JP6398886B2 - Developer container and image forming apparatus provided with the same - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a developer container that contains a developer therein, and an image forming apparatus including the developer container.

  Conventionally, a toner container as described in Patent Documents 1 and 2 is known as a developer storage container for storing a developer therein. The toner container includes a container main body in which a toner discharge port is opened and a wall portion that moves in the container main body. As the wall moves, the toner storage space is reduced.

JP 2001-92230 A JP 2012-13786 A

  In the toner containers described in Patent Documents 1 and 2, since the wall portion moves while pressing the toner, the toner tends to adhere to the wall surface of the wall portion in layers. For this reason, there is a problem that the toner adhering to the wall surface remains without being used.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and provides a developer container in which the amount of developer remaining in the container body at the end of use is reduced, and an image forming apparatus including the developer container. The purpose is to do.

  A developer container according to an aspect of the present invention is disposed at an inner peripheral portion that defines a cylindrical inner space extending in the longitudinal direction and at one end portion in the longitudinal direction, and defines an end surface of the inner space. A first wall portion, a second wall portion which is disposed at the other end portion in the longitudinal direction and defines an end surface of the internal space, and is opened so as to communicate with the internal space, and the developer is discharged. A container main body provided with an agent discharge port, a shaft extending along the longitudinal direction in the internal space, and supported by the first wall portion and the second wall portion, and the inner portion of the container main body An outer peripheral portion that is slidably arranged in a peripheral portion, a conveyance surface that defines a storage space for storing the developer together with the inner peripheral portion of the container body, and a bearing portion through which the shaft is inserted. And the developer contained in the accommodation space is developed. Moving along the shaft in the internal space from the initial position separated from the developer discharge port to the final position near the developer discharge port from the initial position while transporting toward the discharge port. A moving wall, and a stirring member that is disposed to face the developer discharge port, is rotated about an axis of the shaft, and stirs the developer in the housing space. A rotating plate pivotally supported by a shaft, and a stirring piece including an elastically deformable tip and projecting from the rotating plate toward the moving wall, and when the moving wall reaches the final position The stirrer rotates around the axis while the tip of the stirrer rubs the transport surface of the moving wall.

  According to this configuration, according to this configuration, the outer peripheral portion of the moving wall is disposed in close contact with the inner peripheral portion of the container body. Then, as the moving wall moves along the shaft, the developer in the accommodation space is conveyed to the developer discharge port. At this time, the accommodation space is gradually reduced until the moving wall reaches the developer discharge port. As a result, the amount of developer remaining in the storage space of the container body at the end of use is reduced. Further, the developer around the developer discharge port is stirred by the stirring member. Therefore, the developer can be discharged stably from the developer discharge port. Further, when the moving wall reaches the final position, the stirring member rotates while the front end of the stirring member abuts on the conveyance surface of the moving wall. As a result, the developer adhering to the transport surface of the moving wall is scraped off by the tip of the stirring member. Therefore, at the end of use of the developer storage container, the amount of developer remaining in the storage space of the container body is reduced, and the developer can be used effectively to the end.

  In the above configuration, the moving wall includes a protrusion protruding from the transport surface toward the stirring member, and when the moving wall reaches the final position, the tip of the stirring member moves. It is desirable that the stirring member rotate around the axis while sequentially contacting the conveying surface of the wall and the protrusion.

  According to this configuration, the developer adhering to the tip is wiped off by the tip of the stirring member coming into contact with the protrusion of the moving wall. Accordingly, the amount of developer remaining in the container space is further reduced.

  Said structure WHEREIN: It is desirable for the said stirring piece to be equipped with the longitudinal shape so that it may extend along the radial direction in rotation of the said stirring member.

  According to this structure, the area where the front-end | tip part of a stirring member contacts the conveyance surface of a moving wall can be increased.

  In the above configuration, the stirring piece has a longitudinal shape so as to extend along a radial direction in the rotation of the stirring member, and the protrusion has a longitudinal shape so as to extend along the radial direction on the transport surface. It is desirable to have it.

  According to this configuration, the developer attached to the tip portion is stably wiped off by the tip portion having the longitudinal shape coming into contact with the projection portion similarly having the longitudinal shape.

  In the above configuration, the moving wall moves in a horizontal direction, the developer opening is opened at the bottom of the container body, and the protrusion is formed on the transport surface from the bearing portion to the container. It is desirable to extend in the vertical direction toward the lower end of the main body.

  According to this configuration, the developer that has been wiped off from the tip of the stirring member is prevented from flying up in the accommodation space, and the developer can be quickly discharged from the developer discharge port.

  In the above configuration, it is desirable that a plurality of the stirring pieces are arranged at intervals in the circumferential direction in the rotation of the stirring member.

  According to this configuration, the developer stored in the storage space is stably stirred by the plurality of stirring pieces. Further, the developer adhering to the transport surface of the moving wall is stably scraped off by the plurality of stirring pieces.

  An image forming apparatus according to another aspect of the present invention includes a developer container according to any one of the above, an image carrier that forms an electrostatic latent image on a peripheral surface, and carries a developer image. And a developing device that replenishes the developer from the developer container and supplies the developer to the image carrier.

  According to this configuration, at the end of use of the developer storage container, the amount of the developer remaining in the storage space of the container body is reduced, and the developer can be used effectively until the end. As a result, a developer image can be stably formed on the image carrier.

  According to the present invention, there is provided a developer storage container in which the amount of developer remaining in the container body at the end of use is reduced, and an image forming apparatus including the developer storage container.

1 is a perspective view of a state in which a part of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention is opened. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view illustrating an internal structure of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. 2A is a plan view, FIG. 2B is a front view, and FIG. 3C is a side view of a developer container according to an embodiment of the present invention. 4A and 4B are perspective views (A) and (B) of a moving wall of a developer container according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is sectional drawing of the developer storage container which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. 4A and 4B are cross-sectional views (A), (B), and (C) showing how a moving wall moves in a developer container according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is the (A) front view and (B) side view of the stirring member of the developer storage container which concern on one Embodiment of this invention. It is the (A) front view and (B) side view of the stirring member of the developer storage container which concern on deformation | transformation embodiment of this invention. 4A is a side view and FIG. 5B is a bottom view of a moving wall of a developer container according to an embodiment of the present invention.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a printer 100 (image forming apparatus) according to an embodiment of the invention. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing the internal structure of the printer 100 shown in FIG. The printer 100 as the image forming apparatus shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 is a so-called monochrome printer. However, in other embodiments, the image forming apparatus is a color printer, a facsimile machine, a multifunction machine having these functions, Another apparatus for forming a toner image on a sheet may be used. Note that the terms used in the following description, such as “up”, “down”, “front”, “rear”, “left” and “right”, are merely for the purpose of clarifying the description. There is no limitation on the principle of the image forming apparatus.

  The printer 100 includes a casing 101 that houses various apparatuses for forming an image on the sheet S. The housing 101 includes an upper wall 102 that defines the upper surface of the housing 101, a bottom wall 103 (FIG. 2) that defines the bottom surface of the housing 101, and a main body rear wall 105 between the upper wall 102 and the bottom wall 103. (FIG. 2) and a main body front wall 104 positioned in front of the main body rear wall 105. The housing 101 includes a main body internal space 107 in which various devices are arranged. A sheet conveyance path PP through which the sheet S is conveyed in a predetermined conveyance direction is extended in the main body internal space 107 of the casing 101. The printer 100 also includes an opening / closing cover 100C (FIG. 1) that is attached to the housing 101 so as to be freely opened and closed.

  The opening / closing cover 100 </ b> C includes a front wall upper portion 104 </ b> B that is an upper portion of the main body front wall 104 and an upper wall front portion 102 </ b> B that is a front portion of the upper wall 102. The opening / closing cover 100C can be opened / closed in the vertical direction with hinge shafts (not shown) arranged on the pair of arm portions 108 arranged at both ends in the left / right direction as fulcrums. In the open state of the opening / closing cover 100C, the upper part of the main body internal space 107 is opened to the outside. On the other hand, in the closed state of the opening / closing cover 100C, the upper portion of the main body internal space 107 is closed.

  A paper discharge unit 102 </ b> A is disposed at the center of the upper wall 102. The paper discharge unit 102 </ b> A includes an inclined surface that is inclined downward from the front portion to the rear portion of the upper wall 102. The sheet S on which an image is formed in the image forming unit 120 described later is discharged to the paper discharge unit 102A. In addition, a manual feed tray 104 </ b> A is disposed at the center in the vertical direction of the main body front wall 104. The manual feed tray 104A is rotatable up and down with the lower end as a fulcrum (arrow DT in FIG. 2).

  Referring to FIG. 2, the printer 100 includes a cassette 110, a pickup roller 112, a first paper feed roller 113, a second paper feed roller 114, a transport roller 115, a registration roller pair 116, and an image forming unit. 120 and a fixing device 130.

  The cassette 110 accommodates the sheet S inside. The cassette 110 includes a lift plate 111. The lift plate 111 is inclined so as to push up the leading edge of the sheet S. The cassette 110 can be pulled forward with respect to the housing 101. The pickup roller 112 is disposed on the leading edge of the sheet S pushed up by the lift plate 111. When the pickup roller 112 rotates, the sheet S is pulled out from the cassette 110.

  The first paper feed roller 113 is disposed downstream of the pickup roller 112 and sends the sheet S further downstream. The second paper feed roller 114 is disposed on the inner side (rear side) of the fulcrum of the manual feed tray 104A, and draws the sheet S on the manual feed tray 104A into the housing 101. The transport roller 115 is disposed downstream (hereinafter also simply referred to as downstream) of the first paper feed roller 113 in the sheet transport direction (hereinafter also simply referred to as transport direction). The transport roller 115 transports the sheet S sent out by the first paper feed roller 113 and the second paper feed roller 114 further downstream.

  The registration roller pair 116 has a function of correcting the oblique conveyance of the sheet S. Thereby, the position of the image formed on the sheet S is adjusted. The registration roller pair 116 supplies the sheet S to the image forming unit 120 in accordance with the timing of image formation by the image forming unit 120.

  The image forming unit 120 includes a photosensitive drum 121 (image carrier), a charger 122, an exposure device 123, a developing device 20, a toner container 30 (developer storage container), a transfer roller 126, and a cleaning device. 127.

  The photosensitive drum 121 has a cylindrical shape. The photosensitive drum 121 has a peripheral surface on which an electrostatic latent image is formed, and carries a toner image (developer image) corresponding to the electrostatic latent image on the peripheral surface. The charger 122 is applied with a predetermined voltage and charges the peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum 121 substantially uniformly.

  The exposure device 123 irradiates the peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum 121 charged by the charger 122 with laser light. The laser light is emitted in accordance with image data output from an external device (not shown) such as a personal computer connected to the printer 100 so as to be communicable. As a result, an electrostatic latent image corresponding to the image data is formed on the peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum 121.

