JP2002251059A - Toner replenishing device and image forming device equipped therewith - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To miniaturize an image forming device in a state where there is no possibility that developer leaks from a developer cartridge in the toner replenishing device of the image forming device. SOLUTION: This image forming device is provided with one toner replenishing port 49 on one end side in the axial direction of a developing device 12, and also provided with a carrying path forming member 44 forming a carrying path 45 for carrying new toner and recovered toner at the port 49. The member 44 is formed of one part of the unit case 40 of a photoreceptor unit (image carrier unit) A. The photoreceptor unit is formed by integrating a photoreceptor (image carrier) with at least a cleaning device. The developer cartridge 47 for feeding the developer to the path 45 is attached to the outside of the member 44 in the axial direction of the device 12 so as to receive the developer from the cartridge 47 by a receiving port 44h and feed it to the path 45.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

The present invention can be applied to an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine, a facsimile, a printer, or a multifunction peripheral thereof. Especially,
The present invention relates to an electrophotographic image forming apparatus that forms an image on a recording medium such as paper by using an electrophotographic process such as writing, development, transfer, and cleaning. Also, in such an image forming apparatus, the present invention relates to a toner replenishing device for replenishing a developing device with new toner or collected toner.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in an electrophotographic image forming apparatus,
If the developer is left in the developing device, the developer may leak during transportation. For this reason, after transportation, the seal member is peeled off at the installation location, the developer in the developer cartridge is dropped by gravity, and the developer is first loaded into the developing device.

[0003] For this reason, conventionally, a developing cartridge is usually mounted above a developing device. For this reason, there is a problem that a large space is required, the developing cartridge protrudes upward, and the image forming apparatus main body becomes large.

Therefore, in a conventional image forming apparatus, as described in, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 10-90989, a developer cartridge is attached in the middle of a recycling transport path for transporting collected toner for recycling. 2. Description of the Related Art Some image forming apparatuses are designed to be reduced in size.

[0005]

However, in such an image forming apparatus, the collected toner passes through the developer cartridge at the time of image formation. At least two ports serving as outlets were provided, and each port had to be individually closed with a seal member so that the developer did not leak before being attached to the developing device. However, since the seal of the seal member is not always perfect, the more parts sealed by the seal member, the greater the risk of developer leakage.

In the conventional image forming apparatus, two toner supply ports are provided side by side at one end in the axial direction of the developing device. For example, FIG. 8 shows the two toner supply ports corresponding to the two toner supply ports. Thus, there has been proposed a device having a transport path forming member 1 and a developer cartridge 2 attached thereto.

In such an image forming apparatus, the collected toner collected from the collected toner inlet 3 of the conveying path forming member 1 is sent from the toner outlet 4 into the developing device through one toner supply port, and the seal member 5 is peeled off. Thus, the developer is supplied from the developer discharge port 6 to the developing device through the other toner supply port.

However, even in such an image forming apparatus, since two toner supply ports are provided side by side at one end in the axial direction of the developing device, the developing device becomes large in the axial direction. In addition, there is a problem that the developing device also protrudes in the axial direction and the image forming apparatus main body becomes large.

Accordingly, a first object of the present invention is to reduce the size of an image forming apparatus in a toner supply device of an image forming apparatus without fear of developer leaking from a developer cartridge.

A second object of the present invention is to prevent a developer from leaking from a developer cartridge mounting portion in such a toner supply device.

A third object of the present invention is to reduce costs by reducing the number of parts in such a toner supply device.

A fourth object of the present invention is to provide an image forming apparatus having a toner replenishing device which achieves the above-mentioned object.

[0013]

In order to achieve the first object, the invention according to the first aspect provides a toner supply port at one end in the axial direction of the developing device. In a toner replenishing apparatus including a transport path forming member that forms a transport path for transporting new toner to a toner replenishing port, a developer cartridge that feeds a developer to the transport path is provided outside the transport path forming member in the axial direction of the developing device. It is characterized by being attached.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in order to achieve the first object described above, one end of the developing device in the axial direction is provided with:
In a toner replenishing apparatus provided with one toner replenishing port and a transport path forming member for forming a transport path for transporting the collected toner to the toner replenishing port, the toner is transported outside the transport path forming member in the axial direction of the developing device. A developer cartridge for feeding the developer into the path is attached.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in order to achieve the first object described above, one end of the developing device in the axial direction is provided with:
In a toner replenishing apparatus provided with one toner replenishing port and a transport path forming member for forming a transport path for transporting new toner and collected toner in the toner replenishing port, the toner replenishing apparatus includes an outer side of the transport path forming member in an axial direction of the developing device. And a developer cartridge for feeding the developer to the transport path.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a toner supply device according to the first, second, or third aspect of the present invention, wherein the developing device further includes a developing device for developing a developer cartridge. A receiving port for receiving the agent.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in order to achieve the third object, the toner replenishing device according to the first, second, third, or fourth aspect has at least an image carrier and a cleaning device. Forming an image carrier unit, forming a transport path forming member in a part of the unit case,
It is characterized by the following.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an image forming apparatus for achieving the fourth object.
A toner replenishing device according to 2, 3, 4, or 5 is provided.

[0019]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 shows a laser copying machine provided with a toner supply device according to the present invention,
The schematic configuration of the main part is shown.

Reference numeral 10 in the figure denotes a drum-shaped photosensitive member serving as an image carrier. Around the photoreceptor 10, the developing device 12 is disposed on the lower side, the transfer device 13 is disposed on the right side, and the cleaning device is disposed on the upper side, in order from the charging device 11 on the left side in the drawing in the rotating direction (counterclockwise direction in the drawing) of the photoreceptor 10. The device 14 is arranged.

The transfer device 13 is configured by wrapping a transfer belt 17 between upper and lower rollers 15 and 16 parallel to the photosensitive member 10, and pressing the transfer belt 17 against the peripheral surface of the photosensitive member 10. . And such a transfer device 13
A sheet conveying path 20 is formed at the lower position of the sheet conveying path toward the photoreceptor 10 by the guide plates 18 and 19, and a pair of registration rollers 21 and 21 are provided so as to sandwich the sheet conveying path 20. On the other hand,
A fixing device 24 is provided above the transfer device 13 by pressing a pressing roller 23 against the fixing roller 22.

The toner replenishing device 25 for replenishing the developing device 12 with new toner is provided on the left side of the charging device 11 and the cleaning device 14 in FIG.

In the illustrated laser copying machine, as in a general copying machine, an original is set on an original table (not shown), a start switch is pressed, and image information of the set original is read. At the same time, the peripheral surface of the photoconductor 10 is uniformly charged by the charging roller 30 of the charging device 11.

Next, a laser beam L1 is irradiated from an optical writing device (not shown) in accordance with the content of reading, and optical rotation is performed on the peripheral surface of the photoconductor 10 as the photoconductor 10 rotates, thereby forming an electrostatic latent image on the photoconductor 10. Form. Subsequently, toner is adhered by the developing sleeve 31 of the developing device 12 to visualize the electrostatic latent image, and an image corresponding to the read content is formed on the photoconductor 10.

On the other hand, a sheet as a recording medium is sent out from a sheet cassette (not shown) and guided to a sheet conveying path 20.
The leading end is abutted between the pair of registration rollers 21 and stopped. The registration rollers 21 and 21 are adjusted in timing with the image formed on the photoconductor 10.
To feed the paper to the right side of the photoconductor 10 in the drawing.

The transfer belt 17 of the transfer device 13
Then, the image on the photoreceptor 10 is transferred to a sheet, and the sheet after the image transfer is transported to the fixing device 24. In the fixing device 24, heat and pressure are applied while the sheet is conveyed between the fixing roller 22 and the pressing roller 23 to fix the transferred image. The sheet on which the image has been fixed is discharged to a discharge stack unit through a discharge path (not shown), and the copying is completed.

After the image is transferred, the remaining toner remaining on the photoreceptor after the image is transferred is dammed and removed by the cleaning blade 32 of the cleaning device 14 pressed against the rotation of the photoreceptor 10.
In step 4, the peripheral surface of the photoconductor 10 is cleaned. The removed residual toner is scraped up by the toner collecting blade 33 and is collected by the remaining toner collecting section 3.
4 and is conveyed to the near side in FIG. 1 by a screw 35 stored in the remaining toner collecting section 34.

On the peripheral surface of the photoreceptor 10 after cleaning,
Irradiation is performed with a neutralizing light L2 from a neutralizing lamp (not shown) to remove charges remaining on the photoconductor 10 as the photoconductor 10 rotates, and prepare for the next new image forming operation.

In the illustrated laser copying machine, the photosensitive member 10, the charging device 11, and the cleaning device 14 are integrated to form a photosensitive member unit (image carrier unit) A. The photoconductor unit A is, as shown in FIG.
A blade accommodating portion 41 is formed upwardly in the unit case 40 together with the residual toner collecting portion 34 described above, and the screw 35 is stored in the residual toner collecting portion 34, and the toner collecting blade 33 is rotatably stored in the blade storing portion 41. Then, they are covered with an upper cover 43 attached to the unit case 40 with the screws 42. Although not shown in FIG. 2, the above-described charging device 11 is housed in the unit case 40 and the photoconductor 10 is rotatably provided.

As shown in FIG. 2, the unit case 40 is integrally provided with a box-shaped transport path forming member 44 which is partially open on the front side and is opened forward. As shown in the drawing, an upwardly facing step portion 44a is formed on the left side in the figure, a new toner inlet 44b is opened there, and a replenishment toner guide wall 44c is provided below and inclined inwardly.

Further, a collection toner guide wall 44d is provided in the transport path forming member 44, which partitions the collection toner guide wall 44d to the left and right and is inclined toward the supply toner guide wall 44c. Opposite to each other, a transport path 45 partitioned by the unit case 40 is formed therebetween.

The collected toner inlet 44e communicates with the residual toner collecting section 34 above the transport path 45.
And a bottom portion 44f of the transport path forming member 44 at a lower portion.
And a toner outlet 44g is opened. As shown in the drawing, the developer cartridge 47 is attached to the transport path forming member 44 by, for example, a screw (not shown), and covers the transport path 45.

The developer cartridge 47 contains therein a two-component developer composed of a toner and a carrier. The developer cartridge 47 may contain only a carrier as a developer. As shown in FIG. 3, the developer outlet 47a is provided on the bottom of the cartridge case.
And the developer discharge port 47a is closed with a seal member 48.

When the developer cartridge 47 is mounted on the transport path forming member 44 as described above, the seal member 48 is folded in two as shown in FIG. 44 so as to be located on the receiving opening 44h.

Now, the photoconductor unit A having such a configuration will be described.
When assembled in the body of the laser copying machine shown in the figure,
As shown in FIG. 5, the toner replenishing device 25 is located on the upward step portion 44a of the transport path forming member 44, and the new toner inlet 44b of the transport path forming member 44 is close to the new toner outlet 25a of the toner replenishing device 25. Facing each other. FIG.
As shown in (2), the toner outlet 44g is arranged to be in close proximity to the toner supply port 49 of the developing device 12.

Prior to the start of use, the developing device 12
When the developer is supplied to the printer, hold the tip and hold the arrow a in FIG.
The developer is pulled in the direction, peels off the seal member 48, receives the developer dropped from the developer cartridge 47 at the receiving port 44 h, sends it to the transport path 45, and enters the developing device 12 from the toner outlet 44 g through the toner supply port 49.

The illustrated laser copying machine is configured as described above. Thus, the collected toner removed by the cleaning device 14 and collected by the remaining toner collecting unit 34 and conveyed to the near side in FIG. 1 by the screw 35 is sent from the collected toner inlet 44e into the conveyance path 45, and FIG. As shown in the drawing, the toner falls naturally by gravity and is guided to the toner outlet 44g while being guided by the collected toner guide wall 44d. The toner is introduced into the developing device 12 through the toner supply port 49 of the developing device 12, and is reused.

When the amount of toner in the developing device 12 is reduced to a certain amount or less by use, it is detected and the toner bottle 50 shown in FIG. 7 is rotated. Then, the new toner falls from the bottle opening 51 into the toner supply device 25. The dropped new toner is conveyed to the new toner discharge port 25a by the toner supply mylar 57 attached to the cover member 58 that rotates together with the toner bottle 50.

The new toner conveyed to the new toner outlet 25a is transferred from the new toner outlet 25a to the conveying path forming member 44.
Is fed into the transport path 45 through the new toner inlet 44b, falls naturally by gravity, and is guided to the toner outlet 44g while being guided by the supply toner guide wall 44c.
g into the developing device 12 through the toner supply port 49.

Then, as shown in FIG. 5, the angle between the line M connecting the collected toner inlet 44e of the transfer path forming member 44 and the toner outlet 44g to the developing device 12 with the horizontal line H is α, and the transfer path formation is performed. When the angle between the line N connecting the new toner inlet 44b of the member 44 and the toner outlet 44g and the horizontal line H is β, α> β is formed.

Here, generally, the residual toner used once is used.
Is deformed by friction etc. due to the cleaning blade,
Poor flowability compared to new toner. Therefore, the remaining toner
In the case (1), there is a problem that the toner adheres to the toner guide wall more easily than the new toner and the toner sticks easily.

According to this configuration, the guide wall 44 of the remaining toner is provided.
By making the angle α of d larger than the angle β of the guide wall 44c of the new toner and utilizing gravity, the remaining toner can be prevented from sticking to the toner guide wall.

Therefore, before the toner is replenished to the developing section, the remaining toner and the new toner are appropriately mixed at the toner outlet 44g. That is, although the remaining toner has poorer image reproducibility than the new toner, this configuration solves the problem that the image deteriorates during image formation.

The collected toner and new toner entering the developing device 12 enter the paddle 36 shown in FIG. 1, and are transported to the inner side in FIG. 1 by a toner transport screw (not shown) provided in the paddle 36. . The toner conveyed to the back side is then conveyed from the back side to the front side by a spiral around the paddle 36. That is, the toner is circulated by the paddle 36 from the front to the back and from the back to the front.

Also, when the toner sticks to the toner guide walls 44c and 44d in the transport path 45, the transport path forming member 44 is exposed simply by opening the front door of the laser copying machine. Therefore, maintenance is easy.

By the way, in the illustrated embodiment described above,
Although the description has been given of the case where the present invention is applied to a laser copying machine, the present invention is not limited to the copying machine but can be similarly applied to other image forming apparatuses such as a printer, a facsimile, and a multifunction peripheral thereof. Of course, the image carrier is not limited to the drum-shaped one, and the developing device and the cleaning device are not limited to those having the configurations shown in the illustrated embodiment. The same applies to the overall shape of the unit case.

[0047]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, the developer cartridge for feeding the developer to the transport path is mounted outside the transport path forming member for transporting the new toner in the axial direction of the developing device. In a toner replenishing device of an image forming apparatus, an image forming apparatus is provided by superimposing a developer cartridge on a transport path forming member without increasing the number of seal members, without fear of developer leaking from the developer cartridge, and without increasing the size of the developing device. Can be reduced in size.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, the developer cartridge for feeding the developer to the transport path is attached outside the transport path forming member for transporting the collected toner in the axial direction of the developing device. In the toner supply device of the image forming apparatus, the image forming apparatus can be downsized by superposing the developer cartridge on the transport path forming member without fear of the developer leaking from the developer cartridge.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, the developer cartridge for feeding the developer to the transport path is mounted outside the transport path forming member for transporting the new toner and the collected toner in the axial direction of the developing device. Similarly, in the toner supply device of the image forming apparatus, it is possible to reduce the size of the image forming apparatus by superposing the developer cartridge on the transport path forming member without fear of the developer leaking from the developer cartridge.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, the receiving port for receiving the developer of the developer cartridge is formed in the transport path forming member. Developer leakage can be prevented.

According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, the image carrier unit is formed by at least the image carrier and the cleaning device, and the transport path forming member is formed by a part of the unit case. In a simple toner replenishing device, the number of parts can be reduced and cost can be reduced.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, since the image forming apparatus includes the toner replenishing device according to the first, second, third, fourth, or fifth aspect, the image forming apparatus includes the toner replenishing device that achieves the above effects. Can be provided.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a main part of a laser copying machine including a toner supply device according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of a photoconductor unit used in the laser copying machine.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a developer cartridge attached to the photoconductor unit.

FIG. 4 is a partial perspective view of the photoconductor unit with a developer cartridge attached.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of a connection portion between a photoconductor unit and a toner supply device.

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of a connection portion between a photoconductor unit and a developing device.

FIG. 7 is an explanatory perspective view illustrating a toner supply state.

FIG. 8 is a partial perspective view of a conventional photoconductor unit to which a developer cartridge is attached.

[Explanation of symbols]

 REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 10 photoconductor (image carrier) 12 developing device 14 cleaning device 25 toner replenishing device 25 a new toner outlet 40 unit case 44 transport path forming device 44 b new toner inlet 44 e collected toner inlet 44 g toner outlet 44 h receiving port 45 transport path 47 developer Cartridge 47a Developer outlet 49 Toner supply port A Photoconductor unit (image carrier unit)

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. A toner replenishing apparatus comprising: a toner supply port provided at one axial end of a developing device; and a transport path forming member for forming a transport path for transporting new toner to the toner replenishing port. A toner replenishing device comprising: a developer cartridge that feeds a developer to the transport path mounted outside the transport path forming member in an axial direction of the developing device. 2. The toner replenishing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein one toner replenishing port is provided at one axial end of the developing device, and the toner replenishing port includes a transport path forming member that forms a transport path for transporting the collected toner. A toner replenishing device comprising: a developer cartridge that feeds a developer to the transport path mounted outside the transport path forming member in an axial direction of the developing device. 3. A toner replenishing apparatus having one toner replenishing port at one axial end of a developing device and a transport path forming member for forming a transport path for transporting new toner and collected toner in the toner replenishing port. The toner replenishing device according to claim 1, wherein a developer cartridge for feeding a developer to the transport path is attached outside the transport path forming member in the axial direction of the developing device. 4. The toner supply device according to claim 1, wherein a receiving port for receiving the developer of the developer cartridge is formed in the transport path forming member. 5. An image carrier unit is formed by at least an image carrier and a cleaning device, and the transport path forming member is formed by a part of the unit case. 3. The toner supply device according to 1. 6. An image forming apparatus comprising the toner supply device according to claim 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5.