To provide a roller supporting mechanism which is provided in an electrophotographic image forming apparatus or the like, and freely rotatably supports the roller, wherein a replacement work can be easily performed by easily making the rotating shaft of a roller coincident with the axis of an insertion hole of a bearing member upon the replacement of the roller.
The roller supporting mechanism 1 includes a pair of arms 3, and the bearing member 2 to be attachably/detachably loaded to and from the arm 3. The bearing member 2 includes a half-cylindrical part 2b having the insertion hole 52a where the axial end part 142a of the rotating shaft of a charging roller 142 is inserted, and having a groove 52b. The axial end part 142a of the charging roller 142 is set in the groove part 52b of the bearing member 2, and the rotating shaft of the charging roller 142 is coaxial to the insertion hole 52a of the bearing member 2. By shifting the bearing member 2 in the axial direction, the axial end part 142a is inserted into the insertion hole 52a, and the engagement pawl 2d of the bearing member 2 is engaged with the engagement hole 3c of the arm 3. Thus, the charging roller 142 is freely rotatably supported by the roller supporting mechanism 1.
Katsumi Taguchi
Shinichi Mizuta
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