JP2012141382A - Toner bottle and image forming device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent the deterioration of working efficiency by suppressing wasteful replacement of a toner bottle to eliminate wasteful consumption of toner and facilitating the replacement of the toner bottle.SOLUTION: A toner bottle comprises a toner storage part 40 which has a cylindrical shape and conveys toner stored inside by rotationally driving in the longitudinal direction along a spiral groove 41 to discharge from an opening 42 and a cap member 60 into which one end of the opening side on the toner storage part is inserted and fixed. The toner bottle further comprises a vibration generating part 50 which freely moves according to the rotation of the toner storage part 40 in a space produced between the toner storage part 40 and a cap member 60 inside the cap member 60 or in the toner storage part 40 and collides with the wall surface of the toner storage part 40 to vibrate the toner storage part 40.

Description

  The present invention relates to a toner bottle and an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine, a printer, and a facsimile machine using the toner bottle.

Conventionally, in an image forming apparatus using an electrophotographic system such as a copying machine, a printer, a facsimile, or a composite machine thereof, a toner having a cylindrical toner bottle (toner containing member) for supplying toner to a developing device A replenishing device is provided.
As a shape of the toner bottle, a spiral protrusion is provided on the inner peripheral surface of the toner bottle, and an opening (discharge port) for discharging the toner is provided on the head.
In the toner replenishing device, a rotating member for transporting the toner discharged from the toner bottle and discharging it from the opening is provided inside the toner replenishing member to which the toner bottle is mounted on the opening side. . The rotating member is integrally rotated by the rotational force of the toner bottle, and has a plurality of toner conveying blades on the outer peripheral surface.

The blades are formed of an elastic material, and the toner is scooped up, transported in the circumferential direction of the toner supply member, and discharged from the opening.
Then, when the toner bottle having such a shape is rotationally driven, the toner contained in the toner bottle is discharged from the opening.
Note that the toner discharged from the toner bottle is replenished to the developing device through a toner conveyance path communicating with the opening.
Since the toner bottle configured as described above has an opening at its head, the toner discharged from the toner bottle is transported to the developing device as compared with a toner bottle having an opening at the peripheral surface. There are advantages that the structure of the toner conveyance path can be made relatively simple, and the degree of freedom in layout of the entire apparatus is increased. In addition, the mechanical strength is high and the recyclability is excellent compared to a bag-like toner container.

In recent years, toners that enable low-temperature fixing are also emerging due to consideration of power consumption expressed by the smaller particle size of toners and TEC (Typical Electricity Consumption) values for the purpose of improving image quality. The toner transport performance varies depending on the toner used.
In addition, the difference in toner transport performance is prominent in the environment in which it is used. Aggregates are likely to occur in the toner bottle, particularly in high-temperature and high-humidity environments. When the toner in the toner bottle decreases, a large amount of toner In spite of the remaining toner, there is a problem that the toner is not discharged from the toner bottle and the toner end is detected.

Further, a phenomenon occurs in which the amount of toner replenished from the toner replenishing device to the developing device varies depending on the remaining amount of toner in the toner bottle. This is because as the remaining amount of toner in the toner bottle decreases, the amount discharged from the toner discharge port to the toner supply member decreases.
The rotating member that discharges the toner from the opening of the toner replenishing member toward the developing device is configured to be lifted and conveyed by the blade as described above, and to be naturally released and discharged from the opening.
For this reason, when the amount of toner present in the toner replenishing member is large, a large amount of the toner is scooped up by the blades, and the toner is discharged from the opening to the outside due to the large amount of the opening. However, when the amount is small, this discharging action is reduced, and most of the toner passes through the opening while being on the blade and falls in the toner replenishing member.
As described above, when the toner replenishment amount from the toner replenishing device to the developing device continuously decreases and the toner concentration sensor provided in the developing device detects that the toner concentration is below a certain value, There is a case where a toner end is detected which means that the toner replenishment function by the toner replenishing device is lost although there is a sufficient amount of toner remaining in the toner bottle.
When the toner end is detected, the operator replaces the toner bottle with a new toner bottle. However, sufficient toner still remains in the replaced used toner bottle, leading to wasteful toner consumption.

In order to eliminate such problems, a configuration in which the replenishment amount from the toner replenishing device is increased, that is, if the size of the blade or the size of the opening is shifted from the appropriate range, a large amount of toner is present in the toner bottle. In this case, the toner replenishment amount becomes too large, and the carrier and the toner are not sufficiently stirred and mixed in the developing device, and the development is performed in a state where the charge amount of the toner is low, and there is a concern of causing a background stain.
The amount of toner replenished from the toner replenishing device to the developing device is desirably constant regardless of the remaining amount of toner in the toner bottle, but as described above, as the remaining amount of toner in the toner bottle actually decreases, as described above. The toner replenishment amount decreases.
In the conventional configuration, when the opening of the toner replenishing member is set upstream of the rotation direction of the rotating member due to various restrictions, the amount of toner picked up by the blades is reduced, so the toner in the toner bottle has decreased. The amount of toner replenished at that time is further reduced.
In order to solve this problem, Patent Document 1 discloses a configuration in which toner conveyance performance is improved by providing irregularities on a rotatable toner bottle and providing a plate spring on the main body side to periodically vibrate. .
In Patent Document 2, for the purpose of improving the fluidity of the toner in the toner bottle, a spherical stirring member that is freely movable in the bottle is provided, which moves around by the rotation of the bottle by drive transmission, and transports the toner. A configuration that can improve power is disclosed.

However, even in the configurations of Patent Documents 1 and 2, the configuration of the toner bottle is configured to externally vibrate, so that the apparatus becomes large and complicated, and the stirring member provided in the toner bottle is directly applied to the toner. There is a problem that stress on the toner increases due to contact. In addition, when the stirring member is directly placed in the bottle, there is a problem that toner adheres and impurities are mixed.
Furthermore, in the configurations disclosed in these patent documents, the problem of agglomeration due to standing at high temperature for a long time cannot be solved.
In view of the above problems, the present invention prevents toner sticking and aggregation in a toner bottle with a simple configuration to improve toner conveyance power, and to a developing device regardless of the remaining amount of toner in the toner bottle. By maintaining the appropriate amount of toner supply until the toner in the toner bottle is consumed, the wasteful replacement of the toner bottle is suppressed, the wasteful toner consumption is eliminated, and the replacement of the toner bottle is accelerated. An object of the present invention is to provide an image forming apparatus capable of suppressing the decrease.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problem, claim 1 has a cylindrical shape and includes an opening provided at one end in the longitudinal direction and a spiral groove provided on an inner wall surface, and is driven to rotate. In this way, a toner containing portion that conveys the toner contained inside in the longitudinal direction along the spiral groove and discharges it from the opening portion, and the one end portion on the opening portion side of the toner containing portion are inserted and fixed, A cap member that discharges toner from a toner discharge port that communicates with the opening, and a space that is formed between the toner storage portion and the cap member in the cap member and freely moves as the toner storage portion rotates. And a toner bottle including a vibration generating member that collides with an outer wall surface of the toner container and applies vibration to the toner container.
According to the present invention, it is possible to suppress toner sticking and agglomeration in the toner storage portion to improve the toner conveying force, and to completely discharge the toner in the toner bottle.
According to a second aspect of the present invention, the toner accommodating portion includes a notch or a claw for fixing the vibration generating member at the end on the opening side when the toner accommodating portion is assembled to the cap member. Characterized by the toner bottle described in 1.

The invention of claim 3 has a cylindrical shape, and includes an opening provided at one end in the longitudinal direction and a spiral groove provided on the inner wall surface, and is housed inside by being rotationally driven. The toner container that transports the toner in the longitudinal direction along the spiral groove and discharges the toner from the opening, and the one end of the toner container on the opening side is inserted and fixed, and communicates with the opening. A cap member that discharges toner from a toner discharge port, and freely moves into the toner accommodating portion as the toner accommodating portion rotates, and collides with an inner wall surface of the toner accommodating portion to vibrate the toner accommodating portion. It is characterized by a toner bottle provided with a vibration generating member.
According to the present invention, it is possible to suppress toner sticking and agglomeration in the toner storage portion to improve the toner conveying force, and to completely discharge the toner in the toner bottle.
According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided the toner bottle according to any one of the first to third aspects, wherein one or a plurality of the vibration generating members are provided.
According to the present invention, by providing a plurality of vibration generating members, the toner container is stronger and can generate vibrations at a high frequency, thereby effectively eliminating toner sticking and aggregation.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided the toner bottle according to any one of the first to third aspects, wherein the vibration generating member is spherical or substantially spherical.
According to the present invention, since the vibration generating member has a spherical shape, the vibration generating member moves smoothly in the cap and the toner accommodating portion, so that vibration can be generated effectively.
The invention of claim 6 is characterized in that the vibration generating member is made of a material larger than the specific gravity of the toner, and the toner bottle according to any one of claims 2 to 5.
The invention according to claim 7 is the toner bottle according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the vibration generating member is formed of an elastic member.
According to the present invention, by using the vibration generating member as an elastic member, it is possible to reduce noise when colliding with the toner containing portion.
According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an image forming apparatus having the toner bottle according to any one of the first to seventh aspects.
According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, there is provided the image forming apparatus according to the eighth aspect, further comprising a drive unit that transmits driving to the toner storage unit.

Since it is configured as described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to suppress toner sticking and agglomeration in the toner accommodating portion, improve the toner conveyance force, and completely discharge the toner in the toner bottle. It becomes.
Accordingly, since the amount of residual toner that could not be discharged from the toner bottle at the end of the toner is reduced, the yield per bottle can be improved. (You don't have to waste wasted toner)

1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a configuration of an electrophotographic printer. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing a process cartridge for generating a Y toner image. FIG. 3 is a perspective view illustrating a configuration of a toner storage unit 40 as a main body of a toner bottle 32 according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view of a toner storage unit according to the embodiment of the invention. FIG. 3 is a schematic view in the longitudinal direction for explaining the outer shape of the toner storage unit according to the embodiment of the invention. FIG. 3 is a schematic view in the longitudinal direction for explaining the outer shape of the toner storage unit according to the embodiment of the invention. FIG. 6 is a view showing a cap member 60 set in the toner storage unit 40. The figure explaining the blade member attached to the opening part of a toner accommodating part. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating assembly of each member in the toner bottle of the present invention.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings.
First, an electrophotographic printer (hereinafter simply referred to as a printer) will be described as an example of an embodiment of an image forming apparatus to which the present invention is applied. The image forming unit will be described as a process cartridge.
FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of an electrophotographic printer. FIG. 2 is a schematic view showing a process cartridge for generating a Y toner image. First, the basic configuration of the printer will be described.
1 and 2, the printer 100 includes four process cartridges 6Y, 6M, 6C, for generating toner images of yellow, magenta, cyan, and black (hereinafter referred to as Y, M, C, and K). It has 6K. These use Y, M, C, and K toners of different colors as the image forming material, but the other configurations are the same and are replaced when the lifetime is reached.

