JP2005037470A - Carrier storage container for electrophotographic apparatus and image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a carrier storage container to which a carrier container can easily be attached by a user to enable a carrier to be supplied, and to provide an image forming apparatus using the carrier storage container. <P>SOLUTION: The carrier storage container is composed of a container 10 for storing carrier, and a fixed-quantity discharge mechanism disposed at one end of the container 10. The carrier storage container is attached to the main body of the apparatus so that the fixed-quantity discharge mechanism is located below the container 10. Also, the container includes inclined faces that decrease the cross-sectional area of the container 10 towards the fixed-quantity discharge mechanism. In addition, the fixed-quantity discharge mechanism includes a container discharge passage, and a rotating shutter 16 which is disposed almost perpendicular to the passage and has recesses in its periphery. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a replenishment carrier storage container for replenishing a developing carrier with a developer carrier used in an electrophotographic apparatus such as a copying machine or a printer.
[0002]
[Prior art]
In a two-component developing device used in an electrophotographic apparatus, a toner image is formed by a developing device using a developer generally called a toner or a carrier to create an image. Since the toner is consumed together with image formation, it is usually supplied to the main body as a toner cartridge in which toner is put in a container. When the toner in the container runs out, it is replaced with a new toner container and replenished with new toner.
On the other hand, the carrier is not consumed, but its performance deteriorates with the number of image formations. Therefore, it is necessary to replace the carrier every certain number of image formations. As a general replacement method, there are a general method in which a service person replaces a carrier, a method in which a developing unit incorporating a carrier is replaced with a new unit, and the like.
Further, as described in Patent Document 1, a fixed amount of carrier is mixed with the toner for replenishment, and the carrier is automatically replenished little by little at the same time as the replenishment of the toner. There is also a method for preventing the developer from being deteriorated by discharging the developer little by little to the outside of the developing device.
[0003]
In the conventional carrier exchange method, there is a problem that it is necessary to rely on the exchange by the service person, and there is a problem that the number of exchange parts increases in the unit exchange, which increases the cost. Further, in the method of replenishing the toner container by mixing the toner and the carrier, the life of the carrier is in proportion to the amount of toner consumed, although the deterioration progresses in proportion to the number of operations of the developing device. Since the carrier is replenished, there is a problem that it is difficult to efficiently replenish the carrier in an appropriate amount.
[0004]
[Patent Document 1]
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2001-175081
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
In view of the above problems, the present invention provides a carrier storage container in which a user can easily mount a carrier container and replenish the carrier by an appropriate amount, and an image forming apparatus using the same is provided. Is an issue.
[0006]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to achieve the above object, the present invention described in claim 1 is a container for storing a carrier for replenishing a two-component developing device of an electrophotographic apparatus, a container portion for storing the carrier, and the container portion. It is comprised by the fixed_quantity | quantitative_assay discharge mechanism provided in the end of the carrier storage container characterized by the above-mentioned.
According to the present invention of claim 2, the carrier storage container is used by being mounted on the apparatus main body with the quantitative discharge mechanism portion being downward, and the carrier storage container portion is inclined so that the cross-sectional area decreases toward the quantitative discharge mechanism. The carrier storage container according to claim 1, wherein the carrier storage container has a surface.
[0007]
The present invention according to claim 3 is characterized in that the fixed amount discharge mechanism is constituted by a discharge passage of the container and a rotating shaft having a recess on an outer periphery provided in a direction substantially orthogonal to the passage. It is a carrier storage container as described in above.
According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an image forming apparatus using the carrier storage container according to any one of the first to third aspects.
[0008]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
An embodiment according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a carrier supply means and a carrier container from the carrier container to the developing device. An electrostatic latent image is formed on the surface of the photosensitive drum 1 by a charger and an optical writing device (not shown). In the developing device, screws 3 and 4 having spiral fins called conveyance augers inside the casing 5 rotate in the directions of arrows C and D, and a developer mixed with toner and carrier is placed in this portion. In. For example, in the screw 3, the developer is transported from the front side to the back side in the drawing by the transport auger, and in the screw 4, the developer is transported from the back side to the front side. A portion without the partition 6 is provided, and the developer is stirred while circulating. A part of the circulating developer is sucked up and adsorbed by the developing roller 2 by a magnetic force, and the thickness is made uniform by the doctor blade 9, and the electrostatic latent image on the photosensitive member is contacted with the toner by the toner. Develop to form a toner image. Here, only the toner adheres to the photosensitive member, and development is performed while replenishing toner little by little from a toner replenishing port (not shown) in order to keep the amount of toner in the developer circulating in the developing device constant. Is done.
[0009]
The carrier replenishing section has a carrier container 10 for containing a new carrier, and rotates the rotating shutter 16 for the carrier 11 in the carrier container to pass through the carrier replenishment path 14 by a certain amount, thereby supplying the carrier replenishing port 7 of the developing device. In this configuration, the developer is replenished inside.
A carrier discharge port 8 provided in the developing unit, and the total amount of developer inside the developing unit is increased by sequentially replenishing a new carrier from the replenishing port 7, but in order to keep this constant, It is an opening provided in a part. Excess carrier is discharged from this opening, and the total amount of developer inside the developing device can be kept constant.
The base part 15 is a part that constitutes a discharge port at the same time as holding the rotary shutter 16, and may be integrated with the container part 10 or provided separately in the container.
[0010]
The inclined portion 12 is located at the lower part of the carrier container and is an inclined surface having an angle greater than the angle at which the carrier flows, generally called the angle of repose, and the internal carrier naturally falls to the base portion by its own weight due to the inclined surface. I can do it. Therefore, it is not necessary to provide a mechanism for moving the carrier inside, and a fixed amount can be discharged with a simple configuration.
The carrier container 10 is provided as a refillable container that can be replaced by a user, and is a container that can be attached to and detached from the apparatus main body. The attachment to the apparatus main body is performed by connecting the base part 15 to the carrier container receiver 13 on the main body side. The carrier container receiver 13 is provided with a sealing material 17 for preventing the carrier from flowing out.
With such a configuration, the carrier can be replenished to the inside of the developing device by a fixed amount by a user replaceable container.
In addition, the carrier supply path 14 is provided vertically in the figure, but it is not always necessary to have a container directly above the developing device, and the carrier can be bent through a flexible tube or the like so that the carrier can pass by natural fall. It is also possible to make it.
[0011]
FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the container portion.
The rotary shutter 16 is provided with one or a plurality of grooves 21 as recesses. The gear 22 is rotationally driven from the main body side when the container is mounted on the main body. The shaft seal 20 is a seal member that contacts the outer peripheral surfaces of both ends of the rotary shutter to prevent the carrier from flowing out.
FIG. 3 shows the inside of the base part.
A small amount of carrier is held inside the groove 21 through the carrier passage 23 inside the container, and this small amount of carrier is replenished to the outside through the carrier passage 24 outside the container by the rotation of the rotary shutter.
[0012]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, the present invention provides a carrier storage container that allows a user to easily mount a carrier container and replenish the carrier by an appropriate amount, and to provide an image forming apparatus using the same. Can do.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a carrier supply means and a carrier container according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of a container portion according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 3 is a view showing the inside of a base portion according to an embodiment of the present invention.
[Explanation of symbols]
1 Photosensitive drum 2 Developing roller 3 Conveyor auger (screw)
4 Transport auger (screw)
5 Casing 6 Partition plate 7 Carrier supply port 8 Carrier discharge port 9 Doctor blade 10 Carrier container 11 Carrier 12 Inclined portion 13 Carrier container receiver 14 Carrier supply path 15 Cap portion 16 Rotating shutter 17 Seal material 20 Shaft seal 21 Groove 22 Gear 23 Container Inner passage 24 Outer container passage

Claims (4)

A container for storing a carrier for replenishing a two-component developing device of an electrophotographic apparatus, and comprising a container portion for storing a carrier and a quantitative discharge mechanism provided at one end of the container portion. Carrier storage container. The carrier storage container is used by being attached to the apparatus main body with the quantitative discharge mechanism portion facing downward, and the carrier storage container portion has an inclined surface whose cross-sectional area decreases toward the quantitative discharge mechanism. The carrier storage container according to 1. The carrier storage container according to claim 1, wherein the quantitative discharge mechanism is configured by a discharge passage of the container and a rotating shaft having a recess on an outer periphery provided in a direction substantially orthogonal to the passage. An image forming apparatus using the carrier storage container according to claim 1.

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