Image holder unit and image formation device

Abstract

To reduce the operation force necessary to insert an image holder unit into an image formation device compared to a case where a configuration is employed which uses a member biased to the position of an abutting surface.SOLUTION: The present invention relates to an image holder unit which forms at least a part of an image formation unit and which can be removed from a device body 101, the image holder unit including: a rotatable image holder for holding an image in the surface; a rotation stopping unit 42 provided so that the direction of the total force of a plurality of external forces acting on the image holder unit and a driving reaction force 71 acting on the image holder is within the contact range of a plurality of abutting surfaces 114, 115 in a predetermined positional relation.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

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 process cartridge which has an image carrier and a developing unit and is detachably attached to the main body of an image forming apparatus, the process cartridge having an image carrier drive input portion for receiving a driving force for rotating the image carrier from an image carrier drive output portion on the image forming apparatus main body side, and a developing drive input portion for receiving a driving force for driving the developing unit from a developing drive output portion on the image forming apparatus main body side, the image carrier drive output portion and the image carrier drive input portion being configured to engage with play in the direction of attaching and detaching the process cartridge when drive is transmitted, and when drive is transmitted from the developing drive output portion to the developing drive input portion, a force generated at the engagement portion between the developing drive output portion and the developing drive input portion causes a part of the process cartridge to abut against a positioning portion on the main body of the image forming apparatus, thereby positioning the process cartridge. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2006-133497 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] Here, when a member that presses against the position of the abutment surface is used to position the image carrier unit relative to the image forming device, it is difficult to reduce the operating force required to insert the image carrier unit into the image forming device due to the pressing member. An object of the present invention is to reduce the operating force required to insert an image carrier unit into an image forming apparatus, as compared with a configuration in which a member that biases the position of the abutment surface is used. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] The invention described in claim 1 is an image carrier unit that constitutes at least a part of an image forming section and is insertable and removable from an apparatus main body, and is provided with a rotatable image carrier that holds an image on its surface, and a rotation stopper portion that is arranged so that the direction of the resultant force when multiple external forces acting on the image carrier unit and a driving reaction force acting on the image carrier are combined falls within the abutment range of multiple abutment surfaces that are in a predetermined positional relationship. The invention described in claim 2 is the image carrier unit described in claim 1, characterized in that the direction of the external force resultant force, which is a resultant force when the multiple external forces are combined, and the direction of the driving reaction force are within the abutment range. The invention described in claim 3 is the image carrier unit described in claim 2, characterized in that the contact range has an angle of 90 degrees or more. The invention described in claim 4 is the image carrier unit described in claim 2, characterized in that an angle between a direction of the resultant force of the external forces and a direction of the driving reaction force is 90 degrees or less. The invention described in claim 5 is the image carrier unit described in claim 1, characterized in that a member including the abutment surface does not include a member that moves in a radial direction of the image carrier. The invention described in claim 6 is the image carrier unit described in claim 1, characterized in that a resultant force when the plurality of external forces are combined is directed toward the center of the contact range. The invention described in claim 7 is the image carrier unit described in claim 6, characterized in that, among the multiple external forces, the direction of an external force caused by a developing member that holds developer supplied to the image carrier is within the contact range. The invention described in claim 8 is an image forming unit that forms an image, an image carrier unit that constitutes at least a part of the image forming unit and is insertable into and removable from an apparatus main body having the image forming unit, the image carrier unit comprises a rotatable image carrier that holds an image on its surface, and a rotation stopper that is provided so that the direction of a resultant force obtained by combining a plurality of external forces acting on the image carrier unit and a driving reaction force acting on the image carrier falls within a contact range of a plurality of abutment surfaces that are in a predetermined positional relationship. Effect of the Invention

