JP2005338752A - Cleaning device, process cartridge, cleaning member, and electrophotographic image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

A cleaning member capable of reducing the plate thickness of a cleaning member supporting sheet metal while further satisfying the cleaning performance and the capacity of a removed developer storage chamber, and further reducing the size and cost associated therewith. A cleaning device, a process cartridge, and an electrophotographic image forming apparatus are provided.
A cleaning member includes an elastic blade member that contacts the photosensitive drum and a support metal plate that fixes and supports the elastic blade member. The support metal plate 61 includes a support portion 61h, a connecting portion 61i, and an extending portion 61j. The supporting portion 61h and the connecting portion 61i are connected by a first bent portion 61d, and extend to the connecting portion 61i. The part 61j is connected by a second bent part 61e. The elastic blade member 62 is fixed to the support portion 61 h, and the support portion 61 h is attached to the frame body 51.
[Selection] Figure 6

Description

  The present invention relates to a cleaning device used in an electrophotographic image forming apparatus, a process cartridge that can be attached to and detached from a main body of the electrophotographic image forming apparatus, a cleaning member used in the process cartridge, and an electrophotographic image forming apparatus.

  Here, the electrophotographic image forming apparatus forms an image on a recording medium (for example, paper, an OHP sheet) using an electrophotographic image forming system. Examples of the electrophotographic image forming apparatus include, for example, an electrophotographic copying machine, an electrophotographic printer (for example, a laser printer, an LED printer, etc.), a facsimile apparatus, a word processor, and a complex machine thereof (multifunction printer, etc.).

Conventionally, an electrophotographic image forming apparatus as described above selectively exposes an electrophotographic photosensitive member uniformly charged by a charging unit to form an electrostatic latent image. Then, the electrostatic latent image is developed by a developing unit to form a visible image (developer image). Thereafter, the developer image is transferred to a recording paper (recording medium). As a result, an image is formed on the recording paper.

  The developer remaining on the surface of the electrophotographic photosensitive member after the developer image is transferred is removed by a cleaning means. Then, the process proceeds to the next image formation.

  The developer removed from the surface of the photoreceptor by the cleaning unit is stored in the removed developer storage unit.

  Incidentally, in order for the cleaning blade used as the cleaning means to exhibit a sufficient cleaning effect, it is necessary that the edge portion of the elastic blade member is in contact with the electrophotographic photosensitive member with high positional accuracy. If the amount of penetration and the contact angle of the edge portion of the elastic blade member with the electrophotographic photosensitive member is inappropriate, there is a possibility that the residual developer remaining on the electrophotographic photosensitive member cannot be scraped off sufficiently.

  These phenomena may be caused by the deformation of the sheet metal due to the displacement of the mounting position of the cleaning blade and the insufficient strength of the sheet metal supporting the elastic blade member.

  As a means for solving such a lack of strength of a sheet metal, it has been conventionally performed to increase the sheet thickness of the sheet metal. However, this method is disadvantageous in terms of cost and weight reduction of the apparatus. Moreover, in order to increase the strength of the sheet metal, bending is performed on the sheet metal as another means (see Patent Documents 1 and 2).

  In recent years, there has been an increasing demand for color electrophotographic image forming apparatuses capable of performing color images. Among them, for example, in order to form developer images of yellow (Y), magenta (M), cyan (C), and black (B), drum-shaped electrophotographic photosensitive members, that is, photosensitive drums are arranged in a row. Arranged tandem color electrophotographic image forming apparatuses have been put into practical use.

In particular, in the vertical tandem system in which a plurality of photosensitive drums are arranged in the vertical direction, it is necessary to reduce the height of the removed developer storage portion in order to reduce the height of the image forming apparatus.
JP 7-175393 A (page 5, FIG. 1) JP-A-6-95502 (page 6, FIG. 1)

  As described above, recent image forming apparatuses are required to be compact and at the same time have high speed and high image quality.

  In response to this requirement, downsizing of the image forming apparatus main body and a process cartridge (cleaning apparatus) that occupies a large space in the image forming apparatus is required.

  From this point of view, there is a demand for miniaturization of parts constituting the process cartridge (cleaning device) and efficient arrangement of each part.

  Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a cleaning device, a process cartridge, a cleaning member, and a cleaning device capable of making the volume for storing the developer larger than the conventional one even if the removed developer storage portion has the same height. An object of the present invention is to provide an electrophotographic image forming apparatus to which the cleaning device, process cartridge, and cleaning member can be attached.

  Another object of the present invention is to provide a cleaning device, a process cartridge, a cleaning member, and the cleaning device capable of reducing the height of the removed developer storage portion as compared with a removed developer storage portion having the same storage volume. An electrophotographic image forming apparatus to which an apparatus, a process cartridge, and a cleaning member can be attached is provided.

  Another object of the present invention is to reduce the height of the removed developer storage portion to reduce the height of the cleaning device and the process cartridge, thereby realizing a reduction in size of these devices. Another object of the present invention is to provide a process cartridge, an electrophotographic image forming apparatus in which the cleaning device and the process cartridge can be mounted.

  Another object of the present invention is to mount the cleaning device, the process cartridge, the cleaning member, and the cleaning device, the process cartridge, and the cleaning member that have improved the strength of the support member by bending the support member at a plurality of locations. An electrophotographic image forming apparatus is provided.

  Another object of the present invention is to provide a cleaning device, a process cartridge, a cleaning member, and an electronic device in which a storage portion for storing the removed developer is formed by an extending portion on the side opposite to the mounting surface for attaching the support member to the frame. A photographic image forming apparatus is provided.

The above object is achieved by the cleaning member, the cleaning device, the process cartridge, and the electrophotographic image forming apparatus according to the present invention. According to a representative aspect of the present invention, in a cleaning device for use in an electrophotographic image forming apparatus and for removing developer remaining on an electrophotographic photosensitive drum from the photosensitive drum,
A frame,
An elastic blade that elastically contacts the photosensitive drum to remove the developer remaining on the photosensitive drum from the photosensitive drum;
A support member for supporting the elastic blade, the support portion supporting the elastic blade and attached to the frame body; and the support portion from the support portion to the frame in an orthogonal direction orthogonal to the support portion. A first bent portion bent to the opposite side of the mounting surface attached to the body, a connecting portion extending from the first bent portion to the opposite side in the orthogonal direction, and a short direction of the support portion And in the orthogonal direction, a second bent part that is bent from the connecting part to a side opposite to the side on which the elastic blade is provided, in the lateral direction, and in the orthogonal direction, the second A support member having an extending portion extending from the second bent portion to the side opposite to the side where the elastic blade is provided;
A removed developer accommodating portion for accommodating the developer removed from the photosensitive drum by the elastic blade, the removed blade accommodating portion being partly constituted by the elastic blade and the support member; ,
It is characterized by having.

  According to the present invention, even if the height of the removed developer storage portion is the same, the volume for storing the developer can be made larger than before.

  Further, according to the present invention, the height of the removed developer accommodating portion can be made lower than that of the removed developer accommodating portion having the same accommodating volume.

  In addition, according to the present invention, the height of the removed developer storage portion can be reduced, whereby the height of the cleaning device and the process cartridge can be reduced, thereby realizing miniaturization thereof. Can do.

  Further, according to the present invention, the strength of the support member can be improved by bending the support member at a plurality of locations.

  Further, according to the present invention, the storage portion for storing the removed developer can be constituted by the extending portion on the side opposite to the mounting surface for attaching the support member to the frame.

  Hereinafter, a cleaning member, a cleaning device, a process cartridge, and an electrophotographic image forming apparatus to which the present invention is applied will be described with reference to the drawings.

Example 1
FIG. 1 shows the overall configuration of a color electrophotographic image forming apparatus which is an embodiment of an electrophotographic image forming apparatus according to the present invention. First, the overall configuration of the color electrophotographic image forming apparatus will be described with reference to FIG.

(Overall configuration of image forming apparatus)
Referring to FIG. 1, the color electrophotographic image forming apparatus includes a plurality of image forming stations Pa, Pb, Pc, and Pd arranged in the vertical direction in the image forming apparatus main body 100 in this embodiment. doing. The process cartridges 7 (7a, 7b, 7c, 7d) are detachably mounted on the image forming stations Pa, Pb, Pc, Pd by mounting means (not shown).

  In this embodiment, the image forming stations Pa, Pb, Pc, Pd are arranged in parallel in the vertical direction, that is, in a substantially vertical direction, but they may be provided with a slight inclination from the vertical.

  Each cartridge 7 (7a, 7b, 7c, 7d) includes a drum-shaped electrophotographic photosensitive member (hereinafter referred to as “photosensitive drum”) 1 (1a, 1b, 1c, 1d). The photosensitive drum 1 is driven to rotate counterclockwise in the drawing by a driving means (not shown). The photosensitive drum 1 is irradiated with a laser beam on the basis of the image information, charging means 2 (2a, 2b, 2c, 2d) for uniformly charging the surface of the photosensitive drum 1 in order according to the rotation direction. A scanner unit 3 (3a, 3b, 3c, 3d) for forming an electrostatic latent image on the drum 1, and a developing means 4 (4a, 4b, 4c, for developing a developer image by attaching a developer to the electrostatic latent image. 4d), an electrostatic transfer device 5 for transferring the developer image of the photosensitive drum 1 to the recording medium S, and a cleaning device 6 (6a, 6b, 6) for removing residual transfer developer remaining on the surface of the photosensitive drum 1 after the transfer. 6c, 6d) are arranged.

  In this embodiment, the photosensitive drum 1, the charging unit 2, the developing unit 4, and the cleaning device 6 are integrated into a cartridge to form a process cartridge 7.

  Hereinafter, the photosensitive drum 1 will be described in order with reference to FIG.

  The photosensitive drum 1 (1a, 1b, 1c, 1d) is configured by providing a photosensitive layer on the outer peripheral surface of an aluminum cylinder. Both ends of the photosensitive drum 1 are rotatably supported by a support member, and a driving force from a driving motor (not shown) is transmitted to one end. As a result, the photosensitive drum 1 is driven to rotate counterclockwise.

  The charging means 2 (2a, 2b, 2c, 2d) is a conductive roller. The charging roller 2 (2a, 2b, 2c, 2d) is brought into contact with the surface of the photosensitive drum 1. The surface of the photosensitive drum 1 is uniformly charged by applying a charging bias voltage to the roller.

  The scanner unit 3 (3a, 3b, 3c, 3d) includes a polygon mirror 9 (9a, 9b, 9c, 9d) and an imaging lens that rotate image light corresponding to an image signal by a laser diode (not shown). The surface of the charged photosensitive drum 1 is selectively exposed through 10 (10a, 10b, 10c, 10d). Thereby, an electrostatic latent image is formed on the photosensitive drum 1.

  The developing means 4 (4a, 4b, 4c, 4d) has a developer container 41 that stores developers of yellow, magenta, cyan, and black, respectively. Then, the developer in the developer container 41 is fed into the developer supply roller 43 by the feed mechanism 42.

  The developer supply roller 43 rotates in the clockwise direction in the figure. The roller 43 supplies the developer to the developing roller 40 and strips off the developer from the developing roller 40.

  The developer supplied to the developing roller 40 is applied to the outer periphery of the developing roller (rotating clockwise in the drawing) 40 by a developing blade 44 pressed against the outer periphery of the developing roller 40. In addition, a charge is imparted to the developer. Then, a developing bias is applied to the developing roller 40 facing the photosensitive drum 1 on which the latent image is formed. As a result, the developing roller 40 develops the latent image formed on the photosensitive drum 1.

  The transfer device 5 includes an electrostatic transfer belt 11 that circulates and moves so as to face and contact all the photosensitive drums 1 (1a, 1b, 1c, and 1d). The transfer belt 11 is stretched around a driving roller 13, driven rollers 14 a and 14 b, and a tension roller 15. The transfer belt 11 circulates and moves so as to electrostatically attract the recording medium S and bring the recording medium S into contact with the photosensitive drum 1. As a result, the recording medium S is conveyed to the transfer position by the transfer belt 11, and the developer image on the photosensitive drum 1 is transferred.

  Transfer rollers 12 (12a, 12b, 12c, 12d) are arranged in parallel at positions facing the inside of the transfer belt 11 and facing the four photosensitive drums 1 (1a, 1b, 1c, 1d). A positive polarity bias is applied to these transfer rollers 12 during transfer. Then, the developer image is transferred to the recording medium S that is in contact with the photosensitive drum 1.

  The transport unit 16 transports the recording medium S to the image forming station and discharges it. Here, a plurality of recording media S are stored in the cassette 17. At the time of image formation, the feeding roller 18 (half-moon roller) and the registration roller 19 are driven and rotated according to the image forming operation. Thus, the recording medium S in the cassette 17 is separated and fed one by one. The leading edge of the recording medium S hits the registration roller 19 and stops temporarily. Thereafter, the recording medium S is conveyed to the transfer belt 11 by the registration roller 19 in synchronization with the rotation of the transfer belt 11 and the image writing position. The transport unit 16 includes the feeding roller 18 (half-moon roller), the registration roller 19, the transfer belt 11, and a discharge roller 23 described later.

  The fixing unit 20 fixes the developer images of a plurality of colors transferred to the recording medium S to the recording medium S. A heating roller 21a that rotates and a pressure roller 21b that applies pressure and heat to the recording medium S are provided.

  In the image forming operation, the photosensitive drums 1a, 1b, 1c, and 1d are rotationally driven in the counterclockwise direction according to the image forming timing. Then, the scanner units 3 corresponding to the respective cartridges 7 are sequentially driven. By this driving, the charging roller 2 applies a uniform charge to the peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum 1. The scanner unit 3 exposes the circumferential surface of the photosensitive drum in accordance with the image signal to form an electrostatic latent image on the circumferential surface of the photosensitive drum. The developing roller 40 transfers (develops) the developer image on the peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum 1 by transferring the developer to the low potential portion of the electrostatic latent image.

  At the timing when the leading edge of the developer image formed on the peripheral surface of the most upstream photosensitive drum 1 is rotated and conveyed to a point facing the transfer belt 11, the printing start position of the recording medium S is located at the point facing it. The registration roller 19 starts to rotate so as to match. Then, the recording medium S is conveyed to the transfer belt 11.

  The recording medium S is pressed against the outer periphery of the transfer belt 11 so as to be sandwiched between the electrostatic adsorption roller 22 and the transfer belt 11. As a result, the recording medium S is stably adsorbed to the transfer belt 11 and conveyed to the most downstream transfer unit.

  While being conveyed in this way, the developer image on each photoconductive drum 1 is sequentially transferred onto the recording medium S by an electric field formed between each photoconductive drum 1 and the transfer roller 12.

  The recording medium S to which the developer images of four colors are transferred is separated from the transfer belt 11 by the curvature of the belt driving roller 13 and is carried into the fixing unit 20. The recording medium S is thermally fixed on the developer image by the fixing unit 20 and then discharged from the discharge unit 24 to the outside of the main body by the discharge roller 23.

(Process cartridge configuration)
Next, a process cartridge embodying the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

  2 and 3 are a main cross-sectional view and a perspective view of the process cartridge 7 containing the developer. The yellow, magenta, cyan, and black cartridges 7a, 7b, 7c, and 7d have the same configuration.

  The cartridge 7 is divided into a photosensitive drum 1, a cleaner unit 50 including a charging unit 2 and a cleaning device 6, and a developing unit 4 </ b> A having a developing unit 4 that develops an electrostatic latent image on the photosensitive drum 1.

  The photosensitive drum 1 is rotatably held by a cleaning frame 51 constituting the cleaner unit 50 via a bearing member (not shown).

  On the peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum 1, the charging unit 2 and a cleaning blade 60 included in a cleaning device 6 for removing the developer (residual developer) remaining on the photosensitive drum 1 after the transfer from the photosensitive drum 1. And the flexible sheet | seat member 80 is arrange | positioned. Further, the residual developer (removed developer) removed from the surface of the photosensitive drum 1 by the blade 60 is stored in a removed developer storage chamber 55 as a removed developer storage section provided in the cleaning frame 51. .

  Further, the untransferred developer on the photosensitive drum 1 reaches the position of the blade 60 through a contact portion between the flexible sheet member 80 and the photosensitive drum 1. The sheet member 80 is gently in contact with the photosensitive drum 1 so that the residual developer can pass between the sheet member 80 and the photosensitive drum 1. As a result, the developer does not leak out of the cleaning frame 51.

  The developing unit 4A includes a developing frame body 45 (45a, 45b) that accommodates the developer. The developing frame bodies 45a and 45b are coupled (coupled by ultrasonic welding or the like) to constitute the developing container unit 46. The unit 46 supports a developing roller 40 that rotates in the direction of arrow Y while maintaining a minute gap with the photosensitive drum 1 via a bearing member (not shown). In addition to the developing roller 40, the developer supply roller 43 and the developing blade 44 are disposed in the unit 46. Further, the developer transport mechanism 42 is provided in the unit 46.

  The developing unit 4A aligns the coupling holes 47 provided at both ends of the unit 46 with the support holes 52 provided at both ends of the cleaning frame 51, and inserts the pins 49 from both ends of the frame 51, thereby developing the developing unit 4A. The entire 4A is swingably supported with respect to the cleaner unit 50.

  Further, the developing unit 4A is always urged by a pressure spring (not shown) so that the developing roller 40 is in contact with the photosensitive drum 1.

(Method for attaching / detaching process cartridge to / from image forming apparatus main body)
Next, a method for attaching and detaching the cartridge 7 to and from the image forming apparatus main body 100 will be described with reference to FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 4, an opening / closing door (front door) 101 is provided in the apparatus main body 100 so as to be swingable about a support shaft 102. The transfer device 5 is attached to the back of the front door 101 using link means (not shown). The transfer device 5 can swing about the support shaft 103 as the front door 101 swings. With the front door 101 and the transfer device 5 opened, the cartridge 7 can be attached to and detached from the apparatus main body 100. Handle members 90 are provided at both longitudinal ends of the cartridge 7. The operator holds the handle member 90 when attaching or detaching the cartridge.

  The cartridge 7 engages with a guide rail portion (not shown) provided for each image forming station in the apparatus main body 100 and an insertion guide portion (not shown) provided on the cartridge 7. The main body 100 is removably mounted after being positioned at a predetermined position.

(Configuration of cleaning blade)
Next, a cleaning blade included in a cleaning device to which an embodiment of the present invention is applied will be described. The configuration of the cleaning blade 60 provided in the cartridge 7 will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 and 5 to 7.

  As shown in FIG. 7, the cleaning blade 60 as a cleaning member includes an elastic blade 62 formed of a rubber member that contacts the photosensitive drum 1 and a support sheet metal 61 as a support member that supports the elastic blade member 62. And have. The elastic blade 62 is integrally fixed to the support metal plate 61 by adhesion or integral molding. The elastic blade 62 removes the developer remaining on the photosensitive drum 1 from the photosensitive drum 1. In FIGS. 2, 6, and 10A, C is a cleaning operation position. The cleaning operation position C is a position where the blade 62 comes into contact with the photosensitive drum 1 and the developer remaining on the photosensitive drum 1 is removed from the photosensitive drum 1.

  The support sheet metal 61 is made of, for example, a 1.0 to 1.6 mm steel sheet (for example, an iron sheet metal). The support sheet metal 61 has at least two bent portions, that is, a first bent portion 61d and a second bent portion 61e. Moreover, it has three flat flat parts connected by the said bending parts 61d and 61e. In other words, the elastic blade 62 is supported, and a support portion 61h attached to the cleaning frame 51 as a frame is provided. Moreover, it has the connection part 61i located between the said bending part 61d and the said bending part 61e, and also the extension part 61j extended from the said bending part 61e. Furthermore, the support part 61h and the connecting part 61i are connected by the first bent part 61d. Further, the connecting portion 61i and the extending portion 61j are connected by a second bent portion 61e. In the present embodiment, the support portion 61h, the connecting portion 61i, and the extending portion 61j are all flat.

  As shown in FIGS. 6 and 10, according to this embodiment, the process cartridge 7 (cleaning device 6) is mounted such that the support portion 61h is positioned substantially horizontally when mounted on the apparatus main body 100. (In the present embodiment, the support portion 61h is inclined approximately 2 ° upward with respect to the horizontal direction). The connecting portion 61i and the extending portion 61j extend downward. Further, the extending portion 61j is disposed vertically below the cleaning operation position C where the elastic blade 62 contacts the electrophotographic photosensitive drum 1. That is, the bent portion 61d is bent downward. The connecting portion 61i extends downward from the bent portion 61d. Further, the extending portion 61j extends downward from the bent portion 61e and in the short direction P (FIGS. 7 and 8) of the support portion 61h, on the side where the elastic blade 62 is provided. It extends to the opposite side. The support portion 61 h is located over the charging roller 2. Further, the connecting portion 61 i is located at the side end of the charging roller 2. As a result, the support member 61 extends to the rear of the removed developer storage chamber 55 while avoiding the charging roller 2. The support member 61 and the elastic blade 62 constitute the bottom surface of the removed developer storage chamber 55. Therefore, the extending portion 61j constitutes the removed developer storage chamber 55 by effectively utilizing the dead space on the back side where the charging roller 2 is installed. At the cleaning operation position C, the removed developer is gradually pushed and moved backward. At this time, the movement of the developer is also promoted by the air flow A (FIG. 6). In the present embodiment, the support member 61 (extension portion 61j) is configured as described above, and as a result, the developer that gradually moves on the support portion 61h passes through the support portion 61h. The developer falls onto the extending portion 61j by the action of its own weight and the air flow A. The developer is stored in a space configured by the frame body 51, the filter 85, and the extending portion 61j. Therefore, according to the present embodiment, the removed developer can be stored in the far side away from the operation position C. Further, the developer can be stored by effectively using the space on the side of the charging roller 2.

  In the present embodiment, the support metal plate 61 is a steel plate having a thickness of 1.2 mm. And it is bent in the shape of a crank by bending parts 61d and 61e. The support portion 61h, the connecting portion 61i, and the extending portion 61j are connected to each other through the bent portions 61d and 61e.

  The angle θ1 of the bending portion 61d, that is, the bending angle θ1 of the connecting portion 61i with respect to the support portion 61h is 90 ° to 100 °, and in this embodiment, about 90 °. Further, the angle θ2 of the bent portion 61e, that is, the bending angle θ2 of the extending portion 61j with respect to the support portion 61h is 0 ° to 30 °, and is about 21 ° in this embodiment (see FIG. 7).

  In the above-described embodiment, the case where the support portion 61h is positioned substantially horizontally has been described. However, the present embodiment is not limited to this arrangement. For example, the support part 61h may be inclined upward or downward with respect to the horizontal direction. Also in this case, the above-described effects can be obtained.

  Therefore, the support member 61 is attached in such a manner that the support portion 61h is attached to the frame body 51 in the orthogonal direction Q (FIGS. 6, 7, and 10) orthogonal to the support portion 61h. A first bent portion 61d bent to the opposite side of the surface 61h1, a connecting portion 61i extending from the first bent portion 61d to the opposite side in the orthogonal direction Q, and a short direction P of the support portion 61h. (FIGS. 7 and 8) and in the orthogonal direction Q, the second bent portion 61e bent from the connecting portion 61i to the side opposite to the side where the elastic blade 62 is provided, and the short direction In P and in the orthogonal direction Q, an extending portion 61j extending from the second bent portion 61e to the side opposite to the side on which the elastic blade 62 is provided.

  By setting the angle θ1 within the above range, sufficient strength and processing accuracy of the support metal plate 61 can be ensured. Further, the volume of the removed developer storage chamber 55 can be secured. Further, by setting the angle θ2 within the above range, it is possible to ensure sufficient strength of the support sheet metal 61 and a rubbing performance for rubbing the peripheral surface of the charging roller 2.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the above-described fixing of the support metal plate 61 to the frame body 51 is performed by fastening the support portion 61 h to the frame body 51 with screws 65. Reference numeral 61h1 denotes an attachment surface on which the support portion 61h is attached to the frame body 51.

  The support sheet metal 61 is provided with a plurality of bent portions (61d, 61e). As a result, the shape of the support metal plate 61 is changed to a crank shape, whereby the strength of the single support metal plate is increased as compared with a normal L-shaped bent shape. Furthermore, by attaching the support metal plate 61 to the frame body 51 by the support portion 61 h, the distance between the portion where the support metal plate 61 is screwed to the frame body 51 and the elastic blade member 62 can be reduced. This increases the strength of the cleaning blade 60 (cleaning member).

  As described above, the support metal plate 61 is fixed to the cleaning frame 51 which is the casing of the cleaner unit 50 with the tap tight screw 65 (see FIGS. 5 and 6). The support metal plate 61 is screwed to seat surfaces 52 and 53 located at both ends of the frame 51 with one end and the other end in the longitudinal direction. At that time, the screw 65 is inserted into the holes 61q and 61r provided in the support metal plate 61 and screwed into the holes 52c and 53c provided in the seating surfaces 52 and 53 (FIGS. 5, 8, and 9). ). Further, the head shape of the screw 65 is not particularly limited, and may be an arbitrary shape.

  In FIG. 5, the cleaning blade 60 (frame body 51) is positioned in the longitudinal direction (arrow X direction) with a positioning boss 52 b provided on the seating surface 52 and an oblong hole 61 c provided on the support metal plate 61. And is determined by fitting. Further, the position of the blade 60 (frame body 51) in the short direction (arrow Y direction) is determined by the angular bosses 52a, 53a provided on the seating surfaces 52, 53 and the notches provided on the support sheet metal 61. The parts 61a and 61b are determined by fitting. Further, the position in the height direction (Z direction) of the blade 60 (frame body 51) is determined by the height of the seating surfaces 52 and 53. As a result, the blade 60 contacts the photosensitive drum 1 with high accuracy.

  In this embodiment, the force acting on the blade 60 is about 1.5 to 2.5 kg in the entire length of the blade 60 when the blade 60 is stationary, that is, when the blade 60 is in contact with the photosensitive drum 1. Further, when the photosensitive drum 1 is rotating, a frictional force generated between the elastic blade member 62 and the photosensitive drum 1 is added to generate a force of about 2.0 to 4.0 kg.

  As in the present embodiment, the blade 60 is provided by providing a plurality of bent portions (61 d, 61 e) on the support sheet metal 61 and bringing the fixing position for fixing the support sheet metal 61 to the frame 51 close to the elastic blade member 62. However, it is possible to suppress bending in the direction away from the photosensitive drum 1 by the central portion in the longitudinal direction.

  Further, the bent portion 61d is as close as possible to the elastic blade member 62, and the gap L (see FIG. 6) between the bent portion 61d and the frame 51 is increased. The position of the bent portion 61d is determined in consideration of the head diameter of the screw 65 while avoiding the rubber outflow range that occurs when the elastic blade member 62 is molded from the fixed surface.

  According to the above-described embodiment, the thickness of the support metal plate 61 can be reduced as compared with the case where the strength is the same as that of the conventional configuration. Therefore, the cleaning member 60 can be made small, and the cleaning device and the process cartridge can be downsized. Moreover, although the cleaning member can be reduced in size, the strength can be ensured and the cleaning performance can be maintained.

(Removed developer storage room)
Next, the removed developer storage chamber 55 as a removed developer storage section will be described with reference to FIGS. Here, the removed developer storage chamber 55 stores the removed developer removed from the photosensitive drum 1 by the elastic blade 62.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 6, in this embodiment, the removed developer storage chamber 55 configured in the cartridge 7 has a frame 51, a cleaning blade 60 (support metal plate 61, and An elastic blade 62), a filter 85, the photosensitive drum 1, and a space surrounded by the flexible sheet member 80. Further, elastic seal members (not shown) are attached to the frame body 51 at both longitudinal ends of the removed developer storage chamber 55, and are brought into contact with the photosensitive drum 1. This fills the gap.

  In this embodiment, the filter 85 is formed of an elastic foam member (for example, Malt Plain (registered trademark)). Therefore, the filter 85 allows an air flow to pass from the inside of the removed developer storage chamber 55 to the outside, thereby preventing the passage of the removed developer. The air flow A is generated by the rotation of the photosensitive drum 1 (see FIG. 6).

  In this embodiment, a transport mechanism for transporting the removed developer is not provided in the removed developer storage chamber 55. As described above, the developer is conveyed to the inner side of the removed developer storage chamber 55 by generating an air flow A in the removed developer storage chamber 55. The filter 85 is affixed to the extending portion 61j with a double-sided tape or the like. Then, the blade 60 is attached to the frame body 51. As a result, the filter 85 is positioned in a state of being pressed against the pedestal 54 provided on the frame body 51. The filter 85 is disposed along the longitudinal direction of the extending portion 61j and the frame body 51.

  In the present embodiment, the extending portion 61j is positioned below the cleaning operation position C, that is, the contact portion where the elastic blade member 62 and the photosensitive drum 1 are in contact by a distance H (see FIG. 6). ). Thus, the space for storing the developer is effectively utilized while avoiding the space where the charging roller 2 is installed. In this embodiment, the distance H is about 6 mm. The distance H may be 5 to 15 mm. The space constituting the removed developer storage chamber 55 includes the photosensitive drum 1, the cleaning frame 51, the cleaning member 60, and the sheet member 80. Here, the extending portion 61 j constitutes the bottom surface of the removed developer storage chamber 55. The space constituting the removed developer storage chamber 55 may constitute a part of the frame 51, the support member 61, and the elastic blade 62 (cleaning member 60).

  According to the above-described embodiment, with the above configuration, even if the height of the removed developer storage chamber is the same, the volume for storing the removed developer can be made larger than before. Further, the height of the removed developer storage chamber can be made lower than that of the removed developer storage chamber having the same storage volume. Further, by reducing the height of the removed developer storage chamber, it is possible to reduce the height of the cleaning device and the process cartridge, thereby realizing miniaturization thereof. Further, the cost can be reduced by sharing the cleaning member as a part of the removed developer storage chamber.

Example 2
10A and 10B show a second embodiment of the cleaning blade 60 to which the present invention is applied. In the present embodiment, the configuration of the blade 60 is the same as that of the first embodiment.

  In this embodiment, a rubbing member 70 (charging roller cleaning member) that contacts the peripheral surface of the charging roller 2 is attached to the extending portion 61j.

  The rubbing member 70 is composed of an elastic sheet member 71. And the sheet | seat member 71 is being fixed to the surface on the opposite side to the surface where the filter 85 of the extension part 61j was attached using the double-sided tape (not shown). The sheet member 71 is formed of a polyimide film having a thickness of 25 μm to 75 μm.

  That is, when the sheet member 71 is undulated, a portion that does not come into contact with the charging roller 2 when the charging roller 2 is attached may occur, and cleaning of the charging roller 2 may be incomplete.

  As shown in FIG. 10B, in this embodiment, the free length L0 of the sheet member 71 is 6 to 10 mm, the contact length L1 with the charging roller 2 is 2 to 8 mm, and the amount of penetration into the charging roller 2 Δ was 2 to 4 mm. Here, the intrusion amount Δ means the shortest distance between the free end tip portion of the sheet member 71 extending in the direction of the charging roller 2 and the outer periphery of the charging roller by design.

  The angle θ2 of the extension 61j is in the range as described above. The sheet member 71 is directly attached without providing a pedestal or the like in the extending portion 61j, and is set so as to satisfy the above condition. Therefore, the sheet member 71 is attached so as not to undulate in the axial direction of the photosensitive drum 1, that is, so that there is no unevenness at the tip.

  According to the configuration of the present embodiment, the peripheral surface of the charging roller 2 can be cleaned, and the image quality is stabilized.

  In the above-described embodiment, the developer image formed on the photosensitive drum 1 is transferred to the recording medium S. However, the developer image formed on the photosensitive drum 1 is once transferred to the intermediate transfer member. Then, it is possible to adopt a configuration in which the image is transferred from the intermediate transfer member to the recording medium S. The present invention can be similarly applied to the image forming apparatus having such a configuration, and can achieve the same effects.

  In the above-described embodiment, the cleaning device provided in the process cartridge has been described as an example. However, the cleaning device may be provided independently. Therefore, an independent cleaning device may be provided in the electrophotographic image forming apparatus.

1 is a schematic diagram illustrating an overall configuration of an embodiment of an image forming apparatus to which the present invention is applied. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of a process cartridge that is detachably attached to an image forming apparatus to which the present invention is applied. It is a perspective view of a process cartridge to which the present invention is applied. 2 is a perspective view illustrating a state in which a process cartridge is mounted on the image forming apparatus main body to which the present invention is applied. FIG. It is a perspective view for demonstrating the assembly | attachment to the cleaning frame body of the cleaning member to which this invention is applied. It is sectional drawing which shows one Example of the cleaning apparatus to which this invention is applied. It is a side view which shows the shape of the cleaning blade shown in FIG. It is a perspective view which shows the shape of the cleaning blade shown in FIG. It is a perspective view which shows the state which attached the cleaning member to which this invention is applied to the cleaning frame. It is sectional drawing which shows the other Example of the cleaning apparatus to which this invention is applied.

Explanation of symbols

1 (1a to 1d) Electrophotographic photosensitive drum 2 (2a to 2d) Charging means (charging roller)
4 (4a to 4d) Developing means 4A Developing unit 6 (6a to 6d) Cleaning means (cleaning device)
7 (7a-7d) Process cartridge 40 Developing roller (developer carrier)
41 Developer container 46 Developer container unit 50 Cleaner unit 51 Cleaning frame (frame)
55 Removed developer storage chamber (removed developer storage section)
60 Cleaning blade (cleaning member)
61 Support sheet metal (support member)
61a, 61b Notch portion 61c Oval hole 61d, 61e First and second bent portions 61h, 61i, 61j Support portion, connecting portion, extending portion 61q, 61r Hole portion 62 Elastic blade member (elastic blade)
65 screw 70 charging roller cleaning member (rubbing member)
85 Filter 100 Image forming apparatus main body

Claims (16)

In a cleaning device used in an electrophotographic image forming apparatus for removing developer remaining on an electrophotographic photosensitive drum from the photosensitive drum,
A frame,
An elastic blade that elastically contacts the photosensitive drum to remove the developer remaining on the photosensitive drum from the photosensitive drum;
A support member for supporting the elastic blade, the support portion supporting the elastic blade and attached to the frame body; and the support portion from the support portion to the frame in an orthogonal direction orthogonal to the support portion. A first bent portion bent to the opposite side of the mounting surface attached to the body, a connecting portion extending from the first bent portion to the opposite side in the orthogonal direction, and a short direction of the support portion And in the orthogonal direction, a second bent part that is bent from the connecting part to a side opposite to the side on which the elastic blade is provided, in the lateral direction, and in the orthogonal direction, the second A support member having an extending portion extending from the second bent portion to the side opposite to the side where the elastic blade is provided;
A removed developer accommodating portion for accommodating a developer removed from the photosensitive drum by the elastic blade, wherein the elastic blade and a removed developer accommodating portion, a part of which is constituted by the support member; ,
A cleaning device comprising:   The support member is made of sheet metal, and the connecting portion is bent by 90 ° to 100 ° with respect to the support portion via the first bent portion, and the extending portion is the second bent portion. The cleaning device according to claim 1, wherein the cleaning device is bent at 0 ° to 30 ° with respect to the support portion.   Furthermore, between the extension part and the frame body, an air flow is allowed to pass from the inside of the removed developer storage part to the outside along the longitudinal direction of the extension part and the frame body, and the developer 3. A filter for preventing the passage of toner is disposed, and an air flow in the removed developer accommodating portion is exhausted out of the removed developer accommodating portion through the filter. A cleaning device according to claim 1.   The cleaning device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein a sliding member that rubs a peripheral surface of a charging roller that charges the photosensitive drum is attached to the extending portion.   The cleaning device is mounted so that the support portion is positioned substantially horizontally when mounted on the main body of the electrophotographic image forming apparatus, and the connecting portion and the extending portion are directed downward. 5. The extension portion according to claim 1, wherein the extension portion is disposed vertically below a cleaning operation position at which the elastic blade contacts the electrophotographic photosensitive drum. The cleaning device according to item. In a process cartridge that can be attached to and detached from the electrophotographic image forming apparatus main body,
(I) an electrophotographic photosensitive drum;
(Ii) a cleaning device for removing the developer remaining on the electrophotographic photosensitive drum from the photosensitive drum,
A frame,
An elastic blade that elastically contacts the photosensitive drum to remove the developer remaining on the photosensitive drum from the photosensitive drum;
The support member that supports the elastic blade, and the support member,
A support portion that supports the elastic blade and is attached to the frame;
A first bent part that is bent from the support part to the opposite side of the attachment surface where the support part is attached to the frame body in an orthogonal direction orthogonal to the support part;
A connecting portion extending from the first bent portion to the opposite side in the orthogonal direction;
A second bent portion that is bent from the connecting portion to the side opposite to the side on which the elastic blade is provided in the transverse direction of the support portion and in the orthogonal direction;
In the short-side direction and in the orthogonal direction, it has an extending part extending from the second bent part to the side opposite to the side where the elastic blade is provided,
A removed developer accommodating portion for accommodating a developer removed from the photosensitive drum by the elastic blade, wherein the elastic blade and a removed developer accommodating portion, a part of which is constituted by the support member; ,
A cleaning device having
A process cartridge.   The support member is made of sheet metal, and the connecting portion is bent by 90 ° to 100 ° with respect to the support portion via the first bent portion, and the extending portion is the second bent portion. The process cartridge according to claim 6, wherein the process cartridge is bent at 0 ° to 30 ° with respect to the support portion.   Further, a filter is disposed between the extension portion and the frame body so that an air flow is allowed to pass from the inside of the removed developer storage portion to the outside along the longitudinal direction, and the passage of the developer is blocked. 8. The process cartridge according to claim 6, wherein the air flow in the removed developer accommodating portion is exhausted to the outside of the removed developer accommodating portion through the filter.   9. The process cartridge according to claim 6, further comprising a rubbing member that rubs a peripheral surface of a charging roller that charges the photosensitive drum.   The process cartridge is mounted so that the support portion is positioned substantially horizontally when mounted on the main body of the electrophotographic image forming apparatus, and the connecting portion and the extending portion are directed downward. 10. The extension portion according to claim 6, wherein the extension portion is disposed vertically below a cleaning operation position where the elastic blade contacts the electrophotographic photosensitive drum. The process cartridge according to the item. In a cleaning member that is used in a process cartridge that can be attached to and detached from the electrophotographic image forming apparatus main body and removes the developer remaining on the electrophotographic photosensitive drum from the photosensitive drum,
An elastic blade that elastically contacts the photosensitive drum to remove the developer remaining on the photosensitive drum from the photosensitive drum;
A support member for supporting the elastic blade, the support portion supporting the elastic blade and attached to the process cartridge; and the support portion from the support portion to the process cartridge in an orthogonal direction perpendicular to the support portion. A first bent portion bent to the opposite side of the mounting surface to be attached; a connecting portion extending from the first bent portion to the opposite side in the orthogonal direction; and a short direction of the support portion; and In the orthogonal direction, a second bent portion that is bent from the connecting portion to a side opposite to the side on which the elastic blade is provided, and in the lateral direction and in the orthogonal direction, from the second bent portion. A support member having an extending portion extending to the side opposite to the side on which the elastic blade is provided,
Have
When the cleaning member is attached to the process cartridge, the elastic blade and the support member are used to remove the developer removed from the photosensitive drum by the elastic blade. A cleaning member comprising a part.   The support member is made of sheet metal, and the connecting portion is bent by 90 ° to 100 ° with respect to the support portion via the first bent portion, and the extending portion is the second bent portion. The cleaning member according to claim 11, wherein the cleaning member is bent at 0 ° to 30 ° with respect to the support portion via a pin.   Further, a filter is disposed between the extension portion and the frame body so that an air flow is allowed to pass from the inside of the removed developer storage portion to the outside along the longitudinal direction, and the passage of the developer is blocked. The cleaning member according to claim 11, wherein an air flow in the removed developer accommodating portion is exhausted to the outside of the removed developer accommodating portion through the filter.   12. A rubbing member for rubbing a peripheral surface of a charging roller for charging the photosensitive drum when the cleaning member is attached to the process cartridge is attached to the extending portion. 14. The cleaning member according to any one of items 13. In an electrophotographic image forming apparatus for forming an image on a recording medium,
(I) an electrophotographic photosensitive drum;
(Ii) A cleaning device used in an electrophotographic image forming apparatus for removing developer remaining on an electrophotographic photosensitive drum from the photosensitive drum,
A frame,
An elastic blade that elastically contacts the photosensitive drum to remove the developer remaining on the photosensitive drum from the photosensitive drum;
A support member for supporting the elastic blade, the support portion supporting the elastic blade and attached to the frame body; and the support portion from the support portion to the frame in an orthogonal direction orthogonal to the support portion. A first bent portion bent to the opposite side of the mounting surface attached to the body, a connecting portion extending from the first bent portion to the opposite side in the orthogonal direction, and a short direction of the support portion And in the orthogonal direction, a second bent part that is bent from the connecting part to a side opposite to the side on which the elastic blade is provided, in the lateral direction, and in the orthogonal direction, the second A support member having an extending portion extending from the second bent portion to the side opposite to the side where the elastic blade is provided;
A removed developer accommodating portion for accommodating the developer removed from the photosensitive drum by the elastic blade, the removed blade accommodating portion being partly constituted by the elastic blade and the support member; ,
A cleaning device having
(Iii) conveying means for conveying the recording medium;
An electrophotographic image forming apparatus comprising: In an electrophotographic image forming apparatus for forming an image on a recording medium,
(I) a process cartridge that is detachably mounted on a mounting portion of the electrophotographic image forming apparatus,
An electrophotographic photosensitive drum;
A cleaning device for removing the developer remaining on the electrophotographic photosensitive drum from the photosensitive drum,
The cleaning device includes:
A frame,
An elastic blade that elastically contacts the photosensitive drum to remove the developer remaining on the photosensitive drum from the photosensitive drum;
A support member for supporting the elastic blade, the support portion supporting the elastic blade and attached to the frame body; and the support portion from the support portion to the frame in an orthogonal direction orthogonal to the support portion. A first bent portion bent to the opposite side of the mounting surface attached to the body, a connecting portion extending from the first bent portion to the opposite side in the orthogonal direction, and a short direction of the support portion And in the orthogonal direction, a second bent part that is bent from the connecting part to a side opposite to the side on which the elastic blade is provided, in the lateral direction, and in the orthogonal direction, the second A support member having an extending portion extending from the second bent portion to the side opposite to the side where the elastic blade is provided;
A removed developer accommodating portion for accommodating the developer removed from the photosensitive drum by the elastic blade, the removed blade accommodating portion being partly constituted by the elastic blade and the support member; ,
Having a process cartridge;
(Ii) conveying means for conveying the recording medium;
An electrophotographic image forming apparatus comprising:

Images