JP2574896Y2 - Toner developing device - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed description of the invention]

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a toner developing device provided in a device such as an electronic copying machine or an electrostatic printer.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art There have been proposed various types of toner developing devices in which a developer discharge member is provided (for example, Japanese Utility Model Application Laid-Open No. 59-5).
No. 5764). In the toner developing device described in the above publication, a rotating unit and a spring fixed to the rotating unit are provided inside the container.

Further, there is a toner developing device which has been already filed by the present applicant (Japanese Patent Application No. 63-29876).

[0004]

The toner developing device described in the above-mentioned publication requires a member required for the rotating means and an external rotating means. Therefore, the configuration becomes complicated and the number of parts increases.

In the apparatus described in Japanese Patent Application No. 63-292876, the screw conveyor rotates, and the helical member abutting against the screw conveyor is rapidly released after being compressed by the screw. Noise could be generated.

Further, when filling the toner container with the spiral member with toner, the spiral member is light,
The spiral member is lifted in a direction that does not come into contact with the screw conveyor. As a result, even if the toner container is attached to the apparatus main body, the spiral member does not abut on the screw conveyor, so even when the screw conveyor is driven, the spiral member does not move up and down and stops at a fixed position. Will be.
Therefore, even if the toner is replenished as it is, only the toner in the central portion of the toner container is discharged, and the toner remains in the toner container in a tunnel shape. Further, a phenomenon that the toner partially remains in the toner container occurs.

This symptom is more likely to occur in a high-temperature, high-humidity environment.

The present invention has been made in view of the disadvantages of the prior art, and has a simple structure, a small number of parts, can completely discharge the developer, and has little vibration and noise. It is intended to realize a toner developing device.

[0009]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention is directed to a cylindrical developer container having a central portion extending horizontally and a developer outlet opening at a lower portion. And a screw conveyor extending below the discharge port and extending in parallel with the developer storage container, wherein one end is fixed to the developer storage container, and the other end swings. A developer that scrapes the spiral member by vibrating the spiral member by projecting a part of the spiral member and a part of the spiral member from the discharge port and contacting the screw conveyor that is being driven to rotate. Means are provided, and a cut-out portion is provided at a contact portion of the screw conveyor with the spiral member, from which the spiral member is detached.

The present invention is also directed to a cylindrical developer container having a central portion extending in the horizontal direction and having a developer outlet at a lower portion thereof, and the outlet. A developing device having a screw conveyor extending in parallel with the developer storage container at a lower portion of the developing device, wherein one end is fixed to the developer storage container and the other end is swingable. And a developer scraping means for vibrating the spiral member by projecting a part of the spiral member from the discharge port and abutting the screw conveyor being driven to rotate. A notch portion is provided at a contact portion of the screw conveyor with the helical member, where the helical member is detached, and a weight of a free end side tip of the helical member is fixed to the helical member. Heavier than the edge weight It is a toner developing device according to claim.

[0011]

In the present invention, the spiral member for discharging the developer obtains vibration from the screw conveyor at the developer discharge port,
By applying vibration to the entire container, the developer near the discharge port, which is most likely to remain, is also completely discharged.

In the notch of the screw conveyor,
The contact of the spiral member with the screw is released, and the vibration stops.

[0013] Further, by making the weight of the tip of the free end side of the spiral member heavier than the weight of the fixed end of the spiral member, the spiral member and the screw conveyor are securely in contact with each other, and the toner remains in the toner container. There is no.

[0014]

FIG. 5 is a structural view of a laser printer equipped with a developer container according to an embodiment of the present invention.

First, a laser printer will be outlined with reference to FIG.

Reference numeral 1 denotes an apparatus main body. A photosensitive drum 2 is rotatably mounted at a position deviated leftward from the center of the apparatus main body 1, and a laser unit 3 is provided on the top thereof. A developing device 4 is provided on the left side of the photosensitive drum 2, and a holding portion 6 of a toner container (developer accommodating container) 5 is formed above the developing device 4.
A screw conveyor 7 for transferring the toner dropped from above to the bottom in the horizontal direction is attached to the bottom of the tray.

Below the photosensitive drum 2, a paper feed cassette 8 in which recording paper is loaded and stored is mounted so as to be freely inserted and removed in the horizontal direction.

A guide 9 for making a U-turn of the recording paper is provided at the upper left side of the paper feed cassette 8. The developing device 4 is provided at the right side of the guide 9, that is, immediately below the photosensitive drum 2. A transfer corotron 10 for transferring the developed toner image to recording paper is provided. On the right side of the transfer corotron 10, a pair of heat rollers 1 for fixing the toner image to the recording paper on which the toner image has been transferred is provided.
1 and 12 are provided.

To the right of the heat rollers 11 and 12,
There is provided a paper discharge guide 13 for making the fixed recording paper U-turn again and discharging it in a so-called face-down state.

Next, the developing device 4 which is a main part of the present invention will be described.

The toner container 5 mounted on the upper part of the developing device 4 has a cylindrical shape as is clear from FIG. The toner container 5 is provided with a holding portion 6 of the developing device 4.
A developer outlet 14 is provided at a lower portion in a position where the toner is fixed to the toner container 5 (in FIG.
Only the top and bottom are drawn upside down).

1 to 3, FIG. 4, FIG. 6, FIG. 7, and FIGS. 8A to 8C, lids 16 and 17 are fitted to both ends of the toner container 5, respectively. A protrusion 16a is formed at a lower portion of the protrusion 16. One end of a spiral member 15 extending in the same direction as the direction in which the toner container 5 extends is fixed to the protrusion 16a, and a weight 21 is attached to the tip of the other end (free end). , And is positioned so as to abut against the screw conveyor 7 with the weight of the weight 21.

One end of the screw conveyor 7 protrudes outward from the end of the holding portion 6, and the driven spur gear 1
8 is fixed. A motor 20 with a gear head is provided on the side of the developing device 4, and a driving spur gear 19 meshing with the driven spur gear 18 is fixed to a rotating shaft of the motor 20.

Further, a notch 7a having a width enough to allow the spiral member 15 to pass therethrough is cut out near the left end of the screw portion of the screw conveyor 7.

When the motor 20 rotates, the screw conveyor 7 rotates accordingly, and the screw portion of the screw conveyor 7 comes into contact with the base of the spiral member 15. Then, the screw member causes the spiral member 15 to swing as shown in FIGS. 1, 2, 3, and 8A to 8C, and the toner in the toner container 5 falls downward from the discharge port 14. Will be.

This operation will be further described. When the screw conveyor 7 rotates, the base of the spiral member 15 comes into contact with the screw portion and is pulled rightward. Then, the right end of the spiral member 15 is lifted upward while vibrating. (See FIGS. 2 and 8B).

Next, when the spiral member 15 reaches the notch 7a of the screw portion, the spiral member 15 separates from the screw portion at the notch 7a, and the right end thereof falls downward ( 3 and 8C).

[0028]

According to the present invention, the developer discharging member vibrates the entire container and can freely swing in the container, so that the developer in the vicinity of the discharge port, which is most likely to remain, is completely discharged, and the screw is removed. Blocking of the developer in the vicinity of the conveyor can be prevented, and the configuration of the discharging member is very simple.

Therefore, it is possible to realize a developer container that can completely discharge the developer in the container without providing a special device.

In the present invention, since the notch is provided in the screw conveyor, the spiral member is separated and released at the notch, so that no large vibration or noise is generated.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view showing one embodiment of the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view showing another embodiment of the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a vertical sectional view showing still another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is an internal configuration diagram of a laser printer to which the present invention can be applied.

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a front view of the present invention.

FIG. 8 shows an embodiment of the present invention, wherein A, B, and C are cross-sectional views of different modes.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 4 developing device 5 toner container 6 holding portion 7 screw conveyor 7a cutout portion 15 spiral member 16 lid 16a protrusion 21 weight

Continuation of the front page (56) References JP-A-2-137870 (JP, A) Japanese Utility Model Application No. 64-49962 (JP, U) Japanese Utility Model Application Utility Model No. 60-117320 (JP, U) (58) Fields investigated (Int) .Cl. ⁶ , DB name) G03G 13 / 08,15 / 08

Claims (2)

(57) [Scope of request for utility model registration] A cylindrical developer storage container having a lower portion provided with a developer outlet in a position such that a central axis extends in a horizontal direction; In a developing device having a screw conveyor extending in parallel with the developer storage container, a spiral member having one end fixed to the developer storage container and the other end swingable, A part of the spiral member is protruded from the discharge port, and is brought into contact with the screw conveyor that is being driven to rotate, whereby a developer scraping unit that vibrates the spiral member is provided, and the screw is provided. A toner developing device, characterized in that a notch portion where the spiral member is detached is provided at a contact portion of the conveyor with the spiral member. 2. A cylindrical developer container having a central portion extending in a horizontal direction and having a developer outlet at a lower portion, and a lower portion of the developer container having a lower portion. In a developing device having a screw conveyor extending in parallel with the developer storage container, a spiral member having one end fixed to the developer storage container and the other end swingable, A part of the spiral member is protruded from the discharge port, and is brought into contact with the screw conveyor that is being driven to rotate, whereby a developer scraping unit that vibrates the spiral member is provided, and the screw is provided. A notch where the spiral member is detached is provided at a contact portion of the conveyor with the spiral member, and the weight of the free end side tip of the spiral member is the weight of the fixed end of the spiral member. The feature is to make it heavier That toner developing device.