JP6802767B2 - Developer housing, image forming unit and image forming device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a developer accommodating portion, an image forming unit and an image forming apparatus.

Conventionally, an image forming apparatus such as a printer, a copying machine, a facsimile, or a compound machine, for example, a printer is a black, cyan, magenta, and yellow image forming unit, and an LED head arranged corresponding to each image forming unit. Each image forming unit is provided with a photoconductor drum, a charging roller, a developer, a cleaning blade, a toner accommodating portion as a developer accommodating portion for accommodating toner as a developing agent, and the like. It has become like.

Then, in each image forming unit, the surface of the photoconductor drum uniformly charged by the charging roller is exposed by the LED head to form an electrostatic latent image, and the toner on the developing roller of the developing device is electrostatically charged. It is attached to the latent image, the electrostatic latent image is developed, and a toner image of each color is formed on the photoconductor drum. Subsequently, the toner images of each color are sequentially superimposed on the paper by the transfer roller of the transfer unit and transferred to become a color toner image, and the toner image of the color is fixed on the paper by the fixing device and the color is transferred on the paper. Image is formed.

In the developer, the toner supplied from the toner storage unit through the toner supply port is temporarily stored in the toner hopper as the developer storage unit, and the toner stored in the toner hopper is transferred by the toner supply roller to the developing roller. A toner layer is formed by thinning the layer on the developing roller by the developing blade.

By the way, when toner is stored in the toner hopper in a new (unused) image forming unit, the toner is removed from the image forming unit due to vibration or the like when the image forming unit is attached to the printer main body, that is, the device main body. In that case, the leaked toner may contaminate the inside of the device body.

Therefore, a shielding portion and a shielding member provided with a sealing member on the upstream side and the downstream side in the rotation direction of the shielding portion are rotatably arranged in the toner accommodating portion, and the shielding portion and the sealing member are used in the image forming unit. A printer is provided in which the toner supply port is closed so that the toner in the toner accommodating portion is not supplied to the toner hopper (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2015-127794

However, in the conventional printer, the toner in the toner accommodating portion may be supplied to the toner hopper from the gap between the shielding portion and the inner wall of the toner accommodating portion at both ends in the longitudinal direction of the shielding portion. In this case, when a new image forming unit is attached to the main body of the apparatus, toner may leak out of the image forming unit due to vibration or the like.

The present invention can solve the problems of the conventional printer and surely prevent the developer in the developer accommodating unit from being supplied to the developer storage unit, so that the developer can be removed from the image forming unit. It is an object of the present invention to provide a developer accommodating portion, an image forming unit and an image forming apparatus capable of preventing leakage.

Therefore, the developer accommodating portion of the present invention is provided with an opening for accommodating the developer and supplying the developer to the developer storage unit of the image forming unit.

Then, it has a developer accommodating housing and a shielding member that is rotatably arranged in a predetermined direction about a shaft portion in the developing agent accommodating housing and is rotated by receiving rotation from a driving unit.

Further, the shielding member includes a shielding portion, first and second elastic members attached to attachment portions formed on the upstream and downstream sides of the shielding portion in the rotation direction of the shielding member, and both ends of the shielding portion. It includes a third and fourth elastic member attached to the attachment portion.

According to the present invention, the developer accommodating portion is provided with an opening for accommodating the developer and supplying the developer to the developer storage portion of the image forming unit.

Then, it has a developer accommodating housing and a shielding member that is rotatably arranged in a predetermined direction about a shaft portion in the developing agent accommodating housing and is rotated by receiving rotation from a driving unit.

Further, the shielding member includes a shielding portion, first and second elastic members attached to attachment portions formed on the upstream and downstream sides of the shielding portion in the rotation direction of the shielding member, and both ends of the shielding portion. It includes a third and fourth elastic member attached to the attachment portion.

In this case, the first and second elastic members are attached to the attachment portions formed on the upstream side and the downstream side of the shielding portion in the rotation direction of the shielding member, and the third and fourth elastic members are attached to the attachment portions at both ends of the shielding portion. Since the elastic member is attached, the opening can be closed by the shielding portion and the first and second elastic members, and at both ends in the longitudinal direction of the shielding portion, the shielding portion and the inner wall of the developing agent accommodating portion It is possible to reliably prevent the developer in the developer accommodating unit from being supplied to the developer storage unit through the gap between the spaces.

Therefore, when a new image forming unit is attached to the main body of the apparatus, it is possible to prevent the developer from leaking out of the image forming unit due to vibration or the like.

It is a perspective view of the stirring member in embodiment of this invention. It is a conceptual diagram of the printer in embodiment of this invention. It is a conceptual diagram of the image formation unit in embodiment of this invention. It is sectional drawing of the toner accommodating part in embodiment of this invention. It is a figure for demonstrating the stirring member in embodiment of this invention. It is a vertical cross-sectional view of the toner accommodating part in embodiment of this invention. It is a conceptual diagram for demonstrating the mounting state of the seal member in embodiment of this invention. It is a side view of the stirring member in embodiment of this invention. It is a figure for demonstrating the function of the seal member in embodiment of this invention.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In this case, a color printer as an image forming apparatus will be described.

FIG. 2 is a conceptual diagram of a printer according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 3 is a conceptual diagram of an image forming unit according to an embodiment of the present invention. Note that FIG. 3 shows the image forming unit 11Bk among the image forming units 11Bk, 11C, 11M, and 11Y.

In the figure, reference numeral 10 denotes a printer, and the printer 10 has four color image forming units 11Bk, 11C, 11M, 11Y, the image, so as to be able to form a color image. A transfer unit u1 arranged along the image forming units 11Bk, 11C, 11M, 11Y below the forming units 11Bk, 11C, 11M, 11Y, and an image arranged on the image forming units 11Bk, 11C, 11M, 11Y. An LED head 14 as an exposure device arranged to face the photoconductor drum 13 as a carrier, and a paper cassette as a medium accommodating portion arranged below the transfer unit u1 and accommodating the paper P as a medium. 15. A fixing device 20 or the like as a fixing device is provided.

Further, the printer 10 is arranged adjacent to the front end of the paper cassette 15, and includes a paper feeding mechanism for separating and feeding paper P one by one, and the paper feeding mechanism serves as a feeding member. A hopping roller 17a, a separation device 17b, and the like are provided.

The paper P fed by the paper feed mechanism is conveyed through the medium transfer path Rt by the transfer roller pair 18, and is sent between the image forming units 11Bk, 11C, 11M, 11Y and the transfer unit u1, and further, the fixing device. After being sent to 20, the paper is transported by the transport roller pair 21, is discharged to the main body of the printer 10, that is, to the outside of the apparatus main body by the discharge roller pair 22, and is loaded on the stacker 23.

The image forming units 11Bk, 11C, 11M, and 11Y are detachably arranged with respect to the main body of the apparatus from the upstream side to the downstream side of the medium transport path Rt, and the developer images of each color of black, cyan, magenta, and yellow. Toner image is formed as.

Therefore, each image forming unit 11Bk, 11C, 11M, 11Y is provided with a toner accommodating portion 30 as a first developer accommodating portion accommodating toner Ts as a developing agent of each color in an upper portion, and a photoconductor drum. A charging roller 32 as a charging device for uniformly charging the surface of the photoconductor drum 13 and a charging roller 32 arranged so as to face the photoconductor drum 13 are arranged around the photoconductor drum 13 in contact with the photoconductor drum 13. The developer De as a developing device that forms a toner image on the surface of the photoconductor drum 13 is arranged in contact with the photoconductor drum 13, and the toner images of each color are transferred to the paper P and then transferred to the photoconductor drum 13. A cleaning blade 39 or the like as a cleaning member for scraping and removing the residual toner is provided.

The LED head 14 exposes the surface of the photoconductor drum 13 uniformly charged by the charging roller 32 to form an electrostatic latent image as a latent image.

The developer De is arranged below the toner accommodating portion 30, and serves as a second developer accommodating portion for temporarily storing the toner Ts supplied from the toner accommodating portion 30, and is a developing agent storage unit. 37, each developing element arranged on the toner hopper 37, in the present embodiment, arranged in contact with the photoconductor drum 13 to carry the toner Ts and the electrostatic latent image. A developing roller 31 as a developing agent carrier for adhering toner Ts to the developing roller 31 and a developing agent supply member that is arranged in contact with the developing roller 31 and supplies the toner Ts supplied from the toner accommodating portion 30 to the developing roller 31. A developing blade 34 and the like are provided as a developer regulating member, which is arranged with the tip of the developing roller 33 in contact with the developing roller 31 and thins the toner on the developing roller 31. Then, a toner supply port 41 as an opening and as a developer supply port is formed at the lower end of the toner storage portion 30, and the toner in the toner storage portion 30 passes through the toner supply port 41 to the toner hopper 37. Is supplied to.

Further, Ar1 is a developer accommodating space in which the toner Ts is accommodated, 43 is a predetermined location in the developer accommodating space Ar1, and in the present embodiment, rotatably arranged and rotated directly above the toner supply port 41. This is a stirring member as a shielding member that stirs the toner Ts and opens and closes the toner supply port 41. Reference numeral 50 denotes a sealing member attached to the outer frame Cs of the image forming units 11Bk, 11C, 11M, and 11Y. The sealing member 50 has the tip of the sealing member 50 abutting against the developing roller 31 to bring the tip of the sealing member 11Bk, 11Bk. Seal the inside and outside of 11C, 11M, 11Y.

The transfer unit u1 is rotatably stretched by a drive roller r1 as a first roller, a driven roller r2 as a second roller, the drive roller r1 and a driven roller r2, and conveys paper P as it travels. The transfer belt 19 and the transfer rollers ra and the like arranged to face each of the photoconductor drums 13 via the transfer belt 19 are provided, and the photoconductor drums 13 of the image forming units 11Bk, 11C, 11M, and 11Y are provided. A transfer portion is formed between each transfer roller ra, and in each transfer portion, toner images of each color are sequentially superimposed and transferred to the paper P to form a color toner image.

The fixing device 20 includes a heating belt unit Ha as a heating element and a pressure roller Pa as a pressure element, and fixes a color toner image transferred to the paper P on the paper P to form a color image. To form.

Next, the operation of the printer 10 having the above configuration will be described.

First, when a printing command is issued in a control unit (not shown), a drive motor (not shown) as a drive unit for image formation arranged in the main body of the apparatus is driven, and a first rotation transmission system (not shown) such as a gear train is driven. The photoconductor drum 13, the developing roller 31, the charging roller 32, the toner supply roller 33, and the like, which are connected to each other, are rotated. Then, a voltage is applied to the charging roller 32 by a power supply device (not shown) provided in the device main body, and the surface of the photoconductor drum 13 is uniformly charged. When the charged portion of the photoconductor drum 13 reaches a position facing the LED head 14 as the photoconductor drum 13 rotates, the photoconductor drum 13 is exposed by the LED head 14 and is exposed to the surface of the photoconductor drum 13. An electrostatic latent image is formed. Subsequently, when the portion of the photoconductor drum 13 on which the electrostatic latent image is formed faces the developer De, toner is adhered to the electrostatic latent image on the photoconductor drum 13 by the developing roller 31, and the electrostatic latent image is formed. Is developed to form a toner image.

On the other hand, when a paper feed motor (not shown) as a drive unit for paper feed is driven, the paper P housed in the paper cassette 15 is fed out to the medium transport path Rt by the hopping roller 17a and transported by the transport roller pair 18. Then, it is sent between the image forming units 11Bk, 11C, 11M, 11Y and the transfer unit u1.

Then, the paper P is sent to each of the transfer portions as the transfer belt 19 travels, and when the portion of each photoconductor drum 13 on which the toner image is formed reaches the transfer portion, a voltage is applied to each transfer roller ra. Then, the toner images of each color are sequentially transferred to the paper P by each transfer roller ra, and a color toner image is formed.

Subsequently, the paper P is sent to the fixing device 20 as the transfer belt 19 travels, and in the fixing device 20, the color toner image is heated and pressurized to be fixed on the paper P. , A color image is formed.

Then, the paper P on which the color image is formed is conveyed by the transfer roller pair 21, is discharged to the outside of the apparatus main body by the discharge roller pair 22, and is loaded on the stacker 23.

By the way, each of the image forming units 11Bk, 11C, 11M, 11Y is detachably arranged with respect to the apparatus main body, and toner is consumed by repeating the formation of images, and the toner Ts in the toner accommodating portion 30 disappears. And, it is supposed to be replaced with a new (unused) one.

However, when the toner Ts is stored in the toner hopper 37 in the new image forming units 11Bk, 11C, 11M, 11Y, when the image forming units 11Bk, 11C, 11M, 11Y are attached to the apparatus main body, the image forming unit 11Bk , 11C, 11M, 11Y may leak toner Ts, and in that case, the leaked toner Ts stains the inside of the apparatus main body.

Therefore, in the present embodiment, in the new image forming units 11Bk, 11C, 11M, 11Y, the stirring member 43 is placed at a position facing the toner supply port 41, so that the toner supply port 41 is formed by the stirring member 43. I try to close it.

Next, the toner accommodating portion 30 will be described.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a stirring member according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of a toner accommodating portion according to the embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 5 is for explaining the stirring member according to the embodiment of the present invention. 6 and 6 are vertical cross-sectional views of the toner accommodating portion according to the embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 7 is a conceptual diagram for explaining an attached state of the seal member according to the embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 8 is a conceptual diagram of the present invention. A side view of the stirring member according to the embodiment, FIG. 9 is a view for explaining the function of the sealing member according to the embodiment of the present invention. Note that FIGS. 5 and 9 show a state in which the seal member 95 is removed from the shielding portion 82.

In the figure, 30 is a toner accommodating portion, Ar1 is a developer accommodating space, Cs is a housing of the toner accommodating portion 30, that is, an outer frame as a developer accommodating housing, 41 is a toner supply port, and 43 is an outer frame. It is a stirring member rotatably arranged in a predetermined direction in Cs, in the present embodiment, in the direction of arrow A.

The outer frame Cs includes a top wall Wt, a bottom wall Wb, a front wall Wf on the downstream side in the transport direction of the paper P (FIG. 2), a rear wall Wr on the upstream side in the transport direction of the paper P, and a transport direction of the paper P. The side walls Ws1 and Ws2 on the left side and the right side when viewed from the downstream side in the above are provided. The toner supply port 41 is formed on the bottom wall Wb.

The toner supply port 41 is formed over a predetermined region in the longitudinal direction of the outer frame Cs (the width direction of the image forming units 11Bk, 11C, 11M, 11Y, that is, the axial direction), and the length LA of the toner supply port 41 is , The length L of the lower end of the outer frame Cs is made smaller by a predetermined amount.

Further, the stirring member 43 is arranged so as to extend in the outer frame Cs so that the longitudinal direction of the outer frame Cs is the direction of the axis, and is attached to the shaft portion sh1 which is the center of rotation and the shaft portion sh1. , A connecting portion 81 formed by extending radially outward from the shaft portion sh1, extending from the tip of the connecting portion 81 in the rotational direction of the stirring member 43, and bending the outer peripheral surface. The sealing members 83 and 84 as the first and second elastic members attached to the upstream and downstream edges of the shielding portion 82 in the rotation direction of the shielding portion 82 and the stirring member 43. Further, the sealing members 95 and 96 as the third and fourth elastic members attached to both ends of the shielding portion 82 in the longitudinal direction of the stirring member 43 are provided. Each of the sealing members 83, 84, 95, 96 is made of an elastic material, and in the present embodiment, a film-like resin such as a PET film.

When the shaft portion sh1 and the drive motor are connected via the first rotation transmission system and the drive motor is driven, the stirring member 43 receives rotation from the drive motor and rotates about the shaft portion sh1. Be made to.

In the present embodiment, the stirring member 43 is rotated in response to the rotation from the drive motor, but the shaft portion sh1 and the stirring motor (not shown) as the driving portion for stirring are connected. , The stirring member 43 can be rotated around the shaft portion sh1 in response to the rotation from the stirring motor.

Reference numeral 70 denotes a sponge as a sealing member arranged in the outer frame Cs in order to prevent the toner Ts from leaking from the hole through which the shaft portion sh1 of the outer frame Cs penetrates. Further, the shielding member main body Bd is formed by the connecting portion 81 and the shielding portion 82.

By the way, when the stirring member 43 is rotated, when the tip portion of the stirring member 43 in the radial direction, that is, the locus (rotation outer circumference) drawn by the shielding portion 82 is Q, the inner wall St of the outer frame Cs. In the vicinity of the toner supply port 41, a sliding region having an arc shape corresponding to the lower half portion of the locus Q is formed over an angle of approximately 180 [°].

Therefore, the stirring member 43 causes the shielding portion 82 to face the inner wall St in the sliding region, bends the sealing members 83, 84, 95, 96, and each of the sealing members 83, 84, 95, 96. The tips tm1, tm2, tm3, and tm4 are brought into contact with the inner wall St.

The connecting portion 81 is made of a plurality of plate materials having a predetermined thickness, and is formed at a plurality of locations in the axial direction of the shaft portion sh1 and at eight locations in the present embodiment at substantially equal intervals. To. Therefore, in the present embodiment, there are a plurality of connecting passages that communicate the upstream side and the downstream side in the rotational direction of the stirring member 43 between the connecting portions 81 adjacent to each other in the axial direction of the shaft portion sh1. 85 is formed.

Further, each of the connecting portions 81 includes a trailing edge portion mb and a front edge portion mf formed in parallel with each other extending in the radial direction on the upstream side and the downstream side in the rotation direction of the stirring member 43. The width of each connecting portion 81 (distance between the trailing edge portion mb and the front edge portion mf) is made constant in the radial direction of the connecting portion 81.

The shielding portion 82 includes an outer peripheral surface Sa having an arc-shaped shape having a radius of curvature substantially equal to the locus Q, and an inner peripheral surface Sb having a flat shape, and is composed of a block having a predetermined thickness.

Then, in the rotation direction of the stirring member 43, the width WA of the shielding portion 82 (distance between the end portion eg1 on the upstream side and the end portion eg2 on the downstream side of the inner peripheral surface Sb) WA is from the width WB of the toner supply port 41. In the axial direction of the image forming units 11Bk, 11C, 11M, and 11Y, the distance between both ends of the shielding portion 82 in the longitudinal direction, that is, the length LB of the shielding portion 82 is larger than the length LA of the toner supply port 41. Will be done.

Further, the seal members 83 and 84 have a band-like shape, the areas are substantially equal to each other, and the tips tm1 and tm2 abut on the inner wall St of the outer frame Cs in the forward direction with respect to the rotation direction of the stirring member 43. As described above, the shielding portion 82 is attached to both edges of the main body portion 86.

Therefore, as shown in FIG. 7, the tip tm1 of the seal member 83 is brought into contact with the inner wall St of the outer frame Cs, and the shielding portion 82 is moved (rotated) in the direction of the arrow A with respect to the outer frame Cs. At that time, the angle formed by the seal member 83 and the portion downstream of the tip tm1 on the inner wall St in the moving direction of the shielding portion 82, that is, the contact angle PA is.
PA <90 [°]
Be made.

Similarly, the contact angle PB formed by the seal member 84 and the portion downstream of the tip tm2 on the inner wall St in the moving direction of the shielding portion 82 is determined.
PB <90 [°]
Be made.

In the present embodiment, the fact that the areas are substantially equal to each other means that one area is within ± 10 [%] of the other area.

Then, the distance between both ends of the seal members 83, 84 in the longitudinal direction, that is, the length of the seal members 83, 84 is made larger than the length LA of the toner supply port 41.

Therefore, in the new image forming units 11Bk, 11C, 11M, 11Y, the toner supply port 41 is closed by the shielding portion 82 and the sealing members 83, 84, so that the toner Ts in the toner accommodating portion 30 is supplied to the toner hopper 37. Can be prevented.

Further, the sealing members 95 and 96 have a substantially rectangular shape, have substantially equal areas, and are projected from the main body 86 at both ends of the shielding portion 82 so that the tips tm3 and tm4 abut on the inner wall St. It is attached to the convex portion 87 as the formed attachment portion. In the present embodiment, the end surface of each convex portion 87, that is, the mounting surface of the sealing members 95 and 96 is oblique toward the central portion side in the longitudinal direction of the outer frame Cs, that is, toward the toner supply port 41. Since the seal members 95 and 96 are formed so as to be inclined downward, the seal members 95 and 96 are attached to the shielding portion 82 by inclining the tips tm3 and tm4 diagonally downward toward the toner supply port 41.

Therefore, since the gaps between the shielding portion 82 and the inner wall St of the outer frame Cs are covered by the sealing members 95 and 96 at both ends in the longitudinal direction of the shielding portion 82, new image forming units 11Bk, 11C, 11M, In 11Y, it is possible to reliably prevent the toner Ts in the toner accommodating portion 30 from being supplied to the toner hopper 37.

The widths of the seal members 95 and 96 (distance between the upstream edge Ja and the downstream edge Jb in the rotation direction (arrow A direction) of the stirring member 43) WD are formed on the convex portion 87. The width WC of the mounting surface for mounting the seal members 95 and 96 is made larger than the width WC of the mounting surface, and the edge Ja of the seal members 95 and 96 is upstream of the edge Jc of the convex portion 87 in the rotation direction of the stirring member 43. It is located in. That is, the seal members 95 and 96 are attached so as to project upstream from the attachment surface in the rotation direction of the stirring member 43.

Therefore, the sealing members 95 and 96 can reliably cover the gap between the shielding portion 82 and the inner wall St of the outer frame Cs, so that the toner accommodating portion 30 in the new image forming units 11Bk, 11C, 11M, 11Y. It is possible to reliably prevent the toner Ts inside from being supplied to the toner hopper 37.

Further, the seal members 95 and 96 have a rectangular shape in the latter half on the upstream side in the rotation direction of the stirring member 43, a trapezoidal shape in the front half on the downstream side, and a tip on the front half on the downstream side. The tapered portion Tp is formed by inclining tm3 and tm4 inward in the radial direction.

The height LC of the edge Ja (distance from the upper edge to the tips tm3 and tm4) LC of the seal members 95 and 96 is made larger than the height LD of the edge Jb.

Therefore, as the stirring member 43 is rotated, when the tips tm3 and tm4 of the sealing members 95 and 96 are slid with the inner wall St of the outer frame Cs, they are caught by the inner wall St and are bent or damaged. Since it is possible to prevent the toner Ts from being loosened, it is possible not only to stabilize the toner Ts in the toner accommodating portion 30 and supply it to the toner hopper 37, but also to prevent the load on the drive motor from becoming large.

In the present embodiment, the width WD of the sealing members 95 and 96 is set to 17.5 [mm], the width WC of the mounting surface of the convex portion 87 is set to 13 [mm], and the height LC of the edge portion Ja. Is set to 9 [mm], and the height LD of the edge Jb is set to 6 [mm].

By the way, the shielding portion 82 is a first mounting portion P1 formed along the circumferential direction at the edge portion on the rear end side (upstream side in the rotation direction of the stirring member 43) of the outer peripheral surface Sa, and the outer peripheral surface. A second mounting portion P2 formed along the circumferential direction at the edge portion on the front end side (downstream side in the rotation direction of the stirring member 43) of Sa is provided, and the sealing member 83 is attached to the first mounting portion P1. The tip tm1 is attached with a slight inclination inward in the radial direction, and the seal member 84 is attached to the second mounting portion P2 with the tip tm2 facing outward in the radial direction.

As a result, the seal members 83 and 84 are extended in the first and second directions different from each other with respect to the shielding member main body Bd, and the contact angles PA and PB of the seal members 83 and 84 are set.
PA <PB
Be made. As a result, when the toner Ts is agitated by the agitating member 43, the pressing pressures f1 and f2 that the sealing members 83 and 84 push the inner wall St, respectively, are different.
f1 <f2
become.

Therefore, when there is agglomerated toner Ts in the toner accommodating portion 30, the sealing member 84 pushes the inner wall St with a large pressing force f2 on the downstream side in the rotation direction of the stirring member 43, so that the agglomerated toner Ts is crushed. In addition, since the inner wall St is pushed by the sealing member 83 on the upstream side in the rotation direction of the stirring member 43 with a small pressing force f1, the crushed toner Ts can be smoothed. As described above, in the present embodiment, the stirring performance of the stirring member 43 is enhanced, so that the toner Ts can be sufficiently stirred.

By extending the seal member 84 toward the inner wall St of the toner accommodating portion 30 and extending the seal member 83 in a direction substantially orthogonal to the seal member 84, the seal members 83 and 84 are substantially extended to each other. If it extends in the orthogonal direction, not only can the difference between the contact angles PA and PB be sufficiently large, but also the difference between the pressing pressures f1 and f2 at which the sealing members 83 and 84 push the inner wall St, respectively. It can be large enough. As a result, the stirring performance of the stirring member 43 can be further improved.

In the present embodiment, extending the seal members 83, 84 in a direction substantially orthogonal to each other means that the angle formed by the seal members 83, 84 is in the range of 80 [°] or more and 110 [°] or less. Say that.

When the shielding portion 82 is placed in the sliding region, the gap between the outer peripheral surface Sa of the shielding portion 82 and the inner wall St of the outer frame Cs is set to 1 [mm], and the thicknesses of the sealing members 83 and 84 are increased. The seal members 83, 84, 95, 96 are set to 0.05 [mm] and bend by about 1 [mm] when the tips tm1, tm2, tm3, and tm4 come into contact with the inner wall St.

In the new image forming units 11Bk, 11C, 11M, 11Y, when the stirring member 43 is placed at a position facing the toner supply port 41, the tip tm1 of the seal member 83 is placed on the upstream side of the toner supply port 41, and the seal The tip tm2 of the member 84 is placed on the downstream side of the toner supply port 41, and both the tips tm1 and tm2 are brought into contact with the inner wall St of the outer frame Cs.

Further, the tips tm3 and tm4 of the seal members 95 and 96 are inclined obliquely downward toward the toner supply port 41 on the outside (side walls Ws1 and Ws2 sides) of both ends of the toner supply port 41 in the longitudinal direction of the outer frame Cs. It is attached to the shielding portion 82 and brought into contact with the inner wall St of the outer frame Cs (bottom wall Wb).

Therefore, by rotating the stirring member 43, the tips tm3 and tm4 of the sealing members 95 and 96 are slid with the inner wall St of the outer frame Cs (bottom wall Wb) to guide the toner Ts to the toner supply port 41. be able to.

Since the seal members 95 and 96 are mounted so as to project upstream from the mounting surface in the rotational direction of the stirring member 43, the toner Ts can be stabilized at the toner supply port 41 and guided reliably.

When new image forming units 11Bk, 11C, 11M, 11Y are attached to the apparatus main body and printing is performed by the printer 10, the control unit drives a drive motor to rotate the stirring member 43 in the direction of arrow A. By moving the stirring unit 82 from directly above the toner supply port 41, the toner supply port 41 is opened, and the toner Ts in the developer storage space Ar1 is supplied to the toner hopper 37.

At this time, when the stirring member 43 is further rotated in the direction of arrow A from the position shown in FIG. 9, the sealing members 83 and 84 slide the tips tm1 and tm2 with the inner wall St of the outer frame Cs (bottom wall Wb). The toner Ts is pushed toward the toner supply port 41. Further, the sealing members 95 and 96 function as guides, and while sliding the tips tm3 and tm4 with the inner wall St of the outer frame Cs (bottom wall Wb), the toner Ts is tonered as shown by the arrow B in FIG. Guide to the supply port 41.

As described above, in the present embodiment, the stirring member 43 is attached to the first and second mounting portions P1 and P2 formed on the upstream side and the downstream side of the shielding portion 82 in the rotation direction of the stirring member 43. , 84 are attached, and the sealing members 95 and 96 are attached to the convex portions 87 at both ends of the shielding portion 82. Therefore, the shielding portion 82 and the sealing members 83 and 84 can not only close the toner supply port 41 but also shield the toner. It is possible to reliably prevent the toner Ts in the developer accommodating portion 30 from being supplied to the toner hopper 37 from the gap between the shielding portion 82 and the inner wall St of the outer frame Cs at both ends in the longitudinal direction of the portion 82. it can.

Therefore, when the new image forming units 11Bk, 11C, 11M, 11Y are attached to the apparatus main body, it is possible to prevent the toner Ts from leaking out of the image forming units 11Bk, 11C, 11M, 11Y due to vibration or the like. ..

Further, when the new image forming units 11Bk, 11C, 11M, 11Y are attached to the apparatus main body, even if the state of the gap changes due to vibration or the like, the seal members 83, 84 bend according to the gap. It is possible to prevent the toner Ts from leaking out of the image forming units 11Bk, 11C, 11M, and 11Y.

Although the printer 10 is described in the present embodiment, the present invention can be applied to an image forming apparatus such as a copier, a facsimile, and a multifunction device.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications can be made based on the gist of the present invention, and these are not excluded from the scope of the present invention.

11Bk, 11C, 11M, 11Y Image forming unit 30 Toner accommodating part 37 Toner hopper 41 Toner supply port 43 Stirring member 82 Shielding part 83, 84, 95, 96 Sealing member 87 Convex part Cs Outer frame P1, P2 Mounting part sh1 Shaft part Ts toner

Claims (9)

In the developing agent accommodating portion provided with an opening for accommodating the developing agent and supplying the developing agent to the developing agent storage portion of the image forming unit.
(A) Developer housing housing and
(B) In the developer accommodating housing, it has a shielding member that is rotatably arranged in a predetermined direction around a shaft portion and is rotated by receiving rotation from a driving portion.
(C) The shielding member includes a shielding portion, first and second elastic members attached to attachment portions formed on the upstream and downstream sides of the shielding portion in the rotation direction of the shielding member, and both ends of the shielding portion. A developer accommodating portion, which comprises a third and fourth elastic member attached to the attachment portion of the above. (A) The length of the shielding portion in the axial direction of the image forming unit is made larger than the length of the opening.
(B) The developer accommodating portion according to claim 1, wherein the width of the shielding portion in the rotation direction of the shielding member is made larger than the width of the opening. The shielding portion guides the developing agent to the opening while sliding the tips of the third and fourth elastic members with the inner wall of the developing agent accommodating housing as the shielding member rotates. 2. The developer accommodating portion according to 2. The developer accommodating portion according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the third and fourth elastic members are attached to the shielding portion by inclining the tip toward the opening. The developer accommodating portion according to claim 4, wherein the mounting surface is formed on the mounting portions at both ends of the shielding portion so as to be inclined toward the opening. The third and fourth elastic members are attached to the shielding portion by projecting upstream from the mounting surfaces formed on the mounting portions at both ends of the shielding portion in the rotation direction of the shielding member. The developer accommodating portion according to any one item. One of claims 1 to 6, wherein a tapered portion is formed in the front half portion on the downstream side of the third and fourth elastic members in the rotation direction of the shielding member by inclining the tip inward in the radial direction. The developer accommodating portion according to. An image forming unit including the developer accommodating portion according to any one of claims 1 to 7. An image forming apparatus including the image forming unit according to claim 8.

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