JP2012163808A - Powder container, toner cartridge, powder conveying device, and image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a powder container that automatically reduces the volume thereof without the use of a pump in association with reduction of the amount of powder inside the container.SOLUTION: A powder container includes an opening 66a formed at one end thereof, and a powder containing part 66 that contains powder inside, and at least a part of which is deformable. The powder container further includes an engaged part 66b that is provided at the other end, which is on the opposite side to the one end at which the opening 66a is formed, and engages with an engagement part of an opposite member that pulls the other end in a direction to separate from the one end. In addition, the powder containing part 66 is provided with a fold E that extends from the one end side to the other end side.

Description

  The present invention relates to a powder container that contains powder therein, a toner cartridge that contains toner in the powder container, a powder conveyance device including the powder container, and an image forming apparatus.

  In an electrophotographic image forming apparatus such as a copying machine, a printer, a facsimile, or a composite machine of these, a toner image is formed by a developing device using a developer generally called a toner or a carrier. ing. In this type of image forming apparatus, since toner is consumed together with image formation, normally, a toner cartridge containing toner is attached to the image forming apparatus, and when the toner in the cartridge runs out, a new cartridge is replaced. To replenish.

  In addition, in the toner replenishing method using the cartridge as described above, there is a user's request to use up all the toner in the cartridge as much as possible in order to reduce running cost. Therefore, conventionally, as a toner cartridge, a container called a screw bottle in which a spiral protrusion is provided on the inner surface of a cylindrical container, and a method of conveying the toner little by little by rotating this container, commonly known as A method in which a screw called an auger is provided inside a container and rotated to send toner to a discharge unit is adopted.

  However, the conveyance method using the auger has a drawback that the structure is complicated because it is necessary to provide and rotate the screw inside the container. Further, in this transport system, the accumulated toner is forcibly transported by the auger, so that a load is applied to the toner and there is a risk of toner aggregation or deterioration. Furthermore, providing a screw inside the container to be replaced raises the cost of consumables and at the same time increases the environmental load due to resource consumption.

  On the other hand, the conveyance method using the screw bottle does not require a screw inside the container, and thus the configuration is simple. However, in this transport method, the container itself is rotated and used, so the shape of the container is usually a shape in which an outlet is provided on one side of a cylindrical container body (a shape like a bottle lying sideways). There is a drawback that the amount of toner that can be stored is smaller than that of this container, and that a hand is slippery and difficult to hold at the time of replacement.

  In addition, since the container and screw bottle with an auger are made of a so-called “hard bottle” formed of PET or the like, there is a big problem in recycling used containers. In other words, in general, used containers are collected from the user by the manufacturer and recycled, reused, or incinerated, but hard bottle type containers are difficult to crush and reduce their volume. Is expensive. Furthermore, when the collected container is refilled with toner and the container is to be reused, it is difficult to clean the collection container and the toner filling efficiency is not good. Is also expensive.

  In addition, as a toner transport method that does not use a screw bottle or auger as described above, the container is vibrated (reciprocating motion) by applying an impact to the container from the outside or by bringing the container into contact with a stopper, and the inertia force of the toner There is a system in which toner is moved / discharged (see Patent Document 1). In this method, in a state where a large amount of toner is stored, the toner loaded in the container moves together by vibration, so that it is possible to secure a sufficient toner conveyance speed per vibration reciprocation. However, as the amount of toner in the container decreases, the toner peak collapses and spreads thinly, so the toner transport speed per round trip of vibration decreases with the height of the toner peak, and the transport speed is reduced. There is a problem that it cannot be maintained. In addition, there is a problem that the vibration generated in the container affects the writing system and disturbs the image. Further, it may take time for the toner to fluidize, or conversely, vibration may cause the same action as tapping, resulting in toner aggregation (blocking).

  Further, a developer supply device is known in which a nozzle is inserted into a flexible container that contains toner, the toner is sucked out by the pump through the nozzle, and the toner is supplied to the developing device (see Patent Document 2). In this type of toner replenishment system, the volume of the flexible container is automatically reduced as the toner is sucked out by the pump. When the toner is almost gone, the container is crushed, so that the cost required for collecting, transporting, and reusing the used container can be reduced. Further, since the volume of the container is reduced according to the remaining amount of toner in the container, there is also an advantage that the remaining amount of toner can be seen in appearance.

  However, in the method of sucking out toner with a pump, in order to easily suck out the toner from the discharge port (suction port), it is necessary to arrange the discharge port of the container facing downward. If the container is disposed horizontally with the discharge port facing sideways, the toner cannot be collected near the discharge port by gravity, and the toner may remain in the container without being discharged due to crosslinking. For this reason, it is difficult to horizontally arrange a container that sucks out toner with a pump, and there is a great restriction on the arrangement of the container. Specifically, in order to smoothly discharge the toner in the container, the container needs to be disposed at an angle of 50 ° or more with respect to the horizontal plane. Therefore, in the configuration using this type of container, it is necessary to secure a substantially long installation space for the container in the vertical direction, which is not suitable for downsizing the overall size of the image forming apparatus. is there.

  Further, as a method of discharging toner from a flexible container without using the pump as described above, a method of pushing out the toner from the discharge port by pressing and moving the convex portion from the outside to the container. Has been proposed (see Patent Document 3). According to this method, the toner can be discharged even if the container is disposed long in the horizontal direction.

  However, in the method of discharging toner from a flexible container without using a pump, the volume of the container cannot be automatically reduced as the toner is discharged. For this reason, in order to reduce the volume of a used container, an operation of crushing the container has to be performed. In addition, the remaining amount of toner cannot be grasped by appearance.

  Accordingly, in view of such circumstances, the present invention provides a powder container that is automatically reduced in volume as the internal powder decreases without using a pump, a toner cartridge using the powder container, An object of the present invention is to provide a powder conveying apparatus and an image forming apparatus provided with the powder container.

  The invention of claim 1 is a powder container in which an opening is formed at one end, a powder is accommodated therein, and at least a part of the powder container is deformable. In the other end portion opposite to the one end portion formed with, is provided a locked portion for locking the locking portion of the mating member that pulls the other end portion away from the one end portion, The powder container is provided with a crease extending from the one end side to the other end side.

  In a state where the locking portion of the mating member is locked to the locked portion of the powder container, the other end of the powder container is pulled away from the one end. That is, a tensile force acts on the powder container in the direction in which the crease extends. Due to this pulling force, a force for folding along the fold is generated in the powder container. Thereby, when the powder in the powder container decreases, the powder container is folded along the crease and the volume is automatically reduced.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the powder container according to the first aspect, the creases are formed on the mutually opposing surfaces of the powder container.

  By making creases on the mutually opposing surfaces of the powder container, if the powder in the powder container decreases, the powder container will be folded flat along the crease. The volume can be reduced more effectively.

  The invention of claim 3 is the powder container according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the fold is attached so that the powder container is folded inward.

  By attaching the fold so that the powder container is folded inward, it is possible to prevent the powder container from coming into contact with the members disposed around it when the powder container is folded. As a result, it is possible to prevent damage and abnormal noise due to the powder container coming into contact with members disposed around the powder container. In addition, it is possible to prevent volume reduction due to the powder containing portion coming into contact with surrounding members and hindering the folding deformation, and to prevent the powder discharge performance from being lowered.

  The invention of claim 4 is the powder container according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the fold line extends over the entire area from the one end to the other end of the powder container. It is attached.

  By attaching the fold over the entire area from the one end to the other end of the powder container, the folding posture of the powder container can be easily controlled. For this reason, the powder discharge property accompanying the deformation of the powder container can be stabilized.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the powder container according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, the fold line and the locked portion are arranged on the same straight line.

  By arranging the fold line and the locked part on the same straight line, the powder container part can be easily folded along the crease, and when the powder in the powder container part almost disappears, the powder container part is Folds thinner.

  According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the powder container according to any one of the first to fifth aspects, a hole is formed in the other end of the powder container, and the hole is used as the counterpart member. The locking portion for inserting and locking the locking portion is used.

  Thus, it is possible to comprise a to-be-latched part by forming a hole in the other end of the powder container.

  The invention of claim 7 is the powder container according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein a locked member having a hole formed in the other end of the powder container is attached. The hole is used as the locked portion for inserting and locking the locking portion of the mating member.

