TONER FILLING APPARATUS

摘要

A toner filling apparatus includes a filling tank, a toner filling path forming member, a toner fluidizing unit, a filling path opening/closing unit and a container room sucking unit. The toner filling path forming member is in communication with the filling tank and forms a toner filling path connected to the toner container. The container room sucking unit sucks air from the toner container through a filter member which is impermeable to the toner but permeable to air. When the toner fluidizing unit fluidizes the toner in the filling tank and the filling path opening/closing unit opens the toner filling path so as to load the toner to the toner container, the container room sucking unit reduces a pressure in the toner container to a negative pressure so as to draw in the toner into the toner container.

主权项

1. A toner filling apparatus, comprising:
a filling tank which stores toner to be supplied to a toner container; a toner filling path forming member which is in communication with a toner storing room of the filling tank and which forms a toner filling path connected to an opening of the toner container; a toner fluidizing unit which blows air into the toner in the filling tank to fluidize the toner; a filling path opening/closing unit which opens and closes the toner filling path; a container room sucking unit which sucks air from the toner container through a filter member, in which the filter member is impermeable to the toner but permeable to air; and a control unit which controls the toner fluidizing unit, the filling path opening/closing unit and the container room sucking unit, wherein the control unit performs a toner draw-in filling control in which when the control unit fluidizes the toner in the filling tank by the toner fluidizing unit and opens the toner filling path by the filling path opening/closing unit so as to load the fluidized toner from the filling tank to the toner container, the control unit reduces a pressure in the toner container to a negative pressure by the container room sucking unit so as to draw in the toner from the filling tank into the toner container by the negative pressure.