JP2006047972A - Toner supplying device, toner supplying process, image forming apparatus and image forming method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide toner supplying devices, toner supplying processes, and the like by which high image quality is obtained even under prolonged usage of an image forming apparatus, and toner is conveyed smoothly in a toner conveying path at starting copying operation even after longer stoppage of the image forming apparatus. <P>SOLUTION: The toner supplying device comprises a toner containing portion configured to store a toner, a toner outlet configured to discharge the toner from the toner containing portion to a toner image forming means of the image forming apparatus, and a conveying pipe configured to convey the toner, and also a gas feeding means configured to feed a gas, wherein a porous member is disposed near the toner outlet in the toner containing portion, and the gas is fed into the toner containing portion through the porous member. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a toner supply / conveyance device, a toner supply / conveyance method, an image forming apparatus, and an image forming method used in an electrophotographic image forming apparatus, such as a printer, a facsimile machine, a copying machine, or a combination machine thereof. .

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine, a facsimile machine, or a printer, an image forming apparatus provided with a toner supply and transport device that transports toner in a toner storage portion to a transport tube provided with a movable member such as a screw auger. Are known. In this toner supply and transport device, the toner is vigorously rubbed between the movable member and the inner wall of the transport pipe to form a toner lump by softening, or the external additive on the surface is detached from the toner to improve the dynamic physical properties of the toner. The image may be adversely affected by changes. In recent years, in order to keep the fixing temperature of a toner image by a fixing device as low as possible, a toner that softens at a lower temperature is used. It tends to occur.

In order to avoid such a problem, for example, a toner supply / conveyance device as disclosed in Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2 has been proposed. The toner supply / conveyance device includes a toner storage unit disposed at an arbitrary position away from the developing unit, a toner supply unit as a unit for conveying the toner of the developer to a toner storage device such as a developing device or a toner replenishing tank attached thereto. In the elastic body (stator) in which the uniaxial eccentric screw (rotor) has two spiral through-holes that can transfer the powder from the toner and toner transfer means without using a coil screw or the like as a mixture of toner and air. Is rotated to generate a pressure by moving the air gap. Here, a technique is known in which toner is conveyed using a screw pump called a Mono pump called a pump that transfers a mixture of air and air by the generated pressure.
According to this transport technology, in addition to the advantage that the transport interval can be extended during toner replenishment and the like, many advantages such as downsizing of the apparatus, simplification of the configuration, and improvement of operability during maintenance can be exhibited. it can. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 1, in the toner transfer means of a screw pump 211 using a Mono pump or the like capable of transferring powder by using toner as a mixture with air, air used for toner transfer is used as toner. It is positioned below the opening of the nozzle 213 for toner suction fitted in a sealed state to the lower part of the transport destination, that is, the toner containing container 212. The air flow is intermittently applied to the toner mass in the container from the opening 214 connected to the external air pump 218 to form a mixture of toner and air in the periphery of the nozzle 213, and the fluidity of the toner. In a state in which the toner is raised, a mixture of toner and air is guided to a toner discharge port to a toner conveyance path 215 provided in the vicinity of the nozzle. Further, the mixture of toner and air that has entered the toner conveyance path 215 is guided to the apparatus developing unit 216 by the suction function of the above-described Mono pump 211. In FIG. 1, reference numeral 219 denotes a filter.

  According to the toner supply / conveyance device, a mixture of toner and air is formed, and due to its fluidity, the load for supplying to the toner storage device is relatively low, and it remains in the toner-containing container and is not used. The problem that the amount of toner ending in the state increases is solved.

  However, as a problem in the toner supply / conveyance device, the gas supplied from the vicinity of the nozzle forms a large bubble in the toner lump. Due to the movement and rupture of the large bubbles in the toner mass, the toner mass in the vicinity of the nozzle is released and a mixture of toner and air is formed. Although the fluidity of the mixture is relatively high, it does not lead to the understanding of even the larger secondary particles formed by agglomeration of fine toner particles already present in the container. There is a problem that faithful image formation cannot be performed by being conveyed to a developing device) and used for developing an electrostatic latent image. This problem is particularly important in the case of high-definition image formation using a recent toner having a small particle diameter.

  In addition, a toner supply / conveyance device has been proposed that attaches a large toner-contained container to the outside of the image forming apparatus and supplies and conveys the toner in the toner-contained container to the developing mechanism of the image forming apparatus. However, in this apparatus as well, the mechanism of the toner supply / conveyance means uses the same screw pump as in Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2, and is similar to the toner supply / conveyance apparatus in Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2. There is a problem.

  Further, as an image forming apparatus that forms an image using toner, in addition to an electrophotographic system, for example, a so-called direct recording system described in Patent Document 3 is also known. In this type of image forming apparatus, an image is directly recorded by adhering toner ejected in a dot shape from a toner flying device to a recording medium such as recording paper. Even in such a direct recording method, it is conceivable to avoid toner rubbing by the movable member by sucking and conveying the toner from the toner container to the toner flying device by suction means such as a suction pump.

  However, as a problem in such a toner supply and conveyance device, the gas supplied from the vicinity of the nozzle forms a large bubble in the toner lump, and the movement and burst of the large bubble in the toner lump causes the nozzle to A toner lump in the vicinity is unraveled and a mixture of toner and air is formed. Although the fluidity of the mixture is relatively high, it does not lead to the understanding of even the larger secondary particles formed by agglomeration of fine toner particles already present in the container. There is a problem that faithful image formation cannot be achieved by being conveyed to a developing device) and used for developing an electrostatic latent image. This problem is particularly important in the case of high-definition image formation using a recent toner having a small particle diameter. Further, in the method of sucking and transporting toner by the suction means, when the image forming apparatus is left unused for several days due to continuous holidays or the like, the toner is clogged in the transport hose so that the toner transport by the toner transport apparatus becomes impossible. There's a problem. This is because the staying toner is fixed in the transport pipe from the container to the developing unit and the subsequent toner transport is not executed smoothly when the period of time when the apparatus of the previous copy operation and the next copy operation is not operated becomes long. It is.

  In the conventional toner supply / conveyance device, although the fluid composed of toner and air has a certain fluidity, the path between the toner container and the toner storage device of the copying machine is too long, or the toner container is copied. If the toner is present at a position lower than the toner storage device of the machine, the toner conveyance responsiveness and conveyance smoothness are lowered. For this reason, the layout of each unit in the copying machine may not be as desired, for example, the arrangement position of the toner container is limited.

Further, regarding the cause of clogging the conveyance hose, the bulk density of the toner flowing into the conveyance hose from the toner accommodating portion changes in the toner accommodating portion depending on the stirring state of the toner and the elapsed time after the stirring. The toner having a considerably high bulk density has a problem that it easily clogs in the transport hose.
For this reason, in the image forming apparatuses described in Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2, a nozzle is provided in the toner container, and an air supply unit such as a blower that periodically supplies air to the nozzle is provided. ing. Then, the toner in the toner container is periodically agitated by blowing air from the nozzles, thereby preventing a situation in which the bulk density of the toner increases excessively.

  However, even if the bulk density of the toner is decreased by blowing air, the bulk density of the toner in the toner storage unit may be immediately increased as the toner is sucked by the suction unit. This is because not only the toner particles existing around the toner suction port in the toner container and the air around the toner particles but also the air around the toner particles located relatively far from the toner suction port. This is because they also suck together. As a result of such suction, the air existing between the toner particles in the toner container is sucked preferentially over the toner, and as a result, the bulk density of the toner is immediately increased. Then, if the image forming apparatus main body is stopped with the toner having a high bulk density left in the transport hose and left for several days, adhesion between the toner particles increases and a large lump is formed, which is formed in the transport hose. There is a problem of clogging.

  In addition, attempts have been made to increase the frequency of air blowing from the nozzles in order to suppress clogging of toner in the transport hose. However, even in this case, it is difficult to suppress clogging well. This is because the air blown out from the nozzles does not uniformly reach the inside of the toner accommodating portion, and there is a place where the air does not necessarily spread. As a result, the toner with increased bulk density flows into the transport hose, and if the image forming apparatus main body is left in the transport hose for several days, it becomes a large lump and clogs in the transport hose. There is.

  Therefore, the bulk density of the mixture of toner and air is further controlled, the fluidity of the mixture is increased, and even when the mixture stays in the toner conveyance path for a long time, the fluidity state can be maintained uniformly. Toner supply / conveyance device capable of obtaining high image quality even during long-term use of an image forming apparatus, and capable of smoothly carrying toner in a toner conveyance path even in an initial copying operation after long-term unused of the image forming apparatus The related technology is not yet provided.

JP 2003-330218 A JP 2004-4394 A JP-A-12-238311

  An object of the present invention is to solve the above-described problems and achieve the following objects. That is, the present invention further controls the bulk density of the mixture of toner and air, increases the fluidity of the mixture, and maintains a fluid state even when the mixture stays in the toner conveyance path for a long time. A toner that can be maintained uniformly, can obtain high image quality even when the image forming apparatus is used for a long time, and can smoothly carry the toner in the toner transport path even in the initial copying operation after the image forming apparatus is not used for a long time. It is an object of the present invention to provide a supply / conveyance device, a toner supply / conveyance method, an image forming apparatus, and an image forming method.

Means for solving the problems are as follows. That is,
<1> A toner storage unit that stores toner, a toner discharge port for discharging the toner from the toner storage unit, and a transport pipe for transporting the toner from the toner storage unit. A toner supply / conveying device for supplying toner to a toner image forming unit,
A toner supply / conveyance characterized in that a porous member is disposed in the vicinity of the toner discharge port in the toner storage portion, and air supply means for supplying air into the toner storage portion through the porous member is provided. Device.
<2> The side wall forming the toner containing portion has a size reduction structure in which the size in the direction intersecting the direction gradually reaches the direction reaching the toner discharge port, and the arrangement position of the porous member is The toner supply / conveyance device according to <1>, wherein the toner supply / conveyance device is any one of a side wall having a size reduction structure and a vicinity of a toner discharge port.
<3> The toner supply / conveyance device according to <2>, wherein the size reduction structure is any one of a cross-sectional area reduction structure, a width reduction structure, and a diameter reduction structure.
<4> The porous member has fine holes through which air can pass, and the average hole diameter of the holes is 0.1 to 5 times the volume average particle diameter of the toner to be supplied and conveyed. The toner supply / conveyance device according to any one of <1> to <3>.
<5> The toner supply / conveyance device according to any one of <1> to <4>, wherein an average pore diameter of pores of the porous member is 0.3 to 20 μm.
<6> The toner supply / conveyance device according to any one of <1> to <5>, wherein the toner storage unit is a toner-containing container that stores toner and includes a toner discharge port.
<7> The toner supply / conveyance device according to <6>, further including a porous member in the vicinity of the toner discharge port of the toner container.
<8> The toner supply / conveyance device according to any one of <6> to <7>, further including a filter mechanism that passes only gas staying in the toner-containing container and blocks the passage of the toner.
<9> The toner supply / conveyance device according to any one of <1> to <8>, further including vibration applying means for applying vibration to the toner held in the toner storage unit.
<10> The toner supply / conveyance device according to <9>, wherein the vibration applying unit is a sound wave vibrating body that contacts an outer surface of the toner storage unit.
<11> The toner supply / conveyance device according to <9>, wherein the vibration applying unit is a hammer mechanism that contacts an outer surface of the toner storage unit.
<12> The toner supply / conveyance device according to <9>, wherein the vibration applying unit is a unit that repeatedly contacts the outer surface of the toner storage unit to vibrate the toner storage unit.
<13> The toner supply / conveyance device according to any one of <9> to <12>, wherein the vibration applying unit operates after a toner-containing container as a toner storage unit is loaded in the image forming apparatus.
<14> The toner supply / conveyance device according to any one of <9> to <13>, wherein the vibration applying unit is operated before the air supply unit is operated.
<15> The toner supply / conveyance device according to any one of <9> to <14>, wherein the vibration applying unit is provided in a lower portion of the toner storage portion and on an inclined surface of the size reduction structure.
<16> The toner supply / conveyance device according to any one of <9> to <15>, wherein a thickness of the toner storage portion where the vibration applying unit contacts the toner storage portion is thinner than a thickness of other portions of the toner storage portion. It is.
<17> The toner supply / conveyance according to any one of <1> to <16>, wherein the toner discharge port has a hole portion in which a nozzle-like discharge unit for discharging a mixture of toner and gas is detachably inserted. Device.
<18> The toner supply / conveyance device according to any one of <1> to <17>, wherein a toner concentration sensor is provided in the vicinity of the toner discharge port.
<19> Any one of the items <1> to <18>, wherein the toner in the toner container is supplied to the developing device for developing the latent image formed on the electrostatic latent image carrier in the toner image forming unit. The toner supply / conveyance device described in the above.
<20> Any one of <1> to <19>, wherein the transport tube has a toner discharge port, and the transport tube is fixed to the bottom wall of the toner storage unit so that the toner discharge port is opened in the toner storage unit. The toner supply / conveyance device described in the above.
<21> The toner supply / conveyance device according to any one of <1> to <20>, wherein a porous member is provided in the middle of a conveyance pipe and air is also supplied from the porous member.
<22> The toner supply / conveyance device according to any one of <1> to <21>, wherein the conveyance tube is a flexible conveyance hose.
<23> The toner supply / conveyance device according to any one of <1> to <22>, further including a suction unit that sucks the toner in the transport pipe and sends the toner toward the toner image forming unit.
<24> The toner according to <23>, further including a suction control unit that controls driving of the suction unit, wherein the suction unit is operated by intermittent operation in which driving and stopping of driving are alternately repeated by the operation of the suction control unit. It is a supply conveyance device.
<25> The lower limit level detection unit that detects that the toner storage amount in the toner storage unit has reached a predetermined lower limit level is provided, and the suction control unit is operated based on the detection result of the lower limit level detection unit. The toner supply / conveyance device described in the above.
<26> The toner supply / conveyance device according to any one of <1> to <25>, wherein the toner storage unit is provided with an exhaust unit that enables exhaust from the inside of the toner storage unit to the outside of the toner storage unit.
<27> The toner supply / conveyance device according to <26>, further including an exhaust amount adjusting unit that adjusts an exhaust amount by the exhaust unit.
<28> An upper limit level detecting unit that detects that the toner storage amount in the toner storage unit has reached a predetermined upper limit level, and an alarm generation unit that issues an upper limit alarm based on a detection result by the upper limit level detection unit. The toner supply / conveyance device according to any one of <1> to <27>.
<29> a toner inflow process for causing the toner in the toner accommodating portion to flow into the conveying tube for conveying the toner from the toner accommodating portion toward the toner image forming unit of the image forming apparatus; A transporting process for transporting toward the forming means,
A toner supply / conveying method comprising an air supply step of supplying air from a porous member disposed in the vicinity of a toner discharge port of the toner storage portion toward the toner storage portion by an air supply means. .
<30> The toner supply / conveying method according to <29>, further including vibration applying means for applying vibration to the toner held in the toner storage unit.
<31> Electrostatic latent image carrier, electrostatic latent image forming means for forming an electrostatic latent image on the electrostatic latent image carrier, and toner image formation for developing with toner to form a toner image Means, a toner supply / conveying means for supplying toner to the toner image forming means from a toner containing portion for containing toner, a transfer means for transferring the toner image to a recording medium, and a transfer image transferred to the recording medium being fixed. At least fixing means for causing
The toner supply / conveyance unit is the toner supply / conveyance device according to any one of <1> to <28>.
<32> The image forming apparatus according to <31>, wherein the toner supply / conveyance unit is housed in the image forming apparatus.
<33> The image forming apparatus according to any one of <31> to <32>, wherein the toner supply / conveyance unit is installed outside the image forming apparatus.
<34> The image forming apparatus according to any one of <31> to <33>, further comprising an openable / closable shutter mechanism at a toner receiving port of the toner image forming unit that receives the toner conveyed by the toner supply / conveying unit. is there.
<35> The transport pipe is divided into two parts in the middle of the pipe so as to be detachable from each other. The image forming apparatus according to any one of <31> to <34>, wherein the storage unit and the air supply unit are supported.
<36> The image forming apparatus according to <35>, wherein the suction unit is supported by the first support.
<37> The image forming apparatus according to any one of <35> to <36>, wherein the toner container is configured to be detachable from the second support.
<38> The image forming apparatus according to any one of <31> to <37>, wherein the toner supply / conveyance device is configured to be movable by wheels.
<39> The image forming apparatus according to any one of <31> to <38>, wherein a toner storage unit that temporarily stores toner in the toner image forming unit is a toner transport destination of the toner supply transport apparatus. .
<40> An electrostatic latent image forming step of forming an electrostatic latent image on the electrostatic latent image carrier, a toner image forming step of developing with toner to form a toner image, and a toner storage for storing the toner At least a toner supplying and conveying step for supplying toner to the toner image forming unit, a transfer step for transferring the toner image to a recording medium, and a fixing step for fixing the transferred image transferred to the recording medium. ,
The toner supply / conveying step is performed using the toner supply / conveying device according to any one of <1> to <28>.

The toner supply / conveyance device of the present invention includes a toner accommodating portion that accommodates toner, a toner discharge port for discharging the toner from the toner accommodating portion, and a conveying tube for conveying the toner. A toner is supplied from the inside to the toner image forming means of the image forming apparatus, and a porous member is disposed in the vicinity of the toner discharge port in the toner containing portion, and is directed to the inside of the toner containing portion through the porous member. Air supply means for supplying air is provided.
In the toner supply / conveyance device of the present invention, in the conventional toner supply / conveyance device that stirs the toner in the toner accommodating portion by the air blown locally from the nozzle, the toner is simply formed by the gas discharged from the large opening. A fluid composed of gas is formed in the vicinity of the opening. In this case, the bulk density of the fluid composed of toner and gas is in the range of 0.2 to 0.5 g / cm ³ , and the bulk density range varies greatly during a series of fluid formation processes. On the other hand, according to the present invention, extremely fine bubbles can be generated, and a fluid consisting of toner and gas can be produced in a range of 0.2 to 0.5 g / cm ^{3 in} a bulk density of 0.2 to 0.5 g / cm ^{3. Thus,} it is possible to form a fluid composed of a toner and a gas whose volume density is maintained within a narrow range at an early stage. In addition, the fluid consisting of toner and gas is placed under a slight pressure or normal pressure at least until it is discharged from the toner container to the transport path, and is then transported through the transport path by suction of a monopon or the like for the first time. Since the operation can be performed in such a manner that the pressure is reduced, the possibility of a decrease in fluidity due to the reduced pressure in the apparatus of the present invention is limited only to the discharge from the toner container. As a result, a fluid having a stable and high fluidity, which has not been conventionally obtained, is obtained, and the toner conveyance from the toner containing container to the toner supply control means of the toner storage device has high responsiveness and smooth toner supply conveyance. Can be realized.
In this case, in particular, the size reduction structure (cross-sectional area reduction structure, width reduction structure, and diameter reduction structure) in which the size in the direction intersecting with the direction in which the side wall forming the toner containing portion reaches the toner discharge port gradually decreases. In other words, it has an inclined wall and the porous member is disposed near the side wall having the size reduction structure or near the toner discharge port. The toner can be formed with an appropriate bulk density, and toner supply and conveyance toward the developing means of the image forming apparatus can be performed with high responsiveness.

In the toner supply / conveyance device and the toner supply / conveyance method of the present invention, the toner lump is broken by the movement and rupture of fine bubbles, so that the toner lump can be uniformly dissociated. The tendency to contain secondary particles is extremely low. As a result, as described above, it is possible to eliminate the cause of image quality deterioration.
Further, the toner and toner aggregate in the toner container placed in the copying machine are exposed to the influence of the heat generating unit in the machine, and the toner particles may be aggregated and solidified. Functions as preferred.

  Further, the toner supply / conveyance device and toner supply / conveyance method of the present invention can not only achieve uniform dissociation of the toner mass, but also the fluid is in the range of the bulk density described above, and the flow of the sufficiently undissolved particles The fluid of the present invention is considered to be one of the factors, but the fluid of the present invention is formed by the fluid discharge port of toner and gas, typically air, and the in-machine developing unit after the copying machine is stopped. The fluid staying in the toner transport pipe which is the toner transport path between them can maintain a uniform bulk density fluid state over a long period of time. Thus, even when the copying machine is in operation for the first time after the copying machine has not been used for a long time, the toner transfer has the high responsiveness as described above, and smooth toner transfer can be realized.

In the toner supply / conveyance device and the toner supply / conveyance method of the present invention, the fluidized toner is sent out into the conveyance tube so that the liquid toner has high fluidity and stability as a liquid having a low specific gravity with respect to the powdery toner. Donate in the state. For this reason, when the toner is transported from the toner container to the toner image forming unit in the direction of gravity, that is, when the fluid is transported backward in the height difference, the toner can be transported with very little pressure. In addition to the necessity of using a power source such as a pump, it may be possible to maintain fluidity for a long period of time. Specifically, if pressure is applied to the toner container or the toner in the transport pipe is transported by a very small transport means, the toner can be transported against gravity. Surprisingly, it is possible to maintain fluidity for a long period of time, and it is unnecessary to use a pump movable member as a toner supply / conveying means as in the conventional apparatus. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the property adjusting agent such as a charge control agent and a fluidizing agent adhering to the surface of the toner from being detached from the toner surface, and to suppress the deterioration of the developer. As a result, it is possible to avoid an adverse effect on the image. In addition, the fact that the toner can be conveyed against gravity makes it possible to freely lay out the position of the container containing the toner.
In particular, in the case of a copying machine, if the toner density in the developing unit is not in a desired range at the start of a copying operation, toner supply for toner replenishment needs to be performed appropriately and with high responsiveness. In order to ensure the stability and high responsiveness of toner supply in the toner supply / conveyance device of the present invention, external vibration is applied to the toner mass in the toner container immediately before or after the operation of the air supply mechanism. Thus, the bulk density of the fluid composed of toner and gas by the air feeding mechanism can be surely and rapidly reached to a desired value. This is because mechanical vibration not only effectively works as an auxiliary means for promoting the conveyance of the fluid mixture of toner and gas, but mechanical vibration promotes dissociation of the toner mass in advance with respect to the toner mass, and It is considered that it provides a function and an action to prevent secondary aggregation again.

  Further, in the toner supply / conveyance device and the toner supply / conveyance method of the present invention, unlike the conventional toner supply / conveyance device in which the toner in the toner storage unit is stirred by the air blown locally from the nozzle, The air can be blown out in a fine and wide range from a plurality of holes of the porous member provided in the vicinity. As a result, air is uniformly distributed between the toner particles in the vicinity of the toner discharge port to fluidize the toner. Then, the fluidized toner is discharged from the toner discharge port. As a result, it is possible to prevent the toner having excessively increased bulk density from being discharged into the transport tube, and to prevent clogging of the toner in the transport tube.

  According to the present invention, various problems in the prior art can be solved, high image quality can be obtained even when the image forming apparatus is used for a long time, and toner is conveyed even in an initial copying operation after the image forming apparatus is not used for a long time. Since the toner can be smoothly conveyed along the path, it is suitably used for a printer, a facsimile machine, a copying machine, or a complex machine thereof, particularly an electrophotographic image forming apparatus and an image forming method.

(Toner supply and transport device and toner supply and transport method)
The toner supply / conveyance device of the present invention comprises a toner container, a toner discharge port, a transfer tube, a porous member disposed in the vicinity of the toner discharge port in the toner container, and an air supply unit. It is provided with vibration adding means and, if necessary, other means.
The toner supply and conveyance method of the present invention includes a toner inflow process, a conveyance process, and an air supply process, and further includes a vibration adding process and, if necessary, other processes.
The toner supply / conveying method of the present invention can be suitably implemented using the toner supply / conveying device of the present invention. When the toner supply / conveyance device of the present invention is implemented, the toner supply / conveyance method of the present invention is implemented.

The toner storage unit is not particularly limited as long as it can store toner, and can be appropriately selected according to the purpose. For example, the toner storage unit may be installed outside an image forming apparatus such as a printer. Further, it may be built in the image forming apparatus.
The toner discharge port is for discharging toner from the toner containing portion, and the toner discharge port has a hole portion for detachably inserting a nozzle-like discharge means for discharging a mixture of toner and gas. It is preferable.

The side wall forming the toner storage portion has a size reduction structure in which the size in the direction crossing the direction gradually reaches the toner discharge port, so that the toner mass can be quickly fluidized and the toner and gas The flow region formed immediately after the start of air feeding is a trigger, and the movement on the inclined side wall occurs sequentially to cause the flow of the toner mass. It is preferable from the point that conversion is promoted.
As the size reduction structure, any of a cross-sectional area reduction structure, a width reduction structure, and a diameter reduction structure is preferable. The cross-sectional area reducing structure means a structure in which a cross-sectional area size in a direction intersecting the direction in which the side wall forming the toner accommodating portion reaches the toner discharge port gradually decreases. The width reducing structure means a structure in which the width size in the direction intersecting the direction in which the side wall forming the toner accommodating portion reaches the toner discharge port is gradually reduced. The diameter-reducing structure means a structure in which the diameter size in the direction intersecting the direction in which the side wall forming the toner accommodating portion reaches the toner discharge port is gradually reduced.
Here, examples of the size reduction structure include a funnel structure, an inverted truncated cone structure, a structure in which a cone, an elliptical cone, a triangular pyramid, and the like are reversed. Further, in the case of a polygonal structure having triangular or more polyhedral side walls, at least one surface may be an inclined wall. That is, it is important to have an inclined wall inclined toward the toner discharge port having a narrower cross-sectional area.

The porous member is a fine porous member through which air can pass, and the opening ratio of the porous member is preferably 5 to 40%, more preferably 10 to 20%. Further, since the toner generally has a volume average particle diameter of 3 to 15 μm, the average opening diameter of the porous member is preferably 0.3 to 20 μm, more preferably 5 to 15 μm.
The average pore diameter of the pores of the porous member is preferably 0.1 to 5 times, more preferably 0.5 to 3 times the volume average particle diameter of the toner to be supplied and conveyed.
The material for the porous member is not particularly limited and may be appropriately selected depending on the intended purpose. Examples thereof include glass, a sintered body of resin particles, a photo-etched resin, a thermally perforated resin, and the like. Porous resin material: metal sintered body, perforated metal plate material, net laminate, and easily meltable metal by depositing metallic copper around the easily meltable metal yarn bundle by an electrochemical method A metal material having a selective melt trace hole having a trace hole portion from which the easily meltable metal yarn portion is selectively removed by heating a copper plate produced in a form in which a yarn bundle is penetrated and planted, etc. Is mentioned.
Examples of gases that can be used other than air include inert gases such as nitrogen and argon.

  The vibration applying means is not particularly limited as long as it can vibrate the toner and the toner mass in the toner containing portion (toner containing container), and can be appropriately selected according to the purpose. (1) a sonic vibrating body that is provided in advance in the image forming apparatus and contacts the outer surface of the toner-containing container when the toner-containing container is loaded in the image forming apparatus; (2) provided in the image forming apparatus in advance; When the toner container is loaded into the image forming apparatus, it is fixed to a hammer mechanism for contacting the outer surface of the toner container and applying mechanical vibration, and (3) a rotating shaft that is dynamically connected to an air supply motor. A power source for supplying air, such as an eccentric cam in which the protruding portion strikes the container by rotation of the shaft, or the toner-containing container when the toner-containing container is loaded into the image forming apparatus Which vibrates the container by repeating the contact with the outer surface, and the like.

  The vibration applying means applies vibration to the toner mass in the container intermittently or continuously immediately before the operation of the air supply mechanism, or thereafter, so that the size of the air bubbles is increased or decreased by the movement or rupture of the air bubbles from the air supply mechanism. This promotes and promotes the dissociation of the toner mass and the mixing of the toner and the air, thereby enlarging the fluid forming region of the mixture composed of the toner and the air and speeding up the start of the fluid forming. Further, the vibration applying means may be previously mounted in a toner container (toner containing container). Specifically, the vibrating body is mounted on the toner containing container and the container is copied. When the machine is loaded, the vibrator can be vibrated by energization with electrical contacts on the machine side. The same applies to the case where the vibrator is provided in the copying machine main body.

(Image forming apparatus and image forming method)
The image forming apparatus of the present invention includes at least an electrostatic latent image carrier, an electrostatic latent image forming unit, a toner image forming unit, a toner supply / conveying unit, a transfer unit, and a fixing unit. Furthermore, other means appropriately selected as necessary, for example, a static elimination means, a cleaning means, a recycling means, a control means and the like are provided.
The toner supply / conveyance unit is the toner supply / conveyance device of the present invention.
The image forming method of the present invention includes at least an electrostatic latent image forming step, a toner image forming step, a toner supply / conveying step, a transfer step, and a fixing step, and other steps appropriately selected as necessary. For example, a static elimination process, a cleaning process, a recycling process, a control process, and the like are included.
The toner supply / conveying step is performed using the toner supply / conveying device of the present invention.

  The image forming method of the present invention can be suitably carried out by the image forming apparatus of the present invention, the electrostatic latent image forming step can be performed by the electrostatic latent image forming means, and the toner image forming step The toner image forming unit can perform the toner supply / conveying step, the toner supply / conveying unit can be performed, the transfer step can be performed by the transferring unit, and the fixing step can be performed by the fixing unit. The other steps can be performed by the other means.

The image forming apparatus preferably has a shutter mechanism that can be opened and closed at a toner receiving port of a toner image forming unit that receives the toner conveyed by the toner supply / conveyance device of the present invention.
Examples of the shutter mechanism include a roll screen type shutter mechanism, a gate valve, a butterfly valve, a rotary valve, and a needle valve. Specifically, a shutter mechanism that covers a plate-like body that covers an open portion that communicates with the toner receiving port, has one end of the plate-like body rotatably fixed, and the other end other than the one end rotatable. Are preferably used. Note that the opening and closing of the shutter of the shutter mechanism is controlled in conjunction with the drive system.

-Electrostatic latent image forming step and electrostatic latent image forming means-
The electrostatic latent image forming step is a step of forming an electrostatic latent image on the electrostatic latent image carrier.
The material, shape, structure, size, etc. of the electrostatic latent image carrier (photosensitive member) are not particularly limited, and can be appropriately selected from known ones. Examples of the material include inorganic photoreceptors such as amorphous silicon and selenium, and organic photoreceptors such as polysilane and phthalopolymethine. Among these, amorphous silicon and the like are preferable in terms of long life.

The formation of the electrostatic latent image can be performed, for example, by uniformly charging the surface of the electrostatic latent image carrier and then performing imagewise exposure, and is performed by the electrostatic latent image forming unit. be able to.
The electrostatic latent image forming means includes, for example, at least a charger that uniformly charges the surface of the electrostatic latent image carrier and an exposure device that exposes the surface of the electrostatic latent image carrier imagewise. Prepare.

The charging can be performed, for example, by applying a voltage to the surface of the electrostatic latent image carrier using the charger.
The charger is not particularly limited and may be appropriately selected depending on the purpose. For example, a known contact charging device including a conductive or semiconductive roll, brush, film, rubber blade, etc. And non-contact chargers using corona discharge such as corotrons and corotrons.

The exposure can be performed, for example, by exposing the surface of the latent electrostatic image bearing member imagewise using the exposure device.
The exposure device is not particularly limited as long as it can expose the surface of the electrostatic latent image carrier charged by the charger so as to form an image to be formed, and is appropriately selected according to the purpose. For example, various exposure devices such as a copying optical system, a rod lens array system, a laser optical system, and a liquid crystal shutter optical system can be used.
In the present invention, a back light system in which imagewise exposure is performed from the back surface side of the electrostatic latent image carrier may be adopted.

-Toner image forming step and toner image forming means-
The toner image forming step is a step of developing the electrostatic latent image using toner or the developer to form a toner image.
The toner image (visible image) can be formed, for example, by developing the electrostatic latent image using the toner or the developer, and can be performed by the toner image forming unit.
The toner image forming unit is not particularly limited as long as it can be developed using, for example, the toner or the developer, and can be appropriately selected from known ones, for example, containing the developer. Preferred examples include those having at least a developing unit capable of bringing the toner or developer into contact or non-contact with the electrostatic latent image.

  The developing unit may be a dry developing type, a wet developing type, a single color developing unit, or a multi-color developing unit. For example, a toner having a stirrer for charging the toner or the developer by frictional stirring and a rotatable magnet roller is preferable.

  In the developing device, for example, the toner and the carrier are mixed and agitated, and the toner is charged by friction at that time, and held on the surface of the rotating magnet roller in a raised state to form a magnetic brush. . Since the magnet roller is disposed in the vicinity of the electrostatic latent image carrier (photoconductor), a part of the toner constituting the magnetic brush formed on the surface of the magnet roller is electrically attracted. It moves to the surface of the electrostatic latent image carrier (photoconductor) by force. As a result, the electrostatic latent image is developed with the toner, and a visible image is formed with the toner on the surface of the electrostatic latent image carrier (photoconductor).

-Transfer process and transfer means-
The transfer step is a step of transferring the visible image onto a recording medium. After the primary transfer of the visible image onto the intermediate transfer member using an intermediate transfer member, the visible image is transferred onto the recording medium. A primary transfer step of forming a composite transfer image by transferring a visible image onto an intermediate transfer body using two or more colors, preferably full color toner as the toner, and a composite transfer image; A mode including a secondary transfer step of transferring the transfer image onto the recording medium is more preferable.
The transfer can be performed, for example, by charging the latent electrostatic image bearing member (photoconductor) of the visible image using a transfer charger, and can be performed by the transfer unit. The transfer means includes a primary transfer means for transferring a visible image onto an intermediate transfer member to form a composite transfer image, and a secondary transfer means for transferring the composite transfer image onto a recording medium. Embodiments are preferred.
The intermediate transfer member is not particularly limited and may be appropriately selected from known transfer members according to the purpose. For example, a transfer belt and the like are preferable.

The transfer means (the primary transfer means, the secondary transfer means) is a transfer for peeling and charging the visible image formed on the electrostatic latent image carrier (photoconductor) to the recording medium side. It is preferable to have at least a vessel. There may be one transfer means or two or more transfer means.
Examples of the transfer device include a corona transfer device using corona discharge, a transfer belt, a transfer roller, a pressure transfer roller, and an adhesive transfer device.
The recording medium is typically plain paper, but is not particularly limited as long as it can transfer an unfixed image after development, and can be appropriately selected according to the purpose. PET for OHP A base or the like can also be used.

The fixing step is a step of fixing the visible image transferred to the recording medium using a fixing device, and may be performed each time the toner of each color is transferred to the recording medium, or for the toner of each color. You may perform this simultaneously in the state which laminated | stacked this.
There is no restriction | limiting in particular as said fixing device, Although it can select suitably according to the objective, A well-known heating-pressing means is suitable. Examples of the heating and pressing means include a combination of a heating roller and a pressure roller, a combination of a heating roller, a pressure roller, and an endless belt.
The heating in the heating and pressing means is usually preferably 80 to 200 ° C.
In the present invention, for example, a known optical fixing device may be used together with or in place of the fixing step and the fixing unit depending on the purpose.

The neutralization step is a step of performing neutralization by applying a neutralization bias to the electrostatic latent image carrier, and can be suitably performed by a neutralization unit.
The neutralizing means is not particularly limited and may be appropriately selected from known neutralizers as long as it can apply a neutralizing bias to the latent electrostatic image bearing member. Preferably mentioned.

The cleaning step is a step of removing the toner remaining on the electrostatic latent image carrier and can be suitably performed by a cleaning unit.
The cleaning means is not particularly limited as long as it can remove the electrophotographic toner remaining on the electrostatic latent image carrier, and can be appropriately selected from known cleaners. Suitable examples include brush cleaners, electrostatic brush cleaners, magnetic roller cleaners, blade cleaners, brush cleaners, web cleaners, and the like.

The recycling step is a step of recycling the electrophotographic color toner removed in the cleaning step to the developing unit, and can be suitably performed by the recycling unit.
There is no restriction | limiting in particular as said recycling means, A well-known conveyance means etc. are mentioned.

The control step is a step of controlling each of the steps, and can be suitably performed by a control unit.
The control means is not particularly limited as long as the movement of each means can be controlled, and can be appropriately selected according to the purpose. Examples thereof include devices such as sequencers and computers.

  Examples of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to the following examples.

Example 1
As an embodiment of an image forming apparatus to which the toner supply / conveyance device of the present invention is applied, a tandem type color laser printer (hereinafter sometimes simply referred to as “printer”) will be described.
FIG. 2 is a schematic configuration diagram illustrating an example of an image forming apparatus (printer) according to the present invention. This printer includes a printer unit 90 and a toner storage unit 100, both of which are configured to be movable independently of each other.

  The printer unit 90 includes four sets of toner image recording units 1Y, 1M, 1C, and 1K for forming images of each color of yellow (Y), magenta (M), cyan (C), and black (K). Yes. Also provided are an optical writing unit 2, paper feed cassettes 3, 4, registration roller pair 5, transfer unit 6, belt fixing type fixing unit 8, paper discharge tray and the like. Further, a manual feed tray, a toner supply container, a waste toner bottle, a power supply unit and the like (not shown) are also provided. Hereinafter, the subscripts Y, M, C, and K of the respective symbols indicate members for yellow, magenta, cyan, and black, respectively.

  The toner image recording units 1Y, 1M, 1C, and 1K include drum-shaped photoreceptors 11Y, 11M, 11C, and 11K that are electrostatic latent image carriers that carry latent images. These photoreceptors 11Y, 11M, 11C, and 11K are rotationally driven clockwise in FIG. 2 by driving means (not shown) to move the surfaces endlessly. Then, it is optically scanned in the dark by the optical writing unit 2 that emits a laser beam L that is modulated based on image information sent from a personal computer (not shown) or the like, and electrostatic latent images for Y, M, C, and K are obtained. Carry an image.

