JP2006048010A - Electrophotographic developer supplying device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an electrophotographic developer supplying device by which high image quality is obtained even under prolonged usage of a copying machine and toner is conveyed smoothly in a toner conveying path at starting copying operation even after the longer stoppage of the copying machine. <P>SOLUTION: The electrophotographic developer supplying device is equipped with a toner container 11 configured to store a toner for electrophotographic developing, and a gas feeding mechanism 15 previously provided in the toner outlet 20 of the container or specially attached to the toner outlet of the container, and a fluid area 14 comprising the toner and a gas is formed in the toner container, and a fluid body in the fluid area is discharged from the toner outlet to the toner conveying path 21 and supplied to a toner containing device. The gas includes introduced gas introduced from the gas feeding mechanism provided near the toner outlet, and the gas feeding mechanism feeds the introduced gas toward a toner aggregate possessed by the toner container. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to an electrophotographic developer supply / conveyance device used in an electrophotographic image forming apparatus such as a printer, a facsimile machine, a copying machine, or a combination machine thereof. In particular, a fluid composed of toner and air is transported and moved from a toner container for development loaded in the apparatus to a toner storage device such as a developing unit of the apparatus and a developer replenishing tank attached thereto. The present invention relates to an electrophotographic electrophotographic developer supply / conveyance device.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in an electrophotographic image forming apparatus, as a means for transporting developer toner to a toner storage device such as a developing device or a toner replenishing tank attached thereto, a toner storage disposed at an arbitrary position away from a developing unit. An elastic body having a uniaxial eccentric screw (rotor) having two spiral through-holes capable of transferring powder from toner, toner supply means, and toner transfer means by using toner as a mixture with air without using a coil screw or the like By rotating in the (stator), a pressure is generated by moving the gap, and a screw pump called a monono pump (usually a hard inner pump) that transfers the air-fuel mixture with the toner by the generated pressure. 2. Description of the Related Art There is known a technique of conveying using a rotor formed of a soft material in a tubular stator having a wall surface. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 2, according to this conveyance technique, in addition to the advantage that the conveyance interval can be extended when toner is replenished, the apparatus is downsized, the configuration is simplified, and the operability during maintenance is improved. Many advantages such as improvement can be exhibited. In the toner transfer means of the screw pump (211) using a MONO pump or the like capable of transferring powder using such toner as a mixture with air, the air used for toner transfer is the toner transfer source, that is, the toner container ( 212) Located at the lower part of the opening part of the nozzle (213) for sucking the toner fitted in a sealed state at the lower part, the air flow is intermittently introduced into the container from the opening part (214) connected to the external air pump. In the state where the toner and air mixture is formed at the periphery of the nozzle (213) and the fluidity of the toner is increased, the toner to the toner conveyance path (215) provided in the vicinity of the nozzle A mixture of toner and air is guided to the discharge port. Further, the mixture of toner and air that has entered the toner conveyance path (215) is guided to the developing unit (216) having a toner storage device as a conveyance destination by the suction function of the above-described Mono pump (211). .

  According to such an electrophotographic developer supply / conveyance device, since a mixture of toner and air is formed, the fluidity causes a relatively low load for supplying the toner to the toner storage device. In addition, the problem that the amount of toner remaining in the toner container and remaining unused is reduced.

  The problem with such an electrophotographic developer supply and transport device is that the gas supplied from the vicinity of the nozzle, however, forms a large bubble in the toner lump, and the movement of the large bubble in the toner lump. By rupturing, a toner lump in the vicinity of the nozzle is released and a mixture of toner and air is formed. Although the fluidity of the mixture is relatively high, it does not lead to the understanding of even the larger secondary particles formed by agglomeration of fine toner particles already present in the container. There is a problem that faithful image formation cannot be achieved by being conveyed to a developing device) and used for developing an electrostatic latent image. This problem is particularly important in the case of high-definition image formation using a recent toner having a small particle diameter.

  Further, as described above, in the conventional electrophotographic developer supply / conveyance device, the reason is that it is easy to include larger secondary particles, and in the case of the conventional gas supply mechanism, in the large bubble toner lump. Since the toner lump in the vicinity of the nozzle is released by the movement and bursting of the toner, a fluid toner-air mixture can be formed, but the toner-air mixture in a low bulk density state can be stably long. It is uncertain whether it is impossible to supply over time, or a relatively large toner aggregate in the toner / air mixture is included in the mixture and the bulk density is high. If the period during which the next copying operation apparatus is not operated becomes long, the staying toner may be fixed in the conveyance pipe from the container to the development unit, and the subsequent toner conveyance may not be executed smoothly. It was.

  In the conventional electrophotographic developer supply / conveyance device, although the fluid composed of toner and air has a certain fluidity, the path between the toner container and the toner storage device of the copying machine is too long, or the toner container is a copying machine. If the toner container is located at a position lower than the toner storage device, the toner conveyance responsiveness and conveyance smoothness are reduced (on-demand supply due to deviation in supply timing is reduced), and the position of the toner container is limited. In some cases, the layout of each unit in the aircraft was not as desired.

JP-A-12-356898

  The present invention has been made in view of the above background. That is, the present invention relates to image formation problems in the electrophotographic developer supply / conveyance device in the conventional image forming apparatus, specifically, toner. The toner mass that has gathered in a lump due to a long-term residence in the container or the conveyance path is effectively unwound again and conveyed to a destination such as a developing unit, and the volume of the mixture of toner and air is increased. The density is more controlled, the toner ratio (toner-containing concentration) in the mixture is increased, and the fluidity of the mixture is increased to enable efficient toner conveyance. Even if it stays in the transport path for a long time, it can maintain a fluid state evenly. With these features, it is possible to obtain high image quality during long-term use of the copier, and after the copier has not been used for a long time. Early duplication in In operation it is intended to provide an electrophotographic developer supply conveyance apparatus in which the toner transporting can be smoothly performed in the toner conveyance path.

The above object is solved by the following (1) to (30) of the present invention.
(1) “A toner container that contains toner for electrophotographic development and has a toner discharge port and is loaded in a copying machine, and is provided in advance in the toner discharge port of the container, or separately from the toner discharge port of the container A fluid discharge region formed in the toner container is formed in the toner container, and the fluid in the fluid flow region is discharged from the toner discharge port to the toner conveyance path to be placed in the toner storage device. In the supplied electrophotographic developer supply / conveyance device, the gas includes an introduction gas introduced from the gas release mechanism provided in the vicinity of the toner discharge port, and the gas release mechanism removes the introduction gas from the toner. An electrophotographic developer supply / conveying device that discharges toward a toner aggregate held in a container "
(2) “The size of the toner container has a size reduction structure that gradually decreases toward the toner discharge port, and the arrangement position of the gas discharge mechanism is near the toner discharge port and / or the size. The toner supply / conveying device according to item (1), wherein the toner supply / conveying device is a side wall of a toner container having a contraction structure.
(3) “The toner supply / conveyance device according to item (2), wherein the size reduction structure is any one of a container cross-sectional area reduction structure, a container width reduction structure, and a container diameter reduction structure”.
(4) “The gas release mechanism itself is composed of a fine porous member through which air can pass, and the average pore diameter of the hole is 0.1 to 5 of the volume average particle diameter of the target toner. The electrophotographic developer supply / conveying device according to any one of (1) to (3), wherein the electrophotographic developer supply / conveying device is characterized in that it is approximately doubled.
(5) “The gas release mechanism itself is composed of a fine porous member through which air can pass, and an average pore diameter of the pores is 0.3 μm to 20 μm. The electrophotographic developer supply / conveying device according to any one of (1) to (4) "
(6) The electrophotographic developer supply / conveying device according to any one of (1) to (5), wherein the gas releasing mechanism has an aperture ratio of about 5 to 40%. "
(7) “The gas release mechanism is a porous body of a glassy sintered material, a porous resin material, a metal sintered body, a perforated resin material, a perforated metal plate material, a sintered ceramic body, The electrophotographic developer supply / conveying device according to any one of (1) to (6), wherein the electrophotographic developer supply device is a net laminate or a metal material having selectively melted holes.
(8) “The gas discharge mechanism has a hole portion into which a nozzle-like mixture discharge means for discharging a mixture of toner and gas can be detachably inserted. The electrophotographic developer supply / conveying device according to any one of 7) "
(9) The electrophotographic developer supply / conveying device according to (8), wherein a gas discharge pressure from the gas discharge mechanism is larger than a discharge pressure from the nozzle-like mixture discharge means. "
(10) The electrophotographic developer supply as described in (8) or (9) above, wherein the nozzle-like mixture discharging means has a mesh covering at least the opening thereof. Transport device "
(11) “The gas discharge mechanism discharges bubbles toward the toner aggregate at a speed of 3.0 m / sec or less,” (1) to (10), The electrophotographic developer supply / conveying device according to any one of "
(12) “A power source or a vibration transmission unit provided in advance in the image forming apparatus and provided with the power source, when the toner container is loaded into the electrophotographic image forming apparatus, the outer surface of the toner container The electrophotographic developer supply / conveying device according to any one of (1) to (11), further comprising vibration transmitting means for vibrating the container by repeating contact.
(13) The toner density sensor according to any one of (1) to (12), wherein a toner density sensor is provided at a location near the toner ejection port in the toner conveyance path from the toner ejection port. Electrophotographic developer supply and transport device "
(14) The electrophotographic developer supply / conveyance according to any one of (1) to (13), wherein the gas release mechanism is installed at a lower portion and an inclined surface of the toner container. apparatus"
(15) “A toner container that contains toner for electrophotographic development and has a toner discharge port and is loaded in the copier, and is provided in advance in the toner discharge port of the container, or separately in the toner discharge port of the container An electrophotographic developer supply / conveying method comprising a gas release mechanism to be mounted, wherein the toner in the electrophotographic developer supply / conveyance device is made into a fluid consisting of the gas and supplied to a toner receiving location. A gas introduced from a gas discharge mechanism provided in the vicinity of a toner discharge port of the toner container is discharged toward a toner aggregate held in the toner container, and a fluid region composed of the toner and the gas is discharged to the toner container. An electrophotographic developer supply / conveying method comprising the steps of: forming in a toner container; sending out a fluid in the fluid region from a toner discharge port to a toner conveyance path;
(16) The electrophotographic developer supply / conveying method according to (15) above, wherein the gas release mechanism itself is composed of a fine porous member capable of passing air. "
(17) “The gas release mechanism itself is composed of a fine porous member through which air can pass, and the average pore diameter of the hole is 0.1 to 5 of the volume average particle diameter of the target toner. The electrophotographic developer supply / conveying method according to item (15) or (16), wherein the method is about twice as high.
(18) “The gas release mechanism itself is composed of a fine porous member through which air can pass, and an average pore diameter of a hole is 0.3 μm to 20 μm. The electrophotographic developer supply / conveying method according to any one of Items (15) to (17) "
(19) The electrophotographic developer supply / conveying method according to any one of (15) to (18), wherein the gas releasing mechanism has an aperture ratio of about 5 to 40%. "
(20) “The gas release mechanism includes a porous body of a glassy sintered product, a porous resin material, a metal sintered body, a perforated resin material, a perforated metal plate-like material, a sintered ceramic body, The electrophotographic developer supply / conveying method according to any one of (15) to (19), wherein the electrophotographic developer is a metal laminate or a metal material having a selective melt hole.
(21) The items (15) to (15), wherein the gas discharge mechanism has a hole portion into which a nozzle-like mixture discharge means for discharging a mixture of toner and gas can be detachably inserted. The electrophotographic developer supply / conveying method according to any one of 20) "
(22) The electrophotographic developer supply / conveying method according to item (21), wherein the gas discharge pressure from the gas discharge mechanism is larger than the discharge pressure from the nozzle-like mixture discharge means. "
(23) The electrophotographic developer supply as described in (21) or (22) above, wherein the nozzle-like mixture discharging means has a mesh covering at least the opening thereof. Transport method "
(24) The items (15) to (23), wherein the gas discharge mechanism discharges bubbles toward the toner aggregate at a speed of 3.0 m / sec or less. The electrophotographic developer supply / conveying method according to any one of "
(25) “A power transmission source or vibration transmission means provided in advance in the image forming apparatus and provided with the power source, when the toner container is loaded in the electrophotographic image forming apparatus, The electrophotographic developer supply / conveying method according to any one of (15) to (24), further comprising vibration transmission means for repeatedly contacting the container to vibrate the container.
(26) The toner density sensor according to any one of (15) to (25), wherein a toner density sensor is provided at a location near the toner ejection port in the toner transport path from the toner ejection port. Electrophotographic developer supply and conveyance method "
(27) The electrophotographic developer supply / conveyance according to any one of (15) to (26), wherein the gas release mechanism is installed on a lower portion and an inclined surface of the toner container. Method"
(28) An electrophotographic copying apparatus having at least a charging unit, an exposing unit, a developing unit, a transferring unit, and a fixing unit on the periphery of a photosensitive member, wherein the developing unit includes the items (1) to (14). An electrophotographic copying apparatus characterized by containing a developer containing toner supplied by the electrophotographic developer supply / conveying device according to any one of the above items "
(29) "The developing means is provided in a developer replenishing portion that receives the toner supplied by the electrophotographic developer supply / conveying device and replenishes the developing portion with the developer. The electrophotographic copying apparatus according to item (28) "
(30) "The electrophotographic copying apparatus according to item (29), wherein the developer replenishing section includes a gas transmission unit for letting a gas accompanying the conveyed toner escape to the outside"
(31) “Toner contained in the developing means of an electrophotographic copying apparatus having at least a charging means, an exposing means, a developing means, a transferring means, and a fixing means on the periphery of the photosensitive member, wherein the (15) An electrostatic latent image developing toner, which is supplied and transported from the toner container by the electrophotographic developer supplying and transporting method according to any one of Items (27) to (27) and received by the developing means.

In these inventions, first, a toner formed of a gas discharged from a conventional large opening and a fluid consisting of the gas are formed in the vicinity of the opening. This gas is contained in the toner container. In addition to the initially existing gas and the gas entering the container accompanying the toner, the gas introduced from the gas discharge mechanism provided near the toner discharge port is included, and this is referred to as the introduced gas in the present invention. The fluid density comprising the toner and gas in the present invention has a bulk density of 0.02 to 0.7 g / cc, preferably 0.02 to 0.5 g / cc, and a series of fluid formations. Compared to the case where the bulk density range fluctuates greatly in the process, the gas release mechanism of the present invention selects the one that can generate extremely fine bubbles and effectively releases the gas, The fluid consisting of a gas has a limited bulk density range with a bulk density of 0.02 to 0.7 g / cc, for example, a low bulk density of 0.02 to 0.7 g / cc and a narrow range. Thus, it is possible to form a fluid composed of the toner and the gas maintained in (1) at an early stage. Furthermore, the fluid consisting of toner and gas is placed under a slight pressure or at least under normal pressure until it is discharged from the toner container to the transport path, and after that, the fluid is first transported through the transport path by suction of a monopon or the like. Since the operation can be performed in such a manner that the pressure is reduced, the possibility of a decrease in fluidity due to the reduced pressure in the apparatus of the present invention is limited only after the toner container is discharged. As a result, a fluid having a stable and high fluidity at a high toner ratio (toner high concentration) in the toner-gas mixture can be obtained, and the toner container can supply the toner supply control means of the toner storage device. Toner conveyance has high responsiveness and smooth toner conveyance can be realized. In addition, as described above, since the toner mass is solved by the movement and rupture of fine bubbles in the fluid of the present invention, the toner mass can be uniformly dissociated. The tendency to include particles (associate particles) is extremely low. As a result, as described above, it is possible to eliminate the cause of image quality deterioration.
The bubble moving speed of such bubbles released toward the toner aggregate after being introduced into the toner container is usually 3.0 m / sec or less, although it depends on the internal pressure of the toner container. Is 0.02 to 1.5 m / sec. Even if the gas rising speed exceeds 3.0 m / sec, it is no longer effective to fully dissolve the toner mass in the toner aggregate. similar to more association opportunity to grow into raindrops large without dropping, but rather there the toner mass construed in rare cases the effect is reduced, also, SiO ₂ particles and TiO ₂ adhering to the toner particle surface There is also a risk of peeling off external additives such as fine particles.
In addition, the toner aggregate in the toner container placed in the copier is exposed to the influence of the heat generating unit in the machine, and the toner particles may be agglomerated and solidified. It has been found in the present invention that it functions as a material for reducing the occurrence of such aggregation and solidification.

Furthermore, as mentioned above, the gas release mechanism according to the present invention can not only achieve uniform dissociation of the toner mass, but also the fluid is in the range of the high bulk density described above and is sufficiently unraveled. However, the fluid of the present invention is a fluid discharge port of toner and gas in a toner container, typically air, and in-machine development after the copying machine is stopped. The fluid staying in the toner transport pipe, which is the toner transport path between the units, can maintain a uniform bulk density fluid state over a long period of time. Thus, even when the copying machine is in operation for the first time after the copying machine has not been used for a long time, the toner transfer has the high responsiveness as described above, and smooth toner transfer can be realized.
In this case, in particular, the size reduction structure (container cross-sectional area reduction structure, container width reduction structure, or container diameter reduction) in which the size of the toner container gradually decreases toward the toner discharge port (in the direction intersecting the direction in the direction of arrival). Any one of the structures), i.e., having an inclined wall and the arrangement position of the porous member that the gas release mechanism has is at least one of the vicinity of the toner discharge port or the side wall having the size reduction structure. The fluid composed of toner and gas can be rapidly formed with an appropriate bulk density, and toner supply and conveyance toward the developing means of the image forming apparatus can be carried out with high responsiveness.

In the present invention, the fluidized toner is fed into the conveying tube, so that it can be supplied to the powdered toner in a stable and highly fluid state like a liquid having a low specific gravity. . For this reason, when the toner is transported from the toner container to the toner image forming unit in the direction of gravity, that is, when the fluid is transported backward in the height difference, the toner can be transported with very little pressure. In addition to the necessity of using a power source such as a pump, it may be possible to maintain fluidity for a long period of time. Specifically, if pressure is applied to the toner container or the toner in the transport pipe is transported by a very small transport means, the toner can be transported against gravity, and it is surprisingly surprising. , Maintain fluidity for a long time. As a result, it is not always necessary to use a pump movable member as in the conventional apparatus as a toner conveying means. By using such a conveying method, the charge control agent adhered to the surface of the toner particles, fluidized It is possible to prevent the property adjusting agent such as a developer from being detached from the toner surface and to suppress the deterioration of the developer. As a result, it is possible to avoid an adverse effect on the image. In addition, the fact that toner can be conveyed against gravity means that the position of the toner container can be freely laid out.
In particular, in the case of a copying machine, if the toner density in the developing unit is not in a desired range at the start of a copying operation, toner supply for toner replenishment needs to be performed appropriately and with high responsiveness. In order to make the toner supply stability and high responsiveness more reliable in the electrophotographic developer supply / conveyance device of the present invention, in addition to the gas discharge mechanism discharging gas toward the toner mass in the toner container, By applying external vibration immediately before or after the operation of the gas release mechanism, it is possible to reliably and quickly reach the desired value of the bulk density of the fluid composed of toner and gas by the gas release mechanism. This is because mechanical vibration not only effectively works as an auxiliary means for facilitating the conveyance of the toner-gas mixture fluid, but mechanical vibration promotes dissociation of the toner mass in advance with respect to the toner mass, and It is considered that it has a function and an action to prevent secondary aggregation again.
The toner supply / conveyance device of the present invention may be placed outside or inside an image forming apparatus, for example, a copying machine. When placed inside a copying machine, the toner aggregate in a toner container serving as a toner container is When exposed to the influence of the heat generating unit in the machine, the toner particles may be agglomerated and solidified, and the vibrating means functions as a suitable means for the dissociation.

  Further, in the present invention, unlike the conventional toner conveying device that stirs the toner in the toner containing portion by the air blown locally from the nozzle, the gas discharge mechanism provided near the toner discharge port of the toner containing portion. The air is finely and widely blown out from the plurality of holes of the porous member. As a result, air is uniformly distributed between the toner particles in the vicinity of the toner discharge port to fluidize the toner. Then, the fluidized toner is discharged from the toner discharge port. For this reason, it is possible to suppress a situation in which the toner whose bulk density has excessively increased is discharged into the transport pipe, and to prevent clogging of the toner in the transport pipe.

Embodiments of an electrophotographic developer supply / conveyance device and an image forming apparatus to which the electrophotographic developer supply / conveyance device of the present invention is applied will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of the electrophotographic developer supply / conveyance apparatus of the present invention.
(Toner supply and transport device and toner supply and transport method)
In the toner supply / conveyance device of the present invention, a porous member of a gas release mechanism is disposed in the vicinity of the toner discharge port in the toner storage unit, a toner discharge port, a transfer tube, and the toner storage unit. In addition, air supply means, vibration addition means, and other means as required.
The toner supply and conveyance method of the present invention includes a toner inflow process, a conveyance process, and an air supply process, and further includes a vibration adding process and, if necessary, other processes.
The toner supply / conveying method of the present invention can be suitably implemented using the toner supply / conveying device of the present invention. When the toner supply / conveyance device of the present invention is implemented, the toner supply / conveyance method of the present invention is implemented.

The toner storage unit (toner container) is not particularly limited as long as it can store toner, and can be appropriately selected according to the purpose. For example, the toner storage unit (toner container) is installed outside an image forming apparatus such as a printer. Alternatively, it may be built in the image forming apparatus.
The toner discharge port is for discharging toner from the toner containing portion, and the toner discharge port has a hole portion for detachably inserting a nozzle-like discharge means for discharging a mixture of toner and gas. It is preferable.

The toner container (toner container) has a size-reducing structure in which the size gradually decreases toward the toner discharge port, so that the toner mass rapidly flows and the toner and the gas have a more uniform bulk density. It can contribute to body formation, and the flow area formed immediately after the start of air supply is a trigger, and the movement of the toner container around the inclined wall side by side occurs sequentially, which promotes fluidization of the toner mass This is preferable.
As the size reduction structure, any of a cross-sectional area reduction structure, a width reduction structure, and a diameter reduction structure is preferable. The cross-sectional area reduction structure means that the side wall forming the toner container has a structure and shape that gradually decreases the cross-sectional area of the container toward the toner discharge port. The width reducing structure has a structure / shape in which the side wall forming the toner containing portion gradually reduces at least a part of the container width of the toner containing portion (toner container) toward the toner discharge port. means. The diameter-reducing structure means that the side wall forming the toner accommodating portion has a structure / shape that gradually decreases the diameter of the container toward the toner discharge port.
Here, examples of the size reduction structure include a funnel structure, an inverted truncated cone structure, a structure in which a cone, an elliptical cone, a triangular pyramid, and the like are reversed. Further, in the case of a polygonal structure having triangular or more polyhedral side walls, at least one surface may be an inclined wall. That is, it is important to have an inclined wall that inclines toward the inside of the container toward the toner discharge port having a narrower cross-sectional area.

  In FIG. 1, (11) is a polyethylene resin toner container loaded in the copying machine main body, and a sponge elastic member with a notch that can maintain a sealed state by inserting a nozzle (19), which will be described later, into the lower part of the container. And a self-plugging member (16) having a sponge surface in close contact with the nozzle insertion is mounted. The self-plugging member (16) has a cross-shaped cut-out opening, and the nozzle ( 19) Insert (for discharging toner + gas mixture). The tip of the nozzle (19) can be provided with a mesh for allowing the aggregate toner to stay in the container until it is dissolved without passing through. A sintered glass body having an average pore diameter of 10 μm and a thickness of 5 mm is incorporated in the lower outer periphery (the upper end portion in FIG. 1) of the nozzle (19), and this is one member constituting the gas release mechanism (15). Yes (in this example, the gas release mechanism (15) is composed of a sintered glass body and a self-plugging member (16)). The gas discharge portion of the gas discharge mechanism (15) passes through the nozzle insertion self-plugging member (16) and is present in the toner block (13) of the toner container (11), thereby being directed toward the toner block (13). To release gas. Further, the gas discharge portion of the gas discharge mechanism (15) is a porous body provided at the tip of the elastic member attached to the self-plugging member (16), and the toner container ( 11) When the self-plugging member (16) is inserted into the toner container (11) and is inserted into the toner container (11), it spreads along the inclined inner wall of the toner container (11) (the folded state is released), and the self-plugging member (16 ) Is removed from the toner container (11) with its own plug member (16) from the opening of the toner container (11) due to its elasticity.

Next, with the nozzle (19) and the gas release mechanism (15) inserted in the lower part of the toner container (11) as described above, the nozzle (19) and the gas release mechanism (15) are connected to the gas release mechanism (15) and From the gas introduction pipe (18) directly connected to the pump (17) for pumping air, the pressure of air is 0.08 Kgf / cm ² and the feed amount is 100 ml / min to 300 ml / min, preferably from the gas supply mechanism (15). Air is sent in the range of 100 ml / min to 200 ml / min, and the upper area of the gas release mechanism (15) is made of toner and air, for example, a fluid area (14 to a bulk density in the range of 0.02 to 0.3 g / cc) (14 ). This state is formed, and the formed fluid is passed through the toner transport pipe (21) from the fluid discharge port (20) (opening area: 5 mm) at the tip of the nozzle (19), and is electronically transferred by a transport mechanism (not shown). It has become possible to send a fluid having an appropriate density and extremely high fluidity to the developing unit in the photographic copying machine with toner and air. Transfer to the fluid containing toner utilizes the pressurized state of the fluid region (14) formed in the lower portion of the toner container (11) in the toner conveyance pipe (21) regardless of the previous suction mechanism. It is also possible to transfer a fluid composed of toner and air to the in-machine developing unit.

  Further, in the electrophotographic developer supply / conveyance device of the present invention, there is a possibility that air supplied from the gas release mechanism accumulates in the upper part of the container, excessively increases the internal pressure in the container, and the container is detached from the nozzle. Therefore, a filter mechanism (12) that is located on a part of the upper surface of the loading container and allows only the gas staying in the container to pass therethrough and prevents the toner from passing therethrough is provided to reduce the internal pressure in the container. This filter mechanism (12) can be comprised with the sheet | seat of Gore-Tex (a brand name, a registered trademark, Japan Gore-Tex company make) which is a continuous porous structure made from a fluororesin.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 3, in the present invention, such a filter mechanism is not necessarily provided on the opposite side (upper surface side) of the gas discharge mechanism (15) of the toner container (11). The fluid region in the lower part in the container so as to satisfy the high fluidity by good stirring based on the high flow rate of the gas discharged from the container in the fluid region (14) formed in the lower part in the container. (14) It can provide in the inclined part (for example, the same level location as the part in which the vibration addition means (22) of FIG. 1 was provided) equivalent to the formation terminal part of the container.

  As described above, the electrophotographic developer supply / conveyance device of the present invention basically has a gas discharge mechanism in addition to the toner container, the toner discharge port, and the filter mechanism, and the flow of the mixture composed of toner and air. The toner is supplied with good responsiveness to the development section of the copier via the toner transport path, and even if a long time elapses from when the copy operation is stopped until the start of the next copy operation, the toner is transported. There is no toner clogging along the path, and stable copying can always be performed.

  In order to make the effect of the present invention more reliable, the electrophotographic developer supply / conveyance device of the present invention further facilitates fluid formation of a mixture of toner and air by a gas release mechanism. Vibration adding means (22) for applying vibration to the toner mass in the container toner can be provided on the outer surface of the toner container and in the vicinity of the gas release mechanism.

The vibration applying means (22) is, for example, a sonic vibrating body that is provided in the image forming apparatus in advance and contacts the outer surface of the toner container when the toner container (11) is loaded in the electrophotographic image forming apparatus. In addition, when the toner container (11) is preliminarily provided in the image forming apparatus and is loaded into the electrophotographic image forming apparatus, the outer surface of the toner container is brought into contact with the outer surface of the toner container to assist the gas releasing action in the container. In addition, it is fixed to a rotating shaft (24) that is operatively connected to an air supply motor (not shown) for gas discharged into the container, and the protruding portion causes the container (11) to be fixed by rotation of the shaft. A power source for supplying air, such as an eccentric cam (25) for hitting, or when the toner container is loaded in the electrophotographic image forming apparatus, the outer surface of the toner container is repeatedly contacted. The Vessel can the those to vibrate. Furthermore, a plurality of eccentric cams (25) can be provided with different eccentric angles, and vibrations having a frequency higher than the basic rotational speed of the rotary shaft can be applied according to the number and angular difference thereof. Such vibration applying means (22) can be of a type that operates before the gas release mechanism (15) is operated, and also stops operating before the gas release mechanism stops operating. Can be of a type. In many cases, it is convenient to operate at a timing independent of the operation of the gas release mechanism.
When the vibration applying means (22) is a sonic vibrating body, the vibration energy depends on the amplitude, but in the present invention, it is 80 dB to 120 dB, and the operating frequency is not particularly limited. From the low frequency region of 1 Hz to 20 Kz. Although it is possible to apply sound waves in a high frequency region, when considering a toner lump, a region with a frequency of 1 Hz to 7000 Hz, more preferably 5 Hz to 5000 Hz, is suitable for the start of toner flow. In the case of a sonic vibrator as an auxiliary means for improving the fluidity of the toner itself, a wavelength range of 20 Hz to 300 Hz is preferable.
The side of the sound source that does not come into contact with the container is preferably covered with a sound insulating or sound absorbing member to prevent noise generation outside the machine. In addition, the vibration installation means (22) is preferably installed on the inclined surface of the lower portion of the toner container so that the vibration applying means (22) is in contact with the toner container in order to break up the toner mass and efficiently perform the toner fluidity. is there. If the contact surface of the toner container to which the vibration applying means (22) is placed in contact is thinner than that of the non-contact surface, vibrations are more easily propagated.

In the apparatus of this specific example, the vibration applying means (22) is (piezoelectric diaphragm: type FE-27A-41A manufactured by FDK Corporation, frequency main region: 3,600 Hz to 4,600 Hz, sound pressure: 65 dB to 90 dB). It has.
When the case where the vibration applying means (22) is provided is compared with the case where it is not provided, and the vibration applying means is allowed to run for 2 minutes immediately before the gas supply mechanism is operated, the bulk density of the fluid is 0.3 g / It was confirmed in the present invention that the time after the operation of the gas release mechanism reaching CC was shortened by about 20%.
The operating time of the vibration applying means can be arbitrarily set within the operating range of, for example, intermittent driving for 10 seconds to 20 minutes, and if it is immediately before the operation of the gas release mechanism, vibration is applied from several minutes before that time. The operation of the means may be started, or after the gas release mechanism is activated, the operation of the vibration applying means at a level of several seconds may be intermittently repeated for a relatively short time.

  As described above, the vibration applying means may be one that hits the above-mentioned position of the container with a hammer mechanism installed in advance in the apparatus, or may contact and energize the sound wave vibrator to the above-mentioned position of the container. Such a vibration applying means can cause the movement or burst of bubbles from the gas discharge mechanism by applying vibration to the toner mass in the container intermittently or continuously immediately before the operation of the air supply mechanism or after that. This promotes and promotes the dissociation of large and small toner lumps and the mixing of toner and air, thereby enlarging the fluid formation region of the mixture of toner and air and speeding up the start of fluid formation. Further, the vibration applying means may be previously attached to the toner container. Specifically, the vibrating body can be attached to the container as described above, and when the container is loaded into the copying machine, the vibrating body can be vibrated by energization with the electrical contact on the machine side. The same applies to the case where the vibrating body is provided in the copying machine main body.

The configuration of the gas release mechanism of the present invention itself is a fine porous member capable of passing air as described above, and preferably has an aperture ratio of about 5 to 40%. Since an average volume particle diameter of about 3 μm to 15 μm is used, the average opening diameter is about 20 μm or less, preferably 0.3 μm to 20 μm. The pores of this gas release mechanism preferably have an average pore diameter of about 0.1 to 5 times the volume average particle diameter of the target toner.
In addition to glass, the material is a sintered body of resin particles, a porous resin material such as a photo-etched resin or a thermally perforated resin material, a metal sintered body, a perforated metal plate By heating a copper plate made by depositing metallic copper around the material material, net laminate, or easily fusible metal yarn bundle by an electrochemical method, and making the fusible metal yarn bundle penetrated It may be a metal material having a selectively melted hole such as a metal having a hole part of a trace from which the easily meltable metal yarn part is selectively removed.
The operation of the air supply mechanism starts at the point when the main switch of the copier is turned on, and thereafter, it is intermittently adjusted according to the toner consumption of the developing unit according to the copy frequency for copying. It can be controlled to operate. Naturally, the operation of the vibration adding means is controlled by receiving an electrical signal for operating the air supply mechanism, or is operated prior to the operation of the air supply mechanism, and the air supply mechanism is stopped. Stopped prior to. Further, by adjusting the start and stop timings of the operation of the MONO pump (211) and the gas discharge mechanism (15), the toner conveyance amount is adjusted, the bulk density of the fluid composed of toner and gas is adjusted, and The detachment of the external additive attached to the toner particles can be suppressed.

