JP2016173611A - Cartridge and method for manufacturing cartridge - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To further increase positional accuracy of an electrode member with respect to a bearing frame body, and to prevent falling of the electrode member and floating over the bearing frame body during physical distribution.SOLUTION: A cartridge includes a contact part 19 formed by injection molding of a conductive resin to a bearing member 20 and provided to be a conductive path between an apparatus body 100 and a developing roller 12 when the cartridge is attached to the apparatus body 100. The contact part 19 has: a penetration part 19f penetrating through a through-hole 20c; a core metal support part 19b arranged at one end side in an axial direction of the penetration part 19f for rotatably supporting the developing roller 12; and a contact face 19a arranged at other end side in the axial direction of the penetration part 19f and extending toward a direction crossing the axial direction. The contact part 19 is arranged to sandwich the bearing member 20 between the core metal support part 19b and the contact face 19a in the axial direction, in which at least one of the core metal support part 19b and the contact face 19a has taper portions (20h and 20i) which are inclined with respect to a face orthogonal to the axial direction.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a cartridge that can be attached to and detached from an electrophotographic image forming apparatus main body, and a method for manufacturing the cartridge.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in an image forming apparatus using an electrophotographic image forming process, a cartridge system is adopted in which a photosensitive drum and process means are integrally formed into a cartridge and the cartridge can be attached to and detached from the image forming apparatus main body.
In such a cartridge system, the main body electrode of the main body of the image forming apparatus and the electrical contact portion of the cartridge are in contact with each other in a state where the cartridge is mounted on the main body of the image forming apparatus. It is electrically connected to the main body. As a result, process steps such as charging of the photosensitive drum and developer carrier, ground connection of the photosensitive drum, detection of the remaining amount of toner using capacitance measurement, and the like become possible.
As a document disclosing related conventional examples, there is Patent Document 1.

JP 2007-47491 A

By the way, as an electrical contact portion (electrode member) of the cartridge, a conductive resin is injected into a gap between a support member (bearing frame body) for supporting the process means and a mold in close contact with the support member. A method of molding with can be considered. Further, a method of injecting the first color resin as the material of the support member into the mold by the two-color molding method and subsequently injecting the conductive resin of the second color to form both of them integrally is also conceivable. .
However, in such a case, since the support member of the process means and the conductive resin are not compatible, the adhesion is low, and in the electrical contact portion molded from the conductive resin from the support member reference of the process means, There is concern that it will be difficult to obtain the positional accuracy required for product functions. For this reason, there is a concern that a gap or play occurs between the two materials.
The electrical contact portion formed of a conductive resin requires particularly high accuracy, and if this accuracy is not satisfied, the function of the cartridge may be affected.
In addition, when an impact is applied to the process cartridge during distribution, there is a concern that the electrical contact portion may drop off or the electrical contact portion may float with respect to the support member.
The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and aims to further improve the positional accuracy of the electrode member with respect to the bearing frame, and to prevent the electrode member from falling off and floating with respect to the bearing frame during distribution. .

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides:
A cartridge that can be attached to and detached from the main body of the image forming apparatus,
A power-supplied member;
A frame formed of resin and provided with a through hole;
A through portion that penetrates the through hole, a support portion that is provided on one end side in the axial direction of the through portion, and that rotatably supports the power-supplied member, and is provided on the other end side in the axial direction of the through portion. An engaging portion extending in a direction intersecting with the axial direction, and the cartridge is configured to sandwich the frame body in the axial direction between the supporting portion and the engaging portion. An electrode member that becomes a conductive path between the apparatus body and the power-supplied member when mounted on the apparatus body;
With
As the distance from the penetrating portion increases in the direction intersecting the axial direction of the penetrating portion, the distance between the support portion and the opposing surface of the engaging portion in the axial direction of the penetrating portion increases. It is characterized by being.
In order to achieve the above object, in the present invention,
A power-supplied member;
A frame formed of resin and provided with a through hole;
An electrode member configured as the frame and serving as a conductive path between the apparatus main body and the power-supplied member when mounted on the apparatus main body of the image forming apparatus;
A method of manufacturing a cartridge that is detachable from an apparatus main body of an image forming apparatus, comprising:
A through portion that penetrates the through hole, a support portion that is provided on one end side in the axial direction of the through portion, and that rotatably supports the power-supplied member, and is provided on the other end side in the axial direction of the through portion. The electrode member having an engaging portion extending in a direction intersecting the axial direction is moved away from the penetrating portion in a direction intersecting the axial direction of the penetrating portion by injection molding of a conductive resin. Accordingly, the distance between the support portion and the opposing surface of the engagement portion in the axial direction of the penetrating portion is increased.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to further improve the positional accuracy of the electrode member with respect to the bearing frame body, and to prevent the electrode member from falling off and floating with respect to the bearing frame body during distribution.

