JPH11288194A - Image forming device and process cartridge - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To remove residual toner from the surface of an image carrier without causing cleaning defects by preventing the toner and an external addition agent from melt-sticking onto the surface of a photoreceptor drum and preventing a blade from creaking. SOLUTION: The shape coefficient SF1 of a developer is defined as 100-150. A cleaning device 8 is composed of an elastic blade 8a which is held by a support member 8f and abutted on the surface of the photoreceptor drum with abutting pressure whose linear pressure is 55 g/cm to 105 g/cm, a solid lubricant 8d and a lubricant coating roller 8e arranged in contact with the lubricant 8d and the photoreceptor drum 1. The lubricant coating roller 8e is rotated in the direction of an arrow R8, to coat the surface of the photoreceptor drum with the lubricant. The toner remaining after a transfer is prevented from passing through by the elastic blade 8a abutted with high pressure, creaking of the elastic blade 8a is suppressed by the lubricant with which the surface of the photoreceptor drum is coated and the toner and the external addition agent are prevented from melt-sticking onto the surface of the photoreceptor drum.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an electrophotographic image forming apparatus such as a copying machine and a laser printer, and more particularly to an image forming apparatus provided with a cleaning means having an elastic blade and a lubricant applying roller.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, what is called a blade using an elastic blade as shown in FIG. Cleaning methods are widely used. In FIG. 17, reference numeral 101 denotes a photosensitive drum serving as an image carrier which is driven to rotate in the direction of arrow R1, and reference numeral 102 denotes a cleaning unit. The cleaning unit 102 includes a waste toner collecting container 103, a support member 104 attached thereto, and , And a toner collecting sheet 106.
The elastic blade 105 is formed of polyurethane rubber, and is in contact with the surface of the photosensitive drum 101 in a so-called counter direction. That is, the support member 1
At least the distal end of the elastic blade 105 held by the abutment 04 contacts the surface of the photosensitive drum 101, and at least a part of the contact surface of the elastic blade 105 with the surface of the photosensitive drum 101 extends along the downstream direction in the rotation direction of the photosensitive drum 101. And is gradually separated from the surface of the photosensitive drum 101.

In an image forming apparatus using a developer manufactured by a conventional pulverizing method, an elastic blade 1 is used.
The general minimum contact pressure on the surface of the photosensitive drum 101 of the reference numeral 05 was set to about 20 g / cm.

Some of the above-described image forming apparatuses include a solid lubricant and a lubricant 1 in order to prevent the photosensitive drum 101 and the elastic blade 105 from being damaged or worn.
There is known a configuration in which a lubricant application roller is provided which comes into contact with both the photosensitive drum 101 and the photosensitive drum 101 and rotates in a predetermined direction, and the lubricant is applied to the surface of the photosensitive drum 101 by the lubricant application roller. .

[0005]

However, as the demand for color image forming apparatuses has increased in recent years, highly stable toners have been demanded. As a means for this, an almost spherical toner capable of obtaining more uniform charging characteristics has been used. It is being adopted.

On the other hand, it is known that it is very difficult to scrape and remove such a substantially spherical toner from the surface of the photosensitive drum 101 by an elastic blade 105 as a cleaning means. This is because the elastic blade 105 that comes into contact with the surface of the photosensitive drum 101 when the photosensitive drum 101 is rotationally driven vibrates, and a small gap between the surface of the photosensitive drum 101 and the elastic blade 105 is generated by the substantially spherical toner. It is considered easy to slip through.

In order to solve this problem, in an image forming apparatus which performs an image forming operation using a substantially spherical toner, the elastic blade 105 has a linear pressure of 55 g / cm or more.
By contacting the surface of the photosensitive drum 101 with a contact pressure of g / cm or less, it is possible to prevent poor cleaning when removing toner (residual toner) remaining on the surface of the photosensitive drum 101 after the transfer process from the photosensitive drum surface. Means have been proposed.

However, as the contact pressure of the elastic blade 105 against the photosensitive drum 101 becomes higher, toner on the surface of the photosensitive drum 101 and a fluidizing agent added to the toner and an external additive as a tribo-imparting agent become more sensitive. There is a tendency that a defective phenomenon called so-called fusion that adheres to the surface tends to occur.

Further, when the contact pressure of the elastic blade 105 against the photosensitive drum 101 is high, the friction at the nip portion of the elastic blade 105 increases, and the amount of scraping of the photosensitive drum 101 increases. It was also a problem in aiming for the transition.

On the other hand, the contact pressure of the elastic blade 105 is 55
g / cm or more and 105 g / cm or less, the image forming speed (process speed) is 20 mm / sec or more and 40 mm /
If it is less than sec, the vibration of the elastic blade 105 is increased, and the blade squeal, which is an abnormal noise, tends to be generated.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and prevents the fusion of toner and external additives to the surface of an image carrier and the squeal of blades. The purpose is to remove toner.

[0012]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, a charging means, an exposing means, a developing means, a transferring means, and a cleaning means are sequentially disposed around a rotatable image carrier. And developing the electrostatic latent image formed on the surface of the image carrier with a developer, electrostatically transferring the electrostatic latent image to a non-transfer surface at a transfer portion, and then remaining developer remaining on the surface of the image carrier. Is removed from the surface of the image carrier by the cleaning unit, the developer has a shape factor SF1 set to 100 to 150,
The cleaning means comprises: an elastic blade held by a support member and in contact with the surface of the image carrier with a contact pressure having a linear pressure of 55 g / cm or more and 105 g / cm or less; a solid lubricant; A lubricant application roller disposed so as to be in contact with the lubricant and the image carrier; and applying the lubricant to the surface of the image carrier by rotating the lubricant application roller in a predetermined direction. , Characterized in that.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, a charging means, an exposing means, a developing means, a transferring means, and a cleaning means are sequentially disposed around a rotatable image carrier, and an electrostatic member formed on the surface of the image carrier is provided. After the latent image is visualized with a developer, and the latent image is electrostatically transferred to a non-transferring member surface at a transfer portion, a residual developer remaining on the surface of the image bearing member is removed from the surface of the image bearing member by the cleaning unit. In the image forming apparatus, the developer has a shape factor SF1 of 100 to 150.
The cleaning means is held by a support member and is brought into contact with the surface of the image carrier, and the contact pressure is set to 55 g / cm or more and 105 g or more depending on the surrounding environmental conditions.
/ Cm or less, an elastic blade, a solid lubricant, and a lubricant application roller disposed so as to be in contact with the lubricant and the image carrier. A lubricant is applied to the surface of the image carrier by rotating the image carrier in a predetermined direction.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the first or second aspect, the elastic blade has a hardness of 60 ° or more and 8 ° or more.
Formed of polyurethane rubber of 5 ° or less,
It is characterized by the following.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the first, second or third aspect of the present invention, a release layer is provided on the outermost portion of the image carrier.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in accordance with the first or second aspect of the present invention, there is provided an image forming speed varying mechanism for changing an image forming speed, and the image forming speed is set to 20 mm.
/ Sec or more and 40 mm / sec or less, a lubricant is applied to the surface of the image carrier. When the image forming speed is 20 mm / sec or less or 40 mm / sec or more, the lubricant is applied. Stop.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in accordance with the first or second aspect of the present invention, there is provided an image forming speed variable mechanism for changing an image forming speed, and the image forming speed is set at 20 mm.
/ Sec or more and 40 mm / sec or less.
/ Sec or more, or 40 mm / sec or more, the rotation speed of the lubricant application roller is increased.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in a process cartridge detachably mounted to an image forming apparatus main body, at least an image carrier, a cleaning unit, a solid lubricant, and the lubricant and the image carrier. The developer for forming an image on the image carrier has a shape factor SF1 of 100 to 1 by forming a cartridge by integrally incorporating a lubricant application roller disposed so as to be in contact with the body into a cartridge container.
The cleaning means has an elastic blade which is held by a support member and abuts on the surface of the image carrier with a contact pressure of a linear pressure of 55 g / cm or more and 105 g / cm or less, Further, the lubricant application roller is disposed so as to be in contact with the solid lubricant and the image carrier, and is rotated in a predetermined direction to apply the lubricant to the surface of the image carrier. It is characterized by.

According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a process cartridge detachably mounted to an image forming apparatus main body, wherein at least an image carrier, a cleaning means, a solid lubricant, and the lubricant and the image carrier. The developer for forming an image on the image carrier has a shape factor SF1 of 100 to 1 by forming a cartridge by integrally incorporating a lubricant application roller disposed so as to be in contact with the body into a cartridge container.
The cleaning means is held by a supporting member and is brought into contact with the surface of the image carrier, and the contact pressure is set to 55 g / cm or more and 10 to 10 depending on the surrounding environmental conditions.
An elastic blade that changes in a range of 5 g / cm or less, and the lubricant application roller is disposed so as to be in contact with the solid lubricant and the image carrier, and is rotated in a predetermined direction. Applying a lubricant to the image carrier surface by doing
It is characterized by the following.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, the elastic blade, which is in contact with the image carrier at a high pressure, prevents the developer from passing through the nip portion and is applied to the surface of the image carrier. The lubricant reduces the friction at the elastic blade nip portion and suppresses the blade squeal.
Further, by applying the lubricant, the adhesion of the toner and the external additive to the surface of the image carrier is weakened, and the fusion is prevented.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, the elastic blade, which is in contact with the image carrier at a high pressure, prevents the developer from passing through the nip, and the lubricant applied to the surface of the image carrier by the lubricant. Friction at the elastic blade nip is kept small, and blade squeal is suppressed. Further, by applying the lubricant, the adhesion of the toner and the external additive to the surface of the image carrier is weakened, and the fusion is prevented. In addition, since the contact pressure of the elastic blade with respect to the image carrier can be adjusted according to environmental conditions, for example, in a low-humidity and low-temperature environment where the fluidity of the toner is high and the adhesion to the image carrier is high due to the influence of an electric field, The contact pressure is set high to prevent poor cleaning, and at room temperature and normal humidity to high temperature and high humidity, the contact pressure of the elastic blade is set low to prevent fusion and blade squeal and reduce wear of each member. The life can be extended.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, the elastic blade is determined by the hardness of the material of the elastic blade, the penetration amount δ and the set angle θ defined as shown in FIG.
When the contact pressure of the elastic blade with respect to the image carrier is 55 g / cm or more and 105 g / cm, the penetration amount δ of the elastic blade into the image carrier can be reduced.

As shown in FIG. 18, the penetration amount δ is a virtual amount that the tip of the elastic blade 105 enters the image carrier 101 without being deformed, and the set angle θ is
The angle between the tangent at the point where the tip of the elastic blade 105 and the image carrier 101 intersect and the elastic blade 105.

When the penetration amount δ is extremely increased, the elastic blade 105 may come into contact with the image carrier 101 in a state where the elastic blade 105 does not come into contact with the edge (belly contact). Since the amount of intrusion δ of the blade 105 into the image carrier 101 can be suppressed to a small extent, belly contact can be prevented, and occurrence of cleaning failure can be prevented.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, it is possible to significantly improve the slipperiness of the surface of the image carrier, and to reduce the friction generated between the elastic blade and the image carrier. For this reason, the effect of preventing fusion and blade squeal can be further enhanced in combination with the effect of applying the lubricant.

According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, in particular, the blade squeal phenomenon is liable to occur.
When performing image formation outside the following image formation speed range,
The consumption of the lubricant can be reduced, and the blade squeak prevention effect can be obtained over a long period of time when the image forming speed is 20 mm / sec or more and 40 mm / sec or less.

According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, the blade squeal phenomenon is particularly likely to occur in the range of 20 mm / sec to 40 mm / sec.
In the following image forming speed range, the amount of the lubricant applied to the image carrier can be increased, the friction between the elastic blade and the image carrier can be reduced, and a further blade squeak prevention effect can be obtained. . 20mm / sec or less or 40mm
When performing image formation at an image formation speed of / sec or more, it is possible to set the amount of the lubricant applied to the image carrier to a relatively low value, and to increase the amount as needed. For this reason, the consumption amount of the lubricant is suppressed, and the blade squeak prevention effect can be obtained for a long period in each image forming speed range.

According to the seventh and eighth aspects of the present invention, at the time of maintenance of the apparatus or replenishment of consumable parts, if the integrated process cartridges are replaced according to the purpose,
A good image can be easily obtained at any time.

