JP2009115889A - Toner cartridge and image forming device using the same - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a toner cartridge separating the toner coagulated in the toner cartridge into particles and discharging the toner particles stably and to provide an image forming device using the same. <P>SOLUTION: This toner cartridge 200 includes a toner storing part 201 and a toner discharge mechanism part 201a provided with a toner discharge port 204 and a toner conveyance screw 202 and can be attached or detached to/from a device provided with a toner supply pipe 105. The toner discharge mechanism part includes: a sealing member 207 for closing the toner discharge port 204, a seal removing lever 203b connected with the sealing member 207, and a conveyance shaft coupling 203 provided at a tip of a shaft of the toner conveyance screw 202, connected with one end part in the direction of axial line of the toner conveyance screw 202, and engaged with the seal removing lever 206b. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a toner cartridge in which toner is stored and an image forming apparatus using the same, and more particularly, a toner cartridge such as a toner hopper or a toner bottle that is replaceably attached to an image forming apparatus such as a laser beam printer or a multifunction peripheral. And an image forming apparatus using the same.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in image forming apparatuses such as copying machines and facsimile machines using a two-component developer, toner is automatically supplied to a developing device using a toner cartridge or the like to perform continuous operation of image output as the image quality and speed increase. Has been.

  In the image forming apparatus configured as described above, it is necessary to replace the toner cartridge, the process cartridge, and the like when the toner runs out. In many cases, replacement toner cartridges and the like are stored in a warehouse or an empty space in a room, and may be loaded in any direction (state) without considering the loading state.

  For this reason, in a toner cartridge that discharges toner from one end side, the toner in the cartridge drops with its own weight over time when it is stacked vertically with the toner discharge port side down. As a result of the toner density in the vicinity of the discharge port becoming high, there is a possibility that the toner aggregates or becomes a lump and closes the discharge port.

  When a new toner cartridge in the above-described state is installed, it is difficult for toner to be discharged from the toner cartridge. It can happen.

  For this reason, when a new toner cartridge is mounted, the cartridge is mounted after being shaken several times. However, all of the above problems have not been solved.

  In particular, recent toners have improved low-temperature fixability as an energy-saving measure, and conversely, storage stability is sacrificed, and the tendency of toner aggregation to occur naturally is increased.

  In recent image forming apparatuses, the size of the toner cartridge and the developing device are also reduced due to the demand for downsizing, and the installation space is also reduced. Therefore, since each unit is in a dense state, toner aggregation is likely to occur.

  Furthermore, when a toner cartridge stored in a warehouse is installed in an image forming apparatus, a user or an operator often forgets to shake the toner cartridge, and as a result, the toner in the toner cartridge is loaded. The toner may not be replenished due to the aggregation, which may cause troubles such as detection of insufficient toner concentration in the developer or stop of the operation of the image forming apparatus itself.

Therefore, as a countermeasure against the above-described problem, the conventional technology discloses a developing device that performs control to change at least one of the rotation direction and the rotation speed of the stirring member in order to suppress the generation of the toner lump and the decrease in the stirring ability. (See Patent Document 1).
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 4-110876

  However, the above-described prior art mainly considers suppressing the generation of toner lumps when used at a low temperature, and does not consider the influence on the storage state of the toner cartridge. When the outlet side is left to stand, there is a problem that the above problem occurs.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described conventional problems, and is a toner cartridge that can discharge toner stably by removing toner aggregated in the toner cartridge, and an image forming apparatus using the same. The purpose is to provide.

In order to solve the above-described problems, a toner cartridge according to the present invention and an image forming apparatus using the toner cartridge are configured as follows.
A toner cartridge according to the present invention includes a toner storage unit that stores toner and a toner discharge mechanism that discharges toner stored in the toner storage unit, and the toner discharge mechanism unit discharges toner to the outside. A toner cartridge that includes a toner conveying screw that conveys toner in an outlet and a toner storage portion toward the toner discharge port, and is detachable from a device that includes a toner replenishment portion provided corresponding to the toner discharge port. The toner discharge mechanism is connected to a seal member that closes the toner discharge port, a seal removal lever that is connected to the seal member, and an axial end of the toner conveying screw, and the seal A conveyance shaft coupling that engages with the removal lever.

  In the present invention, it is preferable that the seal removal lever has a function of rotating the toner conveying screw in reverse with the operation of shifting the toner discharge port by the seal member from the closed state to the open state.

  Further, according to the present invention, the seal removal lever has a cylindrical inner peripheral surface, a groove is formed in the inner peripheral surface along a circumferential direction, and the conveying shaft coupling is formed on the inner peripheral surface. As a configuration of the transport shaft coupling, a boss portion that engages with the groove portion of the seal removal lever is provided on the outer periphery portion, and can be moved along with the boss portion along the groove portion. It is preferable to be provided.

