JP2810387B2 - Image forming device - Google Patents

Description

Description: BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus for developing an electrostatic latent image to form an image by connecting independent liquid or powder storage means and developing means. It can be used as a means.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a hopper as a storage means for a developer used in a liquid or powder state in a copying and printing apparatus, and a developing device as a developing means for visualizing a document image on an image carrier. When the developer is supplied, when the developing device is maintained, or when the developing device is replaced with another developing device, the hopper located on the front side (outside the main body front side plate) when viewed from the front of the main body among the two independently provided units. (Rotating shaft of the rotating support plate fixed to the main body side plate supports the hopper by the end bearing of the hopper, and the hopper is configured to be rotatable around this rotating shaft). The object is achieved by a shutter mechanism that performs a rotation operation parallel to the hopper rotation direction and disconnects the connection between the two units (the hopper and the developing device). Normally, the shutter mechanism is in an open state when the hopper and the developing device are connected to each other, and keeps the open state when the hopper is separated as described above. However, during the above operation, the shutter moves from the opening to the closed state while moving in contact with the joint of the developing device with the hopper, so that when the opening is opened, part of the replenished developer from the hopper is scattered. And is further scattered into the main unit during the contact movement with the connecting portion of the developing device. For this reason, the developing device removal handle and the operation knob near the connecting portion between the hopper and the developing device inside the apparatus, the back surface of the front cover, and the like are stained with the developer. These parts are generally touched by the user, resulting in an unpleasant appearance for dirt and a bad influence on the operation.

[Summary of the Invention] The present invention relates to a developing device that can be inserted and removed along the longitudinal direction from the front side of an apparatus main body, and a hopper means that replenishes a developer from a front end portion of the developing device in the inserting and removing direction and can vertically contact and separate. And a shutter member that covers the developer discharge port of the hopper means in conjunction with the contact / separation operation of the hopper means, and captures the developer dropped from the shutter member provided on the upper surface of the developing device along the direction of inserting and removing the developer from the developer receiving portion. And a developer capturing section.

Embodiment An embodiment of the present invention is shown in FIG. 1 to FIG. here,
FIG. 1 shows a separated state between a hopper 1 for storing a developer and a developing device 10 which faces the electrophotographic photosensitive member and supplies the developer to develop a latent image, and FIG. Is shown.

The hopper 1 is rotatably and vertically movable by bearings 1a and 1b existing at ends of the hopper on a support shaft 2 supported by a hinge plate 3 attached to a fixed wall 20 such as a front side plate of the main body. ing. A coupling portion 5 with the developing device 10 is provided on the lower surface 1a of the hopper, and the rotating shaft portions 14a and 14b of the shutter 13 seen in FIG. ing. The shutter cam 6 is integrally fixed to the rotating shaft portion 14b of the shutter 13,
A torsion coil spring 15 having a U-shaped end is applied to a part of the cam 6, and a spring 15 having an inner diameter larger than the outer diameter of the shaft portion 14b is installed in a state of being wound around the shaft portion 14b,
The other end of the spring 15 is fixed in contact with the lower surface 1a of the hopper 1. Further, a cam portion 7 for lifting the entire hopper 1 in the vertical direction is separately provided, and the cam portion 7 is integrally fixed to the rotating shaft 8, and one end of the rotating shaft is provided with a lever indicated by a two-dot chain line in FIG. 9 are provided.

 The operation of the embodiment of the present invention will be described below.

When the developer in the hopper 1 is replenished or the developing unit 10 is maintained or replaced, the user or service person pushes the lever 9 in the direction of the arrow in FIG. At this time, the entire hopper 1 is lifted by the cam portion 7 and supported by the bearing portions 1a and 1b,
, And translate upward. At the same time, the shutter 13 provided in the connecting portion 5 of the hot tooth 1 is
In conjunction with the upward movement, the state of FIG. 4B (coupled state) is changed to the state of FIG. 4A (separated state).
This is because, in the coupled state, when the hopper 1 is at the lower position, the cam 6 comes into contact with the upper surface of the handle 11 of the developing device 10, so that the shutter 13 is opened (solid lines in FIGS. 4 (b) and 5). The developer in the hopper 1 can be introduced into the developing device. At this time, seals 16 to 19 shown in FIG. 5 are provided to prevent the developer from scattering from the joint. Then, in conjunction with the upward movement of the hopper, the shutter 13 rotates clockwise via the cam 6 by the spring force of the spring 15, and the protruding portion 6a of the cam 6 separates from the upper surface of the handle 11. The shutter 13 is moved to the position indicated by the two-dot chain line in FIGS. 4 (a) and 5, and the shutter is opened to prevent the developer from flowing out of the hopper.

Then, with the hopper 1 stopped at the upper position (this is maintained by the cam portion 7), the entire hopper is rotated around the support shaft 2, and the developer is supplied into the hopper at an appropriate position. You can do it. For maintenance or replacement of the developing device 10 alone, the developing device 10 can be pulled out of the apparatus main body by fixing the hopper at the upper position, that is, simply moving the lever 9 to a substantially right angle position.
At this time, the developer trapping unit 12 is provided on the upper part of the developing unit 10 as a means for dropping and catching the scattered developer attached to the connecting part 5 of the hopper 1.
(Fig. 6).

As another embodiment of the present invention, the connecting portion 5 (including the shutter portion) may be arranged on the developing device 10 side, and a compression coil spring and a locking mechanism are used in the vertical movement mechanism as shown in FIG. The same operation as described above is possible. FIG. 7 shows the upper position of the hopper 1, and at this time, the hopper's own weight is supported by the compression force of the spring 22. To shift from this state to the combined state of the hopper and the developing device,
When the hopper 1 is pushed downward, the locking lever 21 engages with the locking pin 22 fixed to the main body device side, and stops the hopper 1 at the lower position, so that a connection state is created. To return to the separated state, the lever 21 is swung in the direction of the arrow in the drawing, and the hopper 1 is automatically pushed upward by the compression force of the spring 22.

[Effects] As described above, the present invention enables the independent liquid or powder storage means of the copying and printing apparatuses to be able to move up and down with respect to the developing means in the up and down direction, Due to the simple structure of opening and closing the shutter means corresponding to the introduction portion of the developer into the developing device, the developer adhered to the shutter when the two units are separated from each other is transferred to the developing device receptacle immediately below the shutter, that is, to the inside of the developing device. Because it falls to a predetermined place, other places in the machine (the places where the user touches the knobs, levers, covers, etc.) are not stained. Also, during maintenance or replacement of the developing device alone, the developing device can be taken out of the apparatus only by fixing the hopper to the upper position, so that the developer scatters due to unnecessary movement of the unit (rotating operation of the hopper, etc.). Also, careless destruction of the unit can be prevented. Further, the hopper means according to the present invention can use the conventional operation of rotating the hopper fixed to the upper position around the support shaft without complicating the usual operation at the time of supplying the developer.

As described above, the hopper means of the present invention solves the drawbacks of the prior art and provides a more convenient operation of the developing device.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 shows the state of separation between the hopper means and the developing means of the present invention. FIG. 2 shows a combined state of the hopper means and the developing means of the present invention. FIG. 3 shows a shutter part of the present invention. FIG. 4 (a) is a schematic view of the shutter portion in the separated state shown in FIG. FIG. 4 (b) is a schematic view of the shutter portion in the connected state of FIG. FIG. 5 shows a cross section of the connecting portion in a connecting state of the hopper means and the developing means of the present invention. FIG. 6 shows the hopper means and developing means of the present invention in FIG.
The positional relationship when viewed from the direction is shown. FIG. 7 shows another embodiment of the vertical movement mechanism of the present invention. 1 is a hopper, 10 is a developing device, and 13 is a shutter.

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims] A developing device that can be inserted and removed along the longitudinal direction from the front side of the apparatus main body; hopper means that replenishes developer from a front end portion of the developing device in the inserting and removing direction and that can be vertically moved and separated; A shutter member for covering the developer outlet of the hopper means in conjunction with the contacting / separating operation of the hopper means, and a developer capture provided on the upper surface of the developing device along the direction of removal and insertion from the developer receiving portion to capture the developer dropped from the shutter member. And an image forming apparatus.