JP2017122896A - Powder storage container and image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To solve the problem in which: when a powder is adhered to a ventilation sheet, air permeability is reduced.SOLUTION: A powder storage container comprises a container body 50 that can store a powder used for image formation and is positioned and attached to an image forming apparatus body by bringing one end side 50a in the longitudinal direction of the container body 50 into contact with the image forming apparatus body earlier than the other end part 50b; a ventilation hole 70 through which an air passes between the inside and outside of the container body 50 and a ventilation sheet 71 that covers the ventilation hole 70 to prevent the powder inside the container body 50 from leaking to the outside are provided at the one end side 50a of the container body 50.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 9

Description

  The present invention relates to a powder container that can store powder used for image formation, and an image forming apparatus including such a powder container.

  2. Description of the Related Art As an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine or a printer, there is known an apparatus in which a powder container that stores powder used for image formation such as toner is configured to be detachable from an apparatus main body.

  For example, Patent Document 1 listed below describes a toner container provided with a vent hole and a filter that covers the vent hole. Thus, by providing the air hole and the filter in the toner container, air can be taken in and out while preventing toner leakage, and the pressure rise or pressure drop in the toner container can be suppressed.

  However, when powders such as toner adhere to the ventilation sheet, there is a problem that the air permeability is lowered.

  In order to solve the above-described problems, the present invention includes a container main body that can store powder used for image formation, and has one end side in the longitudinal direction of the container main body before the other end side. A powder storage container that is positioned and mounted by contacting the main body, wherein the air passage allows air to pass inside and outside the container main body, and the flow passage prevents the powder in the container main body from leaking to the outside. A vent sheet covering the pores is provided on the one end side of the container body.

  According to the present invention, the container body comes into contact with the image forming apparatus main body at the time of mounting by providing the vent hole and the ventilation sheet on one end side of the container main body positioned by contacting the image forming apparatus main body first. The vibration generated by this is easily propagated to the ventilation sheet. This vibration can eliminate clogging of the ventilation sheet and ensure air permeability.

1 is a schematic diagram illustrating an overall configuration of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a figure which shows the state which opened the cover member. It is a figure which shows the state which opened the cover and also rotated the container holding member upwards. It is a perspective view of a container holding member. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a toner cartridge and a developing device according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a toner cartridge. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a toner cartridge. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of how to hold a toner cartridge. FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining a toner cartridge mounting procedure. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the toner cartridge as viewed from a direction orthogonal to the rotation axis direction of the agitator. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the toner cartridge as viewed from the direction of the rotation axis of the agitator. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of a toner cartridge according to another embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of a toner cartridge according to still another embodiment of the present invention.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In each of the drawings for explaining the embodiments of the present invention, constituent elements such as members and components having the same function or shape are described once by giving the same reference numerals as much as possible. Then, the explanation is omitted.

  First, an overall configuration and operation of a color printer (hereinafter referred to as “printer”), which is an embodiment of an image forming apparatus according to the present invention, will be described with reference to FIG. The image forming apparatus may be a monochrome printer, or in addition to a printer, a copier, a facsimile alone, or a multifunction machine having at least two functions of a printer, a copier, a facsimile, and a scanner. There may be.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the printer mainly includes an image forming unit 1, a transfer unit 2, a recording medium supply unit 3, a fixing unit 4, and a recording medium discharge unit 5.

  The image forming unit 1 is equipped with four process units 6Y, 6M, 6C, and 6Bk as image forming units. Each process unit 6Y, 6M, 6C, 6Bk contains toners of different colors of yellow (Y), magenta (M), cyan (C), and black (Bk) corresponding to the color separation components of the color image. Other than that, the configuration is the same.

