Developing device using a toner and carrier mixture

A developing device comprising:

• a developer carrier conveying a developer consisting of a toner and a magnetic carrier and deposited thereon;
• magnetic field generator accommodated in said developer carrier;
• a regulating member regulating an amount of the developer being conveyed by said developer carrier;
• a developer storing member facing a surface of said developer carrier and forming a developer storing chamber temporarily storing a part of the developer removed by said regulating member;
• and
• a toner storing chamber adjoining said developer storing chamber at an upstream side in a direction in which said developer carrier conveys the developer, and comprising an opening through which a toner stored in said toner storing chamber contacts the developer deposited on said developer carrier and the developer existing in said developer storing chamber, wherein the toner is taken into said developer from said toner storing chamber via said opening;
• wherein in a range from substantially an intermediate between a regulating position assigned to said regulating member and adjoining said developer storing chamber and said opening to said opening, the developer has a mean density equal to or less than an apparent density of the developer, as measured by JIS Z2504 (metal powder apparent density test).

A developing device comprising:

• a developer carrier conveying a developer consisting of a toner and a magnetic carrier and deposited thereon;
• magnetic field generator accommodated in said developer carrier;
• a regulating member regulating an amount of the developer being conveyed by said developer carrier;
• a developer storing member facing a surface of said developer carrier and forming a developer storing chamber temporarily storing a part of the developer removed by said regulating member;
• and
• a toner storing chamber adjoining said developer storing chamber at an upstream side in a direction in which said developer carrier conveys the developer, and comprising an opening through which a toner stored in said toner storing chamber contacts the developer deposited on said developer carrier and the developer existing in said developer storing chamber, wherein the toner is taken into the developer deposited on said developer carrier from said toner storing chamber via said opening;
• wherein the developer set in said developer storing chamber has a toner concentration equal to or less than a saturation toner concentration which is an upper limit allowing the toner to be stably contained in the developer deposited on said developer carrier.

A developing device comprising:

• a developer carrier conveying a developer, the developer consisting of a toner and a magnetic carrier and deposited thereon;
• magnetic field generator accommodated in said developer carrier;
• a regulating member regulating an amount of the developer being conveyed by said developer carrier;
• a developer storing member facing a surface of said developer carrier and forming a developer storing chamber temporarily storing a part of the developer removed by said regulating member;
• a developer holding chamber which holds a developer;
• and
• a toner storing chamber adjoining said developer storing chamber at an upstream side in a direction in which said developer carrier conveys the developer, and comprising an opening through which a toner stored in said toner storing chamber contacts the developer deposited on said developer carrier from the developer holding chamber and the developer existing in said developer storing chamber, wherein the toner is taken into the developer deposited on said developer carrier from said toner storing chamber via said opening;
• wherein the developer set in said developer storing chamber has a carrier concentration equal to or less than an amount in which the carrier would fill said developer storing section alone, as measured on the basis of an apparent density of the carrier by JIS Z2504.

A developing device comprising a developer carrier accommodating magnetic field generating means therein, and causing said developer carrier to convey a developer deposited thereon and consisting of a toner and a magnetic carrier to a developing position where said developer carrier faces an image carrier to thereby develop a latent image formed on said image carrier, said device comprising:

• a regulating member regulating an amount of the developer being conveyed by said developer carrier toward the developing position;
• a developer storing member facing a surface of said developer carrier, and including a developer storing chamber adjoining said developer carrier at an upstream side in a direction in which said developer carrier conveys the developer;
• and
• a toner storing chamber adjoining said developer storing chamber from an upstream side in said direction, and including an opening facing said developer carrier;
• wherein a gap exists in said developer storing chamber when the developer moving towards said opening reaches an upper limit of a toner concentration.

A developing device comprising:

• a developer carrier conveying a developer consisting of a toner and a magnetic carrier and deposited thereon;
• a magnetic field generator accommodated in said developer carrier;
• a regulating member regulating an amount of the developer being conveyed by said developer carrier, a free end portion of said regulating member being positioned in proximity with said developer carrier;
• a developer storing chamber having a preselected capacity and temporarily storing a part of the developer removed by said regulating member;
• a developer holding chamber which holds the developer:
• a toner storing chamber adjoining said developer storing chamber at an upstream side in a direction in which said developer carrier conveys the developer, and comprising an opening through which a toner stored in said toner storing chamber contacts the developer deposited on said developer carrier and the developer existing in said developer holding chamber, wherein the toner is taken into the developer deposited on said developer carrier from said toner storing chamber via said opening;
• and
• a sensor positioned on a wall of said toner storing chamber above said opening and above said free end portion of said regulating member, said sensor sensing an amount of the toner remaining in said toner storing chamber.

A developing device comprising:

• a developer carrier conveying a developer consisting of a toner and a magnetic carrier and deposited thereon;
• a magnetic field generator accommodated in said developer carrier;
• a regulating member regulating an amount of the developer being conveyed by said developer carrier;
• a developer storing chamber having a preselected capacity and temporarily storing a part of the developer removed by the regulating member;
• a toner storing chamber adjoining said developer storing chamber at an upstream side in a direction in which said developer carrier conveys the developer, and comprising an opening through which a toner stored in said toner storing chamber contacts the developer deposited on the developer carrier and the developer existing in said developer storing chamber, wherein the toner is taken into the developer deposited on said developer carrier from said toner storing chamber via said opening;
• and
• a sensor positioned on a wall of said toner storing chamber above said opening, and sensing an amount of toner remaining in said toner storing chamber;
• a conveyor disposed in said toner storing chamber and being rotatable about a stationary shaft, said conveyor conveying the toner toward said opening, wherein said conveyor has an outermost locus of rotation and has a bottom defining a sensing level for said sensor at an uppermost portion of an interface where the toner stored in said toner storing chamber and the developer contact each other.

A developing device comprising:

• a developer storing chamber temporarily storing a developer consisting of a toner and a magnetic carrier;
• a developer carrier accommodating a magnet therein, and magnetically retaining the developer fed from said developer storing chamber thereon and conveying the developer while in rotation;
• and
• a toner storing chamber communicated to said developer storing chamber, and storing a toner therein, wherein the toner is taken into the developer being conveyed from said toner storing chamber;
• wherein the developer is stored in said developer storing chamber in an amount greater than a limit which said developer carrier can magnetically retain, and wherein after the developer carrier has been rotated about an axis thereof a preselected number of times, initial toner is introduced into said toner storing chamber.

A developing device comprising:

• a developer storing chamber temporarily storing a developer consisting of a toner and a magnetic carrier;
• a developer carrier accommodating a magnet therein, and magnetically retaining the developer fed from said developer storing chamber thereon and conveying the developer while in rotation;
• a toner storing chamber communicated to said developer storing chamber, and storing a toner therein, wherein the toner is taken into the developer being conveyed from said toner storing chamber;
• an agitator rotatable for feeding the toner from said toner storing chamber to the developer;
• and
• a discharging portion for discharging a part of the developer not magnetically retained by said developer carrier to an outside of an outermost locus of rotation of said agitator below said agitator in a direction of gravity.

A developing device comprising:

• a developer storing chamber temporarily storing a developer consisting of a toner and a magnetic carrier;
• a developer carrier accommodating a magnet therein, and magnetically retaining the developer fed from said developer storing chamber thereon and conveying the developer while in rotation;
• and
• a toner storing chamber communicated to said developer storing chamber, and storing a toner therein, wherein the toner is taken into the developer being conveyed from said toner storing chamber;
• wherein location initial developer equal in amount to the developer which said developer carrier can magnetically retain due to rotation is held in said developer holding chamber.

A developing device comprising:

• a developer storing chamber temporarily storing a developer consisting of atoner and a magnetic carrier;
• a developer carrier accommodating a magnet therein, and magnetically retaining the developer fed from said developer storing chamber thereon and conveying the developer while in rotation;
• and
• a toner storing chamber communicated to said developer storing chamber, and storing a toner therein, wherein the toner is taken into the developer being conveyed from said toner storing chamber;
• wherein said toner storing chamber is formed with a discharging portion in a bottom thereof, and wherein an excess developer not magnetically retained on said developer carrier and left in said toner storing chamber is discharged through said discharging portion to a position where the excess toner will not be deposited on said developer carrier.

A developing device for an image forming apparatus, comprising:

• a casing including a toner storing chamber storing a toner and a developer storing chamber temporarily storing a developer consisting of a toner and magnetic particles;
• and
• a rotatable developer carrier disposed in said casing, and facing an image carrier included in said image forming apparatus, and accommodating magnetic field generating means therein, and retaining the developer thereon, wherein the developer in said developer storing chamber forms a layer along a periphery of said developer carrier, wherein the toner is taken into said layer from said toner storing chamber, and wherein the developer is stored in said casing beforehand in an amount greater than an amount which said developer carrier can retain due to a magnetic force of said magnetic field generating means;
• and
• a bore receiving an excess developer dropped to a bottom of said casing due to gravity without being retained on said developer carrier such that the excess developer will not deposit on said developer carrier.

A developing device, comprising:

• a developer carrier conveying a developer consisting of a toner and a magnetic carrier and which is deposited thereon;
• a magnetic field generator accommodated in said developer carrier;
• a regulating member regulating an amount of the developer deposited on said developer carrier;
• a developer holding section within which a part of the developer blocked by said regulating member is held;
• and
• a toner storing section adjoining said developer holding section and storing the toner such that the toner contacts the developer;
• wherein a condition in which the developer deposited on said developer carrier and the toner stored in said toner storing section contact each other changes in accordance with a change in toner concentration of said developer so as to vary a condition of replenishment of the toner into said developer;
• and
• wherein said developer held in said developer holding section is movable at a rate of 1 mm/sec or greater.