JP2016206544A - Toner cartridge, image forming unit and image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an image forming unit having a toner cartridge which can be more easily mounted.SOLUTION: The image forming unit includes a body part and a toner cartridge. The toner cartridge comprises: a toner storage part; a first rotating member rotatably supported around a rotational axis extending in a first direction in a first end and including a first rotating surface; and a step part including a first step part arranged at a position apart from the rotational axis on the first rotating surface and a second step part projected more in the first direction from the first step part and positioned on a side opposite to the rotational axis while sandwiching the first step part. The body part has a first protrusion elastically energized toward the first rotating surface and rotatably supporting the first rotating member. When shifted to a mounted state from a separated state, the first protrusion comes into contact with the first step part while getting over the second step part, and then comes into contact with the first rotating surface by the rotation of the first rotating member.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3A

Description

  The present invention relates to a toner cartridge that contains toner, and an image forming unit and an image forming apparatus having the toner cartridge.

  For example, an image forming apparatus that forms an image on a print medium using an electrophotographic system includes an image forming unit in which, for example, a cylindrical toner cartridge is detachably provided. The toner cartridge stores toner and supplies toner to the image forming unit, and has a rotation knob at one end thereof. A mounting portion of the image forming unit to which the toner cartridge is mounted is provided with a guide rib that engages with the rotary knob and a fixing rib that engages with the other end of the toner cartridge (see, for example, Patent Documents 1 and 2). ).

JP-A-11-133713 JP 2006-201813 A

  In the image forming apparatus as described above, it is desired that both ends of the toner cartridge are smoothly mounted at predetermined positions by operating the rotary knob.

  The present disclosure has been made in view of such problems, and an object thereof is to provide a toner cartridge that can be more easily mounted, and an image forming unit and an image forming apparatus having the toner cartridge.

  An image forming unit according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a main body, and a toner cartridge capable of transitioning between a detached state detached from the main body and a mounted state attached to the main body. The toner cartridge is supported so as to be rotatable about a toner container including a first end and a second end in the first direction, and a rotation axis extending in the first direction at the first end. A first rotating member including a first rotating surface; a first step portion disposed on the first rotating surface; and a second step portion projecting in a first direction from the first step portion; And a step portion including The main body has a first protrusion that is elastically biased toward the first rotating surface and rotatably supports the first rotating member, and when shifting from the detached state to the mounted state, The first projecting portion climbs over the second step portion and comes into contact with the first step portion, and then comes into contact with the first rotating surface by the rotation of the first rotating member.

  An image forming apparatus as one embodiment of the present invention includes the image forming unit according to one embodiment of the present invention.

  A toner cartridge according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention is detachably held by an image forming unit having a protrusion, and includes a toner storage unit including one end and a first storage unit away from the toner storage unit. A rotating member including a rotating surface, which is elastically biased in the direction and supported at one end so as to be rotatable about a rotating shaft extending in the first direction, and a position away from the rotating shaft among the rotating surfaces And a second step portion that protrudes in the first direction from the first step portion and that is located on the opposite side of the rotation shaft across the first step portion. And a stepped portion.

  According to the cartridge, the image forming unit, and the image forming apparatus as an embodiment of the present invention, after the first protrusion (or the protrusion) gets over the second step and comes into contact with the first step. Since the rotation of the first rotating member (or rotating member) comes into contact with the first rotating surface (or rotating surface), the cartridge can be easily mounted on the main body (or image forming unit). it can.

1 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of the overall configuration of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is an enlarged cross-sectional view illustrating the image forming unit illustrated in FIG. 1. FIG. 2 is an enlarged perspective view illustrating a main body portion of the image forming unit illustrated in FIG. 1. FIG. 5 is another perspective view illustrating an enlarged main body portion of the image forming unit illustrated in FIG. 1. FIG. 2 is an enlarged perspective view illustrating a toner cartridge of the image forming unit illustrated in FIG. 1. FIG. 7 is another perspective view illustrating an enlarged toner cartridge of the image forming unit illustrated in FIG. 1. FIG. 2 is an enlarged plan view illustrating an end portion of a toner cartridge of the image forming unit illustrated in FIG. 1. FIG. 2 is an enlarged cross-sectional view illustrating an end portion of a toner cartridge of the image forming unit illustrated in FIG. 1. FIG. 2 is a perspective view illustrating a step of shifting from a non-attached state to a temporarily fixed state when a toner cartridge is attached to the main body of the image forming unit illustrated in FIG. 1. It is a perspective view showing the step shown to FIG. 6A from another direction. FIG. 6B is a perspective view showing one end of the toner cartridge in the step shown in FIG. 6A. FIG. 6B is a perspective view showing the other end of the toner cartridge in the step shown in FIG. 6A. FIG. 2 is a perspective view illustrating the other end of the toner cartridge in a temporarily fixed state when the toner cartridge is mounted on the main body of the image forming unit illustrated in FIG. 1. FIG. 7B is a perspective view illustrating one end of the toner cartridge in the temporarily fixed state illustrated in FIG. 7A. FIG. 7B is a plan view illustrating one end of the toner cartridge in the temporarily fixed state illustrated in FIG. 7B. FIG. 2 is a perspective view illustrating an image forming unit in a mounted state in the image forming apparatus illustrated in FIG. 1. FIG. 7 is another perspective view showing the image forming unit in the mounted state in the image forming apparatus shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 8B is a perspective view illustrating one end of the toner cartridge in the mounted state illustrated in FIG. 8A. FIG. 8B is a perspective view illustrating the other end of the toner cartridge in the mounted state illustrated in FIG. 8A. FIG. 8B is a plan view illustrating one end of the toner cartridge in the mounted state illustrated in FIG. 8A. FIG. 3 is a perspective view illustrating one step when the toner cartridge is detached from the main body in the image forming unit illustrated in FIG. 1. FIG. 10 is another perspective view showing one step when the toner cartridge is detached from the main body in the image forming unit shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 2 is a plan view showing one end of the toner cartridge in one step when the toner cartridge is detached from the main body in the image forming unit shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 6 is a perspective view illustrating an appearance of a toner cartridge as a first modification.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. The following description is an example of the present invention, and the present invention is not limited to the following embodiment. Further, the present invention is not limited to the arrangement, dimensions, dimensional ratios, and the like of the components shown in the drawings. The description will be made in the following order.
1. Embodiment An image forming apparatus including a toner cartridge having a stepped portion, and an image forming portion having a protrusion that is elastically biased by the stepped portion.
2. Modified example

<1. Embodiment>
[Schematic configuration]
FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of the overall configuration of an image forming apparatus 1 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The image forming apparatus 1 is an electrophotographic printer that forms an image (for example, a monochrome image) on a print medium (also referred to as a recording medium or a transfer material) 2 such as paper.

  The image forming apparatus 1 is located inside the housing 10, for example, an image forming unit 3 that transfers an image to the print medium 2, and is located upstream of the image forming unit 3. And a print medium supply unit for supplying. The image forming apparatus 1 further includes a fixing unit 4 and a discharge unit 5 in order on the downstream side of the image forming unit 3. In the present specification, a position close to the paper feed tray 11 (described later) serving as a supply source of the print medium 2 when viewed from an arbitrary position in the direction in which the print medium is conveyed is referred to as upstream, and the paper feed tray 11 The position far from is called downstream. Further, the image forming unit 3 corresponds to a specific example of “an image forming unit” of the invention. Further, in this specification, the direction in which the print medium 2 travels is referred to as a transport direction, and the depth direction (direction perpendicular to the paper surface of FIG. 1) perpendicular to the transport direction is referred to as a lateral direction S. The lateral direction S corresponds to a specific example of “first direction” of the present invention.

(Configuration of print medium supply unit)
The print medium supply unit includes a paper feed tray 11, a paper feed roller 12, a paper feed sub-roller (pickup roller) 13, a separation roller 14, an intermediate transport roller 15, a pinch roller 16, a registration roller 17, and a pressure roller 18.

  The paper feed tray 11 is a member that stores a plurality of print media 2 in a stacked state, and is also called a paper cassette. The paper feed tray 11 is detachably attached to the lower part of the image forming apparatus 1, for example.

  The paper feed roller 12, the paper feed sub-roller 13, and the separation roller 14 separate and sequentially take out the print media 2 located in the uppermost layer from the plurality of print media 2 stored in the paper feed tray 11, one by one. This is a member (paper feeding mechanism) that feeds out toward the intermediate conveyance roller 15.

  The intermediate transport roller 15 and the pinch roller 16 are members that sandwich the print medium 2 fed from the paper feed roller 12, the paper feed sub-roller 13, and the separation roller 14 and transport them downstream. Further, the registration roller 17 and the pressure roller 18 are members for holding the print medium 2 conveyed from the intermediate conveyance roller 15 and the pinch roller 16 in pairs and conveying the print medium 2 downstream while correcting the skew of the print medium 2. It is.

(Configuration of image forming unit 3)
The image forming unit 3 forms a black image (toner image) on the print medium 2 using, for example, black toner (developer). The color of the toner and the toner image is not limited to black, and any color can be used. Alternatively, a plurality of colors of toner (developer) may be used to form each color image (toner image) on the print medium 2.

  Such a toner includes, for example, a predetermined colorant, a release agent, a charge control agent, a treatment agent, and the like, and is manufactured by appropriately mixing or surface-treating each of these components. It has become so. Of these, the colorant, the release agent, and the charge control material each function as an internal additive. Examples of the external additive include silica and titanium oxide, and examples of the binder resin include polyester resin. Moreover, as a coloring agent, dye, a pigment, etc. can be used individually or in combination of multiple types.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the image forming unit 3 includes a toner cartridge 20 and a main body 30 to which the toner cartridge 20 is mounted. FIG. 2 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the image forming unit 3. The image forming unit 3 is configured to be able to shift between a detached state in which the toner cartridge 20 is detached from the main body 30 and a mounted state in which the toner cartridge 20 is mounted in the main body 30. The image forming unit 3 is also called an image drum unit and functions as a developing device for the print medium 2.

  The toner cartridge 20 is a container that stores toner of a predetermined color. That is, in the example of the image forming unit 3, black toner is accommodated in the toner cartridge 20. The detailed configuration of the toner cartridge 20 will be described later.

  The main body 30 includes, for example, an image drum (also referred to as a photosensitive drum) 31, a charging roller 32, a developing roller 33, a toner supply roller 34, an exposure head 35, a toner regulating blade 36, and a cleaning blade 37. Yes. The image drum 31 is a specific example of the “image carrier” in the present invention, and the exposure head 35 is a specific example of the “exposure apparatus” in the present invention.

  The image drum 31 is a cylindrical member that carries an electrostatic latent image on the surface (surface layer portion), and is configured using a photoconductor (for example, an organic photoconductor). Specifically, the image drum 31 has a conductive support and a photoconductive layer covering the outer periphery (surface) thereof. The conductive support is made of, for example, a metal pipe made of aluminum. The photoconductive layer has, for example, a structure in which a charge generation layer and a charge transport layer are sequentially stacked. The image drum 31 rotates at a predetermined peripheral speed (in this example, rotates clockwise as indicated by an arrow), and for example, black toner is supplied from the toner cartridge 20. Therefore, a black image (toner image) in which black toner is attached to the electrostatic latent image is formed on the image drum 31. The image forming apparatus 1 further includes a transfer roller 19 disposed so as to face the image drum 31 (see FIG. 1).

  The charging roller 32 is a member (charging member) that charges the surface (surface layer portion) of the image drum 31, and is disposed so as to contact the surface (circumferential surface) of the image drum 31. The charging roller 32 has, for example, a metal shaft and a semiconductive rubber layer (for example, a semiconductive epichlorohydrin rubber layer) covering the outer periphery (surface) thereof. In this example, the charging roller 32 rotates counterclockwise (rotates in the opposite direction to the image drum 31).

  The developing roller 33 is a member that supports toner for developing the electrostatic latent image on the surface, and is disposed so as to be in contact with the surface (circumferential surface) of the image drum 31. The developing roller 33 has, for example, a metal shaft and a semiconductive urethane rubber layer covering the outer periphery (surface). Such a developing roller 33 rotates at a predetermined peripheral speed (in this example, it rotates counterclockwise, which is the opposite direction to the image drum 31).

  The toner supply roller 34 is a member (supply member) for supplying toner to the developing roller 33, and is disposed in contact with the surface (circumferential surface) of the developing roller 33. The toner supply roller 34 has, for example, a metal shaft and a foamable silicone rubber layer that covers the outer periphery (surface) of the metal shaft. In this example, the toner supply roller 34 rotates counterclockwise (rotates in the same direction as the developing roller 33).

  The exposure head 35 is an apparatus that forms an electrostatic latent image on the surface (surface layer portion) of the image drum 31 by irradiating the surface of the image drum 31 with irradiation light to expose the surface of the image drum 31. The exposure head 35 includes a base 35A and a lens array 35B. The base 35A is mounted with, for example, a plurality of light sources that emit irradiation light arranged in the width direction S and a plurality of driving elements such as thin film transistors (TFTs) that respectively drive the plurality of light sources. The lens array 35 </ b> B is a lens array in which a plurality of lenses that form an image of each irradiation light from a plurality of light sources on the surface of the image drum 31 are arranged. In addition, as each of these light sources, a light emitting diode (LED: Light Emitting Diode), a laser element, etc. are mentioned, for example.

  The transfer roller 19 is a member that is disposed to face the image drum 31 and electrostatically transfers, for example, a black image (toner image) formed on the image drum 31 onto the print medium 2. The transfer roller 19 is made of, for example, a metal shaft and a foaming semiconductive elastic rubber material covering the outer periphery (surface) thereof.

  3A and 3B are both perspective views showing the appearance of the main body 30 and are viewed from different directions. A pair of support plates 38A and 38B are erected on the upper portion of the main body 30, and toner into which toner discharged from the toner cartridge 20 is inserted between the pair of support plates 38A and 38B. An input port 39 is provided. A fixed post 71 is provided in the center of one support plate 38B, and the movable post 72 and the movable post 72 are elastically directed toward the toner cartridge 20 at a position of the other support plate 38A facing the fixed post 71. A spring 73 is provided for energizing. The fixed post 71 supports the rotating member 23 in a rotatable manner, and the movable post 72 supports the rotating member 22 in a rotatable manner.

  As shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B, the fixed post 71 has, for example, the shape of a track for track and field, that is, a cross section that forms a rounded rectangle. The outline of the cross section includes two straight portions extending in the major axis direction perpendicular to the minor axis direction having the outer diameter W1, and a curved portion connecting the two straight portions. The maximum dimension in the long axis direction in this cross section is the outer diameter W2.

  The movable post 72 has a base 72A (FIG. 3B) that comes into contact with one end of the spring 73, and a tip 72B (FIG. 3A) that comes into contact with the rotating member 22 (described later) and the like when mounted. One end of the spring 73 is in contact with the base 72A of the movable post 72, and the other end of the spring 73 is in contact with the cover 40 provided on the support plate 38A. Therefore, the movable post 72 can be displaced in the direction connecting the movable post 72 and the fixed post 71, that is, in the width direction S. However, it is fixed so as not to be displaced in other directions. The fixed post 71 corresponds to a specific example of the “second protrusion” of the invention, and the movable post 72 corresponds to a specific example of the “first protrusion” of the invention.

(Configuration of the fixing unit 4)
The fixing unit 4 is a member for fixing the toner image on the print medium 2 by applying heat and pressure to the toner image transferred onto the print medium 2 conveyed from the image forming unit 3. . As shown in FIG. 1, the fixing unit 4 includes a heat roller 41 and a backup roller 42.

  The heat roller 41 includes a heat source 41 </ b> A that is a heater such as a halogen lamp, and applies heat to the toner image on the print medium 2. The backup roller 42 is disposed to face the heat roller 41 so that a pressure contact portion is formed between the backup roller 42 and the pressure roller 42 as a pressure roller that applies pressure to the toner image on the print medium 2. Function.

(Configuration of discharge unit 5)
The discharge unit 5 located downstream of the fixing unit 4 includes a roller pair 51, a roller pair 52, and a discharge tray 53. The roller pair 51 includes a discharge roller 51A and a pinch roller 51B that are disposed to face each other, and the roller pair 52 includes a discharge roller 52A and a pinch roller 52B that are disposed to face each other. Each of the roller pairs 51 and 52 sandwiches the print medium 2 on which the toner image is fixed by the fixing unit 4 and discharges the print medium 2 to a discharge tray 53 provided on the upper portion of the image forming apparatus 1. The discharge tray 53 is a part for stocking the printed print medium 2.

[Main part configuration]
(Configuration of Toner Cartridge 20)
Next, with reference to FIGS. 4A, 4B, 5A, and 5B, the configuration of the toner cartridge 20 that is a main part of the image forming unit 3 will be described. 4A is a perspective view illustrating an appearance of the toner cartridge 20, and FIG. 4B is a partially cutaway view illustrating an internal structure of the toner cartridge 20. In FIG. 4B, the cylindrical portion 21A (described later) of the toner containing portion 21 is omitted so that the inside thereof can be visually recognized. FIG. 5A shows a configuration of a plane orthogonal to the width direction S at one end of the toner cartridge 20. FIG. 5B illustrates a cross-sectional configuration along the width direction S of the toner cartridge 20. 4A, 4B, 5A, and 5B all represent a non-attached state (detached state or released state) in which the toner cartridge 20 is detached from the main body 30.

  The toner cartridge 20 has a cylindrical (for example, substantially cylindrical) toner storage portion 21 extending in the width direction S and capable of storing toner therein. The toner storage unit 21 includes a cylindrical part 21A and a side plate 21B fixed to one end of the cylindrical part 21A. Flange portions 211 and 212 projecting in the width direction S are erected on the side plate 21B. Further, a toner discharge port 21 </ b> K is provided at a lower portion of the toner storage unit 21. The toner discharge port 21 </ b> K is disposed at a position facing the toner insertion port 39 of the main body 30 when the toner cartridge 20 is mounted on the main body 30.

  The toner cartridge 20 further includes a rotating member 22 provided at one end in the width direction S of the toner containing portion 21, a rotating member 23 provided at the other end of the toner containing portion 21 in the width direction S, and the rotating member 23. A fixed rotation knob 24 and an inner shutter 25 are provided. The rotary member 22, the rotary member 23, and the inner shutter 25 are rotated together with the rotation of the rotary knob 24 together with the inner plate 26 and the side plate 21B described later. The rotating member 22 corresponds to a specific example of the “first rotating member” of the present invention, the rotating member 23 corresponds to a specific example of the “second rotating member” of the present invention, and the rotary knob 24 is This corresponds to a specific example of the “knob” of the present invention.

  The rotation member 22 and the rotation member 23 include a rotation surface orthogonal to the rotation shaft 20J that is configured to be rotatable with respect to the toner storage unit 21 within a predetermined angle range with the rotation shaft 20J along the width direction S as a rotation center. It is a substantially disk-shaped member.

  The rotating member 22 is located outside the side plate 21B in the width direction S. An inner plate 26 is disposed inside the side plate 21B so as to sandwich the side plate 21B with the rotating member 22. The rotating member 22 and the inner plate 26 are connected by a connecting member 22B (FIG. 4B) penetrating the side plate 21B. The inner plate 26 is also connected to the inner shutter 25. Further, one end of the stirring member 27 penetrating the toner containing portion 21 is in contact with the side opposite to the side plate 21 </ b> B in the inner plate 26, that is, inside the inner plate 26. The agitating member 27 agitates the toner accommodated in the toner accommodating portion 21, and the other end is in contact with the inside of the rotating member 23. The stirring member 27 is rotatably held by the inner plate 26 and the rotating member 23.

  The outer surface 22S of the rotating member 22 is provided with a rib 83 as a specific example of the “elastic member” of the present invention that bends along the surface 22S. The rib 83 includes a fixed end 83T1 fixed to the surface 22S of the rotating member 22, and an open end 83T2 that is located on the opposite side of the fixed end 83T1 and is not fixed to the surface 22S and is displaced on the surface 22S. .

  A stepped portion 80 is fixed to the open end 83T2 of the rib 83. The stepped portion 80 is in contact with the surface 22S, but is not fixed to the rotating member 22 (surface 22S), and can slide on the surface 22S as the rib 83 is bent. . The stepped portion 80 is a stepped member including a stepped portion 81 and a stepped portion 82 protruding along the width direction S. The step 80 functions as a temporary fixing mechanism that temporarily holds the tip 72B of the movable post 72 when the toner cartridge 20 is mounted on the main body 30. The step portion 81 is arranged at a position away from the rotation shaft 20J on the surface 22S. Further, the step portion 82 protrudes from the step portion 81 along the width direction S. That is, with the surface 22S as a reference position, the height of the step portion 82 is larger than the height of the step portion 81 (see FIG. 5B). Further, the step portion 82 is located on the opposite side of the rotation shaft 20J with the step portion 81 interposed therebetween. That is, the step portion 81 and the step portion 82 are arranged in order along the radial direction R22 from the rotation shaft 20J, which is the rotation center of the rotation member 22, toward the outer edge of the rotation member 22. As shown in FIG. 5B, the upper surface of the stepped portion 82 is preferably an inclined surface that descends along the radial direction R22. The step portion 80 corresponds to a specific example of the “step portion” of the present invention, the step portion 81 corresponds to a specific example of the “first step portion” of the present invention, and the step portion 82 corresponds to the specific example of the present invention. This corresponds to a specific example of “second step”.

  Further, a rib 85 is fixed to the surface 22S so as to stand upright. The rib 85 holds the toner cartridge 20 so that the toner cartridge 20 is not detached by locking the movable post 72 when the toner cartridge 20 is mounted on the main body 30. The rib 85 corresponds to a specific example of “wall portion” of the present invention.

  The rotating member 23 is provided with a notch 231 penetrating in the width direction S (see FIG. 4B). The fixed post 71 is configured to rotatably support the rotating member 23 by engaging with the notch 231. The notch 231 is formed by connecting a cylindrical hole 231A centering on the rotation axis 20J along the width direction S and a linear hole 231B extending in the radial direction along the rotation plane orthogonal to the rotation axis 20J. It will be. The inner diameter of the hole 231A is slightly larger than the outer diameter W2 of the fixed post 71. Further, the width of the hole 231B, that is, the dimension in the direction orthogonal to the extending direction of the hole 231B is slightly larger than the outer diameter W1 of the fixed post 71 and smaller than the outer diameter W1 of the fixed post 71.

  The inner shutter 25 is configured to open and close the toner discharge port 21 </ b> K by rotating integrally with the rotary members 22 and 23 and the rotary knob 24 about the rotary shaft 20 </ b> J along the width direction S.

[Action / Effect]
(A. Installation operation)
Next, an operation of mounting the toner cartridge 20 on the main body 30 in the image forming apparatus 1 will be described. This mounting method is an operation in which the toner cartridge 20 is shifted from the non-mounted state (released state) separated from the main body 30 to the temporarily fixed state and then further shifted to the mounted state.

  First, with reference to FIGS. 6A to 6D and FIGS. 7A to 7C, an operation for shifting from the non-mounted state (released state) to the temporarily fixed state will be described. In FIG. 6C, for easy understanding, the vicinity of one end portion of the toner cartridge 20 where the rotating member 22 is provided, the movable post 72 and the spring 73 of the main body portion 30 are illustrated, and other components are illustrated. Omitted. Similarly in FIG. 6D, the vicinity of the other end of the toner cartridge 20 where the rotating member 23 is provided and the fixing post 71 of the main body 30 are illustrated, and other components are omitted.

  Here, after maintaining the posture of the toner cartridge 20 so that the rotation shaft 20J is parallel to the width direction S of the main body 30, the toner cartridge 20 is translated in the direction of the arrow Y1 as it is, and the support plate 38A and the support plate 38B Insert between. At that time, the fixing post 71 is advanced along the hole 231 </ b> B of the notch 231 toward the hole 231 </ b> A. That is, the direction of the arrow Y1 is made to coincide with the extending direction of the hole 231B. The direction of the arrow Y1 coincides with the long axis direction of the fixed post 71 (the direction having the outer diameter W2). The fixed post 71 reaches the hole 231A and stops in contact with the inner wall surface of the hole 231A (FIG. 7A). On the other hand, the movable post 72 passes between the flanges 211 and 212 and then passes between the ribs 83 and 85 as it is. Finally, after the distal end portion 72B of the movable post 72 gets over the stepped portion 82, the movable post 72 stops in contact with the stepped portion 81 (FIGS. 7B and 7C). As described above, the state in which the distal end portion 72B of the movable post 72 is temporarily held by the stepped portion 80 as the temporary fixing mechanism, that is, the state shown in FIGS. The movable post 72 moves in the direction opposite to the insertion direction (the direction of the arrow Y1) by the tip 72B of the movable post 72 getting over the step 82 and contacting the step 81 lower than the step 82. Even if it tries to make it, it is the state which the front-end | tip part 72B was latched by the step part 81, and the movement was blocked | prevented.

  Subsequently, when the user rotates the rotary knob 24 from the temporarily fixed state (FIGS. 7A to 7C), the toner cartridge 20 shifts to the mounted state held by the main body 30. Specifically, as illustrated in FIGS. 8A to 8E, the rotation member 22 connected by the connection member 22 </ b> B or the like by rotating the rotation knob 24 by a predetermined angle (for example, about 50 °) in the direction of the arrow R <b> 1. And the rotating member 23 is integrally rotated in the same direction. At that time, the ribs 83 and 85 provided on the surface 22 </ b> S of the rotating member 22, the flange portion 84 and the stepped portion 80 fixed to the rib 83 also rotate integrally with the rotating member 22. On the other hand, the movable post 72 is fixed in the rotational direction. For this reason, the movable post 72 is apparently displaced relative to the rotating member 22 and the like. Specifically, as shown in FIGS. 8D and 8E, the movable post 72 rotates with respect to the rotating member 22 and the like about the rotation shaft 20J, and the tip end portion 72B comes off from the stepped portion 81, resulting in a higher height. The lower surface 22S. Here, the height refers to a position based on the position of the surface 22S in the width direction S (that is, the rotation axis 20J), and a position outside the toner cartridge 20 relative to the surface 22S (position closer to the support plate 38A). Called high position. As a result, the distal end portion 72B of the movable post 72 is in a state of being closely surrounded by the ribs 83 and 85, the flange portion 84, and the stepped portion 80 provided on the surface 22S of the rotating member 22. When the rotary knob 24 is rotated, the fixed post 71 is provided in the rotary member 23 and accommodated in the hole 231A in the notch 231 as shown in FIG. 8C. For this reason, the rotating member 23 can smoothly rotate around the fixed post 71. This is because the inner diameter of the hole 231A is slightly larger than the outer diameter W2 of the fixed post 71. The clearance between the inner diameter of the hole 231 </ b> A and the outer diameter W <b> 2 of the fixed post 71 may be set to such an extent that the rotation operation of the rotating member 23 is not hindered and the rattling of the toner cartridge 20 does not occur. As described above, the fixed post 71 and the movable post 72 are fixed by the rotating member 22 and the rotating member 23, that is, the states shown in FIGS.

  By rotating the rotary knob 24, the inner shutter 25 is also rotated, the toner discharge port 21K is opened, and the toner stored in the toner storage unit 21 is transferred from the toner insertion port 39 of the main unit 30 to the main unit 30. Will be supplied.

(B. Removal operation)
Next, with reference to FIGS. 9A to 9C, an operation for removing the toner cartridge 20 from the main body 30 in the image forming apparatus 1 will be described. This detachment operation is an operation for shifting from a mounting state in which the toner cartridge 20 is mounted on the main body 30 to a non-mounting state (release state).

  Specifically, as shown in FIGS. 9A to 9C, the rotary knob 24 is rotated by a predetermined angle (for example, about 50 °) in the direction of the arrow R2 opposite to the arrow R1, and the same position as the temporarily fixed state. By returning to, the rotating member 22 and the rotating member 23 connected by the stirring member 27 and the like are integrally rotated in the same direction. At this time, the distal end portion 72B of the movable post 72 urges the side surface of the stepped portion 81 in the direction of the arrow R3. Along with this, the rib 83 is bent, and the stepped portion 80 fixed to the open end 83T2 slides on the surface 22S and moves so as to escape in the direction of the arrow R3. As a result, a gap is formed between the rib 85 and the stepped portion 80 so that the distal end portion 72B can pass, and the movable post 72 can be slid in the direction of the arrow Y2. On the other hand, when the rotation member 23 rotates by a predetermined angle (for example, about 50 °) in the direction of the arrow R2, the width direction of the hole 231B and the minor axis direction of the fixed post 71 coincide with each other. It can be slid in the direction. For this reason, the entire toner cartridge 20 is reverse to the direction of the arrow Y2 so that the tip 72B passes through the gap between the rib 85 and the stepped portion 80 and the fixing post 71 moves along the extending direction of the hole 231B. The toner cartridge 20 can be detached from the main body 30 by moving in the direction.

(C. Printing operation)
In the image forming apparatus 1, the toner image is transferred to the print medium 2 as follows.

  Specifically, as shown in FIG. 1, first, the print medium 2 stored in the paper feed tray 11 is picked up from the top by the paper feed sub-roller 13 and is fed out toward the downstream paper feed roller 12. It is. Next, the print medium 2 fed out from the paper feed sub-roller 13 is separated one by one by the paper feed roller 12 and the separation roller 14, and then goes to the intermediate conveyance roller 15 and the pinch roller 16. After the print medium 2 reaches the registration roller 17 and the pressure roller 18 via the intermediate conveyance roller 15 and the pinch roller 16, the image forming unit 3 downstream is corrected while the skew is corrected by the registration roller 17 and the pressure roller 18. It is conveyed to. In the image forming unit 3, the toner image is transferred onto the print medium 2 as follows.

  In the image forming unit 3, a black toner image is formed by the following electrophotographic process. That is, as shown in FIG. 1, first, the surface (surface layer portion) of the image drum 31 is uniformly charged by the charging roller 32 to which a predetermined applied voltage is supplied. Next, exposure is performed by irradiating light from the exposure head 35 toward the surface of the image drum 31, whereby an electrostatic latent image corresponding to the print pattern is formed on the image drum 31. Further, toner is attached from the developing roller 33 to the electrostatic latent image on the image drum 31. The toner (toner image) on the image drum 31 is transferred onto the print medium 2 by an electric field between the image drum 31 and the transfer roller 19.

  Thereafter, the toner (toner image) on the printing medium 2 is fixed by applying heat and pressure in the fixing unit 4. Then, the print medium 2 on which the toner is fixed is discharged to a discharge tray 53 outside the image forming apparatus 1 by a pair of discharge rollers 51 and 52.

(D. Effect)
As described above, in the present embodiment, when the toner cartridge 20 shifts from the detached state in which the toner cartridge 20 is detached from the main body portion 30 to the attached state in which the toner cartridge 20 is attached to the main body portion 30, the distal end portion 72B of the movable post 72 gets over the step portion 82. After that, it is temporarily held in a temporarily fixed state in contact with the stepped portion 81. This temporarily fixed state can be easily realized by moving the toner cartridge 20 in the predetermined insertion direction (the direction of the arrow Y2) with respect to the main body 30, and does not require special skills from the user. Absent. Once temporarily held, the toner cartridge 20 is less likely to rattle with respect to the main body 30 during the subsequent rotation of the rotary knob 24, and the rotary members 22 and 23 about the rotary shaft 20J are the center of rotation. Etc. will rotate smoothly. Due to the rotation of the rotating members 22 and 23, etc., the distal end portion 72B naturally comes off the stepped portion 81 and comes into contact with the surface 22S, and the distal end portion 72B is locked by the ribs 83 and 85, the flange portion 84 and the stepped portion 80, and is attached. To. As described above, according to the present embodiment, the cartridge 20 can be easily attached to the main body 30 without complicated operations. In particular, the stepped portion 80, which is a temporary fixing mechanism, is provided at the end of the toner cartridge 20 opposite to the rotating knob 24, so that the rotating members 22, 23 and the like of the toner cartridge 20 have the original rotating shaft 20J. As a center of rotation, it becomes possible to rotate more smoothly.

  In the present embodiment, the toner cartridge 20 can be mounted on the main body 30 while maintaining the posture in which the longitudinal direction (the extending direction of the rotation shaft 20J) is horizontal. Therefore, the bias in the width direction S of the toner stored in the toner storage unit 21 can be avoided.

  In the present embodiment, the tip 72B is unlocked only by rotating the rotary knob 24, so that the toner cartridge 20 can be easily removed from the main body 30. That is, according to the present embodiment, no complicated operation is involved, and no complicated operation is involved when removing the cartridge 20 from the main body 30. Therefore, according to the image forming apparatus 1 of the present embodiment, it is possible to easily replace the toner cartridge 20 without bothering the user.

  In the present embodiment, the rotating member 22 and the like rotate while the toner cartridge 20 is temporarily fixed, and the toner discharge port 21K opens and closes in conjunction with the rotation member 22. Therefore, the toner discharge port 21K and the toner input port The positional deviation from 39 is extremely unlikely to occur. Therefore, the toner discharged from the toner discharge port 21K can be input to the toner input port 39 without waste without spilling around the toner input port 39.

<2. Modification>
While the present invention has been described with reference to the embodiment, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and various modifications can be made. For example, in the above embodiment, an image forming apparatus that transfers only a black toner image and forms a monochrome image has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and for example, image formation that forms a color image. It may be a device. In that case, a plurality of image forming units that form toner images of the respective colors using the toners of the respective colors are provided. In the above embodiment, the primary transfer type image forming apparatus 1 has been described. However, the present invention can also be applied to a secondary transfer type.

  In the above-described embodiment, the toner containing portion 21 has a substantially cylindrical shape. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and may be a substantially prismatic shape, for example.

  Moreover, in the said embodiment, although the movable post 72 which can move to the direction of the rotating shaft 20J was provided as a 1st projection part facing a 1st rotation member (rotation member 22), this invention is provided. The present invention is not limited to this, and a fixed post may be provided on the support plate 38 </ b> A instead of the movable post 72. In that case, for example, like the toner cartridge 20A as the first modification shown in FIG. 10, the rotating member 22 is configured to be movable along the rotating shaft 20J with respect to the toner containing portion 21, and the rotating member 22 is What is necessary is just to be elastically urged | biased in the direction away from the toner accommodating part 21 along the rotating shaft 20J. More specifically, for example, it can be realized by interposing an elastic member 21C such as a spring between the side plate 21B that rotatably holds the rotating member 22 and the cylindrical portion 21A. In addition, the stirring member 27 may be divided into two parts, a first part 27A and a second part 27B, and an elastic member 27C such as a spring may be interposed therebetween. According to such a structure, the rotating member 22 and the cylindrical portion 21A approach each other by applying an external force along the rotating shaft 20J, and the rotating member 22 and the cylindrical portion 21A are separated by releasing the external force. To do. Alternatively, the cylindrical portion 21A of the toner containing portion 21 is divided into two portions, and these two portions are urged by a spring or the like in a direction away from each other along the rotation shaft 20J, so that the entire portion can be expanded and contracted. Also good.

  Moreover, in the said embodiment, the 2nd rotation member (rotation member 23) has the notch 231 penetrated in the thickness direction (direction orthogonal to a rotation surface), and the 2nd projection part (fixed post). 71) moves along the notch 231. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the second rotating member (rotating member 23) has a recessed portion that is partially excavated in its thickness direction, and the second protruding portion (fixed post 71) moves along the recessed portion. It may be.

  Moreover, in the said embodiment, although the LED head which has a light emitting diode as a light source was used as an exposure part, you may use a laser element etc. as a light source, for example.

  Furthermore, in the above embodiment, an image forming apparatus having a printing function has been described as a specific example of the “image forming apparatus” in the present invention. However, the present invention is not limited to this. That is, in addition to such a printing function, for example, the present invention can also be applied to an image forming apparatus that functions as a multifunction peripheral having a scanning function and a fax function.

  Further, in the above embodiment, the stepped portion 80 is provided only at one end of the toner cartridge 20, but may be provided at both ends of the toner cartridge 20. Further, although the rotary knob 24 is provided only at the end opposite to the stepped portion 80, it may be provided at both ends.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Image forming apparatus, 2 ... Print medium, 3 ... Image forming unit, 4 ... Fixing unit, 5 ... Discharge part, 10 ... Housing, 11 ... Paper feed tray, 12 ... Paper feed roller, 13 ... Paper feed sub-roller, DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 14 ... Separation roller, 15 ... Intermediate conveyance roller, 16 ... Pinch roller, 17 ... Registration roller, 18 ... Pressure roller, 19 ... Transfer roller, 20 ... Toner cartridge, 21 ... Toner container, 21K ... Toner discharge port, 22, DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 23 ... Rotating member, 24 ... Rotating knob, 25 ... Inner shutter, 26 ... Inner plate, 27 ... Stirring member, 30 ... Body part, 31 ... Image drum, 32 ... Charging roller, 33 ... Developing roller, 34 ... Toner supply roller, 35 ... Exposure head, 36 ... Toner regulating blade, 37 ... Cleaning blade, 38A, 38B ... Support plate, 39 ... Toner inlet, 40 Cover, 41 ... Heat roller, 41A ... Heat source, 42 ... Backup roller, 51, 52 ... Roller pair, 53 ... Discharge tray, 71 ... Fixed post, 72 ... Movable post, 72A ... Base, 72B ... Tip, 73 ... Spring , 80 ... stepped part, 81, 82 ... stepped part, 83, 85 ... rib, 84 ... buttocks.

Claims (12)

A main body, and a toner cartridge capable of transitioning between a detached state detached from the main body and a mounted state attached to the main body,
The toner cartridge is
A toner containing portion including a first end and a second end in the first direction;
A first rotating member including a first rotating surface supported rotatably about a rotating shaft extending in the first direction at the first end;
A step portion disposed on the first rotation surface and including a first step portion and a second step portion projecting in the first direction from the first step portion;
The main body has a first protrusion that is elastically biased toward the first rotating surface and supports the first rotating member rotatably.
When shifting from the disengaged state to the mounted state, the first projecting portion gets over the second stepped portion and comes into contact with the first stepped portion, and then the first rotating member rotates to rotate the first rotating member. An image forming unit in contact with the first rotating surface. The first step portion is disposed at a position away from the rotation axis of the first rotation surface,
The image forming unit according to claim 1, wherein the second step portion is located on a side opposite to the rotation shaft with the first step portion interposed therebetween. The image forming unit according to claim 1, wherein the toner cartridge further includes a wall portion that holds the first protrusion together with the stepped portion in the mounted state. The toner cartridge is
An elastic member that includes a fixed end fixed to the first rotating member and an open end, and is bent along the first rotating surface;
The image forming unit according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the stepped portion is fixed to the open end of the elastic member. The toner cartridge further includes a second rotation member supported at the second end portion so as to be rotatable about the rotation shaft,
The image forming unit according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the main body portion further includes a second protrusion that rotatably supports the second rotating member. The second rotating member has a notch or a recess,
The image forming unit according to claim 5, wherein the second protrusion is engaged with the notch or the recess. The first rotating member and the second rotating member are connected by a stirring member that penetrates the toner container,
The image forming unit according to claim 5, wherein the first rotating member and the second rotating member rotate in conjunction with each other. The toner cartridge is
The image forming unit according to claim 7, further comprising a knob that interlocks with both the first rotating member and the second rotating member. The toner cartridge further includes a toner discharge port that opens and closes in conjunction with rotation of the first rotating member;
The image forming unit according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the main body portion further includes a toner insertion port provided at a position facing the toner discharge port. The image forming unit according to claim 1, wherein the main body includes an image carrier and an exposure device. An image forming unit having a main body and a toner cartridge capable of transitioning between a detached state detached from the main body and a mounted state attached to the main body;
The toner cartridge is
A toner containing portion including a first end and a second end in the first direction;
A first rotating member including a first rotating surface supported rotatably about a rotating shaft extending in the first direction at the first end;
A step portion disposed on the first rotation surface and including a first step portion and a second step portion projecting in the first direction from the first step portion;
The main body has a first protrusion that is elastically biased toward the first rotating surface and supports the first rotating member rotatably.
When shifting from the disengaged state to the mounted state, the first projecting portion gets over the second stepped portion and comes into contact with the first stepped portion, and then the first rotating member rotates to rotate the first rotating member. An image forming apparatus in contact with a first rotating surface. A toner cartridge detachably held in an image forming unit having a protrusion,
A toner container including one end;
A rotating member including a rotating surface that is elastically biased in a first direction away from the toner container and is supported by the one end so as to be rotatable about a rotating shaft extending in the first direction. When,
A first step portion disposed at a position away from the rotation axis of the rotation surface, and protrudes in the first direction from the first step portion and sandwiches the first step portion. A toner cartridge having a step portion including a second step portion located on the opposite side of the rotation shaft.

Images