JP5377612B2 - Developer container and image forming apparatus to which the container is applied - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a developer storage container which is capable of making a developer stored in a container body be discharged without leaving any. <P>SOLUTION: A toner container 50 includes a container body 51 which is a main part where toner is stored and a cylindrical part 52 which protrudes from the lower part of one side surface of the container body 51. The cylindrical part 52 is provided with a toner discharge port 521. A rotating member 54 having a conveyance function of toner is arranged from the bottom wall 511 of the container body 51 to the top of the cylindrical part 52. The rotating member 54 includes: a second conveyance member 56 which conveys toner in the direction from the container body 51 to the cylindrical part 52; a first conveyance member 55 which returns toner that is not discharged from the toner discharge port 521 from the cylindrical part 52 side to the container body 51 side; and a dispersion member 57 which disperses toner outwards in the radial direction of a rotating shaft 541. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2013,JPO&amp;INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a developer storage container for storing a developer, and an image forming apparatus equipped with the developer storage container.

  In an image forming apparatus that forms an image on a sheet using a developer, a developer container such as a toner container is indispensable. The toner container is a container for storing toner (developer) to be replenished to the developing device, and is mounted on the image forming apparatus in a detachable manner by the user. In general, a toner container includes a container main body serving as a toner storage space, a toner discharge port provided at an appropriate position on the bottom wall of the container main body, a conveyance screw for conveying toner toward the toner discharge port, and a toner inside the container main body. (For example, refer to Patent Document 1). It is also known that the conveying screw has a double structure of an inner side and an outer side (see, for example, Patent Documents 2 and 3).

JP 2003-287948 A JP-A-5-46021 Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 5-53438

  An important point in the toner container is that the toner can be discharged from the toner discharge port without leaving the toner in the container main body as much as possible. However, the shape of the toner container is determined based on various design philosophies in the image forming apparatus, not only considering the toner discharging property. For this reason, depending on the shape of the container, there is a problem that the toner is compressed in the vicinity of the toner discharge port, and the discharge of the toner is hindered.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and provides a developer container that can discharge the developer stored in the container body without remaining, and an image forming apparatus to which the developer container is applied. With the goal.

A developer container according to an aspect of the present invention has a bottom wall, a container main body that stores the developer, a projecting projection from the container main body that is connected to the bottom wall, and a developer discharge port. A cylindrical member, and a rotating member that spans from the container main body to the cylindrical portion and has a function of conveying the developer in the container main body, the rotating member extending in the bottom wall Extending on the rotating shaft comprising a first portion located in the container body and a second portion located in the tubular portion, and disposed on the peripheral surface of the second portion of the rotating shaft, A first conveying member that rotates integrally with the rotating shaft and that conveys the developer in a first conveying direction from the cylindrical portion side toward the container main body side, and on a peripheral surface of the first portion of the rotating shaft And disposed radially outside the first conveying member and integrally rotated with the rotating shaft. And a second transport member that transports the developer in a second transport direction from the container main body side toward the cylindrical portion side, and across the first portion and the second portion in a direction parallel to the rotation axis. extends, viewed contains a dispersion member for dispersing the developer transported radially outward, the first conveying member is also disposed on the circumferential surface of the first portion of the rotary shaft.

  According to this configuration, with the rotation of the rotating member, the developer from the container body by the conveying function of the second conveying member provided in the first portion of the rotating member and the function of radially dispersing by the dispersing member. The developer is transported in the second transport direction toward the cylindrical portion provided with the discharge port. Here, since the cylindrical portion has a shape protruding from the container body, the developer that has not been discharged from the developer discharge port tends to have no place to go. However, since the second portion of the rotating member is provided with the first transport member that transports the developer in the first transport direction from the tubular portion side to the container body side, excess developer is contained in the tubular portion. Can be returned to the container body. Accordingly, it is possible to suppress a problem that the developer that has lost its place in the cylindrical portion is pressed and agglomerated to block the developer discharge port, and as a result, the developer cannot be discharged.

In addition , since the first conveying member is also disposed in the first portion of the rotating shaft, the developer can be reliably returned from the cylindrical portion side to the container main body side.

  In this case, the first transport member is a transport member protruding in a spiral shape on the peripheral surface of the rotating shaft, and the second transport member can be inserted through the rotating shaft provided with the first transport member. A spiral conveying member having a hollow portion is desirable.

  According to this configuration, a rotating member having a developer transport function in both the first transport direction and the second transport direction can be made compact.

  In the above configuration, it is desirable that a spiral piece having a function of transporting the developer in the first transport direction is disposed at an end of the spiral of the second transport member on the cylindrical portion side.

  According to this configuration, it is possible to generate a conveying force that positively returns the developer from the cylindrical portion to the container main body in the vicinity of the boundary portion of the container main body with the cylindrical portion. Therefore, in the vicinity of the boundary where the developer escape area is relatively small, the developer transported forward in the second transport direction by the second transport member and the reverse transport in the first transport direction by the first transport member. The collision with the developer is alleviated, and the developer can be smoothly returned to the container body.

In this case, when the angle on the acute angle side formed by the spiral of the second conveying member and the dispersion member is α, and the angle on the acute angle side formed by the spiral piece and the dispersion member is β,
α>β> 0.7α
It is desirable to satisfy the relationship.

  According to this configuration, it is possible to further optimize the conveyance mode in which the developer is returned from the cylindrical portion to the container body by the spiral piece. With the relationship α> β, the amount of developer that can be transported per rotation of the rotating member is greater in the spiral piece than in the spiral of the second transport member. That is, in the vicinity of the boundary portion, the transport force (the developer returning force) in the first transport direction is superior to the second transport direction. Further, since β> 0.7α, the angle of the spiral piece is too small and the conveying force is biased in the circumferential direction. Conversely, the angle of the spiral piece is too large and the angle of the spiral piece is too large. Problems such as insufficient transport force are avoided.

  In the above configuration, the dispersion member is attached to the second transport member, has a thickness D1 in the radial direction of the rotation shaft, and has an outermost outer periphery of a spiral of the first transport member and a radially inner surface of the dispersion member. The distance D2 is preferably larger than the thickness D1.

  According to this configuration, since the distance D2 is larger than the thickness D1, there is sufficient space between the outermost periphery of the spiral of the first transport member and the radially inner surface of the dispersion member, and the first transport member Thus, a developer transport area is secured. Accordingly, the developer can be reliably transported in the first transport direction by the first transport member.

A developer storage container according to another aspect of the present invention has a bottom wall, a container main body that stores the developer, a projecting projection from the container main body that is connected to the bottom wall, and a developer discharge port. And a rotating member that spans from the container main body to the cylindrical portion and has a function of conveying the developer in the container main body, and the rotating member extends from the bottom wall. A rotating shaft having a first portion extending in a direction and positioned in the container body, and a second portion positioned in the cylindrical portion, and disposed on a peripheral surface of the second portion of the rotating shaft. A first conveying member that rotates integrally with the rotating shaft and that conveys the developer in a first conveying direction from the cylindrical portion side toward the container body side, and a peripheral surface of the first portion of the rotating shaft It is on the outer side in the radial direction than the first conveying member, and rotates integrally with the rotating shaft And a second conveying member that conveys the developer in a second conveying direction from the container main body side toward the cylindrical portion side, and across the first portion and the second portion in a direction parallel to the rotation axis. And a dispersion member that disperses the developer to be conveyed radially outward , wherein the developer discharge port is a drop port disposed on a lower surface of the cylindrical portion, and the drop of the rotating shaft the position corresponding to the mouth, the flexible pressing member protruding in a direction perpendicular to the axial direction of the rotating shaft mounting et al is, the rotary shaft is integrally attached to an end portion of the cylindrical portion Including a holding piece, wherein the flexible pressing member is a film member, and the film member includes a base end portion attached to the holding piece and a free end opposite to the base end portion. The axial length of the end is longer than the base end, and the free end Part is located on the rotation axis.

  According to this configuration, the developer conveyed to the vicinity of the dropping port of the cylindrical portion is pressed or stirred toward the dropping port by the flexible pressing member. Accordingly, the developer can be fluidized in the vicinity of the drop port in the narrow space of the cylindrical portion, and the developer can be discharged well from the drop port.

Further , since a part of the free end portion of the film member is located on the rotation shaft, the development is performed by a part of the free end portion even if the first transport member is not present near the end portion of the rotation shaft. A pressing force can be applied to the developer, and the developer can flow.

A developer storage container according to still another aspect of the present invention has a bottom wall, a container main body that stores the developer, a projecting projection from the container main body that is connected to the bottom wall, and a developer discharge port. And a rotating member that spans from the container main body to the cylindrical portion and has a function of conveying the developer in the container main body, and the rotating member is formed on the bottom wall. A rotating shaft that extends in the extending direction and includes a first portion located in the container main body and a second portion located in the tubular portion, and disposed on a peripheral surface of the second portion of the rotating shaft. A first conveying member that rotates integrally with the rotating shaft and that conveys the developer in a first conveying direction from the cylindrical portion side toward the container body side; and a periphery of the first portion of the rotating shaft. Disposed on the outer surface in the radial direction of the first conveying member and flush with the rotating shaft. A second conveying member that rotates and conveys the developer in a second conveying direction from the container main body side toward the cylindrical portion side; and a first parallel portion and a second portion in a direction parallel to the rotational axis. A dispersion member that extends over and disperses the conveyed developer radially outward, and further includes a sensor that detects the developer contained in the developer container, the sensor being the container body a side by, that attached to a position where the end portion of the tubular portion of the second conveying member is present.

  According to this configuration, since there is an end portion on the cylindrical portion side of the second transport member at the attachment position of the sensor, when the developer is near empty, the developer is near the sensor, It can be made to flow with a height difference. Therefore, the sensitivity (resolution) of the sensor can be improved.

  The said structure WHEREIN: The said cylindrical part has a cross-sectional circular inner wall surface, and the said bottom wall of the said container main body is semicircle shape corresponding to the rotation locus | trajectory of the most projecting part in the radial direction of the said 2nd conveyance member. The semicircular inner wall surface is connected to the circular inner wall surface of the cylindrical portion, and the container body includes a first side wall extending upward from one end edge of the bottom wall; A second side wall extending upward from the other end edge of the bottom wall and facing the first side wall; a third side wall connecting the first and second side walls; and a third side wall facing the third side wall. And a fourth side wall connecting the other end edges of the first side wall and the second side wall, the cylindrical part is projected from the third side wall, and the rotating shaft has the first end part and the first end part. And a second end opposite to the first end, the first end is pivotally supported on the fourth side wall, and the second end is a protrusion of the tubular portion It can be configured to be pivotally supported at the end face.

  According to this configuration, the entire area on the semicircular bottom wall of the container main body is a developer conveyance area by the rotating member. Therefore, the developer on the bottom wall can be efficiently conveyed to the cylindrical portion by the rotating member, and the toner can hardly be left on the bottom wall. Further, there is no need to install a stirring paddle or the like for sending the developer toward the rotating member in the container body, and the configuration can be simplified.

  An image forming apparatus according to another aspect of the present invention includes an image carrier that carries a developer image on a circumferential surface thereof, a developing device that includes a developing roller that supplies developer to the circumferential surface of the image carrier, and the development And a developer container described above, which is assembled to the apparatus and replenishes the developer with the developer.

  In this case, the developing device includes a developing housing having a shape elongated in a first direction along the axial direction of the developing roller, and the developer container has a second direction in which the rotation axis is orthogonal to the first direction. It is desirable that it is assembled to the developing device in a direction along the direction.

  According to this configuration, since it is not necessary to take a layout in which the toner container is arranged immediately above the developing device in the image forming apparatus, it is possible to improve the degree of freedom of the arrangement position of the toner container.

  The developer container is attached to the developing device in a state in which the container main body side is inclined upward with the developer discharge port positioned at a lower position, and the developer container is inclined with respect to the developing device. It is desirable that the angle is smaller than the angle of repose of the developer stored in the agent storage container.

  According to this configuration, since the developer container is attached to the developing device in an inclined state as described above, it is possible to ensure the transport stability of the developer in the second transport direction. On the other hand, since the inclination is smaller than the repose angle of the developer, transport of the developer in the first transport direction is not hindered.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to prevent the developer from aggregating in the cylindrical portion in the developer container including the container main body and the cylindrical portion protruding from the container main body and having the developer discharge port. Accordingly, it is possible to provide a developer storage container that can discharge the developer stored in the container main body without remaining, and an image forming apparatus to which the developer storage container is applied.

1 is a cross-sectional view showing an internal structure of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a plan view showing a developing device and a toner container incorporated in the image forming apparatus. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a developing device and a toner container shown in FIG. 2. It is a perspective view of a developing device alone. It is a top view which shows the internal structure of a developing device. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a toner container. FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the toner container with the line-of-sight direction changed by 180 degrees from FIG. 6. FIG. 3 is a side view of a toner container. FIG. 3 is a side sectional view of a toner container. FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a rotating member disposed in a toner container. It is a fragmentary sectional view of a rotation member. It is a perspective view which shows the rotating member which concerns on deformation | transformation embodiment. FIG. 4 is a schematic side cross-sectional view of a toner container for explaining a toner conveying operation by a rotating member. FIG. 14 is a schematic side cross-sectional view of the toner container in a state where the rotating member is rotated 90 degrees from the state of FIG. 13. FIG. 4 is a schematic side cross-sectional view of a toner container for explaining a toner conveying operation by a rotating member. It is a typical sectional side view of a toner container for demonstrating the preferable angle of a spiral piece. 6 is a graph evaluating the return state of toner from a cylindrical portion to a container body. It is a typical sectional side view of the toner container provided with the rotation member concerning other modification embodiments. FIG. 6 is a schematic cross-sectional side view of a toner container showing a modified embodiment of a film member. FIG. 6 is a schematic cross-sectional side view of a toner container showing a modified embodiment including a toner sensor. FIG. 7 is a schematic side sectional view of a toner container showing another modified embodiment including a toner sensor. 20 is a graph showing the sensitivity of the toner sensor of FIGS. 18 and 19. FIG. 6 is a schematic cross-sectional side view of a toner container showing a modified embodiment in which the toner container is inclined and attached to the developing device.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a sectional view showing an internal structure of an image forming apparatus 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. Here, a monochrome printer is illustrated as the image forming apparatus 1, but the image forming apparatus may be a copying machine, a facsimile machine, or a multifunction machine having these functions, and an image forming apparatus that forms a color image. It may be.

  The image forming apparatus 1 includes a main body housing 10 having a substantially rectangular parallelepiped housing structure, a paper feeding unit 20, an image forming unit 30, a fixing unit 40, and a toner container 50 (developer housing) accommodated in the main body housing 10. Container).

  A front cover 11 is provided on the front side (right side in FIG. 1) of the main body housing 10, and a rear cover 12 is provided on the rear side. By opening the front cover 11, the user can take out the toner container 50 from the front side of the main body housing 10 when the toner runs out. The rear cover 12 is a cover that is opened at the time of sheet jam or maintenance. The units of the image forming unit 30 and the fixing unit 40 can be taken out from the rear side of the main body housing 10 by opening the rear cover 12. Further, on the upper surface of the main body housing 10, a paper discharge unit 13 for discharging the sheet after image formation is provided.

  The paper feeding unit 20 includes a paper feeding cassette 21 that accommodates a sheet on which image forming processing is performed. A part of the sheet feeding cassette 21 protrudes further forward from the front surface of the main body housing 10. The sheet feeding cassette 21 is provided with a sheet accommodating space for accommodating the bundle of sheets, a lift plate for lifting the bundle of sheets for feeding. A sheet feeding portion 21 </ b> A is provided at an upper portion on the rear end side of the sheet feeding cassette 21. In the sheet feeding portion 21A, a pickup roller (not shown) for feeding the uppermost sheet of the sheet bundle in the sheet feeding cassette 21 one by one is disposed.

  The image forming unit 30 performs an image forming process for forming a toner image on a sheet fed from the paper feeding unit 20. The image forming unit 30 includes a photosensitive drum 31 (image carrier), a charging device 32, an exposure device (not shown in FIG. 1), a developing device 33, a transfer device, which are arranged around the photosensitive drum 31. A roller 34 and a cleaning device 35.

  The photosensitive drum 31 rotates around its axis, and an electrostatic latent image and a toner image are formed on its peripheral surface. As the photosensitive drum 31, a photosensitive drum using an amorphous silicon (a-Si) material can be used. The charging device 32 uniformly charges the surface of the photosensitive drum 31, and includes a charging roller that contacts the photosensitive drum 31. The exposure apparatus has a laser light source and optical equipment such as a mirror and a lens, and irradiates the peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum 31 with light modulated based on image data given from an external device such as a personal computer. An electrostatic latent image is formed.

  The developing device 33 supplies toner to the peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum 31 in order to develop the electrostatic latent image on the photosensitive drum 31 to form a toner image. The developing device 33 includes a developing roller 331 that carries toner to be supplied to the photosensitive drum 31, a first conveying screw 332 that circulates and conveys the developer inside the developing housing 60 (see FIGS. 2 to 5), and A second conveying screw 333. The developing device 33 will be described in detail later.

  The transfer roller 34 is a roller for transferring a toner image formed on the peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum 31 onto a sheet, and forms a transfer nip portion with the photosensitive drum 31. The transfer roller 34 is given a transfer bias having a polarity opposite to that of the toner. The cleaning device 35 has a cleaning roller and the like, and cleans the peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum 31 after the toner image is transferred.

  The fixing unit 40 performs a fixing process for fixing the transferred toner image on the sheet. The fixing unit 40 includes a fixing roller 41 having a heating source therein, and a pressure roller 42 that is pressed against the fixing roller 41 and forms a fixing nip portion with the fixing roller 41. When the sheet on which the toner image has been transferred is passed through the fixing nip portion, the toner image is fixed on the sheet by heating by the fixing roller 41 and pressing by the pressure roller 42.

  The toner container 50 stores toner (developer) to be supplied to the developing device 33. The toner container 50 includes a container main body 51 (container main body) serving as a main storage location of toner, a cylindrical portion 52 protruding from a lower portion of one side surface (rear surface in FIG. 1) of the container main body 51, and a container main body 51. A lid member 53 that covers the other side surface, and a rotating member 54 that is contained inside the container and conveys toner. The toner stored in the toner container 50 is supplied into the developing device 33 from the toner discharge port 521 provided on the lower surface of the front end of the cylindrical portion 52 when the rotating member 54 is driven to rotate. The toner container 50 will be described in detail later with reference to FIG.

  In the main body housing 10, a main conveyance path 22F and a reverse conveyance path 22B are provided to convey the sheet. The main conveyance path 22 </ b> F passes through the image feeding unit 21 and the fixing unit 40 from the sheet feeding unit 21 </ b> A of the paper feeding unit 20, and the paper discharge port 14 provided to face the paper discharge unit 13 on the upper surface of the main body housing 10. It extends to. The reverse conveyance path 22B is a conveyance path for returning a sheet printed on one side to the upstream side of the image forming unit 30 in the main conveyance path 22F when performing duplex printing on the sheet.

  A registration roller pair 23 is arranged on the upstream side of the transfer nip portion between the photosensitive drum 31 and the transfer roller 34 in the main conveyance path 22F. After the sheet is temporarily stopped by the registration roller pair 23 and skew correction is performed, the sheet is sent out to the transfer nip portion at a predetermined timing for image transfer. A plurality of transport rollers for transporting the sheet are disposed at appropriate positions on the main transport path 22F and the reverse transport path 22B. For example, a pair of paper discharge rollers 24 is disposed in the vicinity of the paper discharge port 14.

  The reverse conveyance path 22 </ b> B is formed between the outer side surface of the reverse unit 25 and the inner surface of the rear cover 12 of the main body housing 10. Note that one roller of the transfer roller 34 and the registration roller pair 23 is mounted on the inner surface of the reversing unit 25. The rear cover 12 and the reversing unit 25 can be rotated about the axis of the fulcrum 121 provided at the lower end thereof. When a sheet jam occurs in the reverse conveyance path 22B, the rear cover 12 is opened. When a sheet jam occurs in the main conveyance path 22F, or when the unit of the photosensitive drum 31 and the developing device 33 are taken out, the reversing unit 25 is opened in addition to the rear cover 12.

  Next, the structures of the developing device 33 and the toner container 50 and their arrangement relation will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 is a plan view showing the assembled state of the developing device 33 and the toner container 50, FIG. 3 is a perspective view thereof, FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the developing device 33 alone, and FIG. 5 is an internal structure of the developing device 33. FIGS. 6 and 7 are perspective views of the toner container alone.

  The developing device 33 includes a developing housing 60 having a box shape that is long in one direction (the axial direction of the developing roller 331). The developing housing 60 has an opening extending in the longitudinal direction, and a part of the peripheral surface of the developing roller 331 is exposed from the opening. In the present embodiment, the developing housing 60 is assembled to the main body housing 10 so that the longitudinal direction thereof coincides with the left-right direction (first direction) of the main body housing 10.

  The top plate 60T near the left end of the developing housing 60 is provided with a toner replenishing port 60H for receiving the toner supplied from the toner container 50 into the housing. The developing device 33 and the toner container 50 are assembled so that the toner replenishing port 60H and the toner discharge port 521 of the toner container 50 overlap in the vertical direction. As shown by an arrow A in FIG. 2, the toner container 50 is attached to and detached from the developing device 33 in a direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction of the developing housing 60 (front / rear direction / second direction). Since the toner container 50 has a housing shape that is long in one direction when viewed from above, when the toner container 50 is mounted on the developing device 33, a substantially L-shaped structure is formed when viewed from above (FIG. 2). reference).

  On the top surface of the top plate 60T, a developing shutter plate 61 that is slidable in the left-right direction is disposed. The developing shutter plate 61 is always urged leftward by an urging spring 62. The urging spring 62 is a coil spring, and ends thereof are attached to spring seats 621 and 622 provided on the right edge of the developing shutter plate 61 and a rib adjacent to the developing shutter plate 61, respectively. FIG. 4 shows a state in which the toner replenishing port 60H is opened. However, when the toner container 50 is not attached, the developing shutter plate 61 is urged by the urging spring 62 and is located on the left side. Close the supply port 60H.

  A pressing plate 522 is attached to a lower portion of the leading edge (other end portion 524) of the cylindrical portion 52 of the toner container 50. In addition, a container gear 54 </ b> G for inputting a rotational driving force to the rotating member 54 is disposed on the distal end surface of the cylindrical portion 52 so as to be exposed. A gear holder 63 including an input gear 631 and a coupling 632 is disposed in the left rear portion of the toner supply port 60 </ b> H of the developing housing 60. The coupling 632 receives a rotational driving force from a motor (not shown) provided in the main body housing 10. The input gear 631 meshes with the container gear 54G in a state where the toner container 50 is mounted on the developing device 33, and transmits the rotational driving force to the container gear 54G.

  When the toner container 50 is attached to the developing device 33, the cylindrical portion 52 of the toner container 50 enters from the front to the rear with respect to the toner supply port 60H. At this time, the pressing plate 522 of the toner container 50 interferes with the developing shutter plate 61 in a state of closing the toner supply port 60H, and moves the developing shutter plate 61 to the right. Specifically, the oblique projection 623 protruding from the upper surface of the developing shutter plate 61 interferes with the pressing plate 522, and the developing shutter plate 61 moves to the right against the urging force of the urging spring 62. Pushed away. When the cylindrical portion 52 of the toner container 50 enters a predetermined position, the toner replenishing port 60H is completely opened and the container gear 54G meshes with the input gear 631.

  Referring to FIG. 5, the development housing 60 includes an internal space 600. In the case of the two-component development method, the internal space 600 is filled with a developer composed of toner and carrier. The carrier is agitated and mixed with the toner in the internal space 600 to charge the toner and convey the toner to the developing roller 331. The toner is sequentially supplied to the developing roller 331 and consumed, and the consumed amount is appropriately supplied from the toner container 50.

  The internal space 600 of the developing housing 60 is partitioned into a first passage 602 and a second passage 603 that are long in the left-right direction by a partition plate 601 extending in the left-right direction. The partition plate 601 is shorter than the width in the left-right direction of the developing housing 60, and the first communication portion 604 and the second communication portion that connect the first passage 602 and the second passage 603 to the right end and the left end of the partition plate 601, respectively. 605 is provided. As a result, a circulation path reaching the first passage 602, the first communication portion 604, the second passage 603, and the second communication portion 605 is formed inside the developing housing 60.

  The toner replenishing port 60H described above is disposed above the vicinity of the left end of the first passage 602. A first conveyance screw 332 is accommodated in the first passage 602, and a second conveyance screw 333 is accommodated in the second passage 603. Each of the first and second conveying screws 332 and 333 includes a shaft and a blade member protruding in a spiral shape on the circumference of the shaft. The first conveying screw 332 is driven to rotate around the shaft to convey the developer in the direction of arrow a in FIG. On the other hand, the second conveying screw 333 is driven to rotate around the shaft, thereby conveying the developer in the direction of arrow b.

  By rotating the first and second conveying screws 332 and 333, the developer is circulated and conveyed along the above-described circulation path. The toner newly replenished from the toner replenishing port 60H will be described. The toner falls into the first passage 602, is mixed with the existing developer, and is conveyed by the first conveying screw 332 in the direction of arrow a. At this time, the toner is stirred with the carrier and charged. Next, the toner enters the second passage 603 from the downstream end of the first passage 602 through the first communication portion 604 and is conveyed in the direction of arrow b by the second conveying screw 333. During this conveyance, the toner is similarly charged, while a part is supplied to the peripheral surface of the developing roller 331. The remaining toner and carrier are returned to the upstream end of the first passage 602 via the second communication portion 605.

  Next, the detailed structure of the toner container 50 will be described with reference to FIGS. 6 is a perspective view of the toner container 50 viewed from the cylindrical portion 52 side (rear side in FIG. 1), FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the toner container 50 viewed from the lid member 53 side while changing the line-of-sight direction by 180 degrees, and FIG. FIG. 9 is a side sectional view of the toner container 50, FIG. 10 is a perspective view of a rotating member 54 disposed in the toner container 50, and FIG. 11 is a partial sectional view of the rotating member.

  As described above, the toner container 50 includes the container main body 51, the cylindrical portion 52, the lid member 53 (fourth side wall), and the rotating member 54. The container body 51 includes a bottom wall 511 having a semicircular cross section, a first side wall 512 extending upward from one end edge of the bottom wall 511, and the other end of the bottom wall 511 in order to form a space for storing toner. A second side wall 513 extending upward from the edge and facing the first side wall 512, a third side wall 514 connecting the first side wall 512 and the second side wall 513 at the end edge on the cylindrical part 52 side, and the first side wall 512 And the top wall 515 which connects the upper end edges of the 2nd side wall 513, and the 1st flange part 516 formed in the edge of the side facing the cover member 53 are provided. In addition, the side of the first flange portion 516 of the container main body 51 is a side opening surface.

  The container main body 51 has a vertically long external shape in which the bottom wall 511 has the narrowest width, and the distance between the first side wall 512 and the second side wall 513 increases as it goes upward from the bottom wall 511. Yes. The first side wall 512 and the second side wall 513 are flat members, and the first side wall 512 and the second side wall 513 have a linear inner surface in a cross-sectional view.

  A cap 517 that closes an opening for filling toner into the container main body 51 is attached to the upper portion of the third side wall 514. A wireless tag 518 in which management information of the toner container 50 is recorded is attached to the second side wall 513. A pair of grooves 519 parallel to the direction in which the bottom wall 511 extends is formed near the upper ends of the first side wall 512 and the second side wall 513. The groove 519 is a portion that is guided by a guide member (not shown) on the main body housing 10 side when the toner container 50 is mounted on the main body housing 10.

  The cylindrical portion 52 is a cylindrical portion that protrudes from the third side wall 514 to the bottom wall 511. One end portion 523 of the cylindrical portion 52 is connected to the lower end portion of the third side wall 514, and the internal space of the container body 51 and the internal space of the cylindrical portion 52 are in communication with each other. The other end 524 of the cylindrical portion 52 is a protruding end of the cylindrical portion 52, and the container gear 54 </ b> G is disposed in a state of protruding further outward from the other end 524. The bottom portion 525 of the cylindrical portion 52 is flush with the bottom wall 511 of the container main body 51, thereby forming a bowl-shaped portion having a semicircular cross section from the first flange portion 516 to the other end portion 524. Has been. The cylindrical portion 52 includes an inner wall surface having a circular cross-sectional shape in the radial direction of the rotation shaft 541, and has a slightly tapered shape from one end portion 523 toward the other end portion 524.

  As described above, the cylindrical portion 52 is provided with the toner discharge port 521, and the cylindrical portion 52 is attached to the developing device 33. The toner discharge port 521 is a drop port disposed on the bottom portion 525 (lower surface) of the cylindrical portion 52. An engaging portion 526 that engages with a part of the developing housing 60 at the time of mounting is disposed on the bottom portion 525. The toner stored in the container main body 51 is sent to the cylindrical portion 52 by a rotational drive of a rotating member 54 described later, and is discharged from the toner discharge port 521.

  As shown in FIG. 9, the toner discharge port 521 is provided in the vicinity of the other end 524 of the bottom 525. A shutter plate 527 that slides along the direction in which the cylindrical portion 52 extends is attached to the lower surface of the toner discharge port 521. The shutter plate 527 is biased in the direction of the other end 524 so as to always block the toner discharge port 521 by a biasing member (not shown). On the other hand, when the cylindrical portion 52 is mounted on the developing device 33, the shutter plate 527 interferes with a part of the developing housing 60 and slides in the direction of the one end portion 523. FIG. 9 shows a state where the shutter plate 527 is retracted and the toner discharge port 521 is opened. Note that the shutter plate 527 and the above-described engaging portion 526 are an integral member.

  The lid member 53 covers the side opening surface of the container main body 51, and includes a lid main body portion 531 having a concave shape, and a second flange that is provided on the periphery of the lid main body portion 531 and abuts against the first flange portion 516. Part 532. The lid main body portion 531 includes an inclined surface that is inclined so as to swell upward from below, and a vertical surface that is continuous with the upper end of the inclined surface. The vertical surface of the lid main body portion 531 is a portion that protrudes considerably from the second flange portion 532, and the user can grip the portion and perform an attaching / detaching operation on the main body housing 10 of the toner container 50. A shaft support 533 that rotatably supports a first end 542 of a rotating shaft of a rotating member 54 described later is provided at the lower end of the inner surface of the lid main body 531. The second flange portion 532 is welded to the first flange portion 516 in a state where the first end portion 542 is inserted into the shaft support portion 533.

  The rotating member 54 is a member that is disposed from the bottom wall 511 of the container main body 51 to the top of the cylindrical portion 52, and is a member that conveys toner by being driven to rotate about an axis. As shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, the rotating member 54 includes a rotating shaft 541, a first conveying member 55, a second conveying member 56, and a pair of dispersing members 57 that rotate integrally with the rotating shaft 541. .

  The rotation shaft 541 is disposed so as to extend in the direction in which the bottom wall 511 extends, and includes a first end 542 and a second end 543 at both ends thereof. The first end 542 is rotatably supported by the shaft support 533 of the lid member 53. A cylindrical holding piece 544 (holding piece) is integrally attached to the second end portion 543. By inserting the barrel 545 of the container gear 54G into the cylindrical holding piece 544, the container gear 54G and the rotating shaft 541 are integrated. The body portion 545 is rotatably supported by the other end portion 524 of the cylindrical portion 52.

  The cylindrical holding piece 544 is attached with a flexible film member 546 (flexible pressing member) that sends toner to the toner discharge port 521 (falling port). The film member 546 is a rectangular thin PET film, protrudes in a direction orthogonal to the axial direction of the rotating shaft 541, and is attached to the peripheral surface of the cylindrical holding piece 544. The film member 546 circulates when the rotating shaft 541 rotates, fluidizes the toner present near the other end 524 of the cylindrical portion 52, and sends it out to the toner discharge port 521.

  The first conveying member 55 is a conveying member that is integral with the rotating shaft 541 and that protrudes in a spiral shape on the peripheral surface of the rotating shaft 541. The second transport member 56 is a hollow spiral transport member disposed on the outer periphery of the rotary shaft 541 with a gap between the rotary shaft 541 and the first transport member 55. That is, the second transport member 56 is disposed on the outer peripheral surface of the rotation shaft 541 and radially outside the first transport member 55. The pair of dispersion members 57 are rod-like members that have substantially the same length as the rotation shaft 541 and are arranged in parallel with the rotation shaft 541, and are members that respectively connect the side portions of the second transport member 56. . One dispersion member 57 and the other dispersion member 57 are arranged at an interval of 180 degrees in the circumferential direction of the rotation shaft 541.

  In other words, the second conveying member 56 is composed of a plurality of semicircular arch-shaped conveying pieces, and these arch-shaped conveying pieces are integrated by a pair of dispersion members 57. As a result, a hollow portion is provided near the shaft center. A spiral second transport member 56 is formed. The inner diameter of the hollow portion of the second transport member 56 is larger than the spiral outer diameter of the first transport member 55. And the aspect by which the rotating shaft 541 provided with the 1st conveyance member 55 in the surrounding surface was inserted concentrically in the said hollow part is a structure of the rotating member 54 of this embodiment. In addition, the spiral direction of the 1st conveyance member 55 and the spiral direction of the 2nd conveyance member 56 are reverse directions.

  A spiral piece 56 </ b> R made of a semicircular arch-shaped conveyance piece is attached to the second end 543 side (end on the cylindrical portion 52 side) of the second conveyance member 56. The spiral piece 56 </ b> R is substantially the same size as the arched conveyance piece of the second conveyance member 56. However, the spiral piece 56 </ b> R is attached between the pair of dispersion members 57 so that the spiral direction is opposite to that of the arched conveyance piece of the second conveyance member 56.

  The pair of dispersion members 57 are connected by connecting pieces 572 at the end portions 571 thereof. The connecting piece 572 is fixed in the vicinity of the first end 542 of the rotating shaft 541 at the center thereof. Although not shown in FIG. 10, a similar connecting piece is also arranged on the second end 543 side. That is, the rotation shaft 541, the second transport member 56, and the dispersion member 57 are integrated by the connecting piece 572, and when the rotation shaft 541 rotates, the second transport member 56 and the dispersion member 57 also rotate together.

  The rotating member 54 (rotating shaft 541) extends from the container main body 51 to the cylindrical portion 52, and as shown in FIG. 10, the first portion 54A located in the container main body 51 and the cylindrical portion And a second portion 54B located within 52. The first conveying member 55 is formed over substantially the entire length of the rotating shaft 541 in the axial direction. That is, the first transport member 55 is formed on the peripheral surface of the portion corresponding to both the first portion 54A and the second portion 54B of the rotating shaft 541. On the other hand, the second transport member 56 is disposed only in a region corresponding to the first portion 54A. The spiral piece 56R is disposed in the form of being connected to the end portion of the second transport member 56 in the vicinity of the boundary portion between the first portion 54A and the second portion 54B. The dispersion member 57 is disposed across both the first portion 54A and the second portion 54B.

  A desirable example of the rotating member 54 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 11 is a partial cross-sectional view of the rotating member 54. Here, a preferred embodiment is illustrated with respect to the relationship between the thickness of the dispersion member 57 and the distance between the outermost periphery of the spiral of the first transport member and the radially inner surface of the dispersion member 57. It is assumed that the dispersion member 57 has a thickness D1 in the radial direction of the rotation shaft 541. On the other hand, a distance D2 is defined between the spiral outermost peripheral portion 55A of the first transport member 55 and the radially inner surface 57A of the dispersion member 57.

  In this case, it is desirable to set the distance D2 larger than the thickness D1 (D1 <D2). By setting the distance D2 to be greater than the thickness D1, a sufficient space exists between the outermost peripheral portion 55A of the spiral of the first transport member 55 and the radially inner surface 57A of the dispersion member. As a result, a toner conveyance region by the first conveyance member 55 is ensured in the spiral hollow portion of the second conveyance member 56. Accordingly, the toner is easily flowed in the hollow portion by the transport force generated by the first transport member 55.

  When a rotational driving force that rotates the rotation shaft 541 in a predetermined rotation direction is applied to the container gear 54G, the first conveyance member 55 and the second conveyance member 56 generate toner conveyance force according to their spiral directions. To do. The second transport member 56 transports toner in a direction (hereinafter referred to as a second transport direction) from the container main body 51 side toward the cylindrical portion 52 (toner discharge port 521). That is, the toner is transported from the first end 542 side to the second end 543 side of the rotation shaft 541. On the other hand, the first conveying member 55 conveys the toner in a direction in which the toner is returned from the cylindrical portion 52 side to the container body 51 side (hereinafter referred to as a first conveying direction). That is, the toner is transported from the second end 543 side of the rotating shaft 541 toward the first end 542 side.

  On the other hand, the dispersion member 57 serves to disperse the toner conveyed by the first conveyance member 55 and the second conveyance member 56 to the outside in the radial direction of the rotation shaft 541. In other words, the dispersing member 57 disperses the toner present around the toner given the propulsive force by the spiral piece of the first conveying member 55 or the second conveying member 56 radially outward. Thereby, the movement of the toner in the first conveyance direction or the second conveyance direction is promoted.

  The spiral piece 56R conveys the toner in the first conveyance direction because the spiral direction of the second conveyance member 56 is disposed in the opposite direction. The role of the spiral piece 56R is to generate a conveying force that positively returns the toner from the cylindrical portion 52 to the container main body in the vicinity of the boundary portion of the container main body 51 with the cylindrical portion 52.

  A rotating member without the spiral piece 56R may be used. FIG. 12 is a perspective view showing a rotating member 54M1 according to a modified embodiment. In the rotating member 54M1, the arched conveying piece 560 that forms the spiral of the second conveying member 56 is disposed up to the position where the spiral piece 56R exists in FIG. That is, the rotating member 54M1 is formed with the spiral of the second conveying member 56 over the entire area of the first portion 54A. The toner conveying action by the first conveying member 55 and the second conveying member 56 is the same as that of the rotating member 54 of FIG.

  As described above, the rotating member 54 (54M1) of the present embodiment has the ability to convey toner in different directions on the radially inner side (first conveying member 55) and the outer side (second conveying member 56). First, the toner conveying operation by the rotating member 54M1 shown in FIG. 12 will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 13 is a schematic side sectional view of the toner container 50A for explaining the toner conveying operation by the rotating member 54M1, and FIG. 14 is a diagram of the toner in a state where the rotating member 54M1 is rotated 90 degrees from the state of FIG. It is a typical sectional side view of container 50A.

  The second transport member 56 is rotationally driven to apply a pressing force toward the toner in the second transport direction. The toner directed to the cylindrical portion 52 by the second conveying member 56 moves exclusively in the vicinity of the outer peripheral portion of the rotating member as indicated by an arrow C1 in the drawing. The second transport member 56 does not exist in the cylindrical portion 52. However, since the dispersion member 57 existing on the same orbit as the second transport member 56 as viewed in the radial direction of the rotating shaft 541 causes the toner in the portion near the inner peripheral wall of the cylindrical portion 52 to flow, the second toner The driving force in the transport direction is maintained. Therefore, the toner moves toward the other end portion 524 as indicated by the arrow C1 in the portion close to the inner peripheral wall of the cylindrical portion 52 as well.

  The toner conveyed in the second conveyance direction eventually reaches the other end 524 of the cylindrical portion 52. Part of the reached toner falls into the developing housing 60 from the toner discharge port 521 while being pressed by the film member 546.

  On the other hand, the toner that has not been ejected from the toner discharge port 521 is driven in the first transport direction only in the portion close to the central axis of the cylindrical portion 52 as shown by the arrow C2 in the drawing by driving the first transport member 55. Is transported in reverse. The reversely conveyed toner eventually passes through the boundary between the cylindrical portion 52 and the container main body 51 and is returned to the container main body 51 together with the dispersion effect of the dispersion member 57.

  As described above, in the toner container 50 (50 </ b> A) of the present embodiment, the circulating transport function in which the toner once sent to the cylindrical portion 52 by the second transport member 56 is returned to the container main body 51 by the first transport member 55. Is provided. For this reason, even in the toner container 50 having a structure in which the cylindrical portion 52 is provided with the toner discharge port 521 at the tip, the toner can be prevented from aggregating in the vicinity of the toner discharge port 521.

  That is, the cylindrical portion 52 is a portion having a narrow cylindrical inner space that has an inner diameter slightly larger than the spiral outer diameter of the second transport member 56. In the toner container 50 having such a cylindrical portion 52, when the rotating member 54 is provided only with a function of transporting toner in the second transport direction, if the discharge amount is small relative to the toner feed amount, Eventually, the toner loses its place and is pressed and hardened in the cylindrical portion 52, and finally aggregates. In this case, the toner discharge port 521 is blocked by the toner aggregate, and a problem that the toner cannot be discharged occurs.

  On the other hand, in the toner container 50 of the present embodiment, the first transport member 55 is disposed in the cylindrical portion 52 and has a transport function for feeding the toner in the reverse direction in the first transport direction, so that the toner is pressed and compacted. There is nothing. That is, in the cylindrical part 52, there is no escape place of toner on the outer side in the radial direction, so the toner tends to go in the axial direction of the cylindrical part 52. A first conveying member 55 is disposed at the axial center portion, and conveys toner in the first conveying direction. Accordingly, the toner can be efficiently returned from the cylindrical portion 52 to the container main body 51 before the toner is aggregated.

  The above-described circulation transfer function is further promoted when the rotating member 54 provided with the spiral piece 56R shown in FIG. 10 is used. FIG. 15 is a schematic side cross-sectional view of the toner container 50 for explaining the toner conveying operation by the rotating member 54 of FIG. The toner transporting operation by the first transporting member 55 and the second transporting member 56 is the same as the operation described with reference to FIGS.

  In the cylindrical part 52, the escape area of the toner to the outer side in the radial direction of the rotation shaft 541 is limited, and the escape area of the toner is relatively small even in the vicinity of the boundary part between the cylindrical part 52 and the container main body 51. In the vicinity of such a boundary portion, driving force of the spiral piece 56R can generate a pressing force in the direction of the arrow C3 in the drawing that sends the toner from the cylindrical portion 52 to the container main body 51. The toner pushed back in the direction of the arrow C3 is dispersed outward in the radial direction of the rotating member 54 as shown by the direction of the arrow C4 by driving the dispersion member 57. Therefore, the collision between the toner conveyed forward in the second conveying direction by the second conveying member 56 and the toner conveyed backward in the first conveying direction by the first conveying member 55 is alleviated, and the cylindrical portion of the toner The return from 52 to the container main body 51 can be performed smoothly.

Here, a preferable arrangement of the spiral piece 56R will be described. In order to optimally generate the conveying force for returning the toner from the cylindrical portion 52 to the container main body 51 in the spiral piece 56R, it is important to optimize the inclination angle of the spiral piece 56R. Referring to FIG. 16, in a side view of rotating member 54, the spiral of second conveying member 56 (spiral portion 56 </ b> F adjacent to spiral piece 56 </ b> R and closest to cylindrical portion 52) extends in parallel with rotating shaft 541. When the acute angle formed by the dispersion member 57 is α and the acute angle formed by the spiral piece 56R and the dispersion member 57 is β, it is desirable to satisfy the following expression (1).
α>β> 0.7α (1)

  In the above equation (1), by satisfying the relationship α> β, the amount of developer that can be transported per rotation of the rotating member 54 is greater than that of the spiral (spiral portion 56F) of the second transport member 56. More. This is because the pitch in the axial direction of the rotating shaft 541 of the spiral piece 56R is longer than that of the spiral portion 56F. Thereby, in the vicinity of the boundary portion, the transport force (the developer returning force) in the first transport direction can be superior to the second transport direction. Furthermore, in the above formula (1), since β> 0.7α, the angle of the spiral piece 56R is too large (approaching perpendicular to the rotating shaft 541), and the conveying force is too biased in the circumferential direction. On the contrary, the trouble that the angle of the spiral piece 56R is too small and the conveying force in the first conveying direction becomes insufficient is avoided.

  Even if the inclination angle α of the spiral of the second conveying member 56 is too gentle or too steep, an appropriate conveying force in the second conveying direction cannot be exhibited. A preferable range of the inclination angle α is 80 to 45 degrees, more preferably 70 to 55 degrees. The inclination angle β of the spiral piece 56R is set so as to satisfy the above expression (1) with respect to such a preferable inclination angle α.

Hereinafter, experimental results regarding optimization of the inclination angle β of the spiral piece 56R will be shown. A toner container 50 as shown in FIG. 9 was produced using the following parts.
Cylindrical part 52; inner diameter = φ17 mm, length = 45 mm
Container body 51; width of a portion communicating with the cylindrical portion 52 = 17 mm, length = 100 mm
First conveying member 55; outer diameter = φ9 mm, pitch = 10 mm, outer diameter of rotating shaft 541 = 5 mm
Second conveying member 56; maximum outer diameter = φ21 mm, minimum outer diameter = φ16 mm, inner diameter = φ14 mm, and the outer diameter is smaller toward the cylindrical portion 52 side. The inclination angle α of the spiral was set to 62.2 degrees.
Dispersing member; circumferential width = 1 mm
Spiral piece 56R; outer diameter = φ18 mm, inner diameter = φ14 mm. Seven types of inclination angles β were prepared: 68.5 degrees, 62.2 degrees, 56.7 degrees, 51.7 degrees, 47.4 degrees, 43.5 degrees, and 40.2 degrees.

  The cylindrical portion 52 of the toner container 50 was filled with 4.3 grams of yellow toner, while the container body 51 was filled with 100 grams of black toner. With the toner discharge port 521 closed, the rotating member 54 was rotated for 15 minutes. Thereafter, a part of the toner was collected from the upper layer portion of the toner contained in the container main body 51, and the density (L value) thereof was measured with a Macbeth reflection densitometer RD-19I (manufactured by Macbeth). The same measurement was performed on seven toner containers 50 in which the inclination angle β of the spiral piece 56R was varied as described above. The results are shown in Table 1 and FIG.

  As apparent from Table 1 and FIG. 17, the toner container in which the inclination angle β of the spiral piece 56R is 56.7 degrees, 51.7 degrees and 47.4 degrees, that is, β / α is in the range of 0.7 to 1.0. Shows a high L value. This indicates that the brightness is increased as a result of the yellow toner filled in the cylindrical portion 52 being returned to the container main body 51 and mixed with the black toner. On the other hand, in the other toner containers, the L value is low, indicating that the yellow toner is not so much mixed with the black toner in the container main body 51, that is, not returned from the cylindrical portion 52 to the container main body 51. From the above experimental results, it was confirmed that it is preferable to set the inclination angle β within the range of the above equation (1).

  According to the embodiment described above, in the toner container 50 having a container shape including the container main body 51 and the cylindrical portion 52 that protrudes from the container main body 51 and has the toner discharge port 521, the inside of the cylindrical portion 52 Thus, toner aggregation can be suppressed. Accordingly, it is possible to provide the toner container 50 that can be supplied to the developing device 33 without the toner stored in the container main body 51 remaining.

  The toner container 50 and the image forming apparatus 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention have been described above. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and for example, the following modified embodiment can be taken.

  (1) In the above embodiment, the toner container 50 is illustrated as a specific example of the developer container. The developer container may be, for example, a developing unit in which a toner storage unit and a developing roller are integrated, or an intermediate hopper that is interposed between the toner container and the developing device.

  (2) In the above embodiment, the example in which the first conveying member 55 is formed over the entire axial length of the rotating shaft 541 has been described. The 1st conveyance member 55 should just be formed in the 2nd part 54B of the rotating shaft 541 at least. FIG. 18 is a schematic cross-sectional side view of a toner container 50B including a rotating member 54M2 according to a modified embodiment. As illustrated, the first conveying member 550 is formed on the peripheral surface of the rotation shaft 541 only in the second portion 54B corresponding to the cylindrical portion 52 of the toner container 50B. The 2nd conveyance member 56 is arrange | positioned only in 54 A of 1st parts corresponded to the container main body 51 similarly to the said embodiment. Even in the rotating member 54M2 having such a configuration, the first conveying member 550 returns the toner from the cylindrical portion 52 to the container main body 51, so that aggregation of the toner in the cylindrical portion 52 can be suppressed.

  (3) In the above embodiment, the example in which the rectangular film member 546 is attached to the end of the rotating shaft 541 of the rotating member 54 has been described. Instead, a rotating member 54M3 to which a trapezoidal film member 546A is attached as shown in FIG. 19 may be used. The film member 546A includes a base end portion 546B attached to the cylindrical holding piece 544 and a free end portion 546T opposite to the base end portion 546B. The length of the free end portion 546T in the axial direction of the rotation shaft 541 is longer than the base end portion 546B, and a part of the free end portion 546T (extension portion 546E) is positioned on the second end portion 543 of the rotation shaft 541. doing.

  In practice, it is difficult to form the spirals of the first conveying member 55 and the second conveying member 56 until the second end 543 of the rotating shaft 541 is in the immediate vicinity. Therefore, in the vicinity of the second end portion 543, there is substantially no member that applies a pressing force to the toner, and the toner tends to be in a state that does not flow so much. In this case, in place of the rectangular film member 546 as shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, the film member 546 </ b> A having the extension 546 </ b> E is employed, so that the toner is more fluidized in the vicinity of the second end 543. Can be made. That is, as the rotation shaft 541 rotates, the extension 546E stirs the toner in the vicinity of the second end 543 and promotes the toner flow. This facilitates the discharge of toner from the toner discharge port 521 and the toner transport in the first transport direction by the first transport member 55.

  (4) Normally, the toner container is equipped with a toner sensor for detecting the remaining amount of toner in the container. Here, a preferred embodiment is illustrated in relation to the arrangement of the toner sensor and the structure of the rotating member. 20A and 21 are schematic side cross-sectional views of toner containers 50D and 50E showing a modified embodiment including a toner sensor. The toner container 50D is provided with the rotating member 54M1 illustrated in FIG. That is, the rotation member 54M1 in which the spiral of the second transport member 56 is formed is provided over substantially the entire axial length of the container body 51. On the other hand, the toner container 50E shown in FIG. 21 includes a rotating member 54M4 in which the spiral length of the second conveying member 56 is relatively short. Specifically, the second transport member 56 is not formed on the portion of the container main body 51 near the cylindrical portion 52.

  FIG. 20B is a cross-sectional view of the toner container 50D in a direction orthogonal to the axial direction of the rotation shaft 541. As shown in the figure, a toner sensor 7 for detecting the remaining amount of toner is attached to the outer surface of the second side wall 513 of the container main body 51 and in the vicinity of the boundary with the cylindrical portion 52. The toner sensor 7 is a flat magnetic sensor and outputs a voltage signal corresponding to the remaining amount of toner in the toner container. That is, if toner is present at a position facing the toner sensor 7 (position indicated by a dotted line in FIGS. 20A and 21), the toner sensor 7 outputs a high voltage, and no toner is present. Output low voltage.

  In the toner container 50D, when the remaining amount of toner in the container decreases, the draft of the toner draft surface is inclined downward with the edge on the cylindrical portion 52 side of the container main body 51 as the highest portion as shown in FIG. It becomes a surface. On the other hand, in the toner container 50E, when the remaining amount of toner in the container decreases, the toner draft surface becomes a draft surface in which a portion near the cylindrical portion 52 of the container main body 51 is flat as shown in FIG. This is because the toner pressing force by the second conveying member 56 is relatively weak in the portion near the cylindrical portion 52. On the other hand, in the toner container 50D, since the toner pressing force by the second transport member 56 reaches the vicinity of the cylindrical portion 52, when the toner is near empty, the toner is in a state where there is a height difference near the toner sensor 7. Can be made to flow.

  FIG. 22 is a graph showing the sensitivity of the toner sensor 7 of the toner containers 50D and 50E described above. The first output curve 71 of the toner sensor 7 of the toner container 50D is constant until the remaining amount of toner is considerably reduced, and then decreases sharply. On the other hand, the second output curve 72 of the toner container 50E toner sensor 7 starts to decrease from the stage where the remaining amount of toner is relatively large. From this graph, it can be seen that the toner container 50D has better sensitivity of the toner sensor 7 when the remaining amount of toner is low. Further, as apparent from a comparison between the empty levels 71E and 72E, the toner container 50D has a smaller amount of remaining toner that generates an output corresponding to “empty”.

  From the above, as the rotating member, the rotating member 54M1 in which the spiral of the second conveying member 56 is formed over substantially the entire length of the container main body 51 in the axial direction is used, and the toner sensor 7 has a cylindrical shape of the second conveying member 56. It is desirable to be attached at a position where the end portion on the side of the portion 52 exists. As a result, when the toner becomes near empty, the toner can flow in the vicinity of the toner sensor 7 with a height difference, and the sensitivity (resolution) of the toner sensor 7 can be improved.

  (5) In the above embodiment, an example in which the toner container 50 is mounted horizontally with respect to the developing device 33 has been described. Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 23, the toner container 50F may be attached to the developing device 33 with an inclination angle. Specifically, the cylindrical portion 52 having the toner discharge port 521 may be positioned at the lower position and attached to the developing device 33 with the container body 51 side inclined upward. This configuration is preferable because the toner can be guided to the toner discharge port 521 by gravity.

  In this case, it is desirable that the inclination angle of the bottom wall 511 of the toner container 50F with respect to the horizontal plane H is smaller than the repose angle of the toner accommodated in the toner container 50F. For example, if the repose angle of the toner is 38 degrees, the inclination angle is desirably less than 35 degrees. Thereby, it is possible to prevent the toner transportability in the first transport direction from deteriorating. When the inclination angle exceeds the angle of repose, the reverse conveyance of the toner by the first conveyance member 55 becomes difficult.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Image forming apparatus 10 Main body housing 31 Photosensitive drum (Image carrier)
33 Developing device 331 Developing roller 50, 50A to 50F Toner container (developer container)
51 Container body (container body)
511 Bottom wall 512 First side wall 513 Second side wall 514 Third side wall 52 Cylindrical portion 521 Toner discharge port (falling port)
53 Lid member (4th wall)
54, 54M1-54M4 Rotating member 541 Rotating shaft 544 Cylindrical holding piece (holding piece)
546 Film member (flexible pressing member)
55 1st conveying member 56 2nd conveying member 56R Spiral piece 57 Dispersing member 7 Toner sensor

Claims (11)

A container body having a bottom wall and containing a developer;
A cylindrical portion provided from the container main body and connected to the bottom wall and provided with a developer discharge port;
A rotating member that spans the cylindrical portion from the container body and has a function of transporting the developer in the container body,
The rotating member is
A rotating shaft including a first portion extending in the direction in which the bottom wall extends and located in the container body, and a second portion located in the cylindrical portion;
A first shaft disposed on a circumferential surface of the second portion of the rotating shaft, rotating integrally with the rotating shaft, and transporting the developer in a first transporting direction from the tubular portion side toward the container body side; A conveying member;
It is arranged on the peripheral surface of the first portion of the rotating shaft and radially outside the first conveying member, rotates integrally with the rotating shaft, and travels from the container main body side to the tubular portion side. A second conveying member that conveys the developer in a second conveying direction;
It extends over the said first and second portions in the direction parallel to the rotation axis, seen containing a dispersion member for dispersing the developer transported radially outward, and
The first transport member is also disposed on the circumferential surface of the first portion of the rotating shaft.
Developer container. The developer container according to claim 1 ,
The first conveying member is a conveying member provided in a spiral shape on the peripheral surface of the rotating shaft,
The developer transport container, wherein the second transport member is a spiral transport member including a hollow portion through which the rotation shaft including the first transport member can be inserted. The developer container according to claim 2 ,
A developer container, wherein a spiral piece having a function of transporting the developer in the first transport direction is disposed at an end of the spiral of the second transport member on the cylindrical portion side. The developer container according to claim 3 ,
A developer container that satisfies the following formula, where α is an acute angle formed by the spiral of the second conveying member and the dispersing member, and β is an acute angle formed by the spiral piece and the dispersing member. .
α>β> 0.7α The developer container according to claim 2 ,
The dispersion member is attached to the second transport member, and has a thickness D1 in the radial direction of the rotation shaft.
A developer storage container in which a distance D2 between the outermost periphery of the spiral of the first conveying member and the radially inner surface of the dispersion member is larger than the thickness D1. A container body having a bottom wall and containing a developer;
A cylindrical portion provided from the container main body and connected to the bottom wall and provided with a developer discharge port;
A rotating member that spans the cylindrical portion from the container body and has a function of transporting the developer in the container body,
The rotating member is
A rotating shaft including a first portion extending in the direction in which the bottom wall extends and located in the container body, and a second portion located in the cylindrical portion;
A first shaft disposed on a circumferential surface of the second portion of the rotating shaft, rotating integrally with the rotating shaft, and transporting the developer in a first transporting direction from the tubular portion side toward the container body side; A conveying member;
It is arranged on the peripheral surface of the first portion of the rotating shaft and radially outside the first conveying member, rotates integrally with the rotating shaft, and travels from the container main body side to the tubular portion side. A second conveying member that conveys the developer in a second conveying direction;
A dispersion member that extends across the first portion and the second portion in a direction parallel to the rotation axis and disperses the developer to be conveyed radially outward ;
The developer discharge port is a drop port disposed on the lower surface of the cylindrical part,
Wherein a position corresponding to the chute of the rotary shaft, the flexible pressing member mounting et al is protruding in a direction perpendicular to the axial direction of the rotary shaft,
The rotating shaft includes a holding piece that is integrally attached to the end portion on the cylindrical portion side,
The flexible pressing member is a film member, and the film member includes a base end portion attached to the holding piece, and a free end portion opposite to the base end portion,
The developer storage container , wherein a length of the free end portion in the axial direction is longer than that of the base end portion, and a part of the free end portion is positioned on the rotation shaft . A container body having a bottom wall and containing a developer;
A cylindrical portion provided from the container main body and connected to the bottom wall and provided with a developer discharge port;
A rotating member that spans the cylindrical portion from the container body and has a function of transporting the developer in the container body,
The rotating member is
A rotating shaft including a first portion extending in the direction in which the bottom wall extends and located in the container body, and a second portion located in the cylindrical portion;
A first shaft disposed on a circumferential surface of the second portion of the rotating shaft, rotating integrally with the rotating shaft, and transporting the developer in a first transporting direction from the tubular portion side toward the container body side; A conveying member;
It is arranged on the peripheral surface of the first portion of the rotating shaft and radially outside the first conveying member, rotates integrally with the rotating shaft, and travels from the container main body side to the tubular portion side. A second conveying member that conveys the developer in a second conveying direction;
A dispersion member that extends across the first portion and the second portion in a direction parallel to the rotation axis and disperses the developer to be conveyed radially outward ;
A sensor for detecting the developer stored in the developer container;
The sensor is a developer storage container that is attached to a side surface of the container main body at a position where an end of the second transport member on the cylindrical part side exists. In the developer container according to claim 1,
The cylindrical portion has an inner wall surface with a circular cross section,
The bottom wall of the container body has a semicircular inner wall surface corresponding to the rotation locus of the most projecting portion in the radial direction of the second transport member, and the semicircular inner wall surface of the cylindrical portion It is connected to a circular inner wall surface,
The container body includes a first side wall extending upward from one end edge of the bottom wall, a second side wall extending upward from the other end edge of the bottom wall, and facing the first side wall, the first side wall and the second side wall. A third side wall connecting one end edges of the side walls; and a fourth side wall facing the third side wall and connecting the other end edges of the first side wall and the second side wall;
The cylindrical portion protrudes from the third side wall,
The rotating shaft has a first end and a second end opposite to the first end, the first end is pivotally supported on the fourth side wall, and the second end is A developer container that is pivotally supported at the protruding front end surface of the cylindrical portion. An image carrier that carries a developer image on its peripheral surface;
A developing device including a developing roller for supplying a developer to the peripheral surface of the image carrier;
The developer container according to any one of claims 1 to 8, which is assembled to the developing device and replenishes the developing device with a developer.
An image forming apparatus comprising: The image forming apparatus according to claim 9 .
The developing device includes a developing housing having a long shape in a first direction along the axial direction of the developing roller,
The image forming apparatus, wherein the developer container is assembled to the developing device in a direction along a second direction in which the rotation axis is orthogonal to the first direction. The image forming apparatus according to claim 9 .
The developer container is attached to the developing device in a state where the container main body side is inclined upward with the developer discharge port as a lower position,
The image forming apparatus, wherein the inclination of the developer container is smaller than the repose angle of the developer housed in the developer container.

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