JP2634081B2 - Developing device for image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Description

Description: BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a developing device that is provided in an image forming apparatus such as a printing machine and develops a latent image formed on a photosensitive drum 2.

[Conventional technology]

For example, in a copying machine, image information of a document is read by a reading device, and an electrostatic latent image is formed on a photosensitive drum based on the read image information. A developing device is provided for developing the electrostatic latent image. The developing device mainly includes a developing container in which a developing roller and a stirring roller are stored, and a hopper for replenishing toner in the developing container.

By the way, the developing device needs to be drawn out of the copying machine main body for the purpose of replenishing toner or for maintenance, or to be removed. Usually, when the developing device is taken in and out, the developing device is slid in a direction parallel to the axial direction of the photosensitive drum, that is, from the front side of the copying machine in the front-rear direction. However, since the developing device is arranged close to the photosensitive drum, if the developing device is put in and out in the front-rear direction, the developing device may hit the surface of the photosensitive drum and damage the surface of the photosensitive drum.

Therefore, in order to prevent the photosensitive drum from being damaged when the developing device is taken in and out, from the top of the copying machine,
There has been provided an apparatus which allows a developing device to be taken in and out in a vertical direction.

[Problems to be solved by the invention]

In an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine that adopts a mono-color method, a user replaces a developing device,
Multicolor copies can be obtained. In such a case,
Although the entire developing device is replaced, the replacement operation is not easy because the unit is large. Although it is conceivable to make the hopper containing toner smaller and facilitate replacement work, the hopper has recently become more frequent and the need for high-speed and large-volume copying has increased. Cannot be reduced in size.

Here, in a normal copying machine, generally, a large amount of black toner is consumed, and other toners such as red toner are rarely used. Nevertheless, in the conventional developing device, the size of the hopper is the same, and the developing device and the hopper are integrally formed. Is the current situation.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide an image forming apparatus capable of performing a simple and efficient and rational operation when converting a developing color in a device in which a developing device can be detached from above the image forming apparatus main body. An object of the present invention is to provide a developing device.

[Means for solving the problem]

A developing device of an image forming apparatus according to the present invention is a device that develops a latent image formed on a photosensitive drum supported on a main body of an image forming apparatus having a front cover that can be opened and closed. A developing device that is detachable in a direction intersecting the axial direction of the photosensitive drum, a hopper that is fixed to the image forming apparatus main body and supplies toner to the developing device mounted on the image forming apparatus main body, and a toner replenishing pipe. It has. The toner supply pipe is provided in the hopper and is movable between a connection position for connecting the inside of the hopper and the developing device and a non-connection position for disconnecting the connection between the inside of the hopper and the developing device. When the front cover is closed at the connection position, the front cover comes into contact with the front cover and is moved to the connection position.

[Action]

In the present invention, since the developing unit can be attached and detached from a direction intersecting with the axial direction of the photosensitive drum, it is possible to prevent the surface of the photosensitive drum from being damaged by the developing unit during the attaching and detaching operation.

Further, since the hopper for supplying the toner to the developing unit is fixed to the image forming apparatus main body side, if the fixed hopper contains the toner of the specific color that is frequently used, the toner of the specific color can be stored. With regard to (1), a large amount of toner can be stored, and the size of the developing device can be reduced, so that the replacement operation becomes easy. In addition, development colors other than the specific color may be developed with toner stored in the developing device, and an efficient and rational development system can be realized.

Further, in the present invention, the toner supply pipe is brought into contact with the front cover during the closing operation of the front cover and is moved from the non-connection position to the connection position. Is substantially closed, so that the toner can be prevented from scattering outside the image forming apparatus main body.

〔Example〕

FIG. 1 is an overall configuration diagram of an electrostatic copying machine employing a developing device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The copying machine main body 1 includes a main body upper part 1a and a main body lower part 1b. The main body upper portion 1a and the main body lower portion 1b can be opened and closed on the right side in the figure with the hinge portion 18 on the left side as the center. A document table 2 is fixed to the upper surface of the copying machine body 1, and a document holder 3 is mounted on the document table 2 so as to be openable and closable. On the right side of the copier body 1, a paper cassette
4,5 are detachably mounted. Also, on the left side,
A discharge tray 6 for discharging copied sheets is mounted.

Inside the copier main body 1, an optical system 7 for reading image information of a document is provided on the upper part 1a side of the main body. The optical system 7 includes a light source, a mirror, a lens, and the like. A photosensitive drum 8 on the surface of which an electrostatic latent image is formed is disposed in the center of the lower portion 1b. Around the photosensitive drum 8, a charging device 9 for charging the photosensitive drum 8 to a predetermined charge, a developing device 10 for developing an electrostatic latent image, and a transfer device 1 for transferring a toner image to paper
1. A sheet separating device 12 for separating a sheet from the photosensitive drum 8 and a cleaning device 13 for removing toner on the photosensitive drum 8 are sequentially arranged. Paper cassette 4,
A paper transport path 14 for transporting paper is provided between the image forming section constituted by the photosensitive drum 8 and the like, and a paper discharge transport path is provided downstream of the image forming section in the paper transport direction. Fifteen
Is provided. A fixing device 16 for fixing the transferred image on the conveyed sheet is provided between the sheet discharge conveyance path 15 and the sheet discharge tray 6, and further downstream of the fixing device 16,
A discharge roller 17 is provided.

FIG. 2 is an exploded view showing the developing device 10 in detail. The developing device 10 mainly includes a developing device 20 and a hopper 21 for replenishing the developing device 20 with toner. The developing device 20 is mounted between a front plate 22 (hereinafter, the front side of the copying machine main body is referred to as front and the back side is referred to as rear) and a rear plate (not shown). It is detachable in a direction (vertical direction in this embodiment) perpendicular to the direction. The front side plate 22 is provided at the front inside the lower part 1b of the main body, and is rotatable upward (clockwise) from the state shown in FIG. The rear side plate is provided at the rear inside the main body lower part 1b, and is rotatable similarly to the front side plate 22.

As shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, which is a plan view of a support section of the developing device 20, a front plate 22 and a rear plate are provided on the inner wall surface of the device for guiding the developing device 20 to a predetermined position. Guide 24
And 25 are formed. On the other hand, on the developing device 20 side, supporting members 26 and 27 are provided on the side surface thereof so as to protrude outward, and each of the supporting members 26 and 27 is provided in a first pocket portion formed by guides 24 and 25. It is supported by P1 and the second pocket portion P2. The first pocket portion P1
The surface of the guide 25 that contacts the support member 26 on the developing device 20 side is a part of an arc having a radius R centered on the axis of the photosensitive drum 8. In addition, a handle is provided above the developing device 20.
28 is provided, so that the developing device 20 can be easily pulled out from above.

Configuration of Developing Unit Inside the developing unit 20, similarly to the conventional device, a developing roller 29 for supplying toner to the photosensitive drum 8 and a pumping rotor 30 for pumping a developer including toner and carrier to the developing roller 29 side are provided. And a stirring roller 31 for stirring the developer in the developing device 20 are provided rotatably. A spiral 32 is provided above the stirring roller 31 for transporting the toner supplied from the hopper 21 described later in the width direction of the developing device 20 (vertical direction in FIG. 2).
(See FIG. 4) is provided rotatably. further,
Above the spiral 32 and in front of the copying machine body 1, a communication opening 20a with the hopper 21 is formed (see FIG. 4). A connecting member 34 is rotatably mounted by a pin 33 on one end (left side in FIG. 2) of the front plate 22 that supports the developing device 20 and the photosensitive drum 8. Connecting member 34
Is rotatably mounted on the upper body portion 1a of the copier body 1.

2. Structure of Hopper As shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 4, which is a cross-sectional view taken along the line IV-IV, the hopper 21 is disposed in front of the main body of the copying machine with respect to the front side plate 22. Fixed to 22. The hopper 21 mainly includes a hopper body 37,
And a toner cartridge 42.

Hopper Body The hopper body 37 has a toner container 38 that stores toner. As shown in FIG. 4, the toner container 38 is formed such that both side walls (inner side walls) in the width direction are inclined, and have a V-shaped cross section when viewed from the side. The side wall (inner side wall) in the direction orthogonal to the width direction is also formed to be inclined. The upper part of the container 38 is open. Also,
At the upper ends of the left and right sides of the toner container 38, locking portions 40 and 41 having a U-shaped cross section are formed, respectively. Then, a flange portion 43 formed at an opening end of the toner cartridge 42 described later can be locked to the locking portions 40 and 41. As shown in FIG. 4, a locking portion 44 is also formed on a part of the rear of the toner container 38, and the flange 43 of the toner cartridge 42 can be locked with the locking portion 44 as described above. It has become.

At the bottom of the toner container 38, as shown in FIG. 4 to FIG.
38a is formed. FIG. 5 shows the toner container 38.
6, FIG. 6 is a partial plan view thereof, and FIG. 7 is an enlarged sectional view of the toner supply port 38a. The toner supply port 38a is disposed slightly to the right of FIG. 2 from the center in the width direction of the toner container 38 so as to correspond to the communication opening 20a of the developing device 20. Also, at the bottom of the toner container 38,
A transport member 39 for transporting the toner in the container to the toner supply port 38a is rotatably disposed. A rotor 39a having four blade members 45 is formed at a position corresponding to a position directly above the toner supply port 38a on the transport member 39, and toner is supplied to the rotor 39a on both sides of the roller 39a. Spiral portions 39b and 39c for transporting the sheet are formed.

6 and 7, the rotor portion 39a has its blade member 45 covering the toner supply port 38a, so that a large amount of toner is not supplied at one time.

As shown in FIG. 5, on the inner surface of the inclined side wall of the toner container 38, a horizontal vibration plate 46 (only one is shown in the figure) formed by a member having an elastic force such as a polyester film is provided. , Rear diaphragms 47 and 48 are mounted. Each of the vibration plates 46 to 48 has only an upper portion attached to the inner surface of the container 38 and a lower portion in a free state.
The lower end of the horizontal diaphragm 46 is in contact with the end of the transport member 39, that is, the outer periphery of the end of the spiral 39b. Rear diaphragm 48
An end of the lower end on the side of the horizontal diaphragm 46 is arranged so as to overlap the upper surface of the horizontal diaphragm 46, so that the rear diaphragm 48 can be vibrated by the vibration of the horizontal diaphragm 46. Front diaphragm 47
A projection 47a is formed on a part of the lower end of the projection. As shown in FIGS. 5 to 7, the projecting portion 47a
Abuts on the clockwise upstream side of the blade member 45 formed on the loader section 39a. The rotation direction of the transport member 39 is the direction of the arrow A in FIGS. 5 and 7, and the projection 47a is prevented from being caught in the rotor 39.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, a cylindrical casing 49 is provided below the toner container 38 in a direction perpendicular to the conveying member 39 inside the toner container 38. A toner supply pipe 50 is slidably inserted into the cylindrical casing 49. An upper opening 50a is formed over a predetermined range in the upper part of the toner supply pipe 50. In the sliding range of the toner supply pipe 50, the upper opening 50a and the toner supply port 38a on the toner container 38 side are connected. It is designed to communicate. The tip of the toner supply pipe 50 (the right end in FIG. 4)
, A lower opening 50b is formed over the lower half circumference. The toner supply pipe 50 contains a toner container.
A spiral 51 is provided rotatably for conveying the toner dropped from 38 to the tip side of the toner supply pipe 46. The shaft 51a of the spiral 51 is connected to the toner supply pipe 5
0, and penetrates the rear end of the tubular casing 49 and projects forward (forward) from the hopper 21. Here, as shown in FIG. 4, when the front cover 19 of the copying machine main body 1 is closed, the inner wall surface of the front cover 19 contacts the rear end of the spiral shaft 51a, and the toner supply pipe 50 is closed. When pushed forward, the leading end can enter the communication opening 20a of the developing device 20.

At the outer periphery of the tip of the toner supply pipe 50, a pipe 50 is provided.
A cover 52 is provided so as to cover the lower opening 50b. The cover 52 is slidable on the outer periphery of the toner supply pipe 50, and is normally urged toward the tip end of the toner supply pipe 50 by a spring 53.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, the right end of the hopper 21 has a drive gear connected to a drive motor (not shown).
55 are provided. This drive gear 55 is a first intermediate gear.
It is connected to the shaft of the conveying member 39 via a gear 56 and a toner supply gear 57. Also, as shown in FIG.
A first bevel gear 58 is fixed to 56 via a shaft. The first bevel gear 58 is connected to a small gear 61 via a second bevel gear 59 and a second intermediate gear 60 formed integrally therewith. Have been. The small gear 61 is fixed to a spiral shaft 51a protruding from the hopper 21, and the spiral 51 is rotated by the rotation of the drive gear 55.

Toner Cartridge The toner cartridge 42 stores toner and replenishes the toner in the toner container 38. The toner cartridge 42 is formed in a box shape having an opening on one side, and the opening side has an inclined wall having a tip shape. In addition, a flange part is provided around the outer edge of the opening side.
43, and as described above, this flange
43 is locked to the locking portions 40 and 41 on the hopper body side, and is slidably attached and detached. further,
As shown in FIG. 4, locking holes 43a are formed at a plurality of positions of the flange portion 43.
When 2 is mounted on the hopper body 37, a lock claw 38b provided at the upper end of the toner container 38 engages with the hole 43a and is fixed.

As shown in FIG. 8, the opening of the toner cartridge 42 is sealed by a two-fold seal member 62 when not used. When the toner cartridge 42 is mounted on the hopper main body 37, a mechanism for winding up the folded seal member 62 is provided on the flange portion 43. As shown in FIGS. 2, 4, and 8, this mechanism includes a support member 63, a take-up roll 64, and a pressing member 65.
It is composed of The support member 63 is provided at both left and right end portions of the flange portion 43 on the front side of the copying machine main body.
And are formed integrally with it. A U-shaped groove 63a is formed in the support member 63, and the winding roll 64 is rotatably supported in the U-shaped groove 63a. One end of a two-fold seal member 62 is adhered to the take-up roll 64. One end of the take-up roll 64 has a crank shape (see FIG. 2) so that an operator can easily operate it. Press-contact member 65
Is formed of a resilient resin material such as a sponge, and as shown in FIG.
Is provided below the side portion of the take-up roll 64 over substantially the entire width direction. Therefore, this pressing member 65
Is a two-fold seal member wound on the winding roll 64
62 can be pressed against the outer peripheral surface.

Setting state when used Developing device 10 is set in copier body 1 and front cover
In a state where 19 is closed, the hopper 21 and the developing device 20 are connected in a state shown in FIG. That is, the spiral shaft 51a is pushed rearward (right side in the figure) by the inner wall surface of the front cover 18, and the tip of the toner supply pipe 50 enters the communication opening 20a of the developing device 20. At this time, the tip of the cover 52 provided on the outer periphery of the toner supply pipe 50 is
By contacting the end of the communication opening 20a of the
Is relatively retracted against 3 and the toner supply pipe 50
The lower opening 50b is open.

Next, the toner supply operation in the above state will be described. The spiral 32 on the side of the developing device 20 is constantly rotated by a drive system (not shown). Further, the transport member 39 and the spiral 51 on the hopper 21 side are stopped.

When the toner is consumed during the copying operation and a toner supply command is output, a drive motor (not shown) is turned on, and the drive gear 55 of the hopper 21 rotates. The rotation of the drive gear 55 is controlled by the first intermediate gear 56 and the toner replenishing gear 57.
Is transmitted to the conveying member 39 via the. When the conveying member 39 rotates, the toner on the left side of FIG.
The toner on the right side of FIG. 2 is transported to the rotor unit 39a by the spiral unit 39c. The rotor portion 39a causes the fed toner to fall downward by the blade member 45 via the toner supply port 38a by a fixed amount.

At the same time as the rotation of the transport member 39, the first intermediate gear
The rotation of 56 is transmitted to the small gear 61 via the bevel gears 58 and 59 and the second intermediate gear 60. Thus, the spiral shaft 51 to which the small gear 61 is fixed rotates, and the spiral 51 rotates. Therefore, the toner that has fallen into the toner supply pipe 50 from the supply port 38a of the toner container 38 is transported rightward in FIG. The toner conveyed by the spiral 51 is supplied into the developing device 20 through the lower opening 50b of the toner supply pipe 50.

The toner supplied into the developing device 20 is conveyed in the width direction of the developing device 20 by the spiral 32 on the upper portion of the developing device 20. Below the spiral 32, the groove 20b (the fourth
The developing device 2 is formed through the groove 20b.
The toner is supplied to the agitating roller 31 and the pumping-up rotor 30 in the area “0”. Then, when the toner concentration reaches the predetermined concentration, the toner supply command is turned off, the drive motor of the hopper 21 is turned off, and the toner supply operation ends.

In the toner supply operation of this embodiment, since the toner supply port 38a is provided substantially at the center, not at the end in the width direction, the left and right toner conveyance paths in the toner container 38 are shortened. Therefore, the toner does not stay for a long time at both ends, and the toner can be prevented from sticking to the wall surface.

In addition, the transport member 39 is provided with a rotor section 39a so that toner can be sent to the next transport path by a fixed amount, and when the rotor section 39a stops, the toner supply port 38a is connected to the
It is covered by the blade member 45 of a. Accordingly, it is possible to prevent a large amount of toner from being supplied at one time, and it is possible to prevent over toner and scattering into the toner device.

Operation for Preventing Residual Toner In the above-described toner supply operation, the rotation of the transport member 39 causes the spiral portion 39b to rotate. This spiral part 3
Since the lower end of the horizontal diaphragm 46 is in contact with the spiral blade at the end 9b, the rotation of the spiral portion 39b causes the lower end of the horizontal diaphragm 46 to repeatedly climb on and off the spiral blade. In this way, the transverse diaphragm
46 vibrates so that the lower end part rotates around the upper end part. Further, since the end portions of the rear diaphragm 48 are arranged on the lateral diaphragm 46 so as to overlap with each other, the rear diaphragm 48 also vibrates due to the vibration of the lateral diaphragm 46 as described above. further,
Since the protrusion 47a of the front diaphragm 47 is locked to the blade member 45 of the rotor 39a, the rotation of the rotor 39a causes the front diaphragm 4a to rotate.
Operations such as lifting of the lower end of 7 and dropping due to being disengaged are repeated, and the front diaphragm 47 also vibrates in the same manner as described above.

As described above, the vibration plates 46 to 48 provided on the respective inclined surfaces of the toner container 38 vibrate in conjunction with the toner supply operation. Therefore, the toner in the toner container 38 falls to the bottom, and it is possible to prevent the toner from remaining in the container 38.

Next, an operation for replacing the developing device 20 to change the developing color will be described. Normally, the hopper 21 stores toner of a specific color (for example, black) which is used most frequently. When the developing color is changed to red, for example, the upper body 1a and the lower body 1b of the copier body 1 are first unlocked, and the upper body 1a is rotated counterclockwise about the hinge 18. Then, the main body 1 is opened. This body top
With the opening operation of 1a, the connecting member 34 is pulled upward, so that the front plate 22 and the rear plate connected to the connecting member 34 via the pin 33 are clockwise at a predetermined angle around the fulcrum 23. Rotate. This state is shown in FIG. In the state shown in FIG. 10, the developing unit 20 can be taken out from above the copying machine main body.

Next, the spiral shaft 51a of the hopper 21 is pulled forward from the near side of the copying machine main body. As a result, as shown by the dashed line in FIG.
0 moves to the left side in the figure, the tip of the toner supply pipe 50 comes out of the communication opening 20a of the developing device 20, and the connection between the hopper 21 and the developing device 20 is released. In this state, when the grip 28 is gripped and pulled out, the support member of the developing device 20 is
26 and 27 escape from the pockets P1 and P2 of the side plate, respectively, and are moved from the copier body 1 to the developing device 2 along the guides 24 and 25, respectively.
0 can be taken out.

Next, a developing device 20 containing the red toner is prepared, and the supporting members 26 and 27 of the red developing device 20 are attached to the guides 24 and 25 of the side plate 22.
Along the copier body. Each support member 2
6 and 27 are supported by the pocket portions P1 and P2 along the guides 24 and 25. At this time, as described above, the contact surface of the guide 25 with the support member 26 is formed in an arc shape having a radius R centered on the photoreceptor 8, so that the vertical position of the support member 26 is shifted from the normal position. Even if it is misaligned, the developing roller
The gap between 29 and the photosensitive drum 8 is maintained at a constant gap.

When the developing device 20 is supported in each of the pocket portions P1 and P2, the spiral shaft 51a of the hopper 21 is pushed. At this time, in the developing device 20 containing the toner other than black, the communication opening 20a and the spiral 32 formed in the black developing device are not provided. Therefore, even if the toner supply pipe 50 of the hopper 21 is pushed, there is no portion that comes into contact with the cover 52,
The lower opening 50b of the toner supply pipe 50 is kept covered by the cover 52 by the bias of the spring 53. When a developing unit other than black is set, a switch or the like detects that fact, and the motor for toner supply is not driven.

When resetting the developing device 20 to the original black developing device, the black developing device 20 is supported in each of the pocket portions P1 and P2 by the same operation as described above. And, as described above, the spiral shaft 51
By pressing a, the tip of the toner supply pipe 50 enters the communication opening 20a of the developing device 20. At this time, even if the worker forgets to press the spiral shaft 51a, by closing the front cover 19, the inner wall surface of the front cover 19 presses the spiral shaft 51, and the tip of the toner supply pipe 50 is developed. Penetrates into the communication opening 20a of the container 20.

In such replacement work of the developing device 20 according to the present embodiment, the developing device 20 is made detachable in the vertical direction,
Since the developing device 20 is guided by 24 and 25, it is possible to prevent the surface of the photosensitive drum 8 from being damaged during the attaching / detaching operation. To change the development color,
0, that is, since only the main body is replaced, the work becomes easy. In addition, since the toner of the specific color can be stored in the toner cartridge 42 of the hopper 21, it is possible to cope with a large amount of copying.

Further, in the developing device of the present embodiment, the toner supply pipe 50 is inserted into the developing device 20 in conjunction with the operation of closing the front cover 19 of the copying machine main body 1, so that when the developing device 20 is replaced, The device 20 can be automatically coupled.
When a developing device other than a specific color (black in the above example) is used, the lower opening 50b of the tip of the toner supply pipe 50 is used.
Is covered by the cover 52, so that leakage of the toner into the machine can be prevented.

Further, in the developing device of this embodiment, when the developing device 20 is replaced, the toner cartridge 42 is also inclined as shown in FIG. Therefore, the toner that has accumulated on the laterally inclined portion 42a of the toner cartridge 42 falls to the bottom of the container when the toner is inclined. With this, the toner cartridge
Even when the 42 is projected sideways to increase capacity,
It is possible to prevent toner accumulation.

Next, a mounting operation of the toner cartridge 42 will be described. First, the empty toner cartridge 42 is pulled out in the horizontal direction while pushing the lock claw 38b downward, and is discarded. After this, prepare a new toner cartridge 42,
The flange portion 43 is locked to the locking portions 40 and 41 of the toner container 38, and is slid horizontally. This allows the locking claw
38b is engaged with the hole 43a formed in the flange portion 43 of the toner cartridge 42 and is locked.

Next, the take-up roll 64 is rotated clockwise in FIG. 8, and the folded seal member 62 is taken up as shown in FIGS. 9A and 9B. At the time of this winding, the outer circumferential surface of the seal member 62 wound around the winding roll 64 is pressed by the pressing member 65. The final wound state is shown in FIG. 9C.

In the mounting operation of the toner cartridge according to the present embodiment, since the outer periphery of the seal member 62 is pressed even after the winding of the seal member 62 is completed, the seal member 62 rebounds after winding and the winding diameter is reduced. It doesn't grow. Further, during the winding, the toner adhered to one surface of the seal member 62 can be washed by the pressure contact member 65, so that toner contamination in the apparatus can be prevented. Therefore,
In the conventional seal member winding mechanism, it was necessary to regulate the winding direction so that the toner adhering surface of the seal member was inside the roll, but in the winding mechanism of the present embodiment,
A one-way mechanism or the like for regulating the winding direction is not required. Further, as described above, since the seal member 62 does not rebound after the winding operation, there is no need to limit the material of the seal member 62, and the degree of freedom in selecting the seal material increases.

[Other embodiments]

(A) In the above-described embodiment, the present invention is applied to a clamshell type in which the copying machine main body 1 is constituted by the main body upper part 1a and the main body lower part 1b and both can be opened and closed, but the present invention is adopted. The copying machine is not limited to such a clamshell type. That is, in an apparatus of the type in which the platen is moved, the developing device can be exchanged from the opening at the upper part of the apparatus while the platen is moved from the upper part of the apparatus main body. The invention can be applied.

(B) In the above embodiment, the case where the developing device of the present invention is employed in a copying machine has been described. However, the present invention can be applied to other image forming apparatuses such as a printer and a facsimile machine.

(C) In the above embodiment, the rotor 39a of the transport member 39
Provided with four blade members 45, the rotor portion 39a
May be a sponge roller that covers the toner supply port 38a.

(D) In the above embodiment, the protruding portion 47a is formed on the front diaphragm 47 and is brought into contact with the blade member 45 of the rotor portion 39a. However, the configuration for vibrating the front diaphragm 47 is not limited to this. Not done.

For example, as shown in FIG. 11, protrusions 47b may be formed at a plurality of locations so as to enter one pitch of the spiral portion 39b. In such an embodiment, the spiral section 39
Due to the rotation of b, the front vibrator 47 vibrates in the horizontal and vertical directions, so that the residual toner can be prevented.

(E) The configuration of the diaphragms 46 to 48 is not limited to the above embodiment. For example, a vibration plate may be formed by a plate member having good toner slip, and the diaphragm may be rotatable around its upper end, and the plate member may be rotated by movement of a spiral portion or the like. .

(F) In the above-described embodiment, the winding roll 64 is rotated clockwise for winding when the two-fold sealing member 62 is wound. However, the winding may be reversed.
When the take-up roll 64 is taken up in the counterclockwise direction, the surface on which the toner has adhered is wound inside the roll, and the scattering of the toner is further reduced.

(G) In the above embodiment, the pressure contact members 65 are provided continuously over substantially the entire width of the seal member 62, but the pressure contact members 65 may be partially provided at a plurality of locations.

〔The invention's effect〕

As described above, in the present invention, the developing device is detachable in a direction intersecting with the axial direction of the photosensitive drum, and the hopper is provided separately from the developing device and fixed to the image forming apparatus main body side. The replacement work of the container is facilitated, and damage to the photosensitive drum during the replacement work can be prevented. In addition, a large amount of developer of a specific color that is frequently used can be stored in the hopper, and when developing with a development color that is not used frequently, it can be realized only by replacing the developer. Therefore, an efficient and rational developing system can be provided.

Further, the toner supply pipe is moved from the non-connection position to the connection position by contacting the front cover during the closing operation of the front cover. The image forming apparatus main body is in a substantially closed state. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the toner from scattering outside the image forming apparatus main body.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a sectional view of a copying machine to which a developing device according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied, FIG. 2 is an exploded view of a developing device portion of the copying machine, and FIG. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line IV-IV of FIG. 2, FIG. 5 is an oblique view showing the inside of the toner container in the developing device, FIG. FIG. 7 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the bottom of the toner container, FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional configuration diagram showing a seal member winding mechanism of the toner cartridge, and FIGS. 9A to 9C.
FIG. 10 is a view for explaining the operation of the seal member winding mechanism, FIG. 10 is a view for explaining the replacement operation of the developing device, and FIG.
FIG. 11 is a partial plan view showing another configuration of the diaphragm. DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Copy machine body, 8 ... Photoconductor drum, 10 ... Developing device, 20 ... Developing device, 20a ... Communication opening, 21 ... Hopper, 42 ... Toner cartridge, 46 ... Toner supply pipe.

Claims (4)

(57) [Claims] A developing device for developing a latent image formed on a photosensitive drum, the developing device being supported by an image forming apparatus main body having a front cover that can be opened and closed. A developing unit that is detachable in a direction intersecting with the axial direction of the photoconductor drum; a hopper that is fixed to the image forming apparatus main body and supplies toner to the developing unit mounted on the image forming apparatus main body. The hopper is movable between a connection position that connects the inside of the hopper and the developing device and a non-connection position that disconnects the connection between the inside of the hopper and the developing device; A toner supply pipe which is moved to the connection position by contacting the front cover during the closing operation of the front cover when being positioned at the connection position. apparatus. 2. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a spiral shaft provided inside the toner supply pipe and having a spiral on an outer periphery thereof.
One end of the spiral shaft is fixed to an end of the pipe on the developing device side, and the other end extends outward through an end of the toner supply pipe on the front cover side. Item 2. A developing device for an image forming apparatus according to Item 1. 3. An opening for toner replenishment is formed at an end of the toner replenishing pipe on the developing device side, and is slidably disposed at an end of the toner replenishing pipe on the developing device side. The cover according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising a cover that retreats from the opening when a specific developing device is mounted, and covers the opening when the specific developing device is not mounted. A developing device of the image forming apparatus. 4. The communication opening of the developing device, wherein the cover comes into contact with an end of a communication opening provided in the specific developing device, and the toner supply pipe advances relatively to the cover. The developing device of the image forming apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the developing device invades a part.