JP2002040787A - Toner cartridge and image forming device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a toner cartridge where a stable quantity of discharged toner can be obtained. SOLUTION: In the device, a case body 22 storing the toner with a toner discharging opening 24 formed on it and a revolving member that is facing the toner discharging opening 24 and is supported to be freely revolved inside the case body 22 are provided. In this case, the revolving member is revolved while being slid against at least one part of the inside wall of the case body 22 and it is constituted so that the toner is discharged from the toner discharging opening 24.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine, a printer, a facsimile and the like using an electrophotographic method, and more particularly to a toner cartridge for supplying toner to a developing device.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In an image forming apparatus of the above-described type, an image carrier such as a photoconductor which is driven to rotate, a latent image forming means for sequentially forming an electrostatic latent image on the photoconductor, and an electrostatic latent image And a transfer device for transferring a plurality of color toner images on the photoconductor to a recording medium.

Conventionally, the above-mentioned developing device includes a developing device having a developing roller in contact with a photoreceptor and a toner cartridge detachably mounted on the developing device and supplying toner to the developing device. For example, 3-53
As shown in FIG. 1A, a rotating shaft 100 rotatably supported in a cylindrical toner cartridge 110 and a rotating shaft 100 fixed on the rotating shaft and mounted near a toner discharge port 102, as shown in FIG. Raised plate 10 for discharging toner inside
4 and a spiral scraping plate 106 which is also fixed to a portion other than the scraping plate 104 on the rotating shaft and which transfers the toner near both ends of the toner cartridge in the axial direction toward the toner discharge port 102. Has proposed a toner cartridge having a different structure. In the toner cartridge having this structure, it is possible to increase the size of the toner cartridge as much as possible regardless of the size of the toner outlet, increase the amount of stored toner, and reduce the frequency of replacement.

[0004]

In recent years, image forming apparatuses such as printers have been required to be reduced in size due to restrictions on installation locations. However, in electrophotographic devices such as full-color laser printers, cyan, magenta, yellow,
A toner cartridge for a plurality of black toners must be accommodated in the apparatus, and the conventional toner cartridge is unavoidable to increase the size of the apparatus. That is, if four cylindrical toner cartridges as shown in FIG. 1A are individually mounted around the photoreceptor device, an occupied area in the electrophotographic apparatus is increased.

On the other hand, if the size of the toner cartridge itself is reduced, the problem of the occupied place in the electrophotographic apparatus can be solved. However, since the amount of stored toner decreases, the number of times of replacement of the toner cartridge increases and the maintenance becomes complicated. Another problem arises. Therefore, when a conventional cylindrical cartridge is used in a full-color electrophotographic apparatus, there is a problem that the apparatus itself cannot be miniaturized without reducing the toner storage amount.

On the other hand, in the conventional toner cartridge shown in FIG. 1 (A), both the scraping plate 104 and the scraping plate 106 are rotated by one rotating shaft 100 to stir the toner. As shown in FIG. 1 (B), the degree of compression between the toner particles is low, and the rotational torque is large.

In order to smoothly supply a fixed amount of toner to the developing device from the outlet of the toner cartridge, it is necessary that the toner is appropriately compacted near the toner outlet. However, if the consolidation is too high, the toner solidifies in the vicinity of the toner outlet, and a stable constant amount of toner cannot be supplied.

Further, in the conventional toner cartridge shown in FIG. 1A, the toner is excessively stirred, and the contact area between the toner and the air tends to increase.
For this reason, as shown in FIG. 1C, the toner locally solidifies due to adsorption by water molecules in the air. Therefore, there is a problem in that the toner discharge amount varies, and a stable toner discharge amount cannot be obtained. FIG.
(B) and (C) show a two-component toner having a toner and a carrier. However, the above-described problem similarly occurs with a one-component toner.

Further, when a plurality of toner cartridges shown in FIG. 1A are mounted on an electrophotographic apparatus, the state of toner compaction near the toner discharge port varies among the cartridges depending on the mounting posture, and the amount of toner discharged is There is also a problem that is different.

In order to realize a stable and constant toner discharge amount, it is preferable that the toner is not locally solidified in the toner cartridge, but is uniformly dispersed in the toner component and is appropriately compacted near the toner discharge port. . Therefore, the toner needs both “appropriate loosening” by some transport member and “appropriate compaction” near the toner discharge port. As described above, in the toner cartridge, the toner is required to have two contradictory states of “appropriate loosening” and “appropriate compaction”.

The present invention has been made to solve the above problems. That is, the first object of the present invention is to
An object of the present invention is to provide a toner cartridge capable of obtaining a stable toner discharge amount by adopting a configuration in which toner is compressed and conveyed to a toner discharge port.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a toner cartridge which is not affected by the solidification of the toner by adsorbing on water molecules in the air.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a toner cartridge which reduces a driving torque of a rotating member for realizing a smooth flow of toner in the toner cartridge.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a toner cartridge which cleans the inner wall of the toner cartridge and improves the fluidity of the toner near the toner outlet.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a toner cartridge and an image forming apparatus which can reduce a variation in a toner discharge amount caused by a difference in a mounting posture of a toner cartridge.

[0016]

In order to achieve the above object, in a toner cartridge to which the present invention is applied, a rotating member having a function of compressing and conveying toner inside a cartridge having two communicating toner chamber structures. 2
This is provided in parallel. Then, these two rotating members rotate in the same direction to compress and transport the toner to the discharge port.

As described above, by rotating the two rotating members in the same direction, the toner can be loosened appropriately and a suitable compaction state can be obtained near the discharge port. Further, since the radius of the rotating member can be reduced as compared with the case where one rotating member is provided in the cylindrical cartridge, the driving torque of the rotating member can be reduced. Further, since the toner cartridge is not a single cylinder but a horizontally long one in which two cylindrical containers are combined, the height of the toner cartridge can be reduced without reducing the toner storage amount.

The above object is achieved by a combination of features described in the independent claims. The dependent claims define further advantageous embodiments of the present invention.

That is, a toner cartridge containing toner for an image forming apparatus utilizing electrophotography according to an embodiment of the present invention contains a toner main body, a case main body having a toner discharge port formed therein, and a toner main body. A rotary member rotatably supported facing the toner discharge port, the rotary member rotating while sliding on at least a part of the inner wall of the case body, and discharging the toner from the toner discharge port. Features.

The rotating member has a rotating shaft rotatably supported by the case body, and at least one flexible scraping fin extending from the rotating shaft, wherein the scraping fin is a toner on the rotating shaft. It may be provided at a position corresponding to the outlet.

When the scraping fin is at a position corresponding to the toner discharge port during rotation, its tip may project from the toner discharge port.

The shape of the tip of the scraping fin may correspond to the shape of the toner outlet.

The toner outlets may be formed in a row in the direction of the rotation axis of the rotating member, and may have a plurality of small outlets having different widths in the direction of the rotation axis.

The case main body further has a shutter member that moves while sliding on the outer surface of the case main body to open and close the toner discharge port. When the scraping fin is at a position corresponding to the toner discharge port, the shutter member moves. Alternatively, the toner discharge port may be closed by moving in a direction opposite to the rotation direction of the scraping fins.

The rotary member has a rotary compression member disposed facing the toner discharge port in the case main body, and a rotary transport member disposed upstream of the rotary compression member in the case main body. The rotation axis of the rotary compression member and the rotation axis of the rotary conveyance member may be substantially parallel.

The rotary compression member has compression blades mounted on both sides of the scraping fins of the rotating shaft for compressing and conveying the toner to the scraping fins, and the rotation radius of the compression blades is larger than the rotation radius of the scraping fins. You may make it small.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided an image forming apparatus utilizing an electrophotographic method, comprising: a photosensitive device; and a plurality of toner cartridges mounted around the photosensitive device and containing different types of toner. The toner cartridge includes a case body containing toner and having a toner outlet formed therein, and a rotating member having at least one flexible scraping fin rotatably supported facing the toner outlet. When the scraping fin is located at a position corresponding to the toner discharge port during rotation, its tip protrudes from the toner discharge port, and the toner cartridge mounted on the upper side in the image forming apparatus is closer to the toner discharge port. The protruding length of the tip is short.

Note that the above summary of the present invention does not list all of the necessary features of the present invention, and sub-combinations of these features can also constitute the present invention.

[0029]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, the present invention will be described through embodiments of the present invention. However, the following embodiments do not limit the claimed invention and have the features described in the embodiments. Not all combinations are essential to the solution of the invention. Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 2 shows a toner cartridge 1 according to the present invention.
FIG. 1 is a schematic sectional view illustrating an entire configuration of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment. Although this image forming apparatus is a color electrophotographic printer capable of forming a full-color image with four color toners, the present invention is not limited to this, and a toner image is formed on an image carrier such as a photoconductor. The present invention can be applied to all image forming apparatuses of a forming method.

The photoreceptor 1 has a thin cylindrical conductive substrate and a photosensitive layer formed on the surface thereof, and is driven to rotate in a direction indicated by an arrow by driving means (not shown). Around the photosensitive member 1, along a rotating direction thereof, a charging roller 2 as a charging unit, an exposure unit 3 for forming an electrostatic latent image on the photosensitive member 1, and a developing unit for developing the electrostatic latent image. Developing unit 4, an intermediate transfer device 5 for transferring the toner image formed on the photoconductor 1 onto the intermediate transfer belt 7,
A photoreceptor cleaning device 6 for removing the toner remaining on the top is disposed.

The developing unit 4 includes a developing unit 4 for yellow.
Y, a developing device 4C for cyan, a developing device 4M for magenta, and a developing device 4K for black.
A developing roller 4b is provided in the developing housing 4a. And these developing units 4Y, 4C, 4M,
4K are arranged so as to be swingable so as to come in contact with and separate from the photosensitive member 1, and only the developing roller 4b of one developing unit can selectively contact the photosensitive member 1 for each rotation of the photosensitive member 1. Has been.

The intermediate transfer device 5 includes a drive roller 9 for running the intermediate transfer belt 7, a primary transfer backup roller 10, a secondary transfer backup roller 11, and the like. An intermediate transfer belt 7 is stretched. The intermediate transfer belt 7 is urged toward the photoconductor 1 by a primary transfer backup roller 10, where a primary transfer portion T1 is formed. Further, a secondary transfer roller 12 is opposed to the secondary transfer backup roller 11 with the intermediate transfer belt 7 interposed therebetween.
Here, a secondary transfer portion T2 is formed.

Next, the operation of the image forming apparatus will be described. When an image forming signal is input from a computer (not shown), the photosensitive member 1, the developing rollers 4b of the developing unit 4, and the intermediate transfer belt 7 are driven to rotate. First, the outer peripheral surface of the photoconductor 1 is uniformly charged by the charging roller 2, and the outer peripheral surface of the uniformly charged photoconductor 1 is applied to the outer peripheral surface of the photoconductor 1 by the exposure unit 3 in accordance with image information of a first color (for example, yellow). Selective exposure L is performed to form a yellow electrostatic latent image.

Only the developing roller 4b of the yellow developing unit 4Y comes into contact with the photoreceptor 1, whereby a yellow electrostatic latent image toner image is formed on the photoreceptor 1. A primary transfer voltage having a polarity opposite to the chargeability of the toner is applied to the intermediate transfer belt 7, and the toner image formed on the photoconductor 1 is transferred onto the intermediate transfer belt 7 in the primary transfer portion T1. After the toner remaining on the photoreceptor 1 is removed by the photoreceptor cleaning device 6, the outer peripheral surface of the photoreceptor 1 is discharged by a discharger (not shown).

The above operation is performed, for example, in the case of the second image forming signal.
One of the photoconductor 1 and the intermediate transfer belt 7 corresponding to the color (cyan), the third color (magenta), and the fourth color (black).
The formation and development of the latent image by rotation are repeated, and the toner images of four colors according to the content of the image forming signal are superimposed and transferred on the intermediate transfer belt 7. Then, at the timing when this full-color image reaches the secondary transfer portion T2, the sheet S is supplied from the direction of the arrow to the secondary transfer portion T2, and at this time, the transfer roller 12 is pressed against the intermediate transfer belt 7 and the secondary transfer is performed. A voltage is applied, and the full-color toner image on the intermediate transfer belt 7 is transferred onto the recording medium S. Although the first color (yellow), the second color (cyan), the third color (magenta), and the fourth color (black) are used in the above-described processing of the image forming signal, the processing order is not limited to this. Not something.

Here, the toner cartridge 20 of this embodiment is detachably mounted on the developing housing 4a of the developing device 4Y. The same applies to the other developing devices 4C, 4M, and 4K. The toner cartridge 20 includes a case body 22 and a toner outlet 24 formed in the case body 22. When the toner cartridge 20 is mounted on the developing housing 4a, the toner cartridge 20 is connected to the toner inlet 4c of the developing housing 4a. It is configured to supply toner. In the case main body 22, the rotary conveyance member 40 is disposed on the upstream side, and the rotary compression member 60 is disposed on the downstream side.

FIG. 3A is a sectional view taken along the line AA of the toner cartridge of FIG. 1, FIG. 3B is a view of the rotary compression member of FIG. (C) is FIG.
It is sectional drawing which follows the CC line of (A).

FIG. 3 shows the case body 2 described in FIG.
2, a toner discharge port 24, a rotary conveyance member 40, and a rotary compression member 60 provided at the center of the case body 22 are shown. As shown in FIG. 3C, a projection 26 facing the inside of the case main body 22 is formed at the bottom of the case main body 22. Due to this structure, the case main body 22 has a substantially cylindrical first toner storage chamber 90 substantially corresponding to the rotation area of the rotary conveyance member 40 located on the upstream side in the toner conveyance direction.
And a substantially cylindrical second toner storage chamber 92 substantially corresponding to the rotation area of the rotary compression member 60 located on the downstream side. The case main body 22 includes a rotating conveyance member 40.
The cross-sectional area of the first toner storage chamber 90 on the side is designed to be larger than the cross-sectional area of the second toner storage chamber 92 on the rotary compression member 60 side. Thus, the downstream side in the toner transport direction,
That is, the height on the side of the toner discharge port 24 can be reduced, and as shown in FIG. 2, the four developing devices can be efficiently mounted in a limited area around the photoconductor 1 without reducing the amount of toner to be accommodated. Can be arranged. The position and the shape of the toner discharge port 24 are not limited to the figures.

The rotary transport member 40 includes a rotary shaft 42 rotatably supported by the case body 22 and a plate-shaped flexible central transport fin 4 fixed to the central portion of the rotary shaft 42.
4, a plate-shaped flexible side transport fin 46 fixed to both ends of the rotating shaft 42, and a flexible end fin 48 for scraping off toner at the end of the case body 22. I have.
The rotary compression member 60 includes a rotating shaft 62 rotatably supported by the case body 22 and a flexible scraping fin 68 fixed to the rotating shaft 62 so as to face the toner discharge port 24.
a, 68b, and compression blades 64 on the rotating shaft 62 on both sides of the scraping fins 68a, 68b. Compression blade 64
By integrally molding with the rotating shaft 62, the manufacturing process can be simplified.

The transport fins 44 and 46 are radially mounted around the rotation shaft 42. FIG. 3A shows three transport fins, but the number of attached fins is not limited to this. Also, as shown in FIG. 3A, the mounting positions of the transport fins are such that the central transport fin 44 located at the center of the three fins forms an angle of 180 degrees with the side transport fins 46 at the left and right. However, the present invention is not particularly limited to this. Each plate piece of the side transport fins 46 has a two-piece structure by cutting, and has a weakly weak flexible fin 46a on the outside and a strongly flexible fin 46b on the inside flexible. ing. The same applies to the center transport fins 44. The degree of flexibility of each fin is preferably selected such that it flexes moderately when transporting the toner and disperses the excess weight of the toner. The flexibility of the two-piece fin can be arbitrarily adjusted by changing the number of cuts, the position, and the shape.

The end fins 48 are mounted so as to effectively send out toner that tends to accumulate at the end of the rotating shaft 42. In FIG. 3 (A), one position is provided on the left side of the rotating shaft 42, but it may be provided at both ends of the rotating shaft 42. Further, it may be provided at the end of the rotating shaft 62.

The scraping fins 68a and 68b are pulse-shaped flexible plates. In this embodiment shown in FIG. 3A, two fins 68a and 68b are attached at an angle of 180 degrees radially from the rotation shaft 62. Have been. Scraping fins 68a,
The number of 68b is not limited to this, and 3
Alternatively, four sheets may be attached every 90 degrees. Further, the pitch of the pulse shape of the scraping fins 68a and 68b and the depth of the cut are not limited to those shown in the drawings, and may be appropriately selected so as to have desired flexibility.

The compression blade 64 has a structure in which a plurality of semi-circles are alternately inclined and connected to the rotating shaft 62 as shown in FIG. 3B. By changing the number of semicircles and the angle of inclination, the amount of toner transported and the compression can be adjusted. Also, the mounting pitch and angle of the semi-circles need not be the same.

A spherical portion 30 is formed at one end of the rotary shafts 42 and 62 of the rotary conveying member 40 and the rotary compressing member 60, and the spherical portion 30 is supported by a bearing 28 formed on the case body 22. You. A driven gear (not shown) is connected to the other ends of the rotating shafts 42 and 62. Since the spherical portion 30 is in contact with the bearing portion 28 so as to reduce the contact area, the driving torque acting on the rotating shafts 42 and 62 can be reduced.

Next, the operation of the toner cartridge of this embodiment shown in FIG. 3 will be described. As shown in FIG. 3C, the toner stored in the toner cartridge 20 is transferred from the first toner storage chamber 90 of the cartridge main body 22 in which the rotary transfer member 40 is stored to the transfer fins 44 and 4.
By virtue of 6, the toner is conveyed to the second toner accommodating chamber 92 in which the rotary compression member 60 side is accommodated beyond the projection 26. The toner conveyed to the second toner storage chamber 92 on the downstream side is conveyed while being compressed in the direction of the toner discharge port 24, that is, from both ends to the center by the compression blades 64 provided at both ends of the rotary compression member 60. Is done. The toner conveyed to the center of the second toner storage chamber 92 in this manner is discharged from the toner discharge port 24 by the scraping fins 68a and 68b while maintaining appropriate compaction, and is supplied to the toner injection port 4c on the developing device side. (Shown in FIG. 2).

The scraping fins 68a and 68b are provided so that the toner near the toner outlet 24 can be effectively scraped.
Is preferably larger than the rotation diameter of the compression blade 64.

FIG. 4 is a view showing the flow of the toner conveyance described above. FIG. 4 (A) is a cross-sectional view of the toner cartridge of FIG. 2 along the line AA, and FIG. 4 (B) is FIG. A) C-
It is sectional drawing which follows the C line.

FIG. 4A is a conceptual diagram showing the flow of toner inside the toner cartridge 20 of this embodiment described with reference to FIG. In FIG. 4A, the rotation shaft 42 of the rotary conveyance member 40 and the rotation shaft 62 of the rotary compression member 60 are indicated by dotted lines, and other shapes such as fins are omitted. A solid line 26 indicates a projection 26 projecting into the case body 22.
It is a line showing the peak of. The protrusion 26 allows the toner cartridge to move between the rotary conveying member 40 and the rotary compressing member 6.
It has a two-room structure that communicates with the 0 side.

[0050] As shown in FIG.
0 rotates counterclockwise, so that the rotating conveyance member 40 is rotated.
Transfer fins 44 and 46 rake up the toner in the first toner storage chamber 90. Then, the toner is supplied to the case body 2
Along the bottom of the second toner storage chamber 90 and the protrusion 26
Transported in the direction of Part of the toner scraped up by the transport fins 44 and 46 passes over the protrusion 26 and is transported to the second toner storage chamber 92. Subsequently, the toner is compressed and conveyed from the left and right toward the toner outlet 24 at the center of the toner cartridge by the compression blades 64 at both ends of the rotary compression member 60. Finally, the toner is scraped out of the toner discharge port 24 by the scraping fins 68a and 68b of the rotary compression member 60 while maintaining appropriate compaction.

As shown in FIG. 4B, the cross-sectional area of the first toner storage chamber 90 on the upstream side of the toner cartridge 20 is larger than the cross-sectional area of the second toner storage chamber 92 on the downstream side. Designed. Before the toner accommodated in the toner cartridge 20 is attached to the developing device, the toner is largely filled in the first toner accommodating chamber 90. When the toner cartridge 20 is mounted on the developing device,
Is rotated, a large amount of toner is sent to the second toner storage chamber 92 on the downstream side. At this time, the rotary compression member 60
Since the side cross-sectional area is small, more toner than the capacity of the second toner accommodating chamber 92 is conveyed to the rotary compression member 60 side, which is the downstream side as a whole. Therefore, the toner can always be kept in a proper consolidation state. Further, since the projection 26 is formed in the toner cartridge 20, the toner sent from the upstream rotary conveyance member 40 to the downstream rotary compression member 60 is difficult to return to the upstream side. For this reason, even if the consumption of toner is considerably advanced, the amount of toner remaining in the cartridge can be reduced, and the stored toner can be used efficiently and without waste until the end. Conversely, since the protrusion 26 having an appropriate height is formed, the toner is not excessively conveyed to the second toner storage chamber 92 side.

The compression blade 64 of the rotary compression member 60
Has a structure in which semi-circular plates are alternately inclined and connected to a rotating shaft 62. When this structure is used, the toner can easily escape from the connecting portion of the semi-circular plate as compared with the spiral (spiral) structure shown in FIG. In the conventional spiral (spiral) structure, the toner is uniformly compressed and conveyed toward the vicinity of the outlet, so that the toner is excessively compressed near the outlet and the driving torque acting on the rotating shaft increases. Was. However, by excessively releasing the toner from the connecting portion of the semi-circular plate as in the present embodiment, excessive compression near the toner discharge port 24 can be avoided, and excess drive torque for driving the rotation shaft 62 to be rotated can be reduced. . In addition, since the toner can be stably maintained in the vicinity of the toner outlet 24 in the compacted state, the contact area of the toner with air is reduced, and the toner is hardly affected by water molecules. Therefore, a stable amount of toner can be supplied to the developing device. Further, the developing device 4Y of the image forming apparatus shown in FIG.
It is possible to reduce the difference in the degree of toner compression at the toner discharge port 24 depending on the mounting position of the toner cartridge mounted on 4C, 4M, 4K.

FIG. 5 shows an example of a front view of the toner cartridge 20 on the toner outlet 24 side. The case body 22 of the toner cartridge 20 is provided with a rectangular toner outlet 24. Guide rails 21 are provided on the left and right of the toner discharge port 24.
The shutter member 23 on the toner cartridge side is slidably movable in the vertical direction.

As described above, since the toner cartridge 20 includes the shutter member 23, it is possible to prevent the toner from leaking when the toner cartridge 20 is attached or detached. The size, shape, and position of the toner outlet 24 and the shutter member 23 are not limited to those shown in the drawings.

FIG. 6A shows another example of a front view of the toner cartridge 20 on the side of the toner outlet 24. FIG.
3B illustrates an example of the rotary compression member 60 corresponding to the shape of the toner discharge port 24. The toner outlet 24 shown in FIG. 6A has a plurality of small outlets 25 having a smaller sectional area than the toner outlet 24 of FIG. If the cross-sectional area of the toner discharge port 24 is large, the amount of discharged toner increases. But,
It is preferable that the case body 22 of the toner cartridge 20 be manufactured as light and thin as possible for reasons of cost, transportation, and the like. Therefore, if the toner outlet 24 is large, the case main body 22 is easily distorted and the strength is likely to be weak. When the case body 22 is distorted, the toner easily leaks from the toner discharge port 24.

Therefore, in the present embodiment, the toner discharge port 24 is formed by a plurality of rectangular small discharge ports 25 arranged in a line in the direction of the rotation axis 62 of the rotary compression member 60. In the vicinity of the center of the toner outlet 24, the small outlet 2
It is preferable that the cross-sectional area of No. 5 is small. This is because the substantially cylindrical case body 22 has the weakest strength near the central toner outlet 24 and is easily distorted.

When the toner outlet 24 is formed by a plurality of rectangular small outlets 25 as described above, the toner cartridge 2
0 can be reduced, and toner leakage from the toner discharge port 24 can be reduced. In addition, the shape, number, and position of the small discharge ports 25 are not limited to the figures.

FIG. 6B shows at least one scraping fin 68a corresponding to the toner discharge port 24 in FIG.
Figure 6 shows a rotary compression member 60 having 68b. In addition, you may make it have the compression blade | wing 64 shown in FIG. The tips of the scraping fins 68a and 68b have a pulse shape having a plurality of scraping pieces 69 corresponding to the toner discharge port 24. Further, the shapes of the scraping fins 68a and 68b are such that the tips thereof protrude from the toner outlet 25. In this figure, the tip of the scraping fins 68a, 68b has a shape corresponding to each small outlet 25 of the toner outlet 24, but the shapes of the scraping fins 68a, 68b and the toner outlet 24 are limited to the figures. Not done. For example, it may be a scraping fin having a horizontally elongated elliptical small ejection port and a scraping piece having a shape shorter than its long diameter.

The scraping fins 68a and 68b rotate by sliding on at least a part of the inner wall of the case body 22. When the scraping fins 68a, 68b reach the toner discharge port 24, the scraping fins 68a, 6 which have been slid and bent on the inner wall.
8b restores and pushes the toner out. afterwards,
The scraping fins 68a, 68b bend again to enter the case body 22, rotate while sliding on the inner wall, and convey the toner.

By changing the length of the scraping pieces 69 of the scraping fins 68a and 68b, the flexibility of the fins can be adjusted. The thickness and material of the fin may be changed. Further, the length and thickness of the fins may be changed according to the position where the toner cartridge 20 is mounted on the image forming apparatus. For example, the toner cartridge 20 mounted on the upper side of the image forming apparatus has a larger inclination and the toner is easily discharged from the toner discharge port 24 by its own weight. Therefore, the closer the toner cartridge 20 is mounted on the upper side, the shorter the length of the tip of the scraping fins 68 a and 68 b protruding from the toner discharge port 24 is, the more the toner discharge amount is reduced. And a stable toner supply can be achieved.

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line VI-VI of FIG. 6, showing how the rotating member slides on the inner wall of the toner cartridge. The rotary conveying member 40 and the rotary compressing member 60 are rotating while sliding on at least a part of the inner wall of the case main body 22 of the toner cartridge 20 (dotted line portion in the figure). The transport fins 44 and 46 are radially attached to the rotary shaft 42 of the rotary transport member 40 from the rotary shaft 42. Similarly, scraping fins 68a and 68b are attached to the rotating shaft 62 of the rotating and compressing member 60.

Here, the length of the scraping fins 68a and 68b of the rotary compression member 60 is longer than the distance from the rotating shaft 62 to the toner discharge port 24, and the tip thereof is the toner discharge port 2
4 is designed to protrude. The transport fins 44 and 46 are also designed to slide on the inner wall of the case body. The lengths of the transport fins 44 and 46 and the scraping fins 68a and 68b may be adjusted so that the fins contact each other above the protrusion 26. The contact between the fins as described above can also clean the toner attached to the fins.

Next, the rotary transport member 40 and the rotary compression member 6
For example, the case body 2
The flow of toner transport in the printer 2 will be described. The toner accommodated in the case main body 22 is conveyed to the rotary compression member 60 side beyond the protrusion 26 by the conveying fins 44 and 46 of the rotary conveying member 40. Subsequently, the toner is scraped out from the bottom of the case body 22 toward the toner outlet 24 by the scraping fins 68a and 68b of the rotary compression member 60 while maintaining an appropriate compaction state.

The scraping fins 68a and 68b rotate while sliding along the inner wall of the case body 22 while flexing along the locus indicated by the dotted line in the figure, so that the toner attached to the inner wall can be scraped and cleaned. Scraping fins 68a,
When 68b arrives at the toner discharge port 24, the scraping fins 68a and 68b which have slid and bent on the inner wall extend to return to the original length. This restoring force causes the toner outlet 24
The toner solidified in the vicinity is repelled and pushed toward the developing device 4 (see FIG. 2) on which the toner cartridge 20 is mounted. Accordingly, the fluidity of the toner near the toner outlet 24 can be improved. Further, since the toner is ejected to the developing device side, the excessively compressed toner is loosened.

Thereafter, the distal ends of the scraping fins 68a and 68b protruding from the toner discharge port 24 are accommodated in the case body 13a while bending. At this time, the scraping fins 68
The tips of a and 68b correspond to the edges of the case body 22. Therefore, the toner adhering to the scraping fins 68a and 68b is scraped off at the edges and the fins are cleaned.

The amount of toner transported may be adjusted by changing the thickness, length, etc. of the scraping fins 68a, 68b. Also, the transport fins 42, 4
The length of the fins may be adjusted such that either one of the fins 4 and the scraping fins 68a and 68b slide on the inner wall of the case body 22.

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line VI-VI of FIG. 6 showing a range in which the rotating member slides on the inner wall of the toner cartridge. The rotary conveying member 40 and the rotary compressing member 60 rotate counterclockwise while sliding on at least a part of the inner wall of the case main body 22. The solid line in FIG.
4, 46 and the scraping fins 68a, 68b are the case body 2
2 shows a range that does not slide with the inner wall. On the other hand, the dotted lines in the figure represent the transport fins 44 and 46 and the scraping fins 68a and 68a.
“b” indicates a range in which the inner wall slides.

As shown by the solid line in FIG.
6 and the scraping fins 68a and 68b are designed so as to have a portion that does not slide on the inner wall of the case body 22, so that the driving torque of the rotary conveyance member 40 and the rotary compression member 60 can be reduced. Further, since the toner is not always conveyed or scraped off by the transfer fins 44 and 46 and the scraping fins 68a and 68b, the toner is not loosened excessively and is appropriately loosened. Further, wear of the toner can be reduced, and the durability of the toner can be improved. In addition, as described above, by adopting the case shape in which the rotating member does not always slide on the case body 22, there is an advantage that the amount of toner that can be accommodated in the case body 22 increases.

FIG. 9 shows the operation of the shutter member.
2 is a sectional view taken along line VI-VI of FIG. Rotary conveying member 40
The rotary compression member 60 rotates counterclockwise while sliding on at least a part of the inner wall of the case main body 22. A shutter member 23 slidable along the guide rail 21 is disposed above the toner outlet 24 of the case body 22. In FIG. 9, the toner discharge port 24 is closed by moving the shutter member 23 from top to bottom. However, a structure in which the shutter member 23 moves from bottom to top and closes may be used.

When the toner cartridge 20 is removed from the developing unit 4 (see FIG. 2), the shutter member 23 is closed by being held by an engaging piece (not shown) on the developing unit 4 side. However, the scraping fins 68a, 68b
However, when the shutter member 23 projects from the toner discharge port 24 when the shutter member 23 is about to be closed, the scraping fins 68a, 6
8b may be caught between the shutter member 23 and the case body 22, and the toner may leak.

Hereinafter, an example of an appropriate operation of the shutter member in which the shutter member 23 does not sandwich the scraping fins 68a and 68b protruding from the toner discharge port 24 will be described.

The shutter member 23 is connected to the guide rail 21
Move from top to bottom to close the toner discharge port 24. At this time, the shutter member 23 moves in the direction opposite to the rotation direction of the scraping fin 68b protruding from the toner discharge port 24. For this reason, the scraping fin 68b that is rotating left
Is moved so as to ride on the shutter member 23 to be closed and is accommodated in the case body 22. By operating the shutter member 23 in this manner, the shutter member 23 moves the scraping fin 68b between the case main body 22 and the moving direction of the shutter member 23 and the rotation direction of the scraping fin 68b in the same direction. It is hard to pinch. The length of the tip of the scraping fins 68a, 68b protruding from the case body 22 is determined by the length of the toner outlet 24.
Is preferably equal to or less than half the diameter.

As described above, by operating the shutter member 23, when the toner cartridge 20 is removed, the shutter member 23 is moved out of the fins 68a, 68a.
The toner discharge port 24 can be properly sealed without interposing the toner outlet 8b. Therefore, leakage of toner from the toner outlet 24 can be appropriately prevented.

As described above, the present invention has been described using the embodiment. However, the technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the scope described in the above embodiment. Various changes or improvements can be added to the above embodiment. It should be noted that such modified or improved embodiments may be included in the technical scope of the present invention.
It is clear from the description of the claims.

[0075]

As is apparent from the above description, according to the present invention, the inner wall of the toner cartridge is formed by sliding the rotating member provided in the toner cartridge at least against a part of the inner wall of the toner cartridge to rotate. Can be cleaned. Further, by making the toner outlet of the toner cartridge correspond to the fin shape of the rotating member, the vicinity of the toner outlet can be cleaned, and the fluidity of toner can be improved.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a view showing a toner cartridge according to a conventional example.

FIG. 2 is a schematic sectional view of an image forming apparatus equipped with a toner cartridge according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view of the toner cartridge according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a flow of toner in a toner cartridge according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a front view of a toner cartridge according to an embodiment of the present invention, on a toner outlet side.

FIG. 6 is a front view of another toner discharge port side of the toner cartridge according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line VI-VI in FIG. 6, showing a state in which the rotating member slides on the inner wall of the toner cartridge.

FIG. 8 is a sectional view taken along line VI-VI in FIG. 6, showing a range in which the rotating member slides on the inner wall of the toner cartridge.

FIG. 9 is a view showing the operation of the shutter member, taken along the line VI-VI in FIG. 6;
It is sectional drawing which follows a line.

[Explanation of symbols]

 REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 20 toner cartridge 21 guide rail 22 case main body 23 shutter member 24 toner discharge port 25 small discharge port 26 protrusion 40 rotary transport member 42 rotation shaft 44 central transport fin 46 side transport fin 48 end fin 60 rotary compression member 64 compression Blade 68a, 68b Scavenging fin 69 Scavenging piece 90 First toner storage chamber 92 Second toner storage chamber

Continuation of the front page (72) Inventor Hiroaki Kamada 3-3-5 Yamato, Suwa City, Nagano Prefecture Seiko Epson Corporation (72) Inventor Hiroyuki Maruyama 3-5-3 Yamato Suwa City, Nagano Prefecture Seiko Epson Corporation F term (reference) 2H077 AA02 AA05 AA09 AA15 AA20 AA35 AB02 AB03 AB18 AC02 AC03 BA09 GA13

Claims (9)

[Claims] 1. A toner cartridge containing toner for an image forming apparatus using electrophotography, comprising: a case body containing toner and having a toner discharge port formed therein; A rotating member rotatably supported facing the outlet, wherein the rotating member rotates while sliding on at least a part of the inner wall of the case main body, and discharges toner from the toner discharge port. A toner cartridge characterized by the above-mentioned. 2. The rotating member includes a rotating shaft rotatably supported by the case main body, and at least one flexible scraping fin extending from the rotating shaft. 2. The toner cartridge according to claim 1, wherein the toner cartridge is provided at a position corresponding to the toner discharge port on the rotation shaft. 3. The toner cartridge according to claim 2, wherein when the scraping fin is located at a position corresponding to the toner discharge port during rotation, a tip portion thereof protrudes from the toner discharge port. . 4. The toner cartridge according to claim 2, wherein the shape of the tip of the scraping fin corresponds to the shape of the toner outlet. 5. The toner discharge port according to claim 1, wherein the toner discharge ports are formed in a row in the rotation axis direction of the rotating member and have a plurality of small discharge ports having different widths in the rotation axis direction. 4. The toner cartridge according to claim 1. 6. The case body further includes a shutter member that moves while sliding on an outer surface of the case body to open and close the toner discharge port, and wherein the scraping fin corresponds to the toner discharge port. 6. The toner cartridge according to claim 2, wherein the shutter member moves in a direction opposite to a rotation direction of the scraping fin to close the toner discharge port. 7. The rotary member, wherein the rotary member is disposed in the case main body so as to face a toner discharge port, and the rotary conveyance member is disposed in the case main body, and is disposed upstream of the rotary compressive member. The toner cartridge according to any one of claims 1 to 6, further comprising a member, wherein a rotation axis of the rotary compression member and a rotation axis of the rotary conveyance member are substantially parallel to each other. 8. The rotary compression member has compression blades mounted on both sides of the scraping fins of the rotating shaft to compress and convey the toner to the scraping fin side, wherein the rotation radius of the compression blades is 8. The toner cartridge according to claim 7, wherein the rotation radius of the scraping fin is smaller than the rotation radius of the scraping fin. 9. An image forming apparatus using an electrophotographic method, comprising: an image carrier; a plurality of developing devices disposed around the image carrier; and a type mounted on the plurality of developing devices. A plurality of toner cartridges accommodating different toners, the toner cartridges accommodating toners, and a case body having a toner outlet formed therein, and at least a rotatable support facing the toner outlets A rotating member having one flexible scraping fin, wherein when the scraping fin is at a position corresponding to the toner discharge port during rotation, a tip end thereof extends from the toner discharge port. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a length of the toner cartridge protruding from the toner outlet is shorter as the toner cartridge is mounted on the upper side in the image forming apparatus.