JP2014167538A - Cleaning device, process cartridge, and image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

An object of the present invention is to stabilize the contact of a blade part with a body to be cleaned.
[Solution]
In a cleaning device including a cleaning member having a bent portion X between one end portion provided with the blade portion 101 and the other end portion having a fixed portion fixed to the frame body 108, the longitudinal direction of the support member 102 A seal member for sealing a gap between the both ends in the direction and the frame body 108, the first seal member 106 mounted between the first support portion L1 and the frame body 108, and a second support portion A second seal member 107 mounted between L2 and the frame body. The first seal member 106 and the second seal member 107 are substantially along the extending direction of the second support portion L2 from the bent portion X. Are closely attached to each other by the contact surfaces extending in the direction, and are adhered to the frame body 108 at at least a part of the contact surfaces with the frame body 108.
[Selection] Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a cleaning device for removing a developer from an object to be cleaned.

  Since the electrophotographic image forming apparatus repeatedly uses an image carrier (a member to be cleaned) on which a developer image is formed, after the developer image is transferred from the image carrier to a recording medium, the development remaining on the image carrier Cleaning means for removing the agent is provided. The cleaning means of the cleaning blade type is configured to remove the developer from the surface of the image carrier by bringing an elastic blade into contact with the surface of the image carrier with a predetermined pressure. The cleaning member described in Patent Document 1 has a structure in which a blade is attached to the front end of a sheet metal as a support member by molding, and the sheet metal is fixed to the frame body with screws or the like. The surface is brought into contact with a predetermined pressure.

JP 2002-341721 A

  Image forming apparatuses such as printers are required to be smaller, faster, and higher in image quality. In the downsizing of the image forming apparatus, the image carrier is also downsized. In addition, the rotation speed of the image carrier is increased by increasing the speed. Therefore, the blade in contact with the surface of the image carrier repeatedly slides at high speed on the surface of the image carrier, and there is a concern that the temperature of the blade increases and the hardness decreases. As a result, the frictional force between the surface of the image carrier and the blade is increased, and there is a concern about an increase in driving torque for driving the image carrier, a blade sag, and the like. Furthermore, recently, a developer having a spherical shape may be used to improve image quality. In this case, in order to remove the developer from the surface of the image carrier, it is necessary to increase the contact pressure of the blade with respect to the image carrier, and there is a concern that this may cause the above-described problem to be worsened.

  The objective of this invention is providing the technique which can stabilize the contact | abutting of the blade part with respect to a to-be-cleaned body.

In order to achieve the above object, the cleaning device of the present invention comprises:
A cleaning device that removes developer from the surface of an object to be cleaned,
A plate-like flexible support member extending in a direction opposite to the moving direction of the object to be cleaned, and attached to the tip of the support member, and the object to be cleaned in the counter direction with respect to the moving direction of the object to be cleaned A cleaning member having a blade portion in contact with the surface of the body;
The rear end of the support member is fixed, and the developer removed from the surface of the object to be cleaned is accommodated in a space between the support member by forming an opening with the blade portion. A frame that forms an accommodating portion capable of
With
The support member is positioned between the one end provided with the blade part, the other end having a fixed part fixed to the frame, and between the one end and the other end. A bent portion positioned on the side away from the surface of the object to be cleaned, with respect to a line segment connecting the contact part that contacts the object to be cleaned and the fixed part; and The fixed portion is disposed on the downstream side in the moving direction of the object to be cleaned with respect to the abutting portion, and the blade portion is positioned on the downstream side in the moving direction of the object to be cleaned by a force acting from the object to be cleaned. The first support portion between the other end portion and the bent portion is bent so as to be displaced, and the second support portion between the bent portion and the one end portion is displaced substantially along the extending direction. In the cleaning device configured to be deformable,
A seal member that seals a gap between both ends of the support member and the frame body in a direction orthogonal to the moving direction of the body to be cleaned, between the first support portion and the frame body A first seal member attached to the second support member and a second seal member attached between the second support portion and the frame body,
The first seal member and the second seal member are in close contact with each other at a close contact surface extending substantially along the extending direction of the second support portion from the bent portion, and at least at one part of the close contact surface with the frame body It is bonded to the frame body.
In order to achieve the above object, the cleaning device of the present invention comprises:
A cleaning device that removes developer from the surface of an object to be cleaned,
A plate-like flexible support member extending in a direction opposite to the moving direction of the object to be cleaned, and attached to the tip of the support member, and the object to be cleaned in the counter direction with respect to the moving direction of the object to be cleaned A cleaning member having a blade portion in contact with the surface of the body;
The rear end of the support member is fixed, and the developer removed from the surface of the object to be cleaned is accommodated in a space between the support member by forming an opening with the blade portion. A frame that forms an accommodating portion capable of
With
The support member is positioned between the one end provided with the blade part, the other end having a fixed part fixed to the frame, and between the one end and the other end. A bent portion positioned on the side away from the surface of the object to be cleaned, with respect to a line segment connecting the contact part that contacts the object to be cleaned and the fixed part; and The fixed portion is disposed on the downstream side in the moving direction of the object to be cleaned with respect to the abutting portion, and the blade portion is positioned on the downstream side in the moving direction of the object to be cleaned by a force acting from the object to be cleaned. The first support portion between the other end portion and the bent portion is bent so as to be displaced, and the second support portion between the bent portion and the one end portion is displaced substantially along the extending direction. In the cleaning device configured to be deformable,
A seal member that seals a gap between both ends of the support member and the frame body in a direction orthogonal to the moving direction of the body to be cleaned, between the first support portion and the frame body A first seal member attached to the second support member and a second seal member attached between the second support portion and the frame body,
The first seal member and the second seal member are in close contact with each other at a close contact surface extending substantially along the extending direction of the first support portion from the bent portion, and are adhered to each other at the close contact surface;
The first seal member is bonded to the support member at a close contact surface with the first support portion,
The second seal member is bonded to the support member at a contact surface with the second support portion.
In order to achieve the above object, the process cartridge of the present invention includes:
A process cartridge that can be attached to and detached from an image forming apparatus,
An image carrier that is a body to be cleaned;
The cleaning device;
It is characterized by providing.
In order to achieve the above object, the image forming apparatus of the present invention includes:
An image forming apparatus for forming an image on a recording medium with a developer,
An image carrier that is a body to be cleaned;
The cleaning device;
It is characterized by providing.

  According to the present invention, the contact of the blade portion with the object to be cleaned can be stabilized.

Typical sectional drawing in the longitudinal direction edge part of the cleaning apparatus which concerns on an Example. The conceptual diagram showing the contact state with the photosensitive drum of the cleaning member in an Example Typical sectional drawing in the longitudinal direction central part of the cleaning device according to the embodiment Schematic longitudinal sectional view of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment Schematic longitudinal sectional view of the process cartridge according to the embodiment Calculation result of contact pressure against dynamic friction coefficient when cleaning member is in contact Typical sectional drawing in the longitudinal direction edge part of the cleaning apparatus which concerns on Example 1. FIG. Typical expanded sectional view of the front-end | tip part of the cleaning member in an Example Typical sectional drawing in the longitudinal direction edge part of the cleaning apparatus which concerns on the comparative example 1. Typical sectional drawing in the longitudinal direction edge part of the cleaning apparatus which concerns on Example 2. FIG. Schematic cross-sectional view at the longitudinal end of the cleaning device according to Comparative Example 2

  DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, embodiments for carrying out the present invention will be exemplarily described in detail with reference to the drawings. However, the dimensions, materials, shapes, and relative arrangements of the components described in this embodiment should be appropriately changed according to the configuration of the apparatus to which the invention is applied and various conditions. That is, it is not intended to limit the scope of the present invention to the following embodiments.

Example 1
(1) Outline of Configuration and Operation of Example Image Forming Apparatus FIG. 4 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a schematic structure of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. Here, the image forming apparatus includes, for example, an electrophotographic copying machine, a laser beam printer, an LED printer, a facsimile machine, and the like. The image forming apparatus according to the present embodiment is a process cartridge detachable laser beam printer that forms an image on a recording medium by an electrophotographic method. The image forming apparatus is connected to an external host device (not shown) such as a personal computer or an image reading device, and forms an image based on image information input from the host device to a controller unit (not shown). The controller unit exchanges signals with the host device and also exchanges signals with the image forming device to control the image forming sequence.

  In FIG. 4, reference numeral 100 denotes a drum-type electrophotographic photosensitive member (hereinafter referred to as a photosensitive drum) as an image carrier (object to be cleaned). The photosensitive drum 100 is driven to rotate at a peripheral speed (process speed) of 120.0 mm / s in the direction of arrow R1 (clockwise) based on the print start signal. A charging member (charging roller) 201 to which a charging bias is applied is brought into contact with the photosensitive drum 100. The charging roller 201 is driven by the photosensitive drum 100 and rotated in the R2 direction (counterclockwise). The surface (circumferential surface) of the rotating photosensitive drum 100 is uniformly charged to a predetermined polarity and potential by the charging roller 201. In this embodiment, it is charged to a negative predetermined potential. Laser scanning exposure L of image information is performed on the charged surface by an exposure device (laser scanner unit) 202 which is an exposure means. The laser beam output from the exposure device 202 performs image exposure on the surface of the photosensitive drum 100. The exposure device 202 outputs a laser beam modulated (on / off conversion) corresponding to the time-series electric digital pixel signal of the image information input from the host device to the controller unit, and the uniformly charged surface of the photosensitive drum 100 Scanning exposure. The potential of the photosensitive drum surface portion (exposed bright portion) irradiated with the laser light is attenuated, and an electrostatic latent image corresponding to the image information is formed on the photosensitive drum surface. In this embodiment, an image exposure method for exposing the image information portion is used.

The electrostatic latent image formed on the surface of the photosensitive drum is developed by a developer on a developing sleeve (developing roller) 203 as a developer carrying member of the developing device 205. In the developing device 205, the developer is stirred by the stirring member 206, and the amount (layer thickness) of the developer is regulated by the regulating blade 204 on the developing sleeve 203 and is used for development. In this embodiment, the developing device 205 is a jumping developing method using a magnetic one-component toner (hereinafter referred to as toner T) as a developer. Further, it is a reversal development system in which the exposed bright portion of the electrostatic latent image is developed with a negative toner.

  On the other hand, at a predetermined control timing, the pickup roller 211 of the sheet tray unit 210 is driven to separate one sheet material (paper) P that is a recording medium (recording paper) stacked and stored in the sheet tray unit 210. Be fed. The sheet material P passes through a conveyance path including a paper feed roller / conveyance roller 212 and passes through a transfer guide (not shown) to a transfer nip portion which is a contact portion between the photosensitive drum 100 and the transfer charging roller 207. It is introduced at the control timing. In the process in which the sheet material P is nipped and conveyed through the transfer nip portion, a transfer bias having a polarity opposite to that of the toner T is applied to the transfer charging roller 207, and the toner image (developer image, development) on the surface of the photosensitive drum 100 is applied. Image) is sequentially electrostatically transferred onto the surface of the sheet material P.

  The sheet material P that has exited the transfer nip portion is separated from the surface of the photosensitive drum 100 and is introduced into a fixing nip portion that is a contact portion between the fixing roller and the pressure roller of the fixing device 208 along a conveyance guide (not shown). . The photosensitive drum surface after separation of the sheet material is cleaned by removing residual contaminants such as transfer residual toner by the cleaning blade 101 of the cleaning device, and is repeatedly provided for image formation starting from charging again. The sheet material P introduced into the fixing device 208 is subjected to a heating / pressure fixing process of the toner image in the process of being nipped and conveyed through the fixing nip portion. The sheet material P exiting the fixing device 208 passes through an ascending conveyance path including a conveyance roller, and is discharged onto a discharge tray 209 by a discharge roller.

(2) Process Cartridge With reference to FIG. 5, a process cartridge (hereinafter referred to as cartridge) according to the present embodiment will be described. FIG. 5 is a schematic cross-sectional view illustrating a schematic configuration of a cartridge that can be attached to and detached from the apparatus main body of the image forming apparatus illustrated in FIG. 4. As shown in FIG. 5, the cartridge according to the present embodiment is a cartridge in which four types of process devices, that is, a photosensitive drum 100, a charging roller 201, a developing device 205, and a cleaning device, are integrated into a cartridge. It is possible. The cartridge is opened and closed by opening an opening / closing part (not shown) of the apparatus main body to open the inside of the apparatus main body, and is guided by a guide part (not shown). When the cartridge is mounted on the apparatus main body, the exposure device 202 is positioned on the right side in FIG. 5 of the cartridge, and the sheet tray 210 is positioned on the lower side in FIG.

  The cleaning apparatus according to the present embodiment is roughly configured by a cleaning member 101, a squeeze sheet 104, and a housing (cleaning container) 105. The cleaning member 101 contacts the surface of the photosensitive drum and scrapes off the toner T remaining on the surface of the photosensitive drum. The toner T that has been scraped off is scooped off by the squeeze sheet 104 that is located below the cleaning member 101 and is in contact with the surface of the photosensitive drum. The scraped waste toner T is collected in a housing 105 as a cleaning container.

  The cartridge according to the present embodiment is roughly composed of a cleaning unit and a developing unit. The photosensitive drum 100 and the charging roller 201 are attached to a housing 105 as a frame of the cleaning device and constitute a cleaning unit together with the cleaning device. The developing device 205 includes a developing container (developing chamber, developer supplying chamber) in which a developing sleeve 203 is rotatably disposed in an opening, and a developer storing chamber (hereinafter referred to as a toner chamber) storing toner T. The developing unit is separated from the cleaning unit.

(3) Cleaning Device (3-1) Cleaning Member The configuration of the cleaning member according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3. FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view showing the configuration of the cleaning member in this embodiment, and is a conceptual diagram showing a contact state of the cleaning member with the photosensitive drum. FIG. 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view illustrating a configuration in a central portion (c1 portion in FIG. 2) in the longitudinal direction of the cleaning member in the embodiment.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the cleaning member generally includes a blade-like rubber member (blade portion) 101 that contacts the surface of the photosensitive drum 100 and a support member 102 that supports the rubber member 101. The support member 102 is a flexible thin metal plate that extends in a direction opposite to the rotation direction of the photosensitive drum 100 (counter direction), and has a rear end (other end) fixed to the housing 105 and a front end (one end). The rubber member 101 is integrally formed with the part. The support member 102 is fixed to the housing 105 by a holding member 103, and a bending portion or a bending portion X (bending portion) is provided between the fixing portion (fixed portion) and the contact portion of the photosensitive drum 100. In the following, one bent portion X) is provided.

  Here, in a cross section perpendicular to the rotation axis of the photosensitive drum 100, a fixing portion (a fixed end that is a boundary between a region fixed by the holding member 103 and a region in which free deformation is possible in the support member 102) is denoted by A, a rubber member Reference numeral 101 denotes a contact portion of the photosensitive drum 100 with the photosensitive drum 100. The cleaning member according to the present embodiment is configured such that the bent portion X is located on the side opposite to the image carrier 1 with respect to the line segment AB (the side away from the surface of the photosensitive drum 100 (the side away from it)). Has been. That is, the portion from the holding member 103 (fixed portion) to the bent portion X is the side where the photosensitive drum 100 is located with respect to the imaginary line connecting the fixed portion and the rubber member 101 along the moving direction of the photosensitive drum 100. It is on the opposite side and extends away from the imaginary line. Further, the portion from the bent portion X to the rubber member 101 extends in a direction approaching the photosensitive drum 100 with respect to the virtual line. In the present embodiment, the number of the bent portions X is one. Here, in the support member 102, the portion from the fixed portion A to the bent portion X is referred to as L1 (first support portion), and the portion from the bent portion X to the rubber member 101 is referred to as L2 portion (second support portion). The housing 105 to which the support member 102 is fixed is a part of a frame that movably supports the photosensitive drum 100. Depending on the apparatus configuration, for example, the housing 105 may be a frame of the apparatus main body or a process cartridge. In some cases, it may be a frame of a cleaning device or a frame of a cleaning device.

  For example, when the friction between the photosensitive drum 100 and the rubber member 101 increases, the cleaning member receives a force in a direction in which the support member 102 moves toward the downstream side in the rotation direction of the photosensitive drum 100. In such a case, for example, the stopped photosensitive drum 100 starts to rotate, the surface state of the photosensitive drum 100 or the rubber member 101, or the elastic force of the rubber member 101 or the support member 102 may cause wear or environment. There are cases where it changes due to fluctuations. At this time, the support member 102 causes the L1 portion to bend and deform (flexible deformation) with the fixed portion A as a fulcrum so that the L2 portion is displaced in the direction n2 (see FIG. 7) having a high degree of deformation freedom, and the rubber member 101 Is displaced downstream in the moving direction of the photosensitive drum 100. Further, the bent portion X is deformed so that the angle formed by the surface facing the photosensitive drum 100 becomes an acute angle. When the rubber member 101 is deformed so as to escape (separate) in the rotation direction of the photosensitive drum 100, the contact pressure and frictional force exerted on the photosensitive drum 100 of the rubber member 101 are suppressed to a predetermined value or less (contact pressure). And fluctuation or increase in frictional force can be suppressed).

In the present embodiment, as the support member 102, a SUS plate having a plate thickness of 0.2 mm was used. The supporting member 102, which is a plate-like spring member, was bent so that a 90 ° bent portion X was formed uniformly along the rotational axis direction of the photosensitive drum 100. At this time, the distance from the fixed end (fixed portion A) to the bent portion X was 12 mm, and the distance from the bent portion X to the rubber member 101 at the tip was set to 12 mm. In this embodiment, as the support member 102, for example, a phosphor bronze plate or other member having spring characteristics can be used as the plate-like spring member. In addition, a vibration damping member having elasticity can be used instead of these metal plate-like springy members.

  As the rubber member 101, urethane rubber having a JISA hardness of 70 degrees was used. FIG. 8 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the configuration of the tip of the cleaning member in the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 8, the blade-like rubber member 101 has a shape that covers the end portion of the support member 102 over the upper surface, the end surface, and the lower surface. In order to reduce the influence of the deformation of the tip, each dimension shown in FIG. 8 was evaluated with k = 3.0 mm, l = 2.0 mm, m = 1.0 mm, and n = 1.0 mm. As a method for adhering the support member 103 and the rubber member 101, a method using a double-sided tape or a hot melt adhesive may be used in addition to mold molding.

  As a method for fixing the cleaning member to the housing 105, one end of the support member 102 is detachably inserted into the slit of the holding member 103 and is clamped, and the holding member 103 is fixed to the housing 105 with a mounting screw (not shown). To do. The cleaning member is fixed to the housing 105 before the photosensitive drum 100 is attached to the apparatus frame. The holding member 103 may be formed integrally with the housing 105, for example, or may be divided into two at the slit portion.

  FIG. 3 shows a state where the edge portion of the rubber member 101 made of urethane rubber in the cleaning member according to this embodiment is in contact with the surface of the photosensitive drum 100. At this time, when the set angle was 30 degrees and 1 mm was inserted, the contact pressure was about 40 gf per 1 cm in the photosensitive drum rotation axis direction. Here, the set angle is a tangent line of the photosensitive drum 100 that is in contact with the intersection of the leading end surface of the rubber member 101 and the photosensitive drum 100 when it is assumed that the leading end of the rubber member 101 has entered the photosensitive drum 100 without deformation. And the side surface of the rubber member 101. For comparison, when a confirmation was made at a set angle of 20 degrees, the contact pressure was about 35 gf per 1 cm in the photosensitive drum rotation axis direction. As the support member, the same SUS as in this example and a 0.2 mm thick member was used. The length from the fixed part to the tip of the rubber member was 21.5 mm. Further, urethane rubber having a JISA hardness of 70 degrees was used as the rubber member, and the dimensions were the same as in the examples. When this cleaning device was inserted 1 mm into the photosensitive member at a setting angle of 30 degrees, the contact pressure was about 40 gf per 1 cm in the photosensitive drum rotation axis direction.

As a confirmation of the effect, deformation calculation was performed on the above-described cleaning device, and the current pressure was estimated. For comparison, it was also confirmed for a cleaning device (conventional example) in which the support member does not have a bent portion. As a calculation method, assuming the friction, the relationship between the deformed shape and the applied force when the front end of the rubber member 101 is pushed downstream in the rotation direction of the photosensitive drum is calculated, and the component perpendicular to the photosensitive drum surface is obtained from the obtained force. Is the contact pressure, the parallel component is the friction force, and the ratio is the friction coefficient. The deformation calculation at this time was performed by modeling with a simple two-dimensional cantilever beam by considering the neutral axis of the support member and the rubber member (Bernoulli-Euler assumption). In addition, the following was used as a parameter used for calculation.
Bending rigidity of SUS plate D = E / (1-ν) = 150 MPa
Longitudinal elastic modulus of urethane rubber E = 6MPa

  FIG. 6 is a graph showing a calculation result of the contact pressure with respect to the dynamic friction coefficient in a state where the cleaning member is in contact with the photosensitive drum. In this embodiment, two different setting angles and a conventional configuration without a bent portion as a comparative example are shown. 2 shows two results with different setting angles. The horizontal axis represents the dynamic friction coefficient, and the vertical axis represents the contact pressure. Thus, when compared with the conventional cleaning member having a simple linear structure, in the cleaning member having the bent portion of this embodiment, it is clear that the force in the vertical direction component is significantly stable against the increase in the dynamic friction coefficient. Became.

(3-2) Sealing Means at the Longitudinal End of the Support Member As shown in FIG. 3, the cleaning device according to this embodiment is a housing that can collect toner, paper dust, and the like scraped from the surface of the photosensitive drum 100. It has a configuration. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 7, the surface opposite to the surface facing the photosensitive drum 100 at both ends (C2 portion in FIG. 2) of the support member 102 in the longitudinal direction (rotational axis direction of the photosensitive drum 100). A seal member is provided between the housing 105 and the housing 105 to seal the gap. As a result, the space between the housing 105 and the opposite side of the cleaning member opposite to the photosensitive drum 100 is used as an accommodating portion for accommodating toner, and this space is an area where the rubber member 101 and the squeeze sheet 104 face each other. The cleaning opening is configured to open. Normally, toner, paper dust, and the like (hereinafter, collected toner) on the photosensitive drum scraped by the cleaning member at the cleaning opening adhere to the surface of the cleaning member opposite to the photosensitive drum contact surface. There is no problem as long as the collected toner is isolated from the image forming process. In this embodiment, a collected toner housing is provided as shown in FIG. In this embodiment, the collected toner housing is integrated with the cleaning device housing as shown in FIG. 3, but may be provided with a separate collected toner housing.

  As described above, the contact pressure of the cleaning member according to the present embodiment is stabilized by the displacement and deformation of the support member 102. Therefore, the relative positional relationship between the cleaning member and the recovered toner housing varies throughout the life of the cleaning device, for example, as shown in FIG. Since this variation is a variation caused by the interaction between the photosensitive drum and the cleaning member, the sealing means does not hinder this variation, and even when the variation occurs, the sealing performance is maintained at the end in the longitudinal direction. It is a function required for

  As shown in FIG. 7, the cleaning device according to the present embodiment holds the seal member A <b> 106 and the seal member B <b> 107 between the support member 102 and a portion of the housing 105 that faces the longitudinal end of the support member 102. A seating surface portion 108 is provided. The seal member A106 and the seal member B107 are mounted between the L1 portion and the L2 portion of the support member 102 and the seating surface of the differential surface portion 108 of the housing 105, and seal the gap between them. In addition, the seal structure by this seal member is the same symmetrical structure at both ends in the longitudinal direction of the cleaning device, and only the structure of one end portion will be described here.

  When the support member 102 is deformed, the portions L1 and L2 shown in FIG. 3 have different movements with respect to the seating surfaces of the seating surface portions 108 that face each other (each seating surface that sandwiches the seal member). The change in positional relationship is completely different. Therefore, the sealing performance in the region S1 (see FIG. 7B) between the bent portion X and the seat surface portion 108, which is the boundary between the L1 portion and the L2 portion, is important in the cleaning device according to the present embodiment.

  If the relative positional relationship between the support member 102 and the seat surface portion 108 changes with the deformation of the support member 102, the following problems may occur if the sealability at the end in the longitudinal direction is insufficient. There are concerns that arise. If the developer or the like leaks from the end in the longitudinal direction due to the deformation of the support member 102, the recording medium may be contaminated with toner, the image may be contaminated with a charging roller due to contamination of the recording medium, or the toner may be dropped. May cause in-flight contamination. Further, when the support member 102 is repeatedly deformed, toner aggregation may be formed between the longitudinal end portion of the support member 102 and the seat surface portion 108 in the region S1. When toner aggregation occurs, the degree of freedom of deformation of the support member 102 is hindered, the contact pressure and the frictional force become unstable, and cleaning failure may occur.

(3-3) Characteristic Configuration of Sealing Means in the Present Example As shown in FIG. 7, the cleaning device according to the present example mainly seals the region from the holding member 103 to the bent portion X. A member A106 and a seal member B107 mainly for sealing a region from the bent portion X to the rubber member 101 are provided. The seal member A106 (first seal member) seals a gap between the longitudinal end portion of the L1 portion of the support member 102 and the seat surface 108A (first seat surface) of the seat surface portion 108 facing the seal member A106. Further, the seal member B107 (second seal member) seals a gap between the longitudinal end portion of the L2 portion of the support member 102 and the seat surface 108B (second seat surface) of the seat surface portion 108 facing the seal member B107. To do. In this embodiment, urethane foam is used for the seal member A106 and the seal member B107, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the seal member A106 is formed of a compression elastic body (for example, rubber sponge, urethane foam, felt, or the like) because expansion / contraction response is required. The seal member B107 is not particularly required to have stretch response, and may be, for example, a soft plastic material (for example, POM, PP, PE, nylon, tetrafluoroethylene, etc.).

  The seal member A106 includes a longitudinal end portion of the L1 portion, a seating surface 108A, a longitudinal end portion of the holding member 103, a part of the seal member B107 (a portion near the contact portion with the seating surface 108A), It arrange | positions in the clearance gap formed by. The seal member A106 exhibits a sealing property when the seal surface 106-b is in close contact with the L1 portion without any gap, and the seal member A106 is also in close contact with the holding member 103 and the seal member B107 with no gap. Demonstrate sex. Further, the seating surface 108A is adhered with a double-sided tape affixed to the adhesive surface (fixed surface) 106-a so that the seat surface 108A adheres without any gap and exhibits a sealing property.

  The seal member B107 includes a longitudinal end portion of the L2 portion, a seating surface 108B, a longitudinal end portion of the rubber member 101, a facing surface of the seating surface 108B of the sealing member A106, and a part of the seating surface 108A (seat In the vicinity of the boundary with the surface 108B). The seal member B107 exhibits a sealing property when the seal surface 107-b is in close contact with the L2 portion without any gap, and the seal member B107 is also in close contact with the rubber member 101 and the seal member A106 with no gap. Demonstrate sex. In addition, the seating surface 108B is adhered with a double-sided tape affixed to the bonding surface (fixed surface) 107-a, thereby exhibiting a sealing property without sticking.

  Here, in the present embodiment, the bonding surfaces 106-b and 107-b of each sealing member are bonded to the seat surface portion 108 with a double-sided tape, but the bonding method is not limited to this, for example, bonding An agent may be applied and bonded and fixed.

  As shown in FIG. 7, the seal member A106 is attached so that the end of the seal surface 106-b corresponds to the position of the bent portion X, and the seal member B107 has the seal surface 107-b beyond the bent portion X. Then, it is affixed in contact with the seal member A106. The contact surface between the seal member A106 and the seal member B107 is a surface extending substantially along the displacement direction of the bent portion X when the support member 102 is deformed.

  For example, when the friction coefficient μ between the photosensitive drum 100 and the cleaning member increases, as described above, the support member 102 is displaced (bend deformation) in the L1 portion in the n1 direction and the L2 portion is displaced in the n2 direction. . 7A shows the position of the support member 102 and the state of each seal member when μ is small, and FIG. 7B shows the position of the support member 102 and each seal member when μ is large. Indicates the state. In any state, it can be seen that the seal member is deformed to seal the cleaning member and the housing 105 without any gap. Further, the seal member A106 maintains a sealed state while compressively deforming the L1 portion in the n1 direction, and does not hinder the displacement of the L1 portion. In addition, even when the L2 portion is displaced in the n2 direction, the seal member B107 maintains the sealed state while rubbing against the L2 portion, and does not hinder the displacement of the L2 portion.

