JPH06186852A - Developing device and process cartridge - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] [Object] One of the objects of the present invention is to stably supply a minimum required amount of developer regardless of the amount of toner in a hopper under a small and simple structure. It is also an object of the present invention to provide a developing device capable of achieving good image quality and good toner circulation in the vicinity of the doctor blade. [Structure] A protrusion 6-2 is provided on a blade-shaped stirring member 6 rotatably arranged in the toner hopper 5, and the stirring member 6 is provided at a communication opening 8 between the toner hopper 5 and the developing sleeve container 7. When it reaches, the opening surface and the blade 6- of the stirring member
1 and the projection 6-2 form a small chamber, and the toner accumulated in the small chamber is supplied to the developing sleeve container 7.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a developing device used in an electrophotographic device which is an image forming device, a printer or the like.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A developing device used in an electrophotographic copying machine or a printer, which is an image forming apparatus, mainly includes a developing sleeve that conveys toner, which is a developer, to a portion facing a photosensitive drum, and a thin toner on the developing sleeve. It is composed of a regulation blade for forming layers and a hopper for accommodating them and toner, and the toner in the hopper is sent to the developing sleeve side by a stirring member or the like. However, as the particle size of the toner becomes smaller as the image quality of the electrophotographic copying apparatus becomes higher, the following problems occur in the above configuration. Due to the smaller particle size, the specific surface area per volume of the toner is larger than that of the conventional one, so the fluidity is considerably inferior, and the triboelectric charge amount is also large, so sleeve ghosts caused by so-called developer charge-up and The problem is that the rise and fall phenomena of image density are increased.

Conventionally, in order to solve these problems, the toner hopper and the developing section are separated from each other in a high-grade machine,
A small amount replenishment system that detects the amount of toner in the developing unit and replenishes the toner little by little by this is adopted, and as for process cartridges that require downsizing and cost reduction, development is performed as shown in FIG. The developing sleeve container 7 containing the sleeve 2 and the toner hopper 5 are separated from each other, and an opening 8 for inflowing the toner is formed between them and a partition wall for restricting the inflowing amount is provided. Is being adjusted.

In the developing device as described above,
The fact that the toner in the developing device is used up is notified to the user by the fact that the print information is directly lost due to white spots or the like, or the remaining amount detecting device using a piezoelectric element or the like is detected before that and a warning is given. As a result, the user prepares the next toner or cartridge, and replenishes toner in the case of a replenishment type developing device in which the toner hopper and the developing section are separated,
In the case of the cartridge type developing device, the toner is used up and the cartridge is replaced. In addition, an electrophotographic device is used, and a device such as a plain paper facsimile that must avoid loss of image information provides the following measures against the absence of toner. In other words, when the toner remaining amount detection device is used, a warning is issued when toner is detected, and at the same time the output operation is automatically stopped, and the image information sent from time to time is stored in the memory, after confirming toner supply or cartridge replacement. , The output is restarted to prevent the above problem.

[0005]

However, the above-mentioned conventional example has the following problems. First, as in the case of the process cartridge, a developing device having a structure in which a developing sleeve container and a toner hopper are separated and an opening and a partition for restricting the inflow are provided between the developing sleeve container and the toner hopper has a scooping type hopper shape for the purpose of replenishing a small amount thereof. A flat blade-shaped stirring member such as 6 in FIG. 17 is currently used for pumping the toner, but the toner is supplied to the developing sleeve container by forming a mountain of toner between the hopper wall and the stirring blade. Therefore, there is a problem that the amount of toner supplied to the developing sleeve container varies depending on the amount of toner in the hopper. Further, since the toner is agitated by the entire blade, there is a problem that the torque becomes large when the hopper is filled with the toner.

Regarding the detection of the remaining toner amount, when the user knows that there is no toner in the developing device by the lack of print information, the user prepares the next toner or cartridge unless there is a stock of toner or a cartridge for supply. You have to interrupt your work until you do.

