JP2004287404A - Image forming device and process cartridge - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To miniaturize an image forming device and a process cartridge provided in the same, by providing a toner supply port through which toner is supplied to a developer storage part, within a preset and prescribed width of a process cartridge side plate. <P>SOLUTION: In the image forming device, a process cartridge 6Y provided attachably to and detachably from a printer has side plates 61Y-1 and 61-Y2 supporting shafts of a photoreceptor, a developing sleeve, a toner carrying screw, etc. The image forming device is provided with a toner carrying device for supplying supply toner in a toner bottle 32Y to a developer storage part 53Y, and a toner supply port 62Y being in a position where a toner carrying pipe 43Y of the toner carrying device is connected to the process cartridge is provided within a prescribed width between side plates in the lengthwise direction of the process cartridge. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine, a facsimile, and a printer, and a process cartridge used in the image forming apparatus. More specifically, a process cartridge in which a developing device having a developer carrier and a developer accommodating portion and another member are integrally formed detachably from an apparatus main body, and a replenishing toner for replenishing the developer accommodating portion And a process cartridge used in the image forming apparatus.

Conventionally, as an image forming apparatus of this type, a developing device having a developer carrier and a developer accommodating portion, an image carrier, a charging device, a cleaning device, and the like are formed as an integral process cartridge, and are attached to and detached from the image forming device main body. Some are provided as possible. When the toner stored in the developing device in the process cartridge runs out, the process cartridge is replaced with a new one. By replacing the process cartridge, the toner replenishing operation and the replacement of consumable parts such as the image carrier, the charging device, and the cleaning device can be performed at the same time. This has the advantage that maintenance can be simplified.
However, if printing is repeatedly performed under printing conditions that consume a large amount of toner, the process cartridge is replaced every time the toner runs out despite the small number of prints and the consumable component has a long service life. Was easy to replace before its life.

  In order to prevent waste due to replacement of consumable parts before the end of life, there has been proposed a method in which a replaceable toner bottle is provided in a process cartridge so that toner can be replenished from the toner bottle to a developing device (for example, Patent Document 1). 1). However, in the developing device according to this proposal, even when only the toner bottle is replaced, the process cartridge must be removed from the main body of the image forming apparatus, and it takes time and effort to replace the toner bottle.

As an image forming apparatus capable of easily replacing a toner bottle, there is an image forming apparatus in which a process cartridge and a toner bottle are configured to be detachable from an image forming apparatus main body separately (for example, see Patent Documents 2 and 3). In this image forming apparatus, a toner bottle and a process cartridge which can be detached and attached independently of each other from the image forming apparatus main body are arranged close to each other in the apparatus.
However, in the image forming apparatuses proposed in Patent Literature 2 and Patent Literature 3, since the toner bottle is disposed close to the process cartridge, the layout freedom in the apparatus is small. The freedom in the layout of the toner bottle and the process cartridge is required to effectively use the space in the image forming apparatus and to reduce the size of the apparatus. Particularly, in a color image forming apparatus, four or more pairs of toner bottles and process cartridges must be provided, so that the size of the apparatus is easily increased, and the degree of freedom in layout of the toner bottles and process cartridges is required to be increased.

  Therefore, it is conceivable to provide a toner bottle at a position distant from the process cartridge and to provide a toner conveying means for replenishing the toner inside the toner bottle to the developer accommodating portion of the process cartridge. If the toner bottle can be provided at a distance from the process cartridge, the degree of freedom in the layout inside the image forming apparatus increases, and the space inside the image forming apparatus can be effectively used more easily. It will be easier.

JP-A-10-239974 JP-A-11-216331 JP-A-9-34230

  However, even if the toner bottle is provided at a position distant from the process cartridge, the size of the apparatus may be increased depending on the structure of a replenishing unit for replenishing toner to the developer accommodating unit. FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view of the vicinity of the developer accommodating portion in the developing device proposed in Patent Document 3. In the case of this developing device, the toner discharged from the toner bottle is supplied to the toner supply unit 106 provided adjacent to the axial end of the agent stirring member 5-2. Further, by rotating the replenishing shaft provided in the toner replenishing unit 106, the toner replenishing mylar 6-1 sends the toner to an area (hereinafter, referred to as a developer accommodating part) in which the agent stirring member 5-2 is provided. The toner is supplied to the developer accommodating section in this order. That is, the toner in the toner bottle is not directly replenished to the developer accommodating portion, but is replenished to the toner replenishing portion 106 and then sent from the toner replenishing portion to the developer accommodating portion. As described above, since the toner supply unit is provided separately from the developer accommodating unit, the process cartridge itself becomes large, and as a result, the image forming apparatus main body also becomes large.

  In view of the above, in order to increase the degree of freedom in the layout of the process cartridge and the replenishing toner container in the apparatus, the image forming apparatus is further downsized when the replenishing toner container is provided apart from the process cartridge. Is required.

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide an image forming apparatus in which a replenishment toner storage unit is provided at a position distant from a process cartridge, thereby achieving further downsizing. An apparatus and a process cartridge are provided.

In order to achieve the above object, an invention according to claim 1 includes an image carrier, a developer accommodating portion accommodating a developer, and a developer accommodating the developer in the developer accommodating portion on the surface. A process cartridge having a developer carrier that conveys to an opposing development area, and a process cartridge that is detachable from the apparatus main body, and a replenishment toner storage unit that stores toner for replenishing the developer storage unit; An image forming apparatus comprising: a toner conveying unit configured to convey a replenishing toner from the replenishing toner storage unit to the developer storage unit. An end side plate provided so as to face each other with a predetermined width so as to support the developer cartridge, and the process cartridge provided to supply toner to the developer accommodating portion by the toner conveying means. Toner supply port of the di-side, and is characterized in that within the width between said end plates.
According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided an image carrier, a developer accommodating section for accommodating a developer, and carrying the developer in the developer accommodating section on a surface and transporting the developer to a developing area opposed to the image carrier. A process cartridge having a developer carrier, and a removable image forming unit for forming a latent image on the image carrier, and a developer cartridge for supplying the developer to the developer container. An image forming apparatus comprising: a replenishment toner storage unit that stores toner; and a toner conveyance unit that conveys replenishment toner from the replenishment toner storage unit to the developer storage unit. A toner supply port on the process cartridge side provided for supplying toner to the developer accommodating section is a latent image forming area where a latent image is formed on the image carrier by the latent image forming means. Longitudinal direction of the image carrier It is characterized in that within the width.
According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided an image carrier, a developer accommodating portion accommodating a developer, and a developer in the developer accommodating portion carried on a surface thereof and transported to a region opposed to the image carrier. A process cartridge having a developer carrier and detachable from the apparatus main body, a latent image forming means for forming a latent image on the image carrier, and toner for replenishing the developer accommodating portion An image forming apparatus comprising: a replenishing toner storage unit for storing replenishment toner; and a toner conveying unit for conveying replenishing toner from the replenishing toner storage unit to the developer storing unit. The toner supply port on the process cartridge side provided for supplying toner to the developer container is an area where the latent image on the image carrier is developed by the developer conveyed to the developer carrier. The image bearing in the development area It is characterized in that in the longitudinal direction of the width.
According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the image forming apparatus of the second or third aspect, the latent image forming means includes an exposing device for exposing the surface of the image carrier, and the exposing device develops the process cartridge. It is characterized by being located below the agent container.
According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the image forming apparatus of the first, second, third, or fourth aspect, the toner supply port is located below an upper end of the developer carrier. Things.
According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the image forming apparatus of the first, second, third, fourth, or fifth aspect, an engaging portion of the toner transporting means in the toner transporting path with the process cartridge faces the toner supply port. And a slidable member in a direction parallel to the process cartridge moving direction when the process cartridge is attached to and detached from the image forming apparatus main body. It is characterized by the following.
According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in the image forming apparatus according to the sixth aspect, the tubular engagement portion is urged by urging means so that the opening is closed, and the process cartridge is connected to the image forming apparatus. An opening shutter is provided in which the opening is opened when the urging by the urging means is released by being attached to the main body.
According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, in the image forming apparatus of the sixth or seventh aspect, the toner supply port is urged by urging means when the process cartridge is detached from the image forming apparatus main body. The toner supply port shutter is closed by opening the toner supply port, and the urging by the urging means is released by mounting the process cartridge in the image forming apparatus main body, thereby opening the toner supply port. It is characterized by being provided.
According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, in the image forming apparatus of the first, second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh, or eighth aspect, the developer contained in the developer accommodating portion is conveyed while being stirred. A plurality of screws, wherein the toner supply port is provided above another screw of the plurality of screws except for a screw provided at a position closest to the developer carrier. It is.
According to a tenth aspect of the present invention, in the image forming apparatus of the ninth aspect, a partition plate that partially partitions the stirring and conveying path of the developer by the plurality of screws between adjacent screws is provided. In the conveyance direction, the toner supply port is provided above an area where the partition plate separates the agitated conveyance path from an adjacent screw.
According to the eleventh aspect of the present invention, there is provided an image carrier, a developer accommodating section accommodating a developer, and a developer in the developer accommodating section carried on the surface thereof and transported to a developing area opposed to the image carrier. A process cartridge which has a developer carrying member and a toner carrying means for carrying a replenishing toner toward the developer accommodating portion. The image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10 is used.

In the image forming apparatus of the first aspect, the toner conveyed by the toner conveying means is supplied to the developer accommodating portion via the toner supply port of the process cartridge. In order to support the component at the longitudinal end, the component is provided within the width between the end side plates provided so as to face each other with a predetermined width. As a result, it is not necessary to increase the facing width of the end side plate of the process cartridge beyond a predetermined width in order to provide the toner supply port, or to provide a new area outside the end side plate. Prevent enlargement.
Further, in the image forming apparatus according to the present invention, the toner conveyed by the toner conveying means is supplied to the developer accommodating portion through the toner supply port of the process cartridge. Is provided so as to be located within the width of the latent image forming area for the image carrier in the longitudinal direction of the image carrier. The latent image forming area is an area provided in advance for forming a latent image inside the process cartridge. This eliminates the need to newly provide a region other than the latent image forming region in the process cartridge to provide the toner supply port, and prevents the process cartridge from being enlarged.
Further, in the image forming apparatus according to the third aspect, the toner carried by the toner carrying means is supplied to the developer accommodating portion through the toner supply port of the process cartridge. Is provided so as to be located within the width of the image carrier in the longitudinal direction of the image carrier with respect to the image carrier. The development area is an area provided in advance for developing a latent image inside the process cartridge. This eliminates the need to newly provide a region other than the development region in the process cartridge for providing the toner supply port, and prevents the process cartridge from being enlarged.
Further, in the process cartridge according to the eleventh aspect, since the process cartridge is used for the image forming apparatus according to the first to tenth aspects, it is possible to prevent an increase in size.
Therefore, according to the image forming apparatuses of the first to tenth aspects, it is possible to increase the degree of freedom in the layout of the process cartridge and the replenishment toner storage unit in the apparatus, and to prevent the process cartridge from being enlarged. For these reasons, in the configuration in which the replenishment toner storage unit is provided at a position distant from the process cartridge, there is an excellent effect that the size of the image forming apparatus can be further reduced.
According to the process cartridge of the eleventh aspect, there is an excellent effect that the size of the process cartridge itself can be further reduced.

Hereinafter, an electrophotographic printer (hereinafter simply referred to as a printer) will be described as an example of an embodiment of an image forming apparatus to which the present invention is applied. The image forming unit will be described as a process cartridge.
First, a basic configuration of the printer will be described. FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of the present printer. In FIG. 1, the printer 100 includes four process cartridges 6Y, M, C, and K for generating toner images of yellow, magenta, cyan, and black (hereinafter, referred to as Y, M, C, and K). I have. These use Y, M, C, and K toners of different colors as image forming substances, but otherwise have the same configuration and are replaced at the end of their life. Taking a process cartridge 6Y for generating a Y toner image as an example, as shown in FIG. 2, a drum-shaped photosensitive member 1Y, a drum cleaning device 2Y, a charge removing device (not shown), a charging device 4Y, a developing device 5Y, and the like. Have. The process cartridge 6Y is detachable from the main body of the printer 100, so that consumable parts can be replaced at a time.

  The charging device 4Y uniformly charges the surface of the photoconductor 1Y rotated clockwise in the figure by a driving unit (not shown). The uniformly charged surface of the photoreceptor 1Y is exposed and scanned by a laser beam L emitted from an exposure device 7 as a latent image forming means, and carries a Y electrostatic latent image. This Y electrostatic latent image is developed into a Y toner image by a developing device 5Y using Y toner. Then, the intermediate transfer is performed on the intermediate transfer belt 8. The drum cleaning device 2Y removes toner remaining on the surface of the photoconductor 1Y after the intermediate transfer process. The charge removing device removes the charge remaining on the photoreceptor 1Y after cleaning. By this charge elimination, the surface of the photoreceptor 1Y is initialized and prepared for the next image formation. Similarly, in the other process cartridges 6M, 6C, and 6K, M, C, and K toner images are formed on the photoconductors 1M, 1C, and 1K, and are intermediately transferred onto the intermediate transfer belt 8.

An exposure device 7 is provided below the process cartridges 6Y, 6M, 6C, and 6K in FIG.
The exposure device 7 serving as a latent image forming unit irradiates a laser beam L emitted based on image information to each of the photoconductors of the process cartridges 6Y, 6M, 6C, and 6K to perform exposure. By this exposure, electrostatic latent images for Y, M, C, and K are formed on the photoconductors 1Y, 1M, 1C, and 1K. The exposure device 7 irradiates a laser beam L emitted from a light source onto a photoconductor via a plurality of optical lenses and mirrors while scanning with a polygon mirror rotated by a motor.

  On the lower side of the exposure device 7 in the figure, a paper feeding unit having a paper storage cassette 26, a paper feeding roller 27 incorporated in these cassettes, a registration roller pair 28, and the like are arranged. The paper storage cassette 26 stores a plurality of transfer papers P, which are recording bodies, stacked on top of each other, and a paper feed roller 27 is in contact with each of the uppermost transfer papers P. When the paper feed roller 27 is rotated counterclockwise in the figure by a driving unit (not shown), the uppermost transfer paper P is fed between the rollers of the registration roller pair 28. The registration roller pair 28 rotates both rollers to sandwich the transfer paper P, but stops the rotation immediately after sandwiching. Then, the transfer paper P is sent out to a secondary transfer nip described later at an appropriate timing. In the sheet feeding unit having such a configuration, a conveying unit is configured by a combination of the sheet feeding roller 27 and the registration roller pair 28 serving as a timing roller. This transport means transports the transfer paper P from the paper storage cassette 26 as a storage means to a secondary transfer nip described later.

  An intermediate transfer unit 15 is provided above the process cartridges 6Y, 6M, 6C, and 6K to move the intermediate transfer belt 8, which is an intermediate transfer member, endlessly while stretching it. The intermediate transfer unit 15 includes, in addition to the intermediate transfer belt 8, four primary transfer bias rollers 9Y, M, C, K, a cleaning device 10, and the like. Further, a secondary transfer backup roller 12, a cleaning backup roller 13, a tension roller 14, and the like are provided. The intermediate transfer belt 8 is endlessly moved in a counterclockwise direction in the figure by the rotational driving of at least one of the rollers while being stretched over these three rollers. The primary transfer bias rollers 9Y, M, C, and K sandwich the intermediate transfer belt 8 thus moved endlessly between the photoconductors 1Y, M, C, and K to form primary transfer nips, respectively. I have. In these methods, a transfer bias having a polarity (for example, plus) opposite to that of the toner is applied to the back surface (the inner circumferential surface of the loop) of the intermediate transfer belt 8. The rollers except for the primary transfer bias rollers 9Y, 9M, C, and K are all electrically grounded. As the intermediate transfer belt 8 passes through the primary transfer nips for Y, M, C, and K sequentially with its endless movement, Y, M, C on the photoconductors 1Y, M, C, and K , K toner images are superimposed and primary transferred. As a result, a four-color superimposed toner image (hereinafter, referred to as a four-color toner image) is formed on the intermediate transfer belt 8.

  The secondary transfer backup roller 12 forms a secondary transfer nip by interposing the intermediate transfer belt 8 between the secondary transfer roller 19 and the secondary transfer roller 19. The four-color toner image formed on the intermediate transfer belt 8 is transferred to the transfer paper P at the secondary transfer nip. On the intermediate transfer belt 8 after passing through the secondary transfer nip, transfer residual toner that has not been transferred onto the transfer paper P adheres. This is cleaned by the cleaning device 10.

  In the secondary transfer nip, the transfer paper P is sandwiched between the intermediate transfer belt 8 and the secondary transfer roller 19, which move on the surface in the forward direction, and is conveyed in the direction opposite to the registration roller pair 28 side. . The transfer paper P sent out from the secondary transfer nip is fixed with the four-color toner image transferred to the surface by heat and pressure when passing through the rollers of the fixing device 20. Thereafter, the transfer paper P is discharged to the outside of the machine through the space between the discharge rollers 29. A stack unit 30 is formed on the upper surface of the printer main body, and the transfer paper P discharged outside the apparatus by the discharge roller pair 29 is sequentially stacked on the stack unit 30.

  The configuration of the developing device 5Y in the process cartridge 6Y will be described. The developing device 5Y includes a magnetic field generating means inside, and has a developing sleeve 51Y as a developer carrying member for carrying and transporting a two-component developer containing magnetic particles and toner on the surface, and a developing sleeve 51Y carried on the developing sleeve 51Y. A doctor 52Y as a developer regulating member for regulating the layer thickness of the transported developer. On the upstream side of the doctor 52Y in the developer conveying direction, a developer accommodating portion 53Y for accommodating the developer regulated by the doctor 52Y without being conveyed to the developing area facing the photoreceptor 1Y is formed. Further, the developer accommodating section 53Y is provided with two toner conveying screws 55Y-1 and 55Y-2 for stirring and conveying the supplied toner into the developer.

  Next, the operation of the developing device will be described. In the developing device 5Y, a developer layer is formed on the developing sleeve 51Y. Further, the toner is taken into the developer from the developer accommodating portion 53Y by the movement of the developer layer conveyed by the rotation of the developing sleeve 51Y. The toner is taken in such that the developer is within a predetermined toner concentration range. The toner taken into the developer is charged by friction charging with the carrier. The developer containing the charged toner is supplied to the surface of the developing sleeve 51Y having a magnetic pole therein, and is carried by the magnetic force. The developer layer carried on the developing sleeve 51Y is transported in the direction of the arrow as the developing sleeve 51Y rotates. On the way, after the thickness of the developer layer is regulated by the doctor 52Y, the developer layer is conveyed to a development area facing the photoconductor 1Y. In the development area, development based on the latent image formed on the photoconductor 1Y is performed. The developer layer remaining on the developing sleeve 51Y is transported to the upstream portion of the developer accommodating portion 53Y in the developer transport direction with the rotation of the developing sleeve 51Y.

  In FIG. 1 described above, a bottle container 31 is disposed between the intermediate transfer unit 15 and the stack unit 30 located above the intermediate transfer unit 15. The bottle container 31 stores toner bottles 32Y, 32M, 32C, 32K as replenishment toner storage units that store Y, M, C, and K toners. The toner bottles 32Y, 32M, 32C, and 32K are placed on the bottle container 31 so as to be placed from above for each color of toner. The Y, M, C, and K toners in the toner bottles 32Y, 32M, 32C, and 32K are appropriately replenished to the developing devices of the process cartridges 6Y, 6M, 6C, and 7K by a toner replenishing device as a toner conveying unit described later. You. These toner bottles 32Y, 32M, 32C, 32K can be attached to and detached from the printer 100 independently of the process cartridges 6Y, 6M, 6C, and 6K.

  FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the toner bottle 32Y. FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a state where the toner bottle 32K is placed in the bottle container 31. As shown in FIG. 3, the toner bottle 32Y is provided with a cap portion 34Y as a rotating portion rotatable relative to the toner bottle main body at the tip of the bottle main body 33Y. A handle 35Y is integrally formed with the cap portion 34Y. A bottle gear 37Y, which is an input gear integrally formed with the bottle body 33 and used as an input unit, is provided near the cap body 34Y of the bottle body 33. When attaching the toner bottle 32Y to the main body of the printer 100, first, the stack unit 30 shown in FIG. 1 is opened upward to expose the bottle container 31. Then, as shown in FIG. 4, after placing the toner bottle 32Y on the bottle container 31, the handle 35Y is rotated. Then, the cap portion 34Y integrally formed with the handle 35Y rotates, and the shutter 36Y as the opening / closing door moves in the circumferential direction of the cap portion 34Y to open, and the toner discharge port (not shown) as the agent discharge port is opened. At the same time, the cap portion 34Y and the bottle container 31 are connected and fixed.

  On the other hand, to remove the toner bottle 32Y from the main body of the printer 100, the cap 35Y and the bottle container 31 are disconnected from each other by rotating the handle 35Y in the reverse direction, and at the same time, the shutter 36Y is closed and the toner discharge port is opened. Will be closed. Then, the toner bottle 32Y can be taken out of the printer 100 while holding the handle 35Y. As described above, since the toner bottle 32Y can be mounted and detached from the upper side of the printer 100 main body, the replacement operation of the toner bottle 32Y is easy to understand and can be performed easily. Further, since the handle 35Y is formed in the cap portion 34Y, the cap portion 34Y can be easily rotated and fixed to the bottle container 31. When the toner bottle 32Y is detached from the main body of the printer 100, the shutter 36Y does not open even if the handle 35Y of the cap portion 34Y is rotated. Thus, it is possible to prevent the shutter 36Y from being opened by mistake during the replacement operation of the toner bottle 32Y, thereby preventing the toner inside from being spilled.

Next, the toner supply device will be described. FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a part of the toner replenishing device, and shows the toner bottles 32Y, M, C, and K and the toner replenishing devices 40Y, M, C, and K. FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing a process cartridge of each color and a part of the toner replenishing device of each color, and is a perspective view seen from a different angle from FIG. The toner replenishing devices 40Y, 40M, 40C, and 40K are provided on the printer 100 main body on the side of the intermediate transfer unit 15. For this reason, it is not necessary to provide a toner conveying means in the process cartridges 6Y, M, C, K or the toner bottles 32Y, M, C, K. , M, C, and K can be reduced in size. Further, since the conventional process cartridge and the toner bottle are arranged close to each other, there is a limitation in design. However, according to this method, the process cartridge and the toner bottle can be arranged separately. Therefore, the degree of freedom in design is improved, and the size of the printer can be reduced.
In addition, the toner outlets of the toner bottles 32Y, M, C, and K, the toner conveying devices 40Y, M, C, and K, and the developer storage units 53Y, M, C, and K of the developing devices 5Y, M, C, and K. And the toner supply port are disposed near one end of the intermediate transfer unit 15 in the roller axis direction. Therefore, the toner transport path of the toner replenishing devices 40Y, 40M, 40C, and 40K can be shortened, which is effective for downsizing the printer and preventing clogging during toner transport. A more detailed position of the toner supply port will be described later in detail because it is a feature of the present invention.

  Since the configurations of the toner replenishing devices 40Y, M, C, and K are the same, the toner replenishing device 40Y for Y toner conveyance will be described. 5, the toner replenishing device 40Y mainly includes a drive motor 41Y, a drive gear 42Y, and a toner transport pipe 43Y as a toner transport path. A coil (not shown) is provided inside the toner transport pipe 43Y. The drive gear 42Y is meshed with the bottle gear 37Y of the toner bottle 32Y, and is an output gear for rotating the drive motor 41Y to rotate the bottle body 33Y that rotates integrally with the bottle gear 37 of the toner bottle 32Y. Then, when the density detection sensor 56Y of the developing device 5Y shown in FIG. 2 detects the shortage of the toner density in the developer accommodating section 53Y, the drive motor 41Y is rotated by the replenishment signal from the control section 57Y.

A spiral toner guide 38Y is formed on the inner wall of the bottle main body 33Y, and the inner toner is conveyed from the back side of the bottle main body 33Y to the tip cap section 34Y side by rotation. Then, the toner in the bottle main body 33Y falls from a toner discharge port (not shown) of the cap portion 34Y to a toner receiving portion (not shown) of the toner replenishing device 40Y.
The toner receiving portion is connected to the toner transport pipe 43Y. When the drive motor 41Y is rotated, the bottle body 33Y is rotated, and at the same time, a coil (not shown) in the toner transport pipe 43Y is rotated. The toner dropped to the toner receiving portion by the rotation of the coil is transported in the toner transport pipe 43Y and is supplied to the toner supply port of the developer accommodating portion 53Y of the developing device 5Y. Thus, the toner concentration in the developing device 5Y is adjusted. The position of the toner supply port will be described in detail later because it is a characteristic part of the present invention.
Instead of the density detection sensor 56Y, a reference image is formed on the photoreceptor 1Y, and an optical sensor or a CCD camera or the like for measuring the number of pixels of the reference image is provided. May be performed.
The above is an example of a printer to which the present invention can be applied.

Next, the characteristic portion of the present embodiment will be described. In the present embodiment, since the configurations of the toner bottles 32Y, M, C, and K, the process cartridges 6Y, M, C, and K, and the toner supply devices 40Y, M, C, and K are the same, members and devices for the Y toner will be described. I do.
FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing a position of the toner supply port 62Y and an engaging portion of the toner transport pipe 43Y, which are features of the present embodiment. FIG. 8 is a perspective view of FIG. 7 viewed from a different angle. The process cartridge 6 </ b> Y shown in FIG. 7 is a part located on the back side when it is mounted on the printer main body. A predetermined width (in this embodiment, a fixed width in this embodiment) is provided on both side surfaces of the process cartridge 6Y in the longitudinal direction to support the photosensitive member 1Y, the developing sleeve 51Y, the toner conveying screws 55Y-1, 55Y-2, and the like at the longitudinal ends. Side plates 61Y-1 and 61Y-2 as a pair of end side plates provided so as to be opposed to each other with a width of). The side plates 61Y-1 and 61Y-2 support the shafts of the photoreceptor 1Y, the developing sleeve 51Y, and the toner conveying screws 53Y-1 and 53Y-2, which are components of the process cartridge 6Y. Further, a toner supply port 62Y located above the developer accommodating portion 53Y is provided within the above-described predetermined width between the side plates 61Y-1 and 61Y-2.
Thus, by providing the toner supply port 62Y within a predetermined width between the side plates 61Y-1 and 61Y-2, the opposing width between the side plates 61Y-1 and 61Y-2 is set to a predetermined value in order to provide the toner supply port 62Y. It does not have to be wider than the width. Further, it is not necessary to newly provide a toner supply area outside the side plates 61Y-1 and 61Y-2. Therefore, the size of the process cartridge can be prevented from increasing.
In the present embodiment, the front surfaces of the pair of side plates are provided in parallel with a constant width, but the present invention is not limited to such a shape. For example, the present invention can also be applied to a process cartridge in which side plates are partially provided with different widths in order to support each component of the process cartridge at an end. The toner supply port may be provided within the width of the process cartridge without changing the predetermined width between the side plates in order to support each component of the process cartridge.

The height of the toner supply port 62Y is located lower than the upper end of the developing sleeve 51Y. The tip of the toner transport pipe 43Y is located above the toner supply port 62Y, and an opening 45Y facing the toner supply port 62Y is formed below the toner transport pipe 43Y. The tip of the toner transport pipe 43Y is a pipe-shaped engaging portion of the toner transport pipe 43Y with the process cartridge 6Y, that is, a tubular engaging portion. The distal end of the toner transport pipe 43Y is provided so as to be slidable in a direction parallel to the moving direction of the process cartridge 6Y when the process cartridge 6Y is attached to and detached from the printer main body. When the process cartridge 6Y is mounted on the printer, the cartridge is inserted in the direction of arrow b, and the process cartridge 6Y stops at a position where the opening 45Y of the toner transport pipe 43Y faces the toner supply port 62Y, and the mounting is completed. When the process cartridge 6Y is removed from the printer, the opening 45Y of the toner transport pipe 43Y faces the toner supply port 62Y. In addition to the above configuration, in FIG. A support ring 63Y which is a ring-shaped support portion may be provided. When the toner transport pipe 43Y is mounted on the process cartridge 6Y, the tip of the toner transport pipe 43Y enters the inside of the support ring 63Y. When the process cartridge 6Y is detached from the printer, when the cartridge is pulled out in the direction of arrow a, the toner transport pipe 43Y comes off the support ring 63Y and separates from the process cartridge 6Y. When the process cartridge 6Y is mounted on the printer again, the cartridge is inserted in the direction of arrow b, the toner transport pipe 43Y enters the support ring 63Y, and the toner transport pipe 43Y is mounted on the process cartridge 6Y.

Further, as shown in FIG. 2, the exposure device 7 is located below the developer accommodating portion of the process cartridge 6Y.
Here, a conventional apparatus will be described. FIG. 14 is a diagram showing an optical path of laser light L emitted from an exposure device in a conventional printer. In the apparatus shown in FIG. 14, the optical path of the laser light L passes above the developer accommodating portion 53Y of the process cartridge 6Y. In the case of such a printer, a toner supply port 62Y provided to supply toner from the toner bottle 32Y to the process cartridge 6Y by using the toner transport device 40Y is provided within a predetermined width of the process cartridge side plate 61Y as in the present embodiment. You will not be able to do it. The reason is as follows.
A shutter mechanism or the like, which will be described later, is provided in an engagement portion of the toner transport pipe 43Y with the toner supply port 62Y, and requires a certain amount of space for disposing members. Further, since the toner finally moves from the toner transport pipe 43Y to the developer accommodating section 53Y by gravity, the engaging portion of the toner transport pipe 43Y with the toner supply port 62Y is disposed above the toner supply port 62Y. Will be. When the toner supply port 62Y is provided within a predetermined width of the process cartridge side plate 61Y as in this embodiment, a part of the toner transport pipe 43Y that engages with the toner supply port 62Y is necessarily invisible in the longitudinal direction of the process cartridge. The space above the developer accommodating portion 53Y corresponding to the image forming area is occupied. Then, the laser beam L from the exposure apparatus may be blocked.
On the other hand, in the present embodiment, the exposure device 7 is provided below the developer accommodating portion 53Y of the process cartridge 6Y, and the laser beam L is applied above the process cartridge 6Y and further above the developer accommodating portion 53Y. I try not to pass. As a result, there is no possibility that the laser beam L is blocked by the toner transport device 40Y, and the arrangement of the toner transport device 40Y is restricted in order not to block the laser beam L, and the printer may be enlarged. Absent.
In the present embodiment, the exposure device 7 is located below the developer accommodating portion 53Y of the process cartridge 6Y. Accordingly, in a printer of a type that replenishes toner from the toner bottle 32Y to the developer accommodating portion 53Y in the process cartridge 6Y, there is no possibility that the laser beam L is blocked by the toner conveying device 40Y, and the laser beam L is not blocked. For this reason, the arrangement of the toner conveying device 40Y is restricted, and there is no possibility that the printer is enlarged. Thereby, a more compact printer can be provided.

Further, the opening 45Y of the toner transport pipe 43Y has an opening shutter that is opened and closed in conjunction with the attachment / detachment of the process cartridge 6 to / from the printer.
First, a method of attaching and detaching the process cartridge 6 to and from the printer body will be described. When removing the process cartridge 6Y from the state shown in FIG. 1, the front cover 101 on the front of the apparatus is opened. Then, the four process cartridges 6 are integrally pulled out. When the extraction of the process cartridge 6 is started, the guide member guides the end of the photoconductor shaft to move the photoconductor to the retracted position in accordance with the extraction operation. When the photosensitive member shaft is further extracted, the engagement of the tip of each photosensitive member shaft with the guide groove is released. As a result, as shown in FIG. 9, all four process cartridges 6Y, 6C, 6M, and 6K are pulled out from the opening 45Y on the front of the apparatus. Conversely, when the process cartridge 6 is inserted at the back and stopped at a position where it cannot be pushed any further, the front cover 101 is closed. In the above, the method of integrally attaching and detaching the four process cartridges 6Y, 6C, 6M, and 6K has been described. However, the process cartridges 6Y, 6C, 6M, and 6K may be configured so as to be detachable independently for each color.
In the present embodiment, the opening is provided so as to face down on the peripheral surface of the toner conveying pipe 43Y. However, the opening and the opening of the end of the toner conveying pipe 43Y may be used as a position and a shape other than those described above. Is also good.

  FIG. 10 and FIG. 11 are explanatory diagrams of the toner transport device 40Y that transports yellow toner. A spring 46Y as an urging means is provided at the tip of the toner conveying pipe 43Y. When the toner transport pipe 43Y is mounted on the process cartridge 6Y, the spring 46Y is compressed as shown in FIG. 10, whereby the urging of the opening 45Y is released, and the opening 45Y is open. Then, when the process cartridge 6Y is pulled out of the printer main body, the compression of the spring 46Y is stopped, and the opening 45Y is urged to be closed as shown in FIG.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the toner supply port 62Y of the process cartridge 6Y is closed when the process cartridge 6Y is detached from the printer main body, and the process cartridge 6Y is mounted on the printer. Accordingly, a toner supply port shutter (not shown) that opens the toner supply port 62Y is provided. The toner supply port shutter is opened and closed by urging the toner supply port 62Y in the closing direction when the process cartridge 6Y is detached from the printer main body, and releasing the urging when the process cartridge 6Y is attached to the printer main body. The spring 46Y or the like can be used as the urging means, but is not limited to this.

  As shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, the toner conveying pipe 43Y has an opening shutter 47Y at the opening 45Y. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 7, the process cartridge 6Y has a supply port shutter 67Y at the supply port 62Y. These two shutters are opened and closed in conjunction with attachment and detachment of the process cartridge 6Y to and from the printer main body.

  The method of attaching and detaching the process cartridge 6 to and from the printer main body is as follows. That is, first, when extracting the process cartridge 6Y at the set position as shown in FIG. 1, the front cover 101 on the front of the apparatus is opened as shown in FIG. Then, the process cartridge 6 is pulled out to the front. A guide member (not shown) is provided inside the printer body so that the process cartridge can be slid in and out. When the extraction of the process cartridge 6 is started, the guide member guides the end of the photoconductor shaft to move the photoconductor to the retracted position in accordance with the extraction operation. When the photosensitive member shaft is further extracted, the engagement of the tip end of each photosensitive member shaft with the guide member is released. As a result, as shown in FIG. 9, the process cartridge 6 is pulled out from the opening 45Y on the front of the apparatus. Conversely, when the process cartridge 6 is inserted at the back and stopped at a position where it cannot be pushed any further, the front cover 101 is closed.

Next, a specific example of the opening / closing operation of the shutter at the engaging portion between the transport pipe 43Y and the process cartridge 6Y in FIG. 7 will be described.
FIG. 15 is a perspective view partially showing the process cartridge 6Y to which the yellow toner is replenished by the toner conveying device 40Y near the replenishing port 62Y. FIG. 16 is a perspective view showing the process cartridge 6Y with the supply port shutter 67 opened. When the process cartridge 6Y is not mounted, the toner conveying device 43Y is in a state as shown in FIG. 7 described above. The process cartridge 6Y is in a state as shown in FIG. The opening 45Y of the transport pipe 43Y is closed by an opening shutter 47Y biased by a spring 46Y. In the process cartridge 6Y, the supply port 62Y is closed by an opening shutter 67Y biased by a spring 66Y.

  When mounting the process cartridge 6Y, the process cartridge 6Y is slid and the toner transport pipe 43Y is inserted into the support ring 63Y. Since the shutter 47Y cannot pass through the inside of the support ring 63Y, it is caught by the support ring, contracts the spring 66Y, and slides the shutter 47Y to make the opening 45Y appear as shown in FIG. Simultaneously with this operation, the tip of the toner transport pipe 43Y that has passed through the support ring 63Y pushes the supply port shutter 67Y by further sliding the process cartridge. As a result, the spring 66Y contracts, and the supply port shutter 67Y slides to make the supply port 62Y appear, as shown in FIG. When the process cartridge 6Y is installed at a predetermined position, the engagement state is as shown in FIG. In this engagement state, the opening 45Y and the supply port 62Y face each other and communicate with each other, so that toner can be delivered. At a position where the opening 45Y and the supply port 62Y are opposed to each other, a seal member for suppressing toner leakage from between is provided.

  When removing the process cartridge 6Y from the printer body, the process cartridge 6Y is pulled out from the state shown in FIG. At this time, the following changes occur on the process cartridge 6Y side. That is, the replenishment opening shutter 67Y is urged toward the back of the printer main body by the restoring force of the spring 66Y of the process cartridge 6Y contracted by the toner transport pipe 43Y. Thus, the supply port shutter 67 moves in the direction of arrow a to close the supply port 62Y, and the process cartridge 6Y returns to the state shown in FIG. On the other hand, the following changes occur on the toner transport pipe 43Y side. That is, the toner conveying pipe 43Y comes off from the support ring 63Y of the process cartridge 6Y, and the opening shutter 47Y is moved to the end of the toner conveying pipe 43Y by the restoring force of the spring 46Y of the toner conveying pipe 43Y contracted by the supporting ring 63Y. Biased in the direction. Thus, the opening shutter 47Y moves in the direction of arrow b, closes the opening 45Y, and the toner transport pipe 43Y returns to the state shown in FIG.

  FIG. 12 is a plan view when the inside of the developer accommodating portion is seen through the wall surface covering the upper portion of the process cartridge. As shown in the figure, the toner replenishing port 62Y is a screw among the two toner transporting screws 55Y-1 and 55Y-2 other than the screw 55Y-1 except for the toner transporting screw 55Y-1 provided near the developing sleeve 51Y. -2. As described above, when the toner is supplied above the toner transport screw 55Y-2 located at a position distant from the developing sleeve 51Y, the supplied toner is agitated by the toner transport screw 55Y-2, and then the toner transport screw 55Y-2. The toner reaches the agitation transport area of 55Y-1 and is supplied to the developing sleeve 51Y. Therefore, it is possible to prevent insufficiently stirred toner from being supplied to the developing sleeve 51Y.

Further, as shown in FIG. 12, a partition plate 58Y is provided to partially partition the developer agitating and transporting path between the two adjacent toner transporting screws 55Y-1 and 55Y-2 between the screws. The partition plate 58Y is provided between the two toner conveying screws 55Y-1 and 55Y-2 in a region near the center excluding the vicinity of both ends in the axial direction of the toner conveying screws 55Y-1 and 55Y-2. In the present embodiment, the toner supply port 62Y is provided above the area partitioned by the partition plate 58Y in the developer transport direction by the toner transport screws 55Y-1 and 55Y-2.
If the toner supply port 62Y is provided at a position outside the area partitioned by the partition plate 58Y, even if toner is supplied from above the toner transfer screw 55Y-2 on the side remote from the developing sleeve 51Y, toner transfer is performed. There is a case where the toner is moved to the stirring / transporting area by the adjacent toner transport screw 55Y-1 without being stirred and transported by the screw 55Y-2. In this case, similarly to the case where the toner is replenished from above the toner conveying screw 55Y-1 on the side close to the developing sleeve 51Y, there is a possibility that the toner with insufficient stirring may be supplied to the developing sleeve 51Y. As in the present embodiment, if the toner is supplied from above the area partitioned by the partition plate 58Y, the supplied toner is agitated and transported by the toner transport screw 55Y-2 and then by the toner transport screw 55Y-1. Since the toner is moved to the stirring and conveying area, sufficient stirring can be performed before the toner is supplied to the developing sleeve 51Y.

[Modification 1]
Next, Modification 1 according to the present embodiment will be described. The toner supply port 62Y shown in FIG. 12 may be provided at a position corresponding to the latent image forming area of the photoconductor within the width of the photoconductor in the longitudinal direction. The latent image forming area is located within the width of the side plate 61Y provided on the side surface of the longitudinal end of the process cartridge 6Y. By providing the toner supply port 62Y at a position corresponding to the width in the axial direction of the photoconductor in the latent image forming area, the size of the process cartridge 6Y can be further reduced.

[Modification 2]
Next, Modification 2 according to the present embodiment will be described. The toner replenishing port 62Y shown in FIG. 12 may be provided at a position corresponding to the width in the longitudinal direction of the photoreceptor in a developing area where the latent image on the photoreceptor is developed. The developing region is located within the width of the side plate 61Y provided on the side surface of the longitudinal end of the process cartridge 6Y. Further, the area is the same as the latent image forming area or, depending on the case, is smaller in the photoconductor axis direction than the latent image forming area. By providing the toner supply port 62Y at a position corresponding to the width of the development area, the size of the process cartridge 6Y can be further reduced.

In the first modification of the above embodiment, the toner supply port 62Y is provided within the width of the latent image forming area in the lengthwise direction of the photoconductor. According to this, it is possible to reduce the size of the process cartridge 6 </ b> Y to the same as the above-described embodiment, or even more.
In the second modification of the embodiment, the toner supply port 62Y is provided within the width of the developing area in the longitudinal direction of the photoconductor. According to this, the process cartridge 6 </ b> Y can be the same as the above-described embodiment and the first modification, or in some cases, can be made smaller.
In the above embodiment, the exposure device 7 is located below the developer accommodating portion 53Y of the process cartridge 6Y. This allows the printer to be more compact.
The toner supply port 62Y is located below the upper end of the developing sleeve 51Y. This eliminates the need to increase the size of the developing device to provide the toner supply port 62Y, which is effective in reducing the size of the developing device and the size of the process cartridge 6Y. This is also useful for reducing the size of the printer itself.
Further, the tip of the toner transport pipe 43Y is laid out so as to be slidable in a direction parallel to the process cartridge moving direction when the process cartridge 6Y is attached to and detached from the printer body. Thus, when the process cartridge 6Y is attached to and detached from the printer, a special operation for removing or engaging the engaging portion of the toner transport pipe 43Y is not required. Further, since the process cartridge may be slid relative to the toner transport pipe 43Y, the mechanism for engaging the toner transport pipe 43Y with the process cartridge 6Y can be extremely simplified.
Further, when the toner transport pipe 43Y is not mounted on the process cartridge 6Y, the opening 45Y which is urged by the spring 46Y and is in a closed state is opened by mounting the process cartridge 6Y on the printer. This can prevent unexpected toner leakage from the toner transport pipe 43Y. Further, since the elastic force of the spring 46Y acts on the process cartridge 6Y in the direction of pushing the cartridge out of the printer main body (the direction of the arrow a in FIG. 7), the process cartridge 6Y can be easily pulled out.
Further, a toner supply port shutter is provided at the toner supply port 62Y of the process cartridge 6Y, and is configured to open and close in conjunction with attachment / detachment of the process cartridge 6Y to / from the printer. As a result, it is possible to prevent the developer from leaking from the developer accommodating portion 53Y of the process cartridge 6Y.
Further, since the toner supply port 62Y is provided above the other screw 55Y-2 except for the toner conveying screw 55Y-1 provided at a position close to the developing sleeve 51Y, the insufficiently stirred toner may be removed from the developing sleeve 51Y. Can be prevented from being supplied.
Further, a toner supply port 62Y is provided above a region partitioned by the partition plate 58Y in the developer transport direction by the two toner transport screws 55Y-1 and 55Y-2. Therefore, it is possible to more reliably prevent the insufficiently stirred toner from being supplied to the developing sleeve 51Y.

FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a printer according to an embodiment. FIG. 2 is an enlarged configuration diagram illustrating a process cartridge for Y of the printer and its surroundings. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a toner bottle for Y of the printer. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a bottle support and four toner bottles in the printer. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a part of a toner supply device for Y, M, C, and K in the printer. FIG. 3 is a perspective view illustrating a process cartridge of each color and a part of a toner supply device of each color. FIG. 3 is a perspective view illustrating a position of a toner supply port and an engagement portion of a toner conveying pipe, which are features of the present embodiment. FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the toner conveying pipe viewed from an angle different from that in FIG. 7. FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram when four process cartridges are extracted from the front of the apparatus. FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram of a toner transport device that transports yellow toner. FIG. 4 is another explanatory diagram of the toner transport device that transports yellow toner. FIG. 4 is a plan view of a developer accommodating portion in which a wall surface covering an upper portion of a process cartridge is seen through. FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view of the vicinity of a developer accommodating portion of a developing device proposed in Patent Document 3. FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating an optical path of a laser beam emitted from an exposure device in a conventional printer. FIG. 3 is a perspective view partially showing the process cartridge in which yellow toner is supplied by the toner transport device in the vicinity of a supply port. FIG. 4 is a partial perspective view showing the process cartridge with a supply port shutter opened.

Explanation of reference numerals

1Y, M, C, K Photoconductor (image carrier)
6Y, M, C, K Process cartridge 7 Exposure device 31Y, M, C, K Bottle container 32Y, M, C, K Toner bottle (agent container)
34Y, M, C, K Cap part (rotating part)
35Y, M, C, K Handle 35Y, M, C, K Shutter (open / close door)
37Y, M, C, K Bottle gear 38Y Toner guide 40Y, M, C, K Toner supply device 42Y, M, C, K Drive gear 43Y Toner transport pipe 45Y Opening 46Y Spring 51Y, M, C, K Development sleeve 53Y Development Agent storage section 61Y Side plate 62Y Toner supply port 63Y Support ring

Claims (11)

An image carrier, a developer accommodating portion for accommodating a developer, and a developer carrying member for carrying the developer in the developer accommodating portion on the surface and transporting the developer to a developing region opposed to the image carrier. And a process cartridge detachable from the apparatus main body,
An image comprising: a replenishment toner storage unit that stores toner to be replenished in the developer storage unit; and a toner conveying unit that conveys the replenishment toner from the replenishment toner storage unit to the developer storage unit. In the forming device,
The process cartridge has an end side plate provided so as to face each other with a predetermined width in order to support each component of the process cartridge at a longitudinal end portion, and is provided in the developer accommodating portion by the toner conveying means. An image forming apparatus, wherein a toner supply port on the process cartridge side provided for supplying toner is within a width between the end side plates. An image carrier, a developer accommodating portion for accommodating a developer, and a developer carrying member for carrying the developer in the developer accommodating portion on the surface and transporting the developer to a developing region opposed to the image carrier. And a process cartridge detachable from the apparatus main body,
A latent image forming means for forming a latent image on the image carrier, a replenishment toner storage portion for storing toner for replenishing the developer storage portion, and a developer storage portion from the replenishment toner storage portion to the developer storage portion An image forming apparatus provided with a toner conveying unit for conveying a replenishing toner toward
A toner supply port on the process cartridge side provided for supplying toner to the developer accommodating portion by the toner conveying means is an area where a latent image is formed on the image carrier by the latent image forming means. An image forming apparatus, wherein a latent image forming area is within a width in a longitudinal direction of the image carrier. An image carrier, a developer accommodating portion for accommodating a developer, and a developer carrier for carrying the developer in the developer accommodating portion on the surface and transporting the developer to a region opposed to the image carrier, A process cartridge detachable with respect to the apparatus main body,
A latent image forming means for forming a latent image on the image carrier, a replenishment toner storage portion for storing toner for replenishing the developer storage portion, and a developer storage portion from the replenishment toner storage portion to the developer storage portion An image forming apparatus provided with a toner conveying unit for conveying a replenishing toner toward
A toner replenishing port provided on the process cartridge side for replenishing toner to the developer accommodating portion by the toner transporting means is provided, and a latent image on the image carrier is transported to the developer carrier. An image forming apparatus, wherein the image forming apparatus is within a width in a longitudinal direction of the image carrier in a developing area which is an area to be developed by the image forming apparatus. The image forming apparatus according to claim 2, wherein
As the latent image forming means, having an exposure device for exposing the surface of the image carrier,
An image forming apparatus, wherein the exposure device is located below a developer accommodating portion of the process cartridge. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, 2, 3, or 4,
An image forming apparatus, wherein the toner supply port is located below an upper end of the developer carrier. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5,
An engaging portion of the toner conveying means of the toner conveying means with the process cartridge comprises a tubular engaging portion having an opening facing the toner supply port, and the process cartridge is attached to the image forming apparatus main body. An image forming apparatus, which is provided so as to be slidable in a direction parallel to a process cartridge moving direction at the time of attachment / detachment. The image forming apparatus according to claim 6,
The tubular engaging portion is urged by urging means to close the opening, and the urging by the urging means is released by mounting the process cartridge in the image forming apparatus main body. An image forming apparatus comprising: an opening shutter for opening the opening. The image forming apparatus according to claim 6, wherein
When the process cartridge is detached from the image forming apparatus main body, the toner supply port is urged by urging means to close the toner supply port, and the process cartridge is moved to the image forming apparatus main body. An image forming apparatus, comprising: a toner supply port shutter for releasing the urging by the urging means when installed to open the toner replenishing port. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, or 8,
The developer accommodating section has a plurality of screws for transporting the internal developer while stirring,
An image forming apparatus, wherein the toner supply port is provided above another screw of the plurality of screws except for the screw provided at a position closest to the developer carrier. The image forming apparatus according to claim 9,
Providing a partition plate that partially partitions the stirring and conveying path of the developer by the plurality of screws between adjacent screws,
The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the toner supply port is provided above a region where the partition plate separates the agitating / conveying path from the adjacent screw in the developer conveying direction by the screw. An image carrier, a developer accommodating portion for accommodating a developer, and a developer carrying member for carrying the developer in the developer accommodating portion on the surface and transporting the developer to a developing region opposed to the image carrier. A process cartridge detachably mountable to an image forming apparatus main body provided with a toner conveying unit for conveying a replenishing toner toward the developer accommodating section;
11. The process cartridge according to claim 1, wherein the process cartridge is used for the image forming apparatus according to claim 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, or 10.

Images