JP3347372B2 - Vibration frame for loading developer and transport pallet - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a vibrating frame for filling a developer and a conveying pallet.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Developers have conventionally been used in copiers, printers, and the like utilizing electrostatography. Generally, a developer having a particle diameter of about several microns is used, and there are various color developers including black.

[0003] These developers are replenished by discharging the developer from a developer supply container to a developer receiving container provided in a main body of a copying machine or the like.

As a method of filling the developer supply container with the developer, a method of directly filling the developer into the developer supply container from a hopper is generally used. At this time, if the filling amount of the developer becomes high with respect to the volume of the developer supply container, after the first filling, the developer is temporarily stored while applying vibration for a certain period of time, and is filled once or twice again. Many times filling method is adopted.

[0005] In particular, recently, global environmental problems relating to waste have been greatly highlighted, and the amount of developer to be charged into a developer supply container should be increased as much as possible to reduce the amount of developer supply container to be discarded. The manufacturing side is also working hard.

Further, by increasing the filling amount and performing high-density filling, the number of times of replenishing the developer supply container is reduced, and the copy cost per sheet is reduced.

[0007] Due to the above environmental problems and cost reduction, high-density filling of the developer is demanded.

[0008] By the way, the vibration for a certain period described above is 1
This is an operation for lowering the powder level of the developer in the developer supply container after the next filling, so that the developer can be filled more at the time of the second filling or the third filling.

A pallet is used to hold the developer supply container while applying the vibration for a certain period to the developer supply container.

The structure of a general pallet is composed of a bottom plate and a horizontal holding block. In the structure of the bottom plate, metal is used for the bottom part that directly contacts the vibrating part, and a resin material that does not damage the developer supply container, such as polyacetal resin and Teflon resin, is used for the contact part with the upper developer supply container. Used. The horizontal holding block is made of a similar resin material.

As the bottom plate and the horizontal holding block, one that securely fixes the developer supply container so that there is no play by binding with screws or the like, or a metal portion of the bottom plate and the upper portion of the bottom plate and the horizontal holding block are made of the same resin. The one integrally molded with the above is securely adhered with an adhesive or the like.

[0012]

However, in the conventional pallet, the vibration is hardly transmitted to the developer supply container due to the resin material of the upper portion of the bottom plate and the horizontal holding block, and the vibration is considerably attenuated by the direct vibration. To the developer supply container. For this reason, the decrease in the powder level due to the vibration of the developer in the developer supply container becomes smaller than initially expected, and it is impossible to fill a predetermined amount of the developer in the second filling or the third filling.

Further, in order to reduce the cost of filling as much as possible, it is necessary to shorten the time for applying vibration. However, the time required for lowering the powder level of the developer to a certain extent increases due to the attenuation of the vibration. The overall time is lengthened and the filling cost is increased.

Further, since the number of developer supply containers temporarily stored while applying vibration is limited by the area of the bottom plate of the pallet which is larger than the sectional area of the developer supply container, a large number of developer supply containers are vibrated at once. In this case, the number of containers that can be vibrated at one time is reduced, and the filling time is limited, thereby increasing the filling cost.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a developer-filling vibrating frame and a developer-filling transport pallet which can efficiently and densely fill a developer in a short time. is there.

[0016]

In order to achieve the above object,
In the present invention, after the developer is primarily filled in the developer supply container,
Developer filling vibrating frame which holds the current image agent supply container in order to perform the secondary filling of developer caused to reduce the powder surface of the developer applying vibration to the developer supply container by the developer filled vibration device Is made of light metal, and the metal
A spring is provided .

Further, according to the present invention, there is provided a developer-supplying pallet for primary-filling a developer in a developer-supplying container and then transporting the developer while applying vibration to the developer-supplying container. No gap is provided between the transport pallet and the developer supply container before, and a gap is provided between the transport pallet and the developer supply container after the first filling to increase the vibration amplitude of the developer supply container. It is characterized by making it.

[0018]

[0019]

According to the vibration frame for filling a developer according to the present invention,
Not only does the vibration applied to the developer supply container hardly attenuate, but also the self-excited vibration of the container is applied, so that it is possible to secure a predetermined amount of the second or third charged developer. Become. As a result, the developer can be filled at a higher density, the number of developer supply containers to be used can be reduced, and waste can be further reduced.

Further, since the copy cost per sheet can be reduced, and the vibration is effectively transmitted to the developer supply container, the conventional vibration time can be greatly reduced, and the charging cost can be reduced.

Further, in addition to the above effects, an effect is obtained that the developer supply container is hardly damaged by the action of the protective layer formed on the vibration frame. In this case, if the thickness of the protective layer is 1 mm or less, the vibration from the vibration device is transmitted to the developer supply container without being attenuated by the vibration frame.

In addition to the above-described effects, the vibration amplifying effect of the metal spring allows the developing to be performed particularly when a large number of large-capacity developer supply containers are filled with the developer at one time or when the capacity of the vibration generator is small. The effect that the high-density filling of the agent is efficiently performed is obtained.

According to the transfer pallet for filling a developer according to the present invention, since a gap is provided between the transfer pallet and the developer supply container after the primary filling of the developer, the self-excited vibration of the developer supply container is reduced. As a result, not only is the attenuation of the vibration amplitude caused by passing through the transport pallet compensated, but also the vibration amplitude is increased, and the amount of the second or third charged developer can be increased, and the vibration time can be increased. Can be greatly reduced, and the filling cost can be reduced. Since there is no gap between the transport pallet and the developer supply container before the primary filling, the filling port of the developer supply container is securely fixed to the discharge port of the developer filling device during the primary filling. It is possible to perform filling while the developer is being filled, and it is possible to prevent the developer from scattering around when filling.

[0024]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS [First Embodiment] An embodiment of the first invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

<First Embodiment> FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a vibrating frame A for filling a developer according to the present invention. As shown in FIG. It is configured by combining the bottom plate 13. still,
When the capacity of the vibrating device is small and the withstand load is small, the bottom plate 13 is omitted, and only the vertical frame 10 and the horizontal frame 11 are used.
May be configured.

In the vibration frame A, each frame 15 composed of the vertical frame 10 and the horizontal frame 11 forms a space into which the developer supply container X shown in FIG. The shape and size of the developer supply container X are set in accordance with the developer supply container X so that the developer supply container X does not rattle.

By the way, the construction method of each frame 15, that is, the combination method of the vertical frame 10 and the horizontal frame 11, is binding with a screw or the like, or forming them on the vertical frame 10 and the horizontal frame 11 as shown in FIG. There is a combination of the recessed portion 18 and the like,
In any method, it is necessary to reliably combine the vertical frame 10 and the horizontal frame 11 so that the frames 15 do not rattle due to vibration.

Thus, the vertical frame 10, the horizontal frame 11, and the bottom plate 1
The vibrating frame A for filling developer is mainly made of a material having a specific gravity of 4 or less, which is as light and thin as possible so that vibration from below is transmitted to the developer supply container X as it is with little attenuation. Is composed entirely of light metal. As a light metal, aluminum is desirable in terms of durability and cost.

If the material of the vertical frame 10, the horizontal frame 11, and the bottom plate 13 is aluminum, the thickness is about 1 mm to 5 m.
m is desirable, and 1 mm to 3 mm is more desirable.

The developer filling vibration frame A is securely mounted on the vibration plate 100 as shown in FIG. At the time of mounting the vibration frame A, the vibration frame A is set so that the vibration frame A and the vibration plate 100 do not rattle.
Is completely adhered to the diaphragm 100 with a double-sided adhesive tape or the like, or is completely fixed with a screw or the like.

Next, a method for filling the developer t at a high density using the developer filling vibrating frame A according to the present invention will be described.

As shown in FIG. 5, the discharge nozzle 50 of the hopper 20 in which the developer t just manufactured is stored.
Is provided with an auger 51 for discharging the developer t while regulating the discharging speed.

The developer t in the hopper 20 is discharged from the discharge nozzle 50 at a constant discharge speed. Then, the developer t discharged from the discharge nozzle 50 moves to a funnel 70 having a diameter corresponding to the diameter of the filling port 2 of the developer supply container X, and finally develops through the filling port 2 from the funnel 70. Is discharged toward the developer supply container X, and the developer supply container X
Is primarily filled.

As described above, after the primary charging of the developer t is completed, as shown in FIG. Each frame 15 of the vibration frame A is loaded one after another.

A vibration device is attached to the lower portion of the vibration plate 100. As a driving method of the vibration device, there are an air cylinder vibration method and an electromagnetic vibration method. In the air cylinder type vibration method, the entire diaphragm 100 is vibrated by regulating the air pressure. However, since the air plate type is a pneumatic type, the vibration frequency and amplitude are increased and decreased simultaneously. On the other hand, in the electromagnetic vibration method, both the frequency and the amplitude can be controlled by using the voltage regulation and the converter together.

Therefore, the vibration can be controlled more precisely by the electromagnetic vibration method, and the developer supply container X for the developer t can be used.
The powder surface inside can be controlled from dropping. For example, FIG.
An electromagnetic vibration device Y as shown in FIG. 1 is used. The electromagnetic vibration device Y includes a vibration source main body 150, a power switch 80, a frequency conversion knob 60, and an amplitude adjustment knob 90 provided in an outer frame 160. It is comprised including. In addition, the vibration gap 110 is formed in the outer frame 160.

In the electromagnetic vibration device Y,
When the power switch 80 is turned on, the alternating current of the frequency adjusted by the built-in converter is applied to the electromagnetic vibration device Y.
Optimum vibration can be obtained by adjusting the amplitude.

Next, the reduction in the powder level of the developer t in the developer supply container X will be described.

As shown in FIG. 6, the developer t is filled up to the position a in the developer supply container X by the primary filling.

Thereafter, when the developer supply container X is filled in the developer charging vibration frame A on the vibration plate 100 and vibration is applied thereto, the vibration is applied to the developer via the developer charging vibration frame A. It is transmitted to the supply container X. When the developer supply container X is subjected to vibration, the developer t located at the position a immediately after filling is charged.
Powder surface drops to the position b. The larger the distance L between the powder surface a and the powder surface b, the larger the filling amount of the developer t that can be filled by the second filling.

In order to fill the developer supply container X with the developer t as densely as possible in a short time, it is necessary to make an effort to increase the primary filling amount and the secondary filling amount of the developer t as much as possible. . In particular, the amount of the developer t to be primarily charged may be an amount that the developer t is filled up to just before the filling port 2 of the developer supply container X, and this amount is regulated by the rotation speed of the auger 51.

Incidentally, in transmitting the vibration to the developer supply container X almost 100%, the vibration transmission performance of the developer filling vibration frame A according to the present invention is an important factor.

The vibrating frame A for filling a developer according to the present invention comprises:
As described above, not only is it possible to transmit vibrations to the developer supply container X with as little weight and thinness as possible as described above, but also as a result of self-excited vibration of the developer supply container X, X is given a vibration amplified more than the transmitted vibration, and it is possible to maximize the distance L of the powder level decrease in the developer supply container X within a predetermined time.

Therefore, the amount of the developer t of the developer t
The next filling amount can be increased, thereby enabling high-density filling of the developer t.

Further, the vibrating frame A for filling a developer according to the present invention is provided.
Is used, it is possible to increase the number of developer supply containers X that can be mounted and vibrated at a time on the diaphragm 100 having a limited area, to increase the tact of filling the developer t and to reduce the charging cost. It becomes possible.

<Second Embodiment> Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described.

As shown in FIG. 7, similar to the first embodiment,
The vibration frame B for filling a developer according to the present embodiment is configured by combining a vertical frame 10, a horizontal frame 11, and a bottom plate 13.
As in the first embodiment, when the capacity of the vibrating device is small and the withstand load is small, the bottom plate 13 may be omitted, and the vibrating frame B may be constituted only by the vertical frame 10 and the horizontal frame 11. .

In the vibration frame B, each frame 15 composed of the vertical frame 10 and the horizontal frame 11 forms a space into which the developer supply container X shown in FIG. The shape and size of the developer supply container X are set according to the developer supply container X so that the developer supply container X does not rattle.

The vertical frame 10 and the horizontal frame 1 of the vibrating frame B
In FIG. 1, as shown in FIG. 7, a lightening portion 19 is formed except for a combined portion. This lightening part 19
Accordingly, the weight of the developer-filling vibration frame B is greatly reduced, and the vibration attenuation can be minimized.

The vibration frame B for filling the developer, which is composed of the vertical frame 10, the horizontal frame 11, and the bottom plate 13, is made of a light metal such as aluminum which is as light and thin as possible as in the first embodiment. You.

Next, as shown in FIG. 8, the vibration frame B for filling the developer is securely mounted on the vibration plate 100 and attached.

The same high-density filling of the developer as in the first embodiment was performed using the developer-filling vibrating frame B mounted on the diaphragm 100. The same or higher density of developer can be filled, and the number of containers X that can be vibrated at one time can be increased as much as possible to reduce the filling cost.

It should be noted that the developer filling vibration frame B according to the present embodiment is significantly reduced in weight by the lightening portion 19 as compared with the developer filling vibration frame A used in the first embodiment. Achieved, it became possible to more effectively minimize vibration damping.

This embodiment is particularly useful when the vibration device has a small withstand load, when the number of developer supply containers that are vibrated at one time is large, or when the amount of developer charged per container is large. It is effective for

Third Embodiment Next, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described.

As in the first embodiment, the vibrating frame C for filling the developer according to the present embodiment includes a vertical frame 10, a horizontal frame 11, and a bottom plate 1.
3 in combination. As in the case of the first embodiment, when the capacity of the vibration device is small and the withstand load is small, the bottom plate 13 may be omitted, and the vibration frame C may be constituted only by the vertical frame 10 and the horizontal frame 11. .

In the vibration frame C, each frame 15 composed of the vertical frame 10 and the horizontal frame 11 forms a space into which the developer supply container X shown in FIG. The shape and size of the developer supply container X are set according to the developer supply container X so that the developer supply container X does not rattle.

In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 8, the developer supply container X is provided in each of the vertical frame 10 and the horizontal frame 11 in each frame.
A corner cut 30 is formed to make it easier to load the sheet 5.

Thus, by the corner cutting 30,
When the operator or the robot system loads the developer supply container X, there is no trouble, and when the developer supply container X is taken out, the surface of the container X is hardly damaged.

The developer-filling vibration frame C comprising the vertical frame 10, the horizontal frame 11 and the bottom plate 13 is made of a light metal such as aluminum, which is as light and thin as possible, as in the first embodiment.

The developer charging vibration frame C is securely mounted on the vibration plate 100 in the same manner as in the first embodiment (see FIG. 3).

Then, the same high-density developer as in the first embodiment was charged using the developer-filling vibrating frame C mounted on the vibration plate 100. As a result, the same as in the first embodiment was obtained. As described above, the high-density developer can be filled, and the number of containers X that can be vibrated at one time can be increased to the maximum, thereby reducing the filling cost.

When the vibrating frame C for filling a developer according to the present embodiment is used, the cornering 30 is reduced as compared with the case where the vibrating frame A for filling a developer according to the first embodiment is used. This is very effective because it does not take much time to load the developer supply container X, and when the developer supply container X is taken out, the surface of the container X is hardly damaged.

<Comparative Example> Next, a comparative example with the present invention will be described.

As shown in FIG. 9, a pallet D for filling a developer, which is composed of a conventionally used bottom plate 210 and a pressing block 200, was prepared.

The bottom plate 210 is formed by sticking a polyacetal resin plate on a metal plate, and the horizontal holding block 200 is similarly formed of polyacetal resin.

The developer supply container X is filled with the same amount of the developer at the same speed as in the first embodiment by using the developer filling pallet D manufactured as described above. At this point, it was confirmed that the powder surface in the developer supply container X was at the position of FIG.

Next, in order to carry out the secondary filling, as many developer supply containers X as possible can be mounted on the diaphragm 100 (see FIG. 3) used in the first embodiment for the same time as in the first embodiment. Then, the same vibration as in the first embodiment was applied to the developer supply container X.

Immediately after the vibration, the reduction in the powder level in the developer supply container X was measured. As a result, it did not decrease to the position shown in FIG. 6B. It was confirmed that the number was smaller than when the frame A was used.

Further, the distance between the case where the vibrating frame A for the developer filling according to the present invention was used and the powder surface reduction L was measured while changing the vibration time was measured and graphed. Figure 1 shows the results.
0 is shown.

As is apparent from FIG. 10, when the developer-filling pallet D of the comparative example is used as compared with the case where the developer-filling vibrating frame A according to the present invention is used, the powder The result that deterioration L was inferior was confirmed.

The reason for the above is that the developer filling pallet D per container X weighs the resin used for the bottom plate 210 and the horizontal holding block 200 because of the developer filling vibrating frame according to the present invention. In addition to being significantly heavier than each frame 15 of the body A and having a large vibration attenuation on the pallet D, in the comparative example, the self-excited vibration of the developer supply container X is completely suppressed by the horizontal holding block 200, and the amplitude of the amplitude is reduced. Amplification cannot be obtained, and therefore, it is conceivable that the use of the vibration frame body A whose amplitude is amplified by self-excited vibration at the same frequency causes a greater reduction in the powder surface.

In the comparative example and the first embodiment, the number of developer supply containers X that can be mounted on the diaphragm 100 having the same area is smaller in the comparative example, and the charging cost is increased in the comparative example. The reason for this is that the bottom plate 21 of the developer filling pallet D of the comparative example
This is because the area of 0 is larger than the area of each frame 15 of the first embodiment.

Therefore, the developer filling pallet D according to the comparative example is inferior to the present invention in the amount of developer that can be filled within a certain time, and has a limited area at one time. The number of developer supply containers X that can be mounted and vibrated on the vibration plate 100 cannot be increased to the maximum, resulting in an increase in charging cost.

[Second Invention] An embodiment of the second invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

<First Embodiment> FIG. 11 is a perspective view of a vibration frame A for filling a developer according to a first embodiment of the present invention. It is configured by combining the bottom plate 13. still,
When the capacity of the vibrating device is small and the withstand load is small, the bottom plate 13 is omitted, and only the vertical frame 10 and the horizontal frame 11 are used.
May be configured.

In the vibration frame A, each frame 15 composed of the vertical frame 10 and the horizontal frame 11 forms a space into which the developer supply container X shown in FIG. The shape and size of the developer supply container X are set in accordance with the developer supply container X so that the developer supply container X does not rattle.

Incidentally, the construction method of each frame 15, that is, the combination method of the vertical frame 10 and the horizontal frame 11, is binding with screws or the like, or as shown in FIG. There is a combination of the formed concave portions 18 and the like. In any of the methods, it is necessary to reliably combine the vertical frame 10 and the horizontal frame 11 so that the respective frames 15 do not rattle due to vibration.

The vertical frame 10, the horizontal frame 11, and the bottom plate 13
The developer-filling vibration frame A is mainly made of a light metal that is as light and thin as possible so that vibration from below is transmitted to the developer supply container X without any attenuation as much as possible. . As a light metal, aluminum is desirable in terms of durability and cost.

When the material of the vertical frame 10, the horizontal frame 11 and the bottom plate 13 is aluminum, the thickness thereof should be about 1 mm to
About 5 mm is desirable, and more desirably 1 mm to 3 mm
Is preferred.

Further, in the present embodiment, the protective surface having a thickness of 1 mm or less is provided on the holding surface of the developer supply container X of the vibrating frame A for developer filling composed of the vertical frame 10, the horizontal frame 11, and the bottom plate 13. A layer is formed. In addition, as the protective layer, a plastic film or the like is applied or resin-coated, and preferably a Teflon resin film is applied or coated by a spray method or the like.

By forming the protective layer, the surface of the vibration frame A holding the developer supply container X is hardly damaged, and the protective layer has a thickness of 1 mm or less. In the vibration frame A, the vibration is hardly attenuated.

Next, as shown in FIG. 13, the vibration frame A for filling the developer is securely mounted and attached on the vibration plate 100.

The developer filling vibration frame A is securely mounted on the vibration plate 100 as shown in FIG. At the time of mounting the vibration frame A, the bottom plate 13 is completely adhered with a double-sided adhesive tape or the like or vibrated with a screw or the like so as to prevent rattling between the vibration frame A and the vibration plate 100. It is completely fixed to the plate 100.

Next, a method for filling the developer t at a high density using the developer filling vibrating frame A according to the present invention will be described.

As shown in FIG. 15, the discharge nozzle 5 of the hopper 20 storing the developer t just manufactured is stored.
An auger 51 that discharges the developer t while regulating the discharge speed is provided inside 0.

The developer t in the hopper 20 is discharged from the discharge nozzle 50 while being regulated at a certain discharge speed. Then, the developer t discharged from the discharge nozzle 50
Moves to a funnel 70 having a diameter corresponding to the diameter of the filling port 2 of the developer supply container X, and is finally discharged from the funnel 70 toward the developer supply container X via the filling port 2 and the developer. The supply container X is primarily filled.

As described above, after the primary charging of the developer t is completed, as shown in FIG. 13, the developer supply containers X having completed the primary charging are sequentially filled with the developer on the diaphragm 100. Each frame 15 of the vibration frame A is loaded one after another.

A vibration device is provided below the diaphragm 100. As a driving method of the vibration device, there are an air cylinder vibration method and an electromagnetic vibration method. In the air cylinder type vibration method, the entire diaphragm 100 is vibrated by regulating the air pressure. However, since the air plate type is a pneumatic type, the vibration frequency and amplitude are increased and decreased simultaneously. On the other hand, in the electromagnetic vibration method, both the frequency and the amplitude can be controlled by using the voltage regulation and the converter together.

Therefore, the vibration can be controlled more precisely by the electromagnetic vibration method, and the developer supply container X for the developer t can be used.
The powder surface inside can be controlled from dropping. For example, FIG.
An electromagnetic vibration device Y as shown in FIG. 4 is used. The electromagnetic vibration device Y includes a vibration source body 150, a power switch 80, a frequency conversion knob 60, and an amplitude adjustment knob 90 provided in an outer frame 160. It is comprised including. In addition, the vibration gap 110 is formed in the outer frame 160.

In the electromagnetic vibration device Y,
When the power switch 80 is turned on, the alternating current of the frequency adjusted by the built-in converter is applied to the electromagnetic vibration device Y.
Optimum vibration can be obtained by adjusting the amplitude.

Next, the decrease in the powder level of the developer t in the developer supply container X will be described.

As shown in FIG. 16, the developer t is filled up to the position a in the developer supply container X by the primary filling.

Thereafter, when the developer supply container X is loaded into the developer charging vibration frame A on the vibration plate 100 and the vibration is applied thereto, the vibration is applied to the developer via the developer charging vibration frame A. It is transmitted to the supply container X. When the developer supply container X is subjected to vibration, the developer t located at the position a immediately after filling is charged.
Powder surface drops to the position b. The larger the distance L between the powder surface a and the powder surface b, the larger the filling amount of the developer t that can be filled by the second filling.

In order to fill the developer supply container X with the developer t as densely as possible in a short time, it is necessary to make an effort to increase the primary filling amount and the secondary filling amount of the developer t as much as possible. . In particular, the amount of the developer t to be primarily charged may be an amount that the developer t is filled up to just before the filling port 2 of the developer supply container X, and this amount is regulated by the rotation speed of the auger 51.

Incidentally, in transmitting the vibration to the developer supply container X substantially at 100%, the vibration transmission performance of the developer filling vibration frame A according to the present invention is an important factor.

The vibrating frame A for filling a developer according to the present invention comprises:
As described above, not only is it possible to transmit vibrations to the developer supply container X with as little weight and thinness as possible as described above, but also as a result of self-excited vibration of the developer supply container X, X is given a vibration amplified more than the transmitted vibration, and it is possible to maximize the distance L of the powder level decrease in the developer supply container X within a predetermined time.

Therefore, the amount of developer t of the developer t
The next filling amount can be increased, thereby enabling high-density filling of the developer t.

Further, the vibrating frame A for filling a developer according to the present invention.
Is used, it is possible to increase the number of developer supply containers X that can be mounted and vibrated at a time on the diaphragm 100 having a limited area, to increase the tact of filling the developer t and to reduce the filling cost. It becomes possible. Second Embodiment Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described.

As shown in FIG. 17, similar to the first embodiment, the vibrating frame B for filling the developer according to the present embodiment is different from the vertical frame 1 in the vertical direction.
0, the horizontal frame 11 and the bottom plate 13 are combined. As in the first embodiment, when the capacity of the vibration device is small and the withstand load is small, the vibration frame B may be constituted by the vertical frame 10 and the horizontal frame 11 without the bottom plate 13. .

In the vibration frame B, each frame 15 composed of the vertical frame 10 and the horizontal frame 11 forms a space into which the developer supply container X is to be inserted. The shape and size of the developer supply container X are set in accordance with the developer supply container X so that the developer supply container X does not rattle.

The vertical frame 10 and the horizontal frame 11 of the vibration frame B are
As shown in FIG. 17, a lightening portion 19 is formed except for a mutual combination portion. This lightening part 19
Thus, the weight of the developer-filling vibration frame B can be significantly reduced, and the attenuation of vibration can be minimized.

The vibration frame B for filling the developer, which is composed of the vertical frame 10, the horizontal frame 11, and the bottom plate 13, is made of a light metal such as aluminum, which is as light and thin as possible as in the first embodiment. You.

Next, as shown in FIG. 18, the vibration frame B for filling the developer is securely mounted on the vibration plate 100 and attached.

When the developer was filled at a high density in the same manner as in the first embodiment by using the developer filling vibration frame B mounted on the vibration plate 100, High-density filling can be performed at the same level or more, and the number of containers that can be vibrated at one time can be increased as much as possible to reduce the filling cost.

In the developer-filling vibrating frame B according to the present embodiment, a significant reduction in weight is achieved by the lightening portion 19 as compared with the developer-filling vibrating frame A used in the first embodiment. And
It has become possible to more effectively minimize vibration damping.

This embodiment is particularly useful when the withstand load of the vibrating device is small, when the number of developer supply containers that are vibrated at once is large, or when the amount of developer charged per container is large. It is effective for

Further, also in this embodiment, a protective layer is formed on the holding surface of the vibration frame B where the developer supply container X is to be held, so that the developer supply container X is hardly damaged, and the protective layer is further protected. Since the thickness of the layer is 1 mm or less, the vibration is hardly attenuated by this protective layer.

Third Embodiment Next, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described.

As in the case of the first embodiment, the vibration frame C for filling a developer according to the present embodiment is constituted by combining a vertical frame 10, a horizontal frame 11, and a bottom plate 13. As in the case of the first embodiment, when the capacity of the vibration device is small and the withstand load is small, the bottom plate 13 may be omitted, and the vibration frame C may be constituted only by the vertical frame 10 and the horizontal frame 11. .

In the vibration frame C, each frame 15 composed of the vertical frame 10 and the horizontal frame 11 forms a space into which the developer supply container X shown in FIG. The shape and size of the developer supply container X are matched with the developer supply container X so that the developer supply container X does not rattle.

In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 18, the vertical frame 10 and the horizontal frame 11 are formed with corners 30 for facilitating the loading of the developer supply container X into each frame 15. .

[0113] By the above-mentioned corner cutting 30,
When the operator or the robot system loads the developer supply container X, there is no trouble, and when the developer supply container X is taken out, the surface of the developer supply container X is hardly damaged.

The vibration frame C for filling the developer, which is composed of the vertical frame 10, the horizontal frame 11, and the bottom plate 13, is made of a light metal such as aluminum, which is as light and thin as possible, as in the first embodiment. .

The developer filling vibration frame A is securely mounted on the vibration plate 100 in the same manner as in the first embodiment (see FIG. 13).

Then, the same high-density developer as in the first embodiment was filled by using the developer-filling vibrating frame C mounted on the diaphragm 100, and the same results as in the first embodiment were obtained. As described above, the high-density developer can be charged, and the number of containers that can be vibrated at one time can be increased to the maximum, thereby reducing the charging cost.

When the vibrating frame C for filling the developer according to the present embodiment is used, the developer is supplied for cornering 30 as compared with the case where the vibrating frame A according to the first embodiment is used. It is very effective because it does not take much time to load the container X and the surface of the container X is hardly damaged when the container X is taken out.

Further, similarly to the first and second embodiments, the holding surface of the developer supply container X held by the protective layer is hardly damaged, and the thickness of the protective layer is 1 mm or less.
In the vibration frame C, the vibration is hardly attenuated.

<Comparative Example> Next, a comparative example with the present invention will be described.

As shown in FIG. 19, a pallet D for filling a developer including a bottom plate 210 and a pressing block 200 which is conventionally used was manufactured.

The bottom plate 210 is formed by attaching a polyacetal resin plate on a metal plate, and the horizontal holding block 200 is similarly formed of polyacetal resin.

Using the developer charging pallet D manufactured as described above, the same amount of the developer is charged into the developer supply container X at the same speed as in the first embodiment.

At this time, it was confirmed that the powder surface in the developer supply container X was at the position shown in FIG.

Next, in order to carry out the second filling, the developer supply containers X as many as possible can be mounted on the diaphragm 100 (see FIG. 13) used in the first embodiment for the same time as in the first embodiment. Then, the same vibration as in the first embodiment was applied.

Immediately after the vibration, the decrease in the powder level in the developer supply container X was measured. As a result, it did not decrease to the position shown in FIG. 16B. It was confirmed that the number was smaller than when the vibration frame A was used.

Further, when the vibration time was changed and the vibration frame A for filling the developer according to the present invention was used, and the distance L at which the powder surface was reduced was measured and graphed. Figure 2 shows the result.
0 is shown.

As is apparent from FIG. 20, the developer filling pallet D according to Comparative Example 1 has a lower powder surface in a certain time than the case where the developer filling vibrating frame A according to the present invention is used. The result that deterioration L was inferior was confirmed.

The reason for the above is that the weight of the developer filling pallet D per container X is limited by the resin used for the bottom plate 210 and the horizontal holding block 200, so that the developer filling vibrating frame according to the present invention is used. In addition to being significantly heavier than each frame 15 of the body A and having a large vibration attenuation on the pallet D, in the comparative example, the self-excited vibration of the developer supply container X is completely suppressed by the horizontal holding block 200, and the amplitude of the amplitude is reduced. Amplification cannot be obtained, and therefore, it is conceivable that the use of the frame A whose amplitude is amplified by the self-excited vibration at the same frequency causes a greater reduction in the powder surface.

Further, the number of developer supply containers X that can be mounted on the diaphragm 100 having the same area in the comparative example 1 and the first embodiment is smaller in the comparative example 1, and the charging cost is increased in the comparative example 1. The reason is that the area of the bottom plate 210 of the developer filling pallet D of Comparative Example 1 is larger than the area of each frame 15 of the first embodiment.

Accordingly, the developer filling pallet D of Comparative Example 1 is inferior to the present invention in the amount of developer that can be filled within a certain period of time, and the diaphragm having a limited area at one time. The number of developer supply containers X which can be mounted on the vibrator 100 and vibrated cannot be increased to the maximum, resulting in an increase in charging cost.

<Comparative Example 2> Next, a second comparative example with the present invention will be described.

The vibration frame E for filling the developer was manufactured in the same shape and dimensions as those of the first embodiment without forming a protective layer.

The developer supply container X is charged with the same amount of the developer at the same speed as in the first embodiment by using the developer charging vibration frame E manufactured as described above. X was subjected to the same vibration as in the first embodiment.

The reduction L of the powder surface of the developer after the vibration for a certain period of time was almost the same as that of the first embodiment.

After completion of the developer charging, the developer supply container X was removed from the developer charging vibration frame E, and an appearance inspection was performed. It was confirmed that there were countless fine scratches due to rubbing, making it impossible to ship the product.

[Third Invention] An embodiment of the third invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

<First Embodiment> As shown in FIGS. 21 and 23, a vibration frame A for filling a developer according to the present invention is composed of a vertical frame 10, a horizontal frame 11, a bottom plate 13, and a metal spring 8. Have been.

In the developer filling vibration frame A, each frame 15 composed of the vertical frame 10 and the horizontal frame 11 forms a space into which the developer supply container X shown in FIG. 23 is to be fitted. The shape and size of the frame 15 are set in accordance with the developer supply container X so that the developer supply container X does not rattle.

By the way, the construction method of each frame 15, that is, the combination method of the vertical frame 10 and the horizontal frame 11, is binding with a screw or the like, or as shown in FIG. There is a combination of the formed concave portions 18 and the like. In any of the methods, it is necessary to reliably combine the vertical frame 10 and the horizontal frame 11 so that the respective frames 15 do not rattle due to vibration.

The vibration frame A for filling the developer, which includes the vertical frame 10, the horizontal frame 11, the bottom plate 13, and the metal spring 8, mainly develops vibrations from below with little attenuation as much as possible. It is made of light metal that is as light and thin as possible so that it can be transmitted to the agent supply container X.

As the light metal, aluminum or duralumin having a specific gravity of 4 or less is used, and aluminum is particularly preferable in terms of durability and cost.

If the material of the vertical frame 10, the horizontal frame 11 and the bottom plate 13 is aluminum, the thickness thereof is about 1 mm to 5 mm.
mm is preferable, and 1 to 3 mm is more preferable.

The developer filling vibration frame A is securely mounted on the vibration plate 100 as shown in FIG. At the time of mounting the vibration frame A, the bottom plate 13 is completely adhered with a double-sided adhesive tape or the like, or is completely fixed to the vibration plate 100 with screws or the like so as to prevent play with the vibration plate 100.

As shown in FIG. 23, a metal spring 8 and a groove 1 provided in the vertical frame 10 are provided on the bottom plate 13 for each frame 15.
4, and a sliding plate 5 for vertically moving the groove 14 is provided.

The metal spring 8 is provided on each of the frames 15 on the bottom surface of the bottom plate 13.
It is evenly distributed every time and securely joined by screwing or the like.
The metal spring 8 is made of a phosphor bronze plate specified in JIS-H3731 and SUS301-CSP, SUS3 specified in JIS.
04-CSP (above austenitic), SUS420
J2-CSP (martensitic), SUS631-C
It is desirable to use a metal leaf spring such as SP (precipitation hardening system), and more preferably, a phosphor bronze plate specified in JIS-H3731. The shape of the metal spring 8 may be any shape other than the shape shown in FIG.

The material of the sliding plate 5 is not particularly limited, such as metal and plastic. The vibration of the metal spring 8 is not attenuated as much as possible, and the vibration is effectively applied to the bottom of the developer supply container X. It is desirable to use a material that is as light and durable as possible so that it can be transmitted to an object. For example, an aluminum plate having a thickness of about 0.5 mm is desirable.

When the amplitude of the sliding plate 5 is too large when the sliding plate 5 moves up and down, the length of the groove 14 is regulated so that the sliding plate 5 does not come off from the groove 14. You.

Here, how the vibration is transmitted to the developer supply container X when the metal spring 8 is used will be described.

First, vibration is transmitted from the diaphragm 100 to the metal spring 8. The amplitude of this vibration is amplified by the spring repulsion of the metal spring 8. The amplified amplitude vibration is transmitted to the sliding plate 5 above the metal spring 8 and further transmitted to the bottom of the developer supply container X.

As described above, the vibration amplitude from the diaphragm 100 is amplified by the metal spring 8, which is very effective especially when the weight of the developer supply container X and the developer t is large. .

Next, a method of filling the developer t at a high density using the developer filling vibrating frame A according to the present invention will be described.

As shown in FIG. 25, the discharge nozzle 5 of the hopper 20 in which the developer t just manufactured is stored.
An auger 51 that discharges the developer t while regulating the discharge speed is provided inside 0.

The developer t in the hopper 20 is discharged from the discharge nozzle 50 at a constant discharge speed. Then, the developer t discharged from the discharge nozzle 50 moves to a funnel 70 having a diameter corresponding to the diameter of the filling port 2 of the developer supply container X, and finally develops through the filling port 2 from the funnel 70. The developer is discharged toward the developer supply container X, and is primarily charged in the developer supply container X.

As described above, after the primary filling is completed, as shown in FIG. 23, the developer supplying containers X having completed the primary filling are sequentially placed on the vibrating frame A for developer filling on the diaphragm 100. Are sequentially loaded into each frame 15.

A vibration device is attached to the lower part of the vibration plate 100. As a driving method of the vibration device, there are an air cylinder vibration method and an electromagnetic vibration method. In the air cylinder type vibration method, the entire vibration plate 100 is vibrated by regulating the air pressure. However, since the air plate type vibration method is used, the vibration frequency and the amplitude increase and decrease simultaneously. On the other hand, in the electromagnetic vibration method, both the frequency and the amplitude can be controlled by using the voltage regulation and the converter together.

Accordingly, the vibration can be controlled more precisely by the electromagnetic vibration method, and the developer supply container X for the developer t can be used.
The powder surface inside can be controlled from dropping. For example, FIG.
An electromagnetic vibration device Y as shown in FIG. 4 is used. The electromagnetic vibration device Y includes a vibration source body 150, a power switch 80, a frequency conversion knob 60, and an amplitude adjustment knob 90 provided in an outer frame 160. It is comprised including. In addition, the vibration gap 110 is formed in the outer frame 160.

Thus, in the electromagnetic vibration device Y,
When the power switch 80 is turned on, the alternating current of the frequency adjusted by the built-in converter is applied to the electromagnetic vibration device Y.
Optimum vibration can be obtained by adjusting the amplitude.

Next, the decrease in the powder level of the developer t in the developer supply container X will be described.

As shown in FIG. 26, the developer t is filled up to the position a in the developer supply container X by the primary filling.

Thereafter, the developer supply container X is filled into the developer charging vibrating frame A on the vibrating plate 100 and vibration is applied thereto. It is transmitted to the supply container X. When the developer supply container X is subjected to vibration, the developer t located at the position a immediately after filling is charged.
Powder surface drops to the position b. The larger the distance L between the powder surface a and the powder surface b, the larger the filling amount of the developer t that can be filled by the second filling.

In order to fill the developer supply container X with the developer t as densely as possible in a short time, it is necessary to make an effort to increase the primary filling amount and the secondary filling amount of the developer t as much as possible. . In particular, the amount of the developer t to be primarily charged may be an amount that the developer t is filled up to just before the filling port 2 of the developer supply container X, and this amount is regulated by the rotation speed of the auger 51.

By the way, the amount of the developer to be secondarily charged is substantially determined by the performance of the vibration source main body 150 provided below the diaphragm 100. In transmitting the vibration from the vibration source main body 150 to the almost 100% developer supply container X, the vibration transmission performance of the developer filling vibration frame A according to the present invention is an important factor.

The vibrating frame A for filling a developer according to the present invention comprises:
As described above, it is possible to transmit the vibration to the developer supply container X with the lightest weight and the thinnest as possible, and to suppress the vibration to the minimum attenuation. Vibration that is more amplified than the vibration
It is possible to maximize the distance L of the powder level decrease in the developer supply container X within a certain time.

Therefore, the amount of developer t of the developer t
The next filling amount can be increased, thereby enabling high-density filling of the developer t.

Further, the vibrating frame A for filling a developer according to the present invention is provided.
Can increase the number of developer supply containers X that can be mounted and vibrated at a time on the diaphragm 100 having a limited area, thereby increasing the tact of filling the developer t and reducing the charging cost. Becomes possible.

Furthermore, in the developer-filling vibrating frame A according to the present invention, the vibration amplitude is amplified by the spring repulsion of the metal spring 8, and particularly when the weight of the developer supply container X and the developer t is large. It is very effective.

<Second Embodiment> Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described.

As in the first embodiment, the vibration frame B for filling the developer according to the present embodiment includes a vertical frame 10, a horizontal frame 11, and a bottom plate 13.
And a metal spring 8.

In the vibration frame B, each frame 15 composed of the vertical frame 10 and the horizontal frame 11 forms a space in which the developer supply container X is to be fitted as in the first embodiment. The shape and size of the frame 15 are set in accordance with the developer supply container so that the developer supply container X does not rattle.

Then, the vertical frame 10 and the horizontal frame 1 of the vibration frame B are
In FIG. 1, as shown in FIG. 27, a lightening portion 19 is formed except for a combined portion. This lightening part 19
Thus, the weight of the developer-filling vibration frame B can be significantly reduced, and the attenuation of vibration can be minimized.

The developer-filling vibration frame B composed of the vertical frame 10 and the horizontal frame 11, the bottom plate 13 and the metal spring 8 is made of a light and thin material such as aluminum as in the first embodiment. It is composed of light metal.

As shown in FIG. 28, the same high-density filling of the developer as in the first embodiment was performed using the vibrating frame B for filling the developer. As described above, the high-density developer can be filled, and the number of containers that can be vibrated at one time can be increased to the maximum, thereby reducing the filling cost.

The developer filling vibrating frame B according to the present embodiment is significantly reduced in weight by the hollow portion 19 as compared with the developer filling vibrating frame A used in the first embodiment. Achieved, it became possible to more effectively minimize vibration damping. This is particularly effective when the withstand load of the vibrating device is small, when the number of developer supply containers that are vibrated at once is large, or when the amount of developer charged per container is large.

Third Embodiment Next, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described.

As in the first embodiment, the vibrating frame C for filling a developer according to the present embodiment includes a vertical frame 10, a horizontal frame 11, and a bottom plate 13.
And a metal spring 8.

In the vibrating frame C, each frame 15 composed of the vertical frame 10 and the horizontal frame 11 forms a space in which the developer supply container X is to be fitted as in the first embodiment. The shape and size of the frame 15 are set in accordance with the developer supply container X so that the developer supply container X does not rattle.

In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 28, the vertical frame 10 and the horizontal frame 11 are formed with corners 30 for facilitating the loading of the developer supply containers X into the respective frames 15. .

[0178] By the above-mentioned corner cutting 30,
When the operator or the robot system loads the developer supply container X, no trouble is taken, and when the developer supply container X is taken out, the surface of the container X is hardly damaged.

The developer-filling vibration frame C comprising the vertical frame 10, the horizontal frame 11, the bottom plate 13, and the metal spring 8 is made of a light metal such as aluminum which is as light and thin as possible as in the first embodiment. Be composed.

The developer filling vibration frame C is securely mounted on the vibration plate 100 in the same manner as in the first embodiment (see FIG. 23).

When a high-density developer was filled in the same manner as in the first embodiment by using the developer-filling vibrating frame C mounted on the vibration plate 100, the developer was equal to or more than the first embodiment. The high-density developer can be filled, and the number of containers that can be vibrated at one time can be increased to the maximum and the filling cost can be reduced.

The use of the developer-filling vibrating frame C according to the present embodiment uses the vibrating frame A for developer filling according to the first embodiment. This is very effective because it does not take much time to load the developer supply container X, and when the developer supply container X is taken out, the surface of the container X is hardly damaged.

<Comparative Example 1> Next, a first comparative example with the present invention will be described.

As shown in FIG. 29, a pallet D for filling a developer, which is composed of a bottom plate 210 and a pressing block 200, which is conventionally used, was manufactured.

The bottom plate 210 is formed by sticking a polyacetal resin plate on a metal plate, and the horizontal holding block 200 is similarly formed of polyacetal resin.

The developer supply container X is filled with the same amount of the developer t at the same speed as that of the first embodiment by using the developer filling pallet D manufactured as described above. At this point, it was confirmed that the powder surface in the developer supply container X was at the position a in FIG.

Next, in order to perform the secondary filling, as many developer supply containers X as possible can be mounted on the diaphragm 100 (see FIG. 23) used in the first embodiment for the same time as in the first embodiment. Then, the developer supply container X was subjected to the same vibration as in the first embodiment.

Immediately after the vibration, the decrease in the powder level in the developer supply container X was measured. As a result, it did not decrease to the position shown in FIG. 26B. It was confirmed that the number was smaller than when the vibration frame A was used.

Further, the distance L of powder surface reduction when the developer filling vibration frame A and the pallet D according to the present invention were used while changing the vibration time was measured and graphed. The result is shown in FIG.

As is clear from FIG. 30, the developer filling pallet D according to this comparative example has a lower powder surface in a certain time than the case where the developer filling vibrating frame A according to the present invention is used. The result that deterioration L was inferior was confirmed.

The reason for the above is that the weight of the developer filling pallet D per container X is limited by the resin used for the bottom plate 210 and the horizontal holding block 200, and thus the developer filling vibrating frame according to the present invention is used. In addition to being significantly heavier than each frame 15 of the body A and having large vibration damping on the pallet D, in the comparative example, the self-excited vibration of the developer supply container X is completely suppressed by the horizontal pressing block 200, and the vibration amplitude Therefore, it is conceivable that the use of the frame A whose amplitude is amplified by the self-excited vibration at the same frequency causes a greater reduction in the powder surface.

In the comparative example and the first embodiment, the number of developer supply containers X that can be mounted on the diaphragm 100 having the same area is smaller in the comparative example, and the charging cost is increased in the comparative example. The reason is that the area of the bottom plate 210 of the developer filling pallet D of the comparative example is larger than the area of each frame 15 of the first embodiment.

Therefore, the pallet D for filling the developer according to the present comparative example is inferior to the present invention in the filling amount that can be filled within a certain period of time, and the diaphragm 1 having a limited area at one time.
The number of the developer supply containers X that can be mounted on and vibrated on the upper side cannot be increased to the maximum, resulting in an increase in charging cost.

<Comparative Example 2> Next, a second comparative example with the present invention will be described.

As shown in FIG. 31, the vertical frame 10 and the horizontal frame 11
And a vibration frame E for filling the developer including the bottom plate 13. That is, the frame E was manufactured with the same shape and material as those of the first example without providing a metal spring.

The developer supply container X is filled with the same amount of the developer t at the same speed as in the first embodiment by using the developer-filling vibration frame E manufactured as described above.

Next, in order to perform secondary filling, as many developer supply containers X as can be mounted on the diaphragm 100 used in the first embodiment are mounted for the same time as in the first embodiment, and The same vibration as in the first embodiment was applied to the container X.

Immediately after the vibration, the decrease in the powder level in the developer supply container X was measured. As a result, the powder level did not decrease to the position shown in FIG. It was confirmed that the number was smaller than when the vibration frame A was used.

Further, by changing the vibration time, the distance L of the powder level reduction between the developer-filling vibrating frame A according to the present invention and the developer-filling vibrating frame E according to this comparative example was measured. It has become. FIG. 32 shows the result.

As is clear from FIG. 32, compared with the case where the developer-filling vibrating frame A according to the present invention is used, the developer-filling vibrating frame E of this comparative example has a powder surface at a certain time. The result was inferior in reduction. The reason for this is that when the developer-filling vibrating frame A according to the present invention is used, the amplitude of the vibration given from the vibrating plate 100 is amplified by the spring repulsive force of the metal spring 8, and therefore, this comparison is made. This is because the vibrating force applied to the developer supply container X was larger than in the case of the example, and the powder surface reduction in a certain time was larger than that of the comparative example.

Accordingly, it was clarified that the developer-filled vibrating frame E of this comparative example was inferior in powder surface reduction compared to the present invention because the repulsive force of the metal spring was not obtained.

[Fourth Invention] An embodiment of the fourth invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

<First Embodiment> FIG. 33 is a perspective view of a transfer pallet A for filling a developer according to a first embodiment of the present invention. The transfer pallet A is entirely made of light metal having a specific gravity of 4 or less. And a bottom plate Z and a horizontal holding block B.

The bottom plate Z is not a conventional plate in which a metal plate and a resin are closely adhered to each other as much as possible, so that vibration from below is transmitted to the developer supply container P without damping as much as possible. It is made of light metal that is lightweight and thin. As a light metal, aluminum is desirable in terms of durability and cost.

The horizontal holding block B is made of a light metal such as aluminum in accordance with the shape of the developer supply container P as in the case of the bottom plate Z. Like the bottom plate Z, the horizontal holding block B has a fixed rigidity so that vibration is easily transmitted to the developer supply container P as much as possible, and the developer supply container P does not fall down during conveyance. It is made as thin as possible to the extent that it has If the material of the bottom plate Z and the horizontal holding block B is aluminum, the thickness thereof is desirably about 1 mm to 3 mm.

The horizontal holding block B is composed of a fixed block B1 and a movable block B2 as shown in FIG. The fixed block B1 is completely tightly fitted to the bottom plate Z with screws or the like, and the movable block B2 is movable in a groove M provided in the bottom plate Z shown in FIG.
Note that the movable block B2 can move in the X direction and the Y direction while the movement amount is regulated as shown in FIG.

Thus, the transport pallet A for filling the developer
As shown in FIGS. 33 and 37, the developer is transported on the transport path 100 while holding a developer supply container P having a container body 1 and a filling port 2.

Before the developer supply container P is primarily filled with the developer, as shown in FIG. 34, the movable block B2 of the horizontal holding block B securely moves the developer supply container P so that there is no gap. It is temporarily fixed at the position B2 'so as to be transported while being held. When the movable block B2 is temporarily fixed, electromagnets S and N are provided at the ends of the fixed block B1 and the movable block B2 in close contact with each other, as shown in FIG.
Furthermore, an electromagnetic changeover switch (not shown) is provided on the bottom plate Z,
Operate the changeover switch to turn on the electromagnets S and N,
The ends of both blocks B1 and B2 are completely adhered.

When the developer is primarily filled in the developer supply container P, the changeover switch is operated again to turn the electromagnets S and N off.
F to release the close contact between the fixed block B1 and the movable block B2, release the movable block B2 from the fixed block B1, and move the movable block B2.

Developer supply container P in which developer is primarily filled
Is transported on the transport path 100 while receiving a vibration while maintaining a gap which is the moving amount of the movable block B2. The gap formed between the movable block B2 and the developer supply container P is determined in consideration of the shape of the developer supply container P, whether or not there are irregularities in the transport path 100 and whether there is a detour, and further, the transport speed. The developer supply container P is provided so that it does not come off from the pallet A during the transportation, and further, the developer t, which has been primarily filled, from the filling port 2 of the container P does not protrude due to vibration during the transportation. It is set to about 5 mm to 30 mm.

In this embodiment, the gap between the horizontal holding blocks B is provided by electromagnetic means (electromagnets S and N). However, the gap may be provided by any means such as pneumatic or mechanical. it can.

In this embodiment, the transport pallet A
A protective layer having a thickness of 1 mm or less is formed on the holding surface of the bottom plate Z and the horizontal holding block B for holding the developer supply container P. It is desirable that the material of the protective layer does not hinder the vibration of the developer supply container P as much as possible, and that the surface of the developer supply container P is not easily damaged by vibration or the like. Specifically, the protective layer is preferably a plastic film or the like or a resin-coated one, and more preferably a Teflon resin film or a spray-coated one.

Thus, the protective layer makes it difficult for the holding surface of the developer supply container P to be damaged, and the vibration is transmitted to the container P with almost no attenuation.

Next, a description will be given of a method for filling the developer t at a high density using the developer filling transport pallet A according to the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 38, the discharge nozzle 5 of the hopper 20 in which the developer t just manufactured is stored.
An auger 51 for discharging the developer t while restricting the discharge speed is provided inside 0.

The developer t in the hopper 20 is discharged from the discharge nozzle 50 at a constant discharge speed. Then, the developer t discharged from the discharge nozzle 50 moves to a funnel 70 having a diameter matching the diameter of the filling port 2 of the developer supply container P, and finally develops through the filling port 2 from the funnel 70. The developer is discharged toward the developer supply container P, and is primarily charged in the developer supply container P.

By the way, before the primary filling, no gap is provided between the horizontal holding block B and the developer supply container P. When the primary filling is performed, the filling port 2 of the developer supply container P is closed. Filling is performed while being securely fixed to the funnel 70.
Thereby, it is possible to prevent the developer t from being scattered around the filling agent as much as possible.

As described above, after the primary filling of the developer t is completed, as shown in FIG. 37, the developer supply containers P whose primary filling has been completed are sequentially transported on the transport path 100.

[0219] A vibration device is attached to the lower portion of the transport path 100. As a driving method of the vibration device, there are an air cylinder vibration method and an electromagnetic vibration method. In the air cylinder type vibration method, the entire conveyance path 100 is vibrated by regulating the air pressure. However, since the air path is used, the vibration frequency and the amplitude are simultaneously increased and decreased. On the other hand, in the electromagnetic vibration method, both the frequency and the amplitude can be controlled by using both the voltage regulation and the inverter.

Therefore, the vibration can be controlled more precisely by the electromagnetic vibration method, and the developer supply container P for the developer t can be used.
The powder surface inside can be controlled from dropping.

Next, the decrease in the powder level of the developer t in the developer supply container P will be described.

As shown in FIG. 39, the developer t is filled up to the position a in the developer supply container P by the primary filling.

After that, the developer supply container P is
, The vibration is transmitted to the developer supply container P via the developer-filling transport pallet A. Due to this vibration, the powder surface of the developer t at the position a immediately after the filling is lowered to the position b. The larger the distance L between the powder surface a and the powder surface b, the larger the filling amount of the developer t that can be filled by the second filling.

In order to fill the developer supply container P with the developer t in a short time and as high a density as possible, it is necessary to make an effort to increase the primary filling amount and the secondary filling amount as much as possible. In particular, the amount of the developer t to be primarily charged may be an amount of the developer t to be filled up to just before the filling port 2 of the developer supply container P, and this amount is regulated by the rotation speed of the auger 51.

On the other hand, the amount of the developer to be secondarily charged is determined by the performance of a vibrating device provided below the transport path 100. In order to reliably transmit the vibration from the vibration device to the developer supply container P, the vibration transmission performance of the developer-filling transport pallet A according to the present invention is an important factor.

Transport Pallet A for Filling Developer According to the Present Invention
In the above, after the primary filling of the developer t,
Is provided between the developer supply container P and the developer supply container P, the self-excited vibration of the developer supply container P is promoted. As a result, not only the vibration amplitude from the vibration device compensates for the attenuation, but also the transmitted vibration is transmitted. The vibration amplitude can be increased.

If the vibration frequency is the same, the larger the vibration amplitude, the more advantageous the powder level of the developer is. The following formulas concerning the excitation force and the amplitude, and the inventors et al. FIG. 40 is a graph showing the correlation between the developer and the powder level in the container.

[0228]

F = (M ₀ + M ₁ + M ₂ + M ₃ ) × α × D × f ² where F = excitation force M ₀ = weight of movable part of vibration device M ₁ = weight of mounting jig and table M ₂ = weight of developer supply container M ₃ = weight of developer D = amplitude f = frequency α = intrinsic coefficient Therefore, when the developer-filling transport pallet A according to the present invention is used, the developer supply container P As a result, it is possible to give the minimum vibration amplitude, and as a result, it is possible to maximize the distance L of the powder level decrease in the developer supply container P within a certain time. In other words, the secondary filling amount of the developer t can be increased by the amount L of the powder surface, and high-density filling of the developer t becomes possible.

<Second Embodiment> Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described.

The transport pallet C for filling the developer according to the present embodiment comprises a bottom plate Z and a horizontal holding block B, as in the first embodiment.
And manufactured in the same shape as the first embodiment.

The material of the bottom plate Z and the horizontal holding block B is made of a resin material such as polyacetal resin, Teflon resin, ABS resin, which is hardly damaged by the developer supply container P and hardly cracked by vibration. You.

Therefore, according to the present embodiment, unlike the first embodiment, it is not necessary to further provide a protective layer.

The transport pallet C for developer filling according to the present embodiment is provided with a movable horizontal holding block similarly to the first embodiment after the primary filling of the developer, and the shape and transport of the developer supply container P are carried out. In consideration of the state of the road, the transport speed, and the like, an appropriate gap can be maintained between the developer supply container P.

Furthermore, the transport pallet C according to this embodiment is
Although it has the same shape as that of the first embodiment, it is made of a resin material having a lower specific gravity than that of the first embodiment.

Therefore, the self-excited vibration of the developer supply container P can be further promoted, and the container P
The amount of decrease in the developer powder level in the inside can be made larger than that in the first embodiment. As a result, the secondary filling amount of the developer increases, and high-density filling of the developer becomes possible.

<Third Embodiment> Next, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described.

As shown in FIG. 41, the transport pallet D for filling a developer according to the present embodiment has a bottom plate Z similar to the first embodiment.
And a horizontal holding block B. As the material of the bottom plate Z and the horizontal holding block B, the same resin material as in the second embodiment is selected.

Therefore, according to the present embodiment, as in the second embodiment, there is no need to provide a protective layer for preventing the developer supply container P from being damaged by vibration or the like.

The bottom plate Z of the transport pallet D according to this embodiment
Has a shape similar to that of the second embodiment, but as shown in FIG. 41, in the horizontal holding block B, a lightening portion 19 is formed in a block having the same shape as that of the second embodiment. The weight of the horizontal holding block B is greatly reduced by the lightening portion 19, and the weight of the transport pallet D itself is also reduced.

The transport pallet D according to this embodiment is provided with a movable horizontal holding block after the primary filling of the developer, similarly to the first and second embodiments, and the shape of the developer supply container P and the transport path. In consideration of the condition, the transport speed, etc., an appropriate gap can be maintained between the container P.

Furthermore, the transport pallet D according to the present embodiment
As in the case of the second embodiment, it is made of a lightweight resin material, and furthermore, its weight is greatly reduced by the lightening portion 19, so that the vibration damping from the vibration device is very small.

Therefore, the self-excited vibration of the developer supply container P can be further promoted, and the increase of the vibration amplitude causes the container P
The amount of reduction in the developer powder level can be made larger than that in the second embodiment. As a result, the secondary filling amount of the developer increases, and high-density filling of the developer becomes possible.

<Fourth Embodiment> Next, a fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described.

As shown in FIG. 42, the transport pallet E for filling a developer according to the present embodiment includes a bottom plate Z and a horizontal pressing block B, as in the first embodiment. The bottom plate Z and the horizontal holding block B are made of a light metal such as aluminum as in the first embodiment.

The bottom plate Z of the transport pallet E according to the present invention
It has the same shape as the first embodiment, but as shown in FIG.
Is formed. The location where the corner cut 30 is provided is the most frequent contact point between the transport pallet E and the developer supply container P when transporting the developer supply container P while applying vibration. Since the surface of the container P is most susceptible to damage during the attachment / detachment, a curved surface formed by the corner cut 30 is provided here to make the surface as resistant as possible to damage.

Further, in the transport pallet E according to the present embodiment, before the primary filling of the developer, no gap is provided between the pallet E and the developer supply container P. The corners 30 facilitate mounting.

The transport pallet E according to this embodiment holds an appropriate gap between itself and the developer supply container P after the primary filling of the developer, similarly to the above-described embodiment. The self-excited vibration is promoted, and the decrease in the powder level of the developer can be increased by increasing the vibration amplitude. That is, the developer can be secondarily filled by the amount of the powder surface reduction, and high-density filling of the developer can be realized.

<Comparative Example 1> Next, a first comparative example with the present invention will be described.

With the same material and size as in the first embodiment,
A transport pallet F for filling a developer including a bottom plate Z and a horizontal pressing block B was prepared.

The bottom plate Z has the same shape as that of the first embodiment. However, unlike the first embodiment, the horizontal holding block B does not have a movable block and is completely formed in accordance with the shape of the developer supply container P. It is manufactured so that there is no gap with the container P.

The developer supply container P is filled with the same amount of the developer t at the same speed as in the embodiment using the developer pallet F prepared as described above. At this time, it was confirmed that the powder surface in the developer supply container P was at the position a in FIG.

Next, in order to perform the second filling of the developer t,
The developer supply container P was transported on the transport path 100 used in the first embodiment while applying the same vibration.

Immediately after the transfer, the decrease in the powder level in the developer supply container P was measured. As a result, it did not decrease to the position shown in FIG. 39B. It was confirmed that the number was smaller than when pallet A was used. Further, the pallet F according to the comparative example and the transport pallet A according to the present invention are changed by changing the vibration time.
The distance L of powder surface reduction when using is measured respectively,
Graphed. The result is shown in FIG.

As is apparent from FIG. 43, compared with the case where the developer-filled transport pallet A according to the present invention is used, when the developer-filled transport pallet F according to this comparative example is used, It was confirmed that the powder level drop L over a certain period of time was inferior. The reason for this is that, in the present comparative example, the self-excited vibration of the developer supply container P after the primary filling is completely suppressed by the horizontal holding block B, and the amplitude of the vibration amplitude cannot be obtained.
This is because the first embodiment in which the amplitude is amplified by the self-excited vibration at the same frequency has a greater reduction in the powder surface. In other words, the developer-filling transport pallet F according to this comparative example cannot secure a predetermined amount of the second or third charge of the developer, and cannot perform high-density charge of the developer. Become.

<Comparative Example 2> Next, a second comparative example of the present invention will be described.

With the same material and size as in the first embodiment,
A transport pallet G for filling the developer, which includes a bottom plate Z and a horizontal pressing block B, was prepared.

The bottom plate Z has the same shape as that of the first embodiment. However, unlike the first embodiment, the horizontal holding block B does not have a movable block, and the developer supply container P and the block B are used in advance in the embodiment. It is manufactured with a set gap.

The developer supply container P was filled with the same amount of the developer t at the same speed as in the first embodiment by using the developer pallet G prepared as described above.

However, at the time of primary filling, the transfer pallet G
Since the gap between the container P and the developer supply container P is provided in advance, the self-excited vibration of the container P immediately before filling cannot be suppressed, and the filling port 2 of the container P is securely fixed to the funnel 70. While the developer could not be filled. This allows
At the time of filling, the developer t is extremely scattered around the filling port 2,
Until the secondary filling, the conveying path 100 had to be frequently cleaned with a developer.

Further, all of the developer t to be primarily charged is not filled into the developer supply container P from the charging port 2, so that the amount scattered to the periphery is wasted, and the charging cost is increased. That is, the developer-filling transport pallet G according to the present comparative example cannot fill 100% of the originally-filled filling amount, and furthermore, the surrounding dirt due to the scattering of the developer t also overlaps, and The cost increases.

[Fifth Invention] An embodiment of the fifth invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

<First Embodiment> As shown in FIG. 44, a transport pallet A for filling a developer according to a first embodiment of the present invention comprises a bottom plate 11 and a horizontal holding block 1.
0.

In the transport pallet A, the bottom plate 11 is a conventional plate in which a metal plate and a resin are in close contact with each other so that vibrations from below are transmitted to the developer supply container X as little as possible with no attenuation. Instead, it is made of light metal that is as light and thin as possible. In addition, as light metal,
Aluminum is desirable in terms of durability and cost.

The horizontal holding block 10 is provided with the bottom plate 1.
A light metal such as aluminum is supplied to the developer supply container X in the same manner as
It is manufactured according to the shape of. This horizontal holding block 10
In order to easily transmit vibration to the developer supply container X as much as possible in the same manner as the bottom plate 11, and to have a certain rigidity so that the developer supply container X does not fall down during transportation. It is made thin. If the material of the bottom plate 11 and the horizontal holding block 10 is aluminum, the thickness thereof is desirably about 1 mm to 3 mm.

In the present embodiment, a protective layer having a thickness of 1 mm or less is formed on the bottom plate 11 and the holding surface of the developer supply container X of the horizontal holding block 10. As the protective layer, a plastic film or the like or a resin-coated material, preferably a Teflon resin film or a coating method by a spray method or the like is used.

Thus, the holding surface of the developer supply container X is hardly damaged by the above-mentioned protective layer, and the vibration is hardly attenuated because the protective layer has a thickness of 1 mm or less.

The horizontal holding block 10 is provided with a developer supply container X.
Is tightly fitted to the bottom plate 11 with screws or the like so that there is no play.

Incidentally, the bottom plate 10 and the horizontal holding block 11 may be integrally formed from aluminum or the like.

Next, a method for filling the developer t at a high density using the developer filling transport pallet A according to the present invention will be described.

As shown in FIG. 45, the discharge nozzle 5 of the hopper 20 in which the developer t just manufactured is stored.
An auger 51 for discharging the developer t while restricting the discharge speed is provided inside 0.

The developer t in the hopper 20 is discharged from the discharge nozzle 50 at a constant discharge speed. Then, the developer t discharged from the discharge nozzle 50 moves to a funnel 70 having a diameter corresponding to the diameter of the filling port 2 of the developer supply container X, and finally develops through the filling port 2 from the funnel 70. The developer is discharged toward the developer supply container X, and is primarily charged in the developer supply container X.

As described above, after the primary filling of the developer t is completed, as shown in FIG. 48, the developer supply containers X whose primary filling has been completed are sequentially transported on the transport path 100.

In addition, a vibration device is attached to the lower part of the transport path 100. As a driving method of the vibration device, there are an air cylinder vibration method and an electromagnetic vibration method. In the air cylinder type vibration method, the entire conveyance path 100 is vibrated by regulating the air pressure. However, since the air path is used, the vibration frequency and the amplitude are simultaneously increased and decreased. On the other hand, in the electromagnetic vibration method, by using both voltage regulation and inverter,
Both frequency and amplitude can be controlled.

Accordingly, the vibration can be controlled more precisely by the electromagnetic vibration method, and the developer supply container X for the developer t can be used.
47 is filled up to the position a in FIG.

Next, the decrease in the powder level of the developer t in the developer supply container X will be described.

As shown in FIG. 47, the developer t is filled up to the position a in the developer supply container X by the primary filling.

After that, the developer supply container X is moved to the transport path 100
, The vibration from the vibration device is transmitted to the developer supply container X via the developer pallet A. When the developer supply container X receives vibration,
Immediately after filling, the powder surface of the developer t at the position a in FIG. 47 drops to the position b. In this case, the larger the distance L between the powder surface a and the powder surface b, the larger the filling amount of the developer t that can be filled by the second filling.

In order to fill the developer supply container X with the developer t as densely as possible in a short time, it is necessary to make an effort to increase the primary filling amount and the secondary filling amount of the developer t as much as possible. . In particular, the amount of the developer t to be primarily filled may be an amount of the developer t to be filled up to just before the filling port 2 of the developer supply container X, and this amount is regulated by the rotation speed of the auger 51.

On the other hand, the amount of the developer t to be secondarily charged is determined by the performance of a vibration device provided at the lower part of the transport path 100. In transmitting the vibration from the vibrating device to the developer supply container X almost 100%, the vibration transmission performance of the developer-filling transport pallet A according to the present invention is an important factor.

Transport pallet A for filling developer according to the present invention
Is as light and thin as possible as described above, and it is possible to transmit the vibration to the developer supply container X with minimum attenuation, so that the distance L of the powder level reduction in the developer supply container X is It is possible to maximize the size within a certain time. Therefore, the secondary filling amount can be increased by the amount L of the powder surface, and high-density filling of the developer t becomes possible.

<Second Embodiment> Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described.

The transport pallet B for filling a developer according to this embodiment is made of the same material as that of the first embodiment in the same shape.

In this embodiment, as in the first embodiment, the developer t whose discharge speed is regulated by the hopper 20 is discharged through the funnel 70 into the developer supply container X, and is primarily charged.

As described above, after the primary charging of the developer is completed, the developer supply container X is temporarily stored on the diaphragm 200 as shown in FIG. 48, and is subjected to vibration.

[0285] A vibration device is attached to the lower portion of the vibration plate 200. The driving method of the vibration device is as follows.
As in the embodiment, there are an air cylinder vibration method and an electromagnetic vibration method. The electromagnetic vibration method can control vibration more precisely.

Next, the decrease in the powder level of the developer t in the developer supply container X will be described.

As in the first embodiment, the powder surface of the developer t is at the position a in FIG. 47 immediately after the primary filling, but the developer supply container X is temporarily stored on the diaphragm 200. As a result, the vibration from the vibration device causes the developer pallet B
Is transmitted to the developer supply container X through the When the developer supply container X is subjected to vibration, a
The powder surface of the developer t at the position of (b) drops to the position of b (see FIG. 47). By increasing the distance L between the powder surfaces a and b as much as possible, the amount of the developer t that can be filled secondarily is determined.

The transport pallet B for filling a developer according to the present embodiment is lightweight and thin similarly to the first embodiment, and can transmit vibrations to the developer supply container X as it is with almost no attenuation. High-density filling of the developer t becomes possible.

Further, since a protective layer is formed on the transport pallet B, the holding surface of the developer supply container X is hardly damaged, and since the protective layer has a thickness of 1 mm or less, almost no vibration occurs. Does not decay.

<Comparative Example 1> Next, a first comparative example with the present invention will be described.

A transfer pallet C for charging a developer having the same shape and size as in the first embodiment and having the following conventional structure was manufactured.

The bottom plate 11 is formed by sticking a polyacetal resin plate on a metal plate, and the horizontal holding block 10 is similarly formed of a polyacetal resin.

The developer supply container X is filled with the same amount of the developer t at the same speed as in the embodiment using the developer pallet C prepared as described above. At this point, it was confirmed that the powder surface in the developer supply container X was at the position a in FIG.

Next, in order to perform the second filling of the developer t,
The developer supply container X was transported on the transport path 100 used in the first embodiment while applying the same vibration (see FIG. 46).

[0295] Immediately after the conveyance, the decrease in the powder level in the developer supply container X was measured. As a result, it did not decrease to the position b in FIG. 47. Therefore, the secondary filling amount of the developer t It was confirmed that the number was smaller than when the transport pallet A for filling was used. Furthermore, the distance L of the powder surface reduction when the developer charging conveyance pallet A according to the present invention and the pallet C according to the present comparative example were used while changing the vibration time was measured and graphed. FIG. 49 shows the result.

As can be seen from FIG. 49, the developer pallet C according to the present comparative example has a lower powder level than the pallet A according to the present invention. The result that L was inferior was confirmed. That is, it became clear that the developer pallet C according to this comparative example was inferior to the present invention in the amount of developer that could be filled in a given time.

<Comparative Example 2> Next, a second comparative example with the present invention will be described.

A transfer pallet D for charging a developer having the same shape and size as in the second embodiment and having the following conventional structure is manufactured.

The bottom plate 11 is formed by sticking a polyacetal resin plate on a metal plate, and the horizontal holding block 10 is similarly formed of polyacetal resin.

Using the developer pallet D prepared as described above, the developer supply container X is filled with the same amount of developer t at the same speed as in the embodiment. At this point, it was confirmed that the powder surface in the developer supply container X was at the position a in FIG.

Next, in order to perform secondary filling of the developer t,
The developer supply container X was transported on the transport path 200 used in the first embodiment while applying the same vibration (see FIG. 48).

Immediately after the transfer, the decrease in the powder level in the developer supply container X was measured. As a result, it did not decrease to the position b in FIG. 47. Therefore, the secondary filling amount was the developer-filled transfer pallet according to the present invention. It was confirmed that the number was smaller than when B was used. Further, the distance L of the powder surface reduction when the developer pallet B according to the present invention and the transport pallet D according to the present comparative example were used while changing the vibration time was measured and graphed. The result is shown in FIG.

As is apparent from FIG. 50, the developer pallet D according to this comparative example has a lower powder level than the pallet B according to the present invention. The result that L was inferior was confirmed. That is, it became clear that the developer filling transport pallet D according to this comparative example was inferior to the present invention in the developer filling amount that can be filled within a certain period of time.

<Comparative Example 3> Next, a third comparative example of the present invention will be described.

A transfer pallet E for filling a developer is made of aluminum alone with the same shape and size as in the first embodiment.

The developer supply container X is charged with the same amount of the developer t at the same speed as in the first embodiment by using the developer pallet E prepared as described above. This was conveyed while giving the same vibration to the supply container X as in the first embodiment.

After the transportation, the powder level reduction L of the developer t for a certain period of time was almost the same as in the first embodiment.

After the filling was completed, the developer supply container X was removed from the transport pallet E, and its appearance was examined.
It was confirmed that countless fine scratches were caused on the surface by rubbing with the transport pallet E, making it impossible to ship the product.

<Comparative Example 4> Next, a fourth comparative example with the present invention will be described.

A transport pallet F for filling a developer is made of aluminum alone with the same shape and size as in the second embodiment.

The developer supply container X is charged with the same amount of the developer t at the same speed as that of the second embodiment by using the developer pallet F prepared as described above. This was conveyed while giving the same vibration to the supply container X as in the second embodiment.

After the transport, the reduction L of the powder level of the developer t for a certain period of time was almost the same as in the second embodiment.

After the filling was completed, the developer supply container X was removed from the transport pallet F, and its appearance was examined.
It was confirmed that countless fine scratches were caused on the surface by rubbing with the transport pallet F, and it was impossible to ship the product.

[0314]

As is apparent from the above description, according to the first aspect, not only the vibration applied to the developer supply container is hardly attenuated, but also the self-excited vibration of the container is applied.
It is possible to secure a predetermined amount of the developer to be filled next or third. As a result, the developer can be filled at a higher density, the number of developer supply containers to be used can be reduced, and waste can be further reduced. Also, the copy cost per sheet can be reduced, and the vibration is effectively transmitted to the developer supply container, so that the conventional vibration time can be greatly reduced, and the charging cost can be reduced.

According to the second invention, in addition to the effect obtained by the first invention, an effect is obtained that the developer supply container is hardly damaged by the action of the protective layer formed on the vibration frame. In this case, if the thickness of the protective layer is 1 mm or less, the vibration from the vibration device is transmitted to the developer supply container without being attenuated by the vibration frame.

According to the third aspect, in addition to the effects obtained by the first aspect, the vibration amplifying action of the metal spring allows
In particular, when a large number of large-capacity developer supply containers are filled with the developer at one time, or when the capacity of the vibration generator is small, the effect of efficiently filling the developer with high density can be obtained.

According to the fourth aspect, since a gap is provided between the transport pallet and the developer supply container after the primary filling of the developer, the self-excited oscillation of the developer supply container is promoted, and the developer is supplied via the transport pallet. In addition to compensating for the attenuation of the vibration amplitude due to the above, the vibration amplitude is increased, and the amount of the secondary or tertiary filled developer can be increased, and the vibration time can be greatly reduced. It is possible to reduce the filling cost. According to the fourth invention,
Since no gap is provided between the transport pallet and the developer supply container before the primary filling, the filling port of the developer supply container is securely fixed to the discharge port of the developer filling device during the primary filling. Filling can be performed, and the developer can be prevented from scattering around at the time of filling.

According to the fifth aspect, since the protective layer is formed on the surface of the transport pallet for holding the developer supply container,
In addition to the effects obtained by the present invention, the effect that the holding surface of the developer supply container is not easily damaged can be obtained.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a vibration frame for filling a developer according to a first embodiment of the first invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a method of assembling a frame and a horizontal frame of a vibration frame.

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a vibration state of a developer supply container on a diaphragm and each frame according to the first embodiment of the first invention.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of an electromagnetic vibration device.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view illustrating a state in which a developer is discharged from a hopper to a developer supply container.

FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a decrease in powder level of a developer in a developer supply container.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a vibration frame for filling a developer according to a second embodiment of the first invention.

FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating a vibration state of a developer supply container on a diaphragm and each frame according to a second embodiment of the first invention.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a developer filling pallet and a developer supply container according to a comparative example with the first invention.

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a decrease in the powder level of a developer in a developer supply container in the first embodiment of the first invention and a comparative example.

FIG. 11 is a perspective view of a vibration frame for filling a developer according to the first embodiment of the second invention.

FIG. 12 is a perspective view showing a method of assembling the frame and the horizontal frame of the vibration frame.

FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating a vibration state of a developer supply container on a diaphragm and each frame according to the first embodiment of the second invention.

FIG. 14 is a perspective view of an electromagnetic vibration device.

FIG. 15 is a perspective view showing a state in which a developer is discharged from a hopper to a developer supply container.

FIG. 16 is a diagram illustrating a decrease in powder level of a developer in a developer supply container.

FIG. 17 is a perspective view of a vibration frame for filling a developer according to a second embodiment of the second invention.

FIG. 18 is a diagram illustrating a vibration state of a developer supply container on a diaphragm and each frame according to a second embodiment of the second invention.

FIG. 19 is a perspective view of a developer filling pallet and a developer supply container according to a comparative example with the second invention.

FIG. 20 is a diagram illustrating a decrease in the powder level of a developer in a developer supply container according to the first embodiment of the second invention and a comparative example.

FIG. 21 is a perspective view of a vibration frame for filling a developer according to the first embodiment of the third invention.

FIG. 22 is a perspective view showing a method of assembling the frame and the horizontal frame of the vibration frame.

FIG. 23 is a diagram illustrating a vibration state of a developer supply container on a diaphragm and each frame according to the first embodiment of the third invention.

FIG. 24 is a perspective view of an electromagnetic vibration device.

FIG. 25 is a perspective view showing a state in which a developer is discharged from a hopper to a developer supply container.

FIG. 26 is a diagram illustrating a decrease in the powder level of the developer in the developer supply container.

FIG. 27 is a perspective view of a developer-filling vibration frame according to a second embodiment of the third invention.

FIG. 28 is a diagram illustrating a vibration state of a developer supply container on a diaphragm and each frame according to a second embodiment of the third invention.

FIG. 29 is a perspective view of a developer filling pallet and a developer supply container according to a comparative example with the third invention.

FIG. 30 is a view showing a decrease in the powder level of the developer in the developer supply container in the first embodiment of the third invention and Comparative Example 1.

FIG. 31 is a diagram illustrating a vibration state of a developer supply container on a diaphragm and each frame in a comparative example with the third invention.

FIG. 32 is a view showing a decrease in the powder level of the developer in the developer supply container in the first embodiment of the third invention and Comparative Example 2.

FIG. 33 is a perspective view of a transport pallet for filling a developer according to the first embodiment of the fourth invention.

FIG. 34 is a view showing a movable state of a horizontal pressing block of the developer-filling transport pallet according to the first embodiment of the fourth invention.

FIG. 35 is a view showing a groove of a bottom plate of the developer-filling transport pallet according to the first embodiment of the fourth invention.

FIG. 36 is a view showing an end of a horizontal holding block of a developer-filling transport pallet according to the first embodiment of the fourth invention.

FIG. 37 is a view showing a transport path of a developer-filling transport pallet according to the first embodiment of the fourth invention.

FIG. 38 is a perspective view showing a state in which the developer is discharged from a hopper to a developer supply container.

FIG. 39 is a diagram illustrating a decrease in the powder level of the developer in the developer supply container.

FIG. 40 is a diagram showing a correlation between the vibration amplitude and a decrease in the powder level of the developer in the developer supply container.

FIG. 41 is a perspective view of a transport pallet for filling a developer according to a third embodiment of the fourth invention.

FIG. 42 is a side view of a transport pallet for filling a developer according to a fourth embodiment of the fourth invention.

FIG. 43 is a diagram showing a decrease in the powder level of the developer in the developer supply container in the first embodiment of the fourth invention and Comparative Example 1.

FIG. 44 is a perspective view of a transport pallet for filling a developer according to the first embodiment of the fifth invention.

FIG. 45 is a perspective view showing a state in which the developer is discharged from a hopper to a developer supply container.

FIG. 46 is a view showing a transport path of a developer-filling transport pallet according to the first embodiment of the fifth invention.

FIG. 47 is a diagram showing a decrease in the powder level of the developer in the developer supply container.

FIG. 48 is a perspective view showing a developer-filling transfer pallet and a diaphragm according to the first embodiment of the fifth invention.

FIG. 49 is a diagram showing a decrease in the powder level of the developer in the developer supply container in the first embodiment of the fifth invention and Comparative Example 1.

FIG. 50 is a view showing a decrease in the powder level of the developer in the developer supply container in the second embodiment of the fifth invention and Comparative Example 2.

[Explanation of symbols]

A, B, C Vibration frame for loading developer, transport pallet D, E Transport pallet for loading developer P Developer supply container X Developer supply container Y Electromagnetic vibration device (vibration device for developer charging)

Continuation of front page (56) References JP-A-4-87901 (JP, A) JP-A-4-57702 (JP, A) JP-A-58-216503 (JP, A) JP-A-4-209121 (JP) , A) Hikaru Hei 3-78707 (JP, U) (58) Fields investigated (Int. Cl. ⁷ , DB name) G03G 13/08-13/095 G03G 15/08-15/095 B65G 1/00 -3/36

Claims (2)

(57) [Claims] After the developer is firstly charged into a developer supply container, the developer supply container is vibrated by a developer charging vibrator to lower the powder level of the developer, and the secondary supply of the developer is performed. a holds the current image agent supply container to perform, is composed of light metal, metal to positions in contact with the vibration part
A vibrating frame for filling a developer, comprising a spring . 2. A developer-filling transfer pallet for firstly filling a developer supply container with a developer and then transferring the developer while applying vibration to the developer supply container. Is provided with a gap between the developer supply container and the developer supply container after the first filling, thereby increasing the vibration amplitude of the developer supply container. Transport pallets.