JP6576100B2 - Developer container, developing device, process cartridge, and image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a developer container, a developing device, a process cartridge, and an image forming apparatus.

  Here, the developer container is a container for containing the developer. The developing device has a developer container and a developer carrier, and visualizes the electrostatic latent image with the developer. Further, the developer container and the developing device include not only those incorporated in the image forming apparatus alone but also those that are detachably mounted on the image forming apparatus.

  The process cartridge refers to a cartridge in which at least a developer container, a developer carrier, and an image carrier are integrally configured so as to be detachable from the image forming apparatus main body.

  The image forming apparatus forms an image on a recording medium (for example, recording paper, OHP sheet) using, for example, an electrophotographic image forming process. Examples of the electrophotographic image forming apparatus include an electrophotographic copying machine, an electrophotographic printer (for example, an LED printer, a laser beam printer), an electrophotographic facsimile apparatus, and a complex machine (multifunction printer).

  Conventionally, in image formation using an electrophotographic method, first, a latent image is formed by performing selective exposure according to image information on an electrophotographic photosensitive drum uniformly charged by a charging unit. The latent image is developed with toner (developer) by developing means to form a toner image (developer image). Thereafter, the toner image formed on the electrophotographic photosensitive drum is transferred to a recording medium by a transfer unit to form an image.

  Here, a configuration is proposed in which a toner supply opening of a toner storage chamber containing toner is sealed with a sealing member such as a toner seal, and the sealing member is opened with a rotating member (see Patent Document 1). .

  In Patent Document 1, unsealing is performed by automatically winding a sealing member having one end attached to a rotating member in the toner storage chamber around the rotating member. After opening, the sealing member rotates together with the rotating member. Similarly, the toner in the toner storage chamber is conveyed to the developing roller through the toner supply opening by a conveying member attached to the rotating member.

  As a result, the process cartridge having the above-described toner storage chamber can prevent the toner from leaking from the toner supply opening due to vibration and shock during distribution. In addition, since the sealing member remains in the process cartridge even after opening, it is not necessary for the user to process the sealing member. Moreover, since the user does not need to open the sealing member, usability is improved.

  In addition, in a configuration in which a developing blade is in contact with a developing roller, a configuration in which a lubricant is applied to a contact portion in an initial state in which toner is not passed through the contact portion is known (see Patent Document 2). As a result, when the developing roller rotates for a long time without the toner serving as a lubricant in the contact portion between the developing roller and the developing blade, it is possible to prevent the developing roller from being scratched.

  In the configuration without the sealing member or the configuration in which the user removes the sealing member, when the process cartridge is mounted on the apparatus main body, the toner that is a lubricant is caused by the operation or vibration by the user. To be supplied. For this reason, the developing roller is unlikely to rotate for a long time without toner in the contact portion, and the developing roller is less likely to be rubbed.

JP 2014-071126 A JP 2004-109461 A

  However, in the configurations described in Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2, the following problems may occur.

  The configuration described in Patent Document 1 is a configuration in which the developing blade and the developing roller are in contact with each other, and no lubricant is present in the contact portion. Further, when the sealing member is opened, the rotating member rotates and the developing roller rotates.

  In such a configuration, toner as a lubricant is supplied to the developing roller when the sealing member is opened. For this reason, when the time until the toner intervenes in the contact portion is long, the developing roller may be rubbed due to sliding with the developing blade. When the rubbing scratch is generated, the toner coat on the developing roller becomes non-uniform, and there is a possibility that a vertical streak image is generated particularly in a halftone image.

  On the other hand, the configuration described in Patent Document 2 is a configuration in which a lubricant is applied to the contact portion between the developing blade and the developing roller. Such a configuration requires not only the material cost of the lubricant but also a step of applying the lubricant to the developing roller or the developing blade at the time of assembly, which increases the cost.

  An object of the present invention is to reduce the occurrence of vertical streak images at a low cost and while improving the usability without requiring the user to open the sealing member.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides an accommodation chamber having an opening, accommodating a developer, a rotating member provided in the accommodation chamber and rotatably supported, and a development fixed to the developer container. A rotating member having a conveying member that conveys the developer accommodated in the accommodation chamber and a sealing member that seals the opening in order to supply the developer to the agent carrying member via the opening; A developer container that winds the sealing member that seals the opening with the rotating member and performs an opening operation to open the opening, the free end of the conveying member being the container It can move from a contact position where it contacts the inner wall of the chamber and conveys the developer toward the opening to a release position that is in non-contact with the storage chamber and located closer to the developer carrier than the opening. The sealing member is connected to the storage chamber and the opening A sealing portion that seals, and the sealing portion is disposed substantially parallel to at least the axial direction of the rotating member and positioned at the upstream end in the opening direction; and the axial direction of the rotating member In the opening operation, after the first sealing portion is opened in the opening operation, the free end of the conveying member is the second sealing portion. The second sealing portion is opened after moving to the release position and the free end of the transport member has moved to the release position.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to reduce the occurrence of a vertical streak image at a low cost and while improving the usability without requiring the user to open the sealing member.

(A)-(d) is sectional drawing showing opening operation | movement of the sealing member which concerns on Example 1. FIG. Sectional view showing configuration of process cartridge The perspective view which shows the structure of a process cartridge The perspective view which shows the structure of a cleaning unit Perspective view showing the configuration of the developing unit (A) (b) is a perspective view which shows the structure of a developing unit. Sectional drawing which shows the structure of the image forming apparatus provided with the process cartridge (A)-(d) is sectional drawing showing opening operation | movement of the sealing member which concerns on Example 2. FIG.

  Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. However, the dimensions, materials, shapes, and relative arrangements of the components described in the following embodiments are intended to limit the scope of the present invention only to those unless otherwise specified. It is not a thing.

[Example 1]
Hereinafter, Example 1 of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. The rotational axis direction of the electrophotographic photosensitive drum (photosensitive drum) is the longitudinal direction. In the longitudinal direction, the side on which the photosensitive drum receives driving force from the image forming apparatus main body is defined as a driving side (the driving force receiving portion 63a side in FIG. 4), and the opposite side is defined as a non-driving side.

  The overall configuration and the image forming process will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view showing the entire image forming apparatus main body and process cartridge. FIG. 2 is a sectional view showing the structure of the process cartridge. Here, the image forming apparatus main body (apparatus main body A) of the electrophotographic image forming apparatus (image forming apparatus) is an image forming apparatus portion excluding the process cartridge B.

[Overall configuration of image forming apparatus]
In FIG. 7, the image forming apparatus of this embodiment is a laser beam printer using an electrophotographic technique in which a process cartridge B is detachably attached to the apparatus main body A. When the process cartridge B is mounted on the apparatus main body A, the exposure device 3 (laser scanner unit) is disposed above the process cartridge B.

  Further, below the process cartridge B, a sheet tray 4 containing a recording medium (sheet material P) that is an image forming target is disposed.

  Further, the apparatus main body A includes a pickup roller 5a, a feeding roller pair 5b, a conveyance roller pair 5c, a transfer guide 6, a transfer roller 7, a conveyance guide 8, a fixing device 9, along the conveyance direction D of the sheet material P. A pair of discharge rollers 10, a discharge tray 11, and the like are sequentially arranged. The fixing device 9 includes a heating roller 9a and a pressure roller 9b.

[Image formation process]
Next, an outline of the image forming process will be described. Based on the print start signal, the photosensitive drum 62 (image carrier) is rotationally driven in the arrow R direction at a predetermined peripheral speed (process speed).

  The charging roller 66 to which the bias voltage is applied contacts the outer peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum 62 and uniformly charges the outer peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum 62.

  The exposure device 3 outputs a laser beam L corresponding to the image information. The laser beam L passes through the exposure window 74 on the upper surface of the process cartridge B and scans and exposes the outer peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum 62. As a result, an electrostatic latent image corresponding to the image information is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum 62.

  On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 2, in the developing unit 20 (cartridge) of the process cartridge B, the toner T in the toner storage chamber 29 is agitated and conveyed by the rotation of the conveyance unit 43 and passes through the toner supply opening 27. 28 is sent out.

  The toner T is carried and conveyed on the surface of the developing roller 32 as a developer carrying member by the magnetic force of the magnet roller 34 (fixed magnet). Since the developing roller 32 of this embodiment holds and fixes the magnet roller 34 inside, the roller itself is hollow. Therefore, the roller of this embodiment is also called a developing sleeve. The layer thickness of the peripheral surface of the developing roller 32 is regulated while the toner T is frictionally charged by a developing blade 42 as a regulating member. The toner T is transferred to the photosensitive drum 62 in accordance with the electrostatic latent image, and is visualized as a toner image (developer image).

  Further, as shown in FIG. 7, a sheet material P is accommodated in the lower part of the apparatus main body A. The sheet material P is fed from the sheet tray 4 by the pickup roller 5a, the feeding roller pair 5b, and the conveying roller pair 5c in accordance with the output timing of the laser beam L.

  The sheet material P is supplied to the transfer position between the photosensitive drum 62 and the transfer roller 7 via the transfer guide 6. At this transfer position, the toner image is sequentially transferred from the photosensitive drum 62 to the sheet material P.

  The sheet material P to which the toner image has been transferred is separated from the photosensitive drum 62 and is conveyed along the conveyance guide 8 to the fixing device 9. The sheet material P passes through the nip portion between the heating roller 9a and the pressure roller 9b constituting the fixing device 9. The toner image is fixed on the sheet material P by performing pressure and heat fixing processing at the nip portion. The sheet material P that has undergone the toner image fixing process is conveyed to the discharge roller pair 10 and discharged to the discharge tray 11.

  On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 2, after the transfer, the photosensitive drum 62 is used again in the image forming process after the residual toner on the outer peripheral surface is removed by the cleaning blade 77. The toner removed from the photosensitive drum 62 is stored in the waste toner chamber 71b of the cleaning unit 60.

  In the above, the charging roller 66, the developing roller 32, and the cleaning blade 77 are process means that act on the photosensitive drum 62.

[Configuration of the entire process cartridge]
Next, the overall configuration of the process cartridge B will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the configuration of the process cartridge.

  The process cartridge B is configured by combining the cleaning unit 60 and the developing unit 20.

