Powder conveying device, developing device, and image forming apparatus

Abstract

To suppress falling of powder delivered to the upper side in the gravity direction from a downstream end of an opening in comparison to a case where the downstream end of the opening along a first direction is arranged to face a direction orthogonal to the conveying direction of the powder.SOLUTION: A powder conveying device includes an agitating and supplying member 142 as first conveying means which is arranged on the downstream side of a first passage portion 154 serving as the opening, and conveys powder delivered to the upper side through the opening from the lower side with respect to the gravity direction in a first direction from a region corresponding to the opening with a spiral conveying blade 142b on an outer periphery of a rotary shaft 142a. The downstream end of the opening along the first direction is arranged to face the same direction as the inclination direction of the blade of the first conveying means facing the opening.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 9

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a powder transport device, a developing device, and an image forming apparatus. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, techniques relating to developing devices have already been proposed, for example, as disclosed in Patent Document 1.

[0003] Patent Document 1 discloses a partition wall provided inside a housing, which separates a first transport chamber accommodating a first agitating and transporting member from a second transport chamber accommodating a second agitating and transporting member, and which forms between the housing a first communication port for transferring developer from the second transport chamber to the first transport chamber and a second communication port for transferring developer from the first transport chamber to the second transport chamber, and a lower portion is provided at the end of the partition wall on the first communication port side, which is lower in height than the end of the partition wall on the second communication port side, and a protrusion is provided at a portion of the shaft of a second agitating and transporting member provided in the second transport chamber, which is upstream of the lower portion in the direction of transport of developer by the second agitating and transporting member, and which protrudes from the outer circumferential surface of the shaft, for temporarily retaining developer transported by the rotation of the blades accompanying the rotation of the shaft. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 4957082 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] The object of the present invention is to prevent powder that is passed upward in the direction of gravity from falling from the downstream end of the opening, compared to when the downstream end of the opening along the first direction is positioned facing perpendicular to the powder transport direction. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The invention described in claim 1 includes a first conveying means that is disposed downstream of an opening, and has a spiral blade on an outer periphery of a rotating shaft to convey powder that is transferred from below in the direction of gravity to above through the opening in a first direction from a region corresponding to the opening, The powder conveying device is arranged so that the downstream end of the opening along the first direction faces the same direction as the inclination direction of the blades of the first conveying means facing the opening.

[0007] The invention described in claim 2 is a powder conveying device described in claim 1, wherein the downstream end of the opening along the first direction is inclined so as to be parallel to a straight line approximating the inclination of the blades of the first conveying means facing the opening.

[0008] The invention described in claim 3 is a powder conveying device described in claim 2, wherein the downstream end of the opening along the first direction is formed in a straight line inclined with respect to the direction of gravity.

[0009] The invention described in claim 4 is a powder conveying device described in claim 1, which is provided with a second conveying means that transports the powder below the opening in the direction of gravity to the opening and passes it upward through the opening.

[0010] The invention described in claim 5 is the powder conveying device according to claim 4, wherein a conveying direction of the second conveying means is a direction opposite to the first direction.

[0011] The invention described in claim 6 is the powder conveying device described in claim 1, wherein the first conveying means has a rotating shaft that rotates in a clockwise direction when viewed from the upstream side of the first direction, and the blades are arranged in a spiral shape in a counterclockwise direction when viewed from the upstream side of the first direction.

[0012] The invention described in claim 7 is a powder conveying device described in claim 6, wherein the downstream end of the opening in the first direction is inclined so that the upper end in the direction of gravity is located downstream in the first direction than the lower end.

[0013] The invention described in claim 8 is the powder conveying device described in claim 1, wherein the first conveying means has a rotating shaft that rotates counterclockwise when viewed from the upstream side of the first direction, and the blades are arranged in a spiral shape in a clockwise direction when viewed from the upstream side of the first direction.

[0014] The invention described in claim 9 is a powder conveying device described in claim 8, in which the downstream end of the opening in the first direction is inclined so that the upper end in the direction of gravity is located further upstream in the first direction than the lower end.

[0015] The invention described in claim 10 includes a transport means for transporting the developer, The developing device uses the powder transport device according to any one of claims 1 to 9 as the transport means.

[0016] The invention described in claim 11 comprises an image holding means for holding an electrostatic latent image, a developing means for developing the electrostatic latent image on the image holding means; Equipped with The image forming apparatus uses the developing device as described above as the developing means. Effect of the Invention

[0017] According to the invention described in claim 1, compared to a case in which the downstream end of the opening along the first direction is positioned facing a direction perpendicular to the powder transport direction, it is possible to prevent powder passed upward in the direction of gravity from falling from the downstream end of the opening.

[0018] According to the invention described in claim 2, the inclination of the blades of the first conveying means is not parallel to an approximating straight line, and therefore it is possible to effectively prevent powder from falling from the downstream end of the opening.

[0019] According to the invention as recited in claim 3, the opening can be formed more easily compared to a case in which the downstream end is formed in a shape other than a straight line.

[0020] According to the invention described in claim 4, the powder can be transferred more reliably than in the case where the second conveying means is not provided.

[0021] According to the invention described in claim 5, compared to when the conveying direction of the second conveying means is the same as the first direction, it is possible to efficiently transfer powder that tends to stagnate in front of the opening upward while preventing it from falling from the opening.

[0022] According to the invention recited in claim 6, the present invention can be applied to a first conveying means in which a clockwise rotation direction of a rotation shaft is advantageous.

[0023] According to the invention described in claim 7, it becomes easier to form the downstream end of the opening along the first direction compared to when the upper end along the direction of gravity is located upstream of the lower end along the first direction.

[0024] According to the invention recited in claim 8, the present invention can be applied to a first conveying means in which a counterclockwise rotation direction of a rotating shaft is advantageous.

[0025] According to the invention described in claim 9, compared to the case where the upper end in the direction of gravity is located downstream in the first direction from the lower end, this can be addressed by positioning the member forming the downstream end of the opening in the first direction upward in the direction of gravity.

[0026] According to the invention described in claim 10, compared to when a powder conveying device described in any of claims 1 to 9 is not used as a conveying means, powder transferred upward in the direction of gravity can be prevented from falling from the downstream end of the opening.

