JPH11258900A - Toner replenishing device capable of detecting remaining toner quantity - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a toner replenishing device where such a conventional defect (sudden death) is improved that a point of time of detecting the toner end is substantially a time when the toner comes to an end, so that toner must be replenished at once and there is no time to spare until the toner is actually replenished and replaced, and where a means for informing of the toner end a little before the actual toner end is installed. SOLUTION: In the inside of a toner bottle, a spiral projecting part is formed, and the toner is supplied by the toner bottle 1 in accordance with the rotation of the bottle, and the toner bottle 1 is used for a toner replenishing device. In this case, the toner replenishing device is provided with a shaft part 4 which is connected to a sheet member 5 shifting in accordance with the flowing direction of the toner 2, that is, shifting along the direction that the toner 2 lying in the bottle flows toward the supply exit 6 of the bottle and/or the direction that the toner 2 flows in the bottle rotating direction, and the shifting level and the load level of the sheet member 5 and/or the shaft part 4 obtained when the toner 2 becomes equal to or below a fixed quantity in the bottle are detected, then, the toner quantity in the bottle is accurately grasped.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an electrophotographic apparatus, and more particularly, to a toner replenishing apparatus used in a developing apparatus such as a dry PPC, a facsimile, a printer, and the like.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. Hei 6-266227 discloses that a toner container used while being rotated by a toner replenishing device can be mounted on the toner replenishing device while a toner discharge port is blocked. A toner container and a toner replenishing device capable of preventing toner leakage at the time are disclosed. Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. Hei 7-20705 discloses that toner is easily discharged from an opening and toner adheres to an outer surface of a toner bottle. There is disclosed a developer replenishing apparatus in which a bottle opening is improved so as to reduce the amount of toner. In these conventional toner replenishing apparatuses, the detection of toner exhaustion (toner end) is performed by a toner density sensor or a developing ability sensor provided in the developing unit. The latter develops the toner on the detection roller and detects the toner density (actually referred to as toner developing ability) based on the amount of the developed toner. The procedure of this end detection is as follows. Upon receiving a replenishment request signal from the density sensor, the toner is replenished. After a while, if the toner density (developing ability) increases, it is determined that the toner has a replenishing ability and the replenishment is stopped. If the toner density does not increase due to replenishment, the above cycle is repeated several times, and if the density still does not increase, the toner is exhausted. In these conventional techniques, the point of time when the end is detected is a substantial end time, so the toner must be replenished immediately, there is no time to actually replenish or replace the toner, and the toner runs out suddenly. Was sometimes

[0003]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to improve the above-mentioned drawbacks and to provide a technique for indicating "near end" some time before the actual end.

[0004]

The inventors of the present invention have conducted intensive studies, and as a result, the above problem has been solved by the present invention in (1) "the bottle has a spiral projection inside the bottle, and the toner is supplied by the rotation of the bottle." A toner bottle and a toner replenishing apparatus using the bottle, wherein the toner in the bottle flows in the direction of the supply outlet of the bottle due to rotation of the bottle and / or the flow direction of the toner in the direction of rotation of the toner flowing in the direction of rotation of the bottle. A shaft portion connected to a plate-like member that is displaced in the bottle, and detecting the degree of displacement or load of the plate shape and / or the shaft portion when the toner in the bottle becomes a certain amount or less, and detecting the toner in the bottle. A toner replenishing device characterized in that the amount can be accurately grasped; and (2) a displacement in the bottle rotation direction on the member plate and / or shaft displaced by the flow of toner. (3) The toner replenishing device according to (1), wherein a rotational torque detecting device capable of detecting the rotational torque is attached. (3) The elastic shaft member is displaced in the toner flow direction. (4) The toner replenishing device according to (1), (4) wherein the position of the plate member receiving the resistance of the toner due to the flow of the toner is displaced, and the toner amount is detected by detecting the position. (5) The toner supply device according to (1), wherein a float having a specific gravity smaller than that of the toner is attached to a tip of the member plate.
(6) The toner replenishing device according to (1), wherein the shaft is forcibly rotated and the amount of toner is detected based on the torque. I found that.

[0005]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The contents of the present invention will be specifically described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram illustrating an example of the toner supply device of the present invention. In FIG. 1, a toner supply device of the present invention is connected to a toner receiving port of a toner container (not shown) by pressure contact or the like, and supplies a toner (2) to the toner supply port (6). And a toner bottle (1) in which a shaft (4) is inserted. The toner bottle (1) is supported at both ends, that is, the supply outlet (6) is a toner container. The bottom (9) is supported by a bottle rotating means (not shown). Shaft (4)
Is provided with a plate-shaped member (5) at the tip of. The plate-like member (5) may be of a rod-like shape. Of course, in the present invention, these plate-like, rod-like and pipe-like members are collectively referred to as a "plate-like member". Said shaft (4) may instead bear a toner bottle (1). Instead of attaching a bottle rotating means (not shown) to the bottom portion (9) of the toner bottle (1), the shaft (4) may be used as a rotating shaft. In this case, the shaft (4) is mechanically rotated by a motor or the like, and the additional torque of this motor is detected. It is the user who puts the shaft (4) in the bottle (1). The copying machine has a shaft (4), and the layout is such that the shaft (4) can be inserted when the bottle (1) is inserted into the copying machine.

As described above, in the toner supply device of the present invention shown in FIG. 1, when the toner bottle (1) rotates, the contained toner (2) flows in the circumferential direction by the rotation, In addition, the toner is moved by a force constantly moving in the direction of the supply outlet (6) of the toner bottle (1) on the left side in the figure by a spiral projection (3) provided on the inner wall of the bottle (1). The plate-like member (5) in contact with the toner (2) is displaced in the toner flow direction by receiving a force due to the flow of the toner (2). That is, when the powder surface of the toner (2) in the toner bottle (1) becomes higher than the level indicated by reference symbol "L" in FIG. 1 from the center of rotation, the bottle (1) rotates in the circumferential direction, so that the toner is also removed. It moves in the circumferential direction and pushes the plate member (5), and the plate member (5) and / or the shaft (4) moves along the long axis to the toner supply outlet (6) side and the bottle (1) rotates. Angle change or rotation in the direction. Thereafter, when the toner (1) decreases and the powder surface becomes “L” or more,
The toner stops contacting the plate member (5), and the angle change or rotation of the plate member (5) and / or the shaft (4) stops. If the angle change or the rotation stop is detected, it is possible to accurately grasp that the toner amount in the toner bottle (1) has become equal to or less than a certain value, and it is possible to detect the toner end. Still further, the shaft (4)
Is mechanically rotated by a motor or the like, and the contact area between the plate member (5) and the toner (2) is detected based on the load torque,
The amount of the toner (2) in the toner bottle (1) can be easily detected.

That is, as shown in FIG. 2, the toner (2) is caused to flow in the rotation direction of an arrow (C) attached to the inner wall of the toner bottle (1) as the toner bottle (1) rotates. 2a), and also receives a force to be moved (FIG. 2b) in the direction of the arrow (D) toward the toner supply outlet of the toner bottle (1). When the plate-like member (5) is flexible, as shown in FIG. 2c, the plate-like member (5) penetrating into the toner (2) is moved in both directions of the toner (2). Is bent in the direction of the toner supply outlet (6) and twisted. Displacement of this plate member (5) in the bottle as shown in FIG. 2a, FIG. 2b
Is small when the toner becomes a certain amount or less, by detecting such increase or decrease in the degree of displacement, it is possible to detect an increase or decrease in the amount of toner in the bottle. If the plate-like member (5) is of a flexible material, it undergoes a displacement as shown in FIG. 2c.

For example, the plate member (5) in contact with the toner (2) is rotated by the rotation of the bottle (1), as shown in FIGS.
c (in the case where the plate-like member (5) is a flexible material), the displaced plate-like member (5) pushes, for example, a shaft (4) connected thereto, and the shaft (4) To change the angle. Pressed against the bottom (9) of the toner bottle (1),
By detecting a change in the load of a bottle rotating means (for example, a motor) (not shown) and a change in the rotating speed of the rotating means and the bottle, it is possible to detect that the toner in the bottle has dropped below a certain amount. it can. When the shaft (4) is a rotation shaft for rotating the bottle (1),
By detecting a change in the power (for example, a motor) load on the rotating shaft and a change in the rotation speed, it is possible to detect that the toner in the bottle has reached a certain amount or less.
Further, when one of the shafts (4) is fixed to the bearing (7) and a device capable of detecting the rotational torque is attached to the fixed portion, the force of the toner pushing the plate-like member (4) depending on the height of the powder surface. Changes, and the remaining amount of toner can be detected.

FIG. 3 shows another example of the present invention. The shaft (4) and the plate-like member (5) in this example can be as shown in FIGS. 3a and 3b. That is, as shown in FIG. 3A, the plate member (5) is attached to the shaft (4) with a twist angle of θ, and the position of the plate member (5) is changed by the flow of the toner (1) to the bottle ( A mechanism that changes in the circumferential direction and / or the axial direction of 1), and this moving amount is connected to the plate-shaped member (5), and is supported by the shaft (4) to be transmitted to the outside of the bottle (1). ) Can be transmitted outside the bottle (1). Alternatively, the shaft (4) can be made of an elastic material such as a spring material, and the torsion angle of the shaft (4) can be detected to detect the force of the toner pressing the plate member (4).

Further, as shown in FIG. 3B, the plate-like member (5) is pivotally stopped with respect to the shaft (4) so that the plate-like member (5) can be pivot-inverted with an inflection angle of α. ,
The bottle (1) is connected to the plate-like member (5) by the transmission member (8) that is supported by the shaft (4) and communicates outside the bottle (1).
Can be transmitted outside.

FIG. 4 shows another example of the present invention. In the example of FIG. 4, a float (9) having a density lower than the toner density is attached to the tip of the plate member (5). Since the float (9) is always above the powder surface of the toner, the position of the float is transmitted by a transmission member (8) similar to that shown in FIG. At this time, it is preferable that the plate member (5) is a relatively thin rod-shaped member so as not to be affected by the flow of the toner. By doing so, the plate-like member (5) is connected to the shaft (4).
Therefore, the pivoting can be performed so that the pivoting can be performed with the inflection angle of α, so that the toner amount can be detected by simple means. Thereby, the float (9) is set so that the plate member (5) is always positioned on the powder surface of the toner (2).
Is attached to the tip of the plate member 5), and a change in the position α angle of the float (9) due to the movement of the powder surface can be accurately detected.

Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above, the present invention is not limited to these embodiments, and other modifications can be made within the scope of the essence of the present invention. Is obvious.

[0013]

As is apparent from the detailed and specific description, when the toner bottle is rotated, the contained toner flows in the circumferential direction by the rotation, and the toner is removed from the toner bottle. The plate-shaped member which is constantly moved by the force of moving in the direction of the supply outlet of the toner bottle by the spiral convex portion provided on the inner wall, and is in contact with the toner,
Under the force of the flow of the toner, it is displaced in the flow direction of the toner. That is, when the powder surface of the toner in the toner bottle reaches a certain level or more from the peripheral wall, the toner rotates in the circumferential direction by rotating the toner bottle in the circumferential direction,
By pushing the plate-like member, the shaft moves in the long axis direction toward the toner supply outlet and changes or rotates in the toner bottle circumferential direction. Thereafter, when the amount of toner decreases and the level of the powder falls below a certain level, the toner stops contacting the plate-like member, and the angle change or rotation of the shaft stops. If the angle change or the rotation stop is detected, it is possible to accurately grasp that the amount of toner in the toner bottle has become equal to or less than a certain value, and it is possible to detect the toner end. Also,
The force for pressing the plate member depends on the contact area between the toner and the plate member (when the rotation speed is constant). Therefore, by attaching a device capable of detecting the rotation torque to one of the shafts, The contact area of the plate-like member can be known, and the amount of toner in the toner bottle can be always grasped, so that not only the presence or absence of toner but also the amount in the middle can be detected. Further, the amount of toner in the toner bottle can be detected by a torque for rotating the shaft. As another means, the shaft is made of an elastic member, and the torsion angle of the shaft is detected, and the amount of toner in the toner bottle is determined. Can be detected,
As another means, it is possible to detect the torsion angle of the shaft by using the shaft as an elastic member, or to attach the plate-shaped member to the shaft with a torsion angle θ, to detect the amount of toner in the toner bottle, The toner amount can be detected by a simple means such as the twist angle θ. Further, the plate member can be pivotally stopped so as to be able to pivot with respect to the axis with an angle of inflection of α, so that the toner amount can be detected by simple means. Further, the float is attached to the tip of the plate member so that the plate member is always positioned on the powder surface, and a change in the float position α angle due to the movement of the powder surface can be accurately detected. Further, the shaft is mechanically rotated by a motor or the like, and the contact area between the plate-shaped member and the toner is detected based on the load torque, so that the amount of toner in the toner bottle can be easily detected.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating one basic example of a toner supply device according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a toner amount detection unit in the toner supply device according to the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of another detection unit of the toner amount in the toner supply device according to the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of another detecting unit of the toner amount in the toner replenishing device of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Toner bottle 2 Toner 3 Spiral convex part 4 Shaft 5 Plate member 6 Toner supply outlet 7 Bearing 8 Transmission member 9 Bottom part of toner bottle AB Cut surface C Peripheral displacement direction of plate member D Long axis displacement direction of plate member L Toner level α Inflection angle θ Helix angle

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. A toner bottle having a spiral projection inside a bottle and supplying toner by rotating the bottle, and a toner supply device using the bottle.
A shaft connected to a plate-like member that is displaced in the direction of flow of the toner by the flow of toner flowing in the direction of supply of the bottle and / or the direction of flow of toner flowing in the direction of rotation of the bottle; Toner replenishment characterized by detecting the degree of displacement or load of the plate and / or shaft of the member when the amount of toner in the bottle is less than a certain amount, so that the amount of toner in the bottle can be accurately grasped. apparatus. 2. The toner according to claim 1, wherein a rotation torque detecting device capable of detecting a displacement in a bottle rotation direction is attached to the plate and / or the shaft that is displaced by the flow of the toner. Replenishment device. 3. The toner replenishing device according to claim 1, wherein the shaft portion displaced in the toner flow direction is an elastic rotating shaft member. 4. The toner replenishing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the position of said plate-like member receiving the resistance of the toner due to the flow of the toner is displaced, and the amount of toner is detected by detecting the position. . 5. The toner replenishing device according to claim 1, wherein a float having a specific gravity smaller than that of the toner is attached to a tip end of the member plate. 6. The toner replenishing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the shaft is forcibly rotated, and the amount of toner is detected based on the torque.