JPH1069156A - Toner supplying device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To reduce the impact noise of a beater member and to suppress the influence of an original toner bottle to rotary drive as muth as possible by providing the beater member for imparting vibration to the outer periphery of a toner bottle so as to enable the rocking of the beater member. SOLUTION: The beater member 319 provided with plural ratchet like teeth 319a projections on the periphery is installed in the lower case 303 of an outside case member 300 through a supporting bracket 320 consisting of a leaf spring. In other words, the beater member 319 is rotatably supported in such a manner that its shaft part 319b is inserted through the hole part 320a of the supporting bracket 320 fitted to the lower case 303. When the toner bottle is rotated by the operation of supplying toner, the beater member 319 rolls by contact friction as well. At this time, the teeth 319a intermittently, that is, discontinuously hit the outside surface of a bottle part 114, so that the vibration is applied to the toner bottle. Thus, the stocking of the toner to the inwall of the bottle is prevented and the impact sound is reduced as well since the beater member 319 abuts on the bottle by rolling.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a toner supply device for an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine, a printer, a facsimile and the like.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as a kind of toner replenishing device in an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine, a printer, a facsimile, etc., a toner discharge port is formed at a central portion on one end side of a cylindrical container body, and a spiral projection is formed on an inner wall surface. A screw bottle type toner bottle provided with a portion (rib) is held in a substantially horizontal direction by holding means in a state where the toner bottle is communicated with a toner introduction section to the developing section, and the toner bottle held by the holding means is By rotating by the rotation driving means, the toner inside the toner bottle is discharged from the toner discharge port by the toner conveying action of the spiral protrusion, and the toner is supplied to the developing section of the image forming apparatus. A toner supply device is known.

In an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine, since a main body has a portion (heat source) that generates heat like a fixing device, there is a problem that the toner contained in the toner bottle is melted by the heat. May be. Even when the toner does not melt, the temperature of the toner bottle is high,
Problems such as a decrease in the fluidity of the stored toner, a decrease in the amount of toner replenished, and an increase in the remaining amount of toner at the time of toner end due to an increase in the amount of toner attached to the inner wall of the toner cartridge have occurred. Such a problem is caused in a miniaturized image forming apparatus usually called a process cartridge having a configuration in which a photoconductor and its peripheral devices are unitized and housed in a compact case.
This becomes more remarkable because the distance between the toner supply device and the heat source is short.

[0004] In order to prevent such a problem, that is, replenishment failure due to adhesion of toner on the inner wall of the toner bottle and increase of residual toner, vibration is performed by hitting the toner bottle. Specifically, a structure in which the hitting member is constantly pressed against the outer surface of the toner bottle by a spring member or the like, and a shock is applied when the hitting member climbs over a projection provided on the outer surface of the toner bottle and falls when the toner bottle rotates. Is the mainstream.

[0005]

However, in the above-mentioned conventional configuration, since the hitting member hits very strongly, the impact sound is loud, the sound is harsh, and there is a problem from the viewpoint of reducing the noise of the OA equipment. . In addition, the resistance when the hitting member gets over the protrusion is large in proportion to the loud impact sound, which is a heavy load in the rotation driving of the toner bottle. For this reason, it has been necessary to increase the rotational driving force of the toner bottle for discharging the contained toner from the original.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a toner replenishing apparatus capable of reducing the impact sound of a hitting member and minimizing the influence on the original rotation driving of the toner bottle.

[0007]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention recognizes that the generation of an impact sound in the prior art is caused by a structure in which the elastic force of the hitting member with respect to the outer surface of the toner bottle is consumed at a stretch, and the elastic force of the hitting member is reduced. It is intended to be decentralized. More specifically, in the invention according to claim 1, in the toner supply device configured to rotate the toner bottle to discharge the toner contained in the toner bottle and supply the toner to the developing unit of the image forming apparatus, The outer surface of the toner bottle is provided with a hitting member for applying vibration, and the hitting member is provided so as to be swingable.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect, the hitting member is rotatably provided.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the configuration of the second aspect, the hitting member has a plurality of protrusions intermittently contacting the outer surface of the toner bottle. .

