JP6659128B2 - Image forming device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus using an electrophotographic method.

  2. Description of the Related Art In an image forming apparatus such as a printer that forms an image on a recording material using an electrophotographic image forming method (electrophotographic process), a part of the configuration related to the image forming process is integrated as a process cartridge and can be attached to and detached from the apparatus main body. (Patent Documents 1 and 2).

  Examples of the configuration of the process cartridge formed into a cartridge include an electrophotographic photosensitive drum (hereinafter, photosensitive member), a charging unit, a developing unit, a cleaning unit, and the like. Further, the process cartridge may be divided into a plurality of units such as a cleaning unit (cleaning device) having a photoconductor and a cleaning unit, a developing unit having a developing unit, and a toner unit for supplying a developer. .

  In a configuration in which these units or process cartridges are attached to and detached from the apparatus main body, means for positioning the units and the like with respect to the apparatus main body is required. For example, a configuration is known in which a regulated portion that engages with a regulating portion provided on an apparatus main body is provided on a frame body such as a unit so that a displacement in a guiding direction or a mounting position at the time of mounting is regulated.

  In image formation, an electrostatic image is formed by exposing the surface of the charged photoreceptor to laser light, and the electrostatic image is developed using a developer (toner) to become a developer image. I do. Exposure means for forming the electrostatic image is provided in the apparatus main body, and the unit and the like need to have a configuration which does not obstruct the optical path of the laser beam for exposing the photoconductor.

  Further, in an image forming apparatus such as a color printer for forming an image of a plurality of colors, a plurality of process cartridges are arranged side by side in the apparatus main body.

  Here, dust or dirt or toner used as a developer may fall or scatter inside the apparatus main body of the image forming apparatus. The laser scanner, which is an exposure means, requires high precision, and therefore does not want dust, dust, toner, and the like to enter the inside. For example, a laser scanner has an opening through which emitted laser light passes, and a cover glass is provided in the opening to prevent dust, dust, toner, and the like from entering the inside of the laser scanner through the opening. May be attached.

  In such a configuration, if the floating dust, dust, or the toner that falls or scatters from the developing device adheres to the cover glass and blocks the optical path, the amount of light passing through the cover glass decreases, and there is a concern that the image may be affected. In order to prevent such a problem, as a configuration for periodically cleaning the cover glass, a configuration has been proposed in which a cleaning member provided in the apparatus main body is moved in conjunction with the attachment / detachment of the process cartridge to clean the cover glass (Patent Document 1). 3).

Japanese Patent No. 5067913 JP 2012-234200 A Japanese Patent No. 5106213

As a general process cartridge, a cartridge in which a cleaning unit and a developing unit are integrally formed by connecting pins is used. Such a process cartridge has a structure in which a laser beam 103a is made incident from a gap between a cleaning unit 113 and a developing unit 104 to expose the photoconductor 101, as in a reference example shown in FIG.

  Reference numeral 103 denotes a laser scanner; 3c, an opening through which the emitted laser beam 103a passes; and 3d, an opening 3c for preventing dust, dust, toner, and the like from entering the inside of the laser scanner 103 from the opening 3c. The attached cover glass (light transmitting member). Reference numerals 118a and 117 denote a developer accommodating chamber and a developer carrier (developing roller) in the developing unit 104. Reference numeral 114 denotes a cleaning frame of the cleaning unit 113.

  Also, the cleaning member needs to be located outside the emission range of the laser beam 103a during image formation so as not to block the optical path of the laser beam 103a. Patent Document 3 proposes a configuration in which a cleaning member is provided on a shutter member that opens and closes a cover glass, and the cleaning member is retracted in a direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction of the process cartridge during image formation.

  On the other hand, in a configuration in which a shutter member is not used for the purpose of reducing the number of components, a configuration in which the cleaning member 120 is mounted on a concave guide portion 150 that guides the guided portion 114d when the process cartridge 107 is mounted on the apparatus main body. May be used. In this configuration, it is necessary to dispose the laser beam 103a outside in the longitudinal direction at the time of image formation in order not to block the emission of the laser beam 103a. is there.

  However, at the end in the longitudinal direction, toner falling from the developer carrier 117 or the end of the photosensitive drum 101 (for example, toner from a path indicated by a dotted line 140 in FIG. 13) and scattering toner are cleaned together with dust and dirt. It may adhere to the member 120.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to prevent an image from being adversely affected by dirt on a transmission member that blocks an opening through which light can pass .

A typical configuration of an image forming apparatus according to the present invention for achieving the above object is an apparatus main body, a photoconductor, and a first frame supporting the photoconductor, wherein a surface of the photoconductor is provided. a first frame having an opening for passing the light for light exposure, a process cartridge having a second frame member for supporting the developer carrying member for supplying the developer to the surface of the photosensitive member, wherein comprising a transmission member that transmits light, and an optical unit that irradiates a front Symbol light to the photosensitive member, an image forming apparatus having a cleaning member for cleaning the transparent member, said first frame, said cleaning has a wall formed between the member and the photosensitive member, and a controlled portion which movement is restricted in the process cartridge by the restricting portion provided in the apparatus main body, the process cartridge, the object The regulating unit is controlled by the regulating unit. Is detachable to the apparatus main body by being restricted Te, in a state in which the process cartridge in the apparatus main body is mounted, wherein the restricted portion is provided under the first frame, the photosensitive body is disposed above the first frame, the previous SL optical unit is disposed below the process cartridge, the cleaning member is below the developer carrying member, and the opening in the longitudinal direction of said process cartridge is arranged an outer a position with the wall upward, when viewed along the longitudinal direction of the photosensitive member, Rukoto that having a said opening between a center of the controlled portion and the photosensitive member It is characterized by.

ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the bad image by the dirt of a transmission member can be prevented .

FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view of a process cartridge according to the embodiment and a partial configuration of the apparatus main body side. 1 is a schematic sectional view of an electrophotographic image forming apparatus according to an embodiment. Sectional view of the process cartridge and a partial configuration of the apparatus main body side Schematic cross-sectional view of the main unit transport section Schematic cross-sectional view of the main unit transport section Schematic perspective view showing the configuration for attaching and detaching a process cartridge. Schematic perspective view showing the positioning configuration of the process cartridge Explanatory drawing of laser beam irradiation range Sectional view of the process cartridge and a partial configuration of the apparatus main body side Explanatory drawing of process cartridge insertion and cleaning unit movement Operation explanatory diagram of a process of moving the cleaning unit from the second position to the first position. Operation explanatory diagram of a moving process of the cleaning unit from the first position to the second position. Schematic sectional view of a process cartridge illustrating a reference example and a partial configuration of an apparatus main body side.

  Embodiments for carrying out the present invention will be illustratively described in detail below based on embodiments with reference to the drawings. However, the dimensions, materials, shapes, relative arrangements, and the like of the components described in this embodiment should be appropriately changed depending on the configuration of the apparatus to which the invention is applied and various conditions. That is, the scope of the present invention is not intended to be limited to the following embodiments.

<Example>
[Electrophotographic image forming apparatus]
An overall configuration of an embodiment of an electrophotographic image forming apparatus (hereinafter, also simply referred to as “image forming apparatus”) according to the present invention will be described. FIG. 2 is a schematic sectional view of the image forming apparatus 100 of the present embodiment. Here, the electrophotographic image forming apparatus forms an image on a recording material (recording medium) using an electrophotographic image forming method. Examples of the image forming apparatus include a copying machine, a printer (such as a laser beam printer and an LED printer), a facsimile machine, a word processor, and a multifunction printer (multifunction printer). Examples of the recording material include a recording sheet and a plastic sheet.

  The image forming apparatus 100 includes, as a plurality of image forming units, inside the apparatus main body 100A, first images for forming images of respective colors of yellow (Y), magenta (M), cyan (C), and black (K). , Second, third, and fourth image forming units SY, SM, SC, and SK. In the present embodiment, the configurations and operations of the first to fourth image forming units are substantially the same except that the colors of the images to be formed are different. Therefore, in the following, Y, M, C, and K will be omitted unless it is particularly necessary to distinguish them, and a general description will be given.

  That is, the image forming apparatus 100 includes four photosensitive drums 1 (1Y, 1M, 1C, and 1K: hereinafter, referred to as drums) as image carriers. The drum 1 rotates in the direction of arrow A in the figure, and a charging roller 2 (2Y, 2M, 2C, 2K) and a laser scanner unit (exposure device: optical unit) 3 are arranged around the drum 1. Here, the charging roller 2 is a charging unit that uniformly charges the surface of the drum 1. The scanner unit 3 is an exposure unit that irradiates a laser beam 3a (3aY, 3aM, 3aC, 3aK) based on image information to form an electrostatic image (electrostatic latent image) on the drum 1.

  Around the drum 1, a developing device (hereinafter referred to as a developing unit) 4 (4Y, 4M, 4C, 4K) and a cleaning blade 6 (6Y, 6M, 6C, 6K) as cleaning means are arranged. Further, an intermediate transfer belt 5 as an intermediate transfer body for transferring the toner image on the drum 1 to the recording material 12 is disposed opposite to the four drums 1.

  The developing unit 4 uses a non-magnetic one-component developer, that is, a toner T (TY, TM, TC, TK) as a developer. In the present embodiment, the developing unit 4 performs contact development by bringing a developing roller 17 (17Y, 17M, 17C, 17K) as a developer carrier into contact with the drum 1.

  The cleaning unit 13 (13Y, 13M, 13C, 13K) has a drum 1, a charging roller 2, and a cleaning blade 6. The cleaning unit 13 includes a removed developer accommodating portion (hereinafter, referred to as a removed toner accommodating portion) 14a (14aY, 14aM, 14aC, 14aK) for accommodating the transfer residual toner (removed toner) remaining on the drum 1. Having.

  The process cartridge 7 (7Y, 7M, 7C, 7K) has a configuration in which the developing unit (developing cartridge) 4 and the cleaning unit (cleaning device) 13 are integrally formed as a cartridge. The image forming apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment has a configuration in which a plurality (four) of process cartridges 7 each including a developing unit 4 and a cleaning unit 13 are detachable.

  The process cartridge 7 is detachable from a cartridge mounting portion of the apparatus main body 100A via mounting means such as a mounting guide and a positioning member, which will be described later, provided on the apparatus main body 100A of the image forming apparatus 100. That is, in the present embodiment, the components of the image forming apparatus 100 excluding the components of the process cartridge 7 constitute the apparatus main body 100A.

  The process cartridges 7 for the respective colors all have the same shape. In the process cartridge 7 for each color, toners T (TY, TM, TC, TK) of each color of yellow (TY), magenta (TM), cyan (TC), and black (TK) are stored, respectively.

  An intermediate transfer belt (hereinafter, referred to as a belt) 5 is in contact with all the drums 1 and rotates in a direction indicated by an arrow B in FIG. The belt 5 is stretched around a plurality of support members (a driving roller 61, a secondary transfer opposing roller 62, and a driven roller 63). Four primary transfer rollers 8 (8Y, 8M, 8C, 8K) as primary transfer means are arranged side by side on the inner peripheral surface side of the belt 5 so as to face each drum 1. A secondary transfer roller 9 as a secondary transfer unit is disposed at a position facing the secondary transfer opposing roller 62 on the outer peripheral surface side of the belt 5.

[Image forming process]
At the time of image formation, first, the surface of the drum 1 is uniformly charged by the charging roller 2. Next, the charged surface of the drum 1 is scanned and exposed by the laser beam 3a corresponding to the image information emitted from the scanner unit 3, and an electrostatic latent image is formed on the drum 1 according to the image information. Next, the electrostatic latent image formed on the drum 1 is developed by the developing unit 4 as a toner image. The toner image formed on the drum 1 is transferred (primary transfer) onto the belt 5 by the action of the primary transfer roller 8.

  For example, when a full-color image is formed, the above-described process is sequentially performed in the first to fourth image forming units SY, SM, SC, and SK, and the toner images of the respective colors are sequentially superimposed on the belt 5 to form a primary image. Transcribed. Thereafter, the recording material 12 is conveyed from the cassette 40 to the secondary transfer section in synchronization with the movement of the belt 5.

  Then, the four-color toner image on the belt 5 is secondarily transferred onto the recording material 12 in a lump by the action of the secondary transfer roller 9 which is in contact with the belt 5 via the recording material 12. The recording material 12 to which the toner image has been transferred is conveyed to a fixing device 10 as a fixing unit. By applying heat and pressure to the recording material 12 in the fixing device 10, an unfixed toner image is fixed on the recording material 12 as a fixed image. Then, the recording material 12 that has exited the fixing device 10 is sent to a discharge tray 22 as a full-color image formed product.

  In the above, the primary transfer residual toner remaining on the drum 1 after the primary transfer process of the toner image onto the belt 5 is removed by the cleaning blade 6. Further, the secondary transfer residual toner remaining on the belt 5 after the secondary transfer process on the recording material 12 is removed by the intermediate transfer belt cleaning device 11. The removed transfer residual toner (removed toner) is discharged to a removed toner box 86 inside the apparatus main body 100A. The method of transporting the removed toner will be described later.

  The image forming apparatus 100 can also form a single-color or multi-color image using only a desired single or some (but not all) image forming units.

[Process cartridge]
The overall configuration of the process cartridge 7 will be described in more detail. FIG. 3 is a schematic sectional view showing a part of the process cartridge 7 and the apparatus main body 100A. The developing unit 4 has a developing frame 18 that supports various elements in the developing unit 4. The developing unit 4 is provided with a developing roller 17 as a developer carrying member that carries a toner (developer) and rotates in a direction indicated by an arrow D (counterclockwise) in contact with the drum 1. The developing roller 17 is rotatably supported by the developing frame 18 via bearings at both ends in the longitudinal direction (rotational axis direction).

  The developing frame 18 (developer accommodating section) has a developer accommodating chamber (hereinafter, toner accommodating chamber) 18a (accommodating chamber) and a developing chamber 18b in which the developing roller 17 is provided. In the developing chamber 18b, there are provided a toner supply roller 20 serving as a developer supply member rotating in the direction of arrow E in contact with the development roller 17, and a development blade 21 serving as a developer regulation member for regulating the toner layer of the development roller 17. Is arranged. Further, a stirring member 23 for stirring the stored toner T and conveying the toner to the toner supply roller 20 is provided in the toner storage chamber 18 a of the developing frame 18.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the developing unit 4 is rotatably connected to the cleaning unit 13 around a fitting shaft 24 fixedly supported by the cleaning frame 14. The developing unit 4 is urged by a pressure spring (tension spring) 25. Therefore, during image formation of the process cartridge 7, the developing unit 4 rotates about the fitting shaft 24, and the drum 1 and the developing roller 17 abut.

  The developing unit 4 is provided with a pressing portion 18e. A separation lever 52 is provided on the apparatus main body 100A. During non-image formation, when the separation lever 52 pushes the pressing portion 18e and moves in the direction of the arrow L, the developing unit 4 rotates about the fitting shaft 24, and the drum 1 and the developing roller 17 are separated. In the present embodiment, the developing unit 4 is configured to be rotatable with respect to the cleaning unit 13. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the present invention is applicable to a configuration in which the developing unit 4 slides or a configuration in which the developing unit 4 does not move. Applicable.

[Cleaning unit]
The cleaning unit 13 has a cleaning frame 14 as a frame that supports various elements in the cleaning unit 13. The drum 1 is rotatably mounted (supported) on the cleaning frame 14 via a bearing member in the direction of arrow A shown in FIG.

  A charging roller bearing 15 is attached to the cleaning frame 14 along a line passing through the rotation center of the charging roller 2 (charging member) and the rotation center of the drum 1. Here, the charging roller bearing 15 is mounted movably in the direction of arrow C shown in FIG. The charging roller 2 is rotatably attached to a charging roller bearing 15. Then, the charging roller bearing 15 is urged toward the drum 1 by a charging roller pressing spring 16 as urging means.

  Further, the cleaning blade 6 is formed integrally with an elastic member 6a for removing transfer residual toner (removed toner) remaining on the surface of the drum 1 after the primary transfer and a support member 6b for supporting the elastic member 6a. Have been. The removed toner removed from the surface of the drum 1 by the cleaning blade 6 falls in the space formed by the cleaning blade 6 and the cleaning frame 14 in the direction of gravity (vertical direction), and is removed from the removed toner accommodating portion 14a. To be housed.

  A transport path 14b (14bY, 14bM, 14bC, 14bK: FIG. 2) for transporting the removed toner stored therein is provided in the removed toner storage section 14a, and a transport screw 27 is disposed in the transport path 14b. Is done. The transport screw 27 is disposed so that the axial direction is parallel to the axial direction of the drum 1.

  As shown in FIG. 4, at the downstream end (rear end) of the transport path 14b in the removed toner transport direction, the removed toner that is perpendicular to the transport direction of the transport path 14b and extends in the direction of gravity passes. A second transport path 70 (70Y, 70M, 70C, 70K: FIG. 5) is provided. FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining a configuration of collecting removed matter in the present embodiment, and is a schematic cross-sectional view of a transport unit on the process cartridge 7 and the apparatus main assembly 100A side. The removed toner is conveyed in the axial direction from the removed toner accommodating portion 14a in the conveyance path 14b by the conveyance screw 27 (conveyance member).

  Then, the toner exits the cleaning unit 13 from the outlet of the second transport path 70, and is discharged to the inflow port 80d of the main body main transport path 80c provided inside the apparatus main body 100A. Then, as shown in FIG. 5, the removed toner is transported to and contained in the removed toner box 86 by the transport screw 85 provided in the main body main transport path 80c. FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining the configuration for collecting removed matter in the present embodiment, and is a schematic cross-sectional view of the process cartridge 7 and the main body transport unit.

In the present embodiment, as described above, the removed toner collected by the process cartridge 7 is transported and stored in the removed toner box 86 by the main body transport units 80d, 80c, and 85, but is not limited thereto. For example, the present invention is applicable to a configuration in which the toner is transported to the developing unit 4 or a configuration in which the removed toner is not transported.
[Removal of process cartridge]
The attachment / detachment configuration of the process cartridge 7 to / from the apparatus main assembly 100A will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing a configuration for attaching and detaching the process cartridge 7 and a mounting portion inside the apparatus main body 100A. FIG. 7 is a schematic perspective view showing a configuration for positioning the process cartridge 7 on a mounting portion inside the apparatus main body 100A.

  As shown in FIG. 6, a main body door 53 is provided on the front side (front side) of the apparatus main body 100A so as to be capable of opening and closing. FIG. 6 shows a state where the main body door 53 is open. In this state, the operation opening 100B on the front side of the apparatus main body 100A is largely opened. Each of the process cartridges 7 is inserted into and pulled out from each of the mounting portions inside the apparatus main assembly 100A through the opened operation opening 100B.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the process cartridge 7 is attached to and detached from the mounting portion inside the apparatus main assembly 100A in the axial direction of the drum 1 (the direction of arrow G). Here, the upstream side in the mounting direction of the process cartridge 7 is defined as the near side, and the downstream side in the mounting direction is defined as the rear side. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 7, a concave first guide 50 extending along the attaching / detaching direction is provided below the apparatus main body 100A in the vertical direction, and a concave second guide 51 is provided above the apparatus main body 100A. I have.

  On the other hand, as shown in FIGS. 7 and 3, the cleaning frame 14 of the cleaning unit 13 has a convex shape extending along the axial direction of the drum 1 at a position corresponding to the first guide 50 (first regulating portion). The first guided portion 14d (first regulated portion) is provided. Further, convex second guide portions 14e (14e1, 14e2) (second regulated portions) are provided at both longitudinal ends of the cleaning frame 14 at positions corresponding to the second guides 51 (second regulated portions). I have. In FIG. 7, the first guide 50 is illustrated with a part of the configuration removed to clearly show the configuration of the first guided portion 14 d.

  The first guided portion 14d and the second guided portions 14e1 and 14e2 are respectively restricted from contacting the first guide 50 and the second guide 51, so that the process cartridge 7 in the vertical direction and the horizontal direction at the time of attachment / detachment can be removed. Regulate your posture. That is, the first guided portion 14d and the second guided portion 14e are allowed to move in the moving direction of the process cartridge 7 when being attached to or detached from the apparatus main assembly 100A, and are restricted from moving in a direction different from the moving direction. In addition, it is regulated by the first guide 50 and the second guide 51.

  Here, in the present embodiment, the first guide 50 and the second guide 51 have a concave shape, and the first guided portion 14d and the second guided portions 14e1 and 14e2 have a convex shape. However, the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, the first guide 50 and the second guide 51 may have a convex shape, and the first guided portion 14d and the second guided portions 14e1 and 14e2 may have a concave shape.

  In addition, the first guided portion 14d is configured to extend over the entire mounting / removal direction, but is not limited thereto. For example, the first guided portion 14d may be configured to extend only at both longitudinal end portions, or may be configured to extend only at one longitudinal position. May be. Similarly, the second guided portions 14e1 and 14e2 are provided so as to extend only at both ends of the longitudinal direction. However, the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, the second guided portions 14e1 and 14e2 may have a shape extending in the entire longitudinal direction. May be extended.

  The above-described separation lever 52 (FIG. 3) is provided in the apparatus main body 100A. When the process cartridge 7 is attached and detached, the separation lever 52 is located at a separation position for separating the drum 1 and the developing roller 17. I have. On the other hand, the process cartridge 7 is in a contact state where the drum 1 and the developing roller 17 are in contact with each other before the mounting. Therefore, during the mounting process of the process cartridge 7, the separation lever 52 comes into contact with the pressing portion 18 e provided on the developing unit 4.

  Then, the developing unit 4 rotates about the fitting shaft 24 with respect to the cleaning unit 13, and when the mounting is completed, the drum 1 and the developing roller 17 are separated. The developing unit 4 moves with respect to the cleaning unit 13 during the attaching / detaching process. Therefore, by providing the guided portions 14d, 14e1 and 14e2 in the cleaning unit 13 instead of the developing unit 4 when the process cartridge 7 is attached to and detached from the apparatus main assembly 100A, the posture of the process cartridge 7 when attaching and detaching is stabilized, and operability is improved. improves.

[Positioning of process cartridge]
Next, the configuration for positioning the process cartridge 7 will be described with reference to FIGS. The first guide 50 provided on the apparatus main body 100A is configured to move in the vertical direction (the arrow P direction in FIG. 7) in conjunction with the opening / closing operation of the main body door 53 (the arrow H direction in FIG. 6). The first guide 50 is moved to a predetermined lower position when the main body door 53 is open and to a predetermined upper position when the main body door 53 is closed by a link mechanism (not shown) or the like.

As shown in FIG. 7, the first guide 50, the back side, the pressing member accommodating portion 5 0 b1,5 0 b2 respectively to the front side. Pressing member accommodating portion 5 0 b1,5 0 Each of the b2 pressing member 54a, 54b and biasing means 55a such as a compression spring, 55b are housed. The pressing members 54a and 54b are slidable with respect to the first guide 50 in the vertical direction (the direction of the arrow P in FIG. 7) of the first guide 50, and are urged upward by urging means 55a and 55b.

  On the other hand, receiving portions 14g1 and 14g2 are provided on the back side and the near side of the first guided portion 14d of the cleaning unit 13, respectively. When the process cartridge 7 is sufficiently inserted into the mounting portion inside the apparatus main assembly 100A along the first and second guides 50 and 51, the receiving portions 14g1 and 14g2 respectively press the above-mentioned pressing portions as shown in FIG. It is located corresponding to the members 54a and 54b.

  In addition, V-shaped positioning portions 56a and 56b are provided on the rear frame plate 100C and the front frame plate 100D in the apparatus main body 100A, respectively. Further, a hole 57 having an oval hole shape extending in the vertical movement direction of the first guide 50 is provided in the rear frame plate 100C.

  Further, R-shaped regulating portions 14h1 and 14h2 are provided on the back side and the near side of the cleaning unit 13, respectively. Further, a cylindrical rotation stop boss 14j is provided on the back side of the cleaning unit 13.

  By engaging the first guided portion 14d and the second guided portions 14e1 and 14e2 with the first guide 50 and the second guide 51, the process cartridge 7 is moved from the operation opening portion 100B to the mounting portion inside the apparatus main assembly 100A. On the other hand, it is inserted in the axial direction G of the drum 1 (FIG. 6). When the cartridge is sufficiently inserted, the process cartridge 7 is received by the insertion restricting portion (not shown) on the apparatus main assembly 100A side, and further insertion movement is prevented.

  In this state, as shown in FIG. 7, the receiving portions 14g1 and 14g2 of the first guided portion 14d are located corresponding to the pressing members 54a and 54b of the first guide 50, respectively. The rotation stopping boss 14j of the cleaning unit 13 is fitted in the main body hole 57. The restricting portions 14h1 and 14h2 are located corresponding to the V-shaped positioning portions 56a and 56b, respectively.

  Next, the closing operation of the main body door 53 moves the first guide 50 to the upper position. At this time, the pressing members 54a and 54b press the receiving portions 14g1 and 14g2 upward by the urging force of the urging means 55a and 55b. Then, the regulating portions 14h1 and 14h2 of the cleaning unit 13 abut against the positioning portions 56a and 56b of the apparatus main body 100A, and the rotation stopping boss 14j engages with the hole 57. Thus, the position of the process cartridge 7 with respect to the mounting portions inside the apparatus main body 100A of the receiving portions 14g1 and 14g2 is determined.

  Further, when the main body door 53 is opened in the mounted state of the process cartridge 7, the first guide 50 moves to the lower position by the opening operation. As a result, the upward pressing of the restricting portions 14h1 and 14h2 against the positioning portions 56a and 56b is released. That is, the positioning and fixing of the process cartridge 7 with respect to the mounting portion inside the apparatus main body 100A is released. Thus, the process cartridge 7 can be pulled out and moved along the first guide 50 and the second guide 51 in the direction opposite to the insertion direction, and can be taken out of the apparatus main body 100A through the operation opening 100B.

[Opening of cleaning unit]
As shown in FIG. 3, light (laser light) 3a for exposing the drum 1 to the cleaning frame 14 passes through the cleaning unit 13 between the center of the drum 1 and the first guided portion 14d. A possible opening 14c () is provided. The opening 14c is provided in the direction in which the cleaning unit 13 and the developing unit 4 are opposed to each other (the direction of arrow N in FIG. 3).

  As described above, the electrostatic latent image according to the image information is formed on the drum 1 by the laser beam 3a corresponding to the image information emitted from the scanner unit 3. At the time of image formation, the laser beam 3a passes through the opening 14c and is irradiated onto the drum 1. Here, the first guided portion 14d is disposed on the developing unit 4 side across the laser beam 3a.

  That is, the cleaning frame 14 includes a portion (a first frame portion) 14A farther from the drum 1 and a portion (a second frame portion) 14B closer to the drum 1 across the opening 14c. And the first guided portion 14d is provided on the first frame portion 14A. The second guided portions 14e1 and 14e2 are provided on the second frame portion 14B. That is, the cleaning frame body 14 connects the portion 14A provided with the first guided portion 14d and the portion 14B provided with the second guided portions 14e1 and 14e2, across the optical path of the laser light 3a. And a connecting portion 14C.

  The first frame portion 14A and the second frame portion 14B are located opposite to each other with respect to the optical path of the laser light 3a, and the first frame portion 14A is located between the developing unit 4 and the optical path of the laser light 3a. Located on the same side. The first frame portion 14A is located on the opposite side of the developing unit 4 (further another developing cartridge) of the adjacent process cartridge 7 across the optical path of the laser beam 3a.

  In the process cartridge 7, the first guided portion (first regulated portion) 14d formed on the first frame portion 14A is regulated by the first guide 50 provided on the apparatus main body 100A. Further, the second guided portions 14e1 and 14e2 formed on the second frame portion 14B are provided on the apparatus main body 100A on the side opposite to the first guide 50 across the optical path of the laser beam 3a for exposing the drum 1. It is regulated by the second guide (second regulating section) 51 provided. With this configuration, the process cartridge 7 can be attached to and detached from the apparatus main assembly 100A along the longitudinal direction.

