Developer container, developing device, cartridge

Abstract

To provide a developer storage container that is formed by coupling a plurality of components by ultrasonic deposition, and achieve correction of warpage of a single component, prevention of positional deviation between the components during the ultrasonic deposition, and reduction in thickness of the developer storage container.SOLUTION: A developer storage container has: a deposition part that is a portion to be an energy director to which melting energy is applied during deposition, projects from a surface in a first flange part of a first frame body part opposite to a second flange part of a second frame body part toward the second flange part, and is welded; a first wall surface part that is provided on an outer peripheral side of the deposition part of the first flange part and is opposite to the second flange part from an outer peripheral side of the second flange part in a direction along the opposing surface; a second wall surface part that is provided on an inner peripheral side of the deposition part of the first flange part and is opposite to the second flange part from an inner peripheral side of the second flange part in a direction along the opposing surface; and a concave part that is provided between the deposition part and at least any one of the first wall surface part and the second wall surface part, and accommodates a melting part extending during the deposition.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a process cartridge and an electrophotographic image forming apparatus using the same. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, electrophotographic image forming apparatuses have adopted a process cartridge system in which an electrophotographic photosensitive member and process means acting on the electrophotographic photosensitive member are integrated into a cartridge, and this cartridge is detachably mountable to the image forming apparatus main body. A conventional process cartridge has a developing device unit that stores developer, has an agitating section, and holds developing means such as a developing roller and a developing blade as developing members. It also has a photosensitive unit that is configured by attaching a photosensitive drum, cleaning means such as a cleaning blade and a removed developer reservoir, and a charging roller to a drum frame. The developing device unit and photosensitive unit are then swingably or integrally coupled to form a cartridge.

[0003] In such a process cartridge, the developing device or developing device unit is usually composed of two parts: a developing container that supports developing members such as a developing roller and a developing blade and contains a developer, and a bottom member that forms a developer containing section when combined with the developing container. The developing container and the bottom member are then joined by ultrasonic welding of a welding flange and a welding portion.

[0004] The configuration of ultrasonic welding will be described below with reference to Figure 15. Figure 15 is a cross-sectional view of the vicinity of energy director 880a, showing the state after ultrasonic welding is completed.

[0005] Ultrasonic welding is a technique in which the vibration of a piezoelectric element is amplified by a welding horn 890, the welding horn is pressed against a horn receiving member 880 with sufficient pressure, the vibration of the welding horn 890 is propagated to an energy director 880a provided on the horn receiving member 880, and the energy director 880a is melted, thereby joining the horn receiving member 880 and the member to be joined 881.

[0006] At this time, a welding flange 881a is provided on the workpiece 881 facing the welding horn 890 so that sufficient pressure can be applied from the welding horn 890 to the energy director 880a, and the flange is supported by a welding backup 891. Furthermore, it is necessary to provide a director accommodation section 880b, which is a space into which the energy director 880a melted by vibration flows.

[0007] To reliably join the developing frame and the bottom member by ultrasonic welding, it is necessary to perform ultrasonic welding while the joining surfaces of the welding flange and the welding portion are in stable contact with each other. To address this issue, the materials used for the developer device unit are molded materials such as PS and PP, taking into account low cost and mass production, which means that warping occurs during molding of each part. For this reason, conventionally, to ensure stable contact between the joining surfaces of the welding flange and the welding portion, wall surfaces are provided on both sides of the welding director, preventing misalignment or separation between the joining surfaces, as shown in the drawings of Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Nos. 2002-14520 and 2003-248370. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0008] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-014520 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2003-248370 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0009] In recent years, market demand for more compact and cost-effective cartridges has led to increased product competitiveness. This demand has led to demand for cost reductions through miniaturization of the weld flange and welded joints and thinning of the entire component. An example of thinning the entire component in the conventional configuration described above will be explained using FIG. 15 . To achieve this, it is desirable to reduce the thicknesses of the RR and LL sections of the horn support member shown in FIG. 15 . However, narrowing the width of the LL section would result in a reduction in the space required for the director housing section 880b. Therefore, in the conventional configuration, there is a limit to how narrow the LL section can be. Therefore, while the RR section can be thinned, the LL section cannot, resulting in a relationship where the thickness of the LL section is greater than the thickness of the RR section, resulting in uneven thickness throughout the component. Therefore, in the conventional configuration, thinning the entire component would be difficult because it would result in a large thickness difference between the area near the welded director, which is difficult to thin, and other areas where it is possible to thin the component, making it difficult to achieve precision.

[0010] An object of the present invention is to provide a developer container, a developing device using the developer container, and a cartridge using the developer container, which combine stable ultrasonic welding and cost reduction by thinning the parts of the developing frame and bottom member. [Means for solving the problem]

[0011] In order to achieve the above object, the developer storage container of the present invention comprises: A developer container, a first frame body whose first direction is a longitudinal direction; a second frame body that is welded to the first frame body to form a container portion for accommodating a developer together with the first frame body, the second frame body being aligned in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction, the first direction being a longitudinal direction; Equipped with the first frame has a first flange portion provided on an edge portion of the first frame extending in the first direction and having a first flange surface facing the second frame in the second direction; the first flange surface is provided with a first wall portion protruding in the second direction, a second wall portion protruding in the second direction and aligned with the first wall portion in a third direction perpendicular to both the first direction and the second direction, and a welded portion protruding in the second direction between the first wall portion and the second wall portion in the third direction, the second frame body has a second flange portion provided on an edge portion of the second frame body extending in the first direction and having a second flange surface facing the first frame body side in the second direction, the second flange portion is inserted between the first wall portion and the second wall portion such that the second flange surface is welded to the welded portion of the first flange surface and the movement of the first flange portion in the third direction is restricted by the first wall portion and the second wall portion. It is characterized by: In order to achieve the above object, the developing device of the present invention comprises: a developer storage container of the present invention; a developer carrier that carries the developer contained in the developer container; The present invention is characterized by comprising: In order to achieve the above object, the process cartridge of the present invention comprises: A cartridge that is detachable from a main body of an image forming apparatus, a developer storage container of the present invention; a developer carrier that carries the developer contained in the developer container; The present invention is characterized by comprising: [Effects of the Invention]

[0012] As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide a developer container, a developing device, and a cartridge that are capable of achieving both a thinner product and stable joining by ultrasonic welding. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0013] [Figure 1] 1 is an explanatory diagram of a bottom member in the first embodiment; [Figure 2] Cross-sectional view of an image forming apparatus main body and cartridge of an electrophotographic image forming apparatus [Figure 3] Cartridge cross section [Figure 4] FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating a configuration of a cartridge. [Figure 5] FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating a configuration of a cartridge. [Figure 6] 1 is a cross-sectional view of a guide portion of an image forming apparatus for explaining installation of a cartridge; [Figure 7] FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of an image forming apparatus for explaining positioning of a cartridge. [Figure 8] FIG. 10 is a perspective view illustrating a configuration in which the cartridge receives a driving force from the main assembly of the apparatus. [Figure 9] Developing frame [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram of another configuration of the bottom member in the first embodiment. [Figure 11] An explanatory diagram of the process of combining the developing container and the bottom member while correcting warpage [Figure 12] An explanatory diagram showing the state in which the developing container and the bottom member are held together by an ultrasonic welding backup. [Figure 13] An explanatory diagram of the process up to joining the developing container and the bottom member by ultrasonic welding. [Figure 14] 10 is an explanatory diagram of a bottom member in the second embodiment. [Figure 15] Explanatory diagram of conventional ultrasonic welding configuration DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0014] The following describes in detail exemplary embodiments of the present invention with reference to the drawings. However, the dimensions, materials, shapes, and relative positions of the components described in the embodiments may be changed as appropriate depending on the configuration of the device to which the invention is applied and various conditions. In other words, the scope of the present invention is not limited to the following embodiments.

[0015] Example 1 Hereinafter, a process cartridge according to an embodiment of the present invention and an electrophotographic image forming apparatus using the same will be described. Here, a process cartridge is a cartridge that integrates a photosensitive member and a process means that acts on the photosensitive member, and is removably mounted in the main body of an electrophotographic image forming apparatus. For example, a cartridge that integrates a photosensitive member and at least one of the process means, which are a developing means, a charging means, and a cleaning means, can be mentioned. Furthermore, an electrophotographic image forming apparatus is an apparatus that forms an image on a recording medium using an electrophotographic image forming method. Examples of electrophotographic image forming apparatuses include electrophotographic copiers, electrophotographic printers (LED printers, laser beam printers, etc.), facsimile machines, word processors, etc.

[0016] The overall configuration and image forming process will be described with reference to Figures 2 and 3. Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view of an apparatus main body (electrophotographic image forming apparatus main body, image forming apparatus main body) A of an electrophotographic image forming apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention, and a process cartridge (hereinafter referred to as cartridge B). Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view of cartridge B. Here, apparatus main body A refers to the portion of the electrophotographic image forming apparatus excluding cartridge B. The direction of the rotation axis of the electrophotographic photosensitive drum is defined as the longitudinal direction. In addition, in the longitudinal direction, from the image forming apparatus main body The side of the electrophotographic photosensitive drum that receives the driving force is referred to as the driving side, and the opposite side is referred to as the non-driving side.

[0017] <Overall configuration of electrophotographic image forming apparatus> The electrophotographic image forming apparatus (image forming apparatus) shown in Figure 2 is a laser beam printer that uses electrophotographic technology and in which a cartridge B is detachably mounted in an apparatus main body A. When the cartridge B is mounted in the apparatus main body A, an exposure device 3 (laser scanner unit) is disposed for forming a latent image on an electrophotographic photosensitive drum 62 serving as an image carrier of the cartridge B. Also disposed below the cartridge B is a sheet tray 4 that stores a recording medium (hereinafter referred to as sheet material PA) on which an image is to be formed. The electrophotographic photosensitive drum 62 is a photosensitive member (electrophotographic photosensitive member) used for forming an electrophotographic image.

[0018] Furthermore, in the apparatus main body A, a pickup roller 5a, a pair of feeding rollers 5b, a transfer guide 6, a transfer roller 7, a conveyance guide 8, a fixing device 9, a pair of discharge rollers 10, a discharge tray 11, etc. are arranged in this order along the conveyance direction D of the sheet material PA. The fixing device 9 is composed of a heating roller 9a and a pressure roller 9b.

[0019] <Image formation process> Next, an outline of the image forming process will be described. Based on a print start signal, the electrophotographic photosensitive drum (hereinafter referred to as the photosensitive drum 62 or simply as the drum 62) is rotated in the direction of arrow R at a predetermined peripheral speed (process speed).

[0020] A charging roller (charging member) 66 to which a bias voltage is applied comes into contact with the outer peripheral surface of the drum 62 and uniformly charges the outer peripheral surface of the drum 62 (see FIG. 3).

[0021] The exposure device 3 outputs laser light L corresponding to the image information. The laser light L passes through a laser opening 71h provided in the cleaning frame 71 of the cartridge B and scans and exposes the outer peripheral surface of the drum 62. As a result, an electrostatic latent image corresponding to the image information is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the drum 62.

[0022] On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 3, in the developing unit 20 as a developing device, the toner T in the toner chamber 29 is stirred and transported by the rotation of the transport member (stirring member) 43, and is sent out to the toner supply chamber .

[0023] The toner T is carried on the surface of the developing roller 32 by the magnetic force of the magnet roller 34 (fixed magnet). The developing roller 32 is a developer carrier that carries developer (toner T) on its surface in order to develop the latent image formed on the drum 62. The toner T is frictionally charged by the developing blade 42, and the layer thickness on the circumferential surface of the developing roller 32 as a developer carrier is regulated.

[0024] The toner T is supplied to the drum 62 in accordance with the electrostatic latent image, and develops the latent image. This makes the latent image visible as a toner image. The drum 62 is an image carrier that carries on its surface the latent image and an image formed with toner (toner image, developer image). As shown in FIG. 2, a sheet material PA stored in the lower part of the apparatus main body A is fed from the sheet tray 4 by a pickup roller 5a and a pair of feed rollers 5b in synchronization with the output timing of the laser light L. The sheet material PA is then transported via a transfer guide 6 to a transfer position between the drum 62 and a transfer roller 7. At this transfer position, the toner image is sequentially transferred from the drum 62 to the sheet material PA.

[0025] The sheet material PA onto which the toner image has been transferred is separated from the drum 62 and conveyed along a conveying guide 8 to a fixing device 9. The sheet material PA is then heated by a heating roller 9 constituting the fixing device 9. The toner image passes through the nip between pressure roller 9a and pressure roller 9b. At this nip, a pressure and heat fixing process is carried out, and the toner image is fixed to the sheet material PA. After the toner image has been fixed, the sheet material PA is conveyed to a pair of discharge rollers 10 and discharged onto a discharge tray 11.

[0026] 3, after transfer, the drum 62 has residual toner removed from its outer peripheral surface by a cleaning member 77, and is then used again in the image forming process. The toner removed from the drum 62 is stored in a waste toner chamber 71b of the cleaning unit 60. The cleaning unit 60 is a photosensitive drum unit having the photosensitive drum 62.

[0027] In the above, the charging roller 66, the developing roller 32, the transfer roller 7, and the cleaning member 77 are process means that act on the drum 62.

[0028] <Overall cartridge configuration> Next, the overall structure of cartridge B will be described with reference to Figures 3, 4, and 5. Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view of cartridge B, and Figures 4 and 5 are perspective views illustrating the structure of cartridge B. Note that in this embodiment, the screws used to join the various parts will not be described.

[0029] The cartridge B has a cleaning unit (photosensitive member holding unit, drum holding unit, image carrier holding unit, first unit) 60 and a developing unit (developer carrier holding unit, second unit) 20.

[0030] 3, the cleaning unit 60 includes a drum 62, a charging roller 66, a cleaning member 77, and a cleaning frame 71 that supports these. On the drive side of the drum 62, a drive-side drum flange 63 provided on the drive side is rotatably supported by a hole 73a of a drum bearing 73 (see FIG. 4). In a broad sense, the drum bearing 73 and the cleaning frame 71 can be collectively referred to as the cleaning frame.

[0031] 5, on the non-drive side, a hole (not shown) in the non-drive side drum flange is rotatably supported by a drum shaft 78 press-fitted into a hole 71c provided in the cleaning frame 71. Each drum flange is a bearing-supported part that is rotatably supported by a bearing part.

[0032] As shown in FIG. 3, in the cleaning unit 60, the charging roller 66 and the cleaning member 77 are disposed in contact with the outer peripheral surface of the drum 62, respectively.