Also, in the case where the toner remaining amount detecting device is provided,
Since it is difficult to clearly indicate the number of printable sheets from the toner remaining amount warning to the toner out, it is necessary to interrupt the work when the preparation of the next toner cartridge is delayed.

Furthermore, like the plain paper facsimile,
Even if you use memory etc. to deal with missing image information,
Unless toner is replenished or the cartridge is replaced before the memory becomes full, the image information sent thereafter will be lost.

A first object of the present invention is to solve such a problem, and to stably supply the minimum necessary developer regardless of the amount of toner in the hopper under a small and simple structure. It is also possible to provide a developing device and a process cartridge having good image quality by enabling good toner circulation in the vicinity of the doctor blade.

A second object of the present invention is to solve such a problem, and in a compact and simple structure, the user can carry out the next toner or cartridge without interrupting the work of the user or loss of image information. It is an object of the present invention to provide a developing device and a process cartridge that allow a sufficient time to prepare the product and can be used comfortably.

[0011]

According to the first invention of the present application,
The first purpose is to provide a developer container, the interior of which is separated into a developer containing portion and a developing portion through a communication opening, a developer carrier rotatably disposed in the developing portion, and In a developing device having a blade-shaped stirring member that is rotatably disposed in the developer accommodating portion and that feeds the developer in the developer accommodating portion into the developing portion, a protrusion is provided on the front surface in the rotation direction of the stirring member. Achieved by

Further, according to the second invention of the present application, the first object is to provide a developer container, the inside of which is separated into a developer accommodating portion and a developing portion through a communication opening, and the developing container being rotatable to the developing portion. In a developing device having a developer carrying member disposed in the developing device and a stirring member that is rotatably disposed in the developer accommodating portion and sends the developer in the developer accommodating portion into the developing portion, the tip of the stirring member. This is achieved by movably disposing the feeding member in the.

Further, according to the third invention of the present application, the first object is achieved by integrally forming the developing device according to the first invention or the second invention and the latent image carrier.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, the second object is to provide a developer container, the inside of which is separated into a developer accommodating portion and a developing portion through a communication opening, and the developing container can be freely rotated. In a developing device having a developer carrying member disposed in the developer accommodating member and a stirring member rotatably disposed in the developer accommodating portion and feeding the developer in the developer accommodating portion into the developing portion, This is achieved by providing a preliminary accommodation part in the.

Further, according to the fifth invention of the present application, the second object is achieved by integrally forming the developing device according to the fourth invention and the latent image carrier.

[0016]

According to the first invention of the present application, by providing the projection on the front surface in the rotation direction of the stirring member, when the stirring member reaches the position of the communication opening between the developer accommodating portion and the developer, the opening is formed. A small chamber is formed by the surface, the blade of the stirring member and the protrusion,
The developer is supplied into the developing section only by the developer accumulated in the small chamber. Therefore, a constant amount of toner is always sent to the developing unit regardless of the amount of the developer in the developer containing unit.

Further, according to the second aspect of the present invention, by providing the movable feeding member at the tip of the stirring member, the developer is supplied into the developing section by the feeding member only the toner accumulated on the feeding member. It is done by standing up and sending. Therefore, a constant amount of developer is always fed into the developing unit regardless of the amount of the developer in the developer containing unit.

Further, according to the third invention of the present application, a good image having stable image density can be obtained by using the process cartridge in which the developing device of the first invention or the second invention and the latent image carrier are integrally formed. Is formed.

According to the fourth invention of the present application, since the preliminary accommodating portion is provided in the developer accommodating portion, the toner accumulated in the preliminary accommodating portion is not consumed in the normal operation, and the developer accommodating portion main body is not consumed. After the developer inside is consumed, the user or the device itself is released by performing a predetermined operation in conjunction with the developer remaining amount detecting device. With such a configuration, even after the image is blank due to no developer or after the warning of the remaining amount of the developer, a certain amount of printing is reliably performed by the developer in the reserved storage unit that has been secured, and the work of the user is interrupted. This gives the user sufficient time to prepare the next developing device without causing a loss of image information.

