JP2017015746A - Developer storage unit and image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a developer storage unit that can suppress a developer from being returned to one side from the other side and reduce return resistance of a conveyance member, and an image forming apparatus.SOLUTION: A cleaning unit 9 (developer storage unit) comprises: a storage part 94A that stores a developer; and a conveyance member 100 that is arranged inside the storage part 94A and conveys the developer from the front side to the rear side inside the storage part 94A. The conveyance member 100 includes conveyance parts 110 that reciprocatingly move between the front side and rear side to convey the developer from the front side to the rear side. The conveyance parts 110 are convex surfaces 111 having a shape in which a surface on the front side is convex toward the front side.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

  The present invention relates to a developer accommodating unit and an image forming apparatus that include a accommodating portion that accommodates a developer, and a conveying member that conveys the developer from one side to the other side in the accommodating portion.

  Conventionally, for example, as disclosed in Patent Document 1, a storage unit that stores developer collected from a photosensitive drum, a transfer belt, and the like, and a storage unit that is disposed in the storage unit, from one side to the other side in the storage unit There is known an image forming apparatus including a conveying member such as an agitator that conveys the developer toward the surface. The transport member disclosed in Patent Document 1 is configured to transport the developer from one side to the other side by reciprocating between one side and the other side in the housing portion.

JP 2013-7963 A

  By the way, in the image forming apparatus as described above, when the reciprocating conveyance member returns from the other side to the one side, the developer may be returned from the other side to the one side. The return resistance may increase.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above background, and can accommodate a developer capable of suppressing the return of the developer from the other side to the one side and reducing the return resistance of the conveying member. An object is to provide a unit and an image forming apparatus.

In order to achieve the above-described object, a developer storage unit of the present invention includes a storage section that stores a developer, and a transport member that is disposed in the storage section and transports the developer from one side to the other side in the storage section. And comprising.
The transport member has at least one transport unit that transports the developer from one side to the other side by reciprocating between one side and the other side.
At least one of the transport units is a convex surface having a shape in which one surface is convex toward the one side.

  According to such a configuration, when the transport unit moves from the other side to the one side, the developer can be favorably scraped by the convex surface. Accordingly, it is possible to suppress the developer from returning from the other side to the one side, and it is possible to reduce the return resistance of the transport unit, that is, the return resistance of the transport member.

In order to achieve the above-described object, an image forming apparatus according to the present invention includes a storage unit that stores a developer and a transport unit that is disposed in the storage unit and transports the developer from one side to the other side in the storage unit. A member.
The transport member has at least one transport unit that transports the developer from one side to the other side by reciprocating between one side and the other side.
At least one of the transport units is a convex surface having a shape in which one surface is convex toward the one side.

  According to such a configuration, the developer can be scraped off by the convex surface when the transport unit moves from the other side toward the one side. Accordingly, it is possible to suppress the developer from returning from the other side to the one side, and it is possible to reduce the return resistance of the transport unit, that is, the return resistance of the transport member.

  According to the present invention, the developer can be prevented from returning from the other side to the one side, and the return resistance of the conveying member can be reduced.

1 is a cross-sectional view of a color laser printer as an example of an image forming apparatus. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of a cleaning unit as an example of a developer storage unit. It is a top view of a conveyance member. It is an enlarged view (a) and (b) of a conveyance part. It is explanatory drawing (a)-(d) of operation | movement of a conveyance member. It is figure (a)-(h) which shows the modification of a conveyance part. It is figure (a)-(h) which shows the modification of a conveyance part. It is explanatory drawing (a)-(d) of the conveyance member which concerns on a 1st modification. It is explanatory drawing (a)-(d) of the conveyance member which concerns on a 2nd modification. It is figure (a)-(h) which shows the modification of a conveyance part. It is sectional drawing of the conveyance member which concerns on a 3rd modification. It is a top view of the conveyance member concerning the 4th modification.

  Next, an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings as appropriate. In the following description, the direction will be described with reference to the user who uses the image forming apparatus. Specifically, the left side in FIG. 1 is “front”, the right side is “rear”, the front side of the paper is “right”, and the back side of the paper is “left”. Further, the vertical direction in FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 1, a color laser printer 1 as an example of an image forming apparatus includes a housing 2, a paper feed unit 3, an image forming unit 4, and a cleaning unit 9 as an example of a developer containing unit. Mainly prepared.

  The paper feed unit 3 is disposed in the lower part of the housing 2 and mainly includes a paper feed tray 31 that accommodates the paper S, a paper pressing plate 32, and a paper feed mechanism 33. The paper feed unit 3 moves the paper S in the paper feed tray 31 upward by the paper pressing plate 32, separates the paper S one by one by the paper feed mechanism 33, and supplies the paper to the image forming unit 4.

  The image forming unit 4 mainly includes an exposure unit 5, a process unit 6, a transfer unit 7, and a fixing unit 8.

  The exposure unit 5 is disposed in the upper part of the housing 2 and includes a laser light source, a polygon mirror, a lens, a reflecting mirror, and the like (not shown). The exposure unit 5 exposes the photosensitive drum 61 by scanning the surface of the photosensitive drum 61 with laser light based on image data indicated by a chain line.

  The process unit 6 is disposed between the paper feed tray 31 and the exposure unit 5, and has a drawer 60, four photosensitive drums 61 arranged in the front and rear, and one charging unit provided for each photosensitive drum 61. The apparatus 62 and the developing cartridge 63 are mainly provided. Each developing cartridge 63 includes a developing roller 64, a supply roller 65, a layer thickness regulating blade 66, a toner storage chamber 67 that stores toner as an example of a developer, and the like, and is detachably mounted on the drawer 60. It is comprised so that.

  The drawer 60 is a member that holds the photosensitive drum 61 and the like, and is configured so that it can be pulled out to the front side with respect to the housing 2 from an opening that is formed when the front cover 21 provided in the housing 2 is opened. Has been. Further, the drawer 60 is configured to be detachable from the housing 2 from a state where the drawer 60 is pulled out to the front side.

  The transfer unit 7 is disposed between the paper feed tray 31 and the process unit 6, and mainly includes a drive roller 71, a driven roller 72, a conveyance belt 73, and a transfer roller 74. The conveyor belt 73 is an endless belt that is stretched between the driving roller 71 and the driven roller 72, and is disposed to face the photosensitive drum 61. Four transfer rollers 74 are provided corresponding to the photosensitive drums 61, and are arranged so as to sandwich the conveyance belt 73 between the corresponding photosensitive drums 61. The transfer unit 7 is configured to be detachable from the housing 2 by opening the front cover 21 and removing the process unit 6 from the housing 2.

  The fixing unit 8 is disposed behind the process unit 6, and mainly includes a heating roller 81 and a pressure roller 82 disposed to face the heating roller 81 and press the heating roller 81.

  The image forming unit 4 forms the electrostatic latent image on the photosensitive drum 61 by charging the surface of the photosensitive drum 61 with the charging device 62 and exposing with the exposure unit 5. Next, the image forming unit 4 supplies the toner carried by the developing roller 64 to the electrostatic latent image formed on the photosensitive drum 61, thereby making the electrostatic latent image visible, and the photosensitive drum 61. A toner image is formed thereon. Thereafter, the image forming unit 4 conveys the paper S supplied from the paper feeding unit 3 between the photoconductive drum 61 and the transfer roller 74, thereby transferring the toner image formed on the photoconductive drum 61 to the paper S. Transcript to. Then, the image forming unit 4 heat-fixes the toner image by conveying the sheet S on which the toner image is transferred between the heating roller 81 and the pressure roller 82. The paper S on which the toner image has been thermally fixed is discharged to the paper discharge tray 22 by the transport roller 23 and the discharge roller 24.

  The cleaning unit 9 is disposed below the conveyance belt 73 and mainly includes a cleaning roller 91, a collection roller 92, a scraping blade 93, a frame member 94, and a conveyance member 100. The cleaning roller 91 is disposed so as to sandwich the conveyance belt 73 with the backup roller 75 provided in the transfer unit 7. The cleaning unit 9 is configured to be detachable from the housing 2 by opening the front cover 21 and removing the process unit 6 and the transfer unit 7 from the housing 2.

