JP2002072681A - Developing unit and developing device provided with it - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a developing unit 1 that is most appropriate for a process cartridge for refill and is easily attached to a main body device. SOLUTION: In the device, a toner shutter 24 opening and closing a path 22 communicating with a developing roll 15 is provided inside a toner storing part and the toner shutter is automatically opened in linkage with the rotation of the developing roll 15.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a developing device used for an electrophotographic copying machine or a recording apparatus, and more particularly, to a developing apparatus which can be easily replaced with a copying apparatus or a recording apparatus (hereinafter referred to as a main apparatus). The present invention relates to a developing device unit having a configuration and a developing device including the same.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in an electrophotographic copying apparatus or a recording apparatus, a photosensitive member and a charger arranged around the photosensitive member,
A developing device, a cleaner, and the like are collectively incorporated into one housing to form a unit, and a process cartridge that can be exchanged for the main device is used (for example, see Japanese Patent Publication No. 4-73591). Normally, the developing portion of the process cartridge is provided with a sealed toner storage portion that stores a predetermined amount of toner, and a developing roll that supplies toner from the toner storage portion to the photoconductor. A seal tape is attached to the opening for the developing roll to prevent leakage of toner during transportation. When the process cartridge is mounted on the main assembly, the seal tape is peeled off and toner supply to the developing roll is started. After the process cartridge has been used for a predetermined period, it has been disposed of without being reused.

[0003]

However, since the conventional process cartridge is completely discarded after use,
There was a problem that resources were not used effectively. Therefore, it is conceivable to collect used process cartridges, clean the inside, replace consumable parts such as the photosensitive drum, and refill with new toner for reuse. It has become necessary to develop a process cartridge having a structure capable of replacing parts and refilling the toner, that is, a refill.

However, in a conventional process cartridge, a seal tape is attached to an opening of a toner storage section with respect to a developing roll in order to prevent toner leakage during transportation. However, it is extremely difficult to attach the seal tape during refilling. It is difficult, and there is a problem that the operation of peeling off the seal tape at the time of use is troublesome.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and is an operation suitable for use in a process cartridge for refilling, and an operation for attaching and removing a seal tape to prevent toner leakage. And to provide a developing unit having good workability.

[0006]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the invention according to the first aspect is arranged such that a toner passage from a toner storage section to a developing roll and a rotatable inside of the toner storage section. A toner shutter that opens and closes the toner passage, an operation member that is pivotally supported by the rotation shaft of the toner shutter to open and close the toner shutter, and connects one end of the operation member to the developing device main body to open the toner shutter. Or a spring for urging the operating member to be fixed to any of the closed positions, and for urging the operating member in a direction in which the toner shutter closes the toner passage when the toner shutter is at the closed position; When the developing device main body is used, the operating member is rotated in a direction in which the spring extends in conjunction with the rotation of the developing roller, and the spring moves over the rotating shaft. A driving means for fixing the toner shutter to an open position to bias the operating member by the force of the spring caused begun shrink from an extended state to the longest Te are those having a structure comprising a.

[0007] The invention described in claim 2 is the first invention.
And a developing unit.

With the above arrangement, when the toner shutter is in the closed position, the toner shutter is urged in the direction to close the toner passage, and when the developing device main body is used, the toner shutter is closed in conjunction with the rotation of the developing roll. Since the toner shutter is urged to the open position so that it does not return to the position, the flow of toner from the toner storage unit to the developing roll can be prevented without sticking a seal tape as in the related art, and the work during refilling is easy. Also, when this developing unit is attached to a main body device such as a copying machine, the toner shutter can be automatically opened in conjunction with the rotation of the developing roll when the developing roll is rotated, so that the attaching work becomes easy. .

Here, if a lock mechanism for holding the toner shutter at the open position is provided, a trouble does not occur because the toner shutter is inadvertently closed during operation or the like.

[0010]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Preferred embodiments of the present invention shown in the drawings will be described below.

FIG. 1 is a schematic sectional view showing a process cartridge for refill having a developing unit according to an embodiment of the present invention in a state in which a predetermined amount of toner is stored therein, and transportation and storage are performed. 1 is a developing unit, 2
Is a photoreceptor unit connected to the developing unit, 3
Reference numeral denotes a process cover attached to the developing unit 1 with screws or the like so as to cover the developing unit 1 and the photosensitive unit 2. The photoreceptor unit 2 includes a photosensitive drum 5, a charger 6, a cleaner 7, a collected toner container 8, a static elimination lamp 9, and the like.

FIG. 2 is a schematic sectional view of the developing unit 1, FIG. 3 is a schematic perspective view thereof, FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view thereof, and FIG.
FIG. 3A is a schematic cross-sectional view of the developing unit 1 as viewed in the direction of arrows AA in FIG. The developing unit 1 is usually
The developing device main body 11 is formed of a resin. The developing device main body 11 has a toner container 12 having an open top, and an agitator 13 for stirring the toner 14 therein. It is rotatably provided via bearings 13A and 13B. Further, a developing roll 15 is attached diagonally below the toner storage unit 12. The developing roll 15 generally has a sleeve on the outer periphery and a magnet roll provided therein, and the sleeve and the magnet roll rotate in directions opposite to each other. The agitator 13 is provided in parallel with the developing roll 15.

A cover 17 is attached to the developing device main body 11 so as to be able to open and close so as to close the opening of the toner container 12. That is, the developing device main body 11 has a projection 18 at a position surrounding the opening of the toner accommodating portion 12, while the lid 17 has a groove 17 a at the peripheral edge thereof to be fitted with the projection 18. The lid 17 is attached to the developing device main body 11 so as to hermetically seal the toner accommodating portion 12 by fitting the groove 17a with the groove 17a, and the lid 17 can be removed by removing the fitting. A plurality of partitions 19 extending substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the developing roll 15 are formed on the inner surface side of the lid 17. The partition 19 extends to a position beyond the rotation area of the agitator 13, that is, to a position lower than the upper end of the agitator 13 in the vertical state, and forms a notch 19 a in the rotation area of the agitator 13.
3 does not interfere with the rotation. The partition 19 is provided to prevent the toner in the toner storage unit 12 from moving in the longitudinal direction of the developing roll 15, and the longer the partition 19 extends into the toner storage unit 12, the better.

The process cover 3 attached to the developing device main body 11 has a rib 20 at a position facing the lid 17 attached at a predetermined position. When the process cover 3 is attached at a predetermined position, the rib 20 is provided. To press the lid 17 from the outer surface side. By providing the rib 20, even when the groove 17a of the lid 17 is not sufficiently fitted to the projection 18 of the developing device main body 11, when the process cover 3 is fixed at a predetermined position, the rib The lid 17 is pressed against the developing device main body 11 to prevent the toner 14 inside from spilling.

A passage 22 is formed between the toner accommodating section 12 of the developing device main body 11 and the developing roll 15, and a toner shutter 24 is mounted in the toner accommodating section 12 to open and close an entrance of the passage 22. Have been. As shown in FIGS. 2, 6, 7 and the like, the toner shutter 24 is attached to shutter pins 25 and 26 at both ends rotatably held by the developing device main body 11 and the shutter pins 25 and 26. Shutter body 27 and shutter body 27
Are provided with elastic bodies 28, 29 and the like. Here, as can be seen clearly from FIG.
It has an L-shaped cross section, and elastic bodies 28 and 29 are attached to its outer surface so as to be substantially perpendicular to each other. One elastic member 28 is provided so as to abut against a flat wall portion 30 at the entrance of the passage 22 when the toner shutter 24 is rotated in a direction indicated by an arrow C, and the other elastic member 29 is an arc-shaped wall. It is provided so as to slide while being pressed against the portion 31. Thus, the passage 22 can be closed by rotating the toner shutter 24 in the direction of arrow C until the elastic body 28 abuts against the flat wall portion 30 and holding the elastic shutter 28 at that position, thereby rotating the toner shutter 24 in the direction opposite to the arrow C. Thus, the passage 22 can be opened.

Here, the elastic body 28 pressed against the flat wall portion 30 is subjected to vibration or impact on the toner shutter 24 during transportation or the like, and even when the elastic body 28 moves a small amount in the direction opposite to the arrow C direction, the surface of the elastic body 28 is It is desirable to use a material having good adhesiveness to the flat wall portion 30 so that it can maintain a state in which it is in close contact with the flat wall portion 30. For example, it is preferable to use foam rubber. On the other hand, the elastic body 29 pressed against the arc-shaped wall portion 31 is maintained in a state where the elastic body 29 is pressed against the arc-shaped wall portion 31 by the shutter main body 27 even if the toner shutter 24 slightly moves in the direction opposite to the arrow C direction. Therefore, the adhesiveness to the wall 31 is not so required, and it is sufficient that the adhesive has appropriate softness. For example, it is preferable to use urethane foam. In FIG. 7, the toner shutter 24 is rotated as a whole by rotating one shaft pin 25 as described later. At this time, the shutter body 27 is twisted as shown in FIG. The amount may be reduced. Even in such a case, it is preferable that the thickness of the elastic body 28 be increased on the non-driving side so that the elastic body 28 is pressed against the flat wall portion 30 of the developing device main body over its entire length.

In FIG. 3, a mechanism for rotating the developing roller 15 and the agitator and a shutter operating mechanism for opening the toner shutter in conjunction with the rotation of the developing roller 15 are provided outside the side surface of the developing device main body 11. ing. Hereinafter, the mechanism will be described with reference to FIGS. 8A to 10A show the inside of the developing device main body 11,
FIG. 3B is a schematic cross-sectional view showing different operation states, and FIG. 4B is a schematic plan view of a side surface of the developing device main body 11. 3 and 8 to 10, reference numeral 35 denotes a sleeve gear that is drivingly connected to the sleeve of the developing roller 15, 36 denotes a first idler gear that meshes with the sleeve gear 35, and 37 denotes a second idler that rotates integrally with the first idler gear 36. Idler gear, 38
Is a third idler gear that meshes with the second idler gear 37,
An agitator gear 39 meshes with the third idler gear 38 and is drivingly connected to the agitator 13. The sleeve gear 35 connects the developing unit 1 to the photosensitive unit 2
(See FIG. 1) to constitute a process cartridge, and when the process cartridge is set in a main unit such as a copying machine, the process cartridge is connected to a drive unit of the main unit through an appropriate gear train. I have. With this mechanism, the developing roll 15 and the agitator 13 are driven by the driving device of the main unit.

Reference numeral 41 denotes a shutter operation mechanism, which is an operation member 4 fixed to the shutter pin 25 of the toner shutter 24.
2, a shutter spring 44 connected to the operating member 42 and a spring connecting pin 43 on the developing device main body side. The operating member 42 includes a sector gear 42a that meshes with the third idler gear 38, and a spring connecting portion 42b provided on the opposite side of the rotation center with respect to the rotation center. Sector gear 4
As shown in FIGS. 8A and 8B, the formation position of 2a is as follows.
When the toner shutter 24 is in the closed position, the sector gear 42a is in mesh with the third idler gear 38, and when the third idler gear 38 rotates in the direction of the arrow as shown in FIG. 10), and thereafter, when the toner shutter 24 is opened to a predetermined position, as shown in FIG.

Spring connecting portion 4 for connecting shutter spring 44
As shown in FIG. 8, when the toner shutter 24 is in the closed position, the shutter spring 44
Is located on the right side of the rotation axis of the toner shutter 24, and applies a rotational force in the right direction (the direction of arrow C), that is, in the closing direction, to the toner shutter 24. As shown in FIG. 10, the sector gear 42a rotates. When the shutter spring 44 moves away from the third idler gear 38, the shutter spring 44 moves to the left side of the rotation axis of the toner shutter 24 to apply a leftward (arrow D) rotational force to the toner shutter 24, and to connect the operating member 42 with the spring. The portion 42b is determined to be pressed against a stopper 45 formed on the developing device main body. With this configuration, when the toner shutter 24 is closed, the shutter spring 44 causes the elastic body 28 of the toner shutter 24 to
To hold the toner shutter 24 in the closed position, and when the toner shutter 24 is opened, the shutter spring 44 presses the spring holding portion 42a against the stopper 45 to hold the toner shutter 24 in the open position. The shutter spring 44, the stopper 45, and the like also serve as a lock mechanism for holding the toner shutter at the open position.

2 and 3, a doctor blade 50 is provided above the developing roll 15 to regulate the amount of toner attached to the outer peripheral surface of the developing roll 15 and taken out. A toner carrier 52 is placed in the passage 22 extending from the toner container 12 to the developing roll 15 and in the space between the developing roll 15 and the developing device main body. Further, a part of the toner carrier 52 is adhered to the surface of the developing roll within a range of 1 to 2 mm beyond the doctor blade 50. Before the toner carrier 52 is filled with the toner in the toner container 12 of the developing device main body 11, the toner carrier 52 is filled from the entrance of the passage 22 and
Is slightly rotated in the direction of the arrow to adhere to the surface of the developing roll 15 outside the doctor blade 50 as shown. Passage 22 and developing roll 15
The toner carrier 52 accommodated on the peripheral surface of the toner roller 52 not only functions to adsorb the toner during the developing operation and adhere to the surface of the developing roll, but also passes through the toner shutter 24 at the time of transportation and storage. It also functions to adsorb fine toner and prevent toner leakage to the outside. Here, since the toner carrier 52 is attached to the surface of the developing roll 15 outside the doctor blade 50, as shown in FIG. 3, the toner carrier 52 attached to the surface of the developing roll 15 can be visually observed from the outside, and It can be confirmed that the toner carrier 52 is filled.

The operation of the developing unit having the above configuration will be described below. The developing device unit 1 assembled in the state shown in FIG. 2 is combined with the photoreceptor unit 2 as shown in FIG. 1, and a process cover 3 is attached to form a process cartridge. During this transportation, the process cartridge may be vibrated or tilted. However, since the partition 19 is provided on the inner surface of the lid 17, the process cartridge shown in FIG.
As shown in (a), the movement of the toner 14 is suppressed, and the bias of the toner is less likely to occur. If the partition 17 is not provided on the lid 17 as shown in FIG. 5B, the toner may move to one end side and the toner may be shifted. If it occurs, there is a possibility that a trouble may occur when it is mounted on the main unit and starts operation.

During transportation and storage, the toner shutter 24 is closed by a shutter spring 44 to prevent leakage of toner. Even if the fine toner passes through the toner shutter 24, the toner carrier 52 on the outer peripheral surface of the passage 22 and the developing roll 15 is attracted and held, thereby preventing the fine toner from scattering.

In using the process cartridge, an old process cartridge attached to a main unit such as a copying machine may be extracted, and then a new process cartridge may be attached. When the process cartridge is set at a predetermined position in the main assembly, the sleeve gear 35 attached to the process cartridge is connected to a drive device on the main assembly through an appropriate gear.

On the main unit side, when the process cartridge is set at a predetermined position, an initial operation is started, and its driving device operates to operate the developing roll 15 and the agitator 13.
To rotate. When this rotation starts, as shown in FIG. 9, the sector gear 42a meshing with the third idle gear 38 rotates in the direction of arrow D, and automatically opens the toner shutter 24. By 44, it is held in the open position shown in FIG. When the toner shutter 24 is opened, the toner 14 enters the toner carrier 52 and adheres to the outer periphery of the developing roll 15 with a certain thickness while being attracted and held by the toner carrier 52, and preparation for development is completed. Rotation stops. Thus, the initial operation ends. Here, as described above, since the toner shutter 24 opens in conjunction with the rotation of the developing roll 15, the operation of peeling off the seal tape as in the related art is not required at all, and the mounting operation of the process cartridge is simplified.

When the process cartridge is transported, stored, or the like, as shown in FIG. 5B, if the toner 14 is biased in the toner container 12, the toner shutter 24 is opened. Although the toner shutter 24 is difficult to move in a portion having a large amount of toner and may not be able to be opened satisfactorily, in the present embodiment, a partition 19 provided on the lid 17 is used.
, The toner shutter 24 can be opened reliably. In addition, since there is little deviation of the toner, the toner can be uniformly supplied in the longitudinal direction of the developing roll 15 from the beginning, and good development can be performed.

The used process cartridge removed from the main unit is collected at the factory, disassembled at the factory, cleaned inside, replaced parts and the like, filled with the toner carrier 52, and charged with the toner shutter 24. Is closed, the toner 14 is filled, the lid 17 is put on the cover 17 to bring it into the state shown in FIG. 2, and the cartridge is assembled into the process cartridge shown in FIG. 1 and reused. At this time, the passage 22 can be closed simply by setting the toner shutter 24 to the closed position, so that it is not necessary to attach a seal tape to a narrow place unlike a conventional process cartridge, and the operation is extremely easy. As described above, the developing unit 1 according to the present embodiment can be suitably used as a component of the refill process cartridge.

