Image holding body unit and image forming apparatus

Abstract

To easily check a contact compared to a configuration in which a contact cannot be checked in an assembled state.SOLUTION: An image holding body unit comprises: an image holding body that holds an image on its surface; a conduction member 431 that ensures conduction of the image holding body with a contact with the image holding body; and a shape part 423 that allows visual recognition of the contact 114.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 8

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an image carrier unit and an image forming apparatus. [Background technology]

[0002] For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a rotating shaft support device comprising a substantially hollow cylindrical bearing member which rotatably supports a rotating shaft, and a retaining member to which the bearing member is attached and fixed, wherein the bearing member is provided with a bearing breaking portion formed by cutting out a part of the bearing member, the rotating shaft is mounted within the bearing member through the bearing breaking portion, and the retaining member is provided with a bearing fitting portion formed by cutting out a part of the retaining member, and the bearing member with the rotating shaft mounted thereon is clamped within the bearing fitting portion. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2008-57616 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In the manufacturing process of an image carrier unit in which an image carrier that holds an image on its surface is rotatably housed in a housing member by a support member, it is necessary to check whether a conductive member for electrically connecting the image carrier is in contact with the image carrier. If electrical continuity cannot be confirmed by a continuity test after assembly, work such as disassembly to check for the presence or absence of a contact where the conductive member contacts the image carrier must be performed in order to identify the cause, which reduces workability. On the other hand, if the contact can be checked during assembly, the number of cases in which electrical continuity cannot be confirmed by a continuity test will decrease, and the deterioration of workability in the manufacturing process can be suppressed. An object of the present invention is to make it possible to easily check the contact points, as compared with a configuration in which the contact points cannot be checked in an assembled state. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] The invention described in claim 1 is an image carrier unit comprising an image carrier that carries an image on its surface, a conductive member that ensures electrical continuity of the image carrier by contacting the image carrier, and a shaped portion that makes the contact visible. The invention described in claim 2 is the image carrier unit described in claim 1, characterized in that the shaped portion is positioned in the same direction as the storage direction in which the image carrier is stored in a storage member that stores the image carrier. The invention described in claim 3 is the image carrier unit described in claim 2, characterized in that a member that positions a support member that supports the image carrier relative to the storage member is cut out at a position determined with respect to the storage direction. The invention described in claim 4 is the image carrier unit described in claim 1, characterized in that the shaped portion is cut out up to the position of the contact point in the direction of the rotation axis of the image carrier. The invention described in claim 5 is the image carrier unit described in claim 1, characterized in that when the conductive member is pulled out from the image forming device in which the image carrier unit is mounted, the conductivity of the image carrier is interrupted before the shaped portion is exposed from the image forming device. The invention described in claim 6 is an image forming apparatus comprising an image forming section that forms an image, and an image carrier unit that constitutes part of the image forming section and is insertable into and removable from a device main body having the image forming section, wherein the image carrier unit comprises an image carrier that holds an image on its surface, a conductive member that ensures conductivity of the image carrier by contact with the image carrier, and a shaped portion that makes the contact visible. Effect of the Invention

