Foreign matter collection device, process cartridge, and image forming apparatus

Abstract

To provide a technology that can improve the ability to accommodate a foreign substance in a process cartridge.SOLUTION: A foreign substance recovery device has a frame body, a photoreceptor drum 61, a cleaning roller 210 that recovers a foreign substance from a surface of the photoreceptor drum 61, a recovery roller 220 that further recovers the foreign substance recovered by the cleaning roller 210 from the cleaning roller 210, and a scraping member 230 for scraping off the foreign substance from the recovery roller 220. A foreign substance recovery unit 241 included in the frame body has a first inside bottom face 240a that is located below the scraping member in the gravity direction in a usage posture, an outer peripheral bottom face 242a that is located below the first inside bottom face 240a, and a connection surface 240c that intersects the first inside bottom face 240a and the outer peripheral bottom face 242a and connects the first inside bottom face 240a with the outer peripheral bottom face 242a.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 19

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a cartridge for a photoconductor unit, a developing unit, or the like that can be attached to or detached from an electrophotographic image forming apparatus. [Background technology]

[0002] In electrophotographic image forming apparatuses such as laser beam printers and copiers, a toner image is formed on a photosensitive drum, and the toner image is transferred to a sheet serving as a recording material to form an image on the recording material. In laser beam printers, in order to facilitate maintenance, a method is widely adopted in which some parts of the image forming apparatus are provided in a cartridge, and the cartridge is removed from the main body of the apparatus for maintenance and replacement. Patent Document 1 discloses a process cartridge in which a developing unit that contains toner can be detachably attached to a photosensitive unit having a photosensitive drum. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2016-224221 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In a process cartridge having a structure in which a developing unit that contains toner can be detachably attached to a photosensitive unit having a photosensitive drum, there is still room for improvement in terms of size, cost, precision, usability, lifespan, etc.

[0005] SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT EMBODIMENT An object of the present invention is to provide a technique capable of improving the ability of a process cartridge to contain foreign matter. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to achieve the above object, the foreign body recovery device of the present invention comprises: A frame body, an image carrier that is rotatably supported by the frame and that carries a developer image; a first recovery member that is rotatably supported by the frame and that recovers foreign matter from the surface of the image carrier by rotating in contact with the surface of the image carrier; a second recovery member that is rotatably supported by the frame and rotates while in contact with a surface of the first recovery member to further recover the foreign matter recovered in the first recovery member from the first recovery member; a scraping member provided on the frame so as to be capable of sliding against the rotating second collection member, and for scraping the foreign matter from the second collection member, the frame body includes a housing portion that forms a housing space for housing a foreign object, The storage section includes: A first inner bottom surface is located below the scraping member in the direction of gravity in a position during use; A second inner bottom surface located further below the first inner bottom surface; a connection surface that intersects the first inner bottom surface and the second inner bottom surface and connects the first inner bottom surface and the second inner bottom surface; Have death, In a posture during use, when the first recovery member, the first inner bottom surface, and the second inner bottom surface are projected onto the same projection plane as viewed from a vertical direction, The first recovery member is disposed at a position that overlaps with the first inner bottom surface area and does not overlap with the second inner bottom surface area. It is characterized by the above.

[0007] In order to achieve the above object, the foreign body recovery device of the present invention comprises: A frame body, an image carrier that is rotatably supported by the frame and that carries a developer image; a first recovery member that is rotatably supported by the frame and that recovers foreign matter from the surface of the image carrier by rotating in contact with the surface of the image carrier; a second recovery member that is rotatably supported by the frame and rotates while in contact with a surface of the first recovery member to further recover the foreign matter recovered in the first recovery member from the first recovery member; a scraping member provided on the frame so as to be capable of sliding against the rotating second collection member, the scraping member being configured to scrape off the foreign matter from the second collection member; A foreign object recovery device having The frame body is A storage section that forms a storage space for storing foreign objects; A conveying member that conveys foreign matter in the accommodation space; Have death, The storage section includes: A first inner bottom surface is located below the scraping member in the direction of gravity in a position during use; A second inner bottom surface located further below the first inner bottom surface; a connecting surface that intersects the first inner bottom surface and the second inner bottom surface and connects the first inner bottom surface and the second inner bottom surface; The present invention is characterized by the above.

[0008] In order to achieve the above object, the foreign body recovery device of the present invention comprises: A frame body, an image carrier that is rotatably supported by the frame and that carries a developer image; a first recovery member that is rotatably supported by the frame and that recovers foreign matter from the surface of the image carrier by rotating in contact with the surface of the image carrier; a second recovery member that is rotatably supported by the frame and rotates while in contact with a surface of the first recovery member to further recover the foreign matter recovered in the first recovery member from the first recovery member; a scraping member provided on the frame so as to be capable of sliding against the rotating second collection member, the scraping member being configured to scrape off the foreign matter from the second collection member; a third recovery member capable of contacting the second recovery member; The third recovery member is controlled so as to come into contact with an outer circumferential surface of the second recovery member during a rotational motion of the second recovery member.

[0010] In order to achieve the above object, the foreign body recovery device of the present invention comprises: A frame body, an image carrier that is rotatably supported by the frame and that carries a developer image; a first recovery member that is rotatably supported by the frame and that recovers foreign matter from the surface of the image carrier by rotating in contact with the surface of the image carrier; a second recovery member that is rotatably supported by the frame and rotates while in contact with a surface of the first recovery member to further recover the foreign matter recovered in the first recovery member from the first recovery member; The second recovery member is provided on the frame so as to be slidably supported by the rotating second recovery member. and a scraping member for scraping the foreign matter from the foreign matter collecting device, the frame body includes a housing portion that forms a housing space for housing a foreign object, The storage section includes: A first side surface located at the rear of the frame body in the front-rear direction in a posture during use; a second side located farther from the scraping member than the first side; a connection surface that intersects with the first side surface and the second side surface and connects the first side surface and the second side surface, Effect of the Invention

[0011] According to the present invention, the capacity of the process cartridge to contain foreign matter can be improved. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0012] [Figure 1] 1 is a cross-sectional view of an image forming apparatus according to a first embodiment; [Diagram 2] FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of a developing unit according to the first embodiment; [Diagram 3] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a developing unit according to a first embodiment; [Figure 4] FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a developing unit according to a first embodiment; [Diagram 5] 1 is a cross-sectional view of a process cartridge according to a first embodiment; [Figure 6] FIG. 1 is a top view of a developing unit according to a first embodiment; [Figure 7] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a process cartridge according to a first embodiment; [Figure 8] FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram of a detection member according to a first embodiment; [Figure 9] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a developing unit according to a first embodiment; [Figure 10] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a process cartridge according to a first embodiment; [Figure 11] FIG. 1 is a partial perspective view of a photoconductor unit according to a first embodiment; [Figure 12] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a developing unit and a photoconductor unit according to a first embodiment; [Figure 13] 1 is a top view of a developing unit and a photoconductor unit according to a first embodiment; [Figure 14] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a process cartridge according to a first embodiment; [Figure 15] FIG. 1 is a partial perspective view of a developing unit and a lift member according to a first embodiment; [Figure 16] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a positional relationship between a lift member and a pressing member according to a first embodiment; [Figure 17] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the removal of a developing unit according to a first embodiment; [Figure 18] 1 is a cross-sectional view of a photoconductor unit and a cleaning unit according to a first embodiment; [Figure 19] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the size of each part in the left-right direction according to the first embodiment; [Figure 20] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the size of each part in the left-right direction according to the first embodiment; [Figure 21] 10 is a cross-sectional view showing another example of the foreign matter collecting recess according to the first embodiment; FIG. [Figure 22] 1 is a cross-sectional view showing a foreign matter collecting portion and a foreign matter collecting recess according to a first embodiment; [Diagram 23] 11 is a cross-sectional view showing a foreign object transport member according to a second embodiment; FIG. [Figure 24] 13 is a cross-sectional view showing a collecting and conveying sheet according to a third embodiment; [Diagram 25] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing the rotation of a cleaning roller and a collection roller according to a fourth embodiment; [Figure 26] 13 is a cross-sectional view showing another embodiment of the scraping member according to the fourth embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0013] Hereinafter, the mode for carrying out the present invention will be described in detail by way of example based on the embodiments with reference to the drawings. However, the dimensions, materials, shapes, and relative positions of the components described in the embodiments should be appropriately changed depending on the configuration of the device to which the invention is applied and various conditions. In other words, it is not intended to limit the scope of the present invention to the following embodiments.

[0014] [First embodiment] First, an image forming apparatus and a process cartridge according to a first embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the image forming apparatus 1.

[0015] In the following description, directions are defined based on the user who uses the image forming apparatus 1. In other words, the front side of the image forming apparatus 1 is referred to as the "front", the rear side as the "rear", the top (top) side as the "upper", and the lower (bottom) side as the "lower". In addition, the left side of the image forming apparatus 1 when viewed from the front side is referred to as the "left" and the right side as the "right". The directions of the process cartridge 5 are also defined in the same manner as those of the image forming apparatus 1, assuming that the process cartridge 5 is in the same position as when it is attached to the image forming apparatus 1. The directions in each drawing are defined by the arrows shown in the drawing.

[0016] The front-rear, up-down, and left-right directions indicated by these arrows are perpendicular to one another. These directions are the same in all the drawings. The up-down direction is parallel to the vertical direction, and the left-right and front-rear directions are parallel to the horizontal direction. The left-right direction is parallel to the rotation axis direction of the photosensitive drum 61 and the rotation axis direction of the developing roller 71, respectively. The developing unit 7 and the photosensitive unit 6 mounted together are called a process cartridge 5. This process cartridge 5 is inserted in the direction of the arrow S1 in the figure when mounted in the apparatus main body 2 (mounting direction), and is removed in the direction of the arrow S2 in the figure.

[0017] <Overall configuration of image forming apparatus> Fig. 1 is a cross-sectional view of an image forming apparatus 1 with a process cartridge 5 attached. As shown in Fig. 1, the image forming apparatus 1 mainly includes a paper feed section 3 for supplying paper S into an apparatus main body 2, an exposure device 4, a process cartridge 5 for transferring a toner image onto the paper S, and a fixing device 8 for thermally fixing the toner image transferred onto the paper S. The paper feed section 3 is provided at the bottom inside the apparatus main body 2, and mainly includes a paper feed tray 31 and a paper feed mechanism 32. The paper S stored in the paper feed tray 31 is supplied by the paper feed mechanism 32 toward the process cartridge 5 (between the photosensitive drum 61 and the transfer roller 63).

[0018] The exposure device 4 is disposed in the upper part of the apparatus main body 2, and includes a laser emitting unit (not shown), a polygon mirror (denoted by omitted reference numerals), a lens, a reflecting mirror, etc. In the exposure device 4, a laser beam based on image data emitted from the laser emitting unit is scanned at high speed over the surface of the photosensitive drum 61, thereby exposing the surface of the photosensitive drum 61.

[0019] The process cartridge 5 is disposed below the exposure device 4. It is configured to be inserted into a storage section 23 of the apparatus body 2 in the direction of arrow S1 from an opening that is created when a door (opening / closing member) 21 provided on the apparatus body 2 is opened (shown by a two-dot chain line in FIG. 1), and then attached to the apparatus body 2. When removing the process cartridge 5 from the apparatus body 2, the process cartridge 5 is moved in the direction of arrow S2 and taken out. In this way, the process cartridge 5 is configured to be detachable from the apparatus body 2 of the image forming apparatus 1.

[0020] This process cartridge 5 mainly includes a photosensitive unit 6 and a developing unit 7. The photosensitive unit 6 mainly includes a photosensitive drum 61, a charging roller 62, and a transfer roller 63. The developing unit 7 is configured to be detachably mounted to the photosensitive unit 6. The developing unit 7 mainly includes a developing roller 71, a supply roller 72, a layer thickness regulating blade 73, a toner storage section (developer storage section) 74 that stores toner (developer), and a first agitator 75A and a second agitator 75B provided in the toner storage section 74.

[0021] <Image formation process> Next, an image forming process using this process cartridge 5 will be described. The photosensitive drum 61 is rotated during the image forming process. The surface of the photosensitive drum 61 is uniformly charged by the electrostatic roller 62, and then exposed to laser light corresponding to image data emitted from the exposure device 4, thereby forming an electrostatic latent image corresponding to the image data on the photosensitive drum 61.

[0022] On the other hand, the toner in the toner storage section 74 is agitated by the second agitator 75B and the first agitator 75A, and then supplied to the developing roller 71 via the supply roller 72. The toner supplied to the developing roller 71 then enters between the developing roller 71 and the layer thickness regulating blade 73 and is carried on the developing roller 71 as a thin layer of a constant thickness. In this way, the developing roller 71 functions as a developer carrier that carries the toner, which is the developer.

[0023] The toner carried on the developing roller 71 is supplied to the electrostatic latent image formed on the photosensitive drum 61. As a result, the toner adheres to the electrostatic latent image, making it visible, and a toner image is formed on the photosensitive drum 61. Thereafter, the paper S is transported between the photosensitive drum 61 and the transfer roller 63, and the toner image (developer image) on the photosensitive drum 61 is transferred onto the paper S by the transfer roller 63, which is a transfer member. At this time, the transfer residual toner remaining on the photosensitive drum 61 is collected by the developing roller 71 and returned to the developing unit 7.

[0024] The fixing device 8 is disposed at the rear of the process cartridge 5, and mainly includes fixing members, a heating roller 92 and a pressure roller 91. The paper S onto which the toner image has been transferred passes through this fixing device 8, during which the paper S is heated and pressurized between the heating roller 92 and the pressure roller 91, and the toner image is fixed onto the paper S. The paper S that has passed through the fixing device 8 is discharged onto the paper output tray 22.

[0025] <Process cartridge configuration> Next, a description will be given of each unit of the process cartridge 5. As described above, the process cartridge 5 includes the photosensitive unit 6 and the developing unit 7 which is detachable from the photosensitive unit 6.

[0026] <Developing unit configuration> First, the configuration of the developing unit 7 will be described. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the developing unit 7, and is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA in FIG. 3. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the developing unit 7 seen from above, and FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the process cartridge 5 seen from above. FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of the developing unit 7. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the developing unit 7 attached to the photosensitive unit 6, and the cross section is parallel to the up-down direction and the front-rear direction. FIG. 6 is a top view of the developing unit 7, and shows a state in which the top surface of the housing 700 and the side holder 719 have been removed for the sake of explanation.

[0027] 2, the developing unit 7 has a gripping portion 701 to be gripped by a user at the front of a housing 700 serving as a developing frame, and a developing roller 71 is rotatably supported at the rear. Hereinafter, the configuration of the developing unit 7 will be described with the direction of the rotation axis of the developing roller 71 being referred to as the axial direction.

[0028] 4 and 6, the developing roller 71, the supply roller 72, the first agitator (first agitating member) 75A, and the second agitator (second agitating member) 75B are each rotatably supported at both ends by a left side wall 704 and a right side wall 705 of the housing 700. On the left side of the left side wall 704 of the housing 700, a developing coupling 710, a developing roller gear 711, a supply roller gear 712, a first agitator gear 713, a second agitator gear 714, and idle gears 715A, 715B, and 715C are provided. The developing roller gear 711 is fixed to an end of the developing roller 71, and the supply roller gear 712 is fixed to an end of the supply roller 72. The first agitator gear 713 is fixed to an end of the stirring rod 78A (see FIG. 5) of the first agitator 75A, and the second agitator gear 714 is fixed to an end of the stirring rod 78B (see FIG. 5) of the second agitator 75B. It is fixed to the end of the

[0029] 3, the developing unit 7 is provided with a first electrical contact 720A electrically connected to the developing roller 71 and supplied with a voltage to be applied to the developing roller 71, and a second contact 720B electrically connected to the supply roller 72 and supplied with a voltage to be applied to the supply roller 72. These electrical contacts come into contact with a power supply contact (not shown) provided in the apparatus main body 2, thereby supplying power to the developing roller 71 and the supply roller 72.

[0030] In conjunction with the operation of closing the door 21 provided in the apparatus main body 2, a developing drive transmission member (not shown) provided in the apparatus main body 2 moves to a position for engaging with the developing coupling 710. Conversely, in conjunction with the operation of opening the door 21, the developing drive transmission member moves to a position for releasing the engagement with the developing coupling 710.

[0031] When the apparatus main body 2 is operated after the door 21 is closed, a driving force is transmitted (input) from the developing drive transmission member to the developing coupling 710 serving as a driving force receiving member, and the developing roller 71 can be rotated from a gear provided on the circumferential surface of the developing coupling 710 via the developing roller gear 711, and the supply roller 72 can be rotated via the supply roller gear 712. The developing drive transmission member is configured to transmit a driving force to the developing coupling 710 while allowing the developing coupling 710 to shift in position within a predetermined range. The developing coupling 710, the developing roller gear 711, and the supply roller gear 712 are restricted from axial movement by a side holder 719 attached to the housing 700.

