JP6190748B2 - Developer supply device and image forming apparatus provided with the same - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a developer replenishing device that replenishes a developer, and an image forming apparatus including the developer replenishing device.

  Conventionally, a toner container as described in Patent Document 1 is known as a developer supply device for supplying a developer. The toner container includes a toner discharge port and a rotating stirring member. As the stirring member rotates, the toner is discharged from the toner discharge port.

  Patent Document 2 discloses a waste toner container in which a developer is accommodated. The waste toner container includes a cylindrical container body and a spiral groove formed in the outer peripheral portion of the container body. When the container body is rotated, the collected toner is conveyed along the spiral groove to one end side of the container body.

JP 2003-280344 A JP 2009-265395 A

  In the toner container described in Patent Document 1, since toner remains in a region where the rotational force of the conveying member does not reach, it is difficult to use up the toner contained inside. Further, even when the technology of the waste toner container described in Patent Document 2 is applied to the toner container, the toner adhering to the groove continues to rotate together with the container body, so that there is a problem that the toner remains in the container body. It was.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and can reduce the amount of developer remaining in the container body at the end of use and easily determine the remaining amount of developer. An object of the present invention is to provide a developer replenishing device and an image forming apparatus including the same.

A developer replenishing device according to an aspect of the present invention is disposed at an inner peripheral portion extending in a cylindrical shape along a first direction, an internal space defined by the inner peripheral portion, and an end portion in the first direction. And a wall portion that defines an end surface of the internal space; and a lid portion that is attached to an end portion of the container body opposite to the wall portion in the first direction and closes the internal space. A developer discharge port that communicates with the inner peripheral portion and is opened in the container main body and discharges the developer; an outer peripheral portion disposed in close contact with the inner peripheral portion of the container main body; and the container A conveying surface that delimits an accommodation space in which the developer is accommodated together with the inner peripheral portion of the main body, and conveys the developer in the accommodation space toward the developer discharge port. From the preset initial position to the developer discharge port along the first direction. A moving wall that moves to a position, and a shaft portion that includes a male spiral portion having a predetermined pitch on the outer peripheral surface, and is rotatably supported by the wall portion and the lid portion so as to extend in the first direction in the internal space. A developer container having a female spiral portion that holds the moving wall and engages with the male spiral portion on an inner peripheral surface, and a bearing portion through which the shaft portion is inserted, and the shaft portion. A drive unit that generates a rotational driving force to be rotated, a position determination unit that determines a position of the moving wall in the first direction according to a cumulative number of rotations of the shaft unit, and a position of the determined moving wall. Accordingly, a remaining amount determination unit that determines the remaining amount of the developer remaining in the accommodation space, a drive control unit that controls the drive unit, and the presence or absence of the developer around the developer discharge port Output signal to the drive controller. A detection sensor for the possess, the drive control unit, wherein from there developer detection sensor according to a change in the output signal without the developer moves the moving wall in the first direction And

According to this configuration, the developer in the accommodation space is stably discharged from the developer discharge port by the moving wall extending from the initial position to the final position along the shaft portion. At this time, the accommodation space is gradually reduced until the moving wall reaches the final position. As a result, the amount of developer remaining in the storage space of the container body at the end of use is reduced. Further, the remaining amount determination unit determines the remaining amount of the developer remaining in the accommodation space according to the position of the moving wall determined by the position determination unit. Therefore, it is possible to easily determine the remaining amount of the developer according to the reduction of the accommodation space. Furthermore, according to this configuration, when the developer around the developer discharge port decreases, the moving wall can be moved in the first direction to transport the developer. For this reason, excessive movement of the moving wall is prevented, and aggregation of the developer is suppressed.

  In the above configuration, the position determination unit determines that the moving wall has reached the final position when the cumulative rotation speed of the shaft portion reaches a preset first threshold value, and determines the remaining amount. The unit may determine that the developer in the accommodation space has reached an empty state when it is determined that the moving wall has reached the final position.

  According to this configuration, the position determination unit can determine that the moving wall has reached the final position. Further, it is possible to detect the empty state of the developer according to the position of the moving wall and prompt the user to replace the developer container.

  In the above-described configuration, the position determination unit has reached the predetermined detection position when the accumulated rotational speed of the shaft portion reaches a second threshold value that is smaller than the first threshold value set in advance. The remaining amount determining unit determines that the remaining amount of the developer in the accommodation space is preset according to the detected position when it is determined that the moving wall has reached the detected position. It is desirable to determine that the remaining amount has been reached.

  According to this configuration, the developer remaining amount in the developer container can be grasped before the developer is in an empty state.

  In the above configuration, it is desirable that a plurality of the second threshold value and the specified remaining amount are set.

  According to this configuration, the remaining amount of developer in the developer container can be grasped in a plurality of stages before the developer becomes empty.

  In the above configuration, the developer container is provided with the position information of the moving wall determined by the position determination unit or the remaining amount information of the developer determined by the remaining amount determination unit. It is desirable to further include a storage unit and an information transmission / reception unit that writes the position information or the remaining amount information into the storage unit and reads the position information or the remaining amount information from the storage unit.

  According to this configuration, it is possible to store, in the storage unit, position information when the moving wall moves from the initial position to the final position. For this reason, even when the developer container is removed from the developer replenishing device during use, the moving operation of the moving wall can be accurately performed by referring to the position information of the storage unit when the developer container is mounted again. Can resume well. Further, the developer remaining amount information determined by the remaining amount determining unit is stored in the storage unit, so that the developer can be stably output even when the developer container is removed from the developer supply device. The remaining amount management is realized.

  In the above configuration, it is preferable that the driving unit is a stepping motor, and the position determination unit detects the number of rotations of the shaft unit based on a pulse signal of the stepping motor and accumulates the number of rotations.

  According to this configuration, since the stepping motor is used as the drive unit, the rotation speed of the shaft unit can be easily detected.

  In the above configuration, the apparatus further includes a rotary encoder that detects rotation of the shaft unit, and the position determination unit detects the rotation number of the shaft unit based on an output of the rotary encoder, and accumulates the rotation number. Is desirable.

  According to this configuration, the rotational speed of the shaft portion can be detected with high accuracy.

  In the above-described configuration, it is preferable that the apparatus further includes a display unit that displays the remaining amount information of the developer determined by the remaining amount determination unit.

  According to this configuration, the remaining amount of the developer in the developer container can be reliably notified to the user.

  An image forming apparatus according to another embodiment of the present invention includes an image carrier that forms a latent electrostatic image on a surface and carries a developer image, and the developer supply device according to any one of the above. A developing device that replenishes the developer from the developer replenishing device and supplies the developer to the image carrier, and a transfer unit that transfers the developer image from the image carrier to a sheet. It is characterized by.

  According to this configuration, the amount of developer remaining in the storage space of the container body at the end of use is reduced. Therefore, an image is formed on the sheet while the developer in the developer container is efficiently used. Further, the remaining amount of the developer can be easily determined according to the reduction of the accommodation space.

  According to the present invention, there is provided a developer replenishing device capable of reducing the amount of developer remaining in the container main body at the end of use and easily determining the remaining amount of the developer, and an image forming apparatus including the same. Provided.

1 is a perspective view showing an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a perspective view of a state in which a part of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention is opened. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view illustrating an internal structure of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a schematic plan view showing an internal structure of a developing device according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a schematic cross-sectional view illustrating a state where a developer is supplied to the developing device according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a developer container of a developer supply device according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a developer container according to an embodiment of the present invention. 2A is a plan view, FIG. 2B is a front view, and FIG. 3C is a side view of a developer container according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of a developer container according to an embodiment of the present invention. 4A and 4B are perspective views (A) and (B) of a moving wall of a developer container according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is sectional drawing of the developer storage container which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. 1 is an electrical block diagram of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. 4A and 4B are cross-sectional views (A), (B), and (C) showing how a moving wall moves in a developer container according to an embodiment of the present invention. 6 is a graph showing a relationship between a position of a moving wall, a cumulative rotation speed of a shaft portion, and a toner remaining amount in a developer container according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6 is a schematic side view of a developer supply device according to a modified embodiment of the present invention.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. 1 and 2 are perspective views of a printer 100 (image forming apparatus) according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing the internal structure of the printer 100 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. The printer 100 as the image forming apparatus shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 is a so-called monochrome printer. However, in other embodiments, the image forming apparatus is a color printer, a facsimile machine, a multifunction machine having these functions, Another apparatus for forming a toner image on a sheet may be used. Note that the terms used in the following description, such as “up”, “down”, “front”, “rear”, “left” and “right”, are merely for the purpose of clarifying the description. There is no limitation on the principle of the image forming apparatus.

  The printer 100 includes a casing 101 that houses various apparatuses for forming an image on the sheet S. The housing 101 includes an upper wall 102 that defines the upper surface of the housing 101, a bottom wall 103 (FIG. 3) that defines the bottom surface of the housing 101, and a main body rear wall 105 between the upper wall 102 and the bottom wall 103. (FIG. 3) and a main body front wall 104 positioned in front of the main body rear wall 105. The housing 101 includes a main body internal space 107 in which various devices are arranged. A sheet conveyance path PP through which the sheet S is conveyed in a predetermined conveyance direction is extended in the main body internal space 107 of the casing 101. In addition, the printer 100 includes an opening / closing cover 100 </ b> C that is attached to the housing 101 so as to be freely opened and closed.

  The opening / closing cover 100 </ b> C includes a front wall upper portion 104 </ b> B that is an upper portion of the main body front wall 104 and an upper wall front portion 102 </ b> B that is a front portion of the upper wall 102. The opening / closing cover 100C can be opened / closed in the vertical direction with hinge shafts (not shown) arranged on the pair of arm portions 108 arranged at both ends in the left / right direction as fulcrums (FIG. 2). In the open state of the opening / closing cover 100C, the upper part of the main body internal space 107 is opened to the outside. On the other hand, in the closed state of the opening / closing cover 100C, the upper portion of the main body internal space 107 is closed.

  A paper discharge unit 102 </ b> A is disposed at the center of the upper wall 102. The paper discharge unit 102 </ b> A includes an inclined surface that is inclined downward from the front portion to the rear portion of the upper wall 102. The sheet S on which an image is formed in the image forming unit 120 described later is discharged to the paper discharge unit 102A. In addition, a manual feed tray 104 </ b> A is disposed at the center in the vertical direction of the main body front wall 104. The manual feed tray 104A can be turned up and down with the lower end as a fulcrum (arrow DT in FIG. 3).

  Referring to FIG. 3, the printer 100 includes a cassette 110, a pickup roller 112, a first paper feed roller 113, a second paper feed roller 114, a transport roller 115, a registration roller pair 116, and an image forming unit. 120 and a fixing device 130.

  The cassette 110 accommodates the sheet S inside. The cassette 110 includes a lift plate 111. The lift plate 111 is inclined so as to push up the leading edge of the sheet S. The cassette 110 can be pulled forward with respect to the housing 101.

  The pickup roller 112 is disposed on the leading edge of the sheet S pushed up by the lift plate 111. When the pickup roller 112 rotates, the sheet S is pulled out from the cassette 110.

  The first paper feed roller 113 is disposed downstream of the pickup roller 112 and sends the sheet S further downstream. The second paper feed roller 114 is disposed on the inner side (rear side) of the fulcrum of the manual feed tray 104A, and draws the sheet S on the manual feed tray 104A into the housing 101.

  The conveyance roller 115 is disposed downstream (hereinafter also simply referred to as downstream) of the first paper supply roller 113 and the second paper supply roller 114 in the sheet conveyance direction (hereinafter also simply referred to as conveyance direction). The transport roller 115 transports the sheet S sent out by the first paper feed roller 113 and the second paper feed roller 114 further downstream.

  The registration roller pair 116 has a function of correcting the oblique conveyance of the sheet S. Thereby, the position of the image formed on the sheet S is adjusted. The registration roller pair 116 supplies the sheet S to the image forming unit 120 in accordance with the timing of image formation by the image forming unit 120.

  The image forming unit 120 includes a photosensitive drum 121 (image carrier), a charger 122, an exposure device 123, a developing device 20, a toner container 30 (developer storage container), and a transfer roller 126 (transfer unit). And a cleaning device 127.

  The photosensitive drum 121 has a cylindrical shape. The photosensitive drum 121 has a surface on which an electrostatic latent image is formed, and carries a toner image (developer image) corresponding to the electrostatic latent image on the surface. The charger 122 is applied with a predetermined voltage and charges the peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum 121 substantially uniformly.

  The exposure device 123 irradiates the peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum 121 charged by the charger 122 with laser light. The laser light is emitted in accordance with image data output from an external device (not shown) such as a personal computer connected to the printer 100 so as to be communicable. As a result, an electrostatic latent image corresponding to the image data is formed on the peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum 121.

  The developing device 20 supplies toner to the peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum 121 on which the electrostatic latent image is formed. The toner container 30 supplies toner to the developing device 20. The toner container 30 is detachably disposed with respect to the developing device 20. When the developing device 20 supplies toner to the photosensitive drum 121, the electrostatic latent image formed on the peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum 121 is developed (visualized). As a result, a toner image (developer image) is formed on the peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum 121.

  The transfer roller 126 is disposed below the photosensitive drum 121 so as to face the photosensitive drum 121 with the sheet conveyance path PP interposed therebetween. The transfer roller 126 forms a transfer nip portion N with the photosensitive drum 121, and transfers the toner image onto the sheet S.

  The cleaning device 127 removes the toner remaining on the peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum 121 after the toner image is transferred to the sheet S.

  The fixing device 130 is disposed downstream of the image forming unit 120 in the transport direction, and fixes the toner image on the sheet S. The fixing device 130 includes a heating roller 131 that melts the toner on the sheet S and a pressure roller 132 that causes the sheet S to adhere to the heating roller 131.

  The printer 100 includes a transport roller pair 133 disposed downstream of the fixing device 130, a discharge roller pair 134 disposed downstream of the transport roller pair 133, a transmission / reception unit 100V, and a display unit 90 (FIG. 12). Are further provided (FIG. 3). The sheet S is conveyed upward by the conveyance roller pair 133 and is finally discharged from the housing 101 by the discharge roller pair 134. The sheets S discharged from the housing 101 are stacked on the paper discharge unit 102A.

  The transmission / reception unit 100V writes the position information of the moving wall 34 and the remaining amount information of the toner into the storage unit 31V described later, and reads the position information and the remaining amount information from the storage unit 31V. RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) technology is applied to the transmission / reception unit 100V, and reading and writing to the storage unit 31V are possible. The display unit 90 is a liquid crystal screen that displays information on the remaining amount of toner in the toner container 30 determined by the remaining amount determination unit 53 described later, in addition to various operation information of the printer 100.

<About development device>
FIG. 4 is a plan view showing the internal structure of the developing device 20. The developing device 20 includes a developing housing 210 having a box shape that is long in one direction (the axial direction of the developing roller 21 and the left-right direction). The developing housing 210 has a storage space 220. In the storage space 220, a developing roller 21, a first stirring screw 23, a second stirring screw 24, and a toner supply port 25 are disposed. In the present embodiment, a one-component developing system is applied, and the storage space 220 is filled with toner as a developer. On the other hand, in the case of the two-component development method, a mixture of toner and a carrier made of a magnetic material is filled as a developer. The toner is agitated and conveyed in the storage space 220 and is sequentially supplied from the developing roller 21 to the photosensitive drum 121 in order to develop the electrostatic latent image.

  The developing roller 21 has a cylindrical shape that extends in the longitudinal direction of the developing housing 210 and has a sleeve portion that is rotationally driven on the outer periphery.

  The storage space 220 of the developing housing 210 is covered with a top plate (not shown), and is partitioned into a first transport path 221 and a second transport path 222 that are long in the left-right direction by a partition plate 22 extending in the left-right direction. Yes. The partition plate 22 is shorter than the width of the developing housing 210 in the left-right direction, and a first communication path 223 and a first communication path 223 that respectively connect the first transport path 221 and the second transport path 222 to the left end and the right end of the partition plate 22. A double communication path 224 is provided. Thereby, a circulation path that reaches the first conveyance path 221, the second communication path 224, the second conveyance path 222, and the first communication path 223 is formed in the storage space 220. The toner is conveyed counterclockwise in the circulation path in FIG.

  The toner supply port 25 (developer receiving port) is an opening formed in the top plate, and is disposed above the left end of the first transport path 221. The toner replenishing port 25 is disposed so as to face the circulation path, and has a function of receiving the replenishing toner (supplement developer) replenished from the toner container 30 into the storage space 220.

  The first stirring screw 23 is disposed in the first conveyance path 221. The first agitating screw 23 includes a first rotating shaft 23a and a first spiral blade 23b (screw blade) projecting in a spiral shape on the circumference of the first rotating shaft 23a. The first stirring screw 23 is driven to rotate about the first rotation shaft 23a (arrow R2), thereby conveying the toner in the direction of arrow D1 in FIG. The first agitation screw 23 conveys the developer so that the toner replenishing port 25 passes through a position facing the first conveyance path 221. As a result, the first stirring screw 23 has a function of transporting while mixing new toner flowing from the toner replenishing port 25 and toner transported into the first transport path 221 from the second transport path 222 side. A first paddle 23c is disposed downstream of the first stirring screw 23 in the toner conveyance direction (D1 direction). The first paddle 23c is a plate-like member disposed on the first rotating shaft 23a. The first paddle 23c is rotated together with the first rotation shaft 23a, and delivers the toner from the first conveyance path 221 to the second conveyance path 222 in the direction of arrow D4 in FIG.

  The second stirring screw 24 is disposed in the second conveyance path 222. The second agitating screw 24 includes a second rotating shaft 24a and a second spiral blade 24b protruding in a spiral shape on the circumference of the second rotating shaft 24a. The second agitating screw 24 is driven to rotate about the second rotation shaft 24a (arrow R1), thereby supplying the toner to the developing roller 21 while conveying the toner in the direction of arrow D2 in FIG. A second paddle 24c is disposed downstream of the second stirring screw 24 in the toner conveyance direction (D2 direction). The second paddle 24c is rotated together with the second rotation shaft 24a, and delivers the toner from the second conveyance path 222 to the first conveyance path 221 in the direction of arrow D3 in FIG.

  The toner container 30 (FIG. 3) is disposed above the toner supply port 25 of the development housing 210. The toner container 30 includes a toner discharge port 319 (FIG. 4). The toner discharge port 319 is disposed at the bottom 311 (FIG. 6) of the toner container 30 corresponding to the toner supply port 25 of the developing device 20. The toner dropped from the toner discharge port 319 is supplied to the developing device 20 from the toner supply port 25.

<About toner supply>
Next, the flow of toner newly supplied from the toner supply port 25 will be described. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the vicinity of the toner supply port 25 provided in the developing device 20 and the toner discharge port 319 provided in the toner container 30.

  The replenishment toner T2 supplied from the toner discharge port 319 of the toner container 30 falls to the first conveyance path 221 and is mixed with the existing toner T1, and is conveyed by the first agitating screw 23 in the direction of arrow D1. At this time, the toners T1 and T2 are stirred and charged.

  The first agitating screw 23 includes a suppression paddle 28 (conveyance capability suppression unit) that partially suppresses the developer conveyance performance downstream of the toner supply port 25 in the toner conveyance direction. In the present embodiment, the suppression paddle 28 is a plate-like member disposed between the adjacent first spiral blades 23 b of the first stirring screw 23. As the suppression paddle 28 rotates around the first rotation shaft 23a, the toner conveyed from the upstream side of the suppression paddle 28 starts to stay. The toner stays on the upstream side of the suppression paddle 28 and accumulates until the toner replenishing port 25 faces the first transport path 221. As a result, a developer retention portion 29 (developer retention portion) is formed in the vicinity of the inlet of the toner supply port 25.

  When the replenishment toner T2 is replenished from the toner replenishing port 25 and the amount of toner in the storage space 220 increases, the toner staying in the staying portion 29 closes (seals) the toner replenishing port 25 and supplies more toner. Suppress. Thereafter, when the toner in the storage space 220 is consumed from the developing roller 21 and the toner staying in the staying portion 29 decreases, the toner that has blocked the toner replenishing port 25 is reduced, and a gap is formed between the staying portion 29 and the toner replenishing port 25. Occurs. As a result, the replenishment toner T2 flows again from the toner replenishment port 25 into the storage space 220. As described above, the present embodiment employs a volume replenishment type toner replenishment format in which the amount of replenishment toner received is adjusted as the amount of toner remaining in the retention portion 29 decreases.

<About toner container structure>
Next, a toner container 30 (developer container) according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 6 and 7 are perspective views of the toner container 30 according to the present embodiment. 8A is a plan view of the toner container 30, FIG. 8B is a front view thereof, and FIG. 8C is a side view thereof. FIG. 9 is an exploded perspective view of the toner container 30. FIG. 10 is a perspective view (A) and (B) of the moving wall 34 of the toner container 30. FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view of the toner container 30.

  The toner container 30 has a substantially cylindrical shape. The toner container 30 stores supply toner (developer) therein. 9 and 11, the toner container 30 includes a container main body 31 (container main body), a stirring disk 32 (stirring member), a shaft 33 (shaft portion), a moving wall 34, and a washer 35 (see FIG. 9). 9), a sponge seal 36, a lid portion 37, a rotation gear 38, a cover 39, and a screw 40 (FIG. 9).

  The container main body 31 is a main body portion of the toner container 30 having a substantially cylindrical shape. The container main body 31 includes an inner peripheral portion 31K and an internal space 31H (FIGS. 9 and 11). The inner peripheral portion 31K is an inner peripheral surface of the container body 31, and extends in a cylindrical shape along the longitudinal direction of the toner container 30 (first direction, arrow DA direction in FIGS. 6, 7, and 11). .

  The container main body 31 includes a bottom 311, a top plate 312, a front wall 313, a rear wall 314, a left wall 315 (wall portion), and a flange portion 316. The bottom portion 311 is a bottom portion of the container body 31 and has a semicylindrical shape protruding downward. In other words, the bottom 311 has an arc shape in a cross-sectional view intersecting the first direction. The front wall 313 and the rear wall 314 are a pair of side walls erected upward from the side end of the bottom portion 311. The top plate 312 is disposed above the bottom portion 311 and covers the upper portion of the internal space 31H. The left wall 315 is a wall portion that is connected to one end side (left end side) in the first direction of the bottom portion 311, the front wall 313, the rear wall 314, and the top plate 312 and delimits the end surface of the internal space 31 </ b> H. The internal space 31H is formed by a lid portion 37 described later in addition to the bottom portion 311, the top plate 312, the front wall 313, the rear wall 314, and the left wall 315. Further, in the internal space 31H, an area defined by the left wall 315, the moving wall 34, which will be described later, and the inner peripheral portion 31K is the accommodation space 31S. The accommodation space 31 </ b> S is a space in which the toner is accommodated inside the toner container 30.

  In addition, as shown in FIG. 9, the opposite side of the left direction of the left wall 315 among the container main bodies 31 is opened. The flange portion 316 is an area where the outer diameter of the other end portion in the first direction of the container main body 31 is enlarged while forming the opening. A lid portion 37 described later is attached to the flange portion 316.

  The container main body 31 includes a shutter 317, a first guide portion 318, and a toner discharge port 319 (developer discharge port). The shutter 317 is disposed at one end of the container main body 31 in the first direction. The shutter 317 is slidable along the first direction. The shutter 317 closes (seals) the toner discharge port 319 from the outside of the container main body 31 and exposes the toner discharge port 319 to the outside.

  The first guide portion 318 is a protruding portion that extends in the vertical direction outside the left wall 315. The first guide portion 318 guides the mounting of the toner container 30 to the housing 101 together with the second guide portion 392 described later.

  The toner discharge port 319 is an opening that communicates with the inner peripheral portion 31 </ b> K and is opened in the lower surface portion of the container main body 31. As shown in FIGS. 8B and 9, the toner discharge port 319 is opened at one end of the container body 31 in the first direction. The toner discharge port 319 has a predetermined width in the first direction and opens along the arc shape of the bottom 311. The toner stored in the storage space 31S is discharged from the toner discharge port 319 toward the developing device 20. In the present embodiment, as described above, the inner space 31H of the container body 31 is formed by the bottom 311, the front wall 313, the rear wall 314, and the top plate 312. For this reason, the toner in the accommodation space 31S gathers at the center of the arc-shaped bottom 311 due to the weight of the toner, so that the toner conveyed by the moving wall 34 described later can be efficiently discharged from the toner discharge port 319. Can do.

  The stirring disk 32 (FIGS. 9 and 11) is a plate member having a disk shape. The stirring disk 32 is fixed to a second shaft end 332 of the shaft 33 described later and rotates integrally with the shaft 33. The stirring disk 32 is disposed along the left wall 315 in the accommodation space 31S of the container body 31. The stirring disk 32 has a function of stirring the toner disposed above the toner discharge port 319 in the accommodation space 31S. Depending on the fluidity of the toner stored in the storage space 31S, the agitation disk 32 may be provided with a protrusion that protrudes toward the storage space 31S.

  The shaft 33 is rotatably supported by the container body 31 and a lid portion 37 described later so as to extend in the first direction in the internal space 31H. The shaft 33 is rotated around a shaft by a motor M described later. The shaft 33 includes a first shaft end portion 331, a second shaft end portion 332, a male spiral portion 333, and a moving wall stop portion 334.

  The first shaft end 331 (FIG. 11) is one end of the shaft 33 in the first direction. The first shaft end portion 331 is pivotally supported by a lid shaft hole portion 37J of the lid portion 37 described later. The second shaft end 332 is the other end of the shaft 33 in the first direction. The second shaft end 332 is pivotally supported by a main body bearing portion 31J (FIG. 11) formed on the left wall 315 of the container main body 31. The male spiral portion 333 is a spiral thread portion formed at a predetermined pitch on the outer peripheral surface of the shaft 33 in the internal space 31H. In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 11, the male spiral portion 333 is disposed from a region of the shaft 33 facing the flange portion 316 to a region immediately before the toner discharge port 319. The moving wall stop portion 334 is disposed on the distal end side in the first direction with respect to the male spiral portion 333. The moving wall stop portion 334 is a region of only the shaft portion of the shaft 33 where the male spiral portion 333 is not disposed. The moving wall stop 334 is disposed above the toner discharge port 319.

  The moving wall 34 is a wall portion that faces the first direction inside the container main body 31. The moving wall 34 defines one end face (right end face) of the accommodation space 31S. The other end surface (left end surface) of the accommodation space 31S is defined by the left wall 315 and the stirring disk 32. The moving wall 34 moves from the preset initial position to the final position facing the toner discharge port 319 from the preset initial position from the start of use of the toner container 30 to the end of use. At this time, the moving wall 34 conveys the toner in the accommodation space 31 </ b> S toward the toner discharge port 319. The moving wall 34 is moved by a motor M described later.

  Referring to FIG. 10, the moving wall 34 includes a transfer wall portion 340, an outer peripheral wall portion 341, an inner wall seal 342, a shaft seal 343, a supply hole cap 344, a moving wall shaft hole portion 34 </ b> J, and an outer peripheral portion. 34K.

  The transfer wall portion 340 is a wall portion that defines the accommodation space 31 </ b> S together with the inner peripheral portion 31 </ b> K of the container main body 31. In particular, the transport wall 340 includes a transport surface 340 </ b> S perpendicular to the shaft 33. The conveyance surface 340 </ b> S conveys the toner in the accommodation space 31 </ b> S while pressing the toner in accordance with the movement of the moving wall 34. The transport wall 340 further includes a bearing portion 340A, a toner supply hole 340B, and a cylindrical portion 340C. The bearing portion 340 </ b> A is a bearing portion formed at a substantially central portion of the transport wall portion 340. The aforementioned shaft 33 is inserted through the bearing portion 340A. The bearing portion 340 </ b> A moves along the shaft 33 while holding the moving wall 34. The toner replenishing hole 340B is formed above the bearing portion 340A so as to penetrate the transport wall portion 340 along the first direction. When the moving wall 34 is attached to the container main body 31, the toner supply hole 340B communicates with the accommodation space 31S. When the toner container 30 is manufactured, the replenishment toner is filled into the accommodation space 31S from the toner replenishment hole 340B.

  The cylindrical portion 340C is a cylindrical portion that protrudes along the first direction from the surface of the conveying wall portion 340 opposite to the conveying surface 340S. The cylindrical portion 340C forms a part of the bearing portion 340A. The cylindrical portion 340C includes a female spiral portion 340D. The female spiral portion 340D is a spiral thread portion formed on the inner peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion 340C. The female spiral portion 340 </ b> D has a function of moving the moving wall 34 along the shaft 33 by engaging with (engaging with) the male spiral portion 333 of the shaft 33. At this time, the posture of the moving wall 34 is maintained by the contact between the inner wall of the cylindrical portion 340 </ b> C and the outer peripheral portion of the shaft 33. For this reason, it is prevented that the conveyance wall part 340 of the moving wall 34 inclines with respect to the shaft 33. FIG.

  The outer peripheral wall portion 341 protrudes from the outer peripheral edge of the transfer wall portion 340 toward the side opposite to the accommodation space 31 </ b> S, that is, toward the upstream side in the moving direction of the moving wall 34. The outer peripheral wall portion 341 is disposed to face the inner peripheral portion 31K of the container main body 31. The outer peripheral wall portion 341 includes a rib 341A and a discharge port sealing portion 341B. The rib 341A is a rib member that extends along the first direction in the outer peripheral wall portion 341. A plurality of the ribs 341 </ b> A are arranged at intervals in the circumferential direction of the outer peripheral wall portion 341. The rib 341 </ b> A slightly contacts the inner peripheral portion 31 </ b> K and has a function of preventing the moving wall 34 from being inclined with respect to the first direction inside the container main body 31. The discharge port sealing portion 341 </ b> B corresponds to the lower end portion of the outer peripheral wall portion 341 and has a size that blocks the toner discharge port 319.

  The inner wall seal 342 is a seal member that is disposed so as to cover the periphery of the transfer wall portion 340 on the transfer wall portion 340 side of the outer peripheral wall portion 341. As shown in FIG. 10A, after the first seal end 342A of the inner wall seal 342 is fixed to the upper part of the transfer wall 340, the inner wall seal 342 is fixed while being wound around the transfer wall 340. Is done. Then, the second seal end 342B of the inner wall seal 342 is fixed so as to overlap the first seal end 342A. The inner wall seal 342 is compressed and deformed between the inner peripheral portion 31 </ b> K of the container body 31 and the moving wall 34. Further, the inner wall seal 342 forms the outer peripheral portion 34K of the moving wall 34. The outer peripheral portion 34K is disposed in close contact with the inner peripheral portion 31K of the container main body 31. The inner wall seal 342 prevents the toner in the accommodation space 31S from flowing out between the inner peripheral portion 31K of the container body 31 and the moving wall 34 to the upstream side in the moving direction from the moving wall 34.

  The shaft seal 343 is arranged at the front end side in the moving direction of the moving wall 34 with respect to the female spiral portion 340D in the bearing portion 340A (FIG. 11). The shaft seal 343 comes into contact with the male spiral portion 333 of the shaft 33 as the moving wall 34 moves. At this time, the shaft seal 343 contacts the male spiral portion 333 prior to the female spiral portion 340D, and cleans the toner attached to the male spiral portion 333. Accordingly, the male spiral portion 333 engages with the female spiral portion 340D in a state where the toner is substantially removed from the male spiral portion 333. For this reason, toner is prevented from aggregating between the male spiral portion 333 and the female spiral portion 340D, and the movement of the moving wall 34 is stably realized. Further, since the shaft seal 343 has a ring shape, the shaft seal 343 is in close contact with the shaft 33 over the entire circumferential direction of the shaft 33. For this reason, the toner in the accommodation space 31S is prevented from flowing out to the upstream side in the moving direction from the moving wall 34 through the bearing portion 340A. A moving wall shaft hole portion 34J into which the shaft 33 is inserted is formed inside the ring-shaped shaft seal 343 and the cylindrical portion 340C in the radial direction.

  As shown in FIG. 10B, the replenishing hole cap 344 is attached to the toner replenishing hole 340B via the inside of the outer peripheral wall portion 341, and seals the toner replenishing hole 340B. After the replenishment toner is filled into the accommodation space 31S from the toner replenishment hole 340B, the replenishment hole cap 344 is attached to the toner replenishment hole 340B. As a result, the toner is prevented from leaking from the toner supply hole 340B.

  The washer 35 (FIG. 9) is fitted on the shaft 33 between the cylindrical portion 340 </ b> C of the moving wall 34 and the sponge seal 36.

  The sponge seal 36 is disposed between the washer 35 and the lid portion 37. The sponge seal 36 prevents the toner from leaking from the lid shaft hole portion 37J of the lid portion 37 in a state where the lid portion 37 described later is fixed to the container body 31.

  The lid portion 37 (FIGS. 9 and 11) is fixed to the flange portion 316 of the container main body 31 and seals (closes) the opening of the container main body 31. The lid portion 37 includes a lid shaft hole portion 37J. The lid shaft hole portion 37J rotatably supports the first shaft end portion 331 side of the shaft 33 in a rotatable manner.

  The rotation gear 38 is a rotation gear that is fixed to the first shaft end 331 of the shaft 33. The tip end portion of the first shaft end portion 331 has a D-surface shape in a cross-sectional view intersecting the axial direction, and a D hole (not shown) that engages with the D-surface shape is opened at the center of the rotary gear 38. Yes. The rotation gear 38 can rotate integrally with the shaft 33. The rotating gear 38 includes an outer peripheral gear portion 381. The outer peripheral gear portion 381 is a gear portion formed on the outer peripheral surface of the rotary gear 38. In each figure, the gear teeth of the outer peripheral gear portion 381 are not shown. The rotation gear 38 is connected to a motor M (FIG. 8B) disposed in the casing 101 of the printer 100. When a rotational driving force is input from the motor M, the rotational gear 38 transmits the rotational driving force to the shaft 33 and moves the moving wall 34.

  The cover 39 is a cover member disposed at the end of the toner container 30. With reference to FIG. 8C, the cover 39 has a shape that covers the semicircular portion of the rotary gear 38. In other words, when the cover 39 is fixed to the container main body 31 via the lid portion 37, the semicircular portion of the rotation gear 38 is exposed to the outside of the toner container 30. The cover 39 includes a shaft cover part 391 and a second guide part 392. The shaft cover part 391 is a cylindrical part formed in the center part of the cover 39. The shaft cover portion 391 is a cover portion that covers the end portion of the first shaft end portion 331 protruding from the rotary gear 38. The second guide portion 392 is a protruding portion that extends in the vertical direction behind the shaft cover portion 391. The shaft cover unit 391 has a function of guiding the toner container 30 to be attached to the printer 100.

  The screw 40 is fastened to the flange portion 316 of the container main body 31 after being inserted into a screw hole (not shown) opened in the lid portion 37 and the cover 39. As a result, the agitation disk 32, the shaft 33, and the moving wall 34 are disposed in the internal space 31H of the container main body 31, and the container main body 31, the lid portion 37, the rotation gear 38, and the cover 39 are integrated.

  Further, the toner container 30 includes a toner sensor 31T and a storage unit 31V (FIGS. 8A and 8B). The toner sensor 31T is a sensor disposed on the top plate 312 of the container body 31 above the toner discharge port 319. The toner sensor 31T is a sensor composed of a magnetic permeability sensor or a piezoelectric element. When the toner sensor 31T is made of a piezoelectric element, the sensor portion of the toner sensor 31T is exposed in the accommodation space 31S. The toner sensor 31T transmits an output signal in accordance with the presence or absence of toner around the toner discharge port 319. Specifically, the toner sensor 31T outputs a HIGH signal (+ 5V) when pressed by the toner in the accommodation space 31S. When no toner is present directly below the toner sensor 31T, the toner sensor 31T outputs a LOW signal (0 V). The output signal of the toner sensor 31T is referred to by the control unit 50 described later. When the toner sensor 31T is a magnetic permeability sensor, it is not necessary for the sensor to directly contact the toner. Therefore, in another embodiment, the toner sensor 31T may be disposed on the housing 101 side of the printer 100 so as to face the outer wall of the container body 31. Further, the arrangement of the toner sensor 31T is not limited to the top plate 312. In another embodiment, the toner sensor may be disposed on any of the bottom 311, the front wall 313, and the rear wall 314 of the container body 31. When the toner sensor is disposed on the bottom surface of the bottom portion 311, the opening position of the toner discharge port 319 may be disposed at a position shifted in the circumferential direction from the bottom surface.

  The storage unit 31 </ b> V is mounted on the upper surface portion of the flange portion 316. The storage unit 31V is an RF tag applied to RFID technology. The storage unit 31 </ b> V stores the position information of the moving wall 34 determined by the position determination unit 52 described later and the toner remaining amount information determined by the remaining amount determination unit 53.

  The printer 100 includes a control unit 50 that controls the operation of each unit disposed inside the housing 101. FIG. 12 is an electrical block diagram of the control unit 50. The controller 50 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a ROM (Read Only Memory) that stores a control program, a RAM (Random Access Memory) that is used as a work area of the CPU, and the like. The control unit 50 functions to include a drive control unit 51, a position determination unit 52, and a remaining amount determination unit 53 when the CPU executes a control program stored in the ROM. In addition to the display unit 90, the transmission / reception unit 100V, and the storage unit 31V, the motor M is electrically connected to the control unit 500. The motor M is a stepping motor that generates a rotational driving force that rotates the shaft 33.

  The drive control unit 51 controls the motor M to rotate the shaft 33 and adjust the position of the moving wall 34. At this time, the drive control unit 51 controls the rotational speed of the shaft 33 and adjusts the position of the moving wall 34. When the shaft 33 is rotated, the moving wall 34 moves in the first direction (left direction) due to the engagement of the male spiral portion 333 of the shaft 33 and the female spiral portion 340D of the bearing portion 340A.

  The position determination unit 52 determines the position of the moving wall 34 in the first direction according to the cumulative number of rotations of the shaft 33. In the present embodiment, the position determination unit 52 detects the rotational speed of the shaft 33 based on the pulse signal of the motor M, and accumulates the rotational speed. Moreover, the position determination part 52 memorize | stores the positional information on the moving wall 34 in the memory | storage part 31V via the transmission / reception part 100V (FIG. 3).

  The remaining amount determination unit 53 determines the remaining amount of toner remaining in the accommodation space 31S according to the position of the moving wall 34 determined by the position determination unit 52. In the present embodiment, the toner container 30, the motor M, and the control unit 50 constitute a developer supply device 3A (FIG. 8B). The developer supply device 3 </ b> A supplies supply toner to the developing device 20. Further, the remaining amount determination unit 53 stores toner remaining amount information via the transmission / reception unit 100V (FIG. 3).

<Toner container functions>
As described above, the toner container 30 is detachable from the developing device 20. With reference to FIG. 2, when the opening / closing cover 100 </ b> C of the housing 101 is opened upward, the container housing portion 109 that is a part of the main body internal space 107 is exposed to the outside of the housing 101. In the present embodiment, the toner container 30 is mounted on the container housing portion 109 from above (see arrow DC in FIGS. 6 and 7). At this time, the cover 39 of the toner container 30 is disposed on the right side portion of the container housing portion 109, and the left wall 315 of the toner container 30 is disposed on the left side portion of the container housing portion 109. The printer 100 includes a guide groove 109A (FIG. 2). The guide groove 109 </ b> A is a groove portion extending in the vertical direction in the container housing portion 109. In FIG. 2, only the right guide groove 109 </ b> A appears, but the guide groove 109 </ b> A is similarly disposed in the left side portion of the container housing portion 109.

  While the first guide portion 318 and the second guide portion 392 are inserted through the pair of guide grooves 109A, the toner container 30 is attached to the container housing portion 109 by the user. When the toner container 30 is mounted in the container housing portion 109, the shutter 317 is slid by the user or by an opening / closing mechanism (not shown), and the toner discharge port 319 is opened. As a result, the toner discharge port 319 is disposed to face the toner supply port 25 (FIGS. 4 and 5).

  FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view (A), (B), and (C) showing how the moving wall 34 moves in the toner container 30. FIG. 13A shows a state in which the moving wall 34 is arranged at the initial position, and FIG. 13B shows a state in which the moving wall 34 has been moved from the initial position along the first direction. FIG. 13C shows a state in which the moving wall 34 is disposed at the final position facing the toner discharge port 319.

  As shown in FIG. 13A, when a new toner container 30 is attached to the printer 100 by the user, the moving wall 34 is disposed at an initial position along the lid portion 37. Even when the storage space 31S is fully filled with toner when the toner container 30 is manufactured, a small space remains in the storage space 31S. When the use of the toner container 30 is started, the above space is required in order to impart a predetermined fluidity to the toner stored in the storage space 31S. However, in this case, since the draft surface (upper surface) of the toner stored in the storage space 31S exists below the top plate 312 with a predetermined interval, the toner sensor 31T accurately detects the toner stored in the storage space 31S. Can not do it.

  For this reason, when a new toner container 30 is mounted on the printer 100, the drive control unit 51 drives the motor M to rotate the rotation gear 38 and the shaft 33. As a result, the moving wall 34 moves toward the toner discharge port 319 along the first direction by the engagement of the male spiral portion 333 and the female spiral portion 340D. Eventually, when the moving wall 34 moves slightly to the left from the initial position shown in FIG. 13A, the accommodation space 31S is filled with toner, and the toner sensor 31T detects the toner in the accommodation space 31S. The drive controller 51 receives the HIGH signal output from the toner sensor 31T and stops the movement of the moving wall 34.

  In the present embodiment, the inner peripheral portion 31K of the container main body 31 and the outer peripheral portion 34K (outer peripheral wall portion 341) of the moving wall 34 have a non-circular shape in a cross-sectional view intersecting the first direction. For this reason, even if the rotational force around the shaft 33 is applied to the moving wall 34 due to the engagement between the male helical portion 333 and the female helical portion 340D, the moving wall 34 is applied to the container body 31. Rotation is prevented. As a result, the moving wall 34 can be stably moved along the shaft 33 by the rotational driving force of the motor M. Further, as described above, the engagement of the male spiral portion 333 and the female spiral portion 340D causes the outer peripheral portion 34K of the movable wall 34 to be in close contact with the inner peripheral portion 31K of the container main body 31. 34 can be moved stably.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. For this reason, when the staying portion 29 (FIG. 5) on the developing device 20 side seals the toner replenishing port 25 from below, the replenishing toner does not fall from the toner container 30. On the other hand, when toner is supplied from the developing roller 21 of the developing device 20 to the photosensitive drum 121 and the toner in the staying portion 29 decreases, the toner flows into the developing device 20 from the toner discharge port 319 through the toner supply port 25. As a result, in the accommodation space 31S of the toner container 30, the toner in the lower part of the toner sensor 31T disappears, so the toner sensor 31T outputs a LOW signal. As described above, according to the change in the output signal from the presence of toner to the absence of toner of the toner sensor 31T, the drive control unit 51 drives the motor M until the toner sensor 31T outputs a HIGH signal, and moves the moving wall 34 to the toner discharge port. 319 is moved in the first direction (FIG. 13B). At this time, since the stirring disk 32 disposed on the front end side of the accommodation space 31S rotates together with the shaft 33, the toner above the toner discharge port 319 is stirred. For this reason, the fluidity of the toner is increased, and the toner is stably dropped from the toner discharge port 319.

  The position determination unit 52 determines the position of the moving wall 34 in the first direction every time the moving wall 34 is moved by the drive control unit 51. As described above, the position of the moving wall 34 is guided by the accumulated rotational speed L of the shaft 33. FIG. 14 is a graph showing the relationship between the position of the moving wall 34, the cumulative rotation speed L of the shaft 33, and the remaining toner amount T in the toner container 30. In FIG. 14, the moving wall 34 moves from the initial position (FIG. 13A) to the final position (FIG. 13C) along the horizontal axis. At this time, the cumulative rotational speed L of the shaft 33 that is cumulatively counted by the position determination unit 52 gradually increases. At the same time, as the moving wall 34 moves, the toner remaining amount T in the accommodation space 31S gradually decreases.

  The position determination unit 52 determines that the moving wall 34 has reached the predetermined detection position X1 when the accumulated rotational speed L of the shaft 33 reaches a preset threshold value L1 (second threshold value). When the remaining amount determination unit 53 determines that the moving wall 34 has reached the detection position X1, the remaining amount of toner in the accommodation space 31S is 75% (the remaining amount set in advance according to the detection position X1). It is determined that the specified remaining amount has been reached. Similarly, the position determination unit 52 determines that the moving wall 34 has reached the detection position X2 when the accumulated rotational speed L of the shaft 33 reaches a preset threshold value L2 (second threshold value). When the remaining amount determination unit 53 determines that the moving wall 34 has reached the detection position X2, the remaining amount of toner in the accommodation space 31S is 50% (the remaining amount set in advance according to the detection position X2). It is determined that the specified remaining amount has been reached.

  Further, the position determination unit 52 determines that the moving wall 34 has reached the detection position XN when the accumulated rotational speed L of the shaft 33 reaches a preset threshold value LN (second threshold value). When the remaining amount determination unit 53 determines that the moving wall 34 has reached the detection position XN, the remaining amount of toner in the accommodation space 31S is 20% (the remaining amount set in advance according to the detection position XN). It is determined that the specified remaining amount has been reached. At this time, the remaining amount determination unit 53 determines that the toner in the accommodation space 31S has reached a near empty state (soon to be empty). The remaining amount determination unit 53 can notify the display unit 90 of the printer 100 of the near empty state and prompt the preparation of a new toner container 30 at an early stage. Thus, in the present embodiment, the remaining amount of toner remaining in the accommodation space 31S is determined according to the position of the moving wall 34 determined by the drive control unit 51. Therefore, it is possible to easily determine the remaining amount of toner according to the reduction of the accommodation space 31S. A plurality of threshold values (L1, L2, LN) and prescribed remaining amounts (75%, 50%, 20%) for determining the remaining amount of toner in the accommodation space 31S are set in advance. Therefore, the remaining amount of toner in the toner container 30 can be grasped in a plurality of stages before the toner becomes empty (empty).

  Further, the position determination unit 52 stores the position information of the moving wall 34 in the storage unit 31V every time the moving operation of the moving wall 34 is executed. Similarly, the remaining amount determination unit 53 stores the remaining amount information of the toner in the storage unit 31V. The position information of the moving wall 34 is derived by accumulating 1 count every time the shaft 33 is rotated once in each moving operation. Each time the moving wall 34 is moved, the position information of the storage unit 31V is updated, so that the current position of the moving wall 34 can be accurately grasped. For this reason, even when the toner container 30 is removed from the printer 100 (developer supply device 3A) during use, the position information in the storage unit 31V is referred to when the toner container 30 is mounted again, so that the moving wall The moving operation 34 can be resumed with high accuracy. Similarly, the remaining amount determination unit 53 displays the remaining amount information of the toner stored in the storage unit 31V on the display unit 90 of the printer 100, so that the user can grasp the remaining amount of toner in the accommodation space 31S. it can. The display unit 90 may be a personal computer connected to the printer 100 via a network.

  When the toner in the storage space 31S of the toner container 30 is continuously used, the moving wall 34 eventually reaches the final position shown in FIG. At this time, referring to FIG. 14, the position determination unit 52 reaches the final position when the accumulated rotational speed L of the shaft 33 reaches a preset threshold LE (first threshold). Is determined. Furthermore, when it is determined that the moving wall 34 has reached the final position, the remaining amount determination unit 53 determines that the toner in the accommodation space 31S has reached an empty state (empty). The remaining amount determination unit 53 can display empty information on the display unit 90 of the printer 100 to prompt the user to replace the toner container 30.

  As the moving wall 34 gradually moves in the first direction as described above, the toner in the accommodation space 31 </ b> S is conveyed to the toner discharge port 319 while being pressed by the moving wall 34. At this time, the accommodation space 31S is gradually reduced until the moving wall 34 reaches the toner discharge port 319. Therefore, the space where the toner remains is gradually lost in the toner container 30. And in the final position shown in FIG.13 (C), the moving wall 34 contact | abuts to the stirring disk 32, and the accommodation space 31S is substantially lose | disappeared. As a result, the amount of toner remaining in the storage space 31S of the container body 31 at the end of use is reduced as compared with a conventional toner container in which the volume of the storage space does not change.

  When the moving wall 34 reaches the final position facing the toner discharge port 319, the discharge port sealing portion 341B (FIG. 10B) of the moving wall 34 closes the toner discharge port 319 from the inside of the container main body 31 (see FIG. 13 (C)). That is, the moving wall 34 has a shutter function that closes the toner discharge port 319 when the toner in the container main body 31 becomes empty. For this reason, even if the toner container 30 is removed from the printer 100 without the shutter 317 being closed, a slight amount of toner remaining in the gap between the stirring disk 32 and the moving wall 34 is removed from the toner discharge port 319. Leaking from is prevented. In particular, in the present embodiment, the inner wall seal 342 that is in close contact with the inner peripheral portion 31 </ b> K of the container main body 31 in the moving process of the moving wall 34 is disposed on the distal end side in the first direction of the moving wall 34. For this reason, the toner hardly adheres to the discharge port sealing portion 341B that is closer to the rear end side in the first direction of the moving wall 34 than the inner wall seal 342 and blocks the toner discharge port 319. Further, the width of the outer peripheral wall portion 341 in the first direction is set to be longer than the width of the toner discharge port 319 in the first direction, and the discharge port sealing portion 341B has a size that blocks the toner discharge port 319. For this reason, the toner discharge port 319 can be reliably closed by the discharge port sealing portion 341B.

  As described above, when the moving wall 34 seals the toner discharge port 319 at the final position, the user can confirm that the toner is empty in the sealed state. When the remaining amount of toner in the toner container 30 decreases, it is difficult to grasp the remaining amount of toner with the weight of the toner container 30. On the other hand, when the shutter 317 is slid and moved as described above, if it is already recognized that the toner discharge port 319 is sealed by the moving wall 34, the user can empty the toner in the toner container 30. It is possible to reliably recognize that

  Further, the sealing action of the toner discharge port 319 by the moving wall 34 is performed even when the toner container 30 used halfway is removed from the printer 100 for some reason and stored together with another empty toner container 30. It is used effectively. That is, the user may select a stored toner container 30 whose moving wall 34 does not seal the toner discharge port 319.

  In addition, as described above, when the volume replenishment type toner replenishment format is adopted, when the toner in the toner container 30 becomes empty, the replenishment toner stays from the toner container 30 side toward the developing device 20 side. The pressing force that presses the portion 29 is lost. In this case, depending on various conditions in the developing device 20, the toner in the developing device 20 may flow backward from the toner supply port 25 to the toner discharge port 319 side. However, in this embodiment, since the moving wall 34 seals the toner discharge port 319, it is possible to prevent the toner from flowing backward from the developing device 20 (the supply target) to the container main body 31 side.

  Further, as described above, in the present embodiment, the toner supply hole 340 </ b> B for filling the storage space 31 </ b> S with toner at the manufacturing stage of the toner container 30 is disposed in the moving wall 34. For this reason, it is not necessary to form a filling port on the container body 31 side in addition to the toner discharge port 319. Therefore, the shape of the container body 31 is easily formed. Note that the toner container 30 with various filling amounts may be provided by changing the initial arrangement of the moving wall 34 in the first direction. By changing the initial position of the moving wall 34 at the time of toner filling, the volume of the accommodation space 31S can be changed. Even in this case, since the toner replenishing hole 340B is arranged on the moving wall 34 side, it is not necessary to arrange the filling port at different positions of the container main body 31 according to the filling amount, and the common use of the container main body 31 is realized. The Even when the toner filling amounts in the toner containers 30 are different, the initial positions of the moving walls 34 of all the toner containers 30 may always be arranged at the positions shown in FIG. In this case, when the toner container 30 is mounted on the printer 100, the drive time for initially driving the motor M is adjusted according to the output signal of the toner sensor 31T. As a result, the accommodation space 31S is filled with toner.

  Furthermore, as shown in FIGS. 11 and 13, the toner container 30 according to the present embodiment includes a moving wall stop 334. As described above, the moving wall stop portion 334 is a region where the male spiral portion 333 is not disposed in the shaft 33 and is disposed to face the toner discharge port 319. Therefore, immediately before the moving wall 34 reaches the final position shown in FIG. 13C, the female spiral portion 340D (FIG. 10B) of the moving wall 34 is detached from the male spiral portion 333, and the moving wall 34 It arrange | positions facing the stop part 334. FIG. In other words, once the moving wall 34 is disposed at the final position in FIG. 13C, the female spiral portion 340D and the male spiral portion 333 are prevented from engaging again. As a result, even if the rotation gear 38 is rotated in the reverse direction, the moving wall 34 does not move backward toward the lid portion 37 side. Therefore, as described above, when the toner in the toner container 30 is empty, the moving wall 34 can be surely arranged at the final position. In addition, even when the used toner container 30 is stored vertically so that the first direction is along the vertical direction, the moving wall 34 may go backward toward the lid portion 37 due to its own weight. Deterred.

  Further, at the final position shown in FIG. 13C, the inner wall seal 342 of the moving wall 34 urges the inner peripheral portion 31K of the toner container 30 in the radial direction with an elastic force from the inside. For this reason, the moving wall 34 is stably locked at the final position, and the backward movement of the moving wall 34 is further prevented.

  The developer replenishing device 3A and the printer 100 including the toner container 30 according to the embodiment of the present invention have been described above. According to such a printer 100, the toner is stably supplied to the developing device 20 from the developer supplying device 3A. Further, the amount of toner remaining in the storage space 31S of the container body 31 at the end of use is reduced. Therefore, an image is formed on the sheet while the toner in the toner container 30 is efficiently used. In addition, this invention is not limited to this, For example, the following modified embodiment is employable.

  (1) In the above embodiment, the printer 100 has been described as a monochrome printer, but the present invention is not limited to this. In particular, when the printer 100 is a tandem color printer, after the opening / closing cover 100C (FIG. 2) of the printer 100 is opened, the toner containers 30 are adjacent to each other corresponding to a plurality of color toners from above. It may be attached to the housing 101.

  (2) In the above embodiment, the toner container 30 is mounted on the printer 100 along the longitudinal direction of the developing device 20. However, the present invention is not limited to this. The toner container 30 may be mounted along a direction that intersects the longitudinal direction of the developing device 20.

  (3) In the above embodiment, the toner container 30 includes the shutter 317. However, the present invention is not limited to this. As described above, the moving wall 34 seals the toner discharge port 319 when it reaches the final position. Therefore, a film seal (not shown) that seals the toner discharge port 319 may be disposed at the toner discharge port 319 until the toner container 30 is used. The film seal is peeled off by the user when a new toner container 30 is attached to the printer 100. As a result, the toner discharge port 319 is opened and communicated with the toner supply port 25 of the developing device 20. As described above, when the toner in the toner container 30 becomes empty, the discharge port sealing portion 341B of the moving wall 34 closes the toner discharge port 319.

  (4) In the above embodiment, the volume supply type toner supply method has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this. A mode in which a toner sensor (not shown) is disposed in the developing device 20 may be employed. When it is detected by the toner sensor that the toner in the developing device 20 has decreased, the motor M is driven by the drive control unit 51, and the moving wall 34 is moved along the first direction. As a result, the toner falls from the toner discharge port 319 and flows into the developing device 20.

  (5) Further, in the above-described embodiment, the description has been made in the aspect in which the bearing portion 340A is arranged at the center portion of the moving wall 34, but the present invention is not limited to this. The bearing portion 340 </ b> A may be disposed in another area of the moving wall 34. A mode in which the bearing portion 340 </ b> A is disposed on the upper end side of the moving wall 34 and the corresponding shaft 33 is also extended upward in the container main body 31. In this case, since the pressure of the toner applied to the shaft seal 343 (FIG. 10A) is lowered, the sealing performance of the shaft seal 343 is further maintained.

  (6) In the above embodiment, the motor M is a stepping motor, and the position determination unit 52 detects the rotational speed of the shaft 33 based on the pulse signal of the motor M and accumulates the rotational speed. . In this case, the rotational speed of the shaft 33 can be easily detected. Note that the present invention is not limited to this. In another modified embodiment, the developer supply device 3 </ b> A (printer 100) may include a rotary encoder that detects the rotation of the shaft 33. In this case, the position determination unit 52 detects the rotational speed of the shaft 33 based on the output of the rotary encoder, and accumulates the rotational speed. The position of the moving wall 34 is determined based on the cumulative number of rotations of the shaft 33, and the toner remaining amount in the accommodation space 31S can be determined. Further, the rotational speed of the shaft 33 can be accurately detected by the rotary encoder.

  Furthermore, another rotational speed measurement unit may be arranged to detect the rotational speed of the shaft 33. FIG. 15 is a schematic side view of a developer supply device 3B according to a modified embodiment of the present invention. The developer supply device 3B includes a toner container (not shown) having the same configuration as that of the toner container 30 according to the previous embodiment, and a rotation speed measuring unit 70. The toner container includes a shaft 63 for moving the moving wall, and a rotation gear 68 fixed to an end portion of the shaft 63 in the axial direction. The rotation gear 68 includes a first rotation unit 681, a second rotation unit 682, and a protrusion 683. The first rotating part 681 and the second rotating part 682 are two disk parts adjacent in the axial direction of the shaft 33. The first rotating part 681 has a smaller diameter than the second rotating part 682. A gear (not shown) is provided on the outer periphery of the first rotating unit 681. When the motor shaft MG of the motor that generates the rotational driving force for rotating the shaft 63 is engaged with the gear of the first rotating unit 681, the first rotating unit 681 and the second rotating unit 682 rotate integrally. The protrusion 683 is a protrusion that protrudes in the radial direction from the outer peripheral portion of the second rotating portion 682.

  The rotation speed measurement unit 70 is disposed adjacent to the rotation gear 68 in the radial direction. The rotation speed measurement unit 70 includes a rotation piece 71 and a PI sensor 72. The rotating piece 71 is rotatably supported by a housing (not shown). The rotating piece 71 includes a fulcrum 711, a contact portion 712, and a detecting piece 713. The fulcrum 711 is a fulcrum in the rotation of the rotating piece 71. The contact portion 712 extends from the fulcrum 711 toward the rotation gear 68. The detection piece 713 extends from the fulcrum 711 toward the side opposite to the contact portion 712. The fulcrum 711 is provided with a coil spring (not shown) that urges the rotating piece 71 around the fulcrum 711 so that the detection piece 713 is separated from the PI sensor 72. The PI sensor 72 is a sensor that can detect the detection piece 713. When the rotational driving force is transmitted from the motor shaft MG and the rotation gear 68 and the shaft 63 rotate integrally, the projection 683 presses the contact portion 712 downward every rotation. At this time, the PI sensor 72 detects the detection piece 713 once according to the rotation of the rotation piece 71 around the fulcrum 711 (see the broken line portion in FIG. 15). A position determination unit (not shown) counts up the cumulative number of rotations of the shaft 63 according to a signal received from the PI sensor 72. Even with such a configuration, the cumulative number of rotations of the shaft 63 is counted, and the position of a moving wall (not shown) can be determined.

  (7) In the above-described embodiment, the moving wall 34 has been described as moving in the first direction toward the toner discharge port 319. In another modified embodiment, the moving wall 34 may move toward the toner discharge port 319 while repeating the movement in the first direction and the second direction opposite to the first direction. In this case, as the shaft 33 rotates, the frequency at which the stirring disk 32 stirs the toner around the toner discharge port 319 increases, so that the fluidity of the toner in the accommodation space 31S can be ensured. However, when the rotational speed of the shaft 33 when the moving wall 34 moves in the second direction is accumulated or subtracted by the position determination unit 52, the shaft in the housing space 31S is not changed, although the toner amount is not changed. The accumulated rotational speed L of 33 changes. For this reason, in the case where the moving wall 34 moves in the second direction, the value of the accumulated rotational speed L at the position Y of the moving wall 34 immediately before moving in the second direction is maintained, and the moving wall 34 is again moved to the position. When returning to Y, accumulation of the accumulated rotational speed L may be started again.

  (8) In the above embodiment, when the moving wall 34 reaches the final position, the outer peripheral portion 34K of the moving wall 34 blocks a part of the toner discharge port 319 from the inside of the container main body 31 (FIG. 13C). However, the present invention is not limited to this. As a final position of the moving wall 34, the moving wall 34 may stop immediately before the toner discharge port 319. In other words, the “final position of the moving wall 34 where the moving wall 34 reaches the toner discharge port 319” in the present invention may be that the moving wall 34 is arranged around the toner discharge port 319 in the first direction. In the above case, the moving wall 34 reaching the final position does not block the toner discharge port 319 from the inside, but compared with a conventional toner container in which the volume of the storage space does not change, the storage space of the container main body 31 at the end of use. The amount of toner remaining in 31S is reduced.

  (9) Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the moving wall 34 has been described as moving from the lid 37 side toward the left wall 315 side, but the present invention is not limited to this. There may be a mode in which the initial position of the moving wall 34 is arranged along the left wall 315 and the moving wall 34 moves toward the toner discharge port 319 opened to the lid portion 37 side.

100 Printer (image forming device)
100V transceiver unit (information transceiver unit)
109 Container housing part 121 Photosensitive drum (image carrier)
126 Transfer roller (transfer section)
20 Developing Device 25 Toner Supply Port 30 Toner Container (Developer Container)
31 Container body (container body)
311 Bottom 312 Top plate 313 Front wall 314 Rear wall 315 Left wall (wall)
316 Flange 317 Shutter 319 Toner discharge port (Developer discharge port)
31H Internal space 31J Body bearing portion 31K Inner circumference 31S Storage space 31T Toner sensor (detection sensor)
31V storage section 32 stirring disk 32J disk shaft hole 33 shaft (shaft section)
331 First shaft end portion 332 Second shaft end portion 333 Male spiral portion 334 Moving wall stop portion 34 Moving wall 340 Conveying wall portion 340A Bearing portion 340B Toner supply hole 340C Cylindrical portion 340D Female spiral portion 340S Conveying surface 341 Outer peripheral wall portion 342 Inner wall seal 343 Shaft seal 344 Supply hole cap 34J Moving wall shaft hole portion 34K Outer peripheral portion 35 Washer 36 Sponge seal 37 Cover portion 37J Cover shaft hole portion 38 Rotating gear 381 Outer gear portion 38J Gear shaft hole portion 39 Cover 3A Developer supply device 40 screw 50 control unit 51 drive control unit 52 position determination unit 53 remaining amount determination unit 90 display unit M motor (drive unit)

Claims (9)

An inner peripheral portion extending in a cylindrical shape along the first direction, an inner space defined by the inner peripheral portion, a wall portion disposed at an end portion in the first direction and defining an end surface of the inner space, A container body comprising:
A lid that is attached to an end opposite to the wall in the first direction of the container body, and closes the internal space;
A developer discharge port that communicates with the inner peripheral portion and is opened in the container body to discharge the developer;
An outer peripheral portion disposed in close contact with the inner peripheral portion of the container main body, and a conveying surface that defines the storage space for storing the developer together with the inner peripheral portion of the container main body, A moving wall that moves in the internal space from a preset initial position to a final position that reaches the developer discharge port along the first direction while transporting the developer toward the developer discharge port; ,
A shaft portion provided with a male spiral portion having a predetermined pitch on the outer peripheral surface, and rotatably supported by the wall portion and the lid portion so as to extend in the first direction in the internal space;
A bearing portion that holds the moving wall, includes a female spiral portion that engages with the male spiral portion on an inner peripheral surface, and the shaft portion is inserted therethrough;
A developer container having
A driving unit that generates a rotational driving force for rotating the shaft unit;
A position determination unit that determines the position of the moving wall in the first direction according to the cumulative number of rotations of the shaft unit;
A remaining amount determination unit that determines a remaining amount of the developer remaining in the accommodation space according to the determined position of the moving wall;
A drive control unit for controlling the drive unit;
A detection sensor for transmitting an output signal to the drive control unit in accordance with the presence or absence of the developer around the developer discharge port;
I have a,
The drive controller is configured to move the moving wall in the first direction according to a change in the output signal from the presence of developer to the absence of developer of the detection sensor . The position determination unit determines that the moving wall has reached the final position when the accumulated rotational speed of the shaft portion reaches a preset first threshold value,
The said remaining amount determination part determines with the said developer of the said accommodation space having reached the empty state, when it determines with the said moving wall having reached | attained the said final position. Developer supply device. The position determination unit determines that the moving wall has reached a predetermined detection position when the accumulated rotational speed of the shaft portion has reached a second threshold value that is smaller than the preset first threshold value,
When it is determined that the moving wall has reached the detection position, the remaining amount determination unit reaches a specified remaining amount that is preset in accordance with the detection position. The developer replenishing device according to claim 2, wherein the developer replenishing device is determined.   The developer replenishing device according to claim 3, wherein a plurality of the second threshold value and the specified remaining amount are set. A storage unit that is provided in the developer container and stores the position information of the moving wall determined by the position determination unit or the remaining amount information of the developer determined by the remaining amount determination unit;
The position information or the remaining amount information is written in the storage unit, and an information transmitting / receiving unit that reads the position information or the remaining amount information from the storage unit;
The developer replenishing device according to claim 1, further comprising: The driving unit is a stepping motor,
The developer according to claim 1, wherein the position determination unit detects the number of rotations of the shaft unit based on a pulse signal of the stepping motor and accumulates the number of rotations. Replenishment device. A rotary encoder that detects rotation of the shaft portion;
6. The developer supply according to claim 1, wherein the position determination unit detects the number of rotations of the shaft unit based on an output of the rotary encoder, and accumulates the number of rotations. apparatus.   The developer replenishing device according to claim 1, further comprising a display unit configured to display information on a remaining amount of the developer determined by the remaining amount determining unit. An electrostatic latent image is formed on the surface, and an image carrier that carries a developer image;
The developer supply device according to any one of claims 1 to 8 ,
A developing device that replenishes the developer from the developer replenishing device and supplies the developer to the image carrier;
A transfer unit for transferring the developer image from the image carrier to a sheet;
An image forming apparatus comprising: