JP2011197255A - Toner supply device and image forming apparatus with the same - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a toner supply device that suppresses deterioration in toner and supplies high-fluidity toner to a developing device without causing enlargement of the device, and to provide an image forming apparatus including the same.SOLUTION: An intermediate hopper 120 includes a storage container 121 in which toner is stored, first and second stirring members 123 and 124 which rotate in the storage container 121 to stir the toner, and a conveying member 122 which rotates to supply the toner stirred by the first and the second stirring members 123 and 124 to the developing device 14. Furthermore, the intermediate hopper 120 includes a motor 150 which drives to rotate the conveying member 122, a joint 130 which is driven to rotate by a driving member on the developing device 14 side, and a third intermediate gear 135 which transmits torque to the first and the second stirring members 123 and 124 from the joint 130.

Description

  The present invention relates to a toner replenishing device that supplies toner to a developing device provided in an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine, a printer, a facsimile, or a composite machine using an electrophotographic system, and an image forming apparatus including the same. is there.

  In an image forming apparatus, it is necessary to stably supply toner to a developing device from a toner container that stores toner. In recent years, in order to perform a large amount of printing quickly, the image forming apparatus has been increased in speed and toner consumption has increased. When the toner is consumed and the toner in the developing device runs out, the toner container is replaced with a new toner container. However, in a high-speed image forming apparatus, it may be necessary to replace the toner container during printing. is there. Even if the toner container is replaced during printing, the operability of the apparatus and the printing efficiency are lowered unless the image formation is interrupted.

  Therefore, in Patent Document 1, an intermediate hopper is provided between the toner container and the developing device. The toner container that has run out of toner is removed from the intermediate hopper, and a new toner container is mounted on the intermediate hopper so that the toner can be supplied from the intermediate hopper to the developing device even while the toner container is being replaced.

Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2005-114798 (paragraphs [0042] to [0047], FIG. 3)

  Usually, the toner is agitated by an agitating member in the intermediate hopper, and an amount of toner corresponding to the capacity of the developing container for containing the toner is supplied from the intermediate hopper to the developing container. When the image formation is repeated and the toner in the developing container runs out again, the agitated toner is supplied from the intermediate hopper to the developing container by a predetermined amount as in the previous case. If the stirring of the toner is repeated in the intermediate hopper every time this replenishment is performed, the toner is rubbed vigorously and the external additive on the toner surface is buried in the toner, or the external additive is peeled off from the toner surface. Become. When development is performed using such deteriorated toner, there is a problem in that image defects such as a decrease in image density and image loss occur.

  Therefore, when the toner is replenished from the container to the intermediate hopper, it is necessary to rotate the stirring member appropriately to level the toner. At the same time, it is necessary to appropriately rotate the stirring member at the time of replenishing the toner from the intermediate hopper to the developing device to improve the toner fluidity. To satisfy both of these problems, a toner agitation motor and a toner replenishment motor may be provided in the intermediate hopper. However, this increases the size of the intermediate hopper and increases the cost of the intermediate hopper. was there.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and a toner replenishing device that suppresses toner deterioration and supplies high-fluidity toner to a developing device without increasing the size of the device, and the same An object of the present invention is to provide an image forming apparatus including the above.

  To achieve the above object, the present invention provides a storage container for storing toner, a stirring member that rotates in the storage container and stirs the toner, and supplies the toner stirred by the stirring member to the developing device. A conveying member that rotates in a rotating manner, a motor that rotationally drives the conveying member, a connecting member that is rotated by a driving member on the developing device side, and at least one intermediate that transmits a rotational driving force from the connecting member to the stirring member It is characterized by having a gear.

  According to this configuration, the stirring member and the conveying member rotate independently of each other, and the stirring member is rotationally driven by the driving member on the developing device side to stir the toner.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, a transmission shaft for transmitting the rotational driving force from the motor to the transport member is provided, and any one of the intermediate gears is coaxial with the transmission shaft. And is free to rotate around the transmission shaft.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, a worm is fixed to the drive output shaft of the motor, and a worm wheel that meshes with the worm is provided on the transmission shaft.

  In the invention according to claim 4, the conveying member has a shaft portion rotatably supported by the storage container, and a spiral blade formed around the shaft portion, and the transmission shaft is It is characterized by being provided coaxially and integrally with the shaft portion of the conveying member.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an image forming apparatus equipped with the toner replenishing device having the above configuration.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, the stirring member and the conveying member are driven to rotate independently of each other, and the stirring member is rotated by the driving member on the developing device side to stir the toner. The toner is agitated and the fluidity of the toner is improved. Further, since the toner in the toner replenishing device is not agitated every time the toner is replenished from the toner replenishing device to the developing device, excessive agitation is eliminated and toner deterioration is suppressed. Further, since it is not necessary to separately provide a driving member such as a motor for rotating the stirring member, the toner replenishing device can be downsized and the toner replenishing device can be reduced in cost.

  According to the second aspect of the present invention, the rotation shaft of the transmission shaft and the at least one intermediate gear is arranged to be coaxial, and the intermediate gear freely rotates around the transmission shaft. The drive mechanism such as the shaft does not occupy a large volume in the apparatus, and the apparatus is downsized.

  According to the third aspect of the present invention, since the conveying member is rotationally driven by the worm gear, the apparatus does not occupy a large volume and the apparatus is downsized.

  According to the invention of claim 4, since the transmission shaft is provided coaxially and integrally with the shaft portion of the conveying member, the rotational driving force by the motor can be reliably transmitted to the conveying member, and the toner replenishing device can develop the toner. The amount of toner supplied to the container is stabilized.

  According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, an image forming apparatus including a toner replenishing device that suppresses toner deterioration and supplies high-fluidity toner to a developing device without increasing the size of the device. it can.

1 is a diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of an image forming apparatus equipped with a toner supply device according to an embodiment of the present invention. Side surface sectional view which shows schematic structure of the developing device with which toner is replenished from the toner replenishing device according to the present embodiment Side surface sectional view showing a toner replenishing device according to the present embodiment. The perspective view which shows the toner replenishing apparatus which concerns on this embodiment. The perspective view which shows the drive mechanism part of the toner supply apparatus which concerns on this embodiment. Sectional drawing which shows the principal part of the drive mechanism part of the toner supply apparatus which concerns on this embodiment.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings, but the present invention is not limited to these embodiments. Further, the use of the invention and the terms shown here are not limited thereto.

  FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of an image forming apparatus equipped with an intermediate hopper which is a toner replenishing device according to an embodiment of the present invention. The image forming apparatus 1 is provided with a sheet feeding unit 2 disposed in a lower portion thereof, a sheet conveying unit 3 disposed on a side of the sheet feeding unit 2, and an upper side of the sheet conveying unit 3. An image forming unit 4, a fixing unit 5 disposed on the discharge side of the image forming unit 4, an image reading unit 6 disposed above the image forming unit 4 and the fixing unit 5, a toner container 110, and And an intermediate hopper 120.

  The paper feed unit 2 includes a plurality of paper feed cassettes 7 for containing paper 9, and the paper 9 is fed from the selected paper feed cassette 7 among the plurality of paper feed cassettes 7 by the rotation of the paper feed roller 8. Each sheet is surely sent out to the sheet transport unit 3.

  The paper 9 sent to the paper transport unit 3 is transported toward the image forming unit 4 via the paper transport path 10. The image forming unit 4 forms a toner image on the paper 9 by an electrophotographic process. The image forming unit 4 is rotatably supported in the direction of the arrow in FIG. A charging unit 12, an exposure unit 13, a developing device 14, a transfer unit 15, a cleaning unit 16, and a charge eliminating unit 17 are provided along the direction.

  The charging unit 12 includes a charging wire to which a high voltage is applied. When a predetermined potential is applied to the surface of the photoconductor 11 by corona discharge from the charging wire, the surface of the photoconductor 11 is uniformly charged. Then, when light based on the image data of the original read by the image reading unit 6 is irradiated to the photoconductor 11 by the exposure unit 13, the surface potential of the photoconductor 11 is selectively attenuated, and the surface of the photoconductor 11 is irradiated. An electrostatic latent image is formed.

  Next, the developing device 14 develops the electrostatic latent image on the surface of the photoconductor 11, and a toner image is formed on the surface of the photoconductor 11. This toner image is transferred by the transfer unit 15 to the paper 9 supplied between the photoconductor 11 and the transfer unit 15.

  The sheet 9 on which the toner image has been transferred is conveyed toward the fixing unit 5 disposed on the downstream side of the image forming unit 4 in the sheet conveying direction. In the fixing unit 5, the sheet 9 is heated and pressed by the heating member 18 and the pressure roller 19, and the toner image is melted and fixed on the sheet 9. Next, the sheet 9 on which the toner image is fixed is discharged onto the discharge tray 21 by the discharge roller pair 20.

  After the transfer by the transfer unit 15, the toner remaining on the surface of the photoconductor 11 is removed by the cleaning unit 16, and the residual charge on the surface of the photoconductor 11 is removed by the charge eliminating unit 17. Then, the photosensitive member 11 is charged again by the charging unit 12, and image formation is performed in the same manner.

  When image formation is repeated, the toner of the developing device 14 is consumed. In order to supply toner to the developing device 14, a toner container 110 and an intermediate hopper 120 are disposed above the developing device 14. The toner container 110 stores unused toner, and the intermediate hopper 120 receives the toner from the toner container 110, releases the toner, and supplies it to the developing device 14.

  Next, the developing device will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional side view showing a schematic configuration of the developing device 14 used in the image forming apparatus 1.

  The developing device 14 includes a developing container 22 that stores one-component magnetic toner, stirring screws 23 and 24 that stir the toner, a developing roller 27, and a regulating member 28.

  The agitating screws 23 and 24 are rotatably disposed in the developing container 22, and agitate and circulate the toner and supply the toner to the developing roller 27.

  The developing roller 27 includes a fixed magnet body 25 and a developing sleeve 26. The developing sleeve 26 is made of a cylindrical nonmagnetic material and is rotatably supported by the developing container 22 at a position adjacent to the stirring screw 24. The fixed magnet body 25 is a permanent magnet fixed in the developing sleeve 26 and generates a magnetic field toward the developing sleeve 26. Further, the developing roller 27 is exposed from the opening of the developing container 22 and faces the photosensitive member 11 that is an image carrier at a predetermined interval. This facing area is a developing area D for supplying the toner carried on the developing sleeve 26 toward the photoreceptor 11. Further, a developing bias 29 in which alternating current is superimposed on direct current is applied to the developing sleeve 26 in order to supply toner to the photoreceptor 11.

  The regulating member 28 regulates the toner carried on the surface of the developing sleeve 26 to a predetermined layer thickness. The developing container 22 is spaced a predetermined distance from the surface of the developing sleeve 26 substantially above the developing sleeve 26. Attached to.

  The toner supplied from the stirring screw 24 is carried on the surface of the developing sleeve 26 by the magnetic force of the fixed magnet body 25 in the developing sleeve 26. The carried toner is regulated to a predetermined layer thickness by the regulating member 28 and is conveyed toward the developing region D by the rotation of the developing sleeve 26 (rotation in the direction of the arrow in FIG. 2). When a developing bias 29 is applied to the developing sleeve 26, a potential difference is generated between the developing sleeve 26 and the photoconductor 11 in the developing region D, and the toner on the developing sleeve 26 is supplied to the photoconductor 11 and the photoconductor. The electrostatic latent image on 11 is developed into a toner image.

  A toner replenishing port 95 is provided at the top of the developing container 22. When the toner in the developing container 22 is consumed and reduced, new toner is supplied from the intermediate hopper 120 (see FIG. 1) into the developing container 22 through the toner supply port 95. Further, a developing side joint (not shown) is provided in the vicinity of the toner supply port 95, and the developing side joint engages with a joint on the intermediate hopper 120 described later, and rotates the joint on the intermediate hopper 120 side.

  Next, the intermediate hopper 120 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional side view showing a schematic configuration of an intermediate hopper for supplying toner to the developing device and a toner container.

  The toner container 110 includes a container container 111 that stores unused toner, a replenishing port 111a, a shutter member 114 that switches an open / closed state of the replenishing port 111a, a container screw 112, and a stirring paddle 113. The toner container 110 is detachably attached to the intermediate hopper 120.

  The replenishing port 111 a is formed at one end of the container in the longitudinal direction at the bottom of the container container 111 and supplies toner to the intermediate hopper 120.

  The stirring paddle 113 is a paddle-shaped blade extending from the shaft portion of the stirring paddle 113 to both sides in the radial direction and deployed in the longitudinal direction of the container. The toner in the container container 111 is removed by the rotation of the paddle-shaped blade. Stir.

  The container screw 112 is provided at the bottom of the container container 111, is formed around the shaft portion in a spiral shape at a constant pitch in the longitudinal direction, and faces the supply port 111a. When the container screw 112 rotates around the shaft portion, the agitated toner is conveyed toward the supply port 111a. When the shutter member 114 blocking the supply port 111a opens the supply port 111a, the toner in the container container 111 is supplied to the intermediate hopper 120 through the supply port 111a.

  When toner is supplied from the toner container 110 to the intermediate hopper 120 and the toner in the container container 111 is used up, the toner container 110 is removed from the intermediate hopper 120, and a new toner container 110 filled with toner is mounted on the intermediate hopper 120. Is done.

  The intermediate hopper 120 includes a hopper container 121 for storing toner, a receiving port 121a, a delivery port 121b, a shutter member 127 that switches between open and closed states of the delivery port 121b, a transport member 122, and first and second stirring members 123. , 124 and a toner sensor 128.

  The receiving port 121 a is formed at a position facing the replenishing port 111 a of the toner container 110 at the upper part of the hopper container 121.

  The delivery port 121b is formed at one end in the longitudinal direction of the container at the bottom of the hopper container 121, and faces the toner supply port 95 (see FIG. 2) of the developing device 14.

  The conveying member 122 has a shaft portion 122a and a spiral blade 122b, and is provided at the bottom in the hopper container 121 so as to face the delivery port 121b. The shaft portion 122a is rotatably supported on both side walls of the hopper container 121, and the spiral blades 122b are formed in a spiral shape around the shaft portion 122a at a constant pitch. When the spiral blade 122b rotates around the shaft portion 122a, the agitated toner is conveyed toward the delivery port 121b.

  The first stirring member 123 has a first shaft portion 123a and a first blade 123b. The first shaft portion 123a is rotatably supported on both side walls of the hopper container 121, and the first blade 123b extends from the first shaft portion 123a to one side in the radial direction but is relatively short and expands in the longitudinal direction of the container. The tip portion is formed in a bent paddle shape. When the first blade 123b rotates around the shaft portion 123a, a small amount of toner is agitated.

  The second stirring member 124 has a second shaft portion 124a and a second blade 124b. The second shaft portion 124a is rotatably supported on both side walls of the hopper container 121, and the second blade 124b extends from the second shaft portion 124a to one side in the radial direction but is relatively long and expands in the longitudinal direction of the container. The tip portion is formed in a bent paddle shape. Further, the second blade 124b is bent in the direction opposite to the first blade 123b of the first stirring member 123 in the circumferential direction. When the second blade 124b rotates around the shaft portion 124a, a large amount of toner is agitated. In addition, each axial part of the 1st and 2nd stirring members 123 and 124 and the conveyance member 122 is arrange | positioned in parallel with the front and back direction of the paper surface of FIG.

  The second stirring member 124 is disposed in the hopper container 121 substantially below the receiving port 121a, and the toner falls from the receiving port 121a to the second stirring member 124. The second agitating member 124 agitates the falling toner and conveys the agitated toner to the first agitating member 123 side.

  The first stirring member 123 is disposed to face the lower right side of the second stirring member 124, and is disposed to face the conveying member 122 substantially on the upper side of the conveying member 122. The first agitating member 123 agitates the toner conveyed from the second agitating member 124, and the toner is conveyed to the conveying member 122 side.

  The shutter member 127 opens and closes the delivery port 121b. When the toner is supplied from the hopper container 121 to the developing device 14, the shutter member 127 always closes the delivery port 121b and moves in the longitudinal direction of the container to open the delivery port 121b. To do.

  The toner sensor 128 detects the amount of toner in the hopper container 121, and the toner is supplied from the toner container 110 to the intermediate hopper 120 according to the detection result. The toner sensor 128 is housed in the sensor chamber 121c. The sensor chamber 121c is formed in the space of the hopper container 121 between the upper side of the first stirring member 123 and the right side of the second stirring member 124, and is arranged without protruding from the hopper container 121.

  FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing the appearance of the intermediate hopper. As described above, the intermediate hopper 120 includes the hopper container 121. The hopper container 121 includes a stirring member storage portion 121d that stores the first and second stirring members 123 and 124 (see FIG. 3), and a conveying member 122 (see FIG. 3) is formed. A toner delivery port 121b is formed in the conveyance member storage unit 121e. When the conveyance member 122 rotates, the toner in the hopper container 121 is conveyed from the right side to the left side in FIG. 4 in the conveyance member storage unit 121e, and is supplied to the developing device 14 (see FIG. 2) from the delivery port 121b. .

  A driving mechanism 129 is provided on one side surface of the hopper container 121. The drive mechanism unit 129 includes a joint 130 that is a connecting member, and further includes a drive member such as a gear that rotationally drives the first and second stirring members 123 and 124 and the transport member 122 (see FIG. 3).

  The joint 130 is disposed in the vicinity of the delivery port 121b on the lower side of the hopper container 121, and has a convex portion extending in all directions. When the convex portion engages with, for example, a concave portion of the developing side joint provided in the developing device 14, a rotational driving force such as a motor on the developing device 14 side is applied to the joint 130.

  FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing the drive mechanism 129, and FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view showing the main part of the drive mechanism 129. As shown in FIG. FIG. 5 is a view of the state where the housing for housing the drive mechanism portion 129 is removed as seen from the back side of FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the drive mechanism 129 is connected to the gear trains 132 to 135, the first stirring gear 136, the second stirring gear 138, the motor 150, and the motor 150 in addition to the joint 130 described above. Worm gears 151 and 152, and a detection plate 161.

  The gear trains 132 to 135 and the first and second agitation gears 136 and 138 are respectively spur gears, and the rotational driving force of the joint 130 is transferred from the gear 132 to the gear 135 and further to the first and second agitation gears 136 and 138. Are sequentially transmitted to rotate the first and second stirring members 123 and 124.

  The first stirring gear 136 is connected to the first stirring member 123 (see FIG. 3) and rotates the first stirring member 123. That is, the shaft portion 123a of the first stirring member 123 is rotatably supported on the side wall 121f of the hopper container 121 and is provided to protrude outward from the side wall 121f of the hopper container 121. The first stirring gear 136 is The protruding shaft portion 123a is integrally attached.

  The second stirring gear 138 is connected to the second stirring member 124 (see FIG. 3), and rotates the second stirring member 124. That is, the shaft portion 124a of the second agitating member 124 is rotatably supported on the side wall 121f of the hopper container 121 and protrudes outward from the side wall 121f of the hopper container 121. The second agitating gear 138 It is integrally attached to the protruding shaft portion 124a.

  An idle gear 137 is provided between the first stirring gear 136 and the second stirring gear 138. The idle gear 137 is rotatably provided on the side wall 121f of the hopper container 121 and meshes with both the first stirring gear 136 and the second stirring gear 138. When the first stirring gear 136 rotates, the second stirring gear 138 rotates in the same direction as the first stirring gear 136 via the idle gear 137. As a result, the first and second stirring members 123 and 124 rotate, and the toner in the hopper container 121 is stirred.

  The number of teeth of the second stirring gear 138 is set to be larger than the number of teeth of the first stirring gear 136. When the first and second stirring gears 136 and 138 rotate, the second stirring member 124 (see FIG. 3) is compared. The first agitating member 123 (see FIG. 3) rotates at a relatively high speed, and the conveying member 122 (see FIG. 3). A small amount of toner to be conveyed to the) side is rapidly stirred.

  Of the gear trains 132 to 135, the joint gear 132 is provided integrally with the joint shaft 131. The joint shaft 131 extends to the right side in FIG. 5, and the joint 130 (not shown, see FIG. 4) is integrally provided at the right end of the joint shaft 131. When the joint 130 rotates, the joint gear 132 is driven to rotate. The joint gear 132, the joint shaft 131, and the joint 130 may be rotated integrally, the joint gear 132, the joint shaft 131, and the joint 130 may be integrally molded with resin, and the joint shaft 131 and the joint 130 may be molded together. The joint gear 132 and the joint shaft 131 may be formed integrally.

  Of the gear trains 132 to 135, the first intermediate gear 133 and the second intermediate gear 134 are two-stage gears that are coaxially arranged and integrally formed, and are fixed shafts 139 fixed to the side wall 121 f of the hopper container 121. Is provided rotatably. The first intermediate gear 133 meshes with the joint gear 132, and the second intermediate gear 134 meshes with the third intermediate gear 135.

  The third intermediate gear 135 is rotatably provided on a bearing formed on the side wall 121 f of the hopper container 121, and meshes with the second intermediate gear 134 and also meshes with the first agitation gear 136.

  Therefore, when the rotational driving force on the developing device 14 side is applied to the joint 130, the joint shaft 131 rotates and the first and second agitation are performed via the joint gear 132 and the first to third intermediate gears 133 to 135. The gears 136 and 138 are rotationally driven, whereby the first and second stirring members 123 and 124 are rotated and the toner in the hopper container 121 is stirred.

  The rotation of the conveying member 122 (see FIG. 3) is performed using the motor 150 as a driving source. The motor 150 rotationally drives the conveying member 122 via the worm gears 151 and 152, and the shaft of the motor 150 is fixed in parallel to the side wall 121 f of the hopper container 121. A worm 151 is fixed to the drive output shaft of the motor 150, the worm 151 meshes with a worm wheel 152 provided on the transmission shaft 153, and the transmission shaft 153 is provided coaxially and integrally with the conveying member 122. Is rotated, the conveying member 122 is rotated.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the transmission shaft 153 has a cylindrical shape, a worm wheel 152 is integrally formed on the outer peripheral surface 153b, and the shaft portion 122a of the conveying member 122 is fitted on the inner peripheral surface 153a.

  Further, a flat surface 153 c is formed on the inner peripheral surface 153 a of the transmission shaft 153, while a flat surface 122 c that faces the inner peripheral surface 153 a of the transmission shaft 153 is formed on the shaft portion 122 a of the transport member 122. Accordingly, when the transmission shaft 153 is fitted to the shaft portion 122 a of the transport member 122, the transport member 122 rotates integrally with the transmission shaft 153. The transmission shaft 153 and the shaft portion 122a of the conveying member 122 may be integrally formed, the worm wheel 152 may be a separate member, and the worm wheel 152 may be attached to the transmission shaft 153 later. Further, the shaft portion 122a, the transmission shaft 153, and the worm wheel 152 of the conveying member 122 may be integrally formed. As described above, if the transmission shaft 153 is provided coaxially with the shaft portion 122a of the conveying member 122 and rotates integrally, the worm wheel 152, the transmission shaft 153, and the shaft portion 122a of the conveying member 122 may be integrally provided as appropriate. .

  Further, a flange portion is formed on the side wall 121f of the hopper container 121, an inner bearing surface 121i is formed on the inner diameter side of the flange portion, and an outer bearing surface 121h and an outer bearing are formed on the outer diameter side of the flange portion. A contact surface 121g is formed upright on the circumference of the surface 121h.

  The bearing hole 135a of the third intermediate gear 135 is rotatably fitted to the outer bearing surface 121h of the side wall 121f. Further, the third intermediate gear 135 is sandwiched on both sides in the axial direction between the contact surface 121g of the side wall 121f and the contact surface 154a of the locking cylinder 154. As a result, the third intermediate gear 135 is held on the side wall 121f of the hopper container 121 so as to rotate without moving in the axial direction. The locking cylinder 154 is fixed to the outer peripheral surface 153b of the transmission shaft 153. On the other hand, the outer peripheral surface 153b of the transmission shaft 153 is rotatably fitted to the inner bearing surface 121i of the side wall 121f.

  Therefore, the transmission shaft 153 and the third intermediate gear 135 are arranged so as to cross each other. In other words, the shaft center of the transmission shaft 153 and the rotation shaft of the third intermediate gear 135 are arranged so as to be coaxial, and the third intermediate gear 135 is fitted to the outer bearing surface 121h of the side wall 121f to surround the transmission shaft 153. Rotate with. On the other hand, the transmission shaft 153 is fitted in the inner bearing surface 121i of the side wall 121f in the bearing hole 135a of the third intermediate gear 135 and rotates.

  In such a configuration of the drive mechanism 129, when the motor 150 is driven to rotate, the transmission shaft 153 rotates at a reduced speed due to the engagement between the worm 151 of the motor 150 and the worm wheel 152 of the transmission shaft 153, and is provided integrally with the transmission shaft 153. The conveying member 122 rotates, and the toner in the hopper container 121 is conveyed to the delivery port 121b (see FIG. 3).

  A detection plate 161 having a plurality of holes formed in the circumferential direction is fixed to the outer peripheral surface 153b of the transmission shaft 153. This detection plate 161 detects the number of rotations of the conveying member 122 together with a photo interrupter (not shown). That is, when the detection plate 161 rotates with the rotation of the conveying member 122, the light projected from the photo interrupter passes through the plurality of holes of the detection plate 161, and the light receiving element of the photo interrupter detects this passing light. . The photo interrupter detects the number of rotations of the conveying member 122 based on the detected number of pulses of light. When the conveying member 122 is rotating, toner is supplied to the developing device 14 from the delivery port 121b of the intermediate hopper 120. In order to supply a predetermined amount of toner to the developing device 14, the toner corresponds to a predetermined amount of toner. When the number of rotations reaches, the driving of the motor 150 is stopped based on the pulse signal of the photo interrupter, and the supply of toner to the developing device 14 is completed.

  According to the embodiment, the intermediate hopper 120 includes the storage container 121 that stores the toner, the first and second stirring members 123 and 124 that rotate in the storage container 121 and stir the toner, and the first and second. And a conveying member 122 that rotates to supply the toner agitated by the agitating members 123 and 124 to the developing device 14. Furthermore, the intermediate hopper 120 is rotationally driven from the joint 130 to the first and second stirring members 123 and 124 by the motor 150 that rotationally drives the transport member 122, the joint 130 that is rotationally driven by the driving member on the developing device 14 side. And a third intermediate gear 135 for transmitting force.

  According to this configuration, the first and second agitating members 123 and 124 and the conveying member 122 rotate independently of each other, and the first and second agitating members 123 and 124 are rotationally driven by the driving member on the developing device 14 side, and the toner. Therefore, the toner is agitated when the developing device 14 is operated, and the fluidity of the toner is improved.

  Further, according to this configuration, since the toner in the intermediate hopper 120 is not stirred every time the toner is supplied from the intermediate hopper 120 to the developing device 14, excessive stirring is eliminated and toner deterioration is suppressed.

  Further, according to this configuration, when the toner is supplied from the toner container 110 to the intermediate hopper 120, the toner supplied into the intermediate hopper 120 can be agitated without driving the conveying member 122.

  In addition, according to this configuration, it is not necessary to separately provide a driving member such as a motor that rotationally drives the first and second agitating members 123 and 124, so that the intermediate hopper 120 is reduced in size and the intermediate hopper 120 is reduced in cost. be able to.

  In addition, according to this configuration, the conveying member 122 and the first and second stirring members 123 and 124 are driven to rotate independently of each other without receiving the rotational load of the first and second stirring members 123 and 124. The conveying member 122 rotates, the rotation of the conveying member 122 is stabilized, and the toner can be stably and accurately supplied from the intermediate hopper 120 to the developing device 14.

  Further, according to the above embodiment, the transmission shaft 153 that transmits the rotational driving force from the motor 150 to the conveying member 122 is provided, and the axis of the transmission shaft 153 and the rotation shaft of the third intermediate gear 135 are coaxial. The third intermediate gear 135 rotates freely around the transmission shaft 153. As a result, the drive mechanism such as the third intermediate gear 135 and the transmission shaft 153 does not occupy a large volume in the apparatus, and the apparatus is downsized.

  Moreover, according to the said embodiment, it has the gear trains 132-135 which connect the joint 130 and the 1st and 2nd stirring members 123 and 124, and the 3rd intermediate | middle gear 135 is the gear train 132- consisting of several spur gears. 135 is a spur gear, a worm 151 is fixed to the drive output shaft of the motor 150, and a worm wheel 152 is provided on the transmission shaft 153. Accordingly, the first and second stirring members 123 and 124 are stored by appropriately setting the arrangement and number of gears 132 to 135 connected to the joint 130 and the first and second stirring members 123 and 124. The container 121 can be disposed at a position where the stirring efficiency is good. Further, since the conveying member 122 is rotationally driven by the worm gears 151 and 152, a large volume is not occupied in the apparatus, and the apparatus is downsized.

  In addition, according to the above embodiment, the conveying member 122 includes the rotatable shaft portion 122 a and the spiral blade 122 b formed around the shaft portion 122 a, and the transmission shaft 153 is connected to the shaft portion 122 a of the conveying member 122. Coaxially and integrally provided. Accordingly, the rotational driving force by the motor 150 can be reliably transmitted to the conveying member 122, and the amount of toner supplied from the intermediate hopper 120 to the developing device 14 is stabilized.

  In the above-described embodiment, an example in which the present invention is applied to a toner replenishing device mounted on a monochrome image forming apparatus has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this and corresponds to each color such as a color copying machine or a color printer. Even in an image forming apparatus equipped with a toner replenishing device, it is possible to appropriately rotate the stirring member of each toner replenishing device by a driving member on the developing device side for each color. Stirring can be prevented.

  In the above-described embodiment, an example in which the toner replenishing device is applied to the intermediate hopper 120 has been described. The present invention may be applied to a toner replenishing device such as a toner container that replenishes the toner directly.

  In the above embodiment, the first and second stirring members 123 and 124 are shown. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and one or three or more stirring members are arranged in the intermediate hopper 120. You may make it the structure to carry out. Moreover, although the 1st and 2nd stirring members 123 and 124 showed the structure formed with a paddle-shaped blade | wing, this invention is not restricted to this, The 1st and 2nd stirring members 123 and 124 are spiral in an axial direction. You may form with the blade | wing extended in a shape. In this case, the same effect as described above can be obtained.

  Moreover, in the said embodiment, although the structure which has arrange | positioned so that the 1st and 2nd stirring members 123 and 124 may incline with respect to an up-down direction was shown, this invention is not limited to this, The 1st and 2nd stirring members 123 and 124 may be arranged in parallel in the horizontal direction or the vertical direction. In this case, the same effect as described above can be obtained.

  Moreover, in the said embodiment, although the structure which arrange | positions the gear trains 132-135 in order to transmit the rotational drive force of the joint 130 to the 1st and 2nd stirring gears 136 and 138 was shown, this invention is not limited to this. The rotational driving force of the joint 130 may be transmitted to the first and second stirring gears 136 and 138 by one gear, or the gear train may be configured by a number other than four. Good. Also in this case, the agitating member and the conveying member are driven to rotate independently from each other as in the above embodiment, and the same effect as described above can be obtained.

  Further, in the above embodiment, the configuration is shown in which the worm 151 is provided on the shaft of the motor 150 and the worm wheel 152 is provided on the transmission shaft 153. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the shaft and the transmission of the motor 150 are transmitted. A spur gear may be provided on each of the shafts 153 so that the shaft of the motor 150 is disposed at a right angle to the side wall 121f of the hopper container 121. Also in this case, the agitating member and the conveying member are driven to rotate independently from each other as in the above embodiment, and the same effect as described above can be obtained.

  Moreover, in the said embodiment, although the transmission shaft 153 showed the structure provided coaxially and integrally with the axial part 122a of the conveyance member 122, this invention is not restricted to this, A gear is provided in a transmission shaft, and a conveyance member is also provided. A gear may be provided on the shaft portion 122a of 122, and an intermediate gear may be engaged with the two gears. Also in this case, the agitating member and the conveying member are driven to rotate independently from each other as in the above embodiment, and the same effect as described above can be obtained.

  The present invention is used for a toner replenishing device that supplies toner to a developing device provided in an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine, a printer, a facsimile, or a composite machine using an electrophotographic system, and an image forming apparatus including the toner replenishing device. be able to.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Image forming apparatus 14 Developing device 95 Toner supply port 110 Toner container 120 Intermediate hopper (toner supply device)
121 Hopper container (storage container)
121a Receiving port 121b Delivery port 121d Stirring member accommodating portion 121e Conveying member accommodating portion 121f Side wall 121g Contact surface 121h Outer bearing surface 121i Inner bearing surface 122 Conveying member 122a Shaft portion 122b Spiral blade 122c Flat surface 123 First stirring member 123a First Shaft portion 123b First blade 124 Second stirring member 124a Second shaft portion 124b Second blade 129 Drive mechanism portion 130 Joint (connection member)
131 Joint shaft 132 Joint gear (gear train)
133 1st intermediate gear (gear train)
134 Second intermediate gear (gear train)
135 Third intermediate gear (intermediate gear, gear train)
136 First stirring gear 137 Idle gear 138 Second stirring gear 150 Motor 151 Warm 152 Warm wheel 153 Transmission shaft 153a Inner peripheral surface 153b Outer peripheral surface 153c Flat surface 154 Locking cylinder 154a Contact surface 161 Detection plate

Claims (5)

  A storage container for storing toner, an agitation member that rotates in the storage container to stir the toner, a conveyance member that rotates to supply the toner agitated by the agitation member to the developing device, and the conveyance member A toner replenishing device comprising: a motor for rotational driving; a connecting member that is rotationally driven by a driving member on a developing device; and at least one intermediate gear that transmits rotational driving force from the connecting member to the stirring member.   A transmission shaft for transmitting the rotational driving force from the motor to the conveying member is provided, and any one of the intermediate gears is disposed so as to be coaxial with the transmission shaft, and freely around the transmission shaft. The toner supply device according to claim 1, wherein the toner supply device rotates.   The toner replenishing device according to claim 2, wherein a worm is fixed to the drive output shaft of the motor, and a worm foil that meshes with the worm is provided on the transmission shaft.   The transport member has a shaft portion rotatably supported by the storage container, and a spiral blade formed around the shaft portion, and the transmission shaft is coaxially and integrally formed with the shaft portion of the transport member. The toner replenishing device according to claim 2, wherein the toner replenishing device is provided.   An image forming apparatus on which the toner replenishing device according to claim 1 is mounted.

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