JP2011242528A - Developer storage device, development apparatus and developer replenishment device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a structure capable of preventing a developer receiving section 71 from becoming larger and from decreasing of sealing performance of an opening portion 72 due to a shutter member 73.SOLUTION: A guide face 81a is formed in a second peripheral portion 81 located at the downstream side in a direction of closing movement of the shutter member 73 of the opening portion 72 (a direction of an arrow α). The second peripheral portion 81 is formed so that a central portion in width direction is located at the downstream side of the end portions in width direction. With this, when closing movement is made, from the end portions in width direction adjacent to a portion which is in a state compressed between a base portion 74 of a flexible portion 75 and periphery portion of the opening portion 72 toward the central portion in the width direction of the flexible portion 75 which is not compressed, the flexible portion 75 is gradually compressed. Thus, without increasing the length of the guide face 81a, a portion of the flexible portion 75 located at the downstream side in a direction of closing movement can be moved smoothly from a free state to a compressed state, and this portion is prevented from being deformed in the closed state.

Description

  The present invention relates to a developer accommodating device that accommodates a developer used in an image forming apparatus such as an electrophotographic method or an electrostatic recording method, a developing device incorporating the developer accommodating device, and a developer supply device.

  Conventionally, an image in which a toner image is formed on a recording material by an image forming principle or process means such as an electrophotographic method or an electrostatic recording method, and the toner image on the recording material is fixed by a fixing means and an image formed product is output. Forming devices are known. Examples of the image forming apparatus include a copying machine, a printer, a facsimile machine, and a multifunction machine having a plurality of these functions. Such an image forming apparatus incorporates a developing device for forming a toner image. As this developing device, a two-component developing system using a two-component developer composed of toner and carrier is known. In this structure, the toner supplied from the developer replenishing device (developer replenishing container) and the carrier filled in the developer accommodating portion of the developing device are agitated and conveyed, and the toner charged by friction is used for the photosensitive drum or the like. The electrostatic latent image formed on the image carrier is made obvious. Each of the developing device and the developer replenishing device includes a developer accommodating portion that accommodates a developer (toner or carrier, or toner and carrier), and the developer is fed through an opening provided in each accommodating portion.

  Further, after a toner image formed on an image carrier such as a photosensitive drum or an intermediate transfer member is transferred to a recording material or the like, toner remaining on the image carrier is removed by a cleaning device. There is a developer recovery device for recovering the toner. This developer collecting apparatus also includes a developer containing portion for containing the developer, and through an opening provided in the developer containing portion and an opening provided in a collecting container (developer containing portion) for collecting the developer. Then, the developer recovered by the developer recovery device is fed into the recovery container.

  Each of the devices for delivering the developer is detachably provided, and a shutter member that opens when the developer is mounted and closes when the developer is separated is provided at an opening of each developer accommodating portion. Such shutter members can prevent scattering due to developer leakage when the developer replenishing device, the collection container, etc. are replaced, or when each device is transported alone, or the internal developer deteriorates due to humidity. It is provided to prevent this from happening. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a structure in which a shutter member is provided in an opening of a developer container of a developer supply device.

  In the case of the structure described in Patent Document 1, a sponge-like elastic portion is provided on the shutter member, and this elastic portion is elastically brought into contact with the peripheral portion of the opening, thereby sealing the opening. Further, by moving the shutter member along the opening, a closed state in which the opening is covered with the shutter member and an open state in which the shutter member is retracted from the opening are possible.

JP-A-8-185027

  In the case of the structure described in Patent Document 1, it is difficult to sufficiently secure the sealing performance of the opening by the shutter member. This point will be described with reference to FIG. In the case of the structure shown in FIG. 11, the opening 101 of the developer containing portion 100 is configured by a surface perpendicular to the opening surface whose inner peripheral surface is surrounded by the inner peripheral edge of the opening 101. Further, the shutter member 102 can be slid along the opening 101 in the left-right direction in FIG. A frame-like elastic portion 104 is provided on the surface of the base member 103 of the shutter member 102 that faces the opening 101.

  In such a configuration, when the shutter member 102 is moved from the open state to the closed state in the direction of the arrow α in the figure, as shown in FIG. Pass through the opening 101. At this time, the portion sandwiched between the base portion 103 of the elastic portion 104 and the developer accommodating portion 100 is in a compressed state, but the portion that has entered the opening portion 101 of the elastic portion 104 is not compressed. Enter the opening 101.

  If the shutter member 102 is further moved in the arrow α direction in this state, the portion that has entered the opening 101 of the elastic portion 104 comes into contact with the side surface 101a of the opening 101 downstream of the moving direction of the shutter member 102. Then, it is deformed in the direction opposite to the moving direction of the shutter member 102. Next, when the shutter member 102 is further moved, the deformed portion of the elastic portion 104 rides on the downstream portion in the moving direction of the shutter member 102 around the opening portion 101 while being deformed. And this part will be in the state which buckled in the reverse direction to the moving direction of the shutter member 102, as shown in FIG.11 (B). As a result, the contact area between the deformed portion of the elastic portion 104 and the peripheral portion of the opening 101 is reduced as compared with other portions, and the sealing performance is deteriorated. If the sealing property is lowered, the developer is liable to be leaked or the developer is deteriorated due to humidity.

  In particular, since the developer replenishing device and the collection container are consumable items, it is necessary to replace them regularly. Conventionally, these replacement operations have been mainly performed by service personnel. However, in recent years, as copying machines, printers, and the like have spread to general households, the number of cases in which users perform these operations has increased. For this reason, it is more demanded than before to prevent contamination of the user and the periphery of the device due to the scattering of toner and carriers from the opening of each device. Therefore, it is not preferable that the sealing performance of the opening by the shutter member is lowered.

  On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 12, it can be considered that a guide surface 101b is provided downstream of the inner peripheral edge of the opening 101 in the moving direction of the shutter member 102 (arrow α direction). The guide surface (tapered portion) 101b is inclined in a direction away from the shutter member 102 as it goes upstream in the moving direction of the shutter member. By providing such a guide surface 101b, when the state of FIG. 12A is changed to the state of FIG. 12B, the downstream portion in the moving direction of the elastic portion 104 gradually comes into contact with the guide surface 101b. And the downstream part of the movement direction of this elastic part 104 can be smoothly changed from a free state to a compressed state. As a result, the downstream portion in the moving direction of the elastic portion 104 can be prevented from being deformed, and a reduction in the contact area between the elastic portion 104 and the peripheral portion of the opening 101 can be suppressed.

  However, when the inclination angle of the guide surface 101b is steep (for example, about 45 °), the transition from the free state to the compressed state of the downstream portion in the moving direction of the elastic portion 104 cannot be smoothly performed. Deformation may occur. For this reason, it is necessary to reduce the inclination angle of the guide surface 101b and increase the length of the guide surface 101b in the moving direction. Increasing the guide surface 101b is not preferable because it is necessary to enlarge the developer accommodating portion 100 in the direction of the arrow α in FIGS.

  In view of such circumstances, the present invention has been invented to realize a structure capable of suppressing the increase in the size of the developer accommodating portion and suppressing the deterioration of the sealing performance of the opening due to the shutter member.

  The present invention provides a developer containing portion in which a developer is accommodated and an opening communicating with the inside is formed in a flat portion, and between a closed state that covers the opening and an open state that retreats from the opening. A shutter member movable along a flat surface portion, and a restricting portion that restricts the shutter member from moving away from the flat surface portion in a thickness direction orthogonal to the flat surface portion, and the shutter member includes A base portion that is restricted from being separated from the flat portion by the restricting portion, and provided between the flat portion side of the base portion and the flat portion of the opening portion in the closed state. A first portion downstream of the movement direction of the closing operation in which the shutter member moves from the open state to the closed state, of the outer peripheral edge of the elastic portion. The peripheral edge and the inner peripheral edge of the opening The second peripheral edge that is in contact with the first peripheral edge during the closing operation and is downstream in the moving direction of the closing operation is at least one peripheral edge in the open state and the other peripheral edge with respect to the moving direction. The guide surface is inclined so as to move away from the other peripheral edge in the thickness direction, and the moving direction of the first peripheral edge and the second peripheral edge during the closing operation and The developer containing apparatus is characterized in that the central portion in the width direction orthogonal to the thickness direction is configured to come into contact with the rear portion in the same manner as compared with both end portions in the width direction.

  According to the present invention, in the closing operation, the elastic portion is not compressed from both ends in the width direction near the portion compressed by the base of the elastic portion and the periphery of the opening. The elastic portion is gradually compressed toward the center in the width direction. For this reason, the transition from the free state to the compressed state of the downstream portion in the closing movement movement direction of the elastic portion can be smoothly performed without increasing the length of the guide surface, and deformation of this portion in the closed state can be suppressed. As a result, an increase in the size of the developer accommodating portion can be suppressed, a decrease in the sealing performance of the opening due to the shutter member can be suppressed, and developer deterioration due to the scattering of the developer and humidity can be sufficiently suppressed.

1 is a schematic configuration diagram illustrating an example of an image forming apparatus in which the present invention is incorporated. The schematic block diagram which similarly shows an example of a cartridge. FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a developer accommodating portion of the developer supply device and the developing device according to the first embodiment of the present invention. Similarly, (A) is a partial cross-sectional view and (B) is a partial vertical cross-sectional view showing the closed state of each developer accommodating portion. Similarly, (A) is a partial cross-sectional view and (B) is a partial vertical cross-sectional view showing the open state of each developer accommodating portion. In the first embodiment, a first process in which the shutter member of the developing device is in a closed state is shown, (A) is a view of the opening and the shutter member from above, and (B) is an eye of (A). Sectional drawing, (C) is a roll sectional view of (A), and (D) is a sectional view of (Ha). Similarly, (A) is a view of the opening and the shutter member as viewed from above, (B) is a cross-sectional view of (A), and (C) is a cross-sectional view of (A). , (D) is a cross-sectional view of (A). Similarly, (A) is a view of the opening and the shutter member as viewed from above, (B) is a cross-sectional view of (A), and (C) is a cross-sectional view of (A). , (D) is a cross-sectional view of (A). The figure which looked at the opening part and shutter member from the top which shows the middle process in which the shutter member of a developing device will be in an open state in the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. In the third embodiment of the present invention, (A) shows a process in which the shutter member of the developing device is in the closed state, (A) is a view of the opening and the shutter member from above, and (B) is the image of (A). -A cross-sectional view, (C) is a roll cross-sectional view of (A), and (D) is a cross-sectional view of (A). (A) shows a state in which a part of the elastic portion of the shutter member has entered the opening of the developer accommodating portion, and (B) shows a state in which the elastic portion is in contact with the periphery of the opening. Partial schematic sectional drawing. The figure which deform | transformed the structure of FIG.

