JP5752304B2 - Toner supply container and image forming apparatus provided with the same - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a toner replenishing container for replenishing toner to a developing device and an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine and a printer provided with the same.

  In an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine or a printer that forms an image on a recording material such as paper by an electrophotographic method, an electrostatic latent image formed on an image carrier such as a photosensitive drum is a developer in the developing device. The toner is developed to be visualized as a toner image. Then, the toner image is transferred onto the recording material by the transfer device, and the recording material on which the toner image has been transferred is heated and pressurized by the fixing device to be fixed to the toner image and then discharged out of the device. Thus, a series of image forming operations is completed.

  By the way, when the remaining amount of toner decreases because the toner is consumed in the developing device by the image forming operation, the toner is supplied from the toner supply container to the developing device. An example of the toner supply container is shown in FIG.

  FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view of a conventional toner replenishing container. The illustrated toner replenishing container 109 includes a housing 109A and a lid 109B that covers the upper surface opening. The toner supply container 109 contains supply toner (not shown), two stirring paddles 121 and 122, and a toner transport screw 123.

  Each of the agitation paddles 121 and 122 is configured by attaching films 121b and 122b to rotating shafts 121a and 122a arranged in a direction perpendicular to the paper surface of FIG. 9, and the toner conveying screw 123 is arranged in a direction perpendicular to the paper surface in FIG. A long member, which is rotatably disposed on a conveyance path 124 formed in the direction perpendicular to the paper surface of FIG. A replenishing port 125 is opened at a part (longitudinal central portion) of the conveyance path 124 of the toner replenishing container 109.

  Thus, in the toner supply container 109 configured as described above, when the stirring paddles 121 and 122 are driven to rotate in the direction of the arrow (counterclockwise) in FIG. The replenished toner is scraped up to the transport path 124 by the stirring paddles 121 and 122, and the toner thus picked up is transported to the replenishment port 125 by the rotating toner transport screw 123 and falls from the replenishment port 125 and becomes unsuccessful. It is replenished to the illustrated developing device.

  With regard to such a toner replenishing container, Patent Document 1 discloses the amount of bending of the stirring blade from the bottom of the container to the supply port based on the amount of bending of the stirring blade on the side wall located on the side facing the supply port across the container bottom. In other words, a configuration has been proposed in which the toner accumulated at the bottom of the container is efficiently scraped up to the supply port.

JP-A-8-062965

  However, in the toner replenishing container proposed in Patent Document 1 and the conventional toner replenishing container 109 shown in FIG. 9, an inclined inner wall portion (a portion indicated by hatching in FIG. 9) near the conveyance path 124 of the housing 109 </ b> A. There is a problem that toner easily accumulates, and when the toner replenishing container 109 is replaced, a large amount of toner remains in the toner replenishing container 109, and the remaining toner is discarded without being used.

  Further, there is a problem that a large amount of noise is generated when the films 121b and 122b rub against the inner wall of the toner supply container 109 due to the rotation of the stirring paddles 121 and 122, which causes noise.

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and its object is to reduce the remaining amount of toner at the time of replacement so as to eliminate waste of toner and to reduce noise during operation. And providing an image forming apparatus including the same.

  In order to achieve the above object, according to the first aspect of the present invention, the toner is scraped up to the transport path by the rotation of the stirring paddle housed in the housing for storing the replenishing toner, and is scraped up to the transport path. In a toner replenishing container that transports toner to a replenishing port provided in the transport path by rotation of a toner transport screw, the transport path is formed above the stirring paddle and on one side of the upper portion of the housing. And an inclined first inner wall inclined obliquely upward from the space in which the toner is accommodated toward the conveyance path is provided in the vicinity of the conveyance path inside the housing. A second inner wall that is part of a lid that covers the opening of the first wall and is located on a side closer to the conveyance path in the lid and is spaced from the first inner wall to the space side One end of a guide film that is provided intermittently in contact with the stirring paddle and swings up and down is attached to the second inner wall, and a free end of the guide film is attached to the first inner wall. A toner replenishing container spanned and in contact with the upper surface of the first inner wall.

  The invention described in claim 2 is characterized in that, in the invention described in claim 1, a plurality of slits are formed in the guide film.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided an image forming apparatus having the toner supply container according to the first or second aspect detachably loaded in the apparatus main body.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, one end of the guide film is attached to the second inner wall of the lid of the toner replenishing container on the side close to the conveyance path, and the free end is stretched over the first inner wall. It is in contact with the upper surface of the first inner wall. Thus, when the stirring paddle is rotated, the guide film intermittently contacts the stirring paddle and swings up and down, so that the toner accumulated on the first inner wall in the vicinity of the conveyance path of the toner supply container is guided by the guide film. As a result, the toner container is swept off to the bottom of the toner container and the conveyance path. Therefore, toner does not continue to accumulate on the first inner wall in the vicinity of the conveyance path of the toner supply container, and the amount of toner remaining in the toner supply container is reduced when the toner supply container is replaced. Is omitted.

  Further, scattering of the toner when the stirring paddle scoops up the toner at the bottom of the toner container is suppressed by the guide film, and the toner is guided to the guide film and efficiently and smoothly scraped up to the conveyance path.

  Further, when the stirring paddle rotates, the stirring paddle comes into contact with the guide film and the impact is absorbed, so that noise generated by the stirring paddle sliding on the inner surface of the toner supply container is reduced.

  According to the second aspect of the present invention, since the guide film is easily bent by the plurality of slits formed in the guide film, the swingability thereof is enhanced, and the effect of sweeping off the toner by the guide film is enhanced. The toner adhering to the upper surface (the surface on the lid side) can fall to the inner bottom of the housing through the slit. In addition, since the stress acting on the mounting surface of the guide film is relaxed by the slit, the guide film can be securely bonded with a double-sided tape or the like.

  According to the third aspect of the invention, since the toner in the toner supply container can be used up to the end, resources can be used effectively and the image forming apparatus itself can be made quiet.

1 is a cross-sectional view of an image forming apparatus according to the present invention. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a toner supply container according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a state where a lid of the toner supply container according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention is opened. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a guide film attached to the toner supply container according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. (A), (b) is sectional drawing of the toner supply container which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention. FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing a state where a lid of a toner supply container according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention is opened. FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a lid of a toner supply container according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention as viewed obliquely from below. (A), (b) is sectional drawing of the toner supply container which concerns on Embodiment 2 of this invention. It is sectional drawing of the conventional toner supply container.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[Image forming apparatus]
FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of an image forming apparatus according to the present invention. The illustrated image forming apparatus 1 is a laser printer, and an image forming unit 2 is disposed above the inside of the apparatus main body 1A. A sheet storage unit 3 is disposed in the lower half of the sheet.

  The image forming unit 2 forms an image by an electrophotographic method. The image forming unit 2 is a photosensitive drum 4 as a rotatable image carrier, a charger 5 disposed around the photosensitive drum 4, a developing device 6, and the like. In addition to the transfer roller 7 and the cleaning device 8, a toner supply container 9 for supplying toner as a developer to the developing device 6 is provided. A laser scanner unit (LSU) 10 that is an optical scanning device is disposed beside the image forming unit 2.

  The paper storage unit 3 includes detachable upper and lower two-stage paper feed cassettes 11 and 12 in which a plurality of paper sheets as recording materials are stacked and accommodated, and in the vicinity of each of the paper feed cassettes 11 and 12, A pick roller 13 for sequentially taking out the paper in each of the paper feed cassettes 11 and 12 from the upper one, a feed roller 14 for feeding out the taken paper one by one and a retard roller 15 are provided.

  Further, in the apparatus main body 1A, a first transport path S1 from the paper storage section 3 to the image forming section 2 and a second transport path S2 from the image forming section 2 to the paper discharge tray 16 are arranged. The registration roller 17 and the transfer roller 7 are provided in the first conveyance path S1, and the fixing device 18, the conveyance roller 19, and the discharge roller 20 according to the present invention are provided in the second conveyance path S2. Details of the configuration of the fixing device 18 will be described later.

  Next, an image forming operation of the image forming apparatus 1 configured as described above will be described.

  When the image forming operation is started, in the image forming unit 2, the photosensitive drum 4 is rotationally driven in a direction indicated by an arrow (clockwise) in FIG. Uniformly charged. When a laser beam based on an electrical signal transmitted from a personal computer or the like is output from the laser scanner unit 10 and the surface of the photosensitive drum 4 is exposed and scanned, an electrostatic latent image corresponding to image information is formed on the photosensitive drum 4. Is formed. The electrostatic latent image formed on the photosensitive drum 4 is developed by the developing device 6 using toner as a developer to be visualized as a toner image. When the toner in the developing device 6 is consumed as a result of the development, the toner is supplied from the toner supply container 9 to the developing device 6 when the remaining amount of toner in the developing device 6 decreases.

  By the way, when cassette feeding is performed, the paper stored in, for example, the upper paper feeding cassette 11 of the paper storage unit 3 is picked up from the uppermost one by the pick roller 13 and is fed by the feed roller 14 and the retard roller 15. The sheets are separated one by one and conveyed to the registration roller 17 through the first conveyance path S1. In the registration roller 17, after the paper is temporarily in a standby state, the paper is supplied to the image forming unit 2 at a predetermined timing synchronized with the toner image on the photosensitive drum 4.

  In the image forming unit 2, the sheet supplied to the transfer nip between the photosensitive drum 4 and the transfer roller 7 is conveyed while being pressed against the photosensitive drum 4 by the transfer roller 7, so that the surface of the sheet is exposed to the photosensitive drum. The toner image on 4 is transferred. The sheet onto which the toner image has been transferred is conveyed to the fixing device 18 and is heated and pressurized in the process of passing through the fixing nip of the fixing device 18 to receive the toner image being fixed. The toner remaining on the surface of the photosensitive drum 4 (transfer residual toner) after the transfer of the toner image onto the paper is removed by the cleaning device 8, and the photosensitive drum 4 whose surface has been cleaned is prepared for the next image forming operation.

  Thus, the sheet on which the toner image is fixed on the surface by the fixing device 18 is conveyed toward the sheet discharge roller 20 by the conveyance roller 19 through the second conveyance path S2, and to the sheet discharge tray 16 by the sheet discharge roller 20. This completes a series of image forming operations.

[Toner supply container]
Next, the toner supply container 9 according to the present invention will be described.

<Embodiment 1>
2 is a perspective view of the toner supply container according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention, FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a state where the lid of the toner supply container is opened, and FIG. 4 is a guide film attached to the toner supply container. FIGS. 5A and 5B are sectional views of the toner supply container.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 5, the toner supply container 9 according to the present embodiment includes a housing 9 </ b> A and a lid 9 </ b> B that covers an opening on the upper surface of the housing 9 </ b> A. Two stirring paddles 21 and 22 and a toner conveying screw 23 are accommodated.

  Each of the agitation paddles 21 and 22 is constituted by attaching thin films 21b and 22b to rotating shafts 21a and 22a arranged in a direction perpendicular to the paper surface of FIG. This is a member that is long in the direction, and is rotatably supported on the lid 9B side, and is rotatably accommodated in a transport path 24 formed in the direction perpendicular to the paper surface of FIG. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 5, a rectangular replenishing port 25 is opened in a part (longitudinal central portion) of the transport path 24 of the housing 9 </ b> A.

  Thus, in the toner supply container 9 according to the present embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 5, the inclined inner wall 9a (the first inner wall of the present invention) close to the conveying path 24 of the housing 9A. 4), a thin guide film 26 shown in FIG. 4 is bonded with a double-sided tape. Here, the guide film 26 is made of a PET film, and a plurality of long and narrow slits 26a are formed at appropriate intervals in the longitudinal direction in the bonded portion as shown in FIG. A plurality of rectangular protrusions 26b are formed at appropriate intervals in the longitudinal direction at the free end of the guide film 26, and the guide film 26 is adhered to the inner wall 9a of the housing 9A as shown in FIG. Then, the plurality of protruding pieces 26b protrude from the inner wall 9a toward the inside of the housing 9A.

  In the toner replenishing container 9 configured as described above, when the agitation paddles 21 and 22 are rotationally driven in the arrow direction (counterclockwise direction) in FIG. It is scraped up to the conveyance path 24 by the films 21b and 22b of the stirring paddles 21 and 22. Then, the toner thus scraped up is transported along the transport path 24 to the replenishment port 25 by the toner transport screw 23 rotating in the transport path 24, falls from the replenishment port 25, and develops as shown in FIG. To be replenished.

  In the toner replenishing operation, when the stirring paddles 21 and 22 rotate, the film 22b of one stirring paddle 22 comes into contact with the plurality of projecting pieces 26b of the guide film 26 as shown in FIG. 26 is bent by elastic deformation as shown in the figure. When the film 22b of the stirring paddle 22 passes through the guide film 26 as shown in FIG. 5A, the guide film 26 returns to its original state by elasticity. Accordingly, the guide film 26 attached to the inner wall 9a of the housing 9A of the toner replenishing container 9 intermittently contacts the film 22b of the stirring paddle 22 and swings up and down, and the toner accumulated on the inner wall 9a of the housing 9A is guided. The film 26 is swept off to the bottom of the toner container and the conveyance path. For this reason, toner does not continue to accumulate on the inner wall 9a of the housing 9A, and the amount of toner remaining in the toner supply container 9 is reduced when the toner supply container 9 is replaced.

  Further, since the scattering of the toner when the stirring paddles 21 and 22 scoop up the toner at the bottom in the toner replenishing container 9 is suppressed by the guide film 26, the toner is guided to the guide film 26 and efficiently transported to the conveyance path 24. It is scraped up well and smoothly.

  Further, when the stirring paddle 22 rotates, the film 22b of the stirring paddle 22 comes into contact with the guide film 26 and the impact is absorbed, so that the film 22b of the stirring paddle 22 rubs against the inner surface of the toner supply container 9. The noise generated by is reduced.

  In the present embodiment, since the plurality of slits 26a are formed on the adhesive surface of the guide film 26, the rigidity of the guide film 26 is reduced, the guide film 26 is easily bent, and the swingability of the guide film 26 is improved. . For this reason, the effect of sweeping off the toner by the guide film 26 is enhanced, and the stress acting on the mounting surface of the guide film 26 is alleviated by the slit 26a, so that the guide film 26 is securely attached to the inner wall 9a of the housing 9A by the double-sided tape. Can be glued to.

  Therefore, in the image forming apparatus 1 shown in FIG. 1 including the toner supply container 9 according to the present embodiment, the toner in the toner supply container 9 can be used up to the end, so that resources can be effectively used. The noise of the laser printer 1 itself can be reduced.

<Embodiment 2>
Next, a toner supply container according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS.

  6 is a perspective view showing a state in which the lid of the toner replenishing container according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention is opened, FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the lid of the toner replenishing container as seen obliquely from below, and FIG. (B) is a cross-sectional view of the toner replenishing container. In these drawings, the same elements as those shown in FIGS. 2 to 5 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof will be repeated below. Omitted.

  In the toner replenishing container 9 according to the present embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, an inner wall 9b (an example of the second inner wall of the present invention) is provided at a position near the transport path 24 in the lid 9B. Yes. The inner wall 9b is provided at a position separated from the inner wall 9a toward the inner side of the toner supply container 9 in which the supply toner is stored. One end of the guide film 27 is bonded to the inner wall 9b with a double-sided tape. The guide film 27 is made of a PET film as in the first embodiment, and a plurality of rectangular slits 27a are arranged at appropriate intervals in the longitudinal direction over two stages as shown in FIG. It is formed with. When the guide film 27 is bonded to the inner wall 9b of the lid 9B, the free end of the guide film 27 is bridged over the sloped inner wall 9a of the housing 9A as shown in FIG. , Is in contact with the upper surface of the inner wall 9a.

  Thus, also in the toner replenishing container 9 according to the present embodiment, when the agitation paddles 21 and 22 are rotationally driven in the direction of the arrow (counterclockwise) in FIG. 8, they are accommodated inside the toner replenishing container 9. The replenishing toner is scraped up to the conveying path 24 by the films 21b and 22b of the stirring paddles 21 and 22. Then, the toner thus scraped up is transported along the transport path 24 to the replenishment port 25 by the toner transport screw 23 rotating in the transport path 24, falls from the replenishment port 25, and develops as shown in FIG. To be replenished.

  In the toner replenishing operation, when the stirring paddles 21 and 22 rotate, the film 22b of one stirring paddle 22 contacts and pushes up the guide film 27 as shown in FIG. When the film 22b of the agitation paddle 22 passes through the guide film 27 as shown in FIG. 8A, the guide film 27 returns to its original state due to elasticity. . Accordingly, the guide film 27 attached to the inner wall 9b of the lid 9B of the toner supply container 9 intermittently contacts the film 22b of the stirring paddle 22 and swings up and down, so that the toner deposited on the inner wall 9a of the housing 9A is guided. The film 27 is swept off to the bottom of the toner container and the conveyance path. For this reason, toner does not continue to accumulate on the inner wall 9a of the housing 9A, and the amount of toner remaining in the toner supply container 9 is reduced when the toner supply container 9 is replaced.

  Further, since the scattering of the toner when the stirring paddles 21 and 22 scoop up the toner at the bottom in the toner supply container 9 is suppressed by the guide film 27, the toner is guided to the guide film 27 and efficiently transported to the conveyance path 24. It is scraped up well and smoothly.

  Further, before the stirring paddle 22 rotates and the film 22b comes into contact with the inner surface of the lid, the film 22b comes into contact with the guide film 27 and the impact is absorbed, so that the film 22b of the stirring paddle 22 is in the toner supply container 9. Noise generated by rubbing against the inner surface is reduced.

  In the present embodiment, since the plurality of slits 27a are formed on the adhesive surface of the guide film 27, the rigidity of the guide film 27 is lowered, the guide film 27 is easily bent, and the swingability of the guide film 27 is improved. . For this reason, the toner scavenging effect by the guide film 27 is enhanced, and the toner adhering to the upper surface (the surface on the lid 9B side) of the guide film 27 can fall to the bottom of the housing 9A through the slit 27a. . Further, since the stress acting on the mounting surface of the guide film 27 is relieved by the slits 27a, the guide film 27 can be reliably bonded to the inner wall 9b of the lid 9B with a double-sided tape or the like.

  Although the present invention has been described with respect to a mode in which the present invention is applied to a monochrome laser printer and a toner supply container provided therein, the present invention is not limited to color leather printers and monochrome / color printers and composite machines. Needless to say, the present invention can be similarly applied to other image forming apparatuses such as a printer and a toner supply container provided in the image forming apparatus.

1 Image forming device (laser printer)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1A Image forming apparatus main body 2 Image forming part 3 Paper storage part 4 Photosensitive drum 5 Charger 6 Developing device 7 Transfer roller 8 Cleaning device 9 Toner supply container 9A Toner supply container housing 9B Toner supply container lid 9a Housing inner wall 9b Cover Inner wall 10 Laser scanner unit (LSU)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11,12 Paper feed cassette 13 Pick roller 14 Feed roller 15 Retard roller 16 Paper discharge tray 17 Registration roller 18 Fixing device 19 Transport roller 20 Paper discharge roller 21, 22 Stir paddle 23 Toner transport screw 24 Transport path 25 Supply port 26 Guide film 26a Guide film slit 26b Guide film protrusion 27 Guide film 27a Guide film slit S1 First transport path S2 Second transport path

Claims (3)

The toner is scraped up to the transport path by the rotation of the stirring paddle housed in the housing for storing the replenishment toner, and the toner scraped up to the transport path is provided in the transport path by the rotation of the toner transport screw. In the toner supply container that is transported to the supply port,
The conveyance path is formed on one side of the upper part of the housing above the stirring paddle,
In the vicinity of the conveyance path inside the housing, a sloped first inner wall that is inclined obliquely upward from the space in which the toner is accommodated toward the conveyance path is provided,
A part of a lid that covers the opening on the upper surface of the housing is configured, and a second inner wall that is located on a side closer to the conveyance path in the lid and is separated from the first inner wall to the space side is provided. And
One end of a guide film that intermittently contacts the stirring paddle and swings up and down is attached to the second inner wall, and a free end of the guide film is bridged over the first inner wall and A toner supply container which is in contact with the upper surface of the first inner wall.   The toner supply container according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of slits are formed in the guide film.   An image forming apparatus comprising the toner supply container according to claim 1, which is detachably loaded in the apparatus main body.

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