JPH06161245A - Toner cartridge for electrophotographic recorder - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To provide a toner cartridge without the futile use of toner by all supplying housed toner to a developing device. CONSTITUTION:A toner housing unit 12 housing the toner 28 is composed of a soft body capable of being expanded and contracted, an opening 18 is provided on one end and simultaneously, a fixing plate 15 is fixed. An outside rotary body 13 having a coil spring 25 is disposed outside the toner housing unit 12 and the coil spring 25 is restrained on the grooves 23 and 24 of the fixing plate 15. As the toner 28 is supplied, the toner housing unit 12 is rotated and the coil spring 25 is compressed to compress the toner housing unit 12.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a structure of a toner cartridge for containing a developing toner and supplying the toner to a developing section in an electrophotographic recording apparatus.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there is an electrophotographic recording apparatus in which a developing toner is accommodated in a cartridge-like container to supply the toner so that the toner can be easily replenished. FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing such a conventional toner cartridge.

In the figure, a toner cartridge 1 comprises a cylindrical body 2 which forms a container, and lids 3 and 4 which seal both ends of the cylindrical body 2. Toner as a developer is contained in the cylindrical body 2. A plurality of supply holes 5 are formed on the surface of the cylindrical body 2, and the toner is supplied from the supply holes 5 to the developing section of the apparatus.

A stirring member 6 is rotatably provided inside the cylindrical body 2 so as to be inscribed inside the cylindrical body 2.
A part of the stirring member 6 is fixed to the drive gear 7 by protruding from the substantially central portion of the lid 3 to the outside. Therefore, by rotating the drive gear 7, the stirring member 6 rotates.

The toner cartridge 1 is mounted on the electrophotographic recording apparatus, and the drive gear 7 is rotated by the drive means on the apparatus main body side to rotate the stirring member 6 to stir the toner and convey the toner to the supply hole 5. Supply to the device side.

[0006]

However, in the above-mentioned conventional toner cartridge, it is difficult to completely discharge all the toner in the toner cartridge from the supply hole, and there is a problem that the toner is wasted.

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide an excellent toner cartridge capable of supplying the stored toner to the apparatus without leaving any residual toner.

[0008]

[Means for Solving the Problems] First to solve the above problems
The toner cartridge according to the present invention has an expandable cylindrical container that has an opening at one end and the other end is sealed, and accommodates developing toner; and the cylindrical container is compressed from the other end side to open the toner. It is composed of a compression member for discharging from.

In the toner cartridge according to the second aspect of the invention, a container housing for housing the developing toner, an opening formed in the container housing for discharging the toner, and rotatable in the container housing. The disposed shaft-shaped member and the shaft-shaped member attached to the shaft-shaped member have a cross section substantially equal to the inner cross-sectional shape of the container housing, and the rotation of the shaft-shaped member causes the toner to move in the axial direction of the shaft-shaped member. The partition plate conveys to the opening.

[0010]

According to the first aspect of the invention, the cylindrical container containing the toner is compressed from the other end side by the compression member. An opening is provided at one end of the cylindrical container, and the toner is supplied from this opening to the apparatus side when the cylindrical container is compressed. By compressing the cylindrical container close to one end, the toner is supplied without remaining.

According to the second invention, when the shaft-shaped member is rotated, the partition plate moves in the direction of the opening formed in the housing of the container. Since the partition plate has a shape substantially equal to the inner cross-sectional shape of the housing of the container, the contained toner is pushed by the partition plate to move and is supplied to the apparatus main body side from the opening. Since the partition plate moves to the opening, all the toner contained therein is supplied to the apparatus main body side.

[0012]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. Note that elements common to the drawings are given the same reference numerals. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a toner cartridge of a first embodiment according to the present invention, and FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view showing the toner cartridge of the first embodiment.

In both figures, the toner cartridge 11 of the first embodiment comprises a toner container 12 and an outer rotary body 13. The toner container 12 also includes a soft body container 14 and a fixing plate 15. Soft body container 14
Is a bellows-shaped body portion 16 which is substantially cylindrical and is expandable and contractible in the longitudinal direction.
One end 17 has an opening 18 and the fixing plate 15 is fixed thereto, and the other end 19 is closed like a bag. The fixing plate 15 has a supply hole 20 for supplying toner to the apparatus.
Is formed, and projecting portions 21 and 22 are formed on the upper and lower sides. Grooves 23 and 2 are formed at the tips of the protrusions 21 and 22, respectively.
4 are formed. The widths of the grooves 23 and 24 are set to be slightly larger than the diameter of the coil spring 25 of the outer rotating body 13 which will be described later, and the coil spring 25 movably clamps the inside of the grooves 23 and 24.

