Developing device and manufacturing method thereof

Abstract

To provide technology with which it is possible to easily and temporarily fix a seal member in position when assembling a developing device.SOLUTION: Provided is a developing device comprising: a development frame 23; a developer carrier; a restraining member; a seal member 35 for restraining the developer from leaking from spaces between the development frame and the developer carrier by magnetic forces; a fixing member for fixing the restraining member to the development frame; and an elastic member 36 arranged between the fixing member and the seal member by being compressed. The seal member includes a circular arc-shaped inner circumferential surface 35c facing the outer circumferential surface of the developer carrier with a space therebetween, and a first contact part 35I provided at a first edge of the inner circumferential surface in the circumferential direction, which the elastic member comes into contact with. The development frame includes an abutment part 23i which a second edge of the seal member that is opposite a first edge in the circumferential direction butts against, and a second contact part which the elastic member comes into contact with while the second edge of the seal member butts against the abutment part. The elastic member includes an adhesive surface 36a that adheres to both the first and second contact parts.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a developing device used in an electrophotographic image forming apparatus and a method for manufacturing the same. [Background technology]

[0002] In an image forming apparatus that forms an image on a recording medium using an electrophotographic image forming method, a process cartridge type device configuration is known. In order to facilitate toner supply and maintenance, a process cartridge in which a photoconductor, a charging means, a developing means, a cleaning means, etc. are integrated into a frame and made into a cartridge that can be attached to and detached from the main body of an image forming apparatus has been put into practical use. In a developing device incorporated in a process cartridge, there is a device that is provided with a seal member for preventing toner leakage from a gap between a developing roller and a developing container. Patent Document 1 describes a configuration in which an arc-shaped seal member is disposed between the developing roller and the developing container frame with a gap from the outer circumferential surface of the developing roller, and the leakage of toner is suppressed by a magnetic force generated on the surface of the seal member. The seal member is attached to the developing container frame by compressing and sandwiching an elastic member between the seal member and a sheet metal portion for fixing the developing blade to the developing container frame. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2004-205546 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In Patent Document 1, in the process of attaching the seal member, the seal member can be temporarily fixed (positioned) in the longitudinal direction by inserting the seal member between two positioning surfaces perpendicular to the longitudinal direction (the direction of the rotation axis of the developing roller) provided on the developing container frame. Meanwhile, in a state where a first end portion in the circumferential direction of the seal member is abutted against a mounting end surface provided on the developing container frame, the seal member can move freely in the circumferential direction until a biasing force of an elastic member is applied to a second end portion of the seal member that is opposite to the first end portion in the circumferential direction. In other words, the seal member cannot be temporarily fixed (positioned) in the circumferential direction until the sheet metal portion of the developing blade is permanently fixed to the developing container frame. Therefore, in order to temporarily fix the seal member during assembly of the developing device until the developing blade is assembled, it was necessary to separately provide a member or mechanism for temporary fixing. The present invention provides a technology that can easily temporarily fix the seal member during assembly of the developing device. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] The present invention to solve the above problems is as follows: A developing frame; a developer carrier attached to the developing frame; a regulating member that regulates an amount of developer carried on the developer carrier; a seal member that uses a magnetic force to prevent the developer from leaking from a gap between the developing frame and the developer carrier; The regulating member Support, The developing frame Firmly fixed Supported The material, The above support an elastic member disposed between the member and the sealing member; an elastic member provided only at an end portion of the developer carrier in the direction of the rotation axis; and, A developing device having the seal member has an arc-shaped inner circumferential surface facing an outer circumferential surface of the developer carrier with a gap therebetween, and a first contact portion that is provided at a first end portion in a circumferential direction of the inner circumferential surface and against which the elastic member comes into contact, the developing frame has an abutting portion against which a second end of the seal member, which is opposite to the first end in the circumferential direction, abuts, and a second abutting portion against which the elastic member abuts when the second end of the seal member abuts against the abutting portion, The elastic member is a developing device having an adhesive surface that is adhered to both the first contact portion and the second contact portion.

[0006] In addition, the present invention relates to A developing frame; a developer carrier attached to the developing frame; a regulating member that regulates an amount of developer carried on the developer carrier; a seal member that uses a magnetic force to prevent the developer from leaking from a gap between the developing frame and the developer carrier; The regulating member Support, The developing frame Firmly fixed Supported The material, The above support an elastic member disposed between the member and the sealing member; an elastic member provided only at an end portion of the developer carrier in the direction of the rotation axis; and, having the seal member has an arc-shaped inner circumferential surface facing an outer circumferential surface of the developer carrier with a gap therebetween, and a first contact portion that is provided at a first end portion in a circumferential direction of the inner circumferential surface and against which the elastic member comes into contact, the developing frame has an abutting portion against which a second end of the seal member, which is opposite to the first end in the circumferential direction, abuts, and a second abutting portion against which the elastic member abuts when the second end of the seal member abuts against the abutting portion, a manufacturing method of a developing device, the elastic member having an adhesive surface that is adhered to both the first contact portion and the second contact portion, a step of adhering an adhesive surface of the elastic member to both the first contact portion and the second contact portion in a state in which the second end portion of the seal member is abutted against the abutment portion of the developing frame; before Note support The elastic member is fixed to the developing frame. support a step of sandwiching the member in a compressed state between the member and the sealing member; The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing a developing device having the above structure. Effect of the Invention

[0007] According to the present invention, the seal member can be easily temporarily fixed when assembling the developing device. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is a detailed explanatory diagram of an end portion of the developing device according to the first embodiment. [Diagram 2] 1 is a cross-sectional view of an image forming apparatus main body and a cartridge of an electrophotographic image forming apparatus according to a first embodiment. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the process cartridge according to the first embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the process cartridge according to the first embodiment. [Diagram 5] FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the process cartridge according to the first embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is a detailed explanatory diagram of the magnetic seal according to the first embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 3 is a detailed explanatory diagram of an end portion of a developing container unit according to the first embodiment. [Figure 8] FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the developing device according to the first embodiment. [Figure 9] FIG. 2 is a detailed explanatory diagram of the developing device according to the first embodiment. [Figure 10] 13 is a detailed explanatory diagram of an end portion of a developing container unit according to a modified example of the first embodiment. FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0009] <Example 1> Hereinafter, the embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Note that the functions, materials, shapes and relative arrangements of the components described in the embodiments are not limited to those described in the present invention unless otherwise specified. However, it is not intended to limit the scope of the present invention to only those. In this specification, the direction of the rotation axis of the electrophotographic photosensitive drum is the longitudinal direction. In addition, in the longitudinal direction, the side where the electrophotographic photosensitive drum receives a driving force from the image forming apparatus main body is the driving side, and the opposite side is the non-driving side. Here, the electrophotographic image forming apparatus forms an image on a recording medium using an electrophotographic image forming method. Examples of the electrophotographic image forming apparatus include electrophotographic copying machines, electrophotographic printers (LED printers, laser beam printers, etc.), facsimile machines, and word processors. In an image forming apparatus such as a printer using an electrophotographic process, a photosensitive body is uniformly charged. Then, an electrostatic image is formed on the photosensitive body by selectively exposing the charged photosensitive body. Then, the electrostatic image formed on the photosensitive body is visualized as a toner image with toner as a developer. The toner image formed on the photoreceptor is then transferred to a recording material (recording paper, plastic sheet, etc.), and image recording is performed by applying heat and pressure to the toner image transferred to the recording material to fix the toner image to the recording material.

[0010] The overall configuration and image forming process will be described with reference to Figures 2 and 3. Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view of an apparatus main body A (electrophotographic image forming apparatus main body, image forming apparatus main body; hereinafter referred to as apparatus main body A) and a process cartridge B (hereinafter referred to as cartridge B) of an electrophotographic image forming apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention. Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view of cartridge B. Here, the apparatus main body A refers to the portion of the electrophotographic image forming apparatus excluding cartridge B.

[0011] <Overall Configuration of Electrophotographic Image Forming Apparatus> The electrophotographic image forming apparatus (image forming apparatus) shown in Fig. 2 is a laser beam printer utilizing electrophotographic technology in which a cartridge B is detachably attached to an apparatus main body A. When the cartridge B is attached to the apparatus main body A, an exposure device 3 (laser scanner unit) is disposed for forming a latent image on an electrophotographic photosensitive drum 62 (hereinafter referred to as photosensitive drum 62 or simply as drum 62) serving as an image carrier of the cartridge B. In addition, a sheet tray 4 is disposed below the cartridge B, which stores a recording medium (hereinafter referred to as sheet material PA) on which an image is to be formed. The drum 62 is a photosensitive member (electrophotographic photosensitive member) used for forming an electrophotographic image.

[0012] In the device main body A, a pickup roller 5a, a pair of feeding rollers 5b, a transfer guide 6, a transfer roller 7, a conveying guide 8, a fixing device 9, a pair of discharge rollers 10, a discharge tray 11, etc. are arranged in this order along the conveying direction D of the sheet material PA. The fixing device 9 is composed of a heating roller 9a and a pressure roller 9b.

[0013] <Image formation process> Next, an outline of the image forming process will be described. Based on a print start signal, the drum 62 is rotated in the direction of the arrow R at a predetermined peripheral speed (process speed). A charging roller (charging member) 66 to which a bias voltage is applied comes into contact with the outer peripheral surface of the drum 62 and uniformly charges the outer peripheral surface of the drum 62 (see FIG. 3). The exposure device 3 outputs a laser beam L according to image information. The laser beam L passes through a laser aperture 71h provided in the cleaning frame 71 of the cartridge B, and scans and exposes the outer peripheral surface of the drum 62. As a result, an electrostatic latent image corresponding to the image information is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the drum 62.