  The developing device 20 supplies toner to the peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum 121 on which the electrostatic latent image is formed. The toner container 30 stores supply toner therein and supplies the toner to the developing device 20. The toner container 30 is detachably disposed in the housing 101 with respect to the developing device 20. When the developing device 20 supplies toner to the photosensitive drum 121, the electrostatic latent image formed on the peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum 121 is developed (visualized). As a result, a toner image (developer image) is formed on the peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum 121.

  The transfer roller 126 is disposed below the photosensitive drum 121 so as to face the photosensitive drum 121 with the sheet conveyance path PP interposed therebetween. The transfer roller 126 forms a transfer nip portion with the photosensitive drum 121 and transfers the toner image onto the sheet S. The cleaning device 127 removes the toner remaining on the peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum 121 after the toner image is transferred to the sheet S.

  The fixing device 130 is disposed downstream of the image forming unit 120 in the transport direction, and fixes the toner image on the sheet S. The fixing device 130 includes a heating roller 131 that melts the toner on the sheet S and a pressure roller 132 that causes the sheet S to adhere to the heating roller 131.

  The printer 100 further includes a transport roller pair 133 disposed downstream of the fixing device 130 and a discharge roller pair 134 disposed downstream of the transport roller pair 133. The sheet S is conveyed upward by the conveyance roller pair 133 and is finally discharged from the housing 101 by the discharge roller pair 134. The sheets S discharged from the housing 101 are stacked on the paper discharge unit 102A.

  Furthermore, the printer 100 includes a transmission / reception unit 100V (FIG. 2). The transmission / reception unit 100V writes various information of the toner container 30 to the storage unit 30V described later, and reads the information from the storage unit 30V. RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) technology is applied to the transmission / reception unit 100V, and reading and writing to the storage unit 30V are possible. The various information of the toner container 30 to be read and written includes the usage history of the toner container 30, the position information of the moving wall 34 described later, and the remaining amount information of the toner.

<About toner container structure>
Next, a toner container 30 (developer container) according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 3A is a plan view of the toner container 30, FIG. 3B is a front view thereof, and FIG. 3C is a side view thereof. FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the moving wall 34 of the toner container 30 (A) and (B). FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the toner container 30.

  The toner container 30 has a substantially cylindrical shape. The toner container 30 stores supply toner (developer) therein. 3 to 5, the toner container 30 includes a container main body 31 (container main body), a stirring member 32, a shaft 33, a moving wall 34, a lid portion 37 (second wall portion), and rotation. A gear 38 and a cover 39 are provided.

  The container main body 31 is a main body portion of the toner container 30 having a substantially cylindrical shape. The container main body 31 includes an inner peripheral portion 31K and an internal space 31H (FIG. 5). The inner peripheral portion 31K is an inner peripheral surface of the container main body 31, and defines an internal space 31H extending in a cylindrical shape along the longitudinal direction of the toner container 30 (first direction, arrow DA direction in FIG. 5). Yes.

  3 and 5, the container body 31 includes a bottom 311, a top plate 312, a front wall 313, a rear wall 314, a left wall 315 (first wall portion), a flange portion 316, Is provided. The bottom portion 311 is a bottom portion of the container body 31 and has a semicylindrical shape protruding downward. The front wall 313 and the rear wall 314 are a pair of side walls erected upward from the side end of the bottom portion 311. The top plate 312 is disposed above the bottom portion 311 and covers the upper portion of the internal space 31H. The left wall 315 is a wall portion that is connected to the left end side of the bottom portion 311, the front wall 313, the rear wall 314, and the top plate 312 and closes the container body 31. The internal space 31H is formed by a lid portion 37 described later in addition to the bottom portion 311, the top plate 312, the front wall 313, the rear wall 314, and the left wall 315. Further, in the internal space 31H, a region between the left wall 315 and the moving wall 34 described later is an accommodation space 31S (FIG. 5). The accommodation space 31 </ b> S is a space in which the toner is accommodated inside the toner container 30.

  In addition, as shown in FIG. 5, the right end side of the container main body 31 is opened. The flange portion 316 is an area where the outer diameter of the right end portion of the container main body 31 is enlarged while forming the opening. A lid portion 37 is attached to the flange portion 316.

  The container body 31 includes a shutter (not shown), a toner discharge port 319 (developer discharge port), and a main body bearing portion 31J (FIG. 5). The shutter is disposed on the outer wall of the left end portion of the container main body 31. The shutter is slidable along the left-right direction. The shutter closes (seals) the toner discharge port 319 from the outside of the container main body 31 and exposes the toner discharge port 319 to the outside.

  Referring to FIG. 5, main body bearing portion 31 </ b> J is a bearing disposed on left wall 315. The main body bearing portion 31J includes a shaft hole 31J1 therein. The shaft hole 31J1 rotatably supports the shaft 33.

  The toner discharge port 319 is an opening that communicates with the internal space 31 </ b> H (the accommodation space 31 </ b> S) and opens at the bottom 311 of the container main body 31. As shown in FIG. 5, the toner discharge port 319 is opened with a rectangular shape at the left end portion of the internal space 31 </ b> H of the container body 31. The toner discharge port 319 is disposed above the lower end portion of the cylindrical bottom portion 311 of the container main body 31 by a predetermined height. The toner discharge port 319 is located below the shaft 33 (see FIG. 5). The toner stored in the storage space 31S is discharged from the toner discharge port 319 toward the developing device 20.

  The stirring member 32 (FIG. 5) is disposed along the left wall 315 so as to face the moving wall 34 at the left end portion of the accommodation space 31S. Further, the agitating member 32 is disposed so as to face the toner discharge port 319 in the vertical direction. The stirring member 32 is fixed to the left end portion of the shaft 33 and rotates integrally with the shaft 33 around the axis of the shaft 33. The stirring member 32 rotates in the rotation direction from the lower end portion of the container main body 31 toward the toner discharge port 319. The agitating member 32 has a function of agitating the toner around the toner discharge port 319 in the accommodation space 31S. The stirring member 32 has a shape in which a plurality of blade members protrude rightward from the disk member. The structure of the stirring member 32 will be described in detail later.

  The shaft 33 (FIG. 5) is rotatably supported by the container body 31 and the lid portion 37 so as to extend in the left-right direction in the internal space 31H. The shaft 33 includes a first shaft end portion 331, a second shaft end portion 332, a male spiral portion 333, and a moving wall stop portion 334.

  The first shaft end 331 is the right end of the shaft 33. The first shaft end portion 331 is pivotally supported by the lid shaft hole portion 37J of the lid portion 37. The second shaft end 332 is the left end of the shaft 33. The second shaft end portion 332 is pivotally supported on the main body bearing portion 31J (FIG. 5). The male spiral portion 333 is a spiral thread portion (engagement portion) formed along the left-right direction on the outer peripheral surface of the shaft 33 in the internal space 31H. In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 5, the male spiral portion 333 is disposed from the region of the shaft 33 facing the flange portion 316 to the region facing the right end of the toner discharge port 319. The moving wall stop 334 is arranged on the left side of the male spiral 333. The moving wall stop portion 334 is a region of only the shaft portion of the shaft 33 where the male spiral portion 333 is not disposed. The moving wall stop 334 is disposed above the toner discharge port 319.

  The moving wall 34 is a wall portion that faces in the left-right direction and extends in the up-down direction in the internal space 31H of the container main body 31. The moving wall 34 defines one end face (right end face) of the accommodation space 31S. The other end surface (left end surface) of the accommodation space 31S is defined by the left wall 315 and the stirring member 32. In addition, the moving wall 34 moves from the initial position on the right end side in the internal space 31H while conveying the toner in the storage space 31S toward the toner discharge port 319 from the start of use of the toner container 30 to the end of use. It moves in the horizontal direction along the shaft 33 to the final position on the left end side. In the present embodiment, the moving wall 34 can be moved leftward or rightward along the shaft 33 by the drive unit 52 (FIG. 3B).

  Referring to FIGS. 4A and 4B, the moving wall 34 includes a transfer wall portion 340, an outer peripheral wall portion 341, an inner wall seal 342, a shaft seal 343, a supply hole cap 344, and an outer peripheral portion 34K. And comprising.

  The transfer wall portion 340 is a wall portion that defines the accommodation space 31 </ b> S together with the inner peripheral portion 31 </ b> K of the container main body 31. In particular, the transport wall 340 includes a transport surface 340 </ b> S perpendicular to the shaft 33. The conveyance surface 340 </ b> S conveys the toner in the accommodation space 31 </ b> S while pressing the toner in accordance with the movement of the moving wall 34. The transport wall 340 further includes a bearing portion 340A, a toner supply hole 340B, and a cylindrical portion 340C. The bearing portion 340 </ b> A is a bearing portion formed at a substantially central portion of the transport wall portion 340. The bearing portion 340 </ b> A moves along the left-right direction while holding the moving wall 34. The aforementioned shaft 33 is inserted through the bearing portion 340A. The toner replenishing hole 340B is formed above the bearing portion 340A so as to penetrate the conveyance wall portion 340 along the left-right direction. When the moving wall 34 is attached to the container main body 31, the toner supply hole 340B communicates with the accommodation space 31S. When the toner container 30 is manufactured, the replenishment toner is filled into the accommodation space 31S from the toner replenishment hole 340B.

  The cylindrical portion 340 </ b> C is a cylindrical portion that protrudes rightward from a surface of the conveying wall portion 340 opposite to the conveying surface 340 </ b> S. The cylindrical portion 340C forms a part of the bearing portion 340A. The cylindrical portion 340C includes a female spiral portion 340D. The female spiral portion 340D is a helical thread portion (engagement portion) that protrudes from the inner peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion 340C. The female spiral portion 340D has a function of moving the moving wall 34 in the left-right direction by engaging with (engaging with) the male spiral portion 333 of the shaft 33.

  The outer peripheral wall portion 341 protrudes from the outer peripheral edge of the transfer wall portion 340 toward the side opposite to the accommodation space 31 </ b> S, that is, toward the upstream side in the moving direction of the moving wall 34. The outer peripheral wall portion 341 is disposed to face the inner peripheral portion 31K of the container main body 31.

  The inner wall seal 342 is a seal member that is disposed so as to cover the periphery of the outer peripheral wall portion 341 on the conveying wall portion 340 side of the outer peripheral wall portion 341. The inner wall seal 342 is compressed and deformed between the inner peripheral portion 31 </ b> K of the container body 31 and the moving wall 34. Further, the inner wall seal 342 forms the outer peripheral portion 34K of the moving wall 34. The outer peripheral portion 34K is disposed in close contact with the inner peripheral portion 31K of the container main body 31 so as to be slidable. The inner wall seal 342 prevents the toner in the accommodation space 31S from flowing out between the inner peripheral portion 31K of the container body 31 and the moving wall 34 to the upstream side in the moving direction from the moving wall 34.

  The shaft seal 343 is disposed on the front end side in the moving direction of the moving wall 34 with respect to the female spiral portion 340D in the bearing portion 340A (FIG. 5). The shaft seal 343 comes into contact with the male spiral portion 333 of the shaft 33 as the moving wall 34 moves. At this time, the shaft seal 343 contacts the male spiral portion 333 prior to the female spiral portion 340D, and cleans the toner attached to the male spiral portion 333. Accordingly, the male spiral portion 333 engages with the female spiral portion 340D in a state where the toner is substantially removed from the male spiral portion 333. For this reason, toner is prevented from aggregating between the male spiral portion 333 and the female spiral portion 340D, and the movement of the moving wall 34 is stably realized. Further, since the shaft seal 343 has a ring shape, the shaft seal 343 is in close contact with the shaft 33 over the entire circumferential direction of the shaft 33. For this reason, the toner in the accommodation space 31S is prevented from flowing out to the upstream side in the moving direction from the moving wall 34 through the bearing portion 340A.

  As shown in FIG. 4B, the replenishing hole cap 344 is attached to the toner replenishing hole 340B via the inside of the outer peripheral wall portion 341, and seals the toner replenishing hole 340B. After the replenishment toner is filled into the accommodation space 31S from the toner replenishment hole 340B, the replenishment hole cap 344 is attached to the toner replenishment hole 340B. As a result, the toner is prevented from leaking from the toner supply hole 340B.

  The lid portion 37 (FIGS. 3B and 5) is fixed to the flange portion 316 of the container main body 31 and seals the opening of the container main body 31. As a result, the lid portion 37 becomes a part of the container main body 31, and demarcates the right end surface of the internal space 31H. The lid part 37 includes a lid shaft hole part 37J (FIG. 5). The lid shaft hole portion 37J rotatably supports the first shaft end portion 331 side of the shaft 33 in a rotatable manner.

  The rotation gear 38 is a gear fixed to the first shaft end portion 331 on the lid portion 37 side of the shaft 33. The tip end portion of the first shaft end portion 331 has a D-surface shape in a cross-sectional view intersecting the axial direction, and a D hole (not shown) that engages with the D-surface shape is opened at the center of the rotary gear 38. Yes. As a result, the rotary gear 38 can rotate together with the shaft 33. The rotation gear 38 is connected to a drive unit 52 disposed in the developing device 20. When the rotational driving force is transmitted from the driving unit 52, the rotating gear 38 rotates the shaft 33, moves the moving wall 34 in the left-right direction, and rotates the stirring member 32.

  The cover 39 is a cover member disposed at the right end portion of the toner container 30. Referring to FIG. 3C, the cover 39 has a shape that covers the semicircular portion of the rotating gear 38. In other words, when the cover 39 is fixed to the container main body 31 via the lid portion 37, the semicircular portion of the rotation gear 38 is exposed to the outside of the toner container 30. After the stirring member 32, the shaft 33, and the moving wall 34 are disposed in the internal space 31H of the container main body 31, the container main body 31, the lid portion 37, the rotation gear 38, and the cover 39 include a plurality of screws 40 (FIG. 3C). ).

  Further, the toner container 30 includes a toner sensor 31T (detection sensor) (FIG. 3B). The toner sensor 31 </ b> T is a sensor disposed on the bottom 311 of the container main body 31. The toner sensor 31T is disposed at the lower end portion of the bottom portion 311 along the cylindrical surface of the bottom portion 311. Further, the toner sensor 31T is disposed adjacent to the toner discharge port 319 in the circumferential direction. In the present embodiment, as described above, the toner discharge port 319 is disposed at a position shifted upward from the lower end portion of the bottom portion 311. Therefore, the toner sensor 31T can be arranged around the lower end portion of the bottom portion 311.

  The toner sensor 31T is a sensor composed of a magnetic permeability sensor or a piezoelectric element. When the toner sensor 31T is made of a piezoelectric element, the sensor portion of the toner sensor 31T is exposed in the accommodation space 31S. The toner sensor 31T transmits an output signal to the control unit 50 described later according to the presence or absence of toner around the toner discharge port 319. Specifically, the toner sensor 31T outputs a HIGH signal (+ 5V) when pressed by the toner in the accommodation space 31S. When no toner is present directly below the toner sensor 31T, the toner sensor 31T outputs a LOW signal (0 V). The output signal of the toner sensor 31T is referred to by the control unit 50. When the toner sensor 31T is a magnetic permeability sensor, it is not necessary for the sensor to directly contact the toner. Therefore, in another embodiment, the toner sensor 31T may be disposed on the housing 101 side of the printer 100 so as to face the outer wall of the container body 31. Further, the arrangement of the toner sensor 31T is not limited to the bottom 311. In another embodiment, the toner sensor may be disposed on any of the top plate 312, the front wall 313, and the rear wall 314 of the container main body 31, and faces the housing 101 on either side of the wall. May be.

  Further, the toner container 30 includes a storage unit 30V (FIGS. 3A and 3B). The storage unit 30V is attached to the top board 312. The storage unit 30V is an RF tag applied to RFID technology. The storage unit 30V stores history information related to the usage history of the toner container 30, position information of the moving wall 34, and remaining toner information.

<About the structure of the stirring member>
FIG. 6 is a front view (A) and a side view (B) of the stirring member 32. 6B corresponds to a view of the stirring member 32 as viewed from the moving wall 34 side. The stirring member 32 includes a disk 320 (rotary plate) and a stirring blade 321 (stirring piece). The disk 320 is a disk member having a predetermined thickness. The disk 320 includes a disk shaft hole 320J. The second shaft end portion 332 of the shaft 33 is inserted into and fixed to the disc shaft hole 320J. As a result, the stirring member 32 is supported by the shaft 33. The stirring blade 321 is a projecting piece projecting from the disk 320 toward the moving wall 34. A plurality (six in this embodiment) of stirring blades 321 are arranged at intervals in the circumferential direction in the rotation of the stirring member 32. Each stirring blade 321 has a longitudinal shape so as to extend along the radial direction in the rotation of the stirring member 32. As a result, as shown in FIG. 6B, the plurality of stirring blades 321 extend in a point-symmetric manner and radially about the disc shaft hole 320J.

  Further, each stirring blade 321 includes an elastic part 322. The elastic part 322 is a tip part of the stirring blade 321 (the right end part of the stirring member 32 in FIG. 5) and is made of a rubber member that can be elastically deformed. In addition, the part except the elastic part 322 among the disk 320 and the stirring blade 321 consists of resin materials.

<Toner container functions>
As described above, the toner container 30 can be attached to and detached from the developing device 20 provided in the housing 101. With reference to FIG. 1, when the opening / closing cover 100 </ b> C of the housing 101 is opened upward, the container housing portion 109 which is a part of the main body internal space 107 is exposed to the outside of the housing 101. The container housing portion 109 is formed on the upper surface portion of the developing device 20. In the present embodiment, the toner container 30 is mounted on the container housing portion 109 from above. At this time, the cover 39 of the toner container 30 is disposed on the right side portion of the container housing portion 109, and the left wall 315 of the toner container 30 is disposed on the left side portion of the container housing portion 109.

  The printer 100 further includes a control unit 50 and a drive unit 52 in the housing 101 (FIG. 3B).

  The control unit 50 controls the drive unit 52 to control the movement of the moving wall 34 and the rotation of the stirring member 32. The driving unit 52 is a motor that generates a driving force required for moving the moving wall 34 and rotating the stirring member 32. When the toner container 30 is attached to the container housing portion 109 (FIG. 1), the driving portion 52 is connected to the above-described rotating gear 38. As a result, the rotational driving force generated by the drive unit 52 is transmitted from the rotary gear 38 to the shaft 33. As a result, the moving wall 34 is moved along the first direction (arrow DA in FIG. 5) along the shaft 33 by the engagement (meshing) of the male spiral portion 333 and the female spiral portion 340D in FIG. Further, the stirring member 32 rotates together with the shaft 33 in the accommodation space 31S.

  When the toner container 30 is mounted in the container housing portion 109, the shutter is slid by the user or by an unillustrated opening / closing mechanism, and the toner discharge port 319 is opened. As a result, the toner discharge port 319 is disposed to face the upper side of the toner supply port 25. A partition wall (not shown) is disposed between the toner discharge port 319 and the toner supply port 25, and all the toner that has dropped from the toner discharge port 319 flows into the toner supply port 25.

  FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view (A), (B), and (C) showing how the moving wall 34 moves in the toner container 30. FIG. 7A shows a state in which the moving wall 34 is arranged at the initial position, and FIG. 7B shows a state in which the moving wall 34 has moved in the first direction from the initial position. FIG. 7C shows a state where the moving wall 34 is arranged at the final position. As shown in FIG. 7A, the initial position of the moving wall 34 is a position spaced to the right from the toner discharge port 319, and the moving wall 34 is arranged along the lid portion 37. Further, as shown in FIG. 7C, the final position of the moving wall 34 is disposed so as to face the toner discharge port 319. In another embodiment, the final position of the moving wall 319 may be set in advance so that the moving wall 34 stops immediately before the toner discharge port 319.

  Even when the storage space 31S is fully filled with toner when the toner container 30 is manufactured, a small space remains in the storage space 31S. When the use of the toner container 30 is started, the above space is required in order to impart a predetermined fluidity to the toner stored in the storage space 31S.

  For this reason, when a new toner container 30 is mounted on the printer 100, the control unit 50 (FIG. 3B) provided in the printer 100 drives the drive unit 52 for a predetermined time, and the shaft via the rotation gear 38. 33 is driven to rotate. As a result, the moving wall 34 moves toward the toner discharge port 319 along the first direction by the engagement of the male spiral portion 333 and the female spiral portion 340D (see arrow DA in FIG. 5).

  When toner flows into the developing device 20 from the toner discharge port 319 through the toner replenishment port 25, the toner in the region facing the toner sensor 31T disappears in the accommodation space 31S of the toner container 30. Is output. In response to the signal, the control unit 50 drives the drive unit 52 to move the moving wall 34 toward the toner discharge port 319 until the toner sensor 31T outputs a HIGH signal.

  In the present embodiment, as the shaft 33 rotates, the stirring disk 32 disposed at the left end of the accommodation space 31S rotates with the shaft 33 (arrow D71 in FIG. 6B). In particular, by rotating a plurality of stirring blades 321 (FIG. 6A), the toner around the toner discharge port 319 can be actively stirred. At this time, the rotation of the stirring blade 321 can push up the toner positioned at the lower end of the bottom 311 of the container main body 31 toward the toner discharge port 319. Therefore, even when the toner discharge port 319 is disposed above the lower end portion of the container main body 31 as shown in FIG. 5, the toner around the lower end portion of the container main body 31 can be efficiently discharged. it can. For this reason, compared with the case where the toner is discharged only by the conveying force of the moving wall 34, the toner is prevented from aggregating (locking) around the toner discharge port 319.

  If the toner in the accommodation space 31S of the toner container 30 continues to be used, the moving wall 34 eventually reaches the final position shown in FIG. As described above, the toner container 30 according to this embodiment includes the moving wall stop 334 (FIG. 5). The moving wall stop portion 334 is a region where the male spiral portion 333 is not disposed in the shaft 33 and is disposed to face the toner discharge port 319. Therefore, immediately before the moving wall 34 reaches the final position in FIG. 7C, the female spiral portion 340D (FIG. 5) of the moving wall 34 is detached from the male spiral portion 333, and the moving wall stop portion 334 is moved to the moving wall stop portion 334. Opposed to each other. In other words, once the moving wall 34 is disposed at the final position in FIG. 7C, the female spiral portion 340D and the male spiral portion 333 are prevented from engaging again. As a result, even if the rotation gear 38 is rotated in the reverse direction, the moving wall 34 does not move backward toward the lid portion 37 side.

  In this manner, the moving wall 34 gradually moves along the first direction, whereby the toner in the accommodation space 31S is conveyed to the toner discharge port 319 while being pressed by the moving wall 34. At this time, the accommodation space 31S is gradually reduced until the moving wall 34 reaches the toner discharge port 319. Therefore, the space where the toner remains is gradually lost in the toner container 30. At the final position shown in FIG. 7C, the moving wall 34 comes into contact with the stirring disk 32, and the accommodation space 31S is almost lost. As a result, the amount of toner remaining in the storage space 31S of the container body 31 at the end of use is reduced.

  When the moving wall 34 reaches the final position facing the toner discharge port 319, the stirring member 32 rotates around the axis of the shaft 33 while the elastic portion 322 of the stirring member 32 abuts on the conveyance surface 340 </ b> S of the moving wall 34. Therefore, a slight amount of toner remaining between the conveyance surface 340 </ b> S and the disk 320 is discharged from the toner discharge port 319 by the rotation of the stirring blade 321. Therefore, the toner in the toner container 30 can be discharged efficiently.

  Further, the elastic portion 322 is rotated so as to wipe the toner from the conveyance surface 340S by rubbing and rubbing on the conveyance surface 340S. As described above, in this embodiment, the toner attached to the conveyance surface 340 </ b> S of the moving wall 34 is scraped off by the elastic portion 322 of the stirring member 32. Therefore, at the end of use of the toner container 30, the amount of toner remaining in the storage space 31S of the container body 31 is reduced, and the toner can be used effectively until the end. Further, although the usable toner layer is formed on the transport surface 340S, the toner sensor 31T is prevented from outputting the toner end information.

  The stirring blade 321 including the elastic portion 322 has a longitudinal shape so as to extend along the radial direction in the rotation of the stirring member 32. For this reason, the area where the elastic part 322 of the stirring member 32 contacts the transport surface 340 </ b> S of the moving wall 34 can be increased. Further, since a plurality of stirring blades 321 are arranged at intervals in the circumferential direction, the toner adhering to the conveyance surface 340S of the moving wall 34 is stably scraped off by the elastic portions 322 of the plurality of stirring blades 321.

  As described above, the toner container 30 and the printer 100 including the toner container 30 according to the embodiment of the present invention have been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and for example, the following modified embodiment can be adopted. .

  (1) In the above embodiment, the printer 100 has been described as a monochrome printer, but the present invention is not limited to this. In particular, when the printer 100 is a tandem color printer, after the opening / closing cover 100C (FIG. 1) of the printer 100 is opened, the toner containers 30 are adjacent to each other corresponding to a plurality of colors of toner from above. It may be attached to the housing 101.

  (2) In the above embodiment, the toner container 30 is mounted on the printer 100 along the longitudinal direction of the developing device 20. However, the present invention is not limited to this. The toner container 30 may be mounted along a direction that intersects the longitudinal direction of the developing device 20.

  (3) In the above embodiment, the stirring member 32 is disposed along the left wall 315 and the moving wall 34 is moved from the lid portion 37 side toward the left wall 315 side. The invention is not limited to this. In another modified embodiment, the agitation member 32 may be disposed on the lid portion 37 side, and the moving wall 34 previously disposed at the initial position along the left wall 315 may move to the lid portion 37 side. In this case, the toner discharge port 319 may be opened near the flange portion 316 in the container main body 31.

  (4) In the above embodiment, as illustrated in FIGS. 6A and 6B, the embodiment has been described in which the elastic portions 322 are disposed at the tips of the plurality of stirring blades 321, respectively. Is not limited to this. 8A is a front view and FIG. 8B is a side view of a stirring member 32A according to a modified embodiment of the present invention. In this modified embodiment, the arrangement of the elastic portion 322 is different from that of the previous embodiment, and therefore only the difference will be described and description of other common points will be omitted.

  As shown in FIGS. 8A and 8B, in the present modified embodiment, the stirring member 32 </ b> A includes stirring blades 321 and 323 that protrude from the disk 320. The stirring member 32A is rotated in the direction of arrow D72 in FIG. An elastic part 322 is provided at the tip of the stirring blade 321. On the other hand, the five stirring blades 323 other than the stirring blades 321 are not provided with the elastic portion 322. Even with such a configuration, when the moving wall 34 reaches the final position (FIG. 7C), the elastic portion 322 can scrape and drop the toner adhering to the conveyance surface 340S of the moving wall 34. .

  (5) In the above-described embodiment, the transport surface 340S has been described as a plane portion perpendicular to the shaft 33. However, the present invention is not limited to this. FIG. 9 is a (A) side view and (B) bottom view of a moving wall 34A according to another modified embodiment of the present invention. In this modified embodiment, the moving wall 34A is different from the previous embodiment in that the moving wall 34A includes the protruding portion 345. Therefore, only the difference will be described and description of other common points will be omitted. FIG. 9A is a view of the moving wall 34A as viewed from the stirring member 32 (FIG. 5) side of the accommodation space 31S. FIG. 9B is a view of the moving wall 34A of FIG. 9A viewed from below.

  In the present modified embodiment, the moving wall 34 </ b> A includes a protrusion 345. The protruding portion 345 protrudes from the transport surface 340 </ b> S toward the stirring member 32. In particular, the protrusion 345 has a longitudinal shape so as to extend along the radial direction in the rotation of the stirring member 32 on the transport surface 340S. 9A, the protrusion 345 extends in the vertical direction from the bearing 340A toward the lower end of the container main body 31 on the transport surface 340S. Further, as shown in FIG. 9B, the protrusion 345 has a right triangle shape in cross-sectional view, and the rotation direction of the stirring blade 321 (see FIGS. 6A and 6B) of the stirring member 32 (see FIG. 9B). It has an upwardly inclined shape along the arrow D91 in FIG. 9A and the arrow D92 in FIG. 9B.

  According to such a configuration, when the moving wall 34A reaches the final position (FIG. 7C), the elastic portion 322 of the stirring member 32 sequentially contacts the transport surface 340S and the protruding portion 345 of the moving wall 34A. The stirring member 32 rotates. For this reason, when the elastic part 322 is detached from the apex of the protruding part 345, the elastic part 322 is repelled. As a result, the toner adhering to the elastic part 322 of the elastic part 322 is removed by the protrusion 345. Accordingly, the amount of toner remaining in the accommodation space 31S of the toner container 30 is further reduced. Note that the shape of the protrusion 345 is not limited to the above. The protruding portion 345 may have an inclined shape that descends forward along the rotation direction of the stirring member 32. In this case, when the elastic part 322 contacts the apex of the protrusion part 345, the protrusion part 345 has a function of scraping off the toner attached to the elastic part 322.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 6B, the elastic part 322 having a longitudinal shape in the radial direction comes into contact with the protruding part 345 having the same longitudinal shape, so that the toner attached to the elastic part 322 is stabilized. Will be dismissed. Further, the protrusion 345 is formed to extend in the vertical direction below the bearing portion 340A. For this reason, the toner removed from the elastic portion 322 of the stirring member 32 is prevented from flying up in the accommodation space 31S, and the toner can be quickly discharged from the toner discharge port 319 (FIG. 5). Further, the toner removed from the elastic portion 322 is prevented from entering the bearing portion 340A.

100 Printer (image forming device)
100V transceiver 101 housing 121 photoconductor drum (image carrier)
126 Transfer roller 20 Developing device 30 Toner container (developer container)
30V storage unit 31 Container body (container body)
311 Bottom 312 Top plate 313 Front wall 314 Rear wall 315 Left wall (first wall)
319 Toner outlet (developer outlet)
31H Internal space 31K Inner circumference 31S Storage space 31T Toner sensor 32 Stirring member 320 Disk (rotary plate)
321 and 323 Agitation blades 322 Elastic part 33 Shaft 34 Moving wall 340A Bearing part 340A
340S Conveying surface 345 Protruding part 37 Lid part (second wall part)
50 Control unit 52 Drive unit

Claims (3)

An inner peripheral portion defining an internal space extending in a cylindrical shape along the longitudinal direction, a first wall portion disposed at one end portion in the longitudinal direction and defining an end surface of the internal space, and the other end in the longitudinal direction A container body comprising: a second wall portion that is disposed in a portion and defines an end surface of the internal space; and a developer discharge port that is open to communicate with the internal space and discharges the developer;
A shaft extending along the longitudinal direction in the internal space and pivotally supported by the first wall portion and the second wall portion;
An outer peripheral portion that is slidably disposed in close contact with the inner peripheral portion of the container main body, a conveyance surface that defines an accommodation space in which the developer is stored together with the inner peripheral portion of the container main body, and the shaft From the initial position separated from the developer discharge port, while transporting the developer stored in the storage space toward the developer discharge port, from the initial position. A moving wall that moves along the shaft in the internal space to a final position in the vicinity of the developer discharge port;
An agitating member that is disposed to face the developer discharge port, is rotated about the axis of the shaft, and agitates the developer in the accommodation space;
Have
The stirring member is
A rotating plate pivotally supported on the shaft;
A stirring piece that includes an elastically deformable tip and protrudes from the rotary plate toward the moving wall;
The moving wall includes a protrusion protruding from the transport surface toward the stirring member,
When the moving wall reaches the final position, the agitating member rotates around the axis while the tip of the agitating member sequentially contacts the transport surface and the protrusion of the moving wall,
The stirring piece has a longitudinal shape so as to extend along a radial direction in the rotation of the stirring member,
The protrusion has a longitudinal shape so as to extend along the radial direction on the transport surface,
The moving wall moves along a horizontal direction;
The developer discharge port is opened at the bottom of the container body,
The developer container according to claim 1, wherein the protrusion extends in a vertical direction from the bearing portion toward a lower end portion of the container body on the transport surface. The stirring piece, the developer container according to claim 1, characterized in that a plurality of circumferentially spaced in the rotation of the stirring member. The developer container according to claim 1 or 2 ,
An electrostatic latent image is formed on the peripheral surface, and an image carrier that carries a developer image;
A developing device that replenishes the developer from the developer container and supplies the developer to the image carrier;
An image forming apparatus comprising: