JP2005308818A - Image forming apparatus, toner replenishment device, toner replenishment container, and process cartridge - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To always appropriately drive components to which drive is transmitted, such as a toner replenishment container and a process cartridge, which are freely attachably/detachably loaded to an image forming apparatus main body. <P>SOLUTION: The copying machine main body (image forming apparatus main body) includes a drive transmission part 30 and a means for detecting the number of revolutions. On the other hand, the toner replenishment container (component to which drive is transmitted) 1 freely detachably attached to the copying machine main body includes: a drive force receiving part connected to the drive transmission part and, thereby, receiving the transmission of drive force from the copying machine main body by friction; and a part to be detected which is rotated together with the drive force receiving part and used for detecting the number of revolutions of the drive force receiving part with the aid of the means for detecting the number of revolutions, such as a photo-interrupter. The drive receiving part is formed from a friction resistant member 3. The part to be detected is disposed so as to radially project from the circumference of a sealing member 2. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine, a printer such as a laser beam printer or an LED printer, a facsimile, a word processor, or a complex machine thereof. Among them, in particular, the toner image formed on the image carrier by repeating charging, writing, development, transfer, cleaning, etc. is directly or indirectly transferred via an intermediate transfer member to a recording medium such as paper or an OHP film. The present invention relates to an electrophotographic image forming apparatus for recording an image. The present invention also relates to a toner replenishing device for replenishing toner stored in a developing unit provided in such an image forming apparatus. The present invention also relates to a toner supply container that stores toner and is detachably attached to the main body of the image forming apparatus, and receives a driving force from the image forming apparatus main body side to supply toner to the developing means. Further, together with the image carrier, at least one of process means such as a charging means, a developing means, and a cleaning means is integrally formed, and is detachably attached to the main body of the image forming apparatus. The present invention relates to a process cartridge that is driven by receiving a driving force.

  Conventionally, fine powder toner is used as a developer in electrophotographic image forming apparatuses such as copying machines and printers. When the developer in the main body of the image forming apparatus is consumed, toner is supplied to the main body of the image forming apparatus from a toner supply container that is detachably attached to the main body of the image forming apparatus.

  Here, since the toner is an extremely fine powder, the toner supply container is placed inside the image forming apparatus main body so that the toner is not scattered during the toner supply operation, and the toner is discharged little by little from the small opening. The method is known. In such a system, it is difficult for the toner to be naturally discharged by the action of gravity or the like, and some toner conveying means is required.

  As a toner replenishing container provided with such a toner conveying means, for example, there is a toner replenishing container disclosed in Patent Document 1. The toner replenishing container has a substantially cylindrical shape as a whole, and a relatively small toner discharge opening is provided in a part of the outer peripheral surface thereof. In addition, a separate spiral toner conveying member is provided inside the container main body, and is driven from the outside of the container main body through the end wall surface of the container main body. The toner replenishing container is used while mounted in the image forming apparatus main body, receives toner from the image forming apparatus main body side, rotates the toner conveying member inside the container main body, conveys the toner, and opens. The toner is discharged little by little from the part.

  On the other hand, as another toner replenishing container provided with toner conveying means, for example, there is a toner replenishing container disclosed in Patent Document 2. This toner replenishing container has a cylindrical bottle shape, is provided with a spiral protrusion on the inner surface, and a small toner discharge port near the center on one end side. Unlike the conventional example, the toner replenishing container is not separately provided with an independent toner conveying member, is used by being installed on the image forming apparatus main body, and is driven by the image forming apparatus main body side. The container body itself is configured to convey toner by rotating.

As described above, in any case, the toner replenishing container receives a driving force from the image forming apparatus main body side by some means and drives the toner conveying member and the container main body on the toner replenishing container side to discharge the toner. It is configured. There are several such means. For example, 1) A configuration in which a gear portion is provided on the outer peripheral surface of a toner bottle that is a container body, and a driving gear connected to a driving source is engaged with the gear to rotate the toner bottle. 2) The toner bottle rotates on the end surface of the toner bottle. A drive projection is provided, and this projection is engaged with a recess provided in the drive unit from the image forming apparatus main body to transmit the drive. 3) Conversely, a recess is provided on the end surface of the toner bottle instead of the projection. Various drive transmission methods have been proposed, such as a configuration in which a protrusion provided on a drive unit of an image forming apparatus main body is engaged with a recess to transmit drive.

  On the other hand, in an image forming apparatus using an electrophotographic system, it is necessary to replace the photosensitive drum, replenish and replace the developer, and adjust and clean the other (charger, cleaner container, etc.) after long-term use. However, such maintenance work is practically difficult except for service personnel having specialized knowledge.

  Therefore, in an image forming apparatus using an electrophotographic process, an electrophotographic photosensitive member and process means acting on the electrophotographic photosensitive member are integrated into a cartridge so that the cartridge can be attached to and detached from the image forming apparatus main body. A process cartridge system is adopted. According to this process cartridge system, the maintenance can be performed by the user himself / herself without depending on the service person, so that the operability can be remarkably improved.

  By the way, in the toner replenishing container and the process cartridge as described above, a driving force receiving portion is provided on the same line as the electrophotographic photosensitive drum, and when the driving force receiving portion is attached to the image forming apparatus main body, the driving force receiving portion is disposed on the image forming apparatus main body. The driving force transmitted from the driving source of the image forming apparatus main body is output from the driving force transmitting portion and input via the driving force receiving portion.

  However, when a toner replenishing container or the like is inserted and set in the main body of the image forming apparatus, the gear part provided on the outer peripheral surface of the toner replenishing container or the like and the drive gear part in the main body of the image forming apparatus must be well meshed. Has to be inserted with care by the user himself, putting a burden on the user. Further, since the toner replenishing container is rotated by meshing the gear and the gear, the toner replenishing container is subjected to a force that tends to be displaced in the direction perpendicular to the axis due to the rotational moment. There is a risk that normal rotation will not be possible. In order to prevent such a shift, it is necessary to surround and support the entire periphery of the toner replenishing container or the like, but in this case, it becomes impossible to easily attach and detach the toner replenishing container or the like. At the same time, there is a problem that the configuration is complicated and the cost is increased.

  Therefore, in order to solve these problems, a conventional image forming apparatus is provided with a friction resistance member such as an elastomer or silicon in a drive receiving portion such as a toner replenishing container, and a drive transmission portion of the image forming apparatus main body. Some devices have been devised to transmit the drive pressure.

Japanese Examined Patent Publication No. 7-113796 Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 7-44000 JP 2003-15396 A

  However, in such an image forming apparatus, when the above-described operation of attaching and detaching a driven transmission component such as a toner replenishing container or a process cartridge is repeated with respect to the image forming apparatus main body, for example, toner or dust in the driving force receiving portion. When the drive force is received from the drive transmission unit due to the adhesion, the slippage may occur and the driven transmission component may not be driven properly.

  Also, if a frictional resistance member such as silicon rubber is provided at the connecting part composed of the drive transmission part and the driving force receiving part, and the rotational force is continuously applied in a compressed state, the frictional resistance member will eventually deteriorate and drive transmission will occur. There is a problem in that the rotation of the part cannot be accurately transmitted to the driving force receiving part, and the driven transmission component cannot be appropriately driven.

  Furthermore, under high temperature and high humidity or low temperature and low humidity, the friction transmission member changes its volume or the surface state changes, and the rotation transmission state from the drive transmission unit to the drive force receiving unit changes, and the driven transmission component There has been a problem that it may become impossible to drive properly.

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to make it possible to always properly drive driven transmission components such as a toner supply container and a process cartridge that are detachably mounted in the image forming apparatus main body.

In order to achieve such an object, the invention described in claim 1 detachably attaches a driven transmission component such as a toner supply container or a process cartridge to an image forming apparatus main body such as a copying machine main body or a printer main body. In an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine or a printer that transmits a driving force from the forming apparatus main body side to drive the driven transmission component.
While the image forming apparatus main body includes a drive transmission unit and a rotational speed detection means such as a photo interrupter,
A driving force receiving portion such as a friction resistance member provided on a sealing member, a photosensitive drum, or the like that receives the driving force transmitted from the image forming apparatus main body side by friction by being connected to the drive transmission portion to the driven transmission component. And a detected portion for detecting the rotational speed of the driving force receiving portion by rotating with the driving force receiving portion and detecting with the rotational speed detecting means.

  Then, the driven transmission component is detachably attached to the image forming apparatus main body, the driving force receiving portion of the driven transmission component is connected to the driving transmission portion on the image forming apparatus main body side, and the driving force is applied from the image forming apparatus main body side by friction. Rotating the driving force receiving portion by detecting the detected portion of the driven transmitting component rotating together with the driving force receiving portion by the rotation number detecting means on the image forming apparatus main body side. Detect the number.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the image forming apparatus according to the first aspect,
As the driven transmission component, a toner replenishing container that receives driving force from the image forming apparatus main body side and discharges it from the opening to replenish the stored toner is used as a developing unit provided in the image forming apparatus main body. It is characterized by.

  Then, the driving force is transmitted from the image forming apparatus main body side by friction to drive the toner supply container, and the stored toner is supplied to the developing means provided in the image forming apparatus main body.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the image forming apparatus according to the second aspect,
As the toner replenishing container, by rotating the container main body by receiving a driving force from the image forming apparatus main body side, for example, toner is conveyed by an internal spiral protrusion, and toner replenishment for replenishing stored toner to the developing means A container is used.

  Then, the stored toner is supplied to the developing means by transmitting a driving force from the image forming apparatus main body side and rotating the container main body of the toner supply container.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the image forming apparatus according to the first aspect,
A process cartridge that is driven by receiving a driving force from the image forming apparatus main body side is used as the driven transmission component.

  Then, the driving force is transmitted from the image forming apparatus main body side by friction to drive the process cartridge.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the image forming apparatus according to any one of the first to fourth aspects,
The drive force receiving portion and the drive transmission portion are provided with an engaging portion for alignment made of, for example, unevenness.

  When the driven transmission component is attached to the image forming apparatus main body and the driving force receiving portion of the driven transmission component is connected to the drive transmitting portion on the image forming apparatus main body side, the engaging portion is engaged to drive the driving force receiving portion. And the drive transmission unit are aligned.

In order to achieve the above-described object, the invention according to claim 6 is a toner replenishing device,
While the image forming apparatus main body is provided with a drive transmission unit and a rotational speed detection means,
A toner replenishing container that removably attaches to the image forming apparatus main body and receives a driving force from the image forming apparatus main body side to replenish toner stored in a developing means provided in the image forming apparatus main body. A driving force receiving portion that receives the driving force transmitted from the image forming apparatus main body side by friction and rotates together with the driving force receiving portion and is detected by the rotation speed detecting means, and the rotation of the driving force receiving portion is detected. And a detected part for detecting the number.

  Then, the toner supply container is detachably attached to the image forming apparatus main body, the driving force receiving portion of the toner supply container is connected to the drive transmission portion on the image forming apparatus main body side, and the driving force is transmitted from the image forming apparatus main body side by friction. In response, the developing means provided in the main body of the image forming apparatus is replenished with stored toner, and the detected part of the toner replenishing container that rotates together with the driving force receiving part is detected by the rotational speed detecting means on the main body of the image forming apparatus. Thus, the rotational speed of the driving force receiving portion is detected.

In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the invention according to claim 7 is a developing means provided in the image forming apparatus main body by detachably attaching to the image forming apparatus main body and receiving a driving force from the image forming apparatus main body side. In a toner supply container for supplying stored toner to
A driving force receiving portion coupled to the drive transmission portion of the image forming apparatus main body and receiving a driving force from the image forming apparatus main body by friction, and rotating together with the driving force receiving portion to rotate the image forming apparatus main body. And a detected part for detecting the number of rotations of the driving force receiving part by detecting with a number detecting means.

  The toner supply container is detachably attached to the image forming apparatus main body, the driving force receiving portion is connected to the drive transmitting portion on the image forming apparatus main body side, and the driving force is transmitted from the image forming apparatus main body side by friction. Then, the toner stored in the developing means provided in the image forming apparatus main body is replenished, and the detected part rotating together with the driving force receiving part is detected by the rotation speed detecting means on the image forming apparatus main body side to rotate the driving force receiving part. Detect the number.

In order to achieve the above-described object, the invention according to claim 8 is a process cartridge which is detachably attached to an image forming apparatus main body and driven by receiving a driving force from the image forming apparatus main body side.
A driving force receiving portion coupled to the drive transmission portion of the image forming apparatus main body and receiving a driving force from the image forming apparatus main body by friction, and rotating together with the driving force receiving portion to rotate the image forming apparatus main body. And a detected part for detecting the number of rotations of the driving force receiving part by detecting with a number detecting means.

  The process cartridge is detachably attached to the image forming apparatus main body, the driving force receiving portion is connected to the drive transmitting portion on the image forming apparatus main body side, and the driving force is transmitted from the image forming apparatus main body side by friction to drive. In addition, the rotational speed of the driving force receiving portion is detected by detecting the detected portion that rotates together with the driving force receiving portion by the rotational speed detecting means on the image forming apparatus main body side.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, the driven transmission component is detachably attached to the image forming apparatus main body, the driving force receiving portion of the driven transmission component is connected to the drive transmission portion on the image forming apparatus main body side, and friction is generated. Because the drive force is transmitted from the image forming apparatus main body side to drive the driven transmission component, when the driven transmission component is attached to the image forming apparatus main body, it is not necessary to align the rotation direction and simply connect them. The driven transmission component can be easily attached.

  Further, there is no backlash, and the driving force can be transmitted from the image forming apparatus main body to the driven transmission component without time lag. Further, there is no abnormal noise or vibration due to meshing, and it is possible to perform drive control such as inversion and stop without applying a load to the image forming apparatus main body.

  In addition, the rotational speed of the driving force receiving portion is detected by detecting the detected portion of the driven transmission component that rotates together with the driving force receiving portion by the rotational speed detecting means on the image forming apparatus main body side. Even if there is a case where toner or dust adheres to the connecting part composed of the drive transmission part and the drive transmission part from the image forming apparatus main body side to the driven transmission part is not properly performed, It is possible to detect an abnormality from the output signal of the number detection means and notify the user or service man to clean the connecting part or replace the driven transmission part, thereby driving the driven transmission part appropriately at all times. it can.

  According to the second aspect of the present invention, the driving force is transmitted from the image forming apparatus main body side by friction to drive the toner replenishing container, and the toner stored in the developing means provided in the image forming apparatus main body is replenished. It is possible to easily attach the toner replenishing container to the image forming apparatus main body without properly aligning the directions, and to appropriately replenish the stored toner to the developing means.

  According to the third aspect of the present invention, the stored toner is replenished to the developing means by transmitting the driving force from the image forming apparatus main body side and rotating the container main body of the toner replenishing container. The toner can be agitated and transported with a simple configuration, with a low rotational torque, and with a stable torque load regardless of the state of the stored toner.