[0033] The cleaning member 77 has a rubber blade 77a, which is a blade-shaped elastic member made of rubber as an elastic material, and a support member 77b that supports the rubber blade. The rubber blade 77a abuts against the drum 62 in a counter direction to the rotation direction R of the drum 62. In other words, the rubber blade 77a abuts against the drum 62 so that its tip faces upstream in the rotation direction R of the drum 62.

[0034] The waste toner removed from the surface of the drum 62 by the cleaning member 77 is stored in a waste toner chamber 71 b formed by the cleaning frame 71 and the cleaning member 77 .

[0035] As shown in FIG. 3, a collecting sheet 65 for preventing waste toner from leaking from the cleaning frame 71 is provided on the edge of the cleaning frame 71 so as to come into contact with the drum 62.

[0036] The charging roller 66 is provided at both ends of the cleaning frame 71 in the longitudinal direction. It is rotatably attached to the cleaning unit 60 via a roller bearing 67 .

[0037] The longitudinal direction of the cleaning frame 71 (the longitudinal direction of the cartridge B) is approximately parallel to the direction in which the rotation axis of the drum 62 extends (the axial direction). Therefore, hereinafter, when simply referring to the longitudinal direction or the axial direction without any particular specification, this refers to the axial direction of the drum 62.

[0038] The charging roller 66 is pressed against the drum 62 by a charging roller bearing 67 being pressed against the drum 62 by a biasing member 68. The charging roller 66 is rotated by the rotation of the drum 62.

[0039] 3, the developing unit 20 includes a developing roller 32, a developing container 23 that supports the developing roller 32, and a developing blade 42. The developing roller 32 is rotatably attached to the developing container 23 by bearing members 26 (FIG. 4) and 27 (FIG. 5) provided at both ends.

[0040] A magnet roller 34 is provided within the developing roller 32. A developing blade 42 is disposed in the developing unit 20 to regulate the toner layer on the developing roller 32. As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, spacing members 38 are attached to both ends of the developing roller 32, and the developing roller 32 is held with a small gap between it and the drum 62 when the spacing members 38 abut against the drum 62. As shown in FIG. 3, a blowout prevention sheet 33 is provided on the edge of the developing container 23 so as to abut against the developing roller 32 to prevent toner from leaking from the developing unit 20. Furthermore, a transport member 43 is provided in the toner chamber 29 formed by the developing container 23 and the bottom member 22. The transport member 43 agitates the toner contained in the toner chamber 29 and transports the toner to the toner supply chamber 28.

[0041] As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the cartridge B is formed by combining the cleaning unit 60 and the developing unit 20. When combining the developing unit 20 and the cleaning unit 60, the center of the first developer support boss 26a of the bearing member 26 is first aligned with the first hanging hole 71i on the drive side of the cleaning frame 71, and the center of the second developer support boss 27a of the bearing member 27 is aligned with the second hanging hole 71j on the non-drive side. Specifically, by moving the developing unit 20 in the direction of arrow G, the first developer support boss 26a and the second developer support boss 27a fit into the first hanging hole 71i and the second hanging hole 71j, respectively. This allows the developing unit 20 to be movably connected to the cleaning unit 60. More specifically, the developing unit 20 is rotatably connected to the cleaning unit 60. That is, the developing roller 32 is connected so as to be capable of approaching and retracting from the drum 62. The drum bearing 73 is then attached to the cleaning unit 60, completing the cartridge B.

[0042] In this embodiment, the non-drive-side urging member 46L (FIG. 5) and the drive-side urging member 46R (FIG. 4) are formed of compression springs. The urging forces of these springs allow the drive-side urging member 46L and the non-drive-side urging member 46R to urge the developing unit 20 toward the cleaning unit 60, thereby reliably pressing the developing roller 32 toward the drum 62. Furthermore, spacing members 38 are provided on both ends of the developing roller 32. That is, the drum 62 and the developing roller 32 come into contact with each other at a predetermined contact pressure via the spacing members 38, so that the developing roller 32 is maintained at a predetermined distance from the drum 62, and their relative positions are determined.

[0043] <Cartridge installation> Next, the installation of the cartridge B will be specifically described with reference to Figures 6(a), 6(b), 7(a) and 7(b). Figure 6(a) is a cross-sectional view of the drive side guide portion of the image forming apparatus A for explaining the installation of the cartridge B, and Figure 6(b) is a cross-sectional view of the drive side guide portion of the image forming apparatus A for explaining the installation of the cartridge B. 7A is a cross-sectional view of the non-drive-side guide portion of the image forming apparatus A for explaining the positioning of the cartridge B. FIG. 7B is a cross-sectional view of the non-drive-side guide portion of the image forming apparatus A for explaining the positioning of the cartridge B. Next, the installation of the cartridge B will be explained. As shown in FIGS. 6A and 6B, the first drive-side plate 15 has upper guide rails 15g and 15h as guides, and the non-drive-side plate 16 has upper guide rails 16d and 16e. The drum bearing 73 provided on the drive side of the cartridge B has a rotation-stopped portion 73c. ​​The installation direction of the cartridge B is a direction (arrow C) that is substantially perpendicular to the axis of the drum 62 (FIG. 3).

[0044] Furthermore, the cleaning frame 71 has a positioned portion 71d as a first positioning portion and a rotation-stopped portion 71f as a second positioning portion on the non-drive side in the longitudinal direction. When the cartridge B is mounted through the cartridge insertion opening 17 of the main body A of the apparatus, the rotation-stopped portion 73c of the cartridge B on the drive side is guided by the guide rail 15h of the main body A of the apparatus. On the non-drive side of the cartridge B, the positioned portion 71d and the rotation-stopped portion 71f of the cartridge B are guided by the guide rails 16d and 16e of the main body A of the apparatus. In this way, the cartridge B is mounted in the main body A of the apparatus.

[0045] Next, the state of closing the door 13 will be described. As shown in Figures 6(a), 6(b), 7(a), and 7(b), the first drive side plate 15 has an upper positioning portion 15a, a lower positioning portion 15b, and a rotation stop portion 15c for positioning, and the non-drive side plate 16 has a positioning portion 16a and an upper rotation stop portion 16c. The drum bearing 73 has an upper positioned portion (first positioned portion, first protrusion, first protrusion) 73d and a lower positioned portion (second positioned portion, second protrusion, second protrusion) 73f.

[0046] Furthermore, the cartridge pressing members 1 and 2 are rotatably attached to both axial ends of the opening / closing door 13. The cartridge pressing springs 19 and 21 are respectively attached to both longitudinal ends of a front plate provided in the image forming apparatus A. The drum bearing 73 has a pressed portion 73e as a biasing force receiving portion, and the cleaning frame 71 has a pressed portion 71o on the non-drive side (see FIG. 3). By closing the opening / closing door 13, the pressed portions 73e and 71o of the cartridge B are pressed by the cartridge pressing members 1 and 2 biased by the cartridge pressing springs 19 and 21 of the apparatus main body A (see FIG. 7).

[0047] As a result, on the drive side, the positioned upper portion 73d, the positioned lower portion 73f, and the rotation stop portion 73c of the cartridge B are fixed to the positioning upper portion 15a, the positioning lower portion 15b, and the rotation stop portion 15c of the main assembly A of the apparatus, respectively. As a result, the cartridge B and the drum 62 are positioned on the drive side. Also, on the non-drive side, the positioned portion 71d and the rotation stop portion 71f of the cartridge B are fixed to the positioning portion 16a and the rotation stop portion 16c of the main assembly A of the apparatus, respectively. As a result, the cartridge B and the drum 62 are positioned on the non-drive side.

