JP2012003210A - Toner discharge device, toner cartridge and image formation device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a toner discharge device, a toner cartridge and an image formation device with which the generation of lock phenomenon can be suppressed.SOLUTION: A toner discharge device 300 is provided with a discharge container 310 with an inlet port 311 and a discharge port 312, a rotational axis 322 provided in the discharge container 310, and a plurality of spiral blades formed of flexible material that is arranged continuously around the rotational axis 322 so that they form a spiral vane as a whole.

Description

  The present invention relates to a toner discharge device, a toner cartridge, and an image forming apparatus.

  An electrophotographic image forming apparatus mounted on a printer, a copier, or the like forms an image by developing with toner contained in a developing device. In the field of such an image forming apparatus, conventionally, a toner cartridge for supplying toner to a developing device is known. The toner cartridge is configured to replenish the toner contained in the toner cartridge into the developing device when the toner in the developing device is consumed and reduced due to image formation.

  For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a storage container for storing toner, a discharge container extending to the storage container and provided with a discharge port for discharging the toner, and transporting the toner in the storage container into the discharge container. A toner cartridge including a discharge member that discharges from an outlet is described.

  Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-228561 describes a discharge device that includes a discharge container provided with a discharge port for discharging toner, and a discharge member that discharges toner in the discharge container from the discharge port. The discharge member described in Patent Document 2 includes a rotation shaft and two spiral blades surrounding the rotation shaft, and the two spiral blades are configured such that the toner transport directions are opposite to each other.

JP 2006-235255 A JP 2008-32769 A

  Generally, when a toner cartridge is transported or left for a long time, the fluidity of the toner in the toner cartridge decreases. In the toner cartridge described in Patent Document 1, when the fluidity of the toner is lowered, the toner becomes difficult to be discharged from the discharge port, and is compressed by being sandwiched between the discharge member and the inner wall surface of the discharge container. When the toner is compressed, a torque (hereinafter referred to as “driving torque”) required to rotationally drive the discharge member at a constant rotational speed increases, and a drive unit such as a motor connected to the discharge member This is larger than the torque applied to the discharge member. As a result, a lock phenomenon occurs in which the rotation of the discharge member stops.

  In the discharge device described in Patent Document 2, since the two spiral blades are configured so that the toner conveying directions are opposite to each other, the toner is sandwiched and compressed between the two spiral blades. become. Therefore, like the toner cartridge described in Patent Document 1, the driving torque increases and a lock phenomenon occurs.

  SUMMARY An advantage of some aspects of the invention is to provide a toner discharge device, a toner cartridge, and an image forming apparatus that can suppress the occurrence of a lock phenomenon.

The present invention includes an outlet for receiving toner, and an outlet container provided with an outlet for discharging toner,
A discharge member provided in the discharge container,
A rotation axis;
The toner in the discharge container is provided around the rotation shaft, and in a discharge direction that is a direction from the receiving port toward the discharge port in an axial direction of the rotation shaft by a rotational motion accompanying rotation of the rotation shaft. And a discharge member including the discharge blade,
The discharge vane is composed of a plurality of spiral blade pieces formed of a flexible material, and the plurality of spiral blade pieces are continuously arranged so as to form a spiral blade as a whole. And a toner discharge device.

  The present invention is characterized in that the spiral blade piece of the discharge blade is configured to be easily deformed at a predetermined portion.

Further, the present invention includes a fixing plate in which the discharge blade is fixed along the main surface of the spiral blade piece,
The fixed plate is configured such that the distance from the axis of the rotating shaft to the outer peripheral portion of the fixed plate increases as it goes downstream in the discharge direction.
An outer diameter of the spiral blade piece is configured to be larger than a maximum value of a distance from an axis of the rotation shaft to an outer peripheral portion of the fixed plate.

  Further, the present invention is characterized in that the spiral blade piece has a fold portion formed so that the distance from the axis of the rotating shaft increases toward the downstream side in the discharge direction.

In the invention, it is preferable that the flexible material is an elastic sponge.
The present invention also provides the toner discharge device;
A storage container for storing toner;
A transport container provided with a transport port for transporting toner to the discharge container;
A pumping member provided in the storage container, for pumping the toner in the storage container into the transport container;
A transport member provided in the transport container, the transport member configured to transport the toner in the transport container toward the transport port;
The toner container is characterized in that the discharge container and the transport container are continuously provided so that the toner in the transport container can move to the discharge container through the transport port and the receiving port.

The present invention also provides an electrophotographic image forming apparatus including a developing device.
An image forming apparatus comprising the toner cartridge as a toner cartridge for supplying toner to the developing device.

  According to the present invention, the discharge blade is constituted by a plurality of spiral blade pieces formed of a flexible material. Therefore, the discharge blade is easily deformed upstream in the discharge direction by receiving a drag force in the direction opposite to the discharge direction from the toner. Thereby, excessive compression of the toner can be suppressed, and the toner can be easily discharged from the discharge port. As a result, the occurrence of the lock phenomenon can be suppressed.

  Further, according to the present invention, the spiral blade piece is easily deformed at a predetermined portion. Thereby, since the spiral blade piece is stably deformed, the occurrence of the lock phenomenon can be suppressed stably.

  Moreover, according to this invention, the spiral blade piece which comprises a discharge blade becomes easy to deform | transform in the boundary part of the part which opposes a fixing plate, and the part which does not oppose. The fixed plate is configured such that the distance from the axis of the rotation shaft to the outer peripheral portion of the fixed plate increases toward the downstream side in the discharge direction. Therefore, the spiral blade piece constituting the discharge blade is more easily displaced upstream in the discharge direction than in the downstream portion in the discharge direction. Therefore, the spiral blade piece constituting the discharge blade can be smoothly deformed by the relative flow of the toner with respect to the spiral blade piece.

  Moreover, according to this invention, the spiral blade piece which comprises a discharge blade has a crease | fold part formed so that the distance from the axis line of a rotating shaft may become large as it goes to the discharge direction downstream. Therefore, the spiral blade piece constituting the discharge blade is more easily displaced upstream in the discharge direction than in the downstream portion in the discharge direction. Therefore, the spiral blade piece constituting the discharge blade can be smoothly deformed by the relative flow of the toner with respect to the spiral blade piece.

  Moreover, according to this invention, the flexible material which is the material of the spiral blade piece which comprises a discharge blade is an elastic sponge. As a result, the toner can be transported and discharged while reducing an excessive load on the toner.

  According to the invention, the toner cartridge includes the toner discharge device. As a result, the occurrence of the lock phenomenon can be suppressed.

  According to the invention, since the image forming apparatus includes the toner cartridge, the toner can be replenished to the developing device stably for a long period of time. Therefore, the image forming apparatus according to the present invention can form an image stably for a long period of time.

1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a configuration of a multifunction machine 100. FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a toner cartridge unit 260. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating an internal configuration of a toner cartridge 200. FIG. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the toner cartridge 200 taken along line AA in FIG. 3. It is a figure for demonstrating the general spiral blade surface of 1 period. 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating an internal configuration of a toner discharge device 300. FIG. The discharge direction H ₁ is a diagram representing the discharge vane 321 when viewed discharge member 320 from a position spaced apart in the opposite direction. It is a figure for demonstrating the cone-shaped general spiral blade surface of 1 period. It is a figure which shows the mode of a deformation | transformation of a general spiral blade piece. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating an internal configuration of a toner discharge device 400. FIG. The discharge direction H ₁ is a diagram representing the discharge vane 421 when viewed discharge member 420 from a position spaced apart in the opposite direction.

  First, the multifunction peripheral 100 including the toner discharge device 300 according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a configuration of the multifunction peripheral 100. The multifunction device 100 has a copying function, a printer function, and a facsimile function, and forms a full-color or monochrome image on a recording medium in accordance with transmitted image information. The multi-function device 100 has three types of printing modes, ie, a copier mode (copy mode), a printer mode, and a facsimile mode. A print mode is selected by a control unit (not shown) in response to reception of a print job from an external device using the memory device.

  The multi-function device 100 includes a toner image forming unit 20, a transfer unit 30, a fixing unit 40, a recording medium supply unit 50, a discharge unit 60, and a control unit unit (not shown). The toner image forming unit 20 includes photosensitive drums 21b, 21c, 21m, and 21y, charging units 22b, 22c, 22m, and 22y, an exposure unit 23, developing devices 24b, 24c, 24m, and 24y, a cleaning unit 25b, 25c, 25m, 25y and toner cartridges 200b, 200c, 200m, 200y. The toner cartridges 200b, 200c, 200m, and 200y are provided as a toner cartridge unit 260. The toner cartridge unit 260 will be described later. The transfer unit 30 includes an intermediate transfer belt 31, a driving roller 32, a driven roller 33, intermediate transfer rollers 34 b, 34 c, 34 m and 34 y, a transfer belt cleaning unit 35, and a transfer roller 36.

