JP2009015056A - Toner bottle and toner supply device using the same - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a toner bottle that can correctly supply toner, without increasing the toner concentration of developer or without locking the toner around an external toner supply port, by preventing the toner from being discharged out of a toner outlet, when the toner supply from the toner bottle is stopped, and to provide a toner supply device that uses the same. <P>SOLUTION: The toner bottle 200 has a body portion 201 filled with the toner and a bottle side toner outlet 201h for discharging the filled toner, and discharges the toner to the outside of the bottle by making it rotate with a bottle support member 300. The bottle support member 300 is provided with a shutter mechanism 400 for bringing an external toner outlet 300b into a closed or opened state, and also for positioning and holding the toner bottle 200 at a predetermined position; and the body portion 201 includes a toner guard 701 that blocks the external toner outlet 300b at a predetermined position. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a toner container and a toner replenishing device using the same, and more particularly to a toner container used in an image forming apparatus that forms an image using toner and a toner replenishing device using the same.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine or a facsimile machine using toner, toner is supplied to a developing device by a toner replenishing device using a toner cartridge or the like, and continuous operation of image output is performed.

In general, toner is supplied to the developing device by supplying toner directly from the toner cartridge containing the toner to the developing device (see Patent Document 1), or the toner in the toner cartridge is predetermined by a screw. A device that is supplied from a position to a developing device is known (see Patent Document 2).
Furthermore, a technique for conveying toner to a desired position by rotating the toner cartridge itself without using a screw has been proposed (see Patent Documents 3 to 5).
According to such a system, since the toner is transported by rotating the toner cartridge itself, it is not necessary to provide a toner transport screw inside the toner cartridge, and it is necessary to consider the load of the screw when transporting the toner. Therefore, there is an advantage that the ratio of the toner that can be accommodated in the toner cartridge can be increased.
JP 2003-162143 A Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-142936 JP-A-7-20705 JP-A-8-339115 JP-A-6-348127

  In the conventional method described above, when the toner cartridge is mounted on the toner replenishing device, the toner may overflow from the toner discharge port formed in the toner cartridge. There arises a problem that the maintainability is adversely affected.

  Therefore, a support member for supporting the toner cartridge on the toner replenishing device is provided, and a shutter mechanism is provided in the toner introducing portion for introducing the toner to the toner replenishing device formed on the support member, and the shutter mechanism allows the toner to be Measures are taken to prevent leakage to the outside.

  However, when the amount of toner filled in the toner cartridge is large or when the fluidity of the toner is high, the toner is easily discharged from the toner discharge port on the toner cartridge side. In other words, the toner is supplied to the toner replenishing device.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described conventional problems, and prevents the toner from being discharged from the toner discharge port when the toner supply from the toner container is stopped. To provide a toner container and a toner replenishing device using the toner container capable of accurately replenishing toner without locking up near the toner replenishing port where external toner is replenished without being raised more than necessary. With the goal.

Each configuration of the toner container and the toner replenishing device using the toner container according to the present invention for solving the above-described problems is as follows.
The toner container according to claim 1 surrounds the internal toner discharge port, and a toner container main body having a toner storage portion filled with toner and an internal toner discharge port for discharging the toner filled in the toner storage portion. And a toner container support member having an external toner discharge port for rotatably supporting the internal toner container main body and discharging the toner discharged from the toner container to the outside, and rotating in the circumferential direction of the toner container main body A toner container that discharges the toner filled in the toner container to the outside of the container, wherein the toner container support member has a configuration in which the external toner discharge port is closed or opened, and the toner A shutter member capable of positioning and holding the container main body at a predetermined position along the rotation direction includes the toner container main body. It is characterized in further comprising a toner guard which closes the outer toner discharge port at a predetermined position.

  In addition to the configuration described in claim 1, the toner container described in claim 2 can discharge the toner from the toner container support member to the outside only when the toner container main body rotates through the external toner discharge port. It is characterized in that it is opened.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in addition to the configuration described in the first or second aspect, the toner container is configured such that the shutter member is interlocked with an operation of attaching and detaching the toner container to a toner supply device. The external toner discharge port is opened when the container is mounted, and the external toner discharge port is closed when the toner container is removed.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in addition to the configuration described in any one of the first to third aspects, the toner container may have a circumferential length along the inner circumference of the toner container support member. It is characterized by being formed over a range of about 1/2.

The toner container described in claim 5 is characterized in that, in addition to the configuration described in any one of claims 1 to 4, the toner guard is formed using a polyolefin resin material in particular. To do.
In the present invention, the resin material is particularly preferably a polyolefin-based resin material.

  7. A toner replenishing device according to claim 6, comprising: a toner container filled with toner; and a toner supply device that is mounted with the toner container and supplies toner discharged from the toner container to the developing device. In the apparatus, the toner container according to any one of claims 1 to 5 is provided as the toner container.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, a toner container main body having a toner container filled with toner, an internal toner discharge port for discharging the toner filled in the toner container, and the internal toner discharge port A toner container support member that surrounds and rotatably supports the inner toner container main body and has an external toner discharge port for discharging the toner discharged from the toner container to the outside, and in the circumferential direction of the toner container main body A toner container that discharges the toner filled in the toner storage portion to the outside of the container by rotating the toner container, wherein the external toner discharge port is closed or opened in the configuration of the toner container support member. A shutter member capable of positioning and holding the toner container main body at a predetermined position along the rotation direction is provided. By providing a toner guard that closes the external toner discharge port at a predetermined position, the toner does not fall from the external toner discharge port when the rotation of the toner container main body is stationary. It is possible to realize a toner container capable of accurately replenishing toner without being raised more than necessary and without being locked in the vicinity of a toner replenishing port where external toner is replenished.

Moreover, in addition to the common effect obtained by the inventions according to claims 1 to 6, the following effects can be obtained according to the inventions described in each claim.
Specifically, according to the second aspect of the invention, in addition to the effect obtained by the first aspect of the invention, the toner container support member is provided only when the toner container main body is rotated. Since the toner can be discharged from the inside so that the toner can be discharged to the outside, appropriate toner replenishment can be performed, so that the toner and the developer can be smoothly stirred.

  According to the invention described in claim 3, in addition to the effect obtained by the invention described in claim 1 or 2, the shutter member is interlocked with the operation of attaching / detaching the toner container to / from the apparatus for supplying toner. When the toner container is mounted, the external toner discharge port is opened, and when the toner container is removed, the external toner discharge port is closed. Since the toner container can be easily attached and detached without overflowing the outside of the apparatus, the workability and maintainability can be remarkably improved without contaminating the operator or the apparatus with the overflowing toner.

  According to the invention described in claim 4, in addition to the effect obtained by the invention described in any one of claims 1 to 3, the toner guard is arranged along the inner periphery of the toner container support member. The toner can be more reliably prevented from dropping by forming it over a range of about ½ of its peripheral length.

  According to the invention described in claim 5, in addition to the configuration described in any one of claims 1 to 4, the toner guard is formed by using a polyolefin-based resin material in particular. Since it has flexibility and can be easily processed, it is possible to obtain a configuration in which the external toner discharge port is accurately closed.

  According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, toner replenishment includes a toner container filled with toner and a toner supply device that is mounted with the toner container and supplies toner discharged from the toner container to the developing device. In the apparatus, the toner container according to any one of claims 1 to 5 is provided as the toner container, so that the toner from the external toner discharge port can be obtained when the rotation of the toner container body is stationary. Since falling can be prevented, the toner replenishing port on the toner replenishing device side is not filled with toner, and an increase in the toner concentration of the developer due to excessive toner replenishment can be suppressed.

The best mode for carrying out the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is an explanatory view showing an overall configuration of an image forming apparatus using a toner container according to the present invention, which is an example of an embodiment of the invention.

  In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, a developer image formed on the photosensitive drum 21 (21a, 21b, 21c, 21d) based on the image data by the developer (toner) supplied by the developing roller 231 is displayed. In the image forming apparatus 1 that transfers to a recording sheet through a transfer process, toner replenishment that has toner bottles (toner containers) 200 (200a, 200b, 200c, and 200d) that store toner and supplies toner to the developing device 23 The apparatus 100 (100a, 100b, 100c, 100d) is provided, and toner is automatically supplied to the developing device 23 (23a, 23b, 23c, 23d) to output an image.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the image forming apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment has a developer image (hereinafter, referred to as toner) formed by a developer (hereinafter referred to as toner) that matches each hue in accordance with color-separated image information. Hereinafter, the photosensitive drum 21 (21a, 21b, 21c, 21d) on which the toner image is formed, and a developing device 23 (23a, 23b, 23c, 23d) that supplies the toner to the surface of the photosensitive drum 21. 23d) and a plurality of process printing units (image forming means) 20 (20a, 20b, 20c, 20d), and laser light (on each photosensitive drum 21 for each color based on image information) A transfer belt unit 30 including an endless transfer belt 31 that conveys the supplied recording paper, a heating roller The 27a and the pressing roller 27b and a fixing unit 27 for thermally fixing the toner image transferred on the recording paper.

