Developing device and image forming device having the same

Abstract

The present invention provides a developing device and an image forming device having the developing device. The developing device includes a developing container, a developer carrier, a sealing member and a pair of pressing members. The developing container has an opening. The sealing member blocks the gap between the developer carrier and the opening. The sealing member includes: a contact end portion, which contacts the entire area of ​​the outer peripheral surface of the developer carrier in the direction of the rotation axis, and is an end edge of the sealing member in the long side direction that is close to the developer carrier; and a clamping end portion, which is clamped between the two ends of the developer carrier and each pressing member, and is an end edge of the sealing member that is orthogonal to the contact end portion. A chamfered shape is formed at the corner between the contact end portion and the clamping end portion.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a developing device and an image forming apparatus including the developing device. Background Art

[0002] Image forming apparatuses such as copiers, printers, fax machines and multifunction machines utilizing electrophotography are equipped with a developing device for developing an electrostatic latent image formed on the peripheral surface of an image carrier, that is, forming a toner image (developer image) showing the electrostatic latent image.

[0003] The developing device includes a developing container and a developer carrier, wherein the developer carrier is arranged in contact with or close to the image carrier and is used to carry the developer. The developing container contains the developer including the toner. The developing container has a container opening portion that opens to the downstream side of the developing device in the moving direction of the developing device. The developer carrier is arranged in contact with or close to the image carrier. The developer carrier carries the developer (toner) in the developing container on the outer peripheral surface.

[0004] The developer carrier is arranged to overlap with the container opening. A portion of the developer carrier is exposed to the outside of the developing device through the container opening. The toner in the developing container is supplied to the image carrier from the exposed portion of the developer carrier.

[0005] As such a developing device, there is a developing device in which a sheet-like sealing member is provided in the gap between the lower portion of the outer peripheral surface of the developer carrier and the edge portion below the container opening. The sealing member is arranged on the inner surface of the developing container along the rotation axis direction (long side direction) of the developer carrier. The sealing member blocks the gap between the lower portion of the outer peripheral surface of the developer carrier and the edge portion of the container opening, thereby suppressing the developer from flowing out of the gap.

[0006] In addition, a pair of pressing members are provided in the gap between the two ends of the developer carrier in the direction of the rotation axis and the developer container. The pressing members protrude from the inner surface of the developer container toward the outer peripheral surface of the developer carrier, contact and press the outer peripheral surfaces of the two ends of the developer carrier. The gap between the developer container and the developer carrier is blocked by the contact and pressing of the pressing members with the outer peripheral surface of the developer carrier, thereby suppressing the outflow of the developer. The two end portions of the sealing member along the direction of the rotation axis are sandwiched in the gap between the pressing members and the developer carrier. Summary of the invention

[0007] An object of the present invention is to provide a developing device that can maintain sealing performance with respect to a developer and suppress noise and deterioration of a sealing member.

[0008] A developing device of a first structure of the present invention includes: a developing container having an opening and accommodating a developer including a toner therein; a developer carrier rotatably supported on the developing container, a portion of an outer peripheral surface of the developer carrier carrying the developer being exposed from the opening; a sealing member arranged along the rotation axis direction of the developer carrier to block a gap between the developer carrier and the opening; and a pair of pressing members contacting both ends of the developer carrier in the rotation axis direction and the sealing member to block a gap between the both ends of the developer carrier and the developing container, the sealing member comprising: a contact end portion contacting the entire area of ​​the outer peripheral surface of the developer carrier in the rotation axis direction, being an end edge of the sealing member in the long side direction close to the developer carrier; and a clamping end portion clamped between the both ends of the developer carrier and each of the pressing members, being an end edge of the sealing member orthogonal to the contact end portion, a chamfered shape being formed at a corner between the contact end portion and the clamping end portion.

[0009] The image forming device of the second structure of the present invention includes: a device body; an image carrier, which is arranged inside the device body and forms an electrostatic latent image on the outer peripheral surface; and a developing device of the above structure, which is detachably arranged inside the device body, and when the developing device is installed inside the device body, the developer carrier is in contact with or close to the outer peripheral surface of the image carrier to develop the electrostatic latent image into a colorant image.

[0010] According to the first structure of the present invention, the outflow of the developer in the developer container can be suppressed by using a sealing member and a pressing member. Moreover, a chamfered shape is formed at the corner between the contact end and the clamping end of the sealing member. Therefore, the contact area between the corner of the sealing member and the developer carrier becomes smaller, and the friction force acting on the corner becomes smaller. As a result, the corner of the sealing member becomes difficult to vibrate. Therefore, it is possible to provide a developing device that maintains sealing performance for the developer and suppresses noise and deterioration of the sealing member.

[0011] According to the second configuration of the present invention, it is possible to provide a developing device that can maintain sealing performance with respect to a developer and suppress noise and deterioration of a sealing member. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0012] Figure 1 It is a side sectional view showing a schematic structure of an image forming apparatus 1 according to the present invention.

[0013] Figure 2 It is a perspective view showing the entire developing device 33 .

[0014] Figure 3It is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing the periphery of the photosensitive drum 31 and the developing device 33 enlarged.

[0015] Figure 4 1 is a perspective view showing the developing device 33 in a state where the developing roller 37 , the regulating blade 64 , and the bushing cover 63 are removed from the developing device 33 .

[0016] Figure 5 It is a plan view showing the developing device 33 from above in a state where the developing roller 37 is removed.

[0017] Figure 6 It means cutting with AA section line Figure 5 The cross-sectional view of the developing device 33 shown is obtained in section.

[0018] Figure 7 It is a plan view showing another example of the developing device 33 of the present invention.

[0019] Figure 8 It is a plan view showing still another example of the developing device 33 of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0020] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Figure 1 1 is a side cross-sectional view showing a schematic structure of an image forming apparatus 1 of the present invention. Figure 1 In the figure, the right side is set as the front side of the image forming device 1, and the left side is set as the rear side of the image forming device 1. Figure 1 In the figure, the upper side in the figure is defined as the upper side of the image forming apparatus 1 , and the lower side in the figure is defined as the lower side of the image forming apparatus 1 .

[0021] like Figure 1 As shown, the image forming apparatus 1 (here, a monochrome printer) includes a main housing 10 (apparatus body), a paper feed unit 20, an image forming unit 30, and a fixing unit 40. The main housing 10 has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped frame structure. The paper feed unit 20 is accommodated in the main housing 10.

[0022] The main body housing 10 is provided with a front cover 11, a rear cover 12, a main body opening 15, and an upper cover 16. The front cover 11 is located on the front surface side of the main body housing 10. The rear cover 12 is located on the rear surface side of the main body housing 10. The main body opening 15 is formed above the main body housing 10. The upper cover 16 is provided on the upper surface of the main body housing 10. The upper cover 16 can open and close the main body opening 15. By opening the upper cover 16, the interior of the main body housing 10 can be entered through the main body opening 15.

[0023] A paper discharge unit 13 for discharging a sheet (recording medium) after image formation is provided on the upper surface of the upper cover 16. A paper discharge port 14 is provided on the upper portion of the main housing 10 so as to be opposed to the paper discharge unit 13 in the front-rear direction. The paper discharge port 14 is an opening communicating with the interior of the main housing 10. In the following description, the term "sheet" refers to copy paper, coated paper, film copy paper, thick paper, postcard, tracing paper, and other sheet materials that are subjected to image formation processing.

[0024] When the upper cover 16 is open, the developing device 33 can be put in and out of the main body housing 10 from the main body opening 15. When the rear cover 12 is open, the image forming unit 30 and the fixing unit 40 (except the developing device 33) can be put in and out from the rear surface side of the main body housing 10.

[0025] The paper feed unit 20 includes a paper feed cassette 21. The paper feed cassette 21 stores sheets for image forming. A portion of the paper feed cassette 21 protrudes forward from the front surface of the main body housing 10. The upper surface of the portion of the paper feed cassette 21 stored in the main body housing 10 is covered by a paper feed cassette top plate 21U.

[0026] The paper feed cassette 21 includes a paper storage space for storing a sheet stack, a lifting plate for lifting the sheet stack for paper feeding, etc. A paper extraction unit 21A is provided at the upper portion of the rear end side of the paper feed cassette 21. The paper extraction unit 21A is provided with a paper feed roller 21B, and the paper feed roller 21B extracts the top sheets of the sheet stack in the paper feed cassette 21 one by one.

[0027] The image forming unit 30 performs an image forming operation. The image forming operation is an operation of forming a toner image (developer image) on a sheet fed from the paper feeding unit 20. The image forming unit 30 includes a photosensitive drum 31, a charging unit 32, an exposure unit 35, a developing device 33, and a transfer roller 34 arranged around the photosensitive drum 31. The developer used for image formation is a non-magnetic single-component developer consisting only of a toner.

[0028] The photosensitive drum 31 (image carrier) includes a rotating shaft and an outer peripheral surface that rotates around the rotating shaft. The photosensitive drum 31 is composed of, for example, a well-known organic (OPC) photosensitive body, and a photosensitive layer composed of a charge generating layer, a charge transporting layer, etc. is formed on the outer peripheral surface. After the photosensitive layer is uniformly charged by the charging unit 32 described later, it is irradiated with light by the exposure unit 35 to form an electrostatic latent image with charge decay, and the developing device 33 carries a toner image that visualizes the electrostatic latent image.

[0029] The charging section 32 (charging device) is arranged at a predetermined interval relative to the outer peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum 31, so that the outer peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum 31 is uniformly charged in a non-contact state. Specifically, the charging section 32 includes a charging wire 321 and a grid electrode 322 (both refer to Figure 3The charging wire 321 is a linear electrode extending in the direction of the rotation axis of the photosensitive drum 31 and generates corona discharge between the charging wire 321 and the photosensitive drum 31. The grid electrode 322 is a grid-shaped electrode extending in the direction of the rotation axis of the photosensitive drum 31 and is disposed between the charging wire 321 and the photosensitive drum 31.

[0030] The charging section 32 generates corona discharge by passing a current of a predetermined current value through the charging wire 321 , and uniformly charges the outer peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum 31 facing the grid electrode 322 at a predetermined surface potential by applying a predetermined voltage to the grid electrode 322 .

[0031] The exposure unit 35 (exposure device) has optical system equipment such as a laser light source, a reflector, and a lens. The exposure unit 35 irradiates the outer peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum 31 with light modulated according to image data from an external device such as a personal computer. As a result, the exposure unit 35 forms an electrostatic latent image corresponding to an image based on the image data on the outer peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum 31.

[0032] The transfer roller 34 has a rotation axis parallel to the width direction of the sheet and an outer peripheral surface facing the outer peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum 31. The transfer roller 34 is supported by the main body housing 10 in a manner rotatable around the rotation axis. The transfer roller 34 transfers the toner image carried on the outer peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum 31 to the sheet passing through the nip portion between the transfer roller 34 and the outer peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum 31. During the transfer, a transfer voltage with a polarity opposite to that of the toner is applied to the transfer roller 34.

[0033] The fixing unit 40 is located downstream of the transfer roller 34 in the sheet conveying direction, and fixes the toner image transferred to the sheet on the sheet. The fixing unit 40 includes a fixing roller 41 and a pressure roller 42. The fixing roller 41 has a heating source inside, and heats the toner transferred to the sheet to a predetermined temperature. The pressure roller 42 is in pressure contact with the fixing roller 41, and a fixing nip is formed between the pressure roller 42 and the fixing roller 41. If the sheet to which the toner image is transferred is conveyed to the fixing nip, the toner image is fixed on the sheet by the heating of the fixing roller 41 and the pressing of the pressure roller 42.

[0034] A main conveying path 22F and a reverse conveying path 22B are provided in the main housing 10. The main conveying path 22F and the reverse conveying path 22B convey sheets. The main conveying path 22F extends from the paper extraction portion 21A of the paper feeding portion 20 to the paper discharge port 14 via the image forming portion 30 and the fixing portion 40. The reverse conveying path 22B is a conveying path for returning the sheet after single-side printing to the upstream side of the image forming portion 30 in the main conveying path 22F when double-sided printing is performed on the sheet.

[0035] The main conveying passage 22F extends from the bottom to the top through the transfer nip formed by the photosensitive drum 31 and the transfer roller 34. In addition, a registration roller pair 23 is arranged on the upstream side of the transfer nip in the main conveying passage 22F. The sheet is temporarily stopped by the registration roller pair 23, and after the skew correction is performed, it is sent to the transfer nip at a predetermined timing for image transfer. The main conveying passage 22F and the reverse conveying passage 22B are provided with a plurality of conveying rollers for conveying the sheet. A discharge roller pair 24 is arranged near the discharge port 14.

[0036] The reversing conveying passage 22B is formed between the outer side surface of the reversing unit 25 and the inner surface of the rear cover 12 of the main housing 10. In addition, a transfer roller 34 and a roller of one side of the registration roller pair 23 are mounted on the inner side surface of the reversing unit 25. The rear cover 12 and the reversing unit 25 can rotate around the axis of the fulcrum portion 121 provided at the lower end thereof. In the case of a paper jam in the reversing conveying passage 22B, the rear cover 12 is opened. In the case of a paper jam in the main conveying passage 22F, or in the case of taking out the unit of the photosensitive drum 31 and the developing device 33 to the outside, in addition to opening the rear cover 12, the reversing unit 25 is also opened.

[0037] like Figure 1 As shown, in the main housing 10, the width direction of the sheet body ( Figure 1 A guide rail 18 is formed on a pair of side surfaces 17 that are opposite to each other in the paper plane direction. The guide rail 18 has a track structure that is recessed in the width direction of the sheet. The guide rail 18 extends downward from the main body opening 15 to an installation position P1 where a developing device 33 described later is installed in the main body housing 10.

[0038] Figure 2 It is a perspective view showing the entire developing device 33 . Figure 3 It is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing the periphery of the photosensitive drum 31 and the developing device 33 enlarged.

[0039] like Figure 1 , Figure 2 , Figure 3 As shown, the developing device 33 includes a developing container 36 , a developing roller 37 (developer carrier), a supply roller 38 , a stirring blade 333 , a bushing cover 63 , and a guide portion 69 .

[0040] The developing container 36 contains a non-magnetic single-component developer consisting of only toner, and contains a developing roller 37, a supply roller 38, etc. The developing container 36 has a stirring chamber 335 and a container opening 60 (opening). The stirring chamber 335 contains the developer in a stirred state.

[0041] The container opening 60 is located further back than the stirring chamber 335 in the front-rear direction. The container opening 60 is a rectangular through hole opened on the rear side (close to the photosensitive drum 31) of the developing container 36. The container opening 60 is formed to be elongated in the width direction (axial direction) of the developing device 33.

[0042] The developing roller 37 is disposed inside the container opening 60 so as to overlap with the container opening 60. A portion of the outer peripheral surface of the developing roller 37 is exposed to the outside of the developing container 36 from the container opening 60. The developing roller 37 has a rotating shaft 39 extending along the width direction of the developing device 33 (the width direction of the sheet body). The rotating shaft 39 is rotatably supported on the developing container 36. In other words, the developing roller 37 is supported on the developing container 36 by the rotating shaft 39 so as to be rotatable around the rotating shaft 39. Hereinafter, the direction along the rotating shaft 39 is referred to as the "axial direction".

[0043] The developing roller 37 can carry toner on its outer peripheral surface. When the developing device 33 is located at the installation position P1, the portion of the developing roller 37 exposed from the container opening 60 is in contact with, or close to and opposite to, the outer peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum 31. In this state, the developing roller 37 can supply non-magnetic single-component toner (developer) to the photosensitive drum 31.

[0044] The supply roller 38 is provided between the developing roller 37 and the stirring blade 333. The supply roller 38 supplies non-magnetic single-component toner (developer) to the outer peripheral surface of the developing roller 37. The stirring blade 333 is provided in the stirring chamber 335, and stirs the developer inside the stirring chamber 335.

[0045] The bushing cover 63 is detachably provided at both ends of the developing container 36 in the sheet width direction. The bushing cover 63 constitutes the side wall portion of the developing container 36. The guide portion 69 is a cylindrical protrusion protruding from the bushing cover 63. The guide portion 69 can be engaged with the guide rail 18. By engaging the guide portion 69 with the guide rail 18, the developing device 33 can move along the guide rail 18 between the main body opening 15 and the installation position P1.

[0046] The developing device 33 is mounted in the main housing 10 at the mounting position P1 and supplies toner to the outer peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum 31. Thus, the electrostatic latent image formed on the outer peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum 31 is developed (a toner image (visible image) showing the electrostatic latent image is formed).

[0047] like Figure 2 , Figure 3As shown in the figure, a restriction scraper 64, a pressing member 43, a flat portion 62 and a sealing member 65 are provided around the container opening 60. The restriction scraper 64 is fixed to the rear side end of the developing container 36. The pressing member 43 is provided at both ends in the axial direction of the developing roller 37. The flat portion 62 is located further to the rear side (closer to the photosensitive drum 31 side) than the container opening 60. The sealing member 65 is stacked on the flat portion 62.

[0048] like Figure 3 As shown in FIG. 1 , the restriction blade 64 is provided at the upper portion of the opening edge of the container opening 60 and protrudes toward the developing roller 37. The distal end of the restriction blade 64 in the protruding direction is in contact with or close to the outer peripheral surface of the developing roller 37. The toner supplied to the developing roller 37 enters between the restriction blade 64 and the developing roller 37 as the developing roller 37 rotates, and is carried on the developing roller 37 as a thin layer of a fixed thickness while being frictionally charged.

[0049] Figure 4 The developing roller 37 and the restricting blade 64 (see FIG. Figure 3 ) and bushing cover 63 (refer to Figure 2 ) is a three-dimensional diagram of the developing device 33 in the state. Figure 5 The developing roller 37 (see Figure 3 ) is a top view of the developing device 33 viewed from above. Figure 6 It means cutting with AA section line Figure 5 The cross-sectional view of the cross section of the developing device 33 shown in FIG. Figure 5 The position of the developing roller 37 before removal is indicated by a dotted line.

[0050] The pressing member 43 is located at a position overlapping with both side ends of the container opening 60 in the axial direction (see Figure 2 ).like Figure 4 , Figure 5 , Figure 6 As shown, the pressing member 43 has a pressing surface 44. The pressing surface 44 is curved so as to be concave toward the front side (stirring chamber 335 side) along the outer circumference of the developing roller 37. The pressing surface 44 and the outer circumference of both end portions 66 of the developing roller 37 face each other in the radial direction of the developing roller 37.

[0051] The thickness of the pressing member 43 is formed to be larger than the gap between the outer peripheral surface of the developing roller 37 and the inner surface of the developing container 36. Therefore, when the developing roller 37 is mounted on the developing container 36, the pressing surface 44 contacts the outer peripheral surface of the developing roller 37 and presses the developing roller 37 in the radial direction of the developing roller 37. The pressing surface 44 contacts and presses the two end portions 66, thereby blocking the gap between the two end portions 66 and the developing container 36, and suppressing the developer from flowing out of the inside of the developing container 36.

[0052] like Figure 3 , Figure 4 As shown, the flat portion 62 is a plane connected to a portion of the inner surface of the developer container 36 located below the developer roller 37. The flat portion 62 extends backward (in a direction approaching the photosensitive drum 31) from the container opening 60. When the developer device 33 is located at the installation position P1, the flat portion 62 is substantially horizontal.

[0053] Back to Figure 2 , Figure 3 The sealing member 65 is a rectangular sheet formed of a PET film or the like. The sealing member 65 is stacked on the flat portion 62 and bonded to the developing container 36 by an adhesive or the like. The sealing member 65 extends between the two end portions 66 of the developing roller 37 in the axial direction.

[0054] The sealing member 65 has a contact end 67, a shielding portion 19, and a clamping end 68. The contact end 67 is an end edge on the side close to the developing roller 37 (supply roller 38) of both end edges in the front-back direction (direction perpendicular to the sheet width direction). The shielding portion 19 rises from the end edge on the side away from the developing roller 37 (supply roller 38) toward the surface direction of the sealing member 65. The clamping end 68 is located at both end edges in the axial direction.

[0055] The contact end portion 67 is located between the developing container 36 and the developing roller 37 (see Figure 6 The contact end portion 67 contacts the entire area of ​​the outer peripheral surface of the developing roller 37 that carries the developer in the axial direction. The sealing member 65 blocks the gap between the developing container 36 and the developing roller 37 by the contact between the contact end portion 67 and the outer peripheral surface of the developing roller 37, thereby suppressing the outflow of the developer in the developing container 36.

[0056] The shielding portion 19 is in a square shape and is made of sponge or the like. The shielding portion 19 is bonded to the surface of the sealing member 65 by an adhesive or the like. The shielding portion 19 holds a small amount of developer flowing out of the gap between the developing roller 37 and the developing container 36 so as not to fall outside the developing device 33.

[0057] like Figure 4 , Figure 5 As shown, the sealing member 65 is arranged from the central portion in the axial direction toward the clamping end portion 68 so as to ascend from the flat portion 62 onto the pressing surface 44 of the pressing member 43 .

[0058] A chamfered shape 46 is formed at the corner portion 45 between the contact end portion 67 and the clamping end portion 68. The chamfered shape 46 is an arc shape with rounded corners. The corner portion 45 is sandwiched between the outer peripheral surface of the developing roller 37 and the pressing surface 44 of the pressing member 43. When the developing roller 37 rotates, the outer peripheral surfaces of the two end portions 66 of the developing roller 37 slide on the corner portion 45 of the sealing member 65.

[0059] The developer in the developer container 36 can be suppressed from flowing out by using the sealing member 65 and the pressing member 43. Moreover, a chamfered shape is formed at the corner 45 between the contact end 67 and the clamping end 68 of the sealing member 65. Therefore, the contact area between the corner 45 of the sealing member 65 and the developing roller 37 becomes smaller, and the friction force acting on the corner 45 becomes smaller. Therefore, the corner 45 of the sealing member 65 becomes difficult to vibrate. As a result, the end of the sealing member 65 becomes difficult to vibrate. Therefore, it is possible to provide a developing device 33 that maintains the sealing performance with respect to the developer and suppresses noise and deterioration of the sealing member 65.

[0060] In addition, as described above, the guide rail 18 extends downward from the main body opening 15 to the installation position P1 where the developing device 33 described later is installed in the main body housing 10. Therefore, when the developing device 33 is installed in the image forming apparatus 1, if the developing device 33 is moved to the installation position P1 on the guide rail 18, the container opening 60 may be oriented downward. As a result, there is a possibility that a small amount of developer flowing out of the container opening 60 will spill into the inside of the main body housing 10. Here, as described above, a shielding portion 19 is provided on the rear side of the container opening 60, which is erected from the end edge of the sealing member 65 toward the surface direction. A small amount of developer flowing out of the gap between the developing roller 37 and the developing container 36 is held by the shielding portion 19 so as not to fall outside the developing device 33. Thus, even when the container opening 60 is oriented downward, the developer flowing out of the container opening 60 can be blocked by the shielding portion 19. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the developer from spilling into the inside of the main body housing 10.

[0061] In addition, the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiment, and various changes can be made within the scope of the main purpose of the present invention. For example, in the above-mentioned embodiment, a black and white printer is described as an example of the image forming device 1, but it can also be applied to a tandem type or a rotary type color printer. In addition, it can also be applied to an image forming device such as a copier, a fax machine, or a multifunction machine having the functions of these.

[0062] In addition, if Figure 7 As shown in FIG. 4A and FIG. 4B , the chamfered shape 46 may be formed at least between the portion of the contact end portion 67 that is located outside the pressing member 43 and the clamping end portion 68 in the axial direction. In this case, the radius of curvature of the chamfered shape 46 can be relatively large, and the contact area between the sealing member 65 and the developing roller 37 is further reduced. Therefore, noise and deterioration of the sealing member 65 can be well suppressed.

[0063] In addition, in the above-mentioned embodiment, the chamfer shape 46 is in an arc shape (chamfered R shape), but it is not limited to this. Figure 8As shown in FIG. 1 (a plan view showing a modified example of the developing device 33 of the present invention), the chamfered shape 46 may be a chamfered C-angle shape.

[0064] In addition, in the above embodiment, the shielding portion 19 is formed of sponge, but it is not limited thereto and may be formed of other materials. In addition, the shielding portion 19 may also be configured as follows: the shielding portion 19 is formed integrally with the sealing member 65 and is bent so as to stand upward from the end edge of the sealing member 65. In this case, the number of parts of the sealing member 65 is reduced, and the manufacturing cost can be suppressed.

[0065] Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the developer is a non-magnetic one-component developer composed only of a toner, but a two-component developer using a toner and a carrier may also be used.

[0066] The present invention can be applied to an image forming apparatus including a developing device that performs development using a developer containing a toner. By applying the present invention, it is possible to provide an image forming apparatus that maintains sealing performance with respect to the developer and suppresses noise and degradation of a sealing member.

Claims

1. A developing device, characterized in that: include: A developing container having an opening and containing a developer including a toner therein; A developer carrier rotatably supported on the developer container, wherein a portion of an outer peripheral surface of the developer carrier that carries the developer is exposed from the opening; a sealing member disposed along the rotation axis direction of the developer carrier and blocking the gap between the developer carrier and the opening; as well as a pair of pressing members contacting both ends of the developer carrier in the direction of the rotation axis and the sealing member to close the gap between the both ends of the developer carrier and the developer container; The sealing member comprises: a contact end portion, which contacts the entire area of ​​the outer peripheral surface of the developer carrier in the direction of the rotation axis and is an end edge of the seal member in the long side direction that is close to the developer carrier; and a clamping end portion, which is clamped between the two end portions of the developer carrier and each of the pressing members and is an end edge of the seal member that is orthogonal to the contact end portion. A chamfered shape is formed at a corner portion between the contact end portion and the clamping end portion.

2. The developing device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The chamfered shape is formed at least between a portion of the contact end portion located outside the pressing member in the rotation axis direction and the clamping end portion.

3. The developing device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The chamfered shape is a chamfered C-angle shape or a chamfered R-angle shape.

4. The developing device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The sealing member has a shielding portion that protrudes upward over the entire region of an edge of an end portion of the sealing member that is opposite to the contact end portion.

5. The developing device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The developer is a non-magnetic single-component developer composed only of a non-magnetic toner.

6. An image forming device, characterized in that: include: Device body; An image carrier is disposed inside the device body and forms an electrostatic latent image on the outer peripheral surface; as well as The developing device described in any one of claims 1 to 5 is detachably arranged inside the device body, and when the developing device is installed inside the device body, the developer carrier is in contact with or close to the outer peripheral surface of the image carrier to develop the electrostatic latent image into a colorant image.

Images