JP2014092628A - Image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an image forming apparatus that prevents a protrusion on a body side from being hooked into a guide part on a substrate to reliably attach a developer storage container to a setting position, so as to prevent occurrence of communication failure.SOLUTION: An image forming apparatus includes an information storage device 35 that is provided to a developer storage container 32Y removably attached to an image forming apparatus body 73Y, can move on a virtual plane crossing relative to an insertion direction of the developer storage container into the image forming apparatus body, and stores information communicated between the image forming apparatus body and the developer storage container. The information storage device 35 includes terminals 353 to 355 for contacting body-side terminals 623 to 625 provided to the image forming apparatus body to communicate information with the image forming apparatus body, and a guide part 352 for guiding a protrusion 622 for positioning provided to the image forming apparatus body, and further has load applying means 40 and 41 for applying resistance against the movement of the developer storage container in the insertion direction Q before the developer storage container occupies the setting position where the body-side terminals and the terminals of the information storage device 35 are in contact with each other.

Description

  The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine, a printer, a facsimile, or a complex machine thereof.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine, a technique for detachably installing a developer storage container with respect to an image forming apparatus main body has been used. The developer storage container is provided with an information storage device such as an ID chip that stores information exchanged with the image forming apparatus main body, and the toner storage container is set in the image forming apparatus main body. The information stored in the information storage device is transmitted to the control unit of the image forming apparatus main body. The quality control of the image forming apparatus main body and the detachable apparatus is performed by transmitting information from the image forming apparatus main body to the information storage device.
Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-228561 describes a developer container including an information storage device that stores information communicated between the image forming apparatus main body and the developer container. In this developer container, a terminal for communicating with the image forming apparatus main body in contact with the main body side terminal installed in the image forming apparatus main body, and a positioning device installed in the image forming apparatus main body. The information storage device includes a substrate on which a guide portion that guides the protrusion is formed. The information storage device is held by the holding unit so that the substrate can move on a virtual plane intersecting the moving direction when the developer container approaches the main body side terminal installed in the main body of the image forming apparatus. ing.

In Patent Document 1, the substrate of the information storage device is movably held by the holding portion. However, when the developer container is mounted on the image forming apparatus main body, the guide portion of the substrate is guided by the positioning projection. Move. However, at that time, since the substrate moves while being pressed against the holding portion, if the sliding property between the substrate and the holding portion is poor, the positioning projection and the guide portion may be caught. Factors that deteriorate the slidability include poor surface properties of the holding portion, burrs, the edge of the substrate, and the tip shape of the positioning projection. As described above, when the positioning protrusion and the substrate guide are caught, and when the developer container is not correctly inserted into the main body of the image forming apparatus, the terminal on the main body side does not reach the substrate, causing a communication failure. End up.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an image forming apparatus that prevents a positioning projection and a guide portion of a substrate from being caught and reliably attaches a developer container to a set position so that no communication failure occurs. For that purpose.

  To achieve the above object, an image forming apparatus according to the present invention is provided in a developer storage container that can be attached to and detached from the image forming apparatus main body, and in the developer storage container. And an information storage device in which information communicated between the image forming apparatus main body and the developer storage container is stored, and the information storage apparatus is installed in the image forming apparatus main body. A terminal for communicating information with the image forming apparatus main body in contact with the main body side terminal, and a guide section for guiding a positioning projection installed on the image forming apparatus main body. Before the developer storage container occupies the set position where the terminal of the information storage device contacts, there is provided a load applying means for giving resistance to movement of the developer storage container in the insertion direction.

  According to the present invention, before the developer storage container occupies the set position where the main body side terminal provided on the image forming apparatus main body side contacts the terminal of the information storage device provided in the developer storage container, the developer storage container is occupied. When the developer storage container is moved in the insertion direction against the load by the load applying means that gives resistance to the movement of the container in the insertion direction, the developer storage container moves in the insertion direction more vigorously than before the load is received. To do. For this reason, it is possible to prevent the positioning projection and the guide portion of the substrate from being caught, and it is possible to provide an image forming apparatus in which the developer container is securely attached to the set position and no communication failure occurs.

1 is an overall configuration diagram illustrating an image forming apparatus according to the present invention. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view illustrating an image forming unit of the image forming apparatus according to the present invention. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating a state where a developer storage container is installed in the developer supply device. FIG. 3 is a schematic perspective view showing a state where four color developer storage containers are installed in a toner container storage unit. FIG. 3 is a schematic perspective view illustrating a state where one developer container is installed in a toner container container. FIG. 3 is a diagram of the configuration of a developer storage container and a toner container storage section viewed from the insertion direction side. The perspective view which shows the cap receiving part of a developing agent storage container. Sectional drawing which shows the structure of the load provision means used as the characteristic part of the 1st Embodiment of this invention. (A) is a cross-sectional view showing a state where a load is applied to the developer storage container by the load applying means, and (b) is a cross section showing a state where the load by the load applying means is released and the developer storage container occupies the set position. Figure. FIG. 10 is a bottom view of a cap receiving portion of a developer storage container provided with a displacement unit that is a characteristic portion of a second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 10 is a diagram of the configuration of a developer storage container and a toner container storage section in the second embodiment as viewed from the insertion direction side. Sectional drawing which shows the structure of the displacement means used as the characteristic part of the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. (A) is sectional drawing which shows the state of the developer storage container before the vibration by a displacement means is provided, (b) shows the state where the vibration by the displacement means was given and the developer storage container occupied the set position. Sectional drawing. (A), (b) is an enlarged view which shows the modification of the receiving part which comprises a load provision means. (A), (b) is an enlarged view which shows the further modification of the receiving part which comprises a load provision means. (A), (b) is an enlarged view which shows the modification of the elastic part which comprises a load provision means. Schematic which shows another form of an information storage device. Sectional drawing which shows another form of holding | maintenance of an information storage device.

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

First Embodiment First, the configuration and operation of the entire image forming apparatus will be described.
As shown in FIG. 1, toner containers 32Y and 32M as four developer storage containers corresponding to the respective colors (yellow, magenta, cyan, and black) are provided in a toner container storage unit 70 above the image forming apparatus main body 100. 32C and 32K are detachably installed. In this embodiment, the toner container housing portion 70 is the image forming apparatus main body in a broad sense.
An intermediate transfer unit 15 is disposed below the toner container housing portion 70. Image forming portions 6Y, 6M, 6C, and 6K corresponding to yellow, magenta, cyan, and black are arranged in parallel so as to face the intermediate transfer belt 8 provided in the intermediate transfer unit 15. Below the toner containers 32Y, 32M, 32C, and 32K, toner replenishing devices 60Y, 60M, 60C, and 60K are disposed, respectively. The toners stored in the toner containers 32Y, 32M, 32C, and 32K are supplied (supplied) into the developing devices of the image forming units 6Y, 6M, 6C, and 6K by the toner supply devices 60Y, 60M, 60C, and 60K, respectively. .

  As shown in FIG. 2, the image forming unit 6Y corresponding to yellow includes a photosensitive drum 1Y as an image carrier, a charging unit 4Y disposed around the photosensitive drum 1Y, and a developing device 5Y (developing unit). , A cleaning unit 2Y, a static elimination unit (not shown), and the like. An image forming process (charging process, exposure process, developing process, transfer process, cleaning process) is performed on the photosensitive drum 1Y, and a yellow image is formed on the photosensitive drum 1Y.

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

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

  Thereafter, the surface of the photosensitive drum 1Y reaches a position facing the developing device 5Y, and the electrostatic latent image is developed at this position to form a yellow toner image (developing process). The surface of the photosensitive drum 1Y reaches a position facing the intermediate transfer belt 8 and the first transfer bias roller 9Y, and the toner image on the photosensitive drum 1Y is transferred onto the intermediate transfer belt 8 at this position (primary). Transfer process). At this time, a small amount of untransferred toner remains on the photosensitive drum 1Y.

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

  The image forming process described above is performed in the other image forming units 6M, 6C, and 6K in the same manner as the yellow image forming unit 6Y. That is, a laser beam L based on image information is irradiated from the exposure unit 7 disposed below the image forming unit onto the photosensitive drums 1M, 1C, and 1K of the image forming units 6M, 6C, and 6K. Is done. Thereafter, the toner images of the respective colors formed on the respective photosensitive drums through the developing process are transferred onto the intermediate transfer belt 8 in an overlapping manner. In this way, a color image is formed on the intermediate transfer belt 8.

  Referring to FIG. 1, the intermediate transfer unit 15 includes an intermediate transfer belt 8, four primary transfer bias rollers 9Y, 9M, 9C, and 9K, a secondary transfer backup roller 12, a plurality of tension rollers, an intermediate transfer cleaning unit, and the like. It consists of The intermediate transfer belt 8 as an intermediate transfer member is stretched and supported by a plurality of tension rollers and a secondary transfer backup roller 12. The intermediate transfer belt 8 is moved endlessly in the direction of the arrow in FIG. 1 by the rotational drive of the secondary transfer backup roller 12.

Four primary transfer bias rollers 9Y, 9M, 9C, and 9K as primary transfer members sandwich the intermediate transfer belt 8 between the photosensitive drums 1Y, 1M, 1C, and 1K to form a primary transfer nip. doing. In this embodiment, a transfer bias reverse to the polarity of the toner is applied to the primary transfer bias rollers 9Y, 9M, 9C, and 9K.
The intermediate transfer belt 8 travels in the direction of the arrow and sequentially passes through the primary transfer nips of the primary transfer bias rollers 9Y, 9M, 9C, and 9K. In this way, the toner images of the respective colors on the photosensitive drums 1Y, 1M, 1C, and 1K are primarily transferred while being superimposed on the intermediate transfer belt 8.

  The intermediate transfer belt 8 on which the toner images of the respective colors are transferred in a superimposed manner reaches a position facing the secondary transfer roller 19 as a secondary transfer member. At this position, the secondary transfer backup roller 12 sandwiches the intermediate transfer belt 8 with the secondary transfer roller 19 to form a secondary transfer nip. The four-color toner images formed on the intermediate transfer belt 8 are transferred onto a recording medium P such as transfer paper conveyed to the position of the secondary transfer nip. At this time, untransferred toner that has not been transferred to the recording medium P remains on the intermediate transfer belt 8.

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

  The recording medium P transported to the position of the secondary transfer nip is transported from a paper feeding unit 26 disposed below the image forming apparatus main body 100 via a paper feeding roller 27, a registration roller pair 28, and the like. Is. The recording medium P conveyed from the paper supply unit 26 to the registration roller pair 28 temporarily stops here and is conveyed toward the secondary transfer nip in time with the color image on the intermediate transfer belt 8. Thus, a desired color image is transferred onto the recording medium P.

  The recording medium P on which the color image is transferred at the position of the secondary transfer nip is conveyed to the position of the fixing device 20, and the color image transferred to the surface is fixed by heat and pressure by the fixing belt and the pressure roller. Then, the paper is discharged out of the apparatus through a pair of paper discharge rollers 29. The recording media P discharged to the outside of the apparatus by the discharge roller pair 29 are sequentially stacked on the stack unit 30 as an output image. Thus, a series of image forming processes in the image forming apparatus is completed.

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

  In the developing device 5Y configured as described above, the developing roller 51Y rotates in the direction of the arrow in FIG. 2, and the developer G carried on the developing roller 51Y by the magnetic field formed by a magnet (not shown) is applied to the developing roller 51Y. Move with rotation. The developer G in the developing device 5Y is adjusted so that the ratio of toner in the developer (toner concentration) is within a predetermined range. Specifically, according to the toner consumption in the developing device 5Y, the toner stored in the toner container 32Y is supplied into the developer storage portion 54Y via the toner supply device 60Y shown in FIG.

  Thereafter, the toner replenished in the developer accommodating portion 54Y is circulated through the two developer accommodating portions 53Y and 54Y while being mixed and stirred together with the developer G by the two conveying screws 55Y. The toner in the developer G is attracted to the carrier by frictional charging with the carrier, and is carried on the developing roller 51Y together with the carrier by the magnetic force formed on the developing roller 51Y.

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

Next, the toner replenishing devices 60Y, 60M, 60C, and 60K will be described in detail with reference to FIG. The toners in the toner containers 32Y, 32M, 32C, and 32K installed in the toner container housing unit 70 are toner replenishing devices 60Y, 60M, and 60C provided for each toner color according to the toner consumption in the developing devices of the respective colors. , 60K is appropriately supplied to each developing device.
The four toner replenishing devices 60Y, 60M, 60C, and 60K and the toner containers 32Y, 32M, 32C, and 32K have substantially the same structure except that the colors of toner used in the image forming process are different. For this reason, the toner supply device 60Y and the toner container 32Y corresponding to yellow are mainly described, and the toner supply devices 60M, 60C and 60K and the toner containers 32M, 32C and 32K corresponding to the other three colors are described as appropriate. Omitted.

  Referring to FIG. 1, when a main body cover (not shown) installed on the front side of the image forming apparatus main body 100, which is the front side in the direction perpendicular to the paper surface of FIG. 1, is opened, as shown in FIG. The insertion slot 71) is exposed. Then, the toner containers 32Y, 32M, 32C, and 32K are attached and detached from the front side of the image forming apparatus main body 100 in a state where the longitudinal direction of the toner containers 32Y, 32M, 32C, and 32K is the horizontal direction. The attachment / detachment operation is an attachment / detachment operation in which the longitudinal direction of the toner container is the attachment / detachment direction.

As shown in FIG. 4, when the toner containers 32Y, 32M, 32C, and 32K are moved and pushed in the insertion direction indicated by the arrow Q, they are attached to the toner container housing portion 70. In conjunction with this mounting operation, for example, in the case of a yellow toner container 32Y, the shutter member 34d shown in FIG. 3 provided in the toner container 32Y moves to open the toner discharge port W, and the toner replenishing device 32Y. The toner supply port 73w and the toner discharge port W communicate with each other. Thus, the toner stored in the toner container 32Y is discharged from the toner discharge port W and stored in the toner tank portion 61Y from the toner supply port 73w.
The toner container 32Y is a substantially cylindrical toner bottle, and mainly includes a cap part 34Y that is non-rotatably held in the toner container housing part 70, and a container body 33Y in which a gear (not shown) is integrally formed. Is done. The container main body 33Y is rotatably held with respect to the cap part 34Y, and is driven to rotate in the direction of the arrow in FIG. The drive unit 91 includes a drive motor, a drive gear 81 that meshes with a gear (not shown), and the like. When the container main body 33Y itself rotates, the toner contained in the toner container 32Y is conveyed in the longitudinal direction by the protrusions 33b formed in a spiral shape on the inner peripheral surface of the container main body 33Y. In this embodiment, the toner is conveyed from the left to the right in FIG. 3 and discharged from the toner discharge port W of the cap portion 34Y. That is, when the container main body 33Y of the toner container 32Y is appropriately rotated by the drive unit 91, the toner is appropriately supplied to the toner tank unit 61Y. It should be noted that the toner container 32Y is almost completely consumed and emptied, and is replaced with a new one when it reaches the end of its life.

  3 and 4, the toner replenishing device 60Y includes a toner container housing portion 70, a toner tank portion 61Y, a toner conveying screw 62Y, a stirring member 65Y, a toner end sensor 66Y, a driving portion 91, and the like. Yes. The toner tank 61Y is disposed below the toner discharge port W of the toner container 32Y, and stores toner discharged from the toner discharge port W of the toner container 32Y. The bottom of the toner tank 61Y is connected to the upstream part of the toner conveying screw 62Y. Further, a toner end sensor 66Y that detects that the amount of toner stored in the toner tank 61Y has become a predetermined amount or less is installed on the wall surface of the toner tank 61Y. The controller 90 detects that the toner stored in the toner tank 61Y has become a predetermined amount or less by the toner end sensor 66Y. Then, under the control of the control unit 90, the toner main body 33Y of the toner container 32Y is rotationally driven for a predetermined time by the driving unit 91 (driving gear 81) to supply toner to the toner tank unit 61Y.

  An agitating member 65Y that prevents aggregation of toner stored in the toner tank 61Y is installed at the center of the toner tank 61Y, and the toner in the toner tank 61Y is agitated by rotating clockwise in FIG. To do. Further, the tip of the agitating member 65Y made of a flexible member is in sliding contact with the detection surface of the toner end sensor 66Y in the rotation cycle, so that the toner adheres to the detection surface of the toner end sensor 66Y and the detection accuracy is lowered. Suppressing malfunctions.

  The toner conveying screw 62Y conveys the toner linearly from the bottom of the toner tank 61Y to the upper side of the developing device 5Y. The toner transported by the toner transport screw 62Y falls by its own weight on the toner drop transport path 64Y (see FIG. 2) and is replenished into the developing device 5Y (developer storage portion 54Y).

Referring to FIG. 4, toner container housing portion 70 holds cap receiving portions 73Y, 73M, 73C, and 73K that hold cap portions 34Y, 34M, 34C, and 34K of the toner containers, and the container main body of each toner container. A bottle receiving portion 72 is provided. The toner container storage unit 70 includes an insertion port 71 during the mounting operation of the toner containers 32Y, 32M, 32C, and 32K.
For example, the toner container 32Y is inserted into the toner container 32Y from the insertion port 71 by a user holding the holding portion 33d with the cap portion 34Y at the head and the longitudinal direction as the insertion direction with respect to the container body 33Y. Attached to the toner container housing 70. The toner container 32Y inserted from the insertion port 71 is pushed by the user toward the cap receiving portion 73 while sliding on the bottle receiving surface 72a of the bottle receiving portion 72 as the container main body receiving portion shown in FIG. Similarly, for the other color toner containers 32M, 32C, and 32K, the cap portions 34M, 34C, and 34K are inserted into the bottle receiving portions 73M, 73C, and 73K shown in FIG. The part is held non-rotating.

  The bottle receiving surface 72a shown in FIG. 5 functions as a container sliding surface when the toner container of each color is attached or detached, and functions as a container main body holding portion that is rotationally driven after the setting of the toner container of each color is completed. The cap receivers 73Y, 73M, 73C, 73K are provided with stoppers (not shown) for fixing the toner containers of the respective colors when they are mounted. Each color toner container is held in a mounted state by the stopper. In order to attach / detach the toner containers of the respective colors to / from the toner container accommodating portion 70, this stopper is released.

  As shown in FIG. 6, rail portions 72a1 and 72a2 are formed on the bottle receiving surface 72a on which the toner containers of the respective colors are set so as to slidably support the flanges formed on the toner containers from above and below. FIG. 6 shows flanges 32Y1 and 32Y2 formed on the yellow toner container 32Y and rail portions 72a1 and 72a2 corresponding thereto.

As shown in FIG. 8, a main reference pin 60, a sub reference pin 61, and a connector 62 are provided in each cap receiving portion. In FIG. 8, a cap receiving portion 73Y corresponding to the yellow toner container 32Y is shown.
The main reference pin 60 and the secondary reference pin 61 serving as positioning pins are respectively a first positioning hole portion 34a and a second positioning hole portion 34b formed in the cap portion 34Y in the toner container 32Y shown in FIGS. Insert into. Then, the cap portion 34Y is positioned in the cap receiving portion 73Y. Here, referring to FIG. 8 and the like, the main reference pin 60 is formed longer than the sub reference pin 61 in the longitudinal direction. Further, the main reference pin 60 has a tip that is tapered. Accordingly, the toner container 32Y can be smoothly attached to the cap receiver 73Y in the operation of attaching the toner container 32Y to the cap receiver 73Y in the insertion direction Q.

  The connector 62 is connected to the control unit 90 shown in FIG. 3 via a signal line. As shown in FIG. 8, the connector 62 is in contact with a plurality of rectangular metal pads 353, 354, and 355 serving as terminals of the ID chip 35 as an information storage device installed in the toner container 32Y. Information is sent to and received from the. The connector 62 is provided on the resin connector main body 621 and the connector main body 621 so that a positioning pin 622 as a positioning protrusion having a tapered shape at the tip thereof stands up in the horizontal direction. One main body side terminal 623 that comes into contact with the metal pad 353 when the toner container 32Y is mounted in the toner container housing portion 70 and occupies the set position is provided at a position vertically above the positioning pin 622. ing. Two main body side terminals 624 and 625 that are in contact with the metal pads 354 and 355 when the toner container 32Y occupies the set position are installed at positions below the positioning pin 622 in the vertical direction. These main body side terminals 623 to 625 are made of a plate-shaped (or linear) metal member.

As shown in FIG. 8, the first positioning hole 34a and the second positioning hole into which the main reference pin 60 and the sub reference pin 61 are inserted are formed in the end surface 34Y3 which is the tip located on the insertion side of the cap portion 34Y. The part 34b and the recessed part 34c used as a mounting part are formed. The first positioning hole 34a, the second positioning hole 34b, and the recess 34c are formed to be recessed from the end surface 34Y3 toward the inside of the cap portion 34Y.
A pedestal 34e is formed in the recess 34c. A holder 34k that holds the ID chip 35 movably therein is mounted and fixed in the recess 34c so as to contact the pedestal 34e. The holder 34k holds the ID chip 35 so that when the toner container 32Y moves in the insertion direction Q, it can move on a virtual plane that intersects the moving direction.

  In the ID chip 35, a positioning hole 352 serving as a guide portion is formed at a position vertically above the center of gravity of the substrate 351 provided with a storage portion. One rectangular metal pad 353 serving as a terminal is installed at a position above the positioning hole 352 in the vertical direction, and two rectangular metal pads 354 serving as terminals are disposed at a position below the vertical direction. 355 is provided on the substrate 351. The positioning hole 352 is formed to be inserted into the positioning pin 622 of the connector 62 when the toner container 32Y is moved in the insertion direction Q and the toner container 32Y occupies the set position.

  The toner container housing part 70 has an elastic part that provides resistance to movement of the toner container 32Y in the insertion direction Q before the toner container 32Y occupies the set position where the main body side terminals 623 to 625 and the metal pads 353 to 355 contact. A leaf spring 41 is provided. The leaf spring 41 is arranged such that a part thereof enters a path 76 into which the toner container 32Y is inserted from an opening 75a formed in the top plate 75 facing the bottle receiving surface 72a of the toner container housing portion 70. ing. That is, the leaf spring 41 is bent at the center, the bent portion 41a is made to face the path 76 from the opening 75a, and one end 41b is fixed to the top plate 75 by a fixing member 77 such as a screw. Yes. The leaf spring 41 constitutes load applying means that elastically contacts a projection 40 described later.

A projection 40 is formed on the cap portion 34Y as a receiving portion that protrudes outward from the outer circumferential surface 34Y6 in the radial direction. The protrusion 40 is disposed so as to come into contact with the bent portion 41a of the leaf spring 41 in the middle of moving the toner container 34Y in the insertion direction Q. In the present embodiment, the protrusions 40 are arranged at three locations in the circumferential direction of the cap portion 34Y, and constitute load applying means. In this embodiment, the leaf springs 41 are also arranged at three locations so as to be able to contact the protrusions 40. In each projection 40, the angles α1 and α2 between the insertion direction Q and the outer peripheral surfaces 34Y6 at both ends located in the separation direction R are the same acute angle with respect to the insertion direction Q and the separation direction R.
The first positioning hole 34a, the second positioning hole 34b, the recess 34c, the ID chip 35, and the protrusion 40 are formed in the cap portions 34M, 34C, and 34K of other color toner containers in the same manner as the cap 34Y. Has been. Similarly, the leaf spring 41 is disposed at a position where it comes into contact with the protrusions 40 of the cap portions 34M, 34C, 34K of other colors.

Here, the positional relationship between the protrusion 40 and the leaf spring 41 will be described.
As shown in FIG. 9, the leaf spring 41 is closer to the front side than the set position where the toner container 32 </ b> Y is finally fixed to the cap receiving part 73 </ b> Y of the toner container housing part 70 (image forming apparatus main body 100) and can communicate. The protrusion 40 is disposed so as to pass through the lower portion of the bent portion 41a. The set position indicates a position where the metal pads 353, 354, and 355 of the ID chip 35 and the main body side terminals 623 to 625 of the connector 62 can communicate with each other. Before occupying this set position, the main reference pin 60 and the sub-reference pin 61 are inserted into the first positioning hole 34a and the second positioning hole 34b, respectively. Thereafter, the positioning pins 622 of the connector 62 are inserted into the positioning holes 352 of the ID chip 35 to position the ID chip 35, and the metal pads 353, 354 and 355 and the body side terminals 623 to 625 of the connector 62 are positioned. Contacted with.
By the way, when the taper angle of the tip of the positioning pin 622 is large (including the case where the ID chip 35 is inclined when the bottle is inserted and the angle is relatively large), the ID chip 35 and the holder 35k The friction with the bottle cap contact portion (pedestal) may be poor. In this case, it is assumed that the phenomenon that the ID chip 35 cannot smoothly slide on the holder 35k and does not move along the positioning pins 622 as a result.

  Between the ID chips 35 of the toner containers 32Y, 32M, 32C, and 32K and the connectors 62 installed corresponding to these, the terminals of both are brought into contact and necessary information is exchanged. Information communicated between the two includes information such as the manufacturing number, date of manufacture, and the number of recyclings of the toner container and the ID chip 35 itself, information such as toner capacity, lot number, and color, and the image forming apparatus main body 100. There is information such as usage history. The electronic information is stored in advance in the ID chip 35 before being installed in the toner container housing unit 70 (image forming apparatus main body 100). Alternatively, information received from the connector 62 after being installed may be stored.

  In such a configuration, for example, the user pushes the toner container 32Y toward the cap receiving portion 73 while sliding on the bottle receiving surface 72a. Then, as shown in FIG. 9A, before the metal pads 353, 354, and 355 of the ID chip 35 and the main body side terminals 623 to 625 of the connector 62 contact, Abuts against the protrusion 40. The abutment of both provides resistance to pushing in the insertion direction Q. Therefore, the user strongly pushes the toner container 32Y in the insertion direction Q against this resistance. Then, as shown in FIG. 9B, when each protrusion 40 passes below the bent portion 41a, the load on the toner container 32Y is reduced. Therefore, the strongly pressed toner container 32Y is inserted as compared with that before resistance is applied. The moving speed in the direction Q can be increased.

  Therefore, even if the ID chip 35 slips with respect to the holder 34k due to friction with the holder 34k, the ID chip 35 is held by the vibration and acceleration by increasing (accelerating) the moving speed in the insertion direction Q. It will move within 34k. For this reason, the ID chip 35 itself moves along the taper at the tip of the positioning pin 622, and can be prevented from being caught when the positioning pin 622 of the connector 62 is inserted into the positioning hole 352.

  Assume that the substrate 351 of the ID chip 35 is made of resin, and the positioning pins 622 are formed of a metal member having higher hardness than the resin material used for the substrate 351, for example. In this case, when the positioning hole 352 is inserted into the positioning pin 622 with vigor, the edge of the positioning hole 352 is scraped by the positioning pin 622. For this reason, the phenomenon that the edge of the positioning hole 352 bites into the positioning pin 622 can be suppressed. Therefore, it is possible to provide an image forming apparatus in which the toner container 32Y is securely attached to the set position and no communication failure occurs.

Even when the magenta, cyan, and black toner containers 32M, 32C, and 32K are moved in the insertion direction Q, the relationship between the positioning hole 352 of the ID chip 35 and the positioning pin 622 of each toner container is the same as in the case of yellow. The following effects can be obtained.
Second embodiment

In the first embodiment, a protrusion 40 is formed on the cap portion of each toner container, and a leaf spring 41 is disposed on each cap receiving portion, and a load is applied when each toner container moves in the insertion direction Q to each toner container. The container was moved vigorously. However, in this case, since the ID chip 35 mainly moves in the insertion direction Q, there is little movement on the virtual plane orthogonal to the insertion direction Q.
In this embodiment, when the positioning pin 622 is inserted into the positioning hole 352 before each toner container occupies the set position where the main body side terminals 623 to 625 and the metal pads 353 to 355 are in contact, the insertion direction Q is different. Displacement means for moving each toner container in the direction is provided. In this embodiment, a protrusion 40 and a leaf spring 41 that are load applying means are also provided.

Hereinafter, the description will be continued by taking the yellow toner container 32Y and the cap receiving portion 73Y as an example.
As shown in FIGS. 10, 11, and 12, the bottom surface 73Y of the cap receiving portion 73Y on the image forming apparatus main body side is formed to be continuous with the bottle receiving surface 72a. Steps 721 and 722 projecting toward the toner container 32Y are formed on the bottom surface 73Y. In this embodiment, the step portions 721 and 722 are formed so as to protrude toward the bottom portion 34Y5 of the cap portion 34Y of the toner container 32Y, and constitute a displacement means. The step portion 721 is arranged closer to the insertion direction than the step portion 722.
On the bottom 34Y5 of the cap part 34Y, protrusions 341 and 342 that climb over the stepped parts 721 and 722 are formed during the movement of the toner container 32Y in the insertion direction Q. The protrusions 341 and 342 may be formed integrally with the cap portion 34Y, or may be constituted by separate members and integrated. The protrusion 341 is disposed outside the protrusion 342 so as to be symmetric with respect to the center line O of the toner container 32Y. The protrusions 342 are arranged one by one so as to be line symmetric with respect to the center line O inside the protrusion 341. In the bottom 34Y5 of the cap portion 34Y, the protrusion 342 is disposed closer to the insertion direction than the protrusion 341. These protrusions 341 and 342 constitute displacement means.
In this embodiment, the protrusions 341 and 342 are formed in a hemispherical shape, and increase in resistance when getting over the stepped portions 721 and 722 is suppressed. The shape of the stepped portions 721 and 722 falls when the protrusions 341 and 342 get over the stepped portions 721 and 722 and gives the toner container 32Y and the cap portion 34Y vibration in the vertical direction mainly orthogonal to the insertion direction Q. The shape and height are possible. Here, the protrusions 341 and 342 are hemispherical, but the stepped portions 721 and 722 may be hemispherical, or both may be hemispherical. That is, at least one of the protrusions 341 and 342 or the stepped portions 721 and 722 may be hemispherical.
As shown in FIG. 13A, the protrusions 341 and 342 reach the step portions 721 and 722 when the toner container 32Y moves in the insertion direction Q and the main reference pin 60 is inserted into the first positioning hole 34a. To do. As shown in FIG. 13B, the protrusions 341 and 342 are inserted into the first positioning hole 34a and the second positioning hole 34b, respectively, so that the stepped portion 721, It is arranged so as to get over 722. When the protrusions 341 and 342 get over the stepped portion, vibration is applied to the toner container 32Y and the cap portion 34Y. This state is before the positioning pin 622 of the cap receiving portion 73Y is inserted into the positioning hole 352 of the ID chip 35. For this reason, in this embodiment, the diameters of the first positioning hole 34a and the second positioning hole 34b are formed larger than the diameters of the main reference pin 60 and the secondary reference pin 61, respectively. In this embodiment, the diameter of the positioning hole 352 is larger than the diameter of the positioning pin 62.

  In such a configuration, the user pushes the toner container 32Y toward the cap receiving portion 73 while sliding on the bottle receiving surface 72a. Before the metal pads 353, 354, and 355 of the ID chip 35 and the main body side terminals 623 to 625 of the connector 62 come into contact with each other, the respective protrusions 40 come into contact with the protrusions 40 below the bent portions 41a of the plate springs 41. This gives resistance to pushing in the insertion direction Q. Therefore, the user strongly pushes the toner container 32Y in the insertion direction Q against this resistance. When each protrusion 40 passes below the bent portion 41a as shown in FIG. 13A, the load on the toner container 32Y is reduced. Therefore, the strongly pressed toner container 32Y is inserted in the insertion direction Q as compared with before resistance is applied. The moving speed to can be increased. For this reason, even if the ID chip 35 slips with respect to the holder 34k due to friction with the holder 34k, the ID chip 35 is caused by vibration or acceleration by increasing (accelerating) the moving speed in the insertion direction Q. Will move in the holder 34k. Therefore, the ID chip 35 itself moves along the taper at the tip of the positioning pin 622, and it is possible to prevent the positioning pin 622 of the connector 62 from being caught in the positioning hole 352.

  Further, when the positioning pin 622 of the cap receiving portion 73Y is inserted into the positioning hole 352 of the ID chip 35, the protrusions 341 and 342 get over the stepped portions 721 and 722, so that the toner container 32Y and the cap portion 34Y are mounted. Vibration in the vertical direction is given. For this reason, the ID chip 35 mainly moves in the vertical direction. This moving distance is a clearance in the vertical direction between the ID chip 35 and the holder 34k, and is about 1 to 2 mm. For this reason, when the positioning pin 622 having a tapered tip is inserted into the positioning hole 352, the positioning pin 622 is inserted into the positioning hole 352 that is moving up and down.

  In general, the slidability of a member is better when it is moving than when it is stationary. For this reason, when the positioning pin 622 is inserted into the positioning hole 352, vibration is applied by the projections 341 and 342 and the stepped portions 721 and 722, so that the positioning hole 352 ( The ID chip 35) becomes easy to move. Therefore, it is possible to more reliably suppress the occurrence of biting between the positioning pin 622 and the positioning hole 352, and to provide an image forming apparatus in which the toner container 32Y is securely attached to the set position and no communication failure occurs. be able to.

  Even when the magenta, cyan, and black toner containers 32M, 32C, and 32K move in the insertion direction Q, the protrusions 341 and 342 and the stepped portions 721 and 722 cause vertical vibrations in the toner containers and the cap receiving portions. Given. Therefore, the occurrence of biting between the positioning pin 622 and the positioning hole 352 can be more reliably suppressed, and an image forming apparatus in which each toner container is securely attached to the set position and no communication failure occurs. Can be provided.

In each of the above embodiments, the angles α1 and α2 at both ends of each projection 40 are the same acute angle with respect to the insertion direction Q and the separation direction R. However, as shown in FIG. The angle α1 may be perpendicular to the outer peripheral surface 34Y6 of the cap portion 34Y. The angle α2 is set to an acute angle with respect to the separation direction R, rather than the angle α1. In this case, when each toner container moves in the insertion direction Q, the resistance when each projection 40 passes below the curved portion 41a of each leaf spring 41 is increased. The resistance when passing below the curved portion 41a of the spring 41 becomes small.
For this reason, while each toner container is securely attached to the set position and occurrence of communication failure is suppressed, a lighter force is required when moving the toner container in the separation direction R than when moving the toner container in the insertion direction Q. Therefore, the detachability of the toner container is improved.

The angles α1, α2 at both ends of each protrusion 40 are not limited to the above. For example, as shown in FIG. 14B, the angles α1 and α2 are both acute with respect to the insertion direction Q and the removal direction R, but the angle α1 is set larger than the angle α2.
With such a configuration, when the toner containers are moved in the insertion direction Q, each toner container can be moved with a large amount of resistance, and when moving in the separation direction R, the resistance is reduced and the toner containers are easily separated. Become. FIG. 14 illustrates the movement of the toner container 32Y.

  The shape of each protrusion 40 may not be a triangular shape having angles α1 and α2 with respect to the insertion direction Q and the removal direction R. For example, as shown in FIG. 15A, a trapezoidal protrusion 401 having angles α1 and α2 with respect to the insertion direction Q and the removal direction R, or a rectangular protrusion 402 as shown in FIG. It may be. FIG. 15 shows an embodiment in which the protrusions 401 and 402 are provided on the toner container 32Y.

In the above embodiment, the leaf spring 41 is protruded toward the outer peripheral surface 34Y6 of the toner container 32 as an example of the elastic portion to give resistance to the movement of the protrusion 40 in the insertion direction Q. It is not limited to a single unit. For example, as shown in FIG. 16A, instead of the bent portion 41 a of the leaf spring 41, a projection 43 similar to the projection 40 is fixed to the leaf spring 410, and this projection 43 is brought into contact with the projection 40 in a path 76. You may arrange | position so that it may protrude.
Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 16 (a), a tongue piece 44 is formed on the top plate 75 so as to be able to advance and retreat in the path 76, and the tongue piece 44 is attached to the path 76 by a leaf spring 411 or a coil spring. You may force. In this case, when the protrusions 40 pass under the respective elastic portions in the insertion direction Q, by applying a load resistance, the toner containers can be moved in the insertion direction Q vigorously during the passage.

  In the above embodiment, the positioning hole 352 penetrating the substrate 351 is exemplified as the guide part formed in the ID chip 35. However, the guide part is not a hole but a semicircular shape like the ID chip 450 shown in FIG. Notches 452 and 453 may be formed above and below the substrate 451. In this case, a plurality of positioning pins 622 may be provided in place of the notches 452 and 453 instead of one.

  In the above embodiment, the ID chip 35 is inserted into the holder 34k and held movably. However, as shown in FIG. 18, the holding plate 452 is fixed directly to the end surface 34Y3 by directly contacting the pedestal portion 34e, and inside the recess 34c. Thus, the ID chip 35 may be held movably.

In the above embodiment, the vibration generated by the displacing means is the vertical direction orthogonal to the insertion direction Q (movement direction) of each toner container, but the vibration direction is not limited to the vertical direction. For example, the protrusions 341 and 342 are provided on the side surfaces of the toner container 32Y and the cap portion 34Y, the step portions 721 and 722 are formed on the side surfaces of the path 76, and each toner container is in the left-right direction (paper surface) perpendicular to the moving direction of each toner container. You may make it move to (vertical direction).
Even in this case, vibration can be applied to each ID chip 35 when the positioning pin 622 is inserted into the positioning hole 352 of each ID chip 35. Therefore, it is possible to provide an image forming apparatus in which each toner container is securely attached to the set position and no communication failure occurs.

32 (Y, M, C, K) Developer storage container 35 Information storage device 40 Receiving part (load applying means)
41 Elastic part (loading means)
73 Toner container storage (image forming apparatus main body)
100 Image forming apparatus main body 321, 322 Protrusion (displacement means)
352 Guide part 353-355 Terminal 622 Positioning projection part 623-625 Body side terminal 721, 722 Step part (displacement means)
Q Insertion direction R Removal direction

Japanese Patent No. 4886084

Claims (5)

A developer container detachably attached to the image forming apparatus main body;
Provided in the developer storage container, movable on a virtual plane that intersects the insertion direction into the image forming apparatus main body, and communicates between the image forming apparatus main body and the developer storage container. In an image forming apparatus including an information storage device in which information is stored,
The information storage device contacts a main body side terminal installed in the image forming apparatus main body and communicates information with the image forming apparatus main body, and a positioning installed in the image forming apparatus main body. A guide part for guiding the projection part for
An image is provided with load applying means for providing resistance to movement of the developer container in the insertion direction before the developer container occupies a set position where the main body side terminal and the terminal are in contact with each other. Forming equipment.   The load applying means is disposed on the image forming apparatus main body side, the receiving portion protruding outward from the surface of the developer storage container, and in the middle of movement of the developer storage container, The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising an elastic portion that elastically contacts the receiving portion.   Before the developer storage container occupies a set position where the main body side terminal and the terminal are in contact with each other, when a positioning projection provided in the image forming apparatus main body is guided by the guide portion, 3. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a displacement unit that moves the developer storage container in a direction different from the insertion direction.   The displacement means includes a stepped portion projecting toward the developer storage container and provided on the image forming apparatus main body side, and a protrusion overcoming the stepped portion in the middle of movement of the developer storage container in the insertion direction. 4. The image forming apparatus according to claim 3, further comprising:   The image forming apparatus according to claim 4, wherein at least one of the stepped portion or the protrusion is formed in a hemispherical shape.

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