JPH0473791B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION (Technical Field) The present invention relates to a developing device in which developer can be easily replaced.

(Prior art) When two-component developers are used for a long period of time, their coatings peel off, making it impossible to obtain sufficient triboelectric charging effects. The developer will need to be replaced.

By the way, this type of developer replacement has always been done by service personnel.
Since the developer unit had to be removed from the main body and a special part was used, or the developer unit was tilted to remove the developer and then new developer was supplied, developer scattering became a problem. In addition, there were other problems such as the work was cumbersome and increased service costs.

(Purpose) In order to solve this problem, the present invention is based on the developing device described below, which was already proposed by the applicant in Japanese Patent Application No. 58-90435, and allows the user to independently replace the developer. The object of the present invention is to provide a semi-automated developing device.

(Means for Achieving the Object) In other words, in order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a developing device including a developer circumferential stirring means and an axial direction transporting means on the circumference, and the developer is transported by the axial transporting means. A hollow rotary transfer means having a developer inlet at the downstream end and a developer outlet at the upstream end; A developing device is provided with a developer transporting means for transporting the developer in a direction opposite to the axial transporting means toward an outflow part in a developer storage part, and a position corresponding to the inflow part provided in the hollow rotary transporting means. The developer is provided with a developer supply section and a developer discharge section communicating with the outside.

(Function) With this configuration, when discharging the developer, the developer can be efficiently discharged without flowing into the inflow part, and when supplying the developer, the developer can be efficiently discharged without flowing into the inflow part. To efficiently flow developer into the parts and automatically supply it in the axial direction.

(Example) The details of the present invention will be described below based on illustrated examples.

What is shown in Figure 1 is from the above patent application No. 58-90435.
Figure 2 shows a developing device using this impeller, and first we will explain its structure.

In the figure, reference numeral 1 denotes a stirring impeller disposed close to and parallel to the developing sleeve 10, and around a sleeve-shaped shaft 2. The radial stirring blades 5 for supply are integrally formed, and
An axial developer transporting blade 6 is formed around the outer periphery of the blade 5 in a spiral manner from one end to the other end. Reference numeral 7 denotes a conveyance screw for conveying the developer in the direction opposite to the conveyance blades 6 within the sleeve shaft 2 of the conveyance impeller 1, and the shaft 8, which rotates in the same direction or opposite direction as the impeller 1, has a spiral shape. A blade 9 is provided, and the sleeve shaft 2 is configured to send the developer flowing in from the inlet 3 provided at one end toward the outlet 4 at the other end.

In addition, the reference numeral 11 in the figure is a magnetic shielding member for releasing the developed developer from the developing sleeve 10, and 12 is a doctor blade for aligning the ears of the magnetic brush formed on the developing sleeve 10 to a constant height. 13 is a separator that guides the developer scraped with a doctor blade into the developer storage tank 20; 14;
is a toner density sensor, 15 is a toner supply roller,
16 indicates a photoreceptor, respectively.

By the way, FIGS. 3 and 4 show an embodiment of the apparatus of the present invention regarding a developer discharge and supply mechanism using the above-mentioned stirring impeller 1. The stirring impeller 1 is formed on the side plate 21 of the developer storage tank 20 facing the operation side of the copying machine main body.
A cylindrical cover 22 with a bottom that covers the protruding part of the
is integrally formed, and its end wall 23 supports the inlet 3 side of the stirring impeller 1, and approximately the same opening surface is formed above and below the periphery of the cover 22 located at the inlet 3 portion of the stirring impeller 1. Developer supply port 2 with
4 and a discharge port 25, and a cap 27 having one opening 26 corresponding to the opening surface of the supply and discharge ports 24 and 25 is attached to the outer peripheral surface of the cover 22 by a clip mechanism (not shown). It is rotatably mounted so that it can be positioned and locked at every angle.

In the above-described embodiment, firstly, the operation of agitating and supplying the developer will be explained. As the agitating impeller 1 rotates in the direction of the arrow, the agitating impeller 5 moves into the storage tank 20.
The developer in the storage tank 20 is pumped up and supplied to the developing sleeve 10 while being stirred in the circumferential direction, and the transfer blades 6 surrounding the outer periphery of the stirring blades 5 move the developer inside the storage tank 20 with their spiral blades. The developer is gradually transferred from right to left in the figure to perform axial agitation, and the developer is further guided into the shaft 2 from the inlet 3 at the end of the sleeve shaft 2. On the other hand, the conveying screw 7 that rotates within the sleeve shaft 2 stirs the developer that has flowed in from the inlet 3 within the shaft 2 and develops the developer in the opposite direction to the conveying direction by the conveying blade 6, that is, to the right in the figure. The developer is conveyed and discharged from a discharge port 4 provided at the right end of the shaft 2, and is again stirred in the circumferential and axial directions by the stirring blades 5 and transfer blades 6 and supplied to the developing sleeve 10.

Next, when the developer becomes tired due to long-term use and needs to be replaced, the cap 27 fitted over the cover 22 is replaced.
The apparatus is operated after rotating 90 degrees and opening the opening 26 provided on the circumferential surface of the cover 22 in alignment with the discharge port 25 of the cover 22. As a result, the stirring impeller 1 rotates, and its transfer blades 6 gradually transfer the developer in the storage tank 20 from right to left, and transfer it to the third
It is discharged to the outside from the open discharge port 25 as shown in the figure.

After all the developer in the storage tank 20 has been discharged in this way, the cap 27 is then rotated 180° to close the discharge port 25, cover the opening 26, and
When the developer is aligned with the supply port 24 of No. 2 and opened, the device is operated again and new developer is introduced little by little from there.
A conveying screw 7 flows in from the inlet 3 on the sleeve shaft 2 located directly below and further rotates within the shaft 2.
The liquid is conveyed to the right in the figure, and gradually supplied into the storage tank 20 from the outlet 4 at the right end.

This supply operation continues for a certain period of time even after all the new developer to be supplied has been added, but this idling operation causes the storage tank to
Since the developer is uniformly supplied in the axial direction within the cap 24 and the next development can be carried out without any trouble, the cap 27 is finally rotated another 90 degrees to open the developer supply port 24. and close the discharge port 25.

(Effects) As described above, according to the present invention, since the developer supply section and the discharge section communicating with the outside are provided at positions corresponding to the developer inflow section, when discharging the developer, The developer can be efficiently discharged without flowing the developer into the inflow part, and when the developer is supplied, the developer can be efficiently inflowed into the inflow part and automatically moved in the axial direction. can be supplied to

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Fig. 1 is a side view of the stirring impeller applied in the present invention, Fig. 2 is a configuration diagram of a developing device using this impeller, and Figs. 3 and 4 show the state of discharge and supply of developer. 1 is a side view of an apparatus constituting an embodiment of the present invention, shown in FIG. 1... Stirring impeller, 3... Inlet, 4... Outlet, 5... Stirring blade, 6... Axial transfer blade, 7
...Conveyance screw, 10...Development sleeve, 2
0... Developer storage tank, 22... Cover, 24... Supply port, 25... Discharge port, 27... Cap.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. A developer circumferential stirring means and an axial transport means are provided on the circumference, and a developer inlet is provided at the downstream end in the developer transport direction by the axial transport means, and a developer inlet is provided at the upstream end. a hollow rotary transfer means each having a developer outlet at its end; and an axial transfer means provided inside the rotary transfer means for directing the developer received from the inlet to the outlet. and a developer transporting means for transporting the developer in the opposite direction within the developer storage section, a developer supplying section communicating with the outside and a developer supplying section communicating with the outside at a position corresponding to the inflow section provided in the hollow rotary transporting means. A developing device characterized by being provided with a discharge section.