Further, according to the fifth invention of the present application, by providing the process cartridge in which the developing device of the fourth invention and the latent image bearing member are integrally formed, after the image white spot due to the absence of the developer or the developer remaining. Even after the volume warning, a certain amount of printing is reliably performed by the developer in the reserved storage unit that has been secured, and the user prepares the next cartridge without interrupting the user's work or loss of image information. Give enough time to.

[0021]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

<Embodiment 1> First, Embodiment 1 of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 1 is a sectional view of a device according to the first embodiment of the present invention. In the figure, 1 is a photosensitive drum as a latent image carrier, and 2 is a rotating developing sleeve which is a developing carrier disposed in the vicinity thereof. Inside the developing sleeve 2, a non-rotating developing magnet 3 having magnetic poles S1, N1, S2, N2 is arranged.

The developing sleeve 2 is a developer (toner).
It is housed in a developing sleeve container 7 provided integrally with the hopper 5. A doctor blade 4 made of urethane rubber or the like, the base end of which is attached to the developing sleeve container 7, is in elastic contact with the developing sleeve 2 so that the toner layer on the surface of the developing sleeve has a uniform thickness. I am trying.

An opening 8 for the inflow of toner is provided between the toner hopper 5 and the developing sleeve container 7, and a rotating blade shape for sending the toner into the developing sleeve container is provided in the toner hopper. The stirring member 6 is provided. As shown in FIG. 2, the stirring member 6 includes a blade 6-1 for stirring, a projection 6-2 provided on a surface of the blade on the front side in the stirring member rotation direction, and a stirring member rotation shaft on the blade. To the protrusion standing position, the opening 6-3 is provided to allow the toner to pass through. Here, the toner contains styrene-acrylic copolymer as a main component, 100 parts by weight of magnetite as a magnetism-imparting agent and 2 parts by weight of a monoazo metal complex as a charge control agent, and has a volume average particle size of about A 6 μm negative toner was used.

In the present invention, the stirring member 6 rotates to stir the toner and supply the toner to the developing sleeve container 7, but at the position of the opening 8 between the toner hopper 5 and the developing sleeve container 7, the stirring surface and the stirring member. Blade 6-1 and protrusion 6-
It is configured to form a small chamber by 2. Also,
The toner is accumulated only from the tip of the blade to the protrusion 6-2 by the stirring rotation, and the other toner is opened on the blade 6 through the opening 6.
It slips through -3 and falls to the bottom of the hopper. With such a configuration, the toner is supplied into the developing sleeve container 7 only by the toner accumulated in the small chamber. Therefore, a constant amount of toner can always be fed into the developing sleeve container regardless of the amount of toner in the toner hopper 5. The supply amount can be adjusted by the height of the protrusion 6-2 and the distance from the blade tip to the protrusion as necessary. Further, the portion required for feeding the toner may be from the tip of the blade to the standing position of the protrusion 6-2, and the toner from the central axis of the stirring member on the blade to the standing position of the protrusion is the opening 6-3 on the blade.
As a result, the resistance that the stirring member 6 receives from the toner by rotation becomes small, and the torque becomes stable.

By carrying out such a construction, it is possible to perform stable development on thousands of prints, in which the rise and fall of the sleeve ghost and the image density are much smaller than in the conventional case. In addition, it can be easily manufactured by resin integral molding without increasing the cost.

<Second Embodiment> Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. The same parts as those of the first embodiment are designated by the same reference numerals and the description thereof will be omitted. FIG. 3 shows a second embodiment of the present invention.

The movement of the toner in the developing sleeve container is
In addition to the small circulation caused by the rotational carrying force of the developing sleeve 2 and the magnetic restraining force of the developing magnet 3, a large movement in the longitudinal direction of the developing sleeve is also observed. The latter movement is very slow as compared with the former movement, but the toner holding amount of the developing sleeve varies in the longitudinal direction depending on a long time. In Example 1, a slow movement from the outside to the inside was observed in the longitudinal direction. For this, a method of changing the amount of toner supplied from the toner hopper in the longitudinal direction can be considered. In the second embodiment, the height of the projection 6-2 on the stirring member 6 is adjusted in the longitudinal direction to change the toner deposition amount and change the toner supply amount to the developing sleeve container. With respect to the movement of toner from the outer side to the inner side in the longitudinal direction, the outer side where the toner holding amount is small is high and the inner side where the toner holding amount is large is low. As a result, it is possible to perform the supply with a small difference in the toner holding amount in the longitudinal direction.

On the contrary, when the toner consumption amount in the central portion is large due to the print size or the like, an embodiment in which the height of the protrusion of the stirring member is increased in the central portion can be considered.

<Third Embodiment> Next, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. The same parts as those of the first embodiment are designated by the same reference numerals and the description thereof will be omitted. FIG. 4 shows a third embodiment of the present invention.

In this embodiment, in order to make the amount of toner held in the longitudinal direction uniform as described in Embodiment 2, the distance from the tip of the blade of the stirring member 6 to the protrusion is adjusted in the longitudinal direction, and the toner is transferred to the developing sleeve container. This is dealt with by changing the supply amount. By increasing the distance on the outer side in the longitudinal direction and decreasing the distance on the inner side, the toner supply amount is increased on the outside and decreased on the inside.

<Fourth Embodiment> Next, a fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. The same parts as those of the first embodiment are designated by the same reference numerals and the description thereof will be omitted. FIG. 5 shows Embodiment 4 of the present invention.

In this embodiment, the tip of a flat blade-shaped stirring member is bent at an angle on the downstream side in the stirring member rotation direction. This has the same effect as that of the first embodiment and has an advantage that it can be easily processed using a metal plate or a resin plate. Also, the toner supply amount can be easily adjusted by the bending angle and length.

<Fifth Embodiment> Next, a fifth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. The same parts as those of the first embodiment are designated by the same reference numerals and the description thereof will be omitted. FIG. 6 shows an example in which the present invention is applied to a process cartridge.

Reference numeral 1 is a photosensitive drum, 12 is a laser beam, 2 is a developing sleeve, 4 is a doctor blade for uniformly coating the toner on the developing sleeve, 5 is a toner hopper, and 6 is a stirring member of the present invention. Reference numeral 10 is a cleaning blade for cleaning the transfer residual toner on the photosensitive drum, and reference numeral 11 is a cleaner toner reservoir for accumulating the toner collected by the cleaning blade.

As a result, the sleeve ghost and the rise and fall of the image density are much smaller than in the conventional case.
It has become possible to supply very compact process cartridges.

<Embodiment 6> Next, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 7 is a sixth embodiment of the present invention.
It is sectional drawing of an apparatus. In the figure, 1 is a photosensitive drum as a latent image carrier, and 2 is a rotating developing sleeve which is a developing carrier disposed in the vicinity thereof. Inside the developing sleeve 2, a non-rotating developing magnet 3 having magnetic poles S1, N1, S2, N2 is arranged.

The developing sleeve 2 is a developer (toner).
It is housed in a developing sleeve container 7 provided integrally with the hopper 5. A doctor blade 4 made of urethane rubber or the like, the base end of which is attached to the developing sleeve container 7, is in elastic contact with the developing sleeve 2 so that the toner layer on the surface of the developing sleeve has a uniform thickness. I am trying.

An opening 8 for toner inflow is provided between the toner hopper 5 and the developing sleeve container 7, and a rotating blade shape for feeding the toner into the developing sleeve container is provided in the toner hopper. The stirring member 6 is provided. The stirring member 6 is, as shown in FIG.
-1 'and a movable feed member 6 provided at the tip thereof-
2 ', an opening 6-3 for allowing the toner to pass through the stirring member, and a coil spring 6-4 for restricting the rotation of the feeding member 6-2'. Here, the toner contains styrene-acrylic copolymer as a main component, 100 parts by weight of magnetite as a magnetism-imparting agent and 2 parts by weight of a monoazo metal complex as a charge control agent, and has a volume average particle size of about A 6 μm negative toner was used.

In the present invention, the stirring member 6 stirs and rotates the toner on the blade to stir the toner and supply the toner to the developing sleeve container 7, but the opening 8 between the toner hopper 5 and the developing sleeve container 7 is provided. At the position, the feeding member 6-2 'rises and the toner on the feeding member is fed into the developing sleeve by the protrusion 5-1 provided on the inner wall of the toner hopper at the lower portion of the opening. Coil spring 6-4
Regulates the feeding member 6-2 'from unnecessarily moving except when feeding. With such a configuration, the toner is supplied to the developing sleeve container 7 only by the toner accumulated on the feeding member, and therefore, the toner hopper 5 is used.
Regardless of the amount of toner inside, a constant amount of toner can always be sent into the developing sleeve container. The supply amount can be adjusted according to the size of the feeding member 6-2 ′ and the rising angle, if necessary. Also, the toner feed is
Since it is done by interference with the inner wall of the toner hopper,
No special drive required. Further, the portion required for feeding the toner is only the feeding member, and the toner in the other portions slips through the opening 6-3 on the stirring member, so that the resistance that the stirring member 6 receives from the toner by the rotation is small, and the torque It will be stable.

By implementing such a constitution, it is possible to perform stable development on thousands of prints with much less sleeve ghost and image density rising and falling than in the past.

<Seventh Embodiment> Next, a seventh embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. The same parts as those of the sixth embodiment are designated by the same reference numerals and the description thereof will be omitted. FIGS. 9 and 10 show the seventh embodiment of the present invention.

In contrast to the rising of the feeding member caused by the interference with the protrusion provided on the inner wall of the toner hopper in the sixth embodiment, the feeding member 6-2 'in this embodiment is as shown in FIGS. 9 and 10. The gear 6-5 at the end of the rotary shaft and the gear 5-2 at the end of the inner wall of the toner hopper below the opening 8 for the inflow of toner are engaged with each other. With such a configuration, there is an advantage that the manner of feeding the toner by the feeding member such as the rising angle and the speed can be easily set by the number of teeth of the gear. Further, the tip end portion of the feeding member on the hopper side, which was necessary for the interference with the protrusion on the inner wall of the toner hopper in the sixth embodiment, is not necessary, and the degree of freedom in setting the feeding member is large.

<Embodiment 8> Next, an embodiment 8 of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. The same parts as those in the sixth embodiment are designated by the same reference numerals and the description thereof will be omitted. FIG. 11 shows the eighth embodiment of the present invention.

The movement of the toner in the developing sleeve container is
In addition to the small circulation caused by the rotational carrying force of the developing sleeve 2 and the magnetic restraining force of the developing magnet 3, a large movement in the longitudinal direction of the developing sleeve is also observed. The latter movement is very slow as compared with the former movement, but the toner holding amount of the developing sleeve varies in the longitudinal direction depending on a long time. In Example 6, a slow movement from the outside to the inside was observed in the longitudinal direction. For this, a method of changing the amount of toner supplied from the toner hopper in the longitudinal direction can be considered. In the present embodiment, the size of the feeding member 6-2 'of the stirring member 6 is adjusted in the longitudinal direction to change the toner accumulation amount and change the toner supply amount to the developing sleeve container. With respect to the movement of toner from the outer side to the inner side in the longitudinal direction, the outer side where the toner holding amount is small is large and the inner side where the toner holding amount is large is small. As a result, it is possible to perform the supply with a small difference in the toner holding amount in the longitudinal direction. This is also effective in the case of the seventh embodiment.

On the contrary, when the toner consumption amount in the central portion is large due to the print size or the like, an embodiment in which the size of the feeding member of the stirring member is increased in the central portion can be considered.

<Ninth Embodiment> Next, a ninth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. The same parts as those of the sixth embodiment are designated by the same reference numerals and the description thereof will be omitted. FIG. 12 shows an example in which the present invention is applied to a process cartridge.

Reference numeral 1 is a photosensitive drum, 12 is a laser beam, 2 is a developing sleeve, 4 is a doctor blade for uniformly coating the toner on the developing sleeve, 5 is a toner hopper, and 6 is a stirring member of the present invention. Reference numeral 10 is a cleaning blade for cleaning the transfer residual toner on the photosensitive drum, and reference numeral 11 is a cleaner toner reservoir for accumulating the toner collected by the cleaning blade. As a result, it has become possible to supply a very compact process cartridge in which the sleeve ghost and the rise and fall of the image density are significantly smaller than in the past.

<Embodiment 10> Next, Embodiment 10 of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.

The developing device of this embodiment is of a single-use type, and FIG. 13 is a sectional view of the device. In FIG. 13, reference numeral 1 is a photosensitive drum as a latent image carrier, and 2 is a developing sleeve which is a developing carrier disposed in the vicinity of the photosensitive drum. In the developing sleeve 2, magnetic poles S1, N1, S
A non-rotating developing magnet 3 having 2, 2 is arranged.

The developing sleeve 2 is a developer (toner).
It is housed in a developing sleeve container 7 provided integrally with the hopper 5. A doctor blade 4 made of urethane rubber or the like, the base end of which is attached to the developing sleeve container 7, is in elastic contact with the developing sleeve 2 so that the toner layer on the surface of the developing sleeve has a uniform thickness. I am trying. Inside the toner hopper 5, there are provided a rotating blade-shaped stirring member 6 for feeding the toner into the developing sleeve container, and a spare toner hopper 5 ′ for storing a spare toner. Here, the toner contains styrene-acrylic copolymer as a main component, 100 parts by weight of magnetite as a magnetism-imparting agent and 2 parts by weight of a monoazo metal complex as a charge control agent, and has a volume average particle size of about 6
A μm negative toner was used.

In the present invention, the stirring member 6 rotates to stir the toner in the toner hopper 5 and supply it to the developing sleeve container 7. However, the toner in the spare toner hopper 5'rotates the stirring member. It is not affected by and is not consumed. The toner in the preliminary hopper is already deposited when the developing device is set, or is fed by the rotation of the stirring member 6 even if it is not so that a constant amount of toner is not consumed and remains.
When an image whiteout occurs due to no toner, the user removes the developing device and rotates it once in the direction of arrow A in the figure to easily release and use the toner in the reserved toner hopper 5 '. be able to. As a result, a certain amount of printing can be surely performed even after the occurrence of blank areas, and the user can obtain a sufficient time margin for preparing the next developing device without interrupting the work. In the present embodiment, about 30 particles are stored in this spare toner hopper.
g of toner is accommodated, and even if the toner in the toner hopper main body is used up and an image blank occurs, it is possible to print about 600 sheets with an image of a printing rate of about 4%.

This embodiment is a particularly effective example for a process cartridge such as a low-priced printer which does not use a toner remaining amount detecting device, but in the case of a developing device with a toner remaining amount detecting device or a replenishing type developing device. Also has a similar effect. Further, the toner consumption amount per sheet and the frequency of use by the user vary depending on the model, which can be easily dealt with by changing the capacity of the spare toner hopper.

<Eleventh Embodiment> Next, an eleventh embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. The same parts as those of the eleventh embodiment are designated by the same reference numerals and the description thereof will be omitted. FIG. 14 is a device sectional view of Embodiment 11 of the present invention.

In this embodiment, the spare toner hopper 5'is formed by forming a dead space on the bottom surface of the toner hopper 5 so that the stirring member 6 cannot reach it. In addition, a plate-shaped member 13-1 that is raised by a knob 13-2 that is exposed to the outside of the developing device is provided in the preliminary toner hopper 5 ′. Reference numeral 14 is a replenishment port for replenishing toner, and 15 is a toner remaining amount detecting device using a piezoelectric element.

In the case where an image blank occurs due to no toner, the user rotates the knob 13-2 in the direction of the arrow B and raises the plate member 13-1 until it is fixed by the protrusion 5'-1. It is possible to easily release and use the reserved toner in the reserve toner hopper 5 ′. As a result, a certain amount of printing can be surely performed even after the occurrence of blank areas, and the user can obtain a sufficient time margin for preparing the next developing device without interrupting the work. In particular, this embodiment is suitable for a replenishment type developing device because the auxiliary toner hopper is located below the toner hopper body.

Furthermore, the following can be considered as an application example of this embodiment. In a device such as a plain paper facsimile that needs to avoid image information loss, memory is used to deal with image information loss, but toner supply or cartridge replacement is performed before the memory becomes full. Unless it is sent, the image information sent after that will be lost. Therefore, in such a case, the knob 13-2 is not attached, and a mechanism is provided in which the plate-shaped member is activated by the drive of the main body in conjunction with the remaining toner amount detection device. The apparatus first warns the user of the absence of toner after the toner remaining amount detection apparatus detects the absence of toner. At the same time, the plate member 13-1 is automatically activated to release the toner in the preliminary toner hopper 5'and the image output is continued by this toner. At this time, the user is continuously warned that there is no toner. When the toner remaining amount detecting device detects that there is no toner again, the output operation is stopped for the first time and the user is warned of that. This two-stage warning allows the user to have sufficient time to prepare for the next developing device and also reduce the risk of losing the information sent.

Although the above-mentioned problems do not occur frequently, it seems that the use environment is remarkably improved by using this embodiment.

<Embodiment 12> Next, Embodiment 12 of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. The same parts as those of the eleventh embodiment are designated by the same reference numerals and the description thereof will be omitted. FIG. 15 shows a twelfth embodiment of the present invention.

In this embodiment, the spare toner hopper 5'is formed by forming a dead space above the toner hopper 5 so that the stirring member 6 cannot reach it. A toner seal member 16 is attached to the toner release port of the spare toner hopper 5 '.

When the image blank occurs due to the absence of toner, the user removes the developing device and pulls out the knob (not shown) outside the developing device to remove the seal member 16 and secure the reserved toner hopper 5 '. The toner inside can be released and used. As a result, a certain amount of printing can be surely performed even after the occurrence of blank areas, and the user can obtain a sufficient time margin for preparing the next developing device without interrupting the work. In particular, this embodiment is suitable for a single-use type developing device because it is simply constituted by the toner seal member.

<Embodiment 13> Next, Embodiment 13 of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. The same parts as those of the eleventh embodiment are designated by the same reference numerals and the description thereof will be omitted. FIG. 16 shows an example in which the present invention is applied to a process cartridge.

Reference numeral 1 is a photosensitive drum, 12 is a laser beam, 2 is a developing sleeve, 4 is a doctor blade for uniformly coating the toner on the developing sleeve, 5 is a toner hopper, and 6 is a stirring member. 10 is a cleaning blade for cleaning the transfer residual toner on the photosensitive drum, 1
Reference numeral 1 is a toner reservoir of a cleaner that stores the toner collected by the cleaning blade.

As a result, with a compact and simple structure,
A process cartridge having the effects of the present invention could be supplied.

[0065]

As described above, according to the first invention of the present application, a protrusion is provided on the front surface of the stirring member in the rotational direction, and the stirring member is provided at the position of the opening between the developer accommodating portion and the developing portion. Since the small chamber is formed by the opening surface, the blade of the stirring member, and the projection, the developer can be constantly supplied to the developing portion regardless of the amount of the developer in the developer accommodating chamber. As a result, it is possible to perform the development in which the sleeve ghost and the rise and fall of the image density are much smaller than in the conventional case.

According to the second invention of the present application, by providing the movable feeding member at the tip of the stirring member, the toner is constantly supplied into the developing sleeve container regardless of the amount of the toner in the hopper. As a result, it is possible to perform development with a sleeve ghost and a rise and fall of the image density that are significantly smaller than those of the prior art, with a small and simple structure.

Further, according to the third invention of the present application, a compact process cartridge capable of excellent image formation is formed by integrally forming the developing device according to the first invention or the second invention and the latent image carrier. Can be provided.

Further, according to the fourth invention of the present application, since the preliminary accommodating portion is provided in the developer accommodating portion, the developer accumulated in the preliminary accommodating portion is not consumed in the normal operation, and the developer accommodating portion main body is not consumed. After the developer inside is consumed, it is released by the user performing a predetermined procedure. With such a configuration, a certain amount of printing can be surely performed by the developer in the reserved storage portion that has been secured even after the white spot in the image due to no developer or the warning of the remaining amount of the developer, and the user's work. It is possible for the user to give sufficient time to prepare the next developing device without interrupting the image processing and causing loss of image information.

Further, according to the fifth invention of the present application, by using the process cartridge in which the developing device according to the fourth invention and the latent image carrier are integrally formed, there is no interruption of work or loss of image information. , It will be possible to give enough time to prepare the next cartridge.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a sectional view of a device according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a stirring member in the device according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a stirring member in an apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a stirring member in an apparatus according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a stirring member in an apparatus according to a fourth exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a sectional view of a device according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a sectional view of a device according to a sixth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a stirring member in an apparatus according to a sixth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a sectional view of a device according to a seventh embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of a stirring member in an apparatus according to a seventh embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a perspective view of a stirring member in an apparatus according to an eighth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view of an Example 9 device of the present invention.

FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view of an Example 10 device of the present invention.

FIG. 14 is a sectional view of an apparatus according to an eleventh embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 15 is a sectional view of a device according to a twelfth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 16 is a cross-sectional view of a device according to a thirteenth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 17 is a sectional view of a conventional example.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Photosensitive drum (latent image carrier) 2 Developing sleeve (developer carrier) 5 Toner hopper (developer container) 5 ′ Preliminary toner hopper (preliminary container) 6 Stirring member 6-1 Blade 6-2 Protrusion 6- 2'Feeding member 7 Developing sleeve container (developing section)

 ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of front page (72) Inventor Kazushige Sakurai 3-30-2 Shimomaruko, Ota-ku, Tokyo Canon Inc. (72) Hiroki Kisu 3-30-2 Shimomaruko, Ota-ku, Tokyo Canono Within the corporation

Claims (9)

[Claims] 1. A developer container whose inside is separated into a developer containing portion and a developing portion through a communication opening, a developer carrier rotatably disposed in the developing portion, and the developer containing portion. In a developing device having a blade-shaped stirring member for rotatably arranging the stirring member and feeding the developer in the developer accommodating portion into the developing portion, a protrusion is provided on the front surface in the rotation direction of the stirring member. And developing device. 2. The developing device according to claim 1, wherein the stirring member is provided with an opening for allowing the developer to pass through, from the rotating shaft of the stirring member to the position of the protrusion. 3. A developer container whose inside is separated into a developer containing portion and a developing portion through a communication opening, a developer carrier rotatably disposed in the developing portion, and the developer containing portion. In a developing device having a stirring member that is rotatably disposed in the developing unit and that feeds the developer in the developer accommodating unit into the developing unit, a developing member is movably disposed at the tip of the stirring member. apparatus. 4. The developing device according to claim 3, wherein the stirring member is provided with an opening for allowing the developer to pass through. 5. The developing device according to claim 1, and a latent image carrier arranged so as to face the developer carrier of the developing device are integrally formed. Process cartridge to be done. 6. A developer container whose inside is separated into a developer containing portion and a developing portion through a communication opening, a developer carrier rotatably disposed in the developing portion, and the developer containing portion. In a developing device having a stirring member that is rotatably disposed in the developing unit and sends the developer in the developer containing unit into the developing unit, a developing unit is provided in the developer containing unit. 7. The developing device according to claim 6, wherein a developer remaining amount detecting device is provided in the developer accommodating portion. 8. The supply of the developer from the preliminary containing portion is set to be performed when the developer remaining amount detecting device determines that there is no developer. Development device. 9. The developing device according to claim 6 and a latent image carrier arranged so as to face the developer carrier of the developing device are integrally formed. Process cartridge to be done.