JP2009210966A - Image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an image forming apparatus that can securely prevent contamination of the inside of the apparatus due to toner when a toner-receiving container is attached to or detached from the body of the apparatus. <P>SOLUTION: A receiving port shutter 22 is stopped at a prescribed position, the receiving port shutter 22 being moved accompanying the attaching operation of the body 21 of a developing unit to the body of the apparatus while located in the closing position of the receiving port 23. After the opening of the receiving port shutter 23 which accompanies a further attaching operation after the receiving port shutter 22 is stopped, a body shutter 32 is slid in the opening direction of a supply port 31 in synchronization with the body 21 of the developing unit. Accompanying the separating operation of the body 21 of the developing unit, the body shutter 32 is slide in synchronization with the body 21 of the developing unit moved in the direction of separation. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus used for a copying machine, a printer, a facsimile, and the like. More specifically, the present invention relates to an image forming apparatus in which a toner receiver having a receiving port for receiving toner from the apparatus main body is detachably attached to the apparatus main body.

  The image forming apparatus is used for a copying machine, a printer, a facsimile, and a multifunction machine having at least two of these functions. Such an image forming apparatus forms a latent image by selectively exposing the surface of a uniformly charged photosensitive drum according to image information, and develops the formed electrostatic latent image to form a toner. The image is formed by forming an image and transferring the toner image onto a recording sheet. Thereafter, the unfixed toner image is fixed on the recording paper. By supplying toner from the developing sleeve to the surface of the photosensitive drum, the electrostatic latent image is developed with toner.

  A developing sleeve, a screw for stirring and transferring the toner, and the like are attached to the container for storing the toner, and are unitized as a developing unit. Since it is necessary to compensate for the reduction in the amount of toner supplied to the photosensitive drum from the developing sleeve and consumed, a toner replenishing mechanism for replenishing toner to the developing unit may be provided in the apparatus main body. As such a toner replenishment mechanism, the toner contained in the toner replenishment container is transferred to the toner replenishment unit while being agitated with a screw or the like, discharged from a supply port formed in the toner replenishment unit, and formed in the developer unit. There is a configuration for supplying via a receiving port.

  In addition, a shutter that slides the supply port and the receiving port so that they can be opened and closed is provided. When both shutters move to a position that opens both the supply port and the receiving port, toner may be supplied to the developer unit. . At this time, the toner discharged from the supply port is received by the developer unit by sliding the shutter so that the supply port is opened with the receiving port opened in accordance with the attaching / detaching operation of the developer unit to the apparatus main body. This prevents the device from being scattered and contaminating the inside of the device. Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-228561 discloses an image forming apparatus in which a toner cartridge is mounted on the apparatus main body in a downward direction. In this image forming apparatus, a shutter is provided at each of the toner cartridge outlet and the toner receiving port of the apparatus main body, and these shutters are closed with a time difference to prevent the inside of the apparatus from being contaminated by scattering of toner. .

Patent Document 2 discloses an image forming apparatus in which a developing unit is mounted on an apparatus main body in a horizontal direction. In this image forming apparatus, a shutter is provided at each of the supply port of the apparatus main body and the receiving port of the developing unit, and the shutter of the replenisher unit that slides in the mounting direction as the developing unit is mounted on the apparatus main body. By abutting, the shutter of the apparatus main body is configured to slide in conjunction. Each of the shutters is provided with a coil spring that urges the shutter in the closing direction, and the urging force of each coil spring is made appropriate. To prevent that.
JP 2006-259228 A JP 2007-269532 A

  However, in the image forming apparatus described in Patent Document 1, due to variations in the urging force of the coil spring due to manufacturing or the like, the shutters may not open and close in an appropriate order when the developing unit is attached to or detached from the apparatus body. It was happening. For this reason, there is a problem in that contamination of the apparatus with toner cannot be reliably prevented.

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above-described problem, and an image forming apparatus capable of reliably preventing contamination in the apparatus due to toner when the toner receiver having a receiving port for receiving toner from the apparatus main body is attached to and detached from the apparatus main body. The purpose is to provide.

  In order to achieve the above object, an image forming apparatus according to the present invention has a receiving port for receiving toner from above, a toner receiving unit that is detachably mounted in the apparatus body in a horizontal direction, and opens and closes the receiving port. An inlet shutter that slides in a possible manner, a supply port that supplies toner downward, a body shutter that slides so that the supply port can be opened and closed, and a holding means that holds the body shutter in a position to close the supply port; Stop means for stopping at a predetermined position the receiving shutter that moves in accordance with the mounting operation of the toner receiver on the apparatus main body while being positioned at the position where the receiving opening is closed, and the receiving shutter is the stopping means. In accordance with the mounting operation of the toner receiver on the apparatus main body after being stopped at the position, the receiving port is opened and then moved in the mounting direction. The main body shutter is slid in the direction to open the supply port in conjunction with a toner receiver, and the toner receiver moves in the direction of detachment opposite to the mounting direction in accordance with the detachment operation from the apparatus main body. Interlocking means for sliding the main body shutter in conjunction with the toner acceptor.

  Furthermore, the image forming apparatus according to the present invention is characterized in that a sealing member is disposed between the supply port and the receiving port so as to cover the periphery.

  Furthermore, the image forming apparatus according to the present invention is characterized in that the stopping means is a protrusion formed integrally with the receiving shutter and the apparatus main body, respectively.

  Further, the image forming apparatus according to the present invention is characterized in that the interlocking means is a protrusion formed integrally with the toner receiver and the main body shutter, respectively.

  According to the image forming apparatus of the present invention, the holding means for holding the main body shutter is provided at a position where the supply port for supplying the toner downward is closed. For this reason, the supply port is completely closed before the developing device is attached to the apparatus main body and before the main body shutter starts to slide by the interlocking means. It is possible to reliably prevent contamination. In addition, a stop unit that stops the receiving shutter that moves in accordance with the mounting operation of the toner receiver on the apparatus main body while being positioned at the position where the receiving port is closed, and the receiving shutter is stopped by the stopping unit. After the toner inlet is mounted on the main body of the apparatus, the main body shutter is slid in the direction to open the supply port in conjunction with the toner receiver that moves in the mounting direction after the inlet is opened. Interlocking means is provided. Accordingly, the receiving shutter is stopped at a predetermined position by the stopping means, and the receiving shutter starts to slide in a direction to open the receiving port. Then, after the receiving port is opened thereafter, the main body shutter starts to slide in the direction of opening the supply port. Therefore, at the time of mounting, since the opening of the supply port is started with a time difference after the receiving port is completely opened, it is possible to reliably prevent toner from scattering from the supply port and contaminating the inside of the apparatus. The interlocking means slides the main body shutter in conjunction with the toner receiver that moves in the detaching direction opposite to the mounting direction in accordance with the detachment operation of the toner receiver from the apparatus main body. Therefore, after the main body shutter closes the supply port, the receiving shutter, which has been stopped at the predetermined position by the stopping means, starts to slide in the direction of closing the receiving port. Therefore, at the time of detachment, since the closing of the receiving port is started with a time difference after the supply port is completely closed, it is possible to reliably prevent toner from scattering from the supply port and contaminating the inside of the apparatus. The toner receiver is, for example, a developing device main body or a waste toner cartridge main body.

  Furthermore, according to the image forming apparatus of the present invention, the supply port is provided with a seal member that covers the periphery between the supply port and the supply port. Therefore, it is possible to reliably prevent the toner from being scattered and contaminating the inside of the apparatus when the toner is dropped and supplied from the supply port to the toner receiver through the receiving port.

  Further, according to the image forming apparatus of the present invention, the stopping means is a protrusion formed integrally with the receiving shutter and the apparatus main body. Therefore, the stopping means can be easily configured, and the position where the receiving shutter is stopped can be reliably kept constant.

  Further, according to the image forming apparatus of the present invention, the interlocking unit is a protrusion formed integrally with the receiving shutter and the apparatus main body. Therefore, the stopping means can be easily configured, and the position where the receiving shutter is stopped can be reliably kept constant.

  A copy / facsimile multifunction peripheral 100 equipped with an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a machine main body (apparatus main body) 1 and the machine base main body, as shown in FIG. 1 includes a developing unit (developing unit) 2 attached to 1 and a toner replenishing unit (supplementing unit) 3 that replenishes the developing unit 2 with toner.

  An image forming unit 101 including an image forming apparatus including a developing unit 2 and a toner replenishing unit 3 is disposed in the machine base body 1. Further, the machine body 1 is provided with a paper feed cassette 102 for sequentially supplying recording paper to the bottom thereof, and a paper discharge tray 103 above the image forming unit 101. Although not shown, the copy / facsimile multifunction peripheral 100 is provided with an image reading unit functioning as a flatbed scanner and an operation panel for inputting start of image reading and recording above the paper discharge tray 103. Has been.

  The paper feed cassette 102 stores recording papers of various sizes, and feeds the recording papers one by one to the transport path 104. A pair of registration rollers 41 is provided on the conveyance path 104, and the recording sheet is conveyed to the image forming unit 101 with the conveyance posture adjusted. A conveyance roller 42 is appropriately provided in the conveyance path 104, and a recording sheet on which an image is formed by the image forming unit 101 is conveyed and discharged to a discharge tray 103. As described above, the recording paper is transported from the paper feed cassette 102 along the transport path 104 to the image forming unit 101, and images, characters, and the like are recorded on the recording paper by the image forming unit 101 and are discharged to the paper discharge tray 103. Paper.

  The image forming unit 101 includes a charging device 12, an LED head 13, a developing unit 2, a toner supply unit 3, a transfer roller 14, a cleaning blade 15, and a photosensitive drum 11 disposed around the photosensitive drum 11. And a fixing device 16 disposed in the conveyance path 104 on the downstream side.

  The photoconductive drum 11 has a photoconductive film formed of an organic photoconductor formed on the surface thereof, is rotated at a predetermined speed by a driving source (not shown), and is charged to a constant voltage by the charging device 12. The charging device 12 is a non-contact corona charging method called a so-called scorotron charger. Although not shown in detail in the drawing, a discharge wire is disposed at the approximate center of a casing electrode forming a half space. A grid electrode is provided on the photosensitive drum 11 side, and a predetermined voltage is applied to the discharge wire to generate corona discharge. The amount of ions generated by the corona discharge is controlled by the grid electrode. The charging device 12 may employ another charging device such as a contact roller charging method instead of the non-contact corona charging method.

  The LED head 13 selectively exposes the surface of the photosensitive drum 11 based on image information to form an electrostatic latent image on the surface. The surface of the photosensitive drum 11 charged by the charging device 12 is attenuated by being exposed by the LED head 13, and an electrostatic latent image is formed by a potential difference from an unexposed portion. The image information is such that, for example, an image of a document read by the image reading unit functioning as a flatbed scanner is transmitted to the LED head 13 as an electrical signal. As the exposure device, a scanning optical system using a semiconductor laser in addition to the LED head 13 may be employed.

  The developing unit 2 is a unit of developing means using two-component toner composed of toner fine particles and a carrier, and can be attached to and detached from the machine base body 1 so that it can be replaced with a new one when its developing function deteriorates. It is installed freely. As shown in FIG. 2, the developing unit 2 includes a developing unit main body 21 serving as a container as a toner receiving unit that receives the toner replenished from the toner replenishing unit 3, and a horizontal direction directly above the developing unit main body 21. The receiving shutter 22 is slidable. The developing device main body 21 includes a receiving port 23 for receiving the toner replenished from the toner replenishing unit 3 from above. The receiving shutter 22 includes a seal member 24 that slides the receiving port 23 so that the receiving port 23 can be opened and closed and can seal the upper side of the receiving port 23 at a position where the receiving port 23 is closed. The attaching / detaching operation of the developing unit 2 with respect to the machine base body 1 is performed with the right direction in FIG.

  The toner supply unit 3 is a unitized toner supply mechanism for supplying toner to the developer unit 2. The toner replenisher unit 3 is detachable from the machine base body 1 so that it can be replaced with a new one when its toner replenishment function is destroyed, and is fixedly mounted at a predetermined position in the machine body 1. Yes. The toner replenisher unit 3 has a supply port 31 for discharging and supplying toner to be supplied to the developer unit 2 downward to the toner replenishing portion, a main body shutter 32 that slides the supply port 31 so as to be opened and closed, and a supply A coil spring (holding means) 33 for holding the main body shutter 32 is provided at a position where the mouth 31 is closed. One end of the coil spring 33 is engaged with the main body shutter 32, and the other end is engaged with a member constituting the toner replenisher unit 3, and the main body shutter 32 is urged in the left direction, which is the direction in which the supply port 31 is closed. is doing. Further, the toner replenisher unit 3 includes a seal member 34 that can seal the periphery of the supply port 31 in the horizontal direction.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the transfer roller 14 is a roller made of an EPDM foam, and is pressed against the photosensitive drum 11 at a position facing the conveyance path 104, and a bias voltage is applied from an electric circuit (not shown). It is like that. A toner image formed on the surface of the photosensitive drum 11 is applied by applying a bias voltage to the recording paper supplied from the paper feeding cassette 102 via the conveying path 104 by the photosensitive drum 11 and the transfer roller 14 being nipped. Is transferred to the recording paper.

  The cleaning blade 15 is pressed against the photosensitive drum 11 after transfer, and is applied with a constant voltage from an electric circuit (not shown), thereby removing toner and paper dust remaining on the surface of the photosensitive drum 11 and electrostatically. The latent image is erased. As a result, the surface of the photosensitive drum 11 is cleaned, and continuous use becomes possible. In addition to the cleaning blade, other contact methods using a cleaning roller or a non-contact cleaning method can be employed, and a cleaning-less method using no cleaning member can be employed.

  The fixing device 16 includes a heating roller 17 and a pressure roller 18 respectively disposed at positions opposed to the conveyance path 104, and fixes the toner image on the recording paper conveyed through the conveyance path 104 by heating and pressing. is there. The surface of the heating roller 17 is maintained at a predetermined temperature by a heater, and a pressure roller 18 is pressed against the heating roller 17 with a predetermined pressure. The recording paper on which the toner image is transferred is nipped between the heating roller 17 and the pressure roller 18 so that the toner on the recording paper is melted and fixed. The image forming unit 101 configured as described above forms an image of a document read by the image reading unit on a recording sheet.

  Next, the configuration of the developing unit 2 will be further described. The developing unit 2 uses a two-component toner composed of toner and carrier. The developing device main body 21 of the developing device unit 2 is accommodated in a developing sleeve 25 disposed facing the photosensitive drum 11, a regulating blade 26, and a container that configures the appearance of the developing device main body 21 and accommodates toner. Two screws (conveying augers) 27 and 28 and a paddle 29 are provided for transferring the toner to be agitated. The toner stirred and transferred by the screws 27 and 28 and the paddle 29 is supplied to the developing sleeve 25, and the toner carried on the surface of the developing sleeve 25 is supplied to the photosensitive drum 11. By developing the electrostatic latent image on the surface of the photosensitive drum 11 with toner, a toner image is formed.

  The developing sleeve 25 is pivotally supported by the container so that it can rotate at a position close to the photosensitive drum 11 in a state where the developing unit 2 is mounted at a predetermined position of the machine base body 1, and a bias voltage is applied. As a result, the surface is charged. By supplying the toner charged by stirring, the toner is carried on the surface of the developing sleeve 25. The developing sleeve 25 rotates in synchronization with the rotation of the photosensitive drum 11, and the toner carried on the surface of the developing sleeve 25 is supplied to the photosensitive drum 11 due to a potential difference from the electrostatic latent image on the photosensitive drum 11. The electrostatic latent image on the surface of the photosensitive drum 11 is visualized to form a toner image.

  The regulating blade 26 is disposed in the container in the vicinity of the surface of the developing sleeve 25, scrapes off excess toner carried on the surface of the developing sleeve 25, and regulates the toner layer thickness to be constant.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the screws 27 and 28 and the paddle 29 are respectively supported so as to be rotatable at positions parallel to the axis of the developing sleeve 25 and parallel to each other. The screw 27 is longer than the screw 28 by extending the right rear end side in FIG. 3, and the right rear end portion is a toner receiving portion that receives toner replenishment from the toner replenisher unit 3. The screw 27 includes a thin spiral blade, and rotates in the direction of the arrow (counterclockwise) to transfer the toner supplied to the toner storage unit in the direction of arrow A while stirring. The screw 28 includes spiral thin blades and radial thin blades. The screw 28 rotates in the direction of the arrow (clockwise) to transfer the toner in the direction of the arrow C while stirring the toner, and part of the toner is moved to the arrow D. In the direction, it is supplied to the paddle 29 side. The paddle 29 includes radial thin blades, and rotates axially in the direction of the arrow (counterclockwise) to transfer the toner to the developing sleeve 25 side while stirring.

  As shown in FIG. 1, a partition wall is provided on the bottom surface of the container in the axial direction between the screw 27 and the screw 28, and communication ports are respectively provided at both ends in the longitudinal direction of the partition wall. Is formed. Further, a low partition wall is provided in the axial direction between the screw 28 and the paddle 29 on the bottom surface of the container.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the toner replenished from the toner receiving unit by the toner replenisher unit 3 is transferred in the direction of arrow A while being agitated by the screw 27. The toner transferred to the other end side in the axial direction by the screw 28 (left front side in FIG. 3) is transferred in the direction of arrow B through the communication port, and further transferred in the direction of arrow C while being stirred by the screw 28. The toner transferred to the one end side in the axial direction by the screw 28 is transferred in the direction of arrow E through the communication port, and is transferred again by the screw 27. As described above, the toner is circulated and transported sufficiently by the two screws 27 and 28 that are transported in opposite directions to be sufficiently charged.

  The toner is transferred in the direction of the arrow C by the screw 28, and a part of the toner is supplied to the paddle 29 side as indicated by the arrow D over the low partition wall. The toner supplied to the paddle 29 side is agitated by the paddle 29 and scooped up and applied to the developing sleeve 25. The toner charged by agitation is held by carrier spikes spiked on the developing sleeve 25.

  Next, the configuration of the toner receiving unit of the developing unit 2 will be described. In the developing device unit 2, one end side (right rear side in FIG. 3) of the screw 27 in the axial direction (longitudinal direction) is a toner receiving portion that receives toner supplied from the toner supply device unit 3. As shown in FIG. 2, a receiving port 23 for receiving toner replenished from the toner replenisher unit 3 is formed on the upper wall forming the upper surface of the housing of the developing device main body 21 in the toner receiving portion. As described above, the flat receiving shutter 22 that slides the receiving port 23 so as to be opened and closed is provided. The receiving shutter 22 slides while a projection (not shown) formed on the side thereof is guided by a guide hole (not shown) formed on the upper surface wall of the developing device main body 21 and extending in parallel. Slide along the top surface of 21. In this way, the receiving shutter 22 is received by the seal member 24 at a position where the receiving shutter 22 is not positioned above the receiving port 23 and the receiving port 23 is completely opened (a position where toner can be supplied). A predetermined section between the position where the upper portion of the inlet 23 is covered and closed (closed) is configured to be slidable relative to the developing device main body 21. Although not shown, the receiving shutter 22 is always urged rightward in the drawing by an urging means such as a coil spring so as to be positioned at a position where the receiving port 23 is completely closed. Further, a protruding piece (protrusion) 21 a that protrudes toward the back of the machine base is integrally formed on the outer wall on the back side of the developing device main body 21.

  Further, the receiving shutter 22 is integrally formed with a protruding piece (protrusion) 22a protruding upward. The toner replenisher unit 3 is integrally formed with a protruding piece (protrusion) 36 that protrudes downward. The protruding piece 22a of the receiving shutter 22 and the protruding piece 36 of the toner replenisher knit 3 constitute a stopping means. The receiving shutter 22 that has been moved in accordance with the operation of the developing device main body 21 in the mounting direction (right direction in the figure) is locked at a predetermined position when the protruding piece 22 a comes into contact with the protruding piece 36. Even if the developing device main body 21 further moves in the mounting direction, the receiving shutter 22 is held at the predetermined position. Therefore, after the receiving shutter 22 is held at the predetermined position, the opening of the receiving port 23 of the developing device main body 21 is started.

  Next, the toner replenisher unit 3 will be further described. The toner replenisher unit 3 has substantially the same length (width dimension) as the developer unit 2 and agitates the toner from a toner replenishing container that accommodates toner and a toner accommodating portion (not shown) such as a toner cartridge. And a screw (not shown) that is transferred to the toner replenishing section. The toner replenisher unit 3 is mounted at a predetermined position of the machine base body 1 so that the supply port 31 is located immediately above the receiving port 21 of the developing unit 2.

  As described above, when the toner replenisher unit 3 is mounted at a predetermined position of the machine base body 1 (see FIG. 6), the toner replenisher unit 3 is associated with the receiving port 23 of the developing unit 2 positioned immediately below it. 31 is formed, and a main body shutter 32 that slides the supply port 31 so as to be openable and closable is provided. The main body shutter 32 slides in a horizontal direction while a flat shutter main body 32a constituting the main body slides while being guided by a guide groove 35 formed in the toner replenisher unit extending in the horizontal direction. In this way, the main body shutter 32 is configured to be slidable in a predetermined section between a position where the supply port 31 is completely opened (a position where toner can be supplied) and a position where the supply port 31 is covered and closed. Has been. In the main body shutter 32, the shutter main body 32 a is not positioned above the supply port 31 when the supply port 31 is opened, and the shutter main body 32 a is positioned above the supply port 31 when the supply port 31 is closed. The supply port 31 is completely covered. Here, the front end 32b of the shutter main body 32a contacts the inner side surface 38 of the side wall of the toner replenisher unit 3, so that the main body shutter 32 is positioned at the position where the supply port 31 is completely closed. Has been done.

  Further, the main body shutter 32 is constantly urged by a coil spring 33 in a direction (left direction in the figure) in which the supply port 31 is closed. One end of the coil spring 33 is a coil spring locking piece 32c formed integrally with the shutter body 32a of the main body shutter 32, and the other end is a coil spring locking piece 37 formed integrally with the side wall of the toner replenisher unit. Are respectively locked. The coil spring 33 is compressed and locked from the free length, and elastically applies a biasing force in the extending direction.

  The main body shutter 32 is integrally formed with a protruding piece (protrusion) 32d that protrudes downward from the back side (right end in the figure) of the shutter main body 32a. The projecting piece 21a of the developing device main body 21 and the projecting piece 32d of the main body shutter 32 constitute interlocking means, and the main body shutter is interlocked with (moved along with) the operation of the developing device main body 21 in the mounting direction (right direction in the figure). 32 slides toward the position where the supply port 31 is opened, and moves toward the position where the main body shutter 32 closes the supply port 31 in conjunction with the operation of the developing device main body 21 in the detaching direction (left direction in the figure). Slide.

  Hereinafter, in the image forming apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment, a process of attaching / detaching the developing unit 2 to / from the machine base body 1 will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that the toner replenisher unit 3 is already fixedly mounted at a predetermined position on the machine base body 1. The developing unit 2 is mounted at a predetermined position with respect to the machine base body 1 while being horizontally moved from the front side to the back side in FIG. Note that guide means (not shown) is provided so that the developing unit 2 can move in parallel with a predetermined section with respect to the base body 1. As shown in FIG. 2, the developing device unit 2 is mounted on the machine base body 1 with the protrusion 21a of the developing device body 21 at the head.

  Before the mounting operation in association with the toner replenisher unit 3 is performed, the receiving unit shutter 22 is positioned so as to completely close the receiving port 23 as shown in FIG. It is urged by the urging means (not shown). Therefore, the receiving shutter 22 is locked so that the receiving port 23 is not opened by sliding due to an impact caused by movement, contact, or the like, and together with the seal member 24, prevents toner scattering. On the other hand, the main body shutter 32 is urged by a coil spring 33 so as to be held at a position where the receiving port 31 is completely closed. Therefore, the main body shutter 32 is locked so that the supply port 31 is not slid and opened due to an impact caused by contact of the developing unit 2 or the like, thereby preventing toner scattering.

  Further, when the developing unit 2 is slid in parallel in the right direction in FIG. 2, as shown in FIG. 4, the protruding piece 22 a formed on the receiving shutter 22 of the developing unit 2 is replaced with the toner replenishing unit 3. To the projecting piece 36 formed integrally.

  Further, in this state, when the developing unit 2 is slid in parallel in the right direction of FIG. 4, the projecting piece 22a and the projecting piece 36 are in contact with each other. Therefore, as shown in FIG. Only the developing device main body 21 is moved in the right direction while 22 is kept at the position, and the opening of the receiving port 23 is started. When the developing device main body 21 is further slid rightward, the receiving port 23 is completely opened from the closing by the receiving port shutter 22.

  Furthermore, when the developing device main body 21 is slid in the right direction from the state of FIG. 5, as shown in FIG. 6, the protruding piece 21a of the developing device main body 21 and the protruding piece 32d of the main body shutter 32 abut, As the developing device main body 21 slides, the main body shutter 32 slides. The toner replenisher unit 3 is fixedly mounted on the machine base body 1, and the main body shutter 32 moves relative to the main body of the toner replenisher unit 3. Therefore, the main body shutter 32 slides to the right, which is the mounting direction, in accordance with the mounting operation of the developing device unit 2 until the main body shutter 32 of the toner replenisher unit 3 opens the supply port 31. . By the relative sliding movement of the main body shutter 32 relative to the toner replenisher unit 3 in the right direction, the supply port 31 is gradually opened, and the toner falls from the opened supply port 31. At this time, since the receiving port 23 of the developing device main body 21 is located immediately below the supply port 31, the dropped toner is accommodated in the developing device main body 21 through the receiving port 23 as it is without contaminating the inside of the apparatus. Therefore, toner scattering is prevented together with the seal member 24.

  The developing device main body 21 is mounted at a predetermined position of the machine base main body 1 in the state of FIG. 7 and is locked by means not shown. At this time, the supply port 31 is completely open and communicates with the receiving port 23 located immediately below the supply port 31 so that toner can be supplied from the toner supply unit 3 to the developing device main body 21. The biasing force of the coil spring 33 provided in the toner replenisher unit 3 acts in the direction of moving the main body shutter 32 to the left, but the main body shutter 32 is prevented from moving leftward by the developing device main body 21.

  Next, the process of detaching the developing unit 2 from the machine base body 1 will be described with reference to the drawings. In this case, the process reverse to that in the case of mounting is followed, and it is possible to reliably prevent the toner from being contaminated in the apparatus during the process.

  When the developing device main body 21 is slid parallel to the left from the state of FIG. 7, the main body shutter 32 urged leftward by the coil spring 33 slides to the left as the developing device main body 21 slides. The supply port 31 is gradually closed. Then, as the developing device main body 21 further slides, the main body shutter 32 moves to a position where the supply port 31 is completely closed, as shown in FIG. As the developing device main body 21 subsequently slides, the main body shutter 32 is moved until the front side end portion 32b of the shutter main body 32a comes into contact with the inner side surface 38 of the side wall of the toner supply unit 3 as shown in FIG. Move slide.

  Further, when the developing device main body 21 is slid leftward from the state of FIG. 5, the receiving shutter 22 that has been held in place with the protruding piece 22 a contacting the protruding piece 36 of the toner supply unit 3. Gradually slides in a direction to close the receiving port 23. Then, as shown in FIG. 4, the receiving port 23 is completely closed at a predetermined position where the receiving port shutter 22 is retained. Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 2, the developing unit 3 is separated from the machine base body 1 while maintaining the position where the receiving shutter 22 completely closes the receiving port 23.

  Here, in the process of attaching / detaching the developing device unit 2 to / from the base body 1, the opening / closing order of the receiving shutter 22 and the main body shutter 32 accompanying the movement of the developing device main body 21 will be briefly described again. When the developing device unit 3 is mounted, first, when the protruding piece 22a of the receiving shutter 22 and the protruding piece 36 of the developing device unit 3 come into contact with each other, the opening operation of the receiving port 23 of the receiving shutter 22 is started. (See FIG. 4). The reception shutter 22 completely opens the reception port 23 (see FIG. 5). Thereafter, along with the further movement of the developing device main body 21 in the mounting direction, that is, with a time lag after the receiving port 23 is completely opened, the protruding piece 21a of the developing device main body 21 and the protruding piece 32d of the main body shutter 32 are provided. Contact with each other, the opening operation of the supply port 31 of the main body shutter 32 is started (see FIG. 6). After the main body shutter 32 completely opens the supply port 31, the developing device main body 21 is moved to the base body. 1 is mounted at a predetermined position (see FIG. 7).

  When the developing device unit 3 is detached, first, the developing device main body 21 moves from the predetermined position of the machine base body 1 in the removing direction, whereby the main body shutter 32 urged by the coil spring 33 starts to move and is supplied. The closing operation of the mouth 31 is started. After the main body shutter 32 completely closes the supply port 31 (see FIG. 6), the front side end portion 32b of the shutter main body 32a comes into contact with the inner side surface 38 of the side wall of the toner replenisher unit 3. Then, the movement of the main body shutter 32 is completed (see FIG. 5). Thereafter, with the further movement of the developing device main body 21 in the detaching direction, that is, after the supply port 31 is completely closed, there is a time lag. The closing operation of the receiving port 23 of the entrance shutter 22 is started. After the receiving shutter 22 completely closes the receiving port 23 (see FIG. 4), the developing unit 3 is separated from the machine base body 1 (see FIG. 2).

  As described above, before the main body shutter 32 starts to slide to a position where the supply port 31 is completely opened, the reception shutter 22 is located at a position where the reception port 23 is completely opened. That is, the trigger when the main body shutter 32 starts to slide to the position where the supply port 31 is completely opened is that the protruding piece 21 a of the developing device main body 21 contacts the protruding piece 32 d of the main body shutter 32. As the developing unit 3 is mounted, the receiving shutter 22 contacts the protruding piece 36 and is held in place before the protruding piece 21a of the developing device main body 21 contacts the protruding piece 32d of the main body shutter 32. As a result, the sliding starts relatively toward the position where the receiving port 23 is completely opened, and this position is constant. Since the distance between the protruding piece 36 and the supply port 31 is constant, the receiving port 23 of the developing device main body 21 is completely opened, and thereafter the opening of the supply port 31 is started. Therefore, as compared with the case where the receiving shutter 22 and the main body shutter 32 operate in direct association, the contamination of the toner accompanying the attachment / detachment of the developing unit 2 can be reliably prevented.

