JP2016038489A - Toner supply apparatus and image forming apparatus including the same - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a toner supply apparatus configured to effectively prevent toner scattering with a simple and inexpensive configuration.SOLUTION: A toner supply apparatus 15 includes: a toner container 20 which is detachable from a device body 2; an exhaust apparatus 26 for discharging the air in the device body 2 to the outside; and an interlocking apparatus 27 including an interlocking shutter 80 which opens/closes a supply port 60 for connecting an outlet 52 of the toner container 20 with a developing apparatus 32 when the toner container 20 is attached or detached. The exhaust apparatus 26 includes an inlet 78 which communicates with an exhaust duct 70 for connecting the inside and the outside of the device body 2, and is arranged adjacent to the supply port 60. When the toner container 20 is attached to the device body 2, the interlocking apparatus 27 moves the interlocking shutter 80 to open the supply port 60 and to close the inlet 78. When the toner container 20 is detached from the device body 2, the interlocking apparatus 27 moves the interlocking shutter 80 to close the supply port 60 and to open the inlet 78.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

  The present invention relates to a toner replenishing device used for an electrophotographic copying machine, a printer, and the like, and an image forming apparatus including the same.

  An electrophotographic copying machine or the like includes a toner container that stores toner to be supplied to the developing device. The toner container is detachably provided in the apparatus main body, and has a shutter member that opens and closes a discharge port for discharging toner toward the developing device. The shutter member moves so as to open the discharge port in conjunction with the attachment of the toner container to the apparatus main body. As a result, toner can be supplied. On the other hand, when the toner container is detached from the apparatus main body, the shutter member moves so as to close the discharge port.

  By the way, in the process of removing (replacing) the toner container from the apparatus main body, the toner present near the discharge port may leak into the apparatus main body and scatter before the shutter member is closed. Techniques for suppressing such toner scattering have been proposed.

  For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a toner replenishing device (image forming apparatus) that includes a toner container that is detachably provided in a container mounting portion of an apparatus main body, and a toner hopper that connects between the toner container and the developing device. It is disclosed. The container mounting portion includes a toner receiving port (replenishment port) communicating with the toner hopper, a cleaning member that contacts the toner container at the time of attachment / detachment to remove the toner, a first groove portion that collects toner removed by the cleaning member, and And a second groove portion. As a result, the toner leaked from the toner supply port (discharge port) of the toner container is collected. Each groove portion is provided with a photo sensor that detects that the amount of collected toner has reached a predetermined amount. When it is detected that the photosensor has reached a predetermined amount, the bottom wall of each groove is rotated from the closed position to the open position, and the toner collected in each groove is discharged.

JP 2014-021246 A

  However, the technique described in Patent Document 1 cannot prevent scattering of toner existing near the toner receiving port (supply port) when the toner container is removed from the container mounting portion. Further, the technique described in Patent Document 1 cannot prevent scattering of the toner adhering (residual) to the wall surface of each groove even if the collected toner is discharged by opening each bottom wall. Furthermore, the technique described in Patent Document 1 must be provided with a cleaning member, two grooves, two photosensors, two bottom wall opening / closing mechanisms, and the like, resulting in problems of complicated structure and increased manufacturing costs. Had.

  SUMMARY An advantage of some aspects of the invention is to provide a toner replenishing device and an image forming apparatus including the toner replenishing device for effectively suppressing toner scattering with a simple and inexpensive structure. To do.

  In order to achieve the above-described object, a toner replenishing device according to the present invention includes a toner container that accommodates toner and is detachably provided on the device main body, an exhaust device that discharges air inside the device main body to the outside, An interlocking device including an interlocking shutter that opens and closes a replenishing port that communicates the discharge port of the toner container and a toner replenishment destination in conjunction with the attaching and detaching operation of the toner container, and the exhaust device includes an interior of the device main body. An exhaust duct that communicates with the outside, and an intake port that communicates with the exhaust duct and is provided in parallel with the replenishing port. When the interlocking shutter is moved so that the replenishing port is opened and the intake port is closed, and the toner container is detached from the apparatus main body, the replenishing port is closed and the suction port is closed. And wherein the moving the interlocking shutter to open the mouth.