  FIG. 4 shows another configuration example of the gas release mechanism of the present invention. In this example, the gas discharge mechanism has a double gas discharge portion and allows the nozzle (19) to be inserted and removed freely in order to efficiently form a high fluidity fluid region (14) in the toner container (11). In addition, the height level can be adjusted. That is, the gas discharge mechanism of this example includes a first gas discharge portion having an annular pressure gas pool chamber inside the flange portion of the self-plugging member (16), and a tubular second gas discharge portion below the flange portion. It has a double structure. The 1st gas discharge | release part in this example is provided in the upper inner side of the self-plugging member (16), and the 2nd gas discharge | release part is provided in the downward outer side of the self-plugging member (16). The first and / or second gas discharge portion may be of a type fixed to the self-plugging member (16) or of a type that can be attached and detached. The nozzle (19) is detachably provided in the central holes of the first and second gas discharge portions. The gas pool chamber has a gas inlet for introducing a pressure gas into a porous sintered metal portion having an inclined surface facing inward. The second gas discharge part has a tubular sintered metal part and a tubular casing part provided on the outside with a space therebetween, and the outer tubular casing part also has a gas inlet.

  FIG. 5 shows still another configuration example of the gas release mechanism of the present invention. In the gas release mechanism of this example, the second gas release portion is not made of a porous sintered metal material but made of a mesh material. That is, in the second gas discharge portion of the gas discharge mechanism of this example, the metal mesh material is wound around the portion of the tubular inner member where the plurality of large-diameter through holes are provided.

  The electrophotographic developer supply / conveyance device of the present invention is provided with a toner concentration detection sensor (23) located below the nozzle (19) of FIG. 1, and from toner and air formed by the gas discharge mechanism of the toner container. The toner density in the mixture is detected, and when the toner density in the mixture consisting of toner and air formed in the toner container is less than a predetermined value, information for prompting container replacement is provided, or the developing unit In the relationship with the toner density separately detected in the printer, the density of only one of the toners is not correlated. Specifically, if one is high and the other is low, clogging in the toner transport path is expected and copying is performed. Electric control for stopping the operation is performed. In order to simplify the system, a toner container weight detection means can be applied instead of the toner concentration detection sensor (23).

  Next, FIG. 6 and FIG. 7 show an embodiment of the present invention in which the embodiment of the present invention is combined with an image forming apparatus which is an electrophotographic copying machine, and FIG. 6 is a perspective view of an example of a developing unit. 6 and 7, the photosensitive drum of the image carrier (1) in the image forming apparatus is rotatably supported by a support member (not shown) and is rotated clockwise in the direction of arrow A shown by a drive means (not shown). Driven by rotation. On the photosensitive drum of the image carrier (1), an electrostatic latent image is formed by the exposure means (31) after being charged by the charger of the charging means (10) in the electrophotographic image forming process. The electrostatic latent image is visualized by forming a toner image with the toner of the developer (D) supplied from the developing means (2). As the image carrier (1), a belt-like member may be used in addition to the photosensitive drum. The toner image formed by the developing means (2) on the photosensitive drum of the image carrier (1) is transferred to the transfer paper of the transfer member (P) by the transfer means (3), and is then fixed. After being transported to (32) and fixed, it is discharged by a discharge roller (33) and stored in a discharge tray or the like. The cleaning means (4) cleans the toner image on the image carrier (1) by scraping off the residual toner adhering after the toner image on the transfer member (P) is transferred to prepare for the next image forming step. It has become.

  The developing means (2) includes a developing sleeve (2a) for supplying the developer (D) to the photosensitive drum of the image carrier (1), a developer replenishing section (2b), a developer stirring means (2c), Developer stirring means (2d), developer layer regulating member (2e), stirring and conveying means (2f), toner concentration sensor (2h) for detecting the developer concentration, and a container (2g) for storing and holding them The developing sleeve (2a) is arranged in a state of facing the photosensitive drum peripheral surface of the image carrier (1). The developing means (2) is provided with a decompression means (not shown), and the developer (D) is decompressed by reducing the pressure inside the container (2g) so that the developer sleeve (2a) and the container ( 2g) so as not to scatter outside. The developing sleeve (2a) comprises a sleeve made of a non-magnetic material and a magnet disposed inside the sleeve, and is driven to rotate counterclockwise in the direction of arrow B shown in the figure by a driving means (not shown). The length in the width direction of the developing sleeve (2a) is set to be substantially the same as the length in the width direction of the photosensitive drum of the image carrier (1).

The developer replenishing section (2b) includes a developer conveying screw (2b ₁ ) and a developer discharging paddle (2b ₂ ) having a groove in the busbar direction on the peripheral surface. The developer (D) supplied from the electrophotographic developer supply / conveying device is supplied via the gas / toner mixture flow transfer means (5) based on the signal from the developer detection means (not shown). It is uniformly supplied into the developing means (2). The developer supply section (2b) has a developer supply port (2b ₃ ) at a position protruding from the side plate (2g ₁ ) of the container (2g). The developer supply port (2b ₃ ) is supplied from the electrophotographic developer supply / conveyance device of the present invention, and passes through a pipe which is a toner conveyance path, and is supplied with a drive control circuit for the pump (17) (FIG. 1), and further It is connected to a gas / toner mixture flow transfer means (5) described later, and receives the developer from the developer supply port (2b ₃ ). In this case, a toner concentration sensor (2h) is used instead of the toner concentration detection sensor (23) of FIG. 1, and a monitor signal from the sensor is sent to a drive control circuit (motor control circuit) of the pump (17) (FIG. 1), and Control provided in the electrophotographic copying apparatus by providing a communication line for feedback to the drive control circuit (motor control circuit) of the mixture flow transfer means (5), and adding a little command program for the controller including the encoder and decoder. Resources (CPU, calculation & command program, ROM for storing these programs and threshold data, repeated calculation until the difference between the monitored signal data (sum of one after another) and the threshold value becomes zero, so that the calculation result can be called freely. A computer system including a memory such as a RAM and a display panel that also serves as an input panel are stored as they are. On can be advantageously used as a control means for the timing of the developer supplying transporter, the relationship between the operation timing of each unit for copying of the copying apparatus, can be advantageously adjusted more suitably.
The developer (D) taken in from the developer supply port (2b ₃ ) is supplied to one axial end of the screw (2b ₁ ). The developer replenishing portion (2b) is formed with a gas vent hole (2b ₄ ′) above the paddle (2b ₂ ) of the upper plate (2b ₄ ), and the gas vent hole (2b _4). The air filter of the gas permeation means (7) is fitted in '). That is, the air filter of the gas permeation means (7) separates and transmits the air, which is the gas / toner mixture flow gas transferred by the gas / toner mixture flow transfer means (5), from the developer. This air filter is detachably fitted by a claw member (8a) of the gas permeability recovery means (8).

  The gas / toner mixture flow transfer means (5) is connected from an electrophotographic developer supply / conveyance device, which will be described separately, at a location near the developing means (2) of the developing means (2). The gas flow transfer means (5) is a powder pump unit, and is constituted by a screw pump commonly called a MONO pump. The gas flow transfer means (5) includes a rotor (5a), a stator (5b), an upper pump holder (5c) and the like formed in a screw shape.

The rotor (5a) is connected to the motor (14e ₂ ). Around the rotor (5a), the stator (5b) formed of an elastic body such as a rubber material is provided so as to enclose the rotor (5a). The stator (5b) While the rotor (5a) rotates, a passage for sending a mixture of gas and toner passing through the toner conveyance path is formed. The stator (5b) is held by the pump holder. The pump holder (5c) is formed in a cylindrical shape, and connects the gas / toner mixture flow transfer means (5) and the toner transport path.

FIG. 8 is a block diagram showing a part of a control circuit of an image forming apparatus including the electrophotographic developer supply / conveyance device of the present invention. In the image forming apparatus, in addition to the gas flow transfer means (5) which is an air supply pump corresponding to the electrophotographic developer supply / conveyance apparatus of the present invention, the toner used also in the electrophotographic developer supply / conveyance apparatus of the present invention A replenishment control unit (51) is provided.
The toner replenishment control section (51) includes a gas flow transfer means (5), a toner concentration detection sensor (2h) provided in the toner storage section of the toner storage device (2) of the toner image recording section, and the present invention. A toner concentration detection sensor (23) located under the nozzle (19) of FIG. 1 of the electrophotographic developer supply / conveyance apparatus is electrically connected.

The toner replenishment control unit (51), which is a suction control means, continuously drives the pump (17) of FIG. 1 in the state where the main switch (not shown) of the image forming apparatus is ON unless any abnormality is recognized. Thus, the toner in the toner container (11) of FIG. 1 is fluidized. Further, based on the detection result by the toner concentration detection sensor (2h) provided in the toner storage part of the developing device (2) of the toner image recording part, the corresponding gas flow transfer means (5) is driven to supply the toner. It comes to replenish. Specifically, for example, when the toner detection signal is not sent from the toner concentration detection sensor (2h), the toner storage amount in the toner storage portion of the toner image recording portion is less than a predetermined amount. Therefore, when the toner detection signal is not sent, the toner replenishment control unit (51) operates the pump (17) for a predetermined pump standard operation time. This operation is performed by intermittent operation in which the driving and the driving stop are alternately repeated within the pump normal operation time. The standard operation time of the pump is such that when such intermittent operation is performed within that period, the toner concentration detection sensor (2h) supplies the toner necessary for the toner to be detected again. Is set sufficiently long. Therefore, when the standard operation time of the pump has elapsed and the intermittent operation of the gas flow transfer means (5) is stopped, the toner concentration detection sensor (2h) detects the toner again.
On the other hand, when the electrical signal from the toner concentration detection sensor (23) located below the nozzle (19) in FIG. 1 of the electrophotographic developer supply / conveyance device of the present invention falls below a certain level, the image forming apparatus A warning for replacing the toner container is displayed on a copy information display section in a copy operation panel (not shown).

It is the schematic which shows an example of the electrophotographic developer supply conveyance apparatus in this invention. It is the schematic which shows the conventional electrophotographic developer supply conveyance apparatus. It is the schematic which shows another example of the electrophotographic developer supply conveyance apparatus in this invention. It is the schematic which shows another example of the electrophotographic developer supply conveyance apparatus in this invention. It is the schematic which shows another example of the electrophotographic developer supply conveyance apparatus in this invention. 1 is a perspective view of an image forming apparatus connected to an electrophotographic developer supply / conveyance device according to the present invention. 1 is a cross-sectional view of an image forming apparatus connected to an electrophotographic developer supply / conveyance device according to the present invention. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a part of an electric circuit of an image forming apparatus connected to an electrophotographic developer supply / conveyance device in the present invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Image carrier 2 Developing means 2a Developing sleeve 2b Developer supply part 2b ₁ Developer conveying screw 2b ₂ Developer discharging paddle 2b ₃ Developer supply port 2b ₄ Upper plate 2b ₄ 'Degassing hole 2c Developer stirring means 2d developer stirring means 2e developer layer regulating member 2f stirring transport means 2h concentration sensor 2g container 2g ₁ side plate 3 transfer means 4 cleaning means 5 gas / toner mixture flow transfer means 5a rotor 5b stator 5c pump holder 7 gas permeation means ( Air filter)
8 Gas permeability recovery means 8a Claw member 10 Charging means 11 Toner container 12 Filter mechanism 13 Toner lump 14 Fluid region 15 Gas discharge mechanism 16 Self plugging member 17 Pump 18 Gas introduction pipe 19 Nozzle 20 Fluid discharge port 21 Toner transport pipe 22 Vibration addition means 23 Toner density detection sensor 24 Rotating shaft 25 Eccentric cam 31 Exposure means 32 Fixing means 33 Paper discharge roller 51 Toner replenishment control unit 14e ₂ motor 211 Mono pump (screw pump)
212 Toner container 213 Nozzle 214 Opening 215 Toner transport path 216 Device development unit

Claims (31)

A toner container that contains toner for electrophotographic development and has a toner discharge port and is loaded into the copier, and is provided in advance in the toner discharge port of the container, or is separately attached to the toner discharge port of the container A gas discharge mechanism is provided, and a flow region composed of toner and gas is formed in the toner container, and the fluid in the flow region is discharged from the toner discharge port to the toner transport path and supplied to the toner storage device. In the photographic developer supply / conveyance device, the gas includes an introduction gas introduced from the gas release mechanism provided in the vicinity of the toner discharge port, and the gas release mechanism holds the introduction gas in the toner container. An electrophotographic developer supply / conveyance device, which discharges toward a toner assembly. The toner container has a size reduction structure in which the size of the toner container gradually decreases toward the toner discharge port, and the gas discharge mechanism is disposed in the vicinity of the toner discharge port and / or the size reduction structure. The toner supply / conveyance device according to claim 1, wherein the toner supply / conveyance device is a side wall of the toner storage portion. The toner supply / conveyance apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the size reduction structure is any one of a container cross-sectional area reduction structure, a container width reduction structure, and a container diameter reduction structure. The gas release mechanism itself is composed of a fine porous member through which air can pass, and the average pore diameter of the hole is about 0.1 to 5 times the volume average particle diameter of the target toner. The electrophotographic developer supply / conveying apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the electrophotographic developer supplying / conveying apparatus is provided. 5. The gas discharge mechanism according to claim 1, wherein the gas release mechanism itself is composed of a fine porous member that allows air to pass therethrough, and an average pore diameter of the holes is 0.3 μm to 20 μm. The electrophotographic developer supply / conveying apparatus according to any one of the above. 6. The electrophotographic developer supply / conveyance apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the gas release mechanism has an aperture ratio of about 5 to 40%. The gas release mechanism is a porous body of a glassy sintered material, a porous resin material, a metal sintered body, a perforated resin material, a perforated metal plate material, a sintered ceramic body, a net laminate, The electrophotographic developer supply / conveyance apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the electrophotographic developer supply / conveyance apparatus is a metal material having selective melted holes. 8. The electrophotographic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the gas discharge mechanism has a hole portion into which a nozzle-like mixture discharge means for discharging a mixture of toner and gas can be detachably inserted. Developer supply and transport device. 9. The electrophotographic developer supply / conveyance apparatus according to claim 8, wherein a gas discharge pressure from the gas discharge mechanism is larger than a discharge pressure from the nozzle-like mixture discharge means. The electrophotographic developer supply / conveyance apparatus according to claim 8 or 9, wherein the nozzle-like mixture discharge means has a mesh covering at least the opening thereof. The electrophotographic developer supply according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the gas release mechanism discharges bubbles toward the toner aggregate at a speed of 3.0 m / sec or less. Conveying device. A power transmission source provided in the image forming apparatus in advance, or a vibration transmission means provided with the power source. When the toner container is loaded into the electrophotographic image forming apparatus, the toner container repeatedly contacts the outer surface of the toner container. The electrophotographic developer supply / conveyance apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising vibration transmission means for vibrating the container. The electrophotographic developer supply / conveyance device according to claim 1, wherein a toner density sensor is provided at a location near the toner discharge port of the toner transfer path from the toner discharge port. The electrophotographic developer supply / conveyance apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the gas release mechanism is installed at a lower portion and an inclined surface of the toner container. A toner container that contains toner for electrophotographic development and has a toner discharge port and is loaded into the copier, and a gas that is provided in advance in the toner discharge port of the container or that is separately attached to the toner discharge port of the container An electrophotographic developer supply / conveying method comprising a discharge mechanism, wherein the toner in an electrophotographic developer supply / conveyance device is supplied to and transported to a toner receiving location in the form of a fluid composed of the toner and a gas. A gas introduced from a gas discharge mechanism provided in the vicinity of the discharge port is discharged toward a toner aggregate held in the toner container, and a fluid region composed of the toner and the gas is placed in the toner container. An electrophotographic developer supply / conveying method comprising the steps of: forming, feeding a fluid in the fluid region to a toner transport path from a toner discharge port, and supplying and transporting the fluid to a toner receiving location. The electrophotographic developer supply / conveying method according to claim 15, wherein the gas releasing mechanism itself is composed of a fine porous member capable of passing air. The gas release mechanism itself is composed of a fine porous member through which air can pass, and the average pore diameter of the hole is about 0.1 to 5 times the volume average particle diameter of the target toner. The method for supplying and conveying an electrophotographic developer according to claim 15 or 16. 18. The gas release mechanism is itself composed of a fine porous member that allows air to pass through, and an average pore diameter of a hole portion is 0.3 μm to 20 μm. The electrophotographic developer supply / conveying method according to any one of the above. The electrophotographic developer supply / conveying method according to claim 15, wherein the gas releasing mechanism has an aperture ratio of about 5 to 40%. The gas release mechanism is a porous body of a glassy sintered material, a porous resin material, a metal sintered body, a perforated resin material, a perforated metal plate material, a sintered ceramic body, a net laminate, The electrophotographic developer supply / conveying method according to any one of claims 15 to 19, wherein the electrophotographic developer supply / conveying method is a metal material having selective melted holes. 21. The electrophotographic apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the gas release mechanism has a hole portion into which a nozzle-like mixture discharge means for discharging a mixture of toner and gas can be detachably inserted. Developer supply conveyance method. The method of supplying and transporting an electrophotographic developer according to claim 21, wherein a gas discharge pressure from the gas discharge mechanism is larger than a discharge pressure from the nozzle-like mixture discharge means. 23. The electrophotographic developer supply / conveying method according to claim 21 or 22, wherein the nozzle-like mixture discharging means has a mesh covering at least an opening thereof. The electrophotographic developer supply according to any one of claims 15 to 23, wherein the gas release mechanism discharges bubbles toward the toner aggregate at a speed of 3.0 m / sec or less. Transport method. A power transmission source provided in the image forming apparatus in advance, or a vibration transmission means provided with the power source. When the toner container is loaded into the electrophotographic image forming apparatus, the toner container repeatedly contacts the outer surface of the toner container. 25. The electrophotographic developer supply / conveying method according to any one of claims 15 to 24, further comprising vibration transmitting means for vibrating the container. 26. The electrophotographic developer supply / conveying method according to any one of claims 15 to 25, wherein a toner density sensor is provided in a portion of the toner conveying path close to the toner discharging port from the toner discharging port. 27. The electrophotographic developer supply / conveying method according to any one of claims 15 to 26, wherein the gas release mechanism is installed at a lower portion and an inclined surface of the toner container. 15. An electrophotographic copying apparatus having at least a charging unit, an exposing unit, a developing unit, a transferring unit, and a fixing unit on the periphery of a photoreceptor, wherein the developing unit is the electrophotographic developer according to claim 1. An electrophotographic copying apparatus characterized by containing a developer containing toner supplied by a supply / conveyance device. 30. The developer according to claim 28, wherein the developing means is attached to a developer replenishing portion that receives toner supplied from the electrophotographic developer supply and transport device and replenishes the developing portion with developer. Electrophotographic copying machine. 30. The electrophotographic copying apparatus according to claim 29, wherein the developer replenishing section includes a gas transmission means for letting a gas accompanying the conveyed toner escape to the outside. 28. A toner accommodated in the developing unit of an electrophotographic copying apparatus having at least a charging unit, an exposing unit, a developing unit, a transfer unit, and a fixing unit on the periphery of the photoreceptor, wherein the toner is stored in the developing unit. An electrostatic latent image developing toner, which is supplied and conveyed from the toner container by the electrophotographic developer supply and conveyance method according to claim 1 and received by the developing means.

Images