  The photosensitive drum 21, the charging unit 22, the developing device 24, the cleaning unit 25, the toner cartridge 200, and the intermediate transfer roller 34 are black (b), cyan (c), magenta (m), and magenta included in the color image information. In order to correspond to the image information of each color of yellow (y), four each are provided. In this specification, when distinguishing each member provided by four according to each color, an alphabet representing each color is added to the end of a number representing each member as a reference symbol, and when each member is collectively referred to Only numerals representing each member are used as reference numerals.

  The photosensitive drum 21 is supported by a drive unit (not shown) so as to be rotatable about an axis, and includes a conductive substrate (not shown) and a photoconductive layer formed on the surface of the conductive substrate. The conductive substrate can take various shapes, and examples thereof include a cylindrical shape, a columnar shape, and a thin film sheet shape. The photoconductive layer is formed of a material that exhibits conductivity when irradiated with light. As the photosensitive drum 21, for example, a cylindrical member (conductive base) formed of aluminum, and amorphous silicon (a-Si), selenium (Se), formed on the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical member, Alternatively, a film including a thin film (photoconductive layer) made of an organic optical semiconductor (OPC) can be used.

  The charging unit 22, the developing device 24, and the cleaning unit 25 are arranged in this order around the rotation direction of the photosensitive drum 21. The charging unit 22 is disposed below the developing device 24 and the cleaning unit 25 in the vertical direction.

  The charging unit 22 is a device that charges the surface of the photosensitive drum 21 to a predetermined polarity and potential. The charging unit 22 is installed along the longitudinal direction of the photosensitive drum 21 at a position facing the photosensitive drum 21. In the case of the contact charging method, the charging unit 22 is installed in contact with the surface of the photosensitive drum 21. In the case of the non-contact charging method, the charging unit 22 is installed so as to be separated from the surface of the photosensitive drum 21.

  The charging unit 22 is installed around the photosensitive drum 21 together with the developing device 24, the cleaning unit 25, and the like. The charging unit 22 is preferably installed at a position closer to the photosensitive drum 21 than the developing device 24, the cleaning unit 25, and the like. As a result, it is possible to reliably prevent the charging failure of the photosensitive drum 21.

  As the charging unit 22, a brush-type charging device, a roller-type charging device, a corona discharge device, an ion generation device, or the like can be used. The brush type charging device and the roller type charging device are contact charging type charging devices. As the brush type charging device, there are a type using a charging brush and a type using a magnetic brush. The corona discharge device and the ion generator are non-contact charging devices. Corona discharge devices include those using wire-like discharge electrodes, those using sawtooth discharge electrodes, and those using needle-like discharge electrodes.

  The exposure unit 23 is arranged so that light emitted from the exposure unit 23 passes between the charging unit 22 and the developing device 24 and is irradiated on the surface of the photosensitive drum 21. The exposure unit 23 irradiates the charged surface of the photosensitive drums 21b, 21c, 21m, and 21y with laser beams corresponding to the image information of the respective colors, so that each of the photosensitive drums 21b, 21c, 21m, and 21y is exposed. An electrostatic latent image corresponding to the image information of each color is formed on the surface. As the exposure unit 23, for example, a laser scanning unit (LSU) including a laser irradiation unit and a plurality of reflection mirrors can be used. As the exposure unit 23, an LED (Light Emitting Diode) array, a unit in which a liquid crystal shutter and a light source are appropriately combined, or the like may be used.

  The developing device 24 includes a developing tank and a toner supply pipe 250. The developing tank contains toner in its internal space. A developing roller, a first conveying screw, and a second conveying screw are rotatably supported in the developing tank. An opening is formed in a side surface of the developing tank facing the photosensitive drum 21, and a developing roller is provided at a position facing the photosensitive drum 21 through the opening.

  The developing roller is a member that supplies toner to the electrostatic latent image on the surface of the photosensitive drum 21 at the closest portion to the photosensitive drum 21. When supplying the toner, a potential having a polarity opposite to the charging potential of the toner is applied to the surface of the developing roller as a developing bias voltage (developing bias). As a result, the toner on the surface of the developing roller is smoothly supplied to the electrostatic latent image. By changing the value of the developing bias, the amount of toner (toner adhesion amount) supplied to the electrostatic latent image can be controlled.

  The first conveying screw is a member that faces the developing roller and supplies toner around the developing roller. The second conveying screw is a member that faces the first conveying screw and supplies the toner newly supplied into the developing tank via the toner supply pipe 250 to the periphery of the first conveying screw.

  The toner supply pipe 250 is provided so that a toner replenishing port provided at a lower portion in the vertical direction and a toner receiving port provided at an upper portion in the vertical direction of the developing tank are connected. The toner supply pipe 250 supplies the toner supplied from the toner cartridge 200 to the developing tank. As another embodiment, the toner supply pipe 250 may not be used, and the toner may be directly supplied from each color toner cartridge 200 to the developing tank.

  A toner concentration detection sensor is provided on the bottom surface of the developing tank. The toner concentration detection sensor detects the toner concentration in the developing tank. As the toner concentration detection sensor, a general toner concentration detection sensor can be used, and examples thereof include a transmitted light detection sensor, a reflected light detection sensor, and a magnetic permeability detection sensor. Among these, a magnetic permeability detection sensor is preferable.

  The toner concentration detection sensor is electrically connected to the toner concentration control unit. When the toner density control unit determines that the toner density value detected by the toner density detection sensor is lower than a predetermined set value, the toner density control unit rotationally drives a discharge member 320 (to be described later) in the toner cartridge 200 to remove the toner in the toner cartridge 200 from the developing tank. Control to supply inside.

  The cleaning unit 25 is a member that removes the toner remaining on the surface of the photosensitive drum 21 after the toner image is transferred from the photosensitive drum 21 to the intermediate transfer belt 31 and cleans the surface of the photosensitive drum 21. . As the cleaning unit 25, for example, a plate-like member for scraping off toner and a container-like member for collecting the scraped toner are used.

  According to the toner image forming unit 20, the surface of the photosensitive drum 21 that is uniformly charged by the charging unit 22 is irradiated with laser light corresponding to image information from the exposure unit 23 to form an electrostatic latent image. . A toner image is formed by supplying toner from the developing device 24 to the electrostatic latent image on the photosensitive drum 21. This toner image is transferred to an intermediate transfer belt 31 described later. After the toner image is transferred to the intermediate transfer belt 31, the toner remaining on the surface of the photosensitive drum 21 is removed by the cleaning unit 25.

  The intermediate transfer belt 31 is an endless belt-like member that is disposed above the photosensitive drum 21 in the vertical direction. The intermediate transfer belt 31 is stretched by the driving roller 32 and the driven roller 33 to form a loop-shaped path, and moves in the direction of the arrow B1.

  The drive roller 32 is provided so as to be rotatable around its axis by a drive unit (not shown). The drive roller 32 moves the intermediate transfer belt 31 in the direction of the arrow B1 by its rotation. The driven roller 33 is provided so as to be able to rotate following the rotation of the driving roller 32, and generates a certain tension on the intermediate transfer belt 31 so that the intermediate transfer belt 31 does not loosen.

  The intermediate transfer roller 34 is provided in pressure contact with the photosensitive drum 21 via the intermediate transfer belt 31 and rotatable about its axis by a drive unit (not shown). As the intermediate transfer roller 34, for example, a metal (for example, stainless steel) roller having a diameter of 8 mm to 10 mm on which a conductive elastic member is formed can be used. The intermediate transfer roller 34 is connected to a power source (not shown) for applying a transfer bias, and has a function of transferring the toner image on the surface of the photosensitive drum 21 to the intermediate transfer belt 31.

  The transfer roller 36 is provided in pressure contact with the drive roller 32 via the intermediate transfer belt 31 and is rotatable about an axis by a drive unit (not shown). At the pressure contact portion (transfer nip portion) between the transfer roller 36 and the drive roller 32, the toner image carried and conveyed by the intermediate transfer belt 31 is transferred to a recording medium fed from a recording medium supply unit 50 described later. The

  The transfer belt cleaning unit 35 is provided so as to face the driven roller 33 through the intermediate transfer belt 31 and to be in contact with the toner image carrying surface of the intermediate transfer belt 31. The transfer belt cleaning unit 35 is provided for removing and collecting the toner on the surface of the intermediate transfer belt 31 after the toner image is transferred to the recording medium. If toner remains on the intermediate transfer belt 31 after the toner image is transferred to the recording medium, the residual toner may adhere to the transfer roller 36 due to the movement of the intermediate transfer belt 31. When toner adheres to the transfer roller 36, the toner contaminates the back surface of the recording medium to be transferred next.

  According to the transfer unit 30, when the intermediate transfer belt 31 moves while being in contact with the photosensitive drum 21, a transfer bias having a polarity opposite to the charging polarity of the toner on the surface of the photosensitive drum 21 is applied to the intermediate transfer roller 34. The toner image formed on the surface of the photosensitive drum 21 is transferred onto the intermediate transfer belt 31. The toner images of the respective colors respectively formed on the photosensitive drum 21y, the photosensitive drum 21m, the photosensitive drum 21c, and the photosensitive drum 21b are sequentially transferred onto the intermediate transfer belt 31 in this order, thereby transferring full color. A toner image is formed. The toner image transferred to the intermediate transfer belt 31 is conveyed to the transfer nip portion by the movement of the intermediate transfer belt 31, and transferred to the recording medium at the transfer nip portion. The recording medium on which the toner image is transferred is conveyed to a fixing unit 40 described later.

  The recording medium supply unit 50 includes a paper feed box 51, pickup rollers 52 a and 52 b, transport rollers 53 a and 53 b, registration rollers 54, and a paper feed tray 55. The paper feed box 51 is a container-like member that is provided at a lower portion in the vertical direction of the multifunction peripheral 100 and stores a recording medium inside the multifunction peripheral 100. The paper feed tray 55 is a tray-like member that is provided on the outer wall surface of the multifunction peripheral 100 and stores a recording medium outside the multifunction peripheral 100. Examples of the recording medium include plain paper, color copy paper, overhead projector sheet, and postcard.

  The pickup roller 52a is a member that takes out recording media stored in the paper feed box 51 one by one and feeds it to the paper transport path A1. The transport rollers 53a are a pair of roller-like members provided so as to be in pressure contact with each other, and transport the recording medium toward the registration rollers 54 in the paper transport path A1. The pickup roller 52b is a member that takes out the recording medium stored in the paper feed tray 55 one by one and feeds it to the paper transport path A2. The transport rollers 53b are a pair of roller-like members provided so as to be in pressure contact with each other, and transport the recording medium toward the registration rollers 54 in the paper transport path A2.

  The registration rollers 54 are a pair of roller-like members provided so as to come into pressure contact with each other, and the toner image carried on the intermediate transfer belt 31 is conveyed to the transfer nip portion of the recording medium fed from the conveyance rollers 53a and 53b. In synchronization with this, the sheet is fed to the transfer nip portion.

  According to the recording medium supply unit 50, the recording medium is transferred from the paper feed box 51 or the paper feed tray 55 to the transfer nip portion in synchronization with the toner image carried on the intermediate transfer belt 31 being conveyed to the transfer nip portion. Then, the toner image is transferred to the recording medium.

  The fixing unit 40 includes a heating roller 41 and a pressure roller 42. The heating roller 41 is controlled to have a predetermined fixing temperature. The pressure roller 42 is a roller that is in pressure contact with the heating roller 41. The heating roller 41 nips the recording medium together with the pressure roller 42 while heating, thereby melting and fixing the toner constituting the toner image on the recording medium. The recording medium on which the toner image is fixed is conveyed to a discharge unit 60 described later.

  The discharge unit 60 includes a conveyance roller 61, a discharge roller 62, and a discharge tray 63. The conveyance roller 61 is a pair of roller-like members provided so as to be in pressure contact with each other in the vertical direction above the fixing unit 40. The conveyance roller 61 conveys the recording medium on which the image is fixed toward the discharge roller 62.

  The discharge roller 62 is a pair of roller-like members provided so as to be in pressure contact with each other. In the case of single-sided printing, the discharge roller 62 discharges the recording medium on which single-sided printing has been completed to the discharge tray 63. In the case of duplex printing, the discharge roller 62 conveys the recording medium on which single-sided printing has been completed to the registration roller 54 via the paper conveyance path A <b> 3, and discharges the recording medium on which duplex printing has been completed to the discharge tray 63. The discharge tray 63 is provided on the upper surface in the vertical direction of the multifunction peripheral 100 and stores a recording medium on which an image is fixed.

  The multi function device 100 includes a control unit (not shown). The control unit unit is provided, for example, at an upper part in the vertical direction in the internal space of the multifunction peripheral 100, and includes a storage unit, a calculation unit, and a control unit. In the storage unit, various setting values via an operation panel (not shown) arranged on the upper surface in the vertical direction of the multifunction device 100, detection results from sensors (not shown) arranged at various locations inside the multifunction device 100, Image information and the like are input. A program for executing various processes is written in the storage unit. Examples of the various processes include a recording medium determination process, an adhesion amount control process, and a fixing condition control process.

  As the storage unit, those commonly used in this field can be used, and examples thereof include a read only memory (ROM), a random access memory (RAM), and a hard disk drive (HDD). As the external device, an electronic device that can form or acquire image information and can be electrically connected to the multifunction peripheral 100 can be used. For example, a computer, a digital camera, a television receiver, a video recorder, a DVD ( Digital Versatile Disc), HDDVD (High-Definition Digital Versatile Disc) recorder, Blu-ray disc recorder, facsimile device, portable terminal device, and the like can be mentioned.

  The calculation unit retrieves various data (image formation command, detection result, image information, etc.) written in the storage unit and various processing programs, and performs various determinations. The control unit performs operation control by sending a control signal to each device provided in the multifunction peripheral 100 according to the determination result of the calculation unit.

  The control unit and the calculation unit include a processing circuit realized by a microcomputer, a microprocessor, or the like provided with a central processing unit (CPU). The control unit unit includes a main power source together with the processing circuit, and the power source supplies power not only to the control unit unit but also to each device provided in the multifunction peripheral 100.

  Next, the toner cartridge unit 260 will be described. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the toner cartridge unit 260. The toner cartridge unit 260 includes toner cartridges 200b, 200c, 200m, and 200y, and a toner cartridge mounting table 261. The toner cartridge mounting table 261 includes a lock lever 262 configured to be angularly displaceable and a stopper plate 263. Each toner cartridge 200 is fixed to the toner cartridge mounting table 261 by the angular displacement of the lock lever 262 toward the stopper plate 263 while the toner cartridge 200 is mounted on the toner cartridge mounting table 261.

  FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating an internal configuration of the toner cartridge 200. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the toner cartridge 200 taken along line AA in FIG. The toner cartridge 200 includes a toner discharge device 300, a storage container 210, a transport container 220, a pumping member 211, a transport member 221, and a conductive member 230, and replenishes toner to the developing device 24.

  The storage container 210 is a container-like member having a substantially semi-cylindrical internal space. The storage container 210 accommodates toner in the internal space and is provided with a pumping member 211.

  The pumping member 211 includes a rotating shaft 211a, a base body 211b, and a sliding portion 211c. The rotation shaft 211 a is a columnar member that extends along the longitudinal direction of the storage container 210. The base body 211b is a flat plate-like member extending along the longitudinal direction of the storage container 210, and is attached to the rotating shaft 211a at the center in the width direction and the thickness direction. The sliding portion 211c is a flexible member that is attached to both ends in the width direction of the base body 211b, and is formed of, for example, polyethylene terephthalate (PET).

Scooping member 211 is connected to a driving unit, not shown, by a torque applied from the drive unit, the rotation shaft 211a is rotated in the rotation direction G ₁ of its axis. Rotary shaft 211a is accompanied to rotate in the rotation direction _{G 1,} the substrate 211b is rotated motion about the axis of the rotating shaft 211a, whereby the sliding portion 211c provided at both widthwise ends of the base 211b is a storage vessel By rubbing the inner wall surface of 210, the toner in the storage container 210 is pumped up to the transport container 220.

The transport container 220 is a container-like member having a substantially semi-cylindrical internal space, and the internal space is provided so as to communicate with the internal space of the storage container 210. The wall of the transport container 220 is provided with a transport port 222 that is an opening for transporting the toner supplied by the pumping member 211 to the toner discharge device 300. A transport member 221 is provided in the transport container 220. The conveyance member 221 includes a conveyance blade 221a and a conveyance shaft 221b. Conveying member 221 by the conveying shaft 221b is rotated in the rotation direction G ₂ of its axis, the toner in the transport container 220 is a member for conveying the transfer opening 222.

  The conveyance shaft 221b is a columnar member having an outer diameter of 3 mm to 10 mm. The conveyance shaft 221b is formed of a material such as polyethylene, polypropylene, high impact polystyrene, ABS resin (acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene copolymer synthetic resin), for example.

  The conveyance blade 221a is provided around the conveyance shaft 221b. The conveyance blade 221a is formed of a material such as polyethylene, polypropylene, high impact polystyrene, or ABS resin, for example. The transport blade 221a rotates around the axis of the transport shaft 221b as the transport shaft 221b rotates, thereby transporting the toner in the transport container 220 toward the transport port 222.

  In the present embodiment, the conveying blade 221a is composed of a series of general spiral blades. In the present invention, the “general spiral blade” is generally a blade portion of a so-called auger screw, and more specifically, is a member having a predetermined thickness with a later-described general spiral blade surface as a main surface. The general spiral blade constituting the conveyance blade 221a is provided around the conveyance shaft 221b at the inner peripheral portion thereof. Here, the inner peripheral portion of the general spiral blade constituting the conveying blade 221a is a portion closest to the axis of the conveying shaft 221b on the general spiral blade surface, and the outer periphery of the general spiral blade constituting the conveying blade 221a. The portion is a portion that is the farthest from the conveying shaft 221b on the general spiral blade surface. The shape of the general spiral blade surface is such that the inner periphery and the outer periphery thereof are different virtual general spirals, and will be described in detail later.

  In the present invention, the “spiral line” is a continuous space curve on the side surface of the virtual cylinder, and the axis of the virtual cylinder progresses in one of the circumferential directions of the virtual cylinder. It is a space curve that proceeds in one of the directions. When viewed in one of the axial directions of the virtual cylinder, the spiral advances in one direction of the axial direction of the virtual cylinder, When proceeding in the clockwise direction, it is referred to as a clockwise spiral, and when proceeding in the counterclockwise direction, it is referred to as a counterclockwise spiral. Further, among the spirals, a spiral having a constant lead angle at all points on the spiral is particularly referred to as a “general spiral”. Here, an angle formed by a tangent of the spiral at a certain point on the spiral and a straight line formed by projecting the tangent to a plane perpendicular to the axial direction of the virtual cylinder surrounding the spiral, This is the “lead angle” at that point. The lead angle is an angle larger than 0 ° and smaller than 90 °.

  The space | interval of the spiral in the axial direction of the said virtual cylinder is called "lead." In a general spiral of one cycle or more, the lead angle is constant, so the lead is also constant. Below, the lead of the general spiral of the outer peripheral part of the general spiral blade surface which is the main surface of the general spiral blade is referred to as the lead of the outer peripheral part of the general spiral blade.

In the present invention, the “general spiral blade surface” refers to one general spiral C ₁ (hereinafter, the lead angle is constant at θ ₁ ) on the side of the virtual cylinder K ₁ (hereinafter, the radius is r ₁ ). along to), while maintaining the single line L ₁ that is outside the virtual cylinder K _1, length m ₁ of the line segment L ₁ in the radial direction of the virtual cylinder K _1, and the mounting angle α This is a surface formed by the locus of the line segment L ₁ when moved in one direction D ₁ parallel to the axis of the virtual cylinder K ₁ . Here, the "attachment angle α" In one plane including the axis and the line segment L ₁ of the virtual cylinder K _1, a line segment L _1, the contact point between the line segment L ₁ and the virtual cylinder K ₁ a half line extending in the direction D _1, comprising an angle of a 180 ° angle of less than greater than 0 °.

Hereinafter, as an example of the general spiral blade surface, a general spiral blade surface (referred to as “one cycle general spiral blade surface” when the line segment is moved along one cycle portion of the general spiral is referred to as another cycle. The same applies to. FIG. 5 is a view for explaining a general spiral blade surface of one cycle. 5 (a) is a side surface of the virtual cylinder K _1, and clockwise general spiral C ₁ on the side of the imaginary circular column K _1, line moves a general spiral C ₁ on one direction D ₁ L ₁ start position and end position. 5 line L ₁ of the most shown in the lower side in the plane of the (a) shows the starting position for the movement, the line segment L ₁ shown in the uppermost side indicates the end position. As shown in FIG. 5 (a), the length m ₁ of the segment L ₁ in the radial direction of the virtual cylinder K _1, the attachment angle alpha while keeping constant the (In FIG. 5 α = 90 °), typically threaded in one direction _{D 1} along the line _{C 1,} when moving the segment _{L 1,} the trajectory of the line segment _{L 1} will generally spiral blade surface _{n 1} shown in Figure 5 (b). Surface indicated by the hatched portion in FIG. 5 (b) is a general spiral blade surface n _1.

As shown in FIG. 5 (b), the outer peripheral portion of the general spiral blade surface n ₁ is the virtual cylinder K ₁ and clockwise general spiral the axis proceeds matching virtual side above the cylinder K ₂ in one direction D ₁ It becomes. Radius _{R 1} of the virtual cylinder _{K 2} is the radius _{r 1} of the virtual cylinder _{K 1,} and the length _{m 1} of the segment _{L 1} in the radial direction of the virtual cylinder _{K 1,} equal to the sum of.

A member having such a general spiral blade surface as a main surface is a general spiral blade. When configuring the conveying blade 221a as in this embodiment, the general spiral blade is configured so that the diameter 2r ₁ virtual cylinder K ₁ is equal to the outer diameter of the conveying shaft 221b. The general spiral blade constituting the conveying blade 221a is generally spiral blade surface n ₁ is provided such that the transfer port 222 side in the axial direction of the transport axis 221b, the transfer port of the toner by the general spiral blade surface n ₁ It is provided so as to be conveyed toward 222. Here, in this embodiment, the rotation direction G ₂ of the conveying shaft 221b, when viewed in a direction from the transfer container 220 to the toner discharging device 300, a left-handed. Therefore, in order to by the general spiral blade surface n ₁ is conveyed toward the transfer port 222 of the toner, general spiral blade constituting the conveying blade 221a, when moving the segment along a generally spiral clockwise It is necessary to be a member whose main surface is the formed general spiral blade surface, that is, a clockwise general spiral blade.

At this time, the value of twice the distance between the inner peripheral part of the general spiral blade constituting the transport blade 221a and the axis of the transport shaft 221b, that is, the inner diameter of the general spiral blade constituting the transport blade 221a is 2r _1. Thus, the value of twice the distance between the outer periphery of the general spiral blade constituting the transport blade 221a and the axis of the transport shaft 221b, that is, the outer diameter of the general spiral blade constituting the transport blade 221a is 2r ₁ + 2m ₁ Become. The length m ₁ can be set as appropriate within a range of 5 mm to 20 mm, for example. For example, the attachment angle α does not have to be 90 °, and can be set as appropriate within a range of 30 ° to 150 °. Lead angle theta _1, for example can be appropriately set within a range of 20 ° to 70 °. The lead _{m 2} of the outer circumferential portion of the general spiral blade constituting the conveying blade 221a, for example can be appropriately set within a range of 10 mm to 30 mm.

  In the present embodiment, the conveying blade 221a is a general spiral blade having a general spiral blade surface of 14 cycles, and the thickness of the general spiral blade is uniform at 1.5 mm. The period and thickness of the general spiral blade can also be appropriately set according to the toner conveyance speed, the size of the toner cartridge 200, and the like. For example, the thickness of the general spiral blade constituting the conveying blade 221a can be set as appropriate within a range of 1 mm to 3 mm.

  In the present embodiment, the transport blade 221a is a continuous general spiral blade, but as another embodiment, the transport blade 221a may be a plurality of general spiral blades spaced at a predetermined interval. .

  FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram illustrating an internal configuration of the toner discharge device 300. The toner discharge device 300 includes a discharge container 310, a discharge member 320, and a shutter member 330. The discharge container 310 is a container-like member having a cylindrical inner space, and is provided with a receiving port 311 that is an opening for receiving toner. The discharge container 310 and the transport container 220 are provided so that the toner in the transport container 220 can move into the discharge container 310 via the transport port 222 and the receiving port 311. That is, the internal space of the transport container 220 and the internal space of the discharge container 310 communicate with each other. The discharge container 310 and the transport container 220 may be configured as an integral unit or may be configured to be detachable.

  Further, the discharge container 310 is an opening for discharging the toner to at least a part of the wall portion of the discharge container 310 surrounding the discharge member 320 along the axial direction of the discharge member 320. A discharge port 312 is provided. In the present embodiment, the discharge port 312 is provided in the wall portion of the discharge container 310 on the lower side in the vertical direction. In the present embodiment, the opening of the discharge port 312 has a substantially rectangular shape.

  The shutter member 330 is slidably provided below the discharge port 312 in the vertical direction. In the process in which the toner cartridge 200 is mounted on the toner cartridge mounting table 261, the shutter member 330 slides in a substantially horizontal direction by coming into contact with the toner supply pipe 250, thereby opening the discharge port 312.

  The discharge member 320 is a member that is provided in the discharge container 310 and discharges the toner that has entered the discharge container 310 from the receiving port 311 from the discharge port 312. The toner discharged from the discharge port 312 is supplied to the developing device 24 via the toner supply pipe 250.

  The discharge member 320 includes a rotation shaft 322 and a discharge blade 321. The rotating shaft 322 is formed from materials such as polyethylene, polypropylene, high impact polystyrene, and ABS resin, for example. The rotation shaft 322 is a columnar member having an outer diameter of 3 mm to 10 mm, and is provided so that its axis coincides with the axis of the discharge container 310 having a columnar inner space. One end of the rotating shaft 322 is connected to the transport shaft 221 b and the other end is connected to the conductive member 230. The rotating shaft 322, the conveying shaft 221b, and the conductive member 230 may be configured as a single unit or may be configured to be detachable. In the present embodiment, the outer diameter of the rotating shaft 322 and the outer diameter of the transport shaft 221b are the same, and the axes of each other coincide. The discharge blade 321 on the rotation shaft 322 and the transport blade 221a on the transport shaft 221b may be connected smoothly or separated from each other.

Discharge vane 321, the rotation shaft 322 along with the rotation in the rotational direction G ₃ of its axis, by rotational movement about the axis of the rotary shaft 322, a member for moving the toner in the discharge container 310 is there. The discharge blade 321 will be described in detail later.

  The conductive member 230 includes a gear 231 and a conductive shaft 232. The conduction shaft 232 is a cylindrical member, and one end thereof is connected to the gear 231 and the other end is connected to the rotation shaft 322. The gear 231 is a member for transmitting torque applied from a driving unit such as a motor (not shown) to the conduction shaft 232. The conductive member 230 rotates at 30 to 60 rpm in the rotation direction around the axis of the conductive shaft 232 by torque applied from a drive unit (not shown).

  According to such a toner cartridge 200, the toner in the storage container 210 is pumped into the transport container 220 by the pumping member 211. Then, the transmission shaft 232, the rotation shaft 322, and the transport shaft 221b are integrally rotated by torque applied from a drive unit (not shown). The toner in the transport container 220 is transported into the discharge container 310 through the transport port 222 and the receiving port 311 by the rotation of the transport shaft 221b. As the rotating shaft 322 rotates, the toner in the discharge container 310 is discharged from the discharge port 312 and replenished into the developing tank of the developing device 24.

Next, the discharge blade 321 will be described. As shown in FIG. 6, the discharge blade 321 is provided around the rotation shaft 322. Discharge vane 321, in accordance with the rotation of the rotational direction G ₃ of the rotary shaft 322, rotational motion about the axis of the rotary shaft 322. Discharge vane 321 by the rotational movement toward the receiving port 311 of the axial direction of the rotary shaft 322 in the discharge direction H ₁ is the direction toward the discharge port 312, to convey the toner in the discharge container 310.

7, the discharge direction H ₁ is a diagram representing the discharge vane 321 when viewed discharge member 320 from a position spaced apart in the opposite direction. The discharge blade 321 is composed of a plurality of general spiral blade pieces formed of a flexible material, and a fixed plate 321a indicated by a hatched portion in FIGS. In addition, also in FIG. 9 mentioned later, the fixing plate 321a is shown with a hatched part.

  In the present invention, the “general spiral blade piece” refers to a general spiral blade described with reference to FIG. The general spiral blade piece constituting the discharge blade 321 is continuously formed on the rotary shaft 322 such that a plurality of general spiral blade pieces as a whole form a general spiral blade of one cycle or more surrounding the rotary shaft 322. Be placed.

When the radius of the rotary shaft 322 is r ₁ , a value twice the distance between the inner peripheral portion of the general spiral blade piece constituting the discharge blade 321 and the axis of the rotary shaft 322, that is, the discharge blade 321 is formed. The internal diameter of the general spiral blade piece is 2r ₁ and is a value twice the distance between the outer periphery of the general spiral blade piece constituting the discharge blade 321 and the axis of the rotary shaft 322, that is, the general configuration of the discharge blade 321. The outer diameter of the spiral blade piece is 2r ₁ + 2m ₁ . The length m ₁ can be set as appropriate within a range of 5 mm to 20 mm, for example. Further, the attachment angle α shown in FIG. 5 can be appropriately set within a range of 30 ° to 150 °. Further, the lead angle θ ₁ of the general spiral C ₁ along the inner peripheral portion of the general spiral blade shown in FIG. 5 can be appropriately set within a range of 20 ° to 70 °, for example. Moreover, the lead m3 of the outer peripheral part of the general spiral blade piece constituting the discharge blade 321 can be appropriately set within a range of 10 mm to ₃₀ mm, for example.

  In the present embodiment, the discharge blades 321 are all provided with 12 pieces of general spiral blade pieces of 1/6 cycle of the same shape, and as a whole, the discharge blades 321 have a continuous, two-cycle clockwise rotation. A general spiral blade is formed. Then, the thickness of the clockwise general spiral blade of two cycles is uniform at 1.5 mm. The period, thickness, and the like of the general spiral blade formed by the entire plurality of general spiral blade pieces constituting the discharge blade 321 can be appropriately set according to the toner conveyance speed, the size of the toner discharge device 300, and the like. For example, the thickness of the general spiral blade piece constituting the discharge blade 321 can be appropriately set within a range of 1 mm to 3 mm.

  In the present embodiment, a series of general spiral blades are formed by the entire plurality of general spiral blade pieces constituting the discharge blades 321. However, as another embodiment of the present invention, a plurality of the general spiral blades are included. A plurality of general spiral blades spaced at a predetermined interval may be formed by the entire general spiral blade piece.

In the present invention, the “flexible material” which is a material of the general spiral blade piece constituting the discharge blade 321 is a material having a compression deformation rate of 50% or more and 90% or less. Here, the compressive deformation rate is defined as the minimum value of the thickness of the sample when a load of 0.1 N / cm ² is applied in the thickness direction to a cubic sample having a side of 1 cm, and F [cm]. Sometimes, the value is given by the following formula (1).
Compression deformation rate [%] = (1−F) × 100 [%] (1)

  Examples of the flexible material include an elastic sponge. The elastic sponge is a porous material having a compressive deformation rate of 50% or more and 80% or less. As the elastic sponge, urethane sponge, rubber sponge, polyethylene sponge and the like can be used, and among them, urethane sponge having excellent wear resistance is preferable. By using urethane sponge as the elastic sponge, the toner discharging device 300 can be used for a long time.

  As the elastic sponge, an open-cell sponge having open cells is preferable. Since the open-cell sponge is more easily compressed or deformed than the single-cell sponge, the toner can be conveyed without applying an excessive load to the toner. Open-cell sponge is, for example, a method in which a material in which fine powder of calcium carbonate is kneaded is injection-molded, and then the molded product is immersed in hydrochloric acid water to decompose and elute powdered calcium carbonate, or a water-soluble salt is kneaded. After molding, it is obtained by a method of elution of salt in water to form a continuous foam, or a method in which a foaming agent is added to the resin in advance and the wall of the cell is physically broken after foam molding.

  Further, the elastic sponge is preferably a conductive sponge containing a conductive agent such as carbon black. Since the conductive sponge is difficult to be charged even when friction occurs with the toner or the inner wall surface of the discharge container 310, electrostatic adsorption of the toner can be suppressed.

Each opening of the elastic sponge is preferably sized so that toner does not enter the opening. Size that the toner in the opening does not enter, for example, if expressed in the opening area, is 1 [mu] m ² or more 10 [mu] m ² or less. In addition, for example, in terms of the opening diameter, it is 1 μm or more and 3 μm or less. By providing the opening having such a size, the friction between the toner and the elastic sponge can be increased while suppressing the toner from entering the opening. As a result, the toner easily moves together with the discharge blade 321. As a result, even if the fluidity of the toner is lowered, the toner can be moved, and an increase in driving torque can be suppressed.

As described above, the discharge blade 321 includes the general spiral blade piece and the fixed plate 321a. The fixed plate 321a is fixed along the main surface of the general spiral blade piece constituting the discharge blade 321. In the present embodiment, the fixed plate 321a, although is secured along the principal surface of the discharge direction H ₁ upstream of general spiral blade pieces, as another embodiment of the present invention, the main discharge direction H ₁ downstream It may be fixed along the surface. The fixing plate 321a may be provided along the discharge direction H ₁ on both sides of the main surface of the general spiral blade pieces.

In the present embodiment, a plurality of fixing plates 321a are provided corresponding to a plurality of general spiral blade pieces. More specifically, as shown in FIG. 7, when the discharge direction H ₁ viewed discharge member 320 from a position spaced apart in opposite directions, on the one generally helical blade member, overlaps one fixed plate 321a It is provided as follows.

  The fixed plate 321a is fixed to at least one of the rotating shaft 322 and the corresponding general spiral blade piece. The fixing plate 321a is formed of a material harder than at least the general spiral blade piece constituting the discharge blade 321, and is formed of a material such as polyethylene, polypropylene, high-impact polystyrene, or ABS resin.

Fixing plate 321a is toward the downstream side of the discharge direction H _1, the distance from the axis of the rotating shaft 322 to the outer peripheral portion of the fixed plate 321a in the radial direction of the rotary shaft 322 (hereinafter, "outer diameter of the fixing plate 321a" Is configured to be large. The general spiral blade piece corresponding to the fixed plate 321a is configured such that its outer diameter is larger than the maximum value of the outer diameter of the fixed plate 321a.

The member configured so that the outer diameter increases toward the downstream side of the discharge direction H _1, may be mentioned cone-shaped general spiral blade. In the present embodiment, the fixed plate 321a is a cone-shaped general spiral blade having the same lead angle θ ₂ as the lead angle θ ₁ of the general spiral blade piece constituting the discharge blade 321 and the same cycle.

  In the present invention, the “conical general spiral blade” is a member having a shape in which the outer diameter of the general spiral blade is continuously changed while keeping the inner diameter constant. More specifically, it is a member having a predetermined thickness whose main surface is a conical general spiral blade surface described later. The cone-shaped general spiral blades constituting the fixed plate 321a are provided around the rotation shaft 322 in the inner peripheral portion thereof. Here, the inner peripheral part of the cone-shaped general spiral blade constituting the fixed plate 321a is the portion of the cone-shaped general spiral blade surface that is closest to the axis of the rotating shaft 322, and the cone constituting the fixed plate 321a. The outer peripheral portion of the general spiral blade is the portion of the cone-shaped general spiral blade surface that is farthest from the rotating shaft 322.

In the present invention, the “conical general spiral blade surface” means one general spiral C ₂ on the side surface of the virtual cylinder K ₃ (hereinafter, the radius is r ₂ ) (the lead angle is θ ₂ ). along the virtual one line segment L ₂ that is external to the cylinder K _3, while maintaining the mounting angle beta, continuously the length m ₄ of the line segment L ₂ in the radial direction of the virtual cylinder K ₃ while changing so as to increase, when moving in parallel direction D ₂ to the axis of the virtual cylinder K _3, it is formed plane trajectory of the line segment L _2. Here, the "attachment angle β", one in the plane containing the axis and the line segment L ₂ of the virtual cylinder K _3, the line segment L _2, the contact point between the line segment L ₂ and the virtual columnar K ₃ a half line extending in the direction D _2, a angle of a 180 ° angle of less than greater than 0 °.

Hereinafter, as an example of the cone-shaped general spiral blade surface, the cone-shaped general spiral blade surface ("one-cycle cone-shaped general spiral blade surface") when the line segment is moved along the one-cycle portion of the general spiral. The same applies to other periods. FIG. 8 is a diagram for explaining one period of a cone-shaped general spiral blade surface. 8 (a) is a side face of a virtual cylinder K _3, the general spiral C ₂ clockwise on the side of the imaginary circular column K _3, line segment moves on general spiral C ₂ in one direction D ₂ L ₂ start position and end position. Line segment L ₂ most shown in the lower side in the plane of FIG. 8 (a) shows the starting position for the movement, the line segment L ₂ shown in the uppermost side indicates the end position. As shown in FIG. 8A, the length m ₄ of the line segment L ₂ in the radial direction of the virtual cylinder K ₃ is continuously increased while the mounting angle β (β = 90 ° in FIG. 8) is kept constant. while changing so, when moving a line segment L ₂ in one direction D ₂ along a generally spiral C _2, the locus of the line segment L ₂ is cone-shaped general spiral blade surface.

The outer peripheral portion of the cone-shaped general spiral blade surface is inscribed in a virtual frustum sides virtual cylinder K ₃ and the axis match. Here, in the present invention, the “frustum” has two bottom surfaces with different areas, and the outer diameter continuously increases as the axis passes through the two bottom surfaces and goes in one of the axial directions. It is a solid that grows. The shape of the virtual frustum with which the cone-shaped general spiral blade surface is inscribed varies depending on how the length m ₄ of the line segment L ₂ is changed.

FIG. 8B shows a conical general spiral blade surface n ₂ inscribed in the virtual right circular truncated cone K ₄ . In the present invention, the “rectangular truncated cone” is a solid that is not a cone among solids obtained by bisecting a right cone by a plane parallel to the bottom surface. When the rate of change of the length m ₄ of the line segment L ₂ per unit moving distance along the general spiral C ₂ is constant, the locus of the line segment L ₂ is a cone shape indicated by the hatched portion in FIG. It becomes a general spiral blade surface n ₂ , and its outer peripheral portion is inscribed in the side surface of the virtual right circular truncated cone K ₄ .

FIG. 8C shows the conical general spiral blade surface n ₃ inscribed in the virtual compression straight truncated cone K ₅ . In the present invention, the “compression straight truncated cone” is a solid body having a shape in which the side surface of the right truncated cone is curved toward the axis. When the rate of change of the line segment L ₂ length m ₄ per unit moving distance along the general spiral C ₂ as it travels in one direction D ₂ gradually increases, the trajectory of the line segment L _2, FIG. 8 (c ), A conical general spiral blade surface n ₃ indicated by a hatched portion, and its outer peripheral portion is inscribed in the side surface of the virtual compression straight truncated cone K ₅ .

FIG. 8D shows a conical general spiral blade surface n ₄ inscribed in the virtual expansion straight truncated cone K ₆ . In the present invention, the “expanded right circular truncated cone” is a solid having a shape in which the side surface of the right circular truncated cone is curved away from the axis. When the rate of change of the line segment L ₂ length m ₄ per unit moving distance along the general spiral C ₂ as it travels in one direction D ₂ is gradually reduced, the locus of the line segment L _2, FIG. 8 (d ), A cone-shaped general spiral blade surface n ₄ indicated by a hatched portion, and its outer peripheral portion is inscribed in a side surface of the virtual expansion straight truncated cone K ₆ .

A member having such a cone-shaped general spiral blade surface as a main surface is a cone-shaped general spiral blade. When configuring the fixing plate 321a as in this embodiment, the cone-shaped general spiral blade is configured so that the diameter 2r ₂ virtual cylinder K ₃ is equal to the outer diameter of the rotary shaft 322. As described above, the lead angle θ ₂ of the conical general spiral blade constituting the fixed plate 321a is the same as the lead angle θ ₁ of the general spiral blade piece constituting the discharge blade 321 and constitutes the fixed plate 321a. The cone-shaped general spiral blade and the general spiral blade piece constituting the discharge blade 321 have the same cycle. Further, the attachment angle α and the attachment angle β are the same angle. Further, since the general spiral blade piece constituting the discharge blade 321 is clockwise, the conical general spiral blade constituting the fixing plate 321a is also formed when the line segment is moved along the clockwise general spiral. It is necessary to be a member whose main surface is the cone-shaped general spiral blade surface, that is, a clockwise cone-shaped general spiral blade.

At this time, a value twice the distance between the inner peripheral portion of the conical general spiral blade constituting the fixed plate 321a and the axis of the rotary shaft 322, that is, the inner diameter of the conical general spiral blade is 2r ₂ . becomes like, twice the value of the distance between the outer peripheral portion of cone-shaped general spiral blade constituting the fixed plate 321a and the axis of the rotary shaft 322, i.e., the outer diameter of cone-shaped general spiral blade, in the discharge direction H ₁ As it goes, it continuously changes from the minimum value of 2m ₄ + 2r ₂ to the maximum value of 2m ₄ + 2r ₂ . Minimum length _{m 4,} for example can be appropriately set within a range of 0Mm～5mm. The maximum value of the length m ₄ can be appropriately set within the range of 5 mm to the outer diameter value of the general spiral blade piece constituting the discharge blade 321, for example.

  In this embodiment, the thickness of the cone-shaped general spiral blade constituting the fixed plate 321a is uniform at 0.5 mm. The thickness of the cone-shaped general spiral blade constituting the fixing plate 321a can be appropriately set according to the hardness of the general spiral blade piece constituting the discharge blade 321 and can be appropriately set within a range of 0.2 mm to 1 mm, for example. .

As described above, the discharge blade 321 includes the general spiral blade piece and the fixed plate 321a. In the present embodiment, although the discharge member 320 is composed generally spiral blade pieces and the fixing plate 321a from the rotation shaft 322, as another embodiment of the present invention, the discharge direction H ₁ upstream of the discharge vane 321 On the side, a general spiral blade surrounding the rotating shaft 322 may be provided.

  According to such a toner discharge device 300, the occurrence of a lock phenomenon can be suppressed. The lock phenomenon is a problem that occurs in a conventional toner cartridge. Generally, when a toner cartridge is transported or left for a long time, the fluidity of the toner in the toner cartridge decreases. When the fluidity of the toner is reduced, in the conventional toner cartridge, the toner is not discharged quickly from the discharge port, so that the toner is excessively compressed, and as a result, the rotation of the discharge member stops. . This phenomenon is a lock phenomenon. The toner discharge device 300 according to the present invention can suppress the occurrence of this lock phenomenon by the deformation of the general spiral blade piece constituting the discharge blade 321 as described below.

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a state of deformation of the general spiral blade piece. Discharge member 320 by rotating in the rotational direction G _3, it is a member for pushing the toner toward the discharge direction H _1. If the fluidity of the toner is extremely decreased by the force to push in the discharge direction H _1, the toner is compressed between between the discharge vane 321 or the discharge vane 321 and the discharge container 310 the inner wall. Then, by compression toner, the drag in the opposite direction to the discharge direction H _1, as shown in FIG. 9, the discharge vane 321 is bent in the discharging direction H ₁ upstream side. The reason why the discharge blade 321 is bent is that the general spiral blade piece constituting the discharge blade 321 is a relatively small general spiral blade of less than one cycle and is made of a flexible material. By thus discharging wings 321 is deformed in the discharge direction H ₁ upstream, weakens the force to push the toner in the discharging direction H _1, excessive compression of the toner is suppressed, it tends toner is discharged from the discharge port 312 . Accordingly, the present invention can suppress the occurrence of the lock phenomenon.

  Thus, each general spiral blade piece is provided so as to be independently deformable with respect to other adjacent general spiral blade pieces so that the plurality of general spiral blade pieces constituting the discharge blade 321 can be deformed. . That is, each of the general spiral blade pieces constituting the discharge blade 321 is in contact with another adjacent general spiral blade piece, but is not fixed to the adjacent other general spiral blade piece at least on the outer periphery thereof. Not in. More preferably, each general spiral blade piece is provided without being fixed at all to the other adjacent general spiral blade pieces.

When the locking phenomenon is avoided, the discharge blade 321 tries to return from the deformed state to the original state. That is, the plurality of general spiral blade pieces made of a flexible material that constitute the discharge blade 321 are deformed by the above-described drag force caused by the toner when the rotating shaft 322 starts to rotate, but the toner smoothly At the stage where the toner is conveyed, the drag by the toner is weakened, and gradually returns to a state in which general spiral blades of one cycle or more are formed as a whole. Therefore, once you start toner is smoothly conveyed, by the one period or more generally spiral blade, a sufficient transport distance, it is possible to convey the toner in the discharging direction H _1. In particular, when the plurality of general spiral blade pieces constituting the discharge blade 321 are formed of an elastic sponge such as urethane sponge, the deformed general spiral blade piece returns to the original shape more quickly. It is possible to return to a state where the toner can be transported more quickly and with a sufficient transport amount.

Further, in the present embodiment, the discharge blade 321 includes the fixing plate 321a so that the general spiral blade piece is easily deformed at a predetermined portion. That is, in the general spiral blade piece constituting the discharge blade 321, the boundary portion between the portion facing the fixed plate 321 a and the portion not facing is easily bent. Therefore, general spiral blade pieces constituting the discharge vane 321 is in the boundary portion, the portion not facing the fixed plate 321a is bent so as to be displaced in the discharge direction H ₁ upstream side. As described above, since the general spiral blade piece constituting the discharge blade 321 is easily bent at a predetermined portion in advance, the occurrence of the lock phenomenon can be stably suppressed.

Furthermore, the fixed plate 321a is toward the discharge direction H ₁ downstream is configured so that its outer diameter increases. Therefore, in the general spiral blade piece constituting the discharge blade 321, the boundary portion that is easily deformed is farther from the rotating shaft 322 as it goes downstream in the discharge direction H ₁ . As a result, general spiral blade pieces constituting the discharge vane 321, rather than part of the discharge direction H ₁ downstream, towards the part of the discharge direction H ₁ upstream side, it is easy displaced in the discharge direction H ₁ upstream Yes. Here, when the discharge vane 321 rotates, the toner is relatively, from portion of the discharge direction H ₁ downstream of the general spiral blade pieces constituting the discharge vane 321, toward the portion of the discharge direction H ₁ upstream Move. Therefore, in this embodiment, the general spiral blade piece can be smoothly deformed by the relative flow of the toner with respect to the general spiral blade piece constituting the discharge blade 321.

  In the present embodiment, since the fixing plate 321a is configured by the conical general spiral blade, the general spiral blade piece is more smoothly formed by the relative flow of the toner with respect to the general spiral blade piece constituting the discharge blade 321. Can be deformed.

As described above, the present invention is that the spiral blade pieces formed from a flexible material bent in the discharging direction H ₁ upstream, thereby suppressing the occurrence of locking phenomena. Therefore, in the present invention, the fixing plate 321a in the first embodiment is not an essential configuration. For example, as another embodiment of the present invention, a toner discharge device 300 in which only the fixing plate 321a is removed can be cited, and the occurrence of a lock phenomenon can also be suppressed by this other embodiment.

  Next, a toner discharge device 400 according to the second embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram illustrating an internal configuration of the toner discharge device 400. The toner discharge device 400 includes a discharge container 310, a discharge member 420, and a shutter member 330. Since the discharge container 310 and the shutter member 330 are the same as those in the first embodiment, description thereof is omitted.

  The discharge member 420 is a member that is provided in the discharge container 310 and discharges the toner that has entered the discharge container 310 from the receiving port 311 from the discharge port 312. The toner discharged from the discharge port 312 is supplied to the developing device 24 via the toner supply pipe 250.

  The discharge member 420 includes a rotation shaft 422 and a discharge blade 421. The rotating shaft 422 is made of a material such as polyethylene, polypropylene, high impact polystyrene, or ABS resin, for example. The rotating shaft 422 is a columnar member having an outer diameter of 3 mm to 10 mm, and is provided so that its axis coincides with the axis of the discharge container 310 having a columnar inner space. One end of the rotation shaft 422 is connected to the transport shaft 221 b and the other end is connected to the conductive member 230. The rotating shaft 422, the transport shaft 221b, and the conductive member 230 may be configured as a single unit or may be configured to be detachable. In the present embodiment, the outer diameter of the rotating shaft 422 and the outer diameter of the transport shaft 221b are the same, and the axes of each other coincide. In addition, the discharge blade 421 on the rotation shaft 422 and the transport blade 221a on the transport shaft 221b may be connected smoothly or separated from each other.

The discharge blade 421 is provided around the rotation shaft 422. Discharge vane 421, in accordance with the rotation of the rotational direction G ₃ of the rotary shaft 422, rotational motion about the axis of the rotary shaft 422. The discharge blade 421 conveys the toner in the discharge container 310 in the discharge direction H ₁ that is the direction from the receiving port 311 to the discharge port 312 in the axial direction of the rotation shaft 422 by the rotational movement.

11, the discharge direction H ₁ is a diagram representing the discharge vane 421 when viewed discharge member 420 from a position spaced apart in the opposite direction. The discharge blade 421 is composed of a plurality of general spiral blade pieces. The general spiral blade piece constituting the discharge blade 421 is formed of the same flexible material as in the first embodiment. The general spiral blade piece constituting the discharge blade 421 has a fold portion 421a indicated by a hatched portion in FIGS.

  The general spiral blade pieces constituting the discharge blade 421 are continuously formed on the rotation shaft 422 so that the plurality of general spiral blade pieces as a whole form one or more general spiral blades surrounding the rotation shaft 422. Be placed. At this time, each general spiral blade piece is in contact with another adjacent general spiral blade piece, but is not fixed to the adjacent other general spiral blade piece at least at the outer periphery thereof. More preferably, each general spiral blade piece is provided without being fixed at all to the other adjacent general spiral blade pieces.

When the radius of the rotary shaft 422 is r ₁ , a value twice the distance between the inner peripheral portion of the general spiral blade piece constituting the discharge blade 421 and the axis of the rotary shaft 422, that is, the discharge blade 421 is formed. The inner diameter of the general spiral blade piece is 2r _1, which is twice the distance between the outer periphery of the general spiral blade piece constituting the discharge blade 421 and the axis of the rotary shaft 422, that is, the general configuration of the discharge blade 421. The outer diameter of the spiral blade piece is 2r ₁ + 2m ₁ . The length m ₁ can be set as appropriate within a range of 5 mm to 20 mm, for example. Further, the attachment angle α shown in FIG. 5 can be appropriately set within a range of 30 ° to 150 °. Further, the lead angle θ ₁ of the general spiral C ₁ along the inner peripheral portion of the general spiral blade shown in FIG. 5 can be appropriately set within a range of 20 ° to 70 °, for example. The lead _{m 5} of the outer circumferential portion of the general spiral blade pieces constituting the discharge vane 421, for example, can be appropriately set within a range of 10 mm to 30 mm.

  In the present embodiment, the discharge blades 421 are each provided with 12 general spiral blade pieces having the same shape and having one-sixth cycle, and as a whole, the discharge blades 421 have a continuous, two-cycle clockwise rotation. A general spiral blade is formed. Then, the thickness of the clockwise general spiral blade of two cycles is uniform at 1.5 mm. The period, thickness, and the like of the general spiral blade formed by the entire plurality of general spiral blade pieces constituting the discharge blade 421 can be appropriately set according to the toner conveyance speed, the size of the toner discharge device 400, and the like. For example, the thickness of the general spiral blade piece constituting the discharge blade 421 can be appropriately set within a range of 1 mm to 3 mm.

  In the present embodiment, a series of general spiral blades are formed by the entire plurality of general spiral blade pieces constituting the discharge blades 421. However, in another embodiment of the present invention, a plurality of the general spiral blades are included. A plurality of general spiral blades spaced at a predetermined interval may be formed by the entire general spiral blade piece.

As described above, the discharge blade 421 has the fold portion 421a. Fold segments 421a, the distance from the axis of the rotary shaft 422 is formed to be greater toward the discharge direction H ₁ downstream. In the present embodiment, a fold portion 421a is formed at a boundary portion between a portion facing the fixed plate 321a and a portion not facing in the general spiral blade piece constituting the discharge blade 321 of the first embodiment. The fold portion 421a is formed in each general spiral blade piece as shown in FIG.

  The crease portion 421a is a portion formed in the general spiral blade piece constituting the discharge blade 421 so as to be deformed more easily than the other portions. The crease portion 421a is formed of, for example, a material that is softer than other portions. Moreover, the crease | fold part 421a may be the part formed thinner than the other part, for example, and may be the part which cut | notched several places.

Thus, the discharge blade 421 is composed of a plurality of general spiral blade pieces having a fold portion 421a. In the present embodiment, the discharge member 420 includes a plurality of general spiral blade pieces having a fold portion 421a and a rotating shaft 422. However, in another embodiment of the present invention, the discharge direction is more than the discharge blade 421. A general spiral blade surrounding the rotary shaft 422 may be provided on the upstream side of H ₁ .

In such a toner discharging device 400, the discharge member 420 by rotating in the rotational direction G _3, push the toner toward the discharge direction H _1. If the fluidity of the toner is extremely decreased by the force to push in the discharge direction H _1, the toner is compressed between between the discharge vane 421 or the discharge vane 421 and the discharge container 310 the inner wall. Then, by compression toner, the drag in the opposite direction to the discharge direction H _1, as in the case of the first embodiment, the discharge vane 421 is bent in the discharging direction H ₁ upstream side. This weakens the force to push the toner in the discharging direction H _1, excessive compression of the toner is suppressed, tends toner is discharged from the discharge port 312. Therefore, the present invention can suppress the occurrence of the lock phenomenon.

When the lock phenomenon is avoided, the discharge blade 421 tries to return from the deformed state to the original state. In other words, the plurality of general spiral blade pieces made of a flexible material constituting the discharge blade 421 are deformed by the above-described drag force caused by the toner at the stage where the rotation shaft 422 starts to rotate, but the toner smoothly At the stage where the toner is conveyed, the drag by the toner is weakened, and gradually returns to a state in which general spiral blades of one cycle or more are formed as a whole. Therefore, once you start toner is smoothly conveyed, by the one period or more generally spiral blade, a sufficient transport distance, it is possible to convey the toner in the discharging direction H _1. In particular, when the plurality of general spiral blade pieces constituting the discharge blade 421 are formed of an elastic sponge such as urethane sponge, the deformed general spiral blade piece returns to the original shape more quickly, so the discharge blade 421 It is possible to return to a state where the toner can be transported more quickly and with a sufficient transport amount.

  In the present embodiment, the discharge blade 421 has the fold portion 421a, so that the general spiral blade piece is easily deformed in the fold portion 421a. Therefore, the occurrence of the lock phenomenon can be suppressed stably.

Furthermore, the fold portion 421a, the distance from the axis of the rotary shaft 422 is formed to be larger toward the discharge direction H ₁ downstream. That is, in general spiral blade pieces constituting the discharge vane 421, the fold portion 421a which is easily deformed, toward the discharge direction H ₁ downstream, being distal from the axis of rotation 422. As a result, general spiral blade pieces constituting the discharge vane 421, than the portion of the discharge direction H ₁ downstream, towards the part of the discharge direction H ₁ upstream side, it is easy displaced in the discharge direction H ₁ upstream Yes. Therefore, in this embodiment, the general spiral blade piece can be smoothly deformed by the relative flow of the toner with respect to the general spiral blade piece constituting the discharge blade 421.

20 toner image forming unit 24, 24b, 24c, 24m, 24y developing device 30 transfer unit 40 fixing unit 50 recording medium supply unit 60 discharge unit 100 multifunction device 200 toner cartridge 210 storage container 220 transport container 211 pumping member 221 transport member 230 Conductive member 300, 400 Toner discharge device 310 Discharge container 311 Receiving port 312 Discharge port 320, 420 Discharge member 321, 421 Discharge vane 321a Fixing plate 322, 422 Rotating shaft 421a Folding part

Claims (7)

An outlet for receiving toner, and a discharge container provided with an outlet for discharging toner;
A discharge member provided in the discharge container,
A rotation axis;
The toner in the discharge container is provided around the rotation shaft, and in a discharge direction that is a direction from the receiving port toward the discharge port in an axial direction of the rotation shaft by a rotational motion accompanying rotation of the rotation shaft. And a discharge member including the discharge blade,
The discharge blade is a plurality of spiral blade pieces formed of a flexible material, and the discharge blade is constituted by a plurality of spiral blade pieces arranged continuously so as to form a spiral blade as a whole. Toner discharging device.   The toner discharge device according to claim 1, wherein the discharge blade is configured so that the spiral blade piece is easily deformed at a predetermined portion. The discharge blade includes a fixing plate fixed along the main surface of the spiral blade piece,
The fixed plate is configured such that the distance from the axis of the rotation shaft to the outer peripheral portion of the fixed plate increases toward the downstream side in the discharge direction,
The toner according to claim 2, wherein the spiral blade piece is configured such that an outer diameter thereof is larger than a maximum value of a distance from an axis of the rotation shaft to an outer peripheral portion of the fixed plate. Discharging device.   The toner discharge device according to claim 2, wherein the spiral blade piece has a fold portion formed so that a distance from an axis of the rotation shaft increases toward a downstream side in the discharge direction.   The toner discharging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the flexible material is an elastic sponge. A toner discharge device according to any one of claims 1 to 5;
A storage container for storing toner;
A transport container provided with a transport port for transporting toner to the discharge container;
A pumping member provided in the storage container, for pumping the toner in the storage container into the transport container;
A transport member provided in the transport container, the transport member configured to transport the toner in the transport container toward the transport port;
The toner cartridge is characterized in that the discharge container and the transport container are continuously provided so that the toner in the transport container can move to the discharge container through the transport port and the receiving port. In an electrophotographic image forming apparatus including a developing device,
An image forming apparatus comprising the toner cartridge according to claim 6 as a toner cartridge for supplying toner to the developing device.

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