  According to the fourth aspect of the invention, since the process cartridge is driven by transmitting the driving force from the image forming apparatus main body side by friction, the process cartridge is attached to the image forming apparatus main body without the need for alignment in the rotation direction. As a result, the process cartridge can be driven appropriately.

  According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, when the driven transmission component is attached to the image forming apparatus main body and the driving force receiving portion of the driven transmission component is coupled to the drive transmitting portion on the image forming apparatus main body side, the engaging portion Since the drive force receiving portion and the drive transmission portion are aligned by engaging the two, the center axis of each other exactly matches and the drive force reception portion is easily connected to the drive transmission portion without misalignment. Without the occurrence of poor pressure contact at the time of transmission, reliable and accurate rotational drive transmission can be realized and the driven transmission component can be driven accurately. In particular, such a configuration is effective for a drive transmission unit that requires high rotational accuracy, such as an image carrier.

  According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, the toner replenishing container is detachably attached to the image forming apparatus main body, the driving force receiving portion of the toner replenishing container is connected to the drive transmitting portion on the image forming apparatus main body side, and the image is generated by friction. Since the stored toner is replenished to the developing means provided in the image forming apparatus body by receiving transmission of driving force from the forming apparatus body side, it is necessary to align the rotational direction when attaching the toner replenishing container to the image forming apparatus body. It is possible to easily connect the toner replenishing container without any problem.

  Further, unlike the gear, there is no backlash, and the driving force can be transmitted from the image forming apparatus main body to the toner supply container without time lag. Further, there is no abnormal noise or vibration due to meshing, and it is possible to perform drive control such as inversion and stop without applying a load to the image forming apparatus main body.

  In addition, the rotational speed of the driving force receiving portion is detected by detecting the detected portion of the toner supply container that rotates together with the driving force receiving portion by the rotational speed detecting means on the image forming apparatus main body side. Even if the drive transmission from the image forming apparatus main body side to the toner replenishing container is not properly performed, an abnormality is detected from the output signal of the rotation speed detecting means, and the user or service person is notified to notify the connecting portion. Therefore, the toner supply container can be always driven appropriately.

  According to the seventh aspect of the present invention, the toner replenishing container is detachably attached to the image forming apparatus main body, the driving force receiving portion is connected to the drive transmission portion on the image forming apparatus main body side, and the image forming apparatus main body is caused by friction. Since the toner stored in the developing means provided in the image forming apparatus main body is replenished by receiving the driving force transmitted from the side, it is not necessary to align the rotation direction when attaching to the image forming apparatus main body. The toner supply container can be easily attached.

  Further, according to the toner supply container of the seventh aspect, unlike the gear, there is no backlash, and the driving force can be transmitted from the image forming apparatus main body without time lag. Further, there is no abnormal noise or vibration due to meshing, and it is possible to perform drive control such as inversion and stop without applying a load to the image forming apparatus main body.

  In addition, since the rotational speed of the driving force receiving portion is detected by detecting the detected portion that rotates together with the driving force receiving portion by the rotational speed detecting means on the image forming apparatus main body side, the image forming apparatus main body is temporarily detected due to contamination of the connecting portion. Even if the drive transmission from the side is not properly performed, an abnormality is detected from the output signal of the rotation speed detection means on the image forming apparatus main body side and notified to the user or service person. It is urged to clean, replace the toner supply container, etc., so that it can always be driven appropriately.

  According to the eighth aspect of the present invention, the process cartridge is detachably attached to the image forming apparatus main body, the driving force receiving portion is connected to the drive transmitting portion on the image forming apparatus main body side, and the image forming apparatus main body side is caused by friction. Therefore, when attaching to the image forming apparatus main body, it is not necessary to perform alignment in the rotation direction, and it is possible to easily connect and facilitate attachment of the process cartridge.

  Further, according to the process cartridge of the eighth aspect, unlike the gear, there is no backlash, and the driving force can be transmitted from the image forming apparatus main body without time lag. Further, there is no abnormal noise or vibration due to meshing, and it is possible to perform drive control such as inversion and stop without applying a load to the image forming apparatus main body.

  In addition, since the rotational speed of the driving force receiving portion is detected by detecting the detected portion that rotates together with the driving force receiving portion by the rotational speed detecting means on the image forming apparatus main body side, the image forming apparatus main body is temporarily detected due to contamination of the connecting portion. Even if the drive transmission from the side to the process cartridge may not be properly performed, an abnormality is detected from the output signal of the rotation speed detection means on the image forming apparatus main body side, and the user or service person is notified. This facilitates cleaning of the connecting portion, replacement of the process cartridge, and the like, so that it can always be driven appropriately.

The best mode for carrying out the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 shows an overall schematic configuration of an internal mechanism of an electrophotographic copying machine as an example of an image forming apparatus.

(Electrophotographic Copying Machine) In FIG. 1, reference numeral 100 denotes an electrophotographic copying machine main body (hereinafter referred to as “apparatus main body”) which is an image forming apparatus main body. A document 101 is placed on the document glass 102. A light image corresponding to the image information is formed on the electrophotographic photosensitive drum 104 by the plurality of mirrors M and the lens Ln of the optical unit 103.

  Reference numerals 105 to 108 denote sheet feeding cassettes. Of the recording media (hereinafter referred to as “paper”) P loaded in these paper feed cassettes 105 to 108, an optimum paper is selected from information input by the user from the operation unit 100a shown in FIG. , Selection is made from the paper size information of the paper cassettes 105-108. Here, the recording medium is not limited to paper, and for example, an OHP film can be used.

  Then, one sheet P conveyed by the sheet feeding / separating devices 105 </ b> A to 108 </ b> A is conveyed to the registration roller 110 via the conveying unit 109, and the rotation timing of the photosensitive drum 104 and the scanning timing of the optical unit 103 are conveyed. Are transported in synchronization. Reference numerals 111 and 112 denote a transfer discharger and a separation discharger. Here, the toner image formed on the photosensitive drum 104 is transferred onto the paper P by the transfer discharger 111. Then, the separation discharger 112 separates the paper P on which the toner image is transferred from the photosensitive drum 104.

  Thereafter, the sheet P conveyed by the conveying unit 113 is fixed to the toner image on the sheet by heat and pressure in the fixing unit 114, and then passes through the paper discharge reversing unit 115 in the case of single-sided copying. The paper is discharged to the paper discharge tray 117 by the paper roller 116. In the case of multiple copying, the same path as in the case of single-sided copying after being conveyed to the registration roller 110 via the refeed conveyance paths 119 and 120 under the control of the flapper 118 of the paper discharge reversing unit 115. Are discharged to the paper discharge tray 117.

  In the case of duplex copying, a part of the paper P passes through the paper discharge reversing unit 115 and is once discharged out of the apparatus by the paper discharge roller 116. After that, the end of the paper P passes through the flapper 118, and the flapper 118 is controlled at the timing when it is still nipped by the paper discharge roller 116. Is done. Further, after being conveyed to the registration roller 110 via the re-feed conveyance units 119 and 120, the sheet is discharged to the sheet discharge tray 117 along the same path as in the case of single-sided copying.

  Meanwhile, in the apparatus main body 100 having the above-described configuration, a developing unit 201, a cleaner unit 202, a primary charger 203, and the like are disposed around the photosensitive drum 104. Here, the developing unit 201 develops the electrostatic latent image formed on the photosensitive drum 104 by the optical unit 103 with the information of the document 101 using toner. A toner supply container 1 for supplying toner to the developing unit 201 is detachably provided on the apparatus main body 100 by a user.

  Here, the developing unit 201 includes a toner hopper 201a and a developing device 201b. The toner hopper 201a has an agitating member 201c for agitating the toner replenished from the toner replenishing container 1. The toner stirred by the stirring member 201c is sent to the developing device 201b by the magnet roller 201d. The developing device 201b includes a developing roller 201f and a feeding member 201e. The toner sent from the toner hopper 201a by the magnet roller 201d is sent to the developing roller 201f by the feeding member 201e, and is supplied to the photosensitive drum 104 by the developing roller 201f.

  The cleaner unit 202 is for removing toner remaining on the photosensitive drum 104. The primary charger 203 is for charging the photosensitive drum 104.

  FIG. 2 shows the appearance of the copying machine, and FIG. 3 shows an enlarged view of the toner supply container replacement cover opened.

  When the user opens the toner supply container replacement cover 15 (hereinafter referred to as a replacement cover), which is a part of the outer cover shown in FIG. 2, around the hinge 18 as shown in FIG. 3, the container cradle 50 is driven. It is pulled out to a predetermined position by a system (not shown). Then, the toner supply container 1 is installed on the container cradle 50. When the user takes out the toner replenishing container 1 from the apparatus main body 100, the toner replenishing container 1 placed on the drawn-out container receiving base 50 is taken out. Here, the replacement cover 15 is a dedicated cover for attaching and detaching (replacing) the toner supply container 1 and is opened and closed only for attaching and detaching the toner supply container 1. The maintenance of the apparatus main body 100 is performed by opening and closing the front cover 100c.

  Note that the toner supply container 1 may be directly installed in the apparatus main body 100 and removed from the apparatus main body 100 without using the container cradle 50.

  FIG. 4A is a perspective view showing an example of a toner replenishing container which is a driven transmission part in the present invention. FIG. 5B is a partial cross-sectional view showing the configuration of the driving force receiving portion of the toner supply container.

  (Toner Supply Container) The toner bottle 1A, which is a toner supply container main body, is formed in a substantially cylindrical shape, and has an opening 1a having a smaller diameter than the cylindrical portion at the center of one end surface thereof. The opening 1a is provided with a sealing member 2 for closing the opening 1a, and the opening and closing operation of the opening 1a is performed by sliding the sealing member 2 in the axial direction of the toner bottle 1A. Yes. A friction resistance member 3 is provided at the front end of the sealing member 2 and is connected to a drive transmission portion on the apparatus main body 100 side, which will be described later, to form a driving force receiving portion that receives a driving force from the apparatus main body 100 side by friction. To do. The frictional resistance member 3 is configured to perform a function of pressing the surface of a drive transmission unit in the apparatus main body 100 and transmitting rotational driving to the toner bottle 1 </ b> A by a press contact unit (described later) provided in the apparatus main body 100. .

Next, the internal configuration of the toner bottle 1A will be described.
The toner bottle 1 </ b> A has a substantially cylindrical shape, is arranged in a substantially horizontal direction in the image forming apparatus main body, and is configured to rotate the toner bottle 1 </ b> A upon receiving rotational driving from the apparatus main body 100. A spiral protrusion 1c is provided on the inner surface of the toner bottle 1A. By rotating the toner bottle 1A, the toner is conveyed in the axial direction along the spiral protrusion 1c, and the toner is discharged from the opening 1a provided on the end surface of the toner bottle 1A.

  The configuration inside the toner bottle 1A is not particularly limited as long as the toner bottle 1A rotates to discharge the toner, and the shape and configuration are not particularly limited. The projection 1c may be formed, or may have other configurations. Incidentally, FIG. 4 shows an example of a toner bottle 1A, which is the most general configuration, in which a spiral protrusion 1c is formed inside the bottle.

  In addition, the type of driving in the present invention is not limited to the rotational driving as described above, and is not particularly limited as long as the toner replenishing container is vibrated or shaken or toner is replenished by other driving methods. The kind of drive is not ask | required. That is, as long as the toner replenishing container 1 discharges toner by receiving driving from the apparatus main body 100, the driving may be any of rotation, swinging, and vibration.

  The toner bottle 1A has an opening 1a on one end surface, and a drive shaft 1b provided integrally with the toner bottle 1A in the opening 1a protrudes from the opening 1a. The drive shaft 1b is positioned substantially on the central axis of the opening 1a and is configured to engage with an engagement hole 2a provided in the sealing member 2. Since the drive shaft 1b is for transmitting the rotational driving force from the apparatus main body 100 to the toner bottle 1A via the sealing member 2, the sectional shape of the driving shaft 1b can transmit the rotational driving force. The shape is a square shape, an H-cut shape, a D-cut shape, or the like.

(Sealing member, rotation speed detection) Next, the sealing member 2 and the rotation speed detection means will be described with reference to FIG. In FIG. 5, (A) is a front view of the sealing member, (B) is a view taken in the direction of arrow A in (A), and (C) is a front sectional view of (A).

  5A to 5C, reference numeral 2b denotes a sealing portion that seals the opening 1a that is a toner discharge port of the toner supply container 1 so that the toner can be opened. The outer diameter of the sealing portion 2b is set to be an appropriate amount larger than the inner diameter of the opening 1a. And the sealing member 2 seals the opening part 1a by press-fitting this sealing part 2b to the opening part 1a.

  By the way, the sealing member 2 has an engagement hole 2a for engaging with the drive shaft 1b and transmitting the drive force received from the apparatus main body 100 to the drive shaft 1b (FIG. 4). The engagement hole 2a is configured by an opening (hole) formed over the formation portion of the sealing portion 2b and the pressure contact means engagement portion 2c. Here, the engagement hole 2a has a shape corresponding to the cross-sectional shape of the drive shaft 1b and is formed slightly larger than the drive shaft 1b. As a result, the drive shaft 1b is loosely fitted into the engagement hole 2a.

  The drive shaft 1b is loosely fitted in the engagement hole 2a in this way, whereby the toner bottle 1A and the sealing member 2 are locked to each other in the rotation direction of the toner bottle 1A, while the axial direction Are configured to be movable with respect to each other. As a result, when the toner replenishing container is mounted, the sealing member 2 and the toner bottle 1A can be separated as will be described later, and the opening 1a, which is a toner replenishing port, can be opened (opened).

  By the way, the engagement length between the engagement hole 2a and the drive shaft 1b has a length that does not come off when the sealing member 2 and the toner bottle 1A are separated from each other. Thereby, even if the sealing member 2 is separated from the toner bottle 1 </ b> A, the drive shaft 1 b can receive a driving force via the sealing member 2.

  Such a sealing member 2 is preferably manufactured by injection-molding a resin such as plastic, but other materials and manufacturing methods may be arbitrarily divided and joined. Further, the sealing member 2 is required to have an appropriate elasticity in order to press-fit and seal the toner supply opening 1a. The material is most preferably low density polyethylene, and then polypropylene, nylon, high density polyethylene and the like can be preferably used.

  Further, when the sealing member 2 rotates in response to the driving from the apparatus main body 100, the rod-shaped detected portion 2e protruding in the radial direction from the periphery rotates, and a photo interrupter (not shown) which is an example of the rotation number detecting means. The number of revolutions is detected. The detected portion 2e is provided so as to protrude from the sealing member 2, and rotates together with the frictional resistance member 3 forming the driving force receiving portion and is detected by the rotation number detecting means, thereby detecting the rotation number of the driving force receiving portion. Is provided. When the detected rotational speed is abnormal, the user or service person is notified to prompt the cleaning of the connecting portion or the replacement of the toner supply container 1, and the toner supply container 1 is always driven appropriately.

(Friction Resistance Member of Drive Transmission Unit) Next, the friction resistance member of the drive transmission unit will be described with reference to FIG.
6A is an enlarged perspective view of the drive transmission unit, and FIG. 6B is an enlarged front view of the drive transmission unit.

  The sealing member 2 in FIG. 6A is as described above, but the friction resistance member 3 is provided at the tip thereof, and when the toner supply container 1 is attached to the apparatus main body 100, the toner supply container 1 The driving force receiving portion and the drive transmitting portion of the apparatus main body 100 are brought into a pressure contact state. The frictional resistance member 3 is pressed against the drive transmission unit 30 provided at the front end of the main body drive unit 20 by a press contact means 24 (see FIG. 8), which will be described later, provided on the apparatus main body 100, and the main body drive unit 20 and the sealing member. 2 are pressed so as to be able to transmit drive (see FIGS. 6B and 8B). In this state, when driving is applied to the main body driving unit 20, the driving is transmitted through the sealing member 2 in the manner described above.

  In the illustrated example, the friction resistance member 3 is provided at the tip of the sealing member 2 on the toner bottle 1A side. However, for example, the friction resistance member 3 is arranged at the tip of the main body drive unit 20. Alternatively, the friction resistance member 3 may be arranged in both the main body driving unit 20 and the pressure contact portion of the toner bottle side sealing member 2. In this example, an example in which a friction resistance member is provided on the toner supply container side, which is the most preferable configuration, is shown.

  In addition, as in this example, when the frictional resistance member is arranged on only one side, the contact area of the frictional resistance member is reduced even if a slight misalignment occurs if the counterpart drive transmission portion has the same shape as the frictional resistance member. Therefore, the load per unit area applied to the frictional resistance member increases, and more preferably, the counterpart drive transmission unit can completely include the frictional resistance member and can be covered even when it is displaced. If it is made larger, the function can be exerted without any problems even when there is a slight misalignment.

(Toner Replacement Container Replacement Method) Next, a toner replacement container replacement method will be described.
When almost all of the toner in the toner supply container 1 is consumed in accordance with the image forming process, a display means 100b (such as liquid crystal) is detected by detection by a toner supply container empty detection means (not shown) provided in the apparatus main body 100. 2 and 3), the user is informed that the toner in the toner supply container 1 has run out.

  In this example, the replacement of the toner supply container 1 is performed by the user himself, and the procedure is as follows. FIG. 7 shows the above-described copying machine viewed from above.

  First, as shown in FIGS. 2, 3, and 7, the replacement cover 15 in the closed state is opened by rotating around the hinge 18. The toner bottle 1A is moved in the direction opposite to the arrow b from FIG. 8C by a toner replenishing portion opening / closing means described later in conjunction with the opening operation of the replacement cover 15, and is separated from the toner bottle 1A until then. The sealing member 2 that has been in a state of opening the toner supply opening 1a is press-fitted into the toner supply opening 1a, and the toner supply opening 1a is closed (see FIG. 8B). Subsequently, when a sensor (not shown) detects the return of the slide member 300, the press contact means 24 moves backward.

  Next, the user pulls out the toner replenishing container 1 with no toner attached to the apparatus main body 100 in the direction opposite to the direction of arrow a shown in FIG. Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 8A, the user inserts a new toner supply container 1 into the apparatus main body 100 in the direction of arrow a (see FIG. 8B), and then closes the replacement cover 15. . In conjunction with the operation of closing the replacement cover 15, first, the pressure contact means 24 engages the sealing member 2, the slide member 300 moves rightward, and the sealing member 2 is separated from the toner bottle 1 </ b> A. The opening 1a which is a supply port is opened (see FIG. 8C). The above is the procedure for replacing the toner supply container.

  Note that the mounting method shown in FIG. 7 is most suitable in view of the pressure contact of the drive transmission portion by the pressure contact means 24 described later. 7, the toner replenishing container main body 1 is inserted or pulled out almost horizontally straight from the operator side to the back side of the apparatus main body 100 (lower left side in the figure), as shown in FIG.

  (Description of Replenishment Operation) Next, the replenishment operation of the toner replenishing container will be described with reference to FIG.

  FIG. 8 is a view showing the state of the process of inserting the toner bottle 1 </ b> A into the apparatus main body 100 and supplying the toner at each stage. In the figure, m is a drive motor provided in the apparatus main body 100, and is configured to rotationally drive the drive unit 20 connected to the toner supply container 1 side via a pair of intermediate gears 21. The drive unit 20 is provided with a drive transmission unit 30 to which the frictional resistance member 3 provided on the toner supply container 1 side is pressed. Here, the drive unit 20 has a drive transmission unit 30 fixed to the tip of a drive shaft 20b supported at both ends so as not to move in the axial direction on a bearing 20a (only one side is shown) mounted on the apparatus main body 100. The small gear of the pair of intermediate gears 21 is fixed to the shaft of the drive motor m, and the large gear is fixed to the drive shaft 20b.

  8A is a view showing a state in which the toner bottle 1A is inserted into the apparatus main body 100. FIG. At this time, an opening 1 a is provided at one end surface of the front end of the toner bottle 1 A, and the opening 1 a is in a state of being sealed by the sealing member 2.

  FIG. 8B shows a state where the toner bottle 1A is further inserted and the frictional resistance member 3 provided at the tip of the sealing member 2 is in pressure contact with the drive transmission unit 30 of the drive unit 20 on the apparatus main body 100 side. . The pressure contact between the drive transmission unit 30 and the frictional resistance member 3 on the toner supply container 1 side is performed by an insertion operation when the user inserts the toner bottle 1A, and at the same time, a pressure contact means 24 (see FIG. 9 (c)) maintains the pressure contact state of the drive transmission unit 30 and the frictional resistance member 3 that is the drive force receiving unit, and therefore the sealing member 2 moves away from the drive transmission unit 30. In order to prevent this, the relative position of the sealing member 2 to the drive transmission unit 30 is fixed. By adopting such a configuration, the drive transmission unit 30 is not separated, and an appropriate frictional force by the frictional resistance member 3 acts on the drive transmission unit 30, so that reliable drive transmission can be achieved without problems such as drive transmission failure. Is possible.

  8C, the sealing member 2 and the drive unit 20 are slid in conjunction with the closing operation of the main body front cover (not shown) after the frictional resistance member 3 of the toner supply container 1 and the drive transmission unit 30 are in pressure contact with each other. When the member 300 moves back in the arrow b direction, the toner bottle 1A also moves back, and the toner replenishable state is shown in which the sealing member 2 is relatively separated from the toner bottle 1A and the opening 1a is opened. At this time, the drive shaft 1 b of the toner bottle 1 </ b> A is not completely detached from the sealing member 2, and a part remains in the sealing member 2. The cross-sectional shape of the drive shaft 1b is a non-circular cross-section, such as a quadrangle or a triangle, which can transmit rotational drive. Here, the toner bottle 1 </ b> A is supported in a rectangular shape by a bottle receiving roller 23 provided in a toner supply device portion of the apparatus main body 100. Therefore, the toner bottle 1A is rotatable on the bottle receiving roller 23 and is movable in the axial direction.

(Pressure contact means) In the present invention, since the driving force is transmitted using the frictional force of the frictional resistance member 3, the toner is supplied to the drive transmission unit 30 of the apparatus main body 100 so that the transmission is reliably performed at the time of driving transmission. Since it is necessary to press the friction resistance member 3 provided in the driving force receiving portion of the container 1 to some extent, in this example, a pressing means 24 as shown in FIGS. 8 and 9 is provided.

  As shown in FIG. 9C, the press contact means 24 has an inverted U-shaped engagement portion for engaging with the press contact means engagement portion 2 c of the sealing member 2. And is configured to be movable in the arrow direction cd. When the toner supply container 1 is attached or detached, the pressure contact means 24 is positioned in the direction indicated by the arrow d, and the sealing member 2 fitted to the toner supply container 1 is detachable. When the attachment / detachment is completed and the toner bottle 1A is driven from the apparatus main body 100, the pressure contact means 24 moves in the direction c of the arrow, and the pressure contact means provided on the sealing member 2 of the toner supply container 1 The sealing member 2 enters the engagement portion 2c, is locked, and the relative position with the drive transmission portion 30 is fixed so as to maintain the pressure contact state with the drive transmission portion of the apparatus main body 100. In this example, when the press contact means 24 enters the press contact means engaging portion 2c of the sealing member 2, the C surface for guiding is sealed so that the press contact means 24 does not interfere with the press contact means engaging portion 2c. The member 2 is configured to be provided. Here, the press contact means engaging portion 2 c is a circumferential groove provided in the sealing member 2.

  In addition, by providing the pressure contact means 24 with a convex portion 24b for pressing the sealing member 2 against the drive transmission portion 30 side of the apparatus main body 100 so that a more reliable pressure contact action can be obtained, Even when the pressing is insufficient or the pressure contact force is insufficient due to the dimensional difference of the sealing member 2, the frictional resistance member 3 is securely pressed and problems such as drive transmission failure can be eliminated. Here, the pressure contact means 24 is rigidly supported on the base side outside the drawing, and the convex portion 24b is smoothly curved, and the top thereof is placed on the side surface 2c1 side of the pressure contact means engaging portion 2c as shown in FIG. It is inserted in the non-engagement position. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 9B, the convex portion 24b is pushed by the side surface 2c1, and the press contact means 24 is elastically deformed.

  With respect to the pressure contact force of the drive transmission unit 30 by the pressure contact means 24, the load applied to the friction resistance member 3 during drive transmission, the type of drive, the drive speed, and the friction resistance member Depending on the shape / size, other design / manufacturing restrictions, etc., it can be designed to have the optimum strength as appropriate.

  Next, with respect to the moving mechanism of the pressure contact means 24, the pressure contact means 24 moves in the direction of the arrow c when the front cover is closed in conjunction with the opening / closing operation of the front cover of the image forming apparatus main body (not shown). The sealing member 2 may be configured to enter the pressure contact means engaging portion 2c and perform pressure contact, and move in the direction of the arrow d when the front cover is opened, or an independent pressure contact operation using a separate drive motor or the like. It is possible to adopt a configuration that does not interlock with the front cover of the main body of the apparatus, but provides a separate manual lever and performs a pressure contact operation in conjunction with this. I do not care.

  Next, when the motor m is driven in this state, the rotational driving force is transmitted to the main body driving unit 20 via the pair of intermediate gears 21 and the driving shaft 20b, and is transmitted from the main body driving unit 20 to the sealing member 2, Further, the toner bottle 1A is rotated by being transmitted from the sealing member 2 to the bottle drive shaft 1b. That is, the sealing member 2 performs two functions of sealing the toner and transmitting the rotational driving force of the toner bottle 1A. Further, since the toner bottle 1A is rotatably supported by the bottle receiving roller 23, the toner bottle 1A can rotate smoothly even with a slight driving torque.

  Further, the bottle receiving roller 23 may be configured so that the eccentricity at the time of bottle rotation can be absorbed by a spring member or the like. In such a case, high accuracy is not required for centering when the drive unit is joined, and the replenishment operation and the main body configuration can be simplified.

  Further, the count is integrated in the apparatus main body 100 every time the detected portion 2e provided on the sealing member 2 crosses a photo interrupter (rotation speed detecting means) (not shown). The counted value is compared with a toner replenishment signal issued by the apparatus main body 100, and it is always monitored whether the rotation state of the sealing member 2 with respect to the replenishment signal is appropriate. If the drive transmission from the apparatus main body 100 to the driving force receiving portion is not properly performed, the image forming process of the image forming apparatus is stopped and the driving force receiving portion is cleaned by the operation unit 100a of the image forming apparatus. It has a mechanism to display a prompt message. By such a measure, the device main body 100 is not properly transmitted to the toner supply container 1 to prevent the image deterioration and the like from occurring.

  In the above-described example, the toner replenishing container replacement cover 15 is provided on the side surface of the apparatus main body 100 and opened and closed around the hinge 18. However, for example, as shown in FIG. 10, the replacement cover 15 is formed including the top surface of the apparatus main body 100, and the toner supply container 1 is opened from the front side as shown in FIG. It may be attached in the direction shown and closed as shown in (B).

  Further, as shown in FIG. 11, a replacement cover 15 is formed on the front side of the apparatus main body 100, and is opened to the front side as shown in FIG. May be attached and closed as shown in FIG. Similarly to the above-described example, 1A in the figure is a toner bottle and 1a is an opening.

  FIG. 12 shows the overall schematic structure of the internal mechanism of a laser beam printer according to another embodiment of the present invention. 13 is a schematic explanatory diagram of a process cartridge provided in the image forming apparatus, FIG. 14 is an external perspective view of the process cartridge, and FIG. 15 is an explanatory diagram of a process cartridge mounting configuration.

  As shown in FIG. 12, the laser beam printer A irradiates a drum-shaped electrophotographic photosensitive member with a laser light image based on image information from an optical unit 103 to form a latent image on the photosensitive member. The image is developed to form a toner image. In synchronism with the formation of the toner image, the paper P, which is a recording medium, is transported from the paper feed cassette 31a by the transport means 31 including the pickup roller 31b, the feed roller 31c, the transport roller pair 31d, the registration roller pair 31e, and the like. The toner image formed on the photosensitive drum 7 formed into a cartridge as the process cartridge B is transferred to the paper P by applying a voltage to the transfer roller 4 as a transfer means, and the paper P is guided by the guide plate 31f. It is conveyed to the fixing unit 5. The fixing unit 5 includes a driving roller 5a and a fixing roller 5c including a heater 5b. The fixing unit 5 applies heat and pressure to the passing paper P to fix the transferred toner image. The sheet P is transported by the pair of discharge rollers 31g and 31h and discharged to the discharge unit 6 through the reverse transfer path. The laser beam printer A can also be manually fed by a manual feed tray 31i and a roller 31j.

  On the other hand, the process cartridge B includes an electrophotographic photosensitive member and at least one process means. Here, as the process means, for example, a charging means 8 for charging the electrophotographic photosensitive member, a developing means 10 for developing a latent image formed on the electrophotographic photosensitive member, and a toner remaining on the surface of the electrophotographic photosensitive member are cleaned. Cleaning means 11 and the like. As shown in FIGS. 13 and 14, the process cartridge B rotates a photosensitive drum 7 having a photosensitive layer which is an electrophotographic photosensitive member, and uniformly charges the surface thereof by applying a voltage to the charging unit 8. Information light from the optical unit 103 is exposed to the photosensitive drum 7 through the exposure opening 9 to form a latent image and developed by the developing unit 10.

  The developing means 10 feeds the toner in the toner storage portion 10a by the feeding member 10b, rotates the developing roller 10d having the fixed magnet 10c built therein, and rotates the toner layer to which the triboelectric charge is applied by the developing blade 10e. The toner image is formed on the surface and transferred to the photosensitive drum 7 in accordance with the latent image to form a toner image to be a visible image. Then, after the toner image is transferred to the paper P by applying a voltage having a polarity opposite to that of the toner image to the transfer roller 4, the toner remaining on the photosensitive drum 7 is scraped off by the cleaning blade 11a and scooped by the squeeze sheet 11b. The residual toner on the photosensitive drum 7 is removed by the cleaning means 11 that collects and collects in the removed toner reservoir 11c.

  Each member such as the photosensitive drum 7 forms a developing unit by welding a toner container 12a that stores toner and a developing frame 12b that holds a developing member such as the developing roller 10d, and this is configured as a cleaning frame. A cartridge mounted on a printer main body (hereinafter referred to as “device main body”) 13 is stored in a cartridge frame formed by coupling a cleaning unit having a photosensitive drum 7 and cleaning means 11 attached to the body 12c. It is detachably attached to the means.

  When the opening / closing cover 14 is opened centering on the shaft 14a shown in FIG. 12, the cartridge mounting means is mounted with the cartridge mounting guide members 32 facing each other on the left and right sides of the cartridge mounting space (see FIG. 15). FIG. 13 shows only one side surface), and the left and right guide members 32 are provided with a guide portion that serves as a guide when the process cartridge B is inserted. The process cartridge B is mounted on the image forming apparatus A by inserting and inserting a boss projecting from both sides in the longitudinal direction of the cartridge frame into the guide portion and closing the opening / closing cover 14. When the process cartridge B is mounted on the image forming apparatus A, as will be described later, the frictional resistance member provided in the cartridge side driving force receiving portion and the drive transmission portion on the main body side are brought into pressure contact with each other. 7 etc. can be rotated by receiving a drive from the apparatus main body 13.

(Configuration of Drive Transmission Unit) Next, the configuration of the drive transmission means that is a drive transmission mechanism from the apparatus main body 113 to the process cartridge B will be described.
As shown in FIGS. 16 and 17, a frictional resistance member 3 forming a driving force receiving portion is provided at one end portion of the photosensitive drum 7. As shown in FIG. 14, the frictional resistance member 3 is attached to the flange 16 and provided on one side of the process cartridge B.

  On the other hand, a main body side drive transmission unit 30 is provided on the apparatus main body 13 side. The drive transmission unit 30 on the main body side is provided with a drive shaft 27 at a position coinciding with the photosensitive drum rotation axis when the process cartridge B is inserted. The drive shaft 27 is rotationally transmitted through a transmission gear 34 that meshes with the pinion gear 33 of the motor 19 and can be driven to rotate. A drive transmission unit 30 on the main body side is formed at the tip of the drive shaft 27. The drive shaft 27 is supported by a bearing (not shown) provided in the apparatus main body 13.

  As shown in FIG. 17, a transmission gear 34 is fixed to the drive shaft 27, and the transmission gear 34 and the pinion gear 33 are constituted by a helical gear. This helical gear has teeth with an inclination angle that causes the transmission gear 34 to generate a thrust in the direction of arrow a in FIG. 17 when the drive shaft 27 is rotated in the rotational direction during image formation. As a result, the drive shaft 27 integral with the transmission gear 34 is pressed toward the photosensitive drum 7, and the friction is provided on the side of the photosensitive drum 7 and the drive transmission portion 30, which is a magnetic member provided on the surface of the drive shaft 27. The resistance member 3 is in pressure contact.

  At this time, in order to further improve the positional accuracy between the photosensitive drum 7 and the drive shaft 27 on the main body drive side, as shown in FIGS. A configuration may be employed in which the center 30b is provided and fitted into the center hole 3h of the flange 16 provided as the engaging portion. As a result, the center axes of the two can be accurately matched, and a reliable and highly accurate rotational drive transmission can be realized without causing poor pressure contact during drive transmission. Such a configuration is particularly effective for a drive transmission unit that requires high rotational accuracy, such as the photosensitive drum 7.

  The flange 16 is fitted and fixed to the end of the photosensitive drum 7 having a photosensitive layer on the outer periphery of the hollow aluminum cylinder. The friction resistance member 3 concentric with the center hole 3h has a hole larger than the center hole 3h.

  Further, this configuration may be applied to the toner supply container described above, or may be applied to other drive transmission units.

  As shown in FIG. 18 (A), the opening / closing cover 14 is attached with an arc-shaped release member 35 centering on the shaft 14a, and the distal end portion of the release member 35 is shown in FIG. 18 (B). In addition, a cam portion 35a that is gradually thickened is formed. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 19, when the opening / closing cover 14 is opened to remove the process cartridge B, the cam portion 35a enters between the wall portion 36 of the apparatus main body 13 and the transmission gear 34, and the side surface of the transmission gear 34 is Push in the direction of arrow b. As a result, the drive shaft 27 and the drive transmission portion 30 provided on the surface of the drive shaft 27 are retracted from the wall portion 36 and released from the pressure contact with the frictional resistance member 3 provided on the photosensitive drum 7, so that the process cartridge B can be removed smoothly. Done.

  By the way, in this example, although not shown in the figure, the detected portion is formed by projecting from the flange 16 of the photosensitive drum 7. Then, the detected portion of the process cartridge B rotates together with the frictional resistance member 3 forming the driving force receiving portion, and is detected by the rotation number detecting means on the side of the apparatus main body 13 including a photo interrupter (not shown). The number of rotations of the force receiving part is detected, and if there is an abnormality, it is notified to the user or service person to prompt the cleaning of the connecting part or the replacement of the process cartridge B, and the process cartridge B is always properly driven to deteriorate the image. Can be prevented from occurring.

[Other Embodiments] Next, another example of each part of the process cartridge B and the image forming apparatus will be described.
In the latter example described above, the process cartridge B is for forming a single-color image. However, the process cartridge is not only for forming a single-color image, but also provided with a plurality of developing means to provide a multi-color image (for example, The present invention can also be suitably applied to a cartridge for forming a two-color image, a three-color image, a full color, or the like.

  As the developing method, various developing methods such as a known two-component magnetic brush developing method, cascade developing method, touch-down developing method, and cloud developing method can be used.

  Further, the electrophotographic photosensitive member is not limited to the photosensitive drum, and includes, for example, the following. First, a photoconductor is used as the photoreceptor, and examples of the photoconductor include amorphous silicon, amorphous selenium, zinc oxide, titanium oxide, and organic photoconductor (OPC). The shape for mounting the photoconductor includes, for example, a rotating body such as a drum shape and a belt shape, and a sheet shape. In general, a drum-like or belt-like one is used. For example, in the case of a drum-type photoreceptor, a photoconductor is vapor-deposited or coated on a cylinder such as an aluminum alloy. It is.

  In addition, the so-called contact charging method was used in the latter example described above for the structure of the charging means. However, as another structure, a metal shield such as aluminum is provided around the three sides of the tungsten wire that has been conventionally used, and the tungsten wire is formed. Of course, a configuration in which positive or negative ions generated by applying a high voltage are moved to the surface of the photosensitive drum and the surface of the drum is uniformly charged may be used.

  In addition to the roller type, the charging unit may be a blade type (charging blade), a pad type, a block type, a rod type, a wire type, or the like.

  Further, as a means for cleaning the toner remaining on the photosensitive drum, a blade, a fur brush, a magnetic brush, or the like may be used.

  The above-described process cartridge includes, for example, an electrophotographic photosensitive member and at least one process means. Therefore, as an aspect of the process cartridge, in addition to the above-described embodiment, for example, an electrophotographic photosensitive member and a charging unit are integrally formed into a cartridge so that it can be attached to and detached from the apparatus main body. And developing means are integrated into a cartridge so that it can be attached to and detached from the apparatus main body, the electrophotographic photosensitive member and cleaning means are integrated into a cartridge so that it can be attached to and detached from the apparatus main body, and electrophotographic photosensitive There are those that combine a body and two or more of the above process means into a single cartridge that can be attached to and detached from the apparatus main body.

  In other words, the process cartridge described above is a cartridge in which at least one of a charging unit, a developing unit, and a cleaning unit and an electrophotographic photosensitive member are integrally formed so as to be detachable from the main body of the image forming apparatus. Further, it means that at least the developing means and the electrophotographic photosensitive member are integrated into a cartridge so that it can be attached to and detached from the apparatus main body.

  Further, in the above-described example, a copying machine or a printer is exemplified as the image forming apparatus. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and can naturally be used for other image forming apparatuses such as a facsimile and a word processor. It is.

  In the above-described example, the detected part is provided so as to protrude and is detected by the photo interrupter which is the rotation speed detecting means to detect the rotational speed of the driving force receiving part. The present invention is not limited to a recess, and may be a sign such as printing, and the rotation speed detection means is not limited to a photo interrupter, and may be a micro switch or the like, for example.

1 is an overall schematic configuration diagram of an internal mechanism of an electrophotographic copying machine that is an example of an image forming apparatus. 1 is an external perspective view of the electrophotographic copying machine. FIG. 3 is a partially enlarged perspective view of the electrophotographic copying machine in a state where a toner supply container is attached and detached. (A) is a partially broken perspective view of a toner supply container that is detachably attached to the electrophotographic copying machine, and (B) is a partially enlarged view thereof. (A) is a front view of the sealing member provided in the toner replenishing container, (B) is a view of the sealing member viewed from the direction of the arrow, and (C) is a longitudinal sectional view of (A). (A) is a perspective view showing a connecting portion constituted by a drive transmission portion on the apparatus main body side and a driving force receiving portion on the toner supply container side, and (B) is a front view thereof. FIG. 4 is a plan view of the apparatus main body showing a toner replenishing container attached / detached state. (A) is a state immediately before connecting the driving force receiving part on the toner supply container side to the drive transmission part on the apparatus main body side, (B) is a state before connecting and removing the sealing member, and (C) is sealing. It is a figure which shows the state after removing a member. (A) shows the state before engaging the pressure contact means with the sealing member, and (B) shows the state after engaging. (C) is a front view of a press-contact means. (A) is a partial plan view of the main body of the image forming apparatus showing a state in which a toner replenishing container replacement cover as another example is opened, and (B) is a closed state. (A) is a plan view of the main body of the image forming apparatus showing a state in which a cover for replacing a toner supply container as another example is opened, and (B) is a state in which the cover is closed. FIG. 3 is an overall schematic configuration diagram of an internal mechanism of a laser beam printer which is another example of the image forming apparatus. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of a process cartridge that is detachably attached to the laser beam printer. It is an external perspective view of the process cartridge. FIG. 6 is a partial perspective view of the laser beam printer showing a state in which an opening / closing cover is opened for attaching / detaching the process cartridge. FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing a connecting portion constituted by a drive transmission portion on the apparatus main body side and a driving force receiving portion on the process cartridge side. It is a block diagram of the connection part. (A) is a top view which shows the structure by the side of the apparatus main body of the connection part, (B) is the side view. (A) is a top view which shows the structure by the side of the apparatus main body in the state which canceled the connection of the connection part in response to opening operation of an opening-and-closing cover, (B) is the side view.

Explanation of symbols

1 Toner supply container (driven transmission parts)
1A Toner bottle (container body)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1a Opening part 1b Drive shaft 1c Helical protrusion 2 Sealing member 2e Detected part 3 Friction resistance member (driving force receiving part)
3h Center hole (engagement part)
10 Developing means 13 Printer body (image forming apparatus body)
Reference Signs List 14 Opening / Closing Cover 14a Shaft 15 Toner Supply Container Replacement Cover 16 Flange 18 Hinge 19 Motor 20 Main Body Drive Unit 23 Bottle Receiving Roller 24 Pressing Means 27 Drive Shaft 30 Drive Transmitting Unit 30b Positioning Center (engaging portion)
100 Copier body (image forming apparatus body)
300 Slide member A Laser beam printer B Process cartridge (driven transmission component)

Claims (8)

In the image forming apparatus in which the driven transmission component is detachably attached to the image forming apparatus main body, the driving force is transmitted from the image forming apparatus main body side, and the driven transmission component is driven.
While the image forming apparatus main body is provided with a drive transmission unit and a rotational speed detection means,
A driving force receiving portion coupled to the drive transmitting portion and receiving a driving force from the image forming apparatus main body side by friction connected to the driven transmission component, and rotating together with the driving force receiving portion to rotate the rotation speed detecting means An image forming apparatus comprising: a detected portion for detecting the number of rotations of the driving force receiving portion by detecting the rotation of the driving force receiving portion.   2. The toner supply container for supplying a stored toner to developing means provided in the image forming apparatus main body by receiving a driving force from the image forming apparatus main body side as the driven transmission component. The image forming apparatus described in 1.   The toner replenishing container is a toner replenishing container that replenishes toner stored in the developing unit by receiving a driving force from the image forming apparatus main body side and rotating the container main body. The image forming apparatus described.   2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a process cartridge driven by receiving a driving force from the image forming apparatus main body side is used as the driven transmission component.   5. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein an alignment engaging portion is provided in the driving force receiving portion and the drive transmission portion. 6. While the image forming apparatus main body is provided with a drive transmission unit and a rotational speed detection means,
A toner replenishing container that removably attaches to the image forming apparatus main body and receives a driving force from the image forming apparatus main body side to replenish toner stored in a developing means provided in the image forming apparatus main body. A driving force receiving portion that receives the driving force transmitted from the image forming apparatus main body side by friction and rotates together with the driving force receiving portion and is detected by the rotation speed detecting means, and the rotation of the driving force receiving portion is detected. A toner replenishing device comprising a detected portion for detecting the number. In a toner replenishing container that removably attaches to an image forming apparatus main body and replenishes toner stored in developing means provided in the image forming apparatus main body by receiving a driving force from the image forming apparatus main body side,
A driving force receiving portion coupled to the drive transmission portion of the image forming apparatus main body and receiving a driving force from the image forming apparatus main body by friction, and rotating together with the driving force receiving portion to rotate the image forming apparatus main body. A toner replenishing container comprising: a detected part for detecting the number of rotations of the driving force receiving part by detecting with a number detecting means. In a process cartridge that is detachably attached to an image forming apparatus main body and driven by receiving a driving force from the image forming apparatus main body side,
A driving force receiving portion coupled to the drive transmission portion of the image forming apparatus main body and receiving a driving force from the image forming apparatus main body by friction, and rotating together with the driving force receiving portion to rotate the image forming apparatus main body. A process cartridge comprising: a detected portion for detecting the number of rotations of the driving force receiving portion by detecting with a number detecting means.

Images