JPS6199177A - Developer feeder - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To prevent a developer from leakaging and to feed the developer precisely by opening/closing developer discharge ports in accordance with the loading operation of cartridge type developer feeders to loaded parts. CONSTITUTION:Developer receiving/carrying parts 132a, 133a are projected from a developing unit so as to be exposed by opening a front cover and the cartridge type developer feeders 171, 172 are attachably/detachably loaded so as to be connected to the parts 132a, 133a. Covers 183, 217 are slided in accordance with the loading/unloading of the feeders 171, 172 and the developer discharge ports 178, 213 are opened/closed.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Technical Field of the Invention] The present invention relates to an image recording apparatus such as a copying machine (a cartridge-type developer replenishing device that can be used in duplicate).

[Technical background of the invention and its problems]

Copying machines and the like are equipped with a developer replenishment device that automatically replenishes developer (toner) to the developing device, but in the conventional developer replenishment device C2, when developer a runs out, The developer is transferred from another developer storage container (toner bottle) b. Therefore, when the developer a is transferred, the developer a may spill and stain the machine body, the operator's hands, and clothes, making handling extremely troublesome and requiring careful handling.

[Purpose of the invention]

The present invention has been made based on the above-mentioned circumstances, and an object thereof is to provide a developer replenishing device that can extremely easily and reliably replenish developer without causing the developer to spill. This is what I am trying to do.

[Summary of the invention]

In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the present invention has a structure in which a cartridge tube is provided which is detachably attached to the mounting part, and a transfer screw is provided at the inner bottom of the container that accommodates the developer to transfer the developer in the axial direction. At the same time, a developer discharge port is provided in the direction of transport to discharge the developer to the replenished part, and a lid is provided which can be slid freely to open and close the developer discharge port, and as the developer is attached to the target part. The developer discharge port is configured to open and close by engaging with an engaging portion provided on the mounting portion.

[Embodiments of the invention]

Hereinafter, one embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 shows the external appearance of an image forming unit device employing the developer replenishing device of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a schematic longitudinal sectional front view thereof.

In the figure, 1 is a copying device as an image forming device, and 2 also serves as a mounting table on which the copying device 1 is placed, and the paper P as an image recording medium discharged from the discharge section of the copying device 1 is stored as necessary. This is a direction changing/conveying device that receives the paper P and guides it to the copying apparatus 1 again in the same state or in a reversed state in order to form multiple or double-sided images on the paper P. Reference numeral 3 denotes an automatic document feeder that is attached to the top surface of the copying apparatus 1 and automatically supplies the document A.

The copying apparatus 1 is configured as shown in FIG. A document placement glass 5 is provided as a document placement section on which a document is placed, and an operation panel 6, which will be described later in FIG. 4, is provided at the front edge of the top surface.

Further, a paper feed cassette 7.
11.9 is installed. Further, the cassette cover 10 of the upper paper feed cassette 2 serves as a manual paper feed tray 11 for manually feeding paper P as appropriate.

A drum-shaped photoreceptor 12 is arranged approximately in the center of the main body 4 of the copying apparatus. A charging device 1 is provided around the photoreceptor 12.
3. Exposure optical device 14, two-color color developing device 1 to be described later
5, a transfer device 16, a peeling device 17, a cleaning device 18, and an afterimage erasing device 19 are arranged in this order.

In addition, a paper feed cassette 7.11 is provided in the lower part of the copying machine main body 4.
．． The paper P supplied from the automatic paper feeder 20 on which the paper feeder 9 is attached, the paper P manually fed from the manual paper feeder 11, and the paper P led from the direction changing conveyance device 2 are transferred to the photoreceptor 12. A paper conveyance path 23 leading to the discharge section 22 provided on the left side of the copying apparatus main body 4 via an image transfer section 21 between the apparatus 16 and the image transfer section of this sheet conveyance path 23 is formed. A pair of aligning rollers 24 is arranged upstream of 21, and a fixing device 25 and a pair of paper ejection rollers 26 are arranged downstream.

Further, the operation panel 6 is designed as shown in FIG. 4.

That is, on the right end side of the operation panel 6, there is a start button 30.
A numeric keypad 31 and a total kakunta 32 are arranged, and on the left side there is a mode switching button 33 and a single-sided copy mode display L.
'ED 34, double-sided copy mode display LED 35, double copy mode display LED 36, density adjustment button 37, automatic exposure button 38, and first display section 39 are arranged. Further, in the center part, there are a reduction display section 40, a same-size display section 4), an enlargement display section 42, a variable magnification button 43, a zoom button 44, a color specification button 45, and a second display section for displaying the status.
A display section 46 is arranged.

As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the exposure optical device 14 also includes an exposure lamp 5, which is surrounded by a reflector 50 on the back and serves as an exposure light source for irradiating two light beams onto a document placement surface 5al; It has a first mirror 52 as a reflection member that reflects the reflected light from the placing surface 5a in a predetermined direction, and
r&, a first optical unit 53 that can move along the placement surface 5a, and moves in synchronization with this first optical unit 53 in the same direction at a speed that is half the speed of the first optical unit 53; A second mirror 55 and a third mirror reflect the optical image reflected by the optical unit 53 of Sl toward the lens unit 54 side.
A second optical unit 57 with a mirror 56 is provided. Furthermore, at the rear stage of the lens unit 54, there is a third optical unit 60 having a fourth mirror 58 and a fifth mirror 59 as reflecting members, and this third optical unit 60.
The structure includes a sixth mirror 61 as a fixed reflection member that reflects the optical image reflected by the photoreceptor 12 toward the photoreceptor 12 side.

Note that 62 is a dustproof glass provided between the sixth mirror 6 and the photoreceptor 12, and 63 is the exposure lamp 5.
This is a heat ray absorbing glass provided on the front surface of 1.

Thus, with the exposure lamp 51 turned on, the first optical unit 53 moves at a speed V along the document placement surface 5a, and in synchronization with this movement, the second optical unit 57 moves.
moves in the same direction at a speed that is half the speed V, thereby scanning the original A placed on the original placing surface 5a, on the photoreceptor 12 as the exposed part which has been rotated in advance. It is now possible to form an image.

Then, the photoreceptor 1 is uniformly charged by the charging device 13.
An electrostatic latent image corresponding to the document A is formed on the document A.

The electrostatic latent image formed in this way is developed by facing the developing device 15, and then sent to the image transfer section 21 facing the transfer device 16, and the developer image is passed through a pair of aligning rollers 24. The image is transferred onto the paper P that is fed in. Next, the paper P on which the image has been transferred is transferred to a peeling device 17.
After being peeled off from the photoreceptor 12, the sheet is guided through a conveyance path 23 to a fixing device 25, where image fixation is performed, and then discharged to a discharge section via a pair of paper discharge rollers 26.

On the other hand, the surface of the photoreceptor 12 after the developer image has been transferred to the paper P should face the cleaning device 18! The residual developer (toner) remaining on the photoreceptor 12 is
1-) is cleaned, and then the potential on the photoreceptor 12 is lowered below a partial level by the afterimage erasing device 19 (2) to enable the next copying operation.

Further, as will be described later, the lens unit 54 and two mirrors 58.5 arranged at an angle of 90 degrees
A third optical unit 60 having a lens 9 can be moved as shown by arrows A and B in FIG. The structure is as follows.

Further, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 6, a first shielding member 65 that also serves as a lens cover is provided to cover the upper surfaces of the lens unit 54 and the third optical unit 6o, and The unit 57 includes a first shielding member 6
A second shielding member 66 is provided to partially overlap the upper surface of the shielding member 65, and a partitioning means is provided on the upper surface side of the shielding members 65 and 66 to form a cooling air passage 67 along the document placement surface 5a. 68. Said second shielding member 6
6 is not attached, the end side is guided over the first shielding member 65 via a support means 69 consisting of a roller or a sliding member, so that no special guide means is required. .

Also, the first optical unit 57 and a lens.

The bottom side of the unit 54 and the third optical unit 60 is a partition plate 70 that holds the dustproof glass 62 in a part thereof.
At the same time, one end of the partition plate 70 is connected to a fan casing 72 of the exhaust fan 7), so that the main body 4 of the copying apparatus is substantially divided into upper and lower parts.

Therefore, as shown by the arrow in FIG.
As a result, the cooling air introduced into the cooling air passage 67 from the right side of the copying apparatus main body 4 is blocked by the first shielding member 65 and the second shielding member 66 so that the image stand is
After being guided so that it passes reliably along the lower surface side to the left side surface, it is discharged to the outside. For this reason,
The exposure lamp 51 can be sufficiently cooled to prevent overheating of the exposure lamp 51 to extend its life, and to prevent other parts from being affected by heat as much as possible. Further, heating is prevented over the entire area of the document table 5, so that the operator does not feel uneasy. Also, the second shielding member 6
6 blocks stray light as shown by arrow E, and image defects caused by stray light entering the lens unit 54 can be reliably prevented.

Furthermore, the first optical unit 53 and the second optical unit 57 are mounted and supported as shown in FIG. is configured to be able to move at half the speed V.

That is, on the mutually opposing surfaces of the rear frame 75 and the front frame 76, which are arranged in parallel at a distance, there is a guide frame 77.77 parallel to the upper end horizontal piece portion 758.76a.
are installed and these guide frames 77.77
The first optical unit 53 and the second optical unit 57 are installed in such a state that sliders 78 attached to the lower surfaces of both ends are in sliding contact with each other. In this way, the first optical unit 53 and the second optical unit 57, which are movably provided on the guide frames 77, 77, are moved in a predetermined direction at a predetermined speed by the optical unit actuating means 79. It has become.

The optical unit operating means 79 has a similar structure. That is, a drive shaft 80 is horizontally mounted corresponding to one end side in the moving direction of the optical units 53, 57, and drive pulleys 81.8 are attached to both ends thereof, that is, to the outside of both the frames 75.76. It is being Further, a driven pulley 82 is rotatably provided on the outside of the frame 75, 76 via a support shaft 83, corresponding to the other end in the moving direction of the optical unit 53, 57.

On the other hand, both ends of the carriage 84 of the first optical unit 53 protrude outside the frame 75, 76, and
Both ends of the carriage 85 of the second optical unit 57 have pulley mounting portions ssa and ssb that are vertically folded back along the outer surfaces of the frames 15 and 76, and a pair of boos 986 that function as movable pulleys. 87 are each attached.

Further, a midway portion of a wire 88 is wrapped around each pulley 81, 112, 86, 137 in a predetermined state. That is, the wire 88 whose one end is fixed to the fixture 90 via the spring 89 is pulled out to the driven pulley 82 side, wrapped around the first pulley 86 of the second optical unit 57, and then folded back. The driven pulley 8 is wound around the
Fold back to the 2nd side. Then connect the wire 8 to the driven pulley 82.
8 to the second pulley 87 of the second optical unit 57.
After winding it around and folding it back, the other end is fixed to a fixture 92 via a guide 91.

Further, both ends of the carriage 84 of the first optical unit 53 are directly fixed to a wire 88.

On the other hand, the drive shaft 80 is interlocked via a pulse motor 93 and a timing belt 94, so that the drive boots 'J81, 81, around which the wire 88 is wound, are driven in the forward or reverse direction. ing. The first optical unit 53, which is directly fixed to the wire 88, moves at a speed of V, and the second optical unit 53, to which the wire 88 is attached and which functions like a movable pulley, is attached to the wire 88. The optical unit 57 is configured to move at one-half the speed (2).

Further, as shown in FIG. 8, a pair of pulleys 116.8 are attached to both ends of the second optical unit 57, respectively.
``i'' are attached to support shafts 95 and 96 that are independently arranged on a line parallel to the moving direction of the optical unit 57, that is, in a direction along the tension direction of the wire 88. A stable support state can be maintained for a long period of time in a state where a moment in a direction perpendicular to the direction does not act and no vibration is generated.

Note that 97 is a connection reinforcing member that connects the free end sides of support shafts 95 and 96 that rotatably support the pulleys 86 and 87.

In addition, in order to change the copying magnification as described above, a third optical unit 6 including a lens unit 54 and two mirrors 58 and 59 arranged at a 90 degree angle is required.
0 by a predetermined amount, for example, when using a lens with a focal length f of 2108, it is necessary to move approximately as shown in the table below.

However, the direction closer to the third optical unit is (-) and the direction away from the third optical unit is (+).
0 is mounted and supported as shown in FIG. 9, making the lens unit 54 movable and the third optical unit 60 movable with a smaller amount of movement than this lens unit 54. It is possible to obtain a copy magnification of .

That is, a pair of shafts 100 and 101 are rotatably installed in parallel across the movement path of each unit), and these shafts 100 and 101 are rotatably installed.
0.101, the third optical unit 60 is slidably supported by externally fitting the slide pushers &103 attached to both ends of the carriage 102.

Further, a screw shaft 104 is attached to one end of the carriage 102 in a state where it is engaged with the screw shaft 101. The optical unit 60 of No. 3 is configured to reciprocate using the screener and feet 101 and 100 as guides. - The above-mentioned screen shaft 101 is configured such that the driving force of the mirror driving pulse motor 105 is transmitted through a set of gears 106 and 107.

On the other hand, one end of the carriage 108 of the lens unit 54 is held on the screen shaft 100 via slide pushers 120, and the other end is connected to the slider 12 attached to the lower surface of the third optical unit 60. By placing it directly on the carriage 102, it is supported in a slidable manner.

Further, a spiral housing 122 is provided at one end of the carriage 108 and is engaged with the screw crystal shaft 100.
is attached to the shaft, and it reciprocates with the forward and reverse rotation of the screier shaft J00.

The screen drive shaft 100 is configured such that the driving force of the lens driving pulse motor 105 is transmitted through a set of gears 124 and 125.

Therefore, as the mirror drive pressure pulse motor 105 rotates forward and backward, the third optical unit 60 moves a predetermined distance in a predetermined direction, and as the lens drive pulse motor 123 rotates forward and backward, the lens unit 54 moves in a predetermined direction. It will move a predetermined distance in the direction. At this time, the mirror driving pulse motor 105 and the lens driving pulse motor 123
By changing the period of the drive pulse of the lens unit 54, the amount of movement per unit time of the third optical unit 60, which requires less movement than the lens unit 54, can be changed.
It is in a state where it is set smaller than the movement amount of 4.

Then, the lens unit 60 and the third optical unit 54
Since the change in focus and magnification for the same amount of movement is greater in the third optical unit 54, the third optical unit 54 is moved more slowly so as not to be adversely affected by inertial force, and high positional accuracy can be obtained.

The developing device 15 has a structure as shown in FIGS. 1O to 16. That is, as shown in FIG. 10, it has a developing roller 130 as a first developing body and a developing roller 131 as a second developing body, and these developing rollers 130 and 131 are selectively driven to, for example, It is possible to perform black or red development.

Further, the developing device 4 includes a first developing roller 130 .
The first developing unit 132 in the upper stage uses red developer Da, which is rarely used. The second developing unit 133 in the lower stage uses black developer Db, which is frequently used. Note that the developers Da and Db are two-component developers consisting of toner and carrier.

Further, the fJJl developing unit 132 using the red developer Da is shown in FIGS. 12 and 13 (=,
Consisting of a developing mechanism section 134 and a developer stirring section 135, the sliding contact portion between the developing roller 130 and the photoreceptor 12 of the developer magnetic brush Da' formed on the surface of the developing roller 130, that is, upstream of the developing position 136. A doctor 137 is provided on the side to regulate the thickness of the developer magnetic brush Da', and a developing roller 13 is provided downstream from the developing position 136.
A scraper 139 scrapes off the developer magnetic brush Da' on the surface of the developer storage section 138 and guides it to the developer storage section 138;
0 is housed in a casing 141.

Further, the first developing roller 130 includes a magnetic roll 142 and a sleeve 143 fitted around the magnetic roll 142. The magnetic roll 142 has five magnetic pole parts 144a to 1
44e, the first, third . Fifth magnetic pole part 144 a
, “144 C.

J44e is N pole, 2nd pole. Fourth magnetic pole portion 144b.

144d is an S pole, and each magnetic pole part 144a to 14
4e is arranged at an angle of about 50' to 70 degrees, the magnetic pole part 144C of $3 facing the development position has a magnitude of 700 to 1000 Gauss, and the other magnetic pole part 144a.

744b, J44d, and J44e have a magnetic force distribution of 300 to 600 Gauss.

Therefore, in this first developing unit 132,
The rotating sleeve 1° 43 is rotated clockwise in the figure to perform development, which is the so-called "against mode". By making sliding contact, the electrostatic latent image formed on the photoreceptor 12 is developed. By reducing the diameter of the developing roller 130, the space from the exposure position to the transfer position is reduced as much as possible, thereby making the copying machine smaller.

In the present invention, since the diameter of the photoreceptor 12 is 7811 CI, there are only about 122 ribs in the circumference from the exposure position to the transfer position. In order to widen the distance between the development position, that is, the exposure position and the transfer position, the charging device 13 and the cleaning device 18 must be made smaller, but there is a limit to this.

For the above reasons, the inventors of the present invention have already confirmed that it is possible to install a developing device in which the diameter of the developing roller 130 is 401d or less in terms of space. Also, the first developing unit 132, ? ! It has been confirmed that the height of the developing unit 133 of 1.
It must be made thinner together with the second developing units 132 and 133. For this reason, an against mode developing device is often used, which is advantageous in terms of space in the height direction, has a small number of poles, and is inexpensive in cost. Special feature: Since the first developing unit 132 installed at the top has the developing device opening facing downward, the with mode in which the developer Da flows from the top to the bottom can prevent problems such as spilling of the developer Da. occurs. In this respect as well, it is advantageous for the upper first developing unit 132 to operate in the opposite mode.

Further, in the first developing unit 132, the developer magnetic brush Da' on the rotating sleeve 143 is removed by a developer removing means 145. As shown in FIG. 12, this developer removing means 145 simply moves the rotating sleeve 143 in the opposite direction (counterclockwise direction) to that during development.
This is an extremely simple and inexpensive method of removing the particles by rotating them.

The rotary sleeve 143 rotates in the opposite direction when copying is completed, and the developer Da is conveyed in the opposite direction. Therefore, all the developer Da on the one-rotation sleeve 143 is transferred to the doctor blade 137 and the scraper as shown in FIG. It is accumulated between 139 and 139.

Note that when the magnetic pole part has five poles, the farther apart the first magnetic pole part (boat transport pole) 744a and the fifth magnetic pole part (carrying pole) 144e are, the more efficiently the developer]) a can be transported. , the number of poles is preferably 5 or less since non-conveyance can be controlled.

In addition, an elastic thin plate member (not shown) such as Mylar (trade name) is attached to the scraper 139 with its tip in contact with the rotating sleeve 143, which further enhances the effect of preventing reverse conveyance of the developer Da. It's increasing.

Further, the reverse rotation operation of the rotating sleeve 143, that is, the removal operation of the developer magnetic brush Da is performed not only after the development operation is completed (after the copy operation is completed) but also after the apparatus is inadvertently stopped. In other words, when the power is turned off or the device suddenly stops due to a paper jam, etc., the optical system of the exposure optical device 14 is then turned on, the paper jam is removed, etc. At the same time as returning to the initial state, reversal is performed again. The configuration is such that the developer Da does not exist on the rotating sleeve 143 at least in the vicinity of the developing position 136 during the "copyable" state, that is, during the resolving period.

Note that if the rotating sleeve 143 is small, with a diameter of about 401jI or less and a width of about 230vI or less, the above-mentioned rotating sleeve In addition to changing the rotation direction of the magnetic roll 143, the magnetic roll 142 can also be rotated via a drive source such as a solenoid so that the first magnetic pole part 144a faces the doctor blade 137 made of a non-magnetic member. It is possible to implement.

Further, as shown in FIGS. 13 and 14, the second developing unit 133 that uses the black developer Db is composed of a developing mechanism section 146 and a developer stirring section 147, and includes a developing roller 13 and a developing agent. a doctor 149 provided on the upstream side of the sliding contact portion of the developer magnetic brush Db/' formed on the surface of the roller 131 with the photoreceptor 12, that is, the development position B148, and regulating the thickness of the developer magnetic brush Db'; A guide 151 for discharging the developer Db scraped off by the doctor 149 into the developer storage section 150;
The developer stirring body 152 housed in the casing 153
It is configured to accommodate.

The developing roller 131 is composed of a magnetic roll 154 and a rotating sleeve 155 that is fitted around the magnetic roll 154 and rotates counterclockwise in the figure.

In the second developing unit 133, the developing roller 131 is made larger than the first developing roller 130 to enable high-speed development, and the rotating sleeve 155 is made larger than the first developing roller 130.
This is a so-called with mode in which the image is developed by rotating it counterclockwise in the figure, and the developer brand Da' held on the surface of the photoreceptor 12 is brought into sliding contact in a direction that follows the flow of the image on the photoreceptor 12. to ensure sufficient development time, and photoreceptor 1
The electrostatic latent image formed on 2 is developed in a high quality image state.

The magnetic roll 154 has six magnetic pole parts 1563 to 156f, which is one more than the first developing roller 130, so as to be suitable for the with mode. 4th. Sixth magnetic pole part 156b.

156d and 156f are N poles; Third. The fifth magnetic pole portions 156a, 156G, and 156e are S poles, each of the magnetic pole portions 156a to 156f are arranged at an angle of about 50' to 60°, and the fourth magnetic pole portion 156d facing the development position is arranged at an angle of about 800°. ~1000 Gauss, other magnetic pole parts 156a, 156
b.

156c, 156e, and 1sef have a magnetic force distribution of 400 to 600 Gauss.

Further, in the second developing unit 133, the developer magnetic blank Db/ on the rotating sleeve 155 is removed by a developer removing means 157. As shown in FIGS. 13 and 14, the developer removing means 57 includes a blade 158 made of an elastic member such as urethane rubber, and a blade moving mechanism 159 that moves this blade 158 in the horizontal direction. 1
By pressing the blade 158 against the surface of the
The developer Db is prevented from being conveyed to the development position 148.

The blade moving mechanism 159 has a structure in which a rack 162 provided on a slider 161 integrated with a blade holder 160 meshes with a pinion 164 driven by a motor 163. Then, the motor 163 is turned in the forward direction.
By rotating the slider 161 in the opposite direction, the slider 161 is moved forward and backward, and the plaid 15g is brought into contact with the surface of the photoreceptor 12 as shown in FIG. 14, or separated from the surface of the photoreceptor 12 as shown in FIG. ing.

Further, the position of the plaid 158 in pressure contact with the photoreceptor 12 exists between the position of the doctor plaid 149 and the second magnetic pole portion (carrying pole) 156b. This means that the position of the second transport pole 156b is most efficient for scraping off the developer brush Db/, but when the interval is widened, the blade 1
58 and the doctor blade 149, the developer Db accumulated during the next copying is scraped off as the photoreceptor 12 rotates, contaminating the inside of the machine. Therefore, the pressure contact position of the blade 158 is set at a position where there is little accumulation of the developer Db and where the developer Db is collected efficiently, that is, between the doctor blade 149 and the second magnetic pole portion 156b.

Note that 166 and 167 are position detectors that detect the forward and backward positions of the slider 161, and these detection signals are used to stop the motor 163.

After copying is completed, the blade 1511 touches the photoreceptor 1 immediately before the rotating sleeve 155 stops, as shown in FIG.
After that, the rotating sleeve 155 makes more than half a turn and stops, and then the blade 158 separates from the rotating sleeve 155 as shown in FIG. Therefore, at least the developer Db on the rotating sleeve 155 at the developing position is removed.

Further, the contact operation of the blade 15B, that is, the removal operation of the developer magnetic plan Db is performed by the first developing unit 1 described above.
As in the case of No. 32, this is performed not only after the development operation is completed (after the copy operation is completed) but also after the apparatus is inadvertently stopped. In other words, when the power is turned off or the device suddenly stops due to a paper jam, etc., the optical system of the exposure optical device 14 is then turned on, the paper jam is removed, etc. At the same time as the initial state is restored, the blade 15 is turned on again.
8 contact operations are performed. The configuration is such that the developer Db does not always exist at least near the development position 148 on the rotating three-stage printer 55 during the "copyable" state, that is, during the resolving period.

Moreover, the first. The second developing units 132 and 133 are configured to operate selectively in response to designations from a color designation section (not shown). That is, when red is specified, the first developing unit 1 is
16, so that the magnetic brush Da is formed only on the rotating sleeve 143 of the second developing unit 133, and when black is specified, the rotating sleeve 15 of the second developing unit 133 is formed.
The magnetic brush Db is formed only on the magnetic brush 5.

When the first developing unit 132 side is designated to be operated, the rotating sleeve 143 of the first developing roller 130 rotates clockwise as shown in FIG.
A developer magnetic brush Da is formed on the surface of the rotating sleeve 143.

Then, the electrostatic latent image previously formed on the photoreceptor 12 is developed with the red developer Da.

When the development of this electrostatic latent image is completed, the developer removing means 145 operates as described above, and the rotating sleeve 143
rotates in the opposite direction, and at least the developer Da at the developing position 136 is removed in preparation for the next developing operation. In addition,
At this time, the rotating sleeve 15 of the second developing unit 133
5 is also not provided with a developer magnetic brush Db', so that even if any of the developing units (732, 133) is specified, problems such as color mixing will not occur.

Further, when the second developing unit 133 side is designated to be operated, the rotating sleeve 155 of the second developing roller 131 rotates counterclockwise as shown in FIG. A developer magnetic plan Db is formed. In order to cope with high-speed copying, the electrostatic latent image formed in advance on the photoreceptor 12, whose rotation is controlled at a higher speed than during development by the first developing unit 132, is transferred to the black developer D.
It will be developed in step b.

When the development of this electrostatic latent image is completed, the developer removing means 157 operates as described above, and the rotating sleeve 155
The blade 158 is in pressure contact with the surface of the developer Db, and at least the developer Db at the development position 148 is removed in preparation for the next development operation. Note that at this time, the first developing unit 13
The developing agent magnetic brush Da' is not formed in the rotating sleeve 143 of No. 2 either, and next, either of the developing units
, 133 are specified, problems such as color mixing will not occur.

Note that the process speed is increased for black copying and lowered for color (red) copying, thereby improving the image quality of color copying.

Therefore, at the time of black copying, that is, during development in the second development unit 133, the peripheral speed of the drum-shaped photoreceptor 12 is 2.
23vI/s, 35 sheets/min, color copying for A4 landscape, that is, when developing in the first Hayabusa developing unit 132, the drum-shaped photoreceptor 1
The circumferential speed of the second developing roller 131 is 136 U/s, 25/min, which is the same as that of A4 paper. By ensuring this, high quality color images can be obtained. Furthermore, black copy, which is frequently used, enables high-speed copying.

Further, each developing unit 132 configured as described above,
133 has a front cover 17 as shown in FIG.
The developer receiving and conveying section 132a is exposed by opening the opening.

733a protrudes, and these developer receiving and conveying sections 1
Cartridge-type developer replenishing devices 171 and 172 are removably attached to the developer replenishing devices 32a and 133a. The amount of developer (
developer empty detector 173 that detects the amount of toner)
174 (see FIG. 3), the developer Da and Db are appropriately replenished in an amount commensurate with the consumed amount.

Developer replenishing device 17 on the second developing unit 133 side
2 is constructed as shown in FIGS. 18 to 20. That is, 175 is a container that stores the developer Da, and a transfer screw 176 is provided at the bottom of the container 175 to transport the developer Db in the axial direction by being rotationally driven.
is in a stored state.

Further, at the lower part of one end of the transfer screw 176 of the container 175 located in the developer transfer direction C2, there is a holder 1 as a mounting section connected to the developer receiving and conveying section 133a.
A fitting protrusion 125a is formed that can be freely inserted into and removed from 77. A developer release 0178 for releasing the developer Db transferred by the transfer screen 176 is formed on the lower surface side of the fitting protrusion 175a.

Furthermore, the holder 177 is connected to the developer receiving and conveying section 133.
It is rotatably attached to the lower surface side of a, and a replenishment port 179 is formed on the bottom surface corresponding to the developer transfer shaft (toner auger) 182 of the developer receiving and conveying section 133a. It is in a state of being

Also, transfer! One end of J''-176 has a connecting portion 126a that protrudes from the melting surface of the holder 177 and connects to the drive coupling 18 of the drive device 180.

A developer discharge 017 is provided on the lower surface side of the fitting protrusion 175a.
A lid 183 is provided to be slidable to open and close the lid 8. On the other hand, on the holder 177 side, a recess 18 serving as an engaging portion that engages with an engaging protrusion 183a formed on the lid body 183.
FIG. 20(a) shows that the fitting protrusion 175a is inserted into and removed from the holder 177.

(As shown in bl, a lid 183 slides to open and close the developer discharge port 180.

Further, as shown in FIGS. 17 and 18, the drive device 180 includes a gear 18 integrated with the coupling 181.
6, a worm gear 187 that meshes with this gear 186, and a motor 188 that drives this worm gear 187, and is attached to a movable base 190 that is slidable in the direction of arrow F in FIG.

The motor 188 is driven for a predetermined period of time by the detection signal from the developer embossing detector 174, and the transport screw 176 is rotated.

As a result, the developer Db in the container 175 is released to zero.
178 side, and is sent to the replenishment port 179 of the developer receiver feeding section 133a.

Next, the replenishment port 179 of the developer receiving and conveying section 133a
The developer Db fed into the developer container 1112 is carried upward into the developer storage section 150 as the developer 1112 rotates.

On the other hand, developer discharge ports 201a to 2 are provided at the bottom of the developer guide 200 surrounding the developer transport shaft 182.
01h is provided with a certain interval LaS-Lg, and the developer stirring body 152 is provided in the developer storage section 150.
It is arranged to be distributed over almost the entire axial direction.

Intervals La to Lg between the developer discharge ports 201a to 201h
The opening area of the developer discharge holes 0201a to 201h becomes larger in the developer transport direction, so that the developer Db is distributed uniformly. It has become.

In addition, when removing the cartridge-type developer replenishing device 172, such as when the developer Db runs out, first displace the drive device 180 in the right direction in the figure in the state shown in FIG. 176 connection part 1
The engagement operation between 76a and coupling 181 is released.

Next, the entire image side supply device 172 is placed in the holder 177.
The fitting protrusion 175a is pulled out from the holder 177 by rotating the fitting protrusion 175a toward the front about the center and then pulling it toward the front.

Furthermore, when installing a new developer replenishing device 172, the above procedure can be reversed.

On the other hand, the first developing unit y ) 1 , ? As shown in FIGS. 18 and 19, the developer replenishing device 171 on the second side has substantially the same configuration as the developer replenishing device Noah 2 on the second developing unit 133 side. That is, 210
is a container for storing the developer Da, and a transfer tube 9--211 for transporting the developer 1)a in the axial direction by being rotationally driven is housed at the bottom of the container 210. .

Further, at the lower part of one end side of the transfer stop 9M--211 of this container 210 located in the developer transfer direction, there is a holder 2 as a mounting section connected to the developer receiving and conveying section 133a.
A fitting protrusion 210a that can be freely inserted into and removed from the 12 is formed on the lower surface side of the fitting protrusion 210a. A discharge port 213 is formed.

Further, the holder 212 is connected to the developer receiving and conveying section 133.
It is rotatably attached to the top surface of a, and a replenishment port 214 is formed on the bottom surface of the developer stirring body 140, which corresponds to the area between the developer stirring bodies 140 and 140, which are formed of spiral shafts. Furthermore, the holder 2 is attached to one end of the transfer screw 211.
It has a connecting portion 211a that protrudes from the end face of the drive device 12 and connects to the drive coupling 216 of the drive device 215.

A developer discharge port 21 is provided on the lower surface side of the fitting protrusion 210a.
A lid body 217 is provided to be slidable to open and close 3.

On the other hand, a recess 218 is formed on the holder 212 side as an engaging portion that engages with an engaging protrusion 217a formed on the lid body 217.
As described above, the lid 2 noah slides to open and close the developer discharge port 213 when the developer 10a is inserted and removed.

Further, as shown in FIGS. 17 and 18, the drive device 215 includes a gear 21 integrated with the coupling 216.
9, a worm gear 220 that meshes with this gear 219, and a motor 221 that drives this worm gear 220, and is attached to a movable pace 222 that is slidable in the direction of arrow G in FIG.

Note that 223 shown in FIG. 18 is a support member that supports the side end surface of the container 21θ.

Then, the motor 22 is driven for a predetermined period of time in response to a detection signal from the multiple developer embossing detector 173, and the transfer is completed! J--211 rotates.

As a result, the wall developer Da in the container 210 is sent to the developer discharge port 213 side, and is sent to the replenishment port 214 of the developer receiving and conveying section 132a.

Next, the replenishment target 0214 of the developer receiving and transporting section 132a
The developer Da fed into the developer storage section 138 is uniformly distributed to the developer storage section 138 by developer agitators 140, 140 each having a spiral shaft.

In addition, when removing the cartridge-type developer replenishing device 171, such as when the developer Da runs out, first displace the drive device 215 in the right direction in the figure in the state shown in FIG. -211 connection part 2
11a and the coupling 216 are released.

Next, the entire developer replenishing device 171 is rotated toward the front about the holder 212, and then pulled toward the front to pull out the fitting protrusion 21θa from the holder 212.

Furthermore, when installing a new developer replenishing device 171, the above procedure can be reversed.

Further, as shown in FIGS. 22 and 23, the developer Db
A stirring blade 225 is rotatably housed in the container 175 containing the developer Db, and a transfer screw 176 is attached to the peripheral edge of one end surface of the stirring body 225 to transfer the developer Db to the developer discharge port 178 side. A plurality of pawls 227 are provided to protrude and engage with the attached sprocket 226. and,
The agitating blade 225 rotates as the transfer screen 176 rotates, thereby preventing the developer Db in the container 175 from clumping or shifting, so that the developer Db can be reliably supplied without remaining. There is.

On the other hand, similarly, inside the container 210 containing the developer Da,
The stirring blade is housed, and is configured to similarly stir the developer Da in the container 210.

Note that 228 shown in FIG. 17 is a collection box for collecting the developer scraped off by the cleaning device 18, and can be easily removed by opening the front cover 170. Moreover, 229 is a mognet catch for holding the front cover 170 by suction.

Next, the configuration of the automatic paper feeder 2Q will be explained with reference to FIGS. 24 to 284.

As shown in FIG. 28, the paper feed cassettes 7, 8, 9 containing paper sheets P, etc. are respectively attached to the upper surface of the base 240 via slots (not shown) so that they can be inserted and removed.

As shown in FIG. 25, these paper feed cassettes 7, 8, 9 each have guides 241, 242a that regulate the rear end position and both side ends of the paper P.

242b, and a paper support plate 243 that supports the paper output end side.
It has a configuration with.

The paper support plate 243 is supported in a swingable manner by engaging with a groove formed in the bottom surface of the cassette body 244 on the side opposite to the paper take-out end. Further, the paper support plate 243 is formed with through holes 245, 245, and the paper support plate 243 at the bottom of the cassette body 244 is
An opening 246 is formed at a position corresponding to .

Further, the cover 10 of the paper feed cassette 7 in the uppermost stage constitutes a manual paper feed tray 11 as shown in FIG. A pair of guide members 247, 247 are provided. These pair of guide members 247, 247 are attached to the cover 10 as shown in FIGS. 27 to 29, and when one of the guide members 247 is moved, the other guide member 247 is moved in conjunction. It is supposed to be done.

FIG. 27 shows the cover 10 viewed from the back side, and a pair of racks 249, 249 are arranged symmetrically around a pinion 248 that is rotatably arranged at the center of the width direction of the cover 10. One end meshes with the pinion 248, and the other end is fixed to the corresponding guide member 247 and 247 via pins 250 and 251, respectively.

Therefore, when one guide member 247 is moved along the width direction H, the other guide member 247 is interlocked with this and slides toward or away from each other. That is, pinion 248 and rack 249
This constitutes interlocking means for interlocking both guide members 247.

As shown in FIG. 28, the pins 250 and 251 are inserted through the corresponding elongated guide holes 252 at intervals.
The rack 249 is thereby guided to move along the width direction H. In addition, guide pins 256 are further provided protruding from the cassette body 10 on both sides of the pinion 248, and guide the rack member 249 so that it does not come out of mesh with the pinion 248 by the back surface of the corresponding rack 248. keeping.

In the figure, reference numeral 257 denotes a guide reinforcing plate attached to the back surface of the cover 10 by appropriate means, and is provided in the width direction along the traveling path of the rack 249 which constitutes the interlocking means. This guide reinforcing plate 257 is also formed with a long hole that matches the long hole 252 of the cover 10.

Further, the pivot shaft portion 2 rotatably supports the pinion 248.
58 is provided protruding from the back surface of the cover 10 as shown in FIG. 29, and a braking member 259 made of a rectangular leaf spring is fixed to the upper end of the pivot shaft 258 with a screw 260. . The left and right pair of cut and raised tongues zsya and zstpa of this braking member 259 are bent and connected to the pinion 248.
It is in a state of elastic frictional engagement with the outer peripheral edge, and
Both end portions 259b, 259b of the brake part shank 259 are bent at right angles, and notches (not shown) formed therein are engaged with the guide pins 256, 256. Therefore, the pinion 248 is connected to the tongue pieces 259a, 2 of the braking member 259.
59a applies a slight braking action to the rotational movement, thereby preventing blind movement such as excessive rotation. For this reason, the overall movement of the interlocking means '' is also subjected to a light braking action, so that
When the guide members 247° 247 are moved, it is possible to prevent blind movement of each moving member due to inertia or positional shift due to vibration.

In addition, each paper support plate 243 of each paper feed cassette 7.8.9
is a support plate push-up mechanism 26 provided in each cassette mounting section.
The uppermost sheet P is selectively pushed up by the rotating operation of the push-up lever 264 of No. 3, and is pressed with appropriate force against a take-out roller (sheet feeding roller) 265 as a take-out means.

The support plate push-up mechanism 263 has a configuration as shown in FIG. 30. That is, 266 is a shaft rotatably supported by a bearing (not shown), and this shaft 266 has approximately 1
The push-up lever 264 and the operating lever 267 are attached with a phase shift of 80 degrees. Further, a spring 268 is connected to the first operating lever 267, and the lower surface of its free end is biased so as to be in constant contact with the circumferential surface of an eccentric cam 269. 270°27
Motor 27 via gear mechanism 273 consisting of 1.272
The structure is such that a driving force of 4 is transmitted. As the motor 274 rotates, the maximum eccentric portion of the eccentric cam 269 faces the operating lever 267, so that the operating lever 267 is pushed up against the biasing force of the spring 268 (as shown by the solid line in FIG. 30). When the least eccentric portions face each other, the operating lever 267 is pulled by the force of the spring (the state shown by the two-dot chain line in FIG. 30).

Accordingly, with this movement, the push-up lever 264, which is in an integral relationship with the 1-operation lever 267 via the shaft 266, is also rotated and reversed to the state shown by the solid line or the two-point convoluted line in FIG. Board 243. The sheets P... accumulated on the top end move away from or come into contact with the take-out roller 265.

As shown in FIG. 24, rollers 2g9 and 290 that roll into contact with each other serve as separation means 288 for separating the second and subsequent sheets of paper P and preventing them from being taken out. is provided. These rollers 2F49, 290 are constructed as shown in FIG. That is, in the figure, 291 is a motor, and this motor 29 is in mesh with gears 293 and 294 via a gear 292.

The gear 293 is configured to be interlocked with the roller 289 via a shaft 295, and the gear 294 is interlocked with the roller 29 via a shaft 297 having a spring clutch 296 in the middle.
It is configured to work in conjunction with 0.

Further, the spring clutch 296 has a roller 2F1.
9,290 is set to slip when the force at the contact portion exceeds Ta. Further, if the frictional force between the rollers 289 and 29θ is Tb, it is set so that Ta:>Tb, and the roller 289 rotates according to the roller 290.

Also, for M! If the frictional force between rP and the paper P is Tf, and the frictional force between the roller 265 and the paper P is Tr, then since the roller 265 is generally formed of a crystalline abrasive material with a HIM coefficient such as rubber, T r '> 1. ' It is f. sosite,'l
'a is set to be T r)7ra) T r.

During paper feeding standby, the paper P is in a state away from the take-out roller 265 as shown in FIG. Paper P is taken out by roller 2
65, the uppermost sheet P is taken out as the take-out roller 265 rotates, and the paper P is transferred to the portion 141F means 2.
To be sent between 289 and 290 that make up 88;
- Become.

At this time, the second and subsequent IEPs adsorbed onto the topmost paper P are separated by the reverse rotation of the roller 290 as shown in FIG. 23 (cl), and only the topmost paper P is separated. It will be taken out.

This means that when the paper P enters between the rollers 289 and 290, the roller 289 moves the paper P in the direction of the arrow J by Tr)Tf, and the roller 290 and the paper P... are moved by Tr)T a
This is because it is returned in the opposite direction due to '> T f.

Note that when one sheet is started to be taken out, the push-up lever 264 is lowered as shown by di in FIG.
It will wait in the state shown in l.

Further, as shown in FIG. 33, a control unit (not shown) is connected to a position corresponding to the bottom side of the paper feed cassette 7° 8.9 and a position corresponding to the single-sheet transport path immediately before the separating means 288. Reflective optical sensor f300 as a paper detector
, 301 are arranged. And these two sensors 3
A paper-free detection means 302 is configured which determines "paper-free" based on the sum of the "paper-free" detection signals of 00° 301.

When the paper P is placed on the single support plate 243 as shown in FIG. 33 (al), it is possible to detect when the paper support plate 243 is lowered.
Fig. 33 (If the last sheet separated by the roller 290 is held between the rollers 2B9 and 290 as shown by bl, the paper feed force is applied to the bottom side of the paper feed roller) 7 (Ill, 9). The sensor 300 provided at the corresponding position cannot detect this, but the sensor 301 provided at the position corresponding to the paper conveyance path immediately before the separating means 288 can detect this. Therefore, it is possible to prevent a determination that there is no paper even though there is paper P.

In addition, a reflective optical sensor 300.3 is used as a paper detector.
01 allows paper P to be detected in a non-contact state, and has the advantages of being less affected by external light and being easier to install than when using a transmission type optical centimeter. There is.

Further, as shown in FIG. 24, the paper P that has passed through the separating means 288'' is transferred to the roller 2 of the stopped registration roller pair 24.
4a and 24b, and after the inclination (skinny) of the tip is corrected, it is sent to the image transfer section 2 in synchronization with the image forming operation on the photoreceptor 12. .

Also, the uppermost separation means 288 and the registration roller pair 24
A pair of transfer rollers 305 consisting of rollers V 05 and 306 is arranged between them.

The take-out rollers 265..., the transfer rollers tosb of the transfer roller pair 305, and the rollers 24a of the registration roller pair 24 are configured to be driven via a power transmission system 306 shown in FIG. . In other words, 3 in the figure
07 is a pulse motor as a driving means, and a driving gear 308 attached to the driving shaft of this motor 307 is meshed with a gear 310 via an intermediate gear 309. The gear 310 is attached to the shaft of one of the rollers 24a of the pair of registration rollers 24 via a one-way groove 311.

Further, a sprocket 312 is integrally attached to the intermediate gear 309, and a sprocket 312 is attached to the driven gear 312 via a chain 313.
14 and a sprocket 315 that is integrated with the sprocket 315.

The sprocket 315 is attached to the shaft of the transfer roller 305b via a one-way clutch 319, and a gear J14 is attached to the shaft of the transfer roller 305b. The gear 314 further includes an intermediate gear 316
, 317 are sequentially activated to mesh with a gear 318 attached to the shaft of the take-out roller 265.

When the motor 307 rotates forward (in the direction of the solid arrow), the one-way clutch 311 is turned off and the one-way clutch 315 is turned on, driving the take-out roller 265 and roller 305b, and power is applied to the roller 24a. It is in a stopped state without being transmitted. Also, when the motor 301 rotates in the reverse direction (in the direction of the dashed arrow), the one-way clutch 3
11 is on, one-way clutch 3 and 5 are off, and only roller 24a is driven, and rollers 305b and 2
65 is in a stopped state with no power being transmitted due to the action of the one-way clutch 319.

In this way, by the forward and reverse rotation of the pulse motor 307 as a driving means, the take-out roller 265° registration roller pair 2
The configuration is such that one of the rollers 24a of the rollers 24a is selectively rotated.

In addition, the uppermost paper feed cassette mounting section has a manual feed roller 32 which sequentially takes out the sheets P set in the manual feed tray 111 one by one and sends them to the separation means side via the take-out roller 265. is provided. The manual feed roller 321 and the take-out roller 265 are configured to be able to freely approach and separate from the paper conveyance path by means of roller contact/separation means 322 shown in FIGS. 24 and 35. The structure is such that it is separated from the paper conveyance path.

That is, the spindle 265a of the take-out roller 265 is rotatable about the spindle 289a of the roller 289 of the separating means 288, and the arm 323 is rotatable about the spindle 289a of the roller 289 of the separating means 288. At the free end of 23 the attachment is supported. Further, the manual feed roller 321 is mounted and supported at the free end of an arm 324° 324 which is rotatable about the spindle 265a of the take-out roller 265 as a fulcrum.

Furthermore, latching protrusions Fas 4.9 a are integrally provided at the free ends of the arms 324, 324 in a state that they are perpendicular to each other, and these latching protrusions 342a.

Reference numeral 342a denotes levers 327, 32 attached to a rotating member 326 rotatably supported around a supporting shaft 325.
7 and extends upwardly from the free end thereof.

The rotating member 326 is always urged counterclockwise by a spring 328 in the state shown in FIG. 324a, 32
4a is in a lifted state.

Further, the rotating member 3261- is connected to a plunger 329a of a plunger type solenoid 329 via a connecting member 330, and is configured to be able to rotate the rotating member 326 against the biasing force of a spring 328. It becomes.

Note that 331 in FIG. 24 is a manual paper feed switch arranged in front of the manual feed roller 321. Also, the 35th
As shown in the figure, a sprocket 332 is attached to the spindle 265a of the take-out roller 265, and a sprocket 333 is attached to the spindle 321a of the manual feed roller 321.
They are interlocked with each other via a chain 334.

When the paper P is placed on the paper feed tray 11, the manual paper feed switch 331 is turned on, and the start button 30 is turned on.
Second, the solenoid 329 is turned on. and,
The rotating member 326 is rotated against the biasing force of the spring 328, and the manual feed roller 321 is lowered, and in conjunction with this movement, the take-out roller 265, which is a perfect circular roller, is displaced upward away from the paper conveyance path. .

Then, when the paper P is sent to the separating means 288, the solenoid 329 is turned off and the manual feed roller 3i! 1
is in a raised state, and along with this, the take-out roller 265
becomes lower. At this time, the push-up lever 264 that pushes up the paper support plate 243 of the paper feed cassette 7 is in a lowered state, and the HP is separated from the take-out roller 265.

Next, the fixing device 25 will be explained with reference to FIG.

The fixing device 25 is roughly divided into an upper roller unit 336 and a lower roller unit 337.

The upper roller unit 336 has a heat source (not shown) inside.
A heat roller 338, which houses the heat roller 338 and whose outer surface is coated with Teflon, is attached to a bracket 340 rotatably supported via a support shaft 339.

The lower roller unit 337 has a pressure roller 34 made of a rubber roller attached to a bracket 343 that is always urged upward by a compression spring 342. Guide shafts 344 and 344 are inserted into the bracket 343. It has a long hole 345 degrees 345, and can move up and down within the range of this long hole 345.

A movable frame 346 is provided near the free end side of the bracket 340 of the upper roller unit 336. The movable frame 346 is a part of the frame of the upper unit, which is rotatably provided so as to be separated from the lower unit almost at the paper conveyance path 23 of the copying apparatus main body 4. As shown in FIG. 36 (al), when the upper unit is superimposed on the lower unit, the movable frame 346 is in contact with the main surface on the free end side of the bracket 340, and the heat roller 338 resists the biasing force of the compression spring 342 and rolls into contact with the pressure roller 34) in a depressed state, so that a predetermined contact pressure is obtained.

In addition, the paper conveyance path 2 is
3, when the upper unit is separated from the lower unit to open the bracket 346, the movable frame 346 is far away from the upper surface of the free end side of the bracket 340, and as shown in FIG.
As shown by al, the bracket 340 is configured to be able to rotate by a maximum of about 95 degrees using the support shaft 339 as a rotation fulcrum. Note that such a configuration makes it easy to replace the heat roller 338 and the pressure roller 341.

Next, the paper P discharged from the paper discharge section 22 of the image forming apparatus 1 configured as described above is received as necessary, and the paper P is returned to the image recording apparatus 1 in the same state or in the reversed state.
The configuration of the direction changing conveyance device 2 that feeds the image to the image forming section will be explained with reference to FIGS. 37 to 41.

As shown in FIG. 37, this direction conversion conveyance device 2 is composed of a unit independent of the image recording device 1, and also serves as a mounting table on which the image forming device 1 is removably mounted.

This direction conversion conveyance device 2 is a discharge section 2 of an image forming apparatus 1.
2, a guide means 350 is provided near the guide means 350 for introducing the ejected paper P as necessary; a carry-in path 351 for carrying in the paper P guided by the guide means 350; a temporary stacking section 352 that temporarily stacks the sheets P that have been collected, a take-out means 353 that sequentially takes out the sheets P accumulated in the temporary stack 352 one by one, and a multiplex image formed on the sheets P taken out by the take-out means 353. A first conveyance section 355 that guides the paper to the paper introduction section 354 as an image recording body introduction section of the image forming apparatus 1 without changing its leading edge direction, and a first conveyance section 355 that is branched from the first conveyance section 355. , a second conveying section that changes the conveying direction so that the trailing end becomes the leading edge in order to form a double-sided image on the sheet P taken out by the taking out means 353, and guides the sheet P to the sheet introduction section 354 of the image forming apparatus l again; 356 and the paper P taken out by the take-out means 353 provided at the branching part between the second transport section 356 and the first transport section 355.
a distributing means 357 for selectively distributing the information, and a guide means 350 according to a multiplexed and double-sided switching signal from the moder switching button 33 as the operating section of the image forming apparatus 1;
The configuration includes drive means 358 and 359 for switching the distribution means 357 and the like.

The guide means 350 consists of a gate 362 rotatably provided by a support shaft 36), and this gate 362
1 The paper ejection section 22 of the image forming apparatus 1 and the paper ejection roller pair 3
63 to the paper output tray 364 and the carry-in path 366 to the temporary stacking section 352, and is driven by the driving means 358 to selectively guide the paper P. It has become. That is, the gate 362 is always urged in a predetermined direction by a spring 367, and normally the carry-in path 366 is "closed" and the linear conveyance path 365 is "open". Further, a solenoid 369 is connected to the gate 362 via a connecting member 378, and if necessary, the solenoid 369 is connected to the entrance path 362.
6 to "open" and the linear conveyance path 365 to "close", the gate 362 can be rotated against the urging force of a spring 367.

In addition, a first conveying roller pair 370 is provided in the carrying-in section 366.
, second conveyance roller pair 37), third conveyance roller pair 37)
2 is arranged to forcibly feed the paper P to the temporary stacking section 352. As will be described later, the third pair of transport rollers 372 is configured such that the receiving and sending position of the paper P is movable with respect to the feeding direction of the paper P.
Regardless of the size of the temporary stacking section 352, the distal end thereof is configured to be compatible with the take-out means 353 provided corresponding to the end side in the take-out direction of the temporary stacking section 352.
The actuator 374 of the paper detection means 374 is located at the center of the guide plate 373.
A is now facing.

The take-out means 353 includes a take-out roller 377 held at the free end of an arm 376 that is pivotally supported via a support shaft 375.
When the paper P is accumulated in the temporary accumulation section 352, this collection roller 377 is displaced upward so that it does not interfere with the accumulation of paper u5:P.

That is, a protrusion 376a is formed on the pivot end side of the arm 376 and comes into contact with a lever 378 that rotates using a solenoid 378 as a drive source.
8, the roller 377 that takes out the protrusion 376a is displaced upward as shown by the solid line in FIG.

The "Off" operation causes the take-out roller 377 to move downward under its own weight, as shown by the two-dot chain line in FIG.

Further, a pair of conveying rollers 380 consisting of rollers 380a and 380b is provided in the paper ejecting direction of the ejecting means 353 configured as described above, and conveys the paper P taken out from the temporary stacking section 352 to the sorting means 357. It is designed to be sent.

At the same time, the configuration of the direction changing portion of the paper P taken out from the temporary stacking section 352 and fed in via the pair of transport rollers 380 will be explained with reference to FIG. 38.

That is, the roller pair 380 as the first conveying means
a first conveyance path 382 that conveys the paper P; and a second conveyance path 384 that is provided in communication with the first conveyance path 382 and includes a pair of speed rollers 383 as a second conveyance means. A third conveyance path 386 is branched from the terminal end of the first conveyance path 382 and includes a pair of conveyance rollers 385 as a third conveyance means, and a third conveyance path 386 is connected to the third conveyance path 386. A fourth branch branched from the base end of the second conveyance path 384.
The structure has a conveyance path 387.

Furthermore, the first conveyance path 382 and the third conveyance path 386
The conveyor roller pair 3110
The paper P transported through the transport path 382 is transferred to the second transport path 38.
a first guide means 388 that selectively guides the fourth or third conveyance path 386; and a second conveyance means 383 provided at a branching point between the second conveyance path 384 and the fourth conveyance path 387.
A second guide means 389 that guides the paper P that has been reversely fed through the second conveyance path 383 to the fourth door feed path 387 side.
and is provided.

It constitutes the distribution means 357.

Further, the second conveyance path 384 includes a first conveyance path 38
2 to the second conveyance path 384 reaches a predetermined position, and controls the conveyance roller pair 383 to reversely convey the sheet P.
is provided.

And the above-mentioned 1. By switching the second guide means 388° 389, the sheet P conveyed through the first feeding path 382 can be fed without changing its leading edge in the conveying direction, or the trailing edge in the discharging direction can be placed on the leading edge side. The configuration is such that the transfer direction can be changed so that the paper can be sent to the paper introduction section 354 of the image forming apparatus again.

In addition, the above-mentioned No. 1. The second guide means 388°389 is
A plunger 39 of a plunger type solenoid 392 that is pivotally supported via a support shaft 39 and serves as a driving device.
The solenoid 392 is turned on.

By the OFF operation, it is rotated as shown by the solid line or the two-dot chain line in FIG.

Next, the operation during double-sided copying will be explained.

(at First, operate the mode switching button 33 on the operation panel 6 to specify "duplex mode" and use separate operations to set the number of sheets, exposure, magnification, etc.), then press the start button (
Press the print button) 30.

(bl) The solenoid 369 of the guide means 350 is pulled, and the copied paper P is guided to the direction changing conveyance device 2.

(C1 The sheets P on which one-sided copies have been made are stacked in the temporary stacking section 352.

(dl Solenoid 396 of guide means 350 returns.

(el Replace the original, set exposure, etc., and press the start button 30.

(fl Removal means 35 provided in the temporary accumulation section 352
No. 3 solenoid 378 is pulled, and the take-out roller 377 is lowered.

(gl The take-out roller 377, the pair of conveyance rollers 380 which also serves as separation means, and the pair of conveyance rollers (pair of switch pack rollers) 383 rotate.

(hl) The take-out roller solenoid 378 returns and the take-out roller 377 rises when the leading edge of the paper P has sufficiently reached the pair of transport rollers 380.

(i) The insertion roller pair 380 stops when the leading edge of the paper P reaches the conveyance roller pair 383 sufficiently. (However, the transport roller pair 380 has a one-way latch and the transport roller pair 380 has a one-way latch.
Paper P until the trailing edge of paper P pulled by 83 is separated.
It is turned by. ) (jl When the trailing edge of the paper P passes the paper detection means 390, the transport roller pair 383 reverses, the solenoid 392 of the sorting means 357 is pulled, and the transport roller pair (feed roller pair) 385 rotates.

(k) When the leading edge of the paper P reaches the aligning roller pair 24 located in front of the image transfer section 2 of the copying device 1, the transport roller pair 383, 385 stops, and the paper P is aligned.

(No. 11 paper P is sent to the image transfer section 21, and when the trailing edge is separated from the distribution means 357, the solenoid 392 of the distribution means 357 returns.

(However, the rollers 385a and 38 of the conveyance roller pair 385
Reference numeral 5b has a one-way latch and is rotated by the paper P pulled by the pair of aligning rollers 24. ) - With the distribution means 357 in its returned state, the temporary accumulation section 3
Until the one-sided copied paper P in 52 runs out (f1~
(The operation in step 11 will be repeated.

Next, the double copy/temporary operation will be explained.

(al First, operate the mode switching button 33 on the operation panel 6 to specify "double mode" and use separate operations to set the number of sheets, exposure, magnification, etc.), then press the start button (
Press the print button) 30.

(bl) The solenoid 369 of the guide means 350 is pulled, and the copied paper P is guided to the direction changing conveyance device 2.

(C) One-sided copied paper P is temporarily stored in the stacking section 352
are accumulated in

(The solenoid 396 of the mountain guide means 350 returns.

(el Replace the original, set exposure, etc., and press the start button 30.

(G) The solenoid 378 of the take-out means 353 provided in the temporary accumulation section 352 is pulled, and the take-out roller 377 is lowered.

(gl The solenoid 392 of the sorting means 357 is pulled, and the take-out roller 377 and the pair of conveyance rollers 3 which also serve as separation means
80 and a pair of transport rollers (pair of feed rollers) 385 rotate.

(hl The take-out roller solenoid 378 returns when the leading edge of the paper P has sufficiently reached the pair of transport rollers 380.
The take-out roller 377 rises.

(il) The conveying roller pair 380 stops when the leading edge of the paper P sufficiently reaches the conveying roller pair 385. (However, the conveying roller pair 380 is equipped with a one-way latch, (j) When the leading edge of the sheet P reaches the alignment rogue roller pair 24 located in front of the image transfer section 21 of the copying device 1, the conveyance roller The pair 385 stops, aligns the paper P, and sends out the paper sheet P to the image transfer section 21.

(kl) While the guide means 350 remains in its returned position, the operations (f) to (j) are repeated until there are no more single-sided copied items in the temporary accumulation section 352.

Furthermore, the paper P ejected from the paper ejection section 22 of the image forming apparatus 1 is received as needed, and the paper P is transferred to the image transfer section as an image forming section of the image recording apparatus 1 again in the same state or in the reversed state. 21, the direction changing conveyance device 2 is configured to be able to form multiple or double-sided images on the company P. The structure is such that a member located on one side (lower side) of the passage section can be freely displaced outward (lower side) to open the paper passage path.

That is, the lower guide plates 400B of the guide plates 4ooa and aoob forming part of the carry-in path 366, the lower roller 371a of the pair of transport rollers 371a and 371b, the guide plate 373 forming the temporary stacking section 352, and the first. Second conveyance path J,! 12, the lower guide plate 401 constituting J8J, the lower rollers of m feed roller pair 5soa, 5sob,
? go a, conveyance roller pair 383a, 3113b
The lower rollers 383a are rotatably provided on the − side of the conveyance direction of the A iP and are attached to the support frame 402, and as the support frame 402 moves, the lower rollers 383a move outward all at once to open the paper passage. It has a configuration that allows it to be displaced.

Further, on the free end side of the support frame 402, holding means 403, 403 for holding the support frame 402 in a predetermined state are provided.
By operating these holding means 403, 403, the paper conveyance section can be opened, making it possible to easily deal with paper jams, etc. Also, as shown in FIGS. 39 to 41 A carrying means that receives the sheets P that are sequentially conveyed and sends them to be stacked in the temporary stacking section 352 is movable in the direction in which the sheets P are fed.

That is, the carrying means includes the drive roller 312a as the first conveyance roller, and the second W! The transport roller pair 372 includes a driven roller 372b as a transport roller.

The drive roller 312a has a slit 40 as a guide section.
By holding the bearings 406 and 406 at 5,405, the supporting shaft 4 which is suspended horizontally in the movable mill
07, and the driven roller 372b is provided so as to be in constant rolling contact with the drive roller 372a in order to hold and paper the paper P between it and the drive roller 372a, and is integral with the drive roller 322a. It has a movable structure. The sleeve as the guide part)'405,4(
75 are respectively formed on a pair of side frames 408 and 408 which face each other and are spaced apart from each other with the paper conveyance path in between.

Further, the bearings 406, 406 held by the slits 405, 405 are fixed at predetermined positions according to the size of the paper P by positioning means 409, 409 provided on the outside of the frames 408, 4011. ing.

Each positioning means 409 is provided along the movement path of the bearing 406, 406, as shown in FIGS. .410 as a positioning member. This lever 411 has one end rotatably attached to the frame 408 via a shaft 412, and a free end serving as a biasing member that constantly biases the concave portion 410 to fit into the bearing 406. The spring 413 is in a connected state.

Note that 414 shown in FIGS. 39 and 41 is the bearing 4.
06, 406 is a movable frame that moves together with the drive roller 312a, and 415 is a movable frame 41
This plate spring is attached to the drive roller 372a and urges the driven roller 372b toward the drive roller 372a.

Therefore, when setting the transport roller pair 407 for feeding the paper P to the temporary stacking section 352 at a position corresponding to the size of the paper P, both levers 411 are rotated against the biasing force of the spring 413. Movable frame 41 in the state
4 and place the bearing 406° 4 in the predetermined recess 1 410.
It is sufficient if 06 is fitted. In this way, paper P
The conveying roller pair 407 can be moved extremely easily to a position appropriate for the size of the sheet P without using a tool such as a driver, and the sheets P can be stacked in the temporary stacking section 352 in an orderly manner so that they can be taken out.

As shown in FIG. 42, if necessary, a large-capacity paper feeder 420 that stores a large amount of paper P instead of the lowermost paper feed cassette 9 can also be used instead of the paper ejection tray 364 for collating paper. A device (sorter) 421 can be attached.

The large-capacity paper feeding device 420 includes an elevator that can be raised and lowered by a lifting means 423 using a motor 422 as a driving source so that the uppermost sheet P is always in rolling contact with a take-out roller 425.
The configuration is such that the movement of the plate 424 is controlled, and as the take-out roller 425 rotates, the uppermost sheets P are taken out one by one. Further, the taken out paper P is transferred to a guide plate 420 provided in the transport section 420a.
, 427 to the take-out roller 265 disposed in the cassette mounting section, and then to the pair of aligning rollers 24 via the separating means 288.

On the other hand 1. As described above with reference to FIG. 33, the reflection type optical sensor 300 as a paper non-detector that sends a "paper out" detection signal to the main body of the apparatus is arranged in correspondence with the paper feed section. I'm next door. Therefore, even though there is paper P in the transport section 420a of this large-capacity paper feeder 420,
A signal generation control means 428 for controlling the generation of a signal indicating "No paper" is incorporated.

As shown in FIGS. 43 and 44, this signal generation control means 428 has a shutter member 429 made of a reflector that can be moved freely with respect to the optical path of the reflective optical sensor 300, When the device 420 has the MIrP, the shutter member 429 blocks the light, and when there is no MIrP, the light is transmitted through the shutter mechanism.

The shutter member 429 is provided at the free end of the arm 43 that is pivotally supported by a shaft 430, and is in a state where it can open and close an opening 432 formed at the bottom of the express feed section 420a. .

The arm 431 is urged by a spring 433 to a state in which it constantly contacts the stopper 434, that is, a position in which the shutter member 429 does not close the opening 432.

Also, a solenoid 1'3 is provided on the pivot end side of the arm 431.
45 is connected, solenoid 345
By turning on the arm 431, the spring 4
The shutter member 429 is displaced by resisting the urging force of 33.
can be opposed to the opening 432.

〔Effect of the invention〕

As explained above, according to the present invention, a cartridge type is used which can be freely attached to and detached from the M section, and a transfer screw is provided at the inner bottom of the container containing the developer to transfer the developer in the axial direction. A developer discharge port is provided in the transport direction to discharge the developer to the replenished part, and a lid body is provided that can be slid freely to open and close the developer discharge port, and the developer discharge port is provided with a lid that can be slid freely to open and close the developer discharge port. The developer discharge port is configured to open and close by engaging with an engaging portion provided on the portion. Therefore, it is possible to provide a developer replenishing device that can replenish developer extremely easily and reliably without causing the developer to spill.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an external perspective view of an image forming unit device employing the developer replenishing device of the present invention. 2 is a schematic longitudinal sectional front view, 3 is a schematic longitudinal sectional front view of the image forming apparatus, 4 is a plan view of the operation panel, 5 is an explanatory diagram of the configuration of the exposure optical device, and 6 is An explanatory diagram showing a cooling air conduction path. FIG. 7 shows the first part of the exposure optical device. A perspective view showing the actuating means of the second optical unit; FIG. 8 is a film constituting the main parts; FIG. 9 is a plan view showing the actuating means of the lens unit of the exposure optical device and the third optical unit. , FIG. 10 is a schematic longitudinal sectional side view showing an example of the two-color developing device, and FIGS. An explanatory diagram showing the open/closed state of the image side discharge port, FIG. 21 is a schematic plan view showing the configuration around the developer receiving and conveying section of the second developing unit, and FIG. 22 is a schematic cross-section of the developer replenishing device. figure. FIG. 23 is a schematic exploded perspective view of the developer replenishing device, and FIG. 24 is a schematic front view of the paper feeding device. FIG. 25 is a perspective view showing the paper feed cassette with the cover removed. FIG. 26 is a perspective view of a cassette cover that also serves as a manual paper feed tray; FIG. 27 is a diagram showing the installation and support state of the guide member of the manual paper feed tray; and a schematic perspective view of a support plate push-up mechanism. FIG. 31 is a schematic structural explanatory diagram of the separation means, and FIG. 32 (a
) to (d) are explanatory diagrams showing the paper separation state of the separation means, and FIGS. 33(a) and 33(b) are explanatory diagrams showing the arrangement state of the paper non-detector in the paper feed cassette mounting section. FIG. 34 is a configuration explanatory diagram showing the drive system of the take-out roller and the aligning roller. The 35th factor is a schematic plan view showing the configuration of the roller approaching/separating means for approaching and separating the manual feed roller. FIG. 36(a), ( b) is a schematic front view showing the configuration of the fixing device; FIG. 37 is a schematic longitudinal sectional front view of the direction changing conveyance device; FIG. 38 is a front view showing the configuration of the paper sorting section of the direction changing conveyance device; j 39th
The figure is a partially cutaway front view showing the configuration of the paper feed section to the temporary stacking section of the direction conversion conveyance device, FIG. 40 is a perspective view of the main part of the paper feed section, and FIG. 41 is a partially cutaway The side view and FIG. 42 are schematic longitudinal sectional front views of the image forming unit apparatus in which a collating device is installed in place of the lowest sheet feeding cassette and a large-capacity sheet feeding device or sheet discharge tray. 43 is a plan view of the signal generation control means incorporated in the conveying section of the collating device, FIG. 44 is a side view of the signal generation control means, and a perspective view of the fourth conventional example. Da...Red developer, Db...Black developer, 132
a... Developer receiving and conveying section, 133a... Developer receiving and conveying section, 171... Developer replenishing device, 172...
- Developer supply device, 175... Container, 176... Transfer screen, a--1175a... Fitting protrusion, 177
... Attached part (holder), 178 ... Developer discharge port, 179 ... Replenishment target 0.183 ... Lid body, 183a
...Engagement protrusion, 184...Engagement portion (recess). 210... Container, 211... Transfer screw, 21
2... Mounted part (holder), 210a... Fitting protrusion, 213... Developer discharge port, 214... Replenishment port, 217... Lid body, 217a... Engagement protrusion, 218
...concavity. Applicant's Representative Patent Attorney Takehiko Suzue Figure 7 Figure 8 Soc B Soko Figure 11 Figure 12 Figure 13 Figure 19 Figure 20 (a) (b) Figure 26 244 7 (8, 9) Figure 27 Figure 28 Figure 30 Figure 31 Figure 32 (a) (b) Figure 34 ζ・One 0th 35
Figure 43 Figure 44 4jj JIJLI Figure 45 Procedures Amendment (Method) % Formula % 1. Indication of the incident Japanese Patent Application No. 59-220506 2. Name of the invention Developer replenishing device 3. Person making the amendment Relationship to the case Patent applicant (307) Toshiba Corporation 4, agent

Claims (1)

[Claims] A cartridge-type developer replenishing device that can be freely attached to and detached from a mounting section, and includes a container that stores developer, a drive device that is rotatably housed in the inner bottom of the container, and that is provided on the mounting section. a transfer screw that is rotatably driven to transfer the developer in the axial direction, and a transfer screw that is located in the developer transfer direction of the transfer screw and that covers the transferred developer A developer discharge port that discharges the developer into the replenishment section is slidably provided to open and close the developer discharge port, and engages with an engaging portion provided on the mounting section when the mounting section is attached to or removed from the mounting section. A developer replenishing device comprising: a lid body that slides to open and close the developer discharge port by operation.