JP2022139159A - Toner cartridge and image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

To stably supply toner from a toner cartridge.SOLUTION: A toner cartridge is removably attached to an image forming apparatus body, and comprises: a storage chamber that stores toner; a discharge chamber that has a discharge port for discharging the toner to the outside; a partition unit that partitions the storage chamber and the discharge chamber to form a first communication path and a second communication path communicating the storage chamber and the discharge chamber with each other; a conveying member that is provided through the first communication path and conveys the toner in the storage chamber to the discharge chamber; an opening member that is provided in the storage chamber; and a seal member that openably seals the discharge port at one end and is fixed to the opening member at the other end, and is provided through the second communication path. One end of the seal member is peeled off by the opening member from the periphery of the discharge port, and one end of the seal member is moved from the discharge chamber to the storage chamber.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

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

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in an electrophotographic image forming apparatus, in order to replenish toner (developer) consumed in image formation, a developer supply container containing toner is detachably provided in the image forming apparatus main body. There is On the other hand, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-200002 describes a technique in which a toner supply opening of a cartridge is sealed with a seal member, and the seal member is peeled off when the cartridge is used.

JP 2014-066967 A

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to enable stable discharge of toner from a discharge port in a toner cartridge that is used after peeling off a seal member that seals the discharge port.

The present invention provides a toner cartridge detachable from an image forming apparatus main body,
a storage chamber for storing toner;
a discharge chamber having a discharge port for discharging the toner to the outside;
a partition portion that partitions the storage chamber and the discharge chamber so that a first communication path and a second communication path that communicate the storage chamber and the discharge chamber are formed;
a conveying member provided through the first communication passage for conveying the toner in the storage chamber to the discharge chamber;
an unsealing member provided in the storage chamber;
a sealing member having one end that seals the outlet in an unsealable manner, the other end fixed to the unsealing member, and provided through the second communication path;
with
The toner cartridge is characterized in that the one end of the seal member is peeled off from around the discharge port by the unsealing member, and the one end of the seal member is moved from the discharge chamber to the accommodation chamber.

According to the present invention, in a toner cartridge that is used after peeling off the sealing member that seals the discharge port, it is possible to stably discharge toner from the discharge port.

Top view and AA sectional perspective view of the developer supply cartridge Schematic cross-sectional view of an electrophotographic image forming apparatus Main cross section of process cartridge Overall perspective view from the front of the process cartridge Overall perspective view from the rear of the process cartridge Exploded perspective view of developer supply cartridge BB cross-sectional view of the developer supply cartridge AA cross-sectional view of the developer replenishment cartridge showing the seal member peeling process Detailed drawing of the welding shape of the seal member

Embodiments of the present invention are illustrated below with reference to the drawings. However, the dimensions, materials, shapes, and relative arrangement of the components described in the embodiments should be changed as appropriate according to the configuration of the device to which the invention is applied and various conditions. It is not intended to limit the scope to the following embodiments.

<Overall Configuration of Electrophotographic Image Forming Apparatus>
An overall configuration of an electrophotographic image forming apparatus (hereinafter referred to as an image forming apparatus) 100 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the image forming apparatus 100. As shown in FIG. The process cartridge 1 and the developer supply cartridge (toner cartridge, developer cartridge) 13 are detachable from the main body of the image forming apparatus. A portion of the image forming apparatus 100 excluding the cartridges (1, 13) may be called a main body of the image forming apparatus 100 (apparatus main body, image forming apparatus main body).

The image forming apparatus 100 includes image forming units (first to fourth image forming units) provided for each color (yellow, magenta, cyan, and black) of an image to be formed. The configuration and operation of each image forming section are substantially the same, except that the colors of the formed images are different. Therefore, in the following explanations that require distinction for each color, suffixes Y, M, C, and K indicating yellow, magenta, cyan, and black are added to the reference numerals indicating the constituent elements, and for explanations that do not require distinction for each color, Omit the sign subscript.

The first to fourth process cartridges 1 are arranged horizontally. Each process cartridge 1 is composed of a drum unit 4 and a developing unit 6 . The drum unit 4 has a photosensitive drum 7 as an image bearing member, a charging roller 8 as charging means for uniformly charging the surface of the photosensitive drum 7, and a cleaning blade 10 as cleaning means. The developing unit 6 contains a developing roller 11 and developer T (hereinafter referred to as toner), and has developing means for developing an electrostatic latent image on the photosensitive drum 7 . The drum unit 4 and the developing unit 6 are supported so as to be swingable relative to each other. Note that the first process cartridge 1</b>Y accommodates yellow (Y) toner TY in the developing unit 6 . The second process cartridge 1M contains magenta (M) toner TM. The third process cartridge 1C contains cyan (C) toner TC. The fourth process cartridge 1K contains black (K) toner TK.

The process cartridge 1 can be attached to and detached from the main body of the image forming apparatus 100 via attachment means such as a mounting guide (not shown) and a positioning member (not shown) provided on the main body of the image forming apparatus 100 . A scanner unit 12 for forming an electrostatic latent image is arranged below the process cartridge 1 . Further, in the image forming apparatus 100, a waste toner conveying unit 23 is arranged behind the process cartridge 1 (on the downstream side in the attaching/detaching direction of the process cartridge 1).

The first to fourth developer supply cartridges 13 are arranged horizontally below the process cartridge 1 at positions corresponding to the first to fourth process cartridges 1, respectively. Note that the developer supply cartridge 13 may be simply called the cartridge 13 in the following description.

The first cartridge 13Y is yellow (Y) toner, the second cartridge 13M is magenta (M) toner, the third cartridge 13C is cyan (C) toner, and the fourth cartridge 13K is black (K) toner. Each contains a toner. Each cartridge 13 supplies toner to the process cartridge 1 containing toner of the same color.

The toner replenishing operation (supplying operation) by the cartridge 13 is performed when a remaining amount detection unit (not shown) provided in the apparatus main body of the image forming apparatus 100 detects that the remaining amount of toner in the process cartridge 1 is insufficient. . The cartridge 13 can be attached to and detached from the image forming apparatus 100 via attachment means such as an attachment guide (not shown) and a positioning member (not shown) provided on the main body of the image forming apparatus 100 . Details of the process cartridge 1 and the cartridge 13 will be described later.

Inside the main body of the image forming apparatus 100, first to fourth toner conveying devices 14 are arranged below the cartridges 13 at positions corresponding to the first to fourth cartridges 13, respectively. Each toner conveying device 14 is a supply means for conveying the toner discharged from each cartridge 13 upward and supplying the toner to each developing unit 6 of the process cartridge. The toner conveying device 14 has a passage for passing toner and a screw arranged inside the passage. The rotation of the screw causes the toner to move upward through the interior of the passage of the toner conveying device 14 .

Above the process cartridge 1, an intermediate transfer unit 19 is provided as an intermediate transfer member. The intermediate transfer unit 19 is arranged substantially horizontally with the primary transfer portion S1 facing downward. The intermediate transfer belt 18 facing each photosensitive drum 7 is a rotatable endless belt and stretched over a plurality of tension rollers. Inside the intermediate transfer belt 18, a primary transfer roller 20 as a primary transfer member is arranged on the opposite side of each photosensitive drum 7 with the intermediate transfer belt 18 interposed therebetween. is formed. A secondary transfer roller 21, which is a secondary transfer member that contacts the intermediate transfer belt 18, and another roller are arranged to face each other with the intermediate transfer belt 18 interposed therebetween to form a secondary transfer portion S2. . Further, an intermediate transfer belt cleaning unit 22 is arranged on the side opposite to the secondary transfer portion S2 in the left-right direction (the direction in which the intermediate transfer belt is stretched).

A fixing unit 25 is arranged above the intermediate transfer unit 19 . The fixing unit is composed of a heating unit 26 and a pressure roller 27 that presses against the heating unit. A discharge tray 32 is provided on the upper surface of the apparatus main body, and a waste toner collection container 24 is provided between the discharge tray 32 and the intermediate transfer unit 19 . Further, a paper feed tray 2 for containing the recording material 3 is provided at the bottom of the apparatus main body.

<Image forming process>
Next, the image forming operation of the image forming apparatus 100 will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3. FIG.

During image formation, the photosensitive drum 7 is rotationally driven in the direction of arrow A in FIG. 3 at a predetermined speed. The intermediate transfer belt 18 is rotationally driven in the direction of arrow B in FIG. 2 (forward direction to the rotation of the photosensitive drum 7).

First, the surface of the photosensitive drum 7 is uniformly charged by the charging roller 8 . Next, an electrostatic latent image based on image information is formed on the photosensitive drum 7 by scanning and exposing the surface of the photosensitive drum 7 with laser light emitted from the scanner unit 12 . The electrostatic latent image formed on the photosensitive drum 7 is developed as a toner image by the developing unit 6 . At this time, the developing unit 6 is pressurized by a developing pressure unit (not shown) provided in the main body of the image forming apparatus 100 . The toner image formed on the photosensitive drum 7 is primarily transferred onto the intermediate transfer belt 18 by the primary transfer roller 20 .

For example, when forming a full-color image, the above-described processes are sequentially performed in the image forming units S1Y to S1K, which are the first to fourth primary transfer units, so that toner images of each color are sequentially formed on the intermediate transfer belt 18. superimposed.

On the other hand, the recording material 3 accommodated in the paper feed tray 2 is fed at a predetermined control timing, and is conveyed to the secondary transfer portion S2 in synchronization with the movement of the intermediate transfer belt 18. FIG. Then, the four-color toner images on the intermediate transfer belt 18 are collectively secondarily transferred onto the recording material 3 by the secondary transfer roller 21 in contact with the intermediate transfer belt 18 with the recording material 3 interposed therebetween.

After that, the recording material 3 to which the toner image has been transferred is conveyed to the fixing unit 25 . The toner image is fixed on the recording material 3 by heating and pressurizing the recording material 3 in the fixing unit 25 . After that, the image forming operation is completed when the recording material 3 on which the toner is fixed is conveyed to the discharge tray 32 .

Further, primary transfer residual toner (waste toner) remaining on the photosensitive drum 7 after the primary transfer process is removed by the cleaning blade 10 . Secondary transfer residual toner (waste toner) remaining on the intermediate transfer belt 18 after the secondary transfer process is removed by the intermediate transfer belt cleaning unit 22 . The waste toner removed by the cleaning blade 10 and intermediate transfer belt cleaning unit 22 is conveyed by a waste toner conveying unit 23 provided in the apparatus main body and accumulated in a waste toner collection container 24 . The image forming apparatus 100 can also form a single-color or multi-color image using only a desired single or part of the image forming units.

<Process cartridge>
Next, the overall structure of the process cartridge 1 mounted on the main body of the image forming apparatus 100 will be described with reference to FIGS. 3, 4 and 5. FIG. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the process cartridge 1. FIG. FIG. 4 is an overall perspective view of the process cartridge 1 viewed from the upstream side in the process cartridge mounting direction. FIG. 5(a) is an overall perspective view of the process cartridge 1 viewed from the downstream (rear) bottom in the process cartridge mounting direction, and FIG. 5(b) is a downstream (rear) top view in the process cartridge mounting direction. 1 is an overall perspective view of a process cartridge 1 with a cross section. FIG.

A process cartridge 1 is composed of a drum unit 4 and a developing unit 6 . The drum unit 4 and the developing unit 6 are coupled so as to be swingable about a rotation support pin 30 .

The drum unit 4 has a cleaning frame 5 that supports various members inside the drum unit 4 . In addition to the photosensitive drum 7 , the charging roller 8 , and the cleaning blade 10 , the drum unit 4 also has a waste toner conveying screw 15 extending in a direction parallel to the rotation axis direction of the photosensitive drum 7 . The cleaning frame 5 rotatably supports the photosensitive drum 7 and has cleaning bearings 33 provided with cleaning gear trains 31 for transmitting the drive from the photosensitive drum 7 to the waste toner conveying screw 15 . is provided.

The charging roller 8 provided in the drum unit 4 is biased in the direction of arrow C by charging roller pressure springs 36 arranged at both ends toward the photosensitive drum 7 . The charging roller 8 is provided so as to follow the photosensitive drum 7, and when the photosensitive drum 7 is rotationally driven in the direction of arrow A during image formation, the charging roller 8 rotates in the direction of arrow D (the direction opposite to the direction of rotation of the photosensitive drum 7). rotate to

The cleaning blade 10 provided in the drum unit 4 includes an action member 10a for removing transfer residual toner (waste toner) remaining on the surface of the photosensitive drum 7 after primary transfer, and a support member 10b for supporting the action member 10a. consists of Waste toner removed from the surface of the photosensitive drum 7 by the cleaning blade 10 is stored in a waste toner storage chamber 9 formed by the cleaning blade 10 and the cleaning frame 5 . The waste toner stored in the waste toner storage chamber 9 is transported toward the rear of the image forming apparatus 100 (downstream in the mounting and demounting direction of the process cartridge 1) by the waste toner transport screw 15 installed in the waste toner storage chamber 9. be. The conveyed waste toner is discharged from the waste toner discharging section 35 and transferred to the waste toner conveying unit 23 provided in the main body of the image forming apparatus 100 .

The development unit 6 has a development frame 16 that supports various members in the development unit 6 . The developing frame 16 is divided into a developing chamber 16a in which the developing roller 11 and the supply roller 17 are provided, and a toner storage chamber 16b in which toner is stored and in which an agitating member 29 is provided.

A developing roller 11, a supply roller 17, and a developing blade 28 are provided in the developing chamber 16a. The developing roller 11 carries toner, rotates in the direction of arrow E during image formation, and conveys the toner to the photosensitive drum 7 by coming into contact with the photosensitive drum 7 . The developing roller 11 is rotatably supported by the developing frame 16 by developing bearing units 34 at both ends in the longitudinal direction (rotational axis direction). The supply roller 17 is rotatably supported by the development bearing unit 34 on the development frame 16 while being in contact with the development roller 11, and rotates in the direction of arrow F during image formation. Further, a developing blade 28 as a layer thickness regulating member for regulating the thickness of the toner layer formed on the developing roller 11 is arranged so as to contact the surface of the developing roller 11 .

The toner storage chamber 16b is provided with an agitating member 29 for agitating the stored toner T and conveying the toner to the supply roller 17 through the developing chamber communication port 16c. The stirring member 29 has a rotary shaft 29a parallel to the direction of the rotation axis of the developing roller 11, and a flexible stirring sheet 29b as a conveying member. One end of the agitating sheet 29b is attached to the rotating shaft 29a, and the other end of the agitating sheet 29b is a free end. 29b stirs the toner.

The development unit 6 has a development chamber communication port 16c that communicates the development chamber 16a and the toner storage chamber 16b. In the posture in which the developing unit 6 is normally used (the posture during use), the developing chamber 16a is positioned above the toner storage chamber 16b. The toner in the toner storage chamber 16b drawn up by the stirring member 29 is supplied to the development chamber 16a through the development chamber communication port 16c.

Further, the developing unit 6 is provided with a receiving port 40 at one end on the downstream side in the attaching/detaching direction. An inlet sealing member 45 and an inlet shutter 41 movable in the front-rear direction (attachment/removal direction) are arranged above the inlet 40 . The receiving port 40 is closed by a receiving port shutter 41 when the process cartridge 1 is not attached to the main body of the image forming apparatus 100 . The inlet shutter 41 is interlocked with the mounting and demounting operation of the process cartridge 1, engages with the main body of the image forming apparatus 100 when the process cartridge 1 is mounted, and is pushed open by the main body of the image forming apparatus 100. As shown in FIG.

A receiving and conveying path 42 is provided in communication with the receiving port 40, and a receiving and conveying screw 43 is arranged inside. Further, a storage chamber communication port 44 for supplying toner to the toner storage chamber 16b is provided in the vicinity of the longitudinal center of the developing unit 6, and communicates the receiving transport path 42 and the toner storage chamber 16b. The receiving/conveying screw 43 extends parallel to the rotational axis direction of the developing roller 11 and the supply roller 17, and conveys the toner received from the receiving port 40 to the toner storage chamber 16b through the storage chamber communication port 44. FIG.

<Developer supply cartridge>
Next, the overall configuration of the cartridge 13, which is a developer supply container mounted in the image forming apparatus 100, will be described with reference to FIGS. 6 and 7. FIG. 6 is an exploded perspective view of the cartridge 13. FIG. FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of the cartridge 13 taken along line BB shown in FIG.

The cartridge 13 accommodates toner (developer) in its internal space 51 and is attached to the main body of the image forming apparatus 100 in order to supply (replenish) the toner to the main body of the image forming apparatus 100 .

When describing the cartridge 13, unless otherwise specified, it is assumed that the cartridge 13 takes a normal posture, that is, the posture when it is installed inside the main body of the apparatus. , Y1, Y2, Z1, Z2.

The vertical direction is indicated by the Y-axis. Arrow Y1 indicates the upward direction, and arrow Y2 indicates the downward direction. The surface provided at the end of the cartridge 13 in the Y1 direction is called a top surface (upper surface), and the surface provided at the end in the Y2 direction is called a bottom surface. The top surface of the cartridge 13 faces upward (Y1 direction), and the bottom surface faces downward (Y2 direction). The vertical direction is parallel to the vertical direction.

The Z-axis indicates the front-rear direction (the direction in which the cartridge 13 is attached to and detached from the apparatus main body). An arrow Z1 indicates an upstream direction in the mounting direction when the cartridge 13 is mounted in the main body of the image forming apparatus 100, and an arrow Z2 indicates a downstream direction in the mounting direction. The Z1 direction is forward, and the Z2 direction is backward. The end surface of the cartridge 13 in the Z1 direction is called the front surface of the cartridge 13, and the end surface in the Z2 direction is called the rear surface. The front surface of the cartridge 13 faces forward (Z1 direction), and the rear surface faces rearward (Z2 direction). The direction from the front surface to the rear surface of the cartridge 13 (Z-axis direction) is defined as the longitudinal direction of the cartridge 13 . The Z-axis direction is parallel to the horizontal direction.

Further, the horizontal direction (the direction in which the cartridges 13 are arranged in the apparatus main body) is indicated by the X axis. When the cartridges 13 are installed in the main body of the image forming apparatus 100, the direction in which the plurality of cartridges 13 are arranged is indicated by an arrow X1 in the left direction (left direction in FIG. 2), and by an arrow X2 in the right direction (right direction in FIG. 2). indicated by . The end surface of the cartridge 13 in the X1 direction is called a left side (left surface), and the end surface in the X2 direction is called a right side (right surface). The left side surface of the cartridge 13 faces the left direction (X1 direction), and the right side surface faces the right direction (X2 direction). The direction from the left side to the right side of the cartridge 13 (that is, the X-axis direction) is defined as the lateral direction of the cartridge 13 . The X-axis direction is parallel to the horizontal direction. Also, the X-axis direction is orthogonal to the Z-axis direction.

The distance between the front surface and the rear surface of the cartridge 13 (in the attachment/detachment direction, the depth direction in FIG. 2) is longer than the distance between the left side surface and the right side surface (in the left-right direction), and the distance between the top surface and the bottom surface ( up-down) distance. Also, the distance (in the horizontal direction) between the left side and the right side is shorter than the distance (in the vertical direction) between the top surface and the bottom surface. However, the configuration is not limited to such a configuration. For example, the distance (in the horizontal direction) between the left side and the right side of the cartridge 13 may be longer than the distance (in the vertical direction) between the top surface and the bottom surface.

Hereinafter, first to third cartridges (13Y, 13M, 13C) containing toners of colors other than black (K), ie, yellow (Y), magenta (M), and cyan (C) will be described as an example. . The fourth cartridge (13K) containing black (K) toner differs from the first to third cartridges (13Y, 13M, 13C) only in that it has a larger toner capacity. different, and otherwise substantially the same. Therefore, description of the fourth cartridge 13K is omitted.

The toner supplied to the main body of the image forming apparatus 100 by the cartridge 13 is supplied to the process cartridge 1 by the toner conveying device 14 . That is, the cartridge 13 accommodates toner to be supplied (replenished) to the process cartridge 1 .

As shown in FIG. 6, the cartridges (13Y, 13M, 13C) have a supply frame (casing, frame) 50. As shown in FIG. The supply frame 50 has a container portion (container) 50a and a lid portion (lid) 50b, and the lid portion 50b is attached to the container portion 50a. An internal space 51 capable of accommodating toner is formed inside the replenishment frame 50 by the container portion 50a and the lid portion 50b. The lid portion 50b is positioned at the end of the cartridge 13 in the Y1 direction and forms the top surface of the cartridge 13 (the top surface of the supply frame 50).

As shown in FIG. 7 , the internal space 51 is partitioned into a plurality of areas of a toner storage chamber 49 , a toner passage 48 and a toner discharge chamber 57 by a partition portion 55 a of a partition member (partition) 55 . A partition member 55 is attached to the container portion 50a. The partition member 55 can also be regarded as part of the replenishment frame 50 . In other words, it can be said that the replenishment frame 50 has the partition portion 55a. For example, the partition member 55 can be formed integrally with the replenishment frame 50 . More specifically, the partition member 55 can be formed integrally with at least one of the container portion 50a and the lid portion 50b. A partition portion 55a of the partition member 55 partitions the toner storage chamber 49 and the toner discharge chamber 57 so that a toner passage 48 and a communication passage 71, which will be described later, are formed.

In the vicinity of the Z2-direction end (rear end, rear surface) of the replenishment frame 50, a gear train consisting of a drive input gear (opening gear) 59, a cam gear (intermediate gear) 60, and a screw gear (conveyance gear) 64 is provided. , a pump 58 and the like are attached. Cam gear 60 is in direct mesh with drive input gear 59 and screw gear 64 . The drive input gear 59 functions as a drive receiving portion that receives drive from the main body of the image forming apparatus. As the drive input gear 59 rotates, the cam gear 60 and the screw gear 64 rotate. A side cover 62 is attached from the outside to cover the gear train, the pump 58, and the like. In particular, the cam gear 60 is restricted from moving in the Z-axis direction (attachment/removal direction) by the side cover 62 and the replenishment frame 50 .

The supply stirring member 53 (hereinafter simply referred to as the stirring member 53) is provided in the toner storage chamber 49 and is arranged to extend from the upstream side (Z1 direction) in the mounting direction of the cartridge 13 to the downstream side (Z2 direction) in the mounting direction. It is

The replenishment conveying screw 54 (hereinafter simply referred to as the conveying screw 54) is arranged to extend from the upstream side in the mounting direction (Z1 direction) to the downstream side in the mounting direction (Z2 direction). It is covered by the portion 55a. A screw gear 64 is connected to the conveying screw 54 . A tunnel-shaped space is formed inside the partition member 55 by covering the conveying screw 54 with the partition portion 55 a of the partition member 55 , which serves as a toner passage (first communication passage) 48 . A partition portion 55 a of the partition member 55 is positioned between the stirring member 53 and the conveying screw 54 in the direction orthogonal to the rotation axis of the conveying screw 54 .

A plurality of areas (toner storage chamber 49, toner passage 48, toner discharge chamber 57) formed in the internal space 51 of the replenishment frame 50 will be described in detail below.

(toner chamber)
The toner storage chamber (developer storage chamber) 49 is a space that stores toner (developer). A stirring member (opening member) 53 is arranged in the toner storage chamber 49 . The stirring member 53 is a rotating member that is arranged parallel to the longitudinal direction (attachment/detachment direction) of the cartridge 13 and rotatably supported by the replenishment frame 50 . A driving input gear 59 is connected to the stirring member 53 . The stirring member 53 has a shaft 53a and a replenishment stirring sheet (stirring section) 53b (see FIG. 2) which is a flexible sheet. One end of the supply stirring sheet 53b is attached to the shaft 53a, and the other end of the supply stirring sheet 53b is a free end. When the shaft 53a is driven to rotate and the replenishment stirring sheet 53b rotates in the direction of arrow H in FIG.

(Toner passage)
The toner passage 48 is a space that communicates the toner storage chamber 49 and the toner discharge chamber 57, and is a passage through which toner moves. The toner passage 48 is formed by the partition member 55 and the replenishment frame 50 . A conveying screw 54 serving as a conveying member for conveying the toner in the toner storage chamber to the toner discharge chamber 57 is arranged in the toner passage 48 .

The conveying screw 54 is a movable member rotatably supported by the supply frame 50 . A part of the conveying screw 54 is exposed in the toner containing chamber 49 , and conveys the toner in the toner containing chamber 49 in the rotation axis direction of the conveying screw 54 by rotating.

The toner passage 48 is formed by the partition member 55 and the container portion 50a of the replenishment frame 50, extends along the direction of toner transport by the transport screw 54 (the rotation axis direction of the transport screw 54), and forms a tunnel shape. Moreover, the partition portion 55 a of the partition member 55 partially covers the conveying screw 54 . The conveying screw 54 is arranged inside the toner passage 48 . The tunnel shape of the toner passage 48 is formed so as to correspond to the outer shape of the conveying screw 54 so that the toner passage 48 wears through the toner conveyed by the conveying screw 54 so that a certain amount of toner is conveyed. It is configured.

Part of the toner conveyed by the conveying screw 54 can enter the toner passage 48 and move to the toner discharge chamber 57, but the rest of the toner cannot enter the toner passage 48 and cannot be stored in the toner storage chamber. Left in room 49. The amount of toner entering the toner passage 48 is determined by the size of the tunnel-shaped opening of the toner passage 48 and the size of the conveying screw 54 . Therefore, it is possible to supply a desired amount of toner to the toner discharge chamber 57 by configuring the conveying screw 54 to pass through the interior of the toner passage 48 .

The conveying screw 54 conveys the toner in the direction from the front surface (front end) of the cartridge 13 to the rear surface (rear end) (the direction indicated by arrow Z2). The longitudinal direction of the conveying screw 54 (rotational axis direction, toner conveying direction) is the same as the longitudinal direction of the cartridge 13 . The configuration of the cartridge 13 can be appropriately changed according to the configuration of the image forming apparatus 100 .

(Toner discharge chamber)
The toner discharge chamber (developer discharge chamber) 57 is a space defined by the partition member 55 and the container portion 50a of the replenishment frame 50. placed downstream.

A screw gear 64 is arranged near the toner discharge chamber 57, that is, near the rear surface (the end in the Z2 direction) of the replenishment frame 50, for receiving a rotational force for rotating the conveying screw 54. As shown in FIG. Further, the toner discharge chamber 57 has a discharge port 52 for discharging the toner (developer) from the internal space 51 of the replenishment frame 50 to the outside.

The discharge port 52 is formed in the bottom surface of the cartridge 13 (that is, the bottom surface of the replenishment frame 50). That is, the toner is discharged downward from the cartridge 13 through the discharge port 52 . Note that the discharge port 52 is arranged in a portion of the cartridge 13 on the downstream side in the conveying direction of the conveying screw 54 . That is, the distance between the ejection port 52 and the rear surface of the cartridge 13 (the end in the Z2 direction) is shorter than the distance between the ejection port 52 and the front surface of the cartridge 13 (the end in the Z1 direction).

A pump 58 is arranged near the rear surface of the cartridge 13 (the end in the Z2 direction). The pump 58 has a bellows portion 58a and communicates with the inside of the toner discharge chamber 57 through a connecting portion 58b. The volume of the bellows portion (movable portion) 58a is variable by extending and contracting the bellows portion (movable portion) 58a by means of a gear train consisting of a drive input gear 59, a cam gear 60, a screw gear 64, etc., and a drive conversion portion (drive conversion mechanism, pump drive mechanism). is configured to

As the pump 58 expands and contracts, the internal pressure (internal atmospheric pressure) of the toner discharge chamber 57 fluctuates, and a difference is generated between the external atmospheric pressure of the cartridge 13 and the internal pressure of the toner discharge chamber 57 . Due to this pressure difference, air is sucked and exhausted through the discharge port 52, and the toner can be stably discharged by utilizing this air flow for discharging the toner.

When the pump 58 expands and its volume increases, the pressure inside the pump 58 and the toner discharge chamber 57 decreases, and air enters the toner discharge chamber 57 through the discharge port 52 . After that, when the pump 58 shrinks and its volume decreases, the pressure inside the pump 58 and the toner discharge chamber 57 increases, and the toner is discharged from the inside of the toner discharge chamber 57 to the outside through the discharge port 52 together with the air. . By repeating this process, the toner is intermittently discharged from the inside of the cartridge 13 to the outside through the discharge port 52 .

(Seal member)
The configuration of the seal member 70 will be described with reference to FIGS. 1, 8(a) and 9. FIG. FIG. 1(a) is a top view of the cartridges (13Y, 13M, 13C), and FIG. 1(b) is a perspective view of the AA section of the cartridges (13Y, 13M, 13C). FIG. 8(a) is an AA cross-sectional view of the cartridges (13Y, 13M, 13C) before the seal members are peeled off, and FIG. 9 is a detailed view of the welding shape of the seal members.

The seal member 70 is attached to the container portion 50 a of the replenishment frame 50 so as to cover the discharge port 52 . The movement of the stirring member 53 moves the sealing member 70 , peeling the sealing member 70 from around the discharge port 52 and unsealing the discharge port 52 . The sealing member 70 uses a laminate of polyester, low-density polyethylene, and a polyethylene-based sealant. The material of the sealing member 70 may be other materials with similar properties. One end of the sealing member 70 is heat-sealed around the outlet 52 with peelable strength to releasably seal the outlet 52 . The other end of the sealing member 70 is fixed to the shaft 53a of the stirring member 53, which is a rotating member that is driven to rotate. The sealing member 70 is provided through a communication passage (second communication passage) 71 that communicates the toner storage chamber 49 and the toner discharge chamber 57 . The communicating passage 71 is provided at a position different from the toner passage 48 . The seal member 70 is peeled off from around the discharge port 52 by the stirring member 53 , and one end of the seal member 70 is moved from the toner discharge chamber 57 through the communication passage 71 to the toner storage chamber 49 . In the present embodiment, the sealing member 70 is moved by rotating the stirring member 53 , but the sealing member 70 may be moved by parallelly moving the stirring member 53 .

One end of seal member 70 is releasably welded around outlet 52 . The thermally welded portion 72 is a welded portion where one end of the sealing member 70 is welded around the discharge port 52 . The thermally welded portion 72 has a convex shape in the direction toward the other end of the sealing member 70 . As shown in FIG. 9, the shape of the thermally welded portion 72 is a regular hexagon, and one of the longest diagonal lines of the regular hexagon is aligned with the shaft 53a of the sealing member 70.
It is formed so as to be parallel to the direction in which the sealing member 70 is pulled when it is wound up (in this case, the left-right direction, the X-axis direction). As a result, the seal member 70 begins to peel from the apex of the regular hexagon of the thermally welded portion 72 that is closest to the other end of the seal member 70 in the direction in which the seal member 70 is pulled. The welded area is small, so it is easy to peel off. The shape of the thermally welded portion 72 may be a triangular shape or a circular shape as long as it is easy to separate, such as a convex shape in the direction in which the sealing member 70 is pulled (the direction in which the sealing member 70 is wound around the shaft 53a). The seal member 70 passes through a communication passage 71 formed between the replenishment frame 50 and the partition member 55, and the other end is attached to the shaft 53a of the stirring member 53 by heat welding. As a method of attaching the seal member 70, other means having characteristics equivalent to heat welding may be used. Alternatively, the sealing member 70 may be folded back near the discharge port 52 so that the heat-bonded portion 72 is peeled from the farthest side from the other end. Also, the seal member 70 can be attached to the shaft 53a by means of adhesion, double-sided tape, engagement of a hole and a projection, or the like.

In this embodiment, the container portion 50a of the replenishment frame 50 has a projecting portion projecting from the bottom surface, the partition member 55 has a facing portion facing the projecting portion, and the communicating passage 71 is between the projecting portion and the facing portion. is a gap formed in Specifically, as shown in FIG. 1(b), the bottom surface of the container portion 50a has a bottom surface 501 in the toner discharge chamber 57 and a bottom surface 502 in the toner storage chamber 49. A planar projection 503 extending from 502 toward the internal space 51 is provided. The partition member 55 has facing portions 551 and 552 facing the protruding portion 503 from the toner containing chamber 49 side, and a facing portion 550 facing from the toner containing chamber 49 side on the bottom surface 502 . Small gaps are formed between the projecting portion 503 and the opposing portions 551 and 552 and between the bottom surface 502 and the opposing portion 550 . This minute gap constitutes the communication path 71 . Also, the communication path 71 includes a bent portion. As a result, it is possible to prevent toner from entering the toner discharge chamber 57 from the toner storage chamber 49 through the communication passage 71 . In this embodiment, the communication path 71 includes a first bent portion and a second bent portion, and the first bent portion and the second bent portion are arranged at positions separated from each other in the moving direction of the seal member 70. there is

Here, it has been described that the communication path 71 is formed by the gap between the projecting portion 503 that is part of the replenishment frame 50 and the facing portions 550 to 552 that are part of the partition member 55 . However, this description describes an example of a configuration in which a communicating passage is provided in a member that partitions a storage chamber that stores toner and a discharge chamber that discharges toner, and is applied to the present embodiment. For example, the partition member 55 may be integrally formed with the replenishment frame 50, or the projecting portion 503 and the facing portions 550 to 552 may be formed separately from the partition member 55 and the replenishment frame 50.

The communication path 71 extends upward (in the Y1 direction) along the projecting portion 503 from the toner chamber side end portion 71b (the end portion in the X2 direction) near the bottom surface 502 of the toner chamber 49 . The toner discharge chamber 57 is opened at the position of the toner discharge chamber side end portion 71a near the upper end portion (the end portion in the Y1 direction) of the projecting portion 503 . Therefore, the position in the Y direction where the communicating path 71 opens to the toner discharge chamber 57 is a position higher than the bottom surface 501 where the discharge port 52 of the toner discharge chamber 57 is provided (upper position in the vertical direction). In this embodiment, the bottom surface 501 of the toner discharge chamber 57 is lower than the bottom surface 502 of the toner storage chamber 49 in the Y direction. Even if the bottom surface 501 of the toner discharge chamber 57 is higher than the bottom surface 502 of the toner storage chamber 49 , the communication passage 71 opens at a position higher than the bottom surface 501 of the toner discharge chamber 57 . Also, in this embodiment, the case where the Y direction is parallel to the vertical direction is described as an example. However, even if this is not the case, the communicating path 71 is configured to open into the toner discharge chamber 57 at a position away from the discharge port 52 in a direction perpendicular to the inner wall surface of the toner discharge chamber 57 where the discharge port 52 is provided. do it. As a result, it is possible to prevent the toner from flowing out from the toner discharge chamber 57 into the toner storage chamber 49 through the communication passage 71 . Furthermore, the position where the communicating path 71 communicates with the toner discharge chamber 57 (the position of the toner storage chamber side end 71b) is the position where the communication path 71 is connected to the toner storage chamber 49 (the position of the toner discharge chamber side end 71a). ). As a result, it is possible to prevent toner from entering the toner discharge chamber 57 from the toner storage chamber 49 through the communication passage 71 .

The seal member 70 is provided so as to extend from the toner storage chamber 49 into the toner discharge chamber 57 through the communication passage 71 . The seal member 70 is bent at the bent portions (the first bent portion and the second bent portion) of the communication path 71 . The end of the seal member 70 positioned inside the toner storage chamber 49 is connected to the shaft 53 a , and the end of the seal member 70 positioned inside the toner discharge chamber 57 is connected to the discharge port 52 provided on the bottom surface 501 of the toner discharge chamber 57 . connected around.

(Peeling operation of seal member)
Next, the peeling operation of the seal member 70 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 8A shows the state of the toner cartridge 13 before it is attached to the image forming apparatus 100 (unused state), and the outlet 52 is sealed with the sealing member 70. FIG. When the toner cartridge 13 is attached to the image forming apparatus 100, an initial sequence is executed. Here, the initial sequence is a sequence for peeling the seal member 70 from the discharge port 52 . In the initial sequence, the gear train consisting of the drive input gear 59, the cam gear 60, and the screw gear 64 is rotationally driven in the direction opposite to the driving direction of forward rotation. The drive direction of forward rotation is the drive direction for discharging toner from the toner discharge chamber 57, that is, the direction in which the shaft 53a is rotated in the arrow H direction. On the other hand, the shaft 53a rotates in the direction of the arrow K when the gear train is rotationally driven in a direction opposite to the driving direction of forward rotation (hereinafter referred to as reverse rotation).

Here, in the present embodiment, the stirring member 53 as the rotating member and the conveying screw 54 as the conveying member are interlocked and driven by a common drive source via a gear train. In this embodiment, both the stirring member 53 and the conveying screw 54 are driven by the drive input gear (drive receiving portion) 59 being driven by the main body of the image forming apparatus. The pump 58 is also driven by the drive input gear 59 being driven by the image forming apparatus main body. Forward rotation driving is a driving direction in which the conveying screw 54 conveys toner from the toner storage chamber 49 to the toner discharge chamber 57 . Assuming that the gear train is driven to rotate forward in the initial sequence, if there is toner inside the toner discharge chamber 57 at the start of the initial sequence, toner will be added to it by the conveying screw 54 . . As a result, the density of toner inside the toner discharge chamber 57 increases, and the amount of toner discharged from the discharge port 52 may not be stable. Also, there is a possibility that the pump 58 will not be able to discharge the toner to the outside. In the initial sequence, when the seal member 70 is wound around the shaft 53a as a rotating member, the gear train is driven to rotate in the reverse direction, so that no additional toner is added to the toner discharge chamber 57. FIG. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the density of the toner inside the toner discharge chamber 57 from increasing. In addition, it is possible to prevent a situation in which the pump 58 cannot discharge the toner to the outside.

