JPH07333966A - Image forming device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To easily and speedily replenish toner even in the course of recording by exposing a part of toner tank from the case of a main body and constituting the toner tank so as to be cylindrical. CONSTITUTION:At least a part of the toner tank 600 attached to the main body 100 is exposed from the case of the main body 100 at the position other than the moving passage of recording paper. The toner tank 600 is constituted so as to be of cylindrical and is attached/detached to/from the main body 100 by turning it around its axial line. The toner tank can be detached by holding the exposed part 600A since at least one part is exposed from the main body case 101 with the whole attached to the main body 100. Thus the need to open/ close the cover of the case of the device main body at the time of tone replenishment is eliminated. Also, since the toner tank 600 is constituted so as to be cylindrical and to be attachable/detachable to/from the main body 100 by turning it around its axial line, the toner can easily and speedily be replenished.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus.
More specifically, electrophotography, ionography,
The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus such as a printer, a copying machine, and a facsimile, which forms an image on a recording sheet by using a toner by a magnetic recording method or the like, and particularly, can easily and promptly replenish the toner during a recording operation. The present invention relates to the image forming apparatus.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As a conventional image forming apparatus, there is known one that adopts one of the following two types when roughly classified from the viewpoint of toner supply.

In the first type, as disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 59-61850, a photosensitive member and a developing device, a cleaning device and the like arranged around the photosensitive member are integrated as a cartridge, In this type, a considerable amount of toner is stored in advance in the cartridge and the cartridge is replaced when the toner runs out.

The second type, as disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 59-38460, is a type in which only the consumed toner is replenished without replacing the photosensitive member or the developing device.

In the image forming apparatus using the first type, when the toner is used up, the cartridge in which the developing device and the like are integrated is replaced, so that the operability at the time of replacement is excellent. However, there is a problem that the developing device etc. which can still be fully used will be replaced, which is uneconomical and wastes resources.

On the other hand, when the second type is used, only the consumed toner has to be replenished, and therefore, in order to improve the economical efficiency and resource saving, this second type is used. It is desirable to use.

However, in general, in the image forming apparatus using the second type, when replenishing the toner, the cover of the apparatus body case is opened to perform the replenishing work. However, it was complicated and time-consuming.

On the other hand, in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication (Kokai) No. 5-19548, as shown in FIG. 16, a main body 1 in which a lower main body 2 and an upper main body 3 are vertically rotatably connected is provided with a photosensitive member and a developing unit. In the electrophotographic apparatus provided with a plurality of process units including the toner cartridge 8, an opening 23 for projecting the toner cartridge 20 is formed in the upper opening of the toner container 19 of the developing unit 8.

According to such an apparatus, the capacity of the toner cartridge 20 is increased without increasing the size of the upper main body 3 to increase the toner replenishment charge per time, and the main body 1 is downsized. And the upper body 3
It is possible to easily attach and detach the toner cartridge 20 with the closed state.

[0010]

However, in the apparatus described in the above-mentioned Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 19548/1993, the recording paper discharged from the paper discharge port 22 is discharged on the paper receiving tray 13 of the main body 1 and the upper surface of the toner cartridge 20. Since the structure is supported in a stable state with the paper surface 21, there is a problem that the toner cartridge 20 cannot be replaced during the recording operation, that is, the toner cannot be supplied.

Therefore, for example, when a message of toner end (no toner) is displayed during the continuous recording operation on a large number of sheets, the recording operation is temporarily stopped and the toner cartridge 20 is removed. After the replacement, the recording operation had to be performed again, and there was a problem that the operation was troublesome and inefficient.

An object of the present invention is to solve the above problems and to provide an image forming apparatus capable of simply and quickly replenishing toner even during a recording operation.

[0013]

In order to achieve the above object, an image forming apparatus according to a first aspect of the present invention has a main body for forming an image on a recording sheet with toner, and a state in which the main body is attached to and detached from the main body. And an image forming apparatus including a toner tank for supplying toner to the main body, wherein at least a part of the toner tank mounted on the main body is exposed outside the case of the main body outside the movement path of the recording paper. It is characterized by being

An image forming apparatus according to a second aspect is the image forming apparatus according to the first aspect.
In the image forming apparatus described above, the toner tank has a columnar shape, and is attached to and detached from the main body by rotating about the axis thereof.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided the image forming apparatus according to the first aspect.
Alternatively, in the image forming apparatus described in the item 2, at least a part of the toner tank is transparent.

The image forming apparatus according to claim 4 is the image forming apparatus according to claim 3.
The image forming apparatus described above is characterized in that a cleaning member is provided inside the toner tank, the cleaning member being activated by being driven by the main body and cleaning an inner wall surface of the transparent portion.

The image forming apparatus according to claim 5 is the image forming apparatus according to claim 4.
In the image forming apparatus described above, the cleaning member is composed of an agitator that agitates the toner inside the toner tank.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the image forming apparatus according to the second, third, fourth, or fifth aspect, the main body of the toner tank is rotated at the end of the rotation operation when the toner tank is mounted. The toner tank is provided with an agitator inside which is driven by the main body to rotate and agitates the toner in the toner tank. It is characterized in that the direction and the rotating direction at the time of the toner tank mounting operation are the same.

[0019]

According to the image forming apparatus of the present invention, the toner tank is attached to and detached from the main body, and at least a part of the toner tank is exposed to the outside of the case of the main body when the toner tank is attached to the main body. It is possible to carry out the attaching and detaching operation while holding the part.

Therefore, according to this image forming apparatus,
It is not necessary to open and close the cover of the apparatus body case when replenishing the toner, and the toner can be replenished easily and quickly.

Moreover, since the exposed portion of the toner tank is exposed outside the case of the main body outside the movement path of the recording paper, it is possible to replenish toner without stopping the recording operation even during the recording operation. it can.

That is, the toner can be replenished while performing the image forming operation on the recording paper.

According to the image forming apparatus of the second aspect, in the image forming apparatus of the first aspect, the toner tank has a cylindrical shape, and is attached to and detached from the main body by rotating about the axis thereof. With the configuration, the toner tank replacement work can be performed more easily.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the image forming apparatus according to the first or second aspect, since at least a part of the toner tank is transparent, the amount of toner remaining in the toner tank is visually checked. be able to. Therefore, it is not always necessary to provide a sensor for detecting the remaining amount of toner, and the toner tank can be promptly replaced when the toner is exhausted in the toner tank.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the image forming apparatus according to the third aspect, the inside of the toner tank is actuated by being driven by the main body, and the inner wall surface of the transparent portion is operated. Since the cleaning member for cleaning the toner is provided, the amount of toner remaining in the toner tank can be easily and surely visually confirmed.

According to the image forming apparatus of the fifth aspect, in the image forming apparatus of the fourth aspect, the cleaning member is
Since the agitator for stirring the toner inside the toner tank is used, it is not necessary to provide a cleaning member separately from the agitator, and the structure of the toner tank can be simplified.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the image forming apparatus according to the second, third, fourth or fifth aspect, the toner tank is rotated by being driven by the main body. Since the agitator for stirring the toner in the toner tank is provided, the blocking of the toner can be prevented and the replenishment of the toner from the toner tank can be facilitated.

Further, the main body is provided with a restricting portion for restricting the end of the rotating operation of the toner tank at the time of mounting the toner tank, and the rotation direction of this agitator and the rotation at the time of mounting the toner tank. Since the directions are the same, the toner tank is urged in the mounting direction by the rotation of the agitator. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the toner tank from coming off the main body without necessarily providing a special lock mechanism.

[0029]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

<First Embodiment> FIG. 1 is an external perspective view of an electrophotographic printer showing a first embodiment of an image forming apparatus according to the present invention, FIG. 2 is a front view, and FIG. 3 is a plan view. FIG. 4 is a sectional view.

In these drawings, reference numeral 100 denotes a printer main body, and a case 101 has a paper feed roller 10 in its case 101.
2, an optical unit 110, an image forming unit 200, a fixing unit 120, and a paper discharge roller 103 are provided. Note that the image forming unit 200 is schematically (schematically) drawn in FIG. 1.

Reference numeral 600 denotes a toner tank for replenishing the image forming unit 200 with toner, and the upper part of the toner tank is exposed outside the case 101 of the main body 100 when mounted on the main body 100. In FIG. 3, P2 indicates a recording sheet that is being discharged onto the discharge tray 108, and in FIG. 2, P3 indicates a recording sheet that is discharged onto the discharge tray 108. As is apparent from these figures, the exposed portion 600A of the toner tank 600 is exposed outside the case 101 outside the movement path of the recording paper.

The main body 100 and the toner tank 600 will be described in detail below.

First, the overall structure of the main body 100 will be described.

At the back of the case 101, the paper feed tray 10
4 is rotatably provided. The paper feed tray 104 is
Base part 1 rotatably supported on the back of case 101
04a and a tray 104b slidably attached to the base portion 104a. When not in use, the tray 104b is stored in the base portion 104a as shown by a broken line in FIG. It is folded so as to be in close contact with the back of the case, and when used, it is opened for use as shown by the solid line.

Paper P set in the paper feed tray 104
Are fed one by one by the paper feed roller 102.

The fed paper is a paper feed path A1 formed by the paper guide 105 and the lower surface of the image forming unit 200.
And passes between the photosensitive drum 201 on which a toner image is formed and the transfer roller 106 as described later. Here, the paper on which the toner image is transferred from the photosensitive drum 201 is
The fixing roller 121 of the fixing unit 120 passes through the path A2.
The toner image is fixed by passing between the pressure roller 122 and the pressure roller 122, and is discharged from the paper discharge roller 103 to the paper discharge tray 108 by the paper discharge roller 103 through the paper discharge path A3 curved upward.

Reference numeral 109 is a cover in which the paper discharge path A3 is formed, and the shafts 109a, 10 with respect to the main body 100.
It can be opened and closed by 9a. The paper discharge port 107
Is formed on the upper surface of the cover 109, and
The fixing unit 120 is attached to the cover 109. The cover 109 is opened to the front side when a paper jam or maintenance is performed.

Next, the image forming unit 200 will be described.

As shown in FIGS. 5 to 8, the image forming unit 200 includes a photosensitive drum 201 which is a photosensitive member, a charging roller 202, a developing device 300, a cleaning device 400, and a toner conveying device 500 as a case. It is configured as a single unit by being housed in 210.

The photosensitive drum 201 is constructed by forming a photosensitive layer made of an organic photosensitive body on a conductive base made of an aluminum drum, and is rotatably supported by the case 210.
It is rotationally driven in the direction of arrow a by a drive mechanism (not shown).

The charging roller 202 is pressed against the photosensitive drum 201 by a pressing mechanism (not shown), and charges the photosensitive drum 201 while following the photosensitive drum 201. A bias voltage is applied to the charging roller 202.

The charged photosensitive drum 201 has a laser beam L emitted from the optical unit 110 shown in FIG.
B is scanned, and thereby a latent image is formed on the surface of the photosensitive drum 201.

The case 210 is composed of a lower case 220 and an upper case 230, and a slit 231 for beam scanning is formed in the upper case 230.

The developing device 300 includes a toner storage chamber 301 formed by the lower case 220 in the longitudinal direction thereof,
A supply roller 310 rotatably provided in the toner storage chamber 301, a developing roller 320 rotatably provided in the toner storage chamber 301, and a regulation blade 330 that is in contact with the peripheral surface of the developing roller 320. . The supply roller 310 and the developing roller 320 are the photosensitive drum 201.
6 are respectively driven to rotate in the directions of the arrows in FIG. The regulation blade 330 is made of an elastic body such as a stainless steel plate, and is attached to the upper case 230 by the attachment member 331.

The supply roller 310 is the toner storage chamber 301.
The toner stored therein is rotated while being stirred to coat the surface of the developing roller 320 with the toner. The toner coated on the surface of the developing roller 320 is brought into sliding contact with the regulation blade 330 to be thinned and frictionally charged. A bias voltage is applied to the developing roller 320, the thinned toner is conveyed to the photosensitive drum 201, and the photosensitive drum 201 is formed at a nip portion formed by a pressure contact portion between the developing roller 320 and the photosensitive drum 201. The latent image is reversely developed. As a result, the latent image on the surface of the photosensitive drum 201 is developed and a toner image is formed.

The toner image formed on the surface of the photosensitive drum 201 is transferred to the transfer roller 106 (see FIG. 4) to which a bias voltage having a polarity opposite to that of the toner image is applied and the photosensitive drum 201.
It is transferred to the paper P being conveyed by being sandwiched by.

The cleaning device 400 has a cleaning blade 410. Cleaning blade 4
10 is attached to the upper case 230 by the attachment member 420. Lower edge 41 of cleaning blade 410
Reference numeral 1 is in contact with the peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum 201, and directs the residual toner adhering to the surface of the photosensitive drum 201 after the toner image is transferred to the sheet toward the toner collecting unit 560 of the toner conveying device 500. It is supposed to be scraped off.

Incidentally, the photosensitive drum 201 is cleaned by scraping off the residual toner, and thereafter, the above-mentioned image forming process is performed again.

The toner carrying device 500 is the developing device 300.
Between the coil spring 510 and the cleaning device 400, and the coil spring 510 and the coil spring 510.
A drive gear 520 that engages with and circulates the drive gear 520, and a substantially groove-shaped guide portion 530 (see FIG. 8) that slides in contact with the coil spring 510 and guides the same.

The coil spring 510 has an endless shape, and is provided inside the cleaning device 400 and the developing device 3.
It is arranged to be able to circulate between the inside of 00.

The drive gear 520 is driven by a drive mechanism (not shown) interlocking with the drive mechanism of the photosensitive drum 201 to circulate and drive the coil spring 510 in the direction of arrow b.

FIG. 8 is a schematic plan view showing the entire guide portion 530. Reference numeral 510 in the drawing denotes a coil spring, and substantially this drawing also shows the circulation path of the coil spring 510.

As is clear from this figure, the guide portion 53
0 is a shape that guides the coil spring 510, which has an annular shape in a state of being left in a natural state, by correcting the coil spring 510 into a substantially rectangular shape in a plan view, and has four corner portions C1, C2, which are formed in an approximately ¼ arc shape. C3, C4 and these corners C
Almost linear part L connecting 1, C2, C3, C4
1, L2, L3, L4.

One of the two long sides L1 and L2 is located in the developing device 300 as shown in FIG.
The other long side portion L2 is inside the cleaning device 400.
Then, with respect to one long side portion L1, the standing wall 221 of the lower case 220 constitutes a guide portion, and for the other long side portion L2, a concave groove 222 formed on the upper surface of the lower case 220.
It constitutes the guide part. As for the long side portion L1 in the developing device 300, the upright wall 221 is configured to guide only the outside of the coil spring 510, and as a result, the lower side of the coil spring 510 with respect to the developing device 300 is guided. An open portion 531 for opening is formed.

That is, the coil spring 510 is guided only inside the developing device 300 by the upright wall 221 so that the toner can be discharged to the developing device 300. On the other hand, the cleaning device 4
In the toner collecting section 560 in 00, the upper part thereof is open toward the cleaning blade 410 so that the toner scraped by the cleaning blade 410 can be received and collected.

The image forming unit 200 as described above operates as follows.

As described above, toner is supplied to the surface of the photosensitive drum 201 by the developing device 300, and the latent image on the surface of the photosensitive drum 201 is developed by this toner to form a toner image. After the toner image is transferred onto the paper P, the residual toner adhering to the surface of the photosensitive drum 201 is removed by the cleaning blade 410 of the cleaning device 400 and is recovered by the recovery unit 560 in the cleaning device 400.

Cleaning device 400 and developing device 300
An endless coil spring 510 is disposed between the cleaning gear and the developing device so as to circulate between the cleaning gear and the developing device.
Since it is driven to circulate by 0, a part of the excess toner that has not been used for development in the toner storage chamber 301 of the developing device 300 is conveyed to the cleaning device 400 by the coil spring 510 and is collected in the cleaning device 400. The residual toner is transported to the developing device 300 while being agitated and mixed with the excess toner transported by the coil spring 510.

When the toner in the toner storage chamber 301 is consumed and the level surface thereof is lowered, the toner conveyed to the developing device 300 is discharged toward the toner storage chamber 301 by its own weight.

By repeating the above operation, the toner in the image forming unit 200 is gradually consumed, but the consumed toner is in the toner tank 6.
It is replenished from 00 at any time.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 14, the toner tank mounting hole 101 is provided on the upper surface of the case 101 of the printer body.
a is provided, and the toner tank 600 is configured to be attachable to and detachable from the upper case 230 of the image forming unit 200 through the mounting hole 101a. Mounting hole 1
A guide groove 10 for guiding a convex portion 616 (see FIG. 9) provided on the toner tank described later is provided on the inner wall surface of the groove 01a.
1b is provided.

Next, the structure of the toner tank 600 will be described with reference to FIGS. 9 and 10.

The toner tank 600 includes a transparent tank case 610 filled with toner and the tank case 61.
Agitator 620 rotatably provided in the inside of the tank 0, and shutter portion 630 provided at the bottom of the tank case 610.
And a lid 640.

The bottom portion 611 of the tank case 610 is provided with a shaft hole 612, a toner supply port 613, and a pin 614. Further, the outer peripheral surface 615 is provided with a pair of convex portions 616 that engages and disengages with a pair of dovetail grooves (L-shaped grooves) 242 and 242 provided in a concave portion 240 (see FIG. 12) of the upper case 230 described later. ing.

The agitator 620 is formed integrally with the shaft portion 621, the shaft portion 621, and the scooping blade 622 for scooping up the toner in the tank case, and the scooping blade 622 and the tank case. And a stirring blade 623 for stirring the toner inside.
1 is rotatably attached to a bearing hole 612 at the bottom of the tank case via a seal ring (not shown). When the toner tank 600 is attached to the upper case 230 of the image forming unit as described later,
A groove 625 that engages with the shaft 521 of the drive gear 520 is formed. The stirring blade 623 may be integrally provided with a wiper-shaped cleaning member 626 made of rubber or the like for cleaning the inner wall surface of the tank case 610, as indicated by an imaginary line.

The shutter section 630 includes a sealing member 631 made of an elastic material such as sponge, and a disk-shaped shutter 63.
2 and a guide member 633.

The sealing member 631 has a fan shape and is adapted to be fitted in a recess 611a of the same shape provided in the tank case bottom 611. In the fitted state, the sealing member 631 coincides with the shaft hole 612 in the tank case bottom. Shaft hole 631a
And a toner supply port 631b matching the toner supply port 613 at the bottom of the tank case.

In the shutter 632, a shaft hole 632a that matches the shaft hole 612 of the tank case bottom 611, a toner supply port 632b that can match the toner supply port 613, and a pin 614 on the bottom of the tank case are inserted into an arc shape. Slot 632c and the upper case 23 of the image forming unit described later.
An engaging hole 632d that engages with the pin 244 provided at 0 is provided.

The guide member 633 has a ring shape as a whole, and the step portion 6 provided on the tank case bottom portion 611.
It is attached to 11b. In the mounted state, the four square holes 633e are the four engaging claws 611e formed in the step portion.
It is fixed to the bottom portion of the tank case by engaging with the bottom edge portion 633f, and the peripheral edge portion 632f of the shutter 632 is slidably supported by the inner surface (top surface) of the bottom edge portion 633f. In addition, the guide member 633 has an arc-shaped tongue piece 6 having elasticity.
33g is integrally provided, and a projection 633c that is loosely fitted from the back side (upper surface side in FIG. 10) of the engagement hole 632d of the shutter 632 to the tip end portion of the tongue piece 633g is provided (FIG. 13). The shutter 632 is provided with a tongue piece 63 from the upper surface side of the guide member 633.
It is attached to the guide member 633 so as to pass through 3 g below. The engagement of the projection 633c with the engagement hole 632d prevents the shutter 632 from rotating carelessly, and the toner supply port 632b is aligned with the toner supply port 613 at the bottom of the tank case 610.
The toner inside is prevented from leaking out.

In the toner tank 600 as described above, when the above parts are assembled, the pin 6 at the bottom of the tank case is
14 penetrates the elongated hole 632c of the shutter 632, and the tip end thereof projects from the elongated hole 632c (see FIG. 13). The sealing member 631 is attached to the tank case bottom 611 with its toner supply port 631b aligned with the toner supply port 613 at the bottom of the tank case, and the shutter 6
It is held in a state of being pinched by 32. This improves the adhesion between the sealing member 613 and the shutter 632.
Toner leakage is prevented. The shutter 632 is
Between the tank case bottom portion 611 and the guide member 633, the pin 614 is rotatably slidable in the direction of arrow a or b in the figure within a range in which the pin 614 can relatively move along the elongated hole 632c. That is, in the shutter unit 630, only the shutter 632 is provided in the tank case 610.
It becomes a state in which it can relatively rotate and slide. In a state where the toner tank 600 is not attached to the image forming unit, the toner supply port 632b of the shutter 632.
Does not coincide with the toner supply port 631b of the sealing member 631. That is, the toner supply port 63 of the sealing member 631
1b is in a state of being sealed by the shutter 632.

Next, referring to FIGS. 11 and 12, the toner tank 6 in the upper case 230 of the image forming unit.
The mounting portion 240 of No. 00 will be described.

The mounting portion 240 is formed as a recess into which the lower portion of the toner tank 600 is fitted, and in this recess,
A shutter unit 250 having the same structure as the shutter unit 630 of the toner tank 600 described above is incorporated.

On the bottom surface 241 of the recess, the shaft hole 245 into which the shaft 521 of the drive gear 520 is inserted, and the toner supply facing the engagement start point of the drive gear 520 and the coil spring 510 in the circulation path of the coil spring 510 described above. A mouth 243 (see FIG. 8) and a pin 244 are provided. Further, on the inner peripheral surface of the concave portion, a pair of dovetail grooves (L-shaped grooves) that engage and disengage with the convex portion 616 of the toner tank described above.
242 and 242 are provided. The dovetail groove 242 includes a vertical groove 242a and a horizontal groove 242b.
The upper end of 2a is the mounting hole 10 of the printer body case described above.
It is connected to the lower end of a guide groove 101b provided in 1a (see FIG. 14). Further, the end of the lateral groove 242b constitutes a restricting portion for restricting the end of the rotation operation of the toner tank 600 during the mounting operation of the toner tank described later.

The shutter section 250 includes a sealing member 251 made of an elastic material such as sponge, and a disk-shaped shutter 25.
2 and a guide member 253.

The sealing member 251 is adapted to be fitted and adhered to a recess 241a of the same shape provided on the bottom surface 241 of the recess, and in the fitted state, the shaft hole 2
45 and a shaft hole 251a, and the toner supply port 24
3 and the toner supply port 251b corresponding to No. 3.

The shutter 252 has a shaft hole 252a coinciding with the shaft hole 245, a toner supply port 252b which can coincide with the toner supply port 243, and an arc-shaped elongated hole 252c into which the pin 244 is inserted. The engagement hole 252d that engages with the pin 614 of the toner tank 600 described above is provided.

The guide member 253 has a substantially ring shape and is mounted in the recess (240). In the mounted state, the two engaging claws 253e are fixed in the recess by engaging with the engaging holes (not shown) provided in the wall surface in the recess, respectively, and are fixed on the lower surface of the bottom edge 253f. The peripheral portion 252f of the shutter 252 is supported so as to be slidably rotatable (see FIG. 13). The guide member 253 is integrally provided with an elastic arc-shaped tongue piece 253g, and the engaging hole 25 of the shutter 252 is provided at the tip of this tongue piece 253g.
2d is provided with a protrusion 253c that is loosely fitted from the back side (lower surface side in FIG. 10) (see FIG. 13). The shutter 252 is incorporated under the guide member 253 so that the shutter 252 passes above the tongue piece 253g from the lower surface side of the guide member 253. Protrusion 2 in engagement hole 252d
The engagement of 53c prevents the shutter 252 from rotating carelessly during transportation of the main body, and the toner supply port 252b coincides with the toner supply port 243 so that the toner in the image forming unit 200 leaks. Is prevented.

When the image forming unit 200 is assembled, the pin 244 on the bottom surface of the concave portion becomes the long hole 2 of the shutter 252.
The tip of the penetrating portion 52c is projected from the elongated hole 252c (see FIG. 13). The sealing member 251 is held in a state of being sandwiched between the recess bottom surface 241 and the shutter 252. As a result, the sealing member 251 and the shutter 2
Adhesion with 52 is improved and toner leakage is prevented.
The shutter 252 includes a recess bottom surface 241 and a guide member 25.
3, the pin 244 is rotatably slidably held in the direction of arrow a or b in the figure within a range in which the pin 244 can relatively move along the elongated hole 252c. That is, in the shutter part 250, only the shutter 252 is in a state of being relatively rotatable and slidable with respect to the upper case 230. Further, in a state where the toner tank 600 is not mounted, the toner supply port 252b of the shutter 252 has the toner supply port 251 of the sealing member 251 as shown in FIG.
Does not match b. That is, the toner supply port 251b of the sealing member 251 is in a state of being sealed by the shutter 252.

The attachment / detachment operation of the toner tank 600 with respect to the attachment portion 240 as described above is as follows. FIG. 13 is a schematic sectional view showing a state immediately before the toner tank 600 is mounted on the mounting portion 240. The attaching / detaching operation and the operation will be described mainly with reference to this drawing.

First, the toner tank 600 is set to the convex portion 6
16 is aligned with the guide groove 101b of the mounting hole 101a (see FIG. 14) of the main body case.
To insert. Then, the convex portion 616 is guided by the guide groove 101b and moves downward in the guide groove 101b, further enters the dovetail groove 242a provided in the mounting portion 240 of the image forming unit, and reaches the lower end thereof. To stop (FIG. 13 shows a state immediately before reaching the lower end). At this time, the shaft 521 of the gear 520 is connected to the shaft portion 621 of the agitator 620 of the toner tank. The pin 614 of the toner tank is attached to the mounting portion 240 of the image forming unit.
The shutter 252 is fitted into the engaging hole 252d, and the projection 253c of the tongue is pushed down to unlock the shutter 252 by the projection 253c. At the same time mounting part 240
The pin 244 on the side is fitted into the engaging hole 632d of the shutter 632 of the toner tank and pushes up the protrusion 633c of the tongue piece to unlock the shutter 632 by the protrusion 633c.

Next, the toner tank 600 is replaced with the arrow b in FIG.
Rotate counterclockwise as shown in. Then, the convex portion 616 of the toner tank enters the lateral groove 242b of the dovetail groove and engages with the lateral groove 242b to prevent the toner tank from coming off.
It will be attached to the. As described above, the pin 614 of the toner tank fits into the engagement hole 252d of the shutter 252 of the mounting portion 240, and the pin 24 on the mounting portion 240 side is attached.
4 is an engagement hole 632d of the shutter 632 of the toner tank
Since the toner tank 600 is rotated in the direction of arrow b in FIG.
52 is the same direction as the toner tank 600, that is, FIG.
1 The toner supply port 252b rotates counterclockwise as indicated by arrow b so as to coincide with the toner supply port 251b of the sealing member 251, and the shutter 632 of the toner tank moves even when the toner tank is rotated in the direction of arrow b. Therefore, the toner supply port 632b is rotated in the clockwise direction as shown by the arrow a in FIG. 9 relative to the tank, and the toner supply port 632b coincides with the toner supply port 631b of the sealing member 631. That is, the toner supply ports 613, 631b, 632b, 252 of all parts
b, 251b, and 243 are in the matched state, and the toner can be supplied from the toner tank 600 to the image forming unit 200.

When the image forming unit 200 operates as described above with the toner tank 600 attached to the image forming unit 200 as described above, the drive gear 52
The agitator 620 is rotationally driven by the zero shaft 521.

The toner contained in the tank case 610 is agitated upward by the scraping blades 622 of the agitator 620.
When the toner in the inside is consumed, the toner is supplied from the toner supply port 613 to the respective toner supply ports and the upper case 23 by that much.
Image forming unit 20 through the toner supply port 243 of 0.
The toner will fall freely into 0 and the toner will be replenished in the image forming unit 200.

In this way, when the toner is replenished to the image forming unit 200 from the toner tank 600 and the toner in the toner tank is used up, the toner tank is replaced. The depletion of toner in the toner tank can be visually confirmed because the tank case 610 is transparent. Also, the tank 600
When the toner is no longer replenished from the image forming unit 2
Since the amount of toner in 00 decreases, it can be known by detecting this with a sensor provided in the image forming unit 200. Therefore, in this case, the toner tank case 610 does not necessarily need to be transparent.

The operation for removing the toner tank 600 may be the reverse of the mounting operation described above. That is,
Grasp the upper part of the tank 600 (exposed part 600A exposed from the main body case 101), and point in the direction of arrow a (clockwise).
After rotating the main body case 101, the main body case 101 may be pulled out from the mounting hole 101a. When the tank 600 is rotated in the direction of arrow a, the shutter 632 of the tank relatively rotates in the counterclockwise direction shown by arrow b in FIG.
At the same time that 13 and 631b are shielded, the shutter 250 of the image forming unit 200 rotates in the direction of arrow a in FIG. 11 to rotate the toner supply ports 243 and 2 of the unit 200.
52b is shielded. Therefore, when the tank 600 is removed, even if some toner remains in the tank 600, it does not scatter and stain the printer and its surroundings. Further, for example, when the printer is transported, the toner in the unit 200 is supplied to the toner supply port 243 even when the printer is transported with the tank 600 removed.
And 252b does not leak and scatter.

According to the printer as described above, the following operational effects can be obtained.

(I) The toner tank 600 is the main body 100
Since at least a part of the device is detached from the case and is attached to the main body 100, at least a part of the part is exposed to the outside of the case 101 of the main body.

Therefore, according to this printer, it is not necessary to open and close the cover of the apparatus main body case when replenishing the toner, and the toner can be replenished easily and quickly.

In addition, the exposed portion 60 of the toner tank 600
Since 0A is exposed outside the case 101 of the main body outside the movement path of the recording paper P, it is possible to supply toner without stopping the recording operation even during the recording operation.

That is, the toner can be replenished while performing the image forming operation on the recording paper P.

(Ii) Since the toner tank 600 has a cylindrical shape and is configured to be attached to and detached from the main body 100 by rotating about its axis, the toner replenishing work can be performed more easily. it can.

(Iii) Since the tank case 610 of the toner tank 600 is transparent, the remaining amount of the toner T (see FIG. 13) in the toner tank can be visually checked. Therefore, it is not always necessary to provide a sensor for detecting the remaining amount of toner, and when toner runs out in the toner tank, the toner tank 600 can be promptly replaced to replenish toner.

(Iv) The toner tank 600 is rotated by being driven by the main body 100 inside the toner case 600.
When the cleaning member 626 for cleaning the inner wall surface of No. 0 is provided, the amount of toner remaining in the toner tank can be visually checked easily and reliably.

(V) When the cleaning member 626 is composed of the agitator 620 which stirs the toner inside the toner tank, it is not necessary to provide a cleaning member separately from the agitator 620, and the structure of the toner tank is simplified. To be

(Vi) Inside the toner tank 600,
Since the agitator 620 that is driven by the main body 100 to rotate and agitates the toner T in the toner tank is provided, blocking of the toner can be prevented, and the toner can be smoothly replenished from the toner tank 600. Can be converted.

The main body 100 has a toner tank 6
00, a dovetail groove 242 for restricting the end of the rotation operation of the toner tank is provided, and the rotation direction of the agitator 620 and the rotation direction of the toner tank mounting operation are the same. So agitator 6
The rotation of 20 causes the toner tank 600 to be urged in the mounting direction (direction of arrow b). Therefore, it is possible to prevent the toner tank 600 from coming off the main body 100 without necessarily providing a special lock mechanism.

<Second Embodiment> FIG. 15 is an external perspective view showing an essential part of a second embodiment of the image forming apparatus according to the present invention.

The main difference between this embodiment and the first embodiment described above is that the toner tank 600 ′ mounted on the main body 100 is different.
The point is that a lock mechanism is provided to lock the.

The lock mechanism includes a lock hole 601 provided on the peripheral wall surface of the toner tank 600 'and a main body case 101.
It is composed of a lock claw 101c provided above.

The lock claw 101c is slidable in the directions of the arrows c1 and c2, and the toner tank 60
After mounting 0 ′, the toner tank 600 ′ is prevented from slipping out and rotating by sliding in the direction of arrow c1 and engaging the tip thereof with the lock hole 601.

The difference of this embodiment from the above-mentioned first embodiment is that the toner tank 600 in the first embodiment is mounted by rotating in the direction of arrow b (counterclockwise). On the other hand, the toner tank 600 'of this embodiment is configured to be mounted by rotating in the direction of arrow a (clockwise).

Therefore, the positions of the holes of the shutter and the like and the positions of the lateral grooves of the dovetail groove are configured symmetrically with those of the first embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 12, the lateral groove 242b of the dovetail groove in the first embodiment was formed from the vertical groove 242a in the direction of the arrow b. Agitator 62 in the tank
The rotation direction of 0 is the direction of the arrow b. Therefore, the toner tank 600 receives the rotational driving force in the direction of the arrow b from the shaft 521 of the drive gear 520 via the agitator 620 and the toner in the tank. The rotation of the convex portion 616 is the end portion (regulating portion) of the lateral groove 242b.
The structure is automatically regulated by abutting against. Therefore, the lock mechanism is not necessarily required in the first embodiment.

However, when an object is to be rotated and mounted, it is generally rotated clockwise. In this respect, the toner tank 60 according to the first embodiment is used.
Since 0 is rotated counterclockwise to be mounted, there is a problem in that it is not always desirable in operation.

On the other hand, according to the second embodiment, since the toner tank 600 'is mounted by rotating it in the clockwise direction, the above problems are solved and there is an advantage that it is desirable in operation. To be

On the other hand, in this second embodiment, since the lateral groove of the dovetail groove is formed from the vertical groove in the direction of arrow a, the toner tank 600 'applies a rotational driving force in the direction away from this groove. If the lock mechanism is not provided, the toner tank 600 ′ may come off.

Therefore, the provision of the lock mechanism is
In such a case, that is, when the rotating direction of the agitator and the detaching direction of the tank are the same, it is particularly effective. However, in the first embodiment, the provision of the lock mechanism is also effective for surely preventing the toner tank 600 from coming off.

Therefore, by making the rotating direction of the agitator clockwise, it is possible to improve the operability of mounting the tank and eliminate the need for the lock mechanism.

In FIG. 15, 101d is an alignment mark provided on the case 101, and 602 is an alignment mark provided on the tank. When these marks are aligned, the convex portion 616 of the tank is aligned with the guide groove 1.
It corresponds to 01b.

Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and various modifications can be made within the scope of the gist of the present invention.

[0112]

According to the present invention, it is not necessary to open and close the cover of the apparatus main body case when replenishing the toner, and the toner can be replenished easily and quickly and during the recording operation.

[0113]

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an external perspective view of an electrophotographic printer showing a first embodiment of an image forming apparatus according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a front view of the same.

FIG. 3 is a plan view of the same.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view of the same.

FIG. 5 is a partially omitted perspective view showing an image forming unit and a toner tank.

6 is a sectional view taken along line VI-VI in FIG.

FIG. 7 is a schematic plan view showing an image forming unit and a toner tank.

FIG. 8 is a schematic plan view showing the entire guide portion.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the toner tank as viewed from below.

FIG. 10 is an exploded perspective view of a toner tank.

FIG. 11 is a plan view of the image forming unit.

FIG. 12 is an exploded perspective view of a toner tank mounting portion of the image forming unit.

FIG. 13 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a state immediately before the toner tank is mounted on the mounting portion.

FIG. 14 is a partial perspective view of a main body case.

FIG. 15 is an external perspective view showing a main part of a second embodiment of the image forming apparatus according to the present invention.

FIG. 16 is an explanatory diagram of a conventional technique.

[Explanation of symbols]

 100 Printer Main Body 101 Main Body Case 600 Toner Tank 600A Exposed Part 620 Agitator 626 Cleaning Member

─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ───

[Procedure amendment]

[Submission date] December 20, 1994

[Procedure Amendment 1]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Correction target item name] Full text

[Correction method] Change

[Correction content]

[Document name] Statement

Image forming apparatus

[Claims]

Wherein at least part of claim 1 Symbol placing the image forming apparatus characterized in that it is a clear of the toner tank.

3. The cleaning member according to claim 2 , wherein a cleaning member is provided inside the toner tank, the cleaning member being activated by being driven by the main body to clean an inner wall surface of the transparent portion. Image forming apparatus.

Wherein said cleaning member is an image forming apparatus according to claim 3, characterized in that it is constituted by an agitator for agitating the toner inside the toner tank.

The method according to claim 5, wherein said main body, together with the regulating portion for regulating a rotation operation end of the toner tank is provided at the time of mounting operation of the toner tank, the inside of the toner tank, drive from the main body An agitator for receiving and rotating the toner in the toner tank is agitated, and the rotating direction of the agitator is the same as the rotating direction when the toner tank is mounted.
The image forming apparatus described in 1, 2, 3, or 4 .

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus.
More specifically, electrophotography, ionography,
The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus such as a printer, a copying machine, and a facsimile, which forms an image on a recording sheet by using a toner by a magnetic recording method or the like, and particularly, can easily and promptly replenish the toner during a recording operation. The present invention relates to the image forming apparatus.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As a conventional image forming apparatus, there is known one that adopts one of the following two types when roughly classified from the viewpoint of toner supply.

In the first type, as disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 59-61850, a photosensitive member and a developing device, a cleaning device and the like arranged around the photosensitive member are integrated as a cartridge, In this type, a considerable amount of toner is stored in advance in the cartridge and the cartridge is replaced when the toner runs out.

The second type, as disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 59-38460, is a type in which only the consumed toner is replenished without replacing the photosensitive member or the developing device.

In the image forming apparatus using the first type, when the toner is used up, the cartridge in which the developing device and the like are integrated is replaced, so that the operability at the time of replacement is excellent. However, there is a problem that the developing device etc. which can still be fully used will be replaced, which is uneconomical and wastes resources.

On the other hand, when the second type is used, only the consumed toner has to be replenished, and therefore, in order to improve the economical efficiency and resource saving, this second type is used. It is desirable to use.

However, in general, in the image forming apparatus using the second type, when replenishing the toner, the cover of the apparatus body case is opened to perform the replenishing work. However, it was complicated and time-consuming.

On the other hand, in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication (Kokai) No. 5-19548, as shown in FIG. 16, a main body 1 in which a lower main body 2 and an upper main body 3 are vertically rotatably connected is provided with a photosensitive member and a developing unit. In the electrophotographic apparatus provided with a plurality of process units including the toner cartridge 8, an opening 23 for projecting the toner cartridge 20 is formed in the upper opening of the toner container 19 of the developing unit 8.

According to such an apparatus, the capacity of the toner cartridge 20 is increased without increasing the size of the upper main body 3 to increase the toner replenishment charge per time, and the main body 1 is downsized. And the upper body 3
It is possible to easily attach and detach the toner cartridge 20 with the closed state.

[0010]

However, in the apparatus described in the above-mentioned Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 19548/1993, the recording paper discharged from the paper discharge port 22 is discharged on the paper receiving tray 13 of the main body 1 and the upper surface of the toner cartridge 20. Since the structure is supported in a stable state with the paper surface 21, there is a problem that the toner cartridge 20 cannot be replaced during the recording operation, that is, the toner cannot be supplied.

Therefore, for example, when a message of toner end (no toner) is displayed during the continuous recording operation on a large number of sheets, the recording operation is temporarily stopped and the toner cartridge 20 is removed. After the replacement, the recording operation had to be performed again, and there was a problem that the operation was troublesome and inefficient.

An object of the present invention is to solve the above problems and to provide an image forming apparatus capable of simply and quickly replenishing toner even during a recording operation.

[0013]

In order to achieve the above object, an image forming apparatus according to a first aspect of the invention has a main body for forming an image on a recording sheet with toner, and a state in which the main body is detachably attached to the main body. in an image forming apparatus including a toner tank for supplying toner to the main body, exposed at least a portion of the toner tank mounted on the main body Te movement path outside the smell before type recording sheet outside the casing of the body and, and, the toner tank is configured in a cylindrical shape, characterized in that it is removable from the main body by rotating about its axis.

An image forming apparatus according to a second aspect is the image forming apparatus according to the first aspect.
The image forming apparatus of the serial mounting, at least a portion of the toner tank is characterized in that it is a transparent.

The image forming apparatus according to the third aspect, claim 2
The image forming apparatus described above is characterized in that a cleaning member is provided inside the toner tank, the cleaning member being activated by being driven by the main body and cleaning an inner wall surface of the transparent portion.

The image forming apparatus according to claim 4 is the image forming apparatus according to claim 3.
In the image forming apparatus described above, the cleaning member is composed of an agitator that agitates the toner inside the toner tank.

The image forming apparatus according to claim 5 is
In the image forming apparatus described in 1, 2, 3, or 4 , the main body is provided with a restricting portion that restricts an end of a rotation operation of the toner tank when the toner tank is mounted, and the toner tank. An agitator, which is rotated by being driven by the main body and agitates the toner in the toner tank, is provided in the inside of the container. Is characterized in that.

[0019]

According to the image forming apparatus of the present invention, the toner tank is attached to and detached from the main body, and at least a part of the toner tank is exposed to the outside of the case of the main body when the toner tank is attached to the main body. It is possible to carry out the attaching and detaching operation while holding the part.

Therefore, according to this image forming apparatus,
It is not necessary to open and close the cover of the apparatus body case when replenishing the toner, and the toner can be replenished easily and quickly.

Further, the exposed portion of the toner tank, the movement path outside of the recording paper, since exposed outside of the case body, that supplies toner without also stop the recording operation during the recording operation it can.

That is, the toner can be replenished while performing the image forming operation on the recording paper.

Moreover , since the toner tank has a cylindrical shape and is attached to and detached from the main body by rotating about the axis thereof, it is simpler and quicker.
It is possible to replace the toner tank.

According to the image forming apparatus according to claim 2, wherein, in the image forming apparatus according to claim 1 Symbol placement, the at least a part of the toner tank is transparent to visible toner remaining in the toner tank You can Therefore, it is not always necessary to provide a sensor for detecting the remaining amount of toner, and the toner tank can be promptly replaced when the toner is exhausted in the toner tank.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the image forming apparatus according to the second aspect , the inside of the toner tank is actuated by being driven by the main body, and the inner wall surface of the transparent portion is operated. Since the cleaning member for cleaning the toner is provided, the amount of toner remaining in the toner tank can be easily and surely visually confirmed.

According to the image forming apparatus of claim 4, in the image forming apparatus of claim 3 , the cleaning member is
Since the agitator for stirring the toner inside the toner tank is used, it is not necessary to provide a cleaning member separately from the agitator, and the structure of the toner tank can be simplified.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the image forming apparatus according to the first, second, third, or fourth aspect , the inside of the toner tank is rotated by being driven by the main body. Since the agitator for stirring the toner in the toner tank is provided, the blocking of the toner can be prevented and the replenishment of the toner from the toner tank can be facilitated.

Further, the main body is provided with a restricting portion for restricting the end of the rotating operation of the toner tank at the time of mounting the toner tank, and the rotation direction of this agitator and the rotation at the time of mounting the toner tank. Since the directions are the same, the toner tank is urged in the mounting direction by the rotation of the agitator. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the toner tank from coming off the main body without necessarily providing a special lock mechanism.

[0029]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

<First Embodiment> FIG. 1 is an external perspective view of an electrophotographic printer showing a first embodiment of an image forming apparatus according to the present invention, FIG. 2 is a front view, and FIG. 3 is a plan view. FIG. 4 is a sectional view.

In these drawings, reference numeral 100 denotes a printer main body, and a case 101 has a paper feed roller 10 in its case 101.
2, an optical unit 110, an image forming unit 200, a fixing unit 120, and a paper discharge roller 103 are provided. Note that the image forming unit 200 is schematically (schematically) drawn in FIG. 1.

Reference numeral 600 denotes a toner tank for replenishing the image forming unit 200 with toner, and the upper part of the toner tank is exposed outside the case 101 of the main body 100 when mounted on the main body 100. In FIG. 3, P2 indicates a recording sheet that is being discharged onto the discharge tray 108, and in FIG. 2, P3 indicates a recording sheet that is discharged onto the discharge tray 108. As is apparent from these figures, the exposed portion 600A of the toner tank 600 is exposed outside the case 101 outside the movement path of the recording paper.

The main body 100 and the toner tank 600 will be described in detail below.

First, the overall structure of the main body 100 will be described.

At the back of the case 101, the paper feed tray 10
4 is rotatably provided. The paper feed tray 104 is
Base part 1 rotatably supported on the back of case 101
04a and a tray 104b slidably attached to the base portion 104a. When not in use, the tray 104b is stored in the base portion 104a as shown by a broken line in FIG. It is folded so as to be in close contact with the back of the case, and when used, it is opened for use as shown by the solid line.

Paper P set in the paper feed tray 104
Are fed one by one by the paper feed roller 102.

The fed paper is a paper feed path A1 formed by the paper guide 105 and the lower surface of the image forming unit 200.
And passes between the photosensitive drum 201 on which a toner image is formed and the transfer roller 106 as described later. Here, the paper on which the toner image is transferred from the photosensitive drum 201 is
The fixing roller 121 of the fixing unit 120 passes through the path A2.
The toner image is fixed by passing between the pressure roller 122 and the pressure roller 122, and is discharged from the paper discharge roller 103 to the paper discharge tray 108 by the paper discharge roller 103 through the paper discharge path A3 curved upward.

Reference numeral 109 is a cover in which the paper discharge path A3 is formed, and the shafts 109a, 10 with respect to the main body 100.
It can be opened and closed by 9a. The paper discharge port 107
Is formed on the upper surface of the cover 109, and
The fixing unit 120 is attached to the cover 109. The cover 109 is opened to the front side when a paper jam or maintenance is performed.

Next, the image forming unit 200 will be described.

As shown in FIGS. 5 to 8, the image forming unit 200 includes a photosensitive drum 201 which is a photosensitive member, a charging roller 202, a developing device 300, a cleaning device 400, and a toner conveying device 500 as a case. It is configured as a single unit by being housed in 210.

The photosensitive drum 201 is constructed by forming a photosensitive layer made of an organic photosensitive body on a conductive base made of an aluminum drum, and is rotatably supported by the case 210.
It is rotationally driven in the direction of arrow a by a drive mechanism (not shown).

The charging roller 202 is pressed against the photosensitive drum 201 by a pressing mechanism (not shown), and charges the photosensitive drum 201 while following the photosensitive drum 201. A bias voltage is applied to the charging roller 202.

The charged photosensitive drum 201 has a laser beam L emitted from the optical unit 110 shown in FIG.
B is scanned, and thereby a latent image is formed on the surface of the photosensitive drum 201.

The case 210 is composed of a lower case 220 and an upper case 230, and a slit 231 for beam scanning is formed in the upper case 230.

The developing device 300 includes a toner storage chamber 301 formed by the lower case 220 in the longitudinal direction thereof,
A supply roller 310 rotatably provided in the toner storage chamber 301, a developing roller 320 rotatably provided in the toner storage chamber 301, and a regulation blade 330 that is in contact with the peripheral surface of the developing roller 320. . The supply roller 310 and the developing roller 320 are the photosensitive drum 201.
6 are respectively driven to rotate in the directions of the arrows in FIG. The regulation blade 330 is made of an elastic body such as a stainless steel plate, and is attached to the upper case 230 by the attachment member 331.

The supply roller 310 is the toner storage chamber 301.
The toner stored therein is rotated while being stirred to coat the surface of the developing roller 320 with the toner. The toner coated on the surface of the developing roller 320 is brought into sliding contact with the regulation blade 330 to be thinned and frictionally charged. A bias voltage is applied to the developing roller 320, the thinned toner is conveyed to the photosensitive drum 201, and the photosensitive drum 201 is formed at a nip portion formed by a pressure contact portion between the developing roller 320 and the photosensitive drum 201. The latent image is reversely developed. As a result, the latent image on the surface of the photosensitive drum 201 is developed and a toner image is formed.

The toner image formed on the surface of the photosensitive drum 201 is transferred to the transfer roller 106 (see FIG. 4) to which a bias voltage having a polarity opposite to that of the toner image is applied and the photosensitive drum 201.
It is transferred to the paper P being conveyed by being sandwiched by.

The cleaning device 400 has a cleaning blade 410. Cleaning blade 4
10 is attached to the upper case 230 by the attachment member 420. Lower edge 41 of cleaning blade 410
Reference numeral 1 is in contact with the peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum 201, and directs the residual toner adhering to the surface of the photosensitive drum 201 after the toner image is transferred to the sheet toward the toner collecting unit 560 of the toner conveying device 500. It is supposed to be scraped off.

Incidentally, the photosensitive drum 201 is cleaned by scraping off the residual toner, and thereafter, the above-mentioned image forming process is performed again.

The toner carrying device 500 is the developing device 300.
Between the coil spring 510 and the cleaning device 400, and the coil spring 510 and the coil spring 510.
A drive gear 520 that engages with and circulates the drive gear 520, and a substantially groove-shaped guide portion 530 (see FIG. 8) that slides in contact with the coil spring 510 and guides the same.

The coil spring 510 has an endless shape, and is provided inside the cleaning device 400 and the developing device 3.
It is arranged to be able to circulate between the inside of 00.

The drive gear 520 is driven by a drive mechanism (not shown) interlocking with the drive mechanism of the photosensitive drum 201 to circulate and drive the coil spring 510 in the direction of arrow b.

FIG. 8 is a schematic plan view showing the entire guide portion 530. Reference numeral 510 in the drawing denotes a coil spring, and substantially this drawing also shows the circulation path of the coil spring 510.

As is clear from this figure, the guide portion 53
0 is a shape that guides the coil spring 510, which has an annular shape in a state of being left in a natural state, by correcting the coil spring 510 into a substantially rectangular shape in a plan view, and has four corner portions C1, C2, which are formed in an approximately ¼ arc shape. C3, C4 and these corners C
Almost linear part L connecting 1, C2, C3, C4
1, L2, L3, L4.

One of the two long sides L1 and L2 is located in the developing device 300 as shown in FIG.
The other long side portion L2 is inside the cleaning device 400.
Then, with respect to one long side portion L1, the standing wall 221 of the lower case 220 constitutes a guide portion, and for the other long side portion L2, a concave groove 222 formed on the upper surface of the lower case 220.
It constitutes the guide part. As for the long side portion L1 in the developing device 300, the upright wall 221 is configured to guide only the outside of the coil spring 510, and as a result, the lower side of the coil spring 510 with respect to the developing device 300 is guided. An open portion 531 for opening is formed.

That is, the coil spring 510 is guided only inside the developing device 300 by the upright wall 221 so that the toner can be discharged to the developing device 300. On the other hand, the cleaning device 4
In the toner collecting section 560 in 00, the upper part thereof is open toward the cleaning blade 410 so that the toner scraped by the cleaning blade 410 can be received and collected.

The image forming unit 200 as described above operates as follows.

As described above, toner is supplied to the surface of the photosensitive drum 201 by the developing device 300, and the latent image on the surface of the photosensitive drum 201 is developed by this toner to form a toner image. After the toner image is transferred onto the paper P, the residual toner adhering to the surface of the photosensitive drum 201 is removed by the cleaning blade 410 of the cleaning device 400 and is recovered by the recovery unit 560 in the cleaning device 400.

Cleaning device 400 and developing device 300
An endless coil spring 510 is disposed between the cleaning gear and the developing device so as to circulate between the cleaning gear and the developing device.
Since it is driven to circulate by 0, a part of the excess toner that has not been used for development in the toner storage chamber 301 of the developing device 300 is conveyed to the cleaning device 400 by the coil spring 510 and is collected in the cleaning device 400. The residual toner is transported to the developing device 300 while being agitated and mixed with the excess toner transported by the coil spring 510.

When the toner in the toner storage chamber 301 is consumed and the level surface thereof is lowered, the toner conveyed to the developing device 300 is discharged toward the toner storage chamber 301 by its own weight.

By repeating the above operation, the toner in the image forming unit 200 is gradually consumed, but the consumed toner is in the toner tank 6.
It is replenished from 00 at any time.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 14, the toner tank mounting hole 101 is provided on the upper surface of the case 101 of the printer body.
a is provided, and the toner tank 600 is configured to be attachable to and detachable from the upper case 230 of the image forming unit 200 through the mounting hole 101a. Mounting hole 1
A guide groove 10 for guiding a convex portion 616 (see FIG. 9) provided on the toner tank described later is provided on the inner wall surface of the groove 01a.
1b is provided.

Next, the structure of the toner tank 600 will be described with reference to FIGS. 9 and 10.

The toner tank 600 includes a transparent tank case 610 filled with toner and the tank case 61.
Agitator 620 rotatably provided in the inside of the tank 0, and shutter portion 630 provided at the bottom of the tank case 610.
And a lid 640.

The bottom portion 611 of the tank case 610 is provided with a shaft hole 612, a toner supply port 613, and a pin 614. Further, the outer peripheral surface 615 is provided with a pair of convex portions 616 that engages and disengages with a pair of dovetail grooves (L-shaped grooves) 242 and 242 provided in a concave portion 240 (see FIG. 12) of the upper case 230 described later. ing.

The agitator 620 is formed integrally with the shaft portion 621, the shaft portion 621, and the scooping blade 622 for scooping up the toner in the tank case, and the scooping blade 622 and the tank case. And a stirring blade 623 for stirring the toner inside.
1 is rotatably attached to a bearing hole 612 at the bottom of the tank case via a seal ring (not shown). When the toner tank 600 is attached to the upper case 230 of the image forming unit as described later,
A groove 625 that engages with the shaft 521 of the drive gear 520 is formed. The stirring blade 623 may be integrally provided with a wiper-shaped cleaning member 626 made of rubber or the like for cleaning the inner wall surface of the tank case 610, as indicated by an imaginary line.

The shutter section 630 includes a sealing member 631 made of an elastic material such as sponge, and a disk-shaped shutter 63.
2 and a guide member 633.

The sealing member 631 has a fan shape and is adapted to be fitted in a recess 611a of the same shape provided in the tank case bottom 611. In the fitted state, the sealing member 631 coincides with the shaft hole 612 in the tank case bottom. Shaft hole 631a
And a toner supply port 631b matching the toner supply port 613 at the bottom of the tank case.

In the shutter 632, a shaft hole 632a that matches the shaft hole 612 of the tank case bottom 611, a toner supply port 632b that can match the toner supply port 613, and a pin 614 on the bottom of the tank case are inserted into an arc shape. Slot 632c and the upper case 23 of the image forming unit described later.
An engaging hole 632d that engages with the pin 244 provided at 0 is provided.

The guide member 633 has a ring shape as a whole, and the step portion 6 provided on the tank case bottom portion 611.
It is attached to 11b. In the mounted state, the four square holes 633e are the four engaging claws 611e formed in the step portion.
It is fixed to the bottom portion of the tank case by engaging with the bottom edge portion 633f, and the peripheral edge portion 632f of the shutter 632 is slidably supported by the inner surface (top surface) of the bottom edge portion 633f. In addition, the guide member 633 has an arc-shaped tongue piece 6 having elasticity.
33g is integrally provided, and a projection 633c that is loosely fitted from the back side (upper surface side in FIG. 10) of the engagement hole 632d of the shutter 632 to the tip end portion of the tongue piece 633g is provided (FIG. 13). The shutter 632 is provided with a tongue piece 63 from the upper surface side of the guide member 633.
It is attached to the guide member 633 so as to pass through 3 g below. The engagement of the projection 633c with the engagement hole 632d prevents the shutter 632 from rotating carelessly, and the toner supply port 632b is aligned with the toner supply port 613 at the bottom of the tank case 610.
The toner inside is prevented from leaking out.

In the toner tank 600 as described above, when the above parts are assembled, the pin 6 at the bottom of the tank case is
14 penetrates the elongated hole 632c of the shutter 632, and the tip end thereof projects from the elongated hole 632c (see FIG. 13). The sealing member 631 is attached to the tank case bottom 611 with its toner supply port 631b aligned with the toner supply port 613 at the bottom of the tank case, and the shutter 6
It is held in a state of being pinched by 32. This improves the adhesion between the sealing member 613 and the shutter 632.
Toner leakage is prevented. The shutter 632 is
Between the tank case bottom portion 611 and the guide member 633, the pin 614 is rotatably slidable in the direction of arrow a or b in the figure within a range in which the pin 614 can relatively move along the elongated hole 632c. That is, in the shutter unit 630, only the shutter 632 is provided in the tank case 610.
It becomes a state in which it can relatively rotate and slide. In a state where the toner tank 600 is not attached to the image forming unit, the toner supply port 632b of the shutter 632.
Does not coincide with the toner supply port 631b of the sealing member 631. That is, the toner supply port 63 of the sealing member 631
1b is in a state of being sealed by the shutter 632.

Next, referring to FIGS. 11 and 12, the toner tank 6 in the upper case 230 of the image forming unit.
The mounting portion 240 of No. 00 will be described.

The mounting portion 240 is formed as a recess into which the lower portion of the toner tank 600 is fitted, and in this recess,
A shutter unit 250 having the same structure as the shutter unit 630 of the toner tank 600 described above is incorporated.

On the bottom surface 241 of the recess, the shaft hole 245 into which the shaft 521 of the drive gear 520 is inserted, and the toner supply facing the engagement start point of the drive gear 520 and the coil spring 510 in the circulation path of the coil spring 510 described above. A mouth 243 (see FIG. 8) and a pin 244 are provided. Further, on the inner peripheral surface of the concave portion, a pair of dovetail grooves (L-shaped grooves) that engage and disengage with the convex portion 616 of the toner tank described above.
242 and 242 are provided. The dovetail groove 242 includes a vertical groove 242a and a horizontal groove 242b.
The upper end of 2a is the mounting hole 10 of the printer body case described above.
It is connected to the lower end of a guide groove 101b provided in 1a (see FIG. 14). Further, the end of the lateral groove 242b constitutes a restricting portion for restricting the end of the rotation operation of the toner tank 600 during the mounting operation of the toner tank described later.

The shutter section 250 includes a sealing member 251 made of an elastic material such as sponge, and a disk-shaped shutter 25.
2 and a guide member 253.

The sealing member 251 is adapted to be fitted and adhered to a recess 241a of the same shape provided on the bottom surface 241 of the recess, and in the fitted state, the shaft hole 2
45 and a shaft hole 251a, and the toner supply port 24
3 and the toner supply port 251b corresponding to No. 3.

The shutter 252 has a shaft hole 252a coinciding with the shaft hole 245, a toner supply port 252b which can coincide with the toner supply port 243, and an arc-shaped elongated hole 252c into which the pin 244 is inserted. The engagement hole 252d that engages with the pin 614 of the toner tank 600 described above is provided.

The guide member 253 has a substantially ring shape and is mounted in the recess (240). In the mounted state, the two engaging claws 253e are fixed in the recess by engaging with the engaging holes (not shown) provided in the wall surface in the recess, respectively, and are fixed on the lower surface of the bottom edge 253f. The peripheral portion 252f of the shutter 252 is supported so as to be slidably rotatable (see FIG. 13). The guide member 253 is integrally provided with an elastic arc-shaped tongue piece 253g, and the engaging hole 25 of the shutter 252 is provided at the tip of this tongue piece 253g.
2d is provided with a protrusion 253c that is loosely fitted from the back side (lower surface side in FIG. 10) (see FIG. 13). The shutter 252 is incorporated under the guide member 253 so that the shutter 252 passes above the tongue piece 253g from the lower surface side of the guide member 253. Protrusion 2 in engagement hole 252d
The engagement of 53c prevents the shutter 252 from rotating carelessly during transportation of the main body, and the toner supply port 252b coincides with the toner supply port 243 so that the toner in the image forming unit 200 leaks. Is prevented.

When the image forming unit 200 is assembled, the pin 244 on the bottom surface of the concave portion becomes the long hole 2 of the shutter 252.
The tip of the penetrating portion 52c is projected from the elongated hole 252c (see FIG. 13). The sealing member 251 is held in a state of being sandwiched between the recess bottom surface 241 and the shutter 252. As a result, the sealing member 251 and the shutter 2
Adhesion with 52 is improved and toner leakage is prevented.
The shutter 252 includes a recess bottom surface 241 and a guide member 25.
3, the pin 244 is rotatably slidably held in the direction of arrow a or b in the figure within a range in which the pin 244 can relatively move along the elongated hole 252c. That is, in the shutter part 250, only the shutter 252 is in a state of being relatively rotatable and slidable with respect to the upper case 230. Further, in a state where the toner tank 600 is not mounted, the toner supply port 252b of the shutter 252 has the toner supply port 251 of the sealing member 251 as shown in FIG.
Does not match b. That is, the toner supply port 251b of the sealing member 251 is in a state of being sealed by the shutter 252.

The attachment / detachment operation of the toner tank 600 with respect to the attachment portion 240 as described above is as follows. FIG. 13 is a schematic sectional view showing a state immediately before the toner tank 600 is mounted on the mounting portion 240. The attaching / detaching operation and the operation will be described mainly with reference to this drawing.

First, the toner tank 600 is set to the convex portion 6
16 is aligned with the guide groove 101b of the mounting hole 101a (see FIG. 14) of the main body case.
To insert. Then, the convex portion 616 is guided by the guide groove 101b and moves downward in the guide groove 101b, further enters the dovetail groove 242a provided in the mounting portion 240 of the image forming unit, and reaches the lower end thereof. To stop (FIG. 13 shows a state immediately before reaching the lower end). At this time, the shaft 521 of the gear 520 is connected to the shaft portion 621 of the agitator 620 of the toner tank. The pin 614 of the toner tank is attached to the mounting portion 240 of the image forming unit.
The shutter 252 is fitted into the engaging hole 252d, and the projection 253c of the tongue is pushed down to unlock the shutter 252 by the projection 253c. At the same time mounting part 240
The pin 244 on the side is fitted into the engaging hole 632d of the shutter 632 of the toner tank and pushes up the protrusion 633c of the tongue piece to unlock the shutter 632 by the protrusion 633c.

Next, the toner tank 600 is replaced with the arrow b in FIG.
Rotate counterclockwise as shown in. Then, the convex portion 616 of the toner tank enters the lateral groove 242b of the dovetail groove and engages with the lateral groove 242b to prevent the toner tank from coming off.
It will be attached to the. As described above, the pin 614 of the toner tank fits into the engagement hole 252d of the shutter 252 of the mounting portion 240, and the pin 24 on the mounting portion 240 side is attached.
4 is an engagement hole 632d of the shutter 632 of the toner tank
Since the toner tank 600 is rotated in the direction of arrow b in FIG.
52 is the same direction as the toner tank 600, that is, FIG.
1 The toner supply port 252b rotates counterclockwise as indicated by arrow b so as to coincide with the toner supply port 251b of the sealing member 251, and the shutter 632 of the toner tank moves even when the toner tank is rotated in the direction of arrow b. Therefore, the toner supply port 632b is rotated in the clockwise direction as shown by the arrow a in FIG. 9 relative to the tank, and the toner supply port 632b coincides with the toner supply port 631b of the sealing member 631. That is, the toner supply ports 613, 631b, 632b, 252 of all parts
b, 251b, and 243 are in the matched state, and the toner can be supplied from the toner tank 600 to the image forming unit 200.

When the image forming unit 200 operates as described above with the toner tank 600 attached to the image forming unit 200 as described above, the drive gear 52
The agitator 620 is rotationally driven by the zero shaft 521.

The toner contained in the tank case 610 is agitated upward by the scraping blades 622 of the agitator 620.
When the toner in the inside is consumed, the toner is supplied from the toner supply port 613 to the respective toner supply ports and the upper case 23 by that much.
Image forming unit 20 through the toner supply port 243 of 0.
The toner will fall freely into 0 and the toner will be replenished in the image forming unit 200.

In this way, when the toner is replenished to the image forming unit 200 from the toner tank 600 and the toner in the toner tank is used up, the toner tank is replaced. The depletion of toner in the toner tank can be visually confirmed because the tank case 610 is transparent. Also, the tank 600
When the toner is no longer replenished from the image forming unit 2
Since the amount of toner in 00 decreases, it can be known by detecting this with a sensor provided in the image forming unit 200. Therefore, in this case, the toner tank case 610 does not necessarily need to be transparent.

The operation for removing the toner tank 600 may be the reverse of the mounting operation described above. That is,
Grasp the upper part of the tank 600 (exposed part 600A exposed from the main body case 101), and point in the direction of arrow a (clockwise).
After rotating the main body case 101, the main body case 101 may be pulled out from the mounting hole 101a. When the tank 600 is rotated in the direction of arrow a, the shutter 632 of the tank relatively rotates in the counterclockwise direction shown by arrow b in FIG.
At the same time that 13 and 631b are shielded, the shutter 250 of the image forming unit 200 rotates in the direction of arrow a in FIG. 11 to rotate the toner supply ports 243 and 2 of the unit 200.
52b is shielded. Therefore, when the tank 600 is removed, even if some toner remains in the tank 600, it does not scatter and stain the printer and its surroundings. Further, for example, when the printer is transported, the toner in the unit 200 is supplied to the toner supply port 243 even when the printer is transported with the tank 600 removed.
And 252b does not leak and scatter.

According to the printer as described above, the following operational effects can be obtained.

(I) The toner tank 600 is the main body 100
Since at least a part of the device is detached from the case and is attached to the main body 100, at least a part of the part is exposed to the outside of the case 101 of the main body.

Therefore, according to this printer, it is not necessary to open and close the cover of the apparatus main body case when replenishing the toner, and the toner can be replenished easily and quickly.

In addition, the exposed portion 60 of the toner tank 600
Since 0A is exposed outside the case 101 of the main body outside the movement path of the recording paper P, it is possible to supply toner without stopping the recording operation even during the recording operation.

That is, the toner can be replenished while performing the image forming operation on the recording paper P.

(Ii) Since the toner tank 600 has a cylindrical shape and is configured to be attached to and detached from the main body 100 by rotating around the axis thereof, it is simpler and easier.
The toner replenishment work can be performed promptly .

(Iii) Since the tank case 610 of the toner tank 600 is transparent, the remaining amount of the toner T (see FIG. 13) in the toner tank can be visually checked. Therefore, it is not always necessary to provide a sensor for detecting the remaining amount of toner, and when toner runs out in the toner tank, the toner tank 600 can be promptly replaced to replenish toner.

(Iv) The toner tank 600 is rotated by being driven by the main body 100 inside the toner case 600.
When the cleaning member 626 for cleaning the inner wall surface of No. 0 is provided, the amount of toner remaining in the toner tank can be visually checked easily and reliably.

(V) When the cleaning member 626 is composed of the agitator 620 which stirs the toner inside the toner tank, it is not necessary to provide a cleaning member separately from the agitator 620, and the structure of the toner tank is simplified. To be

(Vi) Inside the toner tank 600,
Since the agitator 620 that is driven by the main body 100 to rotate and agitates the toner T in the toner tank is provided, blocking of the toner can be prevented, and the toner can be smoothly replenished from the toner tank 600. Can be converted.

The main body 100 has a toner tank 6
00, a dovetail groove 242 for restricting the end of the rotation operation of the toner tank is provided, and the rotation direction of the agitator 620 and the rotation direction of the toner tank mounting operation are the same. So agitator 6
The rotation of 20 causes the toner tank 600 to be urged in the mounting direction (direction of arrow b). Therefore, it is possible to prevent the toner tank 600 from coming off the main body 100 without necessarily providing a special locking mechanism.

<Second Embodiment> FIG. 15 is an external perspective view showing an essential part of a second embodiment of the image forming apparatus according to the present invention.

The main difference between this embodiment and the first embodiment described above is that the toner tank 600 ′ mounted on the main body 100 is different.
The point is that a lock mechanism is provided to lock the.

The lock mechanism includes a lock hole 601 provided on the peripheral wall surface of the toner tank 600 'and a main body case 101.
It is composed of a lock claw 101c provided above.

The lock claw 101c is slidable in the directions of the arrows c1 and c2, and the toner tank 60
After mounting 0 ′, the toner tank 600 ′ is prevented from slipping out and rotating by sliding in the direction of arrow c1 and engaging the tip thereof with the lock hole 601.

The difference of this embodiment from the above-mentioned first embodiment is that the toner tank 600 in the first embodiment is mounted by rotating in the direction of arrow b (counterclockwise). On the other hand, the toner tank 600 'of this embodiment is configured to be mounted by rotating in the direction of arrow a (clockwise).

Therefore, the positions of the holes of the shutter and the like and the positions of the lateral grooves of the dovetail groove are configured symmetrically with those of the first embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 12, the lateral groove 242b of the dovetail groove in the first embodiment was formed from the vertical groove 242a in the direction of the arrow b. Agitator 62 in the tank
The rotation direction of 0 is the direction of the arrow b. Therefore, the toner tank 600 receives the rotational driving force in the direction of the arrow b from the shaft 521 of the drive gear 520 via the agitator 620 and the toner in the tank. The rotation of the convex portion 616 is the end portion (regulating portion) of the lateral groove 242b.
The structure is automatically regulated by abutting against. Therefore, the lock mechanism is not necessarily required in the first embodiment.

However, when an object is to be rotated and mounted, it is generally rotated clockwise. In this respect, the toner tank 60 according to the first embodiment is used.
Since 0 is rotated counterclockwise and mounted, there is a problem that it is not always desirable in operation.

On the other hand, according to the second embodiment, since the toner tank 600 'is mounted by rotating it in the clockwise direction, the above problems are solved and there is an advantage that it is desirable in operation. To be

On the other hand, in this second embodiment, since the lateral groove of the dovetail groove is formed from the vertical groove in the direction of arrow a, the toner tank 600 'applies a rotational driving force in the direction away from this groove. If the lock mechanism is not provided, the toner tank 600 ′ may come off.

Therefore, the provision of the lock mechanism is
In such a case, that is, when the rotating direction of the agitator and the detaching direction of the tank are the same, it is particularly effective. However, in the first embodiment, the provision of the lock mechanism is also effective for surely preventing the toner tank 600 from coming off.

Therefore, by making the rotating direction of the agitator clockwise, it is possible to improve the operability of mounting the tank and eliminate the need for the lock mechanism.

In FIG. 15, 101d is an alignment mark provided on the case 101, and 602 is an alignment mark provided on the tank. When these marks are aligned, the convex portion 616 of the tank is aligned with the guide groove 1.
It corresponds to 01b.

Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and various modifications can be made within the scope of the gist of the present invention.

[0112]

According to the present invention, it is not necessary to open and close the cover of the apparatus main body case when replenishing the toner, and the toner can be replenished easily and quickly and during the recording operation.

[0113]

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an external perspective view of an electrophotographic printer showing a first embodiment of an image forming apparatus according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a front view of the same.

FIG. 3 is a plan view of the same.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view of the same.

FIG. 5 is a partially omitted perspective view showing an image forming unit and a toner tank.

6 is a sectional view taken along line VI-VI in FIG.

FIG. 7 is a schematic plan view showing an image forming unit and a toner tank.

FIG. 8 is a schematic plan view showing the entire guide portion.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the toner tank as viewed from below.

FIG. 10 is an exploded perspective view of a toner tank.

FIG. 11 is a plan view of both image forming units.

FIG. 12 is an exploded perspective view of a toner tank mounting portion of the image forming unit.

FIG. 13 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a state immediately before the toner tank is mounted on the mounting portion.

FIG. 14 is a partial perspective view of a main body case.

FIG. 15 is an external perspective view showing a main part of a second embodiment of the image forming apparatus according to the present invention.

FIG. 16 is an explanatory diagram of a conventional technique.

[Explanation of Codes] 100 Printer Main Body 101 Main Body Case 600 Toner Tank 600A Exposed Part 620 Agitator 626 Cleaning Member

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. An image forming apparatus comprising: a main body for forming an image on a recording sheet with toner; and a toner tank that is detachably attached to the main body and supplies toner to the main body in a mounted state. An image forming apparatus, wherein at least a part of the toner tank mounted on the recording medium is exposed outside the case of the main body outside the movement path of the recording paper. 2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the toner tank has a cylindrical shape, and is attached to and detached from the main body by rotating the toner tank around its axis. 3. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein at least a part of the toner tank is transparent. 4. A cleaning member is provided inside the toner tank, the cleaning member being activated by being driven by the main body to clean an inner wall surface of the transparent portion. Image forming apparatus. 5. The image forming apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the cleaning member is an agitator that agitates the toner inside the toner tank. 6. The main body is provided with a restricting portion for restricting the end of the rotational movement of the toner tank during the mounting operation of the toner tank, and the inside of the toner tank is driven by the main body. An agitator is provided which rotates upon receipt of the toner and agitates the toner in the toner tank, and the rotating direction of the agitator and the rotating direction at the time of mounting the toner tank are the same. , 3, 4, or 5, the image forming apparatus.