JPH04350872A - Toner replenishing device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To effectively break down heaped toner in a hopper formed by falling from a cartridge and to roughly uniformize it when the toner is replenished to the hopper. CONSTITUTION:A uniformizing member 29 is operated a multiple number of times along with attaching/detaching operation in the directions of arrows 19b and 19a of the cartridge 4 against the hopper 3 and the opening/closing operation in the directions of the arrows 19a and 19b of a shutter 18 of the cartridge 4. Thus, the heaped toner formed in a hopper housing 11 of the hopper 3 is effectively broken down and roughly uniformized.

Description

[Detailed description of the invention]

0001

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a toner replenishing device for replenishing toner to a toner hopper of a developing device provided in an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine.

0002

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, this type of toner replenishing device is known, for example, as disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 59-34564. In the apparatus disclosed in the above-mentioned publication, a cartridge containing toner is removably installed in an opening provided at the top of a hopper. The toner contained in the cartridge is replenished into the hopper through a replenishment port provided at the bottom of the cartridge and a storage port provided at the opening of the hopper. At this time, as the shutter provided at the replenishment port of the cartridge opens, a leveling member protruding downward from the opening of the hopper moves in the same direction as the shutter. The toner replenished into the hopper is leveled by this leveling member.

0003

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] However, in the conventional toner replenishing device configured as described above, the leveling member moves almost in conjunction with the shutter only when the shutter is opened. Since the toner is configured to break down and level the mounds of toner that have fallen from the cartridge and built up in the hopper using a member, there is a problem in that a sufficient leveling effect cannot be obtained. This is particularly noticeable when a large amount of toner lumps fall from the cartridge toward the hopper with a time delay after the shutter is opened and the leveling member completes its operation. Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a function that can effectively break down the bulge of toner that has built up in the hopper and make it almost uniform by making it possible to operate a plurality of leveling members as described above. An object of the present invention is to provide a toner replenishing device equipped with the following.

0004

[Means for Solving the Problems] In order to achieve the above object, the main means adopted by the present invention is that a cartridge containing toner can be removed through an opening provided at the top of a hopper. and replenishing the toner contained in the cartridge into the hopper through a replenishment port provided at the bottom of the cartridge and a storage port provided in the opening of the hopper;
In the toner replenishing device, the toner replenishing device is configured to operate a leveling member protruding downward from the opening to level the toner in the hopper, and the toner replenishing device is slidably provided at the bottom of the cartridge, and the toner replenishing device An opening/closing means for opening and closing the mouth, and a means for opening and closing the cartridge, which is provided at the opening of the hopper, and extends parallel to the opening/closing direction of the opening/closing means from the engagement/disengagement position of the cartridge to the mounting position where the supply opening and the storage opening face each other. and a guide means for slidingly guiding the leveling member, supporting the leveling member so as to be movable in parallel to the opening/closing direction of the opening/closing means, and connecting the opening/closing unit and the leveling member at the engagement/disengagement position of the cartridge. In the toner replenishing device, the toner replenishing device is removably engaged, and the leveling member is operated in accordance with the attachment/detachment operation of the cartridge to/from the opening and the opening/closing operation of the opening/closing means.

[0005]

[Operation] In the toner replenishing device according to the present invention, a plurality of leveling members are operated in conjunction with the operation of attaching and detaching the cartridge to and from the opening of the hopper and the opening and closing operations of the opening/closing means. The bulge is effectively cut down and almost evened out.

[0006]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Examples embodying the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings to provide an understanding of the present invention. It should be noted that the following examples are examples of embodying the present invention, and are not intended to limit the technical scope of the present invention. Here, FIG. 1 is an external perspective view of a hopper constituting a toner replenishing device according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a front sectional view in FIG. 1, FIG. 3 is a plan view of main parts in FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 is a side sectional view, FIG. 5 is a front sectional view of the cartridge constituting the toner replenishing device, FIG. 6 is a side sectional view of the cartridge, and FIG. 7 is a side sectional view of FIG. 2 with the cartridge installed in the hopper. 8 is a plan view of the main part in FIG. 7, and FIG. 9 shows a leveling member according to another embodiment that can be attached to the hopper, where (A) is a plan view and (B) is a plan view of the main part in FIG. (A) is a cross-sectional view taken along the line A-A', (C) is a front view taken in (A), (D) is a cross-sectional view taken along line B-B' in (A), and Figures 10 to 14 are for the above hopper. FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing an operating procedure for attaching and detaching the cartridge.

