Developer conveyance device, developing device, and image forming device

• US 8,515,317 B2
• Filed: 09/08/2009
• Issued: 08/20/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 09/18/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Konica Minolta Business Technologies Incorporated (Konica Minolta Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Konica Minolta Business Technologies Incorporated (Konica Minolta Inc.)
• Inventors: Maeda, Osamu, Yoshimoto, Shinichi
• Primary Examiner(s): Chen, Sophia S
• Application Number:
  US13/063,993
• Publication Number:
  US 20110170911A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,442 Days
• Field of Search: 399/254, 399/256, 222/DIG.1
• US Class Current: 399/254
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 15/0822 Arrangements for preparing, mixing, supplying or dispensing developer
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 2215/0838 Circulation of developer in a closed loop within the sump of the developing device
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 2215/0841 Presentation of developer to donor member

Abstract

There is provided a developer conveyance member that conveys a contained developer from one end side of a delivery region to other end of the delivery region while agitating the contained developer in a developer container, in which the developer is contained. Around a rotation shaft of the developer conveyance member, a spiral wing toward from one end side to other end side is formed. A plurality of paddle parts for conveying the developer in a direction that is perpendicular to a shaft core are formed around the rotation shaft in a delivery region. The paddle parts are arranged with their positions deviated in a circumferential direction.

Claims

1. A developer conveyance device, comprising:

a developer container, in which a developer is contained;

a partition wall that divides an inner space of the developer container into a first containing part and a second containing part, a first opening is formed at one end of the partition wall, and a second opening is formed at an opposite end of the partition wall; and

a developer conveyance member provided in said developer container, which conveys the contained developer in a conveyance direction from one end side of the developer container to an other end of the developer container while agitating the contained developer;

wherein in said developer conveyance member, a spiral wing toward an axial direction is formed around a rotation shaft;

a plurality of paddle parts for conveying the developer in a direction that is perpendicular to a shaft core toward the second opening are formed around the rotation shaft in a delivery region over the second opening; and

said paddle parts are arranged with their positions deviated in a circumferential direction and one paddle part positioned downstream in the conveyance direction has a larger area than a paddle part positioned upstream in the conveyance direction.

2. The developer conveyance device according to claim 1, wherein:

said paddle parts are formed so that protrusion measurements from the rotation shaft are dissimilated.

3. The developer conveyance device according to claim 2, wherein:

said paddle parts are formed so that the protrusion measurements are increased toward the end portion on the side where the delivery region is located.

4. A developing device, comprising the developer conveyance device according to claim 3.

5. A developing device, comprising the developer conveyance device according to claim 2.

6. The developer conveyance device according to claim 1, wherein:

said paddle parts are formed so that width measurements are dissimilated.

7. The developer conveyance device according to claim 6, wherein:

said paddle parts are formed so that the width measurements are increased toward the end portion on the side where the delivery region is located.

8. A developing device, comprising the developer conveyance device according to claim 7.

9. A developing device, comprising the developer conveyance device according to claim 6.

10. A developing device, comprising the developer conveyance device according to claim 1.

11. An image forming device, comprising the developing device according to claim 10.

12. The developer conveyance device according to claim 1, wherein the front of at least one of the paddle parts has a semicircular shape.

13. The developer conveyance device according to claim 1, wherein the front of at least one of the paddle parts has a semicircular recess shape.

14. The developer conveyance device according to claim 1, wherein the front of at least one of the paddle parts has a plurality of teeth.

15. The developer conveyance device according to claim 1, wherein the front of at least one of the paddle parts has an aperture.

16. The developer conveyance device according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of paddle parts comprise pairs of paddle parts, each pair of paddle parts having two paddle parts that are diametrically opposed from each other on opposite sides of the rotation shaft, and said pairs of paddle parts are arranged with their positions deviated in a circumferential direction.

17. A developer conveyance device, comprising:

a developer container, in which a developer is contained, having an axial direction and a partition wall extending the axial direction of the developer container, the partition wall dividing the interior of the developer container into a first region and a second region which communicate with each other via an opening at one axial end of the partition wall; and

a developer conveyance member being provided in said developer container, which conveys the contained developer from one end side of the first region to an other end side of the first region while agitating the contained developer;

wherein said developer container has paddle parts arranged in the first region over the opening at the one axial end of the partition wall; and

movement block parts over the opening at the one axial end of the partition wall for partially blocking the movement of the developer to be conveyed by the paddle parts in the vicinity of the region where the paddle parts are moving.

18. The developer conveyance device according to claim 17, wherein:

said movement block parts are formed by a cantilever structure that is protruded from the inner surface of the developer container.

19. The developer conveyance device according to claim 18, wherein:

said movement block parts are formed on the opposite sides of the paddle parts.

20. The developer conveyance device according to claim 17, wherein:

said movement block parts are formed on the opposite sides of the paddle parts.

21. A developing device, comprising:

a developer carrying member;

a developer container elongated from one end to an other end along said developer carrying member, in which developer is contained;

a first developer conveyance member provided in said developer container, which conveys the contained developer from one end side of the developer container to an other end of the the developer container while agitating the contained developer; and

a second developer conveyance member provided in said developer container, which supplies the developer to said developer carrying member;

wherein said developer container has an inner space that is zoned into a first containing part and a second containing part by a partition wall that is elongated from one end side to an other end side; and

the first containing part and the second containing part are communicated with each other via a first opening part on one end side and a second opening part on other end side of a delivery region; and

in said first developer conveyance member, a spiral wing toward an axial direction is formed around a rotation shaft;

a plurality of paddle parts for conveying the developer in a direction that is perpendicular to a shaft core toward the second opening is formed around the rotation shaft in a delivery region over the second opening; and

said paddle parts are arranged with their positions deviated in a circumferential direction and one paddle part positioned downstream in the conveyance direction has a larger area than a paddle part positioned upstream in the conveyance direction.