Toner cartridge and image forming apparatus equipped with the toner cartridge

Abstract

A toner cartridge and an image forming apparatus equipped with the toner cartridge are provided. [Solution] The toner cartridge comprises a housing having an internal space in which toner is stored and an outlet located below the internal space; a conveying screw provided in the internal space that conveys toner from one axial side to the other axial side and has a portion located above the outlet; and a paddle provided in the internal space that rotates around a rotation axis parallel to the conveying screw and moves toner in a predetermined direction along the axial direction while sending toner toward the conveying screw, the paddle having an opening that includes a portion whose radial width narrows toward the predetermined direction.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a toner cartridge and an image forming apparatus including the toner cartridge. [Background technology]

[0002] Generally, electrophotographic image forming apparatuses develop electrostatic latent images on the surface of an image carrier, such as a photosensitive drum, using developer supplied from a developing device to the image carrier. To supply developer to the developing device, some apparatuses are provided with a powder storage device that includes a storage section that stores developer and has an outlet for discharging the developer, a stirring member that stirs the developer in the storage section, and a transport member that transports the developer to the outlet. For example, a toner cartridge that can be attached to and detached from the image forming apparatus is used as the powder storage device.

[0003] For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a toner cartridge detachably attached to an image forming apparatus as a powder storage device. The toner cartridge is installed above a developing device. The toner cartridge includes a toner storage cartridge body that stores toner. Inside the toner storage cartridge body, a paddle member as an agitating member and a screw shaft aligned with the paddle member are installed. The paddle member agitates the toner and moves the toner toward the screw shaft. The screw shaft transports the toner toward a toner discharge port provided at the bottom of the toner storage cartridge body. The toner is discharged from the toner cartridge through the toner discharge port. The toner discharged from the toner cartridge is replenished to the developing device via a toner supply pipe connecting the toner discharge port and the developing device. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2011-191420 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] When the paddle member pushes the toner toward the screw shaft, the weight of the toner places a load on the paddle member. To prevent this load from causing the paddle member to bend excessively and slip over the toner, resulting in the paddle member becoming stuck or being damaged, an opening is provided in the paddle member. Allowing some of the toner to pass through the opening reduces the load on the paddle member. However, if some of the toner passes through the opening, it may become difficult for the toner to move toward the screw shaft, resulting in a decrease in the amount of toner transported toward the discharge port. This can lead to a problem of instability in the amount of toner discharged from the discharge port.

[0006] The present disclosure has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and aims to provide a toner cartridge and an image forming apparatus equipped with the toner cartridge that supplies a more stable amount of toner from the toner cartridge to a developing device than conventional technology. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] A toner cartridge according to one aspect of the present disclosure comprises a housing having an internal space in which toner is stored and an outlet located below the internal space; a conveying screw provided in the internal space, which conveys toner from one axial side to the other axial side and has a portion located above the outlet; and a paddle provided in the internal space, which rotates around a rotation axis parallel to the conveying screw and moves toner in a predetermined direction along the axial direction while sending toner toward the conveying screw, the paddle having an opening including a portion whose radial width narrows toward the predetermined direction. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of an image forming apparatus according to the present disclosure. [Figure 2]FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a toner cartridge unit according to the present disclosure. [Figure 3] 3 is a cross-sectional view of the toner cartridge of the first embodiment taken along the line III-III in FIG. 2. FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line IV-IV in FIG. 3. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line VV in FIGS. 3 and 4. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view of the paddle of the first embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of a toner cartridge according to a second embodiment, corresponding to FIG. 4. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line VIII-VIII in FIG. 7. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view taken along line IX-IX in FIGS. 7 and 8. [Figure 10] FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of a toner cartridge according to a third embodiment, corresponding to FIG. 4. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line XI-XI in FIG. [Figure 12] FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line XII-XII in FIGS. 10 and 11. [Figure 13] FIG. 10 is a schematic perspective view of a paddle according to a third embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. In the drawings, identical or equivalent elements are designated by the same reference numerals, and redundant explanations will be omitted. Furthermore, the embodiments described below do not unduly limit the content of the present disclosure described in the claims, and not all of the configurations described in the embodiments are necessarily essential as means for solving the problems of the present disclosure.

[0010] <Image forming device> FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the internal structure of an image forming apparatus 100 according to the present disclosure. In the following description, the positional relationship of each component will be shown based on FIG. 1. For example, in FIG. 1, the upper surface will be referred to as the top surface, the lower surface will be referred to as the bottom surface, and the surfaces along the vertical direction will be referred to as side surfaces. Since the image forming apparatus 100 is usually installed on a horizontal surface, the left-right and depth directions in FIG. 1 will also be referred to as horizontal directions.

[0011] The image forming apparatus 100 is, for example, a printing machine having a printer function, which forms a multicolor or monochrome image on printing paper by electrophotography. Note that the image forming apparatus 100 of the present disclosure is not limited to a printing machine, but may also be a multifunction machine having a copying function, a printer function, a scanner function, a facsimile function, etc. The image forming apparatus 100 includes, for example, an apparatus main body 101 including a housing that houses each of the components that make up the image forming apparatus 100.

[0012] The device main body 101 includes an automatic paper feed tray 102, a manual paper feed tray 103, a photosensitive member 104, an exposure device 105, a developing device 106, a toner cartridge unit 107, a toner supply pipe 108, an intermediate transfer unit 109, a secondary transfer roller 110, a fixing unit 111, a paper discharge tray 112, etc.

[0013] The photoreceptor 104 comprises a cylindrical conductive substrate and a photosensitive layer provided on the circumferential surface of the substrate. The photosensitive layer is insulating when not irradiated with light, and is conductive in areas irradiated with light. The surface of the photosensitive layer is charged to a predetermined potential. The photoreceptor 104 has a rotating shaft (not shown) and is rotated around the rotating shaft by an electric motor (not shown).

[0014] The exposure device 105 irradiates light to expose the surface of the photosensitive layer of the photoreceptor 104. The exposure device 105 irradiates the photosensitive layer of the photoreceptor 104 with light to form an image based on image data to be printed. The charged photosensitive layer is exposed to the light irradiated by the exposure device 105, and an electrostatic latent image corresponding to the image data is formed on the surface of the photosensitive layer.

[0015] The developing device 106 supplies a developer to the surface of the photosensitive layer of the photoreceptor 104 and develops the electrostatic latent image on the surface of the photosensitive layer to form a toner image. Examples of the developer include a two-component developer whose main components are toner and a carrier for transporting the toner, and a one-component developer whose main component is toner. In the following description, a two-component developer whose main component is toner is used as the developer, and the two-component developer is also referred to as toner. The present disclosure is not limited to a configuration using a two-component developer, and a one-component developer may also be used.

[0016] This disclosure illustrates an image forming apparatus 100 capable of printing full-color images. The full-color image printing is achieved by overlaying monochrome images corresponding to each of the four colors: cyan, magenta, yellow, and black. Therefore, the image forming apparatus 100 of this disclosure includes four photoconductors 104, four exposure devices 105, and four developing devices 106, one for each of the four colors. For example, the four photoconductors 104, the four exposure devices 105, and the four developing devices 106 each have substantially the same structure, and only the color of the toner supplied to the photoconductor 104 by the developing device 106 differs. Generally, the consumption of black toner is greater than the consumption of the other three colors of toner. Therefore, the size of the toner cartridge 200 containing black toner may be made larger than the size of the toner cartridges 200 containing the other three colors of toner to increase the capacity of black toner. This disclosure is not limited to image forming apparatuses 100 capable of full-color printing, but may also be applied to image forming apparatuses 100 capable of monochrome printing only. Although not shown in the present disclosure, if the image forming apparatus 100 can print only monochrome images, the image forming apparatus 100 may be provided with only a photoconductor, an exposure device, and a development device corresponding to black.

[0017] The toner cartridge unit 107 includes a toner cartridge holder 113, which is a container into which the toner cartridge 200 can be detachably attached, and a lock lever 114 that secures the toner cartridge 200 to the toner cartridge holder 113. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the toner cartridge unit 107. The toner cartridge holder 113 of the present disclosure is divided into, for example, four spaces, and is configured so that four toner cartridges 200 corresponding to four colors of toner for realizing full-color image printing can be housed in each of the four spaces. When the toner cartridge 200 is housed in the toner cartridge holder 113, the toner cartridge 200 can be secured in place by pressing it against the toner cartridge holder 113 by operating the lock lever 114.

[0018] The toner cartridge 200 is a container that stores toner inside, and can be box-shaped, cylindrical, or any other shape as appropriate. In this disclosure, as shown in Fig. 2, the toner cartridge 200 is exemplified as a container having a rectangular parallelepiped shape that is long in one direction. The detailed structure of the toner cartridge 200 will be described later.

[0019] 1, toner cartridge unit 107 is detachably mounted inside apparatus main body 101 so as to be positioned above developing device 106. A toner supply pipe 108 is provided between the bottom of toner cartridge 200 and developing device 106. As will be described in detail later, a discharge port 203 for discharging toner to the outside is provided at the bottom of toner cartridge 200. Toner cartridge unit 107 is mounted at a position where discharge port 203 and the internal passage of toner supply pipe 108 communicate with each other.

[0020] When the toner inside the developing device 106 is consumed, toner is supplied to the developing device 106 as needed from the toner cartridge 200 through a passage inside the toner supply pipe 108. When the toner contained in the toner cartridge 200 runs out, the user can remove the toner cartridge unit 107 from the device main body 101 and replace the empty toner cartridge 200 with a new toner cartridge 200. Note that the present disclosure is not limited to the above-described configuration, and for example, a configuration may be adopted in which the toner cartridge unit 107 is omitted and the toner cartridge 200 can be directly attached and detached to the inside of the device main body 101.

[0021] The intermediate transfer unit 109 is disposed above the four photoconductors 104. The intermediate transfer unit 109 is an integrated unit including, for example, four intermediate transfer rollers corresponding to the four photoconductors 104, an intermediate transfer belt onto which the toner images on the photoconductors 104 are transferred by the intermediate transfer rollers, a drive roller and a tension roller that stretch and rotate the intermediate transfer belt, etc. The intermediate transfer rollers are each axially supported by the intermediate transfer unit 109 so as to rotate together with the rotation of the intermediate transfer belt.

[0022] When a voltage is supplied to the intermediate transfer roller, a transfer electric field is formed between the photoreceptor 104 and the intermediate transfer belt at the position of the intermediate transfer roller. The action of the transfer electric field causes the toner image developed on the circumferential surface of the photoreceptor 104 to be transferred onto the intermediate transfer belt. Toner images corresponding to each of the four colors, cyan, magenta, yellow, and black, are sequentially transferred and superimposed onto the intermediate transfer belt by each of the four intermediate transfer rollers, forming a full-color toner image on the intermediate transfer belt.

[0023] The secondary transfer roller 110 is a member that transfers a toner image onto printing paper, and is arranged, for example, so as to come into contact with the intermediate transfer belt of the intermediate transfer unit 109. Printing paper supplied from the automatic paper feed tray 102 or the manual paper feed tray 103 is transported by multiple transport rollers and passes between the secondary transfer roller 110 and the intermediate transfer belt. As the printing paper passes between the secondary transfer roller 110 and the intermediate transfer belt, the toner image formed on the intermediate transfer belt is transferred to one side of the printing paper. The printing paper with the transferred toner image is transported to the fixing unit 111.

[0024] The fixing unit 111 includes, for example, a heating roller, a pressure roller, etc., and fixes the toner image to the printing paper by heating and pressing the printing paper with the heating roller and pressure roller. As described above, the image forming apparatus 100 prints an image based on image data onto the printing paper. Once printing is complete, the printing paper is discharged to the paper output tray 112.

[0025] The image forming apparatus 100 is controlled by a control unit (not shown). The control unit is composed of a microcontroller and peripheral circuits. The microcontroller has a processor and memory. The processor executes a control program stored in the memory to operate the microcontroller and peripheral circuits as a control unit. All or part of the processing performed by the microcontroller may be performed by a dedicated electronic circuit. The control unit has a communication unit and the like that receives data, signals, etc. from the outside. In response to input operations by a user, reception of data from the outside, etc., the control unit transmits various data such as images, control signals, etc. to each unit and each device of the image forming apparatus 100, causing the image forming apparatus 100 to perform various operations.

[0026] <Embodiment 1> Details of the toner cartridge 200 according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure will be described below with reference to Figures 3 to 6. Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view of the toner cartridge 200 according to the first embodiment taken along line III-III in Figure 2. Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view of the toner cartridge 200 according to the first embodiment taken along line IV-IV in Figure 3. Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view of the VV section in Figures 3 and 4. Figures 3 and 4 are cross-sectional views of the toner cartridge 200 shown in Figure 2 as seen from different sides, and Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view of the toner cartridge 200 shown in Figure 2 as seen from above. Figure 6 is a schematic perspective view of a paddle 400 provided inside the toner cartridge 200 according to the first embodiment.

[0027] 4 and 5, the position of the cross section in FIG. 3 is shown as a cross section taken along III-III, and in FIG. 5, the position of the cross section in FIG. 4 is shown as a cross section taken along IV-IV.

[0028] <Toner cartridge> As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the toner cartridge 200 includes a housing 201 having an outlet 203 formed on the bottom side. The housing 201 is box-shaped, and an internal space 202 is formed therein. In the first embodiment, for example, the housing 201 is a rectangular tubular shape having a rectangular parallelepiped outer shape that is long in one direction, and is constructed of approximately six structural members consisting of a ceiling and a bottom disposed above and below, and four standing members provided between the ceiling and the bottom. The space surrounded by these six structural members forms the internal space 202. The internal space 202 is connected to the outside of the housing 201 via the outlet 203.

[0029] The internal space 202 is a space in which toner is accommodated. For the purpose of explaining the internal structure of the toner cartridge 200, the toner present in the toner cartridge 200, including the internal space 202, is not shown. As shown in Figures 3 to 5, a conveying screw 300 and a paddle 400 are provided in the internal space 202.

[0030] <Conveyor screw> The conveying screw 300 is installed in the internal space 202, for example, at the bottom of the housing 201. The conveying screw 300 has a structure in which a spiral blade 302 is fixed to the circumferential surface of a rotatably installed rotation shaft 301, and the axial direction of the rotation shaft 301 is parallel to the horizontal direction. For example, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 , the conveying screw 300 is installed so that the rotation shaft 301 extends along the longitudinal direction of the housing 201. Hereinafter, the direction in which the rotation shaft 301 extends will be referred to as the axial direction. The conveying screw 300 conveys toner from one side in the axial direction to the other side in the axial direction. In the first embodiment, the conveying screw 300 conveys toner in the direction of arrow T2, from a first end 303, which is one side in the axial direction, to a second end 304, which is the other side in the axial direction.

[0031] 4 and 5, for example, a portion of the conveying screw 300 including the first end 303 protrudes outside the housing 201. The first end 303 can be indirectly connected to an electric motor (not shown) provided inside the device body 101, and the conveying screw 300 is rotated by the electric motor.

[0032] 4 and 5, the conveying screw 300 has a portion disposed above the discharge port 203. In the first embodiment, for example, the discharge port 203 is provided below the conveying screw 300, at a position near the second end 304. The toner conveyed by the conveying screw 300 in the direction of arrow T2 toward the second end 304 is discharged from the discharge port 203 to the outside of the housing 201 in the direction of arrow T3.

[0033] 1 and 4, a toner supply pipe 108 is provided below the discharge port 203, and the discharge port 203 communicates with an internal passage of the toner supply pipe 108. The toner discharged from the discharge port 203 in the direction of arrow T3 is supplied to the developing device 106 through the internal passage of the toner supply pipe 108.

[0034] <Paddle> The paddle 400 is a plate-shaped member attached to a rotatable paddle rotation shaft 401 in the internal space 202, and rotates around the paddle rotation shaft 401. The paddle rotation shaft 401 is an axis parallel to the rotation shaft 301 of the conveying screw 300, and the axial direction of the conveying screw 300 and the axial direction of the paddle rotation shaft 401 are the same. The direction perpendicular to the axial direction of the paddle rotation shaft 401 is referred to as the radial direction. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 5 , the paddle 400 can agitate the toner in the internal space 202 and send the toner toward the conveying screw 300 in the direction of arrow T1. As a result, the toner agitated and loosened by the paddle 400 is sent to the conveying screw 300 with enhanced fluidity, allowing the conveying screw 300 to stably convey the toner.

[0035] Although not shown, similar to the conveying screw 300, one end of the paddle rotating shaft 401 protrudes outside the housing 201 and can be indirectly connected to an electric motor (not shown) provided inside the device main body 101, so that the paddle rotating shaft 401 can be configured to rotate by the electric motor.

[0036] 3, paddle 400 is an elastically deformable plate-like member, and is made of, for example, an elastic resin material such as plastic. When paddle rotation shaft 401 rotates in the direction of arrow R, the radial tip of paddle 400 abuts against the inner wall surface of housing 201, and then paddle 400 elastically deforms, causing the radial tip of paddle 400 to rotate while sliding against the inner wall surface of housing 201, stirring and scraping out the toner in internal space 202 and sending it toward conveying screw 300 in the direction of arrow T1.

[0037] As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 , the paddle 400 has an opening 410 including a portion whose radial width decreases toward a predetermined direction along the axial direction. In other words, as shown in FIG. 5 , when the opening 410 is divided into a first partitioned region 414 on the side of the predetermined direction and a second partitioned region 415 on the opposite side of the predetermined direction by a virtual center line C of the axial width, the area of ​​the first partitioned region 414 is smaller than the area of ​​the second partitioned region 415. In the first embodiment, the predetermined direction is the direction from a first end 402 of the paddle 400, which is one side of the paddle 400 in the axial direction, to a second end 403 of the paddle 400, which is the other side of the paddle 400 in the axial direction, and is the direction of arrow T4 shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 . In the first embodiment, the direction of arrow T4 is the same as the direction of arrow T2. In other words, the predetermined direction is the direction toward the discharge port 203.

[0038] 3, when paddle 400 is rotated, some of the toner passes through opening 410 without being sent toward conveying screw 300, thereby reducing the total amount of toner pushed by paddle 400 during one rotation. This reduces the load on paddle 400 caused by the toner while maintaining the function of sending toner toward conveying screw 300, and prevents paddle 400 from deforming excessively and slipping over the toner, preventing the rotation of paddle 400 from being impeded by the toner and stopping, or damaging paddle 400.

[0039] Furthermore, since the opening 410 includes a portion whose radial width narrows in a predetermined axial direction, toner can be moved in a predetermined axial direction as the paddle 400 rotates. More specifically, when the paddle 400 rotates, the amount of toner remaining on the paddle 400 side in the internal space 202 on the paddle 400 side is relatively large at positions where the portions of the opening 410 with a relatively large radial width pass, and the amount of toner remaining on the paddle 400 side is relatively small at positions where the portions with a relatively small radial width pass. Therefore, at positions where the portions with a relatively small radial width pass, the space where toner is not present is relatively large, and the toner remaining on the paddle 400 side flows into the space where toner is not present because of its fluidity. As a result, when the paddle 400 rotates, toner can be moved in the direction of the opening 410 narrowing in the radial direction along the axial direction. In the first embodiment, toner moves in the direction of arrow T4 shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 . Therefore, the toner remaining on the side of the paddle 400 without being sent to the conveying screw 300 can also be moved in the direction toward the discharge outlet 203, and the amount of toner conveyed toward the discharge outlet 203 can be stabilized.

[0040] 5 and 6, the paddle 400 may have a plurality of openings 410 lined up along the axial direction. In the first embodiment, for example, the paddle 400 has six openings 410 lined up along the axial direction. By providing a plurality of openings 410, it is possible to generate a movement of toner at a plurality of positions along the axial direction of the paddle 400, in which the openings 410 move in a direction in which the radial width decreases along the axial direction. This makes it possible to more reliably move the toner remaining on the side of the paddle 400 in the direction toward the discharge port 203, and further stabilize the amount of toner transported toward the discharge port 203.

[0041] As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 , the opening 410 may be trapezoidal in shape, having long and short sides extending parallel to each other in the radial direction. In other words, the opening 410 has a trapezoidal shape with upper and lower bases extending radially, and the sides of the upper and lower bases that are closer to a predetermined direction are short sides, and the sides that are closer to the predetermined direction are long sides. In the first embodiment, for example, in the trapezoidal opening 410, a first side 411 of the opening 410 that extends radially is the long side, and a second side 412 of the opening 410 that extends parallel to the first side 411 is the short side. By forming the opening 410 into a trapezoidal shape, it is possible to prevent a decrease in the strength of the paddle 400 while ensuring a certain degree of opening area of ​​the opening 410.

[0042] 5 and 6, the opening 410 may have one side extending parallel to the axial direction at a position closest to the paddle rotation axis 401. In the first embodiment, for example, the third side 413 of the opening 410, which is located closest to the paddle rotation axis 401, extends parallel to the axial direction. This allows the opening 410 to be provided closer to the paddle rotation axis 401, further increasing the opening area of ​​the opening 410 and further reducing the load applied to the paddle 400.

[0043] Although the first embodiment illustrates an example in which the opening 410 has a trapezoidal shape, the present disclosure is not limited to such a configuration, and the opening 410 may have any shape as long as it includes a portion in which the radial width decreases in a predetermined direction along the axial direction. For example, the opening 410 may have a shape enclosed by lines that is a triangle, a pentagon, or a polygon with more sides, and at least a portion of the outline of the opening 410 may be curved.

[0044] <Embodiment 2> 7 to 9, the toner cartridge 200 according to the second embodiment of the present disclosure will be described in detail below. The second embodiment differs from the first embodiment in that the toner cartridge 200 includes a protruding portion 204, but is otherwise generally the same as the first embodiment. Note that the description of the configuration common to the first embodiment will be omitted as appropriate.

[0045] Fig. 7 is a cross-sectional view of the toner cartridge 200 of the second embodiment, corresponding to Fig. 4 of the first embodiment. Fig. 8 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line VIII-VIII in Fig. 7. Fig. 9 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line IX-IX in Figs. 7 and 8. Figs. 7 and 8 are cross-sectional views of the toner cartridge 200 of the second embodiment, viewed from different sides, and Fig. 9 is a cross-sectional view of the toner cartridge 200 of the second embodiment, viewed from above. Note that Figs. 8 and 9 show the position of the cross section in Fig. 7 as a VII-VII cross section, and Fig. 9 shows the position of the cross section in Fig. 8 as a VIII-VIII cross section.

[0046] <Toner cartridge> 7 and 9, the toner cartridge 200 of the second embodiment has a protruding portion 204 that protrudes from a portion of the housing 201. As shown in Fig. 8, a passage with a circular cross section is provided inside the protruding portion 204 so as to surround the radially outer side of the conveying screw 300, and a discharge port 203 is formed at the bottom of the protruding portion 204. The internal space 202 is connected to the outside of the housing 201 via the inside of the protruding portion 204 and the discharge port 203.

[0047] <Conveyor screw> In the second embodiment, the conveying screw 300 conveys toner in the direction of arrow T2 from a first end 303, which is one side in the axial direction, toward a second end 304, which is the other side in the axial direction. As shown in FIGS. 7 and 9 , the conveying screw 300 has a portion disposed above the discharge port 203. In the second embodiment, for example, a portion of the conveying screw 300 including the second end 304 is disposed inside the protruding portion 204, and the discharge port 203 is provided below the conveying screw 300 within the protruding portion 204. The toner conveyed by the conveying screw 300 toward the second end 304 in the direction of arrow T2 passes through the inside of the protruding portion 204 and is discharged from the discharge port 203 to the outside of the housing 201 in the direction of arrow T3. A toner supply pipe 108 is provided below the discharge port 203 so as to communicate with the discharge port 203. The toner discharged from the discharge port 203 in the direction of arrow T3 is supplied to the developing device 106 via the toner supply pipe 108.

[0048] <Paddle> As shown in FIG. 9 , the paddle 400 of the second embodiment is provided with an opening 410 including a portion whose radial width narrows in a predetermined direction along the axial direction, similar to the first embodiment. In the second embodiment, the predetermined direction is, similar to the first embodiment, a direction from a first end 402 of the paddle 400, which is one side of the paddle 400 in the axial direction, to a second end 403 of the paddle 400, which is the other side of the paddle 400 in the axial direction, and is the direction of arrow T4 shown in FIGS. 7 and 9 . In the second embodiment, the direction of arrow T4 is also the same as the direction of arrow T2. In other words, in the second embodiment, the predetermined direction is also a direction toward the discharge port 203. Note that the paddle 400 of the second embodiment has, as an example, five openings 410 arranged along the axial direction.

[0049] In the second embodiment, as in the first embodiment, when the paddle 400 rotates, some of the toner passes through the opening 410 without being sent toward the conveying screw 300, thereby reducing the total amount of toner pushed by the paddle 400 during one rotation. This reduces the load on the paddle 400 caused by the toner while maintaining the function of sending toner toward the conveying screw 300. This prevents the paddle 400 from excessively deforming and slipping over the toner, preventing the rotation of the paddle 400 from being impeded by the toner and stopping, or damaging the paddle 400. Furthermore, since the opening 410 includes a portion whose radial width narrows in a predetermined axial direction, the toner can be moved in a predetermined axial direction as the paddle 400 rotates. Therefore, the toner remaining near the paddle 400 without being sent to the conveying screw 300 can be moved in a direction toward the discharge port 203, thereby stabilizing the amount of toner transported toward the discharge port 203.

[0050] In addition, in embodiment 2, the toner is discharged from the discharge port 203 to the outside of the housing 201 through the inside of the protruding portion 204, and the amount of developer transported by the conveying screw 300 is regulated to a fixed amount depending on the size of the passage cross-section inside the protruding portion 204, thereby making it possible to stabilize the amount of toner discharged from the discharge port 203 at a fixed amount.

[0051] <Embodiment 3> 10 to 13, the toner cartridge 200 according to the third embodiment of the present disclosure will be described in detail below. The third embodiment differs from the first embodiment in that the toner cartridge 200 includes a wall 205 and the paddle 400 includes a first opening 420 and a second opening 430, but is otherwise generally the same as the first embodiment. Note that the description of the configuration common to the first embodiment will be omitted as appropriate.

[0052] Fig. 10 is a cross-sectional view of the toner cartridge 200 of the third embodiment, corresponding to Fig. 4 of the first embodiment. Fig. 11 is a cross-sectional view taken along line XI-XI in Fig. 10. Fig. 12 is a cross-sectional view taken along line XII-XII in Figs. 10 and 11. Figs. 10 and 11 are cross-sectional views of the toner cartridge 200 of the third embodiment, viewed from different sides, and Fig. 12 is a cross-sectional view of the toner cartridge 200 of the third embodiment, viewed from above. Fig. 13 is a schematic perspective view of a paddle 400 provided inside the toner cartridge 200 of the third embodiment.

[0053] 11 and 12, the position of the cross section in FIG. 10 is shown as the XX cross section, and in FIG. 12, the position of the cross section in FIG. 11 is shown as the XI-XI cross section.

[0054] <Toner cartridge> 10 and 12, a toner cartridge 200 of the third embodiment includes a housing 201 having a discharge port 203 formed on the bottom side. An internal space 202 of the housing 201 is connected to the outside of the housing 201 via the discharge port 203.

[0055] <Wall> As shown in FIGS. 10 to 12 , the toner cartridge 200 of the third embodiment includes a wall 205 that is disposed between the conveying screw 300 and the paddle 400 in the internal space 202 and covers a portion of the conveying screw 300, including the portion located above the discharge port 203. As shown in FIGS. 10 and 11 , the wall 205 is arched to surround the radially outer side of the conveying screw 300, and forms a passage with a circular cross section together with the inner wall of the housing 201. The wall 205 extends axially parallel to the conveying screw 300 to an end 206 of the wall 205. Therefore, the area below the end 206 forms an entrance from the internal space 202 to a passage surrounded by the wall 205 and the inner wall of the housing 201. The discharge port 203 is formed in the bottom of the housing 201, below the wall 205. The internal space 202 is connected to the outside of the housing 201 via a passage formed by a wall 205 and the inner wall of the housing 201 and an exhaust port 203 .

[0056] <Conveyor screw> In the third embodiment, the conveying screw 300 conveys toner in the direction of arrow T2 from a first end 303, which is one side in the axial direction, toward a second end 304, which is the other side in the axial direction. As shown in FIGS. 10 and 12 , the conveying screw 300 has a portion disposed above the discharge port 203. In the third embodiment, for example, a portion of the conveying screw 300, including the second end 304, is disposed below the wall 205, and the discharge port 203 is provided below the wall 205, below the conveying screw 300. The toner conveyed by the conveying screw 300 in the direction of arrow T2 toward the second end 304 is transported from a position below the end 206 into a passage surrounded by the wall 205 and the inner wall of the housing 201, and is discharged from the discharge port 203 to the outside of the housing 201 in the direction of arrow T3. A toner supply pipe 108 is provided below the discharge port 203. The toner discharged from the discharge port 203 in the direction of the arrow T3 passes through the passage inside the toner supply pipe 108 and is supplied to the developing device 106.

[0057] <Paddle> As shown in FIGS. 12 and 13 , the paddle 400 of the third embodiment is provided with a first opening 420 and a second opening 430, each of which includes a portion whose radial width decreases toward a predetermined direction along the axial direction. In the third embodiment, the predetermined direction is a direction toward the end 206 of the wall 205 in the axial direction. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 12 , the first opening 420 includes a portion whose radial width decreases from the first end 402 of the paddle 400, which is one side of the paddle 400 in the axial direction, toward the end 206 of the wall 205, and the second opening 430 includes a portion whose radial width decreases from the second end 403 of the paddle 400, which is the other side of the paddle 400 in the axial direction, toward the end 206 of the wall 205. In other words, as shown in FIGS. 12 and 13 , the radial widths of the first opening 420 and the second opening 430 decrease in opposite directions along the axial direction. Note that the paddle 400 of embodiment 3 is exemplified as having five first openings 420 and one second opening 430 arranged along the axial direction, but in the present disclosure, the number of first openings 420 and the number of second openings 430 can be changed as appropriate depending on the dimensions, positions, etc. of the outlet 203, wall 205, end 206 of the wall 205, etc.

[0058] As described above, the opening 410 can cause the toner to move in the axial direction in a direction in which the radial width decreases. Therefore, as shown in Figures 10 and 12, at the position where the first opening 420 is provided, the toner moves in the direction of arrow T4, which is the direction from the first end 402 toward the end 206 of the wall 205, and at the position where the second opening 430 is provided, the toner moves in the direction of arrow T5, which is the direction from the second end 403 toward the end 206 of the wall 205. Therefore, in the third embodiment, the predetermined direction in which the toner moves is the direction toward the end 206 of the wall 205.

[0059] In the third embodiment, as in the first and second embodiments, when the paddle 400 is rotated, some of the toner passes through the first opening 420 and the second opening 430 without being sent toward the conveying screw 300, thereby reducing the total amount of toner pushed by the paddle 400 during one rotation. This reduces the load on the paddle 400 caused by the toner while maintaining the function of sending the toner toward the conveying screw 300, thereby preventing the paddle 400 from excessively deforming and slipping over the toner, preventing the rotation of the paddle 400 from being impeded by the toner and stopping, or damaging the paddle 400. Furthermore, since the first opening 420 and the second opening 430 each include a portion whose radial width decreases in a predetermined axial direction, the toner can be moved in a predetermined axial direction when the paddle 400 rotates. Therefore, the toner that is not sent to the conveying screw 300 and remains on the side of the paddle 400 can be moved in the direction toward the end 206 of the wall 205, which is the position of the entrance to the passage formed by the wall 205 and the inner wall of the housing 201, and the amount of toner transported to the discharge outlet 203 can be stabilized.

[0060] Furthermore, in the third embodiment, the toner is discharged from the discharge port 203 to the outside of the housing 201 through a passage surrounded by the wall 205 and the inner wall of the housing 201, and therefore the amount of developer conveyed by the conveying screw 300 is regulated to a fixed amount depending on the cross-sectional size of the passage surrounded by the wall 205 and the inner wall of the housing 201. As a result, the amount of toner discharged from the discharge port 203 can be stabilized at a fixed amount, as in the second embodiment. Furthermore, since there is no need to provide the protruding portion 204, the external dimensions of the toner cartridge 200 can be made smaller than those of the second embodiment.

[0061] 12 and 13 , the first opening 420 and the second opening 430 may be trapezoidal in shape having long and short sides extending parallel to each other in the radial direction. In the third embodiment, for example, a first side 421 of the first opening 420 extending in the radial direction is the long side, and a second side 422 of the first opening 420 extending parallel to the first side 421 is the short side. Furthermore, a first side 431 of the second opening 430 extending in the radial direction is the long side, and a second side 432 of the second opening 430 extending parallel to the first side 431 is the short side. By making the first opening 420 and the second opening 430 trapezoidal in shape, it is possible to prevent a decrease in the strength of the paddle 400 while ensuring a certain degree of opening area of ​​the first opening 420 and the second opening 430.

[0062] 12 and 13, the first opening 420 and the second opening 430 may have one side extending parallel to the axial direction at a position closest to the paddle rotation axis 401. In the third embodiment, for example, the third side 423 of the first opening 420 and the third side 433 of the second opening 430, which are located closest to the paddle rotation axis 401, extend parallel to the axial direction. This allows the first opening 420 and the second opening 430 to be provided closer to the paddle rotation axis 401, further increasing the opening areas of the first opening 420 and the second opening 430, and further reducing the load applied to the paddle 400.

[0063] Although the third embodiment exemplifies that the first opening 420 and the second opening 430 are trapezoidal, the present disclosure is not limited to such a configuration, and the first opening 420 and the second opening 430 may have any shape as long as they include a portion where the radial width decreases in a predetermined direction along the axial direction. For example, the first opening 420 and the second opening 430 may have a shape enclosed by lines that is a triangle or a polygon with pentagons or more, and at least a portion of the outline of the first opening 420 and the second opening 430 may be curved.

[0064] The present disclosure is not limited to the configurations of the above-described embodiments and modified examples, and may be replaced with a configuration that is substantially the same as the configurations shown in the above-described embodiments and modified examples, a configuration that has the same effect, or a configuration that can achieve the same purpose. [Explanation of symbols]

[0065] 100: Image forming device 101: Device body 102: Automatic paper feeder tray 103: Manual feed tray 104: Photoreceptor 105: Exposure equipment 106: Developing device 107: Toner cartridge unit 108: Toner supply pipe 109: Intermediate transfer unit 110: Secondary transfer roller 111: Fuser unit 112: Paper output tray 113: Toner cartridge holder 114: Lock lever 200: Toner cartridge 201: Cabinet 202: Interior space 203: Outlet 204:Protruding part 205: Wall 206: Edge of the wall 300: Conveying screw 301: Rotating shaft 302: Spiral blade 303: First end of conveying screw 304: Second end of conveying screw 400: Paddle 401: Paddle rotation axis 402: First end of paddle 403: Second end of paddle 410:Aperture 411: First side of opening 412: Second side of opening 413: Third side of opening 414: 1st division area 415:Second division area 420: First opening 421: First side of first opening 422: Second side of the first opening 423: Third side of the first opening 430: Second opening 431: First side of second opening 432: Second side of second opening 433: Third side of second opening

Claims

1. a housing having an internal space for storing toner and an outlet located below the internal space; a conveying screw provided in the internal space, conveying the toner from one axial side to the other axial side, and having a portion disposed above the discharge port; A toner cartridge comprising: a paddle that is provided in the internal space, rotates around a rotation axis parallel to the conveying screw, and moves the toner in a predetermined direction along the axial direction while sending the toner toward the conveying screw, the paddle having an opening that includes a portion whose radial width decreases toward the predetermined direction.

2. 2. The toner cartridge according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined direction is a direction toward the discharge port.

3. a wall provided between the conveying screw and the paddle, the wall covering a part of the conveying screw including a part positioned above the discharge port; 2. The toner cartridge according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined direction is a direction toward an end of the wall in the axial direction.

4. 4. The toner cartridge according to claim 1, wherein the paddle has a plurality of the openings aligned along the axial direction.

5. 4. The toner cartridge according to claim 1, wherein the opening is trapezoidal in shape having long and short sides extending parallel to each other in the radial direction.

6. 4. The toner cartridge according to claim 1, wherein the opening has one side extending parallel to the axial direction at a position closest to the rotation shaft.

7. 2. A toner cartridge according to claim 1, wherein when the opening is divided into a first partition area on the side of the predetermined direction and a second partition area on the opposite side of the predetermined direction by a virtual center line of the width in the axial direction, the area of ​​the first partition area is smaller than the area of ​​the second partition area.

8. A toner cartridge according to any one of claims 1 to 3; a developing device to which the toner discharged from the discharge port is supplied.

Images