JP2021067836A - Cartridge and image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a form of a cartridge and an image forming apparatus.SOLUTION: A cartridge is configured to be removably attached to an apparatus body of an image forming apparatus and configured to be supplied with toner from a supply container, and has: a supply port for receiving the toner supplied from the supply container; a shutter member configured to be movable between a first position and a second position, the shutter member being configured to cover the supply port when located at the first position and expose the supply port when located at the second position; and a lock member configured to be movable between a lock position and a release position. The lock member is moved from the lock position to the release position by an electric power supplied from the apparatus body.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 20

Description

The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus and a cartridge used for the image forming apparatus.

Generally, an electrophotographic image forming apparatus develops an electrostatic latent image formed on the surface of a photoconductor as a toner image using toner, and then transfers the toner image from the photoconductor to a recording material to form a recording material. Form an image. A process cartridge method and a sequential replenishment method are known as methods for replenishing the image forming apparatus with toner consumed by repeatedly performing image formation. The process cartridge method is a method in which a photoconductor and a developing container containing toner are integrated as a process cartridge, and the process cartridge is replaced with a new one when the remaining amount of toner in the developing container becomes empty.

On the other hand, Patent Document 1 includes a toner transport path for supplying toner to the developing roll and a developer supply box connected to the toner transport path, and from the developer supply box according to the detection result of the remaining amount of toner. A developing device of a sequential replenishment method for replenishing toner to a toner transport path is described.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 8-30084

In recent years, the image forming apparatus is not limited to the process cartridge method and the sequential replenishment method described above, and users are demanding various ways of using the image forming apparatus.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a form of a cartridge and an image forming apparatus.

One aspect of the present invention is a cartridge that is detachably attached to the main body of an image forming apparatus and is configured to be replenished with toner from a replenishment container.
A replenishment port for receiving the toner replenished from the replenishment container and
A shutter member configured to be movable between a first position and a second position, the replenishment port is covered when the shutter member is in the first position, and the replenishment port is covered when the shutter member is in the second position. A shutter member configured to expose the mouth and
A lock member configured to be movable between a lock position and a release position, and when in the lock position, the shutter member is restricted from moving from the first position to the second position. A lock member that allows the shutter member to move from the first position to the second position when in the release position.
Have,
The cartridge is characterized in that the lock member is moved from the lock position to the release position by the electric power supplied from the device main body.

Another aspect of the present invention is the device body and
A cartridge that is detachably attached to the main body of the device and is configured to replenish toner from a replenishment container.
A replenishment port for receiving the toner replenished from the replenishment container and
A shutter member configured to be movable between a first position and a second position, the replenishment port is covered when the shutter member is in the first position, and the replenishment port is covered when the shutter member is in the second position. A shutter member configured to expose the mouth and
A lock member configured to be movable between a lock position and a release position, and when in the lock position, the shutter member is restricted from moving from the first position to the second position. A lock member that allows the shutter member to move from the first position to the second position when in the release position.
With a cartridge that has
Have,
The image forming apparatus is characterized in that the lock member is moved from the lock position to the release position by the electric power supplied from the apparatus main body to the cartridge.

According to the present invention, one form of a cartridge and an image forming apparatus can be provided.

A cross-sectional view (a) and a perspective view (b) of the image forming apparatus according to the first embodiment. A cross-sectional view (a) and a perspective view (b) of the image forming apparatus according to the first embodiment. The figure for demonstrating attachment / detachment of the process cartridge which concerns on 1st Embodiment. The figure (a-c) for demonstrating the openable and closable member of the image forming apparatus which concerns on 1st Embodiment. The figure (a, b) for demonstrating the toner replenishment using the toner pack which concerns on 1st Embodiment. The figure (a, b) for demonstrating the toner replenishment using the toner pack which concerns on 1st Embodiment. A perspective view (a) and a side view (b) of the toner pack according to the first embodiment. A perspective view (a) and a side view (b) of the toner pack according to the first embodiment, and a view (c) showing a state in which toner is discharged. A perspective view (a), a top view (b), and an enlarged view (c) of a replenishment container mounting portion according to the first embodiment. The figure (a, b, c) for demonstrating the operation of the supply container mounting part which concerns on 1st Embodiment. The figure (a, b) which shows the position of the lock member which concerns on 1st Embodiment. The perspective view of the toner pack which concerns on 1st Embodiment. The figure which shows the pressing mechanism of the lock member which concerns on 1st Embodiment. The figures (a-c) which represent the panel which concerns on 1st Embodiment. A perspective view (a, b), a side view (c), and a cross-sectional view (d) of the toner bottle unit according to the first modification. FIGS. (A to d) for explaining the internal configuration of the toner bottle unit according to the first modification and FIGS. (E, f) for explaining the rotation detection of the toner bottle unit. A perspective view (a), a top view (b), and a cross-sectional view (c, d) of the process cartridge according to the second modification. A perspective view (a), a top view (b), and a cross-sectional view (c) of the process cartridge according to the third modification. The block diagram which shows the control system of the image forming apparatus which concerns on 1st Embodiment. The explanatory view of the lock device 510 which concerns on 4th modification. The explanatory view of the lock device 510 which concerns on 4th modification. The figure explaining the structure of the process cartridge which concerns on the comparative example of 2nd Embodiment. The figure explaining the structure of the process cartridge which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. The figure explaining the structure of the process cartridge which concerns on the modification of 2nd Embodiment.

Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments for carrying out the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

<First Embodiment>
(1) Image Forming Device FIG. 1A is a schematic view showing the configuration of the image forming device 1 according to the first embodiment. The image forming apparatus 1 is a monochrome printer that forms an image on a recording material based on image information input from an external device. Recording materials include papers such as plain paper and cardboard, plastic films such as sheets for overhead projectors, specially shaped sheets such as envelopes and index papers, and various sheet materials made of different materials such as cloth.

(1-1) Overall Configuration As shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B, the image forming apparatus 1 includes a printer main body 100 as an apparatus main body, a reading device 200 supported by the printer main body 100 so as to be openable and closable, and the same. It has an operation unit 300 attached to the exterior surface of the printer main body 100. The printer main body 100 includes an image forming unit 10, a feeding unit 60, a fixing unit 70, and a discharge roller pair 80. The feeding unit 60 feeds the recording material to the image forming unit 10, and the image forming unit 10 forms a toner image on the recording material. The fixing unit 70 fixes the toner image formed by the image forming unit 10 to the recording material, and the discharge roller pair 80 discharges the recording material that has passed through the fixing unit 70 to the outside of the apparatus. Further, the process cartridge 20 of the present embodiment employs a direct replenishment method in which toner is directly replenished from the outside of the image forming apparatus 1 by using a toner pack 40 filled with replenishment toner.

The image forming unit 10 is an electrophotographic image forming means including a scanner unit 11, a process cartridge 20, and a transfer roller 12. The process cartridge 20 has a photosensitive drum 21, a charging roller 22, a developing roller 31, and a cleaning blade 24 arranged around the photosensitive drum 21.

The photosensitive drum 21 as the image carrier in the present embodiment is a photosensitive member formed into a cylindrical shape. The photosensitive drum 21 of the present embodiment has a photosensitive layer formed of a negatively charged organic photosensitive member on a drum-shaped substrate formed of aluminum. Further, the photosensitive drum 21 is rotationally driven by a motor in a predetermined direction (clockwise in the drawing) at a predetermined process speed.

The charging roller 22 comes into contact with the photosensitive drum 21 with a predetermined pressure contact force to form a charged portion. Further, by applying a desired charging voltage with a charged high-voltage power supply, the surface of the photosensitive drum 21 is uniformly charged to a predetermined potential. In the present embodiment, the photosensitive drum 21 is negatively charged by the charging roller 22.

The scanner unit 11 scans and exposes the surface of the photosensitive drum 21 by irradiating the photosensitive drum 21 with laser light L corresponding to the image information input from the external device or the reading device 200 using a polygon mirror. By this exposure, an electrostatic latent image corresponding to the image information is formed on the surface of the photosensitive drum 21. The scanner unit 11 is not limited to the laser scanner device, and for example, an LED exposure device having an LED array in which a plurality of LEDs are arranged along the longitudinal direction of the photosensitive drum 21 may be adopted.

The developing unit 802 includes a developing roller 31 as a developing agent carrier for supporting the developing agent, a developing container 32 as a frame of the developing unit 802, and a supply roller 33 capable of supplying the developing agent to the developing roller 31. I have. The developing roller 31 and the supply roller 33 are rotatably supported by the developing container 32. Further, the developing roller 31 is arranged in the opening of the developing container 32 so as to face the photosensitive drum 21. The supply roller 33 is rotatably in contact with the developing roller 31, and the toner as a developer contained in the developing container 32 is applied to the surface of the developing roller 31 by the supply roller 33.

The developing unit 802 of the present embodiment uses a contact developing method as a developing method. That is, the toner layer carried on the developing roller 31 as a developing means comes into contact with the photosensitive drum 21 in the developing portion (developing region) where the photosensitive drum 21 and the developing roller 31 face each other. A developing voltage is applied to the developing roller 31 by a developing high-voltage power source. Under the developing voltage, the toner carried on the developing roller 31 is transferred from the developing roller 31 to the drum surface according to the potential distribution on the surface of the photosensitive drum 21, so that the electrostatic latent image is developed into a toner image. In this embodiment, the reverse development method is adopted. That is, on the surface of the photosensitive drum 21 charged in the charging step, a toner image is formed by adhering the toner to a region where the amount of charge is attenuated by being exposed in the exposure step.

Further, in the present embodiment, a toner having a particle size of 6 μm and a normal charging polarity of negative electrode is used. As an example, the toner of the present embodiment uses a polymerized toner produced by a polymerization method. Further, the toner of the present embodiment is a so-called non-magnetic one-component developer in which the toner does not contain a magnetic component and the toner is supported on the developing roller 31 mainly by an intermolecular force or an electrostatic force (mirror image force). However, a one-component developer containing a magnetic component may be used. Further, the one-component developer may contain additives (for example, wax or silica fine particles) for adjusting the fluidity and charging performance of the toner in addition to the toner particles. Further, as the developing agent, a two-component developing agent composed of a non-magnetic toner and a magnetic carrier may be used. When a magnetic developer is used, for example, a cylindrical developing sleeve in which a magnet is arranged inside is used as the developer carrier. That is, what is contained in the developing container 32 is not limited to the one-component developer composed of the toner component, but may be a two-component developer composed of the toner and the carrier.

Inside the developing container 32, a stirring member 34 as a stirring means is provided. The stirring member 34 is driven and rotated to stir the toner in the developing container 32 and feed the toner toward the developing roller 31 and the supply roller 33. Further, the stirring member 34 has a role of circulating the toner stripped from the developing roller 31 which is not used for development in the developing container and homogenizing the toner in the developing container.

Further, a developing blade 35 that regulates the amount of toner carried on the developing roller 31 is arranged in the opening of the developing container 32 in which the developing roller 31 is arranged. The toner supplied to the surface of the developing roller 31 passes through the portion facing the developing blade 35 as the developing roller 31 rotates, so that the toner is uniformly thinned and charged negatively by triboelectric charging. ..

The feeding unit 60 includes a front door 61 that is openably and closably supported by the printer body 100, a loading tray 62, a middle plate 63, a tray spring 64, and a pickup roller 65. The loading tray 62 constitutes the bottom surface of the recording material storage space that appears when the front door 61 is opened, and the middle plate 63 is supported by the loading tray 62 so as to be able to move up and down. The tray spring 64 urges the middle plate 63 upward, and presses the recording material P loaded on the middle plate 63 against the pickup roller 65. The front door 61 closes the recording material storage space in a state of being closed with respect to the printer main body 100, and supports the recording material P together with the loading tray 62 and the middle plate 63 in a state of being open with respect to the printer main body 100. To do.

The transfer roller 12 as a transfer means transfers the toner image formed on the photosensitive drum 21 of the process cartridge 20 to the recording material. In this embodiment, a direct transfer method of directly transferring the toner image formed on the image carrier from the image carrier to the recording material will be described, but the image carrier is transferred to the recording material via an intermediate transfer body such as an intermediate transfer belt. An intermediate transfer method may be used in which the toner image is transferred to the recording material. In that case, for example, a transfer composed of an intermediate transfer belt, a primary transfer roller that first transfers a toner image from a photosensitive drum to an intermediate transfer belt, and a secondary transfer roller that transfers a toner image from the intermediate transfer belt to a recording material. The unit functions as a transfer means.

The fixing unit 70 is of a heat fixing method in which an image fixing process is performed by heating and melting the toner on the recording material. The fixing portion 70 includes a fixing film 71, a fixing heater such as a ceramic heater that heats the fixing film 71, a thermistor that measures the temperature of the fixing heater, and a pressure roller 72 that press-contacts the fixing film 71.

Next, the image forming operation of the image forming apparatus 1 will be described. When a command for image formation is input to the image forming device 1, the image forming process by the image forming unit 10 is started based on the image information input from the external computer connected to the image forming device 1 or the reading device 200. Will be done. The scanner unit 11 irradiates the photosensitive drum 21 with the laser beam L based on the input image information. At this time, the photosensitive drum 21 is precharged by the charging roller 22, and the electrostatic latent image is formed on the photosensitive drum 21 by being irradiated with the laser beam L. After that, the electrostatic latent image is developed by the developing roller 31, and a toner image is formed on the photosensitive drum 21.

In parallel with the image forming process described above, the pickup roller 65 of the feeding unit 60 sends out the recording material P supported by the front door 61, the loading tray 62, and the middle plate 63. The recording material P is fed to the registration roller pair 15 by the pickup roller 65, and the skew is corrected by hitting the nip of the registration roller pair 15. The registration roller pair 15 is driven in accordance with the transfer timing of the toner image obtained from the exposure start time of the scanner unit 11, and the recording material P is transferred by the transfer roller 12 and the photosensitive drum 21. Transport toward the part.

A transfer voltage is applied to the transfer roller 12 from a high-voltage transfer power source, and the toner image supported on the photosensitive drum 21 is transferred to the recording material P conveyed by the registration roller pair 15. After the transfer, the transfer residual toner on the surface of the photosensitive drum 21 is removed by the cleaning blade 24 which is an elastic blade in contact with the photosensitive drum 21. The recording material P to which the toner image is transferred is conveyed to the fixing portion 70, and the toner image is heated and pressurized when passing through the nip portion between the fixing film 71 of the fixing portion 70 and the pressure roller 72. .. As a result, the toner particles are melted and then fixed, so that the toner image is fixed to the recording material P. The recording material P that has passed through the fixing portion 70 is discharged to the outside of the image forming apparatus 1 by the discharge roller pair 80, and is loaded on the discharge tray 81 formed on the upper portion of the printer main body 100.

The discharge tray 81 is inclined upward toward the downstream in the discharge direction of the recording material, and the recording material discharged to the discharge tray 81 slides down the discharge tray 81 so that the rear end is aligned with the regulation surface 84. Will be done.

(1-2) Openable / Openable Part of the Image Forming Device As shown in FIGS. 2 (a), 2 (b) and 3, a first opening 101 opened upward is provided in the upper part of the printer main body 100. ing. The first opening 101 is covered with the top cover 82 in the used state (FIG. 1 (b)), and the process cartridge 20 is exposed by opening the top cover 82 upward (FIG. 2 (b)). The top cover 82 is supported so as to be openable and closable with respect to the printer main body 100 about a rotation shaft 82c (FIG. 3) extending in the left-right direction, and a discharge tray 81 is provided on the upper surface thereof. The top cover 82 is opened from the front side to the back side in a state where the reading device 200 is opened with respect to the printer main body 100. The reading device 200 and the top cover 82 may be configured to be held in an open state and a closed state by a holding mechanism such as a hinge mechanism.

For example, when the recording material is jammed (paper jam) in the transport path CP through which the recording material fed by the pickup roller 65 passes, the user opens the top cover 82 together with the reading device 200. Then, the user accesses the process cartridge 20 from the first opening 101 exposed by opening the top cover 82, and pulls out the process cartridge 20 along the cartridge guide 102. The cartridge guide 102 slides and guides the protruding portion 21a (FIG. 5A) provided at the end of the process cartridge 20 in the axial direction of the photosensitive drum 21.

Then, by pulling out the process cartridge 20 from the first opening 101 to the outside, a space is created in which the transport path CP can be accessed. The user can remove the jammed recording material by reaching the inside of the printer main body 100 through the first opening 101 and accessing the recording material jammed by the transport path CP.

Further, in the present embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 1B and 4C, the opening / closing member 83 is provided on the top cover 82 so as to be openable / closable. An opening 82a opened upward is provided on the upper surface of the top cover 82 provided with the discharge tray 81, and the opening 82a is covered by closing the opening / closing member 83. The opening / closing member 83 and the opening 82a are provided on the right side of the top cover 82. Further, the opening / closing member 83 is supported by the top cover 82 so as to be openable / closable around a rotation shaft 83a extending in the front-rear direction, and can be opened to the right by hooking a finger from the groove 82b provided in the top cover 82. Is done. The opening / closing member 83 is formed in a substantially L shape along the shape of the top cover 82. The opening / closing member 83 is not limited to the above opening / closing mechanism. For example, the opening is placed on the top cover 82 so as to cover the replenishment container mounting portion 701, and is rotated so as to slide on the upper surface of the top cover 82 about a rotation axis that intersects the top cover 82 perpendicularly. It may be configured to open and close 82a. Here, sliding on the upper surface of the top cover 82 means that the movement of the opening / closing member 83 in the rotation axis direction is restricted.

The opening 82a is opened so that the toner replenishment container mounting portion 701 provided at the upper part of the process cartridge 20 is exposed. By opening the opening / closing member 83, the user can access the replenishment container mounting portion 701 without opening the top cover 82. The user can replenish the process cartridge 20 by mounting the toner pack 40 on the replenishment container mounting portion 701.

In the present embodiment, while the process cartridge 20 is mounted on the image forming apparatus 1, the toner pack 40 (FIGS. 1A and 1B) filled with toner for replenishment by the user is transferred to the process cartridge 20. A method of replenishing toner (direct replenishment method) is adopted. Therefore, when the remaining amount of toner in the process cartridge 20 becomes low, it is not necessary to take out the process cartridge 20 from the printer main body 100 and replace it with a new process cartridge, so that usability can be improved. The image forming apparatus 1 and the toner pack 40 constitute an image forming system.

In this embodiment, the reading device 200 is provided above the image forming device 1, and when the opening / closing member 83 is opened, it is necessary to first open the reading device 200 to expose the top cover 82. However, the reading device 200 may be omitted, and the opening / closing member 83 may be exposed on the upper part of the image forming device 1 from the beginning.

(1-3) Reading device As shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B, the reading device 200 is supported by a reading unit 201 having a reading unit (not shown) inside and a reading unit 201 that can be opened and closed. It has a pressure plate 202 and. On the upper surface of the reading unit 201, a platen glass 203 on which a document is placed is provided while transmitting light emitted from the reading unit.

When the image of the original is read by the reading device 200, the user places the original on the platen glass 203 with the pressure plate 202 open. Then, by closing the pressure plate 202, the position shift of the document on the platen glass 203 is prevented, and for example, by operating the operation unit 300, a reading command is output to the image forming apparatus 1. When the reading operation is started, the reading unit reciprocates in the sub-scanning direction, that is, in the left-right direction with the operation unit 300 of the image forming apparatus 1 facing the front. The reading unit emits light from the light emitting unit to the document, receives the light reflected by the document by the light receiving unit, and performs photoelectric conversion to read the image of the document.

In the following, the front-back direction, the left-right direction, and the up-down direction (gravity direction) of the image forming apparatus 1 are defined with reference to the state in which the operation unit 300 faces the front. The positional relationship of the members that can be attached to and detached from the printer main body 100, including the process cartridge 20, will be described with reference to the state of being attached to the printer main body 100. Further, the "longitudinal direction" of the process cartridge 20 refers to the axial direction of the photosensitive drum 21.

(1-4) Configuration of Process Cartridge Next, the configuration of the process cartridge 20 will be described. FIG. 5A is a perspective view showing the process cartridge 20 and the toner pack 40, and FIG. 5B is a side view showing the process cartridge 20 and the toner pack 40. 6 (a) is a sectional view taken along the line 6A-6A of FIG. 5 (b), FIG. 6 (b) is a sectional view taken along the line 6B-6B of FIG. 5 (b), and FIG. 6C-6C sectional views of 6 (a) and 6 (b). Note that, in FIGS. 5 and 6, the outer shape of the replenishment container mounting portion 701 is shown in a simplified manner (see, for example, FIG. 9A for the detailed shape).

As shown in FIGS. 5 to 6, the process cartridge 20 is composed of a toner receiving unit 801, a developing unit 802, and a cleaning unit 803. The toner receiving unit 801 and the cleaning unit 803 and the developing unit 802 are arranged in this order from the upper side to the lower side in the direction of gravity. Hereinafter, each unit will be described in order.

The toner receiving unit 801 is arranged on the upper part of the process cartridge 20. Inside the toner receiving unit 801 is provided a toner accommodating portion 8011 formed of a frame for accommodating toner, and at the end in the longitudinal direction is provided a replenishment container mounting portion 701 for coupling with the toner pack 40. The frame body constituting the toner accommodating portion 8011 may be composed of one member or may be configured by combining a plurality of members. The replenishment container mounting unit 701 has a replenishment port 8012 that receives the toner discharged from the toner pack 40. The detailed configuration of the replenishment container mounting portion 701 and the mounting of the toner pack 40 on the replenishment container mounting portion 701 will be described later.

Further, a first transport member 8013, a second transport member 8014, and a third transport member 8015 are provided inside the toner receiving unit 801. The first transport member 8013 directs the toner that has fallen to the end of the toner accommodating portion 8011 in the longitudinal direction through the replenishment port 8012 toward the central portion of the toner accommodating portion 8011 in the arrow H direction (FIG. 6 (c)). Transport. The second transport member 8014 transfers the toner transported by the first transport member 8013 to the upper side of the developing unit 802, that is, to the discharge port 8016 in the direction of the arrow J (FIG. 6 (c)) perpendicular to the longitudinal direction. Transport. The third transport member 8015 receives toner from the second transport member 8014 mainly at the central portion in the longitudinal direction, and transports the toner in one side and the other side (arrow K direction and arrow K'direction) in the longitudinal direction. Since the first to third transport members operate to move the toner, it can be paraphrased as the first to third developer moving members.

When the toner from the toner pack 40 as the replenishment container flows into the toner receiving unit 801, air also flows in at the same time. The toner receiving unit 801 has an air filter 8017 (see FIG. 5A) for allowing air to flow in the arrow H direction during toner replenishment so that the toner can be easily replenished during toner replenishment. The air filter 8017 prevents the toner from being ejected from the replenishment port 8012 because the internal pressure of the toner receiving unit 801 increases during toner replenishment and a part of the air flows in the direction opposite to the arrow H direction.

At both ends of the toner receiving unit 801 in the longitudinal direction, discharge ports 8016 (FIG. 6B) for discharging toner from the toner accommodating portion 8011 to the developing container 32 of the developing unit 802 are provided. The toner that has reached the discharge port 8016 by the transport member 8015 falls into the developing container 32 due to gravity. A transport member may be further provided in the middle of the discharge port 8016 path to hold the toner movement due to gravity.

The developing unit 802 located at the bottom of the process cartridge 20 has an opening 8021 for receiving the toner discharged from the discharge port 8016 (FIG. 6 (b)). A seal member (not shown) is provided between the discharge port 8016 and the opening 8021, and is sealed so that toner does not leak from the gap between the discharge port 8016 and the opening 8021.

The toner that has fallen from the toner pack 40 to the toner receiving unit 801 through the replenishment port 8012 is conveyed inside the toner receiving unit 801 by the first conveying member 8013, the second conveying member 8014, and the third conveying member 8015. Then, the toner is delivered from the toner receiving unit 801 to the developing unit 802 via the discharge ports 8016 and the openings 8021 at both ends in the longitudinal direction. In this way, the toner replenished through the replenishment port 8012 located at the end of the process cartridge 20 in the longitudinal direction and horizontally separated from the developing container 32 when viewed from the longitudinal direction is supplied to the cartridge. It is transported inside and reaches the developing container 32.

As described above, the toner accommodating portion 8011 of the toner receiving unit 801 and the developing container 32 of the developing unit 802 form an accommodating container that forms a space for accommodating the toner in the process cartridge 20 by communicating with each other. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the supply port 8012 for supplying toner from the outside is provided as a part of the storage container of the process cartridge 20. However, a replenishment port that is directly connected to the replenishment container may be provided in the printer body, and the process cartridge may receive the toner through the replenishment port. In this case, the process cartridge 20 of the portion other than the supply port becomes removable from the image forming apparatus 1 as shown in FIG.

The toner supplied to the developing unit 802 through the opening 8021 is housed in the transport chamber 36 formed inside the developing container 32 formed of the frame of the developing unit 802 (FIG. 6A). , (B)). The frame body constituting the developing container 32 may be composed of one member or a combination of a plurality of members. Here, the transfer chamber 36 is provided with a stirring member 34. The stirring member 34 has a shaft member 34a provided near the center of rotation of the stirring member 34, and a blade portion 34b extending in the radial direction from the shaft member 34a. In the cross section, the toner in the rotation locus of the tip of the blade portion 34b is pushed and moved according to the movement of the blade portion 34b. The toner replenished through the opening 8021 is conveyed toward the developing roller 31, the supply roller 33, and the developing blade 35 while being agitated by the stirring member 34.

The cleaning unit 803 includes a waste toner chamber 8033 composed of a fourth transport member 8031, a fifth transport member 8032, and a frame (FIGS. 6A and 6B). The frame body constituting the waste toner chamber 8033 may be composed of one member or may be configured by combining a plurality of members. The waste toner chamber 8033 is a space for accommodating recovered substances (so-called waste toner) such as transfer residual toner recovered from the photosensitive drum 21 by the cleaning blade 24, and is independent of the internal space of the toner receiving unit 801 and the developing unit 802. doing. The waste toner collected by the cleaning blade 24 is conveyed in the direction of arrow M by the fourth conveying member 8031 and the fifth conveying member 8032, and is gradually deposited toward the front from the inner portion 8033a of the waste toner chamber.

Here, between the cleaning unit 803 and the developing unit 802, the laser passing space SP as a gap through which the laser beam L emitted from the scanner unit 11 (FIG. 1 (a)) toward the photosensitive drum 21 can pass. Is formed (FIG. 6 (a)). As described above, the discharge port 8016 and the opening 8021 for delivering the toner from the toner receiving unit 801 to the developing unit 802 are provided at the end of each unit in the longitudinal direction. Therefore, the process cartridge 20 as a whole has a compact configuration, and while securing the laser passage space SP, the cartridge is charged with toner to be replenished from the outside of the image forming apparatus (particularly, through a replenishment port opened on the upper surface of the apparatus). It can be transported to the lower developing container 32.

(1-5) Configuration of Toner Pack The configuration of the toner pack 40 will be described. FIG. 7A is a perspective view showing the toner pack 40 in which the shutter member 41 is in the closed state, and FIG. 7B is a bottom view thereof. 8 (a) is a perspective view showing the toner pack 40 in which the shutter member 41 is in the open state, FIG. 8 (b) is a bottom view thereof, and FIG. 8 (c) shows the user using the toner pack 40 when replenishing the toner. It shows how to squeeze the toner by hand. Further, FIG. 12 is a perspective view of the toner pack 40 in the closed state of the shutter member 41 as viewed from below.

As shown in FIGS. 7 to 8, the toner pack 40, which is an example of the replenishment container, includes a bag member 43 filled with toner, a resin discharge unit 42 attached to the bag member 43, and a discharge unit 42. It includes a shutter member 41 that can open and close the opening. Further, a memory unit 45 as a storage means for storing the information of the toner pack 40 is attached to the discharge unit 42. The memory unit 45 has a plurality of metal plates (metal terminals) exposed to the outside of the toner pack 40 as contact portions 45a that come into contact with the contact portion 70133 (see FIG. 9) of the replenishment container mounting portion 701 to be described later. .. Further, as the material of the bag member 43, PP resin (polypropylene), PET resin (polyethylene terephthalate resin), corrugated cardboard, paper and the like can be adopted. The thickness can be 0.01 mm to 1.2 mm. Further, from the viewpoint of ease of understanding and durability by the user of the bag, 0.05 mm to 1.0 mm or less is more preferable.

As shown in FIGS. 7 (b), 8 (b) and 12, the shutter member 41 has a shape in which a part of a disk that can rotate relative to the discharge portion 42 is cut out. The side surface forming the thickness of the shutter member 41 at the notched portion functions as the engaging surface 41s. On the other hand, the discharge portion 42 also has a notched shape. The discharge portion 42 is a notched portion and has an engaging surface 42s parallel to the engaging surface 41s. The discharge port 42a is provided at a position substantially 180 degrees away from the engaging surface 42s in the circumferential direction of the discharge port 42a. The details of the engaging surface 41s and the engaging surface 42s are shown in FIG.

As shown in FIGS. 7B and 12, when the positions of the notches when viewed from the upper surface or the lower surface of the shutter member 41 and the discharge portion 42 are aligned, the discharge port 42a is covered with the shutter member 41 ( Closed state). As shown in FIG. 8B, when the shutter member 41 is rotated 180 degrees with respect to the discharge portion 42, the discharge port 42a is exposed through the notched portion of the shutter member 41, and the internal space of the bag member 43 is opened. It communicates with the external space of the toner pack 40. As shown in FIG. 12, the shutter member 41 preferably has a structure in which a seal layer 41b formed of an elastic material such as a sponge is attached to a rigid main body portion 41a. In this case, the seal layer 41b is in close contact with the seal layer 42c that covers the peripheral edge of the discharge port 42a in the closed state, so that toner leakage can be prevented. Although the seal layer 42c is shown in FIG. 12, the seal layer 42c is also made of an elastic material such as a sponge like the seal layer 41b.

As will be described later, when replenishing toner from the toner pack 40 to the image forming apparatus 1, the discharge unit 42 is aligned with a predetermined position and the toner pack 40 is inserted and coupled to the replenishment container mounting unit 701. Then, by rotating the discharge unit 42 by 180 degrees, the discharge unit 42 rotates relative to the shutter member 41 to open the discharge port 42a, and the toner of the bag member 43 flows down to the toner receiving unit 801 according to gravity. It has become. At this time, the shutter member does not move relative to the replenishment container mounting portion 701.

As shown in FIG. 8C, the user attaches the toner pack 40 to the replenishment container mounting portion 701 and squeezes the bag member 43 by hand in a state where the toner pack 40 is rotated 180 degrees to obtain the toner from the toner pack 40. Emission can be promoted.

Although the rotary shutter member 41 has been illustrated here, the shutter member may be omitted, and a slide shutter member may be applied instead of the rotary shutter member 41. Further, the shutter member 41 may be destroyed by attaching the toner pack 40 to the replenishment port 8012 or rotating the toner pack in the attached state, and may have a removable lid structure such as a seal. Good.

Further, it is preferable to attach a protective cap to the discharge portion 42 of the unused toner pack 40 to prevent the toner from leaking during transportation or the like. The protective cap is configured to engage with the notch portion of the shutter member 41 and the discharge portion 42 in a state of being attached to the discharge portion 42, for example, and regulate the relative rotation of the shutter member 41 and the discharge portion 42. By removing the protective cap, the user can attach the toner pack 40 to the supply container mounting portion 701.

(1-6) Configuration of Replenishment Container Mounting Unit The shutter opening / closing mechanism of the toner pack 40 and the toner receiving unit 801 and the locking mechanism of the shutter member 41 will be described. FIG. 9A is a perspective view of the replenishment container mounting portion 701, and FIG. 9B is a top view thereof. The replenishment container mounting unit 701 has a replenishment port 8012, a replenishment port shutter 7013, a lock member 7014, and a rotation detection unit 7015.

The supply port 8012 is an opening that communicates with the toner accommodating portion 8011 (see FIG. 6) of the toner receiving unit 801 and is fixed to the frame body 8010 of the toner receiving unit 801. The replenishment port shutter 7013 includes a lid portion 70131 that covers the replenishment port 8012, a tubular portion 70132 that receives the discharge portion 42 of the toner pack 40, and a contact portion 45a of the memory unit 45 of the toner pack 40 (see FIG. 8B). It has a contact portion 70133, which is connected to the contact portion 70133. In the figure, the portion of the tubular portion 70132 that covers the contact portion 70133 is indicated by the tubular portion 70132a. The replenishment port shutter 7013 is a member in which the lid portion 70131, the tubular portion 70132, and the contact portion 70133 are integrated and rotatably attached to the frame body 8010 of the toner receiving unit 801. Each conductor exposed to the contact portion 70133 controls the image forming apparatus 1 mounted on the printer main body 100 via the wiring provided on the process cartridge 20 and the contact between the process cartridge 20 and the printer main body 100. It is electrically connected to the unit.

The rotation detection unit 7015 as the rotation detection sensor is a mechanism for detecting the rotation of the supply port shutter 7013. The rotation detection unit 7015 of the present embodiment is composed of two conductive leaf springs 70151 and 70152. The leaf spring 70152 is spring-forced in the clockwise direction, and when pressed by the protruding portion 70135a provided on the outer periphery of the supply port shutter 7013, the leaf spring 70152 comes into contact with the other leaf spring 70151 at the tip portion 701521. That is, the rotation detection unit 7015 is an electric circuit configured to switch between the conduction state and the disconnection state according to the rotation angle (rotation position) of the supply port shutter 7013. As will be described later, the control unit 90 (FIG. 19) of the image forming apparatus replenishes the discharge port 42a of the toner pack 40 and the replenishment container mounting unit 701 based on whether the rotation detection unit 7015 is conducting or disconnecting. Recognize whether or not the mouth 8012 is in communication with the mouth 8012. In other words, the control unit 90 can determine that the operation of replenishing the toner pack 40 by the user has been normally performed up to at least the communication between the discharge port 42a and the replenishment port 8012.

As shown in FIGS. 9A to 10C, a plurality of protruding portions 70135a and 70135b are provided on the outer peripheral portion of the tubular portion 70132 of the supply port shutter 7013. Further, the frame body 8010 has a shutter support portion 7011, and the shutter support portion 7011 rotatably supports the tubular portion 70132 of the supply port shutter 7013. The cylindrical portion 7011a of the shutter support portion 7011 is also provided with a plurality of protruding portions 70125a and 70125b. The plurality of protrusions 70125a and 70125b are located below the protrusions 70135a (on the right side in FIG. 10A) in the direction of gravity. The protrusion 70125b allows the protrusion 70135a (on the right side in FIG. 10A) to pass by rotational movement. On the other hand, the protruding portion 70135a (left side in FIG. 10 (a)) extends downward to the same height as the protruding portion 70135a (right side in FIG. 10 (a)) and at a height overlapping the protruding portion 70125a and the protruding portion 70125b. There is. Therefore, the protrusion 70125b comes into contact with the protrusion 70135a (left side in FIG. 10A) depending on the rotation angle (rotation position) of the supply port shutter 7013, and the protrusion 70135a (left side in FIG. 10A) rotates. Regulate movement.

Further, before the supply port shutter 7013 is rotated in the R1 direction, the protruding portion 70125a abuts on the protruding portion 70135a (left side) to restrict the rotational movement of the protruding portion 70135a in the R2 direction. Further, the protruding portion 70135a (on the right side in FIG. 10A) comes into contact with the lock member 7014, and restricts the rotational movement of the lock member 7014 in the R1 direction. On the other hand, after the supply port shutter 7013 is rotated in the R1 direction, the protruding portion 70135b comes into contact with the lock member 7014 after moving to the lock position, and restricts the rotational movement of the lock member 7014 in the R2 direction. Further, the protruding portion 70135a (on the right side in FIG. 10A) abuts on the protruding portion 70125b to restrict further rotational movement of the protruding portion 70135a in the R1 direction. The rotation direction of the replenishment port shutter 7013 is assumed to be the R1 direction when the toner pack 40 is attached and the R2 direction when the toner pack 40 is removed.

The lock member 7014 is a member that regulates the rotation of the supply port shutter 7013. FIG. 11A shows a state in which the lock member 7014 is in the locked position, and FIG. 11B shows a state in which the lock member 7014 is in the unlocked position. The lock member 7014 can transition between the lock position (regulated position) and the unlocked position (allowable position) by moving up and down. As shown in FIGS. 9B and 11A, when the lock member 7014 comes into contact with the protruding portion 70135a of the replenishment port shutter 7013 at the locked position, the rotation of the replenishment port shutter 7013 is restricted. When the lock member 7014 moves to the unlocked position as shown in FIG. 11B, the lock member 7014 retracts from the movement locus of the protrusion 70135a when the replenishment port shutter 7013 rotates, so that the replenishment port shutter 7013 Rotation is allowed.

(1-7) Pressing Mechanism of Lock Member FIG. 13 shows a pressing mechanism 600 for moving the lock member 7014 between the lock position and the unlock position. The pressing mechanism 600 includes a motor 601, an input gear 602, a cam gear 603, and an advancing / retreating pin 604. The input gear 602 is a screw gear attached to the output shaft of the motor 601. The cam gear 603 includes a gear portion 6032 formed of a screw tooth gear that meshes with the input gear 602, and a cam portion 6031 for reciprocating the advance / retreat pin 604.

The advancing / retreating pin 604 is supported by a holding member so as to be linearly movable in the direction opposite to the direction of gravity (vertical direction). When the motor 601 rotates, the cam gear 603 rotates via the input gear 602, and when pressed by the cam portion 6031, the advance / retreat pin 604 reciprocates up and down, and the lock member 7014 also locks and unlocks accordingly. Move up and down to and from the position. FIG. 13 shows the locked state.

The drive transmission configuration in the pressing mechanism 600 of the present embodiment is a combination of a screw tooth gear and a screw gear, but the configuration is not limited to this as long as the rotation of the motor can be converted into a linear motion. For example, a bevel gear may be used, or the cam gear 603 may be directly driven by the motor 601 by eliminating the input gear 602. Further, instead of the motor 601, an actuator that outputs linear motion such as a solenoid may be used as a drive source.

Further, each member constituting the pressing mechanism 600 shown in FIG. 13 is supported by the frame body 609 of the printer main body, and the advancing / retreating pin 604 is moved up and down by the guide portion 604a provided in the housing of the printer main body 100. It is supported so that it can be moved back and forth. On the other hand, the rotation shaft 7014a of the lock member 7014 is rotatably and slidably held in the vertical direction by a holding portion provided on the frame body 8010 of the toner receiving unit 801. Therefore, when the process cartridge 20 is replaced, the lock member 7014 is also replaced at the same time, and the pressing mechanism 600 remains in the printer body. The rotating shaft 7014a and the advancing / retreating pin 604 are made of separate members. When the lock member 7014 is in the unlocked position, the advance / retreat pin 604 is separated from the lock member, and the process cartridge 20 is removed from the main body while leaving the advance / retreat pin 604 in the main body. However, the present invention is not limited to such a configuration, and for example, the rotation shaft 7014a of the lock member 7014 can be supported by the printer main body.

(1-8) Flow of Replenishment Operation Using Toner Pack Based on the configurations of the toner pack 40, the replenishment container mounting portion 701, and the pressing mechanism 600 described above, the toner pack 40 is mounted on the replenishment container mounting portion 701. A series of operations when removing the toner after replenishing the toner will be described. FIG. 10A is a top view of the replenishment container mounting portion 701 in which the replenishment port 8012 is closed, and FIG. 10B is a top view of the replenishment container mounting portion 701 in which the replenishment port 8012 is in the open state. is there. FIG. 10 (c) is a perspective view of the replenishment container mounting portion 701 in which the replenishment port 8012 is in the open state.

As shown in FIG. 10A, the replenishment port shutter 7013 in the closed state is fixed so as not to rotate with respect to the replenishment port 8012 by contacting the protruding portion 70135a with the lock member 7014 in the locked position in the rotational direction. Has been done. At this time, the lid 70131 of the supply port shutter 7013 completely closes the supply port 8012. Further, the leaf springs 70151 and 70152 of the rotation detection unit 7015 are separated from each other, and the rotation detection unit 7015 is in a disconnected state.

When the toner pack 40 is inserted into the replenishment container mounting portion 701, the user inserts the notch portion (FIG. 12) of the discharge portion 42 of the toner pack 40 and the shutter member 41 into the replenishment port 8012 and the lid portion 70131 of the replenishment port shutter 7013. Align and insert. Then, the engaging surface 42s of the discharge portion 42 engages with the engaging surface 7013s (see FIG. 9C) which is the side surface of the lid portion 70131, and the engaging surface 41s of the shutter member 41 becomes the outer peripheral portion of the supply port 8012. It engages with the engaging surface 8012s (see FIG. 9C) provided in. At this time, the discharge portion 42 engaged with the lid portion 70131 of the replenishment port shutter 7013 cannot rotate until the replenishment port shutter 7013 is later unlocked by the lock member 7014, and the replenishment port shutter is released by the unlocking. It becomes rotatable together with 7013. On the other hand, the shutter member 41 of the toner pack 40 is in a non-rotatable state by engaging with the supply port 8012 fixed to the frame body 8010 of the toner receiving unit 801. As another engagement configuration of the lid portion 70131 and the discharge portion 42, a convex portion protruding upward from the upper surface of the lid portion 70131 is provided, and the lower surface 42b (see FIG. 12) of the discharge portion 42 is engaged with the protrusion. A recess may be provided.

Further, by inserting the toner pack 40, the contact portion 45a (FIG. 7) of the memory unit 45 comes into contact with the contact portion 70133 of the replenishment container mounting portion 701, and the information recorded in the memory unit 45 is the control unit 90 of the image forming apparatus. Read by. Information (new flag) indicating whether or not the toner pack 40 contains toner (whether or not it is a used toner pack) is recorded in the memory unit 45. When the control unit 90 reads the new flag and determines that the toner pack 40 currently installed contains toner (is not used), the control unit 90 controls the pressing mechanism 600 to push up the lock member 7014. As a result, the lock member 7014 moves from the lock position to the unlock position (FIG. 11B).

When the lock member 7014 is moved to the unlocked position, the lock member 7014 is separated from the protruding portion 70135a of the replenishment port shutter 7013, so that the replenishment port shutter 7013 moves in the R1 direction of FIGS. 10A and 10B. It is in a rotatable state (FIG. 11 (b)). On the other hand, since the protruding portion 70125a provided on the frame body 8010 of the toner receiving unit 801 interferes with the protruding portion 70135a (FIG. 10A), the rotation of the supply port shutter 7013 in the R2 direction is restricted. .. That is, in FIG. 10A, 70125a and 70125b are located below 70135a and 70135b in the direction of gravity so that 70135a and 70135b can move and pass in the direction of rotation.

When the user grips the toner pack 40 and rotates the bag member 43 in or near the discharge unit 42 by 180 degrees in the R1 direction, the states shown in FIGS. 10 (b) and 10 (c) are obtained. When the replenishment port shutter 7013 rotates 180 degrees together with the discharge portion 42 of the toner pack 40, the lid portion 70131 moves from the position covering the replenishment port 8012 to expose the replenishment port 8012. The lid portion 70131 is pushed by the engaging surface 42s whose side surface is a part of the rotating discharge portion 42, and rotates and moves together with the engaging surface 42s. Further, when the discharge unit 42 rotates 180 degrees while the shutter member 41 is fixed, the discharge port 42a of the toner pack 40 is exposed (FIG. 8B) and faces the supply port 8012. As a result, the internal space of the toner pack 40 and the internal space of the toner receiving unit 801 communicate with each other via the discharge port 42a and the supply port 8012, and the toner filled in the bag member 43 flows down to the toner storage unit 8011. To do.

As described above, the toner that has fallen into the toner storage unit 8011 is conveyed inside the toner receiving unit 801 and reaches the developing container 32, and is ready for use in the developing process. Even before the newly replenished toner reaches the developing container 32, the developing unit 802 performs the developing process as long as the amount of toner required to maintain the image quality remains in the developing container 32. It may be an executable configuration. That is, regardless of whether or not the image forming operation in the image forming unit 10 (FIG. 1A) is being executed, the toner can be replenished from the replenishing container outside the image forming apparatus to the developing container. Good.

Further, the protrusion 70125b is arranged so as to come into contact with the protrusion 70135a of the supply port shutter when the supply port shutter 7013 is rotated 180 degrees in the R1 direction from the state shown in FIG. 10 (a) (FIG. 10 (b). ), (C)). That is, the protrusion 70125b is also located below the 70135a and 70135b in the direction of gravity, like the 70125a. As a result, the supply port shutter 7013 is restricted from rotating in the R1 direction beyond 180 degrees. At the same time, the protruding portion 70135a of the supply port shutter 7013 presses the leaf spring 70152 of the rotation detection unit 7015, and the tip portion 701521 thereof is brought into contact with the leaf spring 70151. When the rotation detection unit 7015 becomes conductive, the control unit 90 recognizes that the supply port shutter 7013 is in the open state, operates the pressing mechanism 600, and moves the lock member 7014 to the lock position again. Then, the lock member 7014 engages with the protruding portion 70135b of the replenishment port shutter 7013 to restrict the rotation in the R2 direction, so that the replenishment port shutter 7013 and the toner pack 40 do not rotate in either direction.

Further, in the states of FIGS. 10B and 10C in which the discharge portion 42 of the toner pack 40 and the replenishment port shutter 7013 are rotated 180 degrees, the lid portion of the replenishment port shutter 7013 is above the shutter member 41 of the toner pack 40. The positional relationship is such that the 70131 covers it. Therefore, even if the toner pack 40 is lifted upward from the replenishment container mounting portion 701, the shutter member 41 interferes with the lid portion 70131, so that the movement of the toner pack 40 is restricted. Therefore, unless the user performs the removal operation of the toner pack 40 in a predetermined procedure described below, the toner pack 40 can be prevented from falling off from the replenishment container mounting portion 701.

After the toner is discharged from the toner pack 40, when the condition for determining the completion of toner discharge is satisfied, the control unit 90 operates the pressing mechanism 600 to move the lock member 7014 to the unlocked position. In the present embodiment, the completion of toner discharge is determined based on the elapsed time from the time when the rotation detection unit 7015 becomes conductive.

After the lock member 7014 is moved to the unlocked position, the user can remove the toner pack 40 by reversing the procedure when the toner pack 40 is attached. That is, the user grips the discharge portion 42 of the toner pack 40 or the bag member 43 in the vicinity thereof and rotates it 180 degrees in the R2 direction opposite to that at the time of mounting. Then, the replenishment port shutter 7013 rotates 180 degrees together with the discharge portion 42, and the replenishment port 8012 is covered with the lid portion 70131 of the replenishment port shutter 7013 as shown in FIG. 10 (a). Further, when the protruding portion 70135a (left side in FIG. 10A) of the replenishment port shutter 7013 comes into contact with the protruding portion 70125a, the replenishment port shutter 7013 is restricted from rotating in the R2 direction beyond 180 degrees. ..

When the discharge portion 42 of the toner pack 40 is rotated 180 degrees in the R2 direction, the position of the cutout portion of the discharge portion 42 and the position of the cutout portion of the shutter member 41 are aligned (FIG. 12). Therefore, even if the toner pack 40 moves upward, the shutter member 41 does not interfere with the lid 70131 of the replenishment port shutter 7013, and the user grips and lifts the toner pack 40 to mount the replenishment container 701. Can be removed from.

In the process of rotating the supply port shutter 7013 by 180 degrees in the R2 direction, the protruding portion 70135a is separated from the leaf spring 70152, and the rotation detecting portion 7015 returns to the cut state. Then, the control unit 90 recognizes that the supply port shutter 7013 is in the closed state, and operates the pressing mechanism 600 to move the lock member 7014 to the lock position. As a result, the replenishment container mounting unit 701 returns to the initial state before the toner replenishment operation is performed. For example, the control unit 90 may determine that the predetermined condition for moving the lock member 7014 to the unlocked state is satisfied when a predetermined time elapses after the rotation detection unit 7015 is in the conductive state. The trigger for moving the lock member 7014 to the lock position is, for example, by pulling out the toner pack 40 from the replenishment container mounting portion 701, the contact portion 70133 (see FIG. 9B) and the contact portion 45a (FIG. 7 (a)). ) May be lost.

In the present embodiment, the position relationship is such that the discharge port 42a of the toner pack 40 and the supply port 8012 communicate with each other by rotating 180 degrees, but if the configuration is such that the toner pack 40 can be attached and detached by the same operation as in the present embodiment. , The rotation angle required for communication can be changed.

(1-9) Panel Next, the panel 400 will be described. As shown in FIGS. 1 (b) and 14 (a) to 14 (c), the panel 400 is provided, for example, on the front surface of the housing of the printer main body 100. This is an example of a display means for displaying information on the remaining amount of toner (or the free capacity of the developing container 32) in the developing container 32. The panel 400 is composed of a liquid crystal panel including a plurality of scales (indicators). In this embodiment, three scales 4001, 4002, and 4003 are arranged from the upper side to the lower side in the vertical direction. The panel 400 represents the amount of toner that can be replenished to the developing container 32 by displaying the scales 4001 to 4003 that change stepwise. The control unit 90 updates the panel display at any time based on the recognition of the completion of the replenishment operation described later. If the completion of the replenishment operation is not reflected in the actual remaining amount of toner, the remaining amount of toner may be detected later and the panel display may be updated. For example, when the control unit 90 detects with the optical sensor (51a, 51b, see FIG. 6A) that the remaining amount of toner is not actually sufficiently replenished after turning on the indicator 4002, the control unit 90 90 turns off the indicator 4002 and updates the display on the panel 400. The lowermost scale 4003 also indicates whether the toner in the developing container 32 is at the Low level or the Out level. However, the Low level means that the developing container 32 needs to be replenished with toner, but the minimum amount of toner remains in order to maintain the image quality, and the image forming operation can be executed at the present time. .. The Out level means that almost no toner remains in the developing container 32 and the image forming operation cannot be performed.

In the illustrated configuration example of the panel 400, when all three scales 4001, 4002, 4003 are turned off, it indicates that the toner in the developing container 32 is at the Out level (fourth state).

When only the lower scale 4003 is lit as shown in FIG. 14A, it indicates that the remaining amount of toner in the developing container 32 is at the Low level. In this state, since the two scales are turned off, it can be seen that, for example, the toner pack 40 can replenish two toners (third state). Further, from the fact that the number panels of "+1" and "+2" adjacent to the scale are lit, it can be seen that the toner pack 40 can replenish two toners.

When the lower and central scales 4002 and 4003 are lit and the upper scale 4001 is off as shown in FIG. 14B, the remaining amount of toner in the developing container 32 is higher than the Low level and the Full level. Indicates that the level is less than (full tank). In this state, since one scale is turned off, it can be seen that, for example, the toner pack 40 can replenish one toner (second state). Further, from the fact that the number panel of "+1" adjacent to the scale is lit and the number panel of "+2" is extinguished, it can be seen that the toner pack 40 can replenish one toner.

When all three scales 4001 to 4003 are lit as shown in FIG. 14C, it indicates that the remaining amount of toner in the developing container 32 is at the Full level. In this state, since there is no scale that is turned off, it can be seen that toner cannot be replenished from, for example, the toner pack 40 (first state). Further, since the number panels of "+1" and "+2" adjacent to the scale are turned off, it can be seen that the toner cannot be replenished from the toner pack 40.

Note that the panel 400 illustrated in FIG. 14 is an example of display means in which the display content is changed according to the remaining amount of toner in the developing container 32, and other configurations may be used. For example, instead of the liquid crystal panel, a panel may be configured by combining a light source such as an LED or an incandescent lamp and a diffusing lens. The scale may be omitted and only the number panel may be used, or the number panel may be omitted and only the scale may be used.

Further, the number of scales on the panel 400 and the display method thereof can be changed as appropriate. For example, when the remaining amount of toner in the developing container 32 is at the Low level, the lower scale may be blinked to prompt the user to replenish the toner.

(2) First Modified Example Next, as another example of the replenishment container, a form of the first modified example in which a bottle-shaped toner bottle unit is used instead of the bag-shaped toner pack will be described with reference to FIG. The toner bottle unit is configured to be attachable to and detachable from the above-mentioned replenishment container mounting portion 701 like the above-mentioned toner pack 40. Therefore, the description of the configuration of the image forming apparatus common to the first embodiment will be omitted.

(2-1) Configuration of Toner Bottle Unit FIG. 15A is a perspective view showing the appearance of the toner bottle unit 900, and FIG. 15B is a perspective view showing the toner bottle unit 900 after the toner is discharged. 15 (c) is a view of the toner bottle unit 900 viewed from below the piston, and FIG. 15 (d) is a cross-sectional view of the toner bottle unit 900 at the cross-sectional position DD shown in FIG. 15 (c).

Further, FIG. 16A is a perspective view of the toner bottle unit 900 in which the outer cylinder 903 (see FIG. 15A) is hidden, and FIG. 16B is a perspective view of the outer cylinder 903 in a state after the toner is discharged. Is a perspective view of the toner bottle unit 900 in which is hidden. FIG. 16 (c) is a diagram showing a state before the pressing operation of the component related to the pressing detection of the toner bottle unit 900, and FIG. 16 (d) is a diagram showing a state after the pressing operation of the component related to the pressing detection. Is. FIG. 16E is a diagram showing a state before the rotation operation of the component related to the rotation detection of the toner bottle unit 900, and FIG. 16F is a diagram after the rotation operation of the component related to the rotation detection of the toner bottle unit 900. It is a figure which shows the state of.

As shown in FIGS. 15A and 15D, the toner bottle unit 900 roughly includes an outer cylinder 903, an inner cylinder 901, a piston 902, a shutter member 904, and a memory unit 911. The outer cylinder 903 and the inner cylinder 901 are tubular, the inner cylinder 901 is fitted inside the outer cylinder 903, and the piston 902 is fitted further inside the inner cylinder 901 and slides with respect to the inner cylinder 901. It is possible. Hereinafter, the direction in which the piston 902 moves (the direction of the axes of the outer cylinder 903 and the inner cylinder 901) is referred to as the axial direction of the toner bottle unit 900. The piston 902 is an example of a pressing member.

The inner cylinder 901 has a tubular toner accommodating portion 9014 for accommodating toner, a bottom portion 9013 provided on one end side in the axial direction, and a discharge port 9011 provided on the bottom portion 9013. The inner cylinder 901 has a cylinder shape in which one end of the toner accommodating portion 9014 in the axial direction is closed by the bottom portion 9013. The other end side of the toner accommodating portion 9014 is an opening 9012, and the piston 902 is inserted into the toner accommodating portion 9014 via the opening 9012. Further, the inner cylinder 901 includes a spherical weight member 905 that can freely move in the toner accommodating portion 9014.

The outer cylinder 903 includes a tubular inner cylinder accommodating portion 9034 for accommodating the toner accommodating portion 9014 of the inner cylinder 901, a bottom portion 9033 provided on one end side in the axial direction, and a discharge port 9031 provided on the bottom portion 9033. ,have. Like the inner cylinder 901, the outer cylinder 903 has a cylinder shape in which one end in the axial direction of the inner cylinder accommodating portion 9034 is closed by the bottom portion 9033, and holds the inner cylinder 901 so as to be relatively immovable. The other end side of the inner cylinder accommodating portion 9034 is an opening 9032 through which the piston 902 is inserted.

The discharge port 9011 of the inner cylinder 901 has a thin cylinder shape extending from the bottom 9013 to one end side in the axial direction. The discharge port 9031 of the outer cylinder 903 is provided at a position corresponding to the discharge port 9011 of the inner cylinder 901 on the bottom 9033. The discharge port 9031 of the outer cylinder 903 is a discharge port that discharges the toner stored in the toner storage unit 9014 to the outside of the toner bottle unit 900. An evacuation space 9013a is provided adjacent to the discharge port 9011 of the inner cylinder 901 so that the weight member 905 does not block the discharge port 9011 when the piston is pushed in.

The bottom 9013 of the inner cylinder 901 has an inclined shape in which the cross-sectional area becomes smaller toward the discharge port side in the axial direction (particularly, a conical shape in which the inner diameter becomes smaller toward the discharge port side in the axial direction). .. The bottom 9033 of the outer cylinder 903 facing the bottom 9013 of the inner cylinder 901 also has a similar inclined shape. The discharge port 9011 and the evacuation space 9013a of the inner cylinder 901 are provided at the apex portion of the bottom 9033 having an inclined shape. The weight member 905 is spherical and is guided by the bottom 9013 and moves to the evacuation space 9013a by gravity.

The piston 902 is provided near the elastic member 906 mounted on the end 9023 on one end side (exhaust port side) in the axial direction and the end 9022 on the other end side (the portion pressed by the user when the piston is pushed in). It is provided with a push-in rib 9021. The elastic member 906 is configured to be in contact with the inner peripheral surface of the toner accommodating portion 9014 without a gap, and has a function of preventing the toner from slipping through when the piston is pushed. Further, the push-in rib 9021 has a convex shape protruding outward in the radial direction from the outer peripheral surface of the piston 902.

The configuration of the shutter member 904 is the same as that of the shutter member 41 provided in the toner pack 40 described above. That is, as shown in FIG. 15C, the shutter member 904 has a shape in which a part of a disk that can rotate relative to the outer cylinder 903 is cut out. The side surface forming the thickness of the shutter member 904 at the notched portion functions as the engaging surface 904s. On the other hand, the outer cylinder 903 also has a notched shape. The outer cylinder 903 is a notched portion and has an engaging surface 903s parallel to the engaging surface 904s. The discharge port 9031 is provided at a position substantially 180 degrees away from the engaging surface 903s in the circumferential direction of the outer cylinder 903.

FIG. 15C shows a state in which the discharge port 9031 is already exposed, but in the state of shipment of the toner bottle unit 900, the notch-shaped engaging surfaces 903s and 904s of the shutter member 904 and the outer cylinder 903 are shown. The positions of are aligned. In this case, the discharge port 9031 is covered with the shutter member 904, and the sealed state of the toner accommodating portion 9014 is maintained (closed state). As shown in FIG. 15C, when the shutter member 904 is rotated 180 degrees with respect to the outer cylinder 903, the discharge port 9031 is exposed through the notch portion of the shutter member 904, and the toner accommodating portion 9014 is sealed. It is released and the toner can be discharged (open state). The configuration of the discharge port 9031, the engaging surface 903s, and the shutter member 904 is basically the same as the configuration described with reference to FIGS. 7, 8 and 12.

A memory unit 911 as a storage means for storing information of the toner bottle unit 900 is attached in the vicinity of the discharge port 9031 in the outer cylinder 903. The memory unit 911 is a plurality of metal plates 9111, 9112, 9113 (FIG. 16) exposed to the outside of the toner bottle unit 900 as contact portions 911a in contact with the contact portion 70133 (FIG. 9A) of the replenishment container mounting portion 701. (A)).

(2-2) Piston push-in detection mechanism As shown in FIGS. 16A and 16C, a push-in detection mechanism for detecting the push-in operation of the piston 902 between the outer cylinder 903 and the inner cylinder 901. A push-in detection rod 907, a first contact plate 908, and a second contact plate 909 are arranged. The push-in detection rod 907 is made of an insulating material such as resin, and the first contact plate 908 and the second contact plate 909 are made of a conductive material such as metal. The push detection rod 907 has a contact release portion 9072 on one end side (discharge port side) in the axial direction, and has a piston contact portion 9071 capable of contacting the push rib 9021 of the piston 902 on the other end side in the axial direction. doing. The push-in detection rod 907 moves in the axial direction by pressing the piston contact portion 9071 against the push-in rib 9021 in conjunction with the push-in operation of the piston 902.

The push-in detection rod 907 is fitted into, for example, an axial groove shape formed on the outer peripheral surface of the inner cylinder 901 or the inner peripheral surface of the outer cylinder 903, so that the movement in the direction perpendicular to the axial direction is restricted while being restricted. Moreover, it is held so as to be movable in the axial direction with respect to the inner cylinder 901 and the outer cylinder 903. Further, the piston contact portion 9071 has a shape that is bent perpendicular to the axial direction, that is, in an L shape, and is configured so that the push-in rib 9021 abuts more reliably. In FIG. 16A, the push-in rib 9021 is provided on the outer peripheral surface of the piston 902 over the entire circumference, but even if the push-in rib 9021 is formed only at the circumferential position corresponding to the piston contact portion 9071. Good.

The first contact plate 908 and the second contact plate 909 are metal plates that switch between a conductive state and a cut state depending on the position of the push-in detection rod 907 formed of the insulating resin. A new detection method for the toner bottle unit 900 using the first contact plate 908 and the second contact plate 909 will be described later.

Further, a cylinder cover 910 (FIG. 15A) is provided at the end of the outer cylinder 903 on the opening side to prevent the push-in detection rod 907 from falling off. That is, the cylinder cover 910 constituting the opening 9032 of the outer cylinder 903 is narrowed inward from the radial outer end position of the piston contact portion 9071 (FIG. 16 (b)) (FIG. 15 (FIG. 15)). d)). Therefore, even if a force for moving the push-in detection rod 907 toward the axial opening side is applied, the piston contact portion 9071 interferes with the cylinder cover 910, and the push-in detection rod 907 does not fall off from the toner bottle unit 900.

(2-3) Judgment of new or used toner bottle unit Next, when the toner bottle unit 900 is mounted on the replenishment container mounting portion 701, it is detected whether the toner bottle unit 900 is unused (new) or used. The configuration will be described. As shown in FIGS. 16C and 16D, the contact release portion 9072 of the push detection rod 907 is located in the vicinity of the first contact plate 908 and the second contact plate 909.

FIG. 16 (c) corresponds to the state before the piston is pushed in as shown in FIG. 16 (a), and the first contact plate 908 and the second contact plate 909 are in contact with each other to be in a conductive state. At this time, it is preferable that one of the metal first contact plate 908 and the second contact plate 909 has a leaf spring shape and is pressed against the other contact plate. Further, for example, by applying conductive grease to the contact surfaces of the first contact plate 908 and the second contact plate 909, the conduction of the first contact plate 908 and the second contact plate 909 can be further ensured.

FIG. 16D corresponds to the state after the piston is pushed in shown in FIG. 16B, and the first contact plate 908 and the second contact plate 909 are in the cut state. In this state, the contact release portion 9072 of the push detection rod 907 pushed by the push rib 9021 enters between the first contact plate 908 and the second contact plate 909 to physically separate them. In the push-in detection rod 907, at least the contact release portion 9072 is formed of an insulating material, and the continuity of the first contact plate 908 and the second contact plate 909 is cut off in the state of FIG. 16D in which the contact release portion 9072 is interposed. Will be done.

The first contact plate 908 and the second contact plate 909 are different from the plurality of metal plates 9111 to 9113 at the end opposite to the end in contact with the contact release portion 9072 of the push detection rod 907. Each is connected. Here, it is assumed that the first contact plate 908 is connected to the metal plate 9111 and the second contact plate 909 is connected to the metal plate 9113. In this case, by detecting the presence or absence of a current when a weak voltage is applied between the metal plates 9111 and 9113, the toner bottle unit 900 is in the state before the piston is pushed (unused) or after the piston is pushed. It is possible to determine whether it is (used). That is, in a state where the toner bottle unit 900 is mounted on the replenishment container mounting portion 701, the control unit 90 of the image forming apparatus uses or does not use the toner bottle unit 900 based on the presence or absence of continuity between the metal plates 9111 and 9113. You can judge whether it is done. Further, the control unit 90 can determine that the replenishment operation by the user has been completed when the first contact plate 908 and the second contact plate 909 become non-conducting. Based on this determination, the control unit 90 controls the display of the panel 400 described above. Further, the control unit 90 sets a new flag (new: 1, used: 0) to the memory unit 45, which indicates that the toner bottle unit 900 is used by the change in conduction between the metal plates 9111 and 9113. Write.

In the case of the above configuration, it is preferable that the memory unit 911 is arranged on a circuit connecting the metal plates 9111 and 9112. As a result, the control unit 90 of the image forming apparatus monitors the pushing operation of the toner bottle unit 900 via the metal plates 9111 and 91113, and in parallel with this, connects to the memory unit 911 via the metal plates 9111 and 9112. Can be accessed.

(2-4) Rotation Detection of Toner Bottle Unit Next, a method of detecting the rotation of the toner bottle unit 900 will be described with reference to FIGS. 16 (e) and 16 (f). The rotation detection method according to the present embodiment uses the toner pack 40 described above, except that the shutter member 904 that seals the discharge port of the replenishment container is attached to the outer cylinder 903 of the toner bottle unit 900. Similar to form.

As shown in FIGS. 16 (e) and 16 (f), two conductive leaf springs 70151 and 70152 are arranged as rotation detection units 7015 in the replenishment container mounting portion 701 of the process cartridge. Further, a protruding portion 70135b is provided on the outer peripheral portion of the supply port shutter 7013.

As shown in FIG. 16E, before the toner bottle unit 900 inserted into the replenishment container mounting portion 701 is rotated, the tip 701521 of the leaf spring 70152 is not in contact with the leaf spring 70152 and is rotated. The detection unit 7015 is in a disconnected state. That is, no current flows even if a weak voltage is applied between the leaf springs 70151 and 70152. As shown in FIG. 16F, when the toner bottle unit 900 is rotated 180 degrees, the leaf spring 70152 is pressed by the protruding portion 70135a, and the tip portion 701521 comes into contact with the other leaf spring 70151 to be in a conductive state. .. In this state, when a weak voltage is applied between the leaf springs 70151 and 70152, a current flows. The control unit 90 of the image forming apparatus is in a state where the discharge port 9031 of the toner bottle unit 900 and the replenishment port 8012 of the replenishment container mounting unit 701 communicate with each other based on whether the rotation detection unit 7015 is conducting or disconnecting. Recognize whether or not.

(2-5) Flow of Replenishment Operation Using Toner Bottle Unit A series of operations of attaching the toner bottle unit 900 to the replenishment container mounting portion 701 to replenish the toner and then removing the toner bottle unit 900 will be described. The same part as in the above-described embodiment in which the toner pack 40 is used will not be described.

First, the user attaches the unused toner bottle unit 900 to the replenishment container mounting portion 701. Specifically, the notch-shaped engaging surfaces 903s and 904s of the outer cylinder 903 and the shutter member 904 (FIG. 15 (c)) are provided with the replenishment port 8012 and the lid portion 70131 of the replenishment port shutter 7013 (FIG. 9 (a)). Align with and insert. Then, the engaging surface 903s of the outer cylinder 903 engages with the engaging surface 7013s which is the side surface of the lid 70131, and the engaging surface 904s of the shutter member 904 is provided on the outer peripheral portion of the supply port 8012. Engage with. At this time, the outer cylinder 903 engaged with the lid 70131 of the replenishment port shutter 7013 cannot rotate until the replenishment port shutter 7013 is later unlocked by the lock member 7014, and the replenishment port shutter is released by unlocking. It becomes rotatable together with 7013. On the other hand, the shutter member 904 is in a non-rotatable state by engaging with the supply port 8012 fixed to the frame body 8010 of the toner receiving unit 801. Further, the leaf springs 70151 and 70152 of the rotation detection unit 7015 are separated from each other, and the rotation detection unit 7015 is in a disconnected state (FIG. 16 (e)).

When an unused toner bottle unit 900 is inserted into the replenishment container mounting unit 701, the control unit 90 recognizes that the toner bottle unit 900 is new by the new product detection configuration described above. As described above, the control unit 90 may recognize the continuity between the metal plates 9111 and 91113, and reads and determines the new flag (new: 1, used: 0) of the memory unit 45. Is also good. Then, the control unit 90 operates the pressing mechanism 600 to move the lock member 7014 to the unlocked position, and the toner bottle unit 900 becomes rotatable.

After that, when the user grasps the toner bottle unit 900 and rotates it 180 degrees, the shutter member 904 and the replenishment port shutter 7013 are opened, and the discharge port 9031 of the toner bottle unit 900 and the replenishment port 8012 of the replenishment container mounting portion 701 are opened. Communicate. The operation of opening the shutter member 904 and the replenishment port shutter 7013 with the rotation of the toner bottle unit 900 is the same as that of the toner pack 40 described with reference to FIGS. 10A, 10B, and 10C.

As shown in FIG. 16F, when the toner bottle unit 900 is rotated 180 degrees, the end portion 701521 of the leaf spring 70152 pressed by the protruding portion 70135b of the replenishment port shutter 7013 comes into contact with the other leaf spring 70151. To do. When the rotation detection unit 7015 becomes conductive in this way, the control unit 90 of the image forming apparatus detects that the rotation operation of the toner bottle unit 900 has been performed. That is, the control unit 90 recognizes that the shutter member 904 and the replenishment port shutter 7013 are released from the seal, and the discharge port 42a of the toner pack 40 and the replenishment port 8012 of the replenishment container mounting unit 701 communicate with each other. Further, the control unit 90 operates the pressing mechanism 600 to move the lock member 7014 to the lock position, and regulates the rotation of the toner bottle unit 900.

Next, the user presses the piston 902 of the toner bottle unit 900 to start discharging the toner. The toner that has fallen into the toner storage unit 8011 is conveyed inside the toner receiving unit 801 and reaches the developing container 32. Also in this modified example, when the piston 902 is pushed all the way in, the completion of the pushing operation of the piston 902 is detected by the above-mentioned pushing detection mechanism. That is, as shown in FIG. 16B, the push-in rib 9021 of the piston 902 presses the piston contact portion 9071 of the push-in detection rod 907, so that the push-in detection rod 907 moves in conjunction with the piston 902. Then, as shown in FIG. 16D, the contact release portion 9072 of the push detection rod 907 cuts the continuity between the first contact plate 908 and the second contact plate 909. In the control unit 90 of the image forming apparatus, even if a voltage is applied between the metal plate 9111 connected to the first contact plate 908 and the metal plate 9113 connected to the second contact plate 909, no current flows. Based on this, the completion of pushing the piston 902 is recognized. That is, in the case of this modification, it is a condition for determining the completion of toner discharge that the completion of the pushing operation of the piston 902 is detected by the pushing detection mechanism. As another configuration example, when the continuity between the first contact plate 908 and the second contact plate 909 is cut off, the control unit 90 rewrites the new flag of the memory unit 911, and the new flag is rewritten to rewrite the toner. It may be determined that the discharge is completed.

The control unit 90, which has detected that the toner has been discharged from the toner bottle unit 900, operates the pressing mechanism 600 again to move the lock member 7014 to the unlocked position, and makes the toner bottle unit 900 rotatable. The user grips the toner bottle unit 900 and rotates it 180 degrees. Then, the discharge port 9031 of the toner bottle unit 900 is covered with the shutter member 904, and the replenishment port 8012 of the replenishment container mounting portion 701 is covered with the lid portion 70131 of the replenishment port shutter 7013. Further, as shown in FIG. 16E, the leaf springs 70151 and 70152 are separated from each other, and the rotation detection unit 7015 returns to the cut state. Then, the control unit 90 recognizes that the supply port shutter 7013 is in the closed state, and operates the pressing mechanism 600 to move the lock member 7014 to the lock position. As a result, the replenishment container mounting unit 701 returns to the initial state before replenishing the toner.

(3) Second Modified Example Next, a form of the second modified example in which the configuration of the process cartridge is different will be described. Since this modification has the same configuration as that of the first embodiment except for the configuration related to the process cartridge, the description of the common portion will be omitted.

(3-1) Process Cartridge FIG. 17 is a (a) perspective view, (b) side view, (c) cross-sectional view, and (d) cross-sectional view of the process cartridge 20A according to the present modification. 17 (c) and 17 (d) show the cut surface at the cut position shown in FIG. 17 (b), respectively.

As shown in each figure of FIG. 17, the process cartridge 20A of this modification is composed of a toner receiving unit 801 and a developing unit 802 and a drum unit 803A. Compared with the first embodiment, the drum unit 803A is not provided with a cleaning blade 24 for cleaning the surface of the photosensitive drum 21 and a waste toner chamber 8033 (see FIG. 6A) for accommodating waste toner. This modification is because a cleanerless configuration is adopted in which the transfer residual toner remaining on the surface of the photosensitive drum 21 without being transferred to the recording material is collected in the developing unit 802 and reused. Here, for example, a non-magnetic or magnetic one-component developer is used.

In the illustrated example, the developing unit 802 is located below the process cartridge 20A, and the toner receiving unit 801 and the drum unit 803A are located above the developing unit 802 in the direction of gravity. As shown in FIG. 17B, the positions of the toner receiving unit 801 and the drum unit 803A do not overlap when viewed in the direction of gravity, but they may be arranged at least partially vertically. Further, the toner receiving unit 801 is arranged in the space where the cleaning blade 24 and the waste toner chamber 8033 are provided in the first embodiment. The configuration of the replenishment container mounting portion 701 provided in the toner receiving unit 801 is the same as that of the first embodiment, but FIG. 17 shows a simplified shape.

A laser as a space through which the laser beam L emitted from the scanner unit 11 (see FIG. 1A) toward the photosensitive drum 21 can pass between the developing unit 802, the drum unit 803A, and the toner receiving unit 801. A passage space SP is formed. Further, in the drum unit 803A, a pre-exposure device that irradiates the surface of the photosensitive drum 21 with light to erase the electrostatic latent image is arranged downstream of the transfer unit and between the charging rollers 22 in the rotation direction of the photosensitive drum 21. Is preferable.

(3-2) Behavior of Toner in Cleanerless Configuration The behavior of toner in the cleanerless configuration will be described. The transfer residual toner remaining on the photosensitive drum 21 in the transfer portion is removed by the following steps. The transfer residual toner includes toners that are positively charged and toners that are negatively charged but do not have sufficient charge. The photosensitive drum 21 after transfer is statically charged by the pre-exposure device to generate a uniform discharge by the charging roller 22, so that the transfer residual toner is charged negatively again. The transfer residual toner, which is charged negatively again in the charged portion, reaches the developing portion as the photosensitive drum 21 rotates. Then, the surface region of the photosensitive drum 21 that has passed through the charged portion is exposed by the scanner unit 11 with the transfer residual toner adhering to the surface, and an electrostatic latent image is written.

Here, the behavior of the transfer residual toner that has reached the developing portion will be described separately for the exposed portion and the non-exposed portion of the photosensitive drum 21. The transfer residual toner adhering to the non-exposed portion of the photosensitive drum 21 is transferred to the developing roller 31 by the potential difference between the potential (dark portion potential) of the non-exposed portion of the photosensitive drum 21 and the developing voltage in the developing portion, and is transferred to the developing roller 31. Will be collected. This is because the normal charging polarity of the toner is negative, and the developing voltage applied to the developing roller 31 is positive relative to the potential of the non-exposed portion. The toner collected in the developing container 32 is agitated and dispersed with the toner in the developing container by the stirring member 34, and is supported on the developing roller 31 to be used again in the developing step.

On the other hand, the transfer residual toner adhering to the exposed portion of the photosensitive drum 21 remains on the drum surface without being transferred from the photosensitive drum 21 to the developing roller 31 in the developing portion. This is because the development voltage applied to the developing roller 31 is a negative electrode potential even more than the potential of the exposed portion (bright region potential), assuming that the normal charging polarity of the toner is negative. .. The transfer residual toner remaining on the drum surface is supported on the photosensitive drum 21 together with other toner transferred from the developing roller 31 to the exposed portion, moves to the transfer portion, and is transferred to the recording material at the transfer portion.

The cleaner-less configuration eliminates the need for an installation space for a collection container for collecting transfer residual toner, etc., enabling further miniaturization of the image forming apparatus 1, and by reusing the transfer residual toner. It is also possible to reduce the printing cost.

(4) Third Modified Example Next, a third modified example in which the configuration of the process cartridge is different from any of the above-described forms will be described. Since this modification has the same configuration as that of the first embodiment except for the configuration related to the process cartridge, the description of the common portion will be omitted.

(4-1) Third Form of Process Cartridge FIG. 18 is a perspective view (a), a side view (b), and a cross-sectional view (c) of the process cartridge 20B according to the present modification. FIG. 18 (c) shows the cut surface at the cut position shown in FIG. 18 (b).

As shown in each figure of FIG. 18, the process cartridge 20B of this modification is composed of a developing unit 802 and a drum unit 803A. As compared with the third embodiment, instead of omitting the toner receiving unit 801, the replenishment container mounting portion 701, the first transport member 8013, and the second transport member 8014 are arranged in the developing unit 802. That is, in this modification, a replenishment container such as a toner pack 40 or a toner bottle unit 900 is attached to the replenishment port 8012 provided in the developing container 32 from the outside of the image forming apparatus to replenish the toner. is there. The configuration of the replenishment container mounting portion 701 is the same as that of the first embodiment, but a simplified shape is shown.

A laser as a space through which the laser beam L emitted from the scanner unit 11 (see FIG. 1A) toward the photosensitive drum 21 can pass between the developing unit 802, the drum unit 803A, and the toner receiving unit 801. A passage space SP is formed. Further, in the drum unit 803A, a pre-exposure device that irradiates the surface of the photosensitive drum 21 with light to erase the electrostatic latent image is arranged downstream of the transfer unit and between the charging rollers 22 in the rotation direction of the photosensitive drum 21. Is preferable. This modification adopts a cleanerless configuration. Since the behavior of the toner in the cleanerless configuration is the same as that of the second modification, the description thereof will be omitted.

(5) Control System of Image Forming Device FIG. 19 is a block diagram showing a control system of the image forming apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment. The control unit 90 as a control means of the image forming apparatus 1 has a CPU 91 as an arithmetic unit, a RAM 92 used as a work area of the CPU 91, and a non-volatile memory 93 for storing various programs. Further, the control unit 90 has an I / O interface 94 as an input / output port connected to an external device, and an A / D conversion unit 95 that converts an analog signal into a digital signal. The CPU 91 controls each part of the image forming apparatus 1 by reading and executing the control program stored in the non-volatile memory 93. Therefore, the non-volatile memory 93 is an example of a non-transient storage medium that stores a control program for operating the image forming apparatus in a specific method.

Further, the control unit 90 is connected to the T memory 57, which is a non-volatile memory mounted in a replenishment container such as the toner pack 40 or the toner bottle unit 900, and the P memory 58, which is a non-volatile memory mounted in the process cartridge 20. .. Examples of the T memory 57 as the storage means provided in the replenishment container are the memory unit 45 mounted on the toner pack 40 described above and the memory unit 911 mounted on the toner bottle unit 900 described above. Further, the T memory 57 also stores toner information indicating that the toner contained in the replenishment container such as the toner pack 40 or the toner bottle unit 900 is the toner that can be replenished in the developing container 32. The toner information is, for example, information in which the toner pack 40 is in an unused state, the initial capacity of the toner, the expiration date, and the like are described. Further, in the P memory 58, the remaining amount of toner stored in the developing container 32, the total amount of toner replenished from the replenishment container that has been performed so far, the information on the life of the photoconductor, and the information on the replacement timing of the process cartridge 20 Etc. are remembered.

Further, a rotation lock mechanism 59 and an image forming unit 10 are connected to the control unit 90. An example of the rotary lock mechanism 59 is a lock member 7014 (FIGS. 9 and 11) provided on the replenishment container mounting portion 701 and a pressing mechanism 600 (FIG. 13) for moving the lock member 7014. The image forming unit 10 has a motor M1 as a drive source for driving the photosensitive drum 21, the developing roller 31, the supply roller 33, the stirring member 34, and the like. The drive sources of these rotating members do not necessarily have to be the same. For example, the photosensitive drum 21, the developing roller 31, the supply roller 33, and the stirring member 34 may be configured to be driven by separate motors. Good. The image forming unit 10 also includes a power supply unit 211 for applying a voltage to each member such as the developing roller 31, and an exposure control unit 212 for controlling the scanner unit 11.

To the input side of the control unit 90, a toner remaining amount detecting means 51, a waste toner full tank detecting means 52, a mounting detecting means 53, an opening / closing detecting means 54, a rotation detecting means 55, and a pushing detecting means 56 are connected.

The toner remaining amount detecting means 51 detects the remaining amount of toner contained in the developing container 32. An example of the toner remaining amount detecting means 51 is the optical sensors (51a, 51b) shown in FIG. 6A. This optical sensor includes a light emitting unit 51a that irradiates the detection light toward the inside of the developing container 32, and a light receiving unit 51b that detects the detection light. In this case, the ratio (Duty) of the period during which the optical path of the detection light is shielded by the toner with respect to the rotation cycle when the stirring member 34 rotates has a correlation with the remaining amount of toner in the developing container 32. By utilizing this and preparing a correspondence relationship between the duty value and the remaining amount of toner in advance, the remaining amount of toner can be obtained from the current duty value. It should be noted that such an optical sensor is an example of the toner remaining amount detecting means, and a pressure sensitive sensor or a capacitance type sensor may be used. The waste toner full tank detecting means 52 detects that the amount of waste toner accumulated in the waste toner chamber 8033 (FIG. 6A) of the cleaning unit 803 has reached a predetermined upper limit. As the waste toner full tank detecting means 52, for example, a pressure sensor arranged in the waste toner chamber 8033 can be used. Further, based on the expectation that a predetermined ratio of the image information will be collected as waste toner, the control unit 90 may calculate and predict the amount of waste toner from the image information.

The mounting detection means 53 detects that a replenishment container such as a toner pack 40 is mounted on the replenishment container mounting portion 701. The mounting detection means 53 is provided on, for example, the replenishment container mounting portion 701, and includes a pressure-sensitive switch that outputs a detection signal when pressed by the bottom surface of the toner pack 40. Further, the mounting detection means 53 may be a detection circuit that detects that the T memory 57 is electrically connected to the control unit 90 via the contact portion 70133 (FIG. 9) of the replenishment container mounting portion 701.

The rotation detecting means 55 detects the rotation of the replenishment container mounted on the replenishment container mounting unit 701. An example of the rotation detecting means 55 is a rotation detecting unit 7015 composed of leaf springs 70151 and 70152 (FIGS. 9 and 16). The rotation detection unit 7015 is an example of the rotation detection means 55. For example, a photoelectric sensor that is shielded from light by a protrusion provided on the supply port shutter 7013 can be used as the rotation detection sensor. Further, as another example of the rotation detection sensor, the leaf springs 70151 and 70152 of the rotation detection unit 7015 may be conductive by the protrusion provided on the discharge portion 42 of the toner pack 40.

The push-in detection means 56 is an element added when the toner bottle unit 900 of the first modification is used, and detects the completion of push-in of the piston 902 of the toner bottle unit 900. An example of the push-in detection means 56 is an image forming apparatus for detecting a state change of a push-in detection mechanism (FIG. 16) including a push-in detection rod 907, a first contact plate 908, and a second contact plate 909 provided in the toner bottle unit 900. It is a detection circuit provided in 1. This detection circuit monitors the current value when a voltage is applied to the metal plates 9111 and 9113 to which the first contact plate 908 and the second contact plate 909 are connected, respectively, to determine whether the piston 902 is before or after being pushed. Is detected.

Further, the control unit 90 includes an operation unit 300 which is a user interface of the image forming apparatus 1, and a panel 400 as a notification means (notification means) for notifying the user of information on the remaining amount of toner in the developing container 32. Is connected. Here, the information regarding the remaining amount of toner is not limited to indicating the remaining amount of toner itself. In addition, the information regarding the remaining amount of toner includes information indicating how much the toner has already been replenished by using the toner pack 40 or the toner bottle unit 900. In addition, the information regarding the remaining amount of toner includes information indicating how many toner packs 40 are left in the developing container 32 and the free capacity of the developing container 32 as to how many toner bottle units 900 can be replenished.

The operation unit 300 has a display unit 301 capable of displaying various setting screens. The display unit 301 is composed of, for example, a liquid crystal panel. Further, the operation unit 300 includes an input unit 302 that receives an input operation from the user. The input unit 302 is composed of, for example, a physical button or a touch panel function unit of a liquid crystal panel. Further, the control unit 90 is connected to an external device such as a desktop computer or a smartphone via the I / O interface 94.

(6) Configuration for restricting the rotation of the supply port shutter As described above, around the supply port 8012, a lock for restricting the rotation of the supply port shutter 7013 and the supply port shutter 7013 which are rotatably attached to the supply port 8012. Member 7014 is provided.

The lock member 7014 is movable between a lock position (regulated position) as a first position and an unlock position (allowable position) as a second position. When the lock member 7014 is in the locked position, the rotation of the supply port shutter 7013 is restricted. When the lock member 7014 is in the released position, the supply port shutter 7013 is allowed to rotate. Then, the toner is replenished to the process cartridge 20 through the replenishment port 8012.

The release operation of the lock member 7014 is performed by the control unit 90 operating the pressing mechanism 600 and pushing the rotation shaft 7014a of the lock member 7014 with the advancing / retreating pin 604 of the pressing mechanism 600 (see FIG. 13).

The amount of toner that can be stored in the process cartridge 20 is limited. Therefore, for example, when the amount of toner in the developing container 32 is at the Full level (first state) and the toner is replenished from the replenishment container (toner pack 40 or toner bottle unit 900), the replenishment port 8012 is clogged with toner. There is. Therefore, it is necessary to limit the supply of toner from the replenishment container beyond the amount of toner that can be stored in the process cartridge 20. Hereinafter, a configuration for restricting the rotation of the supply port shutter 7013 by using the toner pack 40 will be described. The contents of the following description are the same even when the toner bottle unit 900 is used instead of the toner pack 40.

In the image forming apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment, when the toner pack 40 is attached, it is determined whether or not to release the lock member 7014 based on whether or not the process cartridge 20 can tolerate the supply of toner. .. More specifically, when the amount of toner detected by the optical sensors (51a, 51b) as an example of the toner remaining amount detecting means (remaining amount detecting unit) 51 is less than a predetermined amount, the control unit 90 of the lock member 7014 Performs the release operation. On the other hand, when the amount of toner detected by the optical sensors (51a, 51b) is equal to or greater than a predetermined amount, the control unit 90 does not release the lock member 7014. As a result, when the amount of toner detected by the optical sensors (51a, 51b) is equal to or greater than a predetermined amount, the supply port shutter 7013 is maintained in a locked state by the lock member 7014.

Information on the amount of toner stored in the process cartridge 20 may be stored in the P memory 58, and the control unit 90 may be configured to read the information when the toner pack 40 is attached. Even in this case, the control unit 90 can determine whether or not to release the lock member 7014 based on the information stored in the P memory 58. The information regarding the amount of toner stored in the process cartridge 20 includes the detection result of the amount of toner detected by the toner remaining amount detecting means 51, the predicted value of the toner consumed in printing and the like.

In any case, only when the control unit 90 determines that the amount of toner stored in the process cartridge 20 is less than the amount that can be replenished from the toner pack 40 (first amount). The lock member 7014 is released.

As described above, the process cartridge 20 has a replenishment container mounting portion 701. Therefore, the toner pack 40 can be mounted on the replenishment container mounting portion 701 in a state where the process cartridge 20 is taken out from the printer main body 100.

When the process cartridge 20 is mounted on the printer main body 100, the control unit 90 determines whether or not to release the lock member 7014 based on the amount of toner stored in the process cartridge 20. Therefore, the lock member 7014 is not released when the process cartridge 20 cannot tolerate the replenishment from the toner pack 40. However, when the process cartridge 20 is taken out from the printer main body 100, the control unit 90 cannot determine whether or not to release the lock member 7014.

On the other hand, when the user can touch the lock member 7014 while the process cartridge 20 is removed from the printer main body 100, the lock member 7014 may be released by the user.

That is, even if the toner supply from the toner pack 40 should be restricted, the toner pack 40 may supply the toner to the process cartridge 20. As a result, the replenishment port 8012 of the process cartridge 20 may be clogged with toner.

Therefore, it is necessary to prevent the lock member 7014 from being released when the process cartridge 20 is removed from the printer main body 100 of the image forming apparatus 1 (hereinafter, referred to as a removed state). Hereinafter, the configuration of the process cartridge (cartridge) 20 for suppressing the release of the lock member 7014 in the removed state will be described.

(7) Fourth Modified Example With reference to FIGS. 20 and 21, a fourth modified example having a different configuration for locking the supply port shutter 7013 will be described. According to the configuration of this modification, it is possible to prevent the process cartridge 20 from being replenished with toner when the replenishment of toner from the replenishment container (toner pack 40 or toner bottle unit 900) should be restricted. Further, according to the configuration of this modification, it is possible to limit the toner replenishment from the replenishment container (toner pack 40 or toner bottle unit 900) in the state where the process cartridge 20 is taken out from the printer main body 100.

FIG. 20 is an explanatory diagram of the lock device 510 according to the present modification. FIG. 20A is a perspective view of the process cartridge 20. FIG. 20B is a cross-sectional view of the replenishment container mounting portion 701. FIG. 20 (c) is an enlarged view showing the lock device 510. FIG. 20D is a cross-sectional view of the replenishment container mounting portion 701. 20 (b) and 20 (d) are cross-sectional views taken along the line (b)-(b) in FIG. 20 (a) by cutting the replenishment container mounting portion 701. 20 (b) and 20 (c) show a state in which the lock device 510 locks the supply port shutter 7013. FIG. 20D shows a state in which the lock device 510 is unlocked. In FIGS. 20 (b), 20 (c), and 20 (d), the supply port shutter 7013 is in the closed state.

FIG. 21 is an explanatory diagram of the lock device 510 according to the present modification. 21 (a) and 21 (b) are cross-sectional views of the replenishment container mounting portion 701. FIG. 21A is a cross-sectional view when the lock device 510 is in the released state and the supply port shutter 7013 is in the open state. FIG. 21B is a cross-sectional view when the lock device 510 is in the locked state and the supply port shutter 7013 is in the open state. 21 (a) and 21 (b) are cross-sectional views taken along the line (b)-(b) in FIG. 20 (a) by cutting the replenishment container mounting portion 701.

As shown in FIG. 20A, the process cartridge 20 has a locking device 510 using a solenoid. The lock device 510 has a lock plate 512 as a lock member, a coil portion 511 as a moving portion for moving the lock plate 512, and an electrode 513 as a receiving portion. Further, the lock device 510 has a spring 514 as an urging member for urging the lock plate 512. Further, the electrode 513 and the coil portion 511 are electrically connected to each other.

The lock plate 512 is covered with the frame body 8010 and cannot be accessed from the outside of the process cartridge 20. Here, it can be said that the frame body 8010 is a part of the frame body of the process cartridge 20 or the developing unit 802. Therefore, when the process cartridge 20 is removed from the printer main body 100, the user cannot access the lock plate 512. On the other hand, the electrode 513 is exposed from the frame body 8010 and is configured to come into contact with the supply unit 517, which will be described later.

As shown in FIGS. 20 (b) and 20 (c), the lock plate 512 is supported by the fulcrum 512a and urged by the spring 514 which is a tension spring. As a result, the lock plate 512 is positioned at a position (regulated position, lock position) that restricts the rotation of the supply port shutter 7013. That is, the spring 514 urges the lock plate 512 from the position (release position) where the supply port shutter 7013 is allowed to rotate toward the regulated position.

As described above, the process cartridge 20 has a replenishment container mounting portion (mounting portion) 701 to which the replenishment container (toner pack 40 or toner bottle unit 900) is mounted, and a replenishment port 8012 for receiving the toner replenished from the replenishment container. .. Further, the process cartridge 20 has a movable replenishment port shutter (shutter member) 7013 that covers the replenishment port 8012.

The replenishment port shutter 7013 is configured to be movable between a position covering the replenishment port 8012 (first position, closed position) and a position retracted from the replenishment port 8012 (second position, open position). When the replenishment port shutter 7013 is positioned at a position retracted from the replenishment port 8012 (second position), the replenishment port 8012 is exposed, and toner is replenished from the replenishment container to the process cartridge 20 via the replenishment port 8012. Is acceptable. The state in which the replenishment port shutter 7013 is in the first position is the closed state of the replenishment port shutter 7013. The state in which the replenishment port shutter 7013 is in the second position is the open state of the replenishment port shutter 7013.

The lock plate 512 has a hook portion 512b. Further, the supply port shutter 7013 has an engaged portion 7013a. The engaged portion 7013a is provided at two locations. As will be described later, one of the engaged portions 7013a is configured to engage with the hook portion 512b when the supply port shutter 7013 is in the closed state. The other engaged portion 7013a is configured to engage the hook portion 512b when the supply port shutter 7013 is in the open state.

As shown in FIG. 20 (c), when the supply port shutter 7013 is in the closed state and the lock plate 512 is in the locked position, the hook portion 512b engages with the engaged portion 7013a. At this time, the supply port shutter 7013 is in a state in which both the rotation in the arrow R1 direction and the rotation in the arrow R2 direction are restricted (FIG. 20B). That is, in this state, the supply port shutter 7013 is restricted from moving from the first position to the second position.

On the other hand, the printer main body 100 of the image forming apparatus 1 has a supply unit 517. When the process cartridge 20 is mounted on the printer main body 100, the supply unit 517 is configured to come into contact with the electrode 513. Further, the electrode 513 is configured to receive electric power from the supply unit 517 of the printer main body 100. As will be described later, the lock plate 512 moves from the lock position to the release position by the electric power supplied from the supply unit 517 of the printer main body 100 to the electrode 513.

The current from the printer body 100 flows to the electrode 513 via the supply unit 517. The electrode 513 is electrically connected to the coil portion 511. Therefore, the current flowing through the electrode 513 is transmitted to the coil portion 511. When a current flows through the coil portion 511, a magnetic field is generated in the coil portion 511. Then, a force (magnetic force F1) that attracts the lock plate 512 is generated, and the lock plate 512 is attracted to the coil portion 511 against the urging force (F2) of the spring 514. Then, the lock plate 512 moves from the lock position to the release position (FIG. 20 (d)). In this way, the lock plate 512 is configured to be movable between the release position and the lock position. When power is not supplied to the electrode 513, the lock plate 512 is positioned at the locked position by the spring 514.

Then, when the lock plate 512 is in the disengaged position, the hook portion 512b and the engaged portion 7013a are disengaged. At this time, the supply port shutter 7013 is allowed to rotate (move) in the arrow R1 direction from the first position to the second position. As shown in FIG. 10A, the protruding portion 70135a provided on the supply port shutter 7013 is in contact with the protruding portion 70125a provided on the frame body 8010. Therefore, the supply port shutter 7013 is restricted from rotating in the R2 direction.

(7-1) Unlocking Operation of Locking Device 510 As described above, the printer main body 100 has a control unit 90 and a power supply unit (power supply) 211. The control unit 90 is configured to control the power supply unit 211.

Also in this modification, the control unit 90 determines whether or not to perform the unlocking operation of the lock device 510 based on the amount of toner stored in the process cartridge 20. That is, when the toner pack 40 is mounted on the replenishment container mounting unit 701, the control unit 90 controls only when the amount of toner stored in the process cartridge 20 is small enough to allow replenishment from the toner pack 40. , The lock device 510 is released.

More specifically, the control unit 90 powers the electrode 513 when the amount of toner contained in the process cartridge 20 is less than the amount that can be replenished from the toner pack 40 (first amount). Is controlled so that the power supply unit 211 is supplied. Similar to the above example, the control unit 90 locks the device based on the detection result of the toner remaining amount detecting means 51 and the information on the amount of toner stored in the process cartridge 20 stored in the P memory 58. It is determined whether or not to execute the release operation of 510. For example, power may be supplied to the electrode 513 when the amount of toner in the process cartridge 20 detected by the toner remaining amount detecting means 51 is less than the first amount. Further, when it can be determined that the amount of toner in the process cartridge 20 is less than the first amount based on the information stored in the P memory 58, power may be supplied to the electrode 513.

Further, the control unit 90 supplies power to the electrode 513 when the toner pack 40 can be replenished (a state in which the amount of toner contained in the toner pack 40 is larger than the second amount). , The power supply unit 211 may be controlled. For example, the T memory (storage member) 57 mounted on the toner pack 40 stores information on the amount of toner contained in the toner pack 40, and the control unit controls the power supply unit 211 based on the information. May be good. That is, when it is determined from the information stored in the T memory 57 that the toner pack 40 can be replenished (the amount of toner contained in the toner pack 40 is larger than the second amount), the electrode The power may be supplied to the 513.

When it is detected that the toner pack 40 is mounted on the replenishment container mounting unit 701, the control unit 90 determines whether or not to release the lock device 510. When it is determined to perform the unlocking operation of the lock device 510, the control unit 90 performs the unlocking operation of the lock device 510.

As described above, the replenishment port shutter 7013 moves from the closed position to the open position by displacement (rotating) the toner pack 40 attached to the replenishment container mounting portion 710.

As described with reference to FIG. 10, when the user rotates the toner pack 40 in the direction of arrow R1 with the lock device 510 released, the movement of the shutter unit 41 is fixed, and the toner excluding the shutter unit 41 is fixed. The pack 40 and the replenishment port shutter 7013 rotate together. When the toner pack 40 is further rotated, as shown in FIG. 21 (a), the protruding portion 70125b and the protruding portion 70135a come into contact with each other, and the rotation in the R1 direction is restricted (FIG. 21 (a)). At this time, the protruding portion 70135a of the supply port shutter 7013 pushes the leaf spring 70152 of the rotation detection unit 7015, and the leaf spring 70152 comes into contact with the leaf spring 70151. Then, the control unit 90 recognizes that the supply port shutter 7013 is in the open state.

When it is recognized that the supply port shutter 7013 is in the open state, the supply of electric power from the supply unit 517 to the electrode 513 is stopped. Then, the moving unit 514 moves to the locked position by the urging force (F2) of the spring 514. Then, as shown in FIG. 21B, the hook portion 512b of the lock plate 512 engages with the engaged portion 7013a. Then, the supply port shutter 7013 is restricted from both rotation in the arrow R1 direction and rotation in the arrow R2 direction.

As described above, when the predetermined condition is satisfied after the toner is discharged from the toner pack 40, the control unit 90 determines that the toner discharge is completed. In this modification, the control unit 90 determines that the toner has been discharged based on the elapsed time since the rotation detection unit 7015 is turned on. When the toner bottle unit 900 is used instead of the toner pack 40, the control unit 90 may determine that the toner has been discharged by detecting the completion of pushing the piston 902.

When the control unit 90 determines that the toner has been discharged, the control unit 90 controls the power supply unit 211 so that a current flows from the supply unit 517 to the electrode 513. Then, the lock plate 512 moves from the lock position to the release position, and the hook portion 512b and the engaged portion 7013a are disengaged (see FIG. 21A). Then, the toner pack 40 and the replenishment port shutter 7013 are allowed to rotate in the direction of arrow R2.

When the user rotates the toner pack 40 and the replenishment port shutter 7013 in the direction of arrow R2, the protruding portion 70125a and the protruding portion 70135a come into contact with each other. Then, the rotation of the toner pack 40 and the replenishment port shutter 7013 is stopped (FIG. 20 (d)). At this time, the supply port shutter 7013 is in the closed state. Then, the user removes the toner pack 40 from the process cartridge 20.

In this modification, the control unit 90 stops supplying electric power to the electrode 513 when the rotation detection unit 7015 is in a disconnected state while the supply port shutter 7013 is rotating in the direction of arrow R2. By pulling out the toner pack 40 from the replenishment container mounting portion 701, control is performed when the continuity between the contact portion 70133 (see FIG. 9B) and the contact portion 45a (see FIG. 7A) is lost. The unit 90 may stop the supply of electric power to the electrode 513.

When the power supply to the electrode 513 is cut off, the lock plate 512 is moved to the lock position by the spring 514. Then, when the supply port shutter 713 is closed, the hook portion 512b engages with the engaged portion 7013a.

As described above, when the electric power (current) is not supplied to the electrode 513, the lock plate 512 is located at the lock position. Therefore, when the process cartridge 20 is removed from the printer main body 100, the lock plate 512 is positioned at the locked position. Therefore, even if the toner pack 40 is attached to the process cartridge 20, the user cannot rotate the toner pack 40. Therefore, when the process cartridge 20 is in a state where the toner supply from the toner pack 40 should be restricted, it is possible to prevent the toner from being replenished from the toner pack 40. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the replenishment port 8012 of the process cartridge 20 from being clogged with toner.

Here, the lock device 510 may be arranged in the printer main body 100. Further, a part of the lock device 510 may be arranged in the printer main body 100. For example, the electrode 513 and the coil unit 511 as the magnetic force generating unit may be arranged in the printer main body 100, and the control unit 90 may be configured to control the supply of electric power to the magnetic force generating unit. The lock plate 512 is covered with the frame body 8010 so as not to be exposed to the outside of the frame body 8010. Also in this configuration, the lock plate 512 can be moved by the magnetic force acting from the outside of the frame 8010 on the lock plate 512 housed inside the frame 8010. Also in this configuration, it is preferable that the lock plate 512 is urged from the release position to the lock position by the spring 514. Further, electric power may be directly supplied from the supply unit 517 to the coil unit 511.

Further, if the lock plate 512 can be positioned at the lock position when power is not supplied to the coil portion 511, the spring 514 can be omitted. For example, the lock plate 512 may be positioned at the lock position due to the weight of the lock plate 512.

<Second embodiment>
A second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 22, 23, and 24. In the fourth modification of the first embodiment, the configuration in which the supply port shutter 7013 is electrically locked has been described. In this embodiment, a configuration for preventing the lock member from being released will be described by a method different from that of the fourth modification in the first embodiment.

FIG. 22 is a diagram illustrating the configuration of the process cartridge 20 in the comparative example of the present embodiment. FIG. 22A is a perspective view of the process cartridge 20 according to the comparative example. FIG. 22B is a top view of the process cartridge 20 according to the comparative example. 22 (c) and 22 (d) are cross-sectional views of the roprocess cartridge 20 according to the comparative example. 22 (c) and 22 (d) are cross-sectional views of the process cartridge 20 in FIG. 22 (b) cut by (cd)-(cd). In FIG. 22 (c), the lock member 7014 is in the lock position, and in FIG. 22 (d), the lock member 7014 is in the release position.

FIG. 23 is a diagram illustrating the configuration of the process cartridge 20 in the present embodiment. FIG. 23A is a perspective view of the process cartridge 20 according to the present embodiment. FIG. 23B is a top view of the process cartridge 20 according to the present embodiment. FIG. 23 (c) is a cross-sectional view of the roprocess cartridge 20 according to the present embodiment. FIG. 23 (c) is a cross-sectional view of the process cartridge 20 in FIG. 23 (b) cut by (cd) − (cd). In FIG. 23 (c), the lock member 7014 is in the lock position.

FIG. 24 is a diagram illustrating the configuration of the process cartridge 20 in the modified example of the present embodiment. FIG. 24A is a perspective view of the process cartridge 20 according to the modified example of the present embodiment. FIG. 24B is a top view of the process cartridge 20 according to the modified example of the present embodiment. 24 (c) and 24 (d) are cross-sectional views of the roprocess cartridge 20 according to a modified example of the present embodiment. 24 (c) and 24 (d) are cross-sectional views of the process cartridge 20 in FIG. 24 (b) cut by (cd)-(cd). In FIGS. 24 (c) and 24 (d), the lock member 7014 is in the locked position.

As shown in FIG. 22 (c), when the lock member 7014 according to the comparative example is in the release position, the rotation shaft 7014a is exposed from the frame body 8010. Therefore, when the process cartridge 20 is removed from the printer main body 100, the user can touch the lock member 7014.

On the other hand, as shown in FIGS. 23 (c) and 23 (d), in the present embodiment, the frame body 8010 has a wall 520 arranged around the lock member 7014. When the lock member 7014 is in the lock position, the tip of the wall 520 is in a position protruding with respect to the rotation shaft 7014a of the lock member 7014. More specifically, in the direction from the root to the tip of the wall portion 520, the rotation shaft 7014a of the lock member 7014 at the lock position is located on the upstream side of the tip of the wall portion 520. In this embodiment, the wall 520 comes into contact with the rotating shaft 7014a of the lock member 7014. The wall 520 also functions as a guide for the rotating shaft 7014a.

In consideration of contact by the user, the size of the opening formed by the wall portion 520 is preferably 8 mm or less in diameter, more preferably 6 mm or less in diameter if the opening is circular. If the opening is rectangular, the length of the short side is preferably 8 mm or less, and more preferably the length of the short side is 6 mm or less. Further, the distance between the rotation shaft 7014a when the lock member 7014 is switched from the locked state to the released state and the opening is preferably 5 mm or more. Further, when the lock member 7014 is in the lock position, the distance between the rotation shaft 7014a and the opening is preferably 5 mm or more.

As described above, by providing the wall 520, it is possible to prevent the user from coming into contact with the lock member 7014.

Further, as shown in FIGS. 24 (c) and 24 (d), the process cartridge 20 may include a cover member 522 that covers the opening formed by the wall 520. The cover member 522 is configured to be movable between a cover position covering the opening (see FIG. 24C) and a retracted position retracted from the opening (see FIG. 24D).

In this embodiment, the cover member 522 is made of resin. The cover member 522 is urged from the retracted position to the cover position by an urging member (not shown). Then, when the process cartridge 20 is attached to the printer main body 100, it comes into contact with a part of the printer main body 100 and moves from the cover position (FIG. 24 (c)) to the retracted position (FIG. 24 (d)).

As described above, by covering the opening of the wall 520 with the cover member 522, it is possible to prevent the user from coming into contact with the rotation shaft 7014a.

Further, when the process cartridge 20 includes the cover member 522, the wall 520 described above may be omitted. If the wall 520 is omitted, the frame 8010 can be said to have an opening into which the rotating shaft 7014a is inserted (see FIGS. 22 (c) and 22 (d)). Then, the cover member 522 covers the opening formed in the frame body 8010.

Even with this configuration, by covering the opening of the frame body 8010 with the cover member 522, it is possible to prevent the user from coming into contact with the rotating shaft 7014a.

1 Image forming apparatus 20, 20B, 20C Process cartridge (cartridge)
21 Image carrier (photosensitive drum)
31 Developer carrier (development roller)
32,8010 Process cartridge frame (development container, toner receiving unit frame)
40, 900 Replenishment container (toner pack, toner bottle unit 510 lock device 511 coil part 512 operating part 513 electrode (receiving part)
514 spring (biasing member)
517 Supply section 520 Wall 522 Cover member

Claims (15)

A cartridge that is detachably attached to the main body of the image forming apparatus and is configured to replenish toner from a replenishment container.
A replenishment port for receiving the toner replenished from the replenishment container and
A shutter member configured to be movable between a first position and a second position, the replenishment port is covered when the shutter member is in the first position, and the replenishment port is covered when the shutter member is in the second position. A shutter member configured to expose the mouth and
A lock member configured to be movable between a lock position and a release position, and when in the lock position, the shutter member is restricted from moving from the first position to the second position. A lock member that allows the shutter member to move from the first position to the second position when in the release position.
Have,
A cartridge characterized in that the lock member is moved from the lock position to the release position by electric power supplied from the apparatus main body. The cartridge according to claim 1, wherein the lock member is positioned at the lock position when power is not supplied from the device main body. A receiving part for receiving power from the device body and
The coil part electrically connected to the receiving part and
Have,
The cartridge according to claim 2, wherein when power is supplied to the receiving portion from the apparatus main body, the locking member moves from the locking position to the unlocking position by the magnetic force generated by the coil portion. .. The cartridge according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising an urging member that urges the lock member from the release position toward the lock position. The cartridge according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the cartridge has a frame body that covers the lock member. It has a mounting part to which the replenishment container is attached.
Claims 1 to 5 are characterized in that the shutter member is configured to move from the first position to the second position by displacing the replenishment container attached to the mounting portion. The cartridge according to any one of the above. With the device body
A cartridge that is detachably attached to the main body of the device and is configured to replenish toner from a replenishment container.
A replenishment port for receiving the toner replenished from the replenishment container and
A shutter member configured to be movable between a first position and a second position, the replenishment port is covered when the shutter member is in the first position, and the replenishment port is covered when the shutter member is in the second position. A shutter member configured to expose the mouth and
A lock member configured to be movable between a lock position and a release position, and when in the lock position, the shutter member is restricted from moving from the first position to the second position. A lock member that allows the shutter member to move from the first position to the second position when in the release position.
With a cartridge that has
Have,
An image forming apparatus, characterized in that the lock member is moved from the lock position to the release position by electric power supplied from the apparatus main body to the cartridge. The image forming apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the lock member is positioned at the lock position when power is not supplied to the cartridge from the apparatus main body. The cartridge has a receiving portion for receiving electric power from the apparatus main body and a coil portion electrically connected to the receiving portion.
The image according to claim 2, wherein the lock member moves from the lock position to the release position by the magnetic force generated by the coil portion when electric power is supplied to the receiving portion from the apparatus main body. Forming device. The image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 7 to 9, wherein the cartridge includes an urging member that urges the lock member from the release position toward the lock position. The image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 7 to 10, wherein the cartridge has a frame body that covers the lock member. The cartridge has a mounting portion to which the replenishment container is attached.
Claims 7 to 11 are characterized in that the shutter member is configured to move from the first position to the second position by displacing the replenishment container attached to the mounting portion. The image forming apparatus according to any one of the above. The device main body has a power supply and a control unit that controls the power supply.
The control unit is configured to control the power supply so that power is supplied from the apparatus main body to the cartridge when the amount of toner contained in the cartridge is less than the first amount. The image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 8 to 12, wherein the image forming apparatus is characterized in that. The image forming apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the cartridge has a remaining amount detecting unit that detects the amount of the toner contained in the frame. The replenishment container has a storage member that stores information about the amount of toner contained in the replenishment container.
The control unit is configured to control the power supply so that power is supplied from the apparatus main body to the cartridge when the amount of toner contained in the replenishment container is larger than the second amount. The image forming apparatus according to claim 13 or 14.

Images