JP2006243446A - Developing device and image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent leakage of toner. <P>SOLUTION: There are provided a developer housing, accommodating a developer and provided with an opening part 24 for supplying the developer to a developing part; a shutter 38, movable with respect to the developer housing for opening/closing the opening part 24; and a sealing, member surrounding the opening part 24 to perform the sealing, when the shutter 38 is placed at the closing position to close the opening part 24. The deformation of the sealing member disappears, when the shutter 38 is placed at the closing position. Because the deformation of the sealing member disappears as the shutter 38 is placed at the closing position, the abutment surface between the sealing member, and the cartridge case 26 is made uniform, and gap will not be formed between the sealing member and the cartridge case 26. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a developing device and an image forming apparatus.

  Conventionally, in an image forming apparatus such as a printer, a copier, a facsimile machine, a multifunction machine, for example, a printer, the surface of a photosensitive drum is charged by a charging roller, and exposed by an LED head to form an electrostatic latent image. The toner thinned on the developing roller is electrostatically attached to the electrostatic latent image to form a toner image, and the toner image is transferred onto a recording medium by a transfer roller to form an image. It has become. Further, the toner remaining on the photosensitive drum after the transfer is removed by the cleaning unit.

  By the way, the photosensitive drum, the charging roller, the developing roller, the cleaning unit, and the like are unitized and are detachably disposed as a developing device with respect to the main body of the printer, and a toner cartridge containing toner is a developing device. It is detachably arranged with respect to the main body.

  FIG. 2 is a sectional view showing a conventional toner cartridge.

  As shown in the drawing, the cartridge case 26 of the toner cartridge 17 includes a toner storage unit 33 that stores unused toner, and a toner recovery unit that stores waste toner that is untransferred toner conveyed from a cleaning unit (not shown). A plurality of openings 24 are formed in the longitudinal direction of the cartridge case 26 in the bottom wall of the toner storage portion 33.

  A shutter 38 having a cylindrical shape is disposed below the toner storage portion 33, and the opening 24 can be opened and closed by rotating the shutter 38.

A seal sponge 41b is provided on the outer peripheral surface of the shutter 38 so as to surround the outer periphery of the opening 24 in order to prevent the toner from leaking from the opening 24 when the opening 24 is closed. (For example, refer to Patent Document 1).
JP 2003-50505 A

  However, in the conventional toner cartridge 17, when the end of the seal sponge 41b is turned over as the opening 24 is opened and closed, the contact surface between the seal sponge 41b and the cartridge case 26 becomes non-uniform. A gap is formed between the seal sponge 41b and the cartridge case 26.

  When vibration is applied to the toner cartridge 17 during transportation, unloading operation, etc., the toner that has entered the gap falls from the opening 24 and causes toner leakage.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a developing device and an image forming apparatus that can solve the problems of the conventional toner cartridge and prevent the occurrence of toner leakage.

  Therefore, in the developing device of the present invention, the developer is accommodated, the developer accommodating body having an opening for supplying the developer to the developing portion, and movable relative to the developer accommodating body. And a shutter that opens and closes the opening, and a seal member that surrounds and seals the opening when the shutter is closed and the opening is closed.

  The seal member is not deformed as the shutter is placed in the closed position.

  According to the present invention, in the developing device, the developer is accommodated, the developer container having an opening for supplying the developer to the developing unit, and the developer container is movable with respect to the developer container. And a shutter that opens and closes the opening, and a seal member that surrounds and seals the opening when the shutter is closed and the opening is closed.

  The seal member is not deformed as the shutter is placed in the closed position.

  In this case, since the deformation of the seal member is eliminated as the shutter is placed at the closed position, the contact surface between the seal member and the cartridge case becomes uniform, and the seal member and the cartridge case are interposed between the seal member and the cartridge case. No gap is formed. Even when vibration is applied to the developer cartridge during transportation, unloading operation, etc., the developer does not fall from the opening, and toner leakage can be prevented.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In this case, a color printer as an image forming apparatus will be described.

  FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing the main part of the printer according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

  In the figure, reference numeral 15 denotes a developing device (printing process cartridge) which is detachably attached to the main body of the printer and which extends in a direction perpendicular to the conveyance direction of a paper as a printing medium. Is a main body of the developing device, and 17 is a toner cartridge as a developer cartridge which accommodates toner as a developer and is detachably attached to the main body 16.

  The four developing devices 15 are arranged in parallel in the paper transport direction, and constitute black, yellow, magenta, and cyan image forming units. The toner cartridge 17 stores toner of each color. A transport belt 13 serving as a transport device is movably disposed along each developing device 15, and a transfer roller 14 serving as a transfer device is disposed facing each developing device 15.

  Each of the developing devices 15 includes a photosensitive drum 18 as an image carrier on which a toner image as a developer image is formed on the surface, and charging for uniformly and uniformly charging the surface of the photosensitive drum 18. A charging roller 19 as an apparatus, the surface of the photosensitive drum 18 is exposed according to print data, an LED head 11 as an exposure apparatus for forming an electrostatic latent image, toner is attached to the electrostatic latent image, and development is performed. A developing roller 20 as a developer carrying member for forming an image, a cleaning unit 21 constituting a cleaning device for scraping off the toner remaining on the photosensitive drum 18 after transfer, and the like are provided.

  A toner supply roller 23 as a developer supply member and a developing blade are disposed in pressure contact with the developing roller 20, and the toner on the developing roller 20 is thinned by the blade 25. The developing roller 22, the toner supply roller 23, the developing blade 25 and the like constitute a developing unit 22.

  In addition, the cartridge case 26 of the toner cartridge 17 includes a toner storage unit 33 as a developer storage unit that stores unused toner, and a developer recovery unit that stores waste toner that is untransferred toner conveyed from the cleaning unit 21. A toner collecting unit 34 serving as a body is partitioned, and an opening 24 is formed in the bottom wall of the toner containing unit 33.

  A shutter 38 is disposed below the toner container 33 so as to be movable with respect to the toner container 33. By moving the shutter 38, the opening 24 can be opened and closed.

  Next, the operation of the printer having the above configuration will be described.

  First, when the toner cartridge 17 is attached to the main body 16 and the shutter 38 is operated to open the opening 24, the toner falls from the toner containing portion 33 into the main body 16 and is supplied. The toner supplied to the developing unit 22 in the main body 16 is supplied to a pressure contact portion between the developing roller 20 and the toner supply roller 23. Next, the toner supplied to the pressure contact portion is attached to the developing roller 20, charged to a negative polarity by the pressure contact and friction between the developing roller 20 and the blade 25, and thinned by the developing blade 25. The

  On the other hand, the surface of the photosensitive drum 18 is charged to a negative polarity potential by the charging roller 19, and the LED head 11 exposes the surface of the photosensitive drum 18 to form an electrostatic latent image. Then, the thinned toner on the developing roller 20 is supplied to the photosensitive drum 18, and the electrostatic latent image is developed to form a toner image. Subsequently, when the transfer roller 14 applies a positive high voltage from the back side of the sheet, the toner image on the photosensitive drum 18 is transferred to the sheet conveyed by the conveyance belt 13.

  In this way, in each developing device 15, the toner images of the respective colors are sequentially transferred onto the paper, and a color toner image is formed. Subsequently, the paper is sent to a fixing device (not shown), and the color toner image is fixed on the paper in the fixing device to form a color image.

  Next, the toner cartridge 17 will be described.

  4 is a first exploded perspective view showing the toner cartridge according to the first embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 5 is a second exploded perspective view showing the toner cartridge according to the first embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view illustrating the toner cartridge according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

  As shown in the drawing, the cartridge case 26 of the toner cartridge 17 is fitted into a main body case 28 integrally formed with one side wall 27 and a seal sponge 47 as a first seal member in the main body case 28. And a side plate 29 constituting the other side wall. Therefore, protrusions 32 for locking the side plate 29 are formed at two positions on the peripheral edge of the opening of the main body case 28, and formed at two positions on the peripheral edge of the side plate 29 in the locking holes of the protrusion 32. The protrusion 45 (only one of the two protrusions 45 is shown in FIGS. 4 and 5) is engaged.

  The side wall 27 is formed with a boss portion 30 having a circular shape coupled with the operation knob 36, and a toner filling port 31 into which a cap 31a is fitted. The cap 31a is colorless and transparent or colorless and translucent so that the color of the toner contained in the toner cartridge 17 can be confirmed.

  The cartridge case 26 is partitioned into a toner storage portion 33 and a toner recovery portion 34 by an inner wall 35, and the toner storage portion 33 and the toner recovery portion 34 are disposed adjacent to each other in the paper transport direction. A plurality of openings 24 are formed in the bottom wall of the toner storage portion 33 along the longitudinal direction of the cartridge case 26.

  The operation knob 36 includes a knob portion 37 formed at one end and a shutter 38 that is integrally formed with the knob portion 37 and opens and closes the opening 24. The shutter 38 has a cylindrical shape, The opening 24 is selectively covered.

  A guide groove 39 is formed on a side surface of the knob portion 37 to be fitted to a projection (not shown) formed on the main body 16 when the main body 16 is attached to the toner cartridge 17.

  Further, a groove 40 is formed in the knob portion 37, and a seal sponge 41 a as a second seal member having a ring shape is fitted into the groove 40 to prevent the toner from leaking out of the operation knob 36. To do. A third sealing member made of urethane foam is applied to the outer peripheral edge of the opening 24 by sticking a double-sided adhesive tape to prevent the toner from leaking when the opening 24 is closed. A sealing sponge 41b is attached. Therefore, a concave portion 49 for attaching the seal sponge 41b is formed on the front side of the shutter 38.

  The side plate 29 has the same shape as the opening at the end of the main body case 28, and an opening 42 for receiving the collected waste toner in the toner collecting portion 34 is formed. Further, a concave portion 46 is formed on the side surface of the side plate 29 so as to be fitted to the protrusion of the main body 16 and prevent the toner cartridge 17 from rotating or coming off. A seal sponge (not shown) as a third seal member is disposed on the inner peripheral edge of the opening at the end of the main body case 28 in order to seal between the main body case 28 and the side plate 29.

  FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the closing operation of the opening in the first embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 7 is a reference diagram showing the state of the seal sponge, and FIG. 8 is a view of the opening in the first embodiment of the present invention. It is a figure which shows a closed state.

  By the way, when the shutter 38 is rotated to close the opening 24 and the end of the seal sponge 41b is turned up as shown in FIG. 7, the contact surface between the seal sponge 41b and the cartridge case 26 is not good. It becomes uniform and a gap is formed between the seal sponge 41 b and the cartridge case 26. When vibration is applied to the toner cartridge 17 (FIG. 6) during transportation, unloading operation, etc., the toner 61 that has entered the gap falls from the opening 24, and toner leakage occurs.

  Therefore, in the present embodiment, a seal is provided in the vicinity of the opening 24 on the inner peripheral surface of the cartridge case 26 and downstream of the opening 24 in the direction in which the shutter 38 rotates when the opening 24 is closed. A groove 51 is formed in parallel with the seal sponge 41b so as to face the edge of the sponge 41b. The groove 51 is formed over the same length or longer than the seal sponge 41b in the longitudinal direction.

  As shown in FIG. 1, as the shutter 38 is rotated in the direction of arrow A, the seal sponge 41 b is crushed by the inner peripheral surface of the cartridge case 26, and the downstream side in the rotation direction of the shutter 38. As shown in FIG. 8, the opening 24 is closed, the rotation of the shutter 38 is finished, the end e reaches the groove 51, and the end e of the shutter reaches the shutter 51, as shown in FIG. When 38 is placed in the closed position, the stress applied to the end e is absorbed by the groove 51, and the deformation is eliminated.

  Thus, in the present embodiment, since the groove 51 is formed in the inner peripheral surface of the cartridge case 26 in the portion where the seal sponge 41b is located when the opening 24 is closed, the shutter 38 is in the closed position. When placed, the deformation of the seal sponge 41 b is eliminated by the groove 51.

  Therefore, the contact surface between the seal sponge 41b and the cartridge case 26 becomes uniform, and no gap is formed between the seal sponge 41b and the cartridge case 26. Even when the toner cartridge 17 is vibrated during transportation or unloading operation, the toner 61 does not fall from the opening 24, and toner leakage can be prevented. The width of the groove 51 is such that the end e is pushed back when the shutter 38 is placed in the closed position.

  Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. In addition, about the thing which has the same structure as 1st Embodiment, the description is abbreviate | omitted by providing the same code | symbol, and the effect of the same embodiment is used about the effect of the invention by having the same structure. .

  FIG. 9 is a first view showing a main part of a toner cartridge according to a second embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 10 is a first view showing a state of a compression spring according to the second embodiment of the present invention. 11 is a first view showing the closing operation of the opening in the second embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 12 is a second view showing the main part of the toner cartridge in the second embodiment of the present invention. 13 is a second view showing the state of the compression spring in the second embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 14 is a second view showing the closing operation of the opening in the second embodiment of the present invention, FIG. FIG. 16 is a third view showing the main part of the toner cartridge according to the second embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 16 is a third view showing the state of the compression spring in the second embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. The closed state of the opening part in the 2nd Embodiment of this invention is shown. It is a diagram.

  In this case, in order to open and close the opening 24, the knob portion 37 can be swung within a predetermined range. For this purpose, a fan-shaped window portion 54 is formed in the knob portion 37 in the vicinity of the shutter 38, and a rotation stop member 52 for defining a rotation range of the knob portion 37 is provided in the window portion 54. The cartridge case 26 is disposed so as to protrude from a predetermined location.

  When the knob portion 37 is rotated in the direction of arrow B, the shutter 38 is rotated in the direction of arrow C, placed at the closed position shown in FIG. 11, and the opening 24 is closed. Further, when the knob portion 37 is rotated in the direction opposite to the arrow B direction, the shutter 38 is rotated in the direction opposite to the arrow C direction, placed at the open position, and the opening 24 is opened.

  The upstream end of the window portion 54 in the rotation direction (arrow B direction) of the knob portion 37 during the closing operation of the opening 24 is an upstream portion u, and the downstream end is a downstream portion d. At this time, a spring chamber 54a as a biasing member accommodating portion is formed in the upstream portion u toward the window portion 54, and a spring 59 as a biasing member is disposed in the spring chamber 54a. The spring 59 urges the shutter 38 toward the open position when the shutter 38 is placed in the closed position. In the present embodiment, the spring 59 is arranged in the upstream part u, but can also be arranged in the downstream part d. In this embodiment, a coil spring is used as the spring 59, but a tension spring can be used instead of the coil spring.

  In the toner cartridge 17 having the above-described configuration, when the operator operates the operation knob 36 and rotates it in the direction of arrow B, the shutter 38 is rotated in the direction of arrow C. Accordingly, the seal sponge 41b is moved to the cartridge case. 26 is crushed by the inner peripheral surface 26, and the downstream end e in the rotation direction of the shutter 38 is deformed and turned up. When the shutter 38 reaches slightly before the closed position, the front end of the spring 59 comes into contact with the rotation stop member 52 as shown in FIG.

  When the knob portion 37 is further rotated, as shown in FIG. 14, the end portion e of the shutter 38 is further deformed and turned up, and when the shutter 38 reaches the closed position, as shown in FIG. The rotation stop member 52 comes into contact with the upstream portion u, and further rotation of the knob portion 37 is restricted.

  Thereafter, when the operator releases his / her hand from the operation knob 36, as shown in FIG. Slightly away from u, the shutter 38 is pushed back slightly in the direction of arrow E. As a result, no stress is applied to the end e, and the deformation is eliminated as shown in FIG.

  As described above, in this embodiment, after the opening 24 is closed on the inner peripheral surface of the cartridge case 26 and then released from the knob portion 37, the deformation of the seal sponge 41b is eliminated. The contact surface of 41b and the cartridge case 26 becomes uniform, and no gap is formed between the seal sponge 41b and the cartridge case 26.

  In each of the above embodiments, urethane foam is used as the seal sponge 41b, but rubber sponge, polyethylene foam or the like can be used instead of urethane foam. Further, in each of the above embodiments, the shutter 38 is arranged inside the cartridge case 26. However, the shutter 38 is arranged outside the cartridge case 26, and outside the cartridge case 26, A groove for preventing deformation of the seal sponge 41b can also be formed.

  Furthermore, in each of the above embodiments, a rotary type is used as the shutter 38, but a slide type can also be used.

  In addition, this invention is not limited to the said embodiment, It can change variously based on the meaning of this invention, and does not exclude them from the scope of the present invention.

It is a figure which shows closing operation | movement of the opening part in the 1st Embodiment of this invention. FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view showing a conventional toner cartridge. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a main part of the printer according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a first exploded perspective view showing the toner cartridge in the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a second exploded perspective view showing the toner cartridge in the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view illustrating the toner cartridge according to the first embodiment of the present invention. It is a reference figure which shows the state of seal sponge. It is a figure which shows the closed state of the opening part in the 1st Embodiment of this invention. FIG. 6 is a first diagram illustrating a main part of a toner cartridge according to a second embodiment of the present invention. It is a 1st figure which shows the state of the compression spring in the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a 1st figure which shows closing operation | movement of the opening part in the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. FIG. 6 is a second view illustrating a main part of a toner cartridge according to a second embodiment of the present invention. It is a 2nd figure which shows the state of the compression spring in the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a 2nd figure which shows closing operation | movement of the opening part in the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. FIG. 10 is a third diagram illustrating a main part of a toner cartridge according to a second embodiment of the present invention. It is a 3rd figure which shows the state of the compression spring in the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the closed state of the opening part in the 2nd Embodiment of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

15 Developing Device 22 Developing Portion 24 Opening Portion 33 Toner Storage Portion 38 Shutter 41b Seal Sponge 61 Toner

Claims (4)

(A) a developer container having an opening for containing the developer and supplying the developer to the developing unit;
(B) a shutter that is movably disposed with respect to the developer container and opens and closes the opening;
(C) having a sealing member that surrounds and seals the opening when the shutter is placed in a closed position and the opening is closed;
(D) The developing device characterized in that the seal member is deformed as the shutter is placed in the closed position. (A) a developer container having an opening for containing the developer and supplying the developer to the developing unit;
(B) a shutter that is movably disposed with respect to the developer container and opens and closes the opening;
(C) having a sealing member that surrounds and seals the opening when the shutter is placed in a closed position and the opening is closed;
(D) A developing device, wherein a groove is formed at a position facing an end of the seal member when the shutter is placed at a closed position.   The developing device according to claim 1, further comprising a biasing member that biases the shutter toward the open position when the shutter is placed in the closed position. An image forming apparatus comprising the developing device according to claim 1.

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