[0006] According to the invention of claim 1, it is possible to reduce the operating force required to insert the image carrier unit into the image forming apparatus, compared to a configuration in which a member is used to bias the position of the abutment surface. According to the invention of claim 2, the operating force required to insert the image carrier unit into the image forming device can be reduced compared to a case in which the direction of the external force resultant force, which is the resultant force when multiple external forces are combined, and the direction of the drive reaction force are not within the abutment range. According to the invention of claim 3, the contact range can provide a higher sense of stability than when the angle is not 90 degrees or more. According to the invention of claim 4, the angle between the direction of the resultant force of the external forces and the direction of the drive reaction force is not 90 degrees or less, and thus it is possible to improve the sense of stability. According to the invention of claim 5, the member including the abutment surface can have a simpler configuration than when the member including the abutment surface moves in the radial direction of the image carrier. According to the invention of claim 6, the effect of assembly errors can be reduced compared to a case where the resultant force when multiple external forces are combined is directed toward the center of the contact range. According to the invention of claim 7, the direction of the resultant force of the external forces, among the multiple external forces, due to the developing member that holds the developer supplied to the image carrier, can be reliably kept within the contact range, compared to a case in which the configuration is not provided in which the direction of the external force due to the developing member that holds the developer supplied to the image carrier is kept within the contact range. According to the invention of claim 8, the operating force required to insert the image carrier unit into the image forming apparatus can be reduced compared to the case where a configuration is adopted in which a member is used to bias the position of the abutment surface. [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] 5A and 5B are diagrams illustrating forces acting on a photoconductor unit. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a case where the photosensitive unit is inserted into the main body. [Diagram 5] 5A and 5B are diagrams illustrating a configuration around a support portion of a main body that supports one end of a photosensitive drum. [Figure 6] 5A and 5B are diagrams for explaining forces acting on a photoconductor unit, in which FIG. 5A shows a composite external force and a driving reaction force, and FIG. 5B shows a resultant force obtained by combining the composite external force and the driving reaction force. [Figure 7] 11A and 11B are diagrams for explaining modified examples of the contact range, where (a) shows one example, and (b) shows another example. 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 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. The main body 101 is an example of a device main body.

[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 of arrow D. 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 includes a developing roll 14A that adheres toner to 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). The developing roll 14A is an example of a developing member.

[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 26A 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, the forces acting on the photoconductor unit 4 will be described. 3 is a diagram for explaining forces acting on the photoconductor unit 4. In FIG. 3, dashed lines are drawn so as to follow the outer shape of the photoconductor unit 4. 3 includes a housing 41 which is a member forming the main body of the photoreceptor unit 4. The housing 41 supports members such as the photoreceptor drum 11.

[0018] More specifically, the photoconductor unit 4 includes the above-mentioned photoconductor drum 11, charging roll 12, and cleaning device 16, as shown in the area surrounded by the dashed line. The photoconductor unit 4 does not include any area other than the area surrounded by the dashed line. In other words, the photoconductor unit 4 does not include the exposure device 13, the development device 14, and the transfer roll 15. In this embodiment, the exposure device 13, the development device 14, and the transfer roll 15 are included in the main body 101.

[0019] 3, external forces from the exposure device 13, the developing device 14, and the transfer roll 15, which do not constitute a part of the photoconductor unit 4, act on the photoconductor unit 4. More specifically, an external force 51 from the exposure device 13, an external force 52 from the developing roll 14A of the developing device 14, and an external force 53 from the transfer roll 15 act on the photoconductor unit 4. These external forces 51 to 53 are examples of multiple external forces acting on the image carrier unit.

[0020] The external force 51 is intended to prevent the positional relationship with respect to the surface of the photosensitive drum 11 from varying due to vibration or the like, and the direction of the force is the direction of the rotation axis of the photosensitive drum 11. The external force 52 is generated by positioning the photoconductor unit 4 so that the developing roll 14A comes into contact with the photoconductor drum 11 with a predetermined pressure. The direction of the external force 52 is the direction of the rotation axis of the photoconductor drum 11. The external force 53 is generated by positioning the photosensitive unit 4 so that the transfer roll 15 contacts the photosensitive drum 11 with a predetermined pressure. The direction of the external force 53 is offset from the direction of the rotation axis of the photosensitive drum 11.

[0021] These external forces 51 to 53 are combined to produce a combined external force 50. More specifically, the largest of the external forces 51 to 53 is external force 52, which has the longest arrow length. For this reason, the direction of combined external force 50 is significantly influenced by external force 52. 3, the photoconductor drum 11 exerts its own weight 61 on the photoconductor drum 11. The weight 61 may be included in the composite external force 50. The magnitude of the weight 61 is smaller than the external forces 51-53.

[0022] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the case where the photoconductor unit 4 is inserted into the main body 101, with the right side partially cut away. 4, when the photoconductor unit 4 is inserted into the main body 101, one end 111 of the photoconductor drum 11 is received and supported by a support portion 91 that constitutes a part of the main body 101. More specifically, the one end 111 is supported by the support portion 91 with a resin bearing 112 attached to it. As shown in FIG. 4, the support portion 91 does not include any member that moves in the radial direction.

[0023] The photoconductor drum 11 has an internal gear 113 provided on the inner circumferential surface of one end 111. When the one end 111 is supported by the support portion 91, the internal gear 113 is connected to a drive transmission system (not shown) of the main body 101. When a rotational driving force of a motor (not shown) is transmitted to the internal gear 113 of the one end 111, the photoconductor drum 11 rotates around its axis.

[0024] As shown in Fig. 4, a planar portion 93 that is partially formed in a flat shape is formed on an inner peripheral surface 92 of the support portion 91. As will be described later, in addition to the planar portion 93, a planar portion 94 (see Fig. 5) is also formed on the inner peripheral surface 92.

[0025] FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining the configuration around the support portion 91 of the main body 101 that supports one end portion 111 of the photosensitive drum 11, and shows the main body 101 as viewed from the back side to the front side of the paper surface of FIG. As shown in Fig. 5, the support portion 91 has the above-mentioned flat portion 93 (see Fig. 4) and flat portion 94 on an inner peripheral surface 92 (see Fig. 4). Note that the flat portions 93 and 94 in Fig. 5 are illustrated including imaginary lines extending from the actual planes for ease of viewing.

[0026] Furthermore, bearing 112 has abutment surfaces 114, 115 formed by cutting out portions of its outer circumferential surface. Abutment surface 114 has a shape corresponding to flat surface portion 93 of main body 101, and abutment surface 115 of bearing 112 has a shape corresponding to flat surface portion 94 of main body 101. Furthermore, the positional relationship between abutment surfaces 114, 115 corresponds to the positional relationship between flat surfaces 93, 94. Therefore, when the bearing 112 is inserted into the support portion 91 while holding one end portion 111 of the photosensitive drum 11, the bearing 112 is prevented from rotating even if the one end portion 111 rotates within the support portion 91. The abutment surfaces 114 and 115 of the bearing 421 of the photosensitive drum 11 are an example of a plurality of abutment surfaces.

[0027] In addition, the photoconductor unit 4 has a rotation stopper 42 for preventing the photoconductor unit 4 from rotating when the photoconductor drum 11 rotates in the direction of the arrow D by the rotational driving force. The rotation stopper 42 of the photoconductor unit 4 is received by a receiving portion 95 provided in the main body 101. When the photosensitive drum 11 rotates in the direction of arrow D, a driving reaction force 71 is generated on the photosensitive drum 11 by the rotation stopper 42 of the photosensitive unit 4 and the receiving portion 95 of the main body 101. Note that the dashed lines shown in FIG. 5 are auxiliary lines showing the direction of the driving reaction force 71.

[0028] FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating the forces acting on the photosensitive unit 4, where (a) shows a composite external force 50 and a driving reaction force 71, and (b) shows a resultant force 70 obtained by combining the composite external force 50 and the driving reaction force 71. 6(a), the directions of the resultant external force 50 and the driving reaction force 71 are both within the contact range α. The contact range α refers to the range between lines 96a and 96b. The line 96a here refers to a line connecting the center position of the abutment surface 114, i.e., the contact point position, and the center position of the one end 111. The line 96b here refers to a line connecting the center position of the abutment surface 115, i.e., the contact point position, and the center position of the one end 111. 6(a), the angle θ between the imaginary extension line of the abutment surface 114 and the imaginary extension line of the abutment surface 115 is 90 degrees. The angle θ here is an example of a predetermined positional relationship.

[0029] 6(a), the angle between the direction of the resultant external force 50 and the direction of the drive reaction force 71 is approximately 0 degrees, but is not limited to this. That is, since the directions of the resultant external force 50 and the drive reaction force 71 are both within the contact range α, and the contact range α is 90 degrees, the angle between the direction of the resultant external force 50 and the direction of the drive reaction force 71 only needs to be 90 degrees or less.

