Image forming apparatus

Abstract

To prevent a toner cartridge from vibrating due to the influence of a drum cartridge.SOLUTION: An image forming apparatus comprises an apparatus body 10, drum cartridges, and toner cartridges 60. The drum cartridge has a drum frame, and a photoconductor drum. The toner cartridge 60 has a developing roller, a toner memory 65, a holder 66, and a cover 67. The toner memory 65 is fixed to the holder 66. The cover 67 holds the holder 66 movably relative to a toner housing 61. The toner cartridge 60 mounted on the drum frame is movable, while being mounted on the apparatus body 10, between a contact position where the developing roller is in contact with the photoconductor drum and a separation position where the developing roller is separated from the photoconductor drum. When the toner cartridge 60 is located at the contact position, the cover 67 is in contact with the apparatus body 10 in a direction orthogonal to an axial direction.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 10

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an image forming apparatus equipped with a removable toner cartridge. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, an image forming apparatus equipped with a detachable toner cartridge has been known (see Patent Document 1). The toner cartridge is attached to a drum cartridge and then installed in the main body of the image forming apparatus. In this image forming apparatus, the toner cartridge is movable between a contact position where the developing roller contacts the photosensitive drum and a separation position where the developing roller is separated from the photosensitive drum. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2023-050874 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In the image forming device of Patent Document 1, when the toner cartridge is located in the contact position, the housing of the toner cartridge is in contact with the frame of the drum cartridge, thereby positioning the toner cartridge relative to the device body. Therefore, when the drum cartridge vibrates, there is a risk that the toner cartridge will vibrate due to the influence of the drum cartridge.

[0005] Therefore, an object of the present disclosure is to suppress vibration of the toner cartridge due to the influence of the drum cartridge. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The image forming apparatus for solving the above-mentioned problems includes a main body, a drum cartridge, and a toner cartridge. The drum cartridge is detachably attached to the main body of the device and includes a drum frame and a photosensitive drum. The photosensitive drum is rotatably held by the drum frame and rotates about a first shaft extending in the axial direction. The toner cartridge is detachably attached to the drum frame. The toner cartridge has a toner housing, a developing roller, a toner memory, a holder, and a cover. The toner housing can accommodate toner therein. The developing roller can rotate about a second axis extending in the axial direction. The toner memory can store information about the toner cartridge. The toner memory is fixed to the holder. The cover is fixed to the toner housing. The cover holds the holder movably relative to the toner housing. The toner cartridge mounted on the drum frame is movable between a contact position where the developing roller contacts the photosensitive drum and a separation position where the developing roller is separated from the photosensitive drum when mounted in the device main body. When the toner cartridge is located at the contact position, the cover comes into contact with the device body in a direction perpendicular to the axial direction. When the toner cartridge is in the separated position, the cover does not come into contact with the main body of the device.

[0007] When the toner cartridge is positioned at the contact position, it comes into contact with the cover device body in a direction perpendicular to the axial direction, so that the toner cartridge comes into direct contact with the device body at the contact position without going through the drum cartridge, thereby suppressing the toner cartridge from vibrating due to the influence of the drum cartridge.

[0008] The device body may further include an electrical contact, and the toner memory may be in contact with the electrical contact whether the toner cartridge is in the contact position or the separated position.

[0009] The toner cartridge may further include a developing coupling for inputting a driving force to the developing roller, the developing coupling being located on one side of the toner housing in the axial direction, and the cover may be configured to be located on one side of the toner housing in the axial direction.

[0010] By positioning both the development coupling and the cover on one side in the axial direction, external forces are prevented from being applied simultaneously from both one side and the other side in the axial direction, and therefore twisting of the entire toner cartridge can be prevented.

[0011] The cover may be positioned outside the photosensitive drum in the axial direction.

[0012] The drum cartridge may have a protrusion that protrudes from the drum frame toward the toner cartridge. When the toner cartridge is in the contact position, the protrusion may not contact the toner cartridge. When the developing roller is in the separated position, the protrusion may contact the toner cartridge in a direction perpendicular to the axial direction of the device main body.