Moreover, it is preferable that this invention is provided with a planar handle part as a structure of the said seal | sticker removal lever.
Moreover, it is preferable to use a heat seal as the sealing member.

An image forming apparatus according to the present invention is an image forming apparatus that supplies toner using a toner cartridge to a developing device that supplies toner to a photosensitive drum on which an electrostatic latent image is formed to form a toner image. It is preferable to use the toner cartridge according to any one of claims 1 to 5 as the toner cartridge.
In the present invention, when a toner cartridge is used, it is preferable that the seal removal lever is removed and then attached to the image forming apparatus.

  According to the present invention, a toner cartridge is disposed above the developing device, and an intermediate transfer member that temporarily carries a toner image formed on the photosensitive drum between the toner cartridge and the developing device is provided. Preferably, the image forming apparatus further includes a toner replenishing unit that replenishes toner from the toner cartridge to the developing device.

  According to the present invention, there is provided a toner accommodating portion for accommodating toner and a toner discharging mechanism portion for discharging the toner accommodated in the toner accommodating portion, and the toner discharging mechanism portion includes a toner discharging port for discharging the toner to the outside. A toner cartridge that includes a toner conveying screw that conveys toner in a toner accommodating portion toward a toner discharge port, and is detachable from an apparatus that includes a toner replenishment portion provided corresponding to the toner discharge port. The toner discharge mechanism includes a seal member that closes the toner discharge port, a seal removal lever that is connected to the seal member, and an axial end of the toner conveying screw, and the seal removal lever. And a transport shaft coupling that engages with the toner transport screw in the storage state of the toner cartridge. To prevent, it is possible to suppress toner leakage and from the toner cartridge. Also, by pulling out the seal removal cover, it is possible to remove the seal member from the toner discharge port without the need for special motor parts, and to move the toner carrying screw in conjunction with the toner that is about to agglomerate or aggregate the toner. Can be loosened.

  Further, according to the present invention, the seal removal lever has a function of rotating the toner conveying screw in the reverse direction in accordance with the operation of shifting the toner discharge port by the seal member from the closed state to the open state. It is possible to easily loosen the toner that has been agglomerated at the end of the discharge port or the agglomerated toner.

  Further, according to the present invention, the seal removing lever has a cylindrical inner peripheral surface, a groove is formed in the inner peripheral surface along a circumferential direction, and the conveying shaft is formed on the inner peripheral surface. It arrange | positions so that the outer peripheral part of a coupling may be enclosed, and it comprises the boss part engaged with the groove part of the said seal | sticker removal lever in the outer peripheral part as a structure of the said conveyance shaft coupling, and with the said boss part along the said groove part By providing it so that it can move, the toner conveying screw can be rotated along with the operation to remove the seal removal lever, so that it can easily loosen up to the agglomerated toner or the agglomerated toner at the end of the toner discharge port of the toner container. it can.

Further, according to the present invention, the seal removing lever includes a flat handle portion, and the toner that is about to aggregate (aggregates) by rotating the toner conveying screw by pulling the handle portion in the horizontal direction. Can be loosened.
Further, by using a heat seal as the seal member, it is possible to suppress toner leakage from the toner discharge port for a long time.

  According to the present invention, in the image forming apparatus for supplying toner using a toner cartridge to a developing device that supplies toner to a photosensitive drum on which an electrostatic latent image is formed to form a toner image, the toner cartridge By using the toner cartridge according to any one of claims 1 to 5, a clean image forming apparatus free from toner scattering and toner leakage can be maintained.

  According to the invention, a toner cartridge is disposed above the developing device, and an intermediate transfer member that temporarily carries a toner image formed on the photosensitive drum between the toner cartridge and the developing device. An image forming apparatus comprising: a toner replenishing unit that replenishes toner from the toner cartridge to the developing device, thereby dividing a space where the toner cartridge is disposed and a space where the developing device is disposed; A compact color image forming apparatus using an intermediate transfer member (for example, an intermediate transfer belt) can be easily realized.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a configuration of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a configuration of a toner cartridge unit mounted on the image forming apparatus.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the image forming apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment is an image forming apparatus in which toner is supplied from a toner cartridge 200 attached to the toner cartridge unit 20. The configuration of the toner cartridge according to the present invention is employed.

First, the overall configuration of the image forming apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment will be described.
The image forming apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment has a multicolor or single color on a predetermined sheet (recording paper) based on image data included in an input command such as image data transmitted from the outside via a communication network or the like. The image is formed as a visible image.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the image forming apparatus 100 includes an exposure unit E, a photosensitive drum 101 (101a to 101d) corresponding to an image carrier on which a latent image is formed by the exposure unit E, and a developing device (developing unit). 102 (102a to 102d), charging roller 103 (103a to 103d), cleaning unit 104 (104a to 104d), intermediate transfer belt 11, primary transfer roller 13 (13a to 13d), secondary transfer roller 14, fixing device 15, The paper transport paths P1, P2, and P3, a paper feed cassette 16, a manual paper feed tray 17, a paper discharge tray 18, a toner cartridge unit 20, and the like are provided.

  Image data of a color image handled in the image forming apparatus 100 is image data using image data corresponding to four hues of black (K), cyan (C), magenta (M), and yellow (Y). A visible image is formed by the forming unit 55 (55a to 55d). This corresponds to a color image using each color.

  The developing device 102 (102a to 102d), the photosensitive drum 101 (101a to 101d), the charging roller 103 (103a to 103d), and the cleaning unit 104 (104a to 104d) form four types of latent images corresponding to the respective colors. As shown in FIG.

Each of the image forming units 55a to 55d has the same configuration. For example, the black image forming unit 55a includes a photosensitive drum 101a, a developing device 102a, a charging roller 103a, a transfer roller 13a, a cleaning unit 104a, and the like. The The image forming units 55 a to 55 d are arranged in a line in the moving direction (sub-scanning direction) of the intermediate transfer belt 11.
The symbols a to d correspond to a as black, b as cyan, c as magenta, and d as yellow, and four image stations are constituted by the above-mentioned means distinguished by these symbols. Yes.

  An exposure unit E, which is an exposure apparatus, includes a semiconductor laser, a polygon mirror 4, a first reflection mirror 7, a second reflection mirror 8, and the like (not shown), and image data of each hue of black, cyan, magenta, and yellow. Each of the photosensitive drums 101a to 101d is irradiated with a light beam such as a laser beam modulated by.

  In this embodiment, the exposure unit E employs a method using a laser scanning unit (LSU) provided with a laser irradiation unit and a reflection mirror, but the light emitting elements are arranged in an array, for example, EL or LED writing. A method using a head may be used.

  On each of the photosensitive drums 101a to 101d, electrostatic latent images are formed based on image data of black, cyan, magenta, and yellow hues.

  The photosensitive drum 101 is disposed above the exposure unit E and is a substantially cylindrical image carrier, and is controlled to rotate in a predetermined direction by a driving unit and a control unit (not shown).

  The photosensitive drum 101 is configured by forming a photoconductive layer on a substrate. For example, a metal drum made of aluminum or the like is used as a base material, and a photoconductive layer such as amorphous silicon (a-Si), selenium (Se), or an organic photo semiconductor (OPC) is formed in a thin film on the outer peripheral surface thereof. ing. Note that the configuration of the photosensitive drum 101 is not particularly limited to the above-described configuration.

  The charging roller 103 is a contact-type charger that uniformly charges the surface of the photosensitive drum 101 to a predetermined potential. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, a contact roller charging roller 103 is used as a charger, but a charger or brush charger can be used instead of the charging roller 103. Good.

  The developing device 102 supplies toner to the surface of the photosensitive drum 101 on which the electrostatic latent image is formed, and develops the electrostatic latent image into a toner image. Each of the developing devices 102a to 102d contains toner of each hue of black, cyan, magenta, and yellow, and an electrostatic latent image of each hue formed on each of the photosensitive drums 101a to 101d is black, The toner images are visualized as cyan, magenta, and yellow toner images.

  The cleaning unit 104 removes and collects toner remaining on the surface of the photosensitive drum 101 after development and image transfer with a lubricant or the like.

  The intermediate transfer belt 11 is disposed above the photosensitive drum 101 and is formed endlessly with a film having a thickness of about 100 to 150 μm. It is stretched between the driving roller 11a and the driven roller 11b to form a loop-shaped movement path.

  The outer peripheral surface of the intermediate transfer belt 11 faces the photosensitive drum 101d, the photosensitive drum 101c, the photosensitive drum 101b, and the photosensitive drum 101a in this order.

  Primary transfer rollers 13a to 13d are arranged at positions facing the respective photosensitive drums 101a to 101d with the intermediate transfer belt 11 interposed therebetween. Each of the positions where the intermediate transfer belt 11 faces the photosensitive drums 101a to 101d is a primary transfer position.

  The primary transfer rollers 13a to 13d have constant voltage control of a primary transfer bias opposite to the charging polarity of the toner in order to transfer the toner images carried on the surfaces of the photosensitive drums 101a to 101d onto the intermediate transfer belt 11. Applied. As a result, the toner images of the respective colors formed on the photosensitive drum 101 (101a to 101d) are sequentially superimposed on the outer peripheral surface of the intermediate transfer belt 11, and a full-color toner image is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the intermediate transfer belt 11. It is formed.

  However, when image data of only a part of hues of yellow, magenta, cyan, and black is input, a part of the four photosensitive drums 101a to 101d corresponding to the hue of the input image data. The electrostatic latent image and the toner image are formed only on the photosensitive drum 101. For example, when forming a monochrome image, an electrostatic latent image and a toner image are formed only on the photosensitive drum 101a corresponding to the black hue, and only the black toner image is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the intermediate transfer belt 11. Transcribed.

  Each of the primary transfer rollers 13a to 13d is configured by covering the surface of a shaft made of a metal (for example, stainless steel) having a diameter of 8 to 10 mm with a conductive elastic material (for example, EPDM, urethane foam, or the like). A high voltage is uniformly applied to the intermediate transfer belt 11 by a conductive elastic material. In this embodiment, the primary transfer rollers 13a to 13d are used as the transfer electrodes, but brushes and the like can also be used.

  At each primary transfer position, the toner image transferred onto the outer peripheral surface of the intermediate transfer belt 11 is conveyed to a secondary transfer position that is a position facing the secondary transfer roller 14 by the rotation of the intermediate transfer belt 11.

  The secondary transfer roller 14 is pressed against the outer peripheral surface of the intermediate transfer belt 11 whose inner peripheral surface is in contact with the peripheral surface of the driving roller 11a at a predetermined nip pressure during image formation. In order to constantly obtain the nip pressure, either the secondary transfer roller 14 or the intermediate transfer belt drive roller 11a is made of a hard material such as metal, and the other is a soft material such as an elastic roller (elastic rubber roller or Foamed resin roller, etc.).

  When the paper fed from the paper feed cassette 16 or the manual paper feed tray 17 passes between the secondary transfer roller 14 and the intermediate transfer belt 11, the toner transfer polarity (−) Is applied with a high voltage of reverse polarity (+).

As described above, the electrostatic latent images on the respective photoconductive drums 101 (101a to 101d) are visualized with toners corresponding to the respective hues to become toner images, and these toner images are transferred onto the intermediate transfer belt 11. Are stacked.
Thereafter, the stacked toner images are moved to a contact position between the conveyed paper and the intermediate transfer belt 11 by the rotation of the intermediate transfer belt 11, and are intermediately moved by the secondary transfer roller 14 disposed at this position. A toner image is transferred from the outer peripheral surface of the transfer belt 11 onto the paper.

  The toner adhering to the intermediate transfer belt 11 due to the contact between the intermediate transfer belt 11 and the photosensitive drum 101 and the toner image remaining on the intermediate transfer belt 11 without being transferred when the toner image is transferred from the intermediate transfer belt 11 to the sheet. The toner is removed and collected by the intermediate transfer belt cleaning unit 12 because it causes a color mixture of the toner in the next process.

  The intermediate transfer belt cleaning unit 12 includes a cleaning blade as a cleaning member that contacts the intermediate transfer belt 11. The portion of the intermediate transfer belt 11 in contact with the cleaning blade is supported from the back side by an intermediate transfer belt driven roller 11b.

  The sheet on which the toner image is transferred as a visible image is guided to a fixing device 15 including a heating roller 15a and a pressure roller 15b, and passes between the heating roller 15a and the pressure roller 15b to be heated and pressed. Receive. As a result, the toner image that becomes a visible image is firmly fixed on the surface of the paper. The paper on which the toner image is fixed is discharged onto the paper discharge tray 18 by the paper discharge roller 18a.

  In the image forming apparatus 100, a substantially vertical direction for feeding the paper stored in the paper feed cassette 16 to the paper discharge tray 18 between the secondary transfer roller 14 and the intermediate transfer belt 11 and via the fixing device 15. Paper transport path P1 is provided.

  In the paper transport path P1, a pickup roller 16a that feeds the paper in the paper feed cassette 16 one by one into the paper transport path P1, a transport roller r10 that transports the fed paper upward, and the transported paper A registration roller 19 that guides between the secondary transfer roller 14 and the intermediate transfer belt 11 at a predetermined timing, and a paper discharge roller 18 a that discharges the paper to the paper discharge tray 18 are disposed.

  Further, inside the image forming apparatus 100, a sheet conveyance path P <b> 2 in which a pickup roller 17 a and a conveyance roller r <b> 10 are arranged is formed between the manual sheet feeding tray 17 and the registration roller 19. Further, a paper transport path P3 is formed between the paper discharge roller 18a and the upstream side of the registration roller 19 in the paper transport path P1.

  The paper discharge roller 18a is provided so as to be rotatable in both forward and reverse directions. When the single-sided image is formed to form an image on one side of the paper and the second-side image is formed during double-sided image formation to form an image on both sides of the paper, the paper discharge roller 18a is rotated forward. Driven in the direction, the paper is discharged to the paper discharge tray 18.

  On the other hand, when the first side image is formed in the double-sided image formation, the paper discharge roller 18a is driven in the normal rotation direction until the rear end of the paper passes the fixing device 15, and then the rear end of the paper is sandwiched. Driven in the reverse direction, the paper is guided into the paper transport path P3. As a result, the paper on which the image is formed on only one side when the double-sided image is formed is guided to the paper transport path P1 with the front and back surfaces and the front and rear ends reversed.

  The registration roller 19 is fed from the paper feed cassette 16 or the manual paper feed tray 17, or the paper conveyed via the paper conveyance path P <b> 3 is synchronized with the rotation of the intermediate transfer belt 11 at the secondary transfer roller 14. And the intermediate transfer belt 11. Therefore, the registration roller 19 stops rotating when the operation of the photosensitive drum 101 and the intermediate transfer belt 11 is started, and the sheet fed or conveyed prior to the rotation of the intermediate transfer belt 11 is registered at the front end. The movement in the paper transport path P1 is stopped in a state where it is in contact with the roller 19.

  Thereafter, the registration roller 19 rotates at a timing at which the front end portion of the sheet and the front end portion of the toner image formed on the intermediate transfer belt 11 face each other at a position where the secondary transfer roller 14 and the intermediate transfer belt 11 are in pressure contact with each other. To start.

  Note that in all of the image forming units 55a to 55d, the primary transfer rollers 13a to 13d press the intermediate transfer belt 11 against all of the photosensitive drums 101a to 101d when full-color images are formed.

  On the other hand, at the time of monochrome image formation in which image formation is performed only in the image forming unit 55a, only the primary transfer roller 13a presses the intermediate transfer belt 11 against the photosensitive drum 101a.

Next, a characteristic configuration of the toner cartridge 200 according to the present embodiment will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
3A is an explanatory view showing a state in which the toner cartridge is mounted on the toner cartridge unit mounted in the image forming apparatus according to the present embodiment, and FIG. 3B is a sectional view taken along the line CC in FIG. 4 is a side view showing the configuration of the toner cartridge, FIG. 5 is a view taken in the direction of arrow D in FIG. 4, FIG. 6 is an explanatory view showing the configuration of the toner discharge portion of the toner cartridge, and FIG. FIG. 8 is a view taken in the direction of arrow F in FIG.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the toner cartridge 200 according to the present embodiment is mounted on a toner cartridge unit 20 mounted on the image forming apparatus 100.

  A toner supply pipe (toner supply unit) 105 into which toner discharged from the toner cartridge 200 is introduced is provided on the main body side of the image forming apparatus 100. As shown in FIG. 3A, the toner supply pipe 105 is disposed at a position facing the toner discharge port 204 of the toner cartridge 200 in a state where the toner cartridge 200 is attached to the toner cartridge unit 20.

  In this embodiment, a developing device 102 is disposed below the toner supply pipe 105, and toner is supplied to the developing device 102 through the toner supply pipe 105. An intermediate transfer belt 11 is disposed in the space of the toner supply pipe 105 so that color images can be formed by superimposing toner images.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the toner cartridge unit 20 is formed in a box shape with an open top, and has four colors of black (K), cyan (C), magenta (M), and yellow (Y) inside. Four toner cartridges 200 each containing toner are stored.

  The toner cartridge 200 is formed long along the intermediate transfer belt width direction (arrow A direction), and each of the toner cartridges 200 faces the developing device 102 (102a to 102d) along the intermediate transfer belt conveyance direction (arrow B direction). It is installed side by side.

  The toner cartridge unit 20 includes a stopper plate 20c for positioning the toner cartridge 200 on one end side in the intermediate transfer belt width direction, and moves and holds each toner cartridge 200 toward the stopper plate 20c on the other end side. The lock lever 20a is provided.

  As shown in FIG. 3A, the lock lever 20a is pivotally supported so as to be rotatable in a direction along the width of the intermediate transfer belt with the lower side of the toner cartridge unit 20 as a rotation fulcrum 20a1, and the rotation fulcrum 20a1. A hook 20b is formed in the vicinity for holding the toner cartridge 200 in contact therewith.

  As shown in FIG. 3A, the toner cartridge 200 includes a toner storage unit 201 that stores toner, and a toner discharge mechanism 201a that transports the stored toner and discharges it to the outside.

  The toner storage unit 201 is formed in a long box shape along the longitudinal direction of the developing device 102, that is, along the width direction of the intermediate transfer belt, and a toner stirring member 208 that stirs the stored toner is included in the toner storage unit. The toner discharge mechanism 201a is arranged below the 201 in the longitudinal direction. A toner discharge port 204 for discharging the stored toner and a toner discharge port shutter 205 for opening and closing the toner discharge port are formed on the lower surface 201a1 of the toner storage unit 201.

  As shown in FIG. 3B, one end of the agitation shaft 209 of the toner agitation member 208 is disposed so as to protrude to the outside at one side end in the longitudinal direction of the toner storage unit 201. At one end thereof, a stirring shaft gear 221 that transmits drive to the stirring shaft 209 is attached. The agitation shaft gear 221 is adapted to transmit a driving force by a motor provided in an image forming apparatus main body (not shown).

  The agitation shaft gear 221 rotates the toner agitation member 208 provided in the agitation shaft 209. The toner agitation member 208 sends the toner inside the toner storage unit 201 to the toner conveying screw 202 side while agitating the toner. It has a structure.

  In a normal state, the toner discharge port shutter 205 is biased to a position where the toner discharge port 204 is closed by a spring member (not shown) so that the toner does not overflow from the toner discharge port 204.

  The toner discharge mechanism 201a is configured below the toner storage unit 201, and includes a toner transport screw 202 that transports the stored toner. The toner conveying screw 202 is disposed so as to be close to the lower side surface 201 a 1 of the toner accommodating portion 201 in the longitudinal direction of the toner accommodating portion 201 and to be positioned above the toner discharge port 204.

  As shown in FIG. 3B, one end portion of the toner conveying screw 202 protrudes from one end portion in the longitudinal direction of the toner accommodating portion 201 constituting the toner discharging mechanism portion 201a. At one end thereof, a toner conveying screw gear 220 that transmits driving to the toner conveying screw 202 is attached. The toner conveying screw gear 220 is disposed in contact with the stirring shaft gear 221.

  As shown in FIG. 3A, a cylindrical toner discharge portion 212 surrounding the end portion of the projecting toner conveying screw 202 is extended to the other end portion in the longitudinal direction of the toner storage portion 201. ing. A toner discharge port 204 is formed below the toner discharge portion 212. The toner discharge port 204 is sealed with a seal member 207 from the outside (see FIG. 4).

  As shown in FIGS. 3A and 4, an end portion of the toner conveying screw 202 in the axial direction protrudes from the end portion of the toner discharge portion 212, and a conveying shaft coupling 203 is attached to the end portion. ing. The conveying shaft coupling 203 has a boss portion 203a projecting from the outer peripheral portion thereof, and rotates together with the toner conveying screw 202.

  Further, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, a seal removal lever 211 that surrounds the conveying shaft coupling 203 together with the toner discharge portion 212 is provided outside the toner discharge portion 212 (see FIG. The lever 211 is indicated by a broken line.)

  As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the seal removal lever 211 is formed in a substantially cylindrical shape along the outer peripheral portion of the toner discharge portion 212. The lower portion of the seal removal lever 211 is as shown in FIGS. A part of the structure is cut out horizontally. The toner discharge port 204 of the toner discharge unit 212 is exposed from the notch 211c, and a seal member 207 can be attached to the toner discharge port 204. Further, the notch 211c is covered with a toner discharge port shutter 205.

  The seal removal lever 211 is formed of a plastic material having a thickness of 3 mm, and is attached to the toner discharge unit 212 separately.

  As shown in FIG. 8, a spiral groove portion (spiral groove) 211 a is formed along the circumferential direction on the inner wall surface of the seal removal lever 211. The spiral groove 211a is adapted to engage the boss portion 203a of the transport shaft coupling 203 disposed inside the seal removal lever 211, and in the inner range (L) along the axial direction, It is formed so as to make one round in the circumferential direction except for the notch 211c.

  At the end of the seal removal lever 211, a planar handle portion 211b projects outward from a position adjacent to the notch portion 211c. The outer end portion 211b1 of the handle portion 211b is formed in a convex shape so that it can be easily picked.

  A seal member 207 is attached to the lower part of the seal removal lever 211. As shown in FIG. 7, the seal member 207 is attached across the end of the seal removal lever 211 from the end of the seal removal lever 211 to the toner discharge port 204 of the toner discharge unit 212, and closes the toner discharge port 204 (folding portion). 207a is arranged in a folded state. That is, the seal member 207 is folded back from the folded portion 207a toward the end portion of the seal removal lever 211.

  As the seal member 207, a heat seal that does not react with the toner and can improve the sealing performance is used. As a heat seal, for example, a polyurethane sheet of LTA90 (trade name, manufactured by Nippon Matai Co., Ltd.) is known. Further, as the seal member 207, a polyamide-based, polyester-based, polyurethane-based film, or the like can be used.

  Next, the operation of the seal removal lever 211 of the toner cartridge 200 according to this embodiment will be described.

When replacing the toner cartridge 200 of the image forming apparatus 100, the toner cartridge 200 is attached to the image forming apparatus 100 with the seal removal lever 211 removed from the toner cartridge 200.
By removing the seal removal lever 211 from the toner cartridge 200, the seal member 207 attached to the seal removal lever 211 is peeled off from the toner discharge port 204 of the toner cartridge 200, so that the toner can be discharged from the toner cartridge 200. .

The operation for removing the seal removal lever 211 from the toner cartridge 200 will be specifically described below.
When removing the seal removal lever 211 from the toner cartridge 200, first, as shown in FIG. 4, when the seal removal lever 211 is pulled in the right direction (arrow X direction) with the handle 211b shown in FIG. As described above, the boss portion 203a of the transport shaft coupling 203 that has entered the spiral groove 211a moves along the spiral groove 211a. That is, the conveyance shaft coupling 203 rotates in a direction (clockwise direction) opposite to the rotation direction of the conventional toner conveyance screw 202.

  As the transport shaft coupling 203 rotates, the toner transport screw 202 rotates and the toner transport screw 202 releases the easily aggregated toner around the toner transport screw 202 and the toner discharge port 204 or the aggregated toner. It is conveyed in the left direction in the figure.

  On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 7, as the seal removal lever 211 moves in the direction of the arrow X, the seal member 207 peels off the folded portion 207a of the seal member 207 from the left side to the right side in the drawing, thereby discharging the toner. The outlet 204 is opened. When the seal removal lever 211 further moves in the arrow X direction and is disengaged from the toner discharge portion 212 and the transport shaft coupling 203, the engagement state between the spiral groove 211a and the boss portion 203a is released, and the seal member 207 is moved to the toner. The toner discharge port 204 is completely removed from the discharge port 204, and the toner discharge port 204 is opened.

  At this time, the toner discharge port 204 is closed so as to face the toner discharge port shutter 205 provided on the lower side, so that the toner does not leak from the inside of the toner cartridge 200.

  As described above, by removing the seal removal lever 211 from the toner cartridge 200, the toner conveying screw 202 is rotated in the reverse direction to loosen the toner that has been aggregated in the vicinity of the toner discharge port 204 and forcibly in the toner supply pipe 105. Can be dropped. As a result, after the toner cartridge 200 is mounted, toner replenishment (toner dropping) can be performed reliably, and detection problems such as toner aggregation and no toner replenishment can be prevented.

  Next, replacement work of the toner cartridge 200 in the image forming apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment will be described.

  First, when the toner cartridge 200 is attached to the image forming apparatus 100, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3A, the toner cartridge 200 in the above-described state is set in the toner cartridge unit 20, and the lock lever 20a is set. Is rotated in the right direction (clockwise direction) in the drawing, and the toner cartridge 200 (toner accommodating portion 201) is pushed and held in the right direction in the drawing in the toner cartridge unit 20.

  In the state where the seal removal lever 211 is pulled out from the toner cartridge 200, the toner discharge port 204 provided at the lower portion of the toner storage unit 201 is prevented from dropping by the toner discharge port shutter 205, but FIG. As shown in FIG. 5, when the toner cartridge 200 is inserted into the toner cartridge unit 20, the toner discharge port shutter 205 collides with the side surface of the toner supply pipe 105, and the toner discharge port shutter 205 relatively moves in the left direction in the drawing. Thus, the toner discharge port 204 and the toner supply port 105a of the toner supply pipe 105 are matched in plan view.

  In this way, the new toner cartridge 200 can be easily attached to the image forming apparatus 100.

  When the used toner cartridge 200 is collected from the toner cartridge unit 20, as shown in FIG. 2, the lock lever 20a is released and the toner cartridge 200 is moved in the left direction in the drawing, so that the toner discharge port The shutter 205 can move to the right in the drawing to close the toner discharge port 204.

  Thus, the toner cartridge 200 can be collected without the toner remaining in the toner storage unit 201 overflowing from the toner discharge port 204.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, the toner cartridge 200 is provided with the seal member 207, the seal removal lever 211, and the conveyance shaft coupling 203 in the configuration of the toner discharge mechanism, and the seal removal lever 211 is provided. Since the spiral groove 211a is formed on the inner wall surface of the toner cartridge 200 to rotate while being guided by the conveying shaft coupling 203, the toner conveying screw 202 is reversely rotated in conjunction with the operation of removing the seal removal lever 211 when the toner cartridge 200 is replaced. The toner that has started to aggregate near the toner conveying screw 202 and near the toner discharge port 204 can be loosened and forcibly dropped into the toner supply pipe 105.
Thereby, after the toner cartridge 200 is mounted, toner replenishment (toner dropping) can be reliably performed, and detection defects such as toner aggregation and toner replenishment can be prevented, and stable toner replenishment can be realized.

  Further, according to the embodiment, the toner conveying screw gear 220 is provided at one end of the toner conveying screw 202, and the toner conveying screw gear 220 is always engaged with the stirring shaft gear 221. Since the toner agitating member can be rotated at the same time when operated in the reverse rotation, the toner releasing effect can be promoted.

