JP3248605B2 - Toner supply container - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a toner supply container which is applied as a facsimile, a printer, a copying machine or a multifunction machine thereof and is incorporated in an image forming apparatus for forming an image using powder toner. The present invention relates to an invention applied to an image forming apparatus that replenishes toner while a replenishing container is mounted on a developing unit or other toner receiving portion provided on a main body side.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a photoconductor drum or a belt-shaped photoconductor has been used as an image forming apparatus applied as a facsimile, printer, or copier, and a latent image written on the photoconductor by exposure means has been developed. The toner image is transferred to a recording sheet via a photoreceptor after the toner image is formed by an indirect toner image recording method such as an electrophotographic apparatus or an electrostatic recording apparatus. Arrange a matrix-like mesh electrode between the back electrode to be made,
There is also known a toner jet type direct recording system in which a toner image is directly fly-adhered from the toner-carrying roller side to the recording paper side while energizing the mesh electrode in accordance with image information.

In this type of recording method, for example, in an electrophotographic apparatus, when the toner in a toner storage section in a developing device becomes empty due to consumption of toner from a photosensitive drum side, a separately prepared toner cartridge is used. A mode in which toner can be supplied is adopted.

That is, such a toner replenishing mechanism has a receiving opening opened on the upper surface of the toner storing section on the developing device side, while the toner cartridge is temporarily engaged with the toner storing section in contact with the upper receiving opening of the toner storing section. After the supply opening that can be stopped is formed on the lower surface side, the supply opening is sealed with a peeling sheet or a shutter member, and the toner cartridge is temporarily locked in contact with the receiving opening. The peeling sheet or the shutter member is opened to supply the entire amount of toner to the toner storage section through the supply opening / reception opening (actual opening 50-840).
56, Shoko 55-12193, Heikai 5-84966
other).

[0005]

However, in such an apparatus, since the peeling sheet or the shutter member is opened and the entire amount of toner in the cartridge is charged into the apparatus main body at the same time, for example, the toner storage in the developing hopper in the apparatus main body is performed. The volume must be set to a volume that does not overflow even when the entire amount is introduced, which leads to an increase in the size of the apparatus body. Also, if the entire amount is charged at once, even if the toner in the cartridge is solidified or agglomerated, it is directly injected into the hopper, which adversely affects the development.

In order to solve such a drawback, a toner supply opening is opened at an arbitrary position on a side wall rising from the bottom of the cartridge, and a stirring blade is attached to a rotating shaft extending longitudinally in the cartridge. The stirring blade is rotated while being curved by a predetermined amount in the direction from the bottom to the opening, and while rubbing the inner wall surface of the toner storage unit, the toner is scraped off from the bottom together with the toner agglomerated by toner agitation. The staying toner is sent out from the opening.

[0007] The inner wall surface of the toner accommodating portion on which the stirring blade slides is generally formed in an arc shape in order to equalize the axial torque. In other words, as the amount of toner stored in the cartridge decreases, in other words, if toner accumulates only at the bottom of the cartridge, it is difficult to efficiently scrape the toner up to the opening.

[0008] If the above-mentioned opening is enlarged in order to solve such a disadvantage, the preferable effect of the present technology in that a large amount of toner is sent out at the initial stage of stirring and toner is replenished sequentially cannot be obtained. It is also conceivable to increase the linear speed of the stirring blade when the toner storage amount decreases. However, increasing the linear speed over the entire circumference not only increases the shaft torque but also increases the initial stirring speed when the toner storage amount is large. The shaft torque and the linear velocity unnecessarily increase, which is not preferable.

In view of the above technical problems, the present invention is to send out toner from a toner supply port opened on a side wall rising from the bottom of a container while scraping toner from the bottom together with toner agglomeration due to toner stirring. As described above, an object of the present invention is to provide an invention in which a toner replenishing container can efficiently scrape up to an opening even when toner is accumulated only at the bottom of the container without increasing the axial torque. Another object of the present invention is to efficiently supply the toner even when the opening area of the toner supply port is reduced, thereby improving the airtightness of the shutter and simplifying the configuration. It is to provide an invention.

[0010]

According to the present invention, an elastically deformable agitating blade is provided on a rotating shaft extending in the container along the longitudinal direction, and the agitating blade is curved by a predetermined amount so that the inner wall surface of the toner storage portion is formed. Is applied to a toner supply container that stirs toner while rubbing. Therefore, the present invention is not limited to a toner cartridge as long as it is a container for sequentially supplying toner, and can also be applied to a hopper or the like provided in a developing container. Also, application as a toner kit is possible.

A feature of the present invention is that a toner supply port is opened on one side wall surface located on the downstream side in the rotation direction of the stirring blade from the bottom of the toner storage unit, specifically, the downstream side in the rotation direction of the stirring blade. In a device in which a toner supply port is opened at a portion rising from the bottom of the side to the side wall surface side,
The bending amount of the stirring blade from the bottom to the toner supply port is
The side wall shape is set so as to be larger than the amount of curvature of the stirring blade on the other side wall located on the side facing the supply port with the bottom part interposed therebetween, or faces the supply port with the bottom part interposed therebetween. the shorter cross-sectional shape of the other side wall located on the side, or amount of curvature of the bottom stirring blade according leads to form as gradually becomes larger, or to provide a supply container that combines the two is there. And the present invention provides
Located on the downstream side of the stirring blade rotation
A toner supply port on one side wall surface rising from the bottom.
The opening is formed at a width of about 1/4 of the length of the toner container in the longitudinal direction.
At the same time, align the stirring blade with the toner
Cut it in three directions in four directions to fit the toner supply port.
The stirring blade portion is formed to be smaller than the width of the toner supply port.
Was.

It is preferable that the axis of the rotating shaft of the stirring blade is shifted to the toner supply port side from the center position in the short cross section of the toner storage section. Further, it is preferable that a protruding portion formed to be smaller than the opening width of the toner supply port is provided at a position of the stirring blade facing the toner supply port so that the protruding portion can enter the toner supply port at the time of stirring the toner. preferable. Further, it is preferable that the toner supply container is formed of a synthetic resin containing calcium carbonate. Further, the short-side cross-sectional shape of the other side wall reaching the bottom surface is formed by an arc-shaped surface or a combination of an arc-shaped surface and an inclined surface, and the virtual center of the arc-shaped surface is different from the axis of the rotation axis of the stirring blade. It is preferable to configure it at a position shifted to the side wall side. Further, the frictional resistance and the shaft torque applied to the tip of the blade body are also configured to rotate while fluctuating along the rotation direction, and are slightly raised from the container bottom.
It is also preferable to set the width of the toner supply port located substantially at the center of the side wall in the longitudinal direction of the container to 1/25 or less of the length of the toner storage portion.

[0013]

According to the present invention, the toner accumulated at the bottom of the container is smoothly discharged from the supply port by using the urging force of the stirring blade without unnecessarily increasing the axial torque of the stirring blade of the toner supply container. Is what you do. There are two ways to do this. In the first method, the stirring blades of the toner supply container reach the supply port from the bottom without making the force that urges the inner wall surface side of the container where toner is accumulated along the circumferential direction constant in the circumferential direction. Up to the maximum, the frictional force along the container side wall increases due to the increase of the biasing force, and the toner can be smoothly scraped up and discharged to the supply port side.

On the other hand, on the other side wall on the upstream side in the rotation direction of the stirring blade, the toner adhering to the peripheral surface can be easily scraped off to the bottom simply by rubbing as it makes contact. The power may be small. Such a configuration can be easily achieved by shifting the axis of the stirring blade rotation shaft toward the toner supply port side from the center position in the short cross section of the toner storage unit.

The second method, a shorter cross-sectional shape of the other side wall by devising the shape of the other side wall side, as the bending amount of the stirring blade in accordance with reaching the bottom is gradually larger structure It was done. And such a configuration, for example,
The short cross-sectional shape of the other side wall leading to the portion is formed by an arc-shaped surface or a combination of an arc-shaped surface and an inclined surface, and the virtual center of the arc-shaped surface is shifted to the other side wall from the axis of the rotation shaft. Just set it to the position.