[0010]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings. First, an image forming system of an image forming apparatus (here, a copying machine) in which the toner supply device of the present invention is used will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3, the photosensitive member 1 is neutralized by the neutralizing light 7 while rotating and moving in the direction of the arrow, and the surface potential is averaged to a reference potential of 0 to -150V. Next, the photoreceptor 1 is charged by the charging device 2, and the surface potential becomes about -900V. The charged photoreceptor 1 is irradiated with image light 3 in an exposure portion, and a portion (image portion) where the image light 3 is not irradiated is formed into a toner image by toner on a developing sleeve 4 in a developing portion. At this time, a bias of about −200 V is applied to the developing sleeve 4, but the surface potential of the portion (image portion) of the photoreceptor 1 where the image light 3 is not irradiated becomes −500 to −8.
Since the voltage is maintained at 50 V, the toner on the developing sleeve 4 adheres to this image portion. While the photoconductor 1 further rotates, transfer paper is supplied from a paper supply unit (not shown). The transfer paper is fed at a timing such that the leading end of the transfer paper coincides with the leading end of the toner image formed on the photoreceptor 1. The image is transferred. The transfer paper on which the toner image has been transferred is sent to a fixing unit (not shown), where the toner image is fused by heat and pressure of a fixing device (not shown), and then discharged outside the machine as a copy. On the other hand, the toner remaining on the photoconductor 1 without being transferred to the transfer paper is scraped off by the cleaning blade 6 of the cleaning unit. As a result, the photoconductor 1 is in an initial state in which no toner is attached, and the process proceeds to the next image forming process again.

In the present embodiment, the photosensitive member, and an image forming apparatus such as a charging device, a developing device as a developing unit, and a cleaning device disposed around the photosensitive member are usually provided as an integral photosensitive unit called a process cartridge. It is unitized and stored in the body case 40. This process cartridge has an external appearance as shown in FIG. 1, and removes residual toner scraped off from the photoreceptor 1 by the cleaning blade 6 as shown in FIG.
To the recycled toner transport section on the front side of the case 40, and is sent to the developer agitating section of the developing device by the toner recycling belt 9 provided in the recycled toner transport section, so as to be reused as recycled toner. Has become. In the image forming apparatus to which the present invention is applied, as is apparent from FIG. 2, the roller type is shown as the charging device 2 and the transfer device 5, but the present invention is not limited to this. It may be provided with a type that causes corona discharge.

Next, the developing device in the process cartridge will be described. 2 and 3, the developing sleeve 4 has a fixed shaft in which five-pole magnets are arranged, and is configured to cover the outer peripheral surface with a non-magnetic pipe material such as aluminum. Rotates, the developer (a two-component developer composed of a carrier composed of a small iron ball and a toner) contained in the development container (case 40) is pumped onto the development sleeve 4 by the magnetic force of the magnet. Then, the photosensitive member 1 is moved to the developing section. The amount of developer supplied to the photoconductor 1 by the developing sleeve 4 is adjusted by a doctor blade 10 to the photoconductor 1 side on the developing sleeve 4 in order to prevent image density defects and density unevenness due to excess or deficiency. It is regulated so that the inflow is constant.

The developing container formed integrally with the case 40 is provided with a pair of stirring screws 11 for stirring and circulating the developer. While being stirred, the developer is circulated and conveyed in a loop along the axial direction of the developing sleeve 4. Here, the photoreceptor 1
Of the developer transferred to the developing section, the carrier is taken into the developing container by the rotation of the developing sleeve 4 and circulated again, but is charged by stirring and adheres to the carrier to be transported to the developing section of the photoconductor 1. The removed toner adheres to an image portion formed on the photoreceptor 1 by electrostatic force and is consumed. Therefore, the toner in this type of image forming apparatus is
As is well known, it is necessary to replenish the toner in a timely manner according to its consumption. As shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. A toner supply port 12 is provided.

The supply of new toner to the toner supply port 12 is performed by a cartridge type toner supply device. The toner supply device 1000 in the present embodiment
As shown in FIG. 4, a toner bottle 100 having a screw bottle structure as a toner containing member, and a toner bottle 10
No. 0 opening or bottle mouth 114 as toner discharge unit
c, the toner discharge port 1 of the toner bottle 100
A cover member 200 provided with a toner supply control mechanism (toner supply member) communicating with the toner bottle 14d;
And an exterior member 300 that accommodates the same. In addition, the lid member 200 and the exterior member 300 may be combined and regarded as one divided exterior member. Further, both the outer shapes of the lid member 200 and the exterior member 300 in this embodiment are formed in a square shape (here, the shape is substantially a square, but may be another polygonal shape). For this reason, even if it is placed horizontally, it does not easily roll and is excellent in handling. When assembling the toner replenishing device 1000, first, the exterior member 300 is placed in an upright state, and then, the toner bottle 100 with the toner discharge port 114d opened (without a cap) is attached to the exterior member 300. The cover 200 is attached to the toner bottle 100 and the exterior member 300 and assembled. At this time, the lid member 200 and the exterior member 300 are
The claws 201d provided at the outer end of the
It is fixed by engaging with a claw 303d provided at the inner end of the “0”. Therefore, there is no need to use an adhesive or the like when assembling, and the assembly and disassembly (recycling of resources) of the parts are facilitated. In addition, the overall assembly strength can be increased as compared with a conventional toner bottle and a lid member alone, and the exterior member 300 is not contaminated with toner, so that there is no need to clean the exterior member 300 when reused. Can be used for

As shown in FIG. 4, the toner bottle 100 is provided with a spiral projection 114f projecting inward from the bottle 114. The projection 114f is formed by rotation of the bottle 114. , The toner discharge port 114d of the bottle mouth 114c
And discharges the stored toner. Also, the bottle portion 11 of the toner bottle 100
4 has a toner cartridge driving gear 1 to be described later.
The bottle gear 142 that meshes with the gear 15 is attached.

The bottle mouth 114c of the toner bottle 100
Is provided with a lid member 200. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 6, an opening 201 e is formed on the inner surface of the cover member main body 201 of the cover member 200.
A gate 219 made of an elastic material such as a PET film or rubber having a slit hole (elongated rectangular hole) 219a for optimizing the toner replenishment amount is adhered to 01e with a double-sided tape or the like. Further, on the gate 219, the toner supply device 1 in an unused state is placed.
A gate seal 210 for preventing toner leakage from the slit hole 219a of the gate 219 of the 000 is attached (FIG. 6). The gate seal 210 is passed through a seal withdrawing slit 201a provided in front of the lid member main body 201 so that the user can pull out and remove the gate refilling device 1000 from the main body of the image forming apparatus after the toner supply apparatus 1000 is set in the main body. The side end is exposed to the outside. That is, when the toner supply device 1000 is used, the toner can be supplied by pulling out the gate seal 210.

As shown in FIG. 7, a toner discharge cover 204 is attached to the outside opening surface of the cover member body 201 so as to cover a gate 219 serving as a toner supply port on the cover member body side. . This toner discharge cover 2
Reference numeral 04 denotes a shutter sheet 20 made of PET film.
6 is a shutter 205 affixed with a double-sided tape or the like.
And a shutter opening / closing spring 214 are assembled. The shutter 205 is provided with the shutter opening / closing spring 21.
4, the toner replenishing device 1
000 is not set, it is pressed against the lower side of the toner discharge cover 204, whereby the toner discharge port 204 a at the lower part of the toner discharge cover 204, which is the toner discharge port on the lid member 200 side, is moved to the shutter sheet. It is closed by 206. On the other hand, when the toner supply device 1000 is set in the image forming apparatus main body, a protrusion 205a formed on the abdomen of the shutter 205 is pushed up along a shutter opening / closing slope (not shown) provided on the image forming apparatus main body side. By doing
The shutter sheet 206 is retracted from a position where the shutter sheet 206 blocks the toner discharge port 204a, so that toner can be supplied from the lid member 200. This shutter mechanism is provided for the purpose of preventing toner leakage at the time of operation of the toner replenishing device 1000, and the sealing property against toner leakage at the time of transportation or the like is secured by the gate seal 210 described above. .

The toner discharge cover 204 has
A sealing member 208 made of foamed polyurethane for preventing toner leakage from the seal pull-out slit 200a of the lid member main body 201, and foaming for ensuring a sealing property between the toner discharge cover 204 and the lower surface of the lid member main body 201. A seal member 207 made of polyurethane is attached with a double-sided tape or the like.

Further, with the lid member 200 attached with the toner discharge cover 204 attached to the lid member main body 201, the toner supply device 1000 is set in the image forming apparatus main body, and the toner discharge port on the lid member 200 side is set. A seal member 212 for ensuring a sealing property between the toner supply port 12 and the toner discharge port 204a when the toner supply port 204a and the toner supply port 12 on the developing device side are fitted together is attached with a double-sided tape. As shown in FIG. 5, the seal member 212 includes a thin plate 212a made of a PET film and a sponge member 212b made of a foamed polyurethane which is directly attached to the toner supply port 12. The sponge member 212b includes a toner supply port 12 and a toner discharge port 204a.
The opening 21 is larger than the toner outlet 204a at the center thereof.
2e is formed. On the other hand, a plurality of cuts 212c are formed in the thin plate 212a around the opening corresponding to the toner discharge port 204a.
2d is formed.

As shown in FIG. 8A, the toner discharge port 204a in this embodiment has a lower side, that is,
A tapered surface 204c is formed on the toner supply port 12 side, and the opening 212e of the sponge member 212b is set to a size that does not block the tapered surface 204c. After attaching the sponge member 212b to the toner discharge port 204a and further attaching the thin plate 212a thereon, as shown in FIG. 8B, the bendable surface 212d of the thin plate 212a is bent by a finger to form a tapered surface 204c. Pasted in. This forms a chamfered communication path having a sealing property. Toner discharge port 204a and toner supply port 1
When the connecting path between the two is formed to have a vertical side surface,
The toner easily adheres to the sponge member 212b, and the toner T adhered at the time of replacement of the toner replenishing device 1000 is likely to fall due to vibration and cause toner contamination. On the other hand, according to the present configuration, the thin plate 212a having a smooth surface to which the toner does not easily adhere covers the toner attaching region of the sponge member 212b, and the toner attaching area is reduced by the overall tapered shape. The toner contamination can be prevented and a good sealing function can be obtained.

As shown in FIG. 2, an inner portion of the lid member body 201 of the lid member 200 is formed in a cylindrical shape, and a toner supply flange 216 is rotatably mounted on the inner portion. This toner replenishment flange 216 is shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 10, the toner bottle 100 is formed in a cylindrical cap shape.
The opening 216d communicating with the toner discharge port 114d of the toner bottle 100 is formed by inserting the bottle opening 114c. Two brackets 2 are provided on the side surface around the opening 216d so as to protrude forward.
16a are integrally formed, and two toner extruding members 217 made of a flexible member such as a PET film are adhered to these brackets 216a with a double-sided tape. As shown in FIG. 2, the toner push-out member 217 has a toner supply flange 216 mounted on the inner side of the lid member main body 201 and has an extended end with respect to the inner peripheral surface of the inner side of the lid member main body 201. It is formed so as to be elastically adhered.

A band-shaped sealing member 209 made of polyurethane foam is attached to the outer peripheral surface of the toner supply flange 216 to seal a gap between the outer peripheral surface and the inner peripheral surface of the inner portion of the lid member main body 210. Have been. Further, around the opening 216d of the toner supply flange 216 communicating with the toner discharge opening 114d of the toner bottle 100, the opening 216d and the bottle opening 11
A ring-shaped sealing member made of foamed polyurethane for sealing the gap with 4c is attached with a double-sided tape.

As shown in FIG. 11, a protruding edge 201g having a T-shaped cross section is provided on the bottom of the cylindrical lid member body 201.
Are formed so as to be located near the upper portion inside the toner discharge port 114d when the toner bottle 100 is set. A sheet-shaped scraper 1001 for scraping off the toner on the peripheral surface of the toner discharge port 114d is provided at the central protruding edge of the protruding edge 201g in the direction N of the rotation direction of the toner bottle 100. It is stuck on the front side with double-sided tape. The scraper 1001 is P
As shown in FIG. 6, the scraping unit 1 formed of an ET film and having an attaching unit 1001a and an edge 1001b.
001c. When the toner bottle 100 is set, the scraper 1001
14d, the edge 1001b contacts the peripheral surface. With the rotation of the toner bottle 100, the edge 10
01b scrapes the peripheral surface of the toner discharge port 114d. This prevents toner from staying in the toner discharge port 114d, and a stable toner supply amount is obtained. Since only the scraper 1001 is provided in contact with the toner bottle 100 in a bent state, the sliding resistance is extremely small, and the driving torque of the toner bottle 100 is hardly affected. Further, since the scraper 1001 is attached to the front side of the above-mentioned protruding edge in the rotation direction of the toner bottle 100, the sliding resistance to the toner discharge port 114d acts to promote the adhering, and thus the scraper 1001 is peeled off from the protruding edge. It has become difficult.

Next, the reason why the scraper 1001 exists will be described. Depending on the physical properties of the toner, the toner discharge port 11
Since the fluidity of the toner in 4d deteriorates, the toner discharge port 114d is closed by the toner. For this reason, only a toner with good fluidity can be used,
The types of toner that can be used are limited. Further, even at a normal temperature, even a toner having good fluidity easily adheres to the toner discharge port 114d in a high temperature environment, and the toner supply amount is reduced. With the configuration in which the scraper 1001 is provided, the toner can be prevented from adhering irrespective of the type of toner and the environmental change, and thus there is an advantage that there is no limitation on the type of application target (image forming apparatus).

Further, since the lid member 200 is provided with the toner replenishing member, there is no need to provide an opening / closing stopper mechanism on the image forming apparatus side, so that the configuration of the apparatus main body can be simplified,
The size and cost of the apparatus main body can be reduced.
Further, by providing the toner replenishing member on the lid member 200, the toner replenishing member is replaced with a new toner replenishing member at the same time by replacing the toner replenishing device before the performance of a portion requiring durability such as a seal member of the toner replenishing member is deteriorated. Therefore, stable toner replenishment can be realized, and a low-cost member can be used for a portion requiring durability such as a seal member of the toner replenishing member. Further, since the toner bottle 100 in which the toner is accommodated and the exterior member 300 which is separate from the toner bottle 100 have a double structure, operation noises such as a sliding noise inside the toner supply device can be shut off. A replenishing device can be obtained. Further, since heat from a heat source such as a fixing device of the apparatus main body is shielded by the exterior member 300, it is difficult for the toner to be transferred to the toner bottle 100 containing the toner, thereby preventing a problem caused by heat such as melting of the toner. it can. Also, it is not necessary to provide a toner filling port in the toner replenishing device with a dedicated facility for filling the toner, and it is only necessary to set the toner bottle filled with the toner by the existing filling facility in the exterior member 300.
The productivity of the toner supply device can be improved. Further, since only the opening of the toner bottle is required for sealing against toner leakage, it is not necessary to seal the exterior member 300, and the toner replenishing device can be configured simply and at low cost. In addition, a toner bottle 1 comprising a screw bottle
Since 00 is used, there is no need to separately provide a toner conveying member such as an agitator for discharging the stored toner, and the configuration of the toner replenishing device can be simplified.

The exterior member 300 is, as shown in FIG.
Bearing 301, upper case 302, lower case 303
It is composed of Here, the upper case 302 and the lower case 303 are different from each other in that the claw 302a provided in the upper case 302 is replaced with the hole 30 provided in the lower case 303.
Since it is fixed by engaging with 3b, it is not necessary to use an adhesive or the like when assembling, and assembly and disassembly (recycling of resources) of the parts are facilitated.

The upper case 302 is made of polystyrene (PS).
The thickness of the claw portion 302a is about 1.5 mm
Is set to In addition, as shown in FIG. 13 (partial view of the upper case 302 being turned upside down), it is difficult to maintain the strength of the claw portion 302a and to provide a predetermined accuracy in molding (manufacturing). In addition, a reinforcing rib 302c is integrally formed at the base of each claw 302a. The angle θ of the reinforcing rib 302c is set to 45 degrees. Due to the reinforcing action of the reinforcing rib 302c, the claw 302
The locking function by the engagement between the hole a and the hole 303b is ensured for a long time. As shown in FIG. 13, a plurality of reinforcing ribs extending in the longitudinal direction and the lateral direction are formed on the lower surface of the upper case 302, and correspond to the wall thickness of the lower case 303 near the outer periphery. A thick fitting rib 30 is provided at a position having room and over the entire periphery.
2d is formed. Correspondingly, lower case 3
03 has a notch recess 3 between the reinforcing rib 303f and the side surface.
03e is formed. The presence of the fitting rib 302d further increases the strength of the upper case 302 itself. Further, the engagement between the fitting rib 302d and the cut-out recess 303e ensures that the upper case 302 can be securely fitted even if the distance between the two longitudinal walls of the lower case 303 is shorter or longer than a predetermined dimension. After the positioning is obtained and the upper case 302 is fitted, the lower case 30
3 does not crush by pushing the longitudinal wall surface inward. That is, the presence of the fitting ribs 302d complements the weak points in the case of the divided structure, and ensures the case strength of the entire exterior member 300. In addition, even if there is a dimensional error as described above, reliable dimensions and positioning can be obtained after the upper case 302 is fitted, so that manufacturing accuracy is relaxed and contributes to improvement in productivity.

As shown in FIG. 14, the bearing 301 has a snap claw 301b formed along the axial direction thereof.
The outer member 300 shown in FIG. 12 is fixed to the lower case 303 by snap-fitting to the bearing support 303 a of the lower case 303. Snap claw 30
As shown in FIGS. 14 (a) and 14 (b), a rib 301c is provided at the root of 1b to prevent the snap claw 301b from falling inward and weakening the hook.
Are formed. Further, a tapered portion 301a is provided below the shaft center of the bearing 301 as shown in FIG. 14C, and the tapered portion 301a is, as shown in FIG. Inside the toner supply device 100
0, the extension end of the drive shaft 116 of the toner cartridge drive gear 115 disposed on the image forming apparatus main body side is moved upward from below along the inclined surface. I have. As a result, the toner cartridge driving gear 115 is moved to the bottle portion 114 of the toner bottle 100.
Is engaged with the bottle gear 142 provided in the toner cartridge from a direction orthogonal to the rotation axis thereof. Therefore, when a bottle gear and its drive gear mesh with each other in an axial direction parallel to each other as in a conventional toner bottle, a gear is generated. As a result, the toner supply device 1000 can be set very smoothly with respect to the image forming apparatus main body.

As shown in FIG. 12, a striking member 319 having a plurality of ratchet-shaped teeth 319a as projections is attached to the lower case 303 of the exterior member 300 via a support bracket 320 made of a leaf spring. Have been. The hitting member 319 has its shaft portion 319b attached to the lower case 30.
3, a hole 320a of the support bracket 320 attached to
And is rotatably supported. The hitting member 319 is configured to elastically contact the outer surface of the bottle portion 114 by the elastic deformation of the support bracket 320 in a state where the toner bottle 100 is assembled to the exterior member 300. When the toner bottle 100 is rotated by a toner supply operation described later, as shown in FIG.
The hitting member 319 also rolls due to contact friction. in this case,
Since the teeth 319a intermittently, that is, discontinuously, contact the outer surface of the bottle portion 114, the toner bottle 100 is vibrated, thereby preventing the toner from adhering to the inner wall of the bottle. Since the contact is caused by rolling, the impact sound is also small. As shown in FIG. 17, even when a step 114g is formed on the outer surface of the bottle portion 114, since the hitting member 319 is provided rotatably, that is, swingable, the tooth 3
Since stepwise 319a ₂ while rotating the 19a ₁ as a fulcrum lands, impact noise is reduced as compared to once landing. Even if the hitting member 319 slips and does not rotate, a similar step-by-step overtaking is performed.

In the case of the hitting member 319 having the plurality of projections 319a on the peripheral surface as described above, in addition to the rotation due to the contact friction, a depression (spiral groove) on the outer surface of the toner bottle 100.
It is also rotated by burrs and the like at the time of molding, so that there is no need to provide a step to obtain a hitting operation. Further, since the hitting member 319 is rotatably supported, even if the pressing force on the toner bottle 100 is too strong, the hitting member 319 can be rotated together with the toner bottle 100, thereby reducing the contact resistance. Bottle 100
Of the toner bottle 100 can be prevented, and a load that hinders the rotational driving force of the toner bottle 100 can be reduced. As the shape of the protrusion 319a, for example, a triangular shape shown in FIG. 18 or a trapezoidal shape shown in FIG. 19 can be adopted other than the ratchet shape.

FIG. 20 shows another embodiment of the hitting member. The hitting member 330 in this embodiment is formed in a rectangular parallelepiped shape, and is rotatably supported by the support bracket 320 via a shaft portion 330a. As shown in FIG. 21, when the hitting member 330 gets over the step 114g of the bottle portion 114, first, as shown in FIG.
The tip of the first half 330c lands while the second half 330b of 0 rotates in contact with the step 114g, and vibrates the toner bottle 100. Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 21C, the rear half 330b lands and gives vibration. As described above, since the step 114g is stepped over by the swing configuration in a stepwise manner, vibration can be applied to the toner bottle 100 even if the toner bottle 100 is not circular as in the above-described embodiment.
Impact noise can be reduced.

In each of the above embodiments, the application of the hitting members 319 and 330 to the toner replenishing device 1000 in which the toner bottle is integrally assembled has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this. The present invention can be similarly applied to a possible toner supply device.

Next, the toner supply operation in the toner supply device 1000 will be described. 2 and 3, the toner concentration sensor 34 including a magnetic permeability sensor that detects the magnetic permeability of the developer detects that the toner concentration of the developer circulated and transported in the developing container is lower than the reference toner concentration. Then, a drive unit (not shown) of the apparatus main body operates to drive the toner cartridge drive gear 115 shown in FIG.
Rotates. This toner cartridge driving gear 115
As described above, when the toner supply device 1000 is set in the image forming apparatus main body, the toner supply device 1000 meshes with the bottle gear 142 of the toner bottle 100 housed in the toner supply device 1000, and in this state, the toner cartridge driving gear 115 Is rotated, the toner bottle 100 is rotated in a predetermined direction.

At this time, the protrusion 114a (FIG. 4) provided on the head of the toner bottle 100 is connected to the rib 21 provided on the inner wall surface of the toner supply flange 216 of the lid member 200.
6b (FIG. 10), the toner bottle 1
00 and the toner supply flange 216 rotate integrally. The toner supply flange 216 has a protrusion 114 a provided on the head of the toner bottle 100 and a rib 216 provided on the inner wall surface of the toner supply flange 216.
In order to prevent the toner bottle 100 from idling when the engagement with the projections 114b comes off due to wear of the projections 114a or the like, the projections 12 engaged with the inclined portions 114b of the shoulders of the toner bottles.
16c is supplementarily provided on the inner wall surface.

With the rotation of the toner bottle 100, the toner is conveyed to the opening side of the end of the toner replenishing device 1000 by the toner conveying action of the spiral protrusion 114f of the bottle 114, and the toner is conveyed to the bottle mouth 114c. First, the toner discharged from the toner discharge port 114d is as shown in FIG.
As shown in (2), the toner is introduced into a toner hopper section (in the rotation path of the toner pushing member 217) formed by the lid member main body 201 and the toner supply flange 216. Next, the toner introduced into the toner hopper is rotated by rotation of the toner replenishing flange 216.
When the toner pushing member 217 passes through the gate 219, it is lifted up along the inner peripheral surface of the inner portion of the lid member main body 201 by the toner pushing member 217 which is substantially integrated therewith. 219a, and is pushed out from the inside of the lid member main body 201.

Further, the toner extruded from the inside of the cover member body 201 falls inside the toner discharge cover 204 attached to the side surface of the cover member body 201, and the toner pierced under the toner discharge cover 204. Outlet 204
a, and the toner is supplied into the developing device through the toner supply port 12 on the developing device side opposite to the toner discharge port 204a. To supply the toner into the developing device, the toner concentration sensor 34 detects a state in which the toner concentration of the developer circulated and conveyed in the developing container reaches the reference toner concentration, and the driving shaft of the toner cartridge driving gear 115 is driven. The rotation is stopped by stopping the rotation of 116.

As described above, when the toner is replenished into the developing device and the toner in the toner bottle 100 runs out, a toner end display (not shown) provided on the main body of the image forming apparatus is turned on. Upon receiving the lighting of the toner end display, the user replaces the old toner replenishing device that has run out of toner with a new toner replenishing device. The replacement of the toner supply device is performed according to the procedure shown in FIG. That is, the user first opens the front cover of the apparatus main body as shown in FIG.
7, the old toner replenishing device 1000 is removed from the image forming apparatus main body. Next, as shown in FIG. 22B, the new toner supply device 1000 is shaken five or six times.
The toner in the toner bottle 100 is loosened. Next, FIG.
As shown in (c), this new toner replenishing device 100
0 is set in the image forming apparatus main body. Then, whether or not this setting has been properly performed is confirmed by the locking sound (or locking position) of the stopper 117, and FIG.
As shown in (d), this new toner replenishing device 100
After the gate seal 210 of No. 0 is pulled out so that toner can be supplied, the front cover of the image forming apparatus main body is closed.

On the other hand, the positioning between the toner replenishing device 1000, the process cartridge, and the main body of the image forming apparatus is performed by positioning a positioning hole 201b (FIG. 5) provided in a handle of the lid member 200 of the toner replenishing device 1000 with the process cartridge. Fitting with positioning pins 118 (FIG. 1), positioning holes 201c (FIG. 5) provided on the near side of lid member body 201 of toner replenishing device 1000, and positioning pins (not shown) on the image forming apparatus main body side. Respectively). When the lid member 200 is positioned and fixed to the image forming apparatus main body, the exterior member 300 is also positioned and fixed to the image forming apparatus main body at the same time. The same applies when the combination of the lid member 200 and the exterior member 300 is regarded as one exterior member.

Further, the toner bottle 10 in this embodiment is
The shape of the shoulder of the bottle mouth portion 114c of FIG.
As shown in FIG. 1, a spiral groove 1 serving as a toner conveyance path
The width of 14e is formed to be wider than the width of the spiral groove 114e 'of the conventional toner bottle 100' shown in FIG. 23B. Therefore, according to the toner bottle 100 of the present embodiment, the amount of toner discharged per rotation can be larger than that of the conventional toner bottle 100 ′, so that the toner hopper of the lid member 200 of the toner replenishing device 1000 has a sufficient amount. Amount of toner can be introduced,
The toner supply from the toner supply device 1000 to the developing device can always be stabilized.

[0040]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, since the hitting member is provided so as to be swingable, it can step over the step portion of the toner bottle in a stepwise manner. Thus, it is possible to prevent the toner from adhering to the inner wall and reduce the impact noise.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, the hitting member is rotatably provided. In addition to the basic effect of the first aspect, even if the contact friction with the toner bottle is large, the hitting member can be rotated together with the toner bottle. Of the toner bottle can be suppressed, and the load on the rotation driving of the toner bottle can be reduced.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, since a plurality of projections are provided on the peripheral surface of the hitting member, in addition to the basic effect of the first aspect, friction and dents on the outer surface of the toner bottle,
Alternatively, since vibrations can be given by rotating with burrs or the like at the time of molding, it is not necessary to provide a step for obtaining a hitting operation.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the appearance of an image forming apparatus (process cartridge) in which a toner supply device of the present invention is used.

FIG. 2 is a schematic sectional view showing an internal structure of the process cartridge.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing an internal structure of the process cartridge in a state where an upper case is removed.

FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view showing the configuration of the toner supply device of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view showing a configuration of a lid member in the toner supply device of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is an exploded perspective view showing a configuration of a lid member main body of the lid member in the toner supply device of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is an exploded perspective view showing a configuration of a toner discharge cover of a lid member in the toner supply device of the present invention.

FIGS. 8A and 8B are cross-sectional views showing a seal structure of a toner discharge port portion of a lid member in the toner supply device of the present invention, wherein FIG. 8A is a cross-sectional view showing a state before the seal structure is completed, and FIG. FIG.

FIG. 9 is an exploded perspective view showing a configuration of a toner supply flange of a lid member in the toner supply device of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a front view, a side view, and a configuration of a toner supply flange of a lid member in the toner supply device of the present invention.
It is principal part sectional drawing.

FIG. 11 is a perspective view of a lid member main body of the lid member in the toner supply device of the present invention.

FIG. 12 is an exploded perspective view showing a configuration of an exterior member in the toner supply device of the present invention.

FIG. 13 is a perspective view showing a part of the back surface of the upper case of the exterior member in the toner supply device of the present invention.

FIG. 14 is a plan view, a front view, a cross-sectional view, and a rear view showing a configuration of a bearing of an exterior member in the toner supply device of the present invention.

FIG. 15 is a schematic side view for explaining engagement between a bottle gear of a toner bottle and a toner cartridge driving gear in the toner supply device of the present invention.

FIG. 16 is a schematic side view showing a relationship between a tapping member and a toner bottle in the toner supply device of the present invention.

FIG. 17 is a schematic side view showing the operation of the hitting member shown in FIG.

FIG. 18 is a side view showing a modification of the hitting member shown in FIG.

FIG. 19 is a side view showing still another modification of the hitting member shown in FIG. 16;

FIG. 20 is a perspective view of a hitting member according to another embodiment.

FIG. 21 is a schematic side view showing the operation of the hitting member shown in FIG.

FIG. 22 is a schematic process diagram illustrating a procedure of an operation of setting the toner supply device of the present invention to the apparatus main body.

FIG. 23 is a schematic perspective view showing a difference in shape of a shoulder between a toner bottle and a conventional toner bottle in the toner supply device of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 100 Toner bottle 319, 330 Tapping member 319a Projection

Claims (3)

[Claims] A toner bottle that rotates to discharge the toner contained in the toner bottle and supplies the toner to a developing unit of the image forming apparatus; A toner replenishing device, comprising: a hitting member for applying the toner; the hitting member is provided to be swingable. 2. The toner replenishing device according to claim 1, wherein said hitting member is rotatably provided. 3. The toner replenishing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said hitting member has a plurality of projections intermittently abutting on an outer surface of said toner bottle.