JP2010197531A - Method of filling developer - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a developer filling method that greatly reduces processes, wherein a developer consisting of toner and carrier is produced and filled into a developer supply container, in the manufacture of the developer supply container. <P>SOLUTION: In the method of filling developer that has toner and carrier into the developer supply container 3 while the toner and the carrier are supplied at a constant ratio by using a toner supply device 1 and a carrier supply device 2, and the supplied toner and the carrier are directly filled into the developer supply container 3 at the same time by the action of only gravity. In addition, the developer is filled into the developer supply container so that the ratio of toner to carrier in a vertical section of the developer supply container in the direction in which the developer is conveyed toward the discharging port of the developer container may be substantially uniform within this container. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a developer filling method for filling a developer supply container for supplying a developer to an image forming apparatus such as an electrophotographic copying machine or a printer.

  Conventionally, in an image forming apparatus such as an electrophotographic copying machine or a printer, a fine powder developer is used for image formation. Among these, in the system in which image formation is performed with a two-component developer composed of toner and carrier, the carrier remains in the developing unit without being consumed by the developing operation. There has been a problem that the situation such as peeling off of the resin coat occurs, resulting in deterioration and deterioration of image quality. Therefore, by supplying a fixed amount of new carrier together with the toner from the developer supply container that is set in the image forming apparatus in a replaceable manner and replacing the carrier in the developing device, image quality deterioration is suppressed and toner and By replenishing the carrier at a predetermined ratio, a predetermined toner concentration in the developing device is maintained, and the image quality is stabilized. When the developer replenishment container is filled with the developer composed of the toner and the carrier, the toner and the carrier are agitated and mixed in advance at a predetermined ratio in order to maintain the toner concentration in the developing device at a constant ratio. Thus, a method of filling the developer supply container using an auger type filling machine or the like has been put into practical use.

  In the developer filling method as described above, there is an example disclosed in Patent Document 1. In this embodiment, after a toner and a carrier are uniformly mixed using a V-type mixer or the like, the developer is filled into a developer supply container using a filling device having a spiral screw. Has been proposed.

JP 2004-264510 A

  However, there are the following problems in the step of filling the developer in the developer supply container described above.

  Conventionally, when a developer supply container is produced, when the developer supply container is filled with a developer composed of toner and carrier, the toner and carrier are set in advance in order to maintain a constant toner density in the developing device. After the step of stirring and mixing at a ratio of However, in the case of mass production of a developer supply container, it is necessary to stir and mix a large amount of toner and carrier, and this stirring and mixing process is extremely burdensome in terms of production efficiency in terms of time, cost, and space. It was a long process.

  Further, in the above-described conventional example, the stirring and mixing process of the toner and the carrier is performed by a batch method. However, in the production by the batch method, it is necessary to weigh and mix the toner and carrier accurately for each batch so that the carrier ratio with respect to the developer does not vary between batches. (The carrier content ratio with respect to the developer described above is hereinafter referred to as C / D ratio. C: carrier mass, D: developer mass = total of toner and carrier mass).

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a developer filling method capable of greatly shortening the step of mixing the toner and the carrier in advance and then filling the developer supply container when producing the developer supply container. There is to do.

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of filling a developer supply container with a developer having toner and a carrier using a filling device.
The filling device includes a toner supply device for supplying toner and a carrier supply device for supplying carrier,
Development using the toner supply device and the carrier supply device to fill the developer supply container with the supplied toner and the carrier directly and directly by the action of gravity while supplying the toner and the carrier at a constant ratio. An agent filling method,
The developer supply container is detachable from the image forming apparatus main body, and includes a container main body for storing the developer, a discharge port for discharging the developer stored in the container main body, and the discharge port. A developer replenishing container comprising a transporting means for transporting the developer and replenishing the developer to the image forming apparatus main body;
The developer replenishing container is filled so that the ratio of the toner and the carrier in a cross section perpendicular to the developer transport direction for transporting the developer toward the discharge port is substantially uniform. And

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, a developer filling direction for filling the developer supply container with the developer from the filling device and a transport direction of the developer supply container are substantially parallel.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, the developer supply container has a carrier content ratio range of 10% or less with respect to the developer supplied to the image forming apparatus main body.

  A fourth invention is characterized in that after the toner and the carrier are supplied from the toner supply device and the carrier supply device, the toner and the carrier are merged and then filled into the developer supply container. .

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, the developer supply container is rotated by the developer supply container itself by receiving a driving force from the main body of the image forming apparatus, so that the developer is transported and discharged by the transport unit. It is an agent supply container.

  According to a sixth aspect of the invention, the filling device includes a filling nozzle for filling the developer supply container with a developer composed of toner and a carrier, and relatively moves the developer supply container and the filling nozzle horizontally. However, it is a filling device for filling the developer, wherein the horizontal movement direction and the developer transport direction are parallel to each other.

  According to the first to third inventions, the developer supply container is filled with the developer without performing the step of stirring and mixing the toner and the carrier, which has been conventionally performed when the developer supply container is filled. Is possible. Further, it is possible to replenish the developer from the developer replenishing container to the developing device of the main body of the image forming apparatus with the C / D ratio being substantially constant without performing the above-described stirring and mixing step.

  Conventionally, when a developer supply container is mass-produced, it is necessary to stir and mix a large amount of toner and carrier, and this stirring and mixing process is extremely burdensome in terms of production efficiency in terms of time, cost, and space. It was a long process. According to the present invention, in producing a developer supply container, the step of mixing the toner and the carrier in advance and then filling the developer supply container can be greatly shortened.

  According to the fourth aspect, the developer supply container can be filled more efficiently.

  According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, a stirring effect can be imparted when replenishing from the developer replenishing container, and the developer is supplied from the developer replenishing container to the developing device of the image forming apparatus main body with a more stable C / D ratio. Can be replenished.

  According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, the developer supply container can be filled with less toner scattering at the time of filling, and the developer supply container can be filled with less contamination, and the C / D ratio is substantially constant, and the image forming apparatus can Developer can be replenished to the developing device of the main body.

1 is a schematic external view of a developer filling device according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a partial cross-sectional perspective view of the developer supply container according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. (A), (B), (C) is sectional drawing which showed the flow of the developer in the conveyance member in Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a cross-sectional schematic diagram of the merging portion of the developer filling apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention. It is a modification with respect to the confluence | merging part of the developing agent filling apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention. (A), (B), (C), (D) is an assembly drawing of the developer supply container in Embodiment 1 of the present invention. FIG. 10 is a partial cross-sectional perspective view of a developer supply container of a modified example in the embodiment of the present invention. (A) And (B) is the fragmentary sectional view and partial sectional perspective view of the developer supply container in Embodiment 2 of this invention.

  Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. However, the dimensions, materials, shapes, and relative arrangements of the components described in the following embodiments should be appropriately changed according to the configuration of the apparatus to which the present invention is applied and various conditions. Unless specifically stated, the scope of the present invention is not limited to them.

  First, the first embodiment will be described.

  The developer filling apparatus used in this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 1 shows a schematic external view of a developer filling device in which a toner supply device 1 using an auger type filling device and a carrier supply device 2 are combined in this embodiment.

  The toner supply device 1 is mainly composed of a toner hopper 1a, an auger casing 1b, an agitator 1c, and an auger driving motor 1d. The auger casing 1b is internally provided with a spiral screw shaft 1e as shown in the figure. After the toner is stored in the toner hopper 1a, the toner is supplied from the opening 1f at the tip of the auger casing at a constant speed by the rotation of the screw shaft 1e.

  Further, the carrier supply device 2 is mainly composed of each member of a carrier hopper 2a, a carrier supply pipe 2b, a carrier supply motor 2c, a carrier transport pipe 2d, and a junction part 2e. A screw shaft 2f is housed inside the carrier supply pipe 2b. The carrier is stored in the carrier hopper 2 and then supplied from the carrier supply pipe 2b to the carrier transport pipe 2d at a constant speed by the rotation of the screw shaft 2f. As shown in FIG. 1, the merging portion 2 e configured to be connected to the carrier transport pipe 2 b is configured to be disposed at the lower end of the tip of the auger casing 1 b of the toner supply device 1.

  The filling process using the developer filling device will be described in detail later.

  Next, the developer supply container 3 filled with the developer by the above-described developer filling apparatus in the present embodiment will be described. FIG. 2 is a partial sectional perspective view of the developer supply container 3. The developer supply container 3 is composed of a bottle portion 4 and a flange 5 which are container main bodies for storing the developer, and is formed in a substantially cylindrical shape. The developer supply container 3 is formed at a substantially center of one end surface of the container than the outer diameter of the developer supply container 3. A small cylindrical part protrudes. The front end side of the cylindrical portion serves as a discharge port 5a for supplying developer to the developing device of the image forming apparatus main body. A sealing member 6 for sealing the discharge port 5a is press-fitted into the cylindrical portion. The sealing member 6 is configured to open and close the discharge port 5a by sliding relative to the developer supply container 3 in the axial direction of the developer supply container 3 (direction of arrow A in FIG. 2). It has become. Further, the developer supply container 3 can be attached to and detached from the image forming apparatus main body, is installed substantially horizontally, and is rotated by receiving a rotational driving force from a drive unit (not shown) of the image forming apparatus main body. Yes. In FIG. 2, the discharge port 5a is in a sealed state.

  Next, the internal configuration of the developer supply container 3 will be described.

  In the present embodiment, a spiral protrusion 4 a for conveying the developer toward the cylindrical portion by rotation of the developer supply container 3 is provided in the developer supply container 3 over the longitudinal direction. . Further, on the cylindrical portion side, a conveying member 7 is provided for feeding the developer sent to the cylindrical portion side by the protrusion 4a in the direction of the discharge port 5a by the rotation of the developer supply container 3. FIG. 3 is a schematic sectional view showing the developer discharging principle by the conveying member 7. First, the developer sent to the cylindrical portion side by the protrusion 4 a is lifted by the baffle portion 7 a of the transport member 7 by the rotation of the developer supply container 3. The developer t is fed in the direction of the discharge port 5a by the transport rib 7b provided in the baffle portion 7a.

  Next, a flow from when the developer filling device and the developer supply container having the above-described configuration are used until the developer is filled into the developer supply container, and conveyed and discharged will be described.

<Supplying toner and carrier>
FIG. 1 shows a state where toner and carrier are stored in a toner hopper 1a of a toner supply device 1 of a developer filling device and a carrier hopper 2a of a carrier supply device 2.

  First, toner supply by the toner supply device 1 will be described. In this embodiment, the toner stored in the toner hopper 1a is sent out downward by rotating the spiral upper screw shaft 1e from 1d by the auger driving motor. After passing through the gap between the spiral screw shaft and the auger casing, the toner is supplied from the opening 1f at the tip of the auger casing to the junction 2e.

  Next, carrier supply by the carrier supply device 2 will be described. In the present embodiment, the carrier stored in the carrier hopper 2a is set to the carrier supply pipe 2b by rotating the screw shaft 2f in the carrier supply pipe 2b after setting the rotation speed and rotation time of the carrier supply motor 2c. The inside is transported and supplied to the carrier transport pipe 2d. The carrier supplied to the carrier transport pipe 2d slides down in the carrier transport pipe and is transported to the junction 2e.

  Further, the toner supply device 1 and the carrier supply device 2 are set so that the motors provided in the toner supply device 1 and the carrier supply device 2 can be interlocked with each other, and the supply timing of the toner and the carrier can be freely set. As described above, the toner and the carrier are supplied from the toner supply device 1 and the carrier supply device 2 and then conveyed to the junction 2e.

  In this embodiment, by adjusting the supply timing of the toner and the carrier, the start timing of each motor is set in the merging portion 2e under the condition that the toner and the carrier are merged almost simultaneously. Specifically, in the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, the toner is directly supplied from the toner supply device 1 to the merging portion 2e, whereas the carrier is supplied to the carrier supply pipe 2b. Then, it passes through the carrier transport pipe 2d and is transported to the junction 2e. Since the carrier passes through the carrier transport pipe 2d and takes more time to be transported than the toner to the merging portion 2e, in the present embodiment, the carrier supply motor 2c is set to 1 from the auger drive motor 1d. It was started in seconds. As a result, it was confirmed that the toner and the carrier merged at the merging portion 2e almost simultaneously.

  As described above, by setting the supply timing of the toner supply device 1 and the carrier supply device 2, the toner and the carrier can be merged almost simultaneously in the merge portion 2e. Also, depending on the length of the carrier transport pipe 2d, etc., the time until the toner and the carrier are transported to the junction 2e is considered to vary depending on the apparatus. However, since any timing for starting the motor can be freely set, any development can be performed. It can also be applied to an agent filling device.

<Toner and carrier merge>
Next, as shown in FIG. 4, the merge of the toner and the carrier at the merge portion 2e will be described. FIG. 4 is a detailed view of the merging portion of FIG. The toner is supplied vertically downward from the opening 1f at the lower part of the auger casing to the joining part 2e and passes through the opening 2g at the lower part of the joining part 2e as it is. The carrier slides down the slope in the carrier transport pipe 2d with respect to the merging portion 2e, and then merges from the side surface of the merging portion 2e and passes through the opening 2g below the merging portion 2e. As a result, in the merging portion 2e, the carrier vigorously merges from the side surface due to the inclination of the carrier transport pipe 2d with respect to the toner passing vertically downward through the merging portion 2e.

  Further, as described above, since the start timings of the motors of the toner supply device 1 and the carrier supply device 2 are set, the toner and the carrier can be merged at the merge unit 2e at the same time. Further, in this embodiment, the rotation time and the rotation speed of the carrier supply motor 2c of the carrier supply apparatus 2 are set in accordance with the rotation time and the rotation speed of the auger drive motor 1d of the toner supply apparatus 1. By aligning the rotation times of the auger drive motor 1d and the carrier supply motor 2c, the toner and the carrier can be merged at the merging portion 2e at the same time, and then the merging can be finished at the same time. Further, by rotating the auger drive motor 1d and the carrier supply motor 2c at a fixed number of rotations after aligning the rotation time, the toner and the carrier are supplied by a fixed amount. Therefore, the toner supplied from the toner supply device 1 and the carrier supplied from the carrier supply device can always be supplied at a constant ratio. As a result, the toner and the carrier are always merged by a fixed amount at the same time in the merging portion 2e, and the merging is completed at the same time. It becomes possible.

<Process for filling developer supply container>
Next, a developer filling process composed of toner and a carrier that has passed through the opening 2g at the lower part of the above-described merge portion will be described.

  At the time of filling the developer supply container 3 with the developer, as shown in FIG. 1, only the bottle part 4 of the developer supply container 3 is located directly below the junction opening 2g with the filling port 4b vertically upward. is set up. To the bottle portion 4 of the developer supply container 3, the developer composed of the toner and the carrier supplied from the toner supply device 1 and the carrier supply device 2 and passed through the merge portion 2 e is filled by the action of only gravity. .

  In this embodiment, the toner and the carrier are respectively supplied and then merged in the merge unit 2e and then filled in the developer supply container 3. However, as shown in FIG. It may be a method of supplying and separately filling the developer supply container 3. However, as shown in FIG. 5, when providing separate toner openings 1f and carrier openings 2h, it is necessary to insert the openings into the container filling port 4b. Therefore, since the opening diameter is smaller than the merging portion opening 2g in FIG. 4, it takes time to fill, and there is a concern that the production efficiency is deteriorated. Therefore, as in this embodiment, the toner and the carrier are merged after being supplied, and can be filled more efficiently by filling the developer supply container 3 through one opening.

  In this embodiment, since the supply amount of toner and carrier is determined by setting the rotation time and rotation speed of the auger drive motor 1d and carrier supply motor 2c, the toner and carrier can be supplied easily and accurately. it can. By supplying the toner and the carrier with high accuracy, the content ratio C / D ratio of the developer to be filled in one developer supply container 3 is almost uniform and filled in a very stable state. It becomes possible to do.

  Conventionally, the toner and carrier agitation and mixing processes are produced by batch processing, and in order to suppress variations in the developer C / D ratio for each batch, the toner and carrier are accurately weighed and agitated and mixed. There was a need to do. In the present invention, the developer replenishing container can be filled with the developer at a very stable C / D ratio only by setting the rotation time and rotation speed of the auger supply motor and carrier supply motor. The process can be greatly shortened.

  In addition, conventionally, since the toner and the carrier that have been stirred and mixed are filled into the developer supply container 3, the adhesion force between the toner and the carrier particles is increased due to the stress applied when passing through the filling machine, and there is a possibility that the image quality is deteriorated. There was a problem that aggregates were easily generated. The carrier has a larger particle size and specific gravity than the toner, and is electrostatically charged oppositely. In this embodiment, the particle size of the toner is about 7 to 8 μm, whereas the particle size of the carrier is about 40 times as large as that of about 40 μm, and the surface area is about 25 times different. Further, since the toner and the carrier are oppositely charged, the toner having a small particle size is in a state of being very easily attached to the carrier. Then, after the toner and the carrier that are very easily attached are stirred and mixed, the toner is further subjected to stress by the filling machine, so that the toner tends to increase in adhesion to the carrier. Furthermore, there is a possibility that aggregation between the toners may occur due to stress from the filling machine in a state where a large amount of toner is attached to the carrier. As a result, after the toner and the carrier are agitated and mixed, passing through the filling machine causes more toner to adhere to the carrier, and also causes aggregation between the toners, thereby generating aggregates. The rate can be very high. However, according to the filling method of the present embodiment, the toner and the carrier can be filled into the developer supply container 3 without performing the conventional stirring and mixing step. Therefore, since the toner and the carrier are not stirred and mixed and do not pass through the filling machine, an effect of reducing the risk of the occurrence of aggregates that may cause deterioration in image quality can be expected.

  Further, in order to fill the developer supply container 3 with a fixed amount of toner and carrier, the toner and carrier are not simultaneously charged into the developer supply container 3 at a constant ratio as in this embodiment, but the toner and carrier are loaded. It can also be achieved by a separate filling method. For example, even when the developer replenishing container 3 is alternately filled in several times in the order of toner, carrier, and toner, the container can be filled with a fixed amount of toner and carrier. However, when the toner and the carrier are alternately filled in the developer replenishing container 3 as described above, the carrier is not dispersed in the developer replenishing container 3 and exists in the form of a lump of the carrier alone. There is a risk of such harmful effects. For example, when an action such as vibration is applied to the developer supply container 3 in physical distribution transportation, the carrier has a very large particle size and specific gravity with respect to the toner, so that the carrier in a lump state that is not dispersed in the developer supply container 3 May sink to the bottom. Then, when the lump-shaped carrier sinks to the bottom surface, there is a possibility that so-called carrier segregation occurs in a state where the toner is biased. The carrier segregation in the developer transport direction is transported in order in the segregated state even when the internal developer is transported by the rotation of the developer supply container 3, so that it is very difficult to eliminate the segregation. is there. As a result, toner and carrier may not be replenished from the developer replenishing container 3 at a constant ratio, and the toner concentration in the developing device of the image forming apparatus main body may not be maintained at a constant ratio. The influence of the change in the toner density is particularly remarkable for a color image, and there is a possibility that the image quality may be seriously adversely affected, for example, the color becomes unstable. In this embodiment, the toner and the carrier are simultaneously merged at the merge portion 2e, and then the developer supply container 3 is filled at a constant ratio. Therefore, the carrier is dispersed in the developer supply container. 3 is filled. Therefore, in this embodiment, since the carrier is dispersed and mixed with the toner in the developer supply container 3, it is possible to prevent the carrier segregation that may cause the above-mentioned image damage. It is possible to provide stable image quality.

<Assembling process of developer supply container>
Next, the assembly process of the developer supply container 3 after filling the developer will be described with reference to FIG.

  In the bottle portion 4 of the developer supply container 3 filled with the developer, the conveying member 7, the seal member 8, the flange 5, and the sealing member 6 are incorporated as shown below. By filling the developer first, and inserting the conveying member 7 into the bottle part 4 after filling, there is nothing that impedes filling at the time of filling, so the bottle part 4 is filled with the developer in a high bulk density state. It is possible. In this way, more developer can be filled, and the time required for filling can be shortened.

  FIG. 6 shows, in a stepwise manner, in the present embodiment, after the developer is filled into the bottle portion 4, the elastically deformable conveying member 7 is inserted, and then the flange 5, the sealing member 6, and the sealing member 8 are assembled. It is a figure. (A) is before insertion of the conveying member 7, (B) is a state in which the conveying member 7 is passing through the filling port 4b, and (C) is a bottle portion 4 that is elastically deformed when the conveying member 7 is set at a predetermined position. (D) is a state in which the flange 5, the sealing member 6, and the sealing member 8 are incorporated.

  In addition, the flange 5 and the bottle portion 4 according to the present embodiment are fixed by being screw-engaged by a screw portion 4 c provided on the bottle portion 4 and a screw portion (not shown) provided on the inner surface of the flange 5. It has become. By connecting the flange 5 and the bottle part 4 with screws, the conveyance member 7 sandwiched between them is fixed in the axial direction between the two.

<Replenishment of developer>
By the above-described method, the developer supply container 3 can be produced through the filling process of the developer and the assembly process of the developer supply container 3 without the conventional toner and carrier stirring and mixing process. It becomes. The point when the developer replenishment container 3 filled with the two-component developer containing toner and carrier is replenished to the developing device is the toner at a constant ratio as described in the background art. And the carrier is replenished to the developing device. Accordingly, it is possible to suppress deterioration in image quality by replenishing a constant amount of new carrier together with toner from the developer replenishing container 3 and replacing the carrier in the developing device.

  When the developer charged in the developer supply container 3 is supplied to the developing device, the developer supply container 3 is rotated by receiving a rotational driving force from a drive unit (not shown) of the image forming apparatus main body. To do. By the rotation of the developer supply container 3, the developer is transported toward the discharge port 5 a by the spiral protrusion 4 a and is replenished to the developing device in the order of transport (in FIG. 2, the developer transport direction is changed). (Indicated by arrow B). Thus, in order for the ratio of the developer toner and the carrier to be replenished to the developing unit to be constant, the cross section of the toner and the carrier perpendicular to the direction in which the developer is conveyed toward the discharge port 5a. It can be considered that the ratio is constant. The developer is replenished to the developing device in the order in which it is conveyed from the discharge port 5a by the spiral protrusion 4a by the rotation of the developer replenishing container 3. Since the ratio of the toner and the carrier in the cross section perpendicular to the developer transport direction is constant, the toner and carrier can be replenished in a constant ratio with respect to the developing device.

  As described above, in this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3, after the developer is lifted by the conveying member 7 by the rotation of the developer supply container 3, the developer is lifted from the developer supply container 3. Then, the sheet is conveyed to the discharge port 5a by the conveying rib 7b. The conveying member 7 can give an agitation effect to the developer when replenished from the developer replenishing container 3, and toner and carrier can be expected to be replenished to the developing device in a more dispersed state. . In addition, the fact that the ratio of the toner and the carrier in the cross section perpendicular to the developer transport direction is constant, there is a possibility that the toner and the carrier are present in a segregated state in this cross section without being dispersed. . However, in this embodiment, as the developer supply container 3 rotates, the agitation effect can be imparted to the direction perpendicular to the developer conveyance direction by the conveyance member 7 and is perpendicular to the developer conveyance direction. The effect of eliminating segregation of toner and carrier in a simple cross section can be expected. In the case where the toner and the carrier are segregated in the developer transport direction, even when the developer is transported by the transport member 7 as the developer supply container 3 is rotated, the toner and the carrier are transported sequentially in the segregated state. Therefore, it is very difficult to eliminate segregation.

  Therefore, when the toner and the carrier are present in a state of being segregated in a cross section perpendicular to the developer conveyance direction, the toner and the carrier are more effectively dispersed by the rotation of the developer supply container 3 and the conveyance member 7. In this state, the developer is supplied.

  Actually, in this embodiment, the C / D ratio range of the developer supplied from the developer supply container 3 to the developing device is supplied at 10% or less. In this embodiment, the reference C / D ratio is set to 10%, and the range of the C / D ratio is 10% or less, so that the developer is in a state of 10 ± 5% C / D ratio. Is replenished to the developing unit. If the upper limit of 15% of the C / D ratio is exceeded, excess carrier developer is supplied to the developing device, and the toner concentration in the developer inside the developing device may be lowered. As a result, a decrease in toner density, that is, an increase in carrier density may cause a decrease in image density. If the lower limit of the C / D ratio is less than 5%, the excessive toner developer is replenished to the developing device, and the deteriorated carrier inside the developing device cannot be replaced smoothly, resulting in a decrease in image quality. There is a fear. From this, it can be considered that the range of the C / D ratio of the developer supplied from the developer supply container 3 is 10% or less is always an effective fluctuation range in order to obtain a good image quality. Since the physical properties of the toner and the carrier vary depending on the toner type and the carrier type, the reference value and range of the C / D ratio at the time of replenishment can be set as appropriate.

  Further, in this embodiment, when the developer supply container 3 is filled with the developer, the toner and the carrier are merged at the merging portion 2e at the same time, and then the supply is finished. Therefore, the developer supply container 3 is filled at a constant ratio (the developer filling direction is indicated by an arrow C in FIG. 2). Thus, the ratio of the toner and the carrier in the cross section perpendicular to the filling direction of the developer supply container 3 is filled in a constant state. In this embodiment, since the developer filling direction and the transport direction are parallel to each other, the ratio of the toner and the carrier in the cross section perpendicular to the transport direction of the developer supply container 3 is also filled in a constant state. Will be. Thus, according to the present embodiment, a developer supply container 3 that can supply the toner and the carrier to the developing unit of the image forming apparatus main body at a constant ratio without the conventional toner and carrier stirring and mixing step is produced. It becomes possible to do.

<Modification 1>
The developer filling method of the present invention is not limited to the developer supply container 3 described in this embodiment. For example, as a first modification, a developer supply container 9 as shown in FIG. In this modified example, the configuration different from the embodiment is that the discharge port 5a and the filling port 4b of the developer supply container are on the same side in the first embodiment, whereas the developer filling port 9b is opposite to the discharge port 9a. The structure provided in the end surface is mentioned. Further, in the first embodiment, the spiral protrusion 4a for transporting the developer toward the cylindrical portion is provided in the bottle portion 4, whereas in the present modification, the flat transport member 10 is provided. The developer supply container 9 is provided over substantially the entire length in the longitudinal direction. Similar to the transport member 7 of the embodiment, the transport member 10 rotates integrally with the developer supply container 9, lifts the internal developer, and then transports it to the discharge port 9a. (The developer conveyance direction is indicated by an arrow A in FIG. 7).

  Similarly to the first embodiment, the developer replenishing container 9 of the present modification can be filled with a developer composed of toner and carrier at a constant ratio (in FIG. 7, the developer filling direction is indicated by an arrow B). ). Thus, the ratio of the toner and the carrier in the cross section perpendicular to the filling direction of the developer supply container 9 is filled in a constant state. Also in this modified example, since the developer filling direction and the transport direction are parallel, the ratio of the toner and the carrier in the cross section perpendicular to the transport direction of the developer supply container 9 is also filled in a constant state. Will be. Accordingly, in the developer supply container 9 of the present modified example, the toner and the carrier are produced at a constant ratio as the developer supply container 9 that can be supplied to the developing device of the main body of the image forming apparatus, as in the embodiment. It becomes possible.

  Next, another embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.

  In the present embodiment, even if the developer supply container 11 is different from that in the first embodiment, the developer capable of supplying a constant ratio of toner and carrier to the developing device of the main body of the image forming apparatus without the toner and carrier mixing step. It shows that the supply container 11 can be produced. 8A is a partial cross-sectional view of the developer supply container 11, and FIG. 8B is a partial cross-sectional perspective view of the developer supply container 11.

  As shown in FIG. 8, the developer supply container 11 in this embodiment has a filling port 11 a provided in the longitudinal direction of the container, and transport for transporting the developer to the discharge port 11 b inside the developer supply container 11. The member 12 is provided. Since the developer supply container 11 of the present embodiment has a rectangular parallelepiped bottom and it is difficult to provide the developer filling port 11a on the side surface of the developer supply container 11, the developer filling port 11a is provided. The developer supply container 11 is provided over the entire length in the longitudinal direction.

  At the time of filling the developer supply container 11 as in the present embodiment, conventionally, there is a method of inserting the tip of the auger casing of the filling machine into the developer supply container 11 and horizontally moving the developer supply container 11 for filling. (Hereinafter, this filling method is referred to as horizontal filling). The horizontal movement may be an auger casing or a developer supply container. If there is no relative horizontal movement between the developer supply container 11 and the auger casing at the time of filling, the container has a shallow bottom, so that the developer may overflow or scatter. This is one of the effective filling methods for the developer supply container 11 as in the example.

  In the filling method of the present invention in which the toner and the carrier are separately supplied, when horizontal filling is performed, the horizontal movement in which the filling nozzle 2i provided with the merging portion opening 2g and the developer supply container 11 are relatively moved horizontally. The point is that the direction and the developer transport direction are parallel (in FIG. 8, the relative horizontal movement direction is indicated by arrow A, and the developer transport direction is indicated by arrow B). According to the present invention, the toner and the carrier supplied from the toner supply device 1 and the carrier supply device 2 are merged at the merging portion 2e, and then filled into the developer supply container 11 at a constant ratio from the merging portion opening 2g. The Then, the developer transport direction and the relative horizontal movement direction of the filling nozzle 2 i and the developer replenishing container 11 are made parallel to perform horizontal filling, so that the developer replenishing container 11 is transported in the transport direction. The toner and carrier ratio in the vertical cross section are filled in a constant state. As a result, the developer is replenished from the discharge port 11b of the developer replenishing container 11 to the developing unit of the image forming apparatus in the order in which the developer is transported. It becomes possible to replenish.

  Therefore, also in the second embodiment, the developer replenishing container 11 that can replenish the toner and the carrier at a constant ratio to the developing unit of the main body of the image forming apparatus without the conventional stirring and mixing step of the toner and the carrier. It becomes possible to produce.

1 toner supply device 1a toner hopper 1b auger casing 1c agitator 1d auger drive motor 1e screw shaft 1f opening 2 carrier supply device 2a carrier hopper 2b carrier supply tube 2c carrier supply motor 2d carrier transport tube 2e confluence 2f screw shaft 2g opening 2h Opening 2i Filling nozzle 3 Developer supply container 4 Bottle part 4a Projection part 4b Filling port 4c Screw part 5 Flange 5a Discharge port 6 Sealing member 7 Conveying member 7a Baffle part 7b Conveying rib 8 Sealing member 9 Developer supplying container 9a Exhaust Exit 9b Filling port 10 Conveying member 11 Developer supply container 11a Filling port 11b Discharging port 12 Conveying member

Claims (6)

In a method of filling a developer supply container with a developer having toner and a carrier using a filling device,
The filling device includes a toner supply device for supplying toner and a carrier supply device for supplying carrier,
Development using the toner supply device and the carrier supply device to fill the developer supply container with the supplied toner and the carrier directly and directly by the action of gravity while supplying the toner and the carrier at a constant ratio. An agent filling method,
The developer supply container is detachable from the image forming apparatus main body, and includes a container main body for storing the developer, a discharge port for discharging the developer stored in the container main body, and the discharge port. Conveying means for conveying the developer is provided, the developer contained in the container main body is conveyed to the discharge port by the conveying means, and the developer is conveyed from the discharge port to the image forming apparatus main body. A developer supply container to be supplied;
The developer replenishing container is filled so that the ratio of the toner and the carrier in a cross section perpendicular to the developer transport direction for transporting the developer toward the discharge port is substantially uniform. And a developer filling method.   2. The developer filling method according to claim 1, wherein a developer filling direction for filling the developer supply container with the developer from the filling device and a transport direction of the developer supply container are substantially parallel to each other. .   3. The developer filling method according to claim 1, wherein the developer supply container has a carrier content ratio range of 10% or less with respect to the developer supplied to the image forming apparatus main body.   4. The developer supply container is filled with the toner and the carrier after the toner and the carrier are supplied from the toner supply device and the carrier supply device, respectively. 5. The developer filling method according to claim 1.   The developer supply container receives a driving force from the image forming apparatus main body and rotates the developer supply container itself, so that the transport unit rotates in an integrated state with the developer supply container, and the transport 5. The developer filling method according to claim 1, wherein the developer replenishing container conveys and discharges the developer by means.   The filling device includes a filling nozzle for filling the developer replenishing container with a developer including toner and a carrier, and the developer is filled while relatively moving the developer replenishing container and the filling nozzle horizontally. The developer filling method according to claim 1, wherein the horizontal movement direction and the developer transport direction are parallel to each other.

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