[First Embodiment]
<Image forming apparatus and cartridge>
A first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. First, schematic configurations of the image forming apparatus and the cartridge will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. In this embodiment, the present invention is applied to a tandem color image forming apparatus. As shown in FIG. 1, in the upper part of the image forming apparatus main body (hereinafter referred to as the apparatus main body) 1, a cartridge 2Y of a total of four colors, yellow (Y), magenta (M), cyan (C), and black (K). 2M, 2C, 2K are arranged. FIG. 2 shows one of the cartridges 2 extracted from these cartridges. Each of the cartridges 2 includes a charging roller 4 as a charging unit, a cleaning device 5 and the like around a photosensitive drum 3 as an image carrier.

  In the case of the present embodiment, the photosensitive drum 3, the charging roller 4, the cleaning device 5 and the like are integrated as a cartridge 2 (drum cartridge), and the developing device 7 having a lifespan different from that of the drum cartridge is a separate toner cartridge. 7a. However, the cartridge 2 can be integrated with the developing device 7 so as to be divided and coupled, and can be a so-called process cartridge.

  In any case, with respect to the photosensitive drum 3 around the photosensitive drum 3 with respect to the direction of rotation of the photosensitive drum (in the direction of the arrow in FIG. 2), the charging roller 4, a portion exposed by a laser beam, the developing device 7, the transfer unit T, cleaning Arranged in the order of the devices 5. Further, the toner cartridge 7a or the process cartridge is detachable from the apparatus main body 1.

  The photosensitive drum 3 is formed in a cylindrical shape, and is uniformly charged by the charging roller 4, and then the surface is irradiated with laser light (dashed lines in FIGS. 1 and 2) from the exposure device 3a (FIG. 1 and FIG. 2). Is formed. The developing device 7 forms toner images by supplying toner replenished from a developer accommodating portion 31 of a developer replenishing device 30 described later onto the photosensitive drum 3 on which an electrostatic latent image is formed by the developing sleeve 8. The developer replenishing device 30 replenishes toner from a developer container (not shown) according to the amount of toner consumption so that the amount of toner of each color in the developer container 31 does not fall below a specified amount.

  The cleaning device 5 has a cleaning blade 10 for removing toner remaining on the surface of the photosensitive drum 3 after primary transfer of the toner image on the photosensitive drum 3 to the intermediate transfer belt 9. The cleaning device 5 also includes a conveying screw 11 that is a collected toner conveying means for conveying the toner collected by the cleaning blade 10 to a collected toner box (collecting container) in the apparatus main body 1.

  Further, the cartridge 2 and the toner cartridge 7a or the process cartridge are inserted into a predetermined portion in the apparatus main body 1 and can be removed from the apparatus main body 1 on the contrary. In this way, by making the cartridge 2 and the like detachable from the apparatus main body 1, maintenance and replacement of consumables are facilitated, and product performance is maintained. In other words, if the image forming apparatus is used for a long time, various parts are consumed and the printing quality is deteriorated. However, the service person or the user can remove the cartridge 2 and perform maintenance or replacement. Can maintain the performance.

  Further, an intermediate transfer belt 9 is rotatably stretched below the cartridges 2 in the apparatus main body 1 in FIGS. That is, the intermediate transfer belt 9 is an endless belt, and is stretched by a driving roller 12, a tension roller 13, and a secondary transfer inner roller 14, as shown in FIG. The driving roller 12 is driven by a motor (not shown) to rotate the intermediate transfer belt 9. The tension roller 13 applies a predetermined tension to the intermediate transfer belt 9 by an urging means (not shown) to adjust the tension of the intermediate transfer belt 9, and prevents the intermediate transfer belt 9 from being bent due to load fluctuations. The secondary transfer inner roller 14 is arranged to face the secondary transfer outer roller 15 and transfers the toner image formed on the intermediate transfer belt 9 to a recording material. Further, a primary transfer roller 16 is disposed at a position facing each photosensitive drum 3 in the intermediate transfer belt 9, and a transfer portion T for transferring the toner image formed on each photosensitive drum 3 to the intermediate transfer belt 9. Configure.

  When printing an original, a laser is emitted on the charged photosensitive drum 3 based on the image data read by the original reading device 17 or image data sent from an external terminal, and the photosensitive drum 3 is statically printed. Draw an electrostatic latent image. Next, toner is supplied to the photosensitive drum 3 on which the electrostatic latent image is formed by the developing device 7 to form a toner image. The toner image is primarily transferred to the intermediate transfer belt 9 by the primary transfer roller 16. At this time, the toner image on the photosensitive drum 3 is transferred onto the intermediate transfer belt 9 by applying a predetermined transfer bias to the primary transfer portion. The toner image primarily transferred to the intermediate transfer belt 9 is transferred to the recording material S conveyed by the recording material conveying means as described below at the secondary transfer portion constituted by the outer rollers 14 and 15 in the secondary transfer. Secondary transferred. The toner remaining without being transferred in the secondary transfer portion is collected by the transfer belt cleaner 19.

  The recording material conveying unit conveys the recording material S from the paper feed cassette 20 to the secondary transfer unit. That is, the recording material S picked up from the paper feed cassette 20 is conveyed downstream in the conveyance direction from the paper supply unit 21 through the conveyance path 22, and the skew correction of the final recording material S and image formation are performed by the registration roller pair 23. The timing of image writing and recording material conveyance in the unit is adjusted. Then, the recording material S is conveyed to the secondary transfer portion at a predetermined timing. The toner image transferred to the recording material S is fixed to the recording material S by the fixing device 24. After passing through the fixing device 24, the recording material S is conveyed to either a paper discharge path 26 for discharging to a paper discharge tray (face down) 25 or a paper discharge path 28 for discharging to a paper discharge tray (face up) 27. Is done. At the branch point between the paper discharge paths 26 and 28, the two conveying paths are switched by the switching means 29, and the recording material S printed on the paper discharge tray 25 or 27 is discharged.