First, a process cartridge 6Y for generating a Y toner image will be described as an example. As shown in FIG. 2, the process cartridge 6Y includes a drum-shaped photoconductor 1Y, a drum cleaning device 2Y, a charge eliminating device (not shown), a charging device 4Y, a developing device 5Y, and the like. The process cartridge 6Y can be attached to and detached from the main body of the printer 100 so that consumable parts can be replaced at a time.
The charging device 4Y uniformly charges the surface of the photoreceptor 1Y that is rotated clockwise in the drawing by a driving unit (not shown). The uniformly charged surface of the photoreceptor 1 </ b> Y is exposed and scanned by the laser beam L to carry an electrostatic latent image for Y. The Y electrostatic latent image is developed into a Y toner image by the developing device 5Y using Y toner.
This Y toner image is intermediately transferred onto the intermediate transfer belt 8. The drum cleaning device 2Y removes the toner remaining on the surface of the photoreceptor 1Y after the intermediate transfer process. Further, the static eliminator neutralizes residual charges on the photoreceptor 1Y after cleaning. By this charge removal, the surface of the photoreceptor 1Y is initialized and prepared for the next image formation.
In the other process cartridges 6M, 6C, and 6K, M, C, and K toner images are similarly formed on the photoreceptors 1M, 1C, and 1K, and are intermediately transferred onto the intermediate transfer belt 8.

In FIG. 1, the exposure device 7 is disposed below the process cartridges 6Y, 6M, 6C, and 6K. The exposure device 7 serving as a latent image forming unit irradiates the respective photosensitive members in the process cartridges 6Y, 6M, 6C, and 6K with a laser beam L emitted based on the image information to perform exposure.
By this exposure, electrostatic latent images for Y, M, C, and K are formed on the photoreceptors 1Y, 1M, 1C, and 1K. The exposure device 7 irradiates the photoconductor with a laser beam (L) emitted from a light source through a plurality of optical lenses and mirrors while scanning with a polygon mirror rotated by a motor.
On the lower side of the exposure apparatus 7 in the figure, a sheet feeding means having a transfer sheet accommodating cassette 26, a sheet feeding roller 27 incorporated therein, a pair of registration rollers 28, and the like are disposed.
The transfer paper storage cassette 26 stores a plurality of transfer papers P, which are recording media, and a paper feed roller 27 is in contact with the uppermost transfer paper P.

When the paper feeding roller 27 is rotated counterclockwise in the drawing by a driving means (not shown), the uppermost transfer paper P is fed toward the rollers of the registration roller pair 28. The registration roller pair 28 rotationally drives both rollers to sandwich the transfer paper P, but temporarily stops rotating immediately after the sandwiching. Then, the transfer paper P is sent out toward a later-described secondary transfer nip at an appropriate timing.
In the sheet feeding unit having such a configuration, a conveying unit is configured by a combination of the sheet feeding roller 27 and the registration roller pair 28 which is a timing roller pair. This conveying means conveys a transfer sheet P from a paper storage cassette 26 which is a storage means to a secondary transfer nip described later.
Above the process cartridges 6Y, 6M, 6C, and 6K in the figure, an intermediate transfer unit 15 that moves the intermediate transfer belt 8 that is an intermediate transfer member endlessly while stretching is disposed. In addition to the intermediate transfer belt 8, the intermediate transfer unit 15 includes four primary transfer bias rollers 9Y, 9M, 9C, and 9K, a cleaning device 10, and the like.
A secondary transfer backup roller 12, a cleaning backup roller 13, a tension roller 14 and the like are also provided. The intermediate transfer belt 8 is endlessly moved in the counterclockwise direction in the figure by the rotational drive of at least one of the rollers while being stretched around these three rollers.

The primary transfer bias rollers 9Y, 9M, 9C, and 9K sandwich the intermediate transfer belt 8 that is moved endlessly in this manner from the photoreceptors 1Y, 1M, 1C, and 1K to form primary transfer nips, respectively. Yes.
These primary transfer bias rollers 9Y, 9M, 9C, and 9K are of a system that applies a transfer bias having a polarity opposite to that of toner (for example, plus) to the back surface (loop inner peripheral surface) of the intermediate transfer belt 8. All the rollers except the primary transfer bias rollers 9Y, 9M, 9C, and 9K are electrically grounded.
The intermediate transfer belt 8 passes through the primary transfer nips for Y, M, C, and K sequentially along with the endless movement thereof, and the Y, M, and Y on the photoreceptors 1Y, 1M, 1C, and 1K are sequentially transferred. The C and K toner images are superimposed and primarily transferred. As a result, a four-color superimposed toner image (hereinafter referred to as a four-color toner image) is formed on the intermediate transfer belt 8.
The secondary transfer backup roller 12 described above forms a secondary transfer nip with the intermediate transfer belt 8 sandwiched between the secondary transfer backup roller 19 and the secondary transfer roller 19. The four-color toner image formed on the intermediate transfer belt 8 is transferred to the transfer paper P at the secondary transfer nip.

Untransferred toner that has not been transferred onto the transfer paper P adheres to the intermediate transfer belt 8 after passing through the secondary transfer nip. This is cleaned by the cleaning device 10.
In the secondary transfer nip, the transfer paper P is sandwiched between the intermediate transfer belt 8 whose surface moves in the forward direction and the secondary transfer roller 19 and conveyed in the opposite direction to the registration roller pair 28 side. The On the transfer paper P sent out from the secondary transfer nip, the four-color toner image transferred to the surface is fixed by heat and pressure when passing between the rollers of the fixing device 20.
Thereafter, the transfer paper P is discharged out of the printer through the rollers of the paper discharge roller pair 29. A stack unit 30 is formed on the upper surface of the printer main body, and the transfer sheets P discharged to the outside by the discharge roller pair 29 are sequentially stacked on the stack unit 30. A bottle storage container 31 is provided below the stack portion 30, and toner bottles 32 (32Y, 32M, 32C, and 32K) that are characteristic of the present invention are stored.

Next, the configuration of the developing device 5Y in the process cartridge 6Y will be described mainly with reference to FIG. The developing device 5Y has a magnetic field generating means inside, a developing roller 51Y as a developer carrying member for carrying and transporting a two-component developer containing magnetic particles and toner on the surface, and the developing roller 51Y carried on the developing roller 51Y. And a doctor blade 52Y as a developer regulating member that regulates the layer thickness of the developer conveyed.
Here, the place where the developing roller 51Y is accommodated is a first chamber 53Y. Further, a place for storing the developer is a second chamber 54Y, and in this second chamber 54Y, a toner conveying screw (conveying body) 55Y (first conveying screw 55Ya, second conveying material) for agitating and conveying the toner is provided. A screw 55Yb), a toner supply port 58Y for taking the toner in the set toner bottle 32Y into the second chamber 54Y, a partition wall 59Y that partitions the second chamber 54Y into left and right small chambers 54Ya, 54Yb, Communication port between the small chambers 54Ya and 54Yb.
Above the toner supply port 58Y, a shutter 71Y for closing the toner supply port 58Y and a toner supply port case 72Y provided to hold the shutter 71Y and cover the toner supply port 58Y are provided.
Here, reference numeral 56Y denotes a density detection sensor for detecting the toner density of the developer. When the density detection sensor 56Y detects that the toner density is insufficient in the second chamber 54Y (small chamber 54Yb), the controller 57Y In response to the replenishment signal, the drive motor 33Y rotates and the toner bottle 32Y (FIG. 1) rotates to replenish the toner.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the configuration of the toner container 40 as the main body of the toner bottle 32 according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a longitudinal sectional view of the toner storage portion according to the embodiment of the present invention. 5 and 6 are schematic views in the longitudinal direction for explaining the outer shape of the toner storage portion according to the embodiment of the present invention.
7A and 7B are diagrams illustrating the cap member 60 set in the toner storage unit 40, where FIG. 7A is a diagram viewed from the longitudinal direction, and FIG. 7B is a diagram viewed from the front side (toner supply side).
As shown in FIGS. 3 to 6, the toner container 40 according to the embodiment of the present invention has a cylindrical shape, and is provided on the inner wall surface with an opening 42 provided at one end in the longitudinal direction. And a spiral groove 41 (depressed from the outer peripheral surface to the inner peripheral surface), and the toner accommodated in the cylindrical shape along the spiral groove 41 by being rotationally driven by a driving force applied from the outside. Then, it is conveyed in the longitudinal direction and discharged from the opening 42.
Similar to the conventional toner bottle, the toner container 40 is rotated by the drive from the image forming apparatus main body, and the toner gradually moves toward the opening 42 along the spiral groove 41 by the rotation. Toner is conveyed.