Sectional drawing which shows the schematic structure of the bearing member and contact part of an Example typically Schematic sectional view of image forming apparatus and process cartridge of embodiment The figure for demonstrating the developing cartridge of an Example. Sectional view around the bearing of the developing cartridge of the embodiment The figure explaining the bearing member of an Example The figure explaining the type | mold used when forming the contact surface of the contact part of an Example. The figure explaining the type | mold used when forming the core part support part of the contact part of an Example Operational explanatory diagram of bearing member and mold until mold clamping in the embodiment Operation explanatory diagram until the mold leaves the bearing member after resin injection in the embodiment The figure explaining the function of the contact part shape | molded in the Example The figure explaining the resin pressure at the time of resin injection of an example The figure explaining the two-color molding of the bearing member and conductive resin of an Example The figure explaining the bearing member and contact part which were shape | molded by the two-color molding of an Example The figure explaining other composition which supports a lead The figure which shows transition after injecting conductive resin for formation of the contact part of an Example The figure explaining the bearing by which the contact part of the Example was shape | molded The figure explaining the structure which applies a voltage to process means other than a rotary body Diagram for explaining a comparative example

DETAILED DESCRIPTION Exemplary embodiments for carrying out the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. However, the dimensions, materials, shapes, and relative arrangements of the components described in this embodiment should be appropriately changed according to the configuration of the apparatus to which the invention is applied and various conditions. It is not intended to limit the scope to the following embodiments.
The present invention relates to a cartridge that can be attached to and detached from an electrophotographic image forming apparatus main body. Here, the electrophotographic image forming apparatus forms an image on a recording material using an electrophotographic image forming process. Examples of the electrophotographic image forming apparatus include an electrophotographic copying machine, an electrophotographic printer (for example, a laser beam printer, an LED printer, etc.), a facsimile machine, and a word processor.
The cartridge is a drum cartridge that supports an electrophotographic photosensitive drum (electrophotographic photosensitive member), a developing cartridge that supports developing means, a process cartridge in which the electrophotographic photosensitive drum and process means are integrated into a cartridge, and the like. Is a generic term. The process means acts on the electrophotographic photosensitive drum. Examples include a charging unit, a developing unit, and a cleaning unit that act on the electrophotographic photosensitive drum, a toner supply roller that applies toner to a developer carrier (developing roller), and a toner remaining amount detection unit. Etc. are also included.

(Example)
Hereinafter, an electrophotographic image forming apparatus (hereinafter, an image forming apparatus) according to the present embodiment will be described. In the following description, among the constituent members of the image forming apparatus, in particular, the configuration of the process cartridge, the developing cartridge, and the electrical contact portion (hereinafter referred to as contact portion) and the molding method will be described in detail.

(1) Image Forming Apparatus An image forming apparatus A according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 2A is a cross-sectional view illustrating a schematic configuration of an image forming apparatus (laser beam printer) A in which the process cartridge B is mounted.

  In the image forming apparatus A shown in FIG. 2A, an image is formed on the recording material 2 as follows. First, information light (laser light) based on image information is irradiated from an optical system 1 onto an electrophotographic photosensitive drum (hereinafter referred to as a photosensitive drum) 7 to form an electrostatic latent image on the photosensitive drum 7. The latent image is developed with a developer (hereinafter referred to as toner) to form a toner image. In synchronization with the formation of the toner image, the recording material 2 is conveyed from the feeding cassette 3, and the toner image formed on the photosensitive drum 7 is transferred to the recording material 2 by the transfer roller 4. Then, the toner image transferred onto the recording material 2 is heated and pressed by the fixing unit 5 to be fixed on the recording material 2, and then the recording material 2 is discharged to the discharge unit 6.

(2) Process Cartridge Next, the process cartridge B will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 2B is a cross-sectional view for explaining a schematic configuration of the process cartridge B of the present embodiment.

The process cartridge B is configured such that the developing cartridge C and the drum cartridge D are rotatably coupled to each other, and is detachably attached to the apparatus main body 100 of the image forming apparatus A.
The developing cartridge C includes developing means including toner (not shown), a developing roller 12, a toner supply roller 16, and the like, and a developing cartridge frame 8 that stores toner and supports the developing means.
The drum cartridge D is composed of constituent members such as the photosensitive drum 7 and the cleaning blade 14 and a drum cartridge frame 13 that supports these constituent members.

The toner accommodated in the toner accommodating portion 9 of the developing cartridge C is sent out to the developing chamber 10. A toner supply roller 16 disposed around the developing roller 12 and rotating in the direction of arrow E shown in FIG. 2B in contact with the developing roller 12 and development for regulating the toner layer on the developing roller 12 A toner layer is formed on the surface of the developing roller 12 by the blade 11.
Then, the toner formed on the surface of the developing roller 12 is transferred to the photosensitive drum 7 corresponding to the latent image formed on the photosensitive drum 7, thereby forming a toner image on the photosensitive drum 7. Is done.

After the toner image on the photosensitive drum 7 is transferred to the recording material 2 by the transfer roller 4, the toner remaining on the photosensitive drum 7 is scraped off by the cleaning blade 14, and the residual toner is stored in the waste toner storage chamber 15. Is recovered (removed).
Thereafter, the surface of the photosensitive drum 7 is uniformly charged by a charging roller 18 as a charging unit (process unit), and a latent image can be formed by the optical system 1.

(3) Developer Cartridge A schematic configuration of the developer cartridge will be described with reference to FIGS.
3A is a perspective view showing a schematic configuration of the developing cartridge C in a state where the process cartridge B is mounted on the apparatus main body 100, and FIG. 3B is a partial cross-sectional view of FIG. is there. 4A is a side view showing a schematic configuration around the bearing of the developing cartridge C, and FIG. 4B is a perspective view showing a partial cross section around the bearing cut along the line XX shown in FIG. 4A. FIG.

As shown in FIGS. 2B and 3, the developing cartridge C includes a developing roller 12, a developing cartridge frame 8, and a bearing (bearing unit) F. The developing roller 12 is rotatably provided and is disposed so as to come into contact with the photosensitive drum 7. The developing roller 12 is rotatably supported by the developing cartridge frame 8 via a bearing F.
The bearing F that rotatably supports the developing roller 12 includes a bearing member 20 as a bearing frame body formed of resin and a contact portion 19 as an electrode member, as will be described later. The bearings F are attached to both ends of the developing cartridge frame 8 in the longitudinal direction. In FIG. 3A, among the bearings F attached to both ends in the longitudinal direction of the developing cartridge frame 8, the left bearing member is indicated by 20L and the right bearing member is indicated by 20R.

A toner supply roller 16 and a developing blade 11 are disposed around the developing roller 12. Here, the toner supply roller 16 rotates in contact with the developing roller 12 in order to supply the toner onto the developing roller 12 and remove the toner from the developing roller 12.
The developing blade 11 is for regulating the toner layer on the developing roller 12.
Since the developing cartridge C is biased toward the drum cartridge D by the pressure spring 39, the developing roller 12 is in contact with the photosensitive drum 7.

(4) Electrode Configuration of Developing Cartridge and Voltage Application Method A power feeding method for the developing roller 12 and the toner supply roller 16 will be described with reference to FIGS. In this embodiment, since the voltage application configuration to the developing roller 12 and the voltage application configuration to the toner supply roller 16 are the same, the voltage application configuration to the developing roller 12 will be described as an example.
Here, the developing roller 12 corresponds to a power-supplied member that is rotatably provided and is electrically connected to a body electrode 21 as an electrical contact provided in the apparatus body 100. As will be described later, the contact portion 19 is formed by injecting a conductive resin (conductive resin) 34 into a gap formed when the bearing member 20 is sandwiched between the molds 27 and 28 (see FIG. 15). As described above, the contact portion 19 is formed by injecting a conductive resin into the space between the mold in contact with the bearing member 20 and the bearing member 20 to connect the main body electrode 21 of the apparatus main body 100 and the developing roller 12. It is an electrical connection. Similarly to the contact portion 19, a toner supply roller electrode 17 is formed as a conductive path that electrically connects the main body electrode 21 of the apparatus main body 100 and the toner supply roller 16.

FIG. 16 is a view for explaining the bearing member 20 in which the mold release is completed and the contact portion 19 is formed.
As shown in FIG. 16, the contact portion 19 is formed integrally with the bearing member 20 (a specific forming method will be described in (8) described later). Thereby, the bearing F is comprised.
The contact portion 19 includes a through portion 19f that passes through a through hole 20c described later, a first contact portion 19b that is provided on one end side of the through portion 19f in the axial direction of the through hole 20c, and a first portion that is provided on the other end side. A two-contact portion 19a is provided. Hereinafter, the core contact support portion 19b as the first contact portion as the support portion, and the contact surface 19a as the engagement portion as the second contact portion. The contact surface 19a is exposed on one side (one side, one side) of the bearing member 20.
When the process cartridge B is mounted on the apparatus main body 100 as shown in FIG. 3, the main body electrode 21 as the main body electrical contact of the apparatus main body 100 and the conductive resin 34 (integrally formed on the bearing member 20 of the bearing F) ( The contact surface 19a of the contact point part 19 which consists of FIG. 15 contacts.

On the other hand, the core support 19b is exposed on one side of the bearing member 20 on the opposite side of the contact surface 19a (the other side of the bearing member 20).
The core glass support portion 19b rotatably supports the core core end portion 12b of the developing roller 12, and is in contact with the peripheral surface and the end surface 12c of the core core end portion 12b.

After the process cartridge B is mounted on the image forming apparatus A, when a voltage is output to the main body electrode 21 in response to a command from a controller (not shown) of the apparatus main body 100, the voltage is applied to the surface of the developing roller 12. At this time, a voltage is applied from the main body electrode 21 to the surface of the developing roller 12 through the contact surface 19a, the lead-core support portion 19b, and the lead-core end portion 12b. As described above, the contact portion 19 is provided to electrically connect the developing roller 12 and the main body electrode 21.
Here, in the present embodiment, the main body electrode 21 and the contact portion 19 are directly connected, but the main body electrode 21 and the contact portion 19 are indirectly electrically connected via another conductive member. It may be a thing.

Next, another configuration for supporting the developing roller 12 will be described with reference to FIG.
FIG. 14 is a cross-sectional view showing a schematic configuration around the end portion of the developing roller 12 and the contact portion 19, where (a) shows a state before the developing roller 12 and the bearing F are assembled, and (b) is completed. Shows the state.

As shown in FIG. 14A, the contact portion 19 formed integrally with the bearing member 20 is in contact with the core support portion 19b that contacts the core end portion 12b of the developing roller and the main body electrode 21. A contact surface 19a is provided.
At this time, the core pin support portion 19b has a convex shape 19ba protruding to the inside of the process cartridge B. Further, a concave shape 12ca is provided at the end (edge) of the core end portion 12b of the developing roller 12.

As shown in FIG. 14B, by assembling the bearing F and the developing roller 12 to the process cartridge B, the convex shape 19ba is inserted into the concave shape 12ca and the core comes into contact with the end portion 12b. It is comprised so that the neck part 12b may be supported. Thus, the bearing F can support the developing roller 12.
With such a configuration, the core of the developing roller 12 may support the end portion 12b and be electrically connected to the end portion 12b.

(5) Bearing member The shape of the bearing member 20 is demonstrated using FIG.
5A and 5B are front and back external views of the bearing member 20. 5D and 5E are partial cross sections showing the bearing member 20 corresponding to the view of FIGS. 5A and 5B when cut at the position (YY) shown in FIG. 5C. FIG. FIG.5 (f) is sectional drawing which shows the bearing member 20 when it cut | disconnects at the position (YY) shown in FIG.5 (c).

The bearing member 20 is provided with a contact forming portion 20a where the contact surface 19a of the contact portion 19 is formed, and a core pin support portion forming portion 20b where the core pin support portion 19b is formed.
Further, when the contact portion 19 is formed, a mold contact surface 20d that contacts the mold 27 and a mold contact surface 20e that contacts the mold 28 are provided.
The iron core support portion forming portion 20b has a shape that is recessed in the longitudinal direction of the process cartridge B (opposite to the arrow N direction in FIG. 5 (f)) from the die contact surface 20e with the die 28 (see FIG. 7). It has become.
The bearing member 20 has a tunnel shape 20c. The inner space of the tunnel shape 20c is a wall having both end surfaces as end surfaces (surfaces 20f and 20g shown in FIG. 5 (f)) provided on the contact point forming portion 20a and the core pin support portion forming portion 20b. It is a through hole provided in the part.
Further, as shown in FIG. 5 (f), tapers (tapered portions) 20h and 20i are provided at both end portions (both end surfaces) corresponding to the exit and entrance of the tunnel shape 20c. The surface 20f shown in FIG. 5 (f) is a virtual surface that does not exist due to the provision of the taper 20i. However, the size of the taper 20i is not limited, leaving the surface 20f. A taper 20i may be provided.

(6) Contact Surface Forming Mold A mold 27 for forming the contact surface 19a of the contact portion 19 will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 6 is a view showing a mold 27 which is one of two molds to be brought into contact with the bearing member 20 and which is used when the contact surface 19a of the contact portion 19 is formed.
The mold 27 that forms the contact surface 19a has an abutment surface 27a that abuts against the bearing member 20 and a digging (dent) 27b that molds the contact surface 19a. FIG. 6 is a view showing a mold 27 having a configuration in which three contact surfaces 19a can be formed as an example.

(7) Core Rod Support Part Forming Mold A mold 28 for forming the core pin support part 19b of the contact part 19 will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 7 shows the other of the two types of the two types that are brought into contact with the bearing member 20, and is used when the cored support portion 19b of the contact portion 19 is formed. FIG.
The die 28 that forms the cored bar support portion 19b includes a contact surface 28a that abuts against the bearing member 20, a protrusion 28b that molds the inner diameter of the cored bar support portion 19b, and a gate 30 for injecting a conductive resin 34. Has an inlet 28c into which is inserted. FIG. 7 is a view showing a mold 28 having a structure in which three core-pin support portions 19b can be formed as an example.

(8) Method for Forming Contact Portion A method for forming the contact surface 19a and the core hook support portion 19b will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 15 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the time series from when the molds 27 and 28 contact the bearing member 20 until the injection of the conductive resin is completed. FIG. 8 is a schematic perspective view showing time-series until the molds 27 and 28 contact the bearing member 20.

First, as shown in FIG. 8A, the mold 28 is brought into contact with the bearing member 20 (in the direction of the arrow in the figure). At this time, the die contact surface 20e of the bearing member 20 abuts against the contact surface 28a of the die 28 with the bearing member 20.
Next, as shown in FIG. 8B, the mold 27 is brought into contact with the bearing member 20 (in the direction of the arrow in the figure). At this time, the mold contact surface 20d of the bearing member 20 and the contact surface 27a of the mold 27 with the bearing member 20 are used.
Hits. FIG. 8C shows a state in which the two molds 27 and 28 are held in contact with the bearing member 20.
At this time, as shown in FIG. 15A, the gap between the die 27 and the outer peripheral surface of the tunnel shape 20c, and the gap between the die 27 and the tunnel shape 20c in the longitudinal direction of the process cartridge are separated from the contact forming portion 20a. Become. Further, the gap between the projection 28b of the mold 28 and the bearing member 20 serves as a core hook support portion forming portion 20b.

Next, as shown in FIGS. 15 (a) and 8 (d), after the bearing member 20 and the molds 27 and 28 come into contact with each other, the gate 30 for injecting the conductive resin 34 enters the injection port 28 c of the mold 28. It is inserted (in the direction of the arrow in FIG. 8D) and hits the back of the injection port 28c. At this time, the gate 30 and the mold 28 may be integrated from the beginning.
Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 15 (b), the conductive resin 34 is injected from the gate 30 into the core support portion forming portion 20b through the injection port 28c.
Next, the conductive resin 34 reaches the contact forming portion 20a through the inner space of the tunnel shape 20c of the bearing member 20. The conductive resin 34 overflowing from the tip of the tunnel shape 20c enters the contact forming portion 20a and fills the gap space between the mold 27 and the tunnel shape 20c including the tapered portion 19g.

When the resin injection is completed, the mold is opened. In this way, the conductive resin 34 is formed integrally with the bearing member 20 to form the bearing F.
In the bearing F formed in this way, as shown in FIGS. 9, 15, and 16, the conductive resin that has entered the contact forming portion 20a forms the contact surface 19a, and the cored bar supporting portion forming portion 20b. The conductive resin that has entered the core forms a support 19b.
When the developing roller 12 is assembled, the inner diameter surface of the core roller support portion 19b rotatably supports the core end portion 12b of the developing roller 12. Further, the end surface of the core pin support portion 19b and the inner diameter surface of the core pin support portion 19b serve as a contact portion for electrically connecting the developing roller 12 and the contact portion 19.
In this way, the contact surface 19a and the cored bar support part 19b are made of the conductive resin 34 in the flow path as described above (gate 30 → inlet 28c → core bar support part forming part 20b → tunnel shape 20c internal space → By being molded through the contact forming portion 20a), the bearing member 20 is molded integrally. The resin portion molded through the internal space (in the through hole) of the tunnel shape 20c corresponds to the through portion of the electrode member.

As will be described later, when higher accuracy is required, it is preferable to perform the two-color molding because the molded product is taken out from the mold rather than the configuration in which a different material is subsequently injected. In the two-color molding, the first color (corresponding to the bearing member 20 of this embodiment) is injected, and after molding, the second color (corresponding to the conductive resin 34 of this embodiment) is injected without removing the product from the mold. This is a molding method of molding and then releasing the mold.
FIG. 15C is a diagram showing a state in which the injection of the conductive resin 34 is completed.

Next, the mold release will be described.
FIG. 9 is a diagram showing time-series release after resin injection is completed in the formation of the bearing F. FIG.
First, as shown in FIG. 9A, the gate 30 is retracted from the inlet 28c of the mold 28 (in the direction of the arrow in the figure). FIG. 9B shows a state where the gate 30 is retracted. Next, as shown in FIG. 9C, the mold 27 is released from the bearing member 20 (in the direction of the arrow in the figure). Finally, as shown in FIG. 9D, the mold 28 is released from the bearing member 20 (in the direction of the arrow in the figure). As a result, the contact portion 19 (the contact surface 19a and the core hook support portion 19b) is integrally formed on the bearing member 20.

(9) Functions of each shape of the contact part, prevention of loosening, prevention of rattling between parts, and alignment of the two materials Next, with reference to FIGS. Detachment prevention (hereinafter referred to as anchor shape) and alignment of the two materials will be described.
FIG. 1A is a cross-sectional view schematically showing a schematic configuration of the bearing member 20 and the contact portion 19. FIG. 1B is a partially enlarged view showing the taper 20i (19h) in FIG. 1A, and is a diagram for explaining the force acting on the taper 20i (19h) during molding.
FIG. 10 is a view for explaining each function of the contact portion 19 after the mold release is completed and the molding is finished. The bearing member 20 is not shown.

  As shown in FIGS. 10A and 10B, the contact portion 19 includes a contact surface 19 a, a core hook support portion 19 b, and a buffer portion 32. 10C and 10D, when the process cartridge B is mounted in the apparatus main body 100, the main body electrode 21 comes into contact with the contact surface 19a. When the developing roller 12 is assembled, the core end 12b of the developing roller 12 contacts the core support 19b, and the core end 12b is rotatably supported by the core support 19b. Is done.

With such a configuration, a conduction path from the main body electrode 21 to the core end portion 12b of the developing roller 12 is secured.
Further, the reason for adopting such a configuration is that the bearing member 20 and the contact portion 19 are made of different materials and are not compatible with each other.
Further, as shown in FIGS. 5 (f) and 16 (f), in the contact portion 19, the surface diameter 19d on the back side of the contact surface 19a and the back side of the cored support portion 19b rather than the inner diameter 19c of the tunnel shape 20c. The surface diameter 19e is larger.
As a result, even if a force is applied to the contact portion 19 in the direction of arrow N in FIG. 5 (f) (the reverse direction is the same), the surface with the surface diameter 19d is the surface 20g of the bearing member 20 and the surface with the surface diameter 19e. Abuts against the surface 20 f of the bearing member 20. For this reason, it is possible to prevent the contact portion 19 from being lifted or dropped from the bearing member 20.
Thus, by forming the contact portion 19 by sandwiching the bearing member 20, even when an impact is applied to the process cartridge B during distribution or the like, the contact portion 19 may fall off the bearing member 20 or the contact portion 19 may be It is possible to prevent floating from the bearing member 20.

Here, in the present embodiment, the contact portion 19 is formed so as to close the holes (through holes) at both ends of the tunnel shape 20c. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the contact portion 19 floats with respect to the bearing member 20. And any configuration that prevents the occurrence of dropouts. For example, there are anchor portions (flange portions, projecting portions) that protrude outward from the holes (through holes) at both ends of the tunnel shape 20c so as to sandwich the bearing member 20 (wall surfaces having both surfaces 20f, 20g as both end surfaces). It should be provided.
If the contact portion 19 has a planar configuration without an anchor shape, it may fall off when a force is applied in one direction. For this reason, as described above, the contact portion 19 has a three-dimensional configuration, so that the contact portion 19 can be prevented from rattling (floating) or falling off even if a force is applied to the contact portion 19 in any direction. Is possible.

In this embodiment, the bearing member 20 is made of high impact polystyrene having a shrinkage of 0.6%, and the conductive resin 34 is made of conductive polyacetal having a shrinkage of 1.2%. .
In the present embodiment, the contact portion 19 is formed by injecting the conductive resin 34 after forming the bearing member 20 and integrally forming the conductive resin 34 on the bearing member 20. In particular, in this embodiment, when the contact portion 19 is molded, by injecting the conductive resin 34 after the bearing member 20 is molded and before the (molten) resin material of the bearing member 20 is cooled and solidified, The bearing F is formed by integrally molding the conductive resin 34 on the bearing member 20.
For this reason, the conductive resin 34 sandwiches and tightens the bearing member 20 because of the difference in shrinkage rate (the shrinkage rate is greater when injected later).
In such a configuration in which the bearing member 20 is sandwiched between the conductive resins 34 by contraction of the conductive resin 34 after molding, the configuration is more difficult to come off as follows. That is, the contact surface 19a sandwiching the bearing member 20 (the wall surfaces having the surfaces 20g and 20f as both end surfaces) and the core hook support portion 19b contract in the directions F1 and F2 indicated by arrows in FIG. The contact part 19 bites into the member 20, and it becomes a structure which is hard to remove | deviate.

As described above, in this embodiment, since the conductive resin 34 is injected into the bearing member 20 and the contact portion 19 is formed integrally with the bearing member 20, the distance between the components is compared with the configuration in which the components are assembled together. It is possible to prevent rattling.
In this embodiment, the contact portion 19 is made of polyacetal containing about 10% carbon black. By using carbon black, damage (wear, etc.) to the production apparatus can be reduced as much as possible. In addition, as long as damage to the production apparatus can be reduced, not only carbon black but also carbon fiber, other metal additives, and the like may be used.

Next, alignment of the bearing member 20 and the cored bar support portion 19b will be described with reference to FIGS.
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 5 (f), tapers 20h and 20i are provided at both end portions corresponding to the exit and entrance of the tunnel shape 20c, respectively. This taper is outward from the center of the tunnel shape 20c (wall portion) in the penetration direction at the both ends in the penetration (axis) direction of the inner wall of the inner space (through hole) of the tunnel shape 20c (direction intersecting the axial direction). It is provided so that the diameter may be expanded toward.
Further, the taper 20h, 20i is such that the respective taper apex (the apex of the virtual cone including the inclined surface constituting the taper) is on the central axis line of the core hook support portion 19b (on the one-dot chain line H shown in FIG. 1). ). Here, the alternate long and short dash line H shown in FIG. 1 corresponds to the rotation axis of the developing roller 12 supported by the cored bar support portion 19b, and the apexes of the tapers 20h and 20i indicate the rotation of the developing roller 12. Located on the axis.

When the contact portion 19 is formed on the bearing member 20 by the method described above, the tapers 19g and 19h of the contact portion 19 are formed at positions facing the tapers 20h and 20i. Here, the tapers 19g and 19h correspond to tapered contact portions.
Since the contact portion 19 shrinks toward the center of the molded product (molded product) after molding (when the resin is solidified), the periphery of the core pin support portion 19b is in contact with the contact surface 19a in the F1 direction shown in FIG. Contracts in the F2 direction. In other words, when the conductive resin 34 is solidified at the time of molding, the conductive resin 34 around both ends of the tunnel shape 20c shrinks toward the center of the tunnel shape 20c in the penetration direction (the center of the penetration portion). it can.
At this time, as shown in FIG. 1B, the force contracting in the F1 direction is divided in the F11 and F12 directions by the taper 20i of the bearing member 20. Then, the center of the outer diameter of the core pin support portion 19b is aligned by the component force in the F11 direction so as to coincide with the inner diameter center of the core pin support portion forming portion 20b.

  In this manner, by providing the taper 20i, the outer diameter center of the core pin support portion 19b (corresponding to the rotation shaft of the developing roller 12) and the bearing member 20 (the inner diameter center of the core pin support portion forming portion 20b) Can be aligned. Accordingly, it is possible to further improve (improve or raise) the positional accuracy of the core bevel support portion 19b (the rotation shaft of the developing roller 12, the contact portion 19) with respect to the bearing member 20.

Further, the contact member 20 is sandwiched between the contact surface 19a and the cored support 19b by force applied in the F1 and F2 directions (force at the time of contraction when the resin is solidified after forming the contact 19). The bearing member 20 can be tightened at 19.
Here, at the time of molding, the taper 19g, 19h of the contact portion 19 is molded in a state of being in contact with the taper 20h, 20i by injection of the conductive resin 34. As described above, the resin is solidified after molding. The abutting state is maintained even after solidification by contracting. That is, in the tapers 19g and 19h, the contact state with the tapers 20h and 20i is maintained before and after the conductive resin 34 is solidified.
As a result, in the state where the conductive resin 34 after molding is contracted and solidified, the taper 19g and 19h are in contact with the taper 20h and 20i, respectively. The part 19 can be fixed (positioned) more reliably.
In this way, problems such as looseness due to shrinkage of the resin after molding can be prevented by the force at the time of shrinkage after molding of the contact portion 19 in the F1 and F2 directions. Therefore, the positional accuracy of the cored bar support part 19b (contact point part 19) with respect to the bearing member 20 can be further increased, and the position fluctuation of the cored bar support part 19b with respect to the bearing member 20 can be suppressed.

Here, in the present embodiment, the tapers 20h and 20i are provided at both ends corresponding to the exit and entrance of the tunnel shape 20c, but it may be provided only on one side as necessary, and at least one of the both ends. What is necessary is just to be provided in either.
In the case where only the taper 20i is provided, alignment can be performed as described above, and the taper 20i and the taper 19h are brought into contact with each other in a state where the conductive resin 34 has been contracted and solidified after molding. Can be in a state. Thereby, the position accuracy of the core bevel support part 19b (contact point part 19) with respect to the bearing member 20 can be further improved.
Further, when only the taper 20h is provided, the taper 20h and the taper 19g can be brought into contact with each other in a state in which the conductive resin 34 after molding is contracted and solidified. Even in this case, the positional accuracy of the core hook support portion 19b (contact point portion 19) with respect to the bearing member 20 can be further increased.

Further, in the present embodiment, the tapers 20h and 20i are provided so that the respective taper apexes are located on the central axis (on the one-dot chain line H shown in FIG. 1) of the core hook support portion 19b. However, this is not a limitation. When the taper of the bearing member 20 and the contact portion 19 is brought into contact with each other to obtain an effect of preventing the backlash caused by the shrinkage of the resin after molding, the taper apex of the taper 20h, 20i is the core of the core. It may not be located on the central axis of the support part 19b.
The taper vertices of the tapers 20h and 20i only have to be located on the central axis of the core hook support portion 19b, and the center of the inner space of the tunnel shape 20c (the one-dot chain line H shown in FIG. 1A). May not coincide with the center of the tunnel shape 20c in a direction perpendicular to the center.

(10) Mold Clamping and Backup Next, mold clamping performed in the process of forming the contact surface 19a and the core hook support portion 19b will be described with reference to FIGS.
FIG. 8C is a schematic perspective view showing a state in which the molds 27 and 28 are brought into contact with the bearing member 20 and clamped. FIG. 11 is a schematic cross-sectional view for explaining the resin pressure.

When the contact portion 19 is molded, the mold contact surface 20 a of the bearing member 20 is brought into contact with the contact surface 27 a of the mold 27 with respect to the bearing member 20 to perform mold clamping. Further, the mold contact is performed by bringing the contact surface 28a of the mold 28 against the bearing member 20 into contact with the mold contact surface 20e of the bearing member 20.
In the present embodiment, when the mold is clamped, the bearing member 20 is sandwiched between the molds 27 and 28, and the back sides of the mold contact surfaces 20d and 20e of the bearing member 20 are supported by the respective molds. This is because the mold contact surfaces 20d and 20e of the bearing member 20, the contact surface 27a of the mold 27, and the contact surface 28a of the mold 28 do not escape by the pressing force of the molds 27 and 28 or the resin pressure P at the time of resin injection. In order to prevent the bearing member 20 from being deformed.

  In this embodiment, the back side (back side) of the mold contact surfaces 20d and 20e is supported at the time of mold clamping, but the supporting part may not be the back side. That is, any portion can be used as long as it can suppress the escape and deformation of the bearing member 20 by supporting.

(11) Two-color molding Next, the two-color molding described in the section “(9) Function of each shape of contact portion, prevention of loosening, prevention of rattling between parts, and alignment of two materials” 12 will be used for explanation.
FIG. 12 illustrates a case where a simple-shaped bearing F is manufactured by two-color molding using the first-color molds 22, 23, and 25 and the second-color molds 23, 24, and 25. FIG. FIG. 12A is a diagram showing a state in which the molds 22, 23, and 25 are combined. FIG. 12B is a diagram illustrating a state in which the first color (bearing member 20) is molded. FIG. 12C is a diagram illustrating a state where the mold 22 is replaced with the mold 24. FIG. 12D is a diagram illustrating a state in which the second color (contact portion 19) is molded.

In the two-color molding, first, as shown in FIG. 12A, the molds 22, 23, and 25 are combined to form the bearing member 20 (first color) to form a resin injection space. Next, as shown in FIG. 12B, the resin of the bearing member 20 is injected into the space in the mold to mold the bearing member 20. Next, as shown in FIG. 12C, the mold 22 is replaced with the mold 24, and the mold 25 is retracted by the thickness of the contact surface 19a in the direction of the arrow in the figure, and the conductive resin 34 is injected. A space is formed. Finally, as shown in FIG. 12D, the conductive resin 34 is poured from the injection port 24a of the mold 24, and the contact portion 19 is formed.
By using such two-color molding, the injection pressure can be increased, and by increasing the injection pressure, the shape of the contact portion 19 can be accurately molded. Furthermore, in the present embodiment, alignment is performed by the taper 20i provided on the bearing member 20 and the taper 19h of the contact portion 19 at the time of molding, so that the contact portion 19 is in a state in which the positional accuracy of the contact portion 19 is higher. The bearing member 20 is integrally formed.

Next, the contact portion 19 and the bearing member 20 formed by two-color molding will be described with reference to FIGS.
FIG. 13A is an external view showing a contact portion 19 and a bearing member 20 that are integrally formed by two-color molding as shown in FIG. FIG. 13B is a plan view showing the contact portion 19 and the bearing member 20 that are integrally formed. FIG.13 (c) is a schematic sectional drawing which shows the VV cross section of FIG.13 (b).

  Also in this molding method, the conductive resin 34 is configured to sandwich the bearing member 20 between the contact surface 19a and the core hook support portion 19b. That is, as shown in FIG. 13C, the contact surface 19a sandwiching the bearing member 20 and the core hook support portion 19b are arranged in the F1 and F2 directions indicated by the arrows in the figure due to the difference in contraction rate as described above. Each contracts. For this reason, the contact part 19 clamps the bearing member 20 (it bites into the bearing member 20). Thereby, the contact part 19 and the bearing member 20 will be fixed more firmly, and it can prevent the float and omission which are anxious about generating between the contact part 19 and the bearing member 20. FIG.

  Furthermore, since both ends of the tunnel shape 20c are provided with the tapers 20h and 20i, as described above, the position accuracy of the core support portion 19b of the contact portion 19 with respect to the bearing member 20 can be further increased. Here, as described above, the taper 20i may be provided only on the side of the core support portion 19b.

FIG. 18 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a bearing having a configuration not provided with a taper as in the present embodiment as a comparative example, in which a conductive resin is injected into the bearing and a contact portion is molded. It is sectional drawing shown. In the configuration shown in FIG. 18, the both ends of the tunnel shape are not provided with a taper as in this embodiment.
For this reason, alignment as described above cannot be performed. Further, there is a concern that a gap may be formed between a portion of the contact portion 19 in the tunnel shape 20c and the inner wall of the internal space of the tunnel shape 20c in a state where the conductive resin 34 is contracted and solidified after molding. The When such a gap is generated, the contact portion 19 moves relative to the bearing member 20 in a direction perpendicular to the generatrix of the inner space of the tunnel shape 20c (corresponding to the central axis of the core support portion 19b). There is a concern that

