Developer replenishing device and image forming apparatus

Abstract

To facilitate execution of attachment and detachment work of a developer supply device with respect to an image forming apparatus body.SOLUTION: A developer supply deice 90Y supplies toner stored in a toner container 32Y toward a developing device 5Y in an image forming apparatus body 100, and is provided with: a developer receiving unit 81 that has a conveyance path for delivering the toner discharged from the toner container 32Y to a tube 95 and is detachably attached to the toner container 32Y; a sub hopper 70 that can retain the toner to be discharged toward the developing device 5Y and is detachably attached to the developing device 5Y; and the tube 95 that is connected with the developer receiving unit 81 at one end and connected with the sub hopper 70 at the other end to allow conveyance of the toner from the developer receiving unit 81 toward the sub hopper 70. The developer supply device 90Y is attached and detached with respect to the image forming apparatus body 100 while maintaining the connection of the developer receiving unit 81, sub hopper 70, and tube 95.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a developer supply device that supplies developer contained in a developer container to a developing device, and an image forming apparatus equipped with the developer supply device, such as a copier, printer, facsimile, or a combination machine thereof. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, in image forming devices such as copiers, printers, facsimiles, or combination machines thereof, there have been widely known devices in which the developing device, developer supply device, and developer container are configured to be replaceable with devices corresponding to different color developers (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

[0003] More specifically, the image forming apparatus in Patent Document 1 is equipped with a four-color (YMCB) developing device, developer replenishing device, and developer container for forming a normal color image, as well as a developing device, developer replenishing device, and developer container for special colors such as clear color and white color. In particular, the developing device, developer replenishing device, and developer container for the special colors are replaced with different types relatively frequently. Each of the plurality of developer supply devices supplies developer discharged from a developer container (toner container) of the corresponding color to a developing device of the corresponding color. The developer discharged from the developer container is temporarily stored in a storage section (developer receiving section). The storage section and a conveying pump installed in the sub-hopper are connected by a flexible tube (conveying pipe). Then, when the conveying pump is operated, the developer stored in the storage section is conveyed to the sub-hopper through the tube. The developer conveyed to and stored in the sub-hopper is discharged from the discharge port of the sub-hopper by rotating a conveying screw installed in the sub-hopper, and is appropriately supplied to the developing device. Then, the latent image formed on the surface of the photosensitive drum is developed by the developing device that is appropriately supplied with the developer and contains an appropriate amount of developer. Then, the toner images of each color developed on the surface of each photosensitive drum are superimposed on the surface of the intermediate transfer body to form an image consisting of multiple colors. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In the technique of the above-mentioned Patent Document 1, the work of attaching and detaching the developer supply device to and from the main body of the image forming apparatus is time-consuming.

[0005] The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and has an object to provide a developer supply device and an image forming apparatus that can be easily attached and detached from the image forming apparatus main body. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The developer supply device of this invention is a developer supply device that supplies developer contained in a developer container in the image forming apparatus main body to a developing device, and is equipped with a developer receiving section that has a transport path for transferring developer discharged from the developer container to a transport pipe, and is detachable from the developer container, a sub-hopper that is detachable from the developing device and is capable of storing developer discharged to the developing device, and a flexible transport pipe having one end connected to the developer receiving section and the other end connected to the sub-hopper, so as to transport developer from the developer receiving section to the sub-hopper, and is detachable from the image forming apparatus main body while maintaining the connection between the developer receiving section, the sub-hopper, and the transport pipe. Effect of the Invention

[0007] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a developer supplying device and an image forming apparatus which can be easily attached to and detached from the main body of the image forming apparatus. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] 1 is an overall configuration diagram showing an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing the vicinity of the process cartridge. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a developer supply device, a developing device, and a toner container. [Figure 4] FIG. [Diagram 5] (A) is a diagram showing the state in which a developing device, a toner container, and a developer supply device are attached to the image forming apparatus main body, and (B) is a diagram showing the state in which the developing device, the toner container, and the developer supply device have been removed from the image forming apparatus main body. [Figure 6] 5A to 5C are front views showing a procedure for removing the developing device, the toner container, and the developer supply device from the main body of the image forming apparatus. [Figure 7] 2 is a schematic diagram showing a state in which a plurality of color developing devices, a toner container, and a developer replenishing device are mounted in the main body of an image forming apparatus. [Figure 8] FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram showing a developer supplying device according to a first modified example. [Figure 9] FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram showing a toner container, a developer receiving unit, and their vicinity as a second modified example. [Figure 10] 10 is a cross-sectional view showing a part of the toner container in FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0009] Hereinafter, the embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In each drawing, the same or corresponding parts are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the duplicated description will be appropriately simplified or omitted.

[0010] First, the overall configuration and operation of an image forming apparatus 100 will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 1 is a structural diagram showing a printer as an image forming apparatus, and FIG. 2 is an enlarged view showing the vicinity of a process cartridge 6Y. As shown in FIG. 1, five different types of roughly cylindrical toner containers 32Y, 32M, 32C, 32K, and 32S serving as developer containers are detachably arranged side by side on one end side of an upper portion of an image forming apparatus main body 100. The toner as developers contained in these toner containers 32Y, 32M, 32C, 32K, and 32S are transported and replenished toward developing devices 5Y, 5M, 5C, 5K, and 5S (see Figure 3) by developer supply devices 90Y, 90M, 90C, 90K, and 90S (toner supply devices), respectively.

[0011] 1, toner container 32K (developer replenishing device 90K) corresponding to black is installed on the right. To the left of that, toner containers 32Y, 32M, 32C (developer replenishing devices 90Y, 90M, 90C) corresponding to the three colors (yellow, magenta, cyan) are installed in this order from the left. Toner container 32S (developer replenishing device 90S) corresponding to the special color is installed on the left. In particular, the toner container 32S corresponding to a special color is often replaced with a toner container 32S for a different type of special color depending on the user's purpose before all the toner contained therein is consumed. In this embodiment, the order (arrangement) of the toner containers 32Y, 32M, 32C, 32K, 32S, the developer supply devices 90Y, 90M, 90C, 90K, 90S, and the developing devices 5Y, 5M, 5C, 5K, 5S (process cartridges 6Y, 6M, 6C, 6K, 6S) is configured to be changeable.

[0012] With reference to FIG. 1 etc., the black developer supply device 90K is for supplying black toner (developer) contained in a black toner container 32K (developer container) to the black developing device 5Y. In addition, the three color developer supply devices 90Y, 90M, and 90C are intended to supply the color (yellow, magenta, and cyan) toner (developers) contained in the color toner containers 32Y, 32M, and 32C (developer containers) to the color developing devices 5Y, 5M, and 5C, respectively. The special color developer supply device 90S is for supplying the special color toner (developer) contained in the special color toner container 32S (developer container) to the special color developing device 5S.

[0013] Known toners can be used as black toner, color toners (yellow toner, magenta toner, cyan toner), and special toners. In particular, special toners are different from black toners and color toners, and known clear toners (transparent toners, colorless toners, achromatic toners, no-pigment toners, etc.), white toners, gold toners, silver toners, etc. can be used according to the user's application.

[0014] Referring to FIG. 1, five exposure units 7Y, 7M, 7C, 7K, and 7S are provided at the top of the image forming apparatus main body 1, and below them, process cartridges 6Y, 6M, 6C, 6K, and 6S (developing devices 5Y, 5M, 5C, 5K, and 5S) corresponding to each color (yellow, magenta, cyan, black, and special color) are arranged side by side facing the intermediate transfer belt unit 15 (intermediate transfer belt 8). 1, the basic arrangement (disposition) of the five process cartridges 6Y, 6M, 6C, 6K, and 6S (developing devices 5Y, 5M, 5C, 5K, and 5S) is, from the upstream side in the running direction of the intermediate transfer belt 8, the special color process cartridge 6S (developing device 5S), the yellow process cartridge 6Y (developing device 5Y), the magenta process cartridge 6M (developing device 5M), the cyan process cartridge 6C (developing device 5C), and the black process cartridge 6K (developing device 5K). This arrangement (disposition) is configured to be appropriately changed according to the user's application. In particular, in this embodiment, referring also to Figures 7(A) and 7(B), the arrangement of the black developing device 5K (process cartridge 6K), developer supply device 90K, toner container 32K, and the special color developing device 5S (process cartridge 6S), developer supply device 90S, toner container 32S is configured to be changeable.

[0015] The toner of a special color is not limited to one type, and in many cases, different types of toner containers 32S for special colors are appropriately replaced according to the user's purpose, such as when a toner container 32S for clear toner is replaced with a toner container 32S for white toner. In such a case, it may be better to change the arrangement (disposition) of the process cartridges 6S (developing devices 5S) for special colors from the most upstream side to the most downstream side in the running direction of the intermediate transfer belt 8 according to the type of the special color toner. For example, when a clear toner is used as the special color toner, it is used for the purpose of improving the glossiness of the image, so it is desirable to first perform the primary transfer onto the intermediate transfer belt 8, and as shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 7(A), the developing device 5S (process cartridge 6S) for special colors is arranged at the most upstream side in the running direction of the intermediate transfer belt 8. On the other hand, when a white toner is used as the special color toner, it is used for the purpose of forming an image on a colored sheet P that is not white, so it is desirable to perform the secondary transfer onto the bottom layer on the sheet P, and as shown in FIG. 7(B), the developing device 5S (process cartridge 6S) for special colors is arranged at the most downstream side in the running direction of the intermediate transfer belt 8. Along with such a change in the arrangement (installation position) of the developing device 5S (process cartridge 6S) for special colors, the arrangement of the developing device 5K (process cartridge 6K) for black is changed so as to be interchanged. 7(A) and (B), the installation positions of the special color developer supply device 90S and the toner container 32S, and the black developer supply device 90K and the toner container 32K are interchanged. Note that these interchange operations are performed manually by an operator such as a user or a serviceman, based on an operation manual displayed on a display panel installed on the exterior of the image forming apparatus 100. In addition, when the position of the toner containers 32Y, 32M, 32C, 32K, 32S, the process cartridges 6Y, 6M, 6C, 6K, 6S (developing devices 5Y, 5M, 5C, 5K, 5S), and the developer supply devices 90Y, 90M, 90C, 90K, 90S is changed, the same colors will be replaced in a set to avoid mixing different colors.

[0016] 2, the process cartridge 6Y corresponding to yellow is a unit (detachable unit) in which the photosensitive drum 1Y as an image carrier, the charging device 4Y, the developing device 5Y, and the cleaning device 2Y arranged around the photosensitive drum 1Y are integrated. Then, an image forming process (charging process, exposure process, developing process, transfer process, cleaning process, and discharging process) is performed on the photosensitive drum 1Y, and a yellow image is formed on the photosensitive drum 1Y.

[0017] The other four process cartridges 6M, 6C, 6K, and 6S have almost the same configuration as the process cartridge 6Y corresponding to yellow, except for the different colors (types) of toner used, and form images corresponding to the respective toner colors. Below, the explanation of the other four process cartridges 6M, 6C, 6K, and 6S will be omitted as appropriate, and only the process cartridge 6Y corresponding to yellow will be explained.

[0018] 2, the photoconductor drum 1Y as an image carrier is rotated counterclockwise by a drive motor, and the surface of the photoconductor drum 1Y is uniformly charged at the position of the charging device 4Y (charging step). Thereafter, the surface of the photoconductor drum 1Y reaches a position irradiated with the laser light L emitted from an exposure unit 7Y (writing device), and an electrostatic latent image corresponding to yellow is formed by exposure scanning at this position (exposure process).

[0019] Thereafter, the surface of the photoconductor drum 1Y reaches a position facing the developing device 5Y, where the electrostatic latent image is developed to form a yellow toner image (developing process). Thereafter, the surface of the photoconductor drum 1Y reaches a position facing the intermediate transfer belt 8 and the primary transfer roller 9Y, and at this position the toner image on the photoconductor drum 1Y is transferred onto the intermediate transfer belt 8 as an intermediate transfer body (the primary transfer process). At this time, a small amount of untransferred toner remains on the photoconductor drum 1Y.

[0020] Thereafter, the surface of the photoreceptor drum 1Y reaches a position facing the cleaning device 2Y, and the untransferred toner remaining on the photoreceptor drum 1Y at this position is collected into the cleaning device 2Y by the cleaning blade 2a (cleaning process). Finally, the surface of the photoconductor drum 1Y reaches a position facing a charge removing device, where the residual potential on the photoconductor drum 1Y is removed (charge removing step). Thus, a series of image forming processes carried out on the photosensitive drum 1Y is completed.

[0021] The above-mentioned image forming process is performed in the other process cartridges 6M, 6C, 6K, and 6S in the same manner as in the yellow process cartridge 6Y. That is, laser light L based on image information is irradiated onto the photosensitive drum of each process cartridge 6M, 6C, 6K, and 6S from each exposure section 7M, 7C, 7K, and 7S disposed above the process cartridge. In detail, the exposure section emits laser light L from a light source, and irradiates the laser light L onto the photosensitive drum via multiple optical elements while scanning the laser light L with a polygon mirror that is rotated. Thereafter, the toner images of each color formed on each photosensitive drum through the developing process are primarily transferred onto the intermediate transfer belt 8 in a superimposed manner. In this way, a desired color image is formed on the intermediate transfer belt 8.

[0022] The intermediate transfer belt unit 15 (intermediate transfer belt device) is composed of an intermediate transfer belt 8 as an intermediate transfer body, five primary transfer rollers (9Y), a drive roller, a secondary transfer opposing roller, multiple tension rollers, a cleaning opposing roller, an intermediate transfer cleaning device, etc. The intermediate transfer belt 8 (intermediate transfer body) is stretched and supported by multiple roller members, and is moved endlessly in the direction of the arrow in FIG. 1 (clockwise direction) by the rotational drive of one roller member (drive roller).

[0023] Each of the five primary transfer rollers (9Y) sandwiches the intermediate transfer belt 8 between itself and the photosensitive drum (1Y) to form a primary transfer nip. A transfer voltage (primary transfer bias) having a polarity opposite to that of the toner is applied to the primary transfer roller (9Y). The intermediate transfer belt 8 then travels in the direction of the arrow and passes through the primary transfer nips of the primary transfer roller (9Y) in sequence. In this way, the toner images of each color on the photoconductor drum (1Y) are primarily transferred onto the intermediate transfer belt 8 in a superimposed manner.

[0024] Thereafter, the intermediate transfer belt 8, onto which the toner images of each color have been transferred and superimposed, reaches a position facing the secondary transfer roller 19. At this position, the secondary transfer facing roller sandwiches the intermediate transfer belt 8 between itself and the secondary transfer roller 19 to form a secondary transfer nip. The four-color toner images formed on the intermediate transfer belt 8 are then transferred onto a sheet P, such as paper, that has been conveyed to the position of this secondary transfer nip. At this time, untransferred toner that has not been transferred to the sheet P remains on the intermediate transfer belt 8.

[0025] Thereafter, the intermediate transfer belt 8 reaches the position of an intermediate transfer cleaning device, where untransferred toner on the intermediate transfer belt 8 is removed. Thus, a series of transfer processes carried out on the intermediate transfer belt 8 is completed.

[0026] Here, referring to Figure 1, the sheet P transported to the position of the secondary transfer nip is transported from a paper feed unit 26 (paper feed cassette) arranged below the device main body 100 via a transport path K1 on which a paper feed roller 27, a pair of registration rollers 28, etc. are arranged. More specifically, a plurality of sheets P are stacked and stored in the sheet feed unit 26. When the sheet feed roller 27 is rotated counterclockwise in FIG.

[0027] The sheet P conveyed to the registration roller pair 28 (timing roller pair) is temporarily stopped at the roller nip position of the registration roller pair 28, which has stopped rotating. Then, in synchronization with the color image on the intermediate transfer belt 8, the registration roller pair 28 is rotated and the sheet P is conveyed toward the secondary transfer nip. In this way, the desired color image is transferred onto the sheet P.

[0028] Thereafter, the sheet P onto which the color image has been transferred at the secondary transfer nip position is transported to the position of the fixing device 20. Then, at this position, the color image transferred onto the surface is fixed onto the sheet P by heat and pressure from a fixing belt and a pressure roller (fixing process). Thereafter, the sheet P is discharged to the outside of the apparatus by a pair of discharge rollers via a discharge path K2. The sheets P discharged to the outside of the apparatus by the pair of discharge rollers are sequentially stacked on a stack unit as output images. In this manner, a series of image forming processes in the image forming apparatus is completed.

[0029] Next, the configuration and operation of the developing device in the process cartridge will be described in more detail with reference to FIG. The developing device 5Y is composed of a developing roller 51 facing the photosensitive drum 1Y, a doctor blade 52 facing the developing roller 51, two conveying screws 55 disposed in a developer storage section, a concentration detection sensor 56 for detecting the toner concentration in the developer, a supply pipe 59 for supplying toner (developer) to the developer storage section through an opening 57, etc. The developing roller 51 is composed of a magnet fixed inside and a sleeve rotating around the magnet, etc. A two-component developer G consisting of a carrier and a toner is stored in the developer storage section.

[0030] The developing device 5Y thus configured operates as follows. The sleeve of the developing roller 51 rotates in the direction of the arrow in Fig. 2. The developer G carried on the developing roller 51 by the magnetic field generated by the magnet moves on the developing roller 51 as the sleeve rotates.

[0031] Here, the developer G in the developing device 5Y is adjusted so that the ratio of toner in the developer (toner concentration) falls within a predetermined range. In more detail, in accordance with the toner consumption in the developing device 5Y, the toner contained in the toner container 32Y (developer container) is replenished into the developing device 5Y (developer storage section) by the developer replenishing device 90Y. The configurations and operations of the toner container 32Y and the developer replenishing device 90Y will be described in detail later.

[0032] Thereafter, the toner supplied to the developing device 5Y (developer storage section) is mixed and stirred with the developer G by the two transport screws 55, while circulating through the two developer storage sections separated by a partition member (moving in the longitudinal direction perpendicular to the paper surface of FIG. 2). The toner in the two-component developer G is attracted to the carrier by frictional charging with the carrier, and is carried on the developing roller 51 together with the carrier by the magnetic force formed on the developing roller 51.

[0033] The developer G carried on the developing roller 51 is transported along the rotation direction of the sleeve and reaches the position of the doctor blade 52. The developer G on the developing roller 51 is adjusted to an appropriate amount at this position, and then transported to a position facing the photoconductor drum 1Y (the developing area). The toner is then attracted to the latent image formed on the photoconductor drum 1Y by an electric field formed in the developing area. Thereafter, the developer G remaining on the developing roller 51 reaches above the developer storage section as the sleeve rotates, and is detached from the developing roller 51 at this position and returned to the developer storage section.

[0034] Next, the configuration and operation of the yellow developer supplying device 90Y will be briefly described with reference to FIG. In this embodiment, the other four developer supply devices 90M, 90C, 90K, and 90S have almost the same configuration as the yellow developer supply device 90Y, except for the color (type) of toner used. Therefore, the explanation of these developer supply devices 90M, 90C, 90K, and 90S will be omitted as appropriate, and only the yellow developer supply device 90Y will be explained.

[0035] The yellow developer supply device 90Y rotates the toner container 32Y as a developer container installed in the yellow developer container installation section 31Y in a predetermined direction (the direction of the arrow in Figure 3) to discharge the toner contained in the toner container 32Y out of the container and guide it to the yellow developing device 5Y, and forms a toner supply path (toner transport path). In order to facilitate understanding, the toner container 32Y, developer supply device 90Y, and developing device 5Y are illustrated with their orientations changed. In reality, the toner container 32Y and a part of the developer supply device 90Y are arranged so that their longitudinal directions are perpendicular to the paper surface in Fig. 3 (see Fig. 1). The orientation and arrangement of the tube 95 (transport pipe) are also simplified.

[0036] The toner in a toner container 32Y installed in a developer container installation portion 31Y of the image forming apparatus main body 100 is appropriately replenished into the developing device 5Y by a developer replenishing device 90Y in accordance with toner consumption in the developing device 5Y. In detail, when the toner container 32Y is set in the developer container installation portion 31Y of the apparatus main body 100, the bottle gear 37 of the toner container 32Y meshes with the drive gear 110 of the apparatus main body 100, and the cap 34 (a member for closing the toner discharge port C) is removed from the toner container 32Y by the cap opening / closing chuck 92 of the cap receiving portion 91. This opens the toner discharge port C (opening) of the toner container 32Y, making it possible to discharge the toner contained in the toner container 32Y.

[0037] Meanwhile, in the developer supply device 90Y, a developer receiving section 81 having a drop path section 82 is provided below the opened toner discharge port C. A suction port 83 is provided at the bottom of the developer receiving section 81, and this suction port 83 is connected to one end of a tube 95 (transport pipe) via a nozzle. The tube 95 is a flexible transport pipe made of a flexible rubber material with low toner affinity, and the other end is connected to the transport pump 60 of the sub hopper 70. The sub hopper 70 is connected to the supply pipe 59 of the developing device 5Y. In the developer supply device 90Y thus configured, when the drive gear 110 is driven by the drive motor 115, the container body 33 of the toner container 32Y is rotated in a predetermined direction, and the toner is discharged from the toner discharge port C of the toner container 32Y. The toner discharged from the toner container 32Y falls through the drop path section 82 and is stored in the developer receiving section 81. The toner stored in the developer receiving section 81 is sucked through the suction port 83 by the operation of the conveying pump 60, and is transported from the conveying pump 60 to the storage section of the sub-hopper 70 through the tube 95. Then, the toner transported (stored) in the sub-hopper 70 is replenished into the developing device 5Y through the supply pipe 59. That is, the toner in the toner container 32Y is transported in the direction of the dashed arrow in FIG. 3. In this embodiment, the supply pipe 59 (conveying pipe) of the developing device 5Y is formed of a hard resin material or metal material that is not easily deformed, unlike the tube 95.

[0038] Now, referring to FIG. 3, in this embodiment, the developer receiving portion 81 is provided with a set detection portion 98 as a set detection means for detecting whether or not the toner container 32Y (developer container) is properly set when attached to the image forming apparatus main body 100. More specifically, the setting detection unit 98 (setting detection means) is provided with a photosensor that optically detects whether the portion (head) of the toner container 32Y where the toner discharge port C is formed is set in the correct position. The detection result by the setting detection unit 98 is sent to the control unit 120, and the result is displayed on a display panel (not shown). This allows the user to know whether the toner container has been set as desired, and allows the user to redo the work if necessary. In the present embodiment, the setting detection unit 98 is provided with a locking mechanism that locks the toner container 32Y set in that position so that it does not come off. Therefore, the setting detection unit 98 also detects whether the toner container 32Y is improperly set.

[0039] Next, the sub-hopper 70 in the developer supplying device 90Y will be described in detail with reference to FIG. 4, a conveying pump 60 is integrally installed in the sub-hopper 70 in this embodiment. The conveying pump 60 is a diaphragm pump (positive displacement pump) and is composed of a diaphragm 61 (rubber member), a case 62, a motor 67, a rotating plate 68, check valves 63 and 64, and seal members 65 and 66 (elastic members), etc. The conveying pump 60 thus configured is relatively small and low-cost.

[0040] Here, the case 62 and the diaphragm 61 form a pump body. The case 62 is made of a resin material or a metal material having rigidity, and functions as a main part (housing) of the pump body. The case 62 (pump body) is formed with an inlet A for allowing the developer to flow in together with air toward the inside, and an outlet B for allowing the developer to flow out together with air from the inside. The diaphragm 61 is made of a rubber material that has low toner affinity and elasticity, and the inside of the bowl-shaped portion functions as a volume variable portion W, and an arm portion 61a (with an eccentric shaft 68a of the rotating plate 68 fitted in its hole) is formed to stand on the outer periphery. The diaphragm 61 is joined to the case 62 so that no gap is formed, and the volume variable portion W of the diaphragm 61 and the inside of the case 62 form one closed space inside the pump main body. The pump main bodies 61, 62 increase and decrease the internal volume by the expansion and contraction action of the diaphragm 61 accompanying the rotation of the rotating plate 68 (eccentric shaft 68a) described later, thereby generating positive pressure and negative pressure alternately.

[0041] The rotating plate 68 is installed on the motor shaft of the motor 67, and an eccentric shaft 68a is provided on the surface of the rotating plate 68 so as to stand at a position eccentric from the motor shaft (center of rotation). The eccentric shaft 68a of the rotating plate 68 is inserted (fitted) into a hole formed at the tip of the arm portion 61a of the diaphragm 61. With this configuration, when the motor 67 is driven under the control of the control unit 120, the rotating plate 68 (eccentric shaft 68a) rotates, and the diaphragm 61 expands and contracts accordingly to cyclically increase and decrease the volume of the volume variable unit W. Then, with this expansion and contraction of the diaphragm 61, positive pressure and negative pressure are alternately generated inside the pump bodies 61, 62.

[0042] Here, an inlet port A of the pump body (case 62) is provided with an inlet side check valve 63. This inlet side check valve 63 opens the inlet port A when negative pressure occurs inside the pump bodies 61, 62, and closes the inlet port A when positive pressure occurs inside the pump bodies 61, 62. The inlet side check valve 63 is disposed so as to face the inlet port A from the inside (interior) of the pump bodies 61, 62. A developer receiving portion 81 is connected to the side of the inlet A of the conveying pump 60 via a tube 95. On the other hand, an outlet B of the pump body (case 62) is provided with an outlet-side check valve 64. This outlet-side check valve 64 closes the outlet B when negative pressure occurs inside the pump bodies 61, 62, and opens the outlet B when positive pressure occurs inside the pump bodies 61, 62. The outlet-side check valve 64 is disposed so as to face the outlet B from the outside of the pump bodies 61, 62. A sub-hopper 70 is connected to the side of the outlet B in the conveying pump 60. 3, with this configuration and operation, when the transport pump 60 is operated, the toner stored inside the developer receiving portion 81 is sucked through the suction port 83 and transported through the tube 95, and then the toner is transported into the sub hopper 70 via the transport pump 60. In more detail, when the hopper remaining amount sensor 76 of the sub hopper 70 detects a shortage of toner in the sub hopper 70, the transport pump 60 (motor 67) is driven to supply toner from the developer receiving portion 81 to the sub hopper 70. The conveying pump 60 (motor 67) is driven intermittently at a relatively short cycle when the hopper remaining amount sensor 76 detects that the amount of toner in the sub-hopper 70 has not reached a predetermined amount and is insufficient. This prevents the amount of toner conveyed by the conveying screws 71, 72 in the sub-hopper 70 from catching up with the amount of toner supplied from the conveying pump 60, causing toner to accumulate in part of the sub-hopper 70.

[0043] 4, the sub hopper 70 is provided with two conveying screws 71 and 72, a hopper remaining amount sensor 76, a supply motor 121 (see FIG. 3), and the like. A supply port communicating with the outlet B of the conveying pump 60 is formed above the upstream side of the first conveying path (the conveying path in which the first conveying screw 71 is provided) of the sub hopper 70. A discharge port 74 (opening) is formed below the downstream side of the second conveying path (the conveying path in which the second conveying screw 72 is provided) of the sub hopper 70, and the discharge port 74 is connected to the supply pipe 59 (see FIG. 3) of the developing device 5Y. An exhaust port 75 is provided above the second conveying path of the sub hopper 70 to discharge air sent in together with the toner from the conveying pump 60. As described above, the hopper remaining amount sensor 76 functions as a detection unit that detects a shortage state in which the toner (developer) contained in the sub-hopper 70 does not reach a predetermined amount.

[0044] Here, in the sub-hopper 70, the downstream side of the first conveying path and the upstream side of the second conveying path are connected at one end in the longitudinal direction (perpendicular to the paper surface of Figures 3 and 4), but except for that connecting portion, the first conveying path and the second conveying path are isolated by a wall. The toner replenished into the sub hopper 70 is transported in this order through the first transport path and the second transport path within the sub hopper 70 by the transport screws 71 and 72 which are rotationally driven by the supply motor 121, and is then replenished from the sub hopper 70 into the developing device 5Y via the supply pipe 59. In more detail, when the concentration detection sensor 56 of the developing device 5Y detects a shortage of toner concentration in the developer storage section (which is the circulation path by the transport screw 55), the control unit 120 controls to rotate the transport screws 71 and 72 of the sub hopper 70, thereby replenishing the toner from the sub hopper 70 to the developing device 5Y. In this manner, in the present embodiment, the toner transport path from the developer receiving portion 81 to the transport pump 60 is formed by the flexible tube 95. Therefore, even if various components are installed in the space between the developer receiving portion 81 and the transport pump 60, the toner transport path can be formed by routing the tube 95 so as to avoid those components. Therefore, the developer container installation portion 31Y of the toner container 32Y can be laid out relatively freely in a position away from the developing device 5Y.

[0045] Next, the toner container 32Y and the associated developer supply device 90Y will be described with reference to FIG. As described above, the toner container 32Y is mainly composed of a container body 33 and a cap 34 (plug member) detachably provided on the toner discharge port C of the container body 33. A bottle gear 37 that rotates integrally with the container body 33, and a toner discharge port C are provided at the head of the container body 33. The bottle gear 37 is engaged with a drive gear 110 of the device body 100 to rotate the container body 33 in a predetermined direction. The toner discharge port C is for discharging the toner (powder) as the developer contained in the container body 33 toward the drop path portion 82. A spiral protrusion 33a is provided on the container body 33 from the outer peripheral surface to the inner peripheral surface. This spiral protrusion 33a is for discharging the toner from the toner discharge port C by driving the container body 33 to rotate. The container body 33 thus configured can be manufactured together with the bottle gear 37 by blow molding.

[0046] On the other hand, referring to FIG. 3, the cap receiving portion 91 of the developer supply device 90Y is provided so as to cover the head of the toner container 32Y in a state in which it is placed in the developer container installation portion 31Y (developer supply device 90Y). The cap receiving part 91 is provided with a cap opening / closing chuck 92 that opens and closes the cap 34 in conjunction with the mounting and dismounting of the toner container 32Y, and an opening / closing drive part that drives the cap opening / closing chuck 92, and these parts are provided separately from the developer receiving part 81. When the toner container 32Y placed on the developer container installation part 31Y is slid toward the cap receiving part 91 and the cap 34 reaches the position of the cap opening / closing chuck 92, the opening / closing drive part operates to detach the cap 34 from the toner discharge port C with the cap opening / closing chuck 92 holding the cap 34 in conjunction with the operation of sliding and pushing the toner container 32Y. This opens the toner discharge port C of the toner container 32Y, making it possible to discharge the toner from the toner discharge port C. In addition, in conjunction with such mounting operation of the toner container 32Y, a locking mechanism provided as a part of the set detection part 98 operates to lock the head side of the toner container 32Y so that it is not removed from the developer container installation part 31Y. At this time, the toner container 32Y is rotatably fixed at the toner discharge port C (head) side to the developer replenishing device 90Y (developer container installation part 31Y), and the container body 33 is rotatably held on the developer container installation part 31Y. In addition, such a normally set state is detected by the set detection part 98 (set detection means). When the toner container 32Y is removed from the developer-container installation portion 31Y (toner-container receiving stand), the above-mentioned operations for mounting are performed in reverse order.

[0047] The developer receiving portion 81 of the developer replenishing device 90Y is formed in a roughly bowl shape so as to store the toner that has fallen through the fall path portion 82, and a toner detection sensor 86 and a stirring member are provided inside. The transport pump 60 is connected to the suction port 83 of the developer receiving portion 81 via a tube 95 as a transport pipe, and sucks up the toner stored in the developer receiving portion 81 to transport it through the tube 95. In this manner, in this embodiment, the toner discharged from the toner container 32Y is not directly sucked up by the transport pump 60, but rather, the transport pump 60 is configured to suck up only the necessary amount of toner that has been discharged from the toner container 32Y and accumulated to a certain extent in the developer receiving section 81, thereby reliably reducing the problem of an insufficient amount of toner being sucked up by the transport pump 60.

[0048] The toner detection sensor 86 is provided to indirectly detect a state in which the toner contained inside the toner container 32Y is empty (toner out state) or a state close to that (toner near-end state), and is disposed at a position close to the suction port 83. Based on the detection result of the toner detection sensor 86, the toner is discharged from the toner container 32Y. Specifically, a piezoelectric sensor, a transmitted light sensor, or the like can be used as the toner detection sensor 86. In the present embodiment, a piezoelectric sensor is used as the toner detection sensor 86. The height of the detection surface of the toner detection sensor 86 is set so that the amount of toner accumulated above the suction port 83 (accumulation height) becomes a target value. Then, based on the detection result of the toner detection sensor 86, the control unit 120 controls the drive timing and drive time of the drive motor 115 that rotates the toner container 32Y (container body 33). Specifically, when the toner detection sensor 86 determines that there is no toner at that position, the drive motor 115 is driven for a predetermined time, and when the toner detection sensor 86 determines that there is toner at that position, the drive motor 115 is stopped.

[0049] Hereinafter, the configuration and operation of the special color developer supply devices 90Y, 90M, 90C, 90K and 90S, which are characteristic of this embodiment, will be described with reference to FIGS. As previously explained using Figure 3 etc., developer supply devices 90Y, 90M, 90C, 90K, 90S in this embodiment supply toner as developer contained in toner containers 32Y, 32M, 32C, 32K, 32S as developer containers in the image forming apparatus main body 100 to developing devices 5Y, 5M, 5C, 5K, 5S.

[0050] The five developer supply devices 90Y, 90M, 90C, 90K, and 90S have almost the same configuration as the yellow developer supply device 90Y, except for the different colors (types) of toner used. Therefore, we will omit the explanation of the other four developer supply devices 90M, 90C, 90K, and 90S as appropriate and only explain the yellow developer supply device 90Y. Similarly, the developer supply device mounting sections 160Y, 160M, 160C, 160K, 160S, toner containers 32Y, 32M, 32C, 32K, 32S (developer containers), developer container mounting sections 31Y, 31M, 31C, 31K, 31S, developing devices 5Y, 5M, 5C, 5K, 5S, and developing device mounting sections 150Y, 150M, 150C, 150K, 150S corresponding to the five developer supply devices 90Y, 90M, 90C, 90K, 90S, respectively, are each configured in a manner similar to that for yellow, and therefore, the description of those corresponding to the other four colors will be omitted as appropriate and only the description of the one for yellow will be provided.

[0051] In addition, in the five sets of installation sections (installation sections 160Y, 160M, 160C, 160K, 160S for developer supply devices, installation sections 31Y, 31M, 31C, 31K, 31S for developer containers, installation sections 150Y, 150M, 150C, 150K, 150S for developing devices), descriptions of colors such as "for yellow, for magenta, for cyan, for black, for special colors" and symbols for colors such as "Y, M, C, K, S" indicate the basic order shown in Figures 1 and 7(A) and indicate fixed positions that do not change even if the toner container, developer supply device, or developing device is replaced. Specifically, referring to FIG. 7, the "special color developer supply device installation section 160S", the "special color developer container installation section 31S", and the "special color developing device installation section 150S" are fixed at the leftmost end, while the "yellow developer supply device installation section 160Y", the "yellow developer container installation section 31Y", and the "yellow developing device installation section 150Y" are fixed at the adjacent right ends, and the "magenta developer supply device installation section 160M", the "magenta developer container installation section 31Y", and the "yellow developing device installation section 150Y" are fixed at the adjacent right ends. The "installation section 160C for the cyan developer replenishing device", "installation section 31C for the cyan developer container" and "installation section 150C for the cyan developer container" are fixed positions to the immediate right of those, and the "installation section 160K for the black developer replenishing device", "installation section 31K for the black developer container" and "installation section 150K for the black developer container" are fixed positions to the immediate right of those (the rightmost end).

[0052] As previously explained using Figure 3 etc., the developer supply device 90Y in this embodiment is mainly composed of a developer receiving section 81 (first storage section), a sub-hopper 70 (second storage section), and a tube 95 as a transport pipe. The developer receiving portion 81 is capable of storing the toner (developer) discharged from the toner container 32Y (developer container), and has a transport path (wherein a suction port 83 (see FIG. 3) at the bottom of the developer receiving portion 81 is provided) for transferring the toner discharged from the toner container 32Y to a tube 95 (transport pipe), and is configured to be detachable from the toner container 32Y. Specifically, the toner container 32Y and the developer receiving portion 81 (developer replenishing device 90Y) are configured to be detachable from the image forming apparatus main body 100, separately and independently. The sub hopper 70 is capable of storing toner (developer) discharged toward the developing device 5Y, and is configured to be detachable from the developing device 5Y. Specifically, the developing device 5Y and the sub hopper 70 (developer replenishing device 90Y) are configured to be detachable and separately from the image forming apparatus main body 100. As previously described with reference to FIG. 3 etc., the sub hopper 70 in this embodiment is integrally provided with the conveying pump 60 (the conveying pump 60 is made into a sub-unit in the sub hopper 70). The tube 95 is a flexible transport pipe having one end connected to the developer receiving portion 81 and the other end connected to the sub-hopper 70, capable of transporting toner (developer) from the toner container 32Y (developer receiving portion) toward the sub-hopper 70.

[0053] Now, referring to Figure 5 etc., the developer supply device 90Y in this embodiment is attached to and detached from the image forming apparatus main body 100 while maintaining the connection between the developer receiving section 81, the sub-hopper 70 (integrally installed with the conveying pump 60), and the tube 95 (conveying pipe). In other words, the developer supply device 90Y has the developer receiving section 81 and the sub-hopper 70 connected via a tube 95, and is configured to be detachable from the housing of the image forming apparatus main body 100 without dividing the connection between the developer receiving section 81, the sub-hopper 70, and the tube 95. In other words, the developing device 5Y, the toner container 32Y, and the developer supply device 90Y in which the developer receiving section 81 and the sub-hopper 70 remain connected via a tube 95 are configured so as to be able to be attached and detached separately and independently from the image forming apparatus main body 100.

[0054] In detail, as shown in Figures 5 to 7, the image forming apparatus main body 100 is provided with a plurality of developer supply device installation sections 160Y in which the developer supply device 90Y is removably installed, a developer container installation section 31Y in which the toner container 32Y (developer container) is removably installed, and a developing device installation section 150Y in which the developing device 5Y is removably installed. In addition, the developer supply device installation section 160Y is provided with a developer receiving section installation section 161Y in which the developer receiving section 81 is removably installed, and a sub-hopper installation section 162Y in which the sub-hopper 70 (and the conveying pump 60) is removably installed. The developer container installation section 31Y, the developing device installation section 150Y, the developer receiving section installation section 161Y and the sub-hopper installation section 162Y (developer replenishing device installation section 160Y) each have an opening (formed to open on the front side in the installation direction, to the right side in Figure 5 and on the front side in the direction perpendicular to the paper surface in Figure 6) for attaching and detaching the corresponding unit to and from the image forming device main body 100, and a frame body for holding the unit within the image forming device main body 100.

[0055] 6, in this embodiment, the image forming apparatus main body 100 is provided with a main body cover 180 for opening and closing the developer replenishing device installation section 160Y (developer receiving section installation section 161Y, sub hopper installation section 162Y) and the developing device installation section 150Y, and a sub main body cover 181 for opening and closing the developer container installation section 31Y. Specifically, with reference to FIGS. 6(A) and 6(B), the main body cover 180 is configured to be rotatable about a hinge 180z, and the sub main body cover 181 is configured to be rotatable about a hinge 181z. 6(D) and the like, the main body cover 180 is provided with a sub hopper holding portion 180a capable of temporarily holding the sub hopper 70 in a state in which the developer receiving portion installation portion 161Y and the sub hopper installation portion 162Y (developer replenishing device installation portion 160Y) are open. Specifically, the sub hopper holding portion 180a is provided on the back surface of the main body cover 180 (the surface facing the developer replenishing device installation portion 160Y in the closed state), and is provided with a hooked portion for hooking a hook portion formed on the sub hopper 70. In this manner, by providing the sub-hopper holding portion 180a on the main body cover 180, the attachment and detachment of the developer supply device 90Y can be performed smoothly.

[0056] Hereinafter, the procedure for removing the toner container 32Y, the developing device 5Y, and the developer supply device 90Y from the image forming apparatus main body 100 will be described with reference to FIGS. First, as shown in Fig. 6(A), the main body cover 180 and the sub-main body cover 181 are closed, and then as shown in Fig. 6(B), the main body cover 180 and the sub-main body cover 181 are opened (rotated about the hinges 180z and 181z). As a result, as shown in Fig. 6(B), the inner cover 185 is exposed, and the toner container 32Y is exposed. Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 6C, when the inner cover 185 is removed, its inside (opening 100x) is exposed. In this opening 100x, a developer receiving portion installation portion 161Y, a subhopper installation portion 162Y (developer replenishing device installation portion 160Y), and a developing device installation portion 150Y are provided. In addition, before or after the removal of the inner cover 185, the toner container 32Y is also removed toward the front side in the direction perpendicular to the paper surface. The toner container 32Y is not only attached to or detached from the developer replenishing device 90Y or the developing device 5Y, but is also independently attached to or detached from the toner container 32Y when the toner in the toner container 32Y becomes empty (toner end).

[0057] 6(D), the sub hopper 70 is removed from the sub hopper installation portion 162Y, and the removed sub hopper 70 (still connected to the developer receiving portion 81 via the tube 95) is temporarily set in the sub hopper holding portion 180a. To enable such an operation, the length of the tube 95 and the position of the sub hopper holding portion 180a are optimized. Prior to the removal of the sub-hopper 70, the developing device 5Y is removed from the developing device installation portion 150Y toward the front side in the direction perpendicular to the paper surface. Finally, as shown in FIG. 6(E), the developer receiving portion 81 is removed from the developer receiving portion installation portion 161Y toward the front in the direction perpendicular to the paper surface, and the sub-hopper 70 is removed from the sub-hopper holding portion 180a, completing the removal operation of the developer supply device 90Y (with the developer receiving portion 81 and the sub-hopper 70 still connected via the tube 95) from the image forming apparatus main body 100.

[0058] When the toner container 32Y, the developing device 5Y, and the developer supplying device 90Y are mounted in the image forming apparatus main body 100, the procedures shown in FIGS. 6(A) to 6(E) are carried out in reverse order. Such attachment and detachment work is performed when an operator such as a service technician replaces or maintains the developer supply device 90Y, or when the toner container 32Y, developing device 5Y, and developer supply device 90Y are replaced as a set with those of a different color (including when they are attached to an installation part of a different color).

[0059] In the present embodiment, an opening 100x (see FIG. 6C) is provided in the housing of the image forming apparatus main body 100. The opening 100x is configured so that the tube connection portion of the developer receiving portion 81 or the developer receiving portion side portion of the tube 95 and the tube connection portion of the sub hopper 70 or the sub hopper side portion of the tube 95 can be inserted into the opening 100x. Specifically, referring to Figure 6 (C) etc., when the developer receiving part 81 is attached to the developer receiving part installation part 161Y and the sub-hopper 70 is attached to the sub-hopper installation part 162Y, the tube 95 is configured to fit within the inside of the image forming apparatus main body 100 (developer replenishing device installation part 160Y) without protruding from the image forming apparatus main body 100. With this configuration, deterioration in the appearance of the image forming apparatus 100 can be avoided.

[0060] In this manner, the developer supply device 90Y in the present embodiment is configured to be detachable from the image forming apparatus main body 100 while maintaining the connections between the developer receiving portion 81, the sub hopper 70, and the tube 95. This improves the ease of attachment and detachment compared to a configuration in which the developer supply device is attached to and detached from the image forming apparatus main body by disconnecting the developer receiving portion from the tube or the sub hopper from the tube. In particular, when the connection between the developer receiving section and the tube, or between the sub-hopper and the tube, is disconnected, toner that has become clogged in the churb or the like is scattered, but in this embodiment, the occurrence of such problems can be reduced.

[0061] 7, in the image forming apparatus 100 in this embodiment, the plurality of developer supply devices 90Y, 90M, 90C, 90K, and 90S are configured so that they can be installed in any of the plurality of developer supply device installation sections 160Y, 160M, 160C, 160K, and 160S with the tubes 95 (transport pipes) housed within the image forming apparatus main body 100. Specifically, the five developer supply device installation sections 160Y, 160M, 160C, 160K, and 160S are configured in the same manner, except for the positions. In addition, the five developer supply devices 90Y, 90M, 90C, 90K, and 90S are shaped in the same manner, except for the colors of toner they handle. In addition, the multiple developing devices 5Y, 5M, 5C, 5K, and 5S (process cartridges 6Y, 6M, 6C, 6K, and 6S) are configured so that they can be installed in any of the multiple developing device installation parts 150Y, 150M, 150C, 150K, and 150S (process cartridge installation parts). Specifically, the five developing device installation parts 150Y, 150M, 150C, 150K, and 150S are configured in the same way, except for their positions. In addition, the five developing devices 5Y, 5M, 5C, 5K, and 5S (process cartridges) are shaped in the same way, except for the colors of toner they handle. Furthermore, the multiple toner containers 32Y, 32M, 32C, 32K, and 32S (developer containers) are configured so that they can be installed in any of the multiple developer container installation units 31Y, 31M, 31C, 31K, and 31S. Specifically, the five developer container installation units 31Y, 31M, 31C, 31K, and 31S are configured in the same way, except for the positions. In addition, the five toner containers 32Y, 32M, 32C, 32K, and 32S are shaped in the same way, except for the colors of toner that they handle.

[0062] Note that, although Figures 7(A) and (B) show the state in which the arrangement of the developing device 5K (process cartridge 6K), developer supply device 90K, and toner container 32K for black and the developing device 5S (process cartridge 6S), developer supply device 90S, and toner container 32S for special colors are interchanged, it is also possible to freely interchange the arrangement of the other colors.

[0063] However, by configuring units of different colors (toner containers, developing devices, developer replenishing devices) to be installed in interchangeable positions in this way, there is a possibility that a unit may be installed in an unintended position due to an operator's mistake. In this embodiment, in order to prevent such a malfunction from occurring, although not shown in the figures, an ID chip (information storage means) that identifies the color is installed on the side of the unit, and a reading device (information reading means) that reads the information on the ID chip of the unit is installed on the side of the installation section (developer container installation section, developing device installation section, or developer replenishing device installation section), and if the unit information read by the reading device is different from the intended information, a warning is displayed on the display panel.

[0064] Now, referring to FIG. 5(B), in this embodiment, the developer receiving portion 81 is provided with a shutter 81x as an opening / closing member that opens and closes an opening communicating with the toner container 32Y (developer container) in conjunction with the attachment / detachment operation relative to the image forming apparatus main body 100. Specifically, the developer receiving portion 81 is provided with a shutter 81x that can move in a direction to open and close the opening, and a spring (not shown) that biases the shutter 81x in a closing direction. When the developer receiving portion 81 is removed from the developer receiving portion installation portion 161Y, the contact between the shutter 81x and a stopper portion (not shown) that presses the shutter 81x against the biasing force of the spring in the developer receiving portion installation portion 161Y is released, and the shutter 81x moves from the open position (position shown by the dashed line) to the closed position (position shown by the solid line), and the opening is closed by the shutter 81x. When the developer receiving portion 81 is attached to the developer receiving portion installation portion 161Y, the opposite operation is performed, and the opening is opened by the shutter 81x. With this configuration, it is possible to reduce the problem of toner scattering when the developer supply device 90Y is attached or detached.

[0065] Also, referring to FIG. 5(B), in this embodiment, the sub-hopper 70 is provided with a shutter 70x as an opening / closing member that opens and closes an opening 74 (discharge port, see FIG. 4) communicating with the developing device 5Y in conjunction with the attachment / detachment operation relative to the image forming apparatus main body 100. Specifically, the sub hopper 70 is provided with a shutter 70x that can move in a direction to open and close the opening 74, and a spring (not shown) that biases the shutter 70x in a closing direction. When the sub hopper 70 is removed from the sub hopper installation section 162Y, the contact between the shutter 70x and a stopper section (not shown) that pushes the shutter 70x against the biasing force of the spring in the sub hopper installation section 162Y is released, and the shutter 70x moves from the open position (position shown by the dashed line) to the closed position (position shown by the solid line), and the opening 74 is closed by the shutter 70x. When the sub hopper 70 is attached to the sub hopper installation section 162Y, the opposite operation is performed, and the opening is opened by the shutter 70x. With this configuration, it is possible to reduce the problem of toner scattering when the developer supply device 90Y is attached or detached.

[0066] <Variation 1> As shown in FIG. 8A, a developer receiving section 81 of a developer replenishing device 90Y in the first modification is provided with a holding section 81a for holding a tube 95 as a conveying pipe. Specifically, the holding portion 81a is formed on the outer surface of the case of the developer receiving portion 81, and is configured to be able to hold a part of the tube 95 loosely. By providing the holding portion 81a in this manner, problems such as the flexible tube 95 getting tangled with other members are reduced compared to a case in which the holding portion 81a is not provided. In the first modified example, the holding portion 81a is provided in the developer receiving portion 81, but the holding portion can also be provided in the sub-hopper.

[0067] As another embodiment of the first modified example, a developer supplying device 90Y shown in FIG. 8(B) is configured so that a holding portion 81a of a developer receiving portion 81 can take up a part of a tube 95 (transport pipe). 8B is provided with a rotating shaft for manually or automatically winding up the tube 95. When installing or removing the developer supply device 90Y, the operator will pull out the tube 95 from the holding portion 81a or wind the tube 95 around the holding portion 81a as necessary. By providing the winding type holding portion 81a in this manner, the problem of the flexible tube 95 becoming entangled with other members can be further reduced.

[0068] <Variation 2> As shown in Figures 9 and 10, the developer receiving section 81 of the developer supply device 90Y in variant example 2 also has a transport path (nozzle 93) that transfers the toner discharged from the toner container 32Y to the tube 95, and is configured to be detachable from the toner container 32Y. Here, the developer receiving section 81 in the second modification is not provided with a storage section for storing the toner discharged from the toner container 32Y. Therefore, the toner container 32Y has the toner discharge port 36a of the cap section 36 attached to and detached from the nozzle 93 (which is a transport path in the developer receiving section 81 and is connected to the tube 95) in conjunction with the operation of attaching and detaching the toner container 32Y to and from the developer replenishing device 90Y. Then, with the toner container 32Y (toner discharge port 36a) attached to the nozzle 93 (developer receiving section 81) as the transport path, the toner discharged from the toner container 32Y is replenished to the developing device 5Y via the nozzle 93 (developer receiving section 81), the tube 95, and the sub-hopper 70. Here, in the second modification as well, the developer supply device 90Y is attached to and detached from the image forming apparatus main body 100 while the connections between the developer receiving portion 81 (nozzle 93), the sub hopper 70, and the tube 95 are maintained. This allows the developer supply device 90Y to be easily attached to and detached from the image forming apparatus main body 100.

[0069] As described above, the developer supply device in this embodiment is a developer supply device 90Y that supplies toner (developer) contained in a toner container 32Y (developer container) in the image forming apparatus main body 100 to the developing device 5Y, and includes a developer receiving portion 81 having a transport path for transferring toner discharged from the toner container 32Y to a tube 95 (transport pipe) and detachable from the toner container 32Y, a sub-hopper 70 capable of storing toner discharged toward the developing device 5Y and detachable from the developing device 5Y, and a flexible tube 95 having one end connected to the developer receiving portion 81 and the other end connected to the sub-hopper 70 so as to transport toner from the developer receiving portion 81 to the sub-hopper 70. The developer supply device 90Y is attached to and detached from the image forming apparatus main body 100 while maintaining the connection between the developer receiving portion 81, the sub-hopper 70, and the tube 95. This allows the developer supply device 90Y to be easily attached to and detached from the image forming apparatus main body 100.

[0070] In this embodiment, the present invention is applied to a process cartridge 6Y in which the developing device 5Y is integrated with the photosensitive drum 1Y (image carrier), the charging device 4Y, and the cleaning device 2Y. However, the application of the present invention is not limited to this, and the present invention can also be applied to a case in which the developing device 5Y is configured as a unit that is attached to and detached from the image forming apparatus main body 100 by itself. In this specification, the term "process cartridge" is defined as a unit in which at least one of a charging device for charging an image carrier, a developing device for developing a latent image formed on the image carrier, and a cleaning device for cleaning the image carrier is integrated with an image carrier, and is detachably installed in the main body of an image forming apparatus.

[0071] In addition, in this embodiment, the present invention is applied to a developer supply device 90S in which a toner container 32S whose approximately cylindrical container body is rotationally driven is installed, but the shape of the toner container installed in the developer supply device is not limited to this, and for example, the present invention can also be applied to a developer supply device in which a box-shaped toner container is installed. In this embodiment, the present invention is applied to a developer supplying device 90Y that supplies the toner contained in the developer container 32Y to the developing device 5Y as the developer, but the present invention can also be applied to a developer supplying device that supplies the two-component developer (consisting of toner and carrier) contained in the developer container to the developing device. In that case, the developing device is configured to discharge excess two-component developer (carrier) to the outside of the device as the two-component developer is supplied to the device. Even in such cases, substantially the same effects as those of this embodiment can be obtained.

[0072] It is clear that the present invention is not limited to the present embodiment, and that the embodiment may be appropriately modified within the scope of the technical concept of the present invention in addition to the modifications suggested in the present embodiment. Furthermore, the number, position, shape, etc. of the above-mentioned components are not limited to the present embodiment, and may be any number, position, shape, etc. suitable for implementing the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0073] 5Y, 5M, 5C, 5K, 5S developing device, 6Y, 6M, 6C, 6K, 6S process cartridges, 31Y, 31M, 31C, 31K, 31S Developer container installation portion, 32Y, 32M, 32C, 32K, 32S toner container (developer container), 60 conveying pump, 70 Sub hopper (second storage section), 70x shutter (opening / closing member), 81 Developer receiving portion (first storage portion), 81a Holding part, 81x shutter (opening / closing part), 90Y, 90M, 90C, 90K, 90S Developer supply device, 95 Tube (transport pipe), 98 Set detection unit (set detection means), 100 Image forming apparatus (image forming apparatus main body, housing), 150Y, 150M, 150C, 150K, 150S development unit installation section, 160Y Developer replenishing device installation section, 160M, 160C, 160K, 160S Developer supply device installation area, 161Y Developer receiving unit installation part, 162Y Sub-hopper installation part, 180 Body cover, 180a sub hopper holder, 185 Inner cover. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0074] [Patent Document 1] JP 2019-152810 A

Claims

1. A developer supplying device that supplies developer contained in a developer container to a developing device in a main body of an image forming apparatus, a developer receiving portion that is detachable from the developer container and has a transport path through which the developer discharged from the developer container is transferred to a transport pipe; a sub-hopper capable of storing developer discharged toward the developing device and detachable from the developing device; a transport pipe having flexibility, one end of which is connected to the developer receiving portion and the other end of which is connected to the sub-hopper, and capable of transporting the developer from the developer receiving portion to the sub-hopper; Equipped with a developer supplying device which is detachably attached to the main body of the image forming apparatus while maintaining the connection between the developer receiving portion, the sub-hopper and the transport pipe;

2. 2. The developer replenishing device according to claim 1, wherein the developer receiving section or the sub-hopper is provided with a holder for holding the transport pipe.

3. 3. The developer supply device according to claim 2, wherein the holding portion is configured to be able to take up a part of the transport tube.

4. A developer supply device as described in any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the developer receiving portion is provided with an opening / closing member that opens and closes an opening communicating with the developer container in conjunction with an attachment / detachment operation relative to the image forming apparatus main body.

5. The developer supply device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the developer receiving section is provided with a setting detection means for detecting whether the developer container is properly set when the developer receiving section is attached to the image forming apparatus main body.

6. The developer supply device described in any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the sub-hopper is provided with an opening / closing member that opens and closes an opening communicating with the developing device in conjunction with an attachment / detachment operation relative to the image forming apparatus main body.

7. a developer supply device installation section on which the developer supply device according to any one of claims 1 to 6 is detachably installed; a developer container installation portion in which the developer container is detachably installed; a developing device installation section in which the developing device is detachably installed; a plurality of the above-mentioned components are provided in the image forming apparatus main body.

8. each of the developer supply devices can be installed in any of the developer supply device installation sections in a state in which the transport pipe is accommodated within the image forming apparatus main body; 8. The image forming apparatus according to claim 7, wherein each of the plurality of developing devices can be installed in any of the plurality of developing device installation sections.

9. the image forming apparatus main body includes a main body cover for opening and closing the developer supply device installation portion, 9. The image forming apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the main body cover includes a sub-hopper holding portion capable of temporarily holding the sub-hopper with the developer replenishing device installation portion open.

10. a developer supplying device in which a developer receiving section and a sub-hopper are connected via a tube; The image forming apparatus, wherein the developer supply device is detachable from the housing without dividing the connections between the developer receiving portion, the sub-hopper, and the tube.

11. The housing has an opening, The image forming apparatus according to claim 10, wherein a tube connection portion of the developer receiving portion or a developer receiving portion side portion of the tube, and a tube connection portion of the sub-hopper or a sub-hopper side portion of the tube are inserted into the opening.

Images