JP5659657B2 - Powder conveying apparatus and image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a powder conveying device that conveys powder contained in a powder containing portion to a discharge portion, and an image forming apparatus including the same.

  In an electrophotographic image forming apparatus such as a copying machine, a printer, a facsimile, or a composite machine of these, a toner image is formed by a developing device using a developer generally called a toner or a carrier. ing. In this type of image forming apparatus, since toner is consumed together with image formation, normally, a toner cartridge containing toner is attached to the image forming apparatus, and when the toner in the cartridge runs out, a new cartridge is replaced. To replenish.

  Further, in the toner replenishing method using the cartridge as described above, there is a user's request to use up as much toner as possible in the cartridge in order to reduce running cost. Therefore, conventionally, as a toner cartridge, a container called a screw bottle in which a spiral protrusion is provided on the inner surface of a cylindrical container, and a method of conveying the toner little by little by rotating this container, commonly known as A method in which a screw called an auger is provided inside a container and rotated to send toner to a discharge unit is adopted.

  However, the conveyance method using the auger has a drawback that the structure is complicated because it is necessary to provide and rotate the screw inside the container. Further, in this transport system, the accumulated toner is forcibly transported by the auger, so that a load is applied to the toner and there is a risk of toner aggregation or deterioration. Furthermore, providing a screw inside the container to be replaced raises the cost of consumables and at the same time increases the environmental load due to resource consumption.

  On the other hand, the conveyance method using the screw bottle does not require a screw inside the container, and thus the configuration is simple. However, in this transport method, the container itself is rotated and used, so the shape of the container is usually a shape in which an outlet is provided on one side of a cylindrical container body (a shape like a bottle lying sideways). There is a drawback that the amount of toner that can be stored is smaller than that of this container, and that a hand is slippery and difficult to hold at the time of replacement.

  Conventionally, as a toner transport method that does not use the screw bottle or auger, the container is vibrated (reciprocating) by applying an impact to the container from the outside or by bringing the container into contact with a stopper. There is a system in which toner is moved / discharged by inertial force (see Patent Document 1). In this method, in a state where a large amount of toner is stored, the toner loaded in the container moves together by vibration, so that it is possible to secure a sufficient toner conveyance speed per vibration reciprocation. However, as the amount of toner in the container decreases, the toner peak collapses and spreads thinly, so the toner transport speed per round trip of vibration decreases with the height of the toner peak, and the transport speed is reduced. There is a problem that it cannot be maintained. In addition, there is a problem that the vibration generated in the container affects the writing system and disturbs the image.

  Further, as a transport method different from the above-described transport methods, a method has been proposed in which a deformable container is used, and a toner is sent out by pressing and moving a convex portion from the outside of the container (Patent Document). 2). According to this transport method, the toner can be transported with a small stress, and aggregation and deterioration of the toner can be suppressed.

  However, the method of conveying the toner by pressing the convex portion against the deformable container changes the amount of toner moved by the convex portion depending on the toner amount (remaining amount) in the container, so that stable toner conveyance is possible. It was difficult to do.

  Therefore, in view of such circumstances, the present invention provides a powder conveying apparatus capable of stably conveying powder regardless of the amount of powder such as toner, and an image forming apparatus including the powder conveying apparatus. The device is to be provided.

The invention of claim 1 includes a powder container that contains powder and at least a part of which is deformable, a discharge part for discharging the powder in the powder container to the outside, and the powder container In a state where the deformable portion is pushed inward, the powder conveying device provided with a delivery member that moves to the discharge portion side and sends the powder to the discharge portion. Accordingly, a control means for controlling the movement of the delivery member to the discharge unit side is provided , and within a predetermined time of the delivery member to the discharge unit side as the remaining amount of powder in the powder storage unit decreases. The delivery member can be switched between a standing state and a collapsed state toward the powder container, and is opposite to the delivery direction toward the discharge unit. It is configured to be able to reciprocate along the same route in the return direction of the direction, Becomes the standing state when moving the left direction, and serves as a said collapsed state when moving to the return direction.

  As the amount of powder remaining in the powder container decreases, the amount of powder that can be delivered to the discharge part with a single movement of the delivery member decreases. Therefore, by increasing the number of movements of the delivery member as the remaining amount of powder decreases, an amount of powder equivalent to that when the remaining amount of powder is large can be sent to the discharge unit. Thereby, stable powder conveyance can be performed regardless of the amount of powder contained in the powder container.

A second aspect of the present invention, in the powder conveying apparatus of claim 1, as increasing the number of movements of the delivery member, which is constituted so as to increase the moving speed of the delivery member.

  As the number of movements of the delivery member is increased, the time required for one movement can be shortened by increasing the movement speed of the delivery member. Therefore, even if the number of movements is increased, the extension of the operation time is reduced. It becomes possible.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the powder conveyance device according to the first or second aspect , a powder detection unit that detects powder in the discharge unit is provided, and the powder in the discharge unit is detected by the powder detection unit. When it is detected that the amount is less than a predetermined amount, the delivery member is moved to the delivery unit side in response to a delivery instruction for delivering the powder to the delivery unit, and the powder in the delivery unit is moved by the powder detection means. The movement of the delivery member to the discharge portion side is repeated a predetermined number of times until it is detected that the amount exceeds a predetermined amount.

  Until the powder detection means detects that the amount of powder in the discharge portion has reached a predetermined amount or more, by repeating the movement of the delivery member to the discharge portion a predetermined number of times, the amount of powder remaining in the powder storage portion is large. Regardless of the amount, a predetermined amount or more of powder can be supplied into the discharge section. In other words, since the remaining amount of powder in the powder container is small, even if a predetermined amount of powder cannot be sent to the discharge part by one movement of the delivery member, the movement of the delivery member is repeated. It is possible to send a predetermined amount of powder to the discharge section. As a result, the powder can be stably and reliably conveyed regardless of the amount of powder remaining in the powder container.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the powder conveyance device according to the third aspect , the powder detection means includes a piezoelectric element, and the contact pressure of the powder to the piezoelectric element is measured to detect the powder. This is a piezoelectric sensor.

  By using a piezoelectric sensor as the powder detection means, the amount of powder can be detected directly, so that the detection accuracy is improved and an appropriate amount of powder can be sent to the discharge section.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the powder conveyance device according to the third aspect , the powder detection unit includes a light emitting unit that emits light and a light receiving unit that receives light, and the light receiving unit receives the light from the light emitting unit. This is an optical sensor that detects powder by blocking the optical path to the part with powder.

  The powder detection means may be an optical sensor.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the powder conveyance device according to the fifth aspect , the light emitting unit and the light receiving unit are disposed outside the discharge unit and not in contact with the discharge unit, and the discharge unit A light guide path from the light emitting part to the light receiving part is formed in the part.

  By disposing the light emitting unit and the light receiving unit outside the discharge unit so as not to contact the discharge unit, even if vibration occurs in the discharge unit, the light emitting unit and the light receiving unit are not affected by the vibration. In this case, since only the light guide path needs to be formed in the discharge portion, erroneous detection due to vibration can be prevented at low cost.

A seventh aspect of the present invention is the powder conveying apparatus according to any one of the third to sixth aspects, further comprising vibration applying means for applying vibration to the discharge portion.

  In this case, since vibration is applied to the discharge portion by the vibration applying means, it is possible to prevent the powder from adhering to the inner surface of the discharge portion, or it is possible to drop the powder attached by the vibration. . Thereby, it is possible to prevent erroneous detection of the powder detection means due to the adhesion of powder.

According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, in the image forming apparatus including at least a developing device and a developer replenishing device that replenishes the developing device, the developer replenishing device is any one of the first to seventh aspects. An image forming apparatus using the powder conveying apparatus according to the item.

Since the image forming apparatus uses the powder conveying device according to any one of claims 1 to 7 as a developer replenishing device, the above-described effects of these powder conveying devices can be obtained.

  According to the present invention, the powder can be stably and reliably delivered to the discharge unit regardless of the remaining amount of the powder in the powder container.

1 is a configuration diagram showing a printer as an image forming apparatus according to the present invention. FIG. 2 is an enlarged view showing an image forming unit of the image forming apparatus. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a toner supply device. 2 is a configuration diagram of a toner cartridge. FIG. FIG. 3 is an exploded view of a toner cartridge. (A) is a plan view showing a state before the toner cartridge is mounted on the drawer tray, and (b) is a plan view showing a state where the toner cartridge is mounted on the drawer tray. It is an enlarged view of a fixed part. It is a perspective view of a drawer tray. It is a perspective view of the state which attached the drawer tray to the main body side frame. It is an enlarged view of a main body side frame. It is a cross-sectional side view of a main body side frame and a drawer tray. It is sectional side view, such as a drawer tray. FIG. 3 is a configuration diagram of a toner conveying device. It is a cross-sectional side view of a drawer tray. It is a side view of a delivery member and a leg member. It is a figure for demonstrating operation | movement when the state from which the sending member stood up switched to the fall state. It is a figure for demonstrating operation | movement when the sending member switches from the fall state to the standing state. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a state of a sending operation when the remaining amount of toner is large. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a state of a sending operation when the remaining amount of toner decreases. It is an expanded sectional view of a discharge part and its peripheral part. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating a configuration of an optical toner sensor. It is a block diagram which shows the control system of a sending member. It is a flowchart for demonstrating the control method of a sending member. It is sectional drawing of a fixing | fixed part. It is a perspective view of a vibration provision means. It is a perspective view of a fixing part. It is a perspective view of a fixing part. It is the schematic which shows the structure of other embodiment of a vibration provision means. It is the schematic which shows the structure of another embodiment of a vibration provision means. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example in which a moving speed of a delivery member is set based on a toner remaining amount.