  As described above, the opening 14c is provided in the cleaning frame 14, and the cleaning frame 14 is configured to extend from one side of the optical path to the other side across the optical path of the laser beam 3a. Thus, the size of the frame body in the direction in which the process cartridge 7 is adjacent can be reduced. That is, the width of the process cartridge 7 in the direction in which the cleaning unit 13 and the developing unit 4 are opposed to each other (the direction of the arrow N in FIG. 3) can be reduced in the opening 14 c and the region of the opening 14 c away from the center of the drum 1.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 3, by disposing a part of the developing unit 4 of the adjacent process cartridge 7 in the above-mentioned miniaturized area, a necessary toner storage volume is secured, and the distance between the adjacent process cartridges 7 or The height of the developing unit 4 can be reduced. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the size of the process cartridge 7 and shorten the adjacent distance between the adjacent process cartridges 7. As a result, the space for mounting the plurality of process cartridges 7 in the apparatus main assembly 100A can be reduced, and the size of the image forming apparatus 100 can be reduced.

  As shown in FIG. 8, the opening 14c has a trapezoidal shape when viewed from the direction in which the cleaning unit 13 and the developing unit 4 are opposed to each other (the direction of arrow N in FIG. 3). This shape is such that the printable area J on the drum 1 can be irradiated with the laser beam 3a. In other words, the opening 14c is configured such that the width of the irradiation range of the laser light 3a in the scanning direction becomes wider as approaching the drum 1 from the light source side of the laser light 3a.

  Thereby, while avoiding obstructing the optical path of the laser beam 3a, the size of the connecting portion connecting the one side portion and the other side portion of the opening 14c across the opening 14c in the cleaning frame 14 is secured, The strength of the frame can be secured. In the present embodiment, the shape of the opening 14c is trapezoidal. However, the shape is not limited to this, and an opening having a size capable of irradiating the laser beam 3a to the printable area on the photosensitive drum 1 may be used. For example, it may be rectangular.

  Also, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 7, the cleaning unit 13 has an opening 14c, and the first guided portion 14d is disposed on the developing unit 4 side across the laser beam 3a, so that it is located near the center of the longitudinal direction. Thus, the developing unit 4 is exposed to the exterior. By doing so, it is possible to hold only the developing unit 4 that is exposed to the external part near the longitudinal center.

  By allowing only the developing unit 4 to be gripped as in the embodiment, the rotation of the developing unit 4 and the cleaning unit 13 can be prevented during handling by the user. Therefore, operability is improved.

[Configuration of laser scanner unit and cleaning unit]
Next, the configuration around the laser beam emission port of the laser scanner unit (optical unit) 3 will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the process cartridge 7 and the cleaning unit 90 in the apparatus main body 100. FIG. 9 is a sectional view showing the configuration of the process cartridge 7 and the cleaning unit 90.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the laser scanner unit 3 is hermetically sealed by a scanner case 3b and a cover glass 3d (3dY, 3dM, 3dC, 3dK: FIG. 2) attached to the laser light exit 3c. System unit (not shown) is protected. The laser light emission port 3c is an opening for irradiating the drum 1 with light 3a for exposing the drum 1. The cover glass 3d is a transmission member through which light covering the laser light emission port 3c is transmitted. The cleaning unit 90 is a cleaning member that cleans the cover glass 3d by moving with respect to the cover glass 3d.

  As shown in FIG. 1, a slide portion 50a is provided on the first guide 50, and a slide portion 90a (FIG. 9) provided on the cleaning unit 90 is engaged. The slide portion 50a is formed in the longitudinal direction of the first guide 50 as shown in FIG. 1, and the cleaning unit 90 is movable in the longitudinal direction along the slide portion 50a.

  The cleaning unit 90 urges the wiping member 90c attached to the holding portion 90b by the first urging member 90d in the direction of arrow R in the figure. That is, by pressing the wiping member 90c toward the surface of the cover glass 3d, the surface of the cover glass 3d can be wiped with the movement of the cleaning unit 90.

  Further, at the time of image formation, as shown in FIG. 1, the cleaning unit 90 is configured such that one end on the back side of the cover glass 3d is positioned as a first position (home position) HP. This position is outside the emission range of the laser beam 3a in the laser beam emission port 3c in the longitudinal direction, and is a position where the irradiation of the photosensitive drum 1 by the laser beam 3a is not interrupted. That is, when the process cartridge 7 is mounted on the apparatus main assembly 100A, the cleaning unit 90 is moved to the first position HP below one end of the developing roller 17 and outside the laser light emission port 3c in the longitudinal direction of the process cartridge 7. It is located in.

  Next, a cleaning configuration of the cover glass 3d accompanying the attachment / detachment of the process cartridge 7 will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing an initial state of insertion of the process cartridge 7 into the apparatus main body 100. FIGS. 11A to 11D, FIGS. 12A and 12B are diagrams showing the state of the cleaning unit 90 when the process cartridge 7 is attached and detached, as viewed from the direction of arrow S in FIG. For convenience, the cleaning unit 90 is shown in a longitudinal sectional view.

  First, as shown in FIG. 10, when the process cartridge 7 is not mounted on the apparatus main body or in an initial insertion state, the cleaning unit 90 sets the other end on the near side of the cover glass 3d to the second position OP. positioned. That is, the cleaning unit 90 is located in a state where the case 90f is received by the butting portion 50a2 provided at the other end (front side) of the sliding portion 50a of the first guide 50.

  When the process cartridge 7 is inserted, the protrusion 14p provided on the cleaning frame 14 of the cleaning unit 13 is rotated by a rotating member (engaged portion) 90e provided on the cleaning unit 90 (see FIG. 11A). ) Is engaged with the first engaging portion 90e1.

  Further, the state of the cleaning unit 90 when the process cartridge 7 is inserted will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 11A to 11D and FIGS. 12A and 12B. As shown in FIG. 11A, the process cartridge 7 is inserted in the direction of arrow G1 in the figure. The cleaning unit 90 has a rotating member 90e rotatably supported by a rotating shaft 90f1 provided in the case 90f. As described above, the projection 14p of the cleaning frame 14 is engaged with the first engagement portion 90e1 formed on the rotating member 90e of the cleaning unit 90 in the initial state of insertion.

  At this time, the rotating member 90e receives the force F1 from the protrusion 14p and receives the moment M1 around the rotation axis 90f1. However, the fixing member 90g provided in the cleaning unit 90 is urged by the second urging member 90h, so that the fixing member 90g is provided in the recess formed by the second engaging portion 90e2 and the third engaging portion 90e3 of the rotating member 90e. The fitting prevents the rotation of the rotating member 90e.

  In the present embodiment, the frictional force between the cover glass 3d and the wiping member 90c (arrow F2 in the figure) is sufficiently smaller than the force required for the third engagement portion 90e3 to climb over the fixing member 90g. Is set. Therefore, the cleaning unit 90 can move in the G1 direction by receiving the force F1 from the protrusion 14p. Thus, as the process cartridge 7 is inserted, the cleaning unit 90 moves in the longitudinal direction along the slide portion 50a of the first guide 50 (see FIG. 10).

  Then, as shown in FIG. 11B, the case 90 f of the cleaning unit 90 abuts against an abutting portion 50 a 1 provided at one end (rear side) of the sliding portion 50 a of the first guide 50, and the longitudinal direction of the cleaning unit 90 is extended. The movement in the direction is regulated. When the insertion of the process cartridge 7 is further continued from this state, as shown in FIG. 11C, the rotating member 90e overcomes the urging force of the second urging member 90g and rotates in the direction of the arrow M1.

  Then, as shown in FIG. 11D, the third engaging portion 90e3 gets over the fixing member 90g, and the first engaging portion 90e1 of the rotating member 90e abuts against the abutting portion 90f2 of the case 90f. The rotating member 90e is finally held in the state shown in FIG. 11D, and the engagement with the protrusion 14p of the cleaning frame 14 is released. The engagement is released by a so-called toggle mechanism.

  Next, a configuration at the time of removing the process cartridge will be described with reference to FIGS. As shown in FIG. 12A, the process cartridge 7 is pulled out in the direction of arrow G2 in the figure, and the cleaning frame 14 is engaged with the second engagement portion 90e2 of the cleaning unit 90 located at one end in the longitudinal direction. Projecting portion 14p abuts. At this time, the rotating member 90e receives a moment in the direction of the arrow M2 in the drawing, but its rotation is regulated by the fixing member 90g, similarly to the above-described configuration at the time of insertion.

  Further, the frictional force F2 'between the cover glass 3d and the wiping member 90c is set to be sufficiently small with respect to the force F1' that the rotating member 90e2 receives from the protrusion 14p. Therefore, the cleaning unit 90 moves in the direction of arrow G2 in FIG. Then, the cleaning unit 90 that has moved to the other end (front side) in the longitudinal direction abuts on the butting portion 50a2 provided at the other end of the sliding portion 50a of the first guide 50, and the movement in the longitudinal direction is regulated.

  When the movement of the process cartridge 7 further proceeds, as shown in FIG. 12B, the third engagement portion of the rotating member 90 rides over the fixing member 90g by the toggle mechanism as in the case of insertion, and the rotating member 90 The engagement with the projection 14p is released. Thus, the process cartridge 7 can be taken out of the apparatus main body 100.

  The above is summarized as follows. The cleaning unit 90 includes an engaged portion 90e that is movably held by the first guide portion 50A and that can engage with the protrusion 14p provided on the first frame portion 14A of the cleaning frame 14. I have. When the process cartridge 7 is not mounted on the apparatus main assembly 100A, the cleaning unit 90 is located at the second position OP which is the other end opposite to the one end in the longitudinal direction. When the process cartridge 7 is mounted on the apparatus main assembly 100A, the process cartridge 7 moves from the second position OP to the first position HP, and when the process cartridge 7 is removed, the process cartridge 7 moves from the first position HP to the second position OP. Then, the cover glass 3d is cleaned.

  As described above, since the cleaning unit 90 reciprocates in the longitudinal direction when the process cartridge 7 is attached to and detached from the apparatus main body 100, the cover glass 3d can be cleaned when the cartridge is replaced or the like.

[Arrangement of the cleaning unit in the device body]
Next, the relative positional relationship between the cleaning unit 90 and the process cartridge 7 in the apparatus main assembly 100A will be described with reference to FIGS.

  As described above, the cleaning unit 90 is positioned outside the emission range of the laser beam 3a in the longitudinal direction during image formation so as not to block the emission range of the laser beam 3a. In this case, it overlaps with the end of the process cartridge 7 so as not to increase the size in the longitudinal direction (FIG. 1). For this reason, not only the dust and dirt in the apparatus main body 100A but also the toner may adhere to the case 90f of the cleaning unit 90 due to the toner dropping from the developer carrier 17 or the longitudinal end of the photosensitive drum 1 or the like. There is.

  For example, the toner drops above the cleaning unit 90 along a path indicated by a dotted line 130 in FIG. If the cover glass 3d is cleaned in a state in which the toner or the like has adhered to the cleaning unit 90, it is assumed that the toner or the like adhered on the cleaning unit 90 may fall on the cover glass 3d due to vibration or the like during movement. . FIG. 13 shows a reference example. In this configuration, the optical path of the laser beam 103a is formed between the developing unit 104 and the cleaning unit 113, and there is nothing blocking the upper part of the cleaning unit 120.

  On the other hand, in the present embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 9, since the optical path of the laser beam 3a passes through the opening 14c provided in the cleaning frame 14, the developer carrier 17 or the photosensitive drum 1 A wall can be easily provided between the cleaning unit 90 and the cleaning unit 90. Specifically, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 9 and the like, a first wall 14k and a second wall 14m located immediately above the cleaning unit 90 are provided, and the two walls 14k and 14m are developed together with dust and dirt. It blocks toner falling from the agent carrier 17 and the longitudinal end of the photosensitive drum 1.

  On the other hand, a third wall 14n is also provided on one end side in the longitudinal direction of the opening 14c. The third wall 14n blocks dust, dust, and scattered toner coming from the opening 14c on the inner side in the longitudinal direction, that is, the optical path of the laser beam 3a. Since the three walls 14k, 14m, and 14n are configured to cover the upper part of the cleaning unit 90, dust or dirt from the upper part of the cleaning unit 90, or toner that has fallen from the end of the developing carrier 17 or the like is not removed. It is possible to prevent adhesion to the cleaning unit 90.

  The above is summarized as follows. An eave (wall) 14k for preventing toner from dropping into the cleaning unit 90 when the cleaning unit 90 is located at the first position (home position) HP in order to prevent the cleaning unit 90 itself from being soiled with toner. , M, and n are provided on the cleaning frame 14.

That is, when the process cartridge 7 is mounted on the apparatus main assembly 100A, the cleaning unit 90 is moved to the first position HP below the one end of the developer carrier 17 and outside the opening 14c in the longitudinal direction of the process cartridge 7. Located in. The cleaning frame 14 has a first wall 14k between the cleaning unit 90 and the drum 1. The cleaning frame 14 has a second wall 14m between the drum 1 and the opening 14c when the process cartridge 7 is mounted on the apparatus main assembly 100A . As described above, in the present embodiment, the optical path of the laser beam 3a from the scanner unit 3 is configured to pass through the opening 14c provided in the cleaning frame 14. Thus, the walls 14k, 14m, and 14n can be easily formed between the developer carrier 17 and the photosensitive drum 1.

  Although the wall can be formed in the reference example shown in FIG. 13 (for example, 114 g in the figure), the cleaning frame 14 can be downsized in this embodiment.

  Further, a first wall 14k, a second wall 14m, and a third wall 14n (eave) are provided so as to cover an upper portion of the cleaning unit 90. As a result, it is possible to prevent dust and dirt in the apparatus main body 100, toner falling from the developing carrier 17 or the longitudinal end of the photosensitive drum 1 from adhering to the cleaning unit 90. Thereby, it is possible to prevent the cover glass 3d and the like from being soiled by vibration or the like during the cleaning operation of the cleaning unit 90.

  100 image forming apparatus, 100A apparatus main body, 7 process cartridge, 1 photoreceptor, 17 developer carrier, 3 optical unit, 3a light, 3c opening 3d ··· Transmissive member, 14 ··· Cleaning frame, 14c ··· Opening, 14k ··· First wall, 90 ··· Cleaning member, HP ··· First position

Claims (8)

The device body,
A photoreceptor, a first frame supporting the photoreceptor, a first frame having an opening through which light for exposing the surface of the photoreceptor passes, and developing on the surface of the photoreceptor A second frame supporting a developer carrier for supplying the developer, and a process cartridge,
Comprising a transmission member that transmits the light, an optical unit for irradiating a pre-Symbol light to the photosensitive member,
A cleaning member for cleaning the transmission member,
The first frame includes a wall formed between the cleaning member and the photoreceptor, and a restricted portion in which movement of the process cartridge is restricted by a restriction portion provided in the apparatus main body. Have
The process cartridge is detachable from the apparatus main body by the regulated portion being regulated by the regulating portion ,
In a state where the process cartridge is mounted on the apparatus main body ,
Wherein the restricted portion is provided under the first frame, the photosensitive member is disposed above the first frame, prior Symbol optical unit is disposed below the process cartridge,
The cleaning member is disposed below the developer carrier and at a position outside the opening and having the wall above in the longitudinal direction of the process cartridge ,
Wherein when viewed along the longitudinal direction of the photosensitive member, the image forming apparatus according to claim Rukoto that having a said opening between a center of said photosensitive member and the restricted portion. The first frame of the previous SL wherein the first frame portion remote from the photoreceptor and the second frame portion closer to the photosensitive member side, in the form, the second and the first frame portion The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the frame portions are located opposite to each other with respect to the light path of the light. When the regulating portion is a first regulating portion and the regulated portion is a first regulated portion,
The process cartridge includes a first restricting portion provided in the apparatus main body, across said optical path wherein the first restricting portion is regulated by the second regulating portion provided in the apparatus main body on the opposite side, , the said first controlled portion formed in the first frame portion, and a second controlled portion formed in the second frame portion, by the along said longitudinal direction of said process cartridge device The image forming apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the image forming apparatus is detachable from a main body. When the process cartridge is mounted on the apparatus main body, a position below the developer carrier where the cleaning member is located, and outside the opening in the longitudinal direction and having the wall above is a first position. And when the process cartridge is not mounted on the apparatus main body, below the developer carrier where the cleaning member is located, and outside the opening opposite to the first position in the longitudinal direction. If the position having the wall above is a second position,
The cleaning member is moved from the second position to the first position when the process cartridge is mounted on the apparatus main body, and is moved from the first position to the second position when the process cartridge is removed from the apparatus main body. The image forming apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the transmission member is cleaned by moving the transmission member to the position.   The said cleaning member is movably hold | maintained by the said 1st regulation part, and has an engaged part which can engage with the protrusion part provided in the said 1st frame body part. An image forming apparatus according to claim 1.   6. The aperture according to claim 1, wherein a width of the light irradiation range in a scanning direction in the scanning direction increases as the light source irradiated by the optical unit approaches the photoconductor. Item 10. The image forming apparatus according to item 1. When the wall formed between the cleaning member and the photoreceptor that the first frame has is a first wall,
Said first frame member, in a state where the process cartridge is mounted to the apparatus main body, wherein different from the first wall, a second wall formed between said photosensitive member opening The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:   The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the light for exposing the photoconductor is a laser beam.