The toner replenishing device according to this embodiment is shown in FIG.
~As shown in FIG. 8, a hopper 3 of a developing device 2 disposed close to the surface of the photoreceptor drum 1 and a hopper 3 for storing toner;
The cartridge 4 is removably attached to the upper part of the hopper 3. The developing device 2 has a mixing roller 6, a stirring paddle 7, a developing sleeve 8, a cutting plate 9, a partition plate 10, etc. inside the developing housing 5. , a hopper housing 11 constituting the hopper 3 is also provided. Inside the hopper housing 11, there are a plurality of toner feeding members 12, 13, 14 and a toner supply roller 1.
It has a rank of 5. In the cartridge 4, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the shutter 18 that opens and closes the toner supply port 17 opened at the bottom of the cartridge body 16 is equipped with a handle 18a and is slidable in the directions of arrows 19a and 19b. It is deployed in A pair of protrusions 20, 20 are provided on both sides of the closed end of the shutter 18 to protrude downward. The protrusion 20 engages with a leveling member, which will be described later, and is used to operate the leveling member when the cartridge 4 is attached to and removed from the hopper 3 and when the shutter 18 is opened and closed. A pair of protrusions 21, 21 are provided on the lower surface side of the cartridge main body 16 at a position adjacent to the replenishment port 17, projecting downward. The protrusion 21 has the function of unlocking the opening/closing lid of the hopper 3, which will be described later, and opening the opening/closing lid as the cartridge 4 is mounted. In the hopper 3, as shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, an opening 22 is formed in the upper part of the hopper housing 11, and an accommodation opening 23 for accommodating the toner in the cartridge 4 is formed in the opening 22. has been done.

On both sides of the opening 22 in the longitudinal direction, a pair of rails 24, 24 are provided which are approximately L-shaped in cross-section.
are arranged so as to face each other, and the above-mentioned opening/closing lid 25 for opening and closing the above-mentioned storage opening 23 is fitted into the rails 24, 24 so as to be slidable in the directions of arrows 19a and 19b. A protrusion 26 for positioning when installing the cartridge 4 in the hopper 3 is formed on one end side of the upper surface of the opening/closing lid 25.
5 is locked by a pair of hooks 27, 27 at its closed end when the housing opening 23 is in a closed state. The hooks 27, 27 are formed of, for example, a plate spring member, and are elastically movable in the vertical direction. When the cartridge 4 is installed in the opening 22, the hooks 27, 27 are pushed downward by the protrusions 21, 21 of the cartridge 4, so that the ends of the hooks 27, 27 and the opening/closing lid 25 are pushed downward. The opening/closing lid 25 becomes movable in the direction of the arrow 19b. In this state, the opening/closing lid 25 is opened by being pushed in the direction of arrow 19b by the protrusions 21, 21. Rail 2 above
Reference numerals 4 and 24 are attached to the cartridge so that the protrusions 20 and 21 can enter the hopper 3 side and allow the cartridge 4 to be engaged and disengaged only when the shutter 18 is in a closed state with respect to the cartridge 4. It is opened corresponding to the engagement/disengagement position of 4, and the opening/closing direction of the shutter 18 (
The cartridge 4 is inserted into the opening 22 of the hopper 3 in parallel with the directions of arrows 19a and 19b from the engagement/disengagement position of the cartridge 4 to the mounting position where the replenishment port 17 of the cartridge 4 and the accommodation port 23 of the hopper 3 face each other. It also acts as a sliding guide in a state where it cannot be removed from the shaft.

A pair of rails 28, 28 extend below the rails 24, 24 in parallel with the rails 24, 24, and the above-mentioned leveling member 29 is attached to the rails 28, 28. It is slidably fitted. The leveling member 29 is provided to protrude downward from the opening 22, and has the function of breaking down and leveling the bulge of toner that has fallen from the cartridge 4 and built up in the hopper 3. The leveling member 29 has an opening 29a for toner passage in the center thereof. Furthermore, this leveling member 29 is configured so that, during reciprocating motion, the toner that has been cut off can be actively swept away in the right direction in FIG. 3 where the popper 3 has a relatively wide space (toner supply roller 15 side in FIG. 2). Both side surfaces in a direction substantially perpendicular to the direction of movement are formed to be inclined so that the right side in the direction of movement lags behind the left side. As a result, the toner can be more evenly distributed inside the hopper 3, and the toner can also be prepared around the toner supply roller 15. The leveling member 29 is operated by engaging with the protrusion 20 provided on the cartridge 4 as described above, but the leveling member 29 and the protrusion 20 are connected to the cartridge 4.
The engagement holes 29b, 29b for engagement with the protrusion 20 of the leveling member 29 are formed from the ends of the rails 24, 24 so that they can be releasably engaged only when the leveling member 29 is in its engagement and disengagement position. It is designed to open at a position that is out of the way (see Figure 1).

In this case, it is also possible to use a leveling member 30 as shown in FIG. 9 instead of the leveling member 29 as described above. In the leveling member 30, as shown in the figure,
It has an opening 30a for toner passage in the center thereof, and both side surfaces of the opening 30a in a direction substantially perpendicular to the moving direction are formed parallel to each other and inclined at a predetermined angle when viewed from above. Therefore, when the leveling member 30 is used to cut down the bulges of toner, the toner is swept away in opposite directions in the forward and backward movements, and the toner can be leveled more effectively. Further, the opening 22 of the hopper 3 is provided with a regulating portion 31 that engages with a portion of the leveling member 29 to restrict the operating range of the leveling member 29. Above regulation part 3
1 is the cartridge 4 via the leveling member 29.
When engaged with the rails 24, 24, the shutter 18 functions to restrict movement of the shutter 18 beyond the area corresponding to the storage opening 23 of the hopper 3. The toner replenishing device according to this embodiment is configured as described above.

Next, the procedure for attaching and detaching the cartridge 4 to the hopper 3 will be explained with reference to FIGS. 10 to 14. First, when the accommodation opening 23 of the hopper 3 is closed by the opening/closing lid 25 and the opening/closing lid 25 is engaged with the hook 27, the cartridge 4 is closed.
are positioned so that the protrusions 20, 21 correspond to the engagement holes 29b of the leveling member 29 and the hooks 27 (see FIG. 10),
Push the cartridge 4 downward so that the end of the cartridge body 16 is along one end of the protrusion 26 of the opening/closing lid 25 (see FIG. 11). As a result, the opening/closing lid 25 is disengaged from the hook 27 and can be opened, and the leveling member 29 can be moved together with the cartridge body 16 and the shutter 18. In this state, by moving the cartridge body 16 in the direction of arrow 19b (
(See FIG. 12), when the opening/closing lid 25 is opened, the leveling member 29 is also moved in the direction of the arrow 19b.

Next, as shown in FIG. 13, the handle 18a
By grasping the cartridge and moving the shutter 18 in the direction of the arrow 19a, the replenishment port 17 of the cartridge 4 is sequentially opened from the left side in the figure. Along with this, the hopper housing 11 is separated from the cartridge main body 16.
It falls through the opening of the supply port 17 and the opening 29a of the leveling member 29 toward the hopper housing 1.
1, a bulge of toner is sequentially formed. A portion of it is leveled by the leveling member 29, which moves as the shutter 18 is opened. and,
As shown in FIG. 14, when the shutter 18 is fully opened, the toner contained in the cartridge body 16 is completely dropped into the hopper housing 11 by hitting the outer surface of the cartridge body 16, etc. . By moving the shutter 18 in the direction of arrow 19b from this state, the replenishment port 17 of the cartridge main body 16 is closed, and the leveling member 29, which moves together with the shutter 18, is used to remove the hopper housing.
The bulge of toner inside 1 is broken down and leveled out. Then, the replenishment port 17 of the cartridge main body 16
When the cartridge main body 16 is completely closed by the shutter 18 (see FIG. 12), the cartridge main body 16 is
By moving the hopper 3 in the direction a, the accommodation opening 23 of the hopper 3 is closed by the opening/closing lid 25 that is moved due to the engagement between the cartridge main body 16 and the protrusion 26, and the cartridge is closed. 4 reaches a position where it can be removed from the hopper 3 (see Figure 11).
. At this time, since the leveling member 29 is also moved as the cartridge 4 is moved, the toner in the hopper housing 11 is leveled more effectively. That is, in the toner replenishing device according to the present embodiment, as described above, when replenishing toner to the hopper 3, the leveling member Since a plurality of toners 29 are necessarily operated, it is possible to effectively break down the bulge of toner that is formed by falling from the cartridge 4 into the hopper 3 and make it almost uniform. At this time, the upper part of the raised toner rides up the side surface and is leveled so that it is circulated through the opening 29a, so the fluidity of the toner can be maintained and the popper 3
The effect of preventing toner blocking inside can also be obtained.

Furthermore, in the apparatus of this embodiment, since the cartridge 4 can be attached to and detached from the hopper 3 only when the shutter 18 is in the closed state, the cartridge 4 can be attached to and detached from the hopper 3 with a simple mechanical improvement. It is possible to prevent leakage of toner from. Note that in the above configuration, when the shutter 18 is in the open state,
Even if the cartridge main body 16 is moved in the direction of the arrow 19a along the rails 24, 24 in an attempt to remove the cartridge 4 by mistake, the shutter 18 is prevented from moving by the regulating portion 31 via the leveling member 29. Therefore, when the cartridge main body 16 reaches the engagement/disengagement position where it can be detached from the hopper 3, the replenishment port 17 of the cartridge 4 is inevitably closed by the shutter 18. As a result, even if an attempt is made to remove the cartridge 4 by mistake, the replenishment port 1 of the cartridge 4
7 is always closed by a shutter 18.

[0014]

Effects of the Invention As described above, the present invention is such that a cartridge containing toner is removably installed in an opening provided at the upper part of a hopper, and the toner contained in the cartridge is transferred to the lower part of the cartridge. The hopper is replenished through a replenishment port provided in the hopper and a storage port provided in the opening of the hopper, and a leveling member protruding downward from the opening is operated to reduce the amount of water in the hopper. In a toner replenishing device for leveling the toner, an opening/closing means is provided slidably at the bottom of the cartridge and opens and closes the replenishment port, and an opening/closing means is provided at the opening of the hopper and is configured to control the opening/closing direction of the opening/closing means. and guide means for slidingly guiding the cartridge from an engagement/disengagement position of the cartridge to a mounting position where the replenishment port and the storage port face each other in parallel with the leveling member. The cartridge is supported so as to be movable in parallel, and the opening/closing means and the leveling member are releasably engaged at the engaging/disengaging position of the cartridge, and the opening/closing means is adapted to be attached/detached to/from the opening of the cartridge and to open/close of the opening/closing means. Since this toner replenishing device is characterized in that the leveling member is operated accordingly, a plurality of leveling members can be operated when replenishing toner. the result,
It is possible to effectively break down the bulge of toner that has built up in the hopper and make it almost uniform.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an external perspective view of a hopper that constitutes a toner replenishing device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[Fig. 2] A front cross-sectional view in Fig. 1.

[Fig. 3] A plan view of the main parts in Fig. 1.

FIG. 4 is a side sectional view in FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is a front sectional view of a cartridge constituting the toner replenishing device.

FIG. 6 is a side sectional view of the cartridge.

FIG. 7 is a view corresponding to FIG. 2 with the cartridge attached to the hopper.

FIG. 8 is a plan view of the main parts in FIG. 7.

FIG. 9 shows a leveling member according to another embodiment that can be attached to the hopper, in which (A) is a plan view and (B) is a leveling member according to another embodiment.
) is a sectional view taken along the line A-A' in (A), and (C) is a cross-sectional view taken along the arrow A-A' in (A).
), and (D) is a sectional view taken along the line B-B' in (A).

FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing the operating procedure for attaching and detaching the cartridge to and from the hopper.

FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram showing the operating procedure for attaching and detaching the cartridge to and from the hopper.

FIG. 12 is an explanatory diagram showing the operating procedure for attaching and detaching the cartridge to and from the hopper.

FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram showing the operating procedure for attaching and detaching the cartridge to and from the hopper.

FIG. 14 is an explanatory diagram showing the operating procedure for attaching and detaching the cartridge to and from the hopper.

[Explanation of symbols]

3...Hopper 4...Cartridge 11...Hopper housing 16...Cartridge body 17... Supply port 18...Shutter 20, 21...protrusion 22...Opening 23...Accommodation port 24, 28...Rail 25...Opening/closing lid 27...Hook 29, 30... Leveling member 29b...Engagement hole 31...Regulatory Department

Claims (1)

[Claims] Claim 1: A cartridge containing toner is removably installed in an opening provided at the top of a hopper, and the toner contained in the cartridge is transferred to a replenishment port provided at the bottom of the cartridge and into the hopper. Toner supply is supplied to the hopper through a storage port provided in the opening, and a leveling member protruding downward from the opening is operated to level the toner in the hopper. In the apparatus, an opening/closing means is slidably provided at the bottom of the cartridge and opens and closes the replenishment port, and an opening/closing means is provided at the opening of the hopper and is arranged in an engaging/disengaging position of the cartridge parallel to the opening/closing direction of the opening/closing means. a guide means for slidingly guiding the cartridge from the replenishment port to a mounting position where the replenishment port and the storage port face each other; The opening/closing means and the leveling member are removably engaged in the engagement/disengagement position of the cartridge, and the leveling member is operated in accordance with the operation of attaching/detaching the cartridge to/from the opening and the opening/closing operation of the opening/closing means. A toner replenishing device characterized by: