JP2004078003A - Seal member, developing unit, process cartridge, and image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

An object of the present invention is to provide a sealing member capable of maintaining a stable sealing performance during durability without reducing the density of pile yarns.
A seal member for sealing a joint between a developer carrying member provided at an opening of a developing container for accommodating a developer, a side end of a developer regulating member and the developing container, and includes a ground warp and a ground. In the sealing member in which the weft yarns are each formed of a pile woven fabric composed of two layers, of the ground warp yarns of the pile woven fabric, the yarn tension during the weaving step of the ground warp yarn of the layer abutting on the developer carrier is the other. And the pile yarns of the pile fabric are subjected to a splitting process and the pile length is regulated by a shearing process. The back surface of the base fabric of the pile fabric is The stop processing and the friction processing are performed.
[Selection diagram] FIG.

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a developing unit of a process cartridge mounted on an electrophotographic image forming apparatus, which is provided with an end seal for effectively preventing leakage of a fluid such as toner, a seal member, a process cartridge, and an image. The present invention relates to a forming apparatus.
[0002]
Here, the electrophotographic image forming apparatus forms an image on a recording medium using an electrophotographic image forming method, and includes, for example, an electrophotographic copying machine, an electrophotographic printer (laser beam printer, LED printer, etc.). , Facsimile machine, word processor and the like.
[0003]
The process cartridge is a cartridge in which a charging unit, a developing unit, or a cleaning unit as a process unit and an electrophotographic photosensitive member (photosensitive drum) are integrally formed into a cartridge, and the cartridge is detachable from the image forming apparatus main body. A charging unit as a process unit, a developing unit, and a cleaning unit, and an electrophotographic photosensitive member are integrally formed into a cartridge so as to be detachable from the image forming apparatus main body. The image forming apparatus includes a developing unit as a process unit and an electrophotographic photoreceptor which are integrally formed into a cartridge so as to be detachable from the image forming apparatus main body.
[0004]
The unit is a unit that is detachably attached to an electrophotographic image forming apparatus main body or the like. For example, a fixing unit for fixing a toner image transferred to a recording medium to the recording medium, an electrophotographic photosensitive unit, A developing unit for developing an electrostatic latent image formed on the body, a cleaning unit for removing residual toner on the electrophotographic photosensitive member, a feeding unit for storing the recording medium, and the like are included.
[0005]
[Prior art]
In an electrophotographic image forming apparatus, an image carrier uniformly charged by a charging unit is selectively exposed to form a latent image on the surface of the image carrier. Then, the latent image is visualized by a developer (toner) supplied from a developing unit, transferred to a recording medium, and the image is fixed on the recording medium by heat, pressure, or the like, thereby performing image recording on the recording medium. I have.
[0006]
Further, the developer remaining on the image carrier after the transfer is removed by cleaning means such as a cleaning blade, and is stored as a residual developer (removed toner) in a cleaning container. The next development can be performed without remaining.
[0007]
Of these parts related to image formation, the above-mentioned image carrier, charging means, developing means, cleaning means, etc. are integrally configured, and a cartridge which is detachably attached to the image forming apparatus main body is put into practical use as a process cartridge. In this case, the user can replace the cartridge by himself. Thus, consumable parts such as the image carrier and the developer can be replaced without maintenance by a service person.
[0008]
In such a process cartridge, as shown in FIG. 6, a frame 139 having an opening 138 at one end and constituting a developing container for storing toner, and an opening for carrying the toner and transporting the toner to a photosensitive drum. A developing roller 140 (developer carrying member) rotatably disposed in the section 138; a developing blade 141 (developer regulating member) for regulating the amount of toner carried on the developing roller 140; At both ends, an end seal member 142 for preventing toner leakage in the longitudinal direction of the developing roller 140 and a gap between the end seal member 142 and the developing roller 140 at one end of the opening 138. And a flexible sheet member 143 for preventing the toner from blowing out.