In more detail, the state of each seal member when the support member 102 is deformed will be described. In the above-described deformation of the support member 102, the L1 portion undergoes bending deformation such that the holding member 103 side is a free end and the bent portion X side is a free end, and the seal member A106 is formed between the L1 portion and the seating surface 108A. Compressed between. At this time, the joint between the seal member A106 and the seal member B107 is compressed most, and in the vicinity of the support bending portion X, the joint with the seal member B107 is deformed so as to extend toward the seal member B107. This deformation increases the degree of adhesion between the seal member A106 and the seal member B107. Further, due to the bending deformation of the L1 portion, the L2 portion is displaced substantially parallel to the arrow n2 direction while sliding with respect to the seal member B107 while maintaining the adhesiveness with the seal member B107. Further, the seal member B107 is compressed between the rubber member 101 and the seating surface 108A. More specifically, the side bonded to the seating surface 108B hardly deforms, but the side in close contact with the L2 portion is compressed in the n2 direction by the displacement of the rubber member 101 due to the displacement of the L2 portion, and the L2 portion and the rubber It is comprised so that the displacement of the member 101 may not be inhibited. The expansion deformation with respect to the contraction deformation of the seal member B107 due to the compression is a deformation extending in a direction of increasing the close contact degree with the seating surface 108B and the close contact degree with the L2 portion and the seal member A106.

  Thus, the close contact state of each close contact surface of each seal member is maintained before and after the support member 102 is deformed. Here, the close contact surface of the seal member A106 and the seal member B107 is a surface where both are joined so that the close contact degree is increased when the support member 102 and the housing 105 are compressed. Further, the close contact surface between the seal member A106 and the L1 portion is a surface where both are joined so that the close contact is maintained before and after the deformation of the L1 portion. Further, the close contact surface between the seal member B107 and the L2 portion is a surface in which both are slidably joined so that the close contact is maintained before and after the displacement of the L2 portion due to the deformation of the L1 portion.

  As described above, according to the sealing means of the present embodiment, the gap between the support member 102 and the seating surface portion 108 of the housing 105 at the longitudinal end portion of the cleaning member is sealed without hindering the operation of the support member 102. Can be stopped.

  With reference to FIG. 9, in order to show the usefulness as the sealing means having the above-described configuration according to the present embodiment, consideration will be given from the viewpoint of inhibiting the displacement of the support member 102 and forming a gap in the seal member. 9 is a schematic cross-sectional view at the end in the longitudinal direction of the cleaning device according to Comparative Example 1. FIG. 9A shows the position of the support member 102 and the state of each seal member when μ is small. (B) shows the position of the support member 102 and the state of each seal member when μ is large.

  First, the sealing member will be considered from the viewpoint of inhibiting the displacement of the support member 102. For example, when the space between each part of the L1 part, the bent part X, and the L2 part and the seating surface part 108 is sealed by the seal member constituted by a single member, the seal member is moved by the L1 part according to the displacement in the n1 direction. Compressed. At this time, the sealing member which is a continuous body expands on the L2 portion side, and the pressing pressure on the L2 portion increases. That is, it leads to μ-up between the L2 portion and the seal member, and inhibits displacement of L2 in the n2 direction. On the other hand, according to the present embodiment including two seal members, the deformation of the seal member A106 does not affect the seal member B107, so this does not occur.

  Next, the seal member will be considered from the viewpoint of forming a gap in the seal member accompanying the displacement of the support member 102. For example, when the seal member A106 and the seal member B107 are pasted as shown in FIG. 9, when μ is small, the seal can be made, but when μ is high and the L1 portion is displaced in the n1 direction and the L2 portion is displaced in the n2 direction, It can be seen that the gap region S2 is formed as shown in FIG. The formation of the gap area S2 leads to leakage of the collected toner in the longitudinal end direction. However, according to this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 7, no gap area as shown in FIG. 9 is formed. Therefore, this does not happen.

In the present embodiment, the angle of the bent portion X of the support member 102 is 90 °, but is not limited to this angle. Moreover, the effect of the present invention can be obtained even when the bent portion X is curved more gently. Further, although the case where μ varies is discussed here, the relative positional relationship with the seat surface portion 108 changes due to the displacement of the support member 102 such as eccentricity of the photosensitive drum or before and after assembly of the photosensitive drum during manufacturing. Even in such a case, the effect of the present invention can be obtained.

  As described above, according to this embodiment, the deformation of the support member such that the rubber member escapes in the rotation direction of the photosensitive drum is generated, so that the contact pressure and frictional force of the rubber member on the photosensitive drum are constant. It is possible to suppress the value to less than the value (suppress the variation of the contact pressure and the frictional force). Moreover, according to the present Example, the sealing performance of the end portion in the longitudinal direction can be ensured without hindering the displacement of the support member in the above deformation. For this reason, it is possible to provide a cleaning device that is free from leakage of a developer or the like from the end portion in the longitudinal direction, image defects, and in-machine contamination associated with the life of the cleaning device.

(Example 2)
With reference to FIG. 10, a cleaning apparatus according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention will be described. FIG. 10 is a schematic cross-sectional view at the end in the longitudinal direction of the cleaning device according to the second embodiment. In the following description, the same components as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals and the description thereof is omitted, and matters not particularly described are the same as those in the first embodiment.

  As shown in FIG. 10, the present embodiment is different from the first embodiment in how the seal member A106 and the seal member B107 are combined and pasted.

  The seal member A106 includes a longitudinal end portion of the L1 portion, a seating surface 108A, a longitudinal end portion of the holding member 103, a surface facing the seating surface 108A of the seal member B107, and a part of the seating surface 108B (seat In the vicinity of the boundary with the surface 108A). The seal member A106 is adhered to the L1 portion and the seal member B107 with a double-sided tape affixed to the adhesive surface 106-a so that the seal member A106 exhibits a sealing property without any gap. In addition, the sealing surface 106-b exhibits a sealing property with respect to the seating surface 108A without any gap, and the sealing property with a similar contact with the holding member 103 and the seating surface 108B with no clearance similarly. Demonstrate.

  The seal member B107 includes a longitudinal end portion of the L2 portion, a seating surface 108B, a longitudinal end portion of the rubber member 101, a part of the seal member A106 (a portion near the contact portion with the seating surface 108B), It arrange | positions in the clearance gap formed by. The seal member B107 adheres to the L2 portion with a double-sided tape affixed to the adhesive surface 107-a so that the seal member B107 exhibits a sealing property without any gap. In addition, the sealing surface 107-b exhibits a sealing property with respect to the seating surface 108B without any gap, and similarly, the sealing property is exhibited with the rubber member 101 with a clearance without any gap. As described above, the seal member A106 is adhered by the double-sided tape affixed to the adhesive surface 106-a of the seal member A106, and exhibits a sealing property.

  As shown in FIG. 10, the seal member B107 is attached so that the end of the seal surface 107-b corresponds to the position of the bent portion X, and the seal member A106 has the seal surface 106-b beyond the bent portion X. Then, it is affixed in contact with the seal member B107. The close contact surface between the seal member A106 and the seal member B107 is a surface extending in a direction substantially orthogonal to the displacement direction of the bent portion X when the support member 102 is deformed.

For example, when the friction coefficient μ between the photosensitive drum 100 and the cleaning member increases, as described above, the support member 102 is displaced (bend deformation) in the L1 portion in the n1 direction and the L2 portion is displaced in the n2 direction. . FIG. 10A shows the position of the support member 102 and the state of each seal member when μ is small, and FIG. 10B shows the position of the support member 102 and the state of each seal member when μ is large. Indicates the state. In any state, it can be seen that the seal member is deformed so that the gap between the cleaning member and the housing 105 can be sealed without any gap. Further, the seal member A106 maintains the sealing performance while compressively deforming against the displacement of the L1 portion in the n1 direction, and does not hinder the displacement of the L1 portion in the n1 direction. Further, even when the L2 portion is displaced in the n2 direction, the seal member B107 maintains the sealing performance while being rubbed against the seating surface 108B, and does not hinder the displacement of the L2 portion.

  In more detail, the state of each seal member when the support member 102 is deformed will be described. In the above-described deformation of the support member 102, the L1 portion undergoes bending deformation such that the holding member 103 side is a free end and the bent portion X side is a free end, and the seal member A106 is seated with the L1 portion and the seal member B107. Compressed between the surface 108A. Further, the L2 portion is displaced substantially parallel to the direction of the arrow n2 by the bending deformation of the L1 portion. At this time, the seal member B107 is dragged to the L2 portion via the adhesive surface 107-a, and while sliding with respect to the seating surface 108B while maintaining the close contact with the seating surface 108B, similarly to the L2 portion. Displacement is made in the direction of the arrow n2, and the seal member A106 is compressed together with the portion L1.

  Thus, the close contact state of each close contact surface of each seal member is maintained before and after the support member 102 is deformed. Therefore, the sealing means of this embodiment can also seal between the support member 102 and the seating surface portion 108 of the housing 105 at the longitudinal end portion of the cleaning member without hindering the operation of the support member 102. .

  With reference to FIG. 11, in order to show the usefulness as the sealing means having the above-described configuration according to the present embodiment, consideration will be given from the viewpoint of inhibiting the displacement of the support member 102 and forming a gap in the seal member. FIG. 11 is a schematic cross-sectional view at the longitudinal end of the cleaning device according to Comparative Example 2. FIG. 11A shows the position of the support member 102 and the state of each seal member when μ is small. (B) shows the position of the support member 102 and the state of each seal member when μ is large.

  First, the viewpoint of inhibiting the displacement of the support member 102 is the same as in the first embodiment.

  Next, the seal member will be considered from the viewpoint of forming a gap in the seal member accompanying the displacement of the support member 102. For example, when the seal member A106 and the seal member B107 are pasted as shown in FIG. 11, when μ is small, sealing can be performed, but when μ is high and the L1 portion is displaced in the n1 direction and the L2 portion is displaced in the n2 direction, It can be seen that the gap region S4 is formed as shown in FIG. This is due to the presence of double-sided tape on a part of the surface to be sealed by compression / extension of the seal member. That is, the compression elastic modulus of the sealing member A106 and the sealing member B107 that are repeatedly elastically deformed is lowered in the vicinity by the double-sided tape 107-a at the boundary between the two. Thus, since the sealing member becomes a discontinuous elastic body having different compression elastic modulus of the sealing surface depending on the location, the sealing member is not flexiblely expanded and contracted, and the gap region S4 is formed. The formation of the gap region S4 leads to the leakage of the collected toner in the longitudinal end direction, but according to this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 10, the gap region as shown in FIG. 11 is not formed. Therefore, this does not happen.

The present invention is not limited to the image forming apparatus shown in FIG. 4 described above, but is an intermediate transfer type image forming apparatus using an intermediate transfer belt (intermediate transfer member), or a sheet material carried and conveyed by a conveyance belt (conveyance member). The present invention can also be suitably applied to an image forming apparatus that transfers a toner image. In these image forming apparatuses, the present invention can be suitably applied not only as a photosensitive drum cleaning apparatus but also as a cleaning apparatus that cleans toner adhering to the surfaces of the intermediate transfer belt and the conveyance belt. The present invention is not limited to an image forming apparatus capable of forming a single color image, but also in an image forming apparatus capable of forming a plurality of color images (color images).
It can be suitably applied.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100 ... Photosensitive drum (to-be-cleaned body) 101 ... Rubber member (blade part), 102 ... Support member, 103 ... Holding member, 105 ... Housing, 106 ... Seal member A, 107 ... Seal member B

Claims (16)