[0030] Here, the relative positioning of the resultant external force 50, the driving reaction force 71, and the contact range α will be described. As described above, the resultant external force 50 is a result of combining the external forces 51 to 53 (see FIG. 3), and the abutment surfaces 114, 115 are positioned so that the resultant external force 50 falls within the contact range α. This determines the positions of the abutment surfaces 114, 115 and also the contact range α. Next, the rotation stopper 42 is positioned so that the driving reaction force 71 falls within the contact range.

[0031] 6(b), resultant force 70, which is a combination of resultant external force 50 and driving reaction force 71, falls within contact range α. Therefore, in a configuration in which one end 111 of photosensitive drum 11 is inserted into support portion 91 of main body 101 (see FIG. 4), even if a configuration is not adopted in which a moving member that moves in the radial direction and a biasing member that biases the moving member radially inward are provided in support portion 91, abutment surfaces 114 and 115 on the photosensitive drum 11 side are pressed against support portion 91 when photosensitive drum 11 rotates. Therefore, when inserting the photoconductor unit 4 into the image forming apparatus 100 (see FIG. 1), the operating force required for the insertion can be reduced.

[0032] To explain further, since it is sufficient that the resultant force 70 obtained by combining the resultant external force 50 and the driving reaction force 71 falls within the contact range α, in addition to a configuration in which both the resultant external force 50 and the driving reaction force 71 fall within the contact range α, it is also possible to adopt a configuration in which either one of the resultant external force 50 or the driving reaction force 71 falls within the contact range α and the other does not fall within the contact range α.

[0033] FIG. 7 is a diagram for explaining modified examples of the contact range α, where (a) shows one example and (b) shows another example. As shown in FIG. 7(a), when the contact range α exceeds 90 degrees, the angle θ at which the imaginary extension line of the abutment surface 114 and the imaginary extension line of the abutment surface 115 intersect is smaller than 90 degrees and becomes an acute angle. In this case, the distance between the abutment surfaces 114, 115 is increased, improving stability.

[0034] As shown in FIG. 7(b), when the contact range α is less than 90 degrees, the angle θ at which the imaginary extension line of the abutment surface 114 and the imaginary extension line of the abutment surface 115 intersect is greater than 90 degrees and is an obtuse angle.

[0035] The contact range α is preferably an angle of 90 degrees or more, excluding angles less than 90 degrees, and more preferably an angle of 90 degrees.

[0036] Here, the direction of the composite external force 50 varies depending on the dimensional accuracy and assembly accuracy of the members of the photoconductor unit 4 and the image forming apparatus 100 (see FIG. 3). Meanwhile, while the composite external force 50 is a composite of external forces 51 to 53 (see FIG. 3), when focusing on the magnitudes of the external forces 51 to 53, the external force 52 from the developing roll 14A of the developing device 14 is the largest. In addition, the magnitude of the external force 52 is also significantly larger than that of the external forces 51 and 53. Therefore, taking into consideration the variation in components and assembly errors, it is preferable that the direction of the external force 52 among the external forces 51 to 53 is toward the center of the contact range α.

[0037] <Additional Notes> (((1))) An image carrier unit that constitutes at least a part of an image forming section and is insertable into and removable from an apparatus main body, a rotatable image carrier that carries an image on its surface; a rotation stopper provided so that a direction of a resultant force, when a plurality of external forces acting on the image carrier unit and a driving reaction force acting on the image carrier are combined, falls within a contact range of a plurality of abutment surfaces having a predetermined positional relationship; The image carrier unit includes: (((2))) a direction of a resultant external force, which is a resultant force when the plurality of external forces are combined, and a direction of the driving reaction force are within the contact range. The image carrier unit according to (((1))) above. (((3))) The contact range is an angle of 90 degrees or more. 3. The image carrier unit according to claim 1, wherein the image carrier unit is a liquid crystal display. (((4))) The angle between the direction of the resultant force of the external forces and the direction of the driving reaction force is 90 degrees or less. The image carrier unit according to (((2))) or (((3))) above. (((5))) the member including the abutment surface does not include a member that moves in a radial direction of the image carrier; 3. The image carrier unit according to claim 1, wherein the image carrier unit is a first image carrier. (((6))) A resultant force obtained by combining the plurality of external forces is directed toward the center of the contact range. The image carrier unit according to (((1))) above. (((7))) a direction of an external force caused by a developing member that holds a developer supplied to the image carrier among the plurality of external forces is within the contact range; The image carrier unit according to (((6))) above. (((8))) an image forming unit that forms an image; an image carrier unit that constitutes at least 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 a rotatable image carrier that carries an image on its surface; a rotation stopper provided so that a direction of a resultant force, when a plurality of external forces acting on the image carrier unit and a driving reaction force acting on the image carrier are combined, falls within a contact range of a plurality of abutment surfaces having a predetermined positional relationship; Equipped with Image forming device.

[0038] According to the invention (((1))), it is possible to reduce the operating force required to insert the image carrier unit into the image forming apparatus, compared to a configuration in which a member is used to apply force to the position of the abutment surface. According to the invention (((2))), the operating force required to insert the image carrier unit into the image forming device can be reduced compared to a case in which the direction of the external force resultant force, which is the resultant force when multiple external forces are combined, and the direction of the drive reaction force are within the abutment range. According to the invention (((3))), the contact range can provide a greater sense of stability than when the angle is not 90 degrees or more. According to the invention of (((4))), the angle between the direction of the resultant external force and the direction of the drive reaction force can improve stability compared to when the angle is not 90 degrees or less. According to the invention of (((5))), the member including the abutment surface can have a simpler configuration than when the member includes a member that moves in the radial direction of the image carrier. According to the invention (((6))), the resultant force when multiple external forces are combined is directed toward the center of the contact range, thereby reducing the influence of assembly errors compared to a case in which the configuration is not provided. According to the invention (((7))), the direction of the resultant force of the external forces, among multiple external forces, due to the developing member which holds the developer supplied to the image carrier, can be reliably kept within the contact range, compared to a case in which the configuration is not provided in which the direction of the external force is kept within the contact range. According to the invention (((8))), the operating force required to insert the image carrier unit into the image forming apparatus can be reduced compared to a configuration in which a member is used to apply force to the position of the abutment surface. [Explanation of symbols]

[0039] 2...image forming section, 4...photoconductor unit, 11...photoconductor drum, 14A...developing roll, 42...rotation stopper, 50...resultant external force, 51, 52, 53...external force, 70...resultant force, 71...driving reaction force, 100...image forming apparatus, 101...main body, 114, 115...abutment surface, α...contact range, θ...angle

Claims

1. An image carrier unit that constitutes at least a part of an image forming section and is insertable into and removable from an apparatus main body, a rotatable image carrier that carries an image on its surface; a rotation stopper provided so that a direction of a resultant force, when a plurality of external forces acting on the image carrier unit and a driving reaction force acting on the image carrier are combined, falls within a contact range of a plurality of abutment surfaces having a predetermined positional relationship; The image carrier unit includes:

2. a direction of a resultant external force, which is a resultant force when the plurality of external forces are combined, and a direction of the driving reaction force are within the contact range.

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

3. The contact range is an angle of 90 degrees or more.

3. The image carrier unit according to claim 2, wherein the image carrier unit is a roller.

4. The angle between the direction of the resultant force of the external forces and the direction of the driving reaction force is 90 degrees or less.

3. The image carrier unit according to claim 2, wherein the image carrier unit is a roller.

5. the member including the abutment surface does not include a member that moves in a radial direction of the image carrier; 2. The image carrier unit according to claim 1, wherein the image carrier unit is a conductive member.

6. A resultant force obtained by combining the plurality of external forces is directed toward the center of the contact range.

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

7. a direction of an external force caused by a developing member that holds a developer supplied to the image carrier among the plurality of external forces is within the contact range; 7. The image carrier unit according to claim 6,

8. an image forming unit that forms an image; an image carrier unit that constitutes at least 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 a rotatable image carrier that carries an image on its surface; a rotation stopper provided so that a direction of a resultant force, when a plurality of external forces acting on the image carrier unit and a driving reaction force acting on the image carrier are combined, falls within a contact range of a plurality of abutment surfaces having a predetermined positional relationship; Equipped with Image forming device.

Images