JP2002096882A - Powder feed device and image forming device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a powder feed device which can reliably discharge powder in a powder storage vessel which has a simple construction and can be prepared at a low cost. SOLUTION: In a toner feed device 10 which has a replaceable toner storage vessel 11 to feed toner T in the vessel 11 to a developing device 2, the vessel 11 as a toner storage vessel has a toner discharge port 11c on one of the side walls thereof. The vessel 11 is disposed so that the port 11c is directed vertically downwards, and the vessel 11 is moved back and forth to move the toner T toward the port 11c. In the reciprocal movement, the magnitude of the acceleration produced when the vessel 11 advancing in a direction in which the toner T is moved toward the port 11c is stopped, is set larger than the acceleration produced when the toner vessel 11 moving backward is stopped. At the same time, the acceleration is set to such a magnitude that the toner T in the vessel 11 is moved as a single body.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a powder replenishing apparatus having a replaceable powder container, and refilling the powder in the powder container to a powder replenishing destination, and the powder replenishing device. The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus having a replenishing device.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a replaceable toner container has been provided as a toner supply device for supplying toner to a developing device of an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine, a facsimile, a printer, and the like. 2. Description of the Related Art A toner replenishing device for replenishing toner to a developer replenishing unit of a developing device to which a toner is replenished is known. In such a toner replenishing device, when the toner in the toner container runs out, the toner is replaced with a new toner container containing toner. The used toner container that has been emptied after supplying the toner is collected by the manufacturer from the user, and is recycled / reused or discarded (incinerated).

[0003] As the toner replenishing device, for example, FIG.
As shown in FIG. 2, there is known a device in which a movable member 112 such as a screw or a coil spring is provided in a toner container 111. In this toner supply device, the movable member 11
By rotating the second rotation shaft 112a, the toner in the toner container 111 is transferred in a direction toward the discharge port 111a, discharged from the discharge port 111a, and supplied to the developer supply unit.

[0004] As the toner replenishing device, FIG.
As shown in FIG. 3, there is also known a screw bottle 211 which uses a cylindrical toner container having a spiral projection 212 formed on the inner peripheral surface thereof along the circumferential direction. In this toner supply device, the screw bottle 211
Is rotated to transfer the toner in the screw bottle in the direction of the outlet 211a, and the outlet 211a
And supply it to the developer supply section.

[0005]

However, when the above-mentioned movable member is used, it is necessary to provide the movable member in the toner container, so that there is a problem that the replacement cost of the toner container increases. Further, since the movable member is driven by a driving source outside the toner container, an opening is formed in the toner container. For this reason, it is necessary to provide a sealing member for sealing the opening, and there is a problem that the structure of the toner container becomes complicated. Further, even when the above-mentioned screw bottle is used, it is necessary to provide a spiral projection on the inner peripheral surface, so that the structure of the toner container is inevitably complicated. Further, since the container is a cylindrical toner container, there are dead spaces at four corners of the cylindrical container, and there is a disadvantage that the amount of toner that can be held is smaller than that of a rectangular container. Furthermore, there are drawbacks in handling properties such as the hand being slippery and difficult to hold during replacement.

[0006] In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present inventors have conducted intensive studies, and have used a toner container having a simple structure and a low cost, which has no movable member or helical protrusion inside. The inventors have invented a toner replenishing device capable of replenishing the toner inside the developing device. This toner replenishing apparatus uses a low-cost, for example, rectangular parallelepiped toner container having a simple structure as a toner container, and moves the powder in the container toward an outlet formed in the toner container. And a reciprocating means for reciprocating the toner container. In this toner replenishing device, the toner gradually moves toward the discharge port and is discharged from the discharge port by the inertial force generated in the toner in the toner container by the reciprocating motion of the toner container.

However, the above toner replenishing device can solve the problems that the structure of the toner container becomes complicated and the replacement cost of the toner container increases.
There is a new problem that the toner in the container may not be discharged properly depending on the position where the discharge port is provided. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 14, when a discharge port 311a is formed at the lower part of one end wall of the toner container 311, the toner gradually moving toward the end wall by the reciprocating motion is transferred to the end wall. Due to the collision, it is deposited near the discharge port 311a. Then, the accumulated toner is compressed by gravity, and the compressed toner is
11a is blocked, or a toner mass larger than the discharge port 311a is generated, and the replenishment amount is reduced, so that good discharge of toner is hindered.

[0008] The above problem is caused not only by a toner replenishing device for replenishing toner to the developing device of the image forming apparatus but also by a powder container which is replaceably provided. In a powder replenishing device for replenishing powder by reciprocating a powder container, a powder replenishing device that replenishes the powder inside the powder replenishing destination is generated similarly.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problem, the present inventors have disclosed in Japanese Patent Application No. 2000-230582 "a powder container which is provided so as to be replaceable, and a powder container in the powder container. In a powder replenishing apparatus for replenishing a body to a powder replenishing destination, a powder container having a powder outlet formed near an end of one side wall is used as the powder container. Powder provided with reciprocating means for reciprocating the powder container so that the powder moves toward the discharge port in a state where the outlet faces downward in the vertical direction. Replenishment device. " In this powder replenishing apparatus, the powder in the powder container is moved toward the discharge port formed near the end by the inertial force generated in the powder in the container by the reciprocating motion of the powder container. Move slowly. Then, the powder that has reached the discharge port by the above movement drops by gravity and is supplied to the powder supply destination. Thus, the inertial force generated in the powder in the container by the reciprocating motion of the powder container,
Since the powder in the powder container can be discharged, there is no need to provide a special structure such as a spiral projection or a groove and a movable member such as a screw in the powder container. Further, since the discharge port is directed downward in the vertical direction, the powder does not accumulate on the discharge port, and the discharge port is clogged and the discharge amount is reduced due to the compressed powder being compressed by gravity. No reduction occurs. Therefore, the powder in the powder container can be reliably discharged using a low-cost powder container having a simple structure.

Further, in the same patent application, in order to enable such movement of the powder, the acceleration generated when the powder container which advances in the direction toward the discharge port when the powder container is stopped is stopped. It has been proposed that the magnitude of is set to be larger than the magnitude of the acceleration of the retreating powder container that occurs at the time of stopping. In this powder replenishing device, due to the above setting, the inertia force of the powder in the container in the advancing direction, which occurs when the advancing powder container stops, occurs when the retreating powder container stops. Since the inertia force of the powder in the container in the retreating direction becomes larger, the powder in the powder container can be moved toward the discharge port by repeating the reciprocating movement of the powder container. it can.

However, in the powder replenishing apparatus, the present inventors have found that if the inertia force of the powder in the powder container in the forward direction is small, a part of the powder in the powder container is Only the powder moved toward the discharge port, and powder remained on the side opposite to the discharge port in the powder container, and it was found that the powder in the powder container could not be reliably discharged.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and a first object of the present invention is to use a low-cost powder container having a simple structure to reliably remove powder in the powder container. An object of the present invention is to provide a powder replenishing device that can discharge the powder. A second object is to replace the developing container by using a low-cost developing device having a simple configuration and providing a developer replenishing device capable of reliably replenishing the developer in the developing container. An object of the present invention is to provide an image forming apparatus capable of obtaining a high-quality image at a low cost.

In Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 9-244372, "a toner supply device for accommodating a replaceable toner storage container, means for engaging the toner storage container with the toner supply device, A means for providing reciprocating vibration in the direction of the outlet of the toner container, and a groove perpendicular to the direction of the reciprocating vibration provided on the inner wall of the toner container. In the toner supply device disclosed in this publication, an outlet for discharging toner is formed at an upper portion of one end wall of a box as a toner storage container, and a plurality of outlets are formed on an inclined surface from the bottom of the box toward the outlet. A groove is provided. In this toner supply device, due to the reciprocating vibration of the toner container, the toner moves over each groove and moves to the outlet formed at the upper end of one end wall of the box. According to this, since the toner does not accumulate and compress near the outlet, the outlet is blocked by the toner accumulated and compressed near the outlet, and the toner discharge amount is reduced by a toner mass larger than the outlet. It is considered that the reduction can be prevented. However, in the toner supply device described in the above publication, it is necessary to provide a special structure such as the plurality of grooves on the inner wall of the toner container. Therefore, there remains a problem that the structure of the toner container becomes complicated and the replacement cost increases accordingly. It had been.

[0014]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a powder container having a replaceable powder container. Powder supply device for supplying powder to a powder supply destination, a powder container having a powder discharge port formed near an end of one side wall is used as the powder container, and the powder container is connected to the discharge port. Is disposed so as to face downward in the vertical direction, and reciprocating means for reciprocating the powder container is provided so that the powder moves toward the discharge port, and the powder moves toward the discharge port. In the direction, the magnitude of the acceleration generated when the powder container moving forward is stopped is larger than the magnitude of the acceleration generated when the powder container moving backward is stopped, and the powder in the powder container is The body is sized so that it can move integrally toward the outlet It is an feature. here,
Integral movement refers to the state in which the whole of the aggregate moves when the powder is viewed as one aggregate, and the aggregate is divided into parts that are easy to move and parts that are difficult to move, and parts that are difficult to move. This excludes the state in which the movement of the stagnation is stagnant and only the easily movable part moves.

In the powder replenishing apparatus according to the first aspect, the inertia force of the powder in the powder container in the advancing direction, which is generated when the advancing powder container is stopped, causes the powder container to retreat. Since the inertia force of the powder in the powder container in the retreating direction generated at the time of stopping becomes larger, the powder in the powder container is discharged to the discharge port by repeating the reciprocating motion of the powder container. Move toward it gradually. Further, the magnitude of the acceleration generated when the advancing powder container is stopped is set to a value that generates an inertial force such that the powder in the powder container moves integrally toward the discharge port. As a result, the powder in the powder container is integrated toward the discharge port, that is, when the powder is viewed as one aggregate, the entire aggregate gradually moves, so that the discharge port is continuously operated. And the powder does not remain on the side opposite to the discharge port in the powder container. Then, the powder that has reached the discharge port by the above movement falls by gravity and is supplied to the powder supply destination. As described above, the inertia force generated in the powder in the container by the reciprocating motion of the powder container moves the inside of the powder container integrally toward the discharge port, and the powder in the powder container is moved. Since it can be discharged, there is no need to provide a special structure such as a spiral projection or a groove and a movable member such as a screw in the powder container. Therefore,
Using a low-cost powder container with a simple structure, the powder in the powder container can be reliably discharged. As a comparative example, if the magnitude of the acceleration generated when the advancing powder container is stopped is small and the inertia force of the powder in the powder container in the forward direction is too small, the powder is likely to move. Then, only the easily movable portion moves toward the discharge port, and the easily movable portion stops on the opposite side of the discharge port in the powder container. For this reason, the powder in the powder container cannot be reliably discharged.

