JP2005031123A - Developer supply device and image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a developer supply device capable of supplying fresh developer almost evenly regardless of positions in the direction of developer conveyance even in the case where a hopper is connected to one end of the developer supply device in the axial direction and to provide an image forming apparatus. <P>SOLUTION: The developing device 1 is constructed in such a way that the hopper is connected to one end of the device 1 in the direction of the conveyance and developer 11 is supplied from a developer supply part 1a to a developer carrying part 1b. In the developing device 1, the developer supply part 1a has a conveying member 24 which conveys the developer 11 from the upstream end to the downstream end in the direction of the conveyance, and a conveyance passage formation member 25 which covers the lower part of the conveying member 24 and forms a conveyance passage along which the developer is conveyed by the conveying member 24. The conveyance passage formation member 25 has a plurality of holes 25 whose opening areas per length in the direction of the conveyance of the developer 11 become greater towards the downstream end. The developer 11 is caused to fall on the developer carrying part 1b from the holes 25a while conveyed by the conveying member 24 in the direction of the conveyance. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a developer supply device used in a developing device that supplies a developer to an image carrier of an image forming apparatus, and an image forming apparatus using the developing device. More specifically, the present invention relates to a developer supply apparatus and an image forming apparatus in which a hopper is provided at one end of a developer conveyance path.
[0002]
[Prior art]
2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there is a developing device of an image forming apparatus in which a hopper is provided at one end portion in the axial direction of a developer carrier, and the developer supplied therefrom is conveyed in the axial direction and supplied to the developer carrier. . In such a developing device, various devices have been devised in order to uniformly supply the developer in the axial direction (see, for example, Patent Document 1). In the developing device described in this document, a cylindrical conveyance supply member having a plurality of openings is provided in the vicinity of the developer carrier. By rotating the transport supply member in the developer, the developer is transported in the axial direction while being stirred.
[0003]
[Patent Document 1]
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 5-165314 (page 5-6, Fig. 1-2)
[0004]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, in the above-described conventional developing device, the amount of the developer is supplied almost uniformly in the axial direction, but the new developer just supplied from the hopper and the old developing material accumulated in the developing device over time. Agitation with the agent was not sufficient. That is, the ratio of the new developer increases on the side closer to the hopper, and the ratio of the old developer increases on the other end side. This is because a large amount of new developer is supplied to the side closer to the hopper. Since the developer gradually changes over time, the difference in the ratio between the new developer and the old developer may cause image noise such as image fogging and density unevenness. there were.
[0005]
The present invention has been made to solve the problems of the conventional developing device described above. That is, the problem is that a developer supply device and an image forming device that can supply a substantially equal amount of new developer regardless of the position in the developer transport direction even when a hopper is connected to one end in the axial direction. To provide an apparatus.
[0006]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to solve this problem, the developer supply device of the present invention includes a developer transport unit that transports the developer from upstream to downstream in the transport direction, a lower part of the developer transport unit, and a developer. A developer conveying path constituting member that constitutes a conveying path through which the developer is conveyed by the conveying means, and the developer conveying path constituting member has an opening area per unit length in the developer conveying direction that is closer to the downstream. A plurality of large openings are provided.
[0007]
That is, in the present invention, the developer is transported from the upstream to the downstream in the transport direction by the developer transport means, and the transport path is constituted by a developer transport path constituent member. Since the developer conveying path constituting member is provided with a plurality of openings, the developer falls from these openings when being conveyed on the developer conveying path constituting member. Since the opening provided in the developer conveyance path constituting member has a larger opening area per unit length, the developer is less likely to fall upstream in the conveyance direction and more likely to fall downstream. On the other hand, if the developer is supplied only from the upstream side in the transport direction, the amount of the developer transported is large in the upstream in the transport direction, and the developer amount is decreased in the downstream by gradually falling. For these reasons, it is possible to make the amount of developer supplied by being dropped approximately equal between upstream and downstream in the transport direction.
[0008]
Alternatively, the developer supply device of the present invention covers the developer conveying means for conveying the developer from the upstream to the downstream in the conveying direction and the lower part of the developer conveying means, and the developer is conveyed by the developer conveying means. A developer conveying path constituting member having an arcuate cross-sectional shape constituting the conveying path, and the developer conveying path constituting member is provided with a long slit in the developer conveying direction, and the height direction of the slit The position may be lowered from upstream to downstream in the developer conveyance direction.
Even with such a configuration, the developer is unlikely to fall upstream in the transport direction and is likely to fall downstream. Accordingly, it is possible to make the amount of developer supplied by being dropped substantially equal between the upstream and downstream in the transport direction.
[0009]
Alternatively, the developer supply device of the present invention covers the developer conveying means for conveying the developer from the upstream to the downstream in the conveying direction and the lower part of the developer conveying means, and the developer is conveyed by the developer conveying means. And a temporary holding member movably provided below the developer conveying path constituting member, and the developer conveying path constituting member has a plurality of openings. The temporary holding member may be a member that temporarily holds the developer dropped from the opening of the developer conveyance path constituting member and further drops the developer by moving.
[0010]
That is, in the present invention, the developer conveyed on the developer conveying path constituting member falls from the opening and is temporarily held by the temporary holding member. At this time, if a substantially equal amount of developer is held at each position in the transport direction on the temporary holding member, upstream and downstream in the transport direction when the retained developer is further dropped. Can supply a substantially equal amount of developer.
[0011]
Further, the developer conveying means of the developer supply device of the present invention has one end as a fixed end and the other end as a free end, and at least when the developer is conveyed, an opening or slit of the developer conveying path constituting member is provided. It is desirable to touch the place where
In this way, the developer conveying means vibrates somewhat when the developer is conveyed. And since it contacts the location where the opening or slit of the developer conveying path constituting member is provided, the developer is prevented from adhering to the opening or slit. Therefore, the change in the fall amount due to the clogging of the opening or the slit is prevented.
[0012]
The present invention further includes an image forming apparatus that includes any one of the developer supply devices described above, and develops a latent image on the image carrier using the developer supplied from the developer supply device to form an image. It extends to.
[0013]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
“First Embodiment”
Hereinafter, a first embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. The present embodiment is a developing device that is used in an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine or a printer and supplies a developer to an image carrier.
[0014]
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the developing device 1 according to the present embodiment is rotated in the vicinity of the image carrier 2 and is a cylindrical developer carrier 20 that supplies the developer to the image carrier 2. It is an apparatus having. In addition to the developing device 1, a charging device, an exposure device, a cleaner, and the like are disposed around the image carrier 2, and a toner image based on image data is formed on the image carrier 2. Further, a transfer device and a fixing device are provided, and the image forming apparatus 101 is configured to transfer and fix a toner image onto a sheet to form an image.
[0015]
The developing device 1 includes a developer supply unit 1 a including a developer transport path and a developer carrying unit 1 b including a developer carrying body 20. 1 is a cross-sectional view perpendicular to the central axis of the image carrier 2 (AA cross-sectional view in FIG. 2), and FIG. 2 is an external view of the developing device 1 as viewed from the image carrier 2 side. . The developer carrying portion 1b is housed in the case 10, and the developer 11 is stored in the interior to a depth of about half. Further, a hopper 12 is connected to one end of the developing device 1, and a new developer 11 is supplied to the developer carrying part 1b via the developer supply part 1a. By appropriately replenishing a new developer 11, the amount of developer stored in the developing device 1 is kept substantially constant. Hereinafter, a direction parallel to the axial direction of the image carrier 2 and the developer carrier 20 is simply referred to as an axial direction.
[0016]
As shown in FIG. 1, a supply member 21, a regulating member 22, and a stirring member 23 are provided in addition to the developer carrier 20 in a state of being buried in the developer 11 stored in the case 10 of the developing device 1. ing. The developer carrier 20 and the supply member 21 are both substantially cylindrical rotatable members, and their rotation axes are arranged in the axial direction. The supply member 21 is pressed against the developer carrier 20 and supplies the developer 11 to the surface of the developer carrier 20. The regulating member 22 is a plate-like member pressed against the surface of the developer carrying body 20 and regulates the amount of the developer 11 that adheres to the developer carrying body 20. The agitating member 23 has agitating blades and agitates the developer 11 in the case 10 by rotating around the axis. The rotating shaft of the stirring member 23 is also arranged in the axial direction.
[0017]
Further, a developer supply unit 1 a is provided above the upper surface of the developer 11 stored in the case 10 of the developing device 1, and a transport member 24 and a transport path forming member 25 are provided in the axial direction. The transport member 24 rotates to transport the developer 11 from the end where the hopper 12 is attached to the other end (from left to right in FIG. 2) in the axial direction. Here, a flexible coil is used as the conveying member 24. Further, one end portion of the conveying member 24 is fixed to the case 10, but the other end portion is not fixed. For this reason, when the transport member 24 is rotated during transport of the developer 11, the transport member 24 vibrates as a whole. As one end of the fixed side, the side close to the hopper 12 is preferable, but the opposite side may be used.
[0018]
Further, the transport path forming member 25 is a semi-cylindrical member, and its axial length is substantially equal to the axial length of the case 10. The conveyance path forming member 25 is fixed to the case 10 at a position that covers the lower side of the conveyance member 24. The transport path forming member 25 is provided in close proximity to the transport member 24. For this reason, when the conveying member 24 vibrates by being rotated for conveying the developer 11, a part of the conveying member 24 comes into contact with the conveying path forming member 25. Further, the transport path forming member 25 is formed with a plurality of holes 25a for dropping the developer 11 on the bottom surface (lower side in FIGS. 1 and 2). Further, the transport path forming member 25 is provided at a height position away from the top surface of the developer 11 such that the bottom surface thereof does not touch the developer 11 that has dropped from the hole 25a.
[0019]
Next, the plurality of holes 25a provided in the bottom surface portion of the transport path forming member 25 will be described. As shown in FIG. 3, the hole 25 a is formed so that the opening area gradually increases from the upstream side to the downstream side in the transport direction of the developer 11. FIG. 3 is a view of only the transport path forming member 25 as viewed from above in FIG. In FIG. 3, each of the holes 25a is a trapezoid having the same height and the width gradually increases. The shape of each hole 25a is not limited to this, and may be a circle (FIG. 4), an ellipse (FIG. 5), an oval (FIG. 6), a quadrangle (FIG. 7), a triangle (FIG. 8), or the like. Moreover, the thing of a different shape may be mixed, and as shown in FIG. 9, the thing which is not symmetrical about a centerline may be sufficient.
[0020]
Next, the operation of the developing device 1 will be described. In the developer carrying portion 1 b, the developer 11 stored in the case 10 is stirred by the stirring member 23 and attached to the surface of the developer carrying body 20 by the supply member 21. The amount of the adhered developer 11 is regulated by the regulating member 22 and transferred to the image carrier 2 to form a toner image having a substantially uniform thickness. As the developer 11 in the case 10 is used, new developer 11 is supplied from the developer supply unit 1a to the developer carrying unit 1b. The new developer 11 supplied to the developer carrying portion 1 b is mixed with the old developer 11 already accumulated by the stirring member 23. Stirring by the stirring member 23 is mainly performed in a direction perpendicular to the axial direction.
[0021]
In the developer supply unit 1 a, new developer 11 is supplied little by little from the hopper 12, and is transported by the transport member 24 to the other end side on the transport path forming member 25. The developer 11 is replenished with the new developer 11 by dropping from the holes 25a of the transport path forming member 25 during the transport. Therefore, in the portion close to the hopper 12, a large amount of the developer 11 is transported on the transport path forming member 25 and decreases as the distance increases. On the other hand, as the distance from the hopper 12 increases, the opening area of the hole 25a from which the developer 11 falls increases, so that the developer 11 is easily dropped. That is, in the portion close to the hopper 12, the developer 11 being conveyed is large but the opening area is small, and in the portion far from the hopper 12, the developer 11 being conveyed is small but the opening area is large. As a result, a substantially equal amount of developer 11 can be dropped regardless of the axial position.
[0022]
Further, when the new developer 11 is transported from the hopper 12, the transport member 24 vibrates due to rotation, and a part of the transport member 24 contacts the transport path forming member 25 to transmit the vibration. This vibration promotes the falling of the developer 11 from the hole 25a and prevents the developer 11 from adhering to the periphery of the hole 25a. In other words, the change in the fall amount due to the hole 11a being blocked by the developer 11 is prevented, and the developer 11 corresponding to the size of the hole 25a is always dropped. Therefore, it can be said from this that almost the same amount of developer 11 is dropped regardless of the axial position.
[0023]
For these reasons, the developer carrying portion 1b is replenished with new developer 11 almost evenly at each position in the axial direction. Further, the new developer 11 supplied to the developer carrying portion 1b is mixed with the old developer 11 by being stirred by the stirring member 23 in the direction perpendicular to the axial direction. Therefore, the ratio of the new developer 11 to the old developer 11 is kept substantially constant for the developer 11 accumulated in the case 10 regardless of the axial position.
[0024]
Next, FIG. 10 shows the result of an experiment conducted on the distribution of the replenishment amount of the developer 11 by the developer supply unit 1a. In this figure, the hole 25a closest to the hopper 12 is A, and B, C, D, and E are in the transport direction away from the hopper 12. Here, the experiment was conducted on the hole 25a having a trapezoidal shape with the same height and widened as shown in FIG. As can be seen from FIG. 10, according to this method, the amount of developer 11 replenished from each hole 25a is substantially equal regardless of the axial position. Therefore, it has been found that according to the transport member 24 and the transport path forming member 25, the new developer 11 can be replenished substantially uniformly in the axial direction.
[0025]
The number of holes 25a is not limited to these figures, and may be determined from conditions such as the length of the conveyance path and the size of each hole 25a. In this embodiment, the size of each hole 25a is changed. However, the opening area per unit length in the developer conveyance direction may be changed gradually. It may be as follows. For example, the opening area can be changed by arranging a plurality of holes of the same size perpendicular to the transport direction and changing the number of holes arranged in the perpendicular direction. Alternatively, holes of the same size may be arranged in the transport direction, and the intervals may be gradually narrowed. Or it is good also as a slit shape from which the width | variety changes.
[0026]
Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 11, the same effect can be obtained as a slit 25 b whose height position changes. In this case, the opening area per unit length is constant, but the height position of the slit 25b is high on the upstream side in the transport direction, and only the developer at a position higher than the opening position can fall. For this reason, on the upstream side of the transport path forming member 25 close to the hopper 12, even if a large amount of the developer 11 is transported, only the portion at the higher position falls, and the developer 11 at the lower position also falls on the downstream side. it can. Accordingly, it is possible to cause the developer 11 to fall in an almost equal amount regardless of the axial position.
[0027]
As described above in detail, according to the developer supply unit 1a of the developing device 1 of the present embodiment, the new developer 11 supplied from the hopper 12 falls into the case 10 while being transported in the axial direction. . At that time, since the transport member 24 and the transport path forming member 25 are provided, the amount of fall at each location is regulated. That is, since the transport path forming member 25 is provided with holes 25a having an opening area that gradually increases in the transport direction, the amount of developer 11 dropped at each location is substantially equal. Therefore, even if a hopper is connected to one end portion in the axial direction, the developer supplying portion 1a is capable of supplying a substantially equal amount of new developer regardless of the position in the developer conveying direction. Therefore, the mixing ratio of the new developer and the old developer in the developer carrying portion 1b can be made substantially equal in the axial direction, and the image forming apparatus 101 using the developing device 1 generates image noise. Is prevented.
[0028]
“Second Embodiment”
Hereinafter, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the present embodiment, only the developer supply unit 1a of the developing device 1 of the first embodiment is different, and the other parts are the same, and the description thereof is omitted.
[0029]
In the developer supply section 3a of the developing device 3 of the image forming apparatus 103 according to this embodiment, a holding member 26 is provided between the conveyance path forming member 25 and the upper surface of the developer 11, as shown in FIG. It has been. The holding member 26 is a plate member provided in parallel to the bottom surface of the transport path forming member 25, and is rotatable around one side in the axial direction as indicated by a broken line in the drawing. And even when it rotates, it arrange | positions in the height position which does not touch the upper surface of the developer 11 in case 10. FIG. Also in the present embodiment, a plurality of holes 25a are provided on the bottom surface of the transport path forming member 25, but here the opening areas are all the same.
[0030]
The operation of the developing device 3 of this embodiment will be described. In the developer supply unit 3 a of the developing device 3, the developer 11 transported from the hopper 12 by the transport member 24 falls sequentially from the hole 25 a of the transport path forming member 25 and accumulates on the holding member 26. . The developer 11 dropped from one hole 25a is gradually accumulated at almost the same place, and becomes a mountain as shown in FIG. And if it accumulates to the position shown with the broken line in a figure, it will block the hole 25a and it will be in the state which cannot fall any more. When this happens, the dropping of the developer 11 from the hole 25a is stopped, and the developer 11 falls from the next hole 25a. Then, the dropping point of the developer 11 moves gradually to a position far from the hopper 12.
[0031]
When all the holes 25a are closed, as shown in FIG. 14, almost the same amount of the developer 11 is deposited on the holding member 26 throughout. At this time, the holding member 26 is rotated, and the entire developer 11 is dropped together. As a result, substantially the same amount of developer 11 is replenished over the entire conveyance direction. The timing for rotating the holding member 26 may be determined based on the passage of a predetermined time, or the weight of the developer 11 on the holding member 26 may be detected.
[0032]
As described in detail above, according to the developer supply unit 3a of the developing device 3 of the second embodiment, the new developer 11 supplied from the hopper 12 is transported in the axial direction into the case 10. Fall. At that time, since the conveyance member 24, the conveyance path forming member 25, and the holding member 26 are included, an amount of the developer 11 corresponding to the interval between the conveyance path forming member 25 and the holding member 26 is placed on the holding member 26. When deposited, the fall from the hole 25a is stopped. When the fall from the hole 25a farthest from the hopper 12 is stopped, substantially the same amount of developer 11 is deposited on the holding member 26 over the entire axial direction. At this time, by rotating the holding member 26, the accumulated developer 11 can be dropped into the case 10 together. Therefore, even if a hopper is connected to one end portion in the axial direction, the developer supply portion 3a can supply a substantially uniform amount of new developer regardless of the position in the developer transport direction. Accordingly, the mixing ratio of the new developer and the old developer in the developer carrying portion 1b can be made substantially equal in the axial direction, and the image forming apparatus 103 using the developing device 3 generates image noise. Is prevented.
[0033]
Note that this embodiment is merely an example, and does not limit the present invention. Accordingly, the present invention can be variously improved and modified without departing from the scope of the invention.
For example, the conveying member 24 is not limited to a flexible coil, and may be a screw provided with an elastic film on the outer periphery of a spiral or a screw.
Further, for example, in the second embodiment, the holding member 26 is a plate that rotates about one side in the axial direction. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and a square member having a polygonal cross section, a shutter that moves perpendicularly to the axial direction. It is good also as a slide type etc. which can move to the circumferential direction with a shape or a curved surface member.
Further, for example, the image forming apparatuses 101 and 103 on which the developing devices 1 and 3 are mounted may be a monochrome machine or a color machine, and can also be mounted on a copying machine, a facsimile, a printer, or a complex machine thereof.
[0034]
The specific embodiment includes an invention having the following configuration.
(Appendix 1) Developer transport means for transporting developer from upstream to downstream in the transport direction;
A developer conveying path constituting member that covers a lower portion of the developer conveying means and constitutes a conveying path through which the developer is conveyed by the developer conveying means,
The developer supply device according to claim 1, wherein the developer conveying path constituting member is provided with a plurality of openings whose opening area per unit length in the developer conveying direction is larger toward the downstream.
(Supplementary Note 2) Developer transport means for transporting the developer from upstream to downstream in the transport direction;
A developer conveying path constituting member having an arcuate cross-sectional shape that covers a lower portion of the developer conveying means and constitutes a conveying path through which the developer is conveyed by the developer conveying means;
The developer conveying path constituting member includes
A long slit is provided in the developer transport direction.
The developer supply apparatus characterized in that the height direction position of the slit is lowered from the upstream to the downstream in the developer conveying direction.
(Supplementary Note 3) Developer transport means for transporting the developer from upstream to downstream in the transport direction;
A developer conveying path constituting member that covers a lower portion of the developer conveying means and constitutes a conveying path through which the developer is conveyed by the developer conveying means;
A temporary holding member provided movably below the developer conveying path constituting member,
The developer conveying path constituting member is provided with a plurality of openings,
The temporary supply member temporarily holds the developer dropped from the opening of the developer conveyance path constituting member, and further drops the developer by moving the developer supply device.
(Supplementary Note 4) In the developer supply device described in any one of Supplementary Note 1 to Supplementary Note 3,
The developer conveying means includes
One end is fixed and the other is free.
The developer supply device according to claim 1, wherein at least when the developer is transported, the developer transport path constituting member is in contact with a portion where an opening or a slit is provided.
(Supplementary Note 5) The developer supply device includes any one of Supplementary Notes 1 to 4, and the developer supplied from the developer supply device is used to develop the latent image on the image carrier to form an image. An image forming apparatus.
(Additional remark 6) The developing device provided with any one developer supply apparatus from Additional remark 1 to Additional remark 4, The developer supplied from the developer supply apparatus is used for development of a latent image.
[0035]
【The invention's effect】
As is apparent from the above description, according to the present invention, even when a hopper is connected to one end portion in the axial direction, development that can supply a substantially equal amount of new developer regardless of the position in the developer transport direction. An agent supply device and an image forming apparatus are provided.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a schematic configuration of a developing device according to a first embodiment.
FIG. 2 is a front view illustrating an appearance of the developing device.
FIG. 3 is an explanatory view showing a hole in a bottom surface portion of a conveyance path forming member.
FIG. 4 is an explanatory view showing another example of a hole in the bottom surface portion of the conveyance path forming member.
FIG. 5 is an explanatory view showing another example of a hole in the bottom surface portion of the conveyance path forming member.
FIG. 6 is an explanatory view showing another example of a hole in the bottom surface portion of the transport path forming member.
FIG. 7 is an explanatory view showing another example of a hole in the bottom surface of the transport path forming member.
FIG. 8 is an explanatory view showing another example of a hole in the bottom surface of the transport path forming member.
FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram showing another example of a hole in the bottom surface of the transport path forming member.
FIG. 10 is a graph showing a change in developer supply amount.
FIG. 11 is an explanatory view showing another configuration of the transport path forming member.
FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a schematic configuration of a developing device according to a second embodiment.
FIG. 13 is an explanatory view showing the function of the holding member.
FIG. 14 is an explanatory diagram showing a developer supply state.
[Explanation of symbols]
1,3 Developing devices 1a, 3a Developer supply unit (developer supply device)
2 Image carrier 20 Developer carrier 21 Supply member 24 Conveying member (developer conveying means)
25 Conveying path forming member (developer conveying path constituting member)
25a hole (opening)
25b Slit 26 Holding member (temporary holding member)
101, 103 Image forming apparatus

Claims (5)

Developer transport means for transporting the developer from upstream to downstream in the transport direction;
A developer conveying path constituting member that covers a lower portion of the developer conveying means and constitutes a conveying path through which the developer is conveyed by the developer conveying means,
The developer supply device according to claim 1, wherein the developer transport path constituting member is provided with a plurality of openings whose opening area per unit length in the developer transport direction is larger toward the downstream. Developer transport means for transporting the developer from upstream to downstream in the transport direction;
A developer conveying path constituting member having an arcuate cross-sectional shape that covers a lower portion of the developer conveying means and constitutes a conveying path through which the developer is conveyed by the developer conveying means;
The developer conveying path constituting member includes
A long slit is provided in the developer transport direction.
The developer supply apparatus characterized in that the height direction position of the slit is lowered from the upstream to the downstream in the developer conveying direction. Developer transport means for transporting the developer from upstream to downstream in the transport direction;
A developer conveying path constituting member that covers a lower portion of the developer conveying means and constitutes a conveying path through which the developer is conveyed by the developer conveying means;
A temporary holding member provided movably below the developer conveying path constituting member,
The developer conveying path constituting member is provided with a plurality of openings,
The temporary supply member temporarily holds the developer dropped from the opening of the developer conveyance path constituting member, and further drops the developer by moving the developer supply device. In the developer supply device according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
The developer conveying means includes
One end is fixed and the other is free.
The developer supply device according to claim 1, wherein at least when the developer is transported, the developer transport path constituting member is in contact with a portion where an opening or a slit is provided. A developer supply device according to any one of claims 1 to 4 is provided, and the latent image on the image carrier is developed to form an image using the developer supplied from the developer supply device. An image forming apparatus.

Images