  FIG. 3 is an enlarged configuration diagram illustrating the toner image recording unit 1Y for Y together with a part of the transfer unit 6 among the four sets of toner image recording units 1Y, 1M, 1C, and 1K. The other color toner image recording units (1M, 1C, 1K) have the same configuration as that for Y except that the colors of the toners to be used are different from each other. Omitted. In FIG. 3, the toner image recording unit 1Y includes a process unit 10Y and a developing device 20Y. In addition to the photoreceptor 11Y, the process unit 10Y includes a brush roller 12Y for applying a lubricant, a swingable counter blade 13Y for performing a cleaning process, a charge removal lamp 14Y for performing a charge removal process, and the like. Yes. Further, a charging roller 15Y for uniformly charging the photoconductor 11Y and a roller cleaning device 16Y for cleaning the surface of the charging roller 15Y are also provided.

  In the process unit 10Y having such a configuration, the charging roller 15Y to which an AC charging bias is applied by a power source (not shown) is disposed so as to contact the photoreceptor 11Y. Then, the surface of the photoconductor 11Y is uniformly charged while being rotated by the driving means (not shown) so that the surface thereof is moved in the direction opposite to the surface movement of the photoconductor 11Y. When the surface of the uniformly charged photoreceptor 11Y is scanned with the laser beam L modulated and deflected by the optical writing unit (2 in FIG. 2), an electrostatic latent image is formed on the surface. It is formed.

  The developing device 20Y of the toner image recording unit has a developing roll 22Y disposed so as to partially expose the opening of the developing case 21Y. Further, it also includes a first transport screw 23Y, a second transport screw 24Y, a developing doctor 25Y, a toner concentration sensor (hereinafter referred to as a T sensor) 26Y, a toner storage unit 27Y, and the like.

  The developer case 21Y contains a developer containing a magnetic carrier and a negatively chargeable Y toner. The developer is frictionally charged while being agitated and conveyed by the first conveying screw 23Y and the second conveying screw 24Y, and is then carried on the surface of the developing roll 22Y as a developer carrying member. Then, after the layer thickness is regulated by the developing doctor 25Y, the layer is transported to the developing area facing the photoconductor 11Y, where Y toner is attached to the electrostatic latent image on the photoconductor 11Y. This adhesion forms a Y toner image on the photoreceptor 11Y. The developer that has consumed Y toner by development is returned to the developing case 21Y as the surface of the developing roll 22Y (developing sleeve) rotates. On the other hand, the developed Y toner image is transferred to a transfer paper P conveyed by a paper conveyance belt 60 described later. The developing roll 22Y includes a developing sleeve made of a non-magnetic pipe that is rotationally driven by a driving unit (not shown), and a magnet roller (not shown) that is included so as not to rotate. The developer is attracted and carried on the surface of the developing sleeve by the magnetic force generated by the magnet roller.

A T sensor 26Y including a magnetic permeability sensor is attached to the bottom plate of the developing case 21Y, and outputs a voltage having a value corresponding to the magnetic permeability of the developer conveyed by the first conveying screw 23Y. Since the magnetic permeability of the developer shows a good correlation with the toner concentration of the developer, the T sensor 26Y outputs a voltage corresponding to the Y toner concentration. This output voltage value is sent to a control unit (not shown). This control unit includes storage means such as an RMA, in which the V Vref for Y, which is the target value of the output voltage from the T sensor 26Y, and the output voltage from the T sensor mounted in another developing device. Data on Vtref for M, C, and K, which are target values, is stored. For the developing device 20Y, the value of the output voltage from the T sensor 26Y is compared with the Y Vtref. Then, the replenishing roller 28Y disposed in the toner storage unit 27Y is rotationally driven for a time corresponding to the comparison result. Thereby, the Y toner stored in the toner storage unit 27Y is replenished into the developing device 20Y. By controlling the driving of the replenishing roller 28Y (toner replenishment control) in this way, an appropriate amount of Y toner is replenished to the developer whose Y toner density has decreased with development, and the developer in the developing device 20Y. The Y toner density is maintained within a predetermined range.
Similar toner replenishment control is performed for other developing devices. A toner detection sensor 29Y that detects toner at a predetermined height is disposed in the toner storage unit 27Y.

  As described above, the toner image recording units 1Y, 1M, 1C, and 1K previously shown in FIG. 2 cooperate with the optical writing unit 2 to transfer the toner images to the photoconductors 11Y, 11M, 11C, and 11K. Form. Therefore, in this printer, a toner image is formed on the surface of the photoreceptors 11Y, 11M, 11C, and 11K that moves endlessly by the combination of the toner image recording units 1Y, 1M, 1C, and 1K and the optical writing unit 2. Functions as a toner image forming means.

  Two paper feed cassettes 3 and 4 are disposed below the printer unit 90. These paper feed cassettes 3 and 4 accommodate a plurality of transfer papers P in a stack of transfer papers, and press the paper feed rollers 3a and 4a against the uppermost transfer paper P. Then, the sheet feeding rollers 3a and 4a are rotated at a predetermined timing to send the transfer sheet P to the sheet feeding path. A registration roller pair 5 is disposed at the end of the paper feed path, and the transferred transfer paper P is converted into a Y toner image formed on the photoreceptor 11Y of the Y toner image recording unit 1Y. It is sent out to a transfer unit 6 described later at a timing that can be synchronized.

  The transfer unit 6 includes an endless paper conveyance belt 60, an entrance roller 61, an electrostatic adsorption roller 62, four transfer bias rollers 63Y, 63M, 63C, and 63K, four conveyance support rollers 64Y, 64M, 64C, and 64K, and a separation unit. A roller 65 or the like is included. Further, it also includes a driving roller 66, a belt cleaning device 67, a pressing roller 68, a tension roller 69, a lower roller 70, and the like.

  The paper transport belt 60 is endlessly moved counterclockwise in FIG. 3 by a driving roller 66 that is stretched around a plurality of rollers and is driven to rotate counterclockwise in FIG. 3 by driving means (not shown).

  As shown in FIG. 2, the entrance roller 61, the transfer bias rollers 63 </ b> Y to 63 </ b> K, the transport support rollers 64 </ b> Y to 64 </ b> K, the separation roller 65, the drive roller 66, the tension roller 69, and the lower roller 70 are all back surfaces of the paper transport belt 60. In contact with the inner surface of the loop. Among these rollers, the entrance roller 61 disposed on the rightmost side in FIG. 2 is configured to sandwich the paper transport belt 60 between the entrance roller 61 and the electrostatic attraction roller 62 disposed in the vicinity thereof. An electrostatic chucking bias is applied to the electrostatic chucking roller 62, and the transfer sheet P fed from the above-described registration roller pair 5 by applying an electric charge to the belt front surface (loop outer surface). Is electrostatically adsorbed.

  The four transfer bias rollers 63Y, 63M, 63C, and 63K are rollers in which a metal core is covered with an elastic body such as a sponge, and are pressed toward the photoreceptors 11Y, 11M, 11C, and 11K, respectively. The paper transport belt 60 is sandwiched. By this pressing, a transfer nip is formed in which the photoreceptors 11Y, 11M, 11C, and 11K and the paper transport belt 60 are in contact with each other with a predetermined length in the belt moving direction. Further, a transfer bias controlled by a transfer bias power source is applied to the cores of the transfer bias rollers 63Y, 63M, 63C, and 63K. As a result, a transfer charge is applied to the back surface of the paper transport belt 60 via the transfer bias rollers 63Y, 63M, 63C, and 63K, and between the paper transport belt 60 and the photoreceptors 11Y, 11M, 11C, and 11K in each transfer nip. A transfer electric field is formed. In this printer, the transfer bias rollers 63Y, 63M, 63C, and 63K are provided as transfer bias members. However, a brush, a blade, or the like may be provided instead of the rollers.

  The transfer paper P sent out from the registration roller pair 5 to the transfer unit is sandwiched between the electrostatic adsorption roller 62 and the paper transport belt 60. Then, the toner passes through the transfer nips for Y, M, C, and K sequentially while being attracted to the front surface of the paper transport belt 60. As a result, the Y, M, C, and K toner images on the photoconductors 11Y, 11M, 11C, and 11K are superimposed on the transfer paper P at the transfer nip, respectively, and the transfer paper is subjected to the effects of the transfer electric field and nip pressure. The image is superimposed on P and transferred. A full-color image is formed on the transfer paper P by this superposition transfer.

  The transfer paper P on which the full-color image is formed approaches the belt stretching position by the separation roller 65 as the paper conveying belt 60 moves endlessly. At this belt stretching position, the separation roller 65 stretches the paper transport belt 60 at a steep winding angle that reverses the endless movement direction of the paper transport belt 60. The transfer paper P adsorbed on the paper transport belt 60 cannot follow such a sudden change in the moving direction of the belt and is separated from the paper transport belt 60. Then, it is delivered to the fixing unit 8.

  The tension roller 69 is biased toward the paper transport belt 60 by a spring, thereby applying a predetermined tension to the paper transport belt 60. A pressing roller 68 is pressed against the front surface of the belt extension portion between the tension roller 69 and the driving roller 67. By this pressing, the paper transport belt 60 is greatly depressed and curved between the driving roller 67 and the tension roller 69 in the loop. Since the paper conveying belt 60 is greatly curved in this manner, a larger winding portion of the paper conveying belt 60 around the driving roller 67 is secured. The belt cleaning device 67 is in contact with the front surface of the winding portion. Contaminated toner transferred from each of the photoreceptors 11Y, 11M, 11C, and 11K is formed on the front surface of the paper conveyance belt 60 that has transferred the transfer paper P to the fixing unit at the position where the separation roller 65 is stretched. It is attached. The belt cleaning device 67 is for removing the dirty toner from the paper transport belt 60.

  The fixing unit 8 includes a pressure roller 8a, an endless fixing belt 8b, a heating roller 8c, a driving roller 8d, and the like. The fixing belt 8b is endlessly moved clockwise in the figure by a driving roller 8d that is rotated by a driving unit (not shown) while being stretched by a heating roller 8c and a driving roller 8d. The heating roller 8c includes a heat source such as a halogen lamp, and thereby heats the paper transport belt 8b from the back surface. On the other hand, the pressure roller 8a is rotated so as to move the surface in the same manner as the belt at the contact portion while contacting the fixing belt 8b that is moved endlessly to form a fixing nip. The transfer paper P transferred from the paper transport belt 60 of the transfer unit 6 to the fixing unit 8 is sandwiched between the fixing nips in such a posture that the image transfer surface is in contact with the fixing belt 8b. Then, it passes through the fixing unit 8 while the full-color image is fixed on the image transfer surface by heating or pressing.

  The transfer paper P that has passed through the fixing unit 8 passes through a pair of conveyance rollers, a reversing guide plate, and the like, and is further discharged through a pair of conveyance rollers toward a stack portion provided on the upper surface of the printer housing.

  In FIG. 3 described above, the surface of the photoconductor 11Y after passing through the Y transfer nip is cleaned with the counter blade 13Y after a predetermined amount of lubricant is applied by the brush roller 12Y. Then, the static electricity is removed by the light emitted from the static elimination lamp 14Y to prepare for the formation of the next electrostatic latent image.

  A small amount of toner that could not be completely removed remains on the surface of the photoreceptor 11Y cleaned by the counter blade 13Y. The cleaning residual toner remaining in this way is cleaned by the roller cleaning device 16Y.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 3, a suction pump 101Y as a suction unit is detachably connected to the toner storage portion 27Y of the developing device 20Y in the toner image recording portion 1Y. The suction pump 101Y constitutes a part of a Y toner conveying device to be described later, and is of a type called a uniaxial eccentric screw pump (commonly known as a Mono pump). The pump portion 102Y includes a rotor 103Y processed into an eccentric double screw shape with a metal or a highly rigid resin, a stator 104Y in which a double screw cavity is formed in a material such as rubber, and a resin containing them. It is made of a holder 105Y made of the like. The suction pump 101Y includes, in addition to the pump unit 102Y, a discharge unit 106Y, a motor 107Y that rotates the rotor 103Y, and the like. When the double screw-shaped rotor 103Y rotates in the stator 104Y, a negative pressure is generated on the suction side (right side in FIG. 3) of the pump portion 102Y. With this negative pressure, Y toner in a toner container, which will be described later, is sucked through a transport hose 108Y or the like connected to the suction side. Then, it reaches the pump portion 102Y of the suction pump 101Y, and is discharged into the discharge portion 106Y through the stator 104Y. The discharged Y toner is replenished into the toner storage unit 27Y of the Y developing device 20Y connected to the discharge unit 106Y. In the toner image recording units 1M, C, and K for other colors, M, C, and K toners are similarly supplied into the toner storage unit. In this printer, a combination of four suction pumps provided in the printer unit (90), a transport hose connected thereto, and the toner storage unit 100 shown in FIG. Four toner supply / conveyance devices for K are configured.

  In FIG. 2 shown above, the toner storage unit 100 includes a frame 151 as a second support body made of L-shaped steel, etc., four casters 152 as a wheel provided on the lower surface thereof, a blower 153, and four toner containers. 154Y, 154M, 154C, 154K, etc. In FIG. 2, the K toner container 154K on the back side in FIG. 2 is hidden behind the C toner container 154C on the near side in the depth direction in FIG. In addition, the toner container 154M for M on the back side in FIG. 2 is hidden behind the toner container 154Y for Y on the near side in the depth direction in FIG.

  As described above, in this printer, the printer unit 90 that is the main body of the image forming apparatus, the toner containers 154Y, 154M, 154C, and 154K of the toner supply / conveyance device described later, and the blower 153 that is a part of the air supply means. Are supported on separate supports. In such a configuration, without excessively increasing the size of the printer unit 90, the toner storage unit configured separately from the printer unit 90 can store a large amount of toner and each of the printer units 90 as necessary. The toner image recording unit can be replenished. As a result, for example, while only about 200 to 300 g of toner can be stocked in a toner container such as a toner bottle in the past, it is possible to stock about 10 to 2 to 3 kg of toner for each color. Yes.

  FIG. 4 is an enlarged configuration diagram showing any one of the four toner containers shown in FIG. The four toner containers have substantially the same configuration except that the color of the toner to be stored is different. Therefore, in FIG. 4, the suffixes Y, M, C, and K attached to the symbols are omitted. (The same applies to FIGS. 5 and 6 described later).

  The toner container 154 of the toner storage unit 100 includes a container portion 155, a lid portion 156, a cap portion 157, and the like having a shape in which a tapered portion formed by a reverse truncated conical container is connected to a cylindrical container. The cylindrical container of the container portion 155 that accommodates toner is provided with a protruding portion 158 that protrudes from the outer peripheral surface in a donut shape. The toner container 154 is inserted into a round hole provided in a support plate 159 of a gantry (not shown). And the protrusion part 158 is supported by the mount frame which is not shown in figure by pressing on the circumference | surroundings of this round hole.

  Near the upper end of the cylindrical container of the container portion 155, an upper limit level detection sensor 169 serving as an upper limit level detection unit that detects toner stored in the toner container 154 at an upper limit level by a known technique is fixed. In addition, a lower limit level sensor 170 serving as a lower limit level detection unit that detects toner stored in the toner container 154 at a lower limit level is fixed to the taper of the inverted truncated conical container of the container portion 155.

  A lid portion 156 is detachably attached to the upper end of the container portion 155. A serviceman, which will be described later, replenishes the container 155 with toner in a state where the lid 156 is removed from the container 155 and the upper end of the container 155 is opened. The exhaust pipe 160 is connected to the detachable lid 156 in this way. A filter member 161 and a gate valve 162 are sequentially connected to the exhaust pipe from the inflow side to the discharge side.

  The cap part 157 penetrates the center of the cap member 163 that is detachably attached to the lower end of the container part 155 from the outside of the container (hereinafter referred to as “outdoor”) toward the inside of the container (hereinafter referred to as “indoor”). And a nozzle member 164 fixed thereto. When the cap part 157 is attached to the container part 155, the lower end of the container part 155 is sealed, and a nozzle protruding from the bottom surface of the container part 155 toward the upper surface is formed in the container.

  A toner discharge port 165 is provided on the inner peripheral surface of the nozzle member 164. A porous tube 166 that is a porous member made of a porous material such as porous sintered glass is connected to the outdoor side of the nozzle member 164. As the porous material of the porous tube 166, pores smaller than the average particle diameter of the toner, for example, a sintered porous plate or mesh made of glass, metal or resin having an average pore diameter of about 10 μm may be used. it can.

  At the taper of the inverted truncated conical container of the container portion 155, a porous member 167 composed of a porous material such as porous sintered glass is fixed over the entire circumference of the truncated cone. The toner outlet 165 of the nozzle member 164 is surrounded. An air supply tube 168 is connected to the porous tube 166 of the nozzle member 164 and the porous member 167 of the container portion 155. The other end side (not shown) of these air supply tubes 168 is connected to a blower (153 in FIG. 2). The air sent from the blower is sent into the container 155 and the nozzle member 164 through the air supply tube 168 and the porous member 167 or the porous tube 166.

  A transport hose 108 serving as a transport pipe is connected to an end portion on the outdoor side of the nozzle member 164 serving as a transport pipe. The other end side (not shown) of the transport hose 108 is connected to the suction pump 101 in the printer unit as shown in FIG. When the suction pump 101 is operated, the toner in the toner container 154 is sucked through the transport hose 108 and the nozzle member 164. Then, the sucked toner is supplied to the toner storage unit 27 as a transport destination through the transport hose 108, the nozzle member 164, and the suction pump 101.

  FIG. 5 is an enlarged configuration diagram illustrating the lower portion of the container portion 155 of the toner container 154 and the cap portion 157 connected thereto. Air sent from a blower (not shown) to the porous tube 166 and the porous member 167 through the air supply tube 168 enters innumerable fine holes existing in the porous tube 166 and the porous member 167 and branches. Then, after passing through these innumerable micropores, they come out to the indoor side surfaces of the porous tube 166 and the porous member 167 and reach the room respectively. Then, the air sent from the blower is infinitely branched and discharged from the indoor side surfaces of the porous tube 166 and the porous member 167 in a bubble-like state. In this printer, one blower (153) is also used for the four toner containers 154 for Y, M, C, and K.

  FIG. 6 is an enlarged schematic view showing the lower portion of the container portion 155 of the toner container 154 and the cap portion 157 connected thereto, together with the toner. When countless bubble-like air is discharged from the surface of the porous member 167 fixed to the taper of the container portion 155, the toner located on the taper surface is within a height region within a predetermined range from the taper surface. A sufficient amount of air is sent between the toner particles inside the object. Then, in a predetermined height region from the taper surface, the toner is fluidized to form the fluidized bed R, and the toner particles inside actively move around. Above the fluidized bed R, the toner particles are not moved actively unlike the fluidized bed R, but the bulk density of the toner layer is lowered by the air sent from the fluidized bed R.

  Since the porous member 167 is fixed to the tapered surface so as to surround the periphery of the nozzle member 164, the fluidized bed R covers the entire toner discharge port 165 of the nozzle member 164. For this reason, in this printer, toner that has excessively increased the bulk density is caused by flowing the toner into the toner discharge port 165 by the suction force of the suction pump while fluidizing the toner in the vicinity of the toner discharge port 165. The situation where it flows in 108 is suppressed. Thus, clogging of toner in the transport hose can be suppressed.

  As shown in FIG. 6, by feeding the toner into the nozzle member 164 and the transport hose 108 while fluidizing the toner, it is possible to exhibit good fluidity like a liquid with respect to the toner that is powder. For this reason, when the toner is conveyed in the direction of gravity from the toner container 154 to the toner image recording unit, the toner is conveyed without using a power source such as a pump as in the case where the liquid is conveyed by a height difference. It becomes possible to do. However, in this printer, since the toner is conveyed against gravity, the toner in the conveyance hose 108 is sucked and conveyed by the suction means. When the toner is fluidized, the toner can be conveyed against gravity by applying an appropriate pressure in the toner container 154 without providing the suction pump 101. Regardless of the method of transporting the toner, in the case where the toner is discharged from the toner container 154 while fluidizing, it is not necessary to use a transport pipe provided with a movable member. This also makes it possible to avoid adverse effects on the image due to the use of such a conveyance tube.

  In addition, since the conveyance pipe | tube which installed the movable member is requested | required to some degree of rigidity, it must be a linear shape by all means. Such a transport pipe is difficult to be freely routed inside the apparatus, so that the degree of freedom in layout is greatly deteriorated. On the other hand, in this printer, since it is not necessary to use a movable tube with a movable member provided therein, a deformable transport hose 108 as shown in FIG. 6 can be used. Thus, the transport hose 108 can be freely routed inside the apparatus (printer unit 90), and the degree of freedom in layout inside the apparatus can be greatly improved.

  The porous member 167 in the toner container 154 is preferably disposed on the back surface of the cap member 163 that functions as the bottom wall of the container, or on a tapered wall connected to the back surface as shown in FIG. . By disposing in this way, it becomes possible to fluidize and discharge the toner stored in the toner container 154 in order from the toner at the bottom. As a result, it is possible to avoid a situation in which toner aggregates due to toner accumulated on the bottom for a long time are formed on the bottom of the toner container 154.

  In this printer, as shown in FIG. 6, a nozzle member 164 that is a transport pipe is provided with a porous pipe 166 in the middle of the pipe path. An air supply means including an air supply tube 168 and a blower (153) is configured to supply air to both the porous tube 166 and the porous member 167 in the toner container 154. In such a configuration, in addition to flowing into the nozzle member 164 while fluidizing the toner in the toner container 154, the fluidized toner that has flowed in is further fluidized by blowing out fine bubbles from the porous tube 166. It is possible to more reliably suppress clogging of toner in the transport pipe.

  In the case where the toner is transported in the direction of gravity by a height difference without using suction means such as a suction pump, or in the case where the toner is transported against the gravity by applying pressure in the toner container 154, a pipe line is used. It is preferable to perform air blowing by providing a porous member at every predetermined pitch. This is for the reason explained below. That is, when transporting in the direction of gravity due to height difference or transporting in the antigravity direction with pressure applied, the gate valve provided on the transport pipe is closed or the application of pressure is stopped to stop the transport of toner. To do. Then, after a while after stopping, the toner in the transport tube becomes non-fluid. Then, when the next toner conveyance is started, it becomes difficult to convey the toner in the conveyance tube. However, if a porous member is provided for each predetermined pitch of the conduit of the transport pipe and blown out with air, the toner in the transport pipe can be reflowed as a whole when the toner transport is resumed. is there.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing a part of the electric circuit of the printer. In addition to the suction pumps 101Y, 101M, 101C, and 101K corresponding to each of the four toner conveying devices, a toner supply control unit 171 that is also used for each of the four toner conveying devices is disposed in the printer unit 90. Yes.
The toner replenishment controller 171 includes suction pumps 101Y, 101M, 101C, and 101K, and toner detection sensors 29Y, 29M, 29C, and 29K provided in toner storage portions of the developing device of four toner image recording units (not shown). Electrically connected.

  On the other hand, the above-described upper limit level sensors 169Y, 169M, 169C, 169K and lower limit level sensors 170Y, 170M, 170C, 170K provided in each of the four toner containers are disposed in the toner storage unit 100. A blower 153 and a speaker 173 are also provided. These are electrically connected to the toner replenishment control unit 171 of the printer unit 90 via connectors 172, respectively.

  The toner replenishment control unit 171 serving as a suction control unit continuously drives the blower 153 in each toner container 154 in the state where the main switch (not shown) of the printer is ON unless any abnormality is recognized. Fluidize the toner. Further, based on the detection result by the toner detection sensor provided in the toner storage portion of the toner image recording portion, the corresponding suction pump is driven to replenish the toner. Specifically, when the Y toner detection signal is not sent from the Y toner detection sensor 29Y, the Y toner storage amount in the Y toner storage portion of the Y toner image recording portion is equal to or less than a predetermined amount. Therefore, when the Y toner detection signal is not sent, the toner supply control unit 171 operates the Y suction pump 101Y for a predetermined pump standard operation time. About this driving | running, it performs by the intermittent driving | operation which repeats a drive and a drive stop alternately within the pump normal operation time. The standard operation time of the pump is such that when such intermittent operation is performed within that period, the amount of toner necessary for the Y toner detection sensor 29Y to detect Y toner again is supplied. It is set long enough. Therefore, when the pump normal operation time has elapsed and the intermittent operation of the Y suction pump 101Y is stopped, the toner detection sensor 29Y detects Y toner again.

However, when the Y toner detection signal from the Y toner detection sensor 29Y is no longer sent, and the Y lower limit level signal from the Y lower limit level sensor 170Y of the toner storage unit 100 is not sent, toner replenishment is performed. The control part 100 does not implement the above-mentioned intermittent operation. Even when the Y lower limit level signal is sent from the Y lower limit level sensor 170Y, if it is not sent during the intermittent operation, the intermittent operation is stopped at that time.
Accordingly, it is possible to avoid a situation in which the Y suction pump 101Y is operated when the toner in the Y toner container (154Y) is empty.

In this printer, a service person periodically visits the user to check the printer, and replenishes toner in the toner storage unit 100 as necessary.
At this time, as described above, the lid (156) of the toner container (154) is removed and the toner is put into the toner container, but the toner container is overfilled and overflows from the container. Things can happen. Therefore, the toner supply control unit 171 receives an upper limit detection signal from any one of the upper limit level sensors 169Y, 169M, 169C, and 169K provided in the four toner containers. An alarm sound signal is sent to a speaker 173 provided in the toner storage unit 100. Thus, an alarm sound for notifying the upper limit alarm is generated from the speaker 173. Therefore, it is possible to call attention to the service person so as not to cause a situation in which too much toner is added and the container overflows. In this printer, the alarm generation unit is configured by the combination of the toner replenishment control unit 171 and the speaker 173, but may be configured by other combinations. For example, in the case where an alarm is issued by image display or the like instead of an alarm sound, an alarm generating means by a combination of the toner replenishment control unit 171 and a display can be employed.

  As described above with reference to FIG. 4, the exhaust pipe 160 is fixed to the lid 156 of the toner container 154 so that the air in the toner container 154 is released to the outside. . Thereby, it is possible to avoid a situation in which the air pressure in the toner container 154 is excessively increased by the air supply through the porous member 167. However, if the air in the toner container 154 is simply released to the outside as it is, there is a possibility that the toner that has risen with the air will be discharged to the retreating portion. Therefore, a filter 161 that passes only air without passing toner particles is provided in the middle of the exhaust pipe 160. As a result, it is possible to avoid a situation in which the toner that has risen in the toner container 154 is discharged from the exhaust pipe 160 to the outside.

  Further, a gate valve 162 serving as an exhaust amount adjusting means is provided at the subsequent stage of the filter 161. By adjusting the exhaust amount per unit time by the gate valve 162, the following can be performed when air is supplied to the porous member 167. That is, the pressure in the toner container 154 can be maintained slightly higher than the atmospheric pressure, and toner discharge from the toner discharge port 165 can be promoted.

  FIG. 8 is a plan view of a connecting portion between the printer unit 90 and the toner storage unit 100 in the printer as viewed from above in the vertical direction. Exhaust hoses 108Y, 108M, 108C, and 108K of Y, M, C, and K toner conveying devices are fixed to U-bolts 86Y, 86M, 86C, and 86K on a bracket 85 that is supported by a housing (not shown) of the printer unit. . Further, a harness 174 for electrically connecting a toner supply control unit (not shown) of the printer unit and an electric device (not shown) of the toner storage unit is also fixed. The exhaust hoses 108Y, 108M, 108C, and 108K and the harness 174 are also fixed to a bracket 175 that is supported by a frame (not shown) of the toner storage unit. In each of the exhaust hoses 108Y, 108M, 108C, and 108K, couplings with cocks 176Y, 176M, 176C, and 176K are provided between the fixing position by the bracket 85 of the printer unit and the fixing position by the bracket 175 of the toner storage unit. Is provided. The couplings with cocks 176Y, 176M, 176C, 176K include male coupling portions 177Y, 177M, 177C, 177K provided with cocks 178Y, 178M, 178C, 178K for closing the flow path, and cocks 180Y. , 180M, 180C, and 180K, female coupling portions 179Y, 179M, 179C, and 179K. Then, by engaging the male coupling and the female coupling portion, respectively, the transport hoses 108Y, 108M, 108C, and 108K divided into two on the printer side and the toner storage side can be attached to and detached from each other.

  The harness 172 includes a connector 172 between a fixing position by the bracket 85 of the printer unit and a fixing position by the bracket 175 of the toner storage unit. The connector 172 is divided into two parts on the printer unit side and the toner storage unit side, and both are detachable.

  When the printer unit and the toner storage unit are separated, first, the cocks 178Y, 178M, 178C, 178K of the male coupling units 177Y, 177M, 177C, 177K and the female couplings 179Y, 179M, 179C, 179K are used. The cocks 180Y, 180M, 180C and 180K are rotated 90 ° clockwise. Thereby, the flow of toner in the transport hoses 108Y, 108M, 108C, and 108K is blocked on both the printer side and the toner storage unit side. In this manner, with the toner flow blocked, the respective male coupling portions 177Y, 177M, 177C, 177K and the respective female couplings 179Y, 179M, 179C, 179K are disengaged. Next, when the harness 172 is divided into two at the connector 172 and then the toner storage unit is moved by a caster, the printer unit and the toner storage unit can be easily divided into two as shown in FIG.

  In this printer, the printer can be easily divided into two, and the printer unit and the toner storage unit are supported by separate supports. With such a configuration, the toner storage unit 100 can be easily separated from the printer unit 90, and maintenance can be performed in a state where the toner storage units 100 are independent of each other.

  Further, in this printer, four suction pumps that are suction means are supported by frames (not shown) that are first support members of the printer unit. When supported in this manner, the four suction pumps can be disposed closer to the toner storage portion on the discharge side than the toner container on the suction side. As a result, the toner can be sucked and transported over most of the entire length of the toner transport path instead of being discharged and transported. It is known that a suction pump has a much higher transport capability when transported by suction than when transported by discharge on the discharge side. Therefore, the capacity of the suction pump can be efficiently extracted by sucking and transporting toner over almost the entire length of the toner transport path.

  Further, in this printer, as shown in FIG. 2, four casters 152 as wheels are provided on a frame 151 as a second support body that supports a toner container and the like, and movement by this is possible. . Therefore, the toner storage unit 100 that is easily separated from the printer unit 90 can be easily carried by hand. Further, in this printer, since the toner storage section of each toner image recording section is used as a toner transport destination by each toner supply / conveyance device, not only in the toner storage section 100 but also in the printer section 90 to some extent. An amount of toner can be stocked. In addition, since this and the toner storage unit 100 can be easily separated from the printer unit 90 and carried, one toner storage unit 100 can be shared by a plurality of printer units 90.

  Although the embodiments in which the present invention is applied to an image forming apparatus that forms an image by an electrophotographic method have been described so far, the present invention is also applied to an image forming apparatus that forms an image by a method different from the electrophotographic method. Applicable. For example, the present invention can also be applied to an image forming apparatus that forms an image by a direct recording method, such as an image forming apparatus described in JP-A-12-238311. In this case, the toner flying device that causes the toner to fly in a dot shape functions as a toner image forming unit, and a toner storage unit provided in the toner flying device serves as a toner conveyance destination by the toner supply and conveyance device.

  As described above, in the printer according to the embodiment, the toner in the toner storage unit is supplied to the developing device 20 that develops the latent image formed on the photoreceptor 11 as the electrostatic latent image carrier in the toner forming unit. Thus, it is possible to suppress a situation in which the toner cannot be transported from the toner container 154 serving as the toner container to the developing device 20 due to toner clogging in the transport hose 108 serving as the transport pipe.

  Further, since the nozzle member 164 serving as a conveying tube is fixed to the bottom wall of the toner container 154 and the porous member 167 is provided on the tapered wall connected to the bottom wall, the toner container is used as described above. For this reason, only the fluidized toner can be reliably fed into the nozzle member 164 or the transport hose 108 which is a transport pipe.

  Further, as the nozzle member 164 serving as the transport pipe, a nozzle member provided with a porous pipe 166 serving as a porous member in the middle of the pipeline is used, and air is also supplied to the porous tube 166, so that the toner storage The toner fluidization is promoted not only in the container 154 but also in the nozzle member 164, and the clogging of the toner in the transport pipe can be suppressed more reliably.

  In addition, since the suction pump 101 serving as a suction unit that discharges the toner in the transport hose 108 serving as a transport pipe toward the toner storage unit 27 of the developing device 20 of the toner image forming unit is provided, the toner is moved in the gravity direction. In contrast, the toner can be conveyed to the toner storage unit 27 as a conveyance destination.

  Moreover, since the conveyance hose 108 which exhibits flexibility is used as the conveyance tube, the degree of freedom in layout in the printer unit 90 can be remarkably improved for the reasons described above.

  In addition, a toner replenishment control unit 171 is provided to control the operation of the suction pump 101 in an intermittent operation in which driving and stopping of driving are alternately performed by providing a control unit serving as a suction control unit that controls the driving of the suction pump 101. It is composed. Therefore, the suction pump 101 is a case where a relatively large discharge amount per unit time is used, and the toner conveyance amount can be finely adjusted.

  Further, a control unit that is a suction control unit and a lower limit level detection sensor 170 that detects a lower limit level of toner in the toner container 154 are provided, and the toner is controlled so as to control the driving of the suction pump 101 based on the detection result. Since the replenishment control unit 171 is configured, it is possible to avoid a situation in which the suction pump 101 is operated when the toner in the toner container 154 is empty.

  Further, since the toner container 154 is provided with an exhaust pipe 160 as an exhaust means that enables exhaust from the inside of the container portion 155 to the outside, the air pressure in the toner container 154 is excessively increased by the air supply by the air supply means. It is possible to avoid the situation of increasing.

  Further, since the gate valve 162 serving as an exhaust amount adjusting means for adjusting the exhaust amount by the air supply pipe 160 is provided, a positive pressure exceeding 1 atm is generated in the toner container 154 by adjusting the exhaust amount, and the toner discharge port. Toner discharge from 165 can be promoted. Furthermore, for the reasons described above, it is possible to convey toner against gravity without providing the suction pump 101.

  Further, an upper limit level detection sensor 169 that detects that the toner storage amount in the toner container 154 has reached a predetermined upper limit level and an alarm generation unit that issues an upper limit alarm based on the detection result are provided. In the toner replenishment operation into the toner container 154, it is possible to suppress a situation in which a large amount of toner is excessively added and the toner container 154 overflows.

  Further, the conveyance hose 108 serving as the conveyance pipe is divided into two parts in the middle of the pipeline so as to be detachable from each other, and separate from the one divided into two and the frame serving as the first support that supports the printer unit 90 serving as the image forming apparatus main body. The toner container 154 and the air supply means are supported on the frame 151 as the second support body. Thus, as described above, the toner storage unit 100 configured separately from the printer unit 90 supplies a large amount of toner and replenishes each toner image recording unit of the printer unit 90 as necessary. be able to. In addition, the printer unit 90 and the toner storage unit 100 can be easily separated, and maintenance can be performed in a state where they are independent of each other.

  Further, since the suction pump 101 is supported by the frame of the printer unit 90, for the reasons described above, toner conveyance by suction is performed over almost the entire length of the conveyance hose 108, and the toner conveyance performance of the suction pump 101 is efficiently achieved. It can be pulled out.

  Further, since the frame 151 as the second support body is configured to be movable by the four casters 152 as the wheels, the toner storage unit 100 easily separated from the printer unit 90 can be easily moved and carried to another place. Can do.

  Furthermore, since the toner storage unit 27 that temporarily stores toner in the toner image forming unit is used as a toner transport destination by the toner transport device, the toner storage unit 100 is connected between the plurality of printer units 90 for the reason described above. Can be shared by being moved by a caster 152.

  Further, since the toner container 154 is configured to be detachable from the mount 151, the toner container 154 removed from the mount can be easily cleaned or maintained.

  The toner supply / conveyance device described above is installed outside the image forming apparatus such as a copying machine or a printer. However, when the toner supply / conveyance apparatus is built in the inside of the image forming apparatus below, that is, in a container previously installed in the machine. A porous member for supplying a gas such as air to the toner mass of the toner to form a toner-air mixed fluid, and the toner-air mixed fluid obtained by supplying the air to the porous member through a toner conveying tube An example of a toner supply / conveyance device constituted by a toner storage container loaded in a unit constituted by a nozzle for discharging to the developing mechanism will be specifically described below.

(Example 2)
Embodiments of a toner supply / conveyance device and an image forming apparatus to which the toner supply / conveyance device is applied will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 10 shows an embodiment of the toner supply / conveyance device of the present invention.

  In FIG. 10, reference numeral 111 denotes a polyethylene resin toner container loaded in the copying machine main body. A self-plugging member 116 is attached to the lower portion of the container so that the sponge surface is in close contact with a nozzle insertion made of a sponge elastic member having a notch capable of maintaining a sealed state by inserting a nozzle 119 described later. The self-plugging member 116 has a cross-shaped cut opening, and a nozzle 119 provided in the machine main body is inserted into the cut opening. At the tip of the nozzle 119, a mesh for allowing the aggregate toner to stay in the container until it is released without passing through can be provided. For example, a sintered glass body (porous member) having an average pore diameter of 10 μm and a thickness of 5 mm is incorporated in the outer periphery of the lower portion of the nozzle 119 to constitute the gas release mechanism 115. The gas discharge mechanism 115 passes through the nozzle insertion self-plugging member 116 and discharges gas toward the toner block 113 by being present in the toner block 113 of the toner containing container 111.

Next, the nozzle 119 and the gas release mechanism 115 are connected to the gas release mechanism 115 in such a state that the nozzle 119 and the gas release mechanism 115 are inserted into the lower part of the toner container 111. The gas discharge mechanism 115 is preceded by a gas introduction pipe 118 directly connected to a pump 117 that pumps air, and the air is supplied to the gas supply mechanism 115 with a pressure of 0.08 kgf / cm ² and a feed amount of 100 to 300 ml / min, preferably 100 to Air is sent in a range of 200 ml / min, and a fluid region 114 having a bulk density of 0.02 to 0.3 g / cm ³ , for example, is formed in the region above the gas release mechanism 115 made of toner and air. Can do. This fluid state is formed, and the formed fluid is passed through the toner transport pipe 121 from the fluid discharge port 120 (opening area: 5 mm) at the tip of the nozzle 119, and is transferred into the electrophotographic copying machine by a transport mechanism (not shown). The developing unit is composed of toner and air, and is configured to send out a fluid having an appropriate density and extremely high fluidity.
The transfer to the fluid containing the toner is performed via the toner transport pipe 121 using the pressurized state of the fluid region 114 formed in the lower portion of the container 111 containing the toner, regardless of the previous suction mechanism. It is also possible to transfer a fluid composed of toner and air to the in-machine developing unit.

  In the toner supply / conveyance device of the present invention, since air supplied from the gas release mechanism accumulates in the upper part of the container, the internal pressure in the container is excessively increased, and there is a concern that the container may come off from the nozzle. A filter mechanism 112, which is located on a part of the upper surface of the container and allows only the gas staying in the container to pass therethrough and prevents the toner from passing therethrough, can reduce the internal pressure in the container. The filter mechanism 112 can be composed of a sheet of Gore-Tex (trade name, registered trademark, manufactured by Japan Gore-Tex), which is a continuous porous structure made of a fluororesin.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 11, the filter mechanism 112 is not necessarily provided on the opposite side (upper surface side) of the gas discharge mechanism 115 of the toner containing container 111. For example, the flow mechanism formed in the lower part in the container is used. Inclination of the lower part of the container corresponding to the formation end part of the fluid region 114 in the lower part of the container so as to satisfy the high fluidity by good stirring based on the high flow velocity of the gas discharged from the container of the body region 114 It can be provided at a portion (for example, at the same level as the portion where the vibration applying means 122 of FIG. 10 is provided).

  As described above, the toner supply / conveyance device of the present invention basically has a gas discharge mechanism in addition to the toner container, the toner discharge port, and the filter mechanism, and a fluid mixture of toner and air is used as the toner. Even if the developing toner is supplied to the copier development section with good responsiveness via the transport path and the time from the stop of the copy operation to the start of the next copy operation has elapsed, Toner clogging does not occur and stable copying can always be performed.

  FIG. 12 shows another configuration example of the gas release mechanism of the present invention. In this example, the gas discharge mechanism has a double gas discharge portion and allows the nozzle 119 to be inserted / removed and at a high level in order to efficiently form a high fluidity fluid region 114 in the toner containing container 111. It has an adjustable structure. That is, in this example, the gas release mechanism includes a first gas release portion 134 having an annular pressure gas pool chamber inside the flange 136 of the self-plugging member 116, and a tubular second gas discharge portion below the flange 136. 137 and a double structure. In this example, the first gas discharge part 134 is provided on the upper inner side of the self-plugging member 116, and the second gas discharge part 137 is provided on the lower outer side of the self-plugging member 116. At least one of the first gas discharge part 134 and the second gas discharge part 137 may be of a type fixed to the self-plugging member 116 or of a type that can be attached and detached. The nozzle 119 is detachably provided in the center holes of the first and second gas discharge portions. The gas pool chamber 135 has a gas inlet 138 for introducing a pressure gas into a porous sintered metal portion having an inclined surface facing inward. The second gas discharge part 137 has a tubular sintered metal part and a tubular casing part 139 provided on the outer side with a space therebetween, and the outer tubular casing part also has a gas inlet 144. In FIG. 12, reference numeral 143 denotes an O-ring.

  FIG. 13 shows still another configuration example of the gas release mechanism. In the gas release mechanism of this example, the second gas release portion is not made of a porous sintered metal material but made of a mesh material. That is, in the second gas discharge portion of the gas discharge mechanism of this example, the metal mesh material 140 is wound around the portion where the plurality of large-diameter through holes 142 of the tubular inner member are provided. In FIG. 13, reference numeral 141 denotes a gas inlet.

  In the toner supply / conveyance device of the present invention, a toner concentration detection sensor 123 is provided below the nozzle 119 of FIG. The toner concentration detection sensor 123 detects the toner concentration in the mixture of toner and air formed by the gas release mechanism of the toner-containing container. When the toner concentration in the toner / air mixture formed in the toner container is below a predetermined value, information for prompting container replacement is provided, or the toner concentration separately detected in the developing unit. Therefore, if one of the toner concentrations is not correlated, specifically, if one is high and the other is low, clogging in the toner transport path is expected and copying is stopped. The system is configured to perform the automatic control.

(Example 3)
Next, in order to make the effect of the toner supply / conveyance device of the present invention more reliable, there is a mode in which the toner storage container is vibrated, and a specific example thereof will be described below.

The toner supply / conveyance device of the present invention shown in FIG. 14 is further provided on the outer surface of the container containing toner and for supplying air in order to make the fluid formation of the mixture of toner and air by the air supply mechanism smoother. In the vicinity of the mechanism, vibration adding means for applying vibration to the toner mass in the container toner is provided.
The toner supply / conveyance apparatus shown in FIG. 14 has the same configuration as that of the toner supply / conveyance apparatus shown in FIG. In FIG. 14, the same components as those in FIG. 10 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof is omitted.

  As shown in FIG. 14, the vibration applying means 122 is provided in the image forming apparatus in advance, for example, and comes into contact with the outer surface of the toner-containing container when the toner-containing container 111 is loaded in the electrophotographic image forming apparatus. It can be a sonic vibrator. Further, a hammer mechanism that is provided in advance in the image forming apparatus and that contacts the outer surface of the toner-containing container and applies mechanical vibration when the toner-containing container 111 is loaded in the electrophotographic image forming apparatus. I do not care. Further, a power source for air supply such as an eccentric cam 125 which is fixed to a rotary shaft 124 which is power-coupled to an air supply motor (not shown) and whose protruding portion strikes the container 111 by the rotation of the shaft is connected to the power source. When the toner-containing container is loaded in the electrophotographic image forming apparatus, the container can be vibrated by repeatedly contacting the outer surface of the toner-containing container. Furthermore, a plurality of the eccentric cams 125 can be provided with different eccentric angles, and vibrations having a frequency higher than the basic rotational speed of the rotary shaft can be applied according to the number and angular difference thereof. Such vibration applying means 122 can be of a type that operates before the air supply mechanism operates, and the air supply mechanism is of a type that stops operation before the operation stops. be able to. In many cases, it is convenient to operate at a timing independent of the operation of the air supply mechanism.

When the vibration applying means 122 is a sonic vibrating body, the vibration energy depends on the amplitude, but in this embodiment, it is 80 to 120 dB, and the operating frequency is the application of sound waves in the low frequency range from 1 Hz to 20 kHz to the high frequency range. Is possible. In consideration of the toner lump, the frequency range of 1 Hz to 7000 Hz, more preferably 5 Hz to 5000 Hz, is suitable for the start of toner flow. In the case of a sonic vibrator as an auxiliary means for improving the fluidity of the toner itself, a wavelength range of 20 Hz to 300 Hz is preferable.
The side of the sound source that does not come into contact with the container is preferably covered with a sound insulating or sound absorbing member to prevent noise generation outside the machine. In addition, the vibration-adding means 122 is preferably placed in contact with the toner-containing container on the inclined surface of the lower part of the toner-containing container in order to break up the toner mass and efficiently perform the toner fluidity. is there. If the contact surface of the toner container in which the vibration applying means 122 is placed in contact is thinner than the non-contact surface of the container, the vibration is more easily propagated.

In the toner supply / conveyance device of the third embodiment, the vibration applying unit 122 includes a piezoelectric diaphragm (type FE-27A-41A manufactured by FDK Corporation), a frequency main region of 3,600 Hz to 4,600 Hz, and a sound pressure. 65 dB to 90 dB is used.
Actually, as a result of comparison experiments between the case where the vibration applying means 122 is provided and the case where the vibration applying means 122 is not provided, the bulk density of the fluid is 0 when the vibration applying means is allowed to run for 2 minutes immediately before operating the air supply mechanism. The time after the operation of the air supply mechanism 15 reaching about ³ g / cm ³ was shortened by about 20% in the case where the vibration adding means 122 was provided compared to the case where it was not provided.
The operating time of the vibration applying means can be arbitrarily set within an operating range of, for example, intermittent driving for 10 seconds to 20 minutes. If the air supplying mechanism is immediately before operating, vibration is applied from several minutes before that time. The operation of the means may be started, or after the air supply mechanism is operated, the operation of the vibration applying means at a level of several seconds may be intermittently repeated for a relatively short time.

As described above, the structure of the air supply mechanism of Example 3 is a fine porous member that allows air to pass through. Generally, toner has a volume average particle diameter of 12 μm and a particle diameter of 3 to 15 μm. Since it is used, the average opening diameter is preferably about 12 μm, and the material may be a resin, a metal sintered body, or a net laminate other than glass.
The operation of the air supply mechanism starts when the main switch of the copier is turned on, and then operates intermittently according to the toner consumption of the development unit according to the copy frequency for copying. Can be controlled. The operation of the vibration applying means is controlled by receiving an electrical signal for operating the air supply mechanism, or is operated prior to the operation of the air supply mechanism, and prior to the stop of the air supply mechanism. Stopped. Further, by adjusting the operation start and stop timings of the mono pump (not shown) and the air supply mechanism 115, the toner conveyance amount is adjusted, the bulk density of the fluid composed of toner and gas is adjusted, and the toner The detachment of the external additive attached to the particles can be suppressed.

  Next, FIGS. 15 and 16 show an embodiment of the present invention in which the toner supply / conveyance device of the present invention shown in FIGS. 10 to 14 is combined with an image forming apparatus which is an electrophotographic copying machine. It is a perspective view which shows an example of a developing means.

15 and 16, the photosensitive drum of the electrostatic latent image carrier 301 in the image forming apparatus is rotatably supported by a support member (not shown), and is driven in the direction of arrow A in FIG. 16 by a drive means (not shown). It is driven to rotate clockwise.
An electrostatic latent image is formed on the photosensitive drum of the electrostatic latent image carrier 301 by the exposure unit 331 after being charged by the charger of the charging unit 310 in the electrophotographic image forming process. The electrostatic latent image is visualized by forming a toner image with the toner of developer D supplied from the developing unit 302. As the image carrier 1, a belt-like member may be used in addition to the photosensitive drum. The toner image formed by the developing unit 302 on the photosensitive drum of the electrostatic latent image carrier 301 is transferred onto the transfer paper of the transfer member P by the transfer unit 303 and is conveyed to the fixing unit 312 for fixing. After that, the paper is discharged by a paper discharge roller 333 and stored in a paper discharge tray or the like. The cleaning unit 304 cleans the toner image on the electrostatic latent image carrier 301 after the toner image on the transfer member P has been transferred by scraping it off to prepare for the next image forming step. .

  The developing unit 302 includes a developing sleeve 351 that supplies the developer D to the photosensitive drum of the electrostatic latent image carrier 301, a developer supply unit 352, a developer stirring unit 353, a developer stirring unit 354, and a developer layer regulating member. 355, an agitating / conveying means 356, a toner concentration sensor 358 for detecting the developer concentration, a container 357 for accommodating and holding the developer, and the like. The developing sleeve 351 is a photosensitive drum of the electrostatic latent image carrier 301. It arrange | positions in the state facing the surrounding surface. Further, the developing means 302 is provided with a decompressing means (not shown), and the pressure inside the container 357 is reduced so that the developer D does not scatter to the outside through the gap between the developing sleeve 351 and the container 357. It is configured. The developing sleeve 351 includes a sleeve made of a non-magnetic material and a magnet disposed inside the sleeve, and is driven to rotate counterclockwise in the direction indicated by an arrow B by a driving unit (not shown). The length in the width direction of the developing sleeve 351 is set to be substantially the same as the length in the width direction of the photosensitive drum of the electrostatic latent image carrier 301.

The developer replenishing section 352 includes a developer conveying screw 361 and a developer discharging paddle 362 having a circumferential groove on the peripheral surface, and is provided by the toner supply / conveying device of the present invention. The developer D supplied with the fluid via the gas / toner mixture flow transfer means 305 is uniformly supplied into the developing means 302 based on a signal from a developer detection means (not shown).
The developer supply unit 352 has a developer supply port 363 at a position protruding from the side plate 371 of the container 357. The developer supply port 363 is connected to a gas / toner mixture flow transfer means 305, which will be described later, via a pipe which is a toner transfer path in the middle of being supplied from the toner supply / transfer apparatus of the present invention. The developer is received from the agent supply port 363.
The developer D taken in from the developer supply port 363 is supplied to one axial end portion of the screw 361. The developer replenishing portion 352 has a gas vent hole 365 formed above the paddle 362 of the upper plate 364, and an air filter of the gas permeable means 307 is fitted in the gas vent hole 365. The air filter of the gas permeation unit 307 is a unit that separates and transmits the air that is the gas / toner mixture flow gas transferred by the gas / toner mixture flow transfer unit 305 from the developer. The filter is detachably fitted by claw members 381 and 381 of the gas permeable recovery means 308.

  The gas / toner mixture flow transfer means 305 is connected from a toner supply / conveyance device, which will be described separately, at a location near the developing means 302 of the developing means 302. The gas flow transfer means 305 is a powder pump unit, and is constituted by a screw pump commonly called a Mono pump. The gas flow transfer means 305 includes a rotor 391, a stator 392, an upper pump holder 393, and the like formed in a screw shape.

  The rotor 391 is connected to a motor (not shown). Around the rotor 391, a stator 392 formed of an elastic body such as a rubber material is provided so as to enclose the rotor 391. The stator 392 rotates via the toner conveyance path while the rotor 391 rotates. A passage is formed through which a mixture of the incoming gas and toner is sent. The stator 392 is held by a pump holder 393. The pump holder 393 is formed in a cylindrical shape, and connects the gas / toner mixture flow transfer means 305 and the toner transport path.

FIG. 17 is a block diagram showing a part of a control circuit of an image forming apparatus including the toner supply / conveyance device of the present invention. In the image forming apparatus, in addition to the gas flow transfer means 305 which is an air supply pump corresponding to the toner supply / conveyance device of the present invention, a toner replenishment control unit 341 also used for the toner supply / conveyance device of the present invention is disposed. ing.
The toner supply control unit 341 includes a gas flow transfer unit 305, a toner concentration detection sensor 358 provided in a toner storage unit of the toner storage device 302 of the toner image recording unit, and a nozzle 119 of the toner supply / conveyance device shown in FIG. A toner concentration detection sensor 123 is electrically connected to the lower part of the sensor.

The toner replenishment control unit 341 serving as a suction control unit continuously drives the pump 117 of FIG. 10 in the state where the main switch (not shown) of the image forming apparatus is ON unless any abnormality is recognized. The toner in the ten toner container 111 is fluidized. Further, based on the detection result by the toner concentration detection sensor 358 provided in the toner storage part of the developing device 302 of the toner image recording part, the corresponding gas flow transfer means 305 is driven to replenish the toner. Yes. Specifically, when no toner detection signal is sent from the toner concentration detection sensor 358, the toner storage amount in the toner storage portion of the toner image recording portion is equal to or less than a predetermined amount. Therefore, when the toner detection signal is no longer sent, the toner replenishment control unit 341 operates the pump 117 for a predetermined pump standard operation time. About this driving | running, it performs by the intermittent driving | operation which repeats a drive and a drive stop alternately within the pump normal operation time. The standard pump operating time is such that when such intermittent operation is performed within that period, the toner concentration detection sensor 358 supplies the amount of toner necessary to detect the toner again. It is set long enough. Therefore, when the intermittent operation of the gas flow transfer means 305 is stopped after the pump standard operating time has elapsed, the toner concentration detection sensor 358 detects the toner again.
On the other hand, when the electrical signal from the toner concentration detection sensor 123 located below the nozzle 119 of the toner supply / conveyance device shown in FIG. 10 falls below a certain level, copy information in a copy operation panel (not shown) of the image forming apparatus. The display unit displays a warning to replace the toner container.

  The toner supply / conveyance apparatus and the image forming apparatus of the present invention have been described in detail above. However, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the present invention.

  The toner supply / conveyance device and toner supply / conveyance method of the present invention can obtain high image quality even in the long-term use of the image forming apparatus, and can be used in the initial conveyance operation after long-term unused of the image forming apparatus in the toner conveyance path. Therefore, the toner can be smoothly conveyed, so that the toner can be suitably used for a printer, a facsimile machine, a copying machine, or a complex machine thereof, particularly an electrophotographic image forming apparatus and an image forming method.

FIG. 1 is a schematic view showing an example of a conventional toner supply / conveyance device. FIG. 2 is a schematic configuration diagram illustrating an example of an image forming apparatus (printer) according to the present invention. FIG. 3 is an enlarged configuration diagram illustrating the Y toner image recording unit together with a part of the transfer unit among the four sets of toner image recording units in the printer of FIG. 2. FIG. 4 is an enlarged configuration diagram showing any one of the four toner containers of the printer of FIG. FIG. 5 is an enlarged configuration diagram illustrating the lower portion of the container portion of the toner container and the cap portion connected thereto. FIG. 6 is an enlarged schematic view showing the lower part of the container part and the cap part of the toner container in an enlarged manner together with the toner. FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing a part of the electric circuit of the printer of FIG. FIG. 8 is a plan view of a connecting portion between the printer unit and the toner storage unit in the printer of FIG. 2 as viewed from above in the vertical direction. FIG. 9 is a plan view showing the connecting portion of the printer of FIG. 2 in a state where the printer unit and the toner storage unit are separated from each other. FIG. 10 is a schematic view showing an example of the toner supply / conveyance device of the present invention. FIG. 11 is a schematic view showing another example of the toner supply / conveyance device of the present invention. FIG. 12 is a schematic view showing still another example of the toner supply / conveyance device of the present invention. FIG. 13 is a schematic view showing still another example of the toner supply / conveyance device of the present invention. FIG. 14 is a schematic view showing still another example of the toner supply / conveyance device of the present invention. FIG. 15 is a perspective view showing an example of an image forming apparatus connected to the toner supply / conveyance device of the present invention. FIG. 16 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of an image forming apparatus connected to the toner supply / conveyance device of the present invention. FIG. 17 is a block diagram showing a part of an electric circuit of the image forming apparatus connected to the toner supply / conveyance device of the present invention.

Explanation of symbols

154 Toner container (toner container)
164 Nozzle (conveying pipe)
108 Transport hose (transport pipe)
167 Porous member 166 Porous tube (porous member)
153 Blower (part of air supply means)
168 Air supply tube (part of air supply means)
11Y, 11M, 11C, 11K photoconductor (electrostatic latent image carrier)
20Y Developing device 27 Toner reservoir 101 Suction pump (suction means)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 111 Toner container 112 Filter mechanism 113 Toner lump 114 Fluid area | region 115 Air supply mechanism 116 Self plugging member 117 Pump 118 Gas introduction pipe 119 Nozzle 120 Fluid discharge port 121 Toner conveyance pipe 122 Vibration addition means 123 Toner density detection sensor 124 Rotation Shaft 125 Eccentric cam 131 Exposure means 132 Fixing means 133 Paper discharge roller 211 Mono pump (screw pump)
212 Toner container 213 Nozzle 214 Opening 215 Toner transport path 216 Device development unit 301 Image carrier 302 Developing means 351 Development sleeve 352 Developer replenishment section 361 Developer transport screw 362 Developer discharge paddle 363 Developer supply port 364 Upper plate 365 Gas vent hole 353 Developer stirring means 354 Developer stirring means 355 Developer layer regulating member 356 Stirring conveying means 358 Concentration sensor 357 Container 371 Side plate 303 Transfer means 304 Cleaning means 305 Gas / toner mixture flow transfer means 391 Rotor 392 Stator 393 Pump holder 307 Gas permeation means (air filter)
308 Gas permeability recovery means 381 Claw member 310 Charging means 341 Toner replenishment control unit

Claims (26)

A toner storage unit that stores toner, a toner discharge port for discharging the toner from the toner storage unit, and a transport pipe for transporting the toner, and forming a toner image of the image forming apparatus from the toner storage unit A toner supply / conveying device for supplying toner to the means,
A toner supply / conveyance characterized in that a porous member is disposed in the vicinity of the toner discharge port in the toner storage portion, and air supply means for supplying air into the toner storage portion through the porous member is provided. apparatus.   The side wall forming the toner containing portion has a size reduction structure in which the size in the direction crossing the direction gradually reaches the direction reaching the toner discharge port, and the arrangement position of the porous member is the size reduction structure. The toner supply / conveyance device according to claim 1, wherein the toner supply / conveyance device is any one of a side wall having a surface and a vicinity of a toner discharge port.   The toner supply / conveyance device according to claim 2, wherein the size reduction structure is any one of a cross-sectional area reduction structure, a width reduction structure, and a diameter reduction structure.   The porous member has fine pores through which air can pass, and the average pore diameter of the pores is 0.1 to 5 times the volume average particle size of the toner to be supplied and conveyed. 4. The toner supply / conveyance device according to any one of 3).   The toner supply / conveyance device according to claim 1, wherein an average pore diameter of pores of the porous member is 0.3 to 20 μm.   6. The toner supply / conveyance device according to claim 1, wherein the toner discharge port has a hole portion in which a nozzle-like discharge means for discharging a mixture of toner and gas is detachably inserted.   The toner supply / conveyance according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the toner in the toner container is supplied to a developing device that develops the latent image formed on the electrostatic latent image carrier in the toner image forming means. apparatus.   8. The toner supply / transport according to claim 1, wherein the transport pipe has a toner discharge port, and the transport pipe is fixed to the bottom wall of the toner storage portion so that the toner discharge port is opened in the toner storage portion. apparatus.   The toner supply / conveying device according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein a porous member is provided in the middle of a conduit of the conveying tube, and air is also supplied to the porous member.   The toner supply / conveyance device according to claim 1, wherein the conveyance tube is a flexible conveyance hose.   The toner supply / conveyance device according to claim 1, further comprising a suction unit that sucks toner in the transport pipe and sends the toner toward the toner image forming unit.   The toner supply / conveying device according to claim 11, wherein a suction control unit that controls driving of the suction unit is provided, and the suction unit is operated by an intermittent operation that alternately repeats driving and driving stop by the operation of the suction control unit.   The toner according to claim 12, further comprising a lower limit level detection unit that detects that the toner storage amount in the toner storage unit has reached a predetermined lower limit level, and operates the suction control unit based on a detection result of the lower limit level detection unit. Supply conveyance device.   14. The toner supply / conveyance device according to claim 1, wherein the toner storage unit is provided with an exhaust unit that enables exhaust from the inside of the toner storage unit to the outside of the toner storage unit.   The toner supply / conveyance apparatus according to claim 14, further comprising an exhaust amount adjusting unit that adjusts an exhaust amount by the exhaust unit.   2. An upper limit level detection unit that detects that the toner storage amount in the toner storage unit has reached a predetermined upper limit level, and an alarm generation unit that issues an upper limit alarm based on a detection result by the upper limit level detection unit. The toner supply / conveyance device according to any one of 15. A toner inflow process for causing the toner in the toner accommodating portion to flow into a conveying tube for conveying toner from the toner accommodating portion toward the toner image forming means of the image forming apparatus; and the toner in the conveying tube to the toner image forming means. A transport process for transporting toward the
A toner supply / conveying method, comprising: an air supply step of supplying air from a porous member disposed in the vicinity of a toner discharge port of the toner storage portion toward the toner storage portion by an air supply means. An electrostatic latent image carrier, an electrostatic latent image forming unit that forms an electrostatic latent image on the electrostatic latent image carrier, and a toner image forming unit that develops toner to form a toner image; A toner supply / conveying means for supplying toner to the toner image forming means from a toner containing portion for containing toner; a transferring means for transferring the toner image to a recording medium; and a fixing means for fixing the transferred image transferred to the recording medium. And at least
An image forming apparatus, wherein the toner supply / conveyance unit is the toner supply / conveyance apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 16.   The image forming apparatus according to claim 18, wherein the toner supply / conveyance device is installed outside the image forming apparatus.   20. The image forming apparatus according to claim 18, further comprising an openable / closable shutter mechanism at a toner receiving port of a toner image forming unit that receives toner conveyed by the toner supply / conveyance apparatus.   The conveying pipe is divided into two parts in the middle of the pipe so that they can be attached to and detached from each other, and the toner container and the second supporting body different from the first supporting body for supporting the one half and the image forming apparatus main body 21. The image forming apparatus according to claim 18, wherein the air feeding unit is supported.   The image forming apparatus according to claim 21, wherein the suction unit is supported by the first support.   23. The image forming apparatus according to claim 21, wherein the toner containing portion is configured to be detachable from the second support.   24. The image forming apparatus according to claim 18, wherein the toner supply / conveyance device is configured to be movable by wheels.   The image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 18 to 24, wherein a toner storage unit that temporarily stores toner in the toner image forming unit is a toner transport destination of the toner supply transport apparatus. An electrostatic latent image forming step of forming an electrostatic latent image on the electrostatic latent image carrier, a toner image forming step of developing with toner to form a toner image, and a toner storage portion for storing toner. A toner supplying and conveying step for supplying toner to the toner image forming means, a transfer step for transferring the toner image to a recording medium, and a fixing step for fixing the transferred image transferred to the recording medium.
An image forming method, wherein the toner supply / conveying step is performed using the toner supply / conveying device according to claim 1.