JP5891039B2 - Developer supply container mounting device and image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a developer supply container mounting device and an image forming apparatus including the developer supply container mounting device.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, an electrophotographic image forming apparatus such as a copying machine or a printer uses toner as a fine powder developer to form an image on a sheet. When the toner of the apparatus main body of the image forming apparatus is consumed, the toner is supplied to the apparatus main body from a toner bottle as a developer supply container attached to the apparatus main body. In this case, the toner is an extremely fine powder and is supplied to the apparatus main body little by little from a toner discharge port as a small developer discharge port of the toner bottle in order to prevent scattering (Patent Document 1).

  FIG. 12 is a perspective view of a conventional developer supply container storage device (toner bottle storage device, hereinafter simply referred to as “storage device”) 400 provided in the main body of the image forming apparatus. The storage device 400 includes a drive unit 22 that is connected to the toner bottle 1 (FIG. 13) and rotates the toner bottle. The drive unit 22 includes an opening / closing control member 21 that is rotationally driven by a drive motor unit 22a including a drive motor (not shown).

  13 and 14 are views when the toner bottle 1 is stored in the storage device 400. FIG. FIG. 13A is a diagram when the toner bottle 1 is stored in the storage device 400. When the toner bottle 1 is in the position shown in FIG. 13A, the toner bottle 1 is not fixed to the storage device 400. The toner bottle 1 is attached to and detached from the storage device 400 by the user.

  A cylindrical discharge portion 1 e having a toner discharge port 1 a for discharging toner (not shown) is provided at the tip of the toner bottle 1. The toner discharge port 1 a of the discharge unit 1 e is sealed with a sealing member 2. The sealing member 2 has a release protrusion 4 that is elastically bent at the root portion, and an engagement protrusion 3 that is elastically bent integrally with the release protrusion 4 at the tip portion.

  FIG. 13B is a diagram illustrating a state when the toner bottle 1 starts to be accommodated in the accommodation device 400 when the user pushes the toner bottle 1 in the direction of the arrow a. At this time, up to the release protrusion 4 provided at the base of the sealing member 2 enters the opening / closing control member 21. The release protrusion 4 is pressed against the inner peripheral surface of the opening / closing control member 21 and elastically bends in the inner direction (arrow d direction). At the same time, the engagement protrusion 3 is also elastically bent inward. For this reason, the engagement protrusion 3 is not engaged with the opening / closing control member 21. Further, the toner bottle 1 is restricted from moving in the left-right direction in FIG. 13B because the engaging member 30 is engaged with the engaging groove 1d of the toner bottle. However, rotation is not restricted.

  Next, the user pushes an unillustrated opening / closing control member moving lever connected to the opening / closing control member 21 in the direction of arrow a. Then, the opening / closing control member 21 moves relative to the sealing member 2, and the release protrusion 4 of the sealing member 2 is released from the pressed state and restored to the original state. Accordingly, the engagement protrusion 3 is elastically locked (prevented from coming off) in a locking hole (not shown) provided in the opening / closing control member 21.

  When the user further pushes the open / close control moving lever in the direction of arrow a, the seal member 2 and the open / close control member 21 move while moving in the direction of arrow a. However, the toner bottle 1 does not move because the engagement member 30 is engaged and the movement is restricted. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 14B, the sealing member 2 moves relative to the movement-restricted discharge portion 1e, opens the toner discharge port 1a, and allows toner to be supplied.

  When the drive motor unit 22a is driven in this state, the opening / closing control member 21 also rotates, and the sealing member 2 engaged with the opening / closing control member 21 also rotates. This rotation is transmitted to the rotation driving unit 1b, and the container The main body 1c also rotates. As a result, the sealing member 2 has a function of sealing the toner discharge port 1a, a function of receiving a rotational driving force from the storage device 400, and a function of transmitting the rotational driving force to the toner bottle 1. become.

  By rotating the toner bottle 1 by such a sealing member 2, the toner stored in the toner bottle is sequentially discharged from the toner discharge port 1 a and is stored in the hopper 24 which is a developer temporary storage container. The The hopper 24 is provided with one stirring member 25 and one screw member 26 each. The toner discharged from the toner bottle 1 moves by its own weight to the hopper 24 and is stirred.

  The stirring member 25 is rotated in the direction of arrow c by a drive mechanism (not shown), and the developer moves by its own weight by the screw member 26. The screw member 26 is rotated by a drive mechanism (not shown) to convey the developer from the cross-section axial direction to the front. The toner is supplied from a developer supply port (not shown) of the hopper 24 to a developing device in the main body of the image forming apparatus.

  When the toner supply is completed, the user moves an unillustrated opening / closing control member moving lever in the direction of arrow b. When the opening / closing control member moving lever moves, the opening / closing control member 21 moves from the position shown in FIG. 14 (B) in the direction of the arrow b shown in FIG. 14 (A). The opening / closing control member 21 moves to push the sealing member 2 into the container body 1c that is restricted in movement. As a result, the sealing member 2 seals the toner outlet 1 a of the toner bottle 1. At the same time, the release protrusion 4 is pressed by the inner peripheral surface of the opening / closing control member 21 in the direction of the arrow d and is elastically deformed and bent in the direction of the arrow d. By the elastic deformation of the release protrusion 4 in the arrow d direction, the engagement protrusion 3 is also displaced in the arrow d direction, and the engagement between the engagement protrusion 3 and the opening / closing control member 21 is released (FIG. 13B). . As a result, the toner bottle 1 can be pulled out from the storage device 400.

  As described above, the conventional container 400 is configured such that the toner bottle 1 and the opening / closing control member 21 can reciprocate in the direction along the rotation axis of the toner bottle 1 (directions of arrows a and b). Therefore, the storage device 400 can store the toner bottle 1 in a replenishable position, release the toner bottle 1 from the replenishable position, and attach / detach the toner bottle.

JP 2003-345112 A

  However, in the conventional storage device, when the toner bottle 1 is stored in the storage device 400, the sealing member 2 pushes the open / close control member 21 with the force of inserting the toner bottle 1 into the storage device 400. There was a case of running away in the direction pushed. For this reason, in the conventional storage device 400, the sealing member 2 may not engage with the opening / closing control member 21, and the sealing member 2 may not be able to open the toner discharge port 1a of the container body 1c.

  Therefore, in order to reduce the possibility that the sealing member does not engage with the opening / closing control member, it is conceivable to fix the opening / closing control member. However, in this case, the reaction force at the moment when the sealing member contacts the opening / closing control member is mistaken as the reaction force when the sealing member is engaged with the opening / closing control member, and the toner bottle insertion operation It is possible that another problem arises that quits on the way.

  In any case, the conventional storage device has a problem that the toner bottle may not be attached.

  In addition, an image forming apparatus provided with a storage device in which a toner bottle may not be mounted may not be able to form a high-quality image on a sheet due to insufficient toner or out of toner.

An object of the present invention is to provide a developer supply container mounting device in which the developer supply container is not mounted, and an image forming apparatus including the developer supply container mounting device.

The developer supply container mounting device of the present invention is adapted to be mounted with a developer supply container whose developer discharge port is sealed by a sealing member, and is openable and closable so that the developer supply container can be mounted. and Do lid, wherein the release member the sealing of the developer discharge opening by engaging the sealing member with the mounting operation of the developer supply container is releasable, mounting of the developer supply container During operation, at least until the release member engages with the sealing member, an urging force against the mounting direction of the developer supply container is applied to the sealing member via the release member, and the developer After the replenishing container is mounted, the sealing member is moved by the release member to release the developer discharge port from the direction against the mounting direction in conjunction with the closing operation of the opening / closing lid. with elastic for changing a biasing force to the mounting direction And parts, with a, is characterized in that.

The image forming apparatus of the present invention includes an image forming unit for forming an image by the developer on the sheet, with a, and the developer supply container mounting apparatus for supplying a developer to said image forming section, it Featuring Yes.

The developer supply container mounting device of the present invention can reduce the failure to mount the developer supply container on the apparatus main body.

The image forming apparatus according to the present invention includes a developer supply container mounting device that reduces the need for mounting the developer supply container, and therefore forms a high-quality image on a sheet by reducing toner shortage and running out of toner. Can do.

1 is a schematic front sectional view of an image forming apparatus including a toner bottle storage device as a developer supply container storage device according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the toner bottle housing device of the embodiment of the present invention attached to the image forming apparatus main body of the image forming apparatus. FIG. 6 is a perspective view of an operation mechanism of the toner bottle storage device. (A) is a figure when the replacement cover is opened. (B) is a view when the replacement cover is closed. The perspective view which shows the connection state of a moving shaft, a connection link, and an opening / closing control member. The perspective view of a biasing part. (A) is an enlarged view of the urging | biasing part shown in FIG. (B) is the figure which looked at (A) from the arrow E direction. The figure for operation | movement description of a biasing part. (A) is a figure when the urging | biasing force is applied to the opening / closing control member so that the opening / closing control member can receive a sealing member. FIG. 6B is a diagram when an urging force is applied to the opening / closing control member engaged with the sealing member so as to open the developer discharge port (toner discharge port) of the developer supply container (toner bottle). FIG. 3 is an external perspective view of a toner bottle. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the toner bottle storage device when the toner bottle is stored. FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining an engagement operation between an opening / closing control member of the toner bottle storage device and the toner bottle. (A) is a figure just before the sealing part of a toner bottle is inserted in the opening / closing control member of a toner bottle accommodating apparatus, and a toner bottle is a figure not shown leaving a sealing member. (B) is the figure which the sealing member engaged with the opening-and-closing control member. FIG. 6 is a view in which the opening / closing control member pulls the sealing member to open the toner discharge port of the toner bottle. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a resistance force when a toner bottle is accommodated in a toner bottle accommodating device. The perspective view of the conventional toner bottle accommodating apparatus. The figure when accommodating a toner bottle in the conventional toner bottle accommodating apparatus. (A) is a view before the sealing portion of the toner bottle is inserted into the opening / closing control member of the toner bottle storage device. (B) is the figure which the sealing member engaged with the opening-and-closing control member. The figure when a toner bottle is accommodated in the conventional toner bottle accommodating apparatus. (A) is a view before the toner outlet of the toner bottle is opened. (B) is a view in which the toner outlet of the toner bottle is opened.

  Hereinafter, a toner bottle storage device (hereinafter simply referred to as “storage device”) 20 as a developer supply container storage device according to an embodiment of the present invention, and an image forming apparatus 900 including the storage device 20 are illustrated in the drawings. I will explain. In addition, about the same part as the past, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected and description of the part is abbreviate | omitted. Further, the numerical values are reference numerical values and are not limiting values of the present invention.

  FIG. 1 is a schematic front cross-sectional view of an image forming apparatus 900 including a storage device 20 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The apparatus main body 900A of the image forming apparatus 900 is provided with an image forming unit 902 and an elevation operation unit 50 that form an image on a sheet. A document feeding device 950 for feeding a document to a platen glass (not shown) is provided on the upper part of the apparatus main body 900A of the image forming apparatus. The image forming unit 902 includes a cylindrical photosensitive drum 906, a charger 907, a developing device (developing unit) 909, and the like. Further, a fixing device 912, a discharge roller pair 914, and the like are disposed downstream of the image forming unit 902.

  Next, an image forming operation of the image forming apparatus 900 will be described. When an image forming signal is output from a CPU circuit unit (not shown), the document is fed onto the platen glass by the document feeding device 950. The image of the document is read by an image reader (not shown). The read digital data is input to an exposure unit (not shown). The exposure device irradiates the photosensitive drum 906 with light corresponding to the digital data. The surface of the photosensitive drum 906 is uniformly charged by a charger 907. When the surface of the photosensitive drum 906 is irradiated with light from an exposure device, an electrostatic latent image is formed on the surface. The electrostatic latent image is developed by the developing unit 909 and visualized as a toner image on the surface of the photosensitive drum.

  On the other hand, when a paper feed signal is output from the CPU circuit unit, the sheet S set by the user in the cassettes 902a to 902d and the paper feed deck 902e is conveyed to the registration rollers 910. Next, the sheet S is conveyed between the photosensitive drum 906 and the transfer charger 905 by the registration roller 910 at the timing when the leading edge of the sheet and the leading edge of the toner image on the photosensitive drum are aligned. Then, a transfer bias is applied to the sheet S by the transfer charger 905, and the toner image on the photosensitive drum is transferred. The sheet S on which the toner image is transferred is conveyed to the fixing device 912 by the conveying belt 911, and the toner image is thermally fixed when passing through the fixing device 912. Next, the sheet S on which the toner image is thermally fixed by the fixing device 912 is discharged as it is to the discharge tray 915 by the discharge roller pair 914.

  In FIG. 1, a toner bottle 1 as a developer supply container is horizontally detachably attached to a storage device 20 in an apparatus main body 900A of an image forming apparatus. The toner T as the developer discharged from the toner bottle 1 is once stored in the hopper 24 which is a developer temporary storage container, and then sent to the developing device 909. The toner bottle 1 is arranged above the image forming unit 902 so as not to overlap the image forming unit 902.

  The toner bottle 1 is detachably accommodated in the accommodating device 20 shown in FIG. 2 attached to the apparatus main body 900A when the toner is supplied to the developing device 909. The storage device 20 includes a device main body (hereinafter simply referred to as “device main body”) 23 of a developer supply container storage device that stores the toner bottle 1 and a drive unit that rotationally drives the toner bottle 1 stored in the device main body 23. 22. The storage device 20 includes a hopper 24. The hopper 24 is positioned between the apparatus main body 23 and the drive unit 22 and temporarily stores the toner discharged from the toner bottle 1. Further, the storage device 20 includes an urging unit 13 and the like which will be described later.

  The drive unit 22 is movable along the accommodation direction of the toner bottle 1 (directions of arrows a and b), and is a rotatable opening / closing control member 21 that rotates the toner bottle 1 and the opening / closing control member 21 is not shown. And a drive motor unit 22a that is rotated by a drive motor. Further, the drive unit 22 includes a drive transmission unit 22 b that transmits the rotational force of the drive motor unit 22 a to the opening / closing control member 21. The opening / closing control member 21 is moved in the downstream direction (arrow a direction) of the toner bottle accommodation direction by an operation mechanism 112 described later. When the opening / closing control member 21 moves in the direction of arrow a, the drive motor unit 22a and the drive transmission unit 22b are connected. Thereafter, when the drive motor unit 22a starts driving, the opening / closing control member 21 is rotated via the drive transmission unit 22b.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the apparatus main body 23 (FIG. 2) includes an operation mechanism 112 that moves the opening / closing control member 21. The operation mechanism 112 includes a moving shaft 14 as an operation member extending in parallel with the accommodation direction of the toner bottle 1. The moving shaft 14 is connected to a toner bottle replacement cover (hereinafter simply referred to as “replacement cover”) 103 as an open / close lid that opens and closes the apparatus body when the toner bottle is attached to and detached from the apparatus body 900A. The moving shaft 14 is linearly movable upstream in the accommodation direction of the toner bottle 1 (FIG. 3A, arrow b direction) in accordance with the opening operation of the replacement cover 103 in the arrow c direction. The moving shaft 14 is linearly movable downstream in the toner bottle accommodation direction (FIG. 3B, arrow a direction) in accordance with the closing operation of the replacement cover 103 in the arrow d direction. Further, as shown in FIG. 4, the operation mechanism 112 is connected to the opening / closing control member 21 by a connection link 8. The connection link 8 includes an action point portion 5 that connects the operation mechanism 112 and the opening / closing control member 21, a force point portion 6 that receives a force applied to open and seal the sealing member 2 from the moving shaft 14, and an action point. A fulcrum portion 7 is provided on the opposite side of the force point portion 6 with the portion 5 interposed therebetween. That is, the connecting link 8 is configured to rotate about the fulcrum part 7 at one end, the opening / closing control member 21 is connected to the action point part 5 at the intermediate part, and the moving shaft 14 is connected to the force point part 6 at the other end. Are connected.

  In FIG. 5, an urging portion 13 as an elasticity applying portion includes an urging member 33 as a rotating member that rotates by linear movement of the moving shaft 14, and an urging member and a fixed member as an urging member as a rotation center. It is composed of an urging spring 31 provided across the urging portion boss 34 and the like. The urging member 33 is supported by the apparatus main body 23 so that the urging member boss 34 is pivotally supported by the apparatus main body 23. The moving shaft 14 is connected to the urging member 33 by the connection boss 41 of the moving shaft 14 engaging the hook groove 33 b of the urging member 33. The urging spring 31 urges the urging member 33 in the upstream direction (arrow b direction) or the downstream direction (arrow a direction) of the accommodation direction of the toner bottle 1.

  The urging portion boss 34 of the urging member 33 is located between the locking portion 23a of the apparatus main body 23 on which the urging spring 31 is stretched and the locking portion 33a of the urging portion 13. The locking portion 33a moves in the directions of arrows a and b, but the locking portion 23a and the biasing portion boss 34 are fixed points that do not move. The position of the X axis in FIG. 6 is a position when the locking portion 23a, the locking portion 33a, and the biasing portion boss 34 are aligned on a straight line. The position where the axial center CL of the urging spring 31 overlaps the X axis is the position where the urging spring 31 is extended most, and is the position of the dead point of the urging spring 31.

  As shown in FIG. 6A, when the moving shaft 14 moves from upstream to downstream (in the direction of arrow a) in the accommodation direction of the toner bottle 1, the biasing spring 31 initially moves as a return force in the upstream direction. The shaft 14 is biased. That is, when the urging spring 31 is located on one side of the urging portion boss 34 of the urging member 33 as shown in FIG. 6A, the urging force resists the pressing force of the sealing member 2. Is provided to the opening / closing control member 21 via the moving shaft 14 and the connecting link 8. Thereafter, when the axis CL of the urging spring 31 passes through the axis X perpendicular to the moving shaft 14 and tilts in the downstream direction, the urging spring 31 urges the moving shaft 14 as a pressing force in the downstream direction.

  As shown in FIG. 6B, when the moving shaft 14 moves from downstream to upstream (in the direction of arrow b) in the accommodation direction of the toner bottle 1, the biasing spring 31 initially returns in the downstream direction. The moving shaft 14 is urged as follows. That is, when the urging spring 31 is located on the other side of the urging portion boss 34 of the urging member 33, the urging force in the direction in which the sealing member 2 releases the sealing of the toner discharge port 1a, The opening / closing control member 21 is provided via the moving shaft 14 and the connecting link 8. Thereafter, when the axial center CL of the biasing spring 3 passes through the axis X perpendicular to the moving shaft 14 and tilts in the downstream direction, the biasing spring 31 biases the moving shaft 14 as a pressing force in the upstream direction.

  In the present embodiment, the movable range of the biasing member 33 is a position where the angle formed by the axis CL of the biasing spring 31 with respect to the axis X is 25 ° in the upstream direction and 30 ° in the downstream direction.

  Further, the hopper 24 in FIG. 2 is provided at the lower portion of the hopper body 24a, the stirring member 25 for stirring the supplied developer, and the toner T in the developing container of the developing unit 909 shown in FIG. 11 and the like are provided.

  In FIG. 7, a toner bottle 1 includes a container main body 1c for storing toner, and a cylindrical discharge provided at the downstream end of the container main body 1c in the storing direction in order to discharge and guide the toner stored in the container main body 1c. Part 1e. A toner discharge port 1a as a developer discharge port for discharging toner is formed at the tip of the discharge unit 1e.

  Note that the toner discharge port 1a of the discharge portion 1e of the unused toner bottle 1 is sealed by a sealing member 2 inserted in the discharge portion 1e so as to be able to be extracted. A helical groove 1 f is formed in the container body 1 c of the toner bottle 1. The groove 1f is configured to send the developer contained in the container main body 1c to the toner discharge port 1a when the container main body 1c rotates around the discharge portion 1e constituting the shaft portion. The center of the discharge portion 1e constituting the shaft portion of the toner bottle 1 is a point on the rotation axis A (FIG. 8). In FIG. 2, the opening 24b is a circular hole formed in the hopper body 24a, and is a hole larger than the outer diameter of the discharge part 1e of the toner bottle 1 shown in FIG.

In the above configuration, the operation mechanism 112, the urging unit 13, the connecting link 8 , and the like constitute a seal release unit.

  The operation of the storage device 20 when the toner bottle 1 is attached to and detached from the storage device 20 will be described.

  First, the user opens the replacement cover 103 in the direction of arrow c in FIG. Then, the moving shaft 14 moves upstream (in the direction of arrow b) in the accommodation direction of the toner bottle 1. As the moving shaft 14 moves, the connecting link 8 rotates in the arrow b direction, and the opening / closing control member 21 moves in the arrow b direction.

  Next, the toner bottle 1 is accommodated in the apparatus main body 23. At this time, the discharge portion 1e of the toner bottle 1 is inserted into the hopper 24 from the opening 24b, and the sealing member 2 that seals the toner discharge port 1a is fitted into the open / close control member 21 and is attached to the open / close control member 21. Engage. In the toner bottle 1, the engagement member 30 (FIG. 8) is engaged with the engagement groove 1 d, and the movement in the left-right direction is restricted as in FIG. 13 (B). However, rotation is not restricted.

  Thereafter, the user closes the replacement cover 103 in the direction of the arrow d in FIG. Then, the moving shaft 14 moves downstream (in the direction of arrow a) in the direction in which the toner bottle 1 is accommodated. As the moving shaft 14 moves, the connecting link 8 rotates in the direction of arrow a. Then, the opening / closing control member 21 moves in the direction of arrow a. At this time, the opening / closing control member 21 moves downstream (in the direction of arrow a) in the accommodation direction while being engaged with the sealing member 2, as in FIG. 14B described above. At this time, the toner bottle 1 does not move because the engaging member 30 is engaged. Therefore, the sealing member 2 opens away from the discharge portion 1e and opens the toner discharge port 1a. As a result, the toner bottle 1 can be replenished with toner.

  In this state, the drive motor unit 22a is driven. Then, the opening / closing control member 21 rotates, and the sealing member 2 engaged with the opening / closing control member 21 also rotates. Further, the rotation of the sealing member 2 is transmitted to the rotation drive unit 1b shown in FIG. 8 provided in the container body 1c, and the rotation drive unit 1b also rotates. The rotating drive unit 1b that rotates rotates against the rib 1h provided inside the container main body 1c to rotate the container main body 1c about the rotation axis A. At this time, since the rib 1h is loosely fitted on the rotation axis A with respect to the rotation drive unit 1b (the position of the rotation axis A is not regulated on the rotation axis A), the rib 1h and rotation The drive unit 1b does not contribute to the backlash suppression of the container body 1c on the rotation axis A. The rotation axis A is an imaginary axis extending in the accommodation direction of the container body 1c.

  When the toner supply is completed, the user opens the replacement cover 113. When the replacement cover 113 is opened, the opening / closing control member 21 moves from the position similar to that shown in FIG. 14B described above in the direction of the arrow b as shown in FIG. 14A. As a result, the engagement between the opening / closing control member 21 and the sealing member 2 is released in the same manner as shown in FIG. 13B, and the toner bottle 1 can be pulled out of the storage device 20.

  In FIG. 2, the seal 29 is provided upstream (in the arrow b) in the accommodation direction of the hopper body 24 a, and is in close contact with the downstream portion in the accommodation direction of the toner bottle 1 to prevent toner scattering. Yes. The seal 29 is an elastic body such as cylindrical poron. A magnetic sensor (not shown) is disposed outside the hopper 24. When the amount of toner supplied from the toner bottle 1 to the hopper body 24a reaches a certain amount, the magnetic sensor reacts and the toner from the toner bottle 1 is reacted. Supply is stopped.

  Next, of the above-described operation for attaching / detaching the toner bottle 1 to / from the storage device 20, the operation of the storage device 20 when the toner bottle 1 is stored in the storage device 20 will be described in detail.

Figure 9 (A) is a diagram of a prior sealing member 2 of the toner bottle 1 is to be inserted into the opening and closing control member 21 of the container device 20, the toner bottle 1 is a not shown, leaving a sealing member 2 . 8 and 9A, reference numeral 4 denotes a member corresponding to the release protrusion 4 formed on the sealing member 2 and elastically bent in FIG. Reference numeral 3 denotes a member corresponding to the engagement protrusion 3 that is elastically bent integrally with the release protrusion 4 and engages / disengages with the opening / closing control member 21.

  The user opens the replacement cover 103 in the direction of arrow c in FIG. 3A in order to store the toner bottle 1 in the storage device 20. Then, the moving shaft 14 connected to the replacement cover 103 moves in the arrow b direction, the connecting link 8 rotates in the arrow b direction, and the opening / closing control member 21 moves in the arrow b direction. For this reason, the urging | biasing part 13 will be in the state shown to FIG. 6 (A).

  Next, the user places the toner bottle 1 on the storage device 20 and inserts it downstream in the storage direction. Then, the sealing member 2 at the tip of the toner bottle 1 comes into contact with the opening / closing control member 21. At this time, the opening / closing control member 21 receives the elasticity of the urging spring 31 of the urging unit 13 via the connecting link 8 and is urged upstream (in the direction of arrow b) in the toner bottle accommodation direction. .

  The user further pushes the toner bottle 1 downstream in the accommodation direction, but the opening / closing control member 21 is biased by the biasing spring 31 in the direction of the arrow b, so that it is difficult to escape even if the sealing member 2 is pressed. ing. For this reason, the sealing member 2 engages with the opening / closing control member 21 while being fitted in the opening / closing control member 21 (FIG. 9B). When the user still pushes the toner bottle 1 downstream (in the direction of arrow a), the opening / closing control member 21 is pushed by the sealing member 2 against the biasing spring 31 of the biasing portion 13, Move downstream in the storage direction. As the opening / closing control member 21 is pushed by the sealing member 2 and moves, elasticity is accumulated in the biasing spring 31. For this reason, the user can insert the toner bottle 1 smoothly without feeling a sudden repulsive force. Note that the sealing member 2 is engaged with the opening / closing control member 21 in FIG. 6A when the urging member 33 rotates clockwise and the axial center CL of the urging spring 31 does not exceed the X axis. It is in the region of 25 °. That is, the biasing spring 31 does not pass through the dead point.

  FIG. 11 is a diagram showing insertion resistance by the biasing spring 31 when the toner bottle is inserted. FIG. 11 shows the insertion amount of the toner bottle on the horizontal axis and the insertion resistance on the vertical axis. A broken line indicates a change in insertion resistance in the conventional storage device. A solid line indicates a change in insertion resistance in the accommodation device of the present embodiment.

  In FIG. 11, the sealing member in the conventional storage device receives a sudden resistance force at the moment when it contacts the opening / closing control member. In comparison, in the housing device of the present embodiment, the sealing member is relaxed at the moment of contact with the opening / closing control member by the biasing spring 31 and gradually receives the resistance until the engagement is completed. It has become. Therefore, according to the storage device of the present embodiment, the user can obtain a smooth insertion feeling when inserting the toner bottle into the storage device. Further, the user does not fail to engage the sealing member with the opening / closing control member.

Thereafter, the user, the exchange cover 103 is closed in the arrow d direction in FIG. 3 (B), FIG. 3 (B), the as shown in FIG. 10, the moving shaft 14 is moved in the direction of arrow a, the connecting link is Rotating in the direction of arrow a, the opening / closing control member 21 moves in the direction of arrow a. At this time, in order to close the replacement cover 103, a force is required to pull the sealing member 2 away from the container body 1c of the toner bottle 1 whose movement in the arrow b direction is restricted. The biasing member 33 rotates clockwise from the position shown in FIG. 6 (A), and the axial center CL of the biasing spring 31 is tilted within the 30 ° region shown in FIG. 6 (B) beyond the X axis. . That is, the urging spring 31 passes through the dead point. For this reason, since the biasing spring 31 acts as a force for separating the sealing member 2 from the container main body 1c of the toner bottle 1, it helps to separate the sealing member 2 from the container main body 1c.

  Note that the moving shaft 14 connected to the replacement cover 103 is connected to the connecting link 8 by the power point portion 6. The connection link 8 is connected to the opening / closing control member 21 by the action point portion 5, and is further connected to the apparatus main body 23 by the fulcrum portion 7. For this reason, the connecting link 8 can move the opening / closing control member 21 downstream of the accommodation direction of the toner bottle 1 (in the direction of the arrow a) with a force smaller than the originally required force. Therefore, the elasticity of the biasing spring 31 can be weakened. By reducing the elasticity of the urging spring 31, it is not necessary to make the urging portion 13 a strong structure. In the present embodiment, the distance between the fulcrum part 7 and the force point part 6 of the connecting link 8 is set to 2.5: 1: the distance between the fulcrum part 7 and the action point part 5 is 0.4 times. The sealing member 2 can be pulled away from the container body 1c of the toner bottle by force.

  As described above, the storage device 20 of the present embodiment is sealed by the opening / closing control member 21 that is biased by the biasing spring 31 of the biasing portion 13 when the user stores the toner bottle 1 in the device main body 23. The member 2 is pressed and engaged. For this reason, when the toner bottle 1 is inserted, the accommodating device 20 has a moderate repulsive force due to the elasticity of the biasing spring 31, and the user is engaged in the engagement operation between the sealing member 2 and the opening / closing control member 21. The sealing member 2 can be engaged with the opening / closing control member 21 without stopping. In this case, the elasticity of the biasing spring 31 is set to a value that allows the sealing member 2 to engage with the opening / closing control member 21 while the opening / closing control member 21 is pushed by the sealing member 2 and retreats in the direction of arrow a. ing. For this reason, in the storage device 20, the sealing member 2 is less likely to fail to engage with the opening / closing control member 21.

  In addition, since the storage device 20 can perform the operation of closing the replacement cover 103 and the operation of removing the sealing member 2 from the toner bottle 1 in one operation, the operation is simplified. Further, according to the lever principle of the connecting link, the opening / closing control member 21 can receive the sealing member 2 and the opening / closing control member 21 can be detached from the sealing member 2 with a biasing spring having a weak force.

  1: toner bottle (developer supply container), 1a: toner discharge port (developer discharge port), 1c: container main body, 2: sealing member, 4: release protrusion, 5: action point portion, 6: force point portion, 7: fulcrum part, 8: connecting link, 13: biasing part (elasticity imparting part), 14: moving shaft (operating member), 20: developer supply container housing device (toner bottle housing device), 21: opening / closing control member , 23: Device main body of developer supply container housing device, 24: Hopper, 30: Engaging member, 31: Energizing spring (spring), 33: Energizing member (rotating member), 34: Energizing portion boss (rotating) 41: connection boss, 103: toner bottle replacement cover (opening / closing lid), 112: operation mechanism, 900: image forming apparatus, 900A: apparatus main body of the image forming apparatus, 902: image forming unit, T: Developer (toner), X: axis.

Claims (4)

In the developer supply container mounting device to which the developer supply container in which the developer discharge port is sealed by the sealing member is mounted,
An openable / closable lid capable of mounting the developer supply container;
A release member capable of releasing the seal of the developer discharge port by engaging the sealing member with the mounting operation of the developer supply container ;
During the mounting operation of the developer supply container, a biasing force that resists the mounting direction of the developer supply container is applied to the sealing member through the release member until at least the release member engages with the sealing member. In addition, after the developer supply container is mounted, the sealing member is moved by the release member to release the developer discharge port so that the developer discharge port is closed. and elasticity imparting portion for changing a biasing force to the mounting direction from the direction against the mounting direction, with a,
A developer supply container mounting device. A connection link in which the release member is connected to an intermediate portion around one end as a rotation center;
The is coupled to the other end of the connecting link further and an operating member for rotating the connecting link with the opening and closing of the lid,
The elasticity applying portion applies a biasing force that resists the mounting direction via the operation member and the connection link and a biasing force in the mounting direction to the sealing member via the release member.
The developer replenishing container mounting device according to claim 1 . The operation member is linearly movable,
The elasticity applying portion is
A rotating member that rotates around a fixed portion by a linear movement of the operating member; a spring having one end fixed and the other end provided on the rotating member;
The spring applies an urging force that resists the mounting direction and an urging force in the mounting direction to the sealing member via the release member as the rotating member rotates.
The developer replenishing container mounting device according to claim 2 . An image forming unit that forms an image on a sheet with a developer;
The developer supply container mounting device according to any one of claims 1 to 3 , wherein the developer is supplied to the image forming unit.
An image forming apparatus.

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