[0009]
Here, conventionally, as an end seal, for example, Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 62-137453, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 01-26876, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 01-49950, Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 01-149659, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 02-160264, Japanese Utility Model No. 07- No. 50760, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 03-109587, Japanese Utility Model Application No. 03-51454, Japanese Utility Model Application No. 02-53050, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 01-31580, Japanese Utility Model Application No. 02-58773, and Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 01-285969. A flocked member or pile fabric with a pile length of 3 mm or less combined with a flexible material such as urethane to give flexibility, or a pile length of 3 mm or more with flexibility to provide flexibility A tape or the like was stuck and used as a seal member. In particular, pile fabrics have been widely used because pile yarns are woven into a base fabric and have advantages such as difficulty in removing pile yarns compared to flocking.
[0010]
Here, the weaving structure of the conventional pile fabric will be described.
[0011]
As shown in FIG. 7, the ground warp yarns 125a to 125d, the ground weft yarn 126, and the pile yarn 127 are woven, and then cut from the break line 128 by using the cutter 129 to be broken, thereby completing two pile fabrics. Therefore, in the weaving method described here, the pile yarn is woven into one layer of the base fabric. The interval between the pile yarns is determined by the pitch of the ground weft yarn 126. Here, as the pile yarn, a yarn obtained by spinning a short fiber material and configured as a yarn equivalent to 500 to 600 denier is used.
[0012]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, when the above-described conventional configuration is used, in a state where the pile fabric is woven, the portion of the pile yarn close to the base fabric is squeezed by the tension applied to the ground warp yarn and the ground weft constituting the base fabric. It will be in a state of being left.
[0013]
Referring to FIG. 7, when the tension of the ground warp yarn 125 is high at the joint portion 130 between the base fabric and the pile yarn, the pulling force in the direction of arrow A is increased, and the pile yarn 127 is tightened by the ground warp yarns 125c and 125d. Can be Therefore, the pile yarns are tightened and become thinner, so that the density of adjacent pile yarns is reduced, and the toner slips through the portion.
[0014]
Referring to FIG. 9, since the base portion 127a of the pile yarn 127 is fastened by the base cloth 144, a gap 145 is formed in the base portion, and the toner slips through the portion. In addition, the tip of the pile yarn is not sufficiently loosened due to the effect of the tightening of the portion close to the base cloth, and the density of the pile yarn in the portion in contact with the developer carrier is reduced, and the pile carrier is in contact with the developer carrier. Toner enters between the seal members.
[0015]
As shown in FIG. 9, the tip of the pile yarn 127 is not sufficiently loosened, so that a non-contact portion 146 between the pile yarn 127 and the developing roller 140 is formed, and the toner enters the portion. Further, if the pile yarn is not loosened, the yarns are densely packed and the flexibility of the yarn is reduced, so that the sealing member may damage the developer carrier or increase the rotational torque of the developer carrier. was there.
[0016]
Further, if the pile woven fabric that has been cut and broken in the weaving process of the pile woven fabric is used as it is, the pile length of the pile yarn when cut may vary due to the variation in the tension of the pile yarn. For example, when the tension of the pile yarn is high, the pile length is slightly shortened when cut, and the pile length becomes shorter. On the other hand, when the tension of the pile yarn is low, the pile length becomes longer in order to maintain the state of the pile yarn when cut. If the pile length varies in this manner, the contact state between the developer carrying member and the pile yarn is not stable, and the toner enters between the developer carrying member and the seal member. Referring to FIG. 10, if the short yarn 127 b of the pile yarn 127 is present, a gap 145 is formed between the pile yarn 127 and the developing roller 145. The toner enters from that portion.
[0017]
Conventionally, in order to prevent the pile yarn of the pile fabric from coming off, a method of impregnating the base fabric of the pile fabric with a water-soluble glue or the like and fixing the pile yarn to the base fabric has been used. In this case, the base cloth is solidified with glue, that is, the back side of the base cloth has a hard uneven surface, and when the double-sided tape is attached to the base cloth, the double-sided tape is adhered to the base cloth. There was a problem that the area was reduced and the adhesive strength was reduced.
