Toner cartridge and image forming apparatus

Abstract

To develop a conventional configuration.SOLUTION: A toner cartridge comprises: a toner storage chamber; a toner discharge chamber; a communication path; a discharge port that is provided in the toner discharge chamber; a coupling that receives a driving force from the outside; a conveying member that conveys toner in an axial direction of the coupling; and a first sheet and a second sheet that are provided in the toner discharge chamber, and rotated by the driving force from the coupling centered on a rotation axis to discharge the toner through the discharge port. The first sheet is configured such that, in rotating once centered on the rotation axis, it comes into contact with an inner wall of the toner discharge chamber to be bent and subsequently the bending is released. The second sheet is configured to be deformable with respect to and contactable with the first sheet.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 37

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus used to form an image on a recording medium, and a toner cartridge used in the image forming apparatus. [Background technology]

[0002] Generally, in electrophotographic image forming devices, a configuration is known in which a toner cartridge containing toner is detachably mounted on the main body of the image forming device in order to replenish the toner (developer) consumed during image formation.

[0003] A method has been proposed in the past in which a pump is provided in a toner cartridge and used to supply toner from the toner cartridge to the main body of an image forming device (see Patent Document 1). Also, a toner cartridge has been proposed in which a sheet is attached to a screw that transports toner, and the sheet assists in discharging toner from a discharge port.

[0004] Furthermore, a toner cartridge has been proposed that includes a toner stirring member that stirs the toner in a toner storage container, and a toner transport member that discharges the toner in the toner storage container to the outside through a toner discharge port (see Patent Document 2). The toner transport member has a rectangular discharge blade that is disposed at a position facing the toner discharge port. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] JP 2021-185407 A [Patent Document 2] JP 2011-53558 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] The present invention is a further development of the conventional configuration. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The present invention relates to a toner cartridge for supplying toner to an outside, the toner cartridge comprising: a toner storage chamber for storing toner; a toner discharge chamber having a smaller volume than the toner storage chamber; a communication passage for communicating the toner storage chamber with the toner discharge chamber; an outlet provided in the toner discharge chamber for discharging toner from the toner discharge chamber to the outside of the toner cartridge; a coupling for receiving a driving force from the outside; a transport member for transporting toner from the toner storage chamber to the toner discharge chamber via the communication passage in an axial direction of the coupling; and a second sheet which rotates about a rotation axis to discharge toner to the outside of the toner cartridge through the discharge outlet, and when viewed along the axial direction in a position of the toner cartridge with the discharge outlet facing downward, the rotation axis is closer to the center of the toner cartridge in the horizontal direction than the discharge outlet, and the first sheet is configured to bend by contacting the inner wall of the toner discharge chamber as it rotates once about the rotation axis, and the second sheet is configured to be displaceable and contactable with respect to the first sheet. Effect of the Invention

[0008] The present invention provides an improvement over the prior art. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing an image forming apparatus according to a first embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of a toner conveying device mounted on the image forming apparatus. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing the process cartridge. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is an overall perspective view of the process cartridge as viewed from the front. [Diagram 5]FIG. 4A is an overall perspective view of the process cartridge as seen from the rear, and FIG. 4B is another overall perspective view of the process cartridge as seen from the rear. [Figure 6] FIG. 4A is a perspective view showing the toner cartridge, and FIG. [Figure 7] FIG. 4 is a plan view showing the toner cartridge with the lid portion of the supply frame removed. [Figure 8] 8A is a cross-sectional view taken along line 8A-8A of FIG. 7, and FIG. 8B is a cross-sectional view taken along line 8B-8B of FIG. [Figure 9] Enlarged view of Figure 8(b). [Figure 10] 4A is a plan view showing the toner cartridge with the lid portion of the supply frame and the screw case removed, and FIG. 4B is a perspective view showing the screw and the ejection sheet. [Figure 11] FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view showing the toner cartridge with the side cover removed. [Figure 12] 4A is a perspective view showing a container portion of a supply frame, and FIG. 4B is a perspective view showing a support structure for a drive train by the container portion. [Figure 13] FIG. 4A is a perspective view showing the side cover, and FIG. 4B is another perspective view showing the side cover. [Figure 14] FIG. 4A is a perspective view showing the stirring gear, and FIG. 4B is another perspective view showing the stirring gear. [Figure 15] FIG. [Figure 16] FIG. 1A is a perspective view showing the screw gear, and FIG. [Figure 17] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the toner cartridge with the cover portion removed. [Figure 18] 1A is a perspective view showing the stirring unit, FIG. 1B is a front view showing the stirring shaft, and FIG. 1C is a front view showing the stirring sheet. [Figure 19] FIG. [Figure 20]4A is a perspective view showing a first case of the screw case, FIG. 4B is a perspective view showing a second case of the screw case, and FIG. 4C is an exploded perspective view showing a screw and an ejection sheet. [Figure 21] FIG. 4A is an exploded perspective view of the screw unit, and FIG. 4B is a perspective view showing the screw unit after assembly. [Figure 22] 1A is a perspective view showing how the screw unit is assembled to the supply frame, and FIG. 1B is a cross-sectional view showing how the screw unit is assembled to the supply frame. [Figure 23] FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the screw unit is assembled to the supply frame. [Figure 24] 1A is a perspective view showing the state in which the screw case is adhered to the container portion of the supply frame, and FIG. 1B is a perspective view showing the bottom side of the screw case. [Diagram 25] FIG. 13 is a perspective view showing a state in which the stirring unit is attached to the container portion. [Figure 26] FIG. 4A is an exploded perspective view showing each gear and a container portion of the drive train, and FIG. [Figure 27] 1A is a perspective view showing the screw gear mounted on the gear mounting portion of the screw unit, FIG. 1B is a perspective view showing the screw gear, and FIG. 1C is a perspective view showing the gear mounting portion of the screw. [Figure 28] 1A is a perspective view showing the stirring gear mounted on the gear mounting portion of the stirring unit, FIG. 1B is a perspective view showing the stirring gear, and FIG. 1C is a perspective view showing the gear mounting portion of the stirring shaft. [Figure 29] FIG. 4A is an exploded perspective view showing a supply frame, and FIG. 4B is an enlarged view showing a positioning configuration between a container portion and a lid portion. [Diagram 30] FIG. 26(b) is a cross-sectional view showing the section 30A-30A of FIG. [Diagram 31] FIG. 27 is a cross-sectional view showing the cross section 31A-31A of FIG. 26(b). [Diagram 32] 26(b) is a cross-sectional view showing the section 32A-32A in FIG. 26(b). [Diagram 33] FIG. 2 is a side view showing the toner transport device and the toner cartridge. [Diagram 34] FIG. 34 is a partially enlarged view showing the cross section 34A-34A of FIG. [Diagram 35] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing a screw unit 140. [Diagram 36] 36A is a cross-sectional view showing the section 36A-36A in FIG. 35, and FIG. 36B is a cross-sectional view showing the section 36B-36B in FIG. [Figure 37] 5A and 5B are cross-sectional views for explaining the operation of the discharge sheet. [Figure 38] Cross-sectional view for explaining the arrangement of jump platforms. [Figure 39] FIG. [Diagram 40] 40A is a side view showing the toner cartridge, and FIG. 40B is a cross-sectional view showing the 40B-40B cross section of FIG. [Diagram 41] FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view showing a toner cartridge according to a second embodiment. [Diagram 42] FIG. 2A is a perspective view showing the screw unit, and FIG. 2B is another perspective view showing the screw unit. [Diagram 43] FIG. 4A is an exploded perspective view showing a screw unit, and FIG. [Diagram 44] 5A and 5B are cross-sectional views for explaining the operation of the discharge sheet. [Diagram 45] 5A and 5B are cross-sectional views for explaining the operation of the discharge sheet. [Diagram 46] (a) is a cross-sectional view showing the discharged sheet in its natural state, and (b) is a cross-sectional view showing the discharged sheet immediately after passing over the jump ramp. [Figure 47] 1A is a cross-sectional view showing a discharged sheet as a comparative example, and FIG. 1B is a cross-sectional view showing the discharged sheet immediately after passing over the jump platform. [Figure 48] Cross-sectional view for explaining the arrangement of jump platforms. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0010] <First embodiment> A first embodiment will be described below with reference to the drawings. However, the dimensions, materials, shapes, and relative positions of the components described in the embodiment may be changed as appropriate depending on the configuration of the device to which the invention is applied and various conditions, and the scope of the invention is not limited to the following embodiment.

[0011] [Overall configuration of image forming device] The overall configuration of an image forming apparatus 100 according to a first embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 1. FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an image forming apparatus 100 which is an electrophotographic printer according to a first embodiment. In this embodiment, a process cartridge 1 and a toner cartridge 13 are detachably attached to an apparatus main body 100B of the image forming apparatus 100. Note that the portion of the image forming apparatus 100 excluding the cartridges (1, 13) may be referred to as the main body of the image forming apparatus 100 or the apparatus main body 100B. The apparatus main body 100B is configured to receive toner discharged from the toner cartridge 13.

[0012] In this embodiment, the configurations and operations of the first to fourth image forming units are substantially the same except for the colors of the images they form. Therefore, in the following, unless a distinction is particularly required, the subscripts Y to K will be omitted and the description will be generalized.

[0013] The first to fourth process cartridges 1 are arranged in a horizontal line. Each process cartridge 1 is formed of a cleaning unit 4 and a developing unit 6. The cleaning unit 4 has a photosensitive drum 7 as an image carrier, a charging roller 8 as a charging means for uniformly charging the surface of the photosensitive drum 7, and a cleaning blade 10 as a cleaning means. The developing unit 6 has a developing roller 11 and a developing agent (hereinafter, toner) T stored therein, and has a developing means for developing an electrostatic latent image on the photosensitive drum 7. The cleaning unit 4 and the developing unit 6 are supported so as to be able to swing relative to each other. The first process cartridge 1Y stores yellow (Y) toner in the developing unit 6. Similarly, the second process cartridge 1M stores magenta (M) toner, the third process cartridge 1C stores cyan (C) toner, and the fourth process cartridge 1K stores black (K) toner.

[0014] The process cartridge 1 is detachably attached to the main body of the image forming apparatus 100 via attachment means such as an attachment guide (not shown) and a positioning member (not shown) provided on the main body of the image forming apparatus 100. A scanner unit 12 for forming an electrostatic latent image is disposed below the process cartridge 1. Furthermore, a waste toner transport unit 23 is disposed behind the process cartridge 1 in the image forming apparatus (downstream of the process cartridge 1 in the insertion direction of the process cartridge 1).

[0015] The first to fourth toner cartridges 13 are arranged horizontally below the process cartridge 1 in an order corresponding to the color of toner contained in each process cartridge 1. In the following description, the toner cartridges 13 may be simply referred to as the cartridges 13.

[0016] The first cartridge 13Y contains yellow (Y) toner, the second cartridge 13M contains magenta (M), the third cartridge 13C contains cyan (C), and the fourth cartridge 13K contains black (K) toner. Each cartridge 13 supplies toner to the process cartridge 1 that contains the toner of the same color.

[0017] The toner replenishing operation (supply operation) by the cartridge 13 is performed when a remaining amount detection unit (not shown) provided in the main body 100B of the image forming apparatus 100 detects a shortage of toner remaining in the process cartridge 1. The cartridge 13 is detachably attached to the image forming apparatus 100 via attachment means such as an attachment guide (not shown) and a positioning member (not shown) provided in the main body of the image forming apparatus 100.

[0018] Furthermore, when distinguishing between the toner cartridge 13 and the process cartridge 1, one of them may be called a first cartridge and the other a second cartridge, etc. The process cartridge 1 and the cartridge 13 will be described in detail later.

[0019] Inside the main body of the image forming apparatus 100, below the first to fourth cartridges 13, the first to fourth toner conveying devices 14 are arranged so as to correspond to the cartridges 13. Above the process cartridge 1, an intermediate transfer unit 19 is provided as an intermediate transfer body. The intermediate transfer unit 19 is arranged substantially horizontally with the primary transfer portion S1 side facing downward. The intermediate transfer belt 18 facing each photosensitive drum 7 is a rotatable endless belt, and is stretched around a plurality of tension rollers. On the inner surface of the intermediate transfer belt 18, primary transfer rollers 20 as primary transfer members are arranged at positions that form the primary transfer portion S1 with each photosensitive drum 7 via the intermediate transfer belt 18. In addition, a secondary transfer roller 21 as a secondary transfer member contacts the intermediate transfer belt 18 and forms a secondary transfer portion S2 with an opposing roller via the intermediate transfer belt 18. Furthermore, a cleaning unit 22 is arranged on the opposite side to the secondary transfer portion S2 in the left-right direction (the direction in which the secondary transfer portion S2 and the intermediate transfer belt are stretched).

[0020] A fixing unit 25 is disposed further above the intermediate transfer unit 19. The fixing unit 25 is composed of a heating unit 26 and a pressure roller 27 that is in pressure contact with the heating unit 26. Furthermore, a discharge tray 32 is disposed on the upper surface of the apparatus main body 100B, and a waste toner collection container 24 is disposed between the discharge tray 32 and the intermediate transfer unit 19. Furthermore, a paper feed tray 2 for storing recording material 3 is disposed at the bottom of the apparatus main body 100B.

[0021] Fig. 2 shows a schematic configuration of the toner transport device 14 mounted on the apparatus main body 100B of the image forming apparatus 100. Note that Fig. 2 shows a cutaway view of the toner transport device 14 in order to show the internal configuration of the toner transport device 14. The toner transport device 14 as a supply unit is roughly composed of an upstream transport unit 110 and a downstream transport unit 120.

[0022] An inlet 247 (see FIG. 34) is disposed on the upper surface of the upstream transport section 110. Toner supplied from the toner cartridge 13 (i.e., toner discharged from a discharge port 52 in FIG. 8(a) described later) is supplied to a storage container 109 inside the upstream transport section 110 through the inlet 247. When the toner cartridge 13 is attached to the apparatus main body 100B, the discharge port 52 opens downward.

[0023] The toner supplied to the storage container 109 is transported by an upstream screw 105 covered by the storage container 109. The upstream screw 105 is rotationally driven by an upstream drive gear 103, and transports the toner toward a downstream transport section 120.

[0024] The downstream conveying section 120 is provided with a downstream wall surface 123, and a downstream screw 124 is disposed inside the downstream wall surface 123. The most upstream part of the downstream conveying section 120 is connected to the most downstream part of the upstream conveying section 110, and the toner conveyed by the upstream conveying section 110 is conveyed by the downstream screw 124.

[0025] The downstream screw 124 is rotationally driven by the downstream drive gear 122, and transports the toner in the direction opposite to gravity (Y1 direction). The downstream screw 124 supplies the toner transported in the direction opposite to gravity (Y1 direction) through the main body discharge port 121 to the process cartridge 1 shown in FIG.

[0026] In more detail, the toner discharged from the main body discharge port 121 is replenished into the developing unit 6 through an inlet 40 provided in the developing unit 6 of the process cartridge 1 as a cartridge shown in Figure 5 (b) described later.

[0027] In this way, the main body of the image forming apparatus temporarily receives the toner discharged from the toner cartridge 13 in the storage container 109, and then supplies the toner to the process cartridge 1 using the upstream screw 105 and the downstream screw 124. In this way, the toner is transported between the different cartridges 13, 1.

[0028] [Image formation process] Next, the image forming operation in the image forming apparatus 100 will be described with reference to Fig. 1 and Fig. 3. During image formation, the photosensitive drum 7 is rotationally driven at a predetermined speed in the direction of arrow A in Fig. 3. The intermediate transfer belt 18 is rotationally driven in the direction of arrow B (the forward direction of the rotation of the photosensitive drum 7).

[0029] First, the surface of the photosensitive drum 7 is uniformly charged by the charging roller 8. Next, the surface of the photosensitive drum 7 is scanned and exposed by laser light irradiated from the scanner unit 12, and an electrostatic latent image based on image information is formed on the photosensitive drum 7. The electrostatic latent image formed on the photosensitive drum 7 is developed into a toner image by the developing unit 6. At this time, the developing unit 6 is pressurized by a developing pressure unit (not shown) provided in the main body of the image forming apparatus 100. Then, the toner image formed on the photosensitive drum 7 is primarily transferred onto the intermediate transfer belt 18 by the primary transfer roller 20.

