JP2003013987A - Power-transmitting mechanism, toner supplying container, and toner supplying unit - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a power-transmitting mechanism, a toner supplying container, and a toner supplying unit not necessitating positioning of a rotary direction of the toner supplying container when operating toner supply by means of the toner supplying container and capable of sure supplying at an easy handling manner. SOLUTION: An approximately cylinder-shaped power-transmitting member 20 is provided at a body of an image forming device, and a power receiving member 2 is provided in the toner supplying container. The number of a projecting portion 3 for engagement that is provided in the power receiving member 2 is at least one more than that of an engaging portion 20a to a rotary direction that is provided in the power-transmitting member 20.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a toner replenishing container and a toner replenishing device which can be attached to and detached from a main body of an image forming apparatus such as an electrophotographic image forming apparatus, and further, a driving force from the main body of the image forming apparatus. The present invention relates to a drive transmission mechanism for transmitting to a toner supply container or a photosensitive drum.

Here, the electrophotographic image forming apparatus forms an image on a recording medium using an electrophotographic image forming system. The electrophotographic image forming apparatus includes, for example, an electrophotographic copying machine, an electrophotographic printer (for example, laser beam printer, LED printer, etc.), a facsimile machine, a word processor, and the like.

[0003]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a fine powder toner is used as a developer in an electrophotographic image forming apparatus such as an electrophotographic copying machine or a printer. Then, when the toner of the main body of the electrophotographic image forming apparatus is consumed, the toner is supplied to the main body of the image forming apparatus using a toner supply container (toner supply container).

Since the toner is an extremely fine powder, a toner replenishing container is installed inside the main body of the image forming apparatus to prevent the toner from scattering during the toner replenishing work, and the toner is discharged little by little through a small opening. It has been known.

In any of these cases, the above-mentioned toner supply container is configured to discharge toner by receiving some drive from the main body of the image forming apparatus and driving the conveying member and the main body of the toner supply container. It has become. There are several methods for such drive transmission means. For example, as described in Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 05-75768, a gear portion is provided on the outer peripheral surface of a toner bottle as a toner supply container, and a drive source is provided in this gear. There is a configuration in which the toner bottle is rotationally driven by engaging a rotating drive gear connected to the.

Further, as described in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 10-63084, a protrusion for rotation driving is provided on the end surface of the toner bottle, and this protrusion is provided as a recessed portion provided in a driving portion from the main body of the image forming apparatus. There is a configuration in which they are engaged and the drive is transmitted.

Another example is Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-63.
There is also a method disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication No. 076. This is because a plurality of engaging grooves are provided on the inner diameter of the rotational force transmitting portion of the image forming apparatus main body, while a protrusion that engages with the engaging groove is provided on the toner container side. It is configured to transmit the rotation drive.

As described above, various drive transmission methods have been proposed as a method for driving the toner supply container.

[0009]

However, the above-mentioned conventional example has some technical problems.

In the method described in Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 5-75768, when the toner bottle is inserted and set in the main body of the image forming apparatus, the gear portion provided on the outer peripheral surface of the toner bottle and the drive gear portion in the main body of the image forming apparatus. It is necessary for the user to properly engage with each other, and this work needs to be carefully inserted by the user himself, which imposes a burden on the user on the replenishment operability. Further, since the toner bottle is rotated by meshing the gears with each other, the toner bottle receives a force to shift in the direction perpendicular to the axis due to the rotation moment, which causes the toner bottle to float up.
There is a risk of slipping sideways and preventing normal rotation. In order to prevent such a shift, it is necessary to surround and support the entire circumference of the toner bottle. However, if this is done, then it becomes impossible to easily attach and detach the toner bottle, and at the same time, the replenishment system itself. Configuration becomes complicated,
It leads to cost increase.

Further, in the case of the method described in JP-A-10-63084 and JP-A-10-63076, the protrusion (or recess) on the end face of the toner bottle is engaged with the recess (or protrusion) of the main body drive unit. When inserting the toner bottle so that it fits, it is necessary to align the rotation direction of the toner bottle, and if this is done by the user himself, the operability for replenishment will deteriorate, and due to a slight misalignment, the drive will be accurate. It may not be transmitted.

In order to prevent such poor engagement, a guide rib is provided on the outer surface of the toner bottle so that the position in the rotation direction is always determined when the toner bottle is inserted, and correspondingly, an engaging recess of the main body drive portion is provided. It is necessary to control the rotation operation so that the unit always stops at a predetermined rotation position, and both of these cause a complicated configuration of the replenishment system and an increase in cost.

Most of the coupling drive transmissions due to the engagement of the concavities and convexities are related to the fact that when the toner bottle and the main body drive section are inserted with a phase shift, the main body drive section is retracted by a spring and the phases are matched. It is configured to return to the combined position.
With such a configuration, even if the phase of the bottle is shifted when the toner bottle is inserted, the main body drive unit retracts,
Among them, when the bottle is rotated, the phases match and it is possible to engage, but the structure of the main body drive part becomes complicated and extra space is required to retract the main body drive part to the back side. Therefore, it is not preferable from the viewpoint of making the apparatus body compact.

The present invention is a further development of the conventional toner supply container described above.

An object of the present invention is to provide a drive transmission mechanism, a toner replenishing container, and a toner replenishing device that can be replenished reliably by a simple operation without requiring alignment of the toner replenishing container in the rotational direction during toner replenishing operation by the toner replenishing container. Is to provide.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a drive transmission mechanism for transmitting drive such as rotation, swinging and reversal about a rotation axis.

[0017]

The above object can be achieved by a drive transmission mechanism, a toner replenishing container and a toner replenishing device according to the present invention. In summary, according to the first aspect of the present invention, a drive transmission member on a rotation drive generation side, and a drive receiving member that is detachably attached to the drive transmission member in the rotation axis direction and receives the rotary drive from the drive transmission member. In the drive transmission mechanism for transmitting the rotational drive, the first member, which is one of the drive transmission member and the drive receiving member, is a claw-shaped engagement member that is displaceable in a direction intersecting the rotation axis direction. The engaging projection has a fitting projection, and the engagement projection approaches the second member while being displaced by the second member that is the other member of the drive transmission member and the drive receiving member, and approaches the predetermined position. Then, the displacement is restored, so that the second member is locked in the direction in which it is separated from the second member along the rotation axis, and is engaged with the second member in the rotation direction. A part that displaces A portion, an axial direction locking portion that locks the engagement protrusion portion in a direction of separating along the rotation axis, and a rotation direction engagement portion that engages the engagement protrusion portion in the rotation direction, In the drive transmission mechanism, at least one engaging protrusion is provided more than the number of the rotational engaging portions. According to the present invention, even if the engagement protrusion and the rotational direction engagement portion are in phase with each other, the number of engagement protrusions is always large, so that the drive receiving member is reliably locked to the drive transmission member. be able to.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, the drive transmission member on the rotation drive generation side, and the drive receiving member which is detachable from the drive transmission member in the rotation axis direction and receives the rotary drive from the drive transmission member, In the drive transmission mechanism for transmitting the rotational drive, the first member, which is one of the drive transmission member and the drive receiving member, is a claw-shaped engagement displaceable in a direction intersecting the rotation axis direction. A protrusion, and the engagement protrusion approaches the second member while being displaced by a second member that is the other member of the drive transmission member and the drive receiving member, and when the engagement protrusion approaches a predetermined position. When the displacement is restored, the second member is locked in the direction in which it is separated from the second member along the rotation axis, and is engaged with the second member in the rotation direction. Displacement to displace An axial locking portion that locks the engaging protrusion in a direction of separating along the rotation axis, and a rotation direction engaging portion that engages with the engaging protrusion in the rotation direction, The drive transmission mechanism is characterized in that a plurality of engaging protrusions and a plurality of rotation direction engaging portions are provided, and the angular arrangement of the plurality of engagement protrusions is different from the angular arrangement of the plurality of rotating direction engaging portions. Will be provided. According to the present invention, even if a part of the engaging protrusion and the rotational direction engaging part are in phase with each other, the phase of the other part is different, so that the drive receiving member is reliably locked to the drive transmitting member. can do.

According to one embodiment of the present invention, the drive transmitting member is provided with the rotational direction engaging portion, and the drive receiving member is provided with the engaging protrusion. According to another embodiment, the engaging protrusion is an elastic member capable of elastic deformation, and the material of the engaging protrusion is a linear polyamide resin, polypropylene resin, polyethylene resin, polyester. It is either a resin, an ABS resin, or a HIPS resin. With this structure, the drive transmission member and the drive receiving member can be easily engaged and disengaged with each other by using elastic deformation, and have sufficient durability.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, the toner replenishment is provided with a toner replenishing container which is attachable to and detachable from the image forming apparatus main body, and a toner replenishing mechanism for replenishing toner from the toner replenishing container to the image forming apparatus main body. In the apparatus, there is provided a toner replenishing device, wherein the toner replenishing mechanism includes the drive transmitting mechanism having the above-mentioned configuration, and transmits the rotational drive of the image forming apparatus main body side to the toner replenishing container.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, the toner is attachable to and detachable from the main body of the image forming apparatus, and the toner is transferred to the main body of the image forming apparatus by being rotationally driven by the main body of the image forming apparatus by the drive transmission mechanism having the above-mentioned configuration. A toner replenishing container for replenishing, wherein the drive receiving member of the drive transmission mechanism is provided on the toner replenishing container side.

According to one embodiment of the third and fourth aspects of the present invention, the drive receiving member is provided in a sealing member for sealing the opening of the toner supply container. According to this configuration, the opening / closing operation of the sealing member and the driving force transmission operation can be performed by one sealing member, so that the configuration is compact and inexpensive.

According to another embodiment, the sealing member is
The toner supply container and the toner supply container are locked to each other in the rotation direction, and are movable in the axial direction, and even when the opening is opened, the toner supply container and the toner supply container are kept in the rotational direction. According to this configuration, when transmitting the rotational drive into the toner replenishing container, the rotary bearing mechanism is not necessary, and the toner leakage, torque increase, coarse particle generation and the like at the bearing portion do not occur.

According to another embodiment, in the toner supply container, the sealing member is locked to the image forming apparatus main body, and the sealing member is pulled out by the action of the image forming apparatus main body. The opening is opened. According to another embodiment, in the toner replenishing container, the sealing member is locked to the electrophotographic image forming apparatus main body, and the toner replenishing container is moved by an action from the image forming apparatus main body. The opening is opened by. With such a configuration, since the opening operation of the toner replenishing container is performed in conjunction with the replenishing operation in the image forming apparatus main body, the user does not need to perform the opening operation by himself, and the user can easily perform the operation without getting his hands dirty. Can be replenished.

According to still another embodiment, the toner replenishing container has a substantially cylindrical shape and is configured to convey and discharge the toner by being rotated by the rotational driving force transmitted from the drive receiving member. ing. According to this configuration, when transmitting the rotational drive into the toner supply container,
A rotary bearing mechanism is not required, and the structure is simple, and there are no adverse effects such as toner leakage at the bearing portion, torque increase, and generation of coarse particles.

[0026]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION A drive transmission mechanism, a toner replenishing container and a toner replenishing device according to the present invention will be described below in more detail with reference to the drawings.

Embodiment 1 First, the structure of an electrophotographic image forming apparatus, which is an example of an image forming apparatus to which the toner supply container according to the present invention is attached, will be described with reference to FIG.

[Electrophotographic image forming apparatus] An electrophotographic copying machine main body (hereinafter referred to as "apparatus main body") 100 shown in FIG.
In the above, when the document 101 is placed on the platen glass 102, an optical image corresponding to the image information of the document 101 is generated by the optical unit 1.
No. 03 mirror M and lens Ln, the electrophotographic photosensitive drum (hereinafter referred to as “photosensitive drum”) as an image carrier.
Say. ) 104. Cassette 105, 10
Among recording media (hereinafter, referred to as “paper”) P stacked on 6, 107, and 108, information input by a user (user) from the operation unit 100 a illustrated in FIG.
Optimum paper P from various paper sizes
Select from the paper size information in. Here, the recording medium is not limited to paper, and an OHP sheet or the like can be appropriately selected.

Then, the sheet feeding / separating devices 105A and 106
A sheet of paper P conveyed by A, 107A, 108A
Is conveyed to the registration roller 110 via the conveyance unit 109, and further, the registration roller 110 conveys the paper P to the transfer unit in synchronization with the rotation of the photosensitive drum 104 and the scanning timing of the optical unit 103. In the transfer section,
The transfer discharger 111 transfers the toner image formed on the photosensitive drum 104 to the paper P. Then, the separation discharger 112 separates the paper P on which the toner image is transferred from the photoconductor drum 104.

Thereafter, the fixing unit 114 is fixed by the transport unit 113.
After the toner image on the paper P is fixed by heat and pressure in the fixing unit 114, the paper P conveyed to is passed through the paper discharge reversing unit 115 in the case of one-sided copying and the paper discharge roller 1
The sheet 16 is ejected to the sheet ejection tray 117. Further, in the case of double-sided copy, the flapper 118 of the paper discharge reversal unit 115 controls the sheet to be conveyed to the registration rollers 110 via the re-feeding conveyance paths 119 and 120, and then the same route as in the case of single-sided copy. And is discharged to the paper discharge tray 117.

In the case of multiple copy, the paper P passes through the paper discharge reversing unit 115 and is partially discharged by the paper discharge roller 116 to the outside of the apparatus. Then, after that, the trailing edge of the paper P passes through the flapper 118, the flapper 118 is controlled at the timing when the paper P is still nipped by the paper ejection roller 116, and the paper ejection roller 116 is rotated in the reverse direction. Be transported to. After that, after being conveyed to the registration roller 110 via the re-feeding conveyance units 119 and 120, it is ejected to the ejection tray 117 along the same route as in the case of single-sided copying.

By the way, in the apparatus main body 100 having the above-mentioned structure, the developing device 201 as the developing means, the cleaner device 202, and the primary charger 20 are provided around the photosensitive drum 104.
3 etc. are arranged.

The developing device 201 develops the electrostatic latent image of the information of the original 101 formed on the photosensitive drum 104 by the optical unit 103 by using toner. And
A toner replenishing container 1 for replenishing toner to the developing device 201 is detachably attached to the apparatus main body 100 by a user.

Further, the developing device 201 has a toner hopper 201a as a storing means and a developing device 201b. The toner hopper 201a has a stirring member 201c for stirring the toner supplied from the toner supply container 1. Then, the toner agitated by the agitating member 201c is sent to the developing device 201b by the magnet roller 201d. The developing device 201b has a developing roller 201f and a feeding member 201e. And
Toner hopper 201 by magnet roller 201d
The toner sent from a is sent to the developing roller 201f by the sending member 201e, and is supplied to the photosensitive drum 104 by the developing roller 201f.

The cleaner device 202 is for removing the toner remaining on the photosensitive drum 104. The primary charger 203 is for charging the photosensitive drum 104.

When the user opens the toner supply container replacement front cover 15 (hereinafter referred to as "replacement front cover"), which is a part of the exterior cover shown in FIG. 2, as shown in FIG. Is pulled out to a predetermined position by a drive system (not shown). Then, the toner supply container 1 is placed on the container pedestal 50. Toner supply container 1
When removing the container from the apparatus main body 100, the container holder 50
And pull out the toner supply container 1 placed on the container receiving stand 50. Here, the replacement front cover 15 is a dedicated cover for attaching and detaching (replacing) the toner supply container 1, and is opened and closed only for attaching and detaching the toner supply container 1. The maintenance of the apparatus main body 100 is performed by opening and closing the front cover 100c.

The toner replenishing container 1 may be directly attached to the apparatus main body 100 or removed from the apparatus main body 100 without using the container pedestal 50.

[Toner Replenishing Operation] First, the toner replenishing operation of the toner replenishing container (hereinafter referred to as “toner bottle”) in this embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 7 (A) to 7 (C). 7 (A) to 7 (C) are views showing the state of the process of inserting the toner bottle 1 in the present embodiment into the apparatus main body 100 and replenishing the toner for each stage.

As shown in the figure, a toner replenishing device 400 is provided in the apparatus main body 100, and the toner replenishing device 4 is further provided.
00, a drive unit (driving force transmission unit) 20 that is connected to the toner bottle 1 and rotationally drives the toner bottle 1. The drive unit 20 is rotatably supported by a bearing 23, and is rotationally driven by a drive motor (not shown) provided in the apparatus main body 100.

Further, the apparatus main body 100 is provided with a hopper 201.
A partition wall 25 that forms a toner supply path 24 communicating with a is provided, and inner and outer bearings 26a and 26b that rotatably support a part of the toner bottle 1 and seal the toner supply path 24 are provided in the partition wall 25. It is fixed. Further, a screw member 27 for conveying the replenishment toner to the hopper 201a is arranged in the toner replenishment path 24.

FIG. 7A shows a state in which the toner bottle 1 is inserted into the apparatus main body 100. On one end surface of the tip of the toner bottle 1, a toner replenishing opening portion (hereinafter, simply referred to as an “opening portion”) 1 a which is cylindrical in the present embodiment.
Is provided, and the tip end opening of the opening 1a is sealed by the sealing member 2.

In FIG. 7B, the insertion of the toner bottle 1 is further advanced, and the engaging projection, that is, the claw portion 3 provided as the locking portion provided at the tip of the sealing member 2 is driven on the apparatus main body side. The state of being engaged with the portion 20 is shown. The engagement between the drive unit 20 and the sealing member 2 is performed by the insertion force when the user inserts the toner bottle 1. At this time, since the sealing member 2 is locked to the drive unit 20 in the rotation axis direction (axial direction) by the locking surface 3b provided on the claw portion 3, the sealing member 2 does not release this locking. As long as it is in a positionally fixed state to the drive unit 20.

FIG. 7C shows the sealing member 2 and the drive unit 20.
, The slide member 300 retracts in the direction of the arrow b in conjunction with the closing operation of the replacement front cover 15, so that the toner bottle 1 also retracts, and the sealing member 2 relatively moves from the toner bottle 1. The state is shown in which the opening 1a is opened apart and the toner can be supplied. At this time, the drive shaft 1b fixed to the main body 1A of the toner bottle 1 (hereinafter referred to as "bottle main body") is not completely disengaged from the sealing member 2, and a part of the drive shaft 1b is partially sealed. It remains inside.
The drive shaft 1b has a non-circular cross-sectional shape such as a quadrangle or a triangle that allows transmission of rotational drive.

When a motor (not shown) is driven in this state, the rotational driving force is transmitted from the main body drive unit 20 to the sealing member 2 and further from the sealing member 2 to the drive shaft 1b, whereby the toner bottle 1 is removed. It is designed to rotate. That is, the sealing member 2 has two functions of sealing the toner and transmitting the rotational driving force of the toner bottle 1 at the same time.

Further, since the toner bottle 1 is rotatably supported by the bottle receiving roller 23 provided on the container receiving stand 50, the toner bottle 1 can smoothly rotate even with a slight driving torque. The bottle receiving rollers 23 are provided at four positions in the saddle with respect to the bottle body 1A. The bottle receiving roller 23 is rotatably provided on the toner supply device 400 of the apparatus main body 100. As the toner bottle 1 rotates in this manner, the toner contained in the toner bottle 1 is sequentially discharged from the opening 1a,
The toner is supplied to the hopper 201a on the apparatus main body 100 side by the screw member 27 provided in the toner supply path 24, and the toner is supplied.

[Toner Replenishing Container Replacement Method] Next, the toner bottle replacement method of the present invention will be described.

When the toner in the toner bottle 1 is almost completely consumed in the image forming process, the toner in the toner bottle 1 is exhausted by the toner replenishing container empty detecting means (not shown) provided in the apparatus main body 100. It is detected and the user is informed of that fact by the display means 100b (see FIG. 2) such as liquid crystal.

In this embodiment, the toner bottle 1 is replaced by the user himself, and the procedure is as follows.

First, the replacement front cover 1 in the closed state.
5 is rotated about the hinge 18 to open it to the position shown by the broken line in FIG. In association with the operation of opening the replacement front cover 15, the toner replenishing section opening / closing means described later causes the above-mentioned operation of the above-mentioned FIG.
The state where the bottle body 1A in the state of (C) moves in the direction of the arrow a shown in FIG. 7A, which is the opposite direction of the arrow b, to open the toner replenishing opening 1a that has been separated from the bottle body 1A until then. The matching sealing member 2 is press-fitted into the toner supply opening 1a, the toner supply opening 1a is closed, and the state shown in FIG. 7B is obtained.

Next, the user installs the toner bottle 1 in the apparatus main body 100, which has been depleted of toner, in FIG.
In the direction opposite to the arrow a direction shown in (A), that is, in FIG.
It is pulled out in the direction of the arrow b indicated by and is removed from the apparatus main body 100. The method of releasing the locking of the claw portion 3 at the time of removal will be described later in detail. Thereafter, the user inserts the new toner bottle 1 into the apparatus main body 100 in the direction of arrow a shown in FIG. 7A, and then closes the replacement front cover 15. And
As described above, the sealing member 2 is separated from the container body 1A by the toner replenishing unit opening / closing means in conjunction with the operation of closing the replacement front cover 15, and the toner replenishing opening 1a is opened (FIG. 7C). )). The above is the procedure for replacing the toner supply container (toner bottle).

[Toner Supply Container (Toner Bottle)] Next, the toner bottle of this embodiment will be further described with reference to FIGS. 8 and 9.

The toner bottle 1 is formed in a substantially cylindrical shape,
An opening 1a having a diameter smaller than that of the bottle body, that is, the cylindrical portion 1A, is provided in a substantially central portion of one end surface thereof. Opening 1
A sealing member 2 for closing the opening 1a is provided in a, and as will be understood from the description relating to FIGS. 7A to 7C, this sealing member 2 is in the axial direction of the toner bottle 1. (Arrow a
The opening 1a is opened and closed by sliding in the (-b direction). The tip of the sealing member 2 is provided with an elastically deformable claw portion 3 and a release force receiving portion 4 for releasing the engagement of the claw portion 3 with the drive portion 20 on the apparatus main body side. 3 is configured to engage with the drive unit 20 and to perform the function of transmitting the rotational drive to the toner bottle 1. The structures of the claw portion 3 and the release force receiving portion 4 will be described in detail later.

First, the internal structure of the toner bottle 1 will be described.

As described above, the toner bottle 1 has a substantially cylindrical shape, is arranged substantially horizontally in the apparatus main body 100, and is rotated by being rotationally driven by the apparatus main body 100. As shown in FIG. 8, a spiral projection 1c is provided on the inner surface of the toner bottle 1. When the toner bottle 1 rotates, the toner is axially conveyed along the spiral protrusion 1c, and the toner is discharged from the opening 1a provided on the end surface of the toner bottle 1.

The internal structure of the toner bottle 1 in the present invention is not particularly limited as long as the toner bottle 1 has a bottle shape in which toner is discharged as the toner bottle 1 rotates.

That is, the gist of the present invention is to provide the toner bottle 1 that discharges toner by being driven.
Since the structure of the drive transmission portion between the toner bottle 1 and the apparatus main body 100 is characterized, the internal structure of the toner bottle 1 is generally well known as in this embodiment. It may have a spiral projection 1c formed on the inner surface thereof, or may have another configuration.

For example, as a modified example of this embodiment, the inside of the bottle as shown in FIG. 11 may be used. In this modification,
A plate-shaped baffle member 40 is provided inside the bottle main body, and a plurality of inclined protrusions 40a inclined with respect to the axial direction of the toner bottle 1 are provided on the surface of the baffle member 40, and one end of the inclined protrusion 40a is provided in the opening 1a. Has reached The toner is finally discharged from the inclined projection 40a through the opening 1a. The principle of toner discharge is
The toner scraped up by the baffle member 40 by the rotation of the toner bottle 1 slides down on the surface of the baffle member 40, and is conveyed to the front of the toner bottle 1 by the inclined protrusion 40a. By repeating this operation, the toner inside the toner bottle is sequentially stirred and conveyed, and the opening 1a is opened.
Emitted from.

In this embodiment, the rotation driving is shown. Instead of swinging or reversing around the rotation axis as the center of this driving, an ejection test is conducted. Although there was a drop, there was no problem with drive transmission.

Therefore, the driving method in the present invention is not limited to the rotational driving as shown in the present embodiment, and some kind of driving force such as reversing the toner bottle, swinging, or any other method. The driving method is not particularly limited as long as the toner is replenished by receiving the toner.
That is, as long as the toner bottle discharges toner by receiving some driving from the apparatus main body 100, the driving may be rotation, rocking, reversing, or any driving method.

In the modification, the plate-shaped baffle member 40 is formed as a member different from the toner bottle 1, and the baffle member 40 is provided via the sealing member 2.
Toner bottle 1 indirectly by transmitting the rotational driving force to
It is configured to rotate.

As described above, any structure of directly or indirectly transmitting the rotational driving force to the toner bottle 1 via the sealing member 2 may be used.

In FIGS. 8 and 9, as described above, the bottle body 1A is provided with the opening 1a at one end surface thereof,
A drive shaft 1b provided integrally with the bottle body 1A inside the opening 1a projects from the opening 1a. This drive shaft 1b
Is located substantially on the central axis of the opening 1a and engages with the engaging hole 2a provided in the sealing member 2. The drive shaft 1b is the device body 1
00 through the sealing member 2 to drive the rotation of the bottle body 1
Drive shaft 1b because it is for transmission to A
The cross-section has a square shape, an H-cut shape, a D-cut shape, or the like that can transmit the rotational driving force. Drive shaft 1
b is fixed to the bottle body 1A by appropriate means.

The drive shaft 1b may be provided integrally with the sealing member 2 as shown in FIG. 10 without being fixed to the bottle body 1A. In that case, it is necessary to provide an engaging hole 2a on the toner bottle 1 side for transmitting the driving force from the driving shaft 1b. In this modification, the constituent member 1 of the opening 1a is
An engagement hole 2a is provided in c.

In this embodiment, the drive shaft 1b is fixed to the bottle body 1A.

[Sealing Member] Next, the sealing member 2 will be further described with reference to FIGS. 12 and 13.

12 and 13, the sealing member 2 is a sealing portion 2b for sealing the opening 1a of the toner bottle 1 so that it can be unsealed, and a cylindrical coupling for engaging with the drive portion 20 of the apparatus main body. The engaging portion 2c is provided. The outer diameter of the sealing portion 2b is set to be larger than the inner diameter of the opening 1a by an appropriate amount. Then, the sealing portion 2b is press-fitted into the opening 1a to seal the toner supply port, which is the opening 1a, by the sealing member 2.

As described above, the sealing member 2 includes the drive shaft 1b.
The driving force received from the apparatus main body 100 by engaging with the driving shaft 1
It has an engagement hole 2a for transmitting to b. The engagement hole 2a is formed over the sealing portion 2b and the engagement portion 2c. The engagement hole 2a has a shape corresponding to the cross-sectional shape of the drive shaft 1b, and is formed slightly larger than the drive shaft 1b. As a result, the drive shaft 1b is loosely fitted in the engagement hole 2a. The engaging hole 2a has the same cross section as the drive shaft 1b and is polygonal. In this embodiment, a square is adopted.

In this way, the drive shaft 1b engages with the engagement hole 2
By being loosely fitted in a, the bottle body 1A and the sealing member 2 are locked to each other in the rotation direction of the bottle body 1A, while being movable in the axial direction. ing. As a result, when the toner bottle 1 is attached to the toner replenishing device 400, the sealing member 2 and the bottle body 1A can be separated from each other as described later, and the toner supply port, that is, the opening 1a can be opened (opened). .

By the way, the engagement length between the engagement hole 2a and the drive shaft 1b is such that it does not come off when the sealing member 2 and the bottle body 1A are separated from each other. As a result, even if the sealing member 2 is separated from the bottle body 1, the drive shaft 1b can receive a driving force via the sealing member 2.

Next, the engagement projection, that is, the claw portion 3, which is one of the characteristic portions of the present invention, will be described in detail.

The sealing member 2 is provided with an engaging projection, that is, a claw portion 3 which is a drive receiving member, in the coupling engaging portion 2c for receiving a driving force from the apparatus main body 100. The claw portion 3 projects outward in the radial direction from the cylindrical surface of the coupling engagement portion 2c, and has a drive receiving surface 3a as a drive force receiving portion for transmitting a drive force in the rotation direction, and the toner. When the bottle 1 and the sealing member 2 are separated from each other, the locking surface 3b serves as a locking portion for locking the sealing member 2 to the main body drive unit side. That is, the claw portion 3 performs two different functions, namely, the rotational driving of the toner bottle 1 and the position regulation in the attachment / detachment direction of the toner bottle 1, by the drive receiving surface 3a and the locking surface 3b.

When the driving force is applied to the locking surface 3b while the locking surface 3b is locked, the distance between the sealing member 2 and the toner bottle 1 is kept constant so that the toner bottle 1 and An opening to the sealing member 2 is secured, the toner discharge amount is maintained at a constant amount, and it is possible to provide a toner bottle having an excellent quantitative discharge property. Furthermore, since the sealing member 2 is securely locked to the apparatus main body drive unit 20, there is no risk of the sealing member 2 falling off, and toner can be reliably discharged.

According to the above-mentioned structure, since the opening / closing operation of the sealing member 2 and the driving force transmitting operation can be performed by one sealing member, it is possible to provide a toner replenishing container having a compact and inexpensive structure.

Incidentally, it is basically preferable that the claw portion 3 is provided integrally with the sealing member 2 from the viewpoint of reducing the number of parts, but the claw portion 3 is incorporated as a separate component in the sealing member 2. But it doesn't really matter.

When the claw portion 3 is provided integrally with the sealing member 2, slit grooves 2e and the like are provided on both drive receiving surfaces 3a of the claw portion 3 so that only the claw portion 3 is elastically deformable. Such a shape is preferable. The reason is that this claw portion 3 is the device body 1
This is because the drive transmission is released by a displacement from the action of 00 to be described later.

In this embodiment, the claw portion 3 is formed integrally with the sealing member 2.

Further, the tip portion of the claw portion 3 has a tapered surface 3c so that the sealing member 2 can be smoothly inserted when it is inserted into the drive portion 20 of the apparatus main body 100.

Next, the structure of the releasing force receiving portion, which is another feature of the present invention, will be described with reference to FIGS. 12 and 13 again.

The claw portions 3 are provided at two positions in the facing direction, but an engagement releasing portion, that is, a releasing force receiving portion 4 is provided as a connecting portion for connecting the engaging protrusions to each other. When a force is applied in the arrow b direction, the release force receiving portion (hereinafter, referred to as “release portion”) 4 has a role of elastically deforming the claw portion 3 in the arrow d direction as shown by a two-dot chain line in FIG. It is designed to return to its original shape when the force is removed. Therefore, it is preferable that the releasing portion 4 is made relatively thin so as to be easily elastically deformed, and is made of a material suitable for it.

The sealing member 2 is preferably manufactured by injection-molding a resin such as plastic, but other materials and manufacturing methods may be used, and the members may be arbitrarily divided and joined. Further, the sealing member 2 is required to have appropriate elasticity in order to press-fit and fit into the opening 1a to seal it. Low density polyethylene is the most preferable material, followed by polypropylene, linear polyamide such as nylon, high density polyethylene, polyester, ABS, HI.
PS (impact-resistant polystyrene) and the like can be preferably used.

As described above, by using the claw portion 3 and the releasing portion 4 as elastic members which can be elastically deformed, it is possible to easily engage and disengage the drive portion 20 and the claw portion 3 by utilizing the elastic deformation. it can. Further, since the above-mentioned materials have appropriate elasticity, engagement and disengagement of the drive portion 20 and the claw portion 3 can be easily performed, and the material has sufficient durability.

Further, since the releasing portion 4 has a bridge shape for connecting the claw portions 3, by pressing one releasing portion, it is possible to uniformly apply a displacement action to the plurality of claw portions 3.

The releasing portion 4 does not necessarily need to connect the engaging projections 3 to each other as described above to integrate them, and as shown in FIG. May be provided.

[Structure of Drive Transmission Part] Next, the structure of the coupling engagement part 2c provided on the sealing member 2 that best represents the features of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.

In the present invention, the sealing member 2 is provided with a coupling engaging portion 2c which is a cylindrical driving force receiving portion in the present embodiment, and the toner replenishing device 400 is provided.
It receives the driving force from the driving force transmission section 20 of FIG.

On the cylindrical coupling engaging portion 2c of the sealing member 2, as described above, the elastically deformable flexible claw portions 3 are provided facing each other at two positions. The portion 3 is in a state where it can be easily elastically deformed by being pressed.
Further, a releasing portion 4 is provided so as to connect the claw portions 3 to each other, and the claw portion 3 and the releasing portion 4 are integrated.

On the other hand, the drive unit 2 provided on the apparatus main body 100 side
0 is configured to engage with the claw portion 3 of the sealing member 2, and the inner diameter of the distal end of the driving portion 20 has an inner diameter so that the sealing member 2 can be smoothly inserted when it is inserted into the driving portion 20. A tapered surface 20b is provided so as to gradually reduce its diameter. The sealing member 2 is smoothly inserted into the drive unit 20 by the tapered surface 20b.

Further, the driving portion 20 is provided with an engaging rib 20a for rotationally driving the toner bottle 1. The engaging rib 20a is attached to the sealing member 2 after the sealing member 2 is inserted. It is for hooking the provided claw portion 3 to transmit the rotational drive.

Next, how the drive unit 20 and the sealing member 2 are engaged in this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

FIG. 15A shows a state in which the user inserts the toner bottle 1 in the direction of the arrow in order to set a new toner bottle 1 in the main body of the image forming apparatus. The state before engaging with the drive part 20 in is shown.

When the insertion of the toner bottle 1 proceeds,
As shown in FIG. 15B, the claw portion 3 provided on the sealing member 2 comes into contact with the taper surface 20b of the main body drive portion 20, and the taper surface 20b.
Is gradually deformed while being elastically deformed and inserted.

Further, as the insertion progresses, the claw portion 3 which has passed through the straight portion 20g has an engaging rib 20a as shown in FIG. 15C.
The flexure is released in the empty space, where the claw 3 is engaged with the main body drive unit 20. In the state of FIG. 15 (C), the claw portion 3 is firmly engaged with the main body drive portion 20, and the position of the sealing member 2 in the thrust direction (axial direction) is fixed.

Therefore, even if the toner bottle 1 is retracted in the direction of the arrow b after that, the sealing member 2 is firmly fixed to the main body drive unit 20 without being pulled back together with the toner bottle 1 and is retreated. Since only 1 retracts, the sealing member 2 and the toner bottle 1 are reliably separated from each other, and the opening 1a is opened.

The retracting operation of the toner bottle 1 may be configured such that the toner bottle 1 is slid in association with the opening / closing operation of the front cover 15 of the main body of the image forming apparatus (not shown).

[Explanation of Phase Matching] Next, phase matching when the main body drive unit 20 and the toner bottle 1 in the present invention are engaged will be described with reference to FIG.

In the conventional drive transmission means, for example, in the case of coupling drive by a combination of concaves and convexes, it is necessary to engage the concave portion and the convex portion in phase with each other. There is no need for any troublesome work. The reason will be described with reference to FIG.

FIG. 17 is a partial cross-sectional view showing the positional relationship in the rotation direction between the claw portion 3 and the engaging rib 20a when the sealing member 2 is inserted into the drive portion 20, and the engaging rib 20a is 1 An example in which two places are provided for the location and the claw portion 3 (3A, 3B) is shown.

Normally, when the user inserts the toner bottle, if the positions of the engaging rib 20a and the claw portion 3 do not overlap at the same position, when the insertion of the toner bottle 1 is completed to the predetermined position, the sealing member 2 is engaged with the main body drive unit 20,
After a while, the bottle 1 retracts, and the sealing member 2 and the toner bottle 1 are separated from each other so that the toner can be discharged.

However, depending on the rotation direction of the bottle 1 at the time of insertion, the positions of the claw portion 3A and the engaging rib 20a may overlap as shown in FIG. 17A, and even if the insertion of the bottle is completed up to a predetermined position. The claw portion 3A may interfere with the engaging rib 20a and may not be released to the outside, and the engagement may not be completed without keeping the catch. In that state, when the bottle is retracted, the sealing member 2 is not retained in engagement with the main body drive unit 20, so that the bottle 1 and the sealing member 2 retract together and the opening 1a opens. It may run out.

Therefore, in order to prevent such a situation, in the present invention, such a problem is solved by always providing at least one or more claw portions 3 more than the number of engaging ribs 20a.

In the state of FIG. 17A, the claw portion 3A
Certainly interferes with the engaging rib 20a, and the main body drive unit 2
Although it is not locked to 0, the other claw 3b does not interfere with the engaging rib 20a and is correctly locked to the drive unit 20, so that the claw 3A is temporarily locked. Even if it is not carried out, since it is locked by the claw portion 3B, the bottles can be separated and opened without any trouble.

Then, after the opening, as shown in FIG. 17B, when the main body drive section 20 rotates in the direction of arrow c, the interfering engagement rib 20a is disengaged and the claw section 3A is properly locked. It will be in the state of doing. When the rotation further proceeds, Fig. 17
As shown in (C), the engaging rib 20a is hooked on the claw portion 3B, and the rotational drive is transmitted here to rotate the bottle 1.

As described above, by always providing the number of the claw portions, that is, the number of the engaging projections 3 to be larger than the number of the engaging ribs 20a, even if the user inserts the toner bottle 1 in any rotation direction, the toner The bottle 1 can be properly locked and engaged with the main body drive unit 20, so that the bottle 1 can be reliably set.

When a plurality of engaging ribs 20a and claws 3 are provided, the engaging ribs 2 as shown by the two-dot chain line in FIG.
0a and the number of the claw portions 3 are the same, FIG.
By making the respective phase angles different as shown in (D), it is possible to prevent the positions of the claw portion 3 and the engaging rib 20a from overlapping when the bottle 1 is inserted.

As described above, in the present invention, the user simply inserts the toner bottle 1 and the toner bottle 1 is surely inserted.
Can be set in the main body of the image forming apparatus, and when the toner bottle 1 is inserted, the replacement work can be performed by a simple operation without requiring a troublesome work such as positioning of the bottle 1 in the rotational direction.

[Disengagement Method] Next, disengagement between the claw portion 3 and the main body drive portion 20 will be described with reference to FIG.

When toner supply is completed and the toner bottle 1 becomes empty, the old toner bottle 1 must be removed and replaced with a new toner bottle. At that time, it is necessary to release the engagement between the sealing member 2 and the drive unit 20 which have been engaged until then.

As shown in FIG. 18, a pushing member 21 is provided inside the main body of the apparatus, more specifically, inside the driving section 20. The pushing member 21 is configured to be movable in the same direction as the axial direction of the drive shaft 1b of the toner bottle 1.

FIG. 18A shows a state in which the toner supply is completed and the opening 1a of the toner bottle 1 is opened.

When the driving portion 20 and the sealing member 2 are disengaged from each other, the pushing member 2 is attached to the releasing portion 4 provided at the tip of the sealing member 2.
As shown in FIG. 18 (B), the release portion 4 bends in the direction of the arrow a by inserting 1 in the direction of the arrow a, and at the same time, the claw portion 3 integrated with the release portion 4 also falls inward. As a result, the engagement between the claw portion 3 and the main body drive portion 20 is released.
After that, the pushing member 21 further advances in the direction of arrow a,
As shown in FIG. 18C, the pushing member 21 press-fits the sealing member 2 into the opening 1a, and seals the opening 1a of the toner bottle 1 here. Further, as the pushing member 21 advances in the direction of arrow a, the toner bottle 1 itself is retracted this time, and the toner bottle 1 is slid to a position where the user can easily take it out.

With respect to the driving configuration of the pushing member 21, the pushing member 21 moves in the direction of arrow a when the front cover 15 is opened in association with the opening / closing operation of the front cover 15 of the apparatus main body 100, and the driving unit 20 is connected. The sealing member 2 of the toner bottle 1 may be separated, and the front cover 15 may be closed to move in the direction of arrow b. Alternatively, a separate drive motor or the like may be used to perform an independent separating operation. It may be configured. Further, any method may be used, such as a structure in which a separate manual lever is provided and the separating operation is performed in conjunction with this, instead of the interlocking operation with the front cover 15 of the apparatus main body 100.

As described above, in the present invention, the drive transmission of the toner bottle 1 can be easily released and the opening 1a can be opened / closed only by a very simple operation of the pushing member 21 sliding back and forth. It is possible to realize the operation at the same time. Therefore, it is possible to realize a reliable and reliable drive transmission force in spite of a very simple operation and a simple, inexpensive and compact structure.

Second Embodiment Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

FIG. 19 shows an embodiment in which the claw portion 3 is arranged in such a direction that it engages toward the central direction of the main body drive portion 20.

The difference from the first embodiment is that the engaging direction of the claw portion 3 is engaged from the inner side to the outer side or from the outer side to the inner side. The second embodiment shows the case of engaging from the outside to the inside.

In this embodiment, an example in which the claw portion 3 and the releasing portion 4 are provided at four positions at positions divided into four in the circumferential direction is shown.

Corresponding to the structure of the sealing member 2 as described above, the main body drive portion 20 has a shape as shown in FIG. That is, the main body drive unit 20 has a substantially cylindrical shape having a plurality of portions having different outer diameters, a tip portion 20b, a small diameter portion 20c, a large diameter portion 20d, and a rear end portion 20e, and the pushing member 2
The inner diameter of the through hole 20f through which 1 passes is made uniform.
The driving portion 20 is attached to the small diameter portion 20c having the smallest outer diameter.
Engaging ribs 20a extending in the longitudinal direction are provided at opposing positions. That is, in this embodiment, the engaging rib 20a
Are provided at two locations.

Next, how the drive section 20 and the sealing member 2 are engaged in this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

FIG. 21A shows a state in which the user inserts the toner bottle 1 in the direction of arrow b in order to set a new toner bottle 1 in the main body of the image forming apparatus. 2 shows a state before engaging with the drive unit 20 of FIG.

As shown in FIG. 21B, as the toner bottle 1 advances, the claw portion 3 provided on the sealing member 2 comes into contact with the main body drive portion 20 and is formed at the tip of the claw portion 3. It is guided by the tapered surface 3c, and is elastically deformed and inserted while gradually bending outward.

The claw 3 which has further advanced and passed through the straight portion 20g is released from the bending in the space portion 20h without the engaging rib 20a, as shown in FIG. The main body drive unit 20 is engaged.

In the state shown in FIG. 21C, the claw portion 3 is firmly engaged with the main body drive portion 20, and the position of the sealing member 2 in the thrust direction (axial direction) is fixed. . Therefore, even if the toner bottle 1 is retracted thereafter, the sealing member 2 is firmly fixed to the main body drive unit 20 without being pulled back together with the toner bottle 1 and retracted. On the other hand, when only the toner bottle 1 retracts, the sealing member 2 and the toner bottle 1 are reliably separated from each other, and the opening 1a is opened. The retracting operation of the toner bottle 1 is performed by the front cover 15 (see FIG. 2).
The toner bottle 1 may be slid in conjunction with the opening / closing operation (see).

FIG. 22 is a partial cross-sectional view showing the positional relationship in the rotation direction between the claw portion 3 and the engaging rib 20a when the sealing member 2 is inserted into the drive portion 20, and FIG. FIG. 22
In (B), there are two engaging ribs 20a and claw portions 3 (3A, 3A).
(B, 3C, 3D) shows an example in which four locations are provided.

In the state of FIG. 22 (A), the claw portion 3
A and 3C interfere with the engagement rib 20a and are not locked to the main body drive unit 20, but other claws 3B,
The 3D does not interfere with the engaging rib 20a and is correctly locked to the drive unit 20. Therefore, tentatively, the claw portions 3A, 3
Even if C is not locked, since it is locked by the claw portions 3B and 3D, the toner bottle 1 is separated without any trouble,
It can be opened.

Then, after the opening, as shown in FIG. 22B, when the main body drive portion 20 rotates in the direction of the arrow, the interfering engagement rib 20a is disengaged and the claw portions 3A, 3
When C is also properly locked and the rotation further proceeds, the engagement rib 20a is caught by the claws 3B and 3D, and the rotation drive is transmitted here, and the toner bottle 1 rotates.

As described above, in this embodiment as well, as in the first embodiment, the number of the claw portions 3 is always larger than the number of the engaging ribs 20a, so that the user can rotate at any time. Even if the toner bottle 1 is inserted in the direction, the toner bottle 1 is correctly locked and engages with the main body drive portion 20, so that the toner bottle 1 can be reliably set.

Further, when a plurality of engaging ribs 20a and claw portions 3 are provided, even when the number of engaging ribs 20a and engaging protrusions 3 are the same as shown in FIG. 22C. By making the respective phase angles different, it is possible to prevent the positions of the claw portion 3 and the engaging rib 20a from overlapping when the toner bottle 1 is inserted.

As described above, according to the present invention, the user can surely set the toner bottle 1 in the main body of the copying machine only by inserting the toner bottle, and further, when the toner bottle 1 is inserted, the rotation direction of the bottle 1 is changed. The replacement work can be performed with simple operation without the need for troublesome work such as positioning.

Next, referring to FIG. 23, the engagement releasing operation in this embodiment will be described.

When the engagement between the main body drive unit 20 and the sealing member 2 is released, the pushing member 21 arranged in the central portion of the main body drive unit 20 is slid in the direction of arrow a, as in the first embodiment. It can be released easily just by.

By pushing the pushing member 21 in the direction of arrow a with respect to the releasing portion 4 provided inside the sealing member 2, as shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 3 (B), the releasing portion 21 is bent so as to be pushed outward, and at the same time, the claw portion 3 integrated with the releasing portion 21 is also opened outward. As a result, the engagement between the claw portion 3 and the main body drive portion 20 is released.

Thereafter, the pushing member 21 further advances in the direction of the arrow a, so that the pushing member 2 is moved as shown in FIG. 23 (C).
1 press-fits the sealing member 2 into the opening 1a, where the sealing member 2 seals the opening 1a of the toner bottle 1. By further moving the pushing member 21 in the direction of arrow a, the toner bottle 1 itself is retracted, and finally the toner bottle 1 is slid to a position where the user can easily take it out.

With regard to the structure of the pushing member 21, it is interlocked with the opening / closing operation of the front cover 15 of the apparatus main body 100.
The push-out member 21 may move in the direction of arrow a when the front cover 15 is opened for separation, and may move in the direction of arrow b when the front cover 15 is closed, or a separate drive motor or the like may be used. In this case, the configuration may be such that an independent separating operation is performed. Alternatively, instead of the interlocking operation with the front cover 15, a separate manual lever is provided and the separating operation is performed in conjunction with this, and any method may be used.

As described above, in this embodiment, since the releasing portion is not exposed on the surface, even if the toner replenishing container is dropped, the releasing portion is not likely to be damaged and the impact resistance during distribution is excellent. A toner supply container can be provided.

Further, the drive transmission of the toner bottle can be easily released and the opening / closing operation of the opening portion of the toner bottle can be realized at the same time by a very simple operation in which the pushing member slides back and forth. It is possible.

Therefore, it is possible to realize a reliable and highly reliable drive transmission force in spite of a very simple operation and a simple, inexpensive and compact structure.

Third Embodiment Next, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.

In the first and second embodiments, the drive transmission mechanism of the present invention is applied to the toner replenishing container and the toner replenishing device of the image forming apparatus. However, in the third embodiment, An example in which the present drive transmission mechanism is applied to drive transmission of a photosensitive drum is shown.

FIG. 24 shows a structure in which the drive generated from the main body of the image forming apparatus is transmitted to the photosensitive drum 104 from the drive section 20.

The structure of the drive transmission mechanism shown in this embodiment is exactly the same as that of the drive transmission mechanism described in the first embodiment, and the description thereof will be omitted.

As described above, the drive transmission mechanism of the present invention is not limited to the toner replenishing container and the toner replenishing device, but can be applied to a structure for transmitting the drive such as rotation, swinging, and reversing about the rotation axis. Is.

In the above-described first to third embodiments, the drive transmission mechanism is provided with the rotational direction engaging portion 20a on the drive transmission member 20 side on the rotary drive generation side, and receives the rotary drive from the drive transmission member 20. Although the engaging projection 3 is provided on the receiving member 2c, that is, on the sealing member 2 side, the engaging projection is provided on the drive transmission portion 20 material side on the rotation drive generation side, and the engagement projection 3 is provided. The rotational direction engaging portion may be provided on the drive receiving member 2c that receives the rotational drive, that is, on the sealing member 2 side, and the same operational effect can be obtained.

[0143]

As described above, the drive transmission mechanism according to the present invention is configured so that the drive transmission member on the rotational drive generation side and the drive transmission member can be attached to and detached from the drive transmission member in the rotational axis direction. The first member, which is either one of the drive receiving member receiving the drive, has a claw-shaped engaging protrusion that is displaceable in a direction intersecting the rotation axis direction, and the engaging protrusion is The second member, which is the other member of the drive transmission member and the drive receiving member, approaches the second member while being displaced, and returns to the displacement when approaching a predetermined position, thereby separating from the second member along the rotation axis. And is engaged with the second member in the rotation direction, the second member engages with the displacement portion that displaces the engagement protrusion and the engagement protrusion in the direction that separates the engagement protrusion along the rotation axis. Axial locking part to stop, engagement protrusion and rotation (A) the engaging protrusions are provided in a number larger than the number of rotating direction engaging portions, or (B) Since a plurality of engaging protrusions and a plurality of rotational direction engaging portions are provided, and the angular arrangement of the plurality of engaging protrusions and the angular arrangement of the plurality of rotational direction engaging portions are different, (1) drive It is possible to realize a drive transmission mechanism that does not require the phase adjustment of the transmission member and the drive receiving member, and the type of drive can be any of rotation, swing, and reversal drive methods about the rotation axis. (2) By applying such a drive transmission mechanism to the toner replenishing device and the toner replenishing container, the toner replenishing container is inserted into the image forming apparatus main body, and the toner replenishing container is replaced by the image forming apparatus main body by some action of the image forming apparatus main body. Since the toner is engaged with the rotation driving portion of the main body and is set in the toner replenishable state, it is possible to realize the toner replenishing work with excellent operability. Such an effect can be obtained.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a sectional view showing an embodiment of an image forming apparatus.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the image forming apparatus of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing how the toner supply container is attached to the image forming apparatus.

FIG. 4 is a front view of the image forming apparatus of FIG.

5 is a side view of the image forming apparatus of FIG.

FIG. 6 is a plan view of the image forming apparatus showing a state in which a toner container replacement cover is opened.

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view showing a mounting operation of the toner supply container, that is, (A) when mounting is started, (B) during mounting, and (C) when mounting is completed.

FIG. 8 is a partially cutaway perspective view showing an embodiment of a toner supply container.

FIG. 9 is a partially enlarged cross-sectional view showing an embodiment of a drive transmission unit when the drive shaft is provided on the toner supply container body side.

FIG. 10 is a partially enlarged cross-sectional view showing another embodiment of the drive transmission unit when the drive shaft is provided on the sealing member side.

FIG. 11 is a partially cutaway perspective view showing another embodiment of the toner supply container.

FIG. 12 is a front view (A) showing an embodiment of a sealing member,
It is the side view seen from the X direction of (A) figure, and the side view seen from the same Y direction.

FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view showing the sealing member taken along line ZZ in FIG. 12 (B).

FIG. 14 is a perspective view showing an embodiment of a driving force transmitting section and a driving force receiving section that do not require phase matching.

FIG. 15 is a state when the toner bottle is inserted in the drive transmission portion of FIG. 14, that is, (A) before the toner bottle is inserted, (B).
It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view which shows the time of (C) insertion completion in the middle of insertion.

FIG. 16 is a perspective view showing another embodiment of the driving force transmitting portion and the driving force receiving portion that do not require phase matching.

FIG. 17 is an explanatory diagram related to phase alignment at the time of inserting a toner bottle, in which (A) a state in which the engagement rib and the engagement protrusion are in phase with each other, (B) a state in which the rotation progresses and the phase is no longer in phase, (C) ) FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a state in which the rotation further progresses and the engagement rib is caught by the engagement protrusion and the drive is transmitted, and (D) a state in which a plurality of engagement ribs and the same number of engagement protrusions are provided and the phase angles are different from each other. is there.

FIG. 18 is a cross-sectional view showing a state of disengagement in the drive transmission portion of the toner bottle, that is, (A) before releasing, (B) during releasing, and (C) when releasing is completed.

19 (A) is a side view showing another embodiment of the sealing member according to the present invention, and FIG. 19 (B) is a sectional view taken along line XX.

20 (A) is a front view, FIG. 20 (B) is a side view, and FIG. 21 (C) is a view showing another embodiment of the drive unit that engages with the sealing member of FIG.
FIG. 20A is a cross-sectional view taken along line C-C of FIG.
6 is a cross-sectional view taken along line D-D in FIG.

21 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the sealing member of FIG. 19 and the drive unit of FIG. 20 are engaged, that is, (A) a toner bottle is inserted, (B) is in the middle of insertion, and (C) is a completed state. Is.

22A and 22B are explanatory views related to the phase alignment at the time of inserting the toner bottle, in which (A) a state in which the engagement rib and the engagement projection are in phase with each other, (B) a state in which the rotation progresses and the phase is no longer overlapped, (C) ) A diagram showing a state in which a plurality of and the same number of engaging ribs and engaging protrusions are provided and the phase angles are different from each other.

23 is a state of releasing the engagement of FIG. 22, that is, (A)
It is sectional drawing which shows before releasing, (B) releasing, and (C) completion of releasing.

FIG. 24 is a perspective view showing drive transmission of a photosensitive drum in another embodiment of the drive transmission mechanism of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 Toner bottle (toner supply container) 1A bottle body (toner supply container body) 2 Sealing member 2b Sealing part 2c Coupling engagement part 3 Claws (engagement protrusions) 3a Drive receiving surface (driving force receiving portion) 3b Locking surface 4 Release protrusion (release force receiving part) 20 Drive 20a Engaging rib (drive transmission member) 21 Extruded member 100 Image forming apparatus main body 104 photoconductor drum 400 toner supply device

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Claims (17)

[Claims] 1. A rotary drive having a drive transmission member on a rotary drive generation side, and a drive receiving member which is detachable from the drive transmission member in a rotation axis direction and receives rotary drive from the drive transmission member. In the drive transmission mechanism, the first member, which is one of the drive transmission member and the drive receiving member, has a claw-shaped engaging protrusion that is displaceable in a direction intersecting the rotation axis direction. The engaging protrusion approaches the second member while being displaced by the second member that is the other member of the drive transmission member and the drive receiving member, and the displacement returns when approaching a predetermined position. And a displacement portion that disengages the engagement protrusion from the second member and is engaged with the second member in a rotation direction while being locked in a direction of separating from the second member along the rotation axis. , The engaging protrusion An axial direction locking portion that locks the portion in the direction of separating along the rotation axis, and a rotation direction engaging portion that engages in the rotation direction with the engagement protruding portion, the engagement protruding portion, The drive transmission mechanism is characterized in that at least one or more of the rotational direction engaging portions are provided. 2. A rotary drive having a drive transmitting member on the rotary drive generating side and a drive receiving member which is detachable from the drive transmitting member in a rotation axis direction and receives rotary drive from the drive transmitting member. In the drive transmission mechanism, the first member, which is one of the drive transmission member and the drive receiving member, has a claw-shaped engaging protrusion that is displaceable in a direction intersecting the rotation axis direction. The engaging protrusion approaches the second member while being displaced by the second member that is the other member of the drive transmission member and the drive receiving member, and the displacement returns when approaching a predetermined position. And a displacement portion that disengages the engagement protrusion from the second member and is engaged with the second member in a rotation direction while being locked in a direction of separating from the second member along the rotation axis. , The engaging protrusion An axial direction locking portion that locks in the direction of separating along the rotation axis, and a rotation direction engaging portion that engages with the engaging protrusion in the rotation direction, the engaging protrusion and the rotation A drive transmission mechanism, wherein a plurality of directional engaging portions are provided, and the angular arrangement of the plurality of engaging protrusions is different from the angular arrangement of the plurality of rotational directional engaging portions. 3. The drive transmission mechanism according to claim 1, wherein the drive transmission member is provided with the rotational direction engagement portion, and the drive receiving member is provided with the engagement projection portion. 4. The drive transmission mechanism according to claim 1, wherein the engagement protrusion is an elastic member that is elastically deformable. 5. The material of the engaging protrusions is any of linear polyamide resin, polypropylene resin, polyethylene resin, polyester resin, ABS resin, and HIPS resin. The drive transmission mechanism according to any one of 1 to 4. 6. A toner replenishing device comprising: a toner replenishing container detachably mountable to an image forming apparatus main body; and a toner replenishing mechanism for replenishing toner from the toner replenishing container to the image forming apparatus main body. A toner replenishing device comprising a drive transmission mechanism according to any one of claims 1 to 5, and transmitting the rotational drive of the image forming apparatus main body side to the toner replenishing container. 7. The toner replenishing device according to claim 6, wherein the drive receiving member is provided on a sealing member that seals an opening of the toner replenishing container. 8. The sealing member is locked to the toner replenishing container in the rotational direction and is movable in the axial direction with respect to the toner replenishing container. 8. The toner replenishing device according to claim 6, wherein the toner replenishing device maintains the engaged state in the rotation direction. 9. The opening of the toner supply container is opened by locking the sealing member to the main body of the image forming apparatus and pulling out the sealing member by the action of the main body of the image forming apparatus. 9. The toner replenishing device according to claim 6, 7, or 8. 10. The toner replenishing container is configured such that the sealing member is locked to the main body of the image forming apparatus, and the toner replenishing container is moved by the action of the main body of the image forming apparatus to open the opening. 9. The toner replenishing device according to claim 6, 7, or 8. 11. The toner replenishing container has a substantially cylindrical shape, and is configured to convey and discharge toner by being rotated by a rotational driving force transmitted from the drive receiving member. The toner supply device according to claim 6. 12. The image forming apparatus, which is detachable from the image forming apparatus main body and is rotationally driven by the image forming apparatus main body by the drive transmission mechanism according to claim 1. Description: A toner supply container for supplying toner to a main body, wherein the drive receiving member of the drive transmission mechanism is provided on the toner supply container side. 13. The toner supply container according to claim 12, wherein the drive receiving member is provided on a sealing member that seals an opening of the toner supply container. 14. The sealing member is locked to the toner replenishing container in the rotation direction, is movable in the axial direction, and is capable of moving in the opening direction.
14. The toner replenishing container according to claim 12, wherein the toner replenishing container is kept in a state in which the toner replenishing container is in a rotational direction. 15. In the toner supply container, the sealing member is locked to the image forming apparatus main body, and the sealing member is pulled out by an action from the image forming apparatus main body,
13. The opening according to claim 12, wherein the opening is opened.
13. The toner supply container according to 13 or 14. 16. The toner replenishing container is such that the sealing member is locked to the main body of the electrophotographic image forming apparatus, and the toner replenishing container is moved by an action from the main body of the image forming apparatus to open the opening portion. The toner supply container according to claim 12, 13 or 14, which is opened. 17. The toner supply container has a substantially cylindrical shape, and is configured to convey and discharge toner by being rotated by a rotational driving force transmitted from the drive receiving member. The toner supply container according to any one of claims 12 to 16.