CN100535799C - Processing unit, toner box and image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention provides a process unit including a unit main body and a toner cartridge removably mounted on the unit main body. The toner cartridge includes: a toner case formed with a toner discharge port for supplying developer to a unit main body; and a toner side stopper for opening and closing the toner discharge port. The unit main body includes: a process case formed with a toner guide port for receiving developer supplied from the toner discharge port; a process side stopper for opening and closing the toner guide port; An opening/closing unit that opens and closes the toner discharge port and the toner guide port by the toner side stopper and the process side stopper when placed on the unit main body.

Description

Processing unit, toner cartridge, and image forming device

Cross References to Related Applications

This application claims the benefit of priority based on Japanese Patent Application No. 2006-85924 filed on March 27, 2006 and Japanese Patent Application No. 2007-11597 filed on January 22, 2007, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference middle.

technical field

The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus such as a laser printer, a process unit attachable and removable with respect to the image forming apparatus, and a toner cartridge.

Background technique

In a developing unit of an image forming apparatus, a structure for preventing unwanted toner leakage has been proposed, wherein a toner cartridge is removably mounted on a casing of the developing unit, and the toner cartridge is blocked in the developing device. The opening and closing actions of the first shutter of the toner discharge port and the second shutter of the toner guide port blocking the stirring chamber are linked. (See, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 07-225514 and U.S. Patent No. 5,608,501.)

In the developing unit described in Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 07-225514 and U.S. Patent No. 5,608,501, the second shutter is installed on the left and right pair of backing plates of the casing of the developing unit, and the flanges on the periphery of the supporting groove are rotatably arranged. On the arm, the first gate is arranged on a lever that rotates around the main shaft of the toner cartridge. When the main shaft of the toner container is inserted into the support groove of the developing unit and fixed thereto, and the lever of the toner container is turned in this state, the engagement protrusion provided at the lever of the toner container allows the arm of the developing unit to rotate, And allow the first gate and the second gate to be rotatably opened and closed while the first gate and the second gate overlap each other.

In a structure in which the toner container is provided with a lever that turns the first shutter, when the lever is turned inadvertently in a state where the toner container has been removed from the developing unit and the first shutter is turned to open the toner discharge port, there is often toner There is a concern that the toner in the box may leak. Or, when the arm lever is turned inadvertently in a state where the toner container has been removed from the developing unit and the second shutter is turned to open the toner guide port, there is also a concern that the toner in the stirring chamber may leak.

Therefore, in the toner cartridges described in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 07-225514 and US Pat. No. 5,608,501, the first shutter is held by the first locking mechanism to block the toner discharge port after the toner cartridge is removed from the developing unit. At the same time, the second shutter is held by the second locking mechanism to block the toner guide port in the developing unit. Therefore, the above-mentioned first and second locking mechanisms prevent inadvertent rotation of the first shutter and the second shutter in the state where the toner container is removed from the developing unit, thereby preventing the toner from inside the toner container and stirring chamber of the developing unit. Powder spilled.

Contents of the invention

However, the first locking mechanism and the second locking mechanism described in Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 07-225514 and U.S. Patent No. 5,608,501 are each composed of a locking body and a screw, and are separated from the first gate and the second gate. part. When the above-mentioned locking mechanism is installed on the first gate and the second gate respectively, the first gate and the second gate are required to be formed with pressing pins and lock holes, resulting in complex structures of the toner cartridge and the developing unit.

An object of the present invention is to provide a process unit capable of preventing developer leakage with a simple structure, a toner cartridge that is removably mounted on the process unit and capable of preventing developer leakage with a simple structure, and An image forming apparatus on which the above-described process unit and toner cartridge are removably mounted.

An object of the present invention is to provide a process unit removably mounted on the main body of an image forming apparatus, including: at least a developer carrier for supplying a developer to an image carrier on which an electrostatic latent image is formed. a unit main body; and a toner cartridge containing developer and removably mounted on the unit main body, wherein the toner cartridge includes: a toner case formed with a toner discharge port for supplying the developer to the unit main body and a toner side blocking member for opening or closing the toner discharge port, the unit main body includes: formed to face the toner discharge port when the toner cartridge is installed in the unit main body to receive supply from the toner discharge port; The process case of the toner guide port of the developer; the process side stopper for opening or closing the toner guide port; and the opening/closing member provided on the process case, when the toner cartridge is installed in the unit main body When the opening/closing member is moved, the toner side barrier opens or closes the toner discharge port, and the process side barrier opens or closes the toner guide port.

The present invention provides a process unit removably mounted on an image forming apparatus main body, comprising: a unit main body including at least a developer carrier for supplying a developer to an image carrier on which an electrostatic latent image is formed, and comprising a process housing, and a process side barrier member for opening or closing a toner guide port formed in the process housing for receiving developer by rotation; A toner container on the main body, wherein the toner container includes: an outer casing formed with a first toner discharge port opposite to the toner guide port when the toner container is installed in the unit main body; The inner case is provided in the outer case in such a way that the body rotates and is formed with a second toner discharge port, the inner case includes: an opening/closing switch provided on the processing unit side in a state where the toner cartridge is installed in the unit main body a member-engaged first projection for making the first toner discharge port and the second toner discharge port communicate with each other or interrupting the communication of the two by rotating the inner case in response to the movement of the opening/closing member; and A second protrusion for opening or closing the toner guide port by rotating the process-side barrier in conjunction with the first protrusion in response to the movement of the opening/closing member.

Further, the present invention provides a toner cartridge containing developer and removably mounted on a unit main body included in a process unit removably mounted on an image forming apparatus main body, wherein the unit main body Including at least a developer carrier for supplying a developer onto an image carrier on which an electrostatic latent image is formed, and including a processing housing, and a container for receiving a developer formed in the processing housing to be opened or closed by rotation. The process side barrier of the toner guide port, the toner cartridge includes: a toner discharge port formed opposite to the toner guide port when the toner cartridge is installed in the unit main body for supplying developer to the unit main body. A toner housing; a toner side stopper for opening or closing a toner discharge port by rotation; engaging with an opening/closing member provided on a processing unit side when the toner container is in a state installed in the unit main body, for passing through a first protrusion for opening or closing the toner discharge port by rotating the toner side barrier with the movement of the opening/closing member; Turn to open or close the second protrusion of the toner guide.

Further, the present invention provides a toner cartridge containing developer and removably mounted on a unit main body included in a process unit removably mounted on an image forming apparatus main body, wherein the unit main body Including at least a developer carrier for supplying a developer onto an image carrier on which an electrostatic latent image is formed, and including a process housing, and a hole formed in the process housing for receiving the developer by being rotated to open or close The process-side blocking member of the toner guide port, the toner cartridge includes: an outer case formed with a first toner discharge port opposite to the toner guide port when the toner cartridge is installed in the unit main body; The outer case is provided in the outer case in such a manner as to rotate and the inner case is formed with the second toner discharge port, wherein the inner case includes: an opening provided on the processing unit side in a state where the toner cartridge is installed in the unit main body The first protrusion engaged by the /closing member for bringing the first toner discharge port and the second toner discharge port into communication with each other or interrupting the communication of the two by rotating the inner case in response to the movement of the opening/closing member and a second protrusion for opening or closing the toner guide port by rotating the process-side barrier member in conjunction with the first protrusion for movement of the opening/closing member.

Furthermore, the present invention provides an image forming apparatus including: an image forming apparatus main body; and a processing unit removably mounted on the image forming apparatus main body, wherein the processing unit includes: at least one for supplying a developer to a unit main body of a developer carrier on an image carrier on which an electrostatic latent image is formed; and a toner cartridge containing a developer and removably mounted on the unit main body, the toner cartridge including: a toner case to the toner discharge port of the unit main body; and a toner side stopper for opening or closing the toner discharge port, the unit main body includes: A process case that faces a discharge port and receives a toner guide port of developer supplied from the toner discharge port; a process side barrier for opening or closing the toner guide port; and an opening/closing opening provided on the process case a closing member, when the toner cartridge is mounted in the unit main body, the toner side stopper opens or closes the toner discharge port, while the process side stopper opens or closes the toner guide port, with the movement of the opening/closing member, The image forming apparatus includes: a scanning section for forming an electrostatic latent image in a processing unit; and a fixing unit for fixing a developer image formed by developing the electrostatic latent image in the processing unit on a recording medium.

Description of drawings

FIG. 1 is a side sectional view showing an embodiment of a laser printer as an image forming apparatus of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a right side perspective view of the laser printer shown in FIG. 1 in which the processing unit is viewed from above the front side.

FIG. 3 is a left sectional view of the processing unit in FIG. 2 .

Figure 4(a) and Figure 4(b) show the situation that the toner cartridge is removed in Figure 2, Figure 4(a) shows the opening lever in the lever open position to open the toner guide port, Figure 4(b ) then shows the open lever in the lever closed position to close the toner guide port.

Fig. 5 (a), Fig. 5 (b) and Fig. 5 (c) are the processing unit shown in Fig. 2 and wherein the toner cartridge is viewed from the left side perspective view from the upper rear side, Fig. 5 (a) shows the toner row The outlet is open, FIG. 5(b) shows the toner discharge outlet is closed, and FIG. 5(c) shows the inner case in the toner cartridge.

FIG. 6 shows the removal of the toner cartridge and the opening lever in the closed position of the lever in FIG. 2 , together with the toner cartridge removed therefrom.

FIG. 7 shows the opening lever in the closed position of the lever in FIG. 2 .

FIG. 8 is a left sectional view of the processing unit in FIG. 6 .

FIG. 9 is a left cross-sectional view of the processing unit in FIG. 7 .

Detailed ways

Various embodiments of the present invention will be specifically described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

<First embodiment>

1. The overall composition of the laser printer

FIG. 1 is a side sectional view showing an embodiment of a laser printer as an image forming apparatus of the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 1 , a laser printer 1 includes a main casing 2 as the main body of an image forming apparatus, a paper feeding section 4 accommodated in the main casing 2 for feeding paper 3 , and a 3, an image forming unit 5 that forms an image.

(1) Main housing

On one side wall of the main housing 2, an installation opening 6 is formed for installing a processing unit 20 to be described later, and a front cover 7 is provided for opening and closing the installation opening 6. As shown in FIG. The front cover 7 is rotatably supported by a cover shaft 8 inserted through its lower end. Thus, when the front cover 7 is opened with the cover hinge 8 as a supporting point, the installation opening 6 is opened, and the processing unit 20 can be installed and removed relative to the main housing 2 through the installation opening 6, while the front cover 7 is opened with the cover hinge 8. 8 is when the support point is closed, the front cover 7 closes the installation port 6.