The outer rotating body 13 is a cylindrical coil spring 2.
5 and a gear 26 fixed to one end of the coil spring 25.
And a pressing plate 27 fixed to the other end of the coil spring 25
Composed of and. The coil spring 25 is used for the toner container 1
The second soft body container 14 is formed so as to be substantially in contact with the body portion 16 of the second soft body container 14, and is compressed to compress the soft body container 14.
The gear 26 is rotatably supported by the fixed plate 15 of the toner container 12 so as to surround the supply hole 20. In addition, the pressing plate 27 fixed to the other end of the coil spring 25 surrounds the other end 19 of the soft body container 14 so as to surround the other end 19.
Is stuck to. Therefore, when the gear 26 rotates, the coil spring 25 compresses, and at the same time, the soft body container 1
Compress 4 as well.

Next, the toner supply operation of the first embodiment will be further described with reference to FIGS. 3 is a perspective view showing the cartridge mounting operation of the first embodiment, and FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing the cartridge mounting state of the first embodiment.

Toner container 1 of toner cartridge 11
The toner 28 is almost completely contained in the inside 2. Before the toner cartridge 11 is attached to the electrophotographic recording apparatus, the supply hole 20 of the fixing plate 15 is sealed with a seal or tape. In this state, the toner cartridge 11 is replaced by the electrophotographic recording device 3 as shown in FIG.
No. 0 developing unit 31 is mounted. At this time, the seal or tape sealing member is peeled off from the fixed plate 15.

A cartridge mounting portion 32 is formed in the developing portion 31 of the apparatus 30, and the cartridge accommodating portion 32 is formed.
The toner discharge port 33 is formed in the drive gear 3
4 are provided.

When the toner cartridge 11 is mounted on the cartridge mounting portion 32, the gear 2 on the cartridge 11 side is mounted.
6 meshes with the drive gear 34 on the device 30 side. Here, the drive gear 34 is driven by a drive means (not shown) on the device 30 side.
When rotated in the direction of arrow A, the gear 26 rotates in the direction of arrow B. As a result, the coil spring 25 of the outer rotating body 13
Moves in the grooves 23, 24 of the protrusions 21, 22 of the fixed plate 15 and rotates in the B direction. By this rotation, the coil spring 25 is compressed in the direction of arrow C, and at the same time, the holding plate 27 is also moved in the same direction, so that the toner plate 12 is pressed by the holding plate 27 and is also compressed in the same direction. When the toner container 12 is compressed, the toner contained therein is supplied from the toner supply hole 20 and the toner discharge port 33 to a developing unit (not shown).

By controlling the rotational drive of the drive gear 34 according to the amount of toner consumed, the toner can be consumed efficiently and stably. That is, if the developing unit 31 on the apparatus 30 side is provided with a detection sensor for detecting the toner consumption amount, and the drive gear 34 is rotated by the rotation amount corresponding to the consumption amount detected by the detection sensor, the toner amount is reduced. A stable supply is possible.

According to the first embodiment described above, not only the toner in the toner cartridge 11 is completely supplied, but also the following effects are obtained. That is, in this embodiment, since the outer shape of the cartridge itself changes as toner is supplied, the toner remaining amount in the cartridge can be easily grasped by observing this outer shape change, and the replacement time of the toner cartridge can be easily predicted. it can. In addition, when the empty toner cartridge is discarded, it can be disposed in a small size, so that there is an effect that the disposal place is not so large. Furthermore, when the coil spring of the empty toner cartridge is rotated in the opposite direction to when it is used, the toner container returns to its original size, so it is possible to refill it with new toner. Is.

Next, the toner cartridge of the second embodiment according to the present invention will be described. FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a toner cartridge of a second embodiment according to the present invention.

In FIG. 6, the toner cartridge 41 of the second embodiment has an outer case 42 having a rectangular cross section, and end plates 43 and 44 are fixed to both ends of the outer case 41 in a hermetically sealed state. Toner is stored in the outer case 41. An opening 46 is formed on the bottom surface 45 of the outer case 41.
Is formed, from which toner is supplied to the developing section of the apparatus. A stirring shaft 47 is rotatably mounted in the outer case 41. The stirring shaft 47 is a gable plate 43,
It is rotatably supported by 44 and has a gear 4 at one end thereof.
8 is attached.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing the stirring shaft of the second embodiment. In the figure, the stirring shaft 47 has a screw 50 processed at one end 49 and a screw 52 opposite to the screw 50 at the other end 51 with the center part as a boundary. A side plate 53 is provided at one end 49, and a side plate 5 having the same shape as the side plate 53 is provided at the other end 51.
4 are movably mounted along the shaft 47. That is, the side plates 53 and 54 move in the arrow EF direction by the rotation of the stirring shaft 47. The side plates 53, 54 are made of metal, resin, or the like, and their shape is substantially the same as the inner cross-sectional shape of the outer case 41 shown in FIG. Therefore, by the movement of the side plates 53, 54, the toner in the outer case is pushed and moves without remaining.

FIG. 7 is a sectional view showing a mounted state of the toner cartridge of the second embodiment, and FIG. 8 is an explanatory view showing a drive system for driving the stirring shaft of the second embodiment. In the figure,
The toner cartridge 41 is attached to the developing device 56 of the electrophotographic recording device 55. At this time, as shown in FIG.
The gear 48 of the stirring shaft 47 meshes with the gear 59 of the stirring shaft 58 of the developing device 56 via the idle gear 57. The stirring shaft 58 is rotatably arranged in the developing device 56, and has an electromagnetic clutch 60 attached to one end and a gear 61 attached to the other end. The electromagnetic clutch 60 connects and disconnects the rotation of the stirring shaft 58 with respect to the gear 59. Further, a magnetic sensor 62 for detecting the remaining amount of the toner 66 in the developing device 56 is attached to the developing device 56. A transport roller 63 and a developing roller 64 are further provided in the developing device 56 so that the toner 66 is transported to the photosensitive drum 65.

Next, the operation of the second embodiment will be described. When the electrophotographic recording device 55 performs the printing operation and the toner 66 in the developing device 56 runs low, the magnetic sensor 62 detects the near end of the toner 66. By this detection,
The electromagnetic clutch 60 is turned on, and the stirring shaft 58 is rotated by the gear 5
9 is transmitted. As a result, the gear 48 rotates and the stirring shaft 47 in the toner cartridge 41 rotates. The toner cartridge 41 is rotated by the rotation of the stirring shaft 47.
The inner side plates 53, 54 move toward the center of the shaft 47, respectively. When the side plates 53 and 54 move,
The toner 66 in the cartridge 47 is pushed while being stirred, moves toward the central opening 46, and drops from the opening 46 into the developing device 56. As a result, the toner 66 is supplied, but when the toner 66 is accumulated in the developing device 56 and the magnetic sensor 62 no longer detects the near end, the electromagnetic clutch 60 is turned off and the stirring shaft 58 is rotated by the gear 59.
Will not be transmitted to. Then, the rotation of the stirring shaft 47 in the toner cartridge 41 is stopped and the supply of the toner 66 is stopped.

By repeating the above operation, the toner 66 is stably supplied to the developing device 56 without remaining in the toner cartridge 41.

In the second embodiment, the toner cartridge 41 has a rectangular cross section, so that the amount of toner contained in the cartridge can be increased.

[0028]

As described in detail above, according to the present invention, an expandable and contractible cylindrical container having an opening at one end and a closed end at the other end and containing a developing toner is provided. Since the toner cartridge is composed of the compression member that compresses from the other end side and discharges the toner from the opening, the toner can be supplied without remaining.

Further, a container housing for housing the developing toner, an opening formed in the container housing for discharging the toner, and a shaft-shaped member rotatably disposed in the container housing. A partition plate which is attached to the shaft-shaped member and has a cross section substantially equal to the inner cross-sectional shape of the container housing and which moves in the axial direction of the shaft-shaped member by the rotation of the shaft-shaped member to convey the toner to the opening. Since the toner cartridge is configured from the above, similarly, the toner can be stably supplied without remaining.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating a toner cartridge according to a first exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view showing a toner cartridge according to a first exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view illustrating a mounting operation of the toner cartridge according to the first exemplary embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view illustrating a mounted state of the toner cartridge according to the first exemplary embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a toner cartridge of a second embodiment according to the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing a stirring shaft according to a second embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view showing a mounted state of the toner cartridge of the second embodiment.

FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram showing a drive system of a second embodiment.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing a conventional toner cartridge.

[Explanation of symbols]

 11 Toner Cartridge 14 Soft Container 15 Fixing Plate 18 Opening 25 Coil Spring 41 Toner Cartridge 42 Outer Case 46 Opening 47 Stirrer Shaft 53 Side Plate

 ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (72) Inventor Atsushi Kurabayashi 1-7-12 Toranomon, Minato-ku, Tokyo Oki Electric Industry Co., Ltd.

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. An expandable and contractible cylindrical container having an opening at one end and hermetically sealed at the other end and containing developing toner; and the cylindrical container is compressed from the other end side to discharge the toner from the opening. Toner cartridge for an electrophotographic recording device including a compressing member. 2. A container housing for housing developing toner, an opening formed in the container housing for discharging toner, and a shaft-shaped member rotatably arranged in the container housing. A partition plate that is attached to the shaft-shaped member and has a cross section substantially equal to the inner cross-sectional shape of the container housing and that moves in the axial direction of the shaft-shaped member by the rotation of the shaft-shaped member to convey toner to the opening. And a toner cartridge for an electrophotographic recording device.