JP5252297B2 - Toner supply device and image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a toner replenishing device used in an image forming apparatus such as a printer, a facsimile machine, and a copying machine, and an image forming apparatus including the toner replenishing device.

  In this type of image forming apparatus, a latent image formed on an image carrier is developed by a developing device using a developer containing toner as a main component. By developing the latent image, the developer in the developer is developed. Since toner is consumed, it is necessary to replenish the developer in the developing device. For this reason, toner is supplied from the toner replenishing device provided in the image forming apparatus main body to the developing device, and the toner in the developing device is replenished.

  In the toner replenishing device described in Patent Document 1, a cylindrical toner container having a toner discharge port formed on one end side and having a spiral protrusion on an inner wall surface, and a toner discharge port side of the toner container are mounted, and the toner discharge port A toner storage unit that temporarily stores the discharged toner is provided. The toner container is rotationally driven while being supported substantially horizontally by the toner replenishing device main body. When the toner container rotates, the toner is transported by the spiral protrusions, and the toner is contained inside the toner container. Is moved toward the toner discharge port and discharged from the toner discharge port. The inside of the toner reservoir is cylindrical, and an opening that communicates with the toner receiving port of the developing device provided in the image forming apparatus via the toner conveyance path in a state where the toner replenishing device is mounted on the image forming apparatus main body. It is formed on the wall of the toner reservoir. In addition, a rotating member that rotates integrally with the rotational force of the toner container is provided inside the toner reservoir. On the outer peripheral surface of the rotating member, the rotating member rotates to convey toner in the circumferential direction along the inner wall surface of the toner reservoir, and push out the toner from the opening to eject the toner. A member is provided. The toner discharged from the opening of the toner reservoir by the toner pushing member enters the developing device from a toner receiving port provided in the developing device, so that the toner is replenished from the toner replenishing device to the developing device.

In the configuration of the toner replenishing device described in Patent Document 1, when the remaining amount of toner in the toner container is large, the amount of toner discharged from the toner container into the toner storage unit is large, and the volume of toner in the toner storage unit is The reservoir may reach up to a position above the position where the opening is formed. As described above, when the toner volume in the toner reservoir reaches above the opening, the toner is pushed out from the opening by the toner pushing member and discharged, and the toner above the opening is under its own weight. It will be discharged from the opening.
On the other hand, as the remaining amount of toner in the toner container decreases, the amount of toner discharged from the toner container into the toner storage portion decreases, the toner volume in the toner storage portion decreases, and the toner volume increases. The toner storage portion does not reach the position where the opening is formed. Therefore, in addition to the toner being pushed out and discharged from the opening by the toner pushing member, the toner is not discharged from the opening by its own weight.
As described above, the amount of toner discharged from the toner container into the toner storage portion changes and the volume of the toner in the toner storage portion changes, so that the toner is pushed out from the opening by the toner pushing member and discharged. There are cases where the toner is discharged from the opening by its own weight and may not be discharged. Therefore, there arises a problem that the toner replenishment amount from the toner replenishing device to the developing device varies.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object thereof is to provide a toner replenishing device capable of reducing fluctuations in the amount of toner replenishment and an image forming apparatus including the toner replenishing device.

In order to achieve the above object, a first aspect of the present invention provides a toner container that contains toner to be replenished to the developing means and is detachable from the apparatus main body, and temporarily stores the toner discharged from the toner container. A toner storage section, a rotating member rotatably provided in the toner storage section, one end fixed to the rotating member and the other end slidably contacting the inner wall surface of the toner storage section, the rotating member And a toner pushing member that conveys the toner in the toner reservoir along the inner wall surface by rotation of the toner and pushes the toner out of the toner reservoir through an opening formed in the wall of the toner reservoir. Sometimes, the toner is discharged from the toner container into the toner storage portion, the rotating member is rotated, and the toner in the toner storage portion is discharged from the opening by the toner pushing member. The toner replenishing device for replenishing toner to the developing means has an opening / closing means for opening / closing the opening, and the opening / closing operation is performed a predetermined time before the toner pushing member finishes passing through the opening during the toner replenishing operation. The opening is opened by means, and the opening is closed by the opening / closing means when the toner push-out member has passed through the opening.
According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the toner replenishing device according to the first aspect, when the toner replenishing operation is not performed, the opening is closed by the opening / closing means.
According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the toner replenishing device according to the first or second aspect of the present invention, the toner replenishing device further comprises a toner remaining amount detecting means for detecting a remaining amount of toner in the toner container, and the opening is opened by the opening / closing means. The predetermined time is set in advance according to the remaining amount of toner in the toner container.
According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided the toner replenishing device according to the first or second aspect, wherein the rotating member is movable in the rotational direction of the rotating member along the wall surface of the toner reservoir so as to cover the opening. A moving member formed with a second opening having a narrow width in the rotational direction; and a toner remaining amount detecting means for detecting the remaining amount of toner in the toner container, according to the remaining amount of toner in the toner container. The moving member is moved.
According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a toner container that contains toner to be replenished to the developing means and is detachable from the apparatus main body, a toner storage part that temporarily stores the toner discharged from the toner container, A rotating member provided rotatably in the toner storage portion, and one end fixed to the rotating member and the other end slidably contact the inner wall surface of the toner storage portion. A toner push-out member that conveys the toner in the section along the inner wall surface and pushes the toner out of the toner storage section through an opening formed in the wall section of the toner storage section. The toner is discharged into the toner storage portion, the rotating member is rotated, the toner in the toner storage portion is discharged from the opening by the toner pushing member, and the toner is discharged to the developing means. In the toner replenishing device to be supplied, a movement in which a second opening that is movable in the rotating member rotating direction and narrower in the rotating member rotating direction than the opening is formed on the wall surface of the toner reservoir so as to cover the opening. And a toner remaining amount detecting means for detecting a remaining amount of toner in the toner container, wherein the moving member is moved according to the remaining amount of toner in the toner container. .
According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an image carrier that carries a latent image, a developing unit that develops the latent image carried on the image carrier with a developer composed of at least toner, and a toner in the developing unit. An image forming apparatus including a toner replenishing unit for replenishing toner is characterized in that the toner replenishing device of claim 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5 is used as the toner replenishing unit.

According to a first aspect of the present invention, the opening is opened by the opening / closing means a predetermined time before the time when the toner pushing member finishes passing through the opening, and the opening / closing is done when the toner pushing member finishes passing through the opening. The opening is closed by means. In other words, the opening is opened for a certain period of time before the pushing member finishes passing through the opening. As a result, even if the amount of toner discharged from the toner container to the toner storage part is large when the amount of toner remaining in the toner container is large, the volume of the toner in the toner storage part reaches above the opening. The toner is discharged from the opening only for the predetermined time when the toner is opened. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the amount of toner above the opening that is discharged from the opening due to its own weight, compared to a configuration in which the opening is always open during the toner replenishing operation. Therefore, when the toner volume reaches above the opening, the amount of toner discharged from the opening under its own weight is reduced, and accordingly the toner volume reaches above the opening. The difference in the amount of toner discharged from the opening during the toner replenishment operation can be reduced between the case where the opening has not been reached and the case where the opening has not been reached. Therefore, even if the toner volume in the toner reservoir changes due to the remaining amount of toner in the toner container, the variation in the toner replenishment amount from the toner replenishing device to the developing means is reduced from the configuration in which the opening is always open. be able to.
According to a fifth aspect of the invention, the moving member in which the second opening having a narrower width in the rotation direction of the rotating member than the opening is formed to cover the opening in accordance with the remaining amount of toner in the toner container. Next, the rotating member is moved in the rotating direction on the wall surface of the toner storage portion. Accordingly, when the toner remaining amount detecting means detects that the remaining amount of toner in the toner container is large, the moving member is moved to a higher position. In this way, the position of the second opening is positioned above the volume of toner in the toner reservoir, so that the toner can be prevented from being discharged from the second opening by its own weight. . Further, when the toner remaining amount detecting means detects that the toner remaining amount in the toner container is low, the moving member is moved to a low position. As a result, when the toner is transported toward the second opening by the toner pushing member, the toner is hardly spilled from the toner pushing member, and the amount of toner discharged from the second opening is reduced. Can be suppressed. Therefore, the amount of toner discharged when the amount of toner remaining in the toner container is large and the amount of toner remaining when the amount of toner remaining in the toner container is small, as compared with the configuration where the position of the opening through which toner is discharged from the toner reservoir to the outside is always the same. The difference from the discharge amount can be reduced, and fluctuations in the toner supply amount from the toner supply device to the developing means can be reduced.
Therefore, according to the first to sixth aspects of the present invention, it is possible to reduce the fluctuation of the toner replenishment amount from the toner replenishing device to the developing means.

  As described above, according to the present invention, there is an excellent effect that the fluctuation of the toner replenishment amount can be reduced.

(A) The schematic diagram when the agitator is located in the position away from the slit in the structural example 1. FIG. (B) The schematic diagram when the agitator approaches the slit in Configuration Example 1. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a copier according to an embodiment. FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram illustrating a state where the toner bottle unit is in a toner supply position. FIG. 3A is a perspective view when a toner bottle unit is pulled out from the apparatus main body to the outside of the apparatus main body. FIG. 4B is a perspective view when the toner bottle unit is accommodated in the apparatus main body from the outside of the apparatus main body. FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram illustrating a state in which a toner bottle unit is in a bottle placement position. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a toner bottle with an opening opened. FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a toner bottle whose opening is sealed with a stopper. (A) The schematic longitudinal cross-sectional block diagram of a toner bottle. (B) An enlarged view of the vicinity of the opening of the toner bottle. (A) The schematic diagram before a toner bottle is set | placed on the setting position of a bottle holder. (B) A schematic view when the toner bottle is placed at the set position of the bottle holder. (C) The schematic diagram when a stopper is removed by the collet chuck. The enlarged view near the opening / closing handle when the opening / closing handle is in the closed position. The perspective view which showed the state of the cam apparatus when an opening-and-closing handle exists in a closed position. The enlarged view near the opening / closing handle when the opening / closing handle is in the open position. The perspective view which showed the state of the cam apparatus when an opening-and-closing handle exists in an open position. FIG. 3 is a schematic configuration diagram in the vicinity of a toner supply device. FIG. 3 is a front view of a toner hopper in Configuration Example 1. FIG. 3 is an assembled perspective view of a toner hopper portion in Configuration Example 1. FIG. 3 is an exploded view of a toner hopper portion in Configuration Example 1. Front view of the toner hopper in Configuration Example 2 FIG. 10 is an assembled perspective view of a toner hopper portion in Configuration Example 2. FIG. 10 is an exploded view of a toner hopper in Configuration Example 2. (A) The schematic diagram at the time of moving a movable slit to a high position. (B) The schematic diagram at the time of moving a movable slit to a low position. FIG. 10 is a front view of a toner hopper in Configuration Example 3. FIG. 10 is an assembled perspective view of a toner hopper portion in Configuration Example 3. FIG. 10 is an exploded view of a toner hopper in Configuration Example 3. The schematic diagram at the time of moving the shutter open | release boss | hub to the direction away from the rotating shaft center of a rotating plate to the rotating plate radial direction. FIG. 10 is a front view of a toner hopper in a configuration example 4. FIG. 10 is an assembled perspective view of a toner hopper portion in Configuration Example 4. FIG. 10 is an exploded view of a toner hopper in a configuration example 4. (A) Explanatory drawing used for description to move the shutter release boss in the circumferential direction. (B) The schematic diagram at the time of moving the shutter release boss in the circumferential direction toward the downstream side in the agitator rotation direction. FIG. 10 is a front view of a toner hopper in Configuration Example 5. FIG. 10 is an assembled perspective view of a toner hopper portion in Configuration Example 5. FIG. 10 is an exploded view of a toner hopper in a configuration example 5. The schematic diagram at the time of moving the shutter release boss in the circumferential direction and moving in the direction away from the rotation axis center of the rotation plate in the rotation plate radial direction. FIG. 10 is a front view of a toner hopper in a configuration example 6. FIG. 10 is an assembled perspective view of a toner hopper portion in Configuration Example 6. FIG. 10 is an exploded view of a toner hopper in a configuration example 6. The schematic diagram when it has a movable slit and the shutter opening boss is moved in the direction away from the rotation axis center of the rotating plate in the rotating plate radial direction.

Hereinafter, an electrophotographic copying machine as an image forming apparatus to which the present invention is applied will be described.
FIG. 2 is a schematic configuration diagram showing the copying machine according to the present embodiment. In FIG. 1, the copying machine includes a printer unit 100, a paper feeding unit 200, a scanner unit 300, and the like.

  The printer unit 100 includes a photosensitive member 10 as a latent image carrier, a charging device 11, a developing device 12 as a developing unit, a cleaning device 13 for cleaning the photosensitive member 10, and an electrostatic latent image written on the photosensitive member 10. An optical writing device 15 and the like are included. Further, on the side of the photoconductor 10, toner for supplying to the transfer and transport unit 125 that moves the endless paper transport belt 120 endlessly in the clockwise direction in the drawing while being stretched by a plurality of rollers, and the developing device 12. And a toner replenishing device 50 having a toner bottle for storing the toner. Further, a fixing device 6 for fixing the toner image on the recording paper P, a discharge roller pair 29 for discharging the recording paper P after the fixing process to the outside of the apparatus, and a stack provided on the upper surface of the printer unit housing. The unit 8 is also included.

  The paper feed unit 200 is disposed below the printer unit, and includes a first paper feed cassette 201, a first paper feed roller 202, a second paper feed cassette 203, a second paper feed roller 204, and the like. . Each of the first paper feed cassette 201 and the second paper feed cassette 203 accommodates a plurality of recording papers P as recording members in a stacked state. The first paper feed cassette 201 and the second paper feed cassette 203 rotate the first paper feed roller 202 and the second paper feed roller 204 to separate the recording paper P from the paper bundle one by one. Send out toward. A registration roller pair 28 is disposed near the end of the paper feed path, and the recording paper P in the paper feed path is temporarily sandwiched between the rollers, and the conveyance is temporarily stopped. Then, the driving of the registration roller pair 28 is resumed at the timing when the toner image formed on the photoreceptor 10 is overlaid by a process which will be described later, so that it is sent out toward a transfer nip described later.

  The scanner unit 300 placed on the printer unit 100 is for reading an image of a document (not shown) placed on the contact glass 301. A first traveling body 302 including a document illumination light source 302a and a first reflecting mirror 302b, a second traveling body 303 including a second reflecting mirror 303a and a third reflecting mirror 303b, a condensing lens 304, an image sensor 305, and the like. Have. The first traveling body 302 reads and scans the document by moving in the document surface direction while irradiating the document on the contact glass 301 with the reading light emitted from the document illumination light source 302a. The scanning light obtained on the original surface is sequentially reflected on the first reflecting mirror 302b of the first traveling body 302, the second reflecting mirror 303a of the second traveling body 303, and the third reflecting mirror 303b, and then the condenser lens 304. And enters the image sensor 305. An image sensor 305 composed of a CCD or the like generates an image signal based on incident scanning light. This image signal is sent to a scanning control unit (not shown) and digitized for image processing. Then, the scanning control unit drives the optical writing device 15 of the printer unit 100 based on the processed image signal. Then, the optical writing device 15 optically scans the surface of the photoconductor 10 to form an electrostatic latent image on the surface of the photoconductor 10.

  In the printer unit 100, the peripheral surface of the photoconductor 10 that is rotationally driven in the counterclockwise direction in the figure is uniformly charged by the charging device 11, and then subjected to an optical scanning by the optical writing device 15 and electrostatically. Carries a latent image. This electrostatic latent image is developed with toner supplied from the developing roller 12a of the developing device 12 to become a visible toner image.

  The paper conveying belt 120 moved endlessly on the side of the photoconductor 10 is pressed against the surface of the photoconductor 10 by a transfer roller 124 disposed inside the loop. Thereby, a transfer nip is formed in which the photosensitive member 10 and the front surface (loop outer peripheral surface) of the paper conveying belt 120 abut. A transfer electric field is formed in the transfer nip by applying a transfer bias to the transfer roller 124.

  The recording paper P sent out from the registration roller pair 28 as described above is brought into close contact with the toner image on the photoconductor 10 while being sandwiched between the transfer nips. The toner image is transferred by the action of the nip pressure and the transfer electric field. The recording paper P onto which the toner image has been transferred in this way is conveyed along with the endless movement of the belt while being attracted to the front surface of the paper conveying belt 120 and then delivered to the fixing device 6.

  The fixing device 6 forms a fixing nip with a fixing roller that rotates while containing a heat source such as a halogen lamp and a pressure roller that rotates while being in contact with the fixing roller. The recording paper P delivered from the paper conveying belt 120 to the fixing device 6 is sandwiched between the fixing nips. Then, the toner image is fixed on the surface by the action of nip pressure or heating. The recording paper P on which the toner image is fixed in this manner is sent out from the fixing device 6 and then stacked on the stack unit 8 via the paper discharge roller pair 29.

  The transfer residual toner remaining on the surface of the photoconductor 10 after passing through the transfer nip is removed from the surface of the photoconductor 10 by the cleaning device 13 and collected in a collection tank (not shown). The transfer residual toner collected by the cleaning device 13 may be transported to the developing device 12 and reused. After being cleaned by the cleaning device 13, the photosensitive member 10 is uniformly charged again by the charging device 11.

  Heretofore, an example in which an image is formed based on image information obtained by reading a document placed on the contact glass 301 with the scanner unit 300 has been described. However, the copier can also function as a printer. Can do. The printer unit 100 forms an image based on image information sent from an external personal computer or the like.

  Further, as a developer replenishing device that replenishes toner stored in a toner bottle as a developer containing container to the developing device 12, a toner replenishing device 50 having a toner bottle unit 17 that detachably holds a toner bottle is a photoconductor. 10 on the upper left side of the front side of the printer.

  In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3, the position where the entire toner bottle unit 17 is accommodated and mounted in the main body of the toner supply device provided in the printer main body is defined as a toner supply position B. In a state where the toner bottle unit 17 is in the toner replenishing position B, a toner discharge port (not shown) provided in the toner bottle unit 17 and a toner receiving port (not shown) provided on the printer main body side communicate with each other. The toner is replenished from the toner bottle unit 17 into the developing device 12 through the toner discharge port and the toner receiving port.

  As shown in FIG. 4A, the toner bottle unit 17 has a bottle holder 21 as a container holding means for holding the toner bottle 20, and is provided on the toner supply device main body side. A bottle holder 21 is provided on a support member 22 that is slidably supported.

  The toner bottle unit 17 at the toner replenishment position B slides on the support member 22 through the bottle holder 21 in the direction of arrow C in the drawing, and is pulled out in front of the toner supply device 50, in other words, in front of the printer main body. Further, it can be pulled out to the position shown in FIG. In the present embodiment, the position where the toner bottle unit 17 is pulled out in front of the printer main body is set as the bottle mounting position A, and the toner bottle 20 is located at the bottle mounting position A with respect to the toner bottle unit 17. Attach and remove.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 4B, the toner bottle unit 17 at the bottle loading position A slides on the support member 22 via the bottle holder 21 in the direction of arrow D in the drawing, so that the printer body It moves to and is attached to a toner replenishing position B within the provided toner replenishing device main body.

  FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the toner bottle 20 that can be used in the present embodiment with the stopper 25 removed and the opening 23 opened, and FIG. Shows a state where is attached. 8A is a longitudinal sectional view of the toner bottle 20, and FIG. 8B is an enlarged view of the opening 23 thereof.

  The toner bottle 20 has a substantially cylindrical shape, and an opening 23 having a smaller diameter than that of the cylindrical portion is formed at the center of one end surface thereof. The opening 23 is formed at the tip of the collar 24 protruding outward, and a plug 25 is provided to seal the opening 23. A knob 26 is formed at the center of the stopper 25. Further, on the inner peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion, the toner stored inside is guided to the opening 23 side by rotation of the toner bottle 20 by a bottle rotation driving device (not shown) with the toner bottle 20 attached to the toner bottle unit 17. A guide groove 27 is formed in a spiral shape.

  Next, a schematic configuration and operation of a mechanism for removing the plug 25 from the toner bottle 20 in a state where the opening 23 is sealed with the plug 25 will be described.

  As shown in FIG. 9A and the like, the toner bottle unit 17 includes a collet chuck 30 provided to hold the stopper 25 of the toner bottle 20 held by the bottle holder 21. It is supported by the support wall 31 by the hole 32 formed in the bottom.

  In the free state shown in FIG. 9A, the gripping portion 33 formed at the tip of the collet chuck 30 is supported in an expanded state. Note that the gripping portion 33 at the tip of the collet chuck 30 has a plurality of cuts for allowing the gripping portion 33 to be narrowed by an external force.

  FIG. 9B shows a state when the toner bottle 20 is placed at the set position of the bottle holder 21. At this time, the toner bottle 20 is set in the bottle holder 21 by arranging the knob 26 in the holding part 33 of the collet chuck 30 so that the knob 26 of the stopper 25 can be held by the holding part 33 of the collet chuck 30. .

  In this state, the holding part 33 of the collet chuck 30 has not yet held the knob part 26 of the stopper 25.

  Here, the toner bottle unit 17 is provided with an opening / closing handle 41 that is rotatable about a rotation axis that is coaxial or substantially coaxial with the central axis of the toner bottle 20 as shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 9B, in the state where the gripping portion 26 of the plug 25 is not held by the holding portion 33 of the collet chuck 30, the opening 23 is sealed by the plug 25 and the opening 23 is closed. As shown in FIG. 10, the opening / closing handle 41 is at the 9 o'clock position. In the present embodiment, the 9 o'clock position is the closed position of the opening / closing handle 41. In addition, as shown in FIG. 11, a cam device 40 configured to operate in conjunction with the rotational movement of the opening / closing handle 41 is provided inside the main body of the opening / closing handle 41. When in the closed position, the moving member 70 provided on the collet chuck 30 that can move along the cam surface 45 of the cam device 40 is in a state closest to the toner bottle 20 of the cam surface 45. .

  When the stopper 25 is removed from the opening 23 of the toner bottle 20 and the opening 23 is opened, the opening / closing handle 41 in the closed position is rotated clockwise, and as shown in FIG. Move to the position. In the present embodiment, the 12 o'clock position is the open position of the opening / closing handle 41. Here, the main body of the cam device 40 is configured to be rotatable in the same direction as the opening / closing handle 41 in conjunction with the rotation of the opening / closing handle 41. Therefore, the cam device 40 main body is also rotated in the same direction by rotating the opening / closing handle 41 from the closed position to the open position, and by the rotation of the cam device 40 main body at this time, as shown in FIG. The moving member 70 moves along the cam surface 45 in a direction away from the toner bottle 20. As the moving member 70 moves in this manner, the collet chuck 30 provided with the moving member 70 also moves away from the toner bottle 20 (in the direction of the arrow in FIG. 9B). By this movement, the collet chuck 30 is pushed by the inner peripheral surface of the hole 32 to narrow the gripping portion 33, and the knob portion 26 of the plug 25 is gripped by the gripping portion 33. Then, in a state where the knob portion 26 of the plug 25 is held by the holding portion 33, the collet chuck 30 is further moved in the above-described direction, so that the plug 25 is removed from the opening portion 23 as shown in FIG. Thus, the opening 23 is completely opened.

  By providing such a mechanism for removing the stopper 25 in the toner bottle unit 17, the toner bottle 20 can be placed on the bottle holder 21 while the opening 23 is still sealed with the stopper 25. Therefore, particularly when the toner bottle 20 is placed on the bottle holder 21 in a substantially horizontal state, toner leakage from the opening 23 can be prevented.

  When the stopper 25 is attached to the opening 23 of the toner bottle 20, the operation opposite to the above-described operation for removing the stopper 25 from the opening 23 is performed. That is, the opening / closing handle 41 is rotated counterclockwise from the open position to the closed position, and the collet chuck 30 is moved in a direction approaching the toner bottle 20 by the cam device 40 to plug the opening 23 of the toner bottle 20. 25 is attached. At this time, by moving the collet chuck 30 toward the opening 23, the gripping portion 33 is opened by the restoring force of the collet chuck 30, and the gripping of the knob portion 26 of the plug 25 is released.

  Therefore, when the toner bottle 20 is taken out from the bottle holder 21, the stopper 25 is first attached to the opening 23 of the toner bottle 20 by the above-described method, and the opening 23 is sealed with the stopper 25. In addition, the toner attached to the wall surface in the vicinity of the opening 23 of the toner bottle 20 does not leak from the opening 23 and scatter into and out of the apparatus.

  Next, an operation related to the replacement work of the toner bottle 20 will be described. When removing the toner bottle 20 from the bottle holder 21, first, the stopper 25 is attached to the opening 23 of the toner bottle 20 by the above-described method so that the toner is not discharged from the opening 23 during the toner bottle replacement operation. After the opening 23 is sealed with the stopper 25, the toner bottle unit 17 is moved from the toner supply position B to the bottle placement position A. Then, the replacement person removes the toner bottle 20 from the bottle holder 21 in a state where the toner bottle unit 17 is in the bottle mounting position A. After the toner bottle 20 is removed from the bottle holder 21, a new toner bottle 20 filled with toner and having the opening 23 sealed with a stopper 25 with the toner bottle unit 17 in the bottle mounting position A is Place on the bottle holder 21. Then, the hemispherical hole portion 42 provided in the opening / closing handle 41 of the toner bottle unit 17 is pushed to move the toner bottle unit 17 from the bottle placement position A to the toner supply position B, and the toner bottle unit 17 is attached to the apparatus main body. Installing. Thereafter, the opening 23 of the toner bottle 20 is opened by the above-described method of removing the stopper 25 from the opening 23.

  Thus, the toner guided to the opening 23 side by the spiral guide groove 27 formed in the toner bottle 20 by rotating the toner bottle 20 having the opening 23 opened by a bottle rotation driving device (not shown). The toner in the bottle 20 is discharged out of the toner bottle 20 through the opening 23. The toner discharged from the opening 23 of the toner bottle 20 passes through the toner conveyance path provided in the toner bottle unit 17, and the toner provided on the apparatus main body side communicating with the toner discharge port from the toner discharge port described above. The toner is finally supplied into the developing device 12 through the receiving port.

  Further, as in this embodiment, the rotation direction of the opening / closing handle 41 is on a plane orthogonal to the axis of the movement direction between the bottle placement position A and the toner supply position B, and is coaxial or substantially the same as the axis. The direction is around a coaxial rotation axis. Therefore, when the toner bottle unit 17 is moved from the bottle placement position A to the toner replenishment position B, it is assumed that a component of the force by which the replacement person pushes the opening / closing handle 41 is applied to the rotation direction of the opening / closing handle 41. However, the portion of the opening / closing handle 41 that is pressed when the toner bottle unit 17 is pushed into the apparatus main body is the hemispherical hole portion 42 provided on the opening / closing handle 41 on or near the axis of the opening / closing handle 41, so Because of the relationship, the force cannot be enough to turn the opening / closing handle 41. Therefore, when the replacement person stores the toner bottle unit 17 in the toner replenishment position B in the apparatus main body, the opening / closing handle 41 is rotated by the force pushing the toner bottle unit 17 and the stopper 25 is detached from the opening 23. Can be suppressed.

  Next, a toner replenishing device 50 that replenishes the developer in the developing device 12 when the latent image formed on the photoconductor 10 is developed and the toner in the developer is consumed will be described with reference to FIG. I will explain. The toner supply device 50 includes a toner bottle (not shown) and a toner hopper 132 (not shown).

When the toner bottle rotates, the toner is discharged from the discharge port of the toner bottle and the toner is accumulated in the toner hopper 132.
In the toner hopper 132, the toner supplied from the toner bottle is pushed up by the agitator 43, which is a blade-like push-up member that rotates inside, and sent out in the direction F in the drawing through the slit 60 formed in the wall of the toner hopper. The toner that has entered the toner transport path 52 of the toner transport device 51 enters the developing device 12 via the toner receiving port 48 and falls in the direction of arrow G.

  Further, the toner replenishing device main body is provided with toner remaining amount detecting means for detecting the remaining amount of toner in the toner bottle 20, and based on the detection result of the remaining toner amount detecting means, the image forming apparatus indicates that the toner end is reached. When a determination is made by a control unit (not shown) provided in the main body, a display to that effect is displayed on a display unit (not shown) provided in the main body of the image forming apparatus to prompt the user or the like to replace the toner bottle 20.

[Configuration example 1]
FIG. 15 is a front view of the toner hopper 132 of the toner replenishing device 50 in this configuration example, FIG. 16 is an assembly perspective view of the toner hopper 132, and FIG. 17 is an exploded view of the toner hopper 132.

  In the toner hopper 132, a slit 60 is formed in a wall portion below a virtual horizontal plane passing through the axial center of the toner hopper 132. A shutter 61 that opens and closes the slit 60 from the outside of the toner hopper 132 is attached to a bearing portion 80 provided on the outer wall surface of the toner hopper 132 by rotatably engaging a rotary shaft 81 provided on itself. The shutter 61 is attached in a state where the shutter 61 is closed so as to cover the slit 60 with the surface of the toner hopper 132 contacting the outer peripheral surface of the toner hopper 132 when no external force is applied. In addition, an agitator 43 and a shutter opening boss 62 are provided to face each other on a rotating plate 63 that is rotatably attached to a cylindrical toner hopper 132.

  In this configuration example, as shown in FIG. 1A, when the agitator 43 is located at a position away from the slit 60, the slit 60 is closed by the shutter 61 and rotates from the state of FIG. As the plate 63 rotates, when the agitator 43 approaches the slit 60 as shown in FIG. 1B, the shutter opening boss 62 that rotates integrally with the agitator 43 and moves in the circumferential direction presses the pressing portion 83 of the shutter 61. Thus, the shutter 61 is rotated in a direction away from the slit 60 around the rotation shaft 81 provided therein, and the slit 60 is opened when the surface of the shutter 61 is separated from the outer wall surface of the toner hopper 132. When the shutter opening boss 62 further moves in the circumferential direction and moves away from the pressing portion 83 of the shutter 61, the shutter 61 rotates in the direction approaching the slit 60 around its own rotation shaft 81, and the outer wall surface of the toner hopper 132 The slit 60 is covered with the shutter 61 and closed by contact with the surface of the shutter 61.

  In this configuration example, the slit 60 is opened by the shutter 61 a predetermined time before the time when the agitator 43 finishes passing through the slit 60, and the slit 60 is closed by the shutter 61 when the agitator 43 finishes passing through the slit 60. . In other words, the slit 60 is opened for a certain time before the agitator 43 finishes passing through the slit 60. As a result, even if the amount of toner discharged from the toner bottle 20 to the toner hopper 132 is large when the remaining amount of toner in the toner bottle 20 is large, the volume of toner in the toner hopper 132 reaches above the slit 60, so that The toner is discharged from the slit 60 only during the predetermined time when the 60 is open. Therefore, the amount of toner that is above the slit 60 is discharged from the slit 60 by its own weight can be reduced as compared with the configuration in which the slit 60 is always open. Therefore, when the toner volume reaches the upper part of the slit 60, the discharge amount of the toner discharged from the slit 60 by its own weight is reduced. Therefore, when the toner volume reaches the upper part of the slit 60 by that amount. The difference in the amount of toner discharged from the slit 60 can be reduced between the case where the toner does not reach the slit 60. Therefore, even if the toner volume in the toner hopper 132 changes due to the remaining amount of toner in the toner bottle 20, the amount of toner replenishment from the toner replenishing device 50 to the developing device 12 varies from the configuration in which the slit 60 is always open. Can be reduced.

[Configuration example 2]
FIG. 18 is a front view of the toner hopper 132 of the toner replenishing device 50 in this configuration example, FIG. 19 is an assembly perspective view of the toner hopper 132, and FIG. 20 is an exploded view of the toner hopper 132.

  When the amount of toner remaining in the toner bottle 20 is large, even if the amount of toner discharged from the toner bottle 20 into the toner hopper 132 is large, the volume of toner in the toner hopper 132 does not reach above the slit 60 of the toner hopper 132. In addition, if the slit 60 is always positioned above the volume of toner accumulated in the toner hopper 132, the toner is pushed out of the slit 60 by the agitator 43 and discharged. It is considered that toner can be prevented from being discharged from the slit 60 by its own weight. However, when the amount of toner discharged into the toner hopper 132 is small, most of the toner conveyed toward the slit 60 by the agitator 43 is spilled from the agitator 43 and discharged from the slit 60 before reaching the slit 60. The toner amount is reduced.

  Further, when the slit 60 is set at a high position, when the amount of toner present in the toner hopper 132 is large, the amount of toner scooped up by the agitator 43 is also large. When the toner is pushed out from the toner to the outside, the toner is easily discharged from the slit 60 even if the slit 60 is at a high position on the wall of the toner hopper 132, but the amount of toner in the toner hopper 132 is small. In this case, the discharge action is reduced, and most of the toner passes through the slit 60 while riding on the agitator 43, and the toner is hardly discharged from the slit 60.

  Therefore, even if it is possible to suppress the toner from being discharged from the slit 60 as described above by making the position of the slit 60 high, the toner is discharged from the slit 60 according to the amount of toner in the toner hopper 132. The toner amount fluctuates.

  In this configuration example, a movable slit 66 is provided. When the toner remaining amount detecting means detects that the remaining amount of toner in the toner bottle 20 is large, the movable slit 66 is formed as shown in FIG. Move to a higher position. In this way, the position of the slit 66a of the movable slit 66 is positioned above the toner volume in the toner hopper 132, so that it is formed on the wall portion of the toner hopper 132 via the slit 66a of the movable slit 66 as described above. The toner can be prevented from being discharged by its own weight from the slit 66 formed.

  When the toner remaining amount detecting means detects that the remaining amount of toner in the toner bottle 20 is low, the movable slit 66 is moved to a lower position as shown in FIG. Thus, when the toner is transported toward the slit 60 by the agitator 43, the toner does not easily spill from the agitator 43, and the slit 60 formed on the wall portion of the toner hopper 132 through the slit 66 a of the movable slit 66. It is possible to suppress a decrease in the amount of discharged toner.

  Therefore, the amount of toner discharged from the slit 60 when the remaining amount of toner in the toner bottle 20 is large and the amount of toner from the slit 60 when the remaining amount of toner in the toner bottle 20 is small, compared to the configuration where the position of the slit 60 is always the same. The difference from the discharge amount can be reduced. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the fluctuation of the toner replenishment amount caused by the use over time, compared to the configuration in which the movable slit 66 is not provided as in this configuration example.

[Configuration example 3]
FIG. 22 shows a front view of the toner hopper 132 of the toner replenishing device 50 in this configuration example, FIG. 23 shows an assembly perspective view of the toner hopper 132, and FIG. 24 shows an exploded view of the toner hopper 132.
Although this configuration example also has a shutter 61 that opens and closes the slit 60 formed in the toner hopper 132, the basic configuration of the shutter 61 is the same as that of the configuration example 1, and the description thereof is omitted.

In this configuration example, as shown in FIG. 24, the shutter opening boss 62 is provided on one end side of the arm 84, and the other end side of the arm 84 so that the arm 84 can rotate with respect to the rotating plate 63. The through-hole 86 formed in the shaft and the rotary shaft 85 provided in the rotary plate 63 are engaged.
In this configuration example, as shown in FIG. 24, a boss moving cam 64 for moving the shutter opening boss 62 in the radial direction is rotatably attached between the toner hopper 132 and the rotating plate 63. The boss moving cam 64 normally rotates integrally with the rotating plate 63. However, the boss moving cam 64 rotates with respect to the boss moving cam 64 at an arbitrary timing by a boss moving cam rotating means (not shown) that rotates the boss moving cam 64 with respect to the rotating plate 63. Can be rotated.

  In this configuration example, when the toner replenishing operation is not performed, in other words, when the rotation of the agitator 43 is stopped, the boss moving cam 64 is rotated so that the shutter opening boss 62 is moved through the arm 84 and the rotation shaft 85 is moved. By putting it on the convex portion 64a while rotating it to the center, the shutter release boss 62 is moved in the radial direction of the rotary plate 63 in the direction away from the rotation axis center of the rotary plate 63 as shown in FIG. At this time, the shutter opening boss 62 is moved to a position where the shutter opening boss 62 is not pushed by the shutter opening boss 62 even if the shutter opening boss 62 is located at a position where the shutter opening boss 62 pushes the shutter 61 to open the slit 60. Thus, when the toner replenishing operation is not performed, the shutter 61 is not pushed by the shutter opening boss 62. Therefore, when the toner replenishing operation is not performed, the slit 60 is closed by the shutter 61, so that it is possible to prevent the toner from being discharged from the slit 60 when the toner replenishing operation is not performed.

[Configuration Example 4]
FIG. 26 shows a front view of the toner hopper 132 of the toner replenishing device 50 in this configuration example, FIG. 27 shows an assembly perspective view of the toner hopper 132, and FIG. 28 shows an exploded view of the toner hopper 132. Although this configuration example also has a shutter 61 that opens and closes the slit 60 formed in the toner hopper 132, the basic configuration of the shutter 61 is the same as that of the configuration example 1, and the description thereof is omitted.

  In the present configuration example, as shown in FIG. 28, the auxiliary plate 65 provided with the shutter opening boss 62 is rotated so as to sandwich the rotating plate 63 rotatably attached to the cylindrical toner hopper 132 with the toner hopper 132. It is attached as possible. The auxiliary plate 65 normally rotates integrally with the rotating plate 63. However, the auxiliary plate 65 can be rotated with respect to the rotating plate 63 at an arbitrary timing by an auxiliary plate rotating means (not shown) that rotates the auxiliary plate 65 with respect to the rotating plate 63. it can. Further, when the toner hopper 132, the rotating plate 63 and the auxiliary plate 65 are combined, the shutter opening boss 62 provided on the auxiliary plate 65 is placed in the elongated hole 87 formed in the rotating plate 63 in the circumferential direction of the rotating plate. insert. Accordingly, the shutter release boss 62 moves in the circumferential direction in the elongated hole 87 by rotating the auxiliary plate 65 with respect to the rotation plate 63.

  In this configuration example, the auxiliary plate 65 is rotated with respect to the rotating plate 63 by the auxiliary plate rotating unit based on the detection result of the toner remaining amount detecting unit, and as shown in FIG. By moving the shutter opening boss 62 in the circumferential direction, the distance between the agitator 43 and the slit 60 when the shutter 61 begins to open when pushed by the shutter opening boss 62 is adjusted.

  As shown in FIG. 29B, the relative position between the agitator 43 and the shutter opening boss 62 is moved relative to the agitator 43 by moving the shutter opening boss 62 in the circumferential direction toward the downstream side in the agitator rotation direction. The shutter release boss 62 is shifted downstream in the agitator rotation direction. The timing at which the shutter opening boss 62 starts to push the shutter 61 as the shutter opening boss 62 shifts to the downstream side in the rotational direction of the agitator 43, in other words, the relative position in the circumferential direction between the agitator 43 and the slit 60 increases. Becomes faster. Therefore, the shutter release boss 62 is shifted downstream in the agitator rotation direction by shifting the shutter release boss 62 to the downstream side in the agitator rotation direction within a range in which the slit 60 can be continuously opened until the agitator 43 finishes passing through the slit 60. The longer the position is shifted, that is, the longer the relative position in the circumferential direction between the agitator 43 and the shutter opening boss 62 is, the longer the opening time of the shutter 61 can be.

  When the remaining amount of toner in the toner bottle 20 is the same, that is, when the amount of toner discharged from the toner bottle 20 into the toner hopper 132 is the same, the amount of toner discharged from the slit 60 increases as the shutter 61 opens longer. It becomes possible to do. Therefore, as the remaining amount of toner in the toner bottle 20 decreases as the toner is consumed over time, the opening time of the shutter 61 is made longer by the above-described method. Thus, the difference between the toner discharge amount from the slit 60 when the toner remaining amount in the toner bottle 20 is large and the toner discharge amount from the slit 60 when the toner remaining amount in the toner bottle 20 is small can be reduced. That is, when the remaining amount of toner in the toner bottle 20 is large by setting the fixed time immediately before the agitator 43 passes the slit 60 to open the slit 60 according to the remaining amount of toner in the toner bottle 20. The difference between the toner discharge amount from the slit 60 and the toner discharge amount from the slit 60 when the remaining amount of toner in the toner bottle 20 is small can be reduced. Accordingly, it is possible to further reduce fluctuations in the amount of toner replenishment caused by use over time, compared to a configuration in which the opening time of the shutter 61 is always the same.

  In addition, the relationship between the remaining amount of toner in the toner bottle 20 and the shutter opening time is obtained in advance by experiments or the like so that the amount of toner discharged from the slit 60 becomes a constant amount over time, and the obtained relationship is satisfied. By moving the shutter opening boss 62 in the circumferential direction so as to obtain such a shutter opening time, the amount of toner discharged from the slit 60 over time can be quantified.

[Configuration Example 5]
FIG. 30 shows a front view of the toner hopper 132 of the toner replenishing device 50 in this configuration example, FIG. 31 shows an assembly perspective view of the toner hopper 132, and FIG. 32 shows an exploded view of the toner hopper 132. Although this configuration example also has a shutter 61 that opens and closes the slit 60 formed in the toner hopper 132, the basic configuration of the shutter 61 is the same as that of the configuration example 1, and the description thereof is omitted.

In the present configuration example, as shown in FIG. 32, a shutter opening boss 62 is provided on one end side of the arm 84 and the other end side of the arm 84 so that the arm 84 can rotate with respect to the auxiliary plate 65. The through-hole 86 formed in the upper part and the rotary shaft 85 provided in the auxiliary plate 65 are engaged.
In this configuration example, as shown in FIG. 32, a boss moving cam 64 for moving the shutter opening boss 62 in the radial direction is rotatable between the auxiliary plate 65 provided with the shutter opening boss 62 and the rotating plate 63. Is attached. The boss moving cam 64 normally rotates integrally with the rotating plate 63. However, the boss moving cam 64 rotates with respect to the boss moving cam 64 at an arbitrary timing by a boss moving cam rotating means (not shown) that rotates the boss moving cam 64 with respect to the rotating plate 63. Can be rotated.
In addition, the auxiliary plate 65 usually rotates integrally with the rotating plate 63, but the auxiliary plate 65 is rotated with respect to the rotating plate 63 at an arbitrary timing by an auxiliary plate rotating means (not shown) that rotates the auxiliary plate 65 with respect to the rotating plate 63. Can do.
Further, when the toner hopper 132, the rotating plate 63, the boss moving cam 64, and the auxiliary plate 65 are combined, the shutter opening boss 62 provided on the auxiliary plate 65 is made larger than the diameter of the shutter opening boss 62 formed on the rotating plate 63. It inserts in the through-hole 88 opened large. As a result, the shutter opening boss 62 can be moved in the circumferential direction or the radial direction within the through hole 88.

  In this configuration example, the auxiliary plate 65 is rotated with respect to the rotating plate 63 by the auxiliary plate rotating unit based on the detection result of the toner remaining amount detecting unit, and the shutter opening boss 62 is moved in the circumferential direction. As a result, the distance between the agitator 43 and the slit 60 when the shutter 61 starts to be opened by being pushed by the shutter opening boss 62 is adjusted.

  By moving the shutter release boss 62 in the circumferential direction toward the downstream side in the agitator rotation direction, the relative position between the agitator 43 and the shutter release boss 62 is such that the shutter release boss 62 is downstream in the agitator rotation direction with respect to the agitator 43. Will slip. The timing at which the shutter opening boss 62 starts to push the shutter 61 as the shutter opening boss 62 shifts to the downstream side in the rotational direction of the agitator 43, in other words, the relative position in the circumferential direction between the agitator 43 and the slit 60 increases. Becomes faster. Therefore, the shutter release boss 62 is shifted downstream in the agitator rotation direction by shifting the shutter release boss 62 to the downstream side in the agitator rotation direction within a range in which the slit 60 can be continuously opened until the agitator 43 finishes passing through the slit 60. The longer the position is shifted, that is, the longer the relative position in the circumferential direction between the agitator 43 and the shutter opening boss 62 is, the longer the opening time of the shutter 61 can be made.

  When the remaining amount of toner in the toner bottle 20 is the same, that is, when the amount of toner discharged from the toner bottle 20 into the toner hopper 132 is the same, the amount of toner discharged from the slit 60 increases as the shutter 61 opens longer. It becomes possible to do. Therefore, as the remaining amount of toner in the toner bottle 20 decreases as the toner is consumed over time, the opening time of the shutter 61 is made longer by the above-described method. Thus, the difference between the toner discharge amount from the slit 60 when the toner remaining amount in the toner bottle 20 is large and the toner discharge amount from the slit 60 when the toner remaining amount in the toner bottle 20 is small can be reduced. That is, when the remaining amount of toner in the toner bottle 20 is large by setting the fixed time immediately before the agitator 43 passes the slit 60 to open the slit 60 according to the remaining amount of toner in the toner bottle 20. The difference between the toner discharge amount from the slit 60 and the toner discharge amount from the slit 60 when the remaining amount of toner in the toner bottle 20 is small can be reduced. Accordingly, it is possible to further reduce fluctuations in the amount of toner replenishment caused by use over time, compared to a configuration in which the opening time of the shutter 61 is always the same.

  In addition, the relationship between the remaining amount of toner in the toner bottle 20 and the shutter opening time is obtained in advance by experiments or the like so that the amount of toner discharged from the slit 60 becomes a constant amount over time, and the obtained relationship is satisfied. By moving the shutter opening boss 62 in the circumferential direction so as to obtain such a shutter opening time, the amount of toner discharged from the slit 60 over time can be quantified.

  Further, in this configuration example, when the toner supply operation is not performed, in other words, when the rotation of the agitator 43 is stopped, the boss moving cam 64 is rotated with respect to the rotating plate 63 by the boss moving cam rotating means, By putting the shutter release boss 62 on the convex portion 64a while rotating about the rotation shaft 85 via the arm 84, the shutter release boss 62 is rotated in the radial direction of the rotation plate 63 as shown in FIG. Move away from the axis center. At this time, the shutter opening boss 62 is moved to a position where the shutter opening boss 62 is not pushed by the shutter opening boss 62 even if the shutter opening boss 62 is located at a position where the shutter opening boss 62 pushes the shutter 61 to open the slit 60. Thus, when the toner replenishing operation is not performed, the shutter 61 is not pushed by the shutter 61 opening boss. Therefore, when the toner replenishing operation is not performed, the slit 60 is closed by the shutter 61, so that it is possible to prevent the toner from being discharged from the slit 60 when the toner replenishing operation is not performed.

[Configuration Example 6]
FIG. 34 is a front view of the toner hopper 132 of the toner replenishing device 50 in this configuration example, FIG. 35 is an assembly perspective view of the toner hopper 132, and FIG. 36 is an exploded view of the toner hopper 132. This configuration example also includes a shutter 61 that opens and closes a slit formed in the toner hopper 132. However, the basic configuration of the shutter 61 is the same as that of the configuration example 1, and the description thereof is omitted.

In the present configuration example, as shown in FIG. 36, the shutter opening boss 62 is provided on one end side of the arm 84, and the other end side of the arm 84 is configured so that the arm 84 can rotate with respect to the rotating plate 63. The through-hole 86 formed in the shaft and the rotary shaft 85 provided in the rotary plate 63 are engaged.
In this configuration example, as shown in FIG. 36, a boss moving cam 64 for moving the shutter opening boss 62 in the radial direction is rotatably mounted between the toner hopper 132 and the rotating plate 63. The boss moving cam 64 normally rotates integrally with the rotating plate 63. However, the boss moving cam 64 rotates with respect to the boss moving cam 64 at an arbitrary timing by a boss moving cam rotating means (not shown) that rotates the boss moving cam 64 with respect to the rotating plate 63. Can be rotated.

  In the present configuration example, when the toner replenishing operation is not performed, in other words, when the rotation of the agitator 43 is stopped, the boss moving cam 64 is rotated so that the shutter opening boss 62 is rotated as shown in FIG. It moves in the direction away from the rotation axis center of the rotating plate 63 in the radial direction. At this time, the shutter opening boss 62 is moved to a position where the shutter opening boss 62 is not pushed by the shutter opening boss 62 even if the shutter opening boss 62 is located at a position where the shutter opening boss 62 pushes the shutter 61 to open the slit 60. Thus, when the toner replenishing operation is not performed, the shutter 61 is not pushed by the shutter opening boss 62. Therefore, when the toner replenishing operation is not performed, the slit 60 is closed by the shutter 61, so that it is possible to prevent the toner from being discharged from the slit when the toner replenishing operation is not performed.

  Further, in this configuration example, a movable slit 66 is provided, and when the remaining toner amount detecting means detects that the remaining amount of toner in the toner bottle 20 is large, the movable slit 66 is moved to a higher position. In this manner, the position of the slit 66a of the movable slit 66 is positioned above the toner volume in the toner hopper 132, so that the toner is discharged from the slit 60 by its own weight through the slit 66a of the movable slit 66. Can be suppressed.

  Further, when the toner remaining amount detecting means detects that the toner remaining in the toner bottle 20 is low, the movable slit 66 is moved to a lower position. As a result, when the toner is transported toward the slit 60 by the agitator 43, the toner hardly spills from the agitator 43 and the amount of toner discharged from the slit 60 via the slit 66 a of the movable slit 66 is reduced. Can be suppressed.

  Therefore, compared to the configuration in which the movable slit 66 is not provided as in the present configuration example, the amount of toner discharged from the slit 60 when the toner remaining amount in the toner bottle 20 is large and the amount of toner remaining in the toner bottle 20 are small. The difference from the toner discharge amount from the slit 60 can be reduced, and the fluctuation of the toner replenishment amount caused by the use over time can be reduced.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, the removable toner bottle 20 containing the toner to be replenished to the developing device 12, the toner reservoir for temporarily storing the toner to be replenished from the toner bottle 20 to the developing device 12, and One end is fixed to a rotating shaft that rotates in synchronization with the rotation of the toner bottle 20, and the other end is formed so as to be in sliding contact with the inner wall surface of the toner storage unit. The toner replenishing device 50 having a toner push-out member that pushes toward the developing device 12 through an opening formed in the wall portion of the toner supply device includes an opening / closing means that opens and closes the opening. The opening is opened by the opening / closing means for a predetermined time from the time when the toner has passed through the opening, and the opening is performed when the toner pushing member has finished passing through the opening. Closing the opening by means. As a result, even if the amount of toner discharged from the toner bottle 20 to the toner hopper 132 is large when the remaining amount of toner in the toner bottle 20 is large, the volume of toner in the toner hopper 132 reaches above the slit 60, so that The toner is discharged from the slit 60 only during the predetermined time when the 60 is open. Therefore, the amount of toner that is above the slit 60 is discharged from the slit 60 by its own weight can be reduced as compared with the configuration in which the slit 60 is always open. Therefore, when the toner volume reaches the upper part of the slit 60, the discharge amount of the toner discharged from the slit 60 by its own weight is reduced. Therefore, when the toner volume reaches the upper part of the slit 60 by that amount. The difference in the amount of toner discharged from the slit 60 can be reduced between the case where the toner does not reach the slit 60. Therefore, even if the toner volume in the toner hopper 132 changes due to the remaining amount of toner in the toner bottle 20, the amount of toner replenishment from the toner replenishing device 50 to the developing device 12 varies from the configuration in which the slit 60 is always open. Can be reduced.
Further, according to the present embodiment, when the toner supply operation is not performed, the opening is closed by the opening / closing means, thereby suppressing the toner from being discharged from the slit 60 when the toner supply operation is not performed. Can do.
In addition, according to the present exemplary embodiment, the toner bottle 20 includes a toner remaining amount detecting unit that detects the remaining amount of toner in the toner bottle 20, and the opening time of the opening by the opening / closing unit is the toner bottle 20. By setting in advance in accordance with the remaining amount of toner, fluctuations in the amount of toner replenishment caused by use over time can be further reduced as compared with the configuration in which the opening time of the shutter 61 is always the same as described above.
Further, according to the present embodiment, the movement in which the second opening, which is movable along the inner wall of the toner storage portion so as to cover the opening and whose width in the toner pushing member rotation direction is narrower than the opening, is formed. A member and toner remaining amount detecting means for detecting the remaining amount of toner in the toner bottle 20, and moving the moving means in accordance with the remaining amount of toner in the toner bottle 20 as described above. In addition, the amount of toner discharged from the slit 60 when the amount of toner remaining in the toner bottle 20 is large and the amount of toner discharged from the slit 60 when the amount of toner remaining in the toner bottle 20 is small, compared to the configuration where the position of the slit 60 is always the same. The difference from the amount can be reduced. Therefore, fluctuations in the amount of toner replenishment caused by use over time can be reduced as compared with the configuration in which the position of the slit 60 is always the same.
In addition, according to the present embodiment, an image carrier that carries a latent image, a developing unit that develops the latent image carried on the image carrier with a developer composed of at least toner, and a toner in the developing unit In the image forming apparatus provided with the toner replenishing means for replenishing toner, the toner replenishing amount supplied from the toner replenishing apparatus 50 to the developing device 12 is changed by using the toner replenishing apparatus 50 of the present invention as the toner replenishing means. Therefore, image density unevenness can be made difficult to occur in the formed image.

6 Fixing device 8 Stack unit 10 Photoconductor 11 Charging device 12 Developing device 12a Developing roller 13 Cleaning device 15 Optical writing device 17 Toner bottle unit 20 Toner bottle 21 Bottle holder 22 Support member 23 Opening portion 24 Color 25 Plug 26 Picking portion 27 Guide groove 28 Registration roller pair 29 Paper discharge roller pair 30 Collet chuck 31 Support wall 32 Hole 33 Gripping part 40 Cam device 41 Opening / closing handle 42 Hemispherical hole 43 Agitator 45 Cam surface 48 Toner inlet 50 Toner supply device 51 Toner transport device 52 Toner transport path 60 Slit 61 Shutter 62 Shutter release boss 63 Rotating plate 64 Boss moving cam 65 Auxiliary plate 66 Movable slit 70 Moving member 100 Printer unit 120 Paper transport belt 124 Transfer roller 125 Transfer transport unit 132 Toner hopper 200 Paper feed unit 201 First paper feed cassette 202 First paper feed roller 203 Second paper feed cassette 204 Second paper feed roller 300 Scanner unit 301 Contact glass 302 First traveling body 302a Light source for document illumination 302b First reflecting mirror 303 Second traveling body 303a Second reflecting mirror 303b Third reflecting mirror 304 Condensing lens 305 Image sensor

JP 2002-287475 A

Claims (6)

A toner container that contains toner to be replenished to the developing means and is detachable from the apparatus main body;
A toner reservoir for temporarily storing toner discharged from the toner container;
A rotating member rotatably provided in the toner storage unit;
The rotating member is formed so that one end is fixed and the other end is in sliding contact with the inner wall surface of the toner storage portion, and the toner in the toner storage portion is conveyed along the inner wall surface by the rotation of the rotating member. A toner push-out member that pushes toner out of the toner reservoir through an opening formed in the wall of the part,
During the toner replenishment operation, the toner is discharged from the toner container into the toner storage unit, the rotating member is rotated, the toner in the toner storage unit is discharged from the opening by the toner pushing member, and the developing unit is replenished with toner. In the toner supply device
Having an opening and closing means for opening and closing the opening;
During the toner replenishing operation, the opening is opened by the opening / closing means a predetermined time before the toner pushing member finishes passing through the opening, and the opening / closing means is opened when the toner pushing member finishes passing through the opening. A toner replenishing device that closes the opening by means of. The toner replenishing device according to claim 1.
A toner replenishing device, wherein when the toner replenishing operation is not performed, the opening is closed by the opening / closing means. The toner replenishing device according to claim 1 or 2,
A toner remaining amount detecting means for detecting the remaining amount of toner in the toner container;
The toner replenishing device according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined time for opening the opening by the opening / closing means is set in advance according to the remaining amount of toner in the toner container. The toner replenishing device according to claim 1 or 2,
A moving member formed with a second opening that is movable in the rotating member rotating direction along the wall surface of the toner reservoir so as to cover the opening and having a width in the rotating member rotating direction narrower than the opening;
Toner remaining amount detecting means for detecting the remaining amount of toner in the toner container,
A toner replenishing device that moves the moving member in accordance with a remaining amount of toner in the toner container. A toner container that contains toner to be replenished to the developing means and is detachable from the apparatus main body;
A toner reservoir for temporarily storing toner discharged from the toner container;
A rotating member rotatably provided in the toner storage unit;
The rotating member is formed so that one end is fixed and the other end is in sliding contact with the inner wall surface of the toner storage portion, and the toner in the toner storage portion is conveyed along the inner wall surface by the rotation of the rotating member. A toner push-out member that pushes toner out of the toner reservoir through an opening formed in the wall of the part,
During the toner replenishment operation, the toner is discharged from the toner container into the toner storage unit, the rotating member is rotated, the toner in the toner storage unit is discharged from the opening by the toner pushing member, and the developing unit is replenished with toner. In the toner supply device
A moving member having a second opening that is movable in the rotation direction of the rotating member on the wall surface of the toner reservoir so as to cover the opening;
Toner remaining amount detecting means for detecting the remaining amount of toner in the toner container,
A toner replenishing device that moves the moving member in accordance with a remaining amount of toner in the toner container. An image carrier for carrying a latent image;
Developing means for developing the latent image carried on the image carrier with a developer comprising at least toner;
In an image forming apparatus comprising a toner replenishing means for replenishing toner to the developing means,
An image forming apparatus using the toner replenishing device according to claim 1 as the toner replenishing means.

Images