JPH041784A - Developing device - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] This bulletin contains application data before electronic filing, so abstract data is not recorded.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Object of the Invention] (Industrial Application Field) The present invention relates to a developing device used in an image forming apparatus such as an electrophotographic copying machine and a printer.

(Prior Art) In the developing device of a conventional two-component developing type image forming apparatus, the developer is generally packaged in a container having a separate structure from the developing device.

Therefore, when initially installing the image forming apparatus, it was necessary to open a part of the developing device and pour in the developer.

Furthermore, when the developer is added, some of the toner in the developer scatters and contaminates the surrounding area.

Also, when packing the developer in the developing device, it may not be necessary to separate the developing roller and the developer, but in the case of a two-component developing system, the developing roller has magnetic poles inside. Since the developing device has an opening to the outside, it has been difficult to seal it tightly when the developer has adhered to the developing device.

(Problems to be Solved by the Invention) As described above, conventional developing devices have problems in that developer scatters and adheres to the developing roller, and it is difficult to smoothly supply developer.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a developing device that can prevent developer from scattering or adhering to a developing mechanism and can supply developer smoothly.

[Configuration of the Invention (Means for Solving the Problems) The present invention has a developing mechanism section that performs a fine movement on an image carrier, and a stirring mechanism section that supplies a two-component developer while stirring it to the developing mechanism section. The developing device is characterized in that a developer blocking/opening means is provided between the developing mechanism section and the stirring mechanism section for sealing the developer toward the developing mechanism section and for releasing the sealed state during the developing operation.

(Function) According to the developing device having the above configuration, since the developer is provided with the developer blocking and opening means between the developing mechanism section and the stirring mechanism section, it is possible to prevent the developer from scattering or flowing into the developing mechanism section before the start of the developing operation. At the same time, the developer is smoothly supplied to the developing mechanism during the developing operation.

(Example) Hereinafter, an example of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 6.

FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 are terminals connected to a computer (not shown), and are an external perspective view of an image forming unit device equipped with a laser printer 1, which is the image forming device of this embodiment, and a schematic explanation showing its internal configuration. It is a diagram.

The laser printer 1 is placed on a multi-cassette feeder 2, and an envelope feeder 3 is attached to the rear end.

The rear portion of the upper surface of the printer main body 5 is raised one step higher, and a recessed portion 6 serving as a paper ejection portion is formed in the center of the upper surface.

A paper discharge tray 8 movably supported by a jogger 7 is attached to the recess 6, and the recess 6
An operation panel display section 9 and an operation panel switch section 10 are disposed on the right side, and three IC card insertion slots 11 are disposed on the left side.

Furthermore, a paper output tray 12 is provided on the front of the printer main body 5.
Further, a manual feed tray 13 is attached to the rear side.

Further, in the center of the printer main body 5, as shown in FIG. 2, a drum-shaped photoreceptor 15 is provided as an image carrier, and around the drum-shaped photoreceptor 15, as shown in FIG. 3, charging means is provided. A charging device 16, a laser optical system 17 which is a recording means, a developing device 18 which is a developing means and performs reversal development, a transfer device 19, and a peeling device 20. A cleaning device 21 and a static eliminator 22 as cleaning means are provided, respectively.

Further, inside the printer main body 5, a photoreceptor 15 and a transfer device 1 are provided.
An image support transport path 24 is formed that extends forward through an image transfer section 23 between the image support member 9 and the image transfer unit 9 .

A paper feed cassette 25 housed at the bottom of the printer main body 5 and a paper feed cassette 26 of the multi-cassette feeder 2
．． 27 to paper feed roller 28 and transfer roller 29, respectively.
The automatically fed paper P, the manually fed paper P from the manual feed tray 13, and the envelope A automatically fed from the envelope feeder 3 are transferred to the image transfer unit 23 through the image transfer unit 23, etc.
It is designed to lead to.

Further, an aligning roller pair 30 is arranged on the upstream side of the image transfer section 23 of the image support transport path 24, and a fixing device 31, a paper ejection selector 32, and a paper ejection roller pair 3 are arranged on the downstream side.
3 is placed.

Note that, on the terminal end side of the image support conveyance path 24, there is a branch conveyance path provided with a paper discharge roller pair 34 that guides the paper P1 envelope A etc. sorted by the paper discharge selector 32 to the concave portion 6 serving as a paper discharge section. 35 is formed. 40 shown in Figure 1
is a lower cover, 41 is a front cover, 42 is an upper cover, 43 is a right cover, 44 is a left cover, 45 is a right cover opening/closing lever, and 46 is a lever for closing the upper unit.
Reference numerals 47, 48, and 49 shown in FIG. 2 are control boards constituting the control section of this device.

The photoreceptor 15, the cleaning device 21, and the developing device 18 are mounted on a rotating frame that is slidably supported via a slide rail (not shown), and are guided when the right cover 43 shown in FIG. 1 is opened. By pulling out the frame body, these can be pulled out to the right side of the printer body 5.

