JP4579172B2 - Toner transport device, toner supply device, and image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a toner conveyance device that conveys toner, a toner supply device that includes the toner conveyance device, and an image forming apparatus that includes the toner supply device.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, electrophotographic image forming apparatuses such as copying machines, printers, and facsimiles are known. The electrophotographic system is widely used in the above various image forming apparatuses because it can easily form an image having good image quality.

  In general, an image forming apparatus using an electrophotographic method uniformly charges the surface of a photoconductor containing a photoconductive substance, and irradiates the surface of the photoconductor in this state with light based on image information. An image is formed, toner is supplied to the formed electrostatic latent image to make it visible, the obtained toner image is transferred from the photoreceptor to the recording medium, and the toner image on the recording medium is heated, pressed, etc. Is fixed to the recording medium.

  Toner used for developing the electrostatic latent image is supplied from the developing device to the surface of the photoreceptor. The developing device includes a developing tank that contains toner therein and includes a developing roller, a doctor blade, and a stirring roller. The developing roller is provided so as to be in contact with the surface of the photoconductor, and carries a toner layer on the surface to supply toner to the electrostatic latent image. The doctor blade is composed of a plate-like member provided so as to be in contact with the surface of the developing roller, and regulates the layer thickness of the toner layer on the surface of the developing roller. The agitation roller rotates to charge the toner and feed the charged toner around the developing roller.

  To the developing device, toner is supplied from a toner hopper or a toner cartridge, which is a toner replenishing device, via a toner conveying device. In the configuration in which the toner replenishing device is provided above the developing device, the toner conveying device has a toner conveying pipe extending in the vertical direction. The inside of the toner conveyance pipe is a toner conveyance path.

  In the above-described conventional configuration, when the toner replenishing device runs out of toner, the developing device and the toner conveying device are left as they are, and only the cartridge type toner replenishing device is replaced. A toner replenishing port for replenishing toner to the toner conveying device is formed at a mounting portion of the toner replenishing device to the toner conveying device, and a shutter member for opening and closing the toner replenishing port is provided. The shutter member is configured to open the toner supply port by mounting the toner supply device on the toner conveying device. Accordingly, at the same time that the toner replenishing device is mounted on the toner transport device, the toner in the toner replenishing device is replenished into the developing tank of the developing device via the toner transport pipe of the toner transport device.

  On the other hand, the toner has a high bulk density and poor fluidity under a high humidity environment and under conditions where it is not used for a long time. As a result, toner adhering to the toner transport pipe is a trigger, and in rare cases, toner clogging may occur in the toner transport pipe. In particular, the above-mentioned problem is regarded as important in a situation where the fluidity of the toner is lowered due to the finer toner particle size accompanying the recent increase in image quality of the image forming apparatus. Therefore, a device for solving such a problem is necessary in the toner conveying device.

  For example, in the apparatus described in Patent Document 1, four developing devices corresponding to the respective colors are arranged in the vertical direction, and toner is supplied to these developing devices from a toner hopper. Since each developing device needs to be opposed to the photoconductor when used, it can move up and down. For this purpose, a bellows-like pipe is used in the toner conveyance path for supplying toner from the toner hopper to the developing device. Further, on the side of the bellows-like pipe, a rotating body having a plurality of protrusions in the circumferential direction and rotating by being driven by a motor is provided. That is, in Patent Document 1, the rotating body is rotated, the outer peripheral surface of the bellows-like pipe is continuously hit by the protrusions of the rotating body, and the toner staying on the inner peripheral surface of the bellows-like pipe is dropped.

Further, in the apparatus described in Patent Document 2, four developing devices corresponding to the respective colors are arranged in a horizontal row, and these developing devices are connected to the first transport path and the individual toner cartridges. Toner is supplied via the second transport path. A spring agitator is provided inside the second toner conveyance path arranged in the vertical direction (longitudinal direction), and this spring agitator is provided in the auger provided inside the first conveyance path arranged in the horizontal direction. As it rotates, it moves up and down. That is, in Patent Document 2, the spring agitator is moved in the vertical direction inside the second conveyance path to prevent toner from adhering to the inner wall of the second conveyance path.
JP 4-174467 (released on June 22, 1992) JP 2001-296931 (released on October 26, 2001)

  However, the above-described conventional configuration has a problem that it is not possible to appropriately prevent toner retention and coagulation in the toner conveyance path arranged in the vertical direction.

  Specifically, in the configuration of Patent Document 1, since the toner conveyance path arranged in the vertical direction is made of bellows-like pipes, the retention and solidification of toner in the toner conveyance path can be easily prevented due to the structure of the conveyance path. Can not do it. Further, since the rotating body gives an impact or vibration to a part of the toner conveyance path, there is a problem that toner stays and solidifies easily in a portion away from the position of the rotating body.

  Further, in the configuration of Patent Document 2, a spring agitator is arranged inside the second conveyance path arranged in the vertical direction, and this spring agitator is simply expanded and contracted in the extending direction of the second conveyance path. Toner retention and coagulation are likely to occur on the surface of the spring agitator. That is, there is a problem that the spring agitator itself tends to be an obstacle to toner conveyance.

  Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a toner transport device, a toner supply device, and an image forming apparatus that can appropriately prevent toner from staying and solidifying inside a toner transport path arranged in the vertical direction.

  In order to solve the above problems, a toner conveying device of the present invention has a toner conveying path through which toner passes, and a toner conveying member disposed so that the extending direction of the toner conveying path is the vertical direction. A toner retention prevention mechanism comprising: a rotation member in a conveyance path that is rotatably provided in a toner conveyance path of the toner conveyance member; and a rotation mechanism that rotates the rotation member in the conveyance path. It is characterized by having.

  According to the above configuration, in the toner conveyance path of the toner conveyance member, the rotation member in the conveyance path is driven to rotate by the rotation mechanism unit. As a result, it is possible to prevent the toner from staying in the toner transport path of the toner transport member and further solidifying.

  Further, since the rotation member in the conveyance path rotates in the toner conveyance path of the toner conveyance member, it can directly act on the toner in the toner conveyance path, and is simply one part of the toner conveyance path by the rotating body. It is possible to efficiently prevent the toner from staying and coagulating in the toner conveyance path as compared with those that give impact or vibration to the part and those in which the spring agitator is simply expanded or contracted in the extending direction of the toner conveyance path.

  In the toner conveying device, the rotation member in the conveyance path may be configured by a spiral spring having one end connected to the rotation mechanism and inserted in the toner conveyance path.

  According to the above configuration, the rotation member in the conveyance path that is rotated by being driven by the rotation mechanism unit is a spiral spring having one end connected to the rotation mechanism unit. A function can be provided. In addition, since the in-conveyance path rotation member formed of a spiral spring is formed of a wire, even if it is provided in the toner conveyance path, the structure itself is not likely to become an obstacle to toner conveyance.

  In the toner transport device, the rotation mechanism unit may be configured to intermittently rotate the transport path rotation member.

  According to the above configuration, since the rotation member in the conveyance path rotates intermittently in the toner conveyance path, vibration is easily generated in the rotation member, and toner accumulation on the rotation member in the conveyance path can be appropriately prevented. it can. In particular, when the conveyance path rotating member is formed of a spiral spring, the function of preventing toner accumulation on the conveyance path rotating member can be further enhanced.

  In the toner conveying device, the rotation mechanism unit is connected to the rotation member in the conveyance path, and the intermittent rotation member that is intermittently driven to rotate in one direction, and receives an external force at a predetermined angle from the initial position. A rotating member that rotates in one direction only by a range and an operation that rotates in the opposite direction and returns to the initial position, and that rotates the intermittently rotating member in one direction by rotating in the one direction; It is good also as a structure provided with.

  According to said structure, in a rotation mechanism part, a rotation member receives external force, rotates only in the range of the predetermined angle from an initial position, pushes an intermittent rotation member by this operation, and rotates it to one direction. Thereby, the rotation member in a conveyance path connected to the intermittent rotation member is intermittently driven to rotate in one direction. Thereafter, the rotating member rotates in the reverse direction and returns to the original initial position. As described above, the rotation mechanism section can intermittently rotate the in-conveyance path rotation member with a simple configuration.

  In the toner conveying device, the rotation mechanism unit is connected to the rotation member in the conveyance path, and the intermittent rotation member that is intermittently driven to rotate in one direction, and receives an external force at a predetermined angle from the initial position. A rotating member that rotates in one direction only by a range and an operation that rotates in the opposite direction and returns to the initial position, and that rotates the intermittently rotating member in one direction by rotating in the one direction; The biasing member that biases the rotating member in the direction to return to the initial position, and the rotation blocking member that prevents the intermittent rotation member from rotating in the opposite direction to the one direction. Good.

  According to said structure, in a rotation mechanism part, a rotation member receives external force, rotates only in the range of the predetermined angle from an initial position, pushes an intermittent rotation member by this operation, and rotates it to one direction. Thereby, the rotation member in a conveyance path connected to the intermittent rotation member is intermittently rotated in one direction. The intermittent rotation member rotated in one direction is prevented from rotating in the reverse direction by the rotation prevention member. Thereafter, the rotating member is urged by the urging member, rotates in the reverse direction, and returns to the original initial position. As described above, the rotation mechanism portion can rotate the rotation member in the conveyance path intermittently with a simple configuration using the ratchet mechanism.

  In the above toner transport device, the rotation mechanism unit includes a lower holding member and an upper holding member fitted to each other, and the intermittent rotation member and the rotating member are interposed between the lower holding member and the upper holding member. Further, the biasing member may be held, and the rotation holding member may be provided on the lower holding member.

  According to said structure, a rotation mechanism part can be made into a small unit structure.

  In the above toner transport device, the rotating member of the rotation mechanism portion has a protruding external force receiving portion, and the toner retention preventing mechanism further includes a rotating body that applies the external force to the external force receiving portion. The rotating body has a plurality of operating blades provided at a plurality of locations in the circumferential direction of the rotating body, and intermittently applies an external force to the external force receiving portion by the plurality of operating blades in accordance with a rotating operation. It is good also as composition to do.

  According to said structure, a rotary body provides external force intermittently with respect to the external force receiving part in the rotation member of a rotation mechanism part with a some operation blade with rotation operation. Thereby, the rotating member repeats the rotating operation in one direction from the initial position and the returning operation to the initial position, and the rotating member in the conveyance path rotates intermittently by this operation. As described above, according to the configuration in which the external force is intermittently applied to the rotating member of the rotating mechanism by the plurality of operating blades of the rotating rotating body, the rotating member in the conveyance path is intermittently configured with a simple configuration. Can be rotated.

  In the above toner transport device, the rotating body may be configured to rotate by receiving a driving force from a toner replenishing device provided on the toner transport member for supplying toner to a toner transport path of the toner transport member. .

  According to the above configuration, the rotating body can be rotated using the driving force from the toner replenishing device provided on the toner conveying member, and a dedicated driving source is not necessary for the rotating body. Simplification is possible.

  In the toner conveying device, the diameter of the toner conveying path of the toner conveying member may be gradually increased from the upper end side toward the lower end side.

  According to the above configuration, since the diameter of the toner conveyance path gradually increases from the upper end side toward the lower end side, the toner introduced from the upper end portion of the toner conveyance path can be smoothly lowered without staying in the middle. It becomes easy to reach the part.

  The toner supply device of the present invention includes any one of the above toner transport devices, a toner replenishing device mounted on the toner transport device, and a toner transport device mounted below the toner transport device, from the toner replenishing device via the toner transport device. And a developing device that receives toner supply.

  An image forming apparatus according to the present invention includes the above-described toner supply device, and includes an image forming unit corresponding to each color toner including the photoconductor and the toner supply device, and is formed on the photoconductor of each image forming unit. The toner image is transferred to an intermediate transfer member, and the toner image on the intermediate transfer member is transferred to a recording material.

  According to the above configuration, due to the arrangement and the structural limitations accompanying the downsizing of the image forming apparatus, in the toner supply apparatus, the toner conveyance apparatus that conveys the toner of the toner replenishment apparatus to the developing apparatus has a thin vertical pipe shape. Even in such a case, toner retention and coagulation in the toner conveyance path of the toner conveyance device can be appropriately prevented.

  The toner conveying device of the present invention includes a toner retention preventing mechanism having a rotation member in a conveyance path that is rotatably provided in a toner conveyance path of a toner conveyance member, and a rotation mechanism unit that rotates the rotation member in the conveyance path. It is the composition which is provided.

  As a result, it is possible to appropriately prevent the toner from staying in the toner transport path of the toner transport member and further solidifying.

  Further, since the rotation member in the conveyance path rotates in the toner conveyance path of the toner conveyance member, it can directly act on the toner in the toner conveyance path, and is simply one part of the toner conveyance path by the rotating body. It is possible to efficiently prevent the toner from staying and coagulating in the toner conveyance path as compared with those that give impact or vibration to the part and those in which the spring agitator is simply expanded or contracted in the extending direction of the toner conveyance path.

An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing a configuration of the image forming apparatus A according to the present embodiment. The image forming apparatus A forms a multicolor or single color image on a sheet (recording paper) based on image data input from the outside or image data obtained by reading a document.

  As shown in the figure, the image forming apparatus A includes an exposure unit 1, a developing device 2, a photosensitive drum 4, a charger 5, a cleaner unit 4, an intermediate transfer belt unit 8, a fixing unit 12, a sheet conveyance path S, a supply path. A paper tray 10 and a paper discharge tray 15 are provided.

  The image data of a color image handled in the image forming apparatus A corresponds to a color image using each color of black (K), cyan (C), magenta (M), and yellow (Y). Accordingly, the developing device 2 (2a, 2b, 2c, 2d), the photosensitive drum 3 (3a, 3b, 3c, 3d), the charger 5 (5a, 5b, 5c, 5d), the cleaner unit 4 (4a, 4b, 4c and 3d) are provided four by four so as to form four types of latent images corresponding to the respective colors. The symbols a to d correspond to a being black, b being cyan, c being magenta, and d being yellow. It is configured.

  In the image station, the photosensitive drum 3 is disposed on the upper part of the image forming apparatus A. The charger 5 uniformly charges the surface of the photosensitive drum 3 to a predetermined potential. As the charger 5, in addition to the contact type roller type shown in FIG. 2, a contact type brush type or a charger type may be used.

  The exposure unit 1 includes, for example, an EL or LED writing head in which light emitting elements are arranged in an array, in addition to a method using a laser scanning unit (LSU) including a laser irradiation unit and a reflection mirror as shown in FIG. Some techniques are used. The exposure unit 1 exposes the charged photosensitive drum 3 according to the input image data, thereby forming an electrostatic latent image corresponding to the image data on the surface of the photosensitive drum 3.

  Each developing device 2 visualizes the electrostatic latent image formed on each photoconductor drum 3 with K, C, M, and Y toners. The cleaner unit 4 removes and collects the toner remaining on the surface of the photosensitive drum 3 after the development and image transfer processes.

  An intermediate transfer belt unit 8 is disposed above the photosensitive drum 3. The intermediate transfer belt unit 8 includes an intermediate transfer roller 6 (6a, 6b, 6c, 6d), an intermediate transfer belt 7, an intermediate transfer belt driving roller 71, an intermediate transfer belt driven roller 72, an intermediate transfer belt tension mechanism 73, and an intermediate transfer belt. A transfer belt cleaning unit 9 is provided.

  The intermediate transfer roller 6, the intermediate transfer belt drive roller 71, the intermediate transfer belt driven roller 72, the intermediate transfer belt tension roller 73, etc. stretch the intermediate transfer belt 7 and rotate it in the direction of arrow B.

  The intermediate transfer roller 6 is rotatably supported by an intermediate transfer roller mounting portion in the intermediate transfer belt tension mechanism 73 of the intermediate transfer belt unit 8. The intermediate transfer roller 6 provides a transfer bias for transferring the toner image on the photosensitive drum 3 onto the intermediate transfer belt 7.

  The intermediate transfer belt 7 is provided so as to be in contact with each photosensitive drum 3. A color toner image (multicolor toner image) is formed on the intermediate transfer belt 7 by sequentially transferring the toner images of the respective colors formed on the photosensitive drum 3 in a superimposed manner. The intermediate transfer belt 7 is formed in an endless shape using a film having a thickness of about 100 μm to 150 μm.

  Transfer of the toner image from the photosensitive drum 3 to the intermediate transfer belt 7 is performed by the intermediate transfer roller 6 in contact with the back side of the intermediate transfer belt 7. A high voltage transfer bias (a high voltage having a polarity (+) opposite to the toner charging polarity (−)) is applied to the intermediate transfer roller 6 in order to transfer the toner image. The intermediate transfer roller 6 is formed based on a metal (for example, stainless steel) shaft having a diameter of 8 to 10 mm, and the surface is covered with a conductive elastic material (for example, EPDM, urethane foam, or the like). With this conductive elastic material, the intermediate transfer roller 6 can uniformly apply a high voltage to the intermediate transfer belt 7. In this embodiment, a roller-shaped transfer electrode (intermediate transfer roller 6) is used as the transfer electrode, but a brush or the like can also be used.

  As described above, the electrostatic latent images on the respective photoreceptors 3 are visualized with toners corresponding to the respective hues to become toner images, and these toner images are laminated on the intermediate transfer belt 7. As described above, the stacked toner images are moved to the contact position between the conveyed sheet and the intermediate transfer belt 7 by the rotation of the intermediate transfer belt 7, and the transfer roller 11 arranged at this position moves the sheet onto the sheet. Is transcribed. In this case, the intermediate transfer belt 7 and the transfer roller 11 are pressed against each other at a predetermined nip, and a voltage for transferring the toner image onto the paper is applied to the transfer roller 11. This voltage is a high voltage having a polarity (+) opposite to the charging polarity (−) of the toner.

  In order to obtain the nip constantly, either the transfer roller 11 or the intermediate transfer belt drive roller 71 is made of a hard material such as a metal, and the other is a soft material such as an elastic roller (an elastic rubber roller or a foaming resin roller). ).

  The toner adhering to the intermediate transfer belt 7 due to the contact between the intermediate transfer belt 7 and the photosensitive drum 3 and the toner image remaining on the intermediate transfer belt 7 without being transferred when the toner image is transferred from the intermediate transfer belt 7 to the sheet. The toner is removed and collected by the intermediate transfer belt cleaning unit 9 because it causes toner color mixing in the next process. The intermediate transfer belt cleaning unit 9 is provided with a cleaning blade as a cleaning member that comes into contact with the intermediate transfer belt 7. The portion of the intermediate transfer belt 7 in contact with the cleaning blade is supported by an intermediate transfer belt driven roller 72 from the back side.

  The paper feed tray 10 is for storing sheets used for image formation, for example, recording paper, and is provided below the image forming unit and the exposure unit 1. On the other hand, the paper discharge tray 15 provided on the upper part of the image forming apparatus A is for placing printed sheets face down.

  Further, the image forming apparatus A is provided with a sheet conveyance path S for sending the sheet in the paper feed tray 10 and the sheet in the manual feed tray 20 to the paper discharge tray 15 via the transfer unit 11 and the fixing unit 12. . In a portion from the sheet feeding tray 10 to the sheet discharge tray 15 in the sheet conveying path S, a pickup roller 16, a registration roller 14, a transfer unit including a transfer roller 11, a fixing unit 12, a conveying roller 25, and the like are arranged. Yes.

  The conveyance rollers 25 are small rollers for promoting and assisting conveyance of the sheet, and a plurality of conveyance rollers 25 are provided along the sheet conveyance path S. The pickup roller 16 is a pull-in roller that is provided at an end portion of the sheet feeding tray 10 and supplies sheets from the sheet feeding tray 10 to the sheet conveyance path S one by one. The registration roller 14 temporarily holds the sheet conveyed in the sheet conveyance path S, and conveys the sheet to the transfer unit at a timing when the leading edge of the toner image on the photosensitive drum 3 and the leading edge of the sheet are aligned.

  The fixing unit 12 includes a heat roller 31, a pressure roller 32, and the like. The heat roller 31 and the pressure roller 32 rotate with a sheet interposed therebetween. The heat roller 31 is controlled by a control unit (not shown) so as to have a predetermined fixing temperature. This control unit controls the heat roller 31 based on a detection signal from a temperature detector (not shown). The heat roller 31 heat-presses the sheet together with the pressure roller 33 to melt, mix, and press the color toner images transferred to the sheet, and heat-fix the sheet. The sheet on which the multicolor toner image (each color toner image) has been fixed is conveyed to the reverse sheet discharge path of the sheet conveyance path S by the plurality of conveyance rollers 25 and is reversed (the multicolor toner image is on the lower side). Are discharged onto the paper discharge tray 15.

  Next, the sheet conveyance operation by the sheet conveyance path S will be described, including processing in each unit. As described above, the image forming apparatus A is provided with the paper feed cassette 10 that stores sheets in advance and the manual feed tray 20 that is used when printing a small number of sheets. The pickup rollers 16 (16-1, 16-2) are respectively disposed in both of these, and these pickup rollers 16 supply sheets one by one to the sheet conveyance path S.

(For single-sided printing)
The sheet conveyed from the sheet feeding cassette 10 is conveyed to the registration roller 14 by the conveyance roller 25-1 in the sheet conveyance path S, and the registration roller 14 and the toner images stacked on the intermediate transfer belt 7 by the registration roller 14. Is conveyed to the transfer section at the timing of alignment with the leading edge of the sheet. In the transfer portion, a toner image is transferred onto the sheet, and this toner image is fixed on the sheet by the fixing unit 12. Thereafter, the sheet is discharged from the discharge roller 25-3 onto the discharge tray 15 through the conveyance roller 25-2.

  Further, the sheet conveyed from the manual sheet feeding tray 20 is conveyed to the registration roller 14 by a plurality of conveying rollers 25 (25-6, 25-5, 25-4). Thereafter, the sheet is discharged to the abolished tray 15 through the same process as the sheet supplied from the sheet feeding cassette 10.

(For duplex printing)
As described above, the sheet that has been printed on one side and has passed through the fixing unit 12 is chucked at the trailing edge by the paper discharge roller 25-3. Next, the sheet is guided to the transport rollers 25-7 and 25-8 by the reverse rotation of the paper discharge roller 25-3, and is printed on the back surface through the registration roller 14, and then discharged to the paper discharge tray 15. Is done.

  In FIG. 2, a toner conveying device 100 is provided on the developing device 2, and a toner cartridge (toner replenishing device) 200 is provided on the toner conveying device 100. The developing device 2 and the toner cartridge 200 are connected by a toner conveying device 100, and the toner contained in the toner cartridge 200 is supplied to the developing device 2 via the toner conveying device 100.

  FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the toner supply device 300. The toner supply device 300 includes the developing device 2, the toner transport device 100, and the toner cartridge 200. In the figure, the developing device 2 and the toner cartridge 200 are shown as a rectangular parallelepiped with a two-dot chain line in order to make the structure of the toner conveying device 100 easy to understand. In other words, in the present embodiment, the developing device 2 and the toner cartridge 200 can be those having a conventionally known structure and function.

  In the present embodiment, the toner conveying device 100, the toner cartridge 200, and the developing device 2 are arranged in a U-shape. Such an arrangement is due to the fact that the intermediate transfer belt 7 moves between the toner conveying device 100 and the developing device 2 as shown in FIG.

  FIG. 3 is a front view of the toner conveying device 100, and FIGS. 4A and 4B are longitudinal sectional views of the toner conveying device 100 as viewed from the side. As shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B, the toner conveying device 100 includes a toner conveying pipe (toner conveying member) 101, a pipe support member 102, an upper foaming elastic member 104, a lower foaming elastic member 105, and a rotating body. 106 and a toner retention prevention mechanism 107.

  The toner transport pipe 101 is a pipe-shaped member extending in the vertical direction, and has a toner transport path therein. The toner transport pipe 101 is covered with a pipe support member 102 at the back.

  In the present embodiment, the inside of the toner transport pipe 101 serving as the toner transport path is a circular cavity, and the inner surface is a smooth curved surface. That is, the inner surface is a smooth surface without unevenness where toner particles can stay.

  The inner diameter of the toner transport pipe 101 has a minimum diameter at the upper end, gradually increases toward the downstream, and has a maximum diameter at the lower end. In the present embodiment, the inner diameter of the upper end is φ9.5 mm, and the inner diameter of the lower end is φ10 mm. The toner conveying pipe 101 has such an inner diameter difference between the upper end portion and the lower end portion, so that the toner charged from the upper end portion can easily reach the lower end portion without staying in the middle. The difference between the inner diameter of the upper end and the inner diameter of the lower end for obtaining such a function is at least 0.1 mm or more, preferably 0.2 mm or more.

  In the present exemplary embodiment, the toner conveyance pipe 101 is bent at the lower portion in consideration of the structure of the arrangement portion in the image forming apparatus A. That is, the shape of the toner transport pipe 101 is not limited to such a shape, and may be, for example, straight.

  The pipe support member 102 has a toner cartridge receiver 131 at the upper end, a transport pipe receiver 171 at the lower end, and an intermediate support 121 that is a portion between the toner cartridge receiver 131 and the transport pipe receiver 171. is doing.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the intermediate support part 121 has a box shape, for example. A support convex portion 122 (see FIG. 3) protruding in the direction of the toner transport pipe 101 is formed, for example, in the vicinity of the central portion in the vertical direction of the intermediate support portion 121.

  As shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B, a spring locking portion 123 is formed on a surface of the inner surface of the intermediate support portion 121 that faces the back portion of the toner transport pipe 101. The spring locking portion 123 is positioned below the spring locking portion 111 of the toner transport pipe 101, and a coil spring 124, which is an elastic member, is disposed between the spring locking portions 111 and 123. Yes. The coil spring 124 is a compression spring. As described above, providing the coil spring (elastic member) 124 between the toner transport pipe 101 and the pipe support member 102 attaches (fits) the pipe inner member rotation mechanism portion 108 to the toner transport pipe 101. ) Is effective in improving the adhesion between the toner conveying pipe 101 (or the upper foaming elastic member 104) and the pipe inner member rotating mechanism 108, but is not essential in the toner conveying apparatus 100. .

  The toner cartridge receiving portion 131 serves as a mounting seat for the toner cartridge 200 with respect to the toner conveying device 100. A pipe inner member rotation mechanism portion (rotation mechanism portion) 108 of the toner retention prevention mechanism 107 is fitted on the upper surface of the toner cartridge receiving portion 131. The in-pipe member rotation mechanism 108 is fitted to a rotation mechanism fitting portion 132 (see FIG. 5A) formed on the upper surface of the toner cartridge receiving portion 131.

  FIG. 5A is a perspective view of the toner conveying device 100 in a state where the toner retention preventing mechanism 107 is disassembled. FIG. 5B shows a perspective view of the pipe inner member rotating mechanism 108 provided in the toner retention preventing mechanism 107, and FIG. 5C shows a perspective view of the toner conveying device 100. As shown in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 6, the pipe inner member rotation mechanism 108 of the toner retention prevention mechanism 107 is
The rotating member 142, the gear member (intermittent rotating member) 143, and the coil spring (biasing member) 145 are provided between the lower holding member 141 and the upper holding member 144 that are fitted to each other. The pipe inner member rotation mechanism 108 uses a ratchet mechanism.

  The lower holding member 141 is made of, for example, a thin metal plate such as stainless steel, and a toner passage 146 is opened at the center. The toner passage 146 communicates with the toner passage of the toner transport pipe 101 in a state where the pipe inner member rotation mechanism portion 108 is disposed in the rotation mechanism fitting portion 132 in the toner cartridge receiving portion 131 of the pipe support member 102. A shaft portion 148 that projects downward from the upper holding member 144 is fitted into a fitting hole 147 formed at one end of the lower holding member 141. Engaging portions 149 that engage with the upper surface of the upper holding member 144 extend upward at both side positions at the end of the lower holding member 141 opposite to the fitting hole 147. Further, one side portion of the lower holding member 141 engages between the tooth portions of the gear member 143 to prevent the gear member 143 from rotating back (rotation preventing member). 150 is formed.

  The rotating member 142 is made of a thin metal plate such as stainless steel, and is disposed on the lower holding member 141. A shaft insertion hole 151 is formed at one end of the rotating member 142, and the shaft portion 148 of the upper holding member 144 is inserted into the shaft insertion hole 151. Thereby, the rotation member 142 is rotatable about the shaft portion 148. The rotation member 142 has a cutout shape at the center so that the toner passage 146 of the lower holding member 141 is not blocked in the rotation range. Further, the rotation member 142 is engaged at a position opposite to the shaft insertion hole 151 between the tooth portions of the gear member 143 and the gear member according to the rotation of the rotation member 142. A gear member pushing engagement portion 152 for pushing and rotating 143 is formed. The rotation member 142 can rotate in a certain angle range, and can rotate in one direction from the initial position and rotate to return to the original position even when pressed by the coil spring 145 from the rotation position. . A drive receiving portion (external force receiving portion) 153 extends upward at an end portion of the rotating member 142 opposite to the shaft insertion hole 151.

  The lower holding member 141 and the rotating member 142 are made of stainless spring material having a plate thickness of 0.1 to 0.3 mm in terms of durability of these members and downsizing of the pipe inner member rotating mechanism portion 108. Is preferably formed.

  The gear member 143 is made of, for example, resin and is disposed on the rotating member 142. The gear member 143 can rotate at a fixed position, and a toner passage 154 communicating with the toner passage 146 of the lower holding member 141 is formed at the center. Further, an engagement convex portion 155 is formed on the surface that becomes the toner passage 146. One end of an inner pipe member (rotating member in the conveyance path) 109 of the toner retention preventing mechanism 107 is engaged with the engaging convex portion 155. As described above, the return preventing engagement portion 150 of the lower holding member 141 and the gear member pushing engagement portion 152 of the rotating member 142 are engaged with the gear on the outer peripheral portion of the gear member 143.

  The upper holding member 144 is made of resin, for example, and is disposed on the gear member 143. A toner passage 156 that communicates with the toner passage 146 of the lower holding member 141 is formed at the center of the upper holding member 144. The shaft portion 148 is formed on the lower surface of one end portion of the upper holding member 144. In the upper holding member 144, the shaft portion 148 is fitted into the fitting hole 147 of the lower holding member 141 via the rotating member 142, and the upper holding member 144 is lowered to the upper surface of the end portion opposite to the shaft portion 148. The engaging portion 149 of the holding member 141 is engaged with the lower holding member 141. Further, the upper holding member 144 has engaging portions 157 that extend downward on both sides, and the pipe inner member rotation mechanism portion 108 is disposed in the rotation mechanism fitting portion 132 of the toner cartridge receiving portion 131 in the pipe support member 102. When this is done, the engaging portion 157 engages with the toner cartridge receiving portion 131. As a result, the pipe inner member rotation mechanism 108 is fixed on the toner cartridge receiving part 131.

  The rotating body 106 is disposed in the vicinity of the upper end portion of the engaging portion 157 of the upper holding member 144 in the pipe inner member rotating mechanism portion 108 so that the axial direction is orthogonal to the vertical direction of the toner conveying pipe 101. The rotating body 106 is formed with a rotating mechanism operating blade (operating blade) 161 on the engaging portion 157 side portion in the axial direction, and a gear 162 is formed on the opposite side portion to the rotating mechanism operating blade 161 in the axial direction. .

  In this embodiment, the rotating body 106 is rotated by receiving the rotational driving force of an agitating / conveying member that conveys the toner while being agitated inside the toner cartridge 200. For this purpose, the gear 162 of the rotating body 106 meshes with another gear (not shown) that transmits the rotational driving force.

  The configuration for driving the rotator 106 is not limited to the above, and may be a configuration driven by an independent drive source, for example, a dedicated motor. Further, since the rotating body 106 drives the in-pipe member rotating mechanism section 108, it belongs to the toner conveying device 100 in terms of function, but as shown in FIG. 200 may be provided. In the perspective view of FIG. 1, in order to show the structure of the toner conveying device 100 in an easy-to-understand manner, the rotating body 106 is oriented in the opposite direction to that in FIG. 7, but the rotating body 106 is provided in the toner cartridge 200. If it is, the orientation is as shown in FIG.

  In the present embodiment, four rotation mechanism operation blades 161 of the rotating body 106 are provided, and these are arranged in an evenly distributed manner in the circumferential direction of the rotating body 106. The number of rotation mechanism operation blades 161 is not particularly limited. Each rotating mechanism operation blade 161 rotates as the rotating body 106 rotates, and acts on the pipe internal member rotating mechanism portion 108 of the toner retention prevention mechanism 107. Accordingly, the toner retention preventing mechanism 107 operates as shown in FIG.

  FIG. 8A is a plan view showing a state where the upper holding member 144 in the pipe inner member rotation mechanism portion 108 of the toner retention preventing mechanism 107 is removed. In the figure, the coil spring 145 is also removed. FIG. 8B is also a plan view showing a state where the upper holding member 144 is removed from the in-pipe member rotation mechanism portion 108, and shows a state in which the rotation member 142 is in the initial position. FIG. 8C is a plan view of the pipe inner member rotation mechanism unit 108 with the upper holding member 144 removed, and shows a state in which the rotating member 142 is rotated in the B direction (one direction) from the initial position. ing.

  In the pipe inner member rotation mechanism unit 108, as shown in FIG. 8B, the rotating member 142 is pushed by the coil spring 145 and is shown in FIG. It is rotated by a predetermined angle in the A direction from the state. In this initial position, the gear member pushing engagement portion 152 of the rotation member 142 is inserted between adjacent tooth portions of the rotation member 142. Similarly, the return prevention engagement portion 150 of the lower holding member 141 is also inserted between the adjacent tooth portions of the rotating member 142. Therefore, the rotation of the rotation member 142 in the A direction is restricted by the return prevention engagement portion 150.

  Next, when the rotating body 106 rotates from the state of FIG. 8B, the rotating mechanism operation blade 161 comes into contact with the drive receiving portion 153 of the rotating member 142 of the pipe inner member rotating mechanism portion 108, and the coil spring 145. The drive receiving portion 153 is pushed in the B direction (the reverse direction of the A direction) against the spring force of. Thereby, the rotation member 142 rotates in the B direction from the state of FIG. 8B around the shaft portion 148 of the upper holding member 144, and becomes the state of FIG. 8C. When the rotating member 142 rotates in the B direction, the gear member 143 of the rotating member 142 is pushed by the engaging portion 152 and the gear member 143 rotates in the B direction. By the rotation of the gear member 143, the return prevention engagement portion 150 of the lower holding member 141 moves between the next tooth portions in the A direction of the gear member 143.

  Next, when the rotating body 106 further rotates from the state of FIG. 8C, the engagement between one rotating mechanism operation blade 161 of the rotating body 106 and the drive receiving portion 153 of the rotating member 142 is released. Thereby, the rotating member 142 is pushed by the coil spring 145 and rotates in the A direction, and the rotating member 142 returns to the state (initial position) of FIG. In this case, the gear member pushing engagement portion 152 of the rotating member 142 moves between the next tooth portions in the A direction. On the other hand, since the gear member 143 is prevented from rotating in the A direction by the return prevention engagement portion 150 of the lower holding member 141, it is held in the state of FIG.

  The pipe inner member 109 connected to the gear member 143 of the pipe inner member rotation mechanism unit 108 is formed of a coil spring in the present embodiment. The pipe inner member 109 is inserted into the toner conveying pipe 101 and rotates as the gear member 143 rotates. The rotation in this case is intermittent rotation as described above.

  The toner passage 146 of the lower holding member 141 in the pipe inner member rotation mechanism portion 108 is connected to the upper end portion of the toner transport pipe 101 through the upper foaming elastic member 104. The upper foaming elastic member 104 has a toner passage having a diameter corresponding to the inner diameter of the toner transport pipe 101 inside, and has an annular structure so as to prevent leakage of toner to the outside. The upper foaming elastic member 104 has an upper surface attached to the lower surface of the lower holding member 141 in the pipe inner member rotation mechanism portion 108 and a lower surface attached to the upper end surface of the toner conveying pipe 101.

  A toner cartridge mounting portion 103 (see FIG. 6) is provided on the upper holding member 144 of the pipe inner member rotation mechanism portion. A toner inlet 158 is formed in the toner cartridge mounting portion 103 so that toner can be charged into the toner transport pipe 101. The toner cartridge mounting portion 103 is formed in a plate shape, and has a structure in which a foamable elastic member 159 and a mylar film 160 are provided in this order from the bottom. When the toner cartridge 200 is attached to or detached from the toner conveying apparatus 100, the toner cartridge 200 slides on the toner cartridge mounting portion 103. Therefore, the Mylar film 160 is provided on the foamable elastic member 159 as described above in order to prevent the foamable elastic member 159 from being worn and to smoothly slide the toner cartridge 200. When the toner cartridge 200 is mounted on the toner transport device 100, the toner discharge port (not shown) of the toner cartridge 200 matches the toner input port 158 of the toner cartridge mounting unit 103.

  Further, instead of the Mylar film 160, for example, a PET (polyethylene terephthalate) film or a PTFE (polytetrafluoroethylene) film can be used. That is, the function of the layer provided on the foamable elastic member 159 may be any function as long as the friction coefficient when the toner cartridge 200 is slid and mounted can be made smaller than the surface of the foamable elastic member 159. Furthermore, it is preferable to have high wear resistance.

  The lower end portion of the toner transport pipe 101 is connected to the transport pipe receiving portion 171 of the pipe support member 102 through the lower foaming elastic member 105. The lower foaming elastic member 105 has a toner passage having a diameter corresponding to the inner diameter of the toner conveying pipe 101 inside, and has an annular structure so as to prevent leakage of toner to the outside. The lower foaming elastic member 105 has an upper surface attached to the lower end surface of the toner conveying pipe 101 and a lower surface attached to the upper surface of the conveying pipe receiving portion 171.

  To facilitate positioning of the lower foaming elastic member 105 on the lower end surface of the toner transport pipe 101, the toner path of the toner transport pipe 101 is provided on the lower end surface (adhesion surface) of the toner transport pipe 101. A positioning protrusion 113 protruding downward is formed. The shape of the positioning convex portion 113 is, for example, an annular shape along the inner periphery of the toner transport pipe 101, or a partially convex shape along the inner periphery of the toner transport pipe 101. There is no particular limitation as long as the member 105 can be positioned.

  In this embodiment, the positioning convex portion 113 is formed on the lower end surface (adhesion surface) of the toner conveyance pipe 101, but may be formed on the adhesion surface of the conveyance pipe receiving portion 171. Moreover, if possible, it may be formed on both the above-mentioned pasting surfaces. Further, a positioning convex portion similar to the positioning convex portion 113 for positioning the upper foaming elastic member 104 may be formed on the upper end portion of the toner conveying pipe 101.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the toner transport pipe 101 is connected to the pipe inner member rotation mechanism section 108 through the upper foaming elastic member 104 and is connected to the transport pipe receiving section 171 through the lower foaming elastic member 105. In this configuration, the toner transport pipe 101 is connected to the pipe inner member rotation mechanism unit 108 and the transport pipe receiving unit 171 without the upper foaming elastic member 104 and the lower foaming elastic member 105. There may be. However, in order to improve airtightness so that the toner does not leak from the toner conveying device 100, it is preferable that the upper foaming elastic member 104 and the lower foaming elastic member 105 are provided.

  A toner discharge path 172 is formed in the transport pipe receiving portion 171, and a lower end portion of the toner discharge path 172 serves as a toner discharge port 173 to the developing device 2. The toner discharge port 173 is provided with a slidable shutter 174. The shutter 174 is urged by a coil spring 175 that is an elastic member provided inside the transport pipe receiving portion 171. When the toner transport device 100 is not attached to the developing device 2, the shutter 174 is shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. On the other hand, when the toner conveying device 100 is attached to the developing device 2, the shutter 174 is pushed and moved by the developing device 2 along with the operation of attaching the toner conveying device 100 to the developing device 2, as shown in FIG. As shown, it is in the open state.

  The upper foaming elastic member 104, the lower foaming elastic member 105, and the foaming elastic member 159 are made of, for example, urethane, silicon, EPDM (ethylene-propylene-diene terpolymer), or a foam made from polyolefin. . For example, as a foam made of EPDM, a trade name “Eptosealer” (registered trademark) manufactured by Nitto Denko Corporation can be used.

  Further, as the upper foaming elastic member 104, the lower foaming elastic member 105, and the foaming elastic member 159, those having independent bubbles in which each bubble is independent than those having open bubbles connected to each other are used. Is preferred. The reason for this is as follows.

  Basically, in the case of the open cell structure in which the bubbles are connected to each other, the toner tends to accumulate in the upper and lower foaming elastic members 104, 105, and 159. When the toner accumulates inside as described above, when the upper or lower foaming elastic members 104 and 105 or the foaming elastic member 159 performs an expansion / contraction operation, the toner may be ejected from the toner conveyance path to the outside. Alternatively, when the toner accumulated inside solidifies, the upper and lower foaming elastic members 104 and 105 or the foaming elastic member 159 cannot perform a free expansion / contraction operation itself. On the other hand, in the case of the independent foam type in which the bubbles are not connected to each other, the toner does not accumulate in the upper and lower foaming elastic members 104, 105 or the foaming elastic member 159, and the above-mentioned Inconvenience can be avoided.

  Further, like the toner conveying pipe 101, the upper foaming elastic member 104 is preferably configured such that the inner diameter of the upper end portion is the smallest and gradually increases toward the lower end portion. Further, the inner diameter of the lower end portion preferably matches the inner diameter of the upper end portion of the toner transport pipe 101 so as not to cause a step between the upper end portion of the toner transport pipe 101. Similarly, it is preferable that the lower foaming elastic member 105 has a configuration in which the inner diameter of the upper end portion is the smallest and gradually increases toward the lower end portion, like the toner transport pipe 101. Further, the inner diameter of the lower end portion may coincide with the inner diameter of the upper end portion of the toner discharge path 172 so as not to cause a step between the upper end portion of the toner discharge path 172 of the transport pipe receiving portion 171. preferable.

  In the above configuration, in the toner supply device 300, the toner cartridge 200 is mounted on the toner transport device 100, and the developing device 2 is mounted below the toner transport device 100. In such a state that these three members are attached to each other, the rotational driving force of the agitating / conveying member provided inside the toner cartridge 200 is transmitted to the rotating body 106 of the toner conveying device 100, whereby the rotating body 106 is It can be rotated.

  Note that, as in the present embodiment, the rotating member 106 is rotated using the driving force applied to the stirring and conveying member, and the toner conveying pipe 101 is moved by the rotation. Is a load, and in some cases, it may be considered that the rotational movement of the agitating / conveying member is slightly affected. However, such an influence on the rotation operation of the agitating / conveying member does not adversely affect the image quality of the image forming apparatus A including the toner supply device 300.

  The toner in the toner cartridge 200 is input to the toner input port 158 in the toner cartridge mounting portion 103 of the toner conveying device 100 by the operation of the agitating and conveying member in the toner cartridge 200. The toner passes through the pipe inner member rotation mechanism unit 108, further passes through the toner transport pipe 101 and the toner discharge path 172, and is supplied to the developing device 2 from the toner discharge port 173. At this time, since the developing device 2 is mounted on the toner conveying device 100, the shutter 174 is in a state where the toner discharge port 173 is opened.

  In the toner supply device 300, when the toner supply operation as described above from the toner cartridge 200 to the developing device 2 via the toner conveyance device 100 is performed, the toner supply device 300 rotates by receiving a driving force to the agitation conveyance member of the toner cartridge 200. The body 106 rotates. Therefore, as described above, the gear member 143 of the in-pipe member rotation mechanism portion 108 in the toner retention prevention mechanism 107 of the toner transport device 100 is rotated by the action of the rotation mechanism operation blade 161 of the rotator 106. As a result, the pipe inner member 109 inserted into the toner transport pipe 101 rotates intermittently. Accordingly, it is possible to prevent a situation in which the toner stays in the toner transport pipe 101 and further solidifies to cause a toner transport failure.

  That is, when the pipe inner member 109 rotates in the toner passage in the toner conveyance pipe 101, the toner supplied from the toner cartridge 200 to the toner conveyance pipe 101 does not stay or solidify in the toner passage and flows to the developing device 2. Sent. Further, since the pipe inner member 109 does not simply rotate but rotates intermittently, the pipe inner member 109 itself tends to vibrate, and the vibration prevents the toner from accumulating and staying in the pipe inner member 109. can do. In particular, when a coil spring is used as the pipe inner member 109 as in the present embodiment, the pipe inner member 109 is likely to vibrate due to the intermittent rotation operation, and the presence of the pipe inner member 109 in the toner passage is present. As a result, it is possible to reliably prevent the toner from staying in the toner passage. Furthermore, the pipe inner member 109 made of a coil spring can also have a function of pushing out toner in the transport direction.

  Further, the fact that the inner surface of the toner transport pipe 101 serving as the toner transport path is a smooth surface without irregularities also contributes to an improvement in the function of preventing toner retention and coagulation.

  Further, the upper foaming elastic member 104 provided between the toner transport pipe 101 and the pipe inner member rotation mechanism section 108 and the transport pipe receiving section 171 of the toner transport pipe 101 and the pipe support member 102 are provided. The lower foaming elastic member 105 is a closed foaming member. As a result, it is possible to prevent the toner from accumulating inside the upper or lower foaming elastic members 104 and 105 and solidifying.

  Further, the inner diameter of the toner transport pipe 101 has a minimum diameter at the upper end, and gradually increases toward the downstream, and has a maximum diameter at the lower end. It is easy to reach the lower end smoothly without staying in the middle.

  Further, since the driving force for rotating the rotating body 106 uses the driving force for rotating the stirring and conveying member of the toner cartridge 200, the rotating body 106 does not require a dedicated driving source, and the configuration can be simplified. It has become.

  The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications can be made within the scope shown in the claims. That is, embodiments obtained by combining technical means appropriately modified within the scope of the claims are also included in the technical scope of the present invention.

  The present invention is applicable to an image forming apparatus having a configuration for supplying toner to a developing device provided below a toner replenishing device such as a toner cartridge via a toner conveying device, such as a copying machine or a printer. is there.

1 is a perspective view illustrating a schematic configuration of a toner supply device according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a configuration of an image forming apparatus including the toner supply device illustrated in FIG. 1. FIG. 2 is a front view of the toner conveyance device illustrated in FIG. 1. 4A is a longitudinal sectional view of the toner conveying apparatus shown in FIG. 1 with the shutter closed, and FIG. 4B is a longitudinal sectional view of the toner conveying apparatus with the shutter opened. 5A is an exploded perspective view of the toner conveying device shown in FIG. 1, FIG. 5B is a perspective view showing an assembled state of the pipe inner member rotating mechanism portion shown in FIG. FIG. 6C is a perspective view illustrating an assembled state of the toner conveying device illustrated in FIG. FIG. 6 is an exploded perspective view showing an enlarged portion of a pipe inner member rotation mechanism portion of the toner retention prevention mechanism shown in FIG. FIG. 2 is a perspective view illustrating a main part of a toner cartridge to which the rotating body illustrated in FIG. 1 is attached. 8A is a plan view showing a state in which the upper holding member and the coil spring are removed from the inner member rotating mechanism of the toner retention preventing mechanism shown in FIG. 1, and FIG. 8B is the same inner member rotating mechanism. FIG. 8C is a plan view showing a state where the upper holding member is removed and the rotating member is in the initial position, and FIG. 8C is a state where the upper holding member is similarly removed. FIG. 6 is a plan view showing a state where a rotating member is rotated in one direction.

Explanation of symbols

2 Developing device 100 Toner transport device 101 Toner transport pipe (toner transport member)
102 Pipe support member 103 Toner cartridge mounting portion 104 Upper foaming elastic member 105 Lower foaming elastic member 106 Rotating body 107 Toner retention prevention mechanism 108 Pipe inner member rotation mechanism (rotation mechanism)
109 Pipe inner member (rotating member in the transport path)
141 Lower holding member 142 Rotating member 143 Gear member (intermittent rotating member)
144 Upper holding member 145 Coil spring (biasing member)
150 Return prevention engagement part (rotation prevention member)
152 Gear member pushing engagement portion 153 Drive receiving portion (external force receiving portion)
161 Rotation mechanism operation wing (operation wing)
162 Gear 200 Toner cartridge (toner supply device)
300 Toner supply device

Claims (8)

In a toner conveying device having a toner conveying path through which toner passes and having a toner conveying member arranged so that the extending direction of the toner conveying path is the vertical direction,
A toner retention preventing mechanism having a conveyance path rotation member rotatably provided in the toner conveyance path of the toner conveyance member, and a rotation mechanism unit that rotates the conveyance path rotation member;
One end of the rotation member in the conveyance path is connected to the rotation mechanism unit, and includes a spiral spring inserted into the toner conveyance path,
The rotation mechanism unit is configured to intermittently rotate the rotation member in the conveyance path,
The rotation mechanism unit is connected to the rotation member in the conveyance path, and rotates intermittently in one direction and intermittent rotation member that rotates in one direction. An operation that rotates in the opposite direction to the operation and returns to the initial position is possible, and includes a rotating member that pushes the intermittently rotating member to rotate in one direction by rotating in the one direction,
The rotating member of the rotating mechanism has a protruding external force receiving portion,
The toner retention prevention mechanism further includes a rotating body that applies the external force to the external force receiving portion,
The rotating body has a plurality of operating wings provided at a plurality of locations in the circumferential direction of the rotating body, and intermittently applies an external force to the external force receiving portion by the plurality of operating wings in accordance with a rotating operation. A toner conveying device.   The rotating mechanism unit further includes a biasing member that biases the rotating member in a direction to return to the initial position, and a rotation blocking member that prevents the intermittent rotating member from rotating in a direction opposite to the one direction. The toner conveying device according to claim 1, further comprising:   The rotation mechanism unit includes a lower holding member and an upper holding member that are fitted to each other, and the intermittent rotation member, the rotating member, and the biasing member are held between the lower holding member and the upper holding member. The toner conveying device according to claim 2, wherein the rotation preventing member is provided on the lower holding member. The rotating body of claim 1, characterized in that rotating said supplying toner to the toner conveyance path of the toner conveying member, the toner supply device provided on the toner carrying member receives a driving force Toner transport device.   The toner conveying device according to claim 1, wherein the diameter of the toner conveying path of the toner conveying member gradually increases from the upper end side toward the lower end side. A toner conveying device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, and the toner supply device is mounted on the toner conveying device, is mounted underneath the toner conveying device, the toner conveying device from a toner replenishing device And a developing device that receives toner supply via the toner supply device. An image forming apparatus comprising the toner supply device according to claim 6 . An image forming unit corresponding to each color toner including a photoconductor and the toner supply device is provided in parallel, and a toner image formed on the photoconductor of each image forming unit is transferred to the intermediate transfer member. The image forming apparatus according to claim 7 , wherein the toner image is an intermediate transfer system in which the toner image is transferred to a recording material.

Images