JP2017201433A - Developer storage container, and image forming apparatus including the same - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a developer storage container that has reduced the amount of a developer remaining inside a container body, and an image forming apparatus including the same.SOLUTION: A toner container 30 includes a container body 37, a toner discharge port 377, and a movable wall 32. The container body 37 includes an inner peripheral part 37K cylindrically extended along a first direction, and an inner space 37H. The toner discharge port 377 is open to the container body 37. The movable wall 32 includes an outer peripheral part 32K arranged tightly close to the inner peripheral part 37K of the container body 37, and a conveyance surface 320S. The movable wall 32 moves in the first direction along a shaft 33 while conveying a toner toward the toner discharge port 377. When the movable wall 32 reaches a final position, a movable wall support part 335 provided on the shaft 33 supports the movable wall 32.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 19

Description

  The present invention relates to a developer container that contains a developer therein, and an image forming apparatus including the developer container.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a toner container as described in Patent Document 1 is known as a developer storage container that stores a developer therein. The toner container includes a toner discharge port and a rotating stirring member. As the stirring member rotates, the toner is discharged from the toner discharge port.

  Patent Document 2 discloses a waste toner container in which a developer is accommodated. The waste toner container includes a cylindrical container body and a spiral groove formed in the outer peripheral portion of the container body. When the container body is rotated, the collected toner is conveyed along the spiral groove to one end side of the container body.

JP 2003-280344 A JP 2009-265395 A

  In the toner container described in Patent Document 1, since toner remains in a region where the rotational force of the conveying member does not reach, it is difficult to use up the toner contained inside. Further, even when the technology of the waste toner container described in Patent Document 2 is applied to the toner container, the toner adhering to the groove continues to rotate together with the container body, so that there is a problem that the toner remains in the container body. It was.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and a developer containing container in which the amount of developer remaining inside the container main body is reduced at the end of use, and image formation including the same. An object is to provide an apparatus.

  A developer container according to an aspect of the present invention includes an inner peripheral portion extending in a cylindrical shape along a first direction, an internal space defined by the inner peripheral portion, and an inner space defined in the first direction of the inner space. A wall body that defines one end surface; a lid that is attached to an end of the container body opposite to the wall portion in the first direction of the container body and closes the internal space; A developer outlet that is disposed on the lid side or the wall side in the first direction and that is open to the container body so as to communicate with the internal space and discharges the developer, and a male outlet on the outer peripheral surface. A shaft portion that includes a spiral portion and is rotatably supported by the wall portion and the lid portion so as to extend in the first direction in the internal space; and a drive transmission portion that transmits a rotational driving force to the shaft portion; An outer peripheral portion disposed in close contact with the inner peripheral portion of the container body; A conveying surface that is disposed facing the first direction and delimits an accommodation space in which the developer is accommodated together with the inner peripheral portion of the container body, and the developer in the accommodation space is discharged from the developer. A moving wall that moves in the first direction in the inner space from an initial position on one end side in the first direction to a final position on the other end side while transporting toward the outlet, and the male spiral portion on the inner peripheral surface A bearing portion through which the shaft portion is inserted, and a moving wall in which the male spiral portion is partially omitted corresponding to the final position of the moving wall in the shaft portion A stop portion, and an inclination suppression mechanism that suppresses an inclination of the transport surface of the moving wall that has reached the final position with respect to the first direction, and the moving wall extends over the entire circumferential direction. And forming the outer peripheral portion of the container body A seal that is compressed and deformed by being in close contact with a peripheral portion and prevents the developer in the housing space from flowing out from between the inner peripheral portion of the container body and the moving wall to the upstream side in the first direction. When the shaft portion is rotated, the moving wall is moved in the first direction along the shaft portion by the bearing portion with the engagement between the male spiral portion and the engaging portion. When the bearing portion reaches the moving wall stop portion, the engagement between the male spiral portion and the engaging portion is released, the moving wall stops at the final position, and the tilt suppression mechanism is A projecting portion projecting radially from the peripheral surface of the shaft portion on the downstream side of the moving wall stop portion in the first direction, and when the moving wall reaches the final position, The downstream portion in the first direction with respect to the engaging portion is the protrusion. The tilt of the moving wall is suppressed by being supported by a portion and the seal member being in close contact with the inner peripheral portion of the container body.

  According to this structure, the outer peripheral part of a moving wall is arrange | positioned closely to the inner peripheral part of a container main body. Further, as the moving wall moves in the first direction, the developer in the accommodation space is conveyed to the developer discharge port. At this time, the accommodation space is gradually reduced as the moving wall moves to the final position. As a result, the amount of developer remaining in the storage space of the container body at the end of use is reduced. Further, when the engagement between the male spiral portion and the engagement portion is released and the moving wall stops at the final position, the inclination suppressing mechanism suppresses the inclination of the moving surface of the moving wall with respect to the first direction. Therefore, the developer in the accommodation space is prevented from flowing out upstream of the moving wall between the moving wall and the inner peripheral portion of the container body or via the bearing portion.

  In the above configuration, the moving wall has a shape into which the shaft portion is inserted, and is disposed on the downstream side in the first direction with respect to the engaging portion, and is in contact with the male spiral portion of the shaft portion. It is desirable to have

  According to this configuration, the male spiral portion engages with the engaging portion in a state where the developer is substantially removed from the male spiral portion by the elastic member. For this reason, the movement of the moving wall is realized stably. Furthermore, the sealing function of the elastic member prevents the developer in the accommodation space from flowing out upstream of the moving wall through the bearing portion. In addition, when the moving wall reaches the final position, the tilt suppression mechanism prevents an excessive load from being applied to the elastic member. Accordingly, the biased deformation of the elastic member is suppressed, and the developer is further prevented from flowing out upstream of the moving wall through the bearing portion.

  In the above configuration, the height at which the protruding portion protrudes from the peripheral surface of the shaft portion is preferably the same as the height of the mountain of the male spiral portion or higher than the height of the mountain of the male spiral portion. .

  According to this configuration, when the moving wall reaches the final position, the bearing portion is reliably instructed to the protruding portion. For this reason, the inclination of the moving wall is further stably suppressed.

  Said structure WHEREIN: It is desirable for the said projection part to consist of a ring shape arrange | positioned along the circumferential direction in the said surrounding surface of the said shaft part.

  According to this structure, a bearing part is stably supported by a projection part over the whole circumferential direction.

  In the above configuration, it is desirable that a plurality of the protrusions be arranged along the first direction.

  According to this configuration, the bearing portion is stably supported by the protrusion in a predetermined range along the first direction.

  In the above configuration, of the plurality of protrusions, the protrusion disposed on the most downstream side in the first direction faces the first direction and is disposed perpendicular to the first direction. It is desirable to provide a side end surface that is made.

  According to this configuration, the contact position between the protrusion and the bearing portion can be arranged as downstream as possible in the first direction. For this reason, the final position of the moving wall can be brought close to the developer discharge port.

  An image forming apparatus according to another embodiment of the present invention includes a developer container according to any one of the above, an image carrier on which a latent electrostatic image is formed and a developer image is carried. A developing device that replenishes the developer from the developer container and supplies the developer to the image carrier, and a transfer unit that transfers the developer image from the image carrier to a sheet. It is characterized by.

  According to this configuration, the amount of developer remaining in the storage space of the container body at the end of use is reduced. Further, when the moving wall stops at the final position, the developer in the storage space is prevented from flowing out upstream from the moving wall between the moving wall and the inner peripheral portion of the container body or via the bearing portion. Is done. Therefore, an image is formed on the sheet while the developer in the developer container is efficiently used.

  According to the present invention, there is provided a developer container in which the amount of developer remaining inside the container main body is reduced at the end of use, and an image forming apparatus including the developer container. Further, when the moving wall stops at the final position, the inclination of the moving surface of the moving wall with respect to the first direction is suppressed.

1 is a perspective view showing an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a perspective view of a state in which a part of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention is opened. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view illustrating an internal structure of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a schematic plan view showing an internal structure of a developing device according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a schematic cross-sectional view illustrating a state where a developer is supplied to the developing device according to the embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a perspective view of a developer container and a developing device according to an embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a perspective view of a developer container and a developing device according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2A is a plan view of a developer container according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of a developer container according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is sectional drawing of the movement wall of the developer storage container which concerns on embodiment of this invention. FIG. 3 is a perspective view illustrating an internal state of the developer container according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a perspective view illustrating an internal state of the developer container according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a shaft portion of a developer storage container according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of a developer container according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a perspective view (A) of a cover member of a developer storage container concerning an embodiment of the present invention, and (B). FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view (A) and (B) of a developer container according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3A is a front view of a developer container according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. FIG. 2A is a perspective view of a developer container according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2A is a cross-sectional view of a developer container according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of a developer container according to a modified embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view (A) and (B) of another developer container compared with the developer container according to the embodiment of the present invention. It is (A) sectional drawing of the other developer storage container compared with the developer storage container which concerns on embodiment of this invention, (B) sectional drawing. It is sectional drawing of the other developer storage container compared with the developer storage container which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is (A) sectional drawing of the other developer accommodating container compared with the developer accommodating container which concerns on embodiment of this invention, (B) An expanded sectional view.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. 1 and 2 are perspective views of a printer 100 (image forming apparatus) according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing the internal structure of the printer 100 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. The printer 100 as the image forming apparatus shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 is a so-called monochrome printer. However, in other embodiments, the image forming apparatus is a color printer, a facsimile machine, a multifunction machine having these functions, Another apparatus for forming a toner image on a sheet may be used. Note that the terms used in the following description, such as “up”, “down”, “front”, “rear”, “left” and “right”, are merely for the purpose of clarifying the description. There is no limitation on the principle of the image forming apparatus.

  The printer 100 includes a casing 101 that houses various apparatuses for forming an image on the sheet S. The housing 101 includes an upper wall 102 that defines the upper surface of the housing 101, a bottom wall 103 (FIG. 3) that defines the bottom surface of the housing 101, and a main body rear wall 105 between the upper wall 102 and the bottom wall 103. (FIG. 3) and a main body front wall 104 positioned in front of the main body rear wall 105. The housing 101 includes a main body internal space 107 in which various devices are arranged. A sheet conveyance path PP through which the sheet S is conveyed in a predetermined conveyance direction is extended in the main body internal space 107 of the casing 101. In addition, the printer 100 includes an opening / closing cover 100 </ b> C that is attached to the housing 101 so as to be freely opened and closed.