[0029]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

Embodiment 1 FIG. 1 shows a schematic configuration of an image forming apparatus according to the present invention. The image forming apparatus shown in FIG. 1 is a four-color full-color image forming apparatus.

In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 denotes a drum-type electrophotographic photosensitive member (hereinafter referred to as a "photosensitive drum") as an image carrier, in which a photosensitive material such as OPC is formed on an outer peripheral surface of a cylindrical base such as aluminum. The detailed configuration will be described later.

The photosensitive drum 1 is moved 120 degrees in the direction of arrow R1.
mm / sec or 30 mm / sec is rotated with a peripheral speed, first, by a charging roller 2 as the surface contact charging means is uniformly charged to -700V as the dark potential V _D. Next, the laser beam L from the exposure device (exposure means) 3 that is ON / OFF controlled according to the first image information.
Is performed, and the bright portion potential V _L is −100.
A first electrostatic latent image of V is formed. The electrostatic latent image thus formed is developed (visualized) by the developing device 4. The developing device (developing means) 4 includes a first toner containing a yellow toner as a first color toner. Developing device 4
a, a second developing device 4b containing magenta toner as the second color toner, a third developing device 4c containing cyan toner as the third color toner, and black toner containing the fourth color toner The obtained fourth developing device 4d is mounted on a rotary 4A rotatable in the direction of arrow R4 and integrated. First, the first electrostatic latent image is developed (visualized) by a first developing device 4a containing yellow toner as a first color toner. Development methods include a jumping development method, a two-component development method, and F
An EED development method or the like is used, and a combination of image exposure and reversal development is often used.

The visualized first color toner image is electrostatically transferred (primary transfer) to the surface of the intermediate transfer member 5 at a first transfer portion 6a facing the intermediate transfer member 5 as a non-transfer member that is driven to rotate. ) Is done. The intermediate transfer body 5 has a circumferential length slightly longer than the length of the transfer material P such as paper, and is pressed against the photosensitive drum 1 with a predetermined pressing force while being substantially equal to the circumferential speed of the photosensitive drum 1. The photosensitive drum 1 is driven to rotate in the forward direction (the direction of the arrow R5) with respect to the rotation direction of the photosensitive drum 1 at a high peripheral speed. The toner image formed on the surface of the photosensitive drum 1 as described above is applied to the intermediate transfer body 5 by the high-voltage power supply 7 with a voltage (primary transfer bias) having a polarity opposite to the polarity of the charged toner. Thereby, electrostatic transfer (primary transfer) is performed on the surface of the intermediate transfer body 5.

A so-called residual toner (residual developer) slightly remaining on the surface of the photosensitive drum 1 after the primary transfer has been completed.
Is removed by a cleaning device (cleaning device) 8.

Subsequently, the above process is repeated three times, and each time, the second color toner image developed with magenta toner, the third color toner image developed with cyan toner, and the fourth color toner image developed with black toner are developed. The color toner images are sequentially transferred and laminated on the surface of the intermediate transfer member 5.

Thereafter, the transfer belt 9 movable in the direction of arrow K9, which is separated from the surface of the intermediate transfer member 5, is pressed against the surface of the intermediate transfer member 5 with a predetermined pressing force and is driven to rotate. The transfer belt 9 is supported by a bias roller 9a and a tension roller 9b, and a voltage (secondary transfer bias) having a polarity opposite to the charging polarity of the toner is applied to the bias roller 9a from a high voltage power supply 10. Accordingly, the toner image formed on the surface of the intermediate transfer body 5 is collectively transferred (secondarily transferred) to the surface of the transfer material P conveyed at a predetermined timing to the second transfer portion 6b, and the transfer material P is It is conveyed to a fixing device (not shown) toward the arrow K _P direction after being fixed as a permanent image and is discharged to the image forming apparatus main body outside.

Then, the intermediate transfer member 5 after the completion of the secondary transfer
The toner remaining slightly on the surface (residual toner) is indicated by arrow K.
The cleaning device 11 is movable in 11 directions and comes into contact with the surface of the intermediate transfer member 5 at a predetermined timing.

Here, the photosensitive drum used in the present embodiment will be described.

As shown in FIG. 2, the photosensitive drum used in the present embodiment has a charge generation layer 1b made of a phthalocyanine compound having a thickness of 0.2 μm on a metal core 1a made of aluminum having an outer diameter of about 60 mm. A so-called organic photoreceptor having a charge transport layer 1c having a thickness of 20 μm and having a hydrazone compound dispersed in polycarbonate as a binder was used as an upper layer. When the contact angle of the surface of the photosensitive drum 1 with water and the slipperiness were measured, the contact angle was 85 °, and the slipperiness could not be measured without any slippage.

The above-mentioned slipperiness is measured by a slipperiness tester manufactured by Haydon Co., and when the slipperiness of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) is set to 1,
The slipperiness of the measured object is shown by a PET ratio, and the smaller the value, the better the slipperiness.

Next, the toner used in the present embodiment will be described.

The toner used in the present embodiment contains 5 to 30% by weight of a low softening substance and has a shape factor SF1 of 100%.
~ 150, shape factor SF2 is 100 ~ 140, particle size is 5
Is a substantially spherical non-magnetic one-component toner having a particle diameter of about 7 μm.

The shape factor SF1 is a numerical value indicating the ratio of the roundness of the shape of the spherical material as shown in FIG. 3, and is an elliptical figure formed by projecting the spherical material on a two-dimensional plane. It is represented by a value obtained by dividing the square of the maximum length MXLNG by the figure area AREA and multiplying by 100π / 4.

That is, the following equation: SF1 = {(MXLNG) ² / AREA} × (100π
/ 4).

Further, as shown in FIG. 4, the shape factor SF2 is a numerical value indicating the ratio of the unevenness of the shape of the substance, and the square of the perimeter PERI of the figure formed by projecting the substance on a two-dimensional plane is represented by the figure. It is represented by a value obtained by dividing by the area AREA and multiplying by 100π / 4.

That is, the following equation: SF2 = {(PELI) ² / AREA} × (100π /
4) is defined by

In this embodiment, SF2 is a FE-SEM (S-800) manufactured by Hitachi, Ltd.
The sample is randomly sampled and the image information is sent to an image analyzer (LUSE
X3), analyzed, and calculated by the above equation.

FIG. 5 shows a schematic structure of the toner 12. The toner 12 has a substantially spherical shape due to its manufacturing method. In the present embodiment, the core 12a contains an ester-based wax and a resin layer. A toner having a configuration of styrene-butyl acrylate for 12b and styrene-polyester for the surface layer 12c was used. Its specific gravity is about 1.05
It is.

As described above, by enclosing wax in the core 12a, an effect of preventing offset in the fixing step can be obtained, and by providing a resin on the surface layer 12c, charging efficiency can be improved. By externally adding oil-treated silica for stabilization of tribo (Q / M), the toner has a tribo of about -20 μC /
g.

Next, referring to FIG. 6, a description will be given of the cleaning device 8 having the elastic blade and the lubricant application mechanism used in the present embodiment.

In the figure, reference numeral 8a denotes a cleaning blade (elastic blade), 8b denotes a toner collecting sheet, and 8c denotes a waste toner collecting container.

As described above, a small amount of residual toner remaining on the surface of the photosensitive drum 1 after the primary transfer is removed from the photosensitive drum 1 by the cleaning blade 8a provided in the cleaning device 8, and the waste toner is collected. The sheet is stored in the waste toner collecting container 8c without being scattered outside the cleaning device 8 by the sheet 8b.

In the cleaning device 8, the rotation direction of the photosensitive drum 1 of the cleaning blade 8a (FIG. 1)
A solid lubricant 8d fixedly arranged at a location upstream with respect to the middle arrow R1 direction), and a brush roller (lubricant application roller) 8e contacting both the lubricant 8d and the photosensitive drum 1 Is installed to be rotatable. The lubricant 8d and the brush roller 8e constitute a lubricant application mechanism. The brush roller 8e is rotated at a speed of 30 rpm in the direction of arrow R8, and the lubricant 8d scraped off by the brush roller 8e is applied on the photosensitive drum 1. In the present embodiment, zinc stearate is used for the solid lubricant 8d. Higher fatty acids can be used.

On the other hand, the cleaning blade 8a is formed of polyurethane rubber integrally held at the tip end of the sheet metal 8f, and the cleaning blade 8a contacts the photosensitive drum 1 under a predetermined penetration amount δ and a set angle θ. Touched. The definition of the intrusion amount δ and the set angle θ are as described above with reference to FIG.

Further, regarding the method of measuring the contact pressure,
Referring to FIG. 7, first, the cleaning blade 8a cut to a width of 1 cm is set on the blade base 13 movable by the motor 12 in the direction of arrow K13 in FIG.
The cleaning blade 8a is set at a desired setting angle θ, in this embodiment, at 32 °, and is brought into contact with the load sensor 14. Next, the penetration amount δ for which the blade base 13 is to be obtained.
In the direction of the load sensor 14 by the
Is moved in the direction of the arrow K14, and the output value of the load sensor 14 at that time is amplified by the amplifier 15 so that the voltmeter 1
Read at 6. Then, the previously determined load per unit voltage is replaced by the linear pressure per unit length, and the value obtained in this manner is used as the contact pressure.

The hardness of the material of the cleaning blade 8a is selected so that a contact pressure of 55 g / cm or more can be obtained within a range where the amount of the cleaning blade 8a entering the photosensitive drum 1 does not exceed 1.6 mm. Was done. In the process,
It has been found that if the hardness of the cleaning blade 8a is too high, the function of the cleaning blade 8a will not function as an elastic blade, for example, the followability of the cleaning blade 8a to the photosensitive drum 1 will be impaired depending on environmental conditions. Further, as shown in the graph of FIG. 8, the hardness of the cleaning blade 8a obtained by the above-described contact pressure measuring method, the contact angle (set angle), and the hardness 60 ° to 85 °
° or less (JIS A) was determined to be suitable and used.

In order to confirm the effects of the present embodiment, it is necessary to confirm the effects of a low-temperature and low-humidity environment (temperature of 10 ° C. and humidity of 10%), a normal temperature and normal humidity environment (temperature of 23 ° C. and humidity of 50%), and a high-temperature and high humidity environment ( At a temperature of 35 ° C. and a humidity of 85%), the contact pressure of the cleaning blade 8a against the photosensitive drum 1 and the peripheral speed of the photosensitive drum 1 (two stages of 120 mm / sec and 30 mm / sec)
, And an experiment was conducted to examine the cleaning property and other problems in a durability test of 6,000 sheets by continuous color printing.

As a result, when the contact pressure of the cleaning blade 8a with respect to the photosensitive drum 1 is less than 50 g / cm in a low-temperature and low-humidity environment regardless of the peripheral speed of the photosensitive drum 1, the durability test proceeds with the cleaning failure. Has occurred. This is because the contact pressure of the cleaning blade 8a against the photosensitive drum 1 is low, so that the toner slightly passes through the cleaning blade 8a in the course of the durability test, and the cleaning blade 8a
It is considered that the edge portion is cut off and "chip" occurs.

On the other hand, in an environment of normal temperature and normal humidity to high temperature and high humidity, the contact pressure is 125 g / cm or more when the peripheral speed of the photosensitive drum 1 is 120 mm / sec. When the pressure was set to 30 mm / sec, blade squealing occurred at 110 g / cm or more.

In order to confirm the effect of applying the lubricant, a similar durability test was conducted by removing the lubricant application mechanism from the cleaning device 8. Set the peripheral speed of the photosensitive drum 1 to 12
At 0 mm / sec, the blade squeal and fusion occurred at 80 g / cm or more, and when the peripheral speed of the photosensitive drum 1 was 30 mm / sec, 55 g / cm or more.

FIG. 9 shows a list of the results of the above experiments. It should be noted that “CLN failure” in FIG.

Judging from these results, in the present embodiment, regardless of the peripheral speed of the photosensitive drum 1, the contact pressure of the cleaning blade 8a against the photosensitive drum 1 is 55 g / cm or more.
It has been found that it is desirable to set it to not more than 05 g / cm.

Therefore, by setting the contact pressure of the cleaning blade 8a to the photosensitive drum 1 to 70 g / cm and supplying a lubricant to the surface of the photosensitive drum, cleaning failures in low-temperature, low-humidity, normal-temperature, normal-humidity, and high-temperature, high-humidity environments are obtained. And the occurrence of fusing and blade squeak were suppressed.

<Embodiment 2> The image forming apparatus according to the present embodiment shown in FIG. 10 automatically detects the environmental state in which the image forming apparatus is used in the image forming apparatus according to Embodiment 1 described above. A feature is added in that a mechanism for adjusting the contact pressure of the cleaning blade 8a against the photosensitive drum 1 by changing the amount of penetration δ of the cleaning blade 8a according to this information is added. In the following, mainly points different from the first embodiment will be described, and duplicate points will be omitted as appropriate.

In the image forming apparatus of the present embodiment, the environmental condition in which the image forming apparatus is installed is obtained via the environment sensor 17 composed of a temperature / humidity sensor. , And divides into three environmental zones of normal temperature, normal humidity, and high temperature and high humidity, and emits a signal corresponding to each.

This operation is performed at the same time when the power of the image forming apparatus is turned on. The contact pressure of the cleaning blade 8a against the photosensitive drum 1 is reduced until the image forming apparatus enters a standby state through a predetermined sequence. 80 at low temperature and low humidity
g / cm, 60 g / cm at normal temperature and normal humidity, 45 g / cm at high temperature and high humidity
The penetration amount δ of the cleaning blade 8a is adjusted in three stages so that

As shown in FIG. 11, as a means for varying the amount of penetration δ of the cleaning blade 8a, rotation of the cam 19 and expansion and contraction of a spring (tension spring) 20 in the direction of arrow K8 in FIG. A movable structure was adopted.

In order to confirm the effects of the image forming apparatus of the present embodiment, the above-described embodiment which does not include the image forming apparatus (movable blade) of the second embodiment and a mechanism for varying the contact pressure of the cleaning blade 8a. Each of the image forming apparatuses of Embodiment 1 (fixed with a blade) was subjected to a durability test of 3000 sheets by intermittent color printing, and the shaving amount of the surface layer of the photosensitive drum was measured. FIG. 12 shows the result.

From this result, it can be seen that even at the same contact pressure, the amount of shaving of the surface layer of the photosensitive drum is greater in a high-temperature and high-humidity environment than in a low-temperature and low-humidity environment. This is considered to be due to the fact that the slipperiness of the photosensitive drum surface is reduced in the high-temperature and high-humidity environment described in the first embodiment.

Further, in the image forming apparatus of the present embodiment provided with the mechanism for varying the contact pressure of the cleaning blade 8a, the image forming apparatus of the first embodiment having no mechanism for varying the contact pressure of the cleaning blade 8a is provided. The amount of scraping of the surface layer of the photosensitive drum is reduced in a range from normal temperature and normal humidity to high temperature and high humidity.

On the other hand, with respect to the blade squeal, the peripheral speed of the photosensitive drum 1 was reduced to 12 during the durability test performed in the present embodiment.
Although the confirmation was performed by changing to two stages of 0 mm / sec and 30 mm / sec, no blade squeal occurred at any endurance number. When the same durability was performed by removing the lubricant application mechanism from the cleaning device 8 as a trial,
It is noted that when the peripheral speed of the photosensitive drum 1 was set to 30 mm / sec throughout the durability, severe blade squealing occurred in a high temperature and high humidity environment.

In the present embodiment, after the lubricant is supplied to the surface of the photosensitive drum, a cleaning failure is likely to occur.
In a constant temperature and low humidity environment where the shaving amount is small, the contact pressure of the cleaning blade 8a against the photosensitive drum 1 is set to be high to prevent the occurrence of the cleaning blade 8a defect, and the blade squeal is likely to occur and the shaving amount is large. In a high temperature and high humidity environment, the cleaning blade 8
By setting the contact pressure of a low, it was possible to prevent blade squeal, suppress the amount of scraping of the photosensitive drum 1, and extend its life.

<Embodiment 3> This embodiment relates to FIG.
As shown in FIG. 2, the outermost layer of the photosensitive drum 1 (see FIG. 2) used in the image forming apparatus of the first embodiment has a surface release layer (release property) for improving the slipperiness of the photosensitive drum surface. (Layer) 1e.

That is, in the photosensitive drum 1 shown in the present embodiment, a charge generation layer 1b made of a phthalocyanine compound having a thickness of 0.2 μm is formed on a core metal 1a made of aluminum having an outer diameter of about 60 mm. The upper layer has a thickness of 15
The charge transport layer 1c in which a hydrazone compound is dispersed in polycarbonate as a binder having a thickness of μm is formed, and a surface release layer 1e having a thickness of 4 μm is formed thereon by dipping. This surface release layer 1
e is a binder of acrylic having ultraviolet curability,
This has a particle diameter of about 0.3μ as fluorine particles.
m of Teflon (trade name) is dispersed by 40%.

As described above, by separating the function into two layers, that is, the charge transport layer 1c and the surface release layer 1e for improving the releasability, a large amount of fluorine particles is added to the surface release layer 1e. This makes it possible to significantly improve the slipperiness of the photosensitive drum surface.

When the contact angle and the slipperiness of the photosensitive drum surface used in the present embodiment with water were measured, the contact angle was 100 ° and the slipperiness was 0.4. If the amount of the fluorine particles added to the surface release layer 1e is excessively added, the binding force of the binder is relatively weakened, the film strength is reduced, and the film becomes brittle. It is preferable to set the upper limit.

In order to confirm the effect of the present embodiment, in a low-temperature and low-humidity environment,
In a normal temperature and normal humidity environment, and in a high temperature and high humidity environment, the contact pressure of the cleaning blade 8a against the photosensitive drum 1 and the peripheral speed of the photosensitive drum 1 (2 of 120 mm / sec and 30 mm / sec)
6000) by continuous color printing
An experiment was conducted to examine the cleaning property and other defects in the durability test of the sheets.

As a result, when the contact pressure of the cleaning blade 8a with respect to the photosensitive drum 1 falls below 50 g / cm in a low-temperature and low-humidity environment regardless of the peripheral speed of the photosensitive drum 1, the durability test proceeds with the cleaning failure. Has occurred.

On the other hand, in a normal temperature and normal humidity to high temperature and high humidity environment, the contact pressure is 135 g / cm or more when the peripheral speed of the photosensitive drum 1 is 120 mm / sec. When the pressure was set to 30 mm / sec, blade squealing occurred at 115 g / cm or more.

The results of the above experiments are shown in a table in FIG.

Judging from these results, in this embodiment, regardless of the peripheral speed of the photosensitive drum 1, the contact pressure of the cleaning blade 8a against the photosensitive drum 1 is 55 g / cm or more.
It has been found that it is desirable to set it to 10 g / cm or less.

Therefore, by setting the contact pressure of the cleaning blade 8a to the photosensitive drum 1 at 80 g / cm and supplying a lubricant to the surface of the photosensitive drum, poor cleaning can be performed in low-temperature, low-humidity, normal-temperature, normal-humidity, and high-temperature, high-humidity environments. And the occurrence of fusing and blade squeak were suppressed.

A surface release layer 1e is formed on the outermost layer of the photosensitive drum.
To improve the slipperiness, the allowable range of the contact pressure of the cleaning blade 8a with respect to the photosensitive drum 1, which is necessary for preventing defective cleaning and suppressing fusion and blade squeal, is as described above. Embodiment 1
Therefore, the performance of the image forming apparatus can be stabilized, and the setting accuracy of the penetration amount δ of the cleaning blade 8a can be simplified.

The photosensitive drum 1 shown in the present embodiment
Even when the cleaning blade 8 is used, as described in the second embodiment, the cleaning blade 8 may be used in accordance with the surrounding environment.
By making the contact pressure a of the photosensitive drum 1 variable, it is possible to more effectively prevent poor cleaning, suppress fusion and blade squeal, and extend the life of the photosensitive drum 1. Needless to say.

<Embodiment 4> In the present embodiment, in the image forming apparatus of Embodiment 1 described above, a photosensitive drum peripheral speed detecting means is added, and the photosensitive drum is controlled in accordance with information from the detecting means. It is characterized by performing and stopping the application of the lubricant to the surface.

FIG. 15 shows switching means for switching between execution and stop of the application of the lubricant 8d. The solid lubricant 8d and the brush roller 8e provided in the cleaning device 8 are integrated and stored in the housing 8g, and are moved together with the housing 8g by a switching motor (not shown). Brush roller 8e
Can be contacted and separated.

In the image forming apparatus of this embodiment, when the peripheral speed of the photosensitive drum 1 is set to 120 mm / sec, the application of the lubricant 8d is stopped by separating the brush roller 8e from the photosensitive drum surface. On the other hand, when the peripheral speed of the photosensitive drum 1 is 30 mm / sec, the brush 8e is brought into contact with the surface of the photosensitive drum to apply the lubricant 8d. Also,
In the image forming apparatus of the present embodiment, the image forming operation is performed with the normal peripheral speed of the photosensitive drum 1 at 120 mm / sec, and the peripheral speed of the photosensitive drum 1 is set at 30 mm / sec only when thick paper or OHT paper is used. By extending the residence time in a fixing device (not shown), the fixing property of the image on the transfer material is stabilized.

Further, the contact pressure of the cleaning blade 8a against the photosensitive drum 1 was set to 70 g / cm, and zinc stearate having a JIS pencil hardness of 2B was used as the solid lubricant 8d. The brush roller 8e is made to penetrate the zinc stearate by 1 mm, and the brush roller 8e rotates at a speed of 30 rpm in the counter direction (the direction of the arrow R8) with respect to the rotation direction of the photosensitive drum 1 (the direction of the arrow R1). To do.

In order to confirm the effect of the present embodiment, the photosensitive drum 1 is rotated at a peripheral speed of 120 mm / sec every 100 sheets in a low-temperature and low-humidity environment, a normal temperature and normal humidity environment, and a high-temperature and high humidity environment.
And 30 mm / sec alternately, and a durability test for outputting a full-color image was performed, respectively, to examine the occurrence of defective cleaning, fusion, and blade squeal.

As a result, in the normal temperature and normal humidity environment and the high temperature and high humidity environment, the image forming apparatus of the above-described first embodiment has approximately 6
At the time of 800 sheets, the fusion of the external additive began to occur on the surface of the photosensitive drum, and at about 7000 sheets, the peripheral speed of the photosensitive drum 1 was reduced to 30 mm.
A severe blade squeal occurred at / sec.

On the other hand, in the image forming apparatus of this embodiment,
Under any environment, fusion and blade squeal did not occur until durability was interrupted at 8,000 sheets.

However, no cleaning failure has occurred in any of the image forming apparatuses.

As described above, in the image forming apparatus of this embodiment, the cleaning failure is prevented and the lubricant 8d is concentrated on the surface of the photosensitive drum only when the peripheral speed of the photosensitive drum 1 is set to 30 mm / sec. By supplying, the consumption of the lubricant 8d was reduced, and the effect of preventing fusion and blade squeak was prolonged.

<Embodiment 5> In this embodiment, in the image forming apparatus of Embodiment 1 described above, means for detecting the peripheral speed of the photosensitive drum 1 is added, and according to the information from this detecting means, The amount of the lubricant 8d applied to the surface of the photosensitive drum is increased or decreased.

As means for increasing / decreasing the applied amount of the lubricant 8d, the photosensitive drum 1 and the solid lubricant 8d in the cleaning device 8 used in the first embodiment shown in FIG.
A means for changing the driving speed of the brush roller 8e brought into contact with is used.

In the image forming apparatus of the present embodiment, when the peripheral speed of the photosensitive drum 1 is 120 mm / sec, the driving speed of the brush roller 8e is 30 rpm, and the peripheral speed of the photosensitive drum 1 is 30 mm / sec. When sec is set, the drive speed of the brush roller 8e is set to 45 rpm, and control is performed so as to increase the application amount of the lubricant 8d applied to the photosensitive drum surface. Further, in the image forming apparatus of the present embodiment, the image forming operation is performed by setting the peripheral speed of the normal photosensitive drum 1 to 120 mm / sec, and the peripheral speed of the photosensitive drum 1 is reduced to 30 mm / sec only when thick paper or OHT paper is used. The fixing time of the image on the transfer material is stabilized by extending the residence time in a fixing device (not shown).

Further, the contact pressure of the cleaning blade 8a against the photosensitive drum 1 was set at 110 g / cm, and zinc stearate having a JIS pencil hardness of 2B was used as the solid lubricant 8d. The brush roller 8e is made to penetrate the zinc stearate by 1 mm, and the brush roller 8e rotates at a speed of 30 rpm in the counter direction with respect to the rotation direction of the photosensitive drum 1.

In order to confirm the effects of the present embodiment, the photosensitive drum 1 is rotated every 100 sheets under a low-temperature, low-humidity environment, a normal-temperature, normal-humidity environment, and a high-temperature, high-humidity environment at a peripheral speed of 120 mm / se.
Switching between c and 30 mm / sec was performed alternately, and a durability test of a total of 6000 sheets for outputting a full-color image was carried out, and the occurrence of poor cleaning, fusion, and blade squeal were examined.

As a result, under the normal temperature and normal humidity environment and the high temperature and high humidity environment, in the image forming apparatus of the first embodiment, severe blade squealing occurs when the peripheral speed of the photosensitive drum 1 is set to 30 mm / sec. did.

On the other hand, in the image forming apparatus of this embodiment,
No fusion or blade squealing occurred under any of the circumstances.

However, no cleaning failure has occurred in any of the image forming apparatuses.

In the image forming apparatus according to the present embodiment, the amount of consumption of the lubricant 8d is always 45
As compared with the case where the motor is rotated at a speed of rpm, the speed can be suppressed lower. For this reason, as described above, the effect of suppressing the fusion and the blade squeal is maintained longer as compared with the case where the brush roller 8e is constantly rotated at the speed of 45 rpm, as described in the fourth embodiment of the present invention. It is clear.

As described above, in the image forming apparatus of this embodiment, the cleaning failure is prevented, and the supply amount of the lubricant 8d is increased when the peripheral speed of the photosensitive drum 1 is set to 30 mm / sec. As compared with the image forming apparatus of the first embodiment in which the application amount of the lubricant 8d is not increased, the effect of suppressing fusion and blade squeal can be extended at a higher contact pressure of the cleaning blade 8a.

<Embodiment 6> An image forming apparatus and a process cartridge of this embodiment are the same as those of Embodiment 1 described above.
As shown in FIG. 16, a process cartridge 21 is constructed by integrally incorporating a photosensitive drum 1, a charging roller 2 serving as a charging unit, and a cleaning device 8 into a cartridge container as shown in FIG. The image forming operation is performed by attaching the image forming apparatus 21 to the image forming apparatus main body.

In this embodiment, the peripheral speed of the photosensitive drum 1 is set to 1
The cleaning blade 8 can be changed in two stages of 20 mm / sec and 30 mm / sec.
The contact pressure of a was 70 g / cm. Further, by supplying the lubricant 8d to the surface of the photosensitive drum, any of the photosensitive drums 1 is provided.
Even at a peripheral speed of, cleaning failure was prevented in each of low-temperature, low-humidity, normal-temperature, normal-humidity, and high-temperature, high-humidity environments, and the occurrence of fusion and blade squeak was suppressed.

Further, by adopting the process cartridge system, it is possible to simplify procedures such as replacement of consumable parts such as the photosensitive drum 1 and processing of waste toner accumulated in the waste toner collecting container 8c.

[0107]

As described above, according to the first aspect of the present invention, the elastic blade abutted against the image carrier at a high pressure prevents the developer from passing through the nip portion, and the image carrier has The friction applied to the elastic blade nip is reduced by the lubricant applied to the surface, and the blade squeal is suppressed. Further, by applying the lubricant, the adhesion of the toner and the external additive to the surface of the image carrier is weakened, and the fusion is prevented.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, the elastic blade, which is in contact with the image carrier at a high pressure, prevents the developer from passing through the nip portion, and the lubricant applied to the surface of the image carrier uses the elastic blade. Friction at the elastic blade nip is kept small, and blade squeal is suppressed. Further, by applying the lubricant, the adhesion of the toner and the external additive to the surface of the image carrier is weakened, and the fusion is prevented. In addition, since the contact pressure of the elastic blade with respect to the image carrier can be adjusted according to environmental conditions, for example, in a low-humidity and low-temperature environment where the fluidity of the toner is high and the adhesion to the image carrier is high due to the influence of an electric field, The contact pressure is set high to prevent poor cleaning, and at room temperature and normal humidity to high temperature and high humidity, the contact pressure of the elastic blade is set low to prevent fusion and blade squeal and reduce wear of each member. The life can be extended.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, the elastic blade has a contact pressure of 55 g / cm to 105 g / cm of the elastic blade with respect to the image carrier, which is determined by the hardness of the material of the elastic blade, the amount of penetration and the set angle. In this case, the amount of elastic blades that invade the image carrier can be reduced. When the intrusion amount is extremely increased, the elastic blade may come into contact with the image carrier in a state where the elastic blade does not abut at the edge (anti-belly). Since the amount of intrusion can be suppressed small, belly contact can be prevented, and occurrence of cleaning failure can be prevented.

According to the fourth aspect of the invention, the slipperiness of the surface of the image carrier can be remarkably improved, and the friction generated between the elastic blade and the image carrier can be reduced. For this reason, the effect of preventing fusion and blade squeal can be further enhanced in combination with the effect of applying the lubricant.

According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, in particular, the squealing phenomenon of the blade is more than 20 mm / sec to 40 mm / sec.
When performing image formation outside the following image formation speed range,
The consumption of the lubricant can be reduced, and the blade squeak prevention effect can be obtained over a long period of time when the image forming speed is 20 mm / sec or more and 40 mm / sec or less.

According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, in particular, the blade squealing phenomenon is liable to occur in the range of 20 mm / sec to 40 mm / sec.
In the following image forming speed range, the amount of the lubricant applied to the image carrier can be increased, the friction between the elastic blade and the image carrier can be reduced, and a further blade squeak prevention effect can be obtained. . 20mm / sec or less or 40mm
When performing image formation at an image formation speed of / sec or more, it is possible to set the amount of the lubricant applied to the image carrier to a relatively low value, and to increase the amount as needed. For this reason, the consumption amount of the lubricant is suppressed, and the blade squeak prevention effect can be obtained for a long period in each image forming speed range.

According to the seventh and eighth aspects of the present invention, at the time of maintenance of the apparatus or replenishment of consumable parts, if the integrated process cartridges are replaced according to the purpose,
A good image can be easily obtained at any time.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view illustrating a schematic configuration of an image forming apparatus according to a first embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view illustrating a schematic configuration of a photosensitive drum according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a shape factor SF1.

FIG. 4 is a view for explaining a shape factor SF2.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a schematic configuration of a toner.

FIG. 6 is a longitudinal sectional view illustrating a schematic configuration of a cleaning device according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a method of measuring a contact pressure of a cleaning blade.

FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating the relationship between the contact pressure and the hardness and penetration amount of the cleaning blade.

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing experimental results of the first embodiment.

FIG. 10 is a longitudinal sectional view illustrating a schematic configuration of an image forming apparatus according to a second embodiment.

FIG. 11 is an operation explanatory diagram for changing the contact pressure of the cleaning blade.

FIG. 12 is a diagram showing experimental results of the second embodiment.

FIG. 13 is a longitudinal sectional view illustrating a schematic configuration of a photosensitive drum according to a third embodiment.

FIG. 14 is a diagram showing experimental results of the third embodiment.

FIG. 15 is a longitudinal sectional view illustrating a schematic configuration of a lubricant application mechanism according to a fourth embodiment.

FIG. 16 is a longitudinal sectional view illustrating a schematic configuration of a process cartridge according to a sixth embodiment.

FIG. 17 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a schematic configuration of a conventional cleaning device of a blade cleaning system.

FIG. 18 illustrates a cleaning blade 8 for a photosensitive drum.
FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining the penetration amount δ and the set angle θ of FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 1 image carrier (photosensitive drum) 1e release layer (surface release layer) 2 charging means (charging roller) 3 exposure means (exposure device) 4 developing means (developing device) 5 non-transfer member (intermediate transfer member) 8 Cleaning means (cleaning device) 8a Elastic blade (cleaning blade) 8d Lubricant 8e Lubricant application roller (brush roller) 8f Support member 21 Process cartridge

Claims (8)

[Claims] 1. A charging device, an exposure device, a developing device, a transfer device, and a cleaning device are sequentially disposed around a rotatable image carrier, and an electrostatic latent image formed on the surface of the image carrier is developed by a developer. An image forming apparatus for developing a visible image, electrostatically transferring the image to a non-transferable member surface at a transfer portion, and then removing residual developer remaining on the image bearing member surface from the image bearing member surface by the cleaning unit; The developer has a shape factor SF1 of 100 to 150, and the cleaning unit is held by a support member and has a linear pressure of 55 g / cm or more and 105 g / cm or less on the surface of the image carrier. An elastic blade that is in contact with the solid lubricant, and a lubricant applying roller disposed so as to be in contact with the lubricant and the image carrier, and the lubricant applying roller is moved in a predetermined direction. rotation And thereby applying a lubricant to the surface of the image carrier. 2. A charging device, an exposure device, a developing device, a transfer device, and a cleaning device are sequentially arranged around a rotatable image carrier, and an electrostatic latent image formed on the surface of the image carrier is developed by a developer. An image forming apparatus for developing a visible image, electrostatically transferring the image to a non-transferable member surface at a transfer portion, and then removing residual developer remaining on the image bearing member surface from the image bearing member surface by the cleaning unit; The developer has a shape factor SF1 set to 100 to 150, and the cleaning unit is held by a support member and is in contact with the surface of the image carrier, and also has a contact pressure according to ambient environmental conditions. An elastic blade that changes in a range of 55 g / cm or more and 105 g / cm or less, a solid lubricant, and a lubricant application roller disposed so as to be in contact with the lubricant and the image carrier; Jun An image forming apparatus, wherein a lubricant is applied to the surface of the image carrier by rotating a lubricant applying roller in a predetermined direction. 3. The elastic blade has a hardness of 60 ° or more and 8 or more.
The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image forming apparatus is formed of a polyurethane rubber of 5 ° or less. 4. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a release layer is provided on the outermost part of the image carrier. 5. An image forming speed changing mechanism for changing an image forming speed, wherein said image forming speed is set to 20 mm
/ Sec or more and 40 mm / sec or less, a lubricant is applied to the surface of the image carrier. When the image forming speed is 20 mm / sec or less or 40 mm / sec or more, the lubricant is applied. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image forming apparatus stops. 6. An image forming speed changing mechanism for changing an image forming speed, wherein said image forming speed is set to 20 mm
/ Sec or more and 40 mm / sec or less.
3. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the rotation speed of the lubricant application roller is set to be higher than the rotation speed of the lubricant application roller when the rotation speed is equal to or less than 40 mm / sec or more. 7. A process cartridge detachably mounted to an image forming apparatus main body, wherein at least an image carrier, a cleaning means, a solid lubricant, and a contact between the lubricant and the image carrier. The developer for forming an image on the image carrier has a shape factor of S, which is formed by integrally incorporating the arranged lubricant application roller and the cartridge into a cartridge container to form a cartridge.
F1 is set to 100 to 150, and the cleaning means is an elastic blade held by a support member and brought into contact with the surface of the image carrier with a contact pressure of a linear pressure of 55 g / cm or more and 105 g / cm or less. The lubricant application roller is disposed so as to be in contact with the solid lubricant and the image carrier, and is rotated in a predetermined direction to apply a lubricant to the surface of the image carrier. A process cartridge to be applied. 8. A process cartridge detachably mounted to an image forming apparatus main body, wherein at least an image carrier, a cleaning means, a solid lubricant, and a contact between the lubricant and the image carrier. The developer for forming an image on the image carrier has a shape factor of S, which is formed by integrally incorporating the arranged lubricant application roller and the cartridge into a cartridge container to form a cartridge.
F1 is set to 100 to 150, and the cleaning unit is held by a support member and is in contact with the surface of the image carrier, and also has a contact pressure of 55 g / cm or more and 105 g / cm or more depending on surrounding environmental conditions. having an elastic blade that changes in a range of not more than cm, and the lubricant application roller is disposed so as to be in contact with the solid lubricant and the image carrier, and is rotated in a predetermined direction. A process cartridge, wherein a lubricant is applied to the surface of the image carrier.