JPS5814355Y2 - developer supply device - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a developer replenishing device for replenishing developer to a developing device of, for example, a dry type electronic copying machine.

A dry type electronic copying machine is provided with a developing device for applying a developer to an electrostatic image formed on a photoreceptor on a document surface to visualize it.

The developer is usually formed from a pigmented resinous powder called a toner and a coarse particulate material called a carrier.

The carrier imparts an electric charge to the toner, and the charged toner is electrostatically attracted to the electrostatic image.

Therefore, when a large number of copies are made, the amount of toner decreases and the density of the copies decreases.

Therefore, it is necessary to provide a plastic-side device to replenish toner appropriately.

Conventionally, a storage tank for accommodating toner is provided with a supply port that communicates with the developing device, a replenishment roller is rotatably supported so as to close the supply port, and a circumferential wall along the axial direction of the replenishment roller is provided at the end thereof. A developer replenishment device consisting of a scraper with abutting edges is provided.

By rotating the replenishment roller, a scraper scrapes off toner adhering to this peripheral wall and replenishes the toner to the developing device.

However, since toner is a powder with extremely poor fluidity,
It tends to stick to the wall of the storage tank, and even if the replenishment roller rotates, it may not be replenished, so the amount of replenishment is often inconsistent.

The above-mentioned disadvantages become especially noticeable when the climate is continuously humid.

For this reason, a structure is used in which the wall surface of the storage tank is formed with a nearly vertical slope to prevent the toner from sticking, but the effect is not reliable and the amount of toner stored is small.

The present invention was developed based on the above circumstances, and its purpose is to have a relatively simple structure,
It is an object of the present invention to provide a developer replenishing device that can reliably replenish a predetermined amount of developer continuously.

An embodiment of the present invention will be described below based on the drawings.

Reference numeral 1 in FIG. 1 denotes a drum, which is a photoreceptor that is provided in a dry type electronic copying machine and is rotatably supported at a projection position of an exposure device (not shown).

Along the peripheral wall of the drum 1, a developing device 2, an automatic toner replenishing device 3 button, a charging charger (not shown), a transfer charger, a peeling mechanism cleaning device, and other devices necessary for the copying operation (not shown) are arranged.

To explain the development device 2 above, this is the device Hontsukuda Q.
A developing chamber 4 containing a developer made of a mixture of toner and carrier is provided in the developing chamber 4, and a first opening 4a of the developing chamber 4 faces a portion of the peripheral wall of the drum 1.

Furthermore, a magnetic roller 5 is pivotally supported in the developing chamber 4, with a portion of its peripheral wall buried in the developer and forming a magnetic brush as it rotates.

The button 6 is an auxiliary scraping tool whose edge is brought into contact with the peripheral wall of the magnetic roller 5.

The developer replenishing device 3 will be explained below.

This device 3 is placed on top of the developing device 2, and as shown in the button in FIG. 1 and in FIG. 2, 7 is a storage tank.

This storage tank 7 has end walls 8, 9 and a first side wall 1 and a second side wall 1.
0.11, and has an input port 12 at the upper end and a supply port 13 at the lower end.

The first side wall 10 is vertical from the upper edge to approximately the middle part, and is bent inward from the middle part,
The second side wall 11 is curved from its upper edge to the vicinity of the supply port 13 with a radius slightly smaller than the turning radius of a scraping member 160, which will be described later.

Further, the lower part of the second side wall 11 is integrally bent into an oval shape, and a scraper 14 whose end edge protrudes into the supply port 13 is screwed onto this.

The supply port 13 communicates with a second opening 4b provided in the developing chamber 4, and a supply roller 15 made of a porous elastic member such as Moltoprene material and rotatably supported therein. It is closed by

That is, the replenishment roller 15 is configured such that the edge of the scraper 14 and the inclined surface of the first side wall 10 lightly contact a part of the peripheral wall along the axial direction.

On the other hand, the above-mentioned scraping member 16 is provided between the end walls 8 and 9, and has one end protruding outside the end wall 8 and inside the inlet 12 which is the upper part of the end walls 8 and 9. It consists of a support shaft 17 which is rotatably supported by a support shaft 17, a plate main body 18 fitted to the support shaft 17 in the storage tank 7, and a protrusion 19 provided protrudingly from one part of this plate main body 18. A display body 20 having a display lug for displaying the remaining amount of developer is fitted onto the protruding end of the storage tank 7 of the support shaft 17 .

In addition, to describe the plate main body 18 in detail, bosses 21 and 21 are connected to set screws 22 near the end walls 8 and 9 on the side of the storage tank 7.
, 22, and support pieces 23, 23, which are bent in opposite directions, are fixed to each boss 2L21.

A main plate 24 is screwed between the bent pieces of the support pieces 23, 23, and its leading edge extends close to the second side wall 11.

Therefore, the plate main body 18 always rotates downward due to its own weight.

Note that a stopper 24a is provided on the end wall 9 to project from the plate body 18 to restrict the downward rotation range of the plate body 18.

On the other hand, the protrusion 19 is protruded from the end wall 8 side of one of the support pieces 23, and engages with a guide portion 26 of a connecting member 25, which will be described later.

That is, a lid 28 is rotatably supported on the end walls 8 and 9 via pivot pins 27, and this lid 28 opens and closes the input port 12 of the storage tank 7. .

The connector 25 is provided protrudingly from the back side of the lid body 28,
A guide window 26, which is the guide portion described above, is bored in this.

The guide window 26 extends along the radius of rotation of the protrusion 19 as the plate body 18 rotates, and the plate body 18 is aligned with the stopper 24.
It is formed larger than the protrusion 19 position when regulated by a.

Then, when the lid body 28 is rotated upward by a predetermined angle, the guide window 2
When the protrusion 19 engages with the end of the protrusion 6 and rotates further, the plate main body 18 is urged to rotate via the protrusion 19, and the lid body 2
8 opens the input port 12, the plate main body 18 is also in a substantially vertical position so that it can be opened.

The operation of the above embodiment will be explained below.

A developer is stored in the developing chamber 4 of the developing device 2 in advance, and toner, which is a developer, is put into the storage tank 7 of the developer replenishing device 3.

That is, by rotating the lid body 28 upward to a substantially vertical position, the plate main body 18 is rotated to a substantially vertical position, thereby opening the inlet 12 and making it possible to charge toner.

Even if there is toner on the plate main body 18, it will all fall into the tank 7 by this opening operation and will not pollute the space around the tank.

Then, the lid body 28 is rotated downward to close the input port 12.

Along with this, the plate main body 18 also rotates and is accommodated in the storage tank 7, but since this is filled with toner, it rests on the upper surface of the storage tank 7.

By preparing a document and pressing a copy button (not shown), each component of the copying machine performs a predetermined operation.

Regarding the drum 1, an electrostatic image of the document surface is formed on the peripheral wall of the drum 1, which faces the developing device 2.

The magnetic roller 5 rotates and rubs the electrostatic image with a magnetic brush of developer magnetically attracted to the peripheral wall.

Therefore, the toner is electrostatically attracted to the electrostatic image and visualized, so that a copy image can be obtained on copy paper.

After copying a predetermined number of sheets in this way, the replenishment roller 1
5 in the direction of the arrow in the figure to supply toner to the developing device 2 and increase the copy density.

That is, since the replenishment roller 15 is a porous member, the toner enters and is retained in the peripheral wall of the replenishing roller 15, and the peripheral wall is formed by the scraper 1.
4, the toner is scraped off and guided to the developing chamber 4.

In this way, when toner is sequentially replenished into the developing chamber 4, the toner surface of the storage tank 7 naturally sinks.

Along with this, the plate main body 18 rotates downward about the support shaft 17, and its leading edge remains close to the second side wall 11.

Therefore, all the toner that adheres to the side wall 11 is removed from the plate main body 18.
It will not be scraped off and remain.

Note that since the first side wall 10 button and the end walls 8, 9 are formed with vertical or nearly vertical inclinations, toner will not stick to them.

When all the toner in the storage tank T is discharged, the plate body 18 comes into contact with the stopper 24a, and the display 20 indicates that the remaining amount is zero.

Then, when the lid body 28 is opened, the plate body 1 is opened as described above.
8 also opens the input port 12, making it possible to replenish toner.

In the above embodiment, the scraping member 16 is rotated as the developer surface sinks; however, the scraping member 16 is not limited to this, and the scraping member 16 is rotated as the developer surface sinks. The lid body 28 may have an opening/closing structure so that the scraping member 16 can be opened at the same time when the inlet 12 is opened.

As explained above, according to the present invention, the storage tank is provided with a scraping member that is movable as the developer flows, the lid is provided on the inlet so that it can be opened and closed freely, and the lid is provided with a connecting member for scraping. The scraping member is connected to a dropping member, and when the lid is opened, the scraping member is pressed on the inlet and stands in a substantially vertical direction, so that the scraping member comes into contact with the developer stored in the storage tank and is caused by this movement. The developer that moves along with the movement and sticks to the wall of the storage tank is scraped off, and when the lid is opened, the inlet can be opened accordingly.

Therefore, it is possible to secure the storage capacity of the developer, prevent this sticking, and constantly replenish a constant amount of developer, and it is easy to load the developer into the storage tank, even if the developer is not on the scraping member. This has the effect that all of the water is returned to the tank.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

The drawings show one embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 1 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the main part of an electronic copying machine equipped with a developer replenishing device, and FIG.
The figure is a partially omitted plan view of the main parts of the developer replenishing device. DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 12... Input port, 13... Supply port, 7... Storage tank, 16... Scraping member, 2B... Lid body, 25...
Connecting member (connector).

Claims (1)

[Scope of utility model registration request] A storage tank having an input port with an open upper surface and a supply port at a lower end for storing developer, a scraping member movable as the developer stored in the storage tank flows, and the scraping member. A protrusion protruding from the member, a lid rotatably provided at the input port of the storage tank, and a protrusion of the scraping member engaged with a guide portion provided on the lid to connect. and a connecting member that rotates the scraping member as the lid is opened and closed, and the scraping member stands approximately vertically in the slot when the lid is opened, and the scraping member stands approximately vertically in the slot when the lid is opened. A developer replenishing device characterized by being opened.