According to this technical means, since the accumulation of the urging force of the stirring blade at the bottom position is the largest, the so-called toner scraping effect is extremely enhanced by opening the accumulation toward the supply port side. As a result, the toner accumulated at the bottom of the container can be smoothly and easily discharged from the supply port. or,
In the portion from the bottom to the supply port, the stirring force is increased together with the toner scraping force, so that the toner can be easily moved in the longitudinal direction, and smooth stirring can be performed. Therefore, the frictional resistance and the axial torque applied to the tip of the blade also rotate while fluctuating in the rotation direction, and even if toner is unevenly distributed on both ends in the longitudinal direction due to the rotation of the blade, the rotation becomes uniform. Even when the opening width of the toner supply port in the container longitudinal direction is set to 1/25 or less of the length of the toner storage portion, there is no problem in discharging the toner. As a result, a large amount of toner is not discharged at the beginning of stirring due to the narrowing of the opening, and the airtightness of a shutter or the like that closes the opening can be improved and the configuration can be simplified.

In each of the inventions, since the amount of curvature of the stirring blade is set to be gradually increased without suddenly increasing, the urging force is applied only to the most necessary portion of the container peripheral surface. Because of the increase, the shaft torque does not increase. In addition, since the present invention adopts a configuration in which the linear speed of the stirring blade is not increased by the rotation speed, but is increased by accumulating the urging force and releasing the urging force, the linear speed of the necessary portion is increased. Since the linear speed, that is, the number of revolutions, can be set to a low value, not only is the shaft torque uselessly increased, but also the shaft torque is not unnecessarily increased even at the beginning of stirring when the toner storage amount is large. Further, the toner supply of the stirring blade is performed.
At a position facing the supply port, the toner supply opening of the protruding portion formed on less than the opening width is provided for, and enters configured to enable the distal portion to the toner supply opening when toner stirring, the protruding <br/> portion Thus, the toner can be surely supplied from the opening of the toner supply port to the back of the toner supply port, and even if the toner is solidified (caked) in the opening width of the toner supply port and a bridging occurs, the projecting portion is formed. Is rotated into the toner supply port and enters, so that the protruding portion destroys the caking of the toner and does not hinder the supply of the toner. Further, when the toner supply container is formed of a synthetic resin containing calcium carbonate, generation of harmful gas can be suppressed during incineration.

[0018]

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of the present invention; However, unless otherwise specified, the dimensions, materials, shapes, relative arrangements, and the like of the components described in this embodiment are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention, but are merely illustrative examples. Not just.

FIGS. 2 and 4 mainly show the structure around the developing unit of the image forming apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention. Reference numeral 1 denotes a developing unit, and reference numeral 2 denotes a container mounting portion 11 above the developing unit 1. Arrow direction (container short direction)
A toner container 3 formed of a synthetic resin containing calcium carbonate, which is removably mounted along the surface, is a photosensitive drum that faces the developing sleeve 14 and rotates in the direction of the arrow. The cleaning blade 4a is rotated in the direction of the rotation. The image forming apparatus includes a waste toner collecting mechanism 4, a charging mechanism 5, an LED unit 6, the developing sleeve 14, and a transfer roller 7 provided in the image forming apparatus.
After the latent image corresponding to the image information is written on the photosensitive drum 3 by the ED unit 6, a toner image is attached by the developing unit 1, and then, by a transfer roller 7, a resist (not shown) is synchronized with the start of the image. After the toner image is transferred onto the recording sheet fed from the roller side, the image is fixed by a fixing roller (not shown) and the sheet is discharged. Incidentally, the developing unit 1, the photosensitive drum 3, the toner collecting mechanism 4, the charging mechanism 5, the LE
The process means such as the D unit 6 may integrally form these units.

Next, the process means will be described.
The configuration of the waste toner collecting mechanism 4 will be described focusing on its operation. After the transfer of the toner image, the residual toner adhering to the photosensitive drum 3 is removed by the cleaning blade 4a. The removed toner is sent into the collection chamber by an elliptical roller 4b whose upper surface is sealed by a mylar 4d, and then sent to a transport belt mechanism 60 on the drum shaft end side by a screw roller 4c shown in FIG. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 6, the conveyor belt mechanism 60 is a rubber-like endless belt body 61 in which partition walls 61 a are erected at appropriate intervals in an oblong belt container 62 rising obliquely upward. Is configured to be able to rotate in the direction of the arrow.
The waste toner sent to the bottom of the belt container 62 by
Utilizing the gap between the partition walls 61a of the belt body 61, the belt body 61 is conveyed to the upper discharge opening 68 side along the circumference of the belt body 61, and the recovery port 35 of the waste toner recovery section 30 facing the discharge opening 68. It is thrown into the collection unit 30.

As will be described later, the toner collecting section 30 is divided and formed at the longitudinal end of the toner container 2 made of a low-pollution resin material via a partition wall 10, and its shape and internal structure will be described later in detail. . As shown in FIG. 2, the charging mechanism 5 includes a magnet roller 5a, a pre-charging plate 5b made of a magnetic material, a magnetic charged particle group 5c housed in a surrounding space thereof, and a rear surface of the photosensitive drum. It is composed of a back magnetic pole 3a, and uniformly charges the photosensitive drum 3 while applying a charging bias through a magnet roller 5a and a charged particle group carried on the charging plate 5b using the back magnetic pole. Is configured. The LED unit 6 includes an LED head array that controls the lighting of the LED element array based on the upper part of the image, and a selfoc lens that forms an optical output from the array, as is well known.

The developing unit 1 contains a two-component developer composed of a carrier and a toner (hereinafter referred to as “T / C”).
In order to maintain the T / C storage section 13 for charging the toner and the T / C amount in the T / C storage section 13 within a certain ratio width,
A hopper 12 for appropriately replenishing toner in the storage section, and a container mounting section 11 for mounting a toner container 2 for supplying toner to the hopper 12 is formed above these spaces. The T / C storage unit 1
A developing sleeve 14 containing a fixed magnet assembly (not shown) and a stirring roller 13a for uniformly mixing the T / C are housed in the housing 3. The stirring roller 13a is disposed inside the non-magnetic sleeve. A magnet roller 13c that rotates concentrically is included. Further, the hopper 12 is provided with a stirring roller 12a provided with a mylar and a toner amount sensor in the T / C storage unit 13 based on a toner amount detection sensor in the T / C storage unit 13. The toner supply roller 12b supplies toner from the supply port 12c.

A container mounting mechanism, which will be described in detail later, and a shutter opening / closing mechanism for a hopper 12 are mounted on the container mounting section 11. The toner container 2 is formed of a low-pollution resin material containing calcium carbonate. As shown in FIG. 1, a toner container 20 for replenishment is provided along the longitudinal direction. The toner collecting section 30 is formed.

Next, the configuration of the replenishment toner storage section 20 will be described. 4 and 5 are views seen from the back surface of FIG. As is clear from the short cross-sections shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the storage portion 20 is formed so that the one side wall 20c in the short direction from the center bottom portion 20d is linearly inclined obliquely from a position where the side wall 20c slightly hangs down from the upper end. The side wall 20c is provided with a rectangular toner supply opening 25 at a position slightly raised from the center bottom portion 20d of the one side wall 20c. On the other hand, the other side wall surface 20a is closer to the concave slope 20c than the upper side end.
The lower short cross section 20 of the other side wall 20a which is recessed obliquely linearly at a slightly steep angle and further reaches the bottom surface
The shape of e is formed on an arcuate surface.

As shown in FIG. 1, the toner storage unit 20 penetrates in the longitudinal direction to the collection unit 30 through the partition wall 10 through the partition wall 10, and is rotatably supported by the end walls at both ends. Attaching the shaft 21, the toner storage unit 2
A mylar-shaped blade body 22 extending in the radial direction over the entire length and elastically deformable in the rotation direction is continuously provided, and the length of the blade body 22 is curved by the rotation so that the toner storage portion 20 is bent.
Set the inner wall to a length that allows sliding. Then, as shown in FIG. 4, the mounting position of the rotating shaft 21 is one side wall 2.
0c is the stirring blade body 22 on the other side wall 20a located on the side facing the supply opening 25 across the bottom 20d.
And is slightly shifted from the container center vertical line to the supply opening 25 side so as to be larger than the amount of curvature of the container, and the other side wall 20a located on the side facing the supply opening 25 with the bottom portion 20d interposed therebetween. The hand cross section is positioned slightly below the container center horizontal line so that the amount of curvature of the stirring blade body 22 gradually increases toward the bottom 20d. In addition, 22a and 22b (FIG. 1) are cuts cut into three stirring blades 22A, 22B and 22C in accordance with the supply opening 25, and the leading end of the stirring blade 22B is provided with a supply opening 25.
A protruding portion 22Ba having a shorter width than the opening 25 'limited by the opening limiting member 52e provided therein is formed.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 1, the supply opening 25 is formed on one side wall 20 slightly rising from the container bottom 20d (FIG. 4).
at a position slightly closer to the end wall side than the center in the longitudinal direction of c,
The opening 25 ′ formed by the opening restricting member 52e is about 1/50 of the length of the toner storage unit 20 in the longitudinal direction. 3-5 mm). When the rotating shaft 21 is projected from the end wall to the outside, a shaft gear 26 is attached to the projected portion, and when the container 2 is attached to the container attaching portion 11 on the developing unit 1 side,
Rotational force is transmitted to the shaft gear 26 via the relay gear 27, and while rotating from the bottom 20d toward the supply opening 25 as shown by the arrow, as shown in FIG. The toner is supplied to the hopper 12 on the developing unit 1 side via the toner receiving opening 44 and the toner receiving opening 25 '.

The toner supplied to the hopper 12 is rotated by a stirring roller 12 a in the hopper 12 while the toner amount detecting sensor 13 in the T / C storage unit 13 is rotating.
b, the toner supply roller 12b rotates each time the toner amount in the T / C storage unit 13 decreases, and the toner supply port 1
From 2c (FIG. 2), toner is supplied to the T / C storage unit 13, and the amount of toner in the T / C storage unit 13 can be maintained within a certain width. At this time, since the toner supply from the toner storage section 20 of the container 2 must be quickly dropped into the hopper 12, it is necessary to continuously rotate the stirring blade 22 using the power from the drive system of the apparatus main body. good.

As shown in FIG. 1, the relay gear 27 and the shaft gear 26, which are pivotally supported at the longitudinal end of the container, are prevented from being erroneously brought into contact with other objects and damaged when the container is mounted. For this purpose, a protective cover 28 integral with a lid A formed of a synthetic resin containing calcium carbonate is attached, but a rib parallel to one side wall 20c of the container is provided on the outer wall side of the protective cover 28 if necessary. A shape charging guide 29 is provided. The guide 29 is inserted into a guide groove (not shown) of the apparatus main body when the container is mounted. Also, the width of the toner supply opening 25 in the container longitudinal direction should be 1/25 or less of the length of the toner storage section 20, preferably 1/50 as described above.
(3 to 5 mm). Since the toner supply opening 25 'is formed to be small, the toner is gradually supplied without being supplied into the hopper 12 at one time. Even when the hopper 12 is full, the toner runs idle in the container. This prevents the toner from being packed in the hopper and locking the drive mechanism in the hopper. or,
Since a short cross section along the rotation direction of the blade body 22 of the toner storage unit 20 is asymmetric, and the rotation shaft 21 of the blade body 22 is also displaced from the center of the storage unit, the friction applied to the tip of the blade body 22 The resistance and the shaft torque also fluctuate along the rotation direction, and even if toner is unevenly distributed on both ends in the longitudinal direction due to the rotation of the blade body 22, the toner is discharged from the opening 25 'and can be supplied uniformly.

Further, according to the present embodiment, on the other side wall 20a of the blade body 22, the amount of curvature of the stirring blade body 22 gradually increases toward the bottom surface, and the stirring is performed at the position of the bottom portion 20d. Since the blade is formed such that the accumulation of the urging force of the blade is maximized, the sufficiently accumulated curvature is opened toward the supply opening 25 side, so that the so-called toner scraping effect becomes extremely large, and the container bottom portion is formed. 20
The toner accumulated in d can be smoothly and easily discharged from the supply port. Then, by discharging the toner accumulated in the container bottom 20d, the toner flows into the container from the left and right in the longitudinal direction. Further, since the amount of curvature of the stirring blade body 22 of the one side wall 20c of the supply opening 25 is larger than that of the other side wall 20a, the stirring force together with the toner scraping force is large in the portion from the bottom 20d to the supply opening 25. As a result, it becomes easier to move the toner in the longitudinal direction toward the toner opening 25, and smooth stirring becomes possible. Further, even when the toner in the toner storage unit 20 becomes low, the toner is collected by the opening 25 where the toner is discharged because the toner is repeatedly rotated by the stirring blade 22 and the toner is supplied little by little from the opening 25 ′. Thus, almost all the toner is supplied to the hopper 12 without collecting at both ends in the longitudinal direction of the container. Further, even when the toner is solidified (caking) due to the short width of the opening 25 ′ and is bridged in the width direction, the protruding portion 22 Ba of the stirring blade 22 is kept open by the opening 25 ′.
Because of the rotation, the caking is broken by the protruding portion 22Ba, and the supply of the toner is not hindered.

Next, the shape of the toner collecting section 30 will be described. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 6, the toner collecting section 30 is formed in a substantially square cross section deeper than the toner storage section 20, and is formed at the longitudinal end of the other side wall 20 a opposite to the supply opening 25. A trapezoidal space 30b having an upper surface cut obliquely is extended, and an inclined surface on the upper surface side of the trapezoidal space 30b, that is, an inclined surface 39 inclined downward outward from an upper edge end, is defined as the concave inclined surface 20c. The collection port 35 is formed on a linear inclined surface in a parallel direction, and the inclined surface is opened.

Further, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 7, a fitting guide 80 of the transport belt mechanism is mounted on the upper surface side of the recovery port 35, and the inclined surface 39 is provided on a side surface of the guide 80.
Is formed in parallel with the slit groove 81, and a rib-shaped regulating guide provided on the container side wall surface of the transport belt mechanism can be fitted into the slit groove 81. The fitting guide 8 shown in FIG.
0 and the belt container 62 are made larger than the actual shape for clarification of the configuration.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 6, the collecting space 30a, which is 30d on the partition wall 10 side, is raised in a step-like manner to form a toner accumulation space. A transport roller 31 made of a hard resin having an elliptical cross section is disposed on the front side of the trapezoidal space 30b below the recovery port 35 of the recovery space 30a, and the outlet side peripheral surface of the transfer roller 31 is positioned below the partition wall. A toner collecting space 30a is provided from an opening 31a on the lower end side.

On the other hand, the rotating shaft 21 penetrating the collecting space 30a is provided with a blade 32 which is elastically deformable in the rotating direction and extends in the radial direction. The rotary shaft 21 located in the toner accumulation space located on the side of the partition wall 10 located outside the lower area of the recovery port 35 of the recovery unit 30 is provided with a blade so that only the so-called rectangular space can be rubbed. Feather body 3
2 is provided.

The blade body 32 is provided in the trapezoidal space 30.
b, and a wide blade 32a, one side of which is cut obliquely, is formed on the side of the band blade 32b via a slit 32c, and the leading end of the band blade 32b is transported by the slit blade 32c. The outlet-side peripheral surface of the roller 31 is extended to a predetermined length so as to be slidable, and a thin-layer member having a higher coefficient of friction than the blade body is provided at a portion of the leading end of the blade body 32b in surface contact with the roller peripheral surface. For example, a thin sponge layer 34 is stuck,
While the sponge layer 34 is rubbed against the roller outlet side peripheral surface by surface contact or close to the outlet peripheral surface, the waste toner accumulated in the roller 31 outlet peripheral surface and the vicinity of the opening around the roller 31 is surely removed. It is configured to catch and send to the collection space 30a side. The waste toner sent to the collection space 30a is sent to the accumulation space 30d on the partition wall 10 while being stirred by the wider blade 32a. Since the blades are not provided in the deposition space 30d located on the partition wall 10 side, only the accumulation is performed without performing the stirring, and the accumulation at a high density is possible.

The upper surface of the partition wall 10 has a slit groove 102.
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 12, a sponge-like string-shaped sealing member 101 for sealing between the lid 2A is interposed in the slit groove 102, and the slit groove 102 is connected to the rotating shaft. The sealing member 101 is made to hang down along the slit groove in the shape of a thin tongue at the center of the sealing member 101 to function as a sealing portion of the rotating shaft 21.

The recovery space 3 on the shaft end side of the rotary shaft 21
A gear train 33 for connecting the rotating shaft 21 and the transport roller is provided on the inner wall surface of the inner shaft 0a. The gear train 33 is formed of a speed increasing gear, and is set such that the rotation speed of the blade 32 is smaller than the rotation speed of the transport roller 31.