[0027] According to the invention described in claim 11, compared to when the developing device described in claim 10 is not used as the developing means, the developer can be reliably transferred upward in the direction of gravity, making it possible to accommodate miniaturization of the developing device. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0028] [Figure 1] 1 is an overall configuration diagram showing an image forming apparatus to which a developing device according to a first embodiment of the present invention is applied; [Diagram 2] 1 is a configuration diagram showing an image forming section of an image forming apparatus to which a developing device according to a first embodiment of the present invention is applied. [Diagram 3] 1 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing a developing device according to a first embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 4] 1 is a plan view showing a state in which some members of a developing device according to a first embodiment of the present invention have been removed; [Diagram 5] FIG. 2 is a front view showing the configuration of the agitation supply member. [Figure 6] 1 is a cross-sectional view showing a configuration of a main part of a developing device according to a first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 7] 1A and 1B are a perspective view and a front view showing the operation of a conventional developing device; [Figure 8] 1 is a perspective view showing a state in which some members of a developing device according to a first embodiment of the present invention have been removed; [Figure 9] 1A and 1B are a perspective view and a front view showing the operation of a developing device according to a first embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 10] 11 is a cross-sectional view showing a main portion of a developing device according to a second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. [Figure 11] 11A and 11B are a perspective view and a front view showing the operation of a developing device according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention; DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0029] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0030] [Embodiment 1] Figures 1 and 2 show an image forming apparatus to which the powder conveying device and developing device according to embodiment 1 are applied. Figure 1 shows an overview of the entire image forming apparatus, and Figure 2 shows an enlarged view of the main parts (imaging device, etc.) of the image forming apparatus. In Figure 1, the symbol X indicates the horizontal direction (width direction) of the image forming apparatus, the symbol Y indicates the depth direction of the image forming apparatus, and the symbol Z indicates the vertical direction of the image forming apparatus.

[0031] <Overall configuration of image forming apparatus> The image forming apparatus 1 is configured as, for example, a color printer. As shown in FIG. 1, the image forming apparatus 1 includes a plurality of image forming devices 10, an intermediate transfer device 20, a paper feed device 50, a fixing device 40, and the like. The plurality of image forming devices 10 form toner images developed with toner constituting a developer. The intermediate transfer device 20 holds the toner images formed by the image forming devices 10, and transports them to a secondary transfer position where they are finally secondarily transferred onto a recording paper 5 as an example of a recording medium. The paper feed device 50 stores and transports the required recording paper 5 to be supplied to the secondary transfer position of the intermediate transfer device 20. The fixing device 40 fixes the toner image as an example of an image on the recording paper 5 secondarily transferred by the intermediate transfer device 20. In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1a denotes a device main body formed of a supporting structure member, an exterior cover, and the like.

[0032] The imaging device 10 is composed of four imaging devices 10Y, 10M, 10C, and 10K that are dedicated to forming toner images of four colors, yellow (Y), magenta (M), cyan (C), and black (K), respectively. These four imaging devices 10 (Y, M, C, and K) are arranged in a row along the horizontal direction X in the internal space of the device main body 1a.

[0033] As shown in FIG. 1, each image forming device 10 (Y, M, C, K) includes a photoconductor drum 11 as an example of an image holding means for holding an electrostatic latent image. Around the photoconductor drum 11, the following devices are mainly arranged. The main devices are a charging device 12, an exposure device 13, a developing device 14 as an example of a developing means, a primary transfer device 15, and a drum cleaning device 16. The charging device 12 charges the peripheral surface (image holding surface) of the photoconductor drum 11 on which an image can be formed to a required potential. The exposure device 13 irradiates the charged peripheral surface of the photoconductor drum 11 with light based on image information (signal) to form an electrostatic latent image (for each color) with a potential difference. The developing device 14 develops the electrostatic latent image with toner of the developer of the corresponding color (Y, M, C, K) to form a toner image. The primary transfer device 15 transfers each toner image to the intermediate transfer device 20. The drum cleaning device 16 removes and cleans toner and other adhering matter remaining on the image bearing surface of the photoconductor drum 11 after the primary transfer. Note that reference numerals indicating the photoconductor drum 11, charging device 12, etc. are given only to the black (K) imaging device 10K and are omitted for the other imaging devices 10 (Y, M, C).

[0034] The photoconductor drum 11 has an image bearing surface formed on the peripheral surface of a grounded cylindrical or columnar substrate, the peripheral surface of which has a photoconductive layer (photosensitive layer) made of a photosensitive material. The photoconductor drum 11 is supported so as to rotate in the direction indicated by the arrow A by a driving force transmitted from a driving device (not shown).

[0035] As shown in Fig. 2, the charging device 12 includes a contact-type charging roll 121 that is disposed in contact with the photoconductor drum 11. A cleaning roll 122 that cleans the surface of the charging roll 121 is disposed on the rear side of the charging roll 121. A charging voltage is supplied to the charging roll 121 of the charging device 12. When the developing device 14 performs reversal development, the charging voltage is a voltage or current of the same polarity as the charging polarity of the toner supplied from the developing device 14. Note that the charging device 12 may be a non-contact charging device such as a scorotron that is disposed in a non-contact state with the surface of the photoconductor drum 11.

[0036] The exposure device 13 forms an electrostatic latent image by irradiating the charged peripheral surface of the photoconductor drum 11 with light configured according to image information input to the image forming apparatus 1. When it is time to form a latent image, image information (signals) input to the image forming apparatus 1 by any means is transmitted to the exposure device 13.

[0037] The exposure device 13 is an LED print head that forms an electrostatic latent image by irradiating the photoconductor drum 11 with light corresponding to image information using LEDs (Light Emitting Diodes) as a plurality of light emitting elements arranged along the axial direction of the photoconductor drum 11. Note that the exposure device 13 may be one that deflects and scans laser light configured according to the image information along the axial direction of the photoconductor drum 11.

[0038] As shown in FIG. 2, each of the developing devices 14 is configured by arranging a developing roll 141, an agitation supply member 142, an agitation transport member 143, a layer thickness regulating member 144, and the like inside a device housing 140, which is an example of a casing in which an opening portion facing the photosensitive drum 11 and a storage chamber for the developer 4 are formed. The developing roll 141 holds the developer 4 and transports it to a development area facing the photosensitive drum 11. The agitation supply member 142 is made of a screw auger or the like that transports the developer 4 to pass through the developing roll 141 while stirring it. The agitation transport member 143 is made of a screw auger or the like that transports the developer 4 to the agitation supply member 142 while stirring it. The layer thickness regulating member 144 regulates the amount (layer thickness) of the developer 4 held by the developing roll 141. In this developing device 14, a development voltage is supplied between the developing roll 141 and the photosensitive drum 11 from a power supply device (not shown). The developing roll 141, the stirring supply member 142, and the stirring transport member 143 rotate in a required direction by a driving force transmitted from a driving device (not shown). As the developer 4 of each color, for example, a two-component developer containing a non-magnetic toner and a carrier is used. The configuration of the developing device 14 will be described in detail later.

[0039] 1, the primary transfer device 15 is a contact type transfer device equipped with a primary transfer roll that rotates in contact with the circumferential surface of the photoconductor drum 11 via the intermediate transfer belt 21 at the primary transfer position and is supplied with a primary transfer voltage. As the primary transfer voltage, a DC voltage showing a polarity opposite to the charging polarity of the toner is supplied from a power supply device (not shown).

[0040] The drum cleaning device 16 is composed of a cleaning blade 16b and a sending member 16c arranged inside a container-shaped main body 16a. The cleaning blade 16b cleans the drum by removing residual toner and other adhering matter. The sending member 16c is composed of a screw auger or the like that collects the toner and other adhering matter removed by the cleaning blade 16b and conveys it to a collection system (not shown).

[0041] The intermediate transfer device 20 is disposed so as to be located above each of the image forming devices 10 (Y, M, C, K) in the vertical direction Z. The intermediate transfer device 20 is mainly composed of an intermediate transfer belt 21, a plurality of belt support rolls 22-25, a belt cleaning device 26, and a secondary transfer device 30. The intermediate transfer belt 21 is an example of an intermediate transfer means that moves in a circular manner in the direction indicated by the arrow B while passing through a primary transfer position between the photosensitive drum 11 and the primary transfer device 15 (primary transfer roll). The plurality of belt support rolls 22-25 support the intermediate transfer belt 21 so as to be able to move in a circular manner while maintaining the intermediate transfer belt 21 in a desired state from its inner circumference. The secondary transfer device 30 is disposed on the outer circumferential surface (image bearing surface) side of the intermediate transfer belt 21 supported by the belt support roll 25, and performs a second transfer of the toner image on the intermediate transfer belt 21 to the recording paper 5. The belt cleaning device 26 removes and cleans toner, paper powder, and other deposits that remain on the outer circumferential surface of the intermediate transfer belt 21 after passing through the secondary transfer device 30.

[0042] The intermediate transfer belt 21 is an endless belt made of a material in which a resistance adjusting agent such as carbon black is dispersed in a synthetic resin such as polyimide resin, polyamide resin, or polyamideimide resin. The belt support roll 22 is configured as a drive roll. The belt support roll 23 is configured as a surface adjustment roll that maintains the running position of the intermediate transfer belt 21. The belt support roll 24 is configured as a tension applying roll that applies tension to the intermediate transfer belt 21. The belt support roll 25 is configured as a backup roll for secondary transfer.

[0043] The secondary transfer device 30 includes a secondary transfer roll 31 that rotates at a secondary transfer position. The secondary transfer position is an outer peripheral surface portion of the intermediate transfer belt 21 supported by the belt support roll 25 in the intermediate transfer device 20. A DC voltage having a polarity opposite to or the same as the charging polarity of the toner is supplied to the secondary transfer roll 31 or the belt support roll 25 of the intermediate transfer device 20 as a secondary transfer voltage.

[0044] The belt cleaning device 26 is composed of a container-shaped main body 260 with a portion open, a cleaning plate 261 that is arranged so as to come into contact with the peripheral surface of the intermediate transfer belt 21 after secondary transfer with a required pressure and removes and cleans any adhering matter such as residual toner, and a sending member 262 such as a screw auger that collects the adhering matter such as toner removed by the cleaning plate 261 and conveys it to a collection system (not shown). A plate-shaped member (for example, a blade) made of a material such as rubber is used as the cleaning plate 261.

[0045] 1, the fixing device 40 is configured by arranging a heating rotor 41 in the form of a roll or belt, which is heated by a heating means so that the surface temperature is maintained at a required temperature, and a pressure rotor 42 in the form of a roll or belt, which rotates in contact with the heating rotor 41 at a specified pressure in a state substantially along the axial direction of the heating rotor 41. In this fixing device 40, the contact portion where the heating rotor 41 and the pressure rotor 42 come into contact with each other becomes a fixing processing portion where the required fixing process (heating and pressurization) is performed. At the exit portion of the fixing device 40, an exit roll 43 is arranged to transport the recording paper 5 that has been subjected to the fixing process in the fixing device 40.

[0046] The paper feeder 50 is disposed so as to be located below the imaging devices 10 (Y, M, C, K) for yellow (Y), magenta (M), cyan (C), and black (K). The paper feeder 50 is mainly composed of one (or more) paper containers 51 and sending devices 52, 53. The paper container 51 stores recording paper 5 of a desired size, type, etc. in a stacked state. The sending devices 52, 53 send out the recording paper 5 one sheet at a time from the paper container 51. The paper container 51 is attached so as to be able to be pulled out, for example, from the front side (the side that the user faces during operation) of the device main body 1a, or in the illustrated example, from the right side along the horizontal direction X.

[0047] Examples of the recording paper 5 include plain paper, thin paper, and OHP sheets used in electrophotographic copiers, printers, etc. In order to further improve the smoothness of the image surface after fixing, it is preferable that the surface of the recording paper 5 is as smooth as possible, and for example, coated paper in which the surface of plain paper is coated with a resin or the like, or so-called thick paper with a relatively large basis weight such as art paper for printing can be used.

[0048] As shown in FIG. 1, a paper feed conveying path 55 is provided between the paper feed device 50 and the secondary transfer device 30. The paper feed conveying path 55 is composed of a single (or multiple) paper conveying roll pair 54 that conveys the recording paper 5 sent out from the paper feed device 50 to the secondary transfer position, a conveying guide (not shown), and the like. The paper conveying roll pair 54 arranged just before the secondary transfer device 30 is configured as, for example, a registration roll that adjusts the conveying timing of the recording paper 5. In addition, a paper discharge conveying path 58 is provided at the upper part of the fixing device 40 along the vertical direction Z. The paper discharge conveying path 58 includes a paper discharge roll pair 57 for discharging the recording paper 5 sent out from the exit roll 43 of the fixing device 40 after fixing to a discharge tray 56 provided at the upper part of the device main body 1a.

[0049] Further, inside the device main body 1a, a double-sided conveying path 60 is provided. The double-sided conveying path 60 includes a plurality of double-sided conveying roll pairs 59 that, while holding the rear end of the recording paper 5 with an image formed on one side by the paper discharge roll pair 57, switch the rotation direction of the paper discharge roll pair 57 from the forward direction (discharge direction) to the reverse direction to invert the recording paper 5 and convey it again to the paper conveying roll pair 54.

[0050] In Fig. 1, reference numeral 61 denotes a manual feed tray that is provided openably and closably on the side (left side in the figure) of the device body 1a of the image forming device 1. A feed device 62 and a manual feed paper transport path 64 are provided between the manual feed tray 61 and the paper transport roll pair 54. The feed device 62 feeds out the recording paper 5 accommodated in the manual feed tray 61 one sheet at a time. The manual feed paper transport path 64 is composed of a paper transport roll pair 63, a transport guide (not shown), and the like.

[0051] In addition, the reference numerals 145 (Y, M, C, K) in FIG. 1 each indicate a toner cartridge arranged in a direction perpendicular to the paper surface, each cartridge containing developer including at least toner to be supplied to the corresponding developing device 14 (Y, M, C, K).

[0052] 1 indicates a control device that comprehensively controls the operation of the image forming apparatus 1. The control device 100 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a ROM (Read Only Memory), a RAM (Random Access Memory), or a bus for connecting the CPU, the ROM, etc., a communication interface, etc. (not shown).

[0053] <Operation of the image forming device> Hereinafter, a basic image forming operation by the image forming apparatus 1 will be described.

[0054] Here, an operation of forming a full-color image by combining toner images of four colors (Y, M, C, K) using the four image forming devices 10 (Y, M, C, K) will be described.

[0055] When the control device 100 of the image forming apparatus 1 receives command information requesting an image forming operation (printing), the four image forming devices 10 (Y, M, C, K), the intermediate transfer device 20, the secondary transfer device 30, the fixing device 40, etc. start up.

[0056] In each imaging device 10 (Y, M, C, K), first, each photoconductor drum 11 rotates in the direction indicated by arrow A, and each charging device 12 charges the surface of each photoconductor drum 11 to a required polarity (negative polarity in the first embodiment) and potential. Next, exposure device 13 irradiates the surface of the charged photoconductor drum 11 with light emitted based on an image signal obtained by converting image information input to image forming device 1 into each color component (Y, M, C, K), and forms an electrostatic latent image of each color component composed of a required potential difference on the surface.

[0057] Next, each image forming device 10 (Y, M, C, K) develops the electrostatic latent image of each color component formed on the photoconductor drum 11 by supplying toner of the corresponding color (Y, M, C, K) charged to the required polarity (negative polarity) from the developing roll 141 and electrostatically attaching it to the electrostatic latent image of each color component. Through this development, the electrostatic latent image of each color component formed on each photoconductor drum 11 is visualized as a toner image of four colors (Y, M, C, K) developed with the toner of the corresponding color.

[0058] Next, when the toner images of each color formed on the photosensitive drum 11 of each image creating device 10 (Y, M, C, K) are transported to the primary transfer position, the primary transfer device 15 (Y, M, C, K) performs primary transfer of the toner images of each color in such a manner that they are superimposed in order onto the intermediate transfer belt 21 rotating in the direction indicated by arrow B of the intermediate transfer device 20.

[0059] In addition, in each of the imaging devices 10 (Y, M, C, K) where the primary transfer has been completed, the drum cleaning device 16 scrapes off any adhering matter to clean the surface of the photosensitive drum 11. This makes each of the imaging devices 10 (Y, M, C, K) ready for the next image formation operation.

[0060] Next, the intermediate transfer device 20 conveys the primary transferred toner image to the secondary transfer position by the rotation of the intermediate transfer belt 21. Meanwhile, the paper feeder 50 sends out the required recording paper 5 to the paper feed path 55 in accordance with the image creation operation. In the paper feed path 55, a pair of paper feed rolls 54 as registration rolls sends out and supplies the recording paper 5 to the secondary transfer position in accordance with the transfer timing.

[0061] At the secondary transfer position, the secondary transfer roll 31 of the secondary transfer device 30 performs secondary transfer of the toner images on the intermediate transfer belt 21 all at once onto the recording paper 5. In the intermediate transfer device 20 where the secondary transfer is completed, the belt cleaning device 26 removes and cleans the surface of the intermediate transfer belt 21 to remove any adhering matter such as toner remaining thereon after the secondary transfer.

[0062] Next, the recording paper 5 onto which the toner image has been secondarily transferred is peeled off from the intermediate transfer belt 21 and the secondary transfer roll 31, and then conveyed to the fixing device 40. In the fixing device 40, the recording paper 5 after the secondary transfer is introduced into and passes through a contact portion between the rotating heating rotator 41 and the pressure applying rotator 42, thereby performing the necessary fixing process (heating and pressurizing) to fix the unfixed toner image onto the recording paper 5. Finally, in the case of an image forming operation in which an image is only formed on one side of the recording paper 5 after fixing, the recording paper 5 after fixing is discharged by a paper discharge roll pair 57 to a discharge tray 56 installed at the top of the device main body 1a.

[0063] When forming images on both sides of the recording paper 5, the recording paper 5 with an image formed on one side is not discharged to the discharge tray 56 by the paper discharge roll pair 57, but the rotation direction of the paper discharge roll pair 57 is switched to the reverse direction while the paper discharge roll pair 57 is holding the rear end of the recording paper 5. The recording paper 5 transported in the reverse direction by the paper discharge roll pair 57 is transported to a double-sided transport path 60 equipped with a double-sided transport roll pair 59 and the like, and is transported again to the paper transport roll pair 54 in an inverted state. The paper transport roll pair 54 sends out and supplies the recording paper 5 to the secondary transfer position in accordance with the transfer timing, forms an image on the back side of the recording paper 5, and discharges the recording paper 5 with the image fixed on the back side to the discharge tray 56 installed at the top of the device main body 1a by the paper discharge roll pair 57.

[0064] By the above operation, a recording sheet 5 is outputted, on one or both sides of which a full-color image formed by combining four color toner images is formed.

[0065] <Configuration of the developing device> Figures 3 and 4 show a developing device according to embodiment 1 that is applied to an image forming apparatus configured as described above. The developing device is an example of an apparatus to which the powder conveying device according to embodiment 1 is applied. Figure 3 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing the developing device together with a photosensitive drum and the like, and Figure 4 is a plan view of the developing device with some of its components removed.

[0066] As shown in Fig. 3, the developing device 14 includes a device housing 140 as an example of a housing. The device housing 140 is roughly divided into a lower housing 140a and an upper housing 140b. The lower housing 140a is disposed at the lower part of the developing device 14 in the vertical direction Z. The upper housing 140b is disposed at the upper part of the developing device 14 in the vertical direction Z. The lower housing 140a and the upper housing 140b are joined together airtight. A developer storage chamber 150 that stores the two-component developer 4 is formed inside the device housing 140.

[0067] An opening 151 is provided in an area of ​​the device housing 140 facing the photosensitive drum 11. Inside the device housing 140, a developing roll 141 as an example of a developer holding means that holds and rotates the developer 4 is arranged rotatably along the direction of the arrow C so as to be partially exposed to the opening 151. The developing roll 141 has a magnet roll 141a and a cylindrical developing sleeve 141b. The magnet roll 141a is an example of a magnetic field generating means that is fixedly arranged inside the device housing 140 and has a plurality of magnetic poles of a required polarity arranged at required positions along the circumferential direction. The developing sleeve 141b is an example of a developer conveying means that is arranged on the outer periphery of the magnet roll 141a so as to be rotatable at a required rotation speed along the direction of the arrow C. The developing sleeve 141b is formed into a cylindrical shape from a non-magnetic material such as aluminum or non-magnetic stainless steel. The developing sleeve 141b is driven to rotate by a driving force transmitted from the device main body 1a.

[0068] 3, in the developing device 14 according to the first embodiment, the rotation direction C of the developing sleeve 141b is set to be opposite to the rotation direction A of the photosensitive drum 11. That is, the rotation direction A of the photosensitive drum 11 is set to be counterclockwise. In contrast, the rotation direction C of the developing sleeve 141b is set to be clockwise. As a result, the outer peripheral surface of the developing sleeve 141b moves in the same direction as the movement direction of the surface of the photosensitive drum 11 with a speed difference in the developing region facing the photosensitive drum 11.

[0069] Inside the device housing 140, an agitation supply member 142 as an example of a first conveying means, which is composed of a screw auger (supply auger) or the like that draws up the developer 4 as an example of powder contained in the developer storage chamber 150 and supplies it to the developing roll 141, is disposed obliquely below the developing roll 141 along the vertical direction Z. As shown in FIG. 4 and FIG. 5, the agitation supply member 142 is configured such that one or two (two in the illustrated example) conveying blades 142b are provided in a spiral shape on the outer periphery of a rotating shaft 142a. When viewed from the upstream side to the downstream side along the conveying direction of the developer 4 along the axial direction of the rotating shaft 142a, the conveying blade 142b of the agitation supply member 142 is configured to convey the developer 4 from the left to the right in the figure when the rotating shaft 142a is rotated clockwise.

[0070] That is, as shown in FIG. 5, the rotating shaft 142a of the agitation supply member 142 rotates in a clockwise direction when viewed from the upstream side along the conveying direction of the agitation supply member 142, and the conveying blade 142b is arranged in a spiral shape in a counterclockwise direction when viewed from the upstream side to the downstream side along the conveying direction.

[0071] The rotating shaft 142a of the agitation supplying member 142 is set to have a relatively large outer diameter compared to the agitation transporting member 143. The agitation supplying member 142 uniformly transports the developer 4 along the axial direction of the developing roll 141 while regulating the amount of the developer 4 to be transported to a required amount. The agitation supplying member 142 is rotated in a required rotational direction by the rotational driving force transmitted from the developing roll 141.

[0072] Inside the device housing 140, an agitation conveying member 143 as an example of a second conveying means consisting of a screw auger (admix auger) or the like that conveys while agitating the developer 4 supplied to the inside of the device housing 140 is disposed obliquely below the agitation supplying member 142 along the vertical direction Z. As shown in Fig. 4, the agitation conveying member 143 has one or two (two in the illustrated example) conveying blades 143b spirally provided on the outer periphery of a rotating shaft 143a. The agitation conveying member 143 is rotationally driven in a required rotation direction by a driving force transmitted from the agitation supplying member 142 or the like.

[0073] 4, in this embodiment 1, a driving force transmission unit 159 having a built-in transmission gear (not shown) that transmits a driving force from the agitation supplying member 142 to the agitation conveying member 143 is provided at one end along the axial direction of the agitation supplying member 142 and the agitation conveying member 143. The transmission gears of the agitation supplying member 142 and the agitation conveying member 143 are directly meshed with each other, and the agitation conveying member 143 is configured to rotate in the opposite direction to the agitation supplying member 142.

[0074] However, the rotation direction of the agitation supply member 142 and the agitation transport member 143 is not limited to this, and the agitation supply member 142 and the agitation transport member 143 may be configured to rotate in the same direction by interposing an intermediate gear between them.

[0075] To explain further, in the illustrated embodiment 1, the agitation supply member 142 rotates in a clockwise direction as shown in Fig. 6. This is to efficiently supply new developer 4 transferred from the agitation transport member 143 to the agitation supply member 142 to the upstream side of the layer thickness regulating member 144 of the developing roll 141 by the agitation supply member 142 rotating in a clockwise direction as shown in Fig. 3.

[0076] The agitation supply member 142 is an example of a first conveyance means constituting the powder conveying device, and the agitation conveyance member 143 is an example of a second conveyance means constituting the powder conveying device.

[0077] As shown in FIG. 3, the lower housing 140a is provided with a first storage section 147 and a second storage section 148 each having a cross-sectional shape of a substantially semi-cylindrical shape. The first storage section 147 stores the agitation supply member 142. The second storage section 148 stores the agitation transport member 143. The first storage section 147 and the second storage section 148 are partitioned by a partition wall 152 provided in the lower housing 140a. Above the first storage section 147 is a space of the developer storage chamber 150. The upper housing 140b is provided with a third storage section 153 formed to form a part of a cross-sectional shape of a substantially cylindrical shape that forms a transport passage for the developer 4 together with the second storage section 148 of the lower housing 140a. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3, the partition wall 152 is integrally formed with the lower housing 140a.

[0078] 4, first and second passages 154 and 155 are provided at both ends of the partition wall 152 along the longitudinal direction, respectively, for transferring the developer 4 between the agitation supply member 142 and the agitation transport member 143. The end of the agitation transport member 143 on the inner side along the axial direction is extended so as to protrude from the rear side of the device housing 140, as shown in FIG. 4. The extended portion of the agitation transport member 143 is provided with a substantially cylindrical supply section 156 with a closed end. The substantially cylindrical supply section 156 has a supply port 157 through which the developer 4 of the corresponding color is supplied from the toner cartridge 145 (Y, M, C, K). The supply port 157 is covered by a shutter member (not shown) so as to be openable and closable.

[0079] In FIG. 4, reference numeral 158 denotes a coupling portion that transmits a rotational driving force to the developing roll 141 from the apparatus main body 1a side.

[0080] The developing device 14 configured as described above is a device that is provided in each of the imaging devices 10 (Y, M, C, K) for yellow (Y), magenta (M), cyan (C) and black (K) in response to the demand for compactness required for the image forming apparatus 1, and there is a demand for compactness, particularly in terms of width along the horizontal direction.

[0081] In order to reduce the horizontal width of the developing device 14, measures such as reducing the diameter of the developing roll 141, the agitation supply member 142, and the agitation transport member 143, and arranging the agitation supply member 142 and the agitation transport member 143 at an angle along the vertical direction Z rather than arranging them along the horizontal direction X, are taken.

[0082] In this case, when the agitation supply member 142 and the agitation transport member 143 are arranged so as to be inclined along the vertical direction Z, the inventors have found through their investigation that the following technical problem arises.

[0083] When the agitation supply member 142 is positioned diagonally above the agitation transport member 143 in the vertical direction Z (see Figure 3), or directly above the agitation transport member 143 in the vertical direction Z, the developer 4 needs to be transported diagonally upward along the vertical direction Z or directly upward along the vertical direction Z in the first and second passage portions 154, 155, which are examples of openings for exchanging developer between the agitation supply member 142 and the agitation transport member 143, and the first passage portion 154, which is an example of an opening for transporting developer 4 from the agitation transport member 143 located diagonally below along the vertical direction Z to the agitation supply member 142 located diagonally above along the vertical direction Z,.

[0084] At that time, the stirring supply member 142, which is arranged diagonally upward along the vertical direction Z, pumps up and transports the developer 4 received through the first passage portion 154 using the transport blade 142b provided in a spiral shape on the outer periphery of the rotating shaft 142a, and supplies it to the developing roll 141.

[0085] 7(a)(b), the conventional developing device has a downstream end 154a along the transport direction of the first passage portion 154 shaped vertically along the vertical direction that intersects with the transport direction of the developer 4. Therefore, when the developer 4 is pumped up from the agitation transport member 143 through the first passage portion 154 to the agitation supply member 142 located diagonally above along the vertical direction Z and transported by the agitation supply member 142 passes through the downstream end 154a along the transport direction of the first passage portion 154, it falls downward from the gap G between the transport blade 142b of the agitation supply member 142 and the downstream end 154a, and the amount of the developer 4 supplied to the developing roll 141 is reduced accordingly.

[0086] Incidentally, the same technical problem occurs when the agitation supply member 142 is disposed directly above the agitation transport member 143 in the vertical direction Z.

[0087] Therefore, in order to solve such technical problems, the powder conveying device of this embodiment 1 is equipped with a first conveying means having a spiral blade on the outer periphery of a rotating shaft to convey powder, which is handed over from below in the direction of gravity to above through an opening, in a first direction from an area corresponding to the opening, and the downstream end of the opening along the first direction is arranged to face the same direction as the inclination direction of the blades of the first conveying means facing the opening.

[0088] That is, in the developing device 14 to which the powder conveying device of this embodiment 1 is applied, as shown in Figures 8 and 9, the downstream end 154a along the conveying direction of the agitation supply member 142 in the first passage portion 154 is positioned so as to face in the same direction as the inclination direction of the conveying blade 142b of the agitation supply member 142 facing the first passage portion 154.

[0089] Here, the downstream end 154a of the first passage portion 154 along the conveying direction of the agitation supply member 142 is in the same direction as the inclination direction of the conveying blade 142b means that a straight line approximating the inclination direction of the conveying blade 142b and the downstream end 154a of the first passage portion 154 are inclined to the same side, either left or right, with respect to the rotation shaft 142a of the agitation supply member 142, but does not necessarily mean that they are parallel. Therefore, the downstream end 154a of the first passage portion 154 is not limited to a straight line, and may be formed in a combination of a straight line and a curved line or in a curved shape.

[0090] 5, the conveying blade 142b of the agitation supply member 142 is formed in a spiral shape so as to be inclined from the lower left to the upper right. Therefore, in this embodiment 1, the downstream end 154a of the first passage portion 154 is arranged so as to be inclined so as to be parallel to a straight line L which approximates the inclination of the conveying blade 142b of the agitation supply member 142 facing the first passage portion 154.

[0091] The partition wall 152 in which the first passage portion 154 is opened is arranged at an incline with respect to the vertical direction Z so as to be perpendicular to the straight line connecting the center of the rotation shaft 142a of the agitation supply member 142 and the center of the rotation shaft 143a of the agitation transport member 143, as shown in Fig. 3. As a result, the downstream end 154a of the first passage portion 154 along the transport direction of the agitation supply member 142 is arranged at an incline with respect to the vertical direction Z, similar to the partition wall 152. Moreover, the downstream end 154a of the first passage portion 154 along the transport direction of the agitation supply member 142 is arranged at an incline with respect to the straight line L provided on the surface of the partition wall 152 by approximating the inclination of the transport blade 142b of the agitation supply member 142, as shown in Figs. 7 and 8.

[0092] As a result, when the agitation supply member 142 is viewed from the agitation conveying member 143 side along a straight line connecting the centers of the rotation shaft 142a of the agitation supply member 142 and the rotation shaft 143a of the agitation conveying member 143, as shown by the imaginary line indicated by a dotted line in Figure 5, the downstream end 154a of the first passage portion 154 along the conveying direction of the agitation supply member 142 is arranged at an incline parallel to a straight line L that approximates the inclination of the conveying blade 142b of the agitation supply member 142.

[0093] More specifically, a downstream end 154a of the first passage portion 154 in the conveying direction of the agitation supply member 142 is formed in a straight line inclined with respect to the vertical direction (gravity direction) Z.

[0094] <Function of the developing device> In the above configuration, in the developing device of embodiment 1, it is possible to prevent powder passed upward in the direction of gravity from falling from the downstream end of the opening, compared to when the downstream end of the opening along the first direction is positioned facing a direction perpendicular to the powder transport direction, as follows.

[0095] That is, in an image forming apparatus 1 to which the developing device of this embodiment 1 is applied, as shown in Figures 1 and 2, in the developing devices 14 of each of the image creating devices 10 (Y, M, C, K) for yellow (Y), magenta (M), cyan (C) and black (K), the electrostatic latent image formed on the surface of the photosensitive drum 11 is developed with toner of the developer 4 of the corresponding color (Y, M, C, K) to become a toner image.

[0096] As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the developing device 14 receives developer 4 containing at least toner from toner cartridges 145 (Y, M, C, K) through a supply port 157 into the device housing 140 as appropriate.

[0097] The developer 4 supplied inside the device housing 140 is mixed with the developer 4 inside the device housing 140 by the mixing and conveying member 143 and conveyed along the conveying direction of the mixing and conveying member 143, from the right direction to the left direction in FIG.

[0098] The developer 4 transported to the end along the axial direction of the stirring and transporting member 143 is transported in the reverse direction (from left to right in Figure 4) by a reverse transport blade 143c provided at the end along the transport direction of the stirring and transporting member 143, and is pumped up through the first passage portion 154 to the stirring supply member 142 located diagonally upward along the vertical direction Z, and is transported in the transport direction, from left to right in Figure 4.

[0099] In this case, the downstream end 154a of the first passage portion 154 is inclined so as to be parallel to a straight line L that approximates the inclination of the conveying blade 142b of the agitation supply member 142 facing the first passage portion 154, as shown in Figures 8 and 9.

[0100] As a result, no gap G occurs between the downstream end 154a of the first passage portion 154 and the transport blade 142b of the stirring supply member 142 facing the first passage portion 154, or even if a gap G occurs, it is small, and the developer 4 is prevented from falling downward toward the stirring transport member 143 through the gap G between the downstream end 154a and the transport blade 142b.

[0101] Therefore, in the developing device 14 of this embodiment 1, even when the agitation supply member 142 is positioned diagonally above the agitation transport member 143 in the vertical direction Z to reduce the size of the device, the developer 4 can be efficiently transferred and transported from the agitation transport member 143 located diagonally below in the vertical direction Z to the agitation supply member 142 located diagonally above in the vertical direction Z.

[0102] In this way, the downstream end 154a of the first passage portion 154 along the transport direction of the agitation supply member 142 can effectively prevent the developer 4 from falling from the downstream end 154a of the first passage portion 154, compared to a case where the end 154a is not parallel to the straight line L that approximates the inclination of the transport blade 142b of the agitation supply member 142.

[0103] Furthermore, the downstream end 154a of the first passage portion 154 along the conveying direction of the agitation supply member 142 is easier to form than when the downstream end 154a is formed in a shape other than a straight line.

[0104] [Embodiment 2] 10 and 11 are configuration diagrams showing a developing device according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

[0105] In the developing device 14 according to the second embodiment, the rotation direction of the agitation supply member is set to be opposite to that of the first embodiment.

[0106] That is, as shown in Fig. 10, developing device 14 according to this embodiment 2 is configured so that the rotation direction of agitation supply member 142 is counterclockwise when viewed from the upstream side to the downstream side along the transport direction of agitation supply member 142. Therefore, as shown in Fig. 11, agitation supply member 142 is formed so that transport blade 142b provided on the outer periphery of rotation shaft 142a is spirally shaped along the clockwise direction when viewed from the upstream side to the downstream side along the transport direction of agitation supply member 142.

[0107] Incidentally, in the developing device 14 according to this embodiment 2, as shown in FIG. 11, the downstream end 154a along the transport direction of the agitation supply member 142, which is the first direction of the first passage portion 154, is arranged inclined from the upper left to the lower right with respect to the vertical direction Z, which is a direction intersecting the transport direction of the developer 4, so as to face in the same direction as the inclination direction of the transport blade 142b of the agitation supply member 142 facing the first passage portion 154, that is, in FIG. 11, the inclination direction from the upper left to the lower right.

[0108] The other configurations and operations are the same as those of the first embodiment, and therefore the description thereof will be omitted.

[0109] In the above embodiment, the case where the present invention is applied to a full-color image forming apparatus has been described, but it is needless to say that the present invention can also be applied to a monochrome image forming apparatus in the same manner.

[0110] In addition, in the above embodiment, the powder transport device is described as being applied to a developing device, but this is not limited to this, and it is of course possible to apply the powder transport device to a waste toner recovery device, etc.

[0111] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the first and second conveying means are described as conveying developer as an example of powder by circulating it, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the first and second conveying means may convey powder in the same direction, or in the same or different directions, and may be provided with a conveying path that is not limited to a straight conveying path but is partially or entirely curved. Also, the powder conveying path is not limited to being arranged along the horizontal direction, but may be arranged at an angle to the horizontal direction.

[0112] Similarly, the powder is not limited to a developer, and the powder can be applied to a wide range of powders.

[0113] (Additional Note) (((1))) a first conveying means disposed downstream of the opening, the first conveying means having a spiral blade on an outer periphery of a rotating shaft, for conveying the powder, which is delivered from below in the direction of gravity to above through the opening, in a first direction from a region corresponding to the opening, A powder conveying device arranged so that the downstream end of the opening along the first direction faces the same direction as the inclination direction of the blades of the first conveying means facing the opening. (((2))) A powder conveying device as described in (((1))), wherein a downstream end of the opening along a first direction is inclined so as to be parallel to a straight line approximating the inclination of the blades of the first conveying means facing the opening. (((3))) The powder conveying device according to (((2))), wherein a downstream end of the opening along the first direction is formed in a straight line inclined with respect to the direction of gravity. (((4))) The powder conveying device described in (((1))) is provided with a second conveying means that conveys the powder below the opening in the direction of gravity to the opening and passes it upward through the opening. (((5))) The powder conveying device according to ((4))), wherein the conveying direction of the second conveying means is opposite to the first direction. (((6))) The powder conveying device described in (((1))) above, wherein the first conveying means has a rotating shaft that rotates in a clockwise direction when viewed from the upstream side of the first direction, and the blades are arranged in a spiral shape that rotates in a counterclockwise direction when viewed from the upstream side of the first direction. (((7))) A powder conveying device as described in (((6))), wherein the downstream end of the opening in the first direction is inclined so that the upper end in the direction of gravity is located downstream in the first direction from the lower end. (((8))) The powder conveying device described in (((1))) above, wherein the first conveying means has a rotating shaft that rotates in a counterclockwise direction when viewed from the upstream side of the first direction, and the blades are arranged in a spiral shape that rotates in a clockwise direction when viewed from the upstream side of the first direction. (((9))) A powder conveying device as described in (((8))), wherein the downstream end of the opening in the first direction is inclined so that the upper end in the direction of gravity is located upstream in the first direction than the lower end. (((10))) A transport means for transporting a developer is provided, A developing device using the powder transport device described in any one of ((1))) to (((9))) as the transport means. (((11))) an image holding means for holding an electrostatic latent image; a developing means for developing the electrostatic latent image on the image holding means; Equipped with An image forming apparatus using the developing device described in (((10))) as the developing means.

[0114] The powder conveying device of (((1))) can prevent powder that is passed upward in the direction of gravity from falling from the downstream end of the opening, compared to a case in which the downstream end of the opening along the first direction is positioned facing a direction perpendicular to the powder conveying direction. According to the powder conveying device of (((2))), the inclination of the blades of the first conveying means is not parallel to an approximating straight line, and therefore, it is possible to effectively prevent powder from falling from the downstream end of the opening. According to the powder conveying device of (((3))), the opening can be formed more easily than in the case where the downstream end is formed in a shape other than a straight line. According to the powder conveying device of (((4))), the powder can be delivered more reliably than when the second conveying means is not provided. According to the powder conveying device of (((5))), compared to when the conveying direction of the second conveying means is the same as the first direction, it is possible to efficiently transfer powder, which has a tendency to accumulate in front of the opening, upward while preventing the powder from falling from the opening. The powder conveying device according to (((6))) can be applied to the first conveying means in which a clockwise rotation direction of the rotation shaft is advantageous. According to the powder conveying device of (((7))), it is easier to form the downstream end of the opening along the first direction compared to when the upper end along the direction of gravity is located upstream in the first direction from the lower end. The powder conveying device according to (((8))) can be applied to the first conveying means in which the rotation direction of the rotation shaft is advantageously counterclockwise. According to the powder conveying device of (((9))), compared to the case where the upper end in the direction of gravity is located downstream in the first direction from the lower end, it is possible to address this by arranging the member forming the downstream end of the opening in the first direction upward in the direction of gravity. The developing device according to (((10))) can prevent powder transferred upward in the direction of gravity from falling from the downstream end of the opening, compared to when the powder conveying device according to any of (((1))) to (((9))) is not used as the conveying means. According to the image forming apparatus of (((11))), compared to when the developing device described in (((10))) is not used as the developing means, the developer can be transferred upward in the direction of gravity more reliably, making it possible to accommodate miniaturization of the developing device. [Explanation of symbols]

[0115] 1...Image forming device 1a…Device body 11...Photoconductor drum 14...Developing device 140...Device housing 141...Developing roll 142...Agitation supply member 142a...Rotating shaft 142b...Conveyor blade 154…First passage 154a...end

Claims

1. a first conveying means disposed downstream of the opening, the first conveying means having a spiral blade on an outer periphery of a rotating shaft for conveying the powder, which is delivered from below in the direction of gravity to above through the opening, in a first direction from a region corresponding to the opening, A powder conveying device arranged so that a downstream end of the opening along a first direction faces the same direction as the inclination direction of the blades of the first conveying means facing the opening.

2. 2. The powder conveying device according to claim 1, wherein a downstream end of the opening along the first direction is inclined so as to be parallel to a straight line approximating the inclination of the blades of the first conveying means facing the opening.

3. The powder transport device according to claim 2 , wherein a downstream end of the opening in the first direction is formed in a straight line inclined with respect to the direction of gravity.

4. 2. The powder transport device according to claim 1, further comprising a second transport means for transporting the powder below the opening in the direction of gravity to the opening and transferring the powder upward through the opening.

5. 5. The powder transport device according to claim 4, wherein a transport direction of the second transport means is opposite to the first direction.

6. 2. The powder conveying device according to claim 1, wherein the first conveying means has a rotating shaft that rotates in a clockwise direction when viewed from the upstream side of the first direction, and the blades are arranged in a spiral shape that rotates in a counterclockwise direction when viewed from the upstream side of the first direction.

7. 7. The powder conveying device according to claim 6, wherein a downstream end of the opening in the first direction is inclined so that an upper end in the direction of gravity is located downstream in the first direction from a lower end.

8. 2. The powder conveying device according to claim 1, wherein the first conveying means has a rotating shaft that rotates in a counterclockwise direction when viewed from the upstream side of the first direction, and the blades are arranged in a spiral shape in a clockwise direction when viewed from the upstream side of the first direction.

9. 9. The powder conveying device according to claim 8, wherein a downstream end of the opening in the first direction is inclined so that an upper end in the direction of gravity is located upstream in the first direction from a lower end.

10. A transport means for transporting a developer is provided, A developing device using the powder transport device according to any one of claims 1 to 9 as said transport means.

11. an image holding means for holding an electrostatic latent image; a developing means for developing the electrostatic latent image on the image holding means; Equipped with An image forming apparatus using the developing device according to claim 10 as the developing means.

Images