[0018]
Accordingly, the present invention is a further development of the conventional seal member, and a seal member capable of maintaining a stable seal performance during the durability without reducing the density of pile yarns and a seal member having the same. It is an object to provide a developing unit, a process cartridge, and an electrophotographic image forming apparatus used.
[0019]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to achieve the above object, according to the first aspect of the present invention, a joint between a developer carrying member provided at an opening of a developer container accommodating a developer, a side end of a developer regulating member, and a developer container is provided. A sealing member for sealing, wherein a ground warp and a ground weft are formed by a pile fabric having two layers, respectively, wherein the ground warp of a layer of the ground warp of the pile fabric that abuts on the developer carrier. The tension of the yarn at the time of the weaving process is weaker than the tension of the ground warp yarn of the other layer, and the pile yarn of the pile fabric is subjected to a splitting process, and the pile length is regulated by a shearing process. The back surface of the base fabric of the pile fabric is subjected to a sealing process and a friction process.
[0020]
According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a developing unit including a developer carrier, a developer container for storing the developer, and a developer regulating member abutting on the developer carrier. 2. A seal member according to claim 1, wherein a seal is provided between a body and an end of said developer regulating member and said developing container using a pile fabric.
[0021]
4. The process cartridge according to claim 3, further comprising: an image carrier, a cleaning container, and a cleaning unit having a cleaning unit for cleaning the surface of the image carrier, wherein the process cartridge is detachable from the image forming apparatus. And a developing unit according to claim 2.
[0022]
According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an image forming apparatus having an image carrier, a cleaning container, and a cleaning unit including a cleaning unit for cleaning a surface of the image carrier, and forming an image on a recording medium. A developing unit according to claim 2 is provided.
[0023]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
An embodiment of an image forming apparatus according to the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
[0024]
FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional explanatory view showing a configuration of an image forming apparatus using a process cartridge according to the present embodiment, FIG. 2 is an explanatory view showing a woven structure of a pile fabric, and FIG. FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing the shearing process of the pile fabric, and FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing the filling process and the friction process of the pile fabric. [Overall Configuration of Multicolor Image Forming Apparatus]
First, the overall configuration of the multicolor image forming apparatus will be schematically described with reference to FIG. FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view showing the entire configuration of a full-color laser beam printer 100 which is one mode of a multicolor image forming apparatus.
[0025]
The multicolor image forming apparatus 100 shown in FIG. 1 includes four photosensitive drums 1a, 1b, 1c, and 1d arranged in a vertical direction. The photosensitive drum 1 is driven to rotate counterclockwise in FIG. 1 by a driving unit (not shown). A charging device 2 (2a, 2b, 2c, 2d) for uniformly charging the surface of the photosensitive drum 1 in order according to the direction of rotation of the photosensitive drum 1, and irradiating a laser beam based on image information to the photosensitive drum 1 A scanner unit 3 (3a, 3b, 3c, 3d) for forming an electrostatic latent image on the drum 1, and a developing device 4 (4a, 4b, 4c, 4d) for attaching toner to the electrostatic latent image and developing it as a toner image ), An electrostatic transfer device 5 for transferring the toner image on the photosensitive drum 1 to the transfer material S, and a cleaning device 6 (6a, 6b, 6c, 6c, 6c) for removing the transfer residual toner remaining on the surface of the photosensitive drum 1 after the transfer. 6d) and so on.
[0026]
Here, the photosensitive drum 1, the charging device 2, the developing device 4, and the cleaning device 6 are integrally formed as a cartridge to form a process cartridge 7.
[0027]
Hereinafter, the photosensitive drum 1 will be described in detail in order.
[0028]
The photoconductor drum 1 is formed by applying an organic photoconductor layer (OPC photoconductor) to an outer peripheral surface of an aluminum cylinder having a diameter of, for example, 30 mm. The photosensitive drum 1 is rotatably supported at both ends by a support member, and is driven to rotate counterclockwise by transmitting a driving force from a driving motor (not shown) to one end. You.
[0029]
As the charging device 2, a charging device of a contact charging type can be used. The charging member is a conductive roller formed in a roller shape. The roller is brought into contact with the surface of the photosensitive drum 1, and a charging bias voltage is applied to the roller to make the surface of the photosensitive drum 1 uniform. Is charged.
[0030]
The scanner unit 3 is disposed in a substantially horizontal direction of the photosensitive drum 1, and a polygon mirror 9 (9a, 9b) in which image light corresponding to an image signal is rotated at high speed by a scanner motor (not shown) by a laser diode (not shown). , 9c, 9d). The image light reflected by the polygon mirror 9 selectively exposes the charged surface of the photosensitive drum 1 via the imaging lens 10 (10a, 10b, 10c, 10d) to form an electrostatic latent image. Make up.
[0031]
Each of the developing devices 4a, 4b, 4c, and 4d is composed of a developing device that stores a toner of each color of yellow, magenta, cyan, and black.
[0032]
An electrostatic transfer belt 11 that circulates and moves so as to face and contact all the photosensitive drums 1a, 1b, 1c, and 1d is provided. The electrostatic transfer belt 11 has a resistance of 10 ¹¹ to 10 ¹⁴ Ω.
· It is composed of a film-like member with a thickness of about 150 μm having a volume resistivity of cm. The electrostatic transfer belt 11 is supported by rollers on four axes in the vertical direction, and circulates so that the transfer material S is electrostatically attracted to the outer peripheral surface on the left side in the drawing and the transfer material S comes into contact with the photosensitive drum 1. I do. As a result, the transfer material S is transported to the transfer position by the electrostatic transfer belt 11, and the toner image on the photosensitive drum 1 is transferred.
[0033]
Transfer rollers 12 (12a, 12b, 12c, 12d) are arranged side by side at positions facing the inside of the electrostatic transfer belt 11 and facing the four photosensitive drums 1a, 1b, 1c, 1d. A positive charge is applied from the transfer roller 12 to the transfer material S via the electrostatic transfer belt 11, and an electric field generated by the charge causes the sheet in contact with the photosensitive drum 1 to charge the negative electrode on the photosensitive drum 1. Is transferred.
[0034]
The electrostatic transfer belt 11 is a belt having a circumference of about 700 mm and a thickness of 150 μm, is wound around four rollers of a driving roller 13, driven rollers 14a and 14b, and a tension roller 15, and rotates in a direction indicated by an arrow in FIG. Thus, the toner image is transferred while the transfer material S is conveyed from the driven roller 14a to the drive roller 13 by circulating the electrostatic transfer belt 11 described above.
[0035]
The feeding unit 16 feeds and conveys the transfer material S to the image forming unit. A plurality of transfer materials S are stored in a feed cassette 17. At the time of image formation, the feed roller 18 (half-moon roller) and the registration roller pair 19 are driven and rotated in accordance with the image forming operation to separate and feed the transfer material S in the feed cassette 17 one by one, and to transfer the transfer material S to the front end Abuts against the pair of registration rollers 19, stops once, forms a loop, synchronizes the rotation of the electrostatic transfer belt 11 with the image writing position, and is fed to the electrostatic transfer belt 11 by the pair of registration rollers 19. .
[0036]
The fixing unit 20 fixes the toner images of a plurality of colors transferred to the transfer material S. The fixing unit 20 includes a rotating heating roller 21a, and a pressing roller 21b that presses against the heating roller 21a to apply heat and pressure to the transfer material S. Consists of
[0037]
That is, the transfer material S onto which the toner image on the photosensitive drum 1 has been transferred is conveyed by the fixing roller pair 21 when passing through the fixing unit 20, and is given heat and pressure by the fixing roller pair 21. Thus, the toner images of a plurality of colors are fixed on the surface of the transfer material S.
[0038]
In the image forming operation, the process cartridges 7a, 7b, 7c, 7d are sequentially driven in accordance with the recording timing, and the photosensitive drums 1a, 1b, 1c, 1d are driven to rotate counterclockwise in accordance with the drive. You. Then, the scanner units 3 corresponding to the respective process 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, and the scanner unit 3 performs exposure on the peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum 1 according to an image signal, and An electrostatic latent image is formed on the peripheral surface. A developing roller in the developing device 4 transfers toner to a low potential portion of the electrostatic latent image to form (develop) a toner image on the peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum 1.
[0039]
When the leading end of the toner image on the peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum 1 at the most upstream position is rotated and conveyed to a point facing the electrostatic transfer belt 11, the recording start position of the transfer material S coincides with the point. Thus, the registration roller pair 19 starts rotating and feeds the transfer material S to the electrostatic transfer belt 11.
[0040]
The transfer material S is pressed against the outer periphery of the electrostatic transfer belt 11 so as to be sandwiched between the electrostatic attraction roller 22 and the electrostatic transfer belt 11, and between the electrostatic transfer belt 11 and the electrostatic attraction roller 22. By applying a voltage, electric charges are induced in the transfer material S, which is a dielectric, and the dielectric layer of the electrostatic transfer belt 11, and the transfer material is electrostatically attracted to the outer periphery of the electrostatic transfer belt 11. I have. Thereby, the transfer material S is stably adsorbed on the electrostatic transfer belt 11 and is conveyed to the most downstream transfer unit.
[0041]
While being conveyed in this manner, the toner image on each photosensitive drum 1 is sequentially transferred onto the transfer material S by an electric field formed between each photosensitive drum 1 and the transfer roller 12.
[0042]
The transfer material S onto which the four color toner images have been transferred is separated from the electrostatic transfer belt 11 by the curvature of the belt drive roller 13 and is carried into the fixing unit 20. After the transfer material S is heat-fixed by the fixing unit 20 to the toner image, the transfer material S is discharged from the main body by the discharge roller pair 23 from the discharge unit 24 with the image face down.
[0043]
Next, the weaving structure of the pile fabric, which is a feature of the present invention, will be described with reference to FIG.
[0044]
As shown in FIG. 2, two pile fabrics are completed by weaving ground warp yarns 25 a to 25 h, ground weft yarn 26, and pile yarn 27, and then cutting from a breaking line 28 using a cutter 29 and breaking.
[0045]
The pile fabric is composed of two layers of four ground warps (25a to 25d or 25e to 25h) and two ground wefts (26a, 26b or 26c, 26d), and the pile yarn 27 is woven into two layers. . Although only one pile yarn 27 is shown in FIG. 2 to simply show the weaving structure, the pile yarn 27 is actually woven at the pitch of the ground weft 26.
[0046]
Here, by making the tension of the ground warp yarns 25e and 25f on the contact surface side to the developer carrier weaker than the tensions of 25g and 25h, the pulling force in the direction of arrow A becomes weaker, The pile yarn is not tightened at the connecting portion 30a between the base fabric and the pile yarn, and the pile yarn is not narrowed. Further, by increasing the tension applied to the ground warp yarns 25g and 25h, the pulling force in the direction of arrow A is increased, and the pile yarn and the base fabric are strongly entangled with each other at the joint 30b, so that the pile yarn does not come off.
[0047]
By adopting the above configuration, the pile yarn is not tightened at the root portion and becomes thin, so that the density of the pile yarn is reduced and the toner does not slip out.
[0048]
Further, since the pile yarn is sufficiently loosened, the flexibility of the hair is not impaired, and the developer carrier is not damaged, and the rotational torque of the developer carrier is not increased. 3, the root portion of the pile yarn 27 is not tightened by the base cloth 39, the pile yarn is sufficiently loosened, and the gap 38 at the root portion is small. When the assembly 40 is assembled, the pile yarn is bent and the gap 38 is filled, so that the toner does not slip out of the gap.
[0049]
Next, the pile splitting process of the pile fabric will be described.
[0050]
In FIG. 4, reference numeral 31 denotes a pile fabric, and the pile fabric 31 is hung on holding rollers 34a, 34b, and 34c. In this state, the pile fabric 31 is sent in the direction of arrow A. Here, first, the pile fabric 31 is pressed against the hair splitting roller 33a by the wedge 32a. Innumerable wires 33c are formed on the surface of the hair splitting roller 33a, and rotate in the direction of arrow B which is the counter direction with respect to the direction A which is the feed direction of the pile fabric 31. Here, the amount of movement of the wedge 32a is adjusted, and the amount of penetration of the wire 33c provided on the splitting roller 33a into the pile fabric is adjusted to adjust the splitting conditions. Accordingly, the pile yarn 31a of the pile fabric is loosened by the wire 33c.
[0051]
However, the direction of the loosened hair is not stable in this state because the hair splitting roller 33a is rotated to the counter. Therefore, the pile fabric 31 is pressed against the bristle roller 33b by the wedge 32b, and the bristle roller 33b is rotated in the direction C, which is the same direction as the feed direction of the pile fabric 31, so that the wire 33c provided on the bristle roller 33b is provided. Makes the direction of the hair uniform. Referring to FIG. 3, since the pile yarn 27 is sufficiently loosened by the bristle treatment, the leading end portion 27b of the pile yarn 27 is spread, and the adjacent pile yarns are overlapped with each other. There is no gap at the contact portion with the roller 40.
[0052]
By adopting the above configuration, the pile yarns of the pile fabric can be stably loosened, so that the pile density can be increased, and the intrusion of toner between the developer carrying member and the seal member can be prevented. Can be prevented.
[0053]
Next, the shearing process of the pile fabric will be described.
[0054]
In FIG. 5, reference numeral 31 denotes a pile fabric which is fed in the direction of arrow A. Here, the pile fabric 31 is pressed against the shearing roller 35 by the wedge 32. A rotary blade 35a is provided on the surface of the shearing roller 35, and by rotating the shearing roller 35 in the direction B which is the counter direction with respect to the direction A in which the pile fabric 31 is fed, the rotary blade 35a is formed in the contact portion 35b. Cuts the pile yarn 31a to make the pile length uniform.
[0055]
By adopting the above configuration, the pile length of the pile fabric can be stabilized, so that the contact state between the developer carrying member and the seal member is stabilized, and the toner is between the developer carrying member and the seal member. Intrusion can be prevented.
[0056]
Next, the filling process and the friction process of the pile fabric will be described.
[0057]
As shown in FIG. 6, first, an adhesive 36 or the like is applied from the back side of the base fabric of the pile fabric by an application roller (not shown). Here, the adhesive 36 is soaked into the base cloth as shown in the figure. Separately from this, the IR rubber 37 is applied to the back side of the base fabric by a coating roller (not shown) as a friction process. Here, since the IR rubber 37 has a high viscosity, the base fabric is not impregnated and is coated on the back surface of the base fabric as illustrated. The surface 37a of the applied IR rubber becomes smooth.
[0058]
By employing the above configuration, the back side of the base fabric of the pile fabric can be smoothed, so that the double-sided tape can be stably stuck.
[0059]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, among the ground warp yarns of the pile fabric, the yarn tension in the weaving step of the ground warp yarn of the layer abutting on the developer carrier is made weaker than the tension of the ground warp yarn of the other layer, Since the pile yarn is not tightened at the root portion and becomes thin, it is possible to prevent the density of the pile yarn from decreasing and prevent the toner from slipping through. In addition, since the flexibility of the pile yarn is not impaired, the developer carrier is not damaged, and the rotational torque of the developer carrier is not increased.
[0060]
Further, the pile yarn of the pile fabric is subjected to the bristle treatment, whereby the pile yarn of the pile fabric can be stably loosened, so that the pile density can be increased, and the gap between the developer carrier and the seal member can be improved. Can be prevented from entering the toner.
[0061]
Further, since the pile length of the pile fabric can be stabilized by regulating the pile length of the pile yarn of the pile fabric by the shearing process, the contact state between the developer carrier and the seal member is stabilized, and the developer carrier It is possible to prevent toner from entering between the seal member and the seal member.
[0062]
In addition, since the back side of the base fabric of the pile fabric can be smoothed by filling and backing the back surface of the base fabric of the pile fabric, the double-sided tape can be stably stuck.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is an explanatory cross-sectional view illustrating a configuration of an image forming apparatus including a process cartridge according to the present invention.
FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing a weaving structure of a pile fabric according to the present invention.
FIG. 3 is an explanatory view showing a state in which an end seal according to the present invention is in contact with a developer carrying member.
FIG. 4 is an explanatory view showing a bristle breaking step of the pile fabric according to the present invention.
FIG. 5 is an explanatory view showing a shearing step of the pile fabric according to the present invention.
FIG. 6 is an explanatory view showing the filling and friction treatment of the pile fabric according to the present invention.
FIG. 7 is an explanatory cross-sectional view showing a pasted state of an end seal.
FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram showing a pile weaving structure of a conventional pile fabric.
FIG. 9 is an explanatory view showing a state in which a conventional end seal abuts on a developer carrying member.
FIG. 10 is an explanatory view showing a state in which a conventional end seal abuts on a developer carrying member.
[Explanation of symbols]
S Transfer material 1 Photosensitive drum 2 Charging device 3 Scanner unit 4 Developing device 5 Electrostatic transfer device 6 Cleaning device 7 Process cartridge 9 Polygon mirror 10 Imaging lens 11 Electrostatic transfer belt 12 Transfer roller 13 Drive rollers 14a, 14b Follower roller 15 Tension roller 16 Feeding unit 17 Feeding cassette 18 Feeding roller 19 Registration roller pair 20 Fixing unit 21a Heating roller 21b Pressure roller 22 Electrostatic suction roller 24 Discharge unit 25 Ground warp 26 Ground weft 27 Pile yarn 28 Break line 29 Cutter Reference Signs List 30 joining part 31 pile fabric 32 wedge 33 hair splitting roller 34 holding roller 35 shearing roller 36 adhesive 37 IR rubber 38 gap 39 base cloth 127 pile thread 138 opening 139 frame 140 developing roller 141 developing blade 14 Seal member 143 flexible sheet member 144 base fabric 145 gap

Claims (4)

A seal member for sealing a joint between the developer container and the side end of the developer regulating member provided at the opening of the developing container for accommodating the developer and the developing container, wherein the ground warp and the ground weft are respectively formed. In a seal member formed by a pile fabric composed of two layers,
In the pile warp, among the ground warps, the tension of the ground warp of the layer abutting on the developer carrier during the weaving step of the ground warp is lower than the tension of the ground warp of the other layer, and the pile fabric is The pile yarn is subjected to a splitting process and a pile length is regulated by a shearing process, and the back surface of the base fabric of the pile fabric is subjected to a filling process and a friction process. A developer carrying member, a developing container containing the developer, and a developer regulating member abutting on the developer carrying member;
The developing unit according to claim 1, further comprising a seal member configured to seal a gap between an end portion of the developer carrier and the developer regulating member and the developing container using a pile fabric. An image carrier, a cleaning container, a cleaning unit provided with a cleaning unit for cleaning the surface of the image carrier, a process cartridge detachable to the image forming apparatus,
A process cartridge comprising the developing unit according to claim 2. An image forming apparatus that includes an image carrier, a cleaning container, and a cleaning unit including a cleaning unit that cleans a surface of the image carrier, and forms an image on a recording medium.
An image forming apparatus comprising the developing unit according to claim 2.

Images