The adjacent gears 33a, 3a of the gear train 33
The tooth surface shape of 3b is not formed as shown in FIG. 11 (B) but is made thinner as shown in FIG. 11 (A) to narrow the ridge width (to increase the valley width). Are taken and formed unequally with each other, and they are fitted together with play. For example, when the gear diameter is 30φ, the clearance on one side of the meshing surface is usually 0.1 mm (see B), but in the present embodiment, it is set to 0.4 to 0.5 mm. In addition, 3 in FIG.
Numeral 6 designates a position regulating rib formed on the longitudinal end face 37 of the container.
The guide 36 extends in parallel with the concave slope 20c on the 0 side, and is configured to be detachable while the guide 36 is fitted in a regulation guide groove (not shown) provided on the apparatus main body side.

According to this embodiment, the gear train 33
Is located inside the end wall of the collecting unit 30, so that the gear train 33 can be prevented from abutting against a guide or the like on the apparatus main body side when the container is mounted, and the adjacent gear 33
Since the tooth surfaces a and 33b are unequally formed, even if toner enters the clearance between the meshing surfaces, the toner rotates while scooping the toner, so that the locking phenomenon can be completely eliminated.

Next, the mounting mechanism of the toner container 2 and the shutter member will be described. First, as shown in FIG. 3, the container mounting portion 11 on the upper surface side of the developing unit 1 fixes the position when the container 2 is mounted and releases the mounting.
A lock / release lever member 15 is pivotably supported by a shaft 18. The lever member 15 extends obliquely upward along the unit inclined surface 19 from a shaft support portion of a shaft 18 provided on the lower surface side, and a lock lever portion 15b provided with a claw portion 15a at a tip end thereof; The operating lever portion 15c is formed in an L-shape, and the operating lever portion is configured to be swingable.

On the other hand, on the toner collecting section 30 side, FIG.
As shown in (B), a rectangular cylindrical fitting guide 80 whose inner shape matches the cross-sectional shape of the belt container 62 on the apparatus main body side is mounted on the inclined surface 39 where the discharged toner receiving port 35 is formed. The fitting guide has a slit groove 81 formed in parallel with the inclined surface 39. The inclined surface 39 is provided with a shutter plate 69 capable of opening and closing the toner receiving port 35 along the surface of the inclined surface 39 by a regulating guide (not shown).
Is provided.

On the other hand, as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7B, the discharge opening 68 of the belt
A shutter member 66 that opens and closes is disposed via a sponge layer 66a, and is pulled by an elastic spring 67 in a direction in which the shutter member 66 closes.
The claw 65a that engages with the projection 69a of the shutter plate 69 on the toner receiving port 35 side to open and close the projection 69a is provided on the shutter plate 6
9 is provided at the tip of a plate piece 65 that is elastically extended in the direction of separation.

As a result, as shown in FIG. 2, the concave slope 20 of the container is on the extension of the slope 19 on the side of the developing unit 1.
When the container 2 is mounted on the developing unit 1 side in a state where the positions of the belt container 6 and the belt container 6 are matched with each other.
2 (see FIG. 7B), the tip projection 69a of the container 62 engages with the projection 69a of the shutter plate 69, and opens the toner receiving port 35 while pushing up the shutter plate 69. At the same time, the edge of the lower end of the toner collecting unit 30 and the upper edge of the shutter member 66 on the side of the belt container 62 are engaged with each other to
7, the shutter member 66 is pushed down, and
While the opening 8 is opened, the front end projection 65a on the container rides over the projection 69a of the shutter plate 69 and stops. The shutter plate 69 is fixed at the upper end of the sponge layer 66a together with the locking by the tip protrusion 65a.

On the other hand, the container 2 is also attached to the developing unit 1 with the concave inclined surface 20c of the container 2 aligned with the extension of the inclined surface 19 of the developing unit 1 on the toner storage unit 20 side. The shutter member on the storage section 20 side is also opened, and its configuration and operation will be described later.

As shown in FIG. 2, when the concave inclined surface 20c of the container is pulled down obliquely downward along the inclined surface 19 on the unit side, the claw 15a of the lock lever portion 15b first comes into contact with the When the lock lever 15 is mounted at a predetermined position while swinging in a direction to retreat from the inclined surface 19 against the elastic force of the elastic spring 16,
The claw 15a of FIG. 2B engages with the engaging recess 201 of the toner storage unit 20. At this time, it is engaged and fixed by the elastic spring 16 urged to the operation lever 15 side, but it is difficult to accurately and reliably fix the position only by the urging force of the one elastic spring 16. Therefore, in this embodiment, the elastic spring 43 of the shutter member 40 on the developing unit 1 side is effectively used.

That is, as shown in FIG. 4, at the time of mounting, an elastic spring 43 is engaged in a direction in which a shutter member 40 of the developing unit 1 described later closes the toner receiving opening 44, and the elastic spring 43 Since the urging force is applied in the closing direction, the urging force is the strongest at the position where the toner receiving port 44 is open. On the other hand, in FIG. 2, the claw portion 15 a of the lock lever portion faces downward along the inclined surface 19. In other words, since the elastic spring 43 is locked in the direction opposite to the biasing direction, the toner container 2
Can be positioned and fixed. That is, the tensile force of the elastic spring 16 urged toward the operation lever portion 15 and the elastic force of the elastic spring 43 of the shutter member 40 can be used, and the tensile directions are also different. Is biased in the closing direction, so that the biasing force is the strongest at the open position where the container 2 is fixed, and secure fixing is possible.

When the container 2 shown in FIG. 3 is fixed at a predetermined position, the relay gear 27 on the container side meshes with the drive gear 17 on the unit side, and as shown in FIG. The installation base 70 on the bottom side is the developing unit 1 side
Linear spring 73 projecting from slit opening 71 provided above
, The container mounting sensor 75 fixed on the substrate 72 by the downward displacement of the linear spring 73.
Can be pressed to instruct the control circuit (not shown) that mounting has been performed accurately. The linear spring 73
Is easily pivoted left and right because it is supported by the shaft 76.
Therefore, a pair of projections 74 are hung down on both sides of the switch pressing position of the linear spring 73 on the lower surface of the installation base 71, and the projections 74 prevent the linear spring 73 from swinging left and right, so that repetition accuracy is high. The sensor 75 is configured to be pressable.

Returning to the original state, when removing the toner container 2, as shown in FIG. 3B, the operation lever portion 15c of the lock lever 15 is tilted counterclockwise so that the claw portion 15a of the lock lever is moved. Then, the engagement from the engagement concave portion 201 is released, and simultaneously with the release, the shutter member is automatically moved upward along the inclined slope by the urging force of the elastic spring 43 (FIG. 4) of the shutter member. The engagement recess 201 forms a locking surface along a direction facing the biasing direction of the elastic spring 43, in other words, along a direction orthogonal to the inclined surface 19.

On the other hand, on the belt transport mechanism 60 side, a shutter member 66 for opening and closing the discharge opening 68 of the belt container 62 is disposed via a sponge layer 66a. Since the container 69a rides on and engages (FIG. 6), the toner receiving port 35 is opened while the shutter plate 69 is pressed downward by following the upward movement of the container, and at the same time, the elastic spring 67 ( 7), the shutter member 66 on the side of the belt container 62 is automatically closed, and the toner container 2 can be taken out in a state in which both the belt container 62 and the shutter member on the side of the waste toner collecting unit 30 are closed.

Next, the shutter mechanism on the toner storage section 20 side of the container will be described with reference to FIGS. First, an inclined surface 19 parallel to the concave inclined surface 20c of one side wall 20c provided with a supply port for the toner storage unit 20 is provided on the container mounting portion 11 on the upper surface side of the developing unit 1.
Is formed on the upper surface side of the developing unit 1 and the inclined surface 1
9, the toner receiving opening 44 is formed by opening the position corresponding to the hopper 12 (FIG. 4), and the shutter members 40 and 50 are respectively provided on the concave slope 20c on the container side and the receiving opening 44 on the developing unit 1 side. Attach.

The shutter member 50 on the container 2 side is formed of an elastically deformable resin body, and is provided on the mounting plate 52 with a shutter mounting plate 52 which is mounted on the concave slope 20c and on which the supply opening 25 is formed. A shutter plate 51 that moves in the short direction of the cartridge along a regulation guide 58, which will be described later, and opens and closes the supply opening 25 will be described. The plane configuration of the shutter plate and the shutter mounting plate will be described below. FIGS. 8A and 8B are views of the shutter mounting plates 52 and 42 viewed from above the toner container 2.
(C) is a sectional view taken along line AA of (A), and FIG.
(B) is a view of these as viewed from the hopper 12 side, that is, from the opposite direction of FIG. 8.