[0030] For example, when a full-color image is formed, the above-mentioned process is sequentially performed in the image forming units S1Y to S1K, which are the first to fourth primary transfer units, so that toner images of each color are superimposed on the intermediate transfer belt 18 in sequence.

[0031] On the other hand, the recording material 3 contained in the paper feed tray 2 is fed at a predetermined control timing and transported to the secondary transfer section S2 in synchronization with the movement of the intermediate transfer belt 18. Then, the four-color toner image on the intermediate transfer belt 18 is secondarily transferred onto the recording material 3 all at once by a secondary transfer roller 21 that is in contact with the intermediate transfer belt 18 via the recording material 3.

[0032] Thereafter, the recording material 3 onto which the toner image has been transferred is conveyed to a fixing unit 25. In the fixing unit 25, the recording material 3 is heated and pressurized, so that the toner image is fixed onto the recording material 3. Thereafter, the recording material 3 onto which the toner image has been fixed is conveyed to an output tray 32, and the image forming operation is completed.

[0033] Furthermore, primary transfer residual toner (waste toner) remaining on the photosensitive drum 7 after the primary transfer process is removed by the cleaning blade 10. Secondary transfer residual toner (waste toner) remaining on the intermediate transfer belt 18 after the secondary transfer process is removed by the cleaning unit 22. The waste toner removed by the cleaning blade 10 and the cleaning unit 22 is transported by a waste toner transport unit 23 provided in the device main body, and accumulated in a waste toner collection container 24. Note that the image forming apparatus 100 is also capable of forming a monochromatic or multi-colored image using only a desired single or several (not all) image forming units.

[0034] [Process cartridge] Next, the overall structure of the process cartridge 1 to be mounted in the main body of the image forming apparatus 100 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to Figs. 3 to 5(b). Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the process cartridge 1 according to this embodiment. Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the process cartridge 1 as viewed from the upstream side in the process cartridge mounting direction. Figs. 5(a) and (b) are perspective views of the process cartridge 1 as viewed from the downstream side in the process cartridge mounting direction.

[0035] The process cartridge 1 is made up of a cleaning unit 4 and a developing unit 6. The cleaning unit 4 and the developing unit 6 are coupled to each other so as to be able to swing about a rotation support pin 30.

[0036] The cleaning unit 4 has a cleaning frame 5 that supports various members in the cleaning unit 4. In addition to the photosensitive drum 7, charging roller 8, and cleaning blade 10, the cleaning unit 4 also has a waste toner transport screw 15 that extends in a direction parallel to the rotation axis direction of the photosensitive drum 7. The cleaning frame 5 has cleaning bearings 33 disposed on both longitudinal ends of the cleaning unit 4, and the photosensitive drum 7 is rotatably supported by these cleaning bearings 33. The cleaning bearing 33 on the upstream side in the process cartridge mounting direction is provided with a cleaning gear train 31 for transmitting drive from the photosensitive drum 7 to the waste toner transport screw 15.

[0037] The charging roller 8 provided in the cleaning unit 4 is biased in the direction of arrow C by charging roller pressure springs 36 arranged on both ends toward the photosensitive drum 7. The charging roller 8 is provided to follow the movement of the photosensitive drum 7, and when the photosensitive drum 7 is rotationally driven in the direction of arrow A during image formation, the charging roller 8 rotates in the direction of arrow D (the forward direction relative to the rotation of the photosensitive drum 7).

[0038] The cleaning blade 10 provided in the cleaning unit 4 is composed of an elastic member 10a for removing residual toner (waste toner) remaining on the surface of the photosensitive drum 7 after the primary transfer, and a support member 10b for supporting the elastic member 10a. The waste toner removed from the surface of the photosensitive drum 7 by the cleaning blade 10 is stored in a waste toner storage chamber 9 formed by the cleaning blade 10 and the cleaning frame 5. The waste toner stored in the waste toner storage chamber 9 is transported toward the rear of the image forming apparatus 100 (downstream in the mounting and demounting direction of the process cartridge 1) by a waste toner transport screw 15 installed in the waste toner storage chamber 9. The transported waste toner is discharged from a waste toner discharge section 35 and delivered to a waste toner transport unit 23 (see FIG. 1) provided in the main body of the image forming apparatus 100.

[0039] The developing unit 6 has a developing frame 16 that supports various members in the developing unit 6. The developing frame 16 is divided into a developing chamber 16a in which the developing roller 11 and the supply roller 17 are provided, and a toner storage chamber 16b in which the toner is stored and an agitating member 29 is provided.

[0040] The developing chamber 16a is provided with a developing roller 11, a supply roller 17, and a developing blade 28. The developing roller 11 carries toner, rotates in the direction of an arrow E during image formation, and conveys the toner to the photosensitive drum 7 by contacting the photosensitive drum 7. The developing roller 11 is rotatably supported by the developing frame 16 at both ends in its longitudinal direction (rotation axis direction) by a developing bearing unit 34. The supply roller 17 is in contact with the developing roller 11 and is rotatably supported by the developing frame 16 by the developing bearing unit 34, and rotates in the direction of an arrow F during image formation. Furthermore, a developing blade 28 as a layer thickness regulating member for regulating the thickness of the toner layer formed on the developing roller 11 is disposed so as to abut against the surface of the developing roller 11.

[0041] The toner storage chamber 16b is provided with an agitating member 29 for agitating the stored toner T and transporting the toner to the supply roller 17 via the developing chamber communication port 16c. The agitating member 29 has a rotating shaft 29a parallel to the rotation axis direction of the developing roller 11 and an agitating sheet 29b which is a flexible sheet. One end of the agitating sheet 29b is attached to the rotating shaft 29a and the other end of the agitating sheet 29b is a free end, and the agitating sheet 29b rotates in the direction of arrow G as the rotating shaft 29a rotates, whereby the toner is agitated by the agitating sheet 29b.

[0042] The developing unit 6 has a developing chamber communication port 16c that communicates the developing chamber 16a and the toner storage chamber 16b. In this embodiment, when the developing unit 6 is in a normal use position (position during use), the developing chamber 16a is located above the toner storage chamber 16b. The toner in the toner storage chamber 16b that is pumped up by the stirring member 29 is supplied to the developing chamber 16a through the developing chamber communication port 16c.

[0043] Furthermore, the developing unit 6 is provided with a receiving port 40 at one end downstream in the insertion direction of the cartridge 1. A receiving port seal member 45 and a receiving port shutter 41 that is movable in the front-rear direction are disposed above the receiving port 40. The receiving port 40 is closed by the receiving port shutter 41 when the process cartridge 1 is not attached to the main body of the image forming apparatus 100. The receiving port shutter 41 is configured to open when urged by the main body of the image forming apparatus 100 in conjunction with the attachment and detachment of the process cartridge 1.

[0044] The developing unit 6 is provided with a receiving and conveying path 42 that communicates with the receiving port 40, and a receiving and conveying screw 43 is disposed inside the receiving and conveying path 42. Furthermore, a storage chamber communication port 44 for supplying toner to the toner storage chamber 16b is provided near the longitudinal center of the developing unit 6, and the storage chamber communication port 44 communicates the receiving and conveying path 42 with the toner storage chamber 16b. The receiving and conveying screw 43 extends parallel to the rotational axis direction of the developing roller 11 and the supply roller 17, and conveys the toner received from the receiving port 40 through the storage chamber communication port 44 to the toner storage chamber 16b.

[0045] In this embodiment, one process cartridge 1 has both the photosensitive drum 7 and the developing roller 11, but the present invention is not necessarily limited to this configuration. For example, the cleaning unit 4 having the photosensitive drum 7 and the developing unit 6 having the developing roller 11 may not be connected and may be separate cartridges. In this case, the cartridge with the cleaning unit 4 may be called a drum cartridge, and the cartridge with the developing unit 6 may be called a developing cartridge. In this case, it is the developing cartridge of the developing unit 6 that receives the toner from the cartridge 13.

[0046] [Overall configuration of toner cartridge] Next, the overall configuration of the toner cartridge 13 mounted in the image forming apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to Figs. 6(a) to 10(b). Fig. 6(a) is a perspective view showing the toner cartridge 13. Fig. 6(b) is a front view showing the toner cartridge 13. Fig. 7 is a plan view of the toner cartridge 13 in the Y2 direction with the lid portion 50b of the supply frame 50 removed. Fig. 8(a) is a cross-sectional view showing the 8A-8A cross section of Fig. 7. Fig. 8(b) is a cross-sectional view showing the 8B-8B cross section of Fig. 7. Fig. 9 is an enlarged view of Fig. 8(b). Fig. 10(a) is a plan view of the toner cartridge 13 in the Y2 direction with the lid portion 50b of the supply frame 50 and the screw case 80 removed. Fig. 10(b) is a perspective view showing the screw 54 and the discharge sheets 171, 172, 173, and 174.

[0047] The toner cartridge 13 contains toner (developer) in its internal space 51, and is attached to an apparatus main body 100B (see FIG. 1) of the image forming apparatus 100 in order to supply (replenish) the toner to the apparatus main body 100B.

[0048] In addition, when describing the toner cartridge 13, unless otherwise specified, it is assumed that the toner cartridge 13 is in the normal position, i.e., the position when it is installed inside the device main body, and the directions (X1, X2, Y1, Y2, Z1, Z2) are defined as follows.

[0049] The Y axis indicates the up-down direction. Arrow Y1 indicates the up direction, and arrow Y2 indicates the down direction. The surface of toner cartridge 13 at the end in the Y1 direction is called the top surface (upper surface), and the surface at the end in the Y2 direction is called the bottom surface (bottom, lower part, lower end). The top surface of toner cartridge 13 faces up (Y1 direction), and the bottom surface faces down (Y2 direction). The Y1 direction and Y2 direction may be collectively called the up-down direction, height direction, vertical direction, gravity direction, or Y direction or Y-axis direction.

[0050] The front-rear direction is indicated by the Z axis. The direction toward the upstream side in the mounting direction when the toner cartridge 13 is mounted in the main body of the image forming apparatus 100 is indicated by the arrow Z1, and the direction toward the downstream side in the mounting direction is indicated by the Z2 direction. For convenience, the Z1 direction is referred to as the front, and the Z2 direction is referred to as the rear. In other words, the surface provided at the end of the toner cartridge 13 in the Z1 direction is referred to as the front surface (front part, front end) of the toner cartridge 13, and the surface provided at the end in the Z2 direction is referred to as the rear surface (rear part, rear end, rear part). The Z1 direction side of the toner cartridge 13 may be referred to as the non-driven side, and the Z2 direction side of the toner cartridge 13 may be referred to as the driven side.

[0051] The front surface of the toner cartridge 13 faces forward (Z1 direction), and the rear surface faces backward (Z2 direction). The length of the toner cartridge 13 from the front surface to the rear surface (the length in the Z-axis direction) is the longitudinal direction. The Z1 direction and Z2 direction may be collectively referred to as the front-rear direction, longitudinal direction, vertical direction, or Z direction or Z-axis direction.

[0052] Furthermore, the left-right direction is indicated by the X-axis. For convenience, the left direction when the toner cartridge 13 is viewed along the removal direction (i.e., Z1 direction) when the toner cartridge 13 is removed from the device body 100B of the image forming device 100 is indicated by the arrow X1, and the right direction is indicated by the arrow X2. The surface provided at the end of the toner cartridge 13 in the X1 direction is called the left side surface (left surface, left end, left part), and the surface provided at the end of the X2 direction is called the right side surface (right surface, right part, right end). The left side surface of the toner cartridge 13 faces the left direction (X1 direction), and the right side surface faces the right direction (X2 direction). The direction from the left side surface to the right side surface of the toner cartridge 13 (i.e., the spread of the X-axis) is the short side direction. The X1 direction and the X2 direction may be collectively called the left-right direction, short side direction, horizontal direction, X direction, X-axis direction, etc.

[0053] In other words, the distance between the front and rear of the toner cartridge 13 is longer than the distance between the right and left sides, and also longer than the distance between the top and bottom. However, this is not limited to the above configuration. For example, the distance between the right and left sides of the toner cartridge 13 may be the longest, or the distance between the top and bottom may be the longest.

[0054] The X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis are perpendicular to each other. For example, the X-axis is perpendicular to both the Y-axis and the Z-axis. A plane perpendicular to the X-axis is sometimes called the YZ plane, a plane perpendicular to the Y-axis is sometimes called the ZX plane, and a plane perpendicular to the Z-axis is sometimes called the XY plane. For example, the ZX plane is a horizontal plane. The X and Z directions are directions along the horizontal ZX plane, i.e., they are horizontal directions.

[0055] In the present embodiment, the first to third cartridges (13Y, 13M, 13C) containing toner of colors other than black, namely yellow (Y), magenta (M), and cyan (C), will be described as an example.

[0056] The fourth cartridge (13K) that contains black (K) toner has a larger toner capacity than the first to third cartridges (13Y, 13M, 13C), and there are no other substantial differences. Therefore, a description of the fourth toner cartridge 13K will be omitted.

[0057] The toner supplied to the main body of the image forming apparatus 100 by the toner cartridge 13 is supplied to the process cartridge 1 by the toner conveying device 14 (see FIG. 2) as described above. In other words, the toner cartridge 13 contains toner to be supplied (supplied) to the process cartridge 1.

[0058] As shown in Fig. 6(a) to Fig. 10(a), the toner cartridge 13 (13Y, 13M, 13C) of this embodiment has a supply frame 50 as a casing. The supply frame 50 has a container portion 50a and a lid portion 50b, and is constructed by attaching the lid portion 50b to the container portion 50a. The container portion 50a and the lid portion 50b form an internal space 51 inside the supply frame 50. The lid portion 50b is located at the end of the toner cartridge 13 in the Y1 direction, and forms the top surface of the toner cartridge 13 and the supply frame 50.

[0059] The toner cartridge 13 has a screw unit 140 and an agitation unit 150, each of which is disposed in the internal space 51 of the supply frame 50. As shown in Figures 7, 9, and 10(a) and (b), the screw unit 140 has a screw 54, a plurality of (four in this embodiment) output sheets 171-174 fixed to the screw 54, and a screw case 80. The screw 54 is disposed so as to penetrate the screw case 80, and the screw case 80 covers a part of the screw 54 and all of the output sheets 171-174.

[0060] The internal space 51 of the supply frame 50 is divided into a plurality of regions by the screw case 80. That is, the internal space 51 is divided into a plurality of chambers, namely, the toner storage chamber 49, the communication passage 48, and the toner discharge chamber 57, by the screw case 80. The toner storage chamber 49 is a chamber for storing toner (a storage chamber). The toner discharge chamber 57 is a chamber in which the discharge sheets 171-174 are covered by the screw case 80 and the supply frame 50, and has a smaller volume than the toner storage chamber 49.

[0061] The toner discharge chamber 57 is formed by the screw case 80 and the supply frame 50, and is provided with the discharge port 52 shown in FIG. 8(a). The toner discharge chamber 57 is disposed downstream of the communication passage 48 in the Z2 direction, and communicates with the outside of the toner cartridge 13 through the discharge port 52. The downstream end of the screw case 80 in the Z2 direction is opened by the opening (communication port, communication passage) 48b (see FIG. 8(b)), so that the toner discharge chamber 57 is a chamber that communicates with the toner storage chamber 49 through the opening 48b. The toner discharge chamber 57 contains discharge sheets 171-174, which rotate together with the screw 54 around the rotation axis 99 (see FIG. 37(a)) and have the function of vigorously discharging the toner transported into the toner discharge chamber 57 to the outside of the toner cartridge 13 through the discharge port 52.

[0062] The communication passage 48 is a chamber in which a part of the screw 54 is covered by the screw case 80, and is a toner path that connects the toner storage chamber 49 and the toner discharge chamber 57. The above-described division of the internal space 51 of the supply frame 50 is merely an example, and the layout can be changed as needed.

[0063] 7 and 8(a), the agitation unit 150 has an agitation shaft 151 rotatably supported by the supply frame 50, and an agitation sheet 152 fixed to the agitation shaft 151. The agitation shaft 151 extends in the Z direction. The agitation unit 150 rotates to agitate the toner contained in the toner-containing chamber 49 and transport the toner toward the screw 54.

[0064] As shown in FIG. 7 to FIG. 10(b), the container portion 50a of the supply frame 50 is provided with two walls 50a1 and 50a2 that rise upward (Y1 direction) and are arranged side by side in the X direction. The screw 54 extending in the Z direction is disposed close to the walls 50a1 and 50a2 and is disposed so as to be sandwiched between the walls 50a1 and 50a2 in the X direction. The screw 54 can stably transport the toner around it by being sandwiched between the walls 50a1 and 50a2. In addition, a space is provided between the walls 50a1 and 50a2 and the lid portion 50b of the supply frame 50. Therefore, the agitation unit 150 can send the toner to the screw 54 through the space between the walls 50a1 and 50a2 and the lid portion 50b.

[0065] The toner in the toner storage chamber 49 is sent toward the screw 54 by the stirring unit 150, and is further transported by the screw 54 to the communication passage (communication port) 48. The tunnel shape of the communication passage 48 is formed in accordance with the outer shape of the screw 54. That is, the communication passage 48 has a tunnel shape that surrounds the periphery of the screw 54 and extends in the Z-axis direction along the screw 54. The communication passage 48 cuts through the toner transported by the screw 54, and regulates the amount of toner passing through the inside of the communication passage 48. That is, the communication passage 48 has a role of transporting a fixed amount of toner. In order to control the amount of toner passing through with greater precision, it is preferable that the communication passage 48 extends long along the Z direction, which is the toner transport direction, but this is not necessarily limited to this. For example, the length of the communication passage 48 in the toner transport direction may be very short.

[0066] A portion of the toner transported by the screw 54 can enter the inside of the communicating passage 48 and move to the toner discharge chamber 57, but the remaining toner cannot enter the communicating passage 48 and is left in the toner storage chamber 49. The amount of toner that enters the inside of the communicating passage 48 can be appropriately determined by appropriately setting the ratio between the size of the opening of the tunnel formed by the communicating passage 48 and the size of the screw 54. In other words, by having the screw 54 pass through the inside of the communicating passage 48, it is possible to supply only the desired amount of toner to the toner discharge chamber 57.

[0067] The screw 54 has a rotating shaft 54a, and a first helix 54b and a second helix 54c formed integrally with the rotating shaft 54a. The first helix 54b transports the toner in a direction (Z2 direction) from the front surface (front end) of the toner cartridge 13 to the rear surface (rear end). The second helix 54c transports the toner in a direction (Z1 direction) from the rear surface (rear end) of the toner cartridge 13 to the front surface (front end). The first helix 54b is formed from the downstream end of the rotating shaft 54a in the Z1 direction to a position downstream of the discharge sheets 171 to 174 in the Z2 direction. On the other hand, the second helix 54c is formed only at the downstream end of the rotating shaft 54a in the Z2 direction and is disposed outside the screw case 80.

[0068] The toner transported into the toner discharge chamber 57 through the communication passage 48 by the first spiral 54b of the screw 54 is forcefully discharged from the discharge opening 52 to the outside of the toner cartridge 13 by the discharge sheets 171-174. Then, a part of the toner remaining in the toner discharge chamber 57 is further transported in the Z2 direction by the first spiral 54b and transported from the opening 48b to the outside of the screw case 80, that is, to the toner storage chamber 49. That is, the screw 54 as a transport member transports the toner from the toner storage chamber 49 through the communication passage 48 to the toner discharge chamber 57 in the Z direction (Z2 direction), which is the axial direction of a coupling 87B (see FIG. 14(b)) described later.

[0069] As described above, the toner discharge chamber 57 communicates with the communication passage 48 and the toner storage chamber 49 at the ends in the Z1 direction and the Z2 direction, respectively. That is, the toner discharge chamber 57 is not a space sealed by the screw case 80 and the supply frame 50. For example, when the amount of toner transported from the communication passage 48 by the screw 54 is greater than the amount of toner discharged from the discharge port 52, the toner in the toner discharge chamber 57 can be released into the toner storage chamber 49 through the opening 48b. This makes it possible to prevent the toner discharge chamber 57 from clogging with toner.

[0070] Then, in the toner storage chamber 49, the toner transported in the Z2 direction by the first spiral 54b and the toner transported in the Z1 direction by the second spiral 54c collide with each other, and these toner particles are urged to move in a radial direction perpendicular to the rotational axis direction (Z direction) of the screw 54. This causes the toner to circulate again to the stirring unit 150, and the toner in the supply frame 50 can be efficiently stirred. In addition, since the toner is transported in the Z1 direction by the second spiral 54c, it is possible to prevent the toner from leaking out of the toner storage chamber 49 toward the drive train 160 (see FIG. 11).

[0071] If the amount of toner transported by screw 54 from communicating passage 48 to toner discharge chamber 57 is small compared to the amount of toner discharged to the outside from discharge port 52, clogging of toner may be unlikely to occur in toner discharge chamber 57. In this case, since it is not necessary to release the toner in toner discharge chamber 57 to toner storage chamber 49, it is not necessary to communicate toner discharge chamber 57 with toner storage chamber 49 via opening 48b, and opening 48b becomes unnecessary. In other words, the presence or absence of opening 48b may be appropriately determined depending on the amount of toner transported into toner discharge chamber 57.

[0072] 6(a) to 10(a), a drive train 160 (see FIG. 11), which will be described later, and a side cover 62 that covers the drive train 160 are attached to the end (rear end, rear surface) of the supply frame 50 on the Z2 direction side. Furthermore, a shutter member 241 is attached to the bottom surface 50d, which is the end of the supply frame 50 on the Y2 direction side. A shutter support portion 50g (see FIGS. 6(a) and 8), which supports the shutter member 241 so as to be movable in the Z direction but immovable in the X and Y directions, and a spring seat 50j are formed on the bottom surface 50d (see FIG. 6(a)) of the supply frame 50.

[0073] The shutter member 241 has a shielding portion 241a that is provided so as to be able to shield the discharge port 52, a spring support portion 241b that supports the shutter spring 243 between the shielding portion 241a and the spring seat 50j, and a shutter hole 241c. A flat, elastic shutter seal may be attached to the shielding portion 241a.

[0074] The shutter spring 243 (see FIG. 9) as a biasing portion is lightly press-fitted into the spring support portion 241b, and is compressed between the shutter member 241 and the spring seat 50j of the supply frame 50. The shutter member 241 is biased in the mounting direction (Z2 direction) of the toner cartridge 13 by the biasing force of the shutter spring 243. When the toner cartridge 13 is not mounted in the image forming apparatus 100, the shutter member 241 biased by the shutter spring 243 hits a stopper 62a of the side cover 62 and is positioned at the blocking position.

[0075] When the toner cartridge 13 is attached to the image forming apparatus 100, the shutter member 241 is pressed by a pressing portion (not shown) provided in the image forming apparatus 100. As a result, the shutter member 241 is moved from the closed position to the open position against the biasing force of the shutter spring 243.

[0076] When the toner cartridge 13 is not installed in the image forming apparatus 100, the shutter member 241 is positioned at the blocking position by the biasing force of the shutter spring 243. At this time, the blocking portion 241a of the shutter member 241 blocks the discharge port 52 (see FIG. 8(a)) formed in the bottom surface 50d of the supply frame 50, and restricts the discharge of toner from the toner cartridge 13. In other words, when the shutter member 241 is located at the blocking position, the blocking portion 241a is disposed so as to overlap the discharge port 52 in a bottom view, and the shutter hole 241c (see FIG. 6) is disposed so as not to overlap the discharge port 52. In other words, the discharge port 52 is closed and blocked by the blocking portion 241a of the shutter member 241 located at the blocking position.

[0077] When the toner cartridge 13 is mounted in the device body 100B of the image forming device 100, the shutter member 241 is pressed by a pressing portion of the device body 100B, and the shutter member 241 moves from the blocking position to the open position. When the shutter member 241 moves to the open position, the blocking portion 241a opens the discharge port 52, and the toner can be discharged from the toner cartridge 13. In other words, when the shutter member 241 is located at the open position, the blocking portion 241a is arranged so as not to overlap the discharge port 52, and the shutter hole 241c is arranged so as to overlap the discharge port 52, in a bottom view. In other words, the discharge port 52 communicates with the outside of the toner cartridge 13 through the shutter hole 241c. The shutter member 241 is in a state in which the discharge port 52 is opened by the shutter hole 241c.

[0078] The discharge port 52 is a frame opening (container opening) provided in the supply frame 50 of the toner cartridge 13. In the case of a configuration in which the shutter hole 241c is provided in the shutter member 241 as in the present embodiment, the discharge port 52 (frame opening / container opening) and the shutter hole 241c communicate with each other when the shutter member 241 is in the open position, so the shutter hole 241c may also be considered as part of the discharge port 52.

[0079] Also, the shutter member 241 has the shutter hole 241c, but this is not essential. For example, the entire shutter member 241 may not overlap the discharge port 52 when the shutter member 241 is located in the open position. In this way, the discharge port 52 can be opened even if the shutter member 241 does not have the shutter hole 241c.

[0080] In addition, the shutter member 241 itself is not essential. However, when the toner cartridge 13 is attached to or detached from the device body 100B of the image forming apparatus 100, or when the toner cartridge 13 is removed from the device body 100B of the image forming apparatus 100, in order to prevent toner from scattering from the discharge port 52, it is desirable for the toner cartridge 13 to have the shutter member 241 for closing the discharge port 52.

[0081] [Toner cartridge detailed configuration] Next, the detailed configuration of each part of the toner cartridge 13 will be described with reference to Figs. 11 to 32. Fig. 11 is an exploded perspective view showing the toner cartridge 13 with the side cover 62 removed, and Fig. 12(a) is a perspective view showing the container portion 50a of the supply frame 50. Fig. 12(b) is a perspective view showing the support structure of the drive train 160 by the container portion 50a. Fig. 13(a) is a perspective view showing the side cover 62, and Fig. 13(b) is another perspective view showing the side cover 62.

[0082] 11 and 12(b), a first cylindrical portion 81, a second cylindrical portion 82, a third cylindrical portion 83, a first columnar portion 84, a second columnar portion 85, and a boss portion 90 are provided on an end face 50m in the Z2 direction of the container portion 50a of the supply frame 50. Furthermore, two screw holes 91, 92 are provided on the end face 50m, and the screw hole 92 is provided in the axial center of the first columnar portion 84.

[0083] The first cylindrical portion 81 rotatably supports a screw gear 86 which transmits a driving force to the screw 54 (see FIG. 7). The second cylindrical portion 82 rotatably supports an agitation gear 87 which transmits a driving force to the agitation shaft 151 (see FIG. 7). The first cylindrical portion 84 and the second cylindrical portion 85 rotatably support idler gears 88, 89, respectively. The idler gear 88 meshes with the agitation gear 87 and the idler gear 89, and the idler gear 89 meshes with the idler gear 88 and the screw gear 86. That is, the rotation of the agitation gear 87 is transmitted to the screw gear 86 via the idler gears 88, 89.

[0084] As shown in Fig. 12(a) and (b), the container portion 50a of the supply frame 50 has a rectangular box shape with an open top side. The Z1 direction side of the container portion 50a, i.e., the end on the non-driven side, is provided with cylindrical portions 93 and 94 that rotatably support one end of the screw 54 and the stirring shaft 151, respectively. The bottom surface 50d of the container portion 50a is provided with the above-mentioned walls 50a1 and 50a2 and the discharge port 52, as well as two bosses 95 and 96 that are arranged side by side with a gap in the Z direction. Furthermore, the end surface of the container portion 50a in the Y1 direction is provided with two square holes 97 and 98 on the X1 direction side.

[0085] The discharge port 52 is disposed closer to the driving side (downstream in the Z2 direction) than the center of the container portion 50a in the Z direction. Also, the cylindrical portion 93 supporting the screw 54 is disposed downstream in the X2 direction from the discharge port 52. In other words, the discharge port 52 is disposed offset in the X direction with respect to the rotation axis 99 of the screw 54, and more specifically, is disposed downstream in the X1 direction from the rotation axis 99.

[0086] 13(a), a first corner recess 101, a first cylindrical portion 102, a second cylindrical portion 133, and a third cylindrical portion 104 are provided on the surface of the side cover 62 on the Z1 direction side (non-driving side). The first corner recess 101 and the first cylindrical portion 102 engage with a boss portion 90 and a third cylindrical portion 83 formed on the container portion 50a of the supply frame 50, respectively. This positions the side cover 62 with respect to the container portion 50a. The second cylindrical portion 133 and the third cylindrical portion 104 function as retainers for the idler gear 89 and the stirring gear 87, respectively.

[0087] As shown in FIG. 13(b), the surface of the side cover 62 on the Z2 direction side (driving side) is provided with a second corner recess 135, a fourth cylindrical portion 106, and an elongated cylindrical portion 107. The side cover 62 is also provided with through holes 108, 119, and 139. The second corner recess 135 is provided with a memory tag 111 (see FIG. 39). The fourth cylindrical portion 106 and the elongated cylindrical portion 107 are used to position the toner cartridge 13 in the device main body 100B (see FIG. 1). A coupling (not shown) of the device main body 100B is inserted into the through hole 108. The third cylindrical portion 104 is formed around the through hole 108. Screws are inserted into the through holes 119 and 139 to fix the side cover 62 to the container portion 50a of the supply frame 50. Specifically, as shown in Figures 11, 12(b) and 13(b), two screws (not shown) pass through through holes 139, 119 and screw into screw holes 91, 92 of the container portion 50a, thereby fixing the side cover 62 to the container portion 50a.

[0088] Next, each gear constituting the drive train 160 (see FIG. 11) will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 14(a) to 16(b). FIGS. 14(a) and 14(b) are perspective views showing the agitating gear 87, and FIG. 15 is a perspective view showing idler gears 88 and 89. FIGS. 16(a) and 16(b) are perspective views showing the screw gear 86. As shown in FIGS. 14(a) and 14(b), the agitating gear 87 has a gear portion 87a, a first cylindrical portion 87b coaxial with the gear portion 87a and extending in the Z2 direction, and a second cylindrical portion 87c coaxial with the gear portion 87a and extending in the Z1 direction. The gear portion 87a is composed of a helical gear.

[0089] The first cylindrical portion 87b has three ribs (protrusions) 87h protruding toward the rotation axis of the first cylindrical portion 87b and extending in the Z direction. The first cylindrical portion 87b and the three ribs (protrusions) 87h constitute a coupling 87B (driving force receiving member) that receives a driving force from a driving shaft (main body side coupling, driving force applying member) (not shown) of the apparatus main body 100B. That is, the coupling 87B of the toner cartridge 13 receives a driving force from the outside. The driving force received by the coupling 87B rotates the stirring gear 87 equipped with the coupling 87B.

[0090] The coupling 87B is a concave coupling having a non-circular opening inside the first cylindrical portion 87b, and can be engaged with a convex coupling. That is, the drive shaft of the apparatus main body 100B is a convex coupling having a plurality of grooves formed on its outer periphery, and can be engaged with the coupling 87B of the toner cartridge 13. When the toner cartridge 13 is mounted on the apparatus main body 100B, the drive shaft of the apparatus main body 100B enters the inside of the first cylindrical portion 87b. Three ribs 87h provided on the inner periphery of the first cylindrical portion 87b engage with three grooves formed on the outer periphery of the drive shaft, and the drive shaft and the coupling 87B are connected. The coupling 87B receives a drive force from the drive shaft through the three ribs 87h that are drive force receiving portions. For stable drive transmission, it is preferable that the coupling 87B has three ribs 87h, but this is not limited thereto, and the number of ribs 87h may be one, two, or four or more. In the present embodiment, the coupling 87B has a non-circular concave shape by providing a plurality of ribs 87h inside the first cylindrical portion 87b. However, the coupling 87B may have a different shape. For example, a coupling consisting of a triangular convex portion may be provided in the toner cartridge 13, and a triangular concave coupling may be provided at the tip of the drive shaft of the main body 100B of the apparatus, and these couplings may be connected to each other. Alternatively, a gear may be used as the driving force receiving member, instead of a coupling. In that case, the driving force may be transmitted by meshing one of the gears of the toner cartridge 13 constituting the drive train 160 with a gear of the main body 100B of the apparatus.

[0091] Furthermore, the stirring gear 87 has a first cylindrical portion 87d located inside the second cylindrical portion 87c and extending in the Z1 direction, a second cylindrical portion 87e configured to have a smaller diameter than the first cylindrical portion 87d and extending from the first cylindrical portion 87d in the Z1 direction, and a third cylindrical portion 87f configured to have a smaller diameter than the second cylindrical portion 87e and extending from the second cylindrical portion 87e in the Z1 direction. The first cylindrical portion 87d, the second cylindrical portion 87e, and the third cylindrical portion 87f are coaxial with the gear portion 87a, the first cylindrical portion 87b, and the second cylindrical portion 87c. The tip of the third cylindrical portion 87f in the Z1 direction has a two-chamfered shape.