A cleaning device that removes developer from the surface of an object to be cleaned,
A plate-like flexible support member extending in a direction opposite to the moving direction of the object to be cleaned, and attached to the tip of the support member, and the object to be cleaned in the counter direction with respect to the moving direction of the object to be cleaned A cleaning member having a blade portion in contact with the surface of the body;
The rear end of the support member is fixed, and the developer removed from the surface of the object to be cleaned is accommodated in a space between the support member by forming an opening with the blade portion. A frame that forms an accommodating portion capable of
With
The support member is positioned between the one end provided with the blade part, the other end having a fixed part fixed to the frame, and between the one end and the other end. A bent portion positioned on the side away from the surface of the object to be cleaned, with respect to a line segment connecting the contact part that contacts the object to be cleaned and the fixed part; and The fixed portion is disposed on the downstream side in the moving direction of the object to be cleaned with respect to the abutting portion, and the blade portion is positioned on the downstream side in the moving direction of the object to be cleaned by a force acting from the object to be cleaned. The first support portion between the other end portion and the bent portion is bent so as to be displaced, and the second support portion between the bent portion and the one end portion is displaced substantially along the extending direction. In the cleaning device configured to be deformable,
A seal member that seals a gap between both ends of the support member and the frame body in a direction orthogonal to the moving direction of the body to be cleaned, between the first support portion and the frame body A first seal member attached to the second support member and a second seal member attached between the second support portion and the frame body,
The first seal member and the second seal member are in close contact with each other at a close contact surface extending substantially along the extending direction of the second support portion from the bent portion, and at least at one part of the close contact surface with the frame body A cleaning device bonded to the frame. The frame includes a first seat surface extending substantially parallel to the first support portion, and a second seat surface provided continuously with the first seat surface and extending substantially parallel to the second support portion. And a seat surface portion having
The first seal member is mounted between the first seat surface and the first support portion,
The cleaning device according to claim 1, wherein the second seal member is mounted between the second seat surface and the second support portion. The first seal member is in close contact with the first support portion, the first seating surface, the fixed portion, and the second seal member;
The second seal member is in close contact with the second support portion, the second seat surface, a part of the first seat surface, the blade portion, and the first seal member, respectively.
The cleaning device according to claim 2, wherein a gap between the both end portions of the support member and the frame body is sealed. The first seal member is bonded to the frame body in a close contact surface with the first seat surface,
The second seal member is bonded to the frame body in a contact surface with the second seat surface, and is not bonded to the frame body in a contact surface with the first seat surface. Item 4. The cleaning device according to Item 2 or 3.   The first seal member is disposed between the first support portion and the frame so that the degree of close contact with the second seal member is increased when the first support portion is curved in the deformation of the support member. The cleaning apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the cleaning apparatus is compressed and deformed.   When the second support member is displaced substantially along the extending direction in the deformation of the support member, the second seal member is in contact with the second support unit with respect to the second support unit. The cleaning device according to claim 1, wherein the cleaning device slides while maintaining adhesion. A cleaning device that removes developer from the surface of an object to be cleaned,
A plate-like flexible support member extending in a direction opposite to the moving direction of the object to be cleaned, and attached to the tip of the support member, and the object to be cleaned in the counter direction with respect to the moving direction of the object to be cleaned A cleaning member having a blade portion in contact with the surface of the body;
The rear end of the support member is fixed, and the developer removed from the surface of the object to be cleaned is accommodated in a space between the support member by forming an opening with the blade portion. A frame that forms an accommodating portion capable of
With
The support member is positioned between the one end provided with the blade part, the other end having a fixed part fixed to the frame, and between the one end and the other end. A bent portion positioned on the side away from the surface of the object to be cleaned, with respect to a line segment connecting the contact part that contacts the object to be cleaned and the fixed part; and The fixed portion is disposed on the downstream side in the moving direction of the object to be cleaned with respect to the abutting portion, and the blade portion is positioned on the downstream side in the moving direction of the object to be cleaned by a force acting from the object to be cleaned. The first support portion between the other end portion and the bent portion is bent so as to be displaced, and the second support portion between the bent portion and the one end portion is displaced substantially along the extending direction. In the cleaning device configured to be deformable,
A seal member that seals a gap between both ends of the support member and the frame body in a direction orthogonal to the moving direction of the body to be cleaned, between the first support portion and the frame body A first seal member attached to the second support member and a second seal member attached between the second support portion and the frame body,
The first seal member and the second seal member are in close contact with each other at a close contact surface extending substantially along the extending direction of the first support portion from the bent portion, and are adhered to each other at the close contact surface;
The first seal member is bonded to the support member at a close contact surface with the first support portion,
The cleaning device, wherein the second seal member is bonded to the support member at a contact surface with the second support portion. The frame includes a first seat surface extending substantially parallel to the first support portion, and a second seat surface provided continuously with the first seat surface and extending substantially parallel to the second support portion. And a seat surface portion having
The first seal member is mounted between the first seat surface and the first support portion,
The cleaning device according to claim 7, wherein the second seal member is mounted between the second seat surface and the second support portion. The first seal member is in close contact with the first support portion, the first seat surface, a part of the second seat surface, the fixed portion, and the second seal member;
When the second seal member is in close contact with the second support portion, the second seat surface, the blade portion, and the first seal member,
The cleaning device according to claim 8, wherein a gap between the both end portions of the support member and the frame body is sealed. The adhered contact surface of the first seal member and the second seal member is a direction substantially orthogonal to a displacement direction when the second support portion is displaced substantially along the extending direction in the deformation of the support member. The cleaning device according to claim 7, wherein the cleaning device is a surface extending in a straight line.   The support member is deformed so that the blade portion is positioned further downstream in the moving direction of the cleaning object as the force that the blade portion receives from the cleaning object increases. The cleaning apparatus according to any one of 1 to 10.   The cleaning device according to any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein the degree of deflection deformation of the first support portion increases as the force acting on the blade portion from the body to be cleaned increases. .   The bending is such that when the first support portion is bent and deformed, an angle formed by a surface of the first support portion and the second support portion facing the object to be cleaned is more acute. The cleaning device according to claim 1, wherein the cleaning device is one of the following.   The cleaning device according to claim 1, wherein the support member is a metal leaf spring. A process cartridge that can be attached to and detached from an image forming apparatus,
An image carrier that is a body to be cleaned;
The cleaning device according to any one of claims 1 to 14,
A process cartridge comprising: An image forming apparatus for forming an image on a recording medium with a developer,
An image carrier that is a body to be cleaned;
The cleaning device according to any one of claims 1 to 14,
An image forming apparatus comprising:

Images