JPH0238296Y2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a toner replenishing device used, for example, in an electrophotographic copying machine.

In this specification, the term "toner" is used to include not only toner of a two-component developer but also a single-component developer.

As is well known, in an electrophotographic copying machine, in order to replenish the developing device with toner consumed during operation, a replenishment hopper equipped with a remaining amount detector is installed, and when the replenishment hopper becomes empty, it is refilled. Toner packed in a bottle or the like is put into the supply hopper. However, in such a replenishment method, when toner is put into the replenishment hopper, there is a possibility that the fingertips or the like may be soiled with toner, or that the floating toner may scatter outside and contaminate the environment. For this reason, conventionally, a dual-tube toner case has been proposed in which the stored toner can be dropped into the replenishment hopper by simply rotating the inner case with respect to the outer case. When replenishing toner, if the toner case is pulled out from the replenishment hopper without knowing that the replenishment hopper is full, toner may inadvertently spill and an unexpected accident may occur.

This invention was developed in view of the conventional situation as mentioned above.
By dispensing toner from the double-tube toner case, it is possible to take advantage of the features of the toner case to prevent unexpected toner accidents. A cylindrical toner case that can be rotated to drop toner can be attached to the top, and a first detector that detects a high level limit as a detector that can detect the amount of toner in the replenishment hopper. A replenishment hopper is provided with a second detector for detecting a low level limit below the first detector; a signal of the second detector outputs a replenishment signal when a signal indicating that no toner is detected; When the signals from the first and second detectors both output signals for detecting toner, the replenishment signal is stopped, the replenishment signal is output, and the second detector outputs a signal indicating that toner is detected. If the first detector does not output a signal for detecting toner within a predetermined period of time, the control means outputs a signal to notify that the toner is empty in the toner case, and the control means outputs a signal to notify that the toner is empty in the toner case, and controls the motor based on the replenishment signal. The toner replenishing device has a toner replenishing mechanism that controls and drives and rotates the toner case to replenish toner.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

In FIGS. 1 and 2, the toner case A used is a known double barrel toner case, and
Slot-shaped toner dropout opening 1a opened on the peripheral surface
The inner cylinder case 2 is rotatably located in the outer cylinder case 1 and has a toner outlet 2a on a part of its circumferential surface that can coincide with the toner dropout port 1a. The cylindrical case 2 contains replenishment toner T.

The toner case A described above is slidably attached to an attachment opening 4 formed on the side surface of the copying machine body 3 shown in FIG. 2 or to the upper part of a supply hopper 5. The replenishment hopper 5, whose lower part is blocked by a replenishment roller 6, is used to supply toner into the developing device 7 in small amounts in proportion to the amount consumed by the developing device 7, and the side of the replenishing hopper 5 is provided with the toner contained therein. A first detector 8 for detecting a high level limit and a second detector 9 for detecting a low level limit of the contained toner are provided.

In addition, a drive motor 1 is mounted on the inner end surface of the inner cylinder case 2.
A removable bar 12 is fixed to the pin clutch 11 which is rotated at zero, and the rotational force of the drive motor 10 is transmitted to the inner cylinder case 2 via this bar 12.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of the control section of the drive motor 10, and the outputs of the first detector 8 and second detector 9 described above are operated by the logical product of the output signals of both detectors 8 and 9. The signal is input to a control circuit 13, which applies a power supply voltage to the drive motor 10 when the AND is at the 0'' level.

Since the toner replenishing device according to the present invention has the above-described structure, by attaching the toner case A to the upper part of the replenishment hopper 5, the toner T for replenishment in the inner cylinder case 2 can be dispensed in small quantities. That is,
When the toner in the replenishment hopper 5 runs out and the second detector 9 senses it, the inner cylinder case 2 is continuously rotated in the direction of arrow B, and the replenishment toner T in the inner cylinder case 2 is delivered to the replenishment hopper in small amounts. Dropped into 5. Of course, this intermittent toner discharging continues until the first detector 8 becomes sensitive, but if the first detector 8 does not become sensitive within a predetermined time after the second detector 9 becomes sensitive, the control circuit 13 As a result, the alarm lamp is turned on to notify that the toner case A is empty. Therefore, according to the present invention, there is no possibility of inadvertently removing the toner case A from the replenishment hopper 5 without knowing that replenishment toner T remains in the toner case A, unlike in the conventional case.

In the above-mentioned embodiment, the inner cylinder case 2 is continuously rotated in one direction by the drive motor, but in the present invention, the inner cylinder case 2 is reciprocated within a certain angle range. You may let them.

In the end, according to the present invention, toner can be replenished without getting one's hands dirty, and the toner case does not scatter toner during replenishment. It has the effect of preventing

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a sectional view of a toner replenishing device according to the present invention, FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along the line - in FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 is a block diagram of the toner replenishing device. T...Replenishment toner, A...Toner case, 2
... Inner cylinder case, 5 ... Supply hopper, 8, 9 ...
Detector.

Claims (1)

[Scope of utility model registration request] The cylindrical toner case has an opening on its longitudinal circumferential surface and can be rotated to drop toner.
A first detector for detecting a high level limit and a second detector for detecting a low level limit below the first detector, which can be mounted on the top and can detect the amount of toner in the replenishment hopper. a replenishment hopper provided with a replenishment hopper, which outputs a replenishment signal when the second detector outputs a signal that does not detect toner, and when the signals from the first and second detectors both output a signal that detects toner; When the replenishment signal is output, the replenishment signal is stopped, and the toner is detected from the first detector within a predetermined time after the replenishment signal is output and a signal indicating that the toner is detected from the second detector is output. If the signal is not output, a control means outputs a signal indicating that the toner in the toner case is empty; and a toner replenishment unit that controls a motor based on the replenishment signal to drive the toner case to rotate and replenish toner. A toner replenishing device characterized by having a mechanism.