JP2001222196A - Toner carrying device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a toner carrying device capable of preventing the blocking of toner with simple constitution. SOLUTION: This toner carrying device 1 is equipped with a pipe member 11 for carrying the toner, a coil member 15 arranged inside the member 11 and a driving part 13 attached to one end of the member 15 and rotating the member 15. In the device 1, the toner in the member 11 is carried by the rotation of the member 15. The other end of the member 15 is a free end, which is provided with a weight member 17.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a toner conveying device used in an image forming apparatus using an electrophotographic system or an electrostatic recording system.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Generally, in an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine or a printer, a toner image on a photoreceptor is transferred to a sheet, and then toner remaining on the photoreceptor is collected by a cleaning device. The toner is transported to a collected toner collecting tank by a toner transport device. The toner conveying device conveys toner by rotating a coil member provided in a pipe (toner conveying path) extending from the cleaning device to the toner accumulation tank.

[0003] The collected toner collected from the cleaning device is conveyed by a coil member. For example, when the pipe is heated to a high temperature by the hot air from the exhaust fan of the fixing unit, the toner is blocked (aggregated and deposited). Is more likely to occur.

In order to prevent the blocking of the toner, a cooling fan is provided at a place where a temperature rise is likely to occur, or an air duct for drawing cooling air from another air blowing fan toward the pipe is provided. There is a technology to reduce the temperature rise around the vehicle.

In addition, instead of providing a cooling fan or a ventilation duct, a knock mechanism (impact generating mechanism) constituted by combining an eccentric cam, a link mechanism, a spring member, and the like is provided.
There is also a technique for preventing toner blocking by knocking the pipe with a knock mechanism to vibrate the pipe.

[0006]

However, in order to prevent blocking of the toner, a cooling fan, a ventilation duct, or a knock mechanism must be separately provided, and there is a problem that the configuration becomes complicated. .

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a toner conveying device which can prevent toner blocking with a simple structure.

[0008]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a toner transport path for transporting toner, a coil member disposed in the toner transport path, and one end of the coil member. And a driving unit for rotating the coil member, wherein the toner conveying device conveys the toner by rotating the coil member, wherein a weight member is provided at a free end of the coil member.

According to the first aspect of the invention, the coil member is rotated by the driving unit, and the toner is conveyed by this rotation. The weight member provided at the free end of the coil member swings with the rotation of the coil member. Since the entire coil member vibrates due to the swing of the weight member, the toner in the toner conveying path is conveyed while receiving the vibration of the coil member.

[0010] Since the toner is conveyed while being subjected to vibration, blocking of the toner can be prevented. Also, since only a weight member is provided, there is no need to separately provide a cooling fan, a knock mechanism, and the like, so that the configuration is simple, and space saving and cost reduction around the toner conveying device can be achieved.

[0011]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. FIG.
FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram schematically showing the vicinity of a toner conveying device according to the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 1, the toner conveying device 1
It is provided in an image forming apparatus using an electrophotographic method or an electrophotographic method. This image forming apparatus is generally
The photoconductor 3 includes an image carrier, and a cleaning device 5 for cleaning the photoconductor 3.

The surface of the photosensitive member 3 is uniformly charged by a charging device, and an electrostatic latent image is formed by a writing device. The electrostatic latent image on the photoreceptor 3 is supplied with toner by a developing device and is visualized as a toner image, and the toner image is transferred to a sheet by a transfer device.

After the transfer, the cleaning device 5
And collects the collected toner T through the collected toner discharge port 5a.

The illustration and description of the charging device, the writing device, the developing device, and the transfer device are omitted. Further, in addition to the above-described components, a fixing device for fixing a toner image transferred to a sheet, a sheet feeding device for feeding a sheet, and the like are arranged in the image forming apparatus 1. In the present embodiment, The illustration and description thereof are omitted.

The toner conveying device 1 includes a cleaning device 5
Collected toner T discharged from the collected toner discharge port 5a
Is transported to the collected toner accumulation tank 7. The toner conveying device 1 includes a collected toner conveying unit 9 for conveying the collected toner T, a pipe member (toner conveying duct) 11 containing the collected toner conveying unit 9, and a driving unit 13 for rotating the collected toner conveying unit 9. Have.

The collected toner conveying section 9 has a coil member 15, and a driving section 13 is provided at one end of the coil member 15.
Is fixed, and the rotation of the drive shaft 17 causes the coil member 15 to rotate. The other end of the coil member 15 is a free end, and a weight member 17 is fixed to the free end.

In the present embodiment, the pipe member 11 has a substantially L shape, and one end of the pipe member 11 has
A collected toner discharge port 11a for discharging the collected toner T in the pipe member 11 to the collected toner accumulation tank 7 (see an arrow) is formed. A bearing 19 is attached to one end of the pipe member 11, and the bearing 19 is
The drive shaft 17 is rotatably supported. The other end of the pipe member 11 is open, and the collected toner T from the collected toner discharge port 5a of the cleaning device 5 is discharged toward the opening 11b at the other end of the pipe member 11. ing.

The drive section 13 has a drive shaft 17 fixed to one end of the coil member 15 and a gear 21 attached to the drive shaft 17, and receives a drive from a drive source (not shown). The drive shaft 17 is rotated by the gear 21.

Next, the operation of the present embodiment based on the above-described configuration will be described. The drive unit 13 rotates the collected toner transport unit 9. By this rotation, the collected toner outlet 5
The collected toner T discharged from a to the opening 11b of the pipe member 11 is transported to the collected toner accumulation tank 7.

At this time, the weight member 17 fixed to the free end of the coil member 15 swings with the rotation of the collected toner conveying section 9, and the coil member 15 vibrates. As a result, the entire collected toner transport section 9 rotates while vibrating, so that the collected toner T in the pipe member 11 is conveyed while receiving the vibration of the coil member 15, and is collected from the collected toner discharge port 11a into the collected toner accumulation tank. It is discharged to 7.

Since the collected toner T is conveyed while receiving the vibration of the coil member 15, the blocking of the toner can be prevented. Also, since only the weight member 17 is provided, and there is no need to separately provide a cooling fan, a knock mechanism, and the like, the configuration is simple, and space saving and cost reduction around the toner conveying device 1 can be achieved. Furthermore,
Since space saving around the toner conveying device 1 can be achieved,
Space efficiency in the image forming apparatus is improved.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications can be made without departing from the gist of the present invention. For example, in the present embodiment, the substantially L-shaped pipe member 11 is used as the toner conveying path, but a straight pipe member may be used.

In the present embodiment, the weight member 17 is provided separately from the coil member 15, but may be provided integrally with the coil member 15, and the material and shape thereof are not particularly limited. Further, the weight members 17 may be provided at a plurality of positions of the coil member 15.

Further, in the present embodiment, the toner conveying device 1 is used for conveying the collected toner T collected by the cleaning device 5 to the collected toner collecting tank 7, but for example, the collected toner T can be recycled. In the image forming apparatus, it may be used for transporting (returning) the collected toner from the cleaning device 5 to the developing device. The operation and effect of

[0026]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, since the toner is conveyed while being vibrated, the blocking of the toner can be prevented. Also, since only a weight member is provided, there is no need to separately provide a cooling fan, a knock mechanism, and the like, so that the configuration is simple, and space saving and cost reduction around the toner conveying device can be achieved.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram schematically showing the vicinity of a toner conveying device according to the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Toner conveying device 11 Pipe member (toner conveying duct) 15 Coil member 17 Weight member

Claims (1)

[Claims] A toner conveying duct for conveying the toner; a coil member disposed in the toner conveying duct;
A drive unit attached to one end of the coil member and rotating the coil member, wherein the other end of the coil member is a free end, wherein the other end of the coil member is a free end. , At this free end,
A toner conveying device provided with a weight member.