JP2768728B2 - Toner container - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Object of the Invention] (Industrial application field) The present invention relates to a toner container for storing toner supplied to a developing device such as an electronic copying machine.

(Prior Art) In recent years, desktop electronic copiers have been remarkably popularized and various types of practical use have been realized.
In order to make it easy for anyone to replenish toner, which has been avoided in the past, as a consumable material, there is a method in which when toner runs out, the toner hopper is replaced with a new toner hopper.

Normally, this type of disposable toner hopper (cartridge) has a toner auger provided in a hopper body having a V-shaped cross section and an inclined bottom surface, and rotates the toner auger to carry out the toner in the hopper body to a toner discharge port. Configuration. In the hopper body, a means for preventing the toner from developing in a lump is provided so that the stored toner can be used without waste.

Conventionally, as a means for preventing the development of a lump of toner,
A stirrer is rotatably mounted in the hopper body, and a gear integrally formed with the stirrer and a gear integrally formed with the toner auger are meshed with each other. And rotate the toner in the hopper body.

However, in such a configuration, the configuration is complicated and the cost is high. In addition, since the portion outside the rotation locus of the agitator cannot be agitated, the shape of the hopper main body is limited, and the amount of stored toner cannot be increased. was there.

For this reason, in recent years, a sheet having a moderate waist, in which two pieces are attached so as to have a V-shaped cross section, is provided on the bottom surface in the hopper body so as to be almost superimposed, and is projected to the toner auger. By hitting the tongue-shaped protruding piece provided at the valley of one sheet with the provided pin, the toner is shaken to make it easy to drop the toner, thereby simplifying the configuration of the toner hopper and reducing its cost. At the same time, the development of an apparatus for increasing the amount of toner stored in the toner hopper by making it possible to increase the area of the bottom surface in the hopper body is being promoted.

However, in this device, the sheet is composed of two pieces, and each piece is vibrated in a free state that does not restrict each other.
In particular, the beaten piece is in a strongly flipped state, and this is also strongly transmitted to the other piece. And, in this way, because the vibration given to the toner by the vibration of the sheet is too strong, the toner is in a polished state in the hopper main body during the supply of the toner, and is solidified into coarse particles. Causes development. Then, when development is performed in this state, the toner particles are coarse and the density is coarse, so that the periphery of the particles becomes white, resulting in a sesame-like spot state,
There is a new problem that image quality is significantly degraded.

Normally, the toner hopper is a regular toner hopper 5.
A set of about one and a spare toner hopper containing a small amount of toner are sold as a set, and are used in order. The label attached to the regular toner hopper has a color display section printed in the same color as the color of the stored toner, and the label attached to the spare toner hopper used last. Is printed with a message display section on which a message such as "Replace service kit" or "Please call a service person" is written.

However, conventionally, from outside the device body,
These display portions cannot be seen, and the toner in the spare toner hopper may be inadvertently used up. Then, purchase a service kit or call a service person, until a new toner hopper arrives,
In some cases, the device could not be used.

(Problems to be Solved by the Invention) As described above, in the related art, there has been a problem that the configuration of the toner hopper is complicated, the cost is high, and the amount of stored toner cannot be increased.

On the other hand, in a new device for solving such a problem, since the vibration transmitted to the toner is too large, the toner is gradually polished and solidified into coarse particles, which adversely affects the image quality. There was a new problem.

Further, the display of the toner hopper cannot be seen from outside the apparatus main body, and the replacement toner hopper may be inadvertently cut off.

The present invention has been made based on the above circumstances, and aims to increase the toner storage amount while having a simple and inexpensive configuration, and to supply the toner to the developing device in a good state without grinding the toner. It is another object of the present invention to provide a toner hopper that prevents deterioration of image quality.

[Configuration of the invention]

(Means for Solving the Problems) A toner storage chamber having a substantially V-shaped cross-sectional shape having a first inclined bottom surface and a second inclined bottom surface sharing the inclined lower end of the first inclined bottom surface. A groove disposed at a V-shaped tip of the toner storage chamber, a toner auger disposed in the groove and configured to rotate and transport the toner in the toner storage chamber in the axial direction; The first and second inclined bottom surfaces are superposed and arranged on the first and second inclined bottom surfaces in the storage chamber, and have substantially the same size as the first and second inclined bottom surfaces. A single sheet member having an opening at a portion facing the auger, a first notch provided at a part of a portion overlapping the first inclined bottom surface of the sheet member, Part of a portion overlapping the second inclined bottom surface And a lower end of the sheet member that is provided on the first inclined bottom surface in the toner storage chamber and engages with the first notch of the sheet member. A first regulating member that regulates movement in the direction of the sheet, and the sheet member that is provided on the second inclined bottom surface in the toner storage chamber and engages with the second notch of the sheet member. A second regulating member that regulates the movement of the tongue toward the lower end, a tongue portion provided on the opening of the sheet member and extending on the toner auger, and synchronized with the rotation of the toner auger. A tapping member for vibrating the entire sheet member by hitting the tongue piece.

(Operation) According to the present invention, by vibrating the vibration caused by the hitting member by the above means, the toner can be easily supplied to the developing device while being vibrated appropriately while having a simple and inexpensive structure. The purpose is to increase the amount of stored toner in the toner storage chamber. Also, the present invention provides
In the image forming apparatus, by reducing the vibration caused by the hitting member of the toner storage chamber to be mounted, as compared with the related art,
With a simple and inexpensive configuration, a good toner can be obtained by appropriately vibrating, so that good development can be obtained and the image quality can be improved.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 2 shows the internal configuration of the entire apparatus, and FIG. 3 shows the appearance of the apparatus with the document holding cover opened. In the apparatus main body 1, charging, exposure, development, transfer, peeling, cleaning, static elimination, An image forming process constituting means 2 such as fixing is built in, and a document placing table (hereinafter, referred to as a platen glass) 3 on which a document D is set is provided on the upper surface.

Further, a platen glass 3 is provided on the rear edge of the apparatus main body 1.
A document pressing cover 4 for pressing the document D set thereon is attached, and a copy key 5, a clear / stop key 6, a numeric keypad 7, a display unit 8 and the like are arranged on a front edge of the upper surface of the apparatus main body 1. Operation panel 9 is arranged.

Further, a front cover 10 that can be opened and closed is provided on the front surface of the apparatus main body 1, and a paper feed cassette containing paper P such as plain paper to be supplied to the image forming process constituent means 2 is provided on the lower front surface. 11 is in the inserted state. Further, on the left side of the apparatus main body 1, a tray 12 for stacking the fixed paper P and a power switch 13 are provided.

The image forming process configuration unit 2 has the following configuration. That is, a drum-shaped photoconductor 20 as an image carrier is arranged at a substantially central portion in the apparatus main body 1,
Around the photoreceptor 20, along the rotation direction, a charging device 21, an exposure unit 22a of an exposure device 22, a developing device 23, a pre-transfer exposure device 24, a transfer device 25, a peeling device 26, a cleaning device 27, The static eliminator 28 and the like are sequentially arranged. Since these configurations are not directly related to the present invention, detailed description will be omitted.

Further, in the apparatus main body 1, the paper P automatically fed from the paper feed cassette 11 or the paper P manually fed through the manual paper feed table 29 is transferred to the photoconductor 20 and the transfer device. A paper transport path 31 is formed to lead to the tray 12 provided on the left side of the apparatus main body 1 through the image transfer section 30 between the paper transfer path 25 and the image transfer section 25.

A registration roller pair 32 is disposed on the upstream side of the image transfer section 30 of the paper transport path 31, and a fixing device 33 and a paper discharge roller pair 34 are disposed on the downstream side. The peeling device 26
A conveyance belt unit 35 is disposed between the fixing belt 33 and the fixing device 33.

In the vicinity of the mounting portion of the paper feed cassette 11, paper P
Roller 36 for taking out the sheets one by one
Receiving the sheet P taken out through the sheet conveying path 31
Separating / conveying means 37 composed of a conveying roller for feeding into the first branch conveying path forming the upstream side of the sheet and a separating roller is provided. Further, a manual feed roller 38 is provided at the junction of the first branch transport path and the second branch transport path for manual feed.

Further, the apparatus main body 1 is divided into an upper unit 1A and a lower unit 1B at about a boundary of the paper transport path 31, and a support shaft 40 provided on the paper feed side as necessary. The upper unit 1A can be opened by about 25 degrees as shown in FIG. The support shaft 40 is configured by a shaft portion of a torsion bar that constantly urges the upper unit 1A in the opening direction.

In FIG. 2, reference numeral 41 denotes a cooling fan disposed above the fixing device, and reference numeral 42 denotes a manual feed guide for guiding paper to be manually fed. Reference numeral 43 denotes a high-voltage transformer, and reference numeral 44 denotes a scale serving as a reference for setting the document D.

As shown in FIG. 5, the developing device 23 accommodates a magnet roller 50, a toner conveying auger 51, a stirring auger 52, and the like in a casing 53, and transfers a two-component developer G including a toner t and a carrier c. A well-known magnetic brush type developing device that uses and develops is employed. As shown in FIG. 6, the toner t is appropriately supplied from a toner supply port 54 formed in an upper portion on the front side of the stirring auger 52 via a toner hopper 55 which is a toner container described later. It has become.

As shown in FIG. 6, the toner hopper 55
The toner hopper 55 is exposed when the front cover 10 is opened (see FIG. 4).
It is supposed to. By pulling the distal end of the retaining hook 56 forward while elastically deforming it downward, it can be detached from the mounting portion 58 formed in the developing device 23.

When the toner hopper 55 is mounted at a predetermined position, a shutter (not shown) is opened and the toner hopper 55 is opened.
With the toner discharge port 59 of 55 facing,
A driven body 62 integrated with a toner auger 61 provided at the bottom inside a hopper body 60 which is a toner storage chamber is in a state of being engaged with a driving body 63 provided on the developing device 23 side, and the toner As the auger 61 rotates, the toner t is carried out to the toner discharge port 59.

As shown in FIG. 1, the hopper main body 60 has a V-shaped cross section having a first inclined bottom surface 60a and a second inclined bottom surface 60b in which the inclined lower end side of the first inclined bottom surface 60a is the inclined lower end. It has a shape in which a groove 60c for accommodating the toner auger 61 is formed in the central valley, and a large amount of toner t
It is shaped so that it can accommodate

Further, inside the hopper main body 60, a toner sticking preventing means 65 is provided to prevent the toner contained therein from hardening and to prevent the toner from sticking to the inner wall. As shown in FIG. 1 and FIGS. 7 to 9, the toner fixing prevention means 65 is formed by waving polyethylene having a wavy cross section so that it is almost superposed on both inclined bottom surfaces 60a and 60b having a V-shaped cross section. An elastic sheet 66, which is a single sheet member having a first slope 66a and a second slope 66b, and a pin 68, a striking member protruding from the periphery of the toner auger 61, are formed. ing. The valleys 66 of the first slope 66a and the second slope 66b of the elastic sheet 66
In c, a supply port 67 having a projecting piece 67a which is a tongue piece extending on the toner auger 61 is formed.
Is supplied with the toner t. Also, pin 68
Abuts on the protruding piece 67a by the rotation of the toner auger 61,
The projecting piece 67a is knocked up. 70 and 71 are first and second ribs for regulating the movement of the elastic sheet 66 in the surface direction (upward direction), and 72 is a first and a second notch formed in the elastic sheet 66. A third rib is a first rib that is inserted through a notch 73 and restricts movement in the side direction (in the direction of the inclined lower end).

At the time of replenishment of the toner t, as shown in FIG.
However, the projecting piece 67a is knocked up. Thereby, the first slope 66a on the protruding piece 67a side is vibrated in the direction of the arrow y. Also, since the second slope 66b is integrated with the first slope 66a at the valley 66c, the second slope 66b is vibrated in the direction of the arrow z along with the vibration of the first slope 66a. Then, the toner t in the hopper body 60 is guided to the supply port 67 side without being hardened to the end or adhered to the inner wall by the vibration of the elastic sheet 66 in the arrow y direction and the arrow z direction, and Is dropped and supplied.

As shown in FIGS. 6 and 10, the toner hopper 55 has a label 75 printed with “black” or “red” ink of the same color as the toner t contained therein.
Is affixed, and the label 75 of the regular toner hopper 55 is printed with a color display portion 75a, which is a display portion painted in black or red, and is used last. As shown in FIG. 11 (a), the label 75 of the spare toner hopper 55 may be “service kit exchange” or FIG. 11 (b).
As shown in the figure, a message display section 75b, which is a display section on which a message "Please call a serviceman", is printed.

On the other hand, at a position facing the display portions 75a and 75b of the front cover 10, a display viewing portion as information supply means for checking the display portions 75a and 75b from outside the apparatus main body 1 as shown in FIG. A certain through hole 76 is formed.

Then, when copying is performed, the color of the toner t in the toner hopper 55 is confirmed from the outside of the apparatus main body 1 or the purchase time of the replacement toner hopper 55 is confirmed.

According to this structure, the toner t can be prevented from sticking and the toner t can be easily supplied to the end by simply hitting the elastic sheet 66 with the pin 68 protruding from the toner auger 61. The toner sticking prevention means 65 can be simplified and reduced in cost. In addition, the vibration is transmitted to the entire toner t with the vibration of the entire elastic sheet 66, so that the hopper body is
The area of the inclined bottom surfaces 60 a and 60 b of the 60 can be increased as compared with the conventional case, the storage amount of the toner t can be increased, and the frequency of replacing the toner hopper 55 can be reduced, thereby improving the maintainability. Further, the two slopes 60a, 60b of the elastic sheet 66 are formed integrally, and the vibration occurs in both directions of the arrow y direction and the arrow z direction, and the two slopes 60a, 60b regulate each other. Since the vibration is reduced as compared with the conventional apparatus including two sheets, the toner t is not crushed and solidified, and is supplied to the developing device 23 in a good state. Good images can be obtained. Further, a label 75 indicating the usage status is attached to the outside of the toner hopper 55, and a through hole 76 is formed in the entire cover 10 of the apparatus main body 1, so that the information of the toner hopper 55 can be easily provided from the outside of the apparatus main body 1. This makes it easy to confirm the color of the toner t at the time of use or the purchase time of the toner hopper 55, so that the purchase of the toner hopper 55 is not forgotten, and the effective use of the apparatus main body 1 can be achieved.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various designs can be changed. For example, the material of the elastic sheet is arbitrary as long as it has an appropriate waist. It is more preferable to promote the following. In the above embodiment, the elastic sheet is integrally formed. However, if it is a single sheet, the two inclined portions forming the V-shape are separately formed and bonded at the valleys. May be.

〔The invention's effect〕

As described in detail above, according to the present invention, it is possible to simplify the apparatus and reduce the price as compared with the related art, and to improve the maintainability by increasing the amount of toner stored in the toner hopper. In addition, since the vibration of the elastic sheet can be reduced as compared with the conventional apparatus including two sheets, the toner is hardened, and the toner is not hardened in a granular form, so that a good image can be obtained.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 is a front view showing a mounting state of a toner hopper with a part cut away, FIG. 2 is a schematic vertical sectional front view of the entire image forming apparatus, and FIG. FIG. 4 is a schematic perspective view showing an appearance of the image forming apparatus with a document holding cover opened, FIG. 4 is a schematic perspective view of the image forming apparatus with an upper unit opened, and FIG. 5 is a schematic configuration of a developing apparatus. FIG. 6 is a longitudinal side view of the toner hopper mounting portion, and FIG.
FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional plan view of the toner hopper, FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the elastic sheet, FIG. 9 is a partial cross-sectional view of the toner hopper, FIG.
FIG. 11 is a front view showing a label message display section. 1. Apparatus main body, 55: toner hopper, 59: toner discharge port, 60: hopper main body, 60a: first inclined bottom surface, 60b: second inclined bottom surface, 61: toner auger, 66 ... ... elastic sheet, 67 ... supply port, 67a ... projecting piece, 68 ... pin, 75 ... label, 76 ... through-hole,

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims] 1. A toner storage chamber having a substantially V-shaped cross-sectional shape having a first inclined bottom surface, and a second inclined bottom surface sharing the inclined lower end of the first inclined bottom surface; A groove disposed at the V-shaped tip of the storage chamber, a toner auger disposed in the groove and rotating to convey the toner in the toner storage chamber by rotating, and a toner auger in the toner storage chamber. The first inclined bottom surface and the second inclined bottom surface
A single unit having a size substantially equal to the first inclined bottom surface and the second inclined bottom surface, and having an opening in a portion facing the toner auger. A sheet member, a first notch provided in a part of a portion of the sheet member overlapping the first inclined bottom surface, and a part of a portion of the sheet member overlapping the second inclined bottom surface. A second notch provided, and a lower end of the sheet member which is provided on the first inclined bottom surface in the toner storage chamber and which engages with the first notch of the sheet member. A first regulating member that regulates movement of the sheet member; and a second regulating member that is provided on the second inclined bottom surface in the toner storage chamber and engages with the second notch of the sheet member. The second that regulates the movement toward the lower end of the slope A restricting member, a tongue provided on the opening of the sheet member and extending on the toner auger, and the sheet member being hit by hitting the tongue in synchronization with the rotation of the toner auger. And a tapping member for vibrating the whole.