JP2022036233A - Development device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a development device which keeps a developer from being discharged to the outside of a development container following rotation of a transport screw, from a sheet ejection hole after an encapsulation sheet is pulled out.

SOLUTION: A sheet ejection hole 80 is formed above an opening 35a as seen from a horizontal direction. The sheet ejection hole 80 is inclined relative to a horizontal direction at a prescribed angle. By inclining the sheet ejection hole 80, an upper end side of the sheet ejection hole 80 is separated from an agitation screw 34 in a radial direction of the agitation screw 34 relative to a lower end side. By thus separating the sheet ejection hole 80 from the agitation screw 34 in the radial direction of the agitation screw 34, a developer is kept from being discharged to the outside of a development container 30 following rotation of the agitation screw 34 from the sheet ejection hole 80 after the encapsulation sheet 37 is pulled out.

SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

COPYRIGHT: (C)2022,JPO&INPIT

Description

The present invention relates to a developing apparatus suitable for use in an image forming apparatus utilizing electrophotographic technology such as a printer, a copying machine, a facsimile or a multifunction device.

Image forming equipment using electrophotographic technology such as printers, copiers, facsimiles, or multifunction devices includes a developing device that develops an electrostatic latent image formed on a photosensitive drum with a developer and makes it a visible image. It is provided so that it can be attached and detached. The replacement developing apparatus is preliminarily housed in a housing section in which the opening is sealed by a sealing sheet so that the new developer does not deteriorate when exposed to the outside air. Therefore, when a replacement developing device is attached, it is necessary to open the housing section by pulling out the sealing sheet and allow the developing agent to flow out from the housing section. A transport screw capable of transporting the developer discharged from the accommodating portion is provided in the developing container, and the sealing sheet is pulled out in the direction of the rotation axis of the transport screw. Then, in the developing container, the sealing sheet can be pulled out substantially in parallel, and in order to discharge the pulled out sealing sheet to the outside of the developing container, it is on the extension line of the opening of the accommodating portion or on the transport screw rather than the opening. A sheet discharge port is formed on the near lower side (Patent Document 1).

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2010-48944

By the way, when the transfer screw is rotated after the sealing sheet is pulled out, the developer is scattered in the developing container as the transfer screw is rotated, and the scattered developer is easily discharged from the sheet discharge port to the outside of the developing container. Become. In order to prevent this, it is conceivable to move the sheet discharge port away from the transfer screw in the direction of the rotation axis of the transfer screw, but in order to do so, the device must be increased in size and it is difficult to adopt it. Further, it is conceivable to seal the sheet discharge port with an elastic sealing member to increase the elastic amount of this sealing member. However, in such a case, the pulling force when pulling out the sealing sheet becomes too large, and in some cases the sealing sheet is cut during pulling out, and the developing device must be replaced again, so it is still difficult to adopt. rice field. In view of these, the developer is pre-contained in the accommodating portion sealed with the encapsulating sheet, and the developer is removed from the developing container as the transport screw rotates from the sheet discharge port after the encapsulating sheet is pulled out. A developing device that is difficult to be discharged to is conventionally desired. However, no such thing has been proposed yet.

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and has a configuration in which the developer is previously stored in a storage portion sealed with a sealing sheet, and the developer is conveyed from a sheet discharge port after the sealing sheet is pulled out. An object of the present invention is to provide a developing device that is difficult to be discharged to the outside of a developing container as the screw rotates.

The developing apparatus according to the present invention includes a developing container capable of accommodating a developing agent, a transport screw provided in the developing container for transporting the developing agent in the developing container, and above the transport screw in the developing container. The space is partitioned in the direction of the rotation axis of the transport screw, and the wall portion forming the first chamber and the second chamber having an opening on the transport screw side and the developing agent are housed in the first chamber. The developing container includes a sheet member that seals the opening of the first chamber, and the developing container has one end of the sheet member that seals the opening of the first chamber projecting out of the developing container. It has a sheet discharge port for discharging the sheet member to the outside of the developing container in response to the withdrawal of the member, and the sheet discharge port is formed above the opening of the first chamber when viewed from the horizontal direction. , Characterized by that.

According to the present invention, the developing agent is preliminarily stored in the first chamber sealed with the sheet member, and the developing agent is transferred from the sheet discharging port after the sheet member is pulled out as the transport screw rotates. It can be easily realized that it is difficult to be discharged to the outside.

The schematic diagram which shows the structure of the image forming apparatus suitable for using the developing apparatus of this embodiment. The cross-sectional view which shows the developing apparatus of 1st Embodiment. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing a developing apparatus of the first embodiment as viewed in a vertical cross section including an axial direction. The cross-sectional perspective view which enlarges and shows the vicinity of the sheet discharge port of the developing apparatus of 1st Embodiment. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing a developing apparatus of the second embodiment as viewed in a vertical cross section including an axial direction. The cross-sectional perspective view which enlarges and shows the vicinity of the sheet discharge port of the developing apparatus of 2nd Embodiment.

<First Embodiment>
[Image forming device]
Hereinafter, the first embodiment will be described. First, the configuration of an image forming apparatus suitable for using the developing apparatus of the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. The image forming apparatus 60 shown in FIG. 1 is an intermediate transfer tandem type color image forming apparatus in which an image forming unit 600 of four colors is arranged in the apparatus main body 100 so as to face the intermediate transfer belt 61.

The transfer process of the recording material of the image forming apparatus 60 will be described. The recording material S is stored in a form of being loaded in the recording material storage (cassette) 62, and is fed by the paper feed roller 63 at the image formation timing. For example, a friction separation method is used for feeding paper from the recording material storage 62. The recording material S sent out by the paper feed roller 63 is conveyed to the resist roller 65 arranged in the middle of the transfer path 64. Then, after the resist roller 65 performs skew correction and timing correction of the recording material S, the recording material S is sent to the secondary transfer unit T2. The secondary transfer portion T2 is a transfer nip portion formed by the opposing secondary transfer inner roller 66 and secondary transfer outer roller 67, and is applied on the recording material S by applying a predetermined pressing force and an electrostatic load bias. Adsorbs the toner image on the surface.

With respect to the transfer process of the recording material S to the secondary transfer unit T2 described above, an image forming process transmitted to the secondary transfer unit T2 at the same timing will be described. First, the image forming unit 600 will be described. However, since the image forming unit 600 of each color is basically the same except for the toner color, in FIG. 1, only the black (BK) image forming unit 600 is designated, and the image forming units of other colors are designated. Not signed. Therefore, in the following, the black (BK) image forming unit 600 will be described as an example.

The image forming unit 600 is mainly composed of a photosensitive drum 1, a charging device 2, a developing device 3, a photosensitive drum cleaner 5, and the like. The surface of the photosensitive drum 1 that is rotationally driven is uniformly charged in advance by the charging device 2, and then an electrostatic latent image is formed by the exposure device 68 that is driven based on the signal of the image information. Next, the electrostatic latent image formed on the photosensitive drum 1 is visualized through toner development by the developing device 3. That is, the developing apparatus 3 develops the electrostatic latent image with the toner contained in the developer described later, and forms the toner image on the photosensitive drum 1. The developing device 3 will be described later (see FIG. 2).

After that, a predetermined pressing force and an electrostatic load bias are applied by the primary transfer device 4 arranged to face each other with the image forming unit 600 and the intermediate transfer belt 61 interposed therebetween, and the toner image formed on the photosensitive drum 1 is intermediate. The primary transfer is performed on the transfer belt 61. The primary transfer residual toner remaining on the photosensitive drum 1 after the primary transfer is recovered by the photosensitive drum cleaner 5 and is prepared for the next image formation process again.

In the case of the present embodiment, there are four sets of the image forming unit 600, yellow (Y), magenta (M), cyan (C), and black (BK). However, the number of colors is not limited to four, and the order of arrangement of colors is not limited to this. Further, the developing apparatus 3 uses a two-component developing agent containing a non-magnetic toner and a magnetic carrier as the developing agent. In this case, since the toner is consumed during development, the toner can be replenished to the developing device 3 from the toner bottle 605 containing the toner.

The intermediate transfer belt 61 on which the toner image is primarily transferred is an endless belt that is stretched by a tension roller 6, a secondary transfer inner roller 66, and driven rollers 7a and 7b, and is moved in the direction of arrow C in the figure. In the case of the present embodiment, the secondary transfer inner roller 66 also serves as a drive roller for driving the intermediate transfer belt 61. The image forming process of each color processed in parallel by the image forming unit 600 of each color described above is performed at the timing of sequentially superimposing on the toner image of the color primaryly transferred on the intermediate transfer belt 61 upstream in the moving direction. As a result, a full-color toner image is finally formed on the intermediate transfer belt 61 and transferred to the secondary transfer unit T2. The secondary transfer residual toner remaining on the intermediate transfer belt 61 after passing through the secondary transfer unit T2 is recovered from the intermediate transfer belt 61 by the transfer cleaner device 8.

By the transfer process and the image forming process described above, the timings of the recording material S and the full-color toner image are matched in the secondary transfer unit T2, and the toner image is transferred from the intermediate transfer belt 61 to the recording material S. Secondary transcription is performed. After that, the recording material S is conveyed to the fixing device 9, and the toner image is melted and fixed on the recording material S by being pressurized and heated by the fixing device 9. The recording material S whose image is fixed in this way is selected to be discharged as it is on the paper ejection tray 601 or to perform double-sided image formation by the forward rotation of the paper ejection roller 69.

When double-sided image formation is required, the rear end of the recording material S is conveyed by the forward rotation of the paper ejection roller 69 until it passes through the switching member 602, and then the front and rear ends are replaced by rotating the paper ejection roller 69 in the reverse direction. , Transported to the double-sided transport path 603. After that, it is sent to the transfer path 64 again by the re-feed roller 604 in time with the recording material of the succeeding job conveyed from the paper feed roller 63. Subsequent transfer and image formation process on the back surface are the same as in the above case, so the description thereof will be omitted.

[Developer]
Next, the developing apparatus 3 of the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2 and 4. In addition, in FIG. 2, in order to make the explanation easy to understand, the sheet discharge port 80 described later is shown by a dotted line. As shown in FIG. 2, the developing apparatus 3 of the present embodiment has a developing container 30, a developing sleeve 17, a developing screw 33 and a stirring screw 34, and a regulating blade 36 forming a housing.

The developing container 30 contains a two-component developer (hereinafter, simply referred to as a developer) containing a non-magnetic toner and a magnetic carrier. That is, the developing apparatus 3 of the present embodiment adopts a two-component developing method as a developing method, and uses a developer in which a non-magnetic toner having a negative charge polarity and a magnetic carrier having a positive charge polarity are mixed. The non-magnetic toner is made by encapsulating a resin such as polyester or styrene acrylic with a colorant, an external additive such as colloidal silica fine powder, wax, or the like, and pulverizing or polymerizing the toner into a powder. The magnetic carrier is obtained by applying a resin coating to the surface layer of a core made of resin particles obtained by kneading ferrite particles or magnetic powder. The toner concentration (ratio of the toner weight to the total weight of the toner and the carrier) of the new (so-called initial state) developer is, for example, 10%.

A part of the developing container 30 facing the photosensitive drum 1 is open, and a developing sleeve 17 capable of supporting the developing agent is rotatably provided in the opening so that a part of the developing container 30 is exposed. The developing sleeve 17 as a developing agent carrier is formed in a cylindrical shape with a non-magnetic material such as aluminum or stainless steel, and is rotated in the same direction as the photosensitive drum 1 on the surface facing the photosensitive drum 1 (arrow R2 in the figure). , See arrow R3). The rotation direction of the developing sleeve 17 may be opposite to that of the photosensitive drum 1 on the surface facing the photosensitive drum 1.

A magnet roller 18 is fixedly arranged inside the developing sleeve 17. The magnetic force of the magnet roller 18 forms magnetic spikes of the developer on the surface of the developing sleeve 17. The magnetic spikes formed on the surface of the developing sleeve 17 are sent to a predetermined developing region with the layer thickness regulated by the regulating blade 36. The regulation blade 36 is a plate-shaped member made of a non-magnetic material such as aluminum, and is arranged along the rotation axis direction (longitudinal direction) of the developing sleeve 17. When the magnetic spikes sent to the developing area rub the photosensitive drum 1, the electrostatic latent image formed on the photosensitive drum 1 is developed into a toner image. At that time, only the DC voltage is applied to the developing sleeve 17 as the developing voltage, or a superposed voltage obtained by superimposing the DC voltage and the AC voltage is applied to the developing sleeve 17 by a power source (not shown).

The developing container 30 is divided into a developing chamber 31 and a stirring chamber 32 by a partition wall 39 extending in the vertical direction of the drawing in a substantially central portion. The developing chamber 31 and the stirring chamber 32 communicate with each other through communication portions provided at both ends in the longitudinal direction of the partition wall 39 to form a circulation path for the developer. A developing screw 33 is rotatably arranged in the developing chamber 31, and a stirring screw 34 is rotatably arranged in the stirring chamber 32. The developing screw 33 and the stirring screw 34 are screws having blades (not shown) spirally provided around the rotating shafts 33a and 34a, respectively.

The developing sleeve 17, the developing screw 33, and the stirring screw 34 are connected by a gear train, and are rotated by a drive motor (not shown) via the gear train. When the developing screw 33 rotates, the developing agent in the developing chamber 31 is conveyed along the developing screw 33, and at this time, a part of the developing agent is supplied to the developing sleeve 17. The developer conveyed in the developing chamber 31 is transferred from the developing chamber 31 to the stirring chamber 32 via the communication portion on one end side of the partition wall 39 on the downstream side in the developing agent conveying direction of the developing screw 33. On the other hand, when the stirring screw 34 rotates, the developer in the stirring chamber 32 is conveyed along the stirring screw 34 in the direction opposite to the developer conveying direction of the developing screw 33. The developer conveyed in the stirring chamber 32 is transferred from the stirring chamber 32 to the developing chamber 31 via the communication portion on the other end side of the partition wall 39 on the upstream side in the developing agent conveying direction of the developing screw 33. In this way, the developer is circulated and conveyed in the developing container 30 (inside the developing container) while being stirred by the developing screw 33 and the stirring screw 34.

[Accommodation and sealing sheet]
By the way, in the present embodiment, in order to improve convenience, a developing device 3 for each color is detachably provided with respect to the device main body 100 (see FIG. 1). The replacement developing apparatus 3 is pre-sealed in the developing container 30 so that a new developing agent (also referred to as an initial state) that has not yet been developed is not deteriorated by contact with the outside air. In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, an accommodating portion 35 capable of preliminarily accommodating a new developer is formed above the stirring screw 34 as a transport screw in the developing container 30.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, in the accommodating portion 35 as the first chamber, the space above the stirring screw 34 (above the transport screw) in the developing container 30 is the wall portion 35b in the direction of the rotation axis of the stirring screw 34 (the space above the stirring screw 34). It is formed by partitioning in the longitudinal direction). Further, the wall portion 35b forms a space portion 32a as a second chamber in addition to the accommodating portion 35. In the case of the present embodiment, the accommodating portion 35 and the space portion 32a are opened horizontally on the stirring screw 34 side (conveying screw side) and communicate with the stirring chamber 32. The accommodating portion 35 is formed with blades (not shown) of the stirring screw 34 in the direction of the rotation axis of the stirring screw 34 in order to efficiently convey the developer after the sealing sheet 37, which will be described later, is pulled out. It is preferably formed over substantially the entire range.

A sealing sheet 37 can be attached to the opening 35a of the accommodating portion 35, and the sealing sheet 37 allows the opening 35a to be sealed with the developing agent contained in the accommodating portion 35. The sealing sheet 37 is a sheet member made of a resin material such as a plastic film, and can be peeled off and attached to the opening 35a by an appropriate method such as heat welding or an adhesive. In this way, the accommodating portion 35 can be sealed by the sealing sheet 37 in a state of accommodating a new developer.

In the replacement developing apparatus 3, a new developer is stored in advance in the accommodating portion 35 sealed by the sealing sheet 37 as described above, while the developing chamber 31 and the stirring chamber 32 (including the space portion 32a) are included. ) Does not contain a developer. Therefore, when mounting the replacement developing device 3, it is necessary to remove the sealing sheet 37. The sealing sheet 37 is removed, and the developer contained in the accommodating portion 35 falls into the stirring chamber 32 having the stirring screw 34 and is conveyed along with the rotation of the stirring screw 34 (and the developing screw 33). The new developer is distributed throughout the developing container 30. In the case of the present embodiment, the sealing sheet 37 is pulled out from the outside of the developing container 30 (outside the developing container) in the rotation axis direction (longitudinal direction) of the stirring screw 34.

As shown in FIG. 4, a sheet discharge port 80 is formed in the developing container 30 so that the sealing sheet 37 can be pulled out in the longitudinal direction. In the case of the present embodiment, since the sealing sheet 37 is pulled out in the direction of the rotation axis of the stirring screw 34, the sheet discharge port 80 is a developing container 30 provided with a bearing portion (not shown) that rotatably supports the stirring screw 34. It is formed on the side wall portion 30a of the above. Specifically, the sheet discharge port 80 is formed on the side wall portion 30a on the side opposite to the wall portion 35b with the space portion 32a interposed therebetween.

The sealing sheet 37 is inserted into the sheet discharge port 80 so that one end side (free end portion 37b, which will be described later) that is not attached to the opening 35a protrudes out of the developing container 30. Since one end side of the sealing sheet 37 protrudes to the outside of the developing container 30 through the sheet discharge port 80, the sealing sheet 37 can be pulled out from the outside of the developing container 30. Then, when the sealing sheet 37 is pulled out, it can be discharged to the outside of the developing container 30 while being guided by the sheet discharge port 80.

In the case of the present embodiment, the sheet discharge port 80 is formed above the opening 35a when viewed from the horizontal direction. In this way, the sheet discharge port 80 can be separated from the stirring screw 34 in the radial direction of the stirring screw 34, and the developer is developed from the sheet discharging port 80 after the sealing sheet 37 is pulled out as the stirring screw 34 rotates. It becomes difficult to be discharged to the outside of the container 30.

The sheet discharge port 80 is inclined at a predetermined angle with respect to the horizontal direction. The predetermined angle (see the angle θ in FIG. 4) is preferably 30 degrees or more and less than 90 degrees with respect to the horizontal direction. By inclining the sheet discharge port 80, the upper end side of the sheet discharge port 80 is separated from the stirring screw 34 in the radial direction of the stirring screw 34 than the lower end side. In this way, as compared with the case where the sheet discharge port 80 is not tilted (θ = 0), the developer is removed from the developing container 30 as the stirring screw 34 rotates from the sheet discharge port 80 after the sealing sheet 37 is pulled out. It may be harder to be discharged.

Further, as shown in FIG. 2, when the wall surface 30c on the opposite side of the developing sleeve 17 is formed to be inclined with respect to the vertical direction in the width direction in which the developing container 30 intersects the rotation axis direction of the stirring screw 34. , The sheet discharge port 80 can be tilted according to the wall surface 30c. That is, the sheet discharge port 80 is tilted at the same inclination angle as the wall surface 30c with respect to the vertical direction. In this case, the sheet discharge port 80 may be formed so that at least a part of the wall portion 35b overlaps with the wall portion 35b when viewed from the rotation axis direction of the stirring screw 34. By doing so, it is possible to prevent the developer from being discharged to the outside of the developing container 30 as the stirring screw 34 rotates from the sheet discharging port 80 after the sealing sheet 37 is pulled out, without increasing the size of the apparatus.

As shown in FIG. 4, the sealing sheet 37 attached to the opening 35a is bent and protrudes from the sheet discharge port 80 to the outside of the developing container 30. That is, in the sealing sheet 37, the sealing portion 37a that seals the opening 35a and the free end portion 37b that protrudes from the sheet discharge port 80 to the outside of the developing container 30 are connected by the bent portion 37c. The bent portion 37c changes the positions in which the sealing portion 37a and the free end portion 37b face each other in the space portion 32a, appropriately transmits the pulling force from the free end portion 37b to the sealing portion 37a during the pulling operation, and seals the bent portion 37c. The stop sheet 37 is easily discharged from the sheet discharge port 80. If the sheet ejection port 80 is formed above the opening 35a when viewed horizontally, the sealing sheet 37 must be bent. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the accommodating portion 35 and the space portion 32a are formed by the wall portion 35b in order to secure the space portion 32a for accommodating the bent portion 37c. In other words, by securing the space portion 32a by the wall portion 35b, the sheet discharge port 80 can be formed above the opening portion 35a when viewed from the horizontal direction.

As shown in FIG. 4, a sealing member 40 made of an elastic body such as a urethane material may be arranged in the sheet discharge port 80. The seal member 40 is provided so as to be able to pass through the sealing sheet 37 while filling the gap of the sheet discharge port 80.

As described above, in the present embodiment, the sheet discharge port 80 is formed above the opening 35a when viewed from the horizontal direction, so that the sheet discharge port 80 is separated from the stirring screw 34 in the radial direction of the stirring screw 34. be able to. Further, by inclining the sheet discharge port 80 at a predetermined angle with respect to the horizontal direction, the sheet discharge port 80 can be further separated from the stirring screw 34 in the radial direction of the stirring screw 34. By doing so, it can be easily realized that the developer is less likely to be discharged from the sheet discharge port 80 after the sealing sheet 37 is pulled out to the outside of the developing container 30 as the stirring screw 34 rotates.

<Second embodiment>
The developing apparatus 3A of the second embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 5 and 6. The developing device 3A of the second embodiment is different from the developing device 3 of the first embodiment described above (see FIGS. 3 and 4) only in that it has a discharge port wall 41 protruding into the developing container 30. The other configurations are the same. Therefore, in the developing apparatus 3A of the second embodiment, the same reference numerals are given to the same configurations as the developing apparatus 3 of the first embodiment, and the description thereof will be omitted.

In the present embodiment, the discharge port wall 41 as a protrusion is formed in the developing container 30 so as to surround the sheet discharge port 80. That is, the developing container 30 has a discharge port wall 41 protruding inward from the side wall portion 30a. The discharge port wall 41 can reduce the inflow of the developer scattered in the developing container 30 with the rotation of the stirring screw 34 after the sealing sheet 37 is pulled out into the sheet discharge port 80. Therefore, the elastic modulus of the seal member 40 (see FIG. 4) can be reduced, or the seal member 40 can be omitted. By doing so, the pulling force related to the pulling out of the sealing sheet 37 is reduced, so that the sealing sheet 37 may be difficult to be cut at the time of pulling out. Further, the discharge port wall 41 can stabilize the posture of the sealing sheet 37 with respect to the sheet discharge port 80 at the time of pulling out. As a result, even if the sheet discharge port 80 is tilted, the sealing sheet 37 is unlikely to be cut at the time of pulling out.

The discharge port wall 41 may be arranged at least below the sheet discharge port 80. However, it is preferable to form the developer so as to surround the sheet discharge port 80 as in the present embodiment because the developer is less likely to be discharged from the sheet discharge port 80.

<Other embodiments>
The sealing sheet 37 may be pulled out manually by the user, or may be pulled out by a removing device (not shown) that automatically winds the sealing sheet 37. In the removing device, one end of the sealing sheet 37 is fixed to the take-up shaft, the take-up shaft rotates, and the sealing sheet 37 is taken up, so that the sealing sheet 37 is pulled out of the developing container 30. When such a removing device is used, there is no risk of operating the developing device 3 without pulling out the sealing sheet 37, and since the sealing sheet 37 is collected in the developing device 3, the user pulls it out. It is not necessary to dispose of the sealed sheet 37 as waste.

In the first and second embodiments described above, the case where the sealing sheet 37 is pulled out in the direction of the rotation axis of the stirring screw 34 has been described as an example, but the pulling out direction of the sealing sheet 37 is not limited to this. In other words, the sheet discharge port 80 may be formed in addition to the side wall portion 30a of the developing container 30. For example, in the case of a type in which the developing devices 3 of each color are placed in parallel on a support base (not shown) drawn from the device main body 100, and a plurality of developing devices 3 are collectively mounted on the device main body 100 together with the support base, a new product is used. The developing apparatus 3 of the above may be placed on a support base, and then the sealing sheet 37 may be pulled out. In this case, the sealing sheet 37 may be pulled out in the radial direction of the stirring screw 34 instead of being pulled out in the direction of the rotation axis of the stirring screw 34. To do so, for example, the sheet discharge port 80 may be formed on the wall surface 30c (see FIG. 4) of the developing container 30.

3 ... Developer, 17 ... Developer carrier (development sleeve), 30 ... Developing container, 30a ... Side wall, 30c ... Wall surface, 32a ... Second chamber (space), 34 ... Conveying screw (stirring screw), 35 ... First chamber (accommodation), 35a ... Opening, 35b ... Wall, 37 ... Sheet member (sealing sheet), 41 ... Protruding part (discharge port wall), 80 ... Sheet discharge port

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems . An object of the present invention is to provide a developing device capable of improving operability when a user pulls out a sealing sheet through a discharge unit.

In the developing apparatus according to the present invention, a developing rotating body that carries and conveys a developer containing toner and a carrier at a position for developing an electrostatic latent image formed on an image carrier, and the developing rotating body are arranged and the developing is performed. The first chamber for supplying the developer to the rotating body, the second chamber partitioned by the first chamber and the partition and the developer circulates between the first chamber, and the vertical direction above the second chamber. A developing container having an opening and a storage chamber for accommodating the initial developer, a first transport screw arranged in the first chamber and transporting the developer in the first direction, and the above. A second transfer screw that is arranged in the second chamber and conveys the developer in the second direction opposite to the first direction, and a seal that seals the opening for accommodating the initial developer in the accommodating chamber. It is provided with a stop sheet, a sticking portion provided in the storage chamber to which the sealing sheet is attached, and a discharging portion for discharging the sealing sheet from the inside of the developing container to the outside of the developing container. By discharging the sealing sheet attached to the affixed portion from the inside of the developing container to the outside of the developing container via the discharging portion, the initial developing agent contained in the containing chamber can be obtained. It is possible to move from the accommodation chamber to the second chamber through the opening, and the discharge portion is arranged upstream of the opening in the second direction and vertically above the opening. Moreover, it is a side wall portion of the developing container having a through port through which the rotation axis of the second transport screw penetrates, and is formed on the wall surface of the developing container intersecting the side wall portion .

According to the present invention, it is possible to improve the operability when the user pulls out the sealing sheet through the discharging portion .

Claims (1)

A developing container that can accommodate the developer and
A transport screw provided in the developing container and transporting the developer in the developing container,
A wall portion that divides the space above the transport screw in the developing container in the direction of the rotation axis of the transport screw and forms a first chamber and a second chamber having an opening on the transport screw side.
A sheet member for sealing the opening of the first chamber with the developer contained in the first chamber is provided.
In the developing container, one end of the sheet member that seals the opening of the first chamber is projected to the outside of the developing container, and the sheet member is discharged to the outside of the developing container in response to the withdrawal of the sheet member. Has an outlet and
The sheet discharge port is formed above the opening of the first chamber when viewed from the horizontal direction.
A developing device characterized by that.

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