  The cleaning unit 60 includes a cleaning frame 71, a photosensitive drum 62, a charging roller 66, a cleaning blade 77, and the like.

  On the other hand, the developing unit 20 includes a developing container 23, a bottom member 22, a first side member 26L, a second side member 26R, a developing blade 42, a developing roller 32, a magnet roller 34, a transport unit 43, toner T, and an urging member 46. Etc.

  The cleaning unit 60 and the developing unit 20 are coupled to each other by a coupling member 75 so as to be rotatable. Thus, the process cartridge B is configured.

  Specifically, a rotation hole 26bL parallel to the developing roller 32 is formed at the tip of an arm portion 26aL formed on the first side member 26L at one end in the longitudinal direction of the developing unit 20 (axial direction of the developing roller 32). Is provided. In addition, a rotation hole 26bR parallel to the developing roller 32 is provided at the tip of the arm portion 26aR formed on the second side member 26R at the other end.

  In addition, insertion holes 71 a for inserting the coupling member 75 are formed at both longitudinal ends of the cleaning frame 71. Then, the coupling member 75 is inserted into the rotation hole 26bL, the rotation hole 26bR, and the fitting hole 71a with the arm part 26aL and the arm part 26aR aligned with predetermined positions of the cleaning frame 71. Thereby, the cleaning unit 60 and the developing unit 20 are coupled so as to be rotatable around the coupling member 75.

  At this time, the urging member 46 attached to the base of the arm portion 26aL and the arm portion 26aR hits the cleaning frame 71 and urges the developing unit 20 to the cleaning unit 60 with the coupling member 75 as the rotation center. As a result, the developing roller 32 is reliably pressed toward the photosensitive drum 62.

  The developing roller 32 is held at a predetermined interval from the photosensitive drum 62 by a gap holding member 38 (see FIG. 5) attached to both ends of the developing roller 32.

[Configuration of cleaning unit]
Next, the configuration of the cleaning unit 60 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing the configuration of the cleaning unit.

  The cleaning blade 77 includes a support member 77a made of sheet metal and an elastic member 77b made of an elastic material such as urethane rubber. The both ends of the support member 77a are fixed with screws 91, so that the cleaning blade 77 has a predetermined position with respect to the cleaning frame 71. Placed in. The elastic member 77 b comes into contact with the photosensitive drum 62 and removes residual toner from the outer peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum 62. The removed toner is stored in a waste toner chamber 71b (see FIG. 2) of the cleaning unit 60.

  The electrode plate 81, the urging member 68, the charging roller bearing 67L, and the charging roller bearing 67R are attached to the cleaning frame 71.

  The shaft portion 66a of the charging roller 66 is fitted into the charging roller bearing 67L and the charging roller bearing 67R. The charging roller 66 is urged against the photosensitive drum 62 by an urging member 68. The charging roller 66 is rotatably supported by a charging roller bearing 67L and a charging roller bearing 67R. Then, driven rotation is performed as the photosensitive drum 62 rotates.

  The photosensitive drum 62 is integrally coupled with the flange 64 and the flange 63 to form an electrophotographic photosensitive drum unit (hereinafter referred to as a drum unit 61). This bonding method uses caulking, adhesion, welding, or the like.

  A ground contact or the like (not shown) is coupled to the flange 64. Further, the flange 63 has a driving force receiving portion 63 a that receives a driving force from the apparatus main body A and a flange gear portion 63 b that transmits the driving force to the developing roller 32.

  The bearing member 76 is integrally fixed to the driving side of the cleaning frame 71 by screws 90, and the drum shaft 78 is press-fitted and fixed to the non-driving side of the cleaning frame 71.

  The bearing member 76 is fitted with the flange 63, and the drum shaft 78 is fitted with the hole 64 a of the flange 64. Thereby, the drum unit 61 is rotatably supported by the cleaning frame 71.

[Development unit]
Next, the configuration of the developing unit 20 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing the configuration of the developing unit.

  A developing frame (developer container) including the developing container 23 and the bottom member 22 includes a toner accommodating chamber 29 that accommodates toner T, and a toner supply chamber that has a developing roller 32 and can accommodate toner to be supplied to the developing roller 32. 28 (see FIG. 2) is formed. The developing container 23 and the bottom member 22 are integrally coupled by means such as welding.

  The conveyance unit 43 includes a rotation member 45 that is rotatably supported, and a conveyance sheet 44 that is connected to the rotation member 45 and conveys the toner stored in the toner storage chamber 29.

  The transport unit 43 is supported on the non-driving side by the developing container 23, and the driving side is supported by a transporting gear 50 attached to the developing container 23. As a result, the conveyance unit 43 rotates in the toner storage chamber 29 according to the conveyance gear 50.

  The developing blade 42 is composed of a supporting member 42a made of sheet metal and an elastic member 42b made of an elastic material such as urethane rubber, and both ends of the supporting member 42a together with the cleaning member 47 are placed at predetermined positions with respect to the developing container 23 with screws 93. Fixed. The elastic material may be a rubber material such as urethane rubber or silicon rubber, or a thin metal plate such as SUS or phosphor bronze.

  The developing roller unit 31 includes a developing roller 32, a magnet roller 34, a flange 35, a spacing member 38, a bearing member 37, a developing roller gear 39, and the like. In the present embodiment, the developing roller 32 is a hollow metal member whose surface is resin-coated. The developing roller is not limited to this, and may be a developing roller in which a hollow metal member is coated with a rubber material such as urethane. Further, the developing roller unit may be constituted by a developing roller having a core metal covered with rubber, a flange, a bearing member, and a developing roller gear.

  A magnet roller 34 is inserted from the non-driving side end of the developing roller 32, and a flange 35 is press-fitted and fixed to the end. The spacing member 38 is attached to both ends of the developing roller 32 in the longitudinal direction. A bearing member 37 is disposed on the outer side, and a developing roller gear 39 is incorporated on the outer side on the driving side. The developing roller 32 is rotatably supported by bearing members 37 disposed at both ends.

  The first gear 48 and the second gear 49 that are drive transmission members are rotatably attached to the developing device frame. As a result, the driving force received from the apparatus main body A is developed by sequentially engaging and rotating the flange gear portion 63b (see FIG. 4), the developing roller gear 39, the first gear 48, the second gear 49, and the conveying gear 50. It is transmitted to the roller 32 and the transport unit 43.

  The first side member 26L and the second side member 26R are fixed to the developing device frame using screws 92 at both ends in the longitudinal direction. At that time, the bearing member 37 of the developing roller unit 31 is held by the first side member 26L and the second side member 26R.

  When the components of the developing unit 20 are attached at predetermined positions, the developing blade 42 and the developing roller 32 come into contact with each other with a contact portion. At this time, no lubricant is present in the contact portion.

[Configuration of toner seal member and opening operation]
<Toner seal member and toner transport unit>
Next, the configuration of the toner seal member will be described with reference to FIGS. 6A and 6B are perspective views for explaining the configuration of the toner seal member. 1A to 1D are cross-sectional views showing the opening operation of the toner seal member.

  As shown in FIG. 2, a toner supply opening 27 that connects the toner storage chamber 29 and the toner supply chamber 28 is provided in the developing container 23 that constitutes the developing frame.

  Next, the toner seal member 52 will be described with reference to FIG. The toner seal member 52 as a sealing member is made of a material compatible with the material of the developing container 23 or a material having an adhesive layer. In this embodiment, a PE sheet having a thickness of 50 μm was used as the toner seal member. The conveyance sheet 44 as a conveyance member is made of a flexible material such as PET, PC, or PPS. In this embodiment, a PPS sheet having a thickness of 100 μm was used as the transport sheet.

  As shown in FIG. 6A, the first end portion 52a that is one end (lower end) of the toner seal member 52 and is connected to the conveying portion 43 has a plurality of fittings along the longitudinal direction of the rotating member 45. A hole 52c is provided. Similarly to the one end of the toner seal member 52, the fitting hole 44 b is formed in the first end 44 a that is one end (lower end) of the conveyance sheet 44 and connected to the conveyance unit 43, along the longitudinal direction of the rotation member 45. Is provided. The rotating member 45 is provided with a plurality of fitting protrusions 45a as connecting portions to the fitting holes 52c and 44b.

  The fitting hole 52c of the toner seal member 52 and the fitting hole 44b of the conveying sheet 44 are fitted with the fitting protrusion 45a of the rotating member 45 in this order. Thereafter, the fitting protrusion 45a of the rotating member 45 is heat-clamped so that the toner seal member 52, the transport sheet 44, and the rotating member 45 are integrated.

  There are other methods for integrating the toner seal member 52, the conveying sheet 44, and the rotating member 45, such as welding, snap-fit, and double-sided tape, and the method is not limited.

  The toner seal member 52 needs to have a length that covers the toner supply opening 27 and can be attached to the transport unit 43.

  As shown in FIG. 6B, the second end 52 b which is the other end (upper end) of the toner seal member 52 and seals the toner supply opening 27 heats the developing container 23 along the edge of the toner supply opening 27. It is welded by welding. A portion welded (connected) to the developing container 23 of the toner seal member 52 is referred to as a sealing portion 24. The other end (upper end) of the transport sheet 44 is a free end 44c.

  Here, the sealing portion 24 includes a first sealing portion 24 a along the longitudinal direction of the toner supply opening 27, a second sealing portion 24 b, and a third sealing portion 24 c along the short direction of the toner supply opening 27. The fourth sealing portion 24d is formed. Here, the longitudinal direction of the toner supply opening 27 is the rotational axis direction of the rotating member 45, and the short direction of the toner supply opening 27 is a direction orthogonal to the rotational axis direction. Since the first sealing portion 24a, the second sealing portion 24b, the third sealing portion 24c, and the fourth sealing portion 24d are continuously formed, the toner supply opening 27 can be sealed. Become.

  The first sealing portion 24 a is disposed substantially parallel to the axial direction of the rotating member 45 and is located on the first end portion 52 a side (upstream end side in the opening direction) of the toner seal member 52 as viewed from the toner supply opening 27. . The second sealing portion 24 b is disposed substantially parallel to the axial direction of the rotating member 45 and is located on the second end portion 52 b side (downstream end side in the opening direction) of the toner seal member 52. The third sealing portion 24c is located on the non-driving side, and the fourth sealing portion 24d is located on the driving side.

  As shown in FIG. 1A, the toner seal member 52 is slackened between the first sealing portion 24a of the toner seal member 52 and the fitting hole 52c which is a fitting portion. As a result, even when a force is applied to the rotating member 45 during assembly of the process cartridge or during distribution, the toner seal member 52 is not tensioned due to slackness, so that the sealing force can be maintained.

<Opening operation of toner seal member>
Next, the opening operation of the toner seal member 52 performed at the start of use of the process cartridge B will be described with reference to FIG. Here, a region surrounded by the toner seal member 52, the rotating member 45, the conveyance sheet 44, and the bottom member 22 is defined as a region X (a region Xa in FIG. 1A and a region Xb in FIG. 1B). Further, the opening direction of the toner seal member 52 is an arrow E direction as shown in FIG. The unsealing operation is performed by gradually winding the toner seal member 52 sealing the toner supply opening 27 around the rotation member 45 as the rotation member 45 rotates.

  FIG. 1A shows a new state of the process cartridge B of the present embodiment. At this time, the first sealing portion to the fourth sealing portion (24 a to 24 d) of the toner seal member 52 are sealed, and no toner is present in the toner supply chamber 28. Further, there is no lubricant at the contact portion between the developing roller 32 and the developing blade 42.

  When a new process cartridge B is mounted on the apparatus main body A and driven from the apparatus main body A, the rotating member 45 rotates in the direction of arrow S. At this time, the developing roller 32 also rotates together with the rotating member 45.

  In this embodiment, in a new state, the transport sheet 44 is in a contact position where it contacts the bottom member 22 that is the inner wall of the toner storage chamber 29 as shown in FIG.

  FIG. 1B shows a state when the opening of the toner seal member is started. As shown in FIG. 1B, when the rotating member 45 rotates from the new state of FIG. 1A, the toner seal member 52 is wound around the rotating member 45, and the toner seal member 52 is tensioned. Due to this tension, first, the first sealing portion 24a of the toner seal member 52 starts to be peeled off.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 1B, the conveyance sheet 44 is in a contact position where it comes into contact with the bottom member 22 that is the inner wall of the toner storage chamber 29. In the region X surrounded by the toner seal member 52, the rotating member 45, the transport sheet 44, and the bottom member 22, Xb, which is the region X at the start of opening in FIG. 1B, is the initial state in FIG. The cross-sectional area is smaller than Xa which is the region X in the state. Therefore, the toner in the region Xb is in a state where the density is increased by receiving pressure from the transport sheet 44. The region X is set so as to include a toner amount that can uniformly coat the developing roller 32.

  FIG. 1C shows a state in which the toner supply opening 27 is partially opened. The free end 44 c of the transport sheet 44 can move from a contact position in contact with the toner storage chamber 29 to a release position in which the toner is not in contact with the toner storage chamber 29 and toner is supplied through the toner supply opening 27.

  As shown in FIG. 1C, when the rotating member 45 rotates from the opening start state of FIG. 1B, the first sealing portion 24a of the toner seal member 52 is peeled off, and the third sealing portion 24c and When a part of the fourth sealing portion 24d is peeled off, a part of the toner supply opening 27 is opened. When the rotating member 45 further rotates after the toner supply opening 27 starts to be opened, the toner having a high density in the region Xb is passed through the opened toner supply opening 27 by the elastic force of the conveyance sheet 44, and the toner supply chamber. It is conveyed to 28. The toner supplied to the toner supply chamber 28 is supplied to the developing roller 32. When the toner is supplied to the developing roller 32, the toner serving as a lubricant is sequentially supplied to the contact portion between the developing blade 42 and the developing roller 32 by the rotation of the developing roller 32.

  Here, the free end 44 c of the transport sheet 44 enters the toner supply chamber 28 from the toner supply opening 27 as shown in FIG. 1C and is the inner wall of the developing container 23 or the toner storage chamber 29. The release position does not come into contact with the bottom member 22. By moving the conveyance sheet 44 from the contact position to the release position, a larger conveyance force can be applied to the toner. For this reason, even if the opening is a narrow opening in which only a part of the toner supply opening 27 is opened, a necessary and sufficient amount of toner can be supplied to the toner supply chamber 28 and the developing roller 32.

  As shown in FIG. 1C, the free end of the conveyance sheet 44 is located in the toner supply chamber between the opening and the developing roller 32. Thereby, there is no deterioration of the developing roller due to contact with the developing roller 32, and stirring in the toner supply chamber can be performed. At the beginning of opening, the toner can be efficiently supplied to the developing roller.

  FIG. 1D shows a state when the opening of the toner seal member is completed. As shown in FIG. 1D, when the rotating member 45 further rotates from the unsealed state of FIG. 1C, the toner seal member 52 has the remaining third sealing portion 24c and the fourth sealing portion 24d, It peels in order of the 2nd sealing part 24b. As a result, the toner supply opening 27 is completely opened. The time when the second sealing portion 24b is peeled off is when the toner seal member 52 is completely opened.