[0014] Meanwhile, as shown in FIG. 3, in the developing unit 20 as a developing device, the toner T in the toner chamber 29 is stirred and transported by the rotation of a transport member (stirring member) 43, and is sent out to the toner supply chamber 28. The toner T is carried on the surface of the developing roller 32 by the magnetic force of a magnet roller 34 (fixed magnet). The developing roller 32 is a developer carrier that carries a developer (toner T) on its surface in order to develop the latent image formed on the drum 62. The toner T is frictionally charged by the developing blade 42, and is then transferred to the developing roller 32 as a developer carrier. The layer thickness on the two peripheral surfaces is regulated.

[0015] Toner T is supplied to the drum 62 in accordance with the electrostatic latent image, and develops the latent image. As a result, the latent image is visualized as a toner image. The drum 62 is an image carrier that carries the latent image and an image (toner image, developer image) formed with toner on its surface. As shown in FIG. 2, the sheet material PA stored in the lower part of the device main body A is sent out from the sheet tray 4 by the pickup roller 5a and the pair of feeding rollers 5b in synchronization with the output timing of the laser light L. Then, the sheet material PA is transported to a transfer position between the drum 62 and the transfer roller 7 via the transfer guide 6. At this transfer position, the toner image is sequentially transferred from the drum 62 to the sheet material PA.

[0016] The sheet material PA onto which the toner image has been transferred is separated from the drum 62 and transported along a transport guide 8 to a fixing device 9. The sheet material PA then passes through a nip between a heating roller 9a and a pressure roller 9b which constitute the fixing device 9. A pressure / heat fixing process is performed in this nip, and the toner image is fixed onto the sheet material PA. The sheet material PA which has had the toner image fixed is transported to a pair of discharge rollers 10 and discharged onto a discharge tray 11.

[0017] 3, after transfer, residual toner on the outer peripheral surface of drum 62 is removed by cleaning member 77, and the drum 62 is used again in the image forming process. The toner removed from drum 62 is stored in waste toner chamber 71b of cleaning unit 60. Cleaning unit 60 is a photosensitive drum unit having photosensitive drum 62.

[0018] In the above, the charging roller 66, the developing roller 32, the transfer roller 7, and the cleaning member 77 are process means that act on the drum 62.

[0019] <Overall cartridge configuration> Next, the overall structure of the cartridge B will be described with reference to Figures 3 to 5. Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view of the cartridge B, and Figures 4 and 5 are perspective views for explaining the structure of the cartridge B. In this embodiment, the screws used for joining the various parts will be omitted from the description.

[0020] The cartridge B has a cleaning unit (photoconductor holding unit, drum holding unit, image carrier holding unit) 60 and a developing unit (developer carrier holding unit) 20. As shown in FIG. 3, the cleaning unit 60 has a drum 62, a charging roller 66, a cleaning member 77, and a cleaning frame 71 that supports them. On the driving side of the drum 62, a driving side drum flange 63 provided on the driving side is rotatably supported by a hole 73a of a drum bearing 73 (see FIG. 4). In a broad sense, the drum bearing 73 and the cleaning frame 71 can be collectively called a cleaning frame. On the non-driving side of the drum 62, as shown in FIG. 5, a hole (not shown) of the non-driving side drum flange is rotatably supported by a drum shaft 78 press-fitted into a hole 71c provided in the cleaning frame 71. Each drum flange is a bearing-supported portion that is rotatably supported by a bearing portion.

[0021] 3, in the cleaning unit 60, the charging roller 66 and the cleaning member 77 are disposed in contact with the outer circumferential surface of the drum 62. The cleaning member 77 has a rubber blade 77a, which is a blade-shaped elastic member made of rubber as an elastic material, and a support member 77b that supports the rubber blade. The rubber blade 77a abuts against the drum 62 in a counter direction to the rotation direction of the drum 62. In other words, the rubber blade 77a abuts against the drum 62 such that its tip portion faces upstream in the rotation direction R of the drum 62.

[0022] The waste toner removed from the surface of the drum 62 by the cleaning member 77 is stored in a waste toner chamber 71b formed by the cleaning frame 71 and the cleaning member 77. In addition, as shown in FIG. 3, a scoop sheet 65 for preventing the waste toner from leaking from the cleaning frame 71 is provided on the edge of the cleaning frame 71 so as to come into contact with the drum 62.

