Patent ID: 8428474

Claim:
A developing device for developing with a developer an electrostatic image formed on an image bearing member, said developing device comprising: a rotatable developer carrying member for carrying and conveying the developer to the image bearing member; a developing chamber in which said developer carrying member is provided; a developer accommodating chamber, disposed and separated from said developing chamber by a wall surface provided with an opening through which the developer is passable, for accommodating the developer to be fed to said developing chamber; a rotation shaft rotatably supported in said developer accommodating chamber; a developer feeding member, mounted on said rotation shaft at one end thereof with respect to a radial direction of said rotation shaft, for feeding the developer by rotation of said rotation shaft while being deformed in contact with an inner wall of said developer accommodating chamber at the other end thereof; a light transmitting member for permitting detection light to pass into said developer accommodating chamber in order to detect an amount of the developer in said developer accommodating chamber, wherein said light transmitting member is mounted on a wall surface of said developer accommodating chamber at a position upstream of the opening with respect to a rotational direction of said rotational shaft and downstream of a line of intersection between a vertical surface including an axis of said rotation shaft and a bottom constituting said developer accommodating chamber with respect to the rotational direction; and a developer scattering preventing member provided on the inner wall of said developer accommodating chamber so as to overlap with said light transmitting member with respect to an axial direction of said rotation shaft as seen in a direction perpendicular to said developer scattering preventing member, wherein an upper end of said developer scattering preventing member is located below said light transmitting member.