In the following description, the side on which the front cover 7 is provided in the state where the processing unit 20 is installed in the main housing 2 will be described as the "front side" (front side), and the opposite side will be referred to as the "rear side" ( back side) description. The near side in the paper thickness direction in FIG. 1 will be described as "left side", and the far side in the paper thickness direction in Fig. 1 will be described as "right side". In some cases, the left-right direction may be called "width direction".

(2) Paper supply section

The paper feed section 4 is provided at the bottom in the main casing 2, and includes a paper feed tray 9, a separation roller 10, a separation pad 11, a paper feed roller 12, a paper dust removal roller 13, a pinch roller 14, and an abutment roller 15 .

The paper feeding tray 9 includes a paper pressing plate 16 , and an operating lever 17 at its front end. The operating lever 17 lifts the front end of the platen 16 .

The paper 3 placed on the platen 16 is conveyed to a separation position between the separation roller 10 and the separation pad 11 by the rotation of the paper feed roller 12, and is separated one by one at the separation position, and then each paper 3 passes through the dust removal roller 13 and the space between the pinch roller 14 and conveyed to the abutment roller 15.

The sheet 3 conveyed to the abutment roller 15 is then conveyed to a transfer position between a transfer roller 31 and a later-described photosensitive drum 28 serving as an image carrier.

(3) Image forming department

The image forming section 5 includes a scanning section 19 , a processing unit 20 , and a fixing section 21 as a fixing unit.

(a) Scanner

The scanning unit 19 is provided at the upper part of the main housing 2 and includes a laser beam source (not shown), a rotatably driven polygon mirror 22 , an fθ lens 23 , a mirror 24 , a lens 25 , and a mirror 26 . A laser beam source emits a laser beam based on image data. Each light beam is refracted by the polygon mirror 22 and passes through the fθ lens 23 as indicated by the dotted line. The optical path of the light beam is then reflected by the reflector 24 , the light beam passes through the lens 25 , is further reflected downward by the reflector 26 , and irradiates on the surface of the photosensitive drum 28 in the processing unit 20 .

(b) Processing unit

FIG. 2 is a right side perspective view of the laser printer shown in FIG. 1 in which the processing unit is viewed from above the front side. FIG. 3 is a left sectional view of the processing unit in FIG. 2 .

Figure 4(a) shows the situation where the toner container is removed, the opening lever is in the lever open position, and the toner guide opening is open, and Figure 4(b) shows the situation where the opening lever is in the lever close position and the toner guide opening is closed situation.

5( a ) is a left side perspective view of the processing unit shown in FIG. 2 in which the toner container is viewed from above the rear side, showing a state where the toner discharge port is open, and FIG. 5( b ) shows a state where the toner discharge port is closed. , and FIG. 5(c) is a left side perspective view of the toner cartridge shown in FIG. 5(a) in which the inner casing is viewed from above the rear side.

6 shows the removal of the toner cartridge and the opening lever in the closed position of the lever in FIG. 2 together with the toner cartridge removed therefrom, and FIG. 7 shows the situation in which the opening lever is in the closed position of the lever in FIG. 2 .

FIG. 8 is a left sectional view of the processing unit in FIG. 6 , and FIG. 9 is a left sectional view of the processing unit in FIG. 7 .

As shown in FIG. 1 , the processing unit 20 is disposed at the lower part of the scanning part 19 in the main housing 2 , and can be removably installed in the main housing 2 through the installation opening 6 . As shown by the arrows in the figure, the installation and removal directions of the processing unit 20 relative to the main housing 2 are respectively obliquely downward and rearward (installation direction) and oblique upward and forward (removal direction).

As shown in FIG. 3, the processing unit 20 includes, as a unit main body, a drum portion 27 forming the rear half of the processing unit 20, and a developing portion 30 forming the front half of the processing unit 20, which are integrally combined, and further includes a removable The toner cartridge 40 mounted on the processing unit 20 .

(b-1) Drums

The drum section 27 includes a drum casing 76 , and a photosensitive drum 28 , a scorotron charger 29 , a transfer roller 31 , and a cleaning brush 32 provided in the drum casing 76 .

The drum shell 76 is box-shaped, its longitudinal front portion in the width direction is open, and includes an integral drum rear wall 77, a drum right wall 79 (refer to FIG. 2), a drum left wall 80 (refer to FIG. 2), a drum top wall 81, and drum bottom wall 82.

The drum right wall 79 and the drum left wall 80 are arranged in a spaced relation relative to each other in the width direction as shown in FIG. 2 .

A drum bottom wall 82 extends between respective lower end edges of the drum right wall 79 and the drum left wall 80 . A drum top wall 81 extends between respective upper end edges of the right drum wall 79 and the left drum wall 80 . Drum rear wall 77 extends between the respective rear end edges of drum right wall 79 and drum left wall 80 as shown in FIG. 3 .

A laser inlet 78 is formed in the middle portion of the drum top wall 81 in the front-to-back direction for irradiation of the laser beams of the scanning unit 19 to the photosensitive drum 28 . A first passage port 84 opens between the front end edge of the drum bottom wall 82 and the rear end edge of the developer rear bottom wall 68 of the developing section 30 to be described later. The drum rear wall 77 has a second passage port 85 open at its vertical middle portion. Both the second passage port 84 and the second passage port 85 are formed in a rectangular shape extending in the width direction.

In this drum casing 76, the space defined by the drum rear wall 77 with the drum right wall 79, the drum left wall 80, and the rear half of the drum bottom wall 82 and the drum top wall 81 forms a photosensitive drum 28 for accommodating, a grid. A scorotron charger 29 , a transfer roller 31 , and a drum accommodating portion 83 of the cleaning brush 32 . The drum accommodating portion 83 is formed in a cylindrical shape whose front and rear sides are opened.

On the other hand, a space defined by the drum right wall 79 , the drum left wall 80 , and the front half of the drum bottom wall 82 forms a developer arrangement portion 86 in which the developing portion 30 is arranged. The developer arranging portion 86 is formed as a bottom frame having a flat-bottomed U-shape as viewed in a front cross-section, the upper side of which is open.

The drum accommodating portion 83 and the developer arrangement portion 86 communicate with each other.

The photosensitive drum 28 has a cylindrical shape and includes a drum body 33 whose outermost layer is formed of a positively chargeable photosensitive layer made of polycarbonate or the like, and a metal drum shaft 34 along which The axial direction of the drum body 33 extends through the center of the rotation axis of the drum body 33 . Both ends of the drum shaft 34 in the axial direction are supported between the drum right wall 79 and the drum left wall 80 of the drum casing 76 (refer to FIG. 2 ). The drum body 33 is supported rotatably with respect to the drum shaft 34 , and thus the photosensitive drum 28 is rotatable about the drum shaft 34 in the drum casing 76 . The photosensitive drum 28 is rotationally driven by a driving force from a motor (not shown).

A scorotron charger 29 is supported on the drum top wall 81 of the drum casing 76 at an obliquely rearward position above the photosensitive drum 28, and is arranged in a spaced relationship relative to the photosensitive drum 28 to avoid contact with the photosensitive drum. 28 contacts. This grid-controlled corona (scorotron) charger 29 includes a discharge wire 35 arranged in a spaced relationship with the photosensitive drum 28, and a discharge wire 35 arranged between the discharge wire 35 and the photosensitive drum 28 for controlling the discharge wire 35 to the photosensitive drum. The drum 28 is charged to the grid 36 of the quantity.

In this grid-controlled corona (scorotron) charger 29, a bias voltage is applied to the grid 36, and a high voltage is applied to the discharge wire 35 to generate a corona discharge, thereby making the surface of the photosensitive drum 28 The charge is uniformly positively charged.

The transfer roller 31 is arranged below the photosensitive drum 28 in the drum casing 76, and is in contact with the photosensitive drum 28 in the vertical direction so as to form a bite between itself and the photosensitive drum 28, which acts as the photosensitive drum described above. 28 and the transfer position between the transfer roller 31.

Further, the transfer roller 31 includes a metal roller shaft rotatably supported between the drum right wall 79 and the drum left wall 80 of the drum casing 76, and a rubber roller formed of a conductive rubber material and covering the roller shaft. body. A transfer bias is applied to the transfer roller during transfer. The transfer roller 31 is rotationally driven by a driving force from a motor (not shown).

The cleaning brush 32 is fitted to the drum rear wall 77 of the drum casing 76 and is disposed in a position obliquely rearward above the photosensitive drum 28 and below the scorotron charger 29 (on the photosensitive drum 28 The upstream side of the scorotron (scorotron) charger 29 in the direction of rotation (refer to the arrow in FIG. 3 )) is in contact with the photosensitive drum 28 in opposition.

(b-2) Developing section

The developing section 30 is integrally formed with the drum section 27 in the developer arrangement section 86 of the drum casing 76 .

Such a developing portion 30 includes a developer housing 62 as a process housing, a supply roller 101 , a developing roller 104 as a developer carrier, and a layer thickness regulating blade 107 provided in the developer housing 62 .

The developer casing 62 includes a box-shaped rear casing 38 that is integrally extended in the width direction and whose rear side is opened, and whose upper and front sides are open and has a larger width than the rear casing 38 The front housing 39.

The rear housing 38 includes integral developer front wall 64 , developer right wall 65 (see FIG. 2 ), developer left wall 66 (see FIG. 2 ), developer top wall 67 , and developer rear bottom wall 68 .

The developer right wall 65 and the developer left wall 66 generally have a rectangular shape when viewed from the side, and are arranged in a spaced relationship relative to each other in the width direction.

The developer rear bottom wall 68 extends between respective lower end edges of the developer right wall 65 and the developer left wall 66 , and includes an integral first bottom wall 73 and a second bottom wall 74 sequentially from the rear side in the front-rear direction.

The first bottom wall 73 is provided on the rear side of the developer rear bottom wall 68 , and is formed in a tongue shape inclined downward from the front side to the rear side.

The second bottom wall 74 is formed in a generally semicircular shape viewed in side cross-section, and extends continuously from the front end edge of the first bottom wall 73 along the supply roller 101 .

The developer top wall 67 extends between respective upper end edges of the developer right wall 65 and the developer left wall 66 , and includes a first top wall 115 and a second top wall 116 integrally.

The first top wall 115 is disposed in front of the developer top wall 67 and extends obliquely upward and forward.

The second top wall 116 is formed in an overall inverted L shape when viewed in cross-section on the left side, extends downward from the rear end edge of the first top wall 115 , and then bends and extends rearward.

The developer front wall 64 extends between respective front edges of the developer right wall 65 and the developer left wall 66 . The developer front wall 64 has an upper end edge connected to the above-mentioned curved portion of the second top wall 116 and a lower end edge connected to the front end edge of the second bottom wall 74, and includes an integral The longitudinal wall 120 extending upward from the front end edge of the wall 74 is bent backward from the upper end edge of the longitudinal wall 120, then bent again and extended upward to connect with the curved portion of the second top wall 116, and is formed in left side cross-section. Observe the curved wall 121 which is generally L-shaped.

Respective rear end edges of the developer top wall 67 , developer left wall 65 , developer right wall 66 , and developer rear bottom wall 68 define an insertion hole 87 that opens at the rear side of the rear housing 38 . The insertion hole 87 is formed in a rectangular shape extending in the width direction.

In the rear housing 38, a space defined by the developer front wall 64, the developer right wall 65, the developer left wall 66, the developer top wall 67, and the developer rear bottom wall 68 serves to house the supply roller 101, The developing roller 104 and the layer thickness regulating blade 107 function as the developing chamber 72 .

The front housing 39 is integrally formed with a right wall 69 (see FIG. 2 ) and a left wall 70 (see FIG. 2 ) as both side walls of the process housing, and a developer front bottom wall 75 .

The developer front bottom wall 75 is formed in a generally C-shape viewed in side cross-section, and includes a curved wall 122 forming a rear half thereof and an L-shaped wall 123 forming a front half thereof integrally combined.

The curved wall 122 is generally shaped as a small arc segment when viewed from a side section, and its front edge is connected to the rear end edge of the L-shaped wall 123 .

The L-shaped wall 123 is formed in a generally L-shape viewed in side section, extends forward from its rear end edge, and extends upward in a curve. The L-shaped wall 123 has its front end portion and the central portion of its upper end portion in the width direction integrally formed with an engagement portion 124 which is hook-shaped in side section view, is bent at its upper end edge, and extends slightly forward. As shown in FIG. 6 , each position at the front end portion of the L-shaped wall 123 at a distance equal to a quarter of the width dimension of the L-shaped wall 123 is formed outwardly from the center of the L-shaped wall 123 in the width direction. The upper end edge of the front end portion of the front end part is a positioning groove 138 concaved downward.

As shown in FIG. 2 , the right wall 69 and the left wall 70 are disposed in a widthwise opposed relationship to each other so as to interpose the developer front bottom wall 75 therebetween, and are formed in a generally rectangular shape viewed from the side. . In FIG. 2, the obliquely upper front portion of the right wall 69 is cut away for convenience of description.

In the right wall 69 and the left wall 70 , first insertion holes 97 extending through the right wall 69 and the left wall 70 in the width direction are respectively formed at substantially central positions in the front-back direction and the up-down direction. As shown in FIG. 4( a ), the right wall 69 and the left wall 70 include integral side posts 89 at respective rear ends of their lateral inner surfaces.

The square column 89 is formed in a generally rectangular parallel pipe shape extending in the vertical direction, and a guide groove 119 is formed in the upper end portion, the front end surface of which is concave toward the rear side. The square post 89 includes an integral rib 90 on its lateral inner face below the guide groove 119 . As shown in FIG. 8, the rib 90 is formed so as to extend toward the lateral inner side so that its lateral cross-section generally forms a small arc shape, and is arranged to generally form a curved surface along the curved surface wall 122 of the developer front bottom wall 75, and is relatively The curved walls 122 are in a small interval relationship in the radial direction.

In the front housing 39 , the portion defined by the right wall 69 , the left wall 70 , and the developer front bottom wall 75 forms a toner container accommodating cavity 71 for accommodating the toner container 40 . The toner container accommodating chamber 71 is formed in a frame having a bottom, the upper side and the front side of which are open.

The rear case 38 and the front case 39 are connected by the front side surface of the lengthwise wall 120 of the developer front wall 64 and the rear side surface of the curved wall 122 of the developer front bottom wall 75 . The toner guide port 88 extending through the longitudinal wall 120 and the curved wall 122 in the thickness direction is formed at the lateral center position of the connecting portion of the longitudinal wall 120 and the curved wall 122 . The toner guide port 88 has a rectangular shape extending in the width direction, and the toner guide port 88 communicates with the toner container accommodating chamber 71 and the developing chamber 72 .

The toner container accommodating chamber 71 includes a shutter 111 which is a process side barrier and an open/close lever 113 which is an open/close member.

As shown in FIG. 3 , the gate 111 is formed as a thin plate having a small arc shape whose circumference is slightly smaller than the curved wall 122 when viewed in section. As shown in FIG. 4( b ), a through hole 112 that is rectangular in shape when viewed from the front and extends through the gate 111 in the thickness direction is formed in the middle of the rotation direction described later, specifically, in the upper half thereof. The lateral center position of the section. A notch 136 is formed in each of the upper end and the lower end of both side ends of the gate 111 , and is generally L-shaped when viewed from the front. Engagement portions 139 are respectively provided in respective upper end portions of the gate 111 that are laterally inward relative to the respective notch portions 136 . When the toner container 40 is in the mounted state in the process unit 20 , each engaging portion 139 is engaged by the respective second radially protruding portion 57 of the toner container 40 .

In the toner container accommodating cavity 71, both ends of the gate 111 are interposed between the curved wall 122 and the rib 90 of the square column 89, so the gate 111 is rotatable along the lateral cross-sectional shape of the rib 90 as shown in FIG. 8 . way support.

The shutter 111 is capable of closing the developer closing position (refer to FIG. 8 ) in which the toner guide port 88 is closed at a position where the through hole 112 is not formed and in which the through hole 112 and the toner guide port 88 are provided in opposing relationship to allow the toner guide port 88 Move between the developer open position (refer to FIG. 3 ) that is open forward.

A seal 125 is disposed between the curved wall 122 and the gate 111 . The seal 125 is formed into a sheet shape from, for example, felt or the like, and is attached to the front side surface of the curved wall 122 so as not to block the toner introduction port 88 .

The opening/closing lever 113 is formed in a generally U-shape viewed from the top surface as shown in FIG.

The right support portion 108 and the left support portion 109 are formed as generally P-shaped thin plates viewed from the right side. A circular hole 114 passing through the right support portion 108 and the left support portion 109 in the thickness direction is formed at substantially the center of the rear half of the right support portion 108 and the left support portion 109 , respectively.

Each of the right support portion 108 and the left support portion 109 is provided with a support cylinder 135 at a position corresponding to the circular hole 114 on the lateral outer surface thereof. The support cylinder 135 has the same inner diameter as the diameter of the circular hole 114 and extends outward in the width direction. The support cylinder 135 has an outer diameter slightly smaller than the inner diameter of each of the first insertion holes 97 of the right wall 69 and the left wall 70 described above.

Receiving portions 117 are respectively formed on top of the circular holes 114 in the right supporting portion 108 and the left supporting portion 109 . Each receiving portion 117 has an upper end edge generally U-shaped when viewed from a side and concave toward the circular hole 114 .

The process holding portion 110 is formed as a thin plate having a generally rectangular shape as viewed from the front, and extends between front end portions of the right support portion 108 and the left support portion 109 . The handling holding portion 110 has a grip portion 118 whose lower end edge is recessed upward at its lateral center position.

The respective support cylinders 135 of the right support portion 108 and the left support portion 109 are fitted into the respective first insertion holes 97 of the right wall 69 and the left wall 70, so that the opening/closing lever 113 is rotatably supported on the right wall 69 and the left wall 70. on wall 70. Thus, the processing holding portion 110 that allows the opening/closing lever 113 to open/close the lever 113 therein is positioned at the lever closing position (refer to FIG. Move between the open position of the lever at the same position as the circular hole 114 (refer to FIG. 4( a )). As shown in FIG. 3, regardless of the position of the opening/closing lever 113, the grip portion 118 is always exposed from the toner container accommodating chamber 71 when viewed from the side.

The supply roller 101 , the developing roller 104 , and the layer thickness regulating blade 107 are accommodated in the developing chamber 72 of the rear side housing 38 as described above.

The supply roller 101 is disposed on the obliquely rear side below the toner guide port 88 . The supply roller 101 includes a metal supply roller shaft 102 and a sponge roller body 103 formed of a conductive foam material covering the supply roller shaft 102 . Both ends of the supply roller shaft 102 are rotatably supported on the developer right wall 65 and the developer left wall 66 at positions corresponding to the second bottom wall 74 in the front-rear direction. A driving force from a motor (not shown) is input to the supply roller shaft 102 to rotationally drive the supply roller 101 .

The developing roller 104 is provided on the rear side of the supply roller 101 so as to be in pressure contact with the supply roller 101 . The developing roller 104 extends in the width direction, and includes a metal developing roller shaft 105 and a rubber roller body 106 formed of a conductive rubber material covering the developing roller shaft 105 .

Both shaft ends of the developing roller shaft 105 are rotatably supported on the developer right wall 65 and the developer left wall 66 at positions corresponding to the first bottom wall 73 in the front-rear direction. The rubber roller body 106 is formed of conductive urethane rubber or silicone rubber containing fine carbon particles, etc., and its surface is covered with a resin coating having good anticorrosion properties such as urethane rubber or fluorine-containing polyimide. A driving force from a motor (not shown) is input to the developing roller shaft 105 to rotationally drive the developing roller 104 . As shown in FIG. 2 , a developing bias is applied to the developing roller 104 during development via the lateral end portion of the developing roller shaft 105 exposed from the developer right wall 65 .

As shown in FIG. 3 , the layer thickness adjusting scraper 107 is formed of a metal scraper spring material, and its distal end includes a pressing component 140 that is generally semicircular in cross-section and is formed of electrically insulating or conductive silicone rubber or polyurethane rubber. . In the layer thickness regulating blade 107, its proximal edge is supported on the second top wall 116 of the developer top wall 67 above the developing roller 104, so that its pressing component 140 is pressed by the elastic force of the layer thickness regulating blade 107. Connected to the developing roller 104.

As shown in FIG. 2, of the drum portion 27 and the developing portion 30, the front end portion of the drum top wall 81 of the drum portion 27 is fitted to the above-mentioned curved portion of the second top wall 116 of the developing portion 30, and the developer of the developing portion 30 The respective rear end edges of the right wall 65 and the developer left wall 66 abut the respective front edges of the drum right wall 79 and the drum left wall 80 , respectively. Therefore, the developing unit 30 is assembled to the drum unit 27 . In a state where the developing portion 30 is assembled with the drum portion 27 , as shown in FIG. 3 , the above-described first passage port 84 is formed between the developer rear bottom wall 68 and the drum bottom wall 82 .

(b-3) Toner cartridge

As described above, the toner container 40 is removably installed in the toner container accommodating chamber 71 . When the toner cartridge 40 is in the installed state in the processing unit 20, the toner cartridge 40 can be installed and removed with respect to the main casing 2 by installing and removing the processing unit 20 with respect to the main casing 2 through the installation port 6. . The installation and removal directions of the toner container 40 relative to the toner container accommodating cavity 71 of the processing unit 20 are the same as the installation and removal directions of the processing unit 20 relative to the main housing 2, that is to say, they are respectively inclined downwards. The rear direction (installation direction) is the same as the tilt-up front direction (removal direction). The direction orthogonal to the installation and removal direction of the toner container 40 with respect to the toner container accommodating cavity 71 is the width direction.

As shown in FIG. 1 , the toner container accommodating cavity 71 is positioned in front of the processing unit 20 , so that when the front cover 7 is opened and the installation port 6 is opened, the toner container 40 is exposed from the installation port 6 .

As shown in FIG. 3 , the toner container 40 is generally σ-shaped when viewed in cross section from the left side, and includes an outer case 41 and an inner case 42 that function as a toner case and are formed of resin or the like. Alternatively, only the outer case 41 may be used as the toner case.

(b-3-i) Outer shell

The outer case 41 is the same as the toner container 40 , is generally σ-shaped when viewed in cross-section from the left side, and includes an integral cylinder 43 and a guide rod 44 and a holding portion as restricting components.

As shown in FIG. 5( a), the cylinder 43 is formed as a hollow cylinder generally rectangular in side view and extending in the width direction, and includes an outer peripheral wall 45 , and two toner housings. The side walls function as a pair of outer edge walls 46 of two lateral side end surfaces of the outer peripheral wall 45 .

At the center position of the rear side surface of the outer peripheral wall 45 in the left-right and up-down directions, a first toner discharge port 49 is formed as a toner discharge port extending through the outer peripheral wall 45 in the thickness direction. The first toner discharge port is formed in a rectangular shape extending in the width direction.

In both lateral end portions of the rear side surface of the outer peripheral wall 45, upper guide grooves 129 are respectively formed at positions above the first toner discharge port 49 as first insertion grooves 129 extending in the thickness direction through the outer peripheral wall 45. grooves, and each position below the first toner discharge port 49 is respectively formed with a lower guide groove 130 as a second insertion groove extending through the outer peripheral wall 45 in the thickness direction. Each of the upper guide groove 129 and the lower guide groove 130 has a rectangular shape viewed from the rear side, and extends in the peripheral direction, and its circumference is set to be approximately twice the circumference of the first toner discharge port 49, while its width length is It is set to be approximately half the circumference of the first toner discharge port 49 .

In the lower portion of the front side surface of the outer peripheral wall 45, as shown in FIG. Each rib at each location of a distance. The positioning rib 137 extends downward in a continuous manner from the upper half of the front side surface of the outer peripheral wall 45 , bends to extend obliquely downward and rearward, and then bends again to extend rearward to continue to the lower side of the outer peripheral wall 45 The rear half of the surface is thus formed as a thin plate having a generally isosceles trapezoidal shape when viewed from the side. The positioning rib 137 has a width dimension slightly narrower than that of the positioning groove 138 described above.

At the substantially central position of each outer edge wall 46 in the front-rear direction and the up-down direction, as shown in FIG. In addition, in each outer edge wall 46 , an insertion groove 127 is formed as an insertion groove 127 extending in the width direction through each outer edge wall 46 and belonging to a position concentric with the second insertion hole 126 at a radially outer position of the second insertion hole 126 . The third insertion groove of the small arc section, specifically, the small arc section is in the range from the 12 o'clock position to the 2 o'clock position when viewed from the left.

In addition, each outer edge wall 46 is integrally formed with a positioning protrusion 131 extending rearward at a position corresponding to the upper end edge of the upper guide groove 129 and protruding outwardly in a bend in the width direction. The portion of the positioning protrusion 131 protruding outward in the width direction is formed to have an outer diameter smaller than the groove width of the guide groove 119 (see FIG. 4( a )) of the front side case 39 of the processing unit 20. shape.

As shown in FIG. 6, the guide lever 44 is provided at the upper end portion of the front side surface and the lateral center position of the outer peripheral wall 45, and includes a fixing member 91, a swing member 92 as a toner holding portion, and an engaging member.

As shown in FIG. 8 , the fixing assembly 91 is formed in a generally rectangular shape viewed from the top and extends in its width direction, with its rear end portion fixed relative to the outer peripheral wall 45 .

The swing assembly 92 is generally rectangular when viewed from the top and T-shaped when viewed from the side section, and includes an integral grip portion 93 , a first restricting portion 94 , and a second restricting portion 95 .

The grip portion 93 and the second restricting portion 95 are formed in a generally rectangular shape viewed from the top.

The first restricting portion 94 is formed in a rectangular shape when viewed from the front, and generally in a J-shape when viewed in cross-section from the left side. Its lower end portion includes, in order from the top, a first engaging portion 132 and a second engaging portion 133 as engaging portions. The first engaging portion 132 is formed as a groove extending in the width direction such that the rear side surface of the lower end portion of the first restricting portion 94 is recessed forward. The second engaging portion 133 is formed in a generally hook shape as viewed in cross-section on the left side, in which the bottommost end portion of the first restricting portion 94 is slightly bent backward under the first engaging portion 132 .

Also, the rear end portion of the grip portion 93 , the upper end portion of the first restricting portion 94 , and the front end portion of the second restricting portion 95 are connected to each other. In the connecting position between the rear end portion of the grip portion 93 and the upper end portion of the first restricting portion 94 , a shaft insertion hole 96 is formed to extend in the width direction through the grip portion 93 and the first restricting portion 94 .

On the front side surface of the outer peripheral wall 45, a pair of rotating shaft support portions 98 are integrally formed so as to protrude forward and interpose the grip portion 93 of the swing assembly 92 in the lateral direction. An insertion shaft 37 extending between the pair of shaft support portions 98 is inserted through the shaft insertion hole 96 of the swing assembly 92 so that the swing assembly 92 is swingably supported on the outer peripheral wall 45 .

In addition, the rear end portion of the fixing component 91 and the second restricting portion 95 of the swing component 92 are connected by the elastic component 128 . Specifically, the elastic component 128 is, for example, a reed, and one end thereof is screwed with the rear end of the fixing component 91 by a screw 134 , and the other end is engaged with the second restricting portion 95 . Therefore, the swing assembly 92 continues to receive a clockwise force around the insertion shaft 37 , so that the second limiting portion 95 gradually approaches the fixing assembly 91 under the force of the elastic assembly 128 .

(b-3-ii) Inner shell

As shown in FIG. 5(c), the inner case 42 extends in the width direction, is formed in a hollow cylindrical shape having a size smaller than that of the cylinder 43 of the outer case 41, and includes an integrally combined, as the toner side The barrier member has a cylindrical inner peripheral wall 51 and two flat disk-shaped inner side edge walls 52 for blocking two lateral side surfaces of the inner peripheral wall 51 . As shown in FIG. 3 , between the centers of circles of the respective inner side edge walls 52 opposed to each other in the width direction, an agitator rotating shaft 53 extends as a rotating shaft. The stirrer rotating shaft 53 is rotatably supported on the inner edge wall 52, and a stirrer 56 is provided as a stirring portion. The stirrer 56 is provided with each wiper 50 . Each wiper 50 is formed of, for example, a rubber material, and is attached to both axial (lateral) end portions of the agitator rotating shaft 53 . The center of rotation of the opening/closing lever 113 described above and the center of the agitator rotation shaft 53 substantially coincide with each other. The stirrer rotation shaft 53 and the stirrer 56 function as a stirring member.

As shown in FIG. 5( c ), both sideward end portions of the agitator rotating shaft 53 protrude outward in the width direction from the respective inner side edge walls 52 . A collar 100 is fitted to each protrusion of the agitator rotating shaft 53 . The ferrule 100 has an outer diameter slightly smaller than the diameter of the second insertion hole 126 (see FIG. 5( a )) of the outer casing 41 .

On the inner side edge wall 52 , lateral projections 54 are respectively provided as first projections projecting outward in the width direction at positions radially outward from the agitator rotating shaft 53 and facing each other in the width direction. Each side protruding portion 54 is formed to be generally in the shape of a small arc segment when viewed from the side, and its circumference is approximately half of the circumference of the insertion groove 127 of the outer casing 41 (described above), and its radial length is slightly It is smaller than the groove width of the insertion groove 127 .

Moreover, a part of the circumference of the lateral center of the inner peripheral wall 51, specifically, a position offset by nearly 90° in the counterclockwise direction with respect to the lateral protrusion 54 when viewed from the left side, is formed with a ridge passing through the inner peripheral wall 51. A second toner discharge port 55 extending in the thickness direction. The second toner discharge port 55 is formed in a rectangular shape having the same size as that of the first toner discharge port 49 of the outer case 41 viewed from the radially outer side.

On the inner peripheral wall 51, along the peripheral edge of the second toner discharge port 55, a first radial protrusion 48 protruding outward in the radial direction is provided. The first radial protrusion 48 is formed in a rectangular frame shape viewed from the radially outer side, and is formed of an elastic material such as rubber.

Second radial protrusions 57 protruding outward in the radial direction are integrally provided at positions slightly above the upper end edge of the first radial protrusion 48 on both lateral ends of the inner peripheral wall 51 . In addition, third radial protrusions 63 protruding outward in the radial direction are integrally provided at respective positions below the lower end edge of the first radial protrusion 48 on both side end portions of the inner peripheral wall 51 . . The second radial protrusion 57 and the third radial protrusion 63 function as second protrusions, and are formed to have the same size. Its transverse length is designed to be smaller than the groove widths of the upper guide groove 129 and the lower guide groove 130 of the outer casing 41 .

In addition, as shown in FIG. 3 , on the inner peripheral wall 51 , at a position opposite to the second toner discharge port 55 with respect to the center of the rotation axis of the inner housing 42 is formed a radially outwardly protruding and a fourth radial protrusion 99 extending along the width direction.

(b-3-iii) Assembling the inner shell into the outer shell

As shown in FIG. 5(a), in the toner cartridge 40 described above, the inner case 42 is housed in the outer case 41, and both side end portions of the agitator rotating shaft 53 of the inner case 42 are respectively engaged into The second insertion hole 126 of the outer shell 41 and the ferrule 100 described above. Then, each lateral protrusion 54 of the inner housing 42 protrudes outward from each insertion groove 127 of the outer housing 41 in the width direction, and each second radial protrusion 57 of the inner housing 42 protrudes outward in the width direction. 42 protrudes outward from each upper guide groove 129 of the outer shell 41 in the radial direction, and each third radial protrusion 63 of the inner shell 42 protrudes from the outer shell 41 in the radial direction of the inner shell 42 Each lower guide groove 130 protrudes outward.

Thus, the inner case 42 is assembled into the outer case 41 , and the inner case 42 is rotatably supported on both outer side edge walls 46 of the outer case 41 . As a result, each lateral projection 54 is allowed to slide along the corresponding insertion groove 127, each second radial projection 57 is allowed to slide along the corresponding upper guide groove 129, and each third radial projection 63 is allowed to slide along the corresponding upper guide groove 129. The corresponding lower guide groove 130 slides. The direction of the rotation axis of the inner housing 42 is the width direction.

When the toner cartridge 40 assembled in this way is in the state that it is not mounted on the processing unit 20 as shown in FIG. Four radial projections 99 engage and limit rotation of the inner housing 42 relative to the outer housing 41 . This state of the swing assembly 92 will hereinafter be referred to as a first state.

In the above-mentioned first state, when the fixed component 91 and the swing component 92 are kept together, the swing component 92 swings counterclockwise around the insertion shaft 37 against the force of the elastic component 128 . After the fixed assembly 91 and the swing assembly 92 are kept together for a period of time, the swing of the swing assembly 92 stops. This state of the swing assembly 92 will hereinafter be referred to as a second state.

In the second state, as shown in FIG. 9 , the first engaging portion 132 of the above-mentioned first restricting portion 94 is separated from the fourth radially protruding portion 99 of the inner casing 42, and the first engaging portion 132 is separated from the fourth radially protruding portion 99. The engagement to the protrusion 99 is released. However, the rear end of the second restricting portion 95 is in contact with the inner peripheral wall 51 of the inner casing 42 , thereby restricting the rotation of the inner casing 42 relative to the outer casing 41 .

Therefore, when the swing assembly 92 is in the third state between the first state and the second state, the engagement between the first engaging portion 132 and the fourth radially protruding portion 99 is released, and in addition, the second restricting portion 95 The rear end portion is not in contact with the inner peripheral wall 51 of the inner housing 42 , and the restriction on the rotation of the inner housing 42 relative to the outer housing 41 is released, as shown in FIG. 3 . In this case, as shown in FIG. 5(b), when the inner housing 42 is rotated relative to the outer housing 41, each lateral protrusion 54 is guided to a corresponding insertion groove 127, and each second radially protruding Each third radial protrusion 63 is guided to a corresponding lower guide groove 130 . As shown in FIG. 3, when the inner housing 42 rotates relative to the outer housing 41, the first radial protrusion 48 of the inner housing 42 is in sliding contact with the inner side surface of the outer peripheral wall 45 of the outer housing 41, thereby The outer case 41 and the inner case 42 are held in an airtight and liquid-tight manner.

Moreover, as shown in FIG. 5(b), when the swing assembly 92 is in the third state, the inner casing 42 can move to the toner blocking position, where it passes through the inner peripheral wall 51 except for the second toner discharge port. Parts other than 55 block the first toner outlet 49 of the outer casing 41 to seal the inner space of the outer casing 41 and the inner casing 42 . At this time, each second radial protrusion 57 is in contact with the upper end edge of the corresponding upper guide groove 129, each third radial protrusion 63 is in contact with the upper end edge of the corresponding lower guide groove 130, and each The lateral protrusions 54 abut against the front edges of the corresponding insertion slots 127 . On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 5(a), the inner housing 42 can be moved to the toner open position, in which the first toner discharge port 49 and the second toner discharge port 55 are opposed to each other so that the outer housing 41 and the inside of the inner housing 42 are open, while each second radial projection 57 is in contact with the lower end edge of the corresponding upper guide groove 129, and each third radial projection 63 is connected with the corresponding lower guide groove 130 The lower end edge of each side protrusion 54 is butted against the rear end edge of the corresponding insertion groove 127 .

In the inner case 42, a positively chargeable non-magnetic one-component toner is housed as a developer. As the toner, polymerized toner is used. Polymerizable monomers, for example, styrene monomers such as styrene, such as acrylic acid, alkyl (C1-C4) acrylate, alkyl (C1 -C4) Acrylic monomers such as alkyl (C1-C4) methacrylate are copolymerized to obtain the polymerized toner. The aggregated toner has a spherical shape as a whole, is extremely excellent in fluidity, and enables high-quality image formation.

In this toner, a colorant such as carbon black or wax is mixed. In addition, additives such as silica are added to improve fluidity. The toner has an average particle size of approximately 6 to 10 μm.

(b-4) Installation and removal of the toner cartridge relative to the process unit

(b-4-i) The toner container is installed in the processing unit

With respect to the toner container accommodating chamber 71 of the process unit 20 in a state where the opening/closing lever 113 is located at the lever closed position and the shutter 111 is located at the developer closed position, as shown in FIG. The toner cartridge 40 at the blocking position is installed from the oblique front upper side to the oblique rear lower side. At this time, as shown in FIG. 6 , each positioning protrusion 131 of the toner container 40 is guided to its corresponding guide groove 119 of the toner container accommodating cavity 71 of the processing unit 20 . In addition, the swing assembly 92 of the toner container 40 is in the first state, and the rotation of the inner housing 42 relative to the outer housing 41 is restricted.

As shown in Figure 7, when each positioning protrusion 131 reaches the deepest part of the corresponding guide groove 119 and abuts with the deepest part, each lateral protrusion 54 of the toner cartridge 40 is in contact with the lever closed position. The opening/closing lever 113 engages with its corresponding receptacle 117 . At this time, as shown in FIG. 9, each second radial protrusion 57 of the toner container 40 is engaged with its corresponding to-be-engaged portion 139 of the shutter 111 of the toner container accommodating chamber 71, and the shutter 111 is in its The rotation direction is clamped by the corresponding second radial protrusion 57 and the third radial protrusion 63 . The swing assembly 92 is in the third state when the second engaging portion 133 is engaged with the engaging portion 124 (refer to FIG. 3 ).

The positioning rib 137 of the toner container 40 is fitted into the positioning groove 138 of the process unit 20 as shown in FIG. 7 . In this way, the outer case 41 of the toner container 40 is positioned relative to the toner container accommodating chamber 71 , and the mounting of the toner container 40 to the developing portion 30 of the process unit 20 is completed. At this time, the first toner discharge port 49 in the outer casing 41 of the toner container 40 faces the toner guide port 88 in the front-rear direction with the shutter 111 interposed therebetween (see FIG. 9 ).

When the toner cartridge 40 is completely installed in the processing unit 20 , the swing assembly 92 is in the above-mentioned third state, so the inner casing 42 can rotate relative to the outer casing 41 . Moreover, each lateral protrusion 54 of the inner housing 42 engages with its corresponding receiving portion 117 of the opening/closing lever 113 in the lever closing position, so that when the opening/closing lever 113 moves from the lever closing position to the lever opening position (refer to FIG. 2), the inner housing 42 rotates from the toner closed position (refer to FIG. 9) to the toner open position (refer to FIG. 3), so that the first toner discharge port 49 and the second toner discharge port 55 are close to each other. Opposed and connected, as shown in Figure 3. As the inner housing 42 rotates, the shutter 111 sandwiched between the inner housing 42 and its corresponding second radial protrusion 57 and third radial protrusion 63 also rotates from the developer closed position (see FIG. 9 ). to the developer open position, and the through hole 112 of the shutter 111 and the toner guide opening 88 of the toner container accommodating chamber 71 are opposed to each other.

The gate 111 is in the toner container accommodating chamber 71 at the developer open position and the inner housing 42 is in the toner container 40 in the toner open position, the through hole 112 and the toner container in the opposite state in the toner container accommodating chamber 71 The toner guide port 88 is opposed to and communicated with the first toner discharge port 49 and the second toner discharge port 55 in the opposite state in the toner container 40 . As a result, the inside of the inner case 42 of the toner cartridge 40 and the inside of the developing chamber 72 of the developing portion 30 pass through the toner guide port 88, the through hole 112, the first toner discharge port 49, and the second toner row. Exit 55 is connected.

In summary, since the space between the outer case 41 formed with the first toner discharge port 49 and the inner case 42 formed with the second toner discharge port 55 is airtight by the first radial projection 48 It is maintained in a liquid-tight manner, and in addition, the formed sealing assembly 125 intervenes in the space between the gate 111 formed with the through hole 112 and the curved wall 122 formed with the toner guide port 88, thus preventing the toner from passing through the toner guide port 88. , the through hole 112, the first toner discharge port 49, and the second toner discharge port 55 leak to the outside.

(b-4-ii) The toner cartridge is removed from the processing unit

With the shutter 111 at the developer open position and the inner housing 42 at the toner open position, the open/close lever 113 at the lever open position moves to the lever close position as shown in FIG. 9 . At this time, the inner housing 42, in which each lateral protrusion 54 engages with its corresponding receiving portion 117 of the opening/closing lever 113, is rotated from the toner-on position to the toner-off position, whereby the first opening of the outer housing 41 A toner discharge port 49 is blocked by a portion of the inner peripheral wall 51 other than the second toner discharge port 55, and the insides of the outer case 41 and the inner case 42 are sealed. In other words, the communication between the first toner discharge port 49 and the second toner discharge port 55 is interrupted. When the inner housing 42 rotates, the second radial protrusion 57 and the third radial protrusion 63 rotate correspondingly. Thus, the shutter 111 sandwiched by the corresponding second radial projection 57 and the third radial projection 63 is rotated from the developer open position to the developer close position, whereby the toner guide port of the toner container accommodating chamber 71 88 is blocked by the gate 111 except for the through hole 112 .

In this state, the first restricting portion 94 is in the third state as shown in FIG. 3 and the second engaging portion 133 is engaged with the portion 124 to be engaged, so the swing assembly 92 swings to the second state as shown in FIG. 9 , And the engagement between the second engaging portion 133 and the portion to be engaged 124 is released. When the swing assembly 92 is still in the second state (the swing assembly 92 is held), the toner container 40 is pulled out from the toner container accommodating cavity 71 in an oblique upward and forward direction. At this time, each positioning protrusion 131 (refer to FIG. 6 ) of the toner container 40 is guided to a corresponding guide groove 119 (refer to FIG. 6 ) in the toner container accommodating cavity 71 . When the holding of the toner container 40 that has been pulled out is released, the swing assembly 92 enters the first state.

Then, as shown in FIG. 8, each positioning protrusion 131 protrudes from the corresponding guide groove 119, and each lateral protrusion 54 of the toner container 40 and its corresponding receiving portion 117 of the opening/closing lever 113 both (refer to FIG. 7 ) is released, and the engagement between each second radial protrusion 57 of the toner container 40 and its corresponding to-be-engaged portion 139 of the shutter 111 is released, thereby completing the release of the toner container 40 from The processing unit 20 is removed.

(b-5) Development and transfer operation

As described in (b-4-i) above and shown in FIG. 3, after the toner cartridge 40 is installed on the processing unit 20 and accommodated in the toner cartridge accommodating cavity 71, when the laser printer 1 forms an image, the The driving force of (not shown) is input to the rotation shaft of the stirrer. Then, the agitator rotation shaft 53 rotates clockwise when viewed from the left, and the agitator 56 moves around the agitator rotation shaft 53 in the circumferential direction within the inner space of the inner case 42 of the toner cartridge 40 . Thus, the toner in the toner container 40 is agitated by the agitator 56, and released into the developing chamber 72 through the second toner discharge port 55, the first toner discharge port 49, the through hole 112, and the toner guide port 88. . With the rotation of the agitator rotating shaft 53, each of the above-mentioned wipers 50 of the agitator 56 wipes the toner detection window (not shown) provided in its corresponding inner side edge wall 52 of the inner housing 42, thereby using the wiper 50 Clean the toner detection window (not shown).

The toner discharged from the toner guide port 88 into the developing chamber 72 is supplied to the developing roller 104 by the rotation of the supply roller 101 . At this time, the toner between the supply roller 101 and the developing roller 104 is positively charged by frictional electrification. With the rotation of the developing roller 104, the toner supplied onto the developing roller 104 enters between the pressing member 140 of the layer thickness regulating blade 107 and the rubber roller body 106 of the developing roller 104, and acts as a toner having a uniform thickness on the developing roller 104. Thin layer to carry.

With the rotation of the photosensitive drum 28, the surface of the photosensitive drum 28 is uniformly charged with a positive charge by a grid-controlled corona (scorotron) charger 29, and then exposed by a high-speed scanning laser beam from the scanning part 19, and finally forms a An electrostatic latent image corresponding to an image to be formed on the paper 3 .

Thereafter, by the rotation of the developing roller 104 , the positively charged toner carried on the developing roller 104 comes into contact with the photosensitive drum 28 in a facing manner. At this time, the toner is supplied to the electrostatic latent image formed on the surface of the photosensitive drum 28, that is, the portion of the surface of the photosensitive drum 28 that is uniformly positively charged and exposed to the laser beam to have a low potential. Therefore, the electrostatic latent image on the photosensitive drum 28 is visible, and the reverse-developed toner image is carried on the surface of the photosensitive drum 28 .

Then, the toner image carried on the surface of the photosensitive drum 28 is transferred to the paper 3 conveyed by the abutment roller 15 (refer to FIG. 1 ) and entered into the drum casing 76 from the first passage port 84 . While the paper 3 passes through the transfer position between the photosensitive drum 28 and the transfer roller 31 , the toner image is transferred onto the paper 3 by the transfer bias applied to the transfer roller 31 .

The paper 3 with the transferred toner image is discharged from the second passage port 85 to the outside of the drum casing 76 and conveyed to the fixing section 21 .

The toner remaining on the photosensitive drum 28 after transfer is recovered by the developing roller 104 .

(c) Fixing section

As shown in FIG. 1 , the fixing unit 21 is disposed behind the processing unit 20 , and is arranged in a front-rear spaced relationship with respect to the photosensitive drum 28 of the processing unit 20 as a whole. The fixing section 21 includes a fixing frame 59 and a heating roller 60 and a pressure roller 61 in the fixing frame 59 .

In the fixing unit 21 , the toner image that has been transferred onto the paper 3 at the transfer position is heated and fixed on the paper 3 when the paper 3 passes between the heating roller 60 and the pressure roller 61 . The toner image is conveyed to the paper discharge conveying path after being fixed on the paper 3 , then conveyed to the paper discharge roller 141 by the conveying roller 63 , and finally discharged onto the paper discharge tray 58 by the paper discharge roller 141 . The discharge tray 58 is formed on the top surface of the main casing 2 .

2. Actions and effects of this embodiment

As described above, in the laser printer 1, when the toner cartridge 40 is not in the toner cartridge accommodating chamber 71 installed in the developing section 30 of the processing unit 20 (hereinafter referred to as "the toner cartridge 40 is installed in the processing unit 20 Middle") In this state, the opening/closing lever 113 of the processing unit 20 is not engaged with each side protrusion 54 of the inner case 42 of the toner cartridge 40. This restricts the rotation of the inner housing 42 so that the inner peripheral wall 51 of the inner housing 42 can be prevented from inadvertently opening and closing the first toner discharge port 49 of the outer housing 41 .

When the toner cartridge 40 is installed in the processing unit 20, each lateral protrusion 54 engages with its corresponding receiving portion 117 of the opening/closing lever 113, and each second radial protrusion 57 of the inner housing 42 The corresponding to-be-engaged portion 139 of the shutter 111 of the toner container accommodating chamber 71 is engaged, thereby sandwiching the shutter 111 .

This state allows, with the movement of the opening/closing lever 113, the inner peripheral wall 51 is rotated by the lateral projection 54, that is, the first toner discharge port 49 is opened and closed, and the second diameter combined with the lateral projection 54 is used. Turning the shutter 111 toward the protrusion 57 and the third radial protrusion 63 opens and closes the toner guide port 88 .

Therefore, when the toner cartridge 40 is installed in the processing unit 20, when the opening/closing lever 113 is moved to the lever open position, the inner peripheral wall 51 of the inner housing 42 is rotated to the toner open position, and the shutter 111 is rotated to the developing position. The toner open position, and the toner guide port 88 and the first toner discharge port 49 are opened. This allows the toner guide port 88 and the first toner discharge port 49 to communicate with each other, and also allows the inside of the inner casing 42 of the toner cartridge 40 and the inside of the developing chamber 72 of the developing portion 30 to communicate with each other, so that the toner can be transferred from the toner toner. The powder container 40 is supplied into the developing chamber 72 of the processing unit 20 .

When the toner cartridge 40 is mounted on the processing unit 20, the opening/closing lever 113 moves to the lever closing position, and the inner peripheral wall 51 and the shutter 111 are rotated to the toner closing position and the developer closing position, respectively, so that the toner The guide port 88 and the first toner discharge port 49 are blocked. This allows the toner container 40 to be removed from the process unit 20 while preventing toner leakage from the toner guide port 88 and the first toner discharge port 49 .

When the toner container 40 is removed from the processing unit 20, the gate 111 is not sandwiched between the second radial protrusion 57 and the third radial protrusion 63 of the toner container 40, so even if it is opened When the /close lever 113 is actuated, the gate 111 will not rotate, so the toner guide port 88 can keep blocking. As for the toner container 40, as described above, when the toner container 40 is removed from the processing unit 20, the inner peripheral wall 51 does not rotate, so the first toner outlet 49 can be kept blocked.

Therefore, leakage of the toner container 40 and the process unit 20 can be prevented with a simple composition.

In addition, it is possible to achieve the above-mentioned pairing of the first toner with the simple composition that the toner container 40 is provided with each lateral protrusion 54, each second radial protrusion 57, and each third radial protrusion 63. Opening and closing action of the discharge port 49 and the toner guide port 88 .

The lateral protrusions 54 , the second radial protrusions 57 , and the third radial protrusions 63 are provided on both side end portions of the inner housing 42 and are provided at respective positions away from the first toner discharge port 49 , Specifically, they are provided at positions apart from the first toner discharge port 49 when protruding from the longitudinal direction (width direction) of the developing roller 104 in its orthogonal direction (front-rear and up-down directions).

Thus, in the state where the toner cartridge 40 is mounted in the process unit 20, each lateral protrusion 54, each second radial protrusion 57, and third radial protrusion 63 enable the inner peripheral wall 51 and the shutter 111 to Steady rotation. When the inner casing 42 is rotated so that the first toner discharge port 49 is opened, each lateral protrusion 54, each second radial protrusion 57, and the third radial protrusion 63 are opposite to the first toner discharge port 49. Without interference, the first toner discharge port 49 and the guide port 88 can thus reliably communicate with each other, whereby toner is reliably supplied from the toner container 40 into the developing chamber 72 of the process unit 20 .

The shutter 111 is rotatably supported along the sectional shape of the ribs 90 on the left wall 70 and the right wall 69 which are both lateral side walls of the developer housing 62 of the process unit 20, whereby the toner guide can be stably opened and closed. Mouth 88.

In addition, the inner housing 42 having the inner peripheral wall 51 is rotatably supported by both side walls of the outer housing 41 in the width direction, that is, each outer edge wall 46, whereby the first toner discharge port can be stably opened and closed. 49.

In summary, the inner peripheral wall 51 and the shutter 111 are rotatably supported on both lateral end sides of the toner container 40 and the processing unit 20, respectively, so that no additional mechanism is provided in the first discharge port 49 and the guide port 88 , whereby the toner container 40 and the processing unit 20 , specifically, the first discharge port 49 and the guide port 88 can be tightly coupled to each other in a state where the toner container 40 is installed in the processing unit 20 . Therefore, in this configuration, toner leakage between the toner container 40 and the process unit 20 is almost impossible. Furthermore, in this arrangement, a space is formed at the center between both side walls (right wall 69 and left wall 70) of the developer housing 62 in the process unit 20, and the toner container 40 is installed relative to the process unit 20. The toner cartridge 40 can be moved in and out of the processing unit 20 more easily during and removal.

Furthermore, the toner cartridge 40 can be attached and removed relative to the process unit 20 when the process unit 20 is in the installed state in the main housing 2 . Specifically, the toner container accommodating cavity 71 for accommodating the toner container 40 is provided on the front side of the processing unit 20, so that when the front cover 7 of the main housing 2 is opened to open the installation port 6, the toner container 40 is removed from the installation port 6. exposed.

Thus, when the toner container 40 is attached and removed with respect to the main housing 2 in order to replace the toner container 40, for example, the processing unit 20 does not need to be attached and removed together with the toner container 40, thereby improving operability. operability.

The installation and removal directions of the toner cartridge 40 with respect to the process unit 20 are, respectively, an obliquely downward and rearward direction (installation direction) and an oblique upward and forward direction (separation direction). The attaching and removing directions are directions orthogonal to the longitudinal direction (width direction) of the developing roller 104 . Since the toner container 40 can be installed and removed relative to the processing unit 20 in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the developing roller 104, the toner guide port 88 and the first toner discharge port 49 can be mounted on the toner container 40. The processing unit 20 faces the developing roller 104 in a state. Therefore, the arrangement and size of the toner guide port 88 and the first toner discharge port 49 can be set as desired. In other words, toner can be easily supplied from the toner container 40 to the process unit 20 .

In addition, the toner container 40 is provided with the guide lever 44, since the guide lever 44 restricts the rotation of the inner peripheral wall 51 when the toner container is not in the mounted state in the processing unit 20, thereby eliminating the possibility of an undesired rotation of the inner peripheral wall 51. To avoid this concern, the first toner discharge port 49 can be kept blocked and the leakage of toner from the toner container 40 can be prevented. On the other hand, in the state where the toner container 40 is installed in the processing unit 20, the restriction on the rotation of the inner peripheral wall 51 is released by the guide lever 44, so that the first toner discharge port 49 is opened, and the toner can be reliably released from the toner. The powder container 40 is supplied to the developing chamber 72 of the process unit 20 .

The guide lever 44 includes a swing assembly 92 that is capable of swinging between a first state and a second state in response to the clamping force of the swing assembly 92 . In the first state, the first engagement portion 132 of the first restricting portion 94 of the swing assembly 92 engages with the fourth radial protrusion 94 of the inner peripheral wall 51 , while in the second state, the second restricting portion of the swing assembly 92 The rear end portion of 95 is in contact with the inner peripheral wall 51 of the inner housing 42 , thereby restricting the rotation of the inner peripheral wall 51 . In the third state between the first state and the second state, the engagement between the first engaging portion 132 and the fourth radially protruding portion 99 is released, and the rear end portion of the second restricting portion 95 is not in contact with the inner portion. The inner peripheral wall 51 of the housing 42 is in contact with each other, thereby releasing the restriction on the rotation of the inner housing 42 relative to the outer housing 41 .

Thus, rotation and rotation restriction of the inner peripheral wall 51 can be performed by the swing assembly 92, whereby toner leakage from the toner container 40 can be prevented. In addition, the toner container 40 can be clamped by the swing member 92, and operability can be improved. In addition, the toner container 40 can be configured more simply than in the case where the swing assembly 92 is provided separately from the guide lever 44 . In addition, since the first restricting portion 94 and the second restricting portion 95 are provided for restricting the rotation of the inner peripheral wall 51 with the first state and the second state of the swing assembly 92, it is different from the simple restricting portion following the first state and the second state. Compared with the composition in which the state restricts the rotation of the inner peripheral wall 51, the simple arrangement of the toner container 40 can be realized.

The swing assembly 92 of the guide lever 44 is provided with a second engaging portion 133 that is in contact with the engaging portion 124 of the developer housing 62 of the process unit 20 in a state where the toner cartridge 40 is installed in the process unit 20 . Engagement, whereby the toner container 40 is reliably positioned relative to the process unit 20 , and the toner can be reliably supplied from the toner container 40 to the developing chamber 72 of the process unit 20 . Furthermore, compared to the case where the swing assembly 92 is provided separately from the second engaging portion 133 , the toner container 40 can be simply configured.

In addition, the opening/closing lever 113 described above is provided with a processing holding portion 110, and installation and removal of the processing unit 20 relative to the main housing 2 can be performed by clamping the processing holding portion 110, thereby improving operability. sex. Furthermore, the processing unit 20 can be configured simply, compared to the case where the processing holding portion 110 is provided separately from the opening/closing lever 113 .

The laser printer 1 having such toner cartridge 40 and process unit 20 can prevent toner leakage from toner cartridge 40 and process unit 20 with a simple composition.

In addition, the rotation center of the opening/closing lever 113 and the axis center of the agitator rotating shaft 53 substantially coincide, so that the rotation of the opening/closing lever 113 and the rotation of the agitator 56 about the agitator rotating shaft 53 can be prevented from interfering with each other. In addition, the driving force can be transmitted to the agitator rotating shaft 53 without interfering with turning the opening/closing lever 113 , and the pitching of the toner container 40 can be stabilized when turning the opening/closing lever 113 .

In this configuration, when the toner container 40 is not in the mounted state in the processing unit 20 , the opening/closing lever 113 on the processing unit 20 side is not engaged with the lateral protrusion 54 of the toner container 40 . Therefore, rotation of the inner case 42 of the toner container 40 is restricted, and undesired communication between the first toner discharge port 49 and the second toner discharge port 55 can be prevented.

Each lateral protrusion 54 is engaged with a corresponding opening/closing lever 113 when the toner cartridge 40 is installed in the process unit 20 . Thus, with the movement of the opening/closing lever 113, the lateral protrusions 54 can rotate the inner housing 42, and the second radial protrusions 57 and the third radial protrusions 63 linked with each lateral protrusion 54 can rotate the gate. 111, that is, the toner guide port 88 can be opened and closed. Further, the inner housing 42 is rotated to make the first toner discharge port 49 and the second toner discharge port 55 communicate with each other or to interrupt the communication of both.

Thus, when the first toner discharge port 49 and the second toner discharge port 55 communicate with each other and the toner guide port 88 is opened in a state where the toner cartridge 40 is installed in the process unit 20, the first toner discharge port 49, The second toner discharge port 55 , and the toner guide port 88 communicate with each other, and toner can be supplied from the inner case 42 of the toner container 40 to the process unit 20 .

In the state where the toner cartridge 40 is installed in the processing unit 20, the communication state between the first toner discharge port 49 and the second toner discharge port 55 is interrupted to block the toner guide port 88, the toner cartridge 40 Can be removed from the process unit 20 without toner leaking from the toner guide port 88 and the first toner discharge port 49 .

In addition, in the processing unit 20, when the toner container 40 is removed from the processing unit 20, even if the opening/closing lever 113 is operated, the shutter 111 does not rotate, so the toner guide port 88 can be kept blocked. As described above, the toner container 40 in which the inner case 42 does not rotate, so that the first toner discharge port 49 and the second toner discharge port 55 can maintain a state in which they do not communicate with each other.

Thus, it is possible to prevent toner leakage from the toner container 40 and the process unit 20 with a simple composition.

In addition, it is possible to make the first toner discharge port 49 with a simple composition in which the toner container 40 is provided with the lateral protrusions 54, the second radial protrusions 57, and the third radial protrusions 63. It communicates with the second toner discharge port 55, the communication can be interrupted, and the toner guide port 88 can be opened and closed as described above.

A through hole 112 that opens the toner introduction port 88 and allows the toner introduction port 88 to communicate with the first toner discharge port 49 is formed on the shutter 111 at an intermediate position in the rotational direction thereof. In other words, unlike notches, the through hole 112 surrounds the entire circumference, and for this reason, the toner moving between the toner guide port 88 and the first toner discharge port 49 can be prevented from leaking from the through hole 112. .

In addition, each lateral protrusion 54 , each second radial protrusion 57 , and each third radial protrusion 63 are provided at both side end portions of the inner housing 42 , so that when the toner cartridge 40 is in the processing unit 20 When the center is in the installed state, the inner casing 42 and the gate 111 can be stably rotated.

Thus, the first toner discharge port 49 and the second toner discharge port 55 can be communicated, and the communication can be interrupted, so that the toner guide port 88 can be stably opened and closed.

<Second Embodiment>

In the first embodiment described above, the processing unit 20 integrally includes the drum portion 27 and the developing portion 30 , and the processing unit 20 is removably mounted on the main casing 2 . In addition, in the laser printer 1 of the present invention, the drum portion 27 can be used as a drum cartridge provided with, for example, a photosensitive drum 28, a scorotron charger 29, a transfer roller 31, a cleaning brush 32, etc. The removal method is installed on the main casing 2 . Also, the developing section 30 may be removably mounted on the drum section 27 as a developing cartridge provided with the toner cartridge accommodating chamber 71 , the developing roller 104 , the supply roller 101 , and the layer thickness regulating blade 107 .

In the above description, two independent embodiments, the first embodiment and the second embodiment to which the present invention is applied, have been specifically described. It should be noted, however, that those skilled in the art can selectively combine the gist of the above two embodiments and provide a process unit, a toner cartridge, and an image forming apparatus having the above advantages related to the two embodiments.

The above-described embodiments illustrate and describe the invention. The above disclosure is not intended to be followed precisely to limit the invention. Various modifications and variations are possible in light of the foregoing description and may be obtained by practicing the invention. The present embodiment was chosen and described to illustrate the substance and practical application of the invention, which will allow one skilled in the art to utilize the invention in various embodiments and variations for the specific use contemplated. The protection scope of the present invention should be defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

Claims (28)

1. one kind is installed on processing unit on the image processing system main body in removable mode, it is characterized in that, comprising: unit main body, and it comprises at least and being used for the developer carrier of developer replenishing to the image-carrier that is formed with electrostatic latent image; And be installed on toner cartridge on the unit main body in order to receiving photographic developer and in removable mode,

Wherein said toner cartridge comprises: be formed with and be used for the toner housing of developer replenishing to the toner discharging opening of unit main body; And the toner side barriers that is used to open or close toner discharging opening,

Described unit main body comprises: be formed with when toner cartridge is installed in the unit main body and the mutually opposed processing housing with the toner guiding port of accepting the developer of supplying with from this toner discharging opening of toner discharging opening; Be used to open or close the processing side barriers of toner guiding port; And be arranged at the opening/closing member of handling on the housing, when toner cartridge is installed in the subelement main body, with the activity of described opening/closing member, toner side barriers opens or closes toner discharging opening, handles the side barriers simultaneously and opens or closes the toner guiding port.

2. processing unit as claimed in claim 1 is characterized in that, is undertaken opening or closing described toner guiding port by described processing side barriers by opening or closing toner discharging opening by described toner side barriers.

3. processing unit as claimed in claim 1 is characterized in that, described toner cartridge edge is installed on the described unit main body in removable mode with the direction of the length direction quadrature of developer carrier,

Described processing side barriers edge is supported on the two side of handling housing with rotary way with the direction of the direction quadrature that described toner cartridge is installed and removed with respect to described unit main body.

4. processing unit as claimed in claim 3 is characterized in that, described toner side barriers is supported on the two side of toner housing with rotary way with respect to the installation of described unit main body and the orthogonal directions that removes direction by toner cartridge.

5. processing unit as claimed in claim 4 is characterized in that, described opening/closing member rotates described processing side barriers by rotating described toner side barriers.

6. processing unit as claimed in claim 5 is characterized in that, described toner cartridge comprises:

First teat that engages with described opening/closing member when toner cartridge is in the state that is installed in the unit main body is used for by the activity with described opening/closing member described toner side barriers being rotated and opens or closes toner discharging opening; And

Second teat with the interlock of first teat is used for by the activity with described opening/closing member described processing side barriers being rotated and opens or closes described toner guiding port.

7. processing unit as claimed in claim 4 is characterized in that, under described processing unit was installed on state in the image processing system main body, described toner cartridge was installed on the described unit main body in removable mode.

8. processing unit as claimed in claim 4, it is characterized in that, described toner cartridge comprises limiting member, when described toner cartridge is not installed in the described unit main body, limit described toner side barriers and rotate, when described toner cartridge is installed in the described unit main body, then discharge the restriction that described toner side barriers is rotated.

9. processing unit as claimed in claim 8 is characterized in that, described limiting member comprises the toner maintaining part that is used to clamp described toner cartridge,

Described toner maintaining part can change into first state that the described toner side barriers of restriction rotates with the clamping force that it added, with respect to first state mode third state that limits second state that described toner side barriers rotates and discharge the restriction that described toner side barriers is rotated in first state and second state middle part between the two independently.

10. processing unit as claimed in claim 9 is characterized in that, described limiting member comprises: first restrictions that the described toner side barriers of restriction rotates under first state; And second restrictions that the described toner side barriers of restriction rotates under second state.

11. processing unit as claimed in claim 8 is characterized in that, described limiting member is included in described toner cartridge and is installed on the junction surface that the state in the described unit main body engages with the processing housing down.

12. processing unit as claimed in claim 4, it is characterized in that, comprise being used for being installed on the conjugative component that under the state of described unit main body described toner cartridge is engaged with described processing housing that described conjugative component is arranged on the toner maintaining part that described toner cartridge place is used to clamp described toner cartridge at described toner cartridge.

13. processing unit as claimed in claim 3 is characterized in that, the described processing side barriers of restriction rotates under the state that described toner cartridge removes in the middle of the described unit main body.

14. processing unit as claimed in claim 1 is characterized in that, described opening/closing member comprises wants clamped processing maintaining part when processing unit is installed and removed with respect to the image processing system main body.

15. processing unit as claimed in claim 1 is characterized in that, is included in the mixing component that is provided with in the described toner housing, described mixing component comprises that being used for of being provided with in rotating shaft and the described rotating shaft stir the mixing part of the developer that described toner housing held,

Wherein said opening/closing member rotates,

The center of rotation of described opening/closing member conforms to the axle center of described rotating shaft.

16. one kind is installed on processing unit on the image processing system main body in removable mode, comprising:

Unit main body, it comprises at least and being used for the developer carrier of developer replenishing to the image carrier that is formed with electrostatic latent image, and comprises and handle housing and be used for by rotating opening or close and handle the formed processing side barriers that is used to accept the toner guiding port of developer of housing; And

Accommodate developer and be installed on toner cartridge on the unit main body in removable mode,

Wherein, described toner cartridge comprises:

Be formed with when described toner cartridge is installed in the described unit main body and the shell body of opposed first toner discharging opening of described toner guiding port; And

Can being arranged in the described shell body with respect to the mode that described shell body rotates and being formed with the inner housing of second toner discharging opening,

Described inner housing comprises:

Be installed on first teat of the opening/closing member engages that is provided with the processing unit side under the state in the described unit main body at described toner cartridge, be used for described inner housing being rotated first toner discharging opening and second toner discharging opening are communicated with each other or both connections being interrupted by activity with described opening/closing member; And

With second teat of described first teat interlock, be used for activity with described opening/closing member and described processing side barriers rotated open or close described toner guiding port.

17. processing unit as claimed in claim 16, it is characterized in that described processing side barriers is formed with a through hole and is used for opening the toner guiding port to be communicated with first toner discharging opening when being rotated described processing side barriers by second teat in the middle part on its rotation direction.

18. toner cartridge, its receiving photographic developer, and be installed in removable mode in removable mode and be installed on the unit main body that is comprised in the processing unit on the image processing system main body, wherein said unit main body comprises at least and being used for the developer carrier of developer replenishing to the image carrier that is formed with electrostatic latent image, and comprise and handle housing and be used for by rotating opening and close and handle the formed processing side barriers that is used to accept the toner guiding port of developer of housing

Described toner cartridge comprises:

The toner housing, it is formed with when toner cartridge is installed in the unit main body mutually opposed with the toner guiding port and be used for the toner discharging opening of developer replenishing to unit main body;

Be used for by rotating opening and the toner side barriers of closing described toner discharging opening;

When described toner cartridge is in first teat that the state that is installed in the described unit main body descends the opening/closing member engages that is provided with the processing unit side, be used for described toner side barriers being rotated to open and close described toner discharging opening by activity with described opening/closing member; And

With second teat of described first teat interlock, be used for activity with described opening/closing member and described processing side barriers rotated open or close described toner guiding port.

19. toner cartridge as claimed in claim 18 is characterized in that, described toner cartridge edge is installed on the described unit main body in removable mode with the direction of the length direction quadrature of developer carrier,

Described first teat and second teat are along being arranged at respectively on the both ends of toner housing with respect to the installation of described unit main body and the direction that removes the direction quadrature with described toner cartridge.

20. toner cartridge as claimed in claim 18 is characterized in that, described toner cartridge is installed on the unit main body in removable mode under processing unit is installed on state in the image processing system main body.

21. toner cartridge as claimed in claim 18, it is characterized in that, comprise limiting member, when described toner cartridge is not installed in the unit main body, limit described toner side barriers and rotate, when described toner cartridge is in the state that is installed in the unit main body, then discharge the restriction of rotating for described toner side barriers.

22. toner cartridge as claimed in claim 21 is characterized in that, described limiting member comprises the toner maintaining part that is used to clamp toner cartridge,

Described toner maintaining part can change into first state that the described toner side barriers of restriction rotates with the clamping force that it added, with respect to first state mode third state that limits second state that described toner side barriers rotates and discharge the restriction that described toner side barriers is rotated in first state and second state middle part between the two independently.

23. toner cartridge as claimed in claim 22 is characterized in that, described limiting member comprises: first restrictions that the described toner side barriers of restriction rotates under first state; And second restrictions that the described toner side barriers of restriction rotates under second state.

24. toner cartridge as claimed in claim 21 is characterized in that, described limiting member is included in described toner cartridge and is installed on the junction surface that the state in the described unit main body engages with described processing housing down.

25. toner cartridge as claimed in claim 18, it is characterized in that, comprise being used for being installed on the conjugative component that under the state of described unit main body described toner cartridge is engaged with described processing housing that described conjugative component is arranged on the toner maintaining part that described toner cartridge place is used to clamp described toner cartridge at described toner cartridge.

26. toner cartridge, its receiving photographic developer, and be installed in removable mode in removable mode and be installed on the unit main body that is comprised in the processing unit on the image processing system main body, wherein said unit main body comprises at least and being used for the developer carrier of developer replenishing to the image carrier that is formed with electrostatic latent image, and comprise and handle housing and be used for by rotating opening and close and handle the formed processing side barriers that is used to accept the toner guiding port of developer of housing

Described toner cartridge comprises:

Be formed with when described toner cartridge is installed in the unit main body and the shell body of opposed first toner discharging opening of toner guiding port; And

Can being arranged in the described shell body with respect to the mode that described shell body rotates and being formed with the inner housing of second toner discharging opening,

Wherein said inner housing comprises:

Be installed on first teat of the opening/closing member engages that is provided with the processing unit side under the state in the unit main body at described toner cartridge, be used for described inner housing being rotated first toner discharging opening and second toner discharging opening are communicated with each other or both connections being interrupted by activity with described opening/closing member; And

With second teat of described first teat interlock, be used for activity with described opening/closing member and described processing side barriers rotated open or close described toner guiding port.

27. toner cartridge as claimed in claim 26 is characterized in that, described first teat and second teat are arranged at both ends in the described inner housing along the pivot center direction of described inner housing.

28. an image processing system comprises:

The image processing system main body; With

Be installed on processing unit on the described image processing system main body in removable mode,

Wherein said processing unit comprises: comprise the unit main body that is used for the developer carrier of developer replenishing to the image carrier that is formed with electrostatic latent image at least; And receiving photographic developer and be installed on toner cartridge on the described unit main body in removable mode,

Described toner cartridge comprises: be formed with and be used for the toner housing of developer replenishing to the toner discharging opening of described unit main body; And the toner side barriers that is used to open and close toner discharging opening,

Described unit main body comprises: be formed with when described toner cartridge is installed in the described unit main body mutually opposed with described toner discharging opening and accept the processing housing of the toner guiding port of the developer that described toner discharging opening supplies with; Be used to open and close the processing side barriers of described toner guiding port; And be arranged at opening/closing member on the described processing housing, when described toner cartridge is installed in the described unit main body, activity with described opening/closing member, described toner side barriers opens or closes toner discharging opening, described processing side barriers opens or closes described toner guiding port simultaneously

Described image processing system comprises:

Be used for forming the scanner section of electrostatic latent image at described processing unit; And

Be used for making fixation unit by with the photographic fixing on recording medium of the formed developer image of the latent electrostatic image developing of described processing unit.

Images