possible to secure a space to accommodate the molten energy director 822a more than in Example 1 while also making the entire part thinner.

In this case, if the depth of the groove of the director accommodating portion 822b in the protruding direction of the energy director 822a is made deeper over the entire area, the thickness of the horn receiving portion 822d of the bottom member 822 will be thin, and the strength during ultrasonic welding will decrease, which is not desirable. Therefore, in this embodiment, only the depth of the groove of the director accommodating portion 822b near the first wall surface portion 810 is made deeper. Here, as with the developing container 23 described above, the material of the bottom member 822 is a molded material such as PS or PP, taking into account low cost and mass production. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 14(d), when the part is molded, the part often becomes significantly warped in the longitudinal center portion.

However, as described above, the wall portions (810, 811) are provided to sandwich the energy director 822a, and the bottom member 822 and the developing container 23 described in Example 1 are ultrasonically welded to each other as described in Example 1. In this way, even if the individual parts are warped during molding as described above, it is possible to join the parts by ultrasonic welding while correcting the warping caused during molding, as in Example 1. Furthermore, the configuration of this embodiment also achieves the same effects as Example 1, such as reducing the cost of the parts by thinning the entire part, including the vicinity of the energy director 822a, and making the developing unit 20 smaller by ensuring the toner volume, compared to the conventional configuration in which the wall portions are provided over the entire area of the energy director 822a.

Furthermore, in the conventional configuration, when the height of the horn receiving portion 822d in the short side direction is lowered, the height of the energy director 822a in the protruding direction is lowered to prevent uneven thickness of the entire part, sacrificing the storage space for the molten energy director 822a. Even if the height of the horn receiving portion 822d in the short side direction is lowered while securing the storage space, there is a limit to how thin the thickness of the energy director 822a in the protruding direction can be reduced, and it is difficult to balance this with the thinning of the entire part. Therefore, in this embodiment, the depth of the groove of the director storage portion 822b near the first wall surface portion 810 in the protruding direction of the energy director 822a is deepened, thereby securing the storage space for the molten energy director 822a and making it possible to lower the height of the horn receiving portion 822d in the short side direction of the bottom member 822. By reducing the height of the horn receiving portion 822d in the short direction, usable space can be secured, allowing for greater toner volume and further miniaturization of the entire development unit.

In this embodiment, the energy director, the first and second wall portions, and the director housing portion are provided on the flange portion on the bottom member side as one flange portion, and are welded to the flange portion on the developing container side as the other flange portion, but this configuration is not limited to this. In other words, the present invention is applicable even if the flange portion on the developing container side as one flange portion serves as the horn receiving portion, the above-mentioned energy director and other configurations are provided, and the flange portion on the bottom member side serves as the welded flange portion as the other flange portion.

22... bottom member, 23... developer container, 722a... energy director, 722b... director housing, 722c... connection port, 722d... horn receiver, 723a... welding flange, 723c... connection port, 710... first wall portion, 711... second wall portion, 714... first notch portion, 715... second notch portion, 718... developer container, 810... first wall portion, 811... second wall portion, 822... bottom member, 822a... energy director, 822b... director housing, 822c... connection port, 822d... horn receiver

Claims (12)

A developer container comprising:
A first frame body, the first direction being a longitudinal direction;
a second frame body that is welded to the first frame body to form a container for accommodating a developer together with the first frame body, the second frame body being aligned in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction, the first direction being a longitudinal direction of the second frame body;
Equipped with
the first frame body has a first flange portion having a first flange surface provided on an edge portion of the first frame body extending in the first direction and facing the second frame body in the second direction;
The first flange surface is provided with a first wall portion protruding in the second direction, a second wall portion protruding in the second direction and aligned with the first wall portion in a third direction perpendicular to both the first direction and the second direction, a welded portion protruding in the second direction between the first wall portion and the second wall portion with respect to the third direction, and a groove portion provided between at least one of the first wall portion and the second wall portion and the welded portion, the groove portion accommodating a molten portion extending around the welded portion in an energy director to which melting energy is applied during welding of the welded portion ,
the second frame body has a second flange portion having a second flange surface provided on an edge portion of the second frame body extending in the first direction and facing the first frame body in the second direction;
the second flange portion is inserted between the first wall portion and the second wall portion such that the second flange surface is welded to the welded portion of the first flange surface and the movement of the first flange portion in the third direction is restricted by the first wall portion and the second wall portion,
The groove portion includes an annular first groove portion provided on an outer circumferential side of the welded portion of the first flange surface and accommodating an outer circumferential fusion portion extending outward in the energy director during the welding, and an annular second groove portion provided on an inner circumferential side of the welded portion of the first flange surface and accommodating an inner circumferential fusion portion extending outward in the energy director during the welding .
A developer storage container comprising: the first flange surface includes a first region adjacent to the welded portion between the first wall portion and the welded portion in the third direction, and a second region adjacent to the welded portion between the second wall portion and the welded portion in the third direction,
The groove portion is recessed in a direction away from the second frame body in the first region and the second region of the first flange surface .
2. The developer container according to claim 1, wherein the developer container is a container for storing a developer. In the case where the welded portion is a first welded portion,
the first flange surface is provided with a third wall portion protruding in the second direction, a fourth wall portion protruding in the second direction and aligned with the third wall portion in the third direction, and a second welded portion protruding in the second direction between the third wall portion and the fourth wall portion in the third direction;
was established,
the third wall portion and the fourth wall portion are provided at the same positions as the first wall portion and the second wall portion in the first direction,
the second flange portion is inserted between the third wall portion and the fourth wall portion such that the second flange surface is welded to the second welded portion of the first flange surface and the movement of the second flange portion in the third direction relative to the first flange portion is restricted by the third wall portion and the fourth wall portion.
3. The developer container according to claim 1, wherein the developer container is a container for storing a developer. the first wall portion, the second wall portion, and the first welded portion are provided in a central portion of the first frame body in the first direction,
the third wall portion, the fourth wall portion, and the second welded portion are provided in a central portion of the first frame body in the first direction;
4. The developer storage container according to claim 3. A surface is provided at a tip end of the first wall portion, the surface extending in a direction away from the second wall portion in the third direction as the surface approaches the tip end of the tip end portion in the second direction,
A surface is provided at a tip end of the second wall portion, the surface extending in a direction away from the first wall portion in the third direction as the surface approaches the tip end of the tip end portion in the second direction.
5. The developer storage container according to claim 1, 6. The developer storage container according to claim 1, wherein a surface of the first flange portion opposite to an area where the welded portion is provided is a flat surface. The developer container according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the first wall portion protrudes in the second direction by a length greater than the thickness of the second flange portion. The developer container according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that the second wall portion is located inside the storage portion. The developer container according to claim 3 or 4, characterized in that the third wall portion protrudes in the second direction by a length greater than the thickness of the second flange portion. The developer container according to any one of claims 3, 4, and 9, characterized in that the third wall portion is located within the storage portion. A developer container according to any one of claims 1 to 10,
a developer carrier that carries the developer contained in the developer container;
A developing device comprising: A cartridge that is detachably attached to a main body of an image forming apparatus,
A developer container according to any one of claims 1 to 10,
a developer carrier that carries the developer contained in the developer container;
A cartridge comprising:

Images