JP4283070B2 - Toner supply device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a toner replenishing device that supplies toner to a developing device applied to an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine, a printer, or a facsimile machine.

  In an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine or a printer, a developing device for supplying toner to an electrostatic latent image formed on a photosensitive drum and developing the electrostatic latent image is attached to the photosensitive drum.

  Since the developing device is installed in the image forming apparatus, a toner replenishing device (for example, a toner cartridge) that replenishes the toner stored in the container body through the replenishing port to the developing device is detachable from the image forming apparatus. It is common to be attached to.

  Various applicants have proposed various toner replenishing devices. For example, in Patent Document 1, the container main body has a toner delivery unit having the replenishment port, and the toner delivery unit. And a storage unit for storing toner conveyed to the printer.

  The toner replenishing device disclosed in Patent Document 1 is provided in the toner delivery unit, and is provided in a first toner transporting unit that transports toner toward the replenishing port by being rotated, and in the storage unit. And a second toner conveying means for agitating the toner by driving and conveying the toner to the toner delivery section, and both the first and second toner conveying means are supplied to the replenishing port in accordance with the operation of the image forming apparatus. The toner is conveyed toward the head.

Incidentally, the toner replenishing device disclosed in Patent Document 1 is provided with a shutter member and a heat seal film for closing the replenishing port at the replenishing port in order to prevent toner leakage through the replenishing port before being attached to the image forming apparatus. The shutter member is slid along with the toner replenishing device to open the replenishing port, or the heat sealing film is peeled off to open the replenishing port. When the replenishing port is opened in this way, the toner detector is provided at a predetermined position of the container body to detect the presence of toner, and until the toner stored in the container body runs out, the toner is supplied to the developing device. It is configured to keep replenishing.
JP 2002-6610 A

  However, according to the conventional toner replenishing device, the toner is accumulated around the replenishing port by the first and second toner conveying means, and therefore, for example, the toner in the container body is eliminated as described above. When the toner is continuously replenished, the toner may continue to accumulate around the replenishing port even though the developing device is full of toner and it is difficult to discharge the toner through the replenishing port. In addition, when the toner replenishing device is attached to the image forming apparatus, the replenishing port is not opened due to the shutter member not operating properly or forgetting to peel off the heat seal film. In some cases, the toner continues to accumulate.

  As described above, the toner is filled in the developing device, and it is difficult to discharge the toner from the replenishing port. The toner is clogged, the load on the first toner conveying means is increased, the first toner conveying means is damaged, and the driving means for driving the first toner conveying means is damaged. There was something to do.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described conventional technology, and even when toner is not discharged from the replenishing port, it effectively prevents toner clogging and transport unit damage, and is stable with respect to the developing device. An object of the present invention is to provide a toner replenishing device that can replenish toner.

The invention according to claim 1 is a toner replenishing device that supplies toner stored in a container body having a predetermined width to the developing device by natural fall through a replenishing port provided on a bottom surface of the container body, wherein the container body is A toner delivery section provided along the width direction and having the replenishing port; and a storage section that is arranged in parallel to the toner delivery section in a direction perpendicular to the width direction and stores the toner. A first conveying unit that conveys the toner in the toner feeding unit from one end side to the other end side in the width direction in a state of crossing the replenishing port; and a toner feeding unit in the other end side of the first conveying unit. A return means for returning the toner to the storage section, and an eave-like member provided above the first transport means corresponding to the replenishing port, and the storage section stores the toner in the storage section. , In the width direction above Characterized in that it comprises a second conveying means for conveying from the end side to the one end side and the toner delivery unit.

  In this invention, it is preferable that the return means is provided in the first conveying means (claim 2).

  In this case, the first conveying means includes a first rotating shaft that is rotatably supported between the widthwise opposing side walls of the container body, and a rotation of the first rotating shaft that is provided on the first rotating shaft. Accordingly, it is preferable that the return means is a paddle-like member that rotates integrally with the first rotating shaft.

  In the present invention, the second conveying means is attached to the second rotating shaft along the axial direction, and is supported rotatably between the opposing side walls in the width direction of the container body. A flexible conveying piece, and the conveying piece is provided with one or a plurality of slits from the mounting base end side toward the distal end edge, and each slit is inclined from the other end side to one end side. (Claim 4).

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, the toner delivery section is provided with first transport means for transporting the toner in the toner delivery section from one end side to the other end side in the width direction in a state of crossing the replenishing port. Therefore, the toner can be properly transported to the replenishing port by the first transporting unit, and even if the toner is not discharged from the replenishing port, the toner is not collected around the replenishing port and passes through the replenishing port and the other end. Since the toner is agglomerated around the replenishing port and clogged with toner, the load on the first conveying means is increased and the first conveying means is damaged effectively. can do.

In addition, according to the present invention, since the eaves-like member provided above the first conveying means corresponding to the replenishing port is provided, the replenishing port is provided regardless of the amount of remaining toner stored in the container body. The toner pressure around the toner is relatively stable, and the toner can be supplied in a stable state to the developing device.

  Here, when the toner is transported to the other end side in the width direction by the first transport unit, there is a concern that the toner aggregates on the other end side. According to the present invention, the first transport unit is used. Is provided with a return means for returning the toner in the toner delivery section to the storage section, so that the over-conveyed toner is returned to the storage section and the toner is collected at a predetermined location in the toner delivery section. It is possible to effectively prevent the occurrence of aggregation. In addition, the storage unit conveys the stored toner to the toner delivery unit, and the toner stored in the storage unit according to the conveyance is transferred from the other end side in the width direction to the one end side. Since the two conveying means is provided, it is possible to effectively suppress the deviation of the toner in the storage unit.

  That is, according to the present invention, the toner delivery part and the storage part are arranged in parallel in a direction orthogonal to the width direction of the container body, and the toner delivery part and the storage part are opposite to each other in the width direction of the container body. The first and second conveying means for conveying the toner are provided, and the returning means and the second conveying means for conveying the toner are provided between the toner sending section and the storage section, so that the toner is contained in the container body. Can be circulated. By providing a replenishing port for discharging the toner on the circulation path, it is possible to stably supply the toner. On the other hand, when the toner is not discharged through the replenishing port, the overconveyed toner is effectively circulated. It is possible to effectively prevent the toner from aggregating and to avoid the inconvenience caused by the aggregation.

  According to the second aspect of the present invention, the return unit and the first transport unit can be reliably linked, and the toner can be returned to the storage unit according to the transport amount by the first transport unit. In addition, compared with the case where the return means and the first transport means are provided separately, the drive means for driving the return means and the first transport means can be shared, and the cost is relatively low. A simple configuration can be obtained.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, the first transfer means is provided on the first rotation shaft and rotatably supported between the opposing side walls in the width direction of the container body. Since the spiral blade that conveys toner in one axial direction along with the rotation of one rotation shaft is provided, the toner can be reliably conveyed in the width direction of the container body with a relatively simple configuration. In addition, since the return means is composed of a paddle-like member that rotates integrally with the first rotating shaft, the toner transported to the other end in the width direction of the toner delivery section can be reliably stored in the storage section with a simple configuration. Can be returned.

  According to the invention which concerns on Claim 4, since the said 2nd conveyance means is equipped with the 2nd rotating shaft and the flexible conveyance piece attached to this 2nd rotating shaft, it is a simple structure of a storage part. The toner can be conveyed to the toner delivery unit. In addition, since the conveying piece is provided with a slit that is inclined from the other end side in the width direction toward the one end side from the mounting base end side to the tip end edge, the toner can be supplied with a simple configuration in which a slit is provided in the conveying piece. It can be reliably conveyed from the other end side in the width direction to the one end side.

  FIG. 1 is an overall schematic view showing an embodiment of an image forming apparatus equipped with a toner replenishing device according to the present invention. In this embodiment, a case where the toner replenishing device according to the present invention is installed in a copying machine will be described. The toner replenishing device according to the present invention is, for example, a printer device, a facsimile device, a scanner device, a copy function, and a printer. The present invention can also be applied to a multifunction machine having various functions such as a function, a scanner function, and a facsimile function.

  The image forming apparatus 1 includes a sheet feeding unit 100 disposed at a lower portion of the apparatus main body 2, a sheet conveying unit 200 disposed above the sheet feeding unit 100, and a sheet feeding unit 100. The image forming section 300, the fixing section 400 disposed on the side of the image forming section 300, and the image reading section 500 disposed above the image forming section 300 and the fixing section 400 are provided. ing.