[0032] The developing unit 7 employs two agitators, a first agitator 75A and a second agitator 75B, to agitate the toner in the toner storage section 74. The first agitator 75A includes an agitating rod 78A and an agitating sheet 79A. The first agitator 75A is configured to be rotatable by receiving a driving force from the developing coupling 710 via an idle gear 715A at a first agitator gear 713. The second agitator 75B includes an agitating rod 78B and an agitating sheet 79B. The second agitator 75B is configured to be rotatable by receiving a driving force from the first agitator gear 713 via idle gears 715B and 715C at a second agitator gear 714.

[0033] The second agitator 75B supplies the toner in the toner storage unit 74 to the first agitator 75A. The toner near the first agitator 75A in the toner storage unit 74 is agitated by the first agitator 75A, and then supplied to the supply roller 72, and is further supplied to the developing roller 71 by the supply roller 72.

[0034] 4 and 7, a detection section 80 is provided at the left end of the developing unit 7. The detection section 80 is provided so that the state of a detection member 81 provided inside can be detected by a detection mechanism (not shown) provided in the apparatus main body 2. Depending on the state of this detection member 81, it can be determined whether the developing unit 7 is unused or has already been used.

[0035] The operation of the detection member 81 will be described with reference to Figures 8(a) and 8(b). Figures 8(a) and 8(b) are views of the developing unit 7 as seen from the left side. For the sake of explanation, the side holder 719 has been removed. As shown in Figure 8(a), the detection member 81 is provided with a detection protrusion 83 and a detection gear 82. As shown in the figure, the detection gear 82 is a gear with missing teeth. The detection member 81 receives a driving force from the second agitator gear 714 to the detection gear 82.

[0036] 8A shows the developing unit 7 in an unused state. The detection protrusion 83 is located on the upper front side of the detection member 81. The detection gear 82 is engaged with the second agitator gear 714. When the developing unit 7 is used, the second agitator gear 714 rotates in the direction of arrow R3 in the figure due to the driving force received by the developing coupling 710 from the developing drive transmission member of the apparatus main body 2. At this time, since the detection gear 82 is engaged with the second agitator gear 714, the detection member 81 rotates in the direction of arrow R4 in the figure.

[0037] 8(b) shows the state after the detection member 81 has rotated. Since the detection gear 82 is a gear with missing teeth, the detection member 81 rotates in the direction of arrow R4 in the figure, and when there are no more gear teeth that mesh with the second agitator gear 714, the detection member 81 stops rotating. At this time, the detection protrusion 83 is located on the upper rear side of the detection member 81. By detecting the position of the detection protrusion 83 of the detection member 81 with a detection mechanism (not shown) provided in the apparatus body 2, it is possible to determine whether the development unit 7 is unused or has already been used.

[0038] 9 is a perspective view of the developing unit 7 as seen from below. As shown in the figure, the bottom surface of the developing unit 7 is provided with a memory 85 and a positioning protrusion 86. The memory 85 is provided with a memory chip (not shown) that stores information about the developing unit 7, and a memory electrode 85A that is electrically connected to the memory chip. The memory electrode 85A contacts an electrode (not shown) provided on the device body 2, and communicates between the memory chip and the device body 2.

[0039] <Photoconductor unit structure and development unit support> Next, the detailed structure of the photosensitive unit 6 will be described. Fig. 10 is a perspective view of the process cartridge 5. Fig. 11(a) is a partial perspective view of the photosensitive unit 6, and Fig. 11(b) is a cross-sectional view taken along line BB in Fig. 11(a). Fig. 12 is a perspective view of the developing unit 7 and the photosensitive unit 6. Fig. 13 is a top view showing the positional relationship of the photosensitive unit 6, the developing unit 7, and the developing roller 71 in the left-right direction. Fig. 14(a) is a bottom view of the process cartridge 5. 14(b) is a perspective view of the developing unit 7 and the positioning portion of the photosensitive drum 61 of the photosensitive unit 6 in the axial direction of the photosensitive drum 61. For the sake of explanation, FIG. 14(b) shows only the positioning protrusion 86 and the marking 85 of the developing unit 7.

[0040] As shown in Fig. 10, the photoconductor unit 6 mainly includes a frame 610 having a pair of left side walls 611 and right side walls 612, and a photoconductor drum 61 rotatably supported at the rear of the frame 610. At the front of the frame 610, there are provided a mounting portion 615 (see Fig. 12) to which the developing unit 7 can be mounted, a gripping portion 617 with which the user grips the photoconductor unit 6, a pressing member 640 that presses the developing unit 7, and a lift member (moving member) 642 that lifts the developing unit 7. The lift member 642 lifts the developing unit 7 mounted in the mounting portion 615. A toner storage portion 74 of the developing unit 7 mounted in the mounting portion 615 is disposed between the left side wall 611 and the right side wall 612 in the left-right direction.

[0041] A first positioning protrusion 660 and a first guide rib 662 are provided at the rear of the frame 610, protruding coaxially with the photosensitive drum from the left side wall 611. Similarly, a second positioning protrusion 661 and a second guide rib 663 are provided at the rear of the frame 610, protruding coaxially with the photosensitive drum from the right side wall 612 (see FIGS. 10 and 13).

[0042] The life of the developing unit 7, which is determined by the amount of toner stored in the developing unit 7, is set to be shorter than the life of the photosensitive unit 6, which is determined by the thickness of the photosensitive layer of the photosensitive drum 61. Therefore, it is necessary to replace only the developing unit 7 that has reached the end of its life separately from the photosensitive unit 6. In this case, the door 21 is opened, the process cartridge 5 is removed from inside the apparatus main body 2, the developing unit 7 that has reached the end of its life is removed from the photosensitive unit 6, and another developing unit 7 is attached to the photosensitive unit 6 as shown in the attachment direction AD in FIG. 12. Thereafter, the photosensitive unit 6 with the developing unit 7 attached thereto is attached to the apparatus main body 2 as the process cartridge 5.

[0043] 7, 10 and 12, a receiving portion 641 for receiving the rotation bearing members 746A and 746B of the developing roller 71 is formed on the left side wall 611 and the right side wall 612 of the frame 610, ahead of the photosensitive drum 61. The receiving portion 641 is a generally U-shaped recess with an open front side when viewed from the left side, into which the rotation shaft 746 of the developing roller 71 is inserted during the process of mounting the developing unit 7 to the photosensitive unit 6. The receiving portion 641 supports the developing unit 7 on the photosensitive unit 6, while guiding the movement of the developing unit 7 in the mounting direction AD shown in FIG.

[0044] 13, protrusions 643 protruding upward are provided on both left and right ends of the bottom surface 613 of the frame 610. These protrusions 643 abut against ribs 718 provided on the bottom of the housing 700 of the developing unit 7 shown in FIG. 9, thereby supporting the developing unit 7 so that the developing unit 7 can be moved.

[0045] As shown in FIG. 12, the photosensitive unit 6 has a positioning hole 68 and a contact opening 69 provided in a frame 610 at one end side in the direction of the rotation axis of the photosensitive drum 61 (left and right direction). Here, the one end side refers to the same side with respect to the line dividing the length of the photosensitive drum 61 in the left and right direction. When the developing unit 7 is installed in the photosensitive unit 6, as shown in FIG. 14(a) and FIG. 14(b), the positioning protrusion 86 of the developing unit 7 is inserted into the positioning hole 68 of the photosensitive unit 6. The positioning protrusion 86 and the positioning hole 68 are engaged with each other in the axial direction (left and right direction) of the photosensitive drum 61, and the left and right position of the developing unit 7 with respect to the photosensitive unit 6 is determined. The memory 85 of the developing unit 7 is exposed to the lower part of the process cartridge 5 through the contact opening 69 of the photosensitive unit 6.

[0046] Here, as shown in FIG. 11(a) and FIG. 14(b), a box-shaped recess 90L is provided on one end side of the rotation axis direction (left-right direction) of the photosensitive drum 61 in the frame 610 of the photosensitive drum unit 6. The recess 90L is provided at a position overlapping with the positioning hole 68 when viewed from the rotation axis direction (left-right direction) of the photosensitive drum 61. The recess 90L reinforces the surrounding area whose strength has been reduced by providing the positioning hole 68, thereby increasing its strength. As shown in FIG. 11(b), the depth D2 of the recess 90L is deeper than the depth D1 of the positioning hole 68, increasing the effect of reinforcement. This configuration increases the strength around the positioning hole 68 of the photosensitive drum unit 6, and increases the positioning accuracy of both units in the left-right direction by the positioning protrusion 86 of the developing unit 7 and the positioning hole 68 of the photosensitive drum unit 6. As a result, the position accuracy of the memory electrode 85A of the memory 85 and the electrode provided in the apparatus main body 2 increases, and reliable electrode abutment can be achieved.

