JP2019086645A - Developer storage container and image forming apparatus including the same - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a developer storage container that includes inside a movable wall for conveying developer, and can accurately locate the movable wall at a predetermined initial position with a simple configuration.SOLUTION: A toner container 30 comprises: a shaft part 33 that is arranged to extend in a first direction DA in an internal space 31H of a container body 31; a driving member 344 that moves along the shaft part 33; a movable wall 34 that moves integrally with the driving member 344 in the first direction DA; and a connection mechanism 40 that connects the driving member 344 with the movable wall 34. The shaft part 33 has, on its outer peripheral surface, an initial position regulation part 330 that is an area for regulating an initial position of the movable wall 34. In the connection mechanism 40, a first engaging part 41 arranged on the driving member 344 and a second engaging part 42 arranged in a cylindrical part 343A of the movable wall 34 are disengageably engaged while being arranged opposite to the initial position regulation part 330.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 8

Description

  The present invention relates to a developer accommodating container provided with a movable wall for conveying a developer toward a developer discharge port, and an image forming apparatus provided with the same.

  An image forming apparatus for forming an image on a sheet includes a photosensitive drum, a developing device, and a developer container. The developer container replenishes the developing device with the developer. Patent Document 1 discloses a developer accommodating container provided with a movable wall for conveying a developer toward a developer discharge port. In the art, the moving wall is moved closer to the developer outlet in response to the consumption of the developer contained in the container body of the developer container.

  In the developer container, a space defined by the inner peripheral surface of the container body and the transport surface of the movable wall is a storage space for storing the developer. The initial position of the movement of the moving wall is set in accordance with the initial filling amount of the developer into the accommodation space of the container body. That is, in order to stably supply the developer from the initial use stage toward the developer outlet, the developer occupies a certain percentage of the volume of the housing space (for example, 80% of the total volume) It is necessary to form a state. Therefore, the initial position of the moving wall is set so as to form the space occupied by the developer space.

JP, 2015-125333, A

  The initial filling amount of the developer in the storage space of the container body is set differently depending on the specifications of the model of the image forming apparatus, the sales area, and the like. For this reason, it is necessary to set the initial position of the moving wall to a different position according to the specification. That is, the moving wall needs to be accurately positioned at the initial position set according to the specification.

  For example, as a structure for moving the moving wall, a part of the moving wall engages with the helical protrusion of the screw shaft portion installed in the container main body, and the moving wall moves in a predetermined direction by rotation around the axis of the screw shaft portion. A moving structure is employed. In this case, as a method of positioning the moving wall with respect to the screw shaft portion, there is a method of changing the formation range of the helical projection in the screw shaft portion according to the initial position of the moving wall. However, in this method, it is necessary to manufacture a plurality of types of screw shaft portions provided with helical projections conforming to the respective specifications, which may cause problems such as mounting errors of moving walls to the screw shaft portions. .

  The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a developer container having a moving wall for conveying a developer therein, which has a simple structure and a moving wall. It is to position in a predetermined initial position with high accuracy.

  The developer storage container according to one aspect of the present invention has an internal space that extends in the first direction and can store the developer, and is formed with a developer discharge port for discharging the developer. A shaft portion disposed so as to extend in the first direction in the internal space, and a driving member formed in a tubular shape externally fitted to the shaft portion and moving in the first direction along the shaft portion; The drive member has an insertion hole through which the shaft portion is inserted, and a cylindrical portion extending in the first direction at an outer peripheral portion of the insertion hole, and the drive member externally fitted to the shaft portion is cylindrical A movable wall that moves integrally with the drive member in a state of being inserted into the drive unit and transports the developer in the internal space toward the developer discharge port; and a first engagement disposed on the drive member A second engaging portion disposed in the cylindrical portion, and The engagement between the engaging portion and the second engaging portion, and a connecting mechanism for connecting the driving member and the moving wall. The shaft portion has an initial position defining portion on an outer peripheral surface thereof, which is a region for defining an initial position of the movement of the moving wall which is set according to the filling amount of the developer into the internal space. The first engagement portion and the second engagement portion are engageably engaged with each other in a state where the first engagement portion and the second engagement portion are disposed facing the initial position defining portion.

  According to the developer container, the developer in the container body is conveyed toward the developer discharge port by moving the movable wall in the container body as the drive member moves along the shaft portion. Ru. The moving wall is coupled to the drive member by the coupling mechanism in a state where the drive member externally fitted to the shaft portion is inserted into the cylindrical portion. The coupling mechanism couples the movable wall and the drive member by engagement of the first engagement portion disposed in the drive member and the second engagement portion disposed in the cylindrical portion of the movable wall. Here, the shaft portion has an initial position defining portion on the outer peripheral surface, which is a region for defining the initial position of the movement of the moving wall. Then, in the coupling mechanism, the first engagement portion and the second engagement portion are engageably engaged with each other in a state where the first engagement portion and the second engagement portion are disposed facing the initial position defining portion in the shaft portion. That is, the first engagement portion and the second engagement portion can be engaged only in a state where they are disposed facing the initial position defining portion, and in the remaining region other than the initial position defining portion of the shaft portion, It can not be engaged. Thus, the moving wall can be positioned at a predetermined initial position with high accuracy.

  In the above developer container, the shaft portion is an area on the outer peripheral surface thereof for defining the final position of movement of the moving wall, which is disposed downstream of the initial position defining portion in the first direction. The first engagement portion and the second engagement portion are capable of releasing the engagement state in a state where the first engagement portion and the second engagement portion are disposed facing the final position regulation portion. It may be

  In this aspect, the first engagement portion and the second engagement portion are disposed facing the final position defining portion which is an area for defining the final position of the movement of the moving wall in the shaft portion, It is possible to release the engagement state. When the moving wall is disposed at the final position, substantially all of the developer in the container body is discharged from the developer discharge port, and the developer in the container body is in an empty state. In such a developer empty state, the engagement between the first engagement portion and the second engagement portion can be released.

  In the above developer container, the first engagement portion can be changed in posture between a protruding posture that protrudes outward in the radial direction with respect to the driving member and a retracted posture that retracts in the radial direction. The second engaging portion is an engaging hole which is provided on the cylindrical portion and into which the engaging protrusion having the projecting posture can be inserted, and in the shaft portion, the initial engaging portion The position defining portion and the final position defining portion are regions recessed inward in the radial direction of the outermost portion in the radial direction of the shaft portion, and the engagement protrusion having the retracted posture can enter It is good also as composition.

  In this aspect, the first engagement portion is realized by the engagement protrusion, and the second engagement portion is realized by the engagement hole. Further, the initial position defining portion and the final position defining portion of the shaft portion are realized as a region recessed inward in the radial direction with respect to the outermost peripheral portion of the shaft portion.

  An image forming apparatus according to another aspect of the present invention comprises an image carrier having a circumferential surface on which an electrostatic latent image is formed, and a developer on the circumferential surface of the image carrier for developing the electrostatic latent image. And a developer storage container as described above, which supplies the developer to the development device.

  According to the present invention, in the developer accommodating container provided therein with the movable wall for conveying the developer, the developer container capable of accurately positioning the movable wall at a predetermined initial position with a simple configuration. And an image forming apparatus using the developer container.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an appearance of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a state in which a part of a housing of the image forming apparatus is opened. FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing an internal structure of the image forming apparatus. FIG. 2 is a schematic plan view showing the internal structure of the developing device mounted in the image forming apparatus. FIG. 6 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing how the developer is replenished to the developing device by a volume replenishment system. FIG. 2 is a plan view of a developer container installed in the image forming apparatus. It is an exploded perspective view of a developer storage container. It is the VIII-VIII sectional view taken on the line of FIG. FIG. 6 is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing the periphery of a connection mechanism that connects a moving wall and a drive member in a developer container. It is a typical sectional view showing signs that a moving wall is positioned in a predetermined initial position. It is a typical sectional view showing signs that a moving wall is positioned in a predetermined initial position.

[Overall Configuration of Image Forming Apparatus]
Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the appearance of a printer 100 (image forming apparatus) according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a state where a housing 101 of the printer 100 is partially opened, 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the internal structure of the printer 100. FIG. Here, the printer 100 shown as an example of the image forming apparatus is a so-called monochrome printer, but in another embodiment, the image forming apparatus includes a color printer, a facsimile machine, a multifunction machine having these functions, and a sheet of toner image It may be another device for forming it. It should be noted that the terms used to indicate directions such as “upper”, “lower”, “front”, “rear”, “left” and “right” used in the following description are merely for the purpose of clarifying the explanation. There is no limitation on the principle of the image forming apparatus.

  The printer 100 includes a housing 101 that houses various devices for forming an image on a sheet S. The housing 101 includes an upper wall 102 defining the top surface of the housing 101, a bottom wall 103 defining the bottom surface of the housing 101, and a main body rear wall 105 erected between the top wall 102 and the bottom wall 103. And a front cover 104 located in front of the main body rear wall 105. The housing 101 includes a main body internal space 106 in which various devices are disposed. In the main body internal space 106, a sheet conveyance path PP in which the sheet S is conveyed in a predetermined conveyance direction is extended.

  At a central portion of the upper wall 102, a paper discharge unit 102A is disposed. The sheet discharge unit 102A is formed of an inclined surface that is inclined downward from the front portion to the rear portion of the upper wall 102. The sheet S on which an image is formed is discharged to the sheet discharge unit 102A in an image forming unit 120 described later. A manual feed tray 104A is disposed on the front cover 104. The front side of the sheet discharge unit 102A is configured by an upper cover 102B that can be opened upward. The manual feed tray 104A is pivotable up and down with the lower end as a fulcrum (arrow DT in FIG. 3). When the upper cover 102B of the upper wall 102 is opened in addition to the manual feed tray 104A, the toner container 30 mounted in the main body internal space 106 is exposed as shown in FIG. 2, and the toner container 30 can be detached. Become.

  The internal structure of the printer 100 will be described with reference to FIG. The printer 100 includes a sheet feeding cassette 110, a pickup roller 112, a first sheet feeding roller 113, a second sheet feeding roller 114, a conveyance roller 115, a pair of registration rollers 116, an image forming unit 120, and a fixing device 130.

  The sheet feeding cassette 110 can be pulled forward with respect to the housing 101, and accommodates the sheet S therein. The cassette 110 includes a lift plate 111 that pushes up the leading edge of the sheet S. The pickup roller 112 is disposed on the leading edge of the sheet S pushed up by the lift plate 111. When the pickup roller 112 rotates, the sheet S is pulled out of the sheet feeding cassette 110. The first sheet feeding roller 113 is disposed downstream of the pickup roller 112 and feeds the sheet S further downstream. The second sheet feeding roller 114 is disposed on the inner side (rear side) of the fulcrum of the manual feed tray 104A, and draws the sheet S on the manual feed tray 104A into the housing 101.

  The conveyance roller 115 is disposed downstream of the first sheet feeding roller 113 and the second sheet feeding roller 114 in the sheet conveyance direction, and conveys the sheet S further downstream. The registration roller pair 116 has a function of correcting the oblique conveyance of the sheet S. Thereby, the position of the image formed on the sheet S is adjusted. The registration roller pair 116 supplies the sheet S to the image forming unit 120 in accordance with the timing of image formation by the image forming unit 120.

  The image forming unit 120 includes a photosensitive drum 121 (image carrier), a charger 122, an exposure device 123, a developing device 20, a toner container 30 (developer container), a transfer roller 124, and a cleaning device 125.

  The photosensitive drum 121 has an electrostatic latent image and a circumferential surface carrying a toner image (developer image) corresponding to the electrostatic latent image. A predetermined charging bias is applied to the charging device 122 to charge the peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum 121 substantially uniformly. The exposure device 123 scans the circumferential surface of the photosensitive drum 121 charged by the charger 122 with laser light modulated with image data. An electrostatic latent image corresponding to the image data is formed on the circumferential surface of the photosensitive drum 121 by this scanning. The exposure device 123 is supported by a support frame disposed inside the housing 101.

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

  The transfer roller 124 forms a transfer nip portion with the photosensitive drum 121 and transfers the toner image carried on the circumferential surface of the drum to the sheet S. The cleaning device 125 removes toner remaining on the circumferential surface of the photosensitive drum 121 after the toner image is transferred to the sheet S.

  The fixing device 130 is disposed downstream of the image forming unit 120 in the conveyance direction, and fixes the toner image on the sheet S. The fixing device 130 includes a heating roller 131 for melting the toner on the sheet S, and a pressure roller 132 for bringing the sheet S into close contact with the heating roller 131.

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

<About the developing device>
FIG. 4 is a plan view showing the internal structure of the developing device 20. As shown in FIG. The developing device 20 includes a developing roller 21, a developing housing 200, first and second stirring screws 23 and 24 accommodated in the developing housing 200, and a toner supply port 25 opened in the developing housing 200. ing.

  The developing roller 21 has a cylindrical shape, and has a roller shaft extending in the left-right direction and a sleeve portion disposed on the outer peripheral portion and rotationally driven. The developing housing 200 has a box-like shape elongated in the axial direction of the developing roller 21, and includes the developer conveyance path 26 and the partition plate 22 in the inner space thereof. The developer transport path 26 is a path in which the developer is filled and the developer is circulated and transported. In the present embodiment, a one-component developing method is applied, and the developer conveyance path 26 is filled with toner as a developer. In another embodiment in which a two-component development system is applied, the developer transport path 26 is filled with a mixture of toner and magnetic carrier as a developer. The toner is stirred and conveyed in the developer conveyance path 26 and sequentially supplied from the developing roller 21 to the circumferential surface of the photosensitive drum 121 on which the electrostatic latent image is formed in order to develop the electrostatic latent image.

  The developer transport path 26 includes a first transport path 261 and a second transport path 262. In the first conveyance path 261, the developer is conveyed in the direction of the arrow D1 along the axial direction of the developing roller 21. The second conveyance path 262 is disposed between the developing roller 21 and the first conveyance path 261. In the second conveyance path 262, the developer is conveyed in the arrow D2 direction opposite to the first conveyance direction. The upper part of the developer conveyance path 26 is covered by a not-shown housing top plate.

  The partition plate 22 is disposed in the developing housing 200 so as to extend in the left-right direction. The partition plate 22 connects the first conveyance passage 261 and the second conveyance passage 262 along the axial direction of the developing roller 21 so as to connect the first conveyance passage 261 and the second conveyance passage 262 at both left and right ends. I am divided. Therefore, the partition plate 22 is set shorter than the width of the developing housing 200 in the left-right direction. As a result, as shown by arrows D 1, D 2, D 3 and D 4, the developer transport path 26 is a circulation path leading to the first transport path 261, the first communication path 263, the second transport path 262 and the second communication path 264 It is done.

  The toner supply port 25 is an opening portion opened in the top plate of the developing housing 200. The toner replenishing port 25 is disposed above the vicinity of the right end of the first conveying path 261 so as to face the above-described circulation path, and supplies the replenishing toner (replenishing developer) supplied from the toner container 30 to the developer conveying path 26. Is an opening for receiving (flowing in).

  The first stirring screw 23 is disposed in the first conveyance path 261, and includes a first screw shaft 23A and a spiral blade 23B protruding in a spiral shape on the periphery of the first screw shaft 23A. The first screw shaft 23A extends in the left-right direction parallel to the developing roller 21. The first stirring screw 23 is rotated with the first screw shaft 23A as a rotation axis (arrow R2), and conveys the toner in the direction of arrow D1 in FIG. The first stirring screw 23 conveys the toner in the first conveyance path 261 so as to pass below the toner supply port 25. Thereby, the first stirring screw 23 conveys the new toner flowing from the toner supply port 25 and the toner carried from the second conveyance path 262 side to the first conveyance path 261 while mixing them with each other.

  A paddle 23C is disposed downstream of the first stirring screw 23 in the toner conveyance direction (direction D1). The paddle 23C is a plate-like member disposed on the first screw shaft 23A. The paddle 23C is rotated together with the first screw shaft 23A, and delivers toner from the first conveyance path 261 to the second conveyance path 262 through the first communication path 263 in the direction of arrow D4 in FIG.

  The second stirring screw 24 is disposed in the second conveyance path 262, and extends in the left-right direction. The second screw shaft 24A, and the spiral blade 24B projecting in a spiral shape on the periphery of the second screw shaft 24A Including. The second stirring screw 24 is rotated with the second screw shaft 24A as a rotation axis (arrow R1), and supplies the toner to the developing roller 21 while conveying the toner in the direction of the arrow D2 in FIG. A paddle 24C is disposed downstream of the second stirring screw 24 in the toner conveyance direction (direction D2). The paddle 24C is rotated together with the second screw shaft 24A, and delivers toner from the second conveyance path 262 to the first conveyance path 261 through the second communication path 264 in the direction of arrow D3 in FIG.

  The toner container 30 is disposed above the toner supply port 25 of the developing housing 200 (see FIGS. 2 and 3). The toner container 30 includes a toner discharge port 30P (FIG. 4, a developer discharge port). The toner discharge port 30 P is disposed at the bottom of the toner container 30 so as to face the toner supply port 25 of the developing device 20. The toner dropped from the toner discharge port 30P is supplied to the developing device 20 from the toner supply port 25.

  In the printer 100 according to the present embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the toner contained in the toner container 30 is detected, that is, a predetermined amount of toner is contained in the storage space 31S of the toner container 30 described later. A toner sensor 60 is provided to detect whether or not there is present. The toner sensor 60 is a magnetic permeability sensor that detects the magnetic permeability of the detection target. The toner sensor 60 is attached to the inner wall side of the front cover 104, and when the front cover 104 is closed with respect to the housing 101, the toner sensor 60 contacts the sensor contact surface 30A set on the outer periphery of the toner container 30. It will be in a state of

<About Toner Supply>
Next, the flow of toner newly supplied from the toner supply port 25 will be described in detail. FIG. 5 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the vicinity of the toner supply port 25 disposed in the developing device 20 and the toner discharge port 30P disposed in the toner container 30. As shown in FIG. The replenishment toner T2 supplied from the toner discharge port 30P to the toner replenishment port 25 falls into the first conveyance path 261, is mixed with the existing toner T1, and is conveyed by the first stirring screw 23 in the direction of the arrow D1. At this time, the toners T1 and T2 are stirred and charged.

  The first stirring screw 23 is provided downstream of the toner supply port 25 with a conveyance capability suppressing portion 28 for partially suppressing the toner conveyance capability of the first stirring screw 23. In the present embodiment, the conveyance capacity suppressing portion 28 exemplifies a plate-like paddle disposed between the adjacent spiral blades 23B of the first stirring screw 23. By the conveyance capacity suppressing unit 28 rotating around the first screw shaft 23A, the toner conveyed from the upstream side of the conveyance capacity suppressing unit 28 starts to stay. Then, the stagnation of these toners accumulates to a position immediately upstream of the transport capacity suppressing portion 28 and at a position where the toner supply port 25 faces the first transport path 261. As a result, the toner retention portion 29 is formed in the area where the toner supply port 25 faces.

  When the replenishing toner T2 is replenished from the toner replenishing port 25 and the amount of toner in the developer conveyance path 26 increases, the toner staying in the retention portion 29 seals the toner replenishing port 25 from the lower side, Suppress replenishment. Thereafter, when the toner in the developer conveyance path 26 is consumed from the developing roller 21 and the amount of toner retained in the retention portion 29 decreases, the toner which has blocked the toner replenishment port 25 decreases, and the retention portion 29 and the toner replenishment port 25 There is a gap between the As a result, the replenishment toner T2 again flows from the toner replenishment port 25 into the developer conveyance path 26 (first conveyance path 261). As described above, in the present embodiment, in accordance with the decrease of the toner staying in the retention portion 29, the toner replenishment form of the volume replenishment system is adopted in which the amount of acceptance of the replenishment toner amount is adjusted.

[About the structure of the toner container]
Next, the structure of the toner container 30 will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 6 to 9. 6 is a plan view of the toner container 30, FIG. 7 is an exploded perspective view of the toner container 30, and FIG. 8 is a sectional view taken along line VIII-VIII in FIG. FIG. 9 is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing the periphery of the connecting mechanism 40 connecting the moving wall 34 and the driving member 344 in the toner container 30. As shown in FIG.

  The toner container 30 is formed of a cylindrical body extending in a direction from left to right (direction of arrow DA in FIGS. 8 and 9, hereinafter, referred to as “first direction DA” in the present specification), and internally supplied toner (development Contain the The toner container 30 includes a container body 31 (container body), a container shutter 32, a shaft portion 33, a movable wall 34, a drive member 344, a rotating body 35, a first gear member 36, a second gear member 37 and a connecting mechanism 40. .

  The toner container 30 is attachable to and detachable from the developing device 20 in the housing 101, and includes a container body 31 and a container shutter 32. The container main body 31 is a cylindrical portion that constitutes the main body of the toner container 30, and contains toner inside. The container shutter 32 is mounted on the circumference of the container body 31 near the right end.

  The left end side of the container body 31 is an open end, and a lid 311 is attached to the left end side in order to close the open end. A drive input unit including a first gear member 36 and a second gear member 37, which will be described later, is disposed on the right end side of the container main body 31, and a cover portion 313 is attached to the right end side to cover it. In order to guide attachment of the toner container 30 to the developing device 20, a left guide portion 312 is provided on the left side surface of the lid portion 311, and a right guide portion 314 is provided on the right side surface of the cover portion 313. .

  The container main body 31 is opened on the wall surface of the container main body 31 so as to be in communication with the inner peripheral surface 31A (FIG. 8) defining the internal space 31H extending in a cylindrical shape along the first direction DA. And the toner outlet 30P (FIGS. 6 and 8) to be discharged. The lid 311 (first side wall) described above is disposed at the left end side (upstream side in the first direction DA) of the container main body 31, and the right wall 316 (second side) is disposed at the right end side (downstream side in the first direction DA). Side walls are arranged. That is, the internal space 31H is a space closed by the inner circumferential surface 31A, the lid 311 and the right wall 316.

  The right wall 316 is an integral part of the container body 31. On the right wall 316, a main body bearing portion 31J for supporting the right end side of the shaft portion 33 is formed. The inner side surface of the lid portion 311 is provided with a pivotal support portion 311A for pivotally supporting the left end side of the shaft portion 33. The lid portion 311 is welded so as to close the left opening of the container main body 31 by ultrasonic welding after the shaft portion 33, the moving wall 34, the drive member 344 and the rotary body 35 are assembled in the internal space 31H. The toner discharge port 30P has a rectangular shape with a predetermined length along the first direction DA at a position close to the right wall 316, and with a predetermined width in the circumferential direction along the arc shape of the bottom of the container body 31. It is open to the

  The container shutter 32 is supported slidably in the circumferential direction with respect to the container body 31 and has a function of sealing and opening the toner discharge port 30P of the container body 31. The container shutter 32 has a shutter main body 321, a lock portion 322 and a lock release portion 323 (FIG. 6). The shutter body 321 is a plate having a function of sealing and opening the toner discharge port 30P. The lock portion 322 is swingably supported with respect to the shutter main body 321, and has a function of permitting or restricting the slide movement of the shutter main body 321 with respect to the container main body 31. The unlocking portion 323 is a projection provided on the locking portion 322. When the lock release portion 323 is pressed, a lock piece (not shown) provided on the lock portion 322 is disengaged from the engaging portion formed on the container main body 31, and the slide movement of the shutter main body 321 is permitted.

  The shaft portion 33 is disposed to extend in the first direction DA in the internal space 31H, and is a shaft serving as a movement axis of the moving wall 34 and the drive member 344 and a rotation axis of the rotating body 35. The shaft portion 33 includes an initial position defining portion 330, a first end 331, a second end 332, a male spiral portion 333, a final position defining portion 334, a support ring portion 335, and a flange portion 336. The first end portion 331 is a right end portion of the shaft portion 33 which protrudes to the right through the main body bearing portion 31J. A pair of D-cut surfaces is formed on the circumferential surface of the first end portion 331. The second end portion 332 is a left end portion of the shaft portion 33, and is pivotally supported by a pivotally supporting portion 311 </ b> A of the lid portion 311.

  The male spiral portion 333 is a screw portion spirally extending in the first direction DA on the outer peripheral surface of the shaft portion 33. The male spiral portion 333 is formed from a region adjacent to the lid portion 311 in the shaft portion 33 to a region upstream of the toner discharge port 30P in the first direction DA.

  The initial position defining portion 330 is a region of the shaft portion 33 disposed continuously on the upstream side of the male spiral portion 333 in the first direction DA, and is a region of only the axial portion where the circumferential protrusion does not exist. Specifically, the initial position defining portion 330 is a region recessed inward in the radial direction with respect to the tip end 333A of the male spiral portion 333 which is the outermost periphery in the radial direction of the shaft portion 33. The initial position defining portion 330 is a region on the outer peripheral surface of the shaft portion 33 for defining the initial position of movement of the moving wall 34, which is set according to the amount of toner filling the internal space 31H.

  The final position defining portion 334 is a region of the shaft portion 33 disposed continuously on the downstream side of the male spiral portion 333 in the first direction DA, and is a region of only the axial portion where the circumferential protrusion does not exist. Specifically, the final position defining portion 334 is a region which is recessed inward in the radial direction with respect to the tip end 333A of the male spiral portion 333 which is the outermost periphery in the radial direction of the shaft portion 33. The final position defining portion 334 is an area disposed downstream of the initial position defining portion 330 in the first direction DA on the outer peripheral surface of the shaft portion 33 and defining the final position of the movement of the movable wall 34.

  The support ring portion 335 is disposed adjacent to the right of the final position defining portion 334, and a plurality of ring-shaped protrusions having a radial outer diameter substantially the same as that of the male spiral portion 333 are in the first direction DA. It is a continuous area. The flange portion 336 is a disc-shaped portion disposed between the first end portion 331 and the support ring portion 335.

  The moving wall 34 is a wall portion disposed facing the first direction DA in the inside (the internal space 31H) of the container main body 31. The movable wall 34 includes an outer peripheral surface 34R disposed to face the inner peripheral surface 31A of the container body 31, and a transport surface 34S which defines a storage space 31S for storing the replenishment toner together with the inner peripheral surface 31A. That is, in the internal space 31H, a region between the inner surface of the right wall 375 and the conveyance surface 34S which is the inner surface of the movable wall 34 is the housing space 31S in which the toner is actually stored.

  The movable wall 34 has an insertion hole 34A through which the shaft portion 33 is inserted, and a cylindrical tubular portion 343A extending in the first direction DA at the outer peripheral portion of the insertion hole 34A. The insertion hole 34A of the moving wall 34 is formed near the center in the radial direction. The cylindrical portion 343A of the moving wall 34 extends toward the upstream side (left side) of the first direction DA at the outer peripheral portion of the insertion hole 34A. In the movable wall 34, the drive member 344 is moved in a state where a drive member 344 which is externally fitted to the shaft portion 33 is inserted into the cylindrical portion 343 A and is coupled to the drive member 344 by the coupling mechanism 40. Accordingly, the inside space 31H is moved in the first direction DA. In other words, the movable wall 34 moves in the first direction DA integrally with the drive member 344 in a state where the drive member 344 is inserted into the cylindrical portion 343A and is coupled to the drive member 344 by the coupling mechanism 40. The toner in the storage space 31S is transported toward the toner discharge port 30P.

  Referring to FIG. 8, the movable wall 34 is composed of an assembly of three plate-like members aligned in the left-right direction of the wall plate 341, the seal member 342 and the wall main body portion 343. The assembly is pressed by the drive member 344 and moves in the first direction DA, as will be described in detail later. The wall plate 341 is a plate disposed downstream of the moving wall 34 in the first direction DA and formed by resin molding. The right side surface of the wall plate 341 is the above-described transfer surface 34S. The transport surface 34S transports the toner in the storage space 31S while pressing the toner as the movable wall 34 moves in the first direction DA.

  The seal member 342 is a member disposed at a position sandwiched between the wall plate 341 and the wall main portion 343 and formed of a urethane material having a predetermined thickness in the first direction DA. The outer peripheral portion of the seal member 342 constitutes the outer peripheral surface 34R of the moving wall 34 described above. The wall main portion 343 is a plate which is disposed on the most upstream side of the movable wall 34 in the first direction DA, and is formed by resin molding. The above-mentioned cylindrical portion 343A extends from the surface of the wall main portion 343 on the upstream side in the first direction DA. When the wall plate 341, the seal member 342, and the wall main portion 343 are integrally assembled, the outer peripheral portion of the seal member 342 is disposed radially outward. As a result, the outer peripheral portion (the outer peripheral surface 34R of the moving wall 34) of the seal member 342 is compressed and deformed by the inner peripheral surface 31A of the container main body 31. As a result, the toner in the storage space 31S is prevented from flowing out between the inner circumferential surface 31A and the outer circumferential surface 34R upstream of the moving wall 34 in the first direction DA.

  The driving member 344 is disposed on the upstream side of the moving wall 34 in the first direction DA, moves along the shaft portion 33 in the first direction DA, and moves the moving wall 34. The drive member 344 is formed in a cylindrical shape, and is externally fitted to the shaft portion 33. The moving wall 34 is positioned with respect to the driving member 344 by inserting the driving member 344 externally fitted to the shaft portion 33 into the cylindrical portion 343A and connecting the driving member 344 with the connecting mechanism 40. Ru. The driving member 344 inserted into the cylindrical portion 343A of the moving wall 34 is in a state of being disposed between the inner peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion 343A and the shaft portion 33. The driving member 344 disposed between the inner peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion 343A and the shaft portion 33 is restricted from integrally rotating with the rotation of the shaft portion 33 about the axis.

  The driving member 344 includes a female spiral portion 345 formed on the inner circumferential surface thereof. In the drive member 344, the female spiral portion 345 is a portion engaged with the male spiral portion 333 of the shaft portion 33. The drive member 344 externally fitted to the shaft portion 33 and inserted into the cylindrical portion 343A is controlled to rotate integrally with the rotation of the shaft portion 33 about the axis. Along with that, it moves in the first direction DA. The driving member 344 moves in the first direction DA along the shaft portion 33, thereby pressing the moving wall 34 coupled via the coupling mechanism 40 described later in the first direction DA, and along the shaft portion 33. The moving wall 34 is moved. That is, when the shaft portion 33 rotates about the axis, the movable wall 34 moves integrally with the drive member 344 in the first direction DA.

  The rotary body 35 is disposed above the toner discharge port 30P and adjacent to the right wall 316 in the accommodation space 31S. The rotating body 35 is supported by the shaft portion 33 so as to be rotatable about the axis of the shaft portion 33. The rotating body 35 is provided with an engaging portion 351 receiving an input of rotational driving force at the right end side. Although the detailed description is omitted, the rotating body 35 has the following three functions. The first function of the rotating body 35 is a part of the inner peripheral surface 31A that divides the housing space 31S of the container main body 31, and is a toner detection surface (a sensor contact surface 30A of FIG. Of the inner side of). The second function of the rotating body 35 is a function of stirring the toner in the storage space 31S. The third function of the rotating body 35 is a function of detecting that the container main body 31 (toner container 30) is present in the housing 101.

  The rotary body 35 includes a flat plate portion 35A, a cylindrical boss portion 35B protruding leftward from near the radial center of the flat plate portion 35A, and a rear surface boss portion 35C protruding rightward. In the vicinity of the outer peripheral edge of the flat plate portion 35A, a cleaning film for performing the first function, a stirring rib for performing the second function, and a support plate of a metal tape for performing the third function. Is arranged. A hollow portion is provided inside the cylindrical boss portion 35B, and the cylindrical boss portion 44 is externally fitted to the shaft portion 33 such that the vicinity of the first end portion 331 of the shaft portion 33 passes through the hollow portion. . The shaft portion 33 also penetrates the back surface boss portion 35C. The right end portion of the rear surface boss 35C is an engaging portion 351 engaged with a connecting portion 373 of a second gear member 37 described later. A first seal 352 and a second seal 353 are accommodated in the cylindrical boss portion 35B and the rear surface boss portion 35C, respectively, to prevent toner leakage.

  The first gear member 36 transmits a rotational drive force to the shaft portion 33. The first gear member 36 includes a gear portion 361 formed on the outer peripheral surface of the disk-like member, and a cylindrical portion 362 provided to the left from the radial center of the disk-like member. At the left end of the cylindrical portion 362, an engaging portion 362A is provided in a protruding manner. A ratchet mechanism including a ratchet gear 363 and a ratchet shaft 364 is assembled to the first gear member 36 in order to transmit only a rotational force in one direction to the shaft portion 33. The left end portion of the ratchet shaft 364 is provided with a connecting portion 365 having a D-shape inside. The first end portion 331 having the D-cut surface of the shaft portion 33 is fitted to the connection portion 365. On the other hand, the central portion of the ratchet shaft 364 is inserted into the ratchet gear 363, and the right end thereof is inserted into the cylindrical portion 362 of the first gear member 36.

  The rotational driving force of the first motor M1 (FIG. 6) is input to the gear portion 361 via the transmission gear of the developing device 20. The first gear member 36 is rotated in a predetermined rotational direction by the rotational driving force, and the shaft portion 33 is rotated about the axis through the ratchet mechanism. The rotation of the shaft portion 33 moves the drive member 344 in the first direction DA to move the movable wall 34 in the first direction DA. Although the rotation direction of the first gear member 36 depends on the spiral direction of the male spiral portion 333 of the shaft portion 33, it is the rotation direction in which the moving wall 34 is moved in the first direction DA. When a rotational driving force reverse to this is applied to the gear portion 361, the reverse rotational driving force is not transmitted to the shaft portion 33 by the ratchet mechanism (the ratchet gear 363 idles).

  The second gear member 37 transmits rotational driving force to the rotating body 35. The second gear member 37 includes a gear portion 371 formed on the outer peripheral surface of the disk-like member, and a cylindrical portion 372 protruding leftward from the radial center of the disk-like member. The left end of the cylindrical portion 372 is a connecting portion 373 having a recess that engages with the engaging portion 351 of the rotating body 35. The rotational driving force of the second motor M2 (FIG. 6) is input to the gear portion 371 via the transmission gear of the developing device 20. In the present embodiment, the second gear member 37 is rotationally driven in synchronization with the developing roller 21 and the first and second stirring screws 23 and 24 of the developing device 20. When the second gear member 37 is rotationally driven, the rotational driving force is transmitted to the rotating body 35 via the engaging portion between the connecting portion 373 and the engaging portion 351, and the rotating body 35 rotates around the shaft portion 33. It is rotated.

  The cover 313 is attached to the right end side of the container body 31. The cover part 313 is provided with the opening part 315 which exposes a part of circumferential direction of the 1st, 2nd gear members 36 and 37 outside. When the toner container 30 is attached to the developing device 20, the gear portion 361 of the first gear member 36, the gear portion 371 of the second gear member 37, and the transmission gear of the developing device 20 (not shown) And the teeth are engaged.

  A closing lid 317 is attached to the right wall 316 of the container main body 31 to subsequently close the toner filling hole for filling the storage space 31S with the toner. When the toner is filled into the storage space 31S, the toner is filled into the storage space 31S by the filling nozzle through the toner filling hole in a state where the cover portion 313 is not attached. After filling, the closing lid 317 is fitted and welded to the toner filling hole, and the cover portion 313 is attached to the right end side of the container body 31.

<About the movement of the moving wall>
The toner container 30 is mounted on the developing device 20 by the user. At the time of this mounting, the container shutter 32 is rotated and the toner discharge port 30P is opened. As a result, the toner discharge port 30P is disposed to face the upper side of the toner supply port 25 (FIGS. 4 and 5). As described above, when the new toner container 30 is attached to the printer 100, the control unit 50 (FIG. 6) drives the first motor M1 to rotate the shaft 33 via the first gear member 36. As a result, the drive member 344 moves in the first direction DA by the engagement between the male spiral portion 333 of the shaft portion 33 and the female spiral portion 347 of the drive member 344. The driving member 344 is inserted into the cylindrical portion 343A, so that the rotation of the shaft portion 33 and the rotation of the shaft portion 33 are restricted. Move to As the drive member 344 moves, the moving wall 34 is pressed, and the moving wall 34 moves toward the toner discharge port 30P. At this time, the transport surface 34S pushes the toner to increase the draft level of the toner in the storage space 31S.

  Eventually, when the moving wall 34 moves from the initial position to the right by a predetermined distance, the toner draft level exceeds the height position of the toner detection surface (sensor contact surface 30A; FIG. 2). Then, the toner sensor 60 detects the toner and outputs a predetermined detection signal (for example, a HIGH signal). In response to the HIGH signal output from the toner sensor 60, the control unit 50 stops the rotation of the shaft portion 33 and stops the movement of the moving wall 34.

  As described based on FIG. 5, in the present embodiment, a volume replenishment type toner replenishment type is adopted. Therefore, when the toner reservoir 29 (FIG. 5) on the developing device 20 side seals the toner supply port 25 from below, the supply toner T2 does not fall from the toner container 30. On the other hand, when the toner is supplied from the developing roller 21 to the photosensitive drum 121 and the toner in the retention portion 29 decreases, the toner flows from the toner discharge port 30P into the developing device 20 via the toner supply port 25. As a result, in the storage space 31S of the toner container 30, the toner around the toner detection surface disappears, so the toner sensor 60 outputs a predetermined non-detection signal (for example, a LOW signal). In response to the LOW signal, the control unit 50 drives the first motor M1 to further move the movable wall 34 toward the toner discharge port 30P until the toner sensor 60 outputs the HIGH signal.

  In accordance with the developing operation in the developing device 20, the control unit 50 drives the second motor M2 to rotate the developing roller 21 and the like. In conjunction with this rotational movement, the rotating body 35 is rotated around the shaft portion 33 via the second gear member 37. The rotating body 35 is disposed corresponding to the position where the toner discharge port 30P and the toner detection surface exist in the housing space 31S. By the rotation of the rotating body 35, the toner detection surface is cleaned, the toner in the vicinity of the toner discharge port 30P is loosened by agitation, and an operation of pushing the toner into the toner discharge port 30P is executed. As a result, the toner detection by the toner sensor 60 is properly executed, and the fluidity of the toner is increased, and the toner is stably dropped from the toner discharge port 30P.

  When the printing operation is repeated and the toner in the storage space 31S of the toner container 30 continues to be used, the moving wall 34 eventually reaches the final position in front of the toner discharge port 30P. As described above, the moving wall 34 gradually moves in the first direction DA, whereby the toner in the accommodation space 31S is conveyed to the toner discharge port 30P while being pressed by the moving wall 34. The accommodation space 31S is gradually reduced until the moving wall 34 reaches the final position. That is, in the inside of the toner container 30, the space itself in which the toner is present is gradually dissipated. As a result, compared with the conventional toner container in which the volume of the accommodation space 31S does not change, the amount of toner remaining in the container body 31 can be reduced at the end of use.

  In the present embodiment, the moving wall 34 is stopped at the final position slightly upstream of the toner discharge port 30P in the first direction DA. Specifically, when the female spiral portion 345 of the drive member 344 reaches the final position defining portion 334 as the moving wall 34 moves, the engagement between the male spiral portion 333 and the female spiral portion 345 is released. As a result, the transfer of the moving force from the shaft portion 33 to the drive member 344 is lost, and the moving wall 34 stops at the final position. At this time, the moving wall 34 reaches the support ring portion 335 on the shaft portion 33, and is stably supported by the support ring portion 33.

<About the structure of connection mechanism>
The structure of the connecting mechanism 40 will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 10 and 11 in addition to FIG. 10 and 11 are schematic cross-sectional views showing how the moving wall 34 is positioned at a predetermined initial position.

  The connection mechanism 40 is a mechanism that connects the drive member 344 and the moving wall 34. The connection mechanism 40 includes a first engagement portion 41 disposed in the drive member 344 and a second engagement portion 42 disposed in the cylindrical portion 343A of the movable wall 34. The coupling mechanism 40 couples the drive member 344 and the movable wall 34 by the engagement of the first engagement portion 41 and the second engagement portion 42.

  In the coupling mechanism 40, the first engagement portion 41 and the second engagement portion 42 are engaged in a disengageable manner in a state where the first engagement portion 41 and the second engagement portion 42 are disposed facing the initial position defining portion 330 of the shaft portion 33. That is, the first engagement portion 41 and the second engagement portion 42 can be engaged only in a state where the first engagement portion 41 and the second engagement portion 42 are disposed facing the initial position defining portion 330, and other than the initial position defining portion 330 of the shaft portion 33. In the remaining area it is not possible to engage. Thereby, the moving wall 34 can be positioned at a predetermined initial position with high accuracy.

  Further, in the connection mechanism 40, in the state where the first engagement portion 41 and the second engagement portion 42 are disposed facing the final position defining portion 334 in the shaft portion 33, the engagement state can be released. . In the state where the first engagement portion 41 and the second engagement portion 42 are disposed facing the final position defining portion 334 of the shaft portion 33, the movable wall 34 is disposed at the final position of movement. When the movable wall 34 is disposed at the final position, substantially all the toner in the accommodation space 31S of the container body 31 is ejected from the toner discharge port 30P, and the toner in the accommodation space 31S is in an empty state. In such a toner empty state, the engagement between the first engagement portion 41 and the second engagement portion 42 can be released.

  In the present embodiment, the first engagement portion 41 is capable of changing the posture between a protruding posture that protrudes outward in the radial direction with respect to the drive member 344 and a retracted posture that retracts inward in the radial direction. It is a projection. The driving member 344 is formed with a through hole 346 through which the first engaging portion 41 passes when the attitude is changed. FIGS. 9 and 10 show a state in which the first engaging portion 41 is in the projecting attitude, and FIG. 11 shows a state in which the first engaging portion 41 is in the retracted attitude. The first engaging portion 41 formed of an engagement protrusion capable of changing its posture between the projecting posture and the retreating posture has, for example, a snap fit structure which can be elastically deformed by a pressing force or an engaging protrusion in the vertical direction. It is realized by the structure etc. which combined the biasing member (spring member) which presses. The second engagement portion 42 is an engagement hole which is provided on the cylindrical portion 343A of the movable wall 34 and into which the first engagement portion 41 formed of an engagement protrusion in a projecting attitude can be inserted.

  Next, how the moving wall 34 is positioned at a predetermined initial position will be described. At the time of assembly of the toner container 30, as shown in FIG. 10, the drive member 344 is assembled to the shaft portion 33 first. At this time, the first engaging portion 41 faces the initial position defining portion 330 such that the first engaging portion 41 disposed in the driving member 344 faces the initial position defining portion 330 through the through hole 346. Thus, the drive member 344 is assembled to the shaft portion 33. In a state in which the drive member 344 is assembled to the shaft portion 33, the first engagement portion 41 has a projecting posture in which it protrudes outward in the radial direction with respect to the drive member 344 from the through hole 346.

  When the drive member 344 is assembled to the shaft portion 33, as shown in FIG. 11, the movable wall 34 inserted in the shaft portion 33 through the insertion hole 34A moves from the downstream side in the first direction DA toward the drive member 344. Is moved in a second direction DB which is a direction opposite to the first direction DA. Here, in the upper side region of the distal end portion of the cylindrical portion 343A, an inclined surface 343B inclined upward toward the distal end edge is formed on the inner circumferential surface thereof. At the time of assembly of the toner container 30, when the movable wall 34 is moved in the second direction DB toward the drive member 344 assembled to the shaft portion 33, the inclined surface 343B of the cylindrical portion 343A eventually protrudes. It abuts on the taken first engaging portion 41.

  When the movable wall 34 is further moved in the second direction DB with the inclined surface 343B in contact with the first engagement portion 41, the first engagement portion 41 is pressed downward from the inclined surface 343B. And the upper end portion abuts on the inner peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion 343A while being displaced downward, thereby taking a retracted posture. Since the drive member 344 is assembled to the shaft portion 33 so that the first engagement portion 41 faces the initial position defining portion 330, the movable wall 34 moves in the second direction DB to take a retracted posture. The first engagement portion 41 enters the initial position defining portion 330 of the shaft portion 33. In other words, in the shaft portion 33, the initial position defining portion 330 is configured such that the first engagement portion 41 in the retracted position can enter.

  In a state where the first engaging portion 41 enters the initial position defining portion 330 and takes a retracted attitude, the movable wall 34 is further moved in the second direction DB, and the first engaging portion 41 is disposed in the cylindrical portion 343A. When the first engaging portion 41 reaches a position facing the second engaging portion 42, the pressing force from the cylindrical portion 343A is released, and the first engaging portion 41 is displaced upward and takes a projecting attitude (see FIG. 9). . Thereby, the first engagement portion 41 and the second engagement portion 42 are engaged, and the drive member 344 and the movable wall 34 are coupled. In the state where the first engaging portion 41 and the second engaging portion 42 are engaged, the movement of the movable wall 34 in the second direction DB is restricted, and the driving member 344 is inserted into the cylindrical portion 343A of the movable wall 34. It will be in the In this manner, the moving wall 34 can be positioned at a predetermined initial position.

<About the initial position of the moving wall>
In the toner container 30, a space for actually containing toner is the housing space 31S as described above. The conveyance surface 34S of the moving wall 34, together with the inner circumferential surface 31A of the container body 31, defines this housing space 31S. The initial position of the movement of the movable wall 34 on the shaft portion 33 is set according to the initial filling amount of the toner into the accommodation space 31S. That is, in order to stably supply the toner from the initial stage of use to the toner outlet 30P, the toner occupies a certain percentage of the volume of the accommodation space 31S (for example, 80% of the total volume). You need to keep it. Therefore, the initial position of the moving wall 34 is set so that the space of the accommodation space 31S can be formed by such toner.

  The initial filling amount of toner in the housing space 31S is set differently depending on the specifications of the model of the image forming apparatus, the sales area, and the like. For example, when making the accommodation space 31S as large as possible by making full use of the internal space 31H of the container main body 31 and initially filling the toner in such accommodation space 31S (full filling) or about half of the internal space 31H In the case of making the accommodation space 31S which utilized and make an initial filling of the toner (half filling), it is illustrated. Therefore, the initial position of the movable wall 34 on the shaft portion 33 also needs to be set to a different position according to the specification. That is, the moving wall 34 needs to be positioned with high accuracy at the initial position set according to the specification.

  Therefore, in the present embodiment, as described above, the moving wall 34 has the drive member 344 externally fitted to the shaft portion 33 inserted into the cylindrical portion 343A, and is connected to the drive member 344 by the connecting mechanism 40. As a result, the drive member 344 is positioned. Here, in the coupling mechanism 40, the first engagement portion 41 and the second engagement portion 42 are engaged in a disengageable manner in a state where the first engagement portion 41 and the second engagement portion 42 are disposed facing the initial position defining portion 330 in the shaft portion 33. . Thereby, the moving wall 34 can be positioned at a predetermined initial position with high accuracy. Further, by forming the shaft portion 33 with the plurality of initial position defining portions 330 arranged in the first direction DA, as in the prior art, a plurality of formed lengths in the axial direction of the male spiral portion 333 differ. There is no need to prepare the shaft portion 33, and the shaft portion 33 can be made common regardless of various specifications of the printer 100, and there is an advantage that cost increase can be prevented.

  The toner container 30 is mounted on the developing device 20 in a state where the assembly operation of the toner container 30 is completed and the movable wall 34 connected to the drive member 344 via the connection mechanism 40 is disposed at a predetermined initial position. Ru. When the printing operation is repeated and the toner in the storage space 31S of the toner container 30 continues to be used, the female spiral portion 345 of the drive member 344 eventually reaches the final position defining portion 334 as the moving wall 34 moves, and the moving wall 34 Stops at the final position before the toner discharge port 30P.

  When the movable wall 34 is disposed at the final position, as described above, the first engagement portion 41 and the second engagement portion 42 are disposed facing the final position defining portion 334 of the shaft portion 33. It becomes. In this state, the engagement between the first engagement portion 41 and the second engagement portion 42 can be released. More specifically, when the toner container 30 is removed from the developing device 20 and the moving wall 34 is moved relative to the drive member 344 in a first direction DA opposite to the second direction DB when the toner container 30 is assembled, The first engagement portion 41 takes a retracting posture when the engagement with the second engagement portion 42 is released and the upper end abuts on the inner peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion 343A. The first engagement portion 41 in the retracted position enters the final position defining portion 334 of the shaft portion 33. In other words, in the shaft portion 33, the final position defining portion 334 is configured such that the first engagement portion 41 in the retracted position can enter. When the moving wall 34 is further moved in the first direction DA with respect to the driving member 344 in a state in which the first engaging portion 41 enters the final position defining portion 334 and takes a retracted attitude, the cylindrical shape of the moving wall 34 The insertion state of the drive member 344 with respect to the portion 343A is released. Thus, the movable wall 34 can be removed from the drive member 344 assembled to the shaft portion 33.

100 Printer (image forming device)
121 Photosensitive drum (image carrier)
20 Developing Device 30 Toner Container (Developer Storage Container)
30P toner outlet (developer outlet)
31 Container body (container body)
31H internal space 31S accommodation space 33 shaft portion 330 initial position defining portion 334 final position defining portion 34 moving wall 34A insertion hole 343A cylindrical portion 344 drive member 40 connecting mechanism 41 first engagement portion 42 second engagement portion DA first direction

Claims (4)

A container main body having an internal space extending in the first direction and capable of containing a developer and having a developer discharge port for discharging the developer;
A shaft portion arranged to extend in the first direction in the internal space;
A driving member formed in a tubular shape that is externally fitted to the shaft portion, and moving in the first direction along the shaft portion;
The drive unit includes an insertion hole through which the shaft portion is inserted, and a cylindrical portion extending in the first direction at an outer peripheral portion of the insertion hole, and the drive member externally fitted to the shaft portion is the cylindrical portion. A moving wall that moves integrally with the driving member in a state of being inserted into the housing, and transports the developer in the internal space toward the developer discharge port;
A first engagement portion disposed in the drive member and a second engagement portion disposed in the tubular portion, wherein the engagement between the first engagement portion and the second engagement portion And a connecting mechanism connecting the driving member and the moving wall,
The shaft portion has an initial position defining portion on an outer peripheral surface thereof, which is a region for defining an initial position of movement of the moving wall which is set according to the amount of developer filled in the internal space,
The developer container according to claim 1, wherein the first engagement portion and the second engagement portion are engageable with each other in a state where the first engagement portion and the second engagement portion are disposed facing the initial position defining portion. The shaft portion has, on the outer peripheral surface thereof, a final position defining portion which is disposed downstream of the initial position defining portion in the first direction and which is a region for defining the final position of movement of the moving wall. And
The developer container according to claim 1, wherein the first engagement portion and the second engagement portion can release the engagement state in a state where the first engagement portion and the second engagement portion are disposed facing the final position defining portion. . The first engagement portion is an engagement protrusion capable of changing its posture between a protruding posture that protrudes outward in the radial direction with respect to the driving member and a retracted posture that retracts inward in the radial direction.
The second engagement portion is an engagement hole which is provided on the cylindrical portion and into which the engagement protrusion having the projecting posture can be inserted.
In the shaft portion, the initial position defining portion and the final position defining portion are regions recessed inward in the radial direction of the outermost portion in the radial direction of the shaft portion, and are in the retracted position. The developer accommodating container according to claim 2, wherein the engagement protrusion is enterable. An image carrier having a circumferential surface on which an electrostatic latent image is formed;
A developing device for supplying a developer to the circumferential surface of the image carrier for developing the electrostatic latent image;
The developer container according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the developing device is replenished with a developer.

Images