FIG. 11 is a schematic sectional view showing a developing unit 1A according to another embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, the toner shutter 24 in the embodiment of FIG. 2 is omitted, and instead, a flexible sheet material (for example, Mylar) 55 is provided at the tip of the agitator 13A, and the developing material is A step 56 is formed at the entrance of the passage 22 so that the entrance of the passage 22 reaching 15 can be closed. Therefore, the sheet material forms a toner shutter that closes the entrance of the passage 22. Other configurations are shown in FIG.
9 is similar to the embodiment shown in FIG. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 11, the toner 14 is filled in a state in which the sheet material 55 is attached to a position where the entrance of the passage 22 is closed, and the process cartridge is assembled and used in the illustrated state. When the process cartridge is incorporated in the main assembly and used, when the developing roll 15 and the agitator 13A are rotated by the initial operation of the main assembly, the sheet material 55 is automatically removed from the entrance of the passage 22 to remove the toner. 15 can be supplied.

In the above embodiment, the present invention is applied to a developing unit used for a refill process cartridge. However, the present invention is not limited to this configuration.
The present invention can also be applied to a developing unit used for a disposable process cartridge.

[0029]

As is apparent from the above description, the first and second aspects of the present invention urge the toner shutter in the direction to close the toner passage when the toner shutter is at the closed position, and When the main body is used, the toner shutter is urged to the open position so that the toner shutter does not return to the closed position in conjunction with the rotation of the developing roll. Prevents the flow of toner from the developing unit to the developing roll, making it easy to perform refilling operations.When this developing unit is mounted on a main unit such as a copying machine, it is linked to the developing roll when it rotates. As a result, the toner shutter can be automatically opened, and the mounting operation is facilitated.

Here, it is preferable to provide a lock mechanism for holding the toner shutter in the open position, since the toner shutter is not closed carelessly during operation or the like and no trouble occurs.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic sectional view of a process cartridge provided with a developing unit according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic sectional view of the developing unit.

FIG. 3 is a schematic perspective view of the developing device unit.

FIG. 4 is a schematic exploded perspective view of the developing unit.

5A is a schematic cross-sectional view of the developing unit seen in the direction of arrows AA in FIG. 2. FIG. 5B shows a state in which toner is biased in a developing unit using a lid without a partition. Schematic sectional view shown

FIG. 6 shows a developing device unit of the same embodiment as FIG.
Schematic plan view showing with 7 removed

FIG. 7 is a schematic cross-sectional view illustrating a toner shutter and a mounting portion thereof in the developing unit.

8A is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the developing device unit with a toner shutter closed, and FIG. 8B is a schematic side view of the developing device unit in the state shown in FIG.

9A is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the developing device unit in the process of opening the toner shutter. FIG. 9B is a schematic side view of the developing device unit in the state shown in FIG. 9A.

10A is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the developing device unit with a toner shutter opened, and FIG. 10B is a schematic side view of the developing device unit in the state shown in FIG.

FIG. 11 is a schematic sectional view showing another embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 developing unit 2 photoconductor unit 3 process cover 5 photosensitive drum 11 developing unit main body 12 toner storage unit 13 agitator 14 toner 15 developing roll 17 lid 19 partition 19a notch 22 passage 24 toner shutter 28, 29 elastic body 35 sleeve gear 36, 37, 38 Idle gear 39 Agitator gear 41 Shutter operating mechanism 42 Operating member 44 Shutter spring 50 Doctor blade 52 Toner carrier 55 Sheet material

Continuing from the front page (71) Applicant 000180128 Yamanashi Electronics Industry Co., Ltd. 2-3-8 Shimomeguro, Meguro-ku, Tokyo Matsushita Electric Transmission Systems Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Shuji Nishina 1014 Miyahara-cho, Kofu-shi, Yamanashi Pref. 1014, Miyahara-cho, Yamanashi Electronics Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor: Shinji Tsuji 1014, Miyahara-cho, Kofu-shi, Yamanashi F-term in Yamanashi Electronics Co., Ltd.

Claims (2)

[Claims] A toner passage extending from the toner storage section to the developing roll; a toner shutter rotatably disposed in the toner storage section to open and close the toner path; and a shaft rotatably supported by a rotation shaft of the toner shutter. An operation member for opening and closing the toner shutter, and an operation member connected to one end of the operation member and a developing device main body for urging the operation member so as to fix the toner shutter to an open position or a closed position; A spring for urging the operating member in a direction in which the toner shutter closes the toner passage when the shutter is at the closed position, and a spring that extends in conjunction with the rotation of the developing roller when the developing device body is used. The operating member is rotated in a direction, and the spring is generated when the spring starts to contract from a state in which the spring extends over the rotation axis and becomes the longest. A driving unit for urging the material to fix the toner shutter to the open position. 2. A developing device comprising the developing device unit according to claim 1.