  Further, according to the present embodiment, the developing device 102 is disposed below the toner cartridge 200, and toner is supplied from the toner cartridge 200 to the developing device 102 by the toner supply pipe 105. A space-saving color image forming apparatus in which the intermediate transfer belt 11 is arranged in a space between the apparatus 102 can be realized.

  Further, according to the present embodiment, since the seal member 207 can be peeled off from the toner discharge port 204 of the toner cartridge 200 by the seal removal lever 211 with the toner discharge port shutter 205 closed, the toner discharge port 204 Even when the toner cartridge 200 is opened, the toner does not overflow from the inside of the toner cartridge 200. Therefore, it is possible to realize the toner cartridge 200 that is excellent in handling without contaminating the apparatus with the overflowed toner.

  In this embodiment, the toner discharge port shutter 205 is provided on the lower side surface 201a1 of the toner container 201, and the toner discharge port shutter 205 is brought into contact with the toner supply pipe 105 to be opened. The invention is not limited to the configuration of the toner outlet shutter. For example, the toner outlet shutter 205 may be brought into contact with a part of the toner cartridge unit 20 to be opened.

  In this embodiment, the toner agitating member 208 is provided inside the toner accommodating portion 201, but the present invention is not limited to that provided in the toner accommodating portion 201.

In the above-described embodiment, the electrophotographic image forming apparatus 100 capable of forming a color image has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to the image forming apparatus having the above-described configuration, and may be based on other configurations. It can be developed on an image forming apparatus or the like. For example, the present invention can be applied to an electrophotographic image forming apparatus capable of forming only a monochrome image.
In addition, it is obvious for those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications can be conceived within the scope of the claims, and these naturally belong to the technical scope of the present invention. It is understood as a thing.

1 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a configuration of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a configuration of a toner cartridge unit mounted on the image forming apparatus. (A) is explanatory drawing which shows the state in which the toner cartridge was mounted in the said toner cartridge unit, (b) is CC sectional view taken on the line of (a). FIG. 3 is a side view illustrating a configuration of the toner cartridge. It is D arrow line view of FIG. FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a configuration of a toner discharge portion of the toner cartridge. It is E arrow line view of FIG. It is F arrow line view of FIG.

Explanation of symbols

20 toner cartridge unit 100 image forming apparatus 102 developing apparatus 105 toner supply pipe (toner supply section)
105a Toner replenishing port 200 Toner cartridge 201 Toner storage portion 202 Toner transport screw 203 Conveying shaft coupling 203a Boss portion 203b Seal removal lever 204 Toner discharge port 205 Toner discharge port shutter 206b Seal removal lever 207 Seal member 207a Folding portion 211 Seal removal lever 211a Spiral groove (groove)
211b Handle portion 211c Notch portion 212 Toner discharge portion

Claims (7)

A toner accommodating portion for accommodating toner and a toner discharging mechanism portion for discharging the toner accommodated in the toner accommodating portion, wherein the toner discharging mechanism portion removes the toner in the toner accommodating portion and the toner discharging port for discharging the toner to the outside; A toner cartridge configured to be detachably attached to an apparatus including a toner replenishing unit provided corresponding to the toner discharge port, including a toner transfer screw for transferring to a toner discharge port side;
The toner discharge mechanism is
A seal member for closing the toner discharge port;
A seal removal lever coupled to the seal member;
A transport shaft coupling coupled to one end of the toner transport screw in the axial direction and engaged with the seal removal lever;
A toner cartridge comprising:   2. The toner according to claim 1, wherein the seal removal lever has a function of rotating the toner conveying screw in reverse with an operation of shifting the toner discharge port by the seal member from a closed state to an open state. cartridge. The seal removal lever has a cylindrical inner peripheral surface, a groove is formed in the inner peripheral surface along a circumferential direction, and the inner peripheral surface surrounds the outer peripheral portion of the transport shaft coupling. Arranged,
3. The conveyance shaft coupling includes a boss portion that engages with a groove portion of the seal removal lever on an outer peripheral portion thereof, and is provided so as to be movable along with the boss portion along the groove portion. The toner cartridge described.   The toner cartridge according to claim 1, wherein the seal removal lever has a planar handle portion.   The toner cartridge according to claim 1, wherein the seal member is a heat seal. In an image forming apparatus for supplying toner using a toner cartridge to a developing device that supplies toner to a photosensitive drum on which an electrostatic latent image is formed to form a toner image,
An image forming apparatus using the toner cartridge according to claim 1 as the toner cartridge. The image forming apparatus includes a toner cartridge disposed above the developing device, and an intermediate transfer member that temporarily holds a toner image formed on the photosensitive drum between the toner cartridge and the developing device. And
The image forming apparatus according to claim 6, further comprising a toner replenishing unit configured to replenish toner from the toner cartridge to the developing device.

Images