Powder stirring device, developing device, and image forming apparatus incorporating the same

A powder stirring device comprising:

• a container that accommodates powder;
• a stirring and transporting member that transports the powder inside the container with stirring by rotating about a shaft center, wherein:
• the stirring and transporting member includes a shaft portion serving as a rotation center and sheet-shaped first stirring blade and second stirring blade fixed to the shaft portion so as to extend outward in a radius direction from the shaft portion;
• and
• the first stirring blade transports the powder in a first transportation direction and the second stirring blade transports the powder in a second transportation direction different from the first transportation direction
• the first stirring blade and the second stirring blade are fixed to the shaft portion while being placed one on top of the other.

A powder stirring device, comprising:

• a container that accommodates powder;
• a stirring and transporting member that transports the powder inside the container with stirring by rotating about a shaft center,
• wherein:
• the stirring and transporting member includes a shaft portion serving as a rotation center and sheet-shaped first stirring blade and second stirring blade fixed to the shaft portion so as to extend outward in a radius direction from the shaft portion;
• and
• the first stirring blade transports the powder in a first transportation direction and the second stirring blade transports the powder in a second transportation direction different from the first transportation direction.
• each of the first stirring blade and the second stirring blade has plural openings,
• a conformation of the openings in each blade determines the transportation direction of the powder by each blade,
• the openings are openings extending from fixed ends of the first stirring blade and the second stirring blade fixed to the shaft portion to free ends,
• the openings are inclined with respect to an orthogonal axis that is orthogonal to the shaft axis of the shaft portion and passes over each blade, and
• the first stirring blade and the second stirring blade have opening patterns determined by inclined directions of the plural openings and the opening patterns are different between the first stirring blade and the second stirring blade.