  Specifically, each of the process units 6Y, 6M, 6C, and 6Bk includes a photosensitive member 7 as a latent image carrier that carries a latent image, a charging roller 8 as a charging unit that charges the surface of the photosensitive member 7, and a photosensitive member. The image forming apparatus includes a developing device 9 as a developing unit that develops a latent image on the body 7 and a photoconductor cleaning device 10 as a latent image carrier cleaning unit that cleans the surface of the photoconductor 7. An exposure device 11 as a latent image forming unit that forms a latent image on the surface of the photoconductor 7 is provided at a position facing each photoconductor 7. In the present embodiment, an LED unit is used as the exposure device 11, but a laser beam scanner type using a laser diode may be used.

  The transfer unit 2 has an endless intermediate transfer belt 12 as an intermediate transfer body onto which an image (toner image) on the photoconductor 7 is transferred, and a primary transfer that primarily transfers the image on the photoconductor 7 to the intermediate transfer belt 12. A plurality of primary transfer rollers 13 as transfer means, a secondary transfer roller 14 as secondary transfer means for secondary transfer of an image transferred to the intermediate transfer belt 12 to a recording medium, and the surface (outer periphery) of the intermediate transfer belt 12 A belt cleaning device 17 is disposed as an intermediate transfer member cleaning means for cleaning the surface.

  The intermediate transfer belt 12 is stretched around a driving roller 15 and a driven roller 16 and rotates (rotates) as the driving roller 15 rotates. Each primary transfer roller 13 is disposed so as to be in contact with each photoconductor 7 through the intermediate transfer belt 12. At locations where these primary transfer rollers 13 come into contact with the respective photoconductors 7 via the intermediate transfer belt 12, primary transfer nips where images on the respective photoconductors 7 are transferred to the intermediate transfer belt 12 are formed. On the other hand, the secondary transfer roller 14 is disposed so as to be in contact with the driving roller 15 via the intermediate transfer belt 12. At a location where the secondary transfer roller 14 contacts the drive roller 15 via the intermediate transfer belt 12, a secondary transfer nip is formed where an image on the intermediate transfer belt 12 is transferred to a recording medium.

  The recording medium supply unit 3 includes a paper feed cassette 18 as a recording medium storage unit that stores paper P as a recording medium, and a paper feed roller as a recording medium feeding unit that feeds the paper P from the paper feed cassette 18. 19 and a timing roller 20 as a recording medium conveying means for conveying the paper P fed by the paper feeding roller 19 to the secondary transfer nip at a predetermined timing. In addition to the paper, the recording medium may be an OHP sheet, an OHP film, or the like. In addition to plain paper, the paper includes thick paper, postcard, envelope, thin paper, coated paper (coated paper, art paper, etc.), tracing paper, and the like.

  In the fixing unit 4, a fixing device 21 that fixes an image on the paper P is disposed. The fixing device 21 includes a fixing roller 22 as a fixing member heated by a heating source such as a heater, and a pressure roller 23 as a pressure member that contacts the fixing roller 22 with a predetermined pressure to form a fixing nip. Etc.

  In the recording medium discharge section 5, a paper discharge roller 24 as a recording medium discharge means for discharging the paper P sent from the fixing device 21 to the outside of the apparatus, and a recording on which the paper P discharged by the paper discharge roller 24 is placed. A paper discharge tray 25 is disposed as a medium placement unit.

  In addition to the above-described components, the printer is equipped with a plurality of toner cartridges 26 as powder storage containers for storing toner (developer) that is powder used for image formation. Each toner cartridge 26 contains toner of the same color as the toner in the corresponding developing device 9, and when the toner in the developing device 9 falls below a predetermined amount, the toner is replenished from the toner cartridge 26. Further, a waste toner container 27 is installed in the printer as a powder container separate from the toner cartridge 26. The waste toner container 27 stores waste toner collected by the belt cleaning device 17 or the photoconductor cleaning device 10.

Next, a basic operation of the printer according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.
When the image forming operation is started, each photoconductor 7 is rotationally driven, and the surface of each photoconductor 7 is uniformly charged to a predetermined polarity by the charging roller 8. Next, based on image information from a reading device or a computer, the exposure device 11 irradiates a charged surface of each photoconductor 7 with laser light to form a latent image (electrostatic latent image). At this time, the latent image formed on each photoconductor 7 is a latent image based on single-color image information obtained by separating a desired full-color image into color information of yellow, magenta, cyan, and black. Then, toner is supplied from each developing device 9 to the latent image formed on the photoconductor 7, whereby the latent image is developed as a toner image (visible image).

  The toner images on the respective photoconductors 7 are sequentially superimposed and transferred onto the intermediate transfer belt 12 that runs around. Specifically, when the image on the photoconductor 7 reaches the position of the primary transfer nip, the toner image on the photoconductor 7 is transferred onto the intermediate transfer belt 12 by a transfer electric field formed by applying a predetermined voltage to the primary transfer roller 13. Are sequentially transferred. Thus, the intermediate transfer belt 12 carries a full-color toner image on its surface. The toner on each photoconductor 7 that could not be transferred to the intermediate transfer belt 12 is removed by the photoconductor cleaning device 10.

  When the image forming operation is started, the paper feed roller 19 rotates and the paper P is fed from the paper feed cassette 18. The fed paper P is temporarily stopped by the timing roller 20. Thereafter, rotation of the timing roller 20 is started at a predetermined timing, and the paper P is conveyed to the secondary transfer nip at a timing when the toner image on the intermediate transfer belt 12 reaches the secondary transfer nip.

  When the paper P is conveyed to the secondary transfer nip, a predetermined voltage is applied to the secondary transfer roller 14 and a transfer electric field is formed in the secondary transfer nip. Then, the toner image on the intermediate transfer belt 12 is collectively transferred onto the paper P by the transfer electric field formed in the secondary transfer nip. At this time, the toner remaining on the intermediate transfer belt 12 is removed by the belt cleaning device 17.

  Thereafter, the paper P is conveyed to the fixing device 21, and the toner image is pressed while being heated by the fixing roller 22 and the pressure roller 23, and is fixed to the paper P. Then, the paper P is discharged out of the apparatus by the paper discharge roller 24 and placed on the paper discharge tray 25.

  The above description is an image forming operation when a full-color image is formed. A single-color image is formed using any one of the four process units 6Y, 6M, 6C, and 6Bk, or two or three. It is also possible to use two process units to form a two-color or three-color image.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the printer according to this embodiment includes a cover member 101 for opening and closing an upper portion of an apparatus main body (image forming apparatus main body) 100. The cover member 101 can be turned up and down around a turning shaft 103 provided in the apparatus main body 100. A container holding member 102 that detachably holds four toner cartridges 26 is disposed below the cover member 101. The container holding member 102 can be rotated up and down around another rotating shaft 104 provided in the apparatus main body 100.

FIG. 2 shows a state where the cover member 101 is rotated upward and opened, and FIG. 3 shows a state where the container holding member 102 is also rotated upward in addition to the cover member 101.
As shown in FIG. 2, when the cover member 101 is opened, the upper portion of the apparatus main body 100 is opened, so that each toner cartridge 26 can be removed upward from the container holding member 102 through the opened portion. It becomes.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 3, when the container holding member 102 is rotated upward from the horizontally disposed basic posture, each toner cartridge 26 is moved together with the container holding member 102 to the process units 6Y, 6M, 6C, It is arranged at the retreat position retracted (separated) from above 6Bk. An exposure device 11 is attached to the lower surface of the container holding member 102, and each exposure device 11 is also retracted from above the process units 6Y, 6M, 6C, and 6Bk as the container holding member 102 rotates. In this way, the container holding member 102 is set in the retracted position rotated upward, so that the process units 6Y, 6M, 6C, and 6Bk do not interfere with the toner cartridge 26 and the exposure apparatus 11 and the upper portion of the apparatus main body 100. It becomes possible to remove from the open part formed in.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the container holding member 102.
As shown in FIG. 4, the container holding member 102 is provided on the two sides facing the bottom portion 111 having a substantially rectangular shape, the back wall 112 provided on one side of the bottom portion 111, and the bottom portion 111 intersecting with the back wall 112. It has a pair of side walls 113 and 114. Each toner cartridge 26 is mounted in parallel between the pair of side walls 113 and 114. The rear wall 112 is provided with a cylindrical bearing 115 into which the pivot shaft 104 is inserted.

Hereinafter, the toner cartridge 26 and the developing device 9 will be described in detail.
In the following description regarding the toner cartridge 26 and the developing device 9, the vertical direction with respect to the toner cartridge 26 or the developing device 9 refers to the vertical direction in a state where these are mounted on the apparatus main body 100. In particular, with respect to the toner cartridge 26, “a state in which the toner cartridge 26 is attached to the apparatus main body” means a state in which the toner cartridge 26 is attached in a basic posture in which the container holding member 102 is horizontally disposed.

FIG. 5 is a schematic sectional view of the toner cartridge 26 and the developing device 9.
As shown in FIG. 5, the toner cartridge 26 includes a container main body 50 in which a developer accommodating portion (powder accommodating portion) 51 that accommodates toner as a developer is formed. The container main body 50 includes a discharge port 52 that is an opening for discharging the toner in the developer storage unit 51 to the outside, and a transport member that transports the toner in the developer storage unit 51 to the discharge port 52. A screw 53 and an agitator 54 as an agitating member for agitating the toner in the developer accommodating portion 51 are provided.

  The conveying screw 53 is configured by providing a spiral blade 531 on the outer periphery of the rotating shaft 530. On the other hand, the agitator 54 is configured by providing a flat blade 541 made of a flexible material such as a PET film on a rotating shaft 540 arranged in parallel with the rotating shaft 530 of the conveying screw 53. As shown in FIG. 5, the bottom surface 501 of the developer accommodating portion 51 is formed in an arc shape along the rotation trajectory of the blade 541, so that it remains in the developer accommodating portion 51 without being moved by the blade 541. The toner amount can be reduced.

  A through hole 116 is formed in the bottom 111 of the container holding member 102 to which the toner cartridge 26 is mounted. The through hole 116 connects the discharge port 52 provided in the lower part of the toner cartridge 26 and the replenishment port 39 provided in the upper part of the developing device 9 so as to communicate with each other. That is, as shown in FIG. 5, the toner cartridge 26 is mounted on the container holding member 102 and disposed above the developing device 9, so that the discharge port 52 of the toner cartridge 26 can be connected to the developing device 9 via the through hole 116. It is connected so as to communicate with the supply port 39. In this state, toner can be supplied from the toner cartridge 26 to the developing device 9.

  The developing device 9 supplies a developer (developer) to the developer container 40 as a powder container that contains toner, a developing roller 41 as a developer carrier that carries toner (developer), and the developing roller 41. A supply roller 42 as a developer supplying member, a developing blade 43 as a developer regulating member for regulating the amount of toner carried on the developing roller 41 (developer amount), and 2 as a conveying member for conveying toner. Two conveying screws 44 and 45 and two light guide members 46 and 47 are provided.

  A space (powder container) in which the toner in the developing container 40 is stored is divided into a first region E1 that is an upper container and a second container that is a lower container by a partition wall 48 having communication ports 49a and 49b. And is divided into a region E2. The communication ports 49a and 49b are respectively provided at both ends of the partition wall 48 (the front side and the back side in the direction orthogonal to the paper surface of FIG. 5), and the first region E1 is provided via these communication ports 49a and 49b. And the second region E2 communicate with each other.

  In the first region E1, two light guide members 46 and 47 and one conveying screw 44 are arranged. In the second region E2, the developing roller 41, the supply roller 42, the developing blade 43, and the other conveying screw 44 are arranged. A conveying screw 45 is arranged. The two conveying screws 44 and 45 are provided with spiral blades 441 and 451 on the outer circumferences of the rotary shafts 440 and 450, respectively, and are opposite to each other with the first region E1 and the second region E2 serving as conveying paths. It is configured to convey toner in the direction.

  When the toners conveyed in opposite directions by the conveying screws 44 and 45 are conveyed to the downstream ends in the conveying direction of the regions E1 and E2, they pass through the communication ports 49a and 49b formed at both ends of the partition wall 48. Then, it is sent into the other area (area E1 to area E2 or area E2 to area E1). Therefore, the toner is conveyed so as to circulate between the first area E1 and the second area E2. As a result, since the new toner replenished from the toner cartridge 26 and the toner in the developing container 40 are mixed, the state of the toner (the ratio of the new toner in the toner) becomes uniform, and problems such as color unevenness and background stains occur. Occurrence is prevented.

  The developing roller 41 is made of, for example, a metal cored bar and a conductive rubber disposed on the outer periphery of the cored bar. For example, conductive urethane rubber or silicone rubber can be used as the conductive rubber. The developing roller 41 rotates in the counterclockwise direction in FIG. 5 and conveys the developer held on the surface to a position facing the developing blade 43 and the photoconductor 7.

  Generally, a sponge roller or the like is used as the supply roller 42. As the sponge roller, it is appropriate that the foamed polyurethane mixed with carbon and made semiconductive is attached to the outer periphery of a metal core. The supply roller 42 is in contact with the developing roller 41, and the nip portion formed by the contact of both rollers is usually set to about 1 mm to 3 mm.

  The developing blade 43 is made of, for example, a metal plate such as SUS having a thickness of about 0.1 mm. The developing blade 43 is in contact with the surface of the developing roller 41 on the tip side. Control of the amount of toner on the developing roller 41 by the developing blade 43 is a very important parameter in order to stabilize the developing characteristics and obtain good image quality. Therefore, in a normal product, the contact pressure of the developing blade 43 with respect to the developing roller 41 is strictly controlled to about 20 to 60 N / m, and the position of the nip portion is strictly controlled to about 0.5 ± 0.5 mm from the tip of the developing blade 43. Yes. These parameters are appropriately determined according to the characteristics of the toner to be used, the developing roller, the supply roller, and the like.

The developing operation in the developing device 9 will be described with reference to FIG.
When there is an instruction to start an image forming operation and rotation of the developing roller 41 and the supply roller 42 is started, toner is supplied to the surface of the developing roller 41 by the supply roller 42. In this embodiment, the supply roller 42 rotates counterclockwise with respect to the developing roller 41 (counterclockwise in FIG. 5), so that the toner in the developing container 40 can be efficiently supplied to the surface layer of the developing roller 41. ing. Furthermore, by setting the rotation speed ratio between the developing roller 41 and the supply roller 42 to 1, it is possible to ensure a good toner supply function.

  The toner carried on the developing roller 41 passes through the nip portion between the developing roller 41 and the developing blade 43, whereby the thickness of the toner layer is regulated and frictionally charged. Then, when the toner on the developing roller 41 is conveyed to a position (development area) facing the photoconductor 7, the toner is electrostatically transferred to an electrostatic latent image on the photoconductor 7 to form a toner image. The

Next, a toner replenishing operation to the developing device will be described.
Replenishment of toner to the developing device is performed when the amount of toner in the developing container 40 becomes a predetermined reference value or less. Whether or not the toner amount is equal to or less than the reference value is determined based on whether or not light is transmitted between the tip portions of the two light guide members 46 and 47 arranged in the first region E1. When the amount of toner in the developing container 40 is equal to or greater than the reference value, the toner is interposed between the tip portions of the light guide members 46 and 47, and light is not transmitted from one light guide member to the other light guide member. On the other hand, when the toner amount is equal to or less than the reference value, the toner does not intervene between the tip portions of the light guide members 46 and 47, so that light is transmitted from one light guide member to the other light guide member. By detecting the transmission of this light, the timing at which the toner should be supplied is grasped.

