JP7124646B2 - Developer container and image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a developer container that contains developer in a transportable manner and an image forming apparatus that includes the developer container.

2. Description of the Related Art An image forming apparatus such as a printer that forms an image using a developer such as toner and prints is provided with a developer container that stores the developer. The developer container is provided with a developer conveying member for conveying the contained developer to the developer discharge port. In general, the developer conveying member has a configuration in which a spiral blade portion spirally wound around the outer periphery of a cylindrical conveying shaft portion rotates to convey the developer (for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2009-128754). Japanese Patent Application Publication (Patent Document 1)).

FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram of a developer container of a comparative example. Also, FIG. 12 is an explanatory view enlarging the essential part of the portion surrounded by the dashed line Z in FIG. Note that FIG. 11 shows a longitudinal sectional view cut vertically along the rotation center position of the conveying shaft portion 171 .
As shown in FIG. 11 , the developer conveying member 170 of the developer container 150 of the comparative example includes a spiral blade portion 172 wound around the outer circumference of the conveying shaft portion 171 . Then, the transport shaft portion 171 is rotated by the driving force transmission member 180, and the developer contained in the frame 160 is discharged to the developer discharge port 164 provided in the direction indicated by the arrow D as the developer transport downstream direction. and transport. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 12, the developer transport upstream side is configured such that the transport shaft portion 171 of the developer transport member 170 is rotatably supported by the bearing portion 161 .

JP 2009-128754 A

However, in the developer container 150 of the comparative example, as shown in FIG. 12, the spiral blade portion 172 must be set to a position where it does not interfere with the bearing portion 161, and the developer conveying force is generated by the spiral blade portion 172. The area where no developer transport force is generated is the area Wb, and the area where the developer conveying force is not generated is wide. Therefore, there is a problem that a large amount of developer remains in the developer container 150 .
An object of the present invention is to solve such problems, and to provide a developer container and an image forming apparatus that narrow the area where the developer conveying force does not occur and reduce the amount of developer remaining in the developer container 150 . It is intended to provide

In order to solve the above-described problems, a developer container according to the present invention includes a frame for containing developer, a driving force transmission member for transmitting driving force from a driving source, and the developer inside the frame. a developer conveying member for conveying the developer in a predetermined direction, the developer conveying member including a conveying shaft portion rotated by the driving force transmitted from the driving force transmitting member; and a developer rotating together with the conveying shaft portion. A conveying force generating member that generates a conveying force, and a disc-shaped end portion that rotates together with the conveying shaft portion are provided at one end of the conveying shaft portion . a bearing portion for freely supporting the disk-shaped end portion, the bearing portion being provided below the disk-shaped end portion to rotatably support the disk-shaped end portion; and a support portion provided above the disk-shaped end portion. and a guide portion provided apart from the support portion .

According to the present invention, the developer conveying member includes a conveying shaft portion that rotates by the driving force transmitted from the driving force transmitting member, and a conveying force generating member that rotates together with the conveying shaft portion and generates the developer conveying force. Since one end of the conveying shaft portion is provided with a disk-shaped end portion that rotates together with the conveying shaft portion, the area where the conveying force is not generated by the conveying force generating member is narrowed, and the developer remains in the developer container. Less developer can be used.

1 is an explanatory diagram of an image forming apparatus having a developer container according to the first embodiment; FIG. 4A and 4B are explanatory diagrams of a developer container according to the first embodiment; FIG. FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of a driving force transmission member according to the first embodiment; 4 is an external view of a driving force transmission member according to the first embodiment; FIG. 4A and 4B are explanatory diagrams of a developer conveying member according to the first embodiment; FIG. It is an explanatory view of a disk-shaped end portion and its surroundings relating to the first embodiment. It is explanatory drawing of the bearing part regarding 1st Embodiment, and its periphery. FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram of a developer conveying member relating to the second embodiment; FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram of a grooved disk-shaped end portion and its surroundings relating to the second embodiment; It is explanatory drawing of the groove part of the grooved disk-shaped edge part regarding 2nd Embodiment. FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram of a developer container of a comparative example; FIG. 12 is an explanatory view enlarging a main portion of a portion surrounded by a dashed line Z in FIG. 11;

(First embodiment)
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The configuration of a developer container and an image forming apparatus including the developer container will be described below with respect to the first embodiment, which is the best mode for carrying out the present invention. Elements common to each drawing are given the same reference numerals. In the following description, toner is used as an example of developer, but other developer may be used.

First, the configuration of an image forming apparatus provided with the developer container of the first embodiment will be described. FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram of an image forming apparatus having a developer container according to the first embodiment. The image forming apparatus 1 forms an image with a developer and prints it on a sheet of paper P. As shown in FIG. Hereinafter, the right side of the paper will be referred to as the "apparatus front side" and the left side of the paper will be referred to as the "apparatus rear side". In the developer container 50 to be described later, the right side of the paper surface is referred to as the "developer transport upstream side", and the left side of the paper surface is referred to as the "developer transport downstream side".

As shown in FIG. 1, an image forming apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment includes a paper cassette 10 at the bottom, and an image forming unit 20 on the downstream side of paper P transport (hereinafter referred to as "paper transport downstream side"). and a fixing unit 30 . Further, the image forming apparatus 1 is configured such that the developer container 50 can be attached to the upper portion of the image forming unit 20 and can be pulled out and removed.
The paper cassette 10 includes an elevating plate 11 that pushes up the leading edge of the paper P and presses it against the pickup roller 12 . The elevating plate 11 rises when the sheet cassette 10 is attached to the image forming apparatus 1, and descends when it is removed. A transport roller pair 13 for transporting the paper P is disposed downstream of the paper cassette 10 in terms of paper transport.

Furthermore, an image forming unit 20 is arranged on the downstream side of the paper transport. The image forming unit 20 forms a toner image with toner as a developer of multiple colors, for example, black (k), yellow (y), magenta (m) and cyan (c). These image forming units 20 are arranged in order along the paper transport direction indicated by arrow B. As shown in FIG. Note that FIG. 1 shows only the image forming unit 20 for one color for the sake of convenience. Similarly, regarding the developer container 50, only the developer container 50 corresponding to the color is displayed.

The image forming unit 20 is provided with toner, a developing roller 21 for developing with the toner, and the like. A toner remaining amount detecting member 27 for detecting the remaining amount of toner in the image forming unit 20 is arranged near the developing roller 21 . The toner remaining amount detection member 27 is configured by a stirring member or the like. The agitating member is rotated and dropped from the uppermost end of the rotation locus to the surface of the toner by gravity, and the remaining amount of toner is detected by measuring the time.
Under the image forming unit 20, an electrostatic latent image is formed, and a photosensitive drum 22 and the like for forming a toner image on the drum surface by a developing roller 21 are arranged. A cleaning blade 26 is disposed near the photoreceptor drum 22 for scraping off and removing toner remaining on the photoreceptor drum 22 without being used for image formation as waste toner.

A transfer roller 23 is arranged below the image forming unit 20 . The transfer roller 23 transfers the toner image formed by the image forming unit 20 onto the paper P. As shown in FIG. The paper P is conveyed in the direction indicated by the arrow B on the transfer belt 24 driven by the belt driving roller 25 . A fixing unit 30 that fixes the toner image transferred to the paper P is arranged downstream of the image forming unit 20 in the paper transport direction. The fixing unit 30 includes a pressure roller 30a and a heat roller 30b, and the paper P onto which the toner image has been transferred by the transfer roller 23 is pressed by the pressure roller 30a and heated by the heat roller 30b to fix the toner image.
Discharge roller pairs 31 and 32 are arranged downstream of the fixing unit 30 in terms of paper transport, and a discharge stacker 33 is further arranged on the downstream side of paper transport.

Next, the configuration of the developer container 50 relating to the first embodiment will be described. FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of a developer container relating to the first embodiment. Note that FIG. 2 shows a longitudinal sectional view cut vertically along the rotation center position of the conveying shaft portion 71 . The developer storage container 50 transportably stores toner as a developer. As shown in FIG. 2, the developer container 50 includes a frame 60, a developer conveying member 70, and a driving force transmission member 80. As shown in FIG.

The frame 60 has a bearing portion 61 , a bearing hole 62 , a handle 63 , a developer discharge port 64 , a shielding member 65 and an elastic member 66 . The frame 60 is composed of a bottom portion 67 , a rear portion 68 and an upper portion 69 . A bearing portion 61 that rotatably supports the developer conveying member 70 is formed on an inner surface 68 a (see FIG. 6 ) of the rear portion 68 of the frame 60 . Further, the frame body 60 is formed with a bearing hole 62 that rotatably supports the driving force transmission member 80 on the developer transport downstream side (the back side of the apparatus).
The bearing portion 61 rotatably supports the developer conveying member 70 on the inner surface 68 a of the rear portion 68 of the frame 60 , that is, on the inner surface 68 a of the frame 60 at the developer conveying upstream end as one end of the conveying shaft portion 71 . It is something to do. The bearing portion 61 has a guide portion 61a and an end support portion 61b, which will be described later with reference to FIG.

The developer discharge port 64 is for discharging the toner to the outside of the developer container 50, and is provided on the bottom portion 67 of the frame 60 so as to be openable and closable on the developer transport downstream side (apparatus rear side). A shielding member 65 and an elastic member 66 are provided in order to open and close the developer discharge port 64 . The shielding member 65 slides in the direction indicated by the arrow F as the developer transport upstream direction and in the opposite direction. The elastic member 66 fills the gap between the frame 60 and the shielding member 65 when the shielding member 65 is in the closed position. The shielding member 65 is opened by sliding in the direction indicated by the arrow F when the developer container 50 is attached by an attachment/detachment mechanism (not shown), and in the direction indicated by the arrow F when the developer container 50 is pulled out and removed. The closed position is reached by sliding in the opposite direction.

When the developer container 50 is attached to the image forming apparatus 1, the upstream side of the developer transport (front side of the device) is lower than the downstream side of the developer transport (back side of the device) as shown in FIG. Mounted so that it is tilted from the horizontal plane. However, the developer container 50 may be configured to be mounted substantially horizontally. In addition, the developer container 50 has a handle 63 on the rear portion 68 of the frame 60 so that the user can hold it when the developer container 50 is attached to the image forming apparatus 1 and when the developer container 50 is pulled out.
The developer conveying member 70 conveys the toner in the developer container 50 to the developer discharge port 64 provided in the direction indicated by the arrow D as the developer conveying downstream direction. It has a conveying shaft portion 71, a spiral blade portion 72, an engaging portion 73, and a disk-shaped end portion 74, which will be described later.
The driving force transmission member 80 transmits the driving force from the driving source 90 of the image forming apparatus 1 to the developer conveying member 70 . For this purpose, the drive force transmission member 80 includes a drive shaft portion 81 , a drive input portion 82 and a drive output portion 83 .

FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram of a driving force transmission member according to the first embodiment. 3 shows an exploded perspective view of the driving force transmission member 80, and the driving source 90 and the developer conveying member 70 of the image forming apparatus 1 engaged therewith. As shown in FIG. 3, the driving force transmission member 80 is constructed by integrating a driving shaft portion 81, a driving input portion 82, and a driving output portion 83. As shown in FIG.
The drive shaft portion 81 is provided between the drive input portion 82 and the drive output portion 83 and transmits the drive force from the drive source 90 received by the drive input portion 82 to the drive output portion 83 . The drive shaft portion 81 is rotatably supported in a bearing hole 62 (see FIG. 2) formed in the frame 60 (not shown in FIG. 3). That is, the drive shaft portion 81 is rotatably supported by the frame 60 .

The drive input portion 82 receives the drive force of the image forming apparatus 1 by inserting the shaft 90a of the drive source 90 of the image forming apparatus 1 into the insertion hole 82a on the rear side of the apparatus. The shaft 90 a of the drive source 90 and the insertion hole 82 a are engaged when the developer container 50 is attached to the image forming apparatus 1 . That is, the driving input section 82 receives the driving force from the driving source 90 .
The driving output portion 83 has a substantially cylindrical shape and is engaged with the engaging hole 73a of the engaging portion 73 of the developer conveying member 70 on the front side of the apparatus. The driving output portion 83 is formed with a D-cut portion 83a by D-cutting on the front side of the apparatus, that is, on the side of the developer conveying member 70. As shown in FIG.

The engaging portion 73 has a contact surface 73b that contacts the D-cut portion 83a at the back of the engaging hole 73a. Further, the D-cut portion 83a of the drive output portion 83 is provided with a lock claw 83b, and the contact surface 73b of the engaging portion 73 is provided with a notch portion 73c. locked. That is, the drive output section 83 transmits the drive force received by the drive input section 82 to the developer conveying member 70 .

The driving force transmission member 80 including the drive shaft portion 81, the drive input portion 82, and the drive output portion 83 may be produced by integral molding of resin or the like.
With such a configuration, the driving force from the driving source 90 of the image forming apparatus 1 is input to the driving input portion 82 and applied to the developer conveying member 70 by the engaging portion 73 that engages with the driving output portion 83 . transmitted.

FIG. 4 is an external view of the driving force transmission member according to the first embodiment. 4(a) shows an external perspective view of the drive output portion 83 with the D cut portion 83a facing up, as seen from the drive input portion 82 side. The external perspective view seen from the side is shown.
As shown in FIG. 4( a ), the drive input portion 82 has an insertion hole 82 a with a sawtooth circular shape so as to reliably receive the drive force from the drive source 90 . The insertion hole 82a may have a D-cut shape or a regular polygonal shape as long as it engages with the shaft 90a of the drive source 90 and reliably receives the driving force.

Further, as shown in FIG. 4B, the D-cut portion 83a on the drive output portion 83 side is provided with a notch portion of the developer conveying member 70 when engaging with the engaging portion 73 of the developer conveying member 70. A lock claw 83b is provided to fit in 73c. The lock claw 83b can be displaced vertically with the front side of the D cut portion 83a as a fulcrum, and has an inclined surface that rises and slopes as it proceeds from the front side to the rear side of the device.
That is, the driving force transmission member 80 includes a driving shaft portion 81 rotatably supported by the frame 60, a driving input portion 82 for receiving the driving force from the driving source 90, and a driving force received by the driving input portion 82. to the developer conveying member 70 is integrally provided.

Next, the configuration of the developer conveying member 70 will be described in detail. FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram of the developer conveying member according to the first embodiment. 5 shows an external perspective view of the developer conveying member 70 viewed from the upper left on the front side of the apparatus. The developer conveying member 70 conveys the toner in the developer container 50 to the developer discharge port 64 shown in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 5, the developer conveying member 70 includes a conveying shaft portion 71 , a spiral blade portion 72 as a conveying force generating member, an engaging portion 73 and a disk-shaped end portion 74 . Specifically, the developer conveying member 70 includes a spiral blade portion 72 spirally formed on the outer peripheral surface of the conveying shaft portion 71 , and the end portion of the conveying shaft portion 71 on the developer conveying downstream side (apparatus rear side). is formed with an engaging portion 73 for receiving a driving force. Further, a disk-shaped end portion 74 having an outer diameter Dt substantially equal to the outer diameter Dw of the spiral blade portion 72 is formed at the developer transport upstream side (apparatus front side) end portion of the transport shaft portion 71 .

The spiral blade portion 72 rotates together with the transport shaft portion 71 as a rotating shaft by the driving force transmitted from the driving force transmission member 80 to generate a toner transport force as a developer transport force. For this reason, when the developer conveying member 70 rotates about the conveying shaft portion 71 as a rotating shaft in the direction indicated by the arrow K as a counterclockwise rotation when viewed from the front side of the apparatus, the spiral blade portion 72 rotates the toner to the developer. It is shaped to generate a toner conveying force that conveys the toner in the direction indicated by arrow D as the conveying downstream direction. That is, when viewed from the front side of the device, the spiral blade portion 72 is spirally formed to rotate clockwise on the conveying shaft portion 71 as it advances toward the back side of the device.

Further, as shown in FIG. 7 to be described later, the spiral blade portion 72 is joined to the disc-shaped end portion 74 at a joint portion 74a on the developer transport upstream side (apparatus front side) end portion. The disk-shaped end portion 74 and the spiral blade portion 72 near the joint portion 74a are rotatably supported by the bearing portion 61 . As described above, the engaging portion 73 engages with the drive output portion 83 of the driving force transmission member 80 shown in FIGS. Rotate member 70 .

The disc-shaped end portion 74 is a disc-shaped end portion having an outer diameter Dt substantially equal to the outer diameter Dw of the spiral blade portion 72, and is provided at the developer transport upstream end portion as one end of the transport shaft portion 71, and is disc-shaped. The surface of the end portion 74 is provided perpendicular to the conveying shaft portion 71 . The disk-shaped end portion 74 is rotatably supported by the bearing portion 61 shown in FIG.
The developer conveying member 70 including the conveying shaft portion 71, the spiral blade portion 72, the engaging portion 73, and the disc-shaped end portion 74 is preferably produced by integral molding of resin or the like. Furthermore, the developer conveying member 70 and the driving force transmission member 80 shown in FIG.

That is, the developer conveying member 70 includes a conveying shaft portion 71, and a spiral blade portion 72 that rotates around the conveying shaft portion 71 as a rotating shaft by driving force transmitted from the driving force transmitting member 80 to generate a toner conveying force. A disc-shaped end portion 74 is provided at the developer transport upstream end portion as one end of the transport shaft portion 71 and has an outer diameter Dt substantially equal to the outer diameter Dw of the spiral blade portion 72 .

Next, the structure of the bearing portion 61 that rotatably supports the disk-shaped end portion 74 of the developer conveying member 70 and its surroundings will be described in detail. FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram of the disk-shaped end portion and its surroundings relating to the first embodiment. 6 is a partial enlarged view surrounded by a dashed line Z in FIG. 2, and for the sake of convenience, illustration of other than essential parts is omitted. The bearing portion 61 rotatably supports the disc-shaped end portion 74 of the developer conveying member 70 on the inner surface 68a of the rear portion 68, that is, the inner surface 68a of the frame 60 near the developer conveying upstream end portion.

As shown in FIG. 6, the frame 60 according to the first embodiment includes a bearing portion that serves as a bearing for the developer conveying member 70 near the end of the conveying shaft portion 71 on the developer conveying upstream side (apparatus front side). 61.
The bearing portion 61 includes a guide portion 61a that serves as a guide when the disc-shaped end portion 74 is attached to the rear portion 68 of the frame body 60 as shown in FIG. and a support portion 61b. With such a configuration, the bearing portion 61 rotatably supports the disk-shaped end portion 74 .

Further, the structure of the bearing portion 61 and its periphery will be described in detail. FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram of the bearing and its surroundings relating to the first embodiment. 7 shows an exploded perspective view of a portion of the developer transporting member 70 on the developer transporting upstream side (apparatus front side) and the bearing portion 61. FIG. As shown in FIG. 7, the bearing portion 61 includes a plurality of guide portions 61a (61a1 to 61a3) that function as guides when the disk-shaped end portion 74 is relatively moved in the direction indicated by the arrow H and attached to the frame 60. ), and an end support portion 61b that rotatably supports the disk-shaped end portion 74. As shown in FIG. The guide portion 61a is positioned above the disk-shaped end portion 74, and the end support portion 61b is positioned below the disk-shaped end portion 74, so as to surround the disk-shaped end portion 74 with these. It guides and rotatably supports the end portion 74 .

The guide portion 61a is formed in a semicircular shape so as to protrude perpendicularly from an inner surface 68a of the rear portion 68 of the frame 60, and is arranged in a direction in which the disk-shaped end portion 74 is attached to the bearing portion 61 (the direction indicated by the arrow H). It has a sloping surface that guides it as it progresses. The inclined surface of the guide portion 61 a is inclined toward the center of the disk-shaped end portion 74 , and when the disk-shaped end portion 74 is attached to the rear portion 68 of the frame 60 , the upper portion of the disk-shaped end portion 74 is aligned with this inclined surface. and guide it.
The end support portion 61b is formed of a semicircular wall formed so as to protrude perpendicularly from the inner surface 68a of the rear portion 68 of the frame 60, and the disk-shaped end portion 74 is rotatable along the semicircular wall. to support. At this time, the joint portion 74a and the spiral blade portion 72 in the vicinity thereof are also rotatably supported.

With the above configuration, the image forming apparatus 1 and the developer container 50 according to the first embodiment operate as follows. First, with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2, the operation of the image forming apparatus 1 relating to the first embodiment for printing on the paper P drawn out from the paper cassette 10 will be described.
First, image data selected by a user from a host device such as a personal computer (not shown) is transmitted to the image forming apparatus 1 via a USB cable or the like.
When the image data is transmitted, the image forming apparatus 1 causes the control section (not shown) of the image forming apparatus 1 to start the operation of each section as follows. The image forming apparatus 1 picks up the paper P from the paper cassette 10 in the direction indicated by the arrow A by the pickup roller 12 and conveys it to the image forming unit 20 by the pair of conveying rollers 13 .

When the paper P is transported to the image forming unit 20 in the direction indicated by the arrow B, the image forming unit 20 forms an electrostatic latent image on the photosensitive drum 22 . Then, the electrostatic latent image formed on the photosensitive drum 22 is developed by the developing roller 21 to form a toner image. Further, the transfer roller 23 transfers the toner image onto the paper P conveyed by the transfer belt 24 .
At this time, the toner remaining on the photosensitive drum 22 without being transferred is removed by the cleaning blade 26 as waste toner, and is transported to and stored in the developer container 50 by a waste toner transport mechanism (not shown).

Next, the paper P to which the toner image has been transferred is conveyed to the fixing unit 30, and the transferred toner image is fixed on the paper P. FIG. This fixing is performed by pinching and conveying the paper P between the pressure roller 30a and the heating roller 30b which are heated to a predetermined temperature. Then, the paper P on which the toner image is fixed is further conveyed by the pair of discharge rollers 31 and 32 and discharged to the discharge stacker 33 in the direction indicated by the arrow C. As shown in FIG.
When the toner remaining amount detecting member 27 detects that the amount of toner in the image forming unit 20 has decreased after repeating the above printing operation, the driving source 90 of the image forming apparatus 1 shown in FIG. A driving force is input to the driving force transmission member 80 of the agent container 50 .

The driving force input to the driving force transmission member 80 causes the developer conveying member 70 to rotate around the conveying shaft portion 71 of the developer conveying member 70 as a rotation axis, thereby discharging the toner in the developer container 50 to the developer discharge port. 64 and supplied to the image forming unit 20 .
After that, when the toner remaining amount detection member 27 detects that the toner in the image forming unit 20 has reached a predetermined amount, the driving source 90 of the image forming apparatus 1 is stopped, and the rotation of the developer conveying member 70 is stopped. Stop. Then, the toner transportation to the developer discharge port 64 is stopped, and the toner supply to the image forming unit 20 is stopped.

Next, the operation of the developer container 50 relating to the first embodiment will be described in detail.
First, the user attaches the developer container 50 to the image forming apparatus 1 (FIG. 1). In this attachment, the handle 63 is held, and the image forming apparatus 1 is attached while being pushed toward the rear side of the apparatus. At this time, the blocking member 65 is slid in the direction indicated by the arrow F by an attachment/detachment mechanism (not shown) to open the developer discharge port 64 (FIG. 2). After that, the printing operation is started, and printing on the paper P is performed.

In this printing operation, when the toner remaining amount detection member 27 detects that the toner in the image forming unit 20 is running low, the controller (not shown) of the image forming apparatus 1 activates the driving source 90 of the image forming apparatus 1. Operate (Fig. 3). Due to the operation of the drive source 90, the drive force is input to the drive force transmission member 80 of the developer container 50, and the drive force transmission member 80 rotates about the drive shaft portion 81 as the rotation axis.

Then, the engaging portion 73 engaged with the drive output portion 83 of the driving force transmission member 80 rotates, and the developer conveying member 70 rotates in the direction indicated by the arrow K with the conveying shaft portion 71 as the rotation axis (FIG. 5). ). Due to this rotation, a toner conveying force is generated by the spiral blade portion 72 , and the toner in the developer container 50 is conveyed toward the developer discharge port 64 . The toner conveyed toward the developer discharge port 64 falls from the opened developer discharge port 64 in the direction indicated by the arrow E shown in FIG. 1 and is supplied to the image forming unit 20 .

At this time, as shown in FIG. 6, the spiral blade portion 72 is joined to the disc-shaped end portion 74 at the end portion of the transport shaft portion 71 on the developer transport upstream side (apparatus front side). A toner conveying force is also generated in the portion surrounded by Y. Therefore, the area where no toner conveying force is generated is the area Wa from the inner surface 68a of the rear portion 68 of the frame 60 to the surface of the disk-shaped end portion 74 on the developer conveying downstream side (apparatus rear side). Therefore, as compared with the comparative example shown in FIG. 12, the area where the toner conveying force does not occur can be narrowed, and the developer remaining in the developer container 50 can be reduced.

As described above, according to the developer container 50 and the image forming apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment, the developer container 50 accommodates toner in the frame 60 and conveys the toner by the developer conveying member 70 . , the developer conveying member 70 includes a conveying shaft portion 71 , a spiral blade portion 72 that rotates together with the conveying shaft portion 71 to generate a toner conveying force, and a developer conveying upstream end as one end of the conveying shaft portion 71 . A disk-shaped end portion 74 having an outer diameter Dt substantially equal to the outer diameter Dw of the blade portion 72 is provided. Further, the frame 60 has a bearing that rotatably supports the disk-shaped end portion 74 on the inner surface 68a of the rear portion 68, that is, the inner surface 68a of the frame 60 in the vicinity of the developer transport upstream end as one end of the transport shaft portion 71. A portion 61 is provided. As a result, it is possible to narrow the region in which the conveying force for conveying the toner does not occur, and to reduce the amount of toner remaining in the developer container 50 .

(Second embodiment)
Next, the configuration of the developer container 50 of the second embodiment and the image forming apparatus 1 including the developer container 50 will be described. In the developer container 50 of the second embodiment, the configuration of the disk-shaped end portion provided at the developer transport upstream end portion of the transport shaft portion 71 of the developer transport member 70 is different from that of the first embodiment. . Other configurations are the same as the configurations of the developer container 50 and the image forming apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment, and thus the detailed description of the similar configurations will be omitted for the sake of simplification.

The configuration of the developer conveying member 70 according to the second embodiment will be described below. FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram of a developer conveying member relating to the second embodiment. 8 shows an external perspective view of the developer conveying member 70 viewed from the upper left on the front side of the apparatus, as in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 8, in the developer transport member 70 according to the second embodiment, instead of the disc-shaped end portion 74 according to the first embodiment, the developer transport upstream side (apparatus front side) is used as one end side. It has a grooved disc-shaped end 75 with radial grooves 76 on its (side) face. That is, in the developer container 50 according to the second embodiment, a disc with a groove as a disc-shaped end is provided at the developer transport upstream side (apparatus front side) end as one end side of the developer transport member 70 . It has a shaped end 75 . The grooved disc-shaped end portion 75 rotates in the direction indicated by arrow K as counterclockwise rotation when viewed from the front side of the device together with the conveying shaft portion 71 and the spiral blade portion 72 . The conveying shaft portion 71, the spiral blade portion 72, and the engaging portion 73 are the same as those of the developer conveying member 70 of the developer container 50 relating to the first embodiment.

A more detailed description will be given of the main configuration of the developer conveying member 70 according to the second embodiment. FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram of a grooved disc-shaped end portion and its surroundings relating to the second embodiment. Note that FIG. 9 shows a partially enlarged view surrounded by a broken line Z in FIG. 2, as in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 9, the grooved disc-shaped end portion 75 is a disc-shaped end portion having an outer diameter Dt substantially equal to the outer diameter Dw of the spiral blade portion 72, and serves as one end of the transport shaft portion 71 for transporting the developer. Provided at the upstream end. The grooved disk-shaped end portion 75 is rotatably supported by the bearing portion 61 shown in FIG. In this state in which the grooved disk-shaped end portion 75 is rotatably supported by the end support portion 61b, the surface on which the grooved portion 76 is provided, that is, the developer as one end side of the grooved disk-shaped end portion 75 The surface on the upstream side of transport (apparatus front side) faces the inner surface 68a of the rear portion 68 of the frame 60 with a predetermined gap.

FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram of the groove portion of the grooved disk-shaped end portion relating to the second embodiment. FIG. 10(a) shows a front view of the grooved disk-shaped end portion 75 as seen from the developer transport upstream side (apparatus front side), and FIG. 1 is an enlarged external perspective view of FIG.
As shown in FIG. 10( a ), the radial grooves 76 of the grooved disk-shaped end 75 extend from the rotation center position of the grooved disk-shaped end 75 to the outer diameter side (outside in the radial direction of rotation), It is formed in a curved shape that bends toward the upstream side in the rotational direction of the grooved disc-shaped end portion 75 as it progresses toward the outer diameter side. With such a shape, when the grooved disk-shaped end portion 75 is rotated in the direction indicated by the arrow K, the toner entering the respective groove portions 76 is shown by the arrow G as the outer diameter direction. direction.

Further, as shown in FIG. 10B, the groove portion 76 conveys the toner in the direction indicated by the arrow J, that is, in the direction from the outer diameter side to the developer conveying downstream side (apparatus rear side) where the spiral blade portion 72 is located. In order to achieve this, it is preferable to extend from the surface on the upstream side of developer transport (apparatus front side) and form it on the outer diameter side as well.
Note that the groove 76 may have other shapes as long as the toner can be raked into the groove 76 and conveyed to the outer diameter side. Also, the groove portion 76 may be provided at one to three locations, or may be provided at five or more locations.

Next, operations of the image forming apparatus 1 and the developer container 50 relating to the second embodiment will be described. In the second embodiment, the operation of conveying toner by the grooved disk-shaped end portion 75 of the developer conveying member 70 is different from that in the first embodiment. Other operations are the same as those of the image forming apparatus 1 and the developer container 50 relating to the first embodiment. Specifically, the image forming apparatus 1 according to the second embodiment operates in the same manner as the image forming apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment. Further, the operation of the developer container 50 according to the second embodiment is the same as the operation of the developer container 50 according to the first embodiment, except for the operation of conveying the toner by the grooved disk-shaped end portion 75. be.

The operation of conveying toner by the developer conveying member 70 according to the second embodiment will be described below. First, when the toner in the image forming unit 20 runs low, the driving source 90 of the image forming apparatus 1 is driven, and the driving force is transmitted to the engaging portion 73 via the driving force transmission member 80 .
Then, the developer conveying member 70 rotates in the direction of arrow K shown in FIG. Rotate in the direction shown.
When the grooved disc-shaped end 75 rotates in the direction indicated by arrow K, the toner between the grooved disc-shaped end 75 and the inner surface 68a of the rear portion 68 of the frame 60 shown in FIG. It is scraped off by the groove 76 of the portion 75 . After that, the toner that has entered the groove 76 is conveyed in the direction indicated by the arrow G along the groove 76 .

The toner that has been conveyed to the outer diameter side of the grooved disk-shaped end portion 75 is pushed by the toner that is further conveyed, and the spiral blade portion 72 moves in the direction indicated by arrow J as the downstream direction of developer conveyance. is transported to the downstream side of developer transport (back side of the apparatus).
The toner conveyed to the position where the spiral blade portion 72 is rotating is conveyed to the developer discharge port 64 by the spiral blade portion 72 and supplied to the image forming unit 20 .
As described above, in the developer container 50 according to the second embodiment, the groove portion 76 also scrapes off the toner between the grooved disc-shaped end portion 75 and the inner surface 68a of the rear portion 68 of the frame 60, thereby developing the toner. It can be transported to the agent outlet 64 . Therefore, the developer remaining in the developer container 50 can be further reduced.

As described above, according to the developer container 50 and the image forming apparatus 1 according to the second embodiment, the disc provided at the developer transport upstream end portion as one end of the transport shaft portion 71 of the developer transport member 70 A curved groove 76 extending from the center of rotation to the outer diameter side and curved toward the upstream side in the rotation direction as it advances toward the outer diameter side is provided on the surface on the upstream side (apparatus front side) of conveying the developer. A grooved disc-shaped end portion 75 is formed. As a result, even the toner between the grooved disk-shaped end portion 75 and the inner surface 68a of the rear portion 68 of the frame 60 can be transported to the developer discharge port 64, and the developer remaining in the developer container 50 can be reduced. can do.

(Modification 1)
The present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and can be modified based on the gist of the present invention, and they are not excluded from the scope of the present invention. For example, in the description of the above embodiments, a printer was described as an example of the image forming apparatus 1, but it may be a copier, a facsimile machine, or a multifunction machine.

(Modification 2)
Further, in the description of the above embodiment, the developer container 50 provided inside the image forming apparatus 1 has been described as an example. The present invention can also be applied to the vessel 50 . In addition, in the above description of the embodiment, the drive source 90 is supplied from the outside of the developer container 50 , but the drive source 90 may be provided inside the developer container 50 .

(Modification 3)
Further, in the description of the above embodiment, the developer conveying member 70 is configured by the spiral blade portion 72, but the developer conveying member 70 is configured by a conveying spiral formed by spirally winding a wire rod. The present invention can also be applied to drug containers.

(Modification 4)
Further, in the description of the above embodiment, an example of conveying the toner in the developer container 50 was explained, but the toner remaining on the photosensitive drum 22 is conveyed to the developer container 50 as waste toner. The present invention can also be applied to a waste toner conveying mechanism to be accommodated.

(Modification 5)
Furthermore, in the description of the above embodiment, the disc-shaped end portion 74 or 75 is provided at the developer transport upstream end portion as one end of the transport shaft portion 71. It may be provided at the downstream end of the agent transport.

1 Image forming apparatus 50 Developer container 60 Frame 61 Bearing 70 Developer conveying member 71 Conveying shaft 72 Spiral blade 74 Disk-shaped end 74a Joining portion 75 Grooved disk-shaped end 76 Groove 80 Driving force transmission member

Claims (13)

a frame housing the developer;
a driving force transmission member that transmits the driving force from the driving source;
a developer conveying member for conveying the developer inside the frame in a predetermined direction;
The developer conveying member is
a conveying shaft portion rotated by the driving force transmitted from the driving force transmitting member; a conveying force generating member rotating together with the conveying shaft portion to generate developer conveying force; a disc-shaped end portion that rotates with the portion ;
The frame has a bearing on its inner surface for rotatably supporting the disk-shaped end,
The bearing portion
a support portion provided below the disk-shaped end portion for rotatably supporting the disk-shaped end portion;
and a guide portion provided above the disk-shaped end portion and spaced apart from the support portion . The support portion has a semicircular wall formed to protrude from the inner surface at a right angle,
The guide portion is formed by arranging a plurality of semicircles so as to protrude perpendicularly from the inner surface, and forms an inclined surface that guides the disc-shaped end portion when the disc-shaped end portion is attached to the bearing portion. 2. A developer container according to claim 1, further comprising : 2. The development according to claim 1 , wherein said disc-shaped end is provided perpendicular to said conveying shaft, and the outer diameter of said disc-shaped end is substantially equal to the outer diameter of said conveying force generating member. drug container. 2. A developer container according to claim 1 , wherein said disk-shaped end portion has a joining portion joined to said conveying force generating member. The inner surface is provided facing the disk-shaped end,
2. A developer container according to claim 1 , wherein said disk-shaped end has grooves extending radially from a rotation center position of said disk-shaped end on a surface facing said inner surface . 6. The developer container according to claim 5, wherein the groove portion has a curved shape that curves toward the upstream side in the rotational direction of the disk-shaped end portion as it progresses toward the outer diameter side of the disk-shaped end portion. 7. A developer container according to claim 6 , wherein said disc-shaped end faces said inner surface with a predetermined gap therebetween. The driving force transmission member is
a drive shaft portion rotatably supported by the frame;
a driving input unit that receives the driving force from the driving source;
2. A developer container according to claim 1 , further comprising a driving output section for transmitting the driving force received by said driving input section to said developer conveying member. 2. A developer container according to claim 1 , wherein said one end is inclined from a horizontal plane so as to be lower than the other end of said conveying shaft. 10. A developer container according to claim 9, wherein said one end is a developer conveying upstream end. the other end is a developer transport downstream end,
10. A developer container according to claim 9, wherein a developer discharge port for discharging the developer to the outside is provided at the bottom of the frame in the developer conveying downstream end so as to be openable and closable. 12. A developer container according to any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein said conveying force generating member is a spiral blade portion. An image forming apparatus comprising the developer container according to any one of claims 1 to 12, wherein an image is formed by the developer contained in the developer container and printed on paper. .

Images