JP2003005501A - Developing device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a developing device capable of preventing toner leakage in course of transportation and in course of use by improving sealing ability. SOLUTION: A seal member 220 is stuck to the periphery of the toner discharge port 217 of a toner bottle 213 by a double coated adhesive tape. The member 220 prevents toner from being leaked from the toner bottle 213 in course of transportation, and also prevents the toner from being leaked in a machine after the developing device is installed in the image forming device. In course of transportation, the shutter 230 of the toner bottle 213 is made to bite into the member 220 so as to enclose the toner by the restoring force of the member 220. In course of use, the toner replenishing port 260 of the developing device is made to bite into the member 220 so as to enclose the toner by the restoring force of the member 220.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a developing device.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a developing device for replenishing toner by enclosing toner in a bottle, the toner is supplied from a replenishing port for replenishing the toner in the toner bottle into the main body of the developing device such as a copying machine. It is necessary to seal the inside of the image forming apparatus so as not to leak. In particular, in a color image forming apparatus using a revolver type developing device, if toner leaks from the replenishing port, the toner will be scattered in a wide range in the machine as the revolver revolves. is important.

The present invention improves such sealability,
An object of the present invention is to provide a developing device which prevents toner leakage during transportation and use. Another object of the present invention is to provide a developing device capable of preventing deterioration of sealing property over time and toner leakage due to damage. A further object of the present invention is to provide a developing device with improved recyclability.

[0004]

In order to achieve the above object, a developing device according to a first aspect of the present invention is a revolver type developing device in which toner is enclosed in a bottle to replenish the toner in the developing device main body. In the above (1), a seal member is provided on the toner bottle side so as to prevent the toner from leaking from a toner replenishing port for replenishing the toner in the toner bottle into the developing device main body.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in order to achieve the above object, in the developing device of the first aspect, the seal member is made of a foam material such as sponge.

In order to achieve the above object, the third aspect of the present invention is characterized in that, in the developing device of the first or second aspect, the seal member is adhered to the toner bottle with a double-sided tape.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in order to achieve the above object, in the developing device of the third aspect, the double-sided tape having good peelability is used.

[0008]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a schematic sectional view of a revolver type multicolor image forming apparatus including a developing device according to the present invention.
The photoconductor 101 is rotatably supported and is rotationally driven in the direction of arrow A in the figure. A charger 102 and a cleaning device 103 for the photoconductor are arranged on the outer periphery of the photoconductor 101. Above the charging device 102, there is a writing unit 104 which is irradiated with laser light emitted from a laser writing unit. At a position downstream of the writing unit 104, a multicolor developing device 105 in which a plurality of developing devices are switchably supported is arranged.

The multicolor developing device 105 includes a black developing unit 105K, a yellow developing unit 105Y, a magenta developing unit 105M, and a cyan developing unit 105C for each color of the toner to be stored. Multicolor developing device 10
In this example, reference numeral 5 has a mechanism for selecting the developing unit by rotating 90 degrees on the circumference.

The laser beam output from the writing unit 104 based on the image information is guided by the mirror 106 in a predetermined direction and forms an electrostatic latent image on the photoconductor 101 charged by the charging charger 102. Photoconductor 1
The latent image on 01 is developed by the developing device 105, and a visible image with toner is formed and held on the surface of the photoconductor. Photoconductor 101
Has its lower portion in contact with the intermediate transfer belt 107.

The intermediate transfer belt 107 is a belt roller 10.
The toner image on the photoconductor 101 is rotatably supported by 8, and is transferred onto the surface of the intermediate transfer belt 107. The photoconductor 101 is cleaned for each color, and a toner image of a predetermined color is sequentially formed on the surface of the photoconductor 101. The photoconductor 101 is transferred to the same position on the intermediate transfer belt 107 each time the intermediate transfer belt 107 rotates, and the intermediate transfer is performed. On the belt 107, a color toner image in which several colors are superposed is formed.

The transfer paper 111 fed by the paper feed roller 110 from the paper feed unit 109 is sent out by the registration roller 112 at a predetermined timing, and the transfer device 113 collectively collects toner images of several colors on the intermediate transfer belt 107. Then, the toner image on the transfer paper 111 is fixed by the fixing device 114, and is discharged to the paper discharge tray 115.

A cleaning device 116 for the intermediate transfer belt is provided on the intermediate transfer belt 107, and a cleaning blade 116A is configured to be capable of contacting and separating via a cleaning blade contacting / separating arm 116B. In the process of receiving the toner image from the photoconductor 101, the cleaning blade 116A separates from the intermediate transfer belt 107, transfers the image from the intermediate transfer belt 107 to the transfer paper 111, and then contacts the intermediate transfer belt 107 to transfer the transfer paper 1A.
After the image is transferred to No. 11, the residual toner is scraped off.

FIG. 2 shows the developing unit 105 and the photoconductor 10.
1 is an integrated drawing unit 130, and FIGS. 3 to 5 are sectional views showing the developing device 105. A magnet 202 is arranged in the developing sleeve 201. A motor 203 and gears 204, 205 installed in the main body of the image forming apparatus,
The developing sleeve 201 is rotationally driven in the direction of arrow B in the figure by 206, and the transport screws 211 and 212 are rotated by the gear 2
It is rotationally driven via 07, 208, 209 and 210. In the figure, 250 is a doctor, 251 is a toner replenishing screw, and 253 is a slide rail of the drawer unit 130.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing the appearance of the toner bottle. On the inner peripheral surface of the toner bottle 213, a spiral toner transfer rib 214 is formed. When the toner is consumed and the toner concentration in the developing device 105 (105Y in the figure) decreases, the motor 215 drives the toner bottle 213 to rotate via the coupling 216, and the toner in the toner bottle 213 is discharged from the toner ejection port 217. The toner is sequentially sent to the vicinity and is replenished into the developing device 105 through the toner discharge port 217, and is agitated with the developer (carrier) by the transport screws 211 and 212 to become a two-component developer that is frictionally charged opposite to each other. It is sent to the developing sleeve 201. Reference numeral 219 in the figure denotes a toner color discrimination boss.

When the toner end sensor 252 detects that the toner in the toner bottle 213 is exhausted, the user is notified that the toner is out, and the user replaces the toner bottle 213. When the empty toner bottle 213 is twisted to the left in FIG. 3, it is removed from the bottle holding unit 218, a new toner bottle 213 is set in the bottle holding unit 218, and twisted to the right, the shutter 230 of the toner bottle 213 opens, The toner in the toner bottle is replenished into the developing device 105 by driving the motor 215, and is agitated with the developer by the transport screws 211 and 212, and the toner bottle is replaced when the toner concentration in the developing device 105 reaches a predetermined value. Complete.

7 to 9 are perspective views showing a procedure for setting the toner bottle. Insert the toner bottle 213 into the bottle holding portion 218, pinch the lever 254 of the toner bottle with the thumb and forefinger, and rotate the lever 254 to the right.
When the lever 254 is inserted into the recess of the toner bottle setting position 255, the setting of the toner bottle is completed. When removing the toner bottle, the reverse operation of setting may be performed. When the lever 254 is inserted into the recess of the toner bottle setting position 255, the toner bottle is fixed, and even if the toner bottle 213 rotates, the toner bottle moves in the circumferential direction and the toner discharge port 217 of the toner bottle shifts to disperse the toner in the machine. Can be prevented.

FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view showing the seal structure of the toner ejection port of the toner bottle 213, and FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view of the toner replenishing section to which the toner bottle 213 is attached. A seal member 220 is attached by a double-sided tape around the toner ejection port 217 of the toner bottle 213. The seal member 220 prevents the toner from leaking from the toner bottle 213 during transportation and also prevents the toner from leaking inside the machine after being installed in the image forming apparatus. During transportation, the shutter 230 of the toner bottle 213 is made to bite into the seal member 220, and the toner is sealed by the restoring force of the seal member 220. During use, the toner replenishing port 260 of the developing device is made to bite into the seal member 220, and the toner is sealed by the restoring force of the seal member 220. Therefore, the seal member 220
For this, a sponge having excellent elasticity (restoration) is suitable. In addition, the toner bottle shutter 230 and the toner replenishing port 260 are provided so that the toner can be surely sealed during transportation and use, and the toner bottle can be attached / detached with a light rotational force and the sliding friction at the time of attaching / detaching the toner bottle can be further reduced.
Ribs 221 and 261 are installed around the. 23 in the figure
1 is the toner bottle head, and arrow C is the toner bottle 21.
3 is the rotation direction at the time of setting, and D is the rotation direction at the time of releasing the toner bottle 213.

Incidentally, the seal member 220 may be deteriorated in its sealing property over time due to toner entering therein, or may be damaged when the toner bottle 213 is replaced.
Therefore, the seal member 220 is provided on the toner bottle 213 side to prevent toner leakage due to deterioration of the seal or the like. Particularly, in the revolver type developing device, the toner in the toner bottle 213 is often mixed with air due to the revolver revolving operation to be in a high fluidity state. Further, if the toner leaks, the toner is spun into the apparatus by the revolving operation, which has a wide influence. Therefore, by increasing the amount of bite into the seal member 220,
Since it is necessary to improve the toner sealing property at the toner replenishing port as compared with other methods, the deterioration of the seal member 220 is faster, but by providing the seal member 220 on the toner bottle 213 side, the replacement of the toner bottle 213 is possible. Sometimes seal member 2
20 is always replaced with a new one, and toner leakage due to deterioration over time can be prevented. Further, since it is possible to prevent the apparatus from being stopped and the image quality from being deteriorated due to the deterioration and breakage of the seal, it is possible to improve the operation efficiency and prevent the maintenance time from being increased due to the replacement of the seal member.

Further, since the toner bottles 213 are replaced when the toner is used up, the number of toner bottles 213 is large, and the toner bottles 213 are no longer needed after the replacement, so that the cost and environment of recycling are great. The seal member 220 always receives a compressive load during transportation / storage and during use. Since it may take several months to a year from the time it is manufactured to the time it is used, its elasticity deteriorates after use. Therefore, in order to perform recycling, it is necessary to replace the seal member 220 in order to maintain the toner sealing property.

FIG. 12 is a sectional view showing another example of the seal member 220. The illustrated sealing member 220 is a foam material 220.
A and double-sided tape 220B, double-sided tape 220B
By adhering the foam material 220A to the toner bottle 213, the replacement of the seal member 220 is facilitated. Furthermore, the use of a double-sided tape that does not easily tear when peeling off the seal member 220 or leave an adhesive residue on the toner adhered member makes it easier to replace the seal member. As such a double-sided tape, for example, Nitto Denko No.
There are 5000 NC and 5000 NS. In addition, JP 20
Since Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 00-337322 proposes a technique relating to a method for attaching a double-sided tape that can be removed cleanly during disassembly, such a technique can also be adopted.

[0022]

As described above, in the developing device of the present invention, by providing a seal member on a toner bottle, it is possible to prevent toner leakage during transportation and during use with the same component, and the seal member can be used over time. Since it is possible to prevent toner leakage due to deterioration and damage in the above step and it is not necessary to replace the seal member, it is possible to reduce maintenance time. Further, there is an effect that the operation efficiency is improved because the stop of the device and the deterioration of the image quality can be prevented.

In addition to the common effects described above, the developing device according to claim 3 has an effect that the recyclability can be improved by using the double-sided tape.

In addition to the above-mentioned common effects, the developing device according to claim 4 uses a double-sided tape which is less likely to be torn when the toner seal member is peeled off or to leave adhesive residue on the toner adhered member, thereby improving recyclability. There is an effect that can improve.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a revolver type multicolor image forming apparatus including a developing device according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing a drawing unit in which a developing unit and a photoconductor are integrated.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing a developing device.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing a developing device.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view showing a developing device.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing an appearance of a toner bottle.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing a procedure for setting a toner bottle.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing a procedure for setting a toner bottle.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing a procedure for setting a toner bottle.

FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view showing a seal structure of a toner discharge port of a toner bottle.

FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view of a toner replenishing unit with a toner bottle attached.

FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view showing another example of the seal member.

[Explanation of symbols]

101 photoconductor 102 Charger 103 Cleaning device (for photoconductor) 104 writing section 105 Multi-color developing device 106 mirror 107 Intermediate transfer belt 108 Belt roller 109 paper feeder 110 paper feed rollers 111 transfer paper 112 Registration roller 113 transfer device 114 fixer 115 Output tray 116 Cleaning device (for intermediate transfer belt) 130 drawer unit 201 developing sleeve 202 magnet 203 motor 204-210 gears 211 Transport screw 212 Transport screw 213 toner bottle 214 toner transfer rib 215 motor 216 Coupling 217 toner discharge port 218 Bottle holder 219 Toner color discrimination boss 220 Supply port seal member 220A foam 220B double-sided tape 221 ribs 230 toner bottle shutter 231 Toner bottle head 250 doctor 251 Toner supply screw 252 Toner end sensor 253 Drawer unit slide rail 254 lever 255 Toner bottle setting position 260 toner supply port 261 Supply port rib A photoconductor rotation direction B Revolver rotation direction C Rotation direction when setting the toner bottle D Rotation direction when the toner bottle is released

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A revolver type developing device in which toner is enclosed in a bottle to replenish the toner in the developing device body, and toner leaks from a toner replenishing port for replenishing the toner in the toner bottle into the developing device body. A developing device, characterized in that a seal member installed to prevent the above is installed on the toner bottle side. 2. The developing device according to claim 1, wherein the seal member is made of a foam material such as sponge. 3. The developing device according to claim 1, wherein:
A developing device, wherein the sealing member is adhered to the toner bottle with a double-sided tape. 4. The developing device according to claim 3, wherein the double-sided tape has good peelability.