  Hereinafter, embodiments according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In addition, in each figure, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected to the part which is the same or it corresponds, The duplication description is simplified or abbreviate | omitted suitably.

First, the configuration and operation of the entire image forming apparatus will be described with reference to FIGS.
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a printer as an image forming apparatus, and FIG. 2 is an enlarged view showing an image forming unit thereof.

  As shown in FIG. 1, image forming portions 6Y, 6M, 6C, and 6Bk corresponding to the respective colors (yellow, magenta, cyan, and black) are arranged in parallel so as to face the intermediate transfer belt 11 of the intermediate transfer unit 10. Yes. Note that the four image forming units 6Y, 6M, 6C, and 6Bk installed in the apparatus main body 100 have substantially the same structure except that the toner colors used in the image forming process are different. 6, the alphabets (Y, M, C, Bk) of the reference numerals of the photosensitive drum 6, the photosensitive drum 1, and the primary transfer bias roller 9 are omitted.

  Referring to FIG. 2, the image forming unit 6 includes a photosensitive drum 1 as an image carrier, a charging unit 4 disposed around the photosensitive drum 1, a developing device 5 as a developing unit, and a cleaning unit 2. (Only the developing device 5 is shown in FIG. 1). An image forming process (charging process, exposure process, developing process, transfer process, cleaning process) is performed on the photosensitive drum 1, and a desired toner image is formed on the photosensitive drum 1. Note that a belt-like photoconductor may be used instead of the photoconductor drum 1.

  The photosensitive drum 1, the charging unit 4, the developing device 5, and the cleaning unit 2 constituting the image forming unit 6 are each configured to be detachably installed on the image forming apparatus main body 100. Each of them can be replaced with a new one when it reaches the end of its life.

  In this embodiment, the photosensitive drum 1, the charging unit 4, the developing device 5, and the cleaning unit 2 that constitute the image forming unit 6 are each a single unit. It may be a process unit that is detachably installed in 100. In this case, workability when performing maintenance of the image forming unit 6 is improved.

The configuration of the developing device 5 in the image forming unit 6 will be described in more detail based on FIG.
As shown in FIG. 2, the developing device 5 includes a developing roller 51 as a developer carrying member facing the photosensitive drum 1, a doctor blade 52 as a developer regulating member installed below the developing roller 51, a developer It is composed of two conveying screws 55 and 56 as developer stirring and conveying members disposed in the accommodating portions 53 and 54, a case 50 for accommodating the developer G, and the like. As the developer G, a one-component developer made of toner is used. The developing device 5 is provided with a toner concentration sensor (not shown) that detects the toner concentration in the developer G.

  The surface of the developing roller 51 is roughened in a range of 5 to 35 μm Rz by sandblasting. Various blasting processes other than sandblasting can also be used. Moreover, it may replace with a blasting process and may form the groove | channel of several stripes which has a depth of 0.05-1 mm. The grooves can be arranged in a direction perpendicular to the rotation direction of the developing roller 51 or at an angle, or arranged in an iris shape so as to cross each other, or formed in a corrugated shape. In this way, by forming a groove on the surface of the developing roller 51 or roughening the surface, the developer is prevented from sliding on the developing roller 51, and the developer is placed on the developing roller 51. It becomes possible to adhere without interruption.

Referring to FIG. 2, the photosensitive drum 1 is rotationally driven in a clockwise direction in FIG. 2 by a drive unit (not shown). Then, the surface of the photosensitive drum 1 is uniformly charged by the charging roller 4a at the position of the charging unit 4 (charging process). Here, the charging roller 4a that is brought into contact with the photosensitive drum 1 is used as the charging means, but a charging charger or the like that is disposed in non-contact with the photosensitive drum 1 may be used.
Thereafter, the surface of the photosensitive drum 1 reaches an irradiation position of a laser beam L emitted from an exposure unit (not shown), and an electrostatic latent image is formed by exposure scanning at this position (exposure process). The exposure unit may form an electrostatic latent image with LED light from the LED array. Alternatively, it is possible to apply one that forms an electrostatic latent image on an image carrier by ion irradiation or the like.

Thereafter, the surface of the photosensitive drum 1 reaches a position facing the developing roller 51 of the developing device 5, and the electrostatic latent image is developed at this position to form a desired toner image (developing step).
Thereafter, the surface of the photosensitive drum 1 reaches a position facing the intermediate transfer belt 11 and the first transfer bias roller 9, and the toner image on the photosensitive drum 1 is transferred onto the intermediate transfer belt 11 at this position. (Primary transfer process). Here, a roller contact system in which the primary transfer bias roller 9 is brought into contact with the photosensitive drum 1 is employed. However, a belt contact system in which a belt is brought into contact with the photosensitive drum 1 or a transfer charger is used. A non-contact type may be used.

  Thereafter, the surface of the photosensitive drum 1 reaches a position facing the cleaning unit 2, and untransferred toner remaining on the photosensitive drum 1 at this position is collected by the cleaning blade 2a (cleaning step). Further, as the cleaning means, an electrostatic recovery system that recovers untransferred toner by bringing a brush or roller to which a cleaning bias is applied into contact with the photosensitive drum 1 may be applied.

Finally, the surface of the photosensitive drum 1 reaches a position facing a neutralization unit (not shown), and the residual potential on the photosensitive drum 1 is removed at this position. The neutralization unit may be of a type that forcibly lowers the residual potential using corona charging, or may be a type of reduction of the residual potential by exposing the photosensitive drum 1 to light. Further, depending on the type of the photoconductive drum 1 and the charging method of the photoconductive drum 1, the charge eliminating unit can be omitted.
Thus, a series of image forming processes performed on the photosensitive drum 1 is completed.

  The above-described image forming process is performed in each of the four image forming units 6Y, 6M, 6C, and 6Bk. That is, based on the image information read by the reading unit 32 shown in FIG. 1, a laser beam L (see FIG. 2) is sent from the exposure unit (not shown) disposed below the image forming unit to each image forming unit 6Y, Irradiation is directed toward the photosensitive drum 1 of 6M, 6C, and 6Bk. Specifically, the exposure unit emits laser light L from a light source and irradiates the photosensitive drum 1 via a plurality of optical elements while scanning the laser light L with a polygon mirror that is rotationally driven. Thereafter, the toner images of the respective colors formed on the respective photosensitive drums 1 through the development process are transferred onto the intermediate transfer belt 11 in an overlapping manner. Thus, a color image is formed on the intermediate transfer belt 11.

The four primary transfer bias rollers 9Y, 9M, 9C, and 9BK sandwich the intermediate transfer belt 11 between the photosensitive drums 1Y, 1M, 1C, and 1Bk to form primary transfer nips. Then, a transfer bias having a polarity opposite to the polarity of the toner is applied to the primary transfer bias rollers 9Y, 9M, 9C, and 9Bk.
The intermediate transfer belt 11 travels in the direction of the arrow in the figure, and sequentially passes through the primary transfer nips of the primary transfer bias rollers 9Y, 9M, 9C, and 9Bk. In this way, the toner images of the respective colors on the photosensitive drums 1Y, 1M, 1C, and 1Bk are primarily transferred while being superimposed on the intermediate transfer belt 11.

Thereafter, the intermediate transfer belt 11 onto which the toner images of the respective colors are transferred in a superimposed manner reaches a position facing the secondary transfer roller 19. At this position, the secondary transfer backup roller 12 sandwiches the intermediate transfer belt 11 with the secondary transfer roller 19 to form a secondary transfer nip. The color toner image formed on the intermediate transfer belt 11 is transferred onto a transfer material P such as transfer paper conveyed to the position of the secondary transfer nip. At this time, untransferred toner that has not been transferred to the transfer material P remains on the intermediate transfer belt 11, but the remaining toner on the intermediate transfer belt 11 is removed by a belt cleaning device (not shown).
Thus, a series of transfer processes performed on the intermediate transfer belt 11 is completed.

Here, the transfer material P transported to the position of the secondary transfer nip is transported from a paper feed unit 26 disposed below the apparatus main body 100 via a paper feed roller 27, a registration roller pair 28, and the like. It has been done.
Specifically, a plurality of transfer materials P such as transfer paper are stored in the paper supply unit 26 in a stacked manner. When the paper feed roller 27 is rotated in the counterclockwise direction in FIG. 1, the uppermost transfer material P is fed between the rollers of the registration roller pair 28.

  The transfer material P conveyed to the registration roller pair 28 is temporarily stopped at the position of the roller nip of the registration roller pair 28 that has stopped rotating. Then, the registration roller pair 28 is rotationally driven in time with the color image on the intermediate transfer belt 11, and the transfer material P is conveyed toward the secondary transfer nip. In this way, a desired color image is transferred onto the transfer material P.

Thereafter, the transfer material P on which the color image has been transferred at the position of the secondary transfer nip is conveyed to the position of the fixing unit 20. At this position, the color image transferred to the surface is fixed on the transfer material P by heat and pressure generated by the fixing roller and the pressure roller.
Thereafter, the transfer material P is discharged out of the apparatus through the rollers of the discharge roller pair 29. The transferred P discharged from the apparatus main body 100 by the discharge roller pair 29 is sequentially stacked on the stack unit 30 as an output image.
Thus, a series of image forming processes in the image forming apparatus is completed.

  In FIG. 1, a toner replenishing unit 31 is disposed above the intermediate transfer unit 10. The toner replenishing unit 31 includes four toner replenishing devices (developer replenishing devices) 60Y, 60M, 60C, and 60Bk filled with toner of each color. From each toner replenishing device 60Y, 60M, 60C, 60Bk, a toner transport path extends to the corresponding developing device 5Y, 5M, 5C, 5Bk, and the toner replenishing device 60Y, 60M, 60C is passed through this toner transport path. , 60Bk to supply toner to the developing devices 5Y, 5M, 5C, 5Bk. As a result, toner can be newly supplied according to the amount of toner consumed by each of the developing devices 5Y, 5M, 5C, and 5Bk, and the developing device can be used over a long period of time.

  The four toner replenishing devices 60Y, 60M, 60C, and 60Bk have the same configuration except that they store toners of different colors. Therefore, the configuration of one toner replenishing device will be described below.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the toner supply device. In FIG. 3, the alphabets (Y, M, C, Bk) of the reference numerals in the toner replenishing device are omitted.
As shown in FIG. 3, the toner replenishing device 60 includes a toner cartridge 61 as a toner container (powder container) filled with toner, a drawer tray 62 as a holding member for holding the toner cartridge 61, and a toner cartridge. A fixing portion 63 for fixing 61, a sub hopper 64 for storing toner discharged from the toner cartridge 61, and the like. The sub hopper 64 is connected to a toner transport pipe (not shown) for transporting the toner stored therein toward the developing device.

  The drawer tray 62 is attached to the main body side frame 65 so as to be movable in the horizontal direction. When the drawer tray 62 is moved in the direction of the arrow X1 in the figure, the drawer tray 62 can be pulled out from the apparatus main body. Conversely, when the drawer tray 62 is moved in the direction of the arrow X2 in the figure, the drawer tray 62 is moved. Can be accommodated in the apparatus main body.

FIG. 4 is a configuration diagram of the toner cartridge 61. In the figure, (a) is a plan view, (b) is a side view, (c) is a bottom view, and (d) is a cross-sectional view.
As shown in FIG. 4, the toner cartridge 61 includes a toner storage unit (powder storage unit) 66 that stores toner as powder and a discharge unit 67 that discharges the toner in the toner storage unit 66 to the outside. It is configured.

  As shown in FIG. 4D, the toner containing portion 66 is configured by a deformable longitudinal bag member having a toner inlet (powder inlet) 66a opened at one end side. A flexible material is used as the material of the toner container 66. In the present embodiment, the toner containing portion 66 is configured by bonding four types of thin resin sheets of PET (polyester resin), PP (polypropylene resin), PA (polyamide resin), and LDPE (low density polyethylene). However, it is also possible to construct a single sheet material connected in a bag shape. For example, when the toner container 66 having an inner size of 60 mm × 60 mm × 400 mm is formed, about 500 g of toner can be stored. In the present embodiment, the toner holding portion 66 is provided with an opening holding member 68 that holds the toner input port 66a in an open state so that the toner can be easily filled from the toner input port 66a.

  The toner storage unit 66 may be made of a transparent member, or may be made of a translucent or opaque member. Further, the toner container 66 may be colored in the same color as the toner stored therein. Further, the material of the toner container 66 includes PA (polyamide resin, nylon), PE (high density polyethylene, low density polyethylene), PC (polycarbonate resin), PP (polypropylene resin), PS (polystyrene resin), PAN ( A material in which a sheet of various resins such as polyacrylonitrile resin), PET (polyester resin), PVC (polyvinyl chloride resin), PVDC (polyvinylidene chloride resin) or the like is used alone or in combination can be used. As a sheet forming method, a thin film forming method such as a PVD (Physical Vapor Deposition) method or a CVD (Chemical Vapor Deposition) method can be applied. In addition, when the sheets are bonded by heat welding, the adhesion is improved by using LDPE for the innermost sheet layer.

  In the discharge portion 67, an introduction port 67a for introducing toner and a discharge port 67b for discharging toner are formed. In the present embodiment, the discharge port 67b is disposed so as to face downward. Accordingly, the toner can be dropped by gravity from the discharge port 67b and sent to the sub hopper, and the configuration for discharging the toner can be simplified. Further, an inclined surface 67c inclined downward from the introduction port 67a toward the discharge port 67b is provided in the discharge unit 67 so that the toner is smoothly conveyed to the discharge port 67b. The inclination angle of the inclined surface 67c with respect to the horizontal plane is desirably set to 10 ° or more. Further, a slide shutter 67d for opening and closing the discharge port 67b is provided on the bottom surface (lower surface) of the discharge port 67b so as to be slidable in the arrow Y direction in FIG. 4B.

FIG. 5 is an exploded view of the toner cartridge 61. 4A is a perspective view of the discharge portion 67, FIG. 4B is a perspective view of the opening holding member 68, and FIG. 3C is a perspective view of the toner holding portion 66 provided with the opening holding member 68.
As shown in FIG. 5B, the opening holding member 68 is formed by integrally molding a short cylindrical insertion portion 68a and a flange-like connection portion 68b. As shown in FIG. 5C, the insertion portion 68 a can be inserted into the toner inlet 66 a of the toner storage portion 66. In the present embodiment, the toner accommodating portion 66 and the opening holding member 68 are bonded together by heat welding, but may be bonded using an adhesive or the like. Further, the outer shape of the insertion portion 68a is formed in a substantially hexagonal shape so that the insertion location of the insertion portion 68a can be easily suppressed from the vertical direction in FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 5A, a pair of groove portions 67 e that can be engaged with the connection portion 68 b of the opening holding member 68 are provided on the introduction port 67 a side of the discharge portion 67. As described above, after the opening holding member 68 is inserted and bonded into the toner containing portion 66, the opening holding member 68 is inserted into the groove portion 67e from above and engaged with each other, whereby the toner containing portion 66 and the discharge portion 67 are connected. Can be integrally connected. In addition, a sealing material 69 is provided at a connection portion between the discharge portion 67 and the opening holding member 68 so that toner does not leak from the connection portion.

FIG. 6A is a plan view showing a state before the toner cartridge 61 is mounted on the drawer tray 62, and FIG. 6B is a plan view showing a state where the toner cartridge 61 is mounted on the drawer tray 62. .
As shown in FIG. 6B, concave portions 67 f are provided on both side surfaces of the discharge portion 67. On the other hand, a convex portion 62a is provided at a portion of the drawer tray 62 corresponding to each concave portion 67f, and each convex portion 62a can be inserted into the corresponding concave portion 67f. In addition, a hole 66b serving as a locked portion that is locked to the other locking portion is formed at the end of the toner containing portion 66 opposite to the discharge portion 67 side. On the other hand, a hook-like hooking portion 62b as a locking portion is provided at a portion of the drawer tray 62 corresponding to the hole 66b.

  The hook portion 62b is inserted into the hole portion 66b and locked, and the convex portion 62a is inserted into the concave portion 67f, so that the toner cartridge 61 is mounted on the drawer tray 62. . Further, in the state where the toner cartridge 61 is mounted as described above, the convex portion 62a and the concave portion 67f are normally in a non-contact state. However, when the toner cartridge 61 moves in the longitudinal direction when the drawer tray 62 is pulled out or stored in the apparatus main body, the movement of the toner cartridge 61 in the longitudinal direction is restricted by the convex portion 62a coming into contact with the concave portion 67f. It is like that.

  Further, in order to remove the toner cartridge 61 from the drawer tray 62, the convex portion 62a may be detached from the concave portion 67f and the hook portion 62b may be detached from the hole 66b. In the present embodiment, each convex portion 62a (or each concave portion 67f) is formed in the same shape as each other, but it is also possible to prevent erroneous mounting of the toner cartridge 61 by using different shapes.

FIG. 7 is an enlarged view of the fixing portion 63. 4A shows a state before the toner cartridge 61 is fixed to the fixing portion 63, and FIG. 4B shows a state where the toner cartridge 61 is fixed to the fixing portion 63. FIG.
As shown in FIG. 7, the fixing portion 63 extends over the main body portion 70 connected to the upper portion of the sub hopper 64, the fixing arm 71 attached to the upper portion of the main body portion 70, and the fixing arm 71 and the main body portion 70. An attached spring member 72 and a shutter opening member 73 attached to the main body 70 below the fixed arm 71 are provided. Note that one fixed arm 71, one spring member 72, and one shutter opening member 73 are provided on the front side and the back side in the drawing, respectively.

  The fixed arm 71 is formed in a substantially C shape having a recess 71a. The fixed arm 71 is attached to the main body 70 so as to be rotatable about a horizontal support shaft 71b disposed in an intermediate portion thereof. By rotating the fixed arm 71 around the support shaft 71b, the fixed arm 71 can be switched between a fixed release position shown in FIG. 7A and a fixed position shown in FIG. 7B. ing.

