JPH0635247Y2 - Copier developing device - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION <Industrial Application Field> The present invention relates to an electrostatic latent image formed on a photoconductor by exposure of an exposure lamp in an electrostatic transfer copying machine (including a laser printer), for example. The present invention relates to a developing device for transferring the developer to the.

<Prior Art> FIG. 6 shows a conventional developing device for a copying machine. This is a developing tank 2 having a developing roller 1, and a developer 3 in the developing tank 2.
And a developer replenishing tank 4 for replenishing (toner). A developer supply roller 5 is provided at the developer supply port 4a of the supply tank 4. The bottom plate 4b of the replenishment tank 4 is formed in an arc shape to form a developer storage space 6, and a developer stirring body 7 for stirring the developer 3 in the storage space 6 and sending it to the replenishment roller 5 is rotatable. It is provided in. The stirring body 7
The base end is fixed to the support shaft 8, and the tip end is formed with a scooping member 9 for sending the developer 3 to the replenishing roller 5 or a scraper made of a synthetic rubber material. Also,
The spindle 8 is located above the replenishing roller 5 in order to smoothly feed the developer 3 to the replenishing roller 5.

<Problems to be Solved by the Invention> In the developing device of the copying machine, there is the developer 3 that is not replenished to the replenishing roller 5 even if the agitator 7 rotates. The developer 3 is repeatedly compressed inside the replenishment tank 4 by the scooping member 9 of the stirring body 7, and gradually becomes a small lump. When the developer 3 in the form of lumps is replenished to the developing tank 2, it appears as black cores or shooting stars on the copy image. If it becomes a larger lump, there is a problem that the developer 3 remains in the replenishing tank 4 without being replenished in the developing tank 2.

In view of the above problems, an object of the present invention is to provide a developing device for a copying machine capable of obtaining a good image quality by preventing the developing tank from becoming clumped and reducing the unsupplyable developer in the replenishing tank. To do.

<Means for Solving Problems> The problem solving method according to the present invention is, as shown in FIGS. 3, 4 and 5, a developing tank 2 and a developing tank 2 which is arranged in parallel in the horizontal direction. A developer replenishing tank 4 for replenishing the developer 3 is provided, and a developer replenishing roller 5 is provided at a developer replenishing port 4a formed on the replenishing tank 4, and the developer 3 is replenished in the replenishing tank 4. A developer stirring body 7 for stirring and sending to the replenishing roller 5.
Is provided rotatably, and a scraping body 55 is provided on the upper side of the stirring body 7 and swings up and down in accordance with the rotation of the stirring body 7. One end of the stirring body 7 in the radial direction is the developer 3 Is a developer scooping member 20 for scooping and sending to the supply roller 5, the other end is a developer loosening member 21 for preventing the developer 3 from hardening, and the scraping body 55 is the developer scooping member. It serves as a member for scooping the developer 3 together with the member 20 and sending it to the replenishing roller 5.

<Operation> In the above problem solving means, when the stirring body 7 in the replenishment tank 4 rotates, the scooping member 55 rotates upward as the scooping member 20 of the stirring body 7 rotates, and the scooping member 55 rotates. The developer 3 is scooped together with 20 and sent to the supply roller 5. As a result, the developer 3 can be reliably supplied to the replenishment roller 5 located above the replenishment tank 4. The fed developer 3 adheres to the replenishing roller 5, and is replenished to the developing tank 2 from the replenishing port 4a by the rotation of the replenishing roller 5.

On the other hand, since the loosening member 21 rotates inside the replenishment tank 4 at the same time as the rake member 20 rotates, even if the developer 3 compressed by the rake member 20 without being able to ride on the replenishment roller 5 is loosened. It is loosened by the member 21 and becomes fine particles. As a result, the developer 3 that has been sufficiently loosened can be supplied to the supply roller 5.

<Embodiment> An embodiment of the developing device of the copying machine of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. First, a first embodiment of the present invention will be described based on the vertical sectional front view of FIG. 1 and the cross sectional plan view of FIG.

As shown in the drawing, the developing device in the first embodiment of the present invention includes a developing tank 2 having a developing roller 1, and a developing tank 2
Developer replenishing tank 4 for replenishing developer 3 (toner) with
It is equipped with

A developer replenishing roller 5 is provided at a developer replenishing port 4a of the replenishing tank 4, a bottom plate 4b of the replenishing tank 4 is formed in an arc shape, and a developer storage space 6 is formed. Three
A developer stirring body 7 for stirring and feeding the toner to the replenishing roller 5 is rotatably provided. Also, the supply port 4a
Is formed on the stirring plate rotating side of the bottom plate 4b.
Replenishing roller 5 by scooping developer 3 on one end in the radial direction of
A developer scooping member 20 to be sent to is provided, and a developer loosening member 21 for preventing the developer 3 from hardening is provided at the other end of the stirring body 7.

The developing tank 2 is disposed close to the photoconductor 25, and the developing roller 1 is rotatably supported on the photoconductor 25 side (left side) of the developing tank 2. A large-diameter stirring roller 26 is arranged next to the developing roller 1 on the replenishing tank 4 side (right side) of the developing roller 1.
Is rotatably supported, and a small-diameter stirring roller 27 is rotatably supported side by side on the replenishing tank 4 side of the large-diameter stirring roller 26.

A toner concentration sensor 28 is fixed to the bottom plate 2a of the developing tank 2 below the developing roller 1.

On the upper side of the developing roller 1, a doctor 29 that regulates the amount of the developer 3 attached to the developing roller 1 is provided on the top plate 2b of the developing tank 2.

An opening 30 for arranging the supply port 4a of the supply tank 4 is formed above the small diameter stirring roller 27.

The replenishing tank 4 is arranged in parallel with the developing tank 2 in the horizontal direction and is fixed with screws or the like.

A replenishment port 4a of the replenishment tank 4 is provided in the opening 30 and
4a is formed in the upper part of the left plate of the replenishing tank 4 (upper side of the developer storage space 6 and the developing tank 2 side).

The agitator 7 includes a support shaft 8 rotatably supported by the front and rear plates 35, 36 of the replenishment tank 4, and a support shaft 8 at the front and rear ends of the support shaft 8.
A pair of front and rear flat plate-shaped rotating bodies 37, 3 which are fitted and fixed orthogonally to
8 and the scooping member 20 formed to extend over one end of the rotary plates 37 and 38, and a coil-shaped spring material extended to the other end of the rotary plates 37 and 38 And a member 21.

The support shaft 8 is concentric with the arc center of the bottom plate 4b of the supply tank 4. The distance from the support shaft 8 to one end of the rotary plates 37, 38 and the distance from the support shaft 8 to the other end of the rotary plates 37, 38 are made substantially equal to the radius of the bottom plate 4b of the replenishment tank 4. It

The plate surface of the rake member 20 is arranged in the radial direction of the support shaft 8, and the rake member 20 is formed in an elongated plate shape. Further, the upper surface of the replenishment tank 4 is opened, and a lid 41 is arranged on the opening 40 of the replenishment tank 4.

The bottom plate 2a of the developing tank 2 and the bottom plate 4b of the replenishing tank 4 are at substantially the same level, and the top plate 2b of the developing tank 2 and the lid 41 are at substantially the same level.

A rotation driving means 42 for the stirring body 7 and the replenishing roller 5 is provided, and the rotation driving means 42 is mounted on the support shaft 8 of the stirring body 7 outside the replenishment tank 4 as shown in FIG. A gear 43, a replenishing roller side gear 44 that meshes with the stirring body side gear 43, a drive motor 45 for driving the stirring body side gear 43, and a drive motor 45 for transmitting the drive of the motor 45 to the stirring body side gear 43. It is composed of a motor side gear 46. Reference numeral 50 in FIG. 1 denotes a mounting plate on which the developing tank 2 and the replenishing tank 4 are mounted.

Next, the operation will be described. Replenishment tank 4 (developer storage space 6)
The developer 3 therein is scooped up to the replenishment roller 5 by the rotation of the stirring body 7, that is, the scooping member 20 of the stirring body 7. Then, the developer 3 adheres to the replenishing roller 5, is scraped off by the edge 51 of the replenishing tank 4 by the rotation of the replenishing roller 5, and is replenished to the developing tank 2 from the replenishing port 4a.

However, the developer 3 that could not run over the toner replenishing roller 5 is returned to the replenishing tank 4 by the scooping member 20 as it is by the rotation of the agitator 7. At this time, since the disentangling member 21 moves in the developer storage space 6 after the scooping member 20, the developer 3 that could not fully ride on the toner replenishing roller 5 remains in the disentanglement member 21 even if compressed by the scooping member 20. Be loosened. Therefore, since the developer 3 is loosened by the loosening member 21 and is always formed into fine particles, good image quality can be obtained.

Further, since the scooping member 20 scoops the developer 3 onto the replenishing roller 5, the ability to replenish the developer 3 to the developing tank 2 does not decrease.

Further, since the replenishment port 4a is formed in the upper portion of the replenishment tank 4, the developing tank 2 and the replenishment tank 4 can be arranged side by side as shown in the figure. It is possible to reduce the vertical space of the main body A of the developing tank.

Next, a second embodiment of the present invention is shown in FIG.
A description will be given based on a cross-sectional plan view of the drawing and a vertical sectional front view for explaining the operation of FIG.

Further, as shown in the drawing, the developing device in the second embodiment of the present invention is such that the replenishing roller 5 can be provided at an arbitrary position of the replenishing tank 4. That is, in the second embodiment of the present invention, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 5, the scraping member 5 is swingably supported by the front and rear plates 35 and 36 of the developing tank 2 above the stirring member 7.
Five are provided. The scraper 55 has short shafts 56, 57 for supporting the scraper 55 arranged on the right side of the front and rear plates 35, 36.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the scraping body 55 includes a pair of front and rear rocking plates 58 and 59 whose base ends are fixed to the short shafts 56 and 57, and the rocking plates 58 and 59.
A scraping member 60 having a tip portion 60a that is passed over the tip of 59.
It consists of and.

The front-back width of the scraping member 60 is slightly longer than the front-back width of the scooping member 20.

Then, the scraping member 60 is constituted by the rotating plates 37, 38 of the stirring body 7.
It is placed in. A space 61 is formed between the scraping member 60 and the short shafts 56 and 57 to allow the stirring body 7 to rotate.

Further, on the upper side of the developer replenishing roller 5, a developer storage portion 62 for storing the developer 3 is formed. The other structure is similar to that of the first embodiment.

In the above configuration, the scooping member 20 is the developer storage space 6
The developer 3 is scooped up and comes into contact with the scraping member 60 at the position shown in A of the figure, and further the tip portion 60a of the scraping member 60 makes the tip 8a of the scooping member 20 side while rotating from the position B to the position C. The developer 3 on the scooping member 20 moves to the scraping member 60 because it moves to the outer end side more in the radial direction. And the lifting member 60
Is lifted by the agitator 7, and the developer 3 on the scraping member 60 is sent to the upper side of the replenishing roller 5.

When the scooping member 20 further rotates from the position C, the scraping member 60 falls by its own weight and hits the support shaft 8 to stop at the position A, and when the agitator 7 makes a half rotation, the above-described operation is performed again.

Further, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 5, the replenishment roller 5 is rotating counterclockwise, and the developer 3 sent by the scraping member 60 is transferred to the developer reservoir 62 on the upper side of the replenishment roller 5. Collect. Then, in the next rotation cycle of the stirring body 7, the developer 3 accumulated in the developer reservoir 62 is replenished in the developer tank 2 until the developer 3 is sent to the developer reservoir 62 again, and the developer 3 A stable supply is possible.

Further, even if the developer 3 is compressed by the scooping member 20, since it is loosened by the loosening member 21, a high quality image can be obtained.

Thus, by providing the scraping body 55 swingably supported on the upper side of the stirring body 7, the replenishment roller 5 can be arranged at an arbitrary position of the replenishment tank 4, thus saving the developing device main body. Space can be created.

It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and it goes without saying that many modifications and changes can be made to the above embodiments within the scope of the present invention.

For example, the loosening member 21 is not limited to the spring shape, but may be formed in a screw shape.

<Effect of Device> As is apparent from the above description, according to the present invention, the scraper scoops the developer together with the developer scooping member to reliably supply the developer to the replenishing roller located above the replenishing tank. You can In addition, the developer loosening member can sufficiently loosen the developer in the replenishing tank to form fine particles at all times. As a result, it is possible to reliably supply the developer that has been sufficiently loosened to the replenishing roller, and it is possible to obtain excellent image quality when good image quality can be obtained during development.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a vertical sectional front view of a developing device of a copying machine showing a first embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a transverse plan view of the same, and FIG. 3 is a developing device of a copying machine showing a second embodiment of the present invention. Vertical front view of
FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional plan view of the same, FIG. 5 is a vertical sectional front view for explaining the same operation, and FIG. 6 is a vertical sectional front view of a developing device of a conventional copying machine. 1: developing roller, 2: developing tank, 3: developer, 4: developer replenishing tank, 4a: developer replenishing port, 4b: bottom plate, 5: developer replenishing roller, 6: storage space, 7: developer stirring Body, 20: developer scooping member, 21: developer loosening member.

Claims (1)

[Scope of utility model registration request] 1. A developer replenishing port formed on an upper part of the replenishing tank, comprising a developing tank and a developer replenishing tank which is arranged in parallel in the developing tank in a horizontal direction to replenish the developer. Is provided with a developer replenishing roller, and a developer agitator for agitating the developer in the replenishing tank and sending it to the replenishing roller is rotatably provided. A scooping body that swings vertically is provided, and one end in the radial direction of the agitator is a developer scooping member that scoops the developer and sends it to the supply roller, and the other end prevents the developer from solidifying. A developing device for a copying machine, wherein the scraping body is a member for scooping the developer together with the developer scooping member and sending the developer to the supply roller.