Developing device and image forming apparatus equipped with same

Abstract

To provide a developing device that can prevent outflow of developer while preventing increase in manufacturing cost.SOLUTION: A developing device comprises a developer container, a developer carrier, and a regulation blade. The developer container has an opening. The developer carrier is rotatably supported on the developer container and has a developing area in which a part of an outer peripheral surface carrying developer is exposed from the opening and faces an image carrier. The regulation blade is arranged on an upstream side of the developing area in the direction of rotation of the developer carrier. The developer container has a pair of side frames that is attached to both ends in a rotation axis direction of the developer container, and a pair of side wall parts that is located inside cover members with respect to the rotation axis direction and opposite to each other in the rotation axis direction with the regulation blade sandwiched therebetween. The pair of side wall parts is each formed with a seal member insertion hole penetrating in the rotation axis direction at a position facing an edge in the rotation axis direction of the regulation blade. The developing device includes blade-side side seals that are inserted into the seal member insertion holes to fill a gap between the regulation blade and the side wall parts.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 9

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a developing device and an image forming apparatus equipped with the same. [Background technology]

[0002] Electrophotographic image forming apparatuses such as copiers, printers, facsimiles, and combination machines thereof are equipped with a developing device for developing an electrostatic latent image formed on the outer peripheral surface of an image carrier, that is, for forming a toner image (visible image) by visualizing the electrostatic latent image.

[0003] The developing device includes a developing container that contains a developer including a toner, and a developer carrier that is arranged in contact with or in close proximity to an image carrier and carries the developer. The developing container has a container opening that opens on the downstream side of the developing container with respect to the direction of movement inside the image forming device when the developing device is attached to the image forming device. The developer carrier is arranged so as to overlap with the container opening. A part of the developer carrier is exposed to the outside of the developing device through this container opening. The developer carrier is capable of carrying toner in the developing container on its outer circumferential surface. The exposed part of the developer carrier from the container opening faces the image carrier, and a development area is formed that supplies toner in the developing container to the image carrier.

[0004] As such a developing device, Patent Document 1 discloses one in which a regulating blade is disposed upstream of the development area in the rotation direction of the developer carrier. The regulating blade protrudes toward the outer peripheral surface of the developer over the entire area along the direction of the rotation axis of the developer carrier. The tip of the regulating blade is in contact with or close to the outer peripheral surface of the developer carrier. The regulating blade regulates the layer thickness of the developer carried on the developer carrier.

[0005] The developing container of Patent Document 1 has a pair of side walls that face each other in the axial direction with a regulating blade therebetween. The inner surfaces of the side walls in the axial direction form side surfaces of the inner surface of the developing container. The edge of the regulating blade in the axial direction faces the side walls in the axial direction. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0006] [Patent Document 1] JP 2018-091892 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0007] As described above, the inner surface of the side wall in the direction of the rotation axis constitutes the inner surface of the developing container. Therefore, if a gap occurs in the opposing portion between the regulating blade and the side wall, the developer in the developing container may leak out from the gap. In order to place a sealant such as a sponge to close the gap, it is necessary to position the sealant at a predetermined position so as to sandwich it between the regulating blade and the side wall while performing the installation work of the regulating blade. Therefore, there is a risk that the assembly work becomes complicated, which increases the manufacturing cost, or that the sealability between the regulating blade and the side wall is reduced, which makes it easier for the developer to leak out.

[0008] SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT DISCLOSURE An object of the present invention is to provide a developing device capable of preventing the outflow of developer while suppressing an increase in manufacturing costs. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] In order to achieve the above object, the first configuration of the present invention is a developing device including a developing container, a developer carrier, and a regulating blade. The developing container has an opening and contains a developer including a toner inside. The developer carrier is rotatably supported by the developing container, and has a developing area where a part of the outer peripheral surface carrying the developer is exposed from the opening and faces the image carrier, and supplies toner to the image carrier in the developing area. The regulating blade is disposed upstream of the developing area in the rotation direction of the developer carrier and regulates the layer thickness of the developer carried by the developer carrier. The developing container is attached to both ends of the developing container in the rotation axis direction, and has a pair of side frames supporting the developer carrier, and a pair of side wall portions located inside each cover member with respect to the rotation axis direction and facing each other in the rotation axis direction with the regulating blade sandwiched therebetween. The pair of side wall portions have a seal member insertion hole penetrating in the rotation axis direction at a position facing the end edge of the regulating blade in the rotation axis direction. The developing device includes a blade-side side seal that is inserted into the seal member insertion hole and closes the gap between the regulating blade and the side wall portion. Effect of the Invention

[0010] According to the first configuration of the present invention, a seal member insertion hole penetrating in the rotation axis direction is formed in the pair of side walls at a position facing the regulating blade. Therefore, even after the regulating blade is fixed to the developing container, the blade side seal can be inserted into the seal member insertion hole before the side frame is attached, making it easy to position the blade side seal. This makes it possible to prevent deterioration in the assembly of the developing device. And, since the blade side seal closes the gap between the edge of the regulating blade and the side wall, it is possible to prevent the developer from leaking out.

[0011] Therefore, it is possible to provide a developing device capable of preventing the outflow of developer while suppressing an increase in manufacturing costs. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0012] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a side cross-sectional view showing a schematic configuration of an image forming apparatus 1 according to the present invention. [Diagram 2]FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the entire developing device 33. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the photoconductor drum 31 and the peripheral portion of the developing device 33. [Figure 4] FIG. 3 is a plan view showing the developing device 33 with the developing roller 37 (see FIG. 2) and the side frame 63 (see FIG. 2) removed from the developing container 36. [Diagram 5] 5 is a side cross-sectional view of the developing device 33 taken along the line AA in FIG. [Figure 6] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a blade seal member 67. [Figure 7] 5 is a partially enlarged view of the end portion of the blade seal member 67 of the developing device 33 (the area surrounded by the two-dot chain circle B in FIG. 4 ). [Figure 8] FIG. 5 is a partially enlarged cross-sectional view of the developing device 33 taken along the line CC shown in FIG. [Figure 9] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the developing device 33 with the side frame 63 removed. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0013] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Fig. 1 is a side cross-sectional view showing a schematic configuration of an image forming apparatus 1 of the present invention. In Fig. 1, the right side of the figure is the front side of the image forming apparatus 1, and the left side of the figure is the rear side of the image forming apparatus 1. In Fig. 1, the upper side of the figure is the upper side of the image forming apparatus 1, and the lower side of the figure is the lower side of the image forming apparatus 1.

[0014] As shown in Fig. 1, the image forming apparatus 1 (here, a monochrome printer) includes a main housing 10 (apparatus main body) having a substantially rectangular parallelepiped casing structure, and a paper feed section 20, an image forming section 30, a developing device 33, and a fixing section 40 housed within the main housing 10. A front cover 11 is provided on the front side of the main housing 10, and a rear cover 12 is provided on the rear side. A main body opening 15 is provided above the main housing 10, and an upper cover 16 is provided on the top surface of the main housing 10 so that the main body opening 15 can be opened and closed. By opening the upper cover 16, the inside of the main housing 10 can be accessed through the main body opening 15.

[0015] A paper discharge section 13 is provided on the top surface of the upper cover 16, where sheets (recording media) after image formation are discharged. In the following description, the term "sheet" refers to copy paper, coated paper, overhead projector sheets, cardboard, postcards, tracing paper, and other sheet materials that undergo image formation processing.

[0016] The developing device 33 can be taken out and inserted through the main body opening 15 by opening the upper cover 16. The image forming section 30 and the fixing section 40 units (except the developing device 33) can be taken out and inserted through the rear side of the main body housing 10 by opening the rear cover 12.

[0017] The paper feed section 20 includes a paper feed cassette 21 that stores sheets on which an image forming process is performed. A part of the paper feed cassette 21 protrudes further forward from the front surface of the main body housing 10. The upper surface of the part of the paper feed cassette 21 that is stored in the main body housing 10 is covered by a paper feed cassette top plate 21U. The paper feed cassette 21 is provided with a paper storage space that stores a stack of sheets, a lift plate that lifts up the stack of sheets for feeding, and the like. A paper feed section 21A is provided at the upper part of the rear end side of the paper feed cassette 21. A paper feed roller 21B is arranged in the paper feed section 21A to feed the topmost sheet of the stack of sheets in the paper feed cassette 21 one by one.

[0018] Image forming unit 30 performs an image forming operation to form a toner image (developer image) on a sheet sent out from paper feed unit 20. Image forming unit 30 includes a photoconductor drum 31, and a charging unit 32, an exposure unit 35, a developing device 33, and a transfer roller 34, which are arranged around the photoconductor drum 31. The developer used for image formation is a non-magnetic one-component developer consisting only of toner.

[0019] The photoconductor drum 31 (image carrier) has a rotating shaft and an outer peripheral surface that rotates around the rotating shaft. The outer peripheral surface of the photoconductor drum 31 is made of, for example, a known organic (OPC) photoconductor, and a photosensitive layer made of a charge generation layer, a charge transport layer, etc. is formed on the outer peripheral surface. The photosensitive layer is uniformly charged by a charging unit 32 (described later), and then irradiated with light by an exposure unit 35 to form an electrostatic latent image in which the charge is attenuated, and a toner image in which the electrostatic latent image is visualized by a developing device 33 is carried on the photoconductor drum 31.