[0006] According to the invention of claim 1, contact confirmation can be easily performed compared to a configuration in which contact confirmation cannot be performed in an assembled state. According to the invention of claim 2, the shaped portion is positioned in the same direction as the storage direction in which the image carrier is stored in the storage member that stores the image carrier, making it easier to check the contact points during assembly compared to a case in which the shaped portion is not configured to be positioned in the same direction as the storage direction in which the image carrier is stored in the storage member that stores the image carrier. According to the invention of claim 3, the member that positions the support member that supports the image carrier relative to the storage member can improve the ease of assembly of the photosensitive drum compared to a case in which the member does not have a configuration in which a position that is determined with respect to the storage direction is cut out. According to the invention of claim 4, the shaped portion can improve visibility when checking the contact point, compared to a case where the shaped portion does not have a configuration in which it is cut out up to the position of the contact point in the direction of the rotation axis of the image carrier. According to the invention of claim 5, the conductive member can improve safety when the image carrier unit is pulled out from the image forming apparatus in which it is mounted, compared to a case in which the conductive member does not have a configuration in which the conductivity of the image carrier is interrupted before the shaped portion is exposed from the image forming apparatus. According to the invention of claim 6, contact confirmation can be performed easily, as compared with a configuration in which contact confirmation cannot be performed in an assembled state. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0007] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of an image forming apparatus to which the present embodiment is applied; [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a photoconductor unit. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a photoconductor unit. [Figure 4] 5 is an exploded perspective view illustrating a procedure for assembling the photoconductor unit. FIG. [Diagram 5] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an assembled state of the photoconductor unit. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an assembled state of the photoconductor unit. [Figure 7] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an assembled state of the photoconductor unit. [Figure 8]FIG. 4 is a perspective view illustrating access to contacts in the photoconductor unit in an assembled state. [Figure 9] This figure explains the switching of GND conductivity from ON to OFF when the photosensitive unit is pulled out from the main body of the image forming device, where (a) shows the state in which the photosensitive unit is housed within the main body, and (b) shows the state in which the photosensitive unit has been pulled out from the main body to a position where the cutout is not exposed. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0008] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Note that the size, thickness, and other dimensions of each part in the drawings referred to in the following description may differ from the actual dimensions. <Image forming apparatus 100> FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an image forming apparatus 100 to which the present embodiment is applied. 1, image forming apparatus 100 includes document reading device 1 that reads information on document G, image forming section 2 that forms an image on recording paper S based on information on the document (read image) read by document reading device 1, and paper feeding section 3 that feeds recording paper S to be supplied to image forming section 2. In this image forming apparatus 100, image forming section 2 and paper feeding section 3 are housed inside main body 101, while document reading device 1 is disposed above main body 101. Main body 101 has, on its upper surface, discharge and storage section 102 that discharges and stores recording paper S on which an image has been formed.

[0009] The document reading device 1 has a housing 103. The document reading device 1 also has, on the upper surface of the housing 103, a light-transmitting document table 105 on which a document G is placed, and a document cover 106 that covers the document table 105 and can be opened and closed relative to the housing 103. The document cover 106 is provided with an automatic document feeder 107 that transports the document G to a reading position and discharges the document G after reading, a document tray 108 that holds the document G sent by the automatic document feeder 107, and a storage unit 109 that stores the document G discharged from the automatic document feeder 107.

[0010] The image forming section 2 includes an image forming unit 20 that forms toner images of each color, yellow (Y), magenta (M), cyan (C), and black (K), for example, using an electrophotographic method, an intermediate transfer unit 26 that transports the toner image formed by the image forming unit 20 until it is transferred to the recording paper S, and a fixing unit 27 that fixes the toner image transferred from the intermediate transfer unit 26 to the recording paper S. The image forming unit 20 includes photoconductor units 4, each of which corresponds to a different color and is shown by a broken line. Each of the photoconductor units 4 is detachable from the main body 101, and the user can perform the attachment and detachment of the photoconductor units 4.

[0011] The paper feed unit 3 has a drawer-type container 31 capable of holding a plurality of sheets of recording paper S of a predetermined size, type, etc., and a delivery device 32 that delivers the recording paper S contained in the container 31 to a delivery path one sheet at a time. Between the paper feed unit 3 and the image forming unit 2, a supply delivery path 28 is disposed to deliver the recording paper S delivered from the paper feed unit 3 to a secondary transfer position.

[0012] Next, the basic operation of the image forming apparatus 100 will be described. First, in the document reading device 1, the user places the document G on either the document table 105 or the document tray 108. Then, when the user operates an operation button (not shown) or the like to accept an instruction to read the document, the operation of reading the document G is started. That is, the document reading device 1 acquires read information of the document G. Then, the image forming unit 2 executes an image forming operation based on the read information of the document G received from the document reading device 1. At this time, the recording paper S is sent from the paper feed unit 3 in accordance with the operation of the image forming unit 2. Then, after the toner image is fixed on the recording paper S by the image forming unit 2, it is discharged to the discharge storage unit 102. The above image forming operation is repeated in the same manner as many times as depending on the number of documents G and the number of images formed.

[0013] Next, an image forming unit 20 to which the present embodiment is applied will be described with reference to Fig. 2. More specifically, a photoconductor unit 4 constituting a part of the image forming unit 20 will be described. The photoconductor unit 4 is an example of an image carrier unit. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating the configuration of the photoconductor unit 4, as viewed from the front side of the image forming apparatus 100. As shown in FIG. 2, the photoconductor unit 4 is provided with a photoconductor drum 11 that rotates in the direction indicated by the arrow. The photoconductor unit 4 also includes, as members disposed around the photoconductor drum 11, a charging roll 12, an exposure device 13, a developing device 14, a transfer roll 15, and a cleaning device 16. The photoconductor unit 4 may be configured to include all of these members, or may be configured to include only some of them.

[0014] The photoconductor drum 11 is made of a cylindrical body, and a photosensitive layer (not shown) is formed on the surface of the cylindrical body. The charging roll 12 is made of a conductive rubber roll or the like, and charges the photoconductor drum 11 . The exposure device 13 irradiates the photoconductor drum 11 charged by the charging roll 12 with light from a light source such as a laser light source or an LED (Light Emitting Diode), thereby forming an electrostatic latent image on the surface of the photoconductor drum 11.

[0015] The developing device 14 deposits toner on the surface of the photoconductor drum 11, and develops the electrostatic latent image formed on the photoconductor drum 11 with toner of a predetermined color. As a result, a toner image is formed on the surface of the photoconductor drum 11 in this embodiment. A developer is contained in the developing device 14. The developer in this embodiment is made up of a magnetic carrier and a colored toner, and is a so-called two-component developer. Furthermore, in this embodiment, a developer storage container 19 is provided in which developer to be supplied to the developing device 14 is stored. In this embodiment, new developer is supplied from the developer storage container 19 to the developing device 14 through a developer transport path (not shown).

[0016] The transfer roll 15 is made of a conductive rubber roll or the like. In this embodiment, the location where the transfer roll 15 and the photoconductor drum 11 face each other is the transfer portion T. A transfer bias is applied to the transfer roll 15. The toner image on the surface of the photoconductor drum 11, i.e., the toner image held by the photoconductor drum 11, is transferred to the belt of the intermediate transfer unit 26 at the transfer portion T. The cleaning device 16 is provided with a contact member 16A that is arranged in contact with the photoconductor drum 11, and the cleaning device 16 removes deposits such as toner on the photoconductor drum 11.

[0017] Next, a specific configuration of the photoconductor unit 4 will be described. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the photoconductor unit 4. As shown in FIG. The photoconductor unit 4 shown in FIG. 3 includes, in addition to the above-mentioned photoconductor drum 11, a housing 41, a bearing 42, a conductive member 43, and a cover 44.

[0018] The housing 41 is a member forming the main body of the photosensitive unit 4, and supports members such as the photosensitive drum 11. More specifically, the housing 41 has support pieces 411, 412 for supporting one end 111 and the other end 112 of the photosensitive drum 11. In Fig. 3, the one end 111 of the photosensitive drum 11 is located on the left side, and the other end 112 is located on the right side.

[0019] The bearing 42 is a resin member provided on the support pieces 411 and 412 of the housing 41. More specifically, the bearing 42 is composed of a bearing 421 corresponding to the support piece 411 and a bearing 422 corresponding to the support piece 412. The bearings 421 and 422 are separate members. That is, the bearing 421 is attached to one end 111 of the photosensitive drum 11 by a support piece 411 , and the bearing 422 is attached to the other end 112 of the photosensitive drum 11 by a support piece 412 . In this manner, the photoconductor drum 11 has one end 111 rotatably supported by the support piece 411 via the bearing 421 , and the other end 112 rotatably supported by the support piece 412 via the bearing 422 . The bearing 421 is an example of a support member, and the housing 41 is an example of a containing member and an example of a positioning member.

[0020] The conductive member 43 is a wire that comes into contact with a contact member 113 (see FIG. 4) of the photoconductor drum 11 for GND (ground) conduction. In this embodiment, the conductive member 43 is provided on one end 111 side of the photoconductor drum 11 (the left side in FIG. 3). More specifically, the conductive member 43 includes a spring portion 431 (see FIG. 7) that comes into contact with the contact 114 (see FIG. 4) of the contact member 113, and an attachment portion 432 that is attached to the housing 41.

[0021] The cover 44 is a resin member that covers the spring portion 431 of the conductive member 43. The cover 44 is provided on the support piece 411 side of the housing 41 on which the conductive member 43 is provided, but may be provided on the support piece 412 side.

[0022] The configuration of the photoconductor unit 4 according to this embodiment will be described below with reference to FIGS. Fig. 4 is an exploded perspective view for explaining the procedure for assembling the photoconductor unit 4, and shows the photoconductor drum 11, the housing 41, and the bearings 42 (421, 422). Figs. 5 to 7 are perspective views showing the assembled state of the photoconductor unit.

[0023] 4, support pieces 411, 412 of housing 41 are located at the ends of housing 41. Support pieces 411, 412 are annular parts with a notch in one part. More specifically, support piece 411 has a notch 413 formed therein, and support piece 412 has a notch 414 formed therein. The position of notch 413 of support piece 411 and the position of notch 414 of support piece 412 are in the same direction. The opening length of the notches 413, 414 of the housing 41 is smaller than the diameter of the photoconductor drum 11. Furthermore, the support pieces 411, 412 have inner circumferential surfaces that correspond to the outer diameters of the bearings 421, 422. The support pieces 411, 412 are deformable, and the circumferential lengths of the notches 413, 414 are changeable.

[0024] The photosensitive drum 11 is accommodated in the housing 41 from the side direction A by utilizing the notches 413, 414 of the support pieces 411, 412. That is, one end 111 of the photosensitive drum 11 is inserted into the support piece 411 through the notch 413 of the support piece 411, and the other end 112 is inserted into the support piece 412 through the notch 414 of the support piece 412. This improves the ease of assembling the photosensitive drum 11 into the housing 41. The lateral direction A here is an example of the housing direction. The housing direction refers to the direction in which the photoconductor drum 11 is housed in the housing 41 that houses the photoconductor drum 11, and can also be referred to as the assembly direction of the photoconductor drum 11.

[0025] As described above, the bearings 421 and 422 are members that support the photosensitive drum 11. The bearing 421 is positioned in the circumferential direction relative to the housing 41 by the support piece 411, and the bearing 422 is positioned in the circumferential direction relative to the housing 41 by the support piece 412. In other words, the housing 41 includes the support piece 411 that is a member that positions the bearing 421 relative to the housing 41, and the support piece 412 that is a member that positions the bearing 422 relative to the housing 41. A notch 413 is provided in the support piece 411, and a notch 414 is provided in the support piece 412. The positions of the notches 413 and 414 are the same in the lateral direction A. From the above, the support piece 411 is an example of a member that positions the bearing 421 with respect to the housing 41. The member referred to here includes, for example, a case where the support piece 411 and the housing 41 are separate members and the support piece 411 is attached to the housing 41, as well as a case where the support piece 411 is configured integrally with the housing 41.

[0026] Focusing on the support piece 411 of the housing 41 in this state, the inner diameter of the support piece 411 and the outer diameter of the one end 111 of the photosensitive drum 11 do not correspond in size. More specifically, the outer diameter of the one end 111 of the photosensitive drum 11 is smaller than the inner diameter of the support piece 411. For this reason, as shown in Fig. 5, the outer peripheral surface of the one end 111 does not come into close contact with the inner peripheral surface of the support piece 411, and a gap G1 is formed between the support piece 411 and the one end 111 in the circumferential direction. Similarly, in the support piece 412 of the housing 41, the outer diameter of the other end 112 of the photosensitive drum 11 is smaller than the inner diameter of the support piece 412, and therefore, as shown in Figure 5, a gap G2 is formed circumferentially between the support piece 412 and the other end 112.

[0027] 4, the description will continue. The bearing 421 is attached to one end 111 of the photoconductor drum 11 housed in the housing 41 from the axial direction B1. Similarly, the bearing 422 is attached to the other end 112 of the photoconductor drum 11 housed in the housing 41 from the axial direction B2.

[0028] In this manner, when the photosensitive drum 11 and the bearings 421 and 422 are accommodated in the housing 41, the photosensitive drum 11 is rotatably supported via the bearings 421 and 422 as shown in FIG.

[0029] 6, the contact member 113 of the photoconductor drum 11 is exposed. As described above, the contact member 113 is for GND (ground) conduction, and is connected to the conductive member 43 (see FIG. 3). The contact member 113 is removed from the photosensitive drum 11 before the bearing 421 is attached to one end 111 of the photosensitive drum 11, and after the bearing 421 is attached to the one end 111 from the axial direction B1, the contact member 113 is attached to the one end 111 of the photosensitive drum 11 from the axial direction B1 through the through hole 424 of the bearing 421 (see Figure 4).

