TONER CONVEYANCE DEVICE AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS

• US 20170261887A1
• Filed: 02/10/2017
• Published: 09/14/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 03/08/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Inventors: ISHIZUKA, Yusuke, Shintani, Takeshi, Maehata, Yasuhiro, Mizusawa, Hiroshi, Tomita, Daisuke, Azeyanagi, Yuta, Kuboshima, Yasuhito
• Granted Patent: US 9,983,512 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 15/0879 for dispensing developer from a developer cartridge not directly attached to the development unit
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 15/0891 for conveying or circulating developer, e.g. augers

Abstract

A toner conveyance device includes a downward passage, a reciprocating member disposed in the downward passage, to move in a vertical direction in which the downward passage extends, a conveyance passage communicating with a lower end of the downward passage and extending in a direction crossing the vertical direction, a conveyor to rotate in the conveyance passage around an axis extending along the conveyance passage to transport the toner, and a flexible member projecting from a bottom of the reciprocating member toward the conveyance passage. The flexible member extends in the axial direction of the conveyor and moves together with the reciprocating member. When the reciprocating member is at a lowest position, a lower end of the flexible member opposes a portion of the conveyor downstream from an upper end thereof in a rotation direction thereof.

Claims

1. A toner conveyance device comprising:

a downward passage through which toner falls;

a reciprocating member disposed in the downward passage, to move up and down along the downward passage in a vertical direction in which the downward passage extends;

a conveyance passage communicating with a lower end of the downward passage and extending in a direction crossing the vertical direction;

a rotatable conveyor disposed in the conveyance passage to convey the toner in an axial direction of the conveyor; and

a flexible member disposed at a bottom of the reciprocating member, the flexible member extending in the axial direction of the conveyor, the flexible member to move in the vertical direction together with the reciprocating member,

wherein, when the reciprocating member is at a lowest position in a movable range of the reciprocating member, a lower end of the flexible member opposes a downstream portion of the conveyor downstream from an upper end of the conveyor in a rotation direction of the conveyor.

2. The toner conveyance device according to claim 1, wherein, when the reciprocating member is at the lowest position in the movable range, the lower end of the flexible member is lower than the upper end of the conveyor and higher than a center of rotation of the conveyor.

3. The toner conveyance device according to claim 1, wherein the downward passage is quadrangular prismatic,

wherein the reciprocating member is shaped into a hollow quadrangular prism extending along four side-wall inner faces of the downward passage and includes:

a rigid body extending along three of the four side-wall inner faces of the downward passage; and

a flexible sheet attached to the rigid body to extend along a remaining one of the four side-wall inner faces of the downward passage,

wherein the flexible member and the flexible sheet of the reciprocating member are formed as a single piece, and

wherein the reciprocating member includes a flexible portion disposed at a bottom of the rigid body and extending along the three of the four side-wall inner faces of the downward passage.

4. The toner conveyance device according to claim 3, wherein the flexible portion is to move in the vertical direction together with the reciprocating member,

wherein, when the reciprocating member is at the lowest position in the movable range, a lower end of the flexible portion opposes the upper end of the conveyor, and

wherein a lower portion of the flexible portion includes a plurality of bent portions projecting in a direction crossing the axial direction of the conveyor and the vertical direction.

5. The toner conveyance device according to claim 4, further comprising:

an eccentric cam having a stepped portion; and

an impact absorbing pad to absorb impact generated by the rigid body moving down,

wherein the rigid body of the reciprocating member includes a projecting portion projecting toward a position outside a space enclosed by the four side-wall inner faces of the downward passage,

wherein the eccentric cam is to rotate to cause the reciprocating member to reciprocate in a state in which the eccentric cam is in contact with the projecting portion of the rigid body, and

wherein the impact absorbing pad is disposed to contact the projecting portion of the rigid body when the reciprocating member moves to the lowest position in the movable range.

6. The toner conveyance device according to claim 1, wherein the reciprocating member includes a plurality of through holes in a face opposing one of four side-wall inner faces of the downward passage, and

wherein each of the plurality of through holes has a vertical length shorter than a reciprocation span of the reciprocating member.

7. The toner conveyance device according to claim 1, wherein the downward passage includes:

a first passage portion in which the reciprocating member is disposed, the first passage portion to hold the reciprocating member together with the flexible member; and

a second passage portion in which the flexible member is disposed, the second passage portion continuous with the conveyance passage,

wherein the first passage portion, together with the reciprocating member and the flexible member, is removable from the second passage portion.

8. The toner conveyance device according to claim 1, wherein lower corners at both ends of the flexible member in the axial direction of the conveyor are tapered.

9. The toner conveyance device according to claim 1, wherein, when the reciprocating member is at the lowest position in the movable range of the reciprocating member, the lower end of the flexible member is adjacent to one of four side-wall inner faces of the downward passage.

10. An image forming apparatus comprising:

an image bearer on which an image is formed with toner; and

the toner conveyance device according to claim 1.

11. A toner conveyance device comprising:

a downward passage through which toner falls;

a reciprocating member disposed in the downward passage, to move up and down along the downward passage in a vertical direction in which the downward passage extends;

a conveyance passage communicating with a lower end of the downward passage and extending in a direction crossing the vertical direction;

a rotatable conveyor disposed in the conveyance passage to convey the toner in an axial direction of the conveyor; and

a flexible member disposed at a bottom of the reciprocating member, the flexible member extending in the axial direction of the conveyor, the flexible member to move in the vertical direction together with the reciprocating member,

wherein the reciprocating member includes a plurality of bent portions projecting in a direction crossing the axial direction of the conveyor and the vertical direction.

12. The toner conveyance device according to claim 11, wherein the plurality of bent portions is a plurality of cutouts having one side uncut and continuous with a lower portion of the reciprocating member.

13. The toner conveyance device according to claim 11, wherein, when the reciprocating member is at a lowest position in a movable range of the reciprocating member, a lower end of the flexible member opposes a downstream portion of the conveyor downstream from an upper end of the conveyor in a rotation direction of the conveyor.

14. The toner conveyance device according to claim 11, wherein the downward passage is quadrangular prismatic,

wherein the reciprocating member is shaped into a hollow quadrangular prism extending along four side-wall inner faces of the downward passage and includes:

a rigid body extending along three of the four side-wall inner faces of the downward passage; and

a flexible sheet attached to the rigid body to extend along a remaining one of the four side-wall inner faces of the downward passage,

wherein the flexible member and the flexible sheet of the reciprocating member are formed as a single piece, and

wherein the reciprocating member includes a flexible portion disposed at a bottom of the rigid body and extending along the three of the four side-wall inner faces of the downward passage.

15. The toner conveyance device according to claim 14, wherein the plurality of bent portions is disposed in the flexible portion of the reciprocating member.

16. A toner conveyance device comprising:

a downward passage through which toner falls;

a reciprocating member disposed in the downward passage, to move up and down along the downward passage in a vertical direction in which the downward passage extends;

a conveyance passage communicating with a lower end of the downward passage and extending in a direction crossing the vertical direction;

a rotatable conveyor disposed in the conveyance passage to convey the toner in an axial direction of the conveyor; and

a flexible member disposed at a bottom of the reciprocating member, the flexible member extending in the axial direction of the conveyor, the flexible member to move in the vertical direction together with the reciprocating member,

wherein the reciprocating member includes a plurality of through holes in a face opposing one of four side-wall inner faces of the downward passage, and

wherein each of the plurality of through holes has a vertical length shorter than a reciprocation span of the reciprocating member.

17. The toner conveyance device according to claim 16, further comprising:

an eccentric cam having a stepped portion; and

an impact absorbing pad to absorb impact,

wherein the reciprocating member includes a rigid body having a projecting portion projecting toward a position outside a space enclosed by the four side-wall inner faces of the downward passage,

wherein the eccentric cam is to rotate to cause the reciprocating member to reciprocate in a state in which the eccentric cam is in contact with the projecting portion of the rigid body, and

wherein the impact absorbing pad is disposed to contact the projecting portion of the rigid body when the reciprocating member moves to a lowest position in a movable range of the reciprocating member.

18. The toner conveyance device according to claim 16, wherein, when the reciprocating member is at a lowest position in a movable range of the reciprocating member, a lower end of the flexible member opposes a downstream portion of the conveyor downstream from an upper end of the conveyor in a rotation direction of the conveyor.