Canon Kabushiki Kaisha

Tomohiro Shiomi

Hideaki Suzuki

Teruaki Tsurusaki

Shunichi Koga

Masafumi Takahashi

Osamu Ariizumi

Arata Tojo

A developing device mountable on an image forming apparatus includes a main body, a fixing portion, a connecting portion and a developing side electric contact. The fixing portion is fixed to the image forming apparatus in a state where the main body and the fixing portion are positioned in the image forming apparatus. A developing side electric contact is provided on the fixing portion and to contact a main assembly side electric contact of the image forming apparatus in a state in which the main body and the fixing portion are positioned. When the developing device is pressed by a pressing portion of the image forming apparatus in a state where the fixing portion is fixed to the image forming apparatus, the main body is rotated about the connecting portion as a rotation center so that the developer carrying member is moved from a separated position to a developing position.

Developing device

A developing device includes a developer container configured to contain a developer, a developing carrying member configured to carry and feed the developer to a developing position, and a regulating member configured to regulate an amount of the developer carried by the developer carrying member, wherein the developer carrying member includes a magnet provided non-rotatably and stationarily inside the developer carrying member, and wherein the developer carrying member is provided with information regarding magnetic flux density of the magnet.

A force for adjusting a relative position of a regulating blade relative to a development rotary member supported by a development frame member is applied to the regulating blade so that a gap between the development rotary member and the regulating blade when attached to an attachment portion falls within a predetermined range in a rotational axis direction of the development rotary member in a state that the regulating blade is separated from the attachment portion with an adhesive applied. The regulating blade is attached, with the adhesive, to the attachment portion with the adhesive applied so that the gap between the development rotary member and the regulating blade with the force applied falls within the predetermined range.

Method of attaching regulating blade

A fixing method of fixing a regulating blade made of a resin to a mounting portion of a developing frame made of a resin so that the regulating blade is in non-contact with a developer carrying member, the fixing method including: imaging the mounting portion; determining a target value of a gap between the developer carrying member and the regulating blade based on characteristic information of a shape of the imaged mounting portion; giving, to the regulating blade, a force for deflecting the regulating blade to adjust a relative position of the regulating blade with respect to the developer carrying member that the gap falls within a predetermined range including the target value over a longitudinal direction of the developer carrying member; and fixing the regulating blade to the mounting portion in a state in which the regulating blade has been deflected and the gap falls within the predetermined range.

Fixing method for regulating blade

A target value for a gap between a developer bearing member supported by a developing frame member and a regulating blade that is fixed to the developing frame member is determined based on input information about a local maximum peak value of magnetic flux density of a predetermined magnetic pole which is located closest to the regulating blade when the regulating blade is fixed to the developing frame member among a plurality of magnetic poles included in a magnet fixedly located inside the developer bearing member and configured to generate a magnetic field for causing a developer to be borne by the developer bearing member.

Method for fixing regulating blade, developing device, developer bearing member, and magnet

There is provided a developing device including, when viewed in a section perpendicular to a rotational axis of a rotatable developing member, a recessed portion to grip a resin-made regulating blade formed on an upstream side of the regulating blade with respect to a closest position where the regulating blade comes closest to the rotatable developing member in a rotation direction of the rotatable developing member, and a vertical length of the recessed portion in a direction vertical to a straight line passing through the closest position and a rotation center of the rotatable developing member is 0.5 mm or more.

When the area of a developing frame member corresponding to the maximum image area of an image bearing member is, in a section perpendicular to a rotational axis of a developing rotary member, divided by a straight line passing through the center of rotation of the developing rotary member and the center of rotation of the image bearing member and a perpendicular line passing through the center of rotation of a first conveying screw with respect to the straight line, a gate portion is provided at a bottom portion of the developing frame member in a divided area of the developing frame member not provided with the attachment portion, and a gate portion is not provided at the bottom portion of the developing frame member in a divided area of the developing frame member provided with the attachment portion.

Developing device including a resin regulating blade

When a developing device is seen in a cross section orthogonal to a rotation axis of a rotatable developing member, a resin-made regulating blade has a cutout over an entirety of a region from a first position where the regulating blade is closest to the rotatable developing member to a second position 0.5 mm downstream of the regulating blade from the first position in a rotation direction of the rotatable developing member, and a cut amount of the cutout at the second position is 0.3 mm or more.

A method of fixing a regulating blade made of a resin material includes an adhesive applying step of applying an adhesive onto a mounting portion; a first force applying step of applying a first force to the regulating blade so that the regulating blade is urged against the mounting portion; a second force applying step of applying a second force to the mounting portion so as to support the mounting portion; and a fixing step of fixing the regulating blade to the mounting portion by curing the adhesive applied on the mounting portion in the adhesive applying step in a state that the first force is applied to the regulating blade in the first force applying step and that the second force is applied to the mounting portion in the second force applying step.

Method of fixing regulating blade made of resin material

A method of attaching a regulating blade made of resin to an attachment portion of a development frame which is made of resin and includes the attachment portion for attaching the regulating blade includes applying an adhesive to the attachment portion, applying a hardening accelerator to the regulating blade, and attaching the regulating blade to the attachment portion via the adhesive applied to the attachment portion and the hardening accelerator applied to the regulating blade. The regulating blade is disposed opposite to and not in contact with a development rotary member configured to bear and convey a developer toward a position at which an electrostatic image formed on an image bearing member is developed, and configured to regulate an amount of the developer to be borne on the development rotary member.

Method of attaching regulating blade and development apparatus

When a developing device including a developer carrying member, a regulating blade, and a developing device frame including first and second ribs is seen in a cross section perpendicular to a rotational axis of the developer carrying member, the first and second ribs are provided at a predetermined gap in a direction from a position where the regulating blade is closest to the developer carrying member toward a rotation center of the developer carrying member. The first and second ribs have first and second supporting surfaces, respectively, each supporting the regulating blade and having a width of 3.0 mm or less. In a state that the regulating blade is supported by the first and second supporting surfaces, the regulating blade is fixed to the mounting portion in a region of the regulating blade corresponding to a maximum image region of an image bearing member.

Developing device having a regulating blade of resin

In a state that a developing device is placed in a position for developing an electrostatic latent image formed on an image bearing member when the regulation blade has a mount portion for mounting a seal member, the regulation blade is fixed to a mount portion of the development frame for mounting the regulation blade, and a seal member is fixed to a mount portion of the regulation blade for mounting the seal member, the seal member is arranged to make contact with the image bearing member vertically under a position where the developer bearing member is closest to the image bearing member to seal at least a part of a space formed between the developing device and the image bearing member.

Developing device with a regulation blade mounted seal member

A force for warping a regulating blade is imparted to the regulating blade in such a manner that a gap between a developer bearing member supported by a development frame member and the regulating blade attached to an attaching portion of the development frame member falls within a predetermined range over a longitudinal direction of the developer bearing member. The regulating blade is fixed to the attaching portion in a state in which the regulating blade is warped by the force imparted to the regulating blade and the gap is within the predetermined range over the longitudinal direction of the developer bearing member.

Method of fixing regulating blade and development device

A developing device includes a rotatable developing member, a resin-made regulating blade, and a resin-made developing device frame including at least a mounting portion. The regulating blade is fixed, in a state that the regulating blade is flexed, in a region of the mounting portion corresponding to a maximum image region of an image bearing member so that a gap between the rotatable developing member and the regulating blade falls within a predetermined range over a rotational axis direction of the rotatable developing member. The mounting portion is provided with a rib which includes a portion projecting from the mounting portion and extending along a direction parallel to the rotational axis direction of the rotatable developing member and which is formed over an entirety of a region of the mounting portion corresponding to the maximum image region of the image bearing member.

Developing device including a resin-made regulating blade

An image forming apparatus includes an image forming station configured to form an image on a recording material; an electric circuit configured to operate the image forming station; a casing configured to accommodate the electric circuit; a recess provided on the casing; a voltage source input portion provided on a wall surface of the recess and configured to supply electric power to the electric circuit from an outside of the casing; and an air vent opening formed in a wall surface of the recess for permitting air flow between an inside and an outside to cool an inside of the casing.

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Abiko, Japan

Tomohiro Shiomi