JP2009109854A - Process cartridge and image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

A process cartridge and an image forming apparatus capable of obtaining a good image without replacing a functional member with a new one.
The charging roller 61 is provided symmetrically and can be assembled by reversing the charging roller 61 when the process cartridge is reproduced. One end surface of the core bar 61b of the charging roller is pressed by the power supply member 68, and the end surface of the large diameter (D1) portion is in contact with the bearing 67 on the opposite side and is positioned in the axial direction. The end face of the metal core opposite to the power supply member 68 (the end face of the small-diameter portion D2) does not contact the bearing, and the end face of the metal core contacts the power supply member 68 when the cartridge is regenerated. Good conduction to the crossing charging roller 61 can be ensured.
[Selection] Figure 3

Description

  The present invention relates to a process cartridge and an image forming apparatus. More specifically, the present invention relates to a technique that enables reuse of functional components during process cartridge reproduction.

Japanese Patent No. 3283500

  In recent years, laser printers that perform image formation using an electrophotographic system have been reduced in size and space, and the process cartridges are often replaced by users themselves. The used process cartridge collected after replacement can be re-imaged by filling with new toner, but it is difficult to reproduce the image quality of a new product due to the deterioration of various parts that make up the process cartridge. It is. In particular, functional members such as the photoconductor, charging roller, developing roller, and supply roller directly affect the image quality, so if the function at the time of a new product cannot be obtained during process cartridge regeneration, only the functional member must be replaced with a new one. I must.

  Patent Document 1 proposes a method for reusing a process cartridge by collecting used process cartridges, and using some new parts (parts that are not reused) or parts taken from another process cartridge. Has been.

However, when the cartridge is remanufactured by exchanging the parts, there are problems that the cost is increased at the time of reproduction and the resources cannot be effectively reused.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a process cartridge and an image forming apparatus capable of solving the above-described problems in the conventional process cartridge and the image forming apparatus and obtaining a good image without replacing the functional member with a new one. To do.

  According to the present invention, there is provided a process cartridge including at least an image carrier and a roller-shaped member that is supported by a power supply member in contact with a cored bar and is rotatably supported. This is solved by being provided so as to be symmetrical and configured so that it can be assembled to the process cartridge by being inverted in the longitudinal direction.

  The power supply member is contacted at one end portion of the core metal, and the roller-shaped member is a bearing in which a predetermined range of the metal core end portion opposite to the one-side end portion supports the roller-shaped member. It is preferable that it is provided so as not to intervene.

In addition, it is preferable that the power supply member is in contact with an end surface on one side of the core metal and the predetermined range is an end surface on the opposite side.
Further, the power supply member presses the roller-shaped member in the axial direction, and the roller-shaped member is in the pressing direction at a portion other than the predetermined range at an end opposite to the side where the power supply member is contacted. It is preferable that movement to is restricted.

  The cored bar is provided in the shape of a step roller having at least a first diameter and a second diameter, and a step portion having the first diameter and the second diameter is opposite to the power feeding member. It is preferable that positioning in the longitudinal direction of the roller is performed by abutting against a bearing or a positioning member supported by the roller.

  The bearing that supports the metal core on the side opposite to the power supply member is provided with stepped recesses having at least a first diameter and a second diameter that are open on an end surface on one side thereof. It is preferable that the end surface of the core metal abuts on the step portion having the first diameter and the second diameter to perform positioning in the roller longitudinal direction.

The roller member is preferably a charging roller for charging the image carrier.
The roller-shaped member is a roller-shaped member that is driven via a gear mounted on a cored bar, and the gear does not rotate with respect to the cored bar at both ends of the cored bar of the roller-shaped member. It is preferable that a gear mounting portion that can be mounted is provided.

The gear mounting portion is preferably a cut portion obtained by cutting a part of the core metal peripheral surface, and the gear is preferably provided with a fitting portion corresponding to the cut portion.
The gear mounting portion is a hole provided in the cored bar, and the gear is provided with a hole corresponding to the hole of the cored bar, and the gear mounted unit is mounted on the cored bar. It is preferable that the pin member is fitted so as to be fitted into the hole portion of the gear and the hole portion of the cored bar.

The roller-shaped member is preferably a toner supply roller or a developing roller of a developing device.
Further, according to the present invention, the above problem is solved by an image forming apparatus including the process cartridge according to any one of claims 1 to 11.

  According to the process cartridge of the first aspect, the roller-like member is provided in a symmetrical shape in the longitudinal direction, and is configured to be able to be assembled to the process cartridge by being inverted in the longitudinal direction. The member can be reversed and reused. In that case, it is possible to use the roller-shaped member again by bringing the power-feeding member into contact with a location different from the location where the power-feeding member was initially in contact, and to prevent poor power feeding when the roller-shaped member is reused. be able to. Thereby, it is possible to obtain a good image without exchanging the functional member for a new one, to prevent an increase in cost during reproduction, and to effectively reuse resources.

  According to the configuration of claim 2, since the predetermined range of the cored bar end opposite to the cored bar end that was initially in contact with the power feeding member does not intervene with the bearing, the toner is not fused to that part. When the roller-like member is reversed and reused, no conduction failure occurs.

  According to the configuration of the third aspect, even in the configuration in which the power feeding member is brought into contact with the core metal end surface of the roller-shaped member, toner fusion to the core metal end surface serving as a power feeding position at the time of reuse is prevented. Conduction failure is prevented.

  According to the configuration of claim 4, in order to regulate the movement of the roller-like member using a place other than the place to be the power supply location at the time of reuse, the location to be the power supply location at the time of reuse is not scraped, Even when the roller-like member is reversed and reused, stable conduction is possible.

  According to the configuration of the fifth aspect, by positioning at the stepped portion provided on the cored bar of the roller-shaped member, the end of the cored bar and the end surface during use can be prevented from being affected, and the roller-shaped member is reversed. Even when reused, stable conduction is possible.

  According to the configuration of the sixth aspect, even in the configuration in which the movement of the roller-shaped member is regulated using the end surface of the core metal of the roller-shaped member, a part of the end surface is not affected by the positioning, and the roller-shaped member is reversed. Even when reused, stable conduction is possible.

  According to the configuration of the seventh aspect, the charging roller can be reused when the process cartridge is regenerated. In that case, it is possible to stably supply electric power to the charging roller, and it is possible to reliably charge the image carrier.

According to the configuration of the eighth aspect, even when the roller-like member driven through the gear is installed by being reversed, the gear can be mounted and the roller-like member can be reused.
According to the configuration of claim 9, the gear can be mounted by the cut portion provided on the core metal peripheral surface of the roller-like member and the fitting portion provided on the gear, and the rotation of the gear when the roller-like member is reused is prevented. Can be achieved.

According to the configuration of the tenth aspect, the pin member is fitted into the hole portion provided in the core metal and the hole portion of the gear, so that the rotation of the gear can be prevented when the roller-like member is reused.
According to the configuration of the eleventh aspect, the toner supply roller or the developing roller of the developing device can be reused when the process cartridge is reproduced. In that case, power can be stably supplied to the toner supply roller or the development roller, and appropriate development performance can be exhibited.

  According to the image forming apparatus of the twelfth aspect, when the process cartridge is regenerated, the roller-like member as the functional component can be reversed and reused, and in that case, the feeding failure to the roller-like member can be prevented. As a result, it is possible to prevent costs from being increased during process cartridge regeneration and to effectively reuse resources.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional configuration diagram showing an outline of a color printer which is an example of an image forming apparatus according to the present invention. The color printer 1 shown in this figure is a color printer that can form a full-color image by adopting a tandem method, and has four process cartridges 6Y, 6M, 6C, and 6K arranged almost at the center of the apparatus main body. , 6M, 6C, and 6K, an exposure device 5 for forming a latent image on the photosensitive drum of the process cartridge is disposed. Below the process cartridges 6Y, 6M, 6C, and 6K, an intermediate transfer belt 3 serving as an intermediate transfer unit wound around a driving roller 23, a driven roller 24, and a plurality of primary transfer rollers 4 is disposed. A secondary transfer device 11 and an intermediate transfer member cleaning device 14 are arranged on the right side of the intermediate transfer belt 3 in the drawing. Below the intermediate transfer belt 3, a waste toner collecting container 15 for the transfer belt and a paper feed cassette 8 for loading and storing the recording medium 7 are disposed. The recording medium 7 fed by the paper feed roller 9 passes between the intermediate transfer belt 3 and the secondary transfer device 11 and is guided to the fixing device 12 so that the toner image is thermally fixed on the recording medium 7. It has become.

