JP2014157244A - Image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent a developing device from being removed from a main body housing in a state in which a toner container is attached to the main body housing.SOLUTION: An image forming apparatus 100 employs a unit layout in which a developing device 400 is removed from a front surface wall 220 side of a main body housing 200 while a toner container 300 is removed from a rear surface wall 210 side. In a state in which both the toner container 300 and the developing device 400 are attached to the main body housing 200, the removal of the developing device 400 from the main body housing 200 along a prescribed removal route is blocked by interactions between the toner container 300 and the developing device 400. In other words, even when the developing device 400 is tried to be removed from the main body housing 200, if the toner container 300 is not removed first, the interactions between the developing device 400 and the toner container 300 prevents the removal of the developing device 400.

Description

  The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus in which a developing device and a developer container for supplying a developer to the developing device are respectively removed from different surfaces of a main body housing.

  An image forming apparatus such as a printer or a copying machine includes a developing device that supplies a developer (toner) to an electrostatic latent image formed on a photosensitive drum, and a developer container that replenishes the developing device with a developer (toner). Toner container). These developing device and developer container are attached to the main body housing of the image forming apparatus in a detachable manner by the user (see, for example, Patent Document 1). For example, when the remaining amount of the developer in the developer container becomes low, the existing one is taken out from the main body housing for replacement with a new developer container. Also, the developing device may be removed from the main body housing for replacement with a new one or for jamming.

JP-A-8-220859

  For example, in a small image forming apparatus in which devices need to be arranged at high density, an in-machine layout in which the developing device and the developer container can be individually taken out from the main body housing may be employed. One example is a layout in which the developing device is taken out from the front side of the main body housing, while the developer container is taken out from the rear side.

  In the image forming apparatus employing the above-described layout, it is assumed that the developing device is removed from the main body housing even though the developer container is mounted on the main body housing. In this case, the developer scatters from the developer discharge port of the developer container, causing a problem that the inside of the main body housing or the periphery of the image forming apparatus is contaminated.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object thereof is to provide an image forming apparatus capable of appropriately taking out the developing device from the main body housing.

  An image forming apparatus according to an aspect of the present invention includes a main body housing having a first surface and a second surface located at a location different from the first surface, and the electrostatic latent image is accommodated in the main body housing. An image carrier having a peripheral surface to be formed; a developing device that is detachably accommodated in the main body housing through the first surface, supplies a developer to the electrostatic latent image, and develops the electrostatic latent image; When the developing device is attached to and detached from the main body housing through the first surface, the developing device is attached to and detached from the main body housing along a predetermined attaching / detaching path by guiding a part of the developing device. A developer accommodating container that is detachably accommodated in the main body housing through the second surface and supplies the developer to the developing device, and the developer accommodating container is mounted on the main body housing In state, detached from the body housing along the detachable path of the developing device, the is blocked by interference between the developer container and the developing device.

  According to this configuration, the developing device is individually taken out from the main body housing through the first surface, and the developer container is individually taken out through the second surface. However, in a state where the developer container is mounted on the main body housing, even if the user tries to take out the developing device from the main body housing along the attachment / detachment path, the developing device is connected to the developer containing container. Because it interferes, it cannot be removed. Accordingly, it is possible to prevent a situation in which the developing device is taken out from the main body housing even though the developer container is mounted on the main body housing.

  In the above configuration, the main body housing is formed of a box-shaped housing, the first surface is one side surface of the housing, and the second surface is a side surface facing the first surface, to the main body housing. In the mounted state, the developer container is positioned above the developing device, and the attachment / detachment path by the guide portion lifts the developing device upward when the developing device is detached from the main body housing, and thereafter It is desirable that the path be directed to the outside of the main body housing through the first surface in a horizontal direction.

  According to this configuration, since the developer container is located above the developing device, and the attachment / detachment path includes a route that requires the developing device to be lifted upward, the developing device is removed from the main body housing. Moreover, both can be made to interfere reliably.

  In this case, the main body housing further includes a third surface and a fourth surface that are orthogonal to the first surface and the second surface and face each other, and the developing device includes the third surface and the fourth surface. A developing roller having a rotating shaft extending in an opposing direction; a developing housing that houses the developing roller; and guided members that are respectively provided on the side surfaces facing the third surface and the fourth surface of the developing housing; It is preferable that the guide portions are provided inside the third surface and the fourth surface, respectively, and the guided members are engaged with each other.

  According to this configuration, the guided portions provided on both side surfaces of the developing housing are guided by the guide members provided on the inner sides of the third surface and the fourth surface, respectively, and thus the main body housing of the developing device. Can be stably attached and detached.

  In addition, the guided member is a protrusion that protrudes from a side surface that faces the third surface and the fourth surface of the developing housing, and the guide portion is a guide rail into which the protrusion is fitted. In addition, it is desirable to include a first guide portion having a bottom portion and extending upward, and a second guide portion extending in the direction of the first surface and continuing to the first guide portion.

  According to this configuration, when the developing device is detached from the main body housing, the protrusion contacting the bottom is first guided upward along the first guide, and then along the second guide. It is guided laterally and taken out of the main body housing. Therefore, an attaching / detaching path that requires the developing device to be lifted upward can be formed with a simple configuration.

  In this case, the protruding portion is a cylindrical protruding portion, and the developing device is rotatable about the axis of the cylindrical protruding portion in a state where the cylindrical protruding portion is supported on the bottom portion of the guide rail. It is preferable that the developing device further includes a biasing member that biases the developing device in a direction in which the developing roller approaches the image carrier.

  According to this configuration, the developing device can be urged so that the position of the developing roller with respect to the image carrier is stabilized by utilizing the fact that the developing device can be rotated using the cylindrical protrusion as a rotation fulcrum. It becomes possible to do.

  The said structure WHEREIN: It is desirable to provide further the press member which presses the said cylindrical projection part of the state supported by the said bottom part of the said guide rail for positioning. According to this configuration, the positioning in the state where the developing device is mounted on the main body housing can be reliably performed.

  In the above-described configuration, the developer storage container includes a container main body serving as a developer storage space, a developer discharge port provided on a lower surface of the container main body, and the developer stored in the container main body. A rotation member that conveys toward the discharge port, and the developing housing includes a receiving port for receiving the developer on an upper surface thereof, and the discharge port and the receiving port include the developer container and the developing device. It is desirable that the portion that overlaps in the vertical direction in the state of being mounted on the main body housing and interferes with the developer container of the developing device is a peripheral portion of the receiving port.

  According to this configuration, a portion that must be inevitably stacked in the vertical direction for developer replenishment can be used as an interference portion between the developing device and the developer container. There is no need to design.

  In this case, it is preferable that the developer container is attached to and detached from the main body housing in a direction in which the rotation shaft of the developing roller and the rotation shaft of the rotation member are orthogonal to each other.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to prevent the developing device from being detached from the main body housing in a state where the developer container is mounted on the main body housing. Accordingly, it is possible to prevent a problem that the developer is scattered from the developer discharge port of the developer container and contaminates the inside of the main body housing or the periphery of the image forming apparatus.

1 is a perspective view illustrating an appearance of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a perspective view illustrating an appearance of the image forming apparatus with a rear cover removed. FIG. 2 is a perspective view illustrating an appearance of the image forming apparatus with a rear cover and a toner container removed. It is sectional drawing which shows the internal structure of the said image forming apparatus roughly. FIG. 3 is a side sectional view showing a state where a drum unit, a developing device, and a toner container are assembled in a main body housing of the image forming apparatus. It is a perspective view of a developing device. It is a top view which shows the internal structure of a developing device. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of a periphery of a connecting portion between a developing device and a toner container. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a toner container. FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the toner container with the line-of-sight direction changed by 180 degrees from FIG. 9. FIG. 4 is a side sectional view showing a state in which only the developing device is assembled in the main body housing. It is a perspective view which shows the main body housing of the state from which each unit was removed. It is an enlarged view of the guide part of a main body housing. FIG. 4 is an enlarged view of a guide portion of a main body housing, and is a diagram in which an urging mechanism of a developing device is added.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an appearance of an image forming apparatus 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 shows a state where a rear cover 211 is removed from the main body housing 200, and FIG. 3 shows a state where a toner container 300 is further removed. FIG. Here, a monochrome printer is illustrated as the image forming apparatus 100. However, the image forming apparatus may be a copier, a facsimile machine, or a multifunction machine having these functions, and an image forming apparatus that forms a color image. It may be.

  The image forming apparatus 100 includes a main body housing 200 that defines a housing space for housing various devices (for example, a photosensitive drum, a developing device, and a toner container) for forming an image on a sheet. The main body housing 200 has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped box-shaped housing shape, and includes a rear wall 210 (second surface), a front wall 220 (first surface) facing the rear wall 210, the rear wall 210, and the front wall. A left surface wall 230 (third surface) and a right surface wall 240 (fourth surface) orthogonal to 220 and facing each other, a bottom wall serving as an installation surface of the main body housing 200, and a top wall 250 constituting the upper surface of the main body housing 200. including. Near the bottom of the main body housing 200, a paper feed unit 260 that accommodates a sheet on which an image forming process is performed is provided.

  The top wall 250 of the main body housing 200 is provided with a discharge tray 251 for discharging sheets after image forming processing. The discharge tray 251 is composed of an inclined wall with a front lowering, and the discharge wall 252 stands upright from the front edge thereof. The discharge wall 252 is formed with a discharge port 253 for discharging the sheet. The sheet discharged from the discharge port 253 is accumulated on the discharge tray 251.

  A rear cover 211 that can be opened with respect to the main body housing 200 is attached to the rear wall 210 in the vicinity of the upper portion thereof. The user can remove the rear cover 211 and access various devices disposed in the main body housing 200.

  2 and 3, an image forming apparatus 100 includes a toner container 300 (developer container) that supplies toner (developer) to a developing device 400 described later, and waste toner that has not been used for image formation. A toner collection container 500 that collects the image from the image forming unit, and an internal frame 280 that supports another unit for forming an image including the containers 300 and 500.

  When the rear cover 211 is opened with respect to the main body housing 200, the toner container 300 is exposed. When the toner in the toner container 300 is consumed, the user can remove the toner container 300 from the main body housing 200 and install a new toner container 300. That is, the toner container 300 is accommodated in the main body housing 200 so as to be detachable through the rear wall 210. As shown in FIG. 3, the inner frame 280 is provided with an insertion port 281 for inserting the toner container 300 into the main body housing 200, and an accommodation space 290 for the toner container 300 is formed in the inner part thereof. . Similarly, the toner collection container 500 can be attached to and detached from the main body housing 200 through the rear wall 210.

  Next, the internal structure of the image forming apparatus 100 will be described. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing the internal structure of the image forming apparatus 100. The image forming apparatus 100 includes a paper feeding unit 260, an image forming unit 700, and a fixing unit 800 housed in the main body housing 200 in addition to the toner container 300 and the toner collection container 500 described above.

  The paper feeding unit 260 includes a paper feeding cassette 261 that stores sheets to be subjected to image forming processing. A part of the sheet feeding cassette 261 protrudes further rearward from the rear wall 210 of the main body housing 200. The sheet feed cassette 261 includes a sheet storage space 262 that stores the bundle of sheets, and a lift plate 263 that lifts the bundle of sheets for feeding. The upper part on the front end side of the sheet feeding cassette 261 is a sheet feeding portion. In the feeding portion, a paper feeding roller 610 for feeding the uppermost sheet of the sheet bundle in the paper feeding cassette 261 one by one is disposed. The leading edge of the sheet pushed up by the lift plate 263 contacts the sheet feeding roller 610, and the sheet is fed out by the rotation of the sheet feeding roller 610.

  The image forming unit 700 performs image forming processing for forming a toner image on a sheet sent from the paper feeding unit 260. The image forming unit 700 includes a photosensitive drum 710 (image carrier) and a charging device 720, an exposure device 730, a developing device 400, a transfer roller 740, and a cleaning device 750 disposed around the photosensitive drum 710. Including.

  The photosensitive drum 710 is a cylindrical body that rotates around its axis, and includes a peripheral surface on which an electrostatic latent image and a toner image are formed. As the photosensitive drum 710, a photosensitive drum using an amorphous silicon (a-Si) material can be used. The charging device 720 uniformly charges the surface of the photosensitive drum 710 and includes a charging roller that contacts the photosensitive drum 710. The exposure device 730 has a laser light source and optical equipment such as a mirror and a lens, and irradiates the peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum 710 with light modulated based on image data given from an external device such as a personal computer. Thus, an electrostatic latent image is formed. Note that the actual exposure apparatus 730 is not depicted in FIG. 1, and a reference numeral 730 is attached to a portion corresponding to the exposure position.

  The developing device 400 supplies toner to the peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum 710 in order to develop the electrostatic latent image on the photosensitive drum 710 to form a toner image. The developing device 400 circulates and conveys the developer inside the developing housing 410, the developing roller 420 that is disposed in the opening of the developing housing 410 and carries toner to be supplied to the photosensitive drum 710, and the developer inside the developing housing 410. A first conveying screw 441 and a second conveying screw 442 are included. The developing device 400 will be described in detail later.

  The transfer roller 740 is a roller for transferring a toner image formed on the peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum 710 onto a sheet, and forms a transfer nip portion with the photosensitive drum 710. The transfer roller 740 is given a transfer bias having a polarity opposite to that of the toner. The cleaning device 750 includes a cleaning roller and the like, and cleans the peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum 710 after the toner image is transferred.

  The fixing unit 800 performs a fixing process for fixing the transferred toner image on the sheet. The fixing unit 800 includes a fixing roller 810 having a heating source therein, and a pressure roller 820 that is in pressure contact with the fixing roller 810 and forms a fixing nip portion with the fixing roller 810. When the sheet on which the toner image has been transferred is passed through the fixing nip portion, the toner image is fixed on the sheet by heating by the fixing roller 810 and pressing by the pressure roller 820.

  The toner container 300 stores toner (developer) to be supplied to the developing device 400. The toner container 300 includes a container main body 310 that defines a toner storage space 311 and a rotating member 320 that is accommodated in the container main body 310 and conveys toner. The toner stored in the toner container 300 is supplied into the developing device 400 from the toner discharge port 319 (FIG. 8) when the rotating member 320 is driven to rotate. The toner container 300 will also be described in detail later.

  In the main body housing 200, a main conveyance path 61A and a reverse conveyance path 61B are provided to convey the sheet. The main conveyance path 61 </ b> A extends from the paper feeding unit 260 to the discharge port 253 on the upper surface of the main body housing 200 via the image forming unit 700 and the fixing unit 800. The reverse conveyance path 61B is a conveyance path for returning a sheet printed on one side to the upstream side of the image forming unit 700 in the main conveyance path 61A when performing duplex printing on the sheet.

  A registration roller pair 620 is arranged on the upstream side of the transfer nip portion of the main conveyance path 61A. The sheet is temporarily stopped by the registration roller pair 620, and after skew correction is performed, the sheet is sent to the transfer nip portion at a predetermined timing for image transfer. A plurality of conveyance rollers for conveying the sheet are arranged at appropriate positions on the main conveyance path 61A and the reverse conveyance path 61B. For example, a discharge roller pair 630 is disposed in the vicinity of the discharge port 253.

  The reverse conveyance path 61 </ b> B is formed between the outer surface of the reverse unit 640 and the inner surface of the front cover 221 of the main body housing 200. On the inner surface of the reversing unit 640, one of the transfer roller 740 and the registration roller pair 620 is mounted. The front cover 221 and the reversing unit 640 are each rotatable around the axis of the fulcrum part 222 provided at the lower end thereof. When a sheet jam occurs in the reverse conveyance path 61B, the front cover 221 is opened. When sheet jam occurs in the main conveyance path 61A, or when the drum unit 700U including the photosensitive drum 710 and the developing device 400 are taken out, the reversing unit 640 is also opened in addition to the front cover 221.

  Next, the arrangement relationship between the developing device 400 and the toner container 300 and the structure thereof will be described. FIG. 5 is a side sectional view showing a state in which the drum unit 700U, the developing device 400, and the toner container 300 are assembled to the inner frame 280 of the main body housing 200. In the developing device 400, the rotation axis of the developing roller 420 extends in the left-right direction (the direction in which the left surface wall 230 (third surface) and the right surface wall 240 (fourth surface) face each other in FIGS. 1 to 3). The main body housing 200 is mounted. That is, the developing device 400 is a unit that is long in the left-right direction. The toner container 300 is mounted in the main body housing 200 so that the rotation shaft of the rotation member 320 extends in the front-rear direction. That is, the toner container 300 is a unit that is long in the front-rear direction. The drum unit 700U is a unit in which the above-described photosensitive drum 710, charging device 720, and cleaning device 750 are integrated.

  As described above, the developing device 400 is attached to and detached from the main body housing 200 through the front wall 220 (first surface) of the main body housing 200. The same applies to the drum unit 700U. On the other hand, the toner container 300 is attached to and detached from the main body housing 200 through the rear wall 210 (second surface) of the main body housing 200. When mounted on the main body housing 200, the toner container 300 is positioned above the developing device 400, and with respect to the developing device 400 in a direction in which the rotational axis of the rotating member 320 is orthogonal to the rotational axis of the developing roller 420. It is assembled. The drum unit 700U is mounted above the developing device 400 so that the rotation shaft of the photosensitive drum 710 is parallel to the rotation shaft of the developing roller 420.

  Thus, in the image forming apparatus 100 employing the unit layout in which the developing device 400 is taken out from the front wall 220 side of the main body housing 200 while the toner container 300 is taken out from the rear wall 210 side, the toner container 300 is the main body. It is assumed that the developing device 400 is taken out from the main body housing 200 even though it is attached to the housing 200. In other words, although a part of the toner container 300 is covered on the developing device 400, if the developing device 400 is given a force to move the developing device 400 to the front strongly after removing the drum unit 700U, the developing device 400 is provided. May be pulled out. In this case, the developer scatters from the toner discharge port 319 of the toner container 300, causing a problem that the inside of the main body housing 200 or the periphery of the image forming apparatus 100 is contaminated.

  In view of the above points, in the present embodiment, in a state where both the toner container 300 and the developing device 400 are mounted on the main body housing 200, the developing device 400 is detached from the main body housing 200 along a predetermined attachment / detachment path. Is blocked by the interference between the toner container 300 and the developing device 400. Hereinafter, the configuration of the developing device 400 and the toner container 300 will be described in detail, and then the configuration for the interference will be described in detail.

  FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the developing device 400 as a single unit, and FIG. 7 is a plan view showing the internal structure of the developing device 400. The developing device 400 includes a developing housing 410 having a box shape elongated in the axial direction of the developing roller 420. In the developing housing 410, an opening extending in the longitudinal direction is formed on the front upper surface. A part of the peripheral surface of the developing roller 420 is exposed from the opening.

  On the left side surface 41L and the right side surface 41R of the developing housing 410 (side surfaces respectively opposed to the left surface wall 230 and the right surface wall 240 of the main body housing 200), cylindrical protrusions 41P (guided portions) are provided so as to project. These cylindrical protrusions 41 </ b> P are portions that are guided by the guide portion 900 provided in the main body housing 200 when the developing device 400 is attached to and detached from the main body housing 200. The cylindrical protrusion 41P is provided so as to extend outward in the vicinity of the center in the front-rear direction and the vertical direction of the left side 41L and the right side 41R. As will be described later, the cylindrical protrusion 41P also functions as a rotation fulcrum for rotating the developing device 400.

  A toner supply port 411 (receiving port) for receiving the toner supplied from the toner container 300 into the housing is opened on the upper surface near the left end of the developing housing 410. As shown in an enlarged view in FIG. 8, the developing device 400 and the toner container 300 are assembled so that the toner supply port 411 and the toner discharge port 319 (discharge port) of the toner container 300 overlap in the vertical direction.

  A shutter mechanism 450 for opening and closing the toner supply port 411 is provided on the upper surface of the developing housing 410. The shutter mechanism 450 includes a shutter member 451 that is slidable in the left-right direction. The shutter member 451 can be changed in posture between a closed posture that covers the toner replenishing port 411 and an open posture that slides rightward to open the toner replenishing port 411 (FIG. 6 shows the state of this open posture). It is. The shutter mechanism 450 further includes a coil spring 452 that constantly urges the shutter member 451 in the left direction (the direction of the closing posture). In a state where the toner container 300 is mounted on the developing device 400, the toner container 300 and the shutter member 451 interfere with each other, and the shutter member 451 moves to the right against the bias of the coil spring 452 and assumes an open posture. Here, the inclined portion 453 protruding behind the shutter member 451 and the left edge portion of the shutter member 451 are portions that actually interfere with the toner container 300 (pressing portion 314).

  Referring to FIG. 7, the development housing 410 includes an internal space 430. In the case of the two-component development method, the internal space 430 is filled with a developer composed of toner and carrier. The carrier is agitated and mixed with the toner in the internal space 430 to charge the toner and convey the toner to the developing roller 420. The toner is sequentially supplied to the developing roller 420 and consumed, and the consumed amount is appropriately supplied from the toner container 300.

  An inner space 430 of the developing housing 410 is partitioned into a first passage 431 and a second passage 432 that are long in the left-right direction by a partition plate 412 extending in the left-right direction. The partition plate 412 is shorter than the width in the left-right direction of the developing housing 410, and the first communication portion 433 and the second communication portion that connect the first passage 431 and the second passage 432 to the right end and the left end of the partition plate 412, respectively. 434 is provided. Thus, a circulation path reaching the first passage 431, the first communication portion 433, the second passage 432, and the second communication portion 434 is formed in the developing housing 410.

  The above-described toner supply port 411 is disposed above the left end of the first passage 431. A first conveying screw 441 is accommodated in the first passage 431, and a second conveying screw 442 is accommodated in the second passage 432. Each of the first and second conveying screws 441 and 442 includes a shaft and a blade member protruding in a spiral shape on the circumference of the shaft. The first conveying screw 441 is driven to rotate around the shaft, thereby conveying the developer in the direction of arrow a in FIG. On the other hand, the second conveying screw 442 conveys the developer in the direction of arrow b by being driven to rotate around the shaft.

  When the first and second conveying screws 441 and 442 are driven to rotate, the developer is circulated and conveyed along the above-described circulation path. The toner newly supplied from the toner supply port 411 will be described. The toner falls into the first passage 431 and is mixed with the existing developer, and is conveyed by the first conveying screw 441 in the direction of arrow a. At this time, the toner is stirred with the carrier and charged. Next, the toner enters the second passage 432 from the downstream end of the first passage 431 through the first communication portion 433 and is conveyed in the direction of arrow b by the second conveyance screw 442. During this conveyance, the toner is similarly charged, while a part is supplied to the peripheral surface of the developing roller 420. The remaining toner and the carrier are returned to the upstream end of the first passage 431 through the second communication portion 434.

  FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the toner container 300, and FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the toner container 300 with the line-of-sight direction changed by 180 degrees from FIG. A container main body 310 (container main body) of the toner container 300 is a toner storage space. The container main body 310 includes a main storage portion 312 having a relatively large volume and storing most of the toner, and a cylindrical portion 313 protruding from the lower portion of the main storage portion 312. The toner discharge port 319 (FIGS. 5 and 8) described above is provided on the lower surface (the lower surface of the container main body) near the projecting tip of the cylindrical portion 313. The rotating member 320 shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 is disposed from the bottom of the main housing portion 312 to the tubular portion 313, and the toner is transferred from the main housing portion 312 to the tubular portion by the rotation of the rotating member 320. It is conveyed toward the toner discharge port 319 at 313.

  In order to open and close the toner discharge port 319, a container shutter 330 is assembled to the lower portion of the cylindrical portion 313. The container shutter 330 is urged toward the protruding tip of the cylindrical portion 313 so as to always block the toner discharge port 319 by an urging member (not shown). On the other hand, when the toner container 300 is attached to the developing device 400, the container shutter 330 interferes with the rear edge 413 (see FIG. 6) near the toner supply port 411 of the developing housing 410 to open the toner discharge port 319. Slide to move.

  A pressing portion 314 having an isosceles triangular shape is integrally attached to the projecting tip of the cylindrical portion 313. The pressing portion 314 includes a protruding tip 316 that is a portion having the longest protruding length, and inclined surfaces 315 positioned on both sides of the protruding tip 316. When the toner container 300 is mounted on the main body housing 200, the protruding portion 316 of the pressing portion 314 comes into contact with the shutter member 451 of the developing device 400 earliest. Then, the inclined surface 315 comes into contact with the inclined portion 453 of the shutter member 451, and the posture of the shutter member 451 is gradually changed to the open posture against the urging force of the coil spring 452 as the toner container 300 advances forward. Further, when the forward movement proceeds, the lower side edge of the cylindrical portion 313 comes into contact with the shutter member 451, and the shutter member 451 is maintained in the opened posture.

  As described above, the timing at which the toner supply port 411 of the developing device 400 is opened is earlier than the timing at which the toner discharge port 319 of the toner container 300 is opened. Therefore, the toner in the toner container 300 is difficult to leak out of the developing device 400. When the toner container 300 is pulled backward with respect to the main body housing 200, the operation opposite to the above is performed. That is, the rightward pressing of the shutter member 451 by the lower side edge of the cylindrical portion 313 and the pressing portion 314 is released, and the shutter member 451 moves to the closing posture. Thereafter, the container shutter 330 is closed.

  FIG. 11 is a side sectional view showing a state in which only the developing device 400 is assembled in the main body housing 200, and FIG. 12 is a perspective view showing the main body housing 200 with each unit removed. Guide portions 900 are respectively provided in the inner frame 280 inside the left side wall 230 and the right side wall 240 of the main body housing 200 (only the right side wall 240 side appears in FIG. 12).

  The left and right guide portions 900 guide the left and right cylindrical protrusions 41P (part of the developing device) of the developing device 400 when the developing device 400 is attached to and detached from the main body housing 200 through the front wall 220, thereby developing. The apparatus 400 is attached to and detached from the main body housing 200 along a predetermined attachment / detachment path. In the present embodiment, as shown by an arrow A in FIG. 11, the attachment / detachment path by the guide unit 900 lifts the developing device upward when the developing device 400 is detached from the main body housing 200 (a1 portion of the arrow A). Then, it is a path that leads to the outside of the main body housing 200 through the front wall 220 in the horizontal direction (a2 portion of arrow A).

  In the image forming apparatus 100 of the present embodiment, as described above, the developing device 400 is attached / detached through the front wall 220 of the main body housing 200, while the toner container 300 is attached / detached through the rear wall 210. This is because the image forming apparatus 100 is a small-sized image forming apparatus in which devices need to be arranged at high density, and restrictions on the in-machine layout are imposed. Furthermore, it is a layout in which the toner container 300 is not mounted on the developing device 400 but is assembled in an orthogonal manner.

