JP6311410B2 - Development device manufacturing method - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a developing device including a blade unit formed by welding a blade to a support member, and a manufacturing method thereof.

  2. Description of the Related Art Some conventional electrophotographic image forming apparatuses include a developing device having a developing roller and a blade unit for regulating the thickness of a developer layer carried on the developing roller. A blade unit includes a blade that is in contact with the developing roller, a support member that overlaps the blade and supports the blade, and the blade and the support member are fixed by welding (for example, Patent Documents). 1).

  In this blade unit, a pair of holes formed at both end portions of the blade engage with a pair of positioning protrusions formed in the support member, whereby the blade is positioned with respect to the support member.

JP 2001-35692 A

  However, since the above-described technique has a structure in which a pair of positioning holes are formed at both ends of the blade, the pitch between the pair of positioning protrusions (specifically, the length from the outer end to the outer end of each positioning protrusion) If the blade is not made sufficiently long, the hole cannot be formed, and the blade becomes long.

  Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a developing device capable of shortening the length of the blade and a manufacturing method thereof.

In order to solve the above problems, a developing device according to the present invention includes a rotatable developer carrier, a blade adjacent to the developer carrier, a support member welded to the blade and supporting the blade, Is provided.
The blade is disposed at one end portion in the rotation axis direction of the developer carrier, and has a first opening edge that forms a first opening, and the other end opposite to the one end portion in the rotation axis direction of the developer carrier. A second opening edge that is disposed at the end and forms a second opening.
The support member includes a first protrusion that enters the first opening and a second protrusion that enters the second opening.
The first opening edge is connected to a first end edge of the blade in the rotation axis direction of the developer carrier.

  According to this configuration, by configuring the first opening edge so as to be connected to the first end edge of the blade, the first end edge of the blade can be disposed at a position close to the first protrusion. The length in the rotation axis direction can be shortened.

  In the above-described configuration, the blade may have a welding mark connected to the support member, and the welding mark may be disposed between the first opening and the second opening.

  According to this, since each opening edge does not come off from each protrusion even if the blade is bent, the blade can be fixed to the support member satisfactorily.

  Further, in the above-described configuration, the blade has a welding mark connected to the support member, and the welding mark connects the first opening and the second opening and is on an imaginary straight line parallel to the rotation axis direction. May be arranged.

  According to this, since each opening edge does not come off from each protrusion even if the blade is bent, the blade can be fixed to the support member satisfactorily.

  Further, in the above-described configuration, the first end edge of the blade is closer to the second opening than the farthest end farthest from the second opening in the rotation axis direction among the outer edges of the first protrusion. Can be arranged.

  According to this, the length of the blade in the rotation axis direction can be further shortened.

  In the above-described configuration, the first opening edge may have a first edge extending along the rotation axis direction and connected to the first end edge of the blade.

  Further, in the above-described configuration, the first opening edge has a second edge that extends along the rotation axis direction and is disposed on the opposite side of the first edge with the first protrusion interposed therebetween. The second edge of the first opening edge may be connected to the first edge of the blade.

  According to this, since the first protrusion can be sandwiched between the first edge and the second edge, even if an orthogonal force perpendicular to the rotational axis direction is applied to the blade, one end of the blade is orthogonal to the blade. It becomes difficult to move, and positioning of one end of the blade in the orthogonal direction can be easily performed.

  In the above-described configuration, the first opening edge may be configured to form a recess that opens outward in the rotational axis direction.

  According to this, since the first protrusion can be fitted to the concave first opening edge, it is possible to easily position the one end portion of the blade in the orthogonal direction.

  Further, in the above-described configuration, the blade has a second end edge opposite to the first end edge, the second opening edge extends along the rotation axis direction, and the blade has a second end edge. The structure which has the 3rd edge connected with an edge may be sufficient.

  According to this, each edge in the rotation axis direction of the blade can be disposed at a position close to each protrusion, and therefore the length of the blade in the rotation axis direction can be further shortened.

  In the above-described configuration, the second opening edge extends in the rotation axis direction, and is a fourth edge disposed on the opposite side of the second opening edge from the third edge with the second protrusion interposed therebetween. The fourth edge may extend in the rotation axis direction and may be connected to the second end edge of the blade.

  According to this, since the second protrusion can be sandwiched between the third edge and the fourth edge, the other end portion of the blade is in the orthogonal direction even if a force in the orthogonal direction perpendicular to the rotational axis direction is applied to the blade. Therefore, the other end of the blade can be easily positioned in the orthogonal direction.

  Further, in the above-described configuration, the second opening edge may be configured to form a recess that opens outward in the rotation axis direction.

  According to this, since the second protrusion can be fitted to the concave second opening edge, the other end portion of the blade can be easily positioned in the orthogonal direction.

  In the above-described configuration, the first opening edge and the second opening edge form a recess that opens outward in the rotational axis direction, and the second protrusion engages with the bottom of the second opening edge. The depth of the second opening edge may be greater than the depth of the first opening edge so that sometimes the first opening edge is disengaged from the first protrusion. In other words, the first opening edge has a fifth edge facing the first protrusion in the rotation axis direction, and the second opening edge is a sixth edge facing the second protrusion in the rotation axis direction. The first edge of the first opening edge may be shorter than the dimension of the third edge of the second opening edge in the direction of the rotation axis.

  According to this, for example, when the bottom part (fifth edge) of the first opening edge is used for positioning in the rotation axis direction, the operator mistakenly uses the bottom part (sixth edge) of the second opening edge as the positioning surface. When the second protrusion is brought into contact with the second protrusion, the first opening edge is disengaged from the first protrusion, so that it is possible to prevent erroneous positioning of the blade.

  Further, as a method for manufacturing such a developing device, a method including a step of welding the blade from the first opening edge toward the second opening edge may be employed.

  According to this, when welding the blade, even if the blade heat gradually rises and the blade thermally expands toward the downstream side in the welding direction, the deeper second opening edge (the longer third edge) Since the thermal expansion can be absorbed by the edge), it is possible to suppress the deformation of the blade due to the bottom portion (sixth edge) of the second opening edge striking the second protrusion during the thermal expansion.

  According to the present invention, the length of the blade in the rotation axis direction can be shortened.

1 is an exploded perspective view of a developing device according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is sectional drawing of a developing device. They are a figure (a) which shows a blade unit, an enlarged figure (b) which expands and shows the 1st opening, and an enlarged figure (c) which expands and shows the 2nd opening. It is a figure which shows a state when a braid | blade is positioned in a support member accidentally. It is a figure explaining the manufacturing method of a blade unit, Comprising: The figure (a) explaining a positioning process, and the figure (b) explaining a welding process. It is an enlarged view which expands and shows the 1st opening in a 1st modification. It is a figure which shows the blade unit in a 2nd modification. It is a figure which shows the blade unit in a 3rd modification. It is figure (a), (b) which shows the blade unit in a 4th modification. It is a figure which shows the blade unit in a 5th modification. It is a figure which shows the blade unit in a 6th modification.

Next, an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings as appropriate.
As shown in FIG. 1, the developing device 1 mainly includes a developing roller 2 as an example of a developer carrying member, a supply roller 3, a blade unit 4, and a developing case 5 that holds these members. ing.

  The developing case 5 is a container having a toner storage chamber 53 (see FIG. 2) in which toner can be stored, and has an opening 51 on one side surface. The developing case 5 constitutes an edge of the opening 51 and has a blade fixing surface 52 to which the blade unit 4 is fixed.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the toner storage chamber 53 is provided with a conveying member 7 for conveying the toner toward the supply roller 3. The transport member 7 includes a shaft portion 71 that is rotatably supported by the developing case 5 and a film 72 that rotates around the shaft portion 71 when the shaft portion 71 rotates.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the developing roller 2 has a cylindrical roller main body 2A and a shaft 2B that is inserted into the roller main body 2A and is rotatable together with the roller main body 2A. The roller main body 2A has elasticity and can carry toner on its peripheral surface. The developing roller 2 is disposed so as to close the opening 51 of the developing case 5, and a shaft 2 </ b> B protruding from the roller body 2 </ b> A in the rotation axis direction is rotatably supported by the developing case 5.

  The supply roller 3 is disposed inside the developing case 5 so as to contact the developing roller 2 and is rotatably supported by the developing case 5. The supply roller 3 is configured to rotate so as to supply the toner in the developing case 5 to the developing roller 2.

  The blade unit 4 includes a blade 41 that is close to the developing roller 2 so that the tip is placed on the developing roller 2, and a support member 42 that supports the blade 41.

  The blade 41 is a thin sheet metal formed in a rectangular shape that is long in the direction of the rotation axis of the developing roller 2. In other words, the longitudinal direction of the blade 41 is parallel to the rotational axis direction of the developing roller 2, and the short direction of the blade 41 is orthogonal to the facing direction of the blade 41 and the support member 42 and the rotational axis direction of the developing roller 2. Direction. The blade 41 is made of a metal material such as stainless steel. The blade 41 may be a sheet metal having a coating film containing press oil on the surface.

  The thickness of the blade 41 may be, for example, 0.05 to 2.5 mm, 0.05 to 1.00 mm, or 0.05 to 0.12 mm. And 0.07 to 0.15 mm or 0.08 to 0.12 mm. The dimension in the longitudinal direction of the blade 41 is larger than the dimension in the rotation axis direction of the roller main body 2A of the developing roller 2, and may be 218 to 270 mm, 220 to 260 mm, or 222 to 220 mm. It may be 250 mm.

  The blade 41 has a contact portion 411 that protrudes toward the developing roller 2 and directly contacts the roller body 2A of the developing roller 2 on a surface 41F of the tip 41E facing the developing roller 2 (see FIG. 2). The contact portion 411 is made of rubber or the like extending along the longitudinal direction of the blade 41. In other words, the contact portion 411 is configured to regulate the layer thickness of the toner on the developing roller 2 and is in contact with the developing roller 2 through the toner.

  The support member 42 is a member for supporting the blade 41 and defining a fixed end of the blade 41.

  The support member 42 is made of a metal material, for example, an electrogalvanized steel sheet. The support member 42 is thicker than the blade 41, is formed in a substantially rectangular shape that is long in the longitudinal direction of the blade 41, and extends outward from the respective edges 412, 413 in the longitudinal direction of the blade 41.

  The support member 42 overlaps the surface of the blade 41 opposite to the surface 41F on which the contact portion 411 is provided, and sandwiches the blade 41 with the blade fixing surface 52 of the developing case 5. More specifically, the blade 41 is sandwiched between an edge 42E on the tip 41E side of the blade 41 of the support member 42 and an edge 52E on the tip 41E side of the blade 41 of the blade fixing surface 52. A portion of the blade 42 that contacts the edge 42E and the edge 52E of the blade fixing surface 52 serves as a fulcrum when the blade 41 is bent.

  The blade unit 4 configured as described above is fixed to the developing case 5 by a screw 6 inserted through a hole H formed in the blade 41 and the support member 42. The blade unit 4 is configured to regulate the thickness of the toner layer carried on the developing roller 2 by contacting the developing roller 2 with the contact portion 411 rotating.

  As shown in FIG. 3A, the support member 42 has a columnar first protrusion 421 and a columnar second protrusion 422 on the surface facing the blade 41 at both ends in the longitudinal direction. . The blade 41 has a first opening edge 414 for forming a first opening A1 into which the first protrusion 421 enters at one end in the longitudinal direction, and the other end opposite to the one end in the longitudinal direction. In addition, a second opening edge 415 for forming a second opening A2 into which the second protrusion 422 enters is provided.