  The spring member 72 is a tension coil spring, one end of which is attached to the fixed arm 71 and the other end is attached to the main body 70. As shown in FIGS. 7A and 7B, when the fixed arm 71 rotates between the fixed position and the fixed release position, the end portion of the spring member 72 attached to the fixed arm 71 turns the fixed arm 71. It moves over the dynamic fulcrum (support shaft 71b). As described above, as the fixed arm 71 rotates, the spring member 72 exceeds the rotation fulcrum, so that the spring member 72 biases the fixed arm 71 in the direction in which the fixed arm 71 rotates.

  On the other hand, the discharge portion 67 is provided with a protruding portion 67g as a fixed portion fixed by the fixing arm 71. One protrusion 67g is provided on each side of the discharge portion 67 (see FIG. 4A or 4C).

  The shutter opening member 73 is attached to the main body 70 so as to be rotatable about a horizontal support shaft 73b. Further, the shutter opening member 73 has a concave portion 73 a for holding the convex portion 670 d of the slide shutter 67 d provided in the discharge portion 67.

  Further, a notch portion 70 a is formed in the main body portion 70 of the fixing portion 63. On the other hand, on both side surfaces of the discharge portion 67, L-shaped projecting piece portions 67h that can come into contact with the upper portions of the cutout portions 70a are provided.

  In order to fix the toner cartridge 61 to the fixing portion 63, first, the toner cartridge 61 is mounted on the drawer tray 62 as described in FIG. Then, the drawer tray 62 is moved in the direction in which the drawer tray 62 is accommodated in the apparatus main body (the direction of the arrow X2 in FIG. 3). 7A, when the discharge portion 67 of the toner cartridge 61 approaches the fixed portion 63, the protrusion 67g provided on the discharge portion 67 is connected to one end portion of the fixed arm 71 (as shown in FIG. 7A). The fixed arm 71 is rotated counterclockwise in the figure against the urging force of the spring member 72. Thereby, the fixed arm 71 is switched from the fixed release position shown in FIG. 7A to the fixed position shown in FIG. As a result, as shown in FIG. 7B, the protrusion 67g is housed in the recess 71a of the fixed arm 71, and the other end (the left end in the figure) 71d of the fixed arm 71 and the main body. It is fixed by being sandwiched between 70 edges. Further, when the spring member 72 exceeds the rotation fulcrum of the fixed arm 71 with the rotation of the fixed arm 71, the spring member 72 is biased in a direction to hold the fixed arm 71 at the position after switching.

  Further, when the toner cartridge 61 is fixed to the fixing portion 63, the discharge portion 67 of the toner cartridge 61 approaches the fixing portion 63, so that the protruding piece portion 67 h provided in the discharge portion 67 is notched in the main body portion 70. The projecting piece 67h comes into contact with the upper part of the notch 70a (see FIG. 7B). Thereby, the vertical shaking of the discharge part 67 is prevented.

Further, the slide shutter 67d provided in the discharge portion 67 contacts the shutter opening member 73, and rotates the shutter opening member 73 in the clockwise direction in the figure. Then, as shown in FIG. 7B, the convex portion 670 d of the slide shutter 67 d is inserted and held in the concave portion 73 a of the shutter opening member 73. At this time, since the shutter opening member 73 is rotated and abuts against the main body 70, further rotation of the shutter opening member 73 is restricted, so that the slide shutter 67 d is discharged by the shutter opening member 73. It is pushed to the rear of 67 and moves. As a result, the slide shutter 67d (discharge port) is opened, and the toner can be discharged from the discharge portion 67 to the sub hopper 64.
As described above, the fixing of the toner cartridge 61 to the fixing portion 63 is completed.

  Further, when releasing the fixation of the toner cartridge 61, the drawer tray 62 is moved in the direction of drawing out from the apparatus main body (the direction of the arrow X1 in FIG. 3). By this pulling-out operation, the toner cartridge 61 moves to the left in FIG. 7B, and the projection 67 g provided on the discharge portion 67 pushes the other end 71 d of the fixed arm 71, so that the urging force of the spring member 72 is applied. The fixed arm 71 is rotated counterclockwise. As a result, the fixed arm 71 rotates from the fixed position shown in FIG. 7B to the fixed release position shown in FIG. 7A, and the protrusion 67 g is detached from the fixed arm 71. At the same time, the protruding piece portion 67h and the slide shutter 67d provided in the discharge portion 67 are detached from the notch portion 70a and the shutter opening member 73, respectively, and the fixing of the toner cartridge 61 is released. Further, the slide shutter 67d detached from the shutter opening member 73 is slid in a direction to close the discharge port by receiving a biasing force such as a spring (not shown) and prevents toner leakage from the discharge port. .

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the drawer tray 62.
As shown in FIG. 8, the drawer tray 62 has a pair of side walls 62 c that support both side surfaces of the toner cartridge 61, and a placement surface 62 d on which the toner cartridge 61 is placed. A main reference shaft 62e, which is a main reference when the side wall 62c is attached to the main body side frame 65 (see FIG. 9), is disposed at the front end of the side wall 62c. In the present embodiment, the main reference shaft 62e is used as a support shaft of a transmission gear 74 that transmits a driving force to a toner conveying device described later. Further, at the end of each side wall 62c on the back side in the figure, one slave reference shaft 62f is provided as a reference when each is attached to the main body side frame 65.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a state in which the drawer tray 62 is attached to the main body side frame 65.
As shown in FIG. 9, the main body side frame 65 has a pair of guide rails 65 a extending in the drawing direction X <b> 1 and the accommodating direction X <b> 2 of the drawing tray 62. The upper end edge of each guide rail 65 a is inserted into a groove 62 g formed on both side walls 62 c of the drawer tray 62. Thereby, the drawer tray 62 is configured to be movable in the drawer direction X1 and the accommodating direction X2 along the guide rail 65a.

  Also, a first positioning recess 65b that can be fitted to the main reference shaft 62e of the drawer tray 62 is formed at the front end of the main body side frame 65 (see FIG. 10). A second positioning recess 65c that can be fitted to the slave reference shaft 62f is formed at the end on the far side in FIG. As a result, when the drawer tray 62 is moved in the accommodating direction X2, the main reference shaft 62e and the sub-reference shaft 62f are inserted into the first and second positioning recesses 65b and 65c and fitted to each other. The tray 62 is positioned at a predetermined position with respect to the main body side frame 65.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 9, a drive gear 75 that is driven by a drive device is provided at the front end of the main body side frame 65 in the figure. The drive gear 75 is connected to the transmission gear 74 in a state in which the drawer tray 62 is accommodated and positioned on the main body side frame 65.

  As shown in FIG. 11, the main body side frame 65 is provided with a pressurizing member 76 that pressurizes and fixes the drawer tray 62. In the present embodiment, the pressing member 76 is configured by combining two levers. When the drawer tray 62 is moved in the accommodating direction X2, the drawer tray 62 is pressed by the two levers so as to sandwich the convex part 62h provided on the lower surface of the drawer tray 62, thereby making the drawer tray 62 the first and second positioning concave parts. It is adapted to be pressed against the 65b and 65c sides.

  As shown in FIG. 12, the drawer tray 62 is provided with a toner conveying device (powder conveying device) 8 for conveying the toner in the toner containing portion 66 to the discharge portion 67 side. Hereinafter, the configuration of the toner conveying device 8 will be described in detail with reference to FIGS.

  As shown in FIG. 13, the toner conveying device 8 includes a base member 80, a delivery member 81 and a pair of leg members 82 attached to the base member 80, and a belt member 83 as a moving unit that moves the base member 80. And a pair of guide rails 84 as guide members for guiding the base member 80. In FIG. 13, the front guide rail 84 is not shown.

  The base member 80 is divided into an upper part 80a and a lower part 80b. The base member 80 is attached to the belt member 83 by sandwiching the belt member 83 between the upper part 80a and the lower part 80b. The belt member 83 is configured by an endless belt, and is stretched by two rollers 77 and 78 (see FIG. 12) provided on the drawer tray 62. The belt member 83 is configured to be rotatable in both forward and reverse directions by transmitting a driving force to the one roller 77 from the transmission gear 74 (see FIG. 8). Thus, when the belt member 83 rotates in the forward direction or the reverse direction, the base member 80 and the delivery member 81 and the leg member 82 attached to the base member 80 are integrally delivered in the delivery direction toward the discharge portion 67 side. A reciprocating movement is possible in Z1 and a return direction Z2 opposite to Z1.

  Further, two rollers 85 as rotating bodies that roll on the guide rails 84 are provided on both side surfaces of the base member 80. Thus, by providing the roller 85 on the base member 80, the base member 80 can move smoothly along the guide rail 84. The pair of guide rails 84 are fixed to the drawer tray 62.

  Moreover, as shown in FIG. 13, the delivery member 81 and the leg member 82 are attached to each other via a horizontal support shaft 86 so as to be opened and closed. Specifically, the delivery member 81 and the leg member 82 are configured to be rotatable independently of each other about the support shaft 86, and the delivery member 81 or the leg member 82 rotates about the support shaft 86. By moving, the delivery member 81 and the leg member 82 can be opened and closed with respect to each other. Further, the delivery member 81 and the leg member 82 are urged in the opening direction by a torsion coil spring as an urging member (not shown). The delivery member 81 is formed with an accommodation recess 81a for accommodating the leg member 82 when the leg member 82 is closed.

  The rotation direction of the belt member 83 is switched by two switches 87 and 88 shown in FIG. The switches 87 and 88 as moving direction switching means are respectively disposed at the moving direction switching positions of the delivery member 81. Specifically, one switch 87 is disposed at the end of the drawer tray 62 in the sending direction Z1 (the end on the left side of the drawing), and the other switch 88 is the end of the drawer tray 62 in the return direction Z2. (The end on the right side of the figure). Further, when the delivery member 81 reaches one of the movement direction switching positions, the base member 80 comes into contact with the switch 87 or 88 disposed at that position. That is, the base member 80 functions as an input means that contacts each switch 87, 88 and turns on. In addition, a non-contact type sensor is provided in place of the contact type switch, and the detected part (input means) provided on the base member 80 or the like approaches the non-contact type sensor to turn on the sensor. You may make it do.

FIG. 15 is a side view of the delivery member 81 and the leg member 82.
As shown in FIG. 15, the leg member 82 is in contact with the placement surface 62d of the drawer tray 62, and can reciprocate in the sending direction Z1 and the return direction Z2 along the placement surface 62d. . That is, the mounting surface 62d also has a function as a guide surface for guiding the leg member 82. As described above, the delivery member 81 and the leg member 82 are biased so as to open each other by the torsion coil spring, but the leg member 82 is disposed in a horizontal direction by contacting the mounting surface 62d. It is supported. On the other hand, the delivery member 81 is biased so as to rotate and open in the delivery direction Z1 (on the discharge portion 67 side) with respect to the leg member 82 supported in the horizontal direction. The portion restricts the rotation of the delivery member 81 in the opening direction against the urging force of the torsion coil spring. As a result, the delivery member 81 is supported so as to stand up with respect to the placement surface 62d (a state indicated by a solid line in the figure). As described above, the opening angle between the delivery member 81 and the leg member 82 is a predetermined angle so that the delivery member 81 is in a predetermined standing state with respect to the placement surface 62d by the placement surface 62d and the restricting portion. It is held at an angle α.

  Further, in FIG. 15, the opening angle β is an angle when the delivery member 81 is not restricted by the restriction part. That is, the angle β indicates an opening angle when the torsion coil spring is in a natural state. As shown in FIG. 15, the opening angle β held by the torsion coil spring in the natural state is set within a range that is larger than the opening angle α at which the delivery member 81 is in a predetermined standing state and smaller than 180 °. ing.

Further, as shown in FIG. 6A, the leg members 82 can enter the both end sides in the direction (the sending direction Z1 and the returning direction Z2) in which the leg members 82 reciprocate on the placement surface 62d. Recesses 62i and 62j are provided. In the present embodiment, by providing these recesses 62i and 62j, the delivery member 81 can be switched between a standing state and a falling state with respect to the mounting surface 62d.
Hereinafter, a switching operation for switching the sending member 81 between the standing state and the falling state will be described with reference to FIGS. 16 and 17.

  FIG. 16A shows a state before the delivery member 81 reaches the recess 62i on the end side in the delivery direction Z1. In this state, the opening angle formed by the delivery member 81 and the leg member 82 is held at a predetermined angle α by a restriction portion (not shown) and the placement surface 62d, and the delivery member 81 is predetermined with respect to the placement surface 62d. Is standing up.

  Then, as shown in FIG. 16B, when the delivery member 81 moves in the delivery direction Z1 and the leg member 82 reaches the position of the recess 62i, there is a mounting surface 62d that supports the leg member 82 at this position. Therefore, the leg member 82 receives a biasing force of a torsion coil spring (not shown) and opens downward, and the leg member 82 enters the recess 62i. At this time, the opening angle between the delivery member 81 and the leg member 82 is an angle β held in the natural state of the torsion coil spring.

  When the delivery member 81 reaches the position of the recess 62i, the base member 80 contacts the switch 87 shown in FIG. 14, and the movement direction of the delivery member 81 is switched.

  As shown in FIG. 16C, when the movement direction is switched and the delivery member 81 moves in the return direction Z2, the leg member 82 comes into contact with the edge (near the opening) of the recess 62i, and the tip of the leg member 82 is moved. It is lifted up. When the leg member 82 is lifted in this way and further rotated in the opening direction, the opening angle is larger than the angle β, so that the biasing force by the torsion coil spring acts in the closing direction. As a result, the delivery member 81 receives a biasing force in the closing direction and falls on the placement surface 62d.

  Then, as shown in FIG. 16 (d), when the leg member 82 is removed from the recess 62i, the delivery member 81 and the leg member 82 are held in a state of falling horizontally on the placement surface 62d. Specifically, in this state, since the opening angle formed by the delivery member 81 and the leg member 82 is an angle close to 180 °, the delivery member 81 and the leg member 82 exert an urging force in a direction to close each other by a torsion coil spring. However, since the rotation of the delivery member 81 and the leg member 82 is restricted by the placement surface 62d, the delivery member 81 and the leg member 82 are held in a state of being horizontally collapsed. The delivery member 81 and the leg member 82 are configured so as not to open 180 ° or more.

  FIG. 17A shows a state before the delivery member 81 that has been tilted as described above reaches the recess 62j on the end side in the return direction Z2. In this state, similarly to the state shown in FIG. 16D, the opening angle formed by the delivery member 81 and the leg member 82 is an angle close to 180 °, and the delivery member 81 and the leg member 82 are mounted. It is held in a state of falling horizontally on the placement surface 62d.

  Then, as shown in FIG. 17B, when the leg member 82 reaches the position of the recess 62j, the mounting surface 62d for supporting the leg member 82 does not exist at this position. Under the urging force, it closes downward and the leg member 82 enters the recess 62j. Further, the opening angle between the delivery member 81 and the leg member 82 at this time is an angle β held in the natural state of the torsion coil spring. Since the delivery member 81 is configured so as not to enter the recess 62j, the delivery member 81 passes over the recess 62j.

  When the delivery member 81 reaches the position of the recess 62j, the base member 80 comes into contact with the switch 88 shown in FIG. 14, and the movement direction of the delivery member 81 is switched.

  As shown in FIG. 17C, when the movement direction is switched and the delivery member 81 moves in the delivery direction Z1, the leg member 82 comes into contact with the edge (near the opening) of the recess 62j, and the tip of the leg member 82 is moved. It is lifted up. Thus, when the leg member 82 is lifted and further rotated in the closing direction, the opening angle is smaller than the angle β, so that the biasing force by the torsion coil spring acts in the opening direction. As a result, the delivery member 81 is raised by receiving a biasing force in the opening direction.

  Then, as shown in FIG. 17 (d), when the leg member 82 is detached from the recess 62j, the delivery member 81 is held upright at a predetermined opening angle α.

Hereinafter, the toner delivery operation (conveyance operation) of the toner conveyance device 8 according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.
In the state shown in FIG. 18, the toner cartridge 61 is mounted on the drawer tray 62, and the drawer tray 62 is housed in the apparatus main body. Therefore, in this state, the driving force can be transmitted from the driving device on the apparatus main body side to the belt member 83, and the sending member 81 can be reciprocated.

  When the belt member 83 is driven and the delivery member 81 is moved in the delivery direction Z1 as shown in FIG. 18A, the delivery member 81 moves in a state in which the bottom surface of the toner accommodating portion 66 is pushed inward. Then, the toner T in the toner storage unit 66 is moved to the discharge unit 67 side. Then, as shown in FIG. 18B, the toner T moved to the discharge portion 67 side is sent from the discharge portion 67 to the lower sub hopper 64 by inertia force and gravity.

FIG. 19 is a diagram illustrating a state in which the toner T is sent out when the remaining amount of the toner T in the toner storage unit 66 is reduced.
As shown in FIG. 19A, when the remaining amount of toner decreases to a medium level, the amount of toner delivered to the discharge unit 67 is smaller than when the remaining amount of toner shown in FIG. Thus, as shown in FIG. 19B, when the remaining amount of toner is further reduced, the amount of toner delivered is further reduced. Thus, as the remaining amount of toner decreases, the amount of toner delivered to the discharge unit 67 also decreases. For example, when the remaining amount of toner in the toner container 66 is 200 g or more, the amount of toner delivered by one delivery operation is 10 g or more, but when the remaining amount of toner is 100 to 200 g, the amount of remaining toner is about 5 g. Is less than 3 g.

  Therefore, in this embodiment, in order to realize stable toner conveyance regardless of the remaining amount of toner in the toner container 66, the following configuration is provided.

FIG. 20 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the discharge part 67 and its peripheral part.
As shown in FIG. 20, the discharge unit 67 is provided with a toner sensor 20 as toner detection means (powder detection means) that detects internal toner. In this embodiment, the toner sensor 20 is a piezoelectric sensor that has a piezoelectric element and detects the powder by measuring the contact pressure of the toner to the piezoelectric element.

  The toner sensor 20 may be an optical sensor. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 21, the optical sensor includes a light emitting unit 20 a that emits light and a light receiving unit 20 b that receives light, and the light emitting unit 20 a and the light receiving unit 20 b are connected to the discharge unit 67. It arrange | positions so that it may oppose. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 21, light guide paths 21 and 22 that allow light to pass are formed between the light emitting section 20a and the light receiving section 20b. A space in which toner can intervene is provided between the light guide paths 21 and 22, and toner is detected in the space by blocking the optical path from the light emitting unit 20a to the light receiving unit 20b. It is a mechanism. Further, a scraping member 23 that scrapes off the toner is configured to pass between the light guide paths 21 and 22. In this case, the scraping member 23 is attached to the rotating shaft 24, and the scraping member 23 passes between the light guide paths 21 and 22 by rotating the rotating shaft 24. This prevents the toner from staying between the light guide paths 21 and 22 and improves the toner detection accuracy. Although not shown, in the embodiment using a piezoelectric sensor, a scraping member for scraping off the toner is provided so that the toner can be detected accurately.

  As shown in FIG. 20, the sub hopper 64 is provided with a toner sensor 40 as another toner detection means (powder detection means) for detecting the internal toner. Hereinafter, for convenience, the toner sensor 20 provided in the discharge portion 67 is referred to as a first toner sensor, and the toner sensor 40 provided in the sub hopper 64 is referred to as a second toner sensor. As the second toner sensor 40, similarly to the first toner sensor 20, a piezoelectric sensor, an optical sensor, or the like can be used.

  When piezoelectric sensors are used as the first toner sensor 20 and the second toner sensor 40, the toner amount can be directly detected by measuring the contact pressure of the toner, so that the detection accuracy is improved and the appropriate toner amount is discharged. It can be sent out to the part 67. On the other hand, when the optical sensor is used, the light emitting unit 20a and the light receiving unit 20b shown in FIG. 21 are arranged outside the discharge unit 67 so as not to contact the discharge unit 67, so that the discharge unit 67 is vibrated. Even if it occurs, the light emitting unit 20a and the light receiving unit 20b are not affected by vibration. Further, in this case, since only the light guide paths 21 and 22 need be formed in the discharge portion 67, erroneous detection due to vibration can be prevented at low cost. As the first toner sensor 20 and the second toner sensor 40, a reflection type optical sensor that measures light reflectance, a magnetic sensor that measures permeability, or the like can be used.

FIG. 22 is a block diagram showing a control system of the delivery member.
As shown in FIG. 22, the delivery member 81 is configured such that its operation is controlled by the control means 15 that receives the detection signal of the first toner sensor 20 or the second toner sensor 40. Specifically, the control unit 15 controls the driving device of the belt member 83 provided with the delivery member 81 so that the movement start, stoppage, number of movements and movement speed of the delivery member 81 in the delivery direction can be controlled. doing.

Hereinafter, the control method of the delivery member will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.
As a result of the toner in the sub hopper 64 being supplied to the developing device and the amount of toner in the discharge unit 67 being reduced, the toner is no longer detected by the first toner sensor 20 (the toner in the discharge unit 67 is removed). When it is detected that the amount is less than the fixed amount), the control unit 15 issues a delivery instruction to send the toner to the discharge unit 67. Then, the delivery member 81 is moved to the discharge portion 67 side to perform the delivery operation (STEP 1). By performing this sending operation, the sending member 81 sends the toner to the discharge section 67, and when the first toner sensor 20 detects that the toner is present (“YES” in STEP 2), the sending operation is performed. Exit.

  On the other hand, if the first toner sensor 20 still detects the absence of toner even if the above-described delivery operation is performed (“NO” in STEP 2), the delivery member 81 is moved again to perform the delivery operation (STEP 3). If the first toner sensor 20 detects that the toner is present as a result of the sending operation (“YES” in STEP 4), the sending operation is terminated. However, if the first toner sensor 20 still detects that there is no toner (“NO” in STEP 4), the moving speed of the sending member 81 is increased to perform the sending operation (STEP 5).

  If the first toner sensor 20 detects that the toner is present by performing the above-described delivery operation (“YES” in STEP 6), the delivery operation is terminated, and if it is detected that there is no toner. (“NO” in STEP 6), the sending operation is performed again with the moving speed increased (STEP 7). Thereafter, the sending operation is repeated a predetermined number of times until the first toner sensor 20 detects the presence of toner (STEPs 7 to 9).

  As described above, when the first toner sensor 20 detects that there is no toner as a result of repeating the feeding operation with the speed increased a predetermined number of times (“YES” in STEP 9), the moving speed of the sending member 81 Is not the maximum value (“NO” in STEP 10), the feeding speed is further increased to perform the sending operation (STEP 5). The sending operation is repeated a predetermined number of times until the first toner sensor 20 detects that the toner is present (STEPs 7 to 9). The sending operation is performed at an increased speed (STEP 9, 10 and STEP 5-8). Thereafter, as a result of performing the sending operation a predetermined number of times while the moving speed of the sending member 81 is at the maximum value, when it is finally detected that there is no toner (“YES” in STEP 10), the inside of the toner container 66 If no toner is present, the sending operation is terminated. Also, when the second toner sensor 40 provided in the sub hopper 64 detects that there is no toner, it is determined that there is no toner in the toner container 66 and the sending operation is terminated. When it is determined that there is no toner in the toner storage unit 66, a signal for prompting replacement of the toner cartridge is also issued.

  In the present embodiment, in order to improve the detection accuracy of the first toner sensor 20, vibration applying means for applying vibration to the discharge unit 67 is provided in the fixing unit 63. That is, if toner adheres to the inner surface of the discharge portion 67 around the first toner sensor 20, the first toner sensor 20 may be erroneously detected. The toner is prevented from adhering to the toner so that the first toner sensor 20 does not detect it erroneously.

Hereinafter, based on FIGS. 24 to 27, the specific configuration of the vibration applying means and the fixing portion provided with the vibration generating means will be described.
24 is a cross-sectional view of the fixing portion, FIG. 25 is a perspective view of the vibration generating means, and FIGS. 26 and 27 are perspective views of the fixing portion.
As shown in FIG. 24, the fixed portion 63 is provided with an eccentric weight 93 attached to the rotating shaft as vibration applying means. As shown in FIG. 25, the eccentric weight 93 is a cylindrical member protruding on both sides in the axial direction, and an insertion hole 93a for inserting the rotation shaft is formed at a position shifted from the center thereof. A driving force is applied to the rotating shaft from driving means 94 (see FIG. 24) provided in the fixed portion 63, and the eccentric weight 93 rotates together with the rotating shaft, thereby generating vibration. . Further, the eccentric amount (deviation amount from the rotation center) of the eccentric weight 93 is set to be 1 mm or less, and the generated vibration is very minute. Further, as shown in FIG. 26, both ends of the rotation shaft are supported by rectangular support members 95, and each support member 95 rotates together with the rotation shaft.

  Further, as shown in FIGS. 26 and 27, the main body portion 70 of the fixing portion 63 is in the horizontal direction (in the direction of arrow V in the figure) with respect to the base portion 96 fixed to the apparatus main body via the swing support portion 97. ) Is swingably attached. Specifically, the swing support part 97 is configured by a horizontal long hole 97a formed on both side surfaces of the base part 96 and a bolt 97b inserted through the long hole 97a. One end of the main body 70 is attached to the base 96 by a bolt 97b inserted into the base 96. In this way, the main body 70 is configured to be swingable, so that the main body 70 is effectively vibrated. Furthermore, in this embodiment, in order to vibrate the main body 70 more effectively, the eccentric weight 93 is provided on the end side away from the end provided with the swing support part 97.

FIG. 28 is a schematic view showing the configuration of another embodiment of the vibration applying means.
The vibration applying means shown in FIG. 28 has an eccentric cam 98 that rotates eccentrically about the rotation axis. The eccentric cam 98 is rotatably attached to a cam support member 42 fixed to the base 96 via a bearing (not shown). The main body portion 70 of the fixed portion 63 is provided with a cam contact portion 43 with which the circumferential surface of the eccentric cam 98 contacts. The main body 70 and the cam support member 42 are connected by a plurality of spring members 44, and the main body 70 is biased toward the eccentric cam 98 by the biasing force of the spring members 44, and the cam contact portion 43 is It is in contact with the eccentric cam 98. Then, when the eccentric cam 98 rotates in response to a driving force from a driving means (not shown), the main body 70 swings in the direction of the arrow V in the figure with respect to the rotation so that vibration is generated. It has become.

FIG. 29 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of still another embodiment of the vibration applying means.
Here, as shown in FIG. 29, a linear motor 99 is used as the vibration applying means, and the main body 70 is attached to the base 96 via the linear motor 99. A fixed body of the linear motor 99 is fixed to the base 96, and a movable body capable of reciprocating relative to the fixed body is fixed to the main body 70, whereby the main body 70 is moved relative to the base 96 in the direction indicated by the arrow V in the figure. The vibration can be generated by swinging the

Here, details of the toner are shown below.
The toner is mainly formed of a resin component, a pigment component, a wax component, and an external additive. As resins, polystyrene resin, epoxy resin, polyester resin, polyamide resin, styrene acrylic resin, styrene methacrylate resin, polyurethane resin, vinyl resin, polyolefin resin, styrene butadiene resin, phenol resin, polyethylene resin, silicon resin, butyral resin, terpene There are resins, polyol resins and the like. Examples of vinyl resins include styrene such as polystyrene, poly-p-chlorostyrene, and polyvinyltoluene, and homopolymers thereof: styrene-p-chlorostyrene copolymer, styrene-propylene copolymer, styrene-vinyltoluene copolymer. Polymer, styrene-vinyl naphthalene copolymer, styrene-methyl acrylate copolymer, styrene-ethyl acrylate copolymer, styrene-butyl acrylate copolymer, styrene-octyl acrylate copolymer, styrene-methacrylic copolymer Acid methyl copolymer, styrene-ethyl methacrylate copolymer, styrene-butyl methacrylate copolymer, styrene-α-chloromethyl methacrylate copolymer, styrene-acrylonitrile copolymer, styrene-vinyl methyl ether copolymer Coalescence, styrene-vinyl ethyl acetate Copolymer, styrene-vinyl methyl ketone copolymer, styrene-butadiene copolymer, styrene-isoprene copolymer, styrene-acrylonitrile-indene copolymer, styrene-maleic acid copolymer, styrene-maleic acid ester Styrene copolymers such as copolymers: polymethyl methacrylate, polybutyl methacrylate, polyvinyl chloride, polyvinyl acetate and the like.

  The polyester resin is composed of a dihydric alcohol as shown in the following group A and a dibasic acid salt as shown in the group B, and further a trihydric or higher alcohol as shown in the group C or Carboxylic acid may be added as a third component.

  Group A: ethylene glycol, triethylene glycol, 1,2-propylene glycol, 1,3-propylene glycol, 1,4 butanediol, neopentyl glycol, 1,4 butenediol, 1,4-bis (hydroxymethyl) cyclohexane Bisphenol A, hydrogenated bisphenol A, polyoxyethylenated bisphenol A, polyoxypropylene (2,2) -2,2′-bis (4-hydroxyphenyl) propane, polyoxypropylene (3,3) -2, 2-bis (4-hydroxyphenyl) propane, polyoxyethylene (2,0) -2,2-bis (4-hydroxyphenyl) propane, polyoxypropylene (2,0) -2,2′-bis (4 -Hydroxyphenyl) propane and the like.

  Group B: maleic acid, fumaric acid, mesaconic acid, citraconic acid, itaconic acid, glutaconic acid, phthalic acid, isophthalic acid, terephthalic acid, cyclohexanedicarboxylic acid, succinic acid, adipic acid, sebacic acid, malonic acid, linolenic acid, or These acid anhydrides or esters of lower alcohols.

  Group C: Trivalent or higher alcohols such as glycerin, trimethylolpropane and pentaerythritol, and trivalent or higher carboxylic acids such as trimellitic acid and pyromellitic acid. As the polyol resin, an alkylene oxide adduct of an epoxy resin and a dihydric phenol, or a compound having one active hydrogen in the molecule that reacts with the glycidyl ether and the epoxy group, and an active hydrogen that reacts with the epoxy resin in the molecule. There are those obtained by reacting two or more compounds.

The following are used as pigments used in the developer of the present embodiment.
Examples of black pigments include azine dyes such as carbon black, oil furnace black, channel black, lamp black, acetylene black, and aniline black, metal salt azo dyes, metal oxides, and composite metal oxides.

  Examples of yellow pigments include cadmium yellow, mineral fast yellow, nickel yellow, navel yellow, naphthol yellow S, hansa yellow G, hansa yellow 10G, benzidine yellow GR, quinoline yellow lake, permanent yellow NCG, and tartrazine lake. .

  Examples of the orange pigment include molybdenum orange, permanent orange GTR, pyrazolone orange, Vulcan orange, indanthrene brilliant orange RK, benzidine orange G, and indanthrene brilliant orange GK.

  Examples of red pigments include Bengala, Cadmium Red, Permanent Red 4R, Resol Red, Pyrazolone Red, Watching Red Calcium Salt, Lake Red D, Brilliant Carmine 6B, Eosin Lake, Rhodamine Lake B, Alizarin Lake, Brilliant Carmine 3B.

Examples of purple pigments include fast violet B and methyl violet lake.
Examples of blue pigments include cobalt blue, alkali blue, Victoria blue lake, phthalocyanine blue, metal-free phthalocyanine blue, phthalocyanine blue partially chlorinated, first sky blue, and indanthrene blue BC.

  Examples of green pigments include chrome green, chromium oxide, pigment green B, and malachite green lake.

  These can use 1 type (s) or 2 or more types. Especially in color developers, it is essential to uniformly disperse a good pigment. Instead of putting the pigment directly into a large amount of resin, a master batch in which the pigment is once dispersed at a high concentration is prepared and diluted. The method of throwing in the form is used. In this case, a solvent is generally used to help dispersibility. However, there is a problem of environment and the like, and the developer used in this embodiment is dispersed using water. When water is used, temperature control is important so that residual moisture in the masterbatch does not become a problem.

  A release agent can be internally added to the developer used in the exemplary embodiment in order to prevent an offset at the time of fixing. Release agents include natural waxes such as candelilla wax, carnauba wax, rice wax, montan wax and derivatives thereof, paraffin wax and derivatives thereof, polyolefin wax and derivatives thereof, sazol wax, low molecular weight polyethylene, and low molecular weight polypropylene. And alkyl phosphate esters. The melting point of these release agents is preferably 65 to 90 [° C.]. When the temperature is lower than this range, blocking during storage of the developer is likely to occur, and when the temperature is higher than this range, an offset is likely to occur in a region where the fixing roller temperature is low.

  An additive may be added to the developer for the purpose of improving the dispersibility of a release agent or the like. As additives, styrene acrylic resin, polyethylene resin, polystyrene resin, epoxy resin, polyester resin, polyamide resin, styrene methacrylate resin, polyurethane resin, vinyl resin, polyolefin resin, styrene butadiene resin, phenol resin, butyral resin, terpene resin, There is a polyol resin or the like, and a mixture of two or more of these resins may be used.

  Crystalline polyester may be used as the developer resin. It is an aliphatic polyester having crystallinity, having a sharp molecular weight distribution, and increasing the absolute amount of its low molecular weight as much as possible. This resin undergoes a crystal transition at the glass transition temperature (Tg), and at the same time, the melt viscosity suddenly decreases from the solid state and exhibits a fixing function to paper. By using this crystalline polyester resin, low-temperature fixing can be achieved without excessively reducing the Tg and molecular weight of the resin. Therefore, there is no decrease in storage stability associated with a decrease in Tg. Also, there is no excessively high gloss and offset resistance deterioration due to the low molecular weight. Therefore, the introduction of the crystalline polyester resin is very effective for improving the low-temperature fixability of the developer.

  As the toner, an inorganic fine powder may be attached or fixed to the toner surface as a fluidity improver. The average particle size of the inorganic fine powder is suitably 10 to 200 [nm]. When the particle size is smaller than 10 [nm], it is difficult to create an uneven surface having an effect on fluidity. When the particle size is larger than 200 [nm], the powder shape becomes rough, Problems arise. Examples of the inorganic fine powder of the present invention include Si, Ti, Al, Mg, Ca, Sr, Ba, In, Ga, Ni, Mn, W, Fe, Co, Zn, Cr, Mo, Cu, Ag, V, and Zr. These include oxides, carbonates, sulfides and composite oxides. Of these, the following oxides are often employed from the viewpoint of safety and stability.

  In particular, fine particles of silicon dioxide (silica), titanium oxide, and aluminum oxide (alumina, corundum) are preferably used. Furthermore, it is effective to perform a surface modification treatment of the additive with a hydrophobizing agent or the like. A typical example of the hydrophobizing agent is a silane coupling agent, which includes the following.

  Dimethyldichlorosilane, trimethylchlorosilane, methyltrichlorosilane, allyldimethyldichlorosilane, allylphenyldichlorosilane, benzyldimethylchlorosilane, bromomethyldimethylchlorosilane, α-chloroethyltrichlorosilane, p-chloroethyltrichlorosilane, Chloromethyldimethylchlorosilane, chloromethyltrichlorosilane, hexaphenyldisilazane, hexatolyldisilazane, etc.

Hydrophobizing the additive makes it difficult for moisture to be adsorbed on the surface of the additive, which is a nanoparticle, and improves the stability of the toner.
The inorganic fine powder is preferably used in an amount of 0.1 to 2% by weight based on the toner. If it is less than 0.1 [wt%], the effect of improving toner aggregation is poor, and if it exceeds 2 [wt%], there are problems such as toner scattering between fine wires, contamination in the machine, scratches and abrasion of the photoreceptor. It tends to occur.

  In addition, a charge control agent may be adhered or fixed to the surface of at least a powder composed of a resin and a pigment so that the powder surface shape has a small period and a large period. The average particle size is optimally a small particle size of 5 to 200 [nm].

  In addition, the toner of the present invention may further contain other additives, such as Teflon (registered trademark) powder, which is an organic powder, metal soap powder such as zinc stearate powder, Lubricant powder such as vinylidene fluoride powder, abrasive such as cerium oxide powder, silicon carbide powder, strontium titanate powder, or conductive particles such as carbon black powder, zinc oxide powder, tin oxide powder, indium oxide powder and insulating properties A small amount of a conductivity-imparting agent such as a powder obtained by coating conductive particles on the powder may be used as a developability improver.

  The addition of fine powder to the toner makes it easier for the toner to be loosened when the delivery member 81 is operated, and even if the toner fluidity is lowered without any replenishment operation for a while, the toner is accommodated in the toner. The portion 66 can be discharged.

  As described above, in the embodiment of the present invention, after the sending member 81 is moved and the sending operation is performed, the presence or absence of toner is confirmed by the first toner sensor 20 until the presence of toner is detected (discharge unit 67). Since the sending operation is repeated (until it is detected that the toner in the toner container reaches a predetermined amount or more), the discharge portion 67 has a predetermined amount or more regardless of whether the toner remaining amount in the toner container 66 is large or small. Toner can be supplied. That is, even if a predetermined amount of toner cannot be sent to the discharge unit 67 in one delivery operation due to a small amount of toner remaining in the toner storage unit 66, a predetermined amount of toner can be obtained by repeating the delivery operation. The toner can be sent to the discharge unit 67. As described above, according to the present embodiment, the toner can be stably and reliably transported regardless of the remaining amount of toner in the toner container 66.

  In the embodiment of the present invention, when the delivery operation is repeated, the moving speed of the delivery member 81 is increased at a predetermined timing. When the number of sending operations increases, the operation time increases accordingly, but by increasing the moving speed, the time required for one sending operation can be shortened, and the extension of the operation time can be reduced. It becomes possible. In other words, the movement speed is increased in order to increase the number of movements (number of transmissions) of the delivery member 81 within a predetermined time.

  In this embodiment, since the vibration is applied to the discharge portion 67 by the vibration applying means, it is possible to prevent the toner from adhering to the inner surface of the discharge portion 67 or to remove the toner attached by the vibration. Can be dropped. Thereby, the erroneous detection of the first toner sensor 20 due to the adhesion of toner can be prevented. Further, when the vibration applying means is provided as in the present embodiment, the first toner sensor 20 is configured by an optical sensor, and the light emitting unit 20a and the light receiving unit 20b are in contact with the discharge unit 67 outside the discharge unit 67. It is preferable to arrange so that it does not. Thereby, even if vibration occurs in the discharge portion 67, the first toner sensor 20 can be prevented from being erroneously detected by vibration.

  The embodiment of the present invention has been described above, but the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and it is needless to say that various modifications can be made without departing from the gist of the present invention. In the embodiment of the present invention, the sending operation is repeatedly performed based on the detection result of the first toner sensor 20, and as a result, the number of times of sending is controlled according to the remaining amount of toner in the toner storage unit 66. However, by grasping the remaining amount of toner in the toner container 66 with a sensor or the like, the number of movements (the number of times of delivery) of the delivery member 81 within the predetermined time and the movement speed are changed according to the remaining amount of toner. Also good.

  As a method of grasping the remaining amount of toner in the toner storage unit 66, a sensor for detecting the amount of toner in the toner storage unit 66 is provided, or the remaining amount of toner in the toner storage unit 66 is calculated from the toner consumption of the output image. There are ways to do it. Alternatively, the remaining amount of toner can be estimated by calculating the amount of toner sent out from the number of sending operations. Then, the number of movements and the movement speed of the delivery member 81 are set in advance according to the remaining amount of toner, and when there is a delivery instruction, the number of movements and the movement speed of the delivery member 81 according to the grasped remaining amount of toner. To decide.

For example, FIG. 30 shows an example in which the moving speed of the delivery member 81 is set based on the remaining amount of toner.
The horizontal axis in FIG. 30 indicates the remaining amount of toner in the toner storage unit 66, and the vertical axis indicates the toner conveyance amount in one delivery operation in each case. In this example, the remaining amount of toner is divided into four ranges, and the moving speed of the delivery member 81 when the remaining amount of toner is in each range is set. Specifically, when the toner remaining amount is 200 g or more, the moving speed is 100 mm / s, when the toner remaining amount is 110 g or more and less than 200 g, the moving speed is 200 mm / s, and when the toner remaining amount is 70 g or more and less than 110 g. When the moving speed is 300 mm / s and the remaining amount of toner is less than 70 g, the moving speed is set to 350 mm / s. As described above, by increasing the moving speed as the remaining amount of toner decreases, it is possible to secure the number of sending operations within a predetermined time and to reduce the extension of the time required for the sending operation.

  Note that if the feeding operation is performed by increasing the moving speed of the sending member 81, the toner easily aggregates. However, since the moving speed is increased when the remaining amount of toner is small, there is no possibility that the toner will aggregate. For this reason, by increasing the moving speed, problems such as toner conveyance failure due to toner aggregation and toner conveyance failure to the discharge unit 67 and the sub hopper 64 do not occur.

  Further, in the above-described embodiment, the entire toner accommodating portion 66 is configured by a deformable member, but only a portion into which the feeding member 81 is pushed may be configured by a deformable member. Further, the wear resistance of the bottom surface (contact surface with the delivery member 81) of the toner container 66 is increased, or the bottom surface is formed of a thin film having a small coefficient of friction formed by various methods such as PVD and CVD. By doing so, it is possible to suppress wear on the bottom surface of the toner accommodating portion 66 due to the sliding contact of the delivery member 81. Alternatively, by providing a mechanism for applying the lubricant to at least one of the delivery member 81 and the toner container 66, it is possible to reduce friction between them and suppress wear.

  Alternatively, a crease may be provided in the toner storage portion 66 in advance, and the toner storage portion 66 may be folded along the fold by the feeding operation of the feed member 81 as the amount of toner inside decreases. In this case, since the volume of the toner container 66 can be reduced, the cost for discarding or collecting the used toner container 66 can be reduced. Further, since the toner container 66 is easily deformed, the toner can be easily discharged.

  Further, in the above-described embodiment, the case where the configuration of the present invention is applied to a toner conveyance device using a developer composed of toner as powder has been described as an example. However, toner conveyance using a developer composed of toner and a magnetic carrier is described. The configuration of the present invention can also be applied to an apparatus. Alternatively, the configuration of the present invention may be applied to a powder conveyance device that conveys powder other than toner. Further, in the above-described embodiment, the toner storage unit 66 and the discharge unit 67 are integrated with each other so as to be attached to and detached from the drawer tray 62. However, the discharge unit 67 is connected to the drawer tray 62 (or the fixing unit 63). ) And the toner container 66 may be detachably attached. Further, the powder conveying apparatus according to the present invention is not limited to the printer shown in FIG. 1, but can be mounted on other printers, copiers, facsimiles, or complex machines thereof.

8 Toner conveying device (powder conveying device)
15 Control means 20 First toner sensor (powder detection means)
20a Light emitting part 20b Light receiving part 21 Light guide path 22 Light guide path 66 Toner container (powder container)
93 Eccentric weight (vibration applying means)
98 Eccentric cam (vibration applying means)
99 Linear motor (vibration applying means)
T Toner (powder)

JP 2002-46843 A Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-143195

Claims (8)

A powder container for accommodating powder and at least a part of which is deformable, a discharge part for discharging the powder in the powder container to the outside, and a deformable part of the powder container inside In a powder conveying device provided with a delivery member that moves to the discharge unit side in a state of being pushed into and sends powder to the discharge unit,
In accordance with the amount of powder remaining in the powder container, a control means is provided for controlling the movement of the delivery member to the discharge part ,
As the remaining amount of powder in the powder container decreases, the number of movements of the delivery member to the discharge unit within a predetermined time is increased,
The delivery member is
It is possible to switch between a standing state and a falling state toward the powder container,
It is configured to be able to reciprocate on the same route in the delivery direction toward the discharge unit and in the return direction opposite to this,
The powder conveying apparatus, wherein the powder conveying device is in the upright state when moving in the delivery direction and in the collapsed state when moving in the return direction . The powder conveying apparatus according to claim 1 , configured to increase a moving speed of the delivery member as the number of movements of the delivery member is increased . Provided with powder detection means for detecting powder in the discharge part, and when the powder detection means detects that the powder in the discharge part is less than a predetermined amount, the powder is sent to the discharge part The delivery member is moved to the discharge portion side in accordance with a delivery instruction, and the delivery member is moved to the discharge portion side until the powder detection means detects that the amount of powder in the discharge portion exceeds a predetermined amount. The powder conveying apparatus according to claim 1 or 2 configured to repeat a predetermined number of times . The powder conveyance device according to claim 3 , wherein the powder detection unit is a piezoelectric sensor that includes a piezoelectric element and detects the powder by measuring a contact pressure of the powder to the piezoelectric element . The powder detecting means includes a light emitting unit that emits light and a light receiving unit that receives light, and an optical device that detects powder when an optical path from the light emitting unit to the light receiving unit is blocked by powder. The powder conveying apparatus according to claim 3 , which is a type sensor . The light emitting portion and the light receiving unit, as well as arranged so as not to contact the discharge portion and the outer side of the discharge portion, in claim 5 forming a light guide to the light receiving portion from the light emitting portion to the discharge portion The powder conveying apparatus as described. The powder conveying apparatus of any one of Claim 3 to 6 provided with the vibration provision means which provides a vibration to the said discharge part . In an image forming apparatus provided with at least a developing device and a developer replenishing device for replenishing the developer to the developing device,
An image forming apparatus using the powder conveying device according to claim 1 as the developer replenishing device.

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