JPH05197283A - Electrophotographic device developer - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] [Object] The present invention relates to a developing device for various electrophotographic devices, and reliably stirs and crushes the replenished toner lumps and supplies them to a magnet roller to prevent stains on photographic prints. The purpose is to [Structure] Two screws 13 whose both ends are formed in a conical shape with a constant apex angle are axially supported in parallel with a case 11-1 in which a corner 11-1b is formed in a shape corresponding to the both ends. A conical transfer wheel 14 having a plurality of triangular blades 14a radially planted is rotatably disposed in each triangular space formed by both ends of the screw 13, and
The partition plate 2 is vertically installed between the screw 13 and the screw 13, and the Mg roller 5 and the stirring roller 4 are arranged in parallel with the screw 13, and the toner supply mechanism 7 is fixed to the upper portion of the stirring roller 4 to fix the screw. 13 are rotated in the opposite directions, and the transfer vehicle 14, the Mg roller 5, and the stirring roller 4
Is also configured to work together.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a developing device for various electrophotographic devices. Recently, electrophotographic devices such as laser printers and copiers are capable of printing various information at high speed with little noise and are widely used in offices. It is necessary to always keep the toner density of the stored developer constant.

However, in the developing device, an agitating / conveying roller for uniformly mixing the toner replenished by the toner supply mechanism and the carrier to form a developer is provided in parallel with the magnet roller. Since the replenished toner contains a lump of toner (hereinafter abbreviated as raw toner), it is necessary to sufficiently stir and pulverize the raw toner, so that the length of the stirring roller is short. In addition, there is a demand for a developing device for a new electrophotographic apparatus that can sufficiently grind raw toner.

[0003]

2. Description of the Related Art A developing device for an electrophotographic apparatus which has been widely used in the past is shown in FIG.
The height of the developer 8 that is supplied to the case is slightly higher than the draft surface, and as shown in FIG. 7 (a), both side walls 1-1a of the case 1-1.
The partition plate 2 is erected so that there is a movement interval of the developer 8 between them, and the first and second screws 3 are parallel to the partition plate 2 so that the partition plate 2 is interposed in the middle. Rotatably supported on the side wall 1-1a so that the first and second screws 3 are rotated in opposite directions by a driving source (not shown), so that the development is performed with the partition plate 2 as a boundary. A stirring mechanism is formed so as to orbit the agent 8 in the direction of the arrow while stirring.

As shown in FIG. 7 (b), a plurality of toner stirring mechanisms for stirring the toner 8a replenished by dropping from the toner supplying mechanism 7 installed upright on one side of the case 1-1 are added to the developer stirring mechanism. An agitating roller 4 shorter than the first screw 3 in which a plurality of blades are provided radially from the axis, and an Mg roller 5 for supplying the developer 8 to the photosensitive drum are respectively provided with an axis having a draft surface of the developer 8. The scraping plate 6 which is axially installed in parallel with the first and second screws 3 at a constant distance from the outside so as to be substantially equal in height to the outer peripheral surface of the Mg roller 5 is the second screw. It is arranged diagonally to the direction of 3.

When the developing device having the above structure is driven,
As shown in FIG. 7A, the toner replenished from the toner supply mechanism 7 is agitated by the agitating roller 4 and supplied to the first screw 3, and the toner replenished by the first rotation is The developer 8 from the two screws 3 is uniformly mixed and conveyed in the direction of the arrow, and the developer 8 is transferred to the second screw 3 from between the partition plate 2 and one side wall 1-1a. The developer 8 in which the toner and the carrier are mixed at a constant ratio can be supplied to the Mg roller 5 by conveying the screw 3 in the arrow direction opposite to the conveying direction.

As another conventional example, as shown in FIG. 8 (a), a plurality of blades for agitating the toner replenished from the toner supply section 1-1b are provided in the center of the case 1'-1 as an axis line. Agitating roller 4'provided in a predetermined direction and a screw 3 for conveying the developer in the axial direction by a spiral blade are axially supported in parallel at a constant interval, and the agitating roller 4'is provided as shown in FIG. 8 (b). Between the screw 3 and the screw 3, for example, a height protruding from the outer peripheral surface of the upper portion of the stirring roller 4 ', and a movement interval of the developer 8 can be formed between the side walls 1'-1a of the case 1'-1. A partition plate 2 is vertically installed.

A Mg roller 5 for supplying the developer 8 to a photosensitive drum (not shown) is axially installed parallel to the upper portion of the screw 3, and a scraping plate contacted with an upper portion of the outer peripheral surface of the Mg roller 5 is provided. 6 is disposed obliquely to the stirring roller 4 ', and a toner replenishing roller is axially provided on the stirring roller 4'side, and the stirring roller 4'and the screw 3 are opposed by a drive source (not shown). 8A, the developer 8 can be rotated around the partition plate 2 as a boundary and agitated to be supplied to the Mg roller 5 as shown in FIG. 8A.

[0008]

A problem with the above-described conventional developing device is that the toner replenished in the case 1-1 by the toner supply mechanism or the toner replenishing roller has a lump of solidified toner itself. Since the raw toner is mixed and the specific gravity of the raw toner is lighter than that of the developer 8 in which the toner and the carrier are mixed, as shown in FIG. 7B, the toner supply mechanism installed upright on one side of the case 1-1. In the structure in which the toner 8a is dropped from 7 and replenished to the stirring roller 4, the lump of the replenished toner 8a scatters on the adjacent first screw 3 and is deposited on the upper surface of the developer 8 that orbits the partition plate 2. There is a problem that it floats and is fed to the Mg roller 5 by the conveyance of the second screw 3 and stains the photographic print.

Further, as shown in FIG. 8, the toner supply section 1-1b
Even in the structure in which the agitating roller 4 ′ for agitating the toner replenished from the shaft and the screw 3 for conveying the developer in the axial direction are axially supported in parallel at a constant interval, the agglomerates of the replenished toner are admitted to the adjacent screw 3 The photo print has been smeared after being transported.

In view of the above problems, the present invention is a new electrophotographic apparatus capable of preventing stains on photographic prints by reliably stirring and crushing the replenished toner lumps and supplying them to the magnet roller. The purpose of the present invention is to provide a developing device.

[0011]

According to the present invention, as shown in FIG. 1, two screws 13 each having a conical shape with a constant apex angle at both ends are provided with corners 11-1b corresponding to the both ends. A conical transfer vehicle that is axially supported in parallel with the shaped case 11-1 and has a plurality of triangular blades 14a radially planted.
14 are rotatably arranged in triangular spaces formed at both ends of the screw 13, and the partition plate 2 is vertically installed between the transfer vehicle 14 and the screw 13.
The roller 5 and the agitating roller 4 are arranged in parallel with the screw 13, the toner supply mechanism 7 is fixed to the upper part of the agitating roller 4, and the screw 13 rotates in the opposite directions, and the transfer wheel 14 and the Mg roller. 5, the stirring roller 4 is also configured to interlock.

[0012]

In the present invention, the two screws 13 for conveying the developer 8 in opposite directions are formed in a conical shape at both ends, and are horizontally extended via the partition plate 2.
Since the corner portion 11-1b of 11-1 is formed in a shape corresponding to the both end portions, the developer 8 moved to the end portion in the transport direction generates a force to flow toward the screws 13 adjacent to each other. Against this flow, a conical transfer vehicle axially installed in each triangular space formed at both ends of the screw 13.
When 14 is rotated, the lump of toner floating on the upper surface of the developer 8 replenished and conveyed from the toner supply mechanism 7 is generated by the transfer vehicle.
Since the developer 8 is agitated at 14 and crushed inside the developer 8, the uniformly mixed developer 8 can be supplied to the Mg roller 5, so that it is possible to prevent stains on the photographic print.

[0013]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to FIGS. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a developing device of an electrophotographic apparatus according to the first embodiment, FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing a developing device of the second embodiment, and FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing a developing device of the third embodiment. Four
Is a schematic view showing the developing device of the fourth embodiment, FIG. 5 is a plan view showing a partition plate of the developing device of the fifth embodiment, and FIG. 6 is a plan view of another partition plate of the fifth embodiment. In the figure, the same members as those in FIGS. 7 and 8 are denoted by the same symbols.

The developing unit of the electrophotographic apparatus in the first embodiment, which uses the above-mentioned members, has a developer 8 as shown in FIG. 1 (a).
Two screws 13 each having a fixed blade, for example, a conical blade 13a with an apex angle of 60 ° are provided at both ends of which spiral blades that convey the blades in the axial direction are provided. The both side walls 11-1a are axially supported in parallel with the both side walls 11-1a of the case 11-1 formed in a shape corresponding to the shape of both end portions of the both side walls 11.
-1a, a partition plate 2 having a length capable of forming an interval in which the developer 8 can be transferred is vertically provided between the first and second screws 13.

Both ends of the two screws 13 and the side wall 11
-1a and a plurality of triangular blades 14a radially planted in a triangular space formed by the end surfaces of the partition plate 2 at equal division angles, the conical transfer wheel 14 having the same apex angle as the end of the screw 13 described above. The agitating roller 4 and the Mg roller 5 are rotatably arranged in the same manner as in the conventional case, and the toner is transferred to the upper part of the case 11-1 so as to face the agitating roller 4 as shown in FIG. 1 (b). The two screws 13 for fixing the supply mechanism 7 are rotated in mutually opposite directions shown by arrows and the transfer vehicle
By rotating 14 also in conjunction with each other, the developer 8 is circulated with the partition plate 2 as a boundary while being stirred, and the Mg roller 5 is rotated.
It is configured to be supplied to.

In the developing device of the second embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, two screws 3 via a partition plate 2 and a stirring roller 4 and a Mg roller 5 on the outside of each screw 3 are provided.
The toner supply mechanism 7 is attached to the upper lid 1-2 of the case 1-1 that supports the
A hook-shaped shield plate 21 is hung from the inner surface of the upper lid 1-2 to reach the draft surface of the developer 8 housed in the case 1-1 so as to isolate the upper space of the agitating roller 4 which is laid horizontally at the bottom of the. Then, the toner replenished by the toner supply mechanism 7 falls only on the upper portion of the stirring roller 4.

In the developing device of the third embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3 (a), two screws 3 and a Mg roller 5 which are adjacent to each other between the side walls 1-1a of the case 1-1 are installed in parallel. With the relevant M
A toner replenishing portion 1-1b is provided on the opposite side of the g roller 5, and a partition plate 2 capable of forming a toner moving portion at a constant interval with the both side walls 1-1a is vertically provided between the two screws 3. As shown in FIG. 3 (b), the partition plate 2 is provided so as to cover a part of the screw 3 which is adjacent to the toner replenishing section 1-1b and agitates and replenishes the replenished toner, in the developer conveying direction. As shown, the lower surface is fixed to a semi-cylindrical surface having a diameter substantially equal to the diameter of the screw 3 so as to stop the flow of the toner lumps floating on the surface of the transported developer 8. ing.

In the developing device of the fourth embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3 (a), two screws 3 and a Mg roller 5 are arranged in parallel in a case 1-1 of the developing device main body having a toner replenishing portion 1-1b. The partition plate 2 that is hung and vertically installed between the two screws 3,
As shown in FIG. 4, the side wall 1-1a and the top lid 1-2 of the case 1-1 are shown.
A square hole 42a is provided in the lower part of both ends of a flat plate shaped to contact the inner surface so that the developer conveyed from one screw 3 can move to the other screw 3, and the screws 3 are moved in opposite directions. By rotating, the developer passes through the hole 42a and goes around the partition plate 42.

A plan view showing the partition plate of the developing device of the fifth embodiment is such that the developer is conveyed into a case 1-1 provided with a toner replenishing section 1-1b as shown in FIG. 3 (a). As shown in FIG. 5, a plurality of narrow slits 52a having a width of 6 mm, for example, are formed in parallel at a constant pitch to form a partition plate 52 in parallel with each other.
By vertically arranging between the screw 4'and the screw 3, as shown in FIG. 3 (a), a space is provided between the side walls 1-1a of the case 1-1 to allow the developer to move.

As shown in FIG. 6, another partition plate 62 of the fifth embodiment is a flat plate having the same size as the partition plate 52, and a plurality of circular through holes 62a having a small diameter, for example, 6 mm, are bored therein. As a result, the raw toner replenished from the toner replenishing section is caught inside the developer circulating around the partition plate, so that it is completely crushed and transferred to the screw on the Mg roller side.
Since the developer in which the toner is uniformly mixed is supplied to the Mg roller, it is possible to prevent stains on the photographic print.

[0021]

As is apparent from the above description, according to the present invention, the raw toner replenished from the toner replenishing section is completely crushed with the extremely simple structure, so that the toner is uniformly mixed on the Mg roller. It is possible to provide a developing device for an electrophotographic apparatus, which has advantages such as being able to prevent stains on photographic prints by being supplied with a developer, and which can be expected to achieve significant economic and reliability improvement effects.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a developing device of an electrophotographic apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic view showing a developing device according to a second embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a schematic view showing a developing device according to a third embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a schematic view showing a developing device of a fourth embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a plan view showing a partition plate of a developing device according to a fifth embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a plan view showing another partition plate of the fifth embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a schematic view showing a conventional developing device.

FIG. 8 is a schematic view showing another conventional example.

[Explanation of symbols]

1-1, 11-1 is a case, 1-1a, 11-1a is a side wall, 1-1b is a toner replenishing section, 1-2 is a top cover, 2, 42, 52, 62 are partition plates, and 3, 13 are screws. , 4 is a stirring roller, 13a and 14a are blades, 5 is a Mg roller, 6 is a scraping plate, 7 is a toner supply mechanism, 7-1 is a hopper, 8 is a developer, 8a is toner, and 11-1b is a corner portion 14 Is a transfer vehicle, 21 is a shield plate, 31 is a regulation plate, 42a is a hole, 52a is a slit, 62a is a through hole,

 ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of front page (72) Inventor Atsushi Fujisawa No. 35 Saho, Shrine-cho, Kato-gun, Hyogo Prefecture (no address) Inside Fujitsu Peripheral Machines Ltd. (72) Inventor Yuzuru Sugiura No. 35, Saho, Sha-cho, Kato-gun, Hyogo Prefecture (No address) Inside Fujitsu Peripherals Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Kazuyoshi Sazawa No. 35 Saho, Shrine Town, Kato-gun, Hyogo Prefecture (No addresses) Inside Fujitsu Peripherals

Claims (9)

[Claims] 1. A developer provided with a toner supply mechanism (7).
A partition plate (2) is vertically installed at the center of the bottom surface of the case (11-1) for supplying (8) to the magnet roller (5), and two screws (for conveying the developer (8) in the axial direction ( The partition plate (2) is axially supported in parallel so that the partition plate (2) is interposed between the partition plates (13), and the partition plate (2) is rotated around the developer (8) by rotating the screw (13). In the stirring mechanism configured in, means (14) for forcibly transferring the developer conveyed in opposite directions by the screw (13) through the partition plate (2) to the other screw (13), A developing device for an electrophotographic apparatus, wherein the developing device is provided at both ends of the screw (13). 2. A partition plate for the developer transfer means.
A case where two screws (13) having conical shapes at both ends with the interposition of (2) and a corner part (11-1b) formed in a shape corresponding to the shape of the both ends ( 11-1) and a conical transfer vehicle that is axially supported in parallel and has a plurality of triangular blades (14a) radially formed at equal division angles and has the same cone apex angle.
The (14) is rotatably supported in parallel to both end faces of the partition plate (2) and the side wall (11-1a) of the case (11-1) so as to interlock with the screw (13). Item 1. A developing device for an electrophotographic apparatus according to Item 1. 3. The developing device for an electrophotographic apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the transfer vehicle has triangular blades, which are curved on a side opposite to a rotational direction as they move away from the axis, and are fixed at equal division angles. 4. The developing device for an electrophotographic apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the transfer vehicle has helical triangular blades having a large lead angle with respect to the axis and radially fixed at equal division angles. 5. A shield plate (21) is hung from the upper lid (1-2) of the case (1-1) having the toner supply mechanism (7) fixed to the upper part thereof to reach the draft surface of the developer (8). The toner supply mechanism
A developing device for an electrophotographic apparatus, characterized in that it is configured to isolate an upper space of a stirring roller (4) which is horizontally arranged below the (7). 6. A toner moving part is formed between two side walls (1-1a) of the case (1-1) at a constant interval between two screws (3) horizontally mounted on the case (1-1). On top of the partition plate (2) vertically installed so that the developer may cover a part of the screw (3) adjacent to the toner replenishment part (1-1b) in the conveying direction.
A developing device for an electrophotographic apparatus, characterized in that a regulating plate (31) for stopping the transportation of the floating toner lumps is provided in (8). 7. A case (1) provided with a toner replenishing section (1-1b).
-1) Inside the case (1-1), divide the inside of the case (1-1) into two by horizontally installing two screws (3) that stir and convey the developer (8) and the magnet roller (5). A hole for transferring developer (42a) at the bottom of both edges that contacts the inner surface of the upper lid (1-2)
The partition plate (42) on which the two
A developing device for an electrophotographic apparatus, which is provided vertically between (3). 8. A case (1) provided with a toner replenishing section (1-1b).
-1) A screw (3) for stirring and conveying the developer (8), a stirring roller (4), and the magnet roller.
Cross over (5), screw (3) and stirring roller (4).
A developing device of an electrophotographic apparatus, characterized in that a partition plate (52) having a plurality of narrow slits (52a) formed in parallel with each other is provided vertically. 9. The developing device for an electrophotographic apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the partition plate has a plurality of small-diameter through holes (62a) penetrating the front and back surfaces thereof.