JP2018109784A - Development device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a development device which enables stabilization of a developer amount in the device by suppressing a reduction in the developer amount and properly maintaining a discharge amount of the two-component developer through a discharge opening at a proper level in a case where a carrier amount supplied per a unit image is small.SOLUTION: A development device includes: a first conveyance member 45 which conveys developer in a first chamber 42a; a second conveyance member 46 which conveys the developer in a second chamber 42b in a direction reverse to a developer conveyance direction by the first conveyance member; a reverse conveyance member 50 which biases flow of the developer conveyed by the second conveyance member in a reverse direction and conveys the developer in the second chamber to the first chamber through a communication part 47a; and a discharge part 53 which discharges the excessive developer. A developer carrying region 43a of the developer carrier 43 is located at a downstream side in the developer conveyance direction of the first conveyance member 45 with respect to the communication part 47a.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

  The present invention relates to a developing device that stabilizes the amount of developer in the device.

  Image formation equipped with a two-component developing type developing device that develops an electrostatic image (electrostatic latent image) formed on an image carrier into a toner image using a two-component developer containing non-magnetic toner and magnetic carrier The device is widely used. In this type of developing device, there is a configuration in which a two-component developer is circulated while being stirred using a pair of conveying screws arranged in the longitudinal direction of the developing container with a partition interposed therebetween.

  In this developing device, new nonmagnetic toner is supplied as the nonmagnetic toner is consumed. On the other hand, since the old magnetic carrier continues to circulate in the developing container, the charging performance of the two-component developer gradually decreases. For this reason, the magnetic carrier in the developing container is also discharged little by little, and the magnetic carrier in the developing container is also replaced by mixing and replenishing the replenished developer with a new carrier, so that the charging performance of the magnetic carrier in the container is kept constant. A so-called trickle configuration is employed.

  As a trickle configuration, a developing device that supplies a two-component developer for replenishment in which a magnetic carrier is mixed with a non-magnetic toner at a predetermined ratio to the developing device as the image is formed, and gradually replaces the magnetic carrier in the developing container. It is known (see Patent Document 1).

  The developing device of Patent Document 1 has a first conveying screw and a second conveying screw whose conveying direction is opposite to the first conveying screw, and through a discharge opening provided on the abutting surface of the second conveying screw in the conveying direction. The two-component developer circulating in the developing container is discharged little by little. A return screw having a conveying direction opposite to the main spiral portion is connected to the second conveying screw downstream of the main spiral portion that conveys the two-component developer in the circulation direction and sends it to the discharge opening. The developer flows in the vicinity of the developer discharge portion, as the first and second conveying screws rotate in opposite directions, through the opening provided on the return screw side in the partition wall, from the second conveying screw to the first conveying screw. Is passed on.

  In the first conveying screw, since the blades of the screw are inclined, a force for conveying the developer acts not only in the developer conveying direction but also in the radial direction of the cross section of the first conveying screw. Further, the developer that has been peeled off from the developing sleeve rotating in the same direction as the first conveying screw is also subjected to a force in another direction by a centrifugal force. Therefore, the developer conveyed in the radial direction of the cross section of the first conveying screw and the developer peeled off from the developing sleeve and delivered from the second conveying screw to the first conveying screw through the opening are transferred. Collide with the flow of Then, a developer flow is formed in a space between the partition wall having the opening and the return screw, and flows outside the return screw and gets over the collar, so that it falls into the discharge opening and reaches the discharge screw. . Thus, since the flow changes due to the rotation speeds of the first conveying screw and the developing sleeve, the flow of the developer in the space between the partition wall and the return screw varies greatly depending on the rotation speed.

  In view of this, the development is configured such that the flow of the developer in the space between the partition wall and the return screw, which varies greatly depending on the rotation speed of the first conveying screw, is blocked by the limiting means disposed in the space between the partition wall and the sub spiral portion. An apparatus has been proposed (see Patent Document 2). The developer flow blocked by the restricting means is pushed back by the return screw. In this case, the limiting unit reduces the amount of the two-component developer discharged through the discharge opening (discharge portion) during high-speed rotation, and the flow of the two-component developer toward the discharge opening through the same space is not significant during low-speed rotation. For this reason, the two-component developer discharged through the discharge opening is not reduced as much as during high-speed rotation, and the dependency of the developer discharge amount on the rotational speed is reduced.

JP 2002-72686 A JP 2010-256701 A

  In recent years, reduction of toner consumption has been demanded. When the toner consumption is reduced, the replenishment frequency is reduced, and the amount of carrier replenished per unit image is reduced. Also, when an image with an extremely low image ratio continues, when the drive configuration of the developing device is shared by a plurality of stations, or when the ratio of the carrier mixed with the replenishment developer is reduced, etc. The amount of carrier replenished per unit image is reduced.

  By the way, in the trickle configuration, the developer discharge amount increases / decreases depending on the developer amount, and the developer amount is kept within a certain range by not discharging the developer below a certain developer amount. Is ideal. However, the configuration of Patent Document 2 cannot fundamentally solve the developer flow in the space between the partition wall and the return screw. In other words, the flow of the developer in the space between the partition wall and the return screw is reduced by providing the limiting means, but considering the part tolerance, the gap between the limiting means and the return screw cannot be made zero. Therefore, even if the amount of developer decreases, the developer is discharged little by little from the space between the partition wall and the return screw. Therefore, when the amount of carrier to be replenished per unit image is small, the amount of developer in the developing container is reduced, and so-called coating failure that the developer cannot be coated on the developing sleeve may be caused.

  The present invention suppresses the decrease in the developer amount even when the amount of the carrier to be replenished is small, and appropriately maintains the discharge amount of the two-component developer through the discharge portion, thereby reducing the developer amount in the apparatus. An object of the present invention is to provide a developing device that can stabilize the above.

  The present invention relates to a developing device, in which a developer having a toner and a carrier is carried on a developer carrying region, the developer carrying member rotating, supplying the developer to the developer carrying member, and the developer carrying member. A first chamber for collecting the developer from the second chamber, a second chamber for circulating the developer between the first chamber, and a first communication section for transferring the developer from the first chamber to the second chamber; A second communication portion for transferring the developer from the second chamber to the first chamber, and the first communication portion and the second communication portion in the rotation axis direction of the developer carrier. A partition that separates the first chamber from the second chamber, a first transport unit that is disposed in the first chamber and transports the developer in the first chamber in a first direction, and is disposed in the second chamber. A second transport unit configured to transport the developer in the second chamber in a second direction opposite to the first direction; A reverse transport unit disposed downstream of the second transport unit in the second direction and transporting the developer in the first direction; and provided in the second chamber downstream of the reverse transport unit in the second chamber, A discharge portion for discharging the developer, and the first series passage portion is disposed at a position where at least a part of the first passage portion faces the developer carrying region in the rotation axis direction, The second communication portion is arranged outside the developer carrying region in the rotation axis direction.

  According to the present invention, at least a part of the first communication portion is disposed at a position facing the developer carrying region in the rotation axis direction. As a result, the development device can be reduced in size, specifically, the length of the development device in the rotation axis direction can be reduced. On the other hand, since the second communication portion is disposed outside the developer carrying region in the rotation axis direction, the developer peeled off from the developer carrying body is hardly discharged from the discharge portion via the second communication portion. In other words, even when the first communication portion and the second communication portion are arranged at appropriate positions and the developing device is downsized, unnecessary discharge of the developer through the discharge portion can be suppressed, and thus the developing device It is possible to stabilize the amount of the developer.

1 is a schematic sectional view of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing the developing device in a state of being cut in a direction perpendicular to the axis. FIG. 3 is a plan view showing the developing device in a state of being cut along an axial direction. (A) is sectional drawing which shows the vicinity of the developer discharge part exit of a developing device, (b) is a perspective view which shows the conveyance screw which has a subspiral part. FIG. 5A is a diagram for explaining the flow of developer near the developer discharge portion in the first embodiment, and FIG. 6B is a view for explaining the flow of developer near the developer discharge portion in the second embodiment. 6 is a graph showing a relationship between a developing sleeve position and a developer speed in the vicinity of a developer discharge portion. 6 is a graph showing developer discharge characteristics in the first and second embodiments and Comparative Examples 1 and 2; The perspective view of the developing device for demonstrating the structure of a comparative example. (A) is a figure explaining the flow of the developer near the developer discharge part of the comparative example 1, (b) is a figure explaining the flow of the developer near the developer discharge part of the comparative example 2.

  Hereinafter, embodiments according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. The embodiments described below are preferred embodiments of the present invention, and thus are technically preferable. However, the scope of the present invention is particularly limited in the following description. As long as there is no description, it is not restricted to these aspects.

  In the present invention, as long as the flow of the two-component developer toward the discharge opening through the space sandwiched between the partition wall and the conveyance member is suppressed, a part or all of the configuration of the embodiment is an alternative configuration. It can also be implemented in another form of replacement. Therefore, the present invention can be similarly implemented in various types of image forming apparatuses that share a developing device. It can be carried out without distinction between an intermediate transfer type, a recording material (sheet) conveyance type, a tandem type, a single drum type, a full color, and a monochrome.

<First Embodiment>
In the present embodiment, the description will focus on the main part relating to the formation / transfer of toner images. However, the present invention adds printers, various printing machines, copiers, FAX, It can be implemented in various applications such as a multifunction machine.

[Image forming apparatus]
FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of an image forming apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, the image forming apparatus 100 has an image forming apparatus main body (apparatus main body) 100a. The image forming apparatus 100 is a tandem intermediate transfer type full color printer in which image forming portions Pa, Pb, Pc, and Pd are arranged along the downward surface of the intermediate transfer belt 10 and operates at a process speed of, for example, 300 mm / sec. It is.

  In the image forming portion Pa, a yellow toner image is formed on the photosensitive drum 1 a and is primarily transferred to the intermediate transfer belt 10. In the image forming unit Pb, a magenta toner image is formed on the photosensitive drum 1 b and is primarily transferred to the yellow toner image on the intermediate transfer belt 10. In the image forming portions Pc and Pd, a cyan toner image and a black toner image are formed on the photosensitive drums 1c and 1d, respectively, and are sequentially transferred to the intermediate transfer belt 10 so as to be primarily transferred.

  The four-color toner images primarily transferred to the intermediate transfer belt 10 are conveyed to the secondary transfer portion T2 and collectively transferred to the recording material P. The recording material P on which the four-color toner images are secondarily transferred is heated and pressed by the fixing device 15 to fix the toner images on the surface, and then discharged to the upper tray 17 through the discharge roller 16.

  The separation roller 21 separates the recording material P drawn from the recording material cassette 20 one by one and sends it to the registration roller pair 22. The registration roller pair 22 receives and waits for the recording material P in a stopped state, and sends the recording material P to the secondary transfer portion T2 in synchronization with the toner image on the intermediate transfer belt 10.

  The fixing device 15 forms a heating nip by pressing a pressure roller 15b against a fixing roller 15a having a heater. The recording material P is heated and pressurized in the process of being nipped and conveyed by the heating nip, whereby the toner image is melted and the full-color image is fixed on the surface.

  The image forming portions Pa, Pb, Pc, and Pd have substantially the same configuration except that the color of toner used in the developing device 4 (4a, 4b, 4c, and 4d) is different from yellow, magenta, cyan, and black. Hereinafter, the image forming unit Pa will be described, and the other image forming units Pb, Pc, and Pd will be described by replacing “a” at the end of the reference numerals with “b”, “c”, and “d”.

  The image forming unit Pa includes a charging roller 2a, an exposure device 3, a developing device 4a, a primary transfer roller 5a, and a cleaning device 6a, which are arranged so as to surround the photosensitive drum 1a. The photosensitive drum 1a has a negatively charged photosensitive layer formed on the outer peripheral surface of an aluminum cylinder, and rotates at a switchable multi-stage process speed. The charging roller 2a is applied with an oscillating voltage obtained by superimposing an AC voltage on a DC voltage and is driven to rotate by the photosensitive drum 1a, thereby charging the surface of the photosensitive drum 1a to a uniform negative potential.

  The exposure device 3 scans, with a rotating mirror, a laser beam obtained by ON-OFF modulation of scanning line image data obtained by developing a yellow separation color image, and writes an electrostatic latent image on the surface of the charged photosensitive drum 1a.

  The developing device 4a supports the developing sleeve 43 with a two-component developer stirred and charged by first and second conveying screws 45 and 46 described later (see FIG. 2). When an oscillating voltage obtained by superimposing an AC voltage on a DC voltage is applied to the developing sleeve 43, the electrostatic latent image (exposed portion) having a positive polarity relative to the developing sleeve 43 is charged to a negative polarity. The non-magnetic toner is transferred and the electrostatic image is reversely developed. The detailed configuration of the developing device 4a will be described later.

  The primary transfer roller 5 a presses the inner side surface of the intermediate transfer belt 10 to form a primary transfer portion between the photosensitive drum 1 a and the intermediate transfer belt 10. By applying a positive DC voltage to the primary transfer roller 5a, the negative toner image carried on the photosensitive drum 1a is primarily transferred to the intermediate transfer belt 10 passing through the primary transfer portion.

  The intermediate transfer belt 10 is supported around a tension roller 12, a driving roller 11, and a stretching roller 13, and is rotated in the direction of arrow R <b> 2 by driving the driving roller 11. The secondary transfer roller 14 abuts on the intermediate transfer belt 10 whose inner surface is stretched by the stretch roller 13 connected to the ground potential to form a secondary transfer portion T2. The toner image carried on the intermediate transfer belt 10 is secondarily transferred to the recording material P by applying a positive DC voltage to the secondary transfer roller 14.

[Developer]
Next, the developing device 4a in the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 to 5A. The other developing devices 4b to 4d have the same configuration as the developing device 4a and have the same functions. Of course. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing the developing device 4a as viewed from the front side of the image forming apparatus 100 (see FIG. 1). FIG. 3 is a plan view of the developing device 4a. FIG. 4A is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the vicinity of the developer discharge port, and FIG. 4B is a perspective view showing the second conveying screw 46 provided with a return screw (sub-spiral portion) 50. FIG. 5A is a diagram illustrating the flow of the developer in the vicinity of the developer discharge portion in the present embodiment.

  The front side of the paper surface in FIG. 2 corresponds to the front side from which the two-component developer is discharged. As shown in FIG. 2, the developing device 4a includes a developing container 42 having a first storage chamber (first chamber) 42a and a second storage chamber (second chamber) 42b. The developing device 4a is rotatable so as to be partially exposed to the photosensitive drum 1a side from the opening 42c and an opening 42c formed so as to open a portion of the developing region of the developing container 42 facing the photosensitive drum 1a. And a developing sleeve 43 serving as a developer carrying member.

  The first storage chamber 42a collects the developer from the developing sleeve 43 as a developer carrying member. The second storage chamber 42b has openings 47a and 47b communicating with the first storage chamber 42a, and a developer (two-component developer) is formed between the second storage chamber 42b and the first storage chamber 42a through the openings 47a and 47b. ). The opening 47a constitutes a communication part according to the present invention.

  The developing container 42 contains a two-component developer (not shown) composed of a nonmagnetic toner and a magnetic carrier. In this embodiment, the mixing ratio of the nonmagnetic toner and the magnetic carrier is set to about 1: 9 by weight. Here, the mixing ratio of the non-magnetic toner and the magnetic carrier is appropriately adjusted according to the charge amount of the toner, the particle size of the carrier, the configuration of the image forming apparatus 100, etc., but is not necessarily limited to this value. is not.

  The first and second storage chambers 42a and 42b are arranged so as to be aligned in the horizontal direction (left and right direction in FIG. 2), and the developing sleeve 43 is disposed on the upper side of the first storage chamber 42a, so that the developing sleeve 43 is peeled off. The dropped developer is efficiently collected in the first storage chamber (first chamber). Inside the developing sleeve 43, a magnet 44 provided with a plurality of fixed magnetic poles is arranged in a non-rotating state.

  The developing sleeve 43 is made of a non-magnetic material, and rotates in the direction of arrow A while the two-component developer in the developing container 42 is supported by the magnetic force of the magnet 44 during the developing operation. The developing sleeve 43 holds the supported two-component developer while being layered by a regulating member 60 attached to the outer side of the opening 42c in the outer wall of the developing container 42 and transports it to the developing region.

  The developing sleeve 43 supplies only the non-magnetic toner of the two-component developer to the photosensitive drum 1a in the developing area, and develops the electrostatic image (electrostatic latent image) formed on the photosensitive drum 1a. In the developing sleeve 43, after developing the electrostatic image, the two-component developer on the developing sleeve is peeled off by the rotation of the developing sleeve 43 and the repulsion pole (N 2) of the magnet 44, and the first storage chamber of the developing container 42. It is recovered in 42a.

  Thus, the developing sleeve 43 is formed as a cylindrical carrier disposed on the upper side of the first storage chamber 42a, and has an S pole (first magnetic pole) and an N pole (second magnetic pole) in the circumferential direction. A plurality of permanent magnets S1, N1, S2, N2, and N3. The developing sleeve 43 pumps up the developer at the site indicated by the arrow K in FIG. 2 corresponding to the lower permanent magnet N3 among the plurality of permanent magnets, and then pumps up the developer (K). The developer rotates in a direction to peel off the developer at a higher position (a position corresponding to N2). With this configuration, the two-component developer carried on the coating region 43 a can be smoothly conveyed to the developing region while being held by the developing sleeve 43 while being layered in an optimum state by the regulating member 60.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the developing device 4a is replenished to the upstream side (back side of the main body) of the second conveying screw 46 of the developing container 42 by a replenishment mechanism 31 that is operated by the control of the control unit 30 (FIG. 3). reference). The replenishment of the two-component developer for replenishment to the developing device 4a is performed by the rotation of the replenishment screw 32 from the hopper (not illustrated) of the replenishment mechanism 31, and flows into the replenishment port (not illustrated) above the developing container 42.

  The control unit 30 has a ROM, a RAM, and a CPU (not shown), and controls the ON / OFF and rotation speed of the replenishing screw 32 to keep the toner concentration of the two-component developer inside the developing container 42 constant. The two-component developer for replenishment is replenished so that the

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the inside of the developing container 42 has the above-described openings 47a and 47b (both having a width of, for example, 25 mm) for delivering the developer (two-component developer) at both ends. The partition wall 47 is partitioned by the partition wall 47 extending in the longitudinal direction. Thus, the inside of the developing container 42 is partitioned into a first storage chamber 42a and a second storage chamber 42b with the partition wall 47 interposed therebetween.

  A first conveying screw 45 as a first conveying member is rotatably supported and accommodated in the first accommodating chamber 42a, and a second conveying screw 46 as a second conveying member is rotated in the second accommodating chamber 42b. It is supported and accommodated as possible. The first transport screw 45 in the first storage chamber 42a transports the developer in the first storage chamber. The second transport screw 46 in the second storage chamber 42b (second chamber) reverses the developer in the second storage chamber to the developer transport direction (arrow B direction in FIG. 3) by the first transport screw 45. In the direction (arrow C direction).

  Thus, the first and second transport screws 45 and 46 are set so that the developer transport directions are opposite to each other, and the first transport screw 45 transports the developer in the direction of arrow B while stirring, The two conveying screw 46 conveys the developer in the direction of arrow C while stirring the developer. Accordingly, the first and second conveying screws 45 and 46 smoothly deliver the two-component developer through the openings 47a and 47b at both ends in the longitudinal direction of the partition wall 47, so that the two-component developer is transferred to the developing container 42. Can be circulated smoothly.

  As shown in FIG. 3 and FIGS. 4A and 4B, the second conveying screw 46 is located downstream of the developer conveying direction (in the direction of arrow C) from the outside of the developer circulating path to the inside of the circulating path. A return screw 50 is connected as a reverse conveying member for conveying the developer so as to push it back. That is, the return screw (sub-spiral part) 50 is connected to the main spiral part 46 m of the second conveying screw 46 so as to urge the developer flow toward the discharge part 53 in the reverse direction. The main spiral portion 46m conveys the two-component developer in the circulation path toward the discharge portion 53.

  Thus, the return screw 50 is disposed downstream of the second conveying screw 46 in the second accommodating chamber 42b in the developer conveying direction (arrow C direction), and the developer flow conveyed by the second conveying screw 46 is as follows. Is biased in the reverse direction (arrow G direction). Thereby, the developer in the second storage chamber 42b can be smoothly conveyed to the first storage chamber 42a through the opening 47a (communication portion). Further, since the return screw 50 is configured coaxially and integrally with the second conveying screw 46, the number of parts can be reduced and the assembly process can be simplified.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 and 5A, the second conveying screw 46 is moved from the second conveying screw 46 to the first conveying screw 45 at a position facing the joint 61 between the main spiral portion 46 m of the second conveying screw 46 and the return screw 50. An opening 47a for delivering the developer is provided. The coating region 43a of the developing sleeve 43 is provided so as to be located downstream of the opening (communication portion) 47a in the developer conveying direction (arrow B direction) of the first conveying screw 45.

  As shown in FIG. 4A, a discharge unit 53 that discharges a part of the circulating two-component developer to the outside of the developing container 42 is upstream of the developer conveying direction (arrow G direction) by the return screw 50. Is provided. That is, the discharge unit 53 is provided downstream of the return screw 50 in the developer transport direction (arrow C direction) by the second transport screw 46 (to the right in FIG. 4A) so as to discharge excess developer. It has been.

  Most of the two-component developer conveyed toward the discharge unit 53 by the main spiral portion 46 m of the second conveyance screw 46 is pushed back by the return screw 50 and escapes from the discharge unit 53. Then, the two-component developer that has not been pushed back to the return screw 50 is discharged from a developer discharge port 48 to be described later through the discharge portion 53 through the circulation path of the developing container 42.

  The length, diameter, and pitch of the return screw 50 are appropriately changed according to the configuration and discharge conditions of the developing device 4a, the amount of the two-component developer in the developing container 42, and the target discharge amount. For example, if the length of the return screw 50 is too long, the discharge of the two-component developer will be suppressed more than necessary, and the charging performance of the two-component developer in the developing container 42 may decrease. is there. On the contrary, if the length of the return screw 50 is too short, the two-component developer is discharged more than necessary, and the amount of the two-component developer in the developing container 42 may be insufficient, which may hinder development.

  As shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B, a disc-shaped collar portion 51 is provided at the uppermost stream in the conveying direction of the return screw 50 so as to cover the discharge portion 53. In the collar portion 51, a disk portion facing the discharge portion 53 is connected to the return screw 50 so as to overlap the discharge portion 53 in the longitudinal direction of the return screw 50.

  The collar portion 51 reduces the difference in inertial force of the two-component developer conveyed toward the discharge portion 53 due to the difference in conveyance capability between the main spiral portion 46 m of the second conveyance screw 46 and the return screw 50. The collar portion 51 reduces the two-component developer that falls into the discharge portion 53 through the trough at the end of the conveying blade of the return screw 50, and stabilizes the discharge amount of the two-component developer.

  That is, the collar portion 51 is configured to cover the end of the return screw 50 facing the discharge portion 53 so that the trough portion at the end of the conveying blade is not exposed to the discharge portion 53 side. For this reason, by adopting the return screw 50 provided with the collar portion 51, the necessary discharge amount can be ensured even when the rotation speed of the second conveying screw 46 is switched to the slow side. Further, even if the rotation speed of the second conveying screw 46 is switched to the fast side, the discharge amount of the two-component developer can be prevented from increasing rapidly.

  Further, a discharge screw 49 is connected to the upstream side of the return screw 50 in the developer conveyance direction (arrow G direction) so as to pass through the center of the discharge portion 53 and be coaxial with the return screw 50. The discharge screw 49 transports the two-component developer that has fallen over the collar portion 51 through the discharge portion 53, conveys it to the developer discharge port 48, and discharges it to the outside of the developing device 4a.

[Supply control of two-component developer for replenishment]
Next, replenishment control of the two-component developer for replenishment in this embodiment will be described.

  That is, as shown in FIG. 2, the non-magnetic toner consumed in the image formation is developed by a replenishing mechanism 31 that operates under the control of the control unit 30 as a replenishing two-component developer containing a new magnetic carrier at a certain ratio. The container 42 is replenished to the upstream side (back side of the main body) of the second conveying screw 46. The replenishment of the two-component developer for replenishment to the developing device 4a is performed by the rotation of the replenishment screw 32 from the hopper of the replenishment mechanism 31 and flows from a replenishment port (not shown) on the upper side of the developing container 42.

  As the two-component developer for replenishment, a two-component developer containing a magnetic carrier at a certain ratio (about 10% by weight) in the nonmagnetic toner for replenishment is used. The mixing ratio is not limited to this. The replenishment amount of the replenishment two-component developer is roughly determined by the rotation speed of the replenishment screw 32 of the replenishment mechanism 31.

  The amount of the two-component developer in the developing container 42 gradually increases with image formation. The non-magnetic toner is consumed by the image formation, but the magnetic carrier is not consumed but remains in the developing container 42 and continues to circulate, so that the amount of the two-component developer in the developing container 42 increases.

  When the amount of the two-component developer increases, the developer passes over the return screw 50 and the collar portion 51 shown in FIG. 4A and falls into the discharge portion 53 and is delivered to the discharge screw 49, and the developer discharge port 48. It is conveyed toward. The transported collected developer is discharged from the developer discharge port 48, joined to a developer recovery pipe (not shown), and collected and stored in a recovery container (not shown) through the developer recovery pipe.

  In this way, the consumed non-magnetic toner is replenished by the replenishing two-component developer, and in parallel, the two-component developer in the developing container 42 in which the magnetic carrier is excessive is discharged little by little. The The automatic developer discharge function is realized by automatically and gradually replacing the two-component developer so as to keep the two-component developer amount in the developing container 42 constant.

  However, as will be described later with reference to FIG. 9A, the developer flow in the vicinity of the developer discharge portion includes the developer flow when being transferred from the second conveying screw 46 to the first conveying screw 45 ( An arrow F1) exists. Further, the developer flow (arrow F 2) to transport the two-component developer in the radial direction of the cross section of the first transport screw 45 and the developer sleeve 43 that rotates in the same direction as the first transport screw 45 are peeled off. There is a developer flow (arrow F3) that has fallen. As a combination of these flows, a developer flow (arrow F4) in a space between the partition wall 47 and the return screw 50 is generated.

  Even when the developer amount is small, there is a developer flow (arrow F4) in the space between the partition wall 47 and the return screw 50, and the developer amount gradually decreases. For example, when the developing drive is the same drive as the developing device of another image forming unit, the developing device may be driven and no replenishment operation may be performed even though the toner is not consumed. In this case, the amount of developer in the developing device gradually decreases.

  Here, Comparative Example 1 corresponding to Patent Document 1 described above and Comparative Example 2 corresponding to Patent Document 2 described above will be described with reference to FIGS. 8 and 9. FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the developing device for explaining the configuration of the comparative example. FIG. 9A is a diagram for explaining the flow of the developer near the developer discharge portion in Comparative Example 1, and FIG. 9B is the view for explaining the flow of the developer near the developer discharge portion in Comparative Example 2. FIG.

  First, the developing device of Comparative Example 1 will be described with reference to FIG. 8. Two-component development circulating in the developing container 42 through the discharge portion 53 disposed on the abutting surface of the second conveying screw 46 in the conveying direction. The agent is discharged little by little. The second transport screw 46 is transported in the direction in which the two-component developer is circulated (the direction of arrow C) and is downstream of the main spiral portion that feeds it into the discharge portion 53, and the transport direction accompanying rotation is opposite to the main spiral portion. A direction return screw 50 is connected. The return screw 50 pushes back most of the two-component developer transported to the main spiral portion and moves toward the discharge portion 53 so that the two-component developer discharged through the discharge portion 53 does not become excessive.

  Next, with reference to FIG. 9A, the flow of the developer in the vicinity of the developer discharge portion in Comparative Example 1 will be described. That is, the first and second conveying screws 45, 46 rotate in the directions of arrows D and E, respectively, and the arrow F1 passes from the second conveying screw 46 to the first conveying screw 45 through the opening 47a near the return screw 50. The two-component developer flows in the direction of

  In the first conveying screw 45, the blades of the screw are inclined, so that the two-component developer is conveyed not only in the two-component developer conveying direction (arrow B direction) but also in the cross-sectional radial direction of the first conveying screw 45. The force to act is (arrow F2 direction). Further, the developer that has been peeled off and dropped from the developing sleeve 43 that rotates in the same direction as the first conveying screw 45 also receives a force in the direction of the arrow F3 due to centrifugal force.

  For this reason, the developer conveyed in the radial direction of the cross section of the first conveying screw 45 and the developer peeled off from the developing sleeve 43 and dropped from the second conveying screw 46 to the first conveying screw 45 through the opening 47a. Collides with the flow of the two-component developer delivered. Then, in the space sandwiched between the partition wall 47 and the return screw 50, a flow of the two-component developer as shown by the arrow F4 is formed, flows outside the return screw 50 and gets over the collar portion 51, thereby being discharged. It falls into the part 53 and reaches the discharge screw 49. As described above, the flow in the direction of the arrow F2 and the direction of the arrow F3 changes depending on the rotational speeds of the first conveying screw 45 and the developing sleeve 43, so that the developer in the space sandwiched between the partition wall 47 and the return screw 50 by the rotational speed. The flow in the direction of arrow F4 varies greatly.

  Therefore, in Comparative Example 2, as shown in FIG. 9B, the developer flows in the direction of arrow F <b> 4 in the space sandwiched between the partition wall 47 and the return screw 50 that greatly varies depending on the rotation speed of the first conveying screw 45. Is blocked by a limiting member 52 arranged in this space. The flow of the developer blocked by the limiting member 52 is pushed back by the return screw 50 and becomes as indicated by an arrow F5.

  That is, the limiting member 52 reduces the amount of the two-component developer discharged through the discharge unit 53 during high-speed rotation, and the flow of the two-component developer toward the discharge unit 53 through the same space is not significant during low-speed rotation. Therefore, the two-component developer discharged through the discharge unit 53 is not reduced as much as during high-speed rotation, and the dependency of the developer discharge amount of the developer on the rotational speed is reduced.

  In recent years, there has been an increasing demand for reduction in toner consumption. This is because when the toner consumption is reduced, the supply frequency is reduced, and the amount of carrier supplied per unit image is reduced. When an image with an extremely low image ratio continues, when the drive configuration of the developing device is shared by a plurality of stations, or when the ratio of the carrier mixed with the replenishment developer is reduced, the unit image The amount of carrier replenished is reduced.

  In the trickle configuration, the developer discharge amount increases / decreases depending on the developer amount, and it is ideal that the developer amount is kept within a certain range by not discharging the developer below a certain developer amount. It is. However, in the configuration of Comparative Example 2, the developer flow in the space between the partition wall 47 and the return screw 50 cannot be fundamentally solved. In other words, in Comparative Example 2, the flow of the developer in the space sandwiched between the partition wall 47 and the return screw 50 is reduced by providing the limit member 52. The gap with the screw 50 cannot be made zero. Therefore, even if the amount of developer decreases, the developer is discharged little by little from the space between the partition wall 47 and the return screw 50.

  Accordingly, in any of Comparative Examples 1 and 2, when the amount of carrier replenished per unit image is small, the amount of developer in the developing container decreases, and the developer sleeve 43 cannot be sufficiently coated with the developer. There is a risk of so-called poor coating.

  Therefore, in the present embodiment, the developer flow (arrow F4) in the space between the partition wall 47 and the return screw 50 is reduced. That is, in this embodiment, the flow of the agent in the space sandwiched between the partition wall 47 and the return screw 50 (arrow F4) is reduced by reducing the influence of the flow of developer peeled off from the developing sleeve 43 (arrow F3). ) Is reduced.

[Flow of two-component developer in this embodiment]
Here, the flow of the two-component developer in the developing device 4a will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 5A is an explanatory diagram for explaining the flow of the two-component developer in the developing device 4a of the present embodiment.

  The developing sleeve 43 carries a two-component developer (developer) including non-magnetic toner (toner) and a magnetic carrier (carrier) in a coat area 43a as a developer carrying area and conveys the same. As shown in FIG. 5A, in the developing device 4a, the coating region 43a for the developing sleeve 43 to carry the developer is located downstream of the opening 47a in the conveying direction of the first conveying screw 45.

  By making the positional relationship among the developing sleeve 43, the opening 47a, and the return screw 50 in this way, the flow of the developer peeled off from the developing sleeve 43 (arrow F3) is the flow of the developer near the developer discharging portion. It becomes irrelevant. As a result, only the flow from the second conveyance screw 46 to the first conveyance screw 45 (arrow F1) and the flow from the first conveyance screw 45 to the second conveyance screw 46 (arrow F2) are combined. Thereby, the flow of the developer (arrow F4) in the space sandwiched between the partition wall 47 and the return screw 50 can be reduced.

  Here, the positional relationship between the coating end of the developing sleeve 43, the opening 47a, and the return screw 50, and the development in the space (measurement position X: FIG. 5A) sandwiched between the partition wall 47 and the return screw 50. A relationship with the flow rate of the agent (arrow F4) will be described with reference to FIG. In the present embodiment, the developer flow at the measurement position X was photographed with a high-speed camera, and the velocity in the direction of the discharge unit 53 was analyzed by PIV (Particle Image Velocity).

  6, the edge 63 (FIG. 5A) on the return screw 50 side of the opening 47a is used as a reference (zero point), and this reference position and the end of the coating region 43a of the developing sleeve 43 (the coating end) The distance [mm] in the downstream direction of the first conveying screw 45 is taken as the horizontal axis. The speed [mm / sec] in the direction of the discharge unit 53 at the measurement position X is the vertical axis.

  According to FIG. 6, as the coat end of the developing sleeve 43 moves away from the measurement position (reference position) X, the speed in the discharge portion 53 direction at the measurement position X decreases. This is because the influence of the developer flow peeled off from the developing sleeve 43 (arrow F3) is reduced, so that the developer flow in the space between the partition wall 47 and the return screw 50 (arrow F4). Is nothing but small.

  Further, when the coating end of the developing sleeve 43 is in the region of the opening 47a, the developer flow near the opening 47a stays due to the developer flow peeled off from the developing sleeve 43 (arrow F3). This affects the developer flow (arrow F4) in the space between the partition wall 47 and the return screw 50.

  When the coat end of the developing sleeve 43 is present downstream of the opening 47a in the developer conveying direction of the first conveying screw 45 (arrow B in FIG. 3), the flow of the developer peeled off from the developing sleeve 43 (arrow F3). ) Does not affect the delivery of the developer in the opening 47a. Accordingly, the developer flow (arrow F4) in the space between the partition wall 47 and the return screw 50 is not affected.

  The reason why the speed does not become zero even when the edge 47 of the partition wall 47 on the side away from the return screw 50 is exceeded is as follows. In other words, the presence of the developer flow (arrow F2) from the first conveyance screw 45 causes collision with the developer flow (arrow F1) from the second conveyance screw 46, so that there are at least the partition wall 47 and the return screw 50. This is because a developer flow (arrow F4) in the space between them is formed.

  Here, the developer discharge characteristic in the developing device 4a of the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 7 is a graph showing developer discharge characteristics in the developing device 4a.

  In FIG. 7, the horizontal axis indicates the developer amount [g] stored in the developing container 42, and the vertical axis indicates the developer discharge amount per minute when the developing device 4a is continuously driven. g / min]. The conditions of Comparative Example 1 (♦), Comparative Example 2 (◇), and First Embodiment (■) are all the same except for different contents in Table 1 below. The second embodiment (●) in FIG. 7 will be described later.

  As shown in FIG. 7, when the developer amount [g] is large, the height of the developer surface near the developer discharge portion (discharge portion 53) increases, so that the return screw 50 cannot be fully returned and the return screw Over 50, the developer is discharged. As a result, the developer discharge amount [g / min] per minute increases.

  In the configuration of Comparative Example 1 (♦), since the developer flow peeled off from the developing sleeve 43 (arrow F3) is strongly influenced, the developer in the space sandwiched between the partition wall 47 and the return screw 50 is removed. The flow (arrow F4) becomes stronger. Therefore, it can be seen that even when the amount of developer is small, the developer is discharged little by little. The amount of the developer that starts to be discharged is 170 [g].

  In the configuration of the comparative example 2 (◇), the flow of the developer (arrow F4) in the space sandwiched between the partition wall 47 and the return screw 50 is blocked by the restricting member 52. The amount of the developer that starts to be discharged is large (190 [g]). However, the developer flow itself in the space between the partition wall 47 and the return screw 50 is not suppressed.

  On the other hand, in the first embodiment (■), the influence of the developer flow (arrow F3) peeled off from the developing sleeve 43 is reduced and the space between the partition wall 47 and the return screw 50 is reduced. Developer flow (arrow F4) is weakened. For this reason, compared with the comparative examples 1 and 2, the amount of developer from which the developer starts to be discharged is as large as 200 [g].

  In the first embodiment (■), the sensitivity of the developer amount [g] and the developer discharge amount [g / min] is higher than in Comparative Examples 1 and 2. This means that even when the amount of carrier replenished per unit image is small compared to Comparative Examples 1 and 2, the decrease in the developer amount is reduced and the developer amount in the developing device is stabilized.

  As described above, in the developing device 4a (4b to 4d) of the present embodiment, the coating region 43a where the developing sleeve 43 carries the developer is positioned downstream of the opening 47a in the transport direction of the first transport screw 45. Thereby, the flow of the developer in the space sandwiched between the partition wall 47 and the return screw 50 can be reduced. Further, while maintaining the developer discharge amount when the developer amount is large, even when the developer amount is small, the amount of the two-component developer discharged over the collar portion 51 is suppressed, and the discharged developer The amount of can be reduced. As a result, even when the amount of carrier replenished per unit image is small, the decrease in the developer amount is reduced, the discharge amount of the two-component developer through the discharge unit 53 is properly maintained, and the developer amount in the developing device Can be stabilized.

<Second Embodiment>
Next, a second embodiment according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 5B is a diagram illustrating the flow of the developer in the vicinity of the developer discharge portion (discharge portion 53) in the developing device 4a of the present embodiment. In the present embodiment, the same members as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and descriptions of those having the same configuration and function are omitted.

  In the present embodiment, in addition to the first embodiment, the developer flow (arrow F2) from the first conveying screw 45 in the vicinity of the developer discharge portion is also greatly reduced and is sandwiched between the partition wall 47 and the return screw 50. The developer flow (arrow F4) in the remaining space is further reduced.

  That is, in the present embodiment, the developer is provided at least in a region where the first conveying screw (first conveying member) 45 is opposed to the opening 47a serving as the communicating portion and which is opposed to the return screw (reverse conveying member) 50. It does not have the conveyance blade 45m for conveying.

  That is, as shown in FIG. 5 (b), in addition to the configuration of the first embodiment, there is a configuration in which there is no conveyance blade 45m of the first conveyance screw 45 at a position facing the return screw 50 facing the opening 47a. It has become. Thus, the absence of the conveying blade 45m at the position facing the return screw 50 facing the opening 47a reduces the developer flow (arrow F2) in the cross-sectional direction of the first conveying screw 45.

  Therefore, the developer transported in the radial direction of the cross section of the first transport screw 45 and the developer peeled off from the developing sleeve 43 and delivered from the second transport screw 46 to the first transport screw 45 through the opening 47a. Collision with the developer flow is reduced. This reduces the flow of the two-component developer as indicated by the arrow F4 (FIG. 5A) in the space between the partition wall 47 and the return screw 50.

  Here, with reference to FIG. 7 described above, the developer discharge characteristic of the developing device 4a in the present embodiment will be described.

  In the present embodiment (●), the developer flow (arrow F4) in the space between the partition wall 47 and the return screw 50 is further reduced as compared with the first embodiment. For this reason, compared to the first embodiment, the developer amount at which the developer discharge starts is as large as 210 [g], and the sensitivity of the developer discharge amount with respect to the developer amount is high.

  In the above embodiment, in addition to the configuration of the first embodiment, the absence of the conveying blade 45m of the first conveying screw 45 at the position facing the return screw 50 facing the opening 47a, the partition 47 and The developer flow in the space between the return screws 50 can be further reduced. Thus, while maintaining the developer discharge amount when the developer amount is large, the amount of the two-component developer discharged over the collar portion 51 when the developer amount is small can be further suppressed. Therefore, in this embodiment, even when the amount of carrier to be replenished per unit image is small compared to the first embodiment, the decrease in the developer amount is further reduced, and the two-component developer through the discharge unit 53 is reduced. The amount of developer in the developing device can be further stabilized by maintaining the discharge amount appropriately.

  In the first and second embodiments, the positional relationship between the coating end of the developing sleeve 43 on the front side of the main body, the opening 47a, and the return screw 50 is defined. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 3, the coating end of the developing sleeve 43 on the back side of the main body has an opening 47 b that transfers the developer from the first conveying screw 45 to the second conveying screw 46 in order to reduce the size in the longitudinal direction. It is comprised so that it may be located in the area | region of.

  Note that the developer tends to stay in the delivery area, and the developer surface height in the delivery area of the first conveying screw 45 is higher than that outside the delivery area. If the developer surface is too high, the developer peeled off from the developing sleeve 43 rotating in the same direction as the first conveying screw 45 is immediately pumped up to the developing sleeve 43 without being stirred. As a result, the developer having a low toner density is brought to the developing sleeve 43, so that image density unevenness and carrier adhesion are likely to occur. Therefore, in the present embodiment, by reducing the shaft diameter of the first conveying screw 45 in the area of the opening 47b, the height of the developer surface in the transfer area in the first conveying screw 45 is adjusted, and the coating area (developer carrying) The area of the developer 43a is stabilized and downsized.

  4a to 4d ... developing device / 42a ... first chamber (first containing chamber) / 42b ... second chamber (second containing chamber) / 43 ... developer carrier (developing sleeve) / 43a ... developer carrying region (coat) Area) / 45 ... first conveying member (first conveying screw) / 45m ... conveying blade / 46 ... second conveying member (second conveying screw) / 47a ... communication portion (opening) / 50 ... reverse conveying member (return) Screw) / 53 ... discharge section / B, C ... developer transport direction / N1-N3, S1, S2 ... permanent magnet

The present invention provides a developing device, a first for containing a developer carrying member for rotating and carrying a developer including toner and carrier to the developer carrying region, a developer for supplying subjected to said developer carrying member A second chamber in which the developer is circulated between the chamber and the first chamber, a first communication section for transferring the developer from the first chamber to the second chamber, and the second chamber from the second chamber A second communication part for delivering the developer to one chamber; and the first communication part and the second communication part provided between the first communication part and the second communication part in a rotation axis direction of the developer carrier. A partition that separates the two chambers, a first transport unit that is disposed in the first chamber and transports the developer in the first chamber in the first direction, and that is disposed in the second chamber and is developed in the second chamber. A second transport unit that transports the agent in a second direction opposite to the first direction, and the second chamber is lower in the second direction than the second transport unit. Disposed, and a backward transport section at least partially conveys the developer in the first direction which is opposed to the second communicating unit, the said second direction downstream of the reverse conveying portion to the second chamber And a discharge portion for discharging the developer, wherein the first series passage portion is disposed at a position where at least a part of the first passage portion faces the developer carrying region in the rotation axis direction. The second communication portion is arranged outside the developer carrying region in the rotation axis direction.
The present invention relates to a developing device, a developer carrying member that rotates with a developer having toner and a carrier carried on a developer carrying region, and a first chamber that houses the developer to be supplied to the developer carrying member. A second chamber that circulates the developer between the first chamber, a first communication section that transfers the developer from the first chamber to the second chamber, and the first chamber from the first chamber A second communicating portion for delivering the developer to the chamber, and the first communicating portion and the second communicating portion provided between the first communicating portion and the second communicating portion in the rotation axis direction of the developer carrier. A partition that separates the chamber, a first transport unit that is disposed in the first chamber and transports the developer in the first chamber in the first direction, and a developer that is disposed in the second chamber and is disposed in the second chamber A second transport unit that transports the second chamber in a second direction opposite to the first direction, and the second chamber is lower in the second direction than the second transport unit. A reverse conveyance unit that conveys the developer in the first direction, at least a part of which is opposed to the second communication unit, and the second chamber downstream of the reverse conveyance unit in the second direction. A discharge portion for discharging the developer, and in the rotational axis direction, an end portion of the partition wall on the first series passage portion side and an end of the developer carrying region on the first series passage portion side. The partition is arranged so that the distance between the end and the end of the partition on the second communication part side and the end of the developer carrying region on the second communication part side are different. It is characterized by that.

According to the present invention, the realization of miniaturization of the current image devices, and particularly it can be reduced the length of the developing device in the rotational axis direction. Even when the developing device is downsized, unnecessary discharge of the developer through the discharge portion can be suppressed, and the amount of developer in the developing device can be stabilized.

Claims (5)

A developer carrying member that carries a developer having toner and a carrier in a developer carrying region and rotates;
A first chamber for supplying a developer to the developer carrier and collecting the developer from the developer carrier;
A second chamber for circulating developer between the first chamber;
A first communication section for transferring the developer from the first chamber to the second chamber;
A second communication section for transferring the developer from the second chamber to the first chamber;
A partition wall provided between the first communication portion and the second communication portion in the rotation axis direction of the developer carrier, and separating the first chamber and the second chamber;
A first transport unit disposed in the first chamber and transporting the developer in the first chamber in a first direction;
A second transport unit disposed in the second chamber and transporting the developer in the second chamber in a second direction opposite to the first direction;
A reverse transport unit disposed in the second chamber downstream of the second transport unit in the second direction and transporting the developer in the first direction;
A discharge portion that is provided in the second chamber downstream of the reverse conveying portion in the second direction and discharges the developer;
The first series part is disposed at a position where at least a part of the first series part faces the developer carrying region in the rotation axis direction;
The second communication portion is disposed outside the developer carrying region in the rotation axis direction.
A developing device. A part of the reverse conveying part faces the second communicating part in the rotation axis direction;
The developing device according to claim 1. A part of the second transport part faces the second communication part in the rotation axis direction;
The developing device according to claim 2. The reverse transport unit is configured coaxially and integrally with the second transport unit,
The developing device according to claim 1, wherein A regulation unit for regulating the amount of developer on the developer carrying member;
The restricting portion is provided below the developer carrier in the vertical direction.
The developing device according to claim 1, wherein

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