[0047] As shown in FIG. 11(a) and FIG. 14(b), a sheet member 93L is provided on the photosensitive drum 61 side of the recess 90L. A tip portion 93LA of the sheet member 93L abuts against the photosensitive drum 61. With this configuration, foreign matter such as unnecessary toner and paper dust adhering to the surface of the photosensitive drum 61 during image formation is scraped off by the tip portion 93LA to prevent image defects. With this configuration, the scraped off foreign matter such as unnecessary toner and paper dust falls into the recess 90L and is collected. Therefore, contamination of the process cartridge 5 due to scattering of foreign matter and image defects due to falling of foreign matter onto the paper S can be prevented. By using the recess 90L as a reinforcing structure and for collecting foreign matter in this way, it is not necessary to provide a structure for collecting foreign matter separately from the recess 90L, and the cartridge can be made smaller and the structure can be simplified.

[0048] As shown in Fig. 12, a foreign matter box 90R having a box-shaped recess is provided on the left-right opposite side of the positioning hole 68 of the photoconductor unit 6. A sheet member 93R is provided on the photoconductor drum 61 side of the foreign matter box 90R. A tip end 93RA of the sheet member 93R abuts against the photoconductor drum 61. As with the above-mentioned sheet member 93L, the foreign matter box 90R is provided with a box-shaped recess on the left-right opposite side of the positioning hole 68 of the photoconductor unit 6. To prevent image defects, the tip 93RA scrapes off foreign matter such as unnecessary toner and paper dust adhering to the surface of the photo drum 61. The scraped off foreign matter such as unnecessary toner and paper dust falls into the foreign matter box 90R and is collected in the box.

[0049] 12, the pressing member 640 is located in front of the frame 610 and is provided at both ends of the frame 610 in the left-right direction. The pressing member 640 is biased in the front-to-rear direction by a compression spring 640A serving as a biasing member. Therefore, the pressing member 640 presses the pressed ribs 716A and 716B provided on the housing 700 of the developing unit 7 by the biasing force of the compression spring 640A. By pressing the developing unit 7 with the pressing member 640, the developing roller 71 is biased toward the photosensitive drum 61.

[0050] 12 and 7, a recess 664 is provided in the left side wall 611 of the photoconductor unit 6, and the detection unit 80 of the developing unit 7 is located therein. Since the recess 664 reduces the rigidity of the frame 610, the first guide rib 662 is disposed so as to overlap a part of the lower part of the recess 664. Since the first guide rib 662 acts as a reinforcing member, it is possible to reduce the reduction in rigidity of the frame 610.

[0051] 11, a photosensitive gear (first gear) 65 and a transfer gear (second gear) 66 are fixed to the left end of the photosensitive drum 61, and are configured to rotate integrally with the photosensitive drum 61. When the process cartridge 5 is mounted in the apparatus main body 2, a drive gear (not shown) of the apparatus main body 2 meshes with the photosensitive gear 65, transmitting a driving force to the photosensitive drum 61 and the transfer gear 66, enabling them to rotate. Furthermore, the transfer gear 66 meshes with a transfer roller gear (third gear) 67 fixed to the left end of the transfer roller 63, enabling the transfer roller 63 to rotate as well.

[0052] <Lift mechanism of developing unit 7> Fig. 15 is a partial perspective view of the developing unit 7 and the lift member 642. Fig. 16 is a top view of the photoconductor unit 6 with the developing unit 7 attached, with the lift member 642 shown see-through in Fig. 16(a) and the lift member 642 shown without see-through in Fig. 16(b). Fig. 17 is a cross-sectional view of the photoconductor unit 6 and the developing unit 7, with the cross-section parallel to the up-down direction and the front-rear direction. Fig. 17(a) shows the developing unit 7 attached to the photoconductor unit 6, and Fig. 17(b) shows the developing unit 7 placed on the photoconductor unit 6. The developing unit 7 attached to the photoconductor unit 6 is moved to a lifted-up state by a lift mechanism, and then removed from the photoconductor unit 6. This lift mechanism will be described in detail below.

[0053] 15 and 17, at least a part of the lift member 642 is disposed on the front side of the housing 700 of the developing unit 7, and is rotatably supported by the right side wall 612 while receiving the force of the compression spring 650. At least a part of the lift member 642 is disposed to overlap in the front-rear direction with the right side wall 705 of the housing 700 that contains toner and the pressing member 640. The rotation axis 642X of the lift member 642 is parallel to the left-right direction (the axial direction of the photosensitive drum 61). The lift member 642 is biased by the force of the compression spring 650 in a direction to rotate in the R1 direction.

[0054] When the user presses the operating portion 642A of the lift member 642 against the force of the compression spring 650 to rotate the lift member 642 in the R2 direction, the lift member 642 presses the protruding portion 751 and moves the developing unit 7 in the removal direction LD to remove it from the photosensitive unit 6. This makes the developing unit 7 ready to be removed from the photosensitive unit 6. The operating portion 642A is disposed on the right end side (one end side) of the photosensitive unit 6.

[0055] As shown in FIG. 17(a), in an attached state in which the developing unit 7 is attached to the photosensitive unit 6, the pressing member 640 presses the housing 700, thereby pressing the developing roller 71 against the photosensitive drum 61. In addition, the pressing member 640 locks the developing unit 7 so that it does not come off from the photosensitive unit 6. As shown in FIG. 15, one end of the lift member 642 moves the abutment surface (abutment portion) 751A of the protrusion 751 of the housing 700 upward. This allows the developing unit 7 to be moved in the removal direction LD from the attachment position where it is attached to the attachment portion 615 (see FIG. 12) and removed from the photosensitive unit 6.

[0056] As shown in FIG. 17(b), when the front part of the developing unit 7 is separated from the photosensitive unit 6, the developing unit 7 is held in a temporary support position where the supported surface 700c of the housing 700 is supported by the holding part 640B of the pressing member 640. In addition, the developing unit 7 in the temporary support position is in a state where the rotary bearing member 746B (746A) of the developing roller 71 is supported by the receiving part 641. This state is called a lift-up state. At this time, the lock (the restriction on removing the developing unit 7 from the photosensitive unit 6) is released. In this lift-up state, if the user grasps the grip part 701 and lifts the developing unit 7 as it is, the developing unit 7 can be removed from the photosensitive unit 6 without moving other members. In this way, the user can remove the developing unit 7 from the photosensitive unit 6 and attach a new developing unit 7 to the photosensitive unit 6.

[0057] Next, a characteristic configuration of the photoconductor unit 6 according to the first embodiment will be described in detail with reference to FIGS.

[0058] Fig. 18 is a cross-sectional view of the photoconductor unit 6 with the cleaning unit 200 attached. Figs. 19 and 20 are diagrams showing the size of each part in the left-right direction of a cleaning unit according to another embodiment that differs in detail from the cleaning unit shown in Fig. 18. Figs. 21(a) and 21(b) are cross-sectional views showing another embodiment of the foreign matter collection recess 242. Fig. 22 is a cross-sectional view in which a foreign matter collection portion 620 and a foreign matter collection recess 621 are provided on a frame 610.

[0059] 18, the photosensitive unit 6 includes the photosensitive drum 61 and a cleaning unit 200 at the rear in the front-rear direction of a frame 610 that supports the photosensitive drum 61. The cleaning unit 200 includes a cleaning roller 210 as an example of a first roller, a collection roller 220 as an example of a second roller, a scraping member 230, a case 240, and the like. The cleaning unit 200 is detachably attached to the frame 610 of the photosensitive unit 6, and is attached to a unit holding portion 610a surrounded by a bottom wall 610b on the lower side in the up-down direction of the frame 610 and a side wall 610c on the rear side in the front-rear direction. The cleaning unit 200 may be configured to be detachable from the apparatus main body 2.

[0060] The cleaning roller 210 and the collection roller 220 are disposed so that their respective rotation axes are substantially parallel to the rotation axis of the photosensitive drum.

[0061] The cleaning roller 210 is disposed between the transfer roller 63 and the charging roller 62, facing the photosensitive drum 61 in the rotation direction of the photosensitive drum 61. The cleaning roller 210 contacts the circumferential surface of the photosensitive drum 61, and rotates so that the rotation direction of the photosensitive drum 61 and the rotation direction of the cleaning roller 210 are the same at the contact point between the photosensitive drum 61 and the cleaning roller 210. The cleaning roller 210 may be configured to rotate following the rotation of the photosensitive drum 61, or may be configured to rotate by applying a rotational force by a gear or the like.

[0062] The collection roller 220 is disposed opposite the cleaning roller 210. The collection roller 220 contacts the circumferential surface of the cleaning roller 210, and rotates such that the rotation direction of the cleaning roller 210 and the rotation direction of the collection roller 220 are the same at the contact point between the cleaning roller 210 and the collection roller 220. The collection roller 220 may be configured to rotate in a driven manner with the cleaning roller 210, or may be configured to rotate by applying a rotational force by a gear or the like.

[0063] The scraping member 230 is formed of a material such as foam, and is disposed so as to be in sliding contact with the circumferential surface of the collection roller 220. The scraping member 230 may have a member made of a different material, such as a sheet, attached to the surface on the side that comes into contact with the collection roller 220 in order to improve sliding properties. The case 240 houses the cleaning roller 210 and the collection roller 220. The case 240 also has a foreign matter collection section 241 at least below the collection roller 220 in the up-down direction and behind the collection roller 220 in the front-rear direction.

[0064] Next, the removal of the toner remaining on the photosensitive drum 61 after the toner image on the photosensitive drum 61 is transferred onto the paper S and foreign matter such as paper powder adhering to the surface of the photosensitive drum 61 from the paper S will be described. With the above-mentioned configuration, the developing roller 71 is urged toward the photosensitive drum 61, and in this state, the photosensitive drum 61 and the developing roller 71 are in contact with each other. As a result, the transfer residual toner remaining on the photosensitive drum 61 is collected by the developing roller 71 and returned to the developing unit 7.

[0065] On the other hand, most of the foreign matter such as paper powder that moves from the paper S to the surface of the photosensitive drum 61 in the transfer process is charged with the same polarity as the transfer voltage applied to the transfer roller 63. Therefore, by applying a voltage of the opposite polarity to the cleaning roller 210, the foreign matter electrostatically moves from the photosensitive drum 61 to the cleaning roller 210. The foreign matter held by the cleaning roller 210 is collected by the collection roller 220. A voltage of the same polarity as the voltage applied to the cleaning roller 210 and larger in absolute value is applied to the collection roller 220. As a result, the foreign matter on the cleaning roller 210 is electrostatically moved to the surface of the collection roller 220. The foreign matter collected on the surface of the collection roller 220 is physically scraped off by the scraping member 230 that comes into contact with the collection roller 220. The foreign matter scraped off by the scraping member 230 is stored in the foreign matter collection section 241.

[0066] Here, a rotational force is applied to the cleaning roller 210 by a gear or the like, and a speed difference is provided between the surface of the cleaning roller 210 and the surface of the photosensitive drum 61. The cleaning roller 210 may have a faster or slower peripheral speed than the photosensitive drum 61. Alternatively, the cleaning roller 210 may rotate such that the rotation direction of the cleaning roller 210 is opposite to the rotation direction of the photosensitive drum 61 at the contact point between the photosensitive drum 61 and the cleaning roller 210. With these configurations, the performance of the cleaning roller 210 in scraping off foreign matter adhering to the photosensitive drum 61 can be improved compared to when the cleaning roller 210 is driven by the photosensitive drum 61.

[0067] Next, the dimensional relationship of each part in the left-right direction will be described with reference to Fig. 19. The cleaning roller 210 is provided so as to be the same size (or width (same below)) as the size of the paper S, or the same size (or length (same below)) as the area where the paper S can contact the photosensitive drum 61 when passing through (maximum paper passing width SL), or larger (or longer (same below)) than these, taking into account dimensional variations of the parts. The collection roller 220 is provided so as to be the same size as the cleaning roller 210, or larger than the cleaning roller 210, taking into account dimensional variations of the parts.

[0068] The scraping member 230 is provided to be the same size as the collection roller 220, or larger than the collection roller 220, taking into account dimensional variations of parts, etc. Alternatively, the scraping member 230 may be provided to be at least the same size as the cleaning roller 210, or larger than the cleaning roller 210, taking into account dimensional variations of parts, etc.

[0069] Further, the foreign matter collection section 241 is provided to be the same size as the scraping member 230, or larger than the scraping member 230, taking into account dimensional variations of parts, etc. Alternatively, the foreign matter collection section 241 may be provided to be at least the same size as the cleaning roller 210, or larger than the cleaning roller 210, taking into account dimensional variations of parts, etc.

[0070] Next, the foreign object recovery section 241 will be described in detail with reference to FIG. 18. As described above, the foreign object recovery section 241 is provided at least below the recovery roller 220 in the up-down direction and on the rear side of the recovery roller 220 in the front-rear direction. Here, in the case 240, a bottom surface forming a recovery space of the foreign object recovery section 241 in the bottom wall intersecting with a line L1 drawn downward in the up-down direction from the rotation center of the recovery roller 220 is defined as a first inner bottom surface 240a. In addition, in the case 240, a side surface forming a recovery space of the foreign object recovery section 241 in the side wall intersecting with a line L2 drawn rearward in the front-rear direction from the rotation center of the recovery roller 220 is defined as a first side surface 240b.

[0071] Foreign matter recovery section 241 is a space formed by connecting first inner bottom surface 240a and first side surface 240b, and is formed as a space including recovery roller 220. Note that first inner bottom surface 240a is located above bottom wall 610b of opposing frame 610 in the vertical direction, and first side surface 240b is located forward in the front-rear direction of side wall 610c of opposing frame 610.

[0072] Further, the foreign object collecting section 241 has a foreign object collecting recess 242 in a part of the first inner bottom surface 240a. The foreign object collecting recess 242 is provided so as to protrude vertically downward from the first inner bottom surface 240a. In addition, a cutout portion 610d is provided in the bottom wall 610b. The foreign object collecting recess 242 protrudes downward from the first inner bottom surface 240a through the cutout portion 610d in the up-down direction, and protrudes to the same height as the bottom wall 610b or, as shown in FIG. 18, to a position lower than the bottom wall 610b. This makes it possible to increase the storage capacity for collecting foreign objects.

[0073] In addition, the outer peripheral bottom surface 242a on the vertical lower side of the foreign matter collection recess 242, which is a part of the outer wall surface of the foreign matter collection section 241, is configured to be able to come into contact with the paper S when the paper S is transported, thereby making it possible to control the transport direction of the paper S. This makes it possible to use a part of the outer wall surface of the foreign matter collection section 241 as a guide section for the paper S being transported.

[0074] Thus, the cleaning unit 200 constituting at least a part of the foreign matter recovery device of the first embodiment shown in FIG. 18 has a frame 610 as a framework, a photosensitive drum 61 as an image carrier that is rotatably supported by the frame 610 and carries a developer image, a cleaning roller 210 as a first recovery member that is rotatably supported by the frame 610 and rotates in contact with the surface of the photosensitive drum 61 to recover foreign matter from the surface of the photosensitive drum 61, a recovery roller 220 as a second recovery member that is rotatably supported by the frame 610 and rotates in contact with the surface of the cleaning roller 210 to further recover, from the cleaning roller 210, the foreign matter recovered by the cleaning roller 210, and a scraping member 230 that is provided on the frame 610 so as to be capable of rubbing against the rotating recovery roller 220, and that scrapes off foreign matter from the recovery roller 220.

[0075] The frame 610 is a foreign object collecting unit that serves as a storage unit that forms a storage space for storing foreign objects. The foreign matter recovery portion 241 has a first inner bottom surface 240a located below the scraping member 230 in the gravitational direction in a posture during use, an outer peripheral bottom surface 242a as a second inner bottom surface located further below the first inner bottom surface 240a, and a connection surface 240c that intersects with the first inner bottom surface 240a and the outer peripheral bottom surface 242a and connects the first inner bottom surface 240a and the outer peripheral bottom surface 242a.

[0076] As described above, in the foreign matter collection device of the first embodiment, the foreign matter collection section 241 that stores foreign matter such as paper powder has a foreign matter collection recess 242 that is surrounded by the outer peripheral bottom surface 242a and the connection surface 240c further below the first inner bottom surface 240a, thereby improving the foreign matter storage capacity, in other words, increasing the foreign matter storage space.

[0077] In addition, when the photoconductor unit 6 is in the posture during use, the cleaning roller 210 is disposed in a position that overlaps with the area of ​​the first inner bottom surface 240a and does not overlap with the area of ​​the outer circumferential bottom surface 242a when the cleaning roller 210, the first inner bottom surface 240a, and the outer circumferential bottom surface 242a are projected on the same projection plane as viewed vertically. This allows the foreign matter collecting recess 242 surrounded by the outer circumferential bottom surface 242a and the connection surface to be formed in a position that is not below the cleaning roller 210, thereby making it possible to reduce the space below the cleaning roller 210. As a result, the photoconductor unit 6 can be made smaller.

[0078] Further, the foreign matter collection section 241 includes a partition 240e that protrudes from the first inner bottom surface 240a in a direction along the upward direction of gravity and divides the storage space. This allows the partition 240e to act as a rib, improving the strength of the case 240 that constitutes the foreign matter collection section 241. Furthermore, when the collection roller 220 and the partition 240e are projected onto the same projection plane as viewed vertically in the usage position, the partition 240e is disposed at a position that overlaps with the area of ​​the collection roller 220. This makes it difficult for foreign matter scraped off from the collection roller 220 to return to the cleaning roller 210, and the foreign matter can be efficiently contained.

[0079] The outer circumferential bottom surface 242a is disposed on the opposite side of the partition portion 240e from the side on which the photosensitive drum 61 is disposed in the foreign matter recovery portion 241. As a result, the outer circumferential bottom surface 242a is disposed away from the photosensitive drum 61, and therefore, the influence of the presence of the outer circumferential bottom surface 242a on the strength of the frame 610 that rotatably supports the photosensitive drum 61 can be reduced.

[0080] Next, modified examples of the photoconductor unit 6 and the cleaning unit 200 according to the first embodiment will be described. In the cleaning unit 200 shown in Figures 19 and 20, the recess of the foreign matter collection section 241 is provided on the side surface rather than the bottom surface (see Figures 21(a) and 21(b) described later).

[0081] 19, the area where the paper feed pickup roller 32a provided in the paper feed mechanism 32 is disposed is an area where a large amount of foreign matter such as paper dust may be generated from the paper S due to friction between the paper feed pickup roller 32a and the paper S. Therefore, in order to collect a large amount of foreign matter such as paper dust, as shown in FIG. 19, it is preferable that the foreign matter collection recess 242 is provided so as to be longer in the left-right direction than the length D3 of the paper feed pickup roller 32a and overlaps with the area where the paper feed pickup roller 32a is disposed.

[0082] Thus, the device body 2 on which the foreign matter collection device is mounted includes a paper feed pickup roller 32a as a transport roller for transporting paper S (recording material) on which an image is recorded. In the longitudinal direction of the paper feed pickup roller 32a, the length of the outer circumferential bottom surface 242a, like the foreign matter collection recess 242, is longer than the length D3 of the transport roller. As described above, paper dust, which is an example of foreign matter, is likely to be generated at the contact point when the paper feed pickup roller 32a transports the paper S. Therefore, the storage space of the foreign matter collection section 241 is set to be longer than the longitudinal length D3 of the paper feed pickup roller 32a. By increasing the length of the outer circumferential bottom surface 242a that constitutes part of the space, paper dust resulting from the paper S transported by the paper feed pickup roller 32a can be efficiently collected.

[0083] Further, in the left-right direction, the paper width end SE of the paper S is also an area where a large amount of foreign matter such as paper dust may occur. Therefore, in order to collect more foreign matter such as paper dust, it is preferable that the foreign matter collection recess 242 is provided to be larger than the maximum paper passing width (maximum width of the paper S) SL in the left-right direction and overlaps with the area of ​​the paper width end SE of the paper S. Alternatively, it is preferable that the foreign matter collection recess 242 is larger than the minimum width of the paper S transported by the paper feed pickup roller 32a in the left-right direction. Alternatively, it is preferable that the both ends of the foreign matter collection recess 242 are located outside the both ends of the paper feed pickup roller 32a in the left-right direction. This makes it possible to efficiently collect paper dust caused by the paper S transported by the paper feed pickup roller 32a. However, if the foreign matter collection recess 242 is made larger than the maximum paper passing width SL in the left-right direction, for example, the cutout portion 610d (or the cutout portion 610e) in the bottom wall 610b shown in FIG. 18 (or the side wall 610c shown in FIG. 19) will become larger, which may cause a decrease in the rigidity of the frame 610.

[0084] Therefore, in order to reduce the decrease in rigidity of the frame 610, the foreign matter collecting recess 242 may be made smaller than the maximum paper passing width SL in the left-right direction, and the cutout portion 610d (cutout portion 610e) in the bottom wall 610b (side wall 610c) may be made smaller. Alternatively, in order to reduce the decrease in rigidity of the frame 610 and increase the storage capacity for collecting foreign matter, a plurality of foreign matter collecting recesses 242 may be provided in the left-right direction, and the cutout portion 610e in the side wall 610c may be made smaller, as shown in FIG.

[0085] When providing multiple foreign matter collection recesses 242 in the left-right direction, it is preferable to provide the foreign matter collection recesses 242 in locations where a large amount of foreign matter such as paper powder is generated. In other words, in order to collect as much foreign matter as possible such as paper powder, it is preferable that the foreign matter collection recesses 242 are provided in the left-right direction at positions overlapping the paper feed pickup roller 32a and at positions overlapping the paper width end portion SE of the paper S.

[0086] The foreign object collecting recess 242 may be provided so as to protrude rearward in the front-rear direction from the first side surface 240b as shown in Fig. 21(a) and Fig. 21(b). In this case, a notch 610e is provided in the side wall 610c. The foreign object collecting recess 242 protrudes rearward in the front-rear direction from the first side surface 240b through the notch 610e, and protrudes to the same position as the side wall 610c or further rearward than the side wall 610c as shown in Fig. 21(a) and Fig. 21(b). The shape and arrangement in the left-right direction are the same as those described above, and therefore will not be described.

[0087] Thus, the foreign matter collection section 241 has, in the position during use, a first side 240b located rearward of the frame 610 in the fore-and-aft direction, a second side 240f located farther from the scraping member 230 than the first side 240b, and a connecting surface 240g that intersects with the first side 240b and the second side 240f and connects the first side 240b and the second side 240f.

[0088] As a result, the foreign matter collection section 241, which stores foreign matter such as paper powder, has a foreign matter collection recess 242 surrounded by the second side surface 240f, which is located further away from the scraping member 230 than the first side surface 240b, and the connecting surface 240g, thereby improving the foreign matter storage capacity, in other words, increasing the foreign matter storage space.

[0089] The foreign object collecting recess 242 may be provided on both the first inner bottom surface 240a and the first side surface 240b (FIG. 21(b)). A plurality of foreign matter collecting recesses 242 may be provided in each of the portions b. Then, a portion of the foreign matter collecting portion 241 may be configured by combining the plurality of foreign matter collecting recesses 242.

[0090] As described above, by providing the foreign matter collection recess 242 in a part of the foreign matter collection section 241, the capacity for collecting foreign matter such as paper powder can be increased.

[0091] In the present embodiment, the configuration has been described in which the cutout portion 610d is provided in the bottom wall 610b or the cutout portion 610e is provided in the side wall 610c to place the foreign matter collection recess 242, but this is not limiting. For example, the bottom wall 610b of the frame 610 may be located vertically lower within a range that does not affect the paper transport path, and the foreign matter collection recess 242 may be located vertically higher than the bottom wall 610b of the frame 610. In this case, the bottom wall 610b of the frame 610 may be configured to control the transport direction of the paper S by contacting the paper S when the paper S is transported.

[0092] Also, the side wall 610c of the frame 610 may be disposed on the rear side in the front-rear direction within a range where there is no influence such as interference with the apparatus main body, and the foreign object collection recess 242 may be provided on the front-rear direction front side of the side wall 610c of the frame 610. With these configurations, it is not necessary to provide the cutout portion 610d in the bottom wall 610b or the cutout portion 610e in the side wall 610c as described above, so that a decrease in the rigidity of the frame 610 can be reduced.

[0093] In addition, in the present embodiment, the cleaning unit 200 is detachably attached to the frame 610 of the photoconductor unit 6, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, as shown in Fig. 22, the cleaning roller 210, the collection roller 220, and the scraping member 230 are attached to the frame 610 of the photoconductor unit 6, and the bottom wall 610b and the side wall 610c form the foreign matter collection section 620. The foreign matter collection recess 621 may be provided in the bottom wall 610b, the side wall 610c, or both the bottom wall 610b and the side wall 610c.

[0094] In addition, in the present embodiment, the cleaning unit 200 including the cleaning roller 210, the collection roller 220, the scraping member 230, and the foreign matter collection section 241 in the case 240 is configured to be detachable from the photoconductor unit 6, but this is not limiting. For example, the case 240 including at least the foreign matter collection section 241 may be configured to be detachable from the photoconductor unit 6. That is, for example, the case 240 including the foreign matter collection section 241 and the scraping member 230, or the case 240 including the foreign matter collection section 241, the collection roller 220, and the scraping member 230 may be configured to be detachable from the photoconductor unit 6.

[0095] [Second embodiment] Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. 23. In this embodiment, the parts that are different from the above-mentioned embodiment will be described in detail. Unless otherwise specified, the parts have the same configuration as the above-mentioned embodiment, so the same numbers are given to such parts and detailed description will be omitted. The same applies to the other embodiments described below. FIG. 23(a) and FIG. 23(b) are cross-sectional views of the arrangement of a foreign object transport member 250 of the second embodiment.

[0096] As shown in FIG. 23(a), foreign object transport member 250 is provided on the vertical lower side of foreign object collection section 241. Foreign object transport member 250 is formed of shaft portion 250a and transport portion 250b, and is rotated by a driving means (not shown) with a rotation axis extending in the left-right direction. Alternatively, foreign object transport member 250 may be configured to perform a swinging motion with a rotation axis extending in the left-right direction. Alternatively, foreign object transport member 250 may be configured to perform a linear reciprocating motion at least in the front-rear direction. In other words, foreign object transport member 250 is configured such that it can move inside foreign object collection section 241 in a swivel motion. Various configurations may be employed as long as they are capable of acting on foreign matter such as paper powder contained in foreign matter recovery section 241 by moving.

[0097] Foreign matter such as paper powder scraped off by scraping member 230 accumulates on the upper and lower upper sides of foreign matter collection section 241 when it is stored in foreign matter collection section 241. Then, foreign matter transport member 250 operates to move the foreign matter forward in the front-rear direction by transport section 250b. Thus, the accumulated foreign matter is leveled to form an evenly stacked state, and the foreign matter can be efficiently stored in foreign matter collection section 241.

[0098] 23(b), a configuration in which a foreign object collecting recess 242 is provided in a foreign object collecting section 241 may be provided with a foreign object transport member 250. The transport section 250b may be formed integrally with the shaft section 250a, or may be formed separately. The transport section 250b may be formed of a sheet-like material, may be formed in a slatted flat plate shape, or may be formed in a spiral shape.

[0099] In order to efficiently collect foreign matter such as paper powder in foreign matter collection section 241, it is preferable to provide transport section 250b of foreign matter transport member 250 over the entire inside area of ​​foreign matter collection section 241 in the left-right direction. Alternatively, it is preferable to provide foreign matter collection recess 242 in foreign matter collection section 241 and provide transport section 250b at a position facing at least foreign matter collection recess 242.

[0100] As described above, the foreign object recovery device shown in Fig. 23 has foreign object recovery section 241 that forms a storage space for storing foreign objects, and foreign object transport member 250 that transports foreign objects within the storage space. By providing foreign object transport member 250 on the vertical lower side of foreign object recovery section 241, foreign objects such as paper powder can be efficiently stored in foreign object recovery section 241 and moved within the storage space. In other words, the storage space can be efficiently utilized to increase the amount of foreign objects that can be stored. Note that foreign object recovery recess 242 shown in Fig. 18 may be provided below foreign object recovery section 241 shown in Fig. 23.

[0101] [Third embodiment] Next, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Fig. 24. Fig. 24 is a cross-sectional view of a rotatable collecting and conveying sheet 260 in contact with the collecting roller 220.

[0102] 24, a collection conveying sheet 260 (third collection member) is provided in the foreign object collection section 241. The collection conveying sheet 260 is formed of an axis 260a and a collection conveying section 260b, which is made of a flexible sheet member, and rotates about a rotation axis extending in the left-right direction by a driving means (not shown). When the collection conveying sheet 260 rotates, the tip of the collection conveying section 260b comes into contact with the outer circumferential surface of the collection roller 220 when it approaches the collection roller 220, and moves away from the tip when it moves away.

[0103] The reason why the recovery and conveying sheet 260 is allowed to come into contact with the recovery roller 220 (second recovery member) midway through its rotation as in this embodiment is, first, to remove foreign matter such as paper powder remaining on the recovery roller 220 and convey it to the foreign matter recovery section 241, second, to extend the life of the scraping member 230, and third, to prevent the charge polarity of the foreign matter on the recovery roller 220 from being reversed. The reasons will be explained in detail below.

[0104] Since the collection roller 220 and the scraping member 230 are constantly in contact with each other, in a process cartridge with a long life, the scraping member may wear out and the scraping ability may decrease. The scraping member 230 wears out because large foreign objects get caught between the collection roller 220 and the scraping member 230 and rotate in that state for a long time. When the scraping member 230 wears out, the foreign objects slip through in streaks along the direction of rotation of the collection roller 220. Some of the foreign objects that slip through in streaks are rubbed against each other as they rotate around the collection roller 220. The foreign matter with the reversed polarity is electrostatically transferred from the collection roller 220 to the cleaning roller 210, and then transferred from the cleaning roller 210 to the photoconductor 61, which may cause image defects.

[0105] In this embodiment, the rotatable collection conveying sheet 260 is brought into contact with the collection roller 220 midway through rotation, and when the collection conveying sheet 260 comes into contact with the collection roller 220, the collection conveying sheet 260 brushes off large foreign matter on the collection roller 220 due to the difference in peripheral speed (relative movement), and conveys it to the foreign matter collection section 241. Also, since the contact position of the collection conveying sheet 260 with respect to the collection roller 220 is upstream of that of the scraping member 230 in the rotation direction of the collection roller 220, the collection roller 220 is less likely to enter the scraping member 230 with large foreign matter adhering thereto, and this makes it possible to extend the life of the scraping member 230.

[0106] For foreign matter that is not brushed off by the recovery conveying sheet 260 and remains on the recovery roller 220, the charge polarity is maintained so as not to change due to friction between the recovery conveying section 260b of the recovery conveying sheet 260 and the foreign matter. Therefore, it is preferable to use a material that can maintain the charge polarity of the foreign matter for the recovery conveying section 260b of the recovery conveying sheet 260. If it is desired to maintain the foreign matter positively charged, it is possible to select a material such as Teflon (registered trademark), and if it is desired to maintain the foreign matter negatively charged, it is possible to select a material such as nylon, but there is no limitation to these as long as the material can maintain the charge polarity of the foreign matter.

[0107] In this embodiment, the recovery conveying sheet having the shaft portion 260a and the recovery conveying portion 260b is shown as an example, but the present invention is not limited to this as long as the above-mentioned function is realized. For example, the effect can be expected from a roller with a sponge or a brush wound in a spiral shape. In addition, the recovery conveying sheet 260 and the recovery roller 220 do not have to be in contact with each other evenly, and the rotation axes of the two may or may not be parallel. Furthermore, the rotation direction of the recovery conveying sheet 260 relative to the rotation direction of the recovery roller 220 may be forward or reverse. In other words, the third recovery member may be in a state of contact with the second recovery member, and a peripheral speed difference (relative movement) may occur between the contact surfaces at the contact portion. For example, when the contact surfaces of the second and third recovery members at the contact portion move in the same direction, the moving speed of the contact surface of the third recovery member is controlled to be slower than the moving speed of the contact surface of the second recovery member, so that the adhering material can be scraped off from the second recovery member. In addition, by controlling the contact surfaces of the second and third collection members to move in different directions at the contact portion, it is possible to scrape off the deposits from the second collection member. Note that the third collection member may be in intermittent contact with the second collection member, or may be in constant contact with the second collection member.

[0108] [Fourth embodiment] Next, a fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Figures 25 and 26. Figure 25 is a cross-sectional view showing the rotation direction of a cleaning roller 210 and a collection roller 220. Figure 26 is a cross-sectional view showing another embodiment of a scraping member 231.

[0109] As described above, the collection roller 220 rotates in contact with the surface of the cleaning roller 210, so that foreign matter such as paper powder held by the cleaning roller 210 is held by the collection roller 220. Here, in order to improve the performance of scraping off foreign matter adhering to the cleaning roller 210, it is preferable to increase the area of ​​contact between the collection roller 220 and the surface of the cleaning roller 210.

[0110] In addition, it is preferable to provide a speed difference between the surface of the collection roller 220 and the surface of the cleaning roller 210, and to cause the surface of the cleaning roller 210 and the surface of the collection roller 220 to rub against each other. This is done by applying a rotational force to the cleaning roller 210 and the collection roller 220 using gears or the like. 25, the collection roller 220 rotates in the opposite direction to the cleaning roller 210 at the contact point between the cleaning roller 210 and the collection roller 220.

[0111] That is, the cleaning roller 210 and the collection roller 220 are rotationally driven so that the surfaces of the cleaning roller 210 and the collection roller 220 move in opposite directions at a contact portion where the cleaning roller 210 and the collection roller 220 come into contact with each other.

[0112] This can further improve the performance of scraping off foreign matter adhering to the cleaning roller 210. However, there is a concern that the rotation load torque may increase due to the collection roller 220 rotating in the opposite direction to the cleaning roller 210. Therefore, by using a brush roller, low-resilience sponge, low-resistance sponge, a roller with a sponge wound in a spiral shape, or the like for the collection roller 220, the increase in the rotation load can be suppressed.

[0113] Next, a configuration will be described in which, when the recovery roller 220 rotates to move in the opposite direction relative to the cleaning roller 210 at the contact portion between the cleaning roller 210 and the recovery roller 220, foreign matter such as paper powder retained on the surface of the recovery roller 220 is collected in the foreign matter recovery section 241.

[0114] 26(a), the scraping member 231 is disposed in the circumferential direction of the collection roller 220 so as to be downstream in the rotation direction of a straight line L connecting the centers of rotation of the cleaning roller 210 and the collection roller 220. This is to prevent the foreign matter contained in the foreign matter collection section 241 from adhering again to the cleaning roller 210. The scraping member 231 is formed of a foaming material, and is fixed to a holder 240d for the scraping member 231 provided in the case 240.

[0115] In other words, when viewed from the direction of the rotation axis of the collection roller 220, the scraping member 231 is disposed on the opposite side to the side where the photosensitive drum 61 is located with respect to the imaginary line L connecting the rotation center of the cleaning roller 210 and the rotation center of the collection roller 220. This makes it easier for the foreign matter scraped off by the scraping member 231 to move in the direction opposite to the side where the photosensitive drum 61 is located.

[0116] The scraping member 231 may be a rubber blade or a metal blade. With this configuration, the foreign matter scraped off from the collection roller 220 can be accommodated in the foreign matter collection section 241 without adhering again to the cleaning roller 210. As shown in FIG. 26(b), the foreign matter collection section 241 may be provided with a foreign matter collection recess 242, and the rotation direction of the collection roller 220 and the arrangement of the scraping member 231 may be arranged as described above.

[0117] As described above, by rotating the collection roller 220 in the opposite direction to the cleaning roller 210 and by devising an appropriate arrangement of the scraping member 231, the collection roller 220 can efficiently scrape off foreign matter such as paper powder from the cleaning roller 210.

[0118] In carrying out the present invention, the configurations and arrangements described in the respective embodiments shown above can be appropriately selected and combined within a range that does not cause any inconsistency.

[0119] For example, (1) the foreign matter recovery section 241 shown in FIG. 18 may be provided with a foreign matter transport member 250 shown in FIG. 24(a) or FIG. 24(b). Alternatively, (2) a foreign matter transport member 250 shown in FIG. 24(a) or FIG. 24(b) may be provided in the foreign matter recovery section 241 shown in FIG. 21(a) or FIG. 21(b). 24(a) or 24(b) in the foreign object collecting recess 621 shown in FIG. 22. A foreign object transport member 250 may be provided. Alternatively, (4) the foreign matter recovery section 241 shown in FIG. 25 may be provided with the foreign matter transport member 250 shown in FIG. 24(a) or FIG. 24(b). Alternatively, (5) the foreign matter recovery section 241 shown in FIG. 26(a) or FIG. 26(b) may be provided with the foreign matter transport member 250 shown in FIG. 24(a) or FIG. 24(b). Alternatively, (6) a foreign matter collecting recess 242 shown in FIG. 21(a) or FIG. 21(b) may be provided behind the first side surface 240b of the foreign matter collecting portion 241 shown in FIG. 25 or FIG. 26(a). Alternatively, a plurality of the above-mentioned configurations (1) to (6) may be combined. [Explanation of symbols]

[0120] 1...image forming apparatus, 2...apparatus main body, 5...process cartridge, 6...photosensitive unit, 7...developing unit, 32a...paper feed pickup roller, 61...photosensitive drum, 71...developing roller, 200...cleaning unit, 210...cleaning roller, 220...collection roller, 230, 231...scraping member, 240...case, 240a...first inner bottom surface, 240b...first side surface, 240c...connecting surface, 240d...holding portion, 240e...partition portion, 240f...second side surface, 240g...connecting surface, 241...foreign matter collection portion, 242...foreign matter collection recess, 242a...outer peripheral bottom surface, 250...foreign matter transport member, 250a...shaft portion, 250b...transport portion, 260...collection transport sheet, 260a...shaft portion, 260b...collection transport portion, 610...frame

Claims

1. A frame body, an image carrier that is rotatably supported by the frame and that carries a developer image; a first recovery member that is rotatably supported by the frame and that recovers foreign matter from the surface of the image carrier by rotating in contact with the surface of the image carrier; a second recovery member that is rotatably supported by the frame and rotates while in contact with a surface of the first recovery member to further recover the foreign matter recovered by the first recovery member from the first recovery member; a scraping member provided on the frame so as to be capable of sliding against the rotating second collection member, the scraping member being configured to scrape off the foreign matter from the second collection member, the frame body includes a housing portion that forms a housing space for housing a foreign object, The storage section includes: A first inner bottom surface is located below the scraping member in a gravitational direction in a posture during use; a second inner bottom surface located further below the first inner bottom surface; a connection surface that intersects the first inner bottom surface and the second inner bottom surface and connects the first inner bottom surface and the second inner bottom surface; having In a posture during use, when the first recovery member, the first inner bottom surface, and the second inner bottom surface are projected onto the same projection plane as viewed from a vertical direction, A foreign object recovery device, characterized in that the first recovery member is positioned at a position that overlaps with the first inner bottom surface area but does not overlap with the second inner bottom surface area.

2. The storage section includes a partition section that protrudes from the first inner bottom surface in an upward direction in the gravity direction and divides the storage space, The foreign object recovery device according to claim 1, characterized in that, in a posture during use, when the second recovery member and the partition portion are projected onto the same projection plane when viewed vertically, the partition portion is positioned in a position overlapping with an area of ​​the second recovery member.

3. The second inner bottom surface is a bottom surface on which the image carrier is disposed relative to the partition portion in the storage portion.

3. The foreign object recovery device according to claim 2, wherein the foreign object recovery device is disposed on an opposite side to the side where the foreign object is being removed.

4. 4. The foreign matter recovery device according to claim 1, wherein the foreign matter recovery device is detachable from a main body of an image forming apparatus.

5. the main body of the apparatus to which the foreign matter recovery device is attached includes a transport roller for transporting a recording material on which an image is recorded, 5. The foreign matter recovery device according to claim 4, wherein a length of the second inner bottom surface in the longitudinal direction of the transport roller is longer than a length of the transport roller.

6. 6. The foreign matter recovery device according to claim 5, wherein both ends of the second inner bottom surface are positioned outside both ends of the transport roller in the longitudinal direction of the transport roller.

7. 7. The foreign matter recovery device according to claim 5, wherein a length of the second inner bottom surface in the longitudinal direction of the transport roller is greater than a minimum width of the recording material transported by the transport roller.

8. 8. The foreign matter recovery device according to claim 7, wherein a length of the second inner bottom surface in the longitudinal direction of the transport roller is greater than a maximum width of the recording material.

9. 8. The foreign matter recovery device according to claim 5, wherein an outer wall surface of the storage section is provided with a contact portion capable of coming into contact with the recording material being transported by the transport roller.

10. A frame body, an image carrier that is rotatably supported by the frame and that carries a developer image; a first recovery member that is rotatably supported by the frame and that recovers foreign matter from the surface of the image carrier by rotating in contact with the surface of the image carrier; a second recovery member that is rotatably supported by the frame and rotates while in contact with a surface of the first recovery member to further recover the foreign matter recovered by the first recovery member from the first recovery member; a scraping member provided on the frame so as to be capable of sliding against the rotating second collection member, the scraping member being configured to scrape off the foreign matter from the second collection member; A foreign object recovery device having The frame body is A storage section that forms a storage space for storing foreign objects; A conveying member that conveys foreign matter in the accommodation space; having The storage section includes: A first inner bottom surface is located below the scraping member in a gravitational direction in a posture during use; a second inner bottom surface located further below the first inner bottom surface; a connecting surface that intersects with the first inner bottom surface and the second inner bottom surface and connects the first inner bottom surface and the second inner bottom surface.

11. A foreign object recovery device according to any one of claims 1 to 10, a charging member for charging the image bearing member.

12. A developer carrying member that carries a developer, 12. The process cartridge according to claim 11, wherein the developer remaining on the image carrier after the toner has been transferred from the image carrier is collected by the developer carrier.

13. 13. The process cartridge according to claim 11, further comprising a transfer member for transferring a developer image from said image bearing member.

14. 14. The process cartridge according to claim 11, which is detachably mountable to a main body of an image forming apparatus.

15. A foreign matter recovery device according to any one of claims 1 to 10 or a process cartridge according to any one of claims 12 to 14; An image forming apparatus comprising:

Images