When the gear train starts to rotate in reverse by the initial sequence, the sealing member 70 starts to be wound around the shaft 53a from the other end, as shown in FIG. 8(b). Then, a pulling force acts on the sealing member 70 in the X2 direction, and one end of the sealing member 70 welded to the right side of the discharge port 52 (X2 direction) begins to peel off. Further, when the shaft 53a rotates in the reverse direction, as shown in FIG. 8(c), the seal member 70 is completely peeled off from around the discharge port 52, and the discharge port 52 is unsealed. One end of the seal member 70 peeled off from around the discharge port 52 is pulled toward the toner storage chamber 49 through the communication path 71 and moved to the toner storage chamber 49 . Further, when the shaft 53a rotates in the reverse direction, the seal member 70 is entirely wound around the shaft 53a, as shown in FIG. 8(d). As a result, the seal member 70 does not remain in the toner discharge chamber 57 and moves entirely to the toner storage chamber 49 . Since the sealing member 70 does not remain in the toner discharge chamber 57 , the toner conveyed by the conveying screw 54 can be stably discharged from the discharge port 52 . In addition, the partition portion 55 a of the partition member 55 prevents a portion of the seal member 70 from moving back into the toner discharge chamber 57 .

Here, the toner discharge chamber side end portion 71a of the communicating passage 71 where the sealing member 70 before peeling is arranged is positioned above the bottom surface 501 in the toner discharge chamber 57 of the container portion 50a of the replenishment frame 50. (high position, position in Y1 direction). Therefore, the distance in the Y-axis direction between the heat-sealed end portion of the seal member 70 and the toner discharge chamber side end portion 71a of the communication passage 71 is increased. As a result, as shown in FIG. 8B, the direction of the force that pulls the end of the sealing member 70 that is heat-sealed around the discharge port 52 changes from the shear direction (X2 direction) to the vertical direction (Y1 direction). get close to Therefore, it is possible to peel off the seal member 70 with a small force.

13: Toner Cartridge 49: Toner Storage Chamber 52: Discharge Port 53: Supply Stirring Member 53a: Shaft 54: Supply Conveyance Screw 55: Partition Member 57: Toner Discharge Chamber 70: Seal Member 71: Communicating passage

Claims (14)

A toner cartridge detachable from an image forming apparatus main body,
a storage chamber for storing toner;
a discharge chamber having a discharge port for discharging the toner to the outside;
a partition portion that partitions the storage chamber and the discharge chamber so that a first communication path and a second communication path that communicate the storage chamber and the discharge chamber are formed;
a conveying member provided through the first communication passage for conveying the toner in the storage chamber to the discharge chamber;
an unsealing member provided in the storage chamber;
a sealing member having one end that seals the outlet in an unsealable manner, the other end fixed to the unsealing member, and provided through the second communication path;
with
1. A toner cartridge according to claim 1, wherein said one end of said sealing member is peeled off from around said discharge port by said unsealing member, and said one end of said sealing member is moved from said discharge chamber to said storage chamber. 3. The second communication path communicates with the discharge chamber at a position away from the discharge port in a direction perpendicular to an inner wall surface of the discharge chamber on which the discharge port is provided. 1. The toner cartridge according to 1. 2. The toner according to claim 1, wherein the discharge port is provided on the bottom surface of the discharge chamber, and the second communication passage communicates with the discharge chamber at a position above the discharge port in the vertical direction. cartridge. 4. The toner cartridge according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the one end of the seal member is separably welded around the outlet. 5. The toner cartridge according to claim 4, wherein the welded portion around the discharge port at which the one end of the seal member is welded has a convex shape in a direction toward the other end of the seal member. the opening member is rotatable,
6. The toner cartridge according to claim 1, wherein the sealing member is wound around the opening member by rotating the opening member. A rotation direction of the opening member when the seal member is wound around the opening member is opposite to a rotation direction of the opening member when the conveying member conveys the toner to the discharge chamber. 7. The toner cartridge according to claim 6. 8. The unsealing member and the conveying member are both driven by the drive receiving portion receiving the drive from the image forming apparatus main body. 1. The toner cartridge according to item 1. a container, and a partition member attached to the container and having the partition portion,
9. The toner cartridge according to claim 1, wherein the second communication path is formed between the container and the partition member. The container has a projecting portion projecting from the bottom surface, the partition member has a facing portion facing the projecting portion, and the second communication path is formed between the projecting portion and the facing portion. 10. The toner cartridge according to claim 9, characterized by: 11. The toner cartridge according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the second communication path includes a bent portion. 12. The toner cartridge according to any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein the unsealing member has an agitator for agitating the toner in the storage chamber. 13. Any one of claims 1 to 12, comprising a pump in communication with the discharge chamber.
The toner cartridge described in item. a toner cartridge according to any one of claims 1 to 13;
a process cartridge detachable from the image forming apparatus main body;
and wherein the toner discharged from the discharge port of the toner cartridge is supplied to the process cartridge.

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