Cleaning blade, process cartridge, and electrophotographic image forming apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10088795-B2
Application number	US-201715729848-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 11, 2017
Priority date	Oct 31, 2016
Publication date	Oct 2, 2018
Grant date	Oct 2, 2018

Abstract

There is provided a cleaning blade including an elastic member and a supporting member, in which a free end of the elastic member has an edge and a hardened surface constituting the edge. The cleaning blade satisfies a relationship of 0.10≤DHs≤0.40 and DHs≥DHm where DHs (mN/μm 2 ) represents a dynamic hardness of the hardened surface and DHm (mN/μm 2 ) represents a maximum value of a dynamic hardness obtained in a positional range in which a distance L from the edge on a straight line that bisect an angle of the edge satisfies 0 μm<L≤200 μm and in AFM-IR spectrum of the hardened surface, peak intensity ν C═O free (1724 to 1736 cm −1 ) derived from a urethane group and peak intensity ν C═O bond (1708 to 1720 cm −1 ) derived from a urethane group hydrogen bond has a specific relationship.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A cleaning blade, comprising:
an elastic member containing urethane rubber; and
a supporting member supporting the elastic member,
wherein a free end of the elastic member has:
an edge; and
a first plane and a second plane constituting the edge,

either or both of the first plane and the second plane have a hardened surface,
wherein, the cleaning blade satisfies the following relationships represented by Formula (1) and Formula (2):
0.10≤DHs≤0.40  (1)

DHs≥DHm  (2)

where
DHs (mN/μm 2 ) represents a dynamic hardness of the hardened surface; and
DHm (mN/μm 2 ) represents a maximum value of a dynamic hardness obtained in a positional range in which a distance L from the edge on a straight line that bisects an angle of the edge in a cross-section of the elastic member orthogonal to a longitudinal direction of the elastic member satisfies 0 μm<L≤200 μm,
wherein, the elastic member satisfies a peak intensity ratio I bs /I fs of 1.0 or less, wherein
I bs represents a peak intensity of ν C═O bond (1708 to 1720 cm −1 ) derived from a urethane group hydrogen bond and I fs is a peak intensity of ν C═O free (1724 to 1736 cm −1 ) derived from a urethane group in urethane rubber in an IR chart obtained at the hardened surface with AFM-IR,
and wherein,
when M1 is defined as a maximum value of a peak intensity ratio of I b1 /I f1 in a positional range in which a distance L from the edge on the straight line satisfies 0 μm<L≤200 μm, where I b1 is a peak intensity of ν C═O bond (1708 to 1720 cm −1 ) derived from a urethane group hydrogen bond and I f1 is a peak intensity of ν C═O free (1724 to 1736 cm −1 ) derived from a urethane group in urethane rubber in IR charts obtained at each positons in the positional range with AFM-IR,
the maximum vale M1 is greater than the peak intensity ratio I bs /I fs .

2. The cleaning blade according to claim 1 ,
wherein the position indicating the maximum value M 1 is at a distance L of 20 μm or more and 100 μm or less from the edge on the straight line.

3. The cleaning blade according to claim 1 ,
wherein the maximum value M 1 is 1.10 times or more the peak intensity ratio I bs /I fs .

4. The cleaning blade according to claim 1 ,
wherein, when, M2 is defined as a maximum value of a peak intensity ratio I b2 /I f2 at each position where the distance L from the edge on the straight line is more than 200 μm, where I b2 is a peak intensity of ν C═O bond (1708 to 1720 cm −1 ) derived from a urethane group hydrogen bond and I f2 is a peak intensity of ν C═O free (1724 to 1736 cm −1 ) derived from a urethane group in urethane rubber in IR charts obtained at the each positions with AFM-IR, the maximum value M 1 is 1.10 times or more the maximum value M 2 .

5. The cleaning blade according to claim 1 ,
wherein the hardened surface exists on both the first plane and the second plane.

6. The cleaning blade according to claim 1 ,
wherein both end faces of the elastic member in a longitudinal direction have a hardened surface.

7. A process cartridge, which is detachably configured in an electrophotographic image forming apparatus, comprising:
an image bearing member; and
a cleaning blade disposed to clean a surface of the image bearing member,
wherein the cleaning blade comprises an elastic member containing urethane rubber and a supporting member supporting the elastic member,
a free end of the elastic member has:
an edge; and
a first plane and a second plane constituting the edge,

either or both of the first plane and the second plane have a hardened surface,
wherein, the cleaning blade satisfies the following relationships represented by Formula (1) and Formula (2):
0.10≤DHs≤0.40  (1)

DHs≥DHm  (2)

where
DHs (mN/μm 2 ) represents a dynamic hardness of the hardened surface; and
DHm (mN/μm 2 ) represents a maximum value of a dynamic hardness obtained in a positional range in which a distance L from the edge on a straight line that bisects an angle of the edge in a cross-section of the elastic member orthogonal to a longitudinal direction of the elastic member satisfies 0 μm<L≤200 μm,
wherein, the elastic member satisfies a peak intensity ratio I bs /I fs of 1.0 or less, wherein
I bs represents a peak intensity of ν C═O bond (1708 to 1720 cm −1 ) derived from a urethane group hydrogen bond and I fs is a peak intensity of ν C═O free (1724 to 1736 cm −1 ) derived from a urethane group in urethane rubber in an IR chart obtained at the hardened surface with AFM-IR,
and wherein,
when M1 is defined as a maximum value of a peak intensity ratio I b1 /I f1 of in a positional range in which a distance L from the edge on the straight line satisfies 0 μm<L≤200 μm, where I b1 is a peak intensity of ν C═O bond (1708 to 1720 cm −1 ) derived from a urethane group hydrogen bond and I f1 is a peak intensity of ν C═O free (1724 to 1736 cm −1 ) derived from a urethane group in urethane rubber in IR charts obtained at each positions in the positional range with AFM-IR,
the maximum value M1 is greater than the peak intensity ratio I bs /I fs .

8. An electrophotographic image forming apparatus, comprising:
an image bearing member; and
a cleaning blade disposed to clean a surface of the image bearing member,
wherein the cleaning blade comprises an elastic member containing urethane rubber and a supporting member supporting the elastic member,
a free end of the elastic member has:
an edge and
a first plane and a second plane constituting the edge,

either or both of the first plane and the second plane have a hardened surface,
wherein, the cleaning blade satisfies the following relationships represented by Formula (1) and Formula (2):
0.10≤DHs≤0.40  (1)

DHs≥DHm  (2)

where
DHs (mN/μm 2 ) represents a dynamic hardness of the hardened surface; and
DHm (mN/μm 2 ) represents a maximum value of a dynamic hardness obtained in a positional range in which a distance L from the edge on a straight line that bisects an angle of the edge in a cross-section of the elastic member orthogonal to a longitudinal direction of the elastic member satisfies 0 μm<L≤200 μm,
wherein, the elastic member satisfies a peak intensity ratio I bs /I fs of 1.0 or less, wherein
I bs represents a peak intensity of ν C═O bond (1708 to 1720 cm −1 ) derived from a urethane group hydrogen bond and I fs is a peak intensity of ν C═O free (1724 to 1736 cm −1 ) derived from a urethane group in urethane rubber in an IR chart obtained at the hardened surface with AFM-IR,
and wherein,
when M1 is defined as a maximum value of a peak intensity ratio I b1 /I f1 of in a positional range in which a distance L from the edge on the straight line satisfies 0 μm<L≤200 μm, where I b1 is a peak intensity of ν C═O bond (1708 to 1720 cm −1 ) derived from a urethane group hydrogen bond I f1 is a peak intensity of ν C═O free (1724 to 1736 cm −1 ) derived from a urethane group in urethane rubber in IR charts obtained at each positions in the positional range with AFM-IR,
the maximum value M1 is greater than the peak intensity ratio I bs /I fs .

Assignees

• Canon Kk

Inventors

• Ikeda Yohei
• Yamamoto Arihiro
• Kawakami Tomoya

Classifications

• G03G21/0017 Primary

  Details relating to the internal structure or chemical composition of the blades · CPC title

• G03G21/18

  using a processing cartridge {, whereby the process cartridge comprises at least two image processing means in a single unit} · CPC title