  At this time, in this embodiment, the conveyance sheet 44 remains in the release position where it does not come into contact with the developing container 23 or the bottom member 22 which is the inner wall of the toner storage chamber 29 in the toner supply opening 27. The free end of the transport sheet 44 is also in the toner supply chamber when the opening is completed.

  As described above, before the toner seal member is opened, the conveyance sheet 44 is rotated while being brought into contact with the inner wall of the toner storage chamber 29 to thereby store the elastic force in the conveyance sheet 44 and reduce the cross-sectional area of the region X. The toner density in region X is increased while decreasing. Further, during the opening of the toner seal member 52, the free end 44 c of the transport sheet 44 is moved into the toner supply chamber 28 through the opened toner supply opening 27 to a release position where the elastic force of the transport sheet 44 is released. To do. Thus, the toner can be reliably conveyed to the toner supply chamber 28 in a shorter time. That is, the toner as the lubricant can be reliably conveyed to the developing roller 32 and the contact portion between the developing roller 32 and the developing blade 42 in a shorter time.

  In other words, by setting the phase of the transport sheet 44 in a new state as described above, it can be supplied to the developing roller 32 in a shorter time than conventional. That is, during the opening operation, the free end 44c of the transport sheet 44 is shown in FIG. 1 (d) from the opening start of the opening 27 (FIG. 1 (b)) to the completion of opening (FIG. 1 (d)). The position is set so as to be in the position shown in FIG. In FIG. 1D and FIG. 1C, the free end 44 c of the conveyance sheet 44 is closer to the developing roller 32 than the connection portion with the rotating member 45. In FIG. 1D, the free end 44c of the transport sheet 44 connects the straight line connecting the opening direction upstream end e1 of the opening 27 and the rotation center 45b of the rotating member 45, the opening direction downstream end e2 of the opening 27, It is between the straight line connecting the rotation centers 45b. In FIG. 1C, the free end 44c of the conveyance sheet 44 connects the straight line connecting the upstream end e1 of the opening 27 in the opening direction and the rotation center 45b of the rotating member 45, and the opening direction of the opened opening 27 being opened. It lies between the downstream end e3 and a straight line connecting the rotation center 45b. By setting in this way, the toner as the lubricant can be supplied to the contact portion between the developing roller 32 and the developing blade 42 in a shorter time than conventional.

  Thus, since the toner as the lubricant can be supplied to the contact portion between the developing roller 32 and the developing blade 42 in a shorter time, the rotation time without using the lubricant is shorter in the contact portion. Can be on time. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of rubbing scratches on the developing roller 32 and to suppress the generation of vertical streak images.

  Moreover, since it is not necessary to apply a lubricant to the contact portion between the developing roller 32 and the developing blade 42 in a new state, it can be provided at a low cost.

  As described above, according to the present exemplary embodiment, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of a vertical streak image at a lower cost and without the user needing to open the toner seal member and improving usability.

[Example 2]
Hereinafter, Example 2 of the present invention will be described in detail based on the drawings. In addition, the same structure as Example 1 attaches | subjects the code | symbol similar to Example 1, and the description is abbreviate | omitted.

  The opening operation of the toner seal member 52 in this embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. Here, a region surrounded by the toner seal member 52, the rotation member 45, the conveyance sheet 44, and the bottom member 22 is defined as a region X (region Xa in FIG. 8A and region Xb in FIG. 8B). Further, the opening direction of the toner seal member 52 is an arrow E direction as shown in FIG. The unsealing operation is performed by gradually winding the toner seal member 52 sealing the toner supply opening 27 around the rotation member 45 as the rotation member 45 rotates. The developing unit 20 in this embodiment is different from the first embodiment in the shape of the toner storage chamber 29.

<Opening operation of toner seal member>
FIG. 8A shows a new state of the process cartridge B of the present embodiment. At this time, the first sealing portion to the fourth sealing portion (24 a to 24 d) of the toner seal member 52 are sealed, and no toner is present in the toner supply chamber 28. Further, there is no lubricant at the contact portion between the developing roller 32 and the developing blade 42.

  When a new process cartridge B is mounted on the apparatus main body A and driven from the apparatus main body A, the rotating member 45 rotates in the direction of arrow S. At this time, the developing roller 32 also rotates together with the rotating member 45.

  In the present embodiment, in a new state, the conveyance sheet 44 is in a position not in contact with the bottom member 22 that is the inner wall of the toner storage chamber 29 as shown in FIG. In such a configuration, since the force from the bottom member 22 does not act on the conveyance sheet 44 in a new state, it is possible to suppress a decrease in the elastic force of the conveyance sheet even when stored for a long time.

  FIG. 8B shows a state when the opening of the toner seal member is started. As shown in FIG. 8B, when the rotating member 45 rotates from the new state shown in FIG. 8A, the toner seal member 52 is wound around the rotating member 45, and the toner seal member 52 is tensioned. Due to this tension, first, the first sealing portion 24a of the toner seal member 52 starts to be peeled off.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 8B, the conveyance sheet 44 is in a contact position where it comes into contact with the bottom member 22 that is the inner wall of the toner storage chamber 29. A region X surrounded by the toner seal member 52, the rotating member 45, the conveyance sheet 44, and the bottom member 22 is formed when the conveyance sheet 44 starts to contact the bottom member 22 that is the inner wall of the toner storage chamber 29. Xb which is the region X at the start of opening in FIG. 8B has a smaller cross-sectional area than Xa which is the region X in the initial state of FIG. This region Xb is gradually reduced by the rotation of the rotating member 45 before the toner seal member 52 is opened. That is, the density of the toner in the region Xb is increased. The region X is set so as to include a toner amount that can uniformly coat the developing roller 32.

  FIG. 8C shows a state in which the toner supply opening 27 is partially opened. The free end 44 c of the transport sheet 44 can move from a contact position in contact with the toner storage chamber 29 to a release position in which the toner is not in contact with the toner storage chamber 29 and toner is supplied through the toner supply opening 27.

  As shown in FIG. 8C, when the rotating member 45 rotates from the opening start state of FIG. 8B, the first sealing portion 24a of the toner seal member 52 is peeled off, and the third sealing portion 24c and When a part of the fourth sealing portion 24d is peeled off, a part of the toner supply opening 27 is opened. When the rotating member 45 further rotates after the toner supply opening 27 starts to be opened, the toner having a high density in the region Xb is passed through the opened toner supply opening 27 by the elastic force of the conveyance sheet 44, and the toner supply chamber. It is conveyed to 28. The toner supplied to the toner supply chamber 28 is supplied to the developing roller 32. When the toner is supplied to the developing roller 32, the toner serving as a lubricant is sequentially supplied to the contact portion between the developing blade 42 and the developing roller 32 by the rotation of the developing roller 32.

  Here, the free end 44 c of the transport sheet 44 enters the toner supply chamber 28 through the toner supply opening 27 as shown in FIG. 8C and is the inner wall of the developing container 23 or the toner storage chamber 29. The release position does not come into contact with the bottom member 22. By moving the conveyance sheet 44 from the contact position to the release position, a larger conveyance force can be applied to the toner. For this reason, even if the opening is a narrow opening in which only a part of the toner supply opening 27 is opened, a necessary and sufficient amount of toner can be supplied to the toner supply chamber 28 and the developing roller 32.

  FIG. 8D shows a state when the opening and the opening of the toner seal member are completed. As shown in FIG. 8D, when the rotating member 45 further rotates from the unsealed state of FIG. 8C, the toner seal member 52 has the remaining third sealing portion 24c and the fourth sealing portion 24d, It peels in order of the 2nd sealing part 24b. As a result, the toner supply opening 27 is completely opened. The time when the second sealing portion 24b is peeled off is when the opening is completed.

  As described above, before the toner seal member is opened, the conveyance sheet 44 is rotated while being brought into contact with the inner wall of the toner storage chamber 29 to thereby store the elastic force in the conveyance sheet 44 and reduce the cross-sectional area of the region X. The toner density in region X is increased while decreasing. Further, during the opening of the toner seal member 52, the free end 44 c of the transport sheet 44 is moved into the toner supply chamber 28 through the opened toner supply opening 27 to a release position where the elastic force of the transport sheet 44 is released. To do. Thus, the toner can be reliably conveyed to the toner supply chamber 28 in a shorter time. That is, the toner as the lubricant can be reliably conveyed to the developing roller 32 and the contact portion between the developing roller 32 and the developing blade 42 in a shorter time.

  In other words, by setting the phase of the transport sheet 44 in a new state as described above, it can be supplied to the developing roller 32 in a shorter time than conventional. That is, during the opening operation, the free end 44c of the transport sheet 44 is shown in FIG. 8D from the start of opening of the opening 27 (FIG. 8B) to the completion of opening (FIG. 8D). The position is set so as to be at the position shown in FIG. In FIG. 8D and FIG. 8C, the free end 44 c of the conveyance sheet 44 is closer to the developing roller 32 than the connection portion with the rotating member 45. In FIG. 8D, the free end 44c of the transport sheet 44 is connected to the straight line connecting the opening direction upstream end e1 of the opening 27 and the rotation center 45b of the rotating member 45, the opening direction downstream end e2 of the opening 27, It is between the straight line connecting the rotation centers 45b. 8C, the free end 44c of the conveyance sheet 44 connects the straight line connecting the opening end upstream end e1 of the opening 27 and the rotation center 45b of the rotating member 45, and the opening direction of the opened opening 27 being opened. It lies between the downstream end e3 and a straight line connecting the rotation center 45b. By setting in this way, the toner as the lubricant can be supplied to the contact portion between the developing roller 32 and the developing blade 42 in a shorter time than conventional.

  As in the present embodiment, in the new state, the toner which is a lubricant at the contact portion between the developing roller 32 and the developing blade 42 can be obtained in a shorter time even when the conveyance sheet 44 is in a non-contact position and not in the contact position. Can be transported.

  The conveying sheet 44 may be in a contact position where it contacts the bottom member 22 on the inner wall of the toner storage chamber 29 before the toner seal member 52 is opened. In addition, the conveying sheet 44 may be configured to supply toner to the developing roller 32 by moving the free end 44c through the toner supply opening 27 to a release position that is not in contact with the developing container 23 during opening. In other words, in a new state, the conveying sheet 44 is in a contact position before opening a part of the toner seal member 52, and is set to a phase in which the free end 44c moves to the release position while the toner seal member 52 is opened. It only has to be done.

  Thus, since the toner as the lubricant can be supplied to the contact portion between the developing roller 32 and the developing blade 42 in a shorter time, the rotation time without using the lubricant is shorter in the contact portion. Can be on time. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of rubbing scratches on the developing roller 32 and to suppress the generation of vertical streak images.

  Moreover, since it is not necessary to apply a lubricant to the contact portion between the developing roller 32 and the developing blade 42 in a new state, it can be provided at a low cost.

  Moreover, since the force from the bottom member 22 does not act on the conveyance sheet 44 in a new state, it is possible to suppress a decrease in the elastic force of the conveyance sheet 44 even when stored for a long time.

  As described above, according to the present exemplary embodiment, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of a vertical streak image at a lower cost and without the user needing to open the toner seal member and improving usability.

[Other Examples]
In the above-described embodiment, the process cartridge B is detachable from the apparatus main body A, but the present invention is not limited to this. The developing unit 20 (cartridge) having the developing roller 32 may be detachable from the apparatus main body A independently as a developing device. Alternatively, a developer container such as a toner bottle having no developing roller may be detachable from the apparatus main body A independently. The same effect can be obtained by applying the present invention to these.

  In the above-described embodiment, as a process cartridge that can be attached to and detached from the image forming apparatus main body, a process cartridge that integrally includes a photosensitive drum and a charging unit, a developing unit, and a cleaning unit as process units that act on the photosensitive drum. Was illustrated. However, it is not limited to this. In addition to the photosensitive drum and the developing unit, a process cartridge that integrally includes one of a charging unit and a cleaning unit may be used.

  In the above-described embodiments, the printer is exemplified as the image forming apparatus, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the image forming apparatus may be another image forming apparatus such as a copying machine or a facsimile machine, or another image forming apparatus such as a multi-function machine combining these functions. The same effect can be obtained by applying the present invention to these image forming apparatuses.

A ... Device main body B ... Process cartridge E ... Opening direction e1 ... Opening direction upstream end e2, e3 ... Opening direction downstream end T ... Toner 20 ... Developing unit 22 ... Bottom member 23 ... Developing container 24 ... Sealing part 24a ... First Sealing portion 24b ... second sealing portion 24c ... third sealing portion 24d ... fourth sealing portion 27 ... toner supply opening 28 ... toner supply chamber 29 ... toner storage chamber 32 ... developing roller 42 ... developing blade 44 ... conveying Sheet 44c ... Free end 45 ... Rotating member 45a ... Fitting protrusion 45b ... Rotation center 52 ... Toner seal member 62 ... Photoconductor drum

Claims (9)

A storage chamber having an opening and storing a developer;
A rotating member provided in the storage chamber and rotatably supported;
A transport member for transporting the developer stored in the storage chamber so as to supply the developer to the developer carrier fixed to the developer container through the opening ;
A sealing member for sealing the opening,
A developer container that performs an opening operation of winding the sealing member that seals the opening with the rotating member and opening the opening as the rotating member rotates.
A position where the free end of the transport member is in contact with the inner wall of the storage chamber and transports the developer toward the opening, is not in contact with the storage chamber and is closer to the developer carrier than the opening Move to the release position located at
The sealing member has a sealing portion that connects to the storage chamber and seals the opening;
The sealing portion is arranged at least substantially parallel to the axial direction of the rotating member and positioned at the upstream end in the opening direction, and is arranged substantially parallel to the axial direction of the rotating member and downstream in the opening direction. A second sealing portion located at the end,
In the opening operation, after the first sealing portion is opened, the free end of the transport member moves to the release position, and after the free end of the transport member moves to the release position, the second seal A developer container, wherein a stopper is opened.   2. The developer container according to claim 1, wherein, in the opening operation, the free end of the conveying member is in the contact position when the first sealing portion is opened. 3.   The developer container according to claim 1, wherein the conveying member and the sealing member are connected to the rotating member. A developer container according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the developer carrying member, a regulating member for regulating the layer thickness of the developer carried on said developer carrying member, to have a A developing device.   5. The developing device according to claim 4, further comprising a supply chamber that communicates with the storage chamber through the opening, has the developer carrier, and can store a developer supplied to the developer carrier. . The conveying member has one end connected to the rotating member and the other end having a free end,
During the opening operation, between the start of opening of the opening and the completion of opening, the free end of the conveying member is closer to the developer carrying body than the connection portion with the rotating member, and the opening 6 or 5, which is between a straight line connecting the upstream end of the opening direction and the rotation center of the rotating member and a straight line connecting the downstream end of the opening direction and the rotation center. The developing device described. A developer container according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the developer carrying member, a regulating member for regulating the layer thickness of the developer carried on said developer carrying member, the developer image A process cartridge, comprising: an image carrier to be carried;   A process cartridge comprising: the developing device according to claim 4; and an image carrier that carries a developer image.   A developer container according to any one of claims 1 to 3, a developing device according to any one of claims 4 to 6, and a process cartridge according to claim 7 or 8. And forming an image on a recording medium using a developer.

Images