As described above, according to the present embodiment, the bearing member 20 and the cored bar support portion 19b can be aligned with respect to the comparative example shown in FIG. The position accuracy of the core bevel support portion 19b can be further increased.
Further, tapers 20h and 20i are provided at both ends of the tunnel shape 20c,
The contact portion 19 is provided with tapers 19g and 19h that maintain a contact state with the tapers 20h and 20i before and after the resin is solidified at the time of molding. Thereby, malfunctions, such as looseness by the shrinkage | contraction of the resin after shaping | molding, can be prevented. Therefore, the positional accuracy of the cored bar support part 19b (contact point part 19) with respect to the bearing member 20 can be further increased, and the position fluctuation of the cored bar support part 19b with respect to the bearing member 20 can be suppressed.
A contact portion 19 is formed with the bearing member 20 interposed therebetween. As a result, even if an impact is applied to the process cartridge at the time of physical distribution or the like, it is possible to prevent the occurrence of an event such as the contact portion 19 falling off the bearing member 20 due to the anchor shape or the contact portion 19 floating from the bearing member 20. can do.

Here, the contact portion 19 of the present embodiment electrically connects the developing roller 12 and the toner supply roller 16 to the main body electrode 21 in the developing cartridge C, but is not limited thereto. For example, in the drum cartridge D, the photosensitive drum 7 and the apparatus main body 100 may be electrically connected. Further, the contact portion 19 may be provided corresponding to each of the photosensitive drum 7 and the charging roller 18. That is, a contact portion that electrically connects the charging roller 18 and the apparatus main body 100 and a contact portion that electrically connects the photosensitive drum 7 and the apparatus main body 100 may be provided. When the present invention is applied to the process cartridge B as described above, a plurality of contact portions may be provided corresponding to the photosensitive drum 7 and the plurality of process means, respectively.
Further, in the present embodiment, the core hook support portion 19b of the contact portion 19 has been described as a configuration that supports the core rollers of the developing roller 12 and the toner supply roller 16, but the present invention is not limited to this, and sliding ( Any member that supports the (rotary) member may be used.
In this embodiment, the contact portion 19 is provided on the bearing member 20, but the contact portion 19 is provided on the developing cartridge frame 8, and the developing roller 12 and the toner supply roller 16 are supported on the developing cartridge frame 8. It may be.

Further, in the present embodiment, it has been described that the contact portion 19 has the lead-core support portion 19b in order to come into contact with a rotating body such as the developing roller 12 and the toner supply roller 16 which are process means. However, the contact portion may electrically connect a constituent member other than the rotating body and the apparatus main body 100. One example thereof will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 17 is a schematic view showing processes other than the rotating body as the process means that contacts the contact portion.
In FIG. 17, the developing blade 11 is in contact with the developing blade contact surface 31 provided on the bearing F (bearing member 20) at the developing blade end surface 11a. Tapers are provided at both ends of the tunnel shape.
With such a configuration, it is possible to further improve the positional accuracy of the contact portion and apply a voltage to process means other than the rotating body.

A ... Image forming apparatus, B ... Process cartridge, F ... Bearing, 12 ... Developing roller, 19 ... Contact portion, 19g, 19h ... Taper, 20 ... Bearing member, 20c ... Tunnel shape, 20h, 20i ... Taper, 21 ... Main body Electrode, 27, 28 ... mold, 34 ... conductive resin

Claims (7)

A cartridge that can be attached to and detached from the main body of the image forming apparatus,
A power-supplied member;
A frame formed of resin and provided with a through hole;
A through portion that penetrates the through hole, a support portion that is provided on one end side in the axial direction of the through portion, and that rotatably supports the power-supplied member, and is provided on the other end side in the axial direction of the through portion. An engaging portion extending in a direction intersecting with the axial direction, and the cartridge is configured to sandwich the frame body in the axial direction between the supporting portion and the engaging portion. An electrode member that becomes a conductive path between the apparatus body and the power-supplied member when mounted on the apparatus body;
With
As the distance from the penetrating portion increases in the direction intersecting the axial direction of the penetrating portion, the distance between the support portion and the opposing surface of the engaging portion in the axial direction of the penetrating portion increases. The cartridge characterized by having.   2. The cartridge according to claim 1, wherein the electrode member is formed symmetrically about the penetrating portion in a direction intersecting with an axial direction of the penetrating portion.   3. The cartridge according to claim 1, wherein a contraction rate of the resin material of the electrode member is greater than a contraction rate of the resin material of the frame body.   The said engaging part has a contact part which contacts with the main body electrical contact provided in the said apparatus main body when a cartridge is mounted | worn with the said apparatus main body. The cartridge described. A power-supplied member;
A frame formed of resin and provided with a through hole;
An electrode member provided on the frame and serving as a conductive path between the apparatus body and the power-supplied member when mounted on the apparatus body of the image forming apparatus;
A method of manufacturing a cartridge that is detachable from an apparatus main body of an image forming apparatus, comprising:
A through portion that penetrates the through hole, a support portion that is provided on one end side in the axial direction of the through portion, and that rotatably supports the power-supplied member, and is provided on the other end side in the axial direction of the through portion. The electrode member having an engaging portion extending in a direction intersecting the axial direction is moved away from the penetrating portion in a direction intersecting the axial direction of the penetrating portion by injection molding of a conductive resin. Accordingly, the cartridge manufacturing method is characterized in that the distance between the supporting portion and the opposing surface of the engaging portion in the axial direction of the penetrating portion is increased.   6. The method for manufacturing a cartridge according to claim 5, wherein the electrode member is formed so as to be line-symmetric with respect to the through portion in the direction intersecting the axial direction of the through portion.   The cartridge manufacturing method according to claim 5, wherein the electrode member is formed of a resin material having a contraction rate larger than that of the frame body.

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