[0013] When the developing roller is positioned in the separated position, the protrusion contacts the toner cartridge in a direction perpendicular to the axial direction of the device body, so that when the toner cartridge is positioned in the separated position, the posture of the toner cartridge can be prevented from changing significantly from the contact posture.

[0014] The protrusion may also include a first protrusion located at one end of the drum frame in the axial direction, and a second protrusion located at the other end of the drum frame in the axial direction.

[0015] Furthermore, since the protrusion includes the first protrusion and the second protrusion, contact can be made from the end on one side and the end on the other side when the toner cartridge is located at the separated position.

[0016] The protrusion may also extend in the axial direction.

[0017] The device body may also have a first side frame and a second side frame positioned axially away from the first side frame. The drum cartridge and toner cartridge may be mounted between the first side frame and the second side frame. The cover may be configured to contact the first side frame when the toner cartridge is positioned at the contact position. [Effects of the Invention]

[0018] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to suppress vibration of the toner cartridge due to the influence of the drum cartridge. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0019] [Figure 1] 1 is a cross-sectional view showing an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing the image forming apparatus with the top cover open. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a drum frame and a toner cartridge. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the drum cartridge as seen from a different direction from that of FIG. 3. [Figure 5] FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the toner cartridge as seen from a different direction from that of FIG. 3. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating the positional relationship between the first frame, the second frame, the drum cartridge, and the toner cartridge, as viewed from the rear of the image forming apparatus. [Figure 7] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a first frame. [Figure 8] 10 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the drum cartridge and the toner cartridge are mounted on the first side frame and the developing roller is in the separated position. FIG. [Figure 9] 10 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the drum cartridge and the toner cartridge are attached to the first side frame and the toner cartridge is positioned at the contact position. FIG. [Figure 10](a) is a cross-sectional view of the vicinity of the toner memory when the drum cartridge and toner cartridge are attached to the first side frame and the developing roller is positioned in the separated position, and (b) is a cross-sectional view of the vicinity of the toner memory when the drum cartridge and toner cartridge are attached to the first side frame and the developing roller is positioned in the pressed position. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0020] Embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. As shown in FIG. 1, image forming apparatus 1 is a color printer. In the following description, the front side (left side in FIG. 1) as viewed from the user using image forming apparatus 1 is referred to as the "front" and the back side (right side in FIG. 1) as the "rear." The up-down direction is the vertical direction. The front-rear direction is perpendicular to the up-down direction. Image forming apparatus 1 includes a device main body 10, a top cover 15, a sheet supply unit 20, and an image forming unit 30.

[0021] The top cover 15 is located at the top of the device body 10. The top cover 15 is rotatable between a closed position shown in FIG. 1 and an open position shown in FIG. 2. The open position is a position where the opening 10A is opened. The closed position is a position where the opening 10A is closed. The user can open the opening 10A by rotating the top cover 15 upward.

[0022] The sheet supply unit 20 is located at the bottom inside the device main body 10. The sheet supply unit 20 has a supply tray 21 and a pickup roller 22. The supply tray 21 stores sheets S. The pickup roller 22 supplies the sheets S from the supply tray 21 to the image forming unit 30. The sheets S in the supply tray 21 are separated one by one by the pickup roller 22 and supplied to the image forming unit 30.

[0023] The image forming unit 30 includes four LED heads 40, four drum cartridges 50, four toner cartridges 60, a transfer unit 70, and a fixing unit 80. The four LED heads 40, the four drum cartridges 50, and the four toner cartridges 60 are aligned in the front-to-rear direction.

[0024] The LED heads 40 are attached to the top cover 15. As the top cover 15 moves from the closed position to the open position, each LED head 40 is movable between an exposure position (position in FIG. 1) where it exposes the photosensitive drum 53 and a retracted position (position in FIG. 2) that is farther away from the photosensitive drum 53 than the exposure position. When the LED head 40 is located at the exposure position, the multiple LEDs expose the surface of the photosensitive drum 53.

[0025] The four drum cartridges 50 are arranged side by side between the top cover 15 and the supply tray 21. The drum cartridges 50 are detachable from the device main body 10. As shown in FIG. 2, the drum cartridges 50 are installed through the opening 10A when the top cover 15 is in the open position.

[0026] 1 shows a cross-sectional view of the internal structure of only one of the four drum cartridges 50 and four toner cartridges 60. The drum cartridge 50 includes a drum frame 52, a photosensitive drum 53, a charger 55, and a drum coupling 56 (see FIGS. 3 and 6).

[0027] 4, the drum frame 52 has an opposing surface 52A, a first protrusion 52B, and a second protrusion 52C. The first protrusion 52B and the second protrusion 52C are examples of protrusions that protrude from the drum frame 52 toward the toner cartridge 60.

[0028] The facing surface 52A is a surface that faces the toner cartridge 60 when the toner cartridge 60 is attached to the drum frame 52.

[0029] The first protrusion 52B is located at one end of the drum frame 52 in the axial direction. The first protrusion 52B is a protrusion that protrudes from the opposing surface 52A. The first protrusion 52B extends in the axial direction. In the following description, the direction in which the first shaft 53X of the photosensitive drum 53 extends is simply referred to as the "axial direction." The direction of the arrow in the drawing indicates one side in the axial direction. The direction opposite to one side is referred to as the other side.

[0030] The second protrusion 52C is located at the other axial end of the drum frame 52. The second protrusion 52C is a protrusion that protrudes from the opposing surface 52A. The second protrusion 52C extends in the axial direction.

[0031] The photosensitive drum 53 rotates about a first shaft 53X extending in the axial direction. The photosensitive drum 53 is rotatably held by a drum frame 52.

[0032] The charger 55 is supported by the drum frame 52. The charger 55 is capable of charging the surface of the photosensitive drum 53.

[0033] The drum coupling 56 inputs a driving force to the photosensitive drum 53. The drum coupling 56 is located on one side of the drum frame 52 in the axial direction.

[0034] The toner cartridge 60 is detachably attached to the drum frame 52. The toner cartridge 60 is attached to the apparatus main body 10 while attached to the drum frame 52. The toner cartridge 60 has a toner housing 61, an agitator 62, a developing roller 63, and a supply roller 64.

[0035] The toner housing 61 can store toner inside. As shown in Fig. 5, the toner housing 61 has a second opposing surface 61A. The second opposing surface 61A is a surface that faces a part of the device main body 10 when the toner cartridge 60 attached to the drum cartridge 50 is attached to the device main body 10.

[0036] Returning to FIG. 1 , the agitator 62 agitates the toner in the toner housing 61. The developing roller 63 is rotatable about a second shaft 63X extending in the axial direction. The developing roller 63 supplies toner to the photosensitive drum 53. The supply roller 64 supplies toner in the toner housing 61 to the developing roller 63.

[0037] As shown in FIG. 3, the toner cartridge 60 includes a toner memory 65 , a holder 66 , a cover 67 , and a developing coupling 68 .

[0038] The toner memory 65 can store information about the toner cartridge 60. The information about the toner cartridge 60 includes, for example, the serial number of the toner cartridge 60, the usage history of the toner cartridge 60, the cumulative number of rotations of the developing roller 63, and the dot count using the toner cartridge 60. The toner memory 65 is, for example, an IC chip, but is not limited to an IC chip.

[0039] The toner memory 65 is fixed to the holder 66. The holder 66 is movably attached to the toner housing 61. The holder 66 is located at one end of the toner housing 61 in the axial direction. More specifically, the holder 66 is located outside the drum cartridge 50 in the axial direction, more specifically, on one side of the drum cartridge 50 in the axial direction. The holder 66 has a boss 66B that protrudes on one side in the axial direction (see FIG. 5).

[0040] The cover 67 holds the holder 66 movably relative to the toner housing 61. The cover 67 is fixed to the toner housing 61. The cover 67 has a hole 67H and an abutment portion 67A (see FIG. 5). The hole 67H is a hole for attaching the holder 66. A boss 66B of the holder 66 fits into the hole 67H. The abutment portion 67A is located at one end of the cover 67 in the axial direction. The abutment portion 67A will be described later.

[0041] The cover 67 is located at one end in the axial direction of the toner housing 61. As shown in Fig. 6, the cover 67 is located on one side in the axial direction of the toner housing 61. The cover 67 is also located outside the photosensitive drum 53 in the axial direction, more specifically, on one side in the axial direction of the photosensitive drum 53.

[0042] The developing coupling 68 inputs a driving force to the developing roller 63. The developing coupling 68 is located on one side of the toner casing 61 in the axial direction.

[0043] Returning to FIG. 1 , the transfer unit 70 is located between the supply tray 21 and the drum cartridge 50. The transfer unit 70 has a drive roller 71, a driven roller 72, a conveyor belt 73, and four transfer rollers 74. The conveyor belt 73 is an endless belt that covers the drive roller 71 and the driven roller 72. The outer circumferential surface of the conveyor belt 73 contacts the four photosensitive drums 53. The inner circumferential surface of the conveyor belt 73 contacts the four transfer rollers 74. Therefore, the photosensitive drums 53 and the transfer rollers 74 sandwich the conveyor belt 73 therebetween.

[0044] The fixing unit 80 is located behind the drum cartridge 50 and the transfer unit 70. The fixing unit 80 has a heating roller 81 and a pressure roller 82. The pressure roller 82 faces the heating roller 81. The pressure roller 82 presses the heating roller 81.

[0045] In the image forming unit 30 configured as described above, the surface of the photosensitive drum 53 is charged by the charger 55, and then the surface of the photosensitive drum 53 is exposed by the LED head 40. As a result, an electrostatic latent image based on image data is formed on the surface of the photosensitive drum 53. Then, toner is supplied from the toner cartridge 60 to the surface of the photosensitive drum 53, whereby the electrostatic latent image is made visible and a toner image is formed on the photosensitive drum 53.

[0046] The toner images formed on the photosensitive drums 53 are transferred by transfer rollers 74 onto the sheet S being conveyed on the conveyor belt 73, one after the other, in a superimposed manner. The sheet S onto which the toner images have been transferred is conveyed between a heating roller 81 and a pressure roller 82, whereby the toner images are thermally fixed. Thereafter, the sheet S is discharged from inside the device main body 10 to the outside of the device main body 10 by conveyor rollers 91, and is placed on a discharge tray 15B on the upper surface of the top cover 15.

[0047] As shown in FIG. 6 , the device main body 10 has a first side frame 11 and a second side frame 12. The first side frame 11 is a frame that constitutes one side of the device main body 10 in the axial direction. The second side frame 12 is a frame that constitutes the other side of the device main body 10 in the axial direction. The second side frame 12 is located axially away from the first side frame 11. The drum cartridge 50 and the toner cartridge 60 are mounted between the first side frame 11 and the second side frame 12.

[0048] As shown in FIG. 7, the first side frame 11 has a guide groove 11A, an electrical contact 11B, a drum driving portion 11C, a development driving portion 11D, and a contact rib 11E.

[0049] The guide groove 11A is a groove that guides the installation of the drum cartridge 50 and the toner cartridge 60. The guide groove 11A guides one axial end of the drum cartridge 50 and the toner cartridge 60. The guide groove 11A is formed on the inner wall of the first side frame 11. The guide groove 11A is inclined toward the rear as it extends downward.

[0050] The guide groove 11A has a side wall W1, a front wall W2, and a rear wall W3. The side wall W1 faces the other axial direction. The front wall W2 is a wall that forms the front side of the guide groove 11A. The rear wall W3 is a wall that forms the rear side of the guide groove 11A.