  In general, the order of removal from the main body housing should be such that the toner container is removed first, and then the developing device is removed. Normally, a toner container is provided with a container shutter that opens and closes a toner discharge port in conjunction with attachment and detachment of the developing device. Therefore, if the toner container is removed first, toner scattering from the toner discharge port is performed. Can be prevented. As described above, the toner container 300 of the present embodiment is also provided with such a container shutter 330. However, in the layout as described above, since the surfaces to be attached and detached are different, the user takes the procedure of first removing the toner container 300 from the main body housing 200 and then removing the developing device 400 from the main body housing 200. It tends to be difficult. Therefore, it is assumed that the developing device 400 is taken out from the front wall 220 of the main body housing 200 regardless of the state in which the toner container 300 is attached to the main body housing 200. In this case, the developer is scattered from the toner discharge port 319 of the toner container 300.

  In order to prevent such a problem, the toner container 300 is attached to the main body housing 200 (developing apparatus 400) by setting the above-described attachment / detachment path of the developing apparatus 400 by the guide portion 900 to a path shown by an arrow A in FIG. The developing device 400 is prevented from being taken out from the main body housing 200 in the mounted state. That is, when the toner container 300 is mounted on the main body housing 200, the cylindrical portion 313 of the toner container 300 is located above the periphery of the toner supply port 411 of the developing device 400 (see FIG. 5). On the other hand, the attachment / detachment path by the guide portion 900 includes a path a1 that requires the developing device 400 to be lifted upward, so that the developing device 400 interferes with the toner container 300 even if the developing device 400 is taken out from the main body housing 200. Can not be taken out. That is, since the toner container 300 is positioned above the developing device 400 and the attachment / detachment path includes the path a1 that requires the developing apparatus 400 to be lifted upward, the two can be reliably interfered with each other. In particular, the portion that must be inevitably stacked in the up-and-down direction for toner replenishment is an interference portion between the developing device 400 and the toner container 300, and therefore there is an advantage that it is not necessary to separately design the interference portion between the two. is there.

  FIG. 13 is an enlarged view of the guide unit 900. The guide portion 900 includes a guide plate 910 and a guide rail portion 920 (guide rail) that is formed on the guide plate 910 and engages with the cylindrical protrusion 41P of the developing device 400. The guide rail portion 920 includes a first guide portion G1 that has a bottom portion 921 and extends upward, and a second guide portion G2 that extends to the front (in the direction of the first surface) and extends to the first guide portion G1. It is a rail part provided with L-shaped guide space G (attachment and detachment path). The front end of the second guide part G2 is the opening end of the guide space G.

  In order to form the substantially L-shaped slit space, the guide plate 910 includes a first guide protrusion 911 that protrudes upward near the back of the guide plate 910 and a second guide protrusion 912 that protrudes upward near the center. And. The first guide protrusion 911 has a substantially L-shaped shape including a vertical portion extending upward and a horizontal portion extending laterally forward from the upper end of the vertical portion. The first guide protrusion 911 defines a rear edge 922 of the first guide portion G1 in the vertical portion and an upper edge 923 of the second guide portion G2 in the horizontal portion. The second guide protrusion 912 defines a front edge 924 of the first guide part G1 and a lower edge 925 of the second guide part G2. The front edge 924 is opposed to the rear edge 922 at a predetermined interval in front. The front edge 924 and the rear edge 922 are edges that are substantially parallel to each other, and both are edges that are slightly inclined forward from the vertical direction. The lower edge 925 is a slightly forward rising edge that faces the upper edge 923 at a predetermined interval downward. The bottom portion 921 connects the lower ends of the front edge 924 and the rear edge 922.

  The guide rail 920 is provided with a pressing mechanism 930 that presses and positions the cylindrical protrusion 41P of the developing device 400. The pressing mechanism 930 includes a pressing member 931 that protrudes into the guide space G, and a coil spring 932 that biases the pressing member 931. The pressing member 931 includes a horizontal wall 931 </ b> A and a vertical wall 931 </ b> B connected to the horizontal wall 931 </ b> A, and is supported by an arm 934 that is rotatable by a support shaft 933. That is, the pressing member 931 can swing around the support shaft 933. FIG. 13 shows a state in which the coil spring 932 has a free length. In this state, the horizontal wall 931 </ b> A is substantially flush with the lower edge 925 and continues to the rear end of the lower edge 925. The vertical wall 931B protrudes greatly into the first guide part G1. When a pressing force against the spring force of the coil spring 932 is applied to the pressing member 931, the pressing member 931 retracts from the guide space G along the axial direction of the coil spring 932.

  When the cylindrical protrusion 41P of the developing device 400 is attached to the main body housing 200, the cylindrical protrusion 41P enters the second guide part G2 through the opening end of the guide space G from the front, and laterally faces rearward by the second guide part G2. Guided. When the cylindrical protrusion 41P reaches the vicinity of the rear end of the lower edge 925, the cylindrical protrusion 41P starts to press the horizontal wall 931A of the pressing member 931. At this time, the horizontal wall 931 </ b> A guides the cylindrical protrusion 41 </ b> P, but at the same time, the pressing member 931 rotates clockwise around the support shaft 933 and moves in a direction to retract from the guide space G.

  When the approach proceeds until the cylindrical protrusion 41P comes into contact with or approaches the upper edge 923, the pressing member 931 retreats to allow the cylindrical protrusion 41P to enter the first guide portion G1. Therefore, the cylindrical protrusion 41P is guided downward along the first guide portion G1, and finally comes into contact with and supported by the bottom portion 921. At this time, the pressing state of the pressing member 931 by the cylindrical protrusion 41P is substantially eliminated. Conversely, the pressing member 931 protrudes to the first guide part G1 to some extent, and presses the cylindrical protrusion 41P so as to press against the rear edge 922. Thereby, positioning of the cylindrical protrusion 41P (developing device 400) can be reliably realized in a state where the developing device 400 is mounted on the main body housing 200.

  FIG. 14 is an enlarged view of the guide unit 900, and is a diagram in which an urging mechanism 940 of the developing device 400 is added. In FIG. 14, a part of the developing device 400 mounted on the main body housing 200 is drawn with a dotted line. With the cylindrical protrusion 41P supported on the bottom 921 of the guide rail 620, the developing device 400 can rotate about the axis of the cylindrical protrusion 41P. The urging mechanism 940 is a mechanism for urging the developing device 400 in the clockwise direction around the axis of the cylindrical protrusion 41 </ b> P to urge the developing roller 420 toward the photosensitive drum 710.

  The urging mechanism 940 urges the mounting plate 941 on which the developing device 400 is mounted, a support shaft 942 that rotatably supports the mounting plate 941, and the vicinity of the rear end of the mounting plate 941 upward. And an urging spring 943 (urging member). The support shaft 942 is pivotally supported by a bearing portion 282 provided on the inner frame 280. A pressing portion 944 that presses the developing housing 410 is provided in the vicinity of the front end of the mounting plate 941.

  In a state where the developing device 400 is mounted on the main body housing 200, the developing device 400 is supported by the mounting plate 941. Further, the urging force of the urging spring 943 acts on an appropriate position in the lower front portion of the developing housing 410 via the pressing portion 944, and the developing device 400 is rotated clockwise around the axis of the cylindrical protruding portion 41P. As a result, positioning rollers (not shown) attached to both ends of the developing roller 420 in the axial direction come into contact with the non-image forming regions on both ends of the photosensitive drum 710 with an urging force. As described above, according to the present embodiment, the position of the developing roller 420 with respect to the photosensitive drum 710 can be stabilized by utilizing the fact that the developing device 400 can be rotated with the cylindrical protrusion 41P as a rotation fulcrum. it can.

  Next, removal of the developing device 400 will be described. When the user removes the mounted developing device 400 from the main body housing 200, the user cannot suddenly pull the developing device 400 forward in the horizontal direction. This is because the cylindrical protrusion 41P is fitted in the first guide part G1 extending in the vertical direction, and the cylindrical protrusion 41P stops at the front edge 924 even if it is forced to be pulled out. For this reason, the user needs to lift the developing device 400 once along the first guide portion G1.

  At this time, when the toner container 300 is mounted on the main body housing 200 as shown in FIG. 5, the toner supply port 411 of the developing device 400 interferes with the cylindrical portion 313 of the toner container 300. It cannot be lifted along one guide part G1. Accordingly, the user is forced to remove the toner container 300 from the rear wall 210 side before removing the developing device 400. As described above, when the toner container 300 is removed first, the toner discharge port 319 and the toner supply port 411 are properly closed, and toner scattering does not occur.

  When the toner container 300 is removed first, the user can lift the developing device 400 along the first guide portion G1. At this time, the pressing member 931 is pressed by the cylindrical protrusion 41 </ b> P, rotates clockwise around the support shaft 933, and temporarily retracts from the guide space G. When the developing device 400 is lifted until the cylindrical protrusion 41P comes into contact with the upper edge 923, the user subsequently pulls the developing device 400 forward. At this time, the cylindrical protrusion 41P is guided by the second guide portion G2, and finally leaves the opening end of the guide space G. The guide plate 910 includes an inclined portion 926 that is continuous with the lower edge 925 and is inclined downward toward the front. After passing through the opening end of the guide space G, the user can pull out the developing device 400 from the front wall 220 side in such a manner that the cylindrical protrusion 41P slides along the inclined portion 926. Similarly, the inclined portion 926 can be used when the developing device 400 is mounted.

  As described above, according to the image forming apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment, the toner container 300 is positioned above the developing device 400 in the mounted state in the main body housing 200. The attachment / detachment path formed by the first guide part G1 and the second guide part G2 of the guide part 900 lifts the developing device 400 upward when the developing device 400 is detached from the main body housing 200, and then faces forward. This is a route that goes horizontally. Therefore, the developing device 400 can reliably interfere with the toner container 300, and the developing device 400 is taken out from the main body housing 200 even though the toner container 300 is mounted on the main body housing 200. Can be prevented in advance. Accordingly, it is possible to prevent a problem that the toner is scattered from the toner discharge port of the toner container 300 and contaminates the inside of the main body housing 200 or the periphery of the image forming apparatus 1.

  The guide rail portion 920 into which the cylindrical protrusion 41P is fitted has a first guide portion G1 having a bottom portion 921 and extending upward, and a second guide portion extending in the direction of the front wall 220 connected to the first guide portion G1. A guide space G composed of G2 is provided. For this reason, when the developing device 400 is removed from the main body housing 200, an attaching / detaching path in which the developing device 400 needs to be lifted upward first can be formed with a simple configuration.

  The image forming apparatus 100 according to the embodiment of the present invention has been described above. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and for example, the following modified embodiment can be taken.

  (1) In the above-described embodiment, the attachment / detachment path by the guide unit 900 is an example in which the developing device 400 is lifted upward and then directed in the horizontal direction. This is an example, and the mode of the attachment / detachment route is arbitrary. When the developing device 400 is removed along the attaching / detaching route, the attaching / detaching route by the guide unit 900 can be arbitrarily set as long as a part of the developing device 400 interferes with a part of the toner container 300.

  (2) In the above embodiment, the guide portion 900 including the guide space G as the guide portion is exemplified, and the cylindrical protrusion portion 41P protruding from the left side surface 41L and the right side surface 41R of the developing housing 410 is illustrated as the non-guide portion. Instead of this, for example, a protrusion as a guide portion may be provided on the main body housing 200 side, and a recess that fits into the protrusion may be provided on the developing housing 410 side as a non-guide portion.

  (3) In the above embodiment, an example in which the developing device 400 is detached from the front wall 220 of the main body housing 200 and the toner container 300 is detached from the rear wall 210 has been described. Thus, it is not necessary to attach and detach both of the main body housing 200 from the mutually facing surfaces. For example, the toner container 300 may be configured to be detachable from the top surface of the main body housing 200.

100 Image forming apparatus 200 Main body housing 210 Rear wall (second surface)
220 Front wall (first side)
230 Left side wall (3rd side)
240 Right side wall (4th side)
300 Toner container (developer container)
310 Container body (container body)
319 Toner discharge port (discharge port)
320 Rotating member 400 Developing device 410 Developing housing 41L, 41R Left side surface and right side surface (side surfaces respectively facing the third surface and the fourth surface)
41P cylindrical protrusion (part of developing device; protrusion)
411 Toner supply port (receiving port)
420 Developing roller 700 Image forming unit 710 Photosensitive drum (image carrier)
900 Guide part 920 Guide rail part (guide rail)
921 bottom 930 pressing mechanism 931 pressing member 940 biasing mechanism 943 biasing spring (biasing member)
G Guide space (detachment route)
G1 1st guide part G2 2nd guide part

Claims (8)

A main body housing having a first surface and a second surface located at a location different from the first surface;
An image carrier that is housed in the main body housing and has a peripheral surface on which an electrostatic latent image is formed;
A developing device that is detachably accommodated in the main body housing through the first surface, supplies a developer to the electrostatic latent image, and develops the electrostatic latent image;
When the developing device is attached / detached to / from the main body housing through the first surface, a guide portion that guides a part of the developing device to attach / detach the developing device to / from the main body housing along a predetermined attaching / detaching path. When,
A developer accommodating container that is detachably accommodated in the main body housing through the second surface and supplies the developer to the developing device;
In a state in which the developer container is mounted on the main body housing, removal of the developing device from the main body housing along the attachment / detachment path is prevented by interference between the developer containing container and the developing device. , Image forming apparatus. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1.
The main housing is a box-shaped housing, the first surface is one side surface of the housing, and the second surface is a side surface facing the first surface,
In the mounted state in the main body housing, the developer container is located above the developing device,
The attachment / detachment path by the guide portion lifts the developing device upward when the developing device is detached from the main body housing, and then extends horizontally toward the outside of the main body housing through the first surface. An image forming apparatus that is a path. The image forming apparatus according to claim 2.
The main body housing further includes a third surface and a fourth surface, which are side surfaces orthogonal to the first surface and the second surface and facing each other.
The developing device includes a developing roller having a rotation shaft extending in a direction in which the third surface and the fourth surface face each other, a developing housing that accommodates the developing roller, and the third surface and the fourth surface of the developing housing. A guided member provided on each of the opposing side surfaces,
The image forming apparatus, wherein the guide portion is provided inside each of the third surface and the fourth surface, and the guided members are engaged with each other. The image forming apparatus according to claim 3.
The guided member is a protrusion that protrudes from a side surface that faces the third surface and the fourth surface of the developing housing,
The guide part is a guide rail into which the protrusion part is fitted, and has a first guide part having a bottom part and extending upward, and a second guide part extending in the direction of the first surface connected to the first guide part. An image forming apparatus comprising: The image forming apparatus according to claim 4.
The protrusion is a cylindrical protrusion,
In a state where the cylindrical protrusion is supported on the bottom portion of the guide rail, the developing device can rotate around the axis of the cylindrical protrusion,
An image forming apparatus, further comprising an urging member that urges the developing device in a direction in which the developing roller approaches the image carrier. The image forming apparatus according to claim 4 or 5,
An image forming apparatus, further comprising: a pressing member that presses the cylindrical protruding portion supported by the bottom portion of the guide rail for positioning. The image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 3 to 6,
The developer storage container includes a container main body serving as a developer storage space, a developer discharge port provided on a lower surface of the container main body, and a developer stored in the container main body toward the discharge port. A rotating member that conveys
The developing housing includes a receiving port for receiving a developer on an upper surface, and the discharge port and the receiving port overlap in a vertical direction when the developer container and the developing device are mounted on the main body housing. And
The image forming apparatus, wherein a portion of the developing device that interferes with the developer container is a peripheral portion of the receiving port. The image forming apparatus according to claim 7.
The image forming apparatus, wherein the developer container is attached to and detached from the main body housing in a direction in which a rotating shaft of the developing roller and a rotating shaft of the rotating member are orthogonal to each other.

Images