JPH0311376A - Carrier supply jig - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To prevent supplied fresh carrier from staying in a device and to prevent a heavy load on a carrying means by setting the diameter of the aperture of a pipe part so that supplied carrier does not exceed the carrying capability of the carrier carrying means. CONSTITUTION:A carrier supply jig 50 consists of a hopper part 50a and a pipe part 50b as the carrier supply part, through which fresh carrier is supplied, and a cylindrical supporting part attached under the hopper part 50a. The diameter of the aperture of the pipe part 50b is so set that the quantity of carrier supplied from this aperture does not exceed the developer carrying capability of a developer carrying rotating member 3Y as the carrier carrying means. Thus, the developer supplied into the device 3Y is successively carried without staying in the vicinity of an aperture part 22. Thus, a heavy load on the carrying means is prevented.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION (Field of Industrial Application) The present invention relates to a carrier supply jig used when replacing the carrier of a developing device installed in a copying machine or the like.

(Prior Art) In FIG. 3, reference numeral 1 indicates a drum-shaped photoreceptor, and an electrostatic latent image is formed on this photoreceptor 1 by a device not shown.

The reference numeral 2Y indicates a developing roller, and a part of the circumferential surface of the developing roller 2Y is in contact with the photoreceptor 1. The developing roller 2Y is housed in a developing casing 4Y. Further, a developer transport rotating member 3Y is housed in the developer casing 4Y, and a toner concentration sensor 5Y is attached to the developer casing 4Y so as to face the developer transport rotating member 3Y.

A yellow developing device 1110Y is constituted by the developing roller 2Y, the developer rotation conveyance member 3Y, the developing casing 4Y, and the toner concentration sensor 5Y.

The developing casing 4Y of the developing device 10Y accommodates a two-component developer consisting of a yellow carrier and toner. This carrier is amorphous. A magenta developing device 10M having the same configuration as the yellow developing device is located adjacent to the yellow developing device 10Y, and a cyan developing device 10C is located adjacent to the magenta developing device 10M.
are provided for each. A magenta two-component developer is stored in the developing casing 4M of the magenta developing device 10M, and a cyan two-component developer is stored in the developing casing 4C of the cyan developing device 110c.

First, the yellow developer is supplied by the developer conveying rotating member 3Y of the yellow developing device flOY onto the developing roller 2Y, which is provided with a magnet (not shown) inside, and as a result of this supply, the developer carried on the roller is Then, the electrostatic latent image on the photoreceptor 1 is developed, and a yellow developed image is obtained on the photoreceptor l. 50Y indicates a doctor that regulates the amount of developer supplied to the developing roller 2Y.

On the other hand, the developer conveying rotating member 3 of the magenta developing device 10M
The magenta developer is supplied onto the developing roller 2M by M, and the developer carried on the roller by this supply is
Magenta color development is performed.

Further, the developer conveying rotating member 3 of the cyan developing device 10C
C, the cyan developer is supplied onto the developing roller 2C, and as a result of this supply, cyan color development is performed using the developer carried on the roller.

As described above, developed images of each color are sequentially obtained on the photoreceptor 1, and these are sequentially transferred to a predetermined transfer paper, thereby obtaining a color image on the transfer paper. Note that the developer transport rotating members 3M and 3C are the developer transport rotating members 3Y.
It is constructed in exactly the same way. The three developer quantities 10Y, IOM, and IOC are housed within the unit frame plate 6, and are integrated into a developing unit 65. This developing unit 65 is detachable from the main body of the machine.

Here, for the sake of convenience, the structure of the yellow developing device 10Y will be explained below.

FIG. 4 shows the structure of the developer conveying rotating member 3Y. The developer conveying rotating member 3Y includes a blade-like developer lifting portion 11a and an external screw 12 around the hollow shaft 11.
are integrally provided, and an internal screw 14 is provided within the hollow shaft 11. This internal screw 14 is provided integrally with the shaft 13. A developer inlet 15 is provided in the hollow shaft 11, and a developer outlet 16 is provided on the back side thereof.

As shown in FIG. 6, the hollow shaft 11 has a gear 1 on the outside thereof.
9 is integrally provided and is driven by a drive gear (not shown), so that the hollow shaft 11 is rotationally driven in the direction of the arrow in FIG. Further, the internal screw 14 is rotatably driven in the direction of the arrow in the figure via gears 19, 17, and 18, respectively.

In FIG. 4, the hollow shaft 11 of the developer conveying rotating member 3Y
When the and shaft 13 rotate, the developer is transferred to the external screw 12.
is carried in the direction of arrow a.

During this time, the developer passes through the developer inlet 15 into the hollow shaft 11.
It is then carried by the internal screw 14 in the direction indicated by the arrow, which is different from the above direction.

Then, the developer exiting the developer discharge port 16 is transported again in the direction of arrow a. In this way, the developer circulates inside and outside the hollow shaft 11 while being mixed with replenishment toner, which will be described later.

While the developer is transported from the developer discharge port 16 in the direction of arrow a, the developer is pumped up by the developer pumping section 11a and supplied to the developing roller 2Y (FIG. 3).

In FIG. 3, the portion of the developer conveyance rotating member 3Y on the near side in the drawing projects from the developer casing 4Y, as shown in FIG. That is, in FIG. 6, it protrudes to the left from the developing casing 4Y. On the other hand, the developing casing 4Y is mounted on the fixed support plate 21 which is held in an immovable state.
, 4M, and 4C are fixed, and a boss-shaped developer inflow/outflow tubular portion 21Y is integrally formed on the side surface opposite to the fixed surface, and the above-mentioned protruding portion of the developer conveyance rotation member 3Y is fixed. The tubular portion 21Y surrounds the. Note that the fixed support plate 21 has, as shown in FIG.
In addition to the tubular portion 21Y, there is a tubular portion 21M for the magenta developing device.
and a tubular portion 21C for a cyan developing device.

A collection port 54 is formed on the lower side of the developer casing Y, and a collection lid 55 that closes the collection port 54 is attached to a hinge portion 55.
It is attached so that it can be opened and closed using a as a fulcrum.

In FIG. 6, a toner replenishment device 30Y is connected to the developer inflow/outflow tubular portion 21Y, and agitators 26Y and 27Y are installed in a toner replenishment container (hereinafter referred to as toner replenishment container) 25Y of this replenishment device. By rotating these in the directions of the arrows as shown in FIG. 5, cross-linking of the toner in the toner container is prevented.

In FIGS. 5 and 6, the developing casing 4Y (third
When the toner density sensor 5Y (Fig. 3) detects that the toner density relative to the carrier of the developer in the toner container 25Y (Fig. The rollers 7Y are configured to rotate through appropriate transmission means such as gears.

When the toner supply roller 7Y rotates, the toner supply container 2
The yellow toner in 5Y is caused to fall by the roller 7Y, and this falling toner passes through the opening 22 and enters the tubular part 21.
It flows into Y. Next, the developer enters the hollow shaft 11 through the developer inlet 15 of the hollow shaft 11, and is conveyed in the direction of the arrow while being stirred with the developer by the internal screw 14.

In this way, toner is replenished. After that, as mentioned earlier, the developer is transferred to the developing roller 2Y (third
) while circulating inside and outside the hollow shaft 11.

In addition, in the magenta toner replenishing device 30M, the magenta toner stirred by the agitators 26M and 27M is transferred to the tubular portion 2 via the toner replenishing roller 7M in the same manner.
Resupplied within 1M.

Similarly, the cyan toner replenishing device 30C transfers cyan toner stirred by the agitators 26C and 27C to the tubular portion 21C via the toner replenishing roller 7C.
The toner is replenished inward, mixed with the developer, and conveyed by each developer conveying rotary member having the same structure as the developer conveying rotary member 3Y.

The toner replenishing devices f30Y, 30M, and 30C constitute a toner replenishing unit 60.

This is because the carrier in the developer deteriorates and its charging ability decreases, resulting in a decrease in image density.

It is necessary to replace the old carrier with a new carrier at regular intervals.

The carrier replacement work will be explained.

As shown in FIG. 6, open the collection lid 55 of the tubular part 21Y,
The developer transport rotating member 3Y is rotated to discharge the old carrier from the collection port 54, and after collecting it, the collection lid 55 is closed.

Next, remove the toner replenishing device 30Y and
expose.

Then, rotate the developer conveying rotating member 3Y, hold the container containing the new carrier in your hand, tilt the container, and insert the new carrier into the tubular portion 21Y from the opening 22 by adjusting the tilt of the container and adding an appropriate amount. supply

The carrier supplied into the tubular portion 21Y is conveyed by the developer rotation conveyance member 3Y.

(Problem to be Solved by the Invention) However, in the conventional carrier supply method, the new carrier container is tilted to supply it into the tubular part 21Y, so there is a risk that the carrier may be spilled outside the machine. . Especially in recent years, as copying machines have become smaller, the developing devices installed in them have also become smaller.
The opening 22 for supplying new carriers is also smaller. Furthermore, since a drive system and the like are arranged around the opening 22, it is difficult to supply a new carrier.
Therefore, there is a high risk of spilling the carrier.

Furthermore, it is difficult to finely adjust the amount of new carrier supplied, and the amount of carrier supplied may exceed the conveying capacity of the image agent conveying rotation member 3Y.

In such a case, a problem arises in that the rotational torque of the developer conveyance rotating member 3Y becomes extremely large.

Further, since the supply of the carrier is done completely manually, the work becomes complicated, especially in color developing devices, since the frequency of carrier replacement is high.

It is also possible to supply carriers into the current casing using an automatic supply device, but since the amount of carriers that can be supplied is determined by the conveyance capacity of the developer conveyance rotating member, even if an automatic supply device is used, , it is necessary to perform the work while adjusting the amount of carrier supply.

(Means for Solving the Problems) The present invention has been made in order to solve the above-mentioned conventional problems, and it is possible to reduce the electrostatic latent image formed on a photoreceptor by a developer consisting of toner and carrier. A developing device having a carrier discharge port for discharging the old carrier when developing and replacing the old carrier, a new carrier supply port for supplying the new carrier, and a carrier conveyance means for conveying the new carrier into the apparatus. In the carrier supply jig used for supplying the new carrier into the apparatus, the carrier supply jig includes a carrier input section into which the new carrier is input, and a cylinder top continuous to the carrier input section. and a pipe section that is inserted into the new carrier supply port of the developing device to supply the new carrier, and the diameter of the opening of this pipe section is such that the supplied carrier is conveyed by the carrier conveyance means. This is a carrier supply jig that is set so as not to exceed its capacity.

(Function) When supplying a new carrier to the developing device, if the carrier supply jig of the present invention is used, the diameter of the pipe portion is set to a predetermined size, so that the new carrier is transported by the carrier transport means. Supplied so as not to exceed capacity.

(Example) Embodiments of the present invention will be described below based on the drawings.

Since the developing device shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 has the same structure as the developing device shown in the conventional example, in this embodiment, the operation of supplying carrier to the developing device using a carrier supply jig will be explained. For the sake of explanation, the same reference numerals as in the conventional example are given to the structure of the developing device, and the explanation thereof will be omitted.

In the figure, reference numeral 50 indicates a carrier supply jig, and this carrier supply jig 50 includes a hopper part 50a as a carrier input part, a pipe part 5υb, and a cylindrical part attached to the lower part of the hopper part 50b. and a support portion 50c.

The diameter of the opening of the pipe portion 50b is approximately 6 mm, and the amount of carrier supplied from this gate (the amount of carrier per certain period of time
The amount of developer supplied to Y) is set so that it does not exceed the developer conveyance capacity (conveyance amount per fixed time) of 15 to 20 g/sec of the developer conveying rotating member 3Y as a carrier conveying means.

Note that there are different types of carriers, for example, amorphous or spherical ones, and each type has different fluidity. Therefore, when setting the amount of carrier supplied from the pipe section 50b to the tubular section 21Y per certain period of time, it is necessary to adjust the flow of the carrier. It is necessary to determine the diameter of the pipe portion 50b in consideration of the characteristics.

Further, since the conveying capacity of the developer conveying rotary member 3Y is determined by the type of carrier, the shape and rotation speed of the conveying rotary member 3Y, it is necessary to take these conditions into consideration when setting the conveying capacity.

Next, using the carrier supply jig 50, the current *device ioy is
This section explains the work to supply a new carrier to.

The recovery lid 55 of the tubular portion 21Y is opened as shown by the one-dot chain line, and the developer conveyance rotating member 3Y is rotated.

Developing equipment! Collect toner that has reached the end of its lifespan in ll0Y through the collection port 54.
The waste is discharged and recovered, and the recovery M55 is closed.

Next, the toner replenishing unit 6o shown in FIG. Fix it on the bag [10Y.

Then, a new carrier is introduced into the hopper portion 50a while the developer conveying rotating member 3Y is being rotated.

This new carrier passes through the pipe section 5ob to the developing device 3.
The developer is supplied into the developing agent Y and is conveyed by the developer conveying rotation member 3Y.

As mentioned above, the diameter of the opening of the vibrator 50b is set so that the amount of developer supplied does not exceed the conveying capacity of the developer conveying rotating member 3Y, so that the developer supplied into the device 3Y is transported through the opening. They are transported sequentially without being stagnated near 22.

(Effects of the Invention) As described above, if a new carrier is supplied to the developing device using the carrier supply jig of the present invention, the new carrier can be introduced into the carrier input section, so that the carrier will not be spilled. This eliminates the possibility of contaminating the area around the developing device.

In addition, the diameter of the opening of the pipe section of the carrier supply jig is set so that it does not exceed the transport capacity of the carrier transport means, so the newly supplied carriers become stagnant within the device, placing a large load on the transport means. is prevented.

Furthermore, the work of supplying new carriers can be performed easily and quickly.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

1 and 2 are diagrams showing a state in which a new carrier is supplied to a developing device using the carrier supply jig of the present invention, and FIG.
6 to 6 are diagrams showing conventional examples. 50...Carrier supply jig, 50a...Hopper part, 50b...Pipe part, 50c...Support part-〇Tomoe

Claims (1)

[Claims] a carrier discharge port for developing an electrostatic latent image formed on the photoreceptor with a developer consisting of toner and carrier and discharging the old carrier when replacing the old carrier;
a new carrier supply port for supplying a new carrier;
In a carrier supplying jig used for supplying the new carrier into the developing device having a carrier conveying means for conveying the new carrier into the device, the carrier supplying jig is configured to input the new carrier. It is composed of a carrier input section and a pipe section that is formed on a cylinder continuously from the input section and is inserted into a new carrier supply port of the developing device to supply new carrier, and the opening of this pipe section A carrier supplying jig, characterized in that the diameter of the carrier is set so that the carrier to be supplied does not exceed the transporting capacity of the carrier transporting means.