JP2000218848A - Image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent dropping and scattering of toner that is separated from a toner conveying member or a circumference of an aperture and to prevent an inner section of an image forming apparatus from being contaminated by the scattering toner in terms of the image forming apparatus wherein the toner is conveyed to the aperture provided to a head device by means of the toner conveying member provided to a toner supplying device. SOLUTION: This image forming apparatus comprises a head device 10 having an aperture 12 for ejecting toner (t) provided thereon and a toner supplying device 20 having a toner conveying member 21 for conveying the toner to the aperture on the head device. The apparatus further comprises a toner collecting section 40 that collects the toner at a portion below the position for supplying the toner to the aperture by means of the toner conveying member.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus used as a copying machine, a printer or the like, and supplies toner to an opening provided in a head device by a toner conveying member provided in a toner supplying device. The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus in which an image is formed by discharging the toner from an opening, particularly when the toner is detached from the toner conveying member when supplying the toner from the toner conveying member to the opening of the head device. In addition, when the toner attached to the periphery of the opening is separated by the removing device, the toner is prevented from falling and scattering.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Hitherto, as an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine or a printer, an electrophotographic type has been widely used.

However, in the case of an image forming apparatus using an electrophotographic method, an image is formed on a photosensitive member through processes such as charging, exposure, development, and transfer, so that the apparatus becomes complicated and costs increase. In addition, there have been various problems such as the characteristics of the photoreceptor being changed due to a change in the environment, making it impossible to form a stable image.

For this reason, in recent years, US Pat.
As shown in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 689935 and JP-A-6-206336, a roller shape for guiding charged toner to an opening of the head device is provided on one side of a head device in which openings for discharging toner are arranged. While providing a toner supply device having a toner conveyance member that has become, a back electrode for electrically sucking the toner is provided on the opposite side of the toner supply device,
The toner charged by the toner conveying member provided in the toner supply device is guided to the opening of the head device, and
The recording medium for recording is guided between the back electrode and the head device, and the voltage applied to the control electrode provided in each opening in the head device is controlled to control the ejection of the toner in each opening. There has been proposed an image forming apparatus that discharges toner from a selected opening by an electric suction force of a back electrode to form an image on a recording medium.

Here, in such an image forming apparatus, when the toner is supplied from the toner conveying member to the opening of the head device, the toner may be detached from the toner conveying member.
Further, in order to prevent the toner from adhering around the opening of the head device and clogging the opening, the toner adhering to the periphery of the opening is removed by a removing device.

When the toner is separated from the toner conveying member or the toner is separated from the periphery of the opening by the removing device, the toner scatters, and the inside of the image forming apparatus is contaminated with the toner. There was a problem.

[0007]

According to the present invention, an image is formed by supplying toner to an opening provided in a head device by a toner conveying member provided in a toner supply device and discharging the toner from the opening. It is an object of the present invention to solve the above-described problem in the image forming apparatus, and when toner is separated from the toner conveying member when supplying the toner conveying member to the opening of the head device, An object of the present invention is to prevent the toner adhered to the periphery of the opening from being separated by the removing device to prevent the toner from scattering and causing the inside of the image forming apparatus to be stained with the toner.

[0008]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, an image forming apparatus according to the present invention has a head device provided with an opening for discharging toner, and an opening in the head device. A toner collection unit that collects toner at a position below a position at which the toner conveyance member supplies toner to an opening in an image forming apparatus having a toner supply device provided with a toner conveyance member that supplies toner. Was provided.

Further, when the toner conveying member is provided with a toner collecting portion below the position where the toner conveying member supplies the toner to the opening as in the image forming apparatus according to the present invention, the opening of the head device from the toner conveying member is provided. When the toner is separated from the toner conveying member when supplying the toner to the unit, or when the toner attached around the opening is separated by the removing device, the toner is collected by the toner collecting unit. As a result, it is possible to prevent the toner from scattering and fouling the inside of the image forming apparatus.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, when a conveying means for conveying the collected toner to the toner collecting section is provided, the toner collected by the toner collecting section is transferred by the conveying means. The toner can be returned to the device, and the collected toner can be used effectively.

[0011]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention will be specifically described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

In the image forming apparatus of this embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a large number of circular openings 12 are provided in a head substrate 11 formed of a flexible resin sheet. And a head device 1 provided with a control electrode 13 for controlling the ejection of the toner t around each opening 12.
0, the opening 12 of the head device 10 is provided so as to be opposed to the toner conveying member 21 provided in the toner supply device 20 at a required interval, and each of the openings 12 provided around the opening 12 is provided. Output devices 14 are connected to the control electrodes 13 respectively.
, An electric signal corresponding to the image information is applied, and the toner t is supplied to each opening 12 of the head device 10 from a toner conveying member 21 provided in the toner supply device 20.

Here, when supplying the toner t from the toner conveying member 21 provided in the toner supplying device 20 to each opening 12 provided in the head device 10,
The toner t is accommodated in the toner supply device 20, and the feeding member 22 provided in the toner supply device 20 is rotated to transfer the toner t accommodated in the toner supply device 20 into a roller-like toner. The toner is supplied to the member 21 and the toner transport member 21 is rotated to transport the toner t.

Then, the regulating member 23 is brought into contact with the surface of the toner conveying member 21 for conveying the toner t as described above,
The regulating member 23 regulates the amount of the toner t conveyed by the toner conveying member 21 and charges the toner t. The toner t thus charged is provided to the head device 10 by the toner conveying member 21. It leads to the opening 12.

Further, the head device 10 is arranged such that the opening 12 provided in the head device 10 faces the toner conveying member 21 provided in the toner supply device 20 at a required interval.
When the head device 10 is provided, the head device 10 is bridged between an upper frame 31 and a lower frame 32 provided above and below the front surface side of the toner supply device 20, and the head device 10 and the toner conveying member 21 are provided. Spacer 3 between
3, the openings 12 arranged in the head device 10 are opposed to the toner conveying member 21 at a required interval along the axial direction of the toner conveying member 21.

In the image forming apparatus according to this embodiment, a lower frame provided at a lower portion on the front side of the toner supply device 20 below a position where the toner conveying member 21 supplies the toner t to the opening 12. A toner collecting section 40 for collecting the toner t is provided at a portion 32, and a conveying screw 41 is provided in the toner collecting section 40 as a conveying means 41 for conveying the toner t collected by the toner collecting section 40. The collected toner t is transported to the toner recovery unit 40 by the transport screw 41, and the recovered toner t is returned to the toner supply device 20.

A roller-shaped back electrode 51 is opposed to the opening 12 of the head device 10 at a required interval at a position opposite to the toner supply device 20 via the head device 10. The back electrode 51
Is rotated, and a voltage having a polarity that attracts the charged toner t from the power source 52 is applied to the back electrode 51, and the recording sheet 53 is guided between the back electrode 51 and the head device 10 in this state.

In the image forming apparatus of this embodiment, the toner t
In forming an image by discharging the toner t, as shown in FIG. 1, the toner t charged by the toner conveying member 21 provided in the toner To the respective openings 12 of the head device 10 facing each other. Here, when the toner t charged by the toner conveying member 21 is guided to each opening 12 of the head device 10,
Even if a part of the toner t conveyed to each opening 12 is detached from the toner conveying member 21 by the toner conveying member 21 coming into contact with the spacer 33, the toner thus detached is t is the toner collection unit 40 described above.
And the separated toner t is not scattered.
Is transported by the transport screw 41 and returned to the toner supply device 20.

In addition, while the charged toner t is guided to each opening 12 of the head device 10 as described above, the back electrode 51 provided opposite the head device 10 is rotated, and the back electrode 51 is rotated. A voltage having a polarity that attracts the charged toner t from a power supply 52 is applied to a power supply 52, and a recording sheet 5 is interposed between the back electrode 51 and the head device 10.
Try to lead 3. Then, an electric signal based on image information is applied from the output device 14 to each control electrode 13 provided around each opening 12 in the head device 10, and the toner t is discharged from an appropriate opening 12. The toner t is supplied to the recording sheet 53.

When the toner t is negatively charged, the power supply 52 supplies the toner t to the back electrode 51.
And a control electrode 13 provided in the opening 12 from which the toner t is not discharged from the output device 14 so that the toner t does not pass through the opening 12. , The negative voltage that repels the toner t is continuously applied to suppress the toner t from being introduced into the opening 12 while the opening 12 that discharges the toner t is used.
As shown in FIG. 3, an electric signal composed of a positive pulse voltage for attracting the toner t is applied to the control electrode 13 provided to the toner cell 12 to guide the toner t into the opening 12. In this way, the toner t guided into the opening 12 is attracted to the back electrode 51 and the opening 1
2 and is supplied to the recording sheet 53.

After the toner t is supplied to the recording sheet 53 to form an image on the recording sheet 53,
The toner t supplied to the recording sheet 53 is fixed by a fixing device (not shown).

In this manner, the recording sheet 5 is repeatedly used.
When the toner t adheres to the periphery of each opening 12 provided in the head device 10 as a result of forming an image on the head device 3, the toner t adhered to the periphery of each opening 12 by a removing device (not shown). To be removed.

Here, when the toner t adhered to the periphery of each opening 12 is separated, the separated toner t is collected by the toner collecting section 40, and the separated toner t is dropped. The toner t collected by the toner collecting unit 40 without being scattered is conveyed by the above-mentioned conveying screw 41 and is supplied to the toner supply device 2.
It will be returned to 0.

Therefore, in the image forming apparatus of this embodiment, when the toner t is supplied from the toner conveying member 21 to each of the openings 12 of the head device 10, the toner conveying member 2
1 and the toner t separated from the periphery of each opening 12 by the removing device.
To prevent the toner t from scattering and fouling the inside of the image forming apparatus. At the same time, the toner t is transported by the transport screw 41 and returned to the toner supply device 20, and the toner t is removed. Will be used effectively.

In the image forming apparatus according to this embodiment, when the toner supply device 20 charges the toner t, the toner t conveyed by the toner conveyance member 21 is regulated by the regulation member 23 and charged. However, it is also possible to use a developer containing a toner and a carrier, and bring the toner into contact with the carrier to charge the toner.

In the image forming apparatus of this embodiment, an image is formed by discharging the toner t onto the recording sheet 53 directly from the opening 12 of the head device 10. An intermediate transfer member (not shown) is guided between the intermediate transfer member and the back electrode 51, and a toner image is formed on the intermediate transfer member by discharging the toner t from the opening 12 to form a toner image. It is also possible to transfer the toner image to the recording sheet 53.

Further, a plurality of image forming apparatuses as described above are arranged in parallel so that toners t of different colors are stored in each toner supply apparatus 20, and the opening of each head apparatus 10 from each toner supply apparatus 20 is controlled. It is also possible to guide toners t of different colors to the respective nozzles 12 and to sequentially discharge toners t of different colors from the openings 12 of the respective head devices 10 to form a full-color image. In addition,
Also in this case, as described above, each toner supply device 2
A toner collecting unit 4 for collecting the toner t at a lower part on the front side of the toner collecting unit 4
When 0 is provided, the toner t detached from the toner conveying member 21 in each toner supply device 20 and the toner t detached from the periphery of each opening 12 by the removing device are collected in the respective toner collecting units 40 and separated. Toner t
Is prevented from scattering.

[0028]

As described above in detail, in the image forming apparatus according to the present invention, toner is supplied to the opening provided in the head device by the toner conveying member provided in the toner supply device, and the toner is opened. In forming an image by ejecting the toner from the image forming section, a toner collecting section for collecting the toner is provided below a position where the toner conveying member supplies the toner to the opening. When the toner is removed from the toner conveying member when supplying the toner, or when the toner attached around the opening is removed by the removing device, the toner is collected in the toner collecting section. ,
The scattering of these toners and contamination of the inside of the image forming apparatus has been suppressed.

Further, as in the image forming apparatus according to the second aspect of the present invention, when a conveying means for conveying the toner collected in the toner collecting section is provided, the toner collected in the toner collecting section is transferred to the toner collecting section. The toner can be conveyed by the conveying means and returned to the toner supply device, and the collected toner can be used effectively.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic explanatory view showing a state in which an image is formed on a recording sheet by supplying toner from a toner supply device to a head device in an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic explanatory diagram showing a state in which an output device applies an electric signal based on image information to each control electrode provided around each opening in the head device in the image forming apparatus according to the embodiment; It is.

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an electric signal applied to a control electrode when toner is ejected from an opening of a head device in the image forming apparatus according to the embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Head device 12 Opening 20 Toner supply device 21 Toner conveyance member 40 Toner collection part 41 Conveying means (conveying screw) t Toner

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. An image forming apparatus comprising: a head device provided with an opening for discharging toner; and a toner supply device provided with a toner conveying member for supplying toner to the opening of the head device. An image forming apparatus, comprising: a toner collection unit that collects toner at a position below a position where a toner conveying member supplies toner to an opening. 2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a conveying unit that conveys the toner collected by the toner collecting unit.