JP5148561B2 - Toner supply device and image forming apparatus using the same - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a toner replenishing device and an image forming apparatus using the same, and more particularly to a toner replenishing device for replenishing toner to a developing device that develops an electrostatic charge image on a photoreceptor surface with toner and an image forming apparatus using the same.

  Conventionally, an image forming apparatus using an electrostatic electrophotographic method generally includes processing steps such as a charging step, an exposure step, a development step, a transfer step, a peeling step, a cleaning step, a charge removal step, and a fixing step.

  In the image forming apparatus configured as described above, the process of forming an image is performed, for example, by uniformly charging the surface of the photosensitive member that is rotationally driven by the charging device (charging step) and then charging the photosensitive member surface charged by the exposure device. Laser light is irradiated to form an electrostatic latent image (exposure process). Subsequently, the electrostatic latent image on the photoconductor is developed by the developing device, and a toner image is formed on the surface of the photoconductor (development process). The toner image on the photosensitive member is transferred onto the transfer material by the transfer device (transfer process), and then heated by the fixing device to fix the toner image on the transfer material (fixing and peeling step). Further, the transfer residual toner remaining on the surface of the photoconductor is removed by a cleaning device and collected in a predetermined collection unit (cleaning process), and the remaining charge is removed from the surface of the photoconductor after cleaning by a static eliminator. Prepare for image formation (static elimination process).

  As the developer for developing the electrostatic latent image on the photoreceptor, a one-component developer composed of only toner or a two-component developer composed of toner and carrier is generally used.

  Since the one-component developer does not use a carrier, it does not require a stirring mechanism for uniformly mixing the toner and the carrier, and thus has an advantage that the developing device is simplified. However, there is a drawback that the charge amount of the toner is difficult to stabilize.

  On the other hand, the two-component developer requires a stirring mechanism for uniformly mixing the toner and the carrier, and thus has a drawback that the developing device becomes complicated. However, it is often used in high-speed image forming apparatuses and color image forming apparatuses because of its excellent toner charge amount stability and compatibility with high-speed machines.

In recent years, in order to meet the user's demand for energy saving and high image quality, a small particle size toner having a low softening temperature and a volume average particle size of 5 to 9 μm is often used.
Such toner enables fixing at low temperature and is effective for high image quality such as high resolution and reduction of graininess, but the toner fluidity is low, and the toner replenishment amount from the toner cartridge to the developing device is reduced. There was a problem that it was difficult to control. In addition, there is a problem that toner aggregation occurs due to friction between the supply roller of the toner cartridge and the toner.

  In view of this problem, for example, a toner cartridge is disclosed as a conventional technique in which toner is supplied using a screw-like stirring and conveying member (see Patent Document 1).

JP 2001-83802 A

  However, in the above-described conventional method, in order to rotationally drive the agitating and conveying member, a bearing that holds the rotating shaft of the agitating and conveying member is required, and the toner particles aggregate due to heat and pressure generated by friction between the rotating shaft and the bearing. As a result, there is a problem that toner aggregates are generated.

  In addition, when recycling a toner cartridge using a screw-like stirring and conveying member, it is complicated to remove the stirring and conveying member from the bearing, and it takes time to clean the inside of the cartridge, so that the toner cartridge cannot be recycled efficiently. There was a problem.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described conventional problems, and is capable of stirring and transporting replenished toner with a simple configuration, and can easily replenish toner without causing toner aggregation. An object of the present invention is to provide an image forming apparatus using the same.

  A toner replenishing device and an image forming apparatus using the same according to the present invention for solving the above-described problems are as follows.

  According to the present invention, a toner storage unit that stores toner for supply and has a toner discharge port that discharges the supply toner to the outside on a bottom surface, and the toner discharge port that is disposed in the toner storage unit and rotates to rotate the toner discharge port. In a toner replenishing device including a shutter member that opens and closes and a driving unit that rotates the shutter member, the driving unit is configured to be disposed outside the toner storage unit via a wall of the toner storage unit. A rotation unit that rotates opposite to the shutter member, and a drive unit that rotates the rotation unit. The rotation unit includes a magnet at a position facing the shutter member. A magnet is provided at a position opposite to the magnet provided in the rotating part, and the rotating part is generated by the magnetic force action of the magnet provided in the rotating part and the magnet provided in the shutter member. It is characterized in that as driven according to the operation.

  Further, according to the present invention, the toner accommodating portion is provided with a toner introducing member (for example, a toner feeding blade) protruding above the toner discharge port, and the configuration of the toner introducing member moves with the operation of the shutter member. It is preferable that the toner on the upper portion of the shutter member is regulated and scraped off above the toner discharge port and introduced into the toner discharge port.

  In the present invention, the toner container includes a toner crushing member protruding above the shutter member, and the toner crushing member moves in accordance with the operation of the shutter member. It is preferable that the toner lump is crushed in contact with the toner.

  In the present invention, it is preferable that the toner crushing member is disposed above the toner discharge port.

  According to the present invention, the shutter member is formed of a cone that tapers upward, and a notch for opening the toner discharge port is formed on an outer peripheral edge of the cone, and the rotation center of the bottom of the cone is formed. It is preferable to provide a bottom protrusion protruding outward at the position.

  According to the present invention, as the configuration of the shutter member, it is preferable that an upper protrusion protruding outward is provided at the top of the cone, and the upper protrusion is rotatably supported on the inner upper surface of the toner storage portion. .

  The present invention also provides a photoconductor on which an electrostatic latent image is formed, a charging device that charges the surface of the photoconductor, an exposure device that forms an electrostatic latent image on the surface of the photoconductor, and the photoconductor A developing device that supplies toner to the electrostatic latent image on the surface to form a toner image; a transfer device that transfers the toner image to a recording medium; and a fixing device that fixes the toner image transferred to the recording medium; 7. An image forming apparatus that includes a toner replenishing device that replenishes toner in the developing device and forms an image using toner by an electrophotographic method, and the toner replenishing device is any one of claims 1 to 6. The toner replenishing device described in 1) is used.

According to the present invention, a toner storage unit that stores toner for replenishment and has a toner discharge port that discharges the replenishment toner to the outside on the bottom surface, and the toner discharge unit disposed in the toner storage unit and rotating. In a toner replenishing device including a shutter member that opens and closes an outlet and a driving unit that rotates the shutter member, the driving unit includes a wall portion of the toner storage unit that is disposed outside the toner storage unit. A rotating unit that rotates to face the shutter member via the rotation unit, and a driving unit that rotates the rotating unit. The rotating unit includes a magnet at a position facing the shutter member, and the shutter member has a configuration. As described above, a magnet is provided at a position opposite to the magnet provided in the rotating part, and the magnetic action of the magnet provided in the rotating part and the magnet provided in the shutter member is By being driven according to the operation of the rolling part, there is no need to provide a rotating shaft and a bearing for supporting and rotating the shutter member, so that heat generated by friction between the rotating shaft and the bearing can be reduced. It is possible to suppress the generation of toner aggregates that are generated by aggregation of toner particles under pressure.
As a result, in the image forming apparatus, it is possible to prevent a transfer failure (white spot phenomenon) that occurs when toner aggregates are mixed in the toner. Further, when removing the shutter member from the toner accommodating portion, it is not necessary to remove the rotating shaft from the bearing, and the shutter member can be easily removed, so that the cleaning time inside the toner accommodating portion can be shortened and the toner accommodating portion can be recycled. Can be done efficiently.

  Further, according to the present invention, the toner accommodating portion is provided with a toner introducing member protruding above the toner discharge port, and the configuration of the toner introducing member is arranged on the upper portion of the shutter member that moves with the operation of the shutter member. Since the toner is regulated and scraped off above the toner discharge port, the toner is introduced into the toner discharge port. Therefore, the toner for replenishment can be easily removed from the toner discharge port by rotating the shutter member with a magnetic force. Can be discharged. Accordingly, it is not necessary to provide a toner replenishing roller or the like. As a result, the number of parts can be reduced, and recycling can be efficiently performed.

  According to the invention, the toner container includes a toner crushing member protruding above the shutter member, and the toner crushing member moves with the operation of the shutter member. Since the toner for replenishment inside the toner container is agitated by agglomerating the toner lump in contact with the toner agglomerate, the toner aggregate can be crushed and the toner can be replenished smoothly.

  According to the present invention, the toner crushing member is disposed above the toner discharge port, so that the replenishment toner introduced into the toner discharge port can be stirred and smoothly introduced.

  Further, according to the present invention, the shutter member is constituted by a conical body that tapers upward, and a notch portion that opens the toner discharge port is formed on an outer peripheral edge of the conical body, and a bottom portion of the conical body is formed. By providing a bottom protrusion protruding outward at the rotational center position, the bottom protrusion separates the bottom of the shutter member from the toner storage portion, and the contact surface between the shutter member and the toner storage portion is minimized. Since the frictional force can be reduced, the shutter member can be rotationally driven with a small drive energy. Furthermore, it is possible to suppress the generation of toner aggregates that are generated when toner particles aggregate due to the pressure caused by friction.

  According to the present invention, the shutter member includes an upper protrusion protruding outward at the top of the cone, and the upper protrusion is rotatably supported on the inner upper surface of the toner container. Since the shutter holding member can be supported at a predetermined position by the upper and lower protrusions, it is possible to prevent the shutter holding member from being separated from the bottom surface of the toner containing portion and being unable to be rotated by a magnetic force, and to stably rotate the drive. Is possible.

Further, according to the present invention, a photosensitive member on which an electrostatic latent image is formed, a charging device for charging the surface of the photosensitive member, an exposure device for forming an electrostatic latent image on the surface of the photosensitive member, A developing device that supplies toner to the electrostatic latent image on the surface of the photoreceptor to form a toner image, a transfer device that transfers the toner image to a recording medium, and a fixing device that fixes the toner image transferred to the recording medium And a toner replenishing device that replenishes toner to the developing device, and forms an image using toner by electrophotography, and the toner replenishing device is any one of claims 1 to 6 By using the toner replenishing device according to one aspect, the shutter member for replenishing the toner constituting the toner replenishing device is driven to rotate by a magnetic force, so that the shutter member is rotated. Since there is no need to provide a rotating shaft and a bearing for rolling, it is possible to suppress the generation of toner aggregates that are generated by aggregation of toner particles due to heat and pressure generated by friction between the rotating shaft and the bearing. .
As a result, in the image forming apparatus, it is possible to prevent a transfer failure (white spot phenomenon) that occurs when toner aggregates are mixed in the toner.

1 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an overall configuration of an image forming apparatus using a toner supply device according to a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a configuration of the toner supply device. FIG. 4 is a perspective view illustrating a configuration of a toner storage portion and a shutter member that constitute the toner supply device. FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view illustrating a configuration of a toner storage unit, a shutter member, and a drive unit that constitute the toner supply device. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a configuration of a toner supply device according to a second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a perspective view illustrating a configuration of a toner storage portion and a shutter member that constitute the toner supply device. FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view illustrating a configuration of a toner storage unit, a shutter member, and a drive unit that constitute the toner supply device. (A) An exploded perspective view showing a configuration of a toner container that constitutes the toner accommodating portion, (b) an exploded perspective view showing a configuration of a toner crushing protrusion constituting the toner accommodating portion, and (c) the toner accommodating portion. It is a disassembled perspective view which shows the structure of the infeed blade which comprises.

(First embodiment)
Hereinafter, embodiments for carrying out the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is an example of an embodiment for carrying out the invention, and is an explanatory diagram showing the overall configuration of an image forming apparatus using a toner replenishing device according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

  In the first embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, a photosensitive drum (photosensitive member) 5 on which an electrostatic latent image is formed, a charging device 6 for charging the surface of the photosensitive drum 5, and the photosensitive drum 5. A laser scanner unit (exposure device) 32 for forming an electrostatic latent image on the surface, a developing device 4 for supplying toner to the electrostatic latent image on the surface of the photosensitive drum 5 to form a toner image, and a toner image on recording paper A transfer roller (transfer device) 7 for transferring to a (recording medium), a fixing device 35 for fixing the toner image transferred to the recording paper, and a toner replenishing device 1A for replenishing toner to the developing device 4 are provided. In the image forming apparatus 30 that forms an image using toner according to the method, the configuration of the toner replenishing apparatus according to the present invention is adopted as the toner replenishing apparatus 1A.

First, the overall configuration of the image forming apparatus 30 will be described.
The image forming apparatus 30 is an apparatus that forms an image on the surface of a recording medium such as recording paper to obtain a printed matter. As shown in FIG. 1, the image forming apparatus 30 includes an image forming process unit 10 and a paper feeding / conveying unit 20.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the image forming process unit 10 includes a photosensitive drum 5 that carries an electrostatic latent image (electrostatic charge image), a charging device 6 that charges the surface of the photosensitive drum 5, and the photosensitive drum 5. A laser scanner unit 32 that irradiates the surface of the photosensitive drum 5 with a laser beam corresponding to the print image, a developing device 4 that develops an electrostatic latent image on the surface of the photosensitive drum 5 to form a toner image, and a surface of the photosensitive drum 5 And a cleaning device 8 for removing foreign matter.

  The image forming process unit 10 includes a toner supply unit 1A including a toner storage unit 1 that stores supply toner, and a drive unit (drive means) 2 that operates a toner discharge operation of the toner storage unit 1, and a toner storage unit. 1 and a toner conveying pipe 3 for supplying replenishment toner to the developing device 4 so that the replenishing toner in the toner storage unit 1 can be supplied to the developing device 4.

  The image forming apparatus 30 is configured to supply the replenishment toner in the toner storage unit 1 directly to the developing device 4. However, the replenishment toner is indirectly supplied via a toner hopper or the like. You can also.

  In FIG. 1, a photosensitive drum 5 is supported by a driving means (not shown) so as to be rotatable around an axis, and a cylindrical or columnar conductive substrate (not shown) and a photosensitive layer formed on the surface of the conductive substrate. It is comprised including. As the photosensitive drum 5, those commonly used in this field can be used, and examples thereof include those including an aluminum base tube which is a conductive substrate and an organic photosensitive layer formed on the surface of the aluminum base tube. The organic photosensitive layer is formed by laminating a charge generation layer containing a charge generation material and a charge transport layer containing a charge transport material. The organic photosensitive layer may include a charge generation material and a charge transport material in one layer.

The charging device 6 charges the surface of the photosensitive drum 5 to a predetermined polarity and potential.
In the first embodiment, the charging device 6 uses a non-contact charger charger. However, the charging device 6 is not limited thereto. For example, a corona charger such as a scorotron, a contact roller type or a brush type charging unit. A container may be used.

  The laser scanner unit 32 irradiates the charged surface of the photosensitive drum 5 with laser light corresponding to the print image data, and forms an electrostatic image corresponding to the printed image on the surface of the photosensitive drum 5.

  The developing device 4 supplies toner to the electrostatic latent image on the surface of the photosensitive drum 5 and develops the electrostatic latent image to form a toner image. At this time, according to the amount of toner consumed from within the developing device 4, the toner is replenished from the toner container 1 described above.

  The transfer roller 7 is provided in contact with the surface of the photosensitive drum 5, and a charge opposite to that of the toner is applied by a high voltage power source (not shown). By charging a recording sheet fed from a sheet feeding cassette 31 described later to a reverse charge of the toner, a toner image formed on the surface of the photosensitive drum 5 is transferred onto the recording sheet with an electrostatic force.

  The paper feed cassette 31 stores recording paper and performs recording so that the timing at which the toner image formed on the surface of the photosensitive drum 5 reaches the position of the transfer roller 7 via the paper feed roller 33 coincides. The paper is fed to the position of the transfer roller 7.

  The paper discharge roller 34 conveys the recording paper onto which the toner image has been transferred by the transfer roller 7 to the fixing device 35. The fixing device 35 includes a heating roller 35a and a pressure roller 35b, and fixes the toner image transferred onto the recording paper by applying pressure while melting the toner image. The recording sheet on which the toner image is fixed is discharged to the discharge tray 36.

Next, the characteristic configuration of the toner replenishing device 1A according to the first embodiment will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
2 is a cross-sectional view showing the configuration of the toner replenishing device according to the first embodiment, FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the configurations of a toner containing portion and a shutter member constituting the toner replenishing device, and FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the toner replenishing device. FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view illustrating a configuration of a toner storage unit, a shutter member, and a drive unit that are configured.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the toner replenishing device 1 </ b> A according to the first embodiment mainly includes a toner storage unit 1 and a drive unit 2, and replenishes toner to the developing device 4 attached to the image forming apparatus 30. It is a device to do.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the toner storage unit 1 includes a substantially cylindrical toner storage container 11 that stores a supply toner, and a rotary shutter (shutter member) 12 that discharges the supply toner.

  A toner discharge port 13 is formed on the bottom surface 11a of the toner container 11 on the circumferential side. The toner discharge port 13 is provided on the circumferential side (outer side) of the bottom surface 11a.

  The rotary shutter 12 is composed of a conical body 12 a that tapers upward and is configured to be rotatable along the bottom surface 11 a of the toner container 11. A cutout portion 15 is formed on the outer peripheral edge of the cone 12a, and the toner discharge port 13 is opened in a state where the cutout portion 15 and the toner discharge port 13 of the toner storage container 11 coincide with each other.

  A bottom projection 16 projects outward from the rotational center position of the bottom surface 12b of the cone 12a. The bottom protrusion 16 is rotatably locked to a support portion 11 a 1 provided on the bottom surface 11 a of the toner container 11.

  An upper protrusion 17 projects outward from the top of the top 12c of the cone 12a. The tip end portion 17 a of the upper protrusion 17 is rotatably locked to a support portion 11 b 1 provided on the upper surface 11 b of the toner storage container 11.

  On the bottom surface 12b side of the rotary shutter 12, two passive magnets 18a and 18b are provided at positions facing the two drive magnets 21a and 21b provided in the drive unit 2, respectively.

  The material of the rotary shutter 12 is preferably a plastic with a low specific gravity so that a large impact is not applied to the toner by rotation.

  2 and 4, the drive unit 2 is attached to a rectangular parallelepiped holding member 21 in which two drive magnets 21a and 21b are provided at both ends, and the longitudinally central portion of the holding member 21. A holding member rotating shaft 22 that rotates the holding member 21 and a magnet drive motor 23 that rotates the holding member rotating shaft 22 are provided.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the drive unit 2 and the toner storage unit 1 include a toner storage container 11 such that the drive magnet 21 a and the passive magnet 18 a and the drive magnet 21 b and the passive magnet 18 b interact with each other. The rotation axis CL2 of the drive unit 2 (holding member rotation shaft 22) and the rotation axis CL12 of the rotary shutter 12 are arranged so as to coincide with each other with the bottom surface 11a facing each other.

  In the first embodiment, the drive magnet 21a and the passive magnet 18a, and the drive magnet 21b and the passive magnet 18b are provided with magnetic poles in a direction that attracts each other by magnetic force.

  Next, toner supply by the toner supply device 1A of the first embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings.

  In the toner replenishing device 1A, the toner discharge port 13 on the bottom surface 11a of the toner storage container 11 is normally closed by the rotary shutter 12, so that the replenishment toner stored in the toner storage container 11 is not discharged to the outside. It has become.

  In the rotary shutter 12 and the drive unit 2, the drive magnets 21 a and 21 b provided on the holding member 21 of the drive unit 2 face the passive magnets 18 a and 18 b of the rotary shutter 12 through the bottom surface 11 a of the toner container 11. Placed in position. That is, since the magnetic forces of the drive magnets 21a and 21b and the passive magnets 18a and 18b act so as to attract each other, the holding member 21 and the rotary shutter 12 are connected in a non-contact manner.

  When the toner supply device 1A supplies toner to the developing device 4, the magnet drive motor 23 is driven to rotate the holding member 21. Then, as the rotary shutter 12 rotates following the rotation of the holding member 21, the position of the notch 15 coincides with the position of the toner discharge port 13 on the bottom surface 11 a of the toner container 11 as shown in FIG. 3. At this time, the toner discharge port 13 is opened by the notch 15. As a result, the toner can be supplied from the toner container 1 to the developing device 4 through the toner discharge port 13.

  In this way, the toner supply to the developing device 4 is performed by introducing the toner on the cutout portion 15 of the rotary shutter 12 and the upper portion of the rotary shutter 12 that moves as the rotary shutter 12 rotates into the toner discharge port 13. It is done by being discharged.

  As described above, according to the first embodiment, as the toner replenishing device 1A, the holding member 21 constituting the driving unit 2 includes the driving magnets 21a and 21b, and the rotary shutter 12 includes the passive magnets 18a and 18b. The holding member 21 and the rotary shutter 12 are connected in a non-contact manner by the magnetic action of the drive magnets 21 a and 21 b and the passive magnets 18 a and 18 b, and the rotary shutter 12 is driven according to the operation of the holding member 21 of the drive unit 2. As a result, the rotary shutter 12 can be rotated without providing a component for driving the rotary shutter 12 inside the toner container 1. In addition, since it is not necessary to project the rotating shaft for driving the rotary shutter 12 to the outside of the toner storage unit 1, it is not necessary to provide a rotating shaft or a bearing. Thereby, it is possible to suppress the generation of toner aggregates that are generated by aggregation of toner particles due to heat and pressure generated by friction between the rotating shaft and the bearing. Further, in the image forming apparatus 30, it is possible to prevent a transfer failure (white spot phenomenon) that occurs when toner aggregates are mixed in the toner.

  Further, according to the first embodiment, the rotary shutter 12 includes a support portion 11a1 and a top surface 11b in which the bottom protrusion 16 of the bottom surface 12b and the tip 17a of the top protrusion 17 are provided inside the bottom surface 11a of the toner container 11. Since it is rotatably supported by substantially point contact with the support portion 11b1 provided on the inner side, it can be rotated with a small drive energy without providing a bearing. In addition, since no bearing or rotating shaft is used, the rotary shutter 12 can be easily detached from the toner container 11 when disassembling the toner container 1, so that the cleaning time inside the toner container 11 can be shortened, and the toner The container 1 can be recycled efficiently.

  Further, according to the first embodiment, the cutout portion 15 is formed in the rotary shutter 12, and the rotary shutter 12 is rotated so that the toner is discharged when the toner discharge port 13 is opened by the cutout portion 15. It is not necessary to provide a roller member for supplying toner, and the apparatus configuration can be simplified. As a result, the number of parts can be reduced, and the toner container 1 can be recycled efficiently.

(Second embodiment)
Next, a toner replenishing device according to a second embodiment of the invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view showing a configuration of a toner replenishing device according to a second embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing a configuration of a toner container and a shutter member constituting the toner replenishing device, and FIG. FIG. 8A is an exploded perspective view showing the configuration of the toner storage unit, the shutter member, and the drive unit constituting the replenishing device, FIG. 8A is an exploded perspective view showing the configuration of the toner storage container constituting the toner storage unit, and FIG. FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view showing a configuration of a toner crushing protrusion constituting the toner accommodating portion, and FIG. 5C is an exploded perspective view showing a configuration of a feeding blade constituting the toner accommodating portion.

As shown in FIG. 5, the toner supply device 101 </ b> A according to the second embodiment mainly includes a toner storage unit 101 and a drive unit 2.
Note that the toner replenishing device 101A having the same configuration and function as the toner replenishing device 1A of the first embodiment is denoted by the same reference numeral, and description thereof is omitted.

  As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the toner storage unit 101 includes a substantially cylindrical toner storage container 111 that stores a supply toner, and a rotary shutter (shutter member) 12 that discharges the supply toner.

  On the bottom surface 111a of the toner container 111, a toner discharge port 113 is formed on the circumferential side. The toner discharge port 113 is provided on the circumferential side (outer side) of the bottom surface 111a.

  Further, the toner container 111 is provided with a triangular feeding blade (toner introduction member) 111 c adjacent to the toner discharge port 113 and protruding above the toner discharge port 113.

  As shown in FIGS. 5, 6, and 7, the feeding blade 111 c is provided with a corner protruding from the inner peripheral wall of the toner container 111 toward the center, and the lower side 111 c 1 of the triangle is seen in a side view. Inclined along the outer periphery of the cone 12a of the rotary shutter 12, and when facing the notch 15, the upper part of the notch 15 crosses from the outer periphery of the cone 12a to the top. Is provided.

  With this configuration, the feeding blade 111c can scrape off the toner on the upper part of the rotary shutter 12 that moves as the rotary shutter 12 rotates and introduce the toner into the toner discharge port 113.

  Further, in the toner container 111, columnar toner crushing protrusions (toner crushing members) 111d, 111e, and 111f protruding downward from the upper surface 111b of the toner container 111 are provided on the upper part of the cone 12a of the rotary shutter 12. Is provided.

  There are three toner crushing protrusions 111d, 111e, 111f from the central side of the toner storage container 111 toward the inner peripheral side wall, that is, in the radial direction of the toner storage container 111 in a plan view. The tip portions of the rotary shutter 12 are provided close to the outer peripheral surface of the cone body 12a.

  Specifically, as shown in FIGS. 5 to 8, the toner crushing protrusions 111 d near the center of the toner container 111 are formed so as to become longer in order from the toner crushing protrusions 111 e and 111 f. Note that the toner crushing protrusion 111f is provided with a tip portion adjacent to the triangular upper side 111c2 of the feeding blade 111c.

  In the present embodiment, the toner crushing protrusions 111d, 111e, and 111f and the feeding blade 111c are provided along the same radial direction of the toner container 111 in plan view inside the toner container 111.

  The toner crushing protrusions 111d, 111e, and 111f configured as described above come into contact with the toner on the upper portion of the rotary shutter 12 that moves as the rotary shutter 12 rotates, and apply a shearing force to the toner to form a toner aggregate. It is supposed to break up.

  Since the rotary shutter 12 and the drive unit 2 have the same configuration as that of the first embodiment, refer to the description of the configuration and operation of the first embodiment.

  Next, toner supply by the toner supply device 101A of the second embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings.

  In the toner replenishing device 101A, the toner discharge port 113 on the bottom surface 111a of the toner storage container 111 is normally closed by the rotary shutter 12, so that the replenishment toner stored in the toner storage container 111 is not discharged to the outside. It has become.

  In the rotary shutter 12 and the drive unit 2, the drive magnets 21 a and 21 b provided on the holding member 21 of the drive unit 2 face the passive magnets 18 a and 18 b of the rotary shutter 12 through the bottom surface 111 a of the toner container 111. Placed in position. That is, since the magnetic forces of the drive magnets 21a and 21b and the passive magnets 18a and 18b act so as to attract each other, the holding member 21 and the rotary shutter 12 are connected in a non-contact manner.

  When toner is supplied to the developing device 4 by the toner supply device 101A, the magnet driving motor 23 is driven to rotate the holding member 21. Then, as the rotary shutter 12 rotates following the rotation of the holding member 21, the position of the notch 15 coincides with the position of the toner discharge port 113 on the bottom surface 111a of the toner container 111 as shown in FIG. At this time, the toner discharge port 13 is opened by the notch 15. As a result, toner can be replenished from the toner container 101 to the developing device 4 through the toner discharge port 113.

  At this time, since the feeding blade 111c is provided above the toner discharge port 113 opened by the notch 15 of the rotary shutter 12, the toner on the top of the rotary shutter 12 that moves with the rotation of the rotary shutter 12 is provided. Is scraped off by the feeding blade 111 c and introduced into the toner discharge port 113.

  Further, since the toner discharge port 113 and the toner crushing protrusions 111d, 111e, and 111f are provided along the same radial direction of the toner storage container 111 in a plan view of the toner storage container 111, the toner crushing protrusions 111d, 111e, When the toner on the upper part of the rotary shutter 12 moving with the rotation of the rotary shutter 12 comes into contact with 111f, the toner aggregate is crushed and the agitated toner is introduced into the toner discharge port 113.

  Further, since the toner crushing protrusion 111f is provided close to the upper part of the feeding blade 111c, there is a toner aggregate in the toner at the upper part of the toner discharge port 113 which moves as the rotary shutter 12 rotates. Also, the toner is crushed by the toner crushing protrusion 111 f and introduced into the toner discharge port 113.

  In this way, toner supply to the developing device 4 is performed by introducing the toner on the cutout portion 15 of the rotary shutter 12 and the upper part of the rotary shutter 12 that moves as the rotary shutter 12 rotates into the toner discharge port 113. It is done by being discharged.

  Thus, according to the second embodiment, in addition to the configuration of the toner replenishing device 1A of the first embodiment, the feeding blade 111c is provided above the toner discharge port 113 as the toner replenishing device 101A. Thus, the toner on the rotary shutter 12 that moves with the operation of the rotary shutter 12 is regulated and scraped off above the toner discharge port 113, so that the toner can be introduced into the toner discharge port 113.

  Further, according to the second embodiment, the toner container 111 is provided with the toner crushing protrusions 111d, 111e, and 111f protruding above the rotary shutter 12, so that the rotary shutter 12 that moves together with the operation of the rotary shutter 12 is provided. The toner lump can be crushed in contact with the toner on the top. Thereby, since the toner for replenishment in the toner container 111 is agitated, the toner aggregate can be crushed and the toner can be replenished smoothly.

  In the above-described embodiment, an example in which the toner replenishing devices 1A and 101A according to the present invention are applied to the image forming apparatus 30 as shown in FIG. 1 has been described. However, the toner replenishing device is used to replenish toner to the developing device. As long as the image forming apparatus is configured to be performed, the image forming apparatus is not limited to the image forming apparatus and the copying machine configured as described above, and can be developed to other image forming apparatuses.

  As described above, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications can be made within the scope of the claims. It is obvious for those skilled in the art that various changes or modifications can be conceived within the scope of the claims, that is, changes are made as appropriate without departing from the scope of the present invention. Embodiments obtained by combining technical means are also included in the technical scope of the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1,101 Toner accommodating part 1A, 101A Toner replenishing apparatus 2 Drive part 3 Toner conveyance pipe 4 Developing apparatus 11, 111 Toner accommodating container 11a, 111a Bottom surface 11a1 Support part 11b, 111b Upper surface 11b1 Support part 12 Rotating shutter (shutter member)
12a Cone body 12b Bottom surface 13,113 Toner discharge port 15 Notch 16 Bottom projection 17 Upper projection 17a Tip 18a, 18b Passive magnet (magnet)
21 Holding member (rotating part)
21a, 21b Driving magnet (magnet)
22 Holding member rotating shaft 23 Magnet drive motor (drive unit)
30 Image forming apparatus 111c Feed blade (toner introduction member)
111d, 111e, 111f Toner crushing protrusion

Claims (7)

A toner accommodating portion that contains a toner for replenishment and has a toner discharge port for discharging the replenishment toner to the outside on a bottom surface, and a shutter member that is disposed in the toner storage portion and rotates to open and close the toner discharge port. A toner replenishing device comprising: a driving unit that rotates the shutter member;
The driving means includes a rotating portion that is disposed outside the toner accommodating portion and rotates to face the shutter member via a wall portion of the toner accommodating portion, and a driving portion that rotates the rotating portion. The rotating part includes a magnet at a position facing the shutter member,
The shutter member is provided with a magnet at a position facing the magnet provided in the rotating unit, and the shutter member responds to the operation of the rotating unit by the magnetic action of the magnet provided in the rotating unit and the magnet provided in the shutter member. And a toner replenishing device. The toner container includes a toner introduction member protruding above the toner discharge port,
2. The toner introduction member according to claim 1, wherein the toner introduction member regulates the toner on the upper part of the shutter member that moves together with the operation of the shutter member, and introduces the toner into the toner discharge port, above the toner discharge port. Toner supply device. The toner container includes a toner crushing member protruding above the shutter member,
3. The toner replenishing device according to claim 1, wherein the toner crushing member abuts on the toner on the upper part of the shutter member moving with the operation of the shutter member to crush the toner lump.   The toner replenishing device according to claim 3, wherein the toner crushing member is disposed above the toner discharge port.   The shutter member is composed of a conical body that tapers upward, and a notch that opens the toner discharge port is formed at the outer peripheral edge of the conical body, and projects outward at the rotational center position of the bottom of the conical body. The toner replenishing device according to claim 1, further comprising a bottom protrusion. The shutter member includes an upper protrusion protruding outward at the top of the cone,
The toner replenishing device according to claim 5, wherein the upper protrusion is rotatably supported on an inner upper surface of the toner storage portion. A photosensitive member on which an electrostatic latent image is formed; a charging device that charges the surface of the photosensitive member; an exposure device that forms an electrostatic latent image on the surface of the photosensitive member; and an electrostatic latent image on the surface of the photosensitive member A developing device for supplying a toner to the toner image to form a toner image, a transfer device for transferring the toner image to a recording medium, a fixing device for fixing the toner image transferred to the recording medium, and a toner for the developing device. In an image forming apparatus comprising a toner replenishing device for replenishing and forming an image using toner by an electrophotographic method,
An image forming apparatus using the toner replenishing device according to claim 1 as the toner replenishing device.

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