JP3536400B2 - Toner supply container and image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus and a toner replenishing container detachably attachable to the image forming apparatus. More specifically, an image forming apparatus such as a printer, a copying machine, or a facsimile, which forms an image on a recording paper by using a toner by an electrophotographic method, an ionography method, a magnetic recording method, or the like, and a toner that is detachable from the image forming apparatus. It relates to a supply container. In particular, the present invention relates to a toner replenishing container capable of supplying toner simply and quickly and even during a recording operation.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In order to make it possible to replace only the toner used in an image forming apparatus, a toner replenishing container is used, and the toner is scraped from the toner replenishing container and supplied by a member. is there. As an example of the toner supply container, there is Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 4-52758. this is,
At the time of the manual attachment / detachment operation, the developer is agitated and loosened by the relative movement between the agitating member integrally held with the shutter member and the developer container. That is, the toner in the opening portion that is temporarily aggregated at the time of attachment / detachment is disintegrated by the effect of stirring.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 3-288875 discloses an example of scraping by a member from a supply container. It has a mechanism for feeding the toner from the discharge port by the stirring means.

[0004]

However, in the above-mentioned toner replenishing container, in order to downsize the apparatus itself, when the volume in which the toner replenishing container is installed is small, that is, when the toner discharge port has a small cross-sectional area, A situation occurs in which the toner is not directly discharged from the outlet and is clogged.

Consider the condition where the toner is clogged in the outlet of the toner supply container. If there is a discharge port under the toner supply container, the toner is discharged by the moving force of the toner applied from above. This moving force is the load force due to the weight of the toner or the stirring force received from the stirring means. This is proportional to the cross-sectional area of the outlet. On the other hand, the resistance force received from the outlet is a frictional force proportional to the area of the outlet passage. This frictional force is transmitted to the whole in proportion to the difficulty of the toner flowing as a powdery fluid and clogs the toner itself. The difficulty of flowing a powdered fluid is represented by the viscosity. Viscosity is the density of the powder itself,
It increases in proportion to the surface frictional force and the degree of aggregation. Further, as concrete examples of the cause of the increase in viscosity, the following are considered except for the agglomerated toner which cannot be disintegrated due to thermal alteration of the toner. 1. Generation of agglomerated toner due to light aggregation of toner. 2. Distortion in the direction perpendicular to the flow path occurs due to the toner discharge force, causing toner bridging and generating toner aggregates throughout the flow path. 3. Increased surface tension and friction due to peeling of the toner surface treatment agent. 4. The force of triboelectrification must be added.

As described above, when the flow path of the discharge port is long and the viscosity of the powder fluid is large, it is released for a long period of time, but temporarily the toner becomes stationary in the discharge flow path. Phenomenon that becomes a lid that prevents the effective supply occurs. For this reason, in a remarkable case, delay in toner supply causes deterioration in image quality such as white spots in image quality and changes in density. In the latter prior art configuration, the scraping is performed even during the toner supply operation,
If only the discharge port is clogged, the toner is indirectly excluded only through the toner, so that it is impossible to prevent a short-term supply delay.

Therefore, the present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and an object thereof is to provide a simple structure capable of miniaturizing an image forming apparatus in which there is little fluctuation in the toner discharge speed from the toner supply container. To provide a toner supply container and an image forming apparatus.

[0008]

Toner supply container of the present invention in order to achieve the above object, according to an aspect of is a toner supply container detachably mountable to an image forming apparatus for forming an image on the recording paper by the toner, the toner supply container includes a toner discharge port for supplying the toner to the image forming apparatus, wherein
The toner supply container is not attached to the image forming device.
Has a shutter member that seals the toner discharge port, a movable member that can move in and out of the toner discharge port, and a rotatable stirring member, and the movable member and the stirring member are integrated.
Is formed on the image forming apparatus, and while the toner is being supplied to the image forming apparatus,
The movable member is discharged by rotating together with the stirring member.
During the transportation of the toner replenishment container as it goes in and out of the mouth
The toner discharge port by the shutter member.
It is sealed and stored in a form in which the movable member is inserted into the toner discharge port.

The toner replenishing container of the present invention is characterized in that all the components of the toner replenishing container are made of resin.

Further, the toner replenishing container of the present invention is characterized in that the relationship between the diameter d of a circle having the same area as the toner outlet and the depth h of the outlet is d / h≤5.

[0011]

[0012]

[0013]

[0014]

[0015]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a toner replenishing container which is attachable to and detachable from an image forming apparatus for forming an image on a recording sheet with toner, and which supplies toner to the image forming apparatus. By having a movable member that can move in and out of the toner discharge port and a rotatable stirring member, lumped toner or the like generated during transportation is caught in the toner discharge port during the supply operation from the toner discharge port. ,
When the phenomenon that the lid prevents the normal flow of the toner and the toner supply speed decreases, the movable member moves in and out of the toner discharge port to mechanically remove the lid that prevents the normal flow of the toner. As a result, the toner discharge speed can be secured. Further, the agglomerated toner that has been removed is agitated by the agitating member, and light agglomeration is destroyed.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, the movable member is formed integrally with the stirring member, so that the toner removed by using the movable member is stirred immediately and intensively. It is possible to surely disintegrate the light aggregation toner. As a result, it is possible to secure a larger fixed value of the discharging speed and reduce the toner aggregates from the discharged toner.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, since all the components of the toner supply container are made of resin, the weight of the toner supply container can be reduced, and the disposal of the toner supply container is complicated. Is possible without the need for.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, the relationship between the diameter d and the depth h of a circle having the same area as the toner discharge port is expressed.
By setting d / h ≦ 5, distortion due to the weight of the toner in the direction perpendicular to the flow path is generated, fluidity at the discharge port is intentionally reduced, and then the movable member is forcibly discharged, resulting in a discharge speed. Can be maintained within a certain range.

According to the invention described in claim 7, the agitating member and the movable member are integrally formed, and the agitating member is driven from the main body of the image forming apparatus, whereby the toner is conveyed in the main body of the image forming apparatus. According to the conditions, the clogging of the toner can be collapsed, and the toner discharging speed can be efficiently equalized with a simple configuration.

[0020]

【Example】

<Experimental Example 1> An example of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

1 and 2 are schematic views of a toner supply container according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The toner supply container 1 includes a container 10 filled with toner, an agitator 20 as a stirring member 28 rotatably provided in the container 10, a scooping blade 22, a stirring blade 23, and a shaft portion 21. Is provided. Furthermore, the movable member 27 of the present invention is provided. In the present invention, the agitator 20 is formed integrally with the shaft portion 21, the scraping blade 22 for scooping the toner in the container 10, and the scraping blade 22 integrally. The movable member 27 is attached to the tip of one of the scraping blades 22. The scraping blade 22 and the movable member 27 can be integrally formed as shown here.

Further, a shutter portion 30 provided on the bottom of the container 10 and a lid 40 for sealing the container 10 are provided. The bottom 11 of the container 10 is provided with a shaft hole 12, a toner discharge port 13, and a pin 14. Further, on the outer peripheral surface 15 of the container 10, the pair of L-shaped grooves 2 provided in the recess 240 of the upper case 230 of the image forming apparatus shown in FIG.
42, a pair of convex portions 16 that engage and disengage with the pair of L-shaped grooves 242
Is provided.

The shaft portion 21 is rotatably attached to the shaft hole 12 of the container bottom portion 11 via the sealing member 31. A groove 25 that engages with the shaft 521 of the drive gear 520 when the toner supply container 1 is mounted on the upper case 230 of the image forming apparatus shown in FIG. 6 is formed in the shaft portion 21. The stirring blade 23 may be integrally formed with a wiper-shaped cleaning member 26 for cleaning the inner wall surface of the container 10, as indicated by a chain double-dashed line. With the above configuration, the stirring blade 23 and the cleaning member 26 can have a simplified structure, and at the same time, the stirring effect of the toner in the container 10 can be enhanced. Further, by scraping off the toner adhering to the wall surface in the container 10 with the cleaning member 26, the toner in the toner supply container 1 can be completely used up without being left in the container 10.

The agitator 20 and the movable member 27
Polyethylene is used in the above, but a resin, a metal, or a composite thereof can be used if necessary.
As the resin, acrylic resin such as polyacrylate / polymethacrylate, styrene resin such as polystyrene / poly-1-methylstyrene, butyral resin, polyvinyl chloride, polyvinylidene chloride, polyvinyl fluoride / polyvinylidene fluoride / tetrafluoroethylene. -Fluorine resin such as vinyl fluoride and vinylidene fluoride, polyester resin, polycarbonate resin, cellulose resin, polyarylate resin, polyethylene resin, polypropylene resin, epoxy resin, urethane resin, phenol resin such as Bakelite, melamine resin, urea resin, Silicone resin, alkyd resin, polyvinyl alcohol, polyallyl alcohol, polybenzyl alcohol, poly-2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate, polyvinylpyrrolidone, It is selected from resins such as vinylpyridine, polyvinylamine, polyallylamine, polyvinylacrylic acid, polyvinylmethacrylic acid, polyvinylsulfuric acid, polylactic acid, casein, hydroxypropylcellulose, starch, gum arabic, polyglutamic acid, polyaspartic acid and nylon resin. It is a simple substance, a copolymer, or a mixture of resins.

The shutter section 30 comprises a sealing member 31 made of an elastic material, a disk-shaped shutter member 32, and a guide member 33.

As shown in FIG. 3, the sealing member 31 is an elastic body composed of at least two layers including a foam layer and a solid layer as a whole, and a double-sided tape around the toner outlet 13 of the container bottom 11. Stick with an adhesive such as. However, the toner discharge port 1 is not attached to the sealing member 31 with an adhesive.
It may be held by a guide groove formed around the circumference of 3, or may be held by being narrowed by the shutter member 32. In addition, the sealing member 31 is a recessed portion 11 of the same shape provided on the container bottom 11.
It has a shaft hole 31a that matches the shaft hole 12 of the container bottom 11 and a toner discharge port 31b that matches the toner discharge port 13 of the container bottom 11 in the fitted state. There is.

As the foam layer of the sealing member 31, for example, polystyrene having a cell density of 25 to 250 cells / inch,
Styrene-acrylonitrile copolymer, ABS, polyethylene, polypropylene, polyvinyl chloride, polyvinyl alcohol, acetyl cellulose, polyamide, polyurethane, phenol resin, epoxy resin, urea resin,
Acrylic resin, silicone, polyimide, chloroprene,
Foams such as neoprene, butyl rubber, SBR can be used. In particular, polyethylene, polyurethane, silicone, or neoprene foam, which has low hardness and low compression set, is used to maintain the adhesion between the sealing member 31 and the shutter member 32 for a long time without unnecessarily bending the shutter member 32. It is preferable because it can be obtained.
Furthermore, by configuring the foam layer with cells having a single cell structure,
Since the toner that enters from the side surface of the sealing member 31 into the inside can be sealed by the partition walls existing between the foam cells, the toner is prevented from moving inside the cells inside the foam layer 35, and the inside of the sealing member 31 is prevented. It is possible to completely prevent the toner from passing through and leaking to the outside of the toner supply container 1.

As the solid layer of the sealing member 31,
A skin layer formed integrally with the foam layer 35 described above or a film having a thickness of 0.01 to 0.1 mm to be attached to the foam layer 35 can be used. Although silicone rubber was used as the film, for example, natural rubber, silicone rubber, fluororubber, fluorosilicone rubber, urethane rubber,
Acrylic rubber, hydrin rubber, butadiene rubber, styrene butadiene rubber, nitrile butadiene rubber, isoprene rubber, chloroprene rubber, isobutylene isoprene rubber, rubber such as ethylene propylene rubber, or styrene, polyvinyl chloride, polyurethane, polyethylene, acrylic resin, etc. Elastomers, polystyrene,
Thermoplastic resins such as butyral, polyester, polycarbonate, acrylic resin, fluororesin, cellulose and polyethylene, or thermosetting resins such as epoxy resin, silicone, polyurethane, melamine resin, alkyd resin, polyimide and polyamide can be used. In particular, it is preferable to use a polyethylene, polyester, polyimide, or polyamide film that has high strength and is excellent in slidability and abrasion resistance from the viewpoint of improving the durability of toner sealing. The foamed layer and the solid layer formed of the film can be laminated with each other by using an adhesive such as a double-sided tape to form the sealing member 31.

The shutter member 32 has a shaft hole 32a that matches the shaft hole 12 of the container bottom 11, and a toner discharge port 32b that matches the toner discharge port 13 of the container bottom 11 at a predetermined position.
5, an arc-shaped elongated hole 32c through which the pin 14 of the container bottom 11 is inserted, and an engaging hole 32d that engages with the pin 244 provided in the upper case 230 of the image forming apparatus shown in FIG. There is. Further, the shutter member 32 is held between the container bottom 11 and the guide member 33 so as to be rotatable and slidable in the direction of the arrow a or b in the figure within a range in which the pin 14 can relatively move along the elongated hole 32c. Has been done.
That is, in the shutter unit 30, only the shutter member 32 is in a state of being relatively rotatable and slidable with respect to the container 10. When the toner supply container 1 is not attached to the image forming apparatus, the toner discharge port 32b of the shutter member 32 does not coincide with the toner discharge port 31b of the sealing member 31. That is, the toner discharge port 31b of the sealing member 31 is sealed by the shutter member 32.

The guide member 33 has a ring shape as a whole and is attached to the step portion 11b provided on the container bottom portion 11. In the mounted state, the four square holes 33e are fixed to the container bottom 11 by engaging with the four engaging claws 11e formed on the stepped portion 11b, respectively, and the bottom edge 33
The inner peripheral surface (upper surface) of f is the peripheral edge portion 3 of the shutter member 32.
2f is supported so as to be slidably rotatable. In addition, the guide member 33
An elastic arc-shaped tongue piece 33g is integrally provided on the front side of the tongue piece 33g. The tongue piece 33g is loosely fitted in the engagement hole 32d of the shutter member 32 from its rear side (upper side in FIG. 2). A protrusion 33c to be fitted is provided (see FIG. 7). The shutter member 32 is a guide member 33.
It is attached to the guide member 33 so as to pass under the tongue piece 33g from the upper surface side. The protrusion 33 is provided in the engaging hole 32d.
The engagement of c prevents the shutter member 32 from rotating and sliding carelessly, and the toner discharge port 3
2b coincides with the toner outlet 13 of the container bottom 11 to prevent the toner in the container 10 from leaking out.

In the toner replenishing container 1 as described above, the pin 14 of the container bottom 11 penetrates the elongated hole 32c of the shutter member 32, and the tip thereof projects from the elongated hole 32c. The sealing member 31 has a toner discharge port 31b aligned with the toner discharge port 13 of the container bottom portion 11, and the container bottom portion 1 of the sealing member 31.
1, and is held in a state of being narrowed by the shutter member 32. As a result, the adhesion between the sealing member 13 and the shutter member 32 is improved and toner leakage is prevented.

Toner discharge port 32b of the shutter member 32
Is preferably the same or a large opening area or opening shape that prevents the toner from touching the shutter member 32 when the toner is released from the container 10 by opening the shutter member 32. The clogging phenomenon at the time of discharging toner from the outlet 13 and the toner contamination of the shutter unit 30 that occurs after the toner supply container 1 is attached to and detached from the image forming apparatus 200 are prevented.

Further, the shutter member 32 is the sealing member 3.
By providing unevenness on a part or all of the surface facing 1, it is possible to further improve the certainty of preventing toner leakage.

Next, referring to FIGS. 3 and 4, the toner supply container 1 in the upper case 230 of the image forming apparatus 200.
The mounting portion 240 of will be described.

The mounting portion 240 is formed as a recess into which the lower portion of the toner supply container 1 fits, and the shutter portion 250 having the same structure as the shutter portion 30 of the toner supply container 1 described above is incorporated in this recess. .

The bottom surface 241 of the mounting portion 240 has a shaft hole 245 through which the shaft 521 of the drive gear 520 is inserted, and the drive gear 5 in the circulation path of the coil spring 510 described above.
20 is provided with a toner receiving port 243 (see FIG. 6) and a pin 244, which face a position where the coil spring 510 and the coil spring 510 start to mesh with each other. Further, on the inner peripheral surface of the recess of the mounting portion 240,
A pair of L-shaped grooves 242 are provided to engage and disengage with the convex portion 16 of the toner supply container 1 described above. L-shaped groove 242
Comprises a vertical groove 242a and a horizontal groove 242b, and the upper end of the vertical groove 242a is provided with the guide groove 10 provided in the mounting hole 101a (see FIG. 7) of the exterior cover of the image forming apparatus 200.
It is connected to the lower end of 1b. Further, the end of the lateral groove 242b constitutes a restriction portion that restricts the end of the rotation operation of the toner replenishing container 1 at the time of mounting operation of the toner replenishing container 1 described later.

The shutter section 250 comprises a sealing member 251, which is made of an elastic material, a disk-shaped shutter member 252, and a guide member 253.

The sealing member 251 is the bottom surface 2 of the mounting portion 240.
The recessed portion 241 a of the same shape is fitted into and stuck to the recessed portion 241 a, and in the fitted state, the shaft hole 251 a that matches the shaft hole 245 and the toner that matches the toner receiving port 243. It has a receiving port 251b.

The shutter member 252 has the shaft hole 24.
5, the shaft hole 252a, and the toner receiving port 243.
Toner receiving port 252b that may be matched with the pin 244
A circular arc-shaped long hole 252c through which is inserted, and an engagement hole 252d with which the pin 14 of the toner supply container 1 described above is engaged are provided.

The guide member 253 has a substantially ring shape and is mounted on the mounting portion 240. In the mounted state, the two engaging claws 253e are fixed in the mounting portion 240 by engaging with the respective engaging holes (not shown) provided in the wall surface in the mounting portion 240, and the bottom edge portion 253f. The peripheral surface 252f of the shutter member 252 is slidably and rotatably supported by the lower surface of the shutter member 252 (see FIG. 5). The guide member 253 is integrally provided with an elastic arc-shaped tongue piece 253g, and the shutter member 2 is provided at the tip of this tongue piece 253g.
The engagement hole 252d of 52 is provided with a protrusion 253c that is loosely fitted from the back side (lower surface side in FIG. 2) of the engagement hole 252d (see FIG. 5). The shutter member 252 is incorporated under the guide member 253 so that the shutter member 252 passes through the tongue piece 253g from the lower surface side of the guide member 253. Engagement hole 2
The engagement of the protrusion 253c with the protrusion 52d prevents the shutter member 252 from being inadvertently rotated and slid during transportation of the main body, and the toner receiving port 252 can be prevented.
It is possible to prevent the toner from leaking into the image forming apparatus by matching b with the toner receiving port 243.

When the image forming apparatus 200 is assembled,
The pin 244 on the bottom surface of the mounting portion 240 penetrates the elongated hole 252c of the shutter 252, and the tip thereof projects from the elongated hole 252c (see FIG. 5). The sealing member 251 is held in a state of being pressed between the bottom surface of the mounting portion 240 and the shutter member 252. As a result, the adhesion between the sealing member 251 and the shutter member 252 is improved, and toner leakage is prevented. The shutter member 252 is held between the bottom surface 241 of the mounting portion 240 and the guide member 253 so as to be rotatable and slidable in the direction of the arrow a or b shown in the figure within a range in which the pin 244 can relatively move along the elongated hole 252c. To be done. That is, in the shutter part 250, only the shutter member 252 is in a state of being relatively slidable relative to the upper case 230. Further, when the toner supply container 1 is not attached, the shutter member 2
The toner receiving port 252b of 52 does not coincide with the toner receiving port 251b of the sealing member 251, as shown in FIG. That is, the toner receiving port 251 of the sealing member 251
b is in a state of being sealed by the shutter member 252.

The attachment / detachment operation of the toner replenishing container 1 with respect to the mounting portion 240 as described above is as follows. FIG. 5 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a state immediately before the toner supply container 1 is mounted on the mounting portion 240. The attachment / detachment operation and operation will be described mainly with reference to FIG.

First, the toner supply container 1 is inserted into the mounting hole 101a so that the convex portion 16 of the toner supply container 1 is aligned with the guide groove 101b of the mounting hole 101a (see FIG. 7) of the outer case of the image forming apparatus. The convex portion 16 is the guide groove 1
01b to move downward in the guide groove 101b, and further to L provided in the mounting portion 240 of the image forming apparatus.
It enters the vertical groove 242a of the V-shaped groove 242, reaches the lower end thereof, and stops (FIG. 5 shows a state immediately before reaching the lower end). At this time, the shaft 521 of the gear 520 is connected to the shaft portion 21 of the agitator 20 of the toner supply container 1. Also,
The pin 14 of the toner supply container 1 fits into the engagement hole 252d of the shutter member 252 of the mounting portion 240 of the image forming apparatus, and pushes down the protrusion 253c of the tongue piece 253g to unlock the shutter member 253 by the protrusion 253c. . At the same time, the pin 244 on the mounting portion 240 side fits into the engagement hole 32d of the shutter member 32 of the toner supply container 1, and pushes up the protrusion 33c of the tongue piece 33g to unlock the shutter member 32 by the protrusion 33c.

Next, the toner supply container 1 is rotated counterclockwise as shown by the arrow b in FIG. The convex portion 16 of the toner replenishing container 1 enters the lateral groove 242b of the L-shaped groove 242 and engages with the lateral groove 242b to prevent the toner replenishing container 1 from coming off, and the toner replenishing container 1 is mounted on the mounting portion 240. As described above, the pin 14 of the toner supply container 1 fits into the engagement hole 252d of the shutter member 252 of the mounting portion 240, and the mounting portion 240
The pin 244 on the side is the shutter member 3 of the toner supply container 1.
Since it is fitted in the second engagement hole 32d, when the toner supply container 1 is rotated in the direction of arrow b in FIG.
The shutter member 252 of 0 rotates together with the toner supply container 1 in the same direction, that is, the counterclockwise direction shown by the arrow b in FIG. 5, and the toner discharge port 252b thereof coincides with the toner discharge port 251b of the sealing member 251. Since the shutter member 32 of the toner supply container 1 does not move even when the toner supply container 1 is rotated in the direction of arrow b, the shutter member 32 is rotated clockwise relative to the toner supply container 1 as shown by arrow a in FIG. Then, the toner discharge port 32 b is the toner discharge port 31 of the sealing member 31.
The position matches b. That is, the toner discharge ports 13, 31b, 32b and the toner receiving port 252 of all parts
b, 251b, and 243 are in a matched state, and the toner can be supplied from the toner supply container 1 to the image forming apparatus 200.

With the toner supply container 1 mounted on the image forming apparatus 200 as described above, the image forming apparatus 20
0 operates as described above, the shaft 52 of the drive gear 520
1, the agitator 20 is rotationally driven.

The toner contained in the container 10 is agitated upward by the scooping blades 22 of the agitator 20. When the toner in the image forming apparatus 200 is consumed, the toner is discharged from the toner outlet 13 as described above. Through each of the toner receiving ports and the toner receiving port 243 of the upper case 230, the toner falls freely into the image forming apparatus, and the toner corresponding to the consumption is replenished in the image forming apparatus 200.

In this way, when toner is replenished from the toner replenishing container 1 to the image forming apparatus 200 and the toner in the toner replenishing container 1 is emptied, a new toner replenishing container 1 filled with toner is provided. To replace. The empty toner in the toner supply container 1 can be detected by the toner end detecting means. It is also possible to visually check the empty toner state by using a transparent material for the toner supply container 1.

In order to remove the toner replenishing container 1, the operation may be performed in the reverse order of the above-mentioned mounting operation. That is,
The upper part of the toner supply container 1 (the outer case 1 of the image forming apparatus
The exposed portion 1a) exposed from 01 is gripped, rotated in the direction of arrow a (clockwise), and then pulled out from the mounting hole 101a of the outer case 101 of the image forming apparatus. When the toner supply container 1 is rotated in the direction of arrow a, the shutter member 32 of the toner supply container 1 relatively rotates in the counterclockwise direction shown by arrow b in FIG. 3 and 31b are shielded, the shutter member 250 of the image forming apparatus 200 is rotated in the direction of arrow a in FIG. 3 and the toner receiving ports 243 and 2 of the image forming apparatus 200 are rotated.
52b is shielded. Further, if the stirring member and the movable member are installed so as to rotate at this time, reverse rotation occurs, so it is necessary that reverse rotation is possible.

The toner replenishing container shown above had a diameter of 4 cm, a height of 7.5 cm, a discharge port hole diameter of 10 mm, and a discharge port length of 5 mm, as shown in FIG. Here, inside the toner replenishing container, as shown in FIG. 9, a conventional example having only a stirring member and a movable member 27 and a stirring member 28 as shown in FIG.
A toner replenishing container of three types was prepared by respectively installing the one integrated with and the one in which the movable member 27 of FIG. 10 is not moved inside the discharge port as shown in FIG. Also, all parts were made of plastic here. The use of plastic has the advantages that the weight of the toner supply container can be reduced and that it can be easily discarded after use from the viewpoint of environmental safety. A toner supply container was filled with 30 g of toner and mounted in an image forming apparatus to continuously print a document of 80 characters × 40 lines under the following conditions. The movable member 27 and the stirring member 28 are driven by the main body side as described above.

Temperature: 25 ° C. Relative humidity: 50% RH Paper transport speed: 6 ppm Here, the time change of the weight of the toner supplied to the image forming unit for 30 seconds is weighed, and the discharge speed = weight change / time. The interval was calculated. The results are shown in Fig. 12.

The three parties will be compared. 6 ppm for A4 size
The toner consumption required for continuous black solid printing is about 70 mg / s or more. When the average discharge rate for 5 minutes is calculated from FIG. 10, 70 mg / s is secured for all three parties, and there is no problem in terms of equipment capacity. However, in the toner replenishing container without the movable member 27 and with the movable member 27 fixed, the discharging speed fluctuates greatly, which is not a problem, but the discharging speed is within this level in a short period of time. You can see that it is below. On the other hand, in the toner replenishing container having the movable member 27, an almost constant discharge speed is obtained.
Comparing the three outlets, only the one with no movable member,
When the discharge port of the toner replenishing container was observed when the discharge speed decreased, clogging of the toner that could not be easily collapsed was recognized. It can be inferred that this causes a temporary supply delay. Toner clogging is prevented by having the movable member 27, or
It is considered that the discharge speed is stable because it can be destroyed even if it occurs. When the movable member 27 that moves in and out of the discharge port is included, clogging of the toner is less likely to occur, and thus the toner supply speed is less likely to vary. In particular, it is desirable to secure a constant discharging speed for the toner transport path, and it is preferable to have the movable member 27.

<Experimental Example 2> A toner replenishing container having an installation position shown in FIG. 13 was prepared by changing the setting position from the installation position of the movable member 27 shown in FIG. . A toner supply container filled with 30 g of toner was prepared for each. Next, after repeating the operation of vertically lifting the two kinds of toner replenishing containers filled with toner to a height of 3 cm and dropping them, 180 times, and then placing them in a constant temperature bath set to an environment of a temperature of 40 ° C. and a relative humidity of 80%. It was left for 3 weeks. This situation is considered to correspond to the conditions that may occur in the transportation environment. That is, when the dropping operation is repeated 180 times, the toner filled in the toner replenishing container becomes a fine packing that can almost reach. Further, an environment of a temperature of 40 ° C. and a relative humidity of 80% corresponds to a case of passing through the subtropical region by sea.

These were mounted on the image forming apparatus of Experimental Example 1, and the discharge speed from the toner discharge port was measured under the same conditions. The results are shown in Fig. 14. Although the required minimum discharge speed is satisfied, the discharge speed from the toner supply container is obviously low initially only in FIG.

Initially, a lump of toner at the toner discharge port could be confirmed only in FIG. 13, and it was estimated that the discharge speed was reduced because the clogging of the discharge port could not be immediately cleared. To be done. Therefore, the configuration of the present invention has the effect of preventing toner aggregation at the toner discharge port that occurs during transportation and making the toner discharge speed uniform by storing the movable member in the toner discharge port. Yes, it was found to give a better discharge rate.

Experimental Example 3 Movable member 27 and stirring member 28
I experimented with the composition. A movable member having a configuration as shown in FIG. 15 was installed outside the toner supply container. Using this, the same evaluation as in Experimental Example 1 was performed. The results of Experimental Example 1 are also shown, and the results of these experiments are shown in FIG.

In all cases, the required minimum discharge rate of 70 mg / s described in Experimental Example 1 was satisfied, and as seen in Experimental Example 1, there was no apparent decrease in discharge rate, which is considered to be toner clogging at the discharge port. . However, when compared delicately, it can be seen that the discharge speed is slightly reduced when the movable member 27 is provided outside the container. This is because the aggregation of the agglomerated toner that is slightly agglomerated slightly inside is not possible immediately after scooping out from the discharge port because the agitation member is not integrated. It is presumed that it has a slight adverse effect. As described above, the movable member 27 is effective for obtaining a constant discharge speed, and the agitation member 28 and the movable member 27 are integrated so that the discharge speed of the toner is increased and stabilized. It turned out to be effective. Furthermore, the integrated structure is simpler and advantageous in terms of manufacturing cost and space efficiency. Therefore, the integrated structure is preferable.

<Experimental Example 4> As shown in FIG. 17, a movable member having a comb shape in (a) and a planar shape in (b) was prepared.
Using a toner supply container provided with each movable member and an image forming apparatus, the time change of the discharge speed was examined under the same conditions as in Experimental Example 1. The results are shown in Fig. 18.

In contrast to FIG. 17 (a), in FIG. 17 (b), the discharge speed is slightly deteriorated. In the case of FIG. 17A, since the toner at the discharge port is not entirely pressed, it can be presumed that the toner aggregates at the discharge port can be removed more satisfactorily without being pressed even partially. . In addition, in FIG. 17B, it can be estimated that a portion to be pressed is generated and the aggregate is not effectively removed because the toner is entirely pressed down.
That is, rather than simply increasing the contact area of the movable member, it is more effective to increase the pressure and stabilize the toner discharging speed by forming a pressing portion for pushing out the toner and a void portion through which the toner escapes like a comb. I understand. It is also clear that the same effect can be obtained by using the shape of the movable member having this component.

<Experimental Example 5> As is clear from the above experiment, one of the main factors controlling the discharge speed from the toner supply container is the fluidity of the toner at the discharge port. Therefore,
An experiment was conducted on the effect of the shape of the outlet on the toner flow. It is assumed that the frictional resistance of the toner is the main factor that lowers the fluidity of the toner with respect to the toner discharging force mainly based on the weight of the toner. Then, the larger the cross-sectional area of the discharge port, the larger the discharge force, and the shorter the length of the flow path portion of the discharge port, the larger the frictional resistance. Applying actually the circular hole of diameter believed to use d this relationship, ejection force increases in proportion to the cross-sectional area [pi] d ^2/4 of the outlet. On the other hand, the area π occupied by the length h of the discharge port
Since proportional to dh and receives a large frictional ^{resistance, (πd 2/4) /} (πdh) = (1/4) · than (d / h) ∽d / h , the discharge in proportion to d / h Condition Is considered to change. However, as described in the subject, in consideration of downsizing of the toner supply container, d needs to be small. Therefore, what range of d / h is effective was investigated using a toner supply container. The diameter d of the outlet is changed from 5 mm to 40 mm, and the length h of the outlet is changed from 2 mm to 90 mm.
The result of obtaining the average discharge rate with respect to / h is shown in FIG.

As described above, when the d / h becomes small, the toner clogging is likely to occur, but by providing the movable member of this embodiment, the variation of the discharge speed is prevented and the discharge speed is constant as shown in FIG. The discharge rate is obtained. On the contrary, from the results shown in FIG. 19, a phenomenon in which the discharge rate is not stable is observed in the range where d / h is larger than 5. The following explanation can be made regarding this phenomenon. That is, when the friction stress Taudaburyu received at the normal stress .tau.g the wall acting on the discharge, the ratio of these ^{forces, τg (πd 2/4)} : τw (πd
It is represented by h). Assuming that the frictional stress τw is generated by the strain due to the vertical stress τg, τg ≧ τw.
Here, when τg = τw is set, the ratio of the two is d / 4: h
When d / h ≦ 4, the toner discharge is stopped. Considering the reverse action, when d / h> 4, there is no restriction force on the wall surface, and there is a free flowing state. However, it is considered that if the force for preventing the outflow increases due to toner aggregates or the like, the discharge speed fluctuates due to this. If the discharge amount is unstable, it becomes difficult to manage the subsequent toner conveyance, and if the discharge speed of the toner is too high, the processing capacity in the toner distribution process may be exceeded, which is not desirable in process management. Therefore, when d / h ≦ 5, it is possible to obtain a good discharge rate, and more preferably d / h ≦ 4. Although a circular outlet is assumed here, it is clear that this relationship can be used even if the shape of the hole actually used is assumed assuming a circle of equal area, because the same theory holds. .

<Experimental Example 6> In the portion through which the toner discharged from the toner discharge port of the toner replenishing container passes, the area of the portion where the toner does not pass in the projected area of the cross section of the toner discharge port and the toner The relationship of discharge rate was investigated. FIG. 20 is a diagram showing the state of the lower end of the toner discharge port. In the figure, toner cannot pass through the coil sping 510 and the drive gear 520 of the toner receiving port 243. When this portion is referred to as a non-passage portion, it is obvious that the discharge speed decreases when the ratio of the toner non-passage portion in the cross-sectional area of the discharge portion of the discharge port increases. In addition, if there is a factor that increases the powder fluid viscosity of the toner described above, the toner may not come out from the toner discharge port, which may be one of the causes of the toner clogging. In the toner replenishing device of Experimental Example 1, the result of calculating the toner discharge speed when the area ratio of the non-passage portion of the toner determined by the structure of the image forming apparatus is changed is shown in FIG.

As described above, it can be seen that the image forming apparatus side also has a factor that regulates the discharge speed. When the area ratio of the entire non-passage portion is 25% or more, the discharge speed is significantly reduced. Therefore, even on the image forming apparatus side, it is necessary to ensure that the toner non-passage area has a ratio of 25% or less to the total discharge area in order to secure the toner discharge speed. Further, it has been found that it is preferable that the content is 15% or less.

<Experimental Example 7> Although the stirring member has been rotated by driving from the image forming apparatus main body side, the toner discharging speed is increased by rotating the stirring member by driving only the toner supply container. You can expect to be able to. An experiment was conducted in which the movable member and the stirring member of the toner supply container were driven from other than the main body. In the toner supply container and the image forming apparatus of Experimental Example 1, the shaft 521 of the drive gear 520 was shaved, and the stirring member 28 and the movable member 27 of the toner supply container 1 were driven from above. The drive speed on the image forming apparatus main body side is 1,
FIG. 22 shows the result of measuring the average discharge speed when the drive speed of the toner supply container 1 is changed.

As can be seen from the figure, the average discharging speed is equal to or less than that, and the toner discharging is restricted by the conveying speed of the discharging port of the toner supplying container on the main body side even if it is driven only by the toner supplying container. It can be estimated that it will not increase. Therefore, when the toner supply container is driven from the main body of the image forming apparatus, the structure is simpler, and the discharge speed can be made more uniform.

Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the toner replenishing container of the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and copying using a method such as electrophotography, electrostatic recording, magnetic recording and the like. The present invention can be applied to a toner supply container of an image forming apparatus used in a machine, a printer, a facsimile, and the like.

[0067]

According to the present invention, a toner replenishing container which is detachably attached to an image forming apparatus for forming an image on a recording sheet with toner and supplies the toner to the image forming apparatus in the mounted state. The toner replenishing container attached to the toner replenishing container has a movable member that moves in and out of the toner replenishing port during toner supply, so that the clogging generated at the toner replenishing port of the toner replenishing container can be removed. It is possible to reduce fluctuations in the discharge speed, which results in less deterioration of image quality such as white spots and shading due to insufficient toner, and less toner clogging in the transport path due to excessive toner supply. A container and an image forming apparatus can be provided. Also, when saving,
By storing with the movable member invading the toner discharge port, the storage stability of the toner discharge speed could be secured even in the worst transportation environment.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a toner supply container showing an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the toner supply container.

FIG. 3 is a plan view of the image forming apparatus.

FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of a toner supply container mounting portion in the image forming apparatus.

FIG. 5 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a state immediately before the toner supply container is attached to the attachment portion.

FIG. 6 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the entire guide portion.

FIG. 7 is a partial perspective view of an image forming apparatus outer case.

FIG. 8 is an external perspective view of the image forming apparatus.

FIG. 9 is a view showing the structure of a conventional example of a stirring member inside the toner supply container of Experimental Example 1.

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a structure of a stirring member and a movable member inside a toner supply container of Experimental Example 1.

FIG. 11 is a diagram showing another example of the structures of the stirring member and the movable member inside the toner supply container of Experimental Example 1.

FIG. 12 is a diagram showing a change over time of a toner discharge speed in Experimental Example 1.

FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a position of a movable member at the time of filling and storing the toner supply container of Experimental Example 2.

FIG. 14 is a diagram showing a change over time of a toner discharge speed in Experimental Example 2;

FIG. 15 is a view showing a structure of a toner supply container and a movable member of Experimental Example 3.

FIG. 16 is a diagram showing a change over time of a toner discharge speed in Experimental Example 3;

FIG. 17 is a view showing the shape of a movable member of Experimental Example 4.

FIG. 18 is a diagram showing a change over time of a toner discharge speed in Experimental Example 4;

FIG. 19 is a diagram showing a change in toner discharge speed when d / h in Experimental example 5 is changed.

FIG. 20 is a view showing the structure of the lower end of the toner discharge port.

FIG. 21 is a diagram showing a change over time in the toner discharge speed in Experimental Example 6;

FIG. 22 is a diagram showing changes in the average toner discharge speed when the speed of the movable member in Experimental Example 7 is changed.

[Explanation of symbols] 1 Toner supply container 20 Agitator 21 Shaft 22 fried wings 23 Stirring blade 27 Movable member 28 Stirrer 30 shutter part 31 Sealing member 32 Shutter member 33 Guide member 35 foam layer 36 solid layers 510 spring coil 520 drive gear

─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (56) Reference JP-A-4-365072 (JP, A) JP-A-6-35318 (JP, A) JP-A-6-43753 (JP, A) JP-A-6- 258878 (JP, A) Actual development Sho 60-49556 (JP, U) (58) Fields investigated (Int.Cl. ⁷ , DB name) G03G 15/08-15/095

Claims (3)

(57) [Claims] 1. A toner supply container detachably mountable to an image forming apparatus for forming an image on the recording paper by the toner, the toner supply container, the toner discharge port for supplying the toner to said image forming apparatus And the toner supply container
If the toner is not attached to the image forming apparatus,
A shutter member that seals the discharge port, a movable member that can move in and out of the toner discharge port, and a rotatable stirring member are provided, and the movable member and the stirring member are integrally formed.
During the supply of the toner to the image forming apparatus, the stirring member
When the movable member turns in and out of the discharge port
In addition, when transporting the toner supply container,
If the toner discharge port is sealed by a
At the same time, the movable member was allowed to enter the toner discharge port .
A toner supply container characterized by being stored in a shape . 2. The toner replenishing container according to claim 1, wherein all the components of the toner replenishing container are made of resin. 3. The toner replenishing container according to claim 1, wherein the relationship between the diameter d of a circle having the same area as that of the toner outlet and the depth h of the outlet is d / h ≦ 5.