JP2013068798A - Supply device and toner bottle - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a supply device and a toner bottle which are able to satisfactorily supply toner corresponding to each color even in the case where a plurality of toner bottles are simultaneously rotated.SOLUTION: The storage part 71 of the toner bottle 70 is a cylindrical body freely rotated with respect to a cover part 72. A projecting part 71a is spirally formed in a toner supply direction so as to project from an internal wall 70a toward a storing space 71b. An agitating part 76 is arranged downstream of the projecting part 71a in the toner supply direction. The agitating part 76 agitates toner stored in the storing space 71b according to the rotating operation of the storing part 71. Accordingly, even if toner stays near a supply port 73, toner near the supply port 73 can be agitated satisfactorily.

Description

  The present invention relates to a replenishing device that replenishes toner to the developing unit side, and a toner bottle used in the replenishing device.

  Conventionally, a technique for replenishing toner by simultaneously rotating a plurality of toner bottles is known (for example, Patent Document 1).

JP 2005-165130 A

  Here, in the technique of Patent Document 1, the toner bottle corresponding to the toner that does not need to be supplied among the toners of the respective colors of yellow (Y), magenta (M), cyan (C), and black (K) is also rotated. It is done. As a result, the technique disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2005-228561 has a problem that the replenishment operation is executed even for toner that does not require replenishment.

  Therefore, the present invention provides a replenishing device that can satisfactorily replenish toner corresponding to each color even when a plurality of toner bottles are rotated simultaneously, and a toner bottle used in the replenishing device. Objective.

  In order to solve the above-described problem, the invention of claim 1 is a replenishing device that replenishes toner to the developing unit side, and each of the replenishing devices rotates to supply a plurality of toners accommodated in the accommodating space. Each of the plurality of toner bottles includes a toner bottle and a driving unit that rotates the plurality of toner bottles by applying a driving force supplied from a single driving source to each of the plurality of toner bottles. Is protruded from the inner wall toward the housing space, and is disposed in a spiral shape along the toner supply direction and on the downstream side of the protrusion in the toner supply direction. And an agitation unit for agitating the toner accommodated in the accommodation space.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the replenishing device according to the first aspect, the stirring unit is a plate-like body and is provided along the rotation axis of each toner bottle.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a toner bottle that supplies the toner contained in the accommodation space by being rotated and protrudes from the inner wall toward the accommodation space, and spirals along the toner supply direction. And a stirring portion that is disposed downstream of the protrusion in the toner supply direction and stirs the toner stored in the storage space according to a rotation operation. To do.

  According to the first to third aspects of the present invention, the toner is not consumed on the downstream side of the toner bottle in the toner supply direction, and as a result, the toner is not replenished downstream from the replenishing port, and the vicinity of the replenishing port. Even when the toner stays in the toner, the toner near the replenishing port is stirred by the stirring unit.

  As a result, even when toner is supplied near the replenishing port, the toner near the replenishing port is not compressed. That is, there is no problem that the supply port is blocked by the pressed toner. Therefore, even when each toner bottle continues to rotate regardless of the toner supply status, the toner can be replenished favorably from each toner bottle toward the developing unit.

  In particular, according to the invention described in claim 2, the stirring portion is disposed along the rotation axis. Therefore, even when the toner stays near the replenishing port, the toner near the replenishing port can be stirred well.

1 is a front view illustrating an example of an overall configuration of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a rear perspective view illustrating an example of a configuration near a toner bottle driving unit. FIG. 4 is a skeleton diagram of a power transmission system in a toner bottle driving unit. FIG. 3 is a front view illustrating an example of a configuration of a toner bottle. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the toner bottle as seen from the line V1-V1 in FIG. 4. It is an enlarged view of A part of FIG. FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of the toner bottle as viewed from the line V2-V2 in FIG. 6. FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of the toner bottle as viewed from the line V3-V3 in FIG. 6.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

<1. Configuration of image forming apparatus>
FIG. 1 is a front view showing an example of the overall configuration of the image forming apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an example of the configuration of the replenishing device 57. Here, the image forming apparatus 1 prints a monochrome image or a color image by an electrophotographic method. The image forming apparatus 1 can be incorporated into a multi-function machine having a copy function, a print function, a facsimile function, and the like. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the image forming apparatus 1 mainly includes a printer unit 10, a paper feeding unit 30, a fixing unit 40, a paper discharging unit 50, a scanner unit 55, a replenishing device 57, A display unit 80 and a control unit 90 are provided.

  In addition, in FIG. 1 and the subsequent drawings, an XYZ orthogonal coordinate system in which the Z-axis direction is a vertical direction and the XY plane is a horizontal plane is appropriately attached as necessary to clarify the directional relationship. Yes.

  The printer unit 10 prints a monochrome image or a color image on the recording material P supplied via the paper feed path R1 and the transport path Ra. As shown in FIG. 1, the printer unit 10 mainly includes an image forming unit 11 (11Y, 11M, 11C, and 11K), an exposure scanning unit 20 (20Y, 20M, 20C, and 20K), an intermediate transfer belt 21, and the like. have.

  A plurality (four in the present embodiment) of image forming units 11 correspond to yellow (Y), magenta (M), cyan (C), and black (K), respectively. As shown in FIG. 1, each image forming unit 11 (11Y, 11M, 11C, 11K) mainly includes a photosensitive drum 13 (13Y, 13M, 13C, 13K) and a charging charger 14 (14Y, 14M, 14C, 14K), developing unit 17 (17Y, 17M, 17C, 17K), primary transfer roller 18 (18Y, 18M, 18C, 18K), drum cleaner 19 (19Y, 19M, 19C, 19K), and exposure scanning unit 20 (20Y, 20M, 20C, 20K).

  Here, a so-called tandem system is adopted as the printer unit 10 of the present embodiment, and each image forming unit 11 (11Y, 11M, 11C, 11K) is, for example, from the left side of the page as shown in FIG. To the right, yellow (Y), magenta (M), cyan (C), and black (K) are arranged along the intermediate transfer belt 21 in this order. Each image forming unit 11 (11Y, 11M, 11C, 11K) is disposed below the intermediate transfer belt 21.

  In the present embodiment, the image forming units 11Y, 11M, 11C, and 11K have the same type of hardware configuration. Therefore, in the following, the image forming unit 11Y and the photosensitive drum 13Y, the charging charger 14Y, the developing unit 17Y, the primary transfer roller 18Y, the drum cleaner 19Y, and the exposure scanning unit 20Y, which are components of the image forming unit 11Y, will be described in detail. Explained.

  For convenience of illustration, the photosensitive drums 13M, 13C, and 13K, the chargers 14M, 14C, and 14K, the developing units 17M, 17C, and 17K, the primary transfer rollers 18M, 18C, and 18K, and the drum cleaners 19M, 19C, and 19K Each reference numeral is omitted in FIG. 1 and subsequent figures.

  The photosensitive drum 13Y has a cylindrical shape or a columnar shape, and is disposed on the opposite side of the primary transfer roller 18Y with the intermediate transfer belt 21 interposed therebetween. A photoconductive film is provided on the outer peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum 13Y.

  Therefore, light is irradiated from the corresponding exposure scanning unit 20Y to the outer peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum 13Y, and the charge on the irradiated portion is removed, so that the outer peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum 13Y has a static corresponding to yellow (Y). An electrostatic latent image is formed. Similarly, electrostatic latent images corresponding to magenta, cyan, and black are formed on the outer peripheral surfaces of the photosensitive drums 13M, 13C, and 13K, respectively.

  The charging charger 14Y applies an electric charge to the outer peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum 13Y by being in contact with the outer peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum 13Y. The developing unit 17Y supplies yellow (Y) toner to the photosensitive drum 13Y on which the electrostatic latent image is formed, thereby forming a toner image based on the electrostatic latent image on the outer peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum 13Y. .

  As shown in FIG. 1, the primary transfer roller 18Y is disposed on the opposite side of the photosensitive drum 13Y with the intermediate transfer belt 21 interposed therebetween. The primary transfer roller 18Y is given a charge having a polarity opposite to that of the outer peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum 13Y. Thus, when the intermediate transfer belt 21 is sandwiched between the photosensitive drum 13Y and the primary transfer roller 18Y while the photosensitive drum 13Y and the primary transfer roller 18Y rotate, a yellow (Y) toner image is formed on the intermediate transfer belt 21. Is transcribed.

  The drum cleaner 19Y removes the toner remaining on the photosensitive drum 13Y from the outer periphery of the photosensitive drum 13Y in a period before the next yellow toner is supplied from the developing unit 17Y after the toner image is transferred to the intermediate transfer belt 21. Remove from the surface. As shown in FIG. 1, the drum cleaner 19Y is provided at a position where it can come into contact with the outer peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum 13Y.

  The exposure scanning unit 20 (20Y, 20M, 20C, 20K) is a so-called exposure unit, and irradiates the corresponding photosensitive drum 13 (13Y, 13M, 13C, 13K) with laser light. Thereby, an electrostatic latent image is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the corresponding photosensitive drum 13 (13Y, 13M, 13C, 13K).

  The intermediate transfer belt 21 transfers the four-color toner images primarily transferred by the image forming units 11 (11Y, 11M, 11C, and 11K) to the recording material P. As shown in FIG. 1, the intermediate transfer belt 21 is wound around a driving roller 22 and a driven roller 23, and the driving roller 22 and the driven roller 23 rotate clockwise in FIG. Further, the secondary transfer roller 25 is disposed on the opposite side of the driving roller 22 across the transport path Ra, and contacts the outer periphery of the intermediate transfer belt 21.

  Accordingly, the four-color toner images formed on the outer periphery of the intermediate transfer belt 21 are recorded by adjusting the feed timing of the intermediate transfer belt 21 and the conveyance timing of the recording material P conveyed on the conveyance path Ra. Secondary transfer is performed on the material P.

  The developer supplied from the developing unit 17 of each image forming unit 11 is preferably a one-component developer that does not use a carrier, but may be a two-component developer that includes a toner and a carrier. Further, as the material of the intermediate transfer belt 21, polycarbonate, polyimide, polyamideimide, or the like can be used.

  The temperature / humidity sensor 29 is a detection unit that detects the temperature and / or humidity near the printer unit 10. The voltage applied to the primary transfer roller 18 (18Y, 18M, 18C, 18K) and the secondary transfer roller 25 is adjusted based on the temperature and humidity detected by the temperature / humidity sensor 29.

  Here, the primary and secondary transfer rollers 18 and 25 are so-called elastic rollers, and are formed of, for example, a synthetic rubber such as nitrile rubber added with an ion conductive material and foamed.

  The paper feed unit 30 is used as a supply unit that supplies the recording material P to the printer unit 10. As shown in FIG. 1, the paper feed unit 30 mainly includes a paper feed cassette 31 and a paper feed roller 32.

  The paper feed cassette 31 is a storage unit that can store a plurality of recording materials P. The paper feed roller 32 feeds a plurality of recording materials P accommodated in the paper feed cassette 31 in order from the uppermost layer and supplies the fed recording materials P to the paper feed path R1.

  The registration roller 33 controls the timing at which the recording material P is sent out to the transport path Ra. Here, when the “direction in which the recording material P is conveyed” is defined as the “conveyance direction”, the registration roller 33 is provided on the downstream side of the paper feed roller 32 in the conveyance direction, as shown in FIG. Yes.

  The sheet detection sensor 35 is a detection unit that detects the leading edge of the recording material P. As shown in FIG. 1, the sheet detection sensor 35 is provided on the downstream side of the registration roller 33 in the transport direction. When the leading edge of the recording material P reaches the sheet detection sensor 35, the output from the sheet detection sensor 35 transitions from an off state to an on state, for example. Therefore, by monitoring the output value output from the sheet detection sensor 35, it can be determined whether or not the recording material P has been fed just before the registration roller 33.

  The fixing unit 40 fixes the toner image transferred onto the recording material P. As shown in FIG. 1, the fixing unit 40 is disposed on the downstream side of the secondary transfer roller 25 in the path along the transport path Ra.

  The paper discharge unit 50 is provided on the downstream side of the fixing unit 40 in the transport direction, and discharges the recording material P on which the toner image is fixed to the outside of the apparatus. That is, the recording material P supplied to the paper discharge unit 50 via the transport path Ra is guided to the paper discharge path R2. As shown in FIG. 1, the paper discharge unit 50 mainly includes a paper discharge roller pair 51 provided on the paper discharge path R <b> 2 and a paper discharge tray 52.

  The scanner unit 55 reads an image from an original by an automatic document feeder (ADF) method or a flat bed method. As shown in FIG. 1, the scanner unit 55 is disposed above the paper discharge unit 50.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the replenishing device 57 has a plurality of toner bottles 70 (70Y, 70M, 70C, 70K). The replenishing device 57 replenishes toner on the developing unit 17 side (specifically, a sub hopper (not shown) disposed between the developing units 17Y, 17M, 17C, and 17K and the replenishing device 57). The detailed configuration of the replenishing device 57 will be described later.

  The display unit 80 is configured by a liquid crystal display, for example, and has a function as a “touch panel” that can specify a position on the screen by touching the screen with a finger or a dedicated pen. Therefore, a user of the image forming apparatus 1 (hereinafter simply referred to as “user”) gives an instruction using the “touch panel” function of the display unit 80 based on the content displayed on the display unit 80. The image forming apparatus 1 can execute a predetermined process (for example, a process of printing a toner image on the recording material P supplied from the paper feeding unit 30). Thus, the display unit 80 can be used as a receiving unit that receives an input operation from the user.

  The operation unit 85 is an input unit configured by a plurality of keypads. For example, when the print start button 86 included in the operation unit 85 is pressed, a printing process is performed on the recording material P. In this way, the operation unit 85 can be used as a reception unit that receives an input operation from the user, similarly to the display unit 80.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the control unit 90 is provided below the paper discharge tray 52. The control unit 90 realizes operation control of each element of the image forming apparatus 1 and data calculation. As shown in FIG. 1, the control unit 90 mainly includes a ROM 91, a RAM 92, an image memory 93, and a CPU 95.

  A ROM (Read Only Memory) 91 is a so-called nonvolatile storage unit, and stores, for example, a program 91a. As the ROM 91, a flash memory that is a readable / writable nonvolatile memory may be used.

  A RAM (Random Access Memory) 92 and an image memory 93 are volatile storage units. The RAM 92 stores, for example, data used in the calculation of the CPU 95. The image memory 93 stores image data corresponding to each color of yellow (Y), magenta (M), cyan (C), and black (K).

  A CPU (Central Processing Unit) 95 executes control according to the program 91a of the ROM 91, various data arithmetic processes, and the like. For example, the CPU 95 receives an image signal from an external terminal (not shown), converts it into digitized image data for YK colors, and controls the operations of the printer unit 10 and the sheet feeding unit 30. As a result, the printing process on the recording material P is executed.

<2. Configuration of replenishment device>
FIG. 3 is a skeleton diagram of a power transmission system in the toner bottle driving unit 60. Here, the replenishing device 57 replenishes toner to the developing unit 17 side as described above. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the replenishing device 57 mainly includes a toner bottle driving unit 60 and a plurality of toner bottles 70 (70Y, 70M, 70C, 70K).

  The toner bottle drive unit 60 (drive unit) rotates the plurality of toner bottles 70 (70Y, 70M, 70C, and 70K). As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the toner bottle drive unit 60 is provided on the back side of the image forming apparatus 1, and mainly includes a single motor 61 (single drive source) and a plurality of gears 62. , 66 (66Y, 66M, 66C, 66K), 67 (67a, 67b), and first and second reduction gears 63, 64.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 3, a drive gear 62 is attached to the shaft center of the motor 61. A corresponding docking gear 66 (66Y, 66M, 66C, 66K) is attached to the axial center of each toner bottle 70 (70Y, 70M, 70C, 70K). The idler gear 67a is linked to the docking gears 66Y and 66M, and the idler gear 67b is linked to the docking gears 66C and 66K.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 3, the input side of the first reduction gear 63 is linked to the drive gear 62, and the output side of the first reduction gear 63 is linked to the input side of the second reduction gear 64. Further, the output side of the second reduction gear 64 is linked to the docking gears 66M and 66C.

  Therefore, the motor 61 is rotated, and the driving force supplied from the motor 61 includes the driving gear 62, the first and second reduction gears 63 and 64, the docking gear 66 (66Y, 66M, 66C, and 66K), and the idler. Each toner bottle 70 (70Y, 70M, 70C, 70K) is rotated in the same direction by being applied to each toner bottle 70 (70Y, 70M, 70C, 70K) via the gear 67 (67a, 67b). .

  Thus, the toner bottle driving unit 60 does not use a power transmission element such as a mechanical clutch. As a result, the starting torque, the stopping torque, and the rated torque of the motor 61 can be reduced. Therefore, the manufacturing cost of the entire image forming apparatus 1 can be reduced.

  Each of the plurality (four in the present embodiment) of toner bottles 70 (70Y, 70M, 70C, 70K) is rotated by the toner bottle driving unit 60, whereby the toner is transferred from the front side to the back side of the image forming apparatus 1. In the direction toward the side (hereinafter, also simply referred to as “toner supply direction”). The detailed configuration of the toner bottle 70 will be described later.

<3. Configuration of toner bottle>
FIG. 4 is a front view showing an example of the configuration of the toner bottle 70. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the toner bottle as seen from the line V1-V1 in FIG. FIG. 6 is an enlarged view of a portion A in FIG. FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of the toner bottle as viewed from line V2-V2 in FIG. FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of the toner bottle as viewed from line V3-V3 in FIG.

  As shown in FIGS. 5 to 8, the toner bottle 70 (70Y, 70M, 70C, 70K) mainly includes a storage unit 71, a cover unit 72, a shutter 74, a transport unit 75, a stirring unit 76, have.

  Here, in the present embodiment, toner bottles 70Y, 70M, 70C, and 70K contain toners corresponding to yellow (Y), magenta (M), cyan (C), and black (K), respectively. Has been. The toner bottles 70Y, 70M, 70C, and 70K have the same hardware configuration except that the toners to be stored are different.

  Therefore, in the following, the hardware configuration of the toner bottle 70K will be described on behalf of these four types of toner bottles 70Y, 70M, 70C, and 70K. Hereinafter, the toner bottles 70Y, 70M, 70C, and 70K are collectively referred to as “toner bottles 70”.

  As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the accommodating portion 71 is a cylindrical body that is rotatable with respect to the cover portion 72. The protrusion 71a protrudes from the inner wall 70a toward the accommodation space 71b and is formed in a spiral shape along the toner supply direction.

  Therefore, when the storage portion 71 is rotated about the rotation shaft 71c, the toner stored in the storage space 71b is held in the groove 71d formed by the adjacent protrusion 71a and supplied to the supply port 73 side. The

  The shutter 74 is provided in a supply port 73 formed in the vicinity of the stirring unit 76. The shutter 74 prevents the toner from scattering from the toner bottle 70 to the outside of the image forming apparatus 1. For example, the shutter 74 is closed at a time before the toner bottle 70 is attached to the image forming apparatus 1 and at a time after the toner bottle 70 is removed from the image forming apparatus 1. On the other hand, when the toner bottle 70 is attached to the image forming apparatus 1, the shutter 74 is opened, and the toner is transferred from the toner bottle 70 to the developing unit 17 side (more specifically, the corresponding sub hopper (not shown)). Is replenished.

  As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the conveyance unit 75 is disposed on the downstream side of the protrusion 71 a in the toner supply direction, and ensures stable conveyance of the toner. Thus, even when the inner diameter of the accommodating portion 71 on the downstream side in the toner supply direction is smaller than the inner diameter of the accommodating portion 71 on the upstream side in the toner supply direction, the toner can be transported to the replenishing port 73 satisfactorily. it can.

  As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the stirring unit 76 is a plate-like body, and is disposed on the downstream side of the protrusion 71 a in the toner supply direction. Further, as shown in FIGS. 5 to 8, the stirring unit 76 is disposed along the rotation shaft 71 c of the toner bottle 70. The agitating unit 76 agitates the toner accommodated in the accommodation space 71b according to the rotation operation of the accommodation unit 71. Thereby, even if the toner stays in the vicinity of the replenishing port 73, the stirring unit 76 can satisfactorily stir the toner near the replenishing port 73.

Here, the phrase “arranged along the rotation axis 71c of the toner bottle 70” is
(1) “Rotating shaft 71c and stirring unit 76 are arranged so that rotating shaft 71c passes through stirring unit 76”, and (2) “The extending direction of stirring unit 76 is substantially the same as that of rotating shaft 71c. The rotation shaft 71c and the stirring unit 76 are arranged so as to be parallel to each other. "
Etc.

<4. Advantages of replenishment device and toner bottle in the present embodiment>
As described above, in this embodiment, toner is not consumed on the downstream side of the toner bottle 70 in the toner supply direction (for example, a sub hopper (not shown)), and as a result, the toner is supplied from the supply port 73 in the toner supply direction. Even when the toner is not replenished downstream and stays near the replenishing port 73, the toner near the replenishing port 73 is agitated by the agitation unit 76.

  As a result, even when toner is supplied near the replenishing port 73, the toner near the replenishing port 73 is not compressed. That is, the problem that the supply port 73 is blocked by the pressed toner does not occur. Therefore, even when each toner bottle 70 continues to rotate regardless of the toner supply status, the toner can be replenished favorably from each toner bottle 70 toward the developing unit 17 side.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Image forming apparatus 10 Printer part 17 Development part 30 Paper feed part 40 Fixing part 50 Paper discharge part 55 Scanner part 57 Replenishment apparatus 60 Toner bottle drive part (drive part)
61 Motor (drive source)
70 (70Y, 70M, 70C, 70K) Toner bottle 70a Inner wall 71 Accommodating part 71a Protruding part 71b Accommodating space 71c Rotating shaft 71d Groove 72 Cover part 73 Supply port 74 Shutter 76 Stirrer 80 Display part 85 Operation part 90 Control part R1 Supply Paper path R2 Paper discharge path Ra Transport path P Recording material

Claims (3)

A replenishing device for replenishing toner to the developing unit side,
(a) a plurality of toner bottles each supplying toner contained in the accommodation space by being rotated;
(b) a driving unit that rotates the plurality of toner bottles by applying a driving force supplied from a single driving source to each of the plurality of toner bottles;
With
Each of the plurality of toner bottles is
(a-1) a protrusion that protrudes from the inner wall toward the housing space and is formed in a spiral shape along the toner supply direction;
(a-2) an agitating portion that is disposed downstream of the protrusion in the toner supply direction and agitates the toner accommodated in the accommodating space according to a rotation operation;
A replenishing device characterized by comprising: The replenishing device according to claim 1,
The replenishing device, wherein the stirring unit is a plate-like body and is provided along a rotation axis of each toner bottle. A toner bottle for supplying toner stored in a storage space by being rotated.
(a) a protrusion protruding from an inner wall toward the housing space and formed in a spiral shape along the toner supply direction;
(b) a stirring unit that is disposed downstream of the protrusion in the toner supply direction and stirs the toner stored in the storage space according to a rotation operation;
A toner bottle comprising:

Images