JP2008070815A - Developer storage container, developer replenishment device and image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a developer storage container having a cylindrical part storing developer, in which developer is prevented from sticking to the inside of the cylindrical part and remaining in it, without imposing excessive load on a drive means that rotates the cylindrical part. <P>SOLUTION: A toner bottle 200 stores toner in the hollow cylindrical part 201 provided with a discharging opening. By rotationally driving the cylindrical part, the toner in it is discharged from the discharging opening. The outer circumferential face of the cylindrical part 201 has two projections 201e and 210e that repeatedly strike against the plate-like members 614 and 615 of a support member during the rotational driving of the cylindrical part 201 around its axis Y. The height of each projection 201e is in the range of 0.1 to 0.5 mm. Thus, the toner can be separated from the inner circumferential face of the cylindrical part 201 without imposing excessive load on the drive means. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a developer storage container that stores a developer, and more particularly to a developer storage container that discharges the stored developer by being driven to rotate.

  In an electrophotographic image forming apparatus, a developing device visualizes an electrostatic latent image formed on the surface of a photoreceptor with toner. The toner used for developing the electrostatic latent image is stored in a toner bottle, and the toner is sequentially supplied from the toner bottle to the developing device.

  In many cases, the toner bottle is formed in a hollow cylindrical shape, and one end is closed and a discharge port is provided near the other end. The toner bottle is formed in a hollow cylindrical shape, one end is closed and a discharge port is provided near the other end. The toner bottle is disposed such that the axis of the cylindrical portion is horizontal when the toner bottle is mounted on the image forming apparatus. A spiral protrusion is provided on the inner peripheral surface of the toner bottle. When the toner bottle is driven to rotate around an axis, the protrusion provided on the inner peripheral surface guides the toner toward the discharge port. Transport while. As a result, an amount of toner corresponding to the rotation is discharged from the discharge port.

  It is desirable to use up the toner in the toner bottle until the end. However, in particular, when the protrusion is provided on the inner peripheral surface of the toner bottle and the toner bottle is not flat as described above, the toner is not applied to the inner peripheral surface of the toner bottle. It tends to adhere and remain. Accordingly, there have been proposed a plurality of techniques for applying vibration to the toner bottle so as to peel off the toner adhering to the inner peripheral surface so that the toner does not adhere to and remain on the inner peripheral surface of the toner bottle.

  For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a toner supply in which a step or protrusion is provided on the outer peripheral surface of a rotationally driven toner bottle, and the toner bottle is vibrated by a vibration engaging member that contacts the step or protrusion. The device is described.

  In Patent Document 2, a protrusion is provided on the outer peripheral surface of the toner bottle that is rotationally driven, and a contact roller is provided at a position of the support member of the toner bottle that makes contact with the protrusion. A toner bottle storage device is described in which a toner bottle vibrates up and down by coming into contact with a protruding portion.

  In Patent Documents 3 to 5, a bottle gear for rotationally driving the toner bottle is provided on the outer peripheral surface of the toner bottle, and the engagement between the bottle gear and the drive gear for driving the toner bottle is coarsened to play. It describes a toner replenishing device that is provided to generate vibration when the toner bottle is driven to rotate.

  Patent Document 6 describes a toner replenishment mechanism in which a toner bottle drive unit is engaged with and disengaged from the toner bottle to vibrate the toner bottle.

Patent Document 7 discloses a toner in which a tapping member that is rotatably supported is pressed against the outer peripheral surface of a toner bottle by a spring member, and the tapping member strikes the toner bottle so that vibration is applied to the toner bottle. A replenishment device is described.
JP 11-327275 A (published on November 26, 1999) JP 2003-241492 A (published August 27, 2003) Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 9-251240 (published on September 22, 1997) JP 2003-287946 A (published on October 10, 2003) JP 2004-54272 A (published February 19, 2004) JP 11-109737 A (published on April 23, 1999) Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-69156 (published March 10, 1998)

  However, the above conventional technique places a burden on the drive system that drives the toner bottle to rotate by vibrating the toner bottle. For example, the connecting portion between the toner bottle and the driving device often uses a concavity and convexity fitting so that the toner bottle can be removed. When the vibration is transmitted to the connecting portion, the unevenness of the connecting portion is worn out, and there is a possibility that rattling occurs.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and in a developer storage container having a cylindrical portion for storing a developer, an excessive load is not imposed on a drive system that rotationally drives the cylindrical portion. An object of the present invention is to prevent the developer from adhering and remaining in the cylindrical portion.

