JP4256990B2 - Image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine or a printer.
[0002]
[Prior art]
In general, some image forming apparatuses such as copying machines and printers have an image forming cartridge in which a photosensitive member, a cleaning unit, a developing unit using a two-component developer in which toner and a carrier are mixed, and the like are stored as a unit. . In such an image forming cartridge, if the cartridge is formed with the developer in the developing means, the developer may leak when the cartridge is transported. For this reason, conventionally, the developer cartridge containing the developer is provided separately from the image forming cartridge.
[0003]
When the developer cartridge is provided separately from the image forming cartridge, it is necessary to secure a space for disposing the developer cartridge in the image forming apparatus, and there is space for the developing cartridge in the image forming apparatus. It gets bigger. For this reason, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-90989 discloses a toner collecting device (toner supply means) that collects toner remaining on the photoreceptor and conveys it to the developing device, and a toner replenishing device (toner) that supplies new toner to the developing device. Space is saved by arranging a developer cartridge in the middle of the toner transport path of the supply means and supplying the toner transported by the toner recovery device and the toner replenishing device together with the developer of the developer cartridge to the developing means. Yes.
[0004]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, in the above-described technique, in addition to the supply port, the toner cartridge from the toner recovery device and the toner replenishing device must be formed in the developer cartridge, and there are three portions to be sealed by the seal member. turn into. That is, a plurality of openings are formed, and accordingly, there is a high possibility that the developer leaks and the toner is scattered, and there is a problem that the sealing performance of the image forming cartridge is not sufficient.
[0005]
SUMMARY An advantage of some aspects of the invention is that it provides an image forming apparatus capable of improving the sealing performance of an image forming cartridge.
[0006]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
According to the first aspect of the present invention, there is provided an image carrier that carries an electrostatic latent image, a developing unit that supplies toner to the electrostatic latent image on the image carrier and develops it, and a residue that remains on the image carrier after transfer An image forming cartridge integrally including a cleaning means for removing toner, and a toner collecting means for collecting residual toner removed by the cleaning means and supplying the toner to the developing means, and a toner replenishing device for supplying new toner to the developing means When, and a developer cartridge that two-component developer obtained by mixing a toner and a carrier is accommodated, the outer wall of said imaging cartridge, New toner leading to the developing unit from the toner replenishing device and the toner recovery means and an image forming apparatus which recess the residual toner common toner conveying path is formed, the developer cartridge, the developer of the developer accommodated Only the second input port as a supply port for supplying the stages have been opened, only the second inlet is sealed by a sealing member, wherein the outer wall of the developer cartridge so as to fit to the recessed portion A projection is formed, and the toner conveyance path is formed by fitting the projection and the recess . When the new toner and the residual toner are put into the developing unit, the toner conveyance path is formed. The 1st insertion port which passes in is provided.
[0007]
According to the first aspect of the present invention, the developer in the developer cartridge is supplied to the developing means via the second charging port serving as the supply port, and the residual toner from the toner collecting means and the new toner from the toner replenishing device are supplied. The toner is supplied to the developing unit through the toner conveyance path. The developing means supplies toner to the electrostatic latent image on the image carrier to visualize the electrostatic latent image as a toner image.
[0008]
The protrusion formed on the outer wall of the developer cartridge and the recess formed on the outer wall of the image forming cartridge are fitted to form a toner conveyance path, so that the outer wall of the developer cartridge is Since a part of the toner cartridge is formed and residual toner and new toner are not sent into the developer cartridge, the developer cartridge needs only one opening of the second input port as a supply port. The second input port as the supply port can be sealed only with the seal member, and it is not necessary to use a plurality of seal members. Therefore, the number of parts can be reduced and the sealing performance of the image forming cartridge is improved. Further, since the outer wall of the developer cartridge forms the outer wall of the toner conveyance path (the outer wall of the developer cartridge also serves as the toner conveyance path), the configuration is simple.
[0009]
According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the invention, a transmissive member is used for all or part of the developer cartridge, and the contents of the developer cartridge are visible from the outside. And
[0010]
According to the second aspect of the invention, the same effect as the first aspect of the invention can be obtained, and by using the transmission member, the contents of the developer cartridge are visible from the outside. The amount of the developer can be visually recognized, and the amount of the developer in the developer cartridge can be grasped.
[0011]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing an image forming apparatus to which the present invention is applied.
[0012]
As shown in FIG. 1, the image forming apparatus 1 includes a photosensitive member (image carrier) 3, a charging roller 5 that is a charging unit that charges the photosensitive member 3, and a peripheral surface of the photosensitive member 3 by exposure L. A writing unit (not shown) for forming an electrostatic latent image, and a developing device 7 which is a developing unit for developing the electrostatic latent image on the photoreceptor 3 as a toner image by a two-component developer in which toner and a carrier are mixed. A transfer belt 9 as a transfer means for transferring the toner image of the photoreceptor 3 to the transfer paper, a fixing device 11 as a fixing means for fixing the toner image onto the transfer paper, and residual toner remaining on the photoreceptor 3 after the transfer. The cleaning device 13 is a cleaning means that removes the charge, and a charge removal lamp (not shown) that removes the residual potential on the photoreceptor 3 with the charge removal light P.
[0013]
In addition, a paper feeding device (not shown) is disposed below the image forming cartridge 15, and the transfer paper fed from the paper feeding device is synchronized with the toner image on the photoreceptor 3 by the registration roller pair 17. Thus, the toner is fed between the photosensitive member 3 and the transfer belt 9.
[0014]
In the present embodiment, the photosensitive member 3, the charging roller 5, the developing device 7, the cleaning device 13, the toner collecting device 31 described later, and the like are accommodated in the image forming cartridge 15 as one unit. It can be attached to and detached from the image forming apparatus main body. The image forming cartridge 15 includes an image forming unit case portion 16 for storing the photosensitive member 3, the charging roller 5, the cleaning device 13, the toner collecting device 31, and the like, and a developing unit case portion 23 for storing the developing device 7. Yes. Further, a concave portion 37 described later is formed on the outer wall of the image forming unit case portion 16 (the outer wall of the image forming cartridge 15).
[0015]
The developing device 7 is located below the photoreceptor 3, and the developing sleeve 19, the paddle 21, and the like are accommodated in the developing unit case portion 23. As shown in FIG. 2, a replenishing port 25 is formed above the developing unit case portion 23 and in the vicinity of a mounting portion between a developer cartridge 51 (to be described later) and the recessed portion 37. Thus, toner and developer are supplied from a toner collecting device (toner collecting means) 31, a toner replenishing device 41, and a developer cartridge 51, which will be described later. FIG. 2 is an enlarged perspective view showing the vicinity of the developing device.
[0016]
The developer (including new toner and residual toner described later) supplied into the developing device 7 through the supply port 25 is stirred by a conveying screw (not shown) arranged in the paddle 21 as shown in FIG. Are sequentially transported from the near side to the far side (see arrow A in FIG. 2). The paddle 21 has holes on the back side and in the middle, and developer spilled from the hole is spirally provided on the outer periphery of the paddle 21 from the back side to the front side (see arrow B in FIG. 2). At the same time, the developer is supplied to the developing sleeve 19.
[0017]
The cleaning device 13 has a cleaning blade 29 that contacts the photoconductor 3 along the axial direction of the photoconductor 3, and the cleaning blade 29 scrapes (removes) residual toner remaining on the photoconductor 3 after transfer. )
[0018]
In the vicinity of the cleaning device 13, a toner recovery device 31 that recovers and transports the residual toner scraped by the cleaning blade 29 is disposed. The toner collection device 31 includes a toner collection blade 33 and a toner conveyance coil 35. The residual toner removed by the cleaning blade 29 is sent to the toner conveyance coil 35 by the toner collection blade 33, and the toner conveyance coil. 35 is sent from the back side to the near side (see arrow C in FIG. 3).
[0019]
The toner collecting device 31 is housed in the image forming unit case section 16, and the residual toner transported by the toner transport coil 35 is discharged from a discharge port 37 a of a recess 37 formed on the outer wall of the image forming unit case section 16. (See arrow D in FIG. 2). As shown in FIG. 3, the recess 37 is located at one end of the residual toner transport direction (see arrow C in FIG. 3) in the axial direction of the photoreceptor 3, and opens in the direction of arrow C. (Opening toward the outside of the image forming cartridge 15). FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view showing the vicinity of the toner conveyance path. Reference numeral 39 in the figure denotes an upper case that covers the toner carrying coil 35.
[0020]
The recessed portion 37 includes a residual toner discharge port 37 a conveyed by the toner conveyance coil 35, and a first input port 37 b for supplying the residual toner discharged from the discharge port 37 a to the replenishment port 25 of the developing unit case portion 23. A new toner passage port 37c from a toner replenishing device 41 to be described later is formed. The opening M of the recess 37 is closed by an outer wall 51a of the developer cartridge 51 to form a passage (this will be described later).
[0021]
In FIG. 1, a toner replenishing device 41 for replenishing new toner to the developing device 7 is disposed on the left side of the image forming cartridge 15. As shown in FIG. 2, the toner replenishing device 41 has a toner bottle 43 containing new toner, and the toner bottle 43 is rotated by a bottle drive motor (not shown). Due to this rotation, new toner is sent from the back side to the near-side (see arrow B) toner supply section 45 along the spiral groove formed in the toner bottle 43.
[0022]
The new toner sent to the toner replenishing part 45 is scraped out by the toner replenishment mylar 47, and passes through the passage opening 37c of the recessed part 37 from the outlet 49 formed in the toner replenishing device 41 (so as to fall). It has become). The new toner that has passed through the passage port 37c merges with the residual toner discharged from the discharge port 37a, and the replenishment port formed in the developing unit case 23 through the first input port 37b (see arrow E in FIG. 2). The developing device 7 is supplied from 25.
[0023]
The developer cartridge 51 contains (contains) a two-component developer obtained by mixing toner and carrier, and replenishes (supplies) the developer to the developing device 7. As shown in FIG. 3, the developer cartridge 51 is attached by fitting a projection 51 b formed on the outer wall 51 a into the recess 37, and closes the opening M of the recess 37. That is, as shown in FIG. 4, the developer cartridge 51 and the recess 37 form a toner transport path 40 for residual toner and new toner from the discharge port 37a and the passage port 37c to the first input port 37b. (The wall surface 51a of the developer cartridge 51 forms a part of the wall surface of the toner conveyance path 40).
[0024]
As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the bottom of the developer cartridge 51 is formed with a second input port (supply port) 51 c for supplying the encapsulated (stored) developer toward the supply port 25. The second inlet 51c is sealed by a seal member 53. In the present embodiment, the image forming cartridge 15 is in a new state and a seal member 53 is attached. When the new image forming cartridge 15 is set in the image forming apparatus main body, the seal member 53 is removed and development is performed. The developer in the agent cartridge 51 can be supplied to the developing device 7. 4 is a perspective view showing a state in which the developer cartridge is attached to the recess, and FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing the developer cartridge.
[0025]
Since the outer wall 51a of the developer cartridge 51 forms a part of the wall surface of the toner transport path 40 and the residual toner is not sent into the developer cartridge 51, the opening of the developer cartridge 51 is connected to the supply port 51c. The supply port 51c can be sealed with only one seal member 53, and a plurality of seal members need not be used. Therefore, the number of parts can be reduced and the sealing performance of the image forming cartridge is improved.
[0026]
Next, the operation of the first embodiment will be described based on the above-described configuration.
[0027]
When the image forming cartridge 15 is set in the image forming apparatus main body and the seal member 53 is removed, the developer in the developer cartridge 51 falls from the second charging port 51 c toward the supply port 25 and enters the developing device 7. To be replenished.
[0028]
Then, for example, the photoconductor 3 is driven by a copy start signal, and the photoconductor 3 is uniformly charged on the peripheral surface by the charging roller 5. The photosensitive member 3 whose peripheral surface is uniformly charged by the charging roller 5 is optically formed with an electrostatic latent image by exposure L from the writing means, and this electrostatic latent image is supplied with toner by the developing device 7. And visualized as a toner image (visualized image). The toner image formed on the photosensitive member 3 is transferred onto a transfer sheet conveyed by the transfer belt 9 through the registration roller pair 17 and is conveyed to the fixing device 11 by the transfer belt 9. In the fixing device 11, the toner image on the transfer paper is fixed by heat and pressure and discharged outside the apparatus.
[0029]
After the transfer, the residual toner remaining on the photoreceptor 3 without being transferred to the transfer paper is removed by the cleaning blade 29, whereby the photoreceptor 3 is cleaned. Thereafter, the photoreceptor 3 is prepared for the next image forming operation by removing residual charges by the charge removal light P from the charge removal lamp.
[0030]
Residual toner (untransferred toner) removed by the cleaning blade 29 is sent to the toner transport coil 35 by the toner collection blade 33, and the residual toner is sent toward the discharge port 37 a of the recess 37 by the toner transport coil 35. It is done. The residual toner sent to the discharge port 37a falls toward the first input port 37b through the toner conveyance path 40 and is supplied to the developing device 7 from the supply port 25. By providing the toner recovery device 31, the residual toner can be reused as recycled toner.
[0031]
On the other hand, new toner from the toner replenishing device 41 also falls from the passage port 37 c of the recess 37 through the toner conveyance path 40 toward the first input port 37 b and is replenished to the developing device 7 from the replenishing port 25. Since the outer wall 51a of the image forming cartridge 51 also serves as the toner transport path 40 for residual toner and new toner, space can be saved in the image forming apparatus 1, and the configuration is simple.
[0032]
Next, other embodiments will be described. In the description, the same parts as those described above are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof is omitted.
[0033]
FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing a developer cartridge according to the second embodiment. In the second embodiment, a first guide passage 55 and a second guide passage 57 are provided on the outer wall 51 a of the developer cartridge 51. The first guide passage 55 is formed from the passage port 37 c to the first insertion port 37 b and guides the new toner from the toner supply device 41. The second guide passage 57 is formed from the discharge port 37 a to the first input port 37 b and guides the residual toner transported by the toner transport coil 35. Even if the developer cartridge 51 is configured in this manner, the same effects as those of the first embodiment can be obtained.
[0034]
FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing a developer cartridge according to the third embodiment. In the third embodiment, a part of the developer cartridge 51 is constituted by the transmission member 59 so that the contents of the developer cartridge 51 are visible. By using the transmissive member 59, the contents of the developer cartridge 51 are visible from the outside, so that the amount of developer in the developer cartridge 51 can be visually recognized, and the amount of developer in the developer cartridge 51 can be grasped. can do.
[0035]
The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the invention. For example, in the third embodiment, the transmission member 59 is used as a part of the developer cartridge 51, but the entire developer cartridge 51 may be configured by the transmission member 59.
[0036]
【The invention's effect】
In the first aspect of the present invention, the developer cartridge needs only one opening of the supply port, and the supply port can be sealed with only one seal member, and a plurality of seal members need not be used. Can be reduced, and the sealing performance of the image forming cartridge is improved. Further, since the outer wall of the developer cartridge forms the outer wall of the toner conveyance path (the outer wall of the developer cartridge also serves as the toner conveyance path), the configuration is simple.
[0037]
According to the second aspect of the invention, the same effect as that of the first aspect of the invention can be obtained, and since the contents of the developer cartridge are visible from the outside by using the transmission member, the developer in the developer cartridge The amount of the developer in the developer cartridge can be grasped.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing an image forming apparatus to which the present invention is applied.
FIG. 2 is an enlarged perspective view showing the vicinity of a developing device.
FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view showing an enlarged vicinity of a toner conveyance path.
FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a state in which a developer cartridge is attached to a recess.
FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a developer cartridge.
FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing an image forming cartridge according to a second embodiment.
FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing an image forming cartridge according to a third embodiment.
[Explanation of symbols]
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Image forming apparatus 3 Photosensitive body (image carrier)
7 Developing device (Developing means)
13 Cleaning device (cleaning means)
15 Image forming cartridge 31 Toner collecting device (toner collecting means)
40 Toner transport path 51 Developer cartridge 51a Developer cartridge outer wall 51c Second inlet (supply port)
59 Transmission member

Claims (2)

An image carrier that carries an electrostatic latent image, a developing unit that supplies toner to the electrostatic latent image on the image carrier and develops it, a cleaning unit that removes residual toner remaining on the image carrier after transfer, and a cleaning An image forming cartridge integrally including toner collecting means for collecting residual toner removed by the means and supplying the toner to the developing means;
A toner supply device for supplying new toner to the developing means ;
A developer cartridge containing a two-component developer in which toner and carrier are mixed,
Wherein the outer wall of the image forming cartridge, wherein a toner supply device and the image forming apparatus recess the new toner and residual toner common toner conveying path leading to the developing unit from the toner collecting unit is formed,
In the developer cartridge, only a second charging port is opened as a supply port for supplying the developer stored therein to the developing means,
Only the second inlet is sealed with a sealing material,
A protrusion is formed on the outer wall of the developer cartridge so as to fit in the recess, and the toner transport path is formed by fitting the protrusion and the recess.
An image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the toner conveying path is provided with a first insertion port through which new toner and residual toner pass when being introduced into the developing means.   The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a transmissive member is used for all or part of the developer cartridge, and the contents of the developer cartridge are visible from the outside.

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