JP4095386B2 - Developer container and image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a developer container for storing and supplying a developer, and an image forming apparatus using the developer container.
[0002]
[Prior art]
An electrophotographic image forming apparatus such as an electrophotographic copying machine or a laser beam printer selectively exposes a uniformly charged photosensitive drum. Then, an electrostatic latent image is formed. Then, the electrostatic latent image is developed with toner to form a toner image. Thereafter, the toner must be supplied every time the toner runs out. Here, the developer container for replenishing the developer to the image forming apparatus is a so-called batch replenishment type container that replenishes the developer stored in the developer receiving container of the image forming apparatus main body all at once, and the image forming apparatus main body. After mounting the container, the container is roughly classified into a so-called stationary container. Here, the stationary container gradually replenishes the developing device with the developer until the developer is used up.
[0003]
In recent years, there has been a tendency that a stationary toner supply container is used in order to reduce the size of the image forming apparatus. Further, an opening / closing member for sealing the discharge opening is provided in order to prevent the toner remaining in the container from scattering from the discharge opening when the toner supply container is replaced.
[0004]
As an example of a method for opening and closing the opening and closing member, a rotating member is rotatably fitted to a container body of a developer container, and the rotational driving force of the rotating member is transmitted to the original image via the drive transmission member of the image forming apparatus body. A method has been proposed in which an opening and closing member that opens and closes the opening of the agent is transmitted and opened.
[0005]
When the rotating member is fitted to the container body of the developer container and the opening / closing member that opens and closes the developer discharge opening is driven from the rotating member via the drive transmission member of the image forming apparatus body, the developer container forms an image. In a state where the rotating member is mounted on the apparatus main body, the rotation-related position of the rotating member and the opening / closing member is restricted. When the developer container is taken out from the main body of the image forming apparatus, the rotation member can be freely rotated by releasing the restriction with the opening / closing member. However, the gear portion provided on the rotating member is not provided with teeth on the entire circumference in order to save space, and is a segment (bow-shaped) gear.
[0006]
Therefore, the gear portion of the rotating member is engaged with the gear of the drive transmission member of the image forming apparatus main body, and the opening / closing member is opened and sealed by the rotation of the rotating material in a limited range. The positional relationship with the gear provided in the forming apparatus main body must be regulated.
[0007]
Therefore, a lock means for preventing the rotation of the rotating member other than when the toner is replenished is essential, but in the developer container having a knob that is the rotating member, the lock means for rotating the knob except when the developer is replenished. JP-A-2000-275944 has proposed a developer container having the above, an electrophotographic image forming apparatus capable of releasing the lock means when the developer container is mounted, and a lock member constituting the lock means. Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 9-281784 proposes a configuration in which the shutter is unlocked by a lock releasing means provided in the main body of the image forming apparatus.
[0008]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, the conventional example has the following problems. In the case of the developer container disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2000-275944, a ring-shaped lock member that can reciprocate in the container mounting direction is provided, and this is biased in the locking direction (mounting direction). The lock is unlocked by moving the ring-shaped lock member against the urging force in the unlocking direction by an operation of mounting the image on the image forming apparatus.
[0009]
In such a configuration, in addition to the developer container main body, the shutter as the opening / closing member, and the rotation member, the lock member exists as a separate member. There was a problem that became high. In the manufacturing process, it is rare that the lock member is forgotten to be assembled. For this reason, a process for inspecting the presence or absence of the lock member has been required.
[0010]
The ring-shaped lock member is configured so as to be housed in the rotating member, but it still requires a space including a portion that moves in the mounting direction, and the developer container, and thus the compactness of the image forming apparatus that mounts the developer container. It became an obstacle to chemistry.
[0011]
Further, in order to stably move the ring-shaped lock member, a plurality of lock release portions are provided in the circumferential direction of the rotating member so that the uneven load is reduced when the lock member relatively moves in the mounting direction. When only one lock release portion is provided, there is a problem that the lock member is inclined and cannot be moved.
[0012]
As described above, when a plurality of unlocking portions are provided, it is necessary to provide a plurality of engaging portions for inviting the unlocking portions on the image forming apparatus side. However, due to the downsizing of the image forming apparatus, it is becoming difficult to provide a plurality of engaging portions as described above, and this is particularly noticeable in a type in which a developer container is mounted on a rotary developing device.
[0013]
Further, in this configuration, since the lock member must be protruded from the developer container in order to engage with the image forming apparatus main body and the engaging portion, if the developer container is dropped, the lock member may be broken. There is a risk of damage.
[0014]
An object of the present invention is to provide a developer container that opens and closes the container shutter by transmitting the rotational driving force of the knob to the container shutter in some form, can be designed to be compact with a small number of parts, and is damaged when the distribution falls. It is an object of the present invention to provide a developer container provided with a lock means for a pile knob.
[0015]
Another object of the present invention is to provide a developer container that prevents the opening for replenishing the developer from being accidentally opened when the developer is not attached to or detached from the image forming apparatus. Is .
[0016]
A further object of the present invention is to have a simple configuration, and by simply inserting the developer container into the image forming apparatus, the above-described knob rotation lock and container shutter opening / closing lock can be performed without any special operation. And achieve a configuration that can be reliably released Is .
[0017]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to achieve the above object, a representative configuration of the present invention is a developer container body that is detachable from the image forming apparatus main body and stores developer in a developer container that replenishes the image forming apparatus with developer. An opening provided in the developer container main body for replenishing the stored developer, a knob rotatably attached to the developer container main body and having a drive transmission engaging portion, and opening and closing the opening A container shutter that freely seals and opens and closes the opening by receiving a rotational driving force from the knob, and the knob and the container shutter are engaged when not attached to the main body of the image forming apparatus. As a result, the knob is locked so as not to rotate, and the container shutter opens and closes the opening in accordance with the mounting operation when the knob is mounted on the image forming apparatus main body. First Different from direction Second By sliding in the direction, the engagement relationship is released and the knob can be rotated. Thus, when the knob is rotated in a direction to close the container shutter, the projection of the knob moves along the slope of the inclined projection provided separately from the projection on the container shutter, so that the shutter is By sliding in the opposite direction, the knob rotation and container shutter opening / closing are locked again at the same time. And features.
[0018]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
First, an embodiment of a developer container of the present invention and an image forming apparatus using the developer container will be specifically described. First, an outline of the image forming apparatus will be described using the copying machine shown in FIG.
[0019]
As shown in FIG. 1, the image forming apparatus 200 transmits information of a document placed on the document reading unit 206 to the image forming unit, and is transferred from a feeding cassette 211 or a manual feed tray 212 of each size. An image is formed on S. In the image forming unit, first, an electrostatic latent image is formed on the photosensitive drum 213 by the exposure unit 208. Next, when a developer is supplied to the electrostatic latent image on the photosensitive drum 213 from the rotary developing device 201 or the developing means 202, a toner image is formed on the photosensitive drum 213. The toner image is transferred to the intermediate transfer belt 217 and then transferred to the transfer material S supplied from the feeding cassette 211 or the manual feed tray 212. Thereafter, the transfer material onto which the toner image has been transferred is pressed and heated by the fixing device 204, whereby the toner image is fixed on the sheet, and the sheet is discharged out of the image forming apparatus by the discharge unit 205.
[0020]
The situation when the developer container 1 of the present invention is operated in the rotary developing device (rotary developing device) 201 will be described with reference to FIG. The configuration and operation of the rotary developing device 201 will be described with reference to FIG. The interior of the rotary developing device shown in FIG. 1 is divided into three parts, each having a developer unit 215 (215a, 215b, 215c) of three colors of yellow Y, magenta M, and cyan C, and a developer container corresponding to each. 1 is housed.
[0021]
The rotary developing device 201 rotates 120 degrees counterclockwise in the drawing, and the developing device 215 facing the photosensitive drum 213 is replaced. In this embodiment, the photosensitive drum 213 is opposed to the photosensitive drum 213 at a position 215a. This position is called a developing station. The developer conveying member and the developing sleeve of the developing unit 215 are rotated by driving transmission to the image forming apparatus main body only when the developer conveying member and the developing sleeve are at the position of the developing station 215a. The developing units 215 (215b and 215c) located at positions other than the developing station 215a do not operate.
[0022]
The developer container 1 may be attached / detached at any of these three positions, but a position other than the developing unit 215a at the developing station is preferable, and in particular, the developing unit 215c with the developer discharge opening facing upwards. Most preferably it is done in position. In this embodiment, the attachment / detachment was performed at the position 215c. Note that, when the image forming of two sheets at A4 or one sheet at A3 is performed, the rotary developing device rotates by 120 degrees to rotate the developing device and replace the developing device 215.
[0023]
( Reference example )
The developer container of the present invention Reference example Will be specifically described with reference to the drawings. Figure 2 Reference example FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the developer container, and FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the container body. As shown in FIG. 3, the developer container 1 has a substantially triangular prism shape.
[0024]
In FIG. 2, reference numeral 1 denotes a developer container main body (hereinafter referred to as a container main body) that stores a developer, 2 denotes a knob, 3 denotes a container shutter, and 4 denotes a packing material. The container main body 1 that is the main body of the developer container is formed in a hollow and cylindrical shape, and the shape of the cross section of the developer container is not limited, but the space for accommodating the developer container of the image forming apparatus is efficiently accommodated. It is preferable that the shape be usable. The container body 1 has an opening 1 a for discharging the developer on the peripheral surface at one end in the axial direction, and the opening 1 a is hermetically sealed by a container shutter 3 and a packing material 4. Book Reference example Then, the shape of the opening is a rectangle.
[0025]
As shown in FIG. 2B, guide rails 1b and 1c are provided in the circumferential direction on the outer wall of the container body, and the container shutter 3 is configured to be slidable along the guide rails 1b and 1c. Yes. Further, in front of the end portion of the container main body 1, there is a knob mounting guide portion 1d having a substantially cylindrical shape for freely mounting the knob. The knob mounting guide portion 1d has a knob 2 and an engaging portion, and the knob 2 is rotatable along the circular peripheral wall surface of the knob mounting guide portion 1d.
[0026]
The container body 1 can be manufactured by a method such as injection molding, blow molding, injection blow molding or the like. As shown in FIG. 3, the container body 1 is divided into an upper member 1e and a lower member 1f, each of which is produced with impact-resistant polystyrene by injection molding, and these are adhered by ultrasonic welding. Although the storage portion is formed, other materials and manufacturing methods may be used. Also book Reference example In this case, the developer storage portion is divided into two parts, but it may be divided and integrated into more parts, or may be formed integrally from the beginning by blow molding.
[0027]
Inside the container main body 1, there is a developer transport means for transporting the stored developer toward the opening 1 a. As this developer conveying means, for example, a rotation conveying member comprising a rotating shaft and flexible wings, or a spiral projection on the inner wall of the container main body is provided, and the developer is conveyed by rotation of the developer container. Conventional known means can be used, but the present invention can be applied to any means.
[0028]
[Knob 2]
As shown in FIG. 4, a knob 2 as a rotating member is freely attached to the side end of the container body 1 so as to be rotatable. The knob 2 has a disk-like flange portion 2a, and has a handle portion 6 that projects from the flange portion to the front side in the insertion direction in the image forming apparatus. The grip portion 6 is rotated by the user while holding this portion by hand and rotating the knob while attaching and detaching the developer container main body 1.
[0029]
On the outer periphery of the flange portion 2a, there is provided an arcuate segment gear 2b having a gear only partially on the circumference as a drive transmission engagement portion. Further, the flange portion 2a has a side end portion of the container body. A cylindrical guide portion 2c is provided for engaging with and rotating the knob mounting guide portion 1d provided on the front side. Further, a claw portion 2d for engaging with the cylindrical guide portion 2c of the developer container is provided, and is engaged rotatably along the peripheral wall surface of the cylindrical guide portion in the circumferential direction. On the peripheral surface of the cylindrical guide portion 2c of the knob 2, a protrusion 2e is engaged with the container shutter 3 before the developer container is mounted on the image forming apparatus to lock the rotation direction of the knob, and the projection 2e is formed on the cylindrical guide portion. It is provided on the peripheral surface of 2c.
[0030]
[Container shutter 3]
As shown in FIG. 5, the container shutter 3 has a flat plate shape along the outer peripheral surface of the container body 1 and has U-shaped rail portions 3 a and 3 b at both end edges. Then, the developer container provided near the opening 1a of the container body 1 is engaged with two guide rails 1b and 1c parallel to the circumferential direction of the container in a direction orthogonal to the direction in which the developer container is inserted into the image forming apparatus. The container body 1 is reciprocally attached in the circumferential direction. Further, it has a receiving portion gear 3c for receiving drive transmission from the image forming apparatus.
[0031]
An L-shaped protrusion that engages with the protrusion 2e of the knob 2 and locks the knob so that the knob cannot be rotated before the developer container is mounted on the image forming apparatus. 3d is provided. When the protrusion 2e provided on the knob 2 and the L-shaped protrusion 3d of the container shutter are engaged with each other in the rotation direction of the knob 2, the knob is locked so as not to rotate. The container shutter 3 serving as a sealing member for the opening 1a is preferably manufactured by injection molding of plastic, but other materials and manufacturing methods may be used. The material of the container shutter is preferably a material having rigidity and friction properties. Reference example Then, ABS resin was used.
[0032]
[Packing material 4]
As shown in FIG. 2, a packing material 4 is installed between the container shutter 3 and the container main body 1 so as to surround the opening 1 a of the container main body, and the opening is obtained by compressing the packing material 4 with the shutter 3. Seal 1a. For the packing material 4, various conventionally known foams and elastic bodies can be appropriately used. Reference example Then, polyurethane foam was used.
[0033]
[Mounting to image forming device]
A situation where the developer container main body 1 is attached to and detached from the image forming apparatus will be described. First, mounting of the developer container 1 will be described. FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a container guide member 7 for attaching and detaching a developer container which is a part of the image forming apparatus main body. FIG. 7 shows a detailed view of inserting the developer container.
[0034]
As shown in FIG. 7 (a), the user has the handle 6 of the knob 2 of the developer container, the guide container 7d of the container guide member 7 of the rotary type developing device with the knob on the front side of the apparatus. Then, insert it in the direction shown in the figure. On the main body side, there is a main body side gear 7b. The rotational driving force of the knob 2 is transmitted to the gear of the container shutter 3 through the main body side gear 7b, and the container shutter 3 slides in the opening / closing direction of the opening by the driving force to open and close.
[0035]
The main body side gear 7b is a stepped gear as shown in FIG. First, when the developer container is inserted in the direction shown in FIG. 7A, the gear 3c of the container shutter 3 is engaged with the downstream gear (drive receiving portion) 7ba on the downstream side in the container insertion direction, and further inserted. The segment gear 2b of the knob engages with the upstream gear 7bb on the upstream side in the container insertion direction.
[0036]
Next, as shown in FIG. 7B, when the user rotates the handle portion 6 of the knob 2 90 degrees clockwise, the rotational driving force of the knob 2 causes the segment side gear 7 b of the knob 2 to move the main body side gear 7 b. To the container shutter gear 3c. When the container shutter gear 3c is driven, the container shutter 3 slides in the circumferential direction of the developer container to open and close the opening 1a. Further, when the developer container is inserted, the container shutter 3 and the main body side shutter 7a are engaged. The main body side shutter 7a slides in the opening direction of the opening in conjunction with the container shutter 3 of the developer container, and the opening 1a of the developer container and the opening 7c of the main body shutter are simultaneously opened.
[0037]
Next, desorption of the developer container will be described. First, the user rotates the handle portion 6 of the knob 90 degrees counterclockwise. As a result, a driving force in the opposite direction to the above is transmitted, and the container shutter 3 and the main body side shutter 7a are slid in the reverse direction in conjunction with each other, so that the developer container opening 1a and the main body side shutter opening 7c are simultaneously opened. Closed. The user pulls out the developer container from the rotary developing device with the handle portion 6 of the knob.
[0038]
[Opening and closing operation of container shutter 3]
Next, the opening / closing operation of the container shutter will be described in detail with reference to FIG. FIG. 8 is a view for explaining the guide rail of the container body 1 and the rail member of the shutter that engages with the guide rail. 8 is a cross-sectional view in the vicinity of the opening 1a of the container body 1, and the lower view in FIG. 8 is an XX cross-sectional view in the upper view. The container shutter 3 is shown in cross section.
[0039]
Guide rails 1b and 1c are provided in the circumferential direction on the outer wall of the developer container, and 1b has a key-shaped cross section. Moreover, the rail part 3a of the container shutter 3 has a key-shaped cross section, and is engaged so as to embrace the guide rails 1b and 1c of the container body. Between the side end 1ca of the guide rail 1c of the container main body and the side end base portion 3bb of the rail portion 3b of the container shutter so that the container shutter 3 can move to the left knob side in FIG. There is a gap. In this state, the side end 1ba of the other guide rail 1b is in contact with the base 3ab of the rail portion 3a. Further, the base 1bb of the guide rail 1b and the side end 3aa of the rail portion 3a have steps (stopper portions) 1bc and 3ac as shown in FIG. The size λ of the steps 1bc and 3ac is equal to the gap σ described above.
[0040]
Next, the opening operation of the container shutter 3 will be described in detail with reference to FIG. Here, the container shutter 3 is configured to be slidable in two directions, ie, a direction (first direction) for opening and closing the opening 1a and a direction different from the direction (second direction), and slides in the second direction. Otherwise, the structure cannot slide in the first direction. The second direction is substantially parallel to the mounting direction of the developer container, and the first direction is a direction substantially orthogonal to the second direction. The slide movement timing in the second direction slides when the developer container is inserted into the image forming apparatus.
[0041]
FIG. 9A shows a state where the container shutter 3 is closed, that is, a state where the developer container is not attached to the image forming apparatus main body. FIG. 9B shows a state where the second slide is completed, that is, a state where the developer container is completely mounted at a predetermined position of the image forming apparatus main body, and FIG. It shows the state.
[0042]
In the state where the container shutter 3 is closed as shown in FIG. 9A, the step 1bc provided on the guide rail 1b and the step 3ac provided on the rail 3a of the container shutter are engaged with each other. The shutter 3 does not move even if it is moved in the direction (locked state).
[0043]
However, when the container shutter 3 slides in the second direction by the distance σ (= λ), the side end 1ca of the guide rail 1c of the container body and the side end base portion 3bb of the container shutter rail 3b are in contact with each other and the step 1ba The engagement with the step 3ac is released (unlocked), and the container shutter 3 is allowed to slide in the first direction. When the container shutter 3 is slid in the first direction, the opening is opened, and the state shown in FIG. 9C is reached.
[0044]
In the above description, for convenience, it has been described that the container shutter 3 is moved in two different directions on the outer wall of the container body 1 with respect to the fixed container body 1 to perform the opening operation. When the container is mounted, the container body 1 may move relative to the fixed container shutter 3. This will be described with reference to FIG.
[0045]
FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view in which the developer container moves in the longitudinal direction, which is the second sliding direction, with respect to the container shutter 3 in the longitudinal direction. In FIG. 10, a convex stopper 8 is provided on the inner peripheral surface of a main body container guide member 7 that guides the developer container 1.
[0046]
When the developer container 1 is inserted into the container guide portion (see FIG. 10A), the side end surface (contact portion) 3f of the container shutter 3 comes into contact with the stopper 8 when it comes to a predetermined position. (See FIG. 10B). When the developer container 1 is further pushed in from here, the container shutter 3 remains fixed at the position in contact with the stopper 8 and only the container main body 1 relatively moves in the second sliding direction. (See FIG. 10 (c)). This state corresponds to the same state as shown in FIG. 9B, and the engagement between the step 1bc and the step 3ac is released, and the movement in the first sliding direction is allowed. And if the container main body 1 slides relatively in a 1st direction, it will be in a state as shown in FIG.10 (d).
[0047]
As described above, when the developer container 1 is handled alone, the container shutter 3 cannot be slid in the first direction unless the container shutter 3 is slid in the second direction. It is possible to prevent an accident that the developer contained in the container leaks and contaminates the surroundings.
[0048]
[Lock mechanism]
Since the knob 2 has only a partial gear, the rotation angle of the knob must be in a predetermined position at the time when the segment gear 2b of the knob is engaged with the main body side gear 7b in the mounting / detaching operation. . In order to ensure this, a lock means is required to lock the knob 2 so that it cannot be rotated before mounting the developer container 1 and to unlock the knob 2 after mounting so that the knob can be rotated.
[0049]
A detailed configuration of the locking means will be described with reference to FIG. There is a protrusion 2e on the circumferential surface of the cylindrical guide portion 2c of the knob. Further, a protrusion for locking the rotation of the knob by engaging the protrusion 2e of the knob 2 at the end of the container shutter 3 on the near side in the container insertion direction before the developer container is mounted on the main body. 3d is provided.
[0050]
Before the developer container is mounted on the main body of the image forming apparatus, as shown in FIG. 11A, these protrusions are engaged in the rotation direction of the knob, so that the knob is locked so as not to rotate. Yes. At this time, since the container shutter 3 is in a position where it is restricted from sliding in the first direction, the opening and closing of the opening of the container shutter 3 is simultaneously locked. It is desirable that the knob 2 is restricted with respect to the container body 1 so that it can only rotate by an angle corresponding to the segment gear 2b even after unlocking. This can be achieved by providing some engagement portion on the cylindrical guide portion 2c or claw portion 2d of the knob 2 and engaging with the knob mounting guide portion 1d of the container body in the rotation direction.
[0051]
When the developer container is mounted on the image forming apparatus, as described above, the container shutter 3 comes into contact with the image forming apparatus and slides toward the insertion direction (second direction). Then, as shown in FIG. 10B, the engagement between the L-shaped projection 3d of the container shutter 3 and the projection 2e of the knob is disengaged, so that the knob rotation is unlocked. At the same time, the container shutter is unlocked from sliding movement in the first direction. That is, the unlocking direction of the opening of the container shutter 3 is also released. Thereafter, the container shutter 3 is opened only by the user turning the knob in the clockwise direction, and the mounting is completed with a simple operation.
[0052]
Also book Reference example Is a configuration in which the knob 2 and the container shutter 3 are engaged by abutment between the protrusion 2e and the L-shaped projection 3d, but if the knob and the shutter are engaged in the rotation direction of the knob, It does not need to be limited to the protrusion. For example, it may be a groove and a protrusion, or a structure in which a protrusion is provided on either the container shutter or the knob.
[0053]
Like this Reference example In this case, the rotation of the knob 2 can be reliably locked even without the lock member. Further, since the lock mechanism does not need to protrude from the developer container and the image forming apparatus does not need to be provided with a mechanism for releasing the lock, the lock mechanism can be achieved without taking up space. Furthermore, the user can mount the developer container on the main body, and the shutter and knob can be automatically unlocked without any special operation. Furthermore, since the unlocking is performed only by moving the container shutter in the insertion direction, the operation force for unlocking is very small, and the locking mechanism works reliably. Furthermore, the book Reference example In this case, since the locking is performed only by the engagement relationship of the protrusions, for example, the locking member is not deformed like the biasing of the resin spring, so that even if the container is reused repeatedly, the locking mechanism is broken due to whitening or creep phenomenon. There is no fear of it.
[0054]
( First Embodiment)
Of the present invention First The embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. In FIG. First An embodiment will be described. First The embodiment is Reference example The projection 3 for locking the rotation of the knob 2 with respect to the container shutter 3 d Separately from this, by providing the inclined protrusion 3e, when the developer container is pulled out from the image forming apparatus, it is possible to lock the opening / closing of the container shutter and the rotation of the knob again. FIG. First It is a perspective view of the shutter of an embodiment. Members using the same reference numerals as those described above, and other configurations not specifically shown above Reference example The configuration is the same as that.
[0055]
[Container shutter 3]
The container shutter 3 has a flat plate shape along the outer peripheral surface of the container body 1 and has U-shaped rail sections 3a and 3b at both ends. The container main body 1 is engaged with two guide rails 1b and 1c provided in the vicinity of the opening 1a of the container main body 1 and parallel to the direction perpendicular to the direction in which the container is inserted into the image forming apparatus along the peripheral surface of the container main body 1. 1 is reciprocally attached in the circumferential direction. Further, it has a receiving portion gear 3c for receiving drive transmission from the image forming apparatus. The end of the container shutter 3 on the near side in the container insertion direction is engaged with the protrusion 2e of the knob 2 to lock the rotation of the knob 2 before the developer container 1 is mounted on the image forming apparatus. A protrusion 3d is provided. In addition, an inclined protrusion 3e is separately provided on the downstream side in the shutter sealing direction with respect to the L-shaped protrusion 3d at the end on the L-shaped protrusion 3d side of the container shutter 3 in the insertion direction.
[0056]
[Re-lock mechanism]
First A mechanism to be re-locked in the embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. First, as described above, when the developer container 1 is detached, the user first holds the knob handle 6 and rotates 90 degrees counterclockwise. The container shutter 3 slides in the direction opposite to the opening direction of the opening 1a, and the opening 1a is closed. At this time, if the container rotates further slightly counterclockwise than the predetermined position before the knob is rotated when the container is inserted, the protrusion 2e of the knob becomes the inclined protrusion 3e of the container shutter 3 as shown in FIG. It moves along the slope 3ea.
[0057]
At that time, as shown in FIG. 13A, when the knob protrusion 2e moves on the inclined surface 3ea of the inclined protrusion 3e of the container shutter 3, the container shutter 3 contacts the stopper 8 of the container guide member 7 of the image forming apparatus. Since the contact is made and movement in the second sliding direction is restricted, the knob slides in the direction of arrow C in FIG. Naturally, since the claw portion 2d of the knob 2 and the knob mounting guide portion 1d of the container body 1 are in an engaging relationship, the container body 1 also slides in the C direction in conjunction with it.
[0058]
When the knob is further rotated, as shown in FIG. 10A, the base 3ab of the container shutter 3 comes into contact with the side end 1ba of the guide rail portion of the container body, and the rotation of the knob locks and opens and closes the shutter. At the same time, it is securely locked.
[0059]
In this embodiment, the container shutter 3 is fixed, and the knob 2 and the container main body 1 are re-locked by sliding in the C direction. Conversely, the knob 2 and the container main body 1 are fixed and the container shutter 3 is C It may be configured to be re-locked by sliding in the opposite direction. In this embodiment, at the time when the re-locking is completed (the state shown in FIG. 13B), the knob 2 is slightly more downstream than the predetermined angle before the developer container is inserted in the shutter closing direction. It will be spinning. At this time, the extra rotation angle is preferably 10 ° or less. If the angle is 10 ° or more, the shift is too large and the container shutter may not be able to be opened to the end.
[0060]
Further, according to the present invention, the rotational driving of the knob is transmitted to the gear 3c of the container shutter 3 through a plurality of gears, that is, the segment gear 2b of the knob 2, the main body side gear 7b of the image forming apparatus, and the gear 3c of the container shutter 3. Since the shutter is configured to open and close in response to the driving force, the moving distance of the shutter corresponding to the rotation angle of the knob is determined by the gear ratio.
[0061]
Accordingly, in FIG. 13B, the distance x between the L-shaped protrusion 3d of the container shutter 3 and the inclined protrusion 3e is a knob that rotates extra on the downstream side in the closing direction of the container shutter 3 for relocking. This corresponds to a rotation angle of 2. Therefore, the distance x from the L-shaped projection 3d of the container shutter 3 to the inclined projection 3e is preferably less than the distance of the shutter corresponding to the rotation angle of the knob 10 °. In FIG. 13B, the y-direction dimension of the inclined protrusion needs to be equal to or larger than the sliding amount of the shutter in the first direction, that is, λ in FIG. 9A. This is because re-locking is not performed reliably unless it is greater than λ.
[0062]
(Other embodiments)
In the embodiment described above, the container shutter 3 is provided with the inclined protrusion 3e as the re-locking mechanism. However, the invention is not limited to this, and a configuration in which the plate shutter or the coil spring strongly urges the locking position may be used. .
[0063]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, in the present invention, in the developer container that is detachable from the image forming apparatus main body and supplies the developer to the image forming apparatus, the developer container main body that stores the developer, and the developer stored therein An opening provided in the developer container main body, a knob rotatably attached to the developer container main body, a drive transmission engaging portion, and the opening being sealed openably and closably, A container shutter that opens and closes the opening by receiving a rotational driving force from the knob. When the knob is not attached to the main body of the image forming apparatus, the knob and the container shutter are engaged so that the knob rotates. The container shutter opens and closes the opening in accordance with the mounting operation when locked to the image forming apparatus main body. First Different from direction Second By sliding in the direction, the engagement relationship is released and the knob can be rotated. Thus, when the knob is rotated in a direction to close the container shutter, the projection of the knob moves along the slope of the inclined projection provided separately from the projection on the container shutter, so that the shutter is By sliding in the opposite direction, the knob rotation and container shutter opening / closing are locked again at the same time. And features.
[0064]
With the configuration described above, it is possible to provide a developer container having a knob locking means that can be designed compactly with a small number of parts and that is not easily damaged when the product is dropped. In addition, when the developer is not attached to or detached from the image forming apparatus, a developer container can be provided that prevents the opening for replenishing the developer from being accidentally opened. In addition, with the simple configuration, the above-described knob rotation lock and container shutter opening / closing lock can be released simultaneously and reliably without any special operation by simply inserting the developer container into the image forming apparatus. Configuration can be achieved.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a schematic explanatory diagram of an image forming apparatus.
FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of a developer container.
FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a developer container.
FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of a knob.
[Figure 5] Reference example It is explanatory drawing of this container shutter.
FIG. 6 is an explanatory view of a container guide member.
FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram when a developer container is incorporated in a container guide member.
FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram of an opening / closing operation of a container shutter.
FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram of an opening / closing operation of a container shutter.
FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram of an opening / closing operation of a container shutter.
FIG. 11 Reference example It is explanatory drawing of a locking mechanism.
FIG. First It is explanatory drawing of the container shutter of embodiment.
FIG. 13 First It is explanatory drawing of the locking mechanism of embodiment.
[Explanation of symbols]
σ ... gap, λ ... step size, S ... transfer material, 1 ... container body, 1a ... opening, 1b ... guide rail, 1bb ... root, 1bc ... step, 1c ... guide rail, 1ca ... side edge, 1d ... Guide part, 1e ... Upper member, 1f ... Lower member, 2 ... Knob, 2b ... Segment gear, 2c ... Cylindrical guide part, 2d ... Claw part, 2e ... Projection, 3 ... Container shutter, 3a ... Rail part, 3aa ... side end, 3ab ... root, 3ac ... step, 3b ... rail part, 3bb ... side end root part, 3c ... gear, 3d ... L-shaped projection, 3e ... inclined projection, 3ea ... slope, 3f ... side end face, 4 ... packing material, 6 ... handle part, 7 ... container guide member, 7a ... main body side shutter, 7b ... main body side gear, 7ba ... downstream gear, 7bb ... upstream gear, 7c ... opening, 7d ... guide rail, 8 ... Stopper 200 ... Image forming apparatus 201 ... Rotating type developing device, 202 ... developing means, 204 ... fixing device, 205 ... discharge means, 206 ... original reading section, 208 ... exposure means, 211 ... feed cassette, 212 ... manual tray, 213 ... photosensitive drum, 215 ... Developer, 217 ... Intermediate transfer belt

Claims (10)

In the developer container that is detachable from the image forming apparatus main body and replenishes the image forming apparatus with the developer,
A developer container main body for storing the developer;
An opening provided in the developer container main body to replenish the stored developer;
A knob that is rotatably attached to the developer container main body and has a drive transmission engaging portion, and a container shutter that opens and closes the opening by opening and closing the opening and receiving a rotational driving force from the knob. When,
Have
When the image forming apparatus main body is not mounted, the knob and the container shutter are engaged so that the knob is locked so as not to rotate,
At the time of mounting on the image forming apparatus main body, the engagement relationship is released by sliding the container shutter in a second direction different from the first direction for opening and closing the opening with the mounting operation, and the knob Ri but Do not rotatable,
When the knob is rotated in the closing direction of the container shutter, the protrusion of the knob moves along the slope of the inclined protrusion provided separately from the protrusion on the container shutter, so that the shutter is By sliding in the opposite direction, the rotation of the knob and the opening and closing of the container shutter are simultaneously locked again.
Developer container, wherein a crotch. When the front SL container shutter is in the position where the opening is closed, according to claim wherein the container shutter is characterized by being slide prohibited to the first direction before sliding in the second direction 1 The developer container according to 1. The developer container is provided with a first guide portion and the second guide portion which are opposed to each other in order to guide the container shutter in the first direction,
It said first guide portion is provided with a stopper portion for preventing the sliding said container shutter in the first direction in contact with the container shutter,
2. The container shutter according to claim 1, wherein the container shutter is slid in the second direction to be movable in the first direction when the contact by the stopper portion is released. The developer container according to 2.   4. The second direction according to claim 1, wherein the second direction is substantially parallel to an attaching / detaching direction of the developer container, and is substantially perpendicular to the first direction. Developer container. The container shutter has a drive receiving portion that receives a drive of a rotational driving force of the knob via a rotational driving force transmission member provided in the image forming apparatus,
The developer container according to claim 1, wherein the container shutter opens and closes the opening by being transmitted to the drive receiving portion. Said container shutter and the knob are provided integrally with the projections respectively, by each of said projections engages the knob rotational direction, claims 1 to, characterized by locking the knob so as not to rotate Item 6. The developer container according to Item 5. When the container shutter is moved to said second direction, said a projection provided on the container shutter, and the engagement between the projection provided respectively is released into the knob, the lock is released for rotation of said knob The developer container according to claim 1, wherein the developer container is a developer container. When mounting the developer container into the image forming apparatus, according to claim, characterized in that it comprises an abutment for the container shutter abuts against the image forming apparatus main body so as to slide in said second direction The developer container according to claim 1. The knob, the developer container according to any one of claims 1 to 8 users, characterized in that it comprises a handle portion to provide a rotational force. In an image forming apparatus having at least an image carrier and a developing unit that supplies the developer in the developer container main body to the image carrier.
An image forming apparatus, comprising a container guide member for mounting and demounting the developer container as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 9.

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