JP2007304264A - Toner cartridge and image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a toner cartridge designed so that more accurate information about an amount of remaining toner can be externally obtained without using a communication means, and to provide an image forming apparatus. <P>SOLUTION: The toner cartridge 40 includes: a storing space S for storing toner; a spiral spring auger 41; a circular partition plate 42; a toner exhaust port 43; a spiral groove 44 formed on the internal circumferential face; a drive gear 45 for rotating the spring auger 41; and a check window 46 for checking the position of the partition plate 42 from outside. When the spring auger 41 is rotated by the drive force transmitted from the drive gear 45, the partition plate 42 is rotated and advances toward the toner exhaust port 43 along the spiral groove 44. Consequently, the toner is pushed forward in the direction of the toner exhaust port 43 by the partition plate 42. The position of the partition plate 42 interrelates with the amount of remaining toner. Accordingly, the amount of remaining toner can be presumed by checking the position of the partition plate 42 through the check window 46. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a toner cartridge used in an image forming apparatus using an electrophotographic system such as a copying machine, a printer, a facsimile machine, and a multifunction machine of these, and the image forming apparatus.

  In an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine or a printer to which an electrophotographic system is applied, for example, an electrostatic latent image formed on a photosensitive drum is developed by a developing device (developing device) using a developer, and is then exposed to light. A toner image is formed on the photosensitive drum, and the toner image formed on the photosensitive drum is transferred and fixed onto a recording medium (paper) conveyed from the paper feeding unit so as to form an image. It is configured. Toner supply to the developing device is performed by a toner cartridge.

  Here, various methods have been proposed as a method for detecting the remaining amount of toner in the toner cartridge. For example, there is a method of wirelessly communicating information about the remaining amount of toner between a memory attached to a toner cartridge and the image forming apparatus main body (see, for example, Patent Document 1). This patent document 1 discloses a configuration in which a wireless communication tag is attached to a toner cartridge and various information including the remaining amount of toner is exchanged by communicating with a main body antenna. It is preferable for the toner cartridge that the information regarding the remaining amount of the toner cartridge is held in the main body of the toner cartridge that does not know when the toner cartridge is replaced. In addition, since the toner cartridge may be replaced by the user, if communication of the above information is performed by wire, it is necessary to attach or detach the connector, and there is a high possibility that the operability and reliability will be reduced. Therefore, it can be said that wireless communication also makes sense in this respect.

  Further, as a method of not performing wireless communication, the remaining amount of developer in the developer accommodating portion is determined in accordance with the position detection member located on the upper surface of the developer changing the position in the vertical direction by the consumption of the developer. There is also proposed a toner remaining amount notifying means for informing (see, for example, Patent Document 2).

JP 2004-20910 A JP-A-10-186826

  However, since the method disclosed in Patent Document 1 performs wireless communication, it is subject to the regulations of the radio wave law of the country in which it is used or a law corresponding thereto. Therefore, it is necessary to obtain permission from the country where the image forming apparatus is used. When the image forming apparatus is used in a single country, it is only necessary to obtain permission for that country. However, if it is intended to export to countries around the world, it is necessary to obtain permission for each country. In addition, there are countries that cannot obtain approval from the intensity and frequency of the radio wave used even after applying, and there are countries that cannot obtain approval for image forming devices using wireless communication in the first place, which is a business problem .

  Further, since the method disclosed in Patent Document 2 is in a floating state on the developer, if the developer consumption varies depending on the position of the developer storage unit, the developer remaining amount information also varies. It will be. Also, if the developer storage unit in use is repeatedly attached to and detached from the image forming apparatus, the position of the position detection member may become unstable due to the vibration, and the remaining amount information of the developer may vary. There is.

  Thus, there is a need for an image forming apparatus that does not perform wireless communication between the toner cartridge and the image forming apparatus, and the toner cartridge, and even in such a case, an image forming apparatus that notifies information on the remaining amount of toner is required. Has been.

  The present invention has been made to solve the technical problems as described above, and an object thereof is to make it possible to obtain more accurate remaining amount information from the outside without using communication means. .

  For this purpose, a toner cartridge to which the present invention is applied is a toner cartridge that has a storage space for storing toner and is detachably attached to the main body of the image forming apparatus, and is stored in the storage space. It includes a discharge port for discharging the toner to the outside, and a partition member configured to be moved toward the discharge port by receiving a driving force, and reducing the accommodation space as it moves to the discharge port.

  It may be characterized by further including a window portion provided corresponding to the accommodation space and enabling the position of the partition member to be detected from the outside. Further, the image forming apparatus may further include a protruding member that is provided outside the toner cartridge and changes its position relative to the toner cartridge as the partition member moves. In addition, the toner accommodated in the accommodating space may be attached to the image forming apparatus main body so that the toner advances in the direction of the discharge port by the movement of the partition member.

  From another point of view, an image forming apparatus to which the present invention is applied is configured to be capable of accommodating an image carrier, a developing unit for developing an electrostatic latent image formed by the image carrier with toner, and toner. A container having a supply unit for supplying the toner contained therein to the developing device, and configured to be moved to the supply unit within the container by receiving a driving force. And a moving member for advancing the toner contained therein in the direction of the supply unit.

  The moving member may be characterized in that the storage space for the toner stored in the container is reduced with the movement to the supply unit. Further, it may be characterized in that a part of the container is configured and a transmission part that can detect the position of the moving member in the container from the outside of the container is further included.

  In addition, a transmission part that constitutes a part of the container, a detection part that is disposed to face the transmission part of the container and that can detect the position of the moving member through the transmission part, And a display unit for displaying the remaining amount of toner. And a protrusion that is attached to the moving member and protrudes to the outside of the container, and a display that contacts the protrusion and displays the remaining amount of toner in the container in accordance with a change in the position of the protrusion. Can be a feature. Further, the moving member is configured to move in a substantially horizontal direction upon receiving a driving force, and advances the toner contained in the container in the direction of the supply unit as it moves to the supply unit. be able to.

  According to the present invention, more accurate remaining amount information can be acquired from the outside without using wireless communication.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.
FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram showing an image forming apparatus according to the present embodiment.
The image forming apparatus 10 shown in FIG. 1 is a so-called tandem type in which four color process cartridges (image forming units, drum cartridges) 11a, 11b, 11c, and 11d are sequentially arranged in a vertical direction in a main body 10a. Further, a conveyance path 12 through which the paper P is conveyed from a substantially vertical lower side to an upper side is arranged at a corresponding position of each of the process cartridges 11a to 11d. Further, a paper feed cassette 13 for storing the paper P that is transported through the transport path 12 and to which the toner images are sequentially transferred is disposed further below (upstream) of the lowermost (uppermost) process cartridge 11a. Has been.

The process cartridges 11 a to 11 d form toner images for yellow (Y), magenta (M), cyan (C), and black (K) in order from the upstream side of the conveyance path 12. Each of the process cartridges 11a to 11d is a cartridge in which a photosensitive drum (image carrier) 14 and various electrophotographic devices sequentially arranged around the photosensitive drum 14 are integrally formed into a cartridge. It is. The device includes a charging roller that precharges the photosensitive drum 14 and a developing device 30 that develops the electrostatic latent image formed on the photosensitive drum 14 charged by the charging roller with each corresponding toner. And a cleaning device that removes waste toner on the photosensitive drum 14.
Toner cartridges (containers) 40a, 40b, 40c, and 40d for supplying toner of each color to the developing devices 30 of the image forming units 11a to 11d are provided. Details of the developing device 30 and the toner cartridge 40 will be described later.

  An exposure device (ROS) 15 common to the process cartridges 11a to 11d is disposed on the opposite side of the transport path 12 of the process cartridges 11a to 11d. The exposure device 15 deflects and scans light from four semiconductor lasers (not shown) that are driven to light based on image data corresponding to each color by a polygon mirror (not shown), and passes through an fθ lens (not shown) and a plurality of reflection mirrors. Thus, the optical image is guided to the exposure point on the photosensitive drum 14.

  A conveyance belt 16 that circulates along the conveyance path 12 is disposed at a location corresponding to each photosensitive drum 14 of the process cartridges 11a to 11d. The transport belt 16 is made of a belt material that can electrostatically attract the paper P, and is stretched around a pair of driving roller 17A and driven roller 17B. Further, an adsorption roller 18 for electrostatically adsorbing the paper P to the conveyance belt 16 is disposed in the conveyance path 12.

  A transfer roller 19 is disposed on the back side of the conveyance belt 16 corresponding to each photosensitive drum 14 of the process cartridges 11a to 11d. The transfer roller 19 is for transferring the toner image formed on the photosensitive drum 14 onto the paper P by bringing the photosensitive drum 14 and the paper P on the transport belt 16 into close contact with each other.

  A fixing device 20 is provided in the conveyance path 12 further above (downstream side) of the uppermost (most downstream) process cartridge 11d. On the upper part of the main body 10a, a paper discharge unit 21 is provided integrally with the main body 10a for storing paper discharged after the toner image is fixed by the fixing device 20. The main body 10 a is provided with a reversing conveyance path 22 for reversing the paper P, one side of which has been fixed by the fixing device 20, and sending it again to the conveyance path 12.

  Here, the main body 10a of the image forming apparatus 10 is provided with a manual feed tray 23 that is rotatable about a rotation fulcrum J provided at the lower end. The paper set on the manual feed tray 23 is conveyed to the conveyance path 12 via a plurality of conveyance rollers 24.

  The main body 10a of the image forming apparatus 10 is provided with a front cover 25 that is rotatable about a rotation fulcrum J provided at the lower end. The front cover 25 is provided with a conveyance belt 16, a driving roller 17A, a driven roller 17B, an adsorption roller 18, a transfer roller 19, and a reverse conveyance path 22. Therefore, when the front cover 25 is opened, these components are accompanied and separated from the main body 10a side, the process cartridges 11a to 11d are exposed, and the user can easily access the transport path 12.

FIG. 2 is a partially enlarged cross-sectional view of the developing device 30 of the process cartridges 11a to 11d. FIG. 3 is a plan view seen from an arrow III in FIG.
As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the developing device 30 is disposed on the housing 31, toner conveying portions 32 and 33 for agitating and conveying the developer in the housing 31, and the photosensitive drum 14 side of the housing 31. And a developing roller 34 as a toner carrier.

  In the toner conveying paths 32 and 33 of the developing device 30, augers 32 a and 33 a that convey the developer in the opposite directions while stirring the developer by rotating a spiral plate formed in the axial direction are arranged in parallel to each other. It is installed. The augers 32a and 33a are rotationally driven at a low speed by a drive system (not shown).

  The toner conveying paths 32 and 33 of the developing device 30 are partitioned from each other by a partition plate 35. On the other hand, the toner transport paths 32 and 33 communicate with each other through paths 36a and 36b (see FIG. 3) provided at both ends in the transport direction. The developer in the developing device 30 is circulated in the toner conveyance paths 32 and 33 in one direction by driving the augers 32a and 33a.

The developing device 30 includes a toner receiving portion 37 that communicates with the toner conveyance path 32 and receives toner replenishment from the toner cartridge 40. The toner receiving portion 37 is provided at an end portion on the front side (front side, out side) of the housing 31.
As shown in FIG. 2, a blade 38 (see FIG. 2) for regulating the layer thickness of the toner conveyed by the developing roller 34 is provided in the housing 31 of the developing device 30.

  Since the developing device 30 is configured as described above, it has the following operation. That is, by rotating and driving a toner replenishing motor from a toner cartridge 40 (see FIG. 4) configured separately from the developing device 30, as shown in FIG. The mixed developer is supplied to the toner conveyance path 32 in the developing device 30 through the toner receiving portion 37. The developer containing a large amount of nonmagnetic toner supplied into the developing device 30 is agitated and mixed with the developer by the auger 32a while being conveyed along the axial direction (longitudinal direction) of the developing device 30, and the passage 36a. Then, the toner is transferred to another toner conveyance path 33. The transferred developer is stirred and mixed with the developer while being conveyed along the axial direction of the auger 33a, and is transferred again to the toner conveying path 32 through the passage 36b.

  As described above, the developer supplied to the inside of the developing device 30 is conveyed and agitated and mixed by the two augers 32a and 33a together with the developer in the developing device 30, and has a predetermined polarity by the magnetic carrier of the developer. Is charged to the developing roller 34 and is used to develop the electrostatic latent image on the photosensitive drum 14.

[First Embodiment]
FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining the toner cartridge 40 according to the first embodiment.
As shown in FIG. 4, the toner cartridge 40 has a shape in which lid portions are formed at both ends of a cylindrical shape. Inside the toner cartridge 40, a spring auger 41 in which a wire is formed in a spiral shape and a circular partition plate (moving member) 42 are mounted. Further, the toner cartridge 40 has a toner discharge port (supply unit) 43 formed at one end 40r. A spiral groove 44 is formed on the inner peripheral surface (inner wall surface) of the toner cartridge 40.

  The spring auger 41 is disposed so as to extend in the axial direction of the toner cartridge 40. One end 41 a of the spring auger 41 is rotatably held by one end 40 r of the toner cartridge 40. Further, the other end 41 a of the spring auger 41 is coupled to the drive gear 45 at the other end 40 s of the toner cartridge 40. The drive gear 45 is rotationally driven in one direction by a drive system (not shown). The spring auger 41 is rotated in one direction by the rotational force of the drive gear 45.

  A drive system (not shown) is connected to a dispense motor provided in a dispense unit (not shown) or an idler gear connected to the dispense motor. Then, the dispense motor is rotated by the drive signal from the dispense unit, and the drive gear 45 of the toner cartridge 40 is driven.

  Further, the partition plate 42 is mounted so as to enter the spiral groove 44 of the cartridge 40. The partition plate 42 is a disc member that is rotatable in the mounted state and movable along the groove 44.

5A and 5B are views for explaining the relationship between the spring auger 41 and the partition plate 42, wherein FIG. 5A is a longitudinal sectional view of the partition plate 42, and FIG. 5B is a front view of the partition plate 42. is there.
As shown in FIG. 5, the partition plate 42 is formed with a through hole 42 a for attaching the partition plate 42 to the spring auger 41. The formation direction of the through hole 42a is not a direction perpendicular to the side surface of the partition plate 42 but an oblique direction. More specifically, the through hole 42a is formed in a direction different from the direction in which the wire constituting the spring auger 41 extends.

  Returning to FIG. 4, the description will be continued. Since the spring auger 41 is disposed through the through hole 42a of the partition plate 42, the partition plate 42 and the spring auger 41 are connected to each other. For this reason, when a rotational driving force is transmitted to the drive gear by a drive system (not shown), the spring auger 41 rotates, and accordingly, the partition plate 42 rotates. Since the partition plate 42 is fitted in the groove 44, the partition plate 42 advances from the initial position toward the toner discharge port 43 (rightward in FIG. 4) by rotating. When the toner cartridge 40 is not used, the partition plate 42 is in the initial position.

As the partition plate 42 advances toward the toner discharge port 43, the toner put inside the toner cartridge 40 is pushed toward the toner discharge port 43. As a result, the toner is discharged from the toner discharge port 43, supplied to a toner supply port of a dispense unit (not shown), and conveyed to the toner receiving portion 37 (see FIG. 3). It can be said that the partition plate 42 is moved by the spring auger 41 in a direction of reducing the space S (accommodating space) for accommodating the toner.
Note that the toner is not filled in the toner cartridge 40, and as the partition plate 42 advances toward the toner discharge port 43, the toner becomes as indicated by a broken line in FIG. 4. That is, the toner is high on the partition plate 42 side and becomes low as it goes to the toner discharge port 43.

The toner cartridge 40 is provided with a confirmation window (window part, transparent member) 46 for confirming the position of the partition plate 42. The confirmation window 46 is covered with a transparent member. Since the confirmation window 46 is configured in this way, the user can visually recognize the position of the partition plate 42 through the confirmation window 46 from the outside of the toner cartridge 40. More specifically, the amount of toner remaining in the toner cartridge 40 can be grasped by checking the position of the partition plate 42. That is, it can be seen that the closer the partition plate 42 is to the toner discharge port 43, the smaller the amount of residual toner.
The confirmation window 46 is disposed on the upper part of the toner cartridge 40. Therefore, the first embodiment is an effective configuration when the toner cartridge 40 is disposed above the main body 10a of the image forming apparatus 10.

Here, the image forming apparatus 10 (see FIG. 1) calculates a necessary toner amount during printing, and rotates a dispense motor (not shown) for a time corresponding to the calculated toner amount. When the drive gear 45 of the toner cartridge 40 is rotated by driving a dispense motor (not shown), the spring auger 41 connected to the drive gear 45 is rotated.
As the spring auger 41 rotates, the partition plate 42 moves toward the toner discharge port 43 while rotating. The toner in the toner cartridge 40 is moved in the direction of the toner discharge port 43 by the movement of the partition plate 42, and is discharged from the toner discharge port 43.

  By repeating such an operation, the partition plate 42 moves in the direction of the toner discharge port 43. With the movement of the partition plate 42, the toner is discharged to a dispense unit (not shown) and used for printing. Then, by confirming the position of the partition plate 42 with the upper confirmation window 46, the remaining amount of toner can be easily confirmed. As described above, according to the first embodiment, the user can easily check the remaining amount of toner by viewing the toner cartridge 40 from the upper surface of the image forming apparatus 10.

[Second Embodiment]
FIG. 6 is a view for explaining a toner cartridge 50 according to the second embodiment. Note that the same reference numerals are used for portions common to the toner cartridge 40 according to the first embodiment, and the description thereof may be omitted.
As shown in FIG. 6, the toner cartridge 50 includes a mechanism for discharging toner from the toner cartridge 50, a mechanism for moving the partition plate 42, and the like, similar to the toner cartridge 40 of the first embodiment.

  Here, the confirmation window 46 of the toner cartridge 50 is provided below the toner cartridge 50. That is, the confirmation window 46 is provided on the lower surface when the toner cartridge 50 is set in the main body 10 a of the image forming apparatus 10. Seven photosensors (detection unit, partition position detection member) 61a, 61b, 61c, 61d, 61e, 61f, and 61g are disposed at the position of the main body 10a facing the confirmation window 46.

  These photosensors 61a to 61g are of a reflection type or a transmission type, and the position of the partition plate 42 can be detected by arranging the photosensors 61a to 61g in a line at a predetermined interval. That is, among the photosensors 61a to 61g, the photosensor 61 before the partition plate 42 passes is in an off state because the toner blocks the photosensor 61. On the other hand, after the partition plate 42 passes through the photosensor 61, the toner is exhausted. Therefore, the partition plate 42 can be detected by arranging the photosensors 61 a to 61 g in the confirmation window 46.

FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of the control panel (display unit, partition plate position notification member) 62.
As shown in FIG. 7, the detection results of the photosensors 61 a to 61 g (see FIG. 6) are displayed on the control panel 62. That is, on the control panel 62, LEDs 63a to 63g corresponding to the photosensors 61a to 61g are arranged in a line. When the photosensor 61 is off, the corresponding LED 63 is lit. In addition, when the photo sensor 61 is on, the corresponding LED 63 is turned off. Therefore, the user can easily check the residual toner in the toner cartridge 50 with the control panel 62. More specifically, in the control panel 62, as the residual toner decreases, the light is sequentially turned off and the number of LEDs 63 that are turned on decreases. In FIG. 7, the LEDs 63a to 63c are turned off and the LEDs 63d to 63g are turned on.

  Thus, according to the second embodiment, the remaining amount of toner is displayed on the control panel 62 (see FIG. 7) or a host PC (not shown) by detecting the position of the partition plate 42 with the photosensors 61a to 61g. Will be able to. Even in the image forming apparatus 10 in which the toner cartridge 50 is completely accommodated in the apparatus, the remaining amount of toner can be displayed. Furthermore, since the remaining toner information can be handled as a digital value, the remaining toner information can be used for other processing.

[Third Embodiment]
FIG. 8 is a diagram for explaining a toner cartridge 70 according to the third embodiment.
As shown in FIG. 8, the toner cartridge 70 includes a mechanism for discharging the toner from the toner cartridge 50, a mechanism for moving the partition plate 42, and the like, like the toner cartridge 40 of the first embodiment.

  A slit extending in the axial direction is formed at a lower portion of the toner cartridge 70, and a seal member 71 is attached to cover the periphery of the slit. The seal member 71 prevents the toner in the toner cartridge 70 from being ejected to the outside. A protruding member (protruding portion, protruding member) 72 is slidably attached to the partition plate 42. For this reason, the protruding member 72 is interlocked with the partition plate 42. That is, the protruding member 72 moves linearly in the same direction as the partition plate 42 advances toward the toner discharge port 43. A part of the projecting member 72 including the tip 72a projects from the slit to the outside of the toner cartridge 70.

  Various members for receiving the protruding member 72 are formed on the main body 10a of the image forming apparatus 10. That is, the engaging member (projecting member position detecting member) 73 is pivotally supported by the main body 10a at one end 73a. A compression coil spring 74 is attached near the other end 73 b of the engagement member 73. For this reason, when the other end 73b is pressed in the direction of the main body 10a, the compression coil spring 74 urges the engaging member 73 in the pushing back direction. Further, a scale portion (display portion) 75 is disposed on the other end 73 b of the engaging member 73. One of the scale portions 75 is assigned the letter “F”, which is an abbreviation of FULL, and the other is given the letter “E”, which is an abbreviation of EMPTY.

  When the toner cartridge 70 is attached to the portion of the main body 10 a configured in this way, the tip 72 a of the protruding member 72 comes into contact with the engaging member 73, and thereby the other end 73 b of the engaging member 73 in the scale portion 75. The position is determined.

  When the toner cartridge 70 is not used, the other end 73b indicates the vicinity of the position where the letter F is on the scale portion 75. As the image forming apparatus 10 repeats printing and consumes toner, the partition plate 42 and the protruding member 72 move in the direction of the toner discharge port 43 accordingly. Then, the engaging member 73 is pressed by the tip 72a of the projecting member 72, whereby the other end 73b moves from the position at the letter F of the scale portion 75 toward the position at which the letter E is located. . For this reason, the user can know the remaining amount of toner by looking at the scale portion 75.

  As described above, according to the third embodiment, since the remaining amount of toner can be displayed by the engaging member 73, even in the image forming apparatus 10 in which it is difficult to visually check the toner cartridge 70 from the upper surface. The toner remaining amount information can be displayed on the side portion 10a.

  As described above, according to the toner cartridge and the image forming apparatus of the present invention, it is possible to notify the remaining amount of toner without performing wireless communication. Therefore, the country where the approval of the image forming apparatus using wireless communication cannot be obtained. Export to is also possible. Therefore, the image forming apparatus 10 is configured to have, for example, a wireless toner remaining amount information communication mechanism and a toner remaining amount notification unit according to the present invention, thereby selecting a method according to the shipping destination. Can no longer lose business opportunities.

1 is a schematic configuration diagram illustrating an image forming apparatus according to an exemplary embodiment. It is sectional drawing which expanded and showed the developing device partially. It is the top view seen from the arrow III of FIG. FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining the toner cartridge according to the first embodiment. It is a figure for demonstrating the relationship between a spring auger and a partition plate. FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining a toner cartridge according to a second embodiment. It is a figure which shows an example of a control panel. FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining a toner cartridge according to a third embodiment.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Image forming apparatus, 10a ... Main body, 30 ... Developing device, 40, 50, 70 ... Toner cartridge, 41 ... Spring auger, 42 ... Partition plate, 43 ... Toner discharge port, 44 ... Groove, 45 ... Drive gear, 46 ... confirmation window, 61a, 61b, 61c, 61d, 61e, 61f, 61g ... photo sensor, 62 ... control panel, 63a, 63b, 63c, 63d, 63e, 63f, 63g ... LED, 72 ... projecting member, 73 ... Joint member, 75 ... scale part

Claims (10)

A toner cartridge having a storage space for storing toner and detachably attached to an image forming apparatus main body;
A discharge port for discharging the toner stored in the storage space to the outside;
A partition member configured to receive a driving force and move toward the discharge port, and to reduce the accommodation space with movement to the discharge port;
Toner cartridge containing.   The toner cartridge according to claim 1, further comprising a window portion provided corresponding to the housing space and capable of detecting the position of the partition member from the outside.   The toner cartridge according to claim 1, further comprising a protruding member that is provided outside the toner cartridge and changes a position relative to the toner cartridge as the partition member moves.   The toner cartridge according to claim 1, wherein the toner cartridge is attached to the main body of the image forming apparatus so that the toner stored in the storage space advances in the direction of the discharge port by the movement of the partition member. An image carrier;
A developing device for developing the electrostatic latent image formed by the image carrier with toner;
A container configured to store toner and having a supply unit for supplying the stored toner to the developing device;
In response to the driving force, the container is configured to move to the supply unit, and the toner contained in the container is advanced in the direction of the supply unit in accordance with the movement to the supply unit. A moving member;
An image forming apparatus including:   The image forming apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the moving member reduces a storage space for the toner stored in the container with the movement to the supply unit.   The image forming apparatus according to claim 5, further comprising a transmission portion that constitutes a part of the container and is capable of detecting the position of the moving member in the container from the outside of the container. A transmission part constituting a part of the container;
A detection unit disposed opposite to the transmission part of the container and capable of detecting the position of the moving member through the transmission part;
A display unit for displaying the remaining amount of toner in the container according to the detection result of the detection unit;
The image forming apparatus according to claim 5, further comprising: A protrusion attached to the moving member and protruding outside the container;
A display unit that abuts against the protrusion and displays the remaining amount of toner in the container according to a change in the position of the protrusion;
The image forming apparatus according to claim 5, further comprising:   The moving member is configured to move in a substantially horizontal direction upon receiving a driving force, and advances the toner contained in the container in the direction of the supply unit as it moves to the supply unit. The image forming apparatus according to claim 5.

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