First, the overall configuration of the image forming apparatus 1 will be described.
An image forming apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment is a so-called digital color printer, which color-separates image information, forms an image for each hue, and outputs a color image, as shown in FIG. The image forming unit 108 and the sheet feeding unit 109 are roughly configured, and a multicolor image or a single color image is recorded on a recording sheet based on a print job from an information processing apparatus (not shown) such as a personal computer connected to the outside. Is formed.

  The image forming unit 108 uses an electrophotographic method to form a multicolor image using each color of yellow (Y), magenta (M), cyan (C), and black (BK). The unit 10, the process printing unit 20, the fixing unit 27, a transfer belt unit 30 as a transfer means including a transfer belt 31, a transfer roller 36, and a transfer belt cleaning unit 37 are configured.

  The schematic configuration of the image forming unit 108 is that a fixing unit 27 is disposed on the upper end of one end of the casing 1 a of the image forming apparatus 1, and is transferred below the fixing unit 27 from one end to the other end of the casing 1 a. A belt unit 30 is disposed, a process printing unit 20 is disposed below the transfer belt unit 30, and an exposure unit 10 is disposed below the process printing unit 20.

  A transfer belt cleaning unit 37 is provided on the other end side of the transfer belt unit 30. Further, a paper discharge tray 43 is provided adjacent to the fixing unit 27 above the image forming unit 108. A paper feeding unit 109 is configured below the image forming unit 108.

  In this embodiment, four process printing units 20a, 20b, 20c, and 20d corresponding to each color of black (BK), yellow (Y), magenta (M), and cyan (C) are transferred as the process printing unit 20. The belts 31 are sequentially provided along the belt 31.

  These process printing units 20 (20a, 20b, 20c, 20d) are arranged in parallel in a substantially horizontal direction (left-right direction in the figure) in the housing 1a, and a photosensitive drum 21 serving as an image carrier for each color. (21a, 21b, 21c, 21d), a charger 22 (22a, 22b, 22c, 22d) for charging the photosensitive drum 21, a developing device 23 (23a, 23b, 23c, 23d), a cleaner unit 24 (24a, 24b, 24c, 24d) and the like.

  Here, the symbols a, b, c, and d attached to the components corresponding to the respective colors correspond to the respective colors of black (BK), cyan (C), magenta (M), and yellow (Y). However, in the following description, the constituent elements provided for the respective colors are collectively shown in the photosensitive drum 21, except for the case where the constituent elements corresponding to a specific color are specified. The charger 22, the developing device 23, and the cleaner unit 24 are described.

  The photosensitive drum 21 is disposed such that a part of the outer peripheral surface thereof is in contact with the surface of the transfer belt 31, and the charger 22, the developing device 23, and the cleaner unit as an electric field generating unit along the outer peripheral surface of the drum. 24 are arranged close to each other.

  As the charger 22, a corona wire charger type charger is used, and is arranged close to the outer peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum 21 on the substantially opposite side to the position where the transfer belt unit 30 is arranged with the photosensitive drum 21 interposed therebetween. . In the present embodiment, a corona wire charger type charger is used as the charger 22. However, instead of the corona wire charger type charger, a fur brush type charger, a magnetic brush type charger, a roller type charger, a saw tooth Any type charger, ion generating charging device, or the like can be used without particular limitation as long as it can impart desired chargeability to the photosensitive drum.

  The developing device 23 stores toner of each color of black (BK), cyan (C), magenta (M), and yellow (Y) for each developing device 23a, 23b, 23c, and 23d. It is arranged downstream of the charger 22 in the drum rotation direction (the direction of arrow A in the figure).

  The developing devices 23a, 23b, 23c, and 23d include five toner replenishers 500a for replenishing toner to the developing devices 23a, 23b, 23c, and 23d in order to be capable of high-speed and high-volume printing. , 500b, 500c, and 500d, toner replenishing devices 100a, 100b, 100c, and 100d are provided, and developing rollers 231a, 231b, 231c, and 231d are disposed to face the photosensitive drums 21a, 21b, 21c, and 21d, respectively. Thus, each color toner is supplied to the electrostatic latent images formed on the outer peripheral surfaces of the photosensitive drums 21a, 21b, 21c, and 21d so as to be visualized.

As toner for replenishment, black (BK) toner is supplied to the toner replenishment unit 500a, cyan (C) toner is supplied to the toner replenishment unit 500b, magenta (M) toner is supplied to the toner replenishment unit 500c, and toner supply unit 500d is supplied. Contains yellow (Y) toner.
Note that two toner replenishing portions 500a for black (BK) toner are provided in parallel so that a large amount of printing can be performed in consideration of normally used mono black printing.

  Each toner replenishing section 500 is disposed almost immediately above the developing device 23 that develops using the corresponding toner, and the toner replenishing passage body 612 (612a) is provided to each corresponding developing device 23. , 612b, 612c, 612d).

  The supply passage body 612a for supplying black (BK) toner is structured to supply toner from the two toner supply devices 100a and 100a together to the developing device 23a. .

  The cleaner unit 24 is disposed on the upstream side of the charger 22 in the rotation direction of the photosensitive drum. In addition, the cleaner unit 24 includes a cleaning blade 241, and the cleaning blade 241 is disposed in contact with the outer peripheral surface of the photoconductive drum 21 to scrape and collect residual toner on the photoconductive drum 21. Has been. Reference numeral 242 in the figure denotes a conveying screw that conveys the collected toner.

  Although the cleaning blade 241 is used in this embodiment, the present invention is not particularly limited to these configurations, and one or more cleaning blades may be used, or a fur brush or a magnetic brush may be used alone. A cleaning blade, a fur brush, and a magnetic brush may be used in combination. Any device configured to scrape and collect residual toner on the photosensitive drum 21 can be used.

  The exposure unit 10 mainly includes a box-shaped housing 10a, a laser scanning unit (LSU) 11 having a laser irradiation unit 11a disposed therein, a polygon mirror 12, and laser light for each color. Mirrors 13a, 13b, 13c, 13d, 14a, 14b, 14c and the like.

  The laser light emitted from the laser irradiation unit of the laser scanning unit 11 is color-separated by a polygon mirror and an fθ lens (not shown), and then reflected by the reflection mirrors 13a to 13c. 21b, 21c, and 21d are irradiated.

  The laser scanning unit 11 may be configured to use a writing head in which light emitting elements such as EL (Electro Luminescence) and LED (Light Emitting Diode) are arranged in an array instead of the laser irradiation unit, or a light source The liquid crystal shutter may be used, and any means capable of forming an electrostatic latent image on the photosensitive drum 21 can be used.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the transfer belt unit 30 mainly includes a transfer belt 31, a transfer belt drive roller 32, a transfer belt driven roller 33, and intermediate transfer rollers 35a, 35b, 35c, and 35d.

  In the following description, the intermediate transfer rollers 35a, 35b, 35c, and 35d are collectively referred to as the intermediate transfer roller 35 when used.

  The transfer belt 31 is endlessly formed using a film having a thickness of about 75 μm to 120 μm. As the material of the transfer belt 31, polyimide, polycarbonate, a thermoplastic elastomer alloy, or the like is mainly used.

  The transfer belt 31 is stretched by a transfer belt driving roller 32, a transfer belt driven roller 33, and an intermediate transfer roller 35 so that the surface thereof is in contact with the outer peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum 21, and the transfer belt driving roller 32. It is configured to move in the sub-scanning direction (in the direction of arrow B in the figure) by the driving force of.

  The transfer belt driving roller 32 is disposed on one end side of the housing 1a, drives the transfer belt 31 to convey the transfer belt 31, and transfers the transfer belt 31 in a state where the transfer belt 31 and the recording paper are overlapped. The recording paper is conveyed while being pressed between and pressed.

  The transfer belt driven roller 33 is disposed on the other end side of the housing 1a, and the transfer belt 31 and the transfer belt driving roller 32 are laid substantially horizontally from the fixing unit 27 side to the other end side of the housing 1a. In order to reduce the dimension in the width direction of the image forming apparatus 1 in FIG. 1 or to save the space in the so-called width direction, the transfer belt 31 together with the transfer belt drive roller 32 is mounted from the fixing unit 27 side. The other side of the body 1a can be inclined, and one of them can be provided with an appropriate arrangement, size, etc., such as a photoreceptor, development, laser irradiation unit, fixing, etc. It doesn't matter.

  The intermediate transfer roller 35 is disposed in the inner space of the transfer belt 31 that is wound from the transfer belt driving roller 32 to the transfer belt driven roller 33. The transfer belt 31 is disposed at a position shifted to the downstream side in the moving direction, presses the inner surface of the transfer belt 31, and the outer surface of the transfer belt 31 winds a part of the outer peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum 21. You may provide so that a predetermined | prescribed nip amount may be obtained.

  The intermediate transfer roller 35 includes a metal (for example, stainless steel) shaft having a diameter of 8 to 10 mm, and the outer peripheral surface of the metal shaft is coated with a conductive elastic material such as EPDM or urethane foam. It is not necessary to limit to these elastic materials.

  The intermediate transfer roller 35 configured as described above has a high voltage transfer bias for transferring the toner image formed on the photosensitive drum 21 to the transfer belt 31, that is, a polarity opposite to the charging polarity (−) of the toner. A high voltage (+) is applied, and the high voltage is uniformly applied to the transfer belt 31 by an elastic material.

  A visualized toner image (electrostatic image) corresponding to each hue on each of the above-described photosensitive drums 21 is laminated on the transfer belt 31 and becomes image information input to the apparatus. The stacked image information is transferred onto a recording sheet by a transfer roller 36 disposed at a contact position of the transfer belt 31.

  The transfer roller 36 constituting the transfer means constitutes a transfer means for transferring the toner image transferred to the transfer belt 31 onto a recording sheet, and is opposed to the transfer belt drive roller 32 in a substantially horizontal and parallel manner. The multi-color toner image formed on the transfer belt 31 is transferred onto a recording sheet and is arranged so as to come into pressure contact with the transfer belt 31 wound around the transfer belt driving roller 32 at a predetermined nip. Voltage, that is, a high voltage having a polarity (+) opposite to the charging polarity (−) of the toner is applied.

  Further, in order to obtain a nip between the transfer belt 31 and the transfer roller 36 steadily, either the transfer belt drive roller 32 or the transfer roller 36 is made of a hard material such as metal, and the other roller Is made of a soft material such as elastic rubber or foamable resin.

  A registration roller 26 is provided below the transfer belt driving roller 32 and the transfer roller 36. The registration roller 26 is configured to align the leading edge of the recording paper supplied from the paper feeding unit 109 and the leading edge of the toner image on the transfer belt 31 and convey the toner to the transfer roller 36 side.

  Further, as described above, the toner adhering to the transfer belt 31 due to contact with the photosensitive drum 21 or the toner remaining on the transfer belt 31 without being transferred onto the recording paper by the transfer roller 36 is mixed with toner in the next step. Therefore, the transfer belt cleaning unit 37 is set to be removed and collected.

  The transfer belt cleaning unit 37 is provided in the vicinity of the transfer belt driven roller 33 and disposed so as to be in contact (or sliding contact) with the transfer belt 31, and the residual on the transfer belt 31 by the cleaning blade 37a. A box-shaped toner collecting portion 37b that temporarily stores the toner (waste toner) that has been scraped off the toner, and scrapes and collects the residual toner on the transfer belt 31.

  Further, the transfer belt cleaning unit 37 is disposed in the vicinity of the process printing unit 20a on the upstream side in the moving direction of the transfer belt 31 from the process printing unit 20a. The portion of the transfer belt 31 where the cleaning blade 37 a contacts the outer surface is supported by the transfer belt driven roller 33 on the inner surface.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the fixing unit 27 includes a pair of fixing rollers 271 configured by a heating roller 27a and a pressure roller 27b, and a conveying roller 27c above the fixing roller 271. It is carried in from below 271 and carried out above carrying roller 27c.

  Further, a paper discharge roller 28 is provided above the fixing unit 27, and the recording paper conveyed from the conveyance roller 27 c is discharged onto the paper discharge tray 43 by the paper discharge roller 28. .

  The fixing of the toner image by the fixing unit 27 is controlled by controlling heating means (not shown) such as a heater lamp provided inside or close to the heating roller 27a based on a detection value of a temperature detector (not shown). The heating roller 27a is maintained at a predetermined temperature (fixing temperature), and the recording paper on which the toner image has been transferred is heated and pressed while being rotated and conveyed by being sandwiched between the heating roller 27a and the pressure roller 27b. The toner image is thermally fixed.

  Adjacent to the fixing unit 27, a double-sided document conveying path S3 for double-sided printing is formed from the rear to the bottom of the fixing unit 27 to the vicinity of the paper feed unit 109, and is arranged in the vertical direction on the double-sided document conveying path S3. The recording paper is reversed toward the transfer roller 36 in a state where the recording paper is reversed by the provided conveying rollers 29a and 29b.

  Specifically, the transport roller 29a is disposed behind the fixing unit 27, and the transport roller 29b is disposed below the transport roller 29a in the vertical direction and is disposed at substantially the same position as the registration roller 26 in the lateral direction. Yes.

  In this embodiment, the heating roller 27a and the pressure roller 27b, which are heating means such as a heater lamp, are used. However, an induction heating method may be used or they may be used in combination. Further, any means may be used as long as it is an appropriate method capable of uniformly heat-fixing the toner image on the recording paper without disturbing the toner image without using a roller.

  The paper feed unit 109 includes a manual feed tray 41 and a paper feed cassette 42 for storing recording paper used for image formation. The image forming unit 108 feeds recording paper from the manual feed tray 41 and the paper feed cassette 42 one by one. To be supplied to.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the manual feed tray 41 is expanded to one side end (right side in the drawing) of the casing 1 a of the image forming apparatus 1. A small number (necessary number) of recording sheets of the type desired by the user are placed and taken into the housing 1a of the image forming apparatus 1 one by one.

  A pickup roller 41a is provided on the side of the exposure unit 10 in the casing 1a of the image forming apparatus 1 on the downstream side of the paper feeding direction of the recording paper by the manual feed tray 41 (the direction of arrow C in the figure). A conveyance roller 41b is provided substantially horizontally on the downstream side in the paper direction.

The pickup roller 41a comes into contact with the surface of one end portion of the recording paper fed from the manual feed tray 41 and reliably conveys the paper one by one by the frictional resistance of the roller.
The above-described pickup roller 41a and transport rollers 41b, 41c, and 41d constitute a recording paper transport path S1.

  On the other hand, the paper feed cassette 42 is provided below the image forming unit 108 and the exposure unit 10 in the housing 1a, and records a large amount of recording paper having a size defined by the specifications of the apparatus or a size predetermined by the user. Can be accommodated.

  A pickup roller 42a is provided on one end portion (left end portion in the figure) of the paper feed cassette 42, and a conveyance roller 42b is provided downstream of the pickup roller 42a in the recording paper conveyance direction.

  The pickup roller 42a contacts the surface of one end of the recording paper at the top of the recording paper set in the paper feeding cassette 42 in response to an output request, and reliably feeds out one by one by the frictional resistance of the roller. It is supposed to be.

  The conveyance roller 42b is configured to convey the recording sheet fed from the pickup roller 42a upward to the image forming unit 108 along the recording sheet conveyance path S2 formed on one end side in the housing 1a. .

Next, image output by the image forming apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment will be described.
The image forming apparatus 1 is configured to transfer the toner image on the photosensitive drum 21 onto the recording paper supplied from the paper supply unit 109 via the transfer belt 31 by a so-called intermediate transfer method (offset method). ing.

  First, the charger 22 uniformly charges the outer peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum 21 to a predetermined potential. By irradiating the charged photosensitive drum 21 with laser light from the exposure unit 10, an electrostatic latent image for each color is generated on the photosensitive drum 21 for each color.

  Next, toner is supplied from the developing device 23 (23a, 23b, 23c, 23d) to each outer peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum 21 (21a, 21b, 21c, 21d), and formed on the outer peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum 21. The electrostatic latent image thus made is visualized as a toner image with toner.

Then, the toner image generated on the photosensitive drum 21 is transferred to the transfer belt 31.
The transfer of the toner image from the photosensitive drum 21 to the transfer belt 31 is performed by applying a high voltage to the intermediate transfer roller 35 disposed in contact with the back side of the transfer belt 31.

  By applying a high voltage with a polarity (+) opposite to the toner charging polarity (-) to the intermediate transfer roller 35, the transfer belt 31 is uniformly applied with a high voltage by the intermediate transfer roller 35 and has a reverse polarity. (+). As a result, the toner image of the charged polarity (−) on the photosensitive drum 21 is transferred onto the transfer belt 31 when the photosensitive drum 21 is in rotational contact with the transfer belt 31.

  The toner images of the respective colors formed on the respective photoconductive drums 21 are yellow (Y), magenta (M), cyan (C), black as the transfer belt 31 moves and makes rotational contact with the respective photoconductive drums 21. The images are transferred in the order of (BK), and a color toner image is formed on the transfer belt 31. In this way, the electrostatic latent image visualized with toner on the photosensitive drum 21 for each color is laminated on the transfer belt 31, and the print image is reproduced on the transfer belt 31 as a multicolor toner image. The

  The multicolor toner image transferred onto the transfer belt 31 is transferred from the transfer belt 31 onto the recording paper by the transfer roller 36 at a position where the transfer belt 31 moves and the recording paper and the transfer belt 31 overlap. The

  The toner adhering to the transfer belt 31 due to contact with the photosensitive drum 21 or the toner remaining on the transfer belt 31 without being transferred onto the recording paper by the transfer roller 36 causes toner color mixing in the next step. Therefore, it is removed and collected by the transfer belt cleaning unit 37.

Next, the recording paper supply operation by the paper supply unit 109 will be described.
When recording paper placed on the manual feed tray 41 is used, the recording paper is fed from the manual feed tray 41 by a pickup roller 41a at a timing controlled by an instruction on an operation panel (not shown) as shown in FIG. Are taken into the apparatus one by one. The recording sheet taken into the apparatus is conveyed to the image forming unit 108 along the recording sheet conveying path S1 by the conveying roller 41b.

  On the other hand, when recording paper stored in the paper feed cassette 42 is used, the recording paper is separated and fed one by one from the paper feed cassette 42 by the pickup roller 42a in response to an output request, and the recording paper is conveyed by the conveyance roller 42b. It is conveyed along the path S2 to the upper image forming unit.

  The recording paper transported from the manual feed tray 41 and the paper feed cassette 42 is transported to the transfer roller 36 side at the timing when the leading edge of the recording paper and the leading edge of the toner image on the transfer belt 31 are aligned by the registration roller 26. The toner image on the transfer belt 31 is transferred onto the recording paper.

  The recording sheet on which the toner image has been transferred is conveyed substantially vertically and reaches the fixing unit 27, where the toner image is thermally fixed on the recording sheet by the heating roller 27a and the pressure roller 27b. The recording paper that has passed through the fixing unit 27 is discharged face down onto the paper discharge tray 43 by the paper discharge roller 28 in the case of a single-sided print request.

  On the other hand, in the case of a double-sided printing request, after the recording paper is chucked by the paper discharge roller 28, the paper discharge roller 28 is rotated in the reverse direction to guide the recording paper to the double-sided document transport path S3. Transport to roller 26.

  At this time, the front side of the recording sheet is reversed while the surface to be transferred is reversed. That is, the end that becomes the start side during the first transfer is the end side during the back transfer, and the end that becomes the end side during the first transfer is the start side during the back transfer.

  After the toner image is transferred and thermally fixed on the back surface of the recording paper, it is discharged onto the paper discharge tray 43 by the paper discharge roller 28. In this way, the transfer operation to the recording paper is performed.

Next, configurations of the developing device 23 and the toner replenishing device 100 according to the present embodiment will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 2 is a schematic side cross-sectional view showing the configuration of the developing device and the toner replenishing device constituting the image forming apparatus according to the present embodiment, and FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram seen from the front showing the configuration of the developing device and the toner replenishing device FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing the configuration of the developing device mounted on the image forming apparatus according to the present embodiment. FIG. FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing a configuration of the toner replenishing portion mounting mechanism.

First, the developing device 23 will be described.
As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the developing device 23 has a toner introduction port 234 a for introducing toner at an upper portion of a housing 234 that forms an exterior portion, and a developing roller inside the housing 234. 231, a first toner conveyance roller 232, and a second toner conveyance roller 233 are disposed, and are mounted on the image forming apparatus main body in a state where the developing roller 231 is opposed to or in contact with the photosensitive drum 21. The toner introduction port 234a of the developing device 23 is formed outside the transfer belt width W on the same side as the toner supply port 611 of the toner supply unit mounting mechanism 600.

  The first toner transport roller 232 and the second toner transport roller 233 are arranged in parallel with each other along the axial direction of the developing roller 231 on the bottom side of the housing 234, and the toner supplied into the housing 234 is used as a developer. At the same time, it is conveyed to the developing roller 231 while stirring. The developing roller 231 is disposed on the upper side of the first toner conveying roller 232 so as to be exposed from the opening 235.

  The housing 234 has a long box shape in a direction (transfer belt width direction) perpendicular to a transfer direction (transfer belt conveyance direction) in a state of being mounted on the image forming apparatus main body, and the developing device 23 is connected to the image forming apparatus. An opening 235 is formed so that the developing roller 231 and the photosensitive drum 21 that are present in the state of being mounted on the main body face each other.

The opening 235 is formed to be long in the width direction of the housing 234 along the axial direction of the developing roller 231 so that at least the developing roller 231 can come into contact with the photosensitive drum 21. A blade 236 is provided along the axial direction of the developing roller 231 at the lower edge of the opening 235 in the drawing. The blade 236 is provided so as to form a predetermined gap between the edge of the blade 236 and the surface of the developing roller 231, and a predetermined amount of toner is supplied to the surface of the developing roller 231 through this gap. ing.
The toner replenishing device 100 is disposed on the upper side of the developing device 23 configured as described above.

Next, the configuration of the toner supply device 100 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 7A is a side view showing the configuration of the toner replenishing unit constituting the toner replenishing device according to the present embodiment, FIG. 7B is a front view of the toner replenishing unit viewed from the end side of the toner replenishing side, and FIG. FIG. 9 is a side view showing a configuration when a toner transporting scraper is attached to the tip of the toner bottle, and FIG. 10 is an example of the scraper. FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram showing an outline when the scraper shown in FIG. 10 is attached to a toner bottle, and FIG. 12 is a front view showing a configuration of the toner bottle.

  In this embodiment, the toner replenishing units 500a, 500b, 500c, and 500d constituting the toner replenishing device 100 (100a, 100b, 100c, and 100d) mounted on the image forming apparatus 1 have the same structure.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 7A, the toner replenishing device 100 mainly includes a toner bottle (toner container) 200 filled with toner as a developer, and the toner bottle 200 at one end side. A toner replenishing unit 500 having a bottle supporting member (toner container supporting member) 300 that is rotatably supported, and a toner replenishing unit mounting mechanism 600 that is mounted with the toner replenishing unit 500 and supplies toner to the developing device 23. It is configured.

  On the bottom surface of the bottle support member 300 (the lower surface when the toner replenishing device 100 is attached to the image forming apparatus 1), the toner replenished from the toner bottle 200 is supplied to the outside of the bottle support member 300 as shown in FIG. A shutter mechanism 400 is provided for opening and closing an external toner discharge port (described later) for discharging the toner.

  That is, when the toner discharge port of the bottle support member 300 is opened by the shutter mechanism 400, the external toner discharge port and the replenishment passage body 612 constituting the toner replenishing portion mounting mechanism 600 are in communication with each other. The toner supplied from the toner bottle 200 through the supply passage body 612 connected to is supplied to the developing device 23.

First, the characteristic toner bottle 200 of this embodiment will be described.
As shown in FIG. 7A, the toner bottle 200 includes a main body (toner container main body) 201 formed in a substantially cylindrical shape. When the end of the main body 201 on the side supported by the bottle support member 300 is a tip 201a, a toner discharge port (described later) for discharging toner is formed at the tip 201a. The rear end 201b, which is the end opposite to the front end 201a of the main body 201, is closed.

  A plurality of groove portions 201 c that are recessed toward the rotation axis X are formed on the surface of the main body portion 201. In addition, inside the main body 201, a portion corresponding to the groove 201c is a protruding portion having a shape protruding toward the rotation axis X.

The groove formed between the projecting parts functions as a guide groove for guiding the toner stored in the main body part 201 from the rear end part 201b toward the front end part 201a.
Here, as shown in FIG. 7A, the groove 201c has a gravitational lower side in the direction of the tip 201a when the main body 201 rotates in the clockwise Y direction around the rotation axis X. The upper side, which is the direction opposite to the direction of gravity, is formed so as to incline so as to incline toward the rear end 201b. As a result, the toner bottle 200 rotates in the Y direction, so that the toner contained in the toner bottle 200 is conveyed from the rear end 201b of the main body 201 toward the front end 201a.

The groove 201c may have any shape as long as the toner contained in the main body 201 can be conveyed from the rear end 201b toward the front end 201a.
As shown in FIG. 8, the tip portion 201 a is formed in a cylindrical shape having a smaller diameter than the central portion of the main body portion 201. Ribs 202 and 202 projecting to the outside are formed on the tip surface 201d of the tip portion 201a.

  The ribs 202 and 202 are adapted to be fitted to a drive unit of a drive device (not shown) when the toner replenishing device 100 is mounted on the image forming apparatus 1. As a result, the toner bottle 200 of the toner replenishing device 100 rotates when the driving force from the driving unit is transmitted through the ribs 202 and 202.

  Further, on the peripheral surface 201e of the tip portion 201a, as shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, a toner constituted by a plurality of scrapers 203 for conveying toner and a fixing member 204 to which the scrapers 203 are integrally fixed. Conveying means 206 is provided.

  The scraper 203 is made of a plate-like resin having elasticity such as rubber, and as shown in FIGS. 10 to 12, the scraper 203 is provided in a substantially radial manner from a position that is equally arranged in the circumferential direction of the surface of the fixing member 204, Further, the free end side is formed to be bent in a “h” shape on the upstream side (rear side) along the rotation direction of the toner bottle 200 (the direction of arrow D in the figure).

  In the present embodiment, a radially configured portion of the scraper 203 on the fixing member 204 side is a toner conveying portion 203a, and a portion bent toward the upstream side (rear) in the rotation direction of the toner bottle 200 is a lid portion 203b.

  The toner transport unit 203a is configured to be longer than the toner transport space in the bottle support member 300. When the toner transport unit 206 is installed in the bottle support member 300 with the toner bottle 200 mounted, the toner bottle 200 is rotated. The free end side is inclined to the upstream side (rear side) in the bottle rotation direction (see FIGS. 17A and 17B).

  This is a measure for scraping off the toner accumulated in the toner discharge chamber 300d without waste. However, if the length of the scraper 203 in the longitudinal direction of the toner conveying portion 203a is too long, the frictional force with the inner peripheral surface of the bottle support member 300 increases, and the rotational load increases. The length is preferably set so as not to increase (see FIG. 19).

  The lid portion 203b is formed such that the length W2 of the portion in sliding contact with the inner peripheral surface of the bottle support member 300 is longer than the opening length W1 of the external toner discharge port 300b, and the lid portion 203b faces the external toner discharge port 300b. Thus, the opening of the external toner discharge port 300b is covered and closed (see FIGS. 17A and 17B).

  The opening angle between the toner conveying portion 203a and the lid portion 203b is θ1 when the scraper 203 shown in FIG. 10 is opened and θ2 when the scraper 203 is incorporated in the bottle support member 300 is θ1> It is set to be θ2. With the difference in opening angle, the lid 203b can be brought into close contact with the external toner discharge port 300b by the elastic force of the scraper 203.

The fixing member 204 has a ring shape made of a stretchable material (general resin having elasticity such as rubber), and its inner diameter is slightly smaller than the outer diameter of the tip 201a as shown in FIG. The protrusion 204a is formed on the inner peripheral surface.
As shown in FIG. 11, the protrusion 204a is adapted to fit into a notch 201f formed in advance on the tip 201a.

In the present embodiment, by using such a fixing member 204, the scraper 203 can be easily provided on the main body 201 by simply expanding the ring portion and attaching it to the peripheral surface 201e of the tip 201a. In addition, when the fixing member 204 is mounted on the distal end portion 201a, the protruding portion 204a of the fixing member 204 is fitted into the notch 201f provided on the peripheral surface 201e of the distal end portion 201a, so that the distal end portion of the fixing member 204 is fitted. Fixing to 201a can be performed reliably. That is, the fixing member 204 can be driven integrally with the tip portion 201a without spinning around the peripheral surface 201e of the tip portion 201a.
The scraper 203 may be provided directly on the peripheral surface 201e of the tip 201a.

  As shown in FIG. 12, a bottle-side toner discharge port (internal toner discharge port) 201h for discharging the toner stored in the main body 201 is provided on an end surface 201g that forms a step with the front end 201a of the main body 201. Is formed.

  In this embodiment, the bottle-side toner discharge port (internal toner discharge port) 201h is formed in a substantially rectangular shape. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the toner discharge is not hindered. For example, it may have an opening shape such as a substantially square shape, a polygonal shape, or a circular shape.

  Further, a latching portion (locking portion) 205 constituting a part of the shutter mechanism 400 provided on the bottle support member 300 is formed to protrude from an outer peripheral portion of the main body portion 201 near the bottle support member 300. (See FIGS. 23A and 23B).

This latching portion 205 is formed by simultaneous processing by blow molding together with the main body portion 201. The latching portion 205 will be described in detail in the shutter mechanism 400.
Further, as shown in FIG. 12, the scraper 203 is adjusted when the fixing member 204 is mounted so that the center position thereof is arranged at a predetermined angle α with respect to the center of the bottle side toner discharge port 201h. .

  Here, the position where the scraper 203 is disposed is preferably a position that does not obstruct toner discharge from the bottle-side toner discharge port 201h, and the angle α may be any angle as long as it is such a position. The angle α is preferably 90 ° in order to reliably prevent toner discharge failure from the bottle side toner discharge port 201h.

  The toner discharged from the bottle-side toner discharge port 201h is accommodated in a bottle support member 300 provided so as to cover the front end portion 201a. The bottle support member 300 is formed with an external toner discharge port (described later) for discharging the stored toner.

  As illustrated in FIG. 12, the bottle-side toner discharge port 201 h is temporarily blocked by the seal member 220 until immediately before the operation of supplying the toner to the developing device 23 by rotating the toner bottle 200 is performed.

  The seal member 220 is formed of a flexible member, and is configured to peel from the toner bottle 200 and open the bottle-side toner discharge port 201h when the toner bottle 200 rotates.

Here, the seal member 220 will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 13 is an explanatory view showing a configuration of a seal member that closes the bottle-side toner discharge port of the toner bottle according to this embodiment, and FIG. 14A is an explanatory view showing a state when the seal member is attached to the toner bottle. FIG. 15B is an explanatory view showing a state when the sealing member is bent, FIG. 15 is an explanatory view showing a positional relationship between the sealing member and a scraper, and FIG. 16 is a view showing that the sealing member is attached to a bottle support member. It is explanatory drawing which shows a state.

  The seal member 220 is formed of “Tyvek” manufactured by DuPont Co., Ltd., a non-woven fabric made of ultrafine polyethylene fiber that is air permeable and has good slidability, as shown in FIGS. Along the end surface 201g where the bottle-side toner discharge port 201h of the toner bottle 200 is formed, the toner bottle 200 is formed in a substantially arc shape with a predetermined width in a range of about 180 degrees in the circumferential direction of the toner bottle.

  14A, the seal member 220 is bonded to the end surface 201g of the toner bottle 200 so that the one end 220a covers and seals the bottle-side toner discharge port 201h, and the other end 220b is described later. It adheres to the wall part 301c formed inside the bottle support member 300 to be.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 14B, the seal member 220 is bent so as to overlap along the end surface 201g of the toner bottle 200 from a substantially center position of the arc, and the bent portion 220c is folded at the other end portion. It is arranged so as to be located downstream (front side) in the toner bottle rotation direction from 220b, and is provided between the end face 201g and the scraper 203 as shown in FIG.

  14B and 16, the bottle side toner discharge port 201h sealed by the seal member 220 is disposed at a position facing the wall portion (inner wall portion) 301c of the bottle support member 300. The toner bottle 200 is temporarily positioned and held by the seal member 220.

In the present embodiment, the toner bottle 200 to which the seal member 220 is bonded is fixed by fixing the seal member 220 to the bottle support member 300.
With this configuration, even when the toner is filled in the main body 201 of the toner bottle 200, the seal member 220 can be used even if pressure due to the drop of the toner is applied to the seal member 220 of the bottle-side toner discharge port 201h. Since the support member 300 is disposed so as to face the wall portion 301c, the pressure of the toner can be received from the wall portion 301c. Thereby, the toner can be filled without peeling off the seal member 220.

  One end 220a of the seal member 220 bonded to the toner bottle 200 side is bonded to the end surface 201g of the toner bottle 200 by heat sealing by heat welding, and the other end 220b bonded to the bottle support member 300 side is Adhesive strength of the other end portion 220b bonded to the bottle supporting member 300 side is bonded to the wall portion 301c of the bottle supporting member 300 with an adhesive such as a double-sided tape, and the bonding strength of the one end portion 220a bonded to the toner bottle 200 side. It is set to be larger.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 16, the other end portion 220b of the seal member 220 is attached to the wall portion 301c of the bottle support member 300 to be bonded and fixed at an acute angle.

  With this configuration, when the toner bottle 200 is peeled off by the rotation of the toner bottle 200, the other end portion 220b of the seal member 220 is moved to the wall portion 301c by rotating the toner bottle 200 in the arrow D direction. Since it is pulled in the direction along, the other end 220b is hardly peeled off from the wall 301c.

  On the other hand, since the one end 220a of the seal member 220 is pulled in a direction that is inverted by approximately 180 degrees with respect to the end surface 201g of the toner bottle 200, the one end 220a is easily peeled off from the end surface 201g.

  Due to the above-described action, the seal member 220 can easily peel off the one end portion 220a from the end portion 201g of the toner bottle 200 without peeling off the other end portion 220b bonded and fixed to the wall portion 301c of the bottle support member 300. Therefore, the bottle-side toner outlet 201h can be easily opened by rotating the toner bottle 200.

  Further, after the seal member 220 is peeled off from the toner bottle 200, the other end 220b is bonded and fixed to the wall 301c of the bottle support member 300, so that the inner portion surrounded by the bottle support member 300 in that state is used. It is supposed to remain in the space.

Next, the bottle support member 300 will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
17A is a front view showing the configuration of the bottle support member constituting the toner replenishing device according to this embodiment, FIG. 17B is a perspective view of the bottle support member as seen from the back side, and FIG. ) Is a perspective view showing the configuration of the first housing constituting the bottle support member, FIG. 19B is a perspective view showing the configuration of the second housing constituting the bottle support member, and FIG. FIG. 20 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the configuration of the front end portion of the toner bottle. FIG.

  As shown in FIGS. 7A and 7B described above, the bottle support member 300 is formed in a substantially cylindrical shape, and is joined to cover the front end 201a of the main body 201. 301 and a second housing 302, and an opening 300a is formed at the end of the bottle support member 300 so that the rib 202 provided on the tip surface 201d of the tip 201a is at least exposed. .

  On the surface of the first housing 301, a fixing plate-like first fixing member (guide portion) 303 and a second fixing member (guide portion) for mounting and fixing the toner supply device 100 to the image forming apparatus 1 are fixed. ) 304 are parallel to each other. Between the first fixing member 303 and the second fixing member 304, there is provided a shutter mechanism 400 that controls discharge of the toner replenished from the toner replenishing device 100 to the outside.

  Therefore, the first fixing member 303 and the second fixing member 304 are adjusted to a height that secures a clearance between the bottle support member 300 and the image forming apparatus 1 so that the shutter mechanism 400 functions.

  In addition, the first fixing member 303 and the second fixing member 304 are respectively provided with guide portions 303c and 304c that are spaced apart by a pair of rib bodies 303a and 303b and 304a and 304b and that extend along the axial direction of the toner bottle 200. Is formed.

  As shown in FIGS. 17A and 17B, the bottle support member 300 has an external toner discharge port 300 b between the first fixing member 303 and the second fixing member 304, that is, between the first fixing member 303 and the second fixing member 304. Is formed. The external toner discharge port 300b is opened and closed by the shutter mechanism 400.

  As shown in FIG. 18A, the first casing 301 is formed with a first dam portion 301b for blocking toner on the inner peripheral surface 301a in the vicinity of the external toner discharge port 300b described above. A wall portion 301c extends from the first dam portion 301b on the side opposite to the external toner discharge port 300b. The wall portion 301c is provided at a predetermined distance from the contact surface 301d which is one end surface inside the first housing 301. This distance is set to be slightly larger than the width of the scraper 203 described above.

  As shown in FIG. 18B, the second casing 302 has a second dam portion 302b for clogging toner formed on the inner peripheral surface 302a, as in the first casing 301. A wall 302c extends from the two dams 302b. The wall 302c is provided at a predetermined distance from the contact surface 302d, which is one end surface inside the second housing 302. This distance is set to be slightly larger than the width of the scraper 203 described above.

By joining the first housing 301 and the second housing 302, a bottle support member 300 as shown in FIG.
When the first casing 301 and the second casing 302 are joined, as shown in FIG. 19, the first dam portion 301b of the first casing 301 and the second dam portion 302b of the second casing 302 are joined. A first space 300c surrounded by the wall 301c and the wall 302c is formed.

  In the present embodiment, the first space 300c is referred to as a toner discharge restriction chamber for restricting toner discharge. On the other hand, the toner from the toner bottle 200 is temporarily discharged from the other space (second space) 300d between the first dam portion 301b and the second dam portion 302b, which is different from the first space, and then discharged. This is called a toner discharge chamber.

  The toner discharge regulation chamber 300c functions not as a space for actually discharging toner but as a space through which the scraper 203 over the first dam portion 301b can pass. In the toner discharge regulation chamber 300c, there is some toner that has passed over the first dam portion 301b together with the scraper 203, but this toner is scraped from the second dam portion 302b side by the rotational movement of the scraper 203. It will be.

  On the other hand, the toner discharge chamber 300d functions as a space for temporarily storing the toner discharged from the bottle-side toner discharge port 201h of the toner bottle 200.

  Here, the contact surface 301d of the first dam portion 301b with the scraper 203 is rotated in the direction of the scraper 203 (in the direction of arrow D in the figure) so that the scraper 203 can ride on as shown in FIG. It is inclined toward. That is, the contact surface 301 d is inclined so as to deviate from the normal L from the rotation center O of the toner bottle 200 toward the rotation direction of the scraper 203.

  In other words, the first dam portion 301b is provided on the upstream side in the toner conveyance direction by the scraper 203, and the contact surface 301d of the scraper 203 of the first dam portion 301b has a predetermined angle β from the normal line L from the rotation center O. The toner discharge chamber 300d is partitioned in an inclined state. This angle β is appropriately set depending on factors such as the material and length of the scraper 203.

  The first dam portion 301b is provided at a position slightly shifted from the external toner discharge port 300b in the rotation direction of the scraper 203. This is to make it easier to collect toner in the toner discharge chamber 300d. As described above, the toner supply amount discharged from the external toner discharge port 300b can be kept constant by facilitating the accumulation of the toner in the toner discharge chamber 300d. A stable supply of toner is possible.

  Similarly to the first dam portion 301b, the second dam portion 302b has a contact surface 302d (surface on the toner discharge regulation chamber 300c side) of the scraper 203 at a predetermined angle β from the normal line L from the rotation center O. The toner discharge chamber 300d is partitioned in an inclined state. This angle β is appropriately set depending on factors such as the material and length of the scraper 203.

  Note that the distance between the first dam portion 301b and the second dam portion 302b on the toner discharge chamber 300d side may be a distance that does not block the external toner discharge port 300b, but for the stable supply of toner. Since toner needs to be accumulated in the toner discharge chamber 300d to some extent, it may be set appropriately according to a desired toner accumulation amount.

  Moreover, although the shape of the scraper 203 described above is a plate shape, the shape is not limited to this, and may be, for example, a substantially V-shaped cross section. Since the scraper 203 has a substantially V-shaped cross section in this way, it has a sealing function to seal between the inner peripheral surface of the bottle support member 300 and the toner bottle 200, so that it is necessary to provide a separate sealing member. Disappear.

  Therefore, in this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 20, two V-rings 501 and 502 that function as seals are attached to the tip 201a of the main body 201 of the toner bottle 200.

  The V ring 501 is attached to the peripheral surface 201i of the tip portion 201a outside the attachment position of the scraper 203, and the V ring 502 is attached to the end surface 201g of the tip portion 201a inside the attachment position of the scraper 203. ing.

  A slip formed of a plate-shaped annular member for ensuring the clearance between the toner bottle 200 and the bottle support member 300 and smooth rotation of the toner bottle 200 further outside the mounting position of the V-ring 501. A ring 503 is attached.

  The V ring 501 seal piece 501a is pressed against the slip ring 503, and the V ring 502 seal piece 502a is pressed against the inner peripheral surface (described later) of the bottle support member 300. The unit 201 is attached. As a result, the two V-rings 501 and 502 function as seals.

  The slip ring 503 is rotatably fitted to the peripheral surface 201 i of the front end portion 201 a of the main body 201 and is fixed to the inner peripheral surface of the bottle support member 300 when the bottle support member 300 is attached to the toner bottle 200. It has come to be. As a result, the slip ring 503 is fixed on the bottle support member 300 side, and the main body 201 of the toner bottle 200 rotates on the inner peripheral surface of the slip ring 503.

Here, an example of the slip ring 503 will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 21 is a plan view showing a configuration of a snap ring of a toner bottle constituting the toner replenishing device according to the present embodiment, and FIG. 22 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a state in which a bottle support member is attached to the tip of the toner bottle.

  As shown in FIG. 21, the slip ring 503 includes a plurality of protrusions 503 a that are in contact with the peripheral surface 201 i serving as a mounting surface at the distal end portion 201 a of the main body 201 on the inner peripheral side, and a line on the peripheral surface 201 e. A substantially arcuate support portion 503c having the same curvature as the peripheral surface 201i to be in contact with is formed, and a protrusion 503b is formed on the top of the outer peripheral surface. The protrusion 503b is adapted to fit into a notch formed on the inner peripheral surface of the bottle support member 300 (not shown).

  Normally, since the slip ring 503 and the main body 201 of the toner bottle 200 slide, the toner bottle 200 can be smoothly rotated without applying a load to make the frictional force as small as possible.

  Accordingly, as shown in FIG. 21, the inner peripheral surface of the slip ring 503 is provided with a plurality of protrusions 503 a that contact the peripheral surface 201 i at points, thereby reducing the contact portion between the toner bottle 200 and the slip ring 503. As a result, the frictional force between the slip ring 503 and the main body 201 of the toner bottle 200 can be reduced. As a result, the rotational load can be reduced by increasing the frictional force, so that the toner bottle 200 can be smoothly rotated in the slip ring 503.

  Note that the shape of the slip ring 503 is not limited to the shape shown in FIG. 21, and may be a shape that supports the toner bottle 200 at a pinpoint, for example, a polygonal shape.

  In other words, on the inner peripheral side of the plate-shaped slip ring 503, a lower side region protruding portion having a predetermined angle is an arc shape with an outer diameter added with a predetermined clearance generated between the peripheral surface 201i of the toner bottle 200. 503c and other portions of the region protruding portion 503c are formed with a larger curvature, and a protrusion 503a having a protrusion shape is formed at a part of a predetermined large curvature.

  As a result, wear is prevented by receiving the lower part with its own arc in an arc shape, and other parts aim to reduce sliding load by providing projections at predetermined intervals or supporting near pinpoints in a polygonal shape. be able to.

  In addition, since the seal piece 501a of the V-ring 501 is in contact with the slip ring 503, it is possible to reliably prevent toner leakage in the lower side (in its own weight direction) in the bottle support member 300.

  As shown in FIG. 22, the V-ring 502 is configured such that when the tip 201 a of the main body 201 of the toner bottle 200 is supported by the bottle support member 300, the seal piece 502 a is pressed against the inner peripheral surface 300 e of the bottle support member 300. Is attached to the tip 201a. Thereby, leakage of toner from the rear end portion 300f side of the bottle support member 300 can be prevented. It should be noted that a sufficient seal is also provided at the joint between the first housing 301 and the second housing 302.

  As described above, all portions of the bottle support member 300 that may cause toner leakage are sealed.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 19, plate-like ribs 210 made of an elastic resin or the like are provided on the peripheral surface of the main body 201 of the toner bottle 200 in an oblique direction, as shown in FIG. When the toner bottle 200 is supported by the member 300, the rib 210 is provided so as to come into pressure contact with the inner peripheral surface e of the bottle support member 300. As a result, the toner that has entered the gap between the toner bottle 200 and the bottle support member 300 can be discharged by the rotation of the rib 210.

  The bottle support member 300 is configured by joining two divided housings, a first housing 301 and a second housing 302, and the first housing 301 and the second housing 302 are connected to each other. By detachably joining the seal members (V-rings 501 and 502, consumables) simply by releasing the joining between the first housing 301 and the second housing 302 during maintenance of the toner replenishing device 100, It becomes possible to easily replace the slip ring 503 and the rib 202). That is, it is possible to improve maintainability in the toner replenishing device 100.

  In general, the dimensional accuracy of the bottle support member 300 and the toner bottle 200 is required so that toner leakage or the like does not occur in the support portion of the toner bottle 200 by the bottle support member 300.

  However, since the toner bottle 200 is generally formed by blow molding, the dimensions at the time of molding tend to vary. Similarly, since the bottle support member 300 is also formed by blow molding, the dimensions at the time of molding tend to vary.

  In the present embodiment, as described above, the V-ring 502 functions as a seal by pressing the seal piece 502a against the inner peripheral surface 300e of the bottle support member 300. Therefore, the toner bottle 200 and the bottle support member 300 are used. In other words, in the space formed between the surface of the main body 201 of the toner bottle 200 and the bottle support member 300, it is possible to absorb the molding error of the bottle support member 300 or the toner bottle 200.

Next, the shutter mechanism 400 will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 23A is an explanatory view showing a state in which the toner discharge port of the bottle support member is opened, and FIG. 23B is an explanatory view showing a state in which the toner discharge port is closed by a shutter mechanism. These are explanatory drawings which show the schematic structure of the back surface in the said bottle support member.

  As shown in FIGS. 23A and 23B, the shutter mechanism 400 includes a plate-like shutter member 401 that can slide in the arrow F direction and the arrow R direction on the bottom surface of the bottle support member 300. In this embodiment, the side where the opening 300a at the tip of the bottle support member 300 or the ribs 202, 202 of the toner bottle 200 protrudes is the front (F) side, and the opposite side is the rear (R) side. To do.

  In the shutter mechanism 400, as shown in FIG. 23A, when the shutter member 401 slides in the arrow R direction, the external toner discharge port 300b of the bottle support member 300 is opened. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 23B, when the shutter member 401 slides in the direction of arrow F, the external toner discharge port 300b of the bottle support member 300 is closed.

  In the toner replenishing device 100 configured as described above, the toner bottle 200 of the present embodiment further includes a characteristic configuration according to the present invention.

Hereinafter, a characteristic configuration of the toner bottle 200 according to the present embodiment will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 25 is a front view seen from the side of the internal toner discharge port showing a state in which the external toner discharge port of the bottle support member is closed by the toner guard constituting the toner bottle according to the present embodiment, and FIG. FIG. 27 is a side view schematically showing the configuration of the toner bottle as viewed from the direction of arrow F in FIG. 25, and FIG. 28 shows the configuration of the toner bottle body with the toner container support member removed from the toner bottle. FIG. 29 is a schematic side view, and FIG. 29 is a schematic bottom view seen from the direction of arrow G in FIG. 25 showing the configuration of the toner bottle.

  As shown in FIG. 25, when the toner bottle 200 is stationary in the bottle support member 300 with the bottle-side toner discharge port 201h positioned at the lower side, the toner filled in the toner bottle 200 is transferred to the bottle-side toner discharge port. (Internal toner discharge port) comes out from 201h. This is particularly noticeable when a large amount of toner remains in the toner bottle 200.

  Therefore, the toner bottle 200 according to the present embodiment is configured by a toner guard 701 that closes the external toner discharge port 300b at a predetermined position with respect to the bottle support member 300, as shown in FIG.

  Specifically, as shown in FIGS. 25 and 26, the toner guard 701 is projected in an L-shaped cross section from the end portion of the end surface 201g that forms a step with the front end portion 201a of the main body 201, and is external toner. It extends along the inner peripheral surface of the bottle support member 300 in an arc shape in the circumferential direction so that the discharge port 300b can be closed.

  The toner guard 701 is formed using a resin sheet such as PET, and is adhered or fixed to a flat portion of the toner container 200, for example, a flat surface where the bottle side toner discharge port 201h is formed. Synchronize and rotate.

  The toner guard 701 has an end portion 701b on the downstream side in the toner bottle rotation direction (right side of the bottle side toner discharge port 201h in the drawing) with respect to the bottle side toner discharge port 201h on the downstream side (in the drawing, bottle side toner discharge port). It is longer than the end portion 701a on the left side of the outlet 201h. The length of the toner guard 701 is formed along the inner circumference of the bottle support member 300 over a range of about ½ of the circumference (circumference).

  Specifically, as shown in FIG. 27, the toner guard 701 is disposed in contact with the inner peripheral surface of the bottle support member 300, and the toner bottle 200 has a bottle-side toner discharge port 201h and an external toner discharge port 300b in front view. In this state, the end portion 701a of the toner guard 701 is disposed above the center line CL of the toner bottle 200 in a side view.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 28, the toner guard 701 is formed so as to maintain a cylindrical shape with the bottle support member 300 removed. As a result, the contact state between the toner guard 701 and the bottle support member 300 can be stably maintained, so that stable toner supply can be performed without hindering the rotation operation of the toner bottle 200.

  Further, the width of the toner guard 701 (the direction along the axis of the toner bottle 200) is such that it covers the entire opening of the external toner discharge port 300b as shown in FIG.

  In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 25, since the toner bottle 200 rotates in the direction of arrow D in the figure, the toner is discharged from the rotation rear end (left end in the figure) of the bottle side toner discharge port 201h. The toner guard 701 is configured as described above in consideration of the situation.

  In other words, the toner guard 701 is made longer on the downstream side in the toner bottle rotation direction along the circumferential direction with respect to the bottle-side toner discharge port 201h (on the right side of the bottle-side toner discharge port 201h in the drawing). While the discharge port 201h rotates downward from the upper side to the vicinity of the external toner discharge port 300b to some extent, the opening can be closed by covering the external toner discharge port 300b.

  Note that the toner supply from the toner bottle 200 to the outside is blocked by the toner guard 701 over a range of about ½ of the inner periphery of the bottle support member 300, so the toner guard while the toner bottle 200 is rotating. Only the range of about ½ of the inner periphery of the remaining bottle support member 300 that is not blocked by the button 701 can be supplied to the outside from the external toner discharge port 300b.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, the toner guard 701 is provided in the vicinity of the bottle-side toner discharge port 201h of the toner bottle 200, so that when the rotation of the toner bottle 200 is in a stationary state, the toner guard Since the external toner discharge port 300b can be closed by 701, the toner can be prevented from dropping from the external toner discharge port 300b.
Thus, the toner can be accurately supplied without the toner concentration of the developer rising more than necessary and without the toner being locked near the toner supply port where the external toner is supplied.

  In this embodiment, an example in which the toner replenishing device 100 using the toner bottle 200 according to the present invention is applied to the image forming apparatus 1 as shown in FIG. 1 has been described. However, a toner bottle and a toner replenishing device are mounted. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and may be applied to a copying machine 101 as shown in FIG. 30, for example.

As shown in FIG. 30, the copier 101 has an image reading device (scanner) 110 disposed above an image forming unit 108 having a toner bottle 200 with the same configuration as the image forming device 1 according to the above-described embodiment. A first paper feed cassette 142a, a second paper feed cassette 142b, a third paper feed cassette 142c, and a fourth paper feed cassette 142d corresponding to a plurality of types of paper are arranged below the image forming unit 108, so that various types are provided. , Mass printing is performed automatically.
Reference numeral 120 in the figure denotes a waste toner box that collects waste toner.

Incidentally, in the copying machine 101, those having the same configuration as that of the image forming apparatus 1 according to the above-described embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof is omitted.
Further, the present invention is not limited to the image forming apparatus and the copying machine having the above-described configuration as long as the image forming apparatus needs to be replenished with a developer (toner), and other image forming apparatuses, etc. Can be deployed.

  As described above, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments and examples, 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 not departing from the gist of the present invention are also included in the technical scope of the present invention.

1 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an overall configuration of an image forming apparatus using a toner container according to the present invention. FIG. 2 is a schematic side cross-sectional view illustrating a configuration of a developing device and a toner replenishing device that constitute the image forming apparatus. FIG. 3 is a schematic view of a configuration of the developing device and a toner replenishing device viewed from the front. It is a perspective view which shows the structure of the said developing device. FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing an example of mounting when a toner supply unit is mounted on a toner supply unit mounting mechanism constituting the toner supply device. FIG. 4 is a perspective view illustrating a configuration of the toner supply unit mounting mechanism. (A) is a side view showing a configuration of a toner replenishing portion constituting the toner replenishing device, and (b) is a front view of the toner replenishing portion viewed from the end side of the toner replenishing side. FIG. 4 is a side view of a front end portion of a toner bottle constituting the toner replenishing portion. FIG. 3 is a side view showing a configuration when a toner transporter scraper is attached to the tip of the toner bottle. It is explanatory drawing which shows an example of the said scraper. It is explanatory drawing which shows the outline at the time of attaching the said scraper to a toner bottle. FIG. 3 is a front view illustrating a configuration of the toner bottle. FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a configuration of a seal member that closes a bottle-side toner discharge port of the toner bottle. (A) is explanatory drawing which shows the state at the time of mounting | wearing with the said sealing member in a toner bottle, (b) is explanatory drawing which shows the state when the said sealing member is bent. It is explanatory drawing which shows the positional relationship of the said sealing member and a scraper. It is explanatory drawing which shows the state which attached the said sealing member to the bottle support member. (A) is a front view showing the configuration of a bottle support member constituting the toner replenishing device, and (b) is a perspective view as seen from the back side of the bottle support member. (A) is a perspective view which shows the structure of the 1st housing | casing which comprises the said bottle support member, (b) is a perspective view which shows the structure of the 2nd housing | casing which comprises the said bottle support member. FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing a relationship between a toner discharge chamber of the bottle support member and a placement position of a scraper of the toner bottle. FIG. 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view illustrating a configuration of a front end portion of the toner bottle. FIG. 3 is a plan view illustrating a configuration of a snap ring of the toner bottle. FIG. 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a state in which a bottle support member is attached to a front end portion of the toner bottle. (A) is explanatory drawing which shows the state in which the toner discharge port of the said bottle support member is open | released, (b) is explanatory drawing which shows the state in which the said toner discharge port is obstruct | occluded by the shutter mechanism. It is explanatory drawing which shows schematic structure of the back surface in the said bottle support member. FIG. 6 is a front view of the bottle support member as viewed from the side of the internal toner discharge port, showing a state where the external toner discharge port of the bottle support member is closed by a toner guard constituting the toner bottle. It is EE sectional drawing of FIG. FIG. 26 is a side view schematically showing the configuration of the toner bottle as viewed from the direction of arrow F in FIG. 25. FIG. 3 is a side view schematically illustrating a configuration of the toner bottle main body in a state where a toner container support member is removed from the toner bottle. FIG. 26 is a bottom view schematically showing the configuration of the toner bottle as seen from the direction of arrow G in FIG. 25. It is explanatory drawing which shows the structure of the whole copying machine which concerns on other embodiment of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Image forming apparatus 23, 23a, 23b, 23c, 23d Developing device 101 Copying machine 100, 100a, 100b, 100c, 100d Toner supply device 200 Toner bottle (toner container)
200a Toner supply port 201 Main body (toner container main body)
201h Bottle-side toner discharge port (internal toner discharge port)
205 Locking part (locking part)
300 Bottle support member (toner container support member)
300b External toner discharge port 400 Shutter mechanism 401b Guide portion (locking member)
410 Bottle position detecting means 500, 500a, 500b, 500c, 500d Toner replenishing portion 600 Toner replenishing portion mounting mechanism 701 Toner guard 701a End portion 701b on the upstream side in the toner bottle rotating direction End portion on the downstream side in the toner bottle rotating direction

Claims (6)

A toner container main body having a toner storage portion filled with toner and an internal toner discharge port for discharging the toner filled in the toner storage portion, and surrounding the internal toner discharge port and rotating the internal toner container main body And a toner container support member having an external toner discharge port for discharging the toner discharged from the toner container to the outside, and filling the toner container by rotating in the circumferential direction of the toner container body A toner container for discharging the toner to the outside of the container,
The toner container support member includes a shutter member that closes or opens the external toner discharge port and can position and hold the toner container main body at a predetermined position along a rotation direction.
The toner container main body includes a toner guard that closes the external toner discharge port at a predetermined position.   The toner container according to claim 1, wherein the external toner discharge port is opened so that the toner can be discharged to the outside from the inside of the toner container support member only when the toner container body rotates.   The shutter member opens the external toner discharge port when the toner container is attached, and the external toner when the toner container is removed, in conjunction with the operation of attaching and detaching the toner container to and from the toner supply device. The toner container according to claim 1, wherein the discharge port is closed.   4. The toner guard according to claim 1, wherein the toner guard is formed along an inner circumference of the toner container support member over a range of about ½ of a circumference thereof. 5. Toner container.   The toner container according to claim 1, wherein the toner guard is formed using a resin material. A toner replenishing device comprising: a toner container filled with toner; and a toner supply device that is mounted with the toner container and supplies toner discharged from the toner container to a developing device.
A toner replenishing device comprising the toner container according to claim 1 as the toner container.

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