JP2005070702A - Toner replenishing device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To stably replenish toner to a development apparatus by effectively preventing toner jamming and damage of a carrying means. <P>SOLUTION: Toner stored in a container body 11 is allowed to drop from a replenishment port 130 and supplied to the developing device 304. The container body 11 is provided with a storage part 14 for storing toner and a toner sending part 13 arranged through a separation part 15 for separating it from the storage part 14 at a prescribed interval, forming its bottom part 111 on a position higher than the bottom part 112 of the storage part 14 and having a replenishment port 130. The storage part 14 is provided with an agitating and carrying blade 30 for carrying toner to the toner sending part 13. The agitating and carrying blade 30 is provided with a carrying rotary shaft 31 to be rotated and a flexible carrying piece 32 for spraying toner to the toner sending part 13 by elastically recovering from a deflected state slidable contact with the inner wall surface of the storage part 14 in a rotation process rotating unitedly with the carrying rotary shaft 31. The separation part 15 has a space shape for elastically recovering the carrying piece 42. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a toner replenishing device that supplies toner to a developing device applied to an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine, a printer, or a facsimile machine.

  In an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine or a printer, a developing device for supplying toner to an electrostatic latent image formed on a photosensitive drum and developing the electrostatic latent image is attached to the photosensitive drum.

  Since the developing device is installed in the image forming apparatus, a toner replenishing device such as a toner cartridge that replenishes toner through a replenishing port is generally detachably attached to the image forming apparatus. .

  The applicant of the present invention has also proposed various toner replenishing devices. For example, in Patent Document 1, grooves adjacent to each other are arranged in parallel on the bottom wall of the case body in which toner is stored, and one groove is provided. And a second toner conveying means for agitating the toner accumulated in the groove portion and conveying the toner in the groove portion to the other groove portion and corresponding to the other groove portion. A first toner conveying means for conveying the toner toward the replenishing port provided in the groove portion by being driven to rotate, and the entire case body including both the groove portions filled with toner. is suggesting.

In this toner replenishing device, the toner detector provided in the lower portion of the case main body detects the presence or absence of toner, and continues to replenish the developing device until the toner stored in the case main body is exhausted. It is configured.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 14-6610

  However, according to the conventional toner replenishing device, when toner is continuously replenished until the toner in the case main body is exhausted as described above, although the developing device is full of toner, In some cases, the toner continues to be accumulated, and the toner stays around and aggregates around the replenishing port, so that the toner is clogged, the load on the first conveying unit increases, and the first conveying unit is damaged. May occur.

  That is, according to the toner replenishing device, the entire case body is filled with toner, and the toner is conveyed to the other groove by the second toner conveying means, and the first toner is conveyed in the other groove. If the toner is transported to the vicinity of the replenishing port and the developing device is full of toner, the toner may not be discharged through the replenishing port, and the toner may stay and aggregate near the replenishing port. There was something to do.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and provides a toner replenishing device that can effectively prevent toner clogging and breakage of a conveying unit and stably replenish toner to a developing device. With the goal.

  According to a first aspect of the present invention, in the toner replenishing device that supplies the toner stored in the container main body to the developing device by dropping from the replenishing port provided in the container main body, the container main body stores the toner. A storage unit, and a toner delivery unit that is provided on a left and right side of the storage unit via a communication unit that is spaced apart by a predetermined interval, and whose bottom is formed at a higher position than the bottom of the storage unit and that has the supply port The storage section is provided with transport means for transporting the stored toner to the toner delivery section, and the transport means is installed between the opposing side walls of the container body along the communication section and is driven to rotate. And the toner stored in the storage unit to the toner delivery unit by elastically recovering from the bent state that rotates integrally with the transport rotation shaft and slidably contacts the inner wall surface of the storage unit during the rotation process. And a conveying element of a flexible fly come, the communication unit is characterized in by comprising a space shape the conveying element can be elastic recovery.

  In the present invention, it is preferable that the bottom surface of the communication portion is inclined upward as it goes from the storage portion toward the toner delivery portion, and is configured as an inclined guide surface that guides the conveying piece when it is elastically restored. Item 2).

  In the present invention, it is preferable that the toner delivery section is provided with a transfer means for transporting the toner in the toner delivery section toward the replenishing port.

  In the case where the transfer means is provided, the specific configuration thereof is not particularly limited. However, the transfer means includes a transfer rotation shaft that is installed between the opposing walls of the container body and is driven to rotate, and the transfer rotation. A spiral blade that is provided on the shaft and conveys the toner to the replenishing port as the transfer rotation shaft rotates, and a toner that is excessively conveyed by the spiral blade that is provided at a portion of the transfer rotation shaft corresponding to the replenishing port And a paddle for paying out (preferably).

  Further, the arrangement of the storage unit and the toner delivery unit is not particularly limited, but the toner delivery unit is preferably provided on the upper side of the storage unit.

  Furthermore, it is preferable that the conveyance rotation shaft is formed in a substantially U shape in a sectional view from the viewpoint of improving the strength of the rotation shaft.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, the container main body is provided via the storage portion that stores the toner and the communication portion that is spaced apart from the storage portion by a predetermined distance on the left and right sides of the storage portion, and the bottom portion of the storage portion. A toner delivery unit that is formed at a position higher than the bottom and has the replenishing port, and the storage unit is provided with a conveying means for conveying the stored toner to the toner delivery unit. When the toner is transported to the toner delivery section having the replenishment port more than necessary (over transport), the toner delivery section is filled with toner, and the toner is returned to the storage section where the bottom is formed at a low position. Therefore, it is possible to effectively prevent inconvenience caused by the toner staying around the replenishing port and aggregating.

  In addition, a toner delivery section is provided on the left and right sides of the storage section via a communication section that separates a predetermined interval, and the conveying means is installed between the opposing side walls of the container body along the communication section and is driven to rotate. The toner stored in the storage unit is repelled to the toner delivery unit by elastically recovering from the conveyance rotation shaft and the bending state of rotating integrally with the conveyance rotation shaft and slidingly contacting the inner wall surface of the storage unit during this rotation process. And a flexible conveying piece for skipping, and the communication portion is configured to have a space shape that allows the conveying piece to elastically recover, so that the toner is not pushed directly into the toner delivery portion by the conveying means. And agglomeration due to the indentation of the toner can be effectively prevented.

  Moreover, since the toner delivery part is provided on the left and right sides of the storage part via a communication part that separates a predetermined interval, the bottom part of the storage part can be freely formed at a low position while supplying toner to an appropriate position of the developing device. can do. Further, the conveying means is provided between the opposing side walls of the container main body along the toner delivery portion and rotationally driven, and rotates integrally with the conveying rotating shaft and is rotated on the inner wall surface of the storage portion during the rotation process. And a flexible conveyance piece that repels the toner stored in the storage section to the toner delivery section by elastic recovery from the slidable bent state, and the communication section can elastically recover the conveyance piece. Since it is configured with a spatial shape, the toner can be easily and reliably transported from the storage unit to the toner delivery unit with a relatively simple configuration, and the toner is released when the toner is blown off from the storage unit. Thus, toner aggregation can be effectively prevented.

  According to the second aspect of the present invention, the conveyance piece elastically recovers along the inclined guide surface and repels the toner to the toner delivery unit, so that the toner can be reliably conveyed to the toner delivery unit.

  According to the third aspect of the present invention, the toner conveyed to the toner delivery section can be reliably guided to the replenishing port by the transfer means, and the toner can be used up without waste.

  According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, the transfer means can be configured relatively simply, and toner stays effectively by discharging the toner that has been over-conveyed around the replenishing port by the paddle to the storage portion. It is possible to prevent the inconvenience caused by the stay. In addition, when the developing device is not full of toner, the paddle can efficiently supply toner to the developing device.

  According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, since the toner delivery section is provided on the upper side of the storage section, a relatively large amount of toner is stored in the storage section by effectively utilizing the inside of the container body. be able to.

  According to the invention of claim 6, the strength of the transport rotating shaft can be improved, and when the transport piece is bent, the transport piece is effectively suppressed by suppressing the bending of the transport rotating shaft as much as possible. Therefore, the toner can be elastically recovered and the toner can be repelled to the toner delivery unit stably and reliably.

  FIG. 1 is an overall schematic view showing an embodiment of an image forming apparatus equipped with a toner replenishing device according to the present invention. In this embodiment, a case where the toner replenishing device according to the present invention is installed in a copying machine will be described. The toner replenishing device according to the present invention is, for example, a printer device, a facsimile device, a scanner device, a copy function, and a printer. The present invention can also be applied to a multifunction machine having various functions such as a function, a scanner function, and a facsimile function.

  The image forming apparatus 1 includes a sheet feeding unit 100 disposed at a lower portion of the apparatus main body 2, a sheet conveying unit 200 disposed above the sheet feeding unit 100, and a sheet feeding unit 100. The image forming section 300, the fixing section 400 disposed on the side of the image forming section 300, and the image reading section 500 disposed above the image forming section 300 and the fixing section 400 are provided. ing.

  The sheet feeding unit 100 feeds a stack of sheets stacked and loaded in the sheet feeding cassette 101 one by one from the uppermost sheet to the sheet conveying unit 200 by the rotation operation of the sheet feeding roller 115. The sheet conveying unit 200 conveys the sheet fed from the sheet feeding unit 100 to the image forming unit 300 by various roller pairs 202, and further discharges the sheet on which the image is formed in the image forming unit 300 and the fixing unit 400. Paper is discharged to a discharge tray 204 provided on the side of the apparatus main body 2 by the pair 205.

  The image reading unit 500 irradiates a document placed on the contact glass with light from an exposure lamp, and guides the reflected light to a photoelectric conversion unit including a CCD line sensor or the like through a reflecting mirror. It reads image information. The image forming unit 300 is disposed below the image reading unit 500 and forms a predetermined toner image on a sheet by an electrophotographic process. The image forming unit 300 is a photoconductive photoconductive having a shaft supported rotatably. The photosensitive drum 301 is provided with a charging device 302, an exposure device 303, a developing device 304, a transfer device 305, a cleaning device 306, and a charge eliminating device (not shown) around the photosensitive drum 301 along the rotation direction thereof. Yes. The fixing unit 400 is disposed on the downstream side of the image forming unit 300 in the sheet conveyance direction, and heats the sheet on which the toner image has been transferred in the image forming unit 300 with a pair of fixing rollers 401 between them. It fixes the image.

  The basic operation state of the image forming apparatus 1 will be briefly described. The photosensitive drum 301 that rotates clockwise in FIG. 1 by the charging device 302 is uniformly charged, and the image read by the image reading unit 500 is read. Based on the information, an electrostatic latent image is formed on the photosensitive drum 301 by a laser beam from the exposure device 303 (laser operation device or the like), and a developer is attached to the electrostatic latent image by the developing device 304 to form a toner image. It is formed.

  The sheet is conveyed from the sheet feeding unit 100 to the image forming unit 300 toward the photosensitive drum 301 on which the toner image is formed as described above, and is transferred from the transfer roller or the like in the image forming unit 300. The toner image on the surface of the photosensitive drum 301 is transferred onto a sheet by the transfer device 305. The sheet onto which the toner image has been transferred is separated from the photosensitive drum 301 and conveyed to the fixing unit 400 to fix the toner image. The sheet that has passed through the fixing unit 400 is discharged to the sheet discharge tray 204 via the discharge roller 205.

  After the transfer by the transfer device 305, the photosensitive drum 301 is removed by the cleaning device 306 and the charge removal device to remove residual toner and residual charge, and is charged again by the charging device 302 as necessary.

  When such a basic operation is repeatedly executed, the toner stored in the developing device 304 is consumed. In order to replenish the consumed toner, a toner replenishing device (toner container) 10 is detachably attached to the side of the developing device 304 on the side opposite to the photosensitive drum 301. The developing device 304 includes a developing roller 304a arranged in parallel to the photosensitive drum 301 and agitation transport rollers 304b and 304c for agitating and transporting the toner. The toner replenished in 304 is conveyed to the developing roller 304a while being frictionally charged by the agitating and conveying rollers 304b and 304c, and the toner is supplied to the photosensitive drum 301 by the developing roller 304a.

  2 is a longitudinal sectional view showing the toner replenishing device together with the developing device, and FIG. 3 is a side view of the toner replenishing device when viewed from the opposite side to FIG.

  The toner replenishing device 10 includes a box-shaped container main body 11 that opens upward, and a lid 12 that closes the upper opening of the container main body 11, and is on the side of the developing device 304 opposite to the photosensitive drum 301. The developing device 304 is located at the same height as the developing device 304. FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing the container body, and FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view of the container body. FIG. 6 is a plan view of the container body.

  The container body 11 is a synthetic resin molded product that is elongated in the front-rear direction of the image forming apparatus 1 and is formed as a box-like body that opens upward as described above. The container body 11 has a relatively large-capacity storage unit 14 that stores toner therein, and a separation unit 15 (communication) provided in an upper part of the storage unit 14 on the developing device 304 side so as to communicate with the storage unit 14. Part) and a toner delivery part 13.

  The toner delivery unit 13 is a portion where toner to be replenished to the developing device 304 is temporarily stored, and is located above a toner intake port 304d provided on one side of the developing device 304. The toner delivery unit 13 is formed in an elongated shape substantially parallel to the axis of the photosensitive drum 301, and a toner replenishing port 130 is provided on the bottom 111 of the toner delivery unit 13 so as to face the toner intake port 304 d of the developing device 304. Further, the toner delivery unit 13 is formed at a shallower bottom than the storage unit 14, and it is difficult for excessive toner pressure to be generated around the bottom 111, particularly around the toner supply port 130.

  Further, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 5, the toner delivery unit 13 is formed in a substantially semicircular shape in cross section excluding the periphery of the toner supply port 130, while the bottom portion is substantially flat in the periphery of the toner supply port 130. A transfer screw 20 (transfer means) is installed between the opposing side walls 11a of the container body 11 along the longitudinal direction of the toner delivery part 13 (see FIG. 6).

  This transfer screw 20 is for transferring the toner conveyed and stored in the toner delivery section 13 toward the toner replenishing port 130, and is arranged between the front and rear opposing walls 11 a of the container body 11 and is rotated and driven. The spiral blade 22 projecting from the outer peripheral surface of the transfer rotating shaft 21 and the paddle 23 projecting from the outer peripheral surface of the transport rotating shaft 21 corresponding to the toner supply port 130 are provided. The transfer screw 20 is formed to have a relatively small diameter, and is set so that the amount of toner conveyed in one rotation is relatively small. In the present embodiment, the transfer screw 20 is formed to have a different diameter at a boundary corresponding to the toner supply port 130.

  The transfer rotating shaft 21 is rotationally driven by a driving means (for example, a motor) (not shown), and is rotated counterclockwise in FIG. The spiral blade 22 conveys toner toward the toner replenishing port 130 as the transfer rotation shaft 21 rotates, and is spirally wound in a reverse direction with a portion corresponding to the toner replenishing port 130 as a boundary. Configured. The paddle 23 sends out the toner conveyed by the spiral blade 22 to the toner supply port 130 when the developing device 304 is not full of toner, and is excessive when the developing device 304 is full of toner. The conveyed toner (excess toner) is discharged to the storage unit 14 and is formed as a flat plate-like body. The paddle 23 has a length substantially equal to the diameter of the transfer screw 20.

  A shutter member (not shown) for closing the toner supply port 130 is slidably provided below the toner supply port 130, and the shutter member slides when the toner supply device 10 is attached to the apparatus main body 2. Thus, the toner supply port 130 is opened.

  On the other hand, the storage unit 14 is a part that stores a large amount of toner, and has a larger capacity than the toner delivery unit 13. That is, the storage unit 14 is arranged in parallel with the toner delivery unit 13 with the separation unit 15 interposed therebetween, and the bottom 112 thereof is formed at a lower position than the bottom 111 of the toner delivery unit 13. In other words, the bottom 111 of the toner delivery unit 13 is formed at a higher position than the bottom of the storage unit 14. In this manner, by providing the storage portion 14 with the separation portion 15 interposed, the bottom portion 112 of the storage portion 14 can be formed at a lower position than the bottom portion 111 of the toner delivery portion 13, and the developing device 304 is restricted. The storage part 14 can be formed in a large capacity without being done.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the bottom portion 112 of the storage portion 14 is formed in a W shape, and a plurality of (two in this embodiment) groove portions 131 a and 131 b are formed along the longitudinal direction of the toner delivery portion 13. ing. A plurality of (two in the present embodiment) agitating and conveying blades 30 (conveying means) are disposed in the storage portion 14 so as to correspond to the grooves 131a and 131b.

  The agitating / conveying blade 30 agitates the toner stored in the storage unit 14 and also conveys the toner to the groove 131a or the toner delivery unit 13. The agitation blade 30 is along the groove 131a, 131b (along the toner delivery unit 13). And a conveyance rotation shaft 31 installed between the front and rear opposing walls 11a of the container body 11 and a conveyance piece 32 that is detachably attached to the conveyance rotation shaft 31 and rotates integrally with the conveyance rotation shaft 31.

  The conveyance rotation shaft 31 is configured so as to improve rigidity and be difficult to bend and deform. In the present embodiment, the conveyance rotation shaft 31 is formed in a substantially U shape in a sectional view. When the conveyance rotation shaft 31 is configured so as not to be bent and deformed in this way, the distance from the conveyance rotation shaft 31 to the inner wall surface of the storage unit 14 becomes constant along the axial direction, and the toner is conveyed by the conveyance piece 32. The amount is stabilized in the axial direction of the transport rotation shaft 31. The transport rotary shaft 31 is mounted on a bearing (not shown) provided with cylindrical boss portions 310 at both ends in the longitudinal direction and one boss portion 310a protruding from the inner wall surface of the opposing wall 11a. On the other hand, the other boss portion 310b is inserted into a through hole 11b provided through the opposing wall 11a and attached to the transmission gear 51, and a drive means (not shown) is connected via a gear train 50 including the transmission gear 51. For example, the motor is rotated clockwise (see FIG. 2). Accordingly, the conveyance rotation shaft 31 is configured such that the conveyance piece 32 that rotates integrally with the conveyance rotation shaft 31 moves from the bottom to the top on the developing device 304 side.

  Further, the conveyance rotation shaft 31 is provided with a plurality (six in the figure) of locking claws 311 in the longitudinal direction, and the conveyance pieces 32 are detachably locked by the locking claws 311. . A flange portion 312 is provided on the other boss portion 310b side of the transport rotating shaft 31, and a seal member 313 that prevents leakage of toner from the through hole 11b is pressed against the opposing wall 11a side by the flange portion 312. .

  The conveyance piece 32 is formed in a rectangular shape elongated in the axial direction of the conveyance rotation shaft 31 from a flexible material, for example, an elastic synthetic resin sheet or film such as polyethylene terephthalate. A plurality (six in this embodiment) of locking holes 320 corresponding to the locking claws 311 of the transport rotating shaft 31 are provided at the base end portion of the conveying piece 32, and the locking holes 320 are locked with the locking claws. By being locked, 311 is detachably attached to the transport rotation shaft 31.

  Further, the conveying piece 32 is formed to be longer than the longest distance from the conveying rotation shaft 31 to the inner wall surfaces of the corresponding groove portions 131a and 131b, and the leading end portion thereof is in a bent state in sliding contact with the inner wall surfaces of the corresponding groove portions 131a and 131b. The toner can be scraped off. In the present embodiment, the length of the conveying piece 32 in the stirring and conveying blade 30 on the toner delivery unit 13 side is formed to be approximately equal to or slightly shorter than the distance between the conveying rotary shaft 31 and the transfer rotary shaft 21. Accordingly, the transport piece 32 is slidably contacted with the inner wall surface of the storage section 14 while being bent in accordance with the rotation of the transport rotation shaft 31, and the tip of the transport piece 32 is the inner wall surface of the storage section 14 during the rotation process. When it passes, the elastic recovery from the bent state is made. In particular, the conveying piece 32 of the stirring and conveying blade 30 on the toner delivery unit 13 side suddenly recovers elastically when its tip passes through the inner wall surface of the storage unit 14 and reaches the separation unit 15 during the rotation process. By this elastic recovery, the toner is blown off to the toner delivery part 13 beyond the separation part 15.

  In addition, a plurality of slits 321 extending in a direction orthogonal to the conveyance rotation shaft 31 are formed at the front end portion of the conveyance piece 32, and the toner amount adjustment is performed in each region partitioned by the slit 321 except for the central portion in the longitudinal direction. A hole 322 is formed. As described above, by providing the slit 321, when the transport piece 32 rotates, the region is divided flexibly in accordance with the toner pressure applied to the tip portion for each region divided by the slit 321. The slit 321 is inclined toward the central portion in the longitudinal direction as it goes toward the tip of the transport piece 32, and the toner gradually approaches the longitudinal center portion of the transport piece 32 as the transport piece 32 rotates. It is supposed to move.

  Also, by providing the toner amount adjusting hole 322 in the conveying piece 32 as described above, the amount of toner that contacts the conveying piece 32 during rotation is reduced, and only the toner placed on the tip is conveyed, and in particular the toner delivery The conveying piece 32 on the side of the portion 13 can efficiently blow off only the toner placed on the tip portion to the toner delivery portion 13. That is, it is possible to reduce the toner pressure related to the conveying piece 32 while reliably conveying (blowing off) a certain amount of toner. In addition, in this embodiment, the hole 322 provided in the conveyance piece 32 is appropriately arranged in a rectangular shape and a triangular shape, but the shape is not particularly limited.

  On the other hand, the separation unit 15 is provided between the toner delivery unit 13 and the storage unit 14 and separates the toner delivery unit 13 and the storage unit 14 at a predetermined interval. The separation interval by the separation unit 15 is appropriately set in consideration of the position of the toner intake port 304d provided in the developing device 304. The spacing portion 15 is set in a shape that allows the conveying piece 32 to elastically recover.

  The bottom surface of the separating portion 15 is connected to the rising wall 11 c of the storage portion 14, is connected to the bottom surface of the toner delivery portion 13, and is an inclined guide surface that is inclined upward as it goes from the storage portion 14 toward the toner delivery portion 13. 150. The inclined guide surface 150 guides the tip of the transport piece 32 when the transport piece 32 recovers elastically. The inclination angle of the inclined guide surface 150 with respect to the horizontal plane is appropriately set in consideration of the inclination angle of the rising wall 11c of the storage section 14 and the separation interval, but is set within a range of about 20 ° to 60 °. preferable. In the present embodiment, the inclination angle of the rising wall 11c of the storage unit 14 with respect to the horizontal plane is set to about 85 °, while the inclination angle of the inclined guide surface 150 with respect to the horizontal plane is set to about 45 °. In the separation portion 15 of the present embodiment, the inclined guide surface 150 is omitted corresponding to the toner supply port 130 of the toner delivery unit 13.

  A toner filling port is provided in the opposite wall 11a opposite to the opposite wall 11a where the gear train 50 of the container body 11 is provided, and the toner replenishing device 10 is detached from the image forming apparatus 1 and passed through the toner filling port. The toner can be supplied into the toner supply device 10. A closing lid 90 is attached to the toner filling port to prevent leakage of toner through the filling port.

  In addition, a toner detector (not shown) that detects the presence of toner is provided at a predetermined position of the container main body 11, and is transferred along with the operation of the image forming apparatus 1 until the toner is no longer detected by the toner detector. The drive means of the screw 20 and the stirring conveyance blade 30 is driven. Since this toner detector is provided with a known toner detector, its description is omitted here.

  The lid 12 is appropriately set to a size that closes the upper opening of the container body 11, and is attached to the container body by bonding. On the lower surface of the lid 12, there are provided restricting protrusions (not shown) for restricting the movement of the transport rotary shaft 31 and the like placed on the bearing (not shown). It is supposed to rotate stably.

  Next, the operation of the toner replenishing device 10 will be described.

  First, the toner supply device 10 is attached to the image forming apparatus 1. That is, the front cover (not shown) of the image forming apparatus 1 is opened, and the toner replenishing device 10 is slid to a predetermined position on the side of the developing device 304 and attached to the image forming apparatus 1. At this time, the toner replenishing device 10 is positioned by the positioning pin 92 and the shutter member slides to open the toner replenishing port 130. Note that the toner filled in the toner replenishing device 10 in the initial state is filled only in the storage unit 14 even if it is filled in the storage unit 14 and the toner delivery unit 13. Also good.

  When the image forming apparatus 1 is driven, a driving unit that rotates the gear train 50 is operated, and the transport rotating shaft 31 is rotationally driven through the gear train 50, so that the agitating / conveying blade 30 is rotationally driven and transferred. The drive means for rotating the rotary shaft 21 is operated, and the transfer screw 20 is driven to rotate when the transfer rotary shaft 21 is driven to rotate.

  When the conveyance rotation shaft 31 is rotationally driven, the conveyance piece 32 attached to the conveyance rotation shaft 31 rotates integrally. In the stirring and conveying blade 30, the conveying piece 32 of the agitating and conveying blade 30 separated from the toner delivery unit 13 is slidably contacted with the groove 131b of the storing unit 14 during the rotation process, and stored corresponding to the groove 131b. The agitated toner is conveyed to the adjacent groove 131a side while stirring.

  On the other hand, the conveying piece 32 of the agitating / conveying blade 30 adjacent to the toner delivery unit 13 in the agitating / conveying blade 30 is slidably contacted with the groove 131a of the storage unit 14 during the rotation process, and the toner is associated with the rotation. Is slidably brought into contact with the rising wall 11c of the storage portion 14 while the bending state is continued. When the leading end of the transport piece 32 passes the upper end edge of the rising wall 11 c of the storage portion 14 and reaches the separation portion 15 according to the rotation of the transport piece 32, the transport piece 32 is inclined to the inclined guide surface 150 of the separation portion 15. The toner suddenly recovers while being guided, and the toner placed on the front end portion of the conveying piece 32 is blown off toward the toner delivery portion 13. As described above, since the toner is repelled by the conveying piece 32, the toner can be easily and reliably supplied from the storage unit 14 to the toner sending unit 13 even with the separation unit 15. Can be conveyed. In addition, since the toner is blown off from the storage unit, even when the toner is agglomerated in the storage unit 14, the toner is released when the toner is blown off and temporarily stored in the toner transmission unit 13. It is possible to effectively prevent toner aggregation. Further, since the conveying piece 32 is elastically recovered along the inclined guide surface 150 of the separating portion 15, the toner can be reliably blown toward the toner delivery portion 13.

  Then, the spiral blade 22 of the transfer screw 20 that is driven to rotate conveys the toner to the vicinity of the toner replenishing port 130, and the toner is assisted by the paddle 23 through the toner replenishing port 130 and the toner intake port 304 d of the developing device 304. The toner is naturally dropped into the developing device 304 and sent out.

  Here, when the developing device 304 is full of toner, the toner does not fall, but in this case as well, the transfer screw 20 and the stirring and conveying blade 30 are driven in accordance with the operation of the image forming apparatus 1. In this toner replenishing device 10 according to the present invention, the toner delivery unit 13 and the storage unit 14 are separated by a predetermined interval via the separation unit 15. Are arranged in parallel with each other, when the toner that has been over-conveyed is collected around the toner supply port 130, the toner is spilled into the storage unit 14 through the separation unit 15, so that the toner is stored in the storage unit 14. Returned. Therefore, the toner is prevented from staying around the replenishing port and agglomerating, and it is possible to effectively prevent inconveniences such as toner clogging and damage to the transfer screw 20 due to the agglomeration. In addition, the toner that has been over-conveyed by the paddle 23 is efficiently returned to the storage unit 14, and the above inconvenience can be prevented more reliably.

  By the way, when the toner is filled up to the toner delivery unit 13 in the initial state, it seems that the toner does not fall and the toner aggregates. In this case, however, the toner delivery unit 13 and the separation unit 15 are separated. The toner that is blown off by the conveying piece 32 is obstructed by the filled toner, and the toner is not properly conveyed to the toner delivery unit 13, so that toner aggregation in the toner delivery unit 13 can be effectively prevented.

  Thus, according to the toner replenishing device 10 of the present embodiment, as described above, it is possible to effectively prevent inconvenience caused by toner aggregation. In addition, since the separation unit 15 is provided, the toner is blown off by the conveying piece 32 and the toner is transferred to the toner delivery unit 13 by jumping over the separation unit 15, the toner is pushed directly into the toner delivery unit 13 by the conveyance piece 32. The toner can be effectively prevented from agglomerating, and the toner can be smoothly returned to the storage unit 14 without being obstructed by the conveying piece 32.

  Further, by providing the separation portion 15, the bottom portion 112 of the storage portion 14 can be formed at a lower position than the bottom portion 111 of the toner delivery portion 13, thereby setting the storage portion 14 to a large capacity and a relatively large amount. Toner can be stored.

  Although the toner replenishing device 10 according to the present embodiment has been described above, the toner replenishing device according to the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit thereof. It is. For example, the following changes are possible.

  (1) The number of the agitating and conveying blades 30 disposed in the storage unit 14 is not particularly limited, and is appropriately set in consideration of the capacity of the storage unit 14 and the like. Therefore, for example, a single stirring and conveying blade may be provided in the storage unit 14.

  (2) In the above embodiment, the transport rotary shaft 31 and the transport piece 32 are formed separately, and the transport piece 32 is attached to the transport rotary shaft 31 to configure the agitation transport blade 30 as transport means. The conveying means may be formed by integrally forming 31 and the conveying piece 32.

1 is a perspective view illustrating an embodiment of an image forming apparatus including a toner supply device according to the present invention. FIG. 2 is a schematic sectional view showing the toner replenishing device together with a developing device. FIG. 3 is a side view of the toner supply device. FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing a container body of the toner supply device. FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view showing a container body of the toner replenishing device. FIG. 4 is a plan view showing a container body of the toner supply device.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Toner replenishment apparatus 11 Container main body 11a Front-back opposing wall 13 Toner sending part 14 Storage part 15 Separation part 20 Transfer screw (transfer means)
21 Transfer Rotating Shaft 22 Spiral Blade 23 Paddle 30 Agitation Transport Blade (Transport Unit)
31 Transport Rotating Shaft 32 Transport Piece 111 Bottom 112 Bottom 130 Toner Supply Port 150 Inclined Guide Surface 304 Developing Device

Claims (6)

In a toner replenishing device that drops toner stored in a container body from a replenishing port provided in the container body and supplies the toner to a developing device.
The container body is provided via a storage part that stores toner and a communication part that separates a predetermined interval on the left and right sides of the storage part, and the bottom part is formed at a higher position than the bottom part of the storage part. A toner delivery unit having the replenishing port,
The storage unit is provided with a transport unit that transports the stored toner to the toner delivery unit,
The conveyance means includes a conveyance rotation shaft that is laid between the opposing side walls of the container body along the communication portion and is driven to rotate. A flexible conveyance piece that repels the toner stored in the storage unit to the toner delivery unit by elastic recovery from the state;
The toner replenishing device according to claim 1, wherein the communicating portion has a space shape in which the conveying piece can elastically recover.   2. The bottom surface of the communication portion is inclined upward as it goes from the storage portion toward the toner delivery portion, and is configured as an inclined guide surface that guides the conveying piece when the elastic piece is restored. Toner supply device.   3. The toner replenishing device according to claim 1, wherein the toner delivery unit is provided with a transfer unit that conveys the toner in the toner delivery unit toward the replenishing port.   The transfer means includes a transfer rotary shaft that is installed between the opposing walls of the container body and rotationally driven, a spiral blade that is provided on the transfer rotary shaft and conveys toner to the replenishing port as the transfer rotary shaft rotates. The toner replenishing device according to claim 3, further comprising a paddle provided at a portion of the transfer rotation shaft corresponding to the replenishing port and for discharging the toner over-conveyed by a spiral blade to the storage unit.   The toner replenishing device according to claim 1, wherein the toner delivery unit is provided on an upper side of the storage unit.   The toner replenishing device according to claim 1, wherein the conveyance rotation shaft is formed in a substantially U shape in a sectional view.