In the present embodiment, the drive transmission portion 43 to which the drive is transmitted from the main body is provided at the end opposite to the opening 42.
The toner container 40 is fixed to the cap member 60 by inserting one end portion provided with the opening 42 into the inner space of the cap member 60.
The cap member 60 discharges toner from a toner discharge port 61 that communicates with the opening 42. Further, unlike the toner container 40, the toner container 40 cannot be rotated and is set in the main body.
Further, the cap member 60 is incompatible with each color of toner, and when set in the image forming apparatus main body, the shutter of the toner replenishing port 61 is opened so that toner can be replenished to the developing device.
As described above, toner transport requires that the toner move along the spiral groove 41, and is slightly lifted along the wall surface 44 (FIG. 4) by the rotation of the toner bottle 32 (toner container 40). By moving downward again along the spiral groove 41 again, it can be slightly advanced in the direction of the opening 42. By repeating this, the toner is replenished, but the toner remaining on the wall surface 44 only rotates once along the wall surface 44 and does not advance.

In addition, as described in [Background Art], in a toner bottle having a spiral groove, toner adheres to the wall surface 44 of the toner container 40 or loosely aggregates in the toner depending on use conditions and environment such as a high temperature and high humidity environment. Or the like, and it becomes difficult to move toward the opening 42, and there is a problem that a target conveyance amount cannot be obtained.
Therefore, in the present invention, the inside of the cap member 60 freely moves with the rotation of the toner bottle 32 (toner storage unit 40) and collides with the toner storage unit 40. A vibration generating member 50 for causing the toner remaining on the wall surface 44 to drop from the wall surface 44 and to easily move the toner toward the opening 42 by the spiral groove 41. I have.
The vibration generating member 50 can smoothly move the toner in the toner storage unit 40, use up all the toner in the toner storage unit 40, and suppress unnecessary replacement of the toner bottle. Further, even when the toner amount in the toner storage unit 40 decreases, a constant amount of toner can be continuously discharged. Accordingly, since the remaining amount of toner at the end of toner can be suppressed, the number of complaints from customers is also reduced.
Further, the layout of the vibration generating member 50 is easy, and a large-sized or complicated mechanical configuration is not necessary.

The number of vibration generating members 50 is not limited to one, and a plurality of vibration generating members 50 may be provided. By providing the plurality, it is possible to more effectively eliminate sticking or aggregation of toner in the toner container 40.
The vibration generating member 50 may be provided not in the space between the cap member 60 and the toner storage unit 40 but in the toner storage unit 40. In that case, the vibration generating member 50 is made of a material larger than the specific gravity of the toner.
Furthermore, by configuring the vibration generating member 50 with an elastic member such as rubber, it is possible to reduce the sound generated when it collides with the toner containing portion 40. The shape is assumed to be spherical or substantially spherical.
The arrangement of the vibration generating member 50 in the cap member 60 will be described in detail later.

FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating a blade member attached to the opening of the toner storage portion.
A blade member 70 as shown in FIG. 7 is attached to the opening 42 of the toner storage unit 40.
As shown in FIG. 8, the blade member 70 has a configuration in which two blades 71 are attached to a main body 72 in a direction crossing each other, and rotates with the rotation of the toner storage portion 40, so that the toner near the opening 42 is formed. And a function of dropping and conveying the toner to the opening 42.
As shown in FIGS. 3 to 6, the spiral groove 41 is provided over the entire length in the longitudinal direction of the toner containing portion 40, but the shape of the end portion on the opening 42 side is twisted by twisting the mouth of the bottle. This is the shape (reference numeral 45).
This adjusts the amount of toner conveyed to the blades 71 of the blade member 70 shown in FIG. 8 and lifts the vibration generating member 50 shown in FIG. 3 along with the rotation of the toner container 40 and drops immediately after reaching the top. Thus, the shape is such that an impact can be applied to the toner container 40.

FIG. 9 is a view for explaining assembly of each member in the toner bottle of the present invention described above.
In the blade member 70, the claw 73 shown in FIG. 8 is engaged with the groove 47 provided in the toner accommodating portion 40, and the end portion 48 of the opening 42 is assembled to the claw (not shown) provided in the cap member 60.
At this time, the vibration generating member 50 is accommodated between the toner accommodating portion 40 and the cap member 60.
In order to facilitate this assembling operation, a shape 46 such as a claw or a notch for hooking the vibration generating member 50 is provided near the tip of the toner accommodating portion 40 on the opening 42 side.

1M photoconductor, 1Y photoconductor, 2Y drum cleaning device, 4Y charging device, 5Y developing device, 6M process cartridge, 6Y process cartridge, 6Y process cartridge, 7 exposure device, 8 intermediate transfer belt, 9Y next transfer bias roller, 10 Cleaning device, 12th transfer backup roller, 13 Cleaning backup roller, 14 Tension roller, 15 Intermediate transfer unit, 19th transfer roller, 20 Fixing device, 26 Paper storage cassette, 27 Paper feed roller, 28 Registration roller pair, 29 Paper discharge Roller pair, 30 stack section, 31 bottle storage container, 32 toner bottle, 40 toner storage section, 41 spiral groove, 42 opening, 43 drive transmission section, 44 wall surface, 50 vibration generating member, 51Y developing roller, 52Y Kuta blade, 53Y chamber, 54Y chamber, 54Ya chamber, 54Yb chamber, 55Ya conveying screw, 55Yb conveying screw, 56Y density detection sensor, 56Y code, 57Y controller, 58Y toner supply port, 59Y wall, 60 cap member, 61 shutter, 70 blade member, 71 blade, 71Y shutter, 72 main body, 72Y toner supply port case, 100 printer

JP 2006-258997 A JP 2006-58374 A

Claims (9)

A cylindrical shape having an opening provided at one end in the longitudinal direction and a spiral groove provided on the inner wall surface, and the toner accommodated therein by being driven to rotate along the spiral groove. A toner container that is conveyed in the longitudinal direction and discharged from the opening;
A cap member that inserts and fixes the one end portion on the opening side of the toner accommodating portion and discharges toner from a toner discharge port communicating with the opening;
In the cap member, the toner container freely moves in the space formed between the toner container and the cap member as the toner container rotates, and collides with the outer wall surface of the toner container to collide with the toner container. A toner bottle comprising a vibration generating member that applies vibration to the toner bottle.   2. The toner according to claim 1, wherein the toner storage portion includes a notch or a claw for fixing the vibration generating member at an end portion on the opening portion side when assembled to the cap member. Bottle. A cylindrical shape having an opening provided at one end in the longitudinal direction and a spiral groove provided on the inner wall surface, and the toner accommodated therein by being driven to rotate along the spiral groove. A toner container that is conveyed in the longitudinal direction and discharged from the opening;
A cap member that inserts and fixes the one end portion on the opening side of the toner accommodating portion and discharges toner from a toner discharge port communicating with the opening;
A vibration generating member that freely moves in accordance with the rotation of the toner container and collides with an inner wall surface of the toner container to vibrate the toner container is provided in the toner container. Toner bottle.   4. The toner bottle according to claim 1, wherein one or a plurality of the vibration generating members are provided. 5.   The toner bottle according to claim 1, wherein the vibration generating member is spherical or substantially spherical.   The toner bottle according to claim 2, wherein the vibration generating member is made of a material larger than a specific gravity of the toner.   The toner bottle according to claim 1, wherein the vibration generating member is formed of an elastic member.   An image forming apparatus comprising the toner bottle according to claim 1.   The image forming apparatus according to claim 8, further comprising a driving unit that transmits driving to the toner storage unit.

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