  In order to solve the above-described problems, a developer storage container according to the present invention stores the developer inside a cylindrical portion provided with a discharge port, and is rotated to drive the stored developer. In the developer storage container discharged from the discharge port, a convex portion having a height of 0.1 mm or more and 0.5 mm or less that repeats a collision with the contact member when the cylindrical portion is rotationally driven on the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion. At least one is provided.

  According to the above configuration, since the convex portion having a height of 0.1 mm or more is provided on the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion that stores the developer, the convex portion is brought into contact with the contact member when the developer storage container is driven to rotate. And the developer container is vibrated, and the developer attached to the inner peripheral surface of the developer container is peeled off. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the developer from adhering and remaining in the developer storage container.

  Further, according to the above configuration, since the height of the convex portion is limited to 0.5 mm or less, the vibration is not increased more than necessary, and the drive system (particularly the connecting portion) that drives the developer storage container to rotate. Can alleviate the burden.

  Moreover, it is preferable that the height of the said convex part is 0.2 mm or more and 0.3 mm or less.

  According to the above configuration, since the height of the convex portion is 0.2 mm or more, the peeling of the developer due to vibration becomes more effective. Moreover, since the height of the convex portion is limited to 0.3 mm or less, the burden on the drive system can be further reduced.

  The cylindrical portion is connected to driving means for rotationally driving at one end thereof, and the convex portion is on the other end side opposite to the one end portion from the center of the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion. Is preferably provided.

  According to the above configuration, the driving means is connected to one end of the cylindrical portion, and the cylindrical portion is rotationally driven about the axis by the driving means. Here, according to the above configuration, since the convex portion serving as a vibration generation source is provided on the other end portion side opposite to the one end portion to which the driving unit is connected, the vibration generated in the convex portion. Can suppress the adverse effect on the driving means.

  Further, a developer supply device according to the present invention includes the developer storage container and a support member for supporting the developer storage container, and the support member includes the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion. The developer container is supported at a position where the convex portion is provided.

  Specifically, the support member includes a base and two plate-like members standing on the base so as to be parallel to the axis of the cylindrical portion, and the two plates It is preferable that the cylindrical portion of the developer container is supported from below by the upper edge portion of the upper member.

  According to the above configuration, vibration can be generated in the developer container by the support member that supports the developer container. By providing the developer storage container described above, it is possible to use the developer in the developer storage container without waste while reducing the burden on the drive system that rotationally drives the developer storage container.

  The developer replenishing device preferably further includes a drive unit that is fitted to one end portion of the cylindrical portion of the developer storage container from the horizontal side and that rotationally drives the developer storage container. .

  According to the above configuration, the cylindrical portion of the developer storage container is rotationally driven by the driving means fitted from the horizontal side. Therefore, even if the cylindrical portion of the developer container is swung up and down by vibration generated from the convex portion, the driving means is not separated from the cylindrical portion, and the cylindrical portion can be stably rotated.

  An image forming apparatus according to the present invention includes the developer supply device described above.

  According to the above configuration, since the developer supply device described above is provided, the running cost can be suppressed without increasing the frequency of occurrence of failures.

  As described above, the developer container according to the present invention has a height of 0.1 mm or more and 0.5 mm or less that repeatedly collides with the contact member when the cylindrical portion is rotationally driven on the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion. It is the structure provided with the convex part.

  Therefore, as described above, it is possible to prevent the developer from adhering and remaining in the cylindrical portion without imposing an excessive burden on the driving unit that rotationally drives the cylindrical portion.

Embodiment
An embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

  FIG. 2 shows an embodiment of the present invention, and is a cross-sectional view showing a schematic configuration of the multifunction machine. In the present embodiment, the image forming apparatus according to the present invention will be described by taking a multifunction peripheral as an example. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and any apparatus that performs image formation, such as a printer, a facsimile machine, or a copier. Good.

  The multi-function peripheral 101 according to the present embodiment uses image data obtained by reading a document based on a print job transmitted from an information processing apparatus (not shown) such as an externally connected personal computer or by a document reading unit. Based on this, a multicolor image or a single color image is formed on a recording sheet by an electrophotographic method.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the multifunction machine 101 mainly includes a document reading unit 110, an image forming unit 120, and a paper feeding unit 130. The paper feed unit 130 includes four paper cassettes 142a to 142d that store paper. The image forming unit 120 forms an image on a recording sheet fed from one of the sheet cassettes of the sheet feeding unit 130 by a Carlson process. The document reading unit 110 scans a document placed on a document table and creates image data.

  More specifically, the image forming unit 120 forms a multicolor image by superimposing the toner images of each color of black (BK), cyan (C), magenta (M), and yellow (Y). Therefore, the image forming unit 120 includes four photosensitive drums 21a to 21d corresponding to BK, C, M, and Y, respectively, and around the photosensitive drums 21a to 21d, for each photosensitive drum. A charger, a developing device, a transfer roller, a cleaning member, and the like are provided. Thus, the image forming unit 120 is a tandem color image forming unit.

  The image forming unit 120 further includes an exposure unit 10, an intermediate transfer belt 31, a transfer roller 36, a fixing device 27, and the like.

  The photoreceptor drums 21a to 21d are organic photoreceptors using, for example, an organic photoconductor (OPC).

  The exposure unit 10 includes a laser scanning unit, a polygon mirror, an fθ lens, a reflection mirror, and the like. In the exposure unit 10, the laser light emitted from the laser scanning unit is color-separated by the polygon mirror and the fθ lens, then reflected by the reflection mirror, and irradiated on the respective photosensitive drums 21 a to 21 d for each color. .

  The developing devices 23a to 23d include a developing tank, a stirring roller, a developing roller, a doctor blade, and the like. The developing devices 23a to 23d perform development using a two-component developer in which a carrier is mixed with toner. In the developing devices 23a to 23d, the toner supplied into the developing tank is mixed with a carrier by a stirring roller, and a magnetic brush adjusted to an appropriate head height by a doctor blade is formed on the developing roller. Development is performed by bringing the photosensitive drums 21a to 21d into contact with each other.

  Note that the multifunction peripheral 101 includes toner replenishing devices 100a to 100d above the developing devices 23a to 23d in order to replenish toner of each color to the developing devices 23a to 23d. The toner replenishing devices 100a to 100d have toner bottles that respectively store black (BK), cyan (C), magenta (M), and yellow (Y) toner. Each toner bottle can be replaced when the toner is consumed. The multi-function peripheral 101 has two toner replenishing devices 100a for black toner that consumes a large amount. The toner bottles of the toner replenishing devices 100a to 100d may contain an appropriate amount of carrier in addition to the toner of each color.

  The intermediate transfer belt 31 is an endless belt stretched by a driving roller and a driven roller, and is in contact with the respective surfaces of the photosensitive drums 21a to 21d. Further, the intermediate transfer belt 31 is also in contact with the sheet conveyance path. A transfer roller 36 is provided at a location where the intermediate transfer belt 31 and the sheet conveyance path are in contact with each other so as to face the intermediate transfer belt 31.

  The fixing device 27 includes a fixing roller and a pressure roller, and these two rollers sandwich the recording paper on which the toner image is transferred, thereby fixing the toner image on the recording paper.

  Next, an image forming process in the multifunction machine 101 will be described.

  First, the surfaces of the photosensitive drums 21a to 21d are uniformly charged by the charger. Next, the uniformly charged areas on the surfaces of the photosensitive drums 21a to 21d are exposed by the exposure unit 10, whereby electrostatic latent images are formed on the surfaces of the photosensitive drums 21a to 21d. This electrostatic latent image is created for each color component included in the image.

  The electrostatic latent images of the respective color components formed on the surfaces of the photosensitive drums 21a to 21d are developed by the developing devices 23a to 23d, respectively. As a result, toner images of BK, C, M, and Y are formed on the surfaces of the photosensitive drums 21a to 21d, respectively. The toner images of the respective colors formed on the surfaces of the photosensitive drums 21a to 21d are transferred onto the intermediate transfer belt 31 in an overlapping manner. As a result, a desired multicolor image is formed on the intermediate transfer belt 31 as a toner image.

  On the other hand, one recording sheet is picked up from any sheet cassette of the sheet feeding unit 130 and is transported through the sheet transport path. The conveyed recording paper reaches a point where the transfer roller 36 is provided, and is pressed against the intermediate transfer belt 31 by the transfer roller 36. Here, a transfer electric field is formed between the transfer roller 36 and the intermediate transfer belt 31, and the toner image formed on the intermediate transfer belt 31 is transferred onto the recording paper by the action of the electric field.

  The recording paper on which the toner image has been transferred is further conveyed, and the fixing device 27 fixes the toner image on the recording paper. Then, the recording paper is discharged to a paper discharge tray, and the image forming process ends.

  Next, the configuration of the developing devices 23a to 23d and the toner replenishing devices 100a to 100d of the present embodiment will be described in detail.

  The developing devices 23a to 23d basically have the same structure. Hereinafter, the developing devices 23a to 23d are collectively referred to as the developing device 23. The same applies to the toner supply devices 100a to 100d and the photosensitive drums 21a to 21d. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing a schematic structure of the developing device 23 and the toner replenishing device 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the developing device 23 includes a developing roller 231, first and second toner conveying rollers 232 and 233, a toner tank 234, a toner concentration sensor 235, and a doctor blade 236.

  The toner tank 234 forms an exterior part, and a toner introduction port 234a for introducing the developer is formed in the upper part. An opening 234b is formed on the photosensitive drum side of the toner tank 234. Inside the toner tank 234, a developing roller 231, a first toner transport roller 232, and a second toner transport roller 233 are disposed.

  The developing roller 231 is provided in the vicinity of the opening 234b formed in the toner tank 234, is exposed from the opening 234b, and is in contact with or close to the photosensitive drum 21. The developing roller 231 is a magnet roller for forming the magnetic brush described above.

  The first toner transport roller 232 and the second toner transport roller 233 are disposed on the bottom side of the toner tank 234 so as to be parallel to the developing roller 231 and develop while stirring the toner supplied into the toner tank 234 together with the carrier. Transport to roller 231. A toner density sensor 235 is provided at the bottom of the toner tank 234. The toner concentration sensor 235 is a magnetic permeability sensor, and detects the ratio of toner and carrier in the toner tank 234.

  A toner replenishing device 100 is disposed above the developing device 23 configured as described above. As shown in FIG. 3, the toner replenishing device 100 mainly includes a toner replenishing portion 500 that supplies toner, a support member 600 that supports the toner replenishing portion 500, and toner supplied from the toner replenishing portion 500 to the developing device 23. It comprises a toner conveyance path 612 for guiding and a driving device (not shown).

  FIG. 4 is a side view showing the structure of the toner replenishing unit 500 according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 5 is a side view of the toner supply unit 500 shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 4, the toner replenishing unit 500 includes a toner bottle (developer storage container) 200 that stores toner as a developer therein, and a bottle that rotatably holds the toner bottle 200 on one end side. Holding member 300.

  The toner bottle 200 has a cylindrical portion 201 formed in a substantially cylindrical shape. When the end portion of the cylindrical portion 201 on the side held by the bottle holding member 300 is a tip portion 201a, a discharge port 201f for discharging toner is formed in the vicinity of the tip portion 201a. In addition, as shown in FIG. 4, since the area | region of the front-end | tip part 201a vicinity is covered with the bottle holding member 300 among the surrounding surfaces of the cylindrical part 201, the discharge port 201f is not shown by FIG. On the other hand, the rear end 201b which is the end opposite to the front end 201a of the cylindrical portion 201 is closed.

  A plurality of grooves 201 c that are recessed toward the inside of the cylindrical portion 201 are formed on the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion 201. On the other hand, on the inner peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion 201, a region corresponding to the grooves 201c is a protruding portion 201h having a shape protruding to the axis Y side.

  The groove portions 201c (protruding portions 201h)... Extend in a direction slightly inclined with respect to the rotation direction of the toner bottle 200, and along the axis Y of the toner bottle 200 so that the respective groove portions 201c are parallel to each other. Are provided. That is, the projecting portions 201 h are formed in a spiral shape on the inner peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion 201 of the toner bottle 200.

  The toner bottle 200 having the protrusions 201h and the grooves 201c can be formed, for example, by molding an ABS resin.

  When the toner bottle 200 is attached to the multifunction machine 101, the toner bottle 200 is installed such that the posture shown in FIG. 4, that is, the axis Y of the cylindrical portion 201 is horizontal. Further, the toner bottle 200 is driven to rotate in the Z direction shown in the drawing with the axis Y of the cylindrical portion 201 as the center.

  When the toner bottle 200 is driven to rotate, the toner stored in the toner bottle 200 is conveyed from the rear end 201b side to the front end 201a side where the discharge port is provided, while being guided by the protrusions 201h. The Then, the toner that has reached the tip 201a is discharged from the discharge port.

  The grooves 201c (protruding portions 201h)... Have any shape as long as the toner stored in the cylindrical portion 201 can be conveyed from the rear end portion 201b side to the front end portion 201a side. Good.

  Two convex portions 201e and 201e are formed on a part of the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion 201. More specifically, the convex portions 201e and 201e are arranged in a region closer to the rear end portion 201b than the center of the toner bottle 200 so as not to overlap the groove portion 201c.

  In the present embodiment, the two convex portions 201e and 201e are positions that are 180 degrees apart from each other on the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion 201 with the axis Y as the center, and the distances from the rear end portion 201b are substantially the same. Placed in. The convex portions 201e and 201e have the same shape and are formed in a rectangular parallelepiped shape having a uniform height. Further, the inner peripheral surface of the toner bottle 200 corresponding to the position where the convex portions 201e and 201e are provided is flat with no steps from the periphery so that the toner is difficult to adhere. The functions of the convex portions 201e and 201e will be described later.

  FIG. 6 is a side view showing a structure in the vicinity of the front end portion 201a of the toner bottle 200 according to the embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 6, the tip portion 201 a is formed in a cylindrical shape having a smaller diameter than the central portion of the cylindrical portion 201. Two ribs 202 and 202 projecting to the outside are formed on the tip surface 201d of the tip portion 201a. FIG. 11 is a perspective view showing the structure of the ribs 202 and 202.

  The ribs 202 and 202 are adapted to be fitted to the connecting portion of the driving device when the toner replenishing device 100 is attached to the multifunction machine 101. As a result, the toner bottle 200 of the toner replenishing device 100 rotates when the driving force from the driving device is transmitted through the ribs 202 and 202.

  A discharge port 201f for discharging the toner stored in the cylindrical portion 201 is formed in an end surface 201g that forms a step between the center and the tip portion 201a in the cylindrical portion 201. The toner discharged from the discharge port 201f is accommodated in a bottle holding member 300 that is provided so as to cover the outer peripheral surface near the front end portion 201a.

  As shown in FIG. 5, on the bottom surface of the bottle holding member 300 (the bottom surface when the toner replenishing device 100 is provided in the multifunction machine 101), the toner discharged from the toner bottle 200 is further transferred to the outside of the bottle holding member 300. A shutter 400 for opening and closing a toner discharge portion for discharging is provided.

  That is, when the toner discharge portion of the bottle holding member 300 is opened by the shutter 400, the toner discharge portion and the toner conveyance path 612 are in communication with each other, and the toner supply portion 500 and the toner conveyance path 612 are connected to the developing device 23. Toner is replenished.

  As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the bottle holding member 300 is formed in a cylindrical shape having both ends open, and is joined to cover the outer peripheral surface in the vicinity of the tip portion 201a of the cylindrical portion 201. The body 301 and the second housing 302 are configured, and an opening is formed at the end of the bottle holding member 300 so that the rib 202 provided on the front end surface 201d of the front end 201a is at least exposed.

  As shown in FIG. 5, a guide member 303 and a guide member 304 for placing the toner replenishing device 100 on the multi-function peripheral 101 are formed on the surface of the first housing 301 so as to be parallel to each other. .

  Between the guide member 303 and the guide member 304, the above-described shutter 400 that controls discharge of the toner replenished from the toner replenishing device 100 to the outside is provided. For this reason, the guide member 303 and the guide member 304 are adjusted to a height that ensures a clearance between the bottle holding member 300 and the mounting surface on the multifunction machine 101 side so that the shutter 400 functions.

  FIG. 7 is a perspective view illustrating a state in which the toner replenishing portions 500a to 500d are mounted on the support member 600 according to the embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 7, BK toner replenishing portions 500a and 500a, C toner replenishing portion 500b, M toner replenishing portion 500c, and Y toner replenishing portion 500d can be mounted on support member 600. It has become.

  Here, the toner bottle 200 is attached to the support member 600 by the holding belt 603. The holding belt 603 attaches the toner bottle 200 to the support member 600 with an appropriate strength so that the toner bottle 200 can rotate.

  FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing a configuration of a support member 600 that supports the toner bottle 200 according to the embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 8, for convenience of explanation, a part of the mounting base corresponding to the BK toner replenishing portion 500a is omitted.

  The support member 600 mainly includes a mounting base (base) 602 and two plate-like members 614 and 615. As shown in FIG. 8, among the support members 600, the mounting base 602 on which the toner replenishing unit 500 is mounted is attached to the bottle holding member 300 on one end side of the upper surface of the toner replenishing unit 500 where the bottle holding member 300 is mounted. At locations corresponding to the provided shutter 400, toner supply ports 611 (611a, 611b, 611c, 611d) are formed. Below the toner supply port 611, a toner conveyance path 612 (612a, 612b, 612c, 612d) for conveying the toner communicating with the developing device 23 is disposed.

  The plate-like members 614 and 615 are erected on the mounting table 602 so as to be substantially perpendicular to the upper surface of the mounting table 602 and parallel to the axis Y of the toner bottle 200. The two plate members 614 and 615 are arranged to face each other so as to be parallel to each other.

  FIG. 9 is an enlarged view of the main part of FIG. 8 showing the shape of the plate-like members 614 and 615. The plate-like members 614 and 615 are both formed in a substantially trapezoidal shape, and the long side of the two parallel sides is fixed to the mounting base 602. Of the two plate members 614 and 615, the plate member 615 has a tip region (upper region) bent toward the plate member 614. The upper sides (edges) 616 and 617 of the plate-like members 614 and 615 are parallel to the upper surface of the mounting base 602 and are located at the same height.

  FIG. 1 is a side view showing a state in which a toner replenishing unit 500 is installed on a support member 600 according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 10 is a side view of the state of FIG. 1 viewed from the rear end portion 201b side of the toner bottle 200. FIG.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 10, the support member 600 supports the outer peripheral surface near the rear end portion 201 b of the toner bottle 200 from below by the upper edges 616 and 617 of the plate-like members 614 and 615. As described above, the two convex portions 201e and 201e are provided on the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion 201 of the toner bottle 200. In the region including the toner bottle 200.

  As shown in FIG. 1, a drive device 700 having a drive motor 701 and a connection portion 702 is provided on the front end portion 201 a side of the toner bottle 200, and the connection portion 702 of the drive device 700 is the front end portion of the toner bottle 200. It is fitted to 201a from the horizontal side. More specifically, at the end of the connecting portion 702 of the driving device 700 on the toner bottle 200 side, two recesses (not shown) that fit into the ribs 202 and 202 provided on the toner bottle 200 are provided. The above-mentioned fitting is performed by fitting these two concave portions with the ribs 202 and 202.

  On the other hand, the other end of the connecting portion 702 is coupled to the drive motor 701. With this configuration, when the drive motor 701 rotates about the axis Y in the Z direction, the rotational force is transmitted to the toner bottle 200 via the connecting portion 702, and the toner bottle 200 is driven to rotate about the axis Y in the Z direction. Is done.

  When the toner bottle 200 is rotationally driven about the axis Y in the Z direction, the toner in the toner bottle 200 is moved toward the front end portion 201a by the protrusions 201h provided on the inner peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion 201 of the toner bottle 200. It is conveyed and discharged into the bottle holding member 300 from the discharge port 201f. The toner discharged into the bottle holding member 300 is further discharged from the toner discharge portion provided with the shutter 400 and supplied to the developing device 23 via the toner conveyance path 612.

  By the way, when the toner bottle 200 is rotationally driven by the driving device 700, the edge portions 616 and 617 of the plate-like members 614 and 615 of the support member 600 collide with the two convex portions 201e and 201e provided on the toner bottle 200. repeat. As a result, the toner bottle 200 is vibrated around the convex portions 201e and 201e, and the toner attached to the inner peripheral surface of the toner bottle 200 is peeled off by the vibration.

  Here, according to the present invention, the height of each convex portion 201e is set to 0.1 mm or more and 0.5 mm or less, so that the drive system (particularly, the ribs 202 and 202 which are connection portions between the toner bottle 200 and the drive device 700). ) Is reduced. In addition, it is more preferable that the height of the convex portion 201e is 0.2 mm or more and 0.3 mm or less.

  When the toner bottle 200 is vibrated due to the collision between the convex portions 201e and 201e and the plate-like members 614 and 615, the ribs 202 and 202 are worn by the vibration of the toner bottle 200, which may adversely affect the rotation driving of the toner bottle. There is. In particular, as described above, in the configuration in which the collision between the convex portions 201e and 201e and the plate-like members 614 and 615 is constantly repeated, even if there is no problem in the short term, there is a problem with the passage of time. May occur.

  However, as described above, by setting the height of the convex portion 201e to 0.5 mm or less, the vibration of the toner bottle 200 is suppressed, and the burden on the ribs 202 and 202 is reduced as shown in the embodiments described later. can do. In addition, if the height of the convex portion 201e is 0.1 mm or more, it is possible to generate vibrations necessary for peeling off the toner attached to the inner peripheral surface.

  Further, the convex portion 201e is disposed on the outer end surface of the toner bottle 200 on the rear end portion 201b side from the center in the axis Y direction (intermediate between the front end portion 201a and the rear end portion 201b). Thus, by providing the convex portion 201e at a position away from the connection portion 702 of the drive device 700, the burden on the drive system can be further reduced.

  In the present embodiment, the connecting portion 702 of the driving device 700 is configured to be fitted to the end surface of the front end portion 201a of the toner bottle 200 from the horizontal side to transmit the driving force. Accordingly, even if the toner bottle 200 swings up and down in response to the collision between the convex portions 201e and 201e and the plate-like members 614 and 615, the tip 201a of the toner bottle 200 and the connection portion 702 of the driving device 700 are There will be no gap between them and transmission of driving force will not fail.

〔Example〕
Experiments conducted to verify the effects of the present invention described above will be described below. In the following two experiments, the toner bottle 200 was compared with an existing toner bottle (MX-70JTBA manufactured by Sharp Corporation; φ85, length of about 450 (both mm), made of HDPE resin) from the end 201a side. A toner bottle in which convex portions 201e and 201e having various heights shown in Table 1 below are formed as shown in the embodiment at positions of 400 to 406 (mm) was used. In an initial state, the toner bottle 200 contains 1000 g of the same toner as that contained in MX-70JTBA manufactured by Sharp Corporation. The shape of the convex portions 201e and 201e is a rectangular parallelepiped shape, and the length × width = 4 mm × 6 mm.

  In Experiment 1, in order to clarify the relationship between the height of the convex portion 201e and the residual toner suppressing effect, these toner bottles 200 are mounted on a multifunction machine of model number MX-7000N (manufactured by Sharp Corporation). Then, image formation was performed 50000 times, and it was examined whether or not toner remained on the inner peripheral surface of the toner bottle 200. The results are shown in Table 1 below. In the column of the toner residual suppression effect in Table 1, “x” indicates that the toner residual suppression effect was hardly recognized, and “◯” indicates that the toner residual suppression effect was recognized to some extent, “◎” indicates that the toner residual suppressing effect was sufficiently recognized.

  According to the result of Experiment 1, it has been clarified that the height of the convex portion 201e needs to be 0.1 mm or more, and preferably 0.2 mm or more, from the viewpoint of the toner residual suppression effect.

  Subsequently, in Experiment 2, in order to clarify the relationship between the height of the convex portion 201e and the load on the drive system, the toner bottle 200 is mounted on a multifunction machine of model number MX-7000N (manufactured by Sharp Corporation). Then, continuous rotation driving for 500 hours was performed, and the average value of the wear amount of the apex portions (202a in FIG. 11) of the two ribs 202 and 202 was examined. The results are shown in Table 1 below.

  According to the result of Experiment 2, from the viewpoint of reducing the burden on the drive system (particularly preventing rib wear), the height of the convex portion 201e needs to be 0.5 mm or less, and preferably 0.3 mm or less. Became clear.

  Therefore, the evaluation based on the viewpoints of both the toner residual suppressing effect and the reduction of the load on the drive system is as shown in Table 1 below.

  The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications can be made within the scope of the claims. That is, embodiments obtained by combining technical means appropriately changed within the scope of the claims are also included in the technical scope of the present invention.

  The present invention can be used for, for example, a toner bottle used in an electrophotographic image forming apparatus.

1 is a side view illustrating a state in which a toner supply unit is installed on a support member according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. 1, showing an embodiment of the present invention, is a cross-sectional view showing a schematic configuration of a multifunction machine. FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a schematic structure of a developing device and a toner replenishing device according to an embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a side view illustrating a structure of a toner replenishing unit according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 5 is a side view of the toner replenishing portion shown in FIG. FIG. 3 is a side view illustrating a structure in the vicinity of a front end portion of a toner bottle according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a perspective view illustrating a state in which a toner supply unit is mounted on a support member according to an embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a perspective view illustrating a configuration of a support member that supports a toner bottle according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a principal part enlarged view of FIG. 8 which shows the shape of a plate-shaped member. FIG. 3 is a side view illustrating a state in which a toner replenishing unit is installed on a support member when viewed from the rear end side of the toner bottle according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an embodiment of the present invention and showing the shape of a rib.

Explanation of symbols

23 Developing Device 100 Toner Supply Device 101 Multifunction Device 120 Image Forming Unit 200 Toner Bottle 201 Cylindrical Part 201c Groove Part 201e Protruding Part 201f Discharge Port 201h Protruding Part 202 Rib 300 Bottle Holding Member 500 Toner Supply Part 600 Support Member 602 Mounting Base (Base Stand)
611 Toner supply port 612 Toner conveyance path 614 Plate member 615 Plate member 616 Edge 617 Edge 700 Drive device 701 Drive motor 702 Connection portion

Claims (7)

In the developer storage container for discharging the stored developer from the discharge port by storing the developer in a hollow cylindrical portion and rotating the cylindrical portion around its axis.
The outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion is provided with at least one convex portion having a height of 0.1 mm or more and 0.5 mm or less that repeatedly collides with the contact member while the cylindrical portion is rotationally driven. A developer storage container.   The developer storage container according to claim 1, wherein a height of the convex portion is 0.2 mm or more and 0.3 mm or less. A driving means for rotationally driving the cylindrical portion is connected to one axial end portion of the cylindrical portion,
2. The developer storage container according to claim 1, wherein the convex portion is provided on the other end portion side opposite to the one end portion from the center of the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion. . A developer container according to claim 1;
A support member for supporting the developer storage container,
The developer replenishing device, wherein the support member supports the developer storage container in a region of the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion where the convex portion is provided. The developer container is arranged so that the axis of the cylindrical portion is horizontal,
The support member includes a base and two plate-like members erected on the base so as to be parallel to the axis of the cylindrical portion. The developer replenishing device according to claim 4, wherein the cylindrical portion of the developer container is supported from below by an edge portion.   6. The developing device according to claim 5, further comprising a driving unit that is fitted to one end face of the cylindrical portion of the developer storage container from a lateral side in the horizontal direction and rotationally drives the developer storage container. Agent supply device.   An image forming apparatus comprising the developer supply device according to claim 4.

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