[0023] The charging roller 66 is rotatably attached to the cleaning unit 60 via charging roller bearings 67 at both ends in the longitudinal direction (rotation axis direction) of the cleaning frame 71. The longitudinal direction of the cleaning frame 71 (the longitudinal direction of the cartridge B) is substantially parallel to the direction in which the rotation axis of the drum 62 extends (axial direction). Hereinafter, when the term "longitudinal direction" or "axial direction" is used without any particular specification, it means the axial direction of the drum 62. The charging roller 66 is pressed against the drum 62 by the charging roller bearings 67 being pressed against the drum 62 by the biasing member 68. The charging roller 66 rotates following the rotation of the drum 62.

[0024] As shown in FIG. 3, the developing unit 20 includes a developing roller 32 as a developer carrier, a developing container 23 as a developing frame to which the developing roller 32 is attached and which supports the developing roller 32, and a developing blade 42 as a regulating member. The developing blade 42 regulates the amount of developer carried by the developing roller 32 as a developer carrier. The developing roller 32 is rotatably attached to the developing container 23 as a developing frame by bearing members 26 (FIG. 4) and 27 (FIG. 5) provided at both ends. A magnet roller 34 is provided inside the developing roller 32. In the developing unit 20, the developing blade 42 is disposed to regulate the toner layer on the developing roller 32. As shown in FIG. 4 and FIG. 5, the developing roller 32 has spacing members 38 attached to both ends of the developing roller 32, and the spacing members 38 come into contact with the drum 62, so that the developing roller 32 is held with a small gap between the drum 62 and the developing roller 32. 3, a blowout prevention sheet 33 for preventing toner from leaking from the developing unit 20 is provided on the edge of the developing container 23 so as to abut against the developing roller 32. Furthermore, a transport member 43 is provided in the toner chamber 29 formed by the developing container 23 and the bottom member 22. The transport member 43 agitates the toner contained in the toner chamber 29 and transports the toner to the toner supply chamber 28.

[0025] As shown in FIG. 4 and FIG. 5, the cartridge B is constructed by combining the cleaning unit 60 and the developing unit 20. The developing unit 20 and the cleaning unit 60 are connected as follows. First, the center of the first developer support boss 26a of the bearing member 26 is aligned with the first hanging hole 71i on the driving side of the cleaning frame 71, and the center of the second developer support boss 27a of the bearing member 27 is aligned with the second hanging hole 71j on the non-driving side. Specifically, the developing unit 20 is moved in the direction of the arrow G, so that the first developer support boss 26a and the second developer support boss 27a are fitted into the first hanging hole 71i and the second hanging hole 71j. This allows the developing unit 20 to be movably connected to the cleaning unit 60. More specifically, the developing unit 20 is connected to the cleaning unit 60 so as to be rotatable (rotatable). That is, the developing roller 32 is connected to the drum 62 in a state in which it can be moved toward and away from the drum 62. Thereafter, the drum bearing 73 is assembled to the cleaning unit 60 to configure the cartridge B.

[0026] In this embodiment, the non-drive side urging member 46L (FIG. 5) and the drive side urging member 46R (FIG. 4) are formed of compression springs. The urging force of these springs causes the drive side urging member 46R and the non-drive side urging member 46L to urge the developing unit 20 against the cleaning unit 60, thereby reliably pressing the developing roller 32 towards the drum 62. Furthermore, the developing roller 32 is provided with spacing members 38 attached to both ends. In other words, the drum 62 and the developing roller 32 come into contact with each other via the spacing members 38 at a predetermined contact pressure, thereby pressing the developing roller 32 against the drum 62. The roller 32 is held at a predetermined distance from the drum 62, and their relative positions are determined.

[0027] <Magnetic seal fixing method> The configuration of the magnetic seal will be described with reference to Fig. 3 and Fig. 6 to Fig. 9. Fig. 6(a) and Fig. 6(b) are explanatory views of the magnetic seal 35, Fig. 7(a) is an explanatory view of the developing container 23, Fig. 7(b) is a cross-sectional view taken along the line MC-MC in Fig. 7(a), and Fig. 8 is an exploded perspective view of the developing unit 20.

[0028] The developing unit 20 is composed of the developing container 23, the bottom member 22, the developing blade 42, etc., as shown in FIG. 3. The developing container unit 1400 (see FIG. 8) as a developer container is composed of the developing container 23 and the bottom member 22 which are integrally joined by means such as welding, and a toner chamber 29 for storing the toner T and a toner supply chamber 28 are formed therein. As shown in FIG. 8, the developing blade 42 as a regulating member has a supporting member 42a as a fixed member formed of sheet metal, and a developing elastic member 42b formed of an elastic material such as urethane rubber. The supporting member 42a is a fixed member for fixing the developing elastic member 42b to the developing container 23 as a developing frame. The developing blade 42 as a regulating member is fixed to a predetermined position with respect to the developing container 23 together with the cleaning member 47 by screws 993 at both ends of the supporting member 42a as a fixed member. Furthermore, magnetic seals 35 as sealing members are provided at both ends of the developing elastic member 42b (the details of the fixing method will be described later) to prevent the toner from flowing out from both ends of the developing elastic member 42b. The magnetic seals 35 are sealing members that use magnetic force to restrict leakage of developer from the gap between the developing container 23 as the developing frame and the developing roller 32 as the developer carrier.

[0029] As shown in FIG. 6(a) and FIG. 6(b), the magnetic seal 35 is composed of a magnet portion 35a having a permanent magnet such as ferrite or neodymium, and a non-magnet portion 35b which is a weak magnetic material. N poles and S poles are arranged at regular intervals on an inner peripheral surface 35c of the arc-shaped magnet portion 35a which faces the outer peripheral surface of the developing roller 32 with a gap therebetween, and on an outer peripheral surface 35d of the magnet portion 35a which abuts against the developing container unit 1400. As a result, magnetic lines of force 35j are generated on the arc-shaped inner peripheral surface 35c and outer peripheral surface 35d. On the other hand, the non-magnet portion 35b is provided in contact with the side surface of the magnet portion 35a, and prevents the magnetic lines of force 35j from leaking outward beyond the non-magnet portion 35b. In addition, a notch portion 35e is provided on the opposite side of the non-magnet portion 35b of the arc-shaped inner peripheral surface 35c which faces the developing roller 32. In addition, the elastic member 36 is disposed in a compressed state between the magnetic seal 35 and a support member 42a of the developing blade 42 as a regulating member attached to the developing container 23 (see FIG. 9(b)). A first end portion in the circumferential direction of the magnetic seal 35 is provided with an elastic member abutting surface 35l as a first abutting portion (sealing member side attachment surface) that abuts against the elastic member 36. A developing container abutting end surface 35m as a container abutting surface that abuts against the developing container 23 is provided at a second end portion on the opposite side of the inner circumferential surface 35c from the elastic member abutting surface 35l relative to the first end portion in the circumferential direction.

[0030] As shown in FIG. 7(a) and FIG. 7(b), the developing container 23 is provided with a magnetic seal support portion 23h that contacts the outer peripheral surface 35d of the magnetic seal 35. The developing container 23 is also provided with a magnetic seal abutment portion 23i as an abutment portion against which a developing container abutment end surface 35m provided at a second end portion on the opposite side of the first end portion in the circumferential direction of the magnetic seal 35 abuts. The developing container 23 is provided with a hole portion 23j between the magnetic seal support portion 23h and the magnetic seal abutment portion 23i in the circumferential direction of the developing roller 32 (the direction of the arrow 1401 in the figure). A labyrinth portion 23l that is a step shape for making it difficult for the toner T to slip through is provided on the inner side of the hole portion 23j in the longitudinal direction (the direction of the rotation axis). A container escape portion 35n (see FIG. 6(a) and FIG. 6(b)) of the magnetic seal 35 is provided at a position facing the labyrinth portion 23l. The labyrinth portion 23l and the magnetic force applied to the outer peripheral surface 35d of the magnetic seal 35 prevent toner leakage from the hole 23j. The structure is such that the toner is formed in an integrated developing container 23. In this structure, by providing the hole 23j, the first hole 23d, which is the positioning portion of the driving side bearing 940 (see FIG. 9(a)), can be disposed in the vicinity of the developing roller 32, and then the magnetic seal abutting portion 23i can be formed. Therefore, the positioning accuracy of the developing roller 32 can be improved while maintaining the sealing property of the magnetic seal 35. In addition, the bearing member 26 is provided with a collecting portion 26g so as to face the hole 23j when the developing roller 32 is assembled to the developing unit 20 (see FIG. 9(a) and FIG. 9(b)). As a result, even if the toner leaks from the hole 23j, the toner can be collected by the collecting portion 26g, thereby preventing the toner from adhering to the outer appearance of the cartridge B and the main body A of the apparatus.

[0031] Next, a method for fixing the magnetic seal 35 in the manufacturing process of the developing device will be described with reference to Figures 1, 8 and 9. Figure 1(a) is an explanatory diagram of the assembly of the magnetic seal 35. Figure 1(b) is an explanatory diagram of the configuration of the developer container unit 1400 and the magnetic seal 35. Figure 1(c) is an explanatory diagram of the configuration of the magnetic seal 35 and the elastic member 36 of the developer container unit 1400. Figure 1(d) is an ME-ME cross-sectional view of Figure 1(c). Figure 9(a) is an explanatory diagram of the configuration of the developing unit 20, and Figure 9(b) is an MD-MD cross-sectional view of Figure 9(a).

