JP2010032778A - Toner supply device and image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a toner supply device where a blade member of a stirring part arranged inside is arranged at a position where it does not become a hindrance to toner supply when supplying toner from the outside while a shutter member closes a toner supply part. <P>SOLUTION: A toner cartridge 5 includes: a toner supply hole 513; a first storing part 511; a stirring member 520 having a shaft member 521 and the blade member 522 and stirring the toner; a first disk-like member 550 coupled with the shaft member 521; a first recess 551 formed in the first disk-like member 550 by hollowing part of the outer periphery thereof; a second storing part 512; a supply port 515 formed at a part of the second storing part 512 so as to supply the toner TN to a developing unit 16; the shutter member 540; a second disk-like member 560 rotatably coupled in synchronism with the shutter member 540; and a second recess 561 formed in the second disk-like member 560 by hollowing part of the outer periphery thereof. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a toner supply device that supplies toner to a developing device, and an image forming apparatus including the toner supply device.

  In general, a toner supply device such as a toner cartridge has a structure in which a stirrer having a honey member is provided in a toner container, and the honey member agitates toner in the container by rotating the stirrer. The toner in the storage unit is supplied from the toner supply unit to the developing device. When toner is supplied to the storage unit, the toner supply unit is closed by the shutter member to prevent the toner from spilling out from the toner supply unit.

On the other hand, since the stirring part is rotatable, the rotation position of the spring member is arbitrary. When the toner is replenished to the housing portion, it is necessary to arrange the spring member at a position that does not hinder filling. For this reason, a structure has been proposed in which a mark or the like is provided so that the honeycomb member is stopped at a position with good filling efficiency, and the rotation position of the honeycomb member is aligned with that position (for example, see Patent Document 1).
JP 2005-70395 A

  However, in the toner supply device of Patent Document 1, when toner is replenished, a process and management for aligning the honeycomb member to a position that does not interfere with the replenishment are necessary.

The present invention provides a toner supply device that is disposed at a position where a splash member of an agitation unit disposed inside does not interfere with toner supply when toner is replenished from outside in a state where the shutter member closes the toner supply unit. The purpose is to do.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an image forming apparatus including the toner supply device.

  The present invention is a toner supply device that supplies toner to a developing device, and is formed inside a case body, a toner replenishment portion that is configured to replenish the toner from the outside of the case body, and the case body. A first storage portion that stores all or part of the toner replenished from the toner replenishment portion, a shaft member that can rotate around a predetermined rotation shaft, and a spring member formed on the outer periphery of the shaft member An agitating portion for agitating the toner accommodated in the first accommodating portion by the splash member; and the shaft member disposed outside the case body and capable of rotating in synchronization with the rotation of the shaft member. A first disk-shaped member connected to the first disk-shaped member, a first recess formed in a part of the outer periphery of the first disk-shaped member, and the first storage unit adjacent to the first storage unit. A second accommodating portion formed to be transferable, and 2 is formed in a part of the case body constituting the housing portion, and is supplied to the developing device for supplying the toner, a closed position for closing the supply port, and an open position for opening the supply port. A shutter member disposed to be rotatable about a moving shaft, and connected to be rotatable about the rotation shaft in synchronization with the rotation of the shutter member, and disposed adjacent to the first disk-shaped member. A second disk-shaped member, and a second recess formed in a part of the outer periphery of the second disk-shaped member, and when the shutter member is in the open position, the second disk-shaped member Is arranged such that the second concave portion faces the first disc-shaped member side, and the first disc-shaped member is arranged in such a manner that an outer peripheral portion of the first disc-shaped member enters the second concave portion. When the shutter member is in the closed position, The first disk-shaped member is arranged so that the first concave portion faces the second disk-shaped member, and the second disk-shaped member has an outer peripheral portion of the second disk-shaped member at the first concave portion. The present invention relates to a toner supply device that is disposed so as to restrict the rotation of the first disk-shaped member in a state where the first disk-shaped member is disposed.

  Further, when the shutter member is in the closed position, it is preferable that the spring member is held at a position separated from the toner replenishing portion.

  The first disk-shaped member and the second disk-shaped member are either the first disk-shaped member or the second disk-shaped member in a state where the first concave portion and the second concave portion face each other. Is preferably configured to be selectively rotatable.

  Further, it is preferable that the shutter member transitions from the open state to the closed state by rotating the second disk-shaped member in a state where the first concave portion and the second concave portion face each other.

  According to the present invention, any one of the above toner supply devices, an image carrier on which an electrostatic latent image is formed on the surface, the toner is supplied by the toner supply device, and the toner is formed on the image carrier. The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus comprising: a developing unit that develops a toner image on the electrostatic latent image formed; and a transfer unit that directly or indirectly transfers the toner image formed on the image carrier onto a predetermined sheet.

According to the present invention, when the shutter member replenishes toner from the outside in a state where the toner supply unit is closed, the toner supply device is disposed at a position in which the splash member of the stirring unit disposed inside does not interfere with toner replenishment. Can be provided.
In addition, the present invention can provide an image forming apparatus including the toner supply device.

The best mode for carrying out the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
With reference to FIG. 1, the overall structure of a printer 1 as an image forming apparatus in the present embodiment will be described. FIG. 1 is a left side view for explaining the arrangement of each component in the printer 1. In the present embodiment, the side (the right side in FIG. 1) on which a later-described manual feed tray 65 is disposed is the front side of the printer 1.

The printer 1 includes an image forming unit that forms a predetermined image on the paper T based on predetermined image information, and a paper feed / discharge unit that feeds the paper T to the image forming unit and discharges the paper T on which the image is formed. Part.
As shown in FIG. 1, the image forming unit includes a photosensitive drum 2, a charging unit 10, a laser scanner unit 4, a developing device 16, a toner cartridge 5, a transfer roller 8, and a fixing device 9. .
The paper supply / discharge unit includes a paper supply cassette 52, a manual feed tray 65, a registration roller pair 80, and a conveyance path L for the paper T.

  The photosensitive drum 2 is made of a cylindrical member and functions as an image carrier. The photosensitive drum 2 is disposed in the apparatus main body M in such a manner that it can rotate around a rotation axis perpendicular to FIG. An electrostatic latent image is formed on the surface of the photosensitive drum 2.

  The charging unit 10 is disposed above the photosensitive drum 2. The charging unit 10 uniformly charges the surface of the photosensitive drum 2 positively (plus polarity).

The laser scanner unit 4 is disposed above the photosensitive drum 2 and spaced from the photosensitive drum 2. The laser scanner unit 4 includes a laser light source (not shown), a polygon mirror, a polygon mirror driving motor, and the like.
The laser scanner unit 4 scans and exposes the surface of the photosensitive drum 2 based on image information output from an external device such as a PC (personal computer). By scanning exposure by the laser scanner unit 4, the electric charge charged on the surface of the photosensitive drum 2 is removed. As a result, an electrostatic latent image is formed on the surface of the photosensitive drum 2.

  The developing device 16 is disposed in front of the photosensitive drum 2 (on the right side in FIG. 1). The developing device 16 develops a single color (usually black) toner image on the electrostatic latent image formed on the photosensitive drum 2. The developing device 16 includes a developing roller 17 that can be disposed facing the photosensitive drum 2 and a stirring roller 18 for stirring the toner.

  The toner cartridge 5 is a toner supply device and stores toner supplied to the developing device 16. The toner cartridge 5 will be described later.

  The drum cleaning device 11 is disposed behind the photosensitive drum 2 (on the left side in FIG. 1). The drum cleaning device 11 removes toner and deposits remaining on the surface of the photosensitive drum 2.

  The transfer roller 8 transfers the toner image developed on the surface of the photosensitive drum 2 to the paper T. A transfer bias for transferring the toner image developed on the photosensitive drum 2 to the paper T is applied to the transfer roller 8 by a voltage application unit (not shown).

  The transfer roller 8 is brought into contact with and separated from the photosensitive drum 2. Specifically, the transfer roller 8 is configured to be movable between a contact position where the transfer roller 8 is in contact with the photosensitive drum 2 and a spaced position where the transfer roller 8 is separated from the photosensitive drum 2. Specifically, the transfer roller 8 is moved to the contact position when the toner image developed on the photosensitive drum 2 is transferred to the paper T, and is moved to the separation position in other cases.

  The paper T is sandwiched between the photosensitive drum 2 and the transfer roller 8 and pressed against the surface of the photosensitive drum 2 (the side on which the toner image is developed). In this way, the transfer nip N is formed, and the toner image developed on the photosensitive drum 2 is transferred onto the paper T.

  The fixing device 9 melts the toner constituting the toner image transferred onto the paper T and fixes it on the paper T. The fixing device 9 includes a heating roller 9a heated by a heater, and a pressure roller 9b pressed against the heating roller 9a. The heating roller 9a and the pressure roller 9b convey the paper T onto which the toner image has been transferred so as to sandwich the paper T. By transporting the paper T so as to be sandwiched between the heating roller 9a and the pressure roller 9b, the toner transferred onto the paper T is melted and fixed.

The paper feed cassette 52 is disposed below the apparatus main body M. The paper feed cassette 52 is disposed on the front side (right side in FIG. 1) of the apparatus body M so as to be able to be pulled out in the horizontal direction. The paper feed cassette 52 includes a placement plate 60 on which the paper T is placed. The paper feed cassette 52 stores the paper T in a state where the paper T is stacked on the placement plate 60. The cassette paper feed unit 51 is disposed at the paper feed side end (the right side end in FIG. 1) of the paper feed cassette 52. The cassette paper feed unit 51 sends out the paper T stored in the paper feed cassette 52 to the transport path L.
The cassette paper feeding unit 51 includes a multi-feed prevention mechanism including a forward feed roller 61 that takes out the paper T placed on the placement plate 60 and a roller pair 63 that feeds the paper T one by one to the transport path L.

  A transport path L for transporting the paper T is formed between the cassette paper feed unit 51 or the manual paper feed unit 64 and the paper discharge unit 50. The conveyance path L includes a first conveyance path L1 from the cassette paper feeding unit 51 to the first junction P1, a second conveyance path L2 from the first junction P1 to the registration roller pair 80, and a transfer from the registration roller pair 80. A third conveyance path L3 to the roller 8, a fourth conveyance path L4 from the transfer roller 8 to the fixing device 9, a fifth conveyance path L5 from the fixing device 9 to the branching portion P3, and a discharge portion from the branching portion P3. And up to 50 sixth transport paths L6.

Moreover, the conveyance path L has the 7th conveyance path L7 from the manual feed tray 65 to the 1st confluence | merging part P1. The first merging portion P1 is a merging portion between the first conveyance path L1 that conveys the paper T from the cassette paper feeding section 51 and the seventh conveyance path L7 that conveys the paper T from the manual feed tray 65.
A second junction P2 is disposed in the middle of the second transport path L2. Furthermore, the conveyance path L has a return conveyance path Lb from the branching part P3 to the second joining part P2. The second junction P2 is a junction between the second conveyance path L2 and the return conveyance path Lb.

  Here, a registration roller pair 80 is disposed on the upstream side (right side in FIG. 1) of the transfer roller 8 in the transport direction of the paper T. The registration roller pair 80 is a roller pair for correcting skew (oblique feeding) of the paper T and adjusting timing with the toner image.

The return conveyance path Lb is a conveyance path that is provided so that the opposite surface (non-printing surface) to the surface that has already been printed faces the photosensitive drum 2 when performing duplex printing on the paper T.
According to the return conveyance path Lb, the sheet T conveyed from the branching section P3 to the paper discharge section 50 side can be reversed and returned to the second conveyance path L2. A predetermined toner image is transferred onto the non-printing surface of the paper T that has been turned upside down by the return conveyance path Lb.

A manual paper feed unit 64 is provided on the front side of the apparatus main body M (on the right side in FIG. 1) and above the paper feed cassette 52. The manual paper feed unit 64 includes a manual feed tray 65 and a paper feed roller 66. The base of the manual feed tray 65 is attached to the vicinity of the entrance of the seventh transport path L7 so as to be rotatable (openable and closable). The manual feed tray 65 constitutes a part of the front surface of the apparatus main body M in the closed state. The paper feed roller 66 takes out the paper T placed on the manual feed tray 65 and sends it out toward the seventh transport path L7.
The manual paper feed unit 64 feeds the paper T placed on the open manual feed tray 65 to the second transport path L2 via the seventh transport path L7 and the first junction P1.

  A paper discharge unit 50 is formed at the end of the sixth transport path L6. The paper discharge unit 50 is disposed on the upper side of the apparatus main body M. The paper discharge unit 50 opens toward the front of the apparatus main body M (to the right in FIG. 1). The paper discharge unit 50 discharges the paper T on which the toner is fixed by the fixing device 9 to the outside of the apparatus main body M.

  On the opening side of the paper discharge unit 50, a paper discharge stacking unit M1 is formed. The paper discharge stacking unit M1 is formed on the upper surface (outer surface) of the apparatus main body M. The paper discharge stacking portion M1 is a portion where the apparatus main body M is formed to be depressed downward. The bottom surface of the paper discharge stacking unit M1 constitutes part of the top surface of the apparatus main body M. In the paper discharge stacking unit M1, the paper T discharged from the paper discharge unit 50 and having a predetermined image transferred thereon is stacked and stacked.

  Next, the toner cartridge 5 as a toner supply device will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the toner cartridge 5 from obliquely above. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the toner cartridge 5 from the opposite side to FIG. FIG. 4 is a front view showing a first operation of the first disk-shaped member 550 and the second disk-shaped member 560. FIG. 5 is a front view showing a second operation of the first disk-shaped member 550 and the second disk-shaped member 560. FIG. 6 is a front view showing a third operation of the first disk-shaped member 550 and the second disk-shaped member 560. FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of the toner cartridge 5 in a state where toner is supplied to the developing device 16. FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view subsequent to FIG. 7 showing a state in which the toner is supplied to the developing device 16. FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view of the toner cartridge 5 in a state where toner is supplied.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the toner cartridge 5 includes a case body 500, a stirring member 520 and a stirring transport member 530 provided inside the case body 500. The toner cartridge 5 can be attached to and detached from the printer 1 (see FIG. 1). When the toner cartridge 5 is attached to the printer 1, the toner TN can be supplied to the developing device 16. When the toner TN is supplied to the toner cartridge 5, the toner cartridge 5 is removed from the printer 1.

  The case body 500 has a horizontally long shape. The case body 500 is attached to the apparatus main body M so that the longitudinal direction is along the direction orthogonal to the paper surface of FIG. The case body 500 is configured to include a container portion 501 with an open top surface that accommodates the toner TN, and a lid portion 502 (see FIG. 7) that covers the upper portion of the container portion 501. The lid 502 covers the upper part of the container 501 so that the inside of the case body 500 is isolated from the outside.

  As shown in FIG. 7, the bottom of the container portion 501 is divided into a first arc-shaped bottom surface 505 and a second arc-shaped bottom surface 506. A boundary portion 507 between the first arc-shaped bottom surface 505 and the second arc-shaped bottom surface 506 has a shape protruding toward the inside of the container portion 501 (upper side in FIG. 7). The inside of the container portion 501 is divided by a boundary portion 507. That is, the upper part of the first arcuate bottom surface 505 (the upper side in FIG. 7) is the first housing part 511, and the upper part of the second arcuate bottom surface 506 is the second housing part 512.

As shown in FIG. 3, a stirring member 520 is disposed in the first housing portion 511. Further, a toner supply hole 513 is formed in the first storage portion 511 as a toner supply portion.
The toner supply hole 513 is an opening formed in the side surface 503 which is one end surface in the longitudinal direction of the container portion 501. The toner supply hole 513 is formed at a position higher than the stirring member 520 (upper side in FIG. 3). When the toner TN is supplied into the container portion 501 through the toner supply hole 513, a part or all of the toner TN is stored (supplied) in the first storage portion 511.

  The stirring member 520 is arranged along the longitudinal direction of the case body 500 in the first housing portion 511. The stirring member 520 includes a shaft member 521 extending in the longitudinal direction of the container portion 501, and a honey member 522 formed on the shaft member 521.

  The shaft member 521 of the stirring member 520 is supported so as to rotate inside the container portion 501 by a bearing portion 523 provided on the opposite side surfaces 503 and 504 of the container portion 501. In the present embodiment, the shaft member 521 is formed of a shaft body having a rectangular cross section. The spring member 522 is attached to the outer periphery (outer surface) of the shaft member 521.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the honey member 522 is composed of a plastic skeleton, and a plurality of vertical bone members 522 a arranged so as to extend in the outer peripheral direction from the rotation shaft of the shaft member 521, and the outer peripheral side of the rod-shaped bone member And a transverse bone member 522b arranged so as to connect the end portions of the two. The honey member 522 is disposed over the entire shaft member 521 from one end to the other end. Here, the honey member 522 may be comprised with the rubber | gum etc. which have elasticity, and may be formed in the thin flat plate shape which has a predetermined width | variety. Moreover, the honey member 522 may be arrange | positioned at fixed intervals along the longitudinal direction of the shaft member 521, and may be arrange | positioned over the full length of the longitudinal direction of the shaft member 521.

  The honey member 522 has a length such that the tip is in contact with the first arcuate bottom surface 505. Since the honey member 522 is attached to the shaft member 521, when the shaft member 521 rotates, the honey member 522 rotates in the first housing portion 511. The rotated spring member 522 agitates the toner TN in the first storage unit 511 and transfers the toner TN to the second storage unit 512. Further, the spring member 522 slides on the upper surface of the first arcuate bottom surface 505 while bending in a state where the tip is in contact with the first arcuate bottom surface 505 (see FIG. 7). Thereby, the splash member 522 agitates the toner TN in the first storage portion 511 and suppresses the toner TN from sticking to the upper surface of the first arc-shaped bottom surface 505.

As illustrated in FIG. 2, a stirring and conveying member 530 is disposed in the second housing portion 512. Further, a supply port 515 for supplying the toner TN to the developing device 16 is formed in the second storage unit 512.
The agitating / conveying member 530 is disposed along the longitudinal direction of the second accommodating portion 512. Similarly to the stirring member 520, the stirring and conveying member 530 is also rotatably supported by bearing portions provided on the side surfaces 503 and 504 facing the container portion 501. The stirring and conveying member 530 includes a rod-shaped shaft member 532 and a spiral blade 531 formed on the outer periphery (outer surface) of the shaft member 532.

  The spiral blade 531 is formed in a spiral shape along the longitudinal direction on the outer periphery (outer surface) of the stirring and conveying member 530. When the agitating / conveying member 530 rotates, the toner TN is conveyed by the spiral blade 531 along the longitudinal direction of the agitating / conveying member 530. Specifically, the toner TN is conveyed by the spiral blade 531 toward the supply port 515 side.

  The supply port 515 is an opening formed in a part of the second arc-shaped bottom surface 506. The supply port 515 is formed at a terminal end portion of the stirring and conveying member 530 in the toner conveying direction. The toner TN conveyed along the longitudinal direction by the spiral blade 531 by the rotation of the agitating / conveying member 530 is supplied to the developing device 16 from the supply port 515.

As shown in FIG. 2, the stirring member 520 and the stirring and conveying member 530 are rotated by the rotational force transmitted to the input wheels 524 and 534 connected to the shaft members 521 and 532, respectively.
One end of each of the shaft member 521 of the stirring member 520 and the shaft member 532 of the stirring and conveying member 530 passes through one side surface 503 in the longitudinal direction of the container portion 501. The input wheels 524 and 534 are attached to the end portions through which the shaft members 521 and 532 pass.

The input wheels 524 and 534 are disposed on the outer surface of the side surface 503 in the container portion 501. Further, the outer peripheral surfaces of the input wheels 524 and 534 are in contact with each other, and when one of them rotates, the rotational force is transmitted to the other.
In the present embodiment, the input wheel 534 on the stirring and conveying member 530 side is arranged so that the outer peripheral surface is in contact with an elastic pulley attached to an output shaft of a motor (not shown) in the printer 1. Therefore, the rotational force (a constant rotational speed) of the motor is input from the input wheel 534 to rotate the stirring and conveying member 530 and is transmitted to the input wheel 524 via the input wheel 534 to rotate the stirring member 520.

  Here, each of the input wheels 524 and 534 is formed of disc-shaped rubber. Since the input wheels 524 and 534 are formed of rubber having a predetermined friction coefficient in this way, meshing like a gear is not necessary, so that it can be easily assembled. In addition, it is possible to transmit the rotational force from the input wheel 534 to the input wheel 524 at the normal time and to rotate only the input wheel 534 when the rotation of the input wheel 524 is restricted.

  A shutter member 540 is disposed in the supply port 515 that supplies the toner TN to the developing device 16. Specifically, a shutter member 540 configured to be capable of transitioning (moving) between a closed state that covers the supply port 515 and an open state that opens the supply port 515 is attached to the outside of the supply port 515. The shutter member 540 is provided so as to slide on the outer surface of the second arc-shaped bottom surface 506.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the shutter member 540 is attached with a shaft member 533 disposed through the side surface 503. In addition, a second disk-shaped member 560 disposed on the outer side of the side surface 503 is attached to the shaft member 533. The movement of the shutter member 540 (sliding on the outer surface of the second arc-shaped bottom surface 506) is performed by rotating the shaft member 533 (second disk-shaped member 560). That is, the shutter member 540 is rotated by rotating the shaft member 533. In other words, by rotating the shaft member 533 (second disk-shaped member 560), the shutter member 540 is moved between a closed position where the supply port 515 is closed and an open position where the supply port 515 is opened. Here, the shaft member 533 is disposed so as to be substantially coaxial with the shaft member 532 of the stirring and conveying member 530.

  A first disc-like member 550 and a second disc-like member 560 are disposed outside the case body 500. The disk-shaped members 550 and 560 are disposed on the outer surface (outer side) of the side surface 504 facing the side surface 503 on which the input wheels 524 and 534 are provided. The first disk-shaped member 550 is connected to the end of the shaft member 521 of the stirring member 520, and the second disk-shaped member 560 is connected to the end of the shaft member 533. Further, these disk-shaped members 550 and 560 are arranged adjacent to each other.

The first disk-shaped member 550 and the second disk-shaped member 560 are configured by disk-shaped members having the same diameter.
The first disc-shaped member 550 has a first recess 551 formed on the outer periphery. Specifically, the first disk-shaped member 550 includes a first recess 551 formed on the outer periphery and an arc-shaped outer periphery 552 formed so as to connect both ends of the first recess 551. Is done. The first concave portion 551 is a portion formed so as to be recessed in a circular arc shape toward the center side in a part of the outer periphery of the first disk-shaped member 550.

  Similarly, the second disk-shaped member 560 has a second recess 561 formed on the outer periphery. Specifically, the second disk-shaped member 560 includes a second recess 561 formed on the outer periphery and an arc-shaped outer periphery 562 formed so as to connect both ends of the second recess 561. Is done. The second concave portion 561 is a portion formed so as to be recessed in a circular arc shape toward the center side in a part of the outer periphery of the second disk-shaped member 560.

  When one of the concave portions (551 or 561) in the first disk-shaped member 550 or the second disk-shaped member 560 faces the other outer peripheral portion (552 or 562), the rotation in the one is restricted, and the other The rotation at is not restricted. Details are as described later.

  Here, the 1st recessed part 551 of the 1st disk shaped member 550 has the relationship of the predetermined position with the honey member 522 of the stirring member 520. FIG. That is, when the first concave portion 551 faces the second disk-shaped member 560 and faces the second disk-shaped member 560 (see FIG. 6), the honey member 522 stops at a position separated from the toner supply hole 513. A state is reached (see FIG. 9).

Subsequently, the operation of the toner cartridge 5 of the present embodiment will be described.
First, the operation of the toner cartridge 5 attached to the printer 1 will be described. As shown in FIG. 4, the 2nd recessed part 561 in the 2nd disk shaped member 560 is arrange | positioned facing the 1st disk shaped member 550 side. For this reason, the rotation of the second disk-like member 560 is restricted, and the rotation of the first disk-like member 550 is not restricted. That is, as shown in FIG. 7, the shutter member 540 is held in an open position where the supply port 515 is opened, and the stirring member 520 is rotated.

  Specifically, the shutter member 540 is held in an open position where the supply port 515 is opened by retracting from the supply port 515. The stirring and conveying member 530 and the stirring member 520 are rotated by the rotational force input from the input wheels 524 and 534. As the stirring member 520 rotates, the spring member 522 slides on the upper surface of the first arc-shaped bottom surface 505 while being bent (see FIG. 7), and returns to a flat plate shape when separated from the first arc-shaped bottom surface 505. 1 The inside of the accommodating part 511 rotates (refer FIG. 8). The stirring member 520 stirs the toner TN in the first storage unit 511 and transfers the toner TN to the second storage unit 512.

Next, an operation for supplying the toner TN to the toner cartridge 5 will be described.
First, when supplying the toner TN to the toner cartridge 5, the toner cartridge 5 is removed from the printer 1. Then, the disk-like members 550 and 560 are operated.
In FIG. 4, the second concave portion 561 of the second disc-shaped member 560 faces the first disc-shaped member 550 side, and the outer peripheral portion 552 of the first disc-shaped member 550 enters the second concave portion 561. That is, the shutter member 540 (see FIG. 7) is disposed at an open position where the supply port 515 is opened, and the first disk-like member 550 is maintained in a rotatable state. Then, in order to suppress toner leakage from the supply port 515, the first disk-shaped member 550 in FIG. 4 is rotated so that the first concave portion 551 faces the second disk-shaped member 560 side, and the shutter member 540 is closed. Move to position.

  Thereby, as shown in FIG. 5, the first disk-shaped member 550 is disposed such that the first recess 551 faces the second disk-shaped member 560 side. Further, the second disk-shaped member 560 is disposed such that the second recess 561 faces the first disk-shaped member 550 side. That is, the 1st recessed part 551 and the 2nd recessed part 561 are arrange | positioned facing each other. Here, the 1st disk shaped member 550 and the 2nd disk shaped member 560 are arrange | positioned by the positional relationship which cannot rotate both simultaneously. However, when either one of the disk-shaped members 550 and 560 is rotated, the outer peripheral portions 552 and 562 of the other disk-shaped members 550 and 560 can enter the concavities 551 and 561 facing each other. That is, in the state of FIG. 5, one of the first disk-shaped member 550 and the second disk-shaped member 560 can be selectively rotated.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the first recess 551 is arranged to face the second disk-like member 560 side by selectively rotating the second disk-like member 560 in the state of FIG. 5. The second disk-shaped member 560 is rotated so that the second recess 561 is directed upward. The shutter member 540 rotates around the shaft member 533 in synchronization with the rotation of the second disk-shaped member 560 to open the supply port 515. In the state of FIG. 6, since the outer peripheral portion 562 of the second disk-shaped member 560 enters the first recess, the rotation of the first disk-shaped member 550 is restricted. The shutter member 540 is held in a state where it is moved from the open position to the closed position, and the rotation of the stirring member 520 is restricted.

  That is, as shown in FIG. 9, the rotation of the agitating member 520 is restricted in a state where the honeycomb member 522 is positioned away from the toner supply hole 513. The spring member 522 does not interfere with toner supply, and can smoothly supply the toner TN to the case body 500. Here, in the present embodiment, a case where the toner TN is replenished when the toner TN is reduced due to use will be described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the case where the toner TN is replenished when the toner cartridge 5 is manufactured. May be.

  According to the present embodiment, when the shutter member 540 closes the supply port 515, the honey member 522 of the stirring member 520 does not interfere with toner supply, so that toner supply can be performed efficiently.

  Further, according to the present embodiment, in the state where the shutter member 540 closes the supply port 515, the splash member 522 is located away from the toner replenishment hole 513. The process and management of matching 522 are unnecessary.

As mentioned above, although preferred embodiment of this invention was described, this invention can be implemented with a various form, without being limited to embodiment mentioned above.
For example, in the present embodiment, the printer 1 is described as an image forming apparatus. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the type of the image forming apparatus may be a monochrome copier, a color copier, a facsimile, or a complex machine thereof. But you can.

  In the present embodiment, the input wheels 524 and 534 made of elastic rubber are used as means for inputting the rotational force to the stirring member 520 and the stirring and conveying member 530. However, the present invention is not limited to this. A gear, a pulley, or the like may be used.

  Moreover, in this embodiment, you may provide the rotation position detection part which detects the rotation position of the 1st disk shaped member 550 and / or the 2nd disk shaped member 560. FIG. Further, a rotation control unit that controls the rotation of the first disk-like member 550 and / or the second disk-like member 560 based on the rotation position detected by the rotation position detection unit may be provided.

  For example, when the toner cartridge 5 is removed, the rotation control unit stops the first disk-shaped member 550 at the rotation position where the first recess 551 faces the second disk-shaped member 560 side, and the second disk-shaped member 560 is moved to the second position. The concave portion 561 can be stopped at a rotational position in which the concave portion 561 faces upward (see FIG. 3). Accordingly, the toner cartridge 5 can be removed with the shutter member 540 closed.

3 is a left side view for explaining the arrangement of each component in the printer. FIG. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the toner cartridge 5 from obliquely above. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a toner cartridge 5 from the opposite side to FIG. 2. FIG. 11 is a front view showing a first operation of the first disk-shaped member 550 and the second disk-shaped member 560. FIG. 11 is a front view showing a second operation of the first disk-shaped member 550 and the second disk-shaped member 560. FIG. 12 is a front view showing a third operation of the first disk-shaped member 550 and the second disk-shaped member 560. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the toner cartridge 5 in a state where toner is supplied to the developing device 16. FIG. FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a state in which toner is supplied to the developing device 16 following FIG. 7. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the toner cartridge 5 in a state where toner is supplied. FIG.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Printer, 5 ... Toner cartridge (toner supply apparatus), 16 ... Developing device, 500 ... Case body, 511 ... 1st accommodating part, 512 ... 2nd accommodating part, 513 ... Toner supply hole (Toner replenishment part), 515... Supply port, 520... Stirring member (stirring part), 521... Shaft member, 522. First disc-shaped member, 551... First concave portion, 552... Outer peripheral portion, 560... Second disc-shaped member, 561... Second concave portion, 562.

Claims (5)

A toner supply device for supplying toner to a developing device,
The case body,
A toner replenishing portion formed so that the toner can be replenished from the outside of the case body;
A first storage portion formed inside the case body and storing all or part of the toner supplied from the toner supply portion;
A stirring member that has a shaft member rotatable around a predetermined rotation shaft and a honey member formed on an outer periphery of the shaft member, and stirs the toner stored in the first storage portion with the honey member;
A first disk-shaped member disposed outside the case body and coupled to the shaft member so as to be rotatable in synchronization with the rotation of the shaft member;
A first recess formed by recessing a part of the outer periphery of the first disk-shaped member;
A second storage part adjacent to the first storage part and formed so that the toner can be transferred from the first storage part;
A supply port that is formed in a part of the case body constituting the second housing portion and supplies the toner to the developing device;
A shutter member disposed so as to be rotatable around a predetermined rotation axis between a closed position for closing the supply port and an open position for opening the supply port;
A second disk-shaped member that is rotatably coupled around the rotation axis in synchronization with the rotation of the shutter member, and is disposed adjacent to the first disk-shaped member;
A second recess formed by recessing a part of the outer periphery of the second disk-shaped member,
When the shutter member is in the open position,
The second disk-shaped member is disposed such that the second recess faces the first disk-shaped member side,
The first disk-shaped member is rotatably disposed in a state where the outer peripheral portion of the first disk-shaped member enters the second recess.
When the shutter member is in the closed position,
The first disk-shaped member is disposed such that the first recess faces the second disk-shaped member side,
The toner supply device, wherein the second disk-shaped member is disposed so as to restrict rotation of the first disk-shaped member in a state where an outer peripheral portion of the second disk-shaped member enters the first recess. When the shutter member is in the closed position,
The toner supply device according to claim 1, wherein the spring member is held at a position separated from the toner supply unit. The first disk-shaped member and the second disk-shaped member are:
2. The toner supply according to claim 1, wherein one of the first disc-shaped member and the second disc-shaped member is configured to be selectively rotatable in a state where the first concave portion and the second concave portion face each other. apparatus. 4. The toner according to claim 3, wherein the shutter member moves from the open position to the closed position when the second disk-shaped member rotates in a state where the first concave portion and the second concave portion face each other. Feeding device. A toner supply device according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
An image carrier on which an electrostatic latent image is formed on the surface;
A developing device for developing the toner image on the electrostatic latent image formed on the image carrier while the toner is supplied by the toner supply device;
An image forming apparatus comprising: a transfer unit that directly or indirectly transfers a toner image formed on the image carrier onto a predetermined sheet.

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