JPH0792625B2 - Dry developing device - Google Patents

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a dry developing device used in a copying process such as electrophotography.

2. Description of the Related Art As a dry developing method which has already been put into practical use, there is a one-component developing method using a powder developer consisting of only a magnetic toner. However, this one-component developing method has a difficult problem in that the toners are required to have conductive properties at the time of development and insulating properties at the time of transfer, which is a difficult problem. Without taking
Uses magnetic toner with high resistance and good transfer characteristics,
Various measures are taken to improve the development characteristics.

As one of the measures of this kind, the applicant has already
As shown in FIG. 9, a developing sleeve (1) which has a magnetic roller (2) inside and which circulates and conveys a magnetic developer composed of a mixture of toner and magnetic carrier in one direction on the outer peripheral surface, An ear height regulating portion (3) provided on the upstream side of the developing area (A) in the developer conveying direction [arrow (b)] and an outer peripheral surface of the developing sleeve (1) on the upstream side of the ear height regulating portion (3). Front regulating plate (4) and spike height regulating plate (3)
And a front regulation plate (4) between the inner space and the front regulation plate (4) so as to open toward the outer peripheral surface of the developing sleeve (1), and a toner replenishing section installed upstream of the front regulation plate (4). (6) (9th
(Shown as a slit in the figure) is proposed (Japanese Patent Application No. 58-183633 and Japanese Patent Application No. 59-1761).
See No. 75).

In this dry developing device, on the outer peripheral surface of the developing sleeve (1), based on the rotation of the developing sleeve (1) in the arrow (b) direction and / or the rotation of the magnetic roller (2) in the arrow (a) direction. Toner that is supplied in advance to a starter such as a magnetic carrier to adjust the magnetic developer, circulates and conveys in the direction of arrow (b), and rotates in the developing area (A) in the direction of arrow (c). The electrostatic latent image carried on the surface of the drum (20) is developed.

By the way, in the above-mentioned dry developing device, it is necessary to supply the starter onto the outer peripheral surface of the developing sleeve (1) at the start of use of the device, and when the starter is deteriorated, the developer is supplied to the developing sleeve (1). ), It is necessary to collect it from the outer peripheral surface and supply a new starter.

To supply the starter, as shown in FIG. 10, with the photoconductor drum (20) removed, a plate-shaped starter set jig (17) was attached to the opening of the casing (15), and the set jig ( 17) On the outer peripheral surface of the developing sleeve (1) and in the empty chamber (5), manually rotate the developing sleeve (1) in the direction of the arrow (b) with the starter poured into the bottle (not shown). Supply in. After that, remove the setting jig (17) and attach the photoconductor drum (20) to complete the process unit.
The operation is performed for about a minute [rotation of the developing sleeve (1) and the magnetic roller (2)] so that the starter becomes uniform in the axial direction.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 11, the developer is collected with the plate-shaped developer collecting jig (18) with the photosensitive drum (20) removed.
Is attached to the opening of the casing (15) and the mylar (19) at the tip is brought into contact with the outer peripheral surface of the developing sleeve (1), then the process unit is set in the main body of the copying machine, and the magnetic roller (2) is moved to the arrow (a). ) Direction. At this time, the developer is conveyed in the direction of the arrow (b) based on the rotation of the magnetic roller (2), scraped off from the outer peripheral surface of the developing sleeve (1) by the mylar (19), and collected in the collecting jig (18). Recess (18a)
Will be accumulated in.

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION Problems to be Solved by the Invention However, in the above supply and recovery methods, it takes time to handle the set jig (17) and the recovery jig (18), and the starter and the developer are easily spilled, Particularly, at the time of setting, it is necessary to pay close attention to uniformly supply the starter in the axial direction of the developing sleeve (1), and since the developing sleeve (1) is manually rotated, the developing sleeve (1)
At the same time, the magnetic roller (2) is driven to rotate in the direction of the arrow (b), and there is a risk that the starter will flow backward due to this rotation. Furthermore, the recovered developer is the recovery jig as it is (18)
There is a problem that it cannot be left on the top and it is a problem for the disposal site.

Means for Solving the Problems In order to solve the above problems, the dry developing apparatus according to the present invention stores a starter in a cartridge in advance and causes the cartridge to function as a starter supply container and a developer recovery container. It was done like this. That is, an opening that faces the developing sleeve, a lid member that is openably and closably provided in the opening, and an edge portion that press-contacts the outer peripheral surface of the developing sleeve and guides the developer on the outer peripheral surface of the developing sleeve into the cartridge. A cartridge containing a starter is detachably provided immediately below the developing sleeve, and the starter is supplied from the cartridge to the developing sleeve while the lid member is opened when the starter is supplied. It is characterized in that the edge portion is brought into pressure contact with the outer peripheral surface of the developing sleeve only at the time of collection so that the developer on the outer peripheral surface of the developing sleeve is guided into the cartridge.

Embodiment [First Embodiment, See FIGS. 1 to 4] In this first embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, the basic structure of the dry developing device itself is the same as that shown in FIG. The developing sleeve (1) is rotatable in the direction of arrow (b), the magnetic roller (2) is rotatable in the direction of arrow (a), and the developer is on the outer peripheral surface of the developing sleeve (1). Is circulated and conveyed in the direction of arrow (b), and the electrostatic latent image carried on the surface of the photosensitive drum (20) rotating in the direction of arrow (c) is developed. Further, (3) is the same as the above, the spike height regulating portion, (4) is the front regulating plate, (5) is the empty chamber, and (6) is the slit-shaped toner replenishing portion. The replenishment toner is replenished into the casing (15) from the cartridge (7) mounted on the upper part of the casing (15), and through the toner replenishment section (6) based on the rotation of the toner supply blade (8) in the direction of the arrow (d). The developer is circulated on the outer peripheral surface of the developing sleeve (1) and supplied to the developer. The toner thus supplied is mixed and stirred with the starter (magnetic carrier) when passing through the empty chamber (5), and as a result, the toner is constantly kept in a constant mixing ratio with the magnetic carrier. As the starter, only the carrier or a mixture of the carrier and the toner is used.

On the other hand, for the casing (15), the developing sleeve (1)
The cartridge (10) can be attached and removed directly under.
This cartridge (10) contains a starter in advance. As shown in FIG. 4, an opening (11) extending in the axial direction of the developing sleeve (1) is formed on the upper surface of the opening (11). ) Can be closed by a slidable lid member (12) having a protrusion (12a), and the lid member (12) of the opening (11) can be closed.
The edge portion facing the is an elastic edge portion (11a). The ridges (10a) formed on both sides of the cartridge (10) can engage with the ridges (16a) formed on both side walls of the recess (16) of the casing (15).

In the above configuration, the starter is the cartridge (1
0), and as shown in FIG. 2, the opening (11)
Is closed by a lid member (12). The tip of the lid member (12) is an edge portion corresponding to the edge portion (11a), and the inside is hermetically sealed by abutting the both edge portions.

To supply the starter into the developing device, first, the lid member (12) is retracted in the direction of the arrow (e) in FIG.
With the photosensitive drum (9) removed, the cartridge (10) with the opened 1) is pushed into the recess (16) of the casing (15) in the direction of the arrow (f) as shown in FIG. At this time, the protrusion (10a) is engaged and guided by the recess (16a), and the front side of the cartridge (10) is recessed (1
This is performed by abutting against the wall portion (16b) of 6) (see FIG. 1), and the opening (11) is located immediately below the developing sleeve (1). In this case, since the edge portion (11a) is set to be one step higher, it is rubbed against the lower portion of the developing sleeve (1) and positioned at the back.

After that, the photoconductor drum (20) is mounted to complete the process unit including the main developing device, and this unit is set in the main body of the copying machine to be operated.

That is, the starter in the cartridge (10) is attracted to the outer peripheral surface of the developing sleeve (1) through the opening (11) by the action of the magnetic force of the magnetic roller (2), and the direction of the arrow (b) of the developing sleeve (1) or / And the arrow (a) on the magnetic roller (2)
The toner is sequentially supplied from the inside of the cartridge (10) to the outer peripheral surface of the developing sleeve (10) and into the vacant chamber (5) based on the rotation of the cartridge.

The replenishment toner is replenished into the casing (15) after the habituation operation is completed. Further, during the developing operation, the cartridge (10) is still mounted in the casing (15), and at this time, the projection (12a) formed on the lid member (12) functions as a developer scattering prevention plate.

On the other hand, when it is necessary to collect the developer on the outer peripheral surface of the developing sleeve (1) and in the vacant chamber (5) due to deterioration of the magnetic carrier constituting the starter, etc., the photosensitive drum (2
With the (0) removed, as shown in FIG. 3, the cartridge (10) is slightly pulled out in the direction of the arrow (e), and the edge portion (11a) is pressed against the lower part of the developing sleeve (1) by its own elasticity. . Here, when the magnetic roller (2) is rotated in the direction of the arrow (a), [the developing sleeve (1) is rotationally driven in conjunction with the photoconductor drum (20), so that the photoconductor drum (20) is removed. In this state, the developing sleeve (1) does not rotate. ], The developer is a developing sleeve (1)
Is conveyed in the direction of the arrow (b) on the outer peripheral surface of the
The cartridge (10) is scraped off with a) and opened through the opening (11).
Will be recovered in. After the developer is also collected from the empty chamber (5), the cartridge (10) is pulled out from the casing (15), and the opening (11) is closed by the lid member (12). In order to remove the developing device from the main body of the copying machine and perform the collecting operation, the developing sleeve (1) may be directly rotated by hand in the direction of the arrow (b).

Also, during this recovery, it is preferable to push the lid member (12) slightly inward to narrow the opening (11) (see FIG. 3). This once cartridges (10)
This is to prevent the developer collected inside from being re-adsorbed to the outer peripheral surface of the developing sleeve (1), and at this time, the gap between the developing sleeve (1) and the tip of the lid member (12) is at least The spike height of the developer is required.

