JP3016893B2 - Image forming device - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine and a facsimile.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art An image forming apparatus such as a copying machine which is widely used generally forms a visible image on a recording medium (sheet) using a cursor process (electrophotographic process). This visible image is created by fine particles called toner stored in the developing device, and the toner is a consumable that is consumed every time an image is formed. Therefore, when the amount of toner becomes equal to or less than the predetermined amount, the toner must be replenished each time, which is the most troublesome operation for maintenance of the image forming apparatus.

Accordingly, when a plurality of cartridges are mounted in the toner replenishing position of the developing unit, the cartridges can be sequentially mounted in a multilayer core shape inside the previously mounted empty cartridge. And
Thus, it has been proposed that the operator can replenish the developing unit with toner without removing the empty cartridge from the toner replenishing position each time the cartridge is mounted (for example, see Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open 63-1
No. 88171). However, according to the above configuration, the empty cartridge remains as it is at the toner replenishment position, and the next cartridge is mounted inside the empty cartridge. Therefore, when the next cartridge is mounted, the empty cartridge remains inside the empty cartridge. There is a problem that the toner flowing out of the empty cartridge is ejected to the outside by the air flow generated by the mounted cartridge, and may be scattered inside and outside the apparatus.

[0004] In view of such a problem in the prior art, the applicant of the present invention, when loading the toner container device,
The operator can replenish the toner to the developing unit without removing the empty toner container from the toner replenishing position each time from the toner replenishing position, and the operability of loading the toner container into the device and removing the toner container from the device is improved. For the purpose of providing an image forming apparatus which can be improved, a patent application was filed for the following invention (Japanese Patent Application No. 286418/1990).
issue). The invention provides an image forming apparatus including a replenishing unit for replenishing toner from a toner container containing toner, wherein a loading unit for loading the toner container, and the toner container which has been completely loaded into the loading unit are provided. A first transfer means provided at a location different from the loading section for transferring the toner to the replenishing section to a replenishing position, and storing an empty toner container after replenishing the toner to the replenishing section. For this purpose, there is provided a storage unit provided in a place different from the replenishment position in the apparatus, and a second transfer means for transferring the empty toner container from the replenishment position to the storage unit. Things. According to the invention, when the toner container is loaded, the toner can be replenished to the developing unit without removing the empty toner container from the toner replenishing position to the outside of the device each time by the operator, and the toner container is operated by the operator. This has the effect of improving the operability of loading into and removing from the device.

[0005]

On the other hand, in order to reduce the size of an image forming apparatus provided with a storage section for storing a developer container such as an empty toner container in the image forming apparatus, the size of the image forming apparatus is reduced. A technical challenge is to reduce the size of the storage unit itself. Furthermore, in order to solve the above-mentioned technical problem, when the developer container is configured so that its side portion is crushed and can be efficiently stored in the storage unit, such a developer container is
As described in the above proposal, when the present invention is applied to an image forming apparatus that transfers a developer container to a replenishing position provided at a location different from the loading unit, the developer storing device that is transported by the transport unit and positioned at the replenishing position is provided. There is a greater risk that toner will be scattered into the apparatus from the gap between the container and the developer replenishment opening edge of the developer replenishment unit at the replenishment position. The present invention has been made based on such background, purpose of that is, the developer can be reduced in size storage section of the empty developer container provided in the image forming apparatus housing An object of the present invention is to provide an image forming apparatus using a container .

[0006]

To achieve the above Symbol purpose SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The invention of Claim 1 forms the upper and lower surfaces in the plate-like member, the internal space of the developer accommodating with upper surface and a lower surface A developer container whose side surface is formed by an elastic member or a film-like member, a developer replenishing section for replenishing developer from the developer container, and an empty developer after replenishing the developer A storage unit having an opening facing upward for storing the container, a transfer unit configured to transfer the empty developer container by replenishing the developer from the replenishment unit to the storage unit, A developer container is provided on a transfer path transferred by the transfer means,
Provided a transfer path forming member for engaging at least the lower, respectively the plate-like member forming the upper surface and a lower surface, the transfer path forming member, when the developer container came transferred to the open Prompt , Wherein the engagement with the plate-like members forming the upper and lower surfaces is released.
According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the image forming apparatus of the first aspect, the loading section in which the developer container is loaded and the developer container loaded in the loading section are moved from the loading section by the loading section. Transfer means for transferring the developer to the developer replenishing unit. According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the image forming apparatus according to the first aspect, when the developer container irradiates light vertically from above the upper surface to the lower surface, a plate-shaped member that forms the lower surface The shape of the upper surface and the side surface is set so that the shadows of other parts are all projected into the plate-like member forming the lower surface .

[0007]

Since the side of the developer container is formed of an elastic member or a film-like member, the developer contained in the developer container is replenished to the developer replenishing portion of the image forming apparatus main body. When it is stored in the storage unit in the forming apparatus, the side part is crushed and stored. Further, a transfer engaging portion that engages with the transfer means in the image forming apparatus main body is formed on each of the upper and lower plate-like members, whereby the transfer in the apparatus can be stabilized. Further, a developer discharging opening is formed in the plate-like member forming the lower surface, and the opening is sealed with the developer contained therein. When such a developer container is loaded in the loading section of the image forming apparatus, the image forming apparatus transfers the developer from the loading section to the developer replenishing section by transporting means, and forms the lower surface of the developer container by replenishing positioning means. The plate member to be pressed is pressed against a portion forming the edge of the developer replenishing opening and positioned. During this transfer, the portion forming the transfer path is engaged with the transfer engagement portion of the plate-like member forming the upper and lower surfaces of the developer container, and the transfer is performed in a stable state. The developer is replenished from the developer container to the developer replenishing unit by the developer replenishing unit, and the empty developer container is transferred to the storage unit by the transfer unit. During this transfer, the transfer path forming member is engaged from below with the transfer engaging portions of the plate-like member forming the upper and lower surfaces of the developer container, and the developer container is transferred onto the opening of the storage unit. When the developer comes, the engagement with the plate-like members forming the upper and lower surfaces is released, and the developer container is dropped and stored in the storage unit.

[0008]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A digital copying machine as an image forming apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described. In FIG. 1, the digital copying machine includes a reading device (scanner) 10 as document reading means and a copying device (printer) 9 for executing a series of processes for copying read document information onto paper.
0. First, the reading device 10 will be described. The reading device 10 irradiates a document under a contact glass 306 on which a document is placed, a document scale 305 provided at an edge portion on the contact glass, a document pressure plate 307 capable of covering the entire area of the contact glass 306, and a contact glass 306. Fluorescent lamp 301, first to third mirrors 302, 303, 30 for reflecting light reflected from a document
4. A lens 308 covered with a cover 309 on which the reflected light from the third mirror is incident, an image reading plate 311 having a built-in A / D converter with a CCD arranged at an image forming position of the lens 308, an image processing circuit Substrate 3 on which is formed
12, a cooling fan 313 for cooling the inside of the apparatus. When the original is set on the contact glass 306 and the copy start button on the operation panel is turned on, the optical system such as the fluorescent lamp 301 is moved below the contact glass 306 to scan the original, and the original is scanned. Is reflected on the CCD 310 via the lens 308 and the like,
Read the document information. The original image formed on the CCD 310 is output as an analog signal in synchronization with a clock from the image processing circuit, and after signal amplification, signal synthesis, and variable amplification, the signal is converted into a digital signal by an A / D converter. The digital signal is processed by an image processing circuit, converted into digital recording image information, and output to the image information storage device of the copying apparatus 90.

Next, the copying apparatus 90 will be described. In FIG. 1, a photosensitive drum 140 serving as an image carrier is rotated clockwise. In the vicinity of the top of the photosensitive drum 140, a transfer charger 350 is provided so as to oppose to form a transfer portion. Between the transfer unit and a paper tray 349 that horizontally stores transfer paper at the top of the apparatus,
A conveyance path including the conveyance guide plate 383, the first relay roller pair 327, and the intermediate roller pairs 328 and 329 is formed. The pickup roller 32 is provided on the paper tray 349.
4. The paper feed roller 325 and the reverse roller 326 are arranged to constitute a paper feed device 390. A registration roller pair 330 is provided in the vicinity of the transfer portion of the transport path.
Further, a conductor separation / conveying belt 351 is provided between the transfer section and the paper discharge port, and a fixing heater of about 700 W is provided inside the belt.
A fixing device including a fixing roller 335 coated with Teflon and a pressure roller 334 is provided. On the right side of the photosensitive drum 140, a cleaning device 130 is provided.
A cleaning agent collecting bottle 117 is provided below the cleaning device 130 to collect and store the deteriorated agent. On the upper left side of the agent collection bottle 117, a neutralization lamp 34 is provided facing the surface of the photosensitive drum 140.
1 and a charger 342 provided with a grid 343. The charger 342 is connected to a negative voltage high voltage generator and uniformly charges the surface of the photosensitive drum 140 to minus 600 volts. On the photosensitive drum 140, a writing optical system unit 3 provided horizontally below the apparatus is provided.
An exposure portion to be irradiated with the laser beam from 85 is formed. In the writing optical system unit 385, a semiconductor laser and a cylinder lens not shown here, a polygon mirror 344 rotationally driven by a polygon mirror motor 345, an f-θ lens (not shown), a reflection mirror 346, and the like are included. Is provided. Writing optical system unit 38
5, a developing device 38 including a developing device 100 having a magnet roller 102 facing a moving area above the surface of the photosensitive drum 140 and a toner hopper 101
6 are provided. In the developing device 100, as shown by reference numerals in FIG. 3, in addition to the magnet roller 102, a developing doctor 105 for regulating the amount of the developer on the magnet roller 102, and a developing doctor 105 for regulating the amount of developer. A separator provided with a rectifying plate 109 for guiding the developer returned to the lower portion, a conveying member 103 for stirring the developer in a direction perpendicular to the axis of the magnet roller 102 in the developing device 100, and a toner replenishing unit. Mixing / stirring member 1 for mixing toner supplied from a certain toner hopper 101 with a developer
04 etc. are provided. The lower portion of the toner hopper 101 is open to the developing device 100, and a toner replenishing roller 108 is provided in this opening, and an agitator 106 for stirring the toner inside is provided. The upper part is open upward, and this opening (hereinafter, referred to as
The hopper opening) is a toner replenishing unit in which the cartridge 500 containing the toner is mounted. In front of the toner hopper 101, the toner hopper 10
An empty cartridge storage box 550 constituting an empty cartridge storage unit for storing an empty cartridge 500 by replenishing the toner 1 is provided (see FIG. 2).

The paper trays 347 and 348 and the pickup rollers 314 and 3 are provided inside the upper wall of the copying apparatus 90.
19, paper feed rollers 315, 320, reverse rollers 316,
(Optional) paper feeder 39 with 321 etc.
1,392 are arranged. And this paper feeder 3
A third relay roller pair 317 is provided at 91, and a second relay roller pair 322 is provided at the sheet feeding device 392. Each of the sheet trays 349, 348, and 347 can be pulled out, and is provided with a set detection sensor and a size detection sensor (not shown). When the set detection sensor detects a set state, a lifting motor (not shown) is driven to drive the paper. The transfer paper in the tray is raised to a position where it comes into contact with the pickup rollers 324, 314, and 319. Further, the first relay sensor 31 detects the transfer status of the transfer paper in the transfer path.
8, a second relay sensor 323, and a registration sensor 331 are provided.

In the above configuration, the semiconductor laser in the writing optical system unit 385 is activated to emit light corresponding to digital recording image information which is a binary signal of 1 bit (recording / non-recording) per pixel. The laser light emitted from the semiconductor laser is reflected by the polygon mirror 344, and f-θ
The light passes through a lens (not shown), is reflected by a reflection mirror 346, and is imaged and irradiated on the photosensitive drum 140. The polygon mirror 344 is driven to rotate at a constant speed by a polygon motor 345, and the above-described laser light is scanned in a horizontal direction which is a direction perpendicular to the moving direction of the photosensitive drum 140.

The surface of the photosensitive drum 140 is
2 uniformly charges to minus 600 volts. When the laser light emitted based on the digitally recorded image information is irradiated on the uniformly charged photoreceptor surface, the electric charge on the photoreceptor surface is caused by a photoconductive phenomenon, and the electric charge is transferred to the device via the conductive layer of the photoreceptor drum 140. Disappears flowing to the ground. Here, the laser light is not turned on in a portion where the document density is low (the binarized signal is at the non-recording level), and the laser is turned on in a portion where the document density is high (the binarized signal is at the recording level). As a result, the portion corresponding to the low density portion of the original on the surface of the photosensitive drum 140 has a potential of approximately minus 600 volts,
The dark portion of the original has a density of about minus 100 volts, and an electrostatic latent image is formed corresponding to the density of the original.
The electrostatic latent image is developed by the developing device 386 to form a toner image on the surface of the photosensitive drum 140. Note that the toner in the developing device 100 is negatively charged by stirring, and the magnet roller 102 in the developing device 100 is biased to about minus 450 volts by a developing bias generator.
The surface potential of the photosensitive drum 140 adheres to a location higher than the developing bias, and a toner image corresponding to the original image is formed.

On the other hand, the transfer paper is made up of three paper trays 34.
9, 348, and 347 are selected, fed, conveyed, and sent to the transfer section at a predetermined timing by the registration roller 330, and are formed on the photosensitive drum 140 by the action of the transfer charger 350. The transferred toner image is transferred. The transfer paper on which the toner image has been transferred is sucked by the transport belt 351 and separated from the surface of the photoreceptor belt. After that, the transfer sheet passes between the fixing roller 335 and the pressure roller 334, and the toner is fixed. The transfer sheet is separated by the separation claw 333 and discharged onto a discharge tray (not shown). After the toner image has been transferred to the transfer paper, the surface of the photosensitive drum 140 is prepared for the next uniform charging after the residual toner is removed by the cleaning equipment value 130.

An outline of the construction operation of the toner and agent replenishment mechanism will be described with reference to FIGS. Developing device 100
Supplies the toner in the apparatus to the photosensitive drum 140 using the magnet roller 102 and the agent, and visualizes the latent image on the photosensitive member. Consumed toner is supplied to toner hopper 10
1a is supplied to the toner supply roller 108.
By supplying it into the developing device 100. Further, since the agent deteriorates with an increase in the number of copies, it needs to be replaced. In the apparatus of the present invention, this is automatically performed. New agent required at the time of replacement is stored in the agent hopper 101b, and is supplied to the developing device by the agent supply roller 107. 2, in the replenishment mechanism, the cartridge 500 inserted by the user into the loading section 690 on the front side of the image forming apparatus main body is moved by the lower conveyor belt 603, the first conveyor roller 610, the upper second conveyor roller 611, and the third conveyor roller. Top 6
12, the toner is transferred to the toner and agent replenishing position above the hopper 101, the cartridge seal 504 sealing the cartridge 500 is removed at the replenishing position, and the toner and the agent are replenished into the hopper 101. The empty cartridge 500 after replenishment is transferred from the replenishment position to the empty cartridge stacking unit 551 formed in the empty cartridge storage box 500 before the refilled toner is consumed and the next cartridge is inserted. You. Automatic replacement of the agent using the replenished agent will be described later in detail. Further, the empty cartridge 550 is stored in the empty cartridge collecting section 551.
The replacement timing when is full will also be described in detail later.

First, the cartridge 50 used in this embodiment is
0 will be described. 7 is a perspective view thereof, FIG. 8 (a) is a front view thereof, FIG. 8 (b) is a left side view thereof, FIG. 7 (c) is a view of the left side thereof as viewed from above, and FIG. And FIG. 10 is a perspective view for explaining a procedure for inserting the device into the apparatus main body. This cartridge 500 has a cartridge upper plate 501 at the top,
The bottom part is constituted by a cartridge lower plate 503, and the side part connecting the upper part and the bottom part is constituted by a cartridge film 502.
8 is divided by a partition made of a double film of the same material as that of the toner storage unit 502a as shown in FIG.
And a medicine container 502b. Guide wings 501a that extend further outward from the front end to the approximate center in the front-rear direction are formed on the left and right flanges that extend to the outside of the side surface of the cartridge upper plate 501. The timing groove 50 is formed on the upper surface of the cartridge upper plate 501 substantially at the center in the left-right direction from the front end to the rear end.
1b is formed. The cartridge film 502 needs to be soft, and for example, a film-like member such as a polyester film or an elastic member such as polyurethane rubber is used. This is so that the cartridge can be stored in the empty cartridge storage portion 551 (see FIG. 6) in a state where the cartridge is stored in the up-down direction as described later. A pair of guide wings 503a, which extend further outward at the same position in the front-rear direction, are formed on each of the left and right flanges extending to the outside of the side surface of the cartridge lower plate 503 at regular intervals. I have. A timing groove 503b is formed on the upper surface of the pair of guide wings 503a formed on the left flange. Further, the guide wing 50 formed on the left flange is provided.
The distance from the outer end face of the cartridge film 3a to the left side face of the cartridge film 502 is equal to the length of the guide wing 50 formed on the right flange.
3a is larger than the distance from the outer end surface of the cartridge film 502 to the right side surface of the cartridge film 502. Further, an opening is formed in a portion of the cartridge lower plate 503 surrounded by the lower end edge of the cartridge film 502, and this opening serves as an outlet for the toner and the agent. The opening is provided in the toner storage section 502.
a, the toner container and the developer are housed in the agent housing portion 502b and sealed by the cartridge seal 504. When the cartridge seal 504 is mounted on the hopper opening 124, the seal removing mechanism described later is located on the right flange side of the cartridge 500, and thus, for example, after the adhesive is applied to the flange of the cartridge lower plate 503. Of the front, rear, left and right flanges, the right flange is attached, the left flange is adhered, and then folded back, and its free end is extended to the outer end of the right flange 503a. The edge of the end is adhered to the right flange.

In this example, the cartridge upper plate 50
1. The cartridge lower plate 503 has a plate thickness of 3 mm, and the total height of the cartridge 503 is set to 86 mm. In addition, an empty cartridge accommodating portion 551 described later.
When the cartridge 500 is dropped on the cartridge lower plate 503, the lower portion of the cartridge 500 is placed on the bottom of the cartridge lower plate 503 so that a member other than the cartridge lower plate 503 of the cartridge 500 does not come into contact with a member that guided the cartridge lower plate 503 immediately before the drop. It is desirable to set the side surface and the top surface so that the upper cartridge 500 can be projected (see FIG. 8).
(C)).

It is desirable that the weight ratio between the toner and the agent contained in the cartridge 500 is in the range of 1: 1 to 3: 1. In this example, the agent replacement is automatically performed in accordance with the loading of the cartridge 500 every time the toner runs out, so that all the toner in the cartridge 500 needs to be consumed before the life of the agent comes. In this example, 150 g of the agent is contained in the cartridge,
The life of this agent is about 10,000 sheets. Therefore, the toner amount is assumed to be the amount consumed for obtaining 8,000 copies for safety. The consumed toner amount varies depending on the black area of the document. The consumed toner amount is 150 g when the black area of the document is 3% on average and 450 g when the black area of the document is 9% on average. Therefore, the weight ratio of the toner and the agent to be consumed is 1: 1 when the area of the original black portion is 3% on average.
1, when the original black area is 9% on average, the ratio is 3: 1. In general, the area of the original black portion is 3% to 9%. Therefore, the preferable ratio of the amount of toner and agent stored is 1: 1 to 1 as described above.
3: 1. In this example, the toner and agent storage sections have a capacity of 1200 cc and 100 cc, respectively.

While the cartridge 500 is stored, a hard case 5 such as a cardboard as shown in FIG.
It is desirable to house them in 10. This is because the side part of the cartridge 500 is made of an elastic member or a film-like member, so that it is easy to handle during storage before use. In this example, at the time of insertion, the grip portion 510a of the hard case 510 is broken to expose a part of the cartridge 500, and the exposed portion with the hard case 510 is inserted into the main body insertion window 692 (see FIG. 10). Again,
The operability at the time of loading is also very good because it is inserted with a hard case. Also, such a hard case 510 is
First, it is desirable that only the portion accommodating the leading end portion of the cartridge 500 to be loaded into the insertion window 692 of the apparatus can be removed. If the cartridge 500 is accidentally separated from the hard case 510, the cartridge 500 is directly held and inserted into the main body. However, the dimension of the cartridge 502 in the normal insertion direction is larger than the left and right dimensions of the main body insertion window 692. If it is set large, it is possible to prevent erroneous insertion such as inserting the cartridge 500 laterally with respect to the original insertion direction. When the user tries to insert the cartridge backward, the blades of the left and right guide wings 503a of the cartridge lower plate 503 have different dimensions, so that the main unit insertion window 692, the cartridge film 502, and the cartridge lower plate 503 are not aligned. When the cartridge is inserted upside down, the difference between the dimensions of the cartridge upper plate 501 and the cartridge lower plate 503 (in this example, the cartridge upper plate 50
1 is larger than that of the cartridge lower plate 503, and the cartridge lower plate 5 of the main body insertion window 692.
03 is larger than the width of the corresponding part). Therefore, when the cartridge is loaded in the apparatus main body, the loading operation can always be performed in a normal state.

The cartridge 500 itself can be applied to an apparatus in which the developer is not replenished by the cartridge. In this case, the partition between the toner storage section 502a and the agent storage section 502b is removed as shown in FIG.
The configuration shown in FIG. FIG. 11A is a front view, FIG. 11B is a left side view, and FIG. 11C is a view from the top while standing on the left side.

Next, the mechanism of the apparatus main body relating to the replenishment of the toner and the developer will be described. FIG. 2 is a perspective view, FIG. 6 is a left side view, and FIG. 12 is a front view near the developing device 100. A cartridge 500 formed on an exterior part (hereinafter referred to as a front exterior part) 690 on the front of the apparatus is provided in the apparatus main body.
A cartridge insertion portion including an insertion window 692 for insertion, a toner and developer replenishment portion including the hopper 101 located on the back side of the apparatus, an opening unit of the cartridge 500 having an opening roller 680 disposed on the right side of the hopper opening, and opening. A sealing member storage section (see FIG. 12) including a seal storage box 681 disposed opposite the roller 680, and an empty cartridge storage section including an empty cartridge storage box 550 disposed between the hopper 101 and the front exterior section 690. A transfer means having rollers 610, 611, 612 and the like are provided, and a transfer path is formed by the lower transfer rail 631 and the like. In addition to the insertion window 692, the empty cartridge storage box 5
50 access windows 694 are also formed.

The insertion window 692 of the insertion portion is formed in a shape slightly larger than the cartridge 500 in accordance with the cross-sectional shape when the cartridge 500 is cut perpendicularly to the insertion direction. The length of the passing portion of the guide wing 501a is also set to the length corresponding to the length of the guide wing 501a. This prevents the cartridge 500 from being inserted sideways as described above, or the cartridge 500 from being inserted in the wrong direction.

Inside the front exterior part 690, a lower part is rotatably supported by a horizontal shaft 693b parallel to the exterior part, and an insertion window door 693 that can cover the entire insertion window 692 in a closed state.
Is provided. The insertion window door 693 is normally closed by applying a rotating force in a direction to always close by urging means (not shown), and the insertion window door 693 is pushed inwardly against the rotating force, so that the insertion window door 693 is horizontally moved. It can be turned about 90 degrees around the axis 693b. And
In the closed state, a protruding plate 693b having a protruding portion extending from the front edge to the outside is provided on the upper surface of the insertion window door 693 facing the inside of the apparatus (hereinafter referred to as the inner surface) (FIG. 6). reference).

Above the insertion window 692 on the inner surface of the front exterior part 690, a door sensor 70 having a light emitting element and a light receiving element is provided.
1, a lock mechanism including a lock release solenoid 700 and a lock plate 700a fixed to the plunger. The door sensor 701 is the insertion window door 6
93 is attached at a position where the protruding portion of the protruding plate 693b is interposed between the light emitting element and the light receiving element with the 93 closed.
When the plunger is pulled out with the insertion window door 693 closed, the locking plate 700a is
93b is engaged with the front exterior part 690 from the opposite side, and when the plunger is sucked, the lock plate 700a is
It is attached at a position that does not engage with 93b.

As shown in FIG. 3, a seal member 662 is attached to the upper surface of the peripheral portion of the hopper opening of the toner replenishing portion so as to prevent a gap from being formed between the upper surface of the peripheral portion and the lower surface of the flange portion of the cartridge 500. It is set up. As shown in FIG. 6, a hopper guide 660 extending from the peripheral portion is formed on the front exterior part 690 side from the hopper opening, and the cartridge 500 is placed on the hopper opening on the device rear side from the hopper opening. A cartridge abutting wall 661 that is inclined forward toward the insertion window 692 for positioning is provided, and is opened toward the insertion window 692 with its inclined lower surface and the upper peripheral portion on which the seal member 662 is attached. A wedge-shaped void is formed.

The unsealing roller 680 of the unsealing means is shown in FIG.
As shown in FIGS. 2 and 13, the cartridge 5 includes upper and lower rollers 680 having a certain length corresponding to the gap between the front and rear guide wings 503 a on the right side of the cartridge 500.
The lower roller 680 is a cylindrical roller made of a resilient material, and the upper roller 680 is an uneven roller so that the sealing member 504 that seals 00 is reliably pulled. The rotation shafts of both rollers 680 are rotatably supported by a link mechanism that can change the distance between the both shafts, and can be driven by an opening motor 705 (not shown). The link mechanism is provided with a spring that constantly applies a biasing force to make the distance between the upper and lower rotary shafts at least a distance that allows the guide wing 503a to pass between the upper and lower roller pairs, and a spring attachment. An opening pinch solenoid 704 is connected to the pair of upper and lower rollers so that the distance between the upper and lower rollers can be set to a distance for holding the seal member 504 for sealing the cartridge 500 against the force.

The seal storage box 681, which is the sealing member storage section, is opened by the opening roller 680 to form the cartridge 50.
A receiving port for receiving the sealing member 504 removed from the opening 0 is provided. The empty cartridge storage box 113, which is the empty cartridge storage section, has an opening for receiving the cartridge 500 at an upper portion, and is configured to be detachable from the apparatus main body. The empty cartridge storage box 550 will be described later in detail.

The transfer means is shown in FIGS. 2, 6, and 14.
As shown in FIG. 14, the transport motor 702 (see FIG.
), The first to third transport rollers 610 and 61 driven by
1, 612 and the lower transport belt 603. The transfer path includes a pair of first upper transport rails 632 and a pair of second upper transport rails that can contact the lower surface of the guide upper part 501a of the cartridge upper plate 501 of the cartridge 500 and support the cartridge upper plate 501 from below. 633,
The lower hopper guide 660 and the insertion window door 693 are constituted by a lower transport rail 631 that can contact the lower surface of the guide wing portion 503a of the cartridge lower plate 503 and support the cartridge lower plate 503 from below.

In FIG. 14, the third transport roller 612
Is provided on the output shaft of the transport motor 702, the drive of the first transport roller 610 is transmitted from the output shaft via a transmission belt 613, and the second transport roller 611 is driven by the first transport roller 6.
The drive is transmitted from the ten shafts via the second transmission belt 614, and the drive of the lower conveyor belt 603 is transmitted via the third transmission belt 615. Then, the first to third transport rollers 6
10, 611, 612 are disposed at positions on the upper surface of the cartridge upper plate 501 that can face the timing belt groove 501a, and are timing pulleys that mesh with the timing belt groove 501a. The second transport roller 6 among them
Numeral 11 is supported by a bearing 654 supported on the main body side plate so as to be vertically movable as shown in FIG. 16, and a downward pressure is applied by a pressing spring 652. The lower transport belt 603 is a two-tooth timing belt rotatably supported by the belt wheels 601 and 602, and the lower teeth are formed on the upper surface of the guide blade 503 a of the cartridge lower plate 503. It is arranged at a position where it can engage with the timing belt groove 503b. These rollers 610, 611,
As shown in FIG. 14, the output shaft 612 and the belt 603 are driven so that the cartridge 500 can be transported to the rear side of the apparatus by the rotation of the output shaft of the transport motor 702 in the direction of arrow A. Is driven so that the cartridge 500 can be transported to the front side of the apparatus. Hereinafter, the conveyor belt 121 is
When the cartridge 500 is rotated to transport the cartridge 500 to the rear side of the apparatus as shown in FIG.
Is called forward rotation, and the reverse case is called reverse conveyance or reverse rotation. Note that the belt wheel 60 on the front side of the first transport roller 610 and the lower transport belt 603 disposed on the most front side.
Position 1 is such that when the cartridge 500 is inserted from the insertion window 692, the rear end of the cartridge 500 is positioned so that the operator does not have to forcibly reach into the apparatus and push the entire cartridge 500 into the apparatus. It is desirable to set the tip of the cartridge 500 to reach them while it is outside.

Each of the upper transport rails 632 and 633 is a rail having an L-shaped cross section, which is composed of a vertical portion and a horizontal portion extending from the lower end thereof toward the transport path of the cartridge 500.
Each pair forms the left and right sides of the transport path of the cartridge 500. The first transport rail 632 is provided above the empty cartridge stacking portion 551 of the empty cartridge storage box 550, and its front end extends below the first transport roller 610, and its rear end has the second transport rail 620. It extends to just before the roller 611. Then, the first upper transfer rail 63
The horizontal portion 2 is set so that the flange portion and the guide wing portion 501 of the cartridge upper plate 501 can be placed thereon (see FIG. 17), and the gap between the upper surface of the horizontal portion at the front end and the lower portion of the first transport roller 610 is provided. Are arranged so that the flange portion of the cartridge upper plate 501 and the guide wing portion 501a can pass through. The second transport rail 633 is provided above the empty cartridge accommodating section 551 and the hopper 101, and has a rear side end portion that defines a gap between the upper surface of the horizontal portion and the lower portion of the first transport roller 610 and the flange portion of the cartridge upper plate 501 and the guide. The blades 501a are positioned so as to be able to pass therethrough, and are inclined downward from the end to the front side to reach the lower part of the second transport roller 611. It is arranged so as to extend to above the central part of the housing part 551. Then, as shown in FIG. 21, the horizontal portion of the second transport rail 633 can have the flange portion of the cartridge upper plate 501 and the guide wing portion 501a on the device front side region 633a of the rail 633, and the device rear side region 633b. It is set so that the flange portion of the cartridge upper plate 501 and the guide wing portion 501a can be placed on the cartridge. Also, the former area 633a
Is set to be the same as the length from the rear end of the guide wing 501 to the rear end of the flange of the cartridge upper plate 501. Also, as shown in FIG. 2 or FIG.
A base end of a branch leaf spring 640 having a free end inclined upward to the rear of the apparatus is fixed to the lower surface of the rear end of the first transport rail 632. When the cartridge 500 is conveyed in the reverse direction,
The cartridge upper plate 501 guided by the upper transfer rail 633 is continuously guided by the second upper transfer rail 633 below the first upper transfer rail 632.

The lower transport rail 631 is also a rail having an L-shaped cross section, which is composed of a vertical portion and a horizontal portion extending from the lower end thereof to the transport path side of the cartridge 500. The pair is provided on the left and right sides of the transport path of the cartridge 500 at a position from the center of the storage section 551 to the back of the apparatus. And FIG.
As shown in FIG. 7, the horizontal portion is set so that the flange portion of the cartridge upper plate 501 and the guide wing portion 501 can be placed thereon, and the gap between the upper surface thereof and the lower surface of the lower transport belt 551 is formed by the flange of the cartridge upper plate 501. The arrangement height is set so that the section and the guide wing section 501a can pass through. Further, the length of the rail 631 in the front-rear direction is set to be equal to the front-rear spacing of the guide wings 503a of the cartridge lower plate 503 as shown in FIG. 20, and the arrangement position is as shown in FIG. In the reverse transport of the cartridge 500, when the front and rear gap of the guide wing portion 503 a of the cartridge lower plate 503 faces the rail 631 and the cartridge lower plate 503 starts dropping, the cartridge 500 is removed from the empty cartridge storage portion 551. It is set so as to be located substantially at the center in the front-rear direction. In this reverse conveyance, the gap between the guide wings 503a of the cartridge lower plate 503 is increased by the rail 631.
When the first transport roller 610 and the lower transport belt 603 and the cartridge 500 are opposed to each other in the transport direction, the first transport roller 610 and the lower transport belt 603 can be reversely transported.
Since the insertion window door 693 is retracted from above the opening of the empty cartridge storage section 551 and there is nothing to support the cartridge 500 from below, the cartridge 500 starts dropping into the empty cartridge storage box 550, and further reverse conveyance is performed. Is not performed. The position of the second upper transport rail with respect to the lower transport rail 631 is set so that the cartridge lower plate starts dropping at the position where the cartridge lower plate starts dropping.

In order to detect the transport state of the cartridge 500, the empty cartridge storage box 550 is used.
A cartridge passage detection filler 703a that is pushed down by the lower surface of the front flange portion of the cartridge 500 passing therethrough is provided on the transport path between the cartridge and the hopper opening (see FIG. 2). This cartridge passage detection filler 7
As shown in FIG. 15, reference numeral 03a is attached to the tip of a swing arm 703c fixed to a rotating shaft 703b to which a clockwise rotational force is applied by a spring coil or the like (not shown). The opening roller 68 is attached to the rotating shaft 703b.
A cartridge opening detection filler 703d whose leading end is pushed to the right side of the apparatus by a seal member 504 removed from the lower surface of the cartridge 500 at 0 is also attached. The clockwise rotational force balances the rotational moment due to the weight of the swing arm 703c and the like when both of the detection fillers 703a and 703d are free, and the lower end of the cartridge opening detection filler 703d is The contact opening sensor 130 is set so as to be interposed between the light emitting element and the light receiving element.

Next, the operation of the above-described toner supply mechanism will be described. FIGS. 21 to 27 are left side views showing the state of the toner supply mechanism in each operation state.
FIG. 34 is a timing chart from the insertion of the cartridge 500 into the apparatus to the opening, and FIG. 35 is a timing chart from the start of the reverse transfer to the accommodation in the empty cartridge accumulation unit 551.

First, the cartridge 500 is inserted into the insertion window 692.
The following describes the operation of inserting the sheet and feeding it to the toner and other supply position. The insertion window door 693 of the insertion window 692 is normally in the locked state with the unlocking solenoid 700 turned off by the unlocking solenoid control, and the unlocking solenoid 700 is turned on when the cartridge 500 needs to be inserted such as at the time of toner near end. The lock is released.

First, the cartridge 500 is inserted into the insertion window door 6 by the above-described procedure.
When the cartridge 93 is inserted while being pushed inside the apparatus, as shown in FIG. 21, the insertion window door 693 turns around the lower horizontal shaft 693a, stops at about 90 degrees and stops, and the empty cartridge accumulation By partially covering the opening of the part 551,
This prevents the cartridge 500 from dropping into the opening of the empty cartridge accumulation section 551, and forms a transport path that supports the cartridge lower plate 501 from below when transporting the cartridge 500 onto the hopper opening together with the lower transport rail 631. . At the initial stage of the rotation of the insertion window door 693, the tip of the protruding plate 693a attached to the upper part of the inner surface of the insertion window door 693 comes off from between the light emitting element and the light receiving element of the door sensor 701, and the door sensor 701 is turned on. Then, a door open state is detected (in FIG. 34).

A predetermined time T after the door open is detected
After one, the forward rotation of the transport motor 702 for transporting the inserted cartridge 500 is started.
Thereafter, even if the operator does not press the cartridge 500, the cartridge 500 is pulled into the apparatus by the cartridge upper plate 501 being driven by the first transport roller 610 and the cartridge lower plate 503 being driven by the lower transport belt 601. To go. The inserted cartridge 500
When the upper cartridge plate 501 reaches the first transport roller 610 and the lower cartridge plate 503 is
03 simultaneously, the top and bottom portions are each subjected to a conveying force, and even if the side portion is a cartridge formed of a film-like member or an elastic member, the cartridge is conveyed integrally and the transfer state is changed. Stabilize.

First, the cartridge lower plate 503 is guided by the insertion window door 693 and the lower transport rail 631 (see FIG. 18), and the cartridge upper plate 501 is guided by the first upper transport rail 632 (see FIG. 17). When the cartridge upper plate 501 that has proceeded to the rear side of the apparatus reaches the branch leaf spring 640 provided on the first upper transfer rail 632, the cartridge upper plate 501
Pushes down the leaf spring 640 for branching, and is further transported.
It hits the lower part of the transport roller 611. The cartridge upper plate 501 receives a transfer force from the first transfer roller 610, whereby a pressure is applied downward by the pressing spring 652, and the second transfer roller 611 is pushed up. The pushed up second conveying roller 611 meshes with the timing belt groove 501b of the cartridge upper plate 501 to give a conveying force (FIG. 22).

While being conveyed, it is transferred onto the hopper opening, and when its leading end (the traveling direction of the cartridge 500) reaches the cartridge passage detecting filler 703a, the abutment opening sensor 703 is turned on, and further conveyed, and the rear end is moved. After passing through the cartridge passage detection filler 703a, the abutting and opening sensor 703 is turned off (in FIG. 34). During this time, the rear end of the cartridge 500 is
93, the free end of the insertion window door 693 rotates upward to close the insertion window 692, and the door sensor 70
Turn 1 off. This abutment opening sensor 703 is
When the FF is performed (in FIG. 34), the cartridge 500
Is almost conveyed to a position where the leading end thereof abuts against the cartridge abutting wall 661 on the hopper opening, which is the toner replenishing position. In order to further ensure the rotation, the transport motor 702 is rotated forward for a certain time (see FIG. 34). T2), thereby, the cartridge abutting wall 661 forms a wedge-shaped gap in which the lower surface of the inclined plate is lowered as described above and becomes narrower toward the rear side of the apparatus. The position in the transport direction is regulated, and the hopper 1
Pressed to 01. Also, the rear end is below the conveyor belt.
3 and the lower part of the cartridge plate 50
3 stops in close contact with the hopper 101 (FIG. 23). Around the opening of the hopper 101, a hopper opening sealing member 66 is provided.
2 to seal between the hopper and the cartridge 500. Therefore, the cartridge 500 is
When it is above, the toner does not scatter, and the toner can be prevented from scattering with a simple configuration. After the predetermined time T2, the drive of the transport motor 702 is stopped, and the process shifts from the transport operation of the cartridge 500 to the opening operation of the cartridge 500.

The cartridge upper plate 501 that has left the first transport roller 610 is further transported by the transport force of the second transport roller 611, reaches the third transport roller 612, and
When the cartridge is transported to the toner and agent replenishment position by the transport force of No. 12 (FIG. 23), the transport guide of the cartridge upper plate 501 is the second upper transport rail 633. When the rear end of the cartridge upper plate 501 passes through the second transport roller 611, the roller returns to the original position by the pressure of the pressure spring 652.

In the above description, the conveyance of the cartridge 500 is mainly described with the cartridge upper plate 501 as the center.
The sheet is fed by the cartridge insertion door 693, the lower conveyance rail 631, and the hopper guide 660, and conveyed at the same speed as the cartridge upper plate 501.

Next, the opening operation of the cartridge 500 will be described with reference to FIGS. In the unsealing operation of the cartridge 500 on the hopper opening, first, at the timing (in FIG. 34) when the abutting unsealing sensor 703 is turned off (in FIG. 34), it is determined by the door sensor 701 that the window door 693 for inserting the cartridge 500 is closed. Confirm with the output, turn off the door unlock solenoid 700,
Thus, the opening and closing of the insertion window door 693 is locked.
Further, the opening pinch solenoid 704 is turned ON, and the sealing member 50 on the right side of the cartridge 500 is opened by the opening roller 680.
No. 4 cartridge upper plate 501 holds the free end existing in the gap between the guide wings 501a and opens the motor 70.
5 to ON to start the rotation drive of the opening roller 680,
The removal of the seal member 504 on the lower surface of the cartridge 500 is started. As a result, the opening of the cartridge 500 is gradually opened by removing the seal member 504, and the tip of the seal member 504 reaches the opening detection filler 703d to turn on the abutment opening sensor 703, and further, the opening operation is performed. Is continued, and the cartridge 500 and the opened seal member 504 are completely separated. Seal member 50
4 is accommodated in the seal accumulating portion 681.
Then, the rear end of the seal member 504 is
When passing through 3d, the abutting and opening sensor 703 is turned off (in FIG. 34). Since this indicates that the unsealing has been completed, the unsealing pinch solenoid 704 and the opening motor 705 are turned off, the unsealing roller 680 is returned to the retracted position, and the unsealing operation is completed.

When the cartridge seal 504 of the cartridge 500 is opened, the toner and the agent contained in the cartridge 500 are replenished to the respective storage portions 101a and 101b of the hopper 101. When all the stored items are replenished to the hopper 101, the cartridge upper plate 501
Can descend to the second upper transport rail 633. (FIG. 24).

The toner and the agent replenished to the hopper 101 as described above are replenished to the developing device 100 by the toner and agent replenishment control described later. Also, a status flag indicating the status of the above-described series of operations is set and reset (1 or 0) in the nonvolatile RAM during and after the series of operations.
Thus, even if the power supply is momentarily interrupted during the processing, the operation can be continuously executed. In this way, when the replenished toner is consumed as the copying operation progresses and the toner in the hopper 101 becomes empty, the toner and the agent are replenished from the cartridge again. 500 is transferred to the empty cartridge stacking unit 551.

Next, the cartridge 50 on the hopper opening is
The operation of storing “0” in the empty cartridge accumulation unit 551 will be described with reference to FIGS. 25, 26, 27, and 35. This operation starts at the time of toner near-end after the near-end state is first stored in the nonvolatile RAM. It is sufficient that the retraction of the empty cartridge 500 from the top of the hopper opening is completed before the next cartridge is inserted due to toner near end or the like, but in this embodiment, the empty cartridge 500 is closed with the lid of the hopper opening. From the viewpoint of preventing the toner from being scattered into the apparatus by waiting for the empty cartridge 5 from the top of the hopper opening, wait until the next cartridge 500 needs to be inserted near the toner end.
The reverse transport to the empty cartridge stacking unit 551, which is the retreat operation of 00, is started.

First, the opening pinch solenoid 704 is also turned off so as not to obstruct the conveyance of the cartridge 500.
Then, the unsealing roller 680 is also retracted, whereby the conveyance path is secured, and the conveyance motor 702 is rotated in the reverse direction to start the reverse conveyance of the cartridge 500. Transport unit and cartridge 50
After the timing considering the sleep ratio of 0 or the like, the rear end of the cartridge 500 (the end on the side of the insertion window 692) reaches the cartridge passage detection filler 703a, turns on the abutment opening sensor 703, and is further conveyed backward. The entire cartridge 500 is completely filled with the cartridge passage detection filler 703.
When passing through a, the abutting and opening sensor 703 is turned off.

During this time, the upper cartridge plate 501 and the lower cartridge plate 503 are transported to the front side of the machine body. The cartridge plate 501 is conveyed while being guided by the second upper conveyance rail 633, but is always guided to the lower side of the first upper conveyance rail 632 by the action of the branch plate spring 640 (FIG. 2).
5). The lower cartridge plate 503 is guided by a hopper guide 660 and a lower conveyance rail 631, and is conveyed at the same speed as the upper cartridge plate 501. The cartridge upper plate 501 and the cartridge lower plate 503 reach the drop positions on the empty cartridge accumulation unit 551 (FIG. 26).

At this time, there is no guide for the cartridge upper plate 501 and the cartridge lower plate 503 (FIGS. 19 and 20), and each can fall. However, for a certain period of time (T2 in FIG. 35), the reverse of the transport motor 702 is performed. The rotation is continued, so that the toner drop start position is reliably reached. The predetermined time T2 is set to be longer than the time required for the cartridge 500 to drop by its own weight at the drop position and the time required for the cartridge 500 to pass through the abutment opening sensor 703 and be conveyed to the drop position (considering the sleep rate and the like). I have.
When the above operation is completed, a counter for counting the number of empty cartridges 500 in the empty cartridge accumulation unit 551 on the nonvolatile RAM is incremented (+1). At this point, a new cartridge 500 can be inserted, so that the door unlock solenoid 700 is turned on to unlock the insertion window door 693. At this time, the toner near-end display is started.

Since the empty cartridge 500 has a plate-like member at the top and the bottom and a film-like member or an elastic member at the side, it is dropped and accommodated in this manner, so that the side is crushed and accommodated. (FIG. 27). Therefore,
Empty cartridge 50 had a total height of 86 mm before dropping
No. 0 has a total height of about 10 mm in a crushed state, which enables efficient storage in terms of space.

In this embodiment, the lower plate 503 of the cartridge 500 is provided with a wing portion 503a as a transfer engaging portion, which is engaged with a door 693 and a lower transport rail 631 forming a transfer path in the main body. ing. And cartridge 5
During the transfer from the hopper 101 to the collecting portion, the door 693 is closed from above the opening so that the opening of the collecting portion is closed by the door 693 so as not to fall into the empty cartridge collecting portion during the movement of the hopper 101 onto the hopper 101. By retracting, the empty cartridge 500 can be dropped into the accumulation section. Further, since the side portion of the cartridge 500 is formed of an elastic member or the like, a wing portion 501a is formed on the upper plate 501 as a transfer engaging portion on the upper plate 501 in order to stabilize transportability in the apparatus. Transfer rail 6 forming the transfer path
32,633. And hopper 10
1 while moving up, engages both rails 632, 633,
The transfer path is switched by using the branching leaf spring 640 so as to engage only with the upper transfer rail 633 during the movement to the stacking section, whereby the cartridge 500 can be moved onto the hopper 101 with a simple configuration. The cartridge is prevented from falling into the empty cartridge stacking section, and can be dropped into the stacking section during transfer from the hopper 101 to the stacking section.

The empty cartridge 500 falls in the empty cartridge accommodating box 133 while maintaining a substantially horizontal posture. At this time, the empty cartridge 500 pushes air downward into the empty cartridge stacking section 551, and the airflow is reduced. Occurs. This airflow generates an ascending airflow along the inner peripheral surface in the empty cartridge accumulation portion 551,
For this reason, there is a possibility that the toner accumulated at the bottom of the empty cartridge accumulation unit 551 may be scattered to the cartridge transport path via the upper opening. In this case, an air vent window with a filter may be provided on the cartridge upper plate 501 to reduce the air flow when the cartridge falls. In addition, if an elastic member such as a sponge is provided at the bottom of the empty cartridge collecting section 551, the impact when the empty cartridge 500 falls can be reduced, thereby further preventing toner scattering. Further, an air vent window with a filter may be provided on the side wall, for example, which constitutes the cartridge accumulation unit 551.

FIG. 25 is a perspective view of the developing device, FIG. 29 is an enlarged view around the photosensitive drum 140, and FIG. 30 is a view showing a state in which a toner collecting pipe is provided. The developing device is a developing device main body 1
00 and a hopper 101, and the hopper 101
Is divided into a toner hopper 101a and a material hopper 101b. First, the toner and the agent supplied from the cartridge 500 are supplied to the toner hopper 101a and the agent hopper 101b, respectively. The replenished toner is agitated by the agitating member 106 and replenished to the developing device 100 by the toner replenishing roller 108. The toner density in the developing device 100 is controlled by the amount of the supplied toner. This is performed, for example, by reading the density of a predetermined reference image formed on the photosensitive drum 140 by a reflection type optical density sensor (P sensor) 352 as shown in FIG. On the other hand, for the developer, the developer supply roller 107 is rotated by the developer supply signal, and the developing device 101
Replenish. The cross-sectional shapes of the agent supply roller 107 and the toner supply roller 108 are different. The agent supply roller 107 supplies a large amount of agent from the hopper to the developing device 10 in a short time.
The roller is provided with one or more deep grooves because it is intended to replenish it to zero. On the other hand, the toner supply roller 10
8 is intended to be replenished little by little, so a shallow groove is desired. Further, it is also possible to change the replenishing amount by changing the number of rotations with the same roller shape. The toner supply roller 108 and the agent supply roller 107 are connected to electromagnetic clutches 180 and 181 via couplings 150 and 151, respectively.
And the electromagnetic clutches 180 and 181 are turned on.
The transmission is transmitted by / OFF (see FIG. 28).

The developer and the toner replenished in the developing device 100 are mixed by a mixing and stirring member 104,
To the magnet roller 102. The developer and toner attached to the magnet roller 102
The remaining amount is regulated to a certain amount by 05 and is carried toward the photosensitive drum 140. Meanwhile, the current plate 10
The developer 9 is stirred right and left by the conveying screw 110 and a uniform developer is created in the developing device 100.

Photoreceptor drum 14 remaining after transfer to paper
The toner on 0 is cleaned by the mag brush cleaning device 130. The toner cleaned with the agent adhered to the magnet roller 120 is collected by the bias roller 112 to which the voltage is applied, and then collected by the bias blade 122. The collected toner is sent to the discharged toner storage unit 561 through the toner collection pipe 141, where it is stored. Note that the discharged toner storage unit 5
Reference numeral 61 is formed in a storage box such as a cartridge, as will be described in detail later. The toner stored in the discharged toner storage unit 561 is discarded together with the storage box 550 without using the toner. Conveying member 11
1, the rectifying plate 118, the conveying screw 121, and the cleaning device doctor 119 have the same functions as the conveying member 103, the rectifying plate 109, the conveying screw 110, and the developing doctor 105 of the developing device 100, respectively.

The agent recovery screw 115 is used to recover the agent in the cleaning device 130, and the agent is recovered in the agent recovery tank 117 through the agent recovery pipe 116 by the rotation of the agent recovery screw 115. The capacity of the agent recovery tank 117 is 7000 cc, which is equivalent to 750,000 copies. The capacity of this tank is preferably as large as possible, but due to space issues, it is necessary to have a size of at least 750 cc or more and equivalent to 80,000 copies. It should be noted that the capacity of the agent recovery tank 117 is not used even if necessary replacement parts are appropriately replaced, so that a satisfactory copy cannot be obtained. If the capacity is set such that the total amount of the used agent finally collected from the cleaning device 130 can be stored, the replacement operation of the agent collecting tank 117 can be omitted until the life of the copying machine main body comes to an end. .

The automatic recovery of the agent in this example will be described. First, when toner runs out, cartridge 500
Exchange. Then, when the cartridge 500 is set above the hopper opening, the agent exchange system operates. Specifically, at the time when the insertion operation of the cartridge 500 is completed, that is, at the timing when the abutting and opening sensor 703 is turned off (in FIG. 34), the supply rollers 107 and 108 for the developer and the toner of the developing device 386 and The main drive motor serving as a drive source of the agitator 103 is turned on, a delay time until the motor starts up is provided, the agent collection clutch is turned on, and the developer in the cleaning device 130 is supplied by the rotation of the agent collection screw 115 to the agent collection pipe. All are collected in the agent collection tank 117 through 116. When the agent in the cleaning device 130 has been collected by rotation for 30 seconds, the agent collection clutch is turned off.
At the same time, the agent recovery screw 115 is stopped, and at the same time, the photosensitive member potential is 0 V, and the developing mag roller bias is minus 400 V.
Then, the developer is deposited on the photosensitive drum 140 and is conveyed to the cleaning device 130. By continuing this conveyance for 120 seconds, about half of the developer in the developing device 100 is transferred to the cleaning device 130, and then the developer supply clutch is turned on.
N, the entire amount of the agent accumulated in the agent hopper 101b is turned into the developing device 100 by rotating the agent supply roller 107, and when both the agent supply clutch and the toner supply clutch are turned off,
The main drive motor is turned off and the agent replacement is completed.

The developing device 100 and the cleaning device 130 use the same agent. In this example, the cleaning device 130 weighs 150 g, and the developing device 100 weighs 300 g. The amount of the agent in the cartridge 500 is 150 g. That is, when the agent is replaced, first, 150 g of the agent is supplied from the cleaning device 130 to the agent collection tank 11.
7 and then about 150 g of the used agent from the developing device 100 is sent to the cleaning device 130, and then the developing device 10
Add 0 to 150 g of new agent from cartridge 500. Repeat this.

Next, the empty cartridge stacking section 551
A storage box 550 such as an empty cartridge that can be attached to and detached from the apparatus main body will be described. In such a box that can be attached to and detached from the apparatus main body, in addition to the empty cartridge 500, replacement parts and the like in the apparatus that have been retracted from an automatic predetermined operation position are stored. The box can be removed from the device at a time. As this kind of replacement part or the like, in addition to the empty cartridge 500 described above, the photosensitive member sheet 900 which is used when the detachable photosensitive member sheet 900 is wound around the support drum 905 of the photosensitive member, and a cleaning device There is an untransferred toner (waste toner) in an image forming apparatus in which the untransferred toner removed from the photoconductor surface in 130 is discarded without being reused in the developing device 386. Therefore, in this example, the waste toner storage part is formed integrally with the empty cartridge storage part 550 in addition to the empty cartridge accumulation part.

FIG. 3 shows this empty cartridge storage box.
3 and FIG. In FIG. 33, 55
Reference numeral 1 denotes an empty cartridge stacking unit, which can accommodate ten empty cartridges 500 in this example. Since about 360 g of toner is stored in the cartridge 500 as described above, about 8,000 copies can be obtained by standard use. Therefore, about 80,000 copies can be obtained before the empty cartridge stacking unit 551 becomes full. The total height of the empty cartridge accumulation unit 551 is 110.
mm is set. Regarding the empty cartridge accumulation unit 551, for example, in an apparatus having a low copy speed, the number of accommodated cartridges may be set to five because the amount of toner used is small and the loading cycle of the cartridge 500 is long. In this case, the total height of the empty cartridge accumulation section 551 is, for example, 60 mm.
Can be set, and it is possible to provide an empty cartridge accumulation portion whose overall height is lower than that of the cartridge 500 in which the developer is stored. Toner container 561
Are formed on the side of the empty cartridge accumulation portion 551 and integrally therewith. Inside the toner container 561, a small room 568 whose lower side is opened by a partition wall 565 is formed. On the outer wall surface of the small room, a carry-in 569 for receiving waste toner transferred from the cleaning device 130 by the collection pipe 141 (see FIG. 30) is formed. At the lower opening of the small room 568, there is a carry-in port 569.
In order to drop the waste toner carried into the small room into the large room other than the small room 568 while compressing, a feed member 563 driven to rotate is provided.
First, the waste toner discharged from the cleaning device 130 is carried into the small room 538 through the carry-in port 569. Since the carry-in port 569 is provided above the feed member 563, the waste toner falls by its own weight near the feed member 563 and accumulates. The accumulated waste toner is supplied to the feeding member 5.
Due to the rotation of 63, it is sent from the small room 538 to the large room. Since the small room 538 is provided above the large room, the feeding member 563 does not receive a rotational load due to the weight of the sent waste toner. According to the above configuration, it is possible to dispose the waste toner storage unit, which improves storage efficiency by compressing and storing the waste toner, separately from the cleaning device 130.

As will be described later, the waste toner is generated substantially in proportion to the amount of toner used under standard use. On the other hand, the empty cartridge 500 naturally occurs in proportion to the amount of toner used. Therefore, when the volume of the waste toner storage unit is appropriately set, the time when the empty cartridge accumulation unit 551 and the waste toner storage unit 561 become full can be made substantially equal. . However, since the amount of waste toner generated varies depending on the transfer efficiency, the waste toner capacity needs to be set assuming the worst transfer rate. In this example, 360 g of toner is stored in the cartridge 500, and 3600 g of toner is supplied for ten cartridges. Assuming that the worst transfer rate is 70%, 1080 g of waste toner is discharged. Although this has a volume of 3600 cc, it is compressed to a compression ratio of 2.5 and accommodated, so the volume is 1400 cc. Therefore, the accommodation volume of the large room 537 is set to 1450 cc, and the accommodation volume of the small room 538 is set to 50 cc.

As described above, the main body of the apparatus is provided with an empty cartridge storage box 550 insertion window 694 below the cartridge insertion window (see FIG. 2). In and out. Further, the empty cartridge storage box 550 is provided with a lock mechanism for inhibiting the drawer from being pulled out from the main body and a shutter mechanism for opening and closing the upper opening of the empty cartridge stacking unit.

[0060] According above the empty cartridge, etc. housing box 550 of this example, if the waste at the time when either one for empty cartridge collecting section 551 and the waste toner storage portion 561 becomes substantially the full simultaneously becomes full, It is possible to discard the two unnecessary object accommodating means simultaneously with one operation without wasting the accommodation unit. For example, if the capacity is set as described above, the user's maintenance work on the toner used in the apparatus main body involves inserting a cartridge every time 8,000 copies are obtained, and obtaining 80,000 copies. At this point, it is only necessary to discard the storage box 550 such as an empty cartridge, and the operability is extremely improved. Further, with respect to the photoreceptor, although the cost is high due to recent technological advances, a photoreceptor having a long life of about 10 times as long as that of the related art has been realized. Such a photoconductor is mounted on a high-speed, high-grade, high-priced device. Therefore, if this long-life photoconductor is used for the apparatus main body to which the storage box 550 such as an empty cartridge of this example (first type) can be applied, an image forming apparatus with further reduced maintenance work can be provided.

In this embodiment, the cartridge 5
Reference numeral 00 denotes an upper plate, a lower plate, and side surfaces made of an elastic material or the like. Alternatively, the following cartridge 500 can be used. As shown in FIG. 31, an elastic member such as rubber or a film-like member is attached to a hard plate member, and the toner and the agent, or only the toner, are pressed into the member and sealed with a sealing member such as a film. If some gas such as air or nitrogen is added when the toner and the agent are added, they can be used without hardening. The large holes provided in the plate are filled with toner to form the toner storage section 580, and the small holes of the plate are filled with agent to form the agent storage section 581. The cartridge 500 is set in the developing device to supply the agent and the toner. However, only the toner may be press-fitted without simultaneously adding the toner and the agent. 32, the cartridge 500 is divided into three parts, and the toner storage part 580, the developer storage part 581, and the cleaning agent storage part 58
2, which contains a toner, a developer agent, and a cleaning agent. When the properties of the developer agent and the cleaning agent are different, they are divided into three parts because they need to be added separately. Parts other than the lower plate of the cartridge are made of an elastic member such as rubber as in the above case. It may be formed of a film-like member. As shown in FIG. 32, the hopper 101 is also divided into three, and each agent and toner enter into each hole. Since these toner storage portions 580 are made of an elastic member or a film-like material, they are crushed and accumulated in the empty cartridge accumulation portion. Therefore, effective storage in terms of space is possible in the storage unit. In the two types of cartridges 500 according to the above-described modified examples, timing grooves 503b for receiving a driving force from the main body are formed on both left and right sides of a plate member forming the lower portion of the cartridge. A timing groove 503b may be provided only on one side as in 500 (see FIG. 7).

[0062]

According to the first to third aspects of the present invention, since the side of the developer container is formed of an elastic member or a film-like member, the side of the developer container is crushed in the storage section in the image forming apparatus. Since it is stored, space-efficient storage in the storage unit is possible. In addition, since the transfer path forming member is engaged with at least each of the upper and lower plate members of the developer container from below, the transfer in the apparatus can be stabilized. Particularly, in the invention of claim 2, when the developer container is loaded on the loading section of the image forming apparatus, and transferred from the loading unit to the developer replenishing unit in the transport unit, the developer container in the developer replenishing unit The developer is replenished to the developer replenishment unit from the above, and the empty developer container is transferred to the storage unit by the transfer means, so that the developer is not developed until the storage unit is filled with the empty developer container. The developer can be replenished simply by loading the developer container into the apparatus main body, and the operability of the developer replenishment can be improved without causing the scattering of the developer .

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a front view showing a schematic configuration of a digital copying machine according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view schematically illustrating a toner replenishing mechanism of the copying machine.

FIG. 3 is a front view showing a configuration near a hopper opening of the toner replenishing mechanism.

FIG. 4 is a left side view showing a configuration near a hopper opening of the toner replenishing mechanism.

FIG. 5 is a view of the configuration near the hopper opening of the toner replenishing mechanism as viewed from the upper left side of the apparatus.

FIG. 6 is a left side view showing a state where a cartridge is set on a hopper opening of the replenishing mechanism.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a cartridge used in the copying machine.

8A is a front view of the cartridge, FIG. 8B is a left side view of the cartridge, and FIG.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing a state where the cartridge is housed in a housing case.

FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing a state where the cartridge is inserted into the apparatus.

11A is a front view of a cartridge according to a modification, FIG. 11B is a left side view thereof, and FIG. 11C is a view seen from the upper left side.

FIG. 12 is a front view showing a configuration near an opening roller of the toner replenishing mechanism.

FIG. 13 is a plan view showing the positional relationship between the unsealing roller and the cartridge.

FIG. 14 is a perspective view illustrating a configuration of a drive system of a transport mechanism of the cartridge.

FIG. 15 is a perspective view showing the structure of a butting and opening sensor of the toner replenishing mechanism.

FIG. 16 is a left side view of a support mechanism of a second transport roller 611 in the transport mechanism.

FIG. 17 is a diagram showing a positional relationship between an upper first transport rail 632 and a cartridge in the transport mechanism.

FIG. 18 is a diagram showing a positional relationship between a lower transport rail 631 and a cartridge in the transport mechanism.

FIG. 19 is a diagram illustrating a positional relationship between an upper first transport rail 632 and a cartridge in the transport mechanism when the cartridge starts dropping.

FIG. 20 is a diagram illustrating a positional relationship between a lower transport rail 631 and a cartridge in the transport mechanism when the cartridge starts to fall.

FIG. 21 is a left side view showing a state where the cartridge is being inserted.

FIG. 22 is a left side view illustrating a state where the cartridge is being conveyed onto the hopper opening.

FIG. 23 is a left side view showing a state where the cartridge has reached the hopper opening.

FIG. 24 is a left side view showing a state where the supply of toner and the like has been completed on the hopper opening of the cartridge.

FIG. 25 is a left side view illustrating a state immediately after the reverse conveyance of the cartridge is started.

FIG. 26 is a left side view illustrating a state where the cartridge has reached the cartridge stacking unit.

FIG. 27 is a left side view showing a state where the cartridge has dropped into the cartridge stacking unit.

FIG. 28 is a perspective view of a developing device of the digital copying machine.

FIG. 29 is a schematic configuration diagram of the vicinity of a photoconductor of a digital copying machine of a toner non-recycling type.

FIG. 30 is a plan view of a developer transport system in the digital copying machine.

FIG. 31 is a perspective view of a cartridge according to another modification.

FIG. 32 is a perspective view of a cartridge according to still another modification.

FIG. 33 is a perspective view of a storage box such as an empty cartridge in FIG. 59;

FIG. 34 is a timing chart of control when a cartridge is inserted in the copying machine.

FIG. 35 is a timing chart of control when the cartridge storage unit is transferred in the copying machine.

[Explanation of symbols]

500 cartridge, 501 on cartridge plate 501a upper blade on cartridge plate, 501b timing belt on cartridge plate
, 502 Cartridge film 502a Toner storage section, 502b Agent storage section 504 Cartridge seal, 504a Cartridge seal holding section 510 Hard case, 510a knob section 550 Empty cartridge storage box 551 Empty cartridge accumulation section, 561 Waste toner storage section 562 Drive gear, 563 Feeding member 564 Shaft, 565 Partition wall 569 Waste toner carry-in port, 640 Branch leaf spring 651 Bearing, 652 Pressing spring 660 Hopper guide, 661 Hopper abutting wall 662 Hopper opening seal member, 680 Opening roller 681 Cartridge seal accumulating part 690 Main body front exterior 691 Cartridge loading section 692 Cartridge insertion window 693 Cartridge insertion door 694 Maintenance window free pack insertion window 695 Spring, 700 door lock SOL 701 door opening sensor, 702 cartridge conveying motor 703 abutting opening sensor, 704 pinch S
OL 705 Opening motor 706 Maintenance free pack sensor 707 Maintenance free pack lock SOL

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (72) Inventor Keisuke Hayashi 1-3-6 Nakamagome, Ota-ku, Tokyo Inside Ricoh Co., Ltd. (56) References JP-A-58-153983 (JP, A) JP-A Sho 60-98470 (JP, A) JP-A-60-144770 (JP, A) JP-A-61-138969 (JP, A) JP-A-62-166376 (JP, A) JP-A-63-244077 (JP, A) A) JP-A-64-90470 (JP, A) JP-A-1-156780 (JP, A) JP-A-2-277083 (JP, A) JP-A-3-154408 (JP, A) JP-A-3 JP-A-184072 (JP, A) JP-A-3-213883 (JP, A) JP-A-4-42179 (JP, A) JP-A-4-115273 (JP, A) JP-A-4-159581 (JP, A) JP-A-4-184464 (JP, A) JP-A-59-15056 (JP, U) JP-A-59-27561 (JP, U) Sho-63-155154 (JP, U) Japanese Utility Model 1-69251 (JP, U) Japanese Utility Model 1-77646 (JP, U) Japanese Utility Model 1-79060 (JP, U) Japanese Utility Model 2-134554 (JP, U) , U) (58) Field surveyed (Int.Cl. ⁷ , DB name) G03G 15/08-15/095

Claims (3)

(57) [Claims] A developer container having an upper surface and a lower surface formed of a plate-like member, and a side surface forming an internal space for accommodating the developer together with the upper surface and the lower surface formed of an elastic member or a film-like member; A developer replenishing unit for replenishing the developer from the developer container, a storage unit having an upward opening for storing the empty developer container by replenishing the developer, Transfer means for transferring the replenished and empty developer container from the replenishment unit to the storage unit; and a transfer path on which the developer container is transferred by the transfer means; and provided a transfer path forming member for engaging at least the lower, respectively the plate-like member forming a lower surface, the transfer path forming member, when the developer container came transferred to the open Prompt, the It is configured so that engagement with the plate-like members forming the upper and lower surfaces is released. An image forming apparatus comprising. 2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a loading section in which the developer container is loaded, and the developer container loaded in the loading section are moved from the loading section to the developer replenishing section. An image forming apparatus comprising: a transfer unit that transfers the image to the image forming apparatus. 3. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, when the developer container irradiates the light vertically from above the upper surface to the lower surface, a portion other than the plate member forming the lower surface is formed. An image forming apparatus, wherein the shapes of the upper surface and the side surface are set so that all shadows are projected into a plate-like member forming the lower surface.