JP2017058637A - Developer conveying device and image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To reduce a variation in the amount of developer conveyed by a plurality of developer conveying members conveying developer compared with a case where the distance from the position to start conveyance of developer to a regulation part regulating the amount of developer to be conveyed is different among the plurality of developer conveying members.SOLUTION: A developer conveying device comprises: a plurality of first toner conveying parts (Y, M, C, and K) that convey developer in different colors respectively to a plurality of corresponding developing devices (Y, M, C, and K), where at least one toner conveying part 121Y has the distance to convey developer in the horizontal direction set different from those of the others; and conveyance amount regulation parts 125c that are provided respectively in the plurality of first toner conveying parts (Y, M, C, and K) to regulate the amount of developer to be conveyed by the respective first toner conveying parts (Y, M, C, and K). The distance from the position to start conveyance of developer to the conveyance amount regulation part 125c is set equal in the respective first toner conveying parts (Y, M, C, and K).SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 16

Description

  The present invention relates to a developer conveying device and an image forming apparatus.

  Conventionally, for example, those disclosed in Patent Documents 1 and 2 have already been proposed as techniques related to the developer conveying device.

  Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2004-228561 is arranged in a transport path for transporting powder from a first powder storage chamber in which powder is stored toward a second powder chamber in which powder is stored, and the transport path. A conveying member having a rotatable rotating shaft and a blade member provided spirally around the rotating shaft and capable of conveying the powder by the rotation of the rotating shaft; and the conveying in which the conveying member is arranged An intake area formed on the road and having an intake port through which the powder is taken in from the first powder storage chamber; and formed on the transfer path where the transfer member is arranged, and is transported more than the intake area. Formed on the transport path where the transport member is disposed, and is disposed on the downstream side of the transport direction with respect to the first transport region, and is arranged per one rotation of the transport member. Second transport area having a transportable volume less than the first transport area , Which is constituted to include.

  Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2004-228688 includes a supply unit to which toner is supplied from above, an inlet unit through which the toner supplied to the supply unit enters, a cylindrical conveyance path through which the toner is conveyed, and the conveyance from the supply unit A conveyance shaft that has a rotation shaft provided over the path and a moving unit that moves the toner by pressing the toner as the rotation shaft rotates, and conveys the toner supplied to the supply unit along the conveyance path And a diameter of a portion of the rotating member that is located in the conveying path is larger than a diameter of a portion of the rotating shaft that is located in the supply unit. .

JP 2010-156910 A JP 2011-59225 A

  The present invention provides a plurality of developer conveying members as compared to the case where the distance from the developer conveying start position to the regulating portion for regulating the developer conveying amount is different in the plurality of developer conveying members conveying the developer. It is an object of the present invention to reduce variations in developer transport amount.

The invention described in claim 1 is a plurality of developer conveying units that respectively convey developers of different colors to a corresponding plurality of developing units, wherein at least one developer conveying unit in the horizontal direction is provided. A plurality of developer conveying means whose conveying distances are set to different distances from each other;
A conveyance amount regulating unit that is provided in each of the plurality of developer conveyance units and regulates the amount of the developer conveyed by each developer conveyance unit;
With
In the developer transport device, the distance from the transport start position of the developer in the horizontal direction to the transport amount regulating unit is set equal in each developer transport unit.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, the plurality of developer transporting units are rotatably disposed in a cylindrical transport path for transporting the supplied developer and in the cylindrical transport path. A rotation shaft, and a conveying blade spirally provided on the outer periphery of the rotation shaft,
The developer transport device according to claim 1, wherein the transport amount regulating unit includes the rotation shaft having a diameter set larger than that of other portions.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, the plurality of developer transport units include a plurality of transport areas divided along the transport direction of the developer and having different transport directions. Is introduced by the developer falling by its own weight,
3. The developer transport device according to claim 1, wherein a position at which the developer falls to a transport region in which the developer is transported in a horizontal direction is set as a transport start position of the developer.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, the plurality of developer transport units have the plurality of transport regions that are different according to the arrangement of the plurality of development units,
4. The development according to claim 3, wherein the plurality of developer transporting units transport the developer to the corresponding developing unit by transporting the developer along a vertical direction in a transporting region located on the most downstream side. 5. It is an agent transport device.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there are provided a plurality of image carriers each holding electrostatic latent images corresponding to images of different colors on the surface,
A plurality of developing means for respectively developing the electrostatic latent images held on the surfaces of the plurality of image holding bodies with a developer of a corresponding color;
A plurality of developer accommodating members respectively accommodating the developers different in color from each other;
A developer transporting device for transporting the developer of a corresponding color from the plurality of developer containing members to the plurality of developing units;
With
An image forming apparatus using the developer conveying device according to claim 1 as the developer conveying device.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, the arrangement direction of the plurality of image carriers and the arrangement direction of the plurality of developer accommodating members are set to intersect each other,
The image forming apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the plurality of image holding bodies and the plurality of developer containing members are attached in the same direction.

  According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, the plurality of developer accommodating members are formed in a cylindrical shape, and the developer is disposed on a side surface of the plurality of developer accommodating members formed in the cylindrical shape. The image forming apparatus according to claim 5, further comprising a supply port.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, compared to a case where a plurality of developer transport members transporting the developer have different distances from the developer transport start position to the regulation portion that regulates the developer transport amount. Thus, variations in the developer transport amount among the plurality of developer transport members can be reduced.

  According to the second aspect of the present invention, the transport amount regulating portion can be transported with a simpler structure as compared with a case where the transport amount regulating portion is not composed of a rotating shaft having a diameter set larger than that of other portions. The amount can be regulated.

  According to the third aspect of the present invention, the degree of freedom for installing the transport amount regulating portion is improved as compared with the case where the developer supply position is set to the developer transport start position.

  According to the invention described in claim 4, the plurality of developer conveying means includes a plurality of developer conveying units as compared with the case where the conveying region located on the most downstream side conveys the developer along the horizontal direction. The degree of freedom to install the means is improved.

  According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, compared to the case where the distance from the developer conveyance start position to the regulating portion that regulates the developer conveyance amount is different in the plurality of developer conveyance units that convey the developer. Thus, variation in the developer conveyance amount among the plurality of developer conveyance units can be reduced, and deterioration in image quality due to variation in the developer conveyance amount can be suppressed.

  According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, the image holding member and the developer containing member are attached and detached as compared with the case where the attaching and detaching directions of the plurality of image holding members and the plurality of developer containing members are set in different directions. Operability can be improved.

  According to the seventh aspect of the present invention, the assemblability of the developer accommodating member is improved as compared with the case where the plurality of developer accommodating members are not formed in a cylindrical shape.