In order to move the lid member (12), the protrusion (12a)
Hold by hand.

[Second Embodiment, see FIGS. 5 to 8] The second embodiment is different from the first embodiment only in the structure of the cartridge (10), and the other configurations and operations are the same as those in the first embodiment.
It is similar to that of the embodiment.

That is, the cartridge (10) has an opening (1
1), and cover members (13), (1
4) are slidably installed in the directions of arrows (e) and (f), and the rear end of the lid member (13) is erected obliquely to form an elastic edge portion (13a).

Therefore, in the cartridge (10) containing the starter, as shown in FIG. 6, the lid member (13) initially moves in the direction of arrow (e) and the lid member (14) moves in the direction of arrow (f) to open ( 11) is closed.

To supply the starter, first, the cartridge (10) in which the lid member (14) is retracted in the direction of the arrow (e) and the right side of the opening (11) is released, is removed from the casing of the photosensitive drum (20). Push it into the recess (16) of (15). As a result, the opening (11) is located at the back of the developing sleeve (1), in other words, immediately below the outer peripheral surface portion which is rotating while rising (fifth).
See figure). After that, the process unit in which the photoconductor drum (20) is mounted is set in the main body of the copying machine and the operation is performed in the same manner as in the first embodiment. In this familiar operation, the starter inside the cartridge (10) is open (11).
Is supplied to the outer peripheral surface of the developing sleeve (1) and the chamber. In the second embodiment, since the open portion of the opening (11) is located at the tip portion of the cartridge (10), the starter is supplied without accumulating in the cartridge (10). Further, the edge portion (13a) functions as a developer scattering prevention plate after the starter is supplied.

On the other hand, the developer is collected by removing the photoconductor drum (20) and then removing the lid member (14) with the arrow (f) as shown in FIG.
When the tip is pushed in the direction until it comes into contact with the tip of the cartridge (10), the edge portion (13a) is pressed against the outer peripheral surface of the developing sleeve (1) by its own elasticity and the edge portion (13a) The opening (11) immediately below is released. Here, when the magnetic roller (2) is rotated in the direction of arrow (a), the developer is conveyed on the outer peripheral surface of the developing sleeve (1) in the direction of arrow (b) and scraped off by the edge portion (13a). It is collected in the cartridge (10) through the opening (11). Also, the developing sleeve (1) can be collected by rotating it by hand in the direction of the arrow (b) as in the first embodiment.

EFFECTS OF THE INVENTION As is apparent from the above description, according to the present invention, the removable cartridge is made to function as the starter supply container and the developer recovery container directly below the developing sleeve.
There is no need to use a set jig or a collection jig for supplying and collecting as in the past, and the actual supplying and collecting operations can be performed with the developing device set in the main body of the copying machine, which simplifies the work. In addition, the starter and the developer are not spilled outside. Moreover, at the time of supplying the starter, the starter is directly supplied to the developing sleeve from the cartridge mounted immediately below the developing sleeve, so that the starter can be made uniform in the axial direction of the developing sleeve. Further, since the cartridge is installed in only one place, the developing device can be downsized and simplified accordingly.

[Brief description of drawings]

1 to 4 show the first embodiment, FIG. 1 is a sectional view showing the overall construction of a dry developing device, FIG. 2 is a sectional view of a cartridge, and FIG. 3 is a main part at the time of recovery. Sectional view, 4th
The figure is a perspective view of the cartridge device. FIGS. 5 to 8 show a second embodiment, FIG. 5 is a sectional view showing an essential part of a dry developing device, FIG. 6 is a sectional view of a cartridge, and FIG.
FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view showing a main part at the time of recovery, and FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the cartridge. FIG. 9 is a sectional view showing a main part of a dry developing device as a prior art, and FIGS. 10 and 11 are explanatory sectional views at the time of supply and recovery, respectively. (1) …… Developing sleeve, (2) …… Magnetic roller, (1
0) ... cartridge, (11) ... opening, (11a) ... edge part, (12), (13), (14) ... lid member, (13a)
…… Edge part, (15) …… Casing.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A toner is supplied to a starter magnetically attracted to the outer peripheral surface of a developing sleeve,
On the outer peripheral surface of the developing sleeve, a magnetic developer containing a mixture of a starter and toner is prepared, and the magnetic latent image is carried on the surface of the electrostatic latent image carrier to develop the electrostatic latent image. In the developing device, an opening that faces the developing sleeve, a lid member that is openably and closably provided in the opening, and is pressed against the outer peripheral surface of the developing sleeve to guide the developer on the outer peripheral surface of the developing sleeve into the cartridge. While having an edge portion, a cartridge in which a starter is housed in advance is detachably provided directly below the developing sleeve, and the starter is supplied from the cartridge to the developing sleeve while keeping the lid member open at the time of supplying the starter. Only when the developer is collected, the edge portion is brought into pressure contact with the outer peripheral surface of the developing sleeve, and the developer on the outer peripheral surface of the developing sleeve is put into the cartridge. A dry developing device characterized by guiding.