  The process cartridges 6Y, 6M, 6C, and 6K are different from yellow, magenta, cyan, and black in the colors of the toners to be handled. However, since the configuration and operation are all the same, Y, M, and C that indicate the toner colors in FIG. The process cartridge 6 will be described without adding K,.

  As shown in FIG. 2, a photosensitive drum 60, which is an image carrier, is arranged below the process cartridge 6 so as to face the intermediate transfer belt 3, and is driven to rotate clockwise. Around the photosensitive drum 60, a developing device 50 as a developing unit, a cleaning blade 62 as a cleaning unit that scrapes residual toner after primary transfer, and a charging roller 61 as a charging unit that contacts the photosensitive drum 60 are provided. It has been.

  In the vicinity of the cleaning blade 62, a toner conveying coil 64 for horizontally conveying the scraped toner is provided, and the toner from the toner conveying coil 64 is conveyed by the toner conveying belt 65 shown in FIG. The waste toner is collected in the waste toner collecting chamber 56. A central region of the developing device 50 that is partitioned from the waste toner collecting chamber 56 by a partition member 57 made of a flexible material such as a film is an unused toner chamber 55. Here, a predetermined color is used as a finely colored powder. Toner is filled.

  Further, the developing device 50 includes a developing roller 51, an agitator 52, a toner supply roller 53, and a developing blade 54. The developing roller 51 is disposed with or in contact with the photosensitive drum 60 with a minute gap. A negative bias voltage in which alternating current and direct current are superimposed is applied to the core of the developing roller 51 from a bias power source (not shown). Also, a DC negative potential bias voltage is applied to the charging roller 61 from another bias power source.

  The process cartridge 6 of the present example is configured such that the photosensitive drum 60, the developing device 50, the charging roller 61, and the cleaning blade 62 are integrated and detachable from the printer body. The process cartridge 6 is replaced when the toner in the unused toner chamber 55 of the developing device 50 reaches the toner end.

  Next, the process up to the formation of an electrophotographic image will be described. In FIG. 2, the photosensitive drum 60 is rotated clockwise by a driving device (not shown), and the surface photosensitive layer is charged to a uniform high potential by a charging roller 61 and initialized. The uniformly charged photosensitive layer is exposed by the scanning light L from the exposure device 5, and an electrostatic latent image is formed which includes a low potential portion where the potential is attenuated by this exposure and a high potential portion by initialization. At this time, the image information exposed on each photosensitive drum 60 is single-color image information obtained by separating a desired full-color image into color information of yellow, magenta, cyan, and black. Next, when the low potential portion (or high potential portion) of the electrostatic latent image comes to a contact position between the photosensitive drum and the developing roller, the toner is transferred from the developing roller 51 having a thin toner layer formed on the surface. A toner image is formed (developed). After the primary transfer to be described later, the toner remaining on the surface of the photosensitive drum 60 is cleaned by the cleaning blade 62 in contact with the photosensitive drum 60, and the residual charge on the drum surface is removed by a neutralizing device (not shown). It is provided for the formation of a toner image.

  Returning to FIG. 1, the primary transfer roller 4 for primary transfer is installed at a position where the process cartridge 6 and the transfer belt 3 are in contact with each other. By applying a high potential to the primary transfer roller 4, the photosensitive drum 60. A toner image formed on the surface of the photosensitive drum 60 is transferred by providing a potential difference between the transfer belt 3 and the transfer belt 3. In each process cartridge 6, the toner image for each color is sequentially transferred to the transfer belt 3, and a plurality of color toner images are formed on the transfer belt 3 by superimposing the single color toner images. On the other hand, the recording medium 7 is supplied from the paper feed roller 9 and the paper transport device 10 to the secondary transfer device 11 at a timing. The toner image formed on the surface of the transfer belt 3 (in some cases, a single color toner image) is recorded by applying a high potential to the secondary transfer device 11 to provide a potential difference between the transfer belt 3 and the secondary transfer device 11. Transferred onto the medium 7.

  The recording medium 7 onto which the toner image has been transferred is peeled off from the transfer belt 3, and the toner image is melted and fixed on the recording medium 7 by the fixing device 12. Is discharged. Excess toner remaining on the surface of the transfer belt 3 after the toner image is transferred to the recording medium 7 is cleaned by the intermediate transfer body cleaning device 14 and recovered in a waste toner recovery container 15. The cleaned transfer belt 3 is prepared for the transfer of the next toner image.

Next, characteristic parts of the present invention will be described.
First, an embodiment in which the charging roller is provided as a reusable functional member will be described.
FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing the vicinity of the charging roller 61. As shown in this figure, the charging roller 61 is composed of a metal core 61b and a rubber roller 61a, and the core 61b can be freely rotated by bearings 66 and 67 arranged on the left and right in the longitudinal direction. keeping. The bias is applied from a portion in contact with the power supply member 68. The power supply member 68 has, for example, a metal leaf spring shape, and is in contact with the end surface of the cored bar 61b with a predetermined pressing force. The charging roller 61 is pressed against the photosensitive drum 60 by springs 63 and 63 by bearings 66 and 67, and rotates along with the rotation of the photosensitive member (no driving force is obtained from a gear or the like). A gear flange 70 is engaged with the photosensitive drum 60, and a driving gear (not shown) of the image forming apparatus main body is engaged with the gear flange 70 to obtain a driving force.

  The charging roller 61 in this example is provided symmetrically in the left-right (axial direction). That is, since the distances L1 and L2 from the end surface of the core bar 61b to the end of the rubber roller portion 61a are the same in the longitudinal direction (L1 = L2), when reusing a used process cartridge, Then, it can be assembled by reversing the end surface attached to the power supply member 68 side to the opposite side to the power supply member 68 (in the left and right direction in FIG. 3). The end face of the metal core and the metal power supply member slide when the process cartridge is driven. If the end face of the metal core is scraped due to long-term use and the surface roughness of the end face is uneven, it may cause poor conduction in the worst case. There is. However, according to the present invention, the charging roller 61 is inverted and assembled at the time of reproduction, so that the end surface of the core bar that has not been slid with the power supply member 68 contacts the power supply member 68 at the time of cartridge reproduction. Even when the process cartridge after reproduction is used, good conduction to the charging roller 61 can be ensured for a long time.

  By the way, in the configuration as described above, since the cored bar is pushed in the thrust direction by the power supply member 68, the charging roller 61 needs to be positioned in the thrust direction of the charging roller 61. Conventionally, the charging roller generally has a configuration in which the end of the cored bar comes into contact with the bearing on the side not in contact with the power supply member and the position in the thrust direction is determined. However, according to the conventional configuration, the end surface of the metal core that does not come into contact with the power supply member is in contact with and slides with the bearing when the cartridge is driven. . In particular, when the toner enters the bearing, the toner may be fused (the bearing and the end face of the metal core are in contact with each other and slide while the charging roller rotates. There is a possibility of crimping).

  In such a case, even if the charging roller is reversed right and left and assembled during reproduction, the continuity becomes unstable. Therefore, in the present invention, the core bar 61b of the charging roller 61 is attached to the portion (shaft where the rubber roller portion 61a is mounted. (The central portion in the direction) and the portion slightly protruding outward from the end surface of the rubber roller portion 61a are made the same diameter (first diameter: D1), and further, the second diameter smaller than the first diameter D1 is D2 outside thereof. And a configuration in which the first and second stepped portions of the cored bar 61b are abutted and positioned on the bearing 67 on the side where the power supply member 68 is not disposed. did.

  With this configuration, the end face of the metal core on which the power supply member 68 is not disposed (the outer end face of the small diameter portion) does not come into contact with the bearing 67 during driving. At times, when the charging roller 61 is reversed and assembled, stable conduction equivalent to that of a new charging roller 61 can be ensured. In addition, you may comprise so that the level | step-difference part of the 1st diameter of a metal core 61b and a 2nd diameter may be abutted against the positioning member provided separately from the bearing 67, and may be positioned.

FIG. 4 shows a second embodiment in which the configuration of the charging roller is different.
The charging roller 161 shown in FIG. 4 includes a metal core 161b and a rubber roller 161a. The core roller 161b is rotatably held by bearings 66 and 167 arranged on the left and right in the longitudinal direction. Yes. The bias is applied from a portion in contact with the power supply member 68. The charging roller 161 is pressed against the photosensitive drum 60 by the bearings 66 and 167 via the springs 63 and 63, and rotates with the rotation of the photosensitive member (no driving force is obtained from a gear or the like). The charging roller 161 of this example also reverses the end surface attached to the power supply member 68 side when the new process cartridge is regenerated to the side opposite to the power supply member 68 (in FIG. 4, the left and right sides are reversed). ) Can be assembled.

  In the second embodiment, the core roller 161b of the charging roller is entirely configured with the same diameter. The bearing 167 on the side where the power feeding member 68 is not arranged is provided with a two-step hole or groove shape composed of a large diameter portion 167a and a small diameter portion 167b, as shown in an enlarged view on the upper right. The end of the cored bar 161b is inserted into the diameter part 167a. Then, the end surface of the cored bar 161b abuts against the end surface 167c which is the boundary between the large diameter part 167a and the small diameter part 167b, thereby positioning the cored bar 161b, that is, the charging roller 161 in the thrust direction.

  By providing the bearing 167 with a two-step hole or groove shape consisting of a large diameter portion 167a and a small diameter portion 167b, the small diameter portion 167b of the hole or groove shape does not intervene with the core metal 161b, and therefore, the end surface of the core metal 161b The predetermined center region is not in contact with the bearing 167. As a result, the end face (central part) of the core bar on which the power supply member 68 is not disposed does not come into contact with the bearing 167 during driving, the toner does not fuse to the end face of the core bar, and the charging roller 161 is reversed during reproduction. When assembled, stable conduction equivalent to that of a new charging roller 161 can be ensured.

  The above-described embodiment in which the charging roller is provided as a reusable functional member has the following two characteristics. Feature 1: By configuring the charging roller (61, 161) so that it can be assembled even if it is reversed left and right in the longitudinal direction, the charging roller is reversed and assembled during process cartridge regeneration, and until then the power supply member (68) is in contact The end face of the metal core that has not been in contact with the power supply member in the recycled cartridge. Feature 2: In order to stabilize the power supply when the charging roller (61, 161) is reversed and assembled, the end face of the metal core that is not in contact with the power supply member is not in contact with the bearing or the like when the cartridge is used before regeneration. (If the toner is in contact, the toner may be fused to the core when the toner enters, and even if the charging roller is reversed during reproduction, conduction may become unstable).

Next, an embodiment in which a supply roller (toner supply roller) of the developing device is provided as a reusable functional member will be described.
FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing the vicinity of the supply roller 53 of the developing device 50. As shown in this figure, the supply roller 53 is composed of a roller portion 53a and a cored bar 53b, and is rotatably assembled to housing wall surfaces 70, 70 of the process cartridge via bearings 71, 71. In addition, a power feeding member 78 is in contact with one end face of the cored bar 53b, and a gear 72 is locked to the end of the cored bar to obtain a driving force on the side where the power feeding member 78 is not disposed. In this example, the gear 72 is mounted on the cored bar 53b so that the peripheral surface of the end part of the cored bar is partially cut and the cross-sectional shape viewed from the end surface direction becomes a “D” shape. . The “D” -shaped cut portions 53c are provided on both sides in the longitudinal direction of the core metal 53b. The cut portions 53c, 53c on both sides of the core metal 53b include the distance from the end surface and the angle to the core metal peripheral surface. It is provided symmetrically. Furthermore, since the distances L1 and L2 from the end portion of the roller portion 53a to the end surface of the cored bar 53b are the same in the longitudinal direction (L1 = L2), the supply roller 53 regenerates a used process cartridge. In this case, when the product is new, the end surface attached to the power supply member 78 side can be reversed (reversed from side to side in FIG. 5) and assembled.

  With such a configuration, the supply roller 53 can be reversed and assembled when the process cartridge is regenerated, so that the end surface on the side that has not been slid with the power supply member 78 contacts the power supply member 78 when the regenerative cartridge is used. Therefore, good conduction can be ensured over a long period of time. Since the core bar 53b has cut portions 53c on both sides thereof, the gear 72 can be assembled even if the supply roller 53 is reversed.

FIG. 6 shows a second embodiment in which the configuration of the supply roller (toner supply roller) is different.
A supply roller 153 shown in FIG. 6 includes a roller portion 153a and a cored bar 153b, and is rotatably assembled to housing wall surfaces 70 and 70 of the process cartridge via bearings 71 and 71. In addition, a power feeding member 78 is in contact with one end face of the cored bar 153b, and a gear 172 is locked to the end of the cored bar to obtain a driving force on the side where the power feeding member 78 is not disposed. In this example, the gear 172 is attached to the metal core 153b. In this example, the “D” -shaped cut portions are not provided as in the first embodiment, but the pin holes 153c are formed near both side ends of the metal core 153b. (The pin hole 153c on the left side is shown in the figure, but the pin hole 153c is also provided on the gear 172 side), and the pin 173 is inserted into the pin hole 153c and fitted with the gear 172, The gear 172 is configured to stop the rotation. The gear 172 has a circumferential convex portion 172a formed on the inner end face, and the convex portion 172a is provided with a hole into which the pin 173 is inserted corresponding to the pin hole 153c of the cored bar 153b.

  In the second embodiment, the pin holes 153c and 153c provided on both sides of the core metal 153b of the supply roller 153 are provided symmetrically including the distance from the end face of the core metal and the angle with respect to the peripheral surface of the core metal. The gear 172 is provided on either side of the metal core 153b. Further, the supply roller 153 is formed such that the distances L1 and L2 from the end portion of the roller portion 153a to the end surface of the cored bar 153b are the same in the longitudinal direction (L1 = L2). At this time, the end face attached to the power supply member 78 side when it is new can be reversed (reversed left and right in FIG. 6) and assembled.

  With such a configuration, the supply roller 153 can be inverted and assembled when the process cartridge is regenerated, so that the end surface on the side that has not been slid with the power supply member 78 until then contacts the power supply member 78 when the regenerative cartridge is used. Therefore, good conduction can be ensured over a long period of time.

  The above-described embodiment in which the supply roller is provided as a reusable functional member has the following two characteristics. Feature 1: By configuring so that the supply roller (53, 153) can be assembled even if it is reversed left and right in the longitudinal direction, the supply roller is inverted and assembled during process cartridge regeneration. The end face of the core bar that has not been in contact with the power supply member in the recycled cartridge. Feature 2: The supply roller needs to have a shape for fixing the gears (72, 172) in order to obtain a driving force from the gear. However, the "D" -shaped cut portion 53c and the pin hole according to the above configuration example By providing 153c symmetrically in advance, it is possible to assemble the gear when it is installed reversed.

  Here, the example in which the supply roller (toner supply roller) of the developing device is provided as a reusable functional member has been described. However, the reusable functional member is configured in the same manner as the roller member such as the developing roller. It is also possible to provide as.

  As mentioned above, although this invention was demonstrated by the example of illustration, this invention is not limited to this. For example, the present invention can be applied not only to the charging roller as a charging member but also to a brush-shaped charging member in which a charging brush is mounted on a core metal.

  The developing device is not limited to one using a one-component developer, and the present invention can also be applied to a developing device using a two-component developer. Further, the configuration of the developing device can be appropriately changed within the scope of the present invention. The rotation stop when the gear is attached to the core of the roller-shaped member is not limited to the “D” shape, and can be stopped in any shape.

Further, devices mounted on the process cartridge are arbitrary. The image carrier (photosensitive member) is not limited to a drum shape, and a belt-like image carrier can also be used.
Further, the configuration of the image forming unit of the image forming apparatus is arbitrary, and is not limited to the tandem type, and a configuration in which a plurality of developing devices are arranged around one photoconductor is also possible. The present invention can also be applied to a full color machine using three color toners, a multicolor machine using two color toners, or a monochrome apparatus. Of course, the image forming apparatus is not limited to a printer, and may be a copier, a facsimile machine, or a multifunction machine having a plurality of functions.

1 is a cross-sectional configuration diagram illustrating an outline of a color printer which is an example of an image forming apparatus according to the present invention. It is sectional drawing which shows the structure of a process cartridge. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating a first embodiment in which a charging roller is provided as a reusable functional member. FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram illustrating a second embodiment in which a charging roller is provided as a reusable functional member. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating a first embodiment in which a supply roller of a developing device is provided as a reusable functional member. FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram illustrating a second embodiment in which a supply roller of the developing device is provided as a reusable functional member.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Color printer 6 Process cartridge 50 Developing device 51 Developing roller 53,153 Supply roller 53a, 153a Roller part 53b, 153b Core metal 53c "D" -shaped cut part 60 Photosensitive drum 61,161 Charging roller 61a, 161a Rubber roller part 61b, 161b Metal core 66, 67 Bearing 68, 78 Power supply member 71, 167 Bearing 72, 172 Gear 153c Pin hole

Claims (12)

In a process cartridge that includes at least an image carrier and a roller-like member that is fed and rotated by a power supply member in contact with a metal core,
The process cartridge is characterized in that the roller-shaped member is provided symmetrically in the longitudinal direction, and is configured to be assembled to the process cartridge by being inverted in the longitudinal direction. The power supply member is contacted at one end of the core;
The roller-like member is provided so that a predetermined range of a cored bar end opposite to the one-side end is not interposed with a bearing supporting the roller-like member. Process cartridge according to. 3. The process cartridge according to claim 2, wherein the power supply member is brought into contact with an end surface on one side of the core metal, and the predetermined range is an end surface of the core metal on the opposite side. The power supply member presses the roller-shaped member in the axial direction,
The roller-like member is restricted from moving in the pressing direction at a portion other than the predetermined range at an end opposite to the side on which the power feeding member is contacted. Process cartridge. The cored bar is provided in a corrugated roller shape having at least a first diameter and a second diameter, and the step part of the first diameter and the second diameter supports the cored bar on the side opposite to the power supply member. The process cartridge according to claim 4, wherein positioning in the longitudinal direction of the roller is performed by contacting a bearing or a positioning member. The bearing that supports the mandrel on the side opposite to the power supply member is provided with a stepped recess having at least a first diameter and a second diameter that is open on an end surface on one side thereof. The process cartridge according to claim 4, wherein an end surface of the core bar is brought into contact with a step portion having a diameter of 1 and a diameter of the second diameter to perform positioning in a roller longitudinal direction. The process cartridge according to claim 1, wherein the roller-shaped member is a charging roller that charges the image carrier. The roller-shaped member is a roller-shaped member that is driven via a gear attached to a cored bar,
The gear mounting part which can be mounted | worn so that the said gear may not rotate with respect to a metal core is provided in the both ends of the metal core of this roller-shaped member, The any one of Claims 1-4 characterized by the above-mentioned. The process cartridge according to item 1. The gear mounting portion is a cut portion obtained by cutting a part of the core metal peripheral surface,
The process cartridge according to claim 8, wherein the gear is provided with a fitting portion corresponding to the cut portion. The gear mounting portion is a hole provided in the core metal,
The gear is provided with a hole corresponding to the hole of the core bar,
The process cartridge according to claim 8, wherein a pin member is fitted into the hole portion of the gear mounted on the core metal and the hole portion of the core metal. The process cartridge according to claim 9, wherein the roller member is a toner supply roller or a developing roller of a developing device. An image forming apparatus comprising the process cartridge according to claim 1.

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