As described above, the magnitude of the acceleration generated when the advancing powder container is stopped is set to such a value that the powder in the powder container moves integrally toward the discharge port. By setting, the powder can be moved to the discharge port without remaining on the side opposite to the discharge port in the powder container. Further, since the discharge port is directed downward in the vertical direction, the powder does not accumulate on the discharge port, and the discharge port is clogged and the discharge amount is reduced due to the compressed powder being compressed by gravity. It can prevent the decrease. However, the acceleration generated when the advancing powder container in the reciprocating motion is stopped is large, and the inertia force of the powder in the powder container in the advancing direction is too large. Powder may move toward the discharge port in a large amount, and the discharge from the discharge port may not be able to catch up, and may be gradually compressed and coagulated on the end face in the forward direction of the powder container. In such a state, the powder is difficult to be discharged, and only a part of the powder located at the upper part of the discharge port collapses, and a partial or whole bridge is formed on the upper part, and the subsequent powder is formed. It causes a phenomenon called blocking, which blocks body discharge. For this reason, the discharge amount of the powder from the discharge port decreases.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the powder replenishing apparatus of the first aspect, the magnitude of the acceleration generated when the advancing powder container stops in the direction toward the discharge port is determined. The powder container is characterized in that the powder in the powder container has a size such that it does not compress and agglomerate in the vicinity of the discharge port.

In the powder replenishing device according to the second aspect, the magnitude of the acceleration generated when the advancing powder container is stopped in the direction toward which the powder is directed to the discharge port is determined by the amount of the acceleration in the powder container. The size is such as to generate an inertial force such that the powder does not compress and agglomerate near the discharge port. This prevents the powder in the powder container from compressing and coagulating near the discharge port.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the powder replenishing apparatus of the first or second aspect, the magnitude of acceleration generated when the advancing powder container is stopped in the direction toward which the powder is directed toward the discharge port is reduced. It is characterized by being configured to be 40 m / Sec ² or more.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, the lower limit is set to the magnitude of the acceleration generated when the advancing powder container is stopped, and is set to be 40 m / Sec ² or more. The present inventors conducted an experiment and examined the acceleration generated when the powder container advancing by the reciprocating means stopped and the amount of powder to be replenished, and the powder in the powder container was discharged to the discharge port. I found an acceleration that was large enough to move integrally. According to this experiment, the acceleration generated when the powder container advancing by the reciprocating means was stopped was 4%.
When 0 m / Sec ² or more, the powder moves integrally,
A stable amount of replenishment is performed. On the other hand, when the acceleration is 40
At m / Sec ² or less, powder remained on the side opposite to the outlet of the powder container, and stable replenishment was not performed. In a device that applies acceleration to the powder container by the reciprocating means to generate an acceleration, the generated acceleration differs depending on the weight of the powder container. That is, when the powder is sufficiently stored in the powder container and the weight is large, the acceleration generated is small, and when the powder is replenished and does not remain in the powder container, the weight is small. Sometimes acceleration is large. Therefore, in a state in which the powder in the powder container is the maximum amount stored, 40 m / Sec ² when it stops the powder container to move forward
What is necessary is just to configure the reciprocating means so as to give the acceleration of the above magnitude.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the powder replenishing device of the second or third aspect, the magnitude of the acceleration generated when the advancing powder container stops in the direction toward which the powder is directed toward the discharge port is reduced. It is characterized in that it is configured to be 200 m / Sec ² or less.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the powder supply apparatus,
The magnitude of the acceleration generated when the advancing powder container stops
Set upper limit, 200m / Sec²Configured to be
did. The present inventors have experimentally confirmed that
The acceleration that occurs when the advancing powder container is stopped and
The amount of powder in the powder container
Find an acceleration that does not aggregate near the discharge port
Was. According to this experiment, the powder moving forward by the reciprocating means
The acceleration generated when the body container stops is 200m / Sec.
²When the powder is below, the powder will not aggregate near the outlet.
And a stable amount of replenishment is performed. On the other hand, the acceleration
200m / Sec²In the above case, the powder in the powder container
The body is compressed and agglomerated in the vicinity of the discharge port, and stable
I didn't. It should be noted that the reciprocating means
For devices that apply force and produce acceleration,
The generated acceleration varies depending on the weight of the container. Therefore,
Powder container that moves forward with the powder inside the container empty
200m / Sec when stopped ²Acceleration of the following magnitude
What is necessary is just to comprise the reciprocating means to give.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the first, second, third, or fourth aspect, the powder container is made of a flexible material, and a powder discharge port is formed near an end of one side wall. A volume-reducible bag-shaped container, which is made of a rigid material, forms an outer shell by holding the bag-shaped container except for the powder discharge port,
It comprises a box-shaped container which can be reduced in volume by disassembly or folding, and is characterized by using the box-shaped container with the lower surface of the bag-shaped container fixed.

Here, if the powder container of the powder replenishing apparatus is made of a material having rigidity that cannot change the volume of the container, the used container accompanying the replacement of the powder container is used. The following problems occur when the container is collected. In other words, the used powder container that has been emptied after the powder has been replenished is collected by the manufacturer from the user and recycled / reused or discarded (incinerated), but the volume of the powder container changes. If the container is made of a material having rigidity that cannot be obtained, the container is bulky, so that the transportation efficiency is poor and the distribution cost is high. In addition, the same problem occurs when a newly manufactured toner container is transported to a toner filling place.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a powder replenishing apparatus, wherein the bag-like container prevents powder leakage and contact with outside air, and holds the bag-like container with the box-like container. Form. The used powder container that has been emptied after the powder has been replenished is crushed by squeezing the bag-shaped container to discharge the remaining air inside, reducing the volume, and disassembling or folding the box-shaped container. The volume of the powder container is reduced by reducing the volume. Thereby, distribution costs at the time of collection can be reduced. In addition, it is possible to reduce the distribution cost when the newly manufactured powder container is transported to a powder filling place. Further, in this powder replenishing apparatus, when the reciprocating means reciprocates the powder container,
An acceleration is applied to the box-shaped container forming the outer shell of the powder container. At this time, if the box-shaped container and the bag-shaped container are not fixed, the bag-shaped container moves together with the toner inside the bag-shaped container, and an inertia is generated between the powder inside and the lower surface of the bag-shaped container. No force is generated. Therefore, by fixing the lower surface of the bag-shaped container for accommodating the powder and the box-shaped container, an inertial force is generated in the powder. Thereby, the movement of the powder can be stably performed, and the powder in the powder container can be reliably discharged.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an image forming apparatus including a developing device for developing a latent image formed on an image carrier, wherein a developer is supplied to the developing device. 6. A replenishing device for replenishing developer.
And a powder replenishing device.

In the image forming apparatus according to the present invention, by using the powder replenishing device according to any one of the first to fifth aspects as a developer replenishing device, a simple configuration and a low-cost developer container can be used. Then, the developer powder in the developer container is reliably supplied to the developer supply section. The developer supplied to the developer supply unit is used for developing a latent image formed on the surface of the latent image carrier.

[0028]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Hereinafter, a powder replenishing apparatus of the present invention will be described.
An embodiment applied to a toner supply device in a developing device of an electrophotographic copying machine (hereinafter, referred to as a copying machine) will be described. FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram showing an image forming portion of the copying machine according to the present embodiment. Around the photoreceptor 1 as a latent image carrier, a charger for uniformly charging the surface of the photoreceptor 1 is formed, and a light image of a document is formed on the surface of the photoreceptor drum 1 to form an electrostatic latent image. An exposure optical system, a developing device 2, a transfer device for transferring a toner image obtained by developing the electrostatic latent image by the developing device 2 onto transfer paper as a recording medium, and a transfer device on the photosensitive member 1 after the transfer of the toner image. A cleaning device or the like (neither is shown) for scraping off the remaining toner is provided so as to approach or contact each other. The developing device 2 is provided with a toner replenishing device 10 for replenishing the developing device 2 with toner. Since the copying operation of the entire copying machine is a well-known electrophotographic process, the description thereof is omitted.

The developing device 2 is a two-component developing device using a so-called two-component developer composed of a toner and a carrier. In a developing casing 6 of the developing device 2, a developer 7 in which a toner and a carrier are mixed is provided. Is housed. In the developing casing 6, the toner T supplied via the developing roller 3 and the toner receiving portion 19 of the toner replenishing device 10 is mixed and stirred with the developer 7 in the developing casing 6 and supplied to the developing roller 3. And a regulating blade 8 for regulating the amount of the developer on the developing roller 3.

The transport screws 4 and 5 are arranged in parallel so as to extend in the depth direction in the drawing, and are driven to rotate in opposite directions in the longitudinal direction of the developing roller 3 by a drive system (not shown). I have. A partition plate 9 is provided between the transport screws 4 and 5.
Thereby, a developer accommodating space for accommodating the developer 7 is individually secured around the both. However, no partition plate 9 is provided in a region corresponding to the vicinity of both ends of the conveying screws 4 and 5 (near the front end and near the rear end in the figure), and two developer accommodating spaces are provided near the both ends. It is designed to communicate. The toner T supplied from the toner supply device 10 into the developing device 2 is conveyed to the developing roller 3 while being mixed and agitated with the developer 7 with the rotation of the conveying screws 4 and 5. Then, with the rotation of the developing roller 3, the toner T in the developer carried on the surface of the developing roller 3 is supplied to the latent image formed on the photoconductor 1, and the latent image is developed.

Next, the configuration and operation of the toner replenishing device 10 which is a feature of the present invention will be described. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a schematic configuration of the toner supply device 10. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the toner supply device 10 includes a toner container 11, a container holding member 12, and a support 13. The toner container 11 includes a bag-shaped container 11b formed of a flexible sheet material for storing new toner, and a box-shaped container 11a having a reduced volume that holds the bag-shaped container 11b and forms an outer shell. And is constituted by. The bag-shaped container 11b and the box-shaped container 11a will be described later in detail. Near the end of one side wall of the toner container 11, a discharge port 11c protruding outside the container body is formed. The toner container 11 is replaced with a new toner container containing toner when the toner T in the container is exhausted.

The support base 13 is fixed and supported substantially horizontally on a developing device side plate (not shown).
Is configured to be detachable from the support base 13. Further, the toner container 11 is configured to be detachable from the container holding member 12 and the support base 13. When setting a new toner container 11 in the toner replenishing device 10, first, the container holding member 12 and the toner container 11 previously removed from the toner replenishing device 10 are integrated. Specifically, the outlet 11c of the toner container 11 is
Both are integrated by penetrating through an opening 12 a formed in the container holding member 12. Then, the toner container 11 integrated with the container holding member 12 is made to pass through the outlet 13 c of the toner container 11 integrated with the container holding member 12 through an opening 13 a formed in the support base 13. Roller 14
It is set on the support table 13 via a and 14b. By setting the toner container 11 in the toner replenishing device 10 in this manner, the toner container 11
c is arranged to face downward in the vertical direction. The opening 12a of the container holding member 12 is formed in such a shape as to restrict the movement of the outlet 11c of the toner container 11 in the opening 12a, while the opening 13a of the support 13 is
The discharge port 11c is formed in a shape that allows the discharge port 11c to move in the direction of the arrow A in the figure. Thus, the toner container 11 is configured to be able to move on the support 13 in the direction of arrow A integrally with the container holding member 12.

Next, in the toner supply device 10,
Reciprocating means for reciprocating the toner container 11 so as to move the toner T in the toner container 11 toward the discharge port 11c will be described. In this embodiment, as the reciprocating means, the container holding member 12 and the toner container 11 which are fixed to the support
A spring 15 as urging means for urging in the middle right direction is disposed rotatably so that the peripheral surface abuts on the end opposite to the end of the container holding member 12 with which the spring 15 abuts. Cam 1
6 and a damper 18 made of elastic rubber and fixed to an end of the support 13. The cam 16 is mounted on the support base 13.
The motor M and the speed reducer 17 are driven to rotate at an appropriately set rotational speed. The cam 16 includes an eccentric cam surface 16a and a step 16b, as shown in the figure. As described later, the cam 16 rotates against the urging force of the spring 15 with the rotation in the direction of arrow B in FIG. The end portion of the holding member 12 is pressed to the left in the figure to move the container holding member 12 and the toner container 11 and to release the pressing movement. In the above description, the support 13
The damper 18 and the damper 18 constitute a stopper that stops the toner container 11 and the container holding member 12 that move rightward in FIG.

In FIG. 1, when the cam 16 is rotated in the direction of arrow B in FIG. 1 by the drive of the motor M, the eccentric cam surface 16a of the cam 16 comes into contact with the end of the container holding member 12 and the urging force of the spring 15 The end of the container holding member 12 is pressed against it. Due to this pressing, the container holding member 12 and the toner container 11 move leftward in the drawing (forward movement). When the cam 16 further rotates and the end of the container holding member 12 reaches the step 16 b, the pressing movement of the container holding member 12 by the eccentric cam surface 16 a is released, and the urging force of the spring 15 causes the container holding member 12 to move with the container holding member 12. The toner container 11 moves while accelerating rightward in the figure (return). Thus, the cam 16
Container 1 and container holding member 1 each time
2 makes one reciprocating motion in the direction of arrow A in the figure.

Then, the container holding member 12 and the toner container 11 that move while accelerating rightward in FIG. 1 collide with the damper 18 fixed to the support 13 and stop after residual vibration. At the time of this stop, the toner container 11
Since a large negative acceleration occurs in the right direction in the drawing, the toner T in the container is moved rightward in the drawing, that is, the discharge port by the inertial force of the toner T in the toner container 11 in the right direction in the drawing. 11c. Therefore,
By repeating such a reciprocating motion, the toner T in the toner container 11 disposed substantially horizontally is discharged to the discharge port 11.
It can be gradually moved toward c. Due to this movement, the toner T that has reached the discharge port 11c drops due to the gravity of the toner itself, and the developing device 2 as a toner supply destination
Will be replenished.

By providing such reciprocating means in the toner replenishing device 10, the toner T in the toner container 11 can be discharged by the above-mentioned inertial force. It is not necessary to provide a special structure such as a groove and a movable member such as a screw. Further, in the above configuration, the direction of the reciprocating motion is a direction along a line connecting both longitudinal ends of one side wall (hereinafter, referred to as a bottom surface) of the toner container 11 in which the discharge port 11c is formed. The moving direction of the toner container 11 at the time of the forward movement and the direction in which the toner T in the toner container 11 moves to the discharge port coincide with each other. Therefore, the rightward force in FIG. 1 given to the toner container 11 by the reciprocating means is not dispersed in the other direction, and the toner T in the toner container 11 is not dispersed.
Can be exerted as a force for moving toward the discharge port 11c. Thereby, the power given to the toner container 11 can be efficiently used as the force for discharging the toner T, and the powder can be discharged with minimum energy, so that the power consumption of the apparatus can be suppressed. it can.

FIG. 3 is a graph showing the time change of the positions of the toner container 11 and the container holding member 12 during the reciprocating movement. The horizontal axis indicates time, and the numerical value corresponds to the number of reciprocating movements. In addition, the vertical axis indicates a plus displacement in the right direction in FIG. 1 based on the position where the toner container 11 and the container holding member 12 collide with the elastic rubber 18. In the area (A), the toner container 11 and the container holding member 12 are pressed by the eccentric cam surface 16a of the cam 16 and move leftward in FIG. 1, and in the area (B), the pressing is released and the spring is released. It moves to the right in FIG. FIG. 4 is a graph showing a time change of acceleration generated in the toner container 11 and the container holding member 12 during the reciprocating motion. The horizontal axis is similar to the graph of FIG.
On the vertical axis, the acceleration acting in the right direction in FIG. 1 is indicated by a positive value with reference to the acceleration α at the time of the uniform acceleration movement due to the pressing of the eccentric cam surface 16a. In the area (a), the toner container 11
In addition, the container holding member 12 performs a uniform acceleration movement by the pressing of the eccentric cam surface 16a, and the region (b) shows that the pressing is released and the container 15 is accelerated by the urging force of the spring 15. The area (c) shows a state where the vehicle is suddenly decelerated by colliding with the damper 18. 3 and 4, the toner container 1
It can be seen that the movement speed and the magnitude of the acceleration when the container 1 and the container holding member 12 move to the right in FIG. 1 are larger than those when they move to the left in the diagram. Further, it can be seen that at the time of collision with the damper 18, a large negative acceleration occurs in the right direction in FIG.

Here, based on FIG.
A state in which toner is discharged from the printer will be described. FIG. 5A shows a state when a new toner container 11 full of toner is set. In such a state, the toner in the hatched portion on the right side in the figure is discharged by the discharge port 11 due to gravity.
Outflow from c. FIG. 5B shows a state in which about half of the toner inside the toner container 11 has been consumed. In such a state, each time the toner container 11 and the container holding member 12 collide with the damper 18 to generate an acceleration, the toner T is integrated, that is, when the toner T is viewed as a mountain-shaped aggregate, The whole mountain-like aggregate moves to the right little by little. As a result, the toner T continuously reaches the outlet 11c. With such movement, the discharge port 11c
(Toner in the hatched area on the right in the figure)
Is discharged. FIG. 5C shows a state in which most of the toner inside the toner container 11 has been consumed. In such a state, the mountain-shaped aggregate of the toner T is small, but each time the toner container 11 and the container holding member 12 collide with the damper 18 to generate an acceleration, as in FIG. The toner T moves rightward little by little as one piece,
The toner that has reached the discharge port 11c (the toner in the hatched portion on the right side in the figure) is discharged. Note that the discharge amount of the toner T is smaller than that in the case of FIG.

As described above, in order to move the toner toward the discharge port 11c and supply a stable amount of toner from the discharge port 11c, the entire aggregate of the toner T may gradually move rightward. is necessary. However, in the region (c) of FIG. 4 described above, the acceleration of the impact generated when the toner container 11 and the container holding member 12 collide with the damper 18 is small, and if the inertial force is too small, the toner is likely to move. Then, only the easy-to-move portion moves toward the discharge port, and the easily-movable portion stops on the opposite side of the toner container 11 from the discharge port 11c.
Therefore, a stable amount of toner T cannot be supplied from the outlet 11c, and further, the toner in the toner container 11c cannot be reliably discharged. Therefore, a lower limit is set for the magnitude of the acceleration of the impact generated when the toner container 11 and the container holding member 12 collide with the damper 18, and the toner in the toner container 11a is collected toward the discharge port 11c. The size is such as to generate an inertial force such that the whole moves. As a result, the toner T is moved by the entire assembly toward the discharge port 11c, and a stable amount of toner is supplied.

Further, since the discharge port 11c is directed downward in the vertical direction, the toner does not accumulate on the discharge port 11c. It is possible to prevent a decrease in the emission amount. However, the magnitude of the acceleration of the impact generated when the toner container 11 and the container holding member 12 collide with the damper 18 is large, and the toner in the toner container 11 moves integrally toward the discharge port 11c. If the inertial force is too large, a large amount of the toner T in the toner container 11 moves toward the discharge port 11c with the reciprocating motion, and the discharge from the discharge port 11c cannot catch up with the toner. There is a possibility that the particles may be gradually compressed and coagulated on the right end face in the vessel 11. In such a situation,
It becomes difficult to discharge the toner T, and only a part of the powder located on the upper part of the discharge port 11c collapses, and a partial or whole bridge is formed on the upper part, thereby preventing the subsequent discharge of the powder. The phenomenon called so-called blocking occurs. For this reason, the discharge amount of the powder from the discharge port decreases.

FIG. 6 shows that when the impact acceleration is too large,
FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a state where toner T is discharged from a toner container 11. FIG. 6A shows a state when the toner in the toner container 11 is large. In such a state, the acceleration of the impact is large, and too much toner moves rightward in the figure, so that the toner is not pressed against the outlet 11c and pressed against the right side wall of the toner container 11a. It becomes a state of compression and aggregation. In such a situation,
The toner T is difficult to be discharged, and only a part of the powder (hatched portion in the figure) located above the discharge port 11c collapses and flows down, and the toner remains in a bridge shape on the upper part. For this reason, the emission amount decreases.
FIG. 6B shows a state when the toner in the toner container 11 is low. In such a state, FIG.
As in (a), the toner T in the state of being compressed and agglomerated by being pressed toward the right side surface of the toner container 11c becomes difficult to be discharged by gravity, and a part of the powder positioned above the discharge port 11c (in the figure) The hatched area) collapses and flows down, but the amount of emission decreases. Thus, if the acceleration of the impact is too large, the amount of discharged toner is reduced. Furthermore, the vibration of the impact is transmitted to the support 13 and subsequently to the developing device 2 and the main body of the copying machine, and adversely affects the image.
The side effect of increasing noise also occurs.

As described above, the upper limit is set for the magnitude of the acceleration of the impact generated when the toner container 11 and the container holding member 12 collide with the damper 18, and
The size of the toner T is such that an inertial force is generated such that the toner T does not compress and agglomerate to the right. As a result, a stable amount of toner T is supplied without reducing the amount of toner T discharged.

FIG. 7 is a graph showing the acceleration of the impact and the toner discharge characteristics.
This is the result of an experiment conducted on the relationship with gender.
You. The reciprocating hand such as the spring 15 or the cam 16 is used.
The step applies a force to the toner container 11 to generate an acceleration.
In the case of an apparatus for removing toner,
The generated acceleration is different. That is, the toner container 11
The toner T is further discharged, and the weight of the toner container changes.
Then, the acceleration changes. So in this experiment
Is constant regardless of the weight of the toner container.
The spring 15 or the cam 16 was adjusted as described above. FIG.
(A) shows that the acceleration of the impact and the discharge of the toner are completed.
Is left in the toner container 11 without being discharged
FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a relationship with a remaining toner amount. According to this,
The acceleration of the impact is 40m / Sec.²Below is the toner storage
The remaining amount of toner in the container 11 increases. Than this,
The acceleration of the impact is 40m / Sec ²Below, the toner
Inertia force generated in the toner container 11
Does not move integrally toward the outlet 11c.
You. FIG. 7 (b) shows the acceleration of the impact and the discharge port 11c.
FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a relationship between the pressure of the toner and the toner. This
If the impact acceleration is 200m / Sec²In the following,
The toner pressure is low, and the toner is not compressed and aggregated.
On the other hand, the acceleration of the impact is 200 m / Sec.²Above
Means that the toner pressure is high and the toner is
I understand that there is. FIG. 7C shows the acceleration of the impact and the impact.
FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating a relationship with a toner discharge amount for each shot. this
According to the above, the acceleration of the impact is 20 m / Sec.²Nearby
Emission becomes possible, and the emission amount increases as the acceleration increases.
To increase. However, the acceleration is 200m / Sec.²
Above, emissions decrease. From the above experimental results,
40m / Sec as acceleration of impact²~ 200m / Se
c²Is within the proper range.

FIG. 8 shows the number of impacts and the cumulative amount of discharged toner.
FIG. According to this, the acceleration of the impact is 20 m
/ Sec²In the early stage, emissions are performed, and after that,
Less. Thus, the inertial force generated in the toner is small.
The toner is discharged to the outlet 11c in the toner container 11.
It does not move together. In addition, the impact
Speed is 300m / Sec²In the beginning, there is a large amount of emissions
But then the emissions decrease. As a result, toner
Large inertia force causes toner to compress and aggregate near the
I understand that it will. In addition, the acceleration of the impact
Enclosure (40m / Sec) ²~ 200m / Sec²)
It was confirmed that the toner was discharged very stably.

As described above, the spring 15 or the cam 1
In an apparatus which applies a force to the toner container 11 by the reciprocating means such as 6 to generate an acceleration, the generated acceleration differs depending on the weight of the toner container 11. That is, when the weight is large when the toner T is sufficiently stored in the toner container 11, the acceleration generated is small, and when the toner T is replenished and the weight is small without remaining in the toner container 11, the acceleration is small. The acceleration increases. Therefore, in the toner replenishing apparatus 10 of the present embodiment, when the toner container in the toner container 11 is full and the advancing toner container is stopped, an acceleration of 40 m / Sec ² or more is applied. Reciprocating means such as a spring 15 or a cam 16 is constituted. Further, when the inside of the toner container 11 is empty and the toner container
The reciprocating means such as the spring 15 or the cam 16 is configured to give an acceleration of / Sec ² or less.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, the toner T in the toner container 11 can be reliably discharged by using the low-cost rectangular parallelepiped toner container 11 having a simple structure. Can be stably supplied to the developing device 2. As a result, good development can be performed, and a high-quality image can be obtained.

Next, the toner container 11 of the present embodiment will be described in detail. The toner container 11 includes a bag-shaped container 11b for storing toner and a rectangular parallelepiped box-shaped container 11a holding the bag-shaped container 11b and forming an outer shell. FIG. 9 is a schematic configuration diagram of the bag-shaped container 11b.
The bag-like container 11b is made of a flexible plastic sheet such as polyester or polyethylene having a thickness of about 0.05 to 0.2 mm. Such a plastic sheet is cut and welded at portions 30 and 31 in the figure to form a rectangular parallelepiped container. A discharge port 11c protruding outside the container body is provided near the end of one side wall of the bag-shaped container 11b by welding or bonding. This bag-like container 11
b is filled with new toner, and the bag-like container 11b
This prevents leakage of toner and contact with outside air. When the toner is replenished by the toner replenishing device 10 and becomes empty, the bag-shaped container 11b is crushed to discharge the air remaining inside, thereby reducing the volume.

FIG. 10 is an exploded view of the box-shaped container 11a.
The box-shaped container 11a is made of a plastic plate-like rigid material such as polyethylene or polycarbonate having a thickness of about 1 to 3 mm. Such a plate-shaped rigid material is cut or punched, and a cut is provided at a portion V in the figure so as to be bent, and this is bent to form a rectangular parallelepiped container. The bent end is fixed with an adhesive tape. The box-shaped container 11a holds the bag-shaped container 11b except for the powder outlet 11c, and forms an outer shell. Box-shaped container 11a
An opening 11d through which the outlet 11c can pass is provided in a portion corresponding to the outlet 11c provided in the bag-shaped container 11b. When the toner is replenished by the toner replenishing device 10 and becomes empty, the toner is disassembled to develop the plate into a plate shape as shown in FIG. 10 and reduce the volume.

As described above, the bag-shaped container 11b and the box-shaped container 1
1a, when the toner is replenished and becomes empty, the volume can be reduced.
1, the storage space can be reduced, and the collection efficiency can be improved. In the above embodiment, the box-shaped container 11a is configured to be reduced in volume by disassembly, but may be configured to be reduced in size by folding. Thereby, distribution costs at the time of collection can be reduced. In addition, it is possible to reduce the distribution cost when transporting the newly manufactured toner container 11 to the toner filling place.

Here, the bag-like container 11b is replaced with the box-like container 11a.
When the shock is applied to the box-shaped container 11a forming the outer shell and held inside the bag, the shock causes the bag-shaped container 11b and the toner inside thereof to move integrally. In this case, there is a possibility that the toner is not moved between the lower surface of the bag-shaped container 11b and the toner due to the inertial force, and the toner cannot be stably discharged. Therefore, as shown in FIG.
b, double-sided adhesive tapes 32a, 32b are provided on the lower surface (bottom surface), and the bag-shaped container 11b and the box-shaped container 11a are fixed on the lower surface side of the container. In this manner, the box-shaped container 11a and the bag-shaped container 11b are fixed. Does not move relative to each other, and the toner T
Can move stably with respect to the bag-like container 11b by inertial force.

By using the toner container 11 having such a shape, the toner container 11 can be stacked, for example, when storing a large amount or during transportation, and compared with the case where a cylindrical container such as a conventional screw bottle is used. Thus, handling of the container becomes easy. In addition, if the side surface of the rectangular parallelepiped is set to have a width that is easy to hold by hand, there is no problem that the hand slips and is difficult to hold as in the case of using a cylindrical container. Furthermore, by using a rectangular parallelepiped container, the container holding member 12
As compared with the case of using a cylindrical container that can be mounted on the container, the amount of stored toner can be increased because there is no dead space generated at the four corners of the cylindrical container. Further, since the toner container 11 with a simple structure and low cost can be used, the replacement cost of the toner container 11 can be reduced.

In the above embodiment, the present invention has been described using the toner replenishing device for replenishing toner to the developing device of the image forming apparatus. However, the present invention has a replaceable powder container, The present invention is also applicable to a powder replenishing apparatus for replenishing powder in the powder container to a powder replenishing destination and replenishing the powder by reciprocating the powder container. The same effect can be obtained.

[0053]

According to the first to fifth aspects of the present invention, the powder in the powder container can be reliably discharged using a low-cost powder container having a simple structure. effective.

In particular, according to the second and fourth aspects of the present invention, there is an excellent effect that it is possible to prevent a decrease in the discharge amount due to the compression and aggregation of the powder near the discharge port.

In particular, according to the invention of claim 5, there is an excellent effect that the used powder container can be easily collected.

According to the invention of claim 6, since a low-cost developer container having a simple configuration is used, there is an effect that the cost for replacing the developer container can be reduced. Further, since the developer in the developer container can be stably supplied to the developer supply section, there is an excellent effect that a high quality image can be obtained.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram illustrating an image forming portion of a copying machine according to an embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a schematic configuration of a toner supply device according to the embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a graph showing a time change of a position of a toner container during a reciprocating motion.

FIG. 4 is a graph showing a time change of an acceleration generated in a toner container during a reciprocating motion.

FIG. 5A is a view showing a state where toner is discharged from a toner container when toner is full. FIG. 5B is a diagram illustrating a state where the toner is discharged from the toner container when about half of the toner is consumed. FIG. 5C is a diagram illustrating a state where the toner is discharged from the toner container when most of the toner is consumed.

FIG. 6A is a diagram illustrating a state where toner is discharged from a toner container in a state where a large amount of toner is stored when the impact acceleration is too large. FIG. 5B is a diagram illustrating a state in which the toner is discharged from the toner container in a state where a large amount of toner is consumed when the impact acceleration is too large.

FIG. 7A is a diagram illustrating a relationship between acceleration of impact and a remaining amount of toner remaining without being discharged in the toner container. FIG. 4B is a diagram illustrating the relationship between the acceleration of impact and the pressure of the toner at the discharge port. FIG. 4C is a diagram illustrating a relationship between the acceleration of impact and the amount of toner discharged per impact.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing the relationship between the number of impacts and the accumulated amount of discharged toner.

FIG. 9 is a schematic configuration diagram of a bag-like container.

FIG. 10 is a development view of a box-shaped container.

FIG. 11 is an explanatory view of a method for fixing a box-shaped container and a bag-shaped container.

FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating an example of a conventional toner container.

FIG. 13 is a view showing another example of a conventional toner container.

FIG. 14 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a toner supply device invented by the present inventors.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Photoconductor 2 Developing device 3 Developing roller 4, 5 Conveyor screw 6 Developing casing 7 Developer 8 Regulator blade 10 Toner replenishing device 11 Toner container 11a Bag-shaped container 11b Box-shaped container 11c Discharge port 11d Opening 12 Container support member 13 Supports 14a, b Rollers 15 Spring 16 Cam 16a Camshaft 17 Reducer 18 Damper 19 Toner receiving section 111 Toner container 111a Discharge port 112 Movable member 112a Rotary shaft 211 Screw bottle 211a Discharge port 212 Projection 311 Toner container 311a Discharge port

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued from the front page (72) Inventor Satoshi Muramatsu 1-3-6 Nakamagome, Ota-ku, Tokyo Inside Ricoh Company (72) Inventor Junichi Matsumoto 1-3-6 Nakamagome, Ota-ku, Tokyo Stock In Ricoh Company (72) Inventor Tomoyuki Ichikawa 1-3-6 Nakamagome, Ota-ku, Tokyo F-term in Ricoh Company (reference) 2H077 AA00 AA02 AA05 AA25 AA35 AB02 AC02 AD06 AD13 CA02

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. A powder container having a replaceable powder container,
In a powder replenishing apparatus for replenishing powder in the powder container to a powder replenishing destination, a powder container having a powder outlet formed near an end of one side wall is used as the powder container. Reciprocating means for reciprocating the powder container so that the powder moves toward the discharge port in a state where the powder container is arranged so that the discharge port faces downward in the vertical direction is provided. In the direction in which the powder heads toward the discharge port, the magnitude of the acceleration generated at the time of stoppage of the powder container moving forward is larger than the magnitude of the acceleration generated at the time of stoppage of the powder container moving backward, and A powder replenishing device, wherein the size of the powder in the powder container is such that the powder moves integrally toward the discharge port. 2. The powder replenishing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the magnitude of the acceleration generated when the advancing powder container is stopped relative to the direction in which the powder is directed to the discharge port is determined by measuring the magnitude of the acceleration in the powder container. A powder replenishing device, wherein the powder replenishing device has a size such that the powder does not agglomerate in the vicinity of the discharge port. 3. The powder replenishing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein
The powder moves forward in the direction toward the discharge port.
The magnitude of the acceleration generated when the powder container is stopped is 40 m /
Sec ²Powder characterized by the above configuration
Replenishing device. 4. The powder replenishing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the magnitude of the acceleration generated when the advancing powder container is stopped is 200 m with respect to the direction of the powder toward the discharge port.
/ Sec ² or less. 5. The volume reduction device according to claim 1, wherein the powder container is made of a flexible material and has a powder outlet formed near an end of one side wall. And a box-shaped container made of a rigid material and formed of a rigid material, holding the bag-shaped container except for the powder discharge port, forming an outer shell, and reducing the volume by disassembly or folding. A powder replenishing device, wherein a bag-shaped container having the lower surface of the bag-shaped container fixed thereto is used. 6. An image forming apparatus provided with a developing device for developing a latent image formed on an image carrier, wherein the developer supply device for replenishing the developing device with a developer. An image forming apparatus comprising: