Developer container and image forming apparatus

Abstract

To provide a toner cartridge capable of stirring aggregated toner while reducing torque generated in a stirring member, and to provide an image forming apparatus.SOLUTION: A toner cartridge 20 which is attachable / detachable to / from an image forming apparatus and stores toner includes a toner stirring mechanism 30 which is arranged inside the cartridge and stirs the stored toner. The toner stirring mechanism 30 includes the first stirring member (the first rotation member 31) and the second stirring member (the second rotation member 32 and the stirring plate 33) that are rotatable around the same rotation shaft 311, the first stirring member and the second stirring member rotate in different regions to stir the toner, and the toner stirring mechanism 30 is capable of performing the first stirring operation in which only the first stirring member is rotationally driven and the second stirring operation in which the second stirring member is rotationally driven.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a developer container and an image forming apparatus. [Background technology]

[0002] The toner used in the image forming apparatus is stored in a toner cartridge (a developer storage container) and is supplied from the toner cartridge to a developing device. The toner cartridge is provided with an agitating member for agitating the toner stored therein. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2019-219437 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] The toner inside a toner cartridge can become compacted due to the storage conditions of the cartridge itself or due to vibrations during transportation, which can cause the toner to clump together. When the clumped toner is stirred, a large torque is generated in the stirring member. Driving the stirring member that generates a large torque requires a motor with a large rated torque and a stirring member that can withstand that force, which leads to increased costs for the image forming apparatus.

[0005] Patent Document 1 discloses a technology that can reduce the drive torque when agitating aggregated toner by providing two agitating members inside a toner container and a transmission mechanism that transmits agitation force to these agitating members. When the drive torque is large (when the drive torque exceeds a set value), the transmission mechanism in Patent Document 1 continues to transmit rotation to one agitating member while stopping transmission of rotation to the other agitating member. The technology in Patent Document 1 requires a transmission mechanism with a complex structure, a torque limiter, and an agitating member that can withstand the rotational force concentrated on just one agitating member, which leads to increased costs.

[0006] The present disclosure has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned problems, and aims to provide a developer container and an image forming apparatus that are capable of stirring aggregated toner while reducing the torque generated in the stirring member. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In order to solve the above problems, a developer storage container according to a first aspect of the present disclosure is a developer storage container that is detachable from an image forming apparatus and stores developer, and is provided with a developer stirring mechanism that is disposed inside the developer storage container and stirs the stored developer, the developer stirring mechanism including a first stirring member and a second stirring member that are rotatable around the same rotation axis, the first stirring member and the second stirring member rotating in different areas to stir the developer, and the developer stirring mechanism is characterized in that it is capable of a first stirring operation that rotates only the first stirring member and a second stirring operation that rotates the second stirring member.

[0008] The developer accommodating container may be configured such that, in the second agitating operation, both the first agitating member and the second agitating member are rotationally driven.

[0009] In the above-mentioned developer storage container, the first agitating member includes the rotating shaft that generates a rotational driving force, and the second agitating member is attached so as to be freely rotatable around the rotating shaft, and in the second agitating operation, the pressing portion of the first agitating member abuts against the pressed portion of the second agitating member, and the pressed portion is pressed by the pressing portion, thereby transmitting the rotational driving force from the first agitating member to the second agitating member, and in the first agitating operation, the pressing portion does not press the pressed portion, and the rotational driving force is not transmitted from the first agitating member to the second agitating member.

[0010] The developer storage container can be configured such that, in an initial state when it is first used, the pressing portion is separated from the pressed portion upstream in the direction of rotation of the rotating shaft, and the first period during which it is used from the initial state is a first period during which the first stirring operation is performed, and after the first period is a second period during which the second stirring operation is performed.

[0011] In the developer accommodating container, the second agitating member may be configured to be capable of agitating an area farther from the rotation shaft than the first agitating member.

[0012] In the above-mentioned developer storage container, the developer stirring mechanism can be configured to include a third stirring member that is rotatable around the rotation axis and has a stirring area different from both the first stirring member and the second stirring member.

[0013] In the above-mentioned developer storage container, the developer stirring mechanism is capable of a third stirring operation in which the first stirring member and the third stirring member are rotationally driven, but the second stirring member is not rotationally driven, and in the second stirring operation, the first stirring member, the second stirring member, and the third stirring member are rotationally driven.

[0014] An image forming apparatus according to a second aspect of the present disclosure is an image forming apparatus that includes a detachable developer container that contains a developer, and is characterized in that the developer container is the developer container described above. [Effects of the Invention]

[0015] The developer storage container and image forming apparatus of the present disclosure achieve the effect of suppressing an increase in torque due to developer aggregation by separating the developer stirring operation by the developer stirring mechanism into a first stirring operation that rotates and drives only the first stirring member, and a second stirring operation that rotates and drives the second stirring member. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0016] [Figure 1]1 is a schematic configuration diagram illustrating an embodiment of an image forming apparatus according to the present disclosure. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the toner cartridge as seen from the front side. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the toner cartridge as seen from the rear side. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the internal structure of the toner cartridge. [Figure 5] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a toner stirring mechanism inside the toner cartridge. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a first rotating member in the toner agitation mechanism. [Figure 7] FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of a second rotating member and an agitation plate in the toner agitation mechanism. [Figure 8] 10 is a cross-sectional view of the toner agitation mechanism in a state where rotation transmission is disabled, taken at a position including a rib portion. FIG. [Figure 9] 10 is a cross-sectional view of the toner agitation mechanism in a state where rotation can be transmitted, taken at a position including a rib portion. FIG. [Figure 10] 10A and 10B are schematic diagrams showing modified examples of the shapes of the first rotary member and the second rotary member. [Figure 11] 10A and 10B are schematic diagrams showing other modified examples of the shapes of the first rotary member and the second rotary member. [Figure 12] FIG. 10 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a modified example of the toner stirring mechanism. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0017] [First embodiment] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an embodiment of an image forming apparatus 10 of the present disclosure. Note that, although the image forming apparatus 10 of Fig. 1 is a color image forming apparatus capable of forming color images, the present invention can also be applied to a monochrome image forming apparatus that only forms monochrome images.

[0018] As shown in FIG. 1, the image forming apparatus 10 is configured to include a main body 11, a document reading unit 12, a document transport device 13, and a paper feed device 14. The main body 11 has an internal image forming unit for forming (printing) an image on recording paper. The document reading unit 12 is disposed above the main body 11 and reads the document when copying the document. In automatic reading mode, the document transport device 13 sequentially transports documents placed on a document set tray toward the document placement table of the document reading unit 12. The paper feed device 14 has at least one paper feed cassette for stocking recording paper, and separates recording paper one sheet at a time from a selected paper feed cassette and transports it toward the main body 11. The main body 11 forms an image on the recording paper sent from the paper feed device 14.

[0019] The image data handled by the image forming apparatus 10 corresponds to a color image using each of the colors black (K), cyan (C), magenta (M), and yellow (Y), or a monochrome image using a single color (e.g., black). Therefore, the image forming apparatus 10 has four process units Pa to Pd corresponding to black, cyan, magenta, and yellow as image forming sections. Each of the process units Pa to Pd forms a toner image corresponding to the image data using known electrophotographic technology.

[0020] The toner (developer) used in the process units Pa to Pd is contained in toner cartridges 20a to 20d, which are developer containers. Toner is supplied to the developing devices of the process units Pa to Pd from the toner cartridges 20a to 20d. The toner cartridges 20a to 20d are detachable from the main body 11 of the image forming apparatus 10, and toner can be replenished in the image forming apparatus 10 by replacing the toner cartridges 20a to 20d. Note that the toner cartridges 20a to 20d can all have the same structure, and therefore in the following description, the toner cartridges 20a to 20d will be referred to as toner cartridge 20 without distinction.

[0021] Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the toner cartridge 20 as seen from the front side. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the toner cartridge 20 as seen from the back side. Fig. 4 is a perspective view showing the internal structure of the toner cartridge 20, with the front cover member of the toner cartridge 20 removed. Note that the front and back sides of the toner cartridge 20 here correspond to the front and back sides of the image forming apparatus 10 when the toner cartridge 20 is attached to the image forming apparatus 10.

[0022] As shown in Fig. 4, the toner cartridge 20 has therein a toner agitation mechanism (developer agitation mechanism) 30. The toner agitation mechanism 30 is driven inside the toner cartridge 20 to agitate the toner (not shown) inside the toner cartridge 20 and send the toner inside the cartridge 20 to a screw shaft 21 that transports the toner to a toner outlet (not shown). By agitating the toner in this way, the toner cartridge 20 can supply toner to the developing device in an efficient manner.

[0023] The toner agitation mechanism 30 has a rotary shaft 311 (described later), one end of which is connected to a gear (connection portion) 22 that rotates upon receiving a driving force supplied from a motor (not shown) provided in the main body 11 of the image forming apparatus 10. As shown in FIG. 3, the gear 22 is exposed on the rear side of the toner cartridge 20 and is rotatably disposed relative to the housing of the toner cartridge 20. The main body 11 of the image forming apparatus 10 has a motor drive shaft (not shown), and when the toner cartridge 20 is attached to the main body 11, the gear 22 rotates upon receiving a driving force supplied from the motor. That is, the gear 22 inputs the rotational driving force from the motor drive shaft external to the toner cartridge 20 to the toner cartridge 20. As a result, the rotary shaft 311 receives the rotational drive from the motor via the gear 22, thereby driving the toner agitation mechanism 30. In this embodiment, the rotary shaft 311 rotates in one direction (the direction of arrow A shown in FIG. 5), and reverse rotation of the rotary shaft 311 is basically unnecessary.

[0024] Fig. 5 is a perspective view of toner agitation mechanism 30. As shown in Fig. 5, toner agitation mechanism 30 is configured by assembling first rotating member 31, second rotating member 32, and agitation plate 33. Fig. 6 is a perspective view of first rotating member 31. Fig. 7 is an exploded perspective view of second rotating member 32 and agitation plate 33. In this embodiment, first rotating member 31 corresponds to the first agitation member set forth in the claims, and second rotating member 32 and agitation plate 33 correspond to the second agitation member set forth in the claims.

[0025] 6, the first rotating member 31 has a rotating shaft 311 and a rib portion 312 provided to protrude radially from the rotating shaft 311. The rib portion 312 includes two standing portions 3121 protruding radially in the same direction from near both ends of the rotating shaft 311, and an agitating blade portion 3122 provided between these standing portions 3121 along the rotational axis direction (hereinafter referred to as the axial direction) of the rotating shaft 311. It is preferable that the agitating blade portion 3122 be provided at a distance from the rotating shaft 311 in the radial direction.

[0026] As shown in FIG. 7 , the second rotating member 32 has a mounting portion 321 to which the stirring plate 33 is attached, and bearing portions 322 provided near both ends of the mounting portion 321 in the longitudinal direction (parallel to the axial direction of the rotating shaft 311) so as to protrude in the same direction. A through-hole 3221 is provided in the bearing portion 322. The stirring plate 33 is formed from a sheet-like material having appropriate elasticity. In this embodiment, a plurality of (two in this case) protrusions 3211 are provided on the mounting surface of the mounting portion 321 to which the stirring plate 33 is attached. Furthermore, a plurality of (two in this case) holes 331 are provided in the stirring plate 33 corresponding to the protrusions 3211. That is, the stirring plate 33 can be aligned with the mounting portion 321 by fitting the protrusions 3211 into the holes 331. The stirring plate 33 is fixed to the mounting surface of the stirring plate 33 by adhesive or the like.

[0027] When the first agitating member (first rotating member 31) rotates, the rotational movement of the rib portion 312 causes the toner to be agitated. That is, the rotational region of the rib portion 312 becomes the agitating region (first region) of the first agitating member. When the second agitating member (second rotating member 32 and agitating plate 33) rotates, the rotational movement of the bearing portion 322, the attachment portion 321, and the agitating plate 33 causes the toner to be agitated. That is, the rotational region of the bearing portion 322, the attachment portion 321, and the agitating plate 33 becomes the agitating region (second region) of the second agitating member. This allows the first rotating member 31 and the second rotating member 32 to rotate in different regions and agitate the developer.

[0028] 5 , in the toner agitation mechanism 30, the rotation shaft 311 of the first rotation member 31 is passed through the through-hole 3221 of the second rotation member 32, and the second rotation member 32 is rotatably attached to the first rotation member 31. That is, the second rotation member 32 is rotatably disposed about the rotation shaft 311, and the first rotation member 31 and the second rotation member 32 are rotatable about the same rotation shaft 311. At this time, in the toner agitation mechanism 30, the rib portion 312 of the first rotation member 31 is disposed between the bearing portions 322 in the axial direction. In the toner agitation mechanism 30, the rotational driving force is not directly transmitted from the rotation shaft 311 to the second rotation member 32 via the bearing portions 322.

[0029] Depending on the relative positional relationship between the first rotating member 31 and the second rotating member 32 in the rotational direction, the toner agitation mechanism 30 can be in a rotationally untransmittable state in which the rotational driving force cannot be transmitted from the first rotating member 31 to the second rotating member 32, and a rotationally transmittable state in which the rotational driving force can be transmitted from the first rotating member 31 to the second rotating member 32. As will be described in detail later, in the rotationally transmittable state, a pressing portion of the first rotating member 31 abuts against a pressed portion of the second rotating member 32, and the pressed portion is pressed by the pressing portion, thereby transmitting the rotational driving force from the first rotating member 31 to the second rotating member 32. In this embodiment, the upright portion 3121 (the tip portion thereof) serves as the pressing portion. Also, in this embodiment, a groove 3212 is provided in the second rotating member 32, and the mounting portion 321 at the location where the groove 3212 is formed in the axial direction serves as the pressed portion. However, the pressing portion of first rotating member 31 does not have to be upright portion 3121, and stirring blade portion 3122 may be the pressing portion, or both upright portion 3121 and stirring blade portion 3122 may be the pressing portion. In addition, the formation of groove portion 3212 in second rotating member 32 is not essential.

[0030] 8 is a cross-sectional view of toner agitation mechanism 30 in the rotation transmission disabled state, taken at a position including upright portion 3121 and groove portion 3212. As shown in Fig. 8, when upright portion 3121 of rib portion 312 of first rotating member 31 is separated from mounting portion 321 of second rotating member 32 on the upstream side in the rotation direction of rotation shaft 311, toner agitation mechanism 30 is in the rotation transmission disabled state. In other words, in toner agitation mechanism 30 in the rotation transmission disabled state, upright portion 3121 is separated from mounting portion 321, or upright portion 3121 abuts against mounting portion 321 on the downstream side in the rotation direction.

[0031] In the rotation transmission disabled state, the first rotating member 31 has the upright portion 3121 spaced apart from the mounting portion 321 on the upstream side in the rotation direction, so that the rotation of the rotating shaft 311 causes the first rotating member 31 to rotate, but essentially no rotation occurs in the second rotating member 32. In this way, in the rotation transmission disabled state, a first stirring operation can be performed in which only the first rotating member 31 is rotationally driven. Strictly speaking, even in the rotation transmission disabled state, the pressure of the toner interposed between the rib portion 312 and the mounting portion 321 is allowed to cause some rotation in the second rotating member 32. If the rotation of the rotating shaft 311 continues in the rotation transmission disabled state, the upright portion 3121 will eventually come into contact with the mounting portion 321 on the upstream side in the rotation direction, and the rotation transmission enabled state will be achieved.

[0032] 9 is a cross-sectional view of toner agitation mechanism 30 in a rotation-transmittable state, taken at a position including upright portion 3121 and groove portion 3212. As shown in FIG. 9, when upright portion 3121 of first rotating member 31 enters groove portion 3212 of second rotating member 32 and abuts against mounting portion 321 on the upstream side in the rotation direction of rotating shaft 311, toner agitation mechanism 30 is in a rotation-transmittable state.

[0033] In the rotation-transmittable state, first rotating member 31 has upright portion 3121, which is the pressing portion, in contact with mounting portion 321, which is the pressed portion, on the upstream side in the rotational direction. Therefore, when first rotating member 31 is rotated by the rotational drive of rotating shaft 311, mounting portion 321 is pressed by upright portion 3121, and the rotational drive force is transmitted from first rotating member 31 to second rotating member 32. That is, in the rotation-transmittable state, both first rotating member 31 and second rotating member 32 can be rotationally driven, and second rotating member 32 rotates integrally with first rotating member 31. In this way, in the rotation-transmittable state, a second stirring operation can be performed in which second rotating member 32 is rotationally driven.

[0034] In the toner cartridge 20 in its initial state (i.e., the factory-shipped state) when it is first used after being attached to the image forming apparatus 10, there is a possibility that toner aggregation may have occurred inside the cartridge due to the state in which the cartridge is stored alone or due to vibrations during transportation. In the factory-shipped state, the toner agitation mechanism 30 of the toner cartridge 20 is set to a rotation-transmitting disabled state. When the toner cartridge 20 in the factory-shipped state is attached to the image forming apparatus 10 and used (rotational driving of the rotary shaft 311 begins), it operates in the rotation-transmitting disabled state for a predetermined period from the start of use, and then operates in the rotation-transmitting enabled state. Here, the initial operating period in the rotation-transmitting disabled state is referred to as the first period, and the subsequent operating period in the rotation-transmitting enabled state is referred to as the second period.

[0035] During the first period, a first agitation operation is performed that rotates only the first rotating member 31, and no rotational driving force is transmitted to the second rotating member 32. This makes it possible to reduce the torque generated in the toner agitation mechanism 30 even if toner aggregation occurs inside the toner cartridge 20 due to long-term storage, etc. In other words, during the first period, the rib portion 312 (particularly the agitation blade portion 3122) breaks down toner aggregation in the first region close to the rotation shaft 311. In this case, the torque required to rotate the first rotating member 31 can be reduced compared to when the entire region is loosened at once. Furthermore, at this time, the load on the first rotating member 31 is small, and therefore the strength of the first rotating member 31 can also be reduced.

[0036] During the second period, a second agitation operation is performed, rotating the second rotating member 32. The second rotating member 32 and the first rotating member 31 rotate integrally. This adds to the toner agitation effect of the agitation plate 33 (and the second rotating member 32), achieving a sufficient toner agitation effect (loosening the entire area at once). In particular, the agitation plate 33 (and the mounting portion 321) can agitate the second area, which is farther from the rotation shaft 311 than the first rotating member 31, and thus provides a high agitation effect. During the second period, the toner agglomeration in the first area is eliminated by the first period, and the toner agglomeration is primarily eliminated in the second area. However, because the toner agglomeration is eliminated throughout the cartridge, excessive torque is prevented from being generated in the toner agitation mechanism 30. Furthermore, since the load on the first rotating member 31 is small at this time, the strength of the first rotating member 31 can be reduced. Furthermore, since the load on the second rotating member 32 is small at this time, the strength of the second rotating member 32 can be reduced.

[0037] Here, in toner agitation mechanism 30 in the rotation transmission disabled state, the separation angle between mounting portion 321 and rib portion 312 on the upstream side of mounting portion 321 in the rotation direction is defined as α (see FIG. 8). In toner agitation mechanism 30 in the state shown in FIG. 8, rotation in the rotation transmission disabled state is possible for at least angle α from the start of rotational drive.

[0038] Therefore, in the toner cartridge 20 in the factory-shipped state, by making the separation angle α as large as possible, the first period can be extended, improving the effect of loosening the aggregated toner. As a result, the torque required when transitioning to the second period can be effectively reduced. That is, in the toner cartridge 20 in the factory-shipped state, it is preferable to position the standing portion 3121 close to the mounting portion 321 on the downstream side in the rotational direction, as shown in FIG. 8. For example, if the toner cartridge 20 is in the factory-shipped state shown in FIG. 8, the period during which the first rotating member 31 rotates nearly one full rotation can be defined as the first period.

[0039] As described above, the toner cartridge 20 of the present disclosure can suppress torque increases due to toner aggregation by separating the toner agitation operation of the toner agitation mechanism 30 into a first agitation operation performed in a state where rotation transmission is disabled and a second agitation operation performed in a state where rotation transmission is enabled. This eliminates the need to use a motor with a high rated torque for toner agitation under toner aggregation, thereby reducing motor costs. Furthermore, the toner agitation mechanism 30 does not require a complex mechanism. Furthermore, by dispersing the agitation area during toner aggregation, the torque applied to the toner agitation members (first rotating member and second rotating member 32) at one time can be reduced, thereby reducing the strength of the toner agitation members themselves. This also reduces the cost of the toner agitation mechanism 30 itself.

[0040] Second Embodiment In this embodiment, modified shapes of the first agitating member and the second agitating member will be described. In the first embodiment, the agitating plate 33 was attached to the second rotating member 32 and was included in the second agitating member. In contrast, in this embodiment, the agitating plate 33 is included in both the first agitating member and the second agitating member, and the agitating areas of the agitating plate 33 are different for each of the first agitating member and the second agitating member.

[0041] For example, as shown in the schematic diagram of Fig. 10, a structure may be considered in which stirring plate 33A is attached to first rotating member 31 and stirring plate 33B is attached to second rotating member 32. In this case, stirring plate 33A and stirring plate 33B may be arranged side by side along the axial direction (left and right direction in Fig. 10) so that their stirring areas are different from each other.

[0042] Alternatively, as shown in the schematic diagram of Figure 11, a structure may be considered in which stirring plate 33A is attached to first rotating member 31, and stirring plates 33B and 33C are attached to second rotating member 32. In this case, stirring plate 33A may be located near the center along the axial direction, with stirring plates 33B and 33C located on either side of it. In other words, the stirring areas provided by the first stirring member and the second stirring member may be different between the inside and outside along the axial direction.

[0043] Third Embodiment In the first embodiment, the toner agitation mechanism 30 has a structure (double rotation structure) in which the number of rotating members included is two (first rotating member 31 and second rotating member 32), but the number of rotating members included in the toner agitation mechanism 30 may be three or more.

[0044] For example, as shown in the schematic cross-sectional view of Fig. 12, toner agitation mechanism 30 may have a third rotating member (third agitating member) 34 around rotation shaft 311 in addition to first rotating member 31 and second rotating member 32. Note that Fig. 12 is a cross-section at a position in the axial direction different from Figs. 8 and 9, and is a cross-section at a position where agitating blade portion 3122 of first rotating member 31 is present.

[0045] The third rotating member 34 has a second agitating blade portion 341 (the agitating blade portion 3122 of the first rotating member 31 is referred to as the first agitating blade portion) that protrudes in the radial direction and is provided along the axial direction. In the initial state, the second agitating blade portion 341 is disposed along the rotation direction A, spaced apart from the first agitating blade portion 3122 on the upstream side of the rotation direction. The third rotating member 34 has a rotation region of the second agitating blade portion 341 that is a agitating region different from those of either the first rotating member 31 or the second rotating member 32 (preferably, the agitating region closest to the rotation shaft 311). In this embodiment, the third rotating member 34 can be rotationally driven by the rotation shaft 311, and the first rotating member 31 is rotatable about the rotation shaft 311. That is, in this embodiment, the third rotating member 34 corresponds to the first stirring member described in the claims, the second rotating member 32 and the stirring plate 33 correspond to the second stirring member described in the claims, and the first rotating member 31 corresponds to the third stirring member described in the claims.

[0046] For example, when rotation of the rotating shaft 311 is started from the rotation transmission disabled state shown in FIG. 12 , first, only the third rotating member 34 rotates (first agitation operation), and then the second agitation blade portion 341 comes into contact with the first agitation blade portion 3122, allowing the rotational drive force to be transmitted from the third rotating member 34 to the first rotating member 31 (third agitation operation). If the rotating shaft 311 is further rotated from this point, the erected portion 3121 of the first rotating member 31 comes into contact with the mounting portion 321, allowing the rotational drive force to be transmitted from the third rotating member 34 to the second rotating member 32 via the first rotating member 31 (second agitation operation). In this case, the agitation operations are performed in the order of (first agitation operation), (third agitation operation), and (second agitation operation). Note that in this embodiment, the rotational drive force is not directly transmitted from the third rotating member 34 to the second rotating member 32.

[0047] In this way, the toner agitation mechanism 30 can have a structure (triple rotation structure) in which the number of rotating members included in the toner agitation mechanism 30 is three. Using the same principle, the toner agitation mechanism 30 can also have a multiple rotation structure in which the number of rotating members included in the toner agitation mechanism 30 is four or more. By making the toner agitation mechanism 30 have a more multiple structure, the torque generated in the toner agitation mechanism 30 can be divided into more stages, and the torque reduction effect in the toner agitation mechanism 30 can be improved.

[0048] [Fourth embodiment] In the first embodiment, both the first rotating member 31 and the second rotating member 32 are rotationally driven in the second stirring operation, but the second stirring operation may also be performed by rotationally driving only the second rotating member 32.

[0049] In this embodiment, for example, it is possible to configure the motor drive shaft to be rotatable forward and reverse, and to connect the toner stirring mechanism 30 and the gear 22 by sandwiching a one-way clutch between them. In this case, it is possible to configure the toner stirring mechanism 30 to rotate only the first rotating member 31 when the gear 22 rotates forward, and the toner stirring mechanism 30 to rotate only the second rotating member 32 when the gear 22 rotates reversely.

[0050] The embodiments disclosed herein are illustrative in all respects and are not intended to be limiting. Therefore, the technical scope of the present disclosure should not be interpreted solely by the above-described embodiments, but should be determined based on the claims. [Explanation of symbols]

[0051] 10 Image forming device 20 Toner cartridge (developer container) 30 Toner stirring mechanism (developer stirring mechanism) 31 first rotating member (first agitating member, third agitating member) 311 Rotation axis 312 Rib section 3121 Standing part (pressing part) 3122 Mixing blade part 32 second rotating member (second stirring member) 321 Mounting part (pressed part) 322 Bearing section 33 stirring plate (second stirring member) 34 third rotating member (first stirring member) Pa~Pd process unit

Claims

1. A developer container that is detachable from an image forming apparatus and that contains a developer, a developer stirring mechanism that is disposed inside the developer storage container and stirs the developer stored therein; the developer agitation mechanism includes a first agitation member and a second agitation member that are rotatable around the same rotation axis; the first agitating member and the second agitating member rotate in different regions to agitate the developer, a developer agitation mechanism that is capable of performing a first agitation operation by rotating only the first agitation member and a second agitation operation by rotating the second agitation member;

2. 2. The developer container according to claim 1, In the second stirring operation, both the first stirring member and the second stirring member are rotationally driven.

3. 3. The developer container according to claim 2, the first agitating member includes the rotating shaft that generates a rotational driving force, the second agitating member is attached to be rotatable about the rotation shaft, In the second stirring operation, a pressing portion of the first stirring member comes into contact with a pressed portion of the second stirring member, and the pressed portion is pressed by the pressing portion, thereby transmitting a rotational driving force from the first stirring member to the second stirring member, In the first stirring operation, the pressing portion does not press the pressed portion, and a rotational driving force is not transmitted from the first stirring member to the second stirring member.

4. 4. The developer container according to claim 3, In an initial state when use is first started, the pressing portion is separated from the pressed portion on the upstream side in the rotation direction of the rotary shaft, A developer storage container characterized in that the first period during which the container is used from the initial state is a first period during which the first stirring operation is performed, and that after the first period, a second period during which the second stirring operation is performed.

5. 2. The developer container according to claim 1, The developer storage container according to claim 1, wherein the second agitating member is capable of agitating an area farther from the rotation shaft than the first agitating member.

6. 2. The developer container according to claim 1, a developer agitation mechanism that is rotatable around the rotation axis and includes a third agitating member that has a different agitation area from both the first agitating member and the second agitating member;

7. 7. The developer container according to claim 6, the developer agitation mechanism is capable of a third agitation operation in which the first agitation member and the third agitation member are rotationally driven, and the second agitation member is not rotationally driven; In the second stirring operation, the first stirring member, the second stirring member, and the third stirring member are rotationally driven.

8. An image forming apparatus including a detachable developer container for accommodating a developer, 8. An image forming apparatus, wherein the developer container is the developer container according to claim 1.

Images