JP4574468B2 - Image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine, a facsimile machine, or a laser beam printer having a toner bottle that can be attached to and detached from a main body by a rotating operation.

  In an image forming apparatus that forms an image by an electrophotographic process, toner is consumed when the image is formed. Thus, the toner needs to be replenished. However, as a form of replenishment in recent years, the toner container and the process cartridge are independent from each other, and both are detachable from the image forming apparatus main body. Along with this, information such as usage amount or usage limit management data is stored in a memory chip attached to the toner container as information unique to the toner container. Since reading and writing of information to the memory chip is performed when the toner container is mounted on the apparatus main body, it is necessary to fix the toner container to the apparatus main body and to electrically connect the apparatus main body and the memory chip. . In particular, when the toner container is cylindrical, when fixing the toner container to the apparatus main body, the terminal attached to the apparatus main body connected to the memory chip is connected to the end of the memory chip or the memory chip to rotate the toner container. Contact with the ribs that fix the terminal during rotation may cause deformation or breakage of the terminal shape, resulting in poor contact.

  In the image forming apparatus having a detachable cylindrical replenishing toner bottle, the amount of toner in the toner bottle main body is determined by the configuration in which the replenishing toner bottle handle is fixed by rotating. Electronic information is input to the ID chip installed in the resin case of the bottle. A configuration is known in which when the toner bottle is set in the printer body, the relay connector reads the toner amount information input to the ID chip, thereby determining the toner amount in the toner bottle body (for example, , See Patent Document 1).

  However, the rotating terminal for fixing the replenishing toner bottle contacts the edge of the memory chip or the rib for fixing the memory chip during the rotation, so that the operation is not smooth and the terminal shape is deformed or damaged, resulting in poor contact. There is no description about the problem and measures to cause

JP 2004-139031 A

  According to the present invention, when a cylindrical toner bottle is rotated and attached to the main body of the image forming apparatus, damage to a main body side terminal connected to the recording unit can be avoided and smooth operation can be performed. An object of the present invention is to provide an image forming apparatus capable of performing the above.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides an image forming apparatus having a cylindrical replenishing toner bottle according to claim 1 by rotating a case pivotally attached to the replenishing toner bottle. The case is configured to be attached to an image forming apparatus, and the case is provided with a recording unit capable of inputting / outputting information of the toner bottle for replenishment, and the image forming apparatus main body side is electrically connected to the recording unit. In the image forming apparatus provided with the conduction means connected to
The conduction means is constituted by a leaf spring having a V-shaped bent shape when viewed from the axial direction of the toner bottle for replenishment;
The top portion of the leaf spring is opposed to the peripheral surface of the replenishing toner bottle, and one end side of the leaf spring is fixed to the fixing portion on the image forming apparatus side, and the other end of the leaf spring is fixed. A plate-like piece that is disposed opposite to the replenishing toner bottle and is integral with the image forming apparatus is configured to come into contact with the back side of the replenishing toner bottle without being fixed by the elasticity of the leaf spring. And
When the recording portion provided in the circumferential direction of the replenishing toner bottle rides on the slope portion reaching the top of the leaf spring and faces the top as the case rotates, the leaf spring When the top portion is pressed by the recording portion, the leaf spring is elastically deformed in a direction in which the other end side is separated from the plate-shaped piece with the fixed portion as a fulcrum, and the pressing force of the elastic deformation causes the recording portion and the recording portion to be elastically deformed. It was decided to obtain conduction between the leaf springs.
According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the image forming apparatus according to the first aspect, the tip of the leaf spring has an R shape or V shape.
According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the image forming apparatus according to the first or second aspect , the contact portion of the holding member that holds the recording portion with the conduction means during rotation for fixing the toner bottle has an R shape. .
In addition, it has the following technical features.
An image forming apparatus having a cylindrical toner bottle for replenishment, wherein the case is attached to the image forming apparatus by rotating a case pivotally attached to the toner bottle for replenishment. In the image forming apparatus, a recording unit capable of inputting / outputting information of the toner bottle is provided, and the image forming apparatus main body side includes a conduction unit electrically connected to the recording unit. And the conducting means is composed of variable-position conducting means that is elastically displaced and connected to the recording part. Here, the variable position conducting means may be formed of a bent leaf spring. In that case, it is good to form the front-end | tip part of a leaf | plate spring in R shape or V shape. Further, the variable position conducting means can be constituted by a shaft-like body pressed by an elastic means. Also in this case, the tip of the shaft-like body can be formed into an R shape. Further, it is preferable that the contact portion of the holding member that holds the recording portion with the conducting means during rotation for fixing the toner bottle is formed in an R shape.

According to the present invention, it is possible to provide an image forming apparatus capable of avoiding damage to the main body side terminal connected to the recording unit and enabling smooth operation. Since the other end, which is the opposite side to the fixed side, which is a fulcrum when the leaf spring is elastically deformed, is always restored to the same position, the contact mode of the leaf spring with respect to the recording portion is always stable. Switching between conduction and non-conduction between the two can be performed stably in conjunction with the operation of attaching and removing the toner bottle.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below.
[1] Image Forming Apparatus FIG. 1 is a sectional view showing a schematic configuration of a full color image forming apparatus according to the present invention. The four-color image forming apparatuses 10Y, 10C, 10M, and 10K of Y (yellow), C (cyan), M (magenta), and K (black) shown in FIG. And an optical unit 20, an intermediate transfer unit 30, a paper feed unit 40, and a fixing unit 50 as exposure means capable of irradiating laser light.
The image forming apparatuses 10Y, 10C, 10M, and 10K have the same structure. The photosensitive drum 12, the charging device 13 that charges the photosensitive drum, and the developer remaining on the photosensitive drum as the process means acting on the photosensitive drum 12, respectively. A cleaning device 15 for removing the toner and the like is integrally formed, and a developing device 14 for developing the latent image formed on the photosensitive drum is connected to the cleaning device 15. Each of the image forming apparatuses 10Y, 10C, 10M, and 10K is an image forming apparatus in an opening / closing direction of a face plate (not shown) that opens and closes in a direction perpendicular to the paper surface (the rotation axis direction of the photosensitive member, that is, the direction perpendicular to the paper surface). It is configured to be detachable from the main body.

  The intermediate transfer unit 30 transfers a transfer belt 31 as an intermediate transfer member, three rollers 32, 33, 34 that rotatably support the transfer belt 31, and a toner image formed on each photosensitive drum 12 to the transfer belt 31. And a secondary transfer unit 36 for further transferring the toner image transferred onto the transfer belt 31 onto the recording paper P.

  The paper feed unit 40 includes a paper feed roller 43 and a registration roller 44 that convey the recording paper P from the paper feed cassette 41 or the manual paper feed tray 42 to the secondary transfer region.

  The fixing unit 50 includes a fixing roller 51 and a pressure roller 52, and performs fixing by applying heat and pressure to the toner image on the recording paper P. The recording paper P fixed by the fixing unit is discharged to a discharge tray 56 by a discharge roller 55.

[2] Toner bottle and its container Next, a toner bottle as a toner container and its container will be described. In FIG. 1, a toner bottle container 70 is disposed between the intermediate transfer unit 30 and a paper discharge tray 56 located above the intermediate transfer unit 30. The toner bottle container 70 detachably accommodates toner bottles 71Y, 71C, 71M, 71K containing toners of four colors Y (yellow), C (cyan), M (magenta), and K (black). ing. The toner bottles 71Y, 71C, 71M, 71K are placed on the toner bottle container 70 from above and are rotated and fixed. These toner bottles 71Y, 71C, 71M and 71K are detachable from the apparatus main body independently of the image forming apparatuses 10Y, 10C, 10M and 10K.

  The same applies to the other toner bottles, but here, as an example, the mounting state of the toner bottle 71Y in the toner bottle container 70 is shown in FIGS. As shown in these drawings, in the toner bottle 71Y, a resin case 74Y is provided at the tip of the bottle body so as to be rotatable with respect to the toner bottle 71Y. A handle 75Y is integrally formed with the resin case 74Y.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the toner bottle container 70 has a toner bottle container having a U-shaped section along the peripheral surface of the toner bottle 71 </ b> Y in a cross-sectional shape. When 71Y is placed and mounted so as to be placed from above, a stopper 82 provided integrally with the toner bottle container 70 is positioned on the rotation direction of the step portion 81 (see FIG. 6) formed in the resin case 74. It becomes a state.

  A hand is put on the handle 75 and rotated in the direction indicated by the arrow 80. Accordingly, the resin case 74Y configured integrally with the handle 75Y rotates. A shutter (not fixed) attached to the resin case 74Y until it rotates by an angle θ (for example, an appropriate angle determined in the range of θ = 30 ° to 45 °) until the step 81 comes into contact with the stopper 82 (see FIG. 6). When the toner supply port is opened, the resin case 74Y and the toner bottle container 70 are connected and fixed.

When removing the toner bottle 71Y from the image forming apparatus, the connection between the resin case 74Y and the toner bottle holder 70 by rotating the handle 75Y in the opposite direction is canceled, is closed bets toner discharge port shutter closes at the same time The Then, the toner bottle 71Y can be removed from the toner bottle container 70 (image forming apparatus) while holding the handle 75Y.

  On the other hand, the toner bottle 71Y is connected to a power transmission means (not shown) in a state where it is placed on the U-shaped placement portion of the toner bottle container 70 and is given a rotational force. The rotation is made in sliding contact with the resin case 74Y and supported by the U-shaped roller. As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, a memory chip (hereinafter referred to as an ID chip) 76 as a recording unit is attached to the resin case 74Y in the circumferential direction of the resin case 74Y. The ID chip 76 stores information such as toner usage amount or usage limit management data in the toner bottle as information specific to the toner bottle.

As described above, when the step 81 is in contact with the stopper 82 when the resin case 74Y is rotated and fixed to the toner bottle container 70, the leaf spring 90, which is a terminal attached to the toner bottle container 70 side, is provided. It contacts and is electrically connected to the ID chip 76. The leaf spring 90 is elastically displaceable, and is provided as an ID chip connector 77 attached to the toner bottle container 70, and is an example of variable-position conducting means that is elastically displaced. In this way, the leaf spring 90 is elastically displaced to be electrically connected to the ID chip 76, and information recorded on the ID chip 76 can be sent to the image forming apparatus main body.

  The ID chip 76 has a plate shape and is held by a holding member 92 having a configuration in which the edge of the ID chip 76 is raised in a frame shape, as shown in FIGS. The holding member 92 is formed integrally with the resin case 74Y, and includes a holding portion 92a and a holding portion 92b that are opposed to each other in the rotation direction indicated by an arrow 80, and an ID is provided in a groove formed in the holding portion 92a and the holding portion 92b. The chip 76 is fitted and held.

  Of these holding portions 92a and 92b, the holding portion 92a located on the downstream side in the rotation direction 80 is rubbed and elastically displaced when the leaf spring 90 slides and moves together with the resin case 74Y. The contact portion is formed in an R shape so that it can pass smoothly without receiving excessive force.

  The leaf spring 90 has a shape in which a portion in contact with the ID chip 76 is bent into a V shape as shown in FIGS. In FIG. 7, a hole formed in one end portion of the leaf spring 90 is a screw hole for fixing the leaf spring 90, and is outside the plate-like piece 77a constituting a part of the ID chip connector (in the drawing, a plate-like shape). It is fixed to the right side of the piece 77a. The other end of the leaf spring 90 is in contact with the inner side of the plate-like piece 77b constituting the part of the ID chip connector 77 (the left side of the plate-like piece 77b in the figure) without being fixed. In addition, when a load W1 is applied to the top portion bent in a V shape from the arrow direction, the leaf spring 90 has the other end side (side in contact with the plate piece 77b as a fulcrum as a fixed portion with respect to the plate piece 77a. ) Is elastically deformed in the direction of the arrow Z and returns to its original position when the load W1 disappears. In addition, if the leaf | plate spring 90 forms a V-shaped front-end | tip part in R shape as shown in FIG. 8, contact | abutting with the holding | maintenance part 92a will become smooth.

  As described above, by attaching the ID chip 76 in the rotation circumferential direction of the toner bottle, the toner bottle 71Y is fixed to the toner bottle container 70 only by rotating the handle 75Y, and at the same time, the ID chip 76 is attached to the image forming apparatus main body side. The toner bottle can be fixed and electrically connected at the same time, and the user operation can be simplified.

  Furthermore, since the conducting means is a variable conducting means, and the variable conducting means is, for example, a leaf spring 90 that is elastically displaced, the leaf spring 90 is not damaged because it is displaced with respect to the holding portion 92a. In addition, the handle can be operated smoothly, electrical contact conduction is good, and damage to the members of the contact portion is small.

  Moreover, since it comprised with the V-shaped leaf | plate spring, it can ride over the holding | maintenance part 92a reasonably because a V-shaped slope slides. Further, in the example of FIG. 8, the tip shape is an R shape, so that the holding portion 92a can be more smoothly overcome (the same applies to the modes of FIGS. 10 and 11 described later). In addition, since the holding portion 92a has an R-shaped contact portion with the leaf spring 90, smoother movement is possible, and operability is improved without damaging the leaf spring 90.

  Next, the ID chip connector 77 holding the leaf spring 90 will be described. As shown in FIG. 9, the ID chip connector 77 includes a leaf spring 90 that is a terminal connected to the ID chip 76 and a resin material that includes the leaf spring 90. In this example, the plate springs 90 are provided in four rows.

In FIG. 6, the holder 92a for fixing the ID chip 76 to the resin case 74Y (toner bottle 71Y) before the ID chip 76 and the leaf spring 90 of the ID chip connector 77 come into contact with each other during rotation of the toner bottle 71Y is an ID chip connector. It can be seen that the leaf spring 90 which is a terminal first comes into contact. As described above, the holding portion 92a is formed in an R shape, so that the leaf spring 90 which is a terminal of the ID chip connector 77 electrically connected to the ID chip 76 can be smoothly guided, and the resin case 74 can be When the rotating toner bottle 71Y is held (rotated), the ID chip 76 and the leaf spring 90 can be smoothly connected, and the terminal shape can be prevented from being deformed or damaged, thereby enabling more reliable electrical connection. Become.
10 and 11 show an ID chip connector that holds one row of leaf springs as a modification of the ID chip connector. The ID chip connector 77 ′ is provided with a leaf spring 90 ′ bent in a V shape. In the leaf spring 90 ', one end side of a plate-like piece bent in a V shape is curved in an arc shape, and this curved portion is held by the ID chip connector 77' by an appropriate means. A boundary portion (a portion indicated by a circle 150 in FIG. 10) extending from the curved portion to the V-shaped bent portion is sandwiched and supported by the ID chip connector 77 ′. The other end side of the leaf spring 90 'bent in a V shape is in contact with the inside of the plate piece 77'b without being fixed as in FIGS. Also in this example, when a load W1 is applied from the direction of the arrow, the leaf spring 90 'is elastically deformed in the direction of the arrow Z with the other end side (plate-shaped piece 77'b side) as a fulcrum at the portion indicated by the circle 150, When it disappears, it returns to the original position.

Next will be described an ID chip connector 770 as a reference example by Fig 2. In this example, instead of the leaf spring 90 as the variable position conducting means as the terminal of the ID chip connector 77 in the above example, the variable position conducting means is pressed by the extensible spring 100 as the elastic means. Consists of.

  The shaft-like body 104 is composed of a metal pin and is pressed by a spring 100 interposed between the ID chip connector 770 and the spring receiving member 102 integral with the shaft-like body 104, and the shaft-like body 104 is integrated with the guide 106 integral with the ID chip connector 770. It is slidably mounted on. As shown in the drawing, the rear end portion of the shaft-like body 104 has a large diameter to constitute a stopper, and this stopper portion abuts against the guide 106, so that the shaft-like body 104 is prevented from coming off by pressing of the spring 100. Has been made.

  Thus, when the toner bottle 71Y is rotated for fixing, the shaft-like body 104 is elastically displaced by the spring 100 and goes over the holding portion 92a and is electrically connected to the ID chip 76. The tip of the shaft-like body 104 corresponding to the left end in the figure has an R shape. As described above, the shaft-like body 104 is configured to be elastically expandable / contractable, so that the shaft-like body pressed by the elastic means when contacting the holding portion 92a for fixing the ID chip 76 when the toner bottle rotates. Since 104 itself is only displaced without being deformed, better electrical connection can be ensured for a long time than in the case of a leaf spring. It is possible to prevent the deformation and breakage of the pin shape due to the contact with the holding portion 92a when the toner bottle rotates.

  Further, since the shape of the tip of the shaft-like body 104 is an R shape, it is possible to more smoothly make contact with the holding portion 92a for fixing the ID chip 76, and the ID chip and the shaft-like body 104 can be smoother. Can be in electrical contact.

1 is a schematic configuration diagram of an image forming apparatus. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a toner bottle container with a toner bottle attached thereto. FIG. 4 is an enlarged perspective view illustrating a toner bottle mounted on a toner bottle container. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a toner bottle. FIG. 3 is an enlarged perspective view illustrating a toner bottle and a memory chip. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of a toner bottle. It is a perspective view of a leaf | plate spring. It is a perspective view of a leaf | plate spring. It is a perspective view of an ID chip connector. It is a perspective view of the ID chip connector as a modification. It is a perspective view of the ID chip connector as a modification. It is a perspective view of the ID chip connector as a reference example.

Explanation of symbols

76 ID chip (memory chip)
77, 77 ', 770 ID chip connector 71Y, M, C, K as recording unit Toner bottle 90 Leaf spring

Claims (3)

An image forming apparatus having a cylindrical toner bottle for replenishment, wherein the case is attached to the image forming apparatus by rotating a case pivotally attached to the toner bottle for replenishment. In an image forming apparatus provided with a recording unit capable of inputting / outputting information of a toner bottle for use, and having a conduction unit electrically connected to the recording unit on the image forming apparatus main body side,
The conduction means is constituted by a leaf spring having a V-shaped bent shape when viewed from the axial direction of the toner bottle for replenishment;
The top portion of the leaf spring is opposed to the peripheral surface of the replenishing toner bottle, and one end side of the leaf spring is fixed to the fixing portion on the image forming apparatus side, and the other end of the leaf spring is fixed. A plate-like piece that is disposed opposite to the replenishing toner bottle and is integral with the image forming apparatus is configured to come into contact with the back side of the replenishing toner bottle without being fixed by the elasticity of the leaf spring. And
When the recording portion provided in the circumferential direction of the replenishing toner bottle rides on the slope portion reaching the top of the leaf spring and faces the top as the case rotates, the leaf spring When the top portion is pressed by the recording portion, the leaf spring is elastically deformed in a direction in which the other end side is separated from the plate-shaped piece with the fixed portion as a fulcrum, and the pressing force of the elastic deformation causes the recording portion and the recording portion to be elastically deformed. An image forming apparatus characterized in that conduction is obtained between leaf springs . The image forming apparatus according to claim 1.
Image forming apparatus distal end portion of the plate spring and wherein the R-shaped or V-shaped der Rukoto. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 or 2,
An image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a contact portion of the holding member that holds the recording portion with the conduction unit during rotation for fixing the toner bottle has an R shape .

Images