  Thus, you may attach the to-be-latched member in which the hole as a to-be-latched part was formed in the said other end part of a powder accommodating part. In this case, since the locked portion is formed on a locked member that is separate from the powder container, the locked portion can be easily formed into various shapes simply by changing the shape of the locked member. Can be changed. In addition, by attaching a different-shaped locked member for each powder container, the powder container can be identified, incompatible, or prevented from being erroneously attached. Moreover, since the shape of each powder container can be made common, it is possible to realize identification of the powder container, incompatibility, or prevention of erroneous mounting at low cost.

  The invention according to claim 8 is the powder container according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein a locked member is attached to the other end of the powder container, The stepped portion formed at the boundary with the other end is the locked portion for hooking and locking the locking portion of the mating member.

  In this manner, a locked member may be attached to the other end portion of the powder container, and a step portion formed at the boundary between the locked member and the other end portion may be used as the locked portion. Also in this case, similarly to the seventh aspect of the invention, the locked portion can be easily changed to various shapes only by changing the shape of the locked member. In addition, by attaching a different-shaped locked member for each powder container, it is possible to realize identification, incompatibility, or prevention of erroneous mounting of the powder container at a low cost.

  The invention of claim 9 is the powder container according to claim 7 or 8, wherein a part of the locked member is inserted into the powder container from the other end and inserted. A part of the locked member is attached to the inner surface of the powder container.

  In this way, by inserting a part of the locked member into the powder container, the locked member can be efficiently bonded to the powder container.

  The invention of claim 10 is the powder container according to claim 7 or 8, wherein the locked member is attached to the outer surface of the other end of the powder container.

  In this way, when the locked member is bonded to the outer surface of the other end of the powder container, the locked member is attached after the powder container is filled with powder and sealed. Can do. As a result, adhesion of the powder to the locked member and damage to the locked member can be prevented, and it is not necessary to clean the adhered powder or replace the damaged locked member. Reduce costs.

  The invention of claim 11 is the powder container according to claim 7 or 8, wherein the member to be locked has a pair of sandwiching portions sandwiching the other end portion of the powder housing portion, A convex portion is provided in the sandwiching portion, a fitting hole is formed in the other sandwiching portion, a mounting hole is formed in the other end portion of the powder accommodating portion, and the powder is formed by the pair of sandwiching portions. By sandwiching the other end portion of the body accommodating portion, passing the convex portion of the one sandwiching portion through the mounting hole, and fitting the convex portion into the fitting hole of the other sandwiching portion, The locked member is attached to the other end of the powder container.

  In this case, similarly to the tenth aspect, after the powder container is filled with the powder and sealed, the locked member can be attached, so that the powder adheres to the locked member, Damage to the locked member can be prevented. This eliminates the need for cleaning the adhered powder and replacing damaged members to be locked, thereby reducing costs. Further, in this case, a process of applying an adhesive and a process of attaching are not required for attaching the locked member, so that the attaching operation is facilitated.

  The invention of claim 12 is the powder container according to claim 7 or 8, wherein the locked member has a pair of sandwiching portions that sandwich the other end portion of the powder housing portion, The to-be-latched member is attached to the other end portion of the powder accommodating portion by clamping the other end portion of the powder accommodating portion with a clamping portion.

  In this case, similarly to the tenth and eleventh aspects, since the member to be locked can be attached after the powder container is filled with the powder and sealed, the powder adheres to the member to be locked. In addition, damage to the locked member can be prevented. This eliminates the need for cleaning the adhered powder and replacing damaged members to be locked, thereby reducing costs. Further, in this case, similarly to the eleventh aspect, the step of applying an adhesive and the step of attaching are not required for attaching the locked member, so that the attaching operation is facilitated.

  A thirteenth aspect of the present invention is a toner cartridge in which toner is accommodated in the powder container according to any one of the first to twelfth aspects.

  The powder container according to any one of claims 1 to 12 can be used as a toner cartridge.

  The invention of claim 12 moves to the opening side in a state in which the powder container according to any one of claims 1 to 12 and the deformable part of the powder container are pushed inward. And a delivery member for delivering the powder from the opening.

  Since the powder conveying device includes the powder container according to any one of claims 1 to 12, the above-described effects by these powder containers can be obtained.

  A fifteenth aspect of the invention is an image forming apparatus including the powder container according to any one of the first to twelfth aspects.

  Since the image forming apparatus includes the powder container according to any one of claims 1 to 12, the above-described effects by these powder containers can be obtained.

  According to the present invention, the powder container is folded and automatically volume-reduced as the internal powder decreases without using a pump. Can do. In addition, when there is almost no powder in the powder container, the powder container is folded and crushed, so there is no need to crush the powder container when disposing of the used powder container. This improves convenience.

1 is a configuration diagram showing a printer as an image forming apparatus according to the present invention. FIG. 2 is an enlarged view showing an image forming unit of the image forming apparatus. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a toner supply device. 2 is a configuration diagram of a toner cartridge. FIG. 2A and 2B are longitudinal sectional views of the toner storage unit, in which FIG. 1A illustrates a state in which the toner storage unit is expanded, and FIG. 2B illustrates a state in which the toner storage unit is folded. 2A and 2B are cross-sectional views of the toner storage unit, in which FIG. 1A illustrates a state in which the toner storage unit is expanded, and FIG. 2B illustrates a state in which the toner storage unit is folded. 2A and 2B are cross-sectional views of a toner storage unit formed of a single sheet material, in which FIG. 1A illustrates a state in which the toner storage unit is expanded, and FIG. 2B illustrates a state in which the toner storage unit is folded. is there. FIG. 3 is an exploded view of a toner cartridge. (A) is a plan view showing a state before the toner cartridge is mounted on the drawer tray, and (b) is a plan view showing a state where the toner cartridge is mounted on the drawer tray. It is an enlarged view of a fixed part. It is a perspective view of a drawer tray. It is a perspective view of the state which attached the drawer tray to the main body side frame. It is an enlarged view of a main body side frame. It is a cross-sectional side view of a main body side frame and a drawer tray. It is sectional side view, such as a drawer tray. FIG. 3 is a configuration diagram of a toner conveying device. It is a cross-sectional side view of a drawer tray. It is a side view of a delivery member and a leg member. It is a figure for demonstrating operation | movement when the state from which the sending member stood up switched to the fall state. It is a figure for demonstrating operation | movement when the sending member switches from the fall state to the standing state. FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining a toner delivery operation. It is a figure for demonstrating the operation | movement at the time of returning a sending member. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a configuration in which a member to be locked is attached to an inner surface of a toner storage unit. 2A and 2B are diagrams illustrating a configuration in which a locked member is attached and attached to an outer surface of a toner accommodating portion, where FIG. 3A is a perspective view, and FIG. It is a figure which shows the structure attached by having the to-be-latched member pinched | interposed the edge part of a toner accommodating part, (a) is an exploded view, (b) is sectional drawing. 4A and 4B are diagrams showing a configuration in which a locked member is attached by clamping an end portion of a toner accommodating portion, FIG. 5A is a perspective view when the locked member is formed in a columnar shape, and FIG. It is a perspective view at the time of forming a stop member in the shape of a quadrangular column.

  Hereinafter, embodiments according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In addition, in each figure, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected to the part which is the same or it corresponds, The duplication description is simplified or abbreviate | omitted suitably.

First, the configuration and operation of the entire image forming apparatus will be described with reference to FIGS.
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a printer as an image forming apparatus, and FIG. 2 is an enlarged view showing an image forming unit thereof.

  As shown in FIG. 1, image forming portions 6Y, 6M, 6C, and 6Bk corresponding to the respective colors (yellow, magenta, cyan, and black) are arranged in parallel so as to face the intermediate transfer belt 11 of the intermediate transfer unit 10. Yes. Note that the four image forming units 6Y, 6M, 6C, and 6Bk installed in the apparatus main body 100 have substantially the same structure except that the toner colors used in the image forming process are different. 6, the alphabets (Y, M, C, Bk) of the reference numerals of the photosensitive drum 6, the photosensitive drum 1, and the primary transfer bias roller 9 are omitted.

  Referring to FIG. 2, the image forming unit 6 includes a photosensitive drum 1 as an image carrier, a charging unit 4 disposed around the photosensitive drum 1, a developing device 5 as a developing unit, and a cleaning unit 2. (Only the developing device 5 is shown in FIG. 1). An image forming process (charging process, exposure process, developing process, transfer process, cleaning process) is performed on the photosensitive drum 1, and a desired toner image is formed on the photosensitive drum 1.

  The photosensitive drum 1, the charging unit 4, the developing device 5, and the cleaning unit 2 constituting the image forming unit 6 are each configured to be detachably installed on the image forming apparatus main body 100. Each of them can be replaced with a new one when it reaches the end of its life.

  In this embodiment, the photosensitive drum 1, the charging unit 4, the developing device 5, and the cleaning unit 2 that constitute the image forming unit 6 are each a single unit. It may be a process unit that is detachably installed in 100. In this case, workability when performing maintenance of the image forming unit 6 is improved.

The configuration of the developing device 5 in the image forming unit 6 will be described in more detail based on FIG.
As shown in FIG. 2, the developing device 5 includes a developing roller 51 as a developer carrying member facing the photosensitive drum 1, a doctor blade 52 as a developer regulating member installed below the developing roller 51, a developer It is composed of two conveying screws 55 and 56 as developer stirring and conveying members disposed in the accommodating portions 53 and 54, a case 50 for accommodating the developer G, and the like. Here, as the developer G, a two-component developer composed of a carrier and a toner is used. The developing device 5 is provided with a toner concentration sensor (not shown) that detects the toner concentration in the developer G.

Referring to FIG. 2, the photosensitive drum 1 is rotationally driven in a clockwise direction in FIG. 2 by a drive unit (not shown). Then, the surface of the photosensitive drum 1 is uniformly charged by the charging roller 4a at the position of the charging unit 4 (charging process).
Thereafter, the surface of the photosensitive drum 1 reaches an irradiation position of a laser beam L emitted from an exposure unit (not shown), and an electrostatic latent image is formed by exposure scanning at this position (exposure process).

Thereafter, the surface of the photosensitive drum 1 reaches a position facing the developing roller 51 of the developing device 5, and the electrostatic latent image is developed at this position to form a desired toner image (developing step).
Thereafter, the surface of the photosensitive drum 1 reaches a position facing the intermediate transfer belt 11 and the first transfer bias roller 9, and the toner image on the photosensitive drum 1 is transferred onto the intermediate transfer belt 11 at this position. (Primary transfer process). At this time, a small amount of untransferred toner remains on the photosensitive drum 1.

Thereafter, the surface of the photoreceptor 1 reaches a position facing the cleaning unit 2, and untransferred toner remaining on the photoreceptor drum 1 at this position is collected by the cleaning blade 2a (cleaning step).
Finally, the surface of the photosensitive drum 1 reaches a position facing a neutralization unit (not shown), and the residual potential on the photosensitive drum 1 is removed at this position.
Thus, a series of image forming processes performed on the photosensitive drum 1 is completed.

  The image forming process described above is performed by the four image forming units 6Y, 6M, 6C, and 6Bk. That is, based on the image information read by the reading unit 32 shown in FIG. 1, a laser beam L (see FIG. 2) is sent from the exposure unit (not shown) disposed below the image forming unit to each image forming unit 6Y, Irradiation is directed toward the photosensitive drum 1 of 6M, 6C, and 6Bk. Specifically, the exposure unit emits laser light L from a light source and irradiates the photosensitive drum 1 via a plurality of optical elements while scanning the laser light L with a polygon mirror that is rotationally driven. Thereafter, the toner images of the respective colors formed on the respective photosensitive drums 1 through the development process are transferred onto the intermediate transfer belt 11 in an overlapping manner. Thus, a color image is formed on the intermediate transfer belt 11.

The four primary transfer bias rollers 9Y, 9M, 9C, and 9BK each sandwich the intermediate transfer belt 11 with the photosensitive drums 1Y, 1M, 1C, and 1Bk to form primary transfer nips. Then, a transfer bias having a polarity opposite to the polarity of the toner is applied to the primary transfer bias rollers 9Y, 9M, 9C, and 9Bk.
The intermediate transfer belt 11 travels in the direction of the arrow in the figure, and sequentially passes through the primary transfer nips of the primary transfer bias rollers 9Y, 9M, 9C, and 9Bk. In this way, the toner images of the respective colors on the photosensitive drums 1Y, 1M, 1C, and 1Bk are primarily transferred while being superimposed on the intermediate transfer belt 11.

Thereafter, the intermediate transfer belt 11 onto which the toner images of the respective colors are transferred in a superimposed manner reaches a position facing the secondary transfer roller 19. At this position, the secondary transfer backup roller 12 sandwiches the intermediate transfer belt 11 with the secondary transfer roller 19 to form a secondary transfer nip. The color toner image formed on the intermediate transfer belt 11 is transferred onto a transfer material P such as transfer paper conveyed to the position of the secondary transfer nip. At this time, untransferred toner that has not been transferred to the transfer material P remains on the intermediate transfer belt 11, but the remaining toner on the intermediate transfer belt 11 is removed by a belt cleaning device (not shown).
Thus, a series of transfer processes performed on the intermediate transfer belt 11 is completed.

Here, the transfer material P transported to the position of the secondary transfer nip is transported from a paper feed unit 26 disposed below the apparatus main body 100 via a paper feed roller 27, a registration roller pair 28, and the like. It has been done.
Specifically, a plurality of transfer materials P such as transfer paper are stored in the paper supply unit 26 in a stacked manner. When the paper feed roller 27 is rotated in the counterclockwise direction in FIG. 1, the uppermost transfer material P is fed between the rollers of the registration roller pair 28.

  The transfer material P conveyed to the registration roller pair 28 is temporarily stopped at the position of the roller nip of the registration roller pair 28 that has stopped rotating. Then, the registration roller pair 28 is rotationally driven in time with the color image on the intermediate transfer belt 11, and the transfer material P is conveyed toward the secondary transfer nip. In this way, a desired color image is transferred onto the transfer material P.

Thereafter, the transfer material P on which the color image has been transferred at the position of the secondary transfer nip is conveyed to the position of the fixing unit 20. At this position, the color image transferred to the surface is fixed on the transfer material P by heat and pressure generated by the fixing roller and the pressure roller.
Thereafter, the transfer material P is discharged out of the apparatus through the rollers of the discharge roller pair 29. The transferred P discharged from the apparatus main body 100 by the discharge roller pair 29 is sequentially stacked on the stack unit 30 as an output image.
Thus, a series of image forming processes in the image forming apparatus is completed.

  In FIG. 1, a toner replenishing unit 31 is disposed above the intermediate transfer unit 10. The toner replenishing unit 31 has four toner replenishing devices 60Y, 60M, 60C, and 60Bk filled with toner of each color. From each toner replenishing device 60Y, 60M, 60C, 60Bk, a toner transport path extends to the corresponding developing device 5Y, 5M, 5C, 5Bk. , 60Bk to supply toner to the developing devices 5Y, 5M, 5C, 5Bk. As a result, toner can be newly supplied according to the amount of toner consumed by each of the developing devices 5Y, 5M, 5C, and 5Bk, and the developing device can be used over a long period of time.

  The four toner replenishing devices 60Y, 60M, 60C, and 60Bk have the same configuration except that they store toners of different colors. Therefore, the configuration of one toner replenishing device will be described below.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the toner supply device. In FIG. 3, the alphabets (Y, M, C, Bk) of the reference numerals in the toner replenishing device 60 are omitted.
As shown in FIG. 3, the toner replenishing device 60 includes a toner cartridge 61 as a toner container (powder container) filled with toner, a drawer tray 62 as a holding member for holding the toner cartridge 61, and a toner cartridge. A fixing portion 63 for fixing 61, a sub hopper 64 for storing toner discharged from the toner cartridge 61, and the like. The sub hopper 64 is connected to a toner transport pipe (not shown) for transporting the toner stored therein toward the developing device.

  The drawer tray 62 is attached to the main body side frame 65 so as to be movable in the horizontal direction. When the drawer tray 62 is moved in the direction of the arrow X1 in the figure, the drawer tray 62 can be pulled out from the apparatus main body. Conversely, when the drawer tray 62 is moved in the direction of the arrow X2 in the figure, the drawer tray 62 is moved. Can be accommodated in the apparatus main body.

FIG. 4 is a configuration diagram of the toner cartridge 61. In the figure, (a) is a plan view, (b) is a side view, (c) is a bottom view, and (d) is a cross-sectional view.
As shown in FIG. 4, the toner cartridge 61 includes a toner storage unit (powder storage unit) 66 that stores toner as powder and a discharge unit 67 that discharges the toner in the toner storage unit 66 to the outside. It is configured.

  As shown in FIG. 4D, the toner containing portion 66 is formed of a deformable longitudinal bag member having an opening 66a formed on one end side. The opening 66a is provided with an opening holding member 68 that holds the opening 66a in an open state so that the toner can be easily filled. As the material of the toner storage portion 66, a flexible material having flexibility is used. Examples of the material of the toner container 66 include PA (polyamide resin, nylon), PE (high density polyethylene, low density polyethylene), PC (polycarbonate resin), PP (polypropylene resin), PS (polystyrene resin), PAN ( A material in which a sheet of various resins such as polyacrylonitrile resin), PET (polyester resin), PVC (polyvinyl chloride resin), PVDC (polyvinylidene chloride resin) or the like is used alone or in combination can be used. In this embodiment, four types of resin sheets of PP, PET, PA, and LDPE (low density polyethylene) are bonded together. As a sheet forming method, a thin film forming method such as a PVD (Physical Vapor Deposition) method or a CVD (Chemical Vapor Deposition) method can be applied.

  In the present embodiment, the entire toner container 66 is made of a deformable member, and the used toner container 66 can be folded compactly to reduce the environmental load during collection, transportation, and reuse. preferable. However, it is also possible to configure only a part of the toner container 66 with a deformable member.

  As shown in FIG. 4D, the discharge portion 67 is formed with an introduction port 67a for introducing toner and a discharge port 67b for discharging toner. In the present embodiment, the discharge port 67b is disposed so as to face downward. Thereby, the toner can be dropped by gravity from the discharge port 67b and sent to the sub hopper 64, and the configuration for discharging the toner can be simplified. Further, an inclined surface 67c inclined downward from the introduction port 67a toward the discharge port 67b is provided in the discharge unit 67 so that the toner is smoothly conveyed to the discharge port 67b. The inclination angle of the inclined surface 67c with respect to the horizontal plane is desirably set to 10 ° or more. Further, a slide shutter 67d for opening and closing the discharge port 67b is provided on the bottom surface (lower surface) of the discharge port 67b so as to be slidable in the arrow Y direction in FIG. 4B.

FIG. 5 is a longitudinal sectional view of the toner accommodating portion 66, and FIG. 6 is a transverse sectional view of the toner accommodating portion 66. 5 and FIG. 6, (a) shows a state in which the toner containing portion 66 is expanded, and (b) shows a state in which the toner containing portion 66 is folded.
As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, creases E extending in the longitudinal direction are formed on both side surfaces 662 of the toner containing portion 66. In FIG. 5, the fold line E is formed in a straight line over the entire region from one end where the opening 66 a of the toner accommodating portion 66 is formed to the other end on the opposite side. Further, the fold line E is attached so that the side surface 662 of the toner containing portion 66 is folded inward.

  In the example shown in FIG. 6, the upper surface 660, the lower surface 661, and the left and right side surfaces 662 of the toner container 66 are made of separate sheet materials, and these four sheet materials are bonded together to form a bag-like toner. The accommodating part 66 is comprised. In this case, as shown in FIG. 6, four bonding margins F for bonding the sheet materials are required.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 7, it is also possible to form the toner containing portion 66 by forming a single sheet material into a bag shape. That is, one sheet material is bonded in a cylindrical shape, and the upper surface 660, the lower surface 661, and the left and right side surfaces 662 are formed by folding the four corners of the cross section. Furthermore, a crease E is made by making the central part of each side surface 662 into a valley fold. In this case, since the margin F of the sheet material is only one, the margin F of adhesion is less than that of the toner container 66 shown in FIG. For this reason, the toner accommodating portion 66 shown in FIG. 7 has an advantage that the arrangement space of the toner accommodating portion 66 can be reduced by the amount of the bonding margin F. Further, since the toner filling space can be widened in the portion where there is no adhesion margin F, it is possible to effectively utilize the limited space in the image forming apparatus.

  On the other hand, the toner accommodating portion 66 shown in FIG. 6 has improved strength compared to the toner accommodating portion 66 shown in FIG. For this reason, there is an advantage that the rigidity of the entire toner container 66 is increased and the toner container 66 can be easily carried.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the sheet materials are bonded to each other by hot welding, but the sheet materials may be bonded using an adhesive, a double-sided adhesive tape, or the like. When the sheet material is bonded by thermal welding, the adhesion is improved by using LDPE for the innermost sheet layer.

FIG. 8 is an exploded view of the toner cartridge 61. 4A is a perspective view of the discharge portion 67, FIG. 4B is a perspective view of the opening holding member 68, and FIG. 3C is a perspective view of the toner holding portion 66 provided with the opening holding member 68.
As shown in FIG. 8B, the opening holding member 68 is configured by integrally molding a short cylindrical insertion portion 68a and a flange-like connection portion 68b. As shown in FIG. 8C, the insertion portion 68 a can be inserted into the opening 66 a of the toner storage portion 66. In the present embodiment, the toner accommodating portion 66 and the opening holding member 68 are bonded together by heat welding, but may be bonded using an adhesive or the like. Further, the outer shape of the insertion portion 68a is formed in a substantially hexagonal shape so that the insertion location of the insertion portion 68a can be easily suppressed from the vertical direction in FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 8A, a pair of groove portions 67 e that can be engaged with the connection portion 68 a of the opening holding member 68 are provided on the introduction port 67 a side of the discharge portion 67. As described above, after the opening holding member 68 is inserted and bonded into the toner containing portion 66, the opening holding member 68 is inserted into the groove portion 67e from above and engaged with each other, whereby the toner containing portion 66 and the discharge portion 67 are connected. Can be integrally connected. In addition, a sealing material 69 is provided at a connection portion between the discharge portion 67 and the opening holding member 68 so that toner does not leak from the connection portion.

FIG. 9A is a plan view showing a state before the toner cartridge 61 is mounted on the drawer tray 62, and FIG. 9B is a plan view showing a state where the toner cartridge 61 is mounted on the drawer tray 62. .
As shown in FIG. 9B, concave portions 67 f are provided on both side surfaces of the discharge portion 67. On the other hand, a convex portion 62a is provided at a portion of the drawer tray 62 corresponding to each concave portion 67f, and each convex portion 62a can be inserted into the corresponding concave portion 67f. In addition, a hole 66b serving as a locked portion that is locked to the other locking portion is formed at the end of the toner containing portion 66 opposite to the discharge portion 67 side. On the other hand, a hook-like hooking portion 62b as a locking portion is provided at a portion of the drawer tray 62 corresponding to the hole 66b.

  The hook portion 62b is inserted into the hole portion 66b and locked, and the convex portion 62a is inserted into the concave portion 67f, so that the toner cartridge 61 is mounted on the drawer tray 62. . Further, in the state where the toner cartridge 61 is mounted as described above, the convex portion 62a and the concave portion 67f are normally in a non-contact state. However, when the toner cartridge 61 moves in the longitudinal direction when the drawer tray 62 is pulled out or stored in the apparatus main body, the movement of the toner cartridge 61 in the longitudinal direction is restricted by the convex portion 62a coming into contact with the concave portion 67f. It is like that.

  In order to remove the toner cartridge 61 from the drawer tray 62, the concave portion 67f may be detached from the convex portion 62a, and the hook portion 62b may be detached from the hole portion 66b. In the present embodiment, each convex portion 62a (or each concave portion 67f) is formed in the same shape as each other, but it is also possible to prevent erroneous mounting of the toner cartridge 61 by using different shapes.

  As shown in FIG. 9A, the hook 62b is attached to the drawer tray 62 so as to be movable in the direction of arrow Q in the figure. That is, the hook portion 62b is configured to be movable in the direction opposite to the discharge portion 67 side in a state where the toner cartridge 61 is mounted on the drawer tray 62 (the state shown in FIG. 9B). Further, as shown in FIG. 9A, the hook 62b is urged to the right in the figure by a torsion coil spring 62k as an elastic member. As a result, when the hook 62b is inserted into the hole 66b of the toner container 66 and hooked, the hook 62b is pulled in the opposite direction to the discharge part 67 by the urging force of the torsion coil spring 62k. 66 is held in a predetermined position.

FIG. 10 is an enlarged view of the fixing portion 63. 4A shows a state before the toner cartridge 61 is fixed to the fixing portion 63, and FIG. 4B shows a state where the toner cartridge 61 is fixed to the fixing portion 63. FIG.
As shown in FIG. 10, the fixing portion 63 extends over the main body portion 70 connected to the upper portion of the sub hopper 64, the fixing arm 71 attached to the upper portion of the main body portion 70, and the fixing arm 71 and the main body portion 70. An attached spring member 72 and a shutter opening member 73 attached to the main body 70 below the fixed arm 71 are provided. Note that one fixed arm 71, one spring member 72, and one shutter opening member 73 are provided on the front side and the back side in the drawing, respectively.

  The fixed arm 71 is formed in a substantially C shape having a recess 71a. The fixed arm 71 is attached to the main body 70 so as to be rotatable about a horizontal support shaft 71b disposed in an intermediate portion thereof. By rotating the fixed arm 71 around the support shaft 71b, the fixed arm 71 can be switched between a fixed release position shown in FIG. 10A and a fixed position shown in FIG. ing.

  The spring member 72 is a tension coil spring. One end thereof is attached to the fixed arm 71 and the other end is attached to the main body 70. As shown in FIGS. 10A and 10B, when the fixed arm 71 rotates between the fixed position and the fixed release position, the end portion of the spring member 72 attached to the fixed arm 71 rotates the fixed arm 71. It moves over the dynamic fulcrum (support shaft 71b). As described above, as the fixed arm 71 rotates, the spring member 72 exceeds the rotation fulcrum, so that the spring member 72 biases the fixed arm 71 in the direction in which the fixed arm 71 rotates.

  On the other hand, the discharge portion 67 is provided with a protruding portion 67g as a fixed portion fixed by the fixing arm 71. One protrusion 67g is provided on each side of the discharge portion 67 (see FIG. 4A or 4C).

  The shutter opening member 73 is attached to the main body 70 so as to be rotatable about a horizontal support shaft 73b. Further, the shutter opening member 73 has a concave portion 73 a for holding the convex portion 670 d of the slide shutter 67 d provided in the discharge portion 67.

  Further, a notch portion 70 a is formed in the main body portion 70 of the fixing portion 63. On the other hand, on both side surfaces of the discharge portion 67, L-shaped projecting piece portions 67h that can come into contact with the upper portions of the cutout portions 70a are provided.

  In order to fix the toner cartridge 61 to the fixing portion 63, first, the toner cartridge 61 is mounted on the drawer tray 62 as described in FIG. Then, the drawer tray 62 is moved in the direction in which the drawer tray 62 is accommodated in the apparatus main body (the direction of the arrow X2 in FIG. 3). 10A, when the discharge portion 67 of the toner cartridge 61 approaches the fixing portion 63, the protrusion 67g provided on the discharge portion 67 is connected to one end portion of the fixing arm 71 (as shown in FIG. 10A). The fixed arm 71 is rotated counterclockwise in the figure against the urging force of the spring member 72. Thereby, the fixed arm 71 is switched from the fixed release position shown in FIG. 10A to the fixed position shown in FIG. As a result, as shown in FIG. 10B, the protrusion 67g is housed in the recess 71a of the fixed arm 71, and the other end (the left end in the figure) 71d of the fixed arm 71 and the main body. It is fixed by being sandwiched between 70 edges. Further, when the spring member 72 exceeds the rotation fulcrum of the fixed arm 71 with the rotation of the fixed arm 71, the spring member 72 is biased in a direction to hold the fixed arm 71 at the position after switching.

  Further, when the discharge portion 67 of the toner cartridge 61 approaches the fixing portion 63, the protruding piece portion 67h provided in the discharging portion 67 is inserted into the notched portion 70a of the main body portion 70, and the protruding piece portion 67h is notched. It contacts the upper part of the part 70a (see FIG. 10B). Thereby, the vertical shaking of the discharge part 67 is prevented.

Further, the slide shutter 67d provided in the discharge portion 67 contacts the shutter opening member 73, and rotates the shutter opening member 73 in the clockwise direction in the figure. Then, as shown in FIG. 10B, the convex portion 670 d of the slide shutter 67 d is inserted and held in the concave portion 73 a of the shutter opening member 73. At this time, since the shutter opening member 73 is rotated and abuts against the main body 70, further rotation of the shutter opening member 73 is restricted, so that the slide shutter 67 d is discharged by the shutter opening member 73. It is pushed to the rear of 67 and moves. As a result, the slide shutter 67d (discharge port) is opened, and the toner can be discharged from the discharge portion 67 to the sub hopper 64.
As described above, the fixing of the toner cartridge 61 to the fixing portion 63 is completed.

  Further, when releasing the fixation of the toner cartridge 61, the drawer tray 62 is moved in the direction of drawing out from the apparatus main body (the direction of the arrow X1 in FIG. 3). By this pulling-out operation, the toner cartridge 61 moves to the left in FIG. 10B, and the projection 67g provided on the discharge portion 67 pushes the other end 71d of the fixed arm 71, and the biasing force of the spring member 72 is exerted. The fixed arm 71 is rotated counterclockwise. As a result, the fixed arm 71 moves from the fixed position shown in FIG. 10B to the fixed release position shown in FIG. 10A, and the protrusion 67 g is detached from the fixed arm 71. At the same time, the protruding piece portion 67h and the slide shutter 67d provided in the discharge portion 67 are detached from the notch portion 70a and the shutter opening member 73, respectively, and the fixing of the toner cartridge 61 is released. Further, the slide shutter 67d detached from the shutter opening member 73 is slid in a direction to close the discharge port by receiving a biasing force such as a spring (not shown) and prevents toner leakage from the discharge port. .

  As described above, in the present embodiment, the rotation operation of the fixed arm 71 and the opening / closing operation of the slide shutter 67d are performed in conjunction with the operation of pulling out / storing the drawer tray 62 (operation of attaching / detaching to the fixing portion 63). Therefore, it is possible to easily fix and release the toner cartridge 61 and to open and close the discharge port, and the operability is excellent. Further, as the fixed arm 71 rotates, the spring member 72 exceeds the rotation fulcrum of the fixed arm 71, so that the spring member 72 urges the fixed arm 71 in the direction in which the fixed arm 71 rotates. It is possible to securely hold the arm 71 at the position after switching. Furthermore, since the protrusion 67h abuts the notch 70a, it is possible to prevent the discharge portion 67 from rattling in the vertical direction, so that the fixing state of the toner cartridge can be stabilized. In the present embodiment, the toner storage unit 66 and the discharge unit 67 are integrated with each other so as to be attached to and detached from the drawer tray 62. However, the discharge unit 67 is connected to the drawer tray 62 (or the fixing unit 63). The toner container 66 may be detachably mounted.

FIG. 11 is a perspective view of the drawer tray 62.
As shown in FIG. 11, the drawer tray 62 has a pair of side walls 62 c that support both side surfaces of the toner cartridge 61, and a placement surface 62 d on which the toner cartridge 61 is placed. A main reference shaft 62e that serves as a main reference when the side wall 62c is attached to the main body side frame 65 is disposed at the end on the near side in the drawing. In the present embodiment, the main reference shaft 62e is used as a support shaft of a transmission gear 74 that transmits a driving force to a toner conveying device described later. Further, at the end of each side wall 62c on the back side in the figure, one slave reference shaft 62f is provided as a reference when each is attached to the main body side frame 65.

FIG. 12 is a perspective view of the drawer tray 62 attached to the main body side frame 65.
As shown in FIG. 12, the main body side frame 65 has a pair of guide rails 65 a extending in the drawing direction X <b> 1 and the accommodating direction X <b> 2 of the drawing tray 62. The upper end edge of each guide rail 65 a is inserted into a groove 62 g formed on both side walls 62 c of the drawer tray 62. Thereby, the drawer tray 62 is configured to be movable in the drawer direction X1 and the accommodating direction X2 along the guide rail 65a.

  Also, a first positioning recess 65b that can be fitted to the main reference shaft 62e of the drawer tray 62 is formed at the front end of the main body side frame 65 in the drawing (see FIG. 13). A second positioning recess 65c that can be fitted to the slave reference shaft 62f is formed at the end on the far side in FIG. As a result, when the drawer tray 62 is moved in the accommodating direction X2, the main reference shaft 62e and the sub-reference shaft 62f are inserted into the first and second positioning recesses 65b and 65c and fitted to each other. The tray 62 is positioned at a predetermined position with respect to the main body side frame 65.

  As shown in FIG. 12, a drive gear 75 driven by a drive device is provided at the front end of the main body side frame 65 in the figure. The drive gear 75 is connected to the transmission gear 74 in a state where the drawer tray 62 is accommodated in the apparatus main body and positioned on the main body side frame 65.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 14, the main body side frame 65 is provided with a pressurizing member 76 that pressurizes and fixes the drawer tray 62. In the present embodiment, the pressing member 76 is configured by combining two levers. When the drawer tray 62 is moved in the accommodating direction X2, the drawer tray 62 is pressed by the two levers so as to sandwich the convex portion 62h provided on the lower surface of the drawer tray 62, thereby making the drawer tray 62 the first and second positioning concave portions. It is adapted to be pressed against the 65b and 65c sides.

  As shown in FIG. 15, the drawer tray 62 is provided with a toner conveying device (powder conveying device) 8 for conveying the toner in the toner containing portion 66 to the discharging portion 67 side. Hereinafter, the configuration of the toner conveying device 8 will be described in detail with reference to FIGS.

  As shown in FIG. 16, the toner conveying device 8 includes a base member 80, a delivery member 81 and a pair of leg members 82 attached to the base member 80, and a belt member 83 as a moving unit that moves the base member 80. And a pair of guide rails 84 as guide members for guiding the base member 80. In FIG. 16, the front guide rail 84 is not shown.

  The base member 80 is divided into an upper part 80a and a lower part 80b. The base member 80 is attached to the belt member 83 by sandwiching the belt member 83 between the upper part 80a and the lower part 80b. The belt member 83 is configured by an endless belt, and is stretched by two rollers 77 and 78 (see FIG. 15) provided on the drawer tray 62. The belt member 83 is configured to be rotatable in both forward and reverse directions by transmitting a driving force to the one roller 77 from the transmission gear 74 (see FIG. 11). Thus, when the belt member 83 rotates in the forward direction or the reverse direction, the base member 80 and the delivery member 81 and the leg member 82 attached to the base member 80 are integrally delivered in the delivery direction toward the discharge portion 67 side. A reciprocating movement is possible in Z1 and a return direction Z2 opposite to Z1.

  Further, two rollers 85 as rotating bodies that roll on the guide rails 84 are provided on both side surfaces of the base member 80. Thus, by providing the roller 85 on the base member 80, the base member 80 can move smoothly along the guide rail 84. The pair of guide rails 84 are fixed to the drawer tray 62.

  Also, as shown in FIG. 16, the delivery member 81 and the leg member 82 are attached to each other via a horizontal support shaft 86 so as to be opened and closed. Specifically, the delivery member 81 and the leg member 82 are configured to be rotatable independently of each other about the support shaft 86, and the delivery member 81 or the leg member 82 rotates about the support shaft 86. By moving, the delivery member 81 and the leg member 82 can be opened and closed with respect to each other. Further, the delivery member 81 and the leg member 82 are urged in the opening direction by a torsion coil spring as an urging member (not shown). The delivery member 81 is formed with an accommodation recess 81a for accommodating the leg member 82 when the leg member 82 is closed.

  The rotation direction of the belt member 83 is switched by two switches 87 and 88 shown in FIG. The switches 87 and 88 as moving direction switching means are respectively disposed at the moving direction switching positions of the delivery member 81. Specifically, one switch 87 is disposed at the end of the drawer tray 62 in the sending direction Z1 (the end on the left side of the drawing), and the other switch 88 is the end of the drawer tray 62 in the return direction Z2. (The end on the right side of the figure). Further, when the delivery member 81 reaches one of the movement direction switching positions, the base member 80 comes into contact with the switch 87 or 88 disposed at that position. That is, the base member 80 functions as an input means that contacts each switch 87, 88 and turns on. In this way, when the base member 80 contacts the switch 87 or 88, the moving direction of the delivery member 81 is switched to the delivery direction Z1 or the return direction Z2, so that the toner delivery operation can be performed continuously. is there. In addition, a non-contact type sensor is provided in place of the contact type switch, and the detected part (input means) provided on the base member 80 or the like approaches the non-contact type sensor to turn on the sensor. You may make it do.

FIG. 18 is a side view of the delivery member 81 and the leg member 82.
As shown in FIG. 18, the leg member 82 is in contact with the placement surface 62d of the drawer tray 62, and can reciprocate in the sending direction Z1 and the return direction Z2 along the placement surface 62d. . That is, the mounting surface 62d also has a function as a guide surface for guiding the leg member 82. As described above, the delivery member 81 and the leg member 82 are biased so as to open each other by the torsion coil spring, but the leg member 82 is disposed in a horizontal direction by contacting the mounting surface 62d. It is supported. On the other hand, the delivery member 81 is biased so as to rotate and open in the delivery direction Z1 (on the discharge portion 67 side) with respect to the leg member 82 supported in the horizontal direction. The portion restricts the rotation of the delivery member 81 in the opening direction against the urging force of the torsion coil spring. As a result, the delivery member 81 is supported so as to stand up with respect to the placement surface 62d (a state indicated by a solid line in the figure). As described above, the opening angle between the delivery member 81 and the leg member 82 is a predetermined angle so that the delivery member 81 is in a predetermined standing state with respect to the placement surface 62d by the placement surface 62d and the restricting portion. It is held at an angle α.

In FIG. 18, the opening angle β is an angle when the delivery member 81 is not restricted by the restriction part. That is, the angle β indicates an opening angle when the torsion coil spring is in a natural state. As shown in FIG. 18, the opening angle β held by the torsion coil spring in the natural state is set within a range smaller than 180 ° that is larger than the opening angle α at which the delivery member 81 is in a predetermined standing state. ing.

Further, as shown in FIG. 9 (a), the leg members 82 can enter the both ends of the direction (feeding direction Z1 and return direction Z2) in which the leg members 82 reciprocate on the placement surface 62d. Recesses 62i and 62j are provided. In the present embodiment, by providing these recesses 62i and 62j, the delivery member 81 can be switched between a standing state and a falling state with respect to the mounting surface 62d.
Hereinafter, a switching operation for switching the delivery member 81 between the standing state and the falling state will be described with reference to FIGS. 19 and 20.

  FIG. 19A shows a state before the delivery member 81 reaches the recess 62i on the end side in the delivery direction Z1. In this state, the opening angle formed by the delivery member 81 and the leg member 82 is held at a predetermined angle α by a restriction portion (not shown) and the placement surface 62d, and the delivery member 81 is predetermined with respect to the placement surface 62d. Is standing up.

  Then, as shown in FIG. 19B, when the delivery member 81 moves in the delivery direction Z1 and the leg member 82 reaches the position of the recess 62i, the placement surface 62d for supporting the leg member 82 exists at this position. Therefore, the leg member 82 receives a biasing force of a torsion coil spring (not shown) and opens downward, and the leg member 82 enters the recess 62i. At this time, the opening angle between the delivery member 81 and the leg member 82 is an angle β held in the natural state of the torsion coil spring.

  When the delivery member 81 reaches the position of the recess 62i, the base member 80 comes into contact with the switch 87 shown in FIG. 17, and the movement direction of the delivery member 81 is switched.

  As shown in FIG. 19 (c), when the movement direction is switched and the delivery member 81 moves in the return direction Z2, the leg member 82 comes into contact with the edge (near the opening) of the recess 62i, and the tip of the leg member 82 is moved. It is lifted up. When the leg member 82 is lifted in this way and further rotated in the opening direction, the opening angle is larger than the angle β, so that the biasing force by the torsion coil spring acts in the closing direction. As a result, the delivery member 81 receives a biasing force in the closing direction and falls on the placement surface 62d.

  Then, as shown in FIG. 19 (d), when the leg member 82 is removed from the recess 62 i, the delivery member 81 and the leg member 82 are held in a state of falling horizontally on the placement surface 62 d. Specifically, in this state, since the opening angle formed by the delivery member 81 and the leg member 82 is an angle close to 180 °, the delivery member 81 and the leg member 82 exert an urging force in a direction to close each other by a torsion coil spring. However, since the rotation of the delivery member 81 and the leg member 82 is restricted by the placement surface 62d, the delivery member 81 and the leg member 82 are held in a state of being horizontally collapsed. The delivery member 81 and the leg member 82 are configured so as not to open 180 ° or more.

  FIG. 20A shows a state before the delivery member 81 that has been tilted as described above reaches the recess 62j on the end side in the return direction Z2. In this state, similarly to the state shown in FIG. 19D, the opening angle formed by the delivery member 81 and the leg member 82 is an angle close to 180 °, and the delivery member 81 and the leg member 82 are mounted. It is held in a state of falling horizontally on the placement surface 62d.

  Then, as shown in FIG. 20B, when the leg member 82 reaches the position of the recess 62j, the mounting surface 62d for supporting the leg member 82 does not exist at this position, so the leg member 82 is formed of the torsion coil spring. Under the urging force, it closes downward and the leg member 82 enters the recess 62j. Further, the opening angle between the delivery member 81 and the leg member 82 at this time is an angle β held in the natural state of the torsion coil spring. Since the delivery member 81 is configured so as not to enter the recess 62j, the delivery member 81 passes over the recess 62j.

  When the delivery member 81 reaches the position of the recess 62j, the base member 80 contacts the switch 88 shown in FIG. 17, and the movement direction of the delivery member 81 is switched.

  As shown in FIG. 20C, when the movement direction is switched and the delivery member 81 moves in the delivery direction Z1, the leg member 82 comes into contact with the edge (near the opening) of the recess 62j, and the tip of the leg member 82 is moved. It is lifted up. Thus, when the leg member 82 is lifted and further rotated in the closing direction, the opening angle is smaller than the angle β, so that the biasing force by the torsion coil spring acts in the opening direction. As a result, the delivery member 81 is raised by receiving a biasing force in the opening direction.

  Then, as shown in FIG. 20 (d), when the leg member 82 is detached from the recess 62j, the delivery member 81 is held upright at a predetermined opening angle α.

Hereinafter, the toner delivery operation (conveyance operation) of the toner conveyance device 8 according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.
In FIGS. 21A, 21B, and 21C, the toner cartridge 61 is mounted on the drawer tray 62, and the drawer tray 62 is housed in the apparatus main body. Therefore, in this state, the driving force can be transmitted from the driving device on the apparatus main body side to the belt member 83, and the sending member 81 can be reciprocated.

  FIG. 21A shows a state in which the remaining amount of toner T in the toner storage unit 66 has been reduced to some extent. In this case, the delivery member 81 is in a standing state under the urging force of the torsion coil spring. As a result, the lower surface of the toner container 66 is pushed inward by the standing delivery member 81. Then, when the delivery member 81 moves in the delivery direction Z1 with the toner accommodating portion 66 pushed inward, the toner T inside is pushed by the delivery member 81 and is moved to the discharge portion 67 side. Then, the toner T moved to the discharge unit 67 side is discharged downward from the discharge unit 67 by inertia force and gravity. Further, as described above, since the discharge portion 67 is provided with the inclined surface 67c (see FIG. 4D), the toner T is smoothly discharged by sliding on the inclined surface 67c. Furthermore, in the present embodiment, vibration applying means (not shown) that applies minute vibrations to the discharge portion 67 is provided. By applying a minute vibration to the discharge portion 67 by the vibration applying means, the discharge of the toner T from the discharge portion 67 is promoted and the adhesion of the toner T to the discharge portion 67 is prevented.

FIG. 21B shows a state in which a large amount of toner T is filled in the toner container 66.
As described above, in a portion where the toner T is present in a large amount in the toner containing portion 66, the toner containing portion 66 is hardened due to the clogging of the toner T, and is heavy due to the weight of the toner T. For this reason, as shown in FIG. 21B, the delivery member 81 is in a collapsed state, and the pushing amount of the delivery member 81 with respect to the toner accommodating portion 66 is reduced. Then, the delivery member 81 moves in the delivery direction Z1 while being in a collapsed state at a location where a large amount of toner T is present. Thereafter, when the delivery member 81 reaches a position where the toner T near the discharge portion 67 is relatively small, as shown in FIG. 21C, the delivery member 81 is in an upright state, so that the pushing amount of the delivery member 81 is increased. Will increase. As described above, the feeding member 81 stands up in the vicinity of the discharge portion 67 and the pushing amount increases, so that the toner T that is easy to move in the vicinity of the discharge portion 67 can be discharged sequentially.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, the pushing amount of the delivery member 81 changes in accordance with the amount of toner in the toner storage unit 66, so the toner is discharged from the discharge unit 67 regardless of the remaining amount of toner in the toner storage unit 66. It is possible to send out stably and reliably. Further, the toner can be conveyed with a small stress, and aggregation and deterioration of the toner can be suppressed. Furthermore, since no large vibration or impact occurs (only minute vibration is applied to the discharge portion 67), there is no possibility of occurrence of an abnormal image due to vibration.

  Further, by appropriately changing the biasing force of the torsion coil spring that biases the delivery member 81 according to the material (flexibility, etc.) of the toner accommodation portion 66 and the maximum toner accommodation amount, the pushing force of the delivery member 81 is appropriately set. It is possible to adjust to a different value. In this case, even if the urging force of the torsion coil spring is increased, in this embodiment, the rotation of the delivery member 81 is restricted by a restriction unit (not shown), so that the delivery member 81 can be held in a predetermined standing state. it can.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 22, when the delivery member 81 is returned to the original position, the delivery member 81 is switched to a collapsed state. Thereby, it is possible to prevent the toner from being returned by the delivery member 81 moving in the return direction Z2. In addition, in the case of the present embodiment, as described with reference to FIGS. 19 and 20, the leg member 82 only enters the recess 62i or 62j in the switching operation between the standing state and the falling state of the delivery member 81. Since it can be realized by a simple mechanism, the configuration can be simplified. Instead of the recesses 62i and 62j, a through hole can be used.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 21, during the toner delivery operation, the toner accommodating portion 66 is pushed toward the discharge portion 67 by the moving delivery member 81, whereby the hook portion 62b that engages the end of the toner accommodating portion 66. Are also pulled and moved toward the discharge portion 67 (in the direction of arrow A in the figure). As described above, in the present embodiment, the hook 62b moves as the toner accommodating portion 66 is pushed, so that a sudden load on the toner accommodating portion 66 generated when the delivery member 81 pushes the toner accommodating portion 66 is performed. The increase in toner can be reduced, and the wear of the toner container 66 can be suppressed.

  After that, as shown in FIG. 22, when returning the delivery member 81, the hook 62b is moved in the direction opposite to the discharge part 67 side (in the direction of arrow B in the figure) by the torsion coil spring 62k (see FIG. 9A). The toner container 66 is pulled back and held in a predetermined position.

  Further, in a state where the toner containing portion 66 is locked to the hooking portion 62b, a pulling force acts in the longitudinal direction of the toner containing portion 66 by the hooking portion 62b. That is, a pulling force acts in the direction in which the fold line E extends, and the pulling force generates a force that folds inward along the fold line E in the toner accommodating portion 66. For this reason, when the toner in the toner containing portion 66 decreases, the toner containing portion 66 is folded along the fold line E, and the volume is reduced by deforming so that the upper surface and the lower surface of the toner containing portion 66 approach each other. Go. When the toner in the toner container 66 is almost exhausted, the toner container 66 is flattened as shown in FIG. 5B.

  As described above, in this embodiment, the toner container 66 is folded and automatically reduced in volume as the toner is consumed without using a pump. it can. Further, when toner in the toner container 66 is almost exhausted, the toner container 66 is folded and crushed, so that there is no need to crush the toner container 66 when the used toner container 66 is discarded. This improves convenience.

  In the present embodiment, the fold E is provided from one end of the toner container 66 on the opening 66a side to the other end on the opposite side (over the entire longitudinal direction). It becomes easy to control the folding posture. For this reason, the powder discharging property (toner conveying action) accompanying the deformation of the toner containing portion 66 can be stabilized, which is advantageous for the toner replenishing operation.

  Further, in the present embodiment, since the toner container 66 is folded inward at the position of the fold line E, the toner container 66 is disposed around the toner container 66 when the toner container 66 is folded. The contacted member is not damaged and no abnormal noise is generated by the contact. Further, since the toner container 66 does not come into contact with surrounding members, there is a risk that the volume reduction due to the inhibition of the folding deformation of the toner container 66 and the toner discharge performance may be lowered. Absent.

  Moreover, as shown in FIG. 5, it is preferable that the hole 66b hooked by the hook 62b is arranged on the same straight line as the fold line E. As described above, by arranging the hole 66b, the toner storage portion 66 is easily folded along the fold line E, and when the toner in the toner storage portion 66 is almost exhausted, the toner storage portion 66 is thinner. It will be folded.

As mentioned above, although embodiment of this invention was described, this invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiment.
In the above-described embodiment, the hole 66b as the locked portion is formed directly at the end of the toner accommodating portion 66. However, as shown in FIG. 23, the hole 40a as the locked portion is accommodated in the toner accommodating portion. You may provide in the to-be-latched member 40 separate from the part 66. FIG.

  In the embodiment shown in FIG. 23, the locked member 40 in which the hole 40 a is formed (through) is attached to the end of the toner containing portion 66. Specifically, a part of the locked member 40 is inserted into the toner container 66 from the end thereof, and the inserted part is attached to the inner surface of the toner container 66 by bonding. The hole 40a is formed in a portion exposed from the toner accommodating portion 66 of the locked member 40, and a locking portion such as the hooking portion 62b is inserted and locked in the hole 40a. ing. In addition to the through hole, the hole 40a can be formed in the shape of a bottomed hole or a recess as long as it can lock the locking portion of the mating member.

  Further, as in the embodiment shown in FIG. 24, the locked member 40 may be attached by adhering to the outer surface of the end portion of the toner containing portion 66. In addition, in FIG. 24, although the hole part 40a formed in the to-be-latched member 40 is made into a bottomed hole or a recessed part, it can also be made into a through-hole.

Further, as in the embodiment shown in FIG. 25, the locked member 40 may be attached by sandwiching the end portion of the toner accommodating portion 66.
As shown in FIG. 25 (a), in this embodiment, the locked member 40 has a pair of sandwiching portions 41 and 42 that are integrally connected to each other via a bending portion 45 having flexibility. Holes 41a and 42a as locked portions are formed (penetrated) in the holding portions 41 and 42, respectively. Further, two holding portions 41 are formed in one holding portion 41, and two fitting holes 44 that can be fitted to the protruding portions 43 are formed (penetrated) in the other holding portion 42. Yes. Further, two attachment holes 66d for attaching the locked member 40 are formed (through) at the end of the toner containing portion 66.

  In order to attach the locked member 40 to the end portion of the toner accommodating portion 66, as shown in FIG. 25B, the bent portion 45 is bent and the end portion of the toner accommodating portion 66 is attached by a pair of clamping portions 41 and 42. Pinch. At this time, the convex portion 43 passes through the mounting hole 66d, and the convex portion 43 is inserted and fitted into the fitting hole 44, thereby fixing the pair of sandwiching portions 41 and 42 so as not to expand. . As a result, the locked member 40 is attached to the end of the toner accommodating portion 66.

  In addition, in the structure shown in FIG. 25, it is also possible to comprise a pair of clamping parts 41 and 42 separately, without mutually connecting. Moreover, you may form the through-hole as a to-be-latched part, a bottomed hole, or a recessed part only in any one of a pair of clamping parts 41 and 42. FIG.

Yet another embodiment is shown in FIG.
In the embodiment shown in FIG. 26, the other end portion of the toner storage portion 66 is attached by pressing with the pair of clamping portions 41 and 42 of the locked member 40. Moreover, in this embodiment, the hole part, recessed part, etc. as a to-be-latched part are not formed. Here, the stepped portion H formed at the boundary between the end portions of the locked member 40 and the toner containing portion 66 is used as the locked portion. That is, it is configured to be locked by hooking the locking portion of the mating member to the stepped portion H. Moreover, the shape of the to-be-latched member 40 can select a columnar shape as shown to Fig.26 (a), a square pillar shape as shown to FIG.26 (b), and other various shapes. In this configuration, it is also possible to form a hole or a recess as a locked portion. Further, when the mating member is locked to the stepped portion H, the locked member 40 is unlikely to be detached from the end of the toner accommodating portion 66 if it is configured to be sandwiched between the pair of locking portions from above and below the locked member 40. Become.

  As described above, when the locked portion is provided in the locked member 40 that is separate from the toner accommodating portion 66, the locked portion can be inserted into the through-hole only by changing the shape of the locked member 40. It is possible to easily change to various shapes such as a bottomed hole, a concave portion or a stepped portion. In addition, by attaching the locked member 40 having a different shape for each toner container 66, the toner container 66 can be identified. In this case, since the shape of each toner container 66 can be made common, the identification of the toner container 66 can be realized at low cost. Further, the shape of the locked member 40 may be different for each color of toner stored in the toner storage unit 66. Further, by changing the shape of the locking portion on the counterpart member side corresponding to the different shape of the locked member 40, the function of preventing incompatibility or erroneous mounting of the toner cartridge can be exhibited.

  When the locked member 40 is adhered (attached) to the toner accommodating portion 66, a part of the locked member 40 is inserted into the toner accommodating portion 66 as in the embodiment shown in FIG. Can be worn efficiently. However, in this case, since the locked member 40 needs to be attached to the toner accommodating portion 66 before the toner is filled in the toner accommodating portion 66, the locked member 40 is not attached to the toner accommodating portion 66 in the subsequent toner filling process. There is a possibility that the toner adheres or the locked member 40 is damaged. In this regard, the configuration in which the locked member 40 as shown in FIGS. 24, 25, and 26 is attached without being inserted into the toner accommodating portion 66 is obtained after the toner accommodating portion 66 is filled with toner and sealed. Thus, the locked member 40 can be attached. For this reason, these configurations can prevent the toner from adhering to the locked member 40 and damage to the locked member 40, cleaning the adhered toner, replacing the damaged locked member 40, and the like. There is an advantage that the cost can be reduced. Furthermore, as shown in FIGS. 25 and 26, the configuration in which the end portion of the toner containing portion 66 is sandwiched by the locked member 40 eliminates the need for the step of applying an adhesive or the step of attaching, so that the mounting work is not necessary. There is an advantage that becomes easy.

  The above-described configuration of the present invention can also be applied to a powder container that contains powder other than toner. Further, the powder container according to the present invention is not limited to the printer shown in FIG. 1, and may be mounted on other printers, copiers, facsimiles, or complex machines thereof. Of course, various modifications can be made to the powder container according to the present invention without departing from the gist of the present invention.

8 Toner conveying device (powder conveying device)
40 Locked member 40a Hole (locked portion)
41 clamping part 41a hole (locked part)
42 clamping part 42a hole (locked part)
43 convex portion 44 fitting hole 60 toner replenishing device 61 toner cartridge 62 drawer tray 62b hooking portion (locking portion)
66 Toner container (powder container)
66a opening 66b hole (locked part)
66d Mounting hole 81 Delivery member E Fold line H Step part (locked part)
T Toner (powder)

JP 2002-46843 A JP 2005-91879 A Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-143195

Claims (15)

A powder container having an opening formed at one end, containing powder inside, and having a powder containing part at least partially deformable,
A locked portion for locking a locking portion of a mating member that pulls the other end portion away from the one end portion at the other end portion opposite to the one end portion where the opening is formed. The powder container is provided with a crease extending from the one end side to the other end side.   The powder container according to claim 1, wherein the creases are formed on surfaces of the powder container that face each other.   The powder container according to claim 1, wherein the fold is attached so that the powder container is folded inward.   The powder container according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the fold is attached over the entire region from the one end to the other end of the powder container.   The powder container according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the fold line and the locked portion are arranged on the same straight line.   A hole is formed in the other end portion of the powder container, and the hole is used as the locked portion for inserting and locking the locking portion of the mating member. The powder container according to any one of claims.   A locked member having a hole formed in the other end portion of the powder container is attached, and the locked portion for locking the hole by inserting the locking portion of the mating member; The powder container according to any one of claims 1 to 5.   A locked member is attached to the other end of the powder container, and a step formed at the boundary between the locked member and the other end is hooked by the locking portion of the mating member. The powder container according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the portion to be locked is used.   A part of the locked member is inserted inside from the other end of the powder container, and a part of the inserted locked member is attached to the inner surface of the powder container. The powder container according to claim 7 or 8.   The powder container according to claim 7 or 8, wherein the locked member is attached to the outer surface of the other end of the powder container. The locked member has a pair of sandwiching portions sandwiching the other end portion of the powder accommodating portion, and a convex portion is provided in one of the sandwiching portions, and a fitting hole is formed in the other sandwiching portion. Furthermore, an attachment hole is formed in the other end of the powder container,
The pair of sandwiching portions sandwich the other end portion of the powder container, the projecting portion of the one sandwiching portion is passed through the mounting hole, and the projecting portion is fitted to the other sandwiching portion. The powder container according to claim 7 or 8, wherein the member to be locked is attached to the other end of the powder container by being fitted into a hole.   The locked member has a pair of holding portions that sandwich the other end portion of the powder containing portion, and the other end portion of the powder containing portion is clamped by the pair of holding portions, thereby The powder container according to claim 7 or 8, wherein a locking member is attached to the other end of the powder container.   A toner cartridge characterized by containing toner in the powder container according to any one of claims 1 to 12.   The powder container according to any one of claims 1 to 12, and the deformable portion of the powder container portion is pushed inward to move to the opening portion side to move powder to the opening portion. A powder conveying apparatus comprising: a delivery member that is fed out from the machine.   An image forming apparatus comprising the powder container according to claim 1.

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