  The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and various modifications can be made within the scope of the gist of the present invention. For example, although the example in which the protruding piece 36 that contacts the protruding piece 22 a of the receiving shutter 22 is formed integrally with the toner replenisher unit 3 has been shown, the protruding piece 36 is a machine base other than the toner replenisher unit 3. It may be formed integrally with the main body 1. Furthermore, although the example in the case of using the extension force of the coil spring 33 as an urging force has been shown, an urging means such as a torsion spring or a leaf spring is used instead of the coil spring even if the compression force of the coil spring is used as the urging force. It may be used. Furthermore, although the example in the case where the toner stored in the toner replenisher unit 3 is transferred to the toner replenishing portion has been shown, the toner hopper or the recovered toner may be replenished. Further, the photosensitive drum 11, the charging device 12, the developing unit 2, and the cleaning blade 15 may be unitized as a process unit.

  Further, in the present embodiment, an example in which the toner receiver according to the present invention is the developing device main body 21 is shown. However, the toner receiver according to the present invention only needs to have a receiving port for receiving toner from above and be detachably attached to the apparatus main body in the horizontal direction. For example, a waste toner cartridge main body (not shown) having a receiving port for receiving waste toner collected from the surface of the photosensitive drum 11 by the cleaning blade 15 from above and detachably attached to the main body 1 in the horizontal direction. There may be.

  Further, in the present exemplary embodiment, the aspect in which the image forming apparatus is implemented as the copy / facsimile multifunction peripheral 100 has been described. However, the image forming apparatus is not limited to the copy / facsimile multifunction peripheral 100, and the present invention includes a single apparatus and a printer. Of course, the embodiment can be changed without departing from the gist of the invention.

1 is a schematic sectional view showing an internal configuration of a copy / facsimile multifunction peripheral 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a schematic partial cross-sectional view of the developer unit 2 and the toner replenisher unit 3 during the attaching / detaching operation of the developer unit 2, and shows a state where the developer unit 2 and the toner replenisher unit 3 are separated from each other. 3 is a transparent schematic perspective view for explaining an internal configuration of the developing unit 2. FIG. FIG. 3 is a schematic partial cross-sectional view of the developer unit 2 and the toner replenisher unit 3 when the developer unit 2 is attached and detached, and shows a state in which the receiving shutter 22 is in contact with the protruding piece 36 of the toner replenisher unit 3 and stopped. Show. FIG. 5 is a schematic partial cross-sectional view of the developing unit 2 and the toner replenishing unit 3 when the developing unit 2 is attached and detached, and shows a state where the developing unit main body 21 is further moved in the mounting direction from the state of FIG. 4. FIG. 3 is a schematic partial cross-sectional view of the developing unit 2 and the toner replenishing unit 3 when the developing unit 2 is attached and detached, showing a state in which the developing unit main body 21 is in contact with the protrusion 32d of the main body shutter 32 for the first time. FIG. 3 is a schematic partial cross-sectional view of the developer unit 2 and the toner replenisher unit 3 when the developer unit 2 is attached and detached, showing a state in which the developer body 21 is mounted at a predetermined position of the machine base body 1.

Explanation of symbols

1 Machine body (device body)
2 Developer unit (Developer)
3 Toner supply unit (main unit)
21 Developer body (toner receiver)
21a Protruding piece (protrusion, interlocking means)
22 receiving shutter 22a protruding piece (protrusion, stop means)
23 Reception port 24 Seal member 31 Supply port 32 Main body shutter 32d Projection piece (protrusion, interlocking means)
33 Coil spring (biasing means)
34 Seal member 36 Projection piece (protrusion, stop means)
100 Copy / facsimile multifunction peripherals (image forming equipment)

Claims (4)

A toner receiver having a receiving port for receiving toner from above, and detachably attached to the apparatus main body in a horizontal direction;
An entrance shutter that slides to open and close the entrance;
A supply port for supplying toner downward;
A body shutter that slides to open and close the supply port;
Holding means for holding the main body shutter at a position for closing the supply port;
Stop means for stopping at a predetermined position the inlet shutter that moves in accordance with the mounting operation of the toner receiver on the apparatus main body while being positioned at the position where the inlet is closed;
The toner receiving unit moves in the mounting direction after the receiving port is opened in accordance with the mounting operation of the toner receiving unit on the apparatus main body after the receiving port shutter is stopped by the stopping unit. The main body shutter is slid in a direction to open the supply port in conjunction with a container, and the toner receiver moves in the separation direction opposite to the mounting direction in accordance with the separation operation from the apparatus main body. An image forming apparatus comprising: interlocking means for sliding the main body shutter in conjunction with a toner receiver.   The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a seal member that covers the periphery of the supply port is provided between the supply port and the receiving port.   The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the stopping unit is a protrusion formed integrally with the receiving shutter and the apparatus main body.   The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the interlocking unit is a protrusion formed integrally with the toner receiver and the main body shutter.

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