1 is an overall configuration diagram showing an image forming apparatus to which a developer conveying device according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention is applied. 1 is a configuration diagram illustrating an image forming unit of an image forming apparatus according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention; It is a cross-sectional block diagram which shows a process cartridge. It is a perspective view showing a process cartridge. It is a rear view which shows a process cartridge. It is a perspective view showing a process cartridge. It is a perspective block diagram which shows the mounting part of a process cartridge. It is a perspective block diagram which shows the mounting part of a process cartridge. It is a front view which shows the mounting part of a process cartridge. It is a front view which shows the principal part of the mounting part of a process cartridge. It is a cross-sectional block diagram which shows the principal part of the mounting part of a process cartridge. 1 is a perspective configuration diagram illustrating a developer conveying device according to a first embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a perspective configuration diagram illustrating a developer conveying device according to a first embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a perspective configuration diagram illustrating a developer conveying device according to a first embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a perspective configuration diagram illustrating a developer conveying device according to a first embodiment of the present invention. It is a cross-sectional block diagram which shows the principal part of the developer conveying apparatus which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a cross-sectional block diagram which shows the principal part of the developer conveying apparatus which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a cross-sectional block diagram which shows the principal part of the developer conveying apparatus which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a cross-sectional block diagram which shows the principal part of the developer conveying apparatus which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention. FIG. 3 is a perspective configuration diagram illustrating a main part of the developer conveying device according to the first embodiment of the invention. FIGS. 7A and 7B are configuration diagrams respectively showing a connected state of the developing device and the developer transport device. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional configuration diagram illustrating a connected state of the developing device and the developer conveying device. It is a graph which shows the relationship between distance and the conveyance performance of a developer.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

[Embodiment 1]
FIG. 1 shows an outline of an entire image forming apparatus to which a developer conveying apparatus according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention is applied, and FIG. 2 shows an enlarged view of a main part (image forming apparatus, etc.) in the image forming apparatus. ing.

<Overall Configuration of Image Forming Apparatus>
The image forming apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment is configured as a color printer, for example. The image forming apparatus 1 holds a plurality of image forming apparatuses 10 that form toner images developed with toner constituting the developer 4 and the toner images formed by the respective image forming apparatuses 10 and finally An intermediate transfer device 20 that transports to a recording sheet 5 as an example of a recording medium to a secondary transfer position for secondary transfer, and a required recording sheet 5 that should be supplied to the secondary transfer position of the intermediate transfer device 20 is accommodated and transported. And a fixing device 40 for fixing the toner image on the recording paper 5 secondarily transferred by the intermediate transfer device 20. In the figure, reference numeral 1a denotes a main body of the image forming apparatus 1, and the main body 1a is formed of a support structure member, an exterior cover, and the like.

  The image forming device 10 includes four image forming devices 10Y, 10M, 10C, and 10K that respectively form four color toner images exclusively for yellow (Y), magenta (M), cyan (C), and black (K). It is configured. These four image forming devices 10 (Y, M, C, K) are arranged so as to be arranged in a line in an inclined state in the internal space of the main body 1a.

  Each image forming apparatus 10 (Y, M, C, K) includes a rotating photosensitive drum 11 as an example of an image holding member as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, and this photosensitive drum 11. Each apparatus as an example of the following toner image forming means is mainly disposed around the apparatus. The main devices are a charging device 12 that charges a peripheral surface (image holding surface) on the photosensitive drum 11 on which an image can be formed to a required potential, and image information (on the charged peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum 11). Exposure apparatus 13 that irradiates light based on (signal) to form an electrostatic latent image (for each color) having a potential difference, and developer of the corresponding color (Y, M, C, K). A developing device 14 (Y, M, C, K) that is developed with toner 4 to form a toner image, and a primary transfer device 15 (Y) as an example of a primary transfer unit that transfers each toner image to the intermediate transfer device 20. , M, C, K) and a drum cleaning device 16 (Y, M, C, K) that removes and removes adhering matters such as toner remaining on the image holding surface of the photosensitive drum 11 after the primary transfer. Etc.

  The photosensitive drum 11 is formed by forming an image holding surface having a photoconductive layer (photosensitive layer) made of a photosensitive material on the peripheral surface of a cylindrical or columnar base material to be grounded. The photosensitive drum 11 is supported so as to rotate in a direction indicated by an arrow A when power is transmitted from a rotation driving device (not shown).

  The charging device 12 includes a contact-type charging roll that is disposed in contact with the photosensitive drum 11. A charging voltage is supplied to the charging device 12. As the charging voltage, when the developing device 14 performs reversal development, a voltage or current having the same polarity as the charging polarity of the toner supplied from the developing device 14 is supplied. As the charging device 12, a non-contact type charging device such as a scorotron disposed in a non-contact state on the surface of the photosensitive drum 11 may be used.

  The exposure device 13 forms an electrostatic latent image by irradiating the circumferential surface of the charged photosensitive drum 11 with light configured according to image information input to the image forming apparatus 1. Is. When the latent image is formed, image information (signal) input to the image forming apparatus 1 by any means is transmitted to the exposure apparatus 13.

  The exposure device 13 irradiates the photosensitive drum 11 with light corresponding to image information by LEDs (Light Emitting Diodes) as a plurality of light emitting elements arranged along the axial direction of the photosensitive drum 11 to electrostatic latent images. The LED print head that forms As the exposure device 13, a device that deflects and scans laser light configured according to image information along the axial direction of the photosensitive drum 11 may be used.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the developing devices 14 (Y, M, C, and K) all have a developer 4 inside the housing 140 in which an opening and a storage chamber for the developer 4 are formed. The first and second agitating and conveying such as a developing roll 141 that holds the toner and conveys it to the developing area facing the photosensitive drum 11 and two screw augers that convey the developer 4 while passing the developing roll 141 while stirring. The members 142 and 143 and the layer thickness regulating member 144 that regulates the amount (layer thickness) of the developer held on the developing roll 141 are arranged. A developing voltage is supplied to the developing device 14 from a power supply device (not shown) between the developing roll 141 and the photosensitive drum 11. Further, the developing roll 141 and the agitating / conveying members 142 and 143 are rotated in a required direction by receiving power from a rotation driving device (not shown). Further, as the four-color developer 4 (Y, M, C, K), a two-component developer containing a nonmagnetic toner and a magnetic carrier is used. The developing device 14 is supplied with a developer containing at least toner at a required timing by a developer conveying device described later. Note that as the four color developers 4 (Y, M, C, K), a one-component developer composed only of toner may be used.

  The primary transfer device 15 (Y, M, C, K) is in contact with the peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum 11 via the intermediate transfer belt 21 and rotates, and a contact including a primary transfer roll to which a primary transfer voltage is supplied. This is a mold transfer device. As the primary transfer voltage, a DC voltage having a polarity opposite to the charging polarity of the toner is supplied from a power supply device (not shown).

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the drum cleaning device 16 includes a container-shaped main body 160 that covers a region that partially opens and extends below the charging device 12, and the photosensitive drum 11 after the primary transfer. The cleaning plate 161 is disposed so as to be in contact with the peripheral surface at a required pressure and removes deposits such as residual toner and is cleaned, and the deposits such as toner removed by the cleaning plate 161 are collected and collected in a collection system (not shown). It consists of a delivery member 162 such as a screw auger that conveys the feed. As the cleaning plate 161, a plate-like member (for example, a blade) made of a material such as rubber is used.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the intermediate transfer device 20 is disposed so as to exist at a position above each image forming device 10 (Y, M, C, K). The intermediate transfer device 20 includes an intermediate transfer belt 21 that rotates in a direction indicated by an arrow B while passing a primary transfer position between the photosensitive drum 11 and the primary transfer device 15 (primary transfer roll), and an intermediate transfer belt 21. Are arranged on the outer peripheral surface (image holding surface) side of the intermediate transfer belt 21 supported by the belt support rolls 25 and a plurality of belt support rolls 22 to 26 that hold the toner in a desired state from the inner surface thereof. The secondary transfer device 30 as an example of a secondary transfer means for secondary transfer of the toner image on the intermediate transfer belt 21 to the recording paper 5, and the outer peripheral surface of the intermediate transfer belt 21 after passing through the secondary transfer device 30 And a belt cleaning device 27 that removes and adheres toner, paper dust, and other adhering matter.

  As the intermediate transfer belt 21, for example, an endless belt made of a material in which a resistance adjusting agent such as carbon black is dispersed in a synthetic resin such as polyimide resin or polyamide resin is used. The belt support roll 25 is configured as a drive roll that is rotationally driven by a driving device (not shown) and a backup roll for secondary transfer, and the belt support roll 22 is configured as a tension applying roll that applies tension to the intermediate transfer belt 21. The belt support rolls 23 and 24 are configured as driven rolls that hold the travel position of the intermediate transfer belt 21, and the belt support roll 26 is configured as a support roll that supports the back surface of the intermediate transfer belt 21 that is cleaned by the belt cleaning device 27. Has been.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the secondary transfer device 30 is configured to move the intermediate transfer belt 21 at a secondary transfer position that is an outer peripheral surface portion of the intermediate transfer belt 21 supported by the belt support roll 25 in the intermediate transfer device 20. The contact type transfer device includes a secondary transfer roll 31 that rotates in contact with a peripheral surface and is supplied with a secondary transfer voltage. Further, a DC voltage having a polarity opposite or the same as the charging polarity of the toner is supplied as a secondary transfer voltage to the secondary transfer roll 31 or the support roll 25 of the intermediate transfer device 20.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the belt cleaning device 27 is configured in the same manner as the drum cleaning device 16, and is required on the peripheral surface of the intermediate transfer belt 21 after the secondary transfer and the container-shaped main body 270 that is partially opened. The cleaning plate 271 is disposed so as to be in contact with the pressure and removes the adhering matter such as residual toner and is cleaned, and the adhering material such as the toner removed by the cleaning plate 271 is collected and conveyed to be sent to a collecting system (not shown). It consists of a delivery member 272 such as a screw auger. As the cleaning plate 271, a plate-like member (for example, a blade) made of a material such as rubber is used.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the fixing device 40 includes a drum-type or belt-type heating rotator 41 that is heated by a heating unit so that the surface temperature is maintained at a required temperature, and the heating rotator 41. A drum-type or belt-type pressurizing rotating body 42 that rotates in contact with a predetermined pressure in a state substantially along the axial direction is arranged. In the fixing device 40, a contact portion where the heating rotator 41 and the pressing rotator 42 come into contact becomes a fixing processing unit that performs a required fixing process (heating and pressing).

  The sheet feeding device 50 is disposed so as to be present at a position below the yellow (Y), magenta (M), cyan (C), and black (K) image forming devices 10 (Y, M, C, K). Is done. The paper feeding device 50 is a single (or plural) paper container 51 that accommodates recording papers 5 of a desired size and type, and sends out the recording paper 5 from the paper container 51 one by one. It is mainly composed of devices 52 and 53. The paper container 51 is attached, for example, so that it can be pulled out to the front side (side surface on which the user faces during operation) of the main body 1a, that is, the left side surface in the illustrated example.

  Examples of the recording paper 5 include plain paper and OHP sheets used for electrophotographic copying machines and printers. In order to further improve the smoothness of the image surface after fixing, the surface of the recording medium 5 is preferably as smooth as possible. For example, coated paper in which the surface of plain paper is coated with resin, art paper for printing, etc. So-called cardboard having a relatively large basis weight can be used.

  Between the paper feeding device 50 and the secondary transfer device 30, a single (or plural) paper conveyance roll pair 54, a conveyance guide 55, and the like that convey the recording paper 5 delivered from the paper supply device 50 to the secondary transfer position. Is provided. The pair of paper transport rolls 54 is configured as, for example, a roll (registration roll) that adjusts the transport timing of the recording paper 5. Further, a conveyance guide for conveying the recording sheet 5 after the secondary transfer fed from the secondary transfer roll 31 of the secondary transfer device 30 to the fixing device 40 between the secondary transfer device 30 and the fixing device 40. 57, 58, etc. are provided. Further, in a portion near the paper discharge port of the image forming apparatus main body 1a, the recording paper 5 after fixing sent out from the fixing device 40 is fed to a paper discharge section 60 provided on the upper portion of the main body 1a along the conveyance guide 59. A paper discharge roll pair 61 for discharging is disposed.

  Between the fixing device 40 and the paper discharge roll pair 61, a switching gate 62 for switching the paper transport path is provided. The rotation direction of the paper discharge roll pair 61 can be switched between a normal rotation direction (discharge direction) and a reverse rotation direction. When images are formed on both sides of the recording paper 5, after the rear end of the recording paper 5 having an image formed on one side passes through the switching gate 62, the rotation direction of the paper discharge roll pair 61 is set to the normal rotation direction (discharge). Direction) to reverse direction. The recording paper 5 transported in the reverse direction by the paper discharge roll pair 61 is transported to the double-sided transport path 63 formed so as to be substantially along the vertical direction by switching the transport path by the switching gate 62. The duplex conveyance path 63 includes a sheet conveyance roll pair 64 that conveys the recording sheet 5 to the sheet conveyance roll pair 54 with the front and back sides reversed, and conveyance guides 65 to 68.

  In FIG. 1, reference numeral 70 denotes a manual feed tray that is openably and closably provided on the front surface (left side surface in the drawing) of the image forming apparatus main body 1 a. Between the manual feed tray 70 and the pair of paper transporting rolls 54, A feeding device 71 that feeds the recording sheets 5 stored in the manual feed tray 70 one by one, and a manual paper feed path 76 that includes a plurality of paper feed roll pairs 72 to 74, a feed guide 75, and the like are provided.

  Further, reference numeral 145 (Y, M, C, K) in FIG. 1 is arranged in plural along a direction orthogonal to the paper surface, and at least the toner supplied to the corresponding developing device 14 (Y, M, C, K). FIG. 4 shows a toner cartridge as an example of a developer containing member containing a developer containing the toner.

  Further, reference numeral 100 in FIG. 1 indicates a control device that comprehensively controls the operation of the image forming apparatus 1. The control device 100 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a ROM (Read Only Memory), a RAM (Random Access Memory), a bus connecting these CPU and ROM, a communication interface, and the like (not shown).

<Process cartridge configuration>
By the way, in this embodiment, the photosensitive drum 11 and the image forming means of the charging device 12, the developing device 14, and the drum cleaning device 16 arranged around the photosensitive drum 11 are integrally unitized. The image forming apparatus main body 1a is detachably assembled to form a process cartridge 80 as an example of an detachable unit (image forming unit). The exposure apparatus 13 is unitized (configured) separately from the process cartridge 80.

  4 is an external perspective view of the process cartridge 80 as viewed obliquely from the front side along the mounting direction, and FIG. 5 is a side view of the process cartridge 80 as viewed from the front end side (back side) along the mounting direction. FIG. 6 is an external perspective view of the process cartridge 80 as viewed from the obliquely lower side on the front end side (back side) along the mounting direction.

  As shown in FIGS. 4 to 6, the process cartridge 80 is an example of an image forming unit main body in which the photosensitive drum 11, the charging device 12, the developing device 14, and the drum cleaning device 16 are integrally mounted. A process cartridge main body 81 is provided. In the illustrated embodiment, the process cartridge main body 81 is disposed at the front and rear end portions along the mounting direction of the housing 140 of the developing device 14, the main body 160 of the drum cleaning device 16, and the process cartridge 80, respectively. Frame members 82, 83a and the like.

  The photosensitive drum 11 is rotatably mounted on the frame members 82 and 83a of the process cartridge main body 81. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 5, the housing 140 of the developing device 14 is attached to the process cartridge body 81 so as to be swingable with a swing fulcrum 146 as a fulcrum. The developing roll 141 is swingable in a direction in which the developing roll 141 is in contact with or separated from the photosensitive drum 11. Further, the developing device 14 is elastic such as a coil spring spanned between the housing 140 of the developing device 14 and the frame members 82 and 83a of the process cartridge main body 81 on which the photosensitive drum 11 is rotatably mounted. A tracking roll (not shown) as a gap setting member disposed at both ends along the axial direction of the developing roll 141 is configured to contact the surface of the photosensitive drum 11 by the member 147. With this configuration, a gap (DRS: Drum to Roll Space) between the photosensitive drum 11 and the developing roll 141 is accurately set to a required value. As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, a first driving force transmission unit 77 that transmits a driving force to the photosensitive drum 11 and a developing roll 141 are provided on the end surface on the front end side along the mounting direction of the process cartridge 80. And a second driving force transmitting portion 78 that transmits the driving force to each other in a protruding state.

  As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the process cartridge 80 is detachably mounted along the axial direction of the photosensitive drum 11 to a unit mounting portion 90 provided in the image forming apparatus main body 1a.

  Inside the image forming apparatus main body 1 a, a unit mounting portion 90 is disposed above the manual paper feed path 76. The unit mounting portion 90 corresponds to the process cartridge 80 (Y, M, C, K) of yellow (Y), magenta (M), cyan (C), and black (K), and the front surface of the image forming apparatus main body 1a. And four cartridge support portions 91 (Y, M, C, K) extending in the left-right direction. The image forming apparatus 10 (Y, M, C, K) composed of the process cartridges 80 (Y, M, C, K) has a relatively high yellow (Y) side as shown in FIG. The black (K) side is inclined so as to be relatively low. Therefore, the four cartridge support portions 91 (Y, M, C, K) are relatively high on the yellow (Y) cartridge support portion 91Y side following the image forming device 10 (Y, M, C, K). The black (K) cartridge support portion 91K side is disposed in an inclined state so as to be relatively low.

  The four cartridge support portions 91 (Y, M, C, K) are basically configured similarly. As shown in FIG. 7, the cartridge support portion 91 includes a mounting base 92 formed in a stepped shape so as to mount the exposure apparatus 13 unitized separately from the process cartridge 80, and a process cartridge of the mounting base 92. Adjacent to the side along the direction (Y direction) intersecting the mounting direction (X direction) of 80, the bottom surface corresponding to the developing device 14 of the process cartridge 80 to be attached and detached is provided one step lower in a concave shape. And a guide surface 93.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 9, the cartridge support portion 91 has a shape protruding in an inverted L shape upward at one end along the direction intersecting the mounting direction of the process cartridge 80 of the mounting base 92. The first guide portion 94 is provided, and the second guide portion 95 is formed of a convex portion protruding from the side surface of the housing 13 a of the exposure apparatus 13 unitized mounted on the mounting base 92.

  When the process cartridge 80 is mounted on the cartridge support portion 91, the first guide portion 94 of the cartridge support portion 91 is provided below the charging device 12 of the process cartridge 80, as shown in FIGS. The second guide portion 95 is inserted into the concave portion 83, and guides the process cartridge 80 by being inserted into the concave portion 84 provided on the inner surface of the developing device 14 of the process cartridge 80. On the other hand, the guide surface 93 of the cartridge support portion 91 guides the process cartridge 80 by accommodating the lower end portion of the developing device 14.

  Further, as shown in FIGS. 7 and 9, the process cartridge 80 is erroneously attached to a different cartridge support portion 91 at the end of the cartridge support portion 91 on the near side along the mounting direction of the process cartridge 80. In order to prevent this, an incompatible recess 96 is provided so that only the corresponding process cartridge 80 can be mounted on the cartridge support 91. The incompatible recess 96 is formed in the mounting direction (X direction) for each of the yellow (Y), magenta (M), cyan (C), and black (K) process cartridges 80 (Y, M, C, K). The positions along the intersecting direction (Y direction) are different. On the other hand, the bottom surface of the frame member 82 provided at the end on the near side along the mounting direction of the process cartridge 80 is mounted only in the recess 96 of the corresponding cartridge support portion 91 as shown in FIG. A non-interchangeable convex portion 85 is provided so as to be possible.

  As shown in FIG. 7, the image forming apparatus main body 1 a has a first end of the photosensitive drum 11 provided in the process cartridge 80 at the back end along the mounting direction (X direction) of the process cartridge 80. A positioning member 97 is provided which is positioned relative to the driving force transmitting portion 77 so as to move the end of the process cartridge 80 to the operation position set upward. That is, the positioning member 97 of the image forming apparatus main body 1a makes the first driving force transmitting portion 77 of the process cartridge 80 more than the first driving force transmitting portion 77 of the process cartridge 80 attached to the image forming apparatus main body 1a. It is a member for positioning to the operation position set to the high position. As shown in FIG. 10, the positioning member 97 supports the first driving force transmitting portion 77 of the photosensitive drum 11 below the front end portion along the mounting direction (X direction) of the process cartridge 80. A semicircular support member 98 and an elastic member 99 made of a coil spring that biases the support member 98 upward are provided. The positioning member 97 is configured so that the support member 98 is elastically displaced downward by the weight of the process cartridge 80 when the first driving force transmission portion 77 of the photosensitive drum 11 of the process cartridge 80 comes into contact with the positioning member 97. This is a member for facilitating the positioning operation for inserting the first driving force transmitting portion 77 of the drum 11 into the positioning member 97.

  On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 8, a lift lever 86 for moving the process cartridge 80 to the upper operating position is freely rotatable at the front end along the mounting direction (X direction) of the process cartridge 80. Is provided. As shown in FIG. 11, the elevating lever 86 is attached to the frame member 82 of the process cartridge 80 so as to be rotatable about a rotation shaft 861. The elevating lever 86 has an abutting portion 863 to which an elastic force is applied in a direction away from the rotating shaft 861 via a coil spring 862.

  As shown in FIG. 8, the lift lever 86 is rotated to a position where the process cartridge 80 is tilted toward the front side of the process cartridge 80 before the process cartridge 80 is mounted at a required operation position. Then, the lift lever 86 moves the process cartridge 80 to the operating position of the cartridge support portion 91 and then rotates about 90 degrees so as to be substantially parallel to the front end surface of the process cartridge 80 as shown in FIG. Moved. By this operation, the lifting / lowering lever 86 moves the end on the near side along the mounting direction of the process cartridge 80 to the upper operating position based on the lever principle around the rotation shaft 861. Note that, as described above, the rear end portion of the process cartridge 80 has been moved to the operation position that is already positioned above. At this time, the photosensitive drum 11 of the process cartridge 80 is stopped at the operating position in contact with the primary transfer device 15 via the intermediate transfer belt 21, as shown in FIGS. As shown in FIGS. 9 and 11, the upper end surface 82a of the frame member 82 on the near side along the mounting direction is formed at the front end along the mounting direction (X direction) of the process cartridge 80. It is positioned at the operating position by being abutted against the lower surface of the abutting portion 79 of the apparatus main body 1a.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the process cartridge 80 is provided with a grip portion 87 that a user grips with hand when the process cartridge 80 is detachably attached to the image forming apparatus main body 1. The process cartridge 80 does not need to include all of the image forming members such as the photosensitive drum 11 and the charging device 12, the developing device 14, and the drum cleaning device 15 disposed around the photosensitive drum 11. Of these image forming members, the photosensitive drum 11, the charging device 12, and the developing device 14 may be configured, or the photosensitive drum 11 and the developing device 14 may be configured.

  As shown in FIG. 8, the process cartridge 80 is mounted at a required operation position of the image forming apparatus main body 1a, thereby receiving driving force and power from the image forming apparatus main body 1a side.

<Operation of Image Forming Apparatus>
Hereinafter, a basic image forming operation by the image forming apparatus 1 will be described.

  Here, using the four image forming devices 10 (Y, M, C, K), an operation of forming a full-color image configured by combining toner images of four colors (Y, M, C, K). Will be described.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the image forming apparatus 1 receives four image forming apparatuses 10 (Y, M, C, K) and intermediate transfer upon receiving command information for requesting an image forming operation (printing). The device 20, the secondary transfer device 30, the fixing device 40, etc. are started.

  In each image forming device 10 (Y, M, C, K), each photoconductor drum 11 is first rotated in the direction indicated by an arrow A, and each charging device 12 makes a required surface of each photoconductor drum 11 on the surface. Each is charged to a polarity (negative polarity in the first embodiment) and a potential. Subsequently, the exposure apparatus 13 converts the image information input to the image forming apparatus 1 into each color component (Y, M, C, K) with respect to the surface of the photosensitive drum 11 after charging. The light emitted on the basis of the signal is irradiated to form an electrostatic latent image of each color component composed of a required potential difference on the surface.

  Subsequently, each image forming device 10 (Y, M, C, K) corresponds to the electrostatic latent image of each color component formed on the photosensitive drum 11 charged to a required polarity (minus polarity). Color (Y, M, C, K) toner is supplied from the developing roll 141 and electrostatically attached to perform development. By this development, the electrostatic latent images of the respective color components formed on the respective photosensitive drums 11 are visualized as toner images of four colors (Y, M, C, K) respectively developed with the corresponding color toners. It becomes.

  Subsequently, when each color toner image formed on the photosensitive drum 11 of each image forming device 10 (Y, M, C, K) is conveyed to the primary transfer position, the primary transfer device 15 causes each color image. The toner image is primarily transferred in a state where the toner image is sequentially superimposed on the intermediate transfer belt 21 rotating in the direction indicated by the arrow B of the intermediate transfer device 20.

  Further, in each image forming apparatus 10 for which the primary transfer has been completed, the drum cleaning device 16 cleans the surface of the photosensitive drum 11 by removing the adhered material so as to scrape off. Thereby, each image forming apparatus 10 is brought into a state in which the next image forming operation can be performed.

  Subsequently, in the intermediate transfer device 20, the toner image primarily transferred by the rotation of the intermediate transfer belt 21 is held and conveyed to the secondary transfer position. On the other hand, the paper feeding device 50 sends out the required recording paper 5 to the paper feeding conveyance path 56 in accordance with the image forming operation. In the paper feed transport path 56, a pair of paper transport rolls 54 as registration rolls feeds the recording paper 5 to the secondary transfer position in accordance with the transfer timing.

  At the secondary transfer position, the secondary transfer roll 31 of the secondary transfer device 30 collectively transfers the toner image on the intermediate transfer belt 21 onto the recording paper 5. Further, in the intermediate transfer device 20 after the secondary transfer is completed, the belt cleaning device 27 removes adhered matters such as toner remaining on the surface of the intermediate transfer belt 21 after the secondary transfer, and cleans it.

  Subsequently, the recording paper 5 on which the toner image has been secondarily transferred is peeled from the intermediate transfer belt 21 and the secondary transfer roll 31 and then conveyed to the fixing device 40 via the conveyance guides 57 and 58. In the fixing device 40, the necessary fixing process (heating and heating) is performed by introducing and passing the recording sheet 5 after the secondary transfer through the contact portion between the rotating rotating body 41 for heating and the rotating body 42 for pressing. Pressure) to fix the unfixed toner image on the recording paper 5. Finally, the recording paper 5 after the fixing is completed is, for example, a paper set on the upper portion of the main body 1a by the paper discharge roll pair 61 in the image forming operation only for forming an image on one side. It is discharged to the discharge unit 60.

  Further, when forming images on both sides of the recording paper 5, the recording paper 5 with the image formed on one side is not discharged to the paper discharge section 60 by the paper discharge roll pair 61, but the paper discharge roll pair 61 is used as the recording paper. While the rear end of the sheet 5 is held, the rotation direction of the sheet discharge roll pair 61 is switched to the reverse direction. The recording paper 5 conveyed in the reverse direction by the paper discharge roll pair 61 passes through the upper part of the switching gate 62 and then passes through the double-sided conveyance path 63 provided with the paper conveyance roll pair 64, the conveyance guides 65 to 68, and the like. The paper is transported to the pair of paper transport rollers 54 with the front and back sides reversed. The pair of paper transporting rolls 54 feeds the recording paper 5 to the secondary transfer position in accordance with the transfer timing, forms an image on the back surface of the recording paper 5, and is installed on the upper portion of the main body 1a by the paper discharge roll pair 61. The paper is discharged to the paper discharge unit 60.

  Through the above operation, the recording paper 5 on which a full color image formed by combining four color toner images is output.

<Configuration of toner transport device>
In the image forming apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, each image forming apparatus 10 (Y) of yellow (Y), magenta (M), cyan (C), and black (K) is used. , M, C, K), the developer 4 accommodated in the developing device 14 of each image forming device 10 (Y, M, C, K) in accordance with the image forming operation for forming the corresponding color toner image. Is consumed.

  As shown in FIG. 12, the image forming apparatus 1 develops each image forming device 10 (Y, M, C, K) of yellow (Y), magenta (M), cyan (C), and black (K). The apparatus 14 includes a toner conveying device 110 as an example of a developer conveying device that conveys a developer containing at least toner of a corresponding color at a required timing. The toner conveying device 110 corresponds to yellow (Y), magenta (M), and cyan (C) toners of different colors, yellow (Y), magenta (M), cyan (C), and black (K). And the black (K) developing device 14 (Y, M, C, K).

  In this embodiment, the developer conveying device is configured to replenish only the toner to the developing device 14, but may be configured to replenish the developing device 14 with a developer composed of toner and a carrier. At that time, the developer supplied to the developing device 14 is set to have a higher toner concentration than the developer 4 in the developing device 14 as necessary.

  The toner conveying device 110 is an example of a holding member 111 that holds a toner cartridge 145 as an example of a developer accommodating member, and a developer conveying unit that conveys toner from the toner cartridge 145 held on the holding member 111 to the developing device 14. And a toner conveying member 120. In addition, the toner conveying member 120 has a toner conveying direction (Z direction in the figure) and a direction intersecting the toner conveying direction (Y direction in the figure) at the end of the toner conveying member 120 on the developing device 14 side. And a holder member 130 as an example of a joining member that is attached to the developing device 14 so as to be replenished with toner. The holding member 111, the toner conveying member 120, and the holder member 130 correspond to the developing devices 14 (Y, M, C, K) of yellow (Y), magenta (M), cyan (C), and black (K). Are provided respectively.

  The yellow (Y), magenta (M), cyan (C), and black (K) holding members 111 are similarly configured as shown in FIG. The holding member 111 has a mounting portion for mounting the corresponding color toner cartridge 145 in a fixed state. Further, as shown in FIG. 13, a shutter member 146 that opens and closes the toner supply port 148 is slidably mounted on the inclined bottom surface of the holding member 111. The holding member 111 has a driving member 147 that rotationally drives a toner agitating and supplying conveyance member that is rotatably provided inside the toner cartridge 145 at an end on the back side along the mounting direction of the toner cartridge 145. Is provided. The toner cartridge 145 is configured to open the toner supply port 148 and open a toner supply port (not shown) of the toner cartridge 145 by being mounted at a predetermined position of the holding member 111. A driving device 170 that rotationally drives the driving member 147 and rotationally drives the toner conveying member 120 is provided on the inner side of the holding member 111 along the mounting direction of the toner cartridge 145. The driving device 170 has two driving motors 171.

  As shown in FIG. 12, the toner conveying member 120 includes a first toner conveying portion 121 as an example of a plurality of conveying regions that convey toner along the longitudinal direction of the toner cartridge 145 to the lower end portion of the holding member 111; A plurality of transport regions for transporting toner from one end of the first toner transport unit 121 to the upper part of the position corresponding to the end in the longitudinal direction (axial direction) of the developing device 14 of the corresponding image forming apparatus 10 A second toner conveying unit 122 as an example, and a third as an example of a plurality of conveying regions that convey toner downward from the tip of the second toner conveying unit 122 toward the developing device 14 along the vertical direction. Toner transport unit 123. Note that the toner transport member 120Y corresponding to the yellow color is different from the other toner transport members 120Y in which the toner transport direction in the first toner transport unit 121Y is magenta (M), cyan (C), and black (K). It is set in the opposite direction. Further, the toner conveying member 120Y corresponding to the yellow color does not have the second toner conveying unit 122 because of the arrangement of the yellow developing device 14Y, and the first toner conveying unit 121Y and the third toner are not included. It is comprised from the conveyance part 123Y. Further, the second and third toner conveying portions 122 and 123 have different lengths due to the arrangement relationship between the corresponding color toner cartridge 145 and the developing device 14 of the process cartridge 80. The second and third toner transport units 122M and 123M corresponding to magenta color have the shortest length, and the second and third toner transport units 122C, 123C and 122K and 123K corresponding to cyan and black colors are sequentially long. Is configured to be long.

  As shown in FIG. 16, the first toner transport unit 121Y corresponding to the yellow color includes a first toner transport path forming member 124 formed in a cylindrical shape as an example of a cylindrical transport path, and the first toner transport section 121Y. And a first agitating and conveying member 125 formed of a screw auger or the like that is rotatably disposed inside one toner conveying path forming member 124. The first agitating and conveying member 125 includes a rotating shaft 125a disposed inside the first toner conveying path forming member 124, and conveying blades 125b spirally provided on the outer periphery of the rotating shaft 125a. Yes. Further, the first toner transport path forming member 124 is opened at a position corresponding to the toner supply port 148 of the holding member 111, and has a toner receiving port 124 a that receives toner falling from the toner supply port 148. Further, the first toner transport path forming member 124 has an opening 124b that transports the toner to the second toner transport section 122 at the front end along the transport direction of the first stirring transport member 125. Have.

  The first toner conveyance unit 121 corresponding to yellow color includes a large-diameter portion 125 c as an example of a conveyance amount regulation unit that regulates the amount of toner conveyed by the toner conveyance member 125. The large-diameter portion 125c is configured by increasing the diameter of the rotating shaft 125a compared to other portions. That is, it can be said that the rotating shaft 125a of the first stirring and conveying member 125 has a small diameter portion 125d having a relatively small diameter and a large diameter portion 125c having a relatively large diameter. . Further, the rotating shaft 125 of the first agitating and conveying member 125 is provided with a tapered portion 125e set so that the diameter gradually increases between the small diameter portion 125d and the large diameter portion 125c. The outer diameter of the conveying blade 125b is set to be the same from the small diameter portion 125d to the large diameter portion 125c. The first agitating and conveying member 125 has a large-diameter portion 125c smaller than the small-diameter portion 125d of the rotating shaft 125 so that the cross-sectional area of the conveying space formed between the rotating shaft 125a and the toner conveying path forming member 124 is set smaller. . Therefore, the first agitating and conveying member 125 has a smaller amount of toner conveyed per unit time than the small diameter portion 125d in which the large diameter portion 125c of the first agitating and conveying member 125 is conveyed, and is conveyed by the small diameter portion 125d. The conveyed amount of the toner thus regulated is regulated in the large diameter portion 125c.

  As shown in FIG. 17, the first toner conveyance unit 121M corresponding to magenta color includes a first toner conveyance path forming member 124 formed in a cylindrical shape as an example of a cylindrical conveyance path, and the first toner conveyance path forming member 124. And a first agitating and conveying member 125 formed of a screw auger or the like that is rotatably disposed inside one toner conveying path forming member 124. As described above, the first toner conveyance unit 121M corresponding to magenta color is set to have the toner conveyance direction opposite to that of the first toner conveyance unit 121 corresponding to yellow color. The first agitating and conveying member 125 includes a rotating shaft 125a disposed inside the first toner conveying path forming member 124, and conveying blades 125b spirally provided on the outer periphery of the rotating shaft 125a. Yes. Further, the first toner transport path forming member 124 is opened at a position corresponding to the toner supply port 148 of the holding member 111, and has a toner receiving port 124 a that receives toner falling from the toner supply port 148. Further, the first toner transport path forming member 124 has an opening 124b that transports the toner to the second toner transport section 122 at the front end along the transport direction of the first stirring transport member 125. Have.

  The first toner conveyance unit 121M corresponding to magenta color includes a large-diameter portion 125c as an example of a conveyance amount regulating unit, similarly to the yellow first toner conveyance unit 121Y.

  As shown in FIGS. 18 and 19, the first toner transport units 121C and 121K corresponding to the cyan color and the black color are configured in substantially the same manner as the first toner transport unit 121M corresponding to the magenta color. . The first toner transport sections 121C and 121K corresponding to cyan and black colors include a first toner transport path forming member 124 formed in a cylindrical shape as an example of a cylindrical transport path, and the first toner. A first agitating and conveying member 125 made of a screw auger or the like rotatably disposed inside the conveying path forming member 124. As described above, the first toner transport units 121C and 121K corresponding to the cyan color and the black color are set to have the toner transport direction opposite to that of the first toner transport unit 121 corresponding to the yellow color. The first agitating and conveying member 125 includes a rotating shaft 125a disposed inside the first toner conveying path forming member 124, and conveying blades 125b spirally provided on the outer periphery of the rotating shaft 125a. Yes. Further, the first toner transport path forming member 124 is opened at a position corresponding to the toner supply port 148 of the holding member 111, and has a toner receiving port 124 a that receives toner falling from the toner supply port 148. Further, the first toner transport path forming member 124 has an opening 124b that transports the toner to the second toner transport section 122 at the front end along the transport direction of the first stirring transport member 125. Have.

  The first toner transport units 121C and 121K corresponding to the cyan color and the black color include a large-diameter portion 125c as an example of a transport amount regulating unit, similarly to the first toner transport unit 121M corresponding to the magenta color. Yes.

  The first toner transport units 121Y, 121M, 121C, and 121K corresponding to yellow, magenta, cyan, and black colors are arranged in the second toner transport unit 122 as indicated by solid arrows in FIG. Accordingly, the transport distances (lengths) of the first toner transport units 121Y, 121M, 121C, and 121K differ, and the first toner transport unit 121Y corresponding to the yellow color is the shortest, and the first toner transport unit 121Y corresponding to the black color is the shortest. The toner conveying portion 121K is set to be the longest.

  By the way, in this embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 16 to 19, a large distance from the end along the toner conveyance direction of the toner receiving port 124 a which is an example of the toner conveyance start position of the first toner conveyance unit 121 is large. The distance L to the diameter portion 125c is configured to be equal in each of the first toner conveying portions 121Y, 121M, 121C, and 121K of yellow (Y), magenta (M), cyan (C), and black (K). ing.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 18 and FIG. 19 and the like, the second toner transport unit 122 includes a cylindrical second toner transport path forming member 126 that transports toner, and a second toner transport path forming member 126. And a second stirring / conveying member 127 made up of a screw auger (not shown) or the like that is rotatably arranged. The second toner conveyance path forming member 126 has an opening (not shown) that conveys the toner to the third toner conveyance unit 123 at the tip end along the conveyance direction of the second agitation conveyance member. ing.

  Further, as shown in FIGS. 20 and 21, the third toner transport unit 123 includes a cylindrical third toner transport path forming member 128 that transports toner, and the third toner transport path forming member 128. And a conveying member 129 made of a metal wire material such as an agitator formed in a spiral shape. The third toner conveyance path forming member 128 is disposed along a substantially vertical direction with respect to the image forming apparatus main body 1a. The upper end portion of the conveying member 129 is connected to a crank portion (not shown) provided at the tip of the second stirring and conveying member 127. The conveying member 129 is driven so as to reciprocate along the vertical direction in accordance with the rotation operation of the crank portion of the second agitating and conveying member 127, and the toner introduced into the third toner conveying path forming member 128 is substantially omitted. It is conveyed so as to drop downward along the vertical direction. In FIG. 21, reference numeral 163 denotes an elastic member, and 164 denotes an insertion hole.

  As shown in FIG. 20, the lower end portion 128a of the third toner conveyance path forming member 128 is a front end side end portion along the longitudinal direction (X direction) of the developing device 14 of the process cartridge 80 mounted at the operating position. It is arrange | positioned in the position corresponding to above. As shown in FIG. 10, the intermediate portion of the third toner transport path forming member 128 is fixed to the side frame 1b in the image forming apparatus main body 1a with screws 128b.

  At the lower end of the third toner transport path forming member 128, as shown in FIG. 20, on both sides along the mounting direction (X direction) of the process cartridge 80, the toner transport direction (Z direction) and the relevant A protrusion 150 constituting one of engagement portions (snap fit portions) to which the holder member 130 is attached is integrally provided so as to be displaceable in a direction (Y direction) intersecting the toner conveyance direction.

  As shown in FIG. 22, the holder member 130 is provided at the end of the process cartridge 80 along the mounting direction of the developing device 14 by mounting the process cartridge 80 at a predetermined position of the image forming apparatus main body 1a. Connected to the toner supply port 148, the toner is supplied to the inside of the housing 140 of the developing device 14.

<Operation of Toner Transport Device>
In the first embodiment, the toners stored in the toner cartridges 145 (Y, M, C, K) are processed by the toner transport device 110 in the corresponding color process cartridges 80 (Y, M, C, K) as shown in FIG. C, K) is supplied to the developing device 14.

  More specifically, the toner supplied from the toner cartridge 145 (Y, M, C, K) passes through the first and second toner conveying portions 121 and 122 of the toner replenishing device 110 as shown in FIG. Then, the toner is conveyed to the upper end portion of the third toner conveying portion 123. The toner transported to the upper end of the third toner transport section 123 is moved vertically in the third toner transport path forming member 128 disposed along the substantially vertical direction with respect to the image forming apparatus main body 1a. Then, the toner is transported to the tip of the third toner transport path forming member 128 so as to fall downward along the vertical direction by the transport member 129 that is movably driven along. As shown in FIG. 20, the holder member 130 is disposed at the front end of the third toner conveyance path forming member 128 via a snap fit portion including a projection 150 and a second engagement portion 134. It is attached so as to be displaceable in the (Z direction) and the direction (Y direction) intersecting the toner transport direction.

  At this time, the first toner transport units 121Y, 121M, 121C, and 121K corresponding to yellow, magenta, cyan, and black colors include the large-diameter portion 125c of the toner transport member 125. Therefore, when the toner supplied from the toner cartridge 145 (Y, M, C, K) to the toner supply device 110 is transported from the toner receiving port 124a to the first toner transport units 121Y, 121M, 121C, 121K. In addition, the toner conveyance amount is regulated to a required value by the large diameter portion 125c.

  Further, in this embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 16 to 19, the distance from the toner receiving port 124a to the large diameter portion 125c corresponds to the first color corresponding to yellow, magenta, cyan, and black. It is set equal in the toner conveying portions 121Y, 121M, 121C, and 121K.

  Therefore, the toners transported in the first toner transport units 121Y, 121M, 121C, and 121K corresponding to yellow, magenta, cyan, and black colors are the first toner transport units 121Y, 121M, 121C, and 121K. After the toner is conveyed by an equal distance by the toner conveying member 125, the conveying amount is regulated by the large diameter portion 125c provided in the toner conveying portions 121Y, 121M, 121C, and 121K. Therefore, the first toner transport units 121Y, 121M, 121C, and 121K corresponding to yellow, magenta, cyan, and black colors are configured to have different toner transport directions and transport distances. However, as shown in FIG. 23, the variation in the transport amount of toner per unit time is improved. Therefore, in each of the image forming apparatuses 10Y, 10M, 10C, and 10K of yellow (Y), magenta (M), cyan (C), and black (K), the toner transport amount varies in any one of the image forming apparatuses. The image is formed satisfactorily.

  In the above-described embodiment, the case where the third toner conveyance path forming member 128 is disposed above the developing device 14 in the vertical direction has been described. However, the third toner conveyance path forming member 128 is disposed on the developing device 14. Of course, it may be arranged horizontally.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Image forming apparatus 1a ... Image forming apparatus main body 110 ... Toner replenishing apparatus 121 ... 1st toner conveyance part 125c ... Large diameter part 130 ... Holder member

Claims (7)

A plurality of developer conveying units that respectively convey developers of different colors to a corresponding plurality of developing units, wherein at least one developer conveying unit in the horizontal direction is set to a different distance from the others. A plurality of developer conveying means;
A conveyance amount regulating unit that is provided in each of the plurality of developer conveyance units and regulates the amount of the developer conveyed by each developer conveyance unit;
With
A developer transport device in which the distance from the transport start position of the developer in the horizontal direction in each developer transport means to the transport amount regulating unit is set equal. The plurality of developer conveying means includes a cylindrical conveyance path that conveys the supplied developer, a rotation shaft that is rotatably disposed within the cylindrical conveyance path, and an outer periphery of the rotation axis. A spirally provided conveying blade,
The developer conveying device according to claim 1, wherein the conveyance amount regulating unit includes the rotation shaft having a diameter set larger than that of other portions. The plurality of developer conveying means includes a plurality of conveying areas that are divided along the conveying direction of the developer and have different conveying directions, and the developer falls in each conveying area by its own weight. Introduced,
3. The developer transport device according to claim 1, wherein a position at which the developer drops onto a transport area in which the developer is transported in a horizontal direction is a transport start position of the developer. The plurality of developer transporting units have the plurality of transporting regions that are different depending on the arrangement of the plurality of developing units,
4. The development according to claim 3, wherein the plurality of developer transporting units transport the developer to the corresponding developing unit by transporting the developer along a vertical direction in a transporting region located on the most downstream side. 5. Agent transport device. A plurality of image carriers each holding electrostatic latent images corresponding to images of different colors on the surface;
A plurality of developing means for respectively developing the electrostatic latent images held on the surfaces of the plurality of image holding bodies with a developer of a corresponding color;
A plurality of developer accommodating members respectively accommodating the developers different in color from each other;
A developer transporting device for transporting the developer of a corresponding color from the plurality of developer containing members to the plurality of developing units;
With
An image forming apparatus using the developer conveying device according to claim 1 as the developer conveying device. Set so that the arrangement direction of the plurality of image carriers and the arrangement direction of the plurality of developer accommodating members intersect,
The image forming apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the attachment / detachment direction of the plurality of image holding members and the plurality of developer accommodating members is set to the same direction.   The plurality of developer accommodating members are formed in a cylindrical shape, and the developer supply port is provided on a side surface of the plurality of developer accommodating members formed in the cylindrical shape. The image forming apparatus described in 1.

Images