Patent ID: 8233825
Filing Date: 2012-07-31
Classification: G03G

Abstract:
1. A developing apparatus comprising: a housing provided with a developer supplying and recovering portion and a developer agitating portion that are communicated with each other and form a circulating conveying path for a two-component developer including a toner and a carrier, so as to be adjacent via a partition wall having communication portions in both end portions; a developer carrier provided on an opposite side to the developer agitating portion in the developer supplying and recovering portion, and attaching the toner to a photo conductor so as to develop an electrostatic latent image on the photo conductor; a conveying member arranged in the developer supplying and recovering portion in such a manner as to extend along a direction of a rotating axis of the developer carrier, supplying the developer to the developer carrier, conveying the developer in a longitudinal direction, and delivering the developer to the developer agitating portion through the communication portion; a first agitating member arranged in the developer agitating portion so as to extend along a direction of a rotating axis of the conveying member and adjacent to the partition wall, conveying the developer in an inverse direction to a conveying direction by the conveying member while agitating, and delivering the developer to the developer supplying and recovering portion through the communication portion; a second agitating member arranged in the developer agitating portion on an opposite side of to the partition wall from the first agitating member so as to extend along a direction of a rotating axis of the first agitating member in adjacent to the first agitating member, conveying the developer in the same direction as the conveying direction by the first agitating member while agitating, and delivering the developer to the developer supplying and recovering portion through the communication portion; and a projection-shaped guide arranged in an inner bottom surface of the housing positioned between the first agitating member and the second agitating member so as to extend from one side of the direction of the rotating axis of the first agitating member and the second agitating member to the other side, wherein a cross sectional shape of the guide which is orthogonal to the axial direction of the rotating axis being a mountain shape with wide foot portion, wherein the guide is arranged in such a manner that gaps between respective outermost portions of the first agitating member and the second agitating member, and the inner bottom surface of the housing and the guide become 1.5 mm or more and 3 mm or less, wherein the first agitating member and the second agitating member are rotated in such a manner that the developer is conveyed from below to above in portions which are opposed to each other, and wherein a braking portion inhibiting the developer from being discharged is provided on a downstream side of the communication portion positioned on a downstream side of the developer conveying direction in the developer agitating portion, and a developer discharge port is provided on a downstream side of the braking portion only in a conveying path of the second agitating member to discharge the developer coming over the braking portion.