  The sheet feeding unit 100 feeds a stack of sheets stacked and loaded in the sheet feeding cassette 101 one by one from the uppermost sheet to the sheet conveying unit 200 by the rotation operation of the sheet feeding roller 115. The sheet conveying unit 200 conveys the sheet fed from the sheet feeding unit 100 to the image forming unit 300 by various roller pairs 202, and further discharges the sheet on which the image is formed in the image forming unit 300 and the fixing unit 400. The pair 205 discharges paper to a discharge tray 204 provided on the side of the apparatus main body 2.

  The image reading unit 500 irradiates a document placed on the contact glass with light from an exposure lamp, and guides the reflected light to a photoelectric conversion unit including a CCD line sensor or the like through a reflecting mirror. It reads image information. The image forming unit 300 is disposed below the image reading unit 500 and forms a predetermined toner image on a sheet by an electrophotographic process. The image forming unit 300 is a photoconductive photoconductive having a shaft supported rotatably. The photosensitive drum 301 is provided with a charging device 302, an exposure device 303, a developing device 304, a transfer device 305, a cleaning device 306, and a charge eliminating device (not shown) around the photosensitive drum 301 along the rotation direction thereof. Yes. The fixing unit 400 is disposed on the downstream side of the image forming unit 300 in the sheet conveyance direction, and heats the sheet on which the toner image has been transferred in the image forming unit 300 with a pair of fixing rollers 401 between them. It fixes the image.

  The basic operation state of the image forming apparatus 1 will be briefly described. The photosensitive drum 301 that rotates clockwise in FIG. 1 by the charging device 302 is uniformly charged, and the image read by the image reading unit 500 is read. Based on the information, an electrostatic latent image is formed on the photosensitive drum 301 by a laser beam from the exposure device 303 (laser operation device or the like), and a developer is attached to the electrostatic latent image by the developing device 304 to form a toner image. It is formed.

  The sheet is conveyed from the sheet feeding unit 100 to the image forming unit 300 toward the photosensitive drum 301 on which the toner image is formed as described above, and is transferred from the transfer roller or the like in the image forming unit 300. The toner image on the surface of the photosensitive drum 301 is transferred onto a sheet by the transfer device 305. The sheet onto which the toner image has been transferred is separated from the photosensitive drum 301 and conveyed to the fixing unit 400 to fix the toner image. The sheet that has passed through the fixing unit 400 is discharged to the sheet discharge tray 204 via the discharge roller 205.

  After the transfer by the transfer device 305, the photosensitive drum 301 is removed by the cleaning device 306 and the charge removal device to remove residual toner and residual charge, and is charged again by the charging device 302 as necessary.

  When such a basic operation is repeatedly executed, the toner stored in the developing device 304 is consumed. In order to replenish the consumed toner, a toner replenishing device (toner container) 10 is detachably attached to the side of the developing device 304 on the side opposite to the photosensitive drum 301. The developing device 304 includes a developing roller 304a arranged in parallel to the photosensitive drum 301 and stirring and conveying rollers 304b and 304c for stirring and conveying the toner, and the developing device is passed from the toner supply device 10 through the toner intake port 304d. The toner replenished in 304 is conveyed to the developing roller 304a while being frictionally charged by the agitating and conveying rollers 304b and 304c, and the toner is supplied to the photosensitive drum 301 by the developing roller 304a.

  2 and 3 are perspective views showing the toner supply device, and FIG. 4 is a longitudinal sectional view showing the toner supply device together with the developing device.

  The toner replenishing device 10 includes a box-shaped container main body 11 that opens upward, and a lid 12 that closes the upper opening of the container main body 11, and is on the side of the developing device 304 opposite to the photosensitive drum 301. It is located in the direction. FIG. 5 is a plan view showing the container main body with a part of a conveying screw 20 and an eaves-shaped member 132 described later cut out.

  The container body 11 is a synthetic resin molded product that is elongated in the width direction (vertical direction in FIG. 5), and is formed as a box-like body that opens upward as described above. The container main body 11 includes a relatively large-capacity storage unit 14 that stores toner, and a toner delivery unit 13 that is arranged in parallel with the storage unit 14 on the developing device 304 side of the storage unit 14. .

  The toner delivery unit 13 is a part for temporarily storing toner replenished to the developing device 304, and is located above a toner intake port 304d provided on one side of the developing device 304. . The toner delivery unit 13 has a width direction (referred to as a vertical direction in FIG. 5) that is orthogonal to a storage direction (referred to as a horizontal direction in FIG. The bottom portion 111 is formed in an arc shape corresponding to a conveying screw 20 described later. A toner replenishing port 130 having a predetermined shape (rectangular shape in this embodiment) is provided in the bottom portion 111 so as to penetrate the bottom portion 111 so as to face the toner intake port 304 d of the developing device 304. In this embodiment, the toner delivery unit 13 is formed slightly shallower than the storage unit 14.

  Further, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the toner delivery unit 13 includes a conveyance screw 20 (first conveyance unit) in the width direction of the container body 11 along the width direction, that is, the longitudinal direction of the toner delivery unit 13. It is constructed between the front and rear opposing walls 11a (see FIG. 5).

  The transport screw 20 is a feed screw that transports the toner in the toner delivery section 13 from one end in the width direction (upward in FIG. 5) to the other end (lower in FIG. 5). It is provided in a state of crossing over the mouth 130.

  Specifically, the conveying screw 20 includes a first rotating shaft 21 that is rotatably supported between the front and rear opposing walls 11 a of the container body 11, and a spiral blade 22 that protrudes from the outer peripheral surface of the first rotating shaft 21. And a return paddle 23 projecting from the first rotating shaft 21 at the downstream end in the toner conveyance direction (lower end in FIG. 5). The diameter of the conveying screw 20 is appropriately set in consideration of the amount of toner conveyed in one rotation.

  The first rotating shaft 21 is rotated by driving means (for example, a motor) (not shown), and is rotated clockwise in FIG. The spiral blade 22 conveys the toner from one side in the axial direction of the first rotating shaft 21 toward the other side (from the top to the bottom in FIG. 5) as the first rotating shaft 21 rotates. It is configured to be spirally wound around the peripheral surface of the first rotating shaft 21. The specific configuration such as the pitch of the spiral blade 22 is appropriately set in consideration of the amount of toner to be conveyed and the like. The return paddle 23 returns excess toner (over-conveyed toner) conveyed to the other end of the toner delivery unit 13 by the spiral blade 22 to the storage unit 14 side. Then, a plurality (two in this embodiment) are provided on the peripheral surface of the first rotating shaft 21. As shown in FIG. 4, these two return paddles 23 project from the first rotating shaft 21 with a phase difference of 180 ° and efficiently collect the toner accumulated at the other end of the toner delivery unit 13. It is supposed to be returned to the storage unit 14. Needless to say, a single return paddle 23 may be provided on the first rotating shaft 21.

  Further, a plate-like eaves-like member 132 is provided in the toner delivery unit 13 so as to cover the upper side and the side of the supply port 130 from the side wall 11b on the developing device 304 side of the container body 11 to the bottom 112 of the storage unit 14. Is provided. Specifically, the eave-like member 132 is provided above the conveying screw 20 so as to cover an area corresponding to the toner supply port 130 in a plan view. The developing device 304 can be replenished with a stable amount of toner by reducing the applied toner pressure and suppressing variations in toner pressure based on the remaining amount of toner. In the present embodiment, the eave-like member 132 is curved so as to cover the upper side and the side of the toner replenishing port 130. For example, the eave-like member 132 is provided from the side wall 11 b of the container body 11 to the opening region of the replenishing port 130. On the other hand, it may be configured to project substantially horizontally, or may be configured to project downward in a state of being inclined downward from the side wall 11b of the container body 11 toward the storage unit 14 side, or an eaves-like member may be omitted. May be.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, a shutter member 93 that closes the toner supply port 130 is slidably provided below the toner supply port 130, and the toner supply device 10 is attached to the apparatus main body 2. The shutter member 93 slides to open the toner supply port 130.

  On the other hand, the storage unit 14 is a part that stores the toner conveyed to the toner delivery unit 13 and is set to have a larger capacity than the toner delivery unit 13 so that a relatively large amount of toner can be stored. That is, the storage portion 14 is formed to be elongated in the width direction, the bottom portion 112 is formed in an arc shape having a larger radius of curvature than the bottom portion 111 of the toner delivery portion 13, and the lowermost end portion is the uppermost portion of the toner delivery portion 13. It is set to be lower than the lower end.

  The reservoir 14 is provided with a stirring and conveying blade 30 (second conveying means) along the width direction, that is, the longitudinal direction thereof. The agitating / conveying blade 30 agitates the toner stored in the storage unit 14 and conveys the toner to the toner delivery unit 13. Further, the agitating / conveying screw 20 in the width direction is accompanied with the agitating / conveying of the toner. The toner is conveyed in the opposite direction. That is, the agitating / conveying blade 30 conveys toner from the other end side to the one end side in the width direction orthogonal to the juxtaposed direction.

  Specifically, the agitating / conveying blade 30 is detachably attached to the second rotating shaft 31 which is rotatably supported between the front and rear facing walls 11a of the container body 11 along the width direction. And a conveyance piece 32 that rotates integrally with the second rotation shaft 31.

  The 2nd rotating shaft 31 is comprised so that it may improve a rigidity and it may be hard to bend and deform | transform, and it is formed in cross-sectional view substantially U shape in this embodiment. If the second rotary shaft 31 is configured to be difficult to bend and deform in this way, the distance from the second rotary shaft 31 to the inner wall surface of the storage portion 14 becomes constant along the axial direction, and the toner by the transport piece 32 Is stabilized in the axial direction of the second rotation shaft 31. The second rotating shaft 31 is placed on a bearing (not shown) having one end projecting from the inner wall surface of the opposing wall 11a, while the other end penetrates the opposing wall 11a and has a protruding end. A transmission gear 51 is attached (see FIG. 2), and is rotated clockwise in FIG. 4 by driving means for rotating the first rotating shaft 21 through a gear train 50 including the transmission gear 51. Yes. Accordingly, the second rotating shaft 31 is configured such that the conveying piece 32 that rotates integrally with the second rotating shaft 31 moves from the bottom to the top on the developing device 304 side.

  The second rotating shaft 31 is provided with a plurality (four in FIG. 5) of locking claws 311 in the longitudinal direction, and the conveying pieces 32 are detachably locked by the locking claws 311. ing.

  The conveying piece 32 is formed in a rectangular shape elongated in the axial direction of the second rotation shaft 31 from a flexible material, for example, a synthetic resin sheet or film having elasticity such as polyethylene terephthalate. A plurality of (four in this embodiment) locking holes 320 are provided in the base end portion of the conveying piece 32 in correspondence with the locking claws 311 of the second rotating shaft 31. The claw 311 is detachably attached to the second rotating shaft 31 by being locked.

  Further, the conveying piece 32 is formed longer than the longest distance from the second rotating shaft 31 to the bottom portion 112 of the storage portion 14, and toner can be scraped in a bent state in which the tip portion is in sliding contact with the bottom portion 112. Yes. In the present embodiment, the length of the transport piece 32 is formed substantially equal to the inter-axis distance between the second rotating shaft 31 and the first rotating shaft 21. Accordingly, the conveying piece 32 is slidably brought into contact with the inner wall surface of the storage portion 14, particularly the bottom portion 112, in a state of being bent with the rotation of the second rotation shaft 31, and the tip thereof is inside the storage portion 14 during the rotation process. It is supposed to recover elastically from the bent state when it passes the wall surface.

  In addition, a plurality of slits 321 extending from the distal end portion (free end edge portion) to the base end side attached to the second rotating shaft 31 are formed in the transport piece 32, and the slits 321 are provided in an inclined state. As a result, the toner is conveyed in the width direction as the conveying piece 32 rotates. Specifically, the slits 321 except for the slits 321a provided on one end side in the width direction (upper end side in FIG. 6) are provided to be inclined toward the one end side in the width direction toward the tip. By 321b, the toner is transported to one end side in the width direction which is opposite to the toner transport direction by the transport screw 20.

  That is, when the inclined slit 321b is provided, an acute angle portion 331 and an obtuse angle portion 332 are formed at the tip of the region 330 delimited by the inclined slit 321b. The repulsive force at the acute angle portion 331 is weaker than the repulsive force at the obtuse angle portion 332. Therefore, as shown in FIG. The toner is inclined and conveyed to one end side in the width direction, and the toner is conveyed to the toner delivery unit 13.

  The inclination angle of the inclined slit 321b with respect to the direction orthogonal to the second rotation axis 31 is not particularly limited, but is preferably set within a range of 10 ° to 50 °. That is, if the inclination angle is too small, the toner conveyance efficiency to the toner delivery unit 13 is improved, but the toner conveyance efficiency in the width direction is lowered. On the other hand, if the tilt angle is too large, the toner transport efficiency in the width direction is improved, but the toner transport efficiency to the toner delivery unit 13 is lowered. Therefore, if the value is set within the above range, it is possible to achieve a balance between the toner transport efficiency with respect to the toner delivery unit 13 and the toner transport efficiency in the width direction.

  In addition, in each region divided by the slits 321, a toner amount adjusting hole 322 is formed except for the region of the other end portion in the width direction (the lower end portion in FIG. 6). Thus, by providing the toner amount adjusting hole 322 in the transport piece 32, the amount of toner that contacts the transport piece 32 during rotation is reduced, and only the toner placed on the tip is transported. Thus, the toner pressure acting on the conveying piece 32 is reduced while reliably conveying a certain amount of toner. In addition, in this embodiment, the hole 322 provided in the conveyance piece 32 is appropriately arranged in a rectangular shape and a triangular shape, but the shape is not particularly limited.

  Note that a toner filling port is provided in the opposite wall 11a opposite to the opposite wall 11a where the gear train 50 of the container body 11 is provided, and the toner replenishing device 10 is detached from the image forming apparatus 1 and passed through the toner filling port. The toner can be supplied into the toner supply device 10.

  In addition, a toner detector (not shown) that detects the presence of toner is provided at a predetermined position of the container body 11, and is conveyed along with the operation of the image forming apparatus 1 until no toner is detected by the toner detector. The drive means of the screw 20 and the stirring conveyance blade 30 is driven. Since this toner detector is provided with a known toner detector, its description is omitted here.

  The lid 12 is appropriately set to a size that closes the upper opening of the container body 11, and is attached to the container body by bonding. On the lower surface of the lid 12, there are provided restricting protrusions (not shown) for restricting the movement of the first and second rotating shafts 21 and 31 mounted on the bearing (not shown). The rotary shafts 21 and 31 are rotated stably.

  Next, the operation of the toner replenishing device 10 will be described.

  First, the toner supply device 10 is attached to the image forming apparatus 1. That is, the front cover (not shown) of the image forming apparatus 1 is opened, and the toner replenishing device 10 is slid to a predetermined position on the side of the developing device 304 and attached to the image forming apparatus 1. At this time, the shutter member 93 of the toner supply device 10 slides and the toner supply port 130 is opened. The toner replenishing device 10 is filled with toner in both the toner delivery unit 13 and the storage unit 14 in an initial state.

  When the image forming apparatus 1 is operated, a driving unit that rotationally drives the gear train 50 is operated, and the second rotation shaft 31 is rotationally driven via the gear train 50, so that the stirring and conveying blade 30 is rotationally driven. When the first rotating shaft 21 is driven to rotate via the gear train 50, the conveying screw 20 is driven to rotate.

  When the second rotary shaft 31 is rotationally driven, the transport piece 32 attached to the second rotary shaft 31 rotates integrally. As shown in FIG. 6, the conveying piece 32 is in sliding contact with the bottom portion 112 of the storage portion 14 in the rotating process, and stirs the toner stored corresponding to the bottom portion 112 while stirring the toner. The toner is conveyed to the delivery unit 13 and is gradually conveyed from the other side in the width direction to the one side by the tip of the region 330 inclined by the inclined slit 321b.

  In the toner delivery unit 13, the spiral blade 22 of the conveying screw 20 that is driven to rotate conveys the toner from one side to the other side in the width direction. At this time, as shown in FIG. 7, since the conveying screw 20 is installed in a state of crossing the toner replenishing port 130, when the toner replenishing port 130 is opened, the conveying screw 20 is moved from the upstream side to the toner. As shown in FIG. 7A, the toner is naturally dropped into the developing device 304 through the toner replenishing port 130 and the toner intake port 304d of the developing device 304 as shown in FIG. Replenish.

  On the other hand, when the developing device 304 is full of toner, or because the shutter member 93 does not operate properly or the heat seal film that closes the toner supply port 130 is not peeled off, the toner supply port When 130 is closed, the toner is not discharged through the toner supply port 130. In this case, as shown in FIG. 7B, the toner that has been conveyed from the upstream side of the toner supply port 130 by the conveying screw 20 is shown. Without being accumulated around the toner supply port 130, the toner is conveyed to the other end in the width direction of the toner delivery unit 13 as it is. Therefore, the toner does not aggregate around the toner replenishing port 130, thereby effectively preventing inconveniences such as clogging of the toner and an increase in the conveying load of the conveying screw 20 to break the conveying screw 20. can do.

  On the other end side of the toner delivery unit 13, the return paddle 23 that rotates integrally with the first rotating shaft 21 efficiently returns the toner conveyed by the spiral blade 22 to the storage unit 14. Accordingly, toner aggregation can be effectively prevented even at the other end side of the toner delivery unit 13.

  In the storage unit 14, the agitating / conveying blade 30 again conveys the toner to one side in the width direction, and conveys the toner to the toner delivery unit 13, thereby effectively suppressing the bias of the toner. That is, the toner is circulated in the container main body 11 by the agitating / conveying blade 30 and the conveying screw 20, and the toner replenishing port 130 is provided in the circulation path, so that even when the toner is not discharged from the toner replenishing port 130. Accumulation is effectively prevented, and inconveniences such as toner clogging and damage to the conveying screw 20 caused by aggregation due to toner accumulation are effectively prevented.

  Although the toner replenishing device 10 according to the present embodiment has been described above, the toner replenishing device according to the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit thereof. It is. For example, the following changes are possible.

  (1) In the above embodiment, the return paddle 23 as the return means is provided on the first rotating shaft 21 and rotates integrally with the first rotating shaft 21. However, the return paddle 23 performs the first rotation. It is not limited to what is provided in the axis | shaft 21, For example, you may rotationally drive by the drive means different from the 1st rotating shaft 21. FIG. However, if a return paddle is provided on the first rotating shaft 21 as in the above embodiment, there is no need to provide a separate drive means, and it is advantageous in that the return means can be provided relatively easily at low cost. It is.

  (2) Although the first and second rotating shafts 21 and 31 are both rotated in the same direction in the above embodiment, they can be rotated in opposite directions depending on the configuration of the gear train. Further, the first and second rotating shafts 21 and 31 may be rotationally driven by different driving means.

1 is a perspective view illustrating an embodiment of an image forming apparatus including a toner supply device according to the present invention. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the toner supply device. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the toner supply device when viewed from a different viewpoint from FIG. 2. FIG. 2 is a schematic sectional view showing the toner replenishing device together with a developing device. FIG. 4 is a plan view showing a container body of the toner supply device. FIG. 6 is a plan view showing a conveying piece of the toner replenishing device. FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an operation of the toner supply device.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Toner supply apparatus 11 Container main body 13 Toner sending part 14 Storage part 20 Conveying screw (1st conveying means)
21 First rotary shaft 22 Spiral blade 23 Return paddle (return means)
30 Stirring conveying blade (second conveying means)
31 Second Rotating Shaft 32 Conveying Piece 130 Toner Supply Port 132 Eaves-like Member 304 Developing Device 321 Slit

Claims (4)

In a toner replenishing device that supplies toner stored in a container body having a predetermined width to a developing device by natural fall through a replenishing port provided on a bottom surface of the container body.
The container main body is provided along a width direction thereof, and includes a toner delivery section having the replenishing port, and a storage section that is provided in parallel in a direction perpendicular to the width direction with respect to the toner delivery section and stores toner. ,
The toner delivery unit includes a first conveyance unit that conveys the toner in the toner delivery unit from one end side to the other end side in the width direction in a state of crossing the replenishing port, and the other end side of the first conveyance unit. A return means for returning the toner in the toner delivery section to the storage section; and an eave-like member provided above the first transport means corresponding to the supply port ;
The toner replenishing device, wherein the storage unit includes a second transport unit that transports the toner in the storage unit from the other end in the width direction to one end and the toner delivery unit.   2. The toner replenishing device according to claim 1, wherein the returning means is provided in the first conveying means. The first conveying means includes a first rotating shaft rotatably supported between the widthwise opposing side walls of the container body, and an axis line provided on the first rotating shaft along with the rotation of the first rotating shaft. A spiral blade that conveys toner in one direction,
3. The toner replenishing device according to claim 2, wherein the return means is a paddle-shaped member that rotates integrally with the first rotating shaft. The second conveying means includes a second rotating shaft that is rotatably supported between the opposing side walls in the width direction of the container body, and a flexible conveying that is attached to the second rotating shaft along the axial direction. With a piece,
The said conveyance piece is provided with 1 or several slit toward the front end edge from the attachment base end side, Each slit inclines from the said other end side to one end side, The 1 thru | or characterized by the above-mentioned. The toner replenishing device according to claim 3.