Fuji Xerox Co., Ltd.

Fujifilm Business Innovation Corp.

Daisuke Uchimitsu

Makoto Kanno

Yoshihisa Nakao

Ryo Fukuno

Katsumi Yamada

Tomoyuki Hamachi

Toshiaki Suzuki

Atsushi Funada

Masanori Kato

Mitsutoshi Hongo

Shota Igawa

Yoshitaka Nakajima

Yasutomo Ishii

Taiyou Uehara

Sadayuki Tsujino

Keisuke Kubo

Shunichiro Shishikura

Hiroaki Okuma

Kenjo Nagata

A developing device includes a first transport member and a second transport member that are respectively disposed in a first transport path and a second transport path arranged in a vertical direction and that transport developer so as to circulate the developer between the first transport path and the second transport path. The developing device includes a developing device body in which the first transport path and the second transport path are formed. The developing device also includes a developer discharging structure that discharges excess developer discharged from the first transport path to outside through the second transport path or through a space between an end portion of the second transport path and the developing device body.

Developing device and image forming apparatus with a developer discharging structure

A developing device includes a first transport member and a second transport member that are respectively disposed in a first transport path and a second transport path arranged in a vertical direction and that transport developer so as to circulate the developer between the first transport path and the second transport path; a developing member that is disposed to face the first transport path and that receives the developer from the first transport path; and a driving device that operates such that a relative speed ratio between a rotational speed of the developing member and a rotational speed of the second transport member is changeable.

Developing device and image forming apparatus with separately driven elements

A developing device includes a first transport member and a second transport member that are respectively disposed in a first transport path and a second transport path arranged in a vertical direction and that transport developer so as to circulate the developer between the first transport path and the second transport path; a developing member that is disposed to face the first transport path and that receives the developer from the first transport path; and a third transport member that is disposed in a third transport path through which the developer that has not been used by the developing member is collected and transported to the second transport path. A central shaft of the second transport member is disposed farther in a vertically upward direction than is a central shaft of the third transport member.

Developing device having a partition member and image forming apparatus

A powder storage height detection device includes: a main body that includes a transport path along which powder is transported; a powder transport unit that is disposed to rotate in the transport path and includes a transporter provided spirally around a rotational shaft; a swinging unit that comes into contact with a surface of the powder transported in the transport path, and swings by following at least a storage height of the surface; a detection unit that detects a state of swinging of the swinging unit; and a determination unit that determines presence or absence of the powder based on a detection signal outputted from the detection unit. The transport unit includes a non-transport portion in which the transporter is not present, and which is formed as an eccentric shaft having a shaft center displaced from the rotational shaft, the swinging unit is located and disposed to swing in the non-transport portion, and the determination unit samples the detection signal at an interval, and when a proportion of the detection signal lower than or equal to an output level becomes greater than or equal to a threshold value, outputs a signal indicating determination of absence of the powder, the interval being obtained by dividing a required time for one rotation of the transport unit by a predetermined number, the output level defining that the storage height is relatively low.

Powder storage height detection device and powder replenishing device

A powder storage height detection device includes: a main body that has a transport path along which powder is transported; a powder transport unit that is disposed to rotate in the transport path and includes a transporter provided spirally around a rotational shaft; a swinging unit that comes into contact with a surface of the powder transported in the transport path, and swings by following at least a storage height of the surface; and a detection unit that detects a state of swinging of the swinging unit. The transport unit includes a non-transport portion in which the transporter is not present, and the swinging unit is located and disposed to swing in the non-transport portion, and an upper portion located above a contact portion to be in contact with the powder is configurated by an upward convex curved surface.

A developer supply device includes a developer container, an adjustment mechanism, and a controller. The developer container is configured to supply developer by rotating. The adjustment mechanism is configured to adjust a rotation angle of the developer container. The controller is configured to control the rotation angle of the developer container by the adjustment mechanism according to a developer remaining amount in the developer container.

Developer supply device and image forming apparatus

An image forming apparatus includes a developing device. The developing device transports a two-component developer by a transporting unit so that the two-component developer passes through a developing roller. The two-component developer is stored in a storage chamber provided with a transporting path. The transporting unit rotates in the transporting path. The developing device causes a portion of the two-component developer to overflow from a discharge port provided at the transporting path, and to discharge the two-component developer. The image forming apparatus has a period in which a first operation is executed, the first operation of reversely rotating the transporting unit at a high speed so that a rotational direction of the transporting unit is an opposite direction to that at a time of development and a rotational speed of the transporting unit is higher than that at the time of development.

Image forming apparatus

A powder material storage container includes: a cylindrical body member that extends in one direction and includes a storage chamber for storing powder material; a transport member that transports the powder material to an end of the storage chamber; a cylindrical end member that is attached to the body member, extends in the one direction and includes a passage chamber through which the powder material is passed, and a discharge outlet through which the powder material is discharged; a pillar member that is disposed in the passage chamber, extending in the one direction, and rotates in a circumferential direction of the passage chamber along the wall surface, and transports the powder material adhering to the wall surface to the discharge outlet; and a beam member that is laid across the discharge outlet and extends from an upstream side to a downstream side of a rotation direction of the pillar member.

Powder material storage container and image forming apparatus

A developing device includes a container that contains a developer including a carrier and a toner; a transport member that is rotatably disposed in the container and that agitates and transports the developer in a rotation-axis direction thereof; a discharge outlet that has an opening in a side wall of the container facing in a direction perpendicular to the rotation-axis direction, the discharge outlet allowing the developer to be discharged to an outside of the container when a height of a surface of the developer becomes greater than a height of a lower surface of the discharge outlet; and a magnetic member that is disposed at a position that is above the lower surface of the discharge outlet and that overlaps the lower surface in an up-down direction, the magnetic member attracting a part of the developer that is lifted up by the transport member.

Growing community of inventors

Kanagawa, Japan

Daisuke Uchimitsu