  The cleaning unit 9 applies a predetermined bias between the cleaning roller 91 and the backup roller 75 so that the toner attached to the surface of the transport belt 73 is collected by the cleaning roller 91. Thereafter, the cleaning unit 9 collects the toner adhering to the surface of the cleaning roller 91 by the collecting roller 92, scrapes the toner adhering to the surface of the collecting roller 92 by the scraping blade 93, and accommodates it in the accommodating portion 94 </ b> A.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the frame member 94 includes an accommodating portion 94 </ b> A that accommodates toner collected from the conveyance belt 73. The accommodating portion 94A is formed as a long space in the front-rear direction in a range from the vicinity of the position where the cleaning roller 91 is disposed to the rear end of the frame member 94 in the front-rear direction. An opening 94 </ b> C through which the toner scraped from the surface of the collection roller 92 by the scraping blade 93 passes is provided at the front of the upper wall forming the accommodating portion 94 </ b> A.

  Here, in this embodiment, the front-rear direction corresponds to the “reciprocating direction”, and the left-right direction corresponds to the “orthogonal direction orthogonal to the reciprocating direction”.

  The conveying member 100 is a member that conveys toner from the front side as an example of one side in the accommodating portion 94A toward the rear side as an example of the other side, and is disposed in the accommodating portion 94A. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the conveying member 100 includes a plurality of conveying units 110, a first frame 120, a second frame 130, a first supported unit 140, and a second supported unit 150. Has mainly.

  The transport unit 110 is a plate-shaped portion that transports toner from the front side toward the rear side by reciprocating between the front side and the rear side. The transport unit 110 moves back and forth from the front side to the rear side in the storage unit 94A. A plurality are arranged side by side so as to be substantially equally spaced in the direction. As shown in an enlarged view in FIG. 4 (a), each transport unit 110 is formed in a substantially semi-cylindrical shape, and has a convex surface 111 having a shape in which the front surface is convex toward the front side. The concave surface 112 has a concave shape.

  The convex surface 111 has a top portion 111A that is the most protruding portion toward the front side, and has a shape inclined from the upper and lower edges 111B, 111C of the convex surface 111 toward the top portion 111A. In the present embodiment, the inclined surface from each edge 111B, 111C toward the top portion 111A is formed as a substantially arcuate curved surface that swells forward obliquely upward or obliquely downward, whereby the convex surface 111 is As a whole, it has a substantially semi-cylindrical shape, and is formed in a curved surface shape convex toward the front side.

  The concave surface 112 has an upper end portion 112A, a lower end portion 112B, and a concave portion 112C. The upper end portion 112A and the lower end portion 112B are formed as planes that are substantially orthogonal to the front-rear direction. The concave portion 112C is provided between the upper end portion 112A and the lower end portion 112B, and has a shape recessed toward the front side of the upper end portion 112A and the lower end portion 112B. Specifically, the concave portion 112C is formed as a substantially semi-cylindrical curved surface that is recessed toward the front side.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the first frame 120 is a portion that connects the left and right ends of the plurality of transport units 110, specifically, the left ends of the plurality of transport units 110. The second frame 130 is a portion that connects the other ends in the left-right direction of the plurality of transport units 110, specifically, the right ends of the plurality of transport units 110. The first frame 120 and the second frame 130 each have a substantially rectangular shape when viewed from the left-right direction, and are provided so as to extend from the front side to the rear side in the accommodating portion 94A.

  The first frame 120 and the second frame 130 are arranged to face each other with a predetermined interval in the left-right direction. Each transport unit 110 is provided so as to be bridged between the first frame 120 and the second frame 130. In other words, each transport unit 110 is provided so as to extend from one of the first frame 120 and the second frame 130 to the other.

  The first supported portion 140 is a portion that protrudes outward in the left-right direction from the rear portion of the outer surface in the left-right direction of the first frame 120 and the second frame 130. In this embodiment, the 1st supported part 140 is provided in the position between the conveyance part 110 arrange | positioned at the rearmost side, and the conveyance part 110 arrange | positioned 2nd from the rear side.

  The first supported portion 140 is supported by the frame member 94 so as to reciprocate in the front-rear direction between the front side and the rear side in the housing portion 94A. More specifically, as shown in FIG. 2, the left and right walls of the frame member 94 forming the accommodating portion 94A are respectively formed with guide grooves 94D that are recessed outward in the left-right direction and extend in the front-rear direction. . The first supported portion 140 is supported so as to translate in the front-rear direction along the guide groove 94D with respect to the frame member 94 by engaging with the corresponding guide groove 94D.

  The second supported portion 150 is a portion that protrudes outward in the left-right direction from the front of the laterally outer surface of the first frame 120 and the second frame 130, and is disposed on the front side of the first supported portion 140. Has been. In the present embodiment, the second supported portion 150 is provided at a position between the transport unit 110 that is disposed second from the front side and the transport unit 110 that is disposed third from the front side. Yes.

  The second supported portion 150 is supported by the frame member 94 so as to rotate about an axis A1 extending in the left-right direction. More specifically, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the cleaning unit 9 includes a pair of left and right rotating shafts 95 and a link 96. The rotation shaft portion 95 is rotatably supported on the left and right walls forming the housing portion 94A, and is provided to rotate counterclockwise in FIG. 2 when a driving force is transmitted from the housing 2 side. ing. The link 96 is fixed to an end portion on the inner side in the left-right direction of the rotation shaft portion 95 and is provided so as to extend outward from the end portion in the radial direction of the rotation shaft portion 95. Rotate to. Each second supported portion 150 is rotatably engaged with an end portion of the corresponding link 96, and the rotation shaft portion 95 is driven to rotate, whereby the axis of the rotation shaft portion 95 is relative to the frame member 94. It is supported so as to rotate around A1.

  In the conveying member 100 configured as described above, for example, when the rotation shaft portion 95 rotates counterclockwise in the drawing from the state illustrated in FIG. It rotates counterclockwise as shown in the figure at the center, as shown in FIG. 5 (b), to a position below the rotating shaft portion 95, and further, after the rotating shaft portion 95 as shown in FIG. 5 (c). Move to position. Thereby, since the 1st to-be-supported part 140 moves toward the back side along the guide groove 94D, the conveyance part 110 moves the inside of the accommodating part 94A as a whole from the front side toward the rear side. To do. As a result, the toner accumulated on the bottom in the accommodating portion 94A is conveyed by the conveying portion 110 from the front side to the rear side in the accommodating portion 94A.

  At this time, as shown in FIG. 4A, the rear surface of each conveyance unit 110 is a concave surface 112, so that the toner can be conveyed from the front side to the rear side while being scraped.

  On the other hand, when the rotary shaft 95 further rotates counterclockwise in the figure from the state shown in FIG. 5C, the second supported part 150 rotates counterclockwise in the figure around the axis A1. As shown in (d), it moves to a position above the rotary shaft portion 95 and further to a position before the rotary shaft portion 95 as shown in FIG. Thereby, since the 1st to-be-supported part 140 moves toward the front side along the guide groove 94D, the conveyance part 110 moves the inside of the accommodating part 94A as a whole from the rear side toward the front side. It will be.

  At this time, as shown in FIG. 4B, since the front surface of each transport unit 110 is a convex surface 111, the transport unit 110 moves from the rear side toward the front side while scraping the toner. Can do.

  According to the present embodiment described above, the front surface of the transport unit 110 is the convex surface 111 having a shape that is convex toward the front side. For example, the front surface of the transport unit 110 is orthogonal to the front-rear direction. Compared with the configuration that is a flat surface, the toner can be favorably scraped by the convex surface 111 when the transport unit 110 moves from the rear side toward the front side. Thereby, when the conveyance unit 110 returns from the rear side to the front side, it is possible to prevent the toner from returning from the rear side to the front side. In addition, the return resistance of the transport unit 110, that is, the return resistance of the transport member 100 can be reduced.

  In particular, in this embodiment, since the front surface of all the conveyance units 110 is the convex surface 111, in the configuration in which the conveyance member 100 is provided with a plurality of conveyance units 110, the toner is returned from the rear side to the front side. While being able to suppress, the return resistance of the conveyance member 100 can be made small.

  Further, since the convex surface 111 has a shape inclined from the upper and lower edges 111B and 111C toward the top portion 111A, the toner smoothly flows on the convex surface 111 from the front side to the rear side. As a result, the toner can be further prevented from returning from the rear side to the front side, and the return resistance of the conveying member 100 can be further reduced.

  Further, since the convex surface 111 has a curved surface shape, the toner smoothly flows on the convex surface 111 from the front side to the rear side when the transport unit 110 moves from the rear side to the front side. As a result, the toner can be further prevented from returning from the rear side to the front side, and the return resistance of the conveying member 100 can be further reduced.

  Further, since the rear surface of all the transport units 110 is the concave surface 112, for example, each transport unit 110 is compared with a configuration in which the rear surface of the transport unit 110 is a plane orthogonal to the front-rear direction. When the toner moves from the front side to the rear side, the toner can be transported from the front side to the rear side while being collected. Thus, more toner can be efficiently conveyed from the front side to the rear side in the accommodating portion 94A by the concave surface 112 of each conveyance unit 110.

  In addition, as illustrated in FIG. 3, the transport member 100 includes the first frame 120 and the second frame 130, and the left and right ends of the plurality of transport units 110 are supported by the first frame 120 and the second frame 130. For example, compared to a configuration in which only the left and right centers of the plurality of transport units 110 are connected, the plurality of transport units 110 can be stabilized. Accordingly, the toner can be more efficiently conveyed from the front side to the rear side in the storage portion 94A.

  Although one embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment. About a concrete structure, it can change suitably in the range which does not deviate from the meaning of invention as follows.

  For example, in the transport unit 110 according to the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 4, the rear surface is the concave surface 112 having the upper end portion 112A, the lower end portion 112B, and the concave portion 112C, but is not limited thereto. As shown in FIGS. 6 (a) and 6 (b), the transport unit 110 has a concave surface that includes only a portion recessed toward the front side, the rear surface not including the upper end portion 112A and the lower end portion 112B of the embodiment. 112 may be sufficient.

  Moreover, although the convex surface 111 of the said embodiment shown in FIG. 4 was a curved surface from the upper and lower edges 111B and 111C toward the top part 111A, it is not limited to this. For example, as shown in FIGS. 6C to 6E, the convex surface 111 may have a flat inclined surface from the upper and lower edges 111B and 111C toward the top 111A. Moreover, as shown in FIG.6 (e), the top part 111A which is the part most projected to the front side of the convex surface 111 may be planar.

  Moreover, although the convex surface 111 of the said embodiment shown in FIG. 4 was the structure which has the shape where the whole front side surface becomes convex toward the front side, it is not limited to this. For example, as shown in FIGS. 6F to 6H, the convex surface 111 may have a convex portion 111D in which only a part of the front surface protrudes toward the front side. In addition, as shown in FIG. 6F, the conveyance unit 110 may have a convex portion 111D having a substantially semicircular shape in cross section, or as shown in FIG. A rectangular shape may be sufficient, and as shown in FIG.6 (h), the structure where the corner | angular part and the corner part were chamfered may be sufficient.

  4 and 6A to 6H, the cross-sectional shape of the portion protruding toward the front side of the convex surface 111 and the cross-sectional shape of the concave portion of the concave surface 112 are substantially the same shape. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the cross-sectional shape of the portion protruding toward the front side of the convex surface and the cross-sectional shape of the concave portion of the concave surface may be different.

  Moreover, in the said embodiment, although the conveyance part 110 was the concave surface 112 in which the surface of the back side had a concave shape, it is not limited to this. For example, as illustrated in FIGS. 7A to 7H, the transport unit 110 may be a flat surface 113 that is substantially perpendicular to the front-rear direction and has a rear surface that does not have a recessed shape.

  Moreover, in the said embodiment, although the conveyance part 110 was formed so that it might become a target shape up and down on the basis of an up-down direction center, it is not limited to this, You may form asymmetrically. For example, as illustrated in FIG. 8A, the convex surface 211 of the transport unit 210 may have a configuration in which a lower end protrudes toward the front side from the upper end. Moreover, as shown to Fig.9 (a), the structure which the convex part 311 of the conveyance part 310 protrudes toward the front side rather than the lower end part may be sufficient. Here, the embodiments of FIGS. 8 and 9 will be described in detail.

  As shown in FIG. 8A, the transport member 100 includes a transport unit 210 as an example of a first transport unit, a first frame (not shown), a second frame 130, a first supported portion 140, And a second supported portion 150. A plurality of transport units 210 are provided side by side, and the front surface is a convex surface 211. The convex surface 211 is a flat inclined surface that is inclined so as to be positioned on the front side from the upper end toward the lower end. The second supported portion 150 moves from the front side to the rear side above the axis A1 around the axis A1 orthogonal to the front-rear direction by the rotation of the rotary shaft portion 95, and rearward at the lower side of the axis A1. It is provided so as to rotate in the direction of moving from the front to the front, that is, in the clockwise direction in the figure. As the second supported portion 150 rotates clockwise in the figure, the transport unit 210 has a trajectory when traveling from the rear side to the front side is lower than a trajectory when traveling from the front side to the rear side, as indicated by a chain line. It reciprocates between the front side and the rear side so as to draw a substantially elliptical trajectory passing through the side.

  When the rotary shaft portion 95 rotates in the clockwise direction from the state shown in FIG. 8A, the second supported portion 150 rotates around the axis A1 in the clockwise direction as shown in FIG. 8B. In addition, it moves to a position above the rotation shaft portion 95 and further to a position after the rotation shaft portion 95 as shown in FIG. As a result, the conveying member 100 moves from the front side toward the rear side in the accommodating portion 94A, so that the toner in the accommodating portion 94A can be conveyed from the front side to the rear side in the accommodating portion 94A by the conveying portion 210.

  On the other hand, from the state shown in FIG. 8C, when the rotary shaft portion 95 rotates clockwise in the figure, the second supported portion 150 rotates around the axis A1 in the clockwise direction in FIG. 8D. As shown in FIG. 8, it moves to a position below the rotation shaft portion 95 and further to a position before the rotation shaft portion 95 as shown in FIG. Thereby, the conveyance member 100 moves from the rear side toward the front side in the accommodating portion 94A. At this time, the transport unit 210 that moves so as to draw a substantially elliptical locus, particularly when moved from the position shown in FIG. 8C to the position shown in FIG. Thus, the toner advances in the forward diagonally downward direction, and the toner can be favorably divided.

  As described above, according to the embodiment shown in FIG. 8, when the conveying member 100 moves from the rear side toward the front side, the toner can be favorably scraped by the conveying unit 210, so that the toner is returned from the rear side to the front side. Can be further suppressed, and the return resistance of the conveying member 100 can be further reduced.

  As shown in FIG. 9A, the transport member 100 includes a transport unit 310 as an example of a second transport unit, a first frame (not shown), a second frame 130, a first supported portion 140, And a second supported portion 150. A plurality of conveyance units 310 are provided side by side in the front-rear direction, and the front surface is a convex surface 311. The convex surface 311 is a flat inclined surface that is inclined so as to be located on the front side from the lower end toward the upper end. The second supported portion 150 is moved from the front side to the rear side below the axis line A1 around the axis line A1 orthogonal to the front-rear direction by the rotation of the rotary shaft part 95, and the rear side above the axis line A1. It is provided so as to rotate in the direction of moving from the front to the front, that is, counterclockwise in the figure. As the second supported portion 150 rotates counterclockwise in the drawing, the conveyance unit 310 has a trajectory when traveling from the rear side to the front side as shown by a chain line, rather than a trajectory when traveling from the front side to the rear side. It reciprocates between the front side and the rear side so as to draw a substantially elliptical trajectory passing through the upper side.

  When the rotary shaft 95 rotates counterclockwise in the figure from the state shown in FIG. 9A, the second supported part 150 rotates counterclockwise in the figure centering on the axis A1, and in FIG. As shown in FIG. 9, it moves to a position below the rotation shaft portion 95 and further to a position after the rotation shaft portion 95 as shown in FIG. As a result, the conveying member 100 moves from the front side toward the rear side in the accommodating portion 94A, so that the toner in the accommodating portion 94A can be conveyed from the front side to the rear side in the accommodating portion 94A by the conveying portion 310.

  On the other hand, when the rotary shaft portion 95 rotates counterclockwise in the figure from the state shown in FIG. 9C, the second supported portion 150 rotates counterclockwise in the drawing centering on the axis A1. As shown in d), it moves to a position above the rotary shaft portion 95 and further to a position in front of the rotary shaft portion 95 as shown in FIG. Thereby, the conveyance member 100 moves from the rear side toward the front side in the accommodating portion 94A. At this time, the conveyance unit 310 that moves so as to draw a substantially elliptical locus, particularly when moved from the position shown in FIG. 9C to the position shown in FIG. Thus, the toner advances forward and obliquely upward, so that the toner can be favorably separated.

  As described above, according to the embodiment of FIG. 9, when the conveying member 100 moves from the rear side toward the front side, the toner can be favorably scraped by the conveying unit 310, so that the toner is returned from the rear side to the front side. Can be further suppressed, and the return resistance of the conveying member 100 can be further reduced.

  The configuration of the convex surfaces 211 and 311 shown in FIGS. 8 and 9 is an example. Therefore, for example, as shown in FIGS. 10A to 10C, the convex surface 211 has a configuration in which a convex portion 211 </ b> A that protrudes toward the front side of the upper end portion is provided at the lower end portion thereof. Good. Similarly, as shown in FIGS. 10E to 10G, the convex surface 311 may have a configuration in which a convex portion 311 </ b> A that protrudes toward the front side of the lower end portion is provided at the upper end portion thereof. . In addition, as shown in FIGS. 10A and 10E, the transporting units 210 and 310 may have convex portions 211A and 311A that have a rectangular shape in cross section, or FIGS. 10B and 10F. As shown, the corners and corners may be chamfered, and as shown in FIGS. 10C and 10G, the convex portions 211A and 311A are substantially semicircular in sectional view. There may be.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 10D, the convex surface 211 is a surface inclined such that the upper end portion 211B is located on the front side from the upper end of the convex surface 211 toward the center in the vertical direction, and the lower end portion 211C is The configuration may be a plane that is substantially orthogonal to the front-rear direction. Similarly, as shown in FIG. 10 (h), the convex surface 311 is a surface inclined such that the lower end portion 311C is located on the front side from the lower end of the convex surface 311 toward the center in the vertical direction, and the upper end portion 311B. However, it is good also as a structure which is a plane substantially orthogonal to the front-back direction. Moreover, although illustration is abbreviate | omitted, as for the conveyance parts 210 and 310, the concave surface in which the rear surface has a concave shape may be sufficient.

  Moreover, in the said embodiment, although the front surface was the convex surface 111 and the rear surface was the concave surface 112, all the conveyance parts 110 were not limited to this. For example, in at least one of the plurality of transport units, the front surface may be a convex surface and the rear surface may be a concave surface. As an example, as shown in FIG. 11, among the plurality of transport units 110, only the transport unit 110 disposed at the rearmost side has a convex surface 111 on the front surface and a concave surface 112 on the rear surface. It is good. In addition, the number of conveyance units whose front surface is convex and the number of conveyance units whose rear surface is concave may be the same or different.

  As described above, according to the configuration in which at least the rear surface of the conveyance unit 110 arranged at the rearmost side is the concave surface 112, the movement direction when the conveyance member 100 moves from the front side toward the rear side. The concave surface 112 of the transport unit 110 disposed at the rearmost position at the top of the toner can efficiently transport the toner from the front side to the rear side in the storage unit 94A while collecting the toner.

  In the embodiment, the conveyance member 100 has a configuration in which the left and right ends of the plurality of conveyance units 110 are connected by the first frame 120 and the second frame 130, but is not limited thereto. For example, referring to FIG. 3, the conveying member 100 is configured to have a lattice shape in plan view as a whole by connecting one or more portions other than the left and right ends of the plurality of conveying units 110 to each other. May be. Further, as illustrated in FIG. 12, the conveyance member 100 may have a configuration in which only the vicinity of the center in the left-right direction of the plurality of conveyance units 110 is connected by, for example, one frame 160.

  Moreover, in the said embodiment, although the plate-shaped conveyance part 110 was illustrated as a conveyance part, it is not limited to this. For example, the transport unit may be formed of a sheet-like member made of resin or the like, a film-like member, and the like, which is thinner than the plate-like transport unit 110 of the embodiment.

  Moreover, in the said embodiment, although the several conveyance part 110 was provided so that it might become substantially equal intervals, it is not limited to this. For example, in a configuration in which three or more transport units are provided, the intervals between adjacent transport units may be partially different or all different.

  Moreover, the number of the conveyance parts 110 shown by the said embodiment is an example, and this invention is not limited to the structure of the said embodiment. That is, the number of transport units can be appropriately changed according to, for example, the volume of the storage unit and the size of the transport member. In the present invention, the number of transport units may be one.

  In the embodiment, the transport member 100 is configured to transport the toner from the front side as one side in the accommodating portion 94A toward the rear side as the other side. However, the present invention is not limited to this. It is not a thing. For example, the conveyance member may be configured to convey the toner from the rear side as another example on one side in the housing portion toward the front side as another example on the other side.

  In the above-described embodiment, the cleaning unit 9 including the cleaning member that recovers toner such as the cleaning roller 91 and the recovery roller 92 is illustrated as the developer accommodating unit. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the developer storage unit may have a configuration that does not include a cleaning member, in other words, a configuration that mainly includes a storage unit that stores toner and a conveyance member that is disposed in the storage unit. In addition, the developer storage unit is configured to store the toner (that is, waste toner) collected from the transport belt 73 and not used for image formation, but is not limited thereto. For example, the developer accommodating unit may be configured to accommodate toner (that is, new toner) that is supplied to the photosensitive drum or the like and is used for image formation.

  In the above embodiment, the color laser printer 1 having a plurality of the photosensitive drums 61 and the developing cartridges 63 and capable of forming a color image is exemplified as the image forming apparatus. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the image forming apparatus may be a printer that includes only a photosensitive drum or a developing cartridge and can form only a monochrome image. The image forming apparatus is not limited to a printer, and may be, for example, a copier or a multi-function machine including a document reading apparatus such as a flat bed scanner. In the embodiment, the image forming apparatus is configured to expose the photosensitive drum 61 with laser light. However, the image forming apparatus is not limited to this. For example, the photosensitive drum is irradiated with light emitted from an LED or the like. You may be comprised so that it may expose.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Color laser printer 9 Cleaning unit 94A Accommodating part 100 Conveying member 110 Conveying part 111 Convex surface 111A Top part 111B Edge 111C Edge 112 Concave surface 120 First frame 130 Second frame

Claims (10)

An accommodating portion for accommodating the developer;
A conveying member that is arranged in the accommodating portion and conveys the developer from one side to the other side in the accommodating portion,
The transport member has at least one transport unit that transports the developer from the one side toward the other side by reciprocating between the one side and the other side;
At least one of the transport units is a developer containing unit, wherein the one side surface is a convex surface having a shape convex toward the one side.   The developer accommodating unit according to claim 1, wherein the convex surface has a shape inclined from an edge of the convex surface toward a portion that protrudes most to the one side.   The developer accommodating unit according to claim 1, wherein the convex surface has a curved surface shape. The conveying member has a path between the one side and the other side passing through a lower side of a path when moving from the other side to the one side than a path when moving from the one side to the other side. A first transport unit that reciprocates;
As for the said 1st conveyance part, the said one side surface is the said convex surface,
4. The developer accommodating unit according to claim 1, wherein a lower end portion of the convex surface protrudes toward the one side from an upper end portion. 5. The transport member reciprocates between the one side and the other side, with the trajectory when going from the other side to the one side passing above the trajectory when going from the one side to the other side. A second conveying section that moves,
As for the said 2nd conveyance part, the said one side surface is the said convex surface,
4. The developer storage unit according to claim 1, wherein an upper end portion of the convex surface protrudes toward the one side from a lower end portion. 5. A plurality of the conveying sections are provided side by side from the one side toward the other side;
6. The developer accommodating unit according to claim 1, wherein all of the conveying units have the convex surface on the one side. 7. A plurality of the conveying sections are provided side by side from the one side toward the other side;
7. The developer storage according to claim 1, wherein the transport unit disposed on the most other side is a concave surface having a concave shape on the other side surface. 8. unit. A plurality of the conveying sections are provided side by side from the one side toward the other side;
7. The developer accommodating unit according to claim 1, wherein all of the conveyance units are concave surfaces having a concave shape on the other side surface. 8. A plurality of the conveying sections are provided side by side from the one side toward the other side;
The conveying member includes a first frame that connects one end of the plurality of conveying units in the orthogonal direction orthogonal to the reciprocating direction, and a first frame that connects the other ends of the plurality of conveying units in the orthogonal direction. The developer accommodating unit according to claim 1, comprising two frames. An accommodating portion for accommodating the developer;
A conveying member that is arranged in the accommodating portion and conveys the developer from one side to the other side in the accommodating portion,
The transport member has at least one transport unit that transports the developer from the one side toward the other side by reciprocating between the one side and the other side;
The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the conveying units is a convex surface having a shape in which the one side surface is convex toward the one side.

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