  The opening / closing cover 100 </ b> C includes a front wall upper portion 104 </ b> B that is an upper portion of the main body front wall 104 and an upper wall front portion 102 </ b> B that is a front portion of the upper wall 102. The opening / closing cover 100C can be opened / closed in the vertical direction with hinge shafts (not shown) arranged on the pair of arm portions 108 arranged at both ends in the left / right direction as fulcrums (FIG. 2). In the open state of the opening / closing cover 100C, the upper part of the main body internal space 107 is opened to the outside. On the other hand, in the closed state of the opening / closing cover 200C, the upper part of the main body internal space 107 is closed.

  A paper discharge unit 102 </ b> A is disposed at the center of the upper wall 102. The paper discharge unit 102 </ b> A includes an inclined surface that is inclined downward from the front portion to the rear portion of the upper wall 102. The sheet S on which an image is formed in the image forming unit 120 described later is discharged to the paper discharge unit 102A. In addition, a manual feed tray 104 </ b> A is disposed at the center in the vertical direction of the main body front wall 104. The manual feed tray 104A can be turned up and down with the lower end as a fulcrum (arrow DT in FIG. 3).

  Referring to FIG. 3, the printer 100 includes a cassette 110, a pickup roller 112, a first paper feed roller 113, a second paper feed roller 114, a transport roller 115, a registration roller pair 116, and an image forming unit. 120 and a fixing device 130.

  The cassette 110 accommodates the sheet S inside. The cassette 110 includes a lift plate 111. The lift plate 111 is inclined so as to push up the leading edge of the sheet S. The cassette 110 can be pulled forward with respect to the housing 101.

  The pickup roller 112 is disposed on the leading edge of the sheet S pushed up by the lift plate 111. When the pickup roller 112 rotates, the sheet S is pulled out from the cassette 110.

  The first paper feed roller 113 is disposed downstream of the pickup roller 112 and sends the sheet S further downstream. The second paper feed roller 114 is disposed on the inner side (rear side) of the fulcrum of the manual feed tray 104A, and draws the sheet S on the manual feed tray 104A into the housing 101.

  The conveyance roller 115 is disposed downstream (hereinafter also simply referred to as downstream) of the first paper supply roller 113 and the second paper supply roller 114 in the sheet conveyance direction (hereinafter also simply referred to as conveyance direction). The transport roller 115 transports the sheet S sent out by the first paper feed roller 113 and the second paper feed roller 114 further downstream.

  The registration roller pair 116 has a function of correcting the oblique conveyance of the sheet S. Thereby, the position of the image formed on the sheet S is adjusted. The registration roller pair 116 supplies the sheet S to the image forming unit 120 in accordance with the timing of image formation by the image forming unit 120.

  The image forming unit 120 includes a photosensitive drum 121 (image carrier), a charger 122, an exposure device 123, a developing device 20, a toner container 30 (developer storage container), and a transfer roller 126 (transfer unit). And a cleaning device 127.

  The photosensitive drum 121 has a cylindrical shape. The photosensitive drum 121 has a surface on which an electrostatic latent image is formed, and carries a toner image (developer image) corresponding to the electrostatic latent image on the surface. The charger 122 is applied with a predetermined voltage and charges the peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum 121 substantially uniformly.

  The exposure device 123 irradiates the peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum 121 charged by the charger 122 with laser light. The laser light is emitted in accordance with image data output from an external device (not shown) such as a personal computer connected to the printer 100 so as to be communicable. As a result, an electrostatic latent image corresponding to the image data is formed on the peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum 121.

  The developing device 20 supplies toner to the peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum 121 on which the electrostatic latent image is formed. The toner container 30 supplies toner to the developing device 20. The toner container 30 is detachably disposed with respect to the developing device 20. When the developing device 20 supplies toner to the photosensitive drum 121, the electrostatic latent image formed on the peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum 121 is developed (visualized). As a result, a toner image (developer image) is formed on the peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum 121.

  The transfer roller 126 is disposed below the photosensitive drum 121 so as to face the photosensitive drum 121 with the sheet conveyance path PP interposed therebetween. The transfer roller 126 forms a transfer nip portion with the photosensitive drum 121 and transfers the toner image onto the sheet S.

  The cleaning device 127 removes the toner remaining on the peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum 121 after the toner image is transferred to the sheet S.

  The fixing device 130 is disposed downstream of the image forming unit 120 in the transport direction, and fixes the toner image on the sheet S. The fixing device 130 includes a heating roller 131 that melts the toner on the sheet S and a pressure roller 132 that causes the sheet S to adhere to the heating roller 131.

  The printer 100 further includes a transport roller pair 133 disposed downstream of the fixing device 130 and a discharge roller pair 134 disposed downstream of the transport roller pair 133. The sheet S is conveyed upward by the conveyance roller pair 133 and is finally discharged from the housing 101 by the discharge roller pair 134. The sheets S discharged from the housing 101 are stacked on the paper discharge unit 102A.

<About development device>
FIG. 4 is a plan view showing the internal structure of the developing device 20. The developing device 20 includes a developing housing 210 having a box shape that is long in one direction (the axial direction of the developing roller 21 and the left-right direction). The developing housing 210 has a storage space 220. In the storage space 220, a developing roller 21, a first stirring screw 23, a second stirring screw 24, and a toner supply port 25 are disposed. In the present embodiment, a one-component developing system is applied, and the storage space 220 is filled with toner as a developer. On the other hand, in the case of the two-component development method, a mixture of toner and a carrier made of a magnetic material is filled as a developer. The toner is agitated and conveyed in the storage space 220 and is sequentially supplied from the developing roller 21 to the photosensitive drum 121 in order to develop the electrostatic latent image.

  The developing roller 21 has a cylindrical shape that extends in the longitudinal direction of the developing housing 210 and has a sleeve portion that is rotationally driven on the outer periphery.

  The storage space 220 of the developing housing 210 is covered with a top plate (not shown), and is partitioned into a first transport path 221 and a second transport path 222 that are long in the left-right direction by a partition plate 22 extending in the left-right direction. Yes. The partition plate 22 is shorter than the width of the developing housing 210 in the left-right direction, and a first communication path 223 and a first communication path 223 that respectively connect the first transport path 221 and the second transport path 222 to the left end and the right end of the partition plate 22. A double communication path 224 is provided. Thereby, a circulation path that reaches the first conveyance path 221, the second communication path 224, the second conveyance path 222, and the first communication path 223 is formed in the storage space 220. The toner is conveyed counterclockwise in the circulation path in FIG.

  The toner replenishing port 25 (developer replenishing port) is an opening that is opened in the top plate of the developing housing 210 and is disposed above the left end of the first transport path 221. The toner replenishing port 25 is disposed so as to face the above-described circulation path, and has a function of receiving replenished toner (supplied developer) replenished from the toner discharge port 377 of the toner container 30 into the storage space 220.

  The first stirring screw 23 is disposed in the first conveyance path 221. The first agitating screw 23 includes a first rotating shaft 23a and a first spiral blade 23b (screw blade) projecting in a spiral shape on the circumference of the first rotating shaft 23a. The first stirring screw 23 is driven to rotate about the first rotation shaft 23a (arrow R2), thereby conveying the toner in the direction of arrow D1 in FIG. The first agitation screw 23 conveys the developer so that the toner replenishing port 25 passes through a position facing the first conveyance path 221. As a result, the first stirring screw 23 has a function of transporting while mixing new toner flowing from the toner replenishing port 25 and toner transported into the first transport path 221 from the second transport path 222 side. A first paddle 23c is disposed downstream of the first stirring screw 23 in the toner conveyance direction (D1 direction). The first paddle 23c is a plate-like member disposed on the first rotating shaft 23a. The first paddle 23c is rotated together with the first rotation shaft 23a, and delivers the toner from the first conveyance path 221 to the second conveyance path 222 in the direction of arrow D4 in FIG.

  The second stirring screw 24 is disposed in the second conveyance path 222. The second agitating screw 24 includes a second rotating shaft 24a and a second spiral blade 24b protruding in a spiral shape on the circumference of the second rotating shaft 24a. The second agitating screw 24 is driven to rotate about the second rotation shaft 24a (arrow R1), thereby supplying the toner to the developing roller 21 while conveying the toner in the direction of arrow D2 in FIG. A second paddle 24c is disposed downstream of the second stirring screw 24 in the toner conveyance direction (D2 direction). The second paddle 24c is rotated together with the second rotation shaft 24a, and delivers the toner from the second conveyance path 222 to the first conveyance path 221 in the direction of arrow D3 in FIG.

  The toner container 30 (FIG. 3) is disposed above the toner supply port 25 of the development housing 210. The toner container 30 includes a toner discharge port 377 (FIG. 4). The toner discharge port 377 is disposed on the bottom 371 (FIG. 8B) of the toner container 30 corresponding to the toner supply port 25 of the developing device 20. The toner dropped from the toner discharge port 377 is supplied to the developing device 20 from the toner supply port 25.

<About toner supply>
Next, the flow of toner newly supplied from the toner supply port 25 will be described. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the vicinity of the toner supply port 25 disposed in the developing device 20 and the toner discharge port 377 disposed in the toner container 30.

  The replenishment toner T2 supplied from the toner discharge port 377 of the toner container 30 falls to the first transport path 221 and is mixed with the existing toner T1, and is transported in the direction of the arrow D1 by the first stirring screw 23. At this time, the toners T1 and T2 are stirred and charged.

  The first agitating screw 23 includes a suppression paddle 28 (conveyance capability suppression unit) that partially suppresses the developer conveyance performance downstream of the toner supply port 25 in the toner conveyance direction. In the present embodiment, the suppression paddle 28 is a plate-like member disposed between the adjacent first spiral blades 23 b of the first stirring screw 23. As the suppression paddle 28 rotates around the first rotation shaft 23a, the toner conveyed from the upstream side of the suppression paddle 28 starts to stay. The toner stays on the upstream side of the suppression paddle 28 and accumulates until the toner replenishing port 25 faces the first transport path 221. As a result, a developer retention portion 29 (developer retention portion) is formed in the vicinity of the inlet of the toner supply port 25.

  When the replenishment toner T2 is replenished from the toner replenishing port 25 and the amount of toner in the storage space 220 increases, the toner staying in the staying portion 29 closes (seals) the toner replenishing port 25 and supplies more toner. Suppress. Thereafter, when the toner in the storage space 220 is consumed from the developing roller 21 and the toner staying in the staying portion 29 decreases, the toner that has blocked the toner replenishing port 25 is reduced, and a gap is formed between the staying portion 29 and the toner replenishing port 25. Occurs. As a result, the replenishment toner T2 flows again from the toner replenishment port 25 into the storage space 220. As described above, the present embodiment employs a volume replenishment type toner replenishment format in which the amount of replenishment toner received is adjusted as the amount of toner remaining in the retention portion 29 decreases.

<Installation of toner container to developing device>
6 and 7 are perspective views of the toner container 30 and the developing device 20 according to the present embodiment. The toner container 30 can be attached to and detached from the developing device 20 in the housing 101. With reference to FIG. 2, when the opening / closing cover 100 </ b> C of the housing 101 is opened upward, the container housing portion 109 provided in the developing housing 210 of the developing device 20 is exposed to the outside of the housing 101. With reference to FIGS. 6 and 7, the developing housing 210 includes a pair of a housing left wall 210L and a housing right wall 210R. The container accommodating portion 109 is formed between the housing left wall 210L and the housing right wall 210R. In the present embodiment, the toner container 30 is attached to the container housing portion 109 from substantially above (see arrow DC in FIGS. 6 and 7). At this time, a cover 39 described later of the toner container 30 is disposed on the housing right wall 210R side, and a cover 31 described later of the toner container 30 is disposed on the housing left wall 210L side. The developing housing 210 includes a pair of guide grooves 109A (FIG. 7). The guide groove 109A is a groove portion formed in the housing left wall 210L and the housing right wall 210R.

  Further, with reference to FIG. 7, the developing device 20 includes a first transmission gear 211, a second transmission gear 212, and a third transmission gear 213. The printer 100 includes a first motor M1, a second motor M2, and a control unit 50 that are provided in the housing 101. The first transmission gear 211, the second transmission gear 212, and the third transmission gear 213 are gears rotatably supported on the housing right wall 210R. The first transmission gear 211 is connected to the second transmission gear 212. The first transmission gear 211 is connected to the developing roller 21, the first stirring screw 23, and the second stirring screw 24 through a gear group (not shown). When the developing device 20 is mounted on the housing 101, the first motor M 1 is connected to the third transmission gear 213 and the second motor M 2 is connected to the first transmission gear 211.

  The first motor M <b> 1 moves a later-described moving wall 32 of the toner container 30 by rotating a later-described shaft 33 of the toner container 30 via the third transmission gear 213. The second motor M <b> 2 rotates the developing roller 21, the first stirring screw 23, and the second stirring screw 24 of the developing device 20 via the first transmission gear 211. Further, the second motor M <b> 2 rotates a stirring member 35 described later of the toner container 30 via the first transmission gear 211 and the second transmission gear 212. The controller 50 controls the first motor M1 and the second motor M2, respectively, in the printing operation of the printer 100, and drives each member of the developing device 20 and the toner container 30.

<About toner container structure>
Next, a toner container 30 (developer container) according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 8A is a plan view of the toner container 30 according to this embodiment, and FIG. 8B is a front view thereof. FIG. 9 is an exploded perspective view of the toner container 30. FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view of the toner container 30. 11 and 12 are perspective views showing the inside of the toner container 30 according to this embodiment. 11 and 12 are perspective views in which a container main body 37, which will be described later, is partially omitted. FIG. 13 is a perspective view of the shaft 33 in the toner container 30. FIG. 14 is an exploded perspective view of the toner container 30. FIG. 15 is a perspective view of the cover 39 of the toner container 30 (A) and (B). FIG. 16 is an exploded perspective view of the toner container 30 (A) and (B).

  The toner container 30 has a cylindrical shape extending in the left-right direction (first direction, arrow DA direction in FIG. 10). The toner container 30 stores supply toner (developer) therein. Referring to FIG. 9, the toner container 30 includes a lid portion 31, a moving wall 32, a shaft 33 (shaft portion), a first seal 34, a stirring member 35, a second seal 36, and a container body 37. (Container body), filling port cap 30K (FIG. 14), toner sensor TS (FIG. 16), first gear 381 (FIG. 9), second gear 382 (drive transmission unit), cover 39, Is provided.

  The lid portion 31 (FIGS. 9 and 10) is fixed to the container main body 37 and seals the opening of the container main body 37. The lid portion 31 includes a lid shaft hole portion 31J, a contact portion 311 and a first guide portion 312. The lid shaft hole 31J is provided at the center of the lid 31 and pivotally supports the shaft 33. The lid shaft hole 31J is a hole formed by a predetermined length leftward from the right side surface (inner surface) of the lid 31. The contact portion 311 corresponds to the bottom surface portion of the lid shaft hole portion 31J. The end surface of the shaft 33 comes into contact with the contact portion 311. The contact portion 311 has a function of regulating the position of the shaft 33 in the first direction. The first guide portion 312 (FIG. 11) is a protrusion formed on the left side surface (outer surface portion) of the lid portion 31 so as to extend in the vertical direction. The first guide unit 312 has a function of guiding the toner container 30 to be attached to the developing device 20.

  The container main body 37 is a main body portion of the toner container 30 having a cylindrical shape. The container body 37 includes an inner peripheral portion 37K and an internal space 37H (FIGS. 10 and 11). The inner peripheral portion 37K is an inner peripheral surface of the container body 37 and extends in a cylindrical shape along the longitudinal direction of the toner container 30 (first direction, arrow DA direction in FIGS. 10 and 11).

  8A and 8B, the container body 37 includes a bottom 371, a top plate 372, a front wall 373, a rear wall 374, and a right wall 375 (wall portion) (FIG. 10). ), A main body flange portion 37F (FIG. 9), and a protruding wall 376 (FIGS. 9 and 10). The bottom portion 371 is a bottom portion of the container main body 37 and has a semi-cylindrical shape protruding downward. In other words, the bottom portion 371 has an arc shape in a cross-sectional view intersecting the first direction. The front wall 373 and the rear wall 374 are a pair of side walls erected upward from the side end of the bottom 371. The top plate 372 is disposed above the bottom 371 and covers the upper part of the internal space 37H. The right wall 375 is a wall portion that is connected to one end side (right end side) of the bottom portion 371, the front wall 373, the rear wall 374, and the top plate 372 in the first direction and closes the container main body 37. The internal space 37H is a space defined by the inner peripheral portion 37K formed by the bottom portion 371, the top plate 372, the front wall 373, the rear wall 374, and the right wall 375 and the lid portion 31. At this time, the right wall 375 defines one end surface of the internal space 37H in the first direction. Further, in the internal space 37H, a region between the right wall 375 and the moving wall 32 is the accommodation space 37S. The accommodation space 37 </ b> S is a space in which the toner is accommodated inside the toner container 30.

  As shown in FIG. 10, the container body 37 has an opening on the opposite side of the right wall 375 in the first direction. The main body flange portion 37F is an area in which the opening is formed and the outer diameter of the left end portion of the container main body 37 is slightly enlarged. When the lid portion 31 is fixed to the main body flange portion 37F, the lid portion 31 closes the internal space 37H of the container main body 37. In addition, the lid welding part 31F (FIG. 16) which is the outer periphery of the lid part 31 is ultrasonically welded (welded) to the main body flange part 37F.

  With reference to FIGS. 9 and 10, the protruding wall 376 is a portion in which the outer peripheral portion of the container body 37 protrudes to the right side of the right wall 375. A cover 39 is attached to the protruding wall 376.

  The container main body 37 includes a toner discharge port 377 (developer discharge port), a shutter 30S, a gripping portion 37L, a front cutout portion 37M, a lower cutout portion 37N, a filling port 37G, and a main body bearing portion 37J. And comprising.

  The toner discharge port 377 is an opening that communicates with the inner peripheral portion 37 </ b> K and is opened in the lower surface portion of the container main body 37. As shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, the toner discharge port 377 is opened at the right end (one end in the first direction) of the container body 37. In other words, the toner discharge port 377 is disposed adjacent to the right wall 375 in the first direction.

  The toner discharge port 377 is opened in a rectangular shape with a predetermined length along the first direction and with a predetermined width along the arc shape of the bottom portion 371. In the present embodiment, the toner discharge port 377 is opened at a position shifted rearward from the lower end portion of the bottom portion 371 along the circumferential direction.

  The toner stored in the storage space 37S is discharged toward the developing device 20 from the toner discharge port 377. In the present embodiment, as described above, the inner space 37H of the container body 37 is formed by the bottom 371, the front wall 373, the rear wall 374, and the top plate 372. For this reason, the toner in the accommodation space 37S collects in the arc-shaped bottom portion 371 due to the weight of the toner, so that the toner conveyed by the moving wall 32 described later can be efficiently discharged from the toner discharge port 377.

  The shutter 30 </ b> S (FIG. 6) is slidably disposed at the right end portion of the container body 37. The shutter 30S closes (seals) the toner discharge port 377 from the outside of the container main body 37 and exposes the toner discharge port 377 to the outside. The sliding movement of the shutter 30S is linked to the mounting operation of the toner container 30 with respect to the developing device 20.

  The gripping portion 37L (FIG. 9) is a protrusion that protrudes along the left-right direction at the rear portion of the top plate 372 of the container main body 37. The grip portion 37L is gripped by the user. The front notch 37M is a region in which a part of the front side surface of the protruding wall 376 is notched toward the left. The front cutout portion 37M exposes the filling port 37G. Further, the lower notch 37N is a region in which a part of the lower side surface of the protruding wall 376 is recessed toward the radially inner side. A fourth protrusion 395 (FIG. 15) of the cover 39 described later is engaged with the lower notch 37N.

  The filling port 37G has a cylindrical shape protruding from the right wall 375 on the right side. The inside of the cylinder of the filling port 37G is formed so as to penetrate the right wall 375 along the first direction. The filling port 37G allows the outside of the container body 37 to communicate with the accommodation space 37S. At the manufacturing stage of the toner container 30, the toner is filled into the accommodation space 37S from the filling port 37G.

  The main body bearing portion 37J is a bearing formed on the right wall 375. The main body bearing portion 37J has a cylindrical shape that protrudes rightward from the center portion of the right wall 375. Referring to FIG. 10, the main body bearing portion 37J includes a large diameter portion 37J1 and a small diameter portion 37J2. The large diameter portion 37J1 is a cylindrical portion protruding from the right wall 375 toward the right. The small diameter portion 37J2 is connected to the right end portion of the large diameter portion 37J1, and is a cylindrical portion having a smaller diameter than the large diameter portion 37J1. The shaft 33 is inserted through the main body bearing portion 37J. At this time, the right end side of the shaft 33 protrudes outside the container body 37. Further, a part of the stirring member 35 (stirring bearing portion 351) is inserted between the main body bearing portion 37J and the shaft 33 inside the cylinder of the main body bearing portion 37J.

  The filling port cap 30K (FIG. 14) is attached to the filling port 37G of the container body 37 and seals the filling port 37G. After the toner is filled into the accommodation space 37S from the filling port 37G, the filling port cap 30K is attached to the filling port 37G and welded. As a result, the toner is prevented from leaking from the filling port 37G.