[0048] The above has been described as an example of a configuration for determining the position of cartridge B relative to the apparatus main body A, but this is not intended to limit the means for positioning. A configuration may be used in which the positioning portions are fixed by directly acting on the positioned portion 73d and the rotation-stopped portion 73f on the drive side of cartridge B and the positioned portion 71d and the rotation-stopped portion 71f on the non-drive side.

[0049] Next, the configuration in which cartridge B receives a driving force from the apparatus main assembly A will be described with reference to Figures 8(a), 8(b), 8(c), and 8(d). Figure 8(a) is a diagram showing the configuration of the drive unit of the apparatus main assembly A, and Figure 8(b) is a diagram showing the configuration of the drive unit of cartridge B. Figure 8(c) is a diagram showing the state before the drive units of the apparatus main assembly A and cartridge B are engaged. FIG. 8(d) is a diagram showing a state in which the power supply of the apparatus main assembly A is turned on and the drive unit of the apparatus main assembly A and the cartridge B are engaged.

[0050] As shown in FIG. 8(a), the main assembly A of the apparatus is provided with a drive transmission member 81 that receives a driving force from a drive source (not shown) of the main assembly A of the apparatus and transmits the driving force to the cartridge B. As shown in FIG. 8(b), the cartridge B is provided with a drive-receiving portion 63b on the drive-side drum flange 63 to engage with the drive transmission member 81 and receive the driving force. When the door 13 is closed and the main assembly A of the apparatus is turned on, the drive transmission member 81 moves in the direction of arrow E in FIG. 8(c). Then, as shown in FIG. 8(d), the drive transmission portion 81b of the drive transmission member 81 engages with the drive-receiving portion 63b of the drive-side drum flange 63, causing the drum 62 to rotate via the drive-side drum flange 63. A gear-shaped gear 81g is provided on the outer periphery of the drive transmission member 81. A developing roller gear 90 is coupled to the end of the developing roller 32 of the cartridge B. 8(d), when the drive-received portion 63b of the drive-side drum flange 63 is engaged, the gear shape 81g provided on the drive transmission member 81 is also arranged to mesh with the developing roller gear 90. That is, the drive transmission member 81 rotates the drum 62 via the drive-side drum flange, and at the same time, the developing roller 62 also rotates via the developing roller gear 90.

[0051] <Developing container 23> Next, the developing container 23 according to the present invention will be described with reference to Figures 9(a), 9(b), and 9(c). Figure 9(a) is a perspective view of the developing container 23, Figure 9(b) is a front view of the connecting port 723c of the developing container 23, and Figure 9(c) is a diagram showing the warped state of the developing container 23.

[0052] As shown in Fig. 9(a), the developing container 23 has a shape in which a connecting port 723c that is widely opened and connected to the bottom member 22 is provided on the toner chamber 29 side. A welding flange 723a serving as an annular first flange portion is provided along the entire outer edge of the connecting port 723c so as to surround the connecting port 723c. Furthermore, as shown in Fig. 9(b), when the connecting port 723c is viewed from the front, the upper and lower welding flanges 723a are provided in the longitudinal center of the developing container 23 with notches (714, 715) that are to be sandwiched when the developing container 23 is combined with the bottom member 22, which will be described later.

[0053] 9(b), the cutout portion includes a first cutout portion 714 provided at the outer end of the welded flange 723a and a second cutout portion 715 provided on the toner chamber side, both of which are cut out in the height direction of the welded flange 723a and in the short direction of the developing container 23. Note that, in this embodiment, a configuration in which a cutout portion is provided in a part of the welded flange 723a will be described, but the welded flange 723a may have a shape with no cutout portion and a uniform height over the entire area.

[0054] Here, taking into consideration low cost and mass production, a molded material such as PS or PP is used as the material for the developing container 23. Therefore, as shown in Fig. 9(c), during molding of the part, the part may become warped in a direction in which the longitudinal center portion is greatly convex (in the direction of arrow F, a warpage profile like the dashed line FR) or in a direction in which the longitudinal center portion is greatly concave (in the direction of arrow H, a warpage profile like the dashed line HR).

[0055] <Bottom member 22> Next, the bottom member 22 according to the present invention will be described with reference to Figures 1(a), 1(b), 1(c), 1(d), and 10. Figure 1(a) is a perspective view of the bottom member 22, Figure 1(b) is an enlarged perspective view of the wall surface portions (first wall surface portion 710, second wall surface portion 711) installed in the longitudinal center portion of the bottom member 22 enclosed by a frame CY in Figure 1(a), Figure 1(c) is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken along CA-CA near the wall surface portions (first wall surface portion 710, second wall surface portion 711) of the bottom member 22 in Figure 1(b), and Figure 1(d) is a view of the connecting port 722c of the bottom member 22 as seen from the front. 10 is a perspective view showing another example of the bottom member 22 in which wall portions are provided at three positions along the length of the bottom member 22.

[0056] 1(a) and 1(b), the bottom member 22 is box-shaped and has a connection port 722c that is wide open across the entire bottom member and is provided with the connection port 722c for connecting to the developing container 23. A horn receiving portion 722d as an annular second flange portion is provided along the entire outer periphery of the connection port 722c so as to surround the connection port 722c.

[0057] 1(b) and 1(c), an energy director 722a is provided uninterruptedly around the entire periphery of horn receiving portion 722d at approximately the center of the horn receiving portion 722d in the short side direction. Energy director 722a is ribbed and protrudes outward in a direction intersecting with horn receiving portion 722d and approximately perpendicular to connecting opening 722c of bottom member 22. In other words, it protrudes in the direction in which horn receiving portion 722d and weld flange 723a face each other.

[0058] Furthermore, on horn receiving portion 722d, director accommodation portions 722b are provided at both ends of energy director 722a to accommodate energy director 722a that melts during ultrasonic welding. Director accommodation portions 722b are provided over the entire area of ​​energy director 722a and are groove-shaped to ensure a space larger than the volume of energy director 722a that melts during ultrasonic welding.

[0059] Furthermore, when viewing the connecting port 722c of the bottom member 22 from the front, wall surfaces (a first wall surface 710 and a second wall surface 711) are provided on the horn receiving portion 722d in the longitudinal center of the bottom member 22. That is, the connecting port 722c (connecting port 723c) has a substantially rectangular opening shape including a pair of long portions that are long in the longitudinal direction of the developing container 23 and a short portion that is perpendicular to these long portions, and each flange portion is formed in a similar annular shape along the annular edge of the connecting port 722c. The wall surfaces are rib-shaped and extend in a direction that protrudes from the connecting port 722c of the bottom member 22 in the direction in which the energy director 722a protrudes, and are provided at positions corresponding to the notches provided in the developing container 23 described above.

[0060] 1(c), the wall surface portions (first wall surface portion 710, second wall surface portion 711) are provided with a guide portion 710a and a holding portion 710b. The holding portion 710b is a surface that is approximately parallel to the direction in which the energy director 722a protrudes and the direction in which the energy director 722a protrudes from the connecting port 722c of the bottom member 22. The length of the holding surface 710a in the direction in which the energy director 722a protrudes and the direction in which the energy director protrudes from the connecting port 722c of the bottom member 22 is longer than the length of the energy director 722a in the same direction.

[0061] The guide portion 710a is provided continuously in the protruding direction of the energy director 722a at the tip of the holding portion 710b on the side away from the energy director 722a in the direction protruding from the connecting port 722c of the bottom member 22. The guide portion 710a has an inclined shape having a slope that is inclined in the direction away from the energy director 722a in the direction intersecting the protruding direction of the wall surface portions (first wall surface portion 710, second wall surface portion 711) as it moves away from the energy director 722a in the protruding direction of the wall surface portions (first wall surface portion 710, second wall surface portion 711).

[0062] In this embodiment, the width of the wall portions (first wall portion 710, second wall portion 711) in the longitudinal direction of the bottom member is approximately 10 mm or less, but this is not limited as long as joining by ultrasonic welding, as described below, is possible.

[0063] The wall portion is not limited to one location at the longitudinal center of the bottom member 22 as shown in FIG. As shown, the number of wall portions provided is not limited as long as they can be joined by ultrasonic welding, which will be described later, such as by providing wall portions at three locations along the length of the bottom member 22. In addition, the longitudinal direction of the developing container 23 in this embodiment is configured to coincide with the direction of the rotation axis of the long developing roller 23, and each connecting port is also long in the same direction, but the configuration of the connecting ports is not limited to this. It goes without saying that the same effect as in this embodiment can be achieved by applying a configuration similar to the above to locations that are significantly affected by warping in various connecting port configurations.

[0064] The first wall surface portion 710 is provided at the end of the horn receiving portion 722d, and the second wall surface portion 711 is provided on the connecting port 722c side. That is, after the developing container 23 and the bottom member 22 are welded together, the second wall surface portion 711 is located within the toner containing portion formed by the developing container 23 and the bottom member 22. The first wall surface portion 710 and the second wall surface portion 711 are provided to sandwich the energy director 722a and the director containing portion 722b. The wall surfaces (first wall surface portion 710, second wall surface portion 711) have guide portions (110a, 111a) and holding portions (110b, 111b), and protrude outward in a direction intersecting the horn receiving portion 722d and substantially perpendicular to the connecting port 722c of the bottom member 22.

[0065] In this embodiment, the protruding height of the wall surface portions (first wall surface portion 710, second wall surface portion 711) is set higher than the height of the energy director 722a. The wall surface portions (first wall surface portion 710, second wall surface portion 711) are formed with a thickness substantially equal to the thickness of the entire bottom member. Here, as with the developing container 23 described above, the bottom member 22 is made of a molded material such as PS or PP, taking into consideration low cost and mass production. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 1(d), during molding of the part, the part may be warped in a direction in which the longitudinal center portion is significantly convex (the warpage profile indicated by the dashed line JR in the direction of the arrow J) or in a direction in which the longitudinal center portion is significantly concave (the warpage profile indicated by the dashed line KR in the direction of the arrow K).

[0066] <Connection of the developing container 23 and the bottom member 22> Next, the ultrasonic welding of the developer container 23 and the bottom member 22 according to the present invention will be described. The developer container 23, which serves as a developer storage container, has a developer storage section formed by welding the developer container 23 itself as a first frame and the bottom member 22 as a second frame. The ultrasonic welding process involves joining the developer container 23 and the bottom member 22 together, holding the welding flange 723a of the developer container 23 with a welding backup 891, and then oscillating and welding the components together by lowering a welding horn 890 onto the horn receiving portion 722d of the bottom member 22. The following description focuses on the stable ultrasonic welding process that corrects the warpage of warped components, according to the present invention, and will be described for one location near the longitudinal center of the developer container 23 and the bottom member 22. At this time, the relationship between the warpage of the developing container 23 and the bottom member 22 will be explained below, assuming that the central part of the developing container 23 is warped outward (in the direction of arrow F, with a warpage profile like the dashed line FR) opposite the connecting port 723c, more than the warpage of the bottom member 22.

[0067] <Alignment of the developing container 23 and the bottom member 22> First, the alignment of the developing container 23 and the bottom member 22 will be described using Figures 11(a), 11(b), 11(c), 11(d), and 11(e). Figure 11(a) is a cross-sectional view of the vicinity of the center of the developing frame just before the bottom member 22 is aligned with the developing container 23 that is warped relatively outward, Figure 11(b) is a cross-sectional view of the vicinity of the center of the developing frame showing how the relatively warped developing container 23 and the bottom member 22 are aligned by the guide portions of the wall surface portions, Figure 11(c) is a cross-sectional view of the vicinity of the center of the developing frame showing how the developing container 23 and the bottom member 22 are aligned while the warpage of the developing container 23 and the bottom member 22 is corrected by the holding portions of the wall surface portions, and Figure 11(d) is a cross-sectional view of the vicinity of the center of the developing frame showing the state in which the alignment of the developing container 23 and the bottom member 22 is completed while the warpage of the developing container 23 is corrected. FIG. 11(e) is a diagram showing a state in which the developer container 23 and the bottom member 22 have been aligned.

[0068] The developing container 23 and the bottom member 22 are aligned so that the connecting port 723c of the developing container 23 and the connecting port 722c of the bottom member 22 face each other.

[0069] As mentioned above, the central portion of the developing container 23 is warped outward, on the side opposite the connecting port 723c, by more than the warp of the bottom member 22. Therefore, as shown in Figure 11(a), before the developing container 23 and the bottom member 22 are joined together, the positional relationship between the welding flange 723a (first cutout portion 714) and the horn receiving portion 722d is deviated from the predetermined position.

[0070] In this state, when the developing container 23 and the bottom member 22 approach in the direction in which they come together so that the joining surface 723b of the developing container 23 and the energy director 722a of the bottom member 22 come into contact, as shown in Figure 11(b), the guide portion 710a of the first wall surface portion 710 of the bottom member 22 comes into contact with the tip portion 714a of the welding flange 723a (first cutout portion 714) of the developing container 23. Then, as the tip portion 23d approaches in the direction in which the developing container 23 and the bottom member 22 come together, it moves on the guide portion 710a, and accordingly, the warpage of the developing container 23 is corrected in the direction of the arrow FH in the figure.

[0071] As the mating of the developing container 23 and the bottom member 22 progresses, the contact portion of the tip portion 714a with the first wall surface portion 710 of the bottom member 22 moves from the guide portion 710a to the holding portion 710b, as shown in Figure 11(c). When the tip portion 714a comes into contact with the holding portion 710b, the correction of the warpage of the developing container 23 and the bottom member 22 is completed. Then, as shown in Figure 11(d), the mating of the developing container 23 and the bottom member 22 is completed with the joining surface 723b and the energy director 722a in contact.

[0072] In this embodiment, the developing container 23 and the bottom member 22 are configured such that the entire components, including the vicinity of the joints formed by ultrasonic welding, such as the horn receiving portion 722d and the welding flange 723d, are thinned while ensuring the guide portion 710a and the holding portion 710b of the first wall surface portion 710. Therefore, when the developing container 23 and the bottom member 22 are completely joined, the first wall surface portion 710 protrudes further toward the developing frame than the thickness of the welding flange (the joining direction of the developing container 23 and the bottom member 22).

[0073] In addition, the above description has been given using a representative example of warping of the developing container 23 and the bottom member 22, in which the central portion of the developing container 23 warps outward, opposite the connecting port 723c, more than the warp of the bottom member 22. However, the same effect is achieved even in a case where the central portion of the developing container 23 warps inward, toward the connecting port 723c, more than the warp of the bottom member 22, which is the opposite warp direction. In this case, the second wall surface portion 711 instead of the first wall surface portion 710, the guide portion 711a instead of the guide portion 710a, the holding portion 711b instead of the holding portion 710b, the second notch portion 715 instead of the first notch portion 714, and the tip portion 715a instead of the tip portion 714a perform the same function.

[0074] <Retention of the welding flange 723a of the developing container 23> Next, with reference to Figures 12(a) and 12(b), we will explain how the welded flange 723a of the developing container 23 is held by the welded backup 891. Figure 12(a) is a cross-sectional view of Figure 11(e) taken along the MM cross section in a range where there are no wall surface portions, and Figure 12(b) is a cross-sectional view of Figure 11(e) taken along the NN cross section in a range where there are wall surface portions in the center of the developing container 23.

[0075] As shown in Figure 12(a), the developing container 23 is positioned in a gravity-direction orientation with the bottom member 22 facing up, and the welding backup 891 is installed so as to hold the welding flange 723a directly below the energy director 722a in the protruding direction of the energy director 722a, facing the energy director 722a, and is basically installed over the entire area of ​​the welding flange 723a.

[0076] As mentioned above, in this embodiment, the developing container 23 and the bottom member 22 are configured to be thin-walled as a whole while ensuring the guide portion 710a and the holding portion 711b of the first wall surface portion 710, so the wall surface portions (710, 711) protrude further toward the developing frame than the thickness of the welding flange (see FIG. 11(d)).

[0077] 12(b), in the area where the wall surface portions (710, 711) are present in the longitudinal center of the bottom member 22, a recess 891a is provided in the welding backup 891 to avoid interference with the wall surface portions (710, 711). Here, in ultrasonic welding, even in a narrow area without the welding backup 891, the rigidity of the individual components can support the pressure during welding, making welding possible. By providing the wall surface portions (710, 711) of the present invention only in a partial area of ​​the bottom member 22, it is possible to limit the recess 891a of the welding backup 891 to only a small area.

[0078] <Joining of the developing container 23 and the bottom member 22> Next, the joining of the developing container 23 and the bottom member 22 by the oscillation of the welding horn 890 will be described with reference to Figures 13(a), 13(b), and 13(c). Figure 13(a) is an enlarged cross-sectional view of Figure 11(e) taken along the N-N cross section, showing the state in which the welding horn 890 is installed on the horn receiving portion 722d of the bottom member 22. Figure 13(b) is an enlarged cross-sectional view of Figure 11(e) taken along the N-N cross section, showing the state in which the energy director tip 722e is melted by the oscillation from the welding horn 890. Figure 13(c) is an enlarged cross-sectional view of Figure 11(e) taken along the N-N cross section when the ultrasonic bonding of the developing container 23 and the bottom member 22 is completed.

[0079] As shown in Figure 13(a), the welded horn 890 is placed in a position directly below the energy director 722a of the bottom member 22 and in contact with the horn receiving portion 722d. Thereafter, the welded flange 723a of the development member 23, the energy director 722a of the bottom member 22, and the horn receiving portion 722d are held in a constant pressure state by the welded horn 890 and the welded backup 891, while the welded horn 890 is oscillated. When the welded horn 890 is oscillated, the vibration of the welded horn 890 is transmitted to the energy director 722a, melting the tip 22d of the energy director, as shown in Figure 13(b).

[0080] At this time, the vibration of the welding horn 890 is transmitted, causing the bottom member 22 to vibrate as well, so that the positions of the bottom member 22 and the developing container 23 tend to shift in a direction intersecting the protruding direction of the wall portions (710, 711). However, in order to perform stable ultrasonic welding, it is desirable that the positions of the respective parts can be maintained.

[0081] In response to this, the wall surface portions (710, 711) of the present invention function. When vibration causes the relative positions of the components of the developing container 23 and the bottom member 22 to shift in a direction intersecting the protruding direction of the wall surface portions (710, 711), the holding portions (710b, 711b) of each wall surface portion hold the welding flange 723a (notched portions (714, 715)) to regulate the positional shift. The oscillation of the welding horn 890 continues until the abutment surface 722f of the bottom member 22 and the joining surface 723b of the developing container 23 come into abutment with each other and welding is completed. During this time, the energy director 722a is gradually melted because it is held in a state where a certain pressure is applied. The melted energy director 13(c), the energy director 722a is accommodated in the director accommodating portion 722b of the bottom member 22 (extension portion 711g). That is, before being welded to the welding flange 723a of the developing container 23, the energy director 722a is provided so as to protrude from the surface of the horn receiving portion 722d facing the welding flange 723a toward the welding flange 723a. When melting energy is applied to the energy director 722a, which is also formed in an annular shape on the annular horn receiving portion 722d, it is pressed against the welding surface of the welding flange 723a and deforms so as to extend to the inner and outer circumferential sides. The outer circumferential fusion portion 722a is then bonded to and integrated with the welding surface. The outer circumferential fusion portion extending outward is accommodated in a director accommodation portion 722b serving as a first groove annularly provided between the first wall surface portion 710 and the energy director 722a. The inner circumferential fusion portion extending inward is accommodated in a director accommodation portion 722b serving as a second groove annularly provided between the second wall surface portion 711 and the energy director 722a. By melting and deforming in this manner and joining with the welding flange 723a, the energy director 722a becomes a welding portion that welds and joins the bottom member 22 to the developing container 23 in the product structure after welding. Note that the abutting surface 722f serving as the abutting surface is provided on the opposite side of the director accommodation portion 722b from the energy director 722a and is configured to abut against the bonding surface 723b of the developing container 23, which is the opposing surface. Therefore, even if the energy director 722a melts, it can abut against the bonding surface 723b while maintaining a flat state.

[0082] Thereafter, the oscillation of the welding horn 890 stops, and once the molten energy director 722a has cooled and solidified sufficiently, the applied pressure is released and the bonding is completed.

[0083] With the above-described configuration, the connection port 723c of the developing container 23 and the connection port 722c of the bottom member 22 are joined by ultrasonic welding, completing the construction of the developer storage container 718 in which the toner chamber 29 is formed. The developing unit 20 is formed by attaching the developing roller 32 and the developing blade 42 to this developer storage container 718.

[0084] Wall surfaces (710, 711) are provided in a portion of the longitudinal center of the bottom member 22 so as to sandwich the energy director 722a. This configuration makes it possible to stably join the components by ultrasonic welding while correcting the warpage caused by molding, even when the components themselves are warped during molding.

[0085] Furthermore, to achieve stable ultrasonic welding, the welding horn 890 must contact the horn support 722d and transmit sufficient vibration to the energy director 722a. In the conventional configuration shown in FIG. 15, the wall portion sandwiching the energy director 880a is located on the workpiece 881 side. To prevent the welding horn 890 from contacting and interfering with the wall portion, preventing sufficient vibration transmission, the horn support 880 must cover the workpiece 881 and the horn support 880 itself must be thick. As a result, it becomes difficult to achieve stable ultrasonic welding while correcting the warpage during component molding and achieving thin-walled components. However, in this embodiment, the wall portion (710, 711) is provided on the bottom member 22 side where the welding horn 890 contacts. Therefore, interference between welding horn 890 and wall surface portions (710, 711) can be prevented, and vibration can be transmitted sufficiently to energy director 722a, enabling stable ultrasonic bonding.

