JP2014044323A - Image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To achieve a reduction in size and improvement in freedom of design of a shutter opening/closing mechanism, so as to achieve a reduction in size of an image forming apparatus.SOLUTION: A shutter opening/closing mechanism 200 includes an input-side member 201, an output-side member 202, a wire 203 connecting both members, a first spring 204, and a second spring 205. The input-side member 201 is brought into contact with an upper cover 109 by closing operation of the upper cover 109 to press down the input-side member 201. At this time, the output-side member 202 is moved horizontally in one direction by urging force of the second spring 205 to open an inner shutter 22. The first spring 204 is compressed to accumulate urging force. The input-side member 201 is lifted by the urging force of the first spring 204 by opening operation of the upper cover 109, and the output-side member 202 is moved horizontally in an inverse direction via the wire 203 to close the inner shutter 22.

Description

  The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus.

  In an electrophotographic image forming apparatus such as a copying machine, a printer, a facsimile machine, or a combination of these, toner as a developer is consumed with image formation, so that toner in the developing apparatus is not depleted. Toner is supplied. As one of the replenishment methods, a method of replacing a toner cartridge filled with toner is known. The replacement of the toner cartridge is performed, for example, by opening an upper cover provided on the upper surface of the image forming apparatus, removing an old toner cartridge in the apparatus, and mounting a new toner cartridge in a predetermined position in the apparatus.

  The toner cartridge is provided with a discharge port for supplying toner to the developing device on the image forming apparatus main body side. Further, a shutter that opens and closes the toner outlet is provided so that the toner does not scatter from the outlet when the toner cartridge is detached from the image forming apparatus main body. Specifically, when the toner cartridge is mounted on the image forming apparatus main body, the shutter is opened to open the discharge port so that the toner can be supplied to the developing device, while the toner cartridge is removed from the image forming apparatus main body. In this case, the shutter is closed and the discharge port is closed to prevent the toner from being scattered outside through the discharge port.

  As a shutter opening / closing mechanism for switching the opening / closing state of the shutter, a configuration in which the opening / closing movement of the exterior cover is used as the driving force of the shutter is known. As an example, for example, in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2008-52033 (Patent Document 1), an input gear is attached to an opening / closing shaft of an exterior cover, and the input gear is rotated forward and backward according to the opening / closing of the cover member. A configuration for opening and closing the shutter by transmitting it to the shutter via a gear train is disclosed.

  In order to switch the shutter between the open state and the closed state, a certain amount of shutter stroke is required. Since the shutter opening / closing mechanism described in Patent Document 1 is configured to rotate the input gear according to the opening / closing angle of the cover member, the input gear is increased to some extent in order to obtain a necessary shutter stroke within the range of the opening / closing angle of the cover member. It is necessary to adjust the gear ratio by using a diameter or a gear train, which increases the size and complexity of the mechanism. Further, the input side gear needs to be arranged coaxially with the opening / closing shaft, and its installation location is restricted. For the above reasons, it is difficult to make the shutter opening / closing mechanism compact and to improve the degree of freedom in design, and these are factors that hinder downsizing of the image forming apparatus.

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to achieve a compact shutter opening / closing mechanism and an improvement in design freedom, thereby reducing the size of an image forming apparatus.

  The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus main body having an opening, a developer containing part that is detachable from the image forming apparatus main body through the opening, and contains a developer, and a developer in the developer containing part A first outlet for opening and closing the outlet, a cover member for opening and closing the opening of the image forming apparatus main body, and mechanically transmitting the opening and closing operation of the cover member to close the cover member. An image forming apparatus having a shutter opening / closing mechanism that opens a first shutter by an operation and closes the first shutter by an opening operation of a cover member, and a first urging force that accumulates an urging force by the closing operation of the cover member in the shutter opening / closing mechanism A member, and an input side member that moves in the forward direction by contacting the cover member in the closing operation and moves in the reverse direction by the biasing force accumulated in the first biasing member in the opening operation of the cover member, Positive direction of input side member It is characterized in that for opening and closing the first shutter in accordance with the movement and the backward movement.

  According to the present invention, it is sufficient that the input side member is disposed at a position where it can come into contact with the cover member. Therefore, the degree of freedom of the installation location of the input side member is increased as compared with the configuration in which the input side member (input gear) is disposed on the opening / closing axis of the cover member. Further, the shutter stroke can be determined from the moving distance when the input side member moves in the forward / reverse direction. This movement distance depends on the length of the movement locus of the contact portion of the cover member with the input side member. Therefore, the shutter stroke can be set regardless of the dimensions of the input side member, and the input side member can be downsized. As described above, the shutter opening / closing mechanism can be made compact and the degree of design freedom can be improved, and the image forming apparatus can be downsized.

1 is a schematic configuration diagram of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a developing device and a toner cartridge. 2 is an external view of a toner cartridge. FIG. FIG. 4 is an external view of the toner cartridge as viewed from the opposite direction to FIG. 3. FIG. 6 is a perspective view illustrating a state where an upper case and a gear cover are removed from the toner cartridge. FIG. 6 is a side view illustrating a state where a gear cover of the toner cartridge is removed. FIG. 6 is a side view illustrating a state where a gear cover of the toner cartridge is removed. It is a perspective view of a gear holder. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the toner cartridge cut in the axial direction at the position of a conveying screw. (A) is sectional drawing near the discharge port which shows an open state, (b) is sectional drawing near the discharge port which shows a closed state. FIG. 4 is a side view of the toner cartridge as viewed from the gear cover side. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of a state where the toner cartridge is mounted on the apparatus main body as viewed from below. FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a base member on which a toner cartridge is mounted. FIG. 10 is a side view for explaining the attaching / detaching operation of the toner cartridge to / from the apparatus main body. It is sectional drawing which shows roughly the shutter opening / closing mechanism of the state which closed the upper cover member. It is sectional drawing which shows roughly the shutter opening / closing mechanism of the state which opened the upper cover member. It is a perspective view which shows an inner side shutter and its periphery structure. (A) is the figure which the inner side shutter opened by the shutter opening / closing mechanism, (b) is the figure which became the closed state. It is sectional drawing which shows roughly the shutter opening / closing mechanism of the state which closed the upper cover member. It is sectional drawing which shows roughly the shutter opening / closing mechanism of the state which opened the upper cover member. It is sectional drawing which shows roughly the shutter opening / closing mechanism of the state which closed the upper cover member. It is sectional drawing which shows roughly the shutter opening / closing mechanism of the state which opened the upper cover member. It is sectional drawing which shows roughly the shutter opening / closing mechanism of the state which closed the upper cover member. It is sectional drawing which shows roughly the shutter opening / closing mechanism of the state which opened the upper cover member. It is a schematic block diagram of the image forming apparatus which concerns on other embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the state which opened the upper cover. It is a figure which shows the state which opened the upper cover and the inner cover. It is a figure which shows the structure which provided the contact part in the process unit.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In each of the drawings for explaining the embodiments of the present invention, constituent elements such as members and components having the same function or shape are described once by giving the same reference numerals as much as possible. Then, the explanation is omitted.

  First, an overall configuration and operation of a color laser printer according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. However, the present invention is not limited to this. The configuration of the present invention can also be applied to an image forming apparatus such as a monochrome printer, other printers, a copier, a facsimile, or a complex machine thereof.

  As shown in FIG. 1, four process units 1Y, 1M, 1C, and 1Bk as image forming units are detachably mounted on an apparatus main body (image forming apparatus main body) 100 of the color laser printer. Each process unit 1Y, 1M, 1C, 1Bk contains developers of different colors of yellow (Y), magenta (M), cyan (C), and black (Bk) corresponding to the color separation components of the color image. The configuration is the same except that.

  Specifically, each of the process units 1Y, 1M, 1C, and 1Bk includes a drum-shaped photosensitive member 2 as a latent image carrier, a charging roller 3 that charges the surface of the photosensitive member 2, and the like, The image forming apparatus includes a developing device 4 that supplies a developer to the latent image on the photoconductor 2 and a cleaning device that includes a cleaning blade 5 for cleaning the surface of the photoconductor 2. In FIG. 1, only the photoconductor 2, the charging roller 3, the developing device 4, and the cleaning blade 5 included in the yellow process unit 1 </ b> Y are denoted by reference numerals. Omitted. In this embodiment, a one-component developer made of toner is used as the developer. However, the developer is not limited to this, and may be a two-component developer including a toner and a carrier.

  Above the four developing devices 4 of the process units 1Y, 1M, 1C, and 1Bk, toner cartridges 50 as developer containers that store toner to be supplied to the developing devices 4 are disposed. ing. In the present embodiment, partition portions 108 constituting a base member 107 described later are disposed between each developing device 4 and each toner cartridge 50, and four mounting portions 106 formed in the partition portions 108. Each toner cartridge 50 is detachably mounted.

  Further, an exposure device 6 for exposing the surface of the photoreceptor 2 of each process unit 1Y, 1M, 1C, 1Bk is disposed near the upper portion of each toner cartridge 50. The exposure device 6 includes a light source, a polygon mirror, an f-θ lens, a reflection mirror, and the like, and irradiates the surface of each photoreceptor 2 with laser light based on image data.

  Further, an upper cover 109 serving as a cover member that can be opened / closed in the vertical direction by rotating around the opening / closing shaft 110 is provided on the upper portion of the apparatus main body 100. Further, the exposure apparatus 6 is attached to the upper cover 109. For this reason, when the upper cover 109 is opened, the exposure device 6 can be retracted from the vicinity of the upper side of the toner cartridge 50, and the toner cartridge 50 can be detached from the upper opening of the apparatus main body 100 in this state.

  A transfer device 7 is disposed below the process units 1Y, 1M, 1C, and 1Bk. The transfer device 7 has an intermediate transfer belt 8 constituted by an endless belt as a transfer body. The intermediate transfer belt 8 is stretched around a driving roller 9 and a driven roller 10 as support members. When the driving roller 9 rotates counterclockwise in the figure, the intermediate transfer belt 8 is in the direction indicated by the arrow in the figure. It is comprised so that it may run around (rotate).

  Four primary transfer rollers 11 as primary transfer means are disposed at positions facing the four photoconductors 2. Each primary transfer roller 11 presses the inner peripheral surface of the intermediate transfer belt 8 at each position, and a primary transfer nip is formed at a location where the pressed portion of the intermediate transfer belt 8 and each photoconductor 2 are in contact with each other. ing. Each primary transfer roller 11 is connected to a power source (not shown), and a predetermined direct current voltage (DC) and / or alternating current voltage (AC) is applied to the primary transfer roller 11.

  A secondary transfer roller 12 as a secondary transfer unit is disposed at a position facing the drive roller 9. The secondary transfer roller 12 presses the outer peripheral surface of the intermediate transfer belt 8, and a secondary transfer nip is formed at a location where the secondary transfer roller 12 and the intermediate transfer belt 8 are in contact with each other. Similar to the primary transfer roller 11, the secondary transfer roller 12 is connected to a power source (not shown) so that a predetermined direct current voltage (DC) and / or alternating current voltage (AC) is applied to the secondary transfer roller 12. It has become.

  A belt cleaning device 13 for cleaning the surface of the intermediate transfer belt 8 is disposed on the outer peripheral surface on the right end side of the intermediate transfer belt 8 in the drawing. A waste toner transfer hose (not shown) extending from the belt cleaning device 13 is connected to an entrance of a waste toner container 14 disposed below the transfer device 7.

  A paper feed cassette 15 that accommodates the recording medium S is disposed below the apparatus main body 100. The paper feed cassette 15 is provided with a paper feed roller 16 for feeding out the stored recording medium S. On the other hand, a pair of paper discharge rollers 17 for discharging the recording medium to the outside is disposed on the upper part of the apparatus main body 100. Further, a discharge tray 18 for stocking the recording medium discharged by the discharge roller 17 is provided on the upper cover 109. In addition to plain paper, the recording medium includes cardboard, postcard, envelope, thin paper, coated paper (coated paper, art paper, etc.), tracing paper, OHP sheet, and the like.

  In the apparatus main body 100, a transport path R for transporting the recording medium S from the paper feed cassette 15 through the secondary transfer nip to the paper discharge tray 18 is disposed. In the transport path R, a pair of registration rollers 19 as transport means for transporting the recording medium to the secondary transfer nip at the transport timing is arranged upstream of the position of the secondary transfer roller 12 in the recording medium transport direction. Has been. A fixing device 20 is disposed downstream of the position of the secondary transfer roller 12 in the recording medium conveyance direction.

The image forming apparatus operates as follows.
When the image forming operation is started, the photosensitive members 2 of the process units 1Y, 1M, 1C, and 1Bk are rotated in the clockwise direction in FIG. 1, and the surface of each photosensitive member 2 is made to have a predetermined polarity by the charging roller 3. It is charged like this. Based on image information of a document read by an image reading device (not shown), the exposure device 6 irradiates the charged surface of each photoconductor 2 with laser light, and an electrostatic latent image is formed on the surface of each photoconductor 2. The At this time, the image information to be exposed on each photoconductor 2 is single-color image information obtained by separating a desired full-color image into color information of yellow, magenta, cyan, and black. As the electrostatic latent image formed on the photosensitive member 2 is supplied with toner by each developing device 4, the electrostatic latent image is visualized (visualized) as a toner image.

  Subsequently, the driving roller 9 that stretches the intermediate transfer belt 8 is rotationally driven, and the intermediate transfer belt 8 is caused to run in the direction of the arrow in the drawing. Also, a primary transfer nip between each primary transfer roller 11 and each photoreceptor 2 is applied to each primary transfer roller 11 by applying a constant voltage or a voltage controlled by a constant current opposite to the charging polarity of the toner. A transfer electric field is formed. Then, the toner images of the respective colors on the respective photoconductors 2 are sequentially superimposed and transferred onto the intermediate transfer belt 8 by the transfer electric field formed in the primary transfer nip. Thus, the intermediate transfer belt 8 carries a full-color toner image on its surface. Further, the toner on each photoreceptor 2 that could not be transferred to the intermediate transfer belt 8 is removed by the cleaning blade 5.

  On the other hand, in the paper feed cassette 15, the stored recording medium S is sent out to the transport path R as the paper feed roller 16 rotates. The recording medium S sent to the conveyance path R is timed by the registration roller 19 and sent to the secondary transfer nip between the secondary transfer roller 12 and the intermediate transfer belt 8. At this time, a transfer voltage having a polarity opposite to the toner charging polarity of the toner image on the intermediate transfer belt 8 is applied to the secondary transfer roller 12, thereby forming a transfer electric field in the secondary transfer nip. Then, the toner image on the intermediate transfer belt 8 is collectively transferred onto the recording medium S by the transfer electric field formed in the secondary transfer nip. Further, the toner remaining on the intermediate transfer belt 8 after the transfer is removed by the belt cleaning device 13, and the removed toner is conveyed to the waste toner container 14 and collected.

  Thereafter, the recording medium S to which the toner image is transferred is conveyed to the fixing device 20, and the toner image on the recording medium S is fixed to the recording medium S in the fixing device 20. Then, the recording medium S is discharged out of the apparatus by a pair of paper discharge rollers 17 and stocked on the paper discharge tray 18.

  The above description is an image forming operation when a full-color image is formed on a recording medium. A single color image is formed using any one of the four process units 1Y, 1M, 1C, and 1Bk, and 2 Two or three process units can be used to form a two or three color image.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the developing device 4 includes a developing housing 40 that contains toner, a developing roller 41 that serves as a developer carrier that carries toner, and a developer supply member that supplies toner to the developing roller 41. It has a supply roller 42, a developing blade 43 as a regulating member that regulates the amount of toner carried on the developing roller 41, and two conveying screws 44 and 45 as conveying members that convey toner.

  The inside of the developing housing 40 is divided into a first region E1 on the upper side of the drawing and a second region E2 on the lower side of the drawing by a partition wall 48 having a communication port 48a. The communication ports 48a are provided at both ends of the partition wall 48 (the front side and the back side in the direction orthogonal to the paper surface of FIG. 2). That is, the first region E1 and the second region E2 communicate with each other at the place where the two communication ports 48a are formed.

  One conveying screw 44 is disposed in the first region E1. The other conveyance screw 45 and the supply roller 42 are provided in the second region E2. Further, a developing roller 41 and a developing blade 43 are provided in an opening portion facing the photosensitive member 2 in the second region E2.

  The two conveying screws 44 and 45 are formed by providing spiral blades 441 and 451 on the outer circumferences of the rotating shafts 440 and 450, respectively. When the conveying screws 44 and 45 rotate, the toner is conveyed in the respective axial directions. Here, the toner conveying directions by the conveying screws 44 and 45 are opposite to each other.

The developing roller 41 is composed of a metal core and conductive rubber disposed on the outer periphery of the core. In the present embodiment, the outer diameter of the core metal is set to φ6, the outer periphery of the conductive rubber is set to φ12, and the rubber hardness Hs75. The conductive rubber has a volume resistance adjusted to about 10 ⁵ to 10 ⁷ Ω. For example, conductive urethane rubber or silicone rubber can be used as the conductive rubber. The developing roller 41 rotates in the counterclockwise direction in FIG. 2 and conveys the developer held on the surface to a position facing the developing blade 43 and the photoreceptor 2.

  Generally, a sponge roller or the like is used as the supply roller 42. As the sponge roller, it is appropriate that the foamed polyurethane mixed with carbon and made semiconductive is attached to the outer periphery of a metal core. In this embodiment, the outer diameter of the metal core is set to φ6, and the outer diameter of the sponge portion is set to φ12. The supply roller 42 is in contact with the developing roller 41. The nip formed by the contact between the supply roller 42 and the developing roller 41 is usually set to about 1 mm to 3 mm. In this embodiment, the nip is 2 mm. Further, the supply roller 42 rotates counterclockwise with respect to the developing roller 41 (counterclockwise in FIG. 2) so that the toner in the developing housing 40 can be efficiently supplied to the surface layer of the developing roller 41. . Furthermore, in this embodiment, a favorable toner supply function is ensured by setting the rotation speed ratio between the developing roller 41 and the supply roller 42 to 1.

  The developing blade 43 is made of, for example, a metal plate such as SUS having a thickness of about 0.1 mm. The developing blade 43 is in contact with the surface of the developing roller 41 on the tip side. Control of the amount of toner on the developing roller 41 by the developing blade 43 is a very important parameter in order to stabilize the developing characteristics and obtain good image quality. Therefore, in a normal product, the contact pressure of the developing blade 43 with respect to the developing roller 41 is strictly controlled to about 20 to 60 N / m, and the position of the nip portion is strictly controlled to about 0.5 ± 0.5 mm from the tip of the developing blade 43. Yes. These parameters are appropriately determined according to the characteristics of the toner to be used, the developing roller, the supply roller, and the like. In this embodiment, the developing blade 43 is made of a SUS material having a thickness of 0.1 mm, the contact pressure is 45 N / m, the position of the nip portion is 0.2 mm from the tip of the developing blade 43, and the supporting end of the developing blade 43 By setting the length (free length) from to the free end (tip) to 14 mm, a stable toner thin layer can be formed on the developing roller 41.

The developing operation in the developing device 4 will be described with reference to FIG.
When there is an instruction to start an image forming operation and the developing roller 41 and the supply roller 42 start to rotate, toner is supplied and carried on the surface of the developing roller 41 by the supply roller 42. The toner carried on the developing roller 41 passes through the nip portion between the developing roller 41 and the developing blade 43, whereby the thickness of the toner layer is regulated and frictionally charged. Then, when the toner on the developing roller 41 is conveyed to a position (development area) facing the photoconductor 2, the toner is electrostatically transferred to the electrostatic latent image on the photoconductor 2 to form a toner image. The

  A toner cartridge 50 as a developer container includes a container body 70 having a developer container 51 for containing toner therein. The container body 70 has a discharge port 52 for discharging the toner in the developer storage unit 51 to the outside, a transport screw 53 as a transport member for transporting the toner in the developer storage unit 51 to the discharge port 52, and a developer. An agitator 54 or the like as a stirring member for stirring the developer in the storage unit 51 is provided. The discharge port 52 is provided in the lower part of the developer container 51. On the other hand, a replenishment port 49 connected to the discharge port 52 of the toner cartridge 50 is formed in each mounting portion 106 of the partition portion 108 where the toner cartridge 50 is mounted.

  The conveying screw 53 is formed by providing a spiral blade 531 on the outer periphery of the rotating shaft 530. The agitator 54 is formed by providing a planar deformable blade 541 on a rotation shaft 540 disposed in parallel with the rotation shaft 530 of the conveying screw 53. The blades 541 of the agitator 54 are made of a flexible material made of, for example, a PET film. In addition, as shown in FIG. 2, the bottom surface 501 of the developer container 51 is formed in an arc shape along the rotation path of the blade 541, so that it remains in the developer container 51 without being moved by the blade 541. This can reduce the amount of toner.

  In this embodiment, the toner cartridge 50 is detachably attached to the apparatus main body 100. However, the present invention is not limited to this configuration. For example, the toner cartridge 50 may be configured integrally with the developing device 4 and the photosensitive member 2 and may be replaced as a process unit. Alternatively, the toner cartridge 50 can be integrated with the developing device 4 and replaced as a developing unit.

Next, a toner replenishing operation to the developing device will be described.
The replenishment of toner to the developing device is performed when the amount of toner in the developing housing 40 becomes a predetermined reference value or less. Whether the toner amount is equal to or less than the reference value is determined based on, for example, whether light is transmitted between the tip portions of the two light guide members 46 and 47 arranged in the first region E1. Can do. When both tip portions are buried in the toner, light does not pass from one light guide member to the other light guide member, so that it can be determined that the toner amount is equal to or greater than the reference value. If light is transmitted between the light guide members 46 and 47, it can be determined that there is no toner between the tip portions, and therefore the toner amount is below the reference value.

  When the toner amount falls below the reference value, the conveying screw 53 and the agitator 54 in the toner cartridge 50 start to rotate. The toner is transported toward the discharge port 52 by the rotation of the transport screw 53, and the toner is supplied from the discharge port 52 into the first region E1 of the developing housing 40. Further, the toner in the toner cartridge 50 is agitated by the rotation of the agitator 54 and further transferred to the rotation region of the conveying screw 53. When the amount of toner in the developing housing 40 exceeds a predetermined reference value, the rotational driving of the conveying screw 53 and the agitator 54 is stopped, and the toner supply is completed.

  On the other hand, in the developing housing 40, when the toner is replenished, the conveying screw 44 provided in the first area E1 and the conveying screw 45 provided in the second area E2 rotate, and each area E1, E2 is rotated. The toners are conveyed in opposite directions. The toner transported to the downstream end in the transport direction of each region E1, E2 by each transport screw 44, 45 passes through each communication port 48a formed at both ends of the partition wall 48, and in the other region (from the region E1 to the region). E2 or from area E2 to area E1). Then, the toner fed into the other area is conveyed by the conveying screws 44 and 45 in each area, and returned to the original area through the communication port 48a on the opposite side. By repeating this operation, the toner circulates between the first region E1 and the second region E2, and the replenished new toner and the toner in the developing housing 40 are mixed together. The (ratio of new toner in the toner) can be made uniform, and the occurrence of problems such as color unevenness and background contamination can be prevented.

  3 and 4 are perspective views showing the appearance of the toner cartridge. FIG. 3 is a view of the toner cartridge 50 as viewed from one end (the end on the arrow A direction side), and FIG. 4 is a reverse view of the toner cartridge 50 viewed from the other end (the end on the arrow B direction side). It is a figure.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the toner cartridge 50 includes a container main body 70 composed of an upper case 55 and a lower case 56, and a container side terminal 58 mounted on one end side (direction A) of the container main body 70. And a gear cover 57 that covers the side surface on the other end side (B direction) of the container main body 70 and a shutter 60 disposed on the other end side of the container main body 70. The container body 70 is manufactured by joining the edges formed in the openings of the upper case 55 and the lower case 56 to each other, and the flange portion 63 formed by joining the two covers the entire circumference of the container body 70. Is formed. In the internal space of the container main body 70, toner, a conveying screw 53, and an agitator 54 are accommodated. As a method for joining the cases 55 and 56, welding such as vibration welding or ultrasonic welding, or adhesion using a double-sided pressure-sensitive adhesive tape or an adhesive is used. A cap member 59 that seals the filling port for filling the toner is provided on a side surface on one end side of the container body 70. The cap member 59 is attached to prevent toner leakage from the filling port after the toner cartridge 50 is filled with toner from the filling port.

  While the shutter 60 is formed on the other end side of the container main body 70, the container side terminal 58 is provided at one end of the container main body 70 away from the shutter, so that the container side terminal 58 is hardly contaminated by toner, which will be described later. The electrical conductivity between the main body side contact 104b can be improved.

  A gear cover 57 is attached to the side surface of the container body 70 on the other end side in the longitudinal direction. A plurality of gears are arranged in the gear cover 57 as torque transmission means for transmitting the driving force from the apparatus main body side to the conveying screw 53 and the agitator 54.

  An outer shutter 60 as a second shutter for opening and closing the discharge port 52 is provided on the other end side in the longitudinal direction of the container body 70. The outer shutter 60 can rotate along the outer peripheral surface of the container body 70, and the outer shutter 60 closes the open position where the discharge port 52 is opened and the discharge port 52 shown in FIG. Move between the closed position.

  A handle-like grip 61 is provided on the other end side (B direction) of the container body 70 in the longitudinal direction. When the toner cartridge 50 is replaced, the user can easily attach and detach the toner cartridge 50 by gripping the grip portion 61. An annular rib 61 a is provided on the inner surface of the grip portion 61 so that the user can easily recognize the grip portion 61.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the toner cartridge 50 with the upper case 55 and the gear cover 57 removed.
In FIG. 6, reference numerals 62, 63 and 64 denote a plurality of gears housed in the gear cover 57. Among these gears, reference numeral 62 is a conveyance drive gear, and reference numeral 63 is an agitation drive gear. Both gears 62 and 63 are attached to the rotation shafts of the conveying screw 53 and the agitator 54 that protrude outward from the side surface of the lower case 56 on the other end side (B direction). A gear 64 is a torque transmission gear that meshes with the conveyance drive gear 62 and the agitation drive gear 63 to transmit rotational torque.

  The apparatus main body 100 is provided with a main body side drive gear 105 as described later (see FIGS. 12 and 14). When the toner cartridge 50 is mounted on the mounting portion 106 of the apparatus main body 100, the transport driving gear 62 meshes with the main body side driving gear 105. In this state, when the main body side drive gear 105 is rotationally driven, the conveyance drive gear 62, the torque transmission gear 64, and the stirring drive gear 63 rotate in the directions indicated by the arrows in FIG. 5, respectively, and the conveyance screw 53 and the agitator 54 are moved. Rotate. The conveyance drive gear 62 in this embodiment is a two-stage gear having a large-diameter gear portion and a small-diameter gear portion, and among these, the torque transmission gear 64 meshes with the large-diameter gear portion, and the small-diameter gear. The main body side drive gear 105 is engaged with the portion.

6 and 7 are side views showing a state where the gear cover 57 of the toner cartridge 50 is removed.
In the present embodiment, the torque transmission gear 64 is engaged with the other gears 62 and 63 as shown in FIG. 6 to transmit torque and the other gears 62 and 63 as shown in FIG. It is configured to be movable between a retracted position where it is retracted to a position where the meshing is canceled. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 8, the torque transmission gear 64 is held by a gear holder 71 that is rotatably supported around a rotation shaft 530 of the transport screw 53 (or the transport drive gear 62). By rotating 71 in the forward / reverse direction, the torque transmission gear 64 is switched between the operating position shown in FIG. 6 and the retracted position shown in FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 8, the gear holder 71 is integrally provided with an outer shutter 60 (second shutter). When the gear holder 71 rotates around the rotation shaft 530, the outer shutter 60 rotates around the rotation shaft 530 of the conveying screw 53. In this case, when the torque transmission gear 64 is in the operating position as shown in FIG. 6, the discharge port 52 is opened by the outer shutter 60, and the torque transmission gear 64 is in the retracted position as shown in FIG. Then, the discharge port 52 is closed by the outer shutter 60.

  As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, a tension spring 72 is disposed between the gear holder 71 and the container body 70. One end of the tension spring 72 is attached to a locking portion 71 a provided on the gear holder 71, and the other end of the tension spring 72 is attached to a locking portion 70 a provided on the side surface of the upper case 55. Due to the tensile force (biasing force) of the tension spring 72, the gear holder 71 is biased in a direction in which the torque transmission gear 64 is separated from the stirring drive gear 63. Accordingly, when no external force is applied to the gear holder 71, the torque transmission gear 64 is moved to the retracted position as shown in FIG.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 8, the gear holder 71 is provided with an operation portion 71b. The operation unit 71 b comes into contact with the upper end of the shutter control member 102 provided in the apparatus main body 100 when the toner cartridge 50 is mounted on the mounting unit 106 of the apparatus main body 100. When the toner cartridge 50 is detached from the apparatus main body 100, the operation unit 71b is separated from the shutter control member 102.

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view of the toner cartridge taken along the axial direction at the position of the conveying screw.
As shown in FIG. 9, the toner cartridge 50 of the present embodiment employs a double shutter structure including an inner shutter 22 as a first shutter in addition to the outer shutter 60 (second shutter) already described. . The inner shutter 22 and the outer shutter 60 are arranged to overlap each other in the radial direction. The outer shutter 60 opens and closes the outer opening of the discharge port 52, and the inner shutter 22 opens and closes the inner opening of the discharge port 52.

  The inner shutter 22 is formed in a cylindrical shape, and a developer outlet 23 is provided on the peripheral wall thereof. The inner shutter 22 rotates about its axis, so that the developer outlet 23 overlaps the discharge port 52 and the peripheral wall of the inner shutter 22 overlaps the discharge port 52 (the developer outlet 23 is the discharge port 52). Can be switched to a closed state. A conveying screw 53 is inserted into the inner diameter portion of the inner shutter 22.

  Further, the inner shutter 22 is provided with a return port 24 for returning the toner that has not been discharged from the discharge port 52 via the developer outlet 23 from the inner shutter 22 into the developer accommodating portion 51. The return port 24 is located downstream of the developer outlet 23 in the toner conveyance direction.

  A semi-cylindrical eaves portion 65 is disposed on the outer diameter side of the inner shutter 22. The inner shutter 22 is rotatably held between the eaves portion 65 and the inner wall surface of the container body 70.

  Even if the eaves portion 65 is not provided, one end portion of the inner shutter 22 can be cantilevered by the container body 70 and can be rotatably supported. However, by providing the eaves portion 65, the inner cylinder surface thereof can be provided. Plays the role of a bearing, and the rotational posture of the inner shutter 22 can be stabilized. In the eaves portion 65, a separate return port 67 is provided at a position corresponding to the return port 24 of the inner shutter 22.

  Between the outer peripheral surface of the inner shutter 22 and the inner peripheral surface of the eaves portion 65 and between the inner peripheral surface of the inner shutter 22 and the inner wall surface of the container main body 70, toner leaks to the outside. A cylindrical sealing member 25 for preventing the above is provided.

FIG. 10A is a cross-sectional view taken along the line II in FIG. 9 (the illustration of the outer shutter 60 is omitted), and shows an open state in which the developer outlet 23 of the inner shutter 22 overlaps the discharge port 52. On the other hand, FIG. 10B shows a closed state in which the developer outlet 23 does not overlap the outlet 52.
As shown in FIG. 10A, the return port 24 provided in the inner shutter 22 is formed so as to extend in the circumferential direction of the inner shutter 22, and the return port 24 is more than the developer outlet 23. Is also greatly open in the circumferential direction. By forming the return port 24 of the inner shutter 22 in this way, a part of the return port 24 of the inner shutter 22 is elongated in both the open state shown in FIG. 10A and the closed state shown in FIG. It overlaps with the return port 67 of the part 65.

11 is a side view of the toner cartridge 50 as viewed from the gear cover 57 side, and FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view of the toner cartridge attached to the apparatus main body as viewed from below.
As shown in FIGS. 11 and 12, a groove 73 extending in the vertical direction is formed on the outer surface (front surface) of the gear cover 57 (see FIG. 4). Further, each mounting portion of the apparatus main body 100 is formed with a protruding portion 101 that protrudes in the horizontal direction. When the toner cartridge 50 is attached to the apparatus main body 100, the protrusion 101 is inserted into the groove 73. The function of guiding the attaching / detaching direction of the container main body 70 with respect to the apparatus main body 100 and the function of positioning the container main body 70 with respect to the apparatus main body 100 are obtained by the cooperation of the groove 73 and the protrusion 101. Specifically, in the groove 73, the guide portion 73a having a guide function extends from the lower end portion to the front portion where the upper width is narrow, and the narrow portion has a positioning function. It is the positioning part 73b. The lower end portion of the guide portion 73a opens downward. The guide portion 73a has the same width except for the upper end, and the width gradually decreases toward the container side positioning portion 73b at the upper end.

  In FIG. 11, the projection areas of the gears 62, 63, 64 on the outer surface of the gear cover 57 provided with the grooves 73 are indicated by dotted lines. Moreover, the area | region shown with the code | symbol J is a projection area | region of the torque transmission gear 64 in an operating position, and the area | region shown with a code | symbol U is a projection area | region of the torque transmission gear 64 in a retracted position. Thus, in this embodiment, a part of the guide part 73a of the groove 73 is disposed in the projection region J of the torque transmission gear 64 at the operating position. It is also possible to arrange the entire guide portion 73a within the projection region J of the torque transmission gear 64 at the operating position. On the other hand, the positioning portion 73b having a narrow width of the groove 73 needs to be disposed outside the projection region J of the torque transmission gear 64 in the operating position.

  As shown in FIGS. 11 and 12, on the front side of the gear cover 57, a convex portion 79 (see FIG. 4) having a cylindrical outer periphery is provided as another guide portion and positioning portion for the apparatus main body 100. . The convex portion 79 is inserted into a guide groove 103 provided in the apparatus main body 100. A function of guiding the container body 70 in the vertical direction with respect to the apparatus body 100 and a function of positioning the container body 70 with respect to the apparatus body 100 are obtained by the cooperation of the convex portion 79 and the guide groove 103. Thus, in this embodiment, the container main body 70 is positioned with respect to the apparatus main body 100 at two locations, that is, the positioning portion 73b and the convex portion 79 of the groove 73 shown in FIG.

  On the back surface of the gear cover 57 and on the back side of the container-side positioning portion 73b of the groove 73, a positioning boss (not shown) is provided so as to protrude. The boss is inserted into a long hole 77 (see FIG. 6) provided on the side surface of the upper case 55 when the gear cover 57 is attached to the cases 55 and 56. Thereby, the gear cover 57 is positioned with respect to the upper case 55.

  As shown in FIG. 12, a hole 78 is formed on the back surface of the gear cover 57 coaxially with the convex portion 79. One end of the rotating shaft 530 protruding from the lower case 56 of the conveying screw 53 is inserted into the hole 78. The gear cover 57 is positioned with respect to the lower case 56 by holding the rotating shaft 530 of the conveying screw 53 through the hole 78.

Next, the base member 107 installed in the image forming apparatus main body 100 will be described.
As shown in FIG. 13, the base member 107 includes a substantially rectangular partition 108 (see FIG. 1) that constitutes the bottom, a back wall 109 provided on one side of the partition 108, and a back wall of the partition 108. And a pair of side walls 111 and 112 provided on opposite two sides across 109. A plurality of toner cartridges 50 are arranged in parallel with each other in a horizontal posture between the pair of side walls 111 and 112 with the side surfaces facing the side walls 111 and 112. Hereinafter, the side wall facing the side surface on one end side (A direction: the side where the container terminal portion 58 is mounted) of each toner cartridge 50 is referred to as a first side wall 111, and the other end side (B direction: gear case 57) of each toner cartridge 50. The side wall facing the side surface of the mounting side is referred to as a second side wall 112.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the toner cartridge 50 inserted between the side walls 111 and 112 is mounted on the mounting portion 106 provided in the partition portion 108. The number of mounting units 106 is the same as the number of toner cartridges 50, and each toner cartridge 50 is mounted on a mounting unit 106 at a specified position determined for each toner color according to the toner color.

  As shown in FIG. 13, four main body side terminals 104 are mounted on the first side wall 111 so as to face the container side terminals 58 of the respective toner cartridges 50. By attaching the toner cartridge 50 to the attachment portion, the container side terminal 58 is electrically connected to the main body side terminal.

  As shown in FIG. 12, the protrusion 101 and the guide groove 103 described above are provided on the inner surface of the second side wall 112 for each mounting portion 106. The guide groove 103 extends in the vertical direction, and an upper end portion thereof is open. When the toner cartridge 40 is mounted, a convex portion 79 (see FIG. 11) provided in the toner cartridge 50 is inserted from the opening. A receiving portion that receives the convex portion 79 is formed at the lower end portion of the guide groove 103.

  A main body side drive gear 105 is provided in the vicinity of the lower end of each guide groove 103 in the partition 108. The main body side drive gear 105 is rotationally driven by a drive source (not shown) provided in the apparatus main body 100. The main body side driving gear 105 meshes with the transport driving gear 62 (see FIG. 6) in a state where the toner cartridge 50 is mounted on the apparatus main body 100.

  The first side wall 111 is provided with a biasing member 107 made of a leaf spring or the like for biasing the toner cartridge 50 toward the other end side (B direction) for each mounting portion 106. The toner cartridge 50 is pressed against the second side wall 112 by the urging member 107, and the tip of the convex portion 79 provided on the other end side (B direction) contacts the groove bottom of the guide groove 103. As a result, the movement of the toner cartridge 50 in the longitudinal direction (vertical direction in FIG. 12) is restricted, and the protrusion 79 from the guide groove 103 and the protrusion 101 from the container-side positioning portion 73b are prevented from falling off. The

Hereinafter, with reference to FIGS. 14A to 14C, the attachment and detachment of the toner cartridge 50 according to the present embodiment to the apparatus main body 100 will be described.
When the toner cartridge 50 is attached to the apparatus main body 100, the user first opens the upper cover 109 (see FIG. 1) of the apparatus main body 100. Next, the user performs a mounting operation of the toner cartridge 50. As shown in FIG. 14A, this mounting operation is performed by the user holding the holding portion 61 and moving the toner cartridge 50 downward through the upper opening of the apparatus main body 100.

  With this mounting operation, as shown in FIG. 14B, the convex portion 79 provided in the toner cartridge 50 is inserted into the upper end of the guide groove 103 of the second side wall 112. Since the insertion direction of the toner cartridge 50 is guided by the guide groove 103 during the mounting operation, the toner cartridge 50 can be smoothly guided to the mounting portion 106 without being twisted.

  As shown in FIG. 14C, when the toner cartridge 50 is attached to the attachment portion 106, the convex portion 79 of the toner cartridge 50 comes into contact with the lower end portion (receiving portion) of the guide groove 103, and the toner cartridge 50 positioning is performed.

  Further, the protrusion 101 provided on the second side wall 112 is inserted into the groove 73 in accordance with the mounting operation of the toner cartridge 50. As shown in FIG. 14C, when the toner cartridge 50 is attached to the attachment portion 106, the protrusion 101 is positioned in the container-side positioning portion 73 b having a narrow width in the groove 73.

  During this mounting operation, the shutter control member 102 provided in the apparatus main body 100 abuts against the operation portion 71 b of the gear holder 71. As a result, the gear holder 71 is rotated in the direction of the arrow shown in FIG. 14C against the tensile force (biasing force) of the tension spring 72, so that the torque transmission gear 64 is engaged with the stirring drive gear 63. Arranged. Further, when the gear holder 71 is rotated, the outer shutter 60 provided integrally with the gear holder 71 is also rotated, and the outer peripheral side of the discharge port 52 is opened. However, even in this case (when the toner cartridge 50 is placed on the main body), the inner shutter 22 remains closed. During a series of operations in which the outer shutter 60 is opened, there is a moment when the discharge port 52 of the toner cartridge 50 is not connected to the supply port 49 on the main body side. In that case, the toner leaks downward, but the toner does not leak because the inner shutter 22 remains closed.

  When the torque transmission gear 64 moves to the operating position, when the torque transmission gear 64 approaches the groove 73, the projection 101 has already passed through the region overlapping the operating position on the groove 73, so that the torque transmission is performed. The gear 64 and the protrusion 101 do not interfere with each other.

  When the torque transmission gear 64 moves to the operating position and meshes with the agitation drive gear 63, the conveying screw 53 and the agitator 54 in the toner cartridge 50 are connected to each other. At the same time, the outer shutter 60 provided integrally with the gear holder 71 is also rotated from the position shown in FIG. 14B to the position shown in FIG. 14C, and the discharge port 52 is opened. The opened discharge port 52 is connected to the supply port 49 on the apparatus main body 100 side.

  Thereafter, the inner shutter 22 is opened. Specifically, the closing of the upper cover 109 is used as a trigger, and the inner shutter 22 is opened via a shutter opening / closing mechanism 200 described later in conjunction with the closing operation. As a result, both the inner and outer shutters 22 and 60 are opened, and the toner can be discharged from the discharge port 52.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 14C, in a state where the toner cartridge 50 is mounted on the mounting portion 106, the transport driving gear 62 meshes with the main body side driving gear 105. In this state, when the main body side drive gear 105 is rotationally driven by a drive source (not shown), the driving force is transferred to the transport screw 53 and the agitator 54 via the transport drive gear 62, the torque transmission gear 64, and the stirring drive gear 63. And are driven to rotate. As a result, toner is supplied from the opened discharge port 52 to the developing device through the supply port 49.

  Next, when removing the toner cartridge 50 from the apparatus main body, first, the upper cover 109 is opened (see FIG. 1). In conjunction with this operation, the inner shutter 22 is closed via a shutter opening / closing mechanism 200 described later. Next, the user performs a removal operation of the toner cartridge 50. This detachment operation is performed by the user holding the grip portion 61, moving the toner cartridge 50 positioned on the mounting portion 106 upward, and taking it out from the upper opening of the apparatus main body 100.

  As shown in FIG. 14B, when the toner cartridge 50 is pulled up, the contact by the shutter control member 102 on the apparatus main body 100 side with respect to the operation portion 71b of the gear holder 71 is released, and the gear holder 71 is pulled by the tension force ( It is rotated back to its original position by the urging force). Along with the rotation of the gear holder 71, the torque transmission gear 64 is disposed at a retracted position away from the stirring drive gear 63. At this time, the projection 101 passes through the region overlapping the operating position on the groove 73. However, when the projection 101 reaches the region, the torque transmission gear 64 has already evacuated from the groove 73. Therefore, the protrusion 101 and the torque transmission gear 64 do not interfere with each other.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 14B, when the gear holder 71 is rotated to the original position, the outer shutter 60 is also rotated accordingly, and the discharge port 52 is closed. As a result, the outer shutter 60 further hides the inner shutter 22 whose surface tends to become dirty due to the connection with the supply port 49. As a result, the possibility of getting dirty even if the user's hand touches the shutter portion is reduced. Since both the inner and outer shutters 22 and 60 are closed, the prevention of toner scattering from the discharge port 52 is also greatly improved.

  In such a configuration, when the toner cartridge 50 is removed, the connection between the conveying screw 53 and the agitator 54 in the toner cartridge 50 is released. Therefore, even if a user or the like accidentally touches the gears 62 and 64 to drive one of the conveying screw 53 and the agitator 54, the driving force is not transmitted to the other. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the load on the developer due to driving of both the conveying screw 53 and the agitator 54, to suppress the deterioration of the developer, and to prevent the conveying screw 53 and the agitator 54 from being damaged. Can do.

  Even if the user or the like drives the conveying screw 53, the developer can be returned from the return port 24 to the developer accommodating portion 51 because the return port 24 is provided. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the load on the developer.

  In this embodiment, when the toner cartridge 50 is removed, the outer shutter 60 automatically closes the discharge port 52 in conjunction with the removal operation. Therefore, the toner from the discharge port 52 due to forgetting to close the outer shutter 60 is removed. Leakage and scattering can be prevented.

  As described above, among the double shutters of the toner cartridge 50 of the present invention, the outer shutter 60 controls the shutter with the operation unit 71b provided in the apparatus main body 100 when the toner cartridge 50 is mounted on the apparatus main body 100. By contacting the member 102, the discharge port 52 is opened, and when the toner cartridge 50 is detached from the apparatus main body 100, the operation unit 71 b is moved away from the shutter control member 102 to close the discharge port 52.

  On the other hand, the inner shutter 22 is opened and closed in conjunction with the opening and closing operation of the upper cover 109 as the cover member shown in FIG. Specifically, the inner shutter 22 is opened by closing the upper cover 109, and the inner shutter 22 is closed by opening the upper cover 109.

  The inner shutter 22 is opened and closed via the shutter opening / closing mechanism 200. Hereinafter, the configuration and function of the shutter opening / closing mechanism 200 will be described with reference to FIGS.

  15 and 16 are side views showing a schematic configuration of the shutter opening / closing mechanism 200. FIG. 15 shows a state in which the upper cover 109 is completely closed, and FIG. 16 shows a state in which the upper cover 109 is fully opened. As shown in FIG. 1, the exposure apparatus 6 is attached to the upper cover 109, but the exposure apparatus 6 is not shown in FIGS. 15 and 16. FIG. 17 is a perspective view showing the peripheral structure of the inner shutter 22, and FIG. 18 is a side view thereof. 17 and 18 show a state in which the gears such as the gear cover 57 and the conveyance drive gear 62 are removed from the toner cartridge 50. FIG.

  As shown in FIGS. 15 and 16, the shutter opening / closing mechanism 200 includes an input side member 201, an output side member 202, a connecting portion 203, a first spring 204 as a first urging member, and a first urging member as a second urging member. Two springs 205 and a third spring 206 as a third biasing member are provided.

  The input side member 201 is slidable in the vertical direction in a guide portion 150 provided in the vicinity of the opening / closing shaft 110 of the image forming apparatus main body 100. A compressed first spring 204 is disposed between the bottom surface of the guide portion 150 and the input side member 201, and the input side member 201 is constantly biased upward by the biasing force of the first spring 204. . The guide portion 150 is formed with a first stopper 151 that engages with the lower end of the input side member 201 and defines its upper limit position.

  On the lower surface of the upper cover 109, a contact portion 109a capable of contacting the input side member 201 is provided integrally or separately. The cover member 109 may be brought into direct contact with the input side member 201 without providing the contact portion 109a.

  The output side member 202 is a long member extending in the horizontal direction, and is supported inside the apparatus main body 100 so as to be horizontally movable. The output side member 202 is formed with a protruding portion 202 a that protrudes upward for each mounting portion 106. Further, the output side member 202 is formed with a spring mounting portion 202 b, and a compressed second spring 205 is disposed between the spring mounting portion 202 b and the image forming apparatus main body 100. Due to the urging force of the second spring 205, the output side member 202 is always pressed in one direction (left side of the drawing). The biasing force of the second spring 205 is made smaller than the biasing force of the first spring 204.

  In order to define the maximum displacement of the output side member 202 in one direction, the image forming apparatus main body 100 is provided with a second stopper 152 that engages with the output side member 202. 15 and 16 illustrate the case where the second stopper 152 is engaged with the spring mounting portion 202b.

  As shown in FIGS. 17 and 18A and 18B, the inner shutter 22 has a protrusion 27 formed thereon. The protrusion 27 is provided at the end of the inner shutter 22 exposed from the lower case 56 and protrudes in the axial direction of the inner shutter 22. A third spring 206 in a tensioned state is attached between the protrusion 27 and the attachment portion 70 b provided on the side surface of the lower case 56. The inner shutter 22 is biased in the closing direction by the biasing force of the third spring 206. The total biasing force of the third spring 206 of each toner cartridge 50 is smaller than the biasing force of the second spring 205.

  The input side member 201 and the output side member 202 are connected by a connecting portion 203. In this embodiment, the case where the wire 203 which has flexibility is used as a connection part is illustrated. The wire 203 is wound around a pulley 207, and one end thereof is attached to the input side member 201 and the other end is attached to the output side member 202.

Hereinafter, the operation of the shutter opening / closing mechanism 200 described above will be described.
In the following description, the state from the state in which the upper cover 109 is completely closed (FIG. 15) to the fully opened state (FIG. 16) is referred to as the opening operation of the upper cover 109, and the upper cover 109 is fully opened (FIG. 16). The process from the fully closed state to the completely closed state (FIG. 15) is called the closing operation of the upper cover 109.

  First, the operation of the shutter opening / closing mechanism 200 when the upper cover 109 is closed will be described. As shown in FIG. 16, when the upper cover 109 is fully opened, the upper limit position of the input side member 201 is defined by the first stopper 151. The contact portion 109a and the input side member 201 are not in contact with each other. At the end of the closing operation, the contact portion 109a contacts the input-side member 201, and the input-side member 201 is pushed downward in the subsequent closing operation to move in the positive direction. At the same time, the first spring 204 is compressed, and the urging force is accumulated in the first spring 204. Note that the timing of shifting from the initial stage to the final stage of the closing operation of the upper cover 109 can be changed by adjusting the position of the first stopper 151.

  As the input side member 201 moves in the positive direction (downward movement), the wire 203 tries to loosen. At this time, since the force acting on the output side member 202 is only the urging force of the second spring 205, the output side member 202 moves in one horizontal direction (left side in the drawing). The forward movement of the input side member 201 is not transmitted to the output side member 202. By one-way movement of the output side member 202, each protrusion 202a pushes the protrusion 27 of each inner shutter 22 against the biasing force of the third spring 206, and rotates each inner shutter 22 in the clockwise direction of FIG. As a result, as shown in FIG. 18A, the developer outlet 23 faces downward, and as a result, the discharge port 52 is opened as shown in FIG.

  Next, the operation of the shutter opening / closing mechanism 200 when the upper cover 109 is opened will be described. In the initial stage of the opening operation of the upper cover 109, the input side member 201 rises following the abutting portion 109a while maintaining the contact state with the abutting portion 109a of the upper cover 109, and moves in the reverse direction. At the end of the opening operation after the input side member 201 is engaged with the first stopper 151, the contact portion 109 a is separated from the input side member 201.

  In the initial stage of the opening operation, the wire 203 is in a tensile state due to the reverse movement of the input side member 201. Therefore, the output side member 202 is pulled by the input side member 201 and moves in the horizontal reverse direction (right direction in the drawing). Thus, the reverse movement of the input side member 201 is transmitted to the output side member 202 through the wire 203. As the output side member 202 moves in the reverse direction, the force pushing the protrusion 27 disappears, so that the inner shutter 22 rotates counterclockwise in the figure by the urging force of the third spring 206. As a result, the developer outlet 23 turns to the right side as shown in FIG. 18B, and as a result, the discharge port 52 is closed as shown in FIG. 10B.

Hereinafter, functions and effects of the shutter opening / closing mechanism 200 described above will be described.
According to the shutter opening / closing mechanism 200 of the present invention, it is sufficient that the input side member 201 is disposed at a position where it can come into contact with the upper cover 109. Therefore, the degree of freedom of the installation location of the input side member 201 is higher than in the conventional configuration in which the input gear is arranged on the opening / closing shaft 110 of the upper cover 109. Further, the shutter stroke of the inner shutter 22 can be determined based on the moving distance when the input side member 201 moves in the forward / reverse direction. This movement distance depends on the length of the movement locus of the contact portion 109a when the upper cover 109 is opened and closed. Therefore, the shutter stroke can be set regardless of the dimensions of the input side member 201, and the input side member 201 can be reduced in size. As described above, the shutter opening / closing mechanism 200 can be made compact and the degree of design freedom can be improved, and the image forming apparatus can be downsized.

  Further, in the shutter opening / closing mechanism 200 of the present invention, the input side member 201 is not in contact with the cover member 109 at the initial stage of the closing operation of the upper cover 109, while the input side member is closed at the end of the closing operation of the upper cover 109. 201 is brought into contact with the cover member 109. In this case, since the inner shutter 22 is opened and closed only at the end of the closing operation of the upper cover 109 and at the beginning of the opening operation, the shutter stroke of the inner shutter 22 does not become larger than necessary. As a result, it is possible to reduce the necessary space for securing the shutter stroke, improve the degree of freedom in design, and reduce the size of the image forming apparatus. Even when the user removes the toner cartridge 50 at a timing before the upper cover 109 is fully opened, the inner shutter 22 is closed at the time of removal. For this reason, even when such inappropriate handling is performed, scattering of toner from the discharge port 52 can be reliably prevented.

  Further, in the present invention, the shutter opening / closing mechanism 200 biases the output side member 202 in one direction and the output side member 202 that opens the inner shutter 22 in one direction and closes the inner shutter 22 in the opposite direction. And the 2nd spring 205 whose urging | biasing force is smaller than the urging | biasing force of the 1st spring 204, and the connection part 203 which connects the input side member 201 and the output side member 202 are provided. In addition, when the upper cover 109 is closed, the output side member 202 is moved in one direction by the urging force of the second spring 205 to open the inner shutter 22, and the input side member 201 of the upper cover 109 is opened. The output side member 202 is moved in the reverse direction by the backward movement, and the inner shutter 22 is closed. From the above configuration, the inner shutter 22 can be reliably opened and closed with a simple and compact mechanism.

  In this case, since the wire 203 constituting the connecting portion has flexibility, the wire 203 can be arranged so as to be drawn around an empty space while being appropriately bent. From this point, it is possible to further reduce the size of the image forming apparatus by further reducing the size of the shutter opening / closing mechanism 200 and improving the degree of design freedom. A similar effect can be obtained by configuring the connecting portion 203 with a long member having flexibility. For example, a belt can be used in addition to the wire. If there is no particular problem in terms of space, the connecting portion 203 may be formed of a rigid member, such as a gear train or a long steel material.

  The shutter opening / closing mechanism 200 is provided with a third spring 206 that urges the inner shutter in the closing direction of the inner shutter 22, and the inner shutter 22 is opened by pressing the inner shutter in one direction of movement of the output side member 202. For example, the inner shutter 22 can be closed without fail when the toner cartridge 50 is detached from the apparatus main body 100. Therefore, toner scattering can be more reliably prevented.

  The toner cartridge 50 of the present embodiment has an outer shutter 60 that opens and closes the discharge port 52 in addition to the inner shutter 22. Further, the outer shutter 60 is opened when the toner cartridge 50 is attached to the apparatus main body 100, and the outer second shutter is closed when the toner cartridge 50 is detached from the apparatus main body 100.

  Therefore, when the toner cartridge 50 is mounted, the outer shutter 60 is opened first in conjunction with the mounting operation. At this time, the upper cover 109 is still open, and the inner shutter 22 remains closed. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the internal toner from being scattered before the discharge port 52 is connected to the supply port 49. Thereafter, the inner shutter 22 is opened by closing the upper cover 109, and toner can be supplied to the developing device 4 through the discharge port 52. If the opening timing of the outer shutter 60 is set before the completion of the mounting of the toner cartridge 50, the interference between the outer shutter 60 and the supply port 49 can be avoided at the time of mounting.

  When removing the toner cartridge 50, the inner shutter 22 is first closed by opening the upper cover 109, and then the outer shutter 60 is closed in conjunction with the removal operation. Therefore, even if toner adheres to the inside of the discharge port 52, the toner does not scatter. As described above, the double shutter structure including the inner shutter 22 and the outer shutter 60 can reliably prevent the toner from scattering from the discharge port 52 when the toner cartridge 50 is attached or detached.

  The image forming apparatus according to the present embodiment includes an operation unit 71b provided on the outer shutter 60 and a shutter control member 102 provided on the apparatus main body 100, and an urging force (tensile spring in a direction in which the outer shutter 60 is closed). 72 urging force) is applied. When the toner cartridge 50 is attached to the apparatus main body 100, the operation portion 71b and the shutter control member 102 are brought into contact with each other to open the outer shutter 60, and when the toner cartridge 50 is detached from the apparatus main body 100, the operation is performed. The outer shutter 60 is closed with the above-described biasing force by separating the portion 71b and the shutter control member 102. Therefore, the outer shutter can be opened and closed with a compact and simple mechanism.

  In the above embodiment, the case where a compressed coil spring (first spring 204) is used as the first urging member 204 of the shutter opening / closing mechanism 200 is illustrated, but as the first urging member 204, Any form of elastic member disposed between the apparatus main body 100 and the input side member 201 can be used. For example, as shown in FIGS. 19 and 20, a tension coil spring can be used as the first biasing member 204, or as shown in FIGS. 21 and 22, as the first biasing member 204, A torsion coil spring can also be used. Furthermore, as shown in FIGS. 23 and 24, an elastic body such as rubber can be used as the first biasing member 204.

  25 to 28 show another embodiment of the image forming apparatus. Hereinafter, these embodiments will be described only with respect to portions different from the above-described embodiments.

  As shown in FIG. 25, the image forming apparatus includes an upper cover 109 provided on the upper portion of the apparatus main body 100, a container mounting portion 120 to which the toner cartridge 50 can be attached and detached by opening the upper cover 109, and the container mounting. The image forming apparatus main body includes an internal cover 116 that is openable and closable inside the image forming apparatus main body, and a unit mounting unit 130 that can be attached to and detached from the process units 1Y, 1M, 1C, and 1Bk by opening the internal cover 116. . 26 shows a state in which the upper cover 109 is opened, and FIG. 27 shows a state in which the internal cover 116 is opened.

  Specifically, the inner cover 116 is attached to the apparatus main body 100 so as to be opened and closed in the vertical direction by rotating around the fulcrum 117. On the inner cover 116, a toner cartridge 50 containing toner of each color can be mounted. Although not shown, a plurality of mounting portions 106 for mounting the toner cartridges 50 are formed on the upper surface of the inner cover 116 as in the above embodiment. As shown in FIG. 26, the toner cartridge 50 is detachable with the upper cover 109 opened.

  The process units 1Y, 1M, 1C, and 1Bk for each color are accommodated inside (downward) the inner cover 116. Therefore, to attach and detach the process units 1Y, 1M, 1C, and 1Bk, as shown in FIG. 27, both the upper cover 109 and the inner cover 116 are opened. A plurality of exposure devices 6 (LED units) for exposing each photoconductor 2 are swingably attached to the lower surface of the inner cover 116. As a result, each exposure device 6 is interlocked with the opening / closing operation of the inner cover 116 and is positioned close to the photoreceptor 2 while avoiding interference with the process units 1Y, 1M, 1C, 1Bk by guide means (not shown). From there, it moves to the position where it was saved upwards.

  With the configuration as described above, the inner cover 116 can be opened so that the toner cartridge can be retracted from above the process unit, so that the process unit can be attached and detached without removing the toner cartridge. it can. As a result, the operability during the process unit replacement operation is improved, and the risk of toner scattering from the toner cartridge into the apparatus at that time can be suppressed. In the above configuration, the inner shutter 22 of the toner cartridge 50 is opened and closed in conjunction with the opening and closing operation of the upper cover 109 via the shutter opening and closing mechanism 200.

  On the other hand, since the process units cannot be visually recognized when the inner cover 116 is closed, when replacing multiple color process units at the same time, the upper cover 109 and the upper cover 109 The inner cover 116 may be closed. In the unlikely event that the process unit is forgotten to be attached, if the toner cartridge outlet 52 corresponding to the place where the process unit is forgotten is opened, the toner will scatter in the apparatus.

  In order to prevent such toner scattering, a shutter control member 102 for opening the outer shutter 60 is provided in the process units 1Y, 1M, 1C, and 1Bk as shown in FIG. Accordingly, an insertion hole 118 for inserting the shutter control member 102 is formed in the inner cover 116. Thus, when the process units 1Y, 1M, 1C, and 1Bk are mounted and the inner cover 116 is closed, the shutter control member 102 is inserted into the insertion hole 118 of the inner cover 116, and the shutter control is performed in the container mounting portion 120. The member 102 protrudes.

  With the configuration described above, the outer shutter 60 does not open because the shutter control member 102 for opening the outer shutter 60 does not exist in a place where the process unit is not mounted. Therefore, even when the inner cover 116 is closed without attaching the process unit, the outer shutter 60 does not open in a place where the process unit is not attached, and toner scattering can be prevented.

  As mentioned above, although other embodiment of this invention was described based on FIGS. 25-28, the effect | action similar to the above is acquired about the component similar to the said embodiment.

  In addition, this invention is not limited to each above-mentioned embodiment. Of course, various changes can be made to the number, shape, arrangement, function, and the like of each component without departing from the scope of the present invention. For example, in each embodiment, the case where the discharge port 52 is opened and closed by the double shutter including the inner shutter 22 and the outer shutter 60 has been described, but the present invention is also applied to the case where the discharge port 52 is opened and closed by a single shutter. be able to. In this case, a single shutter is opened and closed by the shutter opening / closing mechanism 200 described above. Further, in the type in which the toner cartridge 50 is configured integrally with the developing device 4 and the photosensitive member 2 and can be replaced as a process unit, the waste toner removed from the photosensitive member in the housing (developer container) of the process unit. There is a case where the discharge port is provided and the discharge port is opened and closed by a shutter. However, the shutter of the waste toner discharge port can be opened and closed by the shutter opening / closing mechanism 200 described above.

1Y, 1M, 1C, 1Bk Process unit 2 Photoconductor (latent image carrier)
4 Developing Device 22 Inner Shutter 41 Developing Roller (Developer Carrier)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 50 Toner cartridge 51 Developer accommodating part 52 Outlet 60 Outer shutter 71b Operation part 100 Image forming apparatus main body 102 Shutter control member 109 Upper cover (cover member)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 110 Opening / closing axis | shaft 200 Shutter opening / closing mechanism 201 Input side member 202 Output side member 203 Wire (connection part)
204 First spring (first biasing member)
205 Second spring (second biasing member)
206 Third spring (third biasing member)
207 pulley

JP 2008-52033 A

Claims (8)

An image forming apparatus main body having an opening, a developer accommodating part that is detachable from the image forming apparatus main body through the opening, and that contains the developer, and discharges the developer in the developer accommodating part to the outside. And a first shutter that opens and closes the discharge port, a cover member that opens and closes the opening of the image forming apparatus body, and mechanically transmits the opening and closing operation of the cover member. In an image forming apparatus having a shutter opening / closing mechanism that opens a shutter and closes a first shutter by an opening operation of a cover member,
The shutter opening / closing mechanism has a first urging member for accumulating an urging force by the closing operation of the cover member, and moves in the forward direction in contact with the cover member by the closing operation, and the first urging member by the opening operation of the cover member. An image forming apparatus comprising: an input side member that moves in a reverse direction by the urging force accumulated in the first side, and opens and closes the first shutter according to a forward motion and a reverse motion of the input side member.   The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the input side member is brought into non-contact with the cover member at an initial stage of the closing operation of the cover member, and the input side member is brought into contact with the cover member at the end of the closing operation of the cover member.   The shutter opening / closing mechanism urges the output side member that opens the first shutter by moving in one direction and closes the first shutter by moving in the opposite direction, and the output side member in the one direction. A second urging member that is smaller than the urging force of the one urging member and a connecting portion that connects the input side member and the output side member are provided, and the urging force of the second urging member is provided in accordance with the closing operation of the cover member. The output side member is moved in the one direction to open the first shutter, and the output side member is moved in the reverse direction by the reverse movement of the input side member accompanying the opening operation of the cover member to close the first shutter. Item 3. The image forming apparatus according to Item 1 or 2.   The image forming apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the connecting portion is constituted by a long member having flexibility.   The shutter opening / closing mechanism is provided with a third urging member that urges the first shutter in the closing direction of the first shutter, and the first shutter is opened by pressing the first shutter by the movement of the output side member in the one direction. Item 5. The image forming apparatus according to Item 3 or 4.   The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first urging member is configured by an elastic member disposed between the image forming apparatus main body and the input side member.   A second shutter that opens and closes the discharge port is provided separately from the first shutter, and the second shutter is opened when the developer container is mounted on the image forming apparatus body, and the developer container is removed from the image forming apparatus body. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the second shutter is closed when the shutter is detached.   An operation portion provided in the second shutter and a shutter control member provided in the image forming apparatus main body are provided, and a biasing force in a direction in which the second shutter is closed is applied to the second shutter, and the developer containing portion is attached to the image forming apparatus main body. When mounted, the operation unit and the shutter control member are brought into contact with each other to open the second shutter, and when the developer storage unit is detached from the image forming apparatus main body, the operation unit and the shutter control member are separated from each other. The image forming apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the second shutter is closed by an urging force.

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