  According to this configuration, when the toner container attached to the apparatus main body is detached (removed), the replenishing port that has been opened is closed by the interlocking shutter, and the intake port that has been closed by the interlocking shutter is opened. In the closing process of the interlocking shutter, the toner may slightly leak into the apparatus main body from the discharge port or supply port of the toner container. The leaked toner is scattered around the supply port. Here, since the intake port provided alongside the supply port communicates with the exhaust duct, the exhaust device causes a suction force to act on the air around the intake port. Therefore, the leaked toner is sucked into the exhaust duct from the intake port together with the air near the intake port. In this way, by opening the intake port when the toner container that may possibly be scattered is opened, it is possible to effectively prevent the inside of the apparatus main body from being contaminated by the toner.

  Further, in a state where the toner container is mounted on the apparatus main body, the intake port is closed by the interlocking shutter, and the exhaust device exhausts heat inside the apparatus main body through, for example, an exhaust duct. On the other hand, in a state where the toner container is detached from the apparatus main body, the exhaust device discharges the leaked toner in addition to the exhaust heat in the apparatus main body. Since the exhaust device is used for both exhaust heat and leakage of the leaked toner, the structure relating to the toner replenishing device can be simplified and the cost can be reduced as compared with the case where an exhaust structure dedicated to toner discharge is provided.

  In this case, the toner container is detachably provided in a container mounting portion extending rearward from the front opening of the apparatus main body, the discharge port is provided on the lower surface of the rear portion of the toner container, and the air intake port is Preferably, the interlocking device is provided adjacent to the rear side of the replenishing port, and the interlocking device has a biasing member that biases the interlocking shutter toward the front so as to close the replenishing port.

  According to this configuration, the replenishing port is provided at the rear part of the container mounting portion that is difficult for the user to reach. However, since the intake port is adjacent to the replenishing port, the leaked toner can be sucked in effectively. Thereby, the risk of contamination in the apparatus main body due to the leaked toner can be reduced.

  In this case, it is preferable that the toner container has a container-side shutter that opens the discharge port when attached to the apparatus main body and closes the discharge port when detached from the apparatus main body. .

  According to this configuration, the container side shutter more effectively suppresses toner leakage by closing the discharge port when the toner container is removed from the apparatus main body. As a result, contamination inside the apparatus main body due to the leaked toner can be prevented.

  In this case, a plurality of the toner container, the interlocking device, and the intake port are provided according to a plurality of toner supply destinations, and the exhaust device communicates the plurality of intake ports with the exhaust duct. It is preferable to further have a manifold.

  According to this configuration, the plurality of intake ports are joined together by the manifold and communicated with the single exhaust duct. Thereby, simplification and cost reduction of the structure relating to the exhaust device can be achieved as compared with the case where an exhaust duct corresponding to each intake port is provided.

  In order to achieve the above object, an image forming apparatus of the present invention includes any one of the above-described toner supply devices.

  According to this configuration, in the process of removing the toner container, the toner slightly leaks into the apparatus main body from the discharge port or the supply port of the toner container and floats in the vicinity of the supply port. The leaked toner is sucked into the exhaust duct from the intake port together with the air near the intake port. Thereby, it is possible to effectively suppress the toner from being scattered in the apparatus main body. Further, since the exhaust device is used for both exhaust heat and discharge of leaked toner, the structure relating to the toner replenishing device can be simplified and the cost can be reduced.

  According to the present invention, the toner replenishing device can be configured easily and inexpensively. Further, toner scattering can be effectively suppressed.

1 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing an internal structure of a color printer according to an embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing an internal structure of a developing device according to an embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a perspective view schematically showing a toner supply device according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is IV-IV sectional drawing of FIG. FIG. 3 is a perspective view schematically showing an interlocking device and the like of the toner supply device according to an embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view schematically showing a toner supply device according to an embodiment of the present invention. 1A and 1B are longitudinal sectional views schematically showing a toner replenishing device according to an embodiment of the present invention, in which FIG. 1A shows a state where a toner container is being attached and detached, and FIG. 1B shows a state where the toner container is mounted. . FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing a developing device and a toner replenishing device according to a modification of one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing a developing device and a toner replenishing device according to another modification of the embodiment of the present invention.

  Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

  With reference to FIGS. 1 and 2, the overall configuration of a color printer 1 as an image forming apparatus will be described. FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing the internal structure of the color printer 1. FIG. 2 is a sectional view schematically showing the internal structure of the developing device 32. In the following description, the front side of the sheet of FIG. 1 is the front side (front side) of the color printer 1, and directions are appropriately shown in the drawings.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the color printer 1 includes a substantially box-shaped apparatus main body 2, a paper feed cassette 3 provided at the lower part of the apparatus main body 2, a paper discharge tray 4 provided at the upper part of the apparatus main body 2, It has.

  In addition, the color printer 1 includes a paper feeding unit 10, an image forming unit 11, a fixing device 12, and a control device 13. The paper feed unit 10 is provided near the right side of the paper feed cassette 3 in order to supply the paper P in the paper feed cassette 3 to the transport path 14. The image forming unit 11 is provided at a substantially center inside the apparatus main body 2. The fixing device 12 is provided on the downstream side of the conveyance path 14. The control device 13 is provided for comprehensively controlling each component of the color printer 1.

  For example, the image forming unit 11 employs a tandem system that performs image forming processing using toner (developer) of four colors of yellow (Y), magenta (M), cyan (C), and black (K). Yes. In the following explanation, (Y, M, C, K) are attached to the arithmetic numbers in parentheses when the color is designated, and only the arithmetic numerals are attached in other cases.

  The image forming unit 11 includes a toner supply device 15, four drum units 16, and four exposure units 17. The toner replenishing device 15 is disposed on the upper side inside the apparatus main body. The four drum units 16 are disposed below the toner supply device 15. The four exposure units 17 are disposed below the respective drum units 16.

  The toner supply device 15 includes four toner containers 20 and an intermediate transfer unit 21. The four toner containers 20 as the toner containers are juxtaposed in the left-right direction below the paper discharge tray 4. The intermediate transfer unit 21 is disposed below each toner container 20. The detailed configuration of the toner replenishing device 15 will be described later.

  The four toner containers 20 contain four color toners. The toner container 20 is detachably attached to the apparatus main body 2.

  The intermediate transfer unit 21 includes an intermediate transfer belt 23 that is supported on the outer periphery of a substantially rectangular intermediate casing 22 (see FIG. 4) so as to run. The intermediate transfer belt 23 is installed between a driving roller 24 that is pivotally supported on the right side in the apparatus main body 2 and a tension roller 25 that is pivotally supported on the left side in the apparatus main body 2. The intermediate transfer belt 23 rotates in the direction of the arrow shown in FIG. 1 by rotationally driving the driving roller 24 by a driving device (not shown). The intermediate transfer unit 21 has an intermediate conveyance path 62 (details will be described later) for communicating each toner container 20 and each drum unit 16 (developing device 32) (see FIG. 4).

  Each of the four drum units 16 includes a photosensitive drum 30, a charging device 31, a developing device 32, a primary transfer roller 33, a drum cleaning device 34, and a secondary transfer roller 35. . Since the four drum units 16 have the same configuration, only one drum unit 16 will be described below.

  The photosensitive drum 30 is in contact with the lower surface of the intermediate transfer belt 23. The photosensitive drum 30 is rotationally driven by a driving device (not shown). The charging device 31, the developing device 32, the primary transfer roller 33, and the drum cleaning device 34 are arranged around the photosensitive drum 30 in the order of the transfer process.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the developing device 32 includes a developing housing 40, two stirring members 41, a magnetic roller 42, and a developing roller 43. The developing housing 40 accommodates the replenished toner inside. A supply port 44 for receiving toner is opened on the left side of the rear portion of the developing housing 40. The developing device 32 is configured to receive toner supply from the toner container 20 via the intermediate transfer unit 21. Each stirring member 41 rotates around the axis and stirs while circulating the toner in the developing housing 40. The magnetic roller 42 conveys the toner in the housing 30 toward the photosensitive drum 24, and the developing roller 43 adheres the toner to the photosensitive drum 30.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the primary transfer roller 33 is disposed so as to face the photosensitive drum 30 from above with the intermediate transfer belt 23 interposed therebetween. The secondary transfer roller 35 is disposed to face the drive roller 24 of the intermediate transfer unit 21 from the right side with the intermediate transfer belt 23 interposed therebetween, and forms a secondary transfer nip portion 35a.

  Here, the operation of the color printer 1 will be described. Based on the input image data, the control device 13 of the color printer 1 executes an image forming process as follows.

  Each charging device 31 charges the surface of the photosensitive drum 30. Each exposure unit 17 performs exposure corresponding to the image data (see the broken line arrow in FIG. 1) toward the photosensitive drum 30. Thereby, an electrostatic latent image is formed on the surface of each photosensitive drum 30. Each developing device 32 develops the electrostatic latent image using the toner supplied from the toner container 20. As a result, four color toner images are carried on the surfaces of the four photosensitive drums 30. The four toner images are primary-transferred in order onto the traveling intermediate transfer belt 23 by the primary transfer roller 33 to which a primary transfer bias is applied. As a result, a full-color toner image is formed on the surface of the intermediate transfer belt 23.

  On the other hand, the paper P supplied from the paper feed cassette 3 is transported through the transport path 14 and passes through the secondary transfer nip portion 35a. The full-color toner image is secondarily transferred to the paper P by the secondary transfer roller 35 to which a secondary transfer bias is applied. The fixing device 12 fixes a full-color toner image on the paper P. The paper P after the fixing process is discharged to the paper discharge tray 4. The drum cleaning device 34 removes the toner remaining on the surface of the photosensitive drum 30 after the transfer.

  Next, the toner replenishing device 15 will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. FIG. 3 is a perspective view schematically showing the toner replenishing device 15. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line IV-IV in FIG. FIG. 5 is a perspective view schematically showing the interlocking device 27 and the like of the toner replenishing device 15. FIG. 6 is a longitudinal sectional view schematically showing the toner replenishing device 15.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the toner supply device 15 includes four toner containers 20, an intermediate transfer unit 21, an exhaust device 26, and four interlocking devices 27 (see FIG. 5 and the like). As described above, the four toner containers 20 are detachably disposed on the upper portion of the apparatus main body 2, and the intermediate transfer unit 21 is disposed between each toner container 20 and each developing device 32. . The exhaust device 26 is provided to exhaust the air inside the device body 2 to the outside. Each interlocking device 27 attaches the toner container 20 to the apparatus main body 2, thereby enabling toner supply to the developing device 32.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 and 6, each of the four toner containers 20 includes a container body 50, a container screw 51, a discharge port 52, a container side shutter 53, and a container side spring 54. It is configured. Since the four toner containers 20 have the same configuration, the following description will focus on the toner container 20 (Y) that contains yellow toner.

  The container body 50 is formed in a hollow, substantially box shape that is long in the front-rear direction. The in-container screw 51 extends in the front-rear direction and is pivotally supported inside the container main body 50. The discharge port 52 is formed on the rear bottom surface of the container body 50 so as to penetrate in the vertical direction. The container side shutter 53 is attached to the lower surface of the container main body 50 so as to slide between a position where the discharge port 52 is opened and a position where the discharge port 52 is closed. The container-side spring 54 is, for example, a coil spring, and is provided between the container body 50 and the front end portion of the container-side shutter 53. The container-side spring 54 urges the container-side shutter 53 toward a position (rearward) where the discharge port 52 is closed.

  As shown in FIG. 3, four front openings 55 for inserting the toner containers 20 are juxtaposed in the left-right direction on the upper front surface of the apparatus main body 2. Each front opening 55 is covered with a front cover (not shown). The four toner containers 20 are detachably provided on four container mounting portions 56 that extend rearward from the respective front opening portions 55 of the apparatus main body 2. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, a mounting space S for the toner container 20 is formed inside each container mounting portion 56. A rear opening 57 is formed in the rear lower surface of each container mounting portion 56 so as to penetrate in the vertical direction.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the intermediate transfer unit 21 includes four supply ports 60, four intermediate discharge ports 61, and four intermediate conveyance paths 62.

  The four supply ports 60 are juxtaposed in the left-right direction on the upper surface of the rear part of the intermediate housing 22 so as to correspond to the rear opening part 57 of the container mounting part 56. Each supply port 60 protrudes upward from the upper surface of the intermediate housing 22 and is formed in a substantially cylindrical shape. Each supply port 60 allows the discharge port 52 of the toner container 20 and the developing device 32 to communicate with each other. The toner discharged from the discharge port 52 of each toner container 20 is supplied into the developing device 32 as a toner supply destination through the supply port 60.

  The four intermediate discharge ports 61 are juxtaposed in the left-right direction on the lower surface of the rear portion of the intermediate housing 22 so as to correspond to the supply port 44 of the developing device 32. Each intermediate discharge port 61 discharges the toner received from the supply port 60 toward the developing device 32.

  The four intermediate conveyance paths 62 are each formed in a substantially crank shape inside the intermediate housing 22 so that the replenishment port 60 and the intermediate discharge port 61 communicate with each other. A partition wall 62a is formed between adjacent intermediate conveyance paths 62 to prevent mixing of the transferred toner. A conveyance screw 62 b is pivotally supported inside the intermediate housing 22 so as to penetrate the horizontal portion of all the intermediate conveyance paths 62. The conveying screw 62b is rotationally driven by a driving device (not shown), and transfers the toner introduced from each supply port 60 toward each intermediate discharge port 61.

  As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the exhaust device 26 includes an exhaust duct 70, an exhaust fan device 71, an exhaust heat pipe 72, four intake pipes 73, and a manifold 74.

  The exhaust duct 70 communicates the inside and the outside of the apparatus main body 2 (see FIG. 1). As shown in FIG. 5, the upstream end of the exhaust duct 70 is connected to the manifold 74. The exhaust fan device 71 is provided at a connection portion between the exhaust duct 70 and the manifold 74. As shown in FIG. 1, the downstream end of the exhaust duct 70 is connected to an exhaust port 75 that opens in the side wall of the apparatus main body 2. The exhaust port 75 is provided with a filter 76 for collecting toner.

  As shown in FIG. 6, a heat exhaust port 77 is opened toward the drum unit 16 at the upstream end of the heat exhaust pipe 72. The heat exhaust port 77 is opened to take in air (hot air) heated by the operation of each drum unit 16, each exposure unit 17, and the like. The downstream end of the exhaust heat pipe 72 is connected to the manifold 74.

  As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the four intake pipes 73 are provided corresponding to the respective toner containers 20. An intake port 78 opens at the upstream end of each intake pipe 73. Each intake port 78 is provided adjacent to the rear side of the supply port 60. The downstream end of each intake pipe 73 is connected to the manifold 74. That is, each intake port 78 communicates with the exhaust duct 70 via the manifold 74 and is arranged in parallel with each supply port 60.

  The manifold 74 is provided in order to merge the air passing through the exhaust heat port 77 (the exhaust heat pipe 72) and the air passing through each intake port 78 (the intake pipe 73) into one. The manifold 74 allows the exhaust heat port 77 and the exhaust duct 70 to communicate with each other, and allows each intake port 78 and the exhaust duct 70 to communicate with each other.

  As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, each of the four interlocking devices 27 includes an interlocking shutter 80 and an interlocking spring 83. Since the four interlocking devices 27 have the same configuration, the following description focuses on the interlocking device 27 (Y) corresponding to the toner container 20 (Y).

  The interlocking shutter 80 is supported so as to be movable in the front-rear direction with respect to the intermediate housing 22 of the intermediate transfer unit 21. The interlocking shutter 80 has a communication portion 81 in a substantially front half and a sealing portion 82 in a substantially rear half, and is integrally formed. In the communication part 81, a communication hole 81a is formed through the center part in the vertical direction. The sealing part 82 is provided so as to cover the supply port 60 or the intake port 78. On the upper surface of the sealing portion 82, an engaging portion 82a is projected.

  The interlocking spring 83 is a coil spring, for example, and is provided between the intermediate housing 22 and the rear end portion of the interlocking shutter 80. The interlocking spring 83 urges the interlocking shutter 80 toward the front so as to close the supply port 60.

  Each interlocking device 27 includes a pair of left and right contact portions 84 that contact the front end surface of the container-side shutter 53 in the process of mounting the toner container 20 (see also FIG. 4). Each contact portion 84 is provided in the vicinity of the supply port 60 of the intermediate transfer unit 21.

  Next, the operation of the toner supply device 15 will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 7A is a longitudinal sectional view of the toner replenishing device 15 schematically showing the toner container 20 being attached and detached. FIG. 7B is a longitudinal sectional view of the toner replenishing device 15 schematically showing a state in which the toner container 20 is mounted. In the following description, the description will be continued with attention paid to the attachment / detachment of the toner container 20 (Y).

  First, a case where the toner container 20 is mounted on the apparatus main body 2 (container mounting portion 56) will be described. As shown in FIG. 6, the interlocking shutter 80 before the toner container 20 is mounted is biased forward by an interlocking spring 83. For this reason, the sealing part 82 of the interlocking shutter 80 closes the supply port 60, and the communication part 81 of the interlocking shutter 80 is located in front of the supply port 60. Further, the container side shutter 53 of the toner container 20 is urged rearward by the container side spring 54 to close the discharge port 52.

  The operator opens the front cover of the apparatus main body 2 and inserts the toner container 20 into the mounting space S of the container mounting portion 56 through the front opening 55. When the rear portion of the toner container 20 enters the rear opening 57, the container-side shutter 53 of the toner container 20 contacts each contact portion 84 as shown in FIG. At substantially the same time, the engaging step portion 50 a formed at the rear portion of the toner container 20 (container main body 50) engages with the engaging portion 82 a of the interlocking shutter 80.

  When the toner container 20 is further advanced, the container-side shutter 53 moves relatively forward against the urging force of the container-side spring 54 as shown in FIG. 7B. As a result, the discharge port 52 of the toner container 20 is opened. At substantially the same time, the interlocking shutter 80 is pushed by the toner container 20 and moves backward against the urging force of the interlocking spring 83. The communicating portion 81 of the interlocking shutter 80 moves onto the replenishment port 60 of the intermediate transfer unit 21, and the sealing portion 82 of the interlocking shutter 80 moves onto the intake port 78 of the exhaust device 26. As a result, the replenishment port 60 of the intermediate transfer unit 21 is opened through the communication hole 81 a of the communication unit 81, and the intake port 78 of the exhaust device 26 is closed by the sealing unit 82.

  As described above, when the toner container 20 is mounted, the replenishing port 60 closed by the interlocking shutter 80 is opened, and the intake port 78 is closed by the interlocking shutter 80. In a state in which the toner container 20 is completely mounted, the discharge port 52 and the supply port 60 are arranged to face each other with the communication hole 81a interposed therebetween. That is, the supply port 60, the intermediate discharge port 61, and the intermediate conveyance path 62 communicate the discharge port 52 of the toner container 20 with the supply port 44 of the developing device 32. A sealing member (not shown) that is in close contact with the periphery of the supply port 60 is provided around the communication portion 81.

  The toner container 20 discharges the toner to the outside of the container main body 50 from the opened discharge port 52 by rotationally driving the in-container screw 51 around the axis by a driving device (not shown). The discharged toner is supplied from the supply port 44 into the developing housing 40 of the developing device 32 through the communication hole 81a, the replenishing port 60, the intermediate discharge port 61, and the intermediate conveyance path 62.

  The exhaust fan device 71 of the exhaust device 26 is rotationally driven to form an airflow from the heat exhaust port 77 toward the exhaust port 75 (see the broken line arrow in FIG. 6). Air (hot air) heated by the heat generated from each drum unit 16 or the like during the image forming process is discharged to the outside of the apparatus main body 2 by the exhaust device 26. Specifically, the hot air is sucked into the exhaust heat pipe 72 from the exhaust heat port 77, joins at the manifold 74, passes through the exhaust duct 70, and is discharged from the exhaust port 75 to the outside of the apparatus main body 2 (see FIG. 1). .

  Next, a case where the toner container 20 is detached from the apparatus main body 2 (container mounting portion 56) will be described. The operator opens the front cover of the apparatus main body 2, grips the toner container 20 with a grip portion (not shown) formed at the front end, and pulls out the toner container 20 from the mounting space S of the container mounting portion 56. .

  Then, the shutters 53 and 80 move in the reverse order to that when the toner container 20 is mounted. Specifically, the container-side shutter 53 moves rearward by the biasing force of the container-side spring 54 (see FIG. 7A). Thereby, the discharge port 52 of the toner container 20 is closed. At substantially the same time, the interlocking shutter 80 moves forward by the urging force of the interlocking spring 83 (see FIG. 7A). The communicating portion 81 of the interlocking shutter 80 moves in front of the replenishing port 60 of the intermediate transfer unit 21, and the sealing portion 82 of the interlocking shutter 80 moves from above the intake port 78 of the exhaust device 26 to above the replenishing port 60. As a result, the replenishment port 60 of the intermediate transfer unit 21 is closed, and the intake port 78 of the exhaust device 26 is opened.

  As described above, when the toner container 20 attached to the apparatus main body 2 is detached (removed), the replenishment port 60 that has been opened is closed by the interlocking shutter 80, and the intake port 78 that has been closed by the interlocking shutter 80 is Opened. Here, in the process of closing the discharge port 52 of the toner container 20 and the process of closing the supply port 60 of the intermediate transfer unit 21, the toner may slightly leak from the discharge port 52 and the supply port 60. The leaked toner may scatter around the replenishing port 60 and contaminate the inside of the apparatus main body 2. Therefore, the toner replenishing device 15 according to the present embodiment is configured to be discharged to the outside of the apparatus main body 2 by the exhaust device 26.

  Since the intake port 78 (intake pipe 73) is connected to the exhaust duct 70 via the manifold 74, the exhaust fan device 71 is connected to the exhaust port 78 in addition to the airflow from the exhaust heat port 77 to the exhaust port 75. An air flow toward the exhaust port 75 is also formed (see broken line arrows in FIGS. 5 and 6). The air containing the scattered toner is sucked into the intake pipe 73 from each intake port 78, merges at the manifold 74, passes through the exhaust duct 70, and is discharged from the exhaust port 75 to the outside of the apparatus main body 2. The toner contained in the discharged air is collected by a filter 76 (see FIG. 1) provided at the exhaust port 75. The toner contained in the discharged air may be collected, for example, in a waste toner bottle (not shown) that stores toner to be discarded.

  The interlocking device 27 of the toner replenishing device 15 according to the present embodiment described above has the interlocking shutter 80 that opens the replenishing port 60 and closes the air intake port 78 when the toner container 20 is attached to the device main body 2. When the toner container 20 is detached from the apparatus main body 2, the interlocking shutter 80 is moved so as to close the supply port 60 and open the air intake port 78. That is, the interlocking shutter 80 opens and closes the supply port 60 (intake port 78) in conjunction with the attaching / detaching operation of the toner container 20. According to the toner replenishing device 15 according to the present embodiment described above, the air intake port 78 provided side by side with the replenishing port 60 communicates with the exhaust duct 70. Apply a suction force to. Therefore, the leaked toner is sucked into the exhaust duct 70 from the intake port 78 together with the air near the intake port 78. As described above, by opening the air inlet 78 when the toner container 20 where the toner may be scattered is opened, it is possible to effectively prevent the inside of the apparatus main body 2 from being contaminated by the toner.

  Further, in a state where the toner container 20 is mounted on the apparatus main body 2, the air inlet 78 is closed by the interlocking shutter 80, and the exhaust device 26 exhausts heat in the apparatus main body 2 through the exhaust duct 70, for example. On the other hand, in a state where the toner container 20 is removed from the apparatus main body 2, the exhaust device 26 discharges the leaked toner in addition to the exhaust heat in the apparatus main body 2. Since the exhaust device 26 is used for both exhaust heat and discharging of the leaked toner, the structure relating to the toner replenishing device 15 can be simplified and the cost can be reduced as compared with the case where an exhaust structure dedicated to toner discharge is provided. it can.

  Further, according to the toner replenishing device 15 according to the present embodiment, the replenishing port 60 is provided at the rear of the container mounting portion 56 that is difficult for the user to reach, but the intake port 78 is adjacent to the replenishing port 60. Therefore, the leaked toner can be sucked in effectively. Thereby, the contamination risk in the apparatus main body 2 by the leaked toner can be reduced.

  Further, the container-side shutter 53 of the toner replenishing device 15 according to the present embodiment opens the discharge port 52 when the toner container 20 is attached to the apparatus main body 2 and when the toner container 20 is detached from the apparatus main body 2. The discharge port 52 is closed. According to this configuration, when the toner container 20 is removed from the apparatus main body 2, the container-side shutter 53 closes the discharge port 52, thereby preventing toner leakage and contamination inside the apparatus main body 2.

  Further, according to the toner replenishing device 15 according to this embodiment, the four intake ports 78 are joined together by the manifold 74 and communicated with the single exhaust duct 70. As a result, it is possible to simplify the structure of the exhaust device 26 and reduce the cost as compared with the case where an exhaust duct corresponding to each intake port 78 is provided.

  Note that the toner replenishing device 15 according to the present embodiment is applied to the color printer 1, and the toner container 20, the interlocking device 27, the replenishing port 60, and the intake port 78 are each provided with four drum units 16 (developing devices 32). However, the present invention is not limited to this. One or more drum units 16 and toner containers 20 may be provided. For example, the present invention may be applied to a monochrome printer, a facsimile machine, a multifunction machine, or the like.

  In the toner replenishing device 15 according to this embodiment, the four replenishing ports 60 are provided in the intermediate transfer unit 21, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, as shown in FIG. 8, a supply port 60 is provided in an intermediate hopper 90 connected to a supply port 44 of each developing device 32 (developing housing 40) separately from the intermediate transfer unit 21 provided with the intermediate transfer belt 23. May be. In this case, it is preferable that the intermediate hopper 90 includes a supply roller 91 that feeds toner toward the developing device 32 therein. In addition, for example, as illustrated in FIG. 9, the supply port 44 of each developing device 32 (development housing 40) may be used as the supply port 60. In this case, it is preferable to provide a replenishment amount control unit 92 that adjusts the replenishment amount of toner between the replenishment port 60 and the toner container 20 (discharge port 52).

  Note that the container-side shutter 53 and / or the interlocking shutter 80 of the toner supply device 15 according to the present embodiment may be opened and closed by an electrical drive source.

  The toner contained in the toner container 20 may be a one-component developer made of magnetic toner or a two-component developer containing toner and carrier.

  The description of the above embodiment shows one aspect of the toner replenishing device and the image forming apparatus including the same according to the present invention, and the technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment. . The components in the above embodiment can be appropriately replaced or combined with existing components and the like, and the description of the above embodiment does not limit the content of the invention described in the claims. .

1 Color printer (image forming device)
2 Device Main Body 15 Toner Supply Device 20 Toner Container (Toner Container)
26 Exhaust device 27 Interlocking device 32 Developing device (toner supply destination)
52 Discharge port 53 Container side shutter 55 Front opening 56 Container mounting part 60 Supply port 70 Exhaust duct 74 Manifold 78 Inlet 80 Interlocking shutter 83 Interlocking spring (biasing member)

Claims (5)

A toner container that contains toner and is detachably provided in the apparatus main body;
An exhaust device for discharging the air inside the device body to the outside;
An interlocking device including an interlocking shutter that opens and closes a replenishing port that communicates a discharge port of the toner container and a toner replenishment destination in conjunction with the attaching and detaching operation of the toner container;
The exhaust device is
An exhaust duct for communicating the inside and the outside of the apparatus main body;
An intake port that communicates with the exhaust duct and is arranged in parallel with the supply port;
The interlock device is
When the toner container is mounted on the apparatus main body, the interlocking shutter is moved so as to open the supply port and close the intake port,
A toner replenishing device, wherein when the toner container is detached from the device main body, the interlocking shutter is moved so as to close the replenishing port and open the intake port. The toner container is detachably provided on a container mounting portion extending rearward from the front opening of the apparatus main body,
The discharge port is provided on the lower surface of the rear portion of the toner container,
The intake port is provided adjacent to the rear side of the supply port,
The toner replenishing device according to claim 1, wherein the interlocking device includes a biasing member that biases the interlocking shutter toward the front so as to close the replenishing port.   The toner container includes a container-side shutter that opens the discharge port when attached to the apparatus main body and closes the discharge port when detached from the apparatus main body. Item 3. The toner supply device according to Item 1 or 2. Each of the toner container, the interlocking device, and the air inlet is provided in accordance with a plurality of toner supply destinations,
4. The toner replenishing device according to claim 1, wherein the exhaust device further includes a manifold for communicating the plurality of intake ports with the exhaust duct. 5.   An image forming apparatus comprising the toner replenishing device according to claim 1.

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