Developing Apparatus Agitating Guide for Toner Mixing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing electrophotographic developing apparatuses face issues with toner aggregation, low thermal resistance, and image deterioration due to insufficient agitation and charging of toner during high-speed printing, leading to problems like toner scattering and fogging.
Innovation Solution
A developing apparatus with a housing that includes a developer supplying and recovering portion and an agitating portion, featuring two agitating members and a projection-shaped guide to create a circulating conveying path for a two-component developer, ensuring sufficient agitation and charging of the toner before it is supplied to the developing roller.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the printing speed is increased, then productivity is improved, but the toner aggregation and image quality deterioration occur due to insufficient agitation time
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by providing a dedicated agitation section that agitates the toner and carrier mixture before the toner is supplied to the developing roller. This pre-agitation ensures that the toner is properly mixed and charged before use, preventing aggregation and image quality deterioration even at high printing speeds. The agitation section is positioned upstream in the conveying path, allowing sufficient mixing time before the toner reaches the developing roller.
2Manufacturing precision
If the toner diameter is reduced to improve image quality, then manufacturing precision is improved, but the toner fluidity deteriorates and aggregation increases under load
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by providing a dedicated agitation section that agitates the toner and carrier mixture before the toner is supplied to the developing roller. This pre-agitation ensures that the toner is properly mixed and charged before use, preventing aggregation and image quality deterioration even at high printing speeds. The agitation section is positioned upstream in the conveying path, allowing sufficient mixing time before the toner reaches the developing roller.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies parameter changes by modifying the physical state and distribution of toner particles through mechanical agitation. The agitation section changes the spatial distribution and kinetic energy parameters of the toner particles, preventing them from settling and aggregating. This dynamic parameter modification maintains toner fluidity and prevents aggregation even when toner diameter is reduced for higher image quality.
3Device complexity
If two agitating members are partitioned by a wall, then device complexity is reduced, but the agitating effect is insufficient and toner scattering occurs
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies merging by removing the partition wall between the two agitating members, allowing them to operate as an integrated agitation system. This eliminates the barrier that prevented effective interaction between the agitating members, enabling them to work together more efficiently. The combined agitation action improves toner mixing and charging while maintaining structural simplicity through the unified design.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies dimensionality change by arranging the two agitating members in a spatial configuration that enables multi-directional agitation. The members are positioned to create complex flow patterns and three-dimensional mixing action, enhancing the overall agitating effect. This spatial arrangement allows the agitating members to work together more effectively without requiring additional components.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This design enhances toner agitation and charging, preventing image deterioration and maintaining high image quality even during high printing rates by ensuring the toner is well-agitated and evenly distributed, reducing toner scattering and fogging.
Implementation Method 1
a first agitating member arranged in the developer agitating portion so as to extend along a direction of a rotating axis of the conveying member in adjacent to the partition wall, conveying the developer in an inverse direction to the conveying direction by the conveying member while agitating
Implementation Method 2
a conveying member arranged in the developer supplying and recovering portion in such a manner as to extend along a direction of a rotating axis of the developer carrier, supplying the developer to the developer carrier, conveying the developer in a longitudinal direction
Implementation Method 3
a developer carrier provided on an opposite side to the developer agitating portion in the developer supplying and recovering portion, and attaching the toner to a photo conductor so as to develop an electrostatic latent image on the photo conductor
Data Source
AI summary
A housing of a developing apparatus is provided with a conveying member and two agitating members. A guide is provided in an inner bottom surface of the housing between two agitating members. A guide is formed into a mountain shape with wide foot portion in a cross sectional shape which is orthogonal to an axial direction of rotating shafts of the agitating members. The guide is arranged in such a manner that a gap between respective outermost portions of two agitating members, and an inner bottom surface of the housing and the guide becomes equal to or more than 1.5 mm and less than 3 mm. Further, each of two agitating members rotates in a direction from the below to the above at a position of the guide.