JP5619246B2 - Developer container and image forming apparatus to which the container is applied - Google Patents

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.

  An image forming apparatus that forms an image on a sheet using a developer is provided with a developer container such as a toner container. 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. Generally, 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, and a transport screw that transports toner toward the toner discharge port. Moreover, it is known that the said conveyance screw shall be made into the double structure of an inner side and an outer side (for example, refer patent document 1).

JP-A-5-46021

  When a transport screw having a double structure as described in Patent Document 1 is disposed in the toner container, the transport screw transports toner in the transport direction toward the toner discharge port, and at the same time, The section is transported in a direction opposite to the transport direction. In this case, the toner is conveyed in the reverse direction between the vicinity of the outer periphery and the inside of the conveying screw. Then, under conditions where the toner fluidity in the toner container is poor, the toner in the cylindrical shape formed by the rotation of the conveying screw may flow, and the toner located outside thereof may not flow easily. As a result, there is a problem that the toner in the toner container aggregates in a tunnel shape.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and a developer storage container capable of preventing the developer from being agglomerated in a tunnel shape by deteriorating circulation of the developer stored in the container body, and to which the developer storage container is applied. An object of the present invention is to provide an image forming apparatus.

A developer storage container according to an aspect of the present invention has a bottom wall extending in one direction, a container main body that stores the developer, and a cylindrical portion that protrudes from the container main body in a manner connected to the bottom wall. A developer discharge port opened on the lower surface of the front end portion of the cylindrical portion protruding from the container main body, and a developer spanning from the container main body to the cylindrical portion, the developer in the container main body A rotating member having a function of conveying the first wall, the rotating member extending in a direction in which the bottom wall extends, a first portion located in the container body, and a second portion located in the cylindrical portion. A rotating shaft having a portion, and a spiral projectingly provided on a peripheral surface of the second portion of the rotating shaft, and rotating integrally with the rotating shaft, and from the cylindrical portion side toward the container body side In the first conveying member that conveys the developer in one conveying direction, and the first portion, A second transport member that is disposed radially outside the first transport member, rotates integrally with the rotation shaft, and transports the developer in a second transport direction from the container main body side toward the tubular portion side. A fixed end extending from the peripheral surface of the first portion of the rotating shaft in a direction orthogonal to the axial direction of the rotating shaft and fixed on the peripheral surface of the rotating shaft; and the second conveying member A flexible member provided with a free end disposed on the outer side in the radial direction than the developer discharge port inside the cylindrical portion, and the second conveying direction of the rotating shaft A cylindrical holding piece integrally attached to the downstream end, and the cylindrical holding piece so as to face the developer discharge port on the downstream side in the second conveyance direction with respect to the first conveyance member . is arranged from the peripheral surface to protrude in a direction orthogonal to the axial direction, said rotary shaft Circling during rotation, anda film member for feeding the developer to the developer discharge opening in the axial direction of the rotary shaft, an end portion of the second conveying direction downstream side of the first conveying member, the It is arrange | positioned rather than a cylindrical holding piece at the said 2nd conveyance direction upstream.

  According to this configuration, with the rotation of the rotating member, the second function of the second conveying member provided in the first portion of the rotating member causes the second function from the container body to the cylindrical portion provided with the developer discharge port. The developer is transported in the transport direction. Furthermore, since the second portion of the rotating member is provided with a first transport member that transports the developer in the first transport direction from the tubular portion side toward the container body side, excess developer is contained in the tubular portion. From the container to the container body. Here, when the flowability of the developer in the container main body is poor, the developer around the first transport member and the second transport member flows while the developer positioned outside these transport members does not flow. , May aggregate. For this reason, the developer may aggregate in a tunnel shape within the container body. Even in such a case, the developer located in the periphery is agitated by the rotation of the flexible member having the free end portion on the outer side in the radial direction of the second conveying member. For this reason, the developer is prevented from aggregating in a tunnel shape.

Said structure WHEREIN: It is the gear arrange | positioned so that it may protrude outward from the said front-end | tip part of the said cylindrical part, Comprising: The trunk | drum supported rotatably at the said front-end | tip part of the said cylindrical part, The said rotation member further gear while inputting the rotational driving force to have, by the body portion of the gear is fitted into the tubular holding piece, it is desirable that said gear and said rotation shaft Ru is integrated.

  According to this configuration, the gear and the rotation shaft are integrated by fitting the body portion of the gear into the cylindrical holding piece, and the film member is disposed on the cylindrical holding piece.

The said structure WHEREIN: It is desirable that the said 2nd conveyance member is a spiral shaped conveyance member provided with the hollow part which can penetrate the said rotating shaft provided with the said 1st conveyance member.

  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 this case, the cylindrical portion has an inner wall surface having a circular cross section, and the bottom wall of the container body has a semicircular shape corresponding to the rotation locus of the most protruding portion in the radial direction of the second transport member. An inner wall surface, the semicircular inner wall surface is connected to the circular inner wall surface of the cylindrical portion, 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, and the fixed end portion of the flexible member is rotated together with the rotation shaft, thereby allowing the allowable side. It is desirable that the free end portion side of the flexible member abuts sequentially on the inner wall of the first side wall and the inner wall of the second side wall.

  According to this configuration, since the free end abuts against the inner walls of the first side wall and the second side wall due to the rotation of the flexible member, the developer attached to the inner wall can be scraped and stirred. Further, the elastic force is released when the free end portion is separated from the inner wall, and the free end portion repels the surrounding developer, so that the flow of the developer can be promoted.

  In the above-described configuration, the sensor further includes a sensor that detects the developer stored in the developer container, and the sensor includes the free end portion of the flexible member on the first side wall or the second side wall. It is desirable that it is attached facing the abutting position.

  According to this configuration, the free end portion of the flexible member abuts against the inner wall on which the sensor is disposed so as to scrape off the attached developer. For this reason, erroneous detection of the sensor caused by the developer sticking to the inner wall is prevented.

  Said structure WHEREIN: It is preferable that the said flexible member satisfy | fills the following formula in the cross section orthogonal to the said rotating shaft. 2.5 <A / (LA) <10 (L: total length of the flexible member in the extending direction, A: length that the free end side contacts the first side wall or the second side wall) .

  According to this configuration, the suppression of the torque increase of the rotating shaft caused by the flexible member coming into contact with the inner wall of the first side wall or the second side wall and the suppression of the tunnel-like aggregation of the developer are compatible. The

  In the above configuration, the flexible member preferably has a length of the free end portion in the axial direction longer than a length of the fixed end portion in the axial direction.

  According to this configuration, the free end of the flexible member can stir the developer in a wider range.

  In the above configuration, the flexible member is a region where the spiral of the second conveying member is not disposed in the axial region of the rotation shaft where the flexible member is disposed. It is preferable to project from the radial direction of the rotating shaft.

  According to this configuration, with the rotation of the flexible member, it is difficult to form a closed space between the free end side of the flexible member and the spiral of the second transport member, and the inner side of the second transport member. Aggregation of the positioned developer is suppressed.

  In the above configuration, the spiral piece having a function of transporting the developer in the first transport direction has a predetermined interval downstream of the spiral of the second transport member in the first portion in the second transport direction. Further, it is preferable that they are further arranged.

  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 the above configuration, the flexible member is downstream of the second transport member in the second transport direction in the axial direction of the rotation shaft, and downstream of the spiral piece in the first transport direction. In the region where the spiral of the second conveying member and the spiral piece are not disposed in the region in the axial direction of the rotating shaft where the flexible member is disposed. It is preferable to project in the radial direction of the shaft.

  According to this configuration, with the rotation of the flexible member, it is difficult to form a closed space between the free end portion side of the flexible member and the spiral and the spiral piece of the second transport member. Aggregation of the developer located inside is suppressed.

  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 according to any of the above, wherein the developer container is replenished to the developing device.

  According to this configuration, the developer in the developer container is prevented from aggregating in a tunnel shape in the image forming apparatus, and the supply of the developer to the developing device is prevented from being delayed. For this reason, image quality defects such as density reduction in the image forming apparatus are prevented.

  According to the present invention, the developer stored in the container body can be prevented from aggregating in a tunnel shape. 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 plan view of a rotating member disposed in a toner container. FIG. 6 is a front view of a rotating member disposed in a toner container. FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a rotating member disposed in a toner container. FIG. 6 is a schematic side cross-sectional view and 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 and cross-sectional view of a toner container in a state where a rotating member is rotated 90 degrees from the state of FIG. 13. FIG. 10 is a schematic side cross-sectional view and cross-sectional view of a toner container including a rotating member according to another modified embodiment. FIG. 10 is a schematic side cross-sectional view and cross-sectional view of a toner container including a rotating member according to another modified embodiment. FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram illustrating a state of tunnel-like aggregation that occurs in a toner container.

  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 covers a container main body 51 (container main body) serving as a main storage location of the toner, a cylindrical portion 52 protruding from a lower portion of one side surface of the container main body 51, and the other side surface of the container main body 51. It includes a lid member 53 and a rotating member 54 that is contained in 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 structure 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. The top view to show is shown, respectively.

  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 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, and FIGS. 10 to 12 are a plan view, a front view, and a perspective view of the rotating member 54 disposed in the toner container 50, respectively.

  As described above, the toner container 50 includes the container main body 51, the cylindrical portion 52, the lid member 53, and the rotating member 54. The container main body 51 includes a bottom wall 511 having a semicircular cross section extending in one direction, a first side wall 512 extending upward from one end edge of the bottom wall 511, and the bottom to form a space for storing toner. A second side wall 513 extending upward from the other end edge of the wall 511 and facing the first side wall 512, and a third side wall 514 connecting the first side wall 512 and the second side wall 513 at the end edge portion on the cylindrical portion 52 side The top wall 515 that connects the upper end edges of the first side wall 512 and the second side wall 513 and the first flange portion 516 formed on the end edge on the side facing the lid 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 (developer discharge port), 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.

<Structure of rotating member>
The rotating member 54 (54M1) is a member that is arranged from the bottom wall 511 of the container main body 51 (container main body) 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 to 12, the rotating member 54 (54M1) includes a rotating shaft 541, a film member 546 that rotates integrally with the rotating shaft 541, a first conveying member 55, a second conveying member 56, A pair of dispersion members 57 are provided. Further, the rotating member 54 includes a spiral piece 56R that rotates integrally with the rotating shaft 541, a rectifying spiral 70, and a stirring film 80 (flexible member).

  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 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 rotation shaft 541 extends from the container main body 51 to the tubular portion 52, and includes a first portion 54 </ b> A disposed in the container main body 51 and a second portion 54 </ b> B disposed in the tubular portion 52. Divided.

  The film member 546 is disposed on the cylindrical holding piece 544 and has a function of sending toner to the toner discharge port 521. The film member 546 is a rectangular thin flexible 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 rotation shaft 541 rotates, fluidizes the toner existing near the other end 524 of the cylindrical portion 52, and sends it 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 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.

  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 side in the radial direction than the first transport member 55. The second transport member 56 is disposed only in a region corresponding to the first portion 54A.

  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. The pair of dispersion members 57 are connected by a connecting piece 572A at the end 571A. The connecting piece 572A is fixed in the vicinity of the first end 542 of the rotating shaft 541 at the center thereof. Also on the second end portion 543 side, the end portions 571B of the pair of dispersion members 57 are connected by a similar connecting piece 572B. That is, the rotation shaft 541, the second transport member 56, and the dispersion member 57 are integrated by the connecting pieces 572A and 572B, and when the rotation shaft 541 rotates, the second transport member 56 and the dispersion member 57 also rotate together. . The dispersion member 57 is disposed across both the first portion 54A and the second portion 54B (FIGS. 10 to 12).

  In other words, the configuration of the first transport member 55, the second transport member 56, and the pair of dispersion members 57 is composed of a plurality of semicircular arch-shaped transport pieces, and these pair of dispersion members 57 form the arch shape. The conveying pieces are integrated, and as a result, a spiral second conveying member 56 having a hollow portion near the shaft center 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.

  The spiral piece 56 </ b> R is a semicircular arched conveying piece straddling between the pair of dispersion members 57. The spiral piece 56R is disposed at a predetermined interval from the second conveying member 56 to the second end 543 side. 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 disposed so that the spiral direction is opposite to the arched conveyance piece of the second conveyance member 56. The spiral piece 56R is disposed in the vicinity of the boundary between the first portion 54A and the second portion 54B with a predetermined distance from the end of the second transport member 56 in the axial direction of the rotation shaft 541. . The spiral piece 56R is rotated together with the dispersion member 57 along with the rotation of the rotation shaft 541.

  The rectifying spiral 70 is disposed on the second end 543 side of the spiral piece 56R, and is formed of a semi-elliptical arched conveying piece. The arched conveying piece of the rectifying spiral 70 has substantially the same inner and outer diameter as the arched conveying piece of the second conveying member 56, while the arched conveying piece of the second conveying member 56 is approximately 2 in the axial direction of the rotating shaft 541. It has a shape that is doubled. The rectifying spiral 70 is disposed between the pair of dispersion members 57 over a half circumference in the rotation direction, that is, by a half pitch. Since the rectifying spiral 70 is fixedly disposed on the pair of dispersion members 57, when the rotating shaft 541 rotates, the rectifying spiral 70 also rotates integrally. The rectifying spiral 70 is arranged in a form connected to the end of the spiral piece 56R in the axial direction of the rotating shaft 541, and from the vicinity of the boundary between the first portion 54A and the second portion 54B, the second of the rotating shaft 541. It is disposed over the end 543.

  The stirring film 80 is disposed between the second transport member 56 and the spiral piece 56R in the axial direction of the rotation shaft 541, and has a function of stirring the toner in the container main body 51. Moreover, the stirring film 80 is a thin flexible PPS (polyphenylene sulfide) resin film having a T-shape, as shown in FIGS. The stirring film 80 is extended from the peripheral surface of the rotating shaft 541 in a direction orthogonal to the axial direction of the rotating shaft 541 and is fixed to the peripheral surface of the rotating shaft by a fixed end 80 a and the second transport member 56. And a free end portion 80b disposed on the radially outer side. The T-shape of the stirring film 80 has a relatively narrow base end portion 80d extending in the radial direction from the fixed end portion 80a, and further extending radially outward from the base end portion 80d and wider than the base end portion 80d. It is comprised with the front-end | tip part 80e. The distal end portion 80 e is located on the radially outer side than the outermost diameter portion of the second transport member 56. Therefore, the length of the free end portion 80b in the axial direction of the rotating shaft 541 is set to be longer than the length of the fixed end portion 80a in the axial direction of the rotating shaft 541. In addition, an elongated hole portion 80c is disposed on the bottom side of the fixed end portion 80a. The elongated hole portion 80c engages with a holding piece 541a (FIG. 13B) disposed on the rotating shaft 541. By this engagement, the stirring film 80 is driven to rotate integrally with the rotating shaft 541.

<Toner transport direction of each member>
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 second conveying member 56 conveys the toner from the first end 542 side of the rotating shaft 541 toward the second end 543 side. 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 first conveying member 55 conveys toner 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.

  Since the spiral piece 56R is disposed in the direction opposite to the spiral direction of the second conveying member 56, the toner is conveyed in the first conveying direction. The spiral piece 56R generates a conveying force that positively returns the toner from the cylindrical portion 52 to the container main body in the vicinity of the boundary between the container main body 51 and the cylindrical portion 52.

  Since the rectifying spiral 70 has a spiral shape in the same direction as the spiral direction of the second conveying member 56, the toner is conveyed in the second conveying direction. The rectifying spiral 70 assists the toner in the cylindrical portion 52 with a conveyance force toward the toner discharge port 521. Further, the rectifying spiral 70 has a function of rectifying the flow of toner flowing into the toner discharge port 521 when the remaining amount of toner in the container main body 51 decreases and the toner fluidity rapidly increases.

<Description of operation of rotating member>
As described above, the rotating member 54 of the present embodiment has the ability to transport toner in different directions on the radially inner side (first transport member 55) and the outer side (second transport member 56). Next, the toner conveying operation by the rotating member 54 (54M2) will be described with reference to FIGS. 13A and 13B are schematic (a) side sectional view and (b) sectional view of the toner container 50A for explaining the toner conveying operation by the rotating member 54M2, and FIG. 14 is rotated from the state of FIG. FIG. 4 is a schematic (a) side sectional view and (b) sectional view of a toner container 50A in a state where a member 54M2 is rotated by 90 degrees. The rotating member 54M1 shown in FIGS. 10 to 12 and the rotating member 54M2 shown in FIGS. 13 and 14 are different in arrangement in the circumferential direction of the stirring film 80 on the rotating shaft 541. The operation when the arrangement of the stirring film 80 shown in FIGS. 10 to 12 is selected will be described in an embodiment described later. In addition, the rotating member 54M1 shown in FIGS. 10 to 12 and the rotating member 54M2 shown in FIGS. 13 and 14 have the inclination directions of the spiral members (the spiral winding direction) reversed. As described above, the inclination direction of each spiral shape may be the reverse direction (reverse winding) as long as the relative inclination relationship between the respective members is maintained. In this case, the rotating member 54M1 (FIGS. 10 to 12) and the rotating member 54M2 (FIGS. 13 and 14) rotate in the opposite directions around the rotating shaft 541, thereby achieving the effects of the respective members in the same manner. Is possible.

  Referring to FIG. 13A, the second conveying member 56 is rotationally driven to apply a pressing force toward the toner in the second conveying 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. In the present embodiment, the second conveyance 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. Further, the rectifying spiral 70 disposed on the dispersion member 57 in the cylindrical portion 52 assists the movement of the toner in the second transport direction. 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.

  At this time, the spiral piece 56R further promotes the reverse conveyance function. 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 the boundary portion, the pressing force in the direction of the arrow C3 in FIG. 13A that feeds the toner from the cylindrical portion 52 to the container main body 51 can be generated by the rotation of the spiral piece 56R. The toner pushed back in the direction of the arrow C3 is dispersed outwardly in the radial direction of the rotating member 54 as shown by the arrow C4 direction in FIG. 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.

  As described above, the toner container 50 according to the present embodiment has a circulation conveyance function in which the toner once sent to the cylindrical portion 52 by the second conveyance member 56 is returned to the container main body 51 by the first conveyance member 55. Has been. For this reason, even in the toner container 50 having a structure in which the toner discharge port 521 is provided at the tip of the cylindrical portion 52, 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 rotation member 54 has only a function of conveying toner in the second conveyance 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.

<About stirring film>
As described above, in the present embodiment, the rotating member 54M2 includes the first transport member 55 and the second transport member 56. As a result, the movement of the toner in the axial direction is smoothly executed inside and outside the cylindrical portion drawn by rotating the second conveying member 56. On the other hand, when the toner fluidity is poor due to the installation environment of the toner container 50 or the like, the toner stored in the toner container 51 is tunnel-shaped outside the cylindrical portion where the rotational force of the second conveying member 56 is difficult to reach. (Fig. 17 region D). Even in such a case, in the present embodiment, the stirring film 80 (flexible member) disposed on the rotating shaft 541 can stir the toner disposed outside the cylindrical portion. .

  As illustrated in FIG. 13B, the stirring film 80 is rotated in the direction of the arrow R <b> 1 integrally with the rotation shaft 541 in the container main body 51. At this time, the elongated hole portion 80c (see FIG. 10) provided in the fixed end portion 80a is protruded from the rotary shaft 541 toward the second side wall 513 with the free end portion 80b facing vertically upward. The holding piece 541a is engaged. By this engagement, the rotating shaft 541 and the stirring film 80 are integrally rotated. When the rotation shaft 541 rotates 90 degrees in the direction of the arrow R1 from the state of FIG. 13B to the state of FIG. 14B, the free end 80b disposed outside the second transport member 56 is rotated in the rotational direction. It abuts against the inner wall of the second side wall 513 while bending upstream (in the direction opposite to the arrow R1).

  Further, as the rotary shaft 541 rotates, the free end portion 80b of the stirring film 80 abuts the inner wall of the second side wall 513, the bottom wall 511, and the first side wall 512 in order, and applies the toner near the inner wall to the arrow R1. Move in the direction. Further, since the stirring film 80 is made of a flexible PET film, when the free end portion 80b is separated from the inner wall of the first side wall 512, the elastic force of the free end portion 80b is released, and the free end portion 80b is developed around. Acts like playing the agent. For this reason, it becomes possible to promote the flow of the surrounding developer. Here, in the stirring film 80, the length of the free end portion 80b in the axial direction of the rotation shaft 541 is set longer than the length of the fixed end portion 80a in the axial direction of the rotation shaft 541. For this reason, the free end portion 80 b of the stirring film 80 can stir the toner in a wider range within the container main body 51.

  In addition, the stirring film 80 is disposed on the downstream side in the second transport direction of the first portion 54A in the axial direction of the rotation shaft 541, that is, in the vicinity of the boundary between the first portion 54A and the second portion 54B. Therefore, the toner moved from the first part to the second part side by the second conveying member 56, the dispersion member 57, and the spiral piece 56R is pushed up above the container body 51 by the rotational force of the stirring film 80. . The toner pushed up above the agitating film 80 moves in the container main body 51 so that the crest of the toner collapses in the first conveying direction (see the dotted line S in FIG. 13), and again by the second conveying member 56. 2 is conveyed in the conveying direction. As described above, the rotation of the stirring film 80 causes a circulation flow in the toner positioned above the rotating member 54M2. Therefore, the toner is prevented from aggregating in a tunnel shape in the container body 51 even in an environment where the fluidity of the toner deteriorates.

  Furthermore, in this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 13B and FIG. 14B, the sensor 90 is disposed to face the position where the free end 80b of the second side wall 513 contacts. The sensor 90 is used to notify the replacement timing of the toner container 50 by detecting the toner stored in the toner container 50.

  The sensor 90 is a flat magnetic sensor and outputs a voltage signal corresponding to the remaining amount of toner in the toner container 50. In other words, the sensor 90 outputs a high voltage when toner is present at a position facing the sensor 90, and outputs a low voltage when no toner is present. However, toner may adhere to each inner wall of the toner container 50. When the toner in the toner container 50 approaches the empty state with the toner attached to the inner wall of the second side wall facing the sensor 90, the sensor 90 erroneously continues to output a high voltage, and the toner in the toner container 50 Cannot be detected correctly.

  Even in such a case, in the present embodiment, the free end portion 80b of the stirring film 80 rotates while contacting the portion of the inner wall of the second side wall 513 that the sensor 90 faces. For this reason, the free end portion 80b can scrape off the toner adhering to the inner wall of the second side wall 513. Therefore, erroneous detection of the toner amount in the toner container 50 is suppressed.

  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 dispersion member 57 is formed over the entire axial length of the rotating shaft 541 has been described. The dispersion member 57 is not limited to this, and may be disposed only in the first portion 54A. FIGS. 15A and 15B are a schematic cross-sectional view (a) and a cross-sectional view (b) of a toner container 50B including a rotating member 54M3 according to a modified embodiment. As illustrated, the dispersion member 572 is formed on the peripheral surface of the rotation shaft 541 only in the first portion 54A corresponding to the container main body 51 of the toner container 50B. In addition, a pair of rectifying spirals 70B is disposed on the opposite side in the rotational circumferential direction in the second portion 54B corresponding to the cylindrical portion 52 of the toner container 50B. The pair of rectifying spirals 70 </ b> B has a function of assisting movement of the toner conveyed in the second direction from the first portion 54 </ b> A to the toner discharge port 521. Even in the rotating member 54M3 having such a configuration, the stirring film 80B brings a circulating flow in the vertical direction to the toner in the container main body 51. Therefore, the toner is effectively prevented from aggregating in a tunnel shape.

  (3) In the rotating member 54M2 according to the previous embodiment, the stirring film 80 is the arched conveying piece of the second conveying member 56 in the axial direction region of the rotating shaft 541 in which the stirring film 80 is disposed. In the region where the spiral piece 56R is disposed, the spiral piece 56R protrudes in the radial direction of the rotation shaft 541. The arrangement of the stirring film 80 in the circumferential direction is not limited to this. FIGS. 16A and 16B are a schematic cross-sectional view (a) and a cross-sectional view (b) of a toner container 50C including a rotating member 54M4 according to a modified embodiment. As shown in the drawing, the stirring film 80C is not provided with the arched conveying piece and the spiral piece 56R of the second conveying member 56 in the axial direction region of the rotating shaft 541 where the stirring film 80 is provided. In the region (the upper side of the rotation shaft 541 in the figure), the projection protrudes in the radial direction of the rotation shaft 541.

  Even in the rotating member 54M4 having such a configuration, the stirring film 80C is rotationally driven, thereby causing the toner in the container main body 51 to circulate in the vertical direction. Therefore, the toner is effectively prevented from aggregating in a tunnel shape. Furthermore, in the present embodiment, when the stirring film 80C rotates while being bent in the circumferential direction as the rotating shaft 541 rotates, the stirring film 80C and the arched conveying piece and the spiral piece 56R of the second conveying member 56 are used. A closed space is difficult to form between the two. In other words, the stirring film 80C that rotates between the arch-shaped conveying piece of the second conveying member 56 and the spiral piece 56R and rotates while being bent with respect to the toner located inside the rotating member 54M4 covers the lid. There is no cover. For this reason, aggregation of the toner located inside the second conveying member 56 and the spiral piece 56R is suppressed.

<Example>
Next, the result of the Example implemented using the rotating member 54 which concerns on said embodiment is demonstrated. In addition, the Example was performed on the following specifications and conditions.
Rotating member: rotating member 54M2, rotation speed: 120rpm
First conveying member 55: diameter 13 mm, spiral pitch 15 mm, shaft diameter 5 mm
Second conveying member 56: maximum outer diameter 21 mm, minimum outer diameter 16 mm, inner diameter 14 mm, spiral pitch 20 mm
Dispersing member 57: circumferential thickness 1 mm
Toner container 50:
Container body 51: thickness 17mm, length 100mm
-Cylindrical part 52: Inner diameter 17mm, length 65mm
Stirring film 80:
・ Material: PPS (polyphenylene sulfide) resin film, thickness 0.1 mm
Under the above conditions, the shape of the stirring film 80 was changed, and the aggregation of the tunnel-like toner formed in the toner container 50 was evaluated.

  As shown in Table 1, in the stirring film 80 according to this example, it is preferable that 2.5 <A / B <10 and (B = LA) are satisfied in the cross section orthogonal to the rotation axis 541. all right. In addition, L is the full length of the extending | stretching direction of the stirring film 80, A is the length which the free end part 80b contacts the 1st side wall 512 or the 2nd side wall 513 (refer FIG.14 (b)). By satisfying the above range, an increase in torque of the rotating shaft caused by the stirring film 80 coming into contact with the inner wall of the first side wall 512 or the second side wall 513 was suppressed, and toner tunnel aggregation was suppressed.

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 50C 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 (developer discharge port)
53 Lid member 54, 54M1-54M4 Rotating member 541 Rotating shaft 544 Cylindrical holding piece 546 Film member 55 First conveying member 56 Second conveying member 56R Spiral piece 57 Dispersing member 70, 70A, 70B Rectifying spiral 80, 80A-80C Stirring Film (flexible member)
90 sensors

Claims (11)

A container body having a bottom wall extending in one direction and containing a developer;
A cylindrical portion projecting from the container main body connected to the bottom wall;
A developer outlet opening on the lower surface of the tip of the cylindrical portion protruding from the container body;
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;
The projecting spirally on the peripheral surface of the second portion of the rotary shaft, the rotates integrally with the rotary shaft, the developer from the tubular portion in a first conveying direction toward the container body A first conveying member for conveying;
In the first portion, the developer is disposed on the radially outer side than the first conveying member, rotates integrally with the rotation shaft, and in the second conveying direction from the container main body side toward the cylindrical portion side. A second conveying member for conveying;
From the peripheral surface of the first portion of the rotating shaft, extending in a direction perpendicular to the axial direction of the rotating shaft and fixed on the peripheral surface of the rotating shaft, than the second conveying member A flexible member comprising a free end disposed radially outward;
A cylindrical holding piece disposed inside the cylindrical portion so as to be opposed to the developer discharge port and integrally attached to an end portion of the rotating shaft on the downstream side in the second transport direction;
At the downstream side of the first conveying member in the second conveying direction, it is arranged so as to protrude in the direction perpendicular to the axial direction from the peripheral surface of the cylindrical holding piece so as to face the developer discharge port, and the rotation A film member that circulates during rotation of the shaft and sends out the developer to the developer discharge port;
Including
In the axial direction of the rotating shaft, an end portion of the first transport member on the downstream side in the second transport direction is disposed on the upstream side in the second transport direction with respect to the cylindrical holding piece. A developer container. A gear which is arranged so as to protrude outwardly from the tip portion of the cylindrical portion rotatably provided a supported body portion to the distal portion of the tubular portion, a rotational drive force to the rotary member It further has a gear to input,
It said that the body portion is fitted into the tubular holding piece, the developer container according to claim 1, wherein the gear and the rotating shaft, characterized in that that will be an integral of the gear. 3. The developer storage container according to claim 1, 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 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 has a first side wall extending upward from one end edge of the bottom wall, and a second side wall extending upward from the other end edge of the bottom wall and facing the first side wall,
When the fixed end portion of the flexible member is rotated together with the rotation shaft, the free end portion side of the flexible member contacts the inner wall of the first side wall and the inner wall of the second side wall in order. The developer container according to claim 3, wherein the developer container is in contact with the developer container. A sensor for detecting the developer stored in the developer container;
5. The developer according to claim 4, wherein the sensor is attached to a position of the first side wall or the second side wall facing a position where the free end portion of the flexible member abuts. Containment container. The developer container according to claim 4, wherein the flexible member satisfies the following expression in a cross section orthogonal to the rotation axis.
2.5 <A / (LA) <10
(L: full length of the flexible member in the extending direction, A: length that the free end side contacts the first side wall or the second side wall)   7. The flexible member according to claim 3, wherein a length of the free end portion in the axial direction is longer than a length of the fixed end portion in the axial direction. Developer container.   The flexible member has a diameter of the rotation shaft in a region where the spiral of the second transport member is not disposed in an axial region of the rotation shaft where the flexible member is disposed. The developer storage container according to claim 3, wherein the developer storage container protrudes in the direction.   A spiral piece having a function of transporting the developer in the first transport direction is further disposed at a predetermined interval downstream of the spiral of the second transport member in the first portion in the first transport direction. The developer storage container according to claim 3, wherein the developer storage container is a developer storage container.   The flexible member is disposed on the downstream side in the second transport direction with respect to the second transport member in the axial direction of the rotation shaft and on the downstream side in the first transport direction with respect to the spiral piece. In the region where the spiral of the second conveying member and the spiral piece are not disposed in the region in the axial direction of the rotational shaft where the flexible member is disposed, the radial direction of the rotational shaft The developer container according to claim 9, wherein the developer container is provided so as to project toward the developer. 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 10, wherein the developer container is assembled to the developing device and replenishes the developing device with a developer.
An image forming apparatus comprising: