JP3282910B2 - Developing device - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a two-component developer comprising a toner and a carrier for visualizing an electrostatic latent image on the surface of a photoreceptor in an electrophotographic apparatus such as a copying machine. The present invention relates to a developing device for supplying a surface.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art For example, in a dry copying machine or the like, a developing device for visualizing (developing) an electrostatic latent image on the surface of a photoreceptor using a two-component developer comprising a toner and a carrier is often used. In such a developing device, the toner is consumed by the developing operation, while the carrier is not consumed and remains in the developing device. Therefore, the carrier stirred with the toner in the developing device, as the stirring frequency increases,
A situation such as peeling of the resin coat layer on the surface or sticking of the toner to the surface occurs to cause deterioration, and as a result, the charging performance of the developer gradually decreases.

Accordingly, a toner and carrier replenishing device is integrated, and not only replenishment of toner consumed by the developing operation but also replenishment of carrier little by little to the developing device reduces the charging performance of the developer in the developing device. For example, Japanese Patent Publication No. Hei 2-21591 discloses a developing device capable of suppressing the development. In this apparatus, a mixture of toner and carrier is replenished from a replenishing device into the developing device at a toner replenishing timing.

Further, the excess developer in the developer tank due to replenishment of the carrier overflows from a developer overflow port provided on the wall surface of the developer tank, is discharged, and is recovered in a developer recovery container. By successively repeating such supply and discharge, the deteriorated developer in the developing tank is replaced by newly supplied toner and carrier, thereby maintaining the charging performance and reducing the copy image quality. It is designed to suppress.

[0005]

However, in the above-mentioned apparatus, the mixture of toner and carrier is stored in a replenishing device at a predetermined toner concentration in advance, and is supplied to the developing device as it is. In the replenishing device, a carrier having a specific gravity larger than that of the toner naturally accumulates on the bottom of the replenishing device by its own weight. For this reason, if the developer in such a state is supplied to the developing device, the toner concentration of the developer supplied to the developing device changes, so that the replacement with the deteriorated developer is not performed as intended, and the replacement ratio is reduced. Cannot be maintained. As a result, there is a problem that the charging performance of the developer in the developing device fluctuates, and the copy image quality is deteriorated.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned conventional problems, and has as its object to make a mixture of a toner and a carrier uniform in a replenishing device and maintain a toner concentration at a constant level. Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a developing device capable of maintaining the replacement ratio of the developer in the developing device, suppressing a decrease in the charging performance of the developer, and maintaining good image quality.

[0007]

Means for Solving the Problems] developing device 請 Motomeko 1 wherein the current for accommodating a developer comprising a toner and a carrier
A stirring means for stirring the developer and the developer are exposed to the image tank.
The developing rollers for supplying to the body are provided rotatably,
The developer is sequentially supplied from the developer supply section to the developing tank.
On the other hand, the developer in the developing tank is discharged from the discharging portion formed in the developing tank.
In the discharged developing device, the developer supply section includes:
A container-shaped developer accommodating section for accommodating the developer,
Conveys the developer stored in the imaging agent storage section to the developing tank
Stir the developer in the developer transfer means and the developer storage section
Developer supply means for supplying the developer to the developer transport means
Is provided, and the developer transport means is provided in the developer storage section.
Provided in the longitudinal direction and supplied by the developer supply means.
Developer receiving portion for receiving the developer to be supplied, and the developer receiving portion
And a developer transport section that transports the developer supplied to the
Further, the developer supply means is arranged along the developer conveying direction.
A single plate-like member extended in
And the developer is recovered by the plate-shaped member.
And a developer collection section.
Is divided into two parts in the longitudinal direction at the bottom of the part.
In the developer collection section in the opposite direction, the current
Check that more plate members are provided than the
Features.

[0008]

[0009]

[0010]

[0011]

According to the structure of the present invention , the developer supply opening is
Supply more developer in the part far from the developer transport means
can do. As a result, the developer is discharged from the conveyance
Time, and developer transport
Transport the developer to the supply opening without interruption.
To improve developer transfer efficiency.
Can be

[0012]

[0013]

[0014]

[0015]

[0016]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS One embodiment of the present invention and a reference example will be described below with reference to FIGS.

In a copying machine configured by applying the present invention,
As shown in FIG. 4, a document table 1 is provided on the upper surface,
An exposure optical system 2 is provided below the original table 1. The exposure optical system 2 includes a light source lamp 3 that scans while irradiating a document (not shown) placed on the document table 1 with light, and reflects light reflected from the document onto a photosensitive drum 4 (photoconductor). And a lens unit 6 disposed in the optical path of the reflected light. The lens unit 6 adjusts the magnification of the toner image to be transferred onto the sheet by moving in the directions of the arrows X and Y.

On the outer periphery of the photosensitive drum 4, a main charger 7 for charging the surface to a predetermined potential, a blank lamp 8 for removing the residual potential on the surface of the photosensitive drum 4, an inter-image eraser (not shown), Developing device 9 for developing an electrostatic latent image formed on the surface of body drum 4, photosensitive drum 4
Charger 1 for transferring a toner image on the surface of a sheet to paper
0, peeling charger 1 for peeling paper from photoconductor drum 4
1. A cleaner unit 12 for collecting residual toner on the surface of the photosensitive drum 4 is provided.

A registration roller 16 for supplying a sheet at a predetermined timing is provided on the paper input side to the photosensitive drum 4, and a manual paper feed as a paper feeding means is provided on the paper input side of the registration roller 16. The unit 13, an upper cassette paper feeding unit 14, and a lower cassette paper feeding unit 15 are arranged.

The manual paper feed unit 13 is provided with an opening (not shown) for manually inserting paper. The manual feed roller 17, the manual separation roller 18, and the manual paper feed roller 19 are provided from the upstream side of paper conveyance. Are arranged. That is, the paper inserted from the opening is conveyed to the manual separation roller 18 and the manual paper feed roller 19 by the rotation of the manual insertion roller 17, and further conveyed to the registration roller 16.

The upper cassette sheet feeding section 14 includes:
An upper paper feed cassette 20 is provided, and from the upstream side of the paper conveyance, an upper paper feed intake roller 21 and an upper paper reverse roller 2
2. An upper feed roller 23 and an upper feed roller 24 for feeding the sheet from the upper feed cassette 20 to the registration roller 16 are provided. That is, the upper paper cassette 2
0 is fed to the upper-stage paper feed-in roller 21
Is conveyed to the upper feed reverse roller 22 and the upper feed roller 23, and further conveyed to the registration roller 16 by the upper feed roller 24.

The lower cassette sheet feeding section 15 includes:
A lower paper feed cassette 25 is provided, and a lower paper feed intake roller 26, a lower paper reverse roller 2
7, a lower feed roller 28, and a lower feed roller 29 that feeds the paper from the lower feed cassette 25 to the registration roller 16 are provided. That is, the lower paper cassette 2
5 is fed to the lower-stage paper feed roller 26
Is conveyed to the lower feed reverse roller 27 and the lower feed roller 28, and further conveyed to the registration roller 16 via the lower feed roller 29 and the upper feed roller 24.

The paper supplied from the manual paper feed unit 13, the upper cassette paper feed unit 14, and the lower cassette paper feed unit 15 is conveyed by the registration rollers 16 in synchronization with the start of reading of the original, ie, the start of development. Are waiting to be.

On the other hand, a suction unit 3 which conveys the sheet on which the toner image has been transferred is provided on the output side of the photosensitive drum 4.
0 is provided. This suction unit 30
The rotation of the suction belt 31 conveys the sheet to the fixing unit 32.

The fixing unit 32 has an upper heat roller 33 and a lower heat roller 34 which are disposed in pressure contact with each other and have a heater lamp 33a therein. An upper peeling claw 35 and a lower peeling claw 36 for peeling the paper from the heat rollers 33 and 34 are provided on the paper discharge side with the roller 34.

A fixing thermistor 37 for controlling the temperature of the heater lamp 33a is provided above the upper heat roller 33.
And an upper cleaning roller 38 for removing the toner remaining on the surface of the upper heat roller 33.

On the paper output side of the fixing unit 32, there is provided a paper discharge separation gate 39 for separating and discharging the thermally fixed paper for each tray (not shown).

Here, the developing device 9 provided in the copying machine having the above configuration will be described with reference to FIGS.
This will be described below.

The developing device 9 has a container-like developing tank 40 as shown in FIG.
A developing roller 41 composed of a magnet roller and a stirring roller (stirring means) 42 are rotatably disposed. The developer contained in the developing tank 40 is composed of a carrier and a toner, and the carrier made of a magnetic material has a resin coating layer on its surface for suppressing adhesion of the toner. When the carrier and the toner are stirred by the stirring roller 42, the toner is frictionally charged. The developing roller 41 attracts the carrier by magnetic force, forms a magnetic brush, and conveys the toner. The toner adhered to the carrier by Coulomb force is supplied to the photosensitive drum 4, and the electrostatic latent image on the photosensitive drum 4 is formed. It is absorbed and development is performed.

The stirring roller 42 includes a large-diameter stirring roller 42a adjacent to the developing roller 41, and two small-diameter stirring rollers 42b, 42b provided near a developer supply portion from a developer supply unit 43 described later. The small-diameter stirring rollers 42b and 42b transport the supplied developer to the large-diameter stirring roller 42a while stirring. As a result, the developer in the developing tank 40 is sufficiently charged, and the charging performance of the developer is maintained.

An opening for supplying a developer is formed in the upper wall portion 40a of the developing tank 40, and a developer composed of a toner and a carrier (hereinafter, simply referred to as a developer) is developed in the opening for supplying the developer. A developer supply unit (developer supply unit) 43 for supplying the developer to the tank 40 is fitted from above. On the other hand, a discharge mechanism (discharge unit) (not shown) is provided on the bottom wall portion 40b of the developing tank 40 so that the deteriorated carriers in the developing tank 40 are forcibly discharged. Also,
A toner concentration sensor 50 for detecting the toner concentration of the developer in the developing tank 40 is provided inside the bottom wall 40b of the developing tank 40.
Is provided.

The developer supply unit 43 has a container-like developer hopper (developer storage section) 4 for storing the developer.
The developer hopper 44 stores a developer having a higher concentration than the toner concentration of the developer stored in the developing tank 40. This is because the toner consumed in the developing tank 40 is larger than the amount of the carrier replaced in the developer.

The developer hopper 44 has a transport screw (developer transport section) 45 for transporting the developer,
A take-up member 46 (developer collecting section) for taking up the developer from the bottom of the developer hopper 44 is rotatably disposed.

The transport screw 45 is disposed substantially at the center of a substantially U-shaped toner receiver (developer receiving portion) 49 (FIG. 2) extending in the longitudinal direction substantially at the center of the developer hopper 44. , The toner receiver 4
The developer 9 is conveyed.
Then, the developer pumped into the toner receiver 49 is
The developer is discharged from a discharge port 44 a provided at an end of the developer hopper 44 by a transport screw 45. This outlet 4
Reference numeral 4a communicates with the supply opening of the developing tank 40 described above.

The scooping member 46 has a plate-like scooping and collecting portion (a plate having substantially the same length as the toner receiver 49).
And Jo member) 46a, provided at both ends of the Kumitori recovery portion 46a, are constituted by a support shaft 46b for supporting the Kumitori recovery portion 46a. The support shaft 46b
As shown in FIG. 2, is provided rotatably around the toner receiver 49.

Further, as shown in FIG. 2, the bottom of the developer hopper 44 is formed in an arc shape along the rotation of the pumping member 46 so that the developer in the developer hopper 44 Recovery efficiency can be improved.

That is, at this time, the entire shape of the developer hopper 44 is formed such that the arc range at the bottom is at least 90 ° left and right from the reference point T in the drawing, while extending from this arc. The upper shape of the developer hopper 44 is formed to have a width smaller than the arc (arc width ≧ A). As a result, as long as the shape of the bottom of the developer hopper 44 does not have an extreme step, the carrier in the developer that has dropped and accumulated on the bottom of the developer hopper 44 by its own weight is rotated by the rotation of the pumping member 46. The toner is stirred together with the toner, collected as a mixture having a uniform toner concentration, drawn up by the toner receiver 49, and transported to the developing tank 40 by the transport screw 45. As a result, the developer in the developer hopper 44 can be transported to the developing tank 40 to the end.

The transport screw 45 is driven by a transport screw drive motor 47, and the pumping member 46 is driven by a pump motor 48. The drive motors 47 and 48 are driven and controlled by a control device 54 (FIG. 5) described later.

As shown in FIG. 1, the developer hopper 44 is provided with a replenishing agent remaining amount detection sensor 51 at the bottom, and a replenishing agent detection sensor 52 at a position above the transport screw 45 on the side wall. Is provided. The replenisher remaining amount detection sensor 51 detects the remaining amount of the developer in the developer hopper 44, and based on this detection signal, a control device 54 described later determines that the amount of the developer is equal to or less than a predetermined amount. A warning lamp 57 (FIG. 5) provided on an operation panel (not shown) is turned on to inform the user of the supply of the developer and to control the rotation of the pumping member 46 to be stopped. The replenishing agent detection sensor 52 detects that the developer in the developer hopper 44 has reached a position below the upper end of the position where the conveying screw 45 is provided. Controls to start the rotation of the pumping member 46 if it is determined that the amount of the developer is equal to or less than the specified amount.

Further, as shown in FIG. 3, the developer hopper 44 is provided at its upper part with an opening for supplying the developer and a supply door 44b for opening and closing this opening. Further, in the vicinity of the opening, the supply door 44b is provided.
A door opening / closing detection sensor 53 for detecting the opening / closing of the door is provided. When the control device 54 described later detects that the supply door 44b has been opened based on the detection signal of the door opening / closing detection sensor 53, it controls the rotation of the pumping member 46 to be started.

Here, a copying operation in the copying machine having the above configuration will be described with reference to FIG.

When a power switch (not shown) is turned on, a warm-up process is first performed. When the copy start switch 55 (FIG. 5) described later is turned on after this is completed, the original placed on the original placing table 1 is scanned by the light source lamp 3 of the exposure optical system 2. At this time, the reflected light from the original is radiated to the photosensitive drum 4 via the reflecting mirrors 5 and the lens unit 6, and the surface of the photosensitive drum 4 charged to a predetermined potential by the main charger 7 is charged on the surface of the photosensitive drum 4. An image is formed.

Next, the electrostatic latent image is developed with toner supplied from the developing device 9. The toner adhering to the surface of the photosensitive drum 4 is supplied from any of the manual paper feed unit 13, the upper cassette paper feed unit 14, and the lower cassette paper feed unit 15, is superimposed on the paper conveyed by the registration rollers 16, and is transferred. The image is transferred by the charger 10. Then, the transferred paper is peeled from the photosensitive drum 4 by the peeling charger 11.

Since the toner powder remains on the surface of the photosensitive drum 4 after the electrostatic transfer, the toner is removed by the cleaner unit 12 and the residual potential which adversely affects the gradation of continuous copying is reduced. The charge is removed by the blank lamp 8.

After the toner image is transferred onto the sheet, the sheet is separated from the photosensitive drum 4 and is conveyed to the fixing unit 32 by driving the suction belt 31 on the suction unit 30, where the upper heat roller 33 and the lower heat roller 34
And the toner image is fused and fixed. This allows
A copy image corresponding to the document image is formed on the sheet.

In order to control such a series of copying operations, as shown in FIG. 5, a control device 54 composed of a microcomputer is provided in the copying machine. 55 ON operation signals are input. Further, a copy counter 56 for counting the cumulative number of copying operations is further provided, and this count value (hereinafter, referred to as a copy count value) n is also input to the control device 54.

When the above-described copying operation is repeated, the toner in the developer contained in the developing tank 40 of the developing device 9 is gradually consumed, and the ratio of the toner to the carrier, that is, the toner concentration decreases. To go. This change in the toner density is detected by the toner density sensor 50, and the drive control of the transport screw 45 is performed by the control device 54. That is, when it is detected that the detection signal from the toner density sensor 50 has fallen to the lower limit of the appropriate range necessary for development, the control device 54 controls the transport screw 45 in accordance with the detection signal from the toner density sensor 50. Is started. As a result, the developer in the developer hopper 44 is supplied into the developing tank 40, and the toner concentration in the developing tank 40 increases. Then, when it is detected that the toner concentration has reached the upper limit of the appropriate range, the driving of the transport screw 45 is stopped according to the detection signal from the toner concentration sensor 50. With such control,
The toner concentration in the developing tank 40 is maintained within the appropriate range. Note that the control device 54 controls the toner density sensor 5 described above.
Detection signal value by 0 (hereinafter referred to as tonakorn signal value)
Is set in advance, and the rotation speed of the conveying screw 45 is controlled by the difference between the tonakorn signal value and the reference value, that is, the amount of change in the tonakorn signal value.

The toner replenished as described above is stirred with the developer in the developing tank 40, supplied to the photosensitive drum 4 while being controlled to a fixed charge amount, and used for development. On the other hand, since the carrier in the developer does not decrease and is used repeatedly, the carrier gradually deteriorates due to stirring by the developing roller 41 and the stirring roller 42 and contact with the photosensitive drum 4. When the carrier deteriorates in this manner, a predetermined charge amount cannot be given to the toner, and the image quality deteriorates. Therefore, the carrier is newly replenished in the developing tank 40 and replaced with the deteriorated carrier in the developing tank 40, so that the above-described decrease in the charging performance can be suppressed. For this purpose, the control device 54 controls the developing tank 40 described above.
By controlling a discharge mechanism (not shown) formed on the bottom wall portion 40b, the deteriorated carrier is forcibly discharged. Therefore, the control device 54 also has a function as a developer supply / discharge control unit.

Hereinafter, a control procedure when the control device 54 functions as a replenishment / discharge control means will be described with reference to a flowchart of FIG. It is assumed that the reference value of the tonakorn signal value is set in advance.

First, the toner concentration sensor 5 in the developing tank 40
The toner density is detected based on 0 (S1). And
The control device 54 detects a change amount (ΔTC) of the tonakone signal value based on the reference value (S2).

Next, ΔTC detected in S2 is 0.2V
It is determined whether it is greater than (S3), and ΔTC is set to 0.
If it is determined that it is larger than 2V, then 0.4V> Δ
It is determined whether TC> 0.2V (S4). Here, if it is determined that 0.4V>ΔTC> 0.2V, the transport screw 45 is driven by linearly changing the rotation speed from the reference rotation speed to three times the rotation speed (S5). Then, the developer is supplied into the developing tank 40 by driving the transport screw 45 (S6). Then, the process returns to S1, and the toner concentration in the developing tank 40 is detected.

On the other hand, if it is determined in step S3 that ΔTC is smaller than 0.2 V, the flow shifts to step S7, where the conveying screw 45
Is changed linearly from the reference rotational speed to twice the rotational speed (S7), the developer is supplied into the developing tank 40 in S6, and the process proceeds to S1 to reduce the toner density in the developing tank 40. Detect.

In S4, 0.4V>ΔTC> 0.2V
If not, that is, if it is determined that ΔTC> 0.4V, the process proceeds to S8, in which the transport screw 45 is driven at a rotation speed three times the reference rotation speed, and after two minutes, 0.4V>
It is determined whether it is ΔTC (S9). here,
If it is determined that 0.4V> ΔTC, the developer is supplied into the developing tank 40 in S6, and the process proceeds to S1. If it is determined in S9 that 0.4V> ΔTC is not satisfied, the transport screw 45 is stopped (S10) and the developing tank 40 is stopped.
The process proceeds to S1 without replenishing the developer.

Next, the rotation control of the pumping member 46 of the developer supply unit 43 will be described below with reference to flowcharts shown in FIGS.

First, as shown in FIG. 7, the developer remaining amount detecting sensor 51 provided at the bottom of the developer hopper 44
If the answer is N (S11), it is determined that the amount of the developer in the developer hopper 44 has become equal to or less than the specified amount, and the warning lamp 57 (FIG. 5) is turned on to inform the user of the supply of the developer and to take out the developer. The rotation of the member 46 is stopped (S1
2).

That is, when the amount of the developer in the developer hopper 44 becomes equal to or less than the specified amount, unnecessary rotation of the pumping member 46 can be eliminated, and energy saving of the apparatus can be achieved. Moreover, at this time, the user can be warned of the supply of the developer, so that forgetting to supply the developer can be prevented.

Therefore, as described above, the pumping member 4
By controlling the rotation of 6, it is possible to notify the stop of the rotation of the pumping member 46 and the supply of the developer to the user without changing the toner concentration in the developing tank 40. For this reason, it is possible to eliminate toner scattering and toner fog due to rapid toner replenishment from under toner,
As a result, good image quality can be maintained.

As shown in FIG. 8, a supply agent detection sensor 52 provided on the side wall of the developer hopper 44 is turned on.
If this is done (S21), it is detected that the developer in the developer hopper 44 has been positioned below the position where the transport screw 45 is provided. Therefore, the pumping member 46 is
The developer is rotated until the replenisher remaining amount detection sensor 51 detects that the amount of the developer is equal to or less than a predetermined amount based on the detection signal (S22).

Therefore, the above-described replenishing agent detection sensor 52
Is turned on, the pumping member 46 is always in a rotating state, so that the developer in the developer hopper 44 is always in an agitated state, and the developer is charged in a state where the toner and the carrier are sufficiently mixed. 40 can be replenished.
Further, since the developer can be continuously supplied onto the toner receiver 49, an appropriate amount of the developer can be supplied to the developing tank 40.

As shown in FIG. 9, when the door opening / closing detection sensor 53 for detecting the opening / closing of the supply door 44b provided above the developer hopper 44 is turned on (S31), the rotation of the pumping member 46 is started. Is started (S32).

As described above, the toner in the developing tank 40 is
By controlling the number of rotations of the conveying screw 45 or the number of rotations of the pumping member 46 based on the amount of change of the detection signal of the toner density sensor 50 with respect to the reference value, the developer is supplied quickly and properly from the developer supply unit 43. You.

Generally, the developer replenishing opening of the developer hopper 44 is formed as small as possible because the toner is scattered when the developer is replenished. Further, since the developer generally has low fluidity, the developer hopper 44
Is supplied in a mountain-like manner in the vicinity of the replenishing site and accumulates. For this reason, the developer is quickly filled up near the supply opening in the developer hopper 44, and the supply efficiency is reduced.

However, according to the above control, when the replenishment door 44b is opened, the pumping member 46 starts to rotate, so that the developer can be uniformly replenished into the developer hopper 44, and the developer can be replenished. The efficiency of supplying the developer to the hopper 44 is improved. Therefore, the replenishing opening can be as small as necessary, so that the toner in the developer can be prevented from scattering when the developer is supplied.

In this basic example, as shown in FIG. 1, the bottom of the developer hopper 44 of the developer collecting unit 46a of the developer supply unit 43 is substantially parallel to the conveying screw 45 without any step. For example, as shown in FIG. 10, when the bottom of the developer hopper 44 has a stepped shape, as shown in FIG. When the portion 46a is formed, the same effect as the effect described in the present embodiment can be obtained.

A basic example in which a drawing member 61 shown in FIG. 11 is provided instead of the drawing member 46 provided in the developer hopper 44 shown in FIG. 1 will be described below.

As shown in FIG. 11, the scooping member 61 is connected to the developer hopper 44 of the first scooping and collecting section 61a.
In the portion of the D range divided at substantially the center in the longitudinal direction of
A pumping / collecting unit 61b is additionally provided. As shown in FIG. 12, when the first pumping / collecting unit 61a is at the bottom of the developer hopper 44, the second pumping / collecting unit 61b is disposed directly above the first pumping / collecting unit 61a. ing.

That is, the amount of the developer pumped up in the D range of the developer hopper 44, that is, at a position apart from the developer discharge port 44a, can be doubled, thereby supplying the developer to the toner receiver 49. The amount can be increased.

That is, the amount of the developer supplied to the conveying screw 45 by the drawing member 61 in the range D is twice as much as the amount of the developer supplied to the conveying screw 45 by the drawing member 61 in the range E of the developer hopper 44. Thus, the supply amount of the developer to the toner receiver 49 can be increased.

As described above, the time from the transport of the developer in the developer hopper 44 to the supply of the developer to the developing tank 40 can be reduced, so that the transport efficiency of the developer can be improved. Therefore, it is possible to stably supply the developer from the developer accommodating section to the developing tank, so that the replacement ratio of the carrier in the developing tank can be kept constant, and as a result, the charging performance of the carrier can be improved. The image quality can be improved by suppressing the decrease.

A description will be given of a modification in which a pumping member 71 shown in FIG. 13 is provided instead of the pumping member 46 provided in the developer hopper 44 shown in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 13, the scooping member 71 has an angle of 4 degrees at the tip of a support shaft 71b provided rotatably with respect to the transport screw 45 by a support pin 72.
Pumping / collecting unit 71 rotatably supported in a range of 0 °
a. In addition, the pumping and collecting unit 71a includes:
A weight 73 is provided at the distal end.

The weight 73 allows the pumping member 71
When the is rotated further up from the substantially horizontal position, the pumping and collecting section 71a keeps the pumping surface at a substantially horizontal position while rotating downward. That is, it is possible to prevent the developer from dropping until the scooping and collecting unit 71a of the scooping member 71 is located immediately above the toner receiver 49. Then, the collection and collection unit 7 of the collection member 71
When 1a is almost right above the toner receiver 49, the weight 73 rotates the pumping / collecting unit 71a in the direction of the arrow, so that the developer is accurately dropped into the toner receiver 49.

Incidentally, the collecting portion 71a of the above-mentioned collecting member 71 is formed along the shape of the bottom of the developer hopper 44 so that the developer in the developer hopper 44 can be efficiently collected. It has become.

Therefore, in the replenishing device of the developing device having the above-described structure, the retrieving and collecting portion 71a of the retrieving member 71
Is rotatable, and the weight 73 is disposed at the tip thereof, so that the developer in the developer hopper 44 can be accurately pumped to the toner receiver 49. As a result, the developer is The transfer efficiency to the developing tank 40 can be improved.

Further, a description will be given of a modification in which a pumping member 81 shown in FIG. 14 is provided instead of the pumping member 46 provided in the developer hopper 44 shown in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 14, the pumping member 81 has a support shaft 81b, which is rotatably provided with respect to the transport screw 45 (FIG. 1). It has a collection unit 81a.

A rectangular opening 84 communicating from the front side to the back side is formed in the pumping / recovering section 81a.
A shield member 83 (opening / closing member) that covers each of the openings 84 is provided. The shield member 83 is formed of an elastic body having elasticity and a good fatigue resistance such as Mylar having a thickness of 1 mm to 3 mm, and only the upper end portion 83a is adhered to the pumping and collecting portion 81a.

Thus, when the pressure applied to the pumping and collecting unit 81a becomes higher than a certain value when the developer is pumped by the rotation of the pumping member 81, the pumping and collecting unit 8
The shield member 83 provided on the back of 1a is turned up like a shield member 83 '. Then, by the turned-up shield member 83 ', the pumping and collecting section 8 is formed.
The openings 84 in 1a are in an open state, and the developer is discharged from the front to the back of the collecting and collecting section 81a.

Therefore, the shield member 83 is
Since it does not turn under a certain pressure,
The developer is pumped up by a predetermined amount, and it is turned over at a certain pressure.
When the developer is fully stored in the developer hopper 44 (FIG. 1), the rotational torque of the drive motor 48 (FIG. 1) for the suction member 81 of the suction member 81 can be reduced.

As a result, the drive motor 48 for the pumping member
The stress caused by the increase in the rotational torque of the gears and the like interlocked with the gears can be eliminated, whereby the life of each drive gear and the like can be extended, and the life of the entire replenishing device of the developing device can be extended. Can be.

The pumping member 81 can rotate smoothly without rotational stress according to the remaining amount of the developer in the developer hopper 44, so that the developer is always stably supplied to the toner receiver 49. be able to. As a result, the developer can be stably supplied from the developer supply unit 43 to the developing tank 40, and the charging performance of the developer in the developing tank 40 can be maintained to improve the image quality.

As shown in FIG. 14, for example, instead of the shield member 83 made of the above-mentioned mylar or the like as a member for opening and closing the openings 84 of the pumping and collecting section 81a, for example, as shown in FIG. A modified example having an opening and closing mechanism 85 for opening and closing the openings 84 will be described.

As shown in FIG. 15, the opening / closing mechanism 85 has a shutter member 8 having a door member 86a which opens and closes corresponding to each of the openings 84 of the pumping and collecting section 81a.
The shutter member 86 includes a gear 86 meshed with a gear 87a of a motor 87 provided on a support shaft 81b.
The shutter member 86 is driven by the rotation of the motor 87 to open and close the openings 84 of the pumping and collecting section 81a.

The rotation of the motor 87 is controlled so that the shutter member 86 is driven in the closing direction by the detection signal when the replenishing agent remaining amount detecting sensor 51 shown in FIG. 1 is turned on.

Therefore, when the amount of the developer in the developer hopper 44, that is, the remaining amount of the developer becomes equal to or less than the predetermined amount, the shutter member 86 is closed, and the replenishing agent remaining amount detecting sensor 51 is turned off. If the state, that is, the developer hopper 44 is filled with the developer in a predetermined amount or more, the shutter member 86 is maintained in the opened state, thereby reducing the rotational resistance of the pumping member 81 due to the developer. it can.

As a result, the drive motor 48 for the pumping member
The stress caused by the increase in the rotational torque of the gears and the like interlocked with the gears can be eliminated, whereby the life of each drive gear and the like can be extended, and the life of the entire replenishing device of the developing device can be extended. Can be.

The pumping member 85 can rotate smoothly without rotational stress in accordance with the remaining amount of the developer in the developer hopper 44, so that the developer is always stably supplied to the toner receiver 49. be able to. As a result, the developer can be stably supplied from the developer supply unit 43 to the developing tank 40, and the charging performance of the developer in the developing tank 40 can be maintained to improve the image quality.

Further, instead of the developer hopper 44 shown in FIG. 1, a developer hopper 94 having a substantially elliptical cross section shown in FIG.
However, instead of the pumping member 46 provided in the developer hopper 44, a change in which a pumping member 91 is provided is provided.
The form will be described.

As shown in FIG. 16, the drawing member 91 has a support rotatably provided with the transport screw 45 and the toner receiver 49 disposed slightly below the center of the developer hopper 94 as a reference. It has a shaft 91 b, and a pumping and collecting unit 91 a is connected to a tip of the shaft 91 b via a spring 92. The spring 92 urges the collecting and collecting unit 91 a toward the inner wall surface of the developer hopper 94, and rotates the collecting member 9 with the rotation of the collecting member 91.
The whole 1 expands and contracts inside the developer hopper 94. Thereby, the collection efficiency of the developer in the developer hopper 94 can be improved.

Further, a roller 93 is provided in a contact portion of the above-mentioned pumping and collecting section 91a with the inner wall surface of the developer hopper 94.
Is provided. Thereby, when the drawing member 91 rotates as described above, the contact resistance with the inner wall surface of the developer hopper 94 can be reduced. Therefore, the rotation of the pumping member 91 can be performed smoothly, and as a result, the rotational load of the pumping member drive motor 48 can be reduced, and the rotational torque of the pumping member drive motor 48 can be reduced.

An example in which a scooping member 101 shown in FIG. 17 is provided instead of the scooping member 46 provided in the developer hopper 44 shown in FIG. 1 will be described.

As shown in FIG. 17, the pumping member 101 is rotatably provided on the basis of the transport screw 45 and the toner receiver 49, and a leading end thereof is provided with a pumping and collecting section 101a.

The drawing member 101a extends in the longitudinal direction of the developer hopper 44 similarly to the drawing and collecting portion 46a shown in FIG. 1 of the first embodiment. A contact member 102 having good fatigue resistance and made of mylar or the like as an elastic body is provided.

The contact member 102 has a thickness α = 0.5 m
m to 3.0 mm, the protruding portion β from the pumping and collecting part 101a = 5 mm to 10 mm, and an acute angle γ in the rotation direction. The following table shows the comparison between the numerical values of the thickness α and the protruding portion β and the recoverability.

[0095]

[Table 1]

[0096]

[Table 2]

As can be seen from Table 1 above, the contact member 1
02 is 0.5 mm or less, the contact member 102
Since the body itself is thin, there is a possibility that it will be turned upside down by the rotation of the scooping member 101, and therefore, the contact member 102 is easily peeled from the scooping and collecting part 101a, and the like.
There is a possibility that the recoverability of the developer in the developer hopper 44 may be reduced.

The thickness of the contact member 102 is 3.0 mm
If it is above, the contact resistance at the time of rotation of the pumping member 101 will increase, and the rotation resistance will increase. For this reason, the rotation of the scooping member 101 is stopped or the developer hopper 4
4 has a problem that the inner wall surface is easily scratched.

Therefore, the thickness α of the contact member 102 is
When the thickness is in the range of 0.5 mm to 3.0 mm, and is within this range, it is possible to obtain an appropriate degree of beating, reduce the contact resistance with the inner wall surface of the developer hopper 44, and improve the recoverability of the developer. I understand.

On the other hand, as can be seen from Table 2, the contact member 1
If the size of the protruding portion of No. 02 is 5 mm or less, the contact area with the inner wall surface of the developer hopper 44 becomes small, and the collection performance is reduced. If the size of the protruding portion is 10 mm or more, the developer hopper 44, the contact resistance with the inner wall surface increases, causing an increase in rotational resistance, which also leads to a decrease in developer recovery performance.

Therefore, the size of the protruding portion of the contact member 102 is preferably in the range of 5 mm to 10 mm, and when it is within this range, the contact resistance with the inner wall surface of the developer hopper 44 is small, and the recoverability of the developer is improved. It turns out that it improves.

Further, the developer hopper 44 shown in FIG.
In place of the developer hopper 111 shown in FIG.
For example it will be described.

In the developer hopper 111, instead of the transport screw 45 and the toner receiver 49 shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 18, the conveying screw 112 and the toner receiver 1 are inclined at an inclination angle δ with respect to the longitudinal direction of the developer hopper 111 so that the developer discharge side is at a lower position.
13 are provided.

Further, the developer hopper 111 is provided with a pumping member 114 which rotates on the basis of the transport screw 112 and the toner receiver 113. The scooping member 114 is connected to the developer hopper 111
Is formed along the shape of the bottom of the.

As described above, by inclining the conveying screw 112 and the toner receiver 113 so that the developer discharge direction is downward, the developer is efficiently conveyed by gravity in addition to the conveying force of the conveying screw 112. be able to. Therefore, the developer can be continuously supplied onto the toner receiver 113, so that the transport speed of the developer to the developing tank 40 is improved, and the developer is supplied to the developing tank 40.
Can be supplied stably.

In order to improve the developer conveying speed as described above, instead of the conveying screw 112 shown in FIG. 18, for example, as shown in FIG. You may use the conveyance screw 121 formed so that an interval may expand.

In this case, the pitch of the screw is a at the position of the transport screw 121 far from the developer discharge side, whereas the pitch of the screw is a ′ at the position of the developer discharge side. It has become. At this time, a> a ′. Thereby, the developer hopper 1
The developer at a portion away from the discharge side of No. 11 can be quickly conveyed to the developer discharge side, and the conveying speed of the developer decreases near the discharge port. Therefore, the developer can be efficiently transported to the developer discharge side of the developer hopper 111, and a proper amount of the developer can be discharged from the developer discharge port.

Therefore, the speed of transporting the developer to the developing tank 40 can be improved, and the developer can be stably supplied to the developing tank 40. Also, the toner receiver 122
Need not be provided in parallel with the bottom of the developer hopper 111 (FIG. 18), and may be provided in an inclined manner such that the developer discharge side is downward, as in the toner receiver 113 described above. However, in this case, the transport screw 121 also needs to be inclined similarly to the toner receiver 122.

Further, in order to improve the speed of transporting the developer, instead of the transport screw 112 shown in FIG. 18, for example, as shown in FIG. 20, the diameter of the screw increases as the distance from the developer discharge side increases. May be used.

In this case, the conveying screw 131 is formed such that the diameter of the screw at a position away from the developer discharge side is larger than the diameter of the screw at the position on the developer discharge side. The developer in the portion of the developer hopper 111 farther from the developer discharge side can be quickly conveyed to the developer discharge side, and the developer conveyance speed decreases near the discharge port. Therefore, the developer can be efficiently conveyed to the developer discharge side, and a proper amount of the developer can be discharged from the developer outlet.

Also , as shown in FIG. 21, a conveying screw 45 and a toner receiver 49 are covered instead of the scooping member 46 provided in the developer hopper 44 shown in FIG.
In addition, a pumping member 141 having a spiral recovery part 141a that is in contact with the inner wall surface of the developer hopper 44 is provided .
An example will be described.

Since the pumping member 141 provided in the developer hopper 44 has the spiral recovery part 141a as described above, the stirring property of the toner and the carrier in the developer is improved, and the developer is improved. Can be efficiently moved before replenishment.

When the developer hopper 44 is extended in the longitudinal direction, as shown in FIG.
4 has a spiral width B at a position away from the developer outlet.
However, a pumping member 151 having a spiral recovery part 151a formed to be larger than the spiral width B ′ in the vicinity of the developer discharge port is provided.

As a result, the developer at a position away from the developer discharge port of the developer hopper 44 is efficiently pumped to the toner receiver 49 and transported, and the agitation between the toner and the carrier in the developer is improved. Therefore, the movement before the supply of the developer can be efficiently performed. As a result, the transport speed of the developer in the developer hopper 44 can be improved, and the supply of the developer to the developer 40 can be stably performed.

The following description is based on the developing device 9 shown in FIG.
Therefore, the transfer screw 45 provided in the developing device 9 is applied to the developing device 161.
And a drive motor 47 for the conveying screw and a drive motor 4 for the pumping member as a driving source of the pumping member 46
A drive mechanism 162 is provided in place of the drive mechanism 8.

The developing device 161 of this embodiment uses the same members except for the driving motor 47 for the transport screw and the driving motor 48 for the pumping member.

The drive mechanism 162 has a drive motor 163 as shown in FIG. The driving gear 163a of the driving motor 163 is
The second gear 1 connected to the first shaft 164 of the pumping member 46 while meshing with the first gear 164 provided at the end of the second gear 1
65 is meshed with the intermediate gear 166 meshed with 65. Thus, the transport screw 45 and the pumping member 46 can be driven to rotate only by driving the drive motor 163 to rotate. That is, the conveying screw 45 and the pumping member 46 are driven to rotate by the driving motor 163 which is the same driving means.

The driving motor 163 is connected to the toner density sensor 50 in the developing tank 40 by a control device (not shown).
The driving is controlled based on the detection signal. That is, when the toner concentration sensor 50 detects that the toner concentration in the developing tank 40 is equal to or less than the specified value, the driving motor 163 is driven to rotate to rotate the transport screw 45 and the suction member 46.
Is rotated to supply the developer in the developer hopper 44 to the developing tank 40. Thereafter, when the toner density in the developing tank 40 is detected by the toner density sensor 50 to be equal to or higher than a specified value, the driving motor 163 The driving is stopped, and the supply of the developer to the developing tank 40 is stopped.

The gear ratios are set in consideration of the ratio of the number of rotations of the conveying screw 45 and the suction member 46. That is, the developer is discharged from the conveying screw 45 and the conveying screw 4
It is necessary to set the gear ratio so as to maintain the balance of the supply of the developer to the fifth gear.

For example, in the case of the present embodiment, each gear ratio is
The pumping member 46 for one rotation of the transport screw 45
Is set to be 1/3 to 1/5 rotation. Thus, the balance between the discharge of the developer from the transport screw 45 and the supply of the developer from the pumping member 46 to the transport screw 45 can be maintained, and the developer tank 40
Supply to the company.

In the above configuration, the driving source of the transport screw 45 and the pumping member 46 in the developer hopper 44 is driven to rotate by the same driving motor 163, so that the number of components in the replenishing device of the developing device can be reduced. It is possible to reduce the cost for manufacturing the device.

Further, since the supply speed and the supply amount of the developer to the developing tank 40 can be changed only by changing the gear ratio used for the drive mechanism 162, the rotational speed of the motor for each member can be reduced. There is no need for adjustment, and the adjustment work of the device can be simplified.

The following description is based on the developing device 9 shown in FIG.
Therefore, the transfer screw 45 provided in the developing device 9 can be used.
And a drive motor 47 for the conveying screw and a drive motor 4 for the pumping member as a driving source of the pumping member 46
A drive mechanism 172 as a drive unit is provided in place of the drive mechanism 8.

It is assumed that the developing device 171 of this embodiment uses the same members except for the drive motor 47 for the transport screw and the drive motor 48 for the pumping member.

As shown in FIG. 24, the developing device 171 is provided with a small conveying screw 173 extending at the end of the conveying screw 45 on the discharge port 44a side. At the end, a drive shaft 179 communicating with the side wall 40c of the developing tank 40 is provided.

The drive mechanism 172 has a drive motor 174, and the drive gear 1 of the drive motor 174 is provided.
74a is a gear 17 provided on the drive shaft 179 described above.
5 meshes. Thus, the driving force of the driving motor 174 is transmitted to the transport screw 45.

The drive mechanism 172 has a first helical gear 176 and a second helical gear 1 for transmitting the driving force of the drive motor 174 to the stirring roller 42.
77, a third helical gear 178 is provided. The first helical gear 176 is provided on a drive shaft 179, and is provided on the first gear portion 17 of the second helical gear 177.
7a, and the second helical gear 177 is
The second gear portion 177b is meshed with the first gear portion 178a of the third helical gear 178. The first gear portion 178a of the third helical gear 178
Is disposed outside the side wall portion 40c, while the second gear portion 1
Reference numeral 78b is provided so as to mesh with the gear portion 42c of the small diameter stirring roller 42b in the developing tank 40.

The drive mechanism 17 of the developer hopper 44
2 A gear box 181 is provided on the side opposite to the
There Ru.

The gear box 181 has a first gear 182 provided on the transport screw 45 and a second gear 183 driven in conjunction with the support shaft 46b of the pumping member 46. Is the first intermediate gear 184
And the first intermediate gear 184 is connected to the second intermediate gear 18.
5, the second intermediate gear 185 is connected to the second gear 1
It is meshed with 83. That is, the driving force of the driving motor 174 is transmitted from the transport screw 45 to the support shaft 46b of the pumping member 46 via the gears.

Therefore, by providing the gear box 181, the driving motor 174, which is the same driving means, is provided.
Can be driven to rotate.

The gear ratios in the gear box 181 are set in consideration of the ratio of the number of rotations of the conveying screw 45 and the pumping member 46, that is, the ratio of the developer from the conveying screw 45. Discharge and pumping member 46
It is necessary to set the gear ratio so as to maintain the balance of the supply of the developer to the transport screw 45 from the above.

For example, in the case of the present embodiment, each gear ratio is
The pumping member 46 for one rotation of the transport screw 45
Is set to be 1/3 to 1/5 rotation. Thus, the balance between the discharge of the developer from the transport screw 45 and the supply of the developer from the pumping member 46 to the transport screw 45 can be maintained, and the developer tank 40
Supply to the company.

The drive motor 174 is driven and controlled by a control device (not shown) based on a detection signal of a toner density sensor 50 provided in the developing tank 40.
That is, when the toner concentration sensor 50 detects that the toner concentration in the developing tank 40 is equal to or less than the specified value, the drive motor 174 drives the transport screw 45 and the scooping member 46 to rotate, and the developer hopper 44 Is supplied to the developing tank 40, and thereafter, when the toner concentration in the developing tank 40 is detected to be equal to or higher than a specified value by the toner concentration sensor 50, the driving of the drive motor 174 is stopped, and Of the developer is stopped.

According to the above arrangement, the transport screw 45 and the drive motor 174 are the same drive means.
The pumping member 46 and the small diameter stirring roller 42b of the developing tank 40 can be driven to rotate. This eliminates the need for a separately provided drive motor for the conveying screw, a drive motor for the pumping member, and a drive motor for the agitation roller, so that the size and cost of the apparatus can be reduced.

The following description is based on the developing device 9 shown in FIG.
Therefore, the developer hopper 44 is provided with a pumping member 192 instead of the pumping member 46 shown in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 25, the drawing-up member 192 includes a first collecting portion 192a and a second collecting portion 19, each of which is located at a position away from the developer discharge port 44a.
2b and a third recovery section 192c.

The first recovery section 192a is provided on the first support shaft 1
92d, and the first support shaft 192d is
It is connected via a first electromagnet 193 to a transmission shaft 198 for transmitting the driving force of the pumping member driving motor 48.
That is, the first support shaft 192d is connected to the first electromagnet 193.
Is fixed to the transmission shaft 198 or slidably provided. That is, the first support shaft 192d is fixed to the transmission shaft 198 when the first electromagnet 193 is in the ON state, rotates together with the transmission shaft 198, and does not rotate when the first electromagnet 193 is turned off.

The second recovery section 192b is connected to a second support shaft 192e.
"e" is connected via a second electromagnet 194 to a transmission shaft 198 for transmitting the driving force of the pumping member driving motor 48. That is, the second support shaft 192e is fixed to the transmission shaft 198 by the second electromagnet 194 or is slidably provided. That is, the first support shaft 192d is fixed to the transmission shaft 198 when the second electromagnet 194 is in the ON state, rotates together with the transmission shaft 198, and the second electromagnet 194 is turned off.
When it is flipped, it does not rotate.

Further, the third collecting section 192c is provided with the third collecting section 192c.
The third support shaft 19 is connected to the support shaft 192f.
Reference numeral 2f is connected to a transmission shaft 198 for transmitting the driving force of the pumping member driving motor 48. That is, the third collecting unit 192c is directly driven by the pumping member driving motor 48.

The above-described electromagnets 193 and 194 and the drive motor 48 for the pumping member are connected to the developer hopper 4.
4 collecting parts 192a and 192b of the sampling member 192
Driven based on the detection signals of the first remaining amount detecting sensor 195, the second remaining amount detecting sensor 196, and the third remaining amount detecting sensor 197 provided at the bottom corresponding to 192c.

However, the remaining amount detection sensors 195, 196, 197 of the developer hopper 44 detect the remaining amount of the developer in the developer hopper 44.

The drive control of the electromagnets 193 and 194 and the drive motor 48 for the pumping member is performed by a control device 199 including a microcomputer shown in FIG. Hereinafter, the drive control will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG.

The toner density sensor 5 of the developing tank 40
The detection signal of 0 (FIG. 25) causes the toner concentration in the developing tank 40 to become equal to or lower than a specified value, and it is necessary to supply the developer, and it is assumed that the developer is supplied from the developer supply unit 43 to the developing tank 40. . Further, generally, the developer in the developer hopper 44 disappears in order from a part which is away from the developer outlet 44a. Therefore, the first remaining amount detecting sensor 195, the second remaining amount detecting sensor 196, and the third remaining amount detecting sensor 197 are turned on in this order.

First, based on the toner density detection signal,
In order to start supplying the developer from the developer supply unit 43, the transport screw drive motor 47 and the pumping member drive motor 48 are driven to rotate. When the first remaining amount detection sensor 195 is turned on (S41), the first electromagnet 193 is turned off (S42), and the first support shaft 19 is turned off.
The connection state between the transmission shaft 2d and the transmission shaft 198 is released, and the rotation of the first recovery unit 192a is stopped. Thus, it is possible to prevent unnecessary rotation of the first recovery unit 192a without the developer.

Next, in the above state, if the second remaining amount detection sensor 196 is turned on (S43), the second electromagnet 194 is turned off (S44), and the second support shaft 192e and the transmission shaft 19 are turned off.
8 is released, and the rotation of the second recovery unit 192b is stopped. In this state, the first electromagnet 19
3 is also in the OFF state, so that the useless rotation of the first recovery unit 192a and the second recovery unit 192b can be prevented in a state where there is no developer.

Further, if the third remaining amount detection sensor 197 is turned on in the above state (S45), the driving of the drive motor 48 for the suction member is stopped (S46). In this state, the first electromagnet 193 and the second electromagnet 1
Since the 94 is also in the OFF state, it is possible to prevent unnecessary rotation of the first recovery unit 192a, the second recovery unit 192b, and the third recovery unit 192c in a state where there is no developer. Further, at this time, only the transport screw 45 is in a driven state, and a warning lamp or the like (not shown) informs the user that there is no developer in the developer hopper 44.

As described above, since the pumping member 192 is partially driven in accordance with the remaining amount of the developer in the developer hopper 44, the driving motor for the pumping member when the developer hopper 44 is enlarged is used. 48 can be reduced, and as a result, the energy consumption of the device can be reduced.

[0148]

According to the present invention, the developer is conveyed and discharged.
Time, and developer transport
Transport the developer to the supply opening without interruption.
To improve developer transfer efficiency.
This has the effect of being able to

[0149]

[0150]

[0151]

[0152]

[0153]

[0154]

[0155]

[Brief description of the drawings]

1 is a basic schematic diagram of a current image device of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a side view of a developer hopper provided in the developing device shown in FIG.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing a state in which a supply door of a developer hopper provided in the developing device shown in FIG. 1 is opened to supply the developer.

FIG. 4 is a schematic configuration diagram of a copying machine including the developing device shown in FIG.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram of a control device provided in the copying machine shown in FIG.

6 is a flowchart showing control of supply of a developer from a developer supply unit by the control device shown in FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing rotation control of a pumping member by the control device shown in FIG. 5;

FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing rotation control of the pumping member by the control device shown in FIG. 5;

FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing rotation control of the pumping member by the control device shown in FIG. 5;

10 is a schematic configuration diagram illustrating a developer supply unit corresponding to a modified example of the bottom of the developer hopper of the developing device illustrated in FIG. 1;

11 is a basic schematic diagram of a current image device of the present invention.

FIG. 12 is a side view of a developer supply unit provided in the developing device shown in FIG.

FIG. 13 is a schematic configuration diagram of a developer supply unit provided in a developing device according to a modified example of the invention.

FIG. 14 is a perspective view of a scooping member provided in a developing device according to a modification of the present invention.

FIG. 15 is a perspective view of a drawing member provided in a developing device according to a modification of the present invention.

FIG. 16 is a schematic configuration diagram of a developer hopper provided in a developing device according to a modified example of the invention.

FIG. 17 is a schematic configuration diagram of a developer hopper provided in a developing device according to a modified example of the invention.

FIG. 18 is a schematic configuration diagram showing a transport screw provided in another developing device of the present invention.

FIG. 19 is a schematic configuration diagram illustrating a transport screw provided in a developing device according to a modified example of the invention.

FIG. 20 is a schematic configuration diagram illustrating a transport screw provided in a developing device according to a modified example of the invention.

FIG. 21 is a schematic configuration diagram of a developer hopper provided in a developing device according to a modified example of the invention.

FIG. 22 is a schematic configuration diagram of a developer hopper provided in a developing device according to a modified example of the invention.

FIG. 23 is a schematic configuration diagram of another developing device of the present invention.

FIG. 24 is a schematic configuration diagram of another developing device of the present invention.

FIG. 25 is a schematic configuration diagram of another developing device of the present invention.

26 is a block diagram of a control device that drives and controls the developing device shown in FIG. 25.

FIG. 27 is a flowchart showing drive control of a pumping member by the control device shown in FIG. 26;

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 4 photoconductor drum (photoconductor) 40 developing tank 41 developing roller 42 stirring roller (stirring means) 43 developer supply unit (developer supply unit) 44 developer hopper (developer storage unit) 45 transport screw (developer transport unit) 46) Pumping-up member (developer collecting unit) 46a Pumping-up and collecting unit (plate-like member) 49 Toner receiving (developer receiving unit) 61 Pumping-up member (developer collecting unit) 61a First pumping-up and collecting unit (plate-like member) 61b 2 Pumping and collecting unit (plate-like member)

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuation of the front page (72) Inventor Yuichi Mosquito 22-22-22 Nagaikecho, Abeno-ku, Osaka-shi, Osaka Inside Sharp Corporation (56) References JP-A-5-127512 (JP, A) JP-A Sho58 -72173 (JP, A) (58) Field surveyed (Int. Cl. ⁷ , DB name) G03G 15/08

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims] An agitating means for agitating the developer and a developing roller for supplying the developer to a photoreceptor are rotatably provided in a developing tank containing a developer comprising a toner and a carrier. In a developing device in which the developer in the developing tank is discharged from a discharging section formed in the developing tank while the developer is sequentially supplied from the developer supplying section to the developing tank, the developer is stored in the developer supplying section. A container-like developer accommodating section, a developer conveying means for conveying the developer accommodated in the developer accommodating section to the developing tank, and the developer conveying section while stirring the developer in the developer accommodating section. A developer supply unit that supplies the developer, the developer transport unit is provided in a longitudinal direction of the developer storage unit, and a developer receiving unit that receives the developer supplied by the developer supply unit; In this developer receiving part A developer transport unit that transports the supplied developer, and the developer supply unit has a single plate-shaped member that extends along the developer transport direction, A developer collecting portion that rotates about the portion and collects the developer by the plate-like member.
The developing device is characterized in that, in the developing device, there are provided more plate-like members in the developer collecting section in the direction opposite to the developer conveying direction than the developer collecting section in the developer conveying direction.