<Developing device and developer replenishing device>
Next, the configuration of the part for delivering the developer of the developing device 7 and the developer replenishing device 30 incorporated in the image forming apparatus as described above will be briefly described with reference to FIG. The developing device 7 and the developer replenishing device 30 have developer containing portions 71 and 31 for containing a developer (toner or carrier, or toner and carrier), respectively. The developer supply device 30 is connected to a developer storage container (not shown) for supplying a developer, and the toner t1 (which may include a carrier) is supplied from this container to the developer storage section (storage section) 31. , Stored in the accommodating portion 31. The toner t1 stored in the container 31 is supplied to the developer container 71 of the developing device 7 by gravity. The developer accommodating portion 71 includes developer conveying means such as a screw, for example, and the developer conveying means agitates and conveys the two-component developer t2 composed of toner and a carrier therein. Then, as described above, toner is supplied onto the photosensitive drum 3 on which the electrostatic latent image is formed by the developing sleeve 8 to form a toner image.

  Such a developing device 7 and the developer replenishing device 30 include developer accommodating devices 90 and 91, respectively. As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the developer accommodating device 90 of the developing device 7 includes a developer accommodating portion 71, a shutter member 73, and a regulating portion 76. The developer accommodating device 91 of the developer replenishing device 30 includes a developer accommodating portion 31, a shutter member 33, and a restricting portion (not shown). Each of the developer accommodating portions 31 and 71 has a lower wall portion 31a and an upper wall portion 71a which are flat portions, and the opening portions 32 and 72 communicating with the inside are provided in the lower wall portion 31a and the upper wall portion 71a. Are formed respectively. The openings 32 and 72 are arranged so as to face each other, and the toner t1 is transferred through the openings 32 and 72. As described above, when the developing device 7 is a toner cartridge or a process cartridge, the developer supply device 30 and the developing device 7 are separated when the cartridge is attached or detached. At this time, the openings 32 and 72 are covered with shutter members 33 and 73 (see FIGS. 4 to 8) described below so that the toner does not scatter from the openings 32 and 72.

<Shutter member and surrounding structure>
Next, the shutter members 33 and 73 as described above and the surrounding structure will be described with reference to FIGS. In each figure, there is a portion where the elastic portion 75 and the upper wall portion 71a of the shutter member 73 are separated from each other, but this is described for convenience in order to make the configuration easy to understand. Are in contact. The shutter members 33 and 73 are movably provided along the lower wall portion 31a and the upper wall portion 71a (opening portions 32 and 72) by mechanisms (not shown) that operate in conjunction with the attachment and detachment of the developing device 7, respectively. Yes. That is, the shutter member 33 of the developer supply device 30 is shown in FIGS. 4B and 5 between a closed state (FIG. 4) covering the opening 32 and an open state (FIG. 5) retracted from the opening 32. It is possible to move in the left-right direction of (B). Further, the shutter member 73 of the developing device 7 is also in a closed state (FIG. 4) covering the opening 72 and an open state (FIG. 5) retracted from the opening 72 (FIGS. 4B and 5B). ) Can be moved left and right. In the case of the present embodiment, the openings 32 and 72 are each formed in a substantially rectangular shape.

  The shutter member 73 of the developing device 7 includes a base portion 74 and an elastic portion 75. Of these, the base 74 is formed in a plate shape from a material having a predetermined rigidity such as plastic. The elastic portion 75 is provided on the upper wall portion 71a side (planar portion side) of the base portion 74, and is formed to face the peripheral portion of the opening portion 72 including the opening portion 72 of the upper wall portion 71a. In the case of this embodiment, since the opening 72 is formed in a substantially rectangular shape, the elastic portion 75 is formed in a rectangular shape having an area larger than the area of the opening 72.

  The elastic portion 75 includes a sponge portion (rubber portion) 75a having sufficient elasticity such as foam rubber, and a tape portion 75b having a sliding property such as a polyester seal covering the surface of the sponge portion 75a on the opening 72 side. It consists of. This is because materials such as foam rubber are generally not slidable, and when rubbed directly with the developer accommodating portion 71 as will be described later, breakage such as turning over or tearing of the sponge portion is likely to occur. Therefore, the tape part 75b is provided on the opening part 72 side of the sponge part 75a (that is, the side sliding with the accommodating part 71) to prevent the sponge part 75a from being broken or damaged.

  Further, the shutter member 73 is slidably disposed in a regulating portion 76 that is fixed to or integrally formed with the developer accommodating portion 71. The restricting portion 76 is formed in the accommodating portion 71 so as to cover the periphery of the opening 72. For this purpose, a cover wall 77 facing the upper wall portion 71a in which the opening 72 of the housing portion 71 is formed with a predetermined gap and a sliding direction of the shutter member 73 are arranged in parallel, and the cover wall 77 And a side wall 78 connecting the wall 71a. A shutter member 73 is slidably disposed between the upper wall portion 71 a and the cover wall 77.

  Further, the restricting portion 76 restricts the shutter member 73 from moving away from the upper wall portion 71a in the thickness direction (vertical direction in FIGS. 4 and 5) perpendicular to the upper surface of the upper wall portion 71a. For this purpose, for example, rails are provided on the inner surface of the side wall 78 of the restricting portion 76, and this rail is engaged with the side edge portion of the base portion 74 of the shutter member 73. The shutter 74 can be slid by the engagement between the base 74 and the rail, and the shutter member 73 is prevented from moving away from the upper wall 71a in the thickness direction, that is, displaced upward in FIGS. To do.

  Further, an intermediate opening 77 a having substantially the same size as the opening 72 is formed in a portion of the covering wall 77 that faces the opening 72. The intermediate opening 77a is also opposed to the opening 32 of the developer supply device 30 and has substantially the same size. When the shutter members 33 and 73 are opened, the opening 32, the intermediate opening 77a, and the opening 72 communicate with each other. The toner t1 is transferred through these openings.

  Further, the elastic portion 75 of the shutter member 73 is in the closed state shown in FIG. 4 between the base portion 74 that is restricted from being separated from the upper wall portion 71a by the restriction portion 76 and the peripheral portion of the opening portion 72 of the upper wall portion 71a. Elastically compressed between them, sealing the opening 72. That is, the elastic portion 75 has a thickness of H in a free state, and is compressed to a thickness h1 (<H) between the base portion 74 and the upper wall portion 71a.

  In the case of this embodiment, the developing device 7 may be transported alone as a toner cartridge or a process cartridge. Therefore, it is necessary to improve the sealing performance of the opening 72 in order to prevent scattering due to leakage of the two-component developer t2 during transportation and to prevent the internal developer t2 from being deteriorated by humidity. Therefore, the opening 72 of the developing device 7 is particularly sealed. However, the shutter member 33 that opens and closes the opening 32 of the developer supply device 30 may have the same configuration.

  For example, when the developing device 7 is pulled out in the direction opposite to the arrow α direction in FIG. 4B and removed from the device, the shutter members 33 and 73 configured as described above are linked with this operation. Respectively, and the openings 32 and 72 are closed. As a result, the toner t1 and the two-component developer t2 can be prevented from leaking, and the user's hand and the inside of the apparatus and the periphery of the apparatus can be prevented. On the other hand, when the developing device 7 is inserted in the direction opposite to the arrow β direction in FIG. 5B and mounted in the device, the shutter members 33 and 73 move in the arrow β direction in conjunction with this operation. The openings 32 and 72 are opened. As a result, the toner t1 can be supplied from the developer supply device 30 to the developing device 7.

<Detailed description of shutter member and opening>
The configuration in which the opening 72 is sealed by the shutter member 73 as described above will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5 and also FIGS. As described above, during the closing operation in which the shutter member 73 moves from the open state to the closed state, the first peripheral portion 80 downstream of the outer peripheral edge of the elastic portion 75 in the moving direction (arrow α direction) of the closing operation, and the opening Of the inner peripheral edge of the portion 72, the second peripheral edge 81 on the downstream side in the moving direction of the closing operation comes into contact. Here, the outer peripheral edge of the elastic portion 75 is a plurality (this embodiment) in which the lower surface facing the opening 72 of the elastic portion 75 and the outer surface (four surfaces in this embodiment) around the elastic portion 75 abut. Then there are four sides. Accordingly, the first peripheral edge 80 is a side downstream of the sides in the closing movement movement direction.

  In the case of the present embodiment, the second peripheral edge 81 (one peripheral edge) 81 of the opening 72 opens from the first peripheral edge 80 toward the first peripheral edge (the other peripheral edge) 80 in the moving direction. The guide surface 81a is inclined so as to be separated in the thickness direction. That is, for example, the guide surface 81a is inclined in a direction toward the lower side of the drawing as it goes to the right side of the drawing in FIG. Here, the inner peripheral edge of the opening 72 is a plurality of sides where the upper surface of the upper wall portion 71a facing the elastic portion 75 and the surrounding inner surface (four surfaces in the present embodiment) that form the opening 72 meet. And a plane (three sides and one plane in this embodiment). Among these, the second peripheral edge 81 is a downstream surface in the closing operation movement direction, and this surface serves as a guide surface 81a. The inclination angle of the guide surface 81a is preferably 30 ° to 60 °, more preferably 40 ° to 50 °, with respect to the upper surface of the upper wall portion 71a. In the present embodiment, the angle of the guide surface 81a is set to 45 °.

  The guide surface 81a may be a flat surface or a curved surface. Moreover, such a guide surface may be provided in the 1st peripheral part 80 of the elastic part 75, and may be provided in both the 1st peripheral part 80 and the 2nd peripheral part 81. FIG. In the case of providing the first peripheral edge 80, the first peripheral edge 80 is inclined so as to move away from the second peripheral edge 81 in the thickness direction toward the second peripheral edge 81.

  In the case of this embodiment, the width direction {for example, the vertical direction in FIG. 6 (A)} of the side surface downstream of the opening 72 including the second peripheral edge portion 81 in the closing operation movement direction is more central than the width direction both ends. It is curved so as to be located downstream in the moving direction of the closing operation. Specifically, both end portions in the width direction of the second peripheral edge portion 81 are linear portions 81b parallel to the width direction, and the central portion in the width direction of the second peripheral edge portion 81 is bent in a direction protruding downstream in the moving direction of the closing operation. The curved portion 81c is used. Then, both end portions of the curved portion 81c and the straight portion 81b are smoothly continued. Here, the width direction is a direction orthogonal to the moving direction and the thickness direction of the shutter member 73.

  The shape of the second peripheral edge 81 is not limited to that described above, and any shape may be used as long as the central portion in the width direction is located downstream of the both ends in the width direction in the moving direction of the closing operation of the shutter member 73. For example, the linear portion 81b may be inclined or curved in the direction toward the downstream of the closing movement movement direction toward the center and may be continued to the curved portion 81c, or may be inclined or curved without bending the central portion in the width direction. You may form so that the curved linear part 81b may face | abut.

  In any case, at least one of the first peripheral edge 80 of the elastic portion 75 and the second peripheral edge 81 of the opening 72 is set to the other peripheral edge with respect to the moving direction of the shutter member 73 in the open state. The guide surface is inclined so as to move away from the other peripheral edge in the thickness direction as it goes. In addition, the first peripheral edge 80 and the second peripheral edge 81 are arranged so that the center in the width direction of the first peripheral edge 80 and the second peripheral edge 81 is behind the both ends in the width direction during the closing operation. Configured to touch.

  This point will be described with reference to FIGS. 6 to 8 show the operation until the shutter member 73 is changed from the open state to the closed state. First, FIG. 6 shows a state in which the first peripheral edge 80 of the elastic portion 75 is close to the second peripheral edge 81 of the opening 72 while the shutter member 73 is being closed. The thickness h3 of the central portion in the width direction of the downstream portion of the elastic portion 75 at this time is substantially equal to the thickness H of the elastic portion 75 in the free state. On the other hand, both ends in the width direction of the downstream portion of the elastic portion 75 have a thickness h1 that is compressed by being sandwiched between the base portion 74 and the upper wall portion 71a. Further, the portion of the downstream portion of the elastic portion 75 that is closer to the center in the width direction has a thickness h2 that is slightly larger than the thickness h1 at both ends and smaller than the thickness h3 at the center due to the sandwiching at both ends. It has become. Therefore, the lower surface of the elastic portion 75 has a shape that is lifted upward from the center in the width direction toward the end in the width direction.

  In FIG. 7, the shutter member 73 moves further in the closing direction than in FIG. 6, and both end portions in the width direction of the first peripheral edge 80 of the elastic portion 75 are directed to the guide surface 81 a of the second peripheral edge 81 of the opening 72. The contact state is shown. The state of the 1st peripheral part 80 in the process used as the state of FIGS. 6-7 is demonstrated. First, both end portions in the width direction of the first peripheral edge portion 80 start to come into contact with the straight portions 81b at both end portions in the width direction of the second peripheral edge portion 81 (both end portions in the width direction of the guide surface 81a). Then, when the shutter member 73 further moves downstream in the closing operation movement direction, both end portions in the width direction of the first peripheral edge 80 are lifted along both end portions in the width direction of the guide surface 81a, and the width direction of the downstream portion of the elastic portion 75 The portions near the center in the width direction of both ends are elastically compressed to the thickness h2 ′. At this time, the width direction center part of the downstream part of the elastic part 75 does not contact | abut the width direction center part of the 1st peripheral part 80 with the 2nd peripheral part 81, but is thickness h3.

  In FIG. 8, the shutter member 73 moves further in the closing direction than in FIG. 7, and the central portion in the width direction of the first peripheral portion 80 of the elastic portion 75 is directed to the guide surface 81 a of the second peripheral portion 81 of the opening 72. The contact state is shown. The state of the 1st peripheral part 80 in the process used as the state of FIGS. 7-8 is demonstrated. First, the central portion in the width direction of the first peripheral portion 80 starts to contact the curved portion 81c (the central portion in the width direction of the guide surface 81a) at the central portion in the width direction of the second peripheral portion 81. At this time, both end portions in the width direction of the first peripheral edge portion 80 are guided by both end portions in the width direction of the guide surface 81a, and are further lifted from the state of FIG. Due to this influence, the central portion in the width direction of the first peripheral edge portion 80 also starts to be lifted upward. When the shutter member 73 further moves downstream in the closing operation movement direction, both end portions in the width direction of the first peripheral edge portion 80 reach the upper surface of the upper wall portion 71a, and the central portion in the width direction of the first peripheral edge portion 80 gradually increases from both sides. Are lifted along the guide surface 81a of the curved portion 81c. At this time, the thickness h3 ′ of the central portion in the width direction of the downstream portion of the elastic portion 75 is slightly larger than h1, and the lower surface of the central portion in the width direction of the downstream portion of the elastic portion 75 is slightly lower than the positions of both ends. Can be lifted up.

  When the shutter member 73 is further moved in the closing direction from the state shown in FIG. 8, the first peripheral edge 80 of the elastic portion 75 is guided by the central portion in the width direction of the guide surface 81a and reaches the upper surface of the upper wall portion 71a. Further, the elastic portion 75 abuts around the opening 72. Thereby, the sealing of the opening 72 by the shutter member 73 is completed.

  According to this embodiment, as described above, during the closing operation, the elastic portion 75 is elastic from both ends in the width direction near the portion compressed by the base 74 of the elastic portion 75 and the periphery of the opening 72. The elastic portion 75 is gradually compressed toward the central portion in the width direction, which is an uncompressed portion of the portion 75. That is, in the case of this embodiment, the first peripheral edge portion 80 of the elastic portion 75 is sequentially guided by the guide surface 81a from the both ends in the width direction to the center portion in the width direction during the closing operation. The lower surface of 75 can also act to be lifted up sequentially from both ends.

  Therefore, without reducing the inclination angle of the guide surface 81a, in other words, without increasing the length of the guide surface 81a, the transition from the free state to the compressed state of the downstream portion in the closing operation movement direction of the elastic portion 75 is smoothly performed. Can be done. And it can suppress that this part deform | transforms in a closed state. As a result, an increase in the size of the developer accommodating portion 71 can be suppressed, a decrease in the sealing performance of the opening 72 by the shutter member 73 can be suppressed, and developer deterioration due to scattering of the developer and humidity can be sufficiently suppressed.

[Second Embodiment]
A second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. In the present embodiment, the elastic portion 75A of the shutter member 73A is formed in a frame shape so as to face only the peripheral portion of the opening 72A of the upper wall portion 71a. In the case of this embodiment, when the shutter member 73A is opened, the inner peripheral edge of the elastic portion 75A and the inner peripheral edge of the opening 72A come into contact with each other. For this reason, it is configured as follows.

  During the opening operation in which the shutter member 73A moves from the closed state to the open state, among the inner peripheral edge of the frame-shaped elastic portion 75A, the third peripheral edge portion 82 upstream of the opening movement direction (arrow β direction), and the opening Of the inner peripheral edge of 72A, the fourth peripheral edge portion 83 on the downstream side in the movement direction of the opening operation comes into contact. Here, the inner peripheral edge of the elastic portion 75A is a plurality (this embodiment) in which the lower surface facing the opening 72A of the elastic portion 75A and the inner side surface (four surfaces in this embodiment) around the elastic portion 75A abut. Then there are four sides. Accordingly, the third peripheral edge portion 82 is an upstream side of these sides in the opening movement direction.

  In the case of the present embodiment, the fourth peripheral edge (one peripheral edge) 83 of the opening 72A closes from the third peripheral edge 82 toward the third peripheral edge (the other peripheral edge) 82 in the moving direction. The guide surface 83a is inclined so as to be separated in the thickness direction. The inclination angle of the guide surface 83a is preferably 30 ° to 60 ° with respect to the upper surface of the upper wall portion 71a, and more preferably 40 ° to 50 °. In the present embodiment, the angle of the guide surface 83a is set to 45 °.

  The guide surface 81a may be a flat surface or a curved surface. Such a guide surface may be provided on the third peripheral edge 82 of the elastic part 75 </ b> A, or may be provided on both the third peripheral edge 82 and the fourth peripheral edge 83. In the case of providing the third peripheral edge 82, the third peripheral edge 82 is inclined so as to move away from the fourth peripheral edge 83 in the thickness direction toward the fourth peripheral edge 83.

  Further, in the case of the present embodiment, the opening portion 72a including the fourth peripheral edge portion 83 has a side surface downstream in the opening operation movement direction, and the center portion in the width direction (vertical direction in FIG. 9) moves more in the opening operation than both ends in the width direction. It is curved to be located downstream in the direction. Specifically, both end portions in the width direction of the fourth peripheral edge portion 83 are straight portions 83b parallel to the width direction, and the central portion in the width direction of the fourth peripheral edge portion 83 is curved in a direction protruding downstream in the movement direction of the opening operation. The curved portion 83c is used. The both ends of the curved portion 83c and the straight portion 83b are smoothly continued. Here, the width direction is a direction orthogonal to the moving direction and the thickness direction of the shutter member 73A.

  The shape of the fourth peripheral edge portion 83 is not limited to that described above, and any shape may be used as long as the central portion in the width direction is located downstream of the both ends in the width direction in the movement direction of the opening operation of the shutter member 73A. For example, the linear portion 83b may be inclined or curved in the direction toward the downstream of the opening movement direction as it goes to the center, and may be continued to the curved portion 81c, or may be inclined or curved without bending the central portion in the width direction. You may form so that the curved linear part 83b may face | abut.

  In any case, at least one of the third peripheral edge 82 of the elastic portion 75A and the fourth peripheral edge 83 of the opening 72A is closed to the other peripheral edge in the moving direction of the shutter member 73A. The guide surface is inclined so as to move away from the other peripheral edge in the thickness direction as it goes. In addition, the third peripheral edge 82 and the fourth peripheral edge 83 are arranged so that the center in the width direction of the third peripheral edge 82 and the second peripheral edge 83 is similarly behind the both ends in the width direction during the opening operation. Configured to touch.

  The state of the opening operation of the third peripheral portion 82 and the fourth peripheral portion 83 configured as described above is the state of the closing operation of the first peripheral portion 80 and the second peripheral portion 81 of the first embodiment described above. Is the same. That is, in the opening operation, the elastic portion 75A is an uncompressed portion from both ends in the width direction close to the portion compressed by the base 74 of the elastic portion 75A and the periphery of the opening 72A. The elastic part 75 is gradually compressed toward the center in the width direction. That is, in the case of the present embodiment, when the opening operation is performed, the third peripheral edge 82 of the elastic portion 75A is guided in turn by the guide surface 83a from the both ends in the width direction to the center portion in the width direction. The lower surface of 75A can also act to be lifted in order from both ends.

  Therefore, without reducing the inclination angle of the guide surface 83a, in other words, without increasing the length of the guide surface 83a, the transition from the free state to the compressed state of the downstream portion in the opening movement direction of the elastic portion 75A is smoothly performed. Can be done. And it can suppress that this part deform | transforms in an open state. As a result, an increase in the size of the developer accommodating portion 71 can be suppressed. Other structures and operations are the same as those in the first embodiment.

[Third Embodiment]
A third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. In the case of this embodiment, as in the first embodiment described above, the elastic portion 75B of the shutter member 73B is formed so as to face the peripheral portion of the opening 72B including the opening 72B of the upper wall portion 71a. Yes. However, unlike the first embodiment, the shape of the side surface downstream in the closing operation movement direction including the first peripheral edge 80A of the elastic portion 75B is the closing operation of the shutter member 73B at the center in the width direction than at both ends in the width direction. It is located upstream of the moving direction (arrow α direction). Specifically, both end portions in the width direction of the first peripheral edge portion 80A are set as straight portions 80b parallel to the width direction, and the central portion in the width direction of the first peripheral edge portion 80A is curved in a direction protruding downstream in the movement direction of the opening operation. The curved portion 80c is used. Then, both end portions of the curved portion 80c and the straight portion 80b are smoothly continued. Here, the width direction is a direction orthogonal to the moving direction and the thickness direction of the shutter member 73B.

  The shape of the first peripheral edge 80A is not limited to that described above, and any shape may be used as long as the central portion in the width direction is located upstream of the both ends in the width direction in the moving direction of the closing operation of the shutter member 73B. For example, the linear portion 80b may be inclined or curved in the direction toward the upstream of the closing movement movement direction toward the center, and may be continued to the curved portion 80c, or may be inclined or curved without bending the central portion in the width direction. You may form so that the curved straight part 80b may face | abut.

  On the other hand, in the shape of the second peripheral edge 81A of the opening 72B, the positions in the movement direction of the central portion in the width direction and both ends in the width direction are the same, that is, parallel to the width direction. Further, the second peripheral edge 81A is used as a guide surface 81a.

  Also in the case of this embodiment, in the closing operation, the first peripheral edge portion 80A of the elastic portion 75B is sequentially guided to the guide surface 81a from the width direction both end portions to the width direction central portion, The lower surface of the elastic portion 75B can also act to be lifted up sequentially from both ends. Other structures and operations are the same as those in the first embodiment.

  In each of the above-described embodiments, the portion related to the shutter member 73 of the developing device 7 has been described. However, the present invention can also be applied to the portion related to the shutter member 33 of the developer supply device 30 as described above. is there. In addition, a developer recovery device that recovers the developer from the photosensitive drum 3 and the intermediate transfer belt (intermediate transfer member) 9, and a developer to which the developer is fed from an opening (discharge portion) of the developer recovery device The present invention can also be applied to a collection container. That is, the present invention can also be applied to a structure in which the shutter member is provided in each of the opening provided in the developer recovery device and the opening provided in the developer recovery container.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 3 ... Photosensitive drum (image carrier), 7 ... Developing apparatus, 30 ... Developer supply apparatus, 31, 71 ... Developer accommodating part, 31a ... Lower wall part (plane part) 71a ... Upper wall (planar part), 32, 72 ... Opening, 33, 73, 73A, 73B ... Shutter member, 74 ... Base, 75, 75A, 75B ... Elasticity Part, 76 ... regulating part, 80 ... first peripheral part, 81 ... second peripheral part, 81a ... guide surface, 82 ... third peripheral part, 83 ... fourth peripheral part Part 83, 83a ... guide surface, 90, 91 ... developer storage device

Claims (6)

A developer containing portion in which a developer is contained and an opening communicating with the inside is formed in the flat portion;
A shutter member movable along the planar portion between a closed state covering the opening and an open state retracted from the opening;
A restriction part for restricting the shutter member from separating from the flat part in a thickness direction orthogonal to the flat part, and
The shutter member is provided on the flat portion side of the base portion that is restricted from being separated from the flat portion by the restricting portion, and in the closed state, the flat surface of the peripheral portion of the base portion and the opening portion. An elastic part that is elastically compressed between the part and seals the opening,
Of the outer peripheral edge of the elastic part, the first peripheral part downstream in the moving direction of the closing operation in which the shutter member moves from the open state to the closed state, and the inner peripheral edge of the opening part, during the closing operation The second peripheral edge that is in contact with the first peripheral edge and is downstream in the movement direction of the closing operation is such that at least one of the peripheral edges approaches the other peripheral edge with respect to the movement direction in the open state. The guide surface is inclined so as to be separated from the peripheral edge portion in the thickness direction, and is orthogonal to the moving direction and the thickness direction of the first peripheral edge portion and the second peripheral edge portion during the closing operation. The width direction center part is configured to contact after the width direction both ends,
A developer accommodating device. The elastic portion is formed so as to face a peripheral portion of the opening including the opening of the flat portion.
The developer accommodating device according to claim 1, wherein: The elastic part is formed in a frame shape so as to face only the peripheral part of the opening part of the flat part,
The developer accommodating device according to claim 1, wherein: Of the inner peripheral edge of the frame-shaped elastic portion, the third peripheral edge upstream in the movement direction of the opening operation in which the shutter member moves from the closed state to the open state, and the inner peripheral edge of the opening, The fourth peripheral edge that is in contact with the third peripheral edge during operation and is downstream in the movement direction of the opening operation is such that at least one peripheral edge is directed toward the other peripheral edge in the closed state with respect to the moving direction. The guide surface inclined away from the other peripheral edge portion in the thickness direction, and the moving direction and the thickness direction of the third peripheral edge portion and the fourth peripheral edge portion during the opening operation The center in the width direction orthogonal to is also configured to abut after both ends in the width direction,
The developer accommodating device according to claim 3, wherein   An electrostatic latent image, comprising the developer accommodating device according to claim 1, formed on an image carrier by a developer supplied to the developer accommodating portion through the opening. Developing device for developing.   An electrostatic latent image comprising the developer accommodating device according to claim 1, wherein the developer accommodated in the developer accommodating portion is formed on the image carrier through the opening. A developer replenishing device for replenishing a developing device for developing the toner with a developer.

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