JPH08305148A - Toner cartridge and developing device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To reduce the scattering of toner from a cartridge as for as possible. CONSTITUTION: The toner cartridge 35 is of a cylindrical one detachably attached to a developing unit 12 for developing an electrostatic latent image with the toner and provided with an inner cylinder member 41, an outer cylinder member 42, a locking pawl 55 and an attaching groove 52. The inner cylinder member 41 houses the toner inside and an opening 43 is formed in the periphery of the member 41. The outer cylinder member 42 is arranged to enable a relative rotation on the outer peripheral side of the inner cylinder member 41 and a periphery 44 capable of facing the opening 43 is formed in the periphery of the member 42. The locking pawl 55 is of a hook-like member and projected outward on the periphery of the inner cylinder member 41, the top end is locked to the inner periphery of the outer cylinder member 42 and the locking is released at the time of attaching. The attaching groove 52 is formed like a U- shape and arranged in the end surface of the inner cylinder member 41 and guides it, to attach it to the developing unit 12 in a radial direction.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a toner cartridge and a developing device, and more particularly to a developing device for developing an electrostatic latent image formed on a photoconductor and a cylindrical toner cartridge mounted therein.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Generally, an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine, a facsimile machine, and a laser printer forms an electrostatic latent image on a photosensitive drum by exposure. A developing device for converting the electrostatic latent image into a toner image is provided around the photosensitive drum. The developing device is provided with a toner hopper for supplying toner. A mounting hole is formed in the toner hopper, and the toner cartridge is removably mounted in this mounting hole. When the toner is empty, the toner hopper is replenished by replacing the toner cartridge.

A cylindrical toner cartridge is known as this type of toner cartridge. The cylindrical toner cartridge has a cylindrical member having an opening for discharging toner on the peripheral surface and containing toner therein, and a peelable sealing film for sealing the opening. In this cylindrical toner cartridge, the toner cartridge is inserted into the mounting hole of the toner hopper with the opening facing upward. Next, the sealing film is peeled off, and then the toner cartridge is turned over by 180 ° so that the opening faces downward. As a result, the toner in the toner cartridge is supplied into the toner hopper.

On the other hand, a double cylinder type toner cartridge is also known in place of the structure in which the toner discharge opening is sealed with a sealing film. This double-cylindrical toner cartridge is provided with an inner cylinder member having an opening formed on the peripheral surface and containing toner therein, and an outer cylinder side of the inner cylinder member so as to be rotatable relative to each other, and an opening of the inner cylinder member on the peripheral surface. And an outer cylinder member having an opening that can be opposed thereto. In this double cylinder type toner cartridge, when not mounted, the opening of the outer cylinder member and the opening of the inner cylinder member are arranged in the opposite direction, and the opening of the inner cylinder member is sealed by the outer cylinder member and stored inside. The toner is kept in a sealed state. At the time of mounting, the toner cartridge is inserted into the mounting hole of the toner hopper with the opening of the outer cylinder member facing downward, and after insertion, the inner cylinder member is rotated a half turn to align the two openings. As a result, the toner in the inner cylinder member is supplied into the toner hopper.

[0005]

In the former configuration in which the sealing film is peeled off and the toner is supplied, the toner cartridge is rotated after the film is peeled off, but if the film is peeled off after the rotation accidentally, the toner adheres to the film. The formed toner may be scattered to the outside when the film is peeled off.

In the double type toner cartridge, this kind of problem does not occur, but since the two cylinders rotate freely, the two openings may be erroneously made to face each other before mounting. If the two openings face each other, the sealed state of the toner may be released and the toner may be scattered from the openings. Further, in both of the cylindrical toner cartridges, the cartridges are mounted so as to close the mounting holes, so that the air inside the mounting holes is pushed out by the insertion of the toner cartridges, and the toner adhering to the periphery thereof is attached. May be scattered outside. On the contrary, when the cartridge is removed, air may be pulled in, and toner may be scattered.

An object of the present invention is to reduce toner scattering as much as possible.

[0008]

A toner cartridge according to a first aspect of the present invention is of a cylindrical type which is detachably mounted on a developing device for developing an electrostatic latent image with toner, the cylindrical member and a mounting guide. And a section. The cylindrical member accommodates the toner and has an opening formed on the peripheral surface. The mounting guide portion is disposed on at least one end surface of the cylindrical member and guides the cylindrical member to be mounted in the developing device in the radial direction.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided the toner cartridge according to the first aspect, wherein the cylindrical member is rotatably mounted on the developing device, and the mounting guide portion is disposed on one end surface of the cylindrical member. The developing device includes a guide portion that engages with an engaging portion provided in the developing device to guide the cylindrical member, and a locking portion that locks the cylindrical member with the engaging portion when the cylindrical member rotates.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a toner cartridge according to the first or second aspect, wherein the cylindrical member accommodates toner and has an inner cylinder member having a first opening formed on a peripheral surface thereof. It is arranged on the outer peripheral side so that relative rotation is possible,
It is possible to lock the relative rotation of the outer cylinder member and the inner cylinder member and the outer cylinder member on the peripheral surface when the outer cylinder member is formed with the second opening that can face the first opening and the second cylinder is not mounted on the developing device, and unlock it when mounted. The locking mechanism is provided, and the mounting guide portion is disposed on one end surface of the inner tubular member.

A toner cartridge according to a fourth aspect is a cylindrical type which is detachably attached to a developing device for developing an electrostatic latent image with toner, and includes an inner cylinder member, an outer cylinder member, and a lock mechanism. It has and. The inner cylinder member contains toner and has a first opening formed on the peripheral surface. The outer cylinder member is arranged so as to be relatively rotatable on the outer peripheral side of the inner cylinder member,
A second opening that can face the first opening is formed on the peripheral surface. The lock mechanism is capable of locking relative rotation between the inner cylinder member and the outer cylinder member when the developing device is not mounted and releasing the lock when the developing device is mounted.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a toner cartridge according to the third or fourth aspect, wherein the outer cylinder member has a fixing member which is fixed to the developing device at the time of mounting, and the inner cylinder member has a rotary knob member. Have A toner cartridge according to a sixth aspect is the cartridge according to any one of the third to fifth aspects, wherein the lock mechanism is unlocked by a lock release mechanism provided in the developing device.

A toner cartridge according to a seventh aspect is the toner cartridge according to any one of the third to sixth aspects, wherein the lock mechanism includes a claw member extending outward from a peripheral surface of the inner tubular member and an outer tubular member. And a locking member which is provided on the inner peripheral surface and locks the claw member. A developing device according to claim 8 is a device for developing an electrostatic latent image formed on a photoconductor, the developing part, the toner cartridge according to any one of claims 1 to 3, and a cartridge mounting part. Is equipped with. The developing unit develops the electrostatic latent image with toner. The cartridge mounting portion has an engaging portion that engages with the mounting guide portion of the toner cartridge.

A developing device according to a ninth aspect is a device for developing an electrostatic latent image formed on a photoconductor, comprising: a developing section;
The toner cartridge according to any one of claims 4 to 7 and the cartridge mounting portion are provided. The developing unit develops the electrostatic latent image with toner. The cartridge mounting part is
It has a fixing part for fixing the toner cartridge and a lock releasing mechanism for releasing the lock mechanism.

[0015]

In the toner cartridge according to the first aspect, when the toner cartridge is attached and detached, the mounting guide portion guides the cylindrical member so as to be attached and detached from the developing device in the radial direction. For this reason, the toner cartridge does not need to be attached or detached in a state of closing the attachment hole, and the toner is less likely to be scattered by the air flow during attachment or detachment.

In the toner cartridge according to claim 2,
When the guide portion is engaged with the engaging portion of the developing device during mounting, the cylindrical member is guided in the radial direction. After that, when the cylindrical member is rotated, the engaging portion is engaged with the engaging portion, and the toner cartridge is less likely to come off the developing device. In the toner cartridge according to the third and the fourth aspects, the inner cylinder member and the outer cylinder member are locked by the lock mechanism in a state where the two cartridges are not mounted in the developing device, and the two openings are displaced from each other so that they cannot rotate relative to each other. Also, when it is installed in the developing device, the lock is released,
The inner cylinder member or the outer cylinder member can be rotated so that the toner inside can be supplied to the developing device if the two openings face each other. Here, since the relative rotation of the two members is locked when they are not mounted, the openings of the two members are not accidentally opposed to each other. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the toner from scattering due to an erroneous operation.

In the toner cartridge according to claim 5,
Since the outer cylinder member has the fixing member and the inner cylinder member has the knob member for rotation, the outer cylinder member can be reliably fixed and the inner cylinder member can be surely rotated. In the toner cartridge according to the sixth aspect, since the lock mechanism is automatically unlocked by the lock release mechanism provided in the developing device, the lock mechanism is surely released at the time of mounting.

In the toner cartridge according to claim 7,
The claw member provided on the inner tubular member and the locking member provided on the inner peripheral surface of the outer tubular member are locked to lock the inner tubular member and the outer tubular member, and when they are separated, the lock is released. In the developing device according to claim 8, when the toner cartridge is attached or detached, the mounting guide portion provided on the toner cartridge and the engaging portion provided on the cartridge mounting portion engage with each other.
The cylindrical member is guided so as to be attached to and detached from the developing device in the radial direction. For this reason, the toner cartridge does not need to be attached or detached in a state of closing the attachment hole, and the toner is less likely to be scattered by the air flow during attachment or detachment.

In the developing device according to the ninth aspect, when the toner cartridge is mounted, it is fixed by the fixing portion and the lock mechanism is automatically released. Therefore, the lock mechanism is reliably released when the toner cartridge is mounted.

[0020]

1 is an external perspective view of a facsimile apparatus to which an embodiment of the present invention is applied, and FIG. 2 is a schematic vertical sectional view showing the structure thereof. As shown in these figures, the facsimile apparatus includes a reading unit 1 for reading image information of an original document arranged at an upper part, and an output unit for forming the received image information at a substantially central portion of the device on a paper surface. 2 and a paper feed unit 3 which is arranged at the bottom of the apparatus and supplies paper to the output unit 2.

The reading section 1 has a document table 5 on which a document is placed.
And a document transport section 6 for transporting the document, and a document discharge tray 7 for storing the document discharged from the document transport section 6. An image information reading sensor 8 for reading the image information of the original is arranged in the original conveying section 6. An operation panel 9 having various keys and a display unit is arranged on the upper surface of the device. Furthermore, a handset 10 is arranged on top of the device.

The output unit 2 includes an imaging unit 11 including a photosensitive drum 30 and the like, and a developing unit 1 for developing an electrostatic latent image formed on the photosensitive drum 30 with toner.
2, a transfer roller 13 that transfers the toner image formed on the photosensitive drum 30 to a sheet, a laser device 15 that forms an image according to the received information on the surface of the photosensitive drum 30 of the imaging unit 11, The transfer roller 13 includes a fixing / conveying device 16 for fixing the toner image transferred onto the surface of the sheet. A paper discharge tray 17 is provided on the downstream side of the fixing and conveying device 16.

The paper feed section 3 is a paper feed cassette 21 which is detachable from an opening 20 provided at the bottom of the apparatus main body, and feeds paper from the paper feed cassette 21 and feeds the paper to the output section 2. And a paper device 22. The main body of the apparatus is divided into an upper case 25 and a lower case 26, and the upper case 25 has a lower case 2 centered on a hinge portion 27.
6 can be opened and closed freely. The reading unit 1 and the imaging unit 11, the developing unit 12, and the laser device 15 of the output unit 2 are attached to the upper case 25, and the transfer roller 1 of the output unit 2 is attached to the lower case 26.
3 and the fixing / conveying device 16 and the sheet feeding section 3 are arranged.

The developing unit 12 has a magnetic sleeve type developing roller 33, a toner hopper 34 for supporting the developing roller 33, and a toner cartridge 35 mounted in the toner hopper 34. As shown in FIG. 3, the toner hopper 34 has a cartridge mounting portion 36 for mounting the toner cartridge 35 on the upper portion. The cartridge mounting portion 36 has a curved concave surface 36a in a shape of a part of a cylinder, and a toner supply port 37 is formed in the curved concave surface 36a. A support bracket 38 is erected on the front side of the cartridge mounting portion 36 in FIG. On the inner side surface of the support bracket 38, a support pin 39 extending horizontally is provided upright. A lock release section 40 for releasing a lock of a lock mechanism of a toner cartridge 35 described later is provided on the back side of the toner hopper 34 (upper left side in FIG. 3). The unlocking portion 40 has a triangular side surface as shown in FIG. Fixed receiving portions 49 for fixing the toner cartridge 35 are arranged on both sides of the lock releasing portion 40.

As shown in FIGS. 3 to 5, the toner cartridge 35 has an inner cylinder member 41 and an outer cylinder member 42 concentrically and relatively rotatably arranged on the outer peripheral side of the inner cylinder member 41. There is. The inner cylinder member 41 stores toner inside, and an opening 43 is formed on the peripheral surface thereof. An opening 44 that can face the opening 43 of the inner cylinder member 41 is formed on the peripheral surface of the outer cylinder member 42. Both ends of the inner cylinder member 41 are closed by lid members 45 and 46. Further, one end of the outer cylinder member 42 is closed by a lid member 47 and the other end is open. A pivot pin 48 is projected from one lid member 45 on the left side of FIG. 4 of the inner cylinder member 41. Turning pin 48
Is rotatably supported at the center inside the lid member 47 of the outer tubular member 42.

On the other lid member 46 of the inner cylinder member 41, a rotation lever 50 for rotating the inner cylinder member 41 and a rotation fixing for fixing the cartridge 35 in conjunction with the rotation lever 50. A section 51 is provided. Rotating lever 5
0 is provided so as to project slightly outward in the radial direction from the outer tubular member 42. The rotating lever 50 is rotatable between the detached position shown by the solid line in FIG. 3 and the mounting position shown by the chain double-dashed line. When the rotating lever 50 is arranged at the detached position, the opening 43 is arranged substantially upward as shown in FIG.
When arranged in the mounting position, the opening 43 is arranged downward and faces the opening 44.

The rotation fixing portion 51 has a U-shaped mounting groove 52 at the center. The support bracket 3 is provided in the mounting groove 52.
8, the support pin 39 provided upright is engaged. Inner cylinder member 41
Around the opening 43, a seal member 53 (FIG. 5) made of felt, which is in contact with the inner peripheral surface of the outer tubular member 42, is attached. The seal member 53 prevents the toner contained in the inner cylinder member 41 from scattering.

Further, a hook-shaped lock claw 55 protruding outward is provided on the outer peripheral surface of the inner cylinder member 41. An engagement recess 56 is formed on the inner peripheral surface of the outer tubular member 42 facing the lock claw 55. The engagement recess 56 is the lock claw 5.
The hook portion 55a at the tip of 5 is locked, and is formed inside the fixing member 57 formed on the peripheral surface of the outer tubular member 42. The fixing member 57 is formed in a beveled shape on the peripheral surface of the outer tubular member 42. In this way, the lock claw 55
Is locked in the engagement recess 56, the inner cylinder member 41 and the outer cylinder member 42 are locked. The fixing member 57 is fitted in a space 49a (FIG. 6) between the lock releasing portion 40 and the fixing receiving portions 49 provided on both sides of the lock releasing portion 40 to restrict the rotation of the outer cylinder member 42 and to fix the outer cylinder member 42 to the cartridge. Mounting part 36
Fixed to. The outer cylinder member 4 is provided below the fixing member 57.
2 has an opening 58 to the outside. As a result, the lock claw 55 can be exposed to the outside through the opening 58.

Next, the toner replenishing operation of the facsimile apparatus thus constructed will be described. When the toner empty lamp is turned on and the toner cartridge is replaced, first, the upper case 25 is opened to expose the developing unit 12. Subsequently, in order to take out the empty toner cartridge from the cartridge mounting portion 36 of the toner hopper 34, the rotation lever 50 is moved from the mounting position shown by the chain double-dashed line in FIG.
Rotate to the removal position indicated by the solid line. As a result, the open end of the U-shaped mounting groove 52 faces diagonally downward left as shown in FIG. In this state, when the toner cartridge 35 is pulled up to the upper right in FIG. 6, the toner cartridge 35 is pulled out from the toner hopper 34. By thus removing the toner cartridge 35 in the radial direction, air turbulence does not occur, and toner scattering due to air turbulence is reduced. At this time, the two openings 4 facing each other
The opening 43 of the inner tubular member 41 among the parts 3, 44 faces upward as shown in FIG. 5, and the opening 43 is closed by the outer tubular member 42.

When the new toner cartridge 35 is mounted on the toner hopper 34, the toner cartridge 35 is mounted on the cartridge mounting portion 36 of the toner hopper 34 obliquely from above as shown in FIG. At this time, the fixing member 57 is fitted into the space 49a between the lock releasing portion 40 and the fixing receiving portion 49, and the U-shaped mounting groove 52 is engaged with the support pin 39. As a result, the rotation of the outer cylinder member 42 is suppressed and the outer cylinder member 42 is attached to the cartridge mounting portion 3.
It is fixed at 6. Further, the hook portion 55a of the lock claw 55 that locks the inner cylinder member 41 and the outer cylinder member 42 comes into contact with the lock release portion 40 (FIG. 7), and the lock claw 55 bends to cause the hook portion 55.
a disengages from the engaging recess 56 and the outer cylinder member 42 and the inner cylinder member 4
1 is released, and the inner cylinder member 41 is replaced with the outer cylinder member 42.
Can be rotated relative to. In this state, when the rotating lever 50 is rotated from the detached position to the attached position as shown by the arrow in FIG. 6, the inner cylinder member 41 rotates with respect to the outer cylinder member 42, and the opening of the inner cylinder member 41 opens. 43 is arranged at a position facing the opening 44 of the outer cylinder member 42. As a result, the toner stored in the inner cylinder member 41 is supplied to the toner hopper 34. At this time, since the open end of the mounting groove 52 of the rotation fixing portion 51 is disposed obliquely to the upper right and the bottom of the mounting groove 52 is locked to the support pin 39, the toner cartridge 35 is locked to the support pin 39. It will not come off from the cartridge mounting portion 36.

Even at this time of mounting, since the toner cartridge 35 is mounted in the cartridge mounting portion 36 from the radial direction, the air is not discharged and the toner is not scattered due to the discharge of the air. Further, since the outer cylinder member 42 and the inner cylinder member 41 are locked by the lock claws 55 when not mounted, the inner cylinder member 41 is not accidentally rotated when not mounted. Therefore, the toner does not scatter outside when not mounted. Further, since the lock release portion 40 unlocks the lock claw 55 when mounted, the lock is automatically released when mounted, and the inner cylinder member 41 is rotatable, so that the cartridge mounting operation is facilitated.

[Other Embodiments] (a) A cylinder having a cylindrical member having an opening on the peripheral surface and a sealing film attached to the peripheral surface of the cylindrical member instead of the double cylindrical toner cartridge. The present invention can be applied to a toner cartridge of the type. (B) The structure of the lock mechanism is not limited to the lock claw.

[0033]

According to the toner cartridge of the present invention,
The toner cartridge does not need to be attached / detached in a state of closing the attachment hole, and the toner is less likely to be scattered by the air flow at the time of attachment / detachment. Further, when the cylindrical member has the inner cylinder member, the outer cylinder member, and the lock mechanism, the two members are locked when not mounted, so that the openings of the two members do not accidentally face each other. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the toner from scattering due to an erroneous operation.

In the developing device according to the present invention, the toner cartridge is not attached or detached in a state of closing the attachment hole, and the toner is less likely to be scattered by the air flow during attachment or detachment. Further, when the toner cartridge is mounted, it is fixed by the fixing portion and the lock mechanism is automatically released, so that the lock mechanism is reliably released at the time of mounting.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an external perspective view of a facsimile device to which an embodiment of the present invention is applied.

FIG. 2 is a schematic configuration diagram of a vertical cross section of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a perspective exploded view of a developing unit.

FIG. 4 is a vertical sectional view of a toner cartridge.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the toner cartridge.

FIG. 6 is a partial side sectional view of the toner cartridge when mounted.

FIG. 7 is a partial sectional view of the toner cartridge when the toner cartridge is mounted.

[Explanation of symbols]

 11 Imaging Unit 12 Developing Unit 30 Photosensitive Drum 34 Toner Hopper 35 Toner Cartridge 36 Cartridge Mounting Part 40 Lock Release Part 41 Inner Cylinder Member 42 Outer Cylinder Member 43, 44 Opening 49 Fixing Receiving Part 52 Mounting Groove 55 Locking Claw 57 Fixing Member

Claims (9)

[Claims] 1. A cylindrical toner cartridge detachably mounted in a developing device for developing an electrostatic latent image with toner, the cylindrical member containing the toner and having an opening on a peripheral surface thereof. A toner cartridge, which is disposed on at least one end surface of the cylindrical member and which guides the cylindrical member to be mounted in the developing device in a radial direction. 2. The cylindrical member is rotatably mounted on the developing device, the mounting guide portion is disposed on one end surface of the cylindrical member, and is engaged with an engaging portion provided on the developing device at the time of mounting. The toner cartridge according to claim 1, further comprising: a guide portion that guides the cylindrical member, and a locking portion that locks the cylindrical member to the engaging portion when the cylindrical member rotates. 3. The inner cylindrical member that accommodates the toner and has a first opening formed on a peripheral surface of the cylindrical member, and the inner cylindrical member is rotatably disposed on an outer peripheral side of the inner cylindrical member, and the cylindrical member includes the inner cylindrical member. An outer cylinder member having a second opening that can face the first opening, and a lock that locks relative rotation between the inner cylinder member and the outer cylinder member when not mounted on the developing device and which can be unlocked when mounted. 3. The toner cartridge according to claim 1, further comprising a mechanism, wherein the mounting guide portion is disposed on one end surface of the inner cylinder member. 4. A cylindrical toner cartridge detachably mounted on a developing device for developing an electrostatic latent image with toner, the inner cylinder containing the toner and having a first opening formed on a peripheral surface thereof. A member, an outer cylinder member which is arranged on the outer peripheral side of the inner cylinder member so as to be rotatable relative to the outer cylinder member, and a second opening which is formed on the peripheral surface so as to face the first opening, and the inner cylinder member and the outer cylinder member. Cartridge which locks the relative rotation of the device when not mounted on the developing device and which can be unlocked when mounted. 5. The toner cartridge according to claim 3, wherein the outer cylinder member has a fixing member that is fixed to the developing device when mounted, and the inner cylinder member has a turning knob member. . 6. The toner cartridge according to claim 3, wherein the lock mechanism is unlocked by an unlock mechanism provided in the developing device. 7. The lock mechanism includes a pawl member extending outward from a peripheral surface of the inner cylinder member, and a locking member provided on the inner peripheral surface of the outer cylinder member for locking the pawl member. The toner cartridge according to claim 3, wherein the toner cartridge is 8. A developing device for developing an electrostatic latent image formed on a photoconductor, the developing unit developing the electrostatic latent image with toner, and the toner cartridge according to claim 1. And a cartridge mounting portion having an engaging portion that engages with the mounting guide portion of the toner cartridge. 9. A developing device for developing an electrostatic latent image formed on a photoconductor, the developing unit developing the electrostatic latent image with toner, and the toner according to claim 4. A developing device comprising: a cartridge; a cartridge mounting portion having a fixing portion for fixing the toner cartridge; and a lock release mechanism for releasing the lock mechanism.