cartridge

Abstract

To further develop a prior art.SOLUTION: A cartridge has a holding part that is movably supported by a first unit or a second unit, regulates the relative positions of the first unit and the second unit, and is movable between a first position for holding the second unit at a separation position with the first unit, and a second position for holding the second unit at a developing position with the first unit. The holding part is movable from the first position to the second position by force received by a driving force receiving part so as to rotate in a predetermined direction, and is movable from the second position to the first position by the force received by the driving force receiving part so as to rotate in the predetermined direction.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates , painting to a cartridge that can be mounted on an image forming Available apparatus Ji .

[0002] Here, an electrophotographic image forming apparatus (hereinafter also referred to as an "image forming apparatus") is an apparatus that forms an image on a sheet-shaped recording medium such as paper by using an electrophotographic image forming method. Examples of the image forming apparatus include copiers, facsimile machines, printers (laser beam printers, LED printers, etc.), and multifunction peripherals (multifunction printers) including these devices.

[0003] A cartridge is a unit detachably attachable to the above-described image forming apparatus, and is a unit including a photosensitive member and / or a process means acting on the photosensitive member (e.g., a charging member, a developing member, a cleaning member, etc.). [Background Art]

[0004] Among image forming apparatuses using the electrophotographic image forming method, there are image forming apparatuses that perform image formation by a contact developing system in which image formation is performed by carrying out a developing process while a developing member (developing roller) is in contact with a photosensitive drum. In such an image forming apparatus, during the developing process, the developing roller is biased toward the photosensitive drum with a predetermined pressure, and is in a state of being in contact with the surface of the photosensitive drum at the predetermined pressure.

[0005] When a developing roller having an elastic layer on its surface is used, for example, the following may occur. That is, if the elastic layer is kept in contact with the surface of the photosensitive drum for a long period during which image formation is not performed (the developing roller is not rotating), the elastic layer of the developing roller may be deformed due to the contact with the surface of the photosensitive drum. This may cause image defects such as unintended unevenness of a developer image when the developing process is performed.

[0006] Another example is that if the developing roller is in contact with the photosensitive drum during periods when the developing process is not being performed, the developer carried on the developing roller may unnecessarily adhere to the photosensitive drum, and this developer may then adhere to the recording medium, potentially contaminating it. This can occur regardless of whether or not there is an elastic layer on the surface of the developing roller.

[0007] Furthermore, as another example, if the photosensitive drum and developing roller are in contact and rotating for extended periods outside of the developing process, friction between the photosensitive drum and developing roller may accelerate the deterioration of the photosensitive drum, developing roller, or developer. This can occur regardless of whether or not the developing roller has an elastic layer on its surface.

[0008] To address the above-mentioned cases, Patent Documents 1 and 2 disclose configurations in which an image forming apparatus and a cartridge are provided with a structure for separating the developing roller from the surface of the photosensitive drum during periods when the developing process is not performed. [Prior art documents] [Patent Documents]

[0009] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2007-213024 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2014-67005 [Overview of the Initiative] [Problems that the invention aims to solve]

[0010] However, the prior art described in Patent Documents 1 and 2 still has room for further improvement. Therefore, this disclosure aims to further develop the prior art. [Means for solving the problem]

[0011] To achieve the above objective, a typical configuration of the present invention is a cartridge that can be attached to the main body of an image forming apparatus equipped with a rotatable driving force application unit, comprising: a photoreceptor; a first unit equipped with the photoreceptor; a developing member for depositing toner onto the photoreceptor; a coupling that engages with the driving force application unit and receives a driving force for rotating the developing member; a second unit equipped with the developing member and movable between a developing position in which toner can be deposited from the developing member onto the photoreceptor by moving relative to the first unit and a separated position in which at least a part of the developing member is positioned away from the photoreceptor; and a rotation restricting member that restricts the relative positions of the first unit and the second unit and rotates between the first position and the second position. A stopper that engages with the rotation restricting member and positions it in the second position, and a clutch capable of interrupting the transmission of driving force to the rotation restricting member in the second position, The coupling is capable of transmitting the driving force to the rotation restricting member when it rotates, and the rotation restricting member moves from the first position to the second position due to the driving force transmitted from the coupling. The clutch engages with the stopper and cuts off the driving force from the coupling to the rotation restricting member in the second position, thereby positioning the rotation restricting member in the second position. A cartridge characterized by the following features. [Effects of the Invention]

[0013] This disclosure allows for further development of prior art. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0014] [Figure 1] Side view of the process cartridge [Figure 2] Cross-sectional view of an image forming apparatus [Figure 3] Cross-section of a process cartridge [Figure 4] Cross-sectional view of an image forming apparatus [Figure 5] Cross-sectional view of an image forming apparatus [Figure 6]Cross-sectional view of an image forming apparatus [Figure 7] Partially enlarged view of a tray [Figure 8] Perspective view of a storage element pressing unit and a cartridge pressing unit [Figure 9] Perspective view of an image forming apparatus [Figure 10] Side view (partially cross-sectional view) of a process cartridge [Figure 11] Cross-sectional view of an image forming apparatus [Figure 12] Perspective view of a development separation control unit [Figure 13] Exploded perspective view of a process cartridge [Figure 14] Perspective view of a process cartridge [Figure 15] Exploded perspective view of a process cartridge [Figure 16] Exploded perspective view of a process cartridge [Figure 17] Diagram showing a spacer [Figure 18] Diagram showing a moving member [Figure 19] Perspective view of a process cartridge [Figure 20] Partially enlarged side view of a process cartridge [Figure 21] Partially enlarged side view of a process cartridge [Figure 22] Bottom view of the driving side of a process cartridge [Figure 23] Side view of a process cartridge inside an image forming apparatus main body [Figure 24] Side view of a process cartridge inside an image forming apparatus main body [Figure 25] Side view of a process cartridge inside an image forming apparatus main body [Figure 26] Side view of a process cartridge inside an image forming apparatus main body [Figure 27] Side view of a process cartridge inside an image forming apparatus main body [Figure 28] Diagram showing a spacer [Figure 29] Diagram showing a moving member [Figure 30] Perspective view of the process cartridge [Figure 31] Side view (partial cross-section) of the process cartridge. [Figure 32] Enlarged view of the side of the process cartridge [Figure 33] Enlarged view of the side of the process cartridge [Figure 34] Side view (partial cross-section) of the process cartridge. [Figure 35] Side view (partial cross-sectional view) of the process cartridge inside the image forming apparatus. [Figure 36] Side view (partial cross-sectional view) of the process cartridge inside the image forming apparatus. [Figure 37] Side view (partial cross-sectional view) of the process cartridge inside the image forming apparatus. [Figure 38] Side view (partial cross-sectional view) of the process cartridge inside the image forming apparatus. [Figure 39] Side view (partial cross-sectional view) of the process cartridge inside the image forming apparatus. [Figure 40] Enlarged view of the side of the process cartridge [Figure 41] Enlarged view of the side of the process cartridge [Figure 42] Perspective view of the process cartridge and schematic diagram showing the distance between the developing roller and the photosensitive drum. [Figure 43] Perspective view of the process cartridge and schematic diagram showing the distance between the developing roller and the photosensitive drum. [Figure 44] Perspective view of the process cartridge and schematic diagram showing the distance between the developing roller and the photosensitive drum. [Figure 45] Perspective view of the process cartridge and schematic diagram showing the distance between the developing roller and the photosensitive drum. [Figure 46] Perspective view of the process cartridge and schematic diagram showing the distance between the developing roller and the photosensitive drum. [Figure 47] Diagram showing the movable member [Figure 48] Diagram showing the relationship between the moving member, spacer, and non-driven bearing. [Figure 49] A side view of the process cartridge inside the image forming apparatus and a diagram showing the relationship between the moving member and the spacer. [Figure 50] Side view of the process cartridge inside the image forming apparatus. [Figure 51] Partial perspective view of the process cartridge inside the image forming apparatus. [Figure 52] Side view of the process cartridge inside the image forming apparatus. [Figure 53] A side view of the process cartridge inside the image forming apparatus and a diagram showing the relationship between the moving member and the spacer. [Figure 54] Perspective view of the developing unit [Figure 55] Perspective view of the process cartridge [Figure 56] Enlarged view of the side of the process cartridge [Figure 57] Diagram showing the relationship between the moving member and the non-driven bearing. [Figure 58] Diagram showing the movable member [Figure 59] Diagram showing the movable member [Figure 60] Diagram showing the operation of the moving member [Figure 61] Diagram showing the operation of the moving member [Figure 62] Diagram showing the operation of the moving member [Figure 63] Diagram showing the operation of the moving member [Figure 64] Diagram showing the operation of the moving member [Figure 65] Perspective view of the developing unit section of the process cartridge. [Figure 66] Perspective view of the process cartridge [Figure 67] Disassembled perspective view of the process cartridge [Figure 68] Disassembled perspective view of the process cartridge [Figure 69] Side view of the process cartridge [Figure 70] Side view of the process cartridge [Figure 71]Side view of the process cartridge inside the image forming apparatus. [Figure 72] Side view of the process cartridge inside the image forming apparatus. [Figure 73] Side view of the process cartridge [Figure 74] Diagram showing the loading of process cartridges into the tray. [Figure 75] Side view of the process cartridge inside the image forming apparatus. [Figure 76] Side view of the process cartridge inside the image forming apparatus. [Figure 77] Side view of the process cartridge inside the image forming apparatus. [Figure 78] Side view of the process cartridge inside the image forming apparatus. [Figure 79] Side view of the process cartridge [Figure 80] Disassembled perspective view of the process cartridge [Figure 81] Disassembled perspective view of the process cartridge [Figure 82] Side view of the process cartridge inside the image forming apparatus. [Figure 83] Side view of the process cartridge inside the image forming apparatus. [Figure 84] Side view of the process cartridge inside the image forming apparatus. [Figure 85] Side view of the process cartridge inside the image forming apparatus. [Figure 86] Side view of the process cartridge inside the image forming apparatus. [Figure 87] Side view of the process cartridge inside the image forming apparatus. [Figure 88] Side view of the process cartridge inside the image forming apparatus. [Figure 89] Side view of the process cartridge inside the image forming apparatus. [Figure 90] Side view of the process cartridge inside the image forming apparatus. [Figure 91] Side view of the process cartridge inside the image forming apparatus. [Figure 92] Side view of the process cartridge inside the image forming apparatus. [Figure 93] Side view of the process cartridge inside the image forming apparatus. [Figure 94] Side view of the process cartridge inside the image forming apparatus. [Figure 95] Side view of the process cartridge inside the image forming apparatus. [Figure 96] Side view of the process cartridge inside the image forming apparatus. [Figure 97] Side view of the process cartridge inside the image forming apparatus. [Figure 98] Side view of the process cartridge inside the image forming apparatus. [Figure 99] Side view of the process cartridge inside the image forming apparatus. [Figure 100] Side view of the process cartridge inside the image forming apparatus. [Figure 101] Side view of the process cartridge inside the image forming apparatus. [Figure 102] Disassembled perspective view of the process cartridge [Figure 103] Cross-sectional view of the process cartridge inside the main body of the image forming apparatus. [Figure 104] Cross-sectional view of the process cartridge inside the main body of the image forming apparatus. [Figure 105] Cross-sectional view of the process cartridge inside the main body of the image forming apparatus. [Figure 106] Cross-sectional view of the process cartridge inside the main body of the image forming apparatus. [Figure 107] Cross-sectional view of the process cartridge inside the main body of the image forming apparatus. [Figure 108] Exploded perspective view of the development drive input gear unit. [Figure 109] Cross-sectional view of the development drive input gear unit [Figure 110] Cross-sectional view of the development drive input gear unit [Figure 111] Cross-section of a process cartridge [Figure 112] Perspective view of the process cartridge [Figure 113] Cross-section of a process cartridge [Figure 114] Side view of the process cartridge, viewed along its shorter side. [Figure 115] Side view of the process cartridge, viewed along its shorter side. [Figure 116] Disassembled perspective view of the process cartridge [Figure 117] Diagram showing the movable member [Figure 118] Perspective view of the developing cover member and the moving member. [Figure 119] Diagram showing the developing cover member and the separation contact mechanism. [Figure 120] Side view of the process cartridge inside the image forming apparatus and a side view along the short side. [Figure 121] Side view of the process cartridge inside the image forming apparatus and a side view along the short side. [Figure 122] Side view of the process cartridge inside the image forming apparatus. [Figure 123] Side view of the process cartridge inside the image forming apparatus. [Figure 124] Side view of the process cartridge inside the image forming apparatus. [Figure 125] Side view of the process cartridge inside the image forming apparatus. [Figure 126] Disassembled perspective view of the process cartridge [Figure 127] Side view of the process cartridge inside the image forming apparatus, viewed along its short side. [Figure 128] Side view of the process cartridge inside the image forming apparatus, viewed along its short side. [Figure 129] Cross-section of a process cartridge [Figure 130] Schematic cross-sectional view of an image forming apparatus [Figure 131] Schematic cross-section of a process cartridge [Figure 132] Disassembled perspective view of the process cartridge [Figure 133] Schematic cross-sectional view of an image forming apparatus [Figure 134]Schematic cross-sectional view of an image forming apparatus [Figure 135] Diagram showing spacers [Figure 136] Disassembled perspective view of the process cartridge [Figure 137] Perspective view of the process cartridge [Figure 138] Cross-sectional view of the process cartridge inside the main body of the image forming apparatus. [Figure 139] Cross-sectional view of the process cartridge inside the main body of the image forming apparatus. [Figure 140] Cross-sectional view of the process cartridge inside the main body of the image forming apparatus. [Figure 141] Cross-sectional view of the process cartridge inside the main body of the image forming apparatus. [Figure 142] Diagram showing the arrangement of the separation control members. [Figure 143] Cross-sectional view of the process cartridge inside the main body of the image forming apparatus. [Figure 144] Cross-sectional view of the process cartridge inside the main body of the image forming apparatus. [Figure 145] Diagram showing the drive-side cartridge cover member and spacer. [Figure 146] Diagram showing the relative positions of the photosensitive drum and developing roller. [Figure 147] Cross-section of a process cartridge [Figure 148] Cross-section of a process cartridge [Figure 149] Cross-sectional view of the process cartridge inside the main body of the image forming apparatus. [Figure 150] Diagram showing the drive relationship between the photosensitive drum and the developing roller. [Figure 151] Diagram showing the drive relationship between the photosensitive drum and the developing roller. [Figure 152] Cross-sectional view of the process cartridge inside the main body of the image forming apparatus. [Figure 153] Cross-sectional view of the process cartridge inside the image forming apparatus (XX cross-section) [Figure 154] Cross-sectional view of the process cartridge inside the main body of the image forming apparatus. [Figure 155] Cross-sectional view of the process cartridge inside the main body of the image forming apparatus. [Figure 156] Cross-sectional view of the process cartridge inside the main body of the image forming apparatus. [Figure 157] Cross-sectional view of the process cartridge inside the main body of the image forming apparatus. [Figure 158] Perspective view showing the drive-side cartridge cover member and spacer. [Figure 159] Cross-sectional view of the process cartridge inside the main body of the image forming apparatus. [Figure 160] Cross-sectional view of the process cartridge inside the main body of the image forming apparatus. [Figure 161] Diagram showing the relationship between the movable member and the spacer. [Figure 162] Cross-section of a process cartridge [Figure 163] Diagram showing the relationship between the movable member and the spacer. [Figure 164] Cross-section of a process cartridge [Figure 165] Side view of the process cartridge [Figure 166] Disassembled perspective view of the process cartridge [Figure 167] Disassembled perspective view of the process cartridge [Figure 168] Perspective view of the developing side engagement part [Figure 169] Perspective view of the drum-side engagement part [Figure 170] Perspective view of the process cartridge [Figure 171] Side view of the process cartridge inside the image forming apparatus. [Figure 172] Partial top view of the process cartridge [Figure 173] Perspective view of the Rothes cartridge [Figure 174] Side view of the process cartridge inside the image forming apparatus. [Figure 175] Side view of the process cartridge inside the image forming apparatus. [Figure 176] Partial top view of the process cartridge [Figure 177] Perspective view of the Rothes cartridge [Figure 178]Side view of the process cartridge inside the image forming apparatus. [Figure 179] Cross-sectional view of the process cartridge inside the main body of the image forming apparatus. [Figure 180] Cross-sectional view of the process cartridge inside the main body of the image forming apparatus. [Figure 181] Perspective view of the drive-side cartridge cover [Figure 182] Cross-sectional view of the process cartridge inside the main body of the image forming apparatus. [Figure 183] Cross-sectional view of the process cartridge inside the main body of the image forming apparatus. [Figure 184] Cross-sectional view of the process cartridge inside the main body of the image forming apparatus. [Figure 185] Cross-sectional view of the process cartridge inside the main body of the image forming apparatus. [Figure 186] Cross-sectional view of the process cartridge inside the main body of the image forming apparatus. [Figure 187] Cross-sectional view of the process cartridge inside the main body of the image forming apparatus. [Figure 188] Cross-sectional view of the process cartridge inside the main body of the image forming apparatus. [Figure 189] Cross-sectional view of the process cartridge inside the main body of the image forming apparatus. [Figure 190] Cross-sectional view of the process cartridge inside the main body of the image forming apparatus. [Figure 191] Cross-sectional view of the process cartridge inside the main body of the image forming apparatus. [Figure 192] Cross-sectional view of the process cartridge inside the main body of the image forming apparatus. [Figure 193] Diagram showing the operation of the biasing member. [Figure 194] Cross-sectional view of the process cartridge inside the main body of the image forming apparatus. [Figure 195] Cross-sectional view of the process cartridge inside the main body of the image forming apparatus. [Figure 196] Cross-sectional view of the process cartridge inside the main body of the image forming apparatus. [Figure 197] Cross-sectional view of the process cartridge inside the main body of the image forming apparatus. [Figure 198]Cross-sectional view of the process cartridge inside the main body of the image forming apparatus. [Figure 199] Cross-sectional view of the process cartridge inside the main body of the image forming apparatus. [Figure 200] Cross-sectional view of the process cartridge inside the main body of the image forming apparatus. [Figure 201] Diagram showing the operation of the retaining member. [Figure 202] Diagram showing the operation of the retaining member. [Figure 203] Diagram showing the operation of the retaining member. [Figure 204] Partial perspective view of the process cartridge and tray. [Figure 205] Partial perspective view of the process cartridge and tray. [Figure 206] Perpendicular view of the tray [Figure 207] Cross-section of a process cartridge [Figure 208] Cross-sectional view of the process cartridge inside the main body of the image forming apparatus. [Figure 209] Cross-sectional view of the process cartridge inside the main body of the image forming apparatus. [Figure 210] Diagram showing the relationship between the force-receiving part of the process cartridge and the separation control member. [Figure 211] Cross-sectional view of the process cartridge inside the main body of the image forming apparatus. [Figure 212] Diagram showing the relationship between the force-receiving part of the process cartridge and the separation control member. [Figure 213] Diagram showing the relationship between the force-receiving part of the process cartridge and the separation control member. [Figure 214] Diagram showing the relationship between the force-receiving part of the process cartridge and the separation control member. [Figure 215] Perpendicular view of the tray [Figure 216] Perpendicular view of the tray [Figure 217] Disassembled perspective view of the process cartridge [Figure 218] Disassembled perspective view of the process cartridge [Figure 219] Perspective view of the process cartridge [Figure 220]Perspective view of the process cartridge [Figure 221] Diagram showing the process of inserting the developing cartridge into the tray. [Figure 222] Diagram showing the process of inserting the developing cartridge into the tray. [Figure 223] Perspective view of the tray with the developing cartridge installed. [Figure 224] Perspective view of the tray with the developing cartridge installed. [Figure 225] Side view of the tray and developing cartridge inside the image forming apparatus. [Figure 226] Side view of the developing cartridge inside the image forming apparatus. [Figure 227] Side view of the developing cartridge inside the image forming apparatus. [Figure 228] Side view of the developing cartridge inside the image forming apparatus. [Figure 229] Side view of the developing cartridge inside the image forming apparatus. [Figure 230] A diagram showing the process of loading the drum cartridge and developing cartridge into the tray. [Figure 231] A diagram showing the process of loading the drum cartridge and developing cartridge into the tray. [Figure 232] A diagram showing the process of loading the drum cartridge and developing cartridge into the tray. [Figure 233] Side view of the tray with the drum cartridge and developing cartridge installed. [Figure 234] Side view of the tray with the drum cartridge and developing cartridge installed. [Figure 235] Side view (partial cross-section) of the process cartridge. [Figure 236] Schematic cross-section of a process cartridge [Figure 237] Schematic cross-section of a process cartridge [Figure 238] Schematic cross-section of a process cartridge [Figure 239] Schematic cross-section of a process cartridge [Figure 240]Schematic cross-section of a process cartridge [Figure 241] Schematic cross-section of a process cartridge [Figure 242] Side view of the developing cartridge inside the image forming apparatus. [Figure 243] Side view of the developing cartridge inside the image forming apparatus. [Figure 244] Side view of the developing cartridge inside the image forming apparatus. [Figure 245] Side view of the developing cartridge inside the image forming apparatus. [Figure 246] Side view showing the drive side of the developing unit according to Example 28 [Figure 247] Perspective view showing the drive-side cartridge cover member, developer cover member, moving member, and link unit. [Figure 248] Perspective view showing the developing cover member and the moving member. [Figure 249] Perspective view showing the developing cover component. [Figure 250] Perspective view showing the movable member [Figure 251] Side view showing the developing cover component. [Figure 252] Perspective view showing the drive-side cartridge cover member, link unit, and cam unit. [Figure 253] A perspective view showing the drive-side cartridge cover component. [Figure 254] Enlarged perspective view showing the dashed line portion in Figure 253(b) [Figure 255] Diagram showing link cam and stopper [Figure 256] Exploded perspective view showing the cam unit [Figure 257] Exploded perspective view showing the cam unit [Figure 258] Cross-sectional view showing the cam unit [Figure 259] Perspective view showing the cam unit [Figure 260] Cross-sectional view showing the link unit and cam unit when the developing unit is in contact position. [Figure 261]Cross-sectional view showing the link unit and cam unit just before the developing unit begins to move from the contact position to the separation position. [Figure 262] Cross-sectional view showing the link unit and cam unit when the developing unit is positioned at a distanced position. [Figure 263] Cross-sectional view showing the link unit and cam unit just before the developing unit begins to move from the separated position to the contact position. [Figure 264] Perspective view showing the retaining member and separation spring of the process cartridge according to Example 28. [Figure 265] Figure 264: Cross-sectional view of 265A-265A [Figure 266] Exploded perspective view showing the drive-side cartridge cover member, developer cover member, retaining member, and separation spring. [Figure 267] Exploded perspective view showing the drive-side cartridge cover member, developer cover member, retaining member, and separation spring. [Figure 268] Side view illustrating the forces acting on the retaining member. [Figure 269] Side view illustrating the forces acting on the retaining member. [Figure 270] Decomposed perspective view showing the delay mechanism [Figure 271] Decomposed perspective view showing the delay mechanism [Figure 272] Cross-sectional view showing the delay mechanism [Figure 273] Perspective view showing the delay mechanism when no drive input is being applied to the developing coupling section. [Figure 274] Perspective view showing the delay mechanism of the drive transmission state. [Figure 275] Perspective view showing the arrangement relationship between the lever, the drive-side cartridge cover member, and the developing cover member. [Figure 276] Perspective view showing the lever position [Figure 277] Diagram illustrating the operation of the delay mechanism. [Figure 278] Diagram illustrating the operation of the delay mechanism. [Figure 279] Diagram illustrating the operation of the delay mechanism. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0015] The embodiments of this disclosure will be described illustratively in the following examples. However, the configurations disclosed in the following examples, such as the function, material, shape, and relative arrangement of the components, are merely examples of forms related to the claims and are not intended to limit the claims to the configurations disclosed in these examples. Furthermore, the problems solved by the configurations disclosed in the following examples, or the functions or effects obtained from the disclosed configurations, are not intended to limit the claims.

[0016] <Example 1> Hereinafter, Embodiment 1 of this disclosure will be described with reference to the figures. In this embodiment, a laser beam printer with four removable process cartridges (cartridges) is used as an example of an image forming apparatus. However, the number of process cartridges to be installed in the image forming apparatus is not limited to this. It may be set as appropriate as needed.

[0017] [Outline configuration of an image forming apparatus] Figure 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the image forming apparatus M. Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view of the process cartridge 100. This image forming apparatus M is a four-color full-color laser printer using an electrophotographic process, and it forms color images on the recording medium S. The image forming apparatus M uses a process cartridge system, and the process cartridge is detachably mounted on the image forming apparatus body (device body) 170 to form color images on the recording medium S.

[0018] Here, with respect to the image forming apparatus M, the side with the front door 11 is referred to as the front, and the side opposite the front is referred to as the rear. Also, when viewing the image forming apparatus M from the front, the right side is referred to as the drive side, and the left side as the non-drive side. Furthermore, when viewing the image forming apparatus M from the front, the upper side is referred to as the top surface, and the lower side is referred to as the bottom surface. Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view of the image forming apparatus M as seen from the non-drive side, with the front of the image forming apparatus M being the non-drive side at the front of the page, the right side of the page being the front of the image forming apparatus M, and the back of the page being the drive side of the image forming apparatus M.

[0019] Furthermore, the drive side of the process cartridge 100 is the side on which the drum coupling member (photoreceptor coupling member), described later, is located, with respect to the axial direction of the photosensitive drum (the axial direction of the rotation axis of the photosensitive drum). Also, the drive side of the process cartridge 100 is the side on which the developing coupling section 132a, described later, is located, with respect to the axial direction of the developing roller (developing member) (the axial direction of the rotation axis of the developing roller). Note that the axial direction of the photosensitive drum and the axial direction of the developing roller are parallel, and the longitudinal direction of the process cartridge 100 is also parallel to these.

[0020] The main body 170 of the image forming apparatus has four process cartridges 100 (100Y, 100M, 100C, 100K) arranged in a substantially horizontal direction: the first process cartridge 100Y, the second process cartridge 100M, the third process cartridge 100C, and the fourth process cartridge 100K.

[0021] Each of the first to fourth process cartridges 100 (100Y, 100M, 100C, 100K) has a similar electrophotographic process mechanism, but each has a different color of developer (hereinafter referred to as toner). Rotational driving force is transmitted to the first to fourth process cartridges 100 (100Y, 100M, 100C, 100K) from the drive output section of the image forming apparatus main unit 170 (details will be described later). In addition, bias voltages (charging bias, development bias, etc.) are supplied to each of the first to fourth process cartridges 100 (100Y, 100M, 100C, 100K) from the image forming apparatus main unit 170.

[0022] As shown in Figure 3, each of the first to fourth process cartridges 100 (100Y, 100M, 100C, 100K) in this embodiment has a drum unit 108 equipped with a photosensitive drum 104 and a charging means as a process means that acts on the photosensitive drum 104. Here, the drum unit may also have a cleaning means in addition to the charging means as a process means. Furthermore, each of the first to fourth process cartridges 100 (100Y, 100M, 100C, 100K) has a developing unit 109 equipped with a developing means for developing the electrostatic latent image on the photosensitive drum 104. This layout of an electrophotographic image forming apparatus in which multiple photosensitive drums 104 are arranged in a nearly straight line is sometimes called an in-line layout or tandem layout.

[0023] In each of the first to fourth process cartridges 100, the drum unit 108 and the developing unit 109 are coupled to each other. A more specific configuration of the process cartridge 100 will be described later.

[0024] The first process cartridge 100Y contains yellow (Y) toner in the developing container 125 and forms a yellow toner image on the surface of the photosensitive drum 104. The second process cartridge 100M contains magenta (M) toner in the developing container 125 and forms a magenta toner image on the surface of the photosensitive drum 104. The third process cartridge 100C contains cyan (C) toner in the developing container 125 and forms a cyan toner image on the surface of the photosensitive drum 104. The fourth process cartridge 100K contains black (K) toner in the developing container 125 and forms a black toner image on the surface of the photosensitive drum 104.

[0025] As shown in Figure 1, a laser scanner unit 14 is provided above the first to fourth process cartridges 100 (100Y, 100M, 100C, 100K) as an exposure means. This laser scanner unit 14 outputs laser light U corresponding to image information. The laser light U then passes through the exposure window 110 of the process cartridge 100 and scans and exposes the surface of the photosensitive drum 104.

[0026] Below the first to fourth process cartridges 100 (100Y, 100M, 100C, 100K), an intermediate transfer unit 12 is provided as a transfer member. This intermediate transfer unit 12 has a drive roller 12e, a turn roller 12c, and a tension roller 12b, and a flexible transfer belt 12a is stretched across it. The lower surface of the photosensitive drum 104 of each of the first to fourth process cartridges 100 (100Y, 100M, 100C, 100K) is in contact with the upper surface of the transfer belt 12a. This contact area is the primary transfer area. Inside the transfer belt 12a, a primary transfer roller 12d is provided, facing the photosensitive drum 104. A secondary transfer roller 6 is in contact with the turn roller 12c via the transfer belt 12a. The contact area between the transfer belt 12a and the secondary transfer roller 6 is the secondary transfer area.

[0027] Below the intermediate transfer unit 12, a feeding unit 4 is provided. This feeding unit 4 has a paper feed tray 4a that holds and accommodates the recording medium S, and a paper feed roller 4b.

[0028] In Figure 2, a fuser 7 and a paper discharge device 8 are located in the upper left of the main body 170 of the image forming apparatus. The top surface of the main body 170 of the image forming apparatus serves as the paper discharge tray 13. The recording medium S is heated and pressurized by the fixing means provided in the fuser 7 to fix the toner image, and then discharged to the paper discharge tray 13.

[0029] [Image Formation Process] The operation for forming a full-color image is as follows: The photosensitive drums 104 of each of the first to fourth process cartridges 100 (100Y, 100M, 100C, 100K) are driven to rotate at a predetermined speed (direction of arrow A in Figure 3). The transfer belt 12a is also driven to rotate in the forward direction of the rotation of the photosensitive drum (direction of arrow C in Figure 2) at a speed corresponding to the speed of the photosensitive drum 104.

[0030] The laser scanner unit 14 is also driven. Synchronized with the driving of the laser scanner unit 14, the charging roller 105 in each process cartridge uniformly charges the surface of the photosensitive drum 104 to a predetermined polarity and potential. The laser scanner unit 14 scans and exposes the surface of each photosensitive drum 104 with laser light U according to the image signal of each color. As a result, an electrostatic latent image corresponding to the image signal of the corresponding color is formed on the surface of each photosensitive drum 104. The formed electrostatic latent image is developed by the developing roller 106, which is driven to rotate at a predetermined speed. Through the electrophotographic image formation process operation described above, a yellow toner image corresponding to the yellow component of the full-color image is formed on the photosensitive drum 104 of the first process cartridge 100Y. This toner image is then primary transferred onto the transfer belt 12a.

[0031] Similarly, a magenta toner image corresponding to the magenta component of the full-color image is formed on the photosensitive drum 104 of the second process cartridge 100M. This toner image is then superimposed on the yellow toner image already transferred to the transfer belt 12a for primary transfer. Similarly, a cyan toner image corresponding to the cyan component of the full-color image is formed on the photosensitive drum 104 of the third process cartridge 100C. This toner image is then superimposed on the yellow and magenta toner images already transferred to the transfer belt 12a for primary transfer. Similarly, a black toner image corresponding to the black component of the full-color image is formed on the photosensitive drum 104 of the fourth process cartridge 100K. This toner image is then superimposed on the yellow, magenta, and cyan toner images already transferred to the transfer belt 12a for primary transfer. In this way, four full-color unfixed toner images of yellow, magenta, cyan, and black are formed on the transfer belt 12a.

[0032] Meanwhile, the recording media S are separated and fed one by one at predetermined control timings. The recording media S are then introduced to the secondary transfer section, which is the contact point between the secondary transfer roller 6 and the transfer belt 12a, at predetermined control timings. As a result, during the process of transporting the recording media S to the secondary transfer section, the four-color superimposed toner image on the transfer belt 12a is sequentially and simultaneously transferred to the surface of the recording media S. After that, the recording media S is transported to the fuser 7, where the toner image is fixed to the recording media S, and then discharged to the output tray 13.

[0033] [Process Cartridge Removal Configuration Overview] The tray 171 that supports the process cartridge (hereinafter referred to as the tray) will be described in more detail using Figures 1, 4 to 7. Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view of the image forming apparatus M with the front door 11 open and the tray 171 located inside the image forming apparatus body 170. Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view of the image forming apparatus M with the front door 11 open and the tray 171 located outside the image forming apparatus body 170, with the process cartridge 100 stored inside the tray. Figure 6 is a cross-sectional view of the image forming apparatus M with the front door 11 open and the tray 171 located outside the image forming apparatus body 170, with the process cartridge 100 removed from the tray. Figure 7(a) is a detailed view of the tray 171 as seen from the drive side in the state shown in Figure 4. Figure 7(b) is a detailed view of the tray 171 as seen from the non-drive side in the state shown in Figure 4.

[0034] As shown in Figures 4 and 5, the tray 171 is movable relative to the image forming apparatus body 170 in the direction of arrow X1 (pushing direction) and arrow X2 (pulling direction). That is, the tray 171 is provided so as to be able to be pulled out and pushed in relative to the image forming apparatus body 170, and when the image forming apparatus body 170 is installed on a horizontal plane, the tray 171 is configured to be movable in a substantially horizontal direction. Here, the state in which the tray 171 is located outside the image forming apparatus body 170 (the state in Figure 5) is referred to as the outside position. Also, the state in which the tray 171 is located inside the image forming apparatus body 170 with the front door 11 open and the photosensitive drum 104 and transfer belt 12a separated (the state in Figure 4) is referred to as the inside position.

[0035] Furthermore, the tray 171 has a mounting section 171a on its outer side, into which the process cartridges 100 can be detachably mounted, as shown in Figure 6. Each process cartridge 100 mounted on the mounting section 171a on the outer side of the tray 171 is supported by the tray 171 by a drive-side cartridge cover member 116 and a non-drive-side cartridge cover member 117, as shown in Figure 7. The process cartridges 100, while positioned on the mounting section 171a, move inward into the image forming apparatus body 170 as the tray 171 moves. At this time, a gap is left between the transfer belt 12a and the photosensitive drum 104. Therefore, the tray 171 can move the process cartridges 100 inward into the image forming apparatus body 170 without the photosensitive drum 04 coming into contact with the transfer belt 12a (details will be described later).

[0036] As described above, the tray 171 allows multiple process cartridges 100 to be moved together to a position where image formation can be performed inside the image forming apparatus body 170, and also allows them to be pulled out together to the outside of the image forming apparatus body 170.

[0037] [Positioning of process cartridges] The positioning of the process cartridge 100 on the image forming apparatus body 170 will be explained in more detail using Figure 7. As shown in Figure 7, the tray 171 is provided with positioning parts 171VR and 171VL for holding the cartridge 100. The positioning part 171VR has straight parts 171VR1 and 171VR2, respectively. The arc parts 116VR1 and 116VR2 of the cartridge cover member 116 shown in Figure 7 come into contact with the aforementioned straight parts 171VR1 and 171VR2, thereby determining the center of the photosensitive drum. The tray 171 shown in Figure 7 also has a rotation-determining projection 171KR. The rotation-determining projection 171KR engages with the rotation-determining recess 116KR of the cartridge cover member 116 shown in Figure 7, thereby determining the orientation of the process cartridge 100 relative to the apparatus body 170.

[0038] Furthermore, the positioning portion 171VL and the rotation-determining projection 171KL are positioned opposite each other (on the non-driven side) in the longitudinal direction of the process cartridge 100, with the intermediate transfer belt 12a in between, and are located on the non-driven side. In other words, on the non-driven side as well, the position of the process cartridge 100 is determined by the engagement of the arc portions 117VL1 and 117VL2 of the cartridge cover member 117 with the positioning portion 171VL, and the rotation-determining recess 117KL with the rotation-determining projection 171KL. In this way, the position of the process cartridge 100 is correctly determined relative to the tray 171.

[0039] Then, as shown in Figure 5, the process cartridge 100, which is integrated with the tray 171, is moved in the direction of arrow X1 and inserted to the position shown in Figure 4. By closing the front door 11 in the direction of arrow R, the process cartridge 100 is pressed by a cartridge pressing mechanism (not shown), which will be described later, and fixed together with the tray 171 to the main body 170 of the image forming apparatus. In conjunction with the operation of the cartridge pressing mechanism, the transfer belt 12a comes into contact with the photoreceptor 4. This state allows the image to be formed (Figure 2).

[0040] In this embodiment, the positioning section 171VR and the positioning section 171VL also serve as reinforcements to maintain rigidity during the tray 171's pulling-out operation, and therefore are made of sheet metal, but the invention is not limited to this.

[0041] [Cartridge pressing mechanism] Next, the details of the cartridge pressing mechanism will be explained using Figure 8. Figure 8(a) shows only the process cartridge 100, tray 171, cartridge pressing mechanisms 190 and 191, and intermediate transfer unit 12 in the state shown in Figure 4. Figure 8(b) shows only the process cartridge 100, tray 171, cartridge pressing mechanisms 190 and 191, and intermediate transfer unit 12 in the state shown in Figure 2.

[0042] Here, the process cartridge 100 receives a driving force during image formation, and also receives a reaction force from the primary transfer roller 12d (Figure 2) in the direction of arrow Z1. Therefore, in order for the process cartridge to maintain a stable posture without lifting off the positioning parts 171VR and 171VL during the image formation operation, it is necessary to press the process cartridge in the direction of Z2.

[0043] To achieve these goals, in this embodiment, the image forming apparatus body 170 is equipped with a cartridge pressing mechanism (190, 191). The cartridge pressing mechanism (190, 191) is configured such that the non-driving side is handled by the memory element pressing unit 190, and the driving side is handled by the cartridge pressing unit 191. Further details will be explained below.

[0044] By closing the front door 11 shown in Figure 4, the memory element pressing unit 190 and the cartridge pressing unit 191 shown in Figure 8 descend in the direction of arrow Z2. The memory element pressing unit 190 mainly has a main body-side electrical contact (not shown) that contacts the electrical contacts of a memory element (not shown) provided on the process cartridge 100. By linking the front door 11 with a link mechanism (not shown), the memory element 140 and the main body-side electrical contact can be made to contact or not contact each other. In other words, when the front door 11 is closed, the contacts come into contact, and when the front door 11 is opened, the contacts separate.

[0045] This configuration prevents the electrical contacts from rubbing against each other as the process cartridge 100 moves inside the image forming apparatus body together with the tray 171, and also prevents the contacts from being moved out of the insertion / removal trajectory of the process cartridge 100, thus not hindering the insertion or removal of the tray 171. The memory element pressing unit 190 also plays a role in pressing the process cartridge 100 against the positioning unit 171VR mentioned above. Furthermore, similar to the memory element pressing unit 190, the cartridge pressing unit 191 also descends in the direction of arrow Z2 in conjunction with the closing of the front door 11, and plays a role in pressing the process cartridge 100 against the positioning unit 171VL mentioned above. In addition, as will be described in more detail later, the cartridge pressing mechanisms (190, 191) also simultaneously play a role in pushing down the moving members 152L and 152R of the process cartridge 100, which will be described later.

[0046] [Drive transmission mechanism] Next, the drive transmission mechanism of the main unit in this embodiment will be explained using Figures 9 and 10 (a diagram in which the tray 171 is omitted for convenience). Figure 9(a) is a perspective view in the state of Figure 4 or Figure 5 with the process cartridge 100 and tray 171 omitted. Figure 9(b) is a perspective view in the state of Figure 1 with the process cartridge 100, front door 11 and tray 171 omitted. Figure 10 is a side view of the process cartridge 100 as seen from the drive side.

[0047] In this embodiment, the process cartridge has a develop coupling section (rotational drive force receiving section) 132a and a drum coupling member (photoreceptor coupling member) 143, as shown in Figure 10. When the front door 11 is closed (state shown in Figure 9(b)), the main body-side drum drive coupling 180 and the main body-side develop drive coupling 185, which transmit drive to the process cartridge 100, protrude in the direction of arrow Y1 by a link mechanism not shown. When the front door 11 is opened (state shown in Figure 9(a)), the drum drive coupling 180 and the develop drive coupling 185 retract in the direction of arrow Y2. By retracting each coupling from the insertion and removal trajectory of the process cartridge (directions X1 and X2), the insertion and removal of the tray 171 is not obstructed.

[0048] When the front door 11 is closed and the image forming apparatus body 170 is started to drive, the drum drive coupling 180 engages with the drum coupling member 143. Furthermore, the main body side develop drive coupling 185 engages with the develop coupling part 132a, and the drive is transmitted to the process cartridge 100. Note that the transmission of drive to the process cartridge 100 is not limited to the two points described above; a mechanism may be provided to input drive only to the drum coupling and transmit the drive to the develop roller.

[0049] [Intermediate Transfer Unit Configuration] Next, the intermediate transfer unit 12 of the image forming apparatus body in this embodiment will be described with reference to Figure 9. In this embodiment, when the front door 11 is closed, the intermediate transfer unit 12 rises in the direction of arrow R2 by a link mechanism (not shown) and moves to the position for image formation (the position where the photosensitive drum 104 and the intermediate transfer belt 12a come into contact). When the front door 11 is opened, the intermediate transfer unit 12 descends in the direction of arrow R1, and the photosensitive drum 2 and the intermediate transfer belt 12a move apart. In other words, with the process cartridge 100 set in the tray 171, the photosensitive drum 104 and the intermediate transfer belt 12a come into contact and move apart in accordance with the opening and closing operation of the front door 11.

[0050] The contact and separation motion is configured such that the intermediate transfer unit 12 moves up and down, following a rotational trajectory centered on the central point PV1 shown in Figure 4. The intermediate transfer belt 12a is driven by a force received from a gear (not shown) arranged coaxially with PVI. Therefore, by making the aforementioned position PV1 the rotational center, the intermediate transfer unit 12 can be raised and lowered without moving the gear center. This eliminates the need to move the gear center, making it possible to maintain the gear position with high precision.

[0051] With the above configuration, when the process cartridge 100 is set in the tray 171, the photosensitive drum 104 and the intermediate transfer belt 12a do not slide against each other when inserting or removing the tray 11, preventing scratches on the photosensitive drum 104 and image degradation due to static charge memory.

[0052] [Development separation control unit] Next, the separation mechanism of the image forming apparatus body in this embodiment will be described using Figures 8, 11, and 12. Figure 11 is a cross-sectional view of the image forming apparatus M cut at the drive-side end face of the process cartridge 100. Figure 12 is a perspective view of the development separation control unit viewed from above at an oblique angle. In this embodiment, the development separation control unit 195 controls the separation contact operation of the development unit 109 with respect to the photosensitive drum 104 by engaging with a part of the development unit 109. The development separation control unit 195 is located below the image forming apparatus body 170, as shown in Figure 8.

[0053] Specifically, the development separation control unit 195 is positioned vertically below (downward in the direction of arrow Z2) the development coupling section 132a and the drum coupling member 143.

[0054] Furthermore, the development separation control unit 195 is positioned along the longitudinal direction (Y1, Y2 direction) of the photosensitive drum 104 of the intermediate transfer belt 12. In other words, the development separation control unit 195R is positioned on the drive side and the development separation control unit 195L is positioned on the non-drive side. By positioning the development separation control unit 195 in the dead space of the image forming apparatus body 170 as described above, the size of the body can be reduced.

[0055] The development spacing control unit 195R has four spacing control members (force-applying members) 196R corresponding to the process cartridges 100 (100Y, 100M, 100C, 100K). The four spacing control members are substantially identical in shape. The development spacing control unit 195R is always fixed to the image forming apparatus body. However, due to a control mechanism not shown, the spacing control members 196R are configured to be movable in the W41 and W42 directions. The W41 and W42 directions are substantially parallel to the arrangement direction of the process cartridges 100 mounted on the image forming apparatus body 170. A detailed configuration will be described later.

[0056] The development spacing control unit 195L has four spacing control members (force-applying members) 196L corresponding to the process cartridges 100 (100Y, 100M, 100C, 100K). The four spacing control members are substantially the same shape. The development spacing control unit 195L is always fixed to the main body of the image forming apparatus. However, due to a control mechanism not shown, the spacing control members 196L are configured to be movable in the W41 and W42 directions. The detailed configuration will be described later.

[0057] Furthermore, in order for the development separation control unit 195 to engage with a part of the development unit 109 and control the separation and contact operation of the development unit 109, a part of the development control unit 196 and a part of the development unit 109 must overlap vertically (Z1 and Z2 directions). Therefore, after the process cartridge 100 is inserted in the X1 direction, in order for them to overlap vertically (Z1 and Z2 directions) as described above, a part of the developer unit (in this embodiment, the movable member 152) needs to protrude (details will be described later). However, if the development separation control unit 195 itself is raised in the same way as the intermediate transfer unit 12 described above in order to engage, there are issues such as increased operating force of the linked front door 11 and increased complexity of the drive train.

[0058] In this embodiment, the developing separation control unit 195 is fixed to the main body of the image forming apparatus 170, and a part of the developing unit 109 (moving member 152) is made to protrude downward (Z2) within the main body of the image forming apparatus 170. One reason for adopting this method is to address this problem. Furthermore, since the mechanism for protruding the moving member 152 utilizes the same mechanism as the memory element pressing unit 190 and cartridge pressing unit 191 described above, the aforementioned problems are not encountered, and the cost of the main body of the apparatus is kept low.

[0059] The entire development separation control unit 195 is fixed to the image forming apparatus body 170. However, a part of the development separation control unit 195 is movable in order to engage with the movable member 152 and impart movement so that the development unit 109 can be separated from the photosensitive drum 104 (separated position, retracted position) or in contact with it (contact position). Further details will be described later.

[0060] [Overall configuration of the process cartridge] The configuration of the process cartridge will be explained using Figures 3, 13, and 14. Figure 13 is an assembled perspective view of the process cartridge 100 as seen from the drive side, which is one end of the photosensitive drum 104 in the axial direction. Figure 14 is a perspective view of the process cartridge 100 as seen from the drive side.

[0061] In this embodiment, the first to fourth process cartridges 100 (100Y, 100M, 100C, 100K) may differ in the color of the toner they contain, the amount of toner they contain, and the control they receive from the image forming apparatus body 170. However, although these four process cartridges may differ in dimensions and other aspects, their basic structure and functions are similar, and they are capable of performing similar functions. For this reason, one process cartridge 100 will be described as a representative example from here on.

[0062] Each process cartridge 100 includes a photosensitive drum (photoreceptor) 104 and process means that act on the photosensitive drum 104. Here, the process means are a charging roller 105 as a charging means (charging member) for charging the photosensitive drum 104, and a developing roller 106 as a developing means (developing member) for depositing toner onto the photosensitive drum 104 and developing the latent image formed on the photosensitive drum 104. The developing roller 106 carries toner on its surface. Furthermore, the process cartridge 100 may also include cleaning means (cleaning member) that contacts the photosensitive drum 104 to remove residual toner remaining on the surface of the photosensitive drum 104, such as a cleaning blade or brush. In addition, further process means may include light guides, lenses or other light guides or light sources for irradiating the photosensitive drum 104 with light as a static elimination means for removing static electricity from the surface of the photosensitive drum 104. The process cartridge 100 is divided into a drum unit (first unit) 108 (108Y, 108M, 108C, 108K) and a developing unit (second unit) 109 (109Y, 109M, 109C, 109K).

[0063] [Drum Unit Configuration] As shown in Figures 3 and 13, the drum unit 108 includes a photosensitive drum 104, a charging roller 105, a first drum frame 115, and a second drum frame consisting of a drive-side cartridge cover member 116 and a non-drive-side cartridge cover member 117, which are attached to and fixed to the first drum frame 115. The photosensitive drum 104 is rotatably supported about a rotation axis (center of rotation) M1 by the drive-side cartridge cover member 116 and the non-drive-side cartridge cover member 117, which are positioned at both ends in the longitudinal direction of the process cartridge 100. These first drum frame 115 and the drive-side cartridge cover member 116 and non-drive-side cartridge cover member 117, which are the second drum frame, constitute a drum frame (first frame, or photosensitive drum frame) that rotatably supports the photosensitive drum 104.

[0064] The drive-side cartridge cover member 116 and the non-drive-side cartridge cover member 117 will be described later. As shown in Figures 13 and 14, a coupling member 143 for transmitting driving force to the photosensitive drum 104 is provided on one end of the photosensitive drum 104 in the longitudinal direction. As explained earlier, the coupling member 143 engages with the main body-side drum drive coupling 180 (see Figure 9), which is the drum drive output section of the image forming apparatus main body 170. The driving force of the drive motor (not shown) of the image forming apparatus main body 170 is then transmitted to the photosensitive drum 104, causing it to rotate in the direction of arrow A. The photosensitive drum 104 also has a drum flange 142 on the other end in the longitudinal direction. The charging roller 105 is supported by the drum frame 115 so that it can contact the photosensitive drum 104 and rotate in a driven manner. The rotation axis M1 is parallel to the longitudinal direction of the process cartridge 100 and the longitudinal direction of the drum unit 108.

[0065] [Developing Unit Configuration] As shown in Figures 3 and 13, the developing unit 109 consists of a developing roller 106, a toner transport roller (developer supply member) 107, a developing blade 130, a developing container 125, and the like. The developing container 125 consists of a lower frame 125a and a lid member 125b. The lower frame 125a and the lid member 125b are joined together by ultrasonic welding or the like. The developing container 125, which is the second frame, has a toner storage section 129 for storing the toner supplied to the developing roller 106. Drive-side bearings 126 and non-drive-side bearings 127 are attached and fixed to both ends of the developing container 125 in the longitudinal direction, respectively. The developing container 125 rotatably supports the developing roller 106, the toner transport roller 107, and the agitator member 129a via the drive-side bearings 126 and non-drive-side bearings 127, and holds the developing blade 130. In this manner, the developing container 125, the drive-side bearing 126, and the non-drive-side bearing 127 constitute a developing frame (second frame) that supports the developing roller 106 so that it can rotate around the rotation axis (center of rotation) M2.

[0066] The stirring member 129a rotates to agitate the toner in the toner storage section 129. The toner transport roller (developer supply member) 107 contacts the developing roller 106, supplying toner to the surface of the developing roller 106 while also peeling off the toner from the surface of the developing roller 106. The developing blade 130 is made by welding or other means to an elastic member 130b, which is a sheet of metal with a thickness of about 0.1 mm, to a support member 130a, which is a metal material with an L-shaped cross-section. The developing blade 130 regulates the thickness of the toner layer on the circumferential surface of the developing roller 106, forming a toner layer of a predetermined thickness between the elastic member 130b and the developing roller 106. The developing blade 130 is attached to the developing container 125 at two points, one end and the other end in the longitudinal direction, with fixing screws 130c. The developing roller 106 is made up of a metal core 106c and a rubber part 106d.

[0067] Furthermore, as shown in Figures 13 and 14, a developing coupling section 132a for transmitting driving force to the developing unit 109 is provided at one longitudinal end of the developing unit 109. The developing coupling section 132a engages with the main body side developing drive coupling 185 (see Figure 9), which serves as the developing drive output section of the image forming apparatus main body 170, and is a component that rotates by receiving the rotational driving force of the drive motor (not shown) of the image forming apparatus main body 170. The driving force received by the developing coupling section 132a is transmitted by a drive train (not shown) provided inside the developing unit 109, thereby enabling the developing roller 106 to rotate in the direction of arrow D in Figure 3. A developing cover member 128 that supports and covers the developing coupling section 132a and the drive train (not shown) is provided at one longitudinal end of the developing unit 109. Note that the outer diameter of the developing roller 106 is set to be smaller than the outer diameter of the photosensitive drum 104. In this embodiment, the outer diameter of the photosensitive drum 104 is set in the range of Φ18 to Φ22, and the outer diameter of the developing roller 106 is set in the range of Φ8 to Φ14. Setting the outer diameters to these ranges allows for efficient arrangement. The rotation axis M2 is parallel to the longitudinal direction of the process cartridge 100 and the longitudinal direction of the developing unit 109.

[0068] [Assembly of the drum unit and developing unit] The assembly of the drum unit 108 and the developing unit 109 will be explained using Figure 13. The drum unit 108 and the developing unit 109 are connected by a drive-side cartridge cover member 116 and a non-drive-side cartridge cover member 117, which are provided at both ends in the longitudinal direction of the process cartridge 100. The drive-side cartridge cover member 116, provided at one end in the longitudinal direction of the process cartridge 100, is provided with a developing unit support hole 116a for pivotably supporting the developing unit 109. Similarly, the non-drive-side cartridge cover member 117, provided at the other end in the longitudinal direction of the process cartridge 100, is provided with a developing unit support hole 117a for pivotably supporting the developing unit 109. Furthermore, the drive-side cartridge cover member 116 and the non-drive-side cartridge cover member 117 are provided with drum support holes 116b and 117b for rotatably supporting the photosensitive drum 104. Here, at one end, the outer diameter of the cylindrical portion 128b of the developing unit support hole 116a of the driving-side cartridge cover member 116 is fitted into the developing unit support hole 116a of the developing-side cartridge cover member 128. At the other end, the outer diameter of the cylindrical portion (not shown) of the non-driving-side bearing 127 is fitted into the developing unit support hole 117a of the non-driving-side cartridge cover member 117. Furthermore, both longitudinal ends of the photosensitive drum 104 are fitted into the drum support hole 116b of the driving-side cartridge cover member 116 and the drum support hole 117b of the non-driving-side cartridge cover member 117. The driving-side cartridge cover member 116 and the non-driving-side cartridge cover member 117 are then fixed to the drum unit 108 with screws, adhesive, etc. (not shown). As a result, the developing unit 109 is rotatably supported relative to the drum unit 108 (photosensitive drum 104) by the driving-side cartridge cover member 116 and the non-driving-side cartridge cover member 117. In this configuration, the developing roller 106 can be positioned to act on the photosensitive drum 104 during image formation.

[0069] Figure 14 shows the drum unit 108 and the developing unit 109 assembled and integrated as a process cartridge 100 through the above process.

[0070] The axis connecting the center of the developing unit support hole 116a of the drive-side cartridge cover member 116 and the center of the developing unit support hole 117a of the non-drive-side cartridge cover member 117 is referred to as the pivot axis (rotation axis, rotation center) K. Here, the cylindrical portion 128b of the developing cover member 128 at one end is coaxial with the developing coupling portion 132a. That is, the rotation axis of the developing coupling portion 132a is coaxial with the pivot axis K. In other words, the pivot axis K is also the rotation axis K of the developing coupling portion 132a. Furthermore, the developing unit 109 is supported so as to be rotatable around the pivot axis K. When the drum unit 108 and the developing unit 109 are assembled and integrated as a process cartridge 100, the rotation axis M1, rotation axis M2, and pivot axis K are substantially parallel to each other. Furthermore, in this state, the rotation axis M1, rotation axis M2, and oscillation axis K are all substantially parallel to the longitudinal direction of the process cartridge 100.

[0071] [Configuration of the separation and contact mechanism 150] This embodiment will describe in detail the configuration by which the photosensitive drum 104 of the process cartridge 100 and the developing roller 106 of the developing unit 109 perform separation and contact. The process cartridge has a separation and contact mechanism 150R on the drive side and a separation and contact mechanism 150L on the non-drive side. Figure 15 shows an assembled perspective view of the drive side of the developing unit 109 including the separation and contact mechanism 150R. Figure 16 shows an assembled perspective view of the non-drive side of the developing unit 109 including the separation and contact mechanism 150L. First, the details of the separation and contact mechanism 150R on the drive side will be described, and then the separation and contact mechanism 150L on the non-drive side will be described. Note that the separation and contact mechanisms on the drive side and non-drive side have almost the same function, so the reference numeral R is added to the numeral of each component on the drive side. On the non-drive side, the reference numerals of each component are the same as on the drive side, and L is added.

[0072] The separation contact mechanism 150R includes a spacer 151R which is a regulating member (holding member), a movable member 152R which is a pressing member (force applying member), and a tension spring 153. The separation contact mechanism 150L includes a spacer 151L which is a regulating member, a movable member 152L which is a pressing member (force applying member), and a tension spring 153.

[0073] [Detailed description of Spacer 151R] Here, the spacer (holding member) 151R will be described in detail using Figure 17. Figure 17(a) is a front view of the spacer 151R as seen from the longitudinal direction on the drive side of the process cartridge 100. Figures 17(b) and 17(c) are perspective views of the spacer 151R, and Figure 17(d) is a view of the spacer 151R in the direction of arrow Z2 in Figure 17(a) (vertically upward in the image formation state). The spacer 151R has an annular supported portion 151Ra and a separation holding portion (holding portion) 151Rb that protrudes radially from the supported portion 151Ra. The tip of the separation holding portion 151Rb has a contact surface (contact portion) 151Rc that is arc-shaped around the oscillation axis H of the spacer 151R and has an inclination of angle θ1 with respect to a line HA that is substantially parallel to the oscillation axis H. The angle θ1 is set to satisfy equation (1). 0°≦θ1≦45°···(1)

[0074] The separation holding portion (holding portion) 151Rb is the part that connects the supported portion 151Ra and the contact surface 151Rc, and is sandwiched between the drum unit 108 and the developing unit 109, and has sufficient rigidity to allow the developing unit 109 to maintain its separated position.

[0075] Furthermore, the spacer 151R has a contact surface 151Rc and an adjacent restricted surface (restricted portion) 151Rk. In addition, the spacer 151R has a restricted surface (restricted portion) 151Rd that protrudes in the Z2 direction from the supported portion 151Ra, and an arc-shaped pressed surface (pressed portion when in contact) 151Re that protrudes from the restricted surface 151Rd in the direction of the pivot axis H of the supported portion 151Ra.

[0076] Furthermore, the spacer 151R has a main body portion 151Rf connected to the supported portion 151Ra, and the main body portion 151Rf has a spring attachment portion 151Rg that protrudes in the direction of the pivot axis H of the supported portion 151Ra. Furthermore, the main body portion 151Rf has a rotation prevention portion 151Rm that protrudes in the Z2 direction, and a rotation prevention surface 151Rn is provided facing the pressed surface 151Re.

[0077] [Detailed description of movable member 152R] Here, the movable member 152R will be described in detail using Figure 18. Figure 18(a) is a front view of the movable member 152R as seen from the longitudinal direction of the process cartridge 100, and Figures 18(b) and 18(c) are perspective views of the movable member 152R.

[0078] The movable member 152R has an elongated oval-shaped supported portion 152Ra. Here, the longitudinal direction of the elongated shape of the supported portion 152Ra is denoted by arrow LH, with arrow LH1 pointing upwards and arrow LH2 pointing downwards. Furthermore, the direction in which the supported portion 152Ra is formed is denoted by HB. The movable member 152R has a projection (force receiving portion) 152Rh formed downstream of the supported portion 152Ra in the direction of arrow LH2. The supported portion 152Ra and the projection 152Rh are connected by the main body portion 152Rb. On the other hand, the movable member 152R has a pressed portion 152Re that protrudes in the direction of arrow LH1 and approximately perpendicular to the direction of arrow LH1, and has an arc-shaped pressed surface (moving force receiving portion, operating force receiving portion) 152Rf on the downstream side in the direction of arrow LH1, and a pressing restricting surface 152Rg on the upstream side. Furthermore, the movable member 152R has a first restricted surface (first restricted portion) 152Rv that extends from the main body portion 152Rb upstream of the protruding portion 152Rh in the direction of arrow LH2. The movable member 152R also has a second restricted surface 152Rw that is adjacent to the first restricted surface 152Rv and is substantially parallel to the developing frame pressing surface (developing frame pressing portion, second frame pressing portion) 152Rq.

[0079] The projection 152Rh has a first force receiving portion (retraction force receiving portion, separation force receiving portion) 152Rk and a second force receiving portion (contact force receiving portion) 152Rn, which are located at the end of the LH2 direction and opposite each other in a direction substantially perpendicular to the LH2 direction. The first force receiving portion 152Rk and the second force receiving portion 152Rn each have a first force receiving surface (retraction force receiving surface, separation force receiving surface) 152Rm and a second force receiving surface (contact force receiving surface) 152Rp, respectively, which extend in the HB direction and have an arc shape. The projection 152Rh also has a spring hanging portion 152Rs and a locking portion 152Rt that project in the H direction, and the locking portion 152Rt has a locking surface 152Ru that faces the same direction as the second force receiving surface 152Rp.

[0080] Furthermore, the movable member 152R is part of the main body 152Rb and is positioned upstream of the second force receiving portion 152Rn in the direction of arrow LH2, and has a developing frame pressing surface 152Rq facing the same direction as the second force receiving surface 152Rp. In addition, the movable member 152R has a spacer pressing surface (pressing portion) 152Rr that is perpendicular to the first restricted surface 152Rv and is positioned opposite the developing frame pressing surface 152Rq.

[0081] Furthermore, when the process cartridge 100 is mounted on the image forming apparatus body 170, the LH1 direction is approximately the same as the Z1 direction, and the LH2 direction is approximately the same as the Z2 direction. Also, the HB direction is approximately the same as the longitudinal direction of the process cartridge 100.

[0082] [Assembly of the separation and contact mechanism 150R] Next, the assembly of the separation contact mechanism 150R will be explained using Figures 10, 15 to 19. Figure 19 is a perspective view of the process cartridge 100 after the spacer 151R has been assembled, as seen from the drive side.

[0083] As mentioned above, as shown in Figure 15, the developing unit 109 is fitted into the developing unit support hole 116a of the drive-side cartridge cover member 116 by the outer diameter of the cylindrical portion 128b of the developing cover member 128. As a result, the developing unit 109 is rotatably supported with respect to the photosensitive drum 104 around the pivot axis K. The developing cover member 128 also has a cylindrical first support portion 128c and a second support portion 128k that protrude in the direction of the pivot axis K.

[0084] The outer diameter of the first support portion 128c fits with the inner diameter of the supported portion 151Ra of the spacer 151R, thereby rotatably supporting the spacer 151R. Here, the pivot point of the spacer 151R assembled to the developing cover member 128 is defined as the pivot axis H. The developing cover member 128 has a first retaining portion 128d that protrudes in the direction of the pivot axis H. As shown in Figure 15, the movement of the spacer 151R assembled to the developing cover member 128 in the direction of the pivot axis H is restricted by the contact between the first retaining portion 128d and the spacer 151R.

[0085] Furthermore, the outer diameter of the second support portion 128k fits with the inner wall of the oval-shaped supported portion 152Ra of the movable member 152R, supporting the movable member 152R so that it can rotate and move in the oval direction. Here, the pivot point of the movable member 152R assembled to the developing cover member 128 is defined as the movable member pivot axis HC. As shown in Figure 15, the movement of the movable member 152R assembled to the developing cover member 128 in the direction of the movable member pivot axis HC is restricted by the second retaining portion 128m contacting the spacer 151R.

[0086] Figure 10 is a cross-sectional view in which a portion of the drive-side cartridge cover member 116 and a portion of the develop cover member 128 are partially omitted by the partial cross-sectional line CS, so that the fitting portion of the oval-shaped supported portion 151Ra of the movable member 152R and the cylindrical portion 128b of the develop cover member 128 are visible. The separation contact mechanism 150R is equipped with a tension spring 153 as a biasing member (holding biasing member) which has a spacer biasing portion (holding biasing portion) that biases the spacer 151R to rotate in the direction of arrow B1 in the figure about the pivot axis H, and a force receiving biasing portion (protruding biasing portion) that biases the movable member 152R in the direction of arrow B3. The tension spring 153 is a coil spring and is an elastic member. The direction of arrow B3 is approximately parallel to the longitudinal direction LH2 of the oval-shaped supported portion 152Ra of the movable member 152R (see Figure 18). The tension spring 153 engages with and connects to the spring attachment portion 151Rg provided on the spacer 151R and the spring attachment portion 152Rs provided on the movable member 152R, and is assembled between them. The tension spring 153 applies a force to the spring attachment portion 151Rg of the spacer 151R in the direction of arrow F2 in Figure 10, thereby providing a biasing force that rotates the spacer 151R in the direction of arrow B1. Furthermore, the tension spring 153 applies a force to the spring attachment portion 152Rs of the movable member 152R in the direction of arrow F1, thereby providing a biasing force that moves the movable member 152R in the direction of arrow B3 (towards the storage position (reference position, standby position)).

[0087] Furthermore, the line GS is defined as the line connecting the spring attachment portion 151Rg of the spacer 151R and the spring attachment portion 152Rs of the force holding member 152R, and the line HS is defined as the line connecting the spring attachment portion 152Rs of the movable member 152R and the pivot axis HC of the movable member. The angle θ2 between line GS and line HS is set to satisfy the following equation (2), with clockwise rotation around the spring attachment portion 152Rs of the movable member 152R being positive. As a result, the movable member 152R is biased to rotate in the direction of arrow BA with the pivot axis HC of the movable member as the center of rotation.

[0088] 0°≦θ²≦90°···(2) As shown in Figure 15, the developing drive input gear (developing coupling member) 132, which is provided with a developing coupling portion 132a, has the inner diameter of the cylindrical portion 128b of the developing cover member 128 fitted with the outer circumferential surface of the cylindrical portion 32b of the developing drive input gear 132, and in addition, the support portion 126a of the drive-side bearing 126 fitted with a cylindrical portion (not shown) of the developing drive input gear 132. As a result, the developing drive input gear 132 is supported so as to be rotatable around the rotation axis K. A developing roller gear 131 is fixed to the drive-side end of the developing roller 106, and a toner transport roller gear 133 is fixed to the drive-side end of the toner transport roller (developer supply member) 107. The developing drive input gear (developing coupling member) 132 has a gear portion on its cylindrical outer circumferential surface, and this gear portion meshes with the developing roller gear 131, the toner transport roller gear 133, and other gears, transmitting the rotational driving force received by the developing coupling portion 132a to them.

[0089] In this embodiment, the arrangement of the spacer 151R and the movable member 152R in the direction of the oscillation axis K will be described. As shown in Figure 15, in the direction of the oscillation axis K, the spacer 151R is arranged on the side where the drive-side cartridge cover member 116 is arranged (outer in the longitudinal direction) with the developing cover member 128 in between, and the movable member 152R is arranged on the side where the developing drive input gear 132 is arranged (inner in the longitudinal direction). However, the arrangement positions are not limited to these, and the arrangement positions of the spacer 151R and the movable member 152R may be swapped, or the spacer 151R and the movable member 152R may be arranged on one side in the direction of the oscillation axis K with respect to the developing cover member 128. Furthermore, the arrangement order of the spacer 151R and the movable member 152R may be swapped.

[0090] The developing cover member 128 is then fixed to the developing container 125 via the drive bearing 126 to form the developing unit 109. In this embodiment, the fixing method is as shown in Figure 15, by fixing screws 145 and an adhesive (not shown), but the fixing method is not limited to this, and other joining methods such as welding by heating or pouring and hardening resin may also be used.

[0091] Here, Figure 20 is a cross-sectional view, for illustrative purposes, that is an enlarged view of the area around the separation holding portion 151R in Figure 10, with the tension spring 153 and a portion of the spacer 151R partially omitted by the partial cross-sectional line CS4. The moving member 152R is positioned by the biasing force of the tension spring 153 in the direction F1 in the figure, so that the first restricted surface 152Rv of the moving member 152R contacts the first restricted surface 128h of the developing cover member 128. Also, the second restricted surface 152Rw of the moving member 152R contacts the second restricted surface 128q of the developing cover member 128 and is positioned. This position is referred to as the storage position of the moving member 152R and the protruding portion 152Rh. The storage position can also be referred to as the reference position or standby position. Furthermore, the spacer 151R rotates in the B1 direction around the pivot axis H due to the biasing force of the tension spring 153 in the F2 direction, and the restricted surface 151Rd of the spacer 151R comes into contact with the spacer pressing surface 152Rr of the moving member 152R, stopping the rotation. This position is referred to as the spacer 151R's separated holding position (restricted position, first position).

[0092] Furthermore, Figure 21 is an enlarged view of the area around the separation holding part 151R in Figure 10 for illustrative purposes, with the tension spring 153 omitted. Here, we consider the case where the process cartridge 100 having the separation contact mechanism 150R described in this embodiment is dropped in the direction of JA in Figure 21 during logistics. At this time, the spacer 151R is subjected to a rotational force in the direction of arrow B2 due to its own weight around the separation holding oscillation axis H. For the reasons above, when it starts to rotate in the direction of B2, the rotation prevention surface 151Rn of the spacer 151R comes into contact with the locking surface 152Ru of the moving member 152R, and the spacer 151R receives a force in the direction of F3 in the figure to suppress rotation in the direction of B2. This prevents the spacer 151R from rotating in the direction of B2 during logistics, and prevents damage to the separated state of the photosensitive drum 104 and the developing unit 109.

[0093] In this embodiment, a tension spring 153 is given as a biasing means for biasing the spacer 151R to the separated-hold position and the movable member 152R to the retracted position, but the biasing means is not limited to this. For example, a torsion coil spring, a leaf spring, etc. may be used as the biasing means to bias the movable member 152R to the retracted position and the spacer 151R to the separated-hold position. Furthermore, the material of the biasing means can be metal, molded metal, or any other material that has elasticity and can bias the spacer 151R and the movable member 152R.

[0094] As described above, the developing unit 109, equipped with the separation contact mechanism 150R, is integrally coupled with the drum unit 108 by the drive-side cartridge cover member 116 as previously mentioned (Figure 19).

[0095] Figure 22 shows a view from the direction of arrow J in Figure 19. As shown in Figure 15, the drive-side cartridge cover 116 of this embodiment has a contact surface (contact portion) 116c. The contact surface 116c is formed with an inclination of angle θ3 with respect to the pivot axis K, as shown in Figure 22. It is desirable, but not limited to, that angle θ3 be the same angle as the angle θ1 that forms the contact surface 151Rc of the spacer 151R described above. Furthermore, as shown in Figures 15 and 19, when the drive-side cartridge cover member 116 is assembled to the developing unit 109 and the drum unit 108, the contact surface 116c faces the contact surface 151Rc of the spacer 151R which is located in the spaced-apart holding position. The contact surface 116c also comes into contact with the contact surface 151Rc due to the biasing force of the developing pressure spring 134, which will be described later. When the engaging surface 116Rc and the contact surface 151Rc come into contact, the developing unit 109 is positioned so that there is a gap P1 between the developing roller 106 and the photosensitive drum 104. This state, where the developing roller 106 (developing member) is separated from the photosensitive drum 104 by a gap P1 due to the spacer 151R, is called the separated position (retracted position) of the developing unit 109 (see Figure 1(a)).

[0096] [Separated and contacting states of process cartridge 100 (drive side)] Here, the separated and contacting states of the process cartridge 100 will be explained in detail using Figure 1. Figure 1 is a side view from the drive side with the process cartridge 100 installed inside the image forming apparatus body 170. Figure 1(a) shows the state in which the developing unit 109 is separated from the photosensitive drum 104. Figure 1(b) shows the state in which the developing unit 109 is in contact with the photosensitive drum 104.

[0097] First, let's describe the state in which the spacer 151R is in the separated holding position (first position) and the developing unit 109 is in the separated position (retracted position). In this state, the supported portion 151Ra, which is one end of the separated holding portion 151Rb, is in contact with the first support portion 128c of the developing cover member 128, and the other end, the contact portion 151Rc, is in contact with the contact surface 116c of the drive-side cartridge cover member 116. In addition, the first support portion 128c is pressed toward the supported portion 151Ra by the action of the developing pressure spring 134, and the contact portion 151Rc is pressed toward the contact surface 116c. Therefore, in this state, the drive-side cartridge cover member 116 positions and stably holds the developing cover member 128 via (sandwiches) the separated holding portion 151Rb of the spacer 151Rb. In other words, the drum unit 108 positions and stably holds the developing unit 109 via the spacer 151R.

[0098] From this state, the pressed portion 152Re of the moving member 152R is pushed in the ZA direction. Thereby, the moving member 152R and the protruding portion 152Rh linearly move from the standby position in the ZA direction (operating direction, predetermined direction) to reach the protruding position. The ZA direction is a direction parallel to the direction orthogonal to the rotation axis M2 of the developing roller 106 or the rotation axis M1 of the photosensitive drum 108. Therefore, when the protruding portion 152Rh is at the protruding position, it is arranged downstream in the ZA direction relative to when it is at the standby position. For this reason, when the protruding portion 152Rh is at the protruding position, it is located farther from the swing axis K than when it is at the standby position. Further, the protruding portion 152Rh at the protruding position protrudes in the ZA direction beyond the drum frame and the developing frame (is arranged downstream in the ZA direction). In the present embodiment, as described above, the drum frame is the first drum frame portion 115, the drive-side cartridge cover member 116, and the non-drive-side cartridge cover member 117, and the developing frame is the developing container 125, the drive-side bearing 126, and the non-drive-side bearing 127. Note that the ZA direction is a direction intersecting the arrangement direction of the four process cartridges 100, the W41 direction, and the W42 direction.

[0099] The posture shown in FIG. 1 can also be described as a posture in which, when the vertical direction in the drawing is the vertical direction, the rotation axis M1 of the photosensitive drum 104 is horizontal and the photosensitive drum 104 is arranged at the lower part in the process cartridge 100. In this posture, it can be said that the protruding portion 152Rh protrudes downward by protruding in the ZA direction.

[0100] Further, FIGS. 26 and 38 show the posture of the process cartridge 100 in a state where it is mounted on the image forming apparatus main body 170, and the vertical direction in the drawings is the vertical direction (Z1 direction, Z2 direction) when the image forming apparatus main body 170 is installed on a horizontal plane. The ZA direction vector in this posture is a vector including at least a vertical direction component. Therefore, even in this posture, it can be said that the protruding portion 152Rh protrudes downward by protruding in the ZA direction.

[0101] The moving member 152R is movable in the ZA direction and the opposite direction while maintaining the state where the spacer 151R is at the separation holding position (first position). Therefore, even when the moving member 152R and the protruding portion 152Rh are at the operating position, the spacer 151R is still positioned at the separation holding position (first position). Also, at this time, the pressed surface 151Re of the spacer 151R is in contact with the spacer pressing surface 152Rr of the moving member 152R by the tension spring 153 as described above. Therefore, when the second force receiving portion 152Rn is pressed in the direction of arrow W42, the moving member 152R rotates in the direction of arrow BB about the moving member swing shaft HC, and the spacer pressing surface 152Rr presses the regulated portion 151Rd, thereby rotating the spacer 151R in the direction of arrow B2. When the spacer 151R rotates in the direction of arrow B2, the contact surface 151Rc separates from the contacted surface 116c, and the developing unit 109 becomes rotatable from the separated position in the direction of arrow V2 about the swing shaft K. That is, the developing unit 109 rotates in the V2 direction from the separated position, and the developing roller 106 included in the developing unit 109 comes into contact with the photosensitive drum 104. More specifically, the developing roller 106 includes a metal shaft (core metal), a rubber layer covering the periphery of the metal shaft, and rollers attached to the metal shaft at axial end portions closer than the rubber layer, and the surfaces of the rubber layer and the rollers contact the photosensitive drum 104. Since the rubber layer is deformable, determining the distance between the rotation axis M2 of the developing roller 106 and the rotation axis M1 of the photosensitive drum 104 by the rollers allows the distance between the rotation axis M2 and the rotation axis M1 to be maintained with high accuracy.

[0102] Here, the position of the developing unit 109 where the developing roller 106 and the photosensitive drum 104 come into contact is referred to as the contact position (developing position) (as shown in Figure 1(b)). The contact position (developing position) where the developing roller 106 comes into contact with the photosensitive drum 104 includes not only the position where the surface of the developing roller 106 and the surface of the photosensitive drum 104 are in contact, but also the position where the toner carried on the surface of the developing roller 106 can come into contact with the surface of the photosensitive drum 104 when the developing roller 106 rotates. In other words, the contact position can be said to be the developing position where the toner carried on the surface of the developing roller 106 can be transferred (adhered) to the surface of the photosensitive drum 104 when the developing roller 106 rotates. The position where the contact surface 151Rc of the spacer 151R separates from the contact surface 116c is referred to as the separation release position (allowable position, second position). When the developing unit 109 is in the contact position, the restricting surface 151Rk of the spacer 151R comes into contact with the spacer restricting surface (spacer restricting portion) 116d of the drive-side cartridge cover 116. As a result, the spacer 151R is restricted from moving to the separated-holding position and is maintained in the separated-release position.

[0103] Furthermore, the drive-side bearing 126 has a first pressed surface (pressed portion when separated) 126c which is perpendicular to the oscillating axis K. The drive-side bearing 126 is fixed to the developing unit 109. Therefore, when the developing unit 109 is in the contact position and presses the first force-receiving portion 152Rk of the moving member 152R in the direction of arrow 41, the developing frame pressing surface 152Rq comes into contact with the first pressed surface 126c. As a result, the developing unit 109 rotates around the oscillating axis K in the direction of arrow V1 and moves to the separated position (retracted position) (state shown in Figure 1(a)). Here, when the developing unit 109 moves from the contact position to the separated position, the direction in which the first force-receiving surface 126c moves is shown by arrow W41 in Figures 1(a) and (b). Also, the opposite direction of arrow W41 is arrow W42, and arrows W41 and W42 are approximately horizontal (X1, X2 directions). As described above, the second force-receiving surface 152Rp of the movable member 152R assembled to the developing unit 109 is located upstream of the first force-receiving surface 126c of the drive-side bearing 126 in the direction of arrow W41. Furthermore, the first force-receiving surface 126c and the pressed surface 151Re of the spacer 151R are positioned so that at least a portion of them overlap in the W1 and W2 directions. The detailed operation of the separation contact mechanism 150R within the image forming apparatus body 170 will be described next.

[0104] [Mounting process cartridge 100 onto image forming apparatus main unit 170 (drive side)] Next, using Figures 12, 23, and 24, the engagement operation of the separation contact mechanism 150R of the process cartridge 100 and the development separation control unit 195 of the image forming apparatus body 170 when the process cartridge 100 is mounted on the image forming apparatus body 170 will be explained. Note that these figures are cross-sectional views in which a portion of the development cover member 128 and a portion of the drive-side cartridge cover member 116 are partially omitted by partial cross-sectional lines CS1 and CS2, respectively, for illustrative purposes.

[0105] Figure 23 is a view from the drive side of the process cartridge 100 when the process cartridge 100 is mounted on a cartridge tray 171 (not shown) of the image forming apparatus M and the cartridge tray 171 is inserted into the first mounting position. In this figure, all components except the process cartridge 100, cartridge pressing unit 191, and separation control member 196R are omitted.

[0106] As previously explained, the image forming apparatus body 170 of this embodiment has a separation control member 196R corresponding to each process cartridge 100, as described above. The separation control member 196R is positioned on the lower side of the image forming apparatus body 170, relative to the spacer 151R, when the process cartridge 100 is in the first inner position and the second inner position. The separation control member 196R protrudes toward the process cartridge 100 and has a first force-applying surface (force-applying part, contact force-applying part) 196Ra and a second force-applying surface (retraction force-applying part, separation force-applying part) 196Rb that face each other via a space 196Rd. The first force-applying surface 196Ra and the second force-applying surface 196Rb are connected via a connecting part 196Rc on the lower side of the image forming apparatus body 170. The separation control member 196R is also rotatably supported on the control sheet metal 197 with a pivot center 196Re as its center. The separation member 196R is always biased in the E1 direction by a biasing spring. Furthermore, since the control plate 197 is configured to be movable in the W41 and W42 directions by a control mechanism (not shown), the separation control member 196R is configured to be movable in the W41 and W42 directions.

[0107] As described above, in conjunction with the transition of the front door 11 of the image forming apparatus body 170 from the open state to the closed state, the cartridge pressing unit 191 descends in the direction of arrow ZA, and the first force-applying part 191a comes into contact with the pressed surface 152Rf of the movable member 152R. Subsequently, when the cartridge pressing unit 191 descends to a predetermined position which is the second mounting position, the protruding part 152Rh of the movable member 152R moves in the ZA direction (operating direction, predetermined direction) and protrudes downward in the Z2 direction of the process cartridge 100 (state shown in Figure 24). The ZA direction is a direction that intersects (orthogonal in this embodiment) with respect to the rotation axis M2 of the developing roller 106, the rotation axis M1 of the photosensitive drum 108, and the oscillating axis HC. This position is referred to as the protruding position of the movable member 152R and the protruding part 152Rh. The protruding position can also be referred to as the force-receiving position or the operating position. When the protruding portion 152Rh is in the protruding position, it protrudes more from the developing frame than when it is in the standby position. Once this operation is complete, as shown in Figure 24, a gap T4 is formed between the first force-applying surface 196Ra of the separation control member 196R and the second force-receiving surface 152Rp of the moving member 152R, and a gap T3 is formed between the second force-applying surface 196Rb and the first force-receiving surface 152Rm. The separation control member 196R then moves to the second mounting position where it does not act on the moving member 152R. This position of the separation control member 196R can be called the home position. At this time, the second force-receiving surface 152Rp of the moving member 152R and the first force-applying surface 196Ra of the separation control member 196R are arranged so that they partially overlap in the W41 and W42 directions. Similarly, the first force-receiving surface 152Rm of the movable member 152R and the second force-applying surface 196Rb of the separation control member 196R are arranged so that they partially overlap in the W41 and W42 directions.

[0108] [Contact operation of the developing unit (drive side)] Next, the operation by which the photosensitive drum 104 and the developing roller 106 come into contact with each other by the separation contact mechanism 150R will be explained in detail using Figures 24 to 26. Note that these figures are cross-sectional views in which parts of the developing cover member 128, the drive-side cartridge cover member 116, and the drive-side bearing 126 are partially omitted by partial cross-sectional lines CS1, CS2, and CS3, respectively, for illustrative purposes.

[0109] In this embodiment, the developing coupling 32 receives a driving force from the image forming apparatus body 170 in the direction of arrow V2 in Figure 24, causing the developing roller 106 to rotate. In other words, the developing unit 109 having the developing coupling 32 receives torque (driving torque) from the image forming apparatus body 170 in the direction of arrow V2 around the pivot axis K. The case where the developing unit 109 shown in Figure 24 is in the separated position and the spacer 151R is in the separated holding position will be described. At this time, even if the developing unit 109 receives this driving torque and the biasing force from the developing pressure spring 134 described later, the contact surface 151Rc of the spacer 151R contacts the contact surface 116c of the drive-side cartridge cover member 116, and the posture of the developing unit 109 is maintained in the separated position.

[0110] In this embodiment, the separation control member 196R is configured to be movable from the home position in the direction of arrow W42 in Figure 24. When the separation control member 196R moves in the direction of W42, the second force-applying surface 196Ra of the separation control member 196R and the second force-receiving surface 152Rp of the second force-receiving portion 152Rn of the moving member 152R come into contact, and the moving member 152R rotates in the direction of BB with the pivot axis HC of the moving member as the center of rotation. Note that the contact between the first force-applying surface 196Ra and the second force-receiving surface 152Rp does not necessarily have to be surface contact; it may be line contact or point contact. In this way, the first force-applying surface 196Ra applies a contact force to the second force-receiving surface 152Rp. The direction of movement of the protruding portion 152Rh when the moving member 152R rotates in the direction of BB is referred to as the first direction. Furthermore, as the movable member 152R rotates in the BB direction, the spacer pressing surface 152Rr of the movable member 152R comes into contact with the pressed surface 151Re of the spacer 151R, causing the spacer 151R to rotate in the B2 direction. The spacer 151R is then rotated by the movable member 152R until it reaches the release position (second position) where the contact surface 151Rc and the contacted surface 116c are separated. Here, the position of the separation control member 196R that moves the spacer 151R to the release position (second position), as shown in Figure 25, is referred to as the first position.

[0111] Thus, when the spacer 151R moves to the release position (second position) by the separation control member 196R, the developing unit 109 rotates in the V2 direction due to the driving torque received from the image forming apparatus body 170 and the developing pressure spring (biasing part) 134, which will be described later. The developing unit 109 then moves to the contact position where the developing roller 106 and the photosensitive drum 104 come into contact (state shown in Figure 25). At this time, the spacer 151R, which is biased in the direction of arrow B1 by the tension spring 153, is maintained in the release position (second position) by the restricted surface 151Rk coming into contact with the spacer restricting surface 116d of the drive-side cartridge cover member 116. After that, the separation control member 196R moves in the W41 direction and returns to the home position. At this time, the movable member 152R rotates in the BA direction by the tension spring 153, and the developing frame pressing surface 152Rq of the movable member 152R and the first pressing surface 126c of the drive-side bearing 126 come into contact (the state shown in Figure 26). At this time, the movable member 152R and the protruding portion 152Rh can be said to be in the operating position.

[0112] As a result, the aforementioned gaps T3 and T4 are reformed, and the separation control member 196R is positioned so that it does not act on the moving member 152R. Note that the transition from the state in Figure 25 to the state in Figure 26 occurs without any delay.

[0113] As described above, in this embodiment, when the separation control member 196R moves from the home position to the first position, a contact force is applied to the moving member 152R, causing the moving member 152R to rotate and the spacer 151R to move from the separation holding position (first position) to the separation release position (second position). This makes it possible for the developing unit 109 to move from the separation position to the contact position where the developing roller 9 and the photosensitive drum 104 come into contact. In other words, the contact force applied by the separation control member 196R is transmitted to the spacer 151R via the moving member 152R, moving the spacer 151R from the separation holding position (first position) to the separation release position (second position), thereby moving the developing unit 109 from the separation position (retracted position) to the contact position (developing position).

[0114] When the developing unit 109 is in the contact position (developing position), it is biased in the V2 direction by the drive torque received from the image forming apparatus body 170 and the developing pressure spring 134, and the position of the developing unit 109 relative to the drum unit 108 is determined by the developing roller 106 contacting the photosensitive drum 104. For this reason, the photosensitive drum 104 can be said to be a positioning part (second positioning part) that determines the position of the developing unit 109 relative to the drum unit 108 when it is in the developing position. At this time, the developing unit 109 can be said to be stably held by the drum unit 108. At this time, the spacer 151R in the separation release position does not directly participate in the positioning of the developing unit 109. However, by moving from the separation holding position to the separation release position, the spacer 151R does not prevent (allows) the developing roller 106 from contacting the photosensitive drum 104 and determining the position of the developing unit 109 relative to the drum unit 108. In other words, the spacer 151R in the release position (second position) creates a situation in which the drum unit 108 can stably hold the developing unit 109 in the contact position (developing position).

[0115] Furthermore, even if the developing roller 106 is in contact with the photosensitive drum 104 when the spacer 151R is in the release position (second position), the position of the developing unit 109 relative to the drum unit 108 may be determined via the spacer 151R. In this case, for example, a surface of the spacer 151R different from the contact portion 151Rc may be in contact with the drive-side cartridge cover member 116, and the drive-side cartridge cover member 116 may position the developing cover member 128 via (sandwiching) the spacer 151R.

[0116] Note that the position of the separation control member 196R in Figure 26 is the same as in Figure 24.

[0117] Furthermore, if the front door 11 of the image forming apparatus body 170 moves from the closed state to the open state in this state, the first force application part 191a rises in the opposite direction of the arrow ZA. Consequently, the moving member 152R moves in the opposite direction of the arrow ZA due to the action of the biasing member 153. However, the spacer 151R remains in the release position, and the developing unit 109 also remains in the developing position.

[0118] [Separation movement of the developing unit (drive side)] Next, the movement of the developing unit 109 from the contact position to the separated position by the separation contact mechanism 150R will be explained in detail using Figures 26 and 27. Note that these figures are cross-sectional views in which parts of the developing cover member 128, the drive-side cartridge cover member 116, and the drive-side bearing 126 are partially omitted by the partial cross-sectional line CS for illustrative purposes.

[0119] As mentioned above, in the state shown in Figure 26, the movable member 152R and the protruding portion 152Rh are in the operating position. In this embodiment, the separation control member 196R is configured to be movable from the home position in the direction of arrow W41 in Figure 26. When the separation control member 196R moves in the direction of W41, the second force-applying surface 196Rb and the first force-receiving surface 152Rm of the first force-receiving portion 152Rk of the movable member 152R come into contact, and the movable member 152R rotates in the direction of arrow BA around the pivot axis HC of the movable member. Note that the contact between the second force-applying surface 196Rb and the first force-receiving surface 152Rm does not necessarily have to be surface contact; it may be line contact or point contact. In this way, the second force-applying surface 196Rb applies a separation force (retraction force) to the first force-receiving surface 152Rm. The direction of movement of the protruding portion 152Rh when the movable member 152R rotates in the BA direction is referred to as the second direction. Then, when the developing frame pressing surface 152Rq of the moving member 152R comes into contact with the first pressed surface 126c of the drive-side bearing 126, the developing unit 109 rotates from the contact position in the direction of arrow V1 around the pivot axis K (state shown in Figure 27). At this time, the pressed surface 152Rf of the moving member 152R has an arc shape, and the center of this arc is positioned to coincide with the pivot axis K. As a result, when the developing unit 109 moves from the contact position to the separated position, the force that the pressed surface 152Rf of the moving member 152R receives from the cartridge pressing unit 191 is directed in the direction of the pivot axis K. Therefore, it can be operated in a way that does not hinder the rotation of the developing unit 109 in the direction of arrow V1. As the spacer 151R separates from the restricted surface 151Rk of the spacer 151R and the spacer restricting surface 116d of the drive-side cartridge cover member 116, the spacer 151R rotates in the direction of arrow B1 (direction from the separation release position toward the separation holding position) due to the biasing force of the tension spring 153. As a result, the spacer 151R rotates until the pressed surface 151Re contacts the spacer pressing surface 152Rr of the moving member 152R, and upon contact, moves to the separation holding position (first position). When the developing unit 109 moves from the contact position toward the separation position by the separation control member 196R and the spacer 151R is in the separation holding position (first position), a gap T5 is formed between the contact surface 151Rc and the contacted surface 116c, as shown in Figure 27.Here, the position where, as shown in FIG. 27, the developing unit 109 is rotated from the contact position toward the separated position, enabling the spacer 151R to move to the separation holding position, is referred to as the second position of the separation control member 196R.

[0120] Thereafter, the separation control member 196R moves in the direction of arrow W42 and returns to the home position from the second position. Then, while the spacer 151R is maintained at the separation holding position, the developing unit 109 rotates in the direction of arrow V2 by the driving torque received from the image forming apparatus main body 170 and a developing pressure spring 134 described later, so that the contact surface 151Rc and the contacted surface 116c come into contact with each other. That is, the developing unit 109 is maintained at the separated position by the spacer 151R, and the developing roller 106 and the photosensitive drum 104 are separated from each other by a gap P1 (the state shown in FIGS. 24 and 1(a)). In other words, the movement of the developing unit 109 toward the contact position by the spacer 151R is restricted against the urging force in the direction of arrow V2 generated by the driving torque received from the image forming apparatus main body 170 and the urging of the developing pressure spring 134, so the developing unit 109 is maintained at the separated position. At this time, it can be said that the developing unit 109 is stably held at the separated position (retracted position) by the drum unit 108. This forms the aforementioned gaps T3 and T4 again, and positions the separation control member 196R at a position where it does not act on the moving member 152R (the state shown in FIG. 24). The transition from the state of FIG. 27 to the state of FIG. 24 is performed without delay.

[0121] As described above, in the present embodiment, when the separation control member 196R moves from the home position to the second position, the spacer 151R moves from the separation release position to the separation holding position. Then, when the separation control member 196R returns from the second position to the home position, the developing unit 109 is brought into a state where the separated position is maintained by the spacer 151R. In this way, the separation force applied from the separation control member 196R is transmitted via the moving member 152R to the first pressed surface 126c of the drive-side bearing (a part of the developing frame) 126, thereby moving the developing unit 109 from the contact position to the separated position (retracted position), and moving the spacer 151R from the separation release position to the separation holding position.

[0122] When the developing unit 109 is in the separated position (retracted position), the position of the developing unit 109 relative to the drum unit 108 is biased in the V2 direction by the driving torque received from the image forming apparatus body 170 and the developing pressure spring 134, and as described above, the supported part 151Ra is in contact with the first support part 128c and the contact part 151Rc is in contact with the contact surface 116c. For this reason, the contact surface 116c can be said to be a positioning part (first positioning part) that positions the developing unit 109 in the separated position (retracted position). At this time, the developing unit 109 can be said to be stably held by the drum unit 108. Furthermore, the spacer 151R in the separated holding position (first position) can be said to create a situation in which the drum unit 108 can stably hold the developing unit 109 in the separated position (retracted position).

[0123] Furthermore, if the front door 11 of the image forming apparatus body 170 moves from the closed state to the open state in this state, the first force application part 191a rises in the opposite direction of the arrow ZA. Consequently, the moving member 152R moves in the opposite direction of the arrow ZA due to the action of the biasing member 153. However, the spacer 151R remains in the separated position, and the developing unit 109 also remains in the separated position.

[0124] [Detailed explanation of Spacer L] Here, the spacer 151L will be described in detail using Figure 28. Figure 28(a) is a front view of the spacer 151L as seen from the longitudinal direction on the drive side of the process cartridge 100, and Figures 28(b) and 28(c) are perspective views of the spacer 151L. The spacer 151L has an annular supported portion 151La and a separation holding portion (holding portion) 151Lb that protrudes radially from the supported portion 151La. The tip of the separation holding portion 151Lb has an arc-shaped contact surface (contact portion) 151Lc centered on the oscillation axis H of the spacer 151L. The oscillation axis H of the spacer 151L is the same as the oscillation axis H of the spacer 151R.

[0125] The separation holding portion (holding portion) 151Lb is the part that connects the supported portion 151La and the contact surface 151Lc, and is sandwiched between the drum unit 108 and the developing unit 109, and has sufficient rigidity to allow the developing unit 109 to maintain its separated position.

[0126] Furthermore, the spacer 151L has a contact surface 151Lc and an adjacent restricted surface (restricted portion) 151Lk. In addition, the spacer 151L has a restricted portion 151Ld that protrudes in the Z2 direction from the supported portion 151La, and an arc-shaped pressed portion (pressed portion when in contact) 151Le that protrudes from the restricted portion 151Ld in the direction of the pivot axis H of the supported portion 151La.

[0127] Furthermore, the spacer 151L has a main body portion 151Lf connected to the supported portion 151La, and the main body portion 151Lf has a spring attachment portion 151Lg that protrudes in the direction of the pivot axis H of the supported portion 151La. In addition, the main body portion 151Lf has an anti-rotation portion 151m that protrudes in the Z2 direction, and an anti-rotation surface 151Ln is provided facing the pressed portion 151Le.

[0128] [Detailed description of the movable component L] Here, the movable member 152L will be described in detail using Figure 29. Figure 29(a) is a front view of the movable member 152L as seen from the longitudinal direction of the process cartridge 100, and Figures 29(b) and 29(c) are perspective views of the movable member 152L.

[0129] The movable member 152L has an elongated oval-shaped supported portion 152La. Here, the longitudinal direction of the elongated shape of the supported portion 152La is denoted by arrow LH, with arrow LH1 pointing upwards and arrow LH2 pointing downwards. Furthermore, the direction in which the supported portion 152La is formed is denoted by HD. The movable member 152L has a projection (force receiving portion) 152Lh formed downstream of the supported portion 152La in the direction of arrow LH2. The supported portion 152La and the projection 152Lh are connected by the main body portion 152Lb. On the other hand, the movable member 152L has a pressed portion 152Le that protrudes in the direction of arrow LH1 and approximately perpendicular to the direction of arrow LH1, and has an arc-shaped pressed surface (moving force receiving portion, operating force receiving portion) 152Lf on the downstream side in the direction of arrow LH1, and a pressing restricting surface 152Lg on the upstream side. Furthermore, the movable member 152L is part of the oval-shaped supported portion 152La and has a first restricted surface (first restricted portion) 152Lv located downstream in the direction of arrow LH2.

[0130] The protruding portion 152Lh has a first force receiving portion (retraction force receiving portion, separation force receiving portion) 152Lk and a second force receiving portion (contact force receiving portion) 152Ln, which are located at the end of the portion in the direction of arrow LH2 and opposite each other in a direction substantially perpendicular to the direction of arrow LH2. The first force receiving portion 152Lk and the second force receiving portion 152Ln each have a first force receiving surface (retraction force receiving surface, separation force receiving surface) 152Lm and a second force receiving surface (contact force receiving surface) 152Lp, respectively, which extend in the HD direction and have an arc shape. In addition, the protruding portion 152Lh has a spring hanging portion 152Ls and a locking portion 152Lt that protrude in the HB direction, and the locking portion 152Lt has a locking surface 152Lu that faces the same direction as the second force receiving surface 152Lp.

[0131] Furthermore, the movable member 152L is part of the main body 152Lb and is positioned upstream of the second force receiving portion 152Ln in the direction of arrow LH2, and has a developing frame pressing surface (developing frame pressing portion, separation pressing portion) 152Lq facing the same direction as the second force receiving surface 152Lp. Also, the movable member 152L is part of the main body 152Lb and is positioned upstream of the first force receiving portion 152Lk in the direction of arrow LH2, and has a spacer pressing surface (spacer pressing portion, contact pressing portion) 152Lr facing the same direction as the first force receiving surface 152Lm.

[0132] Furthermore, when the process cartridge 100 is mounted on the image forming apparatus body 170, the LH1 direction is approximately the same as the Z1 direction, and the LH2 direction is approximately the same as the Z2 direction. Also, the HB direction is approximately the same as the longitudinal direction of the process cartridge 100.

[0133] [Assembly of the 150L separation and contact mechanism] Next, the assembly of the separation mechanism will be explained using Figures 16 and 29 to 35. Figure 30 is a perspective view of the process cartridge 100 after the spacer 151L has been assembled, as seen from the drive side. As mentioned above, as shown in Figure 16, the developing unit 109 is rotatably supported with respect to the photosensitive drum 104 around the pivot axis K by fitting the outer diameter portion of the cylindrical portion 127a into the developing unit support hole portion 117a. The non-drive side bearing 127 has a cylindrical first support portion 127b and a second support portion 127e that protrude in the direction of the pivot axis K.

[0134] The outer diameter of the first support portion 127b fits with the inner diameter of the supported portion 151La of the spacer 151L, thereby rotatably supporting the spacer 151L. Here, the pivot center of the spacer 151L assembled to the non-drive side bearing 127 is the pivot axis H. The non-drive side bearing 127 has a first retaining portion 127c that protrudes in the direction of the pivot axis H. As shown in Figure 16, the movement of the spacer 151L assembled to the non-drive side bearing 127 in the direction of the pivot axis H is restricted by the first retaining portion 127c contacting the spacer 151L.

[0135] Furthermore, the outer diameter of the second support portion 127e fits with the inner wall of the oval-shaped supported portion 152La of the movable member 152L, thereby supporting the movable member 152L so that it can rotate and move in the oval direction. Here, the pivot point of the movable member 152L assembled to the non-drive side bearing 127 is defined as the movable member pivot axis HC. As shown in Figure 16, the movement of the movable member 152L assembled to the non-drive side bearing 127 in the direction of the movable member pivot axis HE is restricted by the second retaining portion 127f contacting the spacer 151L.

[0136] Figure 31 is a view of the process cartridge 100 after the spacer 151L has been assembled, as seen from the direction of the developing unit's pivot axis H. This is a cross-sectional view in which a part of the non-drive side cartridge cover member 117 has been partially omitted by the partial cross-sectional line CS so that the fitting portion between the oval supported portion 151La of the movable member 152L and the cylindrical portion 127e of the non-drive side bearing 127 is visible. Here, the separation contact mechanism 150L includes a tension spring 153 as a biasing member (holding biasing member) which has a spacer biasing portion (holding biasing portion) that biases the spacer 151L to rotate in the direction of arrow B1 about the pivot axis H, and a force receiving biasing portion (protruding biasing portion) that biases the movable member 152L in the direction of arrow B3. The tension spring 153 is a coil spring and is an elastic member. Note that the direction of arrow B3 is approximately parallel to the longitudinal direction LH2 of the oval-shaped supported portion 152La of the movable member 152L (see Figure 29). The tension spring 153 is engaged and connected to the spring attachment portion 151Lg provided on the spacer 151L and the spring attachment portion 152Ls provided on the movable member 152L, and is assembled between them. The tension spring 153 applies a force to the spring attachment portion 151Lg of the spacer 151L in the direction of arrow F2 in Figure 31, thereby giving the spacer 151L a biasing force to rotate in the direction of arrow B1. Furthermore, the tension spring 153 applies a force to the spring attachment portion 152Ls of the movable member 152L in the direction of arrow F1, thereby giving the movable member 152L a biasing force to move in the direction of arrow B3 (direction toward the storage position (reference position, standby position)).

[0137] Let GS be the line connecting the spring attachment portion 151Lg of spacer 151L and the spring attachment portion 152Ls of force holding member 152L, and let HS be the line connecting the spring attachment portion 152Ls of movable member 152L and the pivot axis HE of movable member. Then, the angle θ3 between line GS and line HS is set to satisfy the following equation (3), with counterclockwise rotation around the spring attachment portion 152Ls of movable member 152L being positive. As a result, movable member 152L is biased to rotate in the direction BA in the figure with the pivot axis HE of movable member as the center of rotation.

[0138] 0°≦θ3≦90°···(3) As shown in Figure 29, the mounting positions of the spacer 151L and the movable member 152L are such that, in the direction of the pivot axis K, the spacer 151L and the movable member 152L are positioned on the side of the non-driven bearing 127 where the non-driven cartridge cover member 117 is located (outside in the longitudinal direction). However, the position is not limited to this, and they may also be positioned on the developing container 125 side of the non-driven bearing 127 (inside in the longitudinal direction), or the spacer 151L and the movable member 152L may be positioned with the non-driven bearing 127 in between. Furthermore, the order in which the spacer 151L and the movable member 152L are positioned may be reversed.

[0139] The non-drive bearing 127 is then fixed to the developing container 125 to form the developing unit 109. In this embodiment, the fixing method is as shown in Figure 16, by fixing screws 145 and an adhesive (not shown), but the fixing method is not limited to this, and other joining methods such as welding by heating or pouring and hardening resin may also be used.

[0140] Here, Figures 32(a) and (b) are enlarged cross-sectional views of the movable member 152L around the pivot axis HE and the spaced-apart holding portion 151L in Figure 31, respectively, for illustrative purposes. Furthermore, in Figures 32(a) and (b), the non-driven cartridge cover member 117, the tension spring 153, and a portion of the spacer 151L are partially omitted by the partial cross-sectional line CS. The first restricted surface 152Lv of the movable member 152L contacts the second support portion 127e of the non-driven bearing 127 due to the biasing force of the tension spring 153 in the direction of arrow F1. Also, as shown in Figure 32(b), the developing frame pressing surface 152Lq of the movable member 152L contacts the pressed surface 127h of the non-driven bearing 127 and is positioned. This position is referred to as the storage position of the movable member 152L. The storage position can also be referred to as the reference position or standby position. Furthermore, the spacer 151L rotates in the direction of arrow B4 around the pivot axis H due to the biasing force of the tension spring 153 in the direction of arrow F2, and is positioned when the contact surface 151Lp of the spacer 151L contacts the spacer pressing surface 152Lr of the movable member 152L. This position is referred to as the spacer 151L's separation holding position (restriction position). Note that when the movable member 152L moves to the protruding position described later, the spacer 151L can be positioned at the separation holding position when the pressed portion 151Le of the spacer 151L contacts the spacer pressing surface 152Lr of the movable member 152L.

[0141] Furthermore, Figure 33 is an enlarged view of the area around the separation holding part 151L in Figure 31 for illustrative purposes, with the tension spring 153 omitted. Here, we consider the case where the process cartridge 100 having the separation contact mechanism 150L is dropped in the direction of arrow JA in Figure 33 during logistics. At this time, the spacer 151L receives a rotational force in the direction of arrow B2 due to its own weight around the separation holding oscillation axis H. For the reasons above, when it starts to rotate in the direction of arrow B2, the rotation prevention surface 151Ln of the spacer 151L comes into contact with the locking surface 152Lu of the moving member 152L, and the spacer 151L receives a force in the direction of arrow F4 to suppress rotation in the direction of arrow B2. This prevents the spacer 151L from rotating in the direction of arrow B2 during logistics, and prevents damage to the separated state of the photosensitive drum 104 and the developing unit 109.

[0142] In this embodiment, a tension spring 153 is given as a biasing means for biasing the spacer 151L to the separated-hold position and the movable member 152L to the retracted position, but the biasing means is not limited to this. For example, a torsion coil spring, a leaf spring, etc. may be used as the biasing means to bias the movable member 152L to the retracted position and the spacer 151L to the separated-hold position. Furthermore, the material of the biasing means can be metal, molded metal, or any other material that has elasticity and can bias the spacer 151L and the movable member 152L.

[0143] As described above, the developing unit 109 equipped with the separation contact mechanism 150L is integrally coupled with the drum unit 108 by the non-drive side cartridge cover member 117 as previously stated (state shown in Figure 30). As shown in Figure 16, the non-drive side cartridge cover member 117 in this embodiment has a contact surface (contact portion) 117c. The contact surface 117c is a surface substantially parallel to the pivot axis K. Furthermore, as shown in Figures 16 and 30, when the non-drive side cartridge cover member 117 is assembled to the developing unit 109 and the drum unit 108, the contact surface 117c faces the contact surface 151Lc of the spacer 151L located in the separation holding position. Here, the process cartridge 100 has a developing pressure spring 134 as a developing unit biasing member (second unit biasing member) for biasing the developing unit 109 from the separation position toward the contact position and bringing the developing roller 106 into contact with the photosensitive drum 104. The developing pressure spring 134 is a coil spring assembled between the spring attachment portion 117e of the non-drive side cartridge cover member 117 and the spring attachment portion 127k of the non-drive side bearing 127, and is an elastic member. The biasing force of the developing pressure spring 134 causes the contact surface 151Lc of the spacer 151L to come into contact with the contact surface 117c of the non-drive side cartridge cover member 117. When the contact surface 117c and the contact surface 151Lc come into contact, the developing unit 109 is positioned with a gap P1 between the developing roller 106 and the photosensitive drum 104. This state in which the developing roller 106 is separated from the photosensitive drum 104 by a gap P1 due to the spacer 151L is called the separated position (retracted position) of the developing unit 109 (see Figure 35(a)).

[0144] [Separated and contacting states of process cartridge 100 (non-driven side)] Here, the separated and contacting states of the process cartridge 100 will be explained in detail using Figure 34. Figure 34 is a side view from the non-driven side with the process cartridge 100 installed inside the image forming apparatus body 170. Figure 34(a) shows the state in which the developing unit 109 is separated from the photosensitive drum 104. Figure 34(b) shows the state in which the developing unit 109 is in contact with the photosensitive drum 104.

[0145] First, let's describe the state in which the spacer 151L is in the separated holding position (first position) and the developing unit 109 is in the separated position (retracted position). In this state, one end of the separated holding portion 151Lb, the supported portion 151La, is in contact with the first support portion 127b of the non-driving side bearing 127, and the other end, the contact portion 151Lc, is in contact with the contact surface 117c of the non-driving side cartridge cover member 117. Furthermore, the action of the developing pressure spring 134 causes the first support portion 127b to be pressed toward the supported portion 151La, and the contact portion 151Lc to be pressed toward the contact surface 117c. Therefore, this state can be described as the non-driving side cartridge cover member 117 (which constitutes part of the drum unit 108) positioning and stably holding the non-driving side bearing 127 (which constitutes part of the developing unit 109) via the separated holding portion 151Lb of the spacer 151L.

[0146] From this state, the pressed portion 152Le of the movable member 152L is pushed in the direction of arrow ZA. As a result, the movable member 152L and the protruding portion 152Lh move linearly from the standby position in the ZA direction (operating direction) and reach the protruding position. The ZA direction is a direction that intersects (orthogonal in this embodiment) with the rotation axis M2 of the developing roller 106, the rotation axis M1 of the photosensitive drum 108, and the oscillating axis HE. Therefore, when the protruding portion 152Lh is in the protruding position, it is positioned downstream in the ZA direction compared to when the protruding portion 152Lh is in the standby position. Consequently, when the protruding portion 152Lh is in the protruding position, it is further from the oscillating axis K than when the protruding portion 152Lh is in the standby position. Also, when the protruding portion 152Lh is in the protruding position, it protrudes in the ZA direction from the drum frame and the developing frame (it is positioned downstream in the ZA direction). In this embodiment, the drum frame consists of a first drum frame portion 115, a drive-side cartridge cover member 116, and a non-drive-side cartridge cover member 117, while the developing frame consists of a developing container 125, a drive-side bearing 126, and a non-drive-side bearing 127. The protruding position may also be referred to as the force-receiving position or the operating position.

[0147] The movable member 152L can move in the ZA direction and its reverse direction while maintaining the spacer 151L in the separated-hold position (first position). Therefore, even when the movable member 152L and the protrusion 152Lh are in the operating position, the spacer 151L is in the separated-hold position (first position). As described above, the pressed portion 151Le of the spacer 151L is in contact with the spacer pressing surface 152Lr of the movable member 152L by the tension spring 153. Therefore, when the second force receiving portion 152Ln (second force receiving surface 152Lp) is pressed in the direction of arrow W42, the movable member 152L rotates in the direction of arrow BD around the movable member oscillation axis HE, and the spacer pressing surface 152Lr presses against the pressed portion 151Le, causing the spacer 151L to rotate in the direction of arrow B5. When the spacer 151L rotates in the direction of arrow B5, the contact surface 151Lc separates from the contact surface 117c, and the developing unit 109 becomes able to rotate from the separated position around the pivot axis K in the direction of arrow V2. In other words, the developing unit 109 rotates in the direction of V2 from the separated position, and the developing roller 106 of the developing unit 109 comes into contact with the photosensitive drum 104. Here, the position of the developing unit 109 where the developing roller 106 and the photosensitive drum 104 come into contact is called the contact position (developing position) (state shown in Figure 34(b)). The position where the contact surface 151Lc of the spacer 151L separates from the contact surface 117c is called the separation release position (allowable position, second position). When the developing unit 109 is in the contact position, the restricting surface 151Lk of the spacer 151L comes into contact with the spacer restricting surface (spacer restricting portion) 117d of the drive-side cartridge cover 116, thereby maintaining the spacer 151L in the separated position.

[0148] Furthermore, the non-driving side bearing 127 in this embodiment has a pressed surface (pressed portion when separated) 127h which is a surface perpendicular to the oscillating axis K. The non-driving side bearing 127 is fixed to the developing unit 109. Therefore, when the developing unit 109 is in the contact position and the first force receiving portion 152Lk (first force receiving surface 152Lm) of the moving member 152L is pressed in the direction of arrow 41, the developing frame pressing surface 152Lq comes into contact with the pressed surface 127h. As a result, the developing unit 109 rotates around the oscillating axis K in the direction of arrow V1 and moves to the separated position (state shown in Figure 34(a)). Here, when the developing unit 109 moves from the contact position to the separated position, the direction in which the pressed surface 127h moves is shown by arrow W41 in Figures 34(a) and (b). Furthermore, arrow W42 is in the opposite direction to arrow W41, and arrows W41 and W42 are approximately horizontal (X1 and X2 directions). As described above, the second force-receiving surface 152Lp of the movable member 152L assembled to the developing unit 109 is located upstream of the pressed surface 127h of the non-driven bearing 127 in the direction of arrow W41. In addition, the pressed surface 127h and the pressed portion 151Le of the spacer 151L are positioned so that at least a portion of them overlap in the W1 and W2 directions. The operation of the separation contact mechanism 150L within the image forming apparatus body 170 will be described next.

[0149] [Mounting process cartridge 100 onto the main body 170 of the image forming apparatus (non-driven side)] Next, using Figures 35 and 36, the engagement operation of the separation contact mechanism 150L of the process cartridge 100 and the development separation control unit 196L of the image forming apparatus body 170 when the process cartridge 100 is mounted on the image forming apparatus body 170 will be explained. Note that these figures are cross-sectional views in which a part of the development cover member 128 and a part of the non-drive side cartridge cover member 117 are partially omitted by partial cross-sectional lines CS, respectively, for explanatory purposes. Figure 35 is a view of the process cartridge 100 from the drive side when the process cartridge 100 is mounted on a cartridge tray 171 (not shown) of the image forming apparatus M and the cartridge tray 171 is inserted into the first mounting position. In Figure 35, everything except the process cartridge 100, cartridge pressing unit 190, and separation control member 196L is omitted.

[0150] As previously explained, the image forming apparatus body 170 of this embodiment has a separation control member 196L corresponding to each process cartridge 100, as described above. The separation control member 196L is positioned on the lower side of the image forming apparatus body 170, beyond the spacer 151L, when the process cartridge 100 is in the first inner position and the second inner position. The separation control member 196L protrudes toward the process cartridge 100 and has a first force-applying surface (force-applying part) 196La and a second force-applying surface (retraction force-applying part) 196Lb that face each other via a space 196Rd. The first force-applying surface 196Ra and the second force-applying surface 196Rb are connected via a connecting part 196Rc on the lower side of the image forming apparatus body 170. The separation control member 196R is rotatably supported on the control plate 197 with respect to a pivot center 196Re. The separation member 196R is always biased in the E1 direction by a biasing spring. Furthermore, since the control sheet metal 197 is configured to be movable in the W41 and W42 directions by a control mechanism (not shown), the separation control member 196R is configured to be movable in the W41 and W42 directions.

[0151] As described above, in conjunction with the transition of the front door 11 of the image forming apparatus body 170 from the open state to the closed state, the cartridge pressing unit 190 descends in the direction of arrow ZA, and the first force-applying part 190a comes into contact with the pressed surface 152Lf of the movable member 152L. After the cartridge pressing unit 190 descends to a predetermined position which is the second mounting position, the protruding part 152Lh of the movable member 152L moves to a protruding position that protrudes downward in the Z2 direction of the process cartridge 100 (state shown in Figure 36). Once this operation is complete, as shown in Figure 36, a gap T4 is formed between the first force-applying surface 196La of the separation control member 196L and the second force-receiving surface 152Lp of the movable member 152L, and a gap T3 is formed between the second force-applying surface 196Lb and the first force-receiving surface 152Lm. The movable member 152L is then positioned in the second mounting position where the separation control member 196L does not act on it. This position of the separation control member 196L is referred to as the home position. At this time, the second force-receiving surface 152Lp of the moving member 152L and the first force-applying surface 196La of the separation control member 196L are arranged to partially overlap in the W1 and W2 directions. Similarly, the first force-receiving surface 152Lm of the moving member 152L and the second force-applying surface 196Lb of the separation control member 196L are arranged to partially overlap in the W1 and W2 directions.

[0152] [Contact operation of the developing unit (non-driven side)] Next, the operation by which the photosensitive drum 104 and the developing roller 106 come into contact with each other by the separation contact mechanism 150L will be explained in detail using Figures 36 to 38. Note that these figures are cross-sectional views in which a portion of the developing cover member 128, a portion of the non-driven cartridge cover member 117, and a portion of the non-driven bearing 127 are partially omitted by the partial cross-sectional line CS, respectively, for illustrative purposes.

[0153] As explained earlier, the developing coupling 32 receives a driving force from the image forming apparatus body 170 in the direction of arrow V2 in Figure 24, causing the developing roller 106 to rotate. In other words, the developing unit 109 having the developing coupling 32 receives a driving torque from the image forming apparatus body 170 in the direction of arrow V2 around the pivot axis K. Furthermore, the developing unit 109 also receives a biasing force in the direction of arrow V2 due to the biasing force of the developing pressure spring 134 mentioned above. As shown in Figure 36, the state in which the developing unit 109 is in the separated position and the spacer 151L is in the separated holding position (first position) will be described. In this state, even if the developing unit 109 receives this driving torque and the biasing force of the developing pressure spring 134, the contact surface 151Lc of the spacer 151L contacts the contact surface 117c of the non-driven cartridge cover member 117. For this reason, the posture of the developing unit 109 is maintained in the separated position.

[0154] In this embodiment, the separation control member 196L is configured to be movable from the home position in the direction of arrow W41 in Figure 36. When the separation control member 196L moves in the direction of W41, the first force-applying surface 196La of the separation control member 196L and the second force-receiving surface 152Lp of the second force-receiving portion 152Ln of the moving member 152L come into contact, and the moving member 152L rotates in the direction of BD with the pivot axis HD of the moving member as the center of rotation. Note that the contact between the first force-applying surface 196La and the second force-receiving surface 152Lp does not necessarily have to be surface contact; line contact or point contact is also acceptable. In this way, the first force-applying surface 196La applies a contact force to the second force-receiving surface 152Lp by moving in the direction of W41. The direction of movement of the protruding portion 152Lh when the moving member 152L rotates in the direction of BD is referred to as the first direction. Furthermore, as the moving member 152L rotates, the spacer pressing surface 152Lr of the moving member 152L comes into contact with the pressed portion 151Le of the spacer 151L, causing the spacer 151L to rotate in the B5 direction. The spacer 151L is then rotated by the moving member 152L to the release position (second position) where the contact surface 151Lc and the contacted surface 117c are separated. Here, the position of the separation control member 196L that moves the spacer 151L to the release position (second position), as shown in Figure 37, is referred to as the first position.

[0155] As the spacer 151L moves to the release position by the separation control member 196L, the developing unit 109 rotates in the V2 direction due to the driving torque received from the image forming apparatus body 170 and the biasing force of the developing pressure spring 134. As a result, the developing unit 109 moves to the contact position where the developing roller 106 and the photosensitive drum 104 come into contact (the state shown in Figure 37). At this time, the spacer 151L, which is biased in the direction of arrow B4 by the tension spring 153, is maintained in the release position (second position) by the restricted surface 151Lk coming into contact with the spacer restricting surface 117d of the non-driven cartridge cover member 117. Subsequently, the separation control member 196L moves in the W42 direction and returns to the home position. At this time, the movable member 152L rotates in the BC direction by the tension spring 153, and the developing frame pressing surface 152Lq of the movable member 152L and the pressed surface 127h of the non-driven bearing 127 come into contact (the state shown in Figure 38). At this time, the movable member 152L and the protruding part 152Lh can be said to be in the operating position.

[0156] As a result, the aforementioned gaps T3 and T4 are reformed, and the separation control member 196L is positioned so that it does not act on the moving member 152L. The transition from the state in Figure 37 to the state in Figure 38 occurs without delay. The position of the separation control member 196L in Figure 38 is the same as in the state in Figure 36.

[0157] Furthermore, as stated above, the second force receiving surface 152Lp is subjected to contact force from the first force applying surface 196La. In this regard, the contact force is a force applied from the first force applying surface 196La, which moves in the W41 direction, and is a force applied to the process cartridge 100 in a direction that brings the developing roller 106 closer to the photosensitive drum 104 and causes it to come into contact (contact direction, proximity direction, or V2 direction). For this reason, it is sufficient that the developing unit 109 moves from the retracted position to the developing position in response to the contact force, and the process cartridge 100 does not need to continue to receive the contact force until the developing unit 109 reaches the developing position. Also, as mentioned above, when the developing unit 109 moves from the retracted position to the developing position after receiving the contact force, the developing roller 106 and the photosensitive drum 104 do not necessarily need to be in contact at the developing position.

[0158] As described above, in this embodiment, the separation control member 196L moves from the home position to the first position, applying a contact force to the moving member 152L, which rotates the moving member 152L and moves the spacer 151L from the separation holding position (first position) to the separation release position (second position). This makes it possible for the developing unit 109 to move from the separation position to the contact position where the developing roller 9 and the photosensitive drum 104 come into contact. In other words, the contact force applied by the separation control member 196L is transmitted to the spacer 151L via the moving member 152L, thereby moving the developing unit 109 from the separation position (retracted position) to the contact position (developing position).

[0159] When the developing unit 109 is in the contact position (developing position), the position of the developing unit 109 relative to the drum unit 108 is determined by the driving torque received from the image forming apparatus body 170 and the developing pressure spring 134 biasing it in the V2 direction, causing the developing roller 106 to contact the photosensitive drum 104. Therefore, the photosensitive drum 104 can be said to be a positioning part (second positioning part) that positions the developing roller 6 of the developing unit 109 in the developing position. At this time, the developing unit 109 can be said to be stably held by the drum unit 108. At this time, the spacer 151L in the separation release position does not directly participate in the positioning of the developing unit 109. However, by moving from the separation holding position to the separation release position, the spacer 151L can create a situation in which the drum unit 108 can stably hold the developing unit 109 in the contact position (developing position).

[0160] Furthermore, if the front door 11 of the image forming apparatus body 170 moves from the closed state to the open state in this state, the first force application part 190a rises in the opposite direction of arrow ZA. Consequently, the moving member 152R moves in the opposite direction of arrow ZA due to the action of the biasing member 153. However, the spacer 151R remains in the release position, and the developing unit 109 also remains in the developing position.

[0161] [Separation movement of the developing unit (non-driven side)] Next, the movement of the developing unit 109 from the contact position to the separated position will be explained in detail using Figures 38 and 39. Note that Figure 39 is a cross-sectional view in which a portion of the developing cover member 128, a portion of the non-drive side cartridge cover member 117, and a portion of the non-drive side bearing 127 are partially omitted by the partial cross-sectional line CS for illustrative purposes.

[0162] As mentioned above, in the state shown in Figure 38, the movable member 152L and the protruding portion 152Lh are in the operating position. In this embodiment, the separation control member 196L is configured to be movable from the home position in the direction of arrow W42 in Figure 38. When the separation control member 196L moves in the direction of W42, the second force-applying surface 196Lb and the first force-receiving surface 152Lm of the first force-receiving portion 152Lk of the movable member 152L come into contact, and the movable member 152L rotates in the direction of arrow BC around the pivot axis HD of the movable member. Note that the contact between the second force-applying surface 196Lb and the first force-receiving surface 152Lm does not necessarily have to be surface contact; line contact or point contact is also acceptable. In this way, the second force-applying surface 196Lb applies a separation force (retraction force) to the first force-receiving surface 152Lm. The direction of movement of the protruding portion 152Lh when the movable member 152L rotates in the BC direction is referred to as the second direction. Then, because the developing frame pressing surface 152Lq of the moving member 152L is in contact with the pressed surface 127h of the non-driven bearing 127, the developing unit 109 rotates from the contact position around the pivot axis K in the direction of arrow V1 (state shown in Figure 39). At this time, the pressed surface 152Lf of the moving member 152L has an arc shape, and the center of this arc is positioned to coincide with the pivot axis K.

[0163] As a result, when the developing unit 109 moves from the contact position to the separation position, the force that the pressed surface 152Lf of the moving member 152L receives from the cartridge pressing unit 190 is directed in the direction of the pivot axis K. Therefore, it can be operated in a way that does not hinder the rotation of the developing unit 109 in the direction of arrow V1. The spacer 151L separates from the restricted surface 151Lk of the spacer 151L and the spacer restricting surface 117d of the non-driven cartridge cover member 117, and the spacer 151L rotates in the direction of arrow B4 (direction toward the separation release position to the separation holding position) due to the biasing force of the tension spring 153. As a result, the spacer 151L rotates until the pressed portion 151Le contacts the spacer pressing surface 152LR of the moving member 152L, and upon contact, moves to the separation holding position (first position).

[0164] When the developing unit 109 moves from the contact position to the separated position by the separation control member 196L, and the spacer 151L is in the separated holding position, a gap T5 is formed between the contact surface 151Lc and the contacted surface 117c, as shown in Figure 39. Here, the position in which the spacer 151L can move to the separated holding position by rotating the developing unit 109 from the contact position to the separated position is referred to as the second position of the separation control member 196L.

[0165] Then, the separation control member 196L moves in the direction of arrow W41, returning from the second position to the home position. As a result, the spacer 151L maintains its separated position, and the developing unit 109 rotates in the direction of arrow V2 due to the driving torque received from the image forming apparatus body 170 and the biasing force of the developing pressure spring 134, causing the contact surface 151Lc and the contacted surface 117c to come into contact. In other words, the developing unit 109 maintains its separated position due to the spacer 151L, and the developing roller 106 and the photosensitive drum 104 are separated by a gap P1 (the state in Figures 36 and 34(a)). As a result, the aforementioned gaps T3 and T4 are reformed, and the separation control member 196L is positioned so that it does not act on the moving member 152L (the state in Figure 36). The transition from the state in Figure 39 to the state in Figure 36 is performed without any delay.

[0166] Furthermore, as stated above, the first force-receiving surface 152Lm is subjected to a separating force (retraction force) from the second force-applying surface 196Lb. In this regard, the separating force is a force applied from the second force-applying surface 196Lb which moves in the W42 direction, and is a force applied to the process cartridge 100 in order to move the developing roller 106 away from the photosensitive drum 104 (separating direction, retraction direction, or V1 direction). For this reason, it is sufficient that the developing unit 109 moves from the developing position to the retraction position in response to receiving the separating force, and it is not necessary for the process cartridge 100 to continue to receive the separating force until the developing unit 109 reaches the retraction position.

[0167] As described above, in this embodiment, when the separation control member 196L moves from the home position to the second position, the spacer 151L moves from the separation release position to the separation holding position. Then, when the separation control member 196L returns from the second position to the home position, the developing unit 109 is maintained in the separated position by the spacer 151L. In other words, the developing unit 109 is prevented from moving to the contact position against the driving torque received from the image forming apparatus body 170 and the biasing force in the direction of arrow V2 due to the biasing force of the developing pressure spring 134 by the spacer 151L, and is maintained in the separated position.

[0168] In this manner, the separation force applied by the separation control member 196L is transmitted via the moving member 152L to the pressed surface 127h of the non-driving side bearing (part of the developing frame) 127, thereby moving the developing unit 109 from the contact position to the separated position (retracted position) and moving the spacer 151R from the separation release position to the separated holding position.

[0169] When the developing unit 109 is in the separated position (retracted position), the position of the developing unit 109 relative to the drum unit 108 is biased in the V2 direction by the driving torque received from the image forming apparatus body 170 and the developing pressure spring 134, and as described above, the supported part 151La is in contact with the first support part 127b and the contact part 151Lc is in contact with the contact surface 117c. For this reason, the contact surface 117c can be said to be a positioning part (first positioning part) that positions the developing unit 109 in the separated position (retracted position) of the photosensitive drum 104. At this time, the developing unit 109 can be said to be stably held by the drum unit 108. Furthermore, the spacer 151L in the separated holding position (first position) can be said to create a situation in which the drum unit 108 can stably hold the developing unit 109 in the separated position (retracted position).

[0170] Furthermore, if the front door 11 of the image forming apparatus body 170 moves from the closed state to the open state in this state, the first force application part 190a rises in the opposite direction of arrow ZA. Consequently, the moving member 152L moves in the opposite direction of arrow ZA due to the action of the biasing member 153. However, the spacer 151L remains in the separated position, and the developing unit 109 also remains in the separated position.

[0171] Up to this point, the operation of the separation mechanism located on the drive side of the process cartridge 100 and the operation of the separation mechanism located on the non-drive side have been described separately, but in this embodiment, they operate in conjunction. That is, when the developing unit 109 is positioned at the separated position by the spacer 151R, this occurs almost simultaneously with the developing unit 109 being positioned at the separated position by the spacer 151L, and the same is true for the contact position. Specifically, the movement of the separation control members 196R and 196L, as described in Figures 23 to 27 and Figures 35 to 39, moves integrally by a connecting mechanism (not shown). As a result, the timing at which the spacer 151R located on the drive side is positioned at the separated holding position and the timing at which the spacer 151L located on the non-drive side is positioned at the separated holding position are almost simultaneous. Also, the timing at which the spacer 151R is positioned at the separated release position and the timing at which the spacer 151L is positioned at the separated release position are both almost simultaneous. These timings may differ between the driving and non-driving sides, but in order to shorten the time from when the user starts a print job until the printed material is ejected, it is desirable that at least the timing of reaching the release position be simultaneous. In this embodiment, the pivot axes H of spacer 151R and spacer 151L are coaxial, but as mentioned above, it is sufficient if the timing of reaching the release position is approximately simultaneous, and this is not the only option. Similarly, the pivot axis HC of moving member 152R and the pivot axis HE of moving member 152L are not on the same axis, but as mentioned above, it is sufficient if the timing of reaching the release position is approximately simultaneous, and this is not the only option.

[0172] In order to perform the aforementioned contact and separation movements, the width of the protrusion 152Rh of the moving member 152R, or the distance between the first force-receiving surface 152Rm and the first force-receiving surface 152Rp, in the W41 or W42 direction, is preferably 10 mm or less, and more preferably 6 mm or less. By having such dimensional relationships, it is possible to perform appropriate contact and separation movements. The same applies to the non-driven moving member 152L.

[0173] As described above, this embodiment has similar separation contact mechanisms 150R and 150L on both the drive side and the non-drive side, and they operate almost simultaneously. This allows the amount of separation between the photosensitive drum 104 and the developing roller 9 to be controlled at both ends in the longitudinal direction, even if the process cartridge 100 is twisted or deformed in the longitudinal direction. Therefore, variations in the amount of separation in the longitudinal direction can be suppressed.

[0174] Furthermore, according to this embodiment, the contact and separation states of the developing roller 106 and the photosensitive drum 104 can be controlled by moving the separation control member 196R (196L) between the home position, the first position, and the second position in one direction (arrows W41 and W42 directions). Therefore, the developing roller 106 can be brought into contact with the photosensitive drum 104 only when image formation is being performed, and the developing roller 4 can be kept separated from the photosensitive drum 104 when image formation is not being performed. Consequently, even if the device is left unattended for a long period of time without image formation, the developing roller 106 and the photosensitive drum 104 will not deform, and stable image formation can be achieved.

[0175] Furthermore, according to this embodiment, the movable member 152R (152L) that acts on the spacer 151R (151L) to cause rotational movement can be positioned in the storage position by a biasing force such as a tension spring 153. Therefore, when the process cartridge 100 is located outside the main body 170 of the image forming apparatus, it can be miniaturized as a standalone process cartridge 100 without protruding from the outermost shape of the process cartridge 100.

[0176] Similarly, the movable member 152R (152L) can be positioned in the storage position by a biasing force such as a tension spring 153. Therefore, when mounting the process cartridge 100 to the image forming apparatus body 170, the process cartridge 100 can be mounted by moving it in only one direction. As a result, the process cartridge 100 (tray 171) does not need to be moved in the vertical direction. Consequently, no extra space is required in the image forming apparatus body 170, and the size of the body can be reduced.

[0177] Furthermore, according to this embodiment, when the separation control member 196R (196L) is in the home position, no load is applied to the separation control member 196R (196L) from the process cartridge 100. Therefore, the rigidity required for the separation control member 196R (196L) and the mechanism that operates the separation control member 196R (196L) can be reduced, allowing for miniaturization. In addition, the load on the sliding part of the mechanism that operates the separation control member 196R (196L) is also reduced, which can suppress wear on the sliding part and the generation of abnormal noise.

[0178] Furthermore, according to this embodiment, the developing unit 109 can maintain its separated position using only the spacer 151R (151L) of the process cartridge 100. Therefore, by reducing the number of parts that cause variation in the separation amount between the developing roller 106 and the photosensitive drum 104, the part tolerance can be reduced, and the separation amount can be minimized. Because the separation amount can be reduced, when the process cartridge 100 is placed inside the image forming apparatus body 170, the area occupied by the developing unit 109 when it moves to the contact position and the separated position is reduced, thereby enabling miniaturization of the image forming apparatus. In addition, the space for the developer storage section 29 of the developing unit 109 when it moves to the contact position and the separated position can be increased, so a miniaturized and high-capacity process cartridge 100 can be placed inside the image forming apparatus body 170.

[0179] Furthermore, according to this embodiment, the movable member 152R (152L) is positioned in the storage position when the process cartridge 100 is installed, and the developing unit 109 can maintain its separated position by the spacer 151R (151L) of the process cartridge 100. Therefore, when installing the process cartridge 100 into the image forming apparatus body 170, the installation can be completed by moving the process cartridge 100 in only one direction. Therefore, it is not necessary to move the process cartridge 100 (tray 171) in the vertical direction. Consequently, no extra space is required in the image forming apparatus body 170, and the size of the body can be reduced. In addition, because the amount of separation can be reduced, when the process cartridge 100 is placed inside the image forming apparatus body 170, the area occupied by the developing unit 109 when it moves to the contact position and the separated position is reduced, thereby enabling miniaturization of the image forming apparatus. In addition, the space for the developer storage section 29 of the developing unit 109, which moves to the contact position and the separated position, can be increased, allowing a miniaturized and high-capacity process cartridge 100 to be placed in the image forming apparatus body 170.

[0180] In this embodiment, the developing unit 109 was biased in the direction of arrow V2 (the direction of movement from the separated position to the developing position) by the driving torque of the developing coupling section 132a received from the image forming apparatus body 170 and the biasing force of the developing pressure spring 134. However, it is also possible to utilize gravity acting on the developing unit 109 to bias it in the V2 direction. That is, the developing unit 109 can be configured to generate a moment that causes gravity to rotate it in the V2 direction. When adopting such a biasing configuration in the V2 direction using its own weight, the biasing configuration using the developing pressure spring 134 may be omitted, or it may be used in combination with the biasing configuration using the developing pressure spring 134.

[0181] [Detailed arrangement of separation and contact mechanisms 150R and L] Next, the arrangement of the separation contact mechanisms 150R and 150L in this embodiment will be described in detail using Figures 40 and 41. Figure 40 is an enlarged view of the area around the spacer 151R as seen from the drive side along the oscillation axis K (photosensitive drum axis direction) of the developing unit 109 with the process cartridge 100 with the process cartridge 100. In addition, for explanatory purposes, a part of the developing cover member 128 and a part of the drive-side cartridge cover member 116 are partially omitted by the partial cross-sectional line CS. Figure 41 is an enlarged view of the area around the spacer 151R as seen from the non-drive side along the oscillation axis K (photosensitive drum axis direction) of the developing unit 109 with the process cartridge 100 with the process cartridge 100. In addition, for explanatory purposes, a part of the developing cover member 128 and a part of the drive-side cartridge cover member 116 are partially omitted by the partial cross-sectional line CS. Furthermore, regarding the arrangement of spacers and movable members described below, except for the parts that will be explained in detail later, there is no distinction between the drive side and the non-drive side, and they are the same for both. Therefore, the explanation will only cover the drive side (Figure 40), and the explanation for the non-drive side (Figure 41) will be omitted, although the non-drive side has a similar configuration.

[0182] As shown in Figure 40, line N is defined as the straight line passing through the rotation axis M1 of the photosensitive drum 104 (point M1 in Figure 40) and the rotation axis M2 of the developing roller 106 (point M2 in Figure 40). Furthermore, the contact area between the contact surface 151Rc of the spacer 151R and the contact surface 116c of the drive-side cartridge cover member 116 is defined as M3, and the contact area between the pressed surface 151Re of the spacer 151R and the spacer pressing surface 152Rr of the moving member 152R is defined as M4. In addition, the distance between the oscillating axis K of the developing unit 109 and point M2 is defined as distance e1, the distance between the oscillating axis K and area M3 is defined as distance e2, and the distance between the oscillating axis K and point M4 is defined as distance e3.

[0183] In this embodiment, when the developing unit 109 is in a separated position and the moving member 152R (152L) is in a protruding position, the developing unit 109 is in the following positional relationship when viewed along the oscillation axis K (or rotation axis M1 or rotation axis M2). That is, as shown in Figure 40, when viewed along the oscillation axis K, at least a portion of the contact area M3 is located in region AD1, which is opposite to region AU1 where the center of the developing coupling part 132a (oscillation axis K) is located, when the region is divided by line N. In other words, the contact surface 151Rc of the spacer 151R is positioned such that the distance e2 is longer than the distance e1. Also, as shown in Figure 40, when viewed along the oscillation axis K, at least a portion of the protruding part 152Rh is located in region AD1, which is opposite to region AU1 where the center of the developing coupling part 132a (oscillation axis K) is located, when the region is divided by line N. In Figure 40 (Figure 41), if the vertical direction is defined as the up-down direction in the figure, the orientation of the process cartridge 100 is the same as the orientation when it is mounted on the image forming apparatus body 170. This orientation can also be described as the orientation when the rotation axis M1 of the photosensitive drum 104 is horizontal and the photosensitive drum 104 is positioned at the bottom of the process cartridge 100. In this orientation, region AD1 corresponds to the lower part of the process cartridge 100 and is also the region that includes the bottom of the process cartridge 100.

[0184] By arranging the spacer 151R and the contact surface 151Rc in this manner, variations in the orientation of the separated position of the developing unit 109 can be minimized when the position of the contact surface 151Rc varies due to part tolerances, etc. In other words, the influence of variations in the contact surface 151Rc on the separation amount (gap) P1 between the developing roller 106 and the photosensitive drum 104 (see Figure 1(a)) can be minimized, allowing the developing roller 106 and the photosensitive drum 104 to be separated with high precision. Furthermore, there is no need to have extra space for the developing unit 109 to retract when separated, which leads to miniaturization of the image forming apparatus body 170.

[0185] Furthermore, the first force-receiving portion 152Rk(152Lk) and the second force-receiving portion 152Rn(152Ln), which are force-receiving portions of the movable member 152R(152L), are positioned on the opposite side of the rotation center (rotation axis) K of the developing coupling portion 132a, with line N in between. In other words, at least a portion of each force-receiving portion 152Rk(152Lk) and 152Rn(152Ln) is positioned in region AD1, which is opposite to region AU1 where the rotation center (rotation axis) K of the developing coupling 132a is located.

[0186] As explained above, the protruding portion (force receiving portion) 152Rh (152Lh) is located at the longitudinal end. Also, as shown in Figure 15 (Figure 16), the cylindrical portion 128b (127a), which is the support portion of the developing unit 109, is located at the longitudinal end. Therefore, by arranging the force receiving portion 152Rh (152Lh), including the first force receiving portion 152Rk (152Lk) and the second force receiving portion 152Rn (152Ln), on the opposite side of the cylindrical portion 128b (127a) of the developing unit 109 (i.e., the pivot axis K) from line N, the functional parts can be efficiently arranged. In other words, this leads to miniaturization of the process cartridge 100 and the image forming apparatus M. More specifically, when viewed from a direction along the rotation axis M2 and the boundary is divided by a straight line N, the region AU1 where the pivot axis K is located contains structures for supporting the developing unit 109, such as the cylindrical part 128b (127a), so that it can move relative to the drum unit 108. For this reason, placing at least a portion of each force receiving part 152Rk (152Lk) and 152Rn (152Ln) in region AD1, where the developing coupling part 132a is not located, rather than in region AU1 where the pivot axis K is located, allows for a more efficient layout that avoids interference between components. This leads to miniaturization of the process cartridge 100 and the image forming apparatus M.

[0187] In addition, the force receiving portion 152Rh (152Lh) is located at the longitudinal drive side end. Also, as shown in Figure 15, a developing drive input gear 132 (or developing coupling portion 132a) is provided at the longitudinal drive side end, which receives power from the image forming apparatus body 170 and drives the developing roller 106. As shown in Figure 40, the first force receiving portion 152Rk and the second force receiving portion 152Rn of the moving member are located on opposite sides of the extension of line N, from the rotation center K of the developing drive input gear 132 (developing coupling portion 132a), which is shown by the dashed line. This arrangement allows for efficient arrangement of the functional parts. In other words, it leads to miniaturization of the process cartridge 100 and the image forming apparatus M. More specifically, when viewed from the direction along the rotation axis M2, and the boundary is divided by a straight line N, the region AU1 where the developing coupling portion 132a is located contains a driving member for driving the developing roller 106 and other components of the developing unit 109, such as the developing drive input gear 132. Therefore, placing at least a portion of the force receiving portion 152Rh in region AD1 where the developing coupling portion 132a is not located, rather than in region AU1 where the developing coupling portion 132a is located, allows for a more efficient layout that avoids interference between components. This leads to miniaturization of the process cartridge 100 and the image forming apparatus M.

[0188] In the above explanation, regions AU1 and AD1 were defined as the regions where the oscillating axis K or developing coupling section 132a is located and the regions where it is not located, when viewed from a direction along the rotation axis M2 and the boundary is divided by a straight line N. However, it is also possible to define them differently. Regions AU1 and AD1 may also be defined as the regions where the charging roller 105 or its rotation axis (center of rotation) M5 is located and the regions where it is not located, when viewed from a direction along the rotation axis M2 and the boundary is divided by a straight line N.

[0189] Furthermore, Figure 236 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the separated process cartridge 100 as seen along the rotation axis M2. Referring to Figures 3 and 236, another definition may be that when viewed from the direction along the rotation axis M2, regions AU1 and AD1 are separated by a straight line N and are defined as the region where the developing blade 130, proximity point 130d, agitator 129a, the rotation axis M7 of the agitator 129a, or the pressed surface 152Rf are located and the region where they are not located. The proximity point 130d is the position of the developing blade 130 closest to the surface of the developing roller 106.

[0190] In typical electrophotographic cartridges, particularly those used in inline-layout image forming apparatuses, other components of the cartridge are relatively difficult to place in region AD1. Furthermore, placing at least a portion of each force-receiving portion 152Rk(152Lk) and 152Rn(152Ln) in region AD1 offers the following advantages to the apparatus body 170. Specifically, the separation control member 196R(196L) of the apparatus body 170 is positioned below the cartridge and moves in a substantially horizontal direction (in this embodiment, the W41, W42 direction, which is the arrangement direction of the photosensitive drum 104 or cartridge 100) to press the force-receiving portion 152Rh(152Lh). This configuration allows the separation control member 196R(196L) and its drive mechanism to be made relatively simple or compact. This is particularly noticeable in inline-layout image forming apparatuses. In this way, arranging at least a portion of each force-receiving part 152Rk (152Lk) and 152Rn (152Ln) in region AD1 is expected to contribute to miniaturization and cost reduction of the main body of the device 170.

[0191] Furthermore, the contact area between the spacer 151R and the moving member 152R is arranged such that the distance e3 is longer than the distance e1. This allows the spacer 151R and the drive-side cartridge cover member 116 to come into contact with less force. In other words, it becomes possible to stably separate the developing roller 106 and the photosensitive drum 104.

[0192] The arrangement of the separation and contact mechanisms 150R and L described above was explained using Figures 40 and 41, which show the process cartridge 100 in the separated state, but it is clear from other figures that the same relationship exists in the process cartridge 100 in the contact state. Figure 235 is a side view (partially a cross-sectional view) of the process cartridge 100 in the contact state, viewed along the rotation axis M2. The arrangement of each force receiving part 152Rk (152Lk) and 152Rn (152Ln) is the same as described above.

[0193] Furthermore, the direction is VD1, which is perpendicular to the straight line N. On the drive side, the movable member 152R and each force receiving part 152Rk, 152Rn are configured to move between the standby position and the operating position by moving in the ZA direction and the opposite direction relative to the drum frame and the developing frame. Due to this movement in the ZA direction and the opposite direction, the movable member 152R and each force receiving part 152Rk, 152Rn are displaced at least in the VD1 direction. In other words, the movable member 152R and each force receiving part 152Rk, 152Rn are displaced at least in the VD1 direction and move between the standby position and the operating position. With this configuration, when the movable member 152R is in the operating position, the developing unit 109 can be moved between the developing position and the retracted position by receiving force from the separation control member 196R at each force receiving part 152Rk, 152Rn. Furthermore, when the movable member 152R is in the standby position, interference between the movable member 152R and each force receiving part 152Rk, 152Rn and the separation control member 196R can be avoided, preventing the process cartridge 100 from being inserted into or removed from the device body 170. The same applies to the configuration on the non-driven side.

[0194] Furthermore, when the movable member 152R is in the operating position, the protruding portion 152Rh, which is provided with the force receiving portions 152Rk and 152Rn, is positioned to protrude at least in the direction of VD1 from the developing unit 109. Therefore, it is possible to position the protruding portion 152Rh in the space 196Rd between the first force applying surface 196Ra and the second force applying surface 196Rb of the separation control member 196R. The same applies to the configuration on the non-driven side.

[0195] [Detailed arrangement of separation and contact mechanism 150R, L - Part 2] A concept similar to the above-mentioned idea of ​​placing at least a portion of each force-receiving part 152Rk (152Lk) and 152Rn (152Ln) in region AD1 will be explained using Figures 236 and 237.

[0196] Figures 236 and 237 are schematic cross-sectional views of the process cartridge 100 as seen from the drive side along the rotation axis M1, rotation axis K, or rotation axis M2 of the developing unit 109. Figure 236 shows the separated state, and Figure 237 shows the contact state. The arrangement of the spacer 151 and the movable member 152 described below is the same for both the drive side and the non-drive side, and is also almost the same for the contact state and the separated state. Therefore, the explanation will only describe the separated state on the drive side using Figure 236, and the explanations for the non-drive side and the contact state will be omitted.

[0197] The rotation axis of the toner transport roller (developer supply member) 107 is defined as the rotation axis (center of rotation) M6. The process cartridge 100 also has an agitator 108 that rotates and agitates the developer contained in the developing unit 109, and its rotation axis is defined as the rotation axis (center of rotation) M7.

[0198] In Figure 236, the intersection point MX1 is defined as the intersection point of the line N10 connecting the rotation axis M1 and the rotation axis M5 with the surface of the photosensitive drum 104, the intersection point furthest from the rotation axis M5. The tangent line to the surface of the photosensitive drum 104 passing through intersection point MX1 is defined as the tangent line (predetermined tangent) N11. Dividing the region at the boundary of the tangent line N11, the region where the rotation axis M1, charging roller 105, rotation axis M5, developing roller 106, rotation axis M2, developing coupling section 132a, rotation axis K, developing blade 130, proximity point 130d, toner transport roller 107, rotation axis M6, stirring member 129a, rotation axis M7, or pressed surface 152Rf are located is defined as region AU2, and the region where they are not located is defined as region (predetermined region) AD2. Regions AU2 and AD2 may also be defined in the following alternative terms. That is, if we define the direction VD10 as the direction parallel to and in the same direction as the direction from the rotation axis M5 toward the rotation axis M1, then the downstream end of the photosensitive drum 104 is intersection point MX1 with respect to the VD10 direction. With respect to direction VD10, the region upstream of the downstream end MX1 is defined as region AU2, and the region downstream is defined as region (predetermined region) AD2. Regardless of the expression, the defined regions AU2 and AD2 are the same.

[0199] Furthermore, at least a portion of each force-bearing section 152Rk and 152Rn is located in region AD2. Placing at least a portion of each force-bearing section 152Rk and 152Rn in region AD2 is expected to contribute to miniaturization and cost reduction of the process cartridge 100 and the main unit 170. This is for the same reasons as when at least a portion of each force-bearing section 152Rk and 152Rn is located in region AD1. The same applies to the configuration on the non-driving side.

[0200] Furthermore, the movable member 152R and each force-receiving part 152Rk, 152Rn are displaced at least in the VD10 direction by movement in the ZA direction and the opposite direction. In other words, the movable member 152R and each force-receiving part 152Rk, 152Rn are displaced at least in the VD10 direction and move between the standby position and the operating position. With this configuration, when the movable member 152R is in the operating position, the developing unit 109 can be moved between the developing position and the retracted position by receiving force from the separation control member 196R at each force-receiving part 152Rk, 152Rn. When the movable member 152R is in the standby position, it is possible to avoid interference between the movable member 152R and each force-receiving part 152Rk, 152Rn and the separation control member 196R, which would prevent the process cartridge 100 from being inserted into or removed from the device body 170. The same applies to the configuration on the non-driven side.

[0201] Furthermore, when the movable member 152R is in the operating position, the protruding portion 152Rh, which is provided with the force receiving portions 152Rk and 152Rn, is positioned to protrude at least in the direction of VD10 from the developing unit 109. Therefore, it is possible to position the protruding portion 152Rh in the space 196Rd between the first force applying surface 196Ra and the second force applying surface 196Rb of the separation control member 196R. The same applies to the configuration on the non-driven side.

[0202] [Detailed arrangement of separation and contact mechanism 150R, L - Part 3] A concept similar to the above-mentioned idea of ​​placing at least a portion of each force-receiving part 152Rk (152Lk) and 152Rn (152Ln) in region AD1 will be explained using Figure 238.

[0203] Figure 238 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the separated process cartridge 100 as seen from the drive side along the rotation axis M1, rotation axis K, or rotation axis M2 of the developing unit 109. Note that the arrangement of the spacer 151 and movable member 152 described below is the same for both the drive side and the non-drive side, and is also substantially the same for the contact and separated states. Therefore, the explanation will only describe the separated state on the drive side using Figure 238, and the explanations for the non-drive side and the contact state will be omitted.

[0204] In Figure 238, the intersection point MX2 is defined as the intersection point of the straight line N12 connecting the rotation axis K and the rotation axis M2 with the surface of the developing roller 106, the intersection point furthest from the rotation axis K. The tangent line to the surface of the developing roller 106 passing through intersection point MX2 is defined as the tangent line (predetermined tangent) N13. Dividing the region at the boundary of the tangent line N13, the region where the developing coupling part 132a, rotation axis K, rotation axis M2, charging roller 105, rotation axis M5, developing blade 130, proximity point 130d, toner transport roller 107, rotation axis M6, stirring member 129a, rotation axis M7, or pressed surface 152Rf are located is defined as region AU3, and the region where they are not located is defined as region (predetermined region) AD3. Regions AU3 and AD3 may also be defined in the following alternative terms. In other words, if we define the direction parallel to and in the same direction as the direction from the rotation axis K to the rotation axis M2 as the VD12 direction, then the downstream end of the developing roller 106 intersects at point MX2 in the VD12 direction. With respect to the VD12 direction, the region upstream of the downstream end MX2 is defined as region AU3, and the region downstream is defined as region (predetermined region) AD3. Regardless of the expression, the defined regions AU3 and AD3 are the same.

[0205] Furthermore, at least a portion of each force-bearing section 152Rk and 152Rn is located in region AD3. This arrangement, with at least a portion of each force-bearing section 152Rk and 152Rn located in region AD3, is expected to contribute to miniaturization and cost reduction of the process cartridge 100 and the main unit 170. This is for the same reasons as when at least a portion of each force-bearing section 152Rk and 152Rn is located in region AD1. The same applies to the configuration on the non-driving side.

[0206] Furthermore, the movable member 152R and each force-receiving part 152Rk, 152Rn are displaced at least in the VD12 direction by movement in the ZA direction and the opposite direction. In other words, the movable member 152R and each force-receiving part 152Rk, 152Rn are displaced at least in the VD12 direction and move between the standby position and the operating position. With this configuration, when the movable member 152R is in the operating position, the developing unit 109 can be moved between the developing position and the retracted position by receiving force from the separation control member 196R at each force-receiving part 152Rk, 152Rn. When the movable member 152R is in the standby position, it is possible to avoid interference between the movable member 152R and each force-receiving part 152Rk, 152Rn and the separation control member 196R, which would prevent the process cartridge 100 from being inserted into or removed from the device body 170. The same applies to the configuration on the non-driven side.

[0207] Furthermore, when the movable member 152R is in the operating position, the protruding portion 152Rh, which is provided with the force receiving portions 152Rk and 152Rn, is positioned to protrude at least in the direction of VD12 from the developing unit 109. Therefore, it is possible to position the protruding portion 152Rh in the space 196Rd between the first force applying surface 196Ra and the second force applying surface 196Rb of the separation control member 196R. The same applies to the configuration on the non-driven side.

[0208] [Detailed arrangement of separation and contact mechanism 150R, L - Part 4] A concept similar to the above-mentioned idea of ​​placing at least a portion of each force-receiving part 152Rk (152Lk) and 152Rn (152Ln) in region AD1 will be explained using Figure 239.

[0209] Figure 239 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the separated process cartridge 100 as seen from the drive side along the rotation axis M1, rotation axis K, or rotation axis M2 of the developing unit 109. Note that the arrangement of the spacer 151 and movable member 152 described below is the same for both the drive side and the non-drive side, and is also substantially the same for the contact and separated states. Therefore, the explanation will only describe the separated state on the drive side using Figure 239, and the explanations for the non-drive side and the contact state will be omitted.

[0210] In Figure 239, the intersection point MX2 is defined as the intersection point of the straight line N14 connecting the rotation axis M2 and the rotation axis M6 with the surface of the developing roller 106 that is further from the rotation axis K. The tangent line to the surface of the developing roller 106 passing through intersection point MX2 is defined as the tangent line (predetermined tangent line) N14. When the region is divided at the tangent line N14, the region where the developing coupling part 132a, rotation axis K, charging roller 105, rotation axis M5, developing blade 130, proximity point 130d, stirring member 129a, rotation axis M7, or pressed surface 152Rf are located is defined as region AU4, and the region where they are not located is defined as region (predetermined region) AD4.

[0211] Furthermore, at least a portion of each force-bearing section 152Rk and 152Rn is located in region AD4. This arrangement, with at least a portion of each force-bearing section 152Rk and 152Rn located in region AD4, is expected to contribute to miniaturization and cost reduction of the process cartridge 100 and the main unit 170. This is for the same reasons as when at least a portion of each force-bearing section 152Rk and 152Rn is located in region AD1. The same applies to the configuration on the non-driving side.

[0212] Furthermore, the movable member 152R and each force-receiving part 152Rk, 152Rn are displaced at least in the direction of VD14, which is perpendicular to the straight line N14, by movement in the ZA direction and the opposite direction. In other words, the movable member 152R and each force-receiving part 152Rk, 152Rn are displaced at least in the direction of VD14 and move between the standby position and the operating position. With this configuration, when the movable member 152R is in the operating position, the developing unit 109 can be moved between the developing position and the retracted position by receiving force from the separation control member 196R at each force-receiving part 152Rk, 152Rn. When the movable member 152R is in the standby position, it is possible to avoid interference between the movable member 152R and each force-receiving part 152Rk, 152Rn and the separation control member 196R, which would prevent the process cartridge 100 from being inserted into or removed from the device body 170. The same applies to the configuration on the non-driven side.

[0213] Furthermore, when the movable member 152R is in the operating position, the protruding portion 152Rh, which is provided with the respective force-receiving portions 152Rk and 152Rn, is positioned to protrude at least in the direction of VD14 from the developing unit 109. Therefore, it is possible to position the protruding portion 152Rh in the space 196Rd between the first force-applying surface 196Ra and the second force-applying surface 196Rb of the separation control member 196R. The same applies to the configuration on the non-driven side.

[0214] The arrangement of each force-bearing part described above is the same in all embodiments described below.

[0215] [Retention mechanism] In the above-described embodiment, the configuration for the drum unit 108 to stably hold the developing unit 109 in the retracted position and the developing position was described as a holding member, or a part thereof, the spacer 151Rb, which can take on a first position and a second position. However, the configuration of this embodiment can also be viewed as follows. That is, the holding mechanism for the drum unit 108 to stably hold the developing unit 109 in the retracted position and the developing position can be said to include at least the spacer 151R, the first support portion 128c of the developing cover member 128, the contact surface 116c of the drive-side cartridge cover member 116, and the developing pressure spring 134. In this case, when the spacer 151R is in the first position and the developing unit 109 is in the retracted position, the holding mechanism is in the first state, and when the spacer 151R is in the second position and the developing unit 109 is in the developing position, the holding mechanism is in the second state.

[0216] <Example 2> Next, Example 2 will be described using Figures 42 to 46. In this example, a different configuration and operation from the previously described example will be described, and components with similar configurations and functions will be given the same reference numeral and their description will be omitted. In Example 1, a separation contact mechanism 150R and a separation contact mechanism 150L were provided as separation contact mechanisms on the drive side and the non-drive side, respectively. In contrast, this example describes a configuration in which a separation contact mechanism is provided on only one side of the process cartridge.

[0217] Figures 42 to 46 show the state when the developing unit 109 is in the separated position and the moving member of the separation contact mechanism is in the protruding position. Figure 42(a) is a perspective view of the process cartridge 100 of Example 1, viewed from below on the drive side. Figure 42(b) is a schematic diagram showing the amount of separation of the developing roller 106 from the photosensitive drum 104 of the process cartridge 100 of Example 1.

[0218] As shown in Figure 42, the separation amount P1 in Example 1 is set to be the same amount on the driving side and the non-driving side. The separation amount P1 can be changed by changing the distance n1 from the pivot axis H of the spacer 151 to the contact surface 151Rc. The separation amount is changed in a similar configuration in the embodiment shown below.

[0219] In this embodiment, as shown in Figure 43, the separation contact mechanism 250-1 of the process cartridge 200-1 is located only on the drive side, and there is no separation contact mechanism on the non-drive side. Figure 43(a) is a perspective view of the process cartridge 200-1 from below on the drive side. Figure 43(b) is a schematic diagram showing the separation amount of the developing roller 106 relative to the photosensitive drum 104 of the process cartridge 200-1.

[0220] As shown in Figure 43, since the separation contact mechanism 250-1 is located only on the drive side, the separation amount P2-1L on the non-drive side becomes smaller than the separation amount P2-1R on the drive side due to the influence of the developing pressure spring (not shown in Figure 43, see 134 in Figure 34). Here, the separation amount P2-1R on the drive side is set to be larger than the separation amount P1 in Example 1 (see Figure 42(b)) so that the separation amount P2-1L on the non-drive side does not become 0, that is, so that the developing roller 106 and the photosensitive drum 104 do not come into contact on the non-drive side.

[0221] This allows for the same effect as in Example 1. Furthermore, the absence of a separation contact mechanism on the non-driving side allows for miniaturization and cost reduction of the process cartridge and the image forming apparatus itself.

[0222] Figure 44 shows another embodiment 1 of this embodiment. In this embodiment, the separation contact mechanism 250-2 of the process cartridge 200-2 is located only on the drive side, and there is no separation contact mechanism on the non-drive side. In this embodiment, when the developing unit 109 is in the separated position, the non-drive end of the developing roller 106 is in contact with the photosensitive drum 104. Figure 44(a) is a perspective view of the process cartridge 200-2 viewed from below on the drive side. Figure 44(b) is a schematic diagram showing the separation amount of the developing roller 106 relative to the photosensitive drum 104 of the process cartridge 200-2.

[0223] Unlike the configuration in Figure 43, in the configuration in Figure 44, the separation amount P2-2R on the drive side is set to be the same as or smaller than the separation amount P1 in Example 1. In this case, the biasing force of the developing pressure spring (not shown in Figure 43, see 134 in Figure 34) causes the developing roller 106 and the photosensitive drum 104 to come into contact on the non-drive side. However, if the contact range m2 on the non-drive side is set to a range that does not enter the image forming area m4, it will not affect the image. However, if the effect on the image is so small that it can be ignored, or if the intended use is one where the effect on the image can be ignored, it is not necessarily required to set the contact range m2 to a range that does not enter the image forming area m4. That is, in such cases, the contact range m2 may be set to a range that enters the image forming area m4.

[0224] As explained above, in this embodiment, by reducing the separation amount compared to the embodiment shown in Figure 43, it is possible to miniaturize the image forming apparatus as described in Example 1. Furthermore, because there is no separation contact mechanism on the non-driving side, it is possible to miniaturize and reduce the cost of the process cartridge and the main body of the image forming apparatus.

[0225] Figure 45 shows another embodiment 2 of this embodiment. In this embodiment, the separation contact mechanism 250-1 of the process cartridge 200-3 is located only on the non-driven side, and there is no separation contact mechanism on the driven side. Figure 45(a) is a perspective view of the process cartridge 200-3 viewed from below on the non-driven side. Figure 45(b) is a schematic diagram showing the separation amount of the developing roller 106 relative to the photosensitive drum 104 of the process cartridge 200-3.

[0226] As shown in Figure 45, since the separation contact mechanism 250-3 is located only on the non-driven side, the separation amount P2-3R on the driven side becomes smaller than the separation amount P2-3L on the non-driven side due to the influence of the drive input gear (not shown in Figure 45, see 132a in Figure 1). Here, the separation amount P2-3L on the non-driven side is set to be larger than the separation amount P1 in Example 1 so that the separation amount P2-3R on the driven side does not become 0, that is, so that the developing roller 106 and the photosensitive drum 104 do not come into contact on the driven side.

[0227] This allows for the same effect as in Example 1. Furthermore, the absence of a separation contact mechanism on the drive side enables miniaturization and cost reduction of the process cartridge and the image forming apparatus itself.

[0228] Figure 46 shows three other embodiments of this embodiment. In this embodiment, the separation contact mechanism 250-4 of the process cartridge 200-4 is located only on the non-drive side, and there is no separation contact mechanism on the drive side. Also, when the developing unit 109 is in the separated position, the drive-side end of the developing roller 106 is in contact with the photosensitive drum 104. Figure 46(a) is a perspective view of the process cartridge 200-4 from below on the drive side. Figure 46(b) is a schematic diagram showing the separation amount of the developing roller 106 relative to the photosensitive drum 104 of the process cartridge 200-4.

[0229] Unlike the configuration in Figure 45, in the configuration in Figure 46, the separation amount P2-4L on the non-driven side is set to be equal to or smaller than the separation amount P1 in Example 1. In this case, due to the influence of the drive input gear (not shown in Figure 46, see 132a in Figure 1), the developing roller 106 and the photosensitive drum 104 come into contact on the driven side. However, if the contact range m5 on the driven side is set to a range that does not enter the image forming area m4, it will not affect the image. Note that the separation amounts on the driven and non-driven sides can be arbitrarily set within a range that does not affect the image.

[0230] As explained above, by reducing the separation amount compared to the configuration shown in Figure 45, it is possible to miniaturize the image forming apparatus as described in Example 1, and also to reduce the cost of the process cartridge.

[0231] In this embodiment, four configurations have been described, and in these configurations, the distance between the driving side and the non-driving side can be arbitrarily set within a range that does not affect the image.

[0232] <Example 3> Next, Example 3 of the present invention will be described using Figures 47 to 55.

[0233] In this embodiment, the configuration and operation that differ from the previously described embodiment will be mainly explained, and the description of the same configuration and operation will be omitted. Also, for configurations corresponding to the previously described embodiment, the same reference numeral or the first part of the numeral will be changed, and the second part of the numeral and letters will be the same. In this embodiment, the configuration and operation of the moving member differ mainly from that of Embodiment 1. Note that spacer 351L has the same configuration as spacer 151L.

[0234] [Configuration of movable members] First, the configuration of the moving member will be explained using the non-driven side as an example. Figure 47 is a diagram illustrating the disassembly and assembly of the non-driven moving member 352L. In this embodiment 3, the moving member corresponding to the moving member 152L in embodiment 1 is divided into two parts and connected. Specifically, as shown in Figure 47, the moving member 352L is divided into an upper moving member 352L1 and a lower moving member 352L2. The lower moving member 352L2 is provided with a shaft 352L2a. Also, as shown in Figure 48(a), the lower moving member 352L2 has a protruding part 352Lh that can protrude from the developing unit in the ZA direction, and the protruding part 352Lh is provided with a first force receiving part (retraction force receiving part, separation force receiving part) 352Lk and a second force receiving part (contact force receiving part) 352Ln. The upper moving member 352L1 has an open part 352L1d on the surface facing the lower moving member 352L2. Furthermore, the upper movable member 352L1 has a separation-time pressing portion 352L1q that presses against the non-driven bearing 327.

[0235] Furthermore, the upper movable member 352L1 is provided with a pair of elongated holes 352L1h flanking an open portion 352L1d. The lower movable member 352L2 is provided with a spring retaining portion 352L2b. One end of the compression spring 352Lsp is fitted into the spring retaining portion 352L2b, the other end is inserted through the open portion 352L1d and supported by a retaining portion (not shown) further inside, and then the respective shafts 352L2a are fitted into the respective elongated holes 352L1h. At this time, the tip portion 352L1a is widened during assembly, so 352L is preferably made of plastic. If 352L is made of a hard material, the shafts 352L2a and 352L2 may be made as separate parts. For example, the shaft 352L2a may be press-fitted into 352L2 at the end of assembly.

[0236] In this configuration, the upper movable member 352L1 and the lower movable member 352L2 are connected by an oval hole 352L1h and a pair of shafts 352L2a, and the upper movable member 352L1 is biased away from the lower movable member 352L2 by a compression spring 352Lsp. Furthermore, the lower movable member 352L2 is configured to be rotatable around the shaft 352L2a relative to the upper movable member 352L1. It is also configured to be relatively movable relative to the upper movable member 352L1 in the direction along the oval hole 352L1h2.

[0237] [Explanation of the operation of the movable parts] Next, the operation of the movable member 352L will be explained using Figures 48(a) to (d). As explained in the first embodiment, after the process cartridge 300 has been inserted into the image forming apparatus body 170, the movable member 352L is pressed by the cartridge pressing unit 190 in conjunction with the closing of the front door 11. The operation of the movable member 352L at that time will be explained.

[0238] Figures 48(a) and (b) show the state in which the movable member 352L is not pressed by the cartridge pressing mechanism 190 (free state), while Figures 48(c) and (d) show the state in which the movable member 352L is pressed by the cartridge pressing mechanism 190 (locked state).

[0239] First, using Figures 48(a) and (b), we will explain the state in which the movable member 352L is not being pressed by the cartridge pressing mechanism 190 (free state). As shown in Figure 48(b), the lower movable member 352L2 has a groove formed between arc-shaped guide ribs 327g1 and 327g2 centered on the pivot axis HE, which are provided on the non-drive side bearing 327, and the shaft 352L2a fits into the groove.

[0240] The upper movable member 352L1 is movable in the longitudinal and ZA directions of the oval hole 352L1h2, and is pivotable around the shaft HE, by fitting the oval hole 352L1h2 onto the shaft HE of the bearing 327. As previously described, the lower movable member 352L2 is pivotable around the shaft portion 352L2a relative to the upper movable member 352L1. The cartridge pressing mechanism 190 pushes the upper movable member 352L1, allowing the upper movable member 352L1 to move closer to the lower movable member 352L2.

[0241] With the above configuration, when the movable member 352L is not being pressed by the cartridge pressing mechanism 190 (free state), as shown in Figure 48(a), the lower movable member 352L2 can swing in the directions of arrows θu and θu' with a rotation radius Rx around the shaft portion 352L2a as the center of rotation. Therefore, even if the first force receiving portion (retraction force receiving portion, separation force receiving portion) 352Lk and the second force receiving portion (contact force receiving portion) 352Ln of the lower movable member 352L2 receive force and swing in the directions of arrows θu and θu', the force is not transmitted to the separation pressing portion 352L1q that presses the non-driven side bearing 327 of the upper movable member 352L1.

[0242] Next, using Figures 48(c) and (d), the operation of the movable member 352L in the state where it is being pressed by the cartridge pressing mechanism 190 (locked state) will be explained. When the upper movable member 352L1 is pushed down by the cartridge pressing mechanism 190, the upper movable member 352L1 moves toward the lower movable member 352L2 against the biasing force of the spring 352Lsp, and as shown in Figures 48(c), (d) and 57, the engaging portion (square shaft portion) 352L1a fits into the engaged portion (square hole portion) 352L2h, and the upper movable member 352L1 and the lower movable member 352L2 become one unit. In other words, the oscillation of the lower movable member 352L2 around the shaft portion 352L2a is restricted relative to the upper movable member 352L1. In this state, the integrated movable member 352L, as shown in Figure 48(c), can pivot in the directions of arrows θw and θw' with a rotation radius Ry shown in Figure 48(c), while the axis 352L2a moves along the groove formed between the arc-shaped guide ribs 327g1 and 327g2 shown in Figure 48(d), with the pivot axis HE as the center of rotation. As will be described in detail later, when pressed by the cartridge pressing mechanism 190, the movable member 352L can move in the same way as the movable member 152L in Embodiment 1.

[0243] Furthermore, when not being pressed by the pressing mechanism 190, the lower moving member 352L2 can swing with a rotation radius Rx smaller than the rotation radius Ry mentioned above (see Figure 48(a)).

[0244] Furthermore, the spacer (holding member) 351L is biased to rotate clockwise at the 351Lf portion by a biasing member 153 (not shown in this embodiment for simplicity) in the same configuration as in Embodiment 1.

[0245] [Installing the process cartridge into the image forming machine body] Next, the operation of the movable member 352L during process cartridge insertion in Example 3 will be explained using Figures 49(a) to (d). Figure 49(a) shows the state in which the process cartridge 300 is being inserted into the image forming apparatus body 170. Figure 49(b) shows the state in which the process cartridge 300 is being removed from the image forming apparatus body 170. Figure 49(c) shows the state immediately after the process cartridge 300 has been inserted into the image forming apparatus body 170.

[0246] As mentioned above, when the upper movable member 352L1 is not pressed (free state), the lower movable member 352L2 can swing about the shaft portion 352L2a as the center of rotation, as shown in Figure 49(e). In this embodiment, the lower movable member 352L2 is in the same position as the normally protruding position of the movable member 152 in Embodiment 1 (see Figure 35). Therefore, as in Embodiment 1, when inserting the process cartridge 300 mounted on a cartridge tray 171 (not shown) into the image forming apparatus body 170 in the direction of arrow X1, the separation control member 196L and the lower movable member 352L2 interfere with each other.

[0247] However, with the above configuration, as shown in Figure 49(a), the lower movable member 352L2 swings in the direction of arrow θu' with the shaft portion 352L2a as the center of rotation, thus avoiding interference between the separation control member 196L and the lower movable member 352L2 that would prevent insertion into the device body 170.

[0248] At this time, the lower moving member 352L2 presses against the spacer 351L by swinging in the direction of arrow θu', moving from the separated holding position to the separated release position, and the developing unit 109 moves to the developing position (contact position). However, after that, when the power of the image forming apparatus main body 170 is turned on, the separated control member 196L performs a reciprocating motion in the W42 direction and the W41 direction, so when the image forming preparation is complete, the developing unit 109 returns to the separated position (retracted position) again.

[0249] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 50(a), when the cartridge tray 171 has been fully inserted into the main body 170 of the device, the lower moving member 352L2 may come into contact with the separation control member 196L and stop at an intermediate position without reaching the state shown in Figure 50(b). A method to reliably avoid this state will be explained using Figures 50 and 51.

[0250] First, as shown in Figure 51(a), a protrusion 352L1p, which serves as a rotation assist portion, is provided on the upper moving member 352L1. In addition, a slope 352L2s is provided on the lower moving member 352L2. When the upper moving member 352L1 descends, this protrusion 352L1p comes into contact with the slope 352L2s, causing the lower moving member 352L2 to rotate in the direction of arrow θu. In this way, as shown in Figure 50(a), the lower moving member 352L2 rotates in the direction of arrow θu, and rotates to the position shown in Figure 50(b) while pushing down the separation control member 196L in the direction of arrow θu.

[0251] Next, when the process cartridge 300 is inserted into the image forming apparatus body 170 and the front door 11 is closed, the movable member 352L is pushed down in the direction of arrow ZA shown in Figure 52(a) by the cartridge pressing mechanism 190 (see Figure 37, etc.). Then, as shown in Figure 52(b), the engaging portion (square shaft portion) 352L1a fits into the engaged portion (square hole portion) 352L2h. In other words, the upper movable member 352L1 and the lower movable member 352L2 become one unit and perform substantially the same role as the movable member 152L of Embodiment 1.

[0252] [Removal of process cartridge from image forming machine] Conversely, as shown in Figure 49(b), when removing the process cartridge 300 in the direction of arrow X2 outside the main body of the image forming apparatus, the separation control member 196L and the lower moving member 352L2 interfere with each other.

[0253] However, as mentioned above, since the movable member 352L1 is in a free state, when the lower movable member 352L2 receives force from the first force receiving part (retraction force receiving part, separation force receiving part) 352Lk, it swings in the direction of arrow θu with the shaft part 352L2a as the center of rotation. However, the force received by the first force receiving part (retraction force receiving part, separation force receiving part) 352Lk is not transmitted to the separation pressing part 352L1q of the upper movable member 352L1 that presses against the non-driven bearing 327 of the developing unit 109. In other words, the movable member 352L1 cannot move the developing unit 109. This state is a transmission release state in which the transmission of pressing force is released. Therefore, it is possible to avoid interference between the separation control member 196L and the lower movable member 352L2, which would prevent it from being removed from the inside of the device body 170. Note that this embodiment describes a process cartridge used in a color image forming apparatus. Therefore, there are four process cartridges and four separation control members. As a result, the operation shown in Figure 49 may be repeated up to four times depending on the station.

[0254] Furthermore, the lower movable member 352L2 is configured to return to the neutral position shown in Figure 49(d) (the position where the angle between the upper movable member 352L1 and the lower movable member 352L2 shown in Figure 56 is θt = 0°) from the position shown in Figure 49(c) by the restoring force of the compression spring 352Lsp.

[0255] [Contact and separation movement of the developing unit] Figure 53(a) shows the moment of contact between the developing roller 106 and the photosensitive drum 104, Figure 53(b) shows the separation movement of the developing unit 109, and Figure 53(c) shows details of the moving member 352. The moving member 352L is in a locked state and is in a state in which it can perform substantially the same role as the moving member 152L shown in Embodiment 1. For this reason, the moving member 352L receives force from the separation control member 196L and acts on the spacer 351L to release the separation. Note that the member that contacts the spacer 351L can be either the upper moving member 352L1 or the lower moving member 352L2. In other words, the contact pressing part that presses the spacer 351L during the contact movement only needs to be provided on at least one of the upper moving member 352L1 and the lower moving member 352L2. Furthermore, when separating, the developing frame 325 receives a force from the separation control member 196L, and the separation pressing portion 352L1q of the upper moving member 352L1, which is integrated with the lower moving member 352L2, comes into contact with the shaft portion 327a, causing the entire developing frame 325 to swing. This state is a transmission state in which the force received by the first force receiving portion 352Lk is transmitted to the separation pressing portion 352L1q, and the non-driving side bearing 237 is moved so that the developing unit 109 moves from the developing position to the retracted position. Then, the spacer 351L moves in the same manner as in Embodiment 1, maintaining the separated state.

[0256] [Configuration of the drive-side separation contact mechanism] Figure 54 is an external view showing the configuration of the drive side of the developing unit portion of the process cartridge 300. In this embodiment, the configuration was explained using the separation contact mechanism on the non-drive side, but the configuration on the drive side is similar, so a detailed explanation is omitted. The drive side moving member 352R is the same member as the moving member 152R in Embodiment 1, and, similar to the non-drive side moving member 352L, it is configured by connecting the upper moving member 352R1 and the lower moving member 352R2.

[0257] [Separation contact mechanism for the driving and non-driving sides] Figure 55 is a perspective view of the process cartridge 300 as seen from the developer side. In this embodiment, as shown in Figure 55(a), the movable member 352L is arranged on the non-driven side and the movable member 352R is arranged on the driven side. In other configurations, as shown in Figure 55(b), the movable member 352L may be provided only on the non-driven side. Also, as shown in Figure 55(c), the movable member 352R may be provided only on the driven side.

[0258] According to the configuration of this embodiment described above, the same effects as in Embodiment 1 can be obtained.

[0259] In this embodiment, the lower movable member 352L2, which includes a first force receiving portion (retraction force receiving portion, separation force receiving portion) 352Lk and a second force receiving portion (contact force receiving portion) 352Ln, is made movable relative to the upper movable member 352L1 and other parts of the process cartridge 300. In this embodiment, the movement causes the first force receiving portion 352Lk and the second force receiving portion 352Ln to be displaced in the ZA direction, thereby displacing them at least in directions VD1 (Figure 40, etc.), VD10 (Figure 236, etc.), VD12 (Figure 238), and VD14 (Figure 239). The movable member 352L2 can be switched between a movable state (free state) and a state fixed to the upper movable member 352L1 (locked state) depending on the position of the upper movable member 352L1. This makes it possible to avoid interference between the lower moving member 352L2 and the device body 170, particularly the separation control member 196L, which would prevent insertion or removal of the process cartridge 300 when inserting or removing it from the device body 170, by maintaining the free state described above.

[0260] <Example 4> Next, Example 4 will be described using Figures 58 to 66.

[0261] In this embodiment, we will mainly describe configurations and operations that differ from those of the previously described embodiment, and will omit descriptions of similar configurations and operations. Furthermore, for configurations corresponding to those of the previously described embodiment, the same reference numerals or the first part of the numerals will be changed, and the second part of the numerals and letters will be the same. Note that spacer 651L has the same configuration as spacer 151L.

[0262] [Configuration of movable members] First, the configuration of the moving member will be explained using the non-driven side as an example. Figure 58 is a diagram illustrating the disassembly and assembly of the non-driven moving member 652L described in Example 6. In this Example 6, the moving member corresponding to the moving member 152L in Example 1 is configured to avoid the separation control member 196L in the longitudinal direction (Y1, Y2 direction) during the process of inserting and removing the process cartridge 600 into and out of the image forming apparatus body 170, as shown in Figure 62. The Y1 and Y2 directions are parallel to the rotation axis M1 of the photosensitive drum 104 and the rotation axis M2 of the developing roller 106 in Example 1. The insertion and removal of the moving member while avoiding the separation control member 196L will be described later.

[0263] The specific configuration of the movable member 652L is a two-part configuration consisting of an upper movable member 652L1 and a lower movable member 652L2, as shown in Figure 58. Figure 58(a) shows the state of the upper movable member 652L1 and the lower movable member 652L2 before assembly. Figures 58(b) and (c) show the state of the upper movable member 652L1 and the lower movable member 652L2 after assembly. The upper movable member 652L1 is provided with a pair of elongated oval holes 652L1h facing each other in the X1 and X2 directions in the portion where it overlaps with the lower movable member 652L2 in the direction of inserting and removing the process cartridge from the image forming apparatus body (X1 and X2 directions, see Figure 62). The lower movable member 652L2 is provided with an axis 652L2a. As shown in Figure 48(a), the lower movable member 652L2 is provided with a protruding portion 652Lh that can protrude from the developing unit in the ZA direction, and the protruding portion 652Lh is provided with a first force receiving portion (retraction force receiving portion, separation force receiving portion) 652Lk and a second force receiving portion (contact force receiving portion) 652Ln. A compression spring 652Lsp is provided between the upper movable member 652L1 and the lower movable member 652L2. One end of the compression spring 652Lsp is supported by the upper holding portion 652L1d of the upper movable member 652L1, and the other end is seated on the seating surface 652L2c of the lower holding portion 652L2b, and then assembled so that the shaft 652L2a fits into the elongated hole 652L1h.

[0264] When assembling the movable member 652L in this manner, the shaft 652L2a is fitted into the elongated hole 652L1h, and the tip 652L1a of the upper movable member 652L1 is widened during assembly, so a plastic material is preferable. If the movable member 652L is made of a hard material, the shaft 652L2a and the lower movable member 652L2 may be constructed as separate parts. For example, the shaft 652L2a may be press-fitted into the lower movable member 652L2 at the end of the assembly.

[0265] Figure 59 is a perspective view of the two-part configuration consisting of the upper moving member 652L1 and the lower moving member 652L2. (The compression spring 652Lsp is not shown.) The assembled movable member 652L can take on two states: 1. The shaft 652L2a of the lower movable member 652L2 is located away from the upper holding part 652L1d relative to the center of the oval hole 652L1h of the upper holding part 652L1d, as shown in Figures 58(b) and 59(a). 2. The shaft 652L2a of the lower movable member 652L2 is located close to the upper holding part 652L1d relative to the center of the oval hole 652L1h of the upper holding part 652L1d, as shown in Figures 58(c) and 59(b).

[0266] In the state shown in Figures 58(b) and 59(a), where the shaft 652L2a is located away from the upper holding portion 652L1d relative to the center of the oval hole 652L1h, the lower moving member 652L2 supports only the shaft 652L2a relative to the upper moving member 652L1 and is able to swing around the shaft 652L2a in the directions of arrows Y3 and Y4 (free state). In this free state, for example, the force of the compression spring 652Lsp provided between the upper holding portion 652L1d and the seating surface 652L2c of the lower holding portion 652L2b of the upper moving member 652L1 keeps the lower moving member 652L2 able to swing while supporting only the shaft 652L2a relative to the upper moving member 652L1.

[0267] When the shaft 652L2a shown in Figures 58(c) and 59(b) is positioned close to the upper holding portion 652L1d relative to the center of the oval hole 652L1h, the tip portion 652L1a of the upper moving member 652L1 enters the rectangular hole portion 652L2h, and the oscillation of the lower moving member 652L2 around the shaft 652L2a is restricted (locked state). This locked state is the configuration when the upper moving member 652L1 is pressed from the image forming apparatus body, as will be described later, and the upper moving member 652L1 and the lower moving member 652L2 become one unit.

[0268] [Explanation of the operation of the movable parts] Next, the operation of the movable member 652L will be explained using Figures 60(a) to (d). As explained in Example 1, after the process cartridge 600 has been inserted into the image forming apparatus body 170, the movable member 652L is pressed by the cartridge pressing unit 190 in conjunction with the closing of the front door 11. The operation of the movable member 652L at that time will be explained. Figures 60(a), (b) and 61(a) show the free state as explained in Figures 58(b) and 59(a), in which the movable member 652L is not pressed by the cartridge pressing mechanism 190 inside the image forming apparatus body. Figures 60(c), (d) and 61(b) show the locked state as shown in Figures 58(c) and 59(b), in which the movable member 652L is pressed by the cartridge pressing mechanism 190 inside the image forming apparatus body.

[0269] First, using Figures 60(a) and (b), we will explain the state in which the attachment member 652L is not being pressed by the cartridge pressing mechanism 190 (free state). In the process cartridge 600, the upper moving member 652L1 is movable in the longitudinal and ZA directions of the elongated hole 652L1h2, and is also pivotable around the axis HE, as the elongated hole 652L1h2 is fitted onto the pivot axis HE of the bearing 627. At this time, the lower moving member 652L2 is pivotable around the shaft portion 652L2a relative to the upper moving member 652L1, as described above.

[0270] In this swingable state (free state), the lower movable member 652L2 avoids engagement with the separation control member 196L that engages with the movable member described in Example 1 when inserting or removing it from the image forming apparatus body described later. For example, as shown in Figure 60(b) and Figure 63, which is an enlargement of the seating surface 652L2c shown in Figure 60(b), the lower movable member 652L2 is held in a swinging state in the Y3 direction relative to the upper movable member 652L1 by the biasing force of the compression spring 652Lsp, thereby avoiding engagement. To this end, the seating surface 652L2c of the lower movable member 652L2 is made to face the upper holding portion 652L1d of the upper movable member 652L1 when the lower movable member 652L2 is swinging in the Y3 direction. As a result, the elastic force of the compression spring 652Lsp provided between the upper moving member 652L1 and the lower moving member 652L2 causes a moment to act on the lower moving member 652L2 in the Y3 direction around the shaft portion 652L2a so that the seating surface 652L2c faces the upper holding portion 652L1d, thereby maintaining the oscillating state.

[0271] Next, using Figures 60(c) and (d), we will explain the operation of the movable member 652L when it is being pressed by the cartridge pressing mechanism 190 (locked state).

[0272] The upper moving member 652L1 moves toward the lower moving member 652L2 against the spring 652Lsp by pushing down the cartridge pressing mechanism 190. The lower moving member 652L2 is biased in the direction that the cartridge pressing mechanism 190 pushes down by the shaft 652L2a contacting the arc-shaped guide rib 627g of the bearing 627. Then, as shown in Figures 60(c)(d) and 61(b), the tip 652L1a of the upper moving member 652L1, which has moved toward the lower moving member 652L2, enters the square hole 652L2h, causing the lower moving member 652L2 to swing around the shaft 652L2a, and as described above, the upper moving member 652L1 and the lower moving member 652L2 become one unit. In this state, the integrated moving member 652L pivots in the X4 and X5 directions with a rotation radius Rx around the moving member pivot axis HE as the center of rotation, as shown in Figure 60(c). In this state, when a force is received at the first force receiving part (retraction force receiving part, separation force receiving part) 652Lk, the moving member 652L rotates in the X4 direction, and the separation pressing part 652Lq presses against the arc-shaped guide rib 627g, which is the part of the bearing 627 that is pressed when separated. This allows the developing unit 109 to be moved from the developing position towards the retraction position. In this state, when a force is received at the second force receiving part (contact force receiving part) 652Ln, the moving member 652L rotates in the X5 direction, and the contact pressing part 652Lr presses against the part of the spacer 651L that is pressed when contacting 621Le. This allows the spacer 651L to be moved from the restricted position (first position) to the allowable position (second position). In this manner, the movable member 652L being in a locked state means that the forces received by the first force receiving part (retraction force receiving part, separation force receiving part) 652Lk and the second force receiving part (contact force receiving part) 652Ln can be transmitted to the separation pressing part 652Lq and the contact pressing part 652Lr, respectively.

[0273] As will be described in detail later, when pressed by the cartridge pressing mechanism 190, the movable member 652L can move in the same way as the movable member 152L in Embodiment 1. The spacer (holding member) 651L is biased to rotate clockwise at the 651Lf portion by a biasing member 153 (not shown in this embodiment for simplicity) in the same configuration as in Embodiment 1.

[0274] [Installing the process cartridge into the image forming machine body] Next, the operation of the movable member 652L during process cartridge insertion in the sixth embodiment will be explained using Figures 62(a) to (d). Figure 62(a) is a longitudinal view showing the process cartridge 600 in the process of being inserted into or removed from the image forming apparatus body 170. Figure 62(b) is a longitudinal view showing the process cartridge 600 in the process of being inserted into or removed from the image forming apparatus body 170. Figure 62(c) is a longitudinal view showing the process cartridge 600 inserted into the image forming apparatus body 170 with the front door 11 closed. Figure 62(d) is a longitudinal view showing the process cartridge 600 inserted into the image forming apparatus body 170 with the front door 11 closed. As described above, when the upper movable member 652L1 is not pressed (free state), the lower movable member 652L2 can swing about the shaft portion 652L2a as the center of rotation, as shown in Figure 58(b).

[0275] As shown in Figures 62(a) and (b), when inserting a cartridge tray 171 (not shown) with a process cartridge 600 into the image forming apparatus body 170 in the direction of arrow X1, or removing it in the direction of arrow X2, the tip portion of the lower moving member 652L2 is retracted in the longitudinal direction (Y1 direction) relative to the separation control member 196L during insertion and removal. This is because the lower moving member 652L2 is held in the state shown in Figures 58(b) and 59(a) by the action of the compression spring 652Lsp.

[0276] However, it is not necessarily required that the tip portion of the lower movable member 652L2 be held in a retracted state in the longitudinal direction (Y1 direction). Another configuration is shown in Figure 64. Figure 64(a) is a view from the longitudinal direction showing the process cartridge 600 in the process of being inserted into or removed from the image forming apparatus body 170. Figure 64(b) is a view from the insertion direction showing the process cartridge 600 in the process of being inserted into or removed from the image forming apparatus body 170. Figure 64(c) is a QQ cross-sectional view shown in Figure 64(b). Figure 64(d) is a QQ cross-sectional view showing the process cartridge 600 further inserted in the X1 direction from the state in Figure 64(c).

[0277] In the configuration shown in Figure 64, the inclined surface 653L2d of the lower moving member 653L2 is made to collide with the separation control member 196L, and the separation control member 196L and the lower moving member 653L2 are in an overlapping state in the Y1 and Y2 directions as shown in Figure 64(c) due to the force in the insertion and removal direction (X1 and X2 directions). Then, as shown in Figure 64(d), the lower moving member 653L2 comes into contact with the separation control member 196L, causing the tip portion of the lower moving member 652L2 to retract in the longitudinal direction (Y1 direction). In this way, when inserting or removing the process cartridge 600 from the image forming apparatus body 170, the moving member 652L is in a free state.

[0278] This embodiment describes the process cartridges used in a color image forming apparatus. Therefore, there are four process cartridges and four separation control members. As a result, the operation shown in Figure 62 may be repeated up to four times depending on the station.

[0279] Next, as shown in Figures 62(c) and (d), when the process cartridge 600 is inserted into the image forming apparatus body 170 and the front door 11 is closed, the movable member 652L is pushed down in the direction of arrow Z2 by the cartridge pressing mechanism 190, as described above. As a result, the lower movable member 652L2, which was previously pivotable, becomes immobile relative to the upper movable member 652L1, and they become integrated (locked). In this state, the movable member plays substantially the same role as the movable member 152 shown in Embodiment 1.

[0280] [Configuration of the drive-side separation contact mechanism] Figure 65 is an external view showing the configuration of the drive side of the developing unit portion of the process cartridge 600. Figure 66 is a perspective view of the process cartridge 600. In this embodiment, the configuration was explained using the separation contact mechanism on the non-drive side, but the configuration on the drive side is similar, so a detailed explanation is omitted. The drive side moving member 652R is a member corresponding to the moving member 152R in Embodiment 1, and, similar to the non-drive side moving member 652L, it is configured by connecting the upper moving member 652R1 and the lower moving member 652R2.

[0281] [Separation contact mechanism for the driving and non-driving sides] In this embodiment, the movable member 652L is arranged on the non-driven side and the movable member 652R is arranged on the driven side. In other configurations, the movable member 652L may be provided only on the non-driven side. Alternatively, the movable member 652R may be provided only on the driven side.

[0282] According to the configuration of this embodiment described above, the same effects as in Embodiment 1 can be obtained.

[0283] In this embodiment, the lower movable member 652L2, which includes a first force receiving portion (retraction force receiving portion, separation force receiving portion) 652Lk and a second force receiving portion (contact force receiving portion) 652Ln, is made movable relative to the upper movable member 652L1 and other parts of the process cartridge 600. In this embodiment, the movement causes the first force receiving portion 652Lk and the second force receiving portion 652Ln to be displaced at least in the Y1 direction (a direction parallel to the rotation axis M1 and rotation axis M2 in Embodiment 1). The lower movable member 652L2 can be switched between a movable state (free state) and a fixed state relative to the upper movable member 652L1 (locked state) depending on the position of the upper movable member 652L1. This makes it possible to avoid interference between the lower moving member 652L2 and the device body 170, particularly the separation control member 196L, which would prevent insertion or removal of the process cartridge 600 when it is inserted into or removed from the device body 170, by maintaining the free state described above.

[0284] <Example 5> Next, Example 5 of the present invention will be described using Figures 67 to 72.

[0285] In this embodiment, we will mainly describe configurations and operations that differ from those of the previously described embodiment, and will omit descriptions of similar configurations and operations. Furthermore, for configurations corresponding to those of the previously described embodiment, the same reference numerals or the first part of the numerals will be changed, and the second part of the numerals and letters will be the same.

[0286] In this embodiment, a configuration is described in which the moving member 452 of the separation and contact mechanism of the process cartridge 400 operates without moving from a stored position to a protruding position within the developing unit 109. Although the moving member does not move from the stored position to the protruding position, it performs a similar function through the vertical movement of the developing unit 109 or the process cartridge 400. Note that when the image forming apparatus body 170 is installed on a horizontal plane, the vertical directions are the Z1 direction and the Z2 direction.

[0287] [Process Cartridge 400 Configuration] The process cartridge 400 has a separation contact mechanism 450R on the drive side and a separation contact mechanism 450L on the non-drive side. Regarding the separation contact mechanisms, the details of the separation contact mechanism 450R on the drive side will be explained first, followed by the explanation of the separation contact mechanism 450L on the non-drive side. Furthermore, since the separation contact mechanisms on the drive and non-drive sides have almost identical functions, the symbols of each component on the drive side are denoted with "R". On the non-drive side, the symbols of each component are the same as those on the drive side, with "L" added to the end.

[0288] Figure 67 shows an assembled perspective view of the drive side of the process cartridge 400, including the separation contact mechanism 450R. The separation contact mechanism 450R includes a spacer 151R which is a regulating member (holding member), a movable member 452R which is a pressing member, and a tension spring 153. The movable member 452R is provided with a support receiving portion 452Ra which is a round through hole. As shown in Figure 69, the movable member 452R is also provided with a protruding portion 452Rh which can protrude from the developing unit in the ZA direction, and the protruding portion 452Rh is provided with a first force receiving portion (retraction force receiving portion, separation force receiving portion) 452Rk and a second force receiving portion (contact force receiving portion) 452Rn. The movable member 452R is pivotably attached to the second retaining portion 428m of the developing cover member 428.

[0289] The developing support member 401R is attached to the end face of the developing cover member 428. The developing support member 401R is provided with a support cylinder 410Ra, a support spring receiving portion 401b, and a positioning receiving portion 401Rc. The developing support member 401R is attached by the inner surface of the support cylinder 401Ra fitting with the cylindrical portion 428b of the developing cover member 428. The outer surface of the support cylinder 401Ra is supported so as to be movable in the ZA direction in the developing unit support hole 416a of the drive-side cartridge cover member 416, which constitutes part of the drum frame of the drum unit 408. The developing support member 401R is also provided with a slide guide 401Re. The slide guide 401Re is positioned in the correct orientation by fitting with a guide projection 416e provided on the drive-side cartridge cover member 416 and restricting its movement so as to be movable in the groove direction. The groove of the slide guide 401Re is parallel to the ZA direction in which the developing unit 409, which will be described later, moves up and down. The support method will be described further later.

[0290] One end of the developing support spring 402 is attached to the drive-side cartridge cover member 416. The other end of the developing support spring 402 is positioned in contact with the support spring receiving portion 401Rb of the assembled developing support member 401R. As a result, the developing support spring 402 applies a force to the drive-side cartridge cover member 416 that lifts the developing support member 401R in the opposite direction to the ZA direction.

[0291] Figure 68 shows an assembled perspective view of the non-driven side of the process cartridge 400, including the separation contact mechanism 450L. The assembly state of the separation contact mechanism 450L will be explained later.

[0292] The non-drive side bearing member 427 is fixed to the developing frame 125 and rotatably supports the developing roller 106 and the toner transport roller 107. The non-drive side bearing member 427 has a support cylindrical portion 427a for supporting the developing support member 401L, a support portion 427b for supporting the spacer 151L, and a support portion 427f for supporting the movable member 452L. As shown in Figure 70, the movable member 452R has a protruding portion 452Lh that can protrude from the developing unit in the ZA direction, and the protruding portion 452Rh is provided with a first force receiving portion (retraction force receiving portion, separation force receiving portion) 452Lk and a second force receiving portion (contact force receiving portion) 452Ln.

[0293] The developing support member 401L is supported by fitting its elongated hole 401Lb into the support cylindrical portion 427a of the non-drive side bearing member 427. This elongated hole is provided in the non-drive side support portion 401Lb to allow for misalignment due to manufacturing tolerances between the drive side and the non-drive side at the location supporting the developing unit 409.

[0294] The developing support member 401L has a cylindrical portion 401La that covers the oval hole 401Lb. The cylindrical portion 401La is supported by the developing unit support hole 417a of the non-drive side cartridge cover member 417.

[0295] Furthermore, the developing support member 401L is provided with a guide projection 401Le. The guide projection 401Le engages with a groove-shaped slide guide 417e provided on the non-drive side cartridge cover member 417, and its movement is restricted so that it can move in the longitudinal direction of the groove (ZA direction), thereby positioning it in the correct orientation. The slide guide 417e has a groove parallel to the ZA direction in which the developing unit 409, which will be described later, moves up and down. The support method will be described further later.

[0296] The developing support member 401L receives an upward force from the developing support spring 402, lifting it in the direction of arrow Z1 relative to the non-driven cartridge cover member 417.

[0297] Figure 69 shows a side view of the process cartridge 400 as seen from the drive side, and Figure 70 shows a side view as seen from the non-drive side.

[0298] The drive mechanism in its assembled state will be explained using Figure 69.

[0299] The developing unit 409 is supported by the support cylinder 401Ra of the developing support member 401R, which is supported by the developing unit support hole 416a of the drive-side cartridge cover member 416. The developing unit support hole 416a is an elongated oval hole in the direction of arrow ZA. This allows the developing support member 401R to move within the developing unit support hole 416a in the ZA direction and the opposite direction. The developing support spring 402 is shown as a dashed line in perspective. The developing support spring 402 pushes the support spring receiving portion 401b of the developing support member 401R upward in the opposite direction of ZA. Since the developing support member 401R supporting the developing unit 409 is pushed upward in the opposite direction of ZA, the developing unit 409 is lifted up in the opposite direction of ZA within the drive-side cartridge cover member 416.

[0300] This diagram shows the process cartridge 400 outside the main body 170 of the apparatus, with the photosensitive drum and developing roller separated. As in other embodiments, the spacer 151R contacts the contact surface 416c of the drive-side cartridge cover member 416, restricting the developing unit 109 from approaching the photosensitive drum.

[0301] The non-drive side mechanism in its assembled state will be explained using Figure 70. The support cylinder 401La of the developing support member 401L is supported by the developing unit support hole 417a of the non-drive side cartridge cover member 417. The developing unit support hole 417a supports the support cylinder 402La movably by two surfaces 417a1 and 417a2 that are parallel to the same ZA direction as the elongated hole direction of the support hole 416a on the drive side. In addition, the amount of movement of the developing support member 401L is restricted by the lower restricting surface 417a3. The non-drive side cartridge cover member 417 supports the developing support member 410L movably in the ZA direction and the opposite direction by the developing unit support hole 417a.

[0302] The developing support spring 402L pushes the developing support member 401L in the opposite direction to the ZA direction of the support spring receiving portion 401Lb. Since the developing support member 401L supporting the developing unit 409 is pushed up in the opposite direction to the ZA direction, the developing unit 409 is lifted up in the opposite direction to the ZA direction within the non-drive side cartridge cover member 417.

[0303] [Operation when installing the process cartridge into the main unit of the device] Next, the operation of mounting the process cartridge 400 onto the apparatus body 170 will be described using Figure 71. Figure 71 is a side view of the process cartridge 400 and the parts of the apparatus body 170 involved in mounting, as seen from the drive side. Figure 71(a) shows the process cartridge 400 being mounted while moving in the direction of arrow X1 between the pressing mechanism 191 of the apparatus body 170 above and the developing separation control unit 195 below. Note that the operating mechanism of the pressing mechanism 191 (a mechanism that moves in the Z1 and Z2 directions in conjunction with the opening and closing of the front door 11) is the same as in Embodiment 1, so a detailed explanation is omitted. The moving member 452R has advanced to just before the separation control member 196R. The process cartridge 400 moves while resting on the tray 171 shown in Figure 5, but to simplify the figure, the entire tray 171 is not shown, and only the part that supports the drive-side cartridge cover member 416 is shown with a dashed line.

[0304] Figure 71(b) shows the process cartridge 400 moving in the X1 direction and the moving member 452R being above the separation control member 196. In the process from Figure 71(a) to Figure 71(b), the moving member 452R is lifted up in the direction of arrow Z1 together with the developing unit 409 and is in the storage position (standby position), so it does not collide with the separation control member 196R.

[0305] Figure 71(c) shows the process cartridge 400 having advanced to the mounting position on the image forming apparatus body 170 in the X1 direction. It also shows the pressing mechanism 191 beginning to push the pressed portion 401Rc of the developing support member 401 in the direction of arrow Z2. As the developing support member 401 is pushed by the pressing mechanism 191 at least in the Z2 direction, the entire developing unit 409 moves in the ZA direction (predetermined direction), and the moving member 452R also moves in the ZA direction (predetermined direction) to reach a protruding position (operating position) that has entered the space 196Rd of the separation control member 196. At this time, the developing support spring 402, as explained in Figure 69, is compressed by the force from the pressing mechanism 191. The developing support member 401 then moves in the ZA direction along the oval hole of the developing unit support hole 416a. The ZA direction is perpendicular to the X1 direction.

[0306] Figure 71(d) shows the state after the pressing mechanism 191 has moved further in the direction of arrow Z2 from the state shown in Figure 71(c). The pressing mechanism 191 presses and pushes down the positioning receiving portion 410Rc of the developing support member 401 in the direction of arrow Z2. As a result, the entire developing unit 409 is pushed down in the direction of arrow ZA, and the moving member 452R enters the space 196Rd of the separation control member 196. In this state, the mounting of the process cartridge 400 to the main body 170 of the apparatus is completed.

[0307] At this time, the spring force of the developing support spring 402 in the opposite direction to the ZA direction is set lower than the pressing force of the pressing mechanism 191. Furthermore, while it is desirable to position the developing support spring 402 so that it expands and contracts in the ZA direction, it is also possible to position it so that it expands and contracts in other directions, including the ZA direction component, if the spring force is set appropriately.

[0308] The procedure for removing the process cartridge 400 from the main unit 170 is the reverse of the procedure for installation described above, so a detailed explanation is omitted.

[0309] [Contact and separation movements of the developing unit] The operation of the developing unit 109 of the installed process cartridge 400 contacting and separating from the photosensitive drum will be explained using Figure 72.

[0310] Figure 72 is a side view from the drive side, and the pressing mechanism 191 is omitted from Figure 71.

[0311] Figure 72(a) illustrates the operation for bringing the developing unit 109 into contact with the photosensitive drum. When the separation control member 196R moves in the direction of arrow W42, the moving member 452R is pushed and moves. At this time, the moving member 452R swings in the direction of arrow BC around the support receiving part 452Ra, which is a round hole. The spacer 151R is pushed by the swinging moving member 452R and swings in the direction of arrow B2. The spacer 151R moves from the contact surface 416c and enters the second restricting surface 416d, eliminating the distance restriction between the photosensitive drum and the developing unit 109 and bringing the developing unit 409 into contact with the drum.

[0312] Figure 72(b) shows the developing unit 109 maintaining contact with the photosensitive drum. The separation control member 196R, which moved in the W42 direction in Figure 72(a), has returned to the W41 direction. Since the space 196Rd is set to be wide, the separation control member 196R and the moving member 452R do not come into contact. The moving member 452R maintains the aforementioned contact state.

[0313] Figure 72(c) illustrates the operation when the developing unit 109 is separated again. When the separation control member 196R moves further in the W41 direction from the state shown in Figure 72(b), the separation control member 196R and the moving member 452R come into contact. The moving member 452R then swings in the direction of arrow BD and comes into contact with the developing cover member 428. When the moving member 452R is rotated further in the BD direction after coming into contact with the developing cover member 428, the developing unit 109 swings together and becomes separated. At this time, the moving member 452R and the spacer 151R are connected by a tension spring 153 and rotate in the direction of arrow B1. The rotated spacer 151R comes into contact with the contact surface 416c, thereby restricting the developing unit 109 to be separated. After this, when the separation control member 196R moves in the W42 direction and returns to Figure 71(d), the developing unit 109 maintains its separated state without being subjected to the force of the separation control member 196R.

[0314] According to the configuration of this embodiment described above, the same effects as in Embodiment 1 can be obtained.

[0315] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the movable member 425, which includes first force-receiving portions 452Rk, 452Lk and second force-receiving portions 452Rn, 452Ln, moves integrally with the developing unit 409 between a storage position (standby position) and a protruding position (operating position). This movement causes the first force-receiving portions 452Rk, 452Lk to be displaced at least in directions VD1 (Figure 40, etc.), VD10 (Figure 236, etc.), VD12 (Figure 238), and VD14 (Figure 239). With this configuration, interference between the movable member 42 and the device body 170, particularly the separation control member 196L, can be avoided when inserting or removing the process cartridge 400 into or from the device body 170.

[0316] <Another form of Example 5> Furthermore, using a different configuration, a configuration in which the moving member, which is a pressing member, operates within the developing unit 109 without moving from a storage position (standby position) to a protruding position (operating position) in the separation contact mechanism of the process cartridge 430 will be explained with reference to Figures 73 to 78.

[0317] The configuration described here is such that when the process cartridge 430 is mounted onto the main body 170 of the apparatus, the process cartridge 430 retracts in a direction perpendicular to the mounting direction and finally engages with the separation control member 196.

[0318] A characteristic configuration will be explained using Figure 73. Figure 73(a) shows a side view of the process cartridge 430 in this configuration as seen from the drive side. The support configuration of the developing unit 439 is the same as the configuration described in Embodiment 1. That is, the cylindrical portion 428b of the developing cover member 428 is rotatably supported by the developing unit support hole 431Ra of the drive-side cartridge cover member 431R. Here, the developing unit support hole 431Ra is cylindrical in shape. Therefore, in this alternative embodiment, unlike the configuration of Embodiment 5, the developing unit 439 cannot move in the Z2 direction relative to the drive-side cartridge cover member (drum frame) 431R and the drum unit 438, except for movement due to play.

[0319] The drive-side cartridge cover member 431R has compression coil springs (elastic members) attached in two places. One is the first drive-side support spring 435R, which is provided in the rotation-determining recess 431KR of the drive-side cartridge cover member 431R. The spring 435R has a tip portion 435Ra on its lower end. The other is the second drive-side support spring 434R, which is attached to the drive-side support spring mounting portion 431MR. The spring 434R has a tip portion 434Ra on its lower end.

[0320] Figure 73(b) shows a side view of the process cartridge 430 as seen from the non-driven side. The non-driven cartridge cover member 431L rotatably supports the developing unit 409, similar to Figure 13 of Embodiment 1. Two compression coil springs (elastic members) are attached to the non-driven cartridge cover member 431L. One is the first non-driven support spring 435L, provided in the rotation-determining recess 431KL of the non-driven cartridge cover member 431L. The spring 435L has a tip portion 435La on its lower end. The other is the second non-driven support spring 434L, attached to the non-driven support spring mounting portion 431ML. The spring 434L has a tip portion 434La on its lower end.

[0321] These tip portions 434Ra, 435Ra, 434La, and 435La are supported portions that contact and are supported by the tray 171. Furthermore, these tip portions 434Ra, 435Ra, 434La, and 435La are also support portions that support the drive-side cartridge cover member 431R and the non-drive-side cartridge cover member 431L, which constitute part of the drum frame (first frame), so that they can move in the Z2 direction. Here, the developing unit 409 (or developing frame) (second frame) is supported by the drum frame. Therefore, it can be said that these tip portions 434Ra, 435Ra, 434La, and 435La support the developing unit 409 (or developing frame) so that it can move in the Z2 direction via the drum frame.

[0322] Next, using Figure 74, the relative positions of the first drive-side support spring 435R, the second drive-side support spring 434R, and the tray 171 when the process cartridge 430 is mounted on the tray 171 will be explained. Figure 74 shows the process cartridge 430 in the process of being moved in the direction of arrow Z2 to be mounted on the tray 171. In this state, the process cartridge 430 is still movable in the Z2 direction and is not yet positioned on the tray 171.

[0323] The first drive-side support spring 435R, provided on the drive-side cartridge cover member 431R, is supported when the process cartridge 430 is further advanced in the Z2 direction, with its tip 435Ra contacting and supporting the rotation-determining projection (first spring support portion) 171KR of the tray 171. Similarly, the second drive-side support spring 434R is supported when the process cartridge 430 is further advanced in the Z2 direction, with its tip 434Ra contacting and supporting the spring receiving portion (second spring support portion) 471MR of the tray 171.

[0324] On the other hand, on the non-driven side, the tip 435La of the first non-driven side support spring 435L is supported by contacting a rotation-determining protrusion (third spring support portion) of the tray 17, which is not shown. Also, the tip 434La of the second non-driven side support spring 434L is supported by contacting a spring receiving portion (fourth spring support portion) of the tray 17, which is not shown.

[0325] [Operation when installing the process cartridge into the main unit of the device] Next, using Figures 75 to 78, we will explain the process from when the process cartridge 430 is placed on the tray 171 to when it is positioned in the image forming apparatus body 170. Figures 75 to 78 show side views from the drive side. In these figures, for simplicity, components other than those relevant to explaining the state are not shown. The non-drive side has the same configuration and operates similarly to the drive side, so its explanation is omitted.

[0326] Figure 75 shows the process cartridge 430, placed on the tray 171, moving along with the tray 171 in the direction of arrow X1. As explained in Figure 74, the tip 435Ra of the first drive-side support spring 435R is in contact with the rotation-determining projection 171KR of the tray 171. The tip 434Ra of the second drive-side support spring 434R is in contact with the spring receiving portion 471MR of the tray 171.

[0327] The first drive-side support spring 435R and the second drive-side support spring 434R are supported by the tray 171, thereby supporting the drum frame and developing frame portion of the process cartridge 430 against gravity. As a result, the arc 431VR, which is the positioning portion provided on the drive-side cartridge cover member 431R of the process cartridge 430, does not come into contact with the straight portions 171VR1 and 171VR2, which are the positioning portions of the tray 171, leaving a gap G4. In other words, the process cartridge 430 is supported in the Z1 direction relative to the positioning portion of the tray 171 by the first drive-side support spring 435R and the second drive-side support spring 434R. Therefore, when the process cartridge 430 moves along the arrow X1 when the tray 171 is inserted into the main body 170, the moving member 452R can pass through without colliding with the separation control member 196R. The moving member 452R can be said to be in the stored position (standby position). In this state, the cartridge pressing mechanism 191 is in a waiting position with a gap G5 between it and the top surface 431Rc of the drive-side cartridge cover member 431R.

[0328] Figure 76 shows the state in which the cartridge pressing mechanism 191 moves in the direction of arrow Z2 in conjunction with closing the front door 11 and makes contact with the top surface 431Rc of the drive-side cartridge cover member 431R. The first drive-side support spring 435R and the second drive-side support spring 434R are not yet receiving force from the cartridge pressing mechanism 191, and the process cartridge 430 has not moved. Figure 77 shows the state in which the cartridge pressing mechanism 191 has moved further in the direction of arrow Z2 and has begun to push the top surface 431Rc of the drive-side cartridge cover member 431R in the Z2 direction. The process cartridge 430 moves in the ZA direction, and the first drive-side support spring 435R and the second drive-side support spring 434R are compressed. The arc 431VR, which is the positioning part of the process cartridge 430 with respect to the tray 171, approaches, but does not make contact with the straight parts 171VR1 and 171VR2 of the tray, leaving a gap G6. The moving member 452R is now in the space 196Rd of the separation control member 196R as the process cartridge 430 has moved in the ZA direction.

[0329] Figure 78 shows the state in which the cartridge pressing mechanism 191 has moved further in the direction of arrow Z2, and the process cartridge 430 has been positioned on the tray 171.

[0330] As the cartridge pressing mechanism 191 moves in the Z2 direction, the process cartridge 430 moves in the ZA direction, and finally the arc 431VR contacts the straight sections 171VR1 and 171VR2 of the tray 171. This determines the position of the process cartridge 430 relative to the tray 171 in the Z2 direction. As the process cartridge 430 moves in the Z2 direction, the moving member 452R enters the space 196Rd of the separation control member 196R to its final position. At this time, the moving member 425R can be said to be in the protruding position (operating position). Therefore, by moving the separation control member 196R, the moving member 452R can be moved, and the contact state and separation state of the process cartridge 430 can be switched.

[0331] The ZA direction (the direction in which the moving member 425R moves from the standby position to the operating position) in which the process cartridge 430 moves when pressed by the cartridge pressing mechanism 191 moving in the direction of arrow Z2 does not have to be parallel to the direction of arrow Z2. That is, the ZA direction only needs to include a component in a direction perpendicular to the X1 direction.

[0332] When the arc 431VR is in contact with the straight sections 171VR1 and 171VR2, the spring force (biasing force) of the first drive-side support spring 435R and the second drive-side support spring 434R is set to be smaller than the force of the cartridge pressing mechanism 191. Therefore, the process cartridge 430 can be reliably positioned relative to the tray 171.

[0333] The operation after installation is the same as described in Figure 72, so the explanation will be omitted.

[0334] The procedure for removing the process cartridge 430 from the main unit 170 is the reverse of the procedure for installation described above, so a detailed explanation will be omitted.

[0335] According to the configuration of this alternative form described above, the same effects as in Example 1 can be obtained.

[0336] In this alternative configuration, the movable member 425, which includes first force-receiving portions 452Rk, 452Lk and second force-receiving portions 452Rn, 452Ln, moves integrally with the drum unit 438 and the developing unit 439 (drum frame and developing frame) between a storage position (standby position) and a protruding position (operating position). This movement causes the first force-receiving portions 452Rk, 452Lk and the second force-receiving portions 452Rn, 452Ln to be displaced at least in directions VD1 (Figure 40, etc.), VD10 (Figure 236, etc.), VD12 (Figure 238), and VD14 (Figure 239). This configuration also prevents the movable member 42 from interfering with the device body 170, particularly the separation control member 196L, when inserting or removing the process cartridge 430 into or from the device body 170.

[0337] <Example 6> In this embodiment, we will mainly describe configurations and operations that differ from those of the previously described embodiment, and will omit descriptions of similar configurations and operations. Furthermore, for configurations corresponding to those of the previously described embodiment, the same reference numerals or the first part of the numerals will be changed, and the second part of the numerals and letters will be the same. In this embodiment, we will describe a configuration in which the moving member applies force to the spacer in a separation contact mechanism for process cartridges, in which the moving member is not pressed by the main body components.

[0338] This section will specifically describe the configuration of the separation and contact mechanism, the contact operation of the developing unit, the separation operation of the developing unit, and the attachment and detachment of the process cartridge to the image forming apparatus body of this embodiment. The configuration of the other process cartridges is the same as in the previously described embodiment and will therefore be omitted here.

[0339] [Configuration of the separation and contact mechanism] This embodiment will describe in detail the configuration in which the photosensitive drum 104 of the process cartridge 1400 and the developing roller 106 of the developing unit 1409 perform separation and contact. The process cartridge has a separation and contact mechanism 1450R on the drive side and a separation and contact mechanism 1450L on the non-drive side (Figure 79). Figure 80 shows an assembled perspective view of the drive side of the developing unit 1409 including the separation and contact mechanism 1450R. Figure 81 shows an assembled perspective view of the non-drive side of the developing unit 1409 including the separation and contact mechanism 550L. Here, the details of the separation and contact mechanism 1450R on the drive side will be described. Since the separation and contact mechanisms on the drive side and the non-drive side have almost the same function, the letter R is written in the reference numerals of each component on the drive side. On the non-drive side, the reference numerals of each component are the same as on the drive side, but L is written instead of R. The configuration and operation of the drive side will be described as representative, and the description of the configuration and operation of the non-drive side will be omitted.

[0340] The separation contact mechanism 1450R includes a spacer 1451R which is a regulating member (holding member), a moving member 1452R which is a pressing member, and a tension spring 1453.

[0341] The spacer 1451R has an annular supported portion 1451Ra, a contact surface (contact portion) 1451Rc that contacts the contact surface (contact portion) 1416c of the cartridge cover 1416, a spring attachment portion 1451Rg that engages with the tension spring 1453, and a second pressed surface 1451Re that engages with the movable member 1452R. It is also rotatably held by the first support portion 1428c of the developing cover member 1428. The other configurations are the same as those of the embodiment 1 described above.

[0342] The movable member 1452R is held rotatably by the engagement of its support receiving portion 1452Ra with the third support portion 1428m of the developing cover member 1428. The movable member 1452R also has a first force receiving surface 1452Rm and a second force receiving surface 1452Rp that can engage with the separation control member 196R installed on the main body 170 of the device, and has a spring attachment portion 1452Rs that engages with the tension spring 1453 and a second pressing surface 1452Rr that engages with the spacer 1451R. The first force receiving surface 1452Rm and the second force receiving surface 1452Rp constitute a first force receiving portion (retraction force receiving portion, separation force receiving portion) and a second force receiving portion (contact force applying portion), respectively, as in Embodiment 1.

[0343] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 82, similar to the embodiment 1 described above, the tension spring 1453 biases the spacer 1451R in the B1 direction with the first support portion 1428c of the developing cover member 1428 as the center of rotation. Also, the movable member 1452R biases in the CA direction with the third support portion 1428m of the developing cover member 1428 as the center of rotation.

[0344] [Contact operation of the developing unit] Next, the operation by which the photosensitive drum 104 and the developing roller 106 come into contact with each other by the separation contact mechanism 1450R will be explained in detail using Figures 82 to 85. Note that these figures are cross-sectional views in which a part of the developing cover member 1428 has been partially omitted for illustrative purposes.

[0345] In this embodiment, the developing input coupling 132 receives a driving force from the image forming apparatus body 170 in the direction of arrow V2 in Figure 82, causing the developing roller 106 to rotate. In other words, the developing unit 1409, which has the developing input coupling 132, receives torque from the image forming apparatus body 170 in the direction of arrow V2. As shown in Figure 82, even when the developing unit 1409 is in the separated position and the spacer 1451R is in the separated holding position (restricted position, first position), and the developing unit 1409 receives this torque and the biasing force from the developing pressure spring 134 described later, the contact surface 1451Rc of the spacer 1451R contacts the contact surface 1416c of the drive-side cartridge cover member 1416, and the posture of the developing unit 1409 is maintained in the separated position.

[0346] Similar to Embodiment 1 described above, in this embodiment as well, the image forming apparatus body 170 has a separation control member 196R corresponding to each process cartridge 1400, as described above. The separation control member 196R protrudes toward the process cartridge 1400 and has a first force-applying surface 196Ra and a second force-applying surface 196Rb facing each other via a space 196Rd. The first force-applying surface 196Ra and the second force-applying surface 196Rb are connected via a connecting portion 196Rc on the lower side of the image forming apparatus body 170. The separation control member 196R is rotatably supported on a control plate (not shown) with a pivot center 196Re as its center. The separation control member 196R is always biased in the E1 direction by a biasing spring (not shown) and its rotation direction is restricted by a holder (not shown). Furthermore, since the control plate (not shown) is configured to be movable in the W41 and W42 directions from the home position by a control mechanism (not shown), the separation control member 196R is configured to be movable in the W41 and W42 directions.

[0347] As the separation control member 196R moves in the W42 direction, the second force-applying surface 196Ra of the separation control member 196R and the second force-receiving surface 1452Rp of the moving member 1452R come into contact, causing the moving member 1452R to rotate in the CB direction with the support receiving portion 1452Ra as the center of rotation. Furthermore, as the moving member 1452R rotates, the second pressing surface 1452Rr of the moving member 1452R comes into contact with the second pressed surface 1451Re of the spacer 1451R, causing the spacer 1451R to rotate in the B2 direction. The spacer 1451R is then rotated by the moving member 1452R to the separation release position (allowable position, second position) where the contact surface 1451Rc and the contacted surface 1416c are separated, resulting in the state shown in Figure 83. Here, the position of the separation control member 196R that moves the spacer 1451R to the separation release position, as shown in Figure 83, is referred to as the first position.

[0348] As the spacer 1451R moves to the release position by the separation control member 196R, the developing unit 1409 rotates in the V2 direction due to the torque received from the image forming apparatus body 170 and the developing pressure spring 134, moving to the contact position where the developing roller 106 and the photosensitive drum 104 come into contact (state shown in Figure 83). At this time, the spacer 1451R, which is biased in the direction of arrow B1 by the tension spring 1453, is maintained in the release position as the second restricted surface 1451Rk comes into contact with the second restricted surface 1416d of the drive-side cartridge cover member 1416. Subsequently, the separation control member 196R moves in the W41 direction and returns to the home position. At this time, the movable member 1452R rotates in the CB direction by the tension spring 1453, and transitions to a state where the first pressing surface 1452Rq of the movable member 1452R and the first pressing surface 1428k of the developing cover member 1428 come into contact, as shown in Figure 84 (see also Figure 80).

[0349] This creates gaps T3 and T4, and the separation control member 196R is positioned so that it does not act on the moving member 1452R. Note that the transition from the state in Figure 83 to the state in Figure 84 occurs without any delay.

[0350] As described above, in this embodiment, the separation control member 196R moves from the home position to the first position, which rotates the moving member 1452R and moves the spacer 1451R from the separation holding position to the separation release position. This makes it possible for the developing unit 1409 to move from the separation position to the contact position where the developing roller 106 and the photosensitive drum 104 come into contact. Note that the position of the separation control member 196R in Figure 84 is the same as the state in Figure 82.

[0351] [Separation movement of the developing unit] Next, the movement of the developing unit 1409 from the contact position to the separated position by the separation contact mechanism 1450R will be explained in detail using Figures 84 and 85. Note that these figures are cross-sectional views in which a part of the developing cover member 1428 has been partially omitted for illustrative purposes.

[0352] In this embodiment, the separation control member 196R is configured to be movable from the home position in the direction of arrow W41 in Figure 84. When the separation control member 196R moves in the direction of W41, the first force-applying surface 196Rb and the first force-receiving surface 1452Rm of the moving member 1452R come into contact, and the moving member 1452R rotates in the CA direction with the support receiving portion 1452Ra as the center of rotation. Then, the first pressing surface 1452Rq of the moving member 1452R comes into contact with the first pressing surface 1428k of the developing cover member 1428, causing the developing unit 1409 to rotate in the V1 direction from the contact position (state shown in Figure 85).

[0353] As the spacer 1451R separates from the second restricted surface 1451Rk of the spacer 1451R and the second restricted surface 1416d of the drive-side cartridge cover member 1416, the spacer 1451R rotates in the direction of arrow B1 due to the biasing force of the tension spring 1453. As a result, the spacer 1451R rotates until the second pressed surface 1451Re contacts the second pressing surface 1452Rr of the moving member 1452R, and upon contact, moves to the separated-holding position. When the developing unit 1409 moves from the contact position to the separated position by the separated-control member 196R and the spacer 1451R is in the separated-holding position, a gap T5 is formed between the contact surface 1451Rc and the contacted surface 1416c, as shown in Figure 85. Here, as shown in Figure 85, the developing unit 1409 is rotated from the contact position to the separation position, and the position at which the spacer 1451R can move to the separation holding position is referred to as the second position of the separation control member 196R.

[0354] Then, when the separation control member 196R moves in the direction of arrow W42 and returns from the second position to the home position, the spacer 1451R maintains its separation holding position, and the developing unit 1409 rotates in the direction of arrow V2 due to the torque received from the image forming apparatus body 170 and the developing pressure spring 134, causing the contact surface 1451Rc and the contacted surface 1416c to come into contact. In other words, the developing unit 1409 maintains its separated position due to the spacer 1451R, and the developing roller 106 and the photosensitive drum 104 become separated (states in Figures 82 and 79). As a result, gaps T3 and T4 are formed, and the separation control member 196R is positioned so that it does not act on the moving member 1452R (state in Figure 82). Note that the transition from the state in Figure 85 to the state in Figure 82 is performed without delay.

[0355] As described above, in this implementation configuration, when the separation control member 196R moves from the home position to the second position, the spacer 1451R moves from the separation release position to the separation holding position. Then, when the separation control member 196R returns from the second position to the home position, the developing unit 1409 maintains the separated position with respect to the spacer 1451R.

[0356] [Attaching and detaching the process cartridge to the image forming machine body] Next, using Figures 86 to 101, the engagement operation of the separation contact mechanism 1450R of the process cartridge 1400 and the development separation control unit 196R of the image forming apparatus body 170 when the process cartridge 1400 is attached to and detached from the image forming apparatus body 170 will be explained. Note that these figures are cross-sectional views in which a part of the development cover member 1428 has been partially omitted for illustrative purposes.

[0357] Figures 86 to 89 show the process cartridge 1400 as seen from the drive side, during insertion of the cartridge tray 171 from the outside of the image forming apparatus body 170 to the image forming position. Only the process cartridge 1400 and the separation control member 196R are shown. Figures 94 to 97 show the process cartridge 1400 as seen from the non-drive side at the same point in time as Figures 86 to 89.

[0358] Figures 90 to 92 show the process cartridge 1400 being held apart by the initial operation of the image forming apparatus, which will be described later, after the tray 171 has been inserted. Figure 93 is a view from the drive side of the process cartridge 1400, with everything except the process cartridge 1400 and the separation control member 196R omitted, as the cartridge tray 171 is being pulled out from the image forming position to the outside of the image forming apparatus body 170. Figures 98 to 101 show the process cartridge 1400 as seen from the non-drive side at the same point in time as in Figures 90 to 92.

[0359] Furthermore, since the image forming apparatus main body 170 performs image forming by mounting multiple process cartridges 1400, there are separation control members 196R corresponding to the number of process cartridges 1400. For this reason, in this embodiment, for convenience, multiple separation control members 196R (196L) are distinguished and shown by adding a number to the end of each separation control member 196R (196L).

[0360] As shown in Figure 86, when inserting the process cartridge 1400, which is placed on the tray 171 (not shown), in the direction of X2, which is the direction inside the image forming apparatus body 170, the second force-receiving surface 1452Rp of the moving member 1452R contacts the upstream side surface 196R-1p of the separation control member 196R-1 in the insertion direction. Further insertion occurs, as shown in Figure 87, with the second force-receiving surface 1452Rp of the moving member 1452R in contact with the upstream side surface 196R-1q of the separation control member in the insertion direction as the cartridge is inserted. At this time, the force from the tension spring 1453 is set to be weaker than the force from the biasing spring (not shown) that biases the separation control member 196R in the E1 direction, and the configuration is such that when the moving member 1452R and the separation control member 196R come into contact, the moving member 1452R rotates to escape. Furthermore, the movable member 1452R and spacer 1451R are configured to rotate more significantly in the B2 direction (the direction from the separated holding position to the separated release position) and the CB direction than in the state shown in Figure 83.

[0361] As a result, the second force-receiving surface 1452Rp of the movable member 1452R rests on the upper surface 196R-1q of the separation control member 196R-1. Consequently, the movable member 1452R moves from the separation holding position to the separation release position, and the process cartridge 1400 transitions from the separated state to the contact state.

[0362] If tray 171 (not shown) is inserted further from this state, it will come into contact with the separation control member 196R-2 adjacent to separation control member 196R-1, as shown in Figure 88. Similar to separation control member 196R-1, it is inserted while coming into contact with the upstream side surface 196R-1p and the upper surface 196R-2q of separation control member 196R-2 in the insertion direction. At this time as well, the process cartridge 1400 remains in contact. The process cartridge 1400 also maintains contact after passing separation control member 196R-1. When it comes into contact with the upper surface 196R-2q, the moving member 1452R and spacer 1451R rotate more in the B2 direction (direction toward separation release position from separation holding position) and the CB direction compared to before contact, and pass the upper surface 196R-2q. Therefore, after passing the upper surface 196R-2q, the moving member 1452R and spacer 1451R rotate slightly in the B1 and CA directions while maintaining contact with the process cartridge 1400. The same applies when passing the other two separation control members 196R-3 and 196R-4.

[0363] Figure 89 shows the tray 171 (not shown) inserted to a position where an image can be formed. In this state, the second force receiving surface 1452Rp of the movable member 1452R rests on the upper surface 196R-2s of the separation control member 196R.

[0364] In this state, the process cartridge 1400 cannot be brought into contact with or separated from the other. However, after closing the front door, the image forming apparatus body 170 performs an initial operation before performing image forming (printing onto a recording medium such as paper). In this initial operation, the separation control member 196R performs the aforementioned contact and separation operations (operation in the W41 and W42 directions). At that time, as shown in Figure 90, the contact operation (operation in the W42 direction) begins, causing the second force-receiving surface 1452Rp of the moving member 1452R and the first force-applying surface 196Ra of the separation control member 196R to come into contact. Next, the separation operation (operation in the W41 direction) is performed, causing the second force-applying surface 196Rb of the separation control member 196R to come into contact with the first force-receiving surface 1452Rm of the moving member 1452R, as shown in Figure 91, causing the process cartridge 1400 to rotate in the V1 direction, until the spacer 1451R comes into contact with the moving member 1452R. When the separation control member 196R returns to its home position in that state, it becomes possible to hold the process cartridge 1400 separated, as shown in Figure 82, enabling image processing operations similar to those in the embodiment described above.

[0365] Next, the behavior of the process cartridge 1400 when the tray 171 (not shown) is pulled out from the image-forming position to the outside of the image forming apparatus body 170 will be described. As shown in Figure 93, when the process cartridge 1400 is pulled out in the direction X1, which is the direction outward from the image forming apparatus body 170, the first force receiving surface 1452Rm of the moving member 1452R comes into contact with the separation control member 196R, and the first pressing surface 1452Rq of the moving member 1452R comes into contact with the first pressing surface 1428k of the developing cover member 1428, and the developing unit 1409 rotates in the direction V1. When the tray 171 is pulled out, it rotates further in the direction V1 than the separated state in Figure 85, resulting in the state shown in Figure 93. In other words, the developing unit 1409 is configured so that the developing roller 106 is further away from the photosensitive drum 104 than in the state shown in Figure 85. At this time, the first force-receiving surface 1452Rm of the moving member 1452R contacts the upper surface 196R-2r of the separation control member 196R, and the process cartridge 1400 is pulled out. In this way, when the process cartridge 1400 is pulled out from the image forming apparatus body 170, the developing unit 1409 is pulled out while separating from it. When the tray 171 (not shown) is pulled out to the outside of the image forming apparatus body 170, the process cartridge 1400 is in the same state as the separated process cartridge 1400 shown in Figure 82. In this way, even if the developing unit 1409 rotates in the V1 direction by contacting the separation control member 196R, the process cartridge 1400 maintains its separated state.

[0366] In this embodiment, only the drive side was described. Since the non-drive side has the same configuration and operation as the drive side, its description is omitted in this embodiment.

[0367] According to the configuration of this embodiment described above, the same effects as in Embodiment 1 can be obtained.

[0368] In this embodiment, the first force receiving surface 1452Rm, which constitutes the movable member 1452R and the first force receiving portion (retraction force receiving portion, separation force receiving portion), and the second force receiving surface 1452Rp, which constitutes the second force receiving portion (contact force receiving portion), are made movable relative to the drum unit. In this embodiment, this movement causes the first force receiving surface 1452Rm and the second force receiving surface 1452Rp to be displaced at least in directions VD1 (Figure 40, etc.), VD10 (Figure 236, etc.), VD12 (Figure 238), and VD14 (Figure 239). In particular, when the tray 171 is inserted into the image forming apparatus body 170 and the process cartridge 1400 is inserted and passes over the upper surface 196R-q of the separation control member 196R, the first force receiving surface 1452Rm and the second force receiving surface 1452Rp can be displaced in these directions while maintaining contact with the developing unit. Furthermore, when removing the tray 171 from the image forming apparatus body 170 and taking out the process cartridge 1400, the first force-receiving surface 1452Rm and the second force-receiving surface 1452Rp can be displaced in those directions while maintaining the separated state of the developing unit.

[0369] This prevents interference between the moving member 1452R (particularly the first force-receiving surface 1452Rm and the second force-receiving surface 1452Rp) and the device body 170, especially the separation control member 196L, which would prevent insertion or removal of the process cartridge 1400 into or out of the device body 170.

[0370] <Example 7> Next, Example 7 of the present invention will be described using Figures 102 to 115.

[0371] In this embodiment, we will mainly describe configurations and operations that differ from those of the previously described embodiment, and will omit descriptions of simil...

Claims

1. A cartridge that can be attached to the main body of an image forming apparatus equipped with a rotatable driving force application unit, Photoreceptor and A first unit comprising the aforementioned photoreceptor, A developing member for attaching toner to the photoreceptor, A coupling that engages with the driving force application unit and receives a driving force to rotate the developing member, A second unit comprising the developing member, which is movable relative to the first unit, between a developing position in which toner can be attached from the developing member to the photoreceptor and a separated position in which at least a part of the developing member is positioned away from the photoreceptor, A rotation restricting member that restricts the relative positions of the first unit and the second unit and rotates between the first position and the second position, A stopper that engages with the rotation restricting member and positions it at the second position, It includes a clutch capable of interrupting the transmission of driving force to the rotation restricting member in the second position, When the rotation restricting member is in the first position and when it is in the second position, the position of the rotation axis of the developing member relative to the rotation axis of the rotation restricting member is different. When the rotation restricting member is in the first position, the second unit is restricted from moving to the developing position, and when the rotation restricting member is in the second position, the second unit is permitted to move to the developing position. The coupling is capable of transmitting the driving force to the rotation restricting member when it rotates. The rotation restricting member moves from the first position to the second position by the driving force transmitted from the coupling and engages with the stopper, and the clutch positions the rotation restricting member to the second position by interrupting the driving force from the coupling to the rotation restricting member in the second position. A cartridge characterized by the following features.

2. While the developing member is being rotated by the driving force transmitted from the coupling, the rotation restricting member moves from the first position to the second position by the driving force transmitted from the coupling. The cartridge according to feature 1.

3. While the rotation restricting member remains in the second position, the developing member can rotate by the driving force transmitted from the coupling. The cartridge according to feature 1 or 2.

4. When the rotation restricting member is in the second position, the coupling can transmit the driving force to the developing member without transmitting the driving force to the rotation restricting member. The cartridge according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

5. The rotation restricting member has a cam surface. The cartridge according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

6. The cam surface, when the rotation restricting member is in the first position, contacts a part of the second unit, thereby restricting the second unit from moving to the developing position. The cartridge according to feature 5.

7. The second unit has a second unit frame that rotatably supports the developing member, The cam surface, when the rotation restricting member is in the first position, contacts the second unit frame, thereby restricting the second unit from moving to the developing position. The cartridge according to feature 6.

8. With the cartridge mounted on the main body of the device, the rotation restricting member is movable from the second position to the first position. The cartridge according to any one of claims 1 to 7.

9. The rotation restricting member is movable from the second position to the first position by the driving force transmitted from the coupling. The cartridge according to feature 8.

Images