JP2018180153A - Developer storage unit and image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a developer storage unit that can achieve both toner sealability and easiness in shutter rotating operation.SOLUTION: A toner cartridge 50 comprises: a discharge port 52 for discharging toner; a shutter 60 that can open/close the discharge port 52; a case cylindrical part 65 of the toner cartridge 50 that holds the shutter 60 openably/closably and movably; and a seal member 66 that is provided between the shutter 60 and case cylindrical part 65 to prevent leakage of toner. The shutter 60 has a plurality of projections 66b that project from the surface of the shutter toward the case cylindrical part 65 to be in contact with the case cylindrical part 65, and the projections 66 slide with the case cylindrical part 65 through an operation to open/close the shutter 60.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

  The present invention relates to a developer container and an image forming apparatus provided with the developer container.

  The toner cartridge as the developer container is provided with a shutter for opening and closing the discharge port for discharging the toner (developer), and the discharge port is closed except when the toner cartridge is replenished with toner to the developing device. As a result, the toner does not leak from the discharge port.

  Further, on the outer peripheral surface of the shutter, a seal member for sealing the gap is provided in order to prevent toner leakage from the gap between the opening and closing part of the shutter and the frame of the toner cartridge. For example, in Patent Document 1, in order to prevent toner leakage in a toner cartridge, a flexible seal sponge is provided over the entire circumference of the shutter main body.

  The sealing member needs to be provided with an appropriate thickness in order to fill the gap between the shutter and the frame of the toner cartridge and the like to prevent toner leakage. For example, in a configuration using a flexible sponge as the seal member as in Patent Document 1 (Japanese Patent No. 5977662), by providing a sponge having a thickness larger than the width of the gap, the shutter and the main portion of the toner cartridge And a sponge is provided in a compressed state. Thereby, the space between the shutter and the main body of the toner cartridge can be filled without any gap, and a good sealing property can be exhibited.

  Since the shutter is provided so as to be able to open and close with respect to the toner cartridge, it is not fixed to the toner cartridge, and errors easily occur in the width dimension of the gap between the shutter and the frame of the toner cartridge. Therefore, the thickness of the seal member needs to be set larger than the gap with a margin in consideration of the above-mentioned error and the error of the thickness of the seal member itself.

  However, as the thickness of the seal member increases with respect to the width of the gap, the seal member is more compressed when provided between the shutter and the frame of the toner cartridge. Further, as the seal member is compressed, the repulsive force of the seal member against the frame of the toner cartridge is increased, and the frictional force between the seal member and the frame during the opening and closing operation of the shutter is increased. And, if the frictional force at the time of opening and closing the shutter is large, a larger force is required to open and close the shutter.

  As described above, the larger the thickness of the seal member is, the better the toner sealability is. However, on the other hand, the opening / closing operation of the shutter is deteriorated, and it is difficult to achieve both.

  From such circumstances, it is an object of the present invention to provide a developer container capable of achieving both the toner sealability and the ease of opening and closing of the shutter.

  In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides a discharge port for discharging a developer, a shutter capable of opening and closing the discharge port, and a frame of a developer container for holding the shutter openably and movably. A developer container provided between the shutter and the frame and having a seal member for preventing developer leakage, wherein the shutter protrudes from the surface of the shutter toward the frame A plurality of protrusions that contact the frame are provided, and the protrusions slide on the frame by an opening and closing operation of the shutter.

  In the present invention, the projection provided on the surface of the shutter is brought into contact with the frame of the developer container. In this manner, the shutter is partially projected and brought into contact with the frame of the developer container, thereby minimizing the sliding area between the shutter and the frame, and at the same time, the frame of the shutter and the developer container The width of the gap with the body can be accurately defined, and the dimensional error can be reduced. Therefore, it is possible to provide the seal member with a more appropriate thickness while minimizing the frictional force generated between the shutter and the frame, and the rotational operability of the shutter can be achieved without impairing the toner sealability. It can be improved.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an image forming apparatus. It is a figure which shows the state which opened the top cover. It is a figure which shows the state which opened the top cover and the inner cover. FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a developing device and a toner cartridge. It is a sectional view of development housing. FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the toner cartridge with the upper case and the gear cover removed. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the toner cartridge cut in the axial direction at the position of the conveyance screw. FIG. 7A is a cross-sectional view taken along the line I-I of FIG. 7, in which FIG. 7A shows a closed state of the shutter, and FIG. It is a perspective view of a shutter. It is a front view showing an opening and closing mechanism of a shutter, wherein (a) shows a closed state of the shutter and (b) shows an open state of the shutter. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view showing the configuration of a toner cartridge different from the present invention. It is a perspective view showing the composition of the shutter different from the present invention. It is an enlarged view of the shutter periphery in FIG. 8, (a) A figure shows the closed state of a shutter, (b) A figure shows the open state of a shutter. It is a perspective view which shows the structure of the shutter of other embodiment. It is a perspective view which shows the structure of the shutter of other embodiment. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view showing the configuration of a toner cartridge of another embodiment. It is a perspective view which shows the structure of the shutter of other embodiment. It is a perspective view which shows the structure of the shutter of other embodiment. It is a perspective view which shows the structure of the shutter of other embodiment. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view showing the configuration of a toner cartridge of another embodiment.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described based on the attached drawings. In each of the drawings for describing the embodiments of the present invention, components such as members having the same function or shape and components such as components are described once by attaching the same reference numerals as much as possible. So I will omit the explanation.

  First, the overall configuration and operation of a color laser printer according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. However, the present invention is not limited to this. The configuration of the present invention can also be applied to an image forming apparatus such as a monochrome printer, another printer, a copier, a facsimile, or a complex machine of these.

  As shown in FIG. 1, four process units 1Y, 1M, 1C, and 1Bk as image forming units are detachably mounted on an apparatus main body (image forming apparatus main body) 100 of a color laser printer. Each of the process units 1Y, 1M, 1C, and 1Bk includes toners (developers) of different colors of yellow (Y), magenta (M), cyan (C), and black (Bk) corresponding to the color separation components of the color image. The configuration is the same except that it is accommodated.

  Specifically, each of the process units 1Y, 1M, 1C, and 1Bk includes a drum-shaped photosensitive member 2 as a latent image carrier, and a charging device including a charging roller 3 for charging the surface of the photosensitive member 2 and the like. The developing device 4 supplies toner to the latent image on the photosensitive member 2, and the cleaning device includes a cleaning blade 5 for cleaning the surface of the photosensitive member 2 and the like. In FIG. 1, only the photosensitive member 2, the charging roller 3, the developing device 4, and the cleaning blade 5 included in the yellow process unit 1 Y are denoted by reference numerals, and in the other process units 1M, 1C, and 1Bk, reference numerals are attached. It is omitted. Further, in the present embodiment, a one-component developer made of toner is used as the developer. However, the developer is not limited to this, and may be a two-component developer composed of toner and carrier.

  A toner cartridge 50 as a developer container containing toner for replenishing each developing device 4 is disposed above the four developing devices 4 included in each of the process units 1Y, 1M, 1C, and 1Bk. ing.

  Further, near the lower part of each toner cartridge 50, an exposure device 6 for exposing the surface of the photosensitive member 2 of each process unit 1Y, 1M, 1C, 1Bk is disposed. The exposure device 6 includes a light source, a polygon mirror, an f-θ lens, a reflection mirror, and the like, and irradiates the surface of each photosensitive member 2 with a laser beam based on image data.

  Further, an upper cover 109 which can be opened and closed in the vertical direction by pivoting about the fulcrum 110 and an internal cover which can be opened and closed in the vertical direction by pivoting about the fulcrum 117 in the upper part of the device body 100 116 are provided.

  A transfer device 7 is disposed below the process units 1Y, 1M, 1C, and 1Bk. The transfer device 7 has an intermediate transfer belt 8 composed of an endless belt as a transfer body. The intermediate transfer belt 8 is stretched around the drive roller 9 and the driven roller 10, and the intermediate transfer belt 8 travels in the direction shown by the arrow in the figure when the drive roller 9 rotates counterclockwise in the figure. Is configured to rotate).

  At positions facing the four photosensitive members 2, four primary transfer rollers 11 as primary transfer means are disposed. Each primary transfer roller 11 presses the inner peripheral surface of the intermediate transfer belt 8 at each position, and a primary transfer nip is formed at a portion where the pressed portion of the intermediate transfer belt 8 and each photosensitive member 2 contact. ing. Each primary transfer roller 11 is connected to a power supply so that a predetermined DC voltage (DC) and / or an alternating voltage (AC) is applied to the primary transfer roller 11.

  Further, at a position facing the driving roller 9, a secondary transfer roller 12 as a secondary transfer unit is disposed. The secondary transfer roller 12 presses the outer peripheral surface of the intermediate transfer belt 8, and a secondary transfer nip is formed at a position where the secondary transfer roller 12 and the intermediate transfer belt 8 contact with each other. Similar to the primary transfer roller 11, the secondary transfer roller 12 is connected to a power supply so that a predetermined DC voltage (DC) and / or an AC voltage (AC) is applied to the secondary transfer roller 12. ing.

  Further, a belt cleaning device 13 for cleaning the surface of the intermediate transfer belt 8 is disposed on the outer peripheral surface on the right end side of the intermediate transfer belt 8 in the drawing. The waste toner transfer hose extended from the belt cleaning device 13 is connected to the inlet of a waste toner container 14 disposed below the transfer device 7.

  In the lower part of the apparatus main body 100, a sheet feeding cassette 15 for storing a sheet P as a recording medium is disposed. The sheet feeding cassette 15 is provided with a sheet feeding roller 16 for feeding out the stored sheets P. On the other hand, a pair of sheet discharge rollers 17 for discharging the recording medium to the outside is disposed in the upper part of the apparatus main body 100. Further, a sheet discharge tray 18 for stocking the recording medium discharged by the sheet discharge roller 17 is provided on the upper cover 109.

  In the apparatus main body 100, a conveyance path R for conveying the sheet P from the sheet feeding cassette 15 to the sheet discharge tray 18 through the secondary transfer nip is disposed. On the transport path R, on the upstream side in the recording medium transport direction with respect to the position of the secondary transfer roller 12, a pair of registration rollers 19 as transport means for transporting the recording medium to the secondary transfer nip is arranged by measuring transport timing. It is done. A fixing device 20 is disposed downstream of the position of the secondary transfer roller 12 in the recording medium conveyance direction.

The image forming apparatus operates as follows.
When the image forming operation is started, the photosensitive members 2 of each of the process units 1Y, 1M, 1C, and 1Bk are rotationally driven clockwise in FIG. 1, and the surface of each photosensitive member 2 has a predetermined polarity by the charging roller 3. It is charged in the same way. Laser light is irradiated from the exposure device 6 to the charged surface of each photosensitive member 2 based on the image information of the document read by the image reading device, and an electrostatic latent image is formed on the surface of each photosensitive member 2. At this time, the image information to be exposed on each photosensitive member 2 is single-color image information obtained by decomposing a desired full color image into color information of yellow, magenta, cyan and black. The toner is supplied to the electrostatic latent image formed on the photosensitive member 2 by the respective developing devices 4 so that the electrostatic latent image is visualized (visualized) as a toner image.

  Subsequently, the driving roller 9 for stretching the intermediate transfer belt 8 is rotationally driven to cause the intermediate transfer belt 8 to travel in the direction of the arrow in the figure. In addition, a primary transfer nip between each primary transfer roller 11 and each photosensitive member 2 is applied by applying to each primary transfer roller 11 a constant voltage or a constant current controlled polarity opposite to the charging polarity of the toner. A transfer electric field is formed at. Then, the toner images of the respective colors on the respective photosensitive members 2 are sequentially superimposed and transferred onto the intermediate transfer belt 8 by the transfer electric field formed in the primary transfer nip. Thus, the intermediate transfer belt 8 carries a full color toner image on its surface. Further, the toner on each photosensitive member 2 that can not be transferred to the intermediate transfer belt 8 is removed by the cleaning blade 5.

  On the other hand, in the sheet feeding cassette 15, the stored sheet P is sent out to the conveyance path R by rotation of the sheet feeding roller 16. The sheet P fed to the conveyance path R is timed by the registration roller 19 and is sent to the secondary transfer nip between the secondary transfer roller 12 and the intermediate transfer belt 8. At this time, a transfer voltage having a polarity opposite to that of the toner charging polarity of the toner image on the intermediate transfer belt 8 is applied to the secondary transfer roller 12, whereby a transfer electric field is formed in the secondary transfer nip. Then, the toner image on the intermediate transfer belt 8 is collectively transferred onto the sheet P by the transfer electric field formed in the secondary transfer nip. Further, toner remaining on the intermediate transfer belt 8 after transfer is removed by the belt cleaning device 13, and the removed toner is conveyed to the waste toner storage 14 and collected.

  Thereafter, the sheet P to which the toner image has been transferred is conveyed to the fixing device 20, and the toner image on the sheet P is fixed to the sheet P in the fixing device 20. Then, the sheet P is discharged to the outside of the apparatus by the pair of sheet discharge rollers 17 and is stocked on the sheet discharge tray 18.

  Next, the mounting and demounting structure of the toner cartridge 50 and the like with respect to the apparatus main body 100 will be described with reference to FIGS.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the inner cover 116 is attached to be able to open and close in the up and down direction by rotating around the fulcrum 117 with respect to the apparatus main body 100. On the inner cover 116, a toner cartridge 50 containing toner of each color can be mounted. As shown in FIG. 2, the toner cartridge 50 is removable with the upper cover 109 open.

  The process units 1Y, 1M, 1C, 1Bk of the respective colors are accommodated inside (below) the inner cover 116. Therefore, in order to attach and detach the process units 1Y, 1M, 1C and 1Bk, both the upper cover 109 and the inner cover 116 are opened as shown in FIG. A plurality of exposure devices 6 (LED units) for exposing the photosensitive members 2 are attached to the lower surface of the inner cover 116 so as to be able to swing. Thus, each exposure device 6 moves from the position adjacent to the photosensitive member 2 while avoiding interference with the process units 1Y, 1M, 1C, 1Bk by the guide means in conjunction with the opening / closing operation of the inner cover 116. Move between the position where you retreated upward.

  With the above-described configuration, by opening the inner cover 116, the toner cartridge 50 can be retracted from above the process unit with the toner cartridge 50 attached. Therefore, the process unit can be attached or detached without removing the toner cartridge 50. be able to. As a result, the operability at the time of replacing the process unit is improved, and the risk of toner scattering from the toner cartridge 50 into the apparatus 100 at that time can be suppressed.

  The above description is an image forming operation for forming a full color image on a recording medium, but one of four process units 1Y, 1M, 1C, 1Bk may be used to form a single color image, or 2 It is also possible to use two or three process units to form a two or three color image.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the developing device 4 includes a developing housing 40 for storing toner, a developing roller 41 as a developer carrier for carrying toner, and a developer supply member for supplying the toner to the developing roller 41. It has a supply roller 42, a developing blade 43 as a regulating member for regulating the amount of toner carried on the developing roller 41, and two transport screws 44 and 45 for transporting toner.

  The inside of the developing housing 40 is divided by a partition 48 having a communication port 48a into a first area E1 on the upper side of the drawing and a second area E2 on the lower side of the drawing. The communication ports 48 a are respectively provided at both ends of the partition wall 48 (the front side and the back side in the direction orthogonal to the paper surface of FIG. 4). That is, the first area E1 and the second area E2 communicate with each other at the location where the two communication ports 48a are formed.

  One conveying screw 44 is disposed in the first area E1. The other conveyance screw 45 and the supply roller 42 are provided in the second area E2. Further, a developing roller 41 and a developing blade 43 are provided in an opening facing the photosensitive member 2 in the second area E2.

  The two conveying screws 44 and 45 are formed by providing spiral blades 441 and 451 on the outer circumferences of the rotating shafts 440 and 450, respectively. When the transport screws 44 and 45 rotate, the toner is transported in the respective axial directions, but here, the toner transport directions by the transport screws 44 and 45 are opposite to each other.

The developing roller 41 is composed of a metal cored bar and conductive rubber disposed around the cored bar. In the present embodiment, the outer diameter of the cored bar is set to φ6, the outer periphery of the conductive rubber is set to φ12, and the rubber hardness Hs75. In addition, the conductive rubber has its volume resistance value adjusted to about 10 ⁵ to 10 ⁷ Ω. As the conductive rubber, for example, conductive urethane rubber and silicone rubber can be used. The developing roller 41 rotates in the counterclockwise direction in FIG. 4 and conveys the toner held on the surface to the position where it faces the developing blade 43 and the photosensitive member 2.

  For the supply roller 42, a sponge roller or the like is generally used. As the sponge roller, it is suitable that a foamed polyurethane obtained by mixing carbon to be semiconductive is attached to the outer periphery of a metal cored bar. In the present embodiment, the outer diameter of the core metal is set to φ6, and the outer diameter of the sponge portion is set to φ12. The supply roller 42 is in contact with the developing roller 41. The nip portion formed by bringing the supply roller 42 and the developing roller 41 into contact with each other is usually set to about 1 mm to 3 mm. In the present embodiment, the nip is 2 mm. Further, the supply roller 42 rotates in a counter direction (counterclockwise in FIG. 4) with respect to the developing roller 41 so that the toner in the developing housing 40 can be efficiently supplied to the surface layer of the developing roller 41. . Furthermore, in the present embodiment, by setting the rotational speed ratio of the developing roller 41 to the supply roller 42 to 1, a good toner supply function is secured.

  The developing blade 43 is made of, for example, a metal plate such as SUS having a thickness of about 0.1 mm. The developing blade 43 is in contact with the surface of the developing roller 41 at its tip end side. Control of the amount of toner on the developing roller 41 by the developing blade 43 is a very important parameter in order to stabilize the developing characteristics and obtain a good image quality. Therefore, in a normal product, the contact pressure of the developing blade 43 with respect to the developing roller 41 is about 20 to 60 N / m, and the position of the nip is strictly controlled to about 0.5 ± 0.5 mm from the tip of the developing blade 43 There is. Further, these parameters are appropriately determined in accordance with the characteristics of the toner to be used, the developing roller, the supply roller and the like. In the present embodiment, the developing blade 43 is made of a 0.1 mm thick SUS material, the contact pressure 45 N / m, the position of the nip portion 0.2 mm from the tip of the developing blade 43, and the supporting end of the developing blade 43 By setting the length (free length) from the tip to the free end (tip) to 14 mm, a stable thin layer of toner can be formed on the developing roller 41.

The developing operation in the developing device 4 will be described with reference to FIG.
When an instruction to start an image forming operation is issued and the developing roller 41 and the supply roller 42 start rotating, the toner is supplied and carried on the surface of the developing roller 41 by the supply roller 42. The toner carried on the developing roller 41 passes through the nip between the developing roller 41 and the developing blade 43, whereby the thickness of the toner layer is regulated and at the same time, the toner is frictionally charged. Then, when the toner on the developing roller 41 is conveyed to the position (developing area) facing the photosensitive member 2, the toner is electrostatically transferred to the electrostatic latent image on the photosensitive member 2 to form a toner image. Ru.

  The toner cartridge 50 includes a container main body 70 having a toner storage portion 51 for storing toner therein. The container body 70 includes a case cylindrical portion 65 as a frame of the toner cartridge 50, a discharge port 52 for discharging the toner in the toner storage unit 51 to the outside, a shutter 60 capable of opening and closing the discharge port 52, and a case. A seal member 66 provided between the cylindrical portion 65 and the shutter 60, a transport screw 53 as a transport member for transporting the toner in the toner storage unit 51 to the discharge port 52, and the toner in the toner storage unit 51 An agitator 54 or the like as a stirring member for stirring is provided. The discharge port 52 is provided in the lower part of the toner storage unit 51. Further, the developing housing 40 is provided with a supply port 49 communicating with the discharge port 52 in a state where the toner cartridge 50 is mounted.

  The conveying screw 53 is formed by providing a spiral blade 531 on the outer periphery of the rotation shaft 530. The agitator 54 is formed by providing a planar deformable blade 541 on a rotation shaft 540 disposed parallel to the rotation shaft 530 of the transport screw 53. The blades 541 of the agitator 54 are made of, for example, a flexible material made of a PET film or the like. Further, as shown in FIG. 4, by forming the bottom surface of the toner containing portion 51 in an arc shape along the rotation track of the blade 541, the toner which is not moved by the blade 541 and remains in the toner containing portion 51 You can reduce the amount.

  In the present embodiment, the toner cartridge 50 is configured to be detachable from the apparatus main body 100 alone, but the present invention is not limited to this configuration. For example, the toner cartridge 50 may be integrated with the developing device 4 and the photosensitive member 2 and the like, and may be replaceable as a process unit. Alternatively, the toner cartridge 50 can be integrated with the developing device 4 and replaced as a developing unit.

  Subsequently, the toner replenishment operation to the developing device will be described.

  When the toner amount detection mechanism detects that the amount of toner in the developing housing 40 has become equal to or less than the reference amount, the transport screw 53 and the agitator 54 in the toner cartridge 50 start rotating. The rotation of the conveyance screw 53 conveys the toner toward the discharge port 52, and the toner is supplied from the discharge port 52 into the first area E 1 of the developing housing 40. Further, the toner in the toner cartridge 50 is agitated by the rotation of the agitator 54 and is further transferred to the rotation area of the conveyance screw 53. Then, the toner is conveyed by the conveyance screw 53, and the toner is supplied to the area E <b> 1 of the developing housing 40 through the discharge port 52 and the supply port 49. When the amount of toner in the developing housing 40 becomes larger than a predetermined reference value, the rotational drive of the conveying screw 53 and the agitator 54 is stopped, and the toner replenishment is ended.

  On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 5, in the developing housing 40, when toner is replenished, the transport screw 44 provided in the first area E1 and the transport screw 45 provided in the second area E2 rotate. The toners are transported in opposite directions in each of the areas E1 and E2.

  The toner transported to the downstream end in the transport direction of each area E1, E2 by each transport screw 44, 45 passes through each communication port 48a formed at both ends of the partition wall 48, and in the other area (from the area E1 to the area E2 or from area E2 to area E1). Then, the toner fed into the other area is conveyed by the conveying screws 44 and 45 in the respective areas, and returned to the original area through the communication port 48a on the opposite side to the above. By repeating this operation, the toner circulates between the first area E1 and the second area E2, and the new toner supplied and the toner in the developing housing 40 are mixed, so the state of the toner It is possible to make uniform (proportion of new toner in the toner) and prevent the occurrence of defects such as color unevenness and background stain.

  The toner conveyance speed by the conveyance screws 44 and 45 increases in proportion to the screw pitch and the rotation speed. Further, the toner transport amount per screw rotation increases in proportion to the screw diameter. As described above, the toner conveyance speed and the conveyance amount can be adjusted by changing the screw pitch and the rotation amount and the screw diameter.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the toner cartridge 50 with the upper case and the gear cover removed.
As shown in FIG. 6, in the internal space of the container main body of the toner cartridge 50, toner, a conveying screw 53 and an agitator 54 are accommodated. The reference numerals 62, 63, 64 are a plurality of gears accommodated in the gear cover 57. Among these gears, reference numeral 62 is a conveyance drive gear, and reference numeral 63 is a stirring drive gear. The toner in the toner cartridge 50 is transported by the transport screw 53 from one end (the side of arrow A in FIG. 6) of the toner cartridge 50 to the other end (the side of arrow B in FIG. 6).

  Both gears 62 and 63 are attached to rotation shafts of the conveying screw 53 and the agitator 54. Further, a gear indicated by reference numeral 64 is a torque transmission gear which meshes with the conveyance drive gear 62 and the stirring drive gear 63 to transmit a rotational torque.

  When the toner cartridge 50 is mounted on the apparatus main body 100, the conveyance drive gear 62 meshes with the main body side drive gear. In this state, when the main body side drive gear is rotationally driven, the conveyance drive gear 62, the torque transmission gear 64 and the stirring drive gear 63 rotate in the directions shown by the arrows in FIG. 6, respectively, and the conveyance screw 53 and the agitator 54 rotate. Do.

  As shown in FIG. 7, a case cylindrical portion 65 is provided on the other end side (the side of the arrow B) of the toner cartridge 50. The conveying screw 53 is inserted into the inner circumferential surface side of the case cylindrical portion 65. The toner stored in the toner storage unit 51 is transported in the direction of arrow C by the transport screw 53, and is fed into the case cylindrical portion 65. Then, the toner is supplied to the developing housing 40 (see FIG. 4) from the discharge port 52 provided below the case cylindrical portion 65. Further, at the upper part of the case cylindrical portion 65, at the position of the cross section different from that in FIG. 7, a return port capable of returning the toner to the toner containing portion 51 is provided.

  As shown in FIG. 8A, the shutter 60 and the seal member 66 are provided on the inner peripheral surface side of the case cylindrical portion 65.

  The shutter 60 has a shutter cylindrical portion 60 a and a plurality of protrusions 60 b and the like provided at intervals in the circumferential direction of the shutter cylindrical portion 60 a. In addition, the shutter cylindrical portion 60a has an opening 60c in part in the circumferential direction.

  The shutter cylindrical portion 60 a is a portion that opens and closes the discharge port 52, and is held so as to be able to open and close (rotationally move) the case cylindrical portion 65.

  The protrusion 60 b is provided to protrude from the surface of the shutter cylindrical portion 60 a toward the case cylindrical portion 65, and abuts on the inner circumferential surface of the case cylindrical portion 65. Thus, the protrusion 60b abuts on the inner peripheral surface of the case cylindrical portion 65, whereby the distance between the outer peripheral surface of the shutter cylindrical portion 60a and the inner peripheral surface of the case cylindrical portion 65 is made equal to that of the protrusion 60b. It can be defined in height.

  Among the plurality of projections 60b in the circumferential direction of the shutter 60, a first projection 60b1 and a second projection 60b2 adjacent to the ejection port 52 are respectively provided on both sides of the ejection port 52. The seal member 66 is provided at a portion between the protrusions 60 b 1 and 60 b 2 in the circumferential direction of the shutter 60.

  In the present embodiment, the seal member 66 is made of a flexible sponge and attached to the outer peripheral surface of the shutter cylindrical portion 60a. The sealing member 66 can be filled without any gap between the case cylindrical portion 65 and the shutter cylindrical portion 60a by being sandwiched and compressed between the case cylindrical portion 65 and the shutter cylindrical portion 60a, which is preferable. Sealability can be exhibited. In addition, the seal member 66 has an opening 66a at a position corresponding to the opening 60c of the shutter cylindrical portion 60a.

  As shown in FIG. 8A, when the toner is not supplied from the toner cartridge 50 to the developing housing 40, the sealing member 66 is provided so as to cover the entire surface of the discharge port 52. The outlet 52 is closed (hereinafter, the above-described position of the shutter 60 for closing the outlet 52 is referred to as a closed position of the shutter 60).

  On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 8B, when the toner cartridge 50 is attached to the apparatus main body and toner replenishment from the toner cartridge 50 to the developing housing 40 is performed, the shutter 60 is rotated to The opening 60c (and the opening 66a of the seal member 66) moves to a position where it communicates with the discharge port 52, and the discharge port 52 is opened (hereinafter, the above-mentioned position of the shutter 60 where the discharge port 52 is opened Called 60 open position).

  As shown in FIG. 9, each protrusion 60 b is provided in the longitudinal direction of the shutter 60. Further, the seal member 66 is provided only on a part of one side in the longitudinal direction of the shutter 60 which is a side facing the discharge port 52. The opening 60 c of the shutter 60 and the opening 66 a of the seal member 66 are provided one size larger than the discharge port 52. With the shutter 60 disposed at the open position, the seal member 66 is provided so as to surround the entire circumference of the discharge port 52.

  A lever portion 67 is provided on one end side of the shutter 60 in the longitudinal direction. By operating the lever portion 67, the shutter 60 can be rotated relative to the case cylindrical portion 65, and the closed position and the open position of the shutter 60 can be reciprocated.

FIG. 10A is a view of the toner cartridge 50 with the gear cover removed, as viewed from the other end of the container main body 70, and shows the closed state of the discharge port 52 (see FIG. 8A).
As shown in FIG. 10A, the claw portion 68 is fixed to the side wall of the container main body 70 on the side where the agitator 54 is provided. A spring 69 serving as a biasing member is provided with one end connected to the claw portion 68 and the other end connected to the lever portion 67 of the shutter 60. The lever portion 67 abuts on a moving member 113 provided on the apparatus body 100 (see FIG. 1).

  The position of the spring 69 is fixed to the container main body 70 by connecting one end side thereof to the claw portion 68. The spring 69 biases the lever portion 67 connected to the other end side to the claw portion 68 side. The lever portion 67 is biased by a spring 69 to abut on the moving member 113 and is positioned at this position.

  Then, when the discharge port 52 is shifted from the closed state to the released state, a driving force in the arrow D1 direction is applied to the moving member 113 by a drive mechanism such as a solenoid provided in the apparatus main body. Thereby, the moving member 113 resists the biasing force of the spring 69 and the frictional force generated between the case cylindrical portion 65 (see FIG. 8A) and the seal member 66 etc., and moves the lever portion 67 in the direction of the arrow D1. Move while pressing. Then, as shown in FIG. 10 (b), the shutter 60 is rotated by the movement of the lever portion 67, the shutter 60 is moved to the closed position, and the discharge port 52 is opened (see FIG. 8b).

  Then, when the toner replenishment from the toner cartridge 50 to the developing housing is completed, the moving member 113 is moved again to the position of FIG. As a result, the pressing force from the moving member 113 to the lever portion 67 is temporarily released, and the lever portion 67 moves again to the position of FIG. Thus, the outlet 52 is closed again. As described above, by closing the discharge port 52 except when replenishing the toner, it is possible to prevent toner leakage from the discharge port 52.

  Here, the configuration of the toner cartridge different from that of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 11 and 12. FIG. The effects of the configuration of the embodiment of the present invention will be described by comparison with the toner cartridge. In the following description, differences from the above embodiment of the present invention will be mainly described.

  As shown in FIG. 11, the shutter 160 of the toner cartridge 50 'is not provided with a protrusion, and the seal member 166 is provided all around the outer peripheral surface of the shutter cylindrical portion 160a except for the opening 160c. . Then, as shown in FIG. 12, the seal member 166 is provided in a wide range except for both longitudinal ends of the shutter 160. Thus, in the toner cartridge of FIGS. 11 and 12, the seal member 166 is attached to a wide area of the shutter 160.

  By the way, as in the configuration of the present embodiment described above, in the configuration in which the lever 60 is moved in the lateral direction of FIG. 10A by the pressing force of the moving member 113 and the biasing force of the spring 69 to open and close the shutter 60, The restriction on the opening and closing force is greater than in the case of manual opening and closing. Therefore, it is important to make the shutter 60 easily rotatable by minimizing the force required to open and close the shutter 60 (hereinafter referred to as the operating force of the shutter 60) as much as possible.

  However, as in the toner cartridge 50 ′ shown in FIG. 11, in the configuration in which the seal member 166 contacts the case cylindrical portion 65 in a wide range, the space between the seal member 166 and the case cylindrical portion 65 when the shutter 160 rotates. The frictional force generated on the surface of the shutter 160 is increased, and the operation force of the shutter 160 is increased.

  Further, in the configuration of the toner cartridge 50 ′ described above, the thickness of the seal member 166 needs to be set large, which increases the operation force of the shutter 160.

  That is, in the above configuration, the shutter 160 contacts the case cylindrical portion 65 via the seal member 166 and is rotatably held by the case cylindrical portion 65. In such a configuration, since the shutter 160 is not positioned with respect to the case cylindrical portion 65, the dimensional error of the width of the gap between the shutter 160 and the case cylindrical portion 65 becomes large. Further, since the seal member 166 formed in a cylindrical shape by sponge tends to have a large thickness variation in the circumferential direction, an error is likely to occur in the thickness dimension of the seal member 166 itself. From the above, in order to reliably seal the gap between the case cylindrical portion 65 and the shutter 160 and to prevent the toner leakage, the thickness of the seal member 166 is set in consideration of the above-mentioned variation and dimensional error. The gap needs to be set larger.

  However, if the thickness of the seal member 166 is set large as described above, the shutter 160 and the portion where the width of the gap between the shutter 160 and the case cylindrical portion 65 is small or the thickness of the seal member 166 becomes large due to an error The thickness of the seal member 166 is relatively large with respect to the gap with the case cylindrical portion 65. In such a portion, the seal member 166 is compressed and provided in a small gap, and the repulsive force (elastic return force of the elastically deformed seal member 166) of the seal member 166 to the case cylindrical portion 65 is large. turn into. As a result, the frictional force generated between the seal member 166 and the case cylindrical portion 65 is increased, and the operation force of the shutter 160 is increased.

  As described above, as the thickness of the seal member is increased, the seal member can be filled without gaps between the shutter and the case cylindrical portion, and the sealing performance of the toner can be improved. The operating force of the shutter is increased. As described above, in the toner cartridge, the sealability at the shutter portion and the rotational operability are in a trade-off relationship, and there is a problem that it is difficult to achieve both.

  Therefore, in the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 8A, the shutter cylindrical portion 60a of the shutter 60 is provided with a projection 60b that abuts on the case cylindrical portion 65. By bringing the protruding portion 60b projecting to the case cylindrical portion 65 into contact with the case cylindrical portion 65, the gap between the shutter 60 and the case cylindrical portion 65 can be defined with high accuracy, and the dimensional error thereof is reduced. can do. For this reason, the thickness of the seal member 66 can be made smaller than the configuration of FIG. Therefore, the repulsive force from the seal member 66 to the case cylindrical portion 65 can be reduced, and the slidability of the case cylindrical portion 65 and the seal member 66 can be improved, so that the shutter of the toner is not impaired. 60 rotational operability can be improved.

  Further, the area of the shutter 60 in contact with the case cylindrical portion 65 can be minimized by contacting the case cylindrical portion 65 with the projection portion 60 b which is partially protruded. Therefore, the frictional force generated between the case cylindrical portion 65 and the shutter 60 can be made as small as possible. In particular, also in the manufacturing process of the shutter 60, the width dimension of the gap between the case cylindrical portion 65 and the shutter cylindrical portion 60a can be defined with high accuracy if the dimensional tolerance of the portion of the projection 60b is strictly set. Shaping of the shutter 60 is facilitated and its quality is stabilized.

  Furthermore, in the present embodiment, the case cylindrical portion 65 and the shutter 60 are both made of resin material, and the slidability of both is better than that of the seal member 66 made of sponge and the case cylindrical portion 65. It is good. Therefore, as compared with the configuration in which only the seal member 166 and the case cylindrical portion 65 contact and slide as in the toner cartridge 50 ′ of FIG. 11, in the present embodiment, a part of the shutter 60 in the circumferential direction In the above, since the projection 60b slides on the case cylindrical portion 65, it is possible to further reduce the frictional force generated at the opening and closing movement of the shutter 60.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the seal member 66 is provided only in a partial region in the circumferential direction and the longitudinal direction of the shutter 60. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 8A, the seal members 66 are provided only on both sides of the discharge port 52 in the circumferential direction of the shutter 60. Further, as shown in FIG. 9, in the longitudinal direction of the shutter 60, the seal member 66 is provided only on the side where the discharge port 52 is provided (one side in the longitudinal direction). As described above, by providing the seal member 66 only at the periphery of the discharge port 52, the seal member 66 can be provided only at the minimum necessary portion to prevent toner leakage from the shutter 60, and toner at the shutter portion The sealing performance can be secured, and the area in which the sealing member 66 and the case cylindrical portion 65 are in contact can be reduced to improve the rotational operability of the shutter 60.

  As described above, since the sealing member 66 can improve the rotational operability of the shutter 60 as the area thereof becomes smaller, it is preferable to provide the sealing member 66 in the minimum range in consideration of the function such as the sealing property. Therefore, the necessary dimensions of each part of the seal member 66 will be described.

FIGS. 13 (a) and 13 (b) are enlarged views of the shutter portion of FIGS. 8 (a) and 8 (b), respectively.
As shown in FIG. 13B, with the shutter 60 disposed at the open position, the seal member 66 is disposed on one side of the opening / closing movement direction (the circumferential direction of the shutter 60) of the shutter 60. 66b1 and the other side 66b2 disposed on the other side.

  As shown in FIG. 13A, in the state where the shutter 60 is disposed in the closed position, the one side portion 66b1 is a portion that faces the discharge port 52 and covers (closes) the discharge port 52. Therefore, the circumferential length E1 on the outer circumferential surface side needs to be longer than the circumferential length E3 on the inner circumferential surface side of the discharge port 52. Furthermore, when the circumferential length E1 of the one side portion 66b1 is about the same length as the circumferential length E3 of the discharge port 52, the end of the one side portion 66b1 contacts the side wall 52a of the discharge port 52 when the discharge port 52 is closed. There is a possibility that this portion may come off from the shutter 60 due to contact and turning up. For this reason, it is preferable that the one side 66b1 is configured to extend further to both sides than the discharge port 52. In the present embodiment, the circumferential length E1 of the one side portion 66b1 is about 4 mm more than the circumferential length E3 of the discharge port 52 in consideration of the flipping of the end, the dimensional error of the sealing member 66, the error of the rotational position, etc. Set large. Then, in the closed position, the shutter 60 is disposed such that one side portion 66b1 extends further by about 2 mm on both sides of both ends of the discharge port 52 in the circumferential direction.

  Also, the other side 66b2 does not have to define its dimensions in relation to the discharge port 52 like the one side 66b1, but the toner sealability and the prevention of curling due to sliding with the case cylindrical portion 65 are prevented. It needs to be provided with a minimum width in consideration.

  In consideration of the above, the circumferential length of the seal member 66 is defined. As described above, since the one side 66b1 needs to close the outlet 52, the circumferential length E1 of the outer peripheral surface thereof is set to be longer than the circumferential length E2 of the other side 66b2.

  As described above, in the configuration of the present embodiment, the frictional force generated at the time of opening and closing movement of the shutter 60 is reduced to improve the rotational operability of the shutter 60 and to realize the good sealability of the toner in the shutter 60. Can.

  Hereinafter, other embodiments of the present invention will be described. In addition, about the structure which is common in said embodiment, the description is abbreviate | omitted suitably and it demonstrates focusing on the characteristic part of each embodiment.

  As shown in FIG. 14, in the present embodiment, when the seal member 66 described above is the first seal member 66, the second seal member 71, which is an additional seal member, is provided. A plurality of second seal members 71 are provided on the other side of the shutter 60 in the longitudinal direction (opposite to the portion facing the discharge port 52) so as to fill the spaces between the protrusions 60b of the shutter 60. In other words, the second seal member 71 is provided on a part of the other side in the longitudinal direction of the shutter 60 so as to fill the entire circumference of the gap between the shutter 60 and the case cylindrical portion 65.

  In this embodiment, even if the toner leaks from the opening 60c of the shutter 60 and flows over the seal member 66 to the other side in the longitudinal direction of the shutter 60, the entire gap is partially formed on the other side in the longitudinal direction. The second seal member 71 that seals the periphery can prevent the toner from flowing out of the shutter 60. Thereby, the sealability of the toner can be further enhanced.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 15, on the other end side in the longitudinal direction of the shutter 60, the protrusion 60 b may be partially omitted, and the second seal member 71 may be provided in this portion. In this case, a single second seal member 71 is provided so as to cover the entire outer peripheral surface of the shutter 60. In the present embodiment, a single seal member 71 can be provided continuously in the circumferential direction. For this reason, in the said part, the clearance gap between the 2nd seal member 71 and the projection part 60b does not arise in the circumferential direction of the shutter 60, and the outflow of a toner can be prevented more reliably. In addition, since the entire circumference of the shutter 60 can be covered with a single seal member, the attachment is facilitated, and the assembling workability of the toner cartridge 50 is improved.

An embodiment in which the protrusions 60b of the shutter 60 are formed in different directions will also be described.
As shown in FIGS. 16 and 17, in the present embodiment, the projection 60 b of the shutter 60 is provided to extend in the circumferential direction of the shutter 60. A plurality of protrusions 60 b are provided in the longitudinal direction of the shutter 60.

  Further, the seal member 66 is provided between the first protrusion 60b1 and the second protrusion 60b2 in the longitudinal direction of the shutter 60, and provided only on both sides of the discharge port 52 in the circumferential direction of the shutter 60. Be The point that the length of the gap between the case cylindrical portion 65 and the shutter 60 can be accurately set by the projection 60 b is the same as the embodiment described above.

  In the present embodiment, the protrusion 60 b is provided without gaps around the entire circumference of the shutter 60, so that toner flowing out of the discharge port 52 in the longitudinal direction of the shutter 60 can be blocked by the protrusion 60 b. Therefore, the sealing performance of the toner can be further improved. In the present embodiment, the protrusion 60 b is annularly provided so as to cover the entire circumferential direction of the shutter 60, but part of the protrusion 60 b can be deleted as long as the toner sealability is not impaired.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 18, a second seal member 71 can be provided between the protrusions 60 b 2 and 60 b 3 separately from the first seal member 66. The second seal member 71 is provided around the shutter 60, and fills the gap between the case cylindrical portion 65 (see FIG. 16) and the shutter cylindrical portion 60a along the entire circumference thereof. In the present embodiment, even if the toner flows out in the longitudinal direction of the shutter 60 beyond the projection 60b2, the second seal member 71 can prevent the toner from flowing out, thereby further improving the toner sealability. It can be done.

  Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 19, a circumferential portion 66 c may be provided on the end side in the longitudinal direction of the seal member 66 so as to cover the entire circumference of the shutter 60. In this case, since the seal member can be integrated as compared with the configuration of FIG. 18, the work of attaching the seal member to the shutter 60 is facilitated.

  As mentioned above, although embodiment of this invention was described, this invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiment, Of course in the range which does not deviate from the summary of this invention, a various change can be added.

  In the above embodiment, by providing the projection 60b in the shutter 60, the configuration in which the shutter 60 is in contact with the case cylindrical portion 65 and the width of the gap between the two is accurately set has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and a protrusion may be provided on the side of the case cylindrical portion 65. For example, as shown in FIG. 20, the case cylindrical portion 65 has a plurality of projections 65 a provided along the longitudinal direction of the shutter 60 at regular intervals in the circumferential direction. The width of the gap between the shutter 60 and the case cylindrical portion 65 can be accurately defined by the projection 65 a. Further, the sealing member 66 is provided only on both sides of the discharge port 52 in the circumferential direction of the shutter 60 as in the embodiment shown in FIG. 9 and on one side in the longitudinal direction in the longitudinal direction of the shutter 60 Only provided.

  Further, in the above description, a plurality of projecting portions 65 a extending in the longitudinal direction of the shutter 60 are provided at intervals in the circumferential direction of the shutter 60. However, as in the case of the projection 60 b of the shutter 60 shown in FIG. 17, a plurality of projections 65 a extending in the circumferential direction of the shutter 60 are provided on the case cylindrical portion 65 in the longitudinal direction of the shutter 60. May be

  The image forming apparatus according to the present invention is not limited to the color image forming apparatus shown in FIG. 1, but may be a monochrome image forming apparatus, a copier, a printer, a facsimile, or a complex machine of these.

  As the recording medium, in addition to paper P (plain paper), thick paper, postcard, envelope, thin paper, coated paper (coated paper, art paper, etc.), tracing paper, OHP sheet, plastic film, prepreg, copper foil etc. included.

4 Developing Device 50 Toner Cartridge (Developer Container)
70 container main body 52 discharge port 53 conveying screw (conveying member)
54 agitator 60 shutter 60 b protrusion 60 b 1 first protrusion 60 b 2 second protrusion 65 case cylindrical part (frame)
65a Protrusion 66 Sealing member 66b1 One side 66b2 Other side 66c Circulating part 71 Second sealing member 100 Image forming apparatus

Patent No. 5977662

Claims (10)

An outlet for discharging the developer,
A shutter capable of opening and closing the discharge port;
A frame of a developer container that holds the shutter openably and closably;
A developer container comprising: a sealing member provided between the shutter and the frame for preventing developer leakage.
The shutter has a plurality of protrusions which project from the surface toward the frame and contact the frame.
The developer storage container according to claim 1, wherein the protrusion slides on the frame by an opening and closing operation of the shutter.   The developer container according to claim 1, wherein the protrusion is provided in the longitudinal direction of the shutter, and a plurality of the protrusions are provided in the circumferential direction of the shutter.   The developer container according to claim 1, wherein the protrusion is provided in the circumferential direction of the shutter, and a plurality of the protrusions are provided in the longitudinal direction of the shutter. Among the plurality of protrusions described above, there are respectively provided a first protrusion and a second protrusion adjacent to both sides of the discharge port,
The developer container according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the seal member is provided between the first protrusion and the second protrusion. The sealing member has one side provided on one side of the discharge opening and closing direction of the shutter and the other side provided on the other side in the opening position of the shutter where the discharge opening is opened. And
The one side closes the outlet in the closed position of the shutter where the outlet is closed,
The developer container according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the one side portion is provided with a length in the opening / closing movement direction larger than that of the other side portion.   The developer container according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the seal member has a circumferential portion provided in a longitudinal direction of the shutter so as to seal the entire circumference of the shutter. Assuming that the seal member is a first seal member,
The second sealing member is further provided at a part of the shutter in the longitudinal direction so as to seal the entire circumference of the gap formed between the shutter and the frame. The developer container according to any one of the preceding claims. An outlet for discharging the developer,
A shutter capable of opening and closing the discharge port;
A frame of a developer container that holds the shutter openably and closably;
A developer container comprising: a sealing member provided between the shutter and the frame for preventing developer leakage.
The frame has a plurality of protrusions projecting from the surface toward the shutter and in contact with the shutter.
The developer container according to claim 1, wherein the projection slides on the shutter by an opening and closing operation of the shutter.   The developer container according to claim 8, wherein the protrusion is provided in the longitudinal direction of the shutter, and a plurality of the protrusions are provided in the circumferential direction of the shutter.   An image forming apparatus comprising the developer container according to any one of claims 1 to 9.

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