[0092] As shown in FIG. 15, the idler gears 88 and 89 are cylindrical helical gears. As shown in FIG. 16(a) and (b), the screw gear 86 has a gear portion 86a, a first cylindrical portion 86b extending in the Z2 direction coaxially with the gear portion 86a, and a first cylindrical portion 86c, a second cylindrical portion 86d, and a third cylindrical portion 86e extending in the Z1 direction coaxially with the gear portion 86a. The gear portion 86a is configured as a helical gear. The first cylindrical portion 86c extends in the Z1 direction from the gear portion 86a, and the second cylindrical portion 86d is configured to have a smaller diameter than the first cylindrical portion 86c and extends in the Z1 direction from the first cylindrical portion 86c. The third cylindrical portion 86e is configured to have a smaller diameter than the second cylindrical portion 86d and extends in the Z1 direction from the second cylindrical portion 86d, and its tip in the Z1 direction is one-chamfered.

[0093] Next, the stirring unit 150 will be described with reference to Figures 17 to 18(c). Figure 17 is a perspective view showing the toner cartridge 13 with the lid portion 50b removed. Figure 18(a) is a perspective view showing the stirring unit 150, Figure 18(b) is a front view showing the stirring shaft 151, and Figure 18(c) is a front view showing the stirring sheet 152.

[0094] 17 and 18(a), the agitation unit 150 is composed of an agitation shaft 151 that rotates by a driving force transmitted from the agitation gear 87, and an agitation sheet 152 that is fixed to the agitation shaft 151 and rotates integrally with the agitation shaft 151. As shown in Figs. 18(a) and 18(b), the agitation shaft 151 has a cylindrical portion 151a provided at an end in the Z1 direction, and a gear mounting portion 151b provided at an end in the Z2 direction. The gear mounting portion 151b has a hole 151c with two chamfered sides therein, and the hole 151c and the cylindrical portion 151a are concentric with the rotation axis 153 of the agitation shaft 151.

[0095] The agitator shaft 151 has a plurality of bosses 154 aligned on a straight line parallel to the rotation axis 153, and two positioning bosses 155a, 155b. The two positioning bosses 155a, 155b are aligned on a straight line parallel to the rotation axis 153, but are slightly offset from the plurality of bosses 154 in a radial direction perpendicular to the axial direction of the rotation axis 153.

[0096] The stirring sheet 152 is formed in a substantially rectangular sheet shape as shown in Fig. 18(a)(c). The stirring sheet 152 has a plurality of elongated holes 156 arranged on a straight line parallel to the rotation axis 153 of the stirring shaft 151, a positioning hole 157a, and a positioning elongated hole 157b. The positioning holes 157a and the positioning elongated hole 157b are arranged in the Z direction, but are slightly shifted from the plurality of elongated holes 156 in the radial direction perpendicular to the axial direction of the rotation axis 153. The elongated holes 156, the positioning holes 157a, and the positioning elongated hole 157b are arranged at the fixed end of the stirring sheet 152.

[0097] The stirring sheet 152 also has an end 158 on the radially opposite side to the multiple oblong holes 156. The end 158 is a free end of the stirring sheet 152, and is an end on the radially far side from the rotation axis 153. The end 158 has a first straight portion 158a extending in the Z direction and a second straight portion 158b inclined with respect to the Z direction. The first straight portion 158a is disposed downstream of the second straight portion 158b in the Z1 direction. The second straight portion 158b extends closer to the rotation axis 153 and the fixed end of the stirring sheet 152 as it approaches the Z2 direction.

[0098] Furthermore, the stirring sheet 152 has two slits 159a, 159b extending from its free end toward its rotation axis and its fixed end. That is, the slits 159a, 159b extend from the end 158, which is the free end of the stirring sheet 152, toward the fixed end of the stirring sheet 152 in which the multiple oblong holes 156 are provided, and toward the rotation axis 153 of the stirring sheet 152. The slits 159a, 159b extend parallel to each other and extend at an angle with respect to the Z direction so as to approach the rotation axis 153 and the fixed end of the stirring sheet 152 as they approach the Z2 direction. These slits 159a, 159b are disposed closer to the Z2 direction side (drive side).

[0099] When assembling the agitation unit 150, the positioning bosses 155a, 155b of the agitation shaft 151 are inserted into the positioning hole 157a and the positioning elongated hole 157b of the agitation sheet 152, respectively. This positions the agitation shaft 151 and the agitation sheet 152 relative to each other in the Z direction and in a radial direction perpendicular to the Z direction. Thereafter, the multiple bosses 154 of the agitation shaft 151 are inserted into the multiple elongated holes 156 of the agitation sheet 152. In this state, the multiple bosses 154 are melted and crushed by heat, and the agitation sheet 152 is prevented from coming off the agitation shaft 151.

[0100] Next, a detailed configuration of the screw unit 140 will be described with reference to Fig. 19 to Fig. 21(b). Fig. 19 is an enlarged perspective view showing the screw unit 140. Fig. 20(a) is a perspective view showing the first case 141 of the screw case 80, and Fig. 20(b) is a perspective view showing the second case 142 of the screw case 80. Fig. 20(c) is an exploded perspective view showing the screw 54 and the discharge sheets 171 to 174. Fig. 21(a) is an exploded perspective view of the screw unit 140, and Fig. 21(b) is a perspective view showing the screw unit 140 after assembly.

[0101] 19, the screw 54 is partially covered by a screw case 80, which forms the above-mentioned communication passage 48 and toner discharge chamber 57. The downstream end of the screw 54 in the Z2 direction protrudes from the screw case 80, and is provided with the above-mentioned second helix 54c and gear mounting portion 54d. The second helix 54c has the same diameter as the first helix 54b. The gear mounting portion 54d has a hole with a substantially D-shaped cross section in which the screw gear 86 is mounted.

[0102] As shown in Fig. 20(c), the screw 54 has an angular boss 54e. Although one angular boss 54e is shown in Fig. 20(c), the screw 54 is actually provided with a pair of angular bosses 54e that are arranged 180 degrees out of phase with each other in the circumferential direction, and the other angular boss 54e is not shown. In this embodiment, the screw 54 is provided with a pair of angular bosses 54e, but it is also possible to provide only one angular boss 54e.

[0103] To one of the pair of angular bosses 54e, ejection sheets 171 to 174 are attached. Specifically, the ejection sheets 171 to 174 are sheets formed of, for example, polycarbonate, have a thickness of 250 μm, and are flexible.

[0104] The discharge sheets 171 to 174 are formed with square holes 171a to 174a, which are inserted into the square boss 54e of the screw 54 as a mounting portion. The discharge sheets 171 to 174 are attached to the square boss 54e of the screw 54 in order from the discharge sheet 174. That is, the discharge sheet 174 is disposed so as to be closest to the rotation shaft 54a of the screw 54 among the discharge sheets 171 to 174, and the discharge sheet 171 is disposed so as to be farthest from the rotation shaft 54a. The discharge sheets 171 to 174 have tapered tips 171b to 174b on the opposite side to the square holes 171a to 174a. The lengths of the tips 171b to 174b in the Z direction are all 6 mm or less. In this embodiment, the discharge sheets 171 to 174 have the same width in the Z direction, but this is not necessarily limited to this.

[0105] Furthermore, the dimensions of each of the discharge sheets 171-174 measured along their longitudinal direction, i.e., the lengths measured along the surface of each of the discharge sheets 171-174 from the square holes (171a-174a) that are the fixed portions to the respective free ends, 171b-174b, are different from one another. Among the discharge sheets 171-174, the discharge sheet 174 is the longest, and the discharge sheet 171 is the shortest. For example, in the longitudinal direction of the discharge sheets, the discharge sheet 171 as the first sheet is shorter than the discharge sheet 172 as the second sheet.

[0106] After the discharge sheets 171-174 are fitted into the square boss 54e of the screw 54, the square boss 54e is melted by heat so that the discharge sheets 171-174 do not slip out of the square boss 54e. As a result, one end of the discharge sheets 171-174 in the longitudinal direction, i.e., the fixed end, is fixed to the screw 54. In this state, the discharge sheets 171-174 are configured to be movable and displaceable independently of each other. That is, the fixed end side of each discharge sheet is fixed to the screw 54 by the square boss 54e, while the tip portions 171b-174b of the discharge sheets 171-174 are movable relative to each other as free ends. The discharge sheets are merely overlapped with each other and are not fixed to each other.

[0107] The discharge sheets 171 to 174 are arranged so as to overlap each other so as to be in contact with the adjacent discharge sheets. The first helix 54b of the screw 54 is provided on both the upstream side and the downstream side in the Z2 direction with the square boss 54e in between. The second helix 54c is provided further downstream of the first helix 54b, which is located downstream of the square boss 54e in the Z2 direction.

[0108] The method of fixing the discharge sheets 171 to 174 to the screw 54 is not limited to melting the corner bosses with heat, but may be by adhesion, welding, clamping, or other means, and is not particularly limited.

[0109] As shown in Fig. 19 to Fig. 20(b), the screw case 80 is composed of a first case 141 and a second case 142. As shown in Fig. 19 and Fig. 20(a), the first case 141 has a cylindrical portion 141a, an attachment portion 141b, and an end portion 141c. The cylindrical portion 141a extends in the Z direction, and defines a communication passage 48 (see Fig. 7) therein. The attachment portion 141b extends radially outward from the cylindrical portion 141a, and has an oblong hole 141b1 and a round hole 141b2 provided in the bottom surface.

[0110] The end portion 141c is disposed downstream of the cylindrical portion 141a and the attachment portion 141b in the Z2 direction, and is connected to the cylindrical portion 141a. The end portion 141c has an end face 141c1 in the Z2 direction, and a recessed portion 141c2 recessed in the Z1 direction from the end face 141c1. The recessed portion 141c2 is formed in a substantially circular cross section centered on the cylindrical portion 141a. The end face 141c1 is provided with two bosses 143 and 144 disposed to sandwich the recessed portion 141c2 therebetween, and a screw hole 145 disposed on the same side as the boss 144 with respect to the recessed portion 141c2.

[0111] 19 and 20(b), the second case 142 has a plate portion 142a formed in a plate shape and a cylindrical portion 142b protruding in the Z2 direction from the plate portion 142a. The plate portion 142a is provided with a round hole 146 and an elongated round hole 147 arranged to sandwich the cylindrical portion 142b, and a hole 148 arranged at a position corresponding to the screw hole 145 of the first case 141. The cylindrical portion 142b has a semicircular cutout portion 149.

[0112] As shown in Fig. 21(a) and (b), the first case 141 is inserted in the Z2 direction relative to the screw 54 so that the screw 54 is inserted into the cylindrical portion 141a. The second case 142 is inserted in the Z1 direction relative to the screw 54 so that the screw 54 is inserted into the cylindrical portion 142b. Then, the first case 141 and the second case 142 are mated so that the discharge sheets 171 to 174 are surrounded by the first case 141 and the second case 142. At this time, the bosses 143 and 144 of the first case 141 are inserted into the round hole 146 and the elongated round hole 147 of the second case 142, respectively, and the second case 142 is positioned relative to the first case 141. In this state, screws (not shown) are attached to the screw hole 145 of the first case 141 and the hole 148 of the second case 142, and the second case 142 is fixed to the first case 141. As a result, the end portion 141c of the first case 141 and the plate portion 142a of the second case 142 form a toner discharge chamber 57 (see FIG. 7), in which the discharge sheets 171-174 are housed.

[0113] [Toner cartridge installation procedure] Next, a procedure for assembling the toner cartridge 13 will be described. Figure 22(a) is a perspective view showing how the screw unit 140 is assembled to the supply frame 50, and Figure 22(b) is a cross-sectional view showing how the screw unit 140 is assembled to the supply frame 50. Figure 23 is a cross-sectional view showing how the screw unit 140 is assembled to the supply frame 50.

[0114] 22(a) and 22(b), the screw unit 140 is assembled to the container portion 50a of the supply frame 50 from the downstream end in the Z1 direction. That is, the columnar portion 54f provided at the downstream end in the Z1 direction of the screw 54 of the screw unit 140 is inserted into the cylindrical portion 93 of the container portion 50a. Then, the gear mounting portion 54d is inserted into the container portion 50a of the supply frame 50 while rotating about the columnar portion 54f engaged with the cylindrical portion 93. At this time, the screw 54 is inserted into the container portion 50a while being deformed.

[0115] As shown in Figs. 22(a) to 23, two bosses 95, 96 provided on the bottom surface of the container portion 50a are inserted into an elongated hole 141b1 and a round hole 141b2 provided on the bottom surface of the first case 141 of the screw unit 140. This positions the screw unit 140 with respect to the container portion 50a of the supply frame 50. The screw unit 140 has a play in the Z direction with respect to the container portion 50a. That is, the columnar portion 54f of the screw 54 can move in the Z1 direction until it hits the bottom surface of the cylindrical portion 93 of the container portion 50a, and the gear mounting portion 54d of the screw 54 can move in the Z2 direction until it hits the side surface of the container portion 50a. The total play (gap) in the Z direction between the screw 54 and the container portion 50a is set to about 1 mm.

[0116] FIG. 24(a) is a perspective view showing the screw case 80 adhered to the container portion 50a of the supply frame 50, and FIG. 24(b) is a perspective view showing the bottom side of the screw case 80. As shown in FIG. 24(b), the screw case 80 has an adhesive portion 80a that is adhered to the container portion 50a by an adhesive, and the adhesive portion 80a is illustrated by a dashed line in FIG. 24(b). The adhesive portion 80a is adhered to the container portion 50a, thereby filling the gap between the screw case 80 and the container portion 50a. This prevents the toner in the toner discharge chamber 57 from leaking out from the gap between the screw case 80 and the container portion 50a, and allows an appropriate amount of toner to be stored in the toner discharge chamber 57.

[0117] Next, as shown in Fig. 25, the agitation unit 150 is attached to the container portion 50a of the supply frame 50. Fig. 25 is a perspective view showing the state in which the agitation unit 150 is attached to the container portion 50a. As shown in Figs. 12(a), 18(a) and 25, the columnar portion 151a provided at the end in the Z1 direction of the agitation shaft 151 of the agitation unit 150 is attached to the cylindrical portion 94 provided in the container portion 50a.

[0118] Next, each gear of the drive train 160 is assembled to the container portion 50a of the supply frame 50. FIG. 26(a) is an exploded perspective view showing each gear of the drive train 160 and the container portion 50a, and FIG. 26(b) is a front view showing the assembled drive train 160. FIG. 27(a) is a perspective view showing the screw gear 86 mounted to the gear mounting portion 54d of the screw unit 140. FIG. 27(b) is a perspective view showing the screw gear 86, and FIG. 27(c) is a perspective view showing the gear mounting portion 54d of the screw 54. FIG. 28(a) is a perspective view showing the stirring gear 87 mounted to the gear mounting portion 151b of the stirring unit 150. FIG. 28(b) is a perspective view showing the stirring gear 87, and FIG. 28(c) is a perspective view showing the gear mounting portion 151b of the stirring shaft 151.

[0119] As shown in Figures 26(a) and (b), the stirring gear 87, idler gears 88, 89, and screw gear 86 of the drive train 160 are respectively assembled to the second cylindrical portion 82, the first cylindrical portion 84, the second cylindrical portion 85, and the first cylindrical portion 81 provided in the container portion 50a of the supply frame 50.

[0120] As shown in Fig. 27(b) and (c), the third cylindrical portion 86e of the screw gear 86 and the hole of the gear mounting portion 54d of the screw 54 are each chamfered to have a substantially D-shaped cross section. The third cylindrical portion 86e of the screw gear 86 assembled to the first cylindrical portion 81 passes through the first cylindrical portion 81 and protrudes into the inside of the container portion 50a. As shown in Fig. 27(a), the third cylindrical portion 86e of the screw gear 86 is fitted into the gear mounting portion 54d of the screw 54. As a result, the screw 54 is configured to rotate integrally with the screw gear 86.

[0121] As shown in Fig. 28(b)(c), the third cylindrical portion 87f of the mixing gear 87 and the hole (hole portion) 151c of the gear mounting portion 151b of the mixing shaft 151 each have a two-sided chamfer shape. The third cylindrical portion 87f of the mixing gear 87 assembled to the second cylindrical portion 82 passes through the second cylindrical portion 82 and protrudes into the inside of the container portion 50a. As shown in Fig. 28(a), the third cylindrical portion 87f of the mixing gear 87 is fitted into the hole 151c of the gear mounting portion 151b of the mixing shaft 151. As a result, the mixing shaft 151 is configured to rotate integrally with the mixing gear 87. By assembling the driving train 160 in this manner, the rotation transmitted to the mixing gear 87 from a coupling (not shown) of the device main body 100B is transmitted to each gear of the driving train 160. Each gear of the driving train 160 rotates in the direction of the arrow in Fig. 26(b).

[0122] Next, the container portion 50a of the supply frame 50 is filled with toner, and the lid portion 50b is joined to the container portion 50a by a method such as welding or adhesion. FIG. 29(a) is an exploded perspective view showing the supply frame 50, and FIG. 29(b) is an enlarged view showing the positioning configuration between the container portion 50a and the lid portion 50b. As shown in FIGS. 29(a) and 29(b), positioning holes 55a and 55b are formed in the top surface of the container portion 50a of the supply frame 50, and positioning bosses 56a and 56b are provided in the bottom surface of the lid portion 50b. The positioning bosses 56a and 56b of the lid portion 50b are fitted into the positioning holes 55a and 55b of the container portion 50a, respectively. As a result, the lid portion 50b is positioned relative to the container portion 50a. In this state, the top surface of the container portion 50a and the bottom surface of the lid portion 50b are welded or bonded together, and the container portion 50a and the lid portion 50b are integrated together.

[0123] 11 to 13(b), the side cover 62 is attached to the supply frame 50 from the drive side. Then, two screws (not shown) pass through the through holes 139 and 119 of the side cover 62 and screw into the screw holes 91 and 92 of the container portion 50a, thereby fixing the side cover 62 to the container portion 50a. This completes the assembly of the toner cartridge 13.

[0124] [Positioning of each part in the Z direction] Next, the positioning configuration of each part of the toner cartridge 13 in the Z direction (axial direction) will be described with reference to Fig. 26(b), Fig. 30, Fig. 31, and Fig. 32. Fig. 30 is a cross-sectional view showing the 30A-30A cross section of Fig. 26(b). Fig. 31 is a cross-sectional view showing the 31A-31A cross section of Fig. 26(b). Fig. 32 is a cross-sectional view showing the 32A-32A cross section of Fig. 26(b).

[0125] As shown in Figs. 14(a)(b), 26(b) and 30, the agitating gear 87 is pressed in the Z1 direction by being rotated by a drive shaft (driving force applying member, main body side coupling) (not shown) of the device main body 100B as follows. The gear portion 87a (see Figs. 14(a)(b)) of the agitating gear 87 transmits a rotational force to the idler gear 88 by rotating. At that time, the gear portion 87a receives a reaction force of the rotation load from the idler gear 88. Since the gear portion 87a is a helical gear, part of this reaction force acts in the Z1 direction. Due to the component force acting in the Z1 direction, i.e., the thrust force, the bottom surface 87g of the agitating gear 87 abuts against the end surface 82a of the second cylindrical portion 82 of the supply frame 50, and the agitating gear 87 is positioned in the Z direction.

[0126] In the XY plane perpendicular to the Z direction, the inner peripheral surface of the second cylindrical portion 87c of the agitating gear 87 is supported by the outer peripheral surface of the second cylindrical portion 82 of the supply frame 50. An agitating seal 82b made of, for example, a cylindrical sponge may be provided on the bottom surface of the second cylindrical portion 82 of the supply frame 50. The agitating seal 82b is pressed in the Z1 direction by the first cylindrical portion 87d of the agitating gear 87, and is pressed in a radial direction perpendicular to the Z direction by the second cylindrical portion 87e. By providing such an agitating seal 82b, it is possible to prevent the toner filled in the supply frame 50 from leaking out of the toner cartridge 13.

[0127] As shown in Figs. 15, 26(b) and 31, the idler gear 88 is configured as a helical gear and receives a thrust force in the Z2 direction. As a result, an end face 88a of the idler gear 88 abuts against an end face 62b of the side cover 62, and the idler gear 88 is positioned in the Z direction. In the XY plane perpendicular to the Z direction, the inner peripheral surface of the idler gear 88 is supported by the outer peripheral surface of the first cylindrical portion 84 of the supply frame 50. As shown in Fig. 32, the idler gear 89 receives a thrust force in the Z1 direction. As a result, an end face 89a of the idler gear 89 abuts against a side surface of the supply frame 50, and the idler gear 89 is positioned in the Z direction.

[0128] 16(a), (b), 26(b), and 32, the screw gear 86 receives a thrust force in the Z2 direction. As a result, the end face 86f of the first cylindrical portion 86b of the screw gear 86 abuts against the side cover 62, and is positioned in the Z direction. The screw 54 is configured to be movable within the range of play between the screw gear 86 and the supply frame 50.

[0129] In the XY plane perpendicular to the Z direction, the outer peripheral surface of the first cylindrical portion 86c of the screw gear 86 is supported by the inner peripheral surface of the first cylindrical portion 81 of the supply frame 50. A screw seal 81b made of, for example, a cylindrical sponge may be provided on the bottom surface of the first cylindrical portion 81 of the supply frame 50. The screw seal 81b is pressed in the Z1 direction by the first cylindrical portion 86c of the screw gear 86, and is pressed in a radial direction perpendicular to the Z direction by the second cylindrical portion 86d. By providing such a screw seal 81b, it is possible to prevent the toner filled in the supply frame 50 from leaking out of the toner cartridge 13.

[0130] [Toner receiving configuration of image forming device] Next, a toner receiving configuration of the image forming apparatus 100 that receives the toner discharged from the toner cartridge 13 will be described with reference to Figures 33 and 34. Figure 33 is a side view showing the toner conveying device 14 and the toner cartridge 13. Figure 34 is a partially enlarged view showing the 34A-34A cross section of Figure 33.

[0131] 33 and 34, inside the image forming apparatus 100, a cylindrical receiving portion 246 is provided at a position facing the installed toner cartridge 13. The receiving portion 246 is made of an elastic sealing member, and has a receiving opening 247 that receives the toner discharged from the toner cartridge 13.

[0132] 34, the toner that has dropped from the discharge port 52 of the toner cartridge 13 is discharged toward the receiving port 247. The toner that has passed through the receiving port 247 flows into an L-shaped bent pipe section 248 provided in the image forming apparatus 100. Then, the toner is supplied from the pipe section 248 through the upstream transport section 110 and the downstream transport section 120 to the process cartridge 1. That is, the toner transport device 14 has the bent pipe section 248.

[0133] In this embodiment, the toner discharged from the discharge port 52 can be vigorously flowed into the pipe section 248 by the discharge sheets 171-174. As a result, the toner can smoothly pass through the inside of the pipe section 248. Such a pipe section 248 is an example of the layout of the toner transport path inside the device main body 100B. The pipe section 248 can be configured as a thin tube without bending into an L shape, or can be configured to draw a complex curve. Even when such a toner transport path is provided inside the device main body 100B, the toner discharged from the discharge port 52 can be smoothly passed by being vigorously discharged by the discharge sheets 171-174. By using such a toner cartridge 13, the degree of freedom of the layout of the toner transport path inside the device main body 100B can be increased, which in turn makes it easier to increase the degree of freedom of the design of the device main body 100B.

[0134] Further, the upstream conveying section 110 of the present embodiment has a toner discharge detection window 251 provided in a part of the wall surface of the storage container 109, and a detection section (not shown) configured of an optical sensor or the like that detects the discharge of toner from the toner cartridge 13 into the upstream conveying section 110 through the toner discharge detection window 251. Furthermore, the upstream conveying section 110 has a rotating member 252 that rotates in engagement with the upstream screw 105, and a wiping member 253 fixed to the rotating member 252. Therefore, the rotating member 252 rotates together with the upstream screw 105, so that the wiping member 253 can clean the toner discharge detection window 251. This can prevent, for example, toner from adhering to the toner discharge detection window 251 and reducing the detection accuracy of the detection section in detecting the toner discharge.

[0135] [Toner discharge using discharge sheet] Next, the configuration and operation for discharging toner from the discharge port 52 of the toner cartridge 13 by the discharge sheets 171-174 will be described in detail with reference to Figs. 35 to 40(b). Fig. 35 is a cross-sectional view showing the screw unit 140. Fig. 36(a) is a cross-sectional view showing the 36A-36A cross section of Fig. 35, and Fig. 36(b) is a cross-sectional view showing the 36B-36B cross section of Fig. 35. Figs. 37(a) and (b) are cross-sectional views for explaining the operation of the discharge sheets 171-174. Fig. 38 is a cross-sectional view for explaining the arrangement of the jump board 183. Fig. 39 is a side view showing the toner cartridge 13. Fig. 40(a) is a side view showing the toner cartridge 13, and Fig. 40(b) is a cross-sectional view showing the 40B-40B cross section of Fig. 40(a).

[0136] As shown in FIG. 35, the toner in the toner storage chamber 49 is conveyed by the screw 54 through the communication path 48 to the toner discharge chamber 57. As shown in FIG. 36(a), the outer diameter of the screw 54 is set to be slightly smaller than the inner diameter of the cylindrical portion 141a forming the communication path 48. For this reason, the toner conveyed by the screw 54 is scraped by the opening 48a (see FIG. 35) of the cylindrical portion 141a, and the amount of toner conveyed into the communication path 48 is limited. Thereby, a fixed amount of toner can be supplied to the toner discharge chamber 57 through the communication path 48.

[0137] At this time, as shown in FIGS. 36(a) and (b), the cross-sectional area SA1 of the space in the communication path 48 is set to be smaller than the cross-sectional area SA2 of the space in the toner discharge chamber 57 (SA1 < SA2). The cross-sectional area SA1 is the cross-sectional area in the YX plane of the space between the cylindrical portion 141a and the screw 54 in the communication path 48. The cross-sectional area SA2 is the cross-sectional area in the YX plane of the space between the end portion 141c of the first case 141 and the screw 54 in the toner discharge chamber 57.

[0138] Preferably, in a cross-section parallel to the YX plane orthogonal to the Z direction, the minimum cross-sectional area SA1 of the space in the communication path 48 is smaller than half of the maximum cross-sectional area SA2 of the space in the toner discharge chamber 57 (SA1min < (SA2max) / 2). In the present embodiment, the cross-sectional area SA2 is set to be about 12 times the cross-sectional area SA1.

[0139] As described above, in the communication path 48, in order to convey a fixed amount of toner, the toner is pushed by the screw 54 in a state of high density. Then, the toner compressed in the communication path 48 is discharged from the communication path 48 to the toner discharge chamber 57 by the screw 54. At this time, since the cross-sectional area SA2 of the toner discharge chamber 57 is larger than the cross-sectional area SA1 of the communication path 48, the toner discharged from the communication path 48 is mixed with the air in the toner discharge chamber 57 and the density becomes low. That is, the toner conveyed to the toner discharge chamber 57 is in a loosened state, does not aggregate, and is easily discharged from the discharge port 52.

[0140] As shown in FIG. 20(a) and FIG. 36(b), the inner circumferential surface of the first case 141 is provided with a circumferential surface 181 as a contact surface, a plane 182 as a separation surface, and a jump platform 183 as a boundary portion between the circumferential surface 181 and the plane 182. The circumferential surface 181 is an arc-shaped surface formed around the rotation axis 99 of the screw 54, and the discharge sheets 171 to 174 can contact the plane 182. The plane 182 is a surface that is continuous with the circumferential surface 181 and extends in a substantially horizontal direction. That is, the plane 182 extends in a direction away from the rotation axis 99. The screw case 80 is bonded to the supply frame 50, so that the plane 182 extends to the side wall 50c of the supply frame 50. Therefore, the jump platform 183 in this embodiment functions as a bent portion provided between the circumferential surface 181 and the plane 182, and is a region where the distance from the rotation axis 99 of the screw 54 changes. 36(b), for example, when the screw 54 rotates clockwise, the distance from the rotation axis 99 of the screw 54 to the inner wall of the toner discharge chamber 57 changes at the jump platform 183. Specifically, in a plane perpendicular to the rotation axis 99, the distance from the rotation axis 99 to the farthest part of the plane 182 is longer than the distance from the rotation axis 99 to the circumferential surface 181.

[0141] 37(a), the screw 54 and the discharge sheets 171-174 attached to the screw 54 rotate in the direction of the arrow R1. The discharge sheets 171-174 located on the upstream side in the direction of the arrow R1 are longer, and the discharge sheets 171-174 located on the downstream side are shorter. Note that the length of the discharge sheets 171-174 mentioned here is the length measured along the longitudinal direction of the discharge sheets 171-174 themselves.

[0142] Furthermore, when no external force is applied, the discharged sheets 171-174 are straight and not curved, and are configured to be displaceable independently of each other. Here, the distance from the rotation axis 99 of the screw 54 to the jump platform 183 is defined as a distance D1, and the distances from the rotation axis 99 to the respective tip ends 171b-174b of the discharged sheets 171-174 in their natural state (see Figs. 20c and 36(b)) in the longitudinal direction of the discharged sheets are defined as distances L1-L4. At this time, the distance D1 is shorter than any of the distances L1-L4.

[0143] Because the distances D1, L1 to L4 are set in this manner, when the screw 54 rotates in the direction of the arrow R1, the discharge sheets 171 to 174 come into frictional contact with the circumferential surface 181. At this time, for example, the discharge sheets 171, 172 can come into contact with each other when both are in contact with the circumferential surface 181. Then, the discharge sheets 171 to 174 are bent in an arc shape between the angular boss 54e and the tip portions 171b to 174b so as to bulge downstream in the direction of the arrow R1 due to the frictional force between them and the circumferential surface 181.

[0144] Then, when the tip 171b of the discharge sheet 171 passes through the jump platform 183, the tip 171b separates from the inner circumferential surface (inner wall) including the circumferential surface 181 of the first case 141. Since the frictional force between the tip 171b and the circumferential surface 181 disappears, the discharge sheet 171 elastically tries to return to a straight shape. In other words, when the discharge sheet 171 rotates once around the rotation axis 99, it comes into contact with the inner wall of the toner discharge chamber 57 and bends, and then it separates from the inner wall and releases the bend. Due to the elastic return force of the discharge sheet 171 at this time, the tip 171b of the discharge sheet 171 sends the toner around the discharge outlet 52 together with the air into the discharge outlet 52 with force.

[0145] As shown in FIG. 37(a)(b), after the leading end 171b of the discharged sheet 171 passes through the jump platform 183, the leading end 172b of the discharged sheet 172, the leading end 173b of the discharged sheet 173, and the leading end 174b of the discharged sheet 174 pass through the jump platform 183 in this order. The discharged sheet 172 is configured to be displaceable and contactable with respect to the discharged sheet 171. Then, like the leading end 171b, the leading ends 172b-174b are separated from the inner circumferential surface including the circumferential surface 181 of the first case 141, and the elastic restoring force of each of the discharged sheets 172-174 vigorously sends the toner around the discharge port 52 together with the air to the discharge port 52. That is, each of the discharged sheets 172-174 accelerates the toner toward the discharge port 52 by at least partially releasing its own elastic deformation. Further, the leading ends 171b to 174b are tapered so that they can enter the discharge port 52, and therefore the toner can be efficiently sent to the discharge port 52. The discharge sheets 171 to 174 according to the present embodiment have tapered leading ends, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the shape of the discharge sheets 171 to 174 may be any shape as long as it does not have an effect such as a large decrease in the amount of toner discharged from the discharge port 52. For example, the width of the discharge sheets 171 to 174 may be the same from the base side close to the rotation axis of the screw 54 to the leading ends 171b to 174b. Furthermore, the discharge sheets 171 to 174 may be configured such that the degree of tapering (dimension) of the leading ends 171b to 174b differs from each other. In other words, the discharge sheets 171-174 in this embodiment are configured to bend when they come into contact with the jump platform 183 or the like at a certain timing during rotation, and the bending of the discharge sheets is released at a timing when the rotation progresses thereafter.

[0146] In this way, by continuously sending toner to the discharge port 52 by the four discharge sheets 171-174, the toner sent to the discharge port 52 when the screw 54 makes one rotation can be dispersed, and toner clogging in the pipe section 248 (see FIG. 34) of the image forming apparatus 100 can be reduced. Also, since each of the discharge sheets 171-174 sends only the toner that it can forcefully push into the discharge port 52, toner clogging can be reduced. Also, since the toner is discharged from the discharge port 52 by the discharge sheets 171-174 in four separate times, the total amount of toner sent to the discharge port 52 when the screw 54 makes one rotation can be increased.

[0147] In addition, in this embodiment, the toner in the toner discharge chamber 57 is sent toward the discharge outlet 52 by the discharge sheets 171-174, which makes it possible to construct the toner discharge apparatus more simply and inexpensively than a configuration in which the toner is discharged using a pump or the like.

[0148] In addition, in this embodiment, the discharged sheets 171 to 174 are arranged so as to overlap at one point of the corner boss 54e, and the discharged sheets located upstream in the rotation direction indicated by the arrow R1 have a longer longitudinal length. Therefore, the discharged sheets 171 to 174 can be caused to pass through the jump platform 183 continuously in a short period of time and elastically return (release the deflection). Therefore, for example, the second discharged sheet 172 can reach the discharge outlet 52 immediately after the first discharged sheet 171 reaches the discharge outlet 52, and an appropriate amount of toner near the discharge outlet 52 can be reliably sent to the discharge outlet 52. In addition, if there is a time interval between the first discharged sheet 171 and the second discharged sheet 172, the toner around the discharge outlet 52 will flow excessively into the discharge outlet 52. However, in this embodiment, the time interval between the first discharged sheet 171 and the second discharged sheet 172 is short, so that it is possible to prevent excessive toner from flowing into the discharge outlet 52. That is, the discharge sheets 171 to 174 can forcefully send a certain amount of toner to the discharge port 52 in multiple batches (four batches in this embodiment) when the screw 54 makes one rotation.

[0149] Before the leading ends 171b-174b, which are free ends of the discharged sheets 171-174, pass through the jump platform 183, the discharged sheets 171-174 are deformed so as to displace the leading ends 171b-174b upstream in the rotation direction indicated by the arrow R1. On the other hand, immediately after the leading ends 171b-174b pass through the jump platform 183, the discharged sheets 171-174 release their deformation. That is, the discharged sheets 171-174 move the leading ends 171b-174b, which have been displaced upstream in the rotation direction, toward the downstream in the rotation direction by their elastic force (elastic return force). By utilizing the acceleration of the leading ends 171b-174b toward the downstream in the rotation direction, the discharged sheets 171-174 can accelerate the toner around the leading ends 171b-174b toward the discharge port 52. In other words, the discharge sheets 171 to 174 apply their own elastic force (elastic return force) to the toner, thereby moving the toner from the jump platform 183 toward the discharge port 52 downstream in the rotation direction.

[0150] It is not necessary that the deflection and elastic deformation of the discharge sheets 171-174 are completely released when the discharge sheets 171-174 pass the jump platform 183. If the deflection and elastic deformation of the discharge sheets 171-174 are at least partially released, the discharge sheets 171-174 can send the toner around them to the discharge port 52 during this process.

[0151] Among the discharge sheets 171 to 174, the ones located downstream in the rotational direction indicated by the arrow R1 have shorter lengths and radii in the natural state without receiving an external force. That is, for the discharge sheet 171, the distance from the rotation axis 99 to the tip 171b is the shortest, and for the discharge sheet 174, the distance from the rotation axis 99 to the tip 174b is the longest. As a result, the tip of the discharge sheet located downstream in the rotational direction leaves the inner wall of the toner discharge chamber 57 earlier, and the tip of the discharge sheet located upstream leaves the inner wall of the toner discharge chamber 57 later. By shifting the timing so that the deflection is sequentially released from the discharge sheets downstream in the rotational direction, the toner can be continuously conveyed from around the jump table 183 toward the discharge port 52. And during the time when the discharge sheets 171 to 174 make one rotation, the time period during which the toner is moving toward the discharge port 52 can be lengthened.

[0152] In the present embodiment, the discharge sheets arranged upstream in the rotational direction are configured such that the radial length becomes longer. That is, the radial lengths L1, L2, L3, and L4 of the discharge sheets 171 to 174 are different stepwise so that L1 < L2 < L3 < L4. It is particularly preferable that the relationship that the sheet arranged upstream in the rotational direction has a longer radial length is satisfied in all combinations of the discharge sheets. However, it is not necessarily required that the above relationship is satisfied in all combinations of the discharge sheets.

[0153] For example, it is conceivable to make the length L2 of the discharge sheet 172 equal to the length L3 of the discharge sheet 173 and set L1 < L2 = L3 < L4. In this case, the above relationship is not satisfied between the discharge sheet 172 and the discharge sheet 173, but it can be said that the above relationship is satisfied in other combinations of the sheets. Although there is a possibility that the function of the discharge sheet 173 may be reduced, such a configuration may be acceptable as long as the necessary amount of toner can be conveyed by the discharge sheets 171, 172, and 174.

[0154] Alternatively, the length L2 of the discharge sheet 172 may be made the shortest so that L2 < L1 < L3 < L4. In this case, the above relationship is not satisfied between the discharge sheet 172 and the other discharge sheets. However, the above relationship is satisfied among the discharge sheets 171, 173, and 174. Although the function of the discharge sheet 172 may be reduced, such a configuration may be acceptable as long as the discharge sheets 171, 173, and 174 can convey the necessary amount of toner.

[0155] Among the plurality of discharge sheets stacked in this way, it is sufficient if there is at least one combination of a first sheet and a second sheet that is longer than the first sheet and is located upstream in the rotational direction from the first sheet. However, it is preferable to avoid having the discharge sheet 171 arranged at the most downstream as the longest sheet, and it is more desirable to have another discharge sheet longer than the discharge sheet 171. That is, it is more preferable that the length of any one of the discharge sheets 172, 173, and 174 arranged upstream is longer than the length of the discharge sheet 171 at the most downstream. Note that the lengths of the plurality of discharge sheets 171 to 174 may be substantially the same. As the length of the discharge sheets 171 to 174 in the direction away from the rotation axis 99 of the screw 54, any length may be adopted as long as the amount of toner discharged from the discharge port 52 does not extremely decrease.

[0156] Also, in the present embodiment, in the jump table 183, a step is formed between the circumferential surface 181 and the flat surface 182, and when the tip portions 171b to 174b of the discharge sheets 171 to 174 pass through the jump table 183, the deflection of the discharge sheets 171 to 174 is released. That is, when the screw 54 rotates once, the discharge sheets 171 to 174 are configured to have their deflection released all at once from the deflected state. For this purpose, it is preferable that a step such as the jump table 183 is formed in the toner discharge chamber 57.

[0157] For example, it is preferable that the inner wall of toner discharge chamber 57 (including the inner circumferential surface of first case 141 and side wall 50c) has a portion where the distance from rotation axis 99 is shorter than distance L1 and a portion where the distance is longer than distance L4. For example, as shown in FIG. 37(a), it is preferable that distance D2 from rotation axis 99 to the lower end of side wall 50c is longer than distance L4. However, as long as tip ends 171b-174b that have passed jump board 183 do not come into contact with the inner wall of toner discharge chamber 57 before reaching discharge port 52, distance D2 may be set to be equal to or shorter than distance L4.

[0158] When measuring the distance from the rotation axis 99 of each discharged sheet to the inner wall, the distance D2 downstream of the jump platform 183 in the rotation direction indicated by the arrow R1 is longer than the distance D1 upstream of the jump platform 183. The distance from the rotation axis 99 of each discharged sheet to the inner wall changes discontinuously with the jump platform 183 as a boundary. This is preferable in terms of reliably separating the leading ends 171b to 174b of the discharged sheets 171 to 174, which have different lengths, from the inner wall of the toner discharge chamber 57 at the jump platform 183. Note that, in the present embodiment, the jump platform 183 is provided as a portion for bending each of the discharged sheets 171 to 174 and releasing them from the bent state, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the plane 182 may not be provided on the inner wall of the toner discharge chamber 57 in a plane perpendicular to the rotation axis 99. For example, the inner wall of the toner discharge chamber 57 may be configured so that the distance between the inner wall of the toner discharge chamber 57 and the rotation axis 99 changes smoothly (continuously). In this case, a protrusion protruding from the circumferential surface 181 toward the rotation axis 99 may be provided, and the discharge sheets 171-174 may come into contact with the protrusion as the discharge sheets 171-174 rotate, and the deflection of the discharge sheets 171-174 may be released by climbing over the protrusion. That is, a separate member having the same function as the jump platform 183 may be used. With this configuration, the toner can be effectively discharged by the moving force of the discharge sheets 171-174 as they climb over the protrusion and rotate.

[0159] It is considered that the leading ends 171b-174b of the discharge sheets 171-174 may come into contact with the inner wall of the toner discharge chamber 57 during a stage between the leading ends 171b-174b of the discharge sheets 171-174 passing the jump platform 183 and the discharge outlet 52. For example, the leading ends 171b-174b may come into temporary or very light contact with the inner wall of the toner discharge chamber 57 before reaching the discharge outlet 52. Even in such a case, as long as the effect of such contact on eliminating the flexure of the discharge sheets 171-174 is relatively small, the toner transportability of the discharge sheets 171-174 can be maintained.

[0160] However, in order to further improve the toner transportability of the discharge sheets 171-174, it is desirable that there is a timing when the leading ends 171b-174b are separated from the inner wall of the toner discharge chamber 57. In particular, it is more desirable that the leading ends 171b-174b do not contact the inner wall at all between the time they pass the jump platform 183 and the time they contact the surface (bottom surface) on which the discharge outlet 52 is formed or the edge of the discharge outlet 52.

[0161] In FIG. 38, the center of the container portion 50a of the supply frame 50 in the X direction is represented by a center line CP as the central portion. The center line CP is a straight line that passes through the center between the upstream end and the downstream end of the container portion 50a in the X1 direction and extends in the Y direction. The rotation axis 99 of the screw 54 and the discharge port 52 are disposed on the same side with respect to the center line CP. In addition, in the X direction, the distance D4 between the center line CP and the edge of the discharge port 52 is longer than the distance D3 between the center line CP and the rotation axis 99. In other words, when the toner cartridge 13 is in an orientation with the discharge port 52 facing downward, as viewed along the Z direction (axial direction), the rotation axis 99 is closer to the center line CP of the toner cartridge 13 than the discharge port 52 in the X direction (horizontal direction).

[0162] In addition, when the toner cartridge 13 is viewed along the Z direction (axial direction) in a position where the discharge outlet 52 faces downward, the jump board 183 is located on the same side as the discharge outlet 52 with respect to the rotation axis 99 in the X direction (horizontal direction). That is, in FIG. 38 in which the toner cartridge 13 is viewed in a position during use along the Z direction (axial direction), the jump board 183 is located on the right side with respect to the rotation axis 99, just like the discharge outlet 52. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the discharge outlet 52 is located directly below the jump board 183. In other words, the jump board 183 is located at a position overlapping the discharge outlet 52 in the X direction (horizontal direction). With this arrangement, the discharge sheets 171 to 174, which have been released from bending by the jump board 183 and have gained momentum, collide with the discharge outlet 52. Then, the discharge sheets 171 to 174 forcefully send the toner together with air to the discharge outlet 52, thereby preventing toner clogging. It is preferable to place the discharge port 52 directly below the jump platform 183, but it does not have to be placed in this manner. If the jump platform 183 and the discharge port 52 are placed on the same side of the rotation axis 99, it is possible to obtain substantially the same effect.

[0163] In addition, in FIG. 38, a straight line passing through the rotation axis 99 and extending in the X direction (horizontal direction) is represented by a straight line HL. In this embodiment, the jump board 183 is disposed at a position where it at least partially overlaps with the screw 54 in the Y direction (vertical direction) when viewed along the Z direction (axial direction) in the attitude of the toner cartridge 13 with the discharge port 52 facing downward. That is, the jump board 183 is located at the same height as a part of the screw 54. More specifically, the jump board 183 is disposed on the straight line HL, that is, it is located at substantially the same height as the rotation axis 99 in the vertical direction. Note that the desirable arrangement of the jump board 183 is not limited to this. For example, the jump board 183 is desirably disposed within a range of an angle θ1 on the upstream side in the direction of the arrow R1 from the straight line HL and an angle θ2 on the downstream side in the direction of the arrow R1 from the straight line HL. The angles θ1 and θ2 will be described next.

[0164] In FIG. 38, the distance from the rotation axis 99 to the jump platform 183 is the same distance D1 (see FIG. 37(a)) as in this embodiment. When the jump platform 183 is arranged on a virtual circle with a radius of the distance D1, the movement direction of the toner transported from the jump platform 183 by the discharge sheets 171-174 is as follows. The toner ejected onto the discharge sheets 171-174 moves from the jump platform 183 in a radial manner to a certain extent in the same direction as the tangent direction of the virtual circle at the jump platform 183. Since the discharge port 52 is downstream of the jump platform 183 in the Y2 direction, if the angle between the tangent direction and the Y2 direction is reduced, the amount of toner moving from the jump platform 183 toward the discharge port 52 can be increased, and the momentum of the toner discharged from the discharge port 52 can be easily maintained.

[0165] Considering this, as shown in FIG. 38, it is desirable that the jump board 183 is disposed between the position Q1 and the position Q2. The positions Q1 and Q2 are disposed on a circle having a predetermined radius (distance D1) centered on the rotation axis 99. The tangent N1 of the circle at the position Q1 passes through the lower end 50e of the side wall 50c. The tangent N2 of the circle at the position Q2 passes through the edge of the discharge port 52. When such positions Q1 and Q2 are set, the angle θ1 is 15° and the angle θ2 is 30°. More preferably, the jump board 183 is disposed in a range where the angle θ1 is 15° and the angle θ2 is 15°. More preferably, the jump board 183 is disposed in a position close to the straight line HL extending horizontally from the rotation axis 99.

[0166] When viewed along the Z direction (axial direction) in a position of the toner cartridge 13 with the discharge outlet 52 facing downward, it is also preferable that the tangent to the inner wall of the toner discharge chamber 57 at the jump platform 183 be as follows. That is, it is preferable that the tangent to the jump platform 183 intersects with the discharge outlet 52 or the bottom surface (lower surface, floor surface) of the toner discharge chamber 57 in which the discharge outlet 52 is provided. Figure 38 illustrates an example in which the tangent N2 to the jump platform 183 passes through the discharge outlet 52 when the jump platform 183 is located at position Q2. Also, it illustrates an example in which the tangent N1 passes through the bottom surface of the toner discharge chamber 57 when the jump platform 183 is located at position Q1.

[0167] 38, when tangent N1 of toner discharge chamber 57 intersects with the bottom surface at intersection K1, it is preferable that intersection K1 and rotation axis 99 are on opposite sides of discharge outlet 52 in the horizontal direction (X direction). In other words, rotation axis 99 is downstream in the X2 direction from discharge outlet 52, while intersection K1 is downstream in the X1 direction from the discharge outlet.

[0168] As shown in Fig. 39, the coupling 87B and its rib 87h (see Fig. 14) are disposed between the memory tag 111 and the discharge outlet 52 in the X direction, which is a horizontal direction perpendicular to the Z direction. In other words, the coupling 87B is disposed in the X direction between the memory tag 111 and the contact portion 52a that contacts the discharge sheet 171 of the discharge outlet 52. The memory tag 111, which serves as a storage portion, stores information related to the toner cartridge 13, such as information on whether the toner cartridge 13 is used or unused, the amount of toner remaining in the toner cartridge 13, etc.

[0169] 40(a) and (b), the coupling 87B and its rib 87h (see FIG. 14) are disposed between the memory tag 111 and the discharge port 52 in both the Y direction and the Z direction. In other words, the coupling 87B and its rib (driving force receiving portion) 115a87h are disposed between the memory tag 111 and the abutment portion 52a (see FIG. 39) in both the Y direction and the Z direction.

[0170] When the toner cartridge 13 is attached to the device main body 100B, the coupling 87B is connected to a coupling (driving force imparting member, driving shaft) (not shown) of the device main body 100B. Therefore, the vibration generated by the repeated collision of the discharge sheets 171 to 174 with the abutting portion 52a is suppressed by the coupling 87B held by the coupling of the device main body 100B, and the influence of the vibration on the memory tag 111 can be reduced. In order to stably electrically contact the memory tag 111 with the electrical contact (main body side contact) provided in the device main body 100B for reading information, it is preferable not to apply vibration to the memory tag 111. The coupling 87B has a contact portion that contacts the driving shaft (driving force imparting member, main body side coupling) of the device main body 100B, and therefore suppresses the movement of the toner cartridge 13 relative to the device main body 100B. By disposing coupling 87B, which acts to suppress movement of toner cartridge 13, between contact portion 52a, which is the vibration source, and memory tag 111, which should not be subjected to vibration, it is possible to prevent vibration from being transmitted to memory tag 111. This prevents memory tag 111 from vibrating relative to the main body side contacts, thereby reducing wear on memory tag 111 and extending its lifespan, and stabilizing the electrical connection between memory tag 111 and the main body side contacts.

[0171] Finally, as an example of the dimensions in this embodiment, D1 = 13 mm, D2 = 21.9 mm, D3 = 19.7 mm, D4 = 26.8 mm, L1 = 19 mm, L2 = 20 mm, L3 = 22 mm, and L4 = 23.5 mm.

[0172] <Second embodiment> Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described, in which discharge sheets 271 and 272 are provided instead of the discharge sheets 171 to 174 of the first embodiment. Therefore, the same configuration as the first embodiment will be described by omitting illustrations or by assigning the same reference numerals in the drawings.

[0173] [Screw unit] Fig. 41 is a cross-sectional view showing a toner cartridge 13B according to the second embodiment. Fig. 42(a) is a perspective view showing the screw unit 240, and Fig. 42(b) is another perspective view showing the screw unit 240. Fig. 43(a) is an exploded perspective view showing the screw unit 240, and Fig. 43(b) is a perspective view showing the discharge sheets 271 and 272.

[0174] As shown in FIG. 41 to FIG. 43(b), the toner cartridge 13B has a supply frame 50, an agitation unit 150, and a screw unit 240. The screw unit 240 has a screw 54, a screw case 80, and discharge sheets 271, 272. As in the first embodiment, the screw 54 is provided with a pair of angular bosses 54e as a first mounting portion and a second mounting portion that are arranged 180 degrees out of phase with each other in the circumferential direction. Discharge sheets 271, 272 are attached to the pair of angular bosses 54e, respectively. Since the pair of angular bosses 54e are provided on the screw 54, they can rotate around the rotation axis 99, and are separated from each other with the rotation axis 99 between them as viewed in the Z direction (axial direction).

[0175] The discharge sheets 271 and 272 are sheets made of, for example, polycarbonate, have a thickness of 250 μm, and are flexible. The discharge sheet 271 may be called the first sheet, and the discharge sheet 272 may be called the second sheet. The discharge sheets 271 and 272 are housed in a toner discharge chamber 57 formed by a screw case 80 and a supply frame 50. The screw case 80, the toner discharge chamber 57, and the communication passage 48 (see FIG. 35) have the same configurations as those in the first embodiment.

[0176] As shown in Fig. 43(a) and (b), the discharge sheets 271 and 272 have square holes 271a and 272a, respectively, which are inserted into the square bosses 54e of the screw 54. After the discharge sheets 271 and 272 are fitted into the pair of square bosses 54e of the screw 54, the pair of square bosses 54e are melted by heat. This prevents the discharge sheets 271 and 272 from slipping out of the pair of square bosses 54e, and one end (fixed end) of each of the discharge sheets 271 and 272 in the longitudinal direction is fixed to the screw 54. The pair of square bosses 54e are disposed 180 degrees opposite each other in the circumferential direction of the screw 54, so that the square holes 271a and 271b, which are respectively fixed to these square bosses 54e, are also disposed 180 degrees opposite each other. As a result, the discharge sheets 271, 272 are spaced apart from each other by the thickness of the rotation shaft 54a, and a gap is provided between their surfaces. That is, the discharge sheets 271, 272 do not contact each other, at least when the discharge sheets 271, 272 are in their natural, unbent state.

[0177] The tip 271b of the discharge sheet 271 on the opposite side to the rectangular hole 271a is tapered. On the other hand, the tip 272b of the discharge sheet 272 on the opposite side to the rectangular hole 272a is not tapered, and has a uniform width in the short direction. The tip 272b is configured not to enter the discharge opening 52. The length of the tip 271b in the Z direction is 6 mm or less. The discharge sheet 272 is shorter than the discharge sheet 271 in the longitudinal direction of the discharge sheet. That is, in a natural state where the deflection is released, the distance from the rotation axis 99 to the tip 271b of the discharge sheet 272 is shorter than the distance from the rotation axis 99 to the tip 271b of the discharge sheet 271.

[0178] [Toner discharge using discharge sheet] Next, the configuration and operation for discharging toner from the discharge port 52 of the toner cartridge 13B by the discharge sheets 271, 272 will be described in detail with reference to Figs. 44(a) to 47(b). Figs. 44(a) to 45(b) are cross-sectional views for explaining the operation of the discharge sheets 271, 272. Fig. 46(a) is a cross-sectional view showing the discharge sheets 271, 272 in their natural state, and Fig. 46(b) is a cross-sectional view showing the discharge sheets 271, 272 immediately after passing the jump board 183. Fig. 47(a) is a cross-sectional view showing the discharge sheets 1271, 1272 as a comparative example, and Fig. 47(b) is a cross-sectional view showing the discharge sheets 1271, 1272 immediately after passing the jump board 183.

[0179] As shown in Fig. 44(a), the screw 54 and the discharged sheets 271, 272 attached to the screw 54 rotate in the direction of the arrow R1. Here, the distance from the rotation axis 99 of the screw 54 to the jump platform 183 is defined as a distance D1 (see Fig. 44(b)), and the distances from the rotation axis 99 to the respective tip ends 271b, 272b of the discharged sheets 271, 272 in the natural state in the longitudinal direction of the discharged sheets are defined as distances L5, L6 (see Fig. 46(a)). At this time, the distance D1 is shorter than both of the distances L5, L6.

[0180] Because the distances D1, L5, and L6 are set in this manner, when the screw 54 rotates in the direction of the arrow R1, the discharge sheets 271, 272 come into frictional contact with the circumferential surface 181. Then, the discharge sheets 271, 272 are bent in an arc shape between the angular boss 54e and the tip portions 271b, 272b so as to bulge downstream in the direction of the arrow R1 due to the frictional force between the discharge sheets 271, 272 and the circumferential surface 181.

[0181] Then, when the tip 271b of the discharge sheet 271 passes through the jump platform 183, the tip 271b separates from the inner circumferential surface including the circumferential surface 181 of the first case 141. Since the frictional force between the tip 271b and the circumferential surface 181 disappears, the discharge sheet 271 elastically tries to return to a straight shape. In other words, when the discharge sheet 271 as the first sheet rotates once around the rotation axis 99, it comes into contact with the inner wall of the toner discharge chamber 57 and bends, and then it separates from the inner wall and releases the bend. Due to the elastic return force of the discharge sheet 271 at this time, the tip 271b of the discharge sheet 271 sends the toner around the discharge outlet 52 together with the air into the discharge outlet 52 with force.

[0182] Also, the length of the discharged sheet 272 arranged upstream of the discharged sheet 271 in the direction of the arrow R1 is shorter than that of the discharged sheet 271 as described above. Furthermore, the discharged sheet 272 as the second sheet is configured to be displaceable and contactable with respect to the discharged sheet 271. More specifically, the discharged sheets 271 and 272 can partially contact each other when both are in contact with the circumferential surface 181. That is, the leading ends of the discharged sheets 271 and 272 can contact each other. Therefore, almost at the same time that the leading end 271b of the discharged sheet 271 passes through the jump board 183, the leading end 272b of the discharged sheet 272 also passes through the jump board 183. At this time, as shown in FIG. 44(b), the leading end 272b of the discharged sheet 272 attempting to elastically return presses the discharged sheet 271 from the upstream side in the direction of the arrow R1. That is, while the discharge sheet 271 moves toward the discharge outlet 52 after releasing its flexure at the jump platform 183, a part of the discharge sheet 272 comes into contact with the discharge sheet 271. This assists the elastic recovery of the discharge sheet 271, and the tip portion 271b of the discharge sheet 271 can be sent into the discharge outlet 52 with greater force.

[0183] In this embodiment, the leading end 272b of the discharge sheet 272 does not enter the discharge outlet 52 and only presses the discharge sheet 271, and therefore does not have a tapered shape. Therefore, the discharge sheet 272 can stably press the discharge sheet 271. In addition, the leading end 271b of the discharge sheet 271 has a tapered shape so that it can enter the discharge outlet 52, and therefore the toner can be efficiently sent to the discharge outlet 52.

[0184] In this embodiment, the lengths of the discharged sheets 271 and 272 are set so that the leading end 272b of the discharged sheet 272 passes through the jump platform 183 at approximately the same time as the leading end 271b of the discharged sheet 271 passes through the jump platform 183. This allows the discharged sheet 271 to be pushed back by the discharged sheet 272, and the momentum of the leading end 271b of the discharged sheet 271 toward the discharge outlet 52 can be increased. Note that, as long as the discharged sheet 272 comes into contact with the discharged sheet 271 before the discharged sheet 271 reaches the discharge outlet 52, the timings at which the discharged sheet 271 and the discharged sheet 272 pass through the jump platform 183 may be shifted.

[0185] In this way, by assisting the momentum of the preceding discharge sheet 271 with the subsequent discharge sheet 272, a desired amount of toner can be forcefully sent to the discharge port 52 at once when the screw 54 rotates once, thereby reducing toner clogging in the pipe section 248 (see Figure 34) of the image forming device 100.

[0186] 45(a), the toner T is transported in the direction of the arrow R1 between the discharge sheets 271, 272 that have passed through the discharge outlet 52. Then, as shown in FIG. 45(b), the toner T between the discharge sheets 271, 272 spills down from the discharge sheets 271, 272 in the Z direction. At this time, the toner T that has spilled down downstream in the X1 direction from the rotation shaft 54a of the screw 54 falls near the discharge outlet 52. This makes it possible to increase the amount of toner forcefully sent to the discharge outlet 52 by the tip portion 271b of the discharge sheet 271.

[0187] As shown in Fig. 46(a), in this embodiment, in a natural, unbent state, the discharge sheets 271 and 272 are arranged parallel to each other and spaced apart from each other. In this arrangement of the discharge sheets 271 and 272, the discharge sheet 272 can assist the discharge sheet 271, as shown in Fig. 46(b).

[0188] On the other hand, as shown in Fig. 47(a), the discharge sheets 1271 and 1272 according to the comparative example are attached to the corner bosses 254e and 254e of the screw 254. In a natural unbent state, the discharge sheets 1271 and 1272 are spaced apart from each other and arranged non-parallel to each other. More specifically, the angle between the discharge sheets 1271 and 1272 is an angle θ3 (≠0°).

[0189] For example, when the angle θ3 is 30°, the distance between the leading ends of the discharged sheets 1271 and 1272 becomes longer than in this embodiment. Therefore, as shown in Fig. 47(b), the discharged sheet 1272 does not come into contact with the discharged sheet 1271 and cannot assist the discharged sheet 1271. Therefore, in order for the discharged sheet 1272 to assist the discharged sheet 1271, it is desirable that the angle θ3 is less than 30°.

[0190] That is, in order for the discharge sheet 1272 to come into contact with the discharge sheet 1271 when passing over the jump platform 183, it is preferable that the angle θ3 is in the range of less than 30°. There is no particular lower limit to the angle θ3, and it may be a negative value. When the angle θ3 is a negative value, the distance between the tips of the discharge sheets 1271 and 1272 becomes shorter than the distance between the bases of the discharge sheets 1271 and 1272. Even with this configuration, the discharge sheet 1272 can assist the discharge sheet 1271.

[0191] FIG. 48 is a cross-sectional view for explaining the arrangement of the jump platform 183. As explained in FIG. 38, the jump platform 183 is preferably arranged at a position close to the straight line HL extending horizontally from the rotation axis 99. The jump platform 183 may be arranged within an angle of 15° upstream from the straight line HL in the direction of the arrow R1 and an angle of 30° downstream from the straight line HL in the direction of the arrow R1. More preferably, the jump platform 183 is arranged within an angle of 15° upstream from the straight line HL in the direction of the arrow R1 and an angle of 15° downstream from the straight line HL in the direction of the arrow R1. The reason for setting the preferable angle range is the same as that explained in the first embodiment using FIG. 38.

[0192] In this embodiment, L5 and L6 are, for example, L5=20 mm and L6=13 mm.

[0193] <Other embodiments> In any of the above-described embodiments, the discharge sheets 171-174, 271, and 272 are attached to the screw 54, but this is not limiting. For example, a shaft member that rotates by the driving force from the coupling 87B may be provided separately from the screw 54, and the discharge sheets 171-174, 271, and 272 may be attached to the shaft member.

[0194] In the first embodiment, four discharge sheets 171-174 are arranged on the screw 54 in a stacked manner, but this is not limited thereto. For example, the number of discharge sheets attached to one corner boss 54e of the screw 54 may be two to three, or may be five or more. The greater the number of discharge sheets attached to the screw 54 in a stacked state, the higher the toner transportability tends to be, but the smaller the number of stacked discharge sheets, the easier it is to fix them to the rotation shaft 54a. In light of this, the number of stacked discharge sheets is set to four in the first embodiment.

[0195] In the second embodiment, the discharge sheets 271 and 272 are attached to the pair of square bosses 54e of the screw 54, but this is not limited thereto. More than two discharge sheets may be arranged in the toner discharge chamber 57. For example, three or more square bosses 54e may be provided on the screw 54, and discharge sheets may be attached to these square bosses 54e. Although one discharge sheet is attached to one square boss 54e, it is also possible to attach multiple discharge sheets to one square boss 54e. In this case, at least one of the multiple discharge sheets attached to one of the pair of square bosses 54e corresponds to the discharge sheet 271 in the second embodiment. At least one of the multiple discharge sheets attached to the other square boss 54e corresponds to the discharge sheet 272 in the second embodiment.

[0196] The disclosure of the present embodiment also includes the following configuration examples and method examples. (Configuration 1) In a toner cartridge that supplies toner to the outside, a toner storage chamber for storing toner; a toner discharge chamber having a volume smaller than that of the toner storage chamber; a communication passage that communicates the toner storage chamber with the toner discharge chamber; a discharge port provided in the toner discharge chamber and capable of discharging toner from the toner discharge chamber to the outside of the toner cartridge; A coupling that receives a driving force from an external source; a conveying member that conveys the toner from the toner storage chamber to the toner discharge chamber through the communication passage in an axial direction of the coupling; a first sheet and a second sheet that are provided in the toner discharge chamber and rotate around a rotation axis by a driving force from the coupling to discharge the toner to the outside of the toner cartridge through the discharge port; when viewed along the axial direction in a state in which the toner cartridge is oriented with the discharge port facing downward, the rotation axis is closer to a center portion of the toner cartridge than the discharge port in a horizontal direction; the first sheet is configured to bend when it makes one rotation about the rotation axis by contacting an inner wall of the toner discharge chamber and then release the bend; The second sheet is configured to be displaceable and contactable with respect to the first sheet. Toner cartridge. (Configuration 2) In a cross section perpendicular to the axial direction, the minimum cross-sectional area of ​​the space in the communication passage is smaller than half of the maximum cross-sectional area of ​​the space in the toner discharge chamber. 2. The toner cartridge according to claim 1. (Configuration 3) The first sheet and the second sheet are attached to the conveying member. 3. A toner cartridge according to claim 1 or 2. (Configuration 4) the first sheet is configured to bend by contacting the inner wall of the toner discharge chamber and then to be released from the bend by being separated from the inner wall; 4. The toner cartridge according to any one of claims 1 to 3. (Configuration 5) the inner wall has a contact surface capable of contacting the first sheet and the second sheet, and a separation surface that is continuous with the contact surface and extends in a direction away from the rotation axis when viewed in the axial direction, the first sheet and the second sheet release their deflections by being separated from a boundary portion between the contact surface and the separation surface; 5. The toner cartridge according to any one of claims 1 to 4. (Configuration 6) the boundary portion is disposed at a position where it at least partially overlaps with the conveying member in a vertical direction when the toner cartridge is in a position where the discharge port faces downward and viewed along the axial direction. 6. The toner cartridge according to configuration 5. (Configuration 7) the boundary portion is located at substantially the same height as the rotation axis in the vertical direction when viewed along the axial direction in a state in which the toner cartridge is oriented with the discharge port facing downwards; 7. A toner cartridge according to configuration 5 or 6. (Configuration 8) the boundary portion is located on the same side as the discharge opening with respect to the rotation axis in the horizontal direction when viewed along the axial direction in a state in which the toner cartridge is oriented with the discharge opening facing downward; The toner cartridge according to any one of configurations 5 to 7. (Configuration 9) the boundary portion is disposed at a position overlapping the discharge outlet in the horizontal direction when viewed along the axial direction in a state in which the toner cartridge is oriented with the discharge outlet facing downward. The toner cartridge according to configuration 8. (Configuration 10) The first sheet and the second sheet are capable of contacting each other when both are in contact with the contact surface. The toner cartridge according to any one of configurations 5 to 9. (Configuration 11) a storage unit that stores information regarding the toner cartridge; When the toner cartridge is in a position in which the discharge outlet faces downward, the coupling is disposed between a contact portion of the discharge outlet that contacts the first sheet and the storage portion in both the axial direction and a horizontal direction perpendicular to the axial direction. 11. The toner cartridge according to any one of claims 1 to 10. (Configuration 12) The first sheet and the second sheet have different lengths in the longitudinal direction of the first sheet and the second sheet. 12. The toner cartridge according to any one of claims 1 to 11. (Configuration 13) The first sheet is shorter than the second sheet in the longitudinal direction. 13. The toner cartridge according to configuration 12. (Configuration 14) In a rotational direction of the first sheet and the second sheet, the first sheet is located downstream of the second sheet. 14. The toner cartridge according to configuration 13. (Configuration 15) a mounting portion to which the first sheet and the second sheet are attached and which is rotatable around the rotation axis; The first sheet and the second sheet are overlapped at least at the attachment portion. 15. A toner cartridge according to configuration 13 or 14. (Configuration 16) The attachment portion is provided on the conveying member. 16. The toner cartridge according to configuration 15. (Configuration 17) The first sheet and the second sheet have tapered ends in the longitudinal direction and are capable of entering the discharge port. 17. A toner cartridge according to any one of configurations 13 to 16. (Configuration 18) The second sheet is shorter than the first sheet in the longitudinal direction. 13. The toner cartridge according to configuration 12. (Configuration 19) The first sheet is located downstream of the second sheet in a rotational direction of the first sheet and the second sheet, The first sheet and the second sheet are arranged so as to leave a space between their surfaces. 19. The cartridge of claim 18. (Configuration 20) The second sheet is configured to come into contact with the first sheet from an upstream side in a rotation direction of the first sheet and the second sheet while the first sheet moves toward the discharge port after releasing its deflection. 20. A toner cartridge according to configuration 18 or 19. (Configuration 21) a first mounting portion to which the first seat is attached and which is rotatable around the rotation axis; a second mounting portion to which the second seat is attached and which is rotatable around the rotation axis; The first mounting portion and the second mounting portion are spaced apart from each other across the rotation axis when viewed in the axial direction. 21. The toner cartridge according to any one of configurations 18 to 20. (Configuration 22) The first attachment portion and the second attachment portion are provided on the conveying member. 22. A toner cartridge according to configuration 21. (Configuration 23) a tip end portion of the first sheet in the longitudinal direction has a tapered shape and is capable of entering the discharge port, A tip end portion of the second sheet in the longitudinal direction is configured not to enter the discharge port. 23. The toner cartridge according to any one of configurations 18 to 22. (Configuration 24) a shutter member that is movable between a blocking position for blocking the discharge port and an opening position for opening the discharge port; 24. The toner cartridge according to any one of claims 1 to 23. (Configuration 25) a biasing portion that biases the shutter member to the blocking position; 25. The toner cartridge according to claim 24. (Configuration 26) In a toner cartridge that supplies toner to the outside, a toner storage chamber for storing toner; a toner discharge chamber having a volume smaller than that of the toner storage chamber; a communication passage that communicates the toner storage chamber with the toner discharge chamber; a discharge port provided in the toner discharge chamber and capable of discharging toner from the toner discharge chamber to the outside of the toner cartridge; A coupling that receives a driving force from an external source; a conveying member that conveys the toner from the toner storage chamber to the toner discharge chamber through the communication passage in an axial direction of the coupling; a plurality of sheets disposed in the toner discharge chamber in a stacked state, the plurality of sheets rotating about a rotation axis by a driving force from the coupling to discharge toner to the outside of the toner cartridge through the discharge port; when viewed along the axial direction in a state in which the toner cartridge is oriented with the discharge port facing downward, the rotation axis is closer to a center portion of the toner cartridge than the discharge port in a horizontal direction; When the plurality of sheets rotate once around the rotation axis, the sheets come into contact with an inner wall of the toner discharge chamber, and are then released from the bend; The plurality of sheets include (i) a first sheet and (ii) a second sheet located upstream of the first sheet in the rotation direction, and when the first sheet and the second sheet are in a state where the deflection is eliminated, the distance from the rotation axis to the tip of the second sheet is longer than the distance from the rotation axis to the tip of the first sheet. Toner cartridge. (Configuration 27) In a toner cartridge that supplies toner to the outside, a toner storage chamber for storing toner; a toner discharge chamber having a volume smaller than that of the toner storage chamber; a communication passage that communicates the toner storage chamber with the toner discharge chamber; a discharge port provided in the toner discharge chamber and capable of discharging toner from the toner discharge chamber to the outside of the toner cartridge; A coupling that receives a driving force from an external source; a conveying member that conveys the toner from the toner storage chamber to the toner discharge chamber through the communication passage in an axial direction of the coupling; a plurality of sheets provided in the toner discharge chamber, the plurality of sheets rotating about a rotation axis by a driving force from the coupling to discharge the toner to the outside of the toner cartridge through the discharge port, when viewed along the axial direction in a state in which the toner cartridge is oriented with the discharge port facing downward, the rotation axis is closer to a center portion of the toner cartridge than the discharge port in a horizontal direction; The plurality of sheets includes (i) a first sheet and (ii) a second sheet located upstream of the first sheet in a rotational direction, When the first sheet and the second sheet are released from deflection, the distance from the rotation axis to the tip end of the second sheet is shorter than the distance from the rotation axis to the tip end of the first sheet, the first sheet is configured to bend when it makes one rotation about the rotation axis by contacting an inner wall of the toner discharge chamber and then release the bend; The second sheet is configured to come into contact with the first sheet from an upstream side in a rotation direction of the first sheet while the first sheet moves toward the discharge port after releasing the deflection. Toner cartridge. (Configuration 28) A toner cartridge according to any one of configurations 1 to 27, a device body configured to receive the toner discharged from the toner cartridge, Image forming device. (Configuration 29) The device main body has a cartridge equipped with a developing roller, and a supply unit configured to supply toner discharged from the toner cartridge to the cartridge. 29. The image forming apparatus according to configuration 28. (Configuration 30) The supply section has a bent pipe section, The toner discharged from the discharge port flows into the pipe portion. 30. The image forming apparatus according to configuration 29. (Configuration 31) the discharge port is open downward when the toner cartridge is attached to the device body; 31. The image forming apparatus according to any one of configurations 28 to 30. [Explanation of symbols]

[0197] 1: cartridge (process cartridge) / 11: developing roller / 13, 13B: toner cartridge / 14: supply section (toner conveying device) / 48: communication passage / 49: toner storage chamber / 52: discharge port / 52a: contact section / 54: conveying member (screw) / 54e: mounting section, first mounting section, second mounting section (angle boss) / 57: toner discharge chamber / 99: rotation axis / 100: image forming device / 100B: device body / 11 1: memory section (memory tag) / 171, 271: first sheet (ejected sheet) / 171b, 172b, 271b, 272b: tip section / 172, 272: second sheet (ejected sheet) / 181: contact surface (circumferential surface) / 182: separation surface (flat surface) / 183: boundary portion (jump platform) / 241: shutter member / 243: biasing portion (shutter spring) / 248: pipe section / CP: central portion (center line) / SA1, SA2: cross-sectional area

Claims

1. In a toner cartridge that supplies toner to an external source, A toner storage chamber for storing toner, A toner discharge chamber having a smaller volume than the aforementioned toner storage chamber, A connecting passage between the toner storage chamber and the toner discharge chamber, The toner discharge chamber is provided with an outlet that can discharge toner from the toner discharge chamber to the outside of the toner cartridge, A coupling that receives driving force from an external source, A transport member that transports toner from the toner storage chamber to the toner discharge chamber via the connecting passage in the axial direction of the coupling, The toner cartridge comprises a first sheet and a second sheet, which are provided in the toner discharge chamber and rotate around a rotation axis by the driving force from the coupling, thereby discharging toner to the outside of the toner cartridge through the discharge port, When viewed along the axial direction in the orientation of the toner cartridge with the discharge port facing downward, the axis of rotation is closer to the center of the toner cartridge than the discharge port in the horizontal direction. The first sheet is configured such that when it rotates once around the axis of rotation, it flexes upon contact with the inner wall of the toner discharge chamber, and then the flexure is released. The second sheet is configured to be displaceable and in contact with the first sheet. Toner cartridge.

2. In a cross-section perpendicular to the axial direction, the minimum cross-sectional area of ​​the space within the communication passage is less than half the maximum cross-sectional area of ​​the space within the toner discharge chamber. The toner cartridge according to claim 1.

3. The first sheet and the second sheet are attached to the transport member. The toner cartridge according to claim 1.

4. The first sheet is configured such that it bends upon contact with the inner wall of the toner discharge chamber, and then the bending is released when it separates from the inner wall. The toner cartridge according to claim 1.

5. The inner wall has a contact surface that can contact the first sheet and the second sheet, and a separating surface that, when viewed in the axial direction, is continuous with the contact surface and extends away from the axis of rotation. The first sheet and the second sheet release their deflection by separating from the boundary between the contact surface and the separation surface. The toner cartridge according to claim 1.

6. The boundary portion is positioned such that, when viewed along the axial direction in the orientation of the toner cartridge with the discharge port facing downward, at least a portion of it overlaps with the transport member in the vertical direction. The toner cartridge according to claim 5.

7. The boundary portion is located at substantially the same height as the rotation axis in the vertical direction when viewed along the axial direction in the orientation of the toner cartridge with the discharge port facing downward. The toner cartridge according to claim 5.

8. The boundary portion, when viewed along the axial direction in the orientation of the toner cartridge with the outlet facing downward, is located on the same side as the outlet with respect to the rotation axis in the horizontal direction. The toner cartridge according to claim 5.

9. The boundary portion is positioned such that, when viewed along the axial direction in the orientation of the toner cartridge with the discharge port facing downward, it overlaps the discharge port in the horizontal direction. The toner cartridge according to claim 8.

10. The first sheet and the second sheet are able to contact each other when both are in contact with the contact surface. The toner cartridge according to claim 5.

11. It includes a storage unit that stores information about the toner cartridge, In the orientation of the toner cartridge with the discharge port facing downward, the coupling is provided at the discharge port in both the axial direction and the horizontal direction perpendicular to the axial direction, and is positioned between the contact portion that contacts the first sheet and the storage portion. The toner cartridge according to claim 1.

12. The first sheet and the second sheet have different lengths in the longitudinal direction of the first sheet and the second sheet. The toner cartridge according to claim 1.

13. The first sheet is shorter than the second sheet in the longitudinal direction. The toner cartridge according to claim 12.

14. In the rotational direction of the first and second sheets, the first sheet is located downstream of the second sheet. The toner cartridge according to claim 13.

15. The first sheet and the second sheet are attached to a mounting part that is rotatable about the axis of rotation, The first sheet and the second sheet are superimposed at least at the mounting portion. The toner cartridge according to claim 13.

16. The aforementioned mounting portion is provided on the transport member, The toner cartridge according to claim 15.

17. The leading edges of the first and second sheets in the longitudinal direction are tapered and can enter the discharge port. The toner cartridge according to claim 13.

18. The second sheet is shorter than the first sheet in the longitudinal direction. The toner cartridge according to claim 12.

19. In the rotational direction of the first and second sheets, the first sheet is located downstream of the second sheet. The first sheet and the second sheet are arranged with a gap between their surfaces. The toner cartridge according to claim 18.

20. The second sheet is configured to contact the first sheet from the upstream side in the rotational direction of the first and second sheets as the first sheet releases its deflection and moves toward the discharge port. The toner cartridge according to claim 18.

21. The first mounting portion to which the first sheet is attached and which is rotatable about the rotation axis, The second mounting portion to which the second sheet is attached and which is rotatable about the rotation axis, The first mounting portion and the second mounting portion are spaced apart from each other with the rotation axis in between, when viewed in the axial direction. The toner cartridge according to claim 18.

22. The first mounting portion and the second mounting portion are provided on the transport member. The toner cartridge according to claim 21.

23. The leading edge of the first sheet in the longitudinal direction is tapered and is capable of entering the discharge port. The leading edge of the second sheet in the longitudinal direction is configured to be unable to enter the discharge port. The toner cartridge according to claim 18.

24. The system includes a shutter member that can move between a shielding position that covers the discharge port and an open position that opens the discharge port. The toner cartridge according to claim 1.

25. The shutter member is provided with a biasing unit that biases it to the shielding position. The toner cartridge according to claim 24.

26. In a toner cartridge that supplies toner to an external source, A toner storage chamber for storing toner, A toner discharge chamber having a smaller volume than the aforementioned toner storage chamber, A connecting passage between the toner storage chamber and the toner discharge chamber, The toner discharge chamber is provided with an outlet that can discharge toner from the toner discharge chamber to the outside of the toner cartridge, A coupling that receives driving force from an external source, A transport member that transports toner from the toner storage chamber to the toner discharge chamber via the connecting passage in the axial direction of the coupling, The toner cartridge comprises a plurality of sheets arranged in an overlapping state within the toner discharge chamber, which rotate around a rotation axis due to the driving force from the coupling, thereby discharging toner to the outside of the toner cartridge through the discharge port, When viewed along the axial direction in the orientation of the toner cartridge with the discharge port facing downward, the axis of rotation is closer to the center of the toner cartridge than the discharge port in the horizontal direction. When the plurality of sheets rotate once around the axis of rotation, they come into contact with the inner wall of the toner discharge chamber, causing them to bend, and then the bending is released. The plurality of sheets comprises (i) a first sheet and (ii) a second sheet located upstream of the first sheet in the rotational direction, and in a state in which the deflection of the first sheet and the second sheet is eliminated, the distance from the rotational axis to the tip of the second sheet is longer than the distance from the rotational axis to the tip of the first sheet. Toner cartridge.

27. In a toner cartridge that supplies toner to an external source, A toner storage chamber for storing toner, A toner discharge chamber having a smaller volume than the aforementioned toner storage chamber, A connecting passage between the toner storage chamber and the toner discharge chamber, The toner discharge chamber is provided with an outlet that can discharge toner from the toner discharge chamber to the outside of the toner cartridge, A coupling that receives driving force from an external source, A transport member that transports toner from the toner storage chamber to the toner discharge chamber via the connecting passage in the axial direction of the coupling, The toner discharge chamber comprises a plurality of sheets, which rotate around a rotation axis due to the driving force from the coupling, thereby discharging toner to the outside of the toner cartridge through the discharge port. When viewed along the axial direction in the orientation of the toner cartridge with the discharge port facing downward, the axis of rotation is closer to the center of the toner cartridge than the discharge port in the horizontal direction. The plurality of sheets comprises (i) a first sheet and (ii) a second sheet located upstream of the first sheet in the rotational direction, When the first and second sheets are released from their deflection, the distance from the axis of rotation to the tip of the second sheet is shorter than the distance from the axis of rotation to the tip of the first sheet. The first sheet is configured to bend upon contact with the inner wall of the toner discharge chamber when it rotates once around the axis of rotation, and then release that bending. The second sheet is configured to contact the first sheet from the upstream side in the rotational direction of the first sheet while the first sheet is moving toward the discharge port after releasing its deflection. Toner cartridge.

28. A toner cartridge according to any one of claims 1 to 27, The device comprises a main body configured to hold the toner cartridge and to receive the toner discharged from the toner cartridge, Image forming apparatus.

29. The device body comprises a cartridge equipped with a developing roller and a supply unit configured to supply toner discharged from the toner cartridge to the cartridge. The image forming apparatus according to claim 28.

30. The supply section has a bent pipe section, Toner discharged from the outlet flows into the aforementioned pipe section. The image forming apparatus according to claim 29.

31. The aforementioned outlet opens downwards when the toner cartridge is installed in the main body of the device. The image forming apparatus according to claim 28.

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