JPH0364782A - Developing powder supply device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To prevent developing powder from scattering even in the middle of handling a developing powder supply device by providing a stop device for stopping a replenishing roller at a position where a supply groove is not exposed to the outside in a supply opening part. CONSTITUTION:The replenishing roller 55 of the developing powder supply device 28 is rotated by a driving device 78 with a replenishment commanding signal. The developing powder which gets in the supply groove 57 on the peripheral surface of the replenishing roller 55 drops at the supply opening part 54 to be replenished in a developing device 3. After specified time elapse or when the driving device 78 is stopped with a stopping signal, the stop device 81 is actuated to surely stop the replenishing roller 55 at a position where all the grooves 57 of the roller 55 are not exposed in the supply opening part 54. Thus, the developing powder is prevented from scattering even in the middle of handling the developing powder supply device.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Industrial Application Field] The present invention relates to a developer powder supply device such as a toner cartridge for an electrophotographic image recording device such as a copying machine, printer, or facsimile.

[Prior art]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in a copying machine, a toner cartridge is removably disposed in order to supply toner to a developing device. This type of toner cartridge contains a predetermined amount of toner before use, and its supply opening is closed with a Mylar or film-like sealing member. Further, a replenishment roller is built into the toner cartridge, and when the toner cartridge is installed in the developing device, the replenishment roller is driven and connected to a drive device and rotates to agitate and supply the toner.

When installing the toner cartridge in the developing device, the sealing member that closes the supply opening is peeled off before the toner cartridge is installed.

Therefore, if the toner cartridge is not carefully operated after the sealing member is peeled off, the toner will spill out from the supply opening, staining hands and causing the toner to scatter and stain the surroundings.

[Problem to be solved by the invention]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned problems and provide a developer powder supply device in which developer powder such as toner does not scatter even when the developer powder supply device such as a toner cartridge is handled.

[Means to solve the problem]

The present invention solves the above problems by providing a container for storing developer powder and having a supply opening at the bottom, and at least one supply groove rotatably disposed near the supply opening and extending in the axial direction on the circumferential surface. a developer powder supply device comprising: a replenishment roller having a replenishment roller; an elastic sealing member that is fixed to the container so as to contact the replenishment roller and seals the inside of the container from the outside; and a drive device that rotates the replenishment roller. The problem has been solved by a developing powder supply device characterized in that a stop device is provided for stopping the supply roller at a position where the supply groove is not exposed to the outside at the supply opening.

A shutter for opening and closing the supply opening is provided on the container of the developer powder supply device, and a reliable sealing effect can be obtained by automatically opening and closing the shutter when the container is attached to and removed from the main body.

[Effect]

According to the present invention, the replenishment roller of the developer powder supply device is rotated by the drive device in response to a replenishment command signal, and the developer powder that has entered the supply groove on the circumferential surface of the replenishment roller falls at the supply opening and is replenished into the development device. .

The drive device is stopped after a predetermined period of time has elapsed or by a stop signal. At that time, the stop device is activated to ensure that all the grooves of the supply roller are not exposed at the supply opening by, for example, engaging a cam and a stopper. will be stopped.

The developing powder supply device is equipped with a shutter that automatically closes the supply opening when it is removed from the main body.
Open the supply opening. By closing the shutter, scattering of developer powder can be more reliably prevented when the developer powder supply device is removed from the main body.

〔Example〕

The details of the present invention will be explained based on embodiments shown in the drawings.

The first example shows a laser printer as an example of an image recording device.
In the figure, a charger 2, a developing unit 3, a transfer charger 4, and a cleaning unit 5 are arranged on the circumferential surface of the photoreceptor drum l in the order of the rotational direction indicated by an arrow. A writing optical unit 7 is provided so that a writing beam enters and exposes the photosensitive drum l at a position 6 between the two.

The charger 2 and the optical writing position 6 are arranged below the photoreceptor drum 1, and the writing optical unit 7 is arranged below the photoreceptor drum 1, the developing unit 3, and the cleaning unit 5. The transfer charger 4 is arranged above the photosensitive drum 1. A paper feed cassette 8 is provided further below the writing optical unit 7, and the transfer paper in the paper feed cassette 8 is separated and sent out one by one by a feed roller 9 and a corner claw IO, and further by a pair of intermediate rollers 11 and a guide. The sheet is sent above the developing unit 3 by a plate, and is fed to the transfer section at the same timing as the pair of registration rollers 12 for aligning the leading edge of the sheet so that the position is aligned with the image formed on the photoreceptor drum l. A static elimination brush 13 is installed on the transfer paper path after transfer.
, suction fan 14, fixing unit 15, and paper output tray 1
6 is provided.

The photosensitive drum l is charged by the charger 2 and irradiated with image light by the writing optical unit 7 which includes a laser optical system or the like.
The electrostatic latent image formed on the top is developed by the developing unit 3 to form a toner image, which is transferred to a transfer paper fed at a timing above the photoreceptor drum 1 by a pair of registration rollers 12. Transferred by 4 during charging.

After the transfer, the transfer paper is neutralized by the static elimination brush 13 and separated from the photoconductor drum l. The transfer paper is sucked and held by the conveyance guide 14a by the suction action of the suction fan 14, and is sent to the fixing unit 15, where it is moved between the upper fixing roller 15' and the lower fixing roller 15'. The transfer paper is fixed while passing between the fixing roller 15''. The transfer paper leaving the fixing device 15 is conveyed by a paper discharge roller and stacked on a paper discharge tray 16.

On the other hand, after the transfer, the toner remaining on the photoreceptor drum 1 is cleaned by the cleaning unit 5, and the charge on the photoreceptor drum 1 is removed by the static eliminator 17, in preparation for the next image forming process.

The upper cover 18 of the laser printer is formed so that it can be opened and closed vertically.

In FIG. 2, the upper cover 18 is connected to the main body 2 by a support shaft 21
2 so that it can be opened and closed vertically, and a fulcrum 34 is attached to the upper cover 18.
When the main body 22 is unlocked by the lock lever 35, which is rotatably supported by the lock lever 35, the main body 22 is opened as shown in the figure. The upper cover 18 has a transfer charger 4 and a static elimination brush 13.
, the suction fan 14, and the conveyance guide 14a are fixedly arranged,
A bearing 23 on which the upper registration roller 19 of the registration roller pair 12 is rotatably supported is held under the action of a spring 24 and is opened and closed integrally with the upper cover 18. When the upper cover 18 is opened, the paper transport path except for the fixing unit 15 is opened upward. At this time, although not shown, the pressure on the roller pair of the upper fixing roller 15' and the lower fixing roller 15# of the fixing unit may be simultaneously released.

Alternatively, the upper fixing roller 15' may be held by the upper cover 18. The upper cover 18 is formed as a unit including the transfer charger 4 and the upper registration roller 19 as described above.

In the state shown in FIG. 2 with the upper cover 18 open, the photosensitive drum 1 is held by the main body 22. As shown in FIG. At this time, the drum unit 25 supporting the photosensitive drum 1 is held by the main body 22, but as shown in FIG. 22, it is held by the upper cover 18, and can be opened and closed together with the registration roller pair 12 (upper registration roller 19 and lower registration roller 20) during charging.

As shown in FIG. 3, the drum unit 25 is attached to the upper cover 18
When the opening movement is performed, the kit holder 26 as a support member is rotated upward in conjunction with the opening movement, and the supply kit 27 as a replacement kit supported by the kit holder 26 is placed face to face in the upper opening part of the main body 22. issue.

The supply kit 27 is integrally formed with a cleaning unit 5, a charger 2, and a toner cartridge 28 as a developer powder supply device for the development unit 3.

The sub-light kit 27 can be removed from the kit holder 26 by pulling it out in the direction of the arrow as shown in FIG.

Supply kit 27 is thus easily replaceable.

As shown in FIG. 5, the cleaning device 5 of the supply kit 27 includes a brush roller 42 that is rotatably supported in a cleaning case 41 and a cleaning blade 43 that is pressed against the photoreceptor.

A gear 44 is fixed to the shaft end of the brush roller 42, and the brush roller 42 is engaged with the drive gear of the recording device.
is driven to rotate. The cleaning blade 43 is attached to the support shaft 4
5, and receives a pressing force from a spring 46 to come into contact with the photoreceptor r. Cleaning blade 43
An opening 47 of the cleaning case 41 through which the tip of the cleaning case 41 enters and exits.
is formed so that it can be opened and closed by a cleaning shutter 48. The cleaning shutter 48 is the cleaning case 4
It is supported by a holding arm 50 which is rotatable around one fulcrum 49, and is moved to open and close around the fulcrum 49.

A light-diffusing mylar 51 for the static elimination lamp is fixed adjacent to the cleaning case 41, and a transfer charger 2, for example, a scorotron charger, is attached adjacent to the cleaning case 41.

A casing 53 of the toner cartridge 28 is integrally connected to the cleaning case 41 by a connecting arm 52 . The casing 53 of the toner cartridge 28 is formed as a container containing toner, and is shown in FIGS. 5 and 6.
As shown in the figure, an elongated supply opening 54 is formed at the lower end, and a toner replenishment roller 55 is rotatably supported so as to be exposed in the supply opening 54, and between the supply opening 54 and the toner supply roller 55. is fixed to the casing 33 and is sealed by a seal member 56 that elastically contacts the toner replenishment roller 55, such as a maltbren seal member 56, and the toner is formed on the circumferential surface of the rotating toner replenishment roller 55 and extends in the axial direction. It fits into at least one supply groove 57 and is supplied. Inside the casing 52, a toner 74 (FIG. 7) is stirred by a toner stirring slider 73.

When the toner cartridge 28 is installed in the main body 22, the supply opening 54 faces the receiving port 75 of the developing unit 3, and the toner supplied from the supply opening 54 is supplied into the developing unit 3 from the receiving port 75. .

A shaft 76 of the toner supply roller 55 is connected to a drive device 78 via a clutch 77, for example a spring clutch. The drive device 78 includes, for example, a driven gear 79 that is rotatably supported by the shaft 76 and a drive gear 80 that meshes with the driven gear 79 and is driven by a drive unit such as a motor (not shown).

As shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, a stop device 81 for stopping the toner supply roller 55 at a predetermined position is pivotally connected to, for example, a solenoid 82 and a plunger of the solenoid 82.
A stopper lever 84 rotatably supported on a support shaft 83
and a pawl 85 formed on a driven member fixed to the shaft 76 of the clutch 77.

When the solenoid 82 is deenergized, the stopper lever 84 is moved to the operating position by the force of the spring 86 as shown in FIG. 9A, and the pawl 85 of the driven member of the clutch 77 engages with the stopper lever 84. will be stopped. In this stop position, all of the supply grooves 57 are in contact with the seal portion 56 or face the inside of the casing 53, and the relative position of the driven member of the shaft 76 and the clutch 77 is such that they are not exposed outside the supply opening 54. is set. When the supply grooves 57 are formed at two opposing locations as shown in FIG.
However, the position and number of the claws 85 are selected depending on the number and arrangement of the supply grooves 57. When the pawl 85 engages with the stopper lever 84 and the driven member is stopped, slipping occurs between the driving member and the driven member of the clutch 77, and the rotation of the driven gear 79 to which the driving member is fixed is limited to the shaft 7.
6, that is, it is not transmitted to the toner supply roller 55.

When the solenoid 82 is energized and the stopper lever 84 is moved as shown in FIG. be rotated. Toner supply roller 5
5, the toner that has entered the supply groove 57 passes through the sealing member 56 and falls into the receiving opening 75 of the developing unit 3 at the supply opening, thereby performing toner replenishment.

As shown in FIGS. 5, 10, and 11, in the casing 53, a shutter holding arm 60 is rotatably supported on a support shaft 58 fixed to the side wall, and a shutter 59 is attached to the shutter holding arm 60. Both ends of the front end are pivotally connected.

Due to the forward rotation of the shutter holding arm 60, the shutter 5
Both ends of the rear end of the shutter 59, which the shutter 59 opens and closes with respect to the supply port 54, are pivoted to the free ends of an operating arm 62 that is rotatably supported by the casing 53 at a fulcrum 61.
An opening/closing lever 63 rotatably supported on a fulcrum 61 is connected to the operating arm 62 by a torsion spring 87. In some cases, the actuating arm 12 and the opening/closing lever 63 may be fixed or integrally formed. The actuating arm 62 is given a force in the direction of closing the shutter 59 by a spring 88.

The force of the spring 88 is weaker than the force of the torsion spring 87 that presses the operating arm 62 against the opening/closing lever 63, and
The force is set to be sufficient to close 9.

The opening/closing lever 63, the operating arm 62, and the shack holding arm 60 are used as opening/closing members for the shutter 59.

The connecting arm 52 of the sub-light kit 27 is formed to be inserted into the kit holder 26 of the recording device when it is attached or detached.

The sub-light kit 27 is attached to the kit holder 26, and the kit holder 26 is further rotated to the use position shown in FIG. 2, and the supply port 54 of the toner cartridge 28 reaches above the toner receiving port of the developing unit 3. As shown in FIG. 1O, the opening/closing lever 63 comes into contact with the guide protrusion 71 formed on the main body 22 as shown in FIG. is pulled, and in cooperation with the rotation of the shutter holding arm 60 about the support shaft 58, the shutter 59 is moved to the open position where the supply port 54 is opened, as shown in FIG. 1B. When the toner cartridge 28 is further lowered, only the opening/closing lever 63 rotates as shown in FIG. 10C, and the operating lever 62 does not move from the open position.
When replacing the kit holder 26, the kit holder 26 is tilted upward in conjunction with the opening movement of the upper cover 18. At that time, open/close lever 6
3 separates from the guide protrusion 71, only the opening/closing lever 63 moves from the state shown in FIG. 10C to the state shown in FIG. 10B,
Toner cartridge 28 with shutter 59 open
is separated from the toner unit 3, and then the shutter 59 is also rotated to the closed position in accordance with the movement of the release lever 63, thereby closing the supply port 54. This allows the supply opening 54 to be reliably closed with the shutter 59 without interfering with the developing unit 3.

The holding arm 50 of the cleaning device 5 is pushed by an opening/closing member such as a pin provided on the drum unit 25.
When the photoreceptor drum 1 is set almost at a predetermined position, the cleaning shutter 48 is opened and the drum unit 25 is opened.
When the holding arm 50 moves to open together with the upper cover 18, the holding arm 50
It is convenient to form the photoreceptor drum 1 so that the photoreceptor drum 1 is moved after the cleaning shutter 48 is moved and the cleaning blade 43 is separated from the photoreceptor drum 1.

〔effect〕

According to the present invention, when the developer powder supply device is attached and detached, the supply groove of the replenishment roller is not exposed, the developer powder is prevented from falling or scattering, and the hands and surroundings are prevented from getting dirty with the developer powder.

By opening and closing the replenishment opening of the container using a shutter, the effect of preventing scattering of developing powder was further obtained.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

Fig. 1 is an overall schematic diagram of a laser printer as an example of a recording device that utilizes the present invention, Fig. 2 is a schematic diagram with only the top cover open, and Fig. 3 is a schematic diagram with the top cover open and the supply kit replaced. 4 is a schematic diagram showing the state in which the supply kit is removed; FIG. 5 is a partial cross-sectional perspective view of the supply kit; FIG. 6 is a sectional view of the vicinity of the supply opening of the toner cartridge; FIG. The figure is a cross-sectional view of the toner cartridge installed in the developing unit, Figure 8 is a perspective view of the toner supply roller stopping device, and Figure 9 is a front view of the stopping device. B) is a diagram showing a non-differential state, FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the shutter opening/closing device, (A) is a diagram when it is closed, (B) is a diagram when it is open, and (C) is a diagram showing when it is attached to a developing unit. , FIG. 11 is an exploded perspective view. 4... Supply port (opening/closing member) 5... Supply roller 6... Seal member 7... Supply groove 9... Shutter 0... Shutter holding arm (opening/closing member) 2... Operating arm (Opening/closing member) l...Stopping device 1...Photosensitive drum 2...Charger 3...Developing unit 4...Transfer charger 5...Cleaning unit 18...Top cover 26...・Kit holder 2
7... Supply kit 28... Toner cartridge Figure 6 Figure 7 (A) Figure 10 (C)

Claims (2)

[Claims] (1) a container for storing developer powder and having a supply opening at the bottom; a supply roller rotatably disposed near the supply opening and having at least one supply groove extending in the axial direction on its circumferential surface; A developing powder supply device comprising: an elastic seal member fixed to the container so as to contact the replenishment roller and sealing the inside of the container from the outside; and a drive device for rotating the replenishment roller. A developing powder supply device characterized in that a stop device is provided for stopping the supply groove at a position where the supply groove is not exposed to the outside at the supply opening. (2) The container is provided with a shutter that opens and closes the supply opening, and when the container is attached to and removed from the main body, the shutter is automatically opened and closed by side movement with the main body. The developer powder supply device according to claim 1.