  If it is determined that it is time to replenish the toner, the conveying screw 53 in the toner cartridge 26 starts rotating, and the toner is conveyed toward the discharge port 52. The toner is supplied from the discharge port 52 into the developing container 40 through the through hole 116 and the supply port 39. Further, when the agitator 54 rotates when the toner is replenished, the toner in the toner cartridge 26 is agitated and the toner is transferred to the rotation region of the conveying screw 53. Thereafter, when the toner amount in the developing container 40 becomes larger than a predetermined reference value due to toner replenishment, the rotational driving of the conveying screw 53 and the agitator 54 is stopped and the toner replenishment operation is finished.

6 and 7 are perspective views of the toner cartridge 26. FIG.
As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the toner cartridge 26 has a longitudinal container body 50 formed by joining an upper case 55 and a lower case 56 to each other. An upper surface recess 66 formed on the upper surface of the upper case 55 and a back surface recess 67 formed on the back side of the upper case 55 are provided on one end side in the longitudinal direction of the container body 50. These concave portions 66 and 67 function as a gripping portion 65 for a user or an operator to grip the container main body 50 when the toner cartridge 26 is attached to or detached from the apparatus main body 100. The upper surface recess 66 includes a bottom surface portion 66a that is disposed in the horizontal direction with the toner cartridge 26 attached to the apparatus main body 100, and left and right side surface portions 66b and 66c that rise upward on both sides of the bottom surface portion 66a. The rear side surface portion 66d rises upward behind the bottom surface portion 66a (back side).

  For example, as shown in FIG. 8, the user or the like holds the toner cartridge 26 by holding the thumb against the rear side surface 66 d of the upper surface recess 66 and the other fingers against the rear surface recess 67. Can do. In addition, the rear side surface portion 66d is provided with a plurality of ribs 68 as anti-slip members so that the applied finger is difficult to slip.

  As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the container body 50 is provided with an outlet 52 formed in the lower case 56 on the end side of the container body 50 provided with the grip 65, and for opening and closing the outlet 52. A shutter 59 is provided. The shutter 59 is configured to open when the discharge port 52 of the toner cartridge 26 and the replenishment port 39 of the developing device 9 are connected and to close when the connection is released.

  As shown in FIG. 6, a vent hole 70 that allows air to pass inside and outside of the container body 50, and a container body on the side surface of the container body 50 opposite to the end side where the gripping portion 65 is provided. A ventilation sheet 71 is provided to cover the ventilation hole 70 so that the toner in the toner 50 does not leak outside. The ventilation sheet 71 is made of a resin porous film having a function of not allowing toner to pass through and allowing air to pass through. Further, as the material of the ventilation sheet 71, it is desirable to use an oil-repellent sheet material in order to make it difficult for toner to adhere.

  As described above, the vent hole 70 and the vent sheet 71 are provided in the container main body 50, so that air can be caused to flow into the container main body 50 while preventing toner leakage, and conversely, the air is discharged from the container main body 50. Therefore, fluctuations in the internal pressure of the container body 50 can be suppressed. If the air hole 70 is not provided, when the toner is supplied from the toner cartridge to the developing device, air is pushed out together with the toner by the conveying screw, so that the internal pressure of the toner cartridge is lowered. As a result, when air flows into the toner cartridge having a low internal pressure, the toner flows backward, and there is a possibility that the toner cannot be replenished satisfactorily.

  On the other hand, in the case where the container body 50 is provided with the vent hole 70 as in the toner cartridge 26 according to the present embodiment, even if air is discharged from the discharge port 52 together with the toner during toner replenishment, External air can flow into the toner cartridge 26. As a result, a decrease in the internal pressure of the toner cartridge 26 accompanying toner conveyance can be suppressed, and toner can be replenished satisfactorily. In the present embodiment, one ventilation hole 70 and one ventilation sheet 71 are provided in the toner cartridge 26, but a plurality of ventilation holes 70 and a ventilation sheet 71 may be provided.

  Incidentally, as described above, the toner cartridge 26 provided with the ventilation sheet 71 has a problem that the toner adheres to the ventilation sheet 71 and becomes clogged when the toner cartridge is transported. In response to such a problem, the present invention takes the following measures.

First, a procedure for mounting the toner cartridge 26 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.
As shown in FIG. 9, first, the toner cartridge 26 has a container body 50 with one end side (left end side in the figure) 50a in the longitudinal direction placed in the container before the other end part side (right end part in the figure) 50b. Positioning is performed by contacting the holding member 102. Next, the other end side 50 b of the container body 50 is fitted into the container holding member 102, whereby the mounting of the toner cartridge 26 is completed. Here, when the end portion on the side to be positioned first is referred to as “mounting direction tip portion”, a vent hole 70 and a vent sheet 71 are provided on the mounting direction tip portion side 50a.

  In this way, by providing the vent hole 70 and the vent sheet 71 on the tip end side 50a in the mounting direction of the container main body 50, vibration generated by the container main body 50 coming into contact with the container holding member 102 during mounting is generated in the vent sheet 71. Easy to propagate. That is, by providing the ventilation hole 70 and the ventilation sheet 71 at a place where vibration generated at the time of installation is easy to propagate, the toner adhering to the ventilation sheet 71 can be broken and peeled off by the vibration. Thereby, clogging of the ventilation sheet 71 can be eliminated and air permeability can be secured.

  Furthermore, in this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 10, the vent hole 70 and the vent sheet 71 are provided in the vicinity of the blade 541 of the rotating agitator 54 (in the vicinity of the movable region of the blade 541). By arranging the vent hole 70 and the vent sheet 71 at such a position, vibration generated in the toner as the agitator 54 rotates propagates to the vent sheet 71. As a result, the toner can be peeled off from the ventilation sheet 71 even after the toner cartridge 26 is mounted, and the air permeability can be ensured more reliably.

  As shown in FIG. 11, in the present embodiment, the agitator 54 rotates and the blades 541 come into contact with the arcuate inner surface (bottom surface 501) of the container body 50 to be elastically deformed and bent. And if the front-end | tip part of the blade | wing 541 reaches the contact cancellation | release position A of an arc-shaped inner surface, the contact with the inner surface will be cancelled | released and the blade | wing 541 will return elastically. As described above, the agitator 54 repeats elastic deformation and elastic recovery as it rotates, and the toner tends to vibrate when the blades 541 are elastically recovered. Therefore, in order to make the ventilation sheet 71 easily affected by the vibration at this time, the ventilation sheet 71 is viewed from the rotation axis direction of the agitator 54 shown in FIG. It is arranged on a straight line L passing through the contact release position A. As a result, the vibration generated in the toner during stirring can be effectively propagated to the ventilation sheet 71, and the adhered toner can be peeled off more reliably.

  In this embodiment, the ventilation sheet 71 is provided in the vicinity of the movable region of the agitator 54, but the ventilation sheet 71 may be provided at a position where the agitator 54 can contact. In this case, the toner adhering to the ventilation sheet 71 can be more reliably removed by the agitator 54 coming into direct contact with the ventilation sheet 71.

FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view of a toner cartridge according to another embodiment of the present invention.
In the embodiment shown in FIG. 12, a protrusion 72 that protrudes to the outside (left side in the drawing) of the container body 50 from the ventilation sheet 71 is provided around the ventilation sheet 71. Other than that, the configuration is basically the same as that of the above embodiment. Providing such a protrusion 72 makes it difficult for a user or the like to touch the ventilation sheet 71, so that damage to the ventilation sheet 71 can be avoided. In addition, the protrusion 72 may be provided over the whole periphery (entire periphery) of the ventilation sheet 71, and may be provided partially.

FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view of a toner cartridge according to still another embodiment of the present invention.
In the embodiment shown in FIG. 13, the ventilation sheet 71 is provided on a cap member 73 that can be attached to and detached from the ventilation hole 70. Other than that, the configuration is basically the same as that of the above embodiment. In this manner, the ventilation sheet 71 can be easily replaced by providing the ventilation sheet 71 on the removable cap member 73.

  In the present embodiment, the vent hole 70 is a filling hole for filling the toner into the container main body 50, and the cap member 73 is a sealing member for sealing the filling hole. In this way, by using the filling hole as the vent hole 70, it is not necessary to provide the vent hole 70 separately, the configuration can be simplified, and the cost can be reduced.

  In addition, the cap member 73 has a recess 73 a that is recessed toward the inside of the container body 50 in a state in which the cap member 73 is attached to the vent hole 70. And the ventilation sheet 71 is provided in the bottom part 73b of this recessed part 73a. Thus, since the ventilation sheet 71 is provided on the bottom portion 73b, it becomes difficult for a user or the like to touch the ventilation sheet 71, so that the ventilation sheet 71 can be prevented from being damaged.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the agitator 54 is provided at a position where it can contact the cap member 73 attached to the vent hole 70. As a result, the agitator 54 comes into contact with the cap member 73 to vibrate the cap member 73, so that the toner adhering to the ventilation sheet 71 can be more reliably removed. Further, even when the agitator 54 is not brought into contact with the cap member 73, by arranging the agitator 54 at a position accessible to the cap member 73, it is possible to expect a toner peeling effect due to vibrations applied to the toner by the agitator 54.

  Although the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention. In the above-described embodiment, the configuration in which the present invention is applied to a toner cartridge that stores toner for replenishment has been described as an example. However, the present invention is also applied to a waste toner storage container that stores waste toner and other powder storage containers. Applicable.

26 Toner cartridge (powder container)
27 Waste toner container (powder container)
50 Container body 54 Agitator (stirring member)
70 Ventilation hole 71 Ventilation sheet 72 Protrusion 73 Cap member 73a Recess 73b Bottom A Contact release position B Center of rotation of agitator

JP 2000-29296 A

Claims (10)

A container body that can store powder used for image formation is provided, and the container body is positioned and mounted by contacting one end side of the container body in the longitudinal direction with the image forming apparatus body before the other end side. A powder container,
A vent hole that allows air to pass inside and outside the container body and a vent sheet that covers the vent hole so that the powder in the container body does not leak to the outside are provided on the one end side of the container body. A powder container characterized by.   2. The powder container according to claim 1, wherein the ventilation sheet is provided in a vicinity of a movable region of a stirring member that stirs the powder in the container main body or a position where the stirring member can contact.   3. The powder according to claim 2, wherein the agitating member rotates and comes into contact with the inner surface of the container main body to be elastically deformed and bent, and the contact with the inner surface of the container main body is released at a contact release position to return elastically. Body container.   4. The powder container according to claim 3, wherein the ventilation sheet is arranged on a straight line passing through a rotation center of the stirring member and the contact release position when viewed from the rotation axis direction of the stirring member.   The powder container according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein a protrusion that protrudes outward of the container body from the ventilation sheet is provided around the ventilation sheet.   The powder container according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the vent hole is a filling hole for filling the container body with powder.   The powder container according to claim 1, wherein the ventilation sheet is provided on a cap member that can be attached to and detached from the ventilation hole. The cap member has a recess that is recessed toward the inside of the container body in a state of being attached to the vent hole,
The powder container according to claim 7, wherein the ventilation sheet is provided at the bottom of the recess.   The powder container according to claim 7 or 8, wherein a stirring member that stirs the powder in the container main body is provided at a position where the stirring member can contact the cap member attached to the vent hole.   An image forming apparatus comprising the powder container according to claim 1.

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