In these drawings, first, the shutter mounting plate 52 on the container 2 side is provided with a pair of regulating grooves 58b for moving the shutter plate 51 in the opening and closing direction (container short direction) while regulating the position of the shutter plate 51 in the longitudinal direction of the shutter plate 51. Extending to both sides, a pair of regulating grooves 58a are formed above the regulating grooves 58b, and a pair of regulating grooves 58c are formed outside the regulating grooves 58a (see FIG. 8C). The guide wall 423a of the shutter mounting plate 42 on the developing unit 1 side is configured to be insertable, while the guide edge 51a obtained by bending the side end of the shutter plate 51 into an L-shaped cross section is inserted into the lower groove 58b. It is configured to be possible. In addition, the center edge 5 on the lower end side
2d is formed in a step shape (FIG. 10), and the upper end of the shutter plate 41 on the unit side is configured to be engageable.

A lock member 53 for locking the shutter plate 51 at the closed position is provided in the guide groove 58c. The locking member 53 has a base-side rectangular portion 53c fitted into a recess of the mounting plate 52, and the locking member 5 having the base-side side 53c as a center.
3 is configured to be swingable outward, and the inside of the middle abdomen projects horizontally toward the rectangular recessed portion 51b provided on the guide edge 51a of the shutter plate 51. (FIG. 9), and a wedge-shaped piece 53a forcibly swinging outward by the insertion of the end 423d of the engaging plate 42 on the developing unit 1 side is further provided on the front side.

On the other hand, the shutter plate 51 has an L-shaped guide edge 51a provided on the side end side as described above, and a side wall of the guide edge 51a which is concavely formed in a rectangular shape.
The recessed portion 51b with which the convex piece 53b is engaged is provided. In the figure, reference numeral 519 denotes a projection which engages with the concave groove 529 on the shutter mounting plate 52 side and regulates the pressing position (closing position) of the shutter plate 51, and is provided at the upper end of the shutter plate 51.
Reference numeral 528 denotes a protrusion that engages with the H-shaped concave groove 518 on the shutter plate 51 side and regulates the push-up position (closed position) of the shutter plate 51, and is provided at the upper end of the shutter mounting plate 52.

On the other hand, the shutter member 4 on the developing unit 1 side
0 is also formed of an elastically deformable resin body, and is fitted and fixed to the mounting hole 451 of the inclined surface 19 via a shaft-shaped insertion portion 423c shown in FIG.
And a shutter plate 4 for opening and closing the supply opening 25 by moving in the short direction of the container along a regulating guide 423b provided on the mounting plate 42.
Consists of one. Then, the planar configuration of the shutter mounting plate 42 will be described with reference to FIG. 8B. The shutter mounting plate 42 has a square engagement plate 423 through a square gate-shaped slit split 424. A swinging plate 421 located on the outer peripheral side thereof, and an engaging claw 422a for engaging with an upper end of the shutter plate 51 on the container 2 side rises at the center of the tip of the swinging plate 421; After the opening of the shutter plate 51 through the engagement claw 422a
The swinging plate 421 is configured to be able to be pushed down in the closing direction, and a cam projection 422b is protruded at the left and right corners of the tip of the swinging plate 421. When the shutter plate 51 is opened, the cam projection 422b contacts the lower end of the shutter mounting plate 52 The swing plate 421 is configured to be retractable to the rear side of the shutter mounting plate 52.

The engaging plate 423 has an L-shaped guide wall 423a formed at a side end thereof so that the guide wall 423a can be inserted into a groove 58a provided at a lower end of the container shutter mounting plate 52. Further, a concave groove 423b having a U-shaped cross section is formed inside the developing unit facing the shutter plate 41 in parallel with the L-shaped guide wall 423a, and the guide wall 41a of the shutter plate 41 is fitted into the concave groove 423b. The shutter plate 41 is configured to be freely movable up and down, and protrusions provided on both side ends of the shutter plate 41 are engaged with elastic springs locked on the upper end side of the swinging plate. 51 is configured to be movable along the short direction of the toner receiving opening 25. A step 4235 is provided on the upper edge of the toner receiving opening 44 of the engagement plate, and the shutter plate 5 on the container 1 side is provided.
1 is configured to be engageable with the lower end.

According to this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4, the container 2 is moved to the developing unit 1 side with the concave slope 20c of the container aligned with the extension of the inclined surface 19 on the developing unit 1 side. To mount the shutter mounting plate 52 on the container 2 side (FIG. 1).
3 (C) comes into contact with the cam projection 422b of the rocking plate 421 and further moves while retracting the rocking plate 421 to the back side of the shutter mounting plate 52, the groove 58a formed in the shutter mounting plate 52 The L-shaped guide wall 423a at the side end of the engaging plate 423 is inserted into the lock member 53, and the wedge-shaped piece 53a provided on the front side of the lock member 53 is brought into contact with the corner R at the distal end of the engaging plate 423. Expand while touching (Fig. 9
(See (a)), the engagement of the convex piece 53b engaged with the recessed portion 51b of the guide edge 51a of the shutter plate 51 is released, and then the lower end of the container-side shutter plate 51 is
The shutter plate 51 is opened by being pressed by the step 4235 of 23.

On the other hand, at the same time when the shutter plate 51 is opened, the engaging step 52d at the lower end of the mounting plate 52 on the container 2 presses the upper end of the shutter plate 41 on the unit 1 side, and the respective shutter plates 51, 41 perform the mounting operation. In conjunction with this, the openings 25 and 44 are opened while the respective openings overlap each other. When the two openings 25 and 44 completely coincide with each other, the engaging claw 422a of the rocking plate 421 is
13 is engaged with the upper edge 51c of the shutter plate 51 on the side of FIG.
(See (A)).

In this embodiment, since the shutter mounting plate 52 on the unit 1 side is fitted and fixed to the mounting hole 451 of the inclined surface 19 via the shaft-shaped insertion portion 423c. 42 can slightly oscillate in a plane parallel to the toner receiving surface 44. As a result, the oscillating plate 42
Even if there is an assembly error between the engaging claw 422a and the shutter plate 41 on the container 1 side or a slight displacement at the time of mounting, this is absorbed and the shutter plate 4 is accurately and reliably.
1 can be fixed at the open position. Since the mounting plate 42 swings in a plane parallel to the opening surface, even if the openings are aligned with each other, it is possible to easily make close contact without forming a gap.

Then, as shown in FIG. 3, by pulling the operation lever portion 15c forward, the engagement with the claw portion 15a is released, and the elastic spring 4 pulling the shutter plate 41.
Due to the elastic force of 3, the toner container 2 moves obliquely upward along the inclined surface 19. Since the shutter plate 51 on the toner container 2 side is locked by the engaging claws 422a of the swing plate 421, the shutter plate 51 is moved to the left in FIG. The opening 25 on the second side is closed.

At the same time as the shutter plate 51 moves in the closing direction, the shutter plate 41 on the unit 1 engaged with the lower end of the shutter mounting plate 52 on the container 2 also moves in the closing direction by the urging force of the elastic spring 43. And a lock member 53 provided on the shutter mounting plate 52 on the container 2 side.
Of the engaging plate 423 is released from contact with the corner 423d at the tip end of the engaging plate 423, and at the same time, by the elastic force of the lock member 53 itself, it returns to the guide edge 51a side of the shutter plate 51, and the convex portion 53b Is a concave portion 51b of the guide edge 51a.
And the locking of the shutter plate 51 is completed. At this time, the inclined surface 52a of the shutter mounting plate 52 is as shown in FIG.
As shown in the figure, it comes into contact with the cam projection 422b,
As shown in (C), since the shutter mounting plate 54 rides on the cam projection 422b, the toner container 2 can be easily removed from the apparatus main body side.

Thereafter, the restriction groove 5 of the shutter mounting plate 52
The leading end 423d of the engaging plate 423 is pulled out from the main body 8a, and the toner container 2 is taken out from the apparatus body side. Therefore,
After the container 2 is taken out from the apparatus main body side, the shutter plate 51 is always locked in the closed position by the lock member 53, so that the lock member 53 does not operate erroneously in a normal moving operation, and Easy shutter plate 5
1 completely eliminates the risk of opening. Since the lock member 53 is housed on the opening / closing guide of the shutter member without protruding outside, the shutter member is not accidentally opened during the normal moving operation. or,
Since the lock member 53 is automatically forcibly released in conjunction with the mounting operation of the container, it is possible to simplify the container mounting operation and completely prevent forgetting to release the lock.

Next, a second embodiment according to the present invention will be described. FIG. 14 is a plan view of the toner container and the waste toner transport mechanism according to the second embodiment. The substantial difference from FIG. 1 is that
A gear train connecting the rotary shaft 21 and the transport roller 31 for feeding the waste toner into the recovery space, and a seal structure of the rotary shaft 21 having the blade body 22 in the partition wall 10 of the toner storage unit 20 and the waste toner recovery unit 30. This is a positional relationship where 33 is provided, and a structure according to those differences will be described below. In FIG. 14, the rotating shaft 21 'to which the stirring blade 22' is fixed is provided with a partition wall 10 'interposed between the toner storage section 20' and the waste toner recovery section 30 'as shown in the enlarged view of the section (B) F. Is rotatably fitted in the through hole 10'a formed in the toner storage unit 20 ', and a donut-shaped thin film body 91 coaxially with the through hole 10'a is provided on the partition wall 10'b on the toner storage unit 20' side. The film 91 is stuck with a double-sided tape 90.
Because it is set up in a small range of 01 to 0.5 mm,
The rotation shaft 21 'inserted into the center hole is an inner edge 91 of the hole.
It is arranged so as to be rotatable while being pressed and sealed by a.

Since the seal structure of this embodiment is constructed as described above, a donut-shaped film is stuck coaxially with the through-hole, and the donut-shaped center hole and the through-hole are penetrated by the rotating shaft. In the simple configuration, the through hole 10'a
Waste toner entering through the gap is completely blocked by the inner edge 91a of the film body 91. Further, the unused toner for supply in the toner storage section 20 'is also prevented from leaking to the waste toner collecting section 30' by the inner edge 91a of the film body 91.

In FIG. 14, a gear train 33 for transmitting a rotational force from the rotating shaft 21 'to the conveying roller 31 of the waste toner is provided on the longitudinal end face 37' of the container. Each of these gears is connected to a rotation shaft or a conveyance roller so that the gears can be rotated integrally with the rotation shaft or the conveyance roller. The intermediate gears interposed between them have a hole in the center part, and are inserted on the end face 37 'so as to be rotatable by inserting a rotating shaft standing up on the end face 37' to prevent the gears from falling off. For this purpose, the gears 33 are covered by a gear cover 370 from above the end face 37 '.

This cover structure is disclosed in FIGS. 15A and 15B. In these figures, a wall edge 37 'which stands obliquely on the upper left hand side of the longitudinal end face 37' of the container.
c and a wall edge 37'd that stands obliquely at the lower right corner that is parallel to and diagonal to it, forms a substantially diamond-shaped space, and as shown in FIG. Has two openings 37'b, 37'b,
7'd is also provided with two openings 37'a, 37'a. The gear cover 370 that fits and covers the rhombus-shaped space has an edge that surrounds the periphery of the substantially rhombus-shaped end hanging down to approximately the same height as the wall edges 37 ′ c and 37 ′ d, A position regulating rib 36 'is formed on the upper surface of the outside so as to be fitted up with a regulating guide groove (not shown) provided on the apparatus body side, and is engaged with the opening 37'b on the left edge 370c. Protrusions 370b, 370b
However, the right edge 370d is provided with projections 370a and 370a that engage with the opening 37'a. Since the gear train of the present embodiment is disposed outside the waste toner collecting unit in this way, toner does not enter between the gear teeth without taking the clearance between the meshing surfaces described above, No locking phenomenon occurs.

Next, a second embodiment of the sealing structure between the toner container body and the lid will be described. FIG. 16B is a view of the toner container main body viewed from above, and FIG.
It is a line sectional view. The toner container 2 has a lid 2 made of a synthetic resin containing calcium carbonate, similarly to the toner container body 20 ′ made of a synthetic resin containing calcium carbonate.
A, an elastic sealing member 97 is interposed between the engaging portion 20'f on the toner container main body side and the locking claw 2 on the lid body side.
Aa. Toner container body 2
The sealing member 97 formed in the same outer shape as the upper surface opening of 0 'is adhered to the upper edge 20'g of the toner container main body 20' with an adhesive or a double-sided tape, and then the main body 20 'of the lid 2A. Pressed by locking to By this pressing, the inner surface of the lid 2A and the upper edge 2 of the main body are
Even if a gap is generated between the toner container and 0'g, the gap is filled by the seal member 97, and the space between the lid and the upper edge of the toner container is completely sealed. As a result, since the toner container main body and the lid are completely sealed, there is no need for expensive equipment for performing ultrasonic welding or vibration welding as in the related art, and complete sealing can be achieved with a simple configuration. In addition, since the toner container 2 is formed of a synthetic resin containing calcium carbonate, it burns at a low calorie when incinerated, can suppress generation of harmful gas, and is environmentally friendly. The seal member is preferably made of urethane foam, nonwoven fabric, paper, felt, rubber sponge, etc. Among them, a PP sponge which does not generate harmful gas or unpleasant odor when incinerated is good for the environment.

Next, the second shutter mounting plate on the main assembly side of the apparatus is used.
An embodiment will be described. FIG. 17 is a cross-sectional view in which the shutter mounting plate on the apparatus main body side according to the second embodiment is mounted on the apparatus main body side.
FIG. 18 is a view seen from above FIG. 17, and FIG. 19 is a sectional view of a shutter mounting plate on the apparatus main body side according to the second embodiment. The difference between the shutter mounting plate 42 on the device main body side of the first embodiment and the shutter mounting plate 42 'on the device main body side of the second embodiment is, as shown in FIG. ′ Are the engagement plates 4 of the insertion portions 423 ′ c and 423 ′ e which are inserted into and engaged with the mounting holes 451 on the apparatus main body side.
A cushion 120 formed with urethane sponge and having an opening 120a is affixed to the toner receiving opening 44 side of the apparatus body side in that the projecting length from 23 'is longer in the second embodiment than in the second embodiment. Is a point.

The shutter mounting plate 4 configured as described above
A locking portion 1 provided with a lower end 42'a of the 2 'at the lower end of the inclined surface 19 on the apparatus main body side and opened toward the upper side of the inclined surface.
11, the insertion portions 423 ′ c and 423 ′ e are inserted into the mounting holes 451 of the locking portion 113 extending above the inclined surface 19, and the mounting holes 423 ′ c are inserted into the mounting holes 423 ′ c.
1, the shutter mounting plate 42 ′ is acted upon by the tension of the cushion 120 in a direction away from the toner receiving opening 44 on the main body side, and as shown in FIG.
Attached to the device body. At this time, since the insertion portion 423'c is longer than the insertion portion 423 of the shutter mounting plate 42 of the first embodiment, the distance between the engagement plate 423 'and the inclined surface 19 in which the toner receiving opening 44 is opened is set. The vicinity of the step portion 4235 'is higher than the vicinity of the locking portion 111, that is, the vicinity of the locking portion 111 of the cushion 120 is more pressed than the vicinity of the step portion 4235'. Therefore, the upper surface of the engagement plate 423 ′ locked by the locking portion 111 does not become parallel to the inclined surface 19 but has an angle that opens upward from the inclined surface 19, and The shutter plate 41 and the guide wall 423 ′ a inserted into the restriction groove 58 a provided on the shutter mounting plate 52 on the toner container side also open upward from the inclined surface 19.

The shutter mounting plate 42 ′ is configured so that the stepped portion 4235 ′ can swing in the direction of the inclined surface 19 (Z direction) with the locking portion 111 as the center. If the respective shutter mounting plates that are fitted to each other are fixed to the main body when the shutter mounting plate 42 'is combined with the shutter mounting plate 42', the guide plate is forcibly inserted into the restriction groove, and the mechanism is damaged. However, at this time, the shutter mounting plate 42 "on the apparatus main body side swings in the direction of the inclined surface 19, and during the swinging, the guide plate of the shutter mounting plate 42" moves the regulating groove of the shutter mounting plate on the toner container side. The guide plates are gradually received, and the guide plates are smoothly inserted into the restriction grooves. On the other hand, in FIG. 18, the guide wall 42
Locking portions 112a and 112b are provided to limit lateral movement of the engagement plate 423 'by coming into contact with 3'a. The mounting hole 451 is also formed with a margin in the left-right direction from the insertion portions 423'c and 423'e of the engagement plate 423 '. Therefore, when the toner container is inserted and the shutter mounting plate 52 and the engaging plate 423 'are united, they are configured to be able to move left and right to perform a slight alignment.

The operation when the shutter mounting plate 42 'on the main body side configured as described above and the shutter mounting plate 52 on the toner container side are combined will be described. At both ends in the longitudinal direction of the toner container 2, a position regulating rib 36 'and a rib-shaped charging guide 29 are provided. 20, when the toner container 2 is inserted into the developing unit 1, first, the lower edge 52f of the shutter mounting plate 52 is moved to the shutter mounting plate 42 '.
Abut on the cam projection 422 '. Then, the toner container 2 includes the position regulating rib 36 ′ and the rib-shaped charging guide 29.
Is lowered by being guided by a regulating guide groove provided on the side of the apparatus main body (not shown), and the lower portion 52f of the shutter mounting plate 52 provided on the toner container 2 lowers the cam projection 422'b, thereby causing the shutter to move. The mounting plate 42 'descends against the tension of the cushion 120.

When the toner container 2 is further lowered, the shutter mounting plate 42 'is lowered like a virtual line, and finally locked at a position parallel to the inclined surface 19 on the main body side as shown in FIG. Claw 15a of lever 15 (FIG. 3)
Locked by. On the other hand, the guide walls 423'a of the shutter mounting plate 42 'fitted into the regulating grooves 58a of the shutter mounting plate 52 mounted on the toner container 2 have left and right ends 423'd and 423'd as shown in FIG. As shown in the figure, the front end portion is cut obliquely in the shape of a letter "C", so that the front end portion becomes short across the toner receiving opening 44, so that the mounting position of the shutter mounting plate 52 of the toner container 2 is shifted left and right. Even if it is slightly displaced, the restriction groove 58a can be captured and fitted into the groove 58a.

In the present embodiment, as described above, the shutter mounting plate 42 'on the apparatus main body side is mounted so as to be able to approach and separate from the toner receiving opening 44 provided on the apparatus main body side. Therefore, the positions of the shutter mounting plate 52 of the toner container 2 and the shutter mounting plate 42 'mounted on the apparatus main body side with respect to the regulating guide groove on the apparatus main body side may be affected by manufacturing and assembly errors of individual parts. In this case, if the shutter mounting plates 52 and 42 'are fixed to the respective main bodies at that time, the engaging portions of the shutter mounting plates 52 and 42' may not be engaged due to the above-mentioned errors due to the above-mentioned error. However, even in the case where the engaging portions of the two members are too close to each other and the two members do not move smoothly, the position of the two members relative to the regulating guide groove on the device body side may be reduced. It is adjustable.

Further, the opening 25 of the shutter mounting plate 52 mounted on the toner supply opening 25 of the toner container main body.
And the toner receiving opening 44 of the apparatus main body.
The mounting position of the shutter mounting plate 42 'to the opening 44 varies in the longitudinal direction of the toner container or the apparatus main body due to manufacturing errors and assembly errors of individual parts. Is fixed to each body, there is a risk that the engagement portion of both are too far apart and not engaged due to the above-mentioned error, and conversely, the engagement portion of both is too close, There is a danger that they may not work smoothly due to the conflict. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the shutter mounting plate 42 'and the shutter mounting plate 42' are mounted by swinging the shutter mounting plate 42 'on the apparatus main body side in the longitudinal direction with respect to the toner receiving opening 44 provided on the apparatus main body side. At the time of combining with the shutter 52, the position of the shutter mounting plate 42 'can be adjusted.

Next, the seal structure of the bearing of the rotary shaft of the toner stirring blade of the developing device applied to the image forming apparatus will be described. FIG. 21 shows a seal structure of a bearing portion of the developing device applied to the present invention. (B) is an enlarged perspective view of a part A of (A), and (C) is an explanatory view. In these figures, a hole 20 "g is formed in a side outer wall 20" f of the toner storage portion 20 "of the developing device 100, and a stirring shaft 21" having a fin 94 for stirring the developer (toner) is formed. A bearing 95 having a fitting hole at the center is provided concentrically with the hole 20 ″ g, and in order to prevent toner from flowing around the stirring shaft 21 ″ and the bearing 95 of the developing device 100, A sealing member 910 made of, for example, a polyester film is adhered to the inner surface of the developing device 100 using a double-sided tape 90 on the inner wall 20 ″ e of the side surface, and the stirring shaft 21 ″ is inserted into the inner hole 910a of the sealing member 910 to seal. Member 91
The seal member 910 is flexed by the small hole diameter of 0, and the inner edge 910b of the inner hole 910a is pressed and sealed to the outer diameter of the stirring shaft 21 ″. It is designed to prevent leakage.

The above-mentioned sealing structure will be described in more detail with reference to FIG. 22.
f and the sealing member 9 concentrically with the center hole of the bearing 95.
10, the sealing member 910 is adhered to the inner wall 20 "e with a double-sided tape 90. Then, the tip 2 of the stirring shaft 21" in the toner container 20 ".
When 1 "a is fitted into the inner hole 910a of the seal member 910, the inner edge 910b of the seal member 910 presses and contacts the outer diameter of the stirring shaft 21" as shown in FIG.

FIG. 23 shows another embodiment of the seal structure of the bearing portion. In the same figure, the inner hole 910a of the seal member 910 is aligned with the center hole of the bearing 95 disposed on the side outer wall 20 "f of the toner storage portion 20", and the seal member 910 is attached to the inner wall 20 "by the double-sided tape 90. Then, a gear 96 having a rotatable rotating shaft portion 96a in the center hole of the bearing 95 and a fitting concave portion 210a into which the rotating shaft portion 96a is fitted and united integrally are provided at the distal end. And a stirring shaft 210 having a rotating shaft portion 96 of the gear 96.
a into the bearing 95, and insert the shaft 96 a into the sealing member 91.
0 in the inner hole 910a, and
The inner edge 910b of the sealing member 910 presses and contacts the outer diameter of the rotating shaft portion 96a of the gear 96 as shown in FIG.

The difference between the inner diameter of the seal member and the outer diameter of the stirring shaft is preferably 1 mm or less. Further, the thickness of the sealing member is preferably 20 μm to 0.5 mm. Also, if the sealing member is an elastic member,
Resin, rubber, or leather can be used, but use a polyester or polyethylene film and have a thickness of 1
0 μ to 250 μ is desirable.

As described above, in this embodiment, the sealing member is a thin film having a hole having an inner diameter smaller than the shaft diameter of the stirring member rotating shaft, and the stirring rotating shaft is inserted into the hole of the thin film. At times, the portion of the thin film body having a small inner diameter is bent in the axial direction and comes into close contact with the outer periphery of the shaft. That is, it is bent only by the difference between the inner diameter of the thin film body and the outer diameter of the shaft, and comes into close contact with the shaft.
Therefore, since it is not pressed with such a large force, the load at that portion does not generate such a large torque due to the thin thickness of the thin film body, and does not generate wear or abnormal noise.
And, since the airtightness is high with a simple configuration, the developer does not accumulate between the bearing hole of the stirring member and the rotating shaft for transmitting the driving force from outside the developing device, and does not affect the stirring driving force,
The developer does not leak out of the machine from the gap.

[0079]

As described above, according to the present invention, in the toner supply container, the toner is supplied from the toner supply port opened on the side wall rising from the bottom of the container without increasing the axial torque. Even when toner is accumulated only at the bottom of the container, the toner can be efficiently scraped up to the opening. Further, according to the present invention, it is possible to efficiently supply the toner even when the opening area of the toner supply port is reduced, thereby improving the airtightness of the shutter and simplifying the configuration. . And so on.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a toner container and a discharge toner transport mechanism according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 illustrates a state before the toner container is mounted on the developing unit side or after the toner container is removed from the developing unit side as viewed from a direction E in FIGS. 1 and 14, and particularly illustrates a configuration of a process unit on the photosensitive drum side.

3A is an operation diagram of FIG. 2, wherein FIG. 3A shows a state in which a toner container is mounted on a developing unit side, and FIG. 3B shows a state immediately before the toner container is ejected.

FIG. 4 shows a state before the toner container is mounted on the developing unit side or after the toner container is removed from the developing unit side, viewed from the direction D in FIG. 3 shows a shutter configuration.

FIGS. 5A and 5B are operation diagrams of FIG. 2, wherein FIG. 5A shows a state immediately before the toner container is mounted on the developing unit side, and FIG. 5B shows a state after the mounting.

FIG. 6A illustrates a cross-sectional configuration of a toner collecting unit to which a belt transport mechanism is mounted, and particularly corresponds to a cross-sectional view taken along line B of FIGS. 1 and 14; FIG. 3B is a layout view of the linear spring shown in FIG.

7A is a side view of the toner collection unit on the longitudinal end face side, and FIG. 7B is a cross-sectional configuration of the toner collection unit in a stage before the belt conveyance mechanism is mounted. It corresponds to a line sectional view.

FIGS. 8A and 8B show a shutter member that opens and closes a supply opening of a toner storage unit and a toner receiving opening of a developing unit, respectively, and FIG. 8A is a plan view of the shutter member 50 as viewed from above; FIG. 2B is a plan view of the shutter member 40 as viewed from above, and FIG. 2C is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA of the shutter member that opens and closes a supply opening of the toner storage unit.

9A is an operation view showing the shutter member of FIG. 8 in the middle of opening, and FIG. 9B is a sectional view taken along line BB of the shutter member that opens and closes a supply opening of a toner receiving opening of the developing unit.

10A and 10B show a shutter member that opens and closes a supply opening of a toner storage unit and a toner receiving opening of a developing unit, respectively, and FIG. 10A is a plan view of the shutter member 50 viewed from the developing unit side. 3B is a plan view of the shutter member 40 as viewed from the developing unit side.

11A and 11B show shapes of a rotating shaft on a collecting section side and a meshing surface of a transmission gear of a conveyance roller, wherein FIG. 11A shows the present embodiment, and FIG.

FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view of a partition wall portion in FIG. 1 and corresponds to a cross section taken along line CC.

FIG. 13 is an operation diagram of a shutter mounting plate on the toner container side.

FIG. 14 is a plan view of a toner container and a waste toner transport mechanism according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 15 is a detailed view of the gear cover as viewed from a direction A in FIG. 14;

FIG. 16 is a second embodiment illustrating a sealing structure between a toner container main body and a lid.

FIG. 17 shows a state before the toner container is mounted on the developing unit side or after the toner container is removed from the toner container viewed from the direction D in FIG. 3 shows a shutter configuration.

FIG. 18 is a plan view of a shutter mounting plate on the apparatus main body side as viewed from above in FIG. 17;

FIG. 19 is a sectional view of a shutter mounting plate of the apparatus main body according to the second embodiment.

FIGS. 20A and 20B are operation diagrams of FIG. 17, wherein FIG. 20A shows a state immediately before the toner container is mounted on the developing unit side, and FIG.

FIG. 21 shows a seal structure of a bearing portion of the developing device applied to the present invention. (B) is an enlarged perspective view of part A of (A),
(C) is an explanatory view.

FIG. 22 is an explanatory view of fitting a stirring shaft into a seal member.

FIG. 23 shows another embodiment of the seal structure in the bearing portion.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Developing unit 2 Toner supply container 20 Replenishment toner storage part 20a Other side wall 20c One side wall surface 20d Bottom part 21 Rotation shaft 22 Stirrer blade 25 Toner supply opening 11 Toner receiving part 40 Shutter member 423, 52d Engaging part 43 Elastic member 15 Fixed member (lock / release lever member) 201 Fixed surfaces 58, 423b, shutter member opening / closing guide 53 Lock member

Claims (6)

(57) [Claims] 1. A rotation extending in a container along a longitudinal direction.
An elastically deformable stirring blade is provided on the shaft, and the stirring blade is
The toner is curved while rubbing the inner wall of the toner storage
In the toner supply container that performs stirring, the toner supply container is located downstream of the bottom of the toner
On one side wall rising from the bottomContaining the toner
In the center of the longitudinal directionOpen the toner supply port, and position the toner supply port on the side facing the supply port with the bottom portion interposed therebetween.
As the short side cross-sectional shape of the side wall reaches the bottom,
Formed as the amount of curvature of the stirring blade gradually increasesAnd Align the stirring blade with the toner supply port in the longitudinal direction.
Cut into three, stirring blades corresponding to the toner supply port
Part was formed smaller than the toner supply port width. Features
Toner supply container. (2)Rotation extending along the length of the container
An elastically deformable stirring blade is provided on the shaft, and the stirring blade is
The toner is curved while rubbing the inner wall of the toner storage
In the toner supply container for stirring, Located on the downstream side in the rotation direction of the stirring blade from the bottom of the toner storage section
Containing the toner on one side wall surface rising from the bottom
A toner supply port is opened substantially at the center of the unit in the longitudinal direction, The bending amount of the stirring blade from the bottom to the toner supply port is
Other located on the side facing the supply port across the bottom
Side that is larger than the amount of curvature of the stirring blade on the side wall
Set the wall shape, Align the stirring blade with the toner supply port in the longitudinal direction.
Cut into three, stirring blades corresponding to the toner supply port
The portion is formed smaller than the width of the toner supply port.
To be Toner supply container. (3)Rotation extending along the length of the container
An elastically deformable stirring blade is provided on the shaft, and the stirring blade is
The toner is curved while rubbing the inner wall of the toner storage
In the toner supply container for stirring, Located on the downstream side in the rotation direction of the stirring blade from the bottom of the toner storage section
Rise from the bottom The toner supply port on one side wall
The opening is formed at a width of about 1/4 of the length of the toner container in the longitudinal direction.
Along with Other located on the side facing the supply port across the bottom
As the short side cross-sectional shape of the side wall reaches the bottom,
Formed as the amount of curvature of the stirring blade gradually increases, The stirring blade is located at a position facing the toner supply port.
Provide a protrusion that is smaller than the width of the toner supply port.
ー The protrusion can enter the toner supply port during stirring
It is characterized by comprising Toner supply container. (4)Rotation extending along the length of the container
An elastically deformable stirring blade is provided on the shaft, and the stirring blade is
The toner is curved while rubbing the inner wall of the toner storage
In the toner supply container for stirring, Located on the downstream side in the rotation direction of the stirring blade from the bottom of the toner storage section
A toner supply port on one side wall surface rising from the bottom.
The opening is formed at a width of about 1/4 of the length of the toner container in the longitudinal direction.
Along with The bending amount of the stirring blade from the bottom to the toner supply port is
Other located on the side facing the supply port across the bottom
Side that is larger than the amount of curvature of the stirring blade on the side wall
Set the wall shape, The stirring blade is located at a position facing the toner supply port.
Provide a protrusion that is smaller than the width of the toner supply port.
ー The protrusion can enter the toner supply port during stirring
It is characterized by comprising Toner supply container. 5. A rotation extending in a container along a longitudinal direction.
An elastically deformable stirring blade is provided on the shaft, and the stirring blade is
The toner is curved while rubbing the inner wall of the toner storage
In the toner supply container that performs stirring, the toner supply container is located downstream of the bottom of the toner
A toner supply port on one side wall surface rising from the bottom.
With the opening, the amount of curvature of the stirring blade from the bottom to the toner supply port is
Other located on the side facing the supply port across the bottom
The side that is larger than the amount of curvature of the stirring blade on the side wall
Set wall shapeAnd The short-side cross-sectional shape of the other side wall reaching the bottom portion is an arc-shaped surface.
Or arcuate surface and inclined surface With the combination of
The imaginary center of the arcuate surface is positioned from the axis of the rotation axis of the stirring blade.
It is set at a position shifted to the other side wall side Features
Toner supply container. 6.Rotation extending along the length of the container
An elastically deformable stirring blade is installed on the shaft in the entire longitudinal direction of the vessel.
When the stirring blade is curved by a predetermined amount,
In the toner supply container where the toner is stirred while rubbing
hand, Near the center of one side wall slightly raised from the container bottom
Adjust the width of the toner supply port located
Set the length to less than 1/25 of the length of
Of the agitating blade on one side wall facing the toner supply port from the section
Set the amount of curvature larger than that of the other side wall and apply it to the tip of the
Frictional resistance and shaft torque also fluctuate along the direction of rotation.
It is characterized by being configured to rotate from Toner supply
vessel.