JP2019148762A - Toner container and image forming device - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a toner container mounted to an image forming device of electrophotographic type comprising an optical scanner for causing light emitted from a light source to be deflection scanned by a rotary deflector and irradiating an image carrier with light and a developing unit for developing an electrostatic latent image formed on the image carrier by a toner, in which the toner is suppressed from adhering to and being deposited on the inner wall surface of a housing.SOLUTION: In a housing 30 of a toner container 3 are provided contact parts 30e, 30f coming in contact with a support member 100 of an optical scanner 14 while the toner container 3 is mounted to an image forming device 1.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

  The present invention relates to a toner container and an image forming apparatus.

  In general, an electrophotographic image forming apparatus includes an optical scanning device that irradiates a photosensitive drum (image carrier) with light to form an electrostatic latent image, and an electrostatic latent image formed on the photosensitive drum as a toner. A developing unit that develops an image and a toner container that supplies toner to the developing unit are provided.

  The optical scanning device includes a polygon mirror that deflects and scans light emitted from a light source. The polygon mirror is driven by a polygon motor fixed to the bottom wall portion of the casing.

  For example, as shown in Patent Document 1, the toner container has a housing that accommodates toner as a developer. The housing is provided with a toner supply unit that supplies toner to the developing unit. An agitation mechanism that conveys the toner to the toner supply unit while agitating the toner is provided inside the housing.

  The stirring mechanism has a shaft that is rotationally driven inside the housing, and a stirring sheet attached to the shaft. The stirring sheet is made of a flexible sheet material. The leading end portion (the end portion on the side not fixed to the shaft) of the stirring sheet moves while contacting the inner wall surface of the casing. As a result, the toner in the housing is agitated by the agitating sheet and conveyed to the toner supply unit. The toner transported to the toner supply unit is transported to the toner supply port by a rotating transport screw, and is supplied from the toner supply port to the developing unit.

JP 2010-176033 A

  In the toner container shown in Patent Document 1, toner may accumulate while adhering to the inner wall surface of the casing. The accumulated toner remains in the toner container without being supplied to the developing unit. For this reason, all the toner in the toner container cannot be used up, and there is a problem that the remaining toner is wasted.

  In order to solve this problem, it is conceivable to increase the contact pressure of the stirring sheet with respect to the inner wall surface of the housing. However, if the contact pressure of the stirring sheet is too high, the toner tends to adhere to the inner wall surface. Therefore, it is difficult to prevent the toner from adhering to the inner wall surface of the housing simply by adjusting the contact pressure of the stirring sheet.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and an object of the present invention is to suppress the toner from adhering to and accumulating on the inner wall surface of the casing of the toner container. In other words, it is possible to avoid wasteful disposal of unused toner.

  The toner container according to the present invention is formed on the image carrier and an optical scanning device that forms an electrostatic latent image by deflecting and scanning the light emitted from the light source with a rotary deflector and irradiating the image carrier. The image forming apparatus is mounted on an electrophotographic image forming apparatus having a developing unit that develops an electrostatic latent image with toner.

  The toner container includes a housing for storing the toner, a toner supply unit that supplies the toner in the housing to the developing unit, and an agitation mechanism that agitates the toner in the housing and conveys the toner to the toner supply unit The image forming apparatus includes a support member that supports the optical scanning device, and the housing contacts the support member in a state where the toner container is mounted on the image forming apparatus. An abutting portion that comes into contact is provided.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to prevent toner from adhering to and accumulating on the inner wall surface of the housing of the toner container. As a result, it can be avoided that unused toner remains in the toner container and is wasted.

FIG. 1 is an external perspective view illustrating a state in which a front cover of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment is removed. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a schematic configuration of a main part in the image forming apparatus. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a state in which the lid of the optical scanning device is removed. FIG. 4 is an enlarged view showing the toner container mounting portion in FIG. 2 in an enlarged manner. FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing the lid of the toner container. FIG. 6 is a perspective view illustrating a state in which the toner container is being installed. FIG. 7 is a view corresponding to FIG. FIG. 8 is a view corresponding to FIG. 4 showing another embodiment.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. The present invention is not limited to the following embodiment.

  1 and 2 show a laser printer as an example of an image forming apparatus 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

  The image forming apparatus 1 includes an apparatus main body 2 and a toner container 3 (toner container) detachably attached to the apparatus main body 2.

  The apparatus main body 2 includes a cassette paper feeding unit 4, an image forming unit 5, a fixing unit (not shown), and a paper discharge unit 6. The image forming apparatus 1 forms an image on the paper P based on image data transmitted from a terminal (not shown) while transporting the paper P along the paper transport path L in the apparatus main body 2.

  The cassette paper feeding unit 4 is provided at the bottom of the apparatus main body 2. The cassette paper feed unit 4 includes a paper feed cassette 7, a pickup roller 8a, and a feed roller 8b.

  The paper feed cassette 7 accommodates a plurality of paper P stacked on top of each other. The pickup roller 8a sends out the sheets P stored in the sheet feeding cassette 7 one by one out of the cassette. The feed roller 8 b supplies the fed paper P to the paper transport path L.

  The image forming unit 5 is provided above the paper feed cassette 7 at the right end in the apparatus main body 2. The image forming unit 5 includes a photosensitive drum 9, a charging unit 10, a developing unit 11, a transfer roller 12, a cleaning unit 13, and an optical scanning device 14 (optical scanning device). The photosensitive drum 9 is an image carrier that is rotatably provided in the apparatus main body 2. The charging unit 10, the developing unit 11, the transfer roller 12, and the cleaning unit 13 are arranged in this order in the counterclockwise direction with respect to the photosensitive drum 9 with reference to the 10 o'clock position. The image forming unit 5 forms an image on the paper P supplied from the cassette paper feeding unit 4. Details of the image forming operation by the image forming unit 5 will be described later.

  The fixing unit is disposed above the image forming unit 5. The fixing unit includes a fixing roller and a pressure roller that are pressed against each other and rotate. Then, the fixing unit fixes the toner image transferred onto the paper P by the image forming unit 5 on the paper P.

  The paper discharge unit 6 is provided on the left side of the fixing unit. The paper discharge unit 6 is formed on the upper surface of the apparatus main body 2. The paper P on which the toner image has been fixed by the fixing unit is discharged to the paper discharge unit 6.

  When the image forming apparatus 1 receives the image data, the photosensitive drum 9 is rotationally driven in the image forming unit 5 and the charging unit 10 charges the surface of the photosensitive drum 9. Then, based on the image data, laser light is emitted from the optical scanning device 14 to the photosensitive drum 9 (see the broken line arrow in FIG. 2). An electrostatic latent image is formed on the surface of the photosensitive drum 9 by irradiation with laser light. On the other hand, the developing unit 11 charges the toner supplied from the toner container 3 to a predetermined polarity. The electrostatic latent image formed on the photosensitive drum 9 is developed with toner of a predetermined polarity supplied from the developing unit 11 and visualized as a toner image. Thereafter, when the sheet P passes between the transfer roller 12 and the photosensitive drum 9, the toner image on the photosensitive drum 9 is transferred to the sheet P and transferred by the transfer bias applied to the transfer roller 12.

  The sheet P on which the toner image is transferred is heated and pressed by the fixing roller and the pressure roller in the fixing unit. As a result, the toner image is fixed on the paper P. The paper P on which the toner image is fixed is discharged to the paper discharge unit 6.

-Configuration of optical scanning device-
Next, the optical scanning device 14 will be described with reference to FIG. The optical scanning device 14 includes a housing 15, a light source 16, a polygon mirror 17, a polygon motor 18, a first imaging lens 19, and a second imaging lens 20.

  The housing 15 has a bottomed box shape that opens upward, and the opening is closed by a lid (not shown). The housing 15 is arranged in a state where the longitudinal direction thereof coincides with the front-rear direction.

  The light source 16 is attached to the rear side wall of the housing 15. The light source 16 is composed of, for example, a laser diode and emits light toward the polygon mirror 17. The polygon mirror 17 is accommodated inside the housing 15. The polygon mirror 17 is supported on the bottom wall portion of the housing 15 via a polygon motor 18. The polygon mirror 17 has a regular polygon shape (in this embodiment, a pentagon shape). The peripheral surface of the polygon mirror 17 is composed of five reflecting surfaces. The polygon mirror 17 reflects the light from the light source 16 while rotating and deflects and scans in the main scanning direction. The polygon motor 18 is a motor that rotationally drives the polygon mirror 17 and is driven and controlled by a controller (not shown). The polygon mirror 17 and the polygon motor 18 constitute a rotary deflector.

  The first imaging lens 19 and the second imaging lens 20 are installed at the bottom of the housing 15. The first imaging lens 19 and the second imaging lens 20 are spaced apart from each other in this order toward the radially outer side of the polygon mirror 17. The first imaging lens 19 and the second imaging lens 20 extend in the main scanning direction (front-rear direction) along the bottom wall portion of the housing 30. The second imaging lens 20 is disposed adjacent to the right side wall of the housing 15, and a light passage opening 15 a that guides light that has passed through the second imaging lens 20 to the outside of the housing 15 is formed on the right side wall. ing. The light passage opening 15a has a rectangular shape extending in the main scanning direction.

  In the optical scanning device 14 configured as described above, the laser light emitted from the light source 16 is collimated by, for example, a collimator lens and then collected on the reflection surface of the polygon mirror 17 by a cylindrical lens (both not shown). Lighted. The light condensed on the polygon mirror 17 is reflected by the reflecting surface of the polygon mirror 17 and enters the first imaging lens 19 and the second imaging lens 20 as scanning light. The scanning light that has passed through the first imaging lens 19 and the second imaging lens 20 passes through the light passage opening 15 a and is irradiated onto the photosensitive drum 9 outside the housing 15. Thus, the scanning light forms an image on the surface of the photosensitive drum 9. The scanning light imaged on the surface of the photosensitive drum 9 scans the surface of the photosensitive drum 9 in the main scanning direction by the rotation of the polygon mirror 17. Thus, one scanning light is generated for each reflecting surface of the polygon mirror 17. Since the photosensitive drum 9 rotates at a predetermined rotational speed, each scanning beam scans different positions of the photosensitive drum 9 in the sub-scanning direction at equal intervals. As a result, an electrostatic latent image is formed on the surface of the photosensitive drum 9.

-Support structure of optical scanning device-
As shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, the optical scanning device 14 is supported from below by a support plate 100 (support member) provided in the apparatus main body 2. The support plate 100 is disposed on the upper side of the mounting portion S1 on which the toner container 3 is mounted. The support plate 100 supports the entire front and rear direction of the optical scanning device 14 from below. In the present embodiment, the support plate 100 is made of a sheet metal member, but may be made of resin.

  Specifically, the support plate 100 has a first contact seat portion 100a and a second contact seat portion 100b. The first abutment seat portion 100 a has a flat plate shape and abuts on a portion of the lower surface of the optical scanning device 14 located below the polygon motor 18. The second abutment seat portion 100b has a flat plate shape, and abuts on a portion of the lower surface of the optical scanning device 14 located below the second imaging lens 20. The first contact seat portion 100a and the second contact seat portion 100b are connected via the first connection portion 100c. The first connecting portion 100c has a trapezoidal cross section that protrudes downward. The right edge of the second abutment seat portion 100b is connected to the support frame 101 via the second connection portion 100d. The support frame 101 is a U-shaped metal member that extends in the front-rear direction. The support frame 101 constitutes a part of the frame member of the apparatus main body 2.

  A space S <b> 2 is formed between the first connecting portion 100 c and the lower surface of the optical scanning device 14. A space S3 smaller than the space S2 is formed between the second connecting portion 100d and the lower surface of the optical scanning device 14.

-Toner container configuration-
Next, the details of the toner container 3 will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 and 4 to 6.

  The toner container 3 is attached to the attachment portion S1 of the apparatus main body 2 so as to be insertable / removable in the front-rear direction. In this embodiment, the insertion / extraction direction of the toner container 3 coincides with the front / rear direction (an example of the horizontal direction). The mounting portion S1 is a space extending in the front-rear direction at the lower portion of the apparatus main body 2. The toner container 3 is inserted into the mounting portion S1 from the front side of the apparatus main body 2. FIG. 6 shows a state in the middle of mounting the toner container 3 on the mounting portion S1.

  The toner container 3 includes a housing 30 and a toner supply unit 31. In the housing 30, toner for supply to the developing unit 11 is accommodated. The toner supply unit 31 is connected to the upper surface portion of the housing 30 and supplies toner in the housing 30 to the developing unit 11.

  Specifically, the housing 30 has a sealed box shape extending in the front-rear direction. The housing 30 includes a bottomed box-shaped housing body 30a and a lid 30b that closes the upper side of the housing body 30a. A stirring mechanism 32 that stirs the toner is provided in the housing 30.

  The stirring mechanism 32 has a first shaft 32a and a second shaft 32b extending in the front-rear direction. A first stirring sheet 32c and a second stirring sheet 32d are attached to the first shaft 32a and the second shaft 32b, respectively. Each of the stirring sheets 32c and 32d is made of a flexible sheet member, and is formed of, for example, a plastic film. Each stirring sheet 32c, 32d is formed in a rectangular shape, and its long side portion is fixed to each shaft 32a, 32b. The end portions of the shafts 32 a and 32 b protrude from the end surface of the housing 30 and are connected to a motor provided in the apparatus main body 2. When the shafts 32 a and 32 b are rotationally driven by a motor, the tip portions of the stirring sheets 32 c and 32 d move while contacting the inner wall surface of the housing 30. As a result, the toner in the housing 30 is stirred by the stirring sheets 32 c and 32 d and is scraped up along the right wall surface in the housing 30. The toner thus scraped up is supplied to the toner supply unit 31.

  The toner supply unit 31 is connected to the right end of the upper surface of the housing 30 via a duct unit 33. The toner supply unit 31 has a cylindrical shape extending in the front-rear direction, and a conveyance screw 31a is accommodated therein. The space in the toner supply unit 31 communicates with the space in the housing 30 through the duct unit 33. The toner stirred by the stirring mechanism 32 is supplied into the toner supply unit 31 through the duct unit 33. The supplied toner is transported in the axial direction by the transport screw 31 a and supplied to the developing unit 11 through a toner supply port formed at the end of the toner supply unit 31.

  A pair of positioning projections 30 d are provided on the end face on the back side (rear side) in the insertion direction of the housing 30. The pair of positioning protrusions 30 d are formed at the lower end portion of the end surface of the housing 30 with an interval in the left-right direction. The pair of positioning protrusions 30d are fitted into positioning holes (not shown) formed in the end face on the back side of the mounting portion S1. As a result, the housing 30 is positioned in the left-right direction and the up-down direction.

  A frame-shaped seat portion 30 c extending in the front-rear direction is formed on the lower surface of the housing 30. The frame-shaped seat 30c slides along the bottom plate 102 that forms the lower surface of the mounting portion S1 when the toner container 3 is inserted into the mounting portion S1. When the toner container 3 is pushed into a predetermined position and the pair of positioning protrusions 30d are fitted into the positioning holes, the housing 30 is slightly lifted, and a minute gap is formed between the bottom plate 102 and the lower surface of the housing 30. It is formed. By positioning the housing 30 in a lifted state, the first protrusion 30e and the second protrusion 30f formed on the upper surface of the housing 30 come into contact with the lower surface of the support plate 100 of the optical scanning device 14. The first protrusion 30e and the second protrusion 30f correspond to the contact part and the contact protrusion.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the first protrusion 30 e and the second protrusion 30 f are integrally formed on the upper surface of the lid 30 b of the toner container 3. The first protrusion 30e and the second protrusion 30f are protrusions having a rectangular cross section extending in the front-rear direction. The first protrusion 30e and the second protrusion 30f are formed in a range from the front end to the rear end of the housing body 30a as viewed from above. The first protrusion 30e and the second protrusion 30f extend at least over the entire front-rear direction of the lower surface of the optical scanning device 14 as viewed from above.

  The upper end surface of the first protrusion 30e contacts the flat portion of the first connecting portion 100c of the support plate 100 in a state where the toner container 3 is completely attached. The upper end surface of the second protrusion 30f comes into contact with the flat portion of the second connecting portion 100d of the support plate 100 in a state where the toner container 3 is completely attached.

  The toner container 3 has a natural frequency (resonance frequency) of a member group including the support plate 100 and the casing 30 including the first protrusion 30e and the second protrusion 30f. The motor 18 is configured to coincide with the rotation frequency of the motor 18 (that is, the rotation frequency of the rotary deflector).

  Here, in the conventional toner container, the toner may accumulate while adhering to the inner wall surface of the casing. The accumulated toner remains in the toner container without being supplied to the developing unit. For this reason, there is a problem in that all the toner in the toner container cannot be used up, and the remaining toner is wasted.

  In order to solve this problem, it is conceivable to increase the contact pressure of the stirring sheet against the inner wall surface of the housing. However, if the contact pressure of the stirring sheet is too high, the toner may easily adhere to the inner wall surface. Therefore, it is difficult to avoid adhesion of toner to the inner wall surface of the housing simply by adjusting the contact pressure of the stirring sheet.

  On the other hand, in the present embodiment, the first protrusion 30e and the second protrusion 30f are formed on the upper surface of the housing 30 of the toner container 3, and the toner container 3 is mounted on the image forming apparatus 1, The first protrusion 30e and the second protrusion 30f are in contact with the support plate 100.

  According to this configuration, the rotational vibration of the polygon motor 18 of the optical scanning device 14 transmitted to the support plate 100 is transmitted to the housing 30 via the first protrusion 30e and the second protrusion 30f. Therefore, even if toner adheres to the inner wall surface of the housing 30, the toner can be shaken off by the vibration transmitted to the housing 30. Therefore, it is possible to prevent toner from being accumulated on the inner wall surface of the housing 30 and being wasted.

  In addition, the natural frequency (resonance frequency) of the member group including the support plate 100 and the casing 30 including the first protrusion 30e and the second protrusion 30f matches the rotational frequency of the polygon motor 18.

  According to this, since the housing 30 resonates due to the rotation of the polygon motor 18, the side wall of the housing 30 can be vibrated greatly. Therefore, it is possible to further reliably suppress the toner from adhering to the inner wall surface of the housing 30.

  The first protrusion 30e and the second protrusion 30f protrude upward from the upper surface of the housing 30, extend along the insertion / extraction direction of the toner container 3, and are spaced apart in a direction perpendicular to the insertion / extraction direction. Has been placed.

  According to this, the vibration of the polygon motor 18 can be uniformly transmitted to each of the four side walls of the housing 30. Therefore, toner adhesion to the inner wall surface of the housing 30 can be suppressed as much as possible.

  In addition, a space S <b> 2 is formed between the first connecting portion 100 c, which is a portion with which the first protrusion 30 e contacts the support plate 100, and the optical scanning device 14. Therefore, since the support plate 100 is not restrained by other components in the first connecting portion 100c, it easily vibrates. Similarly, a space S <b> 2 is formed between the second connecting portion 100 d, which is a portion with which the second protrusion 30 f contacts the support plate 100, and the optical scanning device 14. Therefore, since the support plate 100 is not restrained by other components in the second connecting portion 100d, it is easy to vibrate. Therefore, the support plate 100 can be vibrated greatly at the first connecting portion 100c and the second connecting portion 100d, and the vibration can be transmitted to the housing 30 via the first protruding portion 30e and the second protruding portion 30f. . Therefore, toner adhesion to the inner wall surface of the housing 30 can be suppressed as much as possible.

  Further, the support plate 100 has a first abutment seat portion 100 a that abuts against a portion of the lower surface of the optical scanning device 14 located below the polygon motor 18.

According to this, the portion closest to the polygon motor 18 that is the vibration source of the optical scanning device 14 can be reliably brought into contact with the support plate 100. Therefore, the vibration of the polygon motor 18 can be reliably transmitted to the housing 30 via the support plate 100 (first contact seat portion 100a).
<< Embodiment 2 >>
FIG. 7 is a view corresponding to FIG. The second embodiment is different from the first embodiment in that a first guide protrusion 100e and a second guide protrusion 100f are formed on the lower surface of the support plate 100. Except for this point, the other configurations are the same as those in the first embodiment. In FIG. 7, the same components as those of the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof is omitted.

  The first guide protrusion 100e and the second guide protrusion 100f have a rectangular cross section extending in the front-rear direction. The first guide protrusion 100e and the second guide protrusion 100f are formed with an interval in the left-right direction. The first guide protrusion 100e is integrally formed with the left end of the flat portion of the first connecting portion 100c, and the second guide protrusion 100f is integrally formed with the left end of the flat portion of the second connecting portion 100d. Yes.

  The distance between the left and right outer surfaces of the first guide protrusion 100e and the second guide protrusion 100f is equal to the distance between the inner surfaces of the first protrusion 30e and the second protrusion 30f of the lid 30b in the left-right direction. (Same or slightly smaller). Thus, the first and second guide protrusions 100e and 100f protrude from the upper surface of the housing 30 when the toner container 3 is attached to the attachment part S1. The part 30f is configured to guide in the front-rear direction.

  The lower end surface of the first guide protrusion 100e and the lower end surface of the second guide protrusion 100f are in contact with the upper surface of the lid 30b in a state where the toner container 3 is mounted on the mounting portion S1.

  The toner container 3 has a natural vibration of a member group including a support plate 100 including a first guide protrusion 100e and a second guide protrusion 100f, and a housing 30 including the first protrusion 30e and the second protrusion 30f. The number is configured to match the rotational frequency of the polygon motor 18 of the optical scanning device 14.

  According to the present embodiment, the first protrusion 30e and the second protrusion 30f that protrude from the upper surface of the housing 30 are the first guide protrusion 100e and the second guide protrusion when the toner container 3 is inserted and removed. It functions as a guided portion guided by 100f.

  Accordingly, the number of parts can be reduced and the product cost can be reduced as compared with the case where a guide mechanism for the toner container 3 is separately provided.

  Further, the lower end surfaces of the guide protrusions 100e and 100f are in contact with the upper surface of the housing 30 in a state where the toner container 3 is mounted on the mounting portion S1.

  Therefore, the vibration of the polygon motor 18 of the optical scanning device 14 is transmitted to the housing 30 not only through the first protrusion 30e and the second protrusion 30f but also through the first and second guide protrusions 100e and 100f. Can do. Therefore, the same effect as Embodiment 1 can be obtained more reliably.

<< Other embodiments >>
In the above embodiment, an example in which the image forming apparatus 1 is a laser printer has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this. The image forming apparatus 1 may be a copying machine, a facsimile machine, a multifunction machine (MFP), or the like.

  In the first and second embodiments, the first protrusion 30e and the second protrusion 30f (contact part) that contact the support plate 100 are formed on the upper surface of the toner container 3. However, the present invention is not limited to this. is not. In other words, the first protrusion 30e and the second protrusion 30f (contact part) may be eliminated, and the contact part between the toner container 3 and the support plate 100 may be formed only on the support plate 100 side. . In this case, the contact portion may be configured similarly to the first and second guide protrusions 100e and 100f of the second embodiment (see FIG. 8).

  As described above, the present invention is useful for the toner container and the image forming apparatus.

S1: Mounting portion P: Paper 1: Image forming apparatus 3: Toner container (toner container)
9: Photosensitive drum (image carrier)
11: Developing unit 14: Optical scanning device 16: Light source 17: Polygon mirror (deflector)
18: Polygon motor (deflector)
30: Housing 30e: First protrusion (contact protrusion)
30f: Second protrusion (contact protrusion)
31: Toner supply unit 32: Stirring mechanism 100: Support plate (support member)
100a: first contact seat (contact seat)
100e: first guide protrusion 100f: second guide protrusion

Claims (8)

An optical scanning device that forms an electrostatic latent image by deflecting and scanning the light emitted from the light source with a rotary deflector and irradiating the image carrier, and the electrostatic latent image formed on the image carrier with toner A toner container mounted on an electrophotographic image forming apparatus having a developing section for developing;
The toner container includes a housing for storing toner, a toner supply unit that supplies toner in the housing to the developing unit, and an agitation mechanism that agitates the toner in the housing and transports the toner to the toner supply unit. Have
The image forming apparatus includes a support member that supports the optical scanning device,
A toner container, wherein a housing portion of the toner container is provided with a contact portion that contacts the support member in a state where the toner container is mounted on the image forming apparatus. The toner container according to claim 1.
A toner container in which a natural frequency of a member group including the support member and the housing including the contact portion matches a rotation frequency of a rotary deflector of the optical scanning device. The toner container according to claim 1 or 2,
The toner container is detachably attached to the image forming apparatus in a horizontal direction.
The support member of the optical scanning device is provided on an upper side of a mounting portion on which the toner container is mounted in the image forming apparatus,
The contact portion includes a pair of contact protrusions that protrude upward from the upper surface of the housing and extend in the insertion / extraction direction of the toner container and are arranged at intervals in a direction orthogonal to the insertion / extraction direction. container. The toner container according to claim 3.
On the lower surface of the support member, a pair of guide protrusions are formed that protrude downward and extend along the insertion / extraction direction and are aligned in a direction perpendicular to the insertion / extraction direction,
The pair of guide protrusions guide the pair of contact protrusions protruding from the upper surface of the housing in the insertion / removal direction when the toner container is attached to the attachment portion of the image forming apparatus. A toner container formed on the surface. The toner container according to claim 4.
The pair of guide protrusions are formed such that the lower end surface of each guide protrusion is in contact with the upper surface of the housing in a state where the toner container is mounted on the mounting portion of the image forming apparatus. , Toner container. The toner container according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
The toner container, wherein the support member has a contact seat portion that contacts a portion of the lower surface of the optical scanning device located below the rotary deflector. An optical scanning device that forms an electrostatic latent image by deflecting and scanning the light emitted from the light source with a rotary deflector and irradiating the image carrier, and the electrostatic latent image formed on the image carrier with toner A developing unit for developing, a toner container having a housing for containing toner therein, and supplying toner to the developing unit, a mounting unit to which the toner container is mounted, and a support for supporting the optical scanning device An electrophotographic image forming apparatus comprising a member,
The image forming apparatus, wherein the support member has a contact portion that contacts the housing of the toner container. The image forming apparatus according to claim 7.
The support member is disposed above the mounting portion and supports the optical scanning device from below,
The image forming apparatus, wherein the contact portion protrudes downward from the lower surface of the support member and contacts the housing of the toner container.

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