  The moving wall 32 is a wall portion arranged facing the first direction inside the container main body 37 (internal space 37H). The moving wall 32 defines one end face (left end face) in the first direction of the accommodation space 37S. The other end surface (right end surface) of the accommodation space 37S in the first direction is defined by the right wall 375. Further, the moving wall 32 conveys the toner in the accommodation space 37S from the initial position on the one end side in the first direction to the other side from the start of use of the toner container 30 to the end of use. A function of moving in the first direction in the internal space 37H to the final position on the end side is provided. In the present embodiment, the initial position of the moving wall 32 is disposed on the right side (downstream in the first direction) of the lid portion 31, and the final position is disposed on the left side (upstream in the first direction) of the toner discharge port 377. Yes. The moving wall 32 is moved by the rotational driving force generated by the first motor M1. The lid portion 31 is disposed upstream of the moving wall 32 in the first direction. Further, the right wall 375 is disposed on the downstream side in the first direction with respect to the moving wall 32.

  Referring to FIGS. 10 to 12, the moving wall 32 includes a conveying wall portion 320, an outer peripheral wall portion 321, a guide rib 320 </ b> A (FIG. 12), an internal rib 320 </ b> B (FIG. 11), a cylindrical portion 320 </ b> C, and an inner wall. A seal 322 (second elastic member), a shaft seal 323 (first elastic member), a bearing portion 32J (FIG. 10), and an outer peripheral portion 32K are provided.

  The transfer wall part 320 is a wall part that defines the accommodation space 37 </ b> S together with the inner peripheral part 37 </ b> K of the container body 37. In particular, the conveyance wall 320 includes a conveyance surface 320 </ b> S perpendicular to the shaft 33. The conveyance surface 320 </ b> S conveys the toner in the accommodation space 37 </ b> S while pressing the toner as the moving wall 32 moves. In the present embodiment, the transport surface 320S includes a tapered surface 320T (FIGS. 10 and 12). The tapered surface 320T is formed by inclining a part of the conveying surface 320S toward the downstream side in the first direction so as to surround the periphery of the shaft 33.

  The bearing portion 32J is a bearing portion formed at a substantially central portion of the transport wall portion 320. The bearing portion 32J moves along the first direction while holding the moving wall 32. The shaft 33 described later is inserted through the bearing portion 32J.

  The cylindrical portion 320 </ b> C is a cylindrical portion that protrudes toward the upstream side in the first direction from the surface of the transport wall 320 that is opposite to the transport surface 320 </ b> S. The cylindrical portion 320C forms a part of the bearing portion 32J. The cylindrical portion 320C includes a female spiral portion 320D. The female spiral portion 320D is a spiral thread portion formed on the inner peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion 320C. The female spiral portion 320 </ b> D has a function of moving the moving wall 32 along the first direction by engaging with a male spiral portion 333 described later of the shaft 33. At this time, the posture of the moving wall 32 is maintained by the contact between the inner wall of the cylindrical portion 320 </ b> C and the outer peripheral portion of the shaft 33. For this reason, it is suppressed that the conveyance wall part 320 of the moving wall 32 inclines with respect to the shaft 33. FIG.

  The outer peripheral wall portion 321 protrudes from the entire outer peripheral edge of the transfer wall portion 320 toward the side opposite to the accommodation space 37S, that is, the upstream side in the moving direction of the moving wall 32 (upstream side in the first direction). It is. The outer peripheral wall portion 321 is disposed to face the inner peripheral portion 37K of the container main body 37. The guide rib 320 </ b> A is a rib member that extends along the first direction in the outer peripheral wall portion 321. A plurality of guide ribs 320 </ b> A are arranged on the circumferential surface of the outer peripheral wall portion 321 at intervals in the circumferential direction in the rotation of the shaft 33. The guide rib 320 </ b> A slightly contacts the inner peripheral portion 37 </ b> K of the container main body 37 and has a function of preventing the moving wall 32 from being inclined with respect to the shaft 33 inside the container main body 37.

  As shown in FIG. 11, the internal rib 320 </ b> B is a rib that connects the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion 320 </ b> C and the inner peripheral surface of the outer peripheral wall portion 321. A plurality of internal ribs 320B are arranged along the circumferential direction. The cross-sectional view of FIG. 10 is a vertical cross-sectional view passing through the shaft center of the shaft 33, and therefore, a part of the internal ribs 320B and the transfer wall portion 320 are connected.

  The inner wall seal 322 is a seal member that is disposed so as to cover the periphery of the transfer wall 320 on the transfer wall 320 side of the outer peripheral wall 321. The inner wall seal 322 is an elastic member made of urethane sponge. After one end of the tape-shaped inner wall seal 322 is fixed to the upper portion of the conveyance wall portion 320, the inner wall seal 322 is fixed while being wound around the conveyance wall portion 320. Then, the other end of the inner wall seal 322 is fixed so as to overlap one end of the inner wall seal 322. The inner wall seal 322 is compressed and deformed between the inner peripheral portion 37 </ b> K of the container body 37 and the moving wall 32. Further, the inner wall seal 322 forms the outer peripheral portion 32 </ b> K of the moving wall 32. The outer peripheral portion 32K is disposed in close contact with the inner peripheral portion 37K of the container main body 37. The inner wall seal 322 prevents the toner in the accommodation space 37 </ b> S from flowing out between the inner peripheral portion 37 </ b> K of the container body 37 and the moving wall 32 to the upstream side in the moving direction from the moving wall 32. The above-described guide rib 320A is disposed on the upstream side in the first direction with respect to the inner wall seal 322.

  The shaft seal 323 is fixed to the front end side in the moving direction of the moving wall 32 rather than the female spiral portion 320D in the bearing portion 32J (FIG. 11). In particular, in the present embodiment, the shaft seal 323 is disposed at the tip of the tapered surface 320T of the transport surface 320S. The shaft seal 323 is an elastic member made of urethane sponge. The shaft seal 323 comes into contact with the male spiral portion 333 of the shaft 33 as the moving wall 32 moves. At this time, the shaft seal 323 contacts the male spiral portion 333 prior to the female spiral portion 320D, and cleans the toner attached to the male spiral portion 333. Accordingly, the male spiral portion 333 engages with the female spiral portion 320D in a state where the toner is almost removed from the male spiral portion 333. For this reason, toner is prevented from aggregating between the male spiral portion 333 and the female spiral portion 320D, and the movement of the moving wall 32 is stably realized. Further, since the shaft seal 323 has a ring shape, the shaft seal 323 is in close contact with the shaft 33 over the entire circumferential direction of the shaft 33. For this reason, the toner in the accommodation space 37S is prevented from flowing out from the moving wall 32 to the upstream side in the moving direction through the bearing portion 32J.

  The shaft 33 is rotatably supported by the right wall 375 and the lid portion 31 of the container main body 37 so as to extend in the first direction in the internal space 37H. The shaft 33 includes a first shaft end portion 331, a second shaft end portion 332, a male spiral portion 333, a moving wall stop portion 334, a moving wall support portion 335 (tilt suppression mechanism, protrusion), a shaft flange 336.

  With reference to FIG. 9 and FIG. 10, the first shaft end portion 331 is the right end portion (one end portion in the first direction) of the shaft 33. The first shaft end portion 331 is a tip portion of the shaft 33 that protrudes to the right side through the main body bearing portion 37J. As shown in FIG. 9, a pair of D surfaces are formed on the peripheral surface of the first shaft end portion 331. A second gear 382 having a D hole shape at the center is engaged with the first shaft end 331. As a result, the shaft 33 and the second gear 382 can rotate integrally. Further, the tip end portion of the first shaft end portion 331 penetrating the second gear 382 is disposed so as to enter the inside of the second guide portion 391 described later of the cover 39. The second shaft end 332 is the left end of the shaft 33 (the other end in the first direction). The second shaft end portion 332 is pivotally supported by a lid shaft hole portion 31 </ b> J formed in the lid portion 31.

  The male spiral portion 333 is a spiral thread portion formed on the outer peripheral surface of the shaft 33 in the internal space 37H. In this embodiment, the male spiral portion 333 is a region upstream of the toner discharge port 377 in the first direction (arrow DA in FIG. 10) from the region adjacent to the lid portion 31 of the shaft 33 as shown in FIG. It is arranged until.

  The moving wall stop part 334 is continuously arranged on the downstream side in the first direction of the male spiral part 333. The moving wall stop portion 334 is a region of only the shaft portion in which the male spiral portion 333 is partially omitted from the shaft 33 in the internal space 37H. The moving wall stop 334 is located above the toner discharge port 377 and upstream of the toner discharge port 377 in the first direction.

  The moving wall support portion 335 is disposed downstream of the moving wall stop portion 334 in the first direction. In other words, the male spiral portion 333 and the moving wall support portion 335 are discontinuous in the first direction. The moving wall support portion 335 is a protruding portion that protrudes in the radial direction from the peripheral surface of the shaft 33. As shown in FIG. 10, the moving wall support portion 335 is disposed above the upstream end portion of the toner discharge port 377 in the first direction. In FIG. 13, a perspective view and an enlarged perspective view of the shaft 33 and the shaft 33Z are shown. Although the shaft 33Z will be described in a modified embodiment described later, the moving wall support 335 is not provided as compared with the shaft 33 in the present embodiment.

  The moving wall support 335 has a function of suppressing the inclination of the transport surface 320S of the moving wall 32 with respect to the first direction (inclination with respect to the shaft 33) when the moving wall 32 reaches the final position. The moving wall support portion 335 has a ring shape arranged along the circumferential direction on the peripheral surface of the shaft 33. In the present embodiment, a plurality (two) of moving wall support portions 335 are arranged along the first direction. Specifically, the moving wall support part 335 includes a first support part 335A (projection part) and a second support part 335B (projection part) (FIG. 13). The first support portion 335A is a ring-shaped protrusion disposed on the upstream side in the first direction. The second support portion 335B is a ring-shaped protrusion disposed on the downstream side in the first direction. As shown in the enlarged view of FIG. 13, the first support portion 335 </ b> A is inclined so as to be inclined downward toward the upstream side and the downstream side in the first direction around the ridge line disposed at the substantially central portion in the first direction. It has a surface. On the other hand, the second support portion 335B includes an inclined surface that slopes upward toward the downstream side in the first direction, and a side end face 335C that is connected to the inclined surface. The side end face 335C faces the first direction and is disposed perpendicular to the first direction.

  The height at which the first support portion 335A and the second support portion 335B protrude from the peripheral surface of the shaft 33 is the same as the height of the mountain of the male spiral portion 333 or slightly higher than the height of the mountain of the male spiral portion 333. May be set higher.

  The shaft flange 336 is disposed at a distance downstream from the moving wall support 335 in the first direction. The shaft flange 336 is a disc-shaped flange that protrudes in the radial direction from the peripheral surface of the shaft 33. 9, 10, and 13, two shaft flanges 336 are arranged so as to be adjacent in the first direction. The shaft flange 336 on the downstream side in the first direction has a smaller diameter than the shaft flange 336 on the upstream side in the first direction. The downstream shaft flange 336 has a function of compressing the first seal 34 (FIG. 10) together with the agitating cylindrical portion 354 (FIG. 11) described later. On the other hand, the upstream shaft flange 336 has a function of preventing toner from entering the inside of the stirring cylindrical portion 354.

  As described above, the first seal 34 is a ring-shaped seal member that is compressed between the shaft flange 336 of the shaft 33 and the side surface of the stirring cylindrical portion 354 of the stirring member 35. The first seal 34 is made of a sponge material. The first seal 34 prevents the toner from leaking to the outside of the container body 37 through the space between the inner peripheral surface of the stirring bearing portion 351 (FIG. 10) of the stirring member 35 and the peripheral surface of the shaft 33.

  The stirring member 35 (FIGS. 9 and 10) is disposed along the right wall 375 above the toner discharge port 377. The agitating member 35 agitates the toner in the accommodation space 37S. In the present embodiment, the stirring member 35 rotates around the shaft 33 and relative to the shaft 33. In FIG. 11, the stirring member 35 is rotated in the direction of the arrow DB. The stirring member 35 includes a stirring bearing portion 351, a stirring support portion 352 (supporting portion), a stirring blade 353 (blade portion), and a stirring cylindrical portion 354 (FIGS. 10 and 11).

  The agitation bearing portion 351 has a cylindrical shape that is fitted on the shaft 33. The stirring bearing portion 351 is inserted into the main body bearing portion 37J from the storage space 37S side of the container main body 37. As a result, the right end side of the stirring bearing portion 351 passes through the main body bearing portion 37J and is exposed to the outside of the container main body 37 from the right wall 375 (main body bearing portion 37J) (see FIG. 14). On the other hand, the left end side of the stirring bearing portion 351 is disposed in the accommodation space 37S. A first engagement portion 35K is formed at the right end of the stirring bearing portion 351 (FIG. 9). The first engagement portion 35K engages with a second engagement portion 381K formed on the inner peripheral surface of the first gear 381. As a result, the stirring member 35 and the first gear 381 rotate integrally.

  The stirring support portion 352 is a protruding piece that protrudes in the radial direction in the rotation of the shaft 33 from the left end side of the cylindrical stirring bearing portion 351. The stirring support part 352 is disposed along the right wall 375 so as to face the first direction. The agitation support portion 352 rotates around the shaft 33 in the accommodation space 37S. In particular, in this embodiment, a pair of agitation support portions 352 are arranged. That is, one stirring support part 352 is arranged along the right wall 375 so as to extend outward in the radial direction from the shaft 33. The other stirring support part 352 is arranged so as to extend radially outward from a position different from the one stirring support part 352 in the circumferential direction. In other words, the pair of stirring support portions 352 are arranged so as to extend toward opposite sides in the radial direction, and have a propeller shape in which the circumferential width is set wider toward the outer side in the radial direction. . For this reason, compared with the case where the stirring support part 352 has a disk shape, the toner entering the gap between the stirring support part 352 and the right wall 375 is easy to move, and the toner is prevented from aggregating.

  The stirring blade 353 is a blade member that protrudes from the pair of stirring support portions 352 toward the left side (upstream side in the first direction). As shown in FIGS. 11 and 12, two stirring blades 353 protrude from each stirring support portion 352. The stirring blade 353 has an L-shape in a cross-sectional view orthogonal to the axial direction of the shaft 33 (see FIG. 17B). The stirring blade 353 stirs the toner around the toner discharge port 377 while circulating around the toner discharge port 377 and discharges the toner from the toner discharge port 377.

  The stirring cylindrical portion 354 is a region on the left side of the stirring support portion 352 in the stirring bearing portion 351. The outer diameter of the stirring cylindrical portion 354 is set larger than the outer diameter of the stirring bearing portion 351 on the right side of the stirring support portion 352. As shown in FIG. 10, the first seal 34 is compressed and disposed inside the stirring cylindrical portion 354.

  The second seal 36 is a ring-shaped seal member disposed inside the large-diameter portion 37J1 of the container body 37. The second seal 36 is compressed between a stepped portion between the large diameter portion 37J1 and the small diameter portion 37J2 of the main body bearing portion 37J and a ring-shaped protrusion formed on the right side surface of the stirring support portion 352 of the stirring member 35. Arranged. The second seal 36 is made of a sponge material. The second seal 36 prevents the toner from leaking outside the container body 37 by passing between the outer peripheral surface of the stirring bearing portion 351 of the stirring member 35 and the inner peripheral surface of the main body bearing portion 37J.

  The first gear 381 transmits a rotational driving force to the stirring member 35. The first gear 381 is connected to the second motor M2 via the first transmission gear 211 and the second transmission gear 212 (FIG. 7). The first gear 381 is connected to the stirring bearing portion 351 of the stirring member 35 that passes through the main body bearing portion 37J. The first gear 381 includes a cylindrical gear cylindrical portion 381A and a first gear portion 381B (FIG. 10).

  The gear cylindrical portion 381 </ b> A is a cylindrical portion that is fitted onto the stirring bearing portion 351 of the stirring member 35. Further, as described above, the first cylindrical engaging portion 35K (FIG. 9) is connected to the second engaging portion 381K of the first gear 381, so that the gear cylindrical portion 381A is connected to the stirring bearing portion 351. Connected. As a result, the first gear 381 and the stirring member 35 rotate integrally.

  The first gear portion 381B is a gear arranged at the right end portion of the cylindrical gear portion 381A. The first gear portion 381B has a larger outer diameter than the gear cylindrical portion 381A. A plurality of gear teeth are provided on the peripheral surface of the first gear portion 381B.

  The second gear 382 transmits the rotational driving force to the shaft 33. A plurality of gear teeth are also provided on the peripheral surface of the second gear 382. The second gear 382 is connected to the first motor M1 via the third transmission gear 213 (FIG. 7). As shown in FIG. 10, the right end portion of the shaft 33 is disposed so as to penetrate the stirring bearing portion 351 of the stirring member 35. The second gear 382 is connected (fixed) to the tip end portion (first shaft end portion 331) of the shaft 33 that penetrates the stirring bearing portion 351. As shown in FIG. 10, the side surface of the second gear 382 faces the tip of the stirring bearing portion 351 of the stirring member 35. The second gear 382 is disposed adjacent to the first gear portion 381B in the first direction. The first gear 381 and the second gear 382 are arranged on the downstream side of the moving wall 32 in the moving direction (first direction).

  In other words, as shown in FIG. 10, the first gear 381 and the second gear 382 are collectively arranged at a position facing the right wall 375 of the container main body 37 outside the container main body 37. Therefore, the entire toner container 30 can be configured compactly, particularly in the first direction. Further, it is possible to reduce the necessity of providing a penetrating shaft hole in both the lid portion 31 and the right wall 375. For this reason, leakage of toner (developer) and a decrease in rigidity of the lid 31 and the right wall 375 are suppressed. In the present embodiment, the first gear 381 and the second gear 382 are arranged adjacent to each other depending on the shape of the first gear 381 including the cylindrical gear portion 381A. Accordingly, the drive units (the first transmission gear 211, the second transmission gear 212, and the third transmission gear 213) that input the driving force to the first gear 381 and the second gear 382 are collectively arranged inside the developing device 20. be able to.

  The cover 39 is attached to the protruding wall 376 of the container main body 37. The cover 39 has a function of exposing part of the first gear 381 and the second gear 382 in the circumferential direction to the outside and covering other parts of the first gear 381 and the second gear 382 in the circumferential direction. . Referring to FIG. 15, the cover 39 includes a second guide portion 391, a first projecting piece 392, a second projecting piece 393, a third projecting piece 394, a fourth projecting piece 395, and a first hole portion. 396, a second hole 397, and a gear opening 39K.

  The second guide portion 391 is a protruding portion that protrudes to the right side in the vertical direction on the right side surface of the cover 39. The second guide portion 391 has a function of guiding the mounting of the toner container 30 to the developing device 20 together with the first guide portion 312 of the lid portion 31. As shown in FIG. 10, the distal end portion of the first shaft end portion 331 penetrating the second gear 382 is accommodated in the second guide portion 391.

  The first projecting piece 392, the second projecting piece 393, the third projecting piece 394, and the fourth projecting piece 395 are projecting pieces projecting leftward from the outer peripheral edge of the cover 39. These protrusions are used when the cover 39 is attached to the container body 37 as a so-called snap fit. The first hole 396 and the second hole 397 are holes that are opened near the outer peripheral edge of the left side surface of the cover 39. On the other hand, with reference to FIG. 14, the container main body 37 further includes a first stud 37P and a second stud 37Q that protrude in a pin shape toward the right side. When the cover 39 is attached to the container body 37, the first stud 37P and the second stud 37Q are inserted into the first hole 396 and the second hole 397, respectively, so that the circumferential direction of the cover 39 is increased. A position is defined.

  As shown in FIG. 15A, the gear opening 39K is an opening in which the lower surface of the cover 39 is opened with a semicircular arc shape. When the cover 39 is attached to the container main body 37, part of the gear teeth of the first gear 381 and the second gear 382 is exposed to the outside of the toner container 30 through the gear opening 39K. As a result, when the toner container 30 is mounted on the developing housing 210 of the developing device 20, the first gear 381 and the second gear 382 are engaged with the second transmission gear 212 and the third transmission gear 213 (FIG. 7), respectively. Is done. Thus, by providing the gear opening 39K, it is possible to input the rotational driving force to the first gear 381 and the second gear 382 while protecting the first gear 381 and the second gear 382.

  The toner sensor TS (FIG. 8B, FIG. 16) is a sensor disposed on the bottom 371 of the container body 37. The toner sensor TS is disposed adjacent to the toner discharge port 377 in the circumferential direction, and is fixed to the lowermost surface portion of the bottom portion 371 in the present embodiment. The toner sensor TS is a sensor composed of a magnetic permeability sensor or a piezoelectric element. When the toner sensor TS is composed of a piezoelectric element, the sensor portion of the toner sensor TS is exposed in the accommodation space 37S. The toner sensor TS outputs a HIGH signal (+ 5V) when pressed by the toner in the accommodation space 37S. When there is almost no toner above the toner sensor TS, the toner sensor TS outputs a LOW signal (0 V). The output signal of the toner sensor TS is referred to by the control unit 50 (FIG. 7). When the toner sensor TS is a magnetic permeability sensor, it is not necessary for the sensor to directly contact the toner. Therefore, in another embodiment, the toner sensor TS may be disposed on the developing housing 210 side of the developing device 20 so as to face the outer wall of the container main body 37. Further, the arrangement of the toner sensor TS is not limited to the bottom 371. In another embodiment, the toner sensor may be disposed on the top plate 372, the front wall 373, the rear wall 374, and the like of the container body 37.

<Assembling the toner container>
Next, an outline of the procedure for assembling the toner container 30 will be described. Referring to FIG. 9, the first seal 34 is inserted into the first shaft end 331 side of the shaft 33. The first seal 34 contacts the shaft flange 336. On the other hand, the second seal 36 is inserted into the stirring bearing portion 351 side of the stirring member 35. The second seal 36 abuts on a ring-shaped protrusion disposed at the proximal end of the stirring support portion 352. Further, the first shaft end portion 331 side of the shaft 33 is inserted into the stirring bearing portion 351 of the stirring member 35. Thereafter, the moving wall 32 is inserted into the second shaft end 332 side of the shaft 33. Since the female spiral portion 320D of the moving wall 32 and the male spiral portion 333 of the shaft 33 are engaged, the moving wall 32 is attached to the shaft 33 while being rotated by several rotations. In a state where the moving wall 32, the shaft 33, the first seal 34, the stirring member 35, and the second seal 36 are integrated, the first shaft end portion 331 side of the shaft 33 is the internal space from the main body flange portion 37F side of the container main body 37 Inserted into 37H. The first shaft end portion 331 passes through the main body bearing portion 37J and protrudes to the right end side of the container main body 37 as shown in FIG. Thereafter, referring to FIG. 16, lid welded portion 31 </ b> F of lid portion 31 is ultrasonically welded to main body flange portion 37 </ b> F of container main body 37. As a result, an internal space 37H and an accommodation space 37S are formed inside the container body 37. In the state where the filling port 37G of the container main body 37 is opened, the accommodation space 37S is filled with toner.

<About filling the developer>
FIG. 17A is a front view and FIG. 17B is a cross-sectional view of the toner container 30 according to the present embodiment. FIG. 17B is a cross-sectional view taken along the DD line in FIG. 18A is a perspective view of the toner container 30, and FIG. 18B is a cross-sectional perspective view thereof. The cross-sectional perspective view of FIG. 18B includes a cross-section at the CC position of FIG.

  With reference to FIGS. 17 and 18, in the present embodiment, when the right wall 375 is viewed from the upstream side in the first direction (left side, the front side in FIG. 17B), the agitating member 35 is rotated around the shaft 33. The stirring member 35 has a shape in which the filling port 37G is exposed at a predetermined rotational position. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 17B, when the stirring member 35 is disposed at a predetermined rotational position around the shaft 33, between the one stirring support portion 352 and the other stirring support portion 352 in the circumferential direction. In addition, the filling port 37G is exposed. Therefore, even when the stirring member 35 is rotatable at a position along the right wall 375, the rotation position of the stirring member 35 is adjusted as shown in FIGS. 17 (B) and 18 (B). Thus, the toner can be smoothly filled into the accommodation space 37S through the filling port 37G.

  Further, as described above, in the present embodiment, the filling port 37G for filling the accommodation space 37S with the toner is opened in the right wall 375. FIG. 21 is a cross-sectional view (A) and (B) of another toner container 30D to be compared with the toner container 30 according to the present embodiment. Similarly, FIG. 22A is a cross-sectional view of the toner container 30D, and FIG. 22B is a cross-sectional view of another toner container 30E compared with the toner container 30 according to the present embodiment. .

  In the toner container 30D shown in FIGS. 21A, 21B, and 22A, a filling port 32D1 for filling toner is opened in the moving wall 32D. In this case, the toner is filled before the lid portion 31D is welded to the container body 37D.

  The moving wall 32D has a bearing portion 32JD through which the shaft 33D is inserted. As described above, when the filling port 32D1 is further opened in the moving wall 32D, the rigidity of the moving wall 32D tends to decrease. When the rigidity of the moving wall 32D is low, the moving wall 32D is easily inclined with respect to the shaft 33D when the moving wall 32D moves along the shaft 33D toward the toner discharge port 377D. On the other hand, when the filling port 37G is opened to the right wall 375 side as in the present embodiment (FIG. 18), only the bearing portion 32J needs to be opened in the moving wall 32, and the rigidity of the moving wall 32 is increased. Highly maintained.

  Further, in the printer 100, a plurality of toner filling amounts to be filled in the toner container 30 may be set. As an example, when a plurality of printable number of sheets for each toner container 30 is set, the amount of toner charged in the toner container 30 is set in advance according to the number of printable sheets. When a large amount of toner is filled in the toner container 30D, the toner is filled in a state where the moving wall 32D is disposed at the left end as shown in FIG. On the other hand, when the amount of toner filled in the toner container 30D is small, the toner after filling is distributed near the bottom of the toner container 30D as shown in FIG. When such a toner container 30D is mounted on the printer 100, the moving wall 32D needs to be moved to the position shown in FIG. 22A prior to use of the printer 100. As described above, in the toner container 30D, it is necessary to initially move the moving wall 32D in the manufacturing process of the printer 100 or in the use place of the user, and the manufacturing man-hour of the printer 100 is increased or the use place in the use place is increased. Increased preparation time is provided.

  Referring to FIG. 22B, in the toner container 30E, the male spiral portion 333E is partially disposed at the center portion in the first direction of the shaft 33E. Then, on the left end side of the shaft 33E, a region 33E1 is set only for the shaft portion where the male spiral portion 333E is not disposed. In this case, the moving wall 32E can be arranged in advance in the position shown in FIG. 22B while the bearing portion 32JE of the moving wall 32E passes through the region 33E1. However, in this case, since the toner is filled through the filling port 32E1 in the state shown in FIG. 22B, the filling facility (nozzle) needs to enter the toner container 30E. As a result, the shape of the filling equipment is complicated. In particular, when an elongate filling nozzle that reaches the filling port 32E1 is disposed, the toner is easily clogged in the nozzle. Moreover, since the moving wall 32E is easy to move at the time of filling, filling efficiency falls. Further, since the position of the moving wall 32E is unstable, it is difficult to weld the filling port cap 32E2 to the filling port 32E1. On the other hand, when the filling port 37G is opened on the right wall 375 side as in the present embodiment, the toner can be filled from the right wall 375 side where the position is always fixed regardless of the toner filling amount. In addition, in the process of assembling the toner container 30, the shaft 33 can be mounted inside the container body 37 in a state where the moving wall 32 is previously disposed at a predetermined position in the first direction on the shaft 33. Become. Accordingly, the initial storage space 37S is preset in size and then filled with toner from the filling port 37G. As described above, in the present embodiment, even when a plurality of toner filling amounts to be filled in the accommodation space 37S are set and a plurality of initial positions of the moving wall 32 are set, common filling equipment is realized, Filling operation is performed stably.

<About the movement of the moving wall>
While the first guide portion 312 of the lid portion 31 and the second guide portion 391 of the cover 39 are guided by the pair of guide grooves 109A of the developing device 20, the toner container 30 is mounted on the container housing portion 109 by the user (FIG. 6, FIG. 7). When the toner container 30 is mounted in the container housing portion 109, the shutter 30S is moved and the toner discharge port 377 is opened. As a result, the toner discharge port 377 is disposed above the toner supply port 25 (FIGS. 4 and 5).

  FIG. 19 is a cross-sectional view (A) and an enlarged cross-sectional view (B) showing a state in which the moving wall 32 is disposed at the final position in the toner container 30. Note that FIG. 10 described above is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the moving wall 32 is moving in the first direction from the initial position. Further, the initial position of the moving wall 32 is set to the left side of the position along the lid portion 31, that is, the position of the moving wall 32 shown in FIG.

  When the new toner container 30 is mounted on the printer 100, the control unit 50 (FIG. 7) drives the first motor M <b> 1 and moves the shaft 33 via the second gear 382 engaged with the third transmission gear 213. Drive to rotate. As a result, due to the engagement between the male spiral portion 333 of the shaft 33 and the female spiral portion 320D of the moving wall 32, the moving wall 32 moves toward the toner discharge port 377 in the first direction (arrow DA in FIG. 10). Eventually, when the moving wall 32 moves rightward from the initial position by a predetermined distance, the accommodation space 37S is filled with toner, and the toner sensor TS outputs a HIGH signal corresponding to the full state. The control unit 50 receives the HIGH signal output from the toner sensor TS and stops the moving wall 32.

  In the present embodiment, the inner peripheral portion 37K of the container main body 37 and the outer peripheral portion 32K of the moving wall 32 have a non-circular shape in a cross-sectional view intersecting the first direction. In particular, as shown in FIG. 17A, an inner peripheral portion 37K of the container main body 37 is formed by the bottom 371, the top plate 372, the front wall 373, and the rear wall 374 of the container main body 37. Further, an inclined portion 37TP that is recessed toward the inside of the container main body 37 is disposed at the upper end portion of the rear wall 374. As a result, the container main body 37 has an asymmetric shape on the left and right with the vertical plane passing through the shaft 33 as the center. Since the gripping portion 37L is arranged at the upper end of the inclined portion 37TP, the user can grip the toner container 30 so as to grip the gripping portion 37L and the front wall 373.

  On the other hand, the outer peripheral portion 32K of the moving wall 32 that is in close contact with the inner peripheral portion 37K of the container main body 37 has a shape similar to the inner peripheral portion 37K. For this reason, even when the rotational force around the shaft 33 is applied to the moving wall 32 by the engagement between the male spiral portion 333 and the female spiral portion 370D, the moving wall 32 rotates around the shaft 33. (Turning around) is prevented. As a result, the moving wall 32 can be stably moved in the first direction by the rotational driving force of the first motor M1. In addition, as described above, the engagement of the male spiral portion 333 and the female spiral portion 370 </ b> D causes the outer peripheral portion 32 </ b> K of the movable wall 32 to be in close contact with the inner peripheral portion 37 </ b> K of the container body 37. 32 can be moved stably along the first direction.

  When the moving wall 32 moves in the first direction (arrow DA in FIG. 10) by the engagement of the male spiral portions 333 and 370D in this way, a reaction force is applied to the shaft 33 in the arrow DJ direction in FIG. (Thrust force). Therefore, the end surface of the second shaft end portion 332 of the shaft 33 contacts the contact portion 311 of the lid portion 31 while the moving wall 32 moves. As a result, the contact portion 311 has a function of regulating the position of the shaft 33 in the first direction. Even when the lid 31 is strongly pressed leftward by the shaft 33, in this embodiment, the lid 31 is ultrasonically welded to the main body flange portion 37F (FIG. 9) of the container main body 37. . Accordingly, the lid portion 31 is prevented from being detached from the container main body 37. Further, in the present embodiment, the contact portion 311 that regulates the position of the shaft 33 is disposed on the upstream side in the first direction from the moving wall 32. For this reason, it is possible to prevent toner from interposing at the contact portion between the shaft 33 and the contact portion 311. Therefore, the rotation failure of the shaft 33 due to the fixing of the toner at the contact portion 311 is prevented.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. For this reason, when the staying portion 29 (FIG. 5) on the developing device 20 side seals the toner replenishing port 25 from below, the replenishing toner does not fall from the toner container 30. On the other hand, when the toner is supplied from the developing roller 21 of the developing device 20 to the photosensitive drum 121 and the toner in the staying portion 29 decreases, the toner flows into the developing device 20 from the toner discharge port 377 through the toner supply port 25. As a result, in the accommodation space 37S of the toner container 30, the toner around the toner sensor TS disappears, so the toner sensor TS outputs a LOW signal. In response to the signal, the control unit 50 drives the first motor M1 until the toner sensor TS outputs a HIGH signal, and further moves the moving wall 32 toward the toner discharge port 377.

  Note that the control unit 50 drives the second motor M2 in accordance with the developing operation in the developing device 20, and rotates the developing roller 21 and the like. In conjunction with this rotation operation, the stirring member 35 is rotated via the first gear 381 engaged with the second transmission gear 212. As a result, the stirring member 35 disposed on the right end side of the accommodation space 37S rotates around the shaft 33, so that the toner above the toner discharge port 377 is stably stirred. For this reason, the fluidity of the toner is increased, and the toner is stably dropped from the toner discharge port 377. In particular, in this embodiment, a stirring blade 353 protrudes from the stirring support portion 352 of the stirring member 35. For this reason, the toner around the toner discharge port 377 is actively stirred by the revolving motion of the stirring blade 353.

  If the toner in the storage space 37S of the toner container 30 continues to be used, the moving wall 32 eventually reaches the final position shown in FIG. As described above, the moving wall 32 gradually moves in the first direction, whereby the toner in the accommodation space 37S is conveyed to the toner discharge port 377 while being pressed by the moving wall 32. At this time, the accommodation space 37S is gradually reduced until the moving wall 32 reaches the final position. Therefore, the space where the toner remains is gradually lost in the toner container 30. As a result, the amount of toner remaining in the storage space 37S of the container body 37 at the end of use is reduced as compared with a conventional toner container in which the volume of the storage space does not change.

  In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 19A, at the final position of the moving wall 32, the moving wall 32 stops slightly upstream of the toner discharge port 377 in the first direction. Specifically, referring to FIG. 19B, when the bearing portion 32J of the moving wall 32 reaches the moving wall stop portion 334 as the moving wall 32 moves, the relationship between the male spiral portion 333 and the female spiral portion 320D. The match is released. As a result, transmission of the moving force from the shaft 33 to the moving wall 32 is lost, and the moving wall 32 stops at the final position. At this time, since a space remains above the toner discharge port 377, some toner remains in the space. However, in this embodiment, the stirring member 35 is driven to rotate, so that the toner can be stably discharged from the toner discharge port 377 until the end. The toner discharge port 377 is opened at a position slightly shifted upward from the lower end portion of the container main body 37. Even in such a case, the toner remaining at the lowermost end of the container main body 37 is lifted upward by the stirring blade 353 (FIGS. 17 and 18), and then stably from the toner discharge port 377. Discharged.

  At the final position of the moving wall 32, the first direction upstream end of the outer peripheral portion 32 </ b> K (FIG. 10) of the moving wall 32 is further upstream in the first direction than the first direction upstream end of the toner discharge port 377. Are arranged. In particular, in this embodiment, the upstream end portion in the first direction of the inner wall seal 322 is disposed further upstream in the first direction than the upstream end portion in the first direction of the toner discharge port 377. FIG. 23 is a cross-sectional view of the toner container 30B to be compared with the toner container 30 according to the present embodiment in a state where the moving wall 32 is disposed at the final position. In the toner container 30 </ b> B, at the final position of the moving wall 32, the upstream end of the inner wall seal 322 of the moving wall 32 in the first direction is downstream of the upstream end of the toner discharge port 377 in the first direction. Arranged on the side. Therefore, as indicated by an arrow DT in FIG. 23, the toner once discharged from the toner discharge port 377 may accidentally flow into the internal space 37H on the upstream side of the moving wall 32. In the present embodiment, as described above, the positional relationship between the moving wall 32 and the toner discharge port 377 at the final position is set, so that such a toner outflow is stably prevented. When the volume replenishment type toner replenishment format is employed as in the present embodiment, when the toner in the toner container 30 becomes empty, the replenishment toner moves from the toner container 30 side toward the developing device 20 side. The pressing force that presses the staying portion 29 is lost. In this case, depending on various conditions in the developing device 20, the toner in the developing device 20 may flow backward from the toner supply port 25 to the toner discharge port 377 side. As described above, even when the toner is more likely to flow backward, the arrangement of the final position of the moving wall 32 prevents the toner from erroneously flowing into the internal space 37H on the upstream side of the moving wall 32.

  Further, with reference to FIG. 19, at the final position of the moving wall 32, the conveying surface 320 </ b> S of the moving wall 32 is arranged at an interval upstream in the first direction with respect to the stirring blade 353 of the stirring member 35. For this reason, the conveyance surface 320S of the moving wall 32 reaching the final position and the stirring member 35 are prevented from interfering with each other. Therefore, even when the stirring member 35 is continuously rotated to discharge the toner remaining in the container main body 37, the stirring member 35 and the moving wall 32 are not rubbed and a toner aggregate is formed. Is prevented. Further, even when the developing device 20 is continuously used for a predetermined period in a state where the toner container 30 is empty and the stirring member 35 is continuously rotated in synchronization with the developing roller 21, the moving wall 32 and the stirring member 35 are used. Interference is prevented. Further, as described above, the movement of the moving wall 32 is surely stopped at the final position by the moving wall stop portion 334 provided on the shaft 33. For this reason, interference with the moving wall 32 and the stirring member 35 is further prevented. Further, at the final position of the moving wall 32 shown in FIG. 19, the inner wall seal 322 of the moving wall 32 urges the inner peripheral portion 37K of the toner container 30 in the radial direction with an elastic force from the inside. For this reason, the moving wall 32 is stably locked at the final position, and the moving wall 32 is prevented from approaching the stirring member 35 side.

  Further, in the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 19, the upstream end portion in the first direction of the stirring blade 353 of the stirring member 35 is slightly more than the upstream end portion in the first direction of the toner discharge port 377. It is arranged downstream in one direction. In another embodiment, the end portion on the upstream side in the first direction of the stirring blade 353 of the stirring member 35 may be disposed at the same position in the first direction as the upstream end portion in the first direction of the toner discharge port 377. Good. In this way, by setting the positions of the stirring blade 353 and the toner discharge port 377, the stirring and discharging of the toner located around the toner discharge port 377 can be stably realized. Further, since the stirring blade 353 does not protrude upstream in the first direction from the toner discharge port 377, the final position of the moving wall 32 can be as close to the toner discharge port 377 as possible.

  Furthermore, in this embodiment, the conveyance surface 320S of the moving wall 32 includes a tapered surface 320T (FIG. 19A). And the shaft seal 323 is arrange | positioned at the front-end | tip part of the taper surface 320T. Further, at the final position of the moving wall 32, the end portion on the downstream side in the first direction of the shaft seal 323 is disposed further downstream in the first direction than the end portion on the upstream side in the first direction of the toner discharge port 377. As described above, the final position of the moving wall 32 is set so that the tapered surface 320T and the shaft seal 323 enter the inside of the stirring blade 353 in the radial direction. It can be close to the 377 side. In addition, the moving wall stop portion 334 and the moving wall support portion 335 of the shaft 33 can be disposed with a margin along the first direction so as to face the bearing portion 32J of the moving wall 32. In other words, since the thickness of the moving wall 32 in the first direction is increased by providing the tapered surface 320T, it is possible to ensure a long region in the first direction in which the moving wall stop portion 334 and the moving wall support portion 335 are disposed. It becomes possible. Furthermore, by providing the tapered surface 320T, the shaft seal 323 can be disposed at a distance downstream from the female spiral portion 320D in the first direction. Accordingly, excessive entry of toner into the female spiral portion 320D is prevented.

  In the present embodiment, the bearing portion 32J is supported by the moving wall support portion 335 disposed downstream of the moving wall stop portion 334 in the first direction in addition to the end portion of the male spiral portion 333 in the first direction. The Therefore, the moving wall 32 reaching the final position is suppressed from being inclined with respect to the shaft 33. In particular, the conveyance surface 320S of the moving wall 32 is prevented from being inclined with respect to the first direction. FIG. 24 is a cross-sectional view of the toner container 30C compared with the toner container 30 according to the present embodiment. The toner container 30C is different from the toner container 30 in that the toner container 30C does not include the moving wall support portion 335 in the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 24, when the moving wall 32 of the toner container 30C reaches the final position, the female spiral portion 320D is detached from the male spiral portion 333. At this time, since the gap between the inner peripheral surface of the bearing portion 32J and the outer peripheral surface of the moving wall stop portion 334 is large, the moving wall 32 is inclined as shown in FIG. At this time, the lower portion 323A of the shaft seal 323 disposed at the tip of the bearing portion 32J is separated from the moving wall stop portion 334, and after the toner enters the bearing portion 32J as indicated by an arrow DS, the moving wall 32 is moved. More likely to flow upstream in the first direction. Similarly, the upper portion 323B of the shaft seal 323 is excessively pressed against the moving wall stop 334, so that the shaft seal 323 is greatly deformed. As a result, similarly, the toner easily enters the bearing portion 32J. Further, when the moving wall 32 is inclined with respect to the shaft 33, the amount of compression of the inner wall seal 322 disposed on the outer peripheral portion 32K of the moving wall 32 also changes. As a result, the toner easily flows out from between the container body 37 and the moving wall 32 to the upstream side in the first direction.

  On the other hand, in the present embodiment, as described above, the shaft 33 is provided with the moving wall support portion 335. For this reason, the inclination of the moving wall 32 is suppressed, and uneven deformation of the inner wall seal 322 and the shaft seal 323 is suppressed. As a result, the toner is prevented from flowing out upstream of the moving wall 32 between the moving wall 32 and the inner peripheral portion 37K of the container main body 37 or through the main body bearing portion 37J. Further, since the inclination of the moving wall 32 is prevented, interference between the conveying surface 320S of the moving wall 32 and the stirring member 35 is prevented at the final position.

  The height at which the moving wall support 335 protrudes from the shaft 33 is preferably the same as the height of the mountain of the male spiral 333 or slightly higher than the height of the mountain of the male spiral 333. In this case, the moving wall support portion 335 can reliably support the bearing portion 32J. Further, since the moving wall support portion 335 has a ring shape arranged along the circumferential direction on the circumferential surface of the shaft 33, the bearing portion 32J is stably supported by the moving wall support portion 335 over the entire circumferential direction. The

  Further, as shown in FIGS. 13 and 19B, since the plurality of moving wall support portions 335 are arranged along the first direction, the bearing portion 32J is stable in a predetermined range along the first direction. To be supported. Further, the second support part 335B of the moving wall support part 335 includes a side end face 335C (FIG. 19B) perpendicular to the first direction. For this reason, the moving wall support part 335 can support the bearing part 32J in the first direction downstream as much as possible. As a result, the final position of the moving wall 32 can be made closer to the toner discharge port 377.

  As described above, the toner container 30 and the printer 100 including the toner container 30 according to the embodiment of the present invention have been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and for example, the following modified embodiment can be adopted. .

  (1) In the first embodiment, the printer 100 is described as a monochrome printer, but the present invention is not limited to this. In particular, when the printer 100 is a tandem color printer, after the opening / closing cover 100C (FIG. 2) of the printer 100 is opened, the toner containers 30 are adjacent to each other corresponding to a plurality of color toners from above. It may be mounted in the housing 101.

  (2) In the above embodiment, the volume supply type toner supply method has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this. A mode in which a toner sensor (not shown) is disposed in the developing device 20 may be employed. When the toner sensor detects that the toner in the developing device 20 has decreased, the control unit 50 drives the first motor M1 and moves the moving wall 32 in the first direction. As a result, the toner falls from the toner discharge port 377 and flows into the developing device 20.

  (3) Furthermore, in the first embodiment described above, the bearing portion 32J has been described in the form of being disposed at the substantially central portion of the moving wall 32, but the present invention is not limited to this. The bearing portion 32J may be disposed in another area of the moving wall 32. The bearing portion 32J may be disposed on the upper end side of the moving wall 32, and the corresponding shaft 33 may also be extended along the first direction in the upper portion in the container main body 37. In this case, the pressure of the toner applied to the shaft seal 323 (FIG. 19) is lowered, so that the sealing performance of the shaft seal 323 is kept higher.

  (4) In the above embodiment, the moving wall 32 has been described as moving from the lid 31 side to the right wall 375 side, but the present invention is not limited to this. The toner discharge port 377 may be opened on the lid portion 31 side, and the moving wall 32 may move from the right wall 375 side to the lid portion 31 side. Further, the stirring member 35 rotated above the toner discharge port 377 is not limited to the shape of the above embodiment. The stirring member 35 may have another shape that stirs the toner around the toner discharge port 377.

  (5) Moreover, in said embodiment, the movement wall support part 335 with which the shaft 33 was equipped demonstrated in the aspect which maintains the attitude | position of the movement wall 32 and functions as an inclination suppression mechanism which suppresses an inclination. The present invention is not limited to this. FIG. 20 is a cross-sectional view of a toner container 30A according to a modified embodiment of the present invention. This modified embodiment is different in that the toner container 30A includes a protruding member 37X (tilt suppression mechanism) instead of the moving wall support portion 335 according to the previous embodiment. The protruding member 37 </ b> X is a protruding portion that protrudes radially inward from the inner peripheral portion 37 </ b> K of the container main body 37. In the present modified embodiment, when the moving wall 32 reaches the final position corresponding to the moving wall stop 334, the conveyance surface 320S comes into contact with the protruding member 37X, thereby suppressing the inclination of the moving wall 32 with respect to the first direction. .

  Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 20, the protruding member 37 </ b> X is provided so as to protrude downward from the inner peripheral portion 37 </ b> K of the container main body 37 above the shaft 33. Therefore, as compared with the case where the protruding member is disposed on the bottom side of the container main body 37, the protruding member 37X does not hinder the flow of toner toward the toner discharge port 377.

  When the projecting member 37X is formed integrally with the container body 37, the projecting member 37X in FIG. 20 may be arranged in a rib shape so as to extend in the first direction until reaching the right wall 375. In this case, when the container main body 37 is pulled out from the mold, a rib-shaped projecting member is formed along the first direction.

  Further, in the present modified embodiment, the shaft 33 includes a shaft guide portion 33P (FIG. 20). The shaft guide portion 33 </ b> P is a region where the male spiral portion 333 is omitted in a predetermined range on the left end side of the shaft 33. In the toner container 30A, the initial position of the moving wall 32 is set at the position of the moving wall 32 shown in FIG. The toner filling amount of the toner container 30A is about half of the toner filling amount of the toner container 30 according to the previous embodiment. In the assembly stage of the toner container 30 </ b> A, the moving wall 32 passes through the shaft guide portion 33 </ b> P of the shaft 33, so that the moving wall 32 is quickly arranged at the initial position without rotating the shaft 33. As described above, the position of the upstream end portion in the first direction of the male spiral portion 333 formed on the shaft 33 and the initial position of the moving wall 32 are set according to the filling amount of the toner accommodated in the accommodation space 37S. ing. Then, a toner having a second weight larger than the first weight is stored in the storage space 37S like the toner container 30 than when the storage space 37S is filled with the first weight toner like the toner container 30A. The position of the male spiral portion 333 is set so that the end portion on the upstream side in the first direction of the male spiral portion 333 of the shaft 33 is located further upstream in the first direction. As a result, the volume of the accommodation space 37S can be set in accordance with a preset toner filling amount.

100 Printer (image forming device)
109 Container housing part 121 Photosensitive drum (image carrier)
126 Transfer roller (transfer section)
20 Developing Device 21 Developing Roller 210 Developing Housing 25 Toner Supply Port 30 Toner Container (Developer Container)
30K Filling port cap 30S Shutter 31 Cover part 311 Contact part 312 First guide part 31F Cover weld part 31J Cover shaft hole part 32 Moving wall 320 Conveying wall part 320A Guide rib 320B Internal rib 320C Cylindrical part 320D Female spiral part 320S Conveying surface 320T Tapered surface 321 Outer peripheral wall 322 Inner wall seal (second elastic member)
323 Shaft seal (first elastic member)
32J Bearing part 32K Outer peripheral part 33 Shaft (shaft part)
331 First shaft end 332 Second shaft end 333 Male spiral 334 Moving wall stop 335 Moving wall support (tilt suppression mechanism, protrusion)
335A 1st support part (protrusion part)
335B 2nd support part (projection part)
335C Side end surface 336 Shaft flange 34 First seal 35 Stirring member 351 Stirring bearing portion 352 Stirring support portion 353 Stirring blade 354 Stirring cylindrical portion 35K First engaging portion 36 Second seal 37 Container body (container body)
375 Right wall (wall)
376 Projection wall 377 Toner discharge port (developer discharge port)
37F Main body flange portion 37G Filling port 37H Internal space 37J Main body bearing portion 37K Inner peripheral portion 37L Grip portion 37X Projection member (tilt suppression mechanism)
37S accommodation space 381 1st gear 381K 2nd engaging part 382 2nd gear (drive transmission part)
39 Cover 391 Second guide portion 39K Gear opening 50 Control portion TS Toner sensor M1 First motor M2 Second motor

Claims (7)

A container comprising an inner peripheral portion extending in a cylindrical shape along a first direction, an internal space defined by the inner peripheral portion, and a wall portion defining one end surface of the internal space in the first direction. The body,
A lid that is attached to an end opposite to the wall in the first direction of the container body, and closes the internal space;
A developer outlet that is disposed on the lid side or the wall side in the first direction and is opened in the container main body so as to communicate with the internal space, and the developer is discharged;
A shaft portion provided with a male spiral portion on the outer peripheral surface and rotatably supported by the wall portion and the lid portion so as to extend in the first direction in the internal space;
A drive transmission portion for transmitting a rotational driving force to the shaft portion;
An outer peripheral portion disposed in close contact with the inner peripheral portion of the container main body, and a storage space that is disposed facing the first direction and that stores the developer together with the inner peripheral portion of the container main body. And transporting the developer in the housing space toward the developer discharge port, while moving in the internal space from an initial position on one end side in the first direction to a final position on the other end side. A moving wall that moves in the first direction;
An engagement portion that engages with the male spiral portion on an inner peripheral surface, and a bearing portion through which the shaft portion is inserted,
In the shaft portion, a moving wall stop portion in which the male spiral portion is partially missing corresponding to the final position of the moving wall;
An inclination suppression mechanism for suppressing an inclination of the transport surface of the moving wall that has reached the final position with respect to the first direction;
Have
The moving wall forms the outer peripheral portion of the moving wall over the entire circumferential direction and is compressed and deformed by being in close contact with the inner peripheral portion of the container main body, and the developer in the housing space is transferred to the container Including a seal member for preventing outflow from the space between the inner peripheral portion of the main body and the moving wall to the upstream side in the first direction;
When the shaft portion is rotated, the moving wall is moved in the first direction along the shaft portion by the bearing portion with the engagement of the male spiral portion and the engaging portion, and the bearing portion When the movement wall stop portion is reached, the engagement between the male spiral portion and the engagement portion is released, and the movement wall stops at the final position,
The inclination suppression mechanism is a protrusion protruding in the radial direction from the peripheral surface of the shaft portion on the downstream side in the first direction from the moving wall stop portion,
When the moving wall reaches the final position, a portion of the moving wall on the downstream side in the first direction with respect to the engaging portion is supported by the protrusion, and the seal member is disposed on the inner periphery of the container body. The developer containing container, wherein the inclination of the moving wall is suppressed by being in close contact with the portion.   The moving wall has a shape into which the shaft portion is inserted, and is disposed on the downstream side in the first direction with respect to the engaging portion, and has an elastic member that contacts the male spiral portion of the shaft portion. The developer container according to claim 1.   The height at which the protruding portion protrudes from the peripheral surface of the shaft portion is the same as the height of the mountain of the male spiral portion or higher than the height of the mountain of the male spiral portion. Or the developer container according to 2;   4. The developer container according to claim 1, wherein the protruding portion has a ring shape arranged along a circumferential direction on the peripheral surface of the shaft portion. 5.   5. The developer container according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of the protrusions are arranged along the first direction. 6.   Among the plurality of protrusions, the protrusion disposed on the most downstream side in the first direction has a side end surface that faces the first direction and is perpendicular to the first direction. The developer container according to claim 5, wherein the developer container is provided. The developer container according to any one of claims 1 to 6,
An electrostatic latent image is formed on the surface, and an image carrier that carries a developer image;
A developing device that is replenished with the developer from the developer container and supplies the developer to the image carrier;
A transfer unit for transferring the developer image from the image carrier to a sheet;
An image forming apparatus comprising:

Images