[0032] As shown in FIG. 1(a), when the magnetic seal 35 is assembled to the developing container 23, the magnetic seal 35 is brought in from the direction of the arrow 1414 in the figure until the outer peripheral surface 35d of the magnetic seal 35 comes into contact with the magnetic seal support portion 23h of the developing container 23. After that, the magnetic seal 35 is rotated in the direction of the arrow 1401 in the figure. Then, the magnetic seal 35 is rotated until the developing container abutting end surface 35m at the second end in the circumferential direction of the magnetic seal 35 abuts against the magnetic seal abutting portion 23i of the developing container 23. This determines the position of the magnetic seal 35 in the circumferential direction of the developing roller 32 (the direction of the arrow 1401 in the figure). Here, as shown in FIG. 1(b), the longitudinal positioning end surfaces 35o and 35r of the magnetic seal 35 are inserted between the magnetic seal longitudinal positioning surfaces 1402 and 1403 (see FIG. 1(c)) of the developing container 23, thereby positioning the magnetic seal 35 in the longitudinal direction (the direction of the rotation axis).

[0033] Next, as shown in FIG. 1(c), the elastic member 36 is placed on the elastic member contact surface 35l of the magnetic seal 35. The elastic member 36 is provided with an adhesive tape layer 36a and an elastic layer 36b as an adhesive surface (see FIG. 1(d)), and the elastic member 36 is adhered to the elastic member contact surface 35l by the adhesive tape layer 36a as an adhesive surface. Then, when the developing blade 42 is assembled, the elastic member 36 is placed so as to be compressed between the support member 42a of the developing blade 42 and the elastic member contact surface 35l of the magnetic seal 35 (see FIG. 8). At this time, the thickness 36c (see FIG. 1(d)) of the elastic member 36 is set so as to obtain a compression allowance that generates an elastic force 1404 (see FIG. 9(b)) on the elastic member contact surface 35l when the elastic member 36 is compressed and sandwiched between the support member 42a and the elastic member contact surface 35l. As shown in FIG. 9B, a rotational force is generated in the magnetic seal 35 in the direction of the arrow 1401 by the elastic force 1404 generated by the compressed and sandwiched elastic member 36. Then, a force is generated that urges the developer container contact end surface 35m in a direction (arrow 1416 direction) to press the developer container contact end surface 35m against the magnetic seal abutting portion 23i. Here, as shown in FIG. 1A, a straight line (dashed line in the figure) is assumed that connects the center of the arc of the magnetic seal support portion 23h (the rotation center of the magnetic seal 35) to the inner peripheral surface side end surface 23i1 of the magnetic seal abutting surface 23i. The magnetic seal abutting portion 23i is formed so that the outer peripheral surface side end surface 23i2 of the magnetic seal abutting surface 23i is downstream of the arrow 1401 with respect to this straight line. As a result, a rotational force is generated in the direction of the arrow 1401, and in a situation where the magnetic seal abutting portion 23i and the developing container abutting end face 35m do not come out of contact with each other, the outer circumferential surface 35d does not separate from the magnetic seal supporting portion 23h. With the above-described configuration, the magnetic seal 35 is fixed to the developing container 23 when the developing blade 42 is assembled.

[0034] Next, a method for temporarily fixing the magnetic seal 35 will be described with reference to FIGS. 1(a) to 1(d). As shown in Fig. 1d), the developing container 23 is provided with a container-side attachment surface 1405 to which the elastic member 36 is attached. The elastic member abutment surface 35l as a first abutment portion provided at a first end in the circumferential direction of the inner circumferential surface 35c of the magnetic seal 35 is disposed outward in the longitudinal direction from the container-side attachment surface 1405 as a second abutment portion. When the developing container abutment end surface 35m and the magnetic seal abutment portion 23i abut against each other and the position of the developing roller 32 in the circumferential direction 1401 is determined, the container-side attachment surface 1405 as the second abutment portion and the elastic member abutment surface 35l as the first abutment portion are flush with each other. When the developing container abutment end surface 35m at the second end in the circumferential direction of the magnetic seal 35 abuts against the magnetic seal abutment portion 23i, the elastic member abutment surface 35l as the first abutment portion and the container side attachment surface 1405 as the second abutment portion are adjacent to each other in the longitudinal direction. Here, the attachment range of the elastic member 36 in the longitudinal direction is between the longitudinal inner end surface 1406 of the seat surface 1410 and the rib 1407 when the developing blade 42 is assembled to the developing container 23. The elastic member 36 is set to be larger in the longitudinal direction than the elastic member abutment surface 35l as the first abutment portion provided at the first end in the circumferential direction of the inner circumferential surface 35c of the magnetic seal 35. Specifically, the longitudinal size of the elastic member 36 is larger than the distance 1415 from the magnetic seal side longitudinal end surface 1405a to the longitudinal inner end surface 1406 of the container side attachment surface 1405. As a result, the elastic member 36 is set to be attached to both the elastic member abutting surface 35l and the container side attachment surface 1405 regardless of whether the elastic member 36 is closer to the longitudinal inner end surface 1406 or the rib 1407. Since the container side attachment surface 1405 and the elastic member abutting surface 35l are flush with each other, the adhesive tape layer 36a as the adhesive surface of the elastic member 36 adheres to both the adjacent elastic member abutting surface 35l as the first abutting portion and the container side attachment surface 1405 as the second abutting portion. Here, the container side attachment surface 1405 and the elastic member abutting surface 35l are adjacent to each other so as to be flush with each other, and the container side attachment surface 1405 is disposed adjacent to the longitudinal inner side of the elastic member abutting surface 35l. In other words, the elastic member 36 is attached to the toner supply chamber 28 side of the elastic member abutting surface 35l.