  In other words, the first protrusion 421 is configured to fit into the first opening edge 414, and the second protrusion 422 is configured to fit into the second opening edge 415. Here, “fitting” does not necessarily mean that the opening edge and the protrusion are in contact with each other. For example, it includes those fitted with play. The distance between the protrusion and the opening edge only needs to be close enough to restrict the relative position between the blade and the support member during welding. For example, the distance (interval) in the short direction between the first opening edge 414 and the first protrusion 421 is in the range of 0 mm to 0.30 mm, and is 0.065 mm in this embodiment. Further, the distance (interval) in the longitudinal direction between the first opening edge 414 and the first protrusion 421 is in the range of 0 mm to 0.30 mm, and is 0.065 mm in this embodiment. The distance (interval) in the short direction between the second opening edge 415 and the second protrusion 422 is in the range of 0 mm to 0.30 mm, and is 0.065 mm in this embodiment. Further, the distance (interval) in the longitudinal direction between the second opening edge 415 and the second protrusion 422 is in the range of 0.3 mm to 1.0 mm, and is 0.52 mm in this embodiment.

  As shown in FIG. 3B, the first opening edge 414 has a concave shape that opens outward in the longitudinal direction, and has a first edge 414B, a second edge 414C, and a fifth edge 414A. doing.

  The fifth edge 414A is an edge (surface) for positioning the blade 41 in the longitudinal direction with respect to the support member 42, and faces the first protrusion 421 in the longitudinal direction. In other words, the fifth edge 414A constitutes the bottom of the concave first opening edge 414. The fifth edge 414A is a semi-cylindrical surface that matches the half circumference of the outer peripheral surface of the first protrusion 421, and the first edge 414B and the second edge 414C described above from the circumferential ends of the fifth edge 414A are in the longitudinal direction. It is formed to extend along the longitudinal direction in parallel to each other toward the outside. Here, the “edge (surface) extending along the longitudinal direction” includes those whose edges are parallel to the longitudinal direction, and those that are inclined by ± 3 ° due to factors such as tolerance.

  The first edge 414B and the second edge 414C are edges (surfaces) for positioning the blade 41 in the short direction with respect to the support member 42, and are disposed with the first protrusion 421 sandwiched in the short direction. 41 is connected to the first edge 412 in the longitudinal direction. The first end edge 412 of the blade 41 is disposed at the same position as the farthest end 421A farthest from the second opening A2 in the longitudinal direction in the outer edge of the first protrusion 421.

  As shown in FIG. 3C, the second opening edge 415 has a concave shape that opens outward in the longitudinal direction, and has a third edge 415B, a fourth edge 415C, and a sixth edge 415A. doing. The sixth edge 415A is an edge (surface) facing the second protrusion 422 in the longitudinal direction, and constitutes the bottom of the concave second opening edge 415. The sixth edge 415A is a semi-cylindrical surface that matches the half circumference of the outer peripheral surface of the second protrusion 422, and the third edge 415B and the fourth edge 415C described above are outward in the longitudinal direction from both circumferential ends of the sixth edge 415A. It is formed so as to extend along the longitudinal direction parallel to each other.

  The third edge 415B and the fourth edge 415C are edges (surfaces) for positioning the blade 41 in the short direction with respect to the support member 42, and are arranged with the second protrusion 422 sandwiched in the short direction. 41 is connected to a second end edge 413 opposite to the first end edge 412 in the longitudinal direction. Then, the second end edge 413 of the blade 41 is disposed at the same position as the farthest end 422A farthest from the first opening A1 in the longitudinal direction in the outer edge of the second protrusion 422.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the depth of the second opening edge 415 is such that when the sixth edge 415 </ b> A of the second opening edge 415 is engaged with the second protrusion 422, the first opening edge 414 is the first protrusion 421. The depth of the first opening edge 414 is larger than the depth of the first opening edge 414. Specifically, the depth of the second opening edge 415 is larger than the depth of the first opening edge 414 by the diameter of the first protrusion 421. In other words, the longitudinal dimension of the first edge 414B of the first opening edge 414 is shorter than the longitudinal dimension of the third edge 415B of the second opening edge 415.

  As a result, when the operator mistakenly aligns the sixth edge 415A of the second opening edge 415 with the second protrusion 422, the first opening edge 414 is disengaged from the first protrusion 421. It is possible to suppress this.

  In this embodiment, when the sixth edge 415A of the second opening edge 415 is engaged with the second protrusion 422, the first opening edge 414 is completely detached from the first protrusion 421. Although the first opening edge 414 and the first protrusion 421 are configured not to overlap each other, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the first opening edge 414 may slightly deviate from the first protrusion 421, that is, a part of the first opening edge 414 may slightly overlap the first protrusion 421 when viewed from the short side direction.

  Specifically, in the structure in which the end edges 412 and 413 of the blade 41 are located at the same positions as the farthest ends 421A and 422A of the projections 421 and 422 as in this embodiment, the depth of the second opening edge 415 Is larger than the depth of the first opening edge 414 by a length larger than the radius of the first protrusion 421. Even in this case, when the operator mistakenly aligns the sixth edge 415A of the second opening edge 415 with the second protrusion 422, the first opening edge 414 is detached from the first protrusion 421, and the first Since the opening edge 414 rattles with respect to the first protrusion 421, it is possible to suppress erroneous positioning of the blade 41.

  As shown in FIG. 3A, the blade 41 is laser-welded to the support member 42 at a location between the first opening edge 414 and the second opening edge 415.

  The blade 41 has a welding mark 43 that connects the blade 41 and the support member 42 at a position between the first opening edge 414 and the second opening edge 415. Specifically, the welding mark 43 is disposed on an imaginary straight line that connects the first opening A1 and the second opening A2 and is parallel to the longitudinal direction.

  The welding mark 43 continuously extends along the longitudinal direction of the blade 41 from a position near the first opening edge 414 to a position near the second opening edge 415. For example, the welding mark 43 is separated from the first opening edge 414 and the second opening edge 415 by 0.1 to 5.0 mm. The weld mark 43 may be separated from the first opening edge 414 or the second opening edge 415 by 0.1 to 4.0 mm, 0.5 to 3.0 mm, or 0. It may be 7 to 2.0 mm apart.

Next, a method for manufacturing the developing device 1 will be described.
In manufacturing the developing device 1, when manufacturing the blade unit 4, first, as shown in FIG. 5A, the blade 41 is overlapped on the support member 42. At this time, the fifth edge 414A and the first edge 414B of the first opening edge 414 of the blade 41 are engaged with the first protrusion 421, and the third edge 415B of the second opening edge 415 is engaged with the second protrusion 422. (Positioning process).

  At this time, as shown in FIG. 4, when the operator mistakenly aligns the sixth edge 415 </ b> A of the second opening edge 415 with the second protrusion 422, the first opening edge 414 extends from the first protrusion 421. Therefore, it is possible to prevent erroneous positioning of the blade 41.

  Next, after positioning the blade 41 and the support member 42 on the work table with a jig, the laser beam 81 emitted from the welding machine 8 is applied to the blade 41 as shown in FIG. The blade 41 is irradiated with a laser beam 81 while being moved, and the blade 41 and the support member 42 are welded (welding process).

  In the present embodiment, the welding machine 8 is configured to irradiate a laser beam 81 to a portion facing the welding machine 8 by a continuous wave laser or a pulse laser. Note that the welding machine may be configured to move the laser beam relative to the blade 41 without moving the welding machine itself by moving a reflecting mirror provided inside. As the continuous wave laser, for example, a fiber laser can be adopted, and as the pulse laser, for example, a YAG (yttrium aluminum garnet) laser or a fiber laser can be adopted.

  In the welding process, the laser beam 81 is directed from the first opening edge 414 side to the second opening edge 415 side with respect to the blade 41 on a straight line along the longitudinal direction of the blade 41 and passing through the protrusions 421 and 422. It is moved along the longitudinal direction of 41. That is, the weld mark 43 is formed by welding the portion between the first opening edge 414 and the second opening edge 415 of the blade 41.

  Further, when the blade 41 expands due to heat during welding by welding from around the first opening edge 414 and finally welding around the second opening edge 415 deeper than the first opening edge 414. Even so, since this expansion can be absorbed by the second opening edge 415, the sixth edge 415A (bottom part) of the second opening edge 415 strikes the second protrusion 422 during thermal expansion, and the blade 41 is deformed. Can be suppressed.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, the following effects can be obtained in addition to the effects described above.
Since the positions of the end edges 412 and 413 of the blade 41 are arranged at the same positions as the farthest ends 421A and 422A of the projections 421 and 422, for example, the edge of the blade is outside the farthest end of the positioning projection. Compared with the arrangement, the length of the blade 41 in the longitudinal direction can be shortened.

  By connecting both the first edge 414B and the third edge 415B to the respective end edges 412 and 413 of the blade 41, the respective end edges 412 and 413 of the blade 41 can be arranged at positions close to the respective protrusions 421 and 422. Since, for example, the blade is compared with a configuration in which one of the first edge and the third edge is connected to the edge of the blade and the other is not connected to the edge of the blade (for example, a structure having the other opening as a hole). The length of 41 in the longitudinal direction can be shortened.

  Since both the first opening edge 414 and the second opening edge 415 are configured to have a concave shape that opens outward in the longitudinal direction, after engaging the opening edges 414 and 415 of the blade 41 with the protrusions 421 and 422, Since the blade 41 hardly moves even when a force in the short direction is applied to the blade 41, the blade 41 can be easily positioned in the short direction.

  By arranging the welding mark 43 between the first opening A1 and the second opening A2, more specifically, connecting the first opening A1 and the second opening A2 and an imaginary straight line parallel to the longitudinal direction, the blade 41 is arranged. Since the respective opening edges 414 and 415 are not detached from the projections 421 and 422 even when bent, the blade 41 can be favorably fixed to the support member 42.

  As mentioned above, although embodiment of this invention was described, this invention is not limited to the said embodiment. About a concrete structure, it can change suitably in the range which does not deviate from the meaning of this invention. In the following description, components that are substantially the same as those in the above-described embodiment are given the same reference numerals, and descriptions thereof are omitted.

  In the embodiment, the first edge 412 of the blade 41 is arranged at the same position as the farthest end 421A of the first protrusion 421 in the longitudinal direction. However, the present invention is not limited to this, for example, as shown in FIG. The first edge 412 of the blade 41 may be disposed inside the farthest end 421A of the first protrusion 421 in the longitudinal direction. According to this, the length of the blade 41 can be further shortened. The second edge 413 of the blade 41 may be configured in the same manner.

  In the above embodiment, the end edges 412 and 413 of the blade 41 are arranged at the same positions as the farthest ends 421A and 422A of the projections 421 and 422 in the longitudinal direction, respectively, but the present invention is not limited to this. The first end edge may be disposed at the same position as the farthest end of the first protrusion in the longitudinal direction, and the second end edge may be disposed inside the farthest end of the second protrusion in the longitudinal direction.

  In the said embodiment, although the welding trace 43 was separated from the 1st opening edge 414, the position which forms a welding trace is not limited to this. For example, as shown in FIG. 6, the weld mark 43 formed around the first opening edge 414 may overlap the first opening edge 414. The second opening edge 415 may be configured similarly.

  In the above-described embodiment, each of the opening edges 414 and 415 of the blade 41 is configured to be concave, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, as shown in FIG. A substantially similar concave shape may be used, and the second opening edge 416 may be a round hole that fits into the second protrusion 422. In other words, as long as one of the positioning opening edges provided at both ends of the blade is open outward in the longitudinal direction, the other opening edge may have any shape. It should be noted that such a structure in which one of the positioning opening edges provided at both ends of the blade is opened to the outside in the longitudinal direction is not particularly suitable in the case of fixing by screwing because torque is generated by screwing. This is particularly suitable for welding fixation.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 8, the first opening edge 417 and the second opening edge 418 may be configured to open outward in the longitudinal direction and also open outward in the lateral direction. In other words, the first opening edge 417 has a fifth edge 417A and a first edge 417B, and the second opening edge 418 has a third edge 418B and a sixth edge 418A. In this case, the fifth edge 417A and the first edge 417B are pressed against the first protrusion 421, and the third edge 418B is pressed against the second protrusion 422, while the blade unit 4 is moved with a jig. Laser welding may be performed after being firmly fixed on the top.

  In the above embodiment, the bottom portions (the fifth edge 414A and the sixth edge 415A) of the respective opening edges 414, 415 are formed in an arc shape in a sectional view. However, the present invention is not limited to this, for example, as shown in FIG. As shown, the fifth edge 514A (bottom part) of the first opening edge 514 and the sixth edge 515A (bottom part) of the second opening edge 515 may be configured in a planar shape perpendicular to the longitudinal direction. Specifically, the first opening edge 514 includes a planar fifth edge 514A, a first edge 414B and a first edge 414B that are substantially the same as those of the above-described embodiment, and extend from both ends of the fifth edge 514A in the short direction. 2 edges 414C. The second opening edge 515 includes a planar sixth edge 515A and third edges 415B and 415C substantially the same as those of the above-described embodiment, extending from both ends of the sixth edge 515A in the short direction. And have.

  Moreover, as shown to Fig.9 (a), each edge 412,413 of the braid | blade 41 may be arrange | positioned a little outside the farthest end 421A, 422A of each protrusion 421,422 in a longitudinal direction. Here, for example, when a positioning hole is formed at the end portion of the blade, the portion on the outer side in the longitudinal direction of the hole must be formed to be somewhat wide so that the portion on the outer side in the longitudinal direction of the hole does not become brittle. . Therefore, even when the end edges 412 and 413 of the blade 41 are arranged slightly outside the farthest ends 421A and 422A of the projections 421 and 422, the blade 41 is compared with the case of forming a hole in the blade. The length can be shortened.

  9A, in the state where the fifth edge 514A of the first opening edge 514 is engaged with the first protrusion 421, the proximity point T1 (first first) of the first protrusion 421 with respect to the first edge 414B. The outer edge of the second protrusion 422 is smaller than the distance D1 from the first edge 414B of the outer edge of the protrusion 421 to the first end edge 412 of the blade 41. The distance D2 from the nearest end T2 closest to the first opening edge 514 in the longitudinal direction to the sixth edge 515A is configured to be larger. Accordingly, as shown in FIG. 9B, when the operator mistakenly aligns the sixth edge 515 </ b> A of the second opening edge 515 with the second protrusion 422, the first opening edge 514 becomes the first protrusion 421. Therefore, it is possible to suppress erroneous positioning of the blade 41.

  In the above embodiment, the laser beam 81 is moved with respect to the blade 41 in the welding process, but the method of moving the laser beam 81 relative to the blade 41 is not limited to this. For example, the laser beam 81 may be moved relative to the blade 41 (the blade 41 relative to the laser beam 81) by moving the blade 41 and the support member 42 with respect to the laser beam 81.

  Further, the laser beam 81 and both the blade 41 and the support member 42 may be moved simultaneously.

  In the above embodiment, the blade 41 has the contact portion 411 protruding from the blade 41, but the configuration of the blade 41 is not limited to this. For example, as shown in FIG. 10, the blade 41A does not have a contact portion formed of rubber or the like, and has a bent portion 411A that is bent so that the tip faces the support member 42 side (the opposite side to the developing roller 2). The bent portion 411A (the tip of the blade 41) may be in direct contact with the roller body 2A of the developing roller 2.

  In the above embodiment, the tip of the blade 41 is provided on the developing roller 2, and the blade 41 is sandwiched between the support member 42 and the developing case 5. However, the configuration of the blade unit 4 is not limited to this. . For example, the support member 42 to which the blade 41 is welded may be directly fixed to the developing case 5 and sandwiched between the blade 41 and the developing case 5 as shown in FIG. In the blade unit 4, the tip (contact portion 411) of the blade 41 is in contact with the developing roller 2 from the conveying member 7 side, and the blade 41 is supported from the side opposite to the surface 41 </ b> F on which the contact portion 411 is provided. Is supported by.

  In the embodiment, the developing roller 2 having the roller main body 2A and the shaft 2B is exemplified as the developer carrying member, but the developer carrying member is not limited to this. For example, a brush roller, a developing sleeve, or a belt-like developer carrier may be employed as the developer carrier.

  In the embodiment, the contact portion 411 (tip) of the blade 41 is in direct contact with the roller main body 2A of the developing roller 2 (developer carrier). However, the configuration of the blade is not limited to this, The tip may be close to the roller body 2A by about 0.1 to 1.0 mm.

  In the said embodiment, although stainless steel was illustrated as a metal member which comprises the blade 41, the structure of the blade 41 is not limited to this. For example, the blade 41 may be formed of spring steel, phosphor bronze, beryllium steel, carbon tool steel, or the like. When spring steel or carbon tool steel is employed, nickel, chromium, zinc, or the like may be plated on the surface in order to prevent rust.

  In the said embodiment, although the supporting member 42 was formed with the electrogalvanized steel plate, the structure of the supporting member 42 is not limited to this. For example, the support member 42 may be formed from a cold-rolled steel plate or tinplate, or a surface of a plate formed from these materials may be subjected to Parker treatment, chromate treatment, nickel plating treatment, or the like. The support member 42 may have a coating film containing press oil on the surface.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Developing apparatus 2 Developing roller 41 Blade 42 Support member 412 1st edge 414 1st opening edge 415 2nd opening edge 421 1st protrusion 422 2nd protrusion A1 1st opening A2 2nd opening

Claims (2)

A rotatable developer carrier;
A blade adjacent to the developer carrier;
A support member welded to the blade and supporting the blade,
The blade is
A first opening edge that is disposed at one end in the rotation axis direction of the developer carrier and forms a first opening;
A second opening edge that is disposed at the other end opposite to the one end in the rotation axis direction of the developer carrier and forms a second opening;
The support member is
A first protrusion entering the first opening;
A second protrusion that enters into the second opening,
The first opening edge, Ri connected to the first edge in the rotation axis direction of the developer carrying member of the blade,
The first opening edge and the second opening edge form a recess that opens outward in the rotational axis direction,
The depth of the second opening edge is greater than the depth of the first opening edge so that the first opening edge is disengaged from the first protrusion when the second protrusion is engaged with the bottom of the second opening edge. A developing device manufacturing method that is also large,
A developing device manufacturing method comprising the step of welding the blade from the first opening edge toward the second opening edge. A rotatable developer carrier;
A blade adjacent to the developer carrier;
A support member welded to the blade and supporting the blade,
The blade is
A first opening edge that is disposed at one end in the rotation axis direction of the developer carrier and forms a first opening;
A second opening edge that is disposed at the other end opposite to the one end in the rotation axis direction of the developer carrier and forms a second opening;
The support member is
A first protrusion entering the first opening;
A second protrusion that enters into the second opening,
The first opening edge, Ri connected to the first edge in the rotation axis direction of the developer carrying member of the blade, extends along the rotation axis direction, the first lead and the first edge of said blade Has an edge,
The blade has a second edge opposite the first edge;
The first opening edge has a fifth edge facing the first protrusion in the rotation axis direction;
The second opening edge has a third edge that extends along the rotation axis direction and is connected to the second end edge of the blade, and a sixth edge that faces the second protrusion in the rotation axis direction. And
The size of the first edge of the first opening edge in the rotation axis direction is shorter than the dimension of the third edge of the second opening edge in the rotation axis direction.
A developing device manufacturing method comprising the step of welding the blade from the first opening edge toward the second opening edge.

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