[0030] 4, a notch 423 is formed in the bearing 421. The notch 423 is formed so as to reduce the thickness in the same direction as the axial direction B1 shown in the figure. More specifically, the notch 423 is formed so as to extend in the radial direction from the through hole 424. The position of the notch 423 in the bearing 421 is in the same direction as the notch 413 in the support piece 411, as shown in FIG. More specifically, when the bearing 421 is positioned relative to the housing 41 , the position of the notch 423 in the circumferential direction is substantially the same as the position of the notch 413 of the support piece 411 . The "same direction" referred to here does not have to be exactly the same, and there may be some misalignment as long as it does not impair workability when visually checking contact 114 through notch 423 during assembly. Notch 423 of bearing 421 is an example of a shaped portion.

[0031] 7, in a state in which the photoconductor drum 11 and the bearings 421 and 422 are accommodated in the housing 41, the conductive member 43 is attached so that the spring portion 431 comes into contact with the contact 114 of the contact member 113. Note that the attachment portion 432 of the conductive member 43 is attached to the housing 41. The photoconductor drum 11 and the contact member 113 are an example of an image carrier, and the notch 423 of the bearing 421 is an example of a shaped portion.

[0032] By attaching the cover 44 in the state shown in Fig. 7, the photoconductor unit 4 is brought into the assembled state shown in Fig. 3. Access to the contacts 114 in the photoconductor unit 4 will be described with reference to Fig. 8. FIG. 8 is a perspective view illustrating access to the contacts 114 in the assembled photoconductor unit 4. As shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 8, in the assembled photoconductor unit 4, the contact state between the spring portion 431 and the contact point 114 can be visually confirmed by the cutout 423 of the bearing 421.

[0033] To explain further, in the assembly work of the photoconductor unit 4, the notch 423 of the bearing 421 is formed in the same direction as the notch 413 of the housing 41. In other words, the notch 423 of the bearing 421 is located in the same direction as the lateral direction A (see FIG. 4). Therefore, during the assembly work of the photoconductor unit 4, the contacts can be visually confirmed without changing the position of the housing 41, etc. In other words, during the assembly work of the photoconductor unit 4, visual confirmation of the contacts becomes possible.

[0034] In this way, the assembly direction of the photosensitive drum 11 relative to the housing 41 coincides with the direction in which the notch 423 of the bearing 421 is located, so that assembly and visual inspection can be performed at the same time. Also, it is sufficient that notch 423 of bearing 421 is formed so as to make contact point 114 (see FIG. 4) visible during assembly work, but in this embodiment, notch 423 is cut out up to contact point 114 (see FIG. 4). Therefore, it becomes easier to visually detect improper assembly compared to a case where notch 423 is not cut out up to contact point 114.

[0035] In this embodiment, as shown in Fig. 8, the notch 413 of the housing 41 and the notch 423 of the bearing 421 are formed in the same direction, that is, the lateral direction A (see Fig. 4), but this is not limited to this. For example, the notch 413 of the housing 41 and the notch 423 of the bearing 421 may be formed to be in different directions, for example, with a deviation of 90 degrees or less. Even in this case, visual contact confirmation can be performed during the assembly work.

[0036] Figure 9 is a diagram explaining the switching of GND (ground) conductivity from ON to OFF when the photosensitive unit 4 is pulled out from the main body 101 of the image forming apparatus 100, where (a) shows the state in which the photosensitive unit 4 is housed within the main body 101, and (b) shows the state in which the photosensitive unit 4 has been pulled out from the main body 101 to a position where the cutout 423 is not exposed. 9(a), the GND continuity is ON when the photoconductor unit 4 is housed in the main body 101. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 9(b), when the photoconductor unit 4 is pulled out from the main body 101, the GND continuity is cut off and turned OFF, and the subsequent pulling out causes the notch 423 to be exposed.

[0037] In this manner, in the present embodiment, when the photoconductor unit 4 is pulled out from the main body 101, the GND conduction is turned off before the notch 423 is exposed. This prevents any adverse effect even if the user who has performed the operation of pulling out the photoconductor unit 4 touches the spring portion 431 (see FIG. 7) through the notch 423. Incidentally, such ON / OFF switching of GND conduction may be realized by a configuration in which it is performed mechanically according to the position of the photosensitive unit 4, or may be realized by a configuration in which it is performed by control according to the detection results of a position sensor.

[0038] In addition, when the photosensitive unit 4 is attached to the main body 101 of the image forming apparatus 100, the GND conductivity is switched from OFF to ON when the photosensitive unit 4 is inserted into the main body 101 to a position where the notch 423 is not exposed (see FIG. 9(b)).

[0039] <Additional Notes> (((1))) an image carrier that carries an image on its surface; a conductive member that ensures electrical continuity of the image carrier by contacting the image carrier; A shape that makes the contact visible; The image carrier unit includes: (((2))) the shaped portion is located in a position in the same direction as a housing direction in which the image carrier is housed in a housing member that houses the image carrier; The image carrier unit according to (((1))) above. (((3))) a member for positioning the support member for supporting the image carrier with respect to the storage member is cut out at a position determined with respect to the storage direction; The image carrier unit according to (((2))) above. (((4))) the shaped portion is cut out up to the position of the contact point in the direction of the rotation axis of the image carrier; 3. The image carrier unit according to claim 1, wherein the image carrier unit is a first image carrier. (((5))) When the conductive member is pulled out from the image forming apparatus in which the image carrier unit is mounted, the electrical continuity of the image carrier is interrupted before the shaped portion is exposed from the image forming apparatus. 3. The image carrier unit according to claim 1, wherein the image carrier unit is an image carrier having a thickness of 100 nm or less. (((6))) an image forming unit that forms an image; an image carrier unit that constitutes a part of the image forming unit and is insertable into and removable from an apparatus main body having the image forming unit; Equipped with The image carrier unit is an image carrier that carries an image on its surface; a conductive member that ensures electrical continuity of the image carrier by contacting the image carrier; A shape that makes the contact visible; Equipped with Image forming device.

[0040] According to the invention of (((1))), contact confirmation can be performed easily, compared to a configuration in which contact confirmation cannot be performed in an assembled state. According to the invention (((2))), the shaped portion is configured to be positioned in the same direction as the storage direction in which the image carrier is stored in the storage member that stores the image carrier, making it easier to check the contact points during assembly. According to the invention (((3))), the member that positions the support member that supports the image carrier relative to the storage member can improve the ease of assembly of the photosensitive drum 11 compared to a case in which the member does not have a configuration in which a position that is determined relative to the storage direction is cut out. According to the invention (((4))), the shaped portion can improve visibility when checking the contact point, compared to a case in which the shaped portion is not provided with a configuration in which it is cut out up to the position of the contact point in the direction of the rotation axis of the image carrier. According to the invention (((5))), the conductive member can improve safety when the image carrier unit is pulled out of the image forming apparatus in which it is mounted, compared to a case in which the conductive member does not have a configuration in which the conductivity of the image carrier is cut off before the shaped portion is exposed from the image forming apparatus. According to the invention (((6))), contact confirmation can be performed easily compared to a configuration in which contact confirmation cannot be performed in an assembled state. [Explanation of symbols]

[0041] 4...photoconductor unit, 11...photoconductor drum, 43...conductive member, 100...image forming apparatus, 113...contact member, 114...contact, 411, 412...support piece, 413, 414, 423...notch, 421...bearing, A...lateral direction

Claims

1. an image carrier that carries an image on its surface; a conductive member that ensures electrical continuity of the image carrier by contacting the image carrier; A shape that makes the contact visible; The image carrier unit includes:

2. the shaped portion is located in a position in the same direction as a housing direction in which the image carrier is housed in a housing member that houses the image carrier; 2. The image carrier unit according to claim 1, wherein the image carrier unit is a conductive member.

3. a member for positioning the support member for supporting the image carrier with respect to the storage member is cut out at a position determined with respect to the storage direction; 3. The image carrier unit according to claim 2, wherein the image carrier unit is a roller.

4. the shaped portion is cut out up to the position of the contact point in the direction of the rotation axis of the image carrier; 2. The image carrier unit according to claim 1, wherein the image carrier unit is a conductive member.

5. When the conductive member is pulled out from the image forming apparatus in which the image carrier unit is mounted, the electrical continuity of the image carrier is interrupted before the shaped portion is exposed from the image forming apparatus.

2. The image carrier unit according to claim 1, wherein the image carrier unit is a conductive member.

6. an image forming unit that forms an image; an image carrier unit that constitutes a part of the image forming unit and is insertable into and removable from an apparatus main body having the image forming unit; Equipped with The image carrier unit is an image carrier that carries an image on its surface; a conductive member that ensures electrical continuity of the image carrier by contacting the image carrier; A shape that makes the contact visible; Equipped with Image forming device.

Images