[0086] Furthermore, as described above, in this embodiment, a groove-shaped director housing 722b is provided between the energy director 722a and the first and second wall surfaces. In the conventional configuration shown in FIG. 15 , no grooves are provided in either the horn receiving member 880 or the workpiece 881, and the space formed between the horn receiving member 880 and the workpiece 881 serves as the director housing 880b. In a configuration without a groove-shaped director housing, as the entire component is made thinner and more compact, the space formed between the horn receiving member 880 and the workpiece 881 inevitably becomes smaller, resulting in a smaller director housing 880b. As a result, the molten energy director cannot be accommodated in the director housing 880b, making it difficult for the energy director 880a to maintain contact with the opposing surface. As a result, vibrations from the welding horn 890 are not transmitted sufficiently, making stable ultrasonic welding difficult. In contrast, in this embodiment, as described above, the director accommodating portion 722b is formed in a groove shape, so that the molten energy director 722a necessary for stable ultrasonic welding is accommodated in the accommodating space, and the entire component including the vicinity of the energy director 722a is accommodated. This allows for a thinner body. As a result, it is possible to reduce the cost of parts by reducing the wall thickness while maintaining stable ultrasonic welding. In this embodiment, a groove is provided as a recess to accommodate the melted energy director 722a, but this configuration is not limited to this. For example, the bottom member 22 may be configured so that recesses are formed intermittently along the edge on the side where the energy director 722a is provided.

[0087] In addition, in the conventional configuration shown in FIG. 15, the second clamping portion 881c prevents fragments (burrs) of the melted director, which can cause image defects, from entering the toner storage portion 881d through the burr path BT. Therefore, in the conventional configuration, the second clamping portion 881c must be provided around the entire circumference of the fused director, making it difficult to increase the toner volume. However, in this embodiment, by providing the wall portions (710, 711) only in a portion of the longitudinal center where the warp is greatest, a larger toner volume can be secured compared to the conventional configuration in which the wall portions are provided around the entire energy director 722a. As a result, the development unit 20 can be made smaller.

[0088] Example 2 Next, another embodiment aimed at further miniaturizing the developing unit 20 will be described. In this embodiment, the configuration of the bottom member 22 of the first embodiment is further developed, and the configuration other than the bottom member 22 is the same as in the first embodiment, so description thereof will be omitted. In addition, the ultrasonic welding process procedure is also the same as in the first embodiment, so description thereof will be omitted. Therefore, the configuration of the bottom member 822 of the second embodiment will be described below.

[0089] <Bottom member 822> Next, a bottom member 822 according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 14(a), 14(b), 14(c), and 14(d). FIG. 14(a) is a front view of a connecting port 822c of a bottom member 822 in Example 2. FIG. 14(b) is an enlarged perspective view of the vicinity of the wall surface portion (first wall surface portion 810, second wall surface portion 811) of the bottom member 822, enlarging the frame CX in FIG. 14(a). FIG. 14(c) is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the vicinity of the wall surface portion (first wall surface portion 810, second wall surface portion 811) of the bottom member 822, taken along the cross section CB in FIG. 14(a). FIG. 14(d) is a view showing a director accommodating portion 822b near the first wall surface portion 810, taken along the cross section VV in FIG. 14(a).

[0090] 14(a), the bottom member 822 is box-shaped and has a large opening across the entire bottom member, with a connecting port 822c for connecting to the developing container 23. The bottom member 822 is box-shaped so as to provide a space that becomes a toner chamber when joined to the developing container 23, as described above. A horn receiving portion 822d is provided along the entire periphery of the connecting port 822c so as to surround the connecting port 822c.

[0091] 14(b) and 14(c), an energy director 822a is provided uninterruptedly around the entire periphery of horn receiving portion 822d at approximately the center in the short side direction of horn receiving portion 822d. Energy director 822a is ribbed and protrudes outward in a direction intersecting horn receiving portion 822d and approximately perpendicular to connecting port 822c of bottom member 822.

[0092] Furthermore, when viewing the connecting port 822c of the bottom member 822 from the front, wall surfaces (a first wall surface 810 and a second wall surface 811) are provided on the horn receiving portion 822d in a longitudinal center portion of the bottom member 822. The wall surfaces are rib-shaped and extend in a direction protruding from the connecting port 822c of the bottom member 822 in the direction in which the energy director 822a protrudes, and are provided at positions corresponding to the notches (714, 715) provided in the developing container 23 described above.

[0093] In this embodiment, the wall portions (first wall portion 810, second wall portion 811) are The width of the gap is set to approximately 10 mm or less, but this does not apply if joining by ultrasonic welding, which will be described later, is possible.

[0094] Furthermore, the wall surface portion is not limited to one location in the longitudinal center of the bottom member 822 as shown in Fig. 14. As in Fig. 10 of the first embodiment, the wall surface portions may be provided in three locations along the longitudinal direction like the bottom member 22, and there is no limit to the number of wall surface portions provided as long as they can be joined by ultrasonic welding, which will be described later.

[0095] The first wall surface portion 810 is provided at the end of the horn receiving portion 822d, and the second wall surface portion 811 is provided on the connecting port 822c side. The first wall surface portion 810 and the second wall surface portion 811 are provided so as to sandwich the energy director 822a and the director accommodating portion 822b.

[0096] 14(c), the wall surface portions (first wall surface portion 810, second wall surface portion 811) are provided with guide portion 810a and holding portion 810b. Holding portion 810b is a surface that is approximately parallel to the direction in which energy director 822a protrudes from connecting port 822c of bottom member 822. The length of holding surface 810a in the direction in which energy director 822a protrudes from connecting port 822c of bottom member 822 is longer than the length of energy director 822a in the same direction.

[0097] The guide portion 810a is provided continuously at the tip of the holder 810b on the side away from the energy director 822a in the direction in which the energy director 822a protrudes and in the direction in which it protrudes from the connecting port 822c of the bottom member 822. The guide portion 810a is sloped in the direction in which the wall surface portions (first wall surface portion 810, second wall surface portion 811) protrude, and as it moves away from the energy director 822a, it slopes in the direction in which the wall surface portions (first wall surface portion 810, second wall surface portion 811) protrude.

[0098] In this embodiment, the protruding height of the wall surface portions (first wall surface portion 810, second wall surface portion 811) is set higher than the height of the energy director 822a. The wall surface portions (first wall surface portion 810, second wall surface portion 811) are formed with a thickness substantially equal to the thickness of the entire bottom member. Furthermore, on the horn receiving portion 822d, director accommodating portions 822b are provided at both ends of the shorter sides of the energy director 822a to accommodate the energy director 822a melted during ultrasonic welding. The director accommodating portions 822b are provided over the entire energy director 822a and are groove-shaped to ensure a space larger than the volume of the energy director 822a melted during ultrasonic welding.

[0099] 14(c) and 14(d), in this embodiment, the thickness of the bottom member 822 near the first wall surface portion 810 in the protruding direction of the energy director 822a is made thinner than other portions. Therefore, the groove depth of the director accommodating portion 822b near the first wall surface portion 810 is deeper than other regions, i.e., the director accommodating portion 822b not near the first wall surface portion 810. By making the groove depth of the director accommodating portion 822b deeper than the groove depth of the director accommodating portion 822b not near the first wall surface portion 810, it is possible to secure a space to accommodate the molten energy director 822a while bringing the first wall surface portion 810 closer to the energy director 822a in the short-side direction of the horn receiving portion 822d. As a result, it is possible to reduce the short-side height of the horn receiving portion 822d of the bottom member 822, thereby ensuring a space for accommodating the molten energy director 822a more than in Example 1 and making the entire component thinner.

[0100] In this case, if the depth of the groove of the director accommodating portion 822b in the protruding direction of the energy director 822a is made deep over the entire area, the thickness of the horn receiving portion 822d of the bottom member 822 will be thin overall, which is undesirable because it will reduce the strength during ultrasonic welding. In this embodiment, only the depth of the groove of the director accommodating portion 822b in the vicinity of the first wall surface portion 810 is increased. Here, as with the above-described developing container 23, the material of the bottom member 822 is a molded material such as PS or PP, taking into consideration low cost and mass production. Therefore, as shown in Figure 14(d), when the part is molded, the part often has a large warp in the longitudinal center portion.

[0101] However, as described above, the wall portions (810, 811) are provided to sandwich the energy director 822a, and the bottom member 822 and the developing container 23 described in Example 1 are ultrasonically welded together as described in Example 1. By doing so, even when individual components are warped during molding as described above, it is possible to join the components by ultrasonic welding while correcting the warp caused during molding, as in Example 1. Furthermore, the configuration of this example also achieves the same effects as Example 1, such as reducing the cost of the components by thinning the entire component, including the vicinity of the energy director 822a, and making the developing unit 20 smaller by ensuring a sufficient toner volume compared to the conventional configuration in which the wall portions are provided over the entire area of ​​the energy director 822a.

[0102] Furthermore, in the conventional configuration, when the height of the horn receiving portion 822d in the short-side direction is reduced, the height of the energy director 822a in the protruding direction is reduced to prevent uneven thickness of the entire component, thereby sacrificing the space for accommodating the molten energy director 822a. Even if the height of the horn receiving portion 822d in the short-side direction is reduced while ensuring the accommodating space, there is a limit to how thin the thickness of the energy director 822a in the protruding direction can be reduced, making it difficult to balance this with thinning the entire component. Therefore, in this embodiment, the depth of the groove in the director accommodating portion 822b near the first wall surface portion 810 in the protruding direction of the energy director 822a is increased, thereby ensuring the space for accommodating the molten energy director 822a and enabling the height of the horn receiving portion 822d in the short-side direction of the bottom member 822 to be reduced. By reducing the height of the horn receiving portion 822d in the short direction, usable space can be secured, which makes it possible to further secure the toner volume and further reduce the size of the entire developing unit.

[0103] In this embodiment, the energy director, the first and second wall portions, and the director accommodating portion are provided on the flange portion on the bottom member side as one flange portion, and are welded to the flange portion on the developer container side as the other flange portion, but the present invention is not limited to this configuration. That is, the present invention is also applicable to a configuration in which the flange portion on the developer container side as one flange portion serves as the horn receiving portion, and the above-mentioned energy director and other components are provided, and the flange portion on the bottom member side serves as the welded flange portion as the other flange portion. [Explanation of symbols]

[0104] 22...bottom member, 23...developing container, 722a...energy director, 722b...director housing portion, 722c...connecting port, 722d...horn receiving portion, 723a...welded flange, 723c...connecting port, 710...first wall surface portion, 711...second wall surface portion, 714...first cutout portion, 715...second cutout portion, 718...developer storage container, 810...first wall surface portion, 811...second wall surface portion, 822...bottom member, 822a...energy director, 822b...director housing portion, 822c...connecting port, 822d...horn receiving portion

Claims

1. A developer container, a first frame body, the first direction being a longitudinal direction; a second frame body that is welded to the first frame body to form a container portion for accommodating a developer together with the first frame body, the second frame body being aligned in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction, the first direction being a longitudinal direction; Equipped with the first frame body has a first flange portion provided on an edge portion of the first frame body extending in the first direction and having a first flange surface facing the second frame body side in the second direction, The first flange surface is provided with a first wall portion protruding in the second direction, a second wall portion protruding in the second direction and aligned with the first wall portion in a third direction perpendicular to both the first direction and the second direction, and a welded portion protruding in the second direction between the first wall portion and the second wall portion in the third direction, the second frame body has a second flange portion provided on an edge portion of the second frame body extending in the first direction and having a second flange surface facing the first frame body side in the second direction, the second flange portion is inserted between the first wall portion and the second wall portion such that the second flange surface is welded to the welded portion of the first flange surface and the movement of the first flange portion in the third direction is restricted by the first wall portion and the second wall portion. A developer storage container characterized by:

2. The first flange surface includes a first region adjacent to the welded portion between the first wall portion and the welded portion in the third direction, and a second region adjacent to the welded portion between the second wall portion and the welded portion in the third direction, The first region and the second region of the first flange surface are provided with recesses recessed in a direction away from the second frame body.

2. The developer container according to claim 1, wherein the developer container is a container for storing a developer.

3. When the welded portion is a first welded portion, The first flange surface is provided with a third wall portion protruding in the second direction, a fourth wall portion protruding in the second direction and aligned with the third wall portion in the third direction, and a second welded portion protruding in the second direction between the third wall portion and the fourth wall portion in the third direction. and, is established, the third wall portion and the fourth wall portion are provided at the same positions as the first wall portion and the second wall portion in the first direction, the second flange portion is inserted between the third wall portion and the fourth wall portion such that the second flange surface is welded to the second welded portion of the first flange surface and the movement of the second flange portion in the third direction relative to the first flange portion is restricted by the third wall portion and the fourth wall portion.

3. The developer container according to claim 1, wherein the developer container is a container for storing a developer.

4. The first wall portion, the second wall portion, and the first welded portion are provided in the center of the first frame body in the first direction, the third wall portion, the fourth wall portion, and the second welded portion are provided in a central portion of the first frame body in the first direction.

4. The developer container according to claim 3, wherein the developer container is a container for storing a developer.

5. A surface is provided at the tip of the first wall portion, which extends in a direction away from the second wall portion in the third direction as it approaches the tip of the tip portion in the second direction, a surface extending in a direction away from the first wall portion in the third direction as it approaches the tip of the tip portion in the second direction; 5. The developer container according to claim 1, wherein the developer container is a container for storing a developer.

6. A developer storage container as described in any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the surface of the first flange portion opposite the area where the welded portion of the first flange surface is provided is flat.

7. A developer storage container described in any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the first wall portion protrudes in the second direction longer than the thickness of the second flange portion.

8. A developer storage container described in any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that the second wall portion is located within the storage portion.

9. A developer storage container as described in claim 3 or 4, characterized in that the third wall portion protrudes in the second direction longer than the thickness of the second flange portion.

10. A developer storage container as described in any one of claims 3, 4 and 9, characterized in that the third wall portion is located within the storage portion.

11. a developer storage container according to any one of claims 1 to 10; a developer carrier that carries the developer contained in the developer container; A developing device comprising:

12. A cartridge that is detachable from a main body of an image forming apparatus, a developer storage container according to any one of claims 1 to 10; a developer carrier that carries the developer contained in the developer container; A cartridge comprising:

Images