[0020] The charging section 32 (charging device) is disposed at a predetermined interval from the outer peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum 31, and uniformly charges the outer peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum 31 in a non-contact state. Specifically, the charging section 32 has a charge wire 321 and a grid electrode 322 (see FIG. 3 for both). The charge wire 321 is a linear electrode extending in the direction of the rotation axis of the photosensitive drum 31, and generates a corona discharge between the charge wire 321 and the photosensitive drum 31. The grid electrode 322 is a lattice-shaped electrode extending in the direction of the rotation axis of the photosensitive drum 31, and is disposed between the charge wire 321 and the photosensitive drum 31. The charging section 32 generates a corona discharge by passing a current of a predetermined current value through the charge wire 321, and applies a predetermined voltage to the grid electrode 322, thereby uniformly charging the outer peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum 31 facing the grid electrode 322 to a predetermined surface potential.

[0021] Exposure section 35 (exposure device) has a laser light source and optical devices such as mirrors and lenses, and irradiates the outer peripheral surface of photoconductor drum 31 with light modulated based on image data provided from an external device such as a personal computer. In this way, exposure section 35 forms an electrostatic latent image on the outer peripheral surface of photoconductor drum 31 that corresponds to an image based on the image data.

[0022] The transfer roller 34 has a rotation axis parallel to the width direction of the sheet and an outer circumferential surface facing the outer circumferential surface of the photoreceptor drum 31, and is supported by the main housing 10 so as to be rotatable about the rotation axis. The transfer roller 34 transfers the toner image carried on the outer circumferential surface of the photoreceptor drum 31 to the sheet passing through a nip portion between the transfer roller 34 and the outer circumferential surface of the photoreceptor drum 31. During transfer, a transfer voltage of opposite polarity to that of the toner is applied to the transfer roller 34.

[0023] The fixing unit 40 is located downstream of the transfer roller 34 in the sheet conveying direction, and fixes the toner image transferred to the sheet onto the sheet. The fixing unit 40 has a fixing roller 41 and a pressure roller 42. The fixing roller 41 has an internal heating source and heats the toner transferred to the sheet to a predetermined temperature. The pressure roller 42 is pressed against the fixing roller 41, forming a fixing nip between the fixing roller 41 and the pressure roller 42. When the sheet onto which the toner image has been transferred is passed through the fixing nip, the toner image is fixed onto the sheet by the heating by the fixing roller 41 and the pressure by the pressure roller 42.

[0024] A main transport path 22F and a reverse transport path 22B for transporting a sheet are provided inside the main housing 10. The main transport path 22F extends from the paper feed section 21A of the paper feed section 20, via the image forming section 30 and the fixing section 40, to the paper discharge port 14 provided opposite the paper discharge section 13 on the upper surface of the main housing 10. The reverse transport path 22B is a transport path for returning a sheet that has been printed on one side to the upstream side of the image forming section 30 on the main transport path 22F when double-sided printing is performed on the sheet.

[0025] The main transport path 22F extends from below to above the transfer nip formed by the photoconductor drum 31 and the transfer roller 34. A pair of registration rollers 23 is disposed upstream of the transfer nip on the main transport path 22F. The sheet is temporarily stopped by the pair of registration rollers 23, and after skew correction, the sheet is sent to the transfer nip at a predetermined timing for image transfer. A plurality of transport rollers for transporting the sheet are disposed at appropriate positions on the main transport path 22F and the reverse transport path 22B. A pair of paper discharge rollers 24 is disposed near the paper discharge port 14.

[0026] The reverse conveying path 22B is formed between the outer surface of the reversing unit 25 and the inner surface of the rear cover 12 of the main housing 10. The transfer roller 34 and one of the pair of registration rollers 23 are mounted on the inner surface of the reversing unit 25. The rear cover 12 and the reversing unit 25 are each rotatable about a fulcrum 121 provided at the lower end thereof. When a jam (paper jam) occurs in the reverse conveying path 22B, the rear cover 12 is opened. When a jam occurs in the main conveying path 22F, or when the unit of the photosensitive drum 31 or the developing device 33 is taken out to the outside, the reversing unit 25 is also opened in addition to the rear cover 12.

[0027] As shown in Fig. 1, guide rails 18 are formed on a pair of side surfaces 17 facing each other in the sheet width direction (the paper surface direction of Fig. 1) inside the main body housing 10. The guide rails 18 have a rail structure recessed in the sheet width direction. The guide rails 18 extend downward from the main body opening 15 to a mounting position P1 of the developing device 33 relative to the main body housing 10.

[0028] Fig. 2 is a perspective view showing the entire developing device 33. Fig. 3 is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing the photosensitive drum 31 and the peripheral portion of the developing device 33. Fig. 4 is a plan view showing the developing device 33 in a state where the developing roller 37 (see Fig. 2) and the side frame 63 (see Fig. 2) are removed from the developing container 36.

[0029] As shown in FIGS. 2, 3, and 4, the developing device 33 includes a developing container 36, a developing roller 37 (developer carrier), a supply roller 38, an agitating paddle 333, and a guide portion 69.

[0030] The developing container 36 has a stirring chamber 335 that contains the developer in a stirred state, a container opening 60 (opening) located rearward of the stirring chamber 335 in the front-to-rear direction, and side frames 63 attached to both ends of the developing container 36 in the sheet width direction, and contains a non-magnetic one-component developer consisting only of toner inside, as well as a developing roller 37, a supply roller 38, etc.

[0031] The container opening 60 is a rectangular through-hole that opens to the rear side (the side closer to the photoconductor drum 31) of the developing container 36. The container opening 60 is formed to be elongated in the width direction (axial direction) of the developing device 33.

[0032] The developing roller 37 is provided inside the container opening 60 so as to overlap the container opening 60. A part of the outer peripheral surface of the developing roller 37 is exposed to the outside of the developing container 36 from the container opening 60. The developing roller 37 has a rotation shaft 39 extending along the width direction (width direction of the sheet) of the developing device 33. The rotation shaft 39 is supported by the developing container 36 so as to be rotatable about the rotation shaft 39. In other words, the developing roller 37 is supported by the developing container 36 via the rotation shaft 39 so as to be rotatable clockwise as shown in the figure (see FIG. 3 ). Hereinafter, the direction along the rotation shaft 39 is referred to as the "axial direction". The rotation direction of the developing roller 37 around the rotation shaft 39 is referred to as the "rotation direction".

[0033] The developing roller 37 can carry toner on its outer circumferential surface. When the developing device 33 is in the mounting position P1, the portion of the developing roller 37 exposed from the container opening 60 contacts and faces the outer circumferential surface of the photosensitive drum 31. In this state, the developing roller 37 can supply non-magnetic single-component toner (developer) to the photosensitive drum 31.

[0034] Supply roller 38 is provided between developing roller 37 and stirring paddle 333, and supplies non-magnetic one-component toner (developer) to the outer circumferential surface of developing roller 37. Stirring paddle 333 is provided in stirring chamber 335, and stirs the developer inside stirring chamber 335.

[0035] As shown in Figures 2 and 3, around the container opening 60, there are provided a flat portion 62 located rearward of the container opening 60 (closer to the photosensitive drum 31), a front seal member 65 provided on the flat portion 62, pressing members 43 provided at both axial ends of the developing roller 37, a regulating blade 64 fixed to the rear end of the developing container 36, and a blade seal member 67 laminated on the back side of the regulating blade 64.

[0036] The flat portion 62 is a plane that is connected to a portion of the inner surface of the developer container 36 that is located below the developing roller 37. The flat portion 62 extends rearward (toward the photoconductor drum 31) from the container opening 60. When the developing device 33 is in the mounting position P1, the flat portion 62 is approximately horizontal.

[0037] The front seal member 65 is a rectangular sheet made of a PET film or the like. The front seal member 65 is laminated on the flat portion 62 and adhered to the developing container 36 with an adhesive or the like. The front seal member 65 is formed to be elongated in the axial direction. The front seal member 65 extends between both end portions 66 of the developing roller 37 along the axial direction.

[0038] Of both ends of the front and rear direction (direction perpendicular to the sheet width direction) of the front seal member 65, the end edge closer to the developing roller 37 (supply roller 38) is in contact with the entire developer-carrying area of ​​the outer circumferential surface of the developing roller 37 in the axial direction. The front seal member 65 closes the gap between the developing container 36 and the developing roller 37 by contacting the outer circumferential surface of the developing roller 37, thereby preventing the developer in the developing container 36 from flowing out.

[0039] The front seal member 65 has a first shielding portion 19 that rises in the surface direction of the front seal member 65 from the edge farther from the developing roller 37 (supply roller 38) of both end edges in the front-rear direction (direction perpendicular to the sheet width direction). The first shielding portion 19 protrudes upward over the entire axial area of ​​the edge of the front seal member 65. The first shielding portion 19 has a rectangular shape formed from a sponge or the like, and is adhered to the surface of the front seal member 65 with an adhesive or the like. The first shielding portion 19 holds the developer that flows out slightly from the gap between the developing roller 37 and the developing container 36 so that it does not fall outside the developing device 33.

[0040] On the outer sides of both axial ends of the first shielding portion 19, there is provided a plate-like second shielding portion 53 that protrudes upward. The second shielding portion 53 is located at a position that overlaps with the pressing member 43 in the axial direction. The second shielding portion 53 is formed integrally with a side frame 63, which will be described later. When the side frame 63 is attached to the developing container 36, the second shielding portion 53 extends from the side frame 63 along the axial direction so as to approach the first shielding portion 19.

[0041] Fig. 5 is a side cross-sectional view of the developing device 33 taken along the AA cross-sectional line shown in Fig. 4. Fig. 6 is a perspective view showing the blade seal member 67. Fig. 7 is a partial enlarged view showing the periphery of the end portion of the blade seal member 67 of the developing device 33 (the area surrounded by the two-dot chain circle B in Fig. 4). Note that the blade seal member 67 shown in Fig. 6 is shown in a state in which the blade seal member 67 shown in Fig. 4 is inverted in the front-to-rear direction, and the left-to-right direction is reversed between Figs. 4 and 6.

[0042] The pressing members 43 are disposed on both axial ends of the container opening 60 (see FIG. 2). As shown in FIG. 5, the pressing member 43 has a pressing surface 44 that is curved to be recessed toward the front side (the stirring chamber 335 side) along the outer peripheral surface of the developing roller 37. The pressing surface 44 faces the outer peripheral surfaces of both end portions 66 of the developing roller 37 in the radial direction of the developing roller 37. The thickness of the pressing member 43 is formed to be larger than the gap between the outer peripheral surface of the developing roller 37 and the inner surface of the developing container 36. As a result, when the developing roller 37 is attached to the developing container 36, the pressing surface 44 comes into contact with the outer peripheral surface of the developing roller 37 and presses the developing roller 37 in the radial direction. The pressing surface 44 comes into contact with and presses the both end portions 66, thereby closing the gap between the both end portions 66 and the developing container 36 and suppressing the developer from flowing out from inside the developing container 36.

[0043] The pressing member 43 has a multi-layer structure (here, a two-layer structure) in which a plurality of sheet bodies are stacked in the radial direction of the developing roller 37. Of these multi-layer sheets, at least the sheet body closest to the developing roller 37 in the radial direction is a polytetrafluoroethylene (so-called Teflon (registered trademark)) sheet body. The pressing surface 44 is formed on the surface of this sheet body. The other sheet bodies of the multi-layer sheet body are formed of urethane foam such as sponge.

[0044] FIG. 8 is a partially enlarged cross-sectional view of the developing device 33 taken along the line CC shown in FIG.

[0045] 4 and 8, the developing container 36 has a blade facing portion 45, which faces the upstream surface in the rotation direction of the regulating blade 64 (the front surface in the front-rear direction), in an upper portion of the opening edge of the container opening 60. The blade facing portion 45 is formed flat in the axial direction.

[0046] The regulating blade 64 is a rectangular plate-like body formed to be elongated in the axial direction (see FIG. 2). The regulating blade 64 is composed of a fixed portion 46 and a regulating portion 47. The fixed portion 46 is a metal plate-like body that is L-shaped in a side view and has a bent portion that is bent at a substantially right angle. The fixed portion 46 is disposed so as to face the blade facing portion 45 in the rotational direction.

[0047] The regulating portion 47 is a rectangular metal plate-like body that is elongated in the axial direction. The upper end of the regulating portion 47 is laminated and welded to the surface of the fixed portion 46 on the downstream side in the rotation direction (the photoconductor drum 31 side). The regulating portion 47 protrudes from the lower end of the fixed portion 46 (the end of the fixed portion 46 that is closest to the developing roller 37 in the vertical direction) toward the developing roller 37 (see FIG. 3).

[0048] The tip of the regulating portion 47 in the protruding direction is disposed in contact with the outer circumferential surface of the developing roller 37. The toner supplied onto the developing roller 37 enters between the regulating portion 47 and the developing roller 37 as the developing roller 37 rotates, and is then supported on the developing roller 37 as a thin layer of a certain thickness while being further triboelectrically charged.

[0049] At the location of the regulating blade 64 where the fixing portion 46 and the regulating portion 47 are laminated, a through hole penetrating the fixing portion 46 and the regulating portion 47 is formed in the surface direction (thickness direction) of the fixing portion 46. The fixing portion 46 is fixed to the blade opposing portion 45 by a fastening member 48 such as a bolt inserted into the through hole (see FIG. 8).

[0050] A blade seal member 67 is provided between the regulating blade 64 and the developing container 36 in the rotation direction (direction perpendicular to the axial direction). The blade seal member 67 is disposed between a pair of pressing members 43 in the axial direction (see FIG. 4). The blade seal member 67 is made of a multi-layer sheet including a first laminate material 70 and a second laminate material 71 that are laminated in the front-rear direction.

[0051] As shown in Figures 4, 5, and 6, the first laminated material 70 is formed in a rectangular shape from a sponge such as Poron. The first laminated material 70 is formed to be long and thin in the axial direction. More specifically, the first laminated material 70 is formed by joining two seal members (a first seal member 72 and a second seal member 73) arranged in the axial direction at their axial center portions with an adhesive or the like.

[0052] The first laminated material 70 is laminated on the surfaces of the fixing portion 46 and the regulating portion 47 that are farther from the photosensitive drum 31 (the surfaces on the upstream side in the rotation direction of the developing roller 37). Double-sided tape having adhesive components on both sides is affixed to the surface of the first laminated material 70 on the downstream side in the rotation direction (the rear side in the front-to-rear direction). In other words, the double-sided tape is disposed between the first laminated material 70 and the regulating portion 47. The first laminated material 70 is adhered to the regulating portion 47 by this double-sided tape.

[0053] The second laminate material 71 is an axially elongated sheet material made of polyethylene terephthalate (PET). The second laminate material 71 has greater rigidity than the first laminate material 70. As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the second laminate material 71 is laminated on the surface of the first laminate material 70 opposite to the contact surface with the regulating blade 64 (the surface farther from the developing roller 37 in the front-rear direction), and is bonded with an adhesive or the like.

[0054] The axial length of the second laminated material 71 is shorter than the axial length of the blade seal member 67. Both ends of the second laminated material 71 are located inside both ends of the blade seal member 67 in the axial direction. In the region from both axial ends of the blade seal member 67 to both ends of the second laminated material 71, a cushion portion 68 is formed in which the first laminated material 70 protrudes from the second laminated material 71. The cushion portion 68 is in axial pressure contact with the pressing member 43, and closes the gap between the blade seal member 67 and the pressing member 43. The pressure contact point between the cushion portion 68 and the pressing member 43 is located inside the edge of the regulating blade 64 in the axial direction.

[0055] FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing the developing device 33 with the side frame 63 removed.

[0056] A pair of side walls 50 are provided at both axial ends of the developer container 36, rising upward from the bottom of the developer container 36. The side walls 50 face each other in the axial direction, sandwiching a regulating blade 64 therebetween. The developer roller 37 and the supply roller 38 pass through the side walls 50 in the axial direction.

[0057] The pair of side walls 50 are formed with seal member insertion holes 51 penetrating in the axial direction at positions facing the axial end edges of the regulating blade 64. The seal member insertion holes 51 are located so as to overlap with the fixing portion 46 of the regulating blade 64 in the up-down direction. The seal member insertion holes 51 are located rearward of the regulating portion 47 in the front-rear direction.

[0058] The side frame 63 is attached to the axial outside of each side wall portion 50. As shown in Fig. 9, the side frame 63 includes a developing roller support hole 54, a supply roller support hole 55, and a positioning hole 56. The developing roller support hole 54, the supply roller support hole 55, and the positioning hole 56 are through holes that pass through the side frame 63 in the axial direction.

[0059] The inner diameter of the developing roller support hole 54 is larger than the diameter of the rotating shaft 39 of the developing roller 37. The rotating shaft 39 is inserted into the developing roller support hole 54 and rotatably supported by the side frame 63. The inner diameter of the supply roller support hole 55 is larger than the diameter of the rotating shaft 57 (see FIG. 3) of the supply roller 38. The rotating shaft 57 is inserted into the supply roller support hole 55 and rotatably supported by the side frame 63. The side frame 63 is positioned by the positioning hole 56 being extrapolated onto the positioning protrusion 49 that protrudes axially outward from the developing container 36.

[0060] The guide portion 69 is a cylindrical projection that protrudes from the side wall portion 50 axially outward beyond the side frame 63. The guide portion 69 is engageable with the guide rail 18 (see FIG. 1). The developing device 33 is movable along the guide rail 18 between the main body opening 15 and the mounting position P1 by engaging the guide portion 69 with the guide rail 18 (see FIG. 1).

[0061] The developing device 33 mounted in the main housing 10 at the mounting position P1 supplies toner to the outer peripheral surface of the photoconductor drum 31. This develops the electrostatic latent image formed on the outer peripheral surface of the photoconductor drum 31 (forming a toner image (visible image) that visualizes the electrostatic latent image).

[0062] A blade-side side seal 52 made of an elastic material (preferably a sponge such as Poron) is inserted into the seal member insertion hole 51. The blade-side side seal 52 has a rectangular shape before being installed in the developing device 33, as shown in the figure. The thickness of the blade-side side seal 52 in the front-rear direction is greater than the dimension of the seal member insertion hole 51 in the front-rear direction. The left-right dimension of the blade-side side seal 52 is greater than the axial distance between the side frame 63 and the axial end edge of the regulating blade 64 when attached to the side wall portion 50.

[0063] 9, in the developing container 36 in the state before the side frame 63 is attached, the outer surface in the axial direction of the side wall portion 50 is exposed to the outside. Therefore, after the regulating blade 64 is fixed to the developing container 36 and before the side frame 63 is attached to the developing container 36, the blade side seal 52 can be inserted into the seal member insertion hole 51 from the outer side in the axial direction of the side wall portion 50.

[0064] When the side frame 63 is attached to the side wall 50 with the blade side seal 52 inserted into the seal member insertion hole 51, the axially inner surface of the side frame 63 is pressed against the blade side seal 52. Therefore, the blade side seal 52 is sandwiched and compressed between the side frame 63 and the edge of the regulating blade 64 while being positioned between the regulating blade 64 and the side wall 50. This makes it possible to prevent a gap between the regulating blade and the side wall 50.

[0065] In this state, the blade side seal 52 is located axially outside the pressure contact point between the cushion portion 68 and the pressing member 43 (see FIG. 7).

[0066] As described above, the pair of side walls 50 have the seal member insertion holes 51 formed therethrough in the axial direction at the positions facing the regulating blade 64. Therefore, even after the regulating blade 64 is fixed to the developing container 36, the blade side seal 52 can be inserted into the seal member insertion holes 51 before the side frame 63 is attached. Then, by attaching the side frame 63, the blade side seal 52 can be appropriately positioned between the edge of the regulating blade 64 and the side wall 50. Therefore, the positioning of the blade side seal 52 is facilitated, and the deterioration of the assembling of the developing device 33 can be suppressed. In addition, the blade side seal 52 closes the gap between the side frame 63 and the regulating blade 64. Therefore, the developer can be suppressed from flowing out.

[0067] Therefore, it is possible to provide the developing device 33 capable of suppressing the outflow of the developer while suppressing an increase in manufacturing costs.

[0068] Furthermore, as described above, by mounting the side frame 63 to the developing container 36, the blade side seal 52 is sandwiched between the axial end edge of the regulating blade 64 and the side frame 63. This makes it possible to improve the sealing performance of the blade side seal 52 without compromising ease of assembly. This makes it possible to more appropriately prevent the developer from leaking out while suppressing an increase in manufacturing costs.

[0069] As described above, the blade side seal 52 is made of an elastic material, and therefore is suitably compressed while being sandwiched between the regulating blade 64 and the side frame 63. This improves the sealing performance of the blade side seal 52.

[0070] As described above, the blade side seal 52 contacts the fixed portion 46 of the regulating blade 64. The fixed portion 46 is thicker and more rigid than the regulating portion 47. This allows the blade side seal 52 to compress more appropriately, improving the sealing performance.

[0071] As described above, the rigidity of the second laminated material 71 is greater than that of the first laminated material 70. Therefore, the first laminated material 70 is supported by the second laminated material 71 and is less likely to bend. Therefore, when the first laminated material 70 is bonded to the regulating blade 64 (the fixing portion 46 and the regulating portion 47), it is possible to prevent the bonding surface of the first laminated material 70 to the regulating portion 47 from wrinkling or bending. Therefore, a gap is less likely to occur between the first laminated material 70 and the regulating portion 47, and the outflow of the developer can be more suitably prevented.

[0072] As described above, the cushion portions 68 are formed on both ends of the first laminated material 70. Therefore, when both ends of the first laminated material 70 come into contact with the pressing member 43, the cushion portions 68 are compressed. This increases the compression ratio of the portions (cushion portions 68) of the first laminated material 70 that come into contact with the pressing member 43, and improves the sealing performance between the first laminated material 70 and the pressing member 43. This makes it possible to more suitably suppress the outflow of the developer.

[0073] As described above, the blade side seal 52 is located on the axial outside of the pressure contact point between the cushion portion 68 and the pressing member 43. Therefore, even if a gap occurs between the cushion portion 68 and the pressing member 43 and the developer flows through this gap onto the rear surface of the regulating blade 64 and advances toward the opposing portion between the edge of the regulating blade 64 and the side wall portion 50, the developer is stopped by the blade side seal 52. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the developer from flowing out through between the regulating blade 64 and the side wall portion 50.

[0074] Furthermore, a first shielding portion 19 is provided that protrudes upward over the entire longitudinal edge of the front seal member 65. Therefore, even if waste toner has accumulated around the container opening 60, when the developing device 33 faces downward when attached to the main housing 10, the waste toner around the container opening 60 is blocked by the first shielding portion 19. This makes it possible to prevent the waste toner from falling into the main housing 10.

[0075] As described above, the second shielding portion 53 is located at a position overlapping with the pressing member 43 in the axial direction. Therefore, even if a small amount of developer leaks out from the gap between the pressing member 43 and the developing roller 37, the second shielding portion 53 prevents the developer from leaking out to the outside of the developing container 36. As described above, the second shielding portion 53 is formed integrally with the side frame 63. Therefore, when the side frame 63 is attached, the second shielding portion 53 is also positioned at a predetermined position. This reduces the number of assembly steps and suppresses manufacturing costs.

[0076] In addition, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and various modifications are possible without departing from the spirit of the present invention. For example, in the above embodiment, a monochrome printer is described as an example of the image forming apparatus 1, but the present invention can also be applied to, for example, a tandem type or rotary type color printer. The present invention can also be applied to image forming apparatuses such as copiers, facsimiles, or multifunction machines equipped with these functions.

[0077] Furthermore, when the regulating blade 64 and the developing roller 37 are made replaceable for reasons such as maintenance, the side frame 63 can be detachably attached to the developing container 36. In this case, for example, the side frame 63 can be configured to have a plurality of engaging portions that protrude along the axial direction and have claw-shaped ends at the protruding ends. The side frame 63 is attached to the developing container 36 by a so-called snap-fit ​​structure in which the engaging portions are engaged with the plurality of cutout portions formed in the developing container 36 by the above-mentioned claw shapes.

[0078] In addition, the blade side seal 52 is sandwiched between the developing container 36 and the side wall portion 50 by attaching the side frame 63, but this is not limited to the above. For example, a configuration in which the blade side seal 52 is bonded to the regulating blade 64 can also be adopted.

[0079] In the above embodiment, the developer is a non-magnetic one-component developer made of only toner, but a two-component developer using toner and a carrier can also be used. [Industrial Applicability]

[0080] The present invention can be used in an image forming apparatus equipped with a developing device that performs development using a developer containing a toner. By using the present invention, it is possible to provide an image forming apparatus that can suppress the outflow of developer while suppressing an increase in manufacturing costs. [Explanation of symbols]

[0081] 1. Image forming device 10 Main body housing (device main body) 31 Photoconductor drum (image carrier) 33 Developing device 36 Developer container 37 Developing roller (developer carrier) 39 Rotational Axis 46 Fixed part 47 Regulatory Department 50 Side wall 51 Seal member insertion hole 52 Blade side seal 60 Container opening (opening) 63 Side Frame 64 Regulatory Blade

Claims

1. a developer container having an opening and accommodating a developer including a toner therein; a developer carrier that is rotatably supported by the developing container, has a development area in which a part of an outer peripheral surface that carries the developer is exposed through the opening and faces an image carrier, and supplies the toner to the image carrier in the development area; a regulating blade disposed upstream of the developing region in a rotation direction of the developer carrier and regulating a layer thickness of the developer carried by the developer carrier; In a developing device comprising: The developing container is a pair of side frames attached to both ends of the developing container with respect to a rotation axis of the developer carrier and supporting the developer carrier; a pair of side wall portions located inside the side frames with respect to the rotation axis direction and facing each other in the rotation axis direction with the regulating blade therebetween; having The pair of side wall portions are formed with a seal member insertion hole penetrating in the rotation axis direction at a position facing an end edge of the regulating blade in the rotation axis direction, a blade-side side seal that is inserted into the seal member insertion hole and closes a gap between the regulating blade and the side wall portion.

2. 2. The developing device according to claim 1, wherein the blade side side seal is formed of an elastic material, and is sandwiched between the end edge of the regulating blade in the rotation axis direction and the side frame by attaching the side frame to the developing container.

3. 3. The developing device according to claim 2, wherein the blade side seal is made of a sponge.

4. the regulating blade has a fixed portion fixed to the developing container and a regulating portion protruding from the fixed portion toward the developer carrier, 4. The developing device according to claim 1, wherein the blade side seal contacts the fixed portion and closes a gap between the fixed portion and the side wall portion.

5. 5. The developing device according to claim 1, wherein the developer is a non-magnetic one-component developer made of only non-magnetic toner.

6. A device body, the image carrier provided inside the apparatus body and having an outer circumferential surface on which an electrostatic latent image is formed; 6. The developing device according to claim 1, which is detachably provided inside the main body of the apparatus and, in a state where the developing device is attached inside the main body of the apparatus, the developer carrier comes into contact with or is close to an outer circumferential surface of the image carrier to develop the electrostatic latent image into a toner image; An image forming apparatus comprising:

Images