[0035] The attachment range of the elastic member 36 in the longitudinal direction and in the direction perpendicular to the normal direction of the elastic member abutting surface 35l is between the short end surface 1408 and the elastic member attachment end surface 35t (see FIG. 1(b)). The size of the elastic member 36 is set so that it is attached to both the elastic member abutting surface 35l and the container side attachment surface 1405 regardless of whether it is closer to the short end surface 1408 or the elastic member attachment end surface 35t.

[0036] According to the above-described configuration and manufacturing method, the magnetic seal 35 is temporarily fixed to the developer container 23 by the elastic member 36 until the development blade 42 is assembled. The adhesive tape layer 36a as the adhesive surface of the elastic member 36 is adhered to both the elastic member abutting surface 35l as the first abutting portion provided at the first end in the circumferential direction of the inner circumferential surface 35c of the magnetic seal 35 and the container side pasting surface 1405 as the second abutting portion of the developer container 23. This is a process in the manufacturing method of the present invention in which the adhesive surface of the elastic member is adhered to both the first abutting portion and the second abutting portion in a state in which the second end in the circumferential direction of the seal member is abutted against the abutting portion of the development frame body. That is, this is a process in which the adhesive tape layer 36a of the elastic member 36 is adhered to both the elastic member abutting surface 35l and the container side pasting surface 1405 in a state in which the developer container abutting end surface 35m of the magnetic seal 35 is abutted against the magnetic seal abutting portion 23i of the developer container 23. Then, the magnetic seal abutting portion 23i and the developer container abutting end surface 35m do not come off, and are temporarily fixed. As a result, even if the elastic member 36 is not compressed and the urging force of the elastic member 36 is not acting, the magnetic seal 35 is restricted from moving in the circumferential direction. During the assembly process until the magnetic seal 35 is fixed by the support member 42a as a fixing member that fixes the development blade 42, the magnetic seal 35 is prevented from coming off the developer container 23. Therefore, the elastic member 36 required for fixing the magnetic seal 35 enables the magnetic seal 35 to be temporarily fixed during assembly, and a member for temporarily fixing or a temporary fixing mechanism of the assembly device is not required, leading to cost reduction. In addition, since the elastic member 36 is arranged on the toner supply chamber 28 side, the elastic member 36 can prevent toner from leaking from the toner supply chamber 28 in the longitudinal outward direction (the direction of the arrow 1411). Therefore, the development elasticity The sealing performance at both ends of the member 42b is improved. After that, the magnetic seal 35 is fixed by the support member 42a, which serves as a fixed member for fixing the developing blade 42. This is a process in the manufacturing method of the present invention in which the regulating member is fixed to the developing frame body by the fixed member, thereby sandwiching the elastic member between the fixed member and the sealing member in a compressed state. That is, this is a process in which the developing blade 42 is fixed to the developing container 23 by the support member 42a, thereby sandwiching the elastic member 36 between the support member 42a and the magnetic seal 35 in a compressed state.

[0037] This embodiment can also be applied to a developing cartridge having a developer carrier and to an apparatus main body to which the developing cartridge is detachably attached, and the same effects can be obtained.

[0038] A modified example of the above embodiment will be described with reference to Figs. 10(a) and 10(b). Fig. 10(a) is a diagram for explaining the configuration of the non-driven side end of the modified developer container 1423, and Fig. 10(b) is a diagram for explaining the configuration of the modified developer container 1423 and magnetic seal 1435. Regarding the fixed portion of the magnetic seal 1435 on the non-driven side of the modified example, the developer container 1423 does not have anything corresponding to the hole portion 23j and labyrinth portion 23l described in the first embodiment. Moreover, the magnetic seal 1435 does not have anything corresponding to the container escape portion 35n in the magnetic seal 35 of the first embodiment. The magnetic seal 1435 has longitudinal positioning end faces 1435o and 1435r provided at both ends of the elastic member abutting surface 1435l. Moreover, the magnetic seal longitudinal positioning surface 1413 on the inner longitudinal side of the developer container 1423 is provided on the outer longitudinal end face of the container side attachment surface 1405. Therefore, the magnetic seal 1435 is positioned in the longitudinal direction by inserting the longitudinal positioning end faces 1435o and 1435r of the magnetic seal 1435 between the magnetic seal longitudinal positioning faces 1402 and 1413 of the developing container 1423. The fixing method and temporary fixing method for this magnetic seal 1435 are also similar to those described above. [Explanation of symbols]

[0039] 20: developing unit, 23: developing container, 23i: magnetic seal abutment portion, 32: developing roller, 35: magnetic seal, 35c: inner circumferential surface, 35l: elastic member abutment surface, 36: elastic member, 36a: adhesive tape layer, 42: developing blade, 42a: supporting member, 1405: container side attachment surface

Claims

1. A developing frame; a developer carrier attached to the developing frame; a regulating member that regulates an amount of developer carried on the developer carrier; a seal member that uses a magnetic force to prevent the developer from leaking from a gap between the developing frame and the developer carrier; a support member that supports the regulating member and is fixed to the developing frame; an elastic member disposed between the support member and the seal member, the elastic member being provided only at an end portion in a rotational axis direction of the developer carrier; A developing device having the seal member has an arc-shaped inner circumferential surface facing an outer circumferential surface of the developer carrier with a gap therebetween, and a first contact portion that is provided at a first end portion in a circumferential direction of the inner circumferential surface and against which the elastic member contacts, the developing frame has an abutting portion against which a second end of the seal member, which is opposite to the first end in the circumferential direction, abuts, and a second abutting portion against which the elastic member abuts when the second end of the seal member abuts against the abutting portion, The elastic member has an adhesive surface that is adhered to both the first contact portion and the second contact portion of the developing device.

2. A developing device as described in Claim 1, characterized in that the elastic member is provided inward in the direction of the rotation axis from the seat surface to which the support member is fixed to the developing frame body.

3. The developing device described in Claim 2, characterized in that the elastic member is provided in the area between the inner end surface of the seat and a protrusion provided further inward than the inner end surface in the direction of the rotation axis, and movement in the direction of the rotation axis is regulated by the inner end surface and the protrusion.

4. When the second end of the seal member abuts against the abutment portion of the developing frame, the first abutment portion and the second abutment portion are adjacent to each other in the rotational axis direction of the developer carrier. The developing device according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

5. 5. The developing device according to claim 1, wherein the first contact portion is positioned outside the second contact portion in the direction of the rotation axis of the developer carrier.

6. 6. The developing device according to claim 1, wherein the elastic member is larger than the first contact portion in the direction of the rotation axis of the developer carrier.

7. 7. The developing device according to claim 1, wherein the elastic member biases the seal member in a direction in which the seal member is pressed against the abutment portion of the developing frame when the elastic member is compressed.

8. A developing frame; a developer carrier attached to the developing frame; a regulating member that regulates an amount of developer carried on the developer carrier; a seal member that uses a magnetic force to prevent the developer from leaking from a gap between the developing frame and the developer carrier; a support member that supports the regulating member and is fixed to the developing frame; an elastic member disposed between the support member and the seal member, the elastic member being provided only at an end portion in a rotational axis direction of the developer carrier; having the seal member has an arc-shaped inner circumferential surface facing an outer circumferential surface of the developer carrier with a gap therebetween, and a first contact portion that is provided at a first end portion in a circumferential direction of the inner circumferential surface and against which the elastic member contacts, the developing frame has an abutting portion against which a second end of the seal member, which is opposite to the first end in the circumferential direction, abuts, and a second abutting portion against which the elastic member abuts when the second end of the seal member abuts against the abutting portion, a manufacturing method of a developing device, the elastic member having an adhesive surface that is adhered to both the first contact portion and the second contact portion, a step of adhering an adhesive surface of the elastic member to both the first contact portion and the second contact portion in a state in which the second end portion of the seal member is abutted against the abutment portion of the developing frame; a step of fixing the supporting member to the developing frame so that the elastic member is sandwiched in a compressed state between the supporting member and the sealing member; A manufacturing method of a developing device having the above structure.

9. A method for manufacturing a developing device as described in Claim 8, characterized in that the elastic member is provided inward in the direction of the rotation axis from a seat surface to which the support member is fixed to the developing frame body.

10. A method for manufacturing a developing device as described in Claim 9, characterized in that the elastic member is provided in the area between an inner end surface of the seat and a protrusion provided further inward than the inner end surface in the direction of the rotation axis, and movement in the direction of the rotation axis is restricted by the inner end surface and the protrusion.

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