JPS62195690A - Toner image developing device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To adjust the feeding quantity of toner grains fed by a toner grain feeding roller in accordance with a required value with a comparatively simple constitution by adjusting the angle of rotation of the toner grain feeding roller by an angle adjusting means fitted to a operation mechanism. CONSTITUTION:The toner grain feeding roller 48 in a developing device is rotated by the operation mechanism 52. The working mechanism 52 has an oscillation lever 54 and a cam means 56 for oscillating the lever 54. The angle adjusting means 78 for adjusting the angle of rotation of the roller 48 is also included in the mechanism 52. The means 78 is constituted of a disk cam 80 arranged so as to be abutted upon one working lever 66c of the lever 54, an operation control 86, and so on. When the angle rotation of the cam 80 is changed to a required position by operating the control 86, a position to interrupt the oscillation of the lever 54 is also changed and the angle of rotation of the roller 48 is changed based on the rotating relation between the other working lever 66b of the lever 54 and the rotation of a disk cam 70, so that the feeding quantity of toner can be adjusted to a required value.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Technical Field The present invention relates to a developing device that uses a two-component developer consisting of carrier particles and toner particles.

<Prior Art> Generally, in electrostatic copying machines, etc., a so-called two-component developer consisting of carrier particles and toner particles is used to visualize an electrostatic latent image formed on a photoreceptor or copy paper. The developing device used is widely used. This type of developing device includes a developer container that contains a developer, a developer application means that holds the developer in the developer container and applies the developer to an electrostatic latent image on a photoreceptor or copy paper, and a developer that applies toner to the developer container. The toner particle trap includes a toner particle trap for replenishing particles, and a toner particle supply roller rotatably disposed at a discharge opening of the toner particle trap. The toner particles contained in the toner particle trap are supplied to the developer container through the discharge opening by rotating the toner particle supply roller in a predetermined direction.

In the above-described developing device, as is well known to those skilled in the art, the mixing ratio of the two-component developer consisting of carrier particles and toner particles in the developing container (mixing ratio of carrier particles and toner particles) is always kept constant. It is important to maintain

Therefore, in a conventional electrostatic copying machine that is relatively small and inexpensive, the toner particle supply roller is drivingly connected to the drive source of the electrostatic copying machine, and while the drive source is energized, the toner particle supply roller is This causes the toner particles in the toner particle trap to be supplied in predetermined amounts to the developer container, which causes the following problems to be solved. That is, since the amount of toner particles supplied by the action of the toner particle supply roller is always constant, for example, when copying a large number of originals with a large amount of black background (or white background), the amount of toner particles in the developer decreases. When the amount of consumption increases (or decreases) and the mixing ratio of the developer fluctuates, and the mixing ratio fluctuates greatly (i.e., the mixing ratio falls outside the predetermined range), good copies cannot be obtained. The problem was that it was not possible.

<Object of the Invention> The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned facts, and its object is to provide an advantage in that it is possible to adjust the amount of toner particles supplied by a toner particle supply roller as desired with a relatively simple structure. Toner image development! It is to provide a suitable location.

<Summary of the Invention> According to the present invention, a developer container containing a two-component developer consisting of carrier particles and toner particles, a developer application means disposed in the developer container, and a developer container in the developer container are provided. a toner particle trap for replenishing toner particles, and a toner particle trap rotatably disposed in a discharge opening of the toner particle trap, and rotated in a predetermined direction to transfer toner particles through the discharge opening to the developing device. In a toner image developing device comprising a toner particle supply roller that supplies toner particles to a container and an operating mechanism for rotating the toner particle supply roller, the operating mechanism controls a rotation angle of the toner particle supply roller. A toner image developing device is provided, characterized in that it includes an angle adjusting means for adjusting the angle.

<Preferred Specific Example of the Invention> A specific example of a toner image developing device constructed according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Referring to FIG. 1, the illustrated developer apparatus, generally designated by the numeral 2, includes a developer housing 4. The developer housing 4 has a developer housing 4.

The developer housing 4 is defined by a main body plate 6 and an upper plate 8, and constitutes a developer container 12 containing a so-called two-component developer 10 consisting of carrier particles and toner particles. An opening 14 is formed in the front surface (left side in FIG. 1) of the developing housing 4. As shown in FIG. A magnetic brush mechanism 16, which constitutes a developer application means, and a stirring mechanism 18, which stirs the developer, are disposed within the developer housing 4.

The magnetic brush mechanism 16 includes a cylindrical sleeve member 22 that is rotated in the direction shown by an arrow 20, and a sleeve member 22
It is composed of a roll-shaped stationary permanent magnet 24 disposed inside the housing 4, and is disposed at the front part of the housing 4, that is, the left part in FIG. The roll-shaped stationary permanent magnet 24 of the specific example has a plurality of magnetic poles (two north poles and three south poles) located at intervals in the circumferential direction on its periphery.

The magnetic brush mechanism 16 magnetically holds a portion of the developer 10 present in the developer container 12 in the developer draw-up area P on the surface of the sleeve member 22 by the action of the magnetic field generated by the permanent magnet 24. By rotating the sleeve member 22, the developer 1 held on the surface of the sleeve member 22 is removed.
0 to the developing work area. In the developing work area, through the opening 14 formed on the front surface of the developing housing 4,
The developer 10 held on the surface of the sleeve member 22 is brought into contact with a photoreceptor of a rotating drum 28 (shown by a chain line in FIG. 1) which is rotated in the direction indicated by a chain line arrow 26.

Between the developer pumping area P and the developing work area as viewed in the rotational direction of the sleeve member 22 shown by the arrow 20, there is a spike cutting means positioned at a predetermined distance from the surface of the sleeve member 22. It is provided. The illustrated ear cutting means is the upper plate 8.
The developing agent 10 is composed of a lower protrusion 32 integrally formed with the sleeve member 22, and its lower edge is held on the surface of the sleeve member 22.
The amount of developer carried to the development work area, in other words, the thickness of the layer of developer 10 is adjusted to an appropriate value.

A developer stripping area R exists on the downstream side of the developing work area when viewed in the rotational direction of the sleeve member 22 indicated by an arrow 20. The stationary permanent magnet 24 is not magnetized in a portion corresponding to the developer stripping region R, and the magnetic field generated by the stationary permanent magnet 24 is sufficiently weak or substantially non-existent, so that the developer strips off. In region R, the developer held in the sleeve member 22 is released from its surface.

The stirring mechanism 18 is located at the rear part of the developer housing 4, that is, at the first
In the figure, it is arranged on the cloth part. The illustrated stirring mechanism 18
has a plurality of blade bodies 34 extending radially outward. The stirring mechanism 18 is rotated in the direction indicated by an arrow 36, and supplies the developer 10 peeled off in the developer peeling area R to the developer pumping area P while stirring the developer 10.
.

In the specific example, above the developer pumping area P, furthermore,
An in-house plate 38 is provided. Guide plate 38
One end is located close to the lower protrusion 32, which acts as an ear cutting means, and the other end is located above the stirring mechanism 18. As can be seen from FIG. Take action.

A toner particle trap 4 is provided above the developer housing 4.
0 is set. In a specific example, this toner particle trap 40 is partially formed integrally with the main body plate 6. A replenishment opening 44 is formed at the upper end of the toner particle trap 40 in which the toner particles 42 are accommodated, and a discharge opening 46 is formed at the lower end thereof. Although not shown, the supply opening 44 is covered with a lid that can be opened and closed. On the other hand, a toner particle supply roller 48 rotatably attached to the toner particle trap 40 is disposed in the discharge opening 46 . Toner particle supply roller 48
may have a plurality of grooves or recesses formed on its circumferential surface by knurling or the like, as in the specific example, or may be porous and sponge-like. The toner particle supply roller 48 is rotated in the direction indicated by an arrow 50 as will be described later, so that the toner particles 42 in the toner particle trap 40 are passed through the discharge opening 46 to the developer container 12, and more specifically, to the stirring mechanism 18. feed upwards,. Therefore, the agitation mechanism 18 is configured to rotate the developer 1 peeled off in the developer peeling area R.
0, the developer 10 removed from the sleeve member 22 by the action of the lower protrusion 32 and forced to flow down on the guide plate 38, and its discharge opening 46 from the toner particle catcher 40;
The toner particles 42 supplied through the toner particles 42 are stirred and mixed and supplied to the developer pumping area P.

In the illustrated developing device 2, the toner particle supply roller 48 is rotated as required by an actuation mechanism 52 shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. To further explain, the illustrated actuation mechanism 52 includes a rocking lever 54 and cam means 56 capable of acting on the rocking lever 54. The toner particle supply roller 48 has a shaft portion 58 at both ends, and both wheel portions 58 are rotatably supported by a left wall portion 60 and a right wall portion (not shown) of the toner particle trap 40. 2 and 3 show the left wall portion 60 side of the toner particle trap 40).

One shaft portion 58 of the toner particle supply roller 48 protrudes through the left wall portion 60, and a swing lever 5 is attached to the protrusion.
4 is installed. The swinging lever 54 is connected to a one-way clutch means 62, which is known per se, as in the specific example, and specifically, the driving force of the swinging lever 54 in the direction indicated by the arrow 64 (FIG. 3) is driven by the toner particle supply roller 48. The driving force of the swing lever 54 in the direction opposite to the arrow 64 is transmitted to the shaft portion 58, but the driving force is not transmitted to the shaft portion 58.
is preferable. The illustrated swing lever 54 has a cylindrical base 6
6a and a pair of actuating lever portions 66b and 6 extending radially outwardly from said base 66a and spaced substantially 90 degrees apart.
6c, and the base portion 66a is attached to the shaft portion 5. Further, the cam means 56 is arranged in relation to one operating lever portion 66b of the swing lever 54. A short shaft 68 is installed in the left wall portion 60 of the toner particle trap 40,
A cam means 56 is rotatably mounted on the short shaft 68.

Specifically, the cam means 56 is composed of a disc cam 7o, and a gear 72 is integrally provided on one side of the disc cam 70. This gear 72 is drivingly connected to the drive source M of the electrostatic copying machine via a suitable transmission means such as a gear. Furthermore, a spring member 74 such as a coil spring is provided between one operating lever portion 66b of the swing lever 54 and the left wall portion 60 to bias the swing lever 54 in a direction opposite to the arrow 64.
(Figures 4-A and 4-B [iJ) are interposed.

As described above, when the drive source M is energized, the disc cam 70 is rotated via the gear 72 in the direction shown by the arrow 76 (FIG. 3). 3, the disk cam 70 acts on the operating lever portion 66b of the swing lever 54 in the direction indicated by the arrow 64. On the other hand,
After the above-mentioned rotation of substantially 180 degrees, further rotation of substantially 180 degrees (rotation to the state shown in FIG. 3),
As the disc cam 70 rotates, the swinging lever 54 is rotated in the direction opposite to the arrow 64 by the action of the spring member 74. Therefore, as the disc cam 70 rotates in the direction indicated by the arrow 76, the swinging lever 54 rotates in the direction shown by the arrow 76. Rocked as required.

The above-mentioned operating mechanism 52 includes an angle adjustment means 78 for adjusting the rotation angle of the toner particle supply roller 48, which will be described later. The illustrated angle adjustment means 78 is the swing lever 54.
is disposed in relation to the other operating lever portion 66c, and controls the swinging angle of the swinging lever 54, thereby adjusting the swinging angle of the toner particle supply roller 48. The angle adjustment means 78 can be composed of a plate-shaped cam, for example, at least a part of the circumferential surface of which acts as a cam part, and in a specific example, it is composed of a disc cam 80. A shaft member 84 is rotatably mounted on a front wall 82 (FIG. 2) of a drum unit (this drum unit is removably installed in an electrostatic copying machine) to which the illustrated developing device 2 and rotating drum 28 are removably installed. is installed on. The rear end of the shaft member 84 protrudes rearward from the rear surface (inner surface) of the front wall 82, and the disk cam 80 is fixed to this rear end. ), and a disk-shaped operating knob 86 is fixed to the front end thereof. Therefore,
By rotating the operating knob 86, the disc cam 80 can be rotated as required. As can be easily understood from FIGS. 3, 4-A, and 4-B, the angular position of the disc cam 80 changes.

The disc cam 80 is arranged so as to be able to act on the other operating lever portion 66c of the swing lever 54, and therefore, when the swing lever 54 is rotated in the opposite direction to the arrow 64, the operating lever portion 66c comes into contact with this disc cam 80 and is prevented from rotating beyond the blocking position in the opposite direction (the position where the operating lever portion 66c comes into contact with the disc cam 80), and the angular position of the disc cam 80 is changed. When this changes, the blocking position at which the swinging lever 54 is blocked also changes.

Next, with reference mainly to FIGS. 3, 4-A, and 4-B, the effects of the toner image phenomenon device 2 provided with the operating mechanism 52 including the angle adjusting means 78 will be described.

For example, the display of "dark" on the operation knob 86 and the triangular mark 90 (third mark) on the front wall 82 of the lower ram unit.
(indicated by a two-dot chain line in the figure), the angle adjusting means 78 is in the state shown in FIGS. 2, 3, and 4-A, that is, the small diameter portion of the disc cam 80 is It is positioned at an angular position where it can come into contact with the operating lever portion 66c.

In such a state, the drive source M is energized and the disc cam 70
When is rotated in the direction shown by the arrow 76, the disc cam 70 comes into constant contact with one operating lever portion 66b of the swinging lever 54, as can be seen from FIG. 4-A. , the disc cam 70 acts on the operating lever portion 66b of the swing lever 54 during the rotation of the disc cam 70 from the position shown by the solid line to the position shown by the two-dot chain line in FIG. 4-A. This is rotated in the direction shown by arrow 64. Hidden,
The rotational force of the swing lever 54 is applied to the one-way clutch means 62.
toner particle supply roller 48 (FIGS. 1 and 2)
The toner particle supply roller 48 is transmitted to the swing lever 5.
4 in the direction shown by arrow 50 (FIG. 1). On the other hand, during further rotation, the disc cam 70 rotates from the position shown by the two-point ui line in FIG. 4-A to the position shown by the solid line in the direction shown by the arrow 76. Accordingly, the swing lever 54 is rotated in the direction opposite to the arrow 64 by the action of the spring member 74. At this time, the rotational force of the swing lever 54 in the direction opposite to the arrow 64 is not transmitted to the toner particle supply roller 48 via the one-way clutch means 62, and the toner particle supply roller 48 is not rotated. Therefore, in this state, the disc cam 70 is
When the swing lever 54 is rotated once in the direction indicated by 6, the swing lever 54 moves to the fourth position.
- One reciprocating movement between the position shown by the solid line in Figure A and the position shown by the two-dot chain line, thereby causing the toner particle supply roller 48 to rotate by an angle α (Fig. 4-A) in the direction shown by the arrow 50. It will be done. Thus, the toner particle supply roller 48 delivers a relatively large amount of toner particles from the toner particle capture device 40 to the developer container 12 through the discharge opening 46 for each rotation of the disc cam 70, corresponding to its rotation angle α. supply,.

Also, for example, if the "middle" indication on the operation knob 86 and the triangular mark 90 (FIG. 3) are made to match,
The angle adjusting means 78 is positioned in the state shown by the solid line in FIG. 4-B, that is, at an angular position where the middle diameter portion of the disc cam 80 can come into contact with the operating lever portion 66c of the swing lever 54.

In such a state, as can be understood from FIG.
Therefore, the disk cam 80 reliably prevents the swinging lever 54 from pivoting in the direction opposite to the arrow 64 beyond the blocking position shown in solid line in FIG. 4-B. Therefore, the disc cam 76 rotates from the position shown by the solid line in Fig. 4-B to the position shown by the two-dot chain line. Lever 5
The disc cam 70 acts on the operating lever part 66b of the swing lever 54 during which it rotates substantially 180 degrees. is rotated in the direction shown by arrow 64. As described above, the rotational force of the swing lever 54 is applied to the toner particle supply roller 4 via the one-way clutch means 62.
8, the toner particle supply roller 48 is rotated together with the swing lever 54 in the direction shown by the arrow 50 (FIG. 1). On the other hand, when the disc cam 70 is further rotated and rotates from the position shown by the two-dot chain line in Fig. 4-B to the position shown by the solid line in the direction shown by the arrow 76, the disc cam 70 rotates from the position shown by the solid line in the direction shown by the arrow 76. Disc cam 7 rotated approximately 90 degrees from the state shown by the two-dot chain line
0, the swinging lever 54 is turned in the direction opposite to the arrow 64 by the action of the spring member 74. When the supply roller 48 is not transmitted to the supply roller 48), when it rotates in this manner, the operating lever portion 66C of the swing lever 54 comes into contact with the middle diameter portion of the disc cam 80, thereby ensuring that the swing movement beyond the above-mentioned blocking position is ensured. is blocked, and then rotates to the position shown by the solid line.
It does not work if it is separated from the action lever part 66b of No. 4. As described above, when the disk 70 is rotated once in the direction shown by the arrow 76 in this state, the swing lever 54 is moved between the position shown by the solid line and the position shown by the chain double-dashed line in FIG. 4-B. This causes the toner particle supply roller 48 to rotate by an angle α2 (FIG. 4-B), which is approximately half of the angle α1, in the direction indicated by an arrow 50. Thus, the toner particle supply roller 48 supplies a medium amount of toner particles from the toner particle collector 40 to the developer container 12 for each rotation of the disc cam 70, corresponding to the rotation angle α2.

Furthermore, for example, if the "thin" indication on the operation knob 86 and the triangular mark 90 (FIG. 3) are matched,
The angle adjustment means 78 is in the state shown by the dashed line in FIG. 4-B,
That is, the large diameter portion of the disc cam 80 is positioned at an angular position where it can come into contact with the operating lever portion 66c of the swing lever 54.

In such a state, as can be understood from FIG. 4-B, the large diameter portion of the disc cam 80 always acts on the operating lever portion 66c of the swing lever 54, so that the swing lever 54 The circular movement in the direction opposite to the arrow 64 beyond the blocking position indicated by the two-dot chain line in FIG. 4-B is reliably blocked by the disc cam 80. Therefore, the disc cam 70 is
Even if it is rotated in the direction indicated by , it does not substantially act on the operating lever portion 66b of the swing lever 54, and
is held at the position shown by two points 'MvA in Figure 4-B.

Thus, the toner particle supply roller 48 is not rotated and thereby no toner particles are supplied to the developer container 12.

As described above, in the developing device 2 of the specific example, the swinging angle of the swinging lever 54 can be changed by changing the angular position of the disc cam 80 of the angle adjusting means 78, and thereby the toner particles The amount of toner particles supplied by the supply roller 48 can be adjusted as desired.

That is, in the state shown by the solid line in Fig. 4-B, the operating knob 86 (Fig. 3) is operated to move the disc cam 80 clockwise (
By rotating it counterclockwise (or counterclockwise), the amount of toner particles supplied can be gradually decreased (or gradually increased).

Although one specific example of the developing device constructed according to the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to such specific example, and various modifications and changes can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention. It is.

For example, in the specific example, the swing lever 54 has a pair of operating lever parts 66b and 66c, a disc cam 70 acts on one operating lever part 66b, and an angle adjusting means 78 acts on the other operating lever part 66c. However, instead of this, the disc cam 70 and the disc cam 80 of the angle adjustment means 78 act on a single operating lever portion of the swing cover 54. It may be configured as follows.

In the specific example, the angle adjusting means 78 includes a rotatable disk cam 80, and by changing the angular position of the disk cam 80, the swing angle of the swing lever 54 is adjusted. However, in place of the disc cam 80, a position adjustment member is used that is movably mounted in a direction close to or away from the swing lever 54 (in the specific example, its operating lever portion 66C). The swing angle of the swing lever 54 may be adjusted by changing the position in the moving direction.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a sectional view showing one specific side of a toner image developing device constructed according to the present invention. FIG. 2 is a plan view showing the operating mechanism of the developing device shown in FIG. 1 and its vicinity. 3 is a side view showing the operating mechanism of FIG. 2; FIG. 4-A and 4-B are diagrams for explaining the fluctuation of the swing angle of the swing lever by the angle adjusting means in the actuation mechanism shown in FIG. 2, respectively. 2... Toner image developing device 10... Developer 12... Developer container 16... Magnetic brush mechanism 28... Rotating drum 40... Toner particle catcher 42... Toner particle 46... ...Discharge opening 48...Toner particle supply roller 52...Operating mechanism 54...Swing lever 56...Cam means 78...Angle adjustment means

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. A developer container containing a two-component developer consisting of carrier particles and toner particles, a developer applying means disposed within the developer container, and supplying toner particles to the developer container. a toner particle collector rotatably disposed in a discharge opening of the toner particle collector and supplied to the developer container through the discharge opening by being rotated in a predetermined direction; In a toner image developing device comprising a particle supply roller and an operating mechanism for rotating the toner particle supply roller, the operation mechanism includes angle adjusting means for adjusting a rotation angle of the toner particle supply roller. A toner image developing device comprising: 2. The operating mechanism includes a swinging lever attached to the shaft of the toner particle supply roller, and a cam means that can act on the swinging lever to swing it, and the angle adjusting means is configured to rotate the swinging lever. 2. The toner image developing device according to claim 1, wherein the swing angle of the swing lever is adjusted by acting on a swing lever. 3. The toner image developing device according to claim 2, wherein the swing lever is attached to the shaft portion of the toner particle supply roller via a one-way clutch means. 4. The cam means acts on the swing lever to swing it in a predetermined direction, and the angle adjustment means acts on the swing lever to swing it beyond the blocking position in the opposite direction to the predetermined direction. The toner image developing device according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the toner image developing device prevents movement. 5. The swing lever has a single operating lever portion, and the cam means and the angle adjustment means act on the operating lever portion.
A toner image developing device according to any one of claims 2 to 4. 6. The swing lever has a pair of operating lever sections, the cam means acts on one of the operating lever sections, and the angle adjusting means acts on the other operating lever section. The toner image developing device according to any one of items 2 to 4. 7. The angle adjusting means includes a plate-shaped cam that acts as a cam portion of which at least a portion of the circumferential surface can come into contact with the swinging lever, and the plate-shaped cam is rotatably mounted. The toner image developing device according to any one of items 2 to 6. 8. The angle adjustment means includes a position adjustment member, a part of which can come into contact with the swing lever, and the position adjustment member is mounted so as to be movable in a direction approaching or away from the swing lever. , a toner image developing device according to any one of claims 2 to 6. 9. The toner image developing device according to any one of claims 2 to 8, wherein the cam means is comprised of a disc cam that is rotated in a predetermined direction.