JP6444484B2 - Developer supply container - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a developer supply container detachably mountable to a developer replenishing device. The developer supply container can be used in , for example, an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine, a facsimile machine, a printer, and a multifunction machine having a plurality of these functions.

  Conventionally, a fine powder developer is used in an electrophotographic image forming apparatus such as a copying machine. Such an image forming apparatus is configured to replenish the developer that is consumed in the image formation from the developer replenishing container.

  As such a conventional developer replenishment container, for example, the apparatus described in Patent Document 1 employs a system in which developer is collectively dropped from the developer replenishment container to the image forming apparatus. Specifically, the developer can be replenished without leaving the developer from the developer supply container to the image forming apparatus even in a situation where the developer contained in the developer supply container is hardened. A part of the supply container has a bellows shape. In other words, a configuration in which the bellows-like portion is expanded and contracted (reciprocated) by pressing the developer supply container several times by the user in order to discharge the developer solidified in the developer supply container to the image forming apparatus side. It has become.

  As described above, the apparatus described in Patent Document 1 has a configuration in which an operation for expanding and contracting the bellows-like portion of the developer supply container must be manually performed by the user.

  On the other hand, the apparatus described in Patent Document 2 employs a system in which developer is automatically sucked from a developer supply container to an image forming apparatus using a pump. Specifically, an air supply pump is provided together with a suction pump on the image forming apparatus main body side, and a nozzle having a suction port and an air supply port respectively connected to these pumps is inserted into the developer supply container. (See FIG. 5 of Patent Document 2). Then, the air supply operation to the developer supply container and the suction operation from the developer supply container are alternately performed through the nozzles inserted into the developer supply container. In Patent Document 2, it is stated that the developer is fluidized when the air fed into the developer supply container by the air supply pump passes through the developer layer in the developer supply container. Yes.

Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 63-6464 JP 2002-72649 A

  However, the apparatus described in Patent Document 2 has a configuration in which the developer is automatically discharged from the developer supply container as compared with the apparatus described in Patent Document 1, so that the operational load on the user is reduced. However, there are concerns about the problems described below.

  Specifically, since the apparatus described in Patent Document 2 is configured to send air into the developer supply container by an air supply pump, the pressure in the developer supply container (hereinafter referred to as internal pressure) increases. End up.

  In other words, in such a configuration, even if the air sent into the developer supply container can temporarily diffuse the developer when passing through the developer layer, the developer supply accompanying this air supply The developer layer is compressed again by the increase in the internal pressure of the container.

  Accordingly, the fluidity of the developer in the developer supply container is lowered, and it becomes difficult for the developer to be discharged from the developer supply container in the subsequent suction process, and the amount of developer to be supplied becomes insufficient. It will be connected.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a developer supply container that can properly unravel the developer in the developer supply container by setting the internal pressure of the developer supply container to a negative pressure state by a pump unit. .

Another object of the present invention is to provide a developer supply container that can appropriately discharge the developer from the developer supply container to the developer supply device from the beginning.

  Further objects of the present invention will become apparent upon reading the following detailed description with reference to the accompanying drawings.

To achieve the above object, the present invention provides:
A rotatable developer accommodating portion for accommodating the developer;
A discharge port for discharging the developer accommodated in the developer accommodating portion;
A pump section;
A gear to which driving force is input;
A conversion unit that converts the driving force input to the gear into a driving force that operates the pump unit so that the internal pressure of the developer storage unit is alternately switched between a state where the internal pressure is lower than the atmospheric pressure and a state where the internal pressure is high. Prepared,
The converting portion includes a groove portion provided over at least one circumference of the developer accommodating portion, an engaging portion that engages with the groove portion and moves along the groove portion, and the engagement portion moves along the groove portion. And an arm part for operating the pump part,
A part of the groove is provided with a protrusion for restricting the movement of the engaging part along the groove in order to determine the operation start position of the pump part .

  According to the present invention, the developer in the developer supply container can be appropriately unraveled by setting the internal pressure of the developer supply container to a negative pressure state by the pump unit. Further, the developer can be appropriately discharged from the developer supply container to the developer supply device from the beginning.

1 is a cross-sectional view illustrating an example of an image forming apparatus. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the image forming apparatus of FIG. 1. It is a perspective view which shows one Example of a developer supply apparatus. FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the developer supply device of FIG. 3 viewed from another angle. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the developer supply device of FIG. 3. It is a block diagram which shows the function structure of a control apparatus. It is a flowchart explaining the flow of replenishment operation | movement. It is sectional drawing which shows the mounting state of the developer supply apparatus and developer supply container without a hopper. (A), (b) is a perspective view which shows one Example of a developer supply container. It is sectional drawing which shows one Example of a developer supply container. (A) is a perspective view of the braid | blade used with the apparatus which measures fluid energy, (b) is a schematic diagram of a measuring apparatus. (A) is the graph which showed the relationship between the diameter of a discharge port, and discharge | emission amount, (b) is the graph which showed the relationship between the filling amount in a container, and discharge | emission amount. (A) is sectional drawing which shows a developer supply apparatus and a developer supply container, (b) is an enlarged view around a lock member. (A) is sectional drawing which shows a developer supply apparatus and a developer supply container, (b) is an enlarged view around a lock member. FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing a part of the operating state of the developer supply container and the developer supply device. FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing a part of the operating state of the developer supply container and the developer supply device. It is sectional drawing which shows a developer supply container and a developer supply apparatus. It is sectional drawing which shows a developer supply container and a developer supply apparatus. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a change in internal pressure of a developer storage unit according to the first exemplary embodiment. (A) is a block diagram showing a developer supply system (Example 1) used in the verification experiment, and (b) is a schematic diagram showing a phenomenon occurring in the developer supply container. (A) is a block diagram showing a developer supply system (comparative example) used in a verification experiment, and (b) is a schematic diagram showing a phenomenon occurring in a developer supply container. (A), (b) is a figure which shows transition of the internal pressure of a developer supply container. 6 is a perspective view illustrating a developer supply container of Embodiment 2. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view showing a developer supply container of Example 2. FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing a developer supply container of Embodiment 3. FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing a developer supply container of Embodiment 3. FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing a developer supply container of Embodiment 3. FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing a developer supply container of Embodiment 4. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional perspective view showing a developer supply container of Embodiment 4. FIG. 6 is a partial cross-sectional view showing a developer supply container of Example 4. FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view showing another embodiment of Example 4. FIG. FIG. 7A is a front view of a mounting portion, and FIG. 5B is a partially enlarged perspective view of the inside of the mounting portion, illustrating a developer supply device according to a fifth embodiment. (A) is a perspective view showing a developer supply container according to Embodiment 5, (b) is a perspective view showing a state around a discharge port, (c) and (d) are developer supply containers of a developer supply device. It is the front view and sectional drawing which show the state with which the mounting part was mounted | worn. (A) is a partial perspective view showing a developer accommodating portion according to Embodiment 5, (b) is a sectional perspective view showing a developer supply container, and (c) is a sectional view showing an inner surface of a flange portion. (D) is sectional drawing which shows a developer supply container. (A) is a partial perspective view showing a developer accommodating portion, (b) is a perspective view showing a regulating member, and (c) is a perspective view showing a regulating member and a flange. (A) is a fragmentary sectional view which shows the regulation state by a regulation part, (b) is a fragmentary sectional view which shows the regulation cancellation | release state by a regulation part. A part of mounting / demounting operation of the developer supply container to the developer supply device is shown, (a) and (b) are partial sectional views, and (c) is an enlarged partial sectional view. A part of mounting / demounting operation of the developer supply container to the developer supply device is shown, (a) and (b) are partial sectional views, and (c) and (d) are partial sectional enlarged views. (A), (b) is sectional drawing which shows the mode at the time of the intake / exhaust operation | movement by the pump part in a developer supply container. FIG. 6 is a development view showing a cam groove shape of a developer supply container. FIG. 6 is a development view illustrating an example of a cam groove shape of a developer supply container. FIG. 6 is a development view illustrating an example of a cam groove shape of a developer supply container. FIG. 6 is a development view illustrating an example of a cam groove shape of a developer supply container. FIG. 6 is a development view illustrating an example of a cam groove shape of a developer supply container. FIG. 6 is a development view illustrating an example of a cam groove shape of a developer supply container. FIG. 6 is a development view illustrating an example of a cam groove shape of a developer supply container. (A), (b) is a graph which shows transition of the internal pressure change of a developer supply container. (A), (b) is a development view showing the cam groove shape of the developer supply container. (A), (b) which concerns on the modification of the developer supply container of Example 5 is an expanded view which shows cam groove shape. (C) is a partial cross-sectional enlarged view of a cam groove shape. (A) is a perspective view showing a configuration of a developer supply container according to Example 6, (b) is a cross-sectional view showing a configuration of a developer supply container, and (c) is a schematic perspective view showing the periphery of a regulating member. (A) is sectional drawing which shows the structure of the developer supply container based on Example 7, (b) is a schematic perspective view which shows the periphery of a control member. (A) is a perspective view showing a configuration of a developer supply container according to Embodiment 8, (b) is a sectional view of the developer supply container, (c) is a perspective view showing a cam gear, and (d) is a rotation gear of the cam gear. The elements on larger scale which show a joint part are shown, (e) is a schematic perspective view which shows the periphery of a control member. (A) is a perspective view showing a configuration of a developer supply container according to Embodiment 9, (b) is a cross-sectional view showing a configuration of a developer supply container, and (c) is a schematic perspective view showing the periphery of a regulating member. (A) is a perspective view showing a configuration of a developer supply container according to Example 10, (b) is a cross-sectional view showing a configuration of a developer supply container, and (c) is a schematic perspective view showing the periphery of a regulating member. (A)-(d) is a figure which shows operation | movement of a drive conversion mechanism. (A) is a perspective view showing a configuration of a developer supply container according to Example 11, (b) and (c) are views showing an operation of a drive conversion mechanism, and (d) is a schematic perspective view showing the periphery of a regulating member. is there. (A) is a cross-sectional perspective view which shows the structure of the developer supply container based on Example 12, (b), (c) is sectional drawing which shows the mode of the intake / exhaust operation | movement by a pump part. (A) is a perspective view showing another example of the developer supply container according to the twelfth embodiment, (b) is a view showing a coupling portion of the developer supply container, and (c) is a schematic perspective view showing the periphery of the regulating member. It is. (A) is a cross-sectional perspective view showing the configuration of the developer supply container according to Example 13, (b) and (c) are cross-sectional views showing the state of the intake and exhaust operation by the pump unit, and (d) is around the regulating member. It is a schematic perspective view shown. (A) is a perspective view showing a configuration of a developer supply container according to Example 14, (b) is a cross-sectional perspective view showing a configuration of a developer supply container, and (c) shows a configuration of an end portion of the developer container. FIGS. 4D and 4E are views showing a state of the pump portion during intake and exhaust operations, and FIG. 4F is a schematic perspective view showing the periphery of a holding member and a lock member that are restricting portions of the pump portion. (A) is a perspective view showing a configuration of a developer supply container according to Example 15, (b) is a perspective view showing a configuration of a flange portion, and (c) is a perspective view showing a configuration of a cylindrical portion. (A), (b) is sectional drawing which shows the mode of the intake / exhaust operation | movement by the pump part of the developer supply container which concerns on Example 15, (c), (d) is a schematic which shows the example of the tape member as a control part. FIG. FIG. 17 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a pump portion of a developer supply container according to Embodiment 15. (A), (b) is a schematic sectional view showing a configuration of a developer supply container according to Embodiment 16, and (c) is a schematic view showing a developer supply device to which the developer supply container according to this embodiment is mounted. It is. (A), (b) is a perspective view which shows the cylindrical part and flange part of the developer supply container which concern on Example 17. FIG. (A), (b) is the fragmentary sectional perspective view of the developer supply container which concerns on Example 17. FIG. It is a time chart which shows the relationship between the operating state of the pump which concerns on Example 17, and the opening / closing timing of a rotary shutter. (A) is a partial cross-sectional perspective view showing a developer supply container according to Example 18, and (b) is a schematic perspective view showing the periphery of a regulating member. (A)-(c) is a fragmentary sectional view which shows the operation state of the pump part which concerns on Example 18. FIG. It is a time chart which shows the relationship between the operating state of the pump which concerns on Example 18, and the opening / closing timing of a gate valve. (A) is a partial perspective view of a developer supply container according to Example 19, (b) is a perspective view of a flange portion, (c) is a cross-sectional view of the developer supply container, and (d) is a schematic view showing the periphery of a regulating member. It is a perspective view. (A) is a perspective view which shows the structure of the developer supply container based on Example 20, (b) is a cross-sectional perspective view of a developer supply container. (A) The partial cross section perspective view which shows the structure of the developer supply container which concerns on Example 20, (b) is a schematic perspective view which shows the periphery of a control member. 22 is a perspective view of a developer supply container according to Embodiment 21. FIG. FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a developer storage unit. It is a perspective view of a flange. (A), (b) is the figure which showed the condition where a developer accommodating part rotates by the drive from a drive source, (c), (d) shows the condition where a developer accommodating part rotates by the effect | action of a biasing member. The figure shown, (e) is a front view of the developer accommodating portion viewed from the longitudinal direction. (A), (b) It is sectional drawing which showed the developer discharge condition of the developer supply container. FIG. 6 is a development view showing a cam groove shape of a developer supply container. (A) The perspective enlarged view of a developer supply container, (b) The perspective enlarged view of a pump part. (A) The cross-sectional perspective view which shows the developer supply container based on Example 22, (b) The cross-sectional perspective view which shows a pump part, (c) is a cross-sectional perspective view which shows a developer accommodating part. (A) Drawing which divides each pump part in the direction of a rotation axis, and arranging each component, (b) Detailed view of a drive conversion part of an inner cylinder, (c) Detailed view of a drive conversion receiving part of an outer cylinder. (A)-(c) It is a schematic diagram explaining the principle of a pump part. (A), (b) It is sectional drawing which showed the developer discharge condition of the developer supply container. It is a perspective view which shows a developer supply container. It is (a) perspective view of the drive part of the apparatus main body which concerns on Example 23, (b) It is a front view. (A) is a perspective sectional view showing a developer supply container, (b) is a perspective sectional view showing a pump part. (A) is a figure which shows an inner cylinder, (b) is a figure which shows an outer cylinder, (c) is a perspective view which shows a power storage unit, (d) is a front view which shows a power storage unit. FIG. 5 is a diagram in which pump parts are separated in the direction of the rotation axis and components are arranged. (A) is a fragmentary sectional view which shows the contraction state of a pump part, (b) is a fragmentary sectional view which shows the expansion state initial stage of a pump part, (c) is a fragmentary sectional view which shows the expansion state of a pump part. 4A and 4B are explanatory views of the drive transmission means, in which FIG. 4A is a partial cross-sectional view showing a state before the developer supply container is mounted, and FIG. 4B is a partial cross-sectional view showing a state where the developer supply container is completely mounted. (A) is a fragmentary sectional view which shows the contraction state of a pump part, (b) is a fragmentary sectional view which shows the expansion state initial stage of a pump part, (c) is a fragmentary sectional view which shows the expansion state of a pump part. (A) is an exploded perspective view of a developer supply container, and (b) is a perspective view of a developer supply container. It is a perspective view of a container main body. (A) is a perspective view (upper surface side) of an upper flange part, (b) is a perspective view (lower surface side) of an upper flange part. (A) is a perspective view (upper surface side) of the lower flange portion, (b) is a perspective view (lower surface side) of the lower flange portion, and (c) is a front view of the lower flange portion. (A) is a top view of a shutter, (b) is a perspective view of a shutter. (A) is a perspective view of a pump, (b) is a front view of a pump. (A) is a perspective view (upper surface side) of a reciprocating member, (b) is a perspective view (lower surface side) of a reciprocating member. (A) is a perspective view (upper surface side) of a cover, (b) is a perspective view (lower surface side) of a cover. (A) is a partial enlarged perspective view of a developer receiving device, and (b) is a perspective view of a developer receiving portion. (A) is a partial enlarged perspective view of a developer supply container in a restricted state, and (b) is a partially enlarged perspective view of a developer receiving device in a restricted state. FIG. 4A is a partially enlarged perspective view of a developer supply container and a developer supply device in a restriction release state, and FIG. 4B is a partially enlarged perspective view of the developer supply container and the developer supply device in a restriction release state.

  Hereinafter, the developer supply container and the developer supply system according to the present invention will be described in detail. In the following description, unless otherwise specified, various configurations of the developer supply container can be replaced with other known configurations having similar functions within the scope of the inventive concept. That is, unless otherwise specified, there is no intention to limit the configuration of the developer supply container described in the examples described later.

[Example 1]
First, a basic configuration of the image forming apparatus will be described, and subsequently, a configuration of a developer supply device and a developer supply container constituting a developer supply system mounted on the image forming apparatus will be described in order.

(Image forming device)
As an example of an image forming apparatus equipped with a developer replenishing device in which a developer replenishing container (so-called toner cartridge) is detachably mounted (removable), a copying machine (electrophotographic image forming apparatus) adopting an electrophotographic system is used. ) Will be described with reference to FIG.

  In the figure, reference numeral 100 denotes a copying machine main body (hereinafter referred to as an image forming apparatus main body or an apparatus main body). A document 101 is placed on the document glass 102. Then, an electrostatic image is formed by forming an optical image corresponding to the image information of the original on an electrophotographic photosensitive member 104 (hereinafter referred to as a photosensitive member) by a plurality of mirrors M and lenses Ln of the optical unit 103. . This electrostatic latent image is visualized by a dry developing device (one component developing device) 201 using toner (one component magnetic toner) as a developer (dry powder).

  In this example, an example in which a one-component magnetic toner is used as a developer to be replenished from the developer replenishing container 1 will be described. However, not only such an example but also a configuration described later may be employed.

  Specifically, when a one-component developing device that performs development using one-component nonmagnetic toner is used, the one-component nonmagnetic toner is supplied as a developer. In addition, when a two-component developer that performs development using a two-component developer in which a magnetic carrier and a non-magnetic toner are mixed is used, the non-magnetic toner is replenished as the developer. In this case, the developer may be replenished together with the magnetic carrier as well as the non-magnetic toner.

  Reference numerals 105 to 108 denote cassettes for storing recording media (hereinafter also referred to as “sheets”) S. Among the sheets S stacked in these cassettes 105 to 108, an optimum cassette is selected based on information input by an operator (user) from the liquid crystal operation unit of the copying machine or the sheet size of the original 101. Here, the recording medium is not limited to paper, and can be appropriately used and selected, for example, an OHP sheet.

  Then, one sheet S conveyed by the feeding / separating devices 105 </ b> A to 108 </ b> A is conveyed to the registration roller 110 via the conveying unit 109, and the rotation of the photosensitive member 104 and the scanning timing of the optical unit 103 are synchronized. Then transport.

  Reference numerals 111 and 112 denote a transfer charger and a separation charger. Here, the image formed by the developer formed on the photosensitive member 104 is transferred to the sheet S by the transfer charger 111. Then, the sheet S to which the developer image (toner image) has been transferred is separated from the photoreceptor 104 by the separation charger 112.

  Thereafter, the sheet S conveyed by the conveying unit 113 is fixed on the developer image on the sheet by heat and pressure in the fixing unit 114, and then passes through the discharge reversing unit 115 in the case of single-sided copying. The paper is discharged to the discharge tray 117 by the roller 116.

  In the case of duplex copying, the sheet S passes through the discharge reversing unit 115 and is once discharged out of the apparatus by the discharge roller 116. Thereafter, the trailing edge of the sheet S passes through the flapper 118, and is controlled by the flapper 118 at the timing when it is still nipped by the discharge roller 116, and is reversely rotated to be conveyed into the apparatus again. . Further, after being conveyed to the registration roller 110 via the re-feed conveyance units 119 and 120, the sheet is discharged to the discharge tray 117 along the same path as in the case of single-sided copying.

  In the apparatus main body 100 having the above configuration, an image forming process device such as a developing unit 201 as a developing unit, a cleaner unit 202 as a cleaning unit, and a primary charger 203 as a charging unit is installed around the photosensitive member 104. . The developing device 201 develops the developer by attaching a developer to the electrostatic latent image formed on the photosensitive member 104 by the optical unit 103 based on the image information of the document 101. The primary charger 203 is for uniformly charging the surface of the photoconductor in order to form a desired electrostatic image on the photoconductor 104. The cleaner unit 202 is for removing the developer remaining on the photosensitive member 104.

  FIG. 2 is an external view of the image forming apparatus. When the operator opens the replacement cover 40 which is a part of the exterior cover of the image forming apparatus, a part of the developer supply device 8 described later appears.

  Then, by inserting (attaching) the developer supply container 1 into the developer supply device 8, the developer supply container 1 is set in a state where the developer can be supplied to the developer supply device 8. On the other hand, when the operator replaces the developer supply container 1, the developer supply container 1 is taken out (detached) from the developer supply device 8 by performing an operation reverse to that at the time of mounting, and a new developer supply is performed. What is necessary is just to set the container 1 again. Here, the replacement cover 40 is a dedicated cover for attaching and detaching (replacing) the developer supply container 1 and is opened and closed only for attaching and detaching the developer supply container 1. The maintenance of the apparatus main body 100 is performed by opening and closing the front cover 100c.

(Developer supply device)
Next, the developer supply device 8 will be described with reference to FIGS. 3, 4, and 5. FIG. 3 is a schematic perspective view of the developer supply device 8. 4 is a schematic perspective view of the developer supply device 8 as seen from the back side of FIG. FIG. 5 is a schematic sectional view of the developer supply device 8.

  The developer supply device 8 is provided with a mounting portion (mounting space) 8f on which the developer supply container 1 is detachably mounted. Further, a developer receiving port (developer receiving hole) 8a for receiving the developer discharged from a discharge port (discharge hole) 1c of the developer supply container 1 described later is provided. The diameter of the developer receiving port 8a is preferably substantially the same as the discharge port 1c of the developer supply container 1 for the purpose of preventing the inside of the mounting portion 8f from being contaminated by the developer as much as possible. . This is because, if the diameters of the developer receiving port 8a and the discharge port 1c are the same, it is possible to prevent the developer from adhering to the inner surface of each port and becoming dirty.

  In this example, the developer receiving port 8a is a fine port (pinhole) in accordance with the discharge port 1c of the developer supply container 1, and is set to about φ2 mm.

  Further, an L-shaped positioning guide (holding member) 8b for fixing the position of the developer supply container 1 is provided, and the positioning direction of the developer supply container 1 to the mounting portion 8f is determined by the positioning guide 8b. It is comprised so that it may become an arrow A direction. Note that the direction in which the developer supply container 1 is detached from the mounting portion 8f is opposite to the arrow A direction.

The developer replenishing device 8 is provided with a hopper 8g for temporarily storing the developer underneath. In the hopper 8g, as shown in FIG. 5, there are a conveying screw 11 for conveying the developer to the developer hopper 201a which is a part of the developing device 201, and an opening 8e communicating with the developer hopper 201a. Is provided. In this embodiment, the volume of the hopper 8g is 130 cm ³ .

  As described above, the developing unit 201 shown in FIG. 1 develops the electrostatic latent image formed on the photoconductor 104 based on the image information of the document 101 using a developer. The developing device 201 is provided with a developing roller 201f in addition to the developer hopper 201a.

  The developer hopper 201a is provided with a stirring member 201c for stirring the developer supplied from the developer supply container 1. The developer stirred by the stirring member 201c is sent to the transport member 201e side by the transport member 201d.

  Then, the developer sequentially conveyed by the conveying members 201e and 201b is carried on the developing roller 201f and is finally supplied to the photosensitive member 104.

  Further, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the developer supply device 8 includes a locking member 9 and a gear 10 that function as a drive mechanism for driving the developer supply container 1 described later.

  When the developer supply container 1 is mounted on the mounting portion 8 f of the developer supply device 8, the lock member 9 is locked with a later-described holding member 3 that functions as a drive input unit of the developer supply container 1. It is configured as follows.

  Further, the locking member 9 is loosely fitted in a long hole portion 8c formed in the mounting portion 8f of the developer supply device 8, and is configured to be movable in the vertical direction in the drawing with respect to the mounting portion 8f. It has become. The locking member 9 is provided with a tapered portion 9d at the tip thereof in consideration of plugability with a holding member 3 (see FIG. 9) of the developer supply container 1 described later, and has a round bar shape. ing.

  Further, the locking portion 9a of the locking member 9 (engagement portion that engages with the holding member 3) is connected to the rail portion 9b shown in FIG. 4, and the rail portion 9b is a guide portion of the developer supply device 8. Both end portions are held by 8d, and are configured to be movable in the vertical direction in the figure.

  The rail portion 9 b is provided with a gear portion 9 c and is engaged with the gear 10. The gear 10 is connected to a drive motor 500. Therefore, by performing control to periodically reverse the rotation direction of the drive motor 500 by the control device 600 provided in the image forming apparatus 100, the locking member 9 is moved up and down in the figure along the long hole portion 8c. It is configured to reciprocate in the direction.

  Further, as will be described in detail later, it has an engaging projection 8j for rotating a lock member 55 provided in the developer supply container 1 when removed from the developer supply device 8.

(Developer supply control by developer supply device)
Next, the developer supply control by the developer supply device 8 will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of the control device 600, and FIG. 7 is a flowchart for explaining the flow of the replenishment operation.

  In this example, the development temporarily stored in the hopper 8g is prevented so that the developer does not flow backward from the developer supply device 8 side into the developer supply container 1 in accordance with the intake operation of the developer supply container 1 described later. The amount of the agent (height of the agent surface) is limited. Therefore, in this example, a developer sensor 8k (see FIG. 5) for detecting the amount of developer accommodated in the hopper 8g is provided. Then, as shown in FIG. 6, the control device 600 controls whether the drive motor 500 is activated / deactivated according to the output of the developer sensor 8k, whereby a certain amount of developer is accommodated in the hopper 8g. It is configured not to be. The control flow will be described. First, as shown in FIG. 7, the developer sensor 8k checks the remaining amount of developer in the hopper 8g (S100). When it is determined that the developer storage amount detected by the developer sensor 8k is less than a predetermined value, that is, when no developer is detected by the developer sensor 8k, the drive motor 500 is driven for a certain period of time. Replenishment of developer is executed (S101).

  As a result, when it is determined that the developer storage amount detected by the developer sensor 8k has reached a predetermined amount, that is, when the developer is detected by the developer sensor 8k, the drive motor 500 is turned off, The developer supply operation is stopped (S102). By stopping the replenishment operation, a series of developer replenishment steps is completed.

  Such a developer replenishment step is configured to be repeatedly executed when the developer is consumed in association with image formation and the developer storage amount in the hopper 8g becomes less than a predetermined amount.

  In this example, the developer discharged from the developer supply container 1 is temporarily stored in the hopper 8g and then supplied to the developing device 201. However, the following developer supply device is used. It does not matter as the configuration.

  In particular, when the apparatus main body 100 is a low speed machine, it is required to make the main body compact and reduce the cost. In this case, as shown in FIG. 8, it is desirable that the developer is directly supplied to the developing device 201 from the developer supply container 1. Specifically, the above-described hopper 8g is omitted, and the developer is directly supplied from the developer supply container 1 to the developing device 201. FIG. 8 shows an example in which a two-component developing device 201 is used as a developer supply device. The developing device 201 has a stirring chamber for supplying the developer and a developing chamber for supplying the developer to the developing roller 201f, and the developer transport directions are opposite to each other in the stirring chamber and the developing chamber. A conveying member (screw) 201d is installed. The stirring chamber and the developing chamber communicate with each other at both ends in the longitudinal direction, and the two-component developer is circulated and conveyed between these two chambers. Further, a magnetic sensor 201g for detecting the toner concentration in the developer is installed in the stirring chamber, and the control device 600 controls the operation of the drive motor 500 based on the detection result of the magnetic sensor 201g. Yes. In the case of this configuration, the developer supplied from the developer supply container 1 is nonmagnetic toner, or nonmagnetic toner and a magnetic carrier.

  In this example, as will be described later, the developer in the developer replenishing container 1 is hardly discharged from the discharge port 1c only by the gravitational action, and the developer is discharged by the pumping operation of the pump unit 2. Variation can be suppressed. Therefore, even in the example shown in FIG. 8 in which the hopper 8g is omitted, the developer supply container 1 described later can be similarly applied.

(Developer supply container)
Next, the developer supply container 1 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 9A is a schematic perspective view of the developer supply container 1, and FIG. 9B is an exploded perspective view showing a state where the lock member 55 of the developer supply container 1 is removed. FIG. 10 is a schematic sectional view of the developer supply container 1.

  As shown in FIG. 9, the developer supply container 1 has a container main body 1 a that functions as a developer storage unit that stores the developer. In addition, 1b shown in FIG. 10 has shown the developer accommodation space in which the developer in the container main body 1a is accommodated. That is, in this example, the developer accommodating space 1b that functions as the developer accommodating portion is a combination of the container main body 1a and the internal space of the pump portion 2 described later. In this example, a one-component toner which is a dry powder having a volume average particle diameter of 5 μm to 6 μm is stored in the developer storage space 1b.

  In this example, the variable volume pump unit 2 having a variable volume is employed as the pump unit. Specifically, a pump provided with a bellows-like stretchable portion (bellows portion, stretchable member) 2 a that can be stretched by a driving force received from the developer supply device 8 is employed as the pump portion 2. The expansion / contraction part 2a of this pump part 2 is a volume variable part which changes the internal pressure of the said container main body 1a by increasing / decreasing a volume.

  As shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, the bellows-like pump portion 2 of this example is provided with “mountain fold” portions and “valley fold” portions alternately and periodically along the fold line (the Can be folded or stretched (based on the crease). Therefore, when the bellows-like pump unit 2 is employed as in this example, the variation in the volume change amount with respect to the expansion / contraction amount can be reduced, so that a stable volume variable operation can be performed.

Here, in this embodiment, the total volume of the developer accommodating space 1b is 480 cm ³ , of which the volume of the pump unit 2 is 160 cm ³ (when the expansion / contraction part 2 a is natural length), and in this example, the pump unit 2 Is set to perform a pumping operation in a direction extending from the natural length.

Also, the volumetric change caused by the expansion and contraction of the extensible portion 2a of the pump portion 2 is 15cm ^3, the total volume of the maximum extension of the pump portion 2 is set to 495cm ^3.

  The developer supply container 1 is filled with 240 g of developer.

Further, the controller 600 controls the drive motor 500 that drives the locking member 9 so that the volume change speed is set to 90 cm ³ / s. The volume change amount and the volume change speed can be appropriately set in view of the required discharge amount from the developer supply device 8 side.

  The pump portion 2 of the present example employs a bellows-like shape, but any other configuration can be used as long as it can change the amount of air (pressure) in the developer accommodating space 1b. It doesn't matter. For example, the pump unit 2 may be configured to use a uniaxial eccentric screw pump. In this case, an opening for performing intake / exhaust by the uniaxial eccentric screw pump is separately required, and a mechanism such as a filter for preventing the developer from leaking from the opening is required. Further, since the torque for driving the uniaxial eccentric screw pump is very high, the load on the image forming apparatus main body 100 increases. Therefore, a bellows-like pump that does not have such harmful effects is more preferable.

  Further, it does not matter if the developer accommodating space 1b is only the internal space of the pump unit 2. That is, in this case, the pump unit 2 also functions as the developer storage space 1b.

  Further, the joint portion 2b of the pump portion 2 and the joined portion 1i of the container main body 1a are integrated by heat welding so that the airtightness of the developer accommodating space 1b is maintained so that the developer does not leak from here. It is configured.

  Further, the developer supply container 1 is provided so as to be engageable with a drive mechanism of the developer supply device 8, and a drive input unit (drive receiver) to which a drive force for driving the pump unit 2 is input from this drive mechanism. Engaging portion 3b provided integrally with a holding member 3 to be described later.

  Specifically, the engaged portion 3 b that can be locked with the locking member 9 of the developer supply device 8 is attached to the upper end of the pump portion 2. When the developer supply container 1 is mounted on the mounting portion 8f (see FIG. 3), the locking member 9 is inserted into the engaged portion 3b, so that both are substantially integrated (in consideration of plugging property). And there is a slight backlash). As a result, as shown in FIG. 9, the relative positions of the engaged portion 3b and the locking member 9 are fixed with respect to the direction of the arrow p and the direction of the arrow q, which are the directions of expansion and contraction of the extendable portion 2a. In addition, as for the pump part 2 and the to-be-engaged part 3b, it is more preferable to use what was integrally formed, for example using the injection molding method, the blow molding method, etc.

  In this way, the engaged portion 3 b substantially integrated with the locking member 9 receives a driving force for expanding and contracting the expansion / contraction portion 2 a of the pump portion 2 from the locking member 9. As a result, as the locking member 9 moves up and down, the expansion / contraction part 2a of the pump part 2 can be expanded and contracted following this.

  In other words, the pump unit 2 alternately alternates between an air flow directed to the inside of the developer supply container and an air flow directed to the outside from the developer supply container through the discharge port 1c by the driving force received by the engaged portion 3b functioning as the drive input unit. It functions as an airflow generation mechanism that generates repeatedly.

  In this example, the locking member 9 having a round bar shape and the engaged portion 3b having a round hole shape are used as an example in which both are substantially integrated. Other structures may be used as long as their relative positions can be fixed with respect to (arrow p direction, arrow q direction). For example, an example in which the engaged portion 3b is a rod-shaped member and the engaging member 9 is an engaging hole, or the cross-sectional shape of the engaged portion 3b and the engaging member 9 is a polygon such as a triangle or a quadrangle, an oval Other shapes such as a star or a star shape are also possible. Or you may employ | adopt another conventionally well-known latching structure.

  Also, a discharge port 1c that allows the developer in the developer storage space 1b to be discharged out of the developer supply container 1 is formed in the flange portion 1g at the lower end of the container body 1a. Details of the discharge port 1c will be described later.

  As shown in FIG. 10, an inclined surface 1f is formed in the lower part of the container body 1a toward the discharge port 1c, and the developer stored in the developer storage space 1b slides down the inclined surface 1f due to gravity. Thus, the shape gathers in the vicinity of the discharge port 1c. In this example, the angle of inclination of the inclined surface 1f (the angle formed with the horizontal plane when the developer supply container 1 is set in the developer supply device 8) is larger than the repose angle of the toner as the developer. Is set.

  Further, only the discharge port 1c of the developer supply container 1 communicates with the outside of the developer supply container 1, and is substantially sealed except for the discharge port 1c.

  Next, a shutter mechanism for opening and closing the discharge port 1c will be described with reference to FIGS.

  In order to prevent developer leakage when the developer supply container 1 is transported, a seal member 4 formed of an elastic body so as to surround the discharge port 1c is bonded and fixed to the lower surface of the flange portion 1g. A shutter 5 for sealing the discharge port 1c is provided so that the seal member 4 is compressed between the lower surface of the flange portion 1g. The shutter 5 is in a state of being constantly biased in the closing direction (biased by the extension force of the spring) by a spring (not shown) as a biasing member.

  The shutter 5 abuts against the end surface of the abutting portion 8h (see FIG. 3) formed in the developer replenishing device 8 in conjunction with the operation of mounting the developer replenishing container 1, so that the spring contracts and the opening is prevented. Configured to be done. At this time, the flange portion 1g of the developer supply container 1 is inserted between the positioning guide 8b on the developer supply device 8 side and the abutting portion 8h, and the side surface 1k (see FIG. 9) of the developer supply container 1 is inserted. It abuts against a stopper portion 8i (see FIG. 3) of the developer supply device 8. As a result, the position in the mounting direction (arrow A direction) of the developer supply container 1 with respect to the developer supply device 8 is determined (see FIG. 17).

  Thus, when the insertion operation of the developer supply container 1 is completed while the flange portion 1g is guided by the positioning guide 8b, the positions of the discharge port 1c and the developer receiving port 8a coincide.

  Further, when the insertion operation of the developer supply container 1 is completed, the space between the discharge port 1c and the receiving port 8a is sealed by the seal member 4 (see FIG. 17) so that the developer does not leak to the outside.

  Then, with the insertion operation of the developer supply container 1, the locking member 9 is inserted into the engaged portion 3b of the holding member 3 of the developer supply container 1, and both are integrated.

  At this time, the position in the direction (vertical direction in FIG. 3) orthogonal to the mounting direction (arrow A direction) of the developer supply container 1 with respect to the developer supply device 8 is also determined by the L-shaped portion of the positioning guide 8b. That is, the flange portion 1g as a positioning portion also serves to prevent the developer supply container 1 from moving in the vertical direction (reciprocating direction of the pump portion 2).

  The process up to here is a series of mounting steps of the developer supply container 1. That is, the mounting process is completed when the operator closes the replacement cover 40.

  It should be noted that the process of removing the developer supply container 1 from the developer supply device 8 may be performed according to the reverse procedure of the mounting process described above.

  Specifically, the replacement cover 40 may be opened and the developer supply container 1 may be taken out from the mounting portion 8f. At this time, the shutter 5 is closed by a spring (not shown) by releasing the interference state by the abutting portion 8h.

In this example, the internal pressure of the container main body 1a (developer storage space 1b) is lower than the atmospheric pressure (external pressure) (depressurized state, negative pressure state) and higher than the atmospheric pressure (pressurized). Pressure state and positive pressure state) are alternately and repeatedly changed at a predetermined cycle. Here, the atmospheric pressure (external pressure) is in an environment where the developer supply container 1 is installed. As described above, the developer is discharged from the discharge port 1c by changing the internal pressure of the container body 1a. In this ^example, it has a configuration that changes in a cycle of between 480cm ³ ~495cm 3 to about 0.3 seconds (reciprocating).

  As a material of the container main body 1a, it is preferable to employ a material having such a rigidity that it does not collapse greatly or bulges greatly with respect to changes in internal pressure.

  Therefore, in this example, polystyrene resin is used as the material of the container body 1a, and polypropylene resin is used as the material of the pump unit 2.

  In addition, regarding the material to be used, if the container body 1a is a material that can withstand pressure, for example, a resin such as ABS (acrylonitrile / butadiene / styrene copolymer), polyester, polyethylene, or polypropylene can be used. . Further, it may be made of metal.

  The material of the pump unit 2 may be any material as long as the material can exhibit an expansion / contraction function and can change the internal pressure of the developer accommodating space 1b by changing the volume. For example, ABS (acrylonitrile / butadiene / styrene copolymer), polystyrene, polyester, polyethylene or the like may be formed thin. It is also possible to use rubber or other elastic materials.

  If the container body 1a and the pump part 2 satisfy the above-described functions by adjusting the thickness of the resin material, etc., the container body 1a and the pump part 2 are made of the same material, for example, an injection molding method or What was integrally shape | molded using the blow molding method etc. may be used.

  In this example, the developer supply container 1 communicates with the outside only through the discharge port 1c, and is configured to be substantially sealed from the outside except for the discharge port 1c. That is, since the pump unit 2 employs a configuration in which the developer is discharged from the discharge port 1c by pressurizing and reducing the internal pressure of the developer supply container 1, air-tightness to the extent that stable discharge performance is maintained. Is required.

  On the other hand, when the developer supply container 1 is transported (especially by air transportation) or stored for a long period of time, the internal pressure of the container may fluctuate rapidly due to a sudden change in the environment. For example, when the developer supply container 1 is used in a high altitude area, or when the developer supply container 1 stored in a low temperature place is brought into a room where the temperature is high, the internal pressure of the developer supply container 1 is relative to the atmospheric pressure. There is a risk of becoming pressurized. When such a situation occurs, problems such as deformation of the container and ejection of the developer at the time of opening may occur.

  Therefore, in this example, as a countermeasure, an opening having a diameter φ of 3 mm is formed in the developer supply container 1, and a filter is provided in this opening. As the filter, TEMISH (registered trade name) manufactured by Nitto Denko Corporation, which has a characteristic of allowing ventilation inside and outside the container while preventing developer leakage to the outside, was used. In this example, although such measures are taken, the influence of the pump unit 2 on the intake operation and the exhaust operation through the discharge port 1c can be ignored. In effect, the developer supply container 1 It can be said that the airtightness of is maintained.

(About the outlet of the developer supply container)
In this example, the discharge port 1c of the developer supply container 1 is set to such a size that the developer supply container 1 is not sufficiently discharged only by gravity action when the developer supply container 1 is in a posture to supply the developer to the developer supply device 8. doing. In other words, the opening size of the discharge port 1c is set to be small enough to cause the developer to be insufficiently discharged from the developer supply container by the gravitational action alone (also referred to as a fine hole (pinhole)). In other words, the size of the opening is set so that the discharge port 1c is substantially blocked by the developer. Thereby, (1) it becomes difficult for the developer to leak from the discharge port 1c, (2) excessive discharge of the developer when the discharge port 1c is opened can be suppressed, and (3) the developer is discharged by the pump unit. You can expect the effect that you can be made to depend on.

  Therefore, the present inventors conducted a verification experiment to determine how large the discharge port 1c that is not sufficiently discharged only by the gravitational action should be set. Hereinafter, the verification experiment (measurement method) and the determination criteria will be described below.

Prepare a rectangular parallelepiped container with a predetermined volume with a discharge port (circular shape) formed in the center of the bottom, and after filling the container with 200 g of developer, shake the container well with the filling port sealed and the discharge port closed. Thoroughly remove the developer. This rectangular parallelepiped container has a volume of about 1000 cm ³ and a size of 90 mm long × 92 mm wide × 120 mm high.

  Thereafter, the discharge port is opened with the discharge port directed vertically downward as soon as possible, and the amount of the developer discharged from the discharge port is measured. At this time, this rectangular parallelepiped container is completely sealed except for the discharge port. The verification experiment was performed in an environment of a temperature of 24 ° C. and a relative humidity of 55%.

  In the above procedure, the amount of discharge is measured while changing the type of developer and the size of the discharge port. In this example, when the amount of the discharged developer is 2 g or less, the amount is negligible, and it is determined that the discharge port has a size that cannot be discharged sufficiently only by the gravitational action.

  Table 1 shows the developers used in the verification experiment. The type of developer is a mixture of a one-component magnetic toner, a two-component nonmagnetic toner used in a two-component developer, and a two-component nonmagnetic toner used in a two-component developer and a magnetic carrier.

  In addition to the angle of repose indicating the fluidity, the physical properties representing the characteristics of these developers include the fluidity indicating the ease of unraveling of the developer layer by a powder fluidity analyzer (Powder Rheometer FT4 manufactured by Freeman Technology). The energy was measured.

  A method for measuring the fluidity energy will be described with reference to FIG. Here, FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram of an apparatus for measuring fluidity energy.

  The principle of this powder fluidity analyzer is to measure the fluidity energy necessary for moving the blade in the powder sample and moving the blade in the powder. Since the blade is a propeller type and moves in the direction of the rotation axis at the same time as rotating, the tip of the blade draws a spiral.

  As the propeller-type blade 51 (hereinafter referred to as a blade), a SUS blade (model number: C210) having a diameter of 48 mm and smoothly twisted counterclockwise was used. More specifically, a rotation axis exists in the direction normal to the rotation surface of the blade plate at the center of the blade plate of 48 mm × 10 mm, and the twist angle of both outermost edge portions (parts 24 mm from the rotation axis) of the blade plate is 70. The twist angle of a portion 12 mm from the rotation axis is 35 °.

  The fluidity energy means that the blade 51 rotating spirally as described above enters the powder layer, and the sum of the rotational torque and vertical load obtained when the blade moves in the powder layer is integrated over time. Refers to the total energy obtained. This value represents the ease of unraveling of the developer powder layer, which means that it is difficult to unravel when the fluidity energy is large, and is easy to unravel when the fluidity energy is small.

In this measurement, as shown in FIG. 11, each developer T is placed in a cylindrical container 50 (volume 200 cm ³ , L1 = 50 mm in FIG. 11), which is a standard part of this apparatus, with a powder surface height of 70 mm (FIG. 11). 11 L2). The filling amount is adjusted according to the bulk density to be measured. Further, a blade 51 having a diameter of 48 mm, which is a standard part, is penetrated into the powder layer, and the energy obtained between the penetration depths of 10 to 30 mm is displayed.

  As the setting conditions at the time of measurement, the rotational speed of the blade 51 (tip speed, the peripheral speed of the outermost edge of the blade) is 60 mm / s, and the blade entrance speed in the vertical direction to the powder layer is the moving blade. A speed at which an angle θ (helix angle, hereinafter referred to as an angle formed) between the locus drawn by the outermost edge 51 and the powder layer surface was 10 ° was set. The approach speed in the vertical direction into the powder layer is 11 mm / s (blade approach speed in the vertical direction into the powder layer = blade rotation speed × tan (angle formed × π / 180)). This measurement was also performed in an environment at a temperature of 24 ° C. and a relative humidity of 55%.

The bulk density of the developer when measuring the fluidity energy of the developer is close to the bulk density in the experiment for verifying the relationship between the developer discharge amount and the size of the discharge port, and the change in the bulk density is The bulk density that can be measured with little stability is adjusted to 0.5 g / cm ³ .

  FIG. 12A shows the result of a verification experiment performed on the developer (Table 1) having the fluidity energy thus measured. FIG. 12A is a graph showing the relationship between the diameter of the discharge port and the discharge amount for each type of developer.

From the verification results shown in FIG. 12 (a), for developers A to E, the diameter φ of the discharge port is 4 mm (opening area is 12.6 mm ² : the circumference is calculated at 3.14, the same applies hereinafter). In this case, it was confirmed that the discharge amount from the discharge port was 2 g or less. It was confirmed that when the diameter φ of the discharge port is larger than 4 mm, the discharge amount increases rapidly with any developer.

That is, the fluidity energy (bulk density is 0.5 g / cm ³ ) of the developer is 4.3 × 10 ⁻⁴ (kg · m ² / s ² (J)) or more and 4.14 × 10 ⁻³ (kg · m ² / s ² (J)) or less, the diameter φ of the discharge port may be 4 mm or less (opening area is 12.6 (mm ² )) or less.

  In addition, the bulk density of the developer is measured in a state where the developer is sufficiently fluidized and fluidized in this verification experiment, which is more than a state assumed in a normal use environment (a state in which it is left unattended). Measurement is performed under the condition that the bulk density is low and the discharge is easier.

  Next, the developer A having the largest discharge amount from the result of FIG. 12A is used, the diameter φ of the discharge port is fixed to 4 mm, and the filling amount in the container is changed to 30 to 300 g. A verification experiment was conducted. The verification result is shown in FIG. From the verification result of FIG. 12B, it was confirmed that the discharge amount from the discharge port hardly changed even when the developer filling amount was changed.

From the above results, by setting the discharge port to φ4 mm (area 12.6 mm ² ) or less, regardless of the type of developer and the bulk density state, the discharge port is at the bottom (replenishment to the developer supply device 8) Assuming the posture), it was confirmed that gravity was not discharged sufficiently from the discharge port alone.

  On the other hand, as the lower limit value of the size of the discharge port 1c, at least the developer to be replenished from the developer replenishing container 1 (1 component magnetic toner, 1 component nonmagnetic toner, 2 component nonmagnetic toner, 2 component magnetic carrier) is at least. It is preferable to set the value so that it can pass through. That is, it is preferable that the outlet be larger than the particle size of the developer contained in the developer supply container 1 (volume average particle size for toner, number average particle size for carrier). For example, if the developer for replenishment contains a two-component non-magnetic toner and a two-component magnetic carrier, the larger particle size, that is, a discharge port larger than the number average particle size of the two-component magnetic carrier Is preferred.

Specifically, when the two-component non-magnetic toner (volume average particle size is 5.5 μm) and the two-component magnetic carrier (number average particle size is 40 μm) are included in the replenishment developer, the outlet 1c The diameter is preferably set to 0.05 mm (opening area 0.002 mm ² ) or more.

  However, if the size of the discharge port 1c is set to a size close to the particle size of the developer, the energy required to discharge a desired amount from the developer supply container 1, that is, the pump unit 2 is operated. The energy required for this will increase. In addition, there may be restrictions in manufacturing the developer supply container 1. In order to form the discharge port 1c in the resin part using the injection molding method, the durability of the mold part that forms the portion of the discharge port 1c becomes severe. From the above, the diameter φ of the discharge port 1c is preferably set to 0.5 mm or more.

In addition, in this example, although the shape of the discharge port 1c is circular, it is not limited to such a shape. In other words, an opening having an opening area equal to or less than 12.6 mm ^2, which is an opening area corresponding to a diameter of 4 mm, can be changed to a square, a rectangle, an ellipse, or a combination of a straight line and a curve. .

  However, when the opening area of the circular discharge port is the same, the circumferential length of the edge of the opening where the developer adheres and becomes dirty is the smallest compared to other shapes. Therefore, the amount of the developer that spreads in conjunction with the opening / closing operation of the shutter 5 is small, and it is hard to get dirty. In addition, the circular discharge port has the lowest discharge resistance and the highest discharge performance. Therefore, the shape of the discharge port 1c is more preferably a circular shape having the best balance between the discharge amount and the prevention of contamination.

As described above, the size of the discharge port 1c is preferably such that the discharge port 1c is not sufficiently discharged only by the gravitational action in a state where the discharge port 1c is directed vertically downward (assuming a replenishment posture to the developer supply device 8). Specifically, the diameter φ of the discharge port 1c is, 0.05 mm to set a range of (the opening area 0.002 mm ²⁾ or more 4 mm (opening area 12.6 mm ²⁾ is preferred. Furthermore, the diameter φ of the discharge port 1c is, 0.5 mm to set the range of (the opening area 0.2 mm ²⁾ or more 4 mm (opening area 12.6 mm ²⁾ is more preferable. In this example, from the above viewpoint, the discharge port 1c has a circular shape, and the diameter φ of the opening is set to 2 mm.

  In this example, the number of the discharge ports 1c is one, but the number is not limited to this, and a plurality of discharge ports 1c may be provided so that each opening area satisfies the above-described range of the opening area. Absent. For example, two discharge ports 1c having a diameter φ of 0.7 mm are provided for one developer receiving port 8a having a diameter φ of 2 mm. However, in this case, since the developer discharge amount (per unit time) tends to decrease, a configuration in which one discharge port 1c having a diameter φ of 2 mm is provided is more preferable.

(Regulation Department)
Next, a restricting part (a restricting mechanism, a pump position fixing mechanism) that restricts the volume change of the pump part 2 will be described with reference to FIG. The restricting portion restricts the position (expanded state) at the start of the operation of the pump unit 2 so that air is taken into the developer accommodating space 1b from the discharge port 1c in the first operation cycle of the pump unit 2. Here, the “first” operation cycle of the pump unit refers to the time when the pump unit operates for the first time when the developer is discharged from the discharge port after a new developer supply container is mounted on the developer receiving device. Say the first cycle.

  In the present embodiment, the restricting portion of the pump portion 2 is constituted by a holding member 3 and a lock member (engaged member) 55, and the holding member 3 is restricted from moving by engaging with the lock member 55. It plays the role which holds the state of the pump part 2.

  Hereinafter, a specific configuration of the restriction unit will be described. As shown in FIG. 9, the holding member 3 has a U-shape and extends from the upper end surface of the pump portion 2 toward both side surfaces of the container body 1a. Further, an engagement protrusion 3 a is provided in the vicinity of the container main body 1 a of the holding member 3. Further, as described above, the engaged portion 3b that engages with the locking portion 9a of the locking member 9 is provided.

  On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 9, the lock member 55 is rotatably installed with respect to the container body 1a by engaging the rotation support portions 55c with the rotation shafts 1j provided on both side surfaces of the container body 1a. ing. The lock member 55 includes an engagement groove (engaged portion) 55a into which the engagement protrusion (engagement portion) 3a of the holding member 3 is fitted, and an engagement protrusion (engagement portion) 8j of the developer supply device 8. An engagement groove (engaged portion) 55b into which (see FIG. 3) fits is provided.

(Developer supply container loading / unloading operation)
Next, the mounting operation of the developer supply container 1 will be described with reference to FIGS. Here, FIGS. 13A and 13B are diagrams showing the state of each part during the mounting of the developer supply container 1, and FIGS. 14A and 14B are each part when the mounting of the developer supply container 1 is completed. It is a figure which shows the state of.

  As shown in FIG. 13A, the developer supply container 1 is regulated in a state in which the pump unit 2 is contracted before being attached to the developer supply device 8. At this time, as shown in FIG. 13 (b), the engagement protrusion 3 a of the holding member 3 fits into the engagement groove 55 a provided in the lock member 55, and the holding member 3 is moved to the arrow p by the elastic restoring force of the pump portion 2. Receives a biasing force in the direction. This urging force causes a frictional force between the rotation support portion 55c and the rotation shaft 1j so that the lock member 55 is not easily rotated by physical distribution or an operator's careless operation.

  When the developer supply container 1 in this state is attached to the developer supply device 8, as shown in FIG. 13 (a), the engaging portion 9a of the engaging member 9 and the retaining member 3 are engaged during the insertion. The joint portion 3b is engaged. On the other hand, when the flange portion 1g of the developer supply container 1 and the positioning guide 8b of the developer supply device 8 are engaged, the discharge port (developer supply port) 1c and the developer receiving port 8a are aligned. At the same time, as shown in FIG. 13B, the engaging protrusion 8 j of the developer supply device 8 enters the engaging groove 55 b of the lock member 55. Thereafter, when the developer supply container 1 is further inserted, the engagement protrusion 8j pushes the wall 55b1 of the engagement groove 55b, thereby rotating the lock member 55 in the direction of arrow F in the figure. When the mounting is completed, the lock member 55 is rotated to the position shown in FIG. 14B, and the engagement protrusion 3a can be detached from the engagement groove 55a in the direction of the arrow p, and the restriction of the pump unit 2 is released. The

  In FIG. 13B, the lock member 55 can be rotated with a lighter force by setting the position where the engagement protrusion 8j and the wall 55b1 abut to the position away from the rotation center of the lock member 55. . In this configuration, since the operator rotates the lock member 55 by using the operation of mounting the developer supply container 1 on the developer supply device 8, the mounting force of the developer supply container 1 can be increased by setting as described above. Can be adjusted. This can be set as appropriate according to the space of the main body, the rotation angle of the lock member 55, and the like.

  As shown in FIG. 14B, when the discharge port (developer supply port) 1c and the developer receiving port 8a communicate with each other, the mounting operation of the developer supply container 1 ends.

  The developer supply container 1 is removed in the reverse procedure of the above mounting operation. Specifically, when the replenishment operation is finished, the locking member 9 is controlled to the position at the time of mounting as will be described later, so that the engaging protrusion 3a is inserted into the engaging groove 55a as shown in FIG. It is in the state. When the developer supply container 1 is removed in this state, the engagement protrusion 8j of the developer supply device 8 pushes the wall 55b2 of the engagement groove 55a, and the lock member 55 rotates in the direction opposite to the arrow F direction. As a result, as shown in FIG. 13B, the engaging protrusion 3a is fitted into the engaging groove 55a, and the movement of the engaging protrusion 3a is restricted again. Accordingly, as a result, the operation of the pump unit 2 is also restricted.

(Developer replenishment process)
Next, the developer replenishing step by the pump unit 2 will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 15 is a schematic perspective view showing a state where the expansion / contraction part 2a of the pump part 2 is contracted. FIG. 16 is a schematic perspective view showing a state where the expansion / contraction part 2a of the pump part 2 is extended. FIG. 17 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a state where the expansion / contraction part 2a of the pump part 2 is contracted. FIG. 18 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a state where the expansion / contraction part 2a of the pump part 2 is extended.

  In this example, as will be described later, the drive conversion mechanism reduces the rotational force so that the intake process (intake operation through the discharge port 1c) and the exhaust process (exhaust operation through the discharge port 1c) are alternately repeated. The drive conversion is performed. Hereinafter, the intake process and the exhaust process will be described in detail in order.

  First, the developer discharging principle using the pump unit will be described.

  The operating principle of the expansion / contraction part 2a of the pump part 2 is as described above. If it says again, as shown in FIG. 10, the lower end of the expansion-contraction part 2a is joined to the container main body 1a. Further, the container main body 1a is prevented from moving in the arrow p direction and the arrow q direction (see FIG. 9 as necessary) by the positioning guide 8b of the developer supply device 8 through the flange portion 1g at the lower end. It becomes. Therefore, the lower end of the expansion / contraction part 2 a joined to the container main body 1 a is in a state where the position in the vertical direction is fixed with respect to the developer supply device 8.

  On the other hand, the upper end of the telescopic part 2a is locked to the locking member 9 via the holding member 3, and when the locking member 9 moves up and down, it reciprocates in the direction of the arrow p and the direction of the arrow q.

  Therefore, since the expansion / contraction part 2a of the pump part 2 exists in the state where the lower end was fixed, the part above it will perform expansion-contraction operation | movement.

  Next, the relationship between the expansion / contraction operation (exhaust operation and intake operation) of the expansion / contraction part 2a of the pump unit 2 and the developer discharge will be described.

(Exhaust operation)
First, the exhaust operation through the discharge port 1c will be described.

  As shown in FIG. 15, as the locking member 9 moves downward, the upper end of the expansion / contraction part 2a is displaced in the direction of the arrow q (the expansion / contraction part contracts), whereby the exhaust operation is performed. Specifically, the volume of the developer accommodation space 1b decreases with this exhausting operation. At that time, the inside of the container main body 1a is sealed except for the discharge port 1c, and the discharge port 1c is substantially closed with the developer until the developer is discharged. Therefore, the internal pressure of the developer accommodating space 1b increases as the volume in the developer accommodating space 1b decreases.

  At this time, the internal pressure of the developer accommodating space 1b becomes larger than the pressure in the hopper 8g (substantially equal to the atmospheric pressure). That is, the internal pressure of the developer storage space 1b is higher than the atmospheric pressure. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 17, the developer T is pushed out by air pressure due to the pressure difference between the developer storage space 1b and the hopper 8g (differential pressure with respect to atmospheric pressure). That is, the developer T is discharged from the developer storage space 1b to the hopper 8g. The arrows in FIG. 17 indicate the direction of the force acting on the developer T in the developer accommodating space 1b.

  Thereafter, the air in the developer accommodating space 1b is also discharged together with the developer T, so that the internal pressure of the developer accommodating space 1b decreases.

(Intake operation)
Next, an intake operation through the discharge port 1c will be described.

  As shown in FIG. 16, as the locking member 9 moves upward, the upper end of the expansion / contraction part 2a of the pump part 2 is displaced in the direction of the arrow p (the expansion / contraction part extends), so that an intake operation is performed. . Specifically, the volume of the developer accommodation space 1b increases with this intake operation. At that time, the inside of the container main body 1a is sealed except for the discharge port 1c, and the discharge port 1c is substantially closed with the developer. Therefore, the internal pressure of the developer accommodating space 1b decreases as the volume in the developer accommodating space 1b increases.

  At this time, the internal pressure of the developer accommodating space 1b is smaller than the internal pressure of the hopper 8g (substantially equal to the atmospheric pressure). That is, the internal pressure of the developer accommodating space 1b is lower than the atmospheric pressure. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 18, the air in the upper portion of the hopper 8g passes through the discharge port 1c due to the pressure difference between the developer storage space 1b and the hopper 8g (differential pressure with respect to atmospheric pressure), and the developer storage space 1b. Move in. The arrows in FIG. 18 indicate the direction of the force acting on the developer T in the developer accommodating space 1b. Further, z shown by an ellipse in FIG. 18 schematically shows air taken in from the hopper 8g.

  At that time, since air is taken in from the developer supply device 8 side through the discharge port 1c, the developer located in the vicinity of the discharge port 1c can be removed. Specifically, the developer can be fluidized by reducing the bulk density by including air in the developer located near the discharge port 1c.

  In this way, by allowing the developer to be fluidized, the developer can be discharged from the discharge port 1c without being blocked during the next exhaust operation. Accordingly, the amount (per unit time) of the developer T discharged from the discharge port 1c can be made almost constant over a long period of time.

(Changes in internal pressure of developer container)
Next, a verification experiment was conducted as to how the internal pressure of the developer supply container 1 changed. Hereinafter, this verification experiment will be described.

The developer supply container 1 when the developer storage space 1b in the developer supply container 1 is filled with the developer and the pump unit 2 is expanded and contracted by a volume change amount of 15 cm ^3. The change of internal pressure was measured. The internal pressure of the developer supply container 1 was measured by connecting a pressure gauge (manufactured by Keyence Corporation, model name: AP-C40) to the developer supply container 1.

  FIG. 19 shows a change in pressure when the pump unit 2 is expanded and contracted in a state where the shutter 5 of the developer supply container 1 filled with the developer is opened and the discharge port 1c can communicate with external air. Show.

  In FIG. 19, the horizontal axis indicates time, and the vertical axis indicates the relative pressure in the developer supply container 1 with respect to atmospheric pressure (reference (0)) (+ indicates the positive pressure side, and − indicates the negative pressure side). ing).

  When the volume of the developer supply container 1 increases and the internal pressure of the developer supply container 1 becomes negative with respect to the external atmospheric pressure, air is taken in from the discharge port 1c due to the atmospheric pressure difference (differential pressure with respect to atmospheric pressure). . Further, when the volume of the developer supply container 1 decreases and the internal pressure of the developer supply container 1 becomes a positive pressure with respect to the atmospheric pressure, the development inside the developer supply container 1 is caused by the atmospheric pressure difference (differential pressure with respect to the atmospheric pressure). Pressure is applied to the agent. At this time, the internal pressure is relieved by the amount of developer and air discharged.

  As a result of this verification experiment, it was confirmed that the internal pressure of the developer supply container 1 became negative with respect to the external atmospheric pressure by increasing the volume of the developer supply container 1, and that air was taken in due to the pressure difference. . Further, as the volume of the developer replenishing container 1 decreases, the internal pressure of the developer replenishing container 1 becomes positive with respect to the atmospheric pressure. It was confirmed that it was discharged. In this verification experiment, the absolute value of the pressure on the negative pressure side was 1.3 kPa, and the absolute value of the pressure on the positive pressure side was 3.0 kPa.

  As described above, in the case of the developer supply container 1 having the configuration of this example, the internal pressure of the developer supply container 1 is alternately switched between the negative pressure state and the positive pressure state in accordance with the intake operation and the exhaust operation by the pump unit 2. It was confirmed that the developer can be discharged properly.

  As described above, in this example, the developer replenishment container 1 is provided with a simple pump for performing the intake operation and the exhaust operation, so that the developer can be discharged by the air while obtaining the effect of releasing the developer by the air. It can be performed stably.

  That is, with the configuration of this example, even when the size of the discharge port 1c is extremely small, the developer can be passed through the discharge port 1c in a fluidized state with a low bulk density. High discharge performance can be ensured without imposing large stress on the water.

  Further, in this example, since the inside of the variable volume type pump unit 2 is used as the developer storage space 1b, when the internal pressure is reduced by increasing the volume of the pump unit 2, a new developer is stored. A space can be formed. Therefore, even if the inside of the pump unit 2 is filled with the developer, the bulk density can be reduced by adding air to the developer with a simple configuration (fluidizing the developer). be able to). Therefore, the developer supply container 1 can be filled with the developer at a higher density than before.

  As described above, the internal space of the pump unit 2 is not used as the developer storage space 1b, but the filter (a filter through which air can pass but toner cannot pass) is separated between the pump unit 2 and the developer storage space 1b. A configuration for partitioning may be used. However, the configuration of the embodiment described above is more preferable in that a new developer accommodating space can be formed when the volume of the pump is increased.

(About the effect of developer removal in the intake process)
Next, the developer releasing effect by the intake operation through the discharge port 1c in the intake process was verified. If the developer releasing effect associated with the intake operation via the discharge port 1c is large, the developer is discharged from the developer supply container 1 in the next exhausting step with a small exhaust pressure (small pump volume change amount). Can be started immediately. Therefore, this verification is intended to show that the developer releasing effect is remarkably enhanced with the configuration of this example. This will be described in detail below.

  FIGS. 20A and 21A are block diagrams simply showing the configuration of the developer supply system used in the verification experiment. FIG. 20B and FIG. 21B are schematic diagrams showing the phenomenon that occurs in the developer supply container. FIG. 20 shows a case of the same system as in this example, and the developer supply container C is provided with a pump unit P together with the developer storage unit C1. Then, by the expansion and contraction operation of the pump part P, the intake operation and the exhaust operation through the discharge port of the developer supply container C (the discharge port 1c (not shown) similar to this example) are alternately performed, and the developer is supplied to the hopper H. To be discharged. On the other hand, FIG. 21 shows the case of the comparative example, in which the pump part P is provided on the developer replenishing apparatus side, and the air supply operation to the developer accommodating part C1 and the developer accommodating part C1 by the expansion / contraction operation of the pump part P These suction operations are alternately performed, and the developer is discharged to the hopper H. 20 and 21, the developer accommodating portion C1 and the hopper H have the same internal volume, and the pump portion P also has the same internal volume (volume change amount).

  First, the developer supply container C is filled with 200 g of developer.

  Next, assuming the state after the distribution of the developer supply container C, the vibration is applied for 15 minutes, and then the hopper H is connected.

Then, the pump portion P was operated, and the peak value of the internal pressure reached during the intake operation was measured as a condition of the intake step necessary to immediately start discharging the developer in the exhaust step. In the case of FIG. 20, the state where the volume of the developer accommodating portion C1 is 480 cm ³ and the state where the volume of the hopper H is 480 cm ³ in FIG.

  Further, the experiment in the configuration of FIG. 21 was performed after 200 g of developer was filled in the hopper H in advance in order to make the air volume condition the same as the configuration of FIG. Further, the internal pressures of the developer accommodating portion C1 and the hopper H were measured by connecting a pressure gauge (manufactured by Keyence Corporation, model name: AP-C40) to each.

  As a result of the verification, in the system similar to this example shown in FIG. 20, if the absolute value of the peak value (negative pressure) of the internal pressure during the intake operation is at least 1.0 kPa, the developer is immediately discharged in the next exhausting process. I was able to get started. On the other hand, in the method of the comparative example shown in FIG. 21, unless the peak value (positive pressure) of the internal pressure during the air supply operation is at least 1.7 kPa, the developer could not be started immediately in the next exhaust process. .

  That is, if the system is the same as that of this example shown in FIG. 20, since the intake is performed as the volume of the pump part P increases, the internal pressure of the developer supply container C is lower than the atmospheric pressure (pressure outside the container). The negative pressure side can be achieved, and it has been confirmed that the developer releasing effect is remarkably high. As shown in FIG. 20 (b), the volume of the developer supply container C increases as the pump portion P extends, so that the air layer R above the developer layer T is depressurized with respect to the atmospheric pressure. It is because it will be in a state. For this reason, a force acts in the direction in which the volume of the developer layer T expands due to this pressure reducing action (broken line arrow), so that the developer layer can be efficiently solved. Further, in the system shown in FIG. 20, air is taken into the developer replenishing container C from the outside by this pressure reducing action (white arrow), and the developer is also used when the air reaches the air layer R. It can be said that the layer T is solved and it is a very excellent system. As evidence that the developer in the developer supply container C has been solved, in this experiment, a phenomenon was confirmed in which the apparent volume of the entire developer in the developer supply container C increased during the intake operation (the upper surface of the developer). Phenomenon that moves up).

  On the other hand, in the method of the comparative example shown in FIG. 21, the internal pressure of the developer supply container C increases with the air supply operation to the developer container C1, and becomes a positive pressure side higher than the atmospheric pressure, and the developer aggregates. Therefore, the effect of unraveling the developer was not recognized. This is because, as shown in FIG. 21B, air is forcibly sent from the outside of the developer supply container C, so that the air layer R above the developer layer T is in a pressurized state with respect to atmospheric pressure. Because it becomes. For this reason, this pressurizing action exerts a force in the direction in which the volume of the developer layer T contracts (broken line arrow), and the developer layer T becomes consolidated. In fact, in the comparative example, it was not possible to confirm the phenomenon that the apparent volume of the entire developer in the developer supply container C increased during the intake operation. Therefore, in the method of FIG. 21, there is a high possibility that the subsequent developer discharging step cannot be appropriately performed due to the consolidation of the developer layer T.

  In addition, in order to prevent the developer layer T from being consolidated due to the air layer R being in a pressurized state, an air bleeding filter or the like is provided in a portion corresponding to the air layer R to reduce the pressure increase. Although it is conceivable, the pressure of the air layer R increases due to the air resistance of a filter or the like. Moreover, even if the pressure rise is eliminated, the unraveling effect obtained by bringing the air layer R into a reduced pressure state cannot be obtained.

  From the above, it was confirmed that by adopting the method of this example shown in FIG. 20, the “intake operation via the discharge port” accompanying the increase in the volume of the pump part plays a large role.

  As described above, the pump unit 2 alternately and repeatedly performs the exhaust operation and the intake operation, whereby the developer can be efficiently discharged from the discharge port 1c of the developer supply container 1. That is, in this example, since the exhaust operation and the intake operation are not performed simultaneously in parallel, but are alternately performed repeatedly, the energy required for discharging the developer can be reduced as much as possible.

  On the other hand, when the air supply pump and the suction pump are separately provided on the developer supply device side as in the prior art, it is necessary to control the operations of the two pumps. It is not easy to switch between the two.

  Therefore, in this example, the developer can be efficiently discharged using a single pump, so that the configuration of the developer discharging mechanism can be simplified.

  As described above, it is possible to efficiently discharge the developer by alternately repeating the pump exhaust operation and the air intake operation. However, the exhaust operation and the air intake operation may be stopped once and then restarted. I do not care.

  For example, the pumping operation of the pump may not be performed all at once, but the compression operation of the pump may be stopped once in the middle, and then compressed and exhausted again. The same applies to the intake operation. Furthermore, each operation may be performed in multiple stages on the assumption that the discharge amount and the discharge speed are satisfied. However, the pump operation is basically the same as repeating the exhaust operation and the intake operation after performing the intake operation after the exhaust operation divided into multiple stages.

  In this example, the developer is taken out from the discharge port 1c by reducing the internal pressure of the developer accommodating space 1b to a reduced state. On the other hand, in the above-described comparative example, the developer is released by sending air from the outside of the developer supply container 1 to the developer storage space 1b. At this time, the internal pressure of the developer storage space 1b is in a pressurized state. And the developer aggregates. That is, as an effect of unraveling the developer, the present example that can be unraveled in a reduced pressure state in which the developer hardly aggregates is preferable.

(About the effect of removing the developer at the start of replenishment)
As described above, the developer contained in the developer replenishing container 1 may be compacted due to the release of air contained due to the effect of being left for a long period of time. In particular, the new developer replenishment container 1 is compressed during actual use by being vibrated during transportation to the user or stored for a long time under high temperature and high humidity. More likely. In the developer supply container 1 in such a state, when the pump unit 2 is operated in the direction of decreasing the volume from the state shown in FIG. 18 to start the supply operation, the inside of the developer supply container 1 is added due to the decrease in the volume. As a result, the internal developer is further consolidated. As a result, the developer around the discharge port (developer replenishment port) 1c may be blocked, resulting in a developer discharge failure. Further, when the discharge port 1c is clogged, a large driving load is generated in the operation of the pump unit 2.

  On the other hand, when the pump unit 2 is operated in the direction of increasing the volume from the state shown in FIG. 17 to start the supply operation, air is taken into the developer supply container 1 from the discharge port 1c as described above. As a result, the compacted developer around the discharge port 1c is fluidized and unraveled. Then, if the pump unit 2 is operated in the direction of decreasing the volume immediately after that, the dissolved developer is smoothly discharged from the discharge port 1c.

  Therefore, it is preferable that the first operation in the developer replenishment operation of the developer replenishment container 1 is a stage in which the volume of the pump unit 2 is increased to take in air.

  In this embodiment, the developer replenishing container 1 can regulate the state of the pump unit 2 before the start of the developer replenishing operation by the regulating parts (the holding member 3 and the lock member 55) as described above. That is, the position at the start of the operation of the pump unit 2 can be restricted to the position shown in FIG. 17 so that air is taken into the developer accommodating space 1b from the discharge port 1c in the first operation cycle of the pump unit 2. It is. Therefore, the developer replenishing container 1 is set so that the replenishment operation can be reliably started from the direction of increasing the volume of the pump unit 2 by regulating the pump unit 2 in the contracted state (the state shown in FIG. 17) by the regulating unit. Is possible.

  Note that, as described above, the most effective way of releasing the developer by taking in air is when the new developer supply container 1 is used. However, for example, when the developer replenishment container 1 is mounted on the developer replenishment device 8 and the user does not perform a copying operation for a long period of time, the developer remaining in the developer replenishment container 1 after being left for a long period is the same. There is a possibility of consolidation. In order to obtain the effect of the present invention even in such a situation, the position of the pump unit 2 when resuming the pump operation is also restricted to the same position as that at the time of mounting, that is, the position where the volume is started from the direction of increasing the volume. Is preferred. For this purpose, for example, a sensor that senses the position of the locking member 9 of the developer supply device 8 is provided in the apparatus main body 100, thereby ensuring that the locking member 9 is at the same position as the position when the developer supply container 1 is mounted. However, other configurations may of course be used. Furthermore, with this control means, for example, even if the developer remains in the developer replenishing container 1 for some reason and is detached from the developer replenishing device 8 and then reattached, replenishment operation is resumed. Can be reliably started from the direction of increasing the volume of the pump unit 2, and the same effect can be obtained. If this control means is provided, the engaged portion 3b and the locking member 9 can be used when the developer replenishing container 1 is mounted on the developer replenishing device 8, for example, without providing the regulating portion in the developer replenishing container 1. Can be reliably started from the direction of increasing the volume of the pump unit 2. However, if the developer supply container 1 does not have a restricting portion, the position of the engaged portion 3b before being attached to the developer supplying device 8 cannot be restricted. The mounting operation must be performed while aligning the positions. Therefore, from the viewpoint of improving operability, a configuration in which the regulating portion is provided in the developer supply container 1 as in the present invention is more preferable.

  In this embodiment, the restriction release and re-regulation operation of the pump unit 2 by the restriction unit is accompanied by the loading / unloading operation of the developer supply container 1 to the developer supply device 8. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and may be performed in conjunction with the opening / closing operation of the replacement cover 40 (see FIG. 2), for example. Furthermore, a mechanism that automatically operates in the apparatus main body 100 may be provided and operated by operating the operation panel 100b (see FIG. 2) of the apparatus main body 100.

  As described above, according to the configuration of the present embodiment, the operation of the pump unit 2 can always be started from the direction of increasing the volume. Therefore, even if the developer is consolidated and solidified around the discharge port (developer supply port) 1c, it is possible to stably discharge the developer from the beginning by surely fluidizing the developer by taking in air. .

  Further, when starting from the direction of increasing the volume, the developer can be surely released by taking in air, so that the driving force of the subsequent pump operation is reduced and the driving load applied to the main body is reduced.

  In the bellows-like pump section 2, if the pump operation is started from the direction of volume reduction with the developer entering the bellows groove, further compressive force is applied to the developer in the groove, which affects the image quality. Aggregates and coarse particles may occur. On the other hand, when the pump operation is started from the direction of increasing the volume, the pump unit 2 is set in a state in which the bellows is contracted, so that a small amount of developer enters the groove before the operation starts. Furthermore, since the pump unit 2 operates in the extending direction and does not further compress the developer, the generation of aggregates and coarse particles can be prevented.

  Next, the developer discharging performance of the developer supply container 1 in the present embodiment will be described in detail using the following experimental examples.

The experimental procedure will be described. First, 240 g of developer was filled in the developer supply container 1 shown in FIG. Thereafter, with the discharge port (developer replenishment port) 1c down, a vibration corresponding to the physical distribution was applied to consolidate the developer. Here, the vibration was performed by applying a dropping operation from a height of 30 mm 1000 times. Then, the developer supply container 1 is mounted in the apparatus main body 100, the discharge port 1c is opened, and the replenishment operation is performed by operating the pump unit 2 under the conditions of a volume change of 15 cm ³ and a volume change speed of 90 cm ³ / s. .

  Further, the transition of the internal pressure of the developer supply container 1 was measured in order to confirm whether air was taken into the developer supply container 1. The internal pressure was measured by connecting a pressure gauge (manufactured by Keyence Corporation, model name: AP-C40) to the developer supply container 1.

  Further, the apparatus main body 100 used in this experiment is set so that a replacement message for the developer supply container 1 is output when a predetermined amount of developer is not filled in the sub hopper in 90 seconds.

<Experimental example 1>
As Experimental Example 1, the replenishment operation of the developer replenishing container 1 was started by operating the pump unit 2 from the most contracted state in the direction of increasing the volume. As a result, the developer was discharged from the developer supply container 1 immediately after the operation of the pump unit 2, and could be used without any problem until the discharge was completed.

  Further, FIG. 22A shows the transition of the internal pressure of the developer supply container 1 at the start of discharging. Here, in FIG. 22A, the horizontal axis indicates time, and the vertical axis indicates the relative pressure in the developer supply container 1 with respect to atmospheric pressure (reference (0)) (+ is the positive pressure side, -Indicates the negative pressure side). Due to the increase in the volume of the developer supply container 1, the internal pressure of the developer supply container 1 becomes negative with respect to the external atmospheric pressure, and then the internal pressure of the developer supply container 1 increases due to the decrease in the volume of the developer supply container 1. It shifted from negative pressure to positive pressure with respect to atmospheric pressure. Further, the absolute value (maximum value) P2 of the pressure peak on the negative pressure side at this time was 1.3 kPa.

  Here, in the configuration of Experimental Example 1, as an experiment for demonstrating that air is taken into the developer supply container 1, the discharge port 1c is sealed and no air is taken into the developer supply container 1. An experiment similar to Experimental Example 1 was performed in a state (sealed state). As a result, the internal pressure of the developer supply container 1 becomes a negative pressure with respect to the external atmospheric pressure due to the increase in the volume of the developer supply container 1, but after that, when the operation of reducing the volume of the developer supply container 1 is completed, the development is performed. The internal pressure of the agent replenishing container 1 was equal to the atmospheric pressure and did not reach a positive pressure state. Further, the absolute value (maximum value) P1 of the pressure peak on the negative pressure side at this time was 2.5 kPa. The reason why P2 was lower than P1 (| P1 |> | P2 |) was that air was taken in from the discharge port (developer supply port) 1c, and the expansion of air in the developer supply container 1 was alleviated. This is because.

  From these results, it was proved that in the configuration of Experimental Example 1, the air was taken into the developer supply container 1 immediately after the start of supply, and thereby the effect of releasing the compacted developer was generated.

<Experimental example 2>
In Experimental Example 2, the developer replenishment container 1 was started to be replenished by operating the pump unit 2 in the direction of increasing the volume from a state where the pump unit 2 was contracted to half the maximum extension state. Other experimental conditions were the same as in Experimental Example 1. As a result, although a sufficient amount of developer has not been discharged from the developer supply container 1 immediately after the start of the operation of the pump unit 2, it is stably discharged after several pump operations, and finally the discharge is completed. We were able to use without problem.

  Further, FIG. 22A shows the transition of the internal pressure of the developer supply container 1 at the start of discharging. The tendency of the transition of the internal pressure is almost the same as in Experimental Example 1, but the absolute value of the pressure peak on the negative pressure side is 2.0 kPa, which exceeds the pressure value of the configuration of Experimental Example 1. This is because the configuration of the experimental example 2 has a smaller volume change amount of the pump unit 2 than the experimental example 1, and therefore the amount of air taken in from the discharge port 1c is small. This is because the expansion of the air in 1 was not relaxed.

  From this result, even in the configuration of Experimental Example 2, it was confirmed that air was taken into the developer supply container 1 and the effect of developing the developer was obtained. However, in order to obtain higher discharge performance, it was proved that it is more preferable to set the amount of change in the volume increasing direction of the pump unit 2 to the maximum as in Experimental Example 1.

<Experimental comparison example 1>
As Experimental Comparative Example 1, the replenishing operation of the developer replenishing container 1 was started by operating the pump unit 2 from the most extended state in the direction of decreasing volume. Other experimental conditions were the same as in Experimental Example 1. As a result, the developer was not discharged from the developer supply container 1, and a message for replacing the developer supply container was displayed after 90 seconds. Thereafter, the replenishment operation was continued until about 180 seconds, but the developer was not discharged.

  FIG. 22B shows the transition of the internal pressure of the developer supply container 1 at the start of discharging. Although the internal pressure of the developer supply container 1 becomes a positive pressure with respect to the external atmospheric pressure due to the decrease in the volume of the developer supply container 1, the developer supply container 1 is subsequently terminated at the end of the volume increase operation of the developer supply container 1. The internal pressure of 1 was equivalent to the atmospheric pressure and did not become a negative pressure state. This is the same behavior as when the discharge port (developer supply port) 1c was sealed and a similar experiment was performed. In other words, it indicates that the developer supply container 1 is pressurized due to the volume reduction, and the developer around the discharge port 1c is compacted, so that the discharge port 1c is substantially closed.

  From this result, it was confirmed that the discharge performance was improved by starting the operation of the pump unit 2 in the direction of increasing the volume.

[Example 2]
Next, the configuration of the second embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. Here, FIG. 23 is a schematic perspective view of the developer supply container 1, and FIG. 24 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the developer supply container 1. In this example, only the configuration of the pump unit is different from that of the first embodiment, and other configurations are substantially the same as those of the first embodiment. Therefore, in this example, the same reference numerals are assigned to the same configurations as those in the first embodiment described above, and detailed description thereof is omitted.

  In this example, as shown in FIGS. 23 and 24, a plunger-type pump unit is used instead of the bellows-like variable volume pump unit as in the first embodiment. The plunger type pump part of this example is also a variable volume part that changes the internal pressure in the developer accommodating space 1b by increasing / decreasing the volume as in the first embodiment. Specifically, the plunger type pump part of this example has the outer cylinder part 6 provided in the vicinity of the outer peripheral surface of the inner cylinder part 1h so that relative movement with respect to the inner cylinder part 1h was possible. Further, similarly to the first embodiment, the holding member 3 that is operated yesterday as a drive input unit is bonded and fixed to the upper surface of the outer cylinder portion 6. That is, the holding member 3 fixed to the upper surface of the outer cylinder part 6 is substantially integrated by inserting the locking member 9 of the developer replenishing device 8, and the outer cylinder part 6 becomes the locking member. 9 can move up and down (reciprocating).

  The inner cylinder portion 1h is connected to the container body 1a, and the inner space functions as a developer storage space 1b.

  Further, in order to prevent air leakage from the gap between the inner cylinder portion 1h and the outer cylinder portion 6 (so that the developer does not leak by maintaining airtightness), the seal member (elastic seal) 7 is provided with the inner cylinder portion 1h. It is adhered and fixed to the outer peripheral surface of. The seal member (elastic seal) 7 is configured to be compressed between the inner cylinder portion 1 h and the outer cylinder portion 6.

  Accordingly, the outer cylinder 6 is reciprocated in the direction of the arrow p and the direction of the arrow q with respect to the container main body 1a (inner cylinder 1h) fixed to the developer replenishing device 8 so as to be in the developer accommodating space 1b. The volume can be changed (increased or decreased). That is, the internal pressure of the developer accommodating space 1b can be alternately and repeatedly changed between a negative pressure state and a positive pressure state.

  Thus, also in this example, since the intake operation and the exhaust operation can be performed by one pump unit, the configuration of the developer discharge mechanism can be simplified. Furthermore, since the inside of the developer supply container can be brought into a reduced pressure state (negative pressure state) by an intake operation via the discharge port, the developer can be efficiently unraveled.

  In this example, the example in which the shape of the outer cylinder portion 6 is a cylindrical shape has been described. However, for example, the cross section may be another shape such as a quadrangle. In this case, it is preferable that the shape of the inner cylinder portion 1 h corresponds to the shape of the outer cylinder portion 6. Moreover, you may use not only a plunger type pump part but a piston pump part.

  In addition, when the pump unit of this example is used, a seal configuration for preventing developer leakage from the gap between the inner cylinder and the outer cylinder is required. As a result, the configuration becomes complicated and the pump unit is driven. Since the driving force is increased, the first embodiment is more preferable.

  Moreover, in this example, since the restriction | limiting part (holding member 3, lock member 55) similar to Example 1 is provided, it is possible to restrict a pump part to a predetermined state. That is, the position at the start of operation of the pump unit can be restricted to the position shown in FIG. 23 so that air is taken into the developer storage space from the discharge port in the first operation cycle of the pump unit. Therefore, even in the configuration of this example, the developer in the developer supply container 1 can be removed by operating the pump portion in a direction of increasing the volume from a state where the pump portion is regulated to a predetermined position (position shown in FIG. 23). The effect can be obtained more reliably.

Example 3
Next, the configuration of the third embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 25 and 26. FIG. FIG. 25 is an external perspective view showing a state where the pump portion 12 of the developer supply container 1 of the present embodiment is extended, and FIG. 26 is an external perspective view showing a state where the pump portion 12 of the developer supply container 1 is contracted. is there. In this example, as in the second embodiment, the configuration of the pump is only different from that in the first embodiment, and other configurations are substantially the same as those in the first embodiment. Therefore, in this example, the same reference numerals are assigned to the same configurations as those in the first embodiment described above, and detailed description thereof is omitted.

  In this example, as shown in FIGS. 25 and 26, instead of the pump part with the accordion-like crease as in the first embodiment, the film-like pump part 12 that can be expanded and contracted without a fold is provided. Is used. The film-like part of the pump part 12 is made of rubber. In addition, as a material of the film | membrane-like part of the pump part 12, you may use flexible materials, such as a resin film instead of rubber | gum.

  The film-like pump unit 12 is connected to the container body 1a, and the internal space functions as a developer storage space 1b. In addition, the holding member 3 is bonded and fixed to the upper part of the membrane-like pump portion 12 in the same manner as in the above embodiment. Therefore, the pump unit 12 can alternately repeat expansion and contraction as the locking member 9 moves up and down.

  Thus, also in this example, since the intake operation and the exhaust operation can be performed by one pump unit, the configuration of the developer discharge mechanism can be simplified. Furthermore, since the inside of the developer supply container can be brought into a reduced pressure state (negative pressure state) by an intake operation through the discharge port, the developer can be efficiently unraveled.

  In the case of this example, as shown in FIG. 27, a plate-like member 13 having higher rigidity than the membrane-like portion is attached to the upper surface of the membrane-like portion of the pump portion 12, and the holding member 3 is installed on this plate-like member 13. It is preferable to do this. By setting it as such a structure, it can suppress that the volume variation | change_quantity of the pump part 12 decreases because only the vicinity of the holding member 3 of the pump part 12 deform | transforms. That is, the followability of the pump unit 12 with respect to the vertical movement of the locking member 9 can be improved, and the pump unit 12 can be efficiently expanded and contracted. That is, it becomes possible to improve the developer discharging performance.

  Moreover, in this example, since the restriction | limiting part (holding member 3, lock member 55) similar to Example 1 is provided, it is possible to restrict the pump part 12 to a predetermined state. That is, it is possible to regulate the position at the start of operation of the pump unit so that air is taken into the developer storage space from the discharge port in the first operation cycle of the pump unit. Accordingly, even in the configuration of the present example, the developer releasing effect in the developer supply container 1 can be more reliably ensured by operating the pump unit 12 in a volume increasing direction from a state where the pump unit 12 is regulated to a predetermined position. Can be obtained.

Example 4
Next, the structure of Example 4 is demonstrated with reference to FIGS. FIG. 28 is an external perspective view of the developer supply container 1, FIG. 29 is a cross-sectional perspective view of the developer supply container 1, and FIG. 30 is a partial cross-sectional view of the developer supply container 1. In this example, the configuration of the developer accommodating space is only different from that of the first embodiment, and other configurations are substantially the same as those of the first embodiment. Therefore, in this example, the same reference numerals are assigned to the same configurations as those in the first embodiment described above, and detailed description thereof is omitted.

  As shown in FIGS. 28 and 29, the developer supply container 1 of this example is composed of two elements: a container body 1 a, a part X of the pump part 2, and a part Y of the cylindrical part 14. The structure of the portion X of the developer supply container 1 is substantially the same as that described in the first embodiment, and detailed description thereof is omitted.

(Configuration of developer supply container)
In the developer supply container 1 of this example, unlike the first embodiment, the cylindrical portion 14 is connected to the side of the portion X (also referred to as a discharge portion where the discharge port 1c is formed) via a connection portion 14c. It has become.

  The cylindrical portion (developer containing rotating portion) 14 is closed at one end in the longitudinal direction, and is open at the other end, which is the side connected to the opening of the portion X. It is an agent storage space 1b. Therefore, in this example, all of the internal space of the container main body 1a, the internal space of the pump portion 2, and the internal space of the cylindrical portion 14 are the developer storage space 1b, and a large amount of developer can be stored. It has become. In this example, the cross-sectional shape of the cylindrical portion 14 as the developer containing rotating portion is circular, but it does not have to be circular. For example, the cross-sectional shape of the developer containing rotating portion may be a non-circular shape such as a polygonal shape as long as the rotational movement is not hindered during developer conveyance.

  The cylindrical portion 14 is provided with a spiral conveying protrusion (conveying portion) 14a. The conveying protrusion 14a is accommodated in the cylindrical portion 14 as the cylindrical portion 14 rotates in the arrow R direction. The developer is transported toward the portion X (discharge port 1c).

  In addition, the developer conveyed by the conveyance protrusion 14a is delivered to the inside of the cylindrical portion 14 to the portion X side as the cylindrical portion 14 rotates in the direction of arrow R (the rotation axis is substantially horizontal). A member (conveying unit) 16 is erected inside the cylindrical unit 14. The delivery member 16 has a plate-like portion 16a for scooping up the developer and inclined protrusions 16b for conveying (guide) the developer scooped up by the plate-like portion 16a toward the portion X on both surfaces of the plate-like portion 16a. Is provided. The plate-like portion 16a is formed with a through hole 16c that allows the developer to come and go in order to improve the stirring property of the developer.

  Further, a gear portion 14b as a drive input mechanism is bonded and fixed to the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion 14 on the other end side in the longitudinal direction (downstream end side in the developer transport direction). When the developer supply container 1 is mounted on the developer supply device 8, the gear portion 14 b engages with a drive gear (drive unit) 300 that functions as a drive mechanism provided in the developer supply device 8. The drive gear 300 is driven to rotate by receiving a driving force from a driving source (drive motor) (not shown) provided in the developer supply device 8. Therefore, when the rotational driving force from the drive gear 300 is input to the gear portion 14b as the drive receiving portion, the cylindrical portion 14 rotates in the arrow R direction (see FIG. 29). In addition, as long as it can rotate the cylindrical part 14 not only in the structure of such a gear part 14b, you may employ | adopt other drive input mechanisms, such as what uses a belt and a friction wheel, for example. .

  As shown in FIG. 30, a connecting portion 14 c serving as a connecting pipe with the portion X is provided on the other end side in the longitudinal direction of the cylindrical portion 14 (downstream end side in the developer transport direction). In addition, it is provided so that the end of the inclination protrusion 16b mentioned above may extend to the vicinity of this connection part 14c. Accordingly, the developer conveyed by the inclined protrusion 16b is prevented from falling again to the bottom surface side of the cylindrical portion 14 as much as possible, and is appropriately delivered to the connecting portion 14c side.

  Further, as described above, the cylindrical portion 14 rotates, while the container main body 1a and the pump portion 2 are immovable to the developer supply device 8 via the flange portion 1g (cylindrical) as in the first embodiment. So that the movement of the part 14 in the direction of the rotational axis and in the rotational direction is prevented). Therefore, the cylindrical portion 14 is connected to the container body 1a so as to be rotatable relative to the container body 1a.

  A ring-shaped seal member (elastic seal) 15 is provided between the cylindrical portion 14 and the container main body 1a, and the seal member (elastic seal) 15 is a predetermined amount between the cylindrical portion 14 and the container main body 1a. Sealed by being compressed. This prevents the developer from leaking from the cylindrical portion 14 during rotation. This also keeps the airtightness, so that the unraveling action and the discharging action by the pump unit 2 can be generated without waste for the developer. In other words, the developer supply container 1 has no opening that communicates substantially inside and outside except the discharge port 1c.

(Developer replenishment process)
Next, the developer supply process will be described.

  When the operator inserts and attaches the developer supply container 1 to the developer supply device 8, the holding member 3 of the developer supply container 1 engages with the locking member 9 of the developer supply device 8 as in the first embodiment. At the same time, the gear portion 14 b of the developer supply container 1 is engaged with the drive gear (drive portion) 300 of the developer supply device 8.

  Thereafter, the drive gear 300 is rotationally driven by another drive motor (not shown) for rotational drive, and the locking member 9 is driven in the vertical direction by the drive motor 500 described above. Then, the cylindrical portion 14 rotates in the direction of arrow R, and accordingly, the internal developer is transported toward the transfer member 16 by the transport protrusion 14a. As the cylindrical portion 14 rotates in the direction of arrow R, the transfer member 16 scoops up the developer and conveys it to the connecting portion 14c. Then, the developer conveyed from the connection portion 14c into the container main body 1a is discharged from the discharge port 1c along with the expansion / contraction operation of the pump portion 2 as in the first embodiment.

  The above is a series of mounting to replenishment steps of the developer replenishment container 1. When the developer supply container 1 is replaced, the operator may take out the developer supply container 1 from the developer supply device 8 and insert and install a new developer supply container 1 again.

  In the case of a vertical container configuration in which the developer storage space 1b is long in the vertical direction as in the first to third embodiments, if the volume of the developer supply container 1 is increased and the filling amount is increased, the developer is discharged by its own weight. The gravity action is more concentrated in the vicinity of the outlet 1c. As a result, the developer in the vicinity of the discharge port 1c is likely to be consolidated, which hinders intake / exhaust from the discharge port 1c. In this case, in order to release the developer compacted by the intake air from the discharge port 1c or to discharge the developer by exhaust, the internal pressure (negative pressure) of the developer accommodating space 1b is increased by increasing the volume change amount of the pump unit 2. (Pressure / positive pressure) must be further increased. However, as a result, the driving force for driving the pump unit 2 also increases, and the load on the image forming apparatus main body 100 may be excessive.

  On the other hand, in the present embodiment, the container body 1a and the part X of the pump part 2 and the part Y of the cylindrical part 14 are arranged side by side in the horizontal direction, so in the structure shown in FIG. The thickness of the developer layer on the discharge port 1c can be set thin. As a result, the developer is less likely to be consolidated by the gravitational action, and as a result, the developer can be stably discharged without imposing a load on the image forming apparatus main body 100.

  As described above, with the configuration of this example, the capacity of the developer supply container 1 can be increased without imposing a load on the image forming apparatus main body by providing the cylindrical portion 14.

  Also in this example, since the intake operation and the exhaust operation can be performed by one pump unit, the configuration of the developer discharge mechanism can be simplified.

  The developer transport mechanism in the cylindrical portion 14 is not limited to the example described above, and the developer supply container 1 may be configured to vibrate, swing, or use other methods. Specifically, for example, the configuration shown in FIG. 31 may be used.

  That is, as shown in FIG. 31, the cylindrical portion 14 itself is fixed to the developer replenishing device 8 so as to be substantially immovable (slightly loose), and relative to the cylindrical portion 14 instead of the conveying protrusion 14a. A conveying member 17 that conveys the developer by rotating is internally provided in the cylindrical portion.

  The conveying member 17 includes a shaft portion 17a and a flexible conveying blade 17b fixed to the shaft portion 17a. Moreover, this conveyance blade 17b has the inclination part 17c in which the front end side inclined with respect to the axial direction of the axial part 17a. Therefore, the developer in the cylindrical portion 14 can be transported toward the portion X while stirring.

  Further, a coupling portion 14e as a drive receiving portion is provided on one end surface in the longitudinal direction of the cylindrical portion 14, and this coupling portion 14e is drivingly connected to a coupling member (not shown) of the developer supply device 8. Thus, the rotational driving force is input. The coupling portion 14e is coaxially coupled to the shaft portion 17a of the transport member 17, and is configured to transmit a rotational driving force to the shaft portion 17a.

  Accordingly, the conveying blade 17b fixed to the shaft portion 17a is rotated by the rotational driving force applied from the coupling member (not shown) of the developer supply device 8, and the developer in the cylindrical portion 14 is directed toward the portion X. It is conveyed while being stirred.

  However, in the modification shown in FIG. 31, the stress applied to the developer tends to increase in the developer transport process, and the driving torque also increases. Is more desirable.

  Also in this example, since the intake operation and the exhaust operation can be performed by one pump unit, the configuration of the developer discharge mechanism can be simplified. Furthermore, since the inside of the developer supply container can be brought into a reduced pressure state (negative pressure state) by an intake operation through the discharge port, the developer can be efficiently unraveled.

  Moreover, in this example, since the restriction part (holding member 3, lock member 55) similar to Example 1 is provided, the pump part 2 can be restricted to a predetermined state. That is, it is possible to regulate the position at the start of operation of the pump unit so that air is taken into the developer storage space from the discharge port in the first operation cycle of the pump unit. Therefore, even in the configuration of the present example, the effect of releasing the developer in the developer replenishing container 1 can be more reliably achieved by operating the pump unit 2 in the direction of increasing the volume from the state where the pump unit 2 is regulated to a predetermined position. Can be obtained.

Example 5
Next, the structure of Example 5 is demonstrated using FIGS. 32-34. 32A is a front view of the developer supply device 8 as viewed from the mounting direction of the developer supply container 1, and FIG. 32B is a perspective view of the inside of the developer supply device 8. FIG. 33A is an overall perspective view of the developer supply container 1, FIG. 33B is a partially enlarged view around the discharge port 21a of the developer supply container 1, and FIGS. It is the front view and sectional drawing which show the state with which the mounting part 8f was mounted | worn. 34A is a perspective view of the developer accommodating portion 20, FIG. 34B is a partial cross-sectional view showing the inside of the developer supply container 1, FIG. 34C is a cross-sectional view of the flange portion 21, and FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing a supply container 1. FIG.

  In the first to fourth embodiments described above, the example in which the pump portion is expanded and contracted by moving the locking member 9 of the developer replenishing device 8 up and down has been described, but in this example, the developer replenishing device 8 to the developer. The point that the supply container 1 receives only the rotational driving force is greatly different. For other configurations, the same configurations as those in the above-described embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof is omitted.

  Specifically, in this example, the rotational driving force input from the developer supply device 8 is converted into a force in a direction in which the pump unit reciprocates, and this is transmitted to the pump unit. Hereinafter, the configurations of the developer supply device 8 and the developer supply container 1 will be described in detail in order.

(Developer supply device)
First, the developer supply device 8 will be described with reference to FIG. The developer supply device 8 has a mounting portion (mounting space) 8f on which the developer supply container 1 is detachably mounted (detachable). As shown in FIG. 32B, the developer supply container 1 is configured to be mounted in the arrow M direction with respect to the mounting portion 8f. That is, the developer supply container 1 is mounted on the mounting portion 8f so that the longitudinal direction (rotation axis direction) thereof substantially coincides with the arrow M direction. The direction of arrow M is substantially parallel to the direction of arrow X in FIG. Further, the direction in which the developer supply container 1 is removed from the mounting portion 8f is opposite to the arrow M direction.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 32 (a), the mounting portion 8f is in contact with the flange portion 21 (see FIG. 33) of the developer supply container 1 when the developer supply container 1 is mounted. A rotation direction restricting portion (holding mechanism) 29 for restricting the movement of 21 in the rotation direction is provided.

  The mounting portion 8f communicates with a discharge port 21a (see FIG. 33) of the developer supply container 1 described later when the developer supply container 1 is mounted, and the developer discharged from the developer supply container 1 Has a developer receiving port 31. Then, the developer is supplied from the discharge port 21 a of the developer supply container 1 to the developer supply device 8 through the developer receiving port 31. In the present embodiment, the diameter φ of the developer receiving port 31 is the same as that of the discharge port 21a and is set to about 2 mm for the purpose of preventing contamination by the developer in the mounting portion 8f as much as possible. Yes.

  Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 32A, the mounting portion 8f has a drive gear 300 that functions as a drive mechanism (drive portion). The driving gear 300 has a function of receiving a rotational driving force from the driving motor 500 via the driving gear train and applying the rotational driving force to the developer supply container 1 set in the mounting portion 8f. ing.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 32, the drive motor 500 is configured such that its operation is controlled by a control device (CPU) 600.

  In this example, the drive gear 300 is set to rotate only in one direction in order to simplify the control of the drive motor 500. That is, the control device 600 is configured to control only on (operation) / off (non-operation) of the drive motor 500. Accordingly, the developer replenishing device 8 is compared with the configuration in which the reverse driving force obtained by periodically reversing the drive motor 500 (drive gear 300) in the forward direction and the reverse direction is applied to the developer supply container 1. The drive mechanism can be simplified.

  Although details will be described later, the developer supply device 8 has an engaging portion 8m for returning the regulating member 56 provided in the developer supply container 1 to a predetermined position when the developer supply device 8 is detached from the developer supply device 8.

(Developer supply container)
Next, the configuration of the developer supply container 1 will be described with reference to FIGS. 33 and 34. FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 33A, the developer supply container 1 has a developer container 20 (also referred to as a container body) that is formed in a hollow cylindrical shape and has an internal space for accommodating the developer. Yes. In this example, the cylindrical portion 20k and the pump portion 20b function as the developer accommodating portion 20. Further, the developer supply container 1 has a flange portion 21 (also referred to as a non-rotating portion) on one end side in the longitudinal direction (developer transport direction) of the developer accommodating portion 20. Further, the developer accommodating portion 20 is configured to be rotatable relative to the flange portion 21.

In this example, as shown in FIG. 34 (d), the overall length L1 of the cylindrical portion 20k functioning as the developer accommodating portion is set to about 300 mm, and the outer diameter R1 is set to about 70 mm. Further, the total length L2 of the pump portion 20b (when the pump portion 20b is in the most stretchable range in use) is about 50 mm, and the length L3 of the region where the gear portion 20a of the flange portion 21 is installed is about 20 mm. It has become. The length L4 of the region where the discharge portion 21h that functions as the developer accommodating portion is installed is about 25 mm. Further, the maximum outer diameter R2 of the pump portion 20b (when the pump portion 20b is in the most stretchable range in use) is about 65 mm, and the total volume capable of accommodating the developer in the developer supply container 1 is about 1250 cm ³ . It has become. In this example, the discharge part 21h is an area where the developer can be accommodated together with the cylindrical part 20k and the pump part 20b functioning as the developer accommodating part.

  Further, in this example, as shown in FIGS. 33 and 34, the cylindrical portion 20k and the discharge portion 21h are arranged in the horizontal direction when the developer supply container 1 is mounted on the developer supply device 8. ing. That is, the cylindrical portion 20k has a structure in which the horizontal length is sufficiently longer than the vertical length, and one end in the horizontal direction is connected to the discharge portion 21h. Accordingly, when the developer supply container 1 is mounted on the developer supply device 8, the intake / exhaust operation is smoothly performed as compared with the case where the cylindrical portion 20k is positioned vertically above the discharge portion 21h. It becomes possible. This is because the amount of toner present on the discharge port 21a is reduced, so that the developer near the discharge port 21a is hardly consolidated.

  As shown in FIG. 33A, the flange portion 21 has a hollow discharge portion (developer for temporarily storing the developer conveyed from the developer accommodating portion (developer accommodating chamber) 20. A discharge chamber 21h is provided (see FIGS. 34B and 34C as necessary). At the bottom of the discharge portion 21h, a small discharge port 21a for allowing the developer to be discharged out of the developer supply container 1, that is, for supplying the developer to the developer supply device 8, is formed. The size of the discharge port 21a is as described above.

  In addition, the internal shape of the bottom of the discharge portion 21h (developer discharge chamber) has a funnel shape that is reduced in diameter toward the discharge port 21a in order to reduce the amount of remaining developer as much as possible. (See FIGS. 34 (b) and 34 (c) as necessary).

  Further, the flange portion 21 is provided with a shutter 26 for opening and closing the discharge port 21a. The shutter 26 is configured to abut against an abutting portion 8h (see FIG. 32 (b) as necessary) provided in the attaching portion 8f in accordance with the attaching operation of the developer supply container 1 to the attaching portion 8f. ing. Accordingly, the shutter 26 is relative to the developer supply container 1 in the direction of the axis of rotation of the developer storage section 20 (the direction opposite to the arrow M direction) in accordance with the mounting operation of the developer supply container 1 to the mounting section 8f. Slide. As a result, the discharge port 21a is exposed from the shutter 26 and the opening operation is completed.

  At this time, the discharge port 21a is in a state of communicating with each other because the position of the discharge port 21a matches the developer receiving port 31 of the mounting portion 8f, and the developer can be supplied from the developer supply container 1.

  Further, the flange portion 21 is configured to be substantially immovable when the developer supply container 1 is mounted on the mounting portion 8f of the developer supply device 8.

  Specifically, as shown in FIG. 33C, the flange portion 21 is restricted from rotating in the direction around the rotation axis of the developer accommodating portion 20 by the rotation direction restricting portion 29 provided in the mounting portion 8f. (Blocked) That is, the flange portion 21 is held by the developer supply device 8 so as to be substantially unrotatable (a slight negligible rotation such as a backlash is possible).

  Accordingly, in a state where the developer supply container 1 is mounted on the developer supply device 8, the discharge portion 21h provided in the flange portion 21 is also substantially prevented from moving in the rotation direction of the developer storage portion 20. (Moving about looseness is allowed).

  On the other hand, the developer accommodating portion 20 is configured to rotate in the developer replenishing step without being restricted by the developer replenishing device 8 in the rotation direction.

(Pump part)
Next, a pump part (pump capable of reciprocation) 20b whose volume is variable with reciprocation will be described with reference to FIGS. Here, FIG. 39A shows a state in which the pump unit 20b is extended to the maximum in use in the developer replenishment step, and FIG. 39B shows a state in which the pump unit 20b is compressed to the maximum in use in the developer replenishment step. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of a developer supply container 1 showing

  The pump unit 20b of this example functions as an intake / exhaust mechanism that alternately performs intake and exhaust operations via the discharge port 21a.

  As shown in FIG. 34B, the pump portion 20b is provided between the discharge portion 21h and the cylindrical portion 20k, and is connected and fixed to the cylindrical portion 20k. That is, the pump part 20b can rotate integrally with the cylindrical part 20k.

  Further, the pump unit 20b of the present example is configured to be able to accommodate the developer therein. As will be described later, the developer accommodating space in the pump portion 20b plays a large role in fluidizing the developer during the intake operation.

In this example, as the pump portion 20b, a resin variable volume pump (bellows pump) whose volume is variable with reciprocation is adopted. Specifically, as shown in FIGS. 34A to 34B, a bellows-like pump is employed, and a plurality of “mountain folds” and “valley folds” are periodically and alternately formed. . Therefore, the pump unit 20b is a volume variable unit that changes the internal pressure of the developer storage unit 20 by increasing or decreasing the volume, and alternately performs compression and expansion by the driving force received from the developer supply device 8. be able to. In this example, the volume change amount at the time of expansion and contraction of the pump unit 20b is set to 15 cm ³ (cc). As shown in FIG. 34 (d), the total length L2 of the pump portion 20b (when the pump portion 20b is in the most stretchable range) is about 50 mm, and the maximum outer diameter R2 of the pump portion 20b (expandable stretch) In the most extended state in the possible range), it is about 65 mm.

  By adopting such a pump unit 20b, the internal pressure of the developer supply container 1 (the developer storage unit 20 and the discharge unit 21h) is set to a predetermined level between a state higher than atmospheric pressure and a state lower than atmospheric pressure. It can be alternately and repeatedly changed at a cycle (about 0.9 seconds in this example). This atmospheric pressure is in an environment where the developer supply container 1 is installed. As a result, the developer in the discharge portion 21h can be efficiently discharged from the discharge port 21a having a small diameter (diameter of about 2 mm).

  In addition, as shown in FIG. 34 (b), the pump portion 20b is connected to the discharge portion 21h in a state where the end portion on the discharge portion 21h side compresses the ring-shaped seal member 27 provided on the inner surface of the flange portion 21. On the other hand, it is fixed so as to be relatively rotatable.

  As a result, the pump portion 20b rotates while sliding with the seal member 27, so that the developer in the pump portion 20b does not leak during rotation and the airtightness is maintained. In other words, the air enters and exits appropriately through the discharge port 21a, and the internal pressure of the developer supply container 1 (pump unit 20b, developer storage unit 20, discharge unit 21h) during the replenishment is in a desired state. Can be made.

(Drive transmission mechanism)
Next, the drive receiving mechanism (drive input unit, drive receiving unit) of the developer supply container 1 that receives the rotational driving force for rotating the transport unit 20c from the developer supply device 8 will be described.

  As shown in FIG. 34A, the developer supply container 1 has a drive receiving mechanism (drive connection mechanism) that can be engaged (drive coupled) with the drive gear 300 (functioning as a drive unit and drive mechanism) of the developer supply device 8. A gear unit 20a that functions as a drive input unit and a drive receiving unit) is provided. The gear portion 20a is fixed to one end side in the longitudinal direction of the pump portion 20b. That is, the gear part 20a, the pump part 20b, and the cylindrical part 20k are configured to be integrally rotatable.

  Accordingly, the rotational driving force input from the driving gear (driving unit) 300 to the gear unit 20a is transmitted to the cylindrical unit 20k (conveying unit 20c) via the pump unit 20b.

  That is, in this example, the pump unit 20b functions as a drive transmission mechanism that transmits the rotational driving force input to the gear unit 20a to the conveyance unit 20c of the developer storage unit 20.

  Therefore, the bellows-like pump part 20b of this example is manufactured using a resin material having a strong resistance to twisting in the rotation direction within a range that does not hinder its expansion and contraction operation.

  In this example, the gear portion 20a is provided at one end side in the longitudinal direction (developer transport direction) of the developer accommodating portion 20, that is, one end on the discharge portion 21h side. However, the present invention is not limited to such an example. Absent. For example, the developer container 20 may be provided at the other end in the longitudinal direction, that is, at the rearmost side. In this case, the drive gear 300 is installed at a corresponding position.

  In this example, a gear mechanism is used as a drive coupling mechanism between the drive input unit of the developer supply container 1 and the drive unit of the developer supply device 8, but the present invention is not limited to this example. A known coupling mechanism may be used. Specifically, a non-circular recess is provided as a drive input unit on the bottom surface of one end in the longitudinal direction of the developer storage unit 20 (the end surface on the right side of FIG. 34D), while the drive unit of the developer supply device 8 is provided. Alternatively, a convex portion having a shape corresponding to the concave portion described above may be provided, and these may be driven and connected to each other.

(Drive conversion mechanism)
Next, the drive conversion mechanism (drive conversion unit) of the developer supply container 1 will be described.

  The developer supply container 1 is provided with a drive conversion mechanism (drive conversion unit) that converts a rotational driving force for rotating the conveying unit 20c received by the gear unit 20a into a force in a direction in which the pump unit 20b reciprocates. It has been. In this example, as will be described later, an example in which a cam mechanism is employed as a drive conversion mechanism will be described. However, the present invention is not limited to such an example, and other configurations described in the sixth and subsequent embodiments are employed. It doesn't matter.

  That is, in this example, the driving force for driving the transport unit 20c and the pump unit 20b is received by one drive input unit (gear unit 20a), and the rotational driving force received by the gear unit 20a is used as the developer. It is set as the structure converted into reciprocating power on the supply container 1 side.

  This is because the configuration of the drive input mechanism of the developer supply container 1 can be simplified as compared with the case where two drive input units are separately provided in the developer supply container 1. Furthermore, since it is configured to receive driving from one drive gear of the developer supply device 8, it is possible to contribute to simplification of the drive mechanism of the developer supply device 8.

  Further, in the case where the reciprocating power is received from the developer replenishing device 8, the drive connection between the developer replenishing device 8 and the developer replenishing container 1 as described above is not properly performed, and the pump unit 20 b is driven. There is a risk that you will not be able to. Specifically, there is a concern that the pump unit 20b cannot be reciprocated properly when the developer supply container 1 is taken out of the image forming apparatus 100 and then mounted again.

  For example, when the drive input to the pump unit 20b is stopped in a state where the pump unit 20b is compressed more than the natural length, when the developer supply container 1 is taken out, the pump unit 20b is self-restored and expanded. Become. That is, although the stop position of the drive output unit on the image forming apparatus 100 side remains unchanged, the position of the drive input unit for the pump unit 20b changes while the developer supply container 1 is being taken out. As a result, the drive connection between the drive output unit on the image forming apparatus 100 side and the drive input unit for the pump unit 20b on the developer supply container 1 side is not properly performed, and the pump unit 20b cannot be reciprocated. End up. Then, the developer is not replenished, and there is a concern that the subsequent image formation cannot be performed.

  Such a problem may occur in the same manner when the expansion / contraction state of the pump unit 20b is changed by the user when the developer supply container 1 is taken out.

  In addition, such a problem can occur in the same manner when replacing with a new developer supply container 1.

  Such a problem can be solved with the configuration of this example. Details will be described below.

  As shown in FIGS. 34 and 39, a plurality of cam protrusions 20d functioning as rotating portions are provided on the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion 20k of the developer accommodating portion 20 so as to be substantially equidistant in the circumferential direction. Yes. Specifically, two cam projections 20d are provided on the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion 20k so as to face each other by about 180 °.

  Here, the number of cam protrusions 20d may be at least one. However, since a moment is generated in the drive conversion mechanism or the like due to the drag force when the pump portion 20b is expanded and contracted, smooth reciprocation may not be performed, so that the relationship with the shape of the cam groove 21b, which will be described later, is not broken. It is preferable to provide it.

  On the other hand, a cam groove 21b that functions as a driven portion into which the cam projection 20d is fitted is formed on the inner peripheral surface of the flange portion 21 over the entire circumference. The cam groove 21b will be described with reference to FIG. In FIG. 40, the arrow A indicates the rotation direction of the cylindrical portion 20k (the movement direction of the cam projection 20d), the arrow B indicates the extension direction of the pump portion 20b, and the arrow C indicates the compression direction of the pump portion 20b. Further, an angle formed by the cam groove 21c with respect to the rotation direction A of the cylindrical portion 20k is α, and an angle formed by the cam groove 21d is β. Also, let L be the amplitude (= extension length of the pump portion 20b) in the expansion and contraction directions B and C of the pump portion 20b of the cam groove 21b.

  Specifically, as shown in FIG. 40 where the cam groove 21b is developed, the cam groove 21c is inclined from the cylindrical portion 20k side to the discharge portion 21h side, and is inclined from the discharge portion 21h side to the cylindrical portion 20k side. The cam grooves 21d are alternately connected to each other. In this example, the relationship between the angles formed by the cam grooves 21c and 21d is set to α = β.

  Therefore, in this example, the cam protrusion 20d and the cam groove 21b function as a drive transmission mechanism to the pump portion 20b. That is, the cam projection 20d and the cam groove 21b are configured to force the rotational driving force received by the gear portion 20a from the driving gear 300 to reciprocate the pump portion 20b (force in the rotational axis direction of the cylindrical portion 20k). And functions as a mechanism for transmitting this to the pump unit 20b.

  Specifically, the cylindrical portion 20k is rotated together with the pump portion 20b by the rotational driving force input from the drive gear 300 to the gear portion 20a, and the cam protrusion 20d is rotated along with the rotation of the cylindrical portion 20k. Accordingly, the pump groove 20b reciprocates in the rotation axis direction (in the direction of arrow X in FIG. 34) together with the cylindrical portion 20k by the cam groove 21b engaged with the cam protrusion 20d. The arrow X direction is substantially parallel to the arrow M direction in FIG.

  That is, the cam protrusion 20d and the cam groove 21b are driven so that the pump portion 20b is extended (FIG. 39 (a)) and the pump portion 20b is contracted (FIG. 39 (b)) alternately. The rotational driving force input from the gear 300 is converted.

  Therefore, in this example, since the pump part 20b is configured to rotate together with the cylindrical part 20k as described above, when the developer in the cylindrical part 20k passes through the pump part 20b, the pump part 20b The developer can be stirred (unwound) by rotation. That is, since the pump portion 20b is provided between the cylindrical portion 20k and the discharge portion 21h, the developer fed to the discharge portion 21h can be agitated, and a more preferable configuration is achieved. I can say that.

  In this example, as described above, the cylindrical portion 20k is configured to reciprocate together with the pump portion 20b. Therefore, the developer in the cylindrical portion 20k is agitated (resolved) by the reciprocating motion of the cylindrical portion 20k. Can do.

(Setting conditions of drive conversion mechanism)
In this example, in the drive conversion mechanism, the developer transport amount (per unit time) transported to the discharge portion 21h as the cylindrical portion 20k rotates is discharged from the discharge portion 21h to the developer supply device 8 by a pump action. Drive conversion is performed so that the amount is larger than the amount (per unit time).

  This is because when the developer discharging ability by the pump unit 20b is larger than the developer conveying ability by the conveying unit 20c to the discharging unit 21h, the amount of the developer present in the discharging unit 21h gradually decreases. Because it ends up. That is, it is to prevent the time required for supplying the developer from the developer supply container 1 to the developer supply device 8 from becoming long.

  Therefore, in the drive conversion mechanism of this example, the developer transport amount by the transport unit 20c to the discharge unit 21h is set to 2.0 g / s, and the developer discharge amount by the pump unit 20b is set to 1.2 g / s. Yes.

  In this example, the drive conversion mechanism performs drive conversion so that the pump portion 20b reciprocates a plurality of times while the cylindrical portion 20k rotates once. This is due to the following reasons.

  In the case of the configuration in which the cylindrical portion 20k is rotated in the developer supply device 8, it is preferable that the drive motor 500 is set to an output necessary for constantly rotating the cylindrical portion 20k. However, in order to reduce energy consumption in the image forming apparatus 100 as much as possible, it is preferable to reduce the output of the drive motor 500 as much as possible. Here, since the output required for the drive motor 500 is calculated from the rotational torque and the rotational speed of the cylindrical portion 20k, in order to reduce the output of the drive motor 500, the rotational speed of the cylindrical portion 20k is made as low as possible. It is preferable to set.

  However, in the case of this example, if the rotational speed of the cylindrical portion 20k is reduced, the number of operations of the pump portion 20b per unit time is reduced. Therefore, the amount of developer discharged from the developer supply container 1 (Per unit time) will decrease. In other words, the amount of developer discharged from the developer supply container 1 may be insufficient to satisfy the developer supply amount required from the image forming apparatus main body 100 in a short time.

  Therefore, if the volume change amount of the pump unit 20b is increased, the developer discharge amount per cycle of the pump unit 20b can be increased, so that the request from the image forming apparatus main body 100 can be met. Such a countermeasure has the following problems.

  That is, when the volume change amount of the pump unit 20b is increased, the peak value of the internal pressure (positive pressure) of the developer supply container 1 in the exhaust process increases, so that the load required to reciprocate the pump unit 20b increases. End up.

  For this reason, in this example, the pump portion 20b is operated for a plurality of cycles while the cylindrical portion 20k rotates once. As a result, the developer discharge amount per unit time can be reduced without increasing the volume change amount of the pump unit 20b as compared with the case where the pump unit 20b is operated only for one cycle while the cylindrical unit 20k rotates once. It becomes possible to increase. And since the amount of developer discharged can be increased, the rotational speed of the cylindrical portion 20k can be reduced.

Here, a verification experiment was conducted on the effect of operating the pump portion 20b for a plurality of cycles while the cylindrical portion 20k rotates once. In the experimental method, the developer supply container 1 was filled with the developer, and the developer discharge amount and the rotational torque of the cylindrical portion 20k in the developer supply step were measured. Then, the output (= rotational torque × rotational speed) of the drive motor 500 necessary for the rotation of the cylindrical part 20k was calculated from the rotational torque of the cylindrical part 20k and the preset rotational speed of the cylindrical part 20k. The experiment conditions were such that the number of operations of the pump unit 20b per rotation of the cylindrical unit 20k was 2, the number of rotations of the cylindrical unit 20k was 30 rpm, and the volume change amount of the pump unit 20b was 15 cm ³ .

  As a result of the verification experiment, the amount of developer discharged from the developer supply container 1 was about 1.2 g / s. The rotational torque (average torque in the steady state) of the cylindrical portion 20k is 0.64 N · m, and the output of the drive motor 500 is about 2 W (motor load (W) = 0.1047 × rotational torque (N · m)). X Number of revolutions (rpm) 0.1047 was calculated as a unit conversion coefficient.

  On the other hand, the number of operations of the pump part 20b per rotation of the cylindrical part 20k was set to 1 and the rotational speed of the cylindrical part 20k was set to 60 rpm, and a comparative experiment was performed in the same manner as above except for the other conditions. In other words, the developer discharge amount was the same as that in the above-described verification experiment, which was about 1.2 g / s.

  Then, in the comparative experiment, the rotational torque (average torque during steady state) of the cylindrical portion 20k was 0.66 N · m, and the output of the drive motor 500 was calculated to be about 4W.

  From the above results, it has been confirmed that it is preferable to use a configuration in which the pump portion 20b is operated for a plurality of cycles while the cylindrical portion 20k rotates once. That is, it was confirmed that the discharge performance of the developer supply container 1 can be maintained even when the rotational speed of the cylindrical portion 20k is reduced. Accordingly, with the configuration as in this example, the drive motor 500 can be set to a smaller output, which can contribute to reduction of energy consumption in the image forming apparatus main body 100.

(Location of drive conversion mechanism)
In this example, as shown in FIG. 34, a drive conversion mechanism (a cam mechanism including a cam projection 20d and a cam groove 21b) is provided outside the developer accommodating portion 20. That is, the drive conversion mechanism is removed from the internal space of the cylindrical portion 20k, the pump portion 20b, and the flange portion 21 so as not to contact the developer contained in the cylindrical portion 20k, the pump portion 20b, and the flange portion 21. It is provided in a separated position.

  Thereby, the problem assumed when the drive conversion mechanism is provided in the internal space of the developer container 20 can be solved. In other words, when the developer enters the rubbing area of the drive conversion mechanism, heat and pressure are applied to the developer particles and soften, and some particles stick together to form a large lump (coarse particles). Further, it is possible to prevent the torque from being increased due to the developer biting into the conversion mechanism.

(Regulation Department)
Next, a regulating unit that regulates the volume change of the pump unit 20b will be described with reference to FIGS. 35 and 36. FIG. 35A is a perspective view of the developer accommodating portion 20, FIG. 35B is a perspective view showing the regulating member 56, and FIG. 35C is a perspective view showing a state in which the regulating member 56 is attached to the flange portion 21. FIG. It is. 36A is a partial cross-sectional view showing a state where the operation of the pump portion 20b is restricted by the restriction member 56, and FIG. 36B is a state where the restriction of the pump portion 20b is released by the movement of the restriction member 56. FIG.

  First, the configuration of the restricting portion in the present embodiment will be described. The restricting part restricts the position of the pump part 20b at the start of operation so that air is taken into the developer accommodating part 20 from the discharge port 21a in the first operation cycle of the pump part 20b. In other words, in this example, the position (rotation phase) in the circumferential direction of the cam projection 20d when the developer supply container is new (before use) is regulated. In the present embodiment, the restricting portion of the pump portion 20b is composed of a restricting protrusion 20m and a restricting member 56 provided on the peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion 20k, and the restricting protrusion 20m is immovable by engaging with the restricting member 56. To maintain the state of the pump portion 20b.

  As shown in FIG. 35A, a restriction projection 20m is provided on the peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion 20k of the developer accommodating portion 20. Further, as shown in FIG. 35 (c), the regulating member 56 is attached to the rail 21r provided on the flange portion 21 so as not to move in the rotation direction of the developer accommodating portion 20 and to be movable in the rotation axis direction. ing. As shown in FIG. 35B, the restricting member 56 has a U-shaped restricting portion 56a for restricting the state of the pump portion 20b by engaging with the restricting protrusion 20m.

  Next, the regulation of the pump unit 20b by the regulation unit will be described. In the present embodiment, the pump portion 20b is operated by utilizing a cam action that acts between the developer accommodating portion 20 and the flange portion 21. Accordingly, by suppressing the rotation of the flange portion 21 and the developer accommodating portion 20, the operation of the pump portion 20b can be restricted. This is achieved by engaging the regulating member 56 provided on the flange portion 21 with the regulating projection 20m provided on the cylindrical portion 20k.

  Here, the details of the restriction state and the restriction release state will be described. In the restricted state, as shown in FIG. 36A, the restricting member 56 and the restricting projection 20m are at the same position in the rotation axis direction of the developer accommodating portion 20, and the restricting portion 56a sandwiches the restricting protrusion 20m. The developer accommodating portion 20 provided with the restricting protrusion 20m is restricted in the rotational direction. Furthermore, since the cam protrusion 20d is fitted in the cam groove 21b, the movement of the developer accommodating portion 20 in the direction of the rotation axis is also restricted. Accordingly, the operation of the pump unit 20b is restricted.

  36 (b), when the regulating member 56 moves in the direction of the arrow B, the regulating portion 56a sandwiching the regulating projection 20m is removed, and the cylindrical portion 20k is released so as to be rotatable. As a result, the pump unit 20b becomes operable.

(Developer supply container loading / unloading operation)
Next, the loading / unloading operation of the developer supply container 1 will be described with reference to FIGS. Here, FIGS. 37A to 37C are views showing a state before the developer supply container 1 is attached, and FIGS. 38A to 38D are views showing a state where the developer supply container 1 is completely attached. is there.

  First, the shape of the engaging portion 8m of the developer supply device 8 will be described with reference to FIG. In the engaging portion 8m, the inclination angle α of the surface abutting when the developer supply container 1 is detached with respect to the loading / unloading direction is set larger than the inclination angle β of the surface abutting when the developer supply container 1 is mounted ( α> β). Thereby, the resistance between the regulating member 56 and the engaging portion 8m is set higher than the resistance between the regulating member 56 and the rail 21r of the flange portion 21 at the time of detachment, and lower at the time of mounting.

  Now, the loading / unloading operation will be described in order. First, as shown in FIG. 37 (c), before the developer supply container 1 is mounted on the apparatus main body 100, the restricting portion 56a of the restricting member 56 and the restricting protrusion 20m are engaged with each other, so that the pump portion 20b. Is in a regulated state. At this time, as shown in FIG. 37A, the drive gear 300 and the gear part (drive input part) 20a are still separated from each other. The driving gear (driving unit) 300 is rotated by receiving a driving force from a driving source (driving motor).

  Thereafter, when the developer supply container 1 is mounted on the apparatus main body 100, the flange portion 21 is restricted from moving in the rotation axis direction and the rotation direction of the developer accommodating portion 20 by the action from the apparatus main body 100. . Further, the discharge port (developer supply port) 1c is opened (FIG. 37 (b) → FIG. 38 (b)), and the discharge port 21a is connected to the developer receiving port 31 of the apparatus main body 100. Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 38 (a), the drive gear 300 and the gear part (drive input part) 20a are engaged, and the rotation drive can be transmitted.

  Further, when the regulating member 56 contacts the engaging portion 8m of the developer replenishing device 8 during the mounting of the developer replenishing container 1, the restricting member 56 moves the engaging portion 8m in a state where it does not move with respect to the rail 21r according to the above setting. The engagement portion 8m is overcome by bending in the direction of arrow E shown in FIG. Finally, as shown in FIG. 38C, the regulating member 56 cannot move because its end face 56c abuts against the wall 8n of the developer supply device 8. When the developer supply container 1 is further pushed in this state, the restricting member 56 is moved in the arrow B direction with respect to the flange portion 21 to be disengaged from the restricting protrusion 20m, resulting in restriction of the pump portion 20b. Is released.

  Next, the removal operation of the developer supply container 1 will be described. When the developer supply container 1 is moved from the position shown in FIG. 38 (c) in the direction of arrow B in the figure, as shown in FIG. 38 (d), the corner portion 56d of the regulating member 56 contacts the engaging portion 8m. Touch. Here, with the above-described setting, the regulating member 56 moves in the direction opposite to the arrow B direction relative to the developer accommodating portion 20. As a result, since the restricting portion 56a sandwiches the restricting protrusion 20m, the operation of the pump portion 20b is restricted again.

(Developer discharge principle by pump part)
Next, the developer replenishing step by the pump unit will be described with reference to FIG.

  In this example, as will be described later, the drive conversion mechanism causes the rotational force to be generated so that the intake process (intake operation through the discharge port 21a) and the exhaust process (exhaust operation through the discharge port 21a) are alternately repeated. The drive conversion is performed. Hereinafter, the intake process and the exhaust process will be described in detail in order.

(Intake process)
First, the intake process (intake operation through the discharge port 21a) will be described.

  As shown in FIG. 39 (a), the pump portion 20b is expanded in the direction of the arrow ω by the drive conversion mechanism (cam mechanism) described above, whereby the intake operation is performed. That is, with this intake operation, the volume of the portion (pump portion 20b, cylindrical portion 20k, flange portion 21) that can store the developer in the developer supply container 1 increases.

  At this time, the inside of the developer supply container 1 is substantially sealed except for the discharge port 21a, and the discharge port 21a is substantially closed with the developer T. Therefore, the internal pressure of the developer supply container 1 decreases as the volume of the portion of the developer supply container 1 that can store the developer T increases.

  At this time, the internal pressure of the developer supply container 1 becomes lower than the atmospheric pressure (external pressure). Therefore, the air outside the developer supply container 1 moves into the developer supply container 1 through the discharge port 21a due to a pressure difference between the inside and outside of the developer supply container 1.

  At that time, since air is taken in from the outside of the developer supply container 1 through the discharge port 21a, the developer T located near the discharge port 21a can be unwound (fluidized). Specifically, the developer located near the discharge port 21a can be reduced in bulk density by including air, and the developer T can be fluidized appropriately.

  As a result, since air is taken into the developer supply container 1 through the discharge port 21a, the internal pressure of the developer supply container 1 is close to the atmospheric pressure (outside air pressure) despite the increase in volume. Will change.

  In this way, by allowing the developer T to be fluidized, the developer T can be smoothly discharged from the discharge port 21a without the developer T being clogged in the discharge port 21a during the exhaust operation described later. It becomes. Accordingly, the amount (per unit time) of the developer T discharged from the discharge port 21a can be made substantially constant over a long period of time.

(Exhaust process)
Next, the exhaust process (exhaust operation through the exhaust port 21a) will be described.

  As shown in FIG. 39 (b), the pumping unit 20b is compressed in the direction of the arrow γ by the drive conversion mechanism (cam mechanism) described above, whereby the exhaust operation is performed. Specifically, the volume of the portion (pump portion 20b, cylindrical portion 20k, flange portion 21) that can store the developer in the developer supply container 1 is reduced along with this exhausting operation. At that time, the inside of the developer supply container 1 is substantially sealed except for the discharge port 21a, and the discharge port 21a is substantially closed with the developer T until the developer is discharged. Yes. Accordingly, the internal pressure of the developer supply container 1 increases as the volume of the portion of the developer supply container 1 that can store the developer T decreases.

  At this time, since the internal pressure of the developer supply container 1 becomes higher than the atmospheric pressure (external pressure), as shown in FIG. 39B, the developer T is discharged from the outlet due to the pressure difference between the inside and outside of the developer supply container 1. Extruded from 21a. That is, the developer T is discharged from the developer supply container 1 to the developer supply device 8.

  Thereafter, since the air in the developer supply container 1 is also discharged together with the developer T, the internal pressure of the developer supply container 1 decreases.

  As described above, in this example, since the developer can be discharged efficiently using one reciprocating pump, the mechanism required for the developer discharge can be simplified.

(Cam groove setting conditions)
Next, modified examples of the setting conditions of the cam groove 21b will be described with reference to FIGS. 40 to 46 show development views of the cam groove 21b. The influence which it exerts on the operating condition of the pump part 20b when the shape of the cam groove 21b is changed will be described with reference to the development views of the flange part 21 shown in FIGS.

  Here, in FIGS. 40 to 46, the arrow A indicates the rotation direction of the developer accommodating portion 20 (the movement direction of the cam projection 20d), the arrow B indicates the extension direction of the pump portion 20b, and the arrow C indicates the compression direction of the pump portion 20b. Show. Of the cam grooves 21b, the groove used when compressing the pump portion 20b is referred to as a cam groove 21c, and the groove used when extending the pump portion 20b is referred to as a cam groove 21d. Further, the angle formed by the cam groove 21c with respect to the rotation direction A of the developer accommodating portion 20 is α, the angle formed by the cam groove 21d is β, and the amplitude in the expansion / contraction directions B and C of the pump portion 20b of the cam groove (= the pump portion 20b). The expansion / contraction length is L.

  First, the expansion / contraction length L of the pump part 20b will be described.

  For example, when the expansion / contraction length L is shortened, the volume change amount of the pump part 20b is reduced, and therefore the pressure difference that can be generated with respect to the external air pressure is also reduced. Therefore, the pressure applied to the developer in the developer supply container 1 decreases, and as a result, the amount of the developer discharged from the developer supply container 1 per one cycle of the pump unit (= the pump unit 20b is expanded and contracted once). Decrease.

  Therefore, as shown in FIG. 41, if the cam groove amplitude L ′ is set to L ′ <L with the angles α and β being constant, the pump portion 20b is reciprocated once in the configuration of FIG. The amount of developer discharged at the time can be reduced. On the other hand, if L ′> L is set, it is naturally possible to increase the developer discharge amount.

  For example, when the angles of the cam grooves are increased, if the rotation speed of the developer container 20 is constant, the cam protrusion 20d that moves when the developer container 20 rotates for a certain time is used. Since the moving distance increases, the extension / contraction speed of the pump unit 20b increases as a result.

  On the other hand, since the resistance received from the cam groove 21b when the cam protrusion 20d moves in the cam groove 21b increases, as a result, the torque required to rotate the developer accommodating portion 20 increases.

  Therefore, as shown in FIG. 42, if the angle α ′ of the cam groove 21c and the angle β ′ of the cam groove 21d are set to α ′> α and β ′> β while the expansion / contraction length L is constant. The expansion / contraction speed of the pump part 20b can be increased with respect to the configuration of FIG. As a result, the number of expansions / contractions of the pump unit 20b per rotation of the developer accommodating unit 20 can be increased. Furthermore, since the flow rate of the air entering the developer supply container 1 from the discharge port 21a increases, the effect of unraveling the developer present around the discharge port 21a is improved.

  Conversely, if α ′ <α and β ′ <β are set, the rotational torque of the developer accommodating portion 20 can be reduced. For example, when a developer with high fluidity is used, when the pump portion 20b is extended, the developer present around the discharge port 21a is easily blown away by the air that has entered from the discharge port 21a. As a result, the developer cannot be sufficiently stored in the discharge portion 21h, and the developer discharge amount may be reduced. In this case, if the extension speed of the pump unit 20b is reduced by this setting, the discharge capacity can be improved by suppressing the blowing of the developer.

  If the angle α <angle β is set as in the cam groove 21b shown in FIG. 43, the extension speed of the pump portion 20b can be increased with respect to the compression speed. Conversely, if the angle α> the angle β is set as shown in FIG. 45, the extension speed of the pump unit 20b can be reduced with respect to the compression speed.

  For example, when the developer in the developer supply container 1 is in a high density state, the operating force of the pump unit 20b is larger when the pump unit 20b is compressed than when the pump unit 20b is expanded. As a result, when the pump unit 20b is compressed, the rotational torque of the developer accommodating unit 20 tends to be higher. However, in this case, if the cam groove 21b is set to the configuration shown in FIG. 43, the developer releasing effect when the pump portion 20b is extended can be increased compared to the configuration of FIG. Furthermore, the resistance that the cam projection 20d receives from the cam groove 21b during compression is reduced, and it is possible to suppress an increase in rotational torque when the pump portion 20b is compressed.

  As shown in FIG. 44, a cam groove 21e substantially parallel to the rotation direction of the developer accommodating portion 20 (arrow A in the figure) may be provided between the cam grooves 21c and 21d. In this case, since the cam action does not work while the cam protrusion 20d passes through the cam groove 21e, it is possible to provide a process in which the pump portion 20b stops the expansion / contraction operation.

  Thereby, for example, if a process of stopping the operation in a state where the pump portion 20b is extended is provided, the developer is always present in the vicinity of the discharge port 21a. Since the reduced pressure state is maintained, the developer releasing effect is further improved.

  On the other hand, when the amount of developer in the developer supply container 1 is low at the end of discharge, the developer existing around the discharge port 21a is blown off by the air that has entered from the discharge port 21a, so that the discharge unit 21h enters the discharge unit 21h. It becomes impossible to store the developer sufficiently.

  That is, the developer discharge amount tends to gradually decrease, but in this case as well, by stopping the operation in the extended state, if the developer container 20 is continuously rotated and the developer is continuously conveyed, The discharge portion 21h can be sufficiently filled with the developer. Therefore, a stable developer discharge amount can be maintained until the developer in the developer supply container 1 becomes empty.

  In the configuration of FIG. 40, when the developer discharge amount per cycle of the pump unit 20b is increased, it can be achieved by setting the cam groove expansion / contraction length L to be long as described above. However, in this case, the volume change amount of the pump unit 20b increases, so that the pressure difference that can be generated with respect to the external air pressure also increases. Therefore, the driving force for driving the pump unit 20b also increases, and the driving load required for the developer supply device 8 may be excessive.

  Therefore, in order to increase the developer discharge amount per cycle of the pump unit 20b without causing the above-described adverse effects, the angle α> the angle β is set as in the cam groove 21b shown in FIG. Thus, the compression speed of the pump unit 20b may be increased with respect to the expansion speed.

  Here, a verification experiment was performed in the case of the configuration of FIG.

In the verification method, the developer replenishing container 1 having the cam groove 21b shown in FIG. 45 is filled with developer, the volume of the pump unit 20b is changed in the order of compression operation → extension operation, and a discharge experiment is performed. The amount was measured. As experimental conditions, the volume change amount of the pump part 20b was set to 50 cm ³ , the compression speed of the pump part 20b was set to 180 cm ³ / s, and the extension speed of the pump part 20b was set to 60 cm ³ / s. The operation period of the pump unit 20b is about 1.1 seconds.

In the case of the configuration shown in FIG. 40, the developer discharge amount was measured in the same manner. However, the compression speed and the extension speed of the pump part 20b are both set to 90 cm ³ / s, and the volume change amount of the pump part 20b and the time required for one cycle of the pump part 20b are the same as the example of FIG. .

  The verification experiment result will be described. First, FIG. 47A shows a change in the internal pressure of the developer supply container 1 when the volume of the pump unit 20b is changed. In FIG. 47A, the horizontal axis indicates time, and the vertical axis indicates the relative pressure in the developer supply container 1 with respect to atmospheric pressure (reference (0)) (+ is positive pressure side, − is negative pressure). Pressure side). Also, the solid line shows the pressure transition in the developer supply container 1 having the cam groove 21b shown in FIG. 45 and the dotted line in FIG.

  First, in the compression operation of the pump unit 20b, in both cases, the internal pressure rises with time and reaches a peak at the end of the compression operation. At this time, since the inside of the developer supply container 1 changes at a positive pressure with respect to the atmospheric pressure (external pressure), a pressure is applied to the internal developer, and the developer is discharged from the discharge port 21a.

  Subsequently, when the pump portion 20b is extended, the volume of the pump portion 20b increases, so that the internal pressure of the developer supply container 1 decreases in both cases. At this time, the inside of the developer supply container 1 is changed from a positive pressure to a negative pressure with respect to the atmospheric pressure (external pressure), and the pressure is continuously applied to the developer until the air is taken in from the discharge port 21a. Therefore, the developer is discharged from the discharge port 21a.

  That is, when the volume of the pump portion 20b is changed, the developer is discharged while the developer supply container 1 is in a positive pressure state, that is, while the pressure is applied to the internal developer. The developer discharge amount increases in accordance with the time integral amount of pressure.

  Here, as shown in FIG. 47 (a), the ultimate pressure at the end of the compression operation of the pump unit 20b is 5.7 kPa in the configuration of FIG. 45 and 5.4 kPa in the configuration of FIG. Although the amount of change is the same, the configuration of FIG. 45 is higher. This is because the developer replenishment container 1 is pressurized at a stretch by increasing the compression speed of the pump unit 20b, and the developer is concentrated on the discharge port 21a by being pressed by the pressure, so that the developer is discharged at the discharge port 21a. This is because the discharge resistance at the time of discharge from the plant has increased. In both cases, since the discharge port 21a is set to have a small diameter, the tendency becomes more remarkable. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 47 (a), the time taken for one cycle of the pump unit is the same in both examples, so the time integral amount of pressure is larger in the example of FIG.

  Next, Table 2 shows measured values of the developer discharge amount per cycle of the pump unit 20b.

  As shown in Table 2, it was 3.7 g in the configuration of FIG. 45 and 3.4 g in the configuration of FIG. 40, and more of FIG. 45 was discharged. From this result and the result shown in FIG. 47A, it was confirmed again that the developer discharge amount per cycle of the pump unit 20b increases in accordance with the time integral amount of the pressure.

  As described above, as shown in FIG. 45, by setting the compression speed of the pump unit 20b to be larger than the expansion speed and causing the developer supply container 1 to reach a higher pressure during the compression operation of the pump unit 20b, The developer discharge amount per cycle of the pump unit 20b can be increased.

  Next, another method for increasing the developer discharge amount per cycle of the pump unit 20b will be described.

  In the cam groove 21b shown in FIG. 46, as in FIG. 44, a cam groove 21e substantially parallel to the rotation direction of the developer accommodating portion 20 is provided between the cam groove 21c and the cam groove 21d. However, in the cam groove 21b shown in FIG. 46, the cam groove 21e is a position for stopping the operation of the pump portion 20b in a state where the pump portion 20b is compressed after the compression operation of the pump portion 20b in one cycle of the pump portion 20b. Provided.

Here, similarly, the developer discharge amount was also measured for the configuration of FIG. The verification experiment method was the same as the example shown in FIG. 45 except that the compression speed and the expansion speed of the pump unit 20b were set to 180 cm ³ / s.

  The verification experiment result will be described. FIG. 47B shows a change in the internal pressure of the developer supply container 1 during the expansion / contraction operation of the pump unit 20b. Here, the solid line shows the pressure transition in the developer supply container 1 having the cam groove 21b shown in FIG. 46 and the dotted line in FIG.

  Also in the case of FIG. 46, the internal pressure increases with time during the compression operation of the pump unit 20b and reaches a peak at the end of the compression operation. At this time, as in FIG. 45, since the inside of the developer supply container 1 changes in a positive pressure state, the internal developer is discharged. In addition, since the compression speed of the pump part 20b in the example of FIG. 46 was set to be the same as the example of FIG. 45, the ultimate pressure at the end of the compression operation of the pump part 20b was 5.7 kPa, which was the same as in FIG. .

  Subsequently, when the operation is stopped in a state where the pump unit 20b is compressed, the internal pressure of the developer supply container 1 gradually decreases. This is because even after the operation of the pump unit 20b is stopped, the pressure generated by the compression operation of the pump unit 20b remains, so that the internal developer and air are discharged by the action. However, since the internal pressure can be maintained at a higher level than when the extension operation is started immediately after the compression operation is completed, more developer is discharged during that time.

  When the extension operation is started thereafter, the internal pressure of the developer supply container 1 decreases as in the example of FIG. 45, and the internal development is continued until the internal pressure of the developer supply container 1 changes from positive pressure to negative pressure. Since the pressure continues to be applied to the developer, the developer is discharged.

  Here, comparing the time integral values of pressure in FIG. 47 (b), the time taken for one cycle of the pump unit 20b is the same in both examples, so that a high internal pressure is maintained when the operation of the pump unit 20b is stopped. The time integration amount of the minute and pressure is larger in the example of FIG.

  Further, as shown in Table 2, the measured value of the developer discharge amount per cycle of the pump unit 20b is 4.5 g in the case of FIG. 46, and is discharged more than in the case of FIG. 45 (3.7 g). It was. From the results shown in FIG. 47B and Table 2, it was confirmed again that the developer discharge amount per cycle of the pump unit 20b increases in accordance with the time integral amount of pressure.

  As described above, the example of FIG. 46 is configured to stop the operation in the compressed state of the pump unit 20b after the compression operation of the pump unit 20b. Therefore, the developer discharge amount per one cycle of the pump unit 20b is further increased by causing the developer supply container 1 to reach a higher pressure during the compression operation of the pump unit 20b and maintaining the pressure as high as possible. Can be increased.

  As described above, since the discharge capacity of the developer supply container 1 can be adjusted by changing the shape of the cam groove 21b, the amount of developer required from the developer supply device 8 and the developer used. It is possible to appropriately cope with the physical properties of the above.

  40 to 46, the exhaust operation and the intake operation by the pump unit 20b are alternately switched. However, the exhaust operation and the intake operation are temporarily interrupted in the middle, and the exhaust operation is performed after a predetermined time has elapsed. Alternatively, the intake operation may be resumed.

  For example, instead of performing the exhaust operation by the pump unit 20b at once, the compression operation of the pump unit may be temporarily stopped in the middle, and then compressed and exhausted again. The same applies to the intake operation. Further, the exhaust operation and the intake operation may be performed in multiple stages within a range where the developer discharge amount and discharge speed can be satisfied. As described above, even if the exhaust operation and the intake operation are executed by being divided into multiple stages, there is no change in “the exhaust operation and the intake operation are repeated alternately”.

  As described above, also in this example, since the intake operation and the exhaust operation can be performed with one pump, the configuration of the developer discharge mechanism can be simplified. Furthermore, since the inside of the developer supply container can be brought into a reduced pressure state (negative pressure state) by an intake operation through the discharge port, the developer can be efficiently unraveled.

  In this example, the driving force for rotating the conveying portion (spiral convex portion) 20c and the driving force for reciprocating the pump portion (bellows-like pump portion 20b) are combined into one drive input portion (gear). Part 20a). Therefore, the configuration of the drive input mechanism of the developer supply container can be simplified. Further, since the driving force is applied to the developer supply container by one drive mechanism (drive gear 300) provided in the developer supply device, it can contribute to simplification of the drive mechanism of the developer supply device. it can. Further, a simple mechanism for positioning the developer supply container relative to the developer supply device can be employed.

  Further, according to the configuration of this example, the rotational drive force for rotating the transport unit received from the developer replenishing device is driven and converted by the drive conversion mechanism of the developer supply container. It is possible to reciprocate appropriately. That is, it is possible to avoid a problem that the pump unit cannot be driven properly in the system in which the developer supply container receives the input of the reciprocating driving force from the developer supply device. In the configuration of this example, the control unit that stops the position of the pump unit 20b described in the first embodiment at the same position as the position when the developer supply container 1 is mounted, and the position of the pump unit 20b are restricted to a predetermined position. It has a regulation part to do. Therefore, even when the developer supply container 1 is detached, the position of the drive input unit for the pump unit 20b can be always restricted to a predetermined position. Accordingly, even when the reciprocating driving force is received from the developer replenishing device 8, the drive connection between the developer replenishing device 8 and the developer replenishing container 1 can be performed. However, as described above, it is more preferable that the rotational driving force is received from one drive gear of the developer supply device 8 in that the drive mechanism of the developer supply device 8 can be simplified.

  In the present embodiment, the developer replenishing container 1 is configured such that the regulating unit regulates the pump unit 20b in a contracted state so that the volume of the pump unit 20b can be reliably increased during the developer replenishing operation. Has been. Details of a mechanism for realizing this will be described with reference to FIG. Here, FIGS. 48A and 48B are development views showing the cam groove 21b portion of the flange portion 21, and showing the position of the cam protrusion 20d with respect to the cam groove 21b. In FIG. 48, the arrow A indicates the rotation direction of the developer accommodating portion 20, the arrow B indicates the extension direction of the pump portion 20b, and the arrow C similarly indicates the compression direction. Of the cam groove 21b, a groove portion where the cam projection 20d moves when the pump portion 20b is compressed is a cam groove 21c, and a groove portion which moves when the pump portion 20b is extended is a cam groove 21d. Further, let L be the amplitude of the pump unit 20b in the expansion / contraction direction.

  In FIG. 48 (a), the cam projection 20d is located at the end of the movable portion of the pump portion 20b in the direction of the arrow C, and in this state, the volume change of the pump portion 20b is restricted by the aforementioned restriction portion. At that time, the pump unit 20b is in the most contracted state (the state in which the volume is reduced most). When the developer supply container 1 is mounted on the apparatus main body 100 in this state and the restriction is released, the cam protrusion 20d is moved along the cam groove 21d by the rotational drive from the drive gear 300, and the pump portion 20b is most contracted. The operation starts from the state in the direction of increasing the volume (= arrow B direction).

  As shown in FIG. 48 (b), even when the cam projection 20d is regulated in the middle of the cam groove 21d, the pump portion 20b can similarly start to operate in the volume increasing direction. However, it is preferable to start the pump 20b as shown in FIG. 48 (a) in the most contracted state in order to obtain a higher developer releasing effect. This is because the volume change amount of the pump unit 20b can be set to the maximum in the state shown in FIG. 48A, so that more air can be taken in by the decompression in the developer storage unit 20. In this case, there is also an advantage that the drive gear 300 can be reliably started from the direction of increasing the volume regardless of which direction the drive gear 300 rotates.

  However, even when the pump operation is started from the position shown in FIG. 48 (b), there is an effect that it is possible to reduce contamination when the developer supply container 1 is detached. Specifically, as described above, when the developer supply container 1 is detached, the pump unit 20b is regulated again in the same state as that when the developer supply container 1 is mounted. Therefore, the supply operation stops during the process of taking air into the developer storage unit 20. . At that time, by using the momentum of air, the developer existing around the discharge port (developer supply port) 21a is sucked into the developer storage unit 20 side, thereby reducing toner contamination when the developer supply container 1 is detached. Can be made.

  Whether the position of FIG. 48 (a) or the position of FIG. 48 (b) is adopted takes into consideration the balance between the effect necessary for the initial unraveling of the developer and the effect of reducing dirt around the sealing member after discharging. It can be selected as appropriate.

  Further, by starting from the direction of increasing the volume of the pump unit 20b, a new space is formed in the developer containing unit 20. Since this space can be used as a space for unraveling the developer, the unraveling effect of the developer is further improved.

  In addition to the above example, a configuration as shown in FIG. 49 is also applicable. Here, FIGS. 49A and 49B are development views of the cam groove 21b portion provided on the inner peripheral surface of the flange portion 21. FIG. FIG. 49C is a cross-sectional view taken along a DD cross-section line connecting the pair of click protrusions 21i and cam protrusions 20d shown in FIGS. 49A and 49B.

  In the example shown in FIG. 49, the region of the cam groove 21e that is parallel to the rotation direction of the developer accommodating portion 20 is provided without providing the restricting member 56 and the restricting protrusion 20m as the restricting portion described above, and the cam protrusion 20d is camped. It is stationary in the region of the groove 21e. That is, in the example of FIG. 49, the cam groove 21e functions as a restricting portion.

  Specifically, in FIG. 49 (a), the flat cam groove 21e is formed in a region where the pump portion is most contracted, and when the pump portion is started to operate in this state, within the first one cycle of the pump operation. It is possible to sufficiently take in air into the container.

  Further, in FIG. 49 (b), the flat cam groove 21e is formed in a region in which the pump portion is half-reduced, and if the pump portion is started to operate from this state, the container is within the first cycle of the pump operation. Air can be taken into the inside.

  Even if such a configuration shown in FIGS. 49A and 49B is adopted, the same effect can be obtained.

  Next, a modified example of the developer supply container described above will be described.

  This modification is different from the above-described developer supply container shown in FIGS. 32 to 34 in that a pump part, a mechanism part that expands and contracts the pump part, and a cover member that covers them are present. Further, since the mechanism of the connecting portion when the developer supply container 1 is attached to and detached from the developer supply device 8 is different, these differences will be described in detail below. In addition, detailed description is abbreviate | omitted by attaching | subjecting the same code | symbol as the above-mentioned Example other than this.

(Developer supply container)
First, a modification of the developer supply container 1 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 93A is a schematic exploded perspective view of the developer supply container 1, and FIG. 93B is a schematic perspective view of the developer supply container 1. Here, for convenience of explanation, FIG. 93B shows a cross section of a cover 92 described later.

  101 (a) is a partially enlarged perspective view of the developer replenishing device 8 to which the developer replenishing container 1 is mounted in the present modification, and FIG. 101 (b) is a perspective view of the developer receiving portion 39. The description will be given with reference.

  As shown in FIG. 93 (a), the developer supply container 1 mainly includes a developer accommodating portion 20, a flange portion 25, a shutter 5, a pump portion 93, a reciprocating member (cam arm) 91 as an arm-shaped member, and a cover. 92. The developer supply container 1 supplies the developer to the developer supply device 8 by rotating around the rotation axis P shown in FIG. 93B in the direction of the arrow R in the developer supply device 8. . Below, each element which comprises the developer supply container 1 is demonstrated in detail.

(Container body)
FIG. 94 is a perspective view of the developer accommodating portion 20 as a container body. As shown in FIG. 94, the developer accommodating portion (developer transport chamber) 20 has a hollow cylindrical cylindrical portion 20k capable of accommodating the developer. The cylindrical portion 20k has a spiral conveying groove (conveying portion) 20c that conveys the developer in the cylindrical portion 20k to the discharge port side by rotating around the rotation axis P in the direction of arrow R. doing.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 94, the cam groove 20n that bears a part of the function of the drive conversion unit over the entire circumference of the outer peripheral surface on the one end surface side of the developer accommodating unit 20, and the drive that receives driving from the main body side. A receiving portion (drive input portion, gear portion) 20a is integrally formed. In this example, it is described that the cam groove 20n and the gear portion 20a are formed integrally with the developer accommodating portion 20. However, the cam groove 20n or the gear portion 20a is formed as a separate member, and the developer is formed. The structure attached integrally to the accommodating part 20 may be sufficient. In this example, as a developer, a toner having a volume average particle size of 5 μm to 6 μm is accommodated in the developer accommodating portion 20, and the space for accommodating the developer is not only the developer accommodating portion 20, The inner space of the flange part 25 and the pump part 93 to be described later is combined.

(Flange part)
Next, the flange portion 25 will be described with reference to FIG. As shown in FIG. 93 (b), the flange portion (developer discharge chamber) 25 is attached so as to be rotatable relative to the developer accommodating portion 20 and the rotation axis P. When the developer supply container 1 is attached to the developer supply device 8, the flange portion 25 is held so that the rotation in the direction of the arrow R is substantially impossible with respect to the attachment portion 8f (see FIG. 101A). Is done.

  Further, a discharge port 25a4 (see FIG. 95) is provided in part. Further, as shown in FIG. 93A, the flange portion 25 is composed of an upper flange portion 25a and a lower flange portion 25b in consideration of assembly. As will be described in detail below, the pump portion 93, the reciprocating member 91, the shutter 5, and the cover 92 are assembled.

  First, as shown in FIG. 93A, the pump portion 93 is screwed to one end side of the upper flange portion 25a, and the developer accommodating portion 20 is joined to the other end side via a seal member (not shown). Is done. Further, a reciprocating member 91 that bears a part of the function of the drive conversion unit is disposed so as to sandwich the pump portion 93, and an engaging protrusion 91b (see FIG. 99) as a cam protrusion provided on the reciprocating member 91 is developed. It is fitted into the cam groove 20 n of the agent storage part 20.

  Further, the shutter 5 is incorporated in the gap between the upper flange portion 25a and the lower flange portion 25b. In addition, in order to improve the appearance and to protect the reciprocating member 91 and the pump part 93, the cover 92 is integrally assembled so as to cover the entire flange part 25, pump part 93, and reciprocating member 91. The configuration is as shown in FIG.

(Upper flange)
FIG. 95 shows the upper flange portion 25a. FIG. 95 (a) is a perspective view of the upper flange portion 25a viewed from an obliquely upward direction, and FIG. 95 (b) is a perspective view of the upper flange portion 25a viewed from an obliquely downward direction.

  The upper flange portion 25a includes a pump joint portion 25a1 (screw not shown) shown in FIG. 95 (a) to which the pump portion 93 is screwed and a container main body shown in FIG. 95 (b) to which the developer storage portion 20 is joined. A storage portion 25a3 shown in FIG. 95 (a) that stores the joint 25a2 and the developer conveyed from the developer accommodating portion 20 is provided. Also, as shown in FIG. 95 (b), the circular discharge port (opening) 25 a 4 for discharging the developer in the reservoir 25 a 3 described above to the developer supply device 8, and the development provided in the developer supply device 8. An opening seal 25a5 is provided in which a connecting portion 25a6 to which the agent receiving portion 39 (see FIG. 101) is connected is formed. Here, the opening seal 25a5 is affixed to the lower surface of the upper flange portion 25a with double-sided tape, and is sandwiched between the shutter 5 and the upper flange portion 25a, which will be described later, to prevent leakage of the developer from the discharge port 25a4. . In this example, the discharge port 25a4 is provided in the opening seal 25a5 which is a separate body from the upper flange portion 25a. However, the discharge port 25a4 may be provided directly in the upper flange portion 25a.

  In this example, the discharge port 25a4 is provided on the lower surface of the developer supply container 1, that is, on the lower surface side of the upper flange portion 25a. Basically, the developer supply container 1 is attached to and detached from the developer supply device 8. The connection configuration shown in this example can be applied as long as it is provided on a side surface other than the upstream end surface or the downstream end surface in the direction. The position on the side surface of the discharge port 25a4 can be set in view of individual product circumstances. The connection operation between the developer supply container 1 and the developer supply device 8 in this example will be described later.

(Lower flange)
FIG. 96 shows the lower flange portion 25b. FIG. 96 (a) is a perspective view of the lower flange portion 25b as viewed obliquely upward, FIG. 96 (b) is a perspective view of the lower flange portion 25b as viewed obliquely downward, and FIG. 96 (c) is a front view. .

  As shown in FIG. 96A, the lower flange portion 25b includes a shutter insertion portion 25b1 into which the shutter 5 (see FIG. 97) is inserted. The lower flange portion 25b has engaging portions 25b2 and 25b4 that can engage with the developer receiving portion 39 (see FIG. 101).

  The engaging portions 25b2 and 25b4 are connected to the developer replenishment container 1 in accordance with the mounting operation of the developer replenishment container 1 so that the developer replenishment container 1 can be replenished with the developer to the developer receiving part 39. The receiving portion 39 is displaced toward the developer supply container 1. Further, the engaging portions 25b2 and 25b4 are developed by the developer receiving portion 39 so that the connection state between the developer replenishing container 1 and the developer receiving portion 39 is cut off as the developer replenishing container 1 is taken out. It is possible to displace in a direction away from the agent supply container 1.

  Of the engaging portions 25b2 and 25b4, the first engaging portion 25b2 is a developer receiving portion in a direction crossing the mounting direction of the developer supply container 1 so that the developer receiving portion 39 is opened. 39 is displaced. In this example, the first engaging portion 25b2 is connected to the connecting portion 25a6 in which the developer receiving portion 39 is formed on a part of the opening seal 25a5 of the developer replenishing container 1 with the mounting operation of the developer replenishing container 1. The developer receiving portion 39 is displaced toward the developer supply container 1 so as to be connected to the developer supply container 1. The first engaging portion 25b2 extends in a direction intersecting with the mounting direction of the developer supply container 1.

  Further, the first engaging portion 25b2 crosses the direction in which the developer supply container 1 is taken out so that the developer receiving portion 39 is resealed as the developer supply container 1 is taken out. The developer receiving portion 39 is guided so as to be displaced. In this example, the first engaging portion 25b2 is connected to the developer receiving portion 39 and the connecting portion 25a6 of the developer replenishing container 1 so that the connection state between the developer receiving portion 39 and the developer replenishing container 1 is disconnected. The developer receiving portion 39 is guided so as to be separated vertically from the developer supply container 1.

  On the other hand, the second engaging part 25b4 is connected to the developer supply container 1 so that the discharge port 25a4 communicates with the developer receiving port 39a of the developer receiving part 39 in accordance with the mounting operation of the developer supplying container 1. 1 is moved relative to the shutter 5 described later, that is, while the developer receiving port 39a is moved from the connecting portion 25a6 to the discharge port 25a4, the main body seal 41 and the opening seal 25a5 provided in the developer receiving port 39a are connected. Maintain the state. The second engaging portion 25b4 extends in a direction parallel to the mounting direction of the developer supply container 1.

  Further, the second engaging portion 25b4 is moved during the relative movement of the developer supply container 1 with respect to the shutter 5, so that the discharge port 25a4 is resealed with the operation of taking out the developer supply container 1, that is, While the developer receiving port 39a moves from the discharge port 25a4 to the connecting portion 25a6, the state where the main body seal 41 and the opening seal 25a5 are connected is maintained.

  Further, the lower flange portion 25b restricts or allows elastic deformation of a support portion 5d of the shutter 5 to be described later with the operation of mounting the developer supply container 1 on the developer supply device 8 or taking it out of the developer supply device 8. A regulation rib (regulation part) 25b3 shown in FIG. 96 (a) is provided. The regulation rib 25b3 protrudes vertically upward from the insertion surface of the shutter insertion portion 25b1 and is formed along the mounting direction of the developer supply container 1. Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 96 (b), a protection unit 25b5 is provided to protect the shutter 5 from damage caused by physical distribution and erroneous operation by the operator. The lower flange portion 25b is integrated with the upper flange portion 25a in a state where the shutter 5 is inserted into the shutter insertion portion 25b1.

(Shutter)
The shutter 5 is shown in FIG. 97 (a) is a top view of the shutter 5, and FIG. 97 (b) is a perspective view of the shutter 5 as viewed obliquely from above.

  The shutter 5 is provided so as to be movable relative to the developer supply container 1, and opens / closes the discharge port 25 a 4 in accordance with the mounting / removal operation of the developer supply container 1. When the developer supply container 1 is not attached to the attachment portion 8f of the developer supply device 8, the shutter 5 is provided with a developer sealing portion 5a that prevents leakage of the developer from the discharge port 25a4, and a developer seal. A sliding surface 5i that slides on the shutter insertion portion 25b1 of the lower flange portion 25b is provided on the back side (back side) of the portion 5a.

  The shutter 5 is provided with a shutter stopper portion 8q, 8p of the developer supply device 8 in accordance with the loading / unloading operation of the developer supply container 1 so that the developer supply container 1 can move relative to the shutter 5. It has stopper portions (holding portions) 5b and 5c held by (see FIG. 101 (a)). Of the stopper portions 5b and 5c, the first stopper portion 5b engages with the first shutter stopper portion 8q of the developer replenishing device 8 during the mounting operation of the developer replenishing container 1, thereby developing the developer of the shutter 5. The position with respect to the replenishing device 8 is fixed. The second stopper portion 5c engages with the second shutter stopper portion 8p of the developer supply device 8 when the developer supply container 1 is taken out.

  The shutter 5 has a support portion 5d that supports the stopper portions 5b and 5c so that they can be displaced. The support portion 5d extends from the developer sealing portion 5a and is elastically deformable so as to displaceably support the first stopper portion 5b and the second stopper portion 5c. The first stopper portion 5b is inclined so that the angle α formed by the first stopper portion 5b and the support portion 5d is an acute angle. On the other hand, the second stopper portion 5c is inclined so that the angle β formed by the second stopper portion 5c and the support portion 5d becomes an obtuse angle.

  Further, when the developer supply container 1 is not attached to the attachment portion 8f of the developer supply device 8, the developer sealing portion 5a of the shutter 5 has a lock protrusion on the downstream side in the attachment direction from the position facing the discharge port 25a4. 5e is provided. Since the lock protrusion 5e has a larger amount of contact with the opening seal 25a5 (see FIG. 95B) than the developer sealing portion 5a, the static frictional force between the shutter 5 and the opening seal 25a5 increases. Therefore, unexpected movement (displacement) of the shutter 5 due to vibration caused by physical distribution or the like can be prevented. The entire developer sealing portion 5a may have a shape corresponding to the amount of contact between the lock protrusion 5e and the opening seal 25a5. In this case, unlike the case where the lock protrusion 5e is provided, the shutter 5 moves. Since the dynamic frictional force with the opening seal 25a5 increases, the operating force when the developer supply container 1 is attached to the developer supply device 8 increases, which is not preferable in terms of usability. Therefore, a configuration in which the lock protrusion 5e is provided in part as in this example is desirable.

  In this way, by using the mounting operation of the developer supply container 1, the connection state between the developer supply container 1 and the developer supply device 8 can be made good by minimizing contamination by the developer. it can. Similarly, separation and re-sealing from the connected state of the developer supply container 1 and the developer supply device 8 by using the operation of taking out the developer supply container 1 can minimize the contamination by the developer. , Can be good.

  That is, using the engaging portions 25b2 and 25b4 provided on the lower flange portion 25b, the developer receiving portion 39 crosses the mounting direction of the developer supply container 1 in accordance with the attaching / detaching operation to the developer supply device 8. Can be connected from the lower side in the vertical direction or can be separated from the lower side in the vertical direction. The developer receiving portion 39 is sufficiently small with respect to the developer supply container 1. Therefore, the developer on the end surface Y (see FIG. 93B) on the downstream side in the mounting direction of the developer supply container 1 with a simple and space-saving configuration. Dirt can be prevented. Further, contamination by the developer due to the main body seal 41 dragging the protection portion 25b5 of the lower flange portion 25b or the lower surface (sliding surface) 5i of the shutter can be prevented.

  In addition, as shown in FIG. 97A, the shutter 5 is provided with a shutter opening (communication port) 5f that can communicate with the discharge port 25a4. Here, the diameter of the shutter opening 5f is such that the developer is unnecessarily discharged when the shutter 5 is opened and closed in association with the attachment / detachment operation of the developer supply container 1 to the developer supply device 8, and the periphery thereof is stained with the developer. In order to prevent this from occurring as much as possible, it is set to about Φ2 mm.

(Pump part)
The pump part 93 is shown in FIG. FIG. 98A is a perspective view of the pump section 93, and FIG. 98B is a front view of the pump section 93.

  The pump unit (also referred to as an airflow generation unit) 93 is alternately and repeatedly switched between a state where the internal pressure of the developer storage unit 20 is lower than the atmospheric pressure and a state where it is higher than the atmospheric pressure by the driving force received by the drive receiving unit (drive input unit) 20a. It is a pump part which operates as follows.

  Also in this modification, as described above, the above-described pump portion 93 is provided in a part of the developer supply container 1 in order to stably discharge the developer from the small discharge port 25a4. The pump unit 93 is a variable volume pump whose volume can be varied. Specifically, what is comprised by the bellows-like expansion-contraction member which can be expanded-contracted as a pump part is employ | adopted. The pressure in the developer supply container 1 is changed by the expansion / contraction operation of the pump section 93, and the developer is discharged using the pressure. Specifically, when the pump portion 93 is contracted, the inside of the developer supply container 1 is in a pressurized state, and the developer is discharged from the discharge port 25a4 while being pushed to the pressure. Further, when the pump portion 93 is extended, the inside of the developer supply container 1 is in a reduced pressure state, and air is taken in from the outside through the discharge port 25a4. This taken-in air releases the developer in the vicinity of the discharge port 25a4 and the storage portion 25a3, and the next discharge is performed smoothly. Discharging is performed by repeatedly performing the above-described expansion and contraction operation.

  As shown in FIG. 98 (b), the pump portion 93 of the present modified example has a bellows-like expansion / contraction portion in which “mountain fold” portions and “valley fold” portions are periodically formed (see FIG. 98B). A bellows portion and a telescopic member) 93a are provided. The stretchable part 93a can be folded in the direction of the arrow B or extended in the direction of the arrow A along the crease (based on the crease). Therefore, when the bellows-like pump unit 93 is employed as in this example, the variation in the volume change amount with respect to the expansion / contraction amount can be reduced, so that a stable volume variable operation can be performed.

  In this modification, a polypropylene resin (hereinafter abbreviated as PP) is used as the material of the pump part 93, but the material is not limited to this. As the material (material) of the pump part 93, any material can be used as long as it is capable of exhibiting an expansion / contraction function and capable of changing the internal pressure of the developer accommodating part by changing the volume. For example, ABS (acrylonitrile / butadiene / styrene copolymer), polystyrene, polyester, polyethylene or the like may be formed thin. It is also possible to use rubber or other elastic materials.

  As shown in FIG. 98 (a), a joint portion 93b is provided on the opening end side of the pump portion 2 so as to be joined to the upper flange portion 25a. Here, a configuration in which a screw is formed as the joint portion 2b is illustrated. Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 98 (b), a reciprocating member engaging portion 93c that engages with the reciprocating member 91 to displace in synchronization with a reciprocating member 91 described later is provided on the other end side.

(Reciprocating member)
FIG. 99 shows a reciprocating member 91 that is an arm-shaped member that functions as a drive conversion unit. FIG. 99A is a perspective view of the reciprocating member 91 viewed from an obliquely upward direction, and FIG. 99B is a perspective view of the reciprocating member 91 viewed from an obliquely downward direction.

  As shown in FIG. 99 (b), the reciprocating member 91 has a pump engaging portion 91a that engages with the reciprocating member engaging portion 93c provided in the pump portion 93 in order to change the volume of the pump portion 93 described above. I have. Further, as shown in FIGS. 99A and 99B, the reciprocating member 91 has an engaging protrusion 91b as a cam protrusion fitted into the cam groove 20n (see FIG. 93) when assembled. I have. The engagement protrusion 91b is provided at the distal end portion of the arm 91c extending from the vicinity of the pump engagement portion 91a. The reciprocating member 91 is restricted in rotational displacement about the axis P (see FIG. 93B) of the arm 91c by a reciprocating member holding portion 92b (see FIG. 100) of the cover 92 described later. Therefore, when the developer accommodating portion 20 is driven by the drive gear 300 from the gear portion 20a and the cam groove 20n rotates integrally, the reciprocating member between the engagement protrusion 91b fitted in the cam groove 20n and the cover 92 is provided. By the action of the holding portion 92b, the reciprocating member 91 reciprocates in the directions of arrows A and B. Along with this, the pump portion 93 engaged via the pump engaging portion 91a of the reciprocating member 91 and the reciprocating member engaging portion 93c further expands and contracts in the directions of arrows A and B.

(cover)
A cover 92 is shown in FIG. FIG. 100A is a perspective view of the cover 92 viewed from an obliquely upward direction, and FIG. 100B is a perspective view of the cover 92 viewed from an obliquely downward direction.

  As described above, the cover 92 is provided as shown in FIG. 93B for the purpose of protecting the reciprocating member 91 and the pump portion 93. Specifically, the cover 92 is integrated with the upper flange portion 25a, the lower flange portion 25b, and the like by a mechanism (not shown) so as to cover the entire flange portion 25, the pump portion 93, and the reciprocating member 91 as shown in FIG. Provided. The cover 92 is provided with a guide groove 92a guided by a rib-shaped insertion guide (not shown) extending along the mounting direction of the developer supply container 1 provided in the developer supply device 8. Further, the cover 92 is provided with a reciprocating member holding portion 92b for restricting rotational displacement on the axis P (see FIG. 93B) of the reciprocating member 91 described above.

  According to this modification, it is possible to simplify the mechanism for displacing the developer receiving portion 39 to connect / separate from the developer supply container 1. That is, since the drive source and drive transmission mechanism for moving the entire developing device upward are unnecessary, the structure on the image forming apparatus side is not complicated, and there is no increase in cost due to an increase in the number of parts. This is because, in the case of the configuration in which the entire developing device is moved up and down, a large space for that is required so as not to interfere with the developing device, but according to this example, that space becomes unnecessary. That is, an increase in the size of the image forming apparatus can be prevented.

(Regulation Department)
Next, the structure of a control part is demonstrated using FIG. 93, FIG. 102-FIG. 102 (a) is a partially enlarged perspective view of the developer supply container 1, FIG. 102 (b) is a partially enlarged perspective view in which a portion of the regulating member 95 is enlarged, and FIG. 103 (a) is attached to the developer supply device 8. FIG. 103B is a partially enlarged perspective view in which a portion of the regulating member 95 is enlarged.

  In this modification, the reciprocating member 91 cannot reciprocate by restricting (blocking) the relative rotation of the lower flange portion 25b and the developer accommodating portion 20, and as a result, the operation of the pump portion 93 is also restricted. .

  In the above-described developer supply container shown in FIGS. 32 to 34, the regulating member 56 regulates the operation of the pumping portion 93 by regulating the rotation of the regulating projection 20m as a regulating portion. Is provided to the regulating member 95 and the drive receiving portion 20a. More specifically, as shown in FIGS. 102A and 102B, the regulating member 95 rotates relative to the lower flange portion 25 b of the flange portion 25 so as not to rotate in the rotation direction of the developer accommodating portion 20. It is supported so as to be movable in the axial direction (similar to the above-described regulating member 56 of the developer supply container shown in FIGS. 32 to 34, in particular, see FIG. 35C).

  In the restricted state, the restriction portion 95a of the restriction member 95 engages with the drive receiving portion 20a, so that the relative rotation between the drive receiving portion 20a and the restriction member 95 is restricted. As a result, the lower flange portion 25b and the developer container are accommodated. The relative rotation of the portion 20 is restricted. When the developer supply container 1 is mounted on the developer supply device 8 in the direction A shown in FIG. 93, the developer supply device 8 is provided in the developer supply device 8 as shown in FIGS. 103 (a) and 103 (b). By being pushed by the stopper 8r, the restricting member 95 moves upstream in the mounting direction (direction B in FIG. 93). Due to the movement of the restricting member 95, the engagement between the restricting portion 95a and the drive receiving portion 20a is released, and the drive receiving portion 20a and the restricting member 95 are in a relatively rotatable state. As a result, the lower flange portion 25b and the developer accommodating portion 20 can be rotated relative to each other, and the restriction is released.

  Further, when the developer supply container 1 is taken out from the developer supply device 8, it is pushed to the downstream side in the mounting direction (direction A in FIG. 93) by the action of the spring 96 fitted to the shaft 95b of the restriction member 95, and again the restriction portion. 95a engages with the drive receiving portion 20a to enter a restricted state.

  Even in the configuration described above, the relative rotation between the developer accommodating portion 20 and the flange portion 25 can be restricted by the restricting member 95, and the pump portion 93 is restricted in a contracted state so that the pump can be reliably pumped during the developer replenishing operation. The pump operation can be started from the direction of increasing the volume of the portion 93. In this modification, an example of a configuration that restricts the relative rotation of the reciprocating member 91 using the relative rotation of the lower flange portion 25b and the developer accommodating portion 20 is shown. In addition, the cover 92 may be provided with a restricting portion that directly restricts the reciprocating operation of the reciprocating member 91 and the pump portion 93.

  In the above, Example 5 and its modification were demonstrated.

  49 (a) and 49 (b), in the case where the cam protrusion 20d is simply stopped in the region of the cam groove 21e, if the user performs an incorrect operation when replacing the container, the cam There is a possibility that the protrusion 20d may come off from the region of the cam groove 21e. Assuming such a case, as shown in FIG. 49 (c), the pair of click protrusions 21i provided on the flange portion 21 prevents the cam protrusion 20d from easily coming off from the region of the cam groove 21e. Is more preferable. The pair of click protrusions 21i are configured to be elastically deformed in contact with the cam protrusion 20d in a normal developer discharging process so that the cam protrusion 20d can pass as smoothly as possible. Thus, in the case of the example of FIG. 49C, the click protrusion 21i along with the cam groove 21e functions as a restricting portion.

Example 6
Next, the structure of Example 6 is demonstrated using FIG. 50 (a)-(c). 50A is a schematic perspective view of the developer supply container 1, FIG. 50B is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a state where the pump portion 20b is extended, and FIG. 50C is a schematic perspective view showing the periphery of the regulating member 56. In the present example, the same components as those in the above-described embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals and detailed description thereof is omitted.

  In this example, the point which provided the drive conversion mechanism (cam mechanism) with the pump part 20b in the position which divides the cylindrical part 20k in the rotating shaft direction of the developer supply container 1 differs greatly from Example 5. FIG. Other configurations are substantially the same as those of the fifth embodiment.

  As shown in FIG. 50 (a), in this example, the cylindrical portion 20k that conveys the developer toward the discharge portion 21h as it is rotated includes a cylindrical portion 20k1 and a cylindrical portion 20k2. The pump portion 20b is provided between the cylindrical portion 20k1 and the cylindrical portion 20k2.

  A cam flange portion 15 that functions as a drive conversion mechanism is provided at a position corresponding to the pump portion 20b. Similar to the fifth embodiment, a cam groove 15a is formed on the inner surface of the cam flange portion 15 over the entire circumference. On the other hand, a cam projection 20d functioning as a drive conversion mechanism is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion 20k2 so as to be fitted into the cam groove 15a.

  Also in this example, similarly to the fifth embodiment, when the developer supply container 1 is attached to the developer supply device 8, the flange portion 21 (discharge portion 21 h) is rotated in the rotation direction and the rotation direction by the developer supply device 8. The movement in the axial direction is prevented.

  Therefore, after the developer supply container 1 is mounted on the developer supply device 8, when a rotational driving force is input to the gear portion 20a, the pump portion 20b reciprocates (expands and contracts) in the arrow ω direction and the arrow γ direction together with the cylindrical portion 20k2. ).

  As described above, also in this example, since the intake operation and the exhaust operation can be performed with one pump, the configuration of the developer discharge mechanism can be simplified. Furthermore, since the inside of the developer supply container can be brought into a reduced pressure state (negative pressure state) by an intake operation through the discharge port, the developer can be efficiently unraveled.

  Further, even if the installation position of the pump portion 20b is provided at a position where the cylindrical portion is divided, the pump portion 20b can be reciprocated by the rotational driving force received from the developer supply device 8 as in the fifth embodiment. It becomes.

  The configuration of the fifth embodiment in which the pump unit 20b is directly connected to the discharge unit 21h in that the developer stored in the discharge unit 21h can be efficiently operated by the pump unit 20b. Is more preferable.

  Furthermore, a cam flange portion (drive conversion mechanism) 15 that must be held so as to be substantially immobile by the developer supply device 8 is separately required. Further, a separate mechanism for restricting the cam flange portion 15 from moving in the rotation axis direction of the cylindrical portion 20k is required on the developer supply device 8 side. Therefore, in view of such a complicated mechanism, the configuration of the fifth embodiment using the flange portion 21 is more preferable.

  This is because, in the fifth embodiment, the flange portion 21 is held by the developer supply device 8 in order to make the position of the discharge port 21a substantially stationary. This is because the cam mechanism is provided in the flange portion 21. That is, the drive conversion mechanism is simplified.

  Further, in this example, as shown in FIG. 50 (c), since the restriction part (rail 21r and restriction member 56) having the same configuration as that of Example 5 is provided on the lower surface of the flange part 21, the pump part 20b is provided in a predetermined manner. It is possible to regulate to the state of. That is, it is possible to regulate the position of the pump unit at the start of operation so that air is taken into the developer accommodating unit from the discharge port in the first operation cycle of the pump unit. Therefore, even in the configuration of the present example, the operation of releasing the developer in the developer supply container 1 can be more reliably performed by operating the pump portion 20b in the direction of increasing the volume from the state where the pump portion 20b is regulated to a predetermined position. Can be obtained.

Example 7
Next, the structure of Example 7 is demonstrated using FIG. 51A is a cross-sectional view of the developer supply container 1, and FIG. 51B is a schematic perspective view showing the periphery of the regulating member 56. In the present example, the same components as those in the above-described embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals and detailed description thereof is omitted.

  In this example, a drive conversion mechanism (cam mechanism) is provided at the upstream end of the developer supply container 1 in the developer conveyance direction, and the developer in the cylindrical portion 20t is conveyed using the stirring member 20j. Is significantly different from Example 5. Other configurations are substantially the same as those of the fifth embodiment.

  In this example, as shown in FIG. 51, a stirring member 20j is provided in the cylindrical portion 20t as a transport portion that rotates relative to the cylindrical portion 20t. The agitating member 20j is discharged while stirring the developer by rotating relative to the cylindrical portion 20t fixed to the developer supply device 8 so as not to rotate by the rotational driving force received by the gear portion 20a. It has a function of conveying in the rotation axis direction toward the portion 21h. Specifically, the stirring member 20j has a configuration including a shaft portion and a transport blade portion fixed to the shaft portion.

  In this example, a gear portion 20a as a drive input portion is provided on one end side in the longitudinal direction of the developer supply container 1 (on the right side in FIG. 51), and this gear portion 20a is coaxial with the stirring member 20j. It is a combined configuration.

  Further, a hollow cam flange portion 21n integrated with the gear portion 20a so as to rotate coaxially with the gear portion 20a is provided on one end side in the longitudinal direction of the developer supply container (right side in FIG. 51). In this cam flange portion 21n, cam grooves 21b that fit with two cam projections 20d provided at positions facing the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion 20t by about 180 ° are formed on the inner surface over the entire circumference. .

  The cylindrical portion 20t has one end portion (on the discharge portion 21h side) fixed to the pump portion 20b, and the pump portion 20b has one end portion (on the discharge portion 21h side) fixed to the flange portion 21 (each heat welded). Both are fixed by law). Accordingly, the pump portion 20 b and the cylindrical portion 20 t are substantially unrotatable with respect to the flange portion 21 in a state where the developer replenishing device 8 is mounted.

  Also in this example, similarly to the fifth embodiment, when the developer supply container 1 is attached to the developer supply device 8, the flange portion 21 (discharge portion 21 h) is rotated in the rotation direction and the rotation direction by the developer supply device 8. The movement in the axial direction is prevented.

  Therefore, when a rotational driving force is input from the developer supply device 8 to the gear portion 20a, the cam flange portion 21n rotates together with the stirring member 20j. As a result, the cam protrusion 20d is cammed by the cam groove 21b of the cam flange portion 21n, and the pump portion 20b expands and contracts when the cylindrical portion 20t reciprocates in the rotation axis direction.

  Thus, as the stirring member 20j rotates, the developer is conveyed to the discharge portion 21h, and the developer in the discharge portion 21h is finally discharged from the discharge port 21a by the intake / exhaust operation of the pump portion 20b. The

  As described above, also in this example, since the intake operation and the exhaust operation can be performed with one pump, the configuration of the developer discharge mechanism can be simplified. Furthermore, since the inside of the developer supply container can be brought into a reduced pressure state (negative pressure state) by an intake operation through the discharge port, the developer can be efficiently unraveled.

  Also in the configuration of this example, similarly to the fifth to sixth examples, the rotational operation of the stirring member 20j built in the cylindrical portion 20t and the pump by the rotational driving force received by the gear portion 20a from the developer supply device 8 It is possible to perform both reciprocating operations of the portion 20b.

  In the case of this example, the stress applied to the developer tends to increase in the developer transporting process in the cylindrical portion 20t, and the driving torque also increases. This configuration is more preferable.

  Further, in this example, as shown in FIG. 51 (b), since the restriction part (rail 21r and restriction member 56) having the same configuration as that of Example 5 is provided on the lower surface of the flange part 21, the pump part 20b is provided in a predetermined manner. It is possible to regulate to the state of. That is, it is possible to regulate the position of the pump unit at the start of operation so that air is taken into the developer accommodating unit from the discharge port in the first operation cycle of the pump unit. Therefore, even in the configuration of the present example, the operation of releasing the developer in the developer supply container 1 can be more reliably performed by operating the pump portion 20b in the direction of increasing the volume from the state where the pump portion 20b is regulated to a predetermined position. Can be obtained.

Example 8
Next, the configuration of the eighth embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 52 (a) is a schematic perspective view of the developer supply container 1, FIG. 52 (b) is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the developer supply container 1, (c) to (d) are enlarged perspective views of the cam portion, and FIG. It is a schematic perspective view which shows the periphery of the control member 56. FIG. It is. In the present example, the same components as those in the above-described embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals and detailed description thereof is omitted.

  In this example, the pump portion 20b is largely fixed by the developer supply device 8 so as not to rotate, and the other configuration is substantially the same as that of the fifth embodiment.

  In this example, as shown in FIGS. 52A and 52B, a relay portion 20 f is provided between the pump portion 20 b and the cylindrical portion 20 k of the developer accommodating portion 20. Two relay portions 20f are provided at positions where the cam projections 20d face the outer peripheral surface at about 180 °, and one end side (discharge portion 21h side) thereof is connected and fixed to the pump portion 20b (heat). Both are fixed by the welding method).

  Further, the pump portion 20b has one end portion (the discharge portion 21h side) fixed to the flange portion 21 (both are fixed by a thermal welding method), and in a state where the pump portion 20b is attached to the developer supply device 8, It becomes impossible to rotate substantially.

  And it is comprised so that the sealing member 27 may be compressed between the cylindrical part 20k and the relay part 20f, and the cylindrical part 20k is integrated so that it can rotate relatively with respect to the relay part 20f. A rotation receiving portion (convex portion) 20g for receiving a rotational driving force from a cam gear portion 18 to be described later is provided on the outer peripheral portion of the cylindrical portion 20k.

  On the other hand, a cylindrical cam gear portion 18 is provided so as to cover the outer peripheral surface of the relay portion 20f. The cam gear portion 18 is engaged with the flange portion 21 so as to be substantially immovable in the direction of the rotation axis of the cylindrical portion 20k (allowing movement of a backlash), and can be rotated relative to the flange portion 21. It is provided as follows.

  As shown in FIG. 52 (c), the cam gear portion 18 has a gear portion 18a as a drive input portion to which a rotational driving force is inputted from the developer supply device 8, and a cam groove 18b engaged with the cam projection 20d. Is provided. Further, as shown in FIG. 52 (d), the cam gear portion 18 is provided with a rotation engaging portion (concave portion) 18c that engages with the rotation receiving portion 20g and rotates together with the cylindrical portion 20k. That is, the rotation engagement portion (concave portion) 18c has an engagement relationship that allows the rotation receiving portion 20g to rotate integrally in the rotation direction while allowing relative movement in the rotation axis direction relative to the rotation receiving portion 20g.

  A developer replenishing step of the developer replenishing container 1 in this example will be described.

  When the gear portion 18a receives the rotational driving force from the driving gear 300 (see FIG. 32) of the developer supply device 8 and the cam gear portion 18 rotates, the cam gear portion 18 is engaged with the rotation receiving portion 20g by the rotation engaging portion 18c. Therefore, it rotates together with the cylindrical portion 20k. That is, the rotation engaging portion 18c and the rotation receiving portion 20g serve to transmit the rotational driving force input from the developer supply device 8 to the gear portion 18a to the cylindrical portion 20k (conveying portion 20c).

  On the other hand, when the developer supply container 1 is attached to the developer supply device 8 as in the fifth to seventh embodiments, the flange portion 21 is held by the developer supply device 8 so as not to rotate. The pump part 20b and the relay part 20f fixed to the flange part 21 also cannot be rotated. At the same time, the flange portion 21 is prevented from moving in the rotation axis direction by the developer supply device 8.

  Therefore, when the cam gear portion 18 rotates, a cam action works between the cam groove 18b of the cam gear portion 18 and the cam protrusion 20d of the relay portion 20f. That is, the rotational driving force input from the developer supply device 8 to the gear portion 18a is converted into a force that reciprocates the relay portion 20f and the cylindrical portion 20k in the direction of the rotation axis (of the developer accommodating portion 20). As a result, the pump portion 20b in which the position of one end side in the reciprocating direction (the left side in FIG. 52B) is fixed to the flange portion 21 is interlocked with the reciprocating motion of the relay portion 20f and the cylindrical portion 20k. It will extend and contract, and pump operation will be performed.

  As described above, as the cylindrical portion 20k rotates, the developer is transported to the discharge portion 21h by the transport portion 20c, and the developer in the discharge portion 21h is finally discharged by the suction / exhaust operation by the pump portion 20b. It is discharged from 21a.

  As described above, also in this example, since the intake operation and the exhaust operation can be performed with one pump, the configuration of the developer discharge mechanism can be simplified. Furthermore, since the inside of the developer supply container can be brought into a reduced pressure state (negative pressure state) by an intake operation through the discharge port, the developer can be efficiently unraveled.

  In this example, the rotational driving force received from the developer replenishing device 8 is simultaneously converted into a force for rotating the cylindrical portion 20k and a force for reciprocating (extending / contracting) the pump portion 20b in the direction of the rotation axis. ing.

  Accordingly, in this example as well as in Examples 5 to 7, both the rotational operation of the cylindrical portion 20k (conveying portion 20c) and the reciprocating operation of the pump portion 20b are performed by the rotational driving force received from the developer supply device 8. Can be done.

  Further, in this example, as shown in FIG. 52 (e), since the restricting portion (rail 21r and restricting member 56) having the same configuration as that of the fifth embodiment is provided on the lower surface of the flange portion 21, the pump portion 20b is provided in a predetermined manner. It is possible to regulate to the state of. That is, it is possible to regulate the position of the pump unit at the start of operation so that air is taken into the developer accommodating unit from the discharge port in the first operation cycle of the pump unit. Therefore, even in the configuration of the present example, the operation of releasing the developer in the developer supply container 1 can be more reliably performed by operating the pump portion 20b in the direction of increasing the volume from the state where the pump portion 20b is regulated to a predetermined position. Can be obtained.

Example 9
Next, the structure of Example 9 is demonstrated using FIG. 53 (a)-(c). 53A is a schematic perspective view of the developer supply container 1, FIG. 53B is an enlarged sectional view of the developer supply container 1, and FIG. 53C is a schematic perspective view showing the periphery of the regulating member 56. In the present example, the same components as those in the above-described embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals and detailed description thereof is omitted.

  In this example, after the rotational driving force received from the driving gear 300 of the developer supply device 8 is converted into a reciprocating driving force for reciprocating the pump unit 20b, the reciprocating driving force is converted into a rotational driving force. The point that the cylindrical portion 20k is rotated is a point that is greatly different from the fifth embodiment. Other configurations are substantially the same as those of the fifth embodiment.

  In this example, as shown in FIG. 53 (b), a relay portion 20f is provided between the pump portion 20b and the cylindrical portion 20k. Two relay portions 20f are provided on the outer peripheral surface at positions where cam protrusions 20d face each other by about 180 °, and one end side (discharge portion 21h side) thereof is connected and fixed to the pump portion 20b ( Both are fixed by heat welding method).

  Further, the pump portion 20b has one end portion (the discharge portion 21h side) fixed to the flange portion 21 (both are fixed by a thermal welding method), and in a state where the pump portion 20b is attached to the developer supply device 8, It becomes impossible to rotate substantially.

  The sealing member 27 is configured to be compressed between one end of the cylindrical portion 20k and the relay portion 20f, and the cylindrical portion 20k is integrated so as to be rotatable relative to the relay portion 20f. ing. Further, two cam projections 20i are provided on the outer peripheral portion of the cylindrical portion 20k at positions facing each other by about 180 °.

  On the other hand, a cylindrical cam gear portion 18 is provided so as to cover the outer peripheral surfaces of the pump portion 20b and the relay portion 20f. The cam gear portion 18 is engaged with the flange portion 21 so as not to move in the rotation axis direction of the cylindrical portion 20k, and is provided so as to be relatively rotatable. Similarly to the eighth embodiment, the cam gear portion 18 includes a gear portion 18a as a drive input portion to which a rotational driving force is input from the developer supply device 8, and a cam groove 18b that engages with the cam protrusion 20d. Is provided.

  Furthermore, the cam flange part 15 is provided so that the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical part 20k or the relay part 20f may be covered. The cam flange portion 15 is configured to be substantially immovable when the developer supply container 1 is mounted on the mounting portion 8f (see FIG. 32) of the developer supply device 8. The cam flange portion 15 is provided with a cam groove 15a that engages with the cam protrusion 20i.

  Next, the developer supply step in this example will be described.

  The gear portion 18a receives the rotational driving force from the drive gear 300 of the developer supply device 8, and the cam gear portion 18 rotates. Then, since the pump part 20b and the relay part 20f are non-rotatably held by the flange part 21, a cam action works between the cam groove 18b of the cam gear part 18 and the cam protrusion 20d of the relay part 20f.

  That is, the rotational driving force input from the developer supply device 8 to the gear portion 18a is converted into a force that causes the relay portion 20f to reciprocate in the rotational axis direction (of the cylindrical portion 20k). As a result, the pump portion 20b in a state where the position of one end side in the reciprocating direction (the left side in FIG. 53B) is fixed to the flange portion 21 expands and contracts in conjunction with the reciprocating motion of the relay portion 20f. Thus, the pump operation is performed.

  Further, when the relay portion 20f reciprocates, a cam action works between the cam groove 15a of the cam flange portion 15 and the cam projection 20i, and the force in the rotation axis direction is converted into the force in the rotation direction, which is the cylindrical portion. 20k. As a result, the cylindrical part 20k (conveying part 20c) rotates. Therefore, as the cylindrical portion 20k rotates, the developer is transported to the discharge portion 21h by the transport portion 20c, and the developer in the discharge portion 21h is finally discharged from the discharge port 21a by the intake / exhaust operation by the pump portion 20b. Discharged.

  As described above, also in this example, since the intake operation and the exhaust operation can be performed with one pump, the configuration of the developer discharge mechanism can be simplified. Furthermore, since the inside of the developer supply container can be brought into a reduced pressure state (negative pressure state) by an intake operation through the discharge port, the developer can be efficiently unraveled.

  In this example, the rotational driving force received from the developer replenishing device 8 is converted into a force that reciprocates (extends or retracts) the pump portion 20b in the direction of the rotation axis, and then the force rotates the cylindrical portion 20k. It is converted into force and transmitted.

  Accordingly, in this example as well as in Examples 5 to 8, both the rotational operation of the cylindrical portion 20k (conveying portion 20c) and the reciprocating operation of the pump portion 20b are performed by the rotational driving force received from the developer supply device 8. Can be done.

  However, in the case of this example, the rotational driving force input from the developer supply device 8 must be converted into a reciprocating driving force and then converted again into a rotational force, which complicates the configuration of the drive conversion mechanism. Therefore, the configurations of Examples 5 to 8 that do not require reconversion are more preferable.

  Further, in this example, as shown in FIG. 53 (c), since the restriction part (rail 21r and restriction member 56) having the same configuration as that of Example 5 is provided on the lower surface of the flange part 21, the pump part 20b is provided in a predetermined manner. It is possible to regulate to the state of. That is, it is possible to regulate the position of the pump unit at the start of operation so that air is taken into the developer accommodating unit from the discharge port in the first operation cycle of the pump unit. Therefore, even in the configuration of the present example, the operation of releasing the developer in the developer supply container 1 can be more reliably performed by operating the pump portion 20b in the direction of increasing the volume from the state where the pump portion 20b is regulated to a predetermined position. Can be obtained.

Example 10
Next, the structure of Example 10 is demonstrated using FIG. 54 (a)-(c) and FIG. 55 (a)-(d). 54A is a schematic perspective view of the developer supply container, FIG. 54B is an enlarged sectional view of the developer supply container, and FIG. 54C is a schematic perspective view showing the periphery of the regulating member 56. 55A to 55D are enlarged views of the drive conversion mechanism. 55 (a) to 55 (d) are diagrams schematically showing a state in which the part is always on the upper surface for convenience of explanation of operations of the gear ring 60 and the rotation engaging part 60b described later. Further, in this example, the same components as those in the above-described embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof is omitted.

  In this example, the point which used the bevel gear as a drive conversion mechanism is a point which differs greatly from the above-mentioned Example. Other configurations are substantially the same as those of the fifth embodiment.

  As shown in FIG. 54B, a relay portion 20f is provided between the pump portion 20b and the cylindrical portion 20k. The relay portion 20f is provided with an engaging protrusion 20h that engages with a connecting portion 62 described later.

  Further, the pump portion 20b has one end portion (the discharge portion 21h side) fixed to the flange portion 21 (both are fixed by a thermal welding method), and in a state where the pump portion 20b is attached to the developer supply device 8, It becomes impossible to rotate substantially.

  The sealing member 27 is configured to be compressed between the one end of the cylindrical portion 20k on the discharge portion 21h side and the relay portion 20f, and the cylindrical portion 20k can rotate relative to the relay portion 20f. So that they are integrated. Further, a rotation receiving portion (convex portion) 20g for receiving a rotational driving force from a gear ring 60 described later is provided on the outer peripheral portion of the cylindrical portion 20k.

  On the other hand, a cylindrical gear ring 60 is provided so as to cover the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion 20k. The gear ring 60 is provided so as to be rotatable relative to the flange portion 21.

  54 (a) and 54 (b), the gear ring 60 is engaged with a gear portion 60a for transmitting a rotational driving force to a bevel gear 61, which will be described later, and a rotation receiving portion 20g. A rotation engaging portion (recessed portion) 60b is provided for rotating together with the cylindrical portion 20k. The rotation engaging portion (recessed portion) 60b has an engaging relationship that allows the rotation receiving portion 20g to rotate integrally in the rotation direction while allowing relative movement in the rotation axis direction relative to the rotation receiving portion 20g.

  A bevel gear 61 is provided on the outer peripheral surface of the flange portion 21 so as to be rotatable with respect to the flange portion 21. Further, the bevel gear 61 and the engaging protrusion 20 h are connected by a connecting portion 62.

  Next, the developer supply process of the developer supply container 1 will be described.

  When the cylindrical portion 20k rotates when the gear portion 20a of the developer accommodating portion 20 receives a rotational driving force from the drive gear 300 of the developer supply device 8, the cylindrical portion 20k is engaged with the gear ring 60 by the rotation receiving portion 20g. Thus, the gear ring 60 rotates with the cylindrical portion 20k. That is, the rotation receiving portion 20g and the rotation engaging portion 60b play a role of transmitting the rotational driving force input from the developer supply device 8 to the gear portion 20a to the gear ring 60.

  On the other hand, when the gear ring 60 rotates, the rotational driving force is transmitted from the gear portion 60a to the bevel gear 61, and the bevel gear 61 rotates. And the rotational drive of this bevel gear 61 is converted into the reciprocating motion of the engagement protrusion 20h via the connection part 62, as shown to Fig.55 (a)-(d). Thereby, the relay part 20f having the engaging protrusion 20h is reciprocated. As a result, the pump unit 20b expands and contracts in conjunction with the reciprocating motion of the relay unit 20f, and the pump operation is performed.

  As described above, as the cylindrical portion 20k rotates, the developer is transported to the discharge portion 21h by the transport portion 20c, and the developer in the discharge portion 21h is finally discharged by the suction / exhaust operation by the pump portion 20b. It is discharged from 21a.

  As described above, also in this example, since the intake operation and the exhaust operation can be performed with one pump, the configuration of the developer discharge mechanism can be simplified. Furthermore, since the inside of the developer supply container can be brought into a reduced pressure state (negative pressure state) by an intake operation through the discharge port, the developer can be efficiently unraveled.

  Also in this example, as in Examples 5 to 9, both the rotational operation of the cylindrical portion 20k (conveying portion 20c) and the reciprocating operation of the pump portion 20b are performed by the rotational driving force received from the developer supply device 8. Can be done.

  In the case of a drive conversion mechanism using a bevel gear, the number of parts increases, so the configurations of Examples 5 to 9 are more preferable.

  Further, in this example, as shown in FIG. 54 (c), since the restriction portion (rail 21r and restriction member 56) having the same configuration as that of the fifth embodiment is provided on the lower surface of the flange portion 21, the pump portion 20b is provided in a predetermined manner. It is possible to regulate to the state of. That is, it is possible to regulate the position of the pump unit at the start of operation so that air is taken into the developer accommodating unit from the discharge port in the first operation cycle of the pump unit. Therefore, even in the configuration of the present example, the operation of releasing the developer in the developer supply container 1 can be more reliably performed by operating the pump portion 20b in the direction of increasing the volume from the state where the pump portion 20b is regulated to a predetermined position. Can be obtained.

Example 11
Next, the structure of Example 11 is demonstrated using FIG. 56 (a)-(d). 56 (a) is an enlarged perspective view of the drive conversion mechanism, FIGS. 56 (b) to (c) are enlarged views of the drive conversion mechanism as viewed from above, and FIG. 56 (d) is a schematic perspective view showing the periphery of the regulating member 56. In addition, in this example, about the structure similar to the Example mentioned above, detailed description is abbreviate | omitted by attaching | subjecting the same code | symbol. 56 (b) and 56 (c) are diagrams schematically showing a state in which the portion is always on the upper surface for convenience of explanation of operations of the gear ring 60 and the rotation engagement portion 60b described later.

  In this example, the point that a magnet (magnetic field generating means) is used as the drive conversion mechanism is a point greatly different from the above-described embodiment. Other configurations are substantially the same as those of the fifth embodiment.

  As shown in FIG. 56, a rectangular parallelepiped magnet 63 is provided on the bevel gear 61, and a rod-like magnet 64 is provided on the engaging projection 20h of the relay portion 20f so that one magnetic pole faces the magnet 63. Yes. The rectangular parallelepiped magnet 63 has an N pole at one end in the longitudinal direction and an S pole at the other end, and is configured to change its direction as the bevel gear 61 rotates. Further, the rod-shaped magnet 64 has an S pole on one end in the longitudinal direction and an N pole on the other end located outside the container, and is configured to be movable in the direction of the rotation axis. The magnet 64 is configured so as not to be rotated by an elongated circular guide groove formed on the outer peripheral surface of the flange portion 21.

  In this configuration, when the magnet 63 is rotated by the rotation of the bevel gear 61, the magnetic poles facing the magnet 64 are interchanged, so that the action of attracting and repelling the magnet 63 and the magnet 64 at that time are alternately repeated. As a result, the pump unit 20b fixed to the relay unit 20f reciprocates in the rotation axis direction.

  As described above, also in this example, since the intake operation and the exhaust operation can be performed with one pump, the configuration of the developer discharge mechanism can be simplified. Furthermore, since the inside of the developer supply container can be brought into a reduced pressure state (negative pressure state) by an intake operation through the discharge port, the developer can be efficiently unraveled.

  Also in the configuration of this example, as in the fifth to tenth embodiments, the rotation operation of the conveying unit 20c (cylindrical unit 20k) and the reciprocating operation of the pump unit 20b are performed by the rotational driving force received from the developer supply device 8. Both can be done.

  In addition, although the example which provided the magnet in the bevel gear 61 was demonstrated in this example, if it is the structure using a magnetic force (magnetic field) as a drive conversion mechanism, such a structure may not be sufficient.

  Moreover, when the reliability of drive conversion is taken into consideration, the configurations of the above embodiments 5 to 10 are more preferable. Further, when the developer stored in the developer supply container 1 is a magnetic developer (for example, one-component magnetic toner, two-component magnetic carrier), the developer is trapped in the container inner wall near the magnet. There is a fear. That is, since the amount of the developer remaining in the developer supply container 1 may increase, the configurations of Examples 5 to 10 are more preferable.

  Further, in this example, as shown in FIG. 56 (d), since the restriction part (rail 21r and restriction member 56) having the same configuration as that of Example 5 is provided on the lower surface of the flange part 21, the pump part 20b is provided in a predetermined manner. It is possible to regulate to the state of. That is, it is possible to regulate the position of the pump unit at the start of operation so that air is taken into the developer accommodating unit from the discharge port in the first operation cycle of the pump unit. Therefore, even in the configuration of the present example, the operation of releasing the developer in the developer supply container 1 can be more reliably performed by operating the pump portion 20b in the direction of increasing the volume from the state where the pump portion 20b is regulated to a predetermined position. Can be obtained.

Example 12
Next, the configuration of Example 12 will be described with reference to FIGS. 57 (a) to 57 (c) and FIGS. 58 (a) to 58 (c). 57A is a cross-sectional perspective view showing the inside of the developer supply container 1, FIG. 57B is a state in which the pump portion 20b is extended to the maximum in the developer supply step, and FIG. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the developer supply container 1 showing a state in which it is compressed to the maximum in the developer supply process. 58A is a schematic view showing the inside of the developer supply container 1, FIG. 58B is a partial perspective view showing the rear end side of the cylindrical portion 20k, and FIG. 58C is a schematic perspective view showing the periphery of the regulating member 56. is there. In addition, in this example, about the structure similar to the Example mentioned above, detailed description is abbreviate | omitted by attaching | subjecting the same code | symbol.

  In this example, the pump unit 20b is provided at the tip of the developer supply container 1, and the pump unit 20b has no function / role to transmit the rotational driving force received from the drive gear 300 to the cylindrical unit 20k. The point is greatly different from the above-described embodiment. That is, in this example, from the drive conversion path by the drive conversion mechanism, that is, from the coupling portion 20s (see FIG. 58B) that receives a rotational driving force from a drive portion (not shown) described later, to the cam groove 20n. A pump unit 20b is provided outside the drive transmission path.

  In the configuration of the fifth embodiment, since the rotational driving force input from the driving gear 300 is transmitted to the cylindrical portion 20k via the pump portion 20b and then converted into reciprocating power, the developer replenishing step is performed. This is because a force in the rotational direction always acts on the pump unit 20b. For this reason, during the developer replenishment step, the pump portion 20b may be twisted in the rotational direction and the pump function may be impaired. Details will be described below. Other configurations are almost the same as those of the fifth embodiment.

  As shown in FIG. 57 (a), the pump portion 20b has an open portion at one end (on the discharge portion 21h side) fixed to the flange portion 21 (fixed by a thermal welding method). In a state where it is mounted on the device 8, it cannot substantially rotate together with the flange portion 21.

  On the other hand, a cam flange portion 15 that functions as a drive conversion mechanism is provided so as to cover the outer peripheral surfaces of the flange portion 21 and the cylindrical portion 20k. As shown in FIG. 57, two cam projections 15b are provided on the inner peripheral surface of the cam flange portion 15 so as to face each other by about 180 °. Further, the cam flange portion 15 is fixed to a closed side of one end portion (opposite side of the discharge portion 21h side) of the pump portion 20b.

  On the other hand, a cam groove 20n that functions as a drive conversion mechanism is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion 20k over the entire circumference, and the cam protrusion 15b of the cam flange portion 15 is fitted into the cam groove 20n. .

  Also, in this example, unlike Example 5, as shown in FIG. 58 (b), a non-circular shape (in this example, a quadrangle) that functions as a drive input unit on one end surface (upstream side in the developer transport direction) of the cylindrical portion 20k. ) Convex coupling portion 20s. On the other hand, the developer replenishing device 8 has a non-circular (rectangular) concave coupling portion (not shown) for drivingly connecting with a convex coupling portion (driving portion) 20s and applying a rotational driving force. is set up. The concave coupling portion 20 s is configured to be driven by a drive motor (drive source) 500 as in the fifth embodiment.

  Further, similarly to the fifth embodiment, the flange portion 21 is in a state in which movement in the rotation axis direction and the rotation direction is prevented by the developer supply device 8. On the other hand, the cylindrical portion 20k is connected to the flange portion 21 and the seal member 27, and the cylindrical portion 20k is provided so as to be rotatable relative to the flange portion 21. The seal member 27 prevents the air (developer) from entering and exiting between the cylindrical portion 20k and the flange portion 21 within a range that does not adversely affect the supply of the developer using the pump portion 20b. Employs a sliding seal configured to allow rotation.

  Next, the developer supply process of the developer supply container 1 will be described.

  After the developer supply container 1 is mounted on the developer supply device 8, when the cylindrical portion 20k is rotated by receiving a rotational driving force from the concave coupling portion of the developer supply device 8, the cam groove 20n rotates accordingly. .

  Therefore, the cam projection 15b engaged with the cam groove 20n is camped against the cylindrical portion 20k and the flange portion 21 held by the developer supply device 8 so as to be prevented from moving in the rotation axis direction. The flange portion 15 reciprocates in the rotation axis direction.

  Since the cam flange portion 15 and the pump portion 20b are fixed, the pump portion 20b reciprocates together with the cam flange portion 15 (arrow ω direction, arrow γ direction). As a result, as shown in FIGS. 57B and 57C, the pump portion 20b expands and contracts in conjunction with the reciprocating motion of the cam flange portion 15, and the pumping operation is performed.

  As described above, also in this example, since the intake operation and the exhaust operation can be performed with one pump, the configuration of the developer discharge mechanism can be simplified. Furthermore, since the inside of the developer supply container can be brought into a reduced pressure state (negative pressure state) by an intake operation via the discharge port 21a, the developer can be efficiently unraveled.

  Also in this example, as in the fifth to eleventh embodiments, a configuration is adopted in which the rotational driving force received from the developer supply device 8 is converted into a force in the direction in which the pump unit 20b is operated in the developer supply container 1. As a result, the pump unit 20b can be appropriately operated.

  In addition, since the rotational driving force received from the developer supply device 8 is converted into the reciprocating power without passing through the pump unit 20b, the pump unit 20b can be prevented from being damaged due to twisting in the rotational direction. It becomes possible. Accordingly, there is no need to excessively increase the strength of the pump portion 20b, so that the thickness of the pump portion 20b can be made thinner or a cheaper material can be selected.

  Further, in the configuration of this example, the pump portion 20b is not installed between the discharge portion 21h and the cylindrical portion 20k as in the configurations of the embodiments 5 to 11, but on the side away from the cylindrical portion 20k of the discharge portion 21h. Since it is installed, the amount of developer remaining in the developer supply container 1 can be reduced.

  As shown in FIG. 58 (a), the internal space of the pump portion 20b may not be used as the developer storage space, and the pump 65 may be separated from the discharge portion 21h by the filter 65. This filter has a characteristic that allows air to pass through easily but prevents toner from passing through substantially. By adopting such a configuration, it is possible to prevent the developer existing in the “valley fold” portion from being stressed when the “valley fold” portion of the pump portion 20b is compressed. . However, in the point that a new developer accommodating space can be formed when the volume of the pump portion 20b is increased, that is, a new space in which the developer can move can be formed and the developer can be easily unraveled. The configurations of a) to (c) are more preferable.

  Further, in this example, as shown in FIG. 58 (c), since the restriction part (rail 21r and restriction member 56) having the same configuration as that of Example 5 is provided on the lower surface of the flange part 21, the pump part 20b is provided in a predetermined manner. It is possible to regulate to the state of. That is, it is possible to regulate the position of the pump unit at the start of operation so that air is taken into the developer accommodating unit from the discharge port in the first operation cycle of the pump unit. Therefore, even in the configuration of the present example, the operation of releasing the developer in the developer supply container 1 can be more reliably performed by operating the pump portion 20b in the direction of increasing the volume from the state where the pump portion 20b is regulated to a predetermined position. Can be obtained.

Example 13
Next, the configuration of Embodiment 13 will be described with reference to FIGS. 59 (a) to 59 (d). 59A to 59C are enlarged sectional views of the developer supply container 1, and FIG. 59D is a schematic perspective view showing the periphery of the regulating member 56. FIG. In FIGS. 59 (a) to 59 (c), the configuration other than the pump unit is substantially the same as the configuration shown in FIGS. 57 and 58. To do.

  In this example, not the bellows-shaped pump portion in which a plurality of “mountain folds” and “valley folds” as shown in FIG. 57 are formed alternately and alternately, but there is substantially no fold as shown in FIG. A membrane-like pump unit 12 that can expand and contract is employed. Other configurations are substantially the same as those of the fifth embodiment.

  In this example, a rubber-made pump portion 12 is used as the membrane-like pump portion 12, but not only such an example but also a flexible material such as a resin film may be used.

  In such a configuration, when the cam flange portion 15 reciprocates in the rotation axis direction, the membrane pump portion 12 reciprocates together with the cam flange portion 15. As a result, as shown in FIGS. 59 (b) and 59 (c), the membranous pump portion 12 expands and contracts in conjunction with the reciprocating motion (arrow ω direction, arrow γ direction) of the cam flange portion 15, A pumping operation will be performed.

  As described above, also in this example, since the intake operation and the exhaust operation can be performed by one pump unit 12, the configuration of the developer discharge mechanism can be simplified. Furthermore, since the inside of the developer supply container can be brought into a reduced pressure state (negative pressure state) by an intake operation via the discharge port 21a, the developer can be efficiently unraveled.

  Also in this example, as in the fifth to twelfth examples, a configuration is adopted in which the rotational driving force received from the developer supply device 8 is converted into a force in the direction in which the pump unit 12 is operated in the developer supply container 1. As a result, the pump unit 12 can be appropriately operated.

  Further, in this example, as shown in FIG. 59 (d), since the restricting portion (rail 21r and restricting member 56) having the same configuration as that of the fifth embodiment is provided on the lower surface of the flange portion 21, the pump portion 12 is provided in a predetermined manner. It is possible to regulate to the state of. That is, it is possible to regulate the position of the pump unit at the start of operation so that air is taken into the developer accommodating unit from the discharge port in the first operation cycle of the pump unit. Accordingly, even in the configuration of the present example, the developer releasing effect in the developer supply container 1 can be more reliably ensured by operating the pump unit 12 in a volume increasing direction from a state where the pump unit 12 is regulated to a predetermined position. Can be obtained.

Example 14
Next, the structure of Example 14 will be described with reference to FIGS. 60 (a) is a schematic perspective view of the developer supply container 1, FIG. 60 (b) is an enlarged sectional view of the developer supply container 1, (c) to (e) are schematic enlarged views of the drive conversion mechanism, and (f). FIG. 6 is a schematic perspective view showing the periphery of a holding member 3 and a lock member 55 that are restricting portions of the pump portion 21f. In the present example, the same components as those in the above-described embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals and detailed description thereof is omitted.

  In this example, the point that the pump unit is reciprocated in a direction orthogonal to the rotation axis direction is a point that is greatly different from the above example.

(Drive conversion mechanism)
In this example, as shown to Fig.60 (a)-(e), the bellows type pump part 21f is connected to the flange part 21, ie, the upper part of the discharge part 21h. Furthermore, a cam projection 21g that functions as a drive conversion unit is bonded and fixed to the upper end of the pump unit 21f. On the other hand, a cam groove 20e that functions as a drive converting portion into which the cam protrusion 21g is fitted is formed on one end surface in the longitudinal direction of the developer accommodating portion 20.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 60 (b), the developer accommodating portion 20 has an end on the discharge portion 21h side compressed the seal member 27 provided on the inner surface of the flange portion 21, with respect to the discharge portion 21h. It is fixed so that it can rotate relative to the other.

  Also in this example, with the mounting operation of the developer supply container 1, both side surfaces (both end surfaces in the direction orthogonal to the rotation axis direction X) of the discharge portion 21h are held by the developer supply device 8. Yes. Therefore, when the developer is replenished, the portion of the discharge portion 21h is fixed so as not to rotate substantially.

  Further, along with the mounting operation of the developer supply container 1, the convex portion 21j provided on the outer bottom surface portion of the discharge portion 21h is locked by the concave portion provided in the mounting portion 8f. Accordingly, when the developer is replenished, the discharge portion 21h is fixed so as not to substantially move in the rotation axis direction.

  Here, the cam groove 20e has an elliptical shape as shown in FIGS. 60C to 60E, and the cam protrusion 21g moving along the cam groove 20e The distance from the rotation axis (the shortest distance in the radial direction) is changed.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 60B, a plate-shaped partition wall 32 for transporting the developer transported from the cylindrical portion 20k by the spiral convex portion (transport portion) 20c to the discharge portion 21h. Is provided. The partition wall 32 is provided so as to divide a part of the developer accommodating portion 20 into two substantially, and is configured to rotate integrally with the developer accommodating portion 20. The partition wall 32 is provided with inclined projections 32a that are inclined with respect to the direction of the rotation axis of the developer supply container 1 on both sides thereof. The inclined protrusion 32a is connected to the inlet portion of the discharge portion 21h.

  Accordingly, the developer conveyed by the conveying unit 20c is scraped up from the lower side in the gravity direction by the partition wall 32 in conjunction with the rotation of the cylindrical unit 20k. Thereafter, as the rotation of the cylindrical portion 20k proceeds, the surface slides down on the surface of the partition wall 32 due to gravity, and is eventually delivered to the discharge portion 21h side by the inclined protrusion 32a. The inclined protrusions 32a are provided on both surfaces of the partition wall 32 so that the developer is fed into the discharge portion 21h every time the cylindrical portion 20k makes a half turn.

(Developer replenishment process)
Next, the developer supply process of the developer supply container 1 of this example will be described.

  When the developer supply container 1 is attached to the developer supply device 8 by the operator, the flange portion 21 (discharge portion 21h) is prevented from moving in the rotation direction and the rotation axis by the developer supply device 8. Become. Further, since the pump portion 21f and the cam projection 21g are fixed to the flange portion 21, similarly, the movement in the rotation direction and the rotation axis direction is prevented.

  Then, the developer accommodating portion 20 is rotated by the rotational driving force input from the drive gear 300 (see FIG. 32) to the gear portion 20a, and the cam groove 20e is also rotated. On the other hand, since the cam protrusion 21g fixed so as not to rotate receives a cam action from the cam groove 20e, the rotational driving force input to the gear portion 20a is converted into a force for reciprocating the pump portion 21f in the vertical direction. Is done. Here, FIG. 60 (d) shows a state in which the pump portion 21f is most extended because the cam protrusion 21g is located at the intersection (the Y point in FIG. 60 (c)) of the ellipse in the cam groove 20e and its long axis La. Is shown. On the other hand, FIG. 60 (e) shows a state in which the pump portion 21f is most compressed because the cam protrusion 21g is located at the intersection of the ellipse in the cam groove 20e and its short axis Lb (point Z in FIG. 60 (c)). Show.

  The intake / exhaust operation by the pump unit 21f is performed by alternately repeating the states of FIG. 60 (d) and FIG. 60 (e) in a predetermined cycle. That is, the developer discharging operation is performed smoothly.

  Thus, as the cylindrical portion 20k rotates, the developer is transported to the discharge portion 21h by the transport portion 20c and the inclined protrusion 32a, and the developer in the discharge portion 21h is finally sucked and exhausted by the pump portion 21f. It is discharged from the discharge port 21a by the operation.

  As described above, also in this example, since the intake operation and the exhaust operation can be performed with one pump, the configuration of the developer discharge mechanism can be simplified. Furthermore, since the inside of the developer supply container can be brought into a reduced pressure state (negative pressure state) by an intake operation through the discharge port, the developer can be efficiently unraveled.

  Also in this example, as in the fifth to thirteenth examples, when the gear unit 20a receives the rotational driving force from the developer supply device 8, the rotation operation of the conveying unit 20c (cylindrical unit 20k) and the pump unit 21f Both reciprocal movements can be performed.

  Further, as in this example, the pump part 21f is provided in the upper part in the gravity direction of the discharge part 21h (when the developer supply container 1 is mounted on the developer supply device 8), so that the pump part 21f is compared with the fifth example. Thus, the amount of developer remaining in the pump portion 21f can be reduced as much as possible.

  In this example, a bellows-like pump is adopted as the pump part 21f. However, the film-like pump described in Example 13 may be adopted as the pump part 21f.

  In this example, the cam protrusion 21g as a drive transmission portion is fixed to the upper surface of the pump portion 21f with an adhesive, but the cam protrusion 21g may not be fixed to the pump portion 21f. For example, a conventionally known patch-on stop or a configuration in which the cam protrusion 3g is formed in a round bar shape and a round hole shape into which the round bar-shaped cam protrusion 3g can be fitted in the pump portion 3f may be provided. Even in such an example, the same effect can be obtained.

  Further, in this example, as shown in FIG. 60 (f), the restriction part (the holding member 3 and the lock member 55) having the same configuration as that of Example 1 is provided as the restriction part of the pump part 21f. It is possible to restrict 21f to a predetermined state. That is, it is possible to regulate the position of the pump unit at the start of operation so that air is taken into the developer accommodating unit from the discharge port in the first operation cycle of the pump unit. Therefore, even in the configuration of the present example, the effect of releasing the developer in the developer supply container 1 can be more reliably achieved by operating the pump portion 21f from a state where the pump portion 21f is regulated to a predetermined position in the direction of increasing the volume. Can be obtained.

Example 15
Next, the structure of Example 15 is demonstrated using FIGS. 61-63. 61A is a schematic perspective view of the developer supply container 1, FIG. 61B is a schematic perspective view of the flange portion 21, and FIG. 61C is a schematic perspective view of the cylindrical portion 20k. 62 (a) and 62 (b) are enlarged sectional views of the developer supply container 1, and FIGS. 62 (c) and (d) are schematic views showing an example of a fixed tape (tape member) 3c as a restricting portion. FIG. 63 is a schematic view of the pump unit 21f. In the present example, the same components as those in the above-described embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals and detailed description thereof is omitted.

  The present embodiment is greatly different from the above embodiment in that the rotational driving force is converted into the force in the direction in which the pump section is operated without converting into the force in the direction in which the pump unit is operated backward.

  In this example, as shown in FIGS. 61 to 63, a bellows type pump portion 21f is provided on a side surface of the flange portion 21 on the cylindrical portion 20k side. Further, a gear portion 20a is provided on the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion 20k over the entire circumference. Further, at the end of the cylindrical portion 20k on the discharge portion 21h side, two compression protrusions 201 for compressing the pump portion 21f by contacting the pump portion 21f by the rotation of the cylindrical portion 20k are provided at positions facing each other by about 180 °. It has been. The shape of these compression protrusions 201 on the downstream side in the rotational direction is tapered (see FIG. 61 (c)) so as to gradually compress the pump portion 21f in order to reduce the shock at the time of contact with the pump portion 21f. Has been. On the other hand, the shape of the compression protrusion 20l on the upstream side in the rotation direction extends from the end surface of the cylindrical portion 20k so as to be substantially parallel to the rotation axis direction of the cylindrical portion 20k in order to extend the pump portion 21f instantaneously by its own elastic restoring force. A vertical surface shape (see FIG. 61C) is adopted.

  Similarly to the tenth embodiment, a plate-shaped partition wall 32 (see FIG. 5) for transporting the developer transported by the spiral convex portion (transport portion) 20c to the discharge portion 21h is provided in the cylindrical portion 20k. 62 (a) and (b)).

  Next, the developer supply process of the developer supply container 1 of this example will be described.

  After the developer replenishing container 1 is mounted on the developer replenishing device 8, the cylindrical portion 20k that is the developer containing portion 20 is rotated by the rotational driving force input from the drive gear 300 of the developer replenishing device 8 to the gear portion 20a. The compression protrusion 20l also rotates. At this time, when the compression protrusion 201 comes into contact with the pump portion 21f, as shown in FIG. 62A, the pump portion 21f is compressed in the direction of the arrow γ, whereby the exhaust operation is performed.

  On the other hand, when the rotation of the cylindrical portion 20k further proceeds and the contact between the compression projection 201 and the pump portion 21f is released, as shown in FIG. 62 (b), the pump portion 21f is moved in the direction of the arrow ω by the self-restoring force. It expands and returns to its original shape, thereby performing an intake operation.

  62 (a) and 62 (b) are alternately repeated at a predetermined cycle, whereby the intake / exhaust operation by the pump unit 21f is performed. That is, the developer discharging operation is performed smoothly.

  Thus, as the cylindrical portion 20k rotates, the developer is conveyed to the discharge portion 21h by the spiral convex portion (conveyance portion) 20c and the inclined protrusion (conveyance portion) 32a (see FIG. 60). The developer in the discharge portion 21h is finally discharged from the discharge port 21a by the exhaust operation by the pump portion 21f.

  As described above, also in this example, since the intake operation and the exhaust operation can be performed with one pump, the configuration of the developer discharge mechanism can be simplified. Furthermore, since the inside of the developer supply container can be brought into a reduced pressure state (negative pressure state) by an intake operation through the discharge port, the developer can be efficiently unraveled.

  Also in this example, similarly to Examples 5 to 14, both the rotation operation of the developer supply container 1 and the reciprocating operation of the pump portion 21f can be performed by the rotational driving force received from the developer supply device 8. it can.

  In this example, the pump portion 21f is compressed by contact with the compression projection 201 and is extended by the self-restoring force of the pump portion 21f when the contact is released. It doesn't matter.

  Specifically, both are configured to be locked when the pump portion 21f comes into contact with the compression protrusion 201, and the pump portion 21f is forcibly extended as the rotation of the cylindrical portion 20k proceeds. Then, when the rotation of the cylindrical portion 20k further advances and the locking is released, the pump portion 21f returns to the original shape by the self-restoring force (elastic restoring force). Thus, the intake operation and the exhaust operation are alternately performed.

  Further, in the case of this example, there is a possibility that the self-restoring force of the pump part 21f may be reduced by repeating the expansion / contraction operation a plurality of times over a long period of time. Is more preferable. Alternatively, such a problem can be dealt with by adopting the configuration shown in FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 63, the compression plate 20q is fixed to the end surface of the pump portion 21f on the cylindrical portion 20k side. A spring 20r that functions as a biasing member is provided between the outer surface of the flange portion 21 and the compression plate 20q so as to cover the pump portion 21f. The spring 20r is configured to constantly urge the pump portion 21f in the extending direction.

  By adopting such a configuration, it is possible to assist the self-restoration of the pump portion 21f when the contact between the compression protrusion 201 and the pump portion 21f is released, so that the expansion / contraction operation of the pump portion 21f can be performed over a long period of time. Even when the operation is performed a plurality of times, the intake operation can be surely executed.

  In this example, two compression protrusions 20l that function as a drive conversion mechanism are provided so as to face each other by about 180 °. However, the number of installation is not limited to this example, and one or three are provided. It does not matter as a case. Also. Instead of providing one compression protrusion, the following configuration may be adopted as the drive conversion mechanism. For example, the shape of the end surface of the cylindrical portion 20k that faces the pump portion 21f is a surface that is inclined with respect to the rotational axis instead of being perpendicular to the rotational axis of the cylindrical portion 20k as in this example. In this case, since this inclined surface is provided so as to act on the pump portion 21f, it is possible to perform an action equivalent to that of the compression protrusion. Also, for example, a swash plate (disc) that extends from the rotation center of the end surface of the cylindrical portion 20k facing the pump portion 21f toward the pump portion 21f in the rotation axis direction and is inclined with respect to the rotation axis. This is a case where a shape-like member is provided. In this case, since this swash plate is provided so as to act on the pump portion 21f, it is possible to perform an action equivalent to that of the compression protrusion.

  Next, the restriction part of the pump part 21f shown in this example will be described in detail.

  In this example, as shown in Example 5 or the like, the operation of the pump part 21f is regulated by regulating the rotation of the cylindrical part 20k of the developer supply container 1. In this example, an example in which a fixed tape 3c is used as means for restricting the rotation of the cylindrical portion 20k is shown. The fixed tape 3c is a restricting portion that restricts the position of the pump portion 21f at the start of operation so that air is taken into the developer accommodating portion from the discharge port in the first operation cycle of the pump portion 21f.

  In FIG. 62A, the fixing tape 3c is stuck between the cylindrical portion 20k and the flange portion 21. Therefore, the cylindrical portion 20k is prevented from inadvertently rotating relative to the flange portion 21 during distribution of the developer supply container 1 or handling by the user. Therefore, the pump portion 21f is configured to maintain a contracted state.

  In use, the user attaches the developer supply container 1 in the above state to the image forming apparatus main body 100. Thereafter, when the cylindrical portion 20k attempts to rotate in response to rotational driving from the image forming apparatus main body 100, the fixing tape 3c is broken by the force and the rotation restriction of the cylindrical portion 20k is released as shown in FIG. Is done. Or rotation regulation may be cancelled | released when the sticking part of the fixing tape 3c peels.

  Here, the fixing tape 3c may be of any strength that can break the fixing tape 3c when it receives rotational driving from the image forming apparatus main body 100. That is, a tape having a strength that prevents breakage at the time of distribution or handling, and that is relatively easily broken by the force at the start of rotation is desired. As a specific example, Nitto Denko Co., Ltd. craft adhesive tape (No.712F) etc. are mentioned. Further, if it is designed to release the fixing by peeling off the sticking portion of the fixing tape 3c by rotation, for example, a holding tape (No. 3800A) manufactured by Nitto Denko Co., Ltd. A seal tape (No. 2900) is suitable.

  Further, in order to reduce the breaking strength, a perforation 3c1 or a notch shape 3c2 may be applied to the fixing tape 3c as shown in FIGS. 62 (c) and 62 (d). Further, when it is desired to more strictly regulate inadvertent rotation by physical distribution or users, an auxiliary fixing tape 3d (see FIG. 62 (a)) may be further adhered as an auxiliary. However, in this case, since it is not easily broken / separated by rotation, the user needs to remove the auxiliary fixing tape 3d before mounting the image forming apparatus main body 100. It is also possible to combine the above methods. Furthermore, the configuration using the fixed tape 3c can be applied to other embodiments according to the present specification.

  Even with the method using the fixed tape 3c as described above, the pump part 21f can be restricted to a predetermined state in order to restrict the rotation of the cylindrical part 20k. That is, it is possible to regulate the position at the start of the operation of the pump unit 21f so that air is taken into the developer accommodating unit from the discharge port in the first operation cycle of the pump unit 21f. Therefore, even in the configuration of the present example, the effect of releasing the developer in the developer supply container 1 can be more reliably achieved by operating the pump portion 21f from a state where the pump portion 21f is regulated to a predetermined position in the direction of increasing the volume. Can be obtained.

  Even in the configuration of the pump unit as in this example, it is of course possible to regulate the pump unit 21f to a predetermined state by providing a regulating unit having the same configuration as in the fifth embodiment.

Example 16
Next, the configuration of Example 16 will be described with reference to FIGS. 64A and 64B are cross-sectional views schematically showing the developer supply container 1, and FIG. 64C is a schematic diagram of the developer supply apparatus 8 to which the developer supply container 1 according to this embodiment is mounted. FIG.

  In this example, the pump part 21f is provided in the cylindrical part 20k, and this pump part 21f is configured to rotate together with the cylindrical part 20k. Furthermore, in this example, the pump portion 21f is configured to reciprocate with rotation by the weight 20v provided in the pump portion 21f. Other configurations of this example are the same as those of the fourteenth embodiment, and detailed description thereof will be omitted by attaching the same reference numerals.

  As shown in FIG. 64A, the cylindrical portion 20k, the flange portion 21, and the pump portion 21f function as the developer storage space of the developer supply container 1. Moreover, the pump part 21f is connected to the outer peripheral part of the cylindrical part 20k, and it is comprised so that the effect | action by the pump part 21f may arise in the cylindrical part 20k and the discharge part 21h.

  Next, the drive conversion mechanism of this example will be described.

  A coupling portion (rectangular convex portion) 20s that functions as a drive input portion is provided on one end surface in the rotation axis direction of the cylindrical portion 20k, and the coupling portion 20s receives a rotational driving force from the developer supply device 8. . A weight 20v is fixed to the upper surface of one end of the pump portion 21f in the reciprocating direction. In this example, the weight 20v functions as a drive conversion mechanism.

  That is, as the pump portion 21f rotates together with the cylindrical portion 20k, the pump portion 21f expands and contracts in the vertical direction due to the gravity action of the weight 20v.

  Specifically, FIG. 64A shows a state in which the weight 20v is positioned above the pump portion 21f in the gravity direction, and the pump portion 21f is contracted by the gravity action (white arrow) of the weight 20v. Show. At this time, exhaust from the discharge port 21a, that is, discharge of the developer is performed (black arrow).

  On the other hand, FIG. 64B shows a state in which the weight 20v is located below the pump portion 21f in the gravity direction, and the pump portion 21f is extended by the gravity action (white arrow) of the weight 20v. Yes. At this time, intake is performed from the discharge port 21a (black arrow), and the developer is released.

  As described above, also in this example, since the intake operation and the exhaust operation can be performed with one pump, the configuration of the developer discharge mechanism can be simplified. Furthermore, since the inside of the developer supply container can be brought into a reduced pressure state (negative pressure state) by an intake operation through the discharge port, the developer can be efficiently unraveled.

  Also in this example, as in the fifth to fifteenth embodiments, both the rotation operation of the developer supply container 1 and the reciprocating operation of the pump portion 21f can be performed by the rotational driving force received from the developer supply device 8. it can.

  In the case of this example, since the pump portion 21f is configured to rotate around the cylindrical portion 20k, the space for the mounting portion 8f of the developer replenishing device 8 is increased, and the device is increased in size. The configurations of Examples 5 to 15 are more preferable.

  Next, the restriction part of the pump part 21f shown in this example will be described in detail.

  In this example, in order to achieve that the pump portion 21f is attached to the developer supply device 8 in a contracted state, the shape of the attachment portion 8f of the developer supply device 8 (the shape of the opening that receives the container) is The pump portion 21f has a shape that substantially matches the outer shape of the developer supply container 1 when the pump portion 21f is at a position vertically above the developer supply container 1.

  For this reason, the pump unit 21f can be mounted only when the pump unit 21f is at a predetermined position. In this example, as shown to Fig.64 (a), it can mount | wear only when the pump part 21f exists above the cylindrical part 20k. With this configuration, when the developer supply container 1 is mounted on the developer supply device 8, the pump unit 21f and the weight 20v are always in the upper state, and the pump unit 21f exerts the gravity action of the weight 20v. It will be mounted while maintaining the contracted state. In this state, when the cylindrical portion 20k is rotated by receiving rotational driving from the image forming apparatus main body 100, the pump portion 21f repeatedly expands and contracts by the action of the weight 20v as described above, and the developer can be discharged.

  In other words, in this example, the weight 20v along with the mounting portion 8f functions as a restricting portion.

  Even with the configuration described above, the pump unit 21f can be regulated to a predetermined state. That is, it is possible to regulate the position of the pump unit at the start of operation so that air is taken into the developer accommodating unit from the discharge port in the first operation cycle of the pump unit. Therefore, even in the configuration of the present example, the effect of releasing the developer in the developer supply container 1 can be more reliably achieved by operating the pump portion 21f from a state where the pump portion 21f is regulated to a predetermined position in the direction of increasing the volume. Can be obtained.

  Even in the configuration of the pump unit as in this example, it is of course possible to regulate the pump unit 21f to a predetermined state by providing a regulating unit having the same configuration as in the fifth embodiment.

Example 17
Next, the structure of Example 17 is demonstrated using FIGS. 65-67. 65A is a perspective view of the cylindrical portion 20k, and FIG. 65B is a perspective view of the flange portion 21. FIG. 66 (a) and 66 (b) are partial sectional perspective views of the developer supply container 1. In particular, FIG. 66 (a) shows a state where the rotary shutter is open, and FIG. 66 (b) shows a state where the rotary shutter is closed. Yes. FIG. 67 is a timing chart showing the relationship between the operation timing of the pump unit 21f and the opening / closing timing of the rotary shutter. In FIG. 67, “shrinkage” represents the exhaust process by the pump unit 21f, and “extension” represents the intake process by the pump unit 21f.

  This example is greatly different from the above-described embodiment in that a mechanism for partitioning between the discharge part 21h and the cylindrical part 20k is provided during the expansion / contraction operation of the pump part 21f. That is, in this example, between the cylindrical portion 20k and the discharge portion 21h, the cylindrical portion 20k and the discharge portion 21h are partitioned so that the pressure fluctuation accompanying the volume change of the pump portion 21f is selectively generated in the discharge portion 21h. It is composed.

  The discharge portion 21h functions as a developer accommodating portion that receives the developer conveyed from the cylindrical portion 20k as will be described later. The configuration of the present example other than the above points is substantially the same as that of the fourteenth embodiment, and the detailed description is omitted by giving the same reference numerals to the same configurations.

  As shown in FIG. 65A, one end surface in the longitudinal direction of the cylindrical portion 20k has a function as a rotary shutter. That is, a communication opening 20 u and a closing portion 20 w for discharging the developer to the flange portion 21 are provided on one end surface in the longitudinal direction of the cylindrical portion 20 k. The communication opening 20u has a fan shape.

  On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 65B, the flange portion 21 is provided with a communication opening 21k for receiving the developer from the cylindrical portion 20k. The communication opening 21k has a fan shape like the communication opening 20u, and the other part on the same plane as the communication opening 21k is a closed portion 21m.

  66 (a) to 66 (b) show a state in which the cylindrical portion 20k shown in FIG. 65 (a) and the flange portion 21 shown in FIG. 65 (b) are assembled. The outer peripheral surfaces of the communication opening 20u and the communication opening 21k are connected so as to compress the seal member 27, and are connected so as to be rotatable relative to the flange portion 21 to which the cylindrical portion 20k is fixed.

  In such a configuration, when the cylindrical portion 20k is relatively rotated by the rotational driving force received by the gear portion 20a, the relationship between the cylindrical portion 20k and the flange portion 21 is alternately switched between a communication state and a non-communication state.

  That is, with the rotation of the cylindrical portion 20k, the communication opening 20u of the cylindrical portion 20k coincides with and communicates with the communication opening 21k of the flange portion 21 (FIG. 66 (a)). With the further rotation of the cylindrical portion 20k, the communication opening 20u of the cylindrical portion 20k rotates and moves, and the communication opening 21k of the flange portion 21 is partitioned by the closing portion 20w of the cylindrical portion 20k, thereby substantially sealing the flange portion 21. The state is switched to a non-communication state (FIG. 66 (b)).

  The reason for providing such a partition mechanism (rotating shutter) that isolates the discharge portion 21h at least during the expansion / contraction operation of the pump portion 21f is as follows.

  The developer is discharged from the developer supply container 1 by increasing the internal pressure of the developer supply container 1 above the atmospheric pressure by contracting the pump portion 21f. Therefore, when there is no partition mechanism as in the fifth to fifteenth embodiments described above, not only the internal space of the flange portion 21 but also the internal space of the cylindrical portion 20k is included in the space for which the internal pressure is changed. This is because the volume change amount must be increased.

  This is because the internal pressure depends on the ratio of the volume of the internal space of the developer supply container 1 immediately after the pump section 21f is fully contracted to the volume of the internal space of the developer supply container 1 immediately before the pump section 21f contracts. Because it is.

  On the other hand, when the partition mechanism is provided, there is no movement of air from the flange portion 21 to the cylindrical portion 20k, so that only the internal space of the flange portion 21 needs to be targeted. That is, if the same internal pressure value is used, the volume change amount of the pump portion 21f can be reduced when the volume of the original internal space is small.

In this example, specifically, the volume change amount (reciprocation amount) of the pump portion 21f is set to 2 cm ³ (the configuration of the fifth embodiment) by setting the volume of the discharge portion 21h partitioned by the rotary shutter to 40 cm ^3. Then, it is 15 cm ³ ). Even with such a small volume change amount, it is possible to supply the developer with a sufficient intake / exhaust effect as in the fifth embodiment.

  Thus, in this example, the volume change amount of the pump portion 21f can be made as small as possible as compared with the configurations of the above-described Examples 5 to 16. As a result, the pump unit 21f can be downsized. In addition, the distance (volume change amount) for reciprocating the pump unit 21f can be shortened (decreased). In particular, in the case of a configuration in which the capacity of the cylindrical portion 20k is increased in order to increase the amount of developer charged in the developer supply container 1, it is effective to provide such a partition mechanism.

  Next, the developer replenishing step of this example will be described.

  When the developer supply container 1 is mounted on the developer supply device 8 and the flange portion 21 is fixed, driving is input from the drive gear 300 to the gear portion 20a, whereby the cylindrical portion 20k rotates and the cam groove 20e also Rotate. On the other hand, the cam protrusion 21g fixed to the pump portion 21f that is non-rotatably held in the developer supply device 8 together with the flange portion 21 receives a cam action from the cam groove 20e. Accordingly, the pump portion 21f reciprocates in the vertical direction as the cylindrical portion 20k rotates.

  In such a configuration, the timing of the pumping operation (intake operation and exhaust operation) of the pump unit 21f and the opening / closing timing of the rotary shutter will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 67 is a timing chart when the cylindrical portion 20k rotates once. In FIG. 67, “shrinkage” is the contraction operation of the pump unit 21f (exhaust operation by the pump unit 21f), and “extension” is the expansion operation of the pump unit 21f (intake operation by the pump unit 21f). When stopped, “stop” indicates when the pump unit 21f stops operating. “Communication” indicates that the rotary shutter is open, and “non-communication” indicates that the rotary shutter is closed.

  First, as shown in FIG. 67, the drive conversion mechanism is arranged in the gear portion 20a so that the pumping operation by the pump portion 21f is stopped when the positions of the communication opening 21k and the communication opening 20u coincide with each other. Converts the input rotational driving force. Specifically, in this example, when the communication opening 21k and the communication opening 20u are in communication, the cam from the rotation center of the cylindrical portion 20k is prevented so that the pump portion 21f does not operate even if the cylindrical portion 20k rotates. The radial distance to the groove 20e is set to be the same.

  At this time, since the rotary shutter is in the open position (the positions of the communication opening 21k and the communication opening 20u match), the developer is conveyed from the cylindrical portion 20k to the flange portion 21. Specifically, as the cylindrical portion 20k rotates, the developer is scraped up by the partition wall 32, and then slides down on the inclined protrusion 32a by gravity, so that the developer passes through the communication opening 20u and the communication opening 21k. It moves to the flange portion 21.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 67, the drive conversion mechanism has a gear portion so that the pumping operation by the pump portion 21f is performed when the positions of the communication opening 21k and the communication opening 20u are shifted and are in a non-communication state. The rotational driving force input to 20a is converted.

  That is, with the further rotation of the cylindrical portion 20k, the rotation phase of the communication opening 21k and the communication opening 20u shifts, so that the communication opening 21k is closed by the closing portion 20w, and the internal space of the flange portion 21 is isolated. It becomes a state.

  At this time, with the rotation of the cylindrical portion 20k, the pump portion 21f is reciprocated while the non-communication state is maintained (the rotary shutter is located at the closed position). Specifically, the cam groove 20e is also rotated by the rotation of the cylindrical portion 20k, and the radial distance from the rotation center of the cylindrical portion 20k to the cam groove 20e is changed with the rotation. Thereby, the pump part 21f performs a pumping operation in response to the cam action.

  Thereafter, when the cylindrical portion 20k further rotates, the rotational phases of the communication opening 21k and the communication opening 20u overlap again, and the cylindrical portion 20k and the flange portion 21 are in communication with each other.

  The developer supply process from the developer supply container 1 is performed while repeating the above flow.

  As described above, also in this example, since the intake operation and the exhaust operation can be performed with one pump, the configuration of the developer discharge mechanism can be simplified. Furthermore, since the inside of the developer supply container can be brought into a reduced pressure state (negative pressure state) by an intake operation via the discharge port 21a, the developer can be efficiently unraveled.

  Also in this example, both the rotation operation of the cylindrical portion 20k and the intake / exhaust operation by the pump portion 21f can be performed when the gear portion 20a receives the rotational driving force from the developer supply device 8.

  Furthermore, according to the configuration of this example, the pump unit 21f can be downsized. In addition, the volume change amount (reciprocating amount) of the pump unit 21f can be reduced, and as a result, the load required to reciprocate the pump unit 21f can be reduced.

  In this example, the driving force for rotating the rotary shutter is not separately received from the developer replenishing device 8, and the rotational driving force received for the transport unit (cylindrical unit 20k, transport unit 20c) is used. Therefore, it is possible to simplify the partition mechanism.

  Further, as described above, the volume change amount of the pump portion 21f can be set by the internal volume of the flange portion 21 without depending on the total volume of the developer supply container 1 including the cylindrical portion 20k. Therefore, for example, when manufacturing a plurality of types of developer supply containers having different developer filling amounts, the capacity (diameter) of the cylindrical portion 20k is changed to cope with this, and a cost reduction effect can be expected. . That is, it is possible to reduce the manufacturing cost by configuring the flange portion 21 including the pump portion 21f as a common unit and assembling the unit to the plurality of types of cylindrical portions 20k in common. . That is, it is possible to reduce the manufacturing cost, for example, it is not necessary to increase the types of molds as compared with the case where no sharing is performed. In this example, the pump portion 21f is reciprocated by one cycle while the cylindrical portion 20k and the flange portion 21 are not in communication with each other. The part 21f may be reciprocated.

  Moreover, in this example, it is set as the structure which isolate | separates the discharge part 21h throughout the contraction operation | movement and expansion | extension operation | movement of a pump part, However, It is good also as following structures. That is, if the pump unit 21f can be downsized and the volume change amount (reciprocation amount) of the pump unit 21f can be reduced, the discharge unit 21h may be slightly opened during the contraction operation and the extension operation of the pump unit. I do not care.

  Further, in this example, as shown in FIG. 65 (b), the flange portion 21 is provided with a restriction portion (holding member 3 and lock member 55) having the same configuration as that of the first embodiment. It is possible to regulate to the state of. That is, it is possible to regulate the position of the pump unit at the start of operation so that air is taken into the developer accommodating unit from the discharge port in the first operation cycle of the pump unit. Therefore, even in the configuration of the present example, the effect of releasing the developer in the developer supply container 1 can be more reliably achieved by operating the pump portion 21f from a state where the pump portion 21f is regulated to a predetermined position in the direction of increasing the volume. Can be obtained.

Example 18
Next, the configuration of Example 18 will be described with reference to FIGS. 68A is a partial cross-sectional perspective view of the developer supply container 1, and FIG. 68B is a schematic perspective view showing the periphery of the regulating member 56. 69 (a) to 69 (c) are partial cross-sectional views showing an operation state of the partition mechanism (gate valve 35). FIG. 70 is a timing chart showing the timing of the pumping operation (contraction operation, expansion operation) of the pump unit 21f and the opening / closing timing of the gate valve 35 described later. In FIG. 70, “shrinkage” is the contraction operation of the pump unit 21f (exhaust operation by the pump unit 21f), and “extension” is the expansion operation of the pump unit 21f (intake operation by the pump unit 21f). Shows when it is done. Further, “stop” indicates a time when the pump unit 21f stops its operation. “Open” indicates when the gate valve 35 is open, and “closed” indicates when the gate valve 35 is closed.

  This example is greatly different from the above-described embodiment in that a gate valve 35 is provided as a mechanism for partitioning between the discharge part 21h and the cylindrical part 20k when the pump part 21f is expanded and contracted. The configuration of the present example other than the above points is substantially the same as that of the twelfth embodiment (FIGS. 57 and 58), and the same reference numerals are given to the same configurations, and detailed description thereof is omitted. In this example, a plate-like partition wall 32 shown in FIG. 60 according to Example 14 is provided for the configuration of Example 12 shown in FIGS. 57 and 58.

  In Embodiment 17 described above, the partition mechanism (rotary shutter) using the rotation of the cylindrical portion 20k is adopted, but in this example, the partition mechanism (the partition valve) using the reciprocating motion of the pump portion 21f is adopted. . Details will be described below.

  As shown in FIG. 68, the discharge part 21h is provided between the cylindrical part 20k and the pump part 21f. And the wall part 33 is provided in the cylindrical part 20k side of the discharge part 21h, and also the discharge port 21a is provided below the left side in the figure from the wall part 33. A partition valve 35 that functions as a partition mechanism that opens and closes a communication port 33a (see FIG. 69) formed in the wall portion 33 and an elastic body (hereinafter referred to as a seal) 34 are provided. The gate valve 35 is fixed to one end side inside the pump portion 21f (the side opposite to the discharge portion 21h), and reciprocates in the direction of the rotation axis of the developer supply container 1 as the pump portion 21f expands and contracts. . Further, the seal 34 is fixed to the gate valve 35 and moves integrally with the movement of the gate valve 35.

  Next, the operation of the gate valve 35 in the developer replenishing process will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 69A to 69C (see FIG. 70 as necessary).

  FIG. 69 (a) shows a state in which the pump portion 21f is extended to the maximum, and the gate valve 35 is separated from the wall portion 33 provided between the discharge portion 21h and the cylindrical portion 20k. At this time, the developer in the cylindrical portion 20k is transferred (conveyed) into the discharge portion 21h through the communication port 33a by the inclined protrusion 32a as the cylindrical portion 20k rotates.

  Thereafter, when the pump portion 21f contracts, the state shown in FIG. 69 (b) is obtained. At this time, the seal 34 comes into contact with the wall portion 33 and closes the communication port 33a. That is, the discharge part 21h is isolated from the cylindrical part 20k.

  Then, when the pump part 21f further contracts, the pump part 21f shown in FIG.

  Since the seal 34 remains in contact with the wall portion 33 from the state shown in FIG. 69 (b) to the state shown in FIG. 69 (c), the internal pressure of the discharge portion 21h is increased and the atmospheric pressure is increased. Becomes a high positive pressure state, and the developer is discharged from the discharge port 21a.

  Thereafter, with the extension operation of the pump portion 21f, the seal 34 remains in contact with the wall portion 33 from the state shown in FIG. 69C to the state shown in FIG. The internal pressure of 21 h is reduced to a negative pressure state lower than the atmospheric pressure. That is, an intake operation is performed through the discharge port 21a.

  When the pump portion 21f further expands, the state returns to the state shown in FIG. In this example, the developer supply step is performed by repeating the above operation. Thus, in this example, since the gate valve 35 is moved using the reciprocating operation of the pump unit, the initial period of the contraction operation (exhaust operation) and the later period of the expansion operation (intake operation) of the pump unit 21f. The gate valve is open.

  Here, the seal 34 will be described in detail. The seal 34 is compressed with the contraction operation of the pump portion 21f while ensuring the sealing performance of the discharge portion 21h by abutting against the wall portion 33. Therefore, the seal 34 is a material having both sealing properties and flexibility. Are preferably used. In this example, foamed polyurethane having such characteristics (manufactured by Inoac Corporation, trade name: Moltoprene SM-55: thickness 5 mm) is used, and the thickness of the pump portion 21f at the time of maximum contraction is used. Is set to 2 mm (compression amount 3 mm).

  Thus, the volume fluctuation (pump action) with respect to the discharge part 21h by the pump part 21f is substantially limited until the seal 34 is compressed 3 mm after contacting the wall part 33, but is limited by the gate valve 35. The pump part 21f can be made to operate in a limited range. Therefore, even if such a gate valve 35 is used, the developer can be discharged stably.

  As described above, also in this example, since the intake operation and the exhaust operation can be performed with one pump, the configuration of the developer discharge mechanism can be simplified. Furthermore, since the inside of the developer supply container can be brought into a reduced pressure state (negative pressure state) by an intake operation via the discharge port 21a, the developer can be efficiently unraveled.

  Also in this example, as in Examples 5 to 17, when the gear portion 20a receives the rotational driving force from the developer supply device 8, both the rotation operation of the cylindrical portion 20k and the intake / exhaust operation by the pump portion 21f are performed. It can be performed.

  Further, similarly to the seventeenth embodiment, it is possible to reduce the size of the pump unit 21f and the volume change amount of the pump unit 21f. In addition, a cost reduction merit by sharing the pump part is expected.

  In this example, since the reciprocating power of the pump portion 21f is used without separately receiving the driving force for operating the gate valve 35 from the developer supply device 8, the partition mechanism can be simplified. Is possible.

  Further, in this example, as shown in FIG. 68 (b), since the restricting portion (rail 21r and restricting member 56) having the same configuration as that of the fifth embodiment is provided on the lower surface of the flange portion 21, the pump portion 21f is provided in a predetermined manner. It is possible to regulate to the state of. That is, it is possible to regulate the position of the pump unit at the start of operation so that air is taken into the developer accommodating unit from the discharge port in the first operation cycle of the pump unit. Therefore, even in the configuration of the present example, the effect of releasing the developer in the developer supply container 1 can be more reliably achieved by operating the pump portion 21f from a state where the pump portion 21f is regulated to a predetermined position in the direction of increasing the volume. Can be obtained.

Example 19
Next, the configuration of Example 19 will be described with reference to FIGS. 71A is a partial cross-sectional perspective view of the developer supply container 1, FIG. 71B is a perspective view of the flange portion 21, FIG. 71C is a cross-sectional view of the developer supply container, and FIG. It is a schematic perspective view which shows 56 periphery.

  This example is greatly different from the above-described embodiment in that the buffer part 23 is provided as a mechanism for partitioning the discharge part 21h and the cylindrical part 20k. Configurations other than the above-described points in this example are substantially the same as those in Example 14 (FIG. 60), and the detailed description is omitted by attaching the same reference numerals to the same configurations.

  As shown in FIG. 71 (b), the buffer portion 23 is provided on the flange portion 21 in a fixed state so as not to rotate. The buffer unit 23 is provided with a receiving port (opening) 23a that opens upward, and a supply port 23b that communicates with the discharge unit 21h.

  As shown in FIGS. 71A and 71C, such a flange portion 21 is assembled to the cylindrical portion 20k so that the buffer portion 23 is located in the cylindrical portion 20k. The cylindrical portion 20k is connected to the flange portion 21 so as to be relatively rotatable with respect to the flange portion 21 held immovably by the developer supply device 8. A ring-shaped seal is incorporated in the connecting portion, and the air and developer are prevented from leaking.

  In this example, as shown in FIG. 71A, an inclined protrusion 32a is provided on the partition wall 32 in order to convey the developer toward the receiving port 23a of the buffer unit 23.

  In this example, until the developer supply operation of the developer supply container 1 is completed, the developer in the developer container 20 is received by the partition wall 32 and the inclined protrusion 32a in accordance with the rotation of the developer supply container 1. To the buffer unit 23.

  Therefore, as shown in FIG. 71 (c), it is possible to maintain the state in which the internal space of the buffer unit 23 is filled with the developer.

  As a result, the developer present so as to fill the internal space of the buffer part 23 substantially blocks the movement of air from the cylindrical part 20k to the discharge part 21h, and the buffer part 23 serves as a partition mechanism. become.

  Therefore, when the pump unit 21f reciprocates, at least the discharge unit 21h can be separated from the cylindrical unit 20k, thereby reducing the size of the pump unit and the volume change of the pump unit. Is possible.

  As described above, also in this example, since the intake operation and the exhaust operation can be performed with one pump, the configuration of the developer discharge mechanism can be simplified. Furthermore, since the inside of the developer supply container can be brought into a reduced pressure state (negative pressure state) by an intake operation via the discharge port 21a, the developer can be efficiently unraveled.

  Also in this example, as in Examples 5 to 18, both the rotational operation of the transport unit 20c (cylindrical unit 20k) and the reciprocating operation of the pump unit 21f are performed by the rotational driving force received from the developer supply device 8. It can be carried out.

  Furthermore, similarly to Examples 17-18, it is possible to reduce the size of the pump unit and the volume change amount of the pump unit. In addition, a cost reduction merit by sharing the pump part is expected.

  In this example, since the developer is used as the partition mechanism, the partition mechanism can be simplified.

  Moreover, in this example, as shown in FIG.71 (d), since the control part (the rail 21r and the control member 56) of the structure similar to Example 5 is provided in the lower surface of the flange part 21, the pump part 21f is predetermined. It is possible to regulate to the state of. That is, it is possible to regulate the position of the pump unit at the start of operation so that air is taken into the developer accommodating unit from the discharge port in the first operation cycle of the pump unit. Therefore, even in the configuration of the present example, the effect of releasing the developer in the developer supply container 1 can be more reliably achieved by operating the pump portion 21f from a state where the pump portion 21f is regulated to a predetermined position in the direction of increasing the volume. Can be obtained.

Example 20
Next, the structure of Example 20 is demonstrated using FIGS. 72-73. 72 (a) is a perspective view of the developer supply container 1, FIG. 72 (b) is a sectional view of the developer supply container 1, and FIG. 73 (a) is a sectional perspective view showing the nozzle portion 47. b) is a schematic perspective view showing the periphery of the regulating member 56. FIG.

  In this example, the nozzle part 47 is connected to the pump part 20b, and the developer once sucked into the nozzle part 47 is discharged from the discharge port 21a. This configuration is greatly different from the above-described embodiment. The other configuration of this example is substantially the same as that of the above-described Example 14, and detailed description thereof is omitted by attaching the same reference numerals.

  As shown in FIG. 72 (a), the developer supply container 1 includes a flange portion 21 and a developer storage portion 20. The developer accommodating portion 20 is composed of a cylindrical portion 20k.

  In the cylindrical part 20k, as shown in FIG.72 (b), the partition wall 32 which functions as a conveyance part is provided over the whole region of the rotating shaft direction. A plurality of inclined protrusions 32a are provided on one end surface of the partition wall 32 at different positions in the rotation axis direction, and the developer is directed from one end side to the other end side (side closer to the flange portion 21) in the rotation axis direction. It is configured to carry. Similarly, a plurality of inclined protrusions 32 a are also provided on the other end surface of the partition wall 32. Further, a through-hole 32b that allows the developer to pass therethrough is provided between the adjacent inclined protrusions 32a. This through-hole 32b is for stirring the developer. In addition, as a structure of a conveyance part, the partition wall 32 for sending a developer into the conveyance part (helical protrusion) 20c and the flange part 21 in the cylindrical part 20k as shown in another Example is combined. It does not matter.

  Next, the flange part 21 including the pump part 20b will be described in detail.

  The flange portion 21 is connected to the cylindrical portion 20k through a small diameter portion 49 and a seal member 48 so as to be relatively rotatable. In a state where the flange portion 21 is attached to the developer replenishing device 8, the flange portion 21 is held so that it cannot be moved to the developer replenishing device 8 (so that it cannot rotate and reciprocate).

  Further, as shown in FIG. 73A, a replenishment amount adjustment unit (hereinafter also referred to as a flow rate adjustment unit) 52 that receives the developer conveyed from the cylindrical portion 20k is provided in the flange portion 21. . Further, a nozzle portion 47 extending from the pump portion 20b toward the discharge port 21a is provided in the replenishment amount adjusting portion 52. The pump unit 20b is driven in the vertical direction by a drive conversion mechanism that converts the rotational drive received by the gear unit 20a into reciprocating power. Therefore, the nozzle portion 47 is configured to suck the developer in the replenishment amount adjusting portion 52 and discharge it from the discharge port 21a in accordance with the volume change of the pump portion 20b.

  Next, the structure of the drive transmission to the pump part 20b in this example is demonstrated.

  As described above, the cylindrical portion 20k is rotated by receiving the rotational drive from the drive gear 300 by the gear portion 20a provided in the cylindrical portion 20k. Further, the rotational drive is transmitted to the gear portion 43 via the gear portion 42 provided in the small diameter portion 49 of the cylindrical portion 20k. Here, the gear portion 43 is provided with a shaft portion 44 that rotates integrally with the gear portion 43.

  One end of the shaft portion 44 is rotatably supported by the housing 46. Further, an eccentric cam 45 is provided at a position of the shaft portion 44 opposite to the pump portion 20b, and the eccentric cam 45 has different distances from the rotation center (rotation center of the shaft portion 44) by the transmitted rotational force. The pump 20b is pushed down (reducing the volume) by rotating at. By this depression, the developer in the nozzle portion 47 is discharged through the discharge port 21a.

  Further, when the pressing force by the eccentric cam 45 disappears, the pump portion 20b returns to its original position (the volume increases) by the restoring force of the pump portion 20b. By the restoration (increase in volume) of the pump unit, an intake operation is performed through the discharge port 21a, and it is possible to perform a releasing action on the developer located in the vicinity of the discharge port 21a.

  By repeating the above operation, the developer is efficiently discharged by the volume change of the pump unit 20b. Note that, as described above, it is possible to provide an urging member such as a spring in the pump portion 20b so as to support at the time of restoration (or when pushed down).

  Next, the hollow conical nozzle portion 47 will be described in more detail. The nozzle portion 47 is provided with an opening 53 in the outer peripheral portion, and the nozzle portion 47 has a discharge port 54 for discharging the developer toward the discharge port 21a on the tip side. .

  During the developer replenishment process, the pressure generated by the pump unit 20 b is reduced in the replenishment amount adjustment unit 52 by creating a state in which at least the opening 53 of the nozzle portion 47 has entered the developer layer in the replenishment amount adjustment unit 52. Demonstrates the effect of efficiently acting on the developer.

  That is, since the developer in the replenishment amount adjustment unit 52 (around the nozzle unit 47) plays a role of a partition mechanism with the cylindrical portion 20k, the effect of the volume change of the pump unit 20b is referred to as the replenishment amount adjustment unit 52. It is possible to exhibit within a limited range.

  By setting it as such a structure, the nozzle part 47 can show | play the same effect similarly to the partition mechanism of Examples 17-19.

  As described above, also in this example, since the intake operation and the exhaust operation can be performed by one pump unit, the configuration of the developer discharge mechanism can be simplified. Furthermore, since the inside of the developer supply container can be brought into a reduced pressure state (negative pressure state) by an intake operation via the discharge port 21a, the developer can be efficiently unraveled.

  Also in this example, as in Examples 5 to 19, the rotational driving force received from the developer replenishing device 8 causes the rotation of the developer container 20 (cylindrical part 20k) and the reciprocation of the pump part 20b. You can do both. Moreover, the cost merit by common use of the flange part 21 containing the pump part 20b and the nozzle part 47 can also be anticipated similarly to Examples 17-19.

  In this example, the developer and the partitioning mechanism do not rub against each other as in the configurations of Examples 17 to 18, and damage to the developer can be avoided.

  Further, in this example, as shown in FIG. 73 (b), since the restriction part (rail 21r and restriction member 56) having the same configuration as that of Example 5 is provided on the lower surface of the flange part 21, the pump part 20b is provided in a predetermined manner. It is possible to regulate the state of That is, it is possible to regulate the position of the pump unit at the start of operation so that air is taken into the developer accommodating unit from the discharge port in the first operation cycle of the pump unit. Therefore, even in the configuration of the present example, the operation of releasing the developer in the developer supply container 1 can be more reliably performed by operating the pump portion 20b in the direction of increasing the volume from the state where the pump portion 20b is regulated to a predetermined position. Can be obtained.

Example 21
Next, the developer supply container 1 according to Example 21 will be described. Since the configuration of the developer supply device is the same as that shown in the fifth embodiment, the description thereof is omitted. The description of the same configuration as that shown in the fifth embodiment is omitted, and a different configuration will be described here. Members having the same functions as those shown in the fifth embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals.

(Developer supply container)
The developer supply container 1 in this embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 74 is a perspective view of the developer supply container 1, FIG. 75 is a perspective view of the developer accommodating portion 20, and FIG. 76 is a perspective view of the flange portion 21.

  The restricting portion in the present embodiment includes an urging member 66 that is a power storage unit that stores a driving force from a driving source (the driving motor 500 in FIG. 32).

  In the developer supply container 1 in this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 74, an urging member 66 that functions as a force storage means is engaged at both ends with the end surface of the developer accommodating portion 20 and the end surface of the flange portion 21. Has been. The urging member 66 is a force storage unit that stores a driving force from a driving source, and is configured to expand or contract as the developer accommodating portion 20 rotates relative to the flange portion 21. In this embodiment, a stainless coil spring is used for the biasing member 66.

  Further, the gear portion 20a, which is a drive receiving portion from the apparatus main body provided in the developer accommodating portion 20, is partially (partially) geared out of the entire circumference of the developer accommodating portion 20, as shown in FIG. A region lacking (a region where a gear tooth portion is not formed) is provided. Thereby, the gear part 20a has the area | region which receives the drive force from an apparatus main body, and the area | region (area | region where a part of gear was missing) which does not receive the said drive force. Further, a rotation locking projection 20p that locks one end of a biasing member 66 that is a force storage means is provided on the end surface of the developer container 20 on the developer supply port side (discharge port side).

  Further, as shown in FIG. 76, the flange portion 21 is provided with a fixed locking projection 21q that locks one end of the urging member 66 that is a force storage means.

  In the developer supply container 1, the developer accommodating portion 20 is a rotating portion, and the flange portion 21 is a portion that is fixed to the developer supplying device 8 (image forming apparatus) so as not to rotate. The urging member 66 serving as a power storage means includes a rotation locking projection 20p of the developer accommodating portion 20 that is the rotating portion and a fixing locking projection 21q of the flange portion 21 that is the non-rotatable fixed portion. And is bound to.

(Operation of energy storage means)
Next, the power storage means and the situation in which the developer supply container 1 rotates by the power storage means will be described with reference to FIGS. 77 (a) to 77 (e).

  FIG. 77 (a) shows a situation in which the drive gear (drive unit) 300 and the gear unit 20a are engaged with each other and driven in the direction of the arrow X2 from the drive gear 300 of the apparatus main body 100 to rotate the developer accommodating unit 20. ing. As the developer accommodating portion 20 rotates, the urging member 66 is extended in the arrow Y2 direction against the urging force.

  FIG. 77 (b) shows a state where the urging member 66 is being further extended. In this state, the developer accommodating portion 20 tends to rotate in the direction opposite to the arrow Y <b> 3 by the urging force of the urging member 66. However, since the drive gear 300 and the gear portion 20a are engaged, the developer accommodating portion 20 does not rotate in the direction opposite to the arrow Y3. Further, the urging member 66 further extends, so that force is stored in the urging member 66.

  FIG. 77 (c) shows a state where the urging member 66 is further rotated after being extended to the maximum. In this state, the gear portion 20a is disengaged from the drive gear 300 and the gear portion 20a because the gearless region faces the drive gear 300. As a result, the developer accommodating portion 20 is rotated in the direction of the arrow Y4 by the urging force of the urging member 66. Here, the state of FIG. 77 (c) is a position further rotated in the direction of arrow Y4 from the state in which the urging member 66 is extended to the maximum as described above, so that the developer container 20 is in the direction opposite to the direction of arrow Y4. It does not rotate. Note that if the engagement between the drive gear 300 and the gear portion 20a is released with the urging member 66 extended to the maximum, the developer accommodating portion 20 may stop without rotating in the arrow Y4 direction. . Therefore, as shown in FIG. 77 (e), if the region where the gear portion 20a has a gear is M and the region without a gear is N, the region N needs to be set smaller than 180 °. In this embodiment, the region N is set to about 150 ° and the region M is set to 210 °.

  FIG. 77 (d) shows the middle of the developer accommodating portion 20 being rotated in the direction of arrow Y 5 by the urging force of the urging member 66. Even in this state, since the engagement between the drive gear 300 and the gear portion 20a is released, the developer accommodating portion 20 rotates in the arrow Y5 direction by the urging force of the urging member 66.

  Thereafter, the state returns to the state of FIG. 77A again, the drive gear 300 and the gear portion 20a are engaged, and the developer accommodating portion 20 receives the drive of the drive gear 300 and rotates in the arrow Y2 direction.

  As described above, the developer supply container 1 according to the present exemplary embodiment is not rotated by the driving force of the driving gear 300 on the main body side and rotated by the biasing member 66 instead of the driving force of the driving gear 300 during one rotation. It has a part that rotates by the driving force stored.

  The power storage means in the present embodiment is a so-called flip-flop mechanism that uses a biasing member 66 coupled to a so-called rotating developer container 20 and a flange 21 that is fixed so as not to rotate. The flip-flop mechanism refers to the following mechanism when there is a member U that can rotate between the R point and the S point (distance or angle T), for example. That is, although the member U located at the point R is acted on and the member U rotates only a distance (or angle) shorter than the distance (or angle) T, the remaining distance (or angle) The rotation is compensated by the urging force of the urging member. As a result, the member U is rotated to the S point.

(Developer supply operation)
Next, the discharge of the developer from the developer supply container 1 will be described with reference to FIGS. 78 (a) and 78 (b). Here, FIG. 78A shows a state in which the pump portion 20b extends in the rotation axis direction, and FIG. 78B shows a state in which the pump portion 20b contracts in the rotation axis direction.

  In the present embodiment, discharge is basically performed based on the same principle as in the fifth embodiment. That is, as shown in FIG. 78A, by operating the pump portion 20b from the contracted state in the volume increasing direction, air is taken into the developer accommodating portion 20 to fluidize the developer. Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 78 (b), the pump unit 20b is operated in the volume decreasing direction to discharge the developer, and this is alternately repeated under the control of the control device 600 (see FIG. 32).

  The developer supply container 1 shown in the present embodiment can be started from a state in which the pump portion 20b is securely contracted, as in the above-described embodiment. A mechanism for realizing this will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 77 and 79. FIG. Here, FIG. 79 is a developed view of the cam groove 21e of the flange portion 21, and the circle in the drawing is a cam projection 20d provided on the peripheral surface of the developer accommodating portion 20. FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 79, the cam groove 21e has a groove direction parallel to the rotation direction of the developer accommodating portion 20, and the region X8 for maintaining the state of the pump portion 20b constant, and the inclination of the groove changes. By doing so, it is divided into a region Y8 for expanding and contracting the pump portion 20b. In FIG. 79, positions A and C are positions indicating a state where the pump part 20b is contracted, and positions B are positions indicating a state where the pump part 20b is extended.

  In the cam groove 21e, the region X8 is a region where the power storage means rotates while storing the driving force, and the region Y8 is a region rotated by the driving force stored by the power storage device. That is, the region X8 is a forward path that moves when the gear unit 20a is driven by the driving force from the driving gear 300 while the power storage means stores the driving force, and the region Y8 is when the power storage device is driven by the action of the power storage device. It is a return trip that moves. The region Y8 includes an inclined groove (inclined with respect to the rotation axis direction) so that the pump unit (volume variable unit) 20b changes between a first state where the volume is minimum and a second state where the volume is maximum. A region Y8) of the cam groove 21e is provided.

  Accordingly, the rotational phases of the cam protrusion 20d, the rotation locking protrusion 20p in the developer accommodating portion 20, and the cam groove 21e in the flange portion 21 are matched. That is, in FIG. 77 (a) → (b) → (c), the cam protrusion 20d moves in the region X8 of the cam groove 21e, and in FIG. 77 (c) → (d) → (a) The protrusion 20d moves in the region Y8 of the cam groove 21e. And in the area | region X8 of the cam groove 21e, the pump part 20b is always maintained in the 1st position (1st state) from which a volume becomes the minimum. On the other hand, in the region Y8, the pump unit 20b returns to the first state after reaching the second position (second state) at which the volume is maximized at least once. Here, as shown in FIG. 79, in the region 8Y, the pump unit 20b repeatedly changes from small volume to large volume, from large volume to small volume, and finally returns to the region X8 again in a small volume state. . Note that the urging member 66 needs to have a sufficient urging force to be able to reliably pass through the region Y8.

  With such a configuration, the pump unit 20b always maintains a small volume while being driven by the drive gear 300. On the other hand, when the volume of the pump portion 20b changes, since the drive connection with the drive gear 300 is disconnected, the cam projection 20d passes through the region Y8 without stopping regardless of the drive stop of the main body drive. Therefore, the pump part 20b does not stop in a state where the volume is increased.

  In order to explain in more detail, the situation when the operation of the pump unit 20b is resumed after the main power supply of the image forming apparatus main body is stopped will be described. When the main power supply is stopped while the cam projection 20d passes through the region X8, the pump unit 20b stops in a state where the volume is kept small. On the other hand, when the main body power supply is stopped while the cam projection 20d passes through the region Y8, the gear portion 20a is independent of the drive gear 300 and the developer accommodating portion 20 rotates with the driving force stored in the energy storage means. To do. Accordingly, the cam protrusion 20d moves through the region Y8 to the region X8, and the pump unit 20b stops in a state where the volume is kept small. From the above, when the operation of the pump unit 20b is resumed, the pump unit 20b is always in a contracted state, and the volume can be increased so that the inside of the developer containing unit 20 is brought into a depressurized state. .

  As described above, also in the configuration of the present embodiment, the restricting portion having the gear portion 20a and the urging member 66 can be used to move the pump portion 20b from the contracted state to the volume increasing direction, similarly to the fifth embodiment. it can.

  In the configuration of the present embodiment, the pump unit 20b is re-regulated at the position when the developer supply container 1 is attached / detached. Therefore, for example, even if the developer remains in the developer replenishing container 1 and is detached and stored for a long time and then remounted, the developer can be started from the direction of increasing the volume as described above. Can be solved.

  In this embodiment, the pump unit 20b is configured to reciprocate in the direction of the rotation axis of the developer supply container 1. However, for example, as shown in FIGS. 80 (a) and 80 (b), the pump unit 20b is installed on the upper portion of the flange unit 21, and is configured to expand and contract in the vertical direction intersecting the rotation axis direction. Similar effects can be obtained. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 80B, the holding member 3 integrally fixed to the pump portion 20b has a rack gear 3i. Further, the flange portion 21 is provided with a relay gear 68, and the relay gear 68 and the gear 20a of the developer container 20 are configured to repeatedly engage and disengage during the developer replenishment operation. When the two gears are engaged, the driving force is transmitted to the rack gear 3i, and the pump portion 20b extends in the direction of arrow H in FIG. 80 (b). On the other hand, when the engagement is released, the pump unit 20b is compressed in the direction opposite to the arrow H direction by the urging force and the own weight of the pump unit 20b itself. By these operations, the inside of the developer supply container 1 can be depressurized and pressurized.

[Example 22]
Next, the developer supply container 1 according to Example 22 will be described. Since the configuration of the developer supply device is the same as that shown in the fifth embodiment, the description thereof is omitted. The description of the same configuration as that shown in the fifth embodiment is omitted, and a different configuration will be described here. Members having the same functions as those shown in the fifth embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals.

(Developer supply container)
Next, the developer supply container 1 in this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 81A is a sectional perspective view of the developer supply container 1, FIG. 81B is a sectional perspective view of the pump portion 20b, and FIG. 81C is a sectional perspective view of the developer accommodating portion 20. .

  As shown in FIG. 81 (b), the pump portion 20 b in this embodiment is configured as a plunger type pump composed of an inner cylinder 71 and an outer cylinder 74. A detailed description of the pump unit 20b will be described later.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 81 (c), the developer conveyed by the conveying portion (rotary conveying protrusion) 20c of the cylindrical portion 20k is scooped up and slides down the inclined protrusion (inclined plate) 32a to discharge the outlet ( A partition wall (baffle) 32 for guiding to the developer replenishing port 21a is fixed so as to be able to rotate integrally with the developer container 20. The developer storage unit 20 rotates when the rotational driving force from the drive gear (drive unit) 300 of the apparatus main body 100 is transmitted via the pump unit 20b and the partition wall 32 connected thereto.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 81 (c), the developer accommodating portion 20 is sealed so as to compress the inner peripheral surface of the flange portion 21 to the outer peripheral surface of the end portion on the discharge port (developer supply port) 21a side. The member 67 is provided by bonding. As a result, the seal member 67 provided in the developer accommodating portion 20 rotates while sliding with the flange portion 21, so that the developer in the developer accommodating portion 20 does not leak and the air hardly leaks during rotation. Thus, the airtightness in the developer accommodating portion 20 can be maintained to some extent.

(Pump configuration)
The configuration of the pump unit 20b will be described in more detail with reference to FIG. Here, FIG. 82A is a diagram in which components constituting the pump unit 20b are arranged separately in the axial direction, FIG. 82B is a drive conversion unit 71d of the inner cylinder 71, and FIG. 82C is a drive of the outer cylinder 74. It is a figure showing the detail of the conversion receiving part 74b, respectively.

  The inner cylinder 71 has a cylindrical shape, and on its peripheral surface, a drive receiving portion (drive input portion) 71c that receives rotational drive from the drive gear 300, and the rotational force of the developer replenishing container 1 in the rotational direction are rotated. A drive conversion unit 71d is provided that has an inclined surface with respect to the axial direction for conversion into a direction. A spring fixing member 72 that is connected to an urging spring 73 to be described later is fixed to the inner cylinder 71.

  The outer cylinder 74 is rotatably provided with the inner cylinder 71, and is regulated and fixed when the developer supply container 1 is mounted in the apparatus main body 100 (developer supply apparatus 8). On the outer peripheral surface of the outer cylinder 74, there is formed a drive conversion receiving portion 74b provided with an inclined surface with respect to the axial direction so as to mesh with the drive conversion portion 71d.

  The rotating disk 75 is formed of a hook portion 75a that is connected to an urging spring 73 described later, and a sliding surface 75b that slides on a regulating surface 74c of the outer cylinder 74. The material of the rotary disk 75 is preferably a low friction sliding member such as POM having excellent sliding properties. The rotating disk 75 is fixed so as to be able to rotate integrally with the partition wall 32.

  One end of the biasing spring 73 is applied to the inner cylinder 71 via the spring fixing member 72 and one end of the opposite side of the rotary disk 75 in a state where the biasing force is always applied in the direction in which the inner cylinder 71 is pulled into the outer cylinder 74. It is fixed to. The biasing spring 73 regulates the position of the pump unit 20b at the start of operation so that air is taken into the developer accommodating unit (outer cylinder 74) from the discharge port 21a in the first operation cycle of the pump unit 20b. It constitutes the regulation section. In this embodiment, a coiled spring is used as the biasing spring 73. However, an elastic member such as a leaf spring, a mainspring spring, or rubber may be used as long as the effect of the present configuration can be achieved.

  The filter 76 is air permeable and is affixed to the surface opposite to the sliding surface 75b of the rotating disk 75 so as to prevent the toner from entering the inner cylinder 71 and to prevent the air from entering and exiting. Yes.

(Pump operation)
Next, operation | movement of the pump part 20b is demonstrated using FIG. Here, FIGS. 83A to 83C are diagrams showing the relationship between the drive conversion unit 71d and the drive conversion receiving unit 74b.

  The inner cylinder 71 rotates when the drive receiving portion 71 c receives the rotational drive (arrow A) from the drive gear 300. At this time, as shown in FIG. 83 (c), a cam action is generated by the contact between the inclined surface 71d1 of the drive conversion portion 71d and the inclined surface 74b1 of the drive conversion receiving portion 74b, and the biasing force of the biasing spring 73 is reduced. It moves in the direction of arrow C in FIG. Further, when the inner cylinder 71 rotates and the drive converting portion 71d advances in the direction of arrow B in FIG. 83C, the contact between the inclined surface 71d1 and the inclined surface 74b1 is released, and the inner cylinder 71 is biased. The spring 73 moves in the direction of arrow C ′ in FIG. When the biasing spring 73 moves in the direction of the arrow C ′ in FIG. 83B, the surface 71d2 of the drive conversion portion 71d and the surface 74b2 of the drive conversion receiving portion 74b, which are substantially parallel to the direction of the arrow C ′, opposite. By repeating these operations, the inner cylinder 71 can reciprocate in the rotational axis direction with respect to the outer cylinder 74.

(Developer supply operation)
Next, discharging of the developer from the developer supply container 1 will be described with reference to FIG. Here, FIG. 84A shows a state where the pump portion 20b is contracted in the rotation axis direction, and FIG. 84B shows a state where the pump portion 20b is extended in the rotation axis direction.

  In the present embodiment, discharge is basically performed according to the same principle as in the first embodiment. First, when the drive receiving portion 71c is rotationally driven from the drive gear 300, the inner cylinder 71 moves in the direction of arrow A in FIG. As a result, the pump unit 20b is operated from the contracted state in the direction of increasing the volume (FIG. 84 (a) → FIG. 84 (b)), whereby air is taken into the developer storage unit 20 to fluidize the developer. . Thereafter, the pump portion 20b is operated in the volume decreasing direction by the action of the biasing spring 73 to discharge the developer, and this is alternately repeated under the control of the control device 600 (see FIG. 32).

  Note that, as shown in FIGS. 84A and 84B, the inner cylinder 71 and the rotary disk 75 are rotatably fixed via an urging spring 73. Further, the partition wall 32 is fixed to the rotary disk 75, and the partition wall 32 is regulated in the rotation direction with respect to the developer accommodating portion 20. Therefore, when the inner cylinder 71 rotates, the developer accommodating portion 20 is configured to rotate in conjunction with it.

  The developer supply container 1 shown in the present embodiment can be started from a state in which the pump portion 20b is securely contracted, as in the above-described embodiment. Specifically, before the developer supply container 1 is mounted on the developer supply device 8 of the apparatus main body 100, the pump portion 20b is restricted by the action of the biasing spring 73 constituting the restriction portion. . Further, even when the main body power supply is stopped during the operation of the pump portion 20b, specifically, while the inner cylinder 71 is moving in the direction of the arrow B due to the contact between the inclined surface 71d1 and the inclined surface 74b1, Due to the restoring force 73, the inner cylinder 71 returns to a state in which the pump portion 20b is contracted.

  Therefore, when the operation of the pump unit 20b is started, the pump unit 20b is always in a contracted state, and the process can be reliably started from the step of increasing the volume and reducing the inside of the developer container 20.

  As described above, also in the configuration of the present embodiment, similarly to the first embodiment, the pump portion 20b can be operated in the volume increasing direction from the contracted state.

  In the configuration of the present embodiment, the pump unit 20b is re-regulated at the position when the developer supply container 1 is attached / detached. Therefore, for example, even if the developer remains in the developer replenishing container 1 and is removed and stored for a long period of time, the developer can be started from the direction of increasing the volume as described above. Can be solved.

  In this embodiment, a plunger type pump is used for the pump portion 20b. However, for example, as shown in FIG. 85, the same effect can be obtained even if the bellows member 78 is formed inside the outer cylinder 74 and the inside of the developer supply container 1 is decompressed and pressurized by the expansion and contraction of the bellows member 78. Can be obtained.

Example 23
Next, the developer supply container 1 according to Example 23 will be described. The configuration of the developer supply device is the same as that shown in the twenty-second embodiment, so that the description thereof is omitted. Further, the description of the same configuration as that shown in Embodiment 22 is omitted, and a different configuration will be described here. Members having the same functions as those shown in the twenty-second embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals.

(Developer drive transmission part)
First, the drive unit 300 that transmits the drive to the developer supply container 1 will be described with reference to FIG. 86A is a perspective view of the drive unit 300, and FIG. 86B is a front view of the drive unit 300 viewed from the insertion direction of the developer supply container 1 in the rotation axis direction.

  The drive unit 300 in this embodiment includes a drive transmission unit 300a that fits into a conversion groove 74e1 (see FIG. 87) of the developer supply container 1 described later. The drive transmission unit 300a has a ratchet structure that utilizes elastic deformation of the member so as to fit smoothly into the conversion groove 74e1. However, the drive transmission unit 300a may be configured to be urged by a spring or the like and retracted in the radial direction when the developer supply container 1 is inserted.

(Developer supply container)
The developer supply container 1 in this embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 87 (a) to 87 (b). 87A is a partial cross-sectional view of the developer supply container 1, and FIG. 87B is a partial cross-sectional view of the pump portion 20b. As shown in FIG. 87A, the pump portion 20b in the present embodiment is configured as a plunger-type pump including an inner cylinder 71 and an outer cylinder 74, as in the twenty-second embodiment.

  The pump unit 20b will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 88 and 89. Here, FIG. 88 (a) is a diagram in which hidden lines are added so that the internal structure of the inner cylinder 71 can be understood, FIG. 88 (b) is a diagram in which hidden lines are added so that the internal structure of the outer cylinder 74 can also be understood, and FIG. The perspective view of a power storage unit, (d) is the figure which looked at the power storage unit from the rotation axis direction. FIG. 89 is a diagram in which the components constituting the developer supply container 1 are arranged separately in the rotation axis direction.

  As shown in FIG. 88 (a), the cylindrical inner cylinder 71 is provided with a rotational drive receiving portion 71e protruding from the outer peripheral surface, and conversion grooves (74e1, 74e2, 74e3) of the outer cylinder 74 described later. And movably engaged. Further, the inner cylinder 71 has two inward projections 71 a projecting from the inner peripheral surface, and engages with a later-described mainspring spring 83 to transmit the energy stored in the mainspring spring 83 to the inner cylinder 71. It has a function to do. Further, the inner cylinder 71 is provided with a baffle fixing shaft 71b that can be rotated integrally by fixing a baffle rotating shaft 86 described later.

  The outer cylinder 74 is provided so as to be rotatable with respect to the inner cylinder 71. When the developer supply container 1 is mounted on the developer supply device 8 (mounting portion 8f) in the apparatus main body 100, the outer cylinder 74 is restricted to the developer supply device 8. To be fixed. On the inner surface of the outer cylinder 74, as shown in FIG. 88 (b), a conversion groove 74 e 1 for engaging with the rotational drive receiving portion 71 e of the inner cylinder 71 to convert the rotational force into the rotational axis direction. 74e2 and 74e3 are formed. Here, the conversion groove 74e1 is provided in parallel to the rotation axis direction. The conversion grooves 74e2 and 74e3 form a certain inclination angle with respect to the rotation axis direction. Further, the outer cylinder 74 is provided with a central portion 74d that is capable of rotating integrally with a later-described power storage unit. A filter 76 is attached to the filter attachment surface 74 f of the outer cylinder 74.

  As shown in FIGS. 88 (c) and 88 (d), the power storage unit (power storage means) 81 is formed by a spring case 82, a mainspring spring 83, a loose shaft 85, and a baffle rotary shaft 86. Is stored inside. The spring case 82 is formed with a hole penetrating in the center, and a mainspring spring 83, a loose shaft 85, and a baffle rotating shaft 86 are housed therein.

  The mainspring spring 83 is formed in a spiral shape inside the spring case 82. One end 83a of the mainspring spring 83 has a mountain shape at the tip and is constricted in the middle (see FIG. 88C). The one end portion 83 a protrudes through the spring case 82, and engages with the inner protrusion 71 a of the inner cylinder 71 in a state where the power storage unit 81 is stored in the inner cylinder 71. In this embodiment, the mainspring spring 83 is formed of a plate material rich in elastic force, but may be an elastic member such as a helical coil spring or rubber as long as the means of this configuration can be achieved. .

  The fitting shaft 85 forms a hole penetrating in the center portion, and a baffle rotating shaft 86 described later is rotatably mounted. The loose shaft 85 is installed in the central portion 74d of the outer cylinder 74 so as not to move in the rotational direction and to be movable in the rotational axis direction. Further, one end portion 83b (the side opposite to the one end portion 83a) of the mainspring spring 83 is hooked and fixed to the fitting shaft 85.

  The baffle rotating shaft 86 is engaged with the partition wall 32 at one end 86a and the baffle fixing shaft 71b of the inner cylinder 71 so that the one end 86b rotates integrally therewith.

(Pump operation)
Next, operation | movement of the pump part 20b is demonstrated using FIG. Here, FIGS. 90A to 90C are schematic views showing the relationship between the conversion grooves 74e1, 74e2, and 74e3 of the inner cylinder 71 and the outer cylinder 74 in order to explain the principle of the pump portion 20b. .

  As shown in FIG. 90 (a), when the inner cylinder 71 rotates in the arrow B direction, the rotational drive receiving portion 71e moves along the conversion groove 74e1. At this time, due to the rotation of the inner cylinder 71, the one end 83a of the mainspring spring 83 engaged with the inner cylinder 71 rotates in conjunction with it. On the other hand, since the fitting shaft 85 is regulated in the rotational direction by the outer cylinder 74, the one end 83b of the mainspring spring engaged with the fitting shaft 85 remains fixed. Accordingly, the mainspring spring 83 is wound and as a result, restoring energy is accumulated in the mainspring spring 83.

  Thereafter, when the rotational drive receiving portion 71e further moves, as shown in FIG. 90 (b), the rotational drive receiving portion 71e moves in the direction of the rotation axis (in the direction of the arrow β1) by the action from the curved portion that is the terminal end of the conversion groove 74e1. It moves and moves from the conversion groove 74e1 to the conversion groove 74e2.

  Then, as shown in FIG. 90 (c), the mainspring spring 83 tries to reversely rotate in the direction opposite to the winding direction so as to release the stored energy. At this time, the rotational drive receiving portion 71e rotates in the direction opposite to the arrow B direction with the momentum when the mainspring spring 83 is restored. At this time, since the rotation drive receiving portion 71e passes through the conversion groove 74e2 and the conversion groove 74e3, the force in the rotation direction is converted into the rotation axis direction by the cam action, and the inner cylinder 71 rotates while the arrow β1 direction, and then the arrow It reciprocates in the direction of the rotation axis in the β2 direction and returns to the position shown in FIG. 90 (a) again. The above is the operation of one cycle of the pump unit 20b.

  That is, the region of the conversion groove 74e1 is a forward path that moves when the rotational drive receiving portion 71e is driven by the driving force from the driving portion 300 while the power storage unit 81 stores the driving force. The region of the conversion grooves 74 e 2 and 74 e 3 is a return path that moves when driven by the action of the power storage unit 81. The regions of the conversion grooves 74e2 and 74e3 include a first state (FIG. 92 (a)) where the volume of the pump part (volume variable part) 20b is minimum (FIG. 92 (a)) and a second state where the volume is maximum (FIG. 92 (c)). ) And an inclined groove inclined with respect to the rotation axis direction.

(Loading and unloading of developer supply container)
Next, with reference to FIG. 91, the operation of attaching / detaching the developer supply container 1 to / from the developer supply device 8 will be described. Here, FIG. 91A shows a state before the developer supply container 1 is mounted, and FIG. 91B shows a state where the developer supply container 1 is completely mounted.

  When the developer supply container 1 is mounted on the developer supply device 8, the drive transmission unit 300a of the drive unit 300 is fitted into the conversion groove 74e1 of the developer supply container 1 (FIG. 91 (a) → FIG. 91 (b)). The rotational driving force of the driving unit 300 can be transmitted to the rotational driving receiving unit 71e.

  The removal work of the developer supply container 1 is basically performed in the reverse order of the mounting operation described above.

(Developer supply operation)
Next, the developer supply operation of the developer supply container 1 using the pump unit 20b will be described with reference to FIG. Here, FIG. 92 (a) shows the contracted state of the pump part 20b, (b) shows the state in the middle of the pump part 20b switching from the contracted state to the extended state, and (c) shows the extended state of the pump part 20b. It is a fragmentary sectional view shown.

  As shown in FIG. 92A, when the rotational drive receiving portion 71e receives the rotational drive (arrow B) from the drive transmission portion 300a of the drive portion 300, the inner cylinder 71 rotates in the direction of arrow B, as described above. The rotational drive receiving portion 71e moves along the conversion groove 74e1. At this time, the pump part 20b is in a contracted state. That is, the pump part (volume variable part) 20b is in the first state where the volume is minimized.

  Thereafter, when the rotational drive receiving portion 71e further moves, the rotational drive receiving portion 71e moves from the conversion groove 74e1 to the conversion groove 74e2 as described above (FIG. 92B), so that the rotational drive receiving portion 71e and the drive portion 300 The engagement of the drive transmission unit 300a is released. As a result, the inner cylinder 71 rotates in the direction opposite to the arrow B direction due to the restoring energy of the mainspring spring 83 described above. At this time, as shown in FIG. 92 (c), when the rotational drive receiving portion 71e passes through the conversion groove 74e2, the rotational force is converted into the rotational axis by the cam action, and the inner cylinder 71 moves in the direction of arrow β1. Moving. As a result, the pump portion 20b is extended and the inside of the developer accommodating portion is in a reduced pressure state, so that intake can be performed from the discharge port (developer supply port) 21a. That is, the pump unit (volume variable unit) 20b is in the second state where the volume is maximum.

  Further, when the inner cylinder 71 rotates, the rotational drive receiving portion 71e passes through the conversion groove 74e3, and similarly, the inner cylinder 71 moves in the direction of the arrow β2 by the cam action, and the position (volume is minimum) in FIG. To the first state). As a result, since the inside of the developer accommodating portion is in a pressurized state, the developer can be discharged from the discharge port (developer supply port) 21a.

  Then, the rotary drive receiving portion 71e that has returned to the position of FIG. 92 (a) is re-engaged with the drive portion 300 that has returned by one rotation, and the inner cylinder 71 rotates in the direction of arrow B. The above is the operation of one cycle of the pump unit 20b. Thereafter, by repeating the above operation, the pump operation by the pump unit 20b is performed.

  As described above, in the configuration of this embodiment, the restoring force of the spring is used to perform the swinging motion of the inner cylinder 71 in the forward rotation (in the arrow B direction) and in the reverse rotation (in the direction opposite to the arrow B direction). . By converting this swinging motion into a reciprocating motion in the rotational axis direction by a cam action, a pump operation is possible.

  The developer supply container 1 shown in the present embodiment can be started from a state in which the pump portion 20b is securely contracted, as in the above-described embodiment. Specifically, before the developer supply container 1 is mounted on the developer supply device 8 of the apparatus main body 100, the rotation drive receiving portion 71e is restricted by the conversion groove 74e1 so that the pump portion 20b is restricted in a contracted state. Has been. Further, when the main power supply of the image forming apparatus is stopped while the rotational drive receiving portion 71e is passing through the conversion groove 74e1, the conversion portion 74e1 is provided in parallel to the rotation axis direction, so that the pump portion 20b starts to operate. The state, that is, the contracted state is maintained.

  On the other hand, when the main power supply of the apparatus main body is stopped while the rotational drive receiving portion 71e passes through the conversion grooves 74e2 and 74e3, the rotational drive receiving portion 71e is independent of the drive portion 300 and the inner cylinder 71 is the mainspring spring 83. It rotates with the restoring force of. Therefore, even if the main power supply of the apparatus main body is stopped, the inner cylinder 71 continues to rotate and returns to the position shown in FIG. 92A, that is, the pump portion 20b is contracted.

  Therefore, even if the main power supply of the apparatus main body is stopped during the operation of the pump unit 2, the pump unit 20b is always in a contracted state, and the volume is increased so that the inside of the developer containing unit 20 is decompressed. You can start from.

  As described above, according to the configuration of this embodiment, similarly to the other embodiments, the operation of the pump unit 20b can be reliably started from the direction in which the pressure decreases.

  In the configuration of the present embodiment, the pump unit 20b is re-regulated at the position when the developer supply container 1 is attached / detached. Therefore, for example, even if the developer remains in the developer replenishing container 1 and is detached and stored for a long time and then remounted, the developer can be started from the direction of increasing the volume as described above. Can be solved.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Developer supply container 1a ... Container main body 1b ... Developer accommodation space 1c ... Discharge port 1f ... Inclined surface 1g ... Flange part 1h ... Inner cylinder part 2 ... Pump part 2a ... Expansion-contraction part 2b ... Joint part 3 ... Holding member 3a ... engaging protrusion 3b ... engaged part 3c ... fixing tape 4 ... seal member 5 ... shutter 6 ... outer cylinder part 7 ... seal member 8 ... developer supply device 8a ... discharge port 8b ... positioning guide 8c ... long hole part 8d ... guide part 8e ... opening 8f ... mounting part 8j ... engaging protrusion 8k ... developer sensor 8m ... engaging part 8n ... wall part 9 ... locking member 9a ... locking part 9b ... rail part 9d ... taper part 10 ... gear DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11 ... Conveying screw 12 ... Pump part 13 ... Plate-shaped member 14 ... Cylindrical part 14a ... Conveying protrusion 14b ... Gear part 14c ... Connection part 14e ... Coupling part 15 ... Cam flange part 15a ... Cam groove 15b ... Cam Origin 16 ... Delivery member 16a ... Plate-like part 16b ... Inclination protrusion 16c ... Through hole 17 ... Conveying member 17a ... Shaft part 17b ... Conveying blade 17c ... Inclining part 18 ... Cam gear part 18a ... Gear part 18b ... Cam groove 18c ... Rotation mechanism Joint portion 20 ... Developer accommodating portion 20a ... Gear portion 20b ... Pump portion 20c ... Conveying portion 20d ... Cam protrusion 20e ... Cam groove 20f ... Relay portion 20g ... Rotation receiving portion 20h ... Engagement protrusion 20i ... Cam protrusion 20j ... Stirring member 20k ... cylindrical portion 20k1 ... cylindrical portion 20k2 ... cylindrical portion 20l ... compression projection 20m ... regulation projection 20n ... cam groove 20p ... rotation locking projection 20q ... compression plate 20r ... spring 20s ... coupling portion 20t ... cylindrical portion 20u ... communication opening 20v ... weight 20w ... closing part 21 ... flange part 21a ... discharge port 21b ... cam grooves 21c, 21d ... cam groove 21e ... cam groove 21f ... pump part 21g ... cam protrusion 21h ... discharge part 21i ... click protrusion 21j ... convex part 21k ... communication opening 21m ... closing part 21n ... cam flange part 21q ... fixed locking protrusion 21r ... rail 23 ... buffer part 26 ... Shutter 27 ... Seal member 29 ... Rotation direction restricting portion 31 ... Developer receiving port 32 ... Partition wall 32a ... Inclined protrusion 32b ... Through port 33 ... Wall portion 33a ... Communication port 34 ... Seal 35 ... Valve 40 ... Replacement cover 42 ... Gear part 43 ... Gear part 44 ... Shaft part 45 ... Eccentric cam 46 ... Housing 47 ... Nozzle part 48 ... Seal member 49 ... Small diameter part 50 ... Cylindrical container 51 ... Blade 52 ... Supply amount adjusting part 53 ... Opening 54 ... Discharge port 55 ... Lock member 55a ... engagement groove 55b ... engagement groove 55b1 ... wall 55c ... rotation support 56 ... regulation member 56c ... End face 56d ... Corner part 60 ... Gear ring 600 ... Control device 60a ... Gear part 60b ... Rotating engagement part 61 ... Bevel gear 62 ... Connecting part 63 ... Magnet 64 ... Magnet 65 ... Filter 66 ... Biasing member 67 ... Seal Member 71 ... Inner cylinder 71a ... Inward projection 71b ... Baffle fixed shaft 71c ... Drive receiving part 71d ... Drive conversion part 71d1 ... Inclined surface 71e ... Rotation drive receiving part 72 ... Spring fixing member 73 ... Biasing spring 74 ... Outer cylinder 74b ... drive conversion receiving part 74b1 ... inclined surfaces 74e1, 74e2, 74e3 ... conversion groove 74f ... filter pasting surface 75 ... rotating disk 75a ... catching part 75b ... sliding surface 76 ... filter 78 ... bellows member 81 ... power storage unit 82 ... Spring case 83 ... mainspring spring 85 ... idle shaft 86 ... baffle rotary shaft 100 ... main body 201 ... developing device 300 ... drive gear 300a ... drive transmission unit 500 ... drive motor

Claims (4)

A rotatable developer accommodating portion for accommodating the developer;
A discharge port for discharging the developer accommodated in the developer accommodating portion;
A pump section;
A gear to which driving force is input;
A conversion unit that converts the driving force input to the gear into a driving force that operates the pump unit so that the internal pressure of the developer storage unit is alternately switched between a state where the internal pressure is lower than the atmospheric pressure and a state where the internal pressure is high. Prepared,
The converting portion includes a groove portion provided over at least one circumference of the developer accommodating portion, an engaging portion that engages with the groove portion and moves along the groove portion, and the engagement portion moves along the groove portion. And an arm part for operating the pump part,
A developer replenishment characterized in that a part of the groove is provided with a protrusion for restricting the movement of the engaging part along the groove in order to determine an operation start position of the pump part. container. The developer supply container according to claim 1, wherein the gear rotates integrally with the developer container. 2. The developer discharge section having the discharge port and communicating with the developer storage section, wherein the developer storage section is rotatable relative to the developer discharge section. Alternatively, the developer supply container according to claim 2. The developer supply container according to claim 3, wherein the pump portion is provided in the developer discharge portion.

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