JP2012230343A - Developer storage container and image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a developer storage container with a configuration which can surely prevent leakage of toner from the developer storage container when it is replaced in an attachment/detachment operation at a low cost.SOLUTION: A developer storage container which is detachably installed on an image forming apparatus body comprises: a cap part 34Y including a toner discharge port W for discharging toner in the vertical direction in the outside of the container; and a shutter 34d which is retained by the cap part 34Y and is capable of opening and closing the toner discharge port W by moving along the external periphery of the cap part 34Y. The shutter 34d is provided with a seal member 36 composed of a flexible material capable of flexibly deforming, on its surface opposed to the toner discharge port W. When the shutter 34d moves in the direction of closing the toner discharge port W, it comes into tight contact with the periphery of the toner discharge port W because its front end in the moving direction is curled up towards the toner discharge port W.

Description

  The present invention relates to a developer storage container and an image forming apparatus, and more particularly to a toner introduction mechanism in the developer storage container.

  In an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine, a printer, a facsimile machine, or a printing machine, an electrostatic latent image formed on a photosensitive member as a latent image carrier is subjected to visible image processing by a developing device, and the visible image is converted into a sheet. A recording output can be obtained by transferring to the above.

  In the developing device, when the toner concentration in the developer supplied to the photosensitive member is lowered, toner is supplied from a toner container called a toner bottle or a toner cartridge to maintain the image density at a predetermined density. A configuration using an apparatus is known.

  The developer storage container is provided with a replenishment opening for discharging the stored toner to the outside, and the opening is closed until the toner is loaded in the developing device to prevent toner scattering and outflow. It will be necessary.

  As a configuration for achieving such a demand, a configuration has been proposed in which a shutter for opening and closing an opening provided in the developer container is provided, and the configuration of the shutter is movable in a direction crossing the toner and the outlet. A configuration in which a flat plate-like shutter is provided (for example, Patent Document 1) has been proposed.

  By the way, in recent years, a toner having a small particle diameter has been used for the purpose of improving the resolution. In order to cope with the use of such a toner, an attempt is made to improve the filter function. There is a possibility that a problem of an increase in cost may occur. That is, in the case of using a foamable material, it is necessary to define the fineness of the eye so that the toner does not pass through, that is, the so-called foaming degree. However, as the eye becomes finer, flexibility tends to be lost. Such a tendency cannot follow the movement of the shutter, and there is a possibility that the sealing performance is deteriorated.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a configuration capable of reliably and inexpensively preventing leakage of toner from a developer storage container that is replaced by an attaching / detaching operation in view of the problem in the conventional toner replenishing device, particularly the problem in the developer introduction mechanism. A developer storage container and an image forming apparatus.

In order to achieve this object, the present invention has the following configuration.
(1) A developer storage container that is detachably attached to the image forming apparatus main body,
A cap portion having a toner discharge port for discharging toner in a vertical direction outside the container;
A shutter that is held by the cap part and can open and close the toner discharge port by moving along the outer periphery of the cap part;
The shutter is provided with a sealing material made of a flexible material that can be bent and deformed on a surface facing the toner discharge port,
A developer container, wherein when the shutter moves in a direction to close the toner discharge port, a leading end side in the moving direction is turned toward the toner discharge port, thereby closely contacting the periphery of the toner discharge port.

(2) A rib projecting toward the seal material is provided at a peripheral edge of the toner discharge port, and the seal material abuts when the shutter moves in a direction to close the toner discharge port. The developer storage container according to (1), wherein the developer storage container is dripped and brought into close contact with the toner discharge port.

(3) The sealing material has a tip in the movement direction when moving in the direction to close the toner discharge port, which protrudes from the end of the shutter toward the tip in the movement direction, and the tip is bent and deformed. The developer storage container according to (1) or (2), wherein the developer storage container is used as a dripping portion.

(4) The developer container according to any one of (1) to (3), wherein the toner discharge port is a polygonal opening.

(5) The developer storage container according to (4), wherein the toner discharge port has a hexagonal shape in plan view having a top portion facing the front end side in the moving direction of the sealing material.

(6) The shutter has a cantilever beam extending rearward in the moving direction when the toner discharge port is closed with the surface on which the sealing material is provided as a base end and having a free end inclined downward in the vertical direction. Shaped shutter deformation part,
At the free end of the shutter deformable portion, an unlocking urging portion comprising a convex rib provided on the cap receiving portion of the developer storage container housing portion located on the image forming apparatus side where the cap is mounted is provided. An unlocking portion that can be mounted on the cap portion, and a stopper portion that can be engaged with and disengaged from a locking end surface that is formed at a position where the shutter is held at the bottom of the cap portion, in a direction to close the toner discharge port. In the process of moving the cap, the unlocking portion rides on the convex rib, so that the toner discharge port is opened in a state where the stopper portion is disengaged from the locking end surface by horizontally shifting from the inclined state. The developer container according to (1) or (2), wherein the shutter can be moved toward the closing position.

(7) The cap portion is provided with an information storage device at a position away from the toner discharge port in the vertical direction, and the information storage device is provided between a pair of positioning portions provided in the vertical direction of the cap end surface. (1) or (1) or (2), wherein the recess is provided in an upper position away from the toner discharge port in the vertical direction on the end surface of the cap. 2) The developer container according to the above.

(8) An image forming apparatus using the developer container according to any one of (1) to (7).

According to the present invention, it is possible to easily cause the squeezing when hitting the rib located at the periphery of the discharge opening and to secure the above-described adhesion.
Accordingly, it is possible to reliably prevent toner leakage from the discharge opening without using a special structure only by using a shutter which is an existing component used to open and close the discharge opening.

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram for explaining a configuration of an image forming apparatus including a toner supply device according to the present invention. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram for explaining a configuration of a developing device used in the image forming apparatus shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram illustrating a state where a toner container is installed in the toner supply device according to the present invention. FIG. 4 is a schematic perspective view illustrating a state in which toner containers as four developer storage containers are installed in the developer storage container mounting portion. FIG. 4 is a schematic perspective view illustrating a state in which a toner container as one developer storage container is installed in a developer storage container mounting portion. It is an external view for demonstrating the whole structure of a developing agent storage container. It is a perspective view for demonstrating the structure of the cap part with which the developer storage container shown in FIG. 6 is equipped. It is sectional drawing of the cap part shown in FIG. It is the perspective view seen from the bottom face of the shutter in order to demonstrate the structure of the shutter used for the cap part shown in FIG. FIG. 10 is a view corresponding to FIG. 9 for explaining the open / closed state of the shutter shown in FIG. 9. FIG. 10 is a diagram for turning back the configuration of the shutter illustrated in FIG. 9. It is a figure which shows the open state of the shutter shown in FIG. 11, and the cross section in this state. It is a top view for demonstrating the relationship between a shutter closing mechanism and a shutter. It is a top view which shows the one aspect | mode of the shutter closing mechanism shown in FIG. It is a top view which shows the state of the shutter closing mechanism changed from the aspect shown in FIG. FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining a positional relationship between a toner discharge port and a shutter and a sealing state of a sealing material. It is a figure which shows the structure of the information storage device used for the Example of this invention. It is a perspective view by the side of the cap receiving part which makes a part of electrical connection part with an information storage device. It is a perspective view which shows the structure of the common electronic board provided with the connector connected with an information storage device. It is a figure for demonstrating the state at the time of the connection of the information storage device used for the Example of this invention, and the connector by the side of a cap receiving part. In order to show the modification regarding the structure of the cap part in the Example of this invention, it is the perspective view seen from the front right side of the insertion direction of a cap in the state which has closed the shutter. It is the perspective view seen from the insertion direction front side of the cap shown in FIG. It is a disassembled perspective view of the cap part shown in FIG. It is a perspective view which shows the principal part modification of the cap part shown in FIG. It is a top view for demonstrating one aspect | mode of the shutter closing mechanism for the cap part shown in FIG. FIG. 26 is a plan view showing an aspect of a shutter closing mechanism shown in FIG. 25. It is a top view which shows the state of the shutter closing mechanism changed from the aspect shown in FIG.

  DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Embodiments for carrying out the present invention according to embodiments shown in the drawings will be described below. 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.

  1 to 5, an image forming apparatus using a developer container according to the present invention, an image forming unit provided in the image forming apparatus, and a developer containing container used in the developing device provided in the image forming unit. The configuration of the unit will be described together with the operation.

  As shown in FIG. 1, a developer storage container storage unit 70 above the image forming apparatus main body 100 has four developer storage containers 32Y, 32M, and 32C corresponding to each color (yellow, magenta, cyan, and black). , 32K are detachably installed on the image forming apparatus main body 100 so that they can be exchanged.

An intermediate transfer unit 15 is disposed below the developer container container 70.
Image forming portions 6Y, 6M, 6C, and 6K corresponding to the respective colors (yellow, magenta, cyan, and black) are arranged in parallel so as to face the intermediate transfer belt 8 of the intermediate transfer unit 15.
Below the developer storage containers 32Y, 32M, 32C, and 32K, which are replacement objects, toner replenishing devices 60Y, 60M, 60C, and 60K are disposed, respectively.
The toners stored in the developer storage containers 32Y, 32M, 32C, and 32K are supplied (supplemented) into the developing devices of the image forming units 6Y, 6M, 6C, and 6K by the toner replenishing devices 60Y, 60M, 60C, and 60K, respectively. )

  Referring to FIG. 2, an image forming unit 6Y corresponding to yellow includes a photosensitive drum 1Y, a charging unit 4Y disposed around the photosensitive drum 1Y, a developing device 5Y (developing unit), a cleaning unit 2Y, It is comprised by the static elimination part (not shown) etc. Then, an image forming process (charging process, exposure process, developing process, transfer process, cleaning process) is performed on the photosensitive drum 1Y, and a yellow image is formed on the photosensitive drum 1Y.

  The other three image forming units 6M, 6C, and 6K have substantially the same configuration as that of the image forming unit 6Y corresponding to yellow except that the color of the toner used is different. A corresponding image is formed. Hereinafter, description of the other three image forming units 6M, 6C, and 6K will be omitted as appropriate, and only the image forming unit 6Y corresponding to yellow will be described.

Referring to FIG. 2, the photosensitive drum 1Y is driven to rotate clockwise in FIG. 2 by a drive motor (not shown). Then, a charging process is performed in which the surface of the photosensitive drum 1Y is uniformly charged at the position of the charging unit 4Y.
Thereafter, the surface of the photosensitive drum 1Y reaches the irradiation position of the laser beam L emitted from the exposure device 7 shown in FIG. 1, and an electrostatic latent image corresponding to yellow is formed by exposure scanning at this position. An exposure process is performed.

The surface of the photosensitive drum 1Y after the exposure process reaches a position facing the developing device 5Y, and the development process is performed in which the electrostatic latent image is developed and a yellow toner image is formed.
After development, the surface of the photosensitive drum 1Y reaches a position facing the intermediate transfer belt 8 and the first transfer bias roller 9Y, and the toner image on the photosensitive drum 1Y is used as an intermediate transfer member at this position. A primary transfer process to be transferred onto the image 8 is executed. At this time, a small amount of untransferred toner remains on the photosensitive drum 1Y.

The surface of the photosensitive drum 1Y after the primary transfer process reaches a position facing the cleaning unit 2Y, and untransferred toner remaining on the photosensitive drum 1Y at this position is mechanically collected by the cleaning blade 2a. A so-called cleaning process is performed.
At the time of the cleaning process, when the surface of the photoconductive drum 1Y reaches a position facing a neutralization unit (not shown), the residual potential on the surface is removed.
A series of image forming processes performed on the photosensitive drum 1Y is completed through these steps.

  The image forming process described above is performed in the other image forming units 6M, 6C, and 6K in the same manner as the yellow image forming unit 6Y. That is, the laser beam L based on the image information is emitted from the exposure unit 7 disposed below the image forming unit onto the photosensitive drums of the image forming units 6M, 6C, and 6K. Specifically, the exposure unit 7 emits laser light L from a light source, and irradiates the photosensitive drum through 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 through the developing process are transferred onto the intermediate transfer belt 8 in an overlapping manner. In this way, a color image is formed on the intermediate transfer belt 8.

As shown in FIG. 1, the intermediate transfer unit 15 includes an intermediate transfer belt 8, four primary transfer bias rollers 9Y, 9M, 9C, and 9K, a secondary transfer backup roller 12, a plurality of tension rollers, and an intermediate transfer cleaning unit. It is prepared for.
The intermediate transfer belt 8 is stretched and supported by a plurality of roller members, and is endlessly moved in the direction of the arrow in FIG.

The four primary transfer bias rollers 9Y, 9M, 9C, and 9K respectively sandwich the intermediate transfer belt 8 with the photosensitive drums 1Y, 1M, 1C, and 1K to form a primary transfer nip. Then, a transfer bias reverse to the polarity of the toner is applied to the primary transfer bias rollers 9Y, 9M, 9C, and 9K.
The intermediate transfer belt 8 travels in the direction of the arrow and sequentially passes through the primary transfer nips of the primary transfer bias rollers 9Y, 9M, 9C, and 9K. As a result, the toner images of the respective colors on the photosensitive drums 1Y, 1M, 1C, and 1K are primarily transferred while being superimposed on the intermediate transfer belt 8.

  The intermediate transfer belt 8 on 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 8 with the secondary transfer roller 19 to form a secondary transfer nip. The four color toner images formed on the intermediate transfer belt 8 are collectively transferred onto a recording medium 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 recording medium P remains on the intermediate transfer belt 8.

  The intermediate transfer belt 8 that has completed the batch transfer reaches the position of an intermediate transfer cleaning unit (not shown). At this position, the untransferred toner on the intermediate transfer belt 8 is collected. In this way, a series of transfer processes performed on the intermediate transfer belt 8 is completed.

Here, the recording medium P transported to the position of the secondary transfer nip is transported from a paper feeding unit 26 disposed below the apparatus main body 100 via a paper feeding roller 27, a registration roller pair 28, and the like. It is a thing.
Specifically, a plurality of recording media P such as transfer paper are stored in the paper supply unit 26 in a stacked manner. When the paper feed roller 27 is driven to rotate counterclockwise in FIG. 1, the uppermost recording medium P is fed toward the rollers of the registration roller pair 28.

  The recording medium P transported to the registration roller pair 28 temporarily stops at the position of the roller nip of the registration roller pair 28 whose rotation drive has been stopped. Then, the registration roller pair 28 is rotationally driven in synchronization with the color image on the intermediate transfer belt 8, and the recording medium P is conveyed toward the secondary transfer nip. In this way, a desired color image is transferred onto the recording medium P.

Thereafter, the recording medium P on which the color image is transferred at the position of the secondary transfer nip is conveyed to the position of the fixing device 20. At this position, the color image transferred to the surface is fixed on the recording medium P by heat and pressure generated by the fixing belt and the pressure roller.
After fixing, the recording medium P is discharged out of the apparatus through a pair of paper discharge roller pairs 29. The transferred P discharged from the apparatus 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.

Next, referring to FIG. 2, the configuration and operation of the developing device in the image forming unit will be described in more detail.
The developing device 5Y includes a developing roller 51Y facing the photosensitive drum 1Y, a doctor blade 52Y facing the developing roller 51Y, two conveying screws 55Y disposed in the developer accommodating portions 53Y and 54Y, and toner in the developer. Consists of a density detection sensor 56Y for detecting density. The developing roller 51Y includes a magnet fixed inside, a sleeve rotating around the magnet, and the like. In the developer accommodating portions 53Y and 54Y, a two-component developer G composed of a carrier and a toner is accommodated. The developer accommodating portion 54Y communicates with the toner dropping conveyance path 64Y through an opening formed thereabove.

The developing device 5Y configured as described above operates as follows.
The sleeve of the developing roller 51Y rotates in the direction of the arrow in FIG. The developer G carried on the developing roller 51Y by the magnetic field formed by the magnet moves on the developing roller 51Y as the sleeve rotates.

  Here, the developer G in the developing device 5Y is adjusted so that the ratio of toner in the developer (toner concentration) is within a predetermined range. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 3, the toner stored in the developer storage container 32Y is replenished into the developer storage portion 54Y via the toner replenishing device 60Y according to the consumption of toner in the developing device 5Y. The

  The toner replenished in the developer accommodating portion 54Y circulates through the two developer accommodating portions 53Y and 54Y while being mixed and stirred together with the developer G by the two conveying screws 55Y (in the direction perpendicular to the paper surface of FIG. 2). Move.) The toner in the developer G is attracted to the carrier by frictional charging with the carrier, and is carried on the developing roller 51Y together with the carrier by the magnetic force formed on the developing roller 51Y.

  The developer G carried on the developing roller 51Y is conveyed in the direction of the arrow in FIG. 2 and reaches the position of the doctor blade 52Y. The developer G on the developing roller 51Y is conveyed to a developing area corresponding to the position facing the photosensitive drum 1Y after the developer amount is adjusted to an appropriate amount at this position. The toner is attracted to the latent image formed on the photosensitive drum 1Y by the electric field formed in the development area. Thereafter, the developer G remaining on the developing roller 51Y reaches above the developer containing portion 53Y as the sleeve rotates, and is detached from the developing roller 51Y at this position.

Next, the toner replenishing devices 60Y, 60M, 60C, and 60K will be described in detail with reference to FIGS.
The state of toner supply from the toner storage unit 70 will be described with reference to FIG.
The toner in each developer storage container 32Y, 32M, 32C, 32K installed in the developer storage container storage section 70 of the apparatus main body 100 is provided for each toner color according to the toner consumption in each color developing device. The respective toner replenishing devices 60Y, 60M, 60C, and 60K are appropriately replenished into each developing device.
The four toner replenishing devices 60Y, 60M, 60C, and 60K and the developer storage containers 32Y, 32M, 32C, and 32K have substantially the same structure except for the color of the toner used in the image forming process. Only the corresponding toner supply device 50Y and the developer storage container 32Y will be described, and descriptions of the toner supply devices 60M, 60C, and 60K and the developer storage containers 32M, 32C, and 32K corresponding to the other three colors will be omitted as appropriate. To do.

When the developer container 32Y is to be replaced, a main body cover (not shown) installed on the front side of the apparatus main body 100 shown in FIG. The accommodating part 70 is exposed.
With the longitudinal direction of each developer storage container 32Y, 32M, 32C, 32K set to the horizontal direction, the developer storage containers 32Y, 32M, 32C, 32K can be inserted / removed (removed) from the front side of the apparatus main body 100. Will be able to do.

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a state in which the developer storage containers 32Y, 32M, 32C, and 32K of the respective colors are inserted and loaded into the developer storage container storage unit 70 of the apparatus main body 100.
In FIG. 3, when the developer storage containers 32Y, 32M, 32C, and 32K are inserted and loaded in the direction indicated by the arrow Q in the figure, they are indicated by reference numeral 34d in FIG. 3 in conjunction with this operation. The shutter members of the developer storage containers 32Y, 32M, 32C, and 32K are moved to open a toner discharge port W (hereinafter also referred to as a toner discharge port) corresponding to the toner discharge port.

  When the shutter 34d is opened, the toner replenishing ports (upstream side of the toner moving direction indicated by broken arrows in FIG. 3) of the toner replenishing devices 32Y, 32M, 32C, and 32K and the toner discharge port W are communicated. As a result, the toner stored in the developer storage containers 32Y, 32M, 32C, and 32K is discharged from the toner discharge port W, and the toner tank portion 61Y from the toner supply port of the toner supply devices 60Y, 60M, 60C, and 60K. Will be stored inside.

The developer storage containers 32Y, 32M, 32C, and 32K use a configuration that moves the stored toner toward the toner discharge port W. The configuration is as follows.
As shown in FIG. 6, the developer storage container 32 </ b> Y is a substantially cylindrical toner bottle provided with a spiral protrusion 33 b that reaches the toner discharge port W on the inner peripheral surface, and is mainly a developer storage container. The cap portion 34Y is held in the housing portion 70 in a non-rotating manner, and is composed of a container main body 33Y (bottle main body) integrally formed with 33c.

As shown in FIG. 3, the container body 33Y is rotatably held with respect to the cap part 34Y, and is rotated in FIG. 3 by a drive unit 91 including a drive 81 driven by a drive motor (not shown). Is driven to rotate in the direction indicated by the arrow.
By rotating the container main body 33Y itself, the toner contained in the developer storage container 32Y (container main body 33Y) is conveyed in the longitudinal direction and moved toward the toner discharge port by the spiral protrusion 33b of the container main body 33Y. Then, the toner is discharged from the toner discharge port W of the cap portion 34Y. In other words, the container 91Y of the developer storage container 32Y is appropriately rotated by the drive unit 91, whereby the toner is appropriately supplied to the toner tank 61Y. Each of the developer storage containers 32Y, 32M, 32C, and 32K is replaced with a new one when it reaches the end of its life (when the toner to be stored is almost exhausted). In this case, as described above, the cover of the apparatus main body is opened.

In FIG. 3, toner replenishing devices 60Y, 60M, 60C, and 60K include a developer container container 70, a toner tank 61Y, a toner transport screw 62Y, a stirring member 65Y, a toner end sensor 66Y, the drive unit 91 described above, and the like. It is configured.
The toner tank 61Y is disposed below the toner discharge port W of the developer storage container 32Y, and stores toner discharged from the toner discharge port W of the developer storage container 32Y. The bottom of the toner tank 61Y is connected to the upstream part of the toner conveying screw 62Y.

  Further, a toner end sensor 66Y that detects that the amount of toner stored in the toner tank 61Y has become a predetermined amount or less is installed on the wall surface of the toner tank 61Y (position at a predetermined height from the bottom). ing. A piezoelectric sensor or the like can be used as the toner end sensor 66Y. When the control unit 70 detects that the amount of toner stored in the toner tank unit 61Y has become a predetermined amount or less (toner end detection) by the toner end sensor 66Y, the drive unit 91 ( By driving 81), the container main body 33Y of the developer storage container 32Y is rotationally driven for a predetermined time to supply toner to the toner tank portion 61Y. Further, if the toner end detection by the toner end sensor 66Y is not canceled even if such control is repeated, it is assumed that there is no toner in the developer storage container 32Y, and the display unit (not shown) of the apparatus main body 100 is not shown. ) Is displayed to prompt the replacement of the developer container 32Y.

In addition, a stirring member 65Y that prevents aggregation of the toner stored in the toner tank 61Y is installed at the center of the toner tank 61Y (in the vicinity of the toner end sensor 66Y). The agitating member 65Y is provided with a flexible member at the shaft portion, and agitates the toner in the toner tank portion 61Y by rotating clockwise in FIG.
Further, the tip of the flexible member of the stirring member 65Y is in sliding contact with the detection surface of the toner end sensor 66Y at a rotation cycle, so that the toner adheres to the detection surface of the toner end sensor 66Y and the detection accuracy decreases. Suppressed.

  Although illustration is omitted, the toner conveying screw 62Y conveys the toner stored in the toner tank portion 61Y obliquely upward. Specifically, the toner transport screw 62Y linearly transports the toner from the bottom (lowermost point) of the toner tank 61Y toward the upper side of the developing device 5Y. Then, as shown in FIG. 2, the toner transported by the toner transport screw 62Y falls by its own weight on the toner drop transport path 64Y and is replenished into the developer accommodating portion 54Y of the developing device 5Y.

  As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the developer storage container housing portion 70 is mounted on the developer storage container housing portion 70 of the apparatus main body, and mainly the cap portion 34Y of the developer storage container 32Y. A cap receiving portion 73 for holding the container, a bottle receiving portion 72 (container main body receiving portion) for holding the container main body 33Y of the developer storage container 32Y, and an insertion port during the mounting operation of the developer storage container 32Y. And the insertion port portion 71.

The developer storage container 32Y is inserted into and removed from the container main body 33Y with the cap portion 34Y at the top in a state where the longitudinal direction is the horizontal direction by the user holding the gripping portion 33d. The developer container container 70 is mounted from the insertion port 71.
The developer storage container 32 </ b> Y inserted from the insertion opening 71 is pushed by the user toward the cap receiving portion 73 while sliding on the bottle receiving surface 72 a of the bottle receiving portion 72.

  As shown in FIG. 5, a bottle receiving surface 72a is formed for each color in the bottle receiving portion 72, and the developer storage containers 32Y, 32M, 32C, and 32K corresponding to the respective colors are arranged on the left side of the drawing in FIG. To the right-side cap receiving portion 73. The cap receiving part 73 is provided with bottle receiving parts 73Y, 73M, 73C, 73K for the developer storage containers of the respective colors, and the corresponding developer storage containers 32Y, 32M, 32C, 32K are inserted (white). Insertion in the direction of the arrow), and the cap portion is held non-rotating at that position.

In FIG. 5, the bottle receiving portion 72 of the developer storage container housing portion 70 is provided with a bottle receiving surface 72a and a stopper release urging portion 72b.
The bottle receiving surface 72a functions as a sliding surface of the developer storage container 32Y during the attaching / detaching operation of the developer storage container 32Y, and functions as a holding portion of the container main body 33Y that is rotationally driven after the setting of the developer storage container 32Y is completed. To do.

  The stopper release urging portion 72b in FIG. 5 described above is a shutter provided in the cap portion 34Y in conjunction with the insertion (mounting) operation of the developer storage containers 32Y, 32M, 32C, 32K shown in FIG. 34d (see FIGS. 8 to 12) is a portion used to open the toner discharge port W by displacing from the closed state to the open state, and protrudes toward the shutter on the upper surface of the bottle receiving surface 72a. It is composed of trapezoidal ribs protruding upward.

On the other hand, FIG. 6 and FIG. 7 show the entire constitution of the developer storage containers 32Y, 32M, 32C, 32K (see FIG. 6) and details of the cap portion 34Y equipped in the container (see FIG. 7). Yes.
In FIG. 6, the developer storage container 32Y mainly includes a container main body 33Y (bottle main body) and a cap portion 34Y (bottle cap) provided on the head thereof. Further, a shutter 34d, an ID chip 35 as an information storage device, and the like are detachably installed in the cap portion 34Y of the developer storage container 32Y.

The configuration shown in FIG. 7 is used so that the ID chip 35 can be mounted at the position where the ID chip 35 is mounted among the above-described units.
As shown in FIG. 7, the front end surface of the cap portion 34Y is engaged with first and second positioning pins (not shown) provided in the cap receiving portion 73 at two places in the vertical direction (vertical direction). First and second positioning holes 34a and 34b are provided. Between these first and second positioning holes 34a and 34b, a shape that can be connected to a connector provided on the developer storage container housing portion 70 (see FIG. 5) side is shown in FIGS. 9, a rectangular recess 35a extending in the vertical direction is formed, and a holding member 34k to which an ID chip can be attached is attached in the recess, as shown in FIG. In FIG. 8, reference numeral 33f denotes an agitation member having an agitation part positioned in the cap, which can be rotated in conjunction with 33c described later.

  The mounting position of the holding member 34k is a position that is higher in the vertical direction than a toner discharge port (W) that is opened and closed by a shutter 34d described later with reference to FIG. 11 (in FIG. 8, for convenience, the bottom 35a1 of the recess 35a and the toner A position having a height H from the discharge port W) is separated from the toner discharge port W, and a convex wall is provided on the periphery of the rectangular recess. As a result, it is possible to obtain a state in which a part of the recess 35a is unlikely to overlap the toner discharge port W in a part in the transverse direction. In other words, the bottom portion 35a1 of the recess 35a is prevented from approaching the toner discharge port W so that the bottom portion 35a1 prevents the toner discharge port W from being partially blocked and does not hinder the toner discharge. Can do. Moreover, even when the toner leaks from the toner discharge port W of the developer storage container 32Y to the outside, the scattered toner does not reach the connector against its own weight. Since it is blocked, contact failure due to toner adhesion to the connector can be prevented, and occurrence of communication failure can be prevented. The recess 35a is provided on the first positioning hole 34a side.

On the other hand, at the head of the container main body 33Y shown in FIG. 7, as shown in FIG. 8, 33c that rotates together with the container main body 33Y and the opening A are in the longitudinal direction (left-right direction in FIG. 8). It is provided on one end side.
The opening A is provided at the head located at the front when the container main body 33Y is mounted, and discharges the toner accommodated in the container main body 33Y toward the cavity B in the cap part 34Y. belongs to.
Note that toner conveyance from the container main body 33Y to the cavity B in the cap portion 34Y (rotational driving of the container main body 33Y) is appropriately performed according to the toner consumption on the image forming apparatus main body side.

Next, the configuration of the cap portion 34Y of the developer container 32Y will be described with reference to FIGS.
An ID chip 35 (information storage device), a shutter member 34d, and a shutter seal 36 are installed in the cap portion 34Y of the developer storage container 32Y.
As shown in FIG. 9, the cap portion 34Y roughly includes a cylindrical body that reduces the outer diameter and inner diameter in three stages (large, medium, and small) from the container body 33Y side to the shutter member 34d side, It consists of a structure that combines a bottom portion with a box portion that reduces the width in the horizontal direction in two steps (wide and narrow). The cap portion 34Y has an insertion portion including a large diameter portion, a medium diameter, and a wide box portion 34n among the cylindrical portions.
As shown in FIG. 9, the large diameter portion of the cap portion 34 </ b> Y is provided with a notch hole 34 </ b> P <b> 0 in which a part of the outer periphery is missing, and a portion of the teeth of the 33 c is exposed to the outside.

Among the insertion portions, the peripheral portion 34P1 adjacent in the axial direction to the removal hole 34P0 in FIG. 9 has a smaller outer diameter than the peripheral portion 34P2 that is not adjacent to the removal hole 34P0 in the circumferential direction. . In FIG. 9, for the sake of convenience, reference numerals D1 and D2 indicating outer diameters are attached to the reference numerals of the peripheral portions 34P1 and 34P2, and the relationship between these outer diameters is D1 <D2.
In this way, by reducing the outer diameter of the peripheral portion adjacent to the removal hole 34P0 in the axial direction of the insertion portion smaller than other portions in the circumferential direction, 33c exposed to the outside from the removal hole 34P0. On the other hand, the tooth surfaces meshing in the axial direction are not likely to interfere with the outer periphery of the insertion portion. As a result, the meshing operation when moving in the axial direction of 33c can be smoothly performed without being obstructed by a part of the insertion portion.

Further, in FIG. 9 and FIG. 23 showing a modified example in which the main part is made common with the configuration shown in FIG. 9 (the example shown in this figure will be described later), reference numeral 34YG0 denotes the front end side of the guide rail 34YG Fig. 2 shows a retaining portion constituted by a stepped portion. As will be described later, the retaining portion 34YG0 is a portion that prevents the shutter 34d from slipping further by preventing the shutter 34d from moving further forward when a slide projection 34d1c (see FIG. 11) provided on the shutter 34d side abuts against it. It is.
Above the guide rail 34YG, as shown in detail in FIG. 23, a rail upper rib 34SG parallel to the guide rail 34YG at a certain distance is provided. The rail upper rib 34SG prevents the holding portion of the main body side shutter closing mechanism 73d (see FIG. 13) described in FIG. 13 and subsequent drawings from entering between the cylindrical peripheral surface of the cap 34Y and the guide rail 34YG. ing.
In FIG. 23, the above-described upper surface of the guide rail 34YG is provided with a shutter protrusion 34YG2 including a protrusion at a position that reaches the stopper 34YG0 before the shutter 34d hits. The shutter protrusion 34YG2 is used as a portion that regulates the movement of the shutter 34d when the shutter 34d is in the closed state.

  The insertion / removal (detachment) work of the developer storage container 33Y can be performed by the user gripping the gripping portion provided at the rear side end in the container body 33Y insertion (mounting) direction as indicated by reference numeral 33d in FIG. It is like that.

  A narrow box portion 34Y1 is formed in the small diameter cylindrical portion of the cap portion 34Y, and the box portion 34Y1 is discharged from the opening A of the container body 33Y as shown in FIG. 10B. A toner discharge port W for discharging the toner out of the container and vertically downward (self-weight drop) is provided in communication with the cavity B shown in FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 10B, the toner discharge port W is formed in a hexagonal shape, which is one of polygonal shapes, has a constant flow area, and has a lower peripheral surface of the small-diameter cylindrical portion inner space B and toner. The discharge port W (discharge port) is connected. As a result, the toner discharged from the opening A of the container main body 33Y to the small-diameter cylindrical space B of the cap 34Y falls by its own weight through the hexagonal columnar toner discharge port W and smoothly out of the container (toner tank 61Y). Will be discharged.

  As shown in FIGS. 8 and 10B, a rib W1 protruding toward the seal member 36 of the shutter 34d described later is formed in the toner discharge port W described above along the periphery of the opening. The rib W1 has a function of folding back an end portion of the seal material 36, which will be described later, and a function of improving the adhesion with the seal material 36 by pressing contact with a portion other than the end portion. A function of blocking toner that is about to leak from the outlet W is provided.

  In FIG. 10, at the bottom of the narrow box portion 34Y1 provided below the cap portion 34Y, the toner discharge port W is opened and closed in conjunction with the attaching / detaching operation of the developer container 32Y to the developer container container 70. A shutter 34d for performing the movement is slidably held.

The shutter 34d is a characteristic part of the present invention, and its configuration will be described with reference to FIG. 11A shows a perspective view seen from the lower surface side of the shutter 34d, and FIG. 11B is a perspective view seen from the upper surface side of the shutter 34d.
The shutter 34d is made of a resin such as polystyrene, and roughly includes a plate-shaped shutter main portion 34d1, and a shutter deformation portion 34d2 that protrudes from the shutter main portion 34d1 and is thinner than the shutter main portion 34d1 and has elasticity. It consists of

The shutter main portion 34d1 is provided with a pair of shutter sliders 34d12 including a vertical wall 34d1a (the sign designation position in the drawing is corrected) standing on both outer sides of the plate portion, and a projection protruding therefrom.
The vertical wall 34d1a has a pair of slide protrusions 34d1c that protrude from the inner surface of the vertical wall so as to face each other, and an L-shaped engaged protrusion provided on the outer surface opposite to the slide protrusion 34d1c. 34d1b is provided.
The engaged protrusion 34d1b has a shape in which a plate portion extending in the shutter moving direction exists on the upper surface, and is sandwiched as described below from a portion of the plate portion located in front of the developer storage container in the loading direction. A protrusion 34d1b1 that engages the portion extends.
The shutter slider 34d12 protrudes from the surface of the vertical wall 34d1a on the same side as the engaged protrusion 34d1b, and extends toward the rear in the closing direction with respect to the toner discharge port W of the shutter 34d, as indicated by an arrow. It consists of a pair of prisms.

  In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 11B, the protrusion 34d1b1 provided on the engaged protrusion 34d1b is offset from the front end surface of the shutter main portion 34d1 (reference S1 in FIG. 11B). (The position where the distance indicated by is missing). This will be described with reference to FIG. 13 and subsequent figures, but as a part for preventing interference when one of the clamping parts 73d2 (see FIG. 13) provided in the main body side shutter closing mechanism 73d starts to rotate. It has come to be used.

In the shutter 34d, the shutter deforming portion 34d2 is configured in a cantilever shape, and a curved shape portion (indicated by reference symbol R in FIG. 11) whose corner portion inside the base end connected to the shutter main portion 34d1 is an arc shape. It is designed to avoid stress concentration when it is bent and deformed.
Furthermore, the shutter deforming portion 34d2 has a horizontal surface as shown in FIG. 11C in which a part of the base end located on the shutter main portion 34d1 side is omitted from the engaged protrusion 34d1b (FIG. 11C). The portion indicated by reference numeral S2 in FIG. 2 is formed so as to be inclined from the tip of the horizontal plane. In this configuration, unlike the case where the inclined base end of the shutter deforming part 34d2 and the shutter main part 34d1 are directly connected, the base end side of the shutter deforming part 34d2 and the inclined base end of the shutter deforming part 34d2 are swung. It is possible to avoid stress concentration at the connecting position with the shutter main portion 34d1.

  The shutter deforming portion 34d2 extends from the shutter main portion 34d1 to the rear side in the insertion direction of the developer container (a portion having a length indicated by a symbol L in FIG. 11). It is made to incline in the state which falls below toward the said insertion direction back side from the base end side.

  The free ends of the shutter deforming portion 34d2 are integrated by a horizontally connected connecting plate portion 34d2a, and at the center in the horizontal direction, a trapezoidal rib provided on the cap receiving portion 73 side is formed. A stopper release portion 34d21 that can be opposed to the stopper release biasing portion 72b (see FIG. 5) is provided, and on both sides in the horizontal direction, as will be described later, in order to prevent the toner discharge port W from being inadvertently opened. A stopper portion 34d22 for fixing the shutter 34d is provided.

  The stopper release portion 34d21 is formed in a triangular cross-section and rides on the stopper release urging portion 72b (see FIG. 5) provided on the cap receiving portion 73 side so that the shutter deformable portion 34d2 is moved from the inclined position to the horizontal position. In conjunction with this, the engagement between the stopper portion 34d22 and the engaging end surface 34n1 (see FIG. 10) located in the wide box portion 34n at the bottom of the cap portion 34Y can be released. As a result, the shutter 34d can move in a direction to open and close the toner discharge port W.

The locking end surface 34n1 located in the wide box portion 34n is provided as a portion that restricts the movement of the shutter 34d from the state in which the toner discharge port W is closed to the direction in which the toner discharge port W is opened.
That is, FIGS. 12B and 12C are views for explaining the relationship between the locking end surface 34n1 and the stopper portion 34d22 on the shutter deformation portion 34d2 side, and the toner discharge port W shown in FIG. 12C. When the shutter 34d is closed, the shutter deforming portion 34d2 on the shutter 34d side is in an inclined state as an initial state. Therefore, the stopper portion 34d22 located at the inclined free end faces the locking end surface 34n1, so that the shutter 34d is By making it impossible to move independently, the state in which the toner discharge port W is not opened carelessly is maintained.
Further, as shown in FIGS. 10B and 12B, when the shutter 34d moves in a direction to open the toner discharge port W, the moving direction of the shutter main portion 34d1 with respect to the locking end surface 34n1. The front end 34d1d comes into contact with the front end 34d1 so that the moving position of the shutter main portion 34d1 can be defined. FIG. 12C shows a case where the shutter 34d is moved in a direction to close the toner discharge port W. In this case, the free end portion of the shutter deforming portion 34d2 is inclined on the locking end surface 34n1 described above. By doing so, the stopper part 34d22 located at the free end part comes into abutment. Accordingly, the movement of the shutter 34d is prevented unless the stopper release portion 34d21 is pushed up.

  The sealing material 36 is formed of a flat rectangular solid attached to the shutter main portion 34d1, and the end portion is folded back when it abuts against the rib W1 shown in FIG. This is an elastic seal made of a flexible material that can be bent and deformed toward the toner discharge port W in a frictional contact state, and the material is considered in terms of surface slidability and elasticity maintenance. High density microcell urethane sheet is used.

  The sealing material 36 has such a length that the tip in the direction in which the toner discharge W is closed by the shutter 34d protrudes outward from the tip of the shutter main portion 34d1 (the length indicated by reference numeral L1 in FIG. 11). The front end portion is a portion that is easy to bend when it abuts against a rib W1 provided on the periphery of the toner discharge port W.

The shutter 34Y is accommodated in the wide box portion 34n located below the large-diameter cylindrical portion of the cap portion 34Y and is slidable.
Of the four wall surfaces on the side surface of the wide box portion 34n, two wall surfaces facing in the longitudinal direction (the axial direction of the cap portion cylinder) are open. In particular, the wall surface on the toner discharge port W side is formed with an opening extending in the horizontal direction by leaving only a part of the wall surface at the bottom corner. This opening is formed so as to cut out two sides of the wide box portion 34n, that is, the side surface on the toner discharge port W side and the bottom surface.

On the other hand, in FIGS. 7, 9, 10 and 12, lateral projections that restrict the rotational orientation of the cap portion 34Y in the image forming apparatus main body 100 (cap receiving portion 73) are provided on both sides of the cap portion 34Y. 34c is formed.
The side projections 34c are respectively located on both sides of the outer peripheral surface of the medium-diameter cylindrical portion in the direction perpendicular to the column direction of the positioning holes 34a and 34b, and the shape in plan view is triangular, and the cap portion 34Y It has a top part in the position away from the outer peripheral surface of a medium diameter cylinder part from the head side to back.

  Among the inclined surfaces of the side protrusions 34c, the rising angle of the inclined piece positioned on the rear side with respect to the top is made larger than the rising angle of the inclined piece positioned on the head side of the cap portion 34Y with respect to the top. ing.

The head-side inclined piece moves while coming into contact with a pushing member (not shown) provided on the cap receiving portion 73 side and imparted with the habit of sandwiching the side projection 34c by the bias of the elastic force. Can do. That is, when a portion having a small inclination angle, that is, a so-called gradient surface, is opposed to the push member when pushed toward the push member, the gradient surface can be inserted into the push member without resistance. When the top of the inclined surface exceeds the pushing member, the inclined surface on the rear side is locked to the pushing member because the inclination angle is larger than the tapered surface, and immediately after exceeding the pushing member. In addition, the movement resistance from the pushing member is abruptly reduced, and a feeling of resistance when fitted into the pushing member, that is, a so-called click feeling is generated.
In the present embodiment, among the inclined pieces in the side projection, the angle of the inclined piece on the head side is set to 30 °, and the angle of the inclined piece on the rear side is set to 45 °.

7, 9, 10, and 11, reference numerals 34 g and 34 h are provided at both ends of the bottom portion of the cap portion 34 </ b> Y to ensure incompatibility of the developer storage container 32 </ b> Y (developer storage container). It is a convex part.
That is, the convex portions 34g and 34h are portions that can determine whether the operation of mounting the developer storage container 32Y to the developer storage container storage portion 70 is correct or not, and are fitted on the developer storage container storage portion 70 side. When the fitting state with respect to the joint portion (not shown) is normal, it is determined that the developer storage container storing the toner of the predetermined color specified at this position is mounted and correctly mounted at the predetermined position. It can be done. Accordingly, it is possible to prevent an erroneous operation when the color of the toner stored in the developer storage container is not mounted on a predetermined mounting portion, that is, a so-called erroneous setting.

On the other hand, the shutter 34d is maintained in a state in which the toner discharge port W is closed by the main body side shutter closing mechanism 73d shown in FIGS. The main body side shutter closing mechanism 73d is provided to solve the problem that the toner container 32Y is taken out from the apparatus main body 100 before the toner discharge port W is completely closed when the developer container is replaced.
In FIG. 13, the main body side shutter closing mechanism 73d (shutter clamping mechanism) is disposed at the bottom of the cap receiving portion 73 and upstream of the toner discharge port W in the mounting direction of the developer storage container 32Y. Yes.

In FIG. 13, the shutter closing mechanism 73d on the main body side is a pair of substantially horseshoe-shaped members arranged so as to face in the left-right direction in FIG. 13, and is centered on a support shaft portion 73d3 on which a torsion coil spring is installed. It is configured to be rotatable.
The main body side shutter closing mechanism 73d (shutter clamping mechanism) has a first clamping part 73d1 formed on one end side and a second clamping part 73d2 formed on the other end side.
In each clamping part, when the shutter 34d is opened and closed in the developer container 32Y, the engaged projection 34d1b of the shutter 34d is clamped by the second clamping member 73d2, and the guide rail 34YG in the cap part 34Y (FIGS. 9 and 10). And a vertical plane (refer to FIG. 14 where the leading end of the lead wire 34YG is located) is clamped by the first clamping member 73d1 (state shown in FIG. 14), thereby opening and closing the shutter 34d. During the operation, the posture of the shutter 34d and the cap portion 34Y at the cap receiving portion 73 is determined, and a smooth opening / closing operation becomes possible.

13 to 15 are diagrams illustrating the operation of the main body side shutter closing mechanism 73d (shutter clamping mechanism) when opening and closing the shutter 34d.
During the opening operation of the shutter 34d, first, as shown in FIG. 13, the first holding member 73d1 moves the tip 34YG1 (see FIG. 9) of the guide rail 34YG of the shutter 34d in accordance with the mounting operation of the developer container 32Y in the direction of the white arrow. , 10 and FIG. 12), and then, as will be described later, the second clamping member 73d2 contacts the protrusion 34d1b1 located at the engaged protrusion 34d1b of the shutter 34d.

As shown in FIG. 14, when the mounting operation of the developer container 32Y indicated by the white arrow direction proceeds, the main body side shutter closing mechanism 73d (shutter clamping mechanism) rotates around the support shaft portion 73d3.
When the main body side shutter closing mechanism 73d rotates, the first holding member 73d1 holds the vertical surface of the guide rail 34YG of the cap portion 34Y (the surface on which the leading end portion of the lead wire 34YG in FIG. 14 is located), and the second holding member While 73d2 engages with the projection 34d1b1 positioned at the engaged projection 34d1b of the shutter 34d, the base end of the engaged projection 34d1b faces and abuts against the side wall surface of the shutter main portion 34d1 to sandwich the side wall surface. .

  Thereafter, although not shown, the shutter 34d abuts against a wall portion formed around the toner supply port on the cap receiving portion 73 side to be prevented from moving in the mounting direction, and the vertical surface of the guide rail 34YG described above. Is clamped by the first clamping part 73d1, and the movement of the shutter 34d in the cap receiving part 73 is restricted (the shutter 34d will never move in the longitudinal direction).

When the developer storage container 32Y further moves in the mounting direction while the movement of the shutter 34d is restricted, the shutter 34d that is prevented from moving in the mounting direction moves against the movement of the cap portion 34Y in the mounting direction. When the cap portion 34Y moves in the relative direction and moves forward in the mounting direction with respect to the shutter 34d that is prevented from moving, the toner discharge port W is opened as shown in FIG.
At this time, as shown in FIG. 15, the vertical surface of the cap portion 34Y is clamped by the first clamping member 73d1, and the projection 34d1b1 located at the engaged projection 34d1b of the shutter 34d is engaged by the second clamping member 73d2. Since the shutter 34d is opened while the shutter 34d is sandwiched, the posture of the shutter 34d and the cap 34Y in the cap receiving portion 73 is determined, and the shutter 34d can be smoothly opened. .

  On the other hand, when the developer storage container 32Y is taken out (detached) from the developer storage container storage section 70 (cap receiving section 73), the operation is performed in the reverse order of the above-described procedure for mounting. That is, the operation of the main body side shutter closing mechanism 73d (shutter clamping mechanism) accompanying the closing operation of the shutter 34d is performed in the order of FIG. 15, FIG. 14, and FIG.

The seal state of the seal member 36 with respect to the toner discharge port W according to the opening / closing operation of the shutter will be described with reference to FIG. 16 corresponding to the moving position of the shutter 34d.
FIG. 16A shows a state where the toner discharge port W of the cap 34 is closed by the shutter 34d. In this state, since the developer container is not loaded in the cap receiving portion 73, the toner discharge port W of the shutter 34d is closed. The shutter 34 d is maintained in close contact with the toner discharge port W because the sealing material 36 is in press contact with the rib W <b> 1 positioned at the periphery of the toner discharge port W. A broken line in FIG. 16A represents a state where the stopper release portion 34d21 of the shutter 34d is pushed up by the stopper release biasing portion 72b on the cap receiving portion 73 side. The shutter deforming portion 34d2 is bent and deformed from the inclined position to the horizontal position. As shown in FIG. 10, the stopper portion 34d22 located at the free end of the shutter deforming portion 34d2 is disengaged from the engaging end surface 34n1 located at the wide box portion 34n at the bottom of the cap portion 34Y.

  Accordingly, as described with reference to FIGS. 13 to 15, the second holding member 73d2 of the main body side shutter closing mechanism 73d can move to the position where the engaged protrusion 34d1b on the shutter 34d side is held. As described above with reference to FIG. 14, the shutter 34d is restricted from moving in the mounting direction, and the cap portion 34Y can move in the mounting direction, thereby opening the toner discharge port W, and FIG. B). FIG. 16B shows a state where the developer storage container is inserted toward the cap receiving portion 73.

  FIG. 16C shows a portion indicated by reference numeral (C) in FIG. 16B, that is, an operation immediately before the operation of detaching the toner container from the main body is started, and the shutter 34d is just before the shutter 34d starts to close. Shows the state. In the same figure, when the shutter 34d further moves in the direction to close the toner discharge port W, the upper corner (ridge line portion) of the sealing material 36 abuts against the rib W1 located at the periphery of the toner discharge port W, thereby forming the rib W1. It is caught (dripped) between the upper surface of the seal.

FIG. 16D shows a state where the toner discharge port closing of the shutter 34d is completed. When the closing is completed, the seal member 36 is in close contact with the rib W1 while the upper corner of the seal member 36 is sharp. And the front end surface of the sealing material 36 is pulled and deform | transformed by the wound ridgeline part, and when the cap part 34Y is seen from the front, it will bend so that the contact part of the rib W1 and the sealing material 36 may be covered.
As a result, the toner discharge port W is sealed by the sealing material 36 until the developer storage container is completely installed, so that it is possible to prevent the toner from being accidentally leaked from the toner discharge port W. it can.

  The shutter mechanism having the above-described configuration is a special component due to the configuration of the sealing material 36 having a portion that can be turned by striking against the rib W1 for the sealing material used as an existing component. Thus, there is provided an effect that the adhesion to the toner discharge port W can be improved and the leakage of the toner can be surely prevented without requiring addition of the toner.

  In particular, since the shape of the toner discharge port W is a hexagonal shape, it is possible to concentrate the load for causing the curl at the end of the sealing material 36 to act and to cause the curl to be easily concentrated, and the load is concentrated. Since it is possible to cause the wrinkles while reducing the sliding resistance in the entire end portion continuously with the hexagonal top portion, it is possible to ensure the adhesion over the entire peripheral edge of the toner discharge port W.

Next, an example will be described with respect to another example in which an ID chip is mounted on the developer container of the above-described form.
In the present embodiment, the ID chip 2035 shown in FIG. 17 and the connector on the cap receiving portion side in which the electrical connection relationship is set can enhance the alignment of the connection position, and the contact failure due to the toner at the contact position can be improved. It also comes to prevent. The configuration relating to this is as follows.

FIG. 17 is a front view showing the configuration of the ID chip 2035 and a toner container 2032Y on which the ID chip 2035 is mounted. In the figure, an ID chip 2035 is provided with a terminal 2035a on the right side and a wireless non-contact communication area (antenna part) 2035b on the left side, with the central portion in the longitudinal direction of the rectangular terminal board body as a boundary. (See FIG. 17A).
Having both a contact method and a non-contact method has the following advantages. In the assembly process in the toner container factory and the writing to the ID chip in the toner filling process, the toner information and the like are written in the ID chip by non-contact communication in the flow operation. As a result, the manufacturing speed can be remarkably improved, and as a result, inexpensive toner containers with reduced manufacturing costs can be mass-produced. On the other hand, in the image forming apparatus, a contact-type inexpensive electronic substrate can be employed for the communication device on the main body side, which can contribute to cost reduction of the image forming apparatus.
Next, a configuration for attaching the ID chip of Embodiment 16 to a toner container will be described. The ID chip 2035 has a semicircular cutout 2035d at the center. As shown in FIG. 17B, the ID chip 2035 is held on the front end surface of the cap portion 2034Y of the toner container 2032Y so that the ID chip 2035 can move by a small amount in the horizontal direction. In the holding method, the ID chip 2035 is sandwiched and held between the two flanged pins 2034f disposed substantially at the center of the front end surface at the position of the notch 2035d. The interval between the two flanged pins 2034f is larger than the shortest width between the two cutout portions 2035d, so that the ID chip 2035 is held with a backlash in the cap portion 2034Y.

On the other hand, FIG. 18 is a view showing a cap receiving portion 2073 of the developer storage container housing portion 70. In the figure, the cap receiving portion 2073 is used as an electrical connection portion to the ID chip 2035, which will be described later. A through hole 2073f and a wall portion 2073g through which the connector 2073e (shown in FIG. 20 but not shown in FIG. 18 for convenience) are exposed are provided.
The wall portion 2073g is a portion that shields the periphery of a connector 2073e described later, and prevents the toner from entering the connector 2073e when the connector 2073e described later is exposed from the through hole 2073f.
The through hole 2073f is a portion for exposing the connector 2073e provided on the common electronic substrate described in FIG. 19 so as to face the ID chip 2035 as shown in FIG.

FIG. 19 is a diagram showing a configuration of a connector 2073e provided on the common electronic board. In FIG. 19, the connector 2073e includes a plurality of terminal plates 2073e1 provided on the connector main body 2073e0. The terminal plate 2073e1 is a flexible metal plate with good conductivity that is bent.
The connector 2073e is provided with a configuration for positioning when in contact with the ID chip 2035. Hereinafter, this configuration will be described.

In FIG. 19, the wall portion 2073g shown in FIG. 18 is provided around or part of the terminal plate 2073e1 provided in the connector 2073e, and the ID chip 2035 side is provided on a part of the wall portion 2073g. Positioning pins 2073e3 that can be fitted into the positioning holes 2035b1 and 2035c (see FIG. 17A) provided in are formed.
The positioning holes 2035b1 and 2035c are for contact positioning with the terminal plate 2073e1 on the connector 2073e side with respect to the terminal 2035a on the ID chip 2035 side, and in order to facilitate fitting with the positioning pins 2073e3, one is a round hole. The other is formed by a long hole. In addition, in FIG. 21 used for description to be described later, the flanged pin 2034f protrudes from the holding member 2034k fixed to the recess 2035a. Reference numeral 34q indicates a pedestal of the holding member 2034k.

The connection state between the connector 2073e on the common electronic substrate side and the ID chip 2035 is shown in FIG. In FIG. 20, when the cap portion 2034Y of the developer container is inserted into the cap receiving portion 2073, the positioning pins 73a and 73b on the cap receiving portion 2073 side are inserted into the positioning hole portions 34a and 34b on the cap portion 2034Y side. Thus, the cap portion 2034Y is positioned with respect to the cap receiving portion 2073.
When the cap portion 2034Y is further inserted, the positioning pin 2073e3 of the connector 2073e moves in the positioning holes 2035b1 and 2035c (see FIG. 17A) on the ID chip 2035 side, so that the terminal 2035a1 and the connector on the ID chip 2035 side are moved. The position with the terminal board 2073e1 on the 2073e side is aligned, and contact failure due to position mismatch is prevented.

  As the cap portion 2034Y is inserted, the wall portion 2073g positioned around the connector 2073e covers the periphery of the ID chip 2035 as well as the periphery of the connector as shown by the two-dot chain line arrow in FIG. As a result, the installation position of the ID chip 2035 is located above and away from the toner discharge port W, thereby preventing the toner scattered from the toner discharge port W from adhering to the contact position between the terminals. Can be done.

Next, another example relating to a toner container having an ID chip and a shutter configuration will be described below with reference to FIGS.
As another example, a configuration different from the example described previously is a configuration related to the main body side shutter closing mechanism 73d described with reference to FIGS.
FIG. 21 is a perspective view of the cap 2134Y inserted in the state where the shutter 34d is closed (the direction indicated by the white arrow in the figure) as viewed from the right front side, and FIG. 22 shows the shutter 34d being opened. It is the perspective view seen from the insertion direction front side of cap 2134Y in the state where it is in. In each of these drawings, points different from the configurations shown before these drawings will be described as follows.
In FIG. 21, unlike the structure shown in FIG. 8, a front cover 2134P for preventing the ID chip 535 loaded in the recess 35a from dropping is provided on the front surface of the cap 2134Y.

  As shown in FIG. 23, as a structure for attaching the front cover 2134P, a heat caulking pin 2134P10 provided below the center of the front surface on the front surface of the cap 2134Y and a recess 35a in a horizontal direction are provided at a position different from the pin 2134P10. A primary reference pin 734S3 and a secondary reference pin 734S4 provided in a pair with being sandwiched are used. The heat caulking pin 2134P10 is in a state where the tip is crushed while being heated by the jig after the front cover 2134P is fixed, but in FIGS. 24 to 28, it is shown in a state before being crushed.

The front cover 2134P is formed with holes into which the pins 2134P10, 734S3, and 734S4 can be inserted, and openings that expose a part of the ID chip 535 to the outside.
The front cover 2134P is fitted to the main reference pin 734S3 and the secondary reference pin 734S4, and is further positioned so as to expose the ID chip 535 to the outside by being inserted into the heat caulking pin 2134P10. Is fixed to the front surface of the cap 2134Y.

  The holes on the front cover 2134P side to which the above-described pins are fitted are, when the reference pin is the target, one is a perfect circle, the other is a long hole whose horizontal direction is the longitudinal direction, and the insertion hole for the heat caulking pin 2134P10 is It has a slightly larger diameter than the heat caulking pin 2134P10.

  Due to the fixed state, even if the toner container 2132Y is inserted into and removed from the toner container storage portion, the ID chip 535 does not drop off, and communication or electrical connection of the ID chip 535 exposed to the outside from the opening is possible. Become.

On the other hand, as a structure related to the main body side shutter closing mechanism 73d, there is a guide rail 2134YG provided on the side surface of the narrow box 34Y1 of the cap 2134Y.
The guide rail 2134YG is different in configuration from the guide rail 34YG shown in FIG. As shown in FIGS. 22 and 23, the guide rail 2134YG includes a protrusion 2134YG3 that is configured to protrude forward from the front end surface of the narrow box portion 34Y1 and further protrude from the guide rail 2134YG toward the center. . The protrusions 2134YG3 are provided symmetrically on both sides of the narrow box 34Y1.

  Further, as a configuration different from the configuration of the above-described embodiment, as shown in FIG. 24, a location (a position indicated by reference numeral 2134P3) facing the engaged protrusion 34d1b of the shutter 34d on the circumferential surface of the medium diameter cylindrical portion 34Y2. A concave portion whose outer diameter (D3) is smaller than the outer diameter (D2) of the medium diameter cylindrical portion 2134P2 is formed. The peripheral surface 2134P3 forming the concave portion is configured not to interfere with the rotation of the clamping member 73d2 included in the main body side shutter closing mechanism 73d shown in FIG.

  In the configuration as described above, when the cap 34Y is loaded into the cap receiving portion 73 of the apparatus main body similarly to the procedure shown in FIGS. 13 to 15, the cap 34Y is clamped by the main body side shutter closing mechanism 73d. The FIGS. 25 to 27 are views corresponding to FIGS. 13 to 15 showing a loaded state of the cap portion 34Y using the above-described configuration.

  When the shutter 34d is opened, first, as shown in FIG. 25, the first holding member 73d1 comes into contact with the protrusion 2134YG3 in accordance with the mounting operation of the developer container 32Y in the direction of the white arrow.

Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 26, when the mounting operation of the developer storage container 32Y in the direction of the white arrow advances, the main body side shutter closing mechanism 73d (shutter clamping mechanism) is centered on the support shaft portion 73d3 by being pushed by the protrusion 2134YG3. Rotate to.
When the main body side shutter closing mechanism 73d rotates, as shown in FIG. 26, the first clamping member 73d1 clamps the vertical surface of the guide rail 2134YG that is continuous with the protrusion 2134YG3, and the second clamping member 73d2 engages the shutter 34d. The side wall surface of the shutter main portion 34d1 is clamped while engaging with the projection 34d1b1 located on the mating projection portion 34d1b.

  Thereafter, the shutter 34d abuts against a wall portion (not shown) formed around the toner supply port on the cap receiving portion 73 side and is prevented from moving in the mounting direction. At this time, the above-described vertical surface of the guide rail 34YG is in a state of being sandwiched by the first sandwiching portion 73d1.

When the toner container 2132Y further moves in the mounting direction while the movement of the shutter 34d is blocked, the shutter 34d blocked from moving in the mounting direction moves relative to the cap unit 2134Y, and the cap unit 2134Y. The narrow box portion 34Y12 moves forward in the mounting direction with respect to the shutter portion 34d. By this relative operation, the toner discharge port W is opened as shown in FIG.
At this time, as shown in FIG. 26, the vertical surface of the cap portion 2134YG is clamped by the first clamping member 73d1, and the projection 34d1b1 located at the engaged projection 34d1b of the shutter 34d is engaged by the second clamping member 73d2. Since the shutter 34d is opened while the shutter 34d is sandwiched, the posture of the shutter 34d and the cap portion 2134Y in the cap receiving portion 73 is determined, and the shutter 34d can be smoothly opened. .

  On the other hand, when the developer storage container 2132Y is taken out (detached) from the developer storage container storage section 70 (cap receiving section 73), the operation is executed in the reverse order of the above-described installation procedure. That is, the operation of the main body side shutter opening / closing mechanism 73d (shutter clamping mechanism) accompanying the closing operation of the shutter 34d is performed in the order of FIG. 27, FIG. 26, and FIG.

  Here, in the configuration shown in FIGS. 22 and 24, the protrusion 2134YG3 that is the front end of the guide rail 2134YG projects forward from the front surface of the narrow box portion 34Y1 (see FIG. 24). The rotation start timing of the mechanism 73d is delayed. That is, since the protruding portion 2134YG3 protrudes outward from the front surface of the narrow box portion 34Y1, when the cap portion 2134Y is taken out, the first holding portion 73d1 prevents the protruding portion 2134YG3 from rotating for a longer time. Thus, the time during which the shutter 34d is sandwiched is longer than when the protrusion 2134YG3 is not provided.

  When the cap portion 2134Y moves in the take-out direction, the first holding portion 73d1 is maintained in a state in which it cannot rotate because it faces the engaged protrusion 34d1 of the shutter 34d. Therefore, until the shutter 34d is completely closed, the main body side shutter closing mechanism 73d is maintained in a state where it cannot be rotated, and when the shutter 34d completely closes the toner discharge port W, the guide rail formed by the first clamping portion 73d1. The protrusion amount at the protrusion 2134YG3 is set so that the timing at which the 2134YG can be released can be set.

  The engaged protrusion 34d1b on the shutter 34d side is held by the second holding portion 34d2 until the toner discharge port W by the shutter 34d is completely closed, so that the shutter 34d moves when the cap 34Y moves in the take-out direction. In this state, the toner discharge port W is traversed and the toner discharge port W is closed.

Next, characteristics of the toner used in the developer supply device according to the present invention will be described as follows.
As the toner accommodated in the toner containers 32Y, 32M, 32C, and 32K, when the volume average particle diameter is Dv (μm) and the number average particle diameter is Dn (μm),
3 ≦ Dv ≦ 8 (1)
1.00 ≦ Dv / Dn ≦ 1.40 (2)
The one formed so that the following relationship is established is used. As a result, the toner particles are selected according to the image pattern during the development process to maintain good image quality, and good developability is maintained even if the developing device is stirred for a long time. Furthermore, the toner is efficiently and reliably conveyed without blocking the toner supply path.
The volume average particle diameter and number average particle diameter of the toner are typically measured by a coal counter type particle size distribution measuring device “Coulter Counter TA-2” (manufactured by Coulter Co.) or “Coulter Multisizer 2” (Coulter). Can be used.

Further, in this embodiment, the toner stored in the developer storage containers 32Y, 32M, 32C, and 32K has a shape factor SF-1 in the range of 100 to 180 and a shape factor SF-2 in the range of 100 to 180. A substantially spherical toner formed so as to be in the range is used. As a result, it is possible to suppress a decrease in cleaning performance while maintaining high transfer efficiency. Furthermore, the toner is efficiently and reliably conveyed without blocking the toner supply path such as the tube 71.
Here, the shape factor SF-1 indicates the sphericity of the toner particles, and is obtained by the following equation.
SF-1 = (M2 / S) × (100π / 4)
In the above equation, M is the maximum particle size (the largest particle size among sparse particle sizes) on the toner particle projection surface, and S is the area of the toner particle projection surface. Therefore, toner particles having a shape factor SF-1 of 100 are true spheres, and the sphericity decreases as the value increases from 100.

The shape factor SF-2 indicates the degree of unevenness of the toner particles, and is obtained by the following equation.
SF-2 = (N2 / S) × (100 / 4π)
In the above equation, N is the circumference of the toner particle projection surface, and S is the area of the toner particle projection surface. Therefore, the toner particles having the shape factor SF-2 of 100 have no irregularities, and the irregularities increase as the value increases from 100.
The shape factor SF-1 and the shape factor SF-2 are obtained by analyzing a toner particle photograph taken with a scanning electron microscope “S-800” (manufactured by Hitachi, Ltd.) and an image analyzer “LUSEX3” (manufactured by Nireco). )

5Y developing device 32Y, 32M, 32C, 32K developer container (developer container, removable device)
33Y Container body 33b Protrusion (spiral protrusion)
33c
34Y cap part,
34d Shutter 34d1 Shutter main part 34d1a Vertical wall 34d1b Engaged protrusion 34d2 Shutter deformed part 34d21 Stopper release part 34d22 Stopper part 36 Sealing material 72b Stopper release biasing part 73 Cap receiving part 100 Image forming apparatus L1 End of protruding sealant Part W Toner outlet W1 Rib

JP 2010-066638 A

Claims (8)

A developer storage container that is detachably installed on the image forming apparatus main body,
A cap portion having a toner discharge port for discharging toner in a vertical direction outside the container;
A shutter that is held by the cap part and can open and close the toner discharge port by moving along the outer periphery of the cap part;
The shutter is provided with a sealing material made of a flexible material that can be bent and deformed on a surface facing the toner discharge port,
A developer container, wherein when the shutter moves in a direction to close the toner discharge port, a leading end side in the moving direction is turned toward the toner discharge port, thereby closely contacting the periphery of the toner discharge port.   A rib that protrudes toward the seal material is provided at the periphery of the toner discharge port, and the seal material strikes when the shutter moves in a direction to close the toner discharge port, thereby dripping the seal material. The developer storage container according to claim 1, wherein the developer storage container is in close contact with the toner discharge port.   The seal material has a tip in the moving direction when moving in the closing direction of the toner discharge port, protruding from the end of the shutter toward the tip in the moving direction, and the tip is bent and deformed. The developer storage container according to claim 1, wherein the developer storage container is used as a developer storage container.   The developer storage container according to claim 1, wherein the toner discharge port is a polygonal opening.   The developer storage container according to claim 4, wherein the toner discharge port has a hexagonal shape in plan view having a top portion facing the front end side in the moving direction of the sealing material. The shutter has a cantilever-like shutter whose rear end is inclined downward in the vertical direction and extended rearward in the movement direction when the toner discharge port is closed with the surface on which the seal material is provided as a base end A deformation part is provided,
At the free end of the shutter deformable portion, an unlocking urging portion comprising a convex rib provided on the cap receiving portion of the developer storage container housing portion located on the image forming apparatus side where the cap is mounted is provided. An unlocking portion that can be mounted on the cap portion, and a stopper portion that can be engaged with and disengaged from a locking end surface that is formed at a position where the shutter is held at the bottom of the cap portion, in a direction to close the toner discharge port. In the process of moving the cap, the unlocking portion rides on the convex rib, so that the toner discharge port is opened in a state where the stopper portion is disengaged from the locking end surface by horizontally shifting from the inclined state. The developer storage container according to claim 1, wherein the shutter can be moved toward a closing position.   The cap portion is provided with an information storage device at a position away from the toner outlet in the vertical direction, and the information storage device is formed between a pair of positioning portions provided in the vertical direction of the cap end surface. 3. The development according to claim 1, wherein the recess is provided so as to be attachable to a rectangular recess, and the recess is provided at an upper position in the vertical direction away from the toner discharge port on the end surface of the cap. Agent storage container.   An image forming apparatus using the developer container according to claim 1.

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