JP2004144901A - Developing device, process cartridge, and image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To arrange a positioning part on a toner bottle so that the track of a drum shutter is not interrupted, and also, so that a manual feeding tray attaching space can be secured. <P>SOLUTION: Two toner feeding members are arranged in the toner bottle, the bottom part of the toner bottle is formed to a shape similar to the locus of the toner feeding member. Besides, the outline is formed so as to be constituted of two circular arcs along the shape of the bottom part of the toner bottle. Then, a recessed part is formed in the outer surface bottom on the outer surface of the toner bottle bottom part. The positioning part is arranged on the recessed part side of a tangent of the two circular arcs in the recessed part. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an electrophotographic image forming apparatus, a process cartridge, and a developing device.
[0002]
Here, the electrophotographic image forming apparatus forms an image on a recording medium using an electrophotographic image forming method. The electrophotographic image forming apparatus includes, for example, an electrophotographic copying machine, an electrophotographic printer (for example, a laser beam printer, an LED printer, and the like), a facsimile machine, a word processor, and the like.
[0003]
Further, the process cartridge is a cartridge in which a charging unit, a developing unit or a cleaning unit and an electrophotographic photosensitive member are integrally formed into a cartridge, and this cartridge is detachable from the main body of the image forming apparatus. At least one of the developing means and the cleaning means and the electrophotographic photosensitive member are integrally formed into a cartridge so as to be detachable from the image forming apparatus main body, or at least the developing means and the electrophotographic photosensitive member are integrally formed as a cartridge. To be detachable from the apparatus main body.
[0004]
The developing device is a device used for developing an electrostatic latent image formed on an electrophotographic photosensitive member.
[0005]
[Prior art]
[Electrophotographic image forming apparatus A and process cartridge B]
A general conventional example of an image forming apparatus to which the process cartridge B can be mounted will be described. FIG. 11 is a sectional view of a general electrophotographic image forming apparatus A, and FIG. 12 is a sectional view of a process cartridge B.
[0006]
The image forming apparatus A includes a drum-shaped electrophotographic photosensitive member, that is, a photosensitive drum 7. The photoconductor drum 7 is charged by a charging roller 8 serving as a charging unit, and then is irradiated with laser light corresponding to image information from the optical unit 1 having a laser diode, a polygon mirror, a lens, and a reflection mirror. A latent image corresponding to the image information is formed on the drum 7.
[0007]
Next, the developing frame 13 includes a toner stirring member 13b near the developing sleeve 12, and supplies the toner to the developing sleeve 12 by circulating the toner in the developing chamber 13a. The developing sleeve 12 incorporates a magnet roller 17. By rotating the developing sleeve 12, the toner is conveyed onto the developing sleeve 12, a triboelectric charge is given by the developing blade 18, and the toner having a predetermined thickness is formed. And transported to the developing area of the photosensitive drum 7. The toner supplied to the developing area is transferred to a latent image on the photosensitive drum 7 to form a toner image. The developing sleeve 12 is connected to a developing bias circuit, and is usually applied with a developing bias voltage in which a DC voltage is superimposed on an AC voltage.
[0008]
On the other hand, the recording medium 2 set in the paper feed cassette 3a is conveyed to the transfer position by the pickup roller 3b and the conveying roller pairs 3c, 3d, and 3e in synchronization with the formation of the toner image. As another conveyance path to the transfer position, the paper is also conveyed from the manual feed tray 3i by the pickup roller 3k and the conveyance rollers 3d and 3e. A transfer roller 4 as a transfer unit is disposed at the transfer position, and transfers a toner image on the photosensitive drum 7 to the recording medium 2 by applying a voltage.
[0009]
The recording medium 2 to which the toner image has been transferred is conveyed to the fixing unit 5 by the conveyance guide 3f. The fixing unit 5 includes a fixing roller 5c including a driving roller 5a and a heater 5b, and applies heat and pressure to the recording medium 2 passing therethrough to fix the transferred toner image on the recording medium 2.
[0010]
The recording medium 2 is conveyed by a pair of discharge rollers 3g and 3h, and is discharged to a discharge tray 6 by a pair of discharge rollers 3m via a reversing path 3j. The discharge tray 6 is provided on the upper surface of the image forming apparatus A. It is also possible to operate the swingable flapper (not shown) and discharge the recording medium 2 without passing through the reversing path 3j. In this conventional example, the pickup roller 3b, the pair of transfer rollers 3c, 3d, and 3e, the transfer guide 3f, and the pair of discharge rollers 3g, 3h, and 3m constitute a transfer unit.
[0011]
After the transfer roller 4 transfers the toner image to the recording medium 2, the photosensitive drum 7 is subjected to the next image forming process after removing the toner remaining on the photosensitive drum 7 by the cleaning blade 9a. The waste toner from which the residual toner on the photosensitive drum 7 has been scraped off by the cleaning blade 9a is collected in a waste toner reservoir 9b.
[0012]
The developing device 13 is formed by welding the developing frame 13 holding the developing means such as the developing sleeve 12 and the developing blade 18 to the toner storing portion 54 having the toner stirring member 33 for storing the toner. The developing device D is integrated with a cleaning unit 19 to which the photosensitive drum 7, the cleaning blade 9a, and the charging roller 8 are attached, thereby forming a cartridge.
[0013]
The process cartridge B of the conventional example is designed so that maintenance can be performed by a user himself without relying on a service person in order to greatly improve operability. Therefore, the photosensitive drum 7 is protected by the drum shutter 37 so that the user does not directly touch the photosensitive drum 7 carrying the toner image. The drum shutter 37 includes a shutter cover 37a, an arm link 37c, and a link 37b, as shown in FIGS. 13 and 14, and the link 37b attached to the shutter cover 37a is rotatable about the side frame 38 and the toner container 54a. Attached to. When the process cartridge B is mounted on the image forming apparatus A, the protrusions 37b1 and 37b2 provided on the link 37b abut on a fixed member (not shown) of the image forming apparatus A, and the drum shutter 37 is moved as shown in FIG. As shown by a broken line in FIG. 12, the photosensitive drum 7 is retracted toward the toner storage unit 54 to expose the photosensitive drum 7.
[0014]
When assembling the cartridge as described above, in order to maintain the posture of the frame, the toner container 54a and the toner container 54a are held by stands 76 and 77 erected on a transport pallet 75 as shown in FIG. At the positioning portions 60 (FIG. 16) and 78 (FIG. 14) of the container lid 54b, the welding surface 29 of the toner container 54 with the developing frame 13 is held vertically upward.
[0015]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, when the positioning portion for positioning the toner container on the stand is provided as in the above-described conventional example, the size of the image forming apparatus main body may be increased by enlarging the opening / closing locus of the drum shutter. Further, this hinders the increase in the amount of toner stored in the process cartridge. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a configuration for positioning a toner container on a stand without increasing the size of a process cartridge and an image forming apparatus.
[0016]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
The configuration of the present invention for solving the above problems is as follows.
[0017]
(Structure 1) In a developing device which is mounted on an electrophotographic image forming apparatus main body and is used for developing an electrostatic latent image formed on an electrophotographic photosensitive member and has a toner container for storing toner,
A plurality of toner stirring members for stirring the toner by a rotational movement,
The bottom outer surface of the toner container has a plurality of arc shapes along the rotation locus of the stirring member,
Positioning portions for assembling the toner container are provided in a plurality of arc-shaped concave portions on the outer surface of the toner container bottom, and the positioning portion is provided on a concave side of a tangent connecting the plurality of arcs on the outer surface of the toner container bottom portion. There is a feature.
[0018]
(Structure 2) The positioning portion of the toner container is characterized in that the toner container can be positioned in at least two postures, and is formed of a rib.
[0019]
(Structure 3) A toner container which is attached to the main body of the electrophotographic image forming apparatus, holds the electrophotographic photosensitive member, and stores toner used for developing the electrostatic latent image formed on the electrophotographic photosensitive member. In the process cartridge,
A plurality of toner stirring members for stirring the toner by a rotational movement,
The bottom outer surface of the toner container has a plurality of arc shapes along the rotation locus of the stirring member,
Positioning portions for assembling the toner container are provided in a plurality of arc-shaped concave portions on the outer surface of the toner container bottom, and the positioning portion is provided on a concave side of a tangent connecting the plurality of arcs on the outer surface of the toner container bottom portion. There is a feature.
[0020]
(Configuration 4) The positioning portion of the toner container is characterized in that the toner container can be positioned in at least two postures and is formed of a rib.
[0021]
(Structure 5) In an electrophotographic image forming apparatus for forming an image on a recording medium having a toner container,
A plurality of toner stirring members for stirring the toner by a rotational movement,
The bottom outer surface of the toner container has a plurality of arc shapes along the rotation locus of the stirring member,
Positioning portions at the time of assembling the toner container are provided in a plurality of arc-shaped concave portions on the outer surface of the bottom portion of the toner container, and the positioning portion is on a concave side of a tangent line connecting a plurality of arcs on the outer surface of the bottom portion of the toner container. There is a feature.
[0022]
(Configuration 6) The positioning portion of the toner container is characterized in that the toner container can be positioned in at least two postures, and is formed of a rib.
[0023]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
The configuration of the process cartridge of the present invention is the same as that of the conventional example, as shown in FIG. 9, and includes a developing device D in which a developing frame 13 for holding a developing unit is welded to a toner accommodating portion 14 and integrated therewith. It consists of nineteen. Since the cleaning device is the same as the conventional example, the description of the cleaning unit will be omitted below.
[0024]
The positioning of the toner container when assembling the process cartridge B of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. FIGS. 1 and 3 are cross-sectional views in the lateral direction of the process cartridge showing the positioning when the toner storage unit is fixed to the transport pallet. FIGS. 2 and 4 are cross-sectional views in the longitudinal direction of the process cartridge showing the positioning when the toner storage unit is fixed to the transport pallet. The bottom of the toner container 14a of the present invention has a shape following the trajectories of the toner feeding members 15a and 16a in order to efficiently transport the toner to the developing chamber 13a side. In addition, the outer shape is formed of two arcs along the shape of the bottom of the toner container 14a. In the toner container 14 of this embodiment, the toner stirring members 15a and 16a are incorporated, and a concave portion 74 is formed at the bottom of the outer surface of the toner container 14a. Here, the positioning 61 is provided in the concave portion 74 of the toner container 14a. The positioning 61 is, as shown in FIGS. 1, 2, 3, and 4, a rib 61c substantially parallel to the welding surface 29 with the developing frame 13, and a surface on which the toner container lid 14b is welded. A plurality of ribs 61b parallel to 32 are provided in the longitudinal direction of the toner container 14a. The plurality of ribs 61b and 61c are sandwiched between ribs 61a1 and 61a2 parallel to the side surface of the toner container 14a, and positioning in the longitudinal direction is performed between the ribs.
[0025]
Next, a method of fixing the developing device to the transport pallets 64 and 65 in the order of assembling the parts will be described with reference to FIGS.
[0026]
First, when the process cartridge is used, a toner seal 50 for removing the toner and allowing the toner to be supplied from the toner container 14 to the developing frame 13 is attached by heat welding or the like so as to cover the opening 30 of the toner container 14. Attached. Next, as shown in FIG. 1, the positioning rib 61 shown in FIG. 5 is fitted to the stand 63 of the transport pallet 65 shown in FIG. 7 so that the surface 32 to which the toner container lid 14b is welded faces vertically upward. The surface 29 to which the developing frame 13 is welded is supported and fixed by a stand 70 of the transport pallet 65 shown in FIG. In this state, as shown in the exploded view of the developing device in FIG. 10, the toner feeding members 15a and 16a are incorporated in the toner container 14a, and at the same time, the oil seal 15b for preventing toner leakage from the side surface of the toner container 14a. , 16b and driving members 15c, 16c for driving the toner feeding members 15a, 16a. Next, the toner container lid 14b is joined to the welding surface 32 by ultrasonic welding.
[0027]
Next, as shown in FIG. 3, the positioning 61 shown in FIG. 6 and the assembling concave portion 72 in the toner container lid 14b are arranged so that the surface 29 to which the developing frame 13 is welded faces vertically upward. 8 are fixed to the stands 62 and 71 of the transport pallet 64 shown in FIG. In this state, as shown in FIG. 10, the developing frame 13 is welded and connected to the toner container. At the same time as the toner stirring member 51a is installed from above, an oil seal 51b for preventing toner leakage from the side of the developing frame 13 and a driving member 51c for driving the toner stirring member 51a are installed. Thereafter, the developing blade 18 is installed. Finally, a developing sleeve unit in which spacer rollers 27 and 28 are installed on both sides of the developing sleeve 12 is incorporated so that the developing sleeve 12 is always driven with a fixed gap with respect to the photosensitive drum 7.
[0028]
According to the above configuration, the assembling posture of the developing device in two directions can be reliably performed, and since the positioning portion is provided in the concave portion of the toner container, the orbit of the drum shutter is not obstructed. Further, since the orbit of the drum shutter does not reduce the space of the manual feed tray, it is possible to prevent the image forming apparatus from increasing in size.
[0029]
In the present embodiment, the description is given of two positioning portions, but three or more positioning portions may be used.
[0030]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, the positioning portion at the time of assembling the developing device of the present invention is located in the recess at the bottom of the outer surface of the toner container. Therefore, the opening / closing locus of the shutter can be reduced, and the image forming apparatus can be made compact. Further, even when the amount of stored toner is increased, it is not necessary to increase the size of the image forming apparatus.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view in which a toner container according to the present invention is fixed to a transport pallet.
FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view in which the toner container showing the configuration of the present invention is fixed to a transport pallet.
FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view in which the toner container showing the configuration of the present invention is fixed to a transport pallet.
FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view in which the toner container showing the configuration of the present invention is fixed to a transport pallet.
FIG. 5 is a perspective view illustrating a configuration of a toner container of the present invention.
FIG. 6 is a perspective view illustrating a configuration of a toner container according to the present invention.
FIG. 7 is a perspective view of an assembly pallet for supporting the process cartridge of the present invention.
FIG. 8 is a perspective view of an assembly pallet for supporting the process cartridge of the present invention.
FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a configuration of a process cartridge of the present invention.
FIG. 10 is an exploded view showing the structure of the developing device of the present invention.
FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a configuration of a conventional image forming apparatus.
FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a configuration of a conventional process cartridge.
FIG. 13 is a perspective view illustrating a configuration of a conventional process cartridge.
FIG. 14 is a perspective view illustrating a configuration of a conventional process cartridge.
FIG. 15 is a side view in which a toner container having a conventional configuration is fixed to a transport pallet.
FIG. 16 is a perspective view illustrating a configuration of a conventional toner storage container.
[Explanation of symbols]
Reference Signs List A Electrophotographic image forming apparatus B Process cartridge E Tangent line S at bottom of outer surface of toner container Space arrow X Transport direction arrow y Transport direction 1 Optical means 2 Recording medium 3a Feed cassette 3b, 3k Pickup rollers 3c, 3d, 3e Transport rollers 3f Conveying guide 3g, 3h, 3m Discharge roller pair 3i Manual feed tray 3j Reverse path 4 Transfer roller 5 Fixing means 5a Drive roller 5b Heater 5c Fixing roller 6 Discharge tray 7 Photoconductor drum 8 Charging roller 9 Cleaning means 9a Elastic cleaning blade 9b Waste toner reservoir 12 Developing sleeve 13 Developing frame 13a Developing chamber 13b Toner stirring members 14, 54, 80 Toner storage units 14a, 54a, 80a Toner storage containers 14b, 54b, 80b Toner storage container lids 15a, 16a Toner feed member 15b , 16 b Oil seal 15c, 16c Toner feed member drive gear 17 Magnet roller 18 Developing blade 19 Cleaning unit 22a, 22b Elastic sheet 25, 26 Sleeve bearing 27, 28 Roller spacer 30 Opening 31, 38 Bearing holder 29, 32 Welding surface 33 Toner feed Members 37, 81 Drum shutter 37a, 81a Shutter cover 37b, 81b Link 37b1, 37b2, 81b2 Projection 37c, 81c Arm link 50 Toner seal 51a Toner stirring member 51b Oil seal 51c Toner stirring drive gear 52 Holes 55a, 55b, 55c Oil Seals 60, 61, 83 Positioning 62, 63, 70, 71, 76, 77 Stands 64, 65, 75 Transport pallets 72, 78 Assembly recess 74 recess

Claims (6)

In a developing device having a toner container that is attached to an electrophotographic image forming apparatus main body and is used for developing an electrostatic latent image formed on an electrophotographic photosensitive member and stores toner,
A plurality of toner stirring members for stirring the toner by a rotational movement,
The bottom outer surface of the toner container has a plurality of arc shapes along the rotation locus of the stirring member,
Positioning portions at the time of assembling the toner container are provided in a plurality of arc-shaped concave portions on the outer surface of the bottom portion of the toner container, and the positioning portion is on a concave side of a tangent line connecting a plurality of arcs on the outer surface of the bottom portion of the toner container. A developing device, comprising: The developing device according to claim 1, wherein the positioning portion of the toner container is capable of positioning the toner container in at least two postures, and is configured by a rib. A process cartridge having a toner container that is attached to an electrophotographic image forming apparatus main body, holds an electrophotographic photosensitive member, and stores toner used for developing an electrostatic latent image formed on the electrophotographic photosensitive member.
A plurality of toner stirring members for stirring the toner by a rotational movement,
The bottom outer surface of the toner container has a plurality of arc shapes along the rotation locus of the stirring member,
Positioning portions at the time of assembling the toner container are provided in a plurality of arc-shaped concave portions on the outer surface of the bottom portion of the toner container, and the positioning portion is on a concave side of a tangent line connecting a plurality of arcs on the outer surface of the bottom portion of the toner container. A process cartridge, comprising: 4. The process cartridge according to claim 3, wherein the positioning portion of the toner container is capable of positioning the toner container in at least two postures, and includes a rib. 5. In an electrophotographic image forming apparatus for forming an image on a recording medium having a toner container,
A plurality of toner stirring members for stirring the toner by a rotational movement,
The bottom outer surface of the toner container has a plurality of arc shapes along the rotation locus of the stirring member,
Positioning portions at the time of assembling the toner container are provided in a plurality of arc-shaped concave portions on the outer surface of the bottom portion of the toner container, and the positioning portion is on a concave side of a tangent line connecting a plurality of arcs on the outer surface of the bottom portion of the toner container. An image forming apparatus, comprising: The image forming apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the positioning portion of the toner container is capable of positioning the toner container in at least two postures, and is configured by a rib.

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