[0051] The electrical contact 11B is located at the top of the rear wall W3. The electrical contact 11B faces in a direction perpendicular to the vertical and axial directions. When the drum cartridge 50 and the toner cartridge 60 are installed, the electrical contact 11B faces and contacts the toner memory 65. When the electrical contact 11B contacts the toner memory 65, it becomes possible to read information from the toner memory 65.

[0052] The drum driving unit 11C is disposed on the side wall W1. When the drum cartridge 50 and the toner cartridge 60 are installed, the drum driving unit 11C engages with the drum coupling 56. The drum driving unit 11C drives the photosensitive drum 53 by engaging with the drum coupling 56.

[0053] The developing drive unit 11D is disposed at the bottom of the side wall W1. The developing drive unit 11D engages with the developing coupling 68 when the drum cartridge 50 and the toner cartridge 60 are installed. The developing drive unit 11D drives the developing roller 63 by engaging with the developing coupling 68.

[0054] The contact rib 11E is disposed on the upper part of the front wall W2. The contact rib 11E is a rib that protrudes from the front wall W2 and extends in the axial direction. The contact rib 11E will be described later.

[0055] Here, the toner cartridge 60 mounted on the drum frame 52 is movable between a separated position shown in FIG. 8 and a contact position shown in FIG. 9 when mounted in the apparatus main body 10.

[0056] As shown in FIG. 8, when the toner cartridge 60 is located at the separated position, the developing roller 63 is separated from the photosensitive drum 53.

[0057] When the toner cartridge 60 is located in the separated position, the second opposing surface 61A of the toner cartridge 60 comes into contact with the first protrusion 52B and the second protrusion 52C of the drum cartridge 50. More specifically, when the toner cartridge 60 is located in the separated position, the first protrusion 52B and the second protrusion 52C of the drum cartridge 50 come into contact with the toner cartridge 60 in a direction perpendicular to the axial direction. By the toner cartridge 60 coming into contact with the first protrusion 52B and the second protrusion 52C, the inclination of the toner cartridge 60 relative to the drum cartridge 50 is maintained at an angle similar to that when the toner cartridge 60 is located in the contact position.

[0058] As shown in FIG. 10(a), the toner memory 65 comes into contact with the electrical contact 11B when the toner cartridge 60 is in the separated position.

[0059] Furthermore, when the toner cartridge 60 is located at the separated position, the cover 67 of the toner cartridge 60 does not come into contact with any part of the apparatus main body 10 .

[0060] As shown in FIG. 9, when the toner cartridge 60 is located at the contact position, the developing roller 63 comes into contact with the photosensitive drum 53.

[0061] When the toner cartridge 60 is located at the contact position, the second opposing surface 61A of the toner cartridge 60 does not come into contact with the first protrusion 52B and the second protrusion 52C of the drum cartridge 50.

[0062] 10(b), the toner memory 65 comes into contact with the electrical contact 11B when the toner cartridge 60 is in the contact position. That is, the toner memory 65 comes into contact with the electrical contact 11B when the toner cartridge 60 is in both the contact position and the separated position.

[0063] When the toner cartridge 60 is located at the contact position, the cover 67 of the toner cartridge 60 comes into contact with the apparatus main body 10 in a direction perpendicular to the axial direction. More specifically, when the toner cartridge 60 is located at the contact position, the contact portion 67A of the cover 67 contacts the contact rib 11E formed in the guide groove 11A of the first side frame 11.

[0064] As described above, the following effects can be obtained in this embodiment. When the toner cartridge 60 is located at the contact position, the cover 67 comes into contact with the device main body 10 in a direction perpendicular to the axial direction. Therefore, at the contact position, the toner cartridge 60 comes into direct contact with the device main body 10 without going through the drum cartridge 50, which makes it possible to suppress vibration of the toner cartridge 60 due to the influence of the drum cartridge 50.

[0065] Furthermore, since the development coupling 68 and the cover 67 are both located on one side in the axial direction, external forces are prevented from being applied simultaneously from both one side and the other side in the axial direction, thereby preventing the entire toner cartridge 60 from twisting.

[0066] Furthermore, when the developing roller 63 is located in the separated position, the first protrusion 52B and the second protrusion 52C of the drum cartridge 50 contact the toner cartridge 60 in a direction perpendicular to the axial direction of the device main body 10. Therefore, the inclination of the toner cartridge 60 relative to the drum cartridge 50 is maintained at the same angle as when the toner cartridge 60 is located in the contact position, and a large change in posture is suppressed.

[0067] Since the protrusions of the drum cartridge 50 include the first protrusion 52B and the second protrusion 52C, contact can be made from one end and the other end when the toner cartridge 60 is located at the separated position.

[0068] Although the embodiment of the image forming apparatus 1 has been described above, the specific configuration can be changed as appropriate.

[0069] The number of drum cartridges 50 and toner cartridges 60 mounted in the device body 10 of the image forming apparatus 1 does not have to be four. For example, the number of drum cartridges 50 mounted in the device body 10 of the image forming apparatus 1 may be two to three, or five or more.

[0070] In the above-described embodiment, a color printer is exemplified, but the image forming apparatus may also be a copying machine, a multifunction machine, or the like.

[0071] The elements described in the above-described embodiment and modified examples can also be implemented in any combination. [Explanation of symbols]

[0072] 1. Image forming device 10. Device body 11 First side frame 12 Second side frame 50 drum cartridges 52 Drum Frame 53 Photosensitive drum 60 Toner Cartridges 61 Toner case 63 Developing roller 65 Toner Memory 66 Holder 67 Cover

Claims

1. A device body, a drum cartridge detachably attached to the device main body, the drum cartridge including a drum frame and a photosensitive drum rotatably held by the drum frame and rotating about a first shaft extending in the axial direction; A toner cartridge detachably attached to the drum frame, a toner housing capable of storing toner therein; a developing roller rotatable about a second axis extending in the axial direction; a toner memory capable of storing information about the toner cartridge; a holder to which the toner memory is fixed; a cover fixed to the toner housing and holding the holder movably relative to the toner housing; the toner cartridge mounted on the drum frame is movable between a contact position where the developing roller contacts the photosensitive drum and a separation position where the developing roller is separated from the photosensitive drum when the toner cartridge is mounted in the apparatus main body; When the toner cartridge is located at a contact position, the cover contacts the device body in a direction perpendicular to the axial direction, 10. An image forming apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the cover does not come into contact with the main body of the apparatus when the toner cartridge is located at the separated position.

2. the device body further has an electrical contact; 2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the toner memory is in contact with the electrical contacts when the toner cartridge is in the contact position and when the toner cartridge is in the separated position.

3. the toner cartridge further includes a development coupling for inputting a driving force to the development roller, the development coupling being located on one side of the toner casing in the axial direction, The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the cover is located on one side of the toner housing in the axial direction.

4. 2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the cover is positioned outside the photosensitive drum in the axial direction.

5. the drum cartridge has a protrusion protruding from the drum frame toward the toner cartridge, When the toner cartridge is located at a contact position, the protrusion does not contact the toner cartridge, 2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein when the developing roller is located at the separated position, the protrusion contacts the toner cartridge in a direction perpendicular to the axial direction of the apparatus main body.

6. The protrusion is a first protrusion located at one end of the drum frame in the axial direction; 6. The image forming apparatus according to claim 5, further comprising: a second protrusion located at the other end of the drum frame in the axial direction.

7. 6. The image forming apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the protrusion extends in the axial direction.

8. the device body includes a first side frame and a second side frame positioned apart from the first side frame in the axial direction, the drum cartridge and the toner cartridge are mounted between the first side frame and the second side frame, 2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the cover contacts the first side frame when the toner cartridge is located at the contact position.

Images