JP6565375B2 - Developer storage unit and image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a developer accommodating unit and an image forming apparatus that include a accommodating portion that accommodates a developer, and a conveying member that conveys the developer from one side to the other side in the accommodating portion.

  Conventionally, for example, as disclosed in Patent Document 1, a storage unit that stores developer collected from a photosensitive drum, a transfer belt, and the like, and a storage unit that is disposed in the storage unit, from one side to the other side in the storage unit There is known an image forming apparatus including a conveying member such as an agitator that conveys the developer toward the surface. The transport member disclosed in Patent Document 1 is configured to transport the developer from the front side toward the rear side by reciprocating back and forth within the housing portion.

JP 2013-7963 A

  By the way, in the image forming apparatus as described above, it is desired that the developer can be efficiently conveyed from one side to the other side in the accommodating portion.

  SUMMARY An advantage of some aspects of the invention is that it provides a developer storage unit and an image forming apparatus that can efficiently transport a developer from one side to the other side in a storage unit. To do.

In order to achieve the above-described object, a developer storage unit of the present invention includes a storage section that stores a developer, and a transport member that is disposed in the storage section and transports the developer from one side to the other side in the storage section. And comprising.
The conveying member is arranged on one side of the first supported part supported so as to reciprocate between one side and the other side, and centered on an axis perpendicular to the reciprocating direction. A second supported portion that is supported so as to rotate and a plurality of conveying portions that are provided side by side from one side to the other side and convey the developer from one side to the other side.
The plurality of transport units include a first transport unit disposed closest to the first supported unit.
The first transport unit is longer in the vertical direction than the other transport units.

  According to such a configuration, since the radius of rotation of the second supported portion can be increased, the first supported portion, that is, the first transport portion having a length in the vertical direction longer than that of the other transport portions is longer. The reciprocating stroke can be increased. As a result, the developer can be efficiently transported from one side to the other side in the container.

In order to achieve the above-described object, an image forming apparatus according to the present invention includes a storage unit that stores a developer and a transport unit that is disposed in the storage unit and transports the developer from one side to the other side in the storage unit. A member.
The conveying member is arranged on one side of the first supported part supported so as to reciprocate between one side and the other side, and centered on an axis perpendicular to the reciprocating direction. A second supported portion that is supported so as to rotate and a plurality of conveying portions that are provided side by side from one side to the other side and convey the developer from one side to the other side.
The plurality of transport units include a first transport unit disposed closest to the first supported unit.
The first transport unit is longer in the vertical direction than the other transport units.

  According to such a configuration, since the radius of rotation of the second supported portion can be increased, the first supported portion, that is, the first transport portion having a length in the vertical direction longer than that of the other transport portions is longer. The reciprocating stroke can be increased. As a result, the developer can be efficiently transported from one side to the other side in the container.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to efficiently transport the developer from one side to the other side in the accommodating portion.

1 is a cross-sectional view of a color laser printer as an example of an image forming apparatus. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of a cleaning unit as an example of a developer storage unit. It is a top view of a conveyance member. It is explanatory drawing (a)-(d) of operation | movement of a conveyance member. It is explanatory drawing (a)-(d) of the conveyance member which concerns on a 1st modification. It is explanatory drawing (a)-(d) of the conveyance member which concerns on a 2nd modification. It is sectional drawing of the conveyance member which concerns on a 3rd modification. It is sectional drawing of the conveyance member which concerns on a 4th modification. It is sectional drawing of the conveyance member which concerns on a 5th modification. It is a top view of the conveyance member concerning the 6th modification.

  Next, an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings as appropriate. In the following description, the direction will be described with reference to the user who uses the image forming apparatus. Specifically, the left side in FIG. 1 is “front”, the right side is “rear”, the front side of the paper is “right”, and the back side of the paper is “left”. Further, the vertical direction in FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 1, a color laser printer 1 as an example of an image forming apparatus includes a housing 2, a paper feed unit 3, an image forming unit 4, and a cleaning unit 9 as an example of a developer containing unit. Mainly prepared.

  The paper feed unit 3 is disposed in the lower part of the housing 2 and mainly includes a paper feed tray 31 that accommodates the paper S, a paper pressing plate 32, and a paper feed mechanism 33. The paper feed unit 3 moves the paper S in the paper feed tray 31 upward by the paper pressing plate 32, separates the paper S one by one by the paper feed mechanism 33, and supplies the paper to the image forming unit 4.

  The image forming unit 4 mainly includes an exposure unit 5, a process unit 6, a transfer unit 7, and a fixing unit 8.

  The exposure unit 5 is disposed in the upper part of the housing 2 and includes a laser light source, a polygon mirror, a lens, a reflecting mirror, and the like (not shown). The exposure unit 5 exposes the photosensitive drum 61 by scanning the surface of the photosensitive drum 61 with laser light based on image data indicated by a chain line.

  The process unit 6 is disposed between the paper feed tray 31 and the exposure unit 5, and has a drawer 60, four photosensitive drums 61 arranged in the front and rear, and one charging unit provided for each photosensitive drum 61. The apparatus 62 and the developing cartridge 63 are mainly provided. Each developing cartridge 63 includes a developing roller 64, a supply roller 65, a layer thickness regulating blade 66, a toner storage chamber 67 that stores toner as an example of a developer, and the like, and is detachably mounted on the drawer 60. It is comprised so that.

  The drawer 60 is a member that holds the photosensitive drum 61 and the like, and is configured so that it can be pulled out to the front side with respect to the housing 2 from an opening that is formed when the front cover 21 provided in the housing 2 is opened. Has been. Further, the drawer 60 is configured to be detachable from the housing 2 from a state where the drawer 60 is pulled out to the front side.

  The transfer unit 7 is disposed between the paper feed tray 31 and the process unit 6, and mainly includes a drive roller 71, a driven roller 72, a conveyance belt 73, and a transfer roller 74. The conveyor belt 73 is an endless belt that is stretched between the driving roller 71 and the driven roller 72, and is disposed to face the photosensitive drum 61. Four transfer rollers 74 are provided corresponding to the photosensitive drums 61, and are arranged so as to sandwich the conveyance belt 73 between the corresponding photosensitive drums 61. The transfer unit 7 is configured to be detachable from the housing 2 by opening the front cover 21 and removing the process unit 6 from the housing 2.

  The fixing unit 8 is disposed behind the process unit 6, and mainly includes a heating roller 81 and a pressure roller 82 disposed to face the heating roller 81 and press the heating roller 81.

  The image forming unit 4 forms the electrostatic latent image on the photosensitive drum 61 by charging the surface of the photosensitive drum 61 with the charging device 62 and exposing with the exposure unit 5. Next, the image forming unit 4 supplies the toner carried by the developing roller 64 to the electrostatic latent image formed on the photosensitive drum 61, thereby making the electrostatic latent image visible, and the photosensitive drum 61. A toner image is formed thereon. Thereafter, the image forming unit 4 conveys the paper S supplied from the paper feeding unit 3 between the photoconductive drum 61 and the transfer roller 74, thereby transferring the toner image formed on the photoconductive drum 61 to the paper S. Transcript to. Then, the image forming unit 4 heat-fixes the toner image by conveying the sheet S on which the toner image is transferred between the heating roller 81 and the pressure roller 82. The paper S on which the toner image has been thermally fixed is discharged to the paper discharge tray 22 by the transport roller 23 and the discharge roller 24.

  The cleaning unit 9 is disposed below the conveyance belt 73 and mainly includes a cleaning roller 91, a collection roller 92, a scraping blade 93, a frame member 94, and a conveyance member 100. The cleaning roller 91 is disposed so as to sandwich the conveyance belt 73 with the backup roller 75 provided in the transfer unit 7. The cleaning unit 9 is configured to be detachable from the housing 2 by opening the front cover 21 and removing the process unit 6 and the transfer unit 7 from the housing 2.

  The cleaning unit 9 applies a predetermined bias between the cleaning roller 91 and the backup roller 75 so that the toner attached to the surface of the transport belt 73 is collected by the cleaning roller 91. Thereafter, the cleaning unit 9 collects the toner adhering to the surface of the cleaning roller 91 by the collecting roller 92, scrapes the toner adhering to the surface of the collecting roller 92 by the scraping blade 93, and accommodates it in the accommodating portion 94 </ b> A.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the frame member 94 includes an accommodating portion 94 </ b> A that accommodates toner collected from the conveyance belt 73. The accommodating portion 94A is formed as a long space in the front-rear direction in a range from the vicinity of the position where the cleaning roller 91 is disposed to the rear end portion of the frame member 94 in the front-rear direction. An opening 94 </ b> C through which the toner scraped from the surface of the collection roller 92 by the scraping blade 93 passes is provided at the front of the upper wall forming the accommodating portion 94 </ b> A.

  The conveying member 100 is a member that conveys toner from the front side as an example of one side in the accommodating portion 94A toward the rear side as an example of the other side, and is disposed in the accommodating portion 94A. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the conveying member 100 includes a plurality of conveying units 110, a first frame 120, a second frame 130, a first supported unit 140, and a second supported unit 150. Has mainly.

  The transport unit 110 is a plate-shaped portion that transports toner from the front side toward the rear side, and a plurality of the transport units 110 are arranged at substantially equal intervals in the front-rear direction from the front side to the rear side in the storage unit 94A. Is provided. In the present embodiment, the plurality of transport units 110 are, in order from the rear side, a transport unit 110A as an example of a first transport unit, a transport unit 110B, a transport unit 110C, a transport unit 110D, a transport unit 110E, and a transport unit 110F. And a transport unit 110G as an example of a second transport unit.

  110 A of conveyance parts are arrange | positioned closest to the 1st to-be-supported part 140 among the some conveyance parts 110, and are located in the backmost side, and are the length of an up-down direction rather than the other conveyance parts 110B-110G. Is getting longer. That is, the conveyance unit 110A has the longest vertical length. Moreover, as for the some conveyance part 110B-110G arrange | positioned on the front side rather than the conveyance part 110A, the length of an up-down direction is long in order as it is arrange | positioned at the rear side. The transport unit 110G is disposed closest to the second supported portion 150 and in the foremost side among the plurality of transport units 110, and has the shortest vertical length. The length in the vertical direction of the transport unit 110 will be described later.

  The first frame 120 is a portion that connects one end in the left-right direction as an example of the axial direction of the plurality of transport units 110, specifically, the left end of the plurality of transport units 110. The second frame 130 is a portion that connects the other ends in the left-right direction of the plurality of transport units 110, specifically, the right ends of the plurality of transport units 110. The first frame 120 and the second frame 130 each have a substantially isosceles trapezoidal shape when viewed from the left-right direction, and are provided so as to extend from the front side to the rear side in the accommodating portion 94A.

  The first frame 120 and the second frame 130 are arranged to face each other with a predetermined interval in the left-right direction. Each transport unit 110 is provided so as to be bridged between the first frame 120 and the second frame 130. In other words, each transport unit 110 is provided so as to extend from one of the first frame 120 and the second frame 130 to the other.

  The first supported portion 140 is a portion that protrudes outward in the left-right direction from the rear portion of the outer surface in the left-right direction of the first frame 120 and the second frame 130. The first supported portion 140 is provided at a position that overlaps with the transport portion 110A disposed on the rearmost side when viewed from the left-right direction, in other words, at a position aligned with the transport portion 110A in the left-right direction. Further, the first supported portion 140 is provided at a position overlapping with the center in the vertical direction of the transport portion 110A when viewed from the left-right direction.

  The first supported portion 140 is supported by the frame member 94 so as to reciprocate in the front-rear direction between the front side and the rear side in the housing portion 94A. More specifically, the left and right walls of the frame member 94 forming the accommodating portion 94A are respectively formed with guide grooves 94D that are recessed outward in the left-right direction and extend in the front-rear direction. The first supported portion 140 is supported so as to translate in the front-rear direction along the guide groove 94D with respect to the frame member 94 by engaging with the corresponding guide groove 94D.

  The second supported portion 150 is a portion that protrudes outward in the left-right direction from the front of the laterally outer surface of the first frame 120 and the second frame 130, and is disposed on the front side of the first supported portion 140. Has been. The second supported portion 150 is provided at a position that overlaps with the transport portion 110G disposed on the most front side when viewed from the left-right direction, in other words, at a position aligned with the transport portion 110G in the left-right direction. Further, the second supported portion 150 is provided at a position overlapping with the center in the vertical direction of the transport unit 110G when viewed from the left-right direction.

  The second supported portion 150 is supported by the frame member 94 so as to rotate about an axis A1 extending in the left-right direction perpendicular to the reciprocating direction (that is, the front-rear direction) of the first supported portion 140. More specifically, the cleaning unit 9 includes a pair of left and right rotating shafts 95 and a link 96. The rotation shaft portion 95 is rotatably supported on the left and right walls forming the housing portion 94A, and is provided to rotate counterclockwise in FIG. 2 when a driving force is transmitted from the housing 2 side. ing. The link 96 is fixed to an end portion on the inner side in the left-right direction of the rotation shaft portion 95 and is provided so as to extend outward from the end portion in the radial direction of the rotation shaft portion 95. Rotate to. Each second supported portion 150 is rotatably engaged with an end portion of the corresponding link 96, and the rotation shaft portion 95 is driven to rotate, whereby the axis of the rotation shaft portion 95 is relative to the frame member 94. It is supported so as to rotate around A1.

  In the present embodiment, the color laser printer 1 includes the horizontal installation surface on which the color laser printer 1 is installed and the housing portion 94A of the cleaning unit 9 in a state where the cleaning unit 9 is mounted on the housing 2. The bottom 94B is configured to be substantially parallel. 4A, when the cleaning unit 9 is attached to the housing 2, the distance H1 from the bottom surface 94B to the center C1 of the first supported portion 140 is the second distance from the bottom surface 94B. It is configured to be larger than the distance H2 to the rotation center C2 of the supported portion 150.

  As illustrated in FIG. 4B, the transport member 100 is a plane that contacts the lower ends of the plurality of transport units 110 when the second supported portion 150 that rotates about the rotation shaft portion 95 is at the lowest position. The length in the vertical direction of each transport unit 110 is set so that PL1 is parallel to the bottom surface 94B of the storage unit 94A.

More specifically, as shown in FIG. 4A, the conveying member 100 is configured such that the vertical length of the conveying unit 110A is L1, the vertical length of the conveying unit 110G is L2, and the first covering from the bottom surface 94B. When the distance from the center C1 of the support part 140 is H1, the distance from the bottom 94B to the rotation center C2 of the second supported part 150 is H2, and the radius of the rotation locus of the second supported part 150 is r, the following equation (L1 -L2) / 2 = r + (H1-H2)
The lengths in the vertical direction of the transport units 110A and 110G are set so as to satisfy the above.

  And as shown in FIG.4 (b), as for conveyance part 110B-110F, the lower end touches the plane PL1 which touches the lower end of conveyance part 110A, 110G, respectively, and the upper end touches the upper end of conveyance part 110A, 110G. The length in the vertical direction is set so as to be in contact with the plane PL2.

  In the conveying member 100 configured as described above, for example, when the rotation shaft portion 95 rotates counterclockwise in the drawing from the state shown in FIG. It rotates counterclockwise as shown in the figure at the center, as shown in FIG. 4B, to a position below the rotary shaft portion 95, and further, after the rotary shaft portion 95 as shown in FIG. Move to position. Thereby, since the 1st to-be-supported part 140 moves toward the back side along the guide groove 94D, the conveyance part 110 moves the inside of the accommodating part 94A as a whole from the front side toward the rear side. To do. As a result, the toner in the accommodating portion 94A is conveyed from the front side to the rear side in the accommodating portion 94A by the conveying portion 110.

  Thereafter, from the state shown in FIG. 4C, when the rotary shaft 95 further rotates counterclockwise in the figure, the second supported part 150 rotates counterclockwise in the figure centering on the axis A1. As shown in (d), it moves to a position above the rotary shaft part 95 and further to a position in front of the rotary shaft part 95 as shown in FIG. Thereby, since the 1st to-be-supported part 140 moves toward the front side along the guide groove 94D, the conveyance part 110 moves the inside of the accommodating part 94A as a whole from the rear side toward the front side. It will be.

  According to the present embodiment described above, the vertical length of the transport unit 110A disposed closest to the first supported portion 140 is longer than the other transport units 110B to 110G, for example, the transport unit The rotation radius of the second supported portion 150 can be increased as compared with the configuration in which the lengths in the vertical direction of 110B to 110G are the same as the length of the conveyance unit 110A. Thereby, the stroke of the reciprocating motion of the first supported portion 140, more specifically, the conveying portion 110A having a length in the vertical direction longer than that of the conveying portions 110B to 110G can be increased. Can be efficiently conveyed from the front side to the rear side.

  Moreover, since the length of the up-down direction is longer as the transport units 110B to 110G are arranged on the rear side, for example, the transport units 110B to 110G are compared with the configuration in which the vertical lengths are all the same length. And the volume of the part which the some conveyance part 110 passes in the accommodating part 94A can be enlarged. Accordingly, the toner can be more efficiently conveyed from the front side to the rear side in the storage portion 94A.

  Moreover, since the conveyance part 110G arrange | positioned at the foremost side has the shortest length in the up-and-down direction, compared with the structure where all the lengths of the up-down direction of the conveyance parts 110B-110G are the same length, for example. 2 The turning radius of the supported portion 150 can be increased. Thus, the reciprocating stroke of the transport unit 110A can be further increased, so that the toner can be transported more efficiently from the front side to the rear side in the storage unit 94A.

  Further, since the transport unit 110A is disposed at the rearmost side, the transport unit 110A having the longest vertical length is disposed at the forefront of the moving direction when moving from the front side to the rear side. As a result, the toner can be more efficiently conveyed from the front side to the rear side in the storage portion 94A.

  Further, since the first supported part 140 overlaps with the transport part 110A when viewed from the left-right direction, for example, the first supported part 140 is compared with a configuration in which the first supported part 140 is displaced in the front-rear direction relative to the transport part 110A. Thus, it is possible to suppress the movement of the conveyance unit 110 </ b> A in the vertical direction accompanying the driving of the conveyance member 100. Accordingly, since the transport unit 110A can be disposed closer to the bottom surface 94B of the storage unit 94A, the gap between the transport unit 110A and the bottom surface 94B can be narrowed, and the toner can be transported more efficiently from the front side to the rear side in the storage unit 94A. can do.

  In particular, in the present embodiment, since the first supported portion 140 overlaps the center in the vertical direction of the transport portion 110A, the rotation of the second supported portion 150 is performed while the transport portion 110A is disposed closer to the bottom surface 94B of the storage portion 94A. The radius can be increased. As a result, the toner can be more efficiently conveyed from the front side to the rear side in the storage portion 94A.

  Further, since the plurality of transport units 110 have a plane PL1 that is in contact with the lower ends of the transport units 110 parallel to the bottom surface 94B of the accommodating unit 94A when the second supported unit 150 is at the lowest position, the plurality of transport units 110 are arranged. Can be disposed closer to the bottom surface 94B of the accommodating portion 94A. Thereby, the toner accumulated on the bottom surface 94B of the storage portion 94A can be efficiently conveyed from the front side to the rear side in the storage portion 94A.

In particular, in the present embodiment, the length of the transport unit 110A is configured such that the first supported portion 140 overlaps the vertical center of the transport unit 110A, and the second supported portion 150 overlaps the vertical center of the transport unit 110G. L1, the length of the conveyance unit 110G is L2, the distance from the bottom surface 94B to the translation center C1 is H1, the distance from the bottom surface 94B to the rotation center C2 is H2, and the radius of the rotation locus of the second supported portion 150 is r. And the following formula (L1-L2) / 2 = r + (H1-H2)
Therefore, the lower ends of the plurality of transport units 110 can be arranged closer to the bottom surface 94B, and the length L1 in the vertical direction of the transport unit 110A can be maximized. Accordingly, the toner can be more efficiently conveyed from the front side to the rear side in the storage portion 94A.

  In addition, as illustrated in FIG. 3, the transport member 100 includes the first frame 120 and the second frame 130, and the left and right ends of the plurality of transport units 110 are supported by the first frame 120 and the second frame 130. For example, compared to a configuration in which only the left and right centers of the plurality of transport units 110 are connected, the plurality of transport units 110 can be stabilized. Accordingly, the toner can be more efficiently conveyed from the front side to the rear side in the storage portion 94A.

  Although one embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment. About a concrete structure, it can change suitably in the range which does not deviate from the meaning of invention as follows.

  For example, in the embodiment, the cleaning unit 9 is mounted on the housing 2 so that the distance H1 from the bottom surface 94B of the housing portion 94A to the center C1 of the first supported portion 140 is from the bottom surface 94B to the second supported surface. The configuration is larger than the distance H2 to the rotation center C2 of the support portion 150 (that is, H1-H2> 0), but is not limited to this. For example, as shown in FIGS. 5A to 5D, the cleaning unit 9 is attached to the housing 2 and the distance H1 from the bottom surface 94B to the center C1 of the first supported portion 140 is the bottom surface. The configuration may be equal to the distance H2 from 94B to the rotation center C2 of the second supported portion 150 (that is, H1−H2 = 0). 5A, the distance H1 from the bottom surface 94B to the center C1 of the first supported portion 140 when the cleaning unit 9 is attached to the housing 2 is from the bottom surface 94B. The configuration may be smaller than the distance H2 to the rotation center C2 of the second supported portion 150 (that is, H1-H2 <0).

  Moreover, the conveyance member 100 may be configured as shown in FIGS. 6A to 6D, for example. Specifically, as illustrated in FIG. 6A, the conveyance unit 110A of the conveyance member 100 is an example of a third conveyance unit that is disposed adjacent to the front side of the conveyance unit 110A when viewed from the rear side. And has a substantially rectangular opening 111 that is long in the left-right direction. In other words, the conveyance unit 110A is divided into an upper conveyance unit 112 and a lower conveyance unit 113, and the upper conveyance unit 112 and the lower conveyance unit 113 include a first frame and a second frame (not shown). Between the frame 130, it arrange | positions at intervals up and down.

  According to such a conveyance member 100, when the conveyance unit 110A moves from the front side to the rear side by driving the conveyance member 100 as shown in FIGS. 6A, 6B, and 6C in order, The toner can be transported from the front side to the rear side in the storage unit 94A by the transport units 110A and 110B. Specifically, even if the toner passes through the opening 111 of the transport unit 110A, the toner can be sent to the rear side by the transport unit 110B. On the other hand, as shown in FIGS. 6C, 6D, and 6A in order, when the transport unit 110A moves from the rear side toward the front side, the toner passes through the opening 111 and the rear side of the transport unit 110A. Therefore, the toner can be prevented from being sent back from the rear side to the front side. Thus, the toner can be efficiently conveyed from the front side to the rear side in the storage portion 94A. A plurality of openings 111 may be provided in the transport unit 110A. Further, the position where the opening 111 is provided is not limited to the center in the vertical direction, and may be a position close to one side in the vertical direction.

  Moreover, in the said embodiment, although the conveyance member 100 was provided so that the length of an up-down direction might become long in order as the some conveyance part 110 was arrange | positioned at the back side, it is not limited to this. Absent. For example, as illustrated in FIG. 7, in the conveyance member 100, the vertical lengths of the conveyance units 110 </ b> B to 110 </ b> G are the same, and only the conveyance unit 110 </ b> A as the first conveyance unit is the other conveyance units 110 </ b> B to 110 </ b> G. The length of the vertical direction may be longer than that. Further, in the configuration in which only the transport unit 110A is long, the transport unit 110A may have a configuration in which both the top and bottom are longer than the other transport units 110B to 110G, as shown in FIG. Only one side (only the bottom is illustrated in FIG. 8) may be longer than the other transport units 110B to 110G. In this case, the shapes of the first frame and the second frame 130 (not shown) can be changed as appropriate according to the configuration of the plurality of transport units 110.

  In the embodiment, the first supported part 140 overlaps with the transport part 110A arranged on the most rear side and the second supported part 150 is arranged on the most front side when viewed from the left-right direction as the axial direction. Although provided so as to overlap with the transport unit 110G, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, as shown in FIG. 9, the first supported portion 140 may be provided at a position that does not overlap with the transport section 110A when viewed from the axial direction, that is, at a position that is shifted in the front-rear direction with respect to the transport section 110A. Good. Similarly, the second supported portion 150 may be provided at a position that does not overlap the transport unit 110G when viewed from the axial direction, that is, a position that is shifted in the front-rear direction with respect to the transport unit 110G.

  In the embodiment, the conveyance member 100 has a configuration in which the left and right ends of the plurality of conveyance units 110 are connected by the first frame 120 and the second frame 130, but is not limited thereto. For example, referring to FIG. 3, the conveying member 100 is configured to have a lattice shape in plan view as a whole by connecting one or more portions other than the left and right ends of the plurality of conveying units 110 to each other. May be. Further, as illustrated in FIG. 10, the conveyance member 100 may have a configuration in which only the vicinity of the center in the left-right direction of the plurality of conveyance units 110 is connected by, for example, one frame 160.

  Moreover, in the said embodiment, although the plate-shaped conveyance part 110 was illustrated as a conveyance part, it is not limited to this. For example, the transport unit may be formed of a sheet-like member made of resin or the like, a film-like member, and the like, which is thinner than the plate-like transport unit 110 of the embodiment. Further, the transport unit may be thicker than the plate-shaped transport unit 110 of the embodiment.

  Moreover, in the said embodiment, although the several conveyance part 110 was provided so that it might become substantially equal intervals, it is not limited to this. For example, in a configuration in which three or more transport units are provided, the intervals between adjacent transport units may be partially different or all different.

  Moreover, the number of the conveyance parts 110 shown by the said embodiment is an example, and this invention is not limited to the structure of the said embodiment. That is, the number of transport units can be appropriately changed according to, for example, the volume of the storage unit and the size of the transport member.

  In the embodiment, the transport member 100 is configured to transport the toner from the front side as one side in the accommodating portion 94A toward the rear side as the other side. However, the present invention is not limited to this. It is not a thing. For example, the conveyance member may be configured to convey the toner from the rear side as another example on one side in the housing portion toward the front side as another example on the other side.

  In the above-described embodiment, the cleaning unit 9 including the cleaning member that recovers toner such as the cleaning roller 91 and the recovery roller 92 is illustrated as the developer accommodating unit. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the developer storage unit may have a configuration that does not include a cleaning member, in other words, a configuration that mainly includes a storage unit that stores toner and a conveyance member that is disposed in the storage unit. In addition, the developer storage unit is configured to store the toner (that is, waste toner) collected from the transport belt 73 and not used for image formation, but is not limited thereto. For example, the developer accommodating unit may be configured to accommodate toner (that is, new toner) that is supplied to the photosensitive drum or the like and is used for image formation.

  In the above embodiment, the color laser printer 1 having a plurality of the photosensitive drums 61 and the developing cartridges 63 and capable of forming a color image is exemplified as the image forming apparatus. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the image forming apparatus may be a printer that includes only a photosensitive drum or a developing cartridge and can form only a monochrome image. The image forming apparatus is not limited to a printer, and may be, for example, a copier or a multi-function machine including a document reading apparatus such as a flat bed scanner. In the embodiment, the image forming apparatus is configured to expose the photosensitive drum 61 with laser light. However, the image forming apparatus is not limited to this. For example, the photosensitive drum is irradiated with light emitted from an LED or the like. You may be comprised so that it may expose.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Color laser printer 9 Cleaning unit 94A Accommodating part 94B Bottom surface 100 Conveying member 110 Conveying part 110A Conveying part 110G Conveying part 120 1st frame 130 2nd frame 140 1st supported part 150 2nd supported part A1 Axis C2 Rotation center PL1 Plane

Claims (10)

An accommodating portion for accommodating the developer;
A conveying member that is arranged in the accommodating portion and conveys the developer from one side to the other side in the accommodating portion,
The conveying member is disposed on the one side with respect to the first supported portion, and is supported on the one side so as to reciprocate between the one side and the other side. And a second supported portion that is supported so as to rotate about an axis orthogonal to the first side, and is provided side by side from the one side toward the other side, and conveys the developer from the one side toward the other side. A plurality of conveying sections that
The plurality of transport units include a first transport unit disposed closest to the first supported unit,
Wherein the first conveying section, rather long, the length in the vertical direction than the other conveying portion,
The developer storage unit , wherein the plurality of transport units disposed on the one side of the first transport unit is longer in the vertical direction as disposed on the other side . The developer storage unit according to claim 1 , wherein the transport unit disposed on the one side has the shortest vertical length. The first conveying portion, the developer accommodating unit according to claim 1 or claim 2, characterized in that it is arranged on the most the other side. The first supported portion, when viewed from the axial direction, the developing agent storage unit as claimed in any one of claims 3, characterized in that overlaps the first conveying section. 5. The developer storage unit according to claim 4 , wherein the first supported portion overlaps a center in a vertical direction of the first transport unit. Plane tangent to the lower end of the plurality of transport unit, when the second supported portion is in the lowermost position, the developer according to claim 1, characterized in that parallel to the bottom surface of the housing portion Containment unit. The plurality of transport units include a second transport unit in which the center in the vertical direction overlaps the second supported unit when viewed from the axial direction,
The first supported part is overlapped with the center in the vertical direction of the first transport part when viewed from the axial direction,
The vertical length of the first transport unit is L1, the vertical length of the second transport unit is L2, the distance from the bottom surface to the first supported portion is H1, and the first length from the bottom surface is the first. 2 where H2 is the distance to the center of rotation of the supported part, and r is the radius of the rotation locus of the second supported part, (L1-L2) / 2 = r + (H1-H2)
The developer accommodating unit according to claim 6 , wherein: The plurality of transport units include a third transport unit disposed adjacent to the one side of the first transport unit,
The first conveying unit, the third developer storage unit according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that it comprises an opening for exposing the conveying portion of the. The conveying member includes a first frame that connects one ends of the plurality of conveying portions in the axial direction, and a second frame that connects the other ends in the axial direction of the plurality of conveying portions. The developer accommodating unit according to any one of claims 1 to 8 . An accommodating portion for accommodating the developer;
A conveying member that is arranged in the accommodating portion and conveys the developer from one side to the other side in the accommodating portion,
The conveying member is disposed on the one side with respect to the first supported portion, and is supported on the one side so as to reciprocate between the one side and the other side. And a second supported portion that is supported so as to rotate about an axis orthogonal to the first side, and is provided side by side from the one side toward the other side, and conveys the developer from the one side toward the other side. A plurality of conveying sections that
The plurality of transport units include a first transport unit disposed closest to the first supported unit,
Wherein the first conveying section, rather long, the length in the vertical direction than the other conveying portion,
The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of transport units disposed on the one side of the first transport unit are longer in the vertical direction as disposed on the other side .

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