Further, the photoreceptor 15 and the cleaning device 21 are formed into a unit so that they can be attached to and detached from the guide frame integrally, and the developing device 18 can be attached and detached independently.

The developing device 18 has a configuration shown in FIG. 3.

That is, this developing device 18 includes a developing mechanism section 55 and a developer stirring section 56.

The developing mechanism section 55 has an opening 58 in the developing device main body 57.
It is provided upstream of the developing roller 59 and the photoconductor 15 of the developer removing brush D formed on the surface of the developing roller 59, i.e., the upstream side of the developing section 60. Doctor 61 that also regulates the thickness of removal brush D
The developing roller 5 is provided on the downstream side of the developing section 60.
A scraper 62 is provided for isolating the developer removing brush D formed on the surface of the developer removing brush D and guiding it to the developer stirring section 56 .

Further, the developer stirring section 56 is a developer storage section 63a formed behind the arrangement section of the developing roller 59.

63b. Second developer stirring body 64.6
5.

The developing roller 59 includes a magnetic roller 59a having a plurality of magnetic poles (not shown) and a non-magnetic rib 59b fitted around the magnetic roller 59a and rotating clockwise as shown by an arrow in FIG. It is configured.

Further, a toner receiving portion 6 as a developer receiving portion is provided at a position facing the developer stirring portion 56 of the developing device main body 57.
6 is formed to receive toner supplied from a not-illustrated toner cartridge controlled by a control section.

Further, the cleaning device 21 has a configuration as shown in FIG. 3.

That is, the cleaning blade 7 is installed in a cleaning device main body 75 that has an opening 76 in a portion facing the photoreceptor 15.
7 is accommodated.

This cleaning blade 77 is rotatable by a support shaft 78, and is always in the third position by a weight 79 as a biasing body.
In the state shown in the figure, the upper end is held by a blade holder 80 formed counterclockwise, and the tip of the lower end is in pressure contact with the curved surface of the photoreceptor 15.

The cleaning blade 77 scrapes off residual toner that has adhered to the photoreceptor 15.

Here, the developer before the start of use of the developing device 18 is filled with a sealing material 1 as a developer blocking and releasing means, as shown in FIG.
02, the inside of the developer stirring section 56 is sealed.

In the figure, reference numerals 103 and 104 are elastic materials such as rubber or moltoprene, which improve the sealing performance around the sealing material winding section 101.

The sealing material 102 has an end portion attached to the sealing material winding section 10.
1, and this sealant winding part 101 rotates at the same time as the developing device 18 is driven by a gear and a motor (not shown) located outside the developing device 18, and the sealant winding portion 101 rotates at the same time as the developing device 18 is driven. It is configured to be rolled up. The sealing material 102 is used in the developing device 1 shown in FIGS. 4 and 6.
They are in contact along grooves 105 provided on both side and bottom surfaces of the 8, and these grooves 105 improve sealing performance.

Note that the sealing material winding section 101 can also be rotationally driven by a manual section via a knob or a detachable handle provided on the outside of the developing device 18.

Next, the operation of the developing device 18 will be explained.

Before starting to use the developing device 18, that is, at the shipping stage, the sealing material 102 is brought into contact with the groove 105 as shown in FIG. It is housed in the housing part 63b and sealed.

Thereby, it is possible to prevent the developer from scattering during transportation of the developing device 18, contaminating surrounding members, and adhering to the developing roller 59.

Further, when the developing device 18 starts to be used, the sealing material winding section 101 winds up the sealing material 102 to open the groove 105 area.

As a result, the first. Due to the stirring operation of the second developer stirring body 64, 65, the developer flows from the developer accommodating portion 63b through the groove 105 area to the developer accommodating portion 63a, and further reaches the developing roller 5.
The toner particles are smoothly supplied to the tube 9, adhere to the outer periphery of the tube, and are subjected to the developing operation.

In addition to the embodiments described above, the present invention can be modified in various ways within the scope of its gist.

[Effects of the Invention] According to the present invention described in detail above, it is possible to prevent contamination due to scattering of the developer before use, prevent the developer from adhering to the developing mechanism, and prevent the developer from entering the developing mechanism at the start of development. A developing device that can be smoothly supplied can be provided.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a laser printer including an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a sectional view showing the embodiment of the present invention, and FIG.
4 is a perspective view of the developing device of this embodiment, FIG. 5 is a plan view of the same, and FIG. 6 is a partially enlarged perspective view of the same. 1... Laser printer, 15... Photoreceptor, 1
8...Developing device, 55...Developing mechanism section, 5
6...Developer stirring mechanism section, 59...Developing roller, 6
3a, 63b...Developer storage section, 102...Sealing material. To 1′j−〜＋− Maguin

Claims (1)

[Claims] In a developing device having a developing mechanism section that performs a developing operation on an image carrier, and a stirring mechanism section that supplies a two-component developer to the developing mechanism section while stirring, a developing device is provided between the developing mechanism section and the stirring mechanism section. A developing device characterized by being provided with a developer blocking and opening means that seals the developer on the side of the developing mechanism and can release the sealed state during the developing operation.