Electrophotographic photosensitive member, process cartridge and electrophotographic apparatus

• US 10,042,273 B2
• Filed: 07/30/2015
• Issued: 08/07/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 08/06/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canon Ayutthaya Limited (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Ayutthaya Limited (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Takahashi, Koji, Ogawa, Hideki, Kawai, Yasuhiro, Ichihashi, Naoaki, Kitamura, Wataru
• Primary Examiner(s): Dote, Janis L
• Application Number:
  US15/315,869
• Publication Number:
  US 20170108790A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,104 Days
• Field of Search: 430 66, 430 67
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 5/04 Photoconductive layers; Charge-generation layers or charge-transporting layers; Additives therefor; Binders therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 5/147 Cover layers

Abstract

In the electrophotographic photosensitive member of the present invention, a plurality of convex portions having a longest diameter L1 in the generatrix direction of the electrophotographic photosensitive member of 30 μm or more arid a height H1 of 1 μm or more are formed on the surface of the electrophotographic photosensitive member, a plurality of convex portions corresponding to the convex portions formed on the surface of the surface layer are formed at the interface between the surface layer and a layer immediately below the surface layer, and the rate of fitting of the convex portions formed on the surface of the surface layer to the convex portions formed at the interface between the surface layer and the layer immediately below the surface layer is 20% or more and 200% or less.

Claims

1. An electrophotographic photosensitive member having cylindrical shape, the electrophotographic photosensitive member comprising an electroconductive support and a surface layer on the electroconductive support, and comprising a layer immediately below the surface layer, between the electroconductive support and the surface layer, wherein

a plurality of convex portions having a longest diameter L1 in a generatrix direction of the electrophotographic photosensitive member of 30 μ

m or more and a height H1 of 1 μ

m or more are formed on a surface of the electrophotographic photosensitive member,

a plurality of convex portions corresponding to the convex portions on a surface of the surface layer are formed at an interface between the surface layer and the layer immediately below the surface layer,

a rate of fitting of the convex portions on the surface of the surface layer to the convex portions formed at the interface between the surface layer and the layer immediately below the surface layer is 20% to 200%, and

a ratio of an area of the convex portions on the surface to an area of the surface is 30% to 70%.

2. The electrophotographic photosensitive member according to claim 1, wherein the rate of fitting is 50% to 100%.

3. The electrophotographic photosensitive member according to claim 1, wherein a relationship between L1 (μ

m) and T (μ

m) satisfies 3≤

L1/T≤

22 when T is a thickness of the surface layer.

4. The electrophotographic photosensitive member according to claim 3, wherein 4≤

L1/T≤

20.

5. The electrophotographic photosensitive member according to claim 1, wherein the thickness of the surface layer is 0.1 to 30 μ

m.

6. The electrophotographic photosensitive member according to claim 1, wherein the surface layer is a cured layer.

7. A method for producing an electrophotographic photosensitive member, the electrophotographic photosensitive member having cylindrical shape and comprising an electroconductive support, a surface layer on the electroconductive support, and a layer immediately below the surface layer between the electroconductive support and the surface layer, the method comprising:

forming the surface layer to produce an object to be processed; and

pressing a mold member having concave portions on a surface of the surface layer and rotating the object to be processed, to form a plurality of convex portions on the surface of the surface layer and to form a plurality of convex portions corresponding to the convex portions at an interface between the surface layer and the layer immediately below the surface layer, wherein

plurality of convex portions having a longest diameter L1 in a generatrix direction of the electrophotographic photosensitive member of 30 μ

m or more and a height H1 of 1 μ

m or more are formed on a surface of the electrophotographic photosensitive member,

a plurality of convex portions corresponding to the convex portions on a surface of the surface layer are formed at an interface between the surface layer and the layer immediately below the surface layer, and

a rate of fitting of the convex portions on the surface of the surface layer to the convex portions formed at the interface between the surface layer and the layer immediately below the surface layer is 20 to 200%.

8. The method for producing an electrophotographic photosensitive member according to claim 7, wherein a ratio of an area of the convex portions on the surface to an area of the surface is 30% to 70%.

9. A process cartridge detachably attachable to a main body of an electrophotographic apparatus, wherein the process cartridge integrally supports an electrophotographic photosensitive member having cylindrical shape, and a cleaning unit having a cleaning member disposed in contact with the electrophotographic photosensitive member,

the electrophotographic photosensitive member comprising an electroconductive support and a surface layer on the electroconductive support, with a layer immediately below the surface layer between the electroconductive support and the surface layer, wherein

a plurality of convex portions having a longest diameter L1 in a generatrix direction of the electrophotographic photosensitive member of 30 μ

m or more and a height H1 of 1 μ

m or more are formed on a surface of the electrophotographic photosensitive member,

a plurality of convex portions corresponding to the convex portions on a surface of the surface layer are formed at an interface between the surface layer and the layer immediately below the surface layer,

a rate of fitting of the convex portions on the surface of the surface layer to the convex portions formed at the interface between the surface layer and the layer immediately below the surface layer is 20 to 200%, and

a ratio of an area of the convex portions on the surface to an area of the surface is 30% to 70%.

10. An electrophotographic apparatus comprising an electrophotographic photosensitive member having cylindrical shape, a charging unit, an exposure unit, a developing unit, a transferring unit and a cleaning unit having a cleaning member disposed in contact with the electrophotographic photosensitive member,

the electrophotographic photosensitive member comprises an electroconductive support and a surface layer on the electroconductive support, with a layer immediately below the surface layer between the electroconductive support and the surface layer, wherein

a plurality of convex portions having a longest diameter L1 in a generatrix direction of the electrophotographic photosensitive member of 30 μ

m or more and a height H1 of 1 μ

m or more are formed on a surface of the electrophotographic photosensitive member,

a plurality of convex portions corresponding to the convex portions on a surface of the surface layer are formed at an interface between the surface layer and the layer immediately below the surface layer,

a rate of fitting of the convex portions on the surface of the surface layer to the convex portions formed at the interface between the surface layer and the layer immediately below the surface layer is 20 to 200%, and

a ratio of an area of the convex portions on the surface to an area of the surface is 30% to 70%.