JP7631050B2 - Cartridge, image forming apparatus, and method for fixing cleaning member - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a cartridge, an image forming device, and a method for fixing a cleaning member.

Conventionally, image forming devices such as printers that form images on recording materials using an electrophotographic image forming method (electrophotographic process) are equipped with a cleaning blade as a cleaning member for cleaning the photosensitive drum as an image carrier. The cleaning blade removes residual toner from the photosensitive drum by contacting the surface of the photosensitive drum with a blade made of an elastic material. In general, cleaning blades are structured such that the blade is attached by molding to the tip of a metal plate that serves as a support. In addition, the metal plate is attached to a frame with screws or the like, so that the blade is contacted with the surface of the photosensitive drum at a predetermined pressure.

In recent years, printers and other image forming devices have become more popular and are becoming smaller and faster. However, because the frame and cleaning blade have manufacturing dimensional tolerances, it is necessary to set a pressure higher than the required pressure as the design center so that cleaning performance is satisfactory even when the tolerances are taken into account. This can result in an increase in the drive torque of the photosensitive drum more than necessary, which can lead to an increase in the motor specifications and number of motors in the device body.

As a method for fixing the cleaning blade described above, normally, a regulating portion for regulating the short side direction of the cleaning blade is provided at both longitudinal ends of the cleaning frame. The cleaning blade can be easily assembled by inserting a notch provided in the cleaning blade sheet metal into this regulating portion (Patent Document 1). Also, Patent Document 2 proposes a configuration in which a regulating portion for regulating the short side direction (direction perpendicular to the long side direction) of the cleaning blade is not provided on the cleaning frame. In this configuration, the cleaning blade can be assembled while adjusting the short side direction to the desired position, so the short side position can be set regardless of the tolerance of the parts, and it is possible to improve the precision of the tip position of the cleaning blade.

JP 2016-051071 A JP 2018-077456 A

Here, in a cleaning blade fixing configuration in which a regulating portion for regulating the short side direction is not provided on the cleaning frame, it is necessary to set the screw tightening force large in order to suppress the cleaning blade from fluctuating in the short side direction when an impact is applied during logistics, etc. Increasing the screw tightening force increases the screw loosening torque, and ensures friction between the cleaning blade and the frame, thereby suppressing fluctuations due to impact. However, even when the screw tightening force is set large, the loosening torque may become small due to changes over time or changes in environmental temperature, so it is necessary to manage the loosening torque. There is a demand for a method of fixing a cleaning blade that suppresses logistics fluctuations regardless of the screw tightening torque and improves assembly accuracy.

The object of the present invention is to provide a technology that enables highly accurate assembly of cleaning members.

In order to achieve the above object, the cartridge of the present invention comprises:
A resin frame;
an image carrier rotatably supported by the frame;
a cleaning member that has an elastic portion that contacts the surface of the image carrier, and a support portion that supports the elastic portion and has fixing portions that are fixed to the frame body at both ends in a longitudinal direction parallel to a rotation axis direction of the image carrier, and that removes developer from the surface of the image carrier;
A cartridge detachably mountable to a main body of an image forming apparatus for forming an image on a recording material, comprising:
The support portion has, at both ends, notch-shaped portions recessed inward in the longitudinal direction from end surfaces of the both ends,
the frame body has a restricting portion that abuts against both a first end portion that is one end portion of the notch-shaped portion in a short side direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction and a second end portion that is the other end portion of the notch- shaped portion in a short side direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction, and does not abut against the notch-shaped portion in the longitudinal direction ;
the restricting portion extends continuously in a direction from a third end, which is one end of the restricting portion that abuts against the first end, toward a fourth end, which is the other end of the restricting portion that abuts against the second end,
When the cleaning member is viewed from a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction and the lateral direction, the regulating portion is configured to entirely fit inside the cutout portion in both the longitudinal direction and the lateral direction .
In order to achieve the above object, an image forming apparatus according to the present invention comprises:
An image forming apparatus for forming an image on a recording material,
A resin frame;
an image carrier rotatably supported by the frame;
a cleaning member that has an elastic portion that contacts the surface of the image carrier, and a support portion that supports the elastic portion and has fixing portions that are fixed to the frame body at both ends in a longitudinal direction parallel to a rotation axis direction of the image carrier, and that removes developer from the surface of the image carrier;
In an image forming apparatus comprising:
The support portion has, at both ends, notch-shaped portions recessed inward in the longitudinal direction from end surfaces of the both ends,
the frame body has a restricting portion that abuts against both a first end portion that is one end portion of the notch-shaped portion in a short side direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction and a second end portion that is the other end portion of the notch- shaped portion in a short side direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction, and does not abut against the notch-shaped portion in the longitudinal direction ;
the restricting portion extends continuously in a direction from a third end, which is one end of the restricting portion that abuts against the first end, toward a fourth end, which is the other end of the restricting portion that abuts against the second end,
When the cleaning member is viewed from a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction and the lateral direction, the regulating portion is configured to entirely fit inside the cutout portion in both the longitudinal direction and the lateral direction .
In order to achieve the above object, the method for fixing a cleaning member of the present invention comprises the steps of:
A resin frame;
an image carrier rotatably supported by the frame;
a cleaning member that has an elastic portion that contacts the surface of the image carrier, and a support portion that supports the elastic portion and has fixing portions that are fixed to the frame body at both ends in a longitudinal direction parallel to a rotation axis direction of the image carrier, and that removes developer from the surface of the image carrier;
A method for fixing the cleaning member to the frame of a cartridge detachably mountable to a main body of an image forming apparatus for forming an image on a recording material, comprising:
a first step of positioning and fixing the support portion of the cleaning member to the frame;
a second step of injecting resin into notched portions provided at both ends of the support portion so as to be recessed inward in the longitudinal direction from end faces of the both ends, so as to contact both one end and the other end of the notched portions in a short direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction but not in the longitudinal direction, and hardening the resin to form a restricting portion integral with the frame body, the restricting portion contacting both the one end and the other end but not in contact with the notched portions in the longitudinal direction;
The present invention is characterized by comprising:
In order to achieve the above object, the method for fixing a cleaning member of the present invention comprises the steps of:
A resin frame;
an image carrier rotatably supported by the frame;
a cleaning member that has an elastic portion that contacts the surface of the image carrier, and a support portion that supports the elastic portion and has fixing portions that are fixed to the frame body at both ends in a longitudinal direction parallel to a rotation axis direction of the image carrier, and that removes developer from the surface of the image carrier;
a method for fixing the cleaning member to the frame in an image forming apparatus for forming an image on a recording material, the method comprising:
a first step of positioning and fixing the support portion of the cleaning member to the frame;
a second step of injecting resin into notched portions provided at both ends of the support portion so as to be recessed inward in the longitudinal direction from end faces of the both ends, so as to contact both one end and the other end of the notched portions in a short direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction but not in the longitudinal direction, and hardening the resin to form a restricting portion integral with the frame body, the restricting portion contacting both the one end and the other end but not in contact with the notched portions in the longitudinal direction;
The present invention is characterized by comprising:

The present invention allows for highly accurate assembly of cleaning members.

FIG. 11 is a detailed perspective view showing a fixing method of the cleaning member according to the embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 11 is a detailed perspective view showing a fixing method of the cleaning member according to the embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 11 is a detailed perspective view showing a fixing method of the cleaning member according to the embodiment of the present invention; 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a process cartridge according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 is an overall perspective view of a process cartridge according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 1 is an overall perspective view of a process cartridge according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view of a cleaning member according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 1 is a detailed perspective view of a cleaning frame according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 11 is a partial cross-sectional view showing a fastening state between the cleaning frame and the cleaning member; FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram of a method for regulating the length of a cleaning member in an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram of a method for restricting the width of a cleaning member according to an embodiment of the present invention;

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
<Overall Configuration of Image Forming Apparatus 100>
The overall configuration of an electrophotographic image forming apparatus (hereinafter referred to as an image forming apparatus) 100 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 2. Fig. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the image forming apparatus 100. The process cartridge 1 and the developer supply cartridge (toner cartridge, developer cartridge) 13 are detachable from the image forming apparatus main body. Note that the portion of the image forming apparatus 100 excluding the cartridges (1, 13) may be referred to as the main body of the image forming apparatus 100 (apparatus main body, image forming apparatus main body).

The image forming device 100 has image forming units (first to fourth image forming units) provided for each color of image to be formed (yellow, magenta, cyan, black). The configuration and operation of each image forming unit are substantially the same except for the color of the image to be formed. Therefore, in the following explanations where it is necessary to distinguish between colors, the suffixes Y, M, C, and K indicating yellow, magenta, cyan, and black are added to the reference numerals indicating the components, and in explanations where it is not necessary to distinguish between colors, the suffixes are omitted.

The first to fourth process cartridges 1 are arranged in a horizontal line. Each process cartridge 1 is formed of a cleaning unit (drum unit) 4 and a developing unit 6. The cleaning unit 4 has a photosensitive drum 7 as an image carrier, a charging roller 8 as a charging means for uniformly charging the surface of the photosensitive drum 7, and a cleaning blade 10 as a cleaning means (cleaning member). The developing unit 6 has a developing roller 11 and a developing means for containing a developer T (hereinafter, toner) and developing an electrostatic latent image on the photosensitive drum 7. The cleaning unit 4 and the developing unit 6 are supported so as to be able to swing relative to each other. The first process cartridge 1Y contains yellow (Y) toner in the developing unit 6. Similarly, the second process cartridge 1M contains magenta (M) toner, the third process cartridge 1C contains cyan (C) toner, and the fourth process cartridge 1K contains black (K) toner.

The process cartridge 1 can be attached to and detached from the image forming device 100 via attachment means such as an attachment guide (not shown) and a positioning member (not shown) provided on the main body of the image forming device 100. A scanner unit 12 for forming an electrostatic latent image is disposed below the process cartridge 1. Furthermore, a waste toner transport unit 23 is disposed behind the process cartridge 1 in the image forming device (downstream in the attachment/detachment direction of the process cartridge 1).

The first to fourth toner cartridges (developer supply cartridges) 13 are arranged horizontally below the process cartridge 1 in an order corresponding to the color of toner contained in each process cartridge 1. That is, the first toner cartridge 13Y contains yellow (Y) toner. Similarly, the second toner cartridge 13M contains magenta (M) toner, the third toner cartridge 13C contains cyan (C) toner, and the fourth toner cartridge 13K contains black (K) toner. Each toner cartridge 13 supplies toner to the process cartridge 1 that contains toner of the same color.

The toner cartridge 13 is replenished when a toner remaining amount detection unit (not shown) provided in the main body of the image forming apparatus 100 detects a shortage of toner remaining in the process cartridge 1. The toner cartridge 13 is detachably attached to the image forming apparatus 100 via attachment means such as an attachment guide (not shown) and a positioning member (not shown) provided in the image forming apparatus 100. The process cartridge 1 and toner cartridge 13 will be described in detail later.

Inside the main body of the image forming device 100, first to fourth toner transport devices 14 are disposed below the first to fourth cartridges 13 at positions corresponding to the cartridges 13, respectively. Each toner transport device 14 transports the toner received from each toner cartridge 13 upwards and supplies the toner to the developing unit 6 of each process cartridge. The toner transport device 14 has a passage through which the toner passes, and a screw disposed inside the passage. The rotation of this screw moves the toner upwards through the inside of the passage of the toner transport device 14.

An intermediate transfer unit 19 is provided above the process cartridge 1 as an intermediate transfer body. The intermediate transfer unit 19 is disposed substantially horizontally with the primary transfer portion S1 side facing downward. The intermediate transfer belt 18 facing each photosensitive drum 7 is a rotatable endless belt, and is stretched around a plurality of tension rollers. On the inner surface of the intermediate transfer belt 18, a primary transfer roller 20 is disposed on the opposite side of each photosensitive drum 7 across the intermediate transfer belt 18 as a primary transfer member, and the primary transfer roller 20 and the photosensitive drum 7 form a primary transfer portion S1. In addition, a secondary transfer roller 21, which is a secondary transfer member that contacts the intermediate transfer belt 18, and another roller are disposed so as to face each other across the intermediate transfer belt 18, forming a secondary transfer portion S2. Furthermore, an intermediate transfer belt cleaning unit 22 is disposed on the opposite side of the secondary transfer portion S2 in the left-right direction (the direction in which the secondary transfer portion S2 and the intermediate transfer belt are stretched).

A fixing unit 25 is disposed above the intermediate transfer unit 19. The fixing unit 25 is composed of a heating unit 26 and a pressure roller 27 that is in pressure contact with the heating unit 26. A discharge tray 32 is disposed on the top surface of the device body, and a waste toner collection container 24 is disposed between the discharge tray 32 and the intermediate transfer unit 19. A paper feed tray 2 for storing recording material 3 is disposed at the bottom of the device body.

<Image Formation Process>
2 and 3, the image forming operation in the image forming apparatus 100 will be described. Fig. 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the process cartridge according to this embodiment.

During image formation, the photosensitive drum 7 is rotated at a predetermined speed in the direction of arrow A in FIG. 3. The intermediate transfer belt 18 is rotated in the direction of arrow B in FIG. 2 (the forward direction of the rotation of the photosensitive drum 7).

First, the surface of the photosensitive drum 7 is uniformly charged by the charging roller 8. Next, the surface of the photosensitive drum 7 is scanned and exposed by laser light irradiated from the scanner unit 12, forming an electrostatic latent image on the photosensitive drum 7 based on image information. The electrostatic latent image formed on the photosensitive drum 7 is developed into a toner image (developer image) by the developing unit 6. At this time, the developing unit 6 is pressurized by a developing pressure unit (not shown) provided in the main body of the image forming apparatus 100. The toner image formed on the photosensitive drum 7 is then primarily transferred onto the intermediate transfer belt 18 by the primary transfer roller 20.

For example, when a full-color image is formed, the above-mentioned process is carried out in sequence in the image forming units S1Y to S1K, which are the first to fourth primary transfer units, so that toner images of each color are superimposed in sequence on the intermediate transfer belt 18.

Meanwhile, the recording material 3 stored in the paper feed tray 2 is fed at a predetermined controlled timing and transported to the secondary transfer section S2 in synchronization with the movement of the intermediate transfer belt 18. Then, the four-color toner image on the intermediate transfer belt 18 is secondarily transferred onto the recording material 3 all at once by the secondary transfer roller 21 that is in contact with the intermediate transfer belt 18 via the recording material 3.

Then, the recording material 3 onto which the toner image has been transferred is transported to the fixing unit 25. In the fixing unit 25, the recording material 3 is heated and pressurized, so that the toner image is fixed to the recording material 3. The fixed recording material 3 is then transported to the discharge tray 32, completing the image forming operation.

In addition, primary transfer residual toner (waste toner) remaining on the photosensitive drum 1 after the primary transfer process is removed by the cleaning blade 10. Secondary transfer residual toner (waste toner) remaining on the intermediate transfer belt 18 after the secondary transfer process is removed by the intermediate transfer belt cleaning unit 22. The waste toner removed by the cleaning blade 10 and the intermediate transfer belt cleaning unit 22 is transported by a waste toner transport unit 23 provided in the device main body and accumulated in a waste toner collection container 24. Note that the image forming device 100 can also form a monochromatic or multi-color image using only a desired single or several (not all) image forming units.

<Process cartridge>
The overall structure of the process cartridge 1 mounted in the image forming apparatus 100 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to Figures 3, 4, and 5. Figure 4 is an overall perspective view of the process cartridge 1 as viewed from the upstream side in the process cartridge mounting/removal direction (the front side (front surface) of the image forming apparatus). Figure 5 is an overall perspective view of the process cartridge 1 as viewed from the upper side as viewed from the downstream side in the process cartridge mounting/removal direction (the rear side (rear surface) of the image forming apparatus).

The process cartridge 1 is made up of a cleaning unit 4 and a developing unit 6. The cleaning unit 4 and the developing unit 6 are connected so as to be able to swing about a rotation support pin 30.

The cleaning unit 4 has a cleaning frame 5 that supports various components within the cleaning unit 4. In addition to the photosensitive drum 7, charging roller 8, and cleaning blade 10, the cleaning unit 4 also has a waste toner screw 15 that extends in a direction parallel to the rotation axis of the photosensitive drum 7. The cleaning frame 5 has cleaning bearings 33 that rotatably support the photosensitive drum 7 and are equipped with a cleaning gear train 31 for transmitting drive from the photosensitive drum 7 to the waste toner screw 15, which are arranged at both longitudinal ends of the cleaning unit 4.

The charging roller 8 provided in the cleaning unit 4 is biased in the direction of arrow C toward the photosensitive drum 7 by charging roller pressure springs 36 arranged at both ends. The charging roller 8 is provided to follow the movement of the photosensitive drum 7, and when the photosensitive drum 7 is rotated in the direction of arrow A during image formation, the charging roller 8 rotates in the direction of arrow D (the forward direction of the rotation of the photosensitive drum 7).

The cleaning blade 10 provided in the cleaning unit 4 is composed of an elastic member (elastic portion) 10a for removing residual toner (waste toner) remaining on the surface of the photosensitive drum 7 after the primary transfer, and a support member (support portion) 10b for supporting the elastic member 10a. The waste toner removed from the surface of the photosensitive drum 7 by the cleaning blade 10 is stored in a waste toner storage chamber 9 formed by the cleaning blade 10 and the cleaning frame 5. The waste toner stored in the waste toner storage chamber 9 is transported toward the rear of the image forming device 100 (downstream in the mounting and dismounting direction of the process cartridge 1) by a waste toner transport screw 15 installed in the waste toner storage chamber 9. The transported waste toner is discharged from the waste toner discharge section 35 and transferred to the waste toner transport unit 23 of the image forming device 100.

The developing unit 6 has a developing frame 16 that supports various components within the developing unit 6. The developing frame 16 is divided into a developing chamber 16a in which the developing roller 11 and the supply roller 17 are provided, and a toner storage chamber 16b in which the toner is stored and an agitating member 29 is provided.

The developing chamber 16a is provided with a developing roller 11, a supply roller 17, and a developing blade 28. The developing roller 11 carries toner, rotates in the direction of the arrow E during image formation, and conveys toner to the photosensitive drum 7 by contacting the photosensitive drum 1. The developing roller 11 is rotatably supported by the developing frame 16 at both ends in its longitudinal direction (rotation axis direction) by the developing bearing unit 34. The supply roller 17 is rotatably supported by the developing frame 16 by the developing bearing unit 34 while in contact with the developing roller 11, and rotates in the direction of the arrow F during image formation. Furthermore, the developing blade 28, which acts as a layer thickness regulating member for regulating the thickness of the toner layer formed on the developing roller 11, is arranged to abut against the surface of the developing roller 11.

The toner storage chamber 16b is provided with an agitating member 29 for agitating the stored toner T and transporting the toner to the supply roller 17 via the development chamber communication port 16c. The agitating member 29 has a rotation shaft 29a parallel to the rotation axis direction of the development roller 11 and an agitating sheet 29b serving as a transport member which is a flexible sheet. One end of the agitating sheet 29b is attached to the rotation shaft 29a and the other end of the agitating sheet 29b is a free end, and the agitating sheet 29b rotates in the direction of arrow G as the rotation shaft 29a rotates, whereby the toner is agitated by the agitating sheet 29b.

The developing unit 6 has a developing chamber communication port 16c that communicates between the developing chamber 16a and the toner storage chamber 16b. In this embodiment, in the position of the developing unit 6 that is normally assumed when in use, the developing chamber 16a is located above the toner storage chamber 16b. The toner in the toner storage chamber 16b that is pumped up by the stirring member 29 is supplied to the developing chamber 16a through the developing chamber communication port 16c.

The developing unit 6 is further provided with a toner receiving port 40 at one end downstream in the mounting/removal direction. A toner receiving port seal member 45 and a toner receiving port shutter 41 that is movable in the front-rear direction (the cartridge mounting/removal direction) are disposed at the top of the toner receiving port 40. The toner receiving port 40 is closed by the receiving port shutter 41 when the process cartridge 1 is not mounted in the main body of the image forming device 100. The receiving port shutter 41 is linked to the mounting/removal operation of the process cartridge 1, engages with the main body of the image forming device 100 when the process cartridge 1 is mounted, and is configured to be pushed open by the main body of the image forming device 100.

A receiving and conveying path 42 is provided in communication with the toner receiving port 40, and a receiving and conveying screw 43 is disposed inside. Furthermore, a storage chamber communication port 44 for supplying toner to the toner storage chamber 16b is provided near the longitudinal center of the developing unit 6, and communicates the receiving and conveying path 42 with the toner storage chamber 16b. The receiving and conveying screw 43 extends parallel to the rotation axis direction of the developing roller 11 and the supply roller 17, and conveys the toner received from the toner receiving port 40 to the toner storage chamber 16b via the storage chamber communication port 44.

<Supporting Structure and Fixing Method of Cleaning Blade According to the Present Embodiment>
6 is a schematic perspective view showing a schematic configuration of the cleaning member according to this embodiment. As shown in Fig. 6, the cleaning blade 10 has an elastic member 10a that contacts the surface of the photosensitive drum 7 as an image carrier, and a support member 10b that supports the elastic member 10a.

The support member 10b is an electrogalvanized steel sheet bent along a bending line extending in the longitudinal direction (axial direction of the photosensitive drum 7) and having an L-shaped cross section. The support member 10b has a pair of notches 101, 102 on both longitudinal end faces, two screw holes 103, 104 forming fixing parts at both longitudinal end faces, and a longitudinal reference hole 105. The pair of notches 101, 102 are U-shaped notches provided on both longitudinal end faces of the support member 10b, and are provided so as to be recessed inward in the longitudinal direction from both longitudinal end faces of the support member 10b toward the screw holes 103, 104. The two screw holes 103, 104 are holes provided on the longitudinal inner side of the notches 101, 102 at both longitudinal end ends of the support member 10b, and are insertion holes through which screws 60 as fastening members are inserted. The longitudinal reference hole 105 is a hole provided near the screw hole 104 of the support member 10b, extending in the short direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction. Hereinafter, this short direction is referred to as the Y direction (the elastic blade member side is the positive direction), and the direction perpendicular to the surface of the support member 10b having the screw holes is referred to as the Z direction (the drum side as viewed from the elastic member is the positive direction). The elastic member 10a is an elastic member made of urethane rubber that is molded at the tip of the support member 10b and extends in the Y direction.

7A and 7B are detailed perspective views of the cleaning frame according to the embodiment of the present invention, in which (a) shows the front side of the process cartridge and (b) shows the rear side of the process cartridge. As shown in Fig. 7, the cleaning frame 5 is provided with engagement portions 51 and 52 having screw holes into which a screw 60 can be screwed, at positions facing the screw holes 103 and 104 of the cleaning blade 10, respectively. The cleaning blade 10 is provided with the screw 60 screwed into the screw hole 10.
3 and 104 to the engagement portions 51 and 52 of the cleaning frame 5, respectively, and are supported and regulated by the seating surfaces 53 and 54. Here, the method of fixing the cleaning blade 10 to the cleaning frame 5 is screw fixing at both longitudinal ends in this embodiment, but is not limited to this and may be, for example, adhesion, welding, insert molding, or the like.

The method of fixing the cleaning blade 10 to the cleaning frame 5 will be described with reference to Figures 1A to 1C. Figure 1A is a detailed perspective view showing the method of fixing the cleaning member according to an embodiment of the present invention, showing the state before the cleaning member is assembled (first step). Figure 1B is a detailed perspective view showing the method of fixing the cleaning member according to an embodiment of the present invention, showing the state after screw tightening is completed (first step). Figure 1C is a detailed perspective view showing the method of fixing the cleaning member according to an embodiment of the present invention, showing the state after resin injection is completed (second step).

As shown in FIG. 1A, when fixing the cleaning blade 10 to the cleaning frame 5, the notches 101 and 102 of the support member 10b are clamped by a device to adjust the position in the Y direction so that the tip of the elastic member 10a (the side that contacts the photosensitive drum 7) is in the desired position. In other words, the cleaning frame 5 itself does not have a part that positions it in the Y direction relative to the support member 10b, and it is necessary to use a jig or the like to position it in the Y direction. On the other hand, the cleaning blade 10 is positioned in the longitudinal direction (X direction) between the cleaning frame 5 and the support member 10b by the longitudinal reference hole 105 and longitudinal reference boss 55 described later.

As shown in FIG. 1B, after the position adjustment in the Y direction is completed, the cleaning blade 10 is fixed to the cleaning frame 5 with a screw 60. FIG. 8 shows a partial cross-sectional view of the cleaning blade 10 fixed to the cleaning frame 5 with a screw.

Figure 9 is a detailed diagram explaining the method of regulating the length of the cleaning member. In the lengthwise direction (X direction), the positional relationship between the support member 10b and the cleaning frame 5 is regulated by fitting the lengthwise reference hole 105 provided in the support member 10b with the lengthwise reference boss 55 provided in the cleaning frame 5. The position in the X direction between the cleaning blade 10 and the cleaning frame 5 is determined by the fitting of the lengthwise reference hole 105 with the lengthwise reference boss 55, but in the Y direction, displacement is possible by the amount of the gap between the lengthwise reference hole 105 and the lengthwise reference boss 55. In other words, at this point in time, the cleaning frame 5 does not have a portion that simultaneously contacts the cleaning blade 10 in both short directions (+Y direction and -Y direction).

As shown in FIG. 1C, resin 61 is injected into the notches 101 and 102 (102 side is not shown) to prevent the cleaning blade 10 from moving in the Y direction when it is subjected to an impact during distribution, etc. Resin 61 is bonded to the cleaning frame 5 and further injected into the notches 101 and 102 of the support member 10b in the Y direction without any gaps, forming a regulating portion that prevents the positional relationship between the cleaning frame 5 and the cleaning blade 10 from shifting relative to each other.

The cleaning frame 5 has grooves 58 and 59 recessed into the seating surfaces 53 and 34 of the support member 10b of the cleaning blade 10 at the locations where the resin 61 is injected. The resin 61 injected into a predetermined range of the grooves 58 and 59 and hardened is integrally joined to the cleaning frame 5, which is also made of resin, and constitutes a regulating portion that positions the cleaning blade 10 in the Y direction relative to the cleaning frame 5 as a part of the cleaning frame 5. That is, the cleaning frame 5 does not have a portion that contacts the support member 10b in both short directions (+Y direction and -Y direction) at the same time, except for the regulating portion formed by hardening the resin 61. Examples of resins used for the cleaning frame 5 include, but are not limited to, PS (polystyrene) and PC+ABS (a mixed resin of polycarbonate and acrylonitrile butadiene styrene). The resin 61 may be appropriately selected in consideration of compatibility with the cleaning frame 5, and is not limited to a specific resin.

The regulating portion, which is a resin molded portion formed by hardening the resin 61, is a convex portion protruding from the seating surfaces 51, 52 to which the support member 10b is fixed in the cleaning frame 5. This convex portion protrudes between the opposing end faces of the cutouts 101, 102 that face each other in the short direction at a position separated in the longitudinal direction from the side surfaces 56, 57 that face the end faces of both ends of the support member 10b in the longitudinal direction in the cleaning frame 5. In addition, this convex portion is formed so as to simultaneously abut the end faces of the cutouts 101, 102 in both short directions (+Y direction and -Y direction) and not to contact them in the longitudinal direction. The resin 61 is injected into the grooves 58, 59 so that, at least immediately after injection, it is in close contact with the opposing end faces (one end and the other end of the cutouts 101, 102 in the short direction) of the end faces of the cutouts 101, 102 that face each other in the short direction.

Here, since the linear expansion coefficients of the cleaning frame 5 and the support member 10b of the cleaning member 10 are different, the cleaning frame 5 and the cleaning blade 10 may be deformed due to changes in the usage environment, and the tip position of the cleaning blade 10 may change. In order to suppress the change in the tip position of the cleaning blade 10, in this embodiment, the X direction of the cleaning blade 10 is not fixed (a gap is left) by the regulating portion formed by hardening the resin 61. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 10, the resin 61 is injected so as not to contact the X direction end surface 106 (hatched portion) of the support member 10b. On the other hand, the resin 61 is injected so as to contact the opposing end surfaces 107a and 107b that face the short side direction among the end surfaces of the notched portions 101 and 102. In this way, the regulating portion formed by injecting and hardening the resin 61 can suppress the tip position of the cleaning blade 10 from changing due to the difference in linear expansion coefficient and the deformation of the cleaning frame 5 and the cleaning blade 10 due to changes in the usage environment.

As described above, according to this embodiment, the tip position of the cleaning blade can be precisely adjusted relative to the cleaning frame, suppressing the effects of manufacturing variations in the cleaning frame and cleaning blade, allowing for highly accurate assembly. In particular, when assembling the cleaning blade, the cleaning frame does not have a regulating portion for regulating the short side direction, making it possible to assemble the cleaning blade with highly precise adjustment of the short side direction, regardless of the tolerances of the cleaning frame and cleaning member. Furthermore, the cleaning blade is positioned and regulated in the short side direction by the hardening of the resin injected into the cutout of the support member, making it possible to suppress fluctuations in the position of the cleaning blade in the short side direction due to impacts during logistics, etc., regardless of the tightening torque or loosening torque of the screws.

In the above, in this embodiment, a cleaning member that removes toner from a photosensitive drum (photoconductor) has been described as an image carrier that is an object to be cleaned. However, the object to be cleaned (image carrier) may also be a transfer belt that serves as a transfer member onto which a toner image is transferred from the photosensitive drum.

In addition, in this embodiment, the cutout portions 101 and 102 are formed by cutting the sheet metal, but if the support member is manufactured from a material other than a processed sheet metal, the cutout portions may be formed from the beginning with a structure including the cutout portions. Also, the cutout portions 101 and 102 are arranged so as to overlap the screw holes 103 and 104 as the fixing portions on the outside in the longitudinal direction and in the lateral direction, but are not limited to such an arrangement. For example, they may be offset from each other in the lateral direction, or they may be offset from each other in the lateral direction and overlap in the longitudinal direction.

1... process cartridge, 4... cleaning unit, 5... cleaning frame, 7... photosensitive drum, 10... cleaning blade, 10a... elastic member, 10b... support member, 51, 52... engagement portion, 53, 54... seating surface, 55... longitudinal reference boss, 60... screw, 61... resin, 100... image forming device, 101, 102... notch portion, 103, 104... screw hole, 105... longitudinal reference hole, 106... X-direction end surface

Claims (20)

A resin frame;
an image carrier rotatably supported by the frame;
a cleaning member that has an elastic portion that contacts the surface of the image carrier, and a support portion that supports the elastic portion and has fixing portions that are fixed to the frame body at both ends in a longitudinal direction parallel to a rotation axis direction of the image carrier, and that removes developer from the surface of the image carrier;
A cartridge detachably mountable to a main body of an image forming apparatus for forming an image on a recording material, comprising:
The support portion has, at both ends, notch-shaped portions recessed inward in the longitudinal direction from end surfaces of the both ends,
the frame body has a restricting portion that abuts against both a first end portion that is one end portion of the notch-shaped portion in a short side direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction and a second end portion that is the other end portion of the notch- shaped portion in a short side direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction, and does not abut against the notch-shaped portion in the longitudinal direction ;
the restricting portion extends continuously in a direction from a third end, which is one end of the restricting portion that abuts against the first end, toward a fourth end, which is the other end of the restricting portion that abuts against the second end,
A cartridge characterized in that, when the cleaning member is viewed from a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction and the short direction, the regulating portion is configured to entirely fit inside the cutout portion in both the longitudinal direction and the short direction . The cartridge according to claim 1, characterized in that the frame does not have any parts that contact the end faces of both ends of the support part in the longitudinal direction. The cartridge according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the frame body does not have any part, except for the regulating part, that contacts the support part simultaneously in both short sides. The cartridge according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the regulating portion is a convex portion that protrudes from a seat surface to which the support portion is fixed in the frame body, protrudes between opposing end faces that face each other in the short direction in the cutout portion, and abuts against each of the opposing end faces. A cartridge according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the regulating portion is provided in the frame body at a distance from the end faces of both ends of the support portion and from the side surfaces facing the longitudinal direction. the fixing portion includes an insertion hole provided on an inner side in the longitudinal direction of the notch-shaped portion of the support portion,
The cartridge according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the cartridge is provided with a fastening member that is inserted into the insertion hole and fixed to the frame body to fix the support portion to the frame body. 7. A cartridge according to claim 1, wherein the regulating portion has a length in the short side direction longer than a length in the long side direction. An image forming apparatus for forming an image on a recording material,
A resin frame;
an image carrier rotatably supported by the frame;
a cleaning member that has an elastic portion that contacts the surface of the image carrier, and a support portion that supports the elastic portion and has fixing portions that are fixed to the frame body at both ends in a longitudinal direction parallel to a rotation axis direction of the image carrier, and that removes developer from the surface of the image carrier;
In an image forming apparatus comprising:
The support portion has, at both ends, notch-shaped portions recessed inward in the longitudinal direction from end surfaces of the both ends,
the frame body has a restricting portion that abuts against both a first end portion that is one end portion of the notch-shaped portion in a short side direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction and a second end portion that is the other end portion of the notch- shaped portion in a short side direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction, and does not abut against the notch-shaped portion in the longitudinal direction ;
the restricting portion extends continuously in a direction from a third end, which is one end of the restricting portion that abuts against the first end, toward a fourth end, which is the other end of the restricting portion that abuts against the second end,
an image forming apparatus characterized in that, when the cleaning member is viewed from a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction and the short direction, the regulating portion is configured to entirely fit inside the cutout portion in both the longitudinal direction and the short direction . 9. The image forming apparatus according to claim 8 , wherein the frame does not have any portion that contacts end faces of the both ends of the support portion in the longitudinal direction. 10. The image forming apparatus according to claim 8 , wherein the frame does not have any portion, except for the restricting portion, that is in contact with the supporting portion simultaneously in both directions in the lateral direction. The image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 8 to 10, characterized in that the regulating portion is a convex portion protruding from a seat surface to which the support portion is fixed in the frame body, protruding between opposing end faces facing each other in the short side direction in the cutout portion, and abutting each of the opposing end faces. The image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 8 to 11 , characterized in that the regulating portion is provided at a distance from the end faces of both ends of the support portion and from the side faces of the frame body that face the longitudinal direction. the fixing portion includes an insertion hole provided on an inner side in the longitudinal direction of the notch-shaped portion of the support portion,
The image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 8 to 12 , characterized in that the image forming apparatus is provided with a fastening member that is inserted through the insertion hole and fixed to the frame body to fix the support portion to the frame body. 16. The image forming apparatus according to claim 8 , wherein the image carrier is a photoconductor that carries a developer image, or a transfer member to which the developer image is transferred from the photoconductor. 15. The image forming apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the length of the regulating portion in the short side direction is longer than the length of the regulating portion in the long side direction. A resin frame;
an image carrier rotatably supported by the frame;
a cleaning member that has an elastic portion that contacts the surface of the image carrier, and a support portion that supports the elastic portion and has fixing portions that are fixed to the frame body at both ends in a longitudinal direction parallel to a rotation axis direction of the image carrier, and that removes developer from the surface of the image carrier;
A method for fixing the cleaning member to the frame of a cartridge detachably mountable to a main body of an image forming apparatus for forming an image on a recording material, comprising:
a first step of positioning and fixing the support portion of the cleaning member to the frame;
a second step of injecting resin into notched portions provided at both ends of the support portion so as to be recessed inward in the longitudinal direction from end faces of the both ends, so as to contact both one end and the other end of the notched portions in a short direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction but not in the longitudinal direction, and hardening the resin to form a restricting portion integral with the frame body, the restricting portion contacting both the one end and the other end but not in contact with the notched portions in the longitudinal direction;
A method for fixing a cleaning member, comprising: A resin frame;
an image carrier rotatably supported by the frame;
a cleaning member that has an elastic portion that contacts the surface of the image carrier, and a support portion that supports the elastic portion and has fixing portions that are fixed to the frame body at both ends in a longitudinal direction parallel to a rotation axis direction of the image carrier, and that removes developer from the surface of the image carrier;
a method for fixing the cleaning member to the frame in an image forming apparatus for forming an image on a recording material, the method comprising:
a first step of positioning and fixing the support portion of the cleaning member to the frame;
a second step of injecting resin into notched portions provided at both ends of the support portion so as to be recessed inward in the longitudinal direction from end faces of the both ends, so as to contact both one end and the other end of the notched portions in a short direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction but not in the longitudinal direction, and hardening the resin to form a restricting portion integral with the frame body, the restricting portion contacting both the one end and the other end but not in contact with the notched portions in the longitudinal direction;
A method for fixing a cleaning member, comprising: 20. The method for fixing a cleaning member according to claim 17 , wherein the image carrier is a photoconductor that carries a developer image, or a transfer member to which the developer image is transferred from the photoconductor. the fixing portion includes an insertion hole through which a fastening member is inserted, the insertion hole being provided on an inner side in the longitudinal direction of the notch-shaped portion of the support portion,
The method for fixing a cleaning member according to any one of claims 16 to 18 , characterized in that in the first step, the fastening member is inserted into the insertion hole and fixed to the frame body, thereby fixing the support portion to the frame body. A method for fixing a cleaning member described in any one of claims 16 to 19 , characterized in that in the first step, the fixing portion is fixed to the frame body so that both end portions of the support portion do not have any portions that contact the frame body in the longitudinal direction.

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