JP6330783B2 - Image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus including a developer container that contains a developer such as toner.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in an electrophotographic image forming apparatus, development processing is performed by supplying toner (developer) from a developing unit to an electrostatic latent image formed on the surface of a photosensitive drum or the like. In addition, toner used for such development processing is supplied to a developing device from a toner container (developer container) such as a toner container or an intermediate hopper. In addition, in order to prevent toner aggregation in the toner container and to facilitate the conveyance of the toner, there is a toner container provided with a stirring screw inside. However, the agitation screw may not be able to agitate the toner collected near the inner wall surface of the toner container, and may not prevent aggregation of the toner collected near the inner wall surface of the toner container.

  In order to avoid the problems as described above, for example, in the image forming apparatus of Patent Document 1, a toner container having a toner discharge port formed near the end of one side wall is used. Further, a reciprocating means for reciprocating the toner container in a direction along a line connecting the end portion of one side wall and the end portion on the opposite side is provided. Further, a collision means for repeatedly colliding a weight moving in the opposite direction is provided in the toner container that moves forward with respect to the direction in which the toner moves toward the discharge port. Then, the toner in the toner container is discharged by the inertial force generated in the toner in the toner container by the collision between the reciprocating toner container and the weight moving in the opposite direction to the toner container.

  Further, for example, in the toner replenishing container of Patent Document 2, the container main body is formed of a flexible sheet, and in this container main body, an air discharge port is formed in the bottom wall facing the toner replenishing port, and a check valve and A solid-gas separation filter is provided on the air inflow side of the check valve. When toner is replenished, the toner replenishing container is attached to the toner suction / supply mechanism provided in the electrophotographic apparatus, and the toner replenishing port is connected to the air supply pump and the powder pump via the double pipe. . After the toner supply container is expanded with air from the air supply pump, the toner in the container is sucked by the powder pump and supplied to the developing device. In this toner replenishment operation, the toner that is agglomerated at the corner of the container collapses due to the expansion and contraction of the container.

  Further, for example, in the toner recycling apparatus disclosed in Patent Document 3, an air pump is driven by a motor, and the collected toner selected by a toner classifier and supplied through a connecting tube is conveyed to a toner hopper through an exhaust tube by an air flow. The number of rotations of the motor that drives the air pump and the natural frequency of the toner hopper are set so as to satisfy predetermined conditions. Then, the vibration of the air pump oscillated by the motor causes the toner hopper to resonate and the recovered toner adhering to the exhaust pipe portion of the toner hopper or inside the toner hopper falls to drop the recovered toner. Prevent clogging in advance.

JP 2002-99136 A JP 2003-208003 A Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-52811

  However, the above-described configuration requires a large-scale configuration such as a mechanism that shakes the entire developer container and a mechanism that feeds air into the developer container.

  For example, in a mechanism that includes a reciprocating means and a collision means for shaking the entire developer container, a space for shaking the developer container is required in the image forming apparatus, and the overall structure of the apparatus is increased in size. Further, since a large force is applied to the reciprocating means such as a cam for moving the developer container, it is necessary to improve the strength of the developer container, the reciprocating means and the peripheral structure, and the structure becomes complicated. Further, by shaking the developer container, the developer container may be disconnected from the developing device to which the developer is replenished, and the developer may be ejected to the outside of the developer container or the developing apparatus.

  Further, in the mechanism for feeding air into the developer container, it is necessary to provide an air supply means such as a pump or pipe for feeding air, and it is necessary to handle the pump and pipe, so that the overall configuration of the apparatus becomes large. . Furthermore, by sending air into the developer container, the pressure inside the developer container increases, and the developer may be ejected outside the developer container or the developing device. If a highly liquid-tight container is used to prevent this ejection, the cost increases.

  Further, in order to vibrate the entire developer container, a mechanism for vibrating the entire developer container, a motor dedicated to the developer container that drives this mechanism, and drive control of the motor dedicated to the developer container are required. .

  In view of the above circumstances, an object of the present invention is to prevent the developer from agglomerating and to easily transport the developer without increasing the size of the apparatus or ejecting the developer to the outside.

  An image forming apparatus according to the present invention includes a developer container including a housing that houses a developer, a stirring member that is rotatably disposed in the housing and stirs the developer, and the stirring of the developer container. A drive control unit that controls driving of the member, and the developer container is attached to a first end of a rotation shaft of the stirring member, and is provided with an agitation gear provided outside the casing, and the rotation A drive gear provided on the first end side in the axial direction on the outside of the housing and meshing with the agitation gear to rotationally drive the agitation gear, and the drive control unit includes the drive gear. The drive gear is maintained so as to maintain a predetermined period each time the rotational frequency is increased and the meshing frequency of the drive gear and the agitation gear substantially coincides with each of the plurality of natural frequencies of the developer container. Vibration mode to control the rotation speed of Characterized in that it.

  By adopting such a configuration, the image forming apparatus can deform the developer container into different shapes at each of a plurality of natural frequencies, and the deformed shape is maintained for a predetermined period. Therefore, by vibrating the wall of the developer container, the developer aggregated at any position in the developer container can be loosened, and the developer aggregated on any wall surface of the developer container can be peeled off from the wall surface. be able to. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the developer from aggregating in the vicinity of the inner wall surface of the developer container (housing) and to easily transport the developer without increasing the size of the apparatus or ejecting the developer to the outside.

  When the developer container is mounted on the developer container mounting portion of the image forming apparatus, the developer container is fixed to the developer container mounting portion, and the second end side in the rotation axis direction of the stirring member is outside the casing. And a rotation center holding portion that rotatably supports the housing, the housing including a first restricting portion that restricts movement of the housing in the left-right direction, and a vertical direction of the housing It is good to equip the outer surface of the said 1st end side of the said rotating shaft direction with the 2nd control part which controls movement of these.

  By adopting such a configuration, the developer container (housing) is resonated at a predetermined natural frequency while being supported by the rotation center holding portion, the first restricting portion, and the second restricting portion. The front part of the agent container (housing) can be deformed so as to rotate about the rotation center holding part.

  The drive control unit may operate in the vibration mode when the image forming apparatus is activated.

  By adopting such a configuration, aggregation of the developer in the developer container can be prevented without affecting the normal operation of the developer container.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to prevent the developer from aggregating and to easily transport the developer without increasing the size of the apparatus or ejecting the developer to the outside.

1 is a schematic diagram illustrating an outline of a configuration of a printer according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a perspective view illustrating a toner container in a printer according to an embodiment of the present invention from the front. FIG. 5 is a rear view illustrating a toner container in the printer according to the embodiment of the invention. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a toner container in a printer according to an embodiment of the invention. FIG. 4 is a perspective view illustrating a front portion of a toner container in a printer according to an embodiment of the invention. FIG. 4 is a perspective view illustrating a rear portion of a toner container in a printer according to an embodiment of the invention. FIG. 6 is a perspective view illustrating a rear portion of the toner container in a state where an upper surface is opened in the printer according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing the toner container in a state deformed in the primary mode from the front in the printer according to the embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing the toner container in a state deformed in the secondary mode from the front in the printer according to the embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing the toner container in a state deformed in a tertiary mode from the front in the printer according to the embodiment of the present invention. 4 is a graph showing the relationship between the number of rotations of a motor that drives a toner container and time in a printer according to an embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a control system in a printer according to an embodiment of the present invention.

  First, the overall configuration of the printer 1 (image forming apparatus) will be described. FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an outline of a printer according to an embodiment of the present invention. Hereinafter, the front side in FIG. 1 is defined as the front side (front side) of the printer 1.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the printer 1 includes a box-shaped printer main body 2, and a paper feed cassette 3 that stores paper (recording medium) is provided below the printer main body 2. Is provided with a paper discharge tray 4.

  An exposure device 5 composed of a laser scanning unit (LSU) is disposed on the upper right portion of the printer main body 2, and an image forming portion 6 is provided on the left side of the printer main body 2. A photosensitive drum 7 (image carrier) is rotatably provided in the image forming unit 6, and a charger 8 and a toner container 10 for storing toner (developer) are disposed around the photosensitive drum 7. A developing device 11, a transfer roller 12, and a cleaning device 13 connected to the (developer container) are arranged along the rotation direction of the photosensitive drum 7 (see arrow X in FIG. 1). The printer main body 2 is provided with a container mounting portion 2a (developer container mounting portion), and the toner container 10 is mounted on the container mounting portion 2a.

  A paper conveyance path 14 is provided on the left side of the printer main body 2 from below to above. A paper feed unit 15 is provided at the upstream end of the conveyance path 14, and a transfer unit 16 including the photosensitive drum 7 and the transfer roller 12 is provided at a middle portion of the conveyance path 14, and a downstream part of the conveyance path 14. Is provided with a fixing device 17. On the left side of the conveyance path 14, a reverse path 18 for double-sided printing is provided.

  Next, an image forming operation of the printer 1 having such a configuration will be described.

  When image data is input from a computer or the like connected to the printer 1 and an instruction to start printing is given, an image forming operation is executed as follows.

  First, after the surface of the photosensitive drum 7 is charged by the charger 8, exposure corresponding to image data is performed on the photosensitive drum 7 by laser light from the exposure device 5 (see arrow P in FIG. 1). Then, an electrostatic latent image is formed on the surface of the photosensitive drum 7. Next, the developing device 11 develops the electrostatic latent image into a toner image with the toner supplied from the toner container 10.

  On the other hand, the sheet taken out from the sheet cassette 3 by the sheet feeding unit 15 is conveyed to the transfer unit 16 in synchronization with the above-described image forming operation, and the toner image on the photosensitive drum 7 is transferred to the sheet by the transfer unit 16. Is transferred to. The sheet on which the toner image has been transferred is conveyed downstream in the conveyance path 14 and enters the fixing device 17 where the toner image is fixed on the sheet. The sheet on which the toner image is fixed is discharged from the downstream end of the transport path 14 to the discharge tray 4. The toner remaining on the photosensitive drum 7 is collected by the cleaning device 13.

  Next, the toner container 10 will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. The toner container 10 is provided to be detachable from the printer main body 2. As shown in FIG. 2, the toner container 10 includes a casing 20 having a space for storing toner therein, and the casing 20 includes a lid 21 that covers an upper surface thereof. The housing 20 is formed in a substantially box shape that is long in the front-rear direction, and a toner discharge port 22 is formed on the bottom surface of the housing 20 (see FIGS. 8 to 10). The lid body 21 is fixed to the housing 20 by, for example, ultrasonic welding or bonding using an adhesive.

  The toner container 10 (housing 20) is formed to have a plurality of natural frequencies, and resonates at a frequency or the like that substantially matches (not completely matches) the natural frequency of any one of the steps, as shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 10, it is deformed into a different shape for each stage of the natural frequency. At this time, the toner container 10 is rotatably supported by the rotation center holding portion 28 described below, and thus swings while being deformed around the rotation center holding portion 28. Note that the toner container 10 (housing 20) does not resonate and hardly deforms even when vibration at a frequency away from the natural frequency is applied. For example, the toner container 10 (housing 20) has a first natural frequency, a second natural frequency that is higher than the first natural frequency, and a third natural frequency that is higher than the second natural frequency. . The deformation of the toner container 10 (housing 20) is greatest when resonating at the first natural frequency and is smallest when resonating at the third natural frequency. 8 to 10 show a state in which the lid body 21 is removed from the housing 20, and the illustration thereof is omitted, but the lid body 21 remains in a fixed state with respect to the housing 20. 20 and deform. The lid 21 is made of the same material (for example, resin) as that of the housing 20, and may be made of the same material as that of the housing 20, or so that a desired natural frequency can be obtained. The body 20 may be made of a different material.

  In addition, the toner container 10 includes two stirring screws 23 and 24 (stirring members) inside the housing 20 as illustrated in FIGS. 1, 4, and 7. The stirring screws 23 and 24 include a rotary shaft 25 that is long in the front-rear direction and a stirring blade 26 that is spirally attached to the outer periphery of the rotary shaft 25, and is rotatably attached to the inside of the housing 20. Note that the rear end of the rotating shaft 25 protrudes to the outside at the rear portion of the housing 20 as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 5, a toner filling port 27 is formed substantially in the center of the front surface of the housing 20, and the front side of the housing 20 (the axial direction of the rotating shaft 25 of the stirring screws 23 and 24). The rotation center holding part 28 is provided on the outer side of the housing 20 so as to close the filling port 27.

  The rotation center holding part 28 includes a cap part 30 that closes the filling port 27, a rotary plate member 31 that is rotatably attached to the cap part 30, an attachment plate member 32, a rotary plate member 31, and an attachment plate member 32. And a hinge 33 for connecting the two. That is, the rotating plate member 31 and the mounting plate member 32 are connected to each other via the hinge 33 so as to be bent. The rotation center holding unit 28 is fixed to the container mounting unit 2a when the toner container 10 is mounted on the container mounting unit 2a of the printer main body 2.

  The rotating plate member 31 is attached to the front of the cap portion 30 and has a shape extending perpendicularly to the front-rear direction (the axial direction of the rotating shaft 25 of the stirring screws 23 and 24). The hinge 33 is provided between the rotating plate member 31 and the mounting plate member 32 so as to have an axial direction perpendicular to the front-rear direction. The mounting plate member 32 is provided so as to rotate between the front and rear of the rotating plate member 31 with the hinge 33 as an axis, and a cylindrical or columnar fastening portion 34 projects from one surface. The fastening portion 34 is provided so as to be positioned on the lower surface of the attachment plate member 32 when the attachment plate member 32 is perpendicular to the rotation plate member 31 in front of the rotation plate member 31.

  When the toner container 10 is attached to the printer main body 2, the mounting plate member 32 is fixed and attached to the printer main body 2 with the rotating plate member 31 rotated so that the hinge 33 is positioned above. The rotating plate member 31 is suspended from the mounting plate member 32 via the hinge 33. At this time, the fastening portion 34 of the mounting plate member 32 is fastened to, for example, a recess (not shown) formed in the printer main body 2. That is, the rotation center holding unit 28 suspends the toner container 10 from the printer body 2 and supports the toner container 10 so as to be rotatable.

  As shown in FIGS. 3, 6, and 7, a drive shaft 35 having an axial direction in the front-rear direction is formed on the rear surface of the housing 20, and a drive gear 36 is rotatably attached to the drive shaft 35. It is done. The drive gear 36 is provided on the rear side of the casing 20 (the first end side in the axial direction of the rotating shaft 25 of the stirring screws 23 and 24) and outside the casing 20, and has a coupling 37 protruding rearward. . The coupling 37 is connected to a drive source 53 (see FIG. 12) such as a stepping motor provided in the printer 1. By transmitting the driving force from the driving source 53 to the driving gear 36 via the coupling 37, the driving gear 36 rotates. For example, the drive gear 36 is configured to rotate counterclockwise when viewed from the rear.

  Two stirring gears 38 and 40 are rotatably attached to the left and right sides of the drive gear 36 on the rear side of the housing 20 (the first end side in the axial direction of the rotating shaft 25 of the stirring screws 23 and 24).

  The agitation gears 38 and 40 are attached to the rear ends (first ends) of the rotation shafts 25 of the agitation screws 23 and 24 and mesh with the drive gear 36, respectively. The stirring gears 38 and 40 rotate following the rotation of the drive gear 36 and rotate the respective rotation shafts 25 of the stirring screws 23 and 24. For example, the agitation gears 38 and 40 are configured to rotate clockwise as viewed from the rear.

  Further, on the rear surface of the housing 20 (the outer surface on the first end side in the axial direction of the rotating shaft 25 of the stirring screws 23 and 24), the first pin 41 (first restricting portion) and the second pin 42 (second restricting portion) are provided. Part) is formed.

  The first pin 41 and the second pin 42 are provided on the left side of the stirring gears 38 and 40 and below the rotating shaft 25 of the stirring gears 38 and 40, and the rear surface of the housing 20 (the stirring screws 23 and 24 of the stirring screws 23 and 24). It is formed so as to protrude rearward from the outer surface on the first end side in the axial direction of the rotating shaft 25. The first pin 41 restricts (fixes) the movement of the toner container 10 (housing 20) in the left-right direction with respect to the printer main body 2, and the second pin 42 moves up and down of the toner container 10 (housing 20) with respect to the printer main body 2. It is provided so as to restrict (fix) the movement in the direction. For example, the container mounting portion 2a of the printer body 2 is provided with a first restriction hole 43 that is long in the vertical direction and a second restriction hole 44 that is long in the left-right direction (see FIG. 3). The first pin 41 and the second pin 42 are inserted into the first restriction hole 43 and the second restriction hole 44 of the printer body 2 respectively.

  In the present embodiment, when the toner container 10 has a frequency (frequency) of vibration generated by meshing between the drive gear 36 and the agitation gears 38 and 40 substantially matching the natural frequency at any stage of the toner container 10. Resonates. For example, when the drive gear 36 and the stirring gears 38 and 40 have 30 teeth and are rotated at a rotation speed of 30 RPM, the meshing frequency is about 15 Hz. The natural frequency of the toner container 10 is set to 21.54 Hz, 75 Hz, 191 Hz, or the like.

  Next, the control system of the printer 1 will be described with reference to FIG.

  The printer 1 is provided with a control unit 50 (CPU). The control unit 50 is connected to a storage unit 51 configured by a storage device such as a ROM and a RAM, and the control unit 50 controls each unit of the printer 1 based on a control program and control data stored in the storage unit 51. Is configured to do.

  The control unit 50 is connected to the drive control unit 52 and other units of the printer 1. The drive control unit 52 may be configured with a control program stored in the storage unit 51. In the present embodiment, description and illustration of the control of each unit of the other printer 1 by the control unit 50 are omitted.

  The drive control unit 52 is connected to the drive source 53, and controls the rotation speed of the drive gear 53 connected to the drive source 53 by controlling the rotation of the drive source 53. In particular, the drive control unit 52 controls the rotation of the drive gear 36 in the normal mode and the vibration mode. For example, the drive control unit 52 controls the drive source 53 (drive gear 36) so as to operate in the vibration mode when the printer 1 is activated. Alternatively, the drive control unit 52 may control the drive source 53 so as to operate in the vibration mode every few days.

  In the normal mode, the meshing frequency of the drive gear 36 and the stirring gears 38 and 40 is a frequency in the vicinity of the second natural frequency of the toner container 10 and is maintained at a frequency away from any of the plurality of natural frequencies. Thus, the rotation speed of the drive gear 36 is controlled.

  In the vibration mode, the rotational speed of the drive gear 36 is increased, and each time the meshing frequency of the drive gear 36 and the agitation gears 38 and 40 substantially matches the natural frequency of the plurality of stages of the toner container 10 step by step. The rotation speed of the drive gear 36 is controlled so as to be maintained for a predetermined period. For example, as shown in FIG. 11, in the vibration mode, the primary mode in which the drive gear 36 is rotated at the rotation speed Y1 (for example, the rotation speed when the meshing frequency substantially matches 21.54 Hz) for a predetermined period T1. And a secondary mode in which the drive gear 36 is rotated at a rotation speed Y2 (for example, a rotation speed when the meshing frequency substantially matches 75 Hz) for a predetermined period T2, and the drive gear 36 is rotated for a predetermined period T3. A tertiary mode of rotating at a number Y3 (for example, the rotational speed when the meshing frequency substantially matches 191 Hz) is performed stepwise.

  The meshing frequency of the drive gear 36 and the agitation gears 38 and 40 that rotate at the rotational speed Y1 of the primary mode substantially matches the first natural frequency of the toner container 10. In the primary mode, the toner container 10 is supported by the rotation center holding portion 28 and the first pin 41 and the second pin 42, and vibration is applied to the rear portion of the toner container 10 (housing 20). By resonating at one natural frequency, as shown in FIG. 8, the front portion of the toner container 10 (housing 20) rotates around the rotation center holding portion 28 and deforms.

  The meshing frequency of the drive gear 36 and the agitation gears 38 and 40 that rotate at the rotational speed Y2 in the secondary mode substantially matches the second natural frequency of the toner container 10. In this secondary mode, the toner container 10 is supported by the rotation center holding portion 28 and the first pin 41 and the second pin 42, and vibration is applied to the rear portion of the toner container 10 (housing 20). By resonating at two natural frequencies, the left portion of the toner container 10 (housing 20) is bent and deformed to the right as shown in FIG.

  The meshing frequency of the drive gear 36 and the agitation gears 38 and 40 that rotate at the rotational speed Y3 of the tertiary mode substantially matches the third natural frequency of the toner container 10. In this tertiary mode, the toner container 10 is vibrated at the rear of the toner container 10 (housing 20) while being supported by the rotation center holding portion 28 and the first pin 41 and the second pin 42. By resonating at three natural frequencies, the right portion of the toner container 10 (housing 20) is bent and deformed to the left as shown in FIG.

  According to the present embodiment, as described above, the printer 1 (image forming apparatus) includes a housing 20 that contains toner (developer) and a stirring screw that is rotatably disposed in the housing 20 and stirs the toner. A toner container 10 (developer container) including 23 and 24 (stirring member), and a drive control unit 52 that controls driving of the stirring screws 23 and 24 of the toner container 10. The toner container 10 is attached to the rear ends (first ends) of the rotating shafts 25 of the stirring screws 23 and 24, and the stirring gears 38 and 40 provided on the outer side of the housing 20, and the rear side (the stirring screws 23 and And a drive gear 36 that is provided on the outer side of the housing 20 at the first end side in the direction of the 24 rotation shafts 25 and meshes with the stirring gears 38 and 40 to rotate the stirring gears 38 and 40. . The drive control unit 52 increases the rotation speed of the drive gear 36, and each time the meshing frequency of the drive gear 36 and the stirring gears 38 and 40 substantially matches each of the natural frequencies of the plurality of stages of the toner container 10. It operates in a vibration mode that controls the rotational speed of the drive gear 36 so as to be maintained for a predetermined period.

  As a result, the printer 1 can deform the toner container 10 into different shapes at each of a plurality of stages of natural frequencies, and the deformed shape is maintained for a predetermined period. Therefore, by vibrating the wall of the toner container 10, the toner aggregated at any position in the toner container 10 can be loosened, and the toner aggregated on any wall surface of the toner container 10 can be peeled off from the wall surface. it can. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the toner from aggregating near the inner wall surface of the toner container 10 (housing 20) and to easily transport the toner without increasing the size of the apparatus or ejecting the developer to the outside.

  Note that the closer the meshing frequency and the natural frequency of the toner container 10 (housing 20) are, the more the toner container 10 can be vibrated and deformed greatly. However, if the mesh frequency and the natural frequency are maintained for a long time while being completely matched, the resonance operation of the toner container 10 becomes excessive, and the toner container 10 may be damaged in some cases. Therefore, it is preferable to shift these meshing frequencies and natural frequencies to set values that are substantially coincident (not completely coincident), have a predetermined difference, and more preferably have a difference of about ± 5 to 10%. To set. For example, the drive control unit 52 increases the rotation speed of the drive gear 36 and shifts the meshing frequency from the natural frequency (for example, 21.54 Hz, 75 Hz, or 191 Hz) of the toner container 10 (housing 20). It is good to control so that it may maintain with the value which substantially corresponds.

  Further, the printer 1 does not need to include a mechanism that vibrates the toner container 10 and a motor dedicated to vibration of the toner container 10 that drives the mechanism, and does not need to perform drive control of the motor dedicated to vibration of the toner container 10. That is, the printer 1 can be realized simply by incorporating a program for controlling the drive source 53 such as a stepping motor of the drive gear 36 that drives the stirring screws 23 and 24.

  According to the present embodiment, the toner container 10 is mounted when the toner container 10 is mounted on the container mounting portion 2a (developer container mounting portion) of the printer main body 2 in the printer 1 (image forming apparatus). A rotation center holding part 28 fixed to the part 2a is further provided. The rotation center holding part 28 is provided outside the housing 20 on the front side (second end side in the direction of the rotation shaft 25 of the stirring screws 23 and 24), and supports the housing 20 rotatably. The housing 20 has a first pin 41 (first restricting portion) that restricts the movement of the housing 20 in the left-right direction and a second pin 42 (second second) that restricts the movement of the housing 20 in the vertical direction. A regulating portion) is provided on the rear surface (the outer surface on the first end side in the direction of the rotation shaft 25 of the stirring screws 23 and 24).

  Thus, the toner container 10 (housing 20) is resonated at a predetermined natural frequency in a state where the toner container 10 (housing 20) is supported by the rotation center holding portion 28 and the first pin 41 and the second pin 42. The front part 20) can be deformed so as to rotate about the rotation center holding part 28.

  The first pin 41 and the second pin 42 are formed in a first restriction hole 43 and a second restriction hole 44 provided in the container attachment portion 2a when the toner container 10 is attached to the container attachment portion 2a of the printer main body 2. It is inserted. Since the first restriction hole 43 has a shape that is long in the vertical direction, the rear right side of the toner container 10 provided with the first pin 41 is allowed to vibrate up and down, while the second restriction hole 44 has a shape that is long in the left-right direction. Therefore, left and right vibrations are allowed on the left side of the rear portion of the toner container 10 where the second pin 42 is provided. Therefore, the resonance operation at the natural frequency of the toner container 10 can be increased. In addition, since the first restriction hole 43 and the second restriction hole 44 have shapes that are long in different directions, respectively, the toner container can be compared with a structure in which the first restriction hole 43 and the second restriction hole 44 are inserted into a simple round hole. 10 can be easily mounted.

  Further, according to the present embodiment, the drive control unit 52 operates in the vibration mode when the printer 1 is activated.

  Thereby, aggregation of toner in the toner container 10 can be prevented without affecting the normal operation of the toner container 10.

  In this embodiment, the toner container 10 has three natural frequencies, and the drive control unit 52 deforms the toner container 10 in three stages of the primary mode, the secondary mode, and the tertiary mode in the vibration mode. Although the configuration of the printer 1 is described, the configuration is not limited to this configuration. For example, in another different embodiment, the toner container 10 has two or four or more natural frequencies, and the drive control unit 52 causes the toner container 10 to be moved in two or more stages in the vibration mode. It may be deformed.

  In the present embodiment, the configuration of the printer 1 in which the drive gear 36 is driven by the drive source 53 provided in the printer 1 and the drive control unit 52 is operated by the control unit 50 provided in the printer 1 has been described. Not. For example, in another different embodiment, the drive gear 36 is driven by a drive source (not shown) provided in the toner container 10, and the drive control unit 52 is operated by a control unit (not shown) provided in the toner container 10. It may be configured as follows.

  In the present embodiment, the first pin 41 that restricts the horizontal movement of the toner container 10 is provided on the lower left side of the agitation gear 38, and the second pin 42 that restricts the vertical movement of the toner container 10 is agitated. Although the configuration of the toner container 10 provided on the lower left side of the gear 40 has been described, the configuration is not limited to this configuration. For example, in another different embodiment, a first pin 41 that restricts the movement of the toner container 10 in the left-right direction is provided on the lower left side of the stirring gear 40 and the second pin 42 that restricts the movement of the toner container 10 in the up-down direction. May be provided on the lower left side of the stirring gear 38.

  In this embodiment, the case where the configuration of the present invention is applied to the toner container 10 has been described. However, in another different embodiment, the configuration of the present invention can also be applied to other developer containers such as an intermediate hopper. is there.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the case where the configuration of the present invention is applied to the printer 1 has been described. However, in another different embodiment, the configuration of the present invention is applied to other image forming apparatuses such as a copying machine, a facsimile, and a multifunction peripheral. It is also possible to apply.

1 Printer (image forming device)
2 Printer body 10 Toner container (developer container)
20 Housing 23, 24 Stirring screw (stirring member)
25 Rotating shaft 28 Rotation center holding portion 35 Driving shaft 36 Driving gear 38, 40 Stirring gear 41 First pin (first regulating portion)
42 Second pin (second regulating part)
43 1st restriction hole 44 2nd restriction hole 50 Control part 52 Drive control part 53 Drive source

Claims (3)

A developer container comprising a housing for storing the developer and a stirring member that is rotatably disposed in the housing and stirs the developer;
A drive control unit for controlling the drive of the stirring member of the developer container,
The developer container is
A stirring gear attached to the first end of the rotating shaft of the stirring member and provided on the outside of the housing;
A drive gear provided on the outer side of the housing on the first end side in the rotational axis direction and meshing with the agitation gear to rotationally drive the agitation gear;
The drive control unit increases the number of rotations of the drive gear, and is predetermined each time the meshing frequency of the drive gear and the agitation gear substantially matches each of the natural frequencies of the plurality of stages of the developer container. An image forming apparatus having a vibration mode for controlling a rotation speed of the drive gear so that the period is maintained. When the developer container is mounted on the developer container mounting portion of the image forming apparatus, the developer container is fixed to the developer container mounting portion, and the outer side of the casing is on the second end side in the rotation axis direction of the stirring member. And a rotation center holding part that rotatably supports the casing,
The housing includes a first restricting portion that restricts movement of the housing in the left-right direction and a second restricting portion that restricts movement of the housing in the up-down direction on the first end side in the rotation axis direction. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising an outer surface. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the drive control unit operates in the vibration mode when the image forming apparatus is activated.

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