JP2002311711A - Toner recovering container, toner recovering device, and image forming device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a toner recovering container which enhances the toner capturing efficiency and eliminates toner leakage by using a filter consisting of a stretched porous PTFE and facilitates the mounting of the filter consisting of the stretched porous PTFE. SOLUTION: This device has an exhaust means 72 for discharging the air in a developing device 14 through an exhaust path made of tubes 71 and 73, the filter for capturing toners from the inside of the air discharged by the exhaust means and a toner recovering container 74 for storing the toners captured by the filter. The filter comprises he stretched porous PTFE and reinforcing members stuck to its peripheral edge. The stretched porous PTFE is formed by stretching PTFE(polytetrafluoroethylene) having the highest scientific stability among flouororesins by a special technique and imparting fine open cellular structures thereto. For example, PET(polyethylene terepthalate) is used as the reinforcing members.

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 such as a copying machine, a printer, a facsimile, or a multifunction peripheral thereof, in which charging, writing, development, transfer, cleaning, etc. are repeated on an image carrier. The present invention can be applied to a color / multicolor / monochrome image forming apparatus or the like which sequentially forms toner images by an electrophotographic method and sequentially transfers the toner images to record on a sheet. Also, the present invention relates to a toner collecting device for preventing toner from floating and scattering from a developing device in such an electrophotographic image forming apparatus. Further, the present invention relates to a toner collecting container for collecting and storing toner in the toner collecting device.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in an electrophotographic image forming apparatus, for example, toner not involved in development scatters from a developing opening of the developing apparatus to contaminate the inside of the image forming apparatus and adhere to an image carrier. There is a problem that the image quality is deteriorated due to adhesion to a sheet, and there is a problem that an area around the developing opening is stained and adhered to an operator during maintenance.

In order to avoid such a problem, in a conventional image forming apparatus, for example, as shown in FIG. 19, a suction port 3 is formed in a developing device 2 arranged around an image carrier 1, and In some cases, a suction port 3 is provided with a toner collecting device 7 to which a filter case 6 having a fan 4 and a filter 5 is attached.

[0004] In the toner collecting device 7, the air in the developing device 2 is exhausted from the suction port 3 through the exhaust path 8 by driving the fan 4, so that the air in the developing device 2 passes through the developing opening 2 a of the developing device 2. The filter 5 forms a flow of air entering the developing opening 2a to prevent scattering of the toner from the developing opening 2a. (See JP-A-10-3220)

[0005]

However, in such a conventional toner collecting device 7, the driving of the fan 4
Since the air in the developing device 2 is forcibly exhausted from the suction port 3, a conventionally used filter 5, such as an electrostatic filter, cannot sufficiently collect toner, and there is a problem that toner leakage occurs. Was.

Accordingly, the present inventors have paid attention to using expanded porous PTFE as a filter in order to solve such a problem. However, the expanded porous PTFE has a problem that it is supple and easily torn, which is inconvenient for mounting.

Accordingly, a first object of the present invention is to eliminate the toner leakage by using a filter made of expanded porous PTFE, and to use the expanded porous PTFE as a filter.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a toner collecting container which facilitates mounting of a filter.

Further, in the above-described conventional toner collecting device 7, the collected toner adheres to the filter 5 and accumulates on the filter 5 with the passage of time, causing clogging, weakening the suction airflow, and scattering toner. There was a problem that the prevention effect was no longer achieved, and it was necessary to clean or replace it with a new one.

Accordingly, a second object of the present invention is to provide a toner collecting container which eliminates clogging of a filter made of expanded porous PTFE, prevents toner scattering, and enables permanent use of the filter. .

[0010] A third object of the present invention is to provide a simple configuration,
It is an object of the present invention to provide a toner collecting container which prevents clogging of a filter to prevent toner scattering and enables permanent use of the filter.

By the way, when toner accumulates on a filter made of expanded porous PTFE, there is a problem that the filter is peeled or broken by its weight.

Accordingly, a fourth object of the present invention is to provide a toner collecting container which eliminates the possibility that the filter is peeled or broken by the weight of the attached toner.

[0015] A fifth object of the present invention is to provide a toner collection container which makes it possible to reduce the amount of toner reaching a filter by using gravity and to make the filter permanently usable.

A sixth object of the present invention is to provide a toner collecting container which uses a partition plate to reduce the amount of toner reaching the filter and enables the filter to be used permanently.

By the way, as shown in FIG. 19, in the conventional toner collecting device 7, the air in the developing device 2 is discharged from the suction port 3 by driving the fan 4, but when the air discharging resistance becomes large, There is a problem that the air flows backward and the toner scattering prevention effect cannot be exerted.

Accordingly, a seventh object of the present invention is to provide a toner collecting apparatus in which the air discharge resistance of the exhaust means is reduced to prevent toner scattering.

Further, in the conventional toner collecting device 7, if the toner attached to the inner surface of the exhaust tube downstream of the fan 4 drops due to gravity, for example, when the drive of the fan 4 is stopped, the exhaust path 8 is cut off. There is a problem that the air flows backward due to the blockage and the toner scattering prevention effect cannot be exerted.

Therefore, an eighth object of the present invention is to provide a toner collecting apparatus which prevents toner dropped by gravity from blocking an exhaust path and prevents toner scattering.

A ninth object of the present invention is to reciprocate a filter by using a specific exhaust means, to eliminate clogging of the filter with a simple structure, to prevent toner scattering, and to allow permanent use of the filter. It is an object of the present invention to provide a toner collecting device.

A tenth object of the present invention is to provide the above-mentioned first object.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an image forming apparatus provided with a toner collection container which achieves the sixth object.

An eleventh object of the present invention is to provide the above-described seventh embodiment.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an image forming apparatus provided with a toner collecting device that achieves the ninth object.

[0022]

According to the present invention, in order to achieve the first object, a filter is provided in the main body of the toner collecting container, and the filter is used to mount the filter in the main body of the toner collecting container. A toner collection container that blocks the passage of toner in the air that has been sent and stores the blocked toner inside the toner collection container body, while discharging only air to the outside of the toner collection container body through the filter. , Characterized by using expanded porous PTFE to which a reinforcing member is attached as a filter.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in order to achieve the second object, the toner collecting container according to the first aspect further comprises means for applying vibration.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in order to achieve the third object, in the toner collection container according to the first aspect, the weight for accelerating the return of the filter when the supply of air is stopped. Characterized by comprising:

According to a fourth aspect of the invention, in order to achieve the fourth object, in the toner recovery container according to the first aspect, not only the peripheral portion but also the center portion of the filter are provided in the toner recovery container body. It is characterized by being attached.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in order to achieve the fifth object, in the toner recovery container according to the first aspect, a filter is mounted above a position where air is supplied to the main body of the toner recovery container. It is characterized by that.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in order to achieve the sixth object, in the toner recovery container according to the first aspect, an air flow is provided between an air feeding position and a filter mounting position. It is characterized in that a partition plate that interferes is provided.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in order to achieve the above-described seventh object, an intake pipe is connected to an intake port of an exhaust means, and an exhaust pipe is connected to an exhaust port, and the exhaust means is connected through the exhaust pipe. Accordingly, in the toner recovery device for feeding air into the toner recovery container according to claim 1, the diameter of the exhaust pipe is made larger than the diameter of the intake pipe.

According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, in order to achieve the above-mentioned eighth object, an intake pipe is connected to an intake port of an exhaust means and an exhaust pipe is connected to an exhaust port, and the exhaust means is connected through the exhaust pipe. Accordingly, in the toner collecting apparatus for feeding air into the toner collecting container according to the first aspect, the toner in the exhaust pipe is configured to fall into the toner collecting container by gravity.

According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, in order to achieve the above-mentioned ninth object, an intake pipe is connected to an intake port of the exhaust means, and an exhaust pipe is connected to the exhaust port, and the exhaust means is connected through the exhaust pipe. In the toner recovery apparatus for feeding air into the toner recovery container according to claim 1, air is intermittently fed into the toner recovery container by an exhaust means.

The tenth aspect of the present invention is the first aspect of the present invention.
According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided an image forming apparatus including the toner collection container according to any one of claims 1 to 6.

The eleventh aspect of the present invention provides the above-mentioned first aspect.
In order to achieve the first object, an image forming apparatus is provided with the toner collecting device according to any one of claims 7 to 9.

[0033]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 shows a laser copying machine provided with a toner collecting device according to the present invention, and shows an overall schematic configuration of an internal mechanism of the copying machine. FIG. 2 shows a partially enlarged configuration of the main part.

Reference numeral 10 in the drawing denotes a copying machine main body.
A drum-shaped image carrier 12 is provided in the apparatus main body 10. Around the image carrier 12, a charging device 13, a developing device 14, a transfer / transport device 15, a cleaning device 16,
The static eliminator 17 and the like are arranged.

Above them, a laser writing device 18 is provided.
Is provided. The laser writing device 18 includes a light source 20 such as a laser diode, a rotating polygon mirror 21 for scanning, a polygon motor 22, a scanning optical system 23 such as an fθ lens, and the like.

A fixing device 25 is disposed on the left side of the cleaning device 16 in the drawing. The fixing device 25 includes a fixing roller 26 having a built-in heater, and a pressure roller 27 pressing the fixing roller 26 from below.

An original reading device 30 is provided at an upper portion in the apparatus main body 10. The document reading device 30 includes a light source 3
1, a plurality of mirrors 32, an imaging lens 33, an image sensor 34 such as a CCD, and the like are provided.

On the other hand, a double-sided unit 35 is provided at a lower portion in the apparatus main body 10. A re-feeding path 37 is provided from the duplex unit 35 to a sheet feeding path 36 extending below the image carrier 12. The reversing path 39 is formed in the duplex unit 35 by branching from the middle of the sheet discharge path 38 extending from the exit of the fixing device 25.

A contact glass 40 is provided on the upper surface of the apparatus main body 10. The contact glass 4
An automatic document feeder 41 is mounted on the apparatus main body 10 so as to be openable and closable so as to cover 0.

By the way, the copying machine body 1 as described above
0 is placed on the paper feed table 43. In the paper feed table 43, paper feed cassettes 44 are provided in multiple stages. Each paper feed cassette 44 has a paper feed roller 45 corresponding thereto.
Is provided. The paper feed roller 45 feeds the fed sheet into a transport path 46 that leads to the paper feed path 36. The transport path 46 is provided with a plurality of pairs of transport rollers 47.

When making a copy using this laser copying machine, the original is set on the automatic document feeder 41, or the original is set directly on the contact glass 40 by opening the automatic document feeder 41. I do. Then, by pressing a start switch (not shown), the automatic document feeder 41 is driven, and the original conveyed onto the contact glass 40 or the original set on the contact glass 40 in advance is scanned by the original reading device 30 as a pixel. Read in units.

At the same time, an appropriate paper feed roller 45 is rotated,
The sheet is fed out from a corresponding one of the plurality of paper cassettes in the plurality of paper cassettes in the paper table 43,
, And is conveyed by a conveying roller 47, and is fed into a paper feed path 36, where it abuts against a registration roller 48 and is stopped. Then, the registration roller 48 is rotated in synchronization with the rotation of the image carrier 12, and is sent below the image carrier 12.

On the other hand, when a start switch (not shown) is pressed, the image carrier 12 is simultaneously rotated clockwise in the figure.
With the rotation of the image carrier 12, the charging device 13 first uniformly charges the surface, and then irradiates a laser beam L in accordance with the read content read by the above-described document reading device 30 to irradiate the laser writing device 18 with the laser light L. To form an electrostatic latent image on the surface of the image carrier 12, and then the developing device 1
At step 4, toner is adhered to visualize the electrostatic latent image.

Then, the visible image is transferred by the transfer / conveyance device 15 onto the sheet fed below the image carrier 12 as described above. After transfer of the image, the surface of the image carrier 12 is cleaned by removing the residual toner with the cleaning device 16, the charge is removed by the charge removing device 17, and the image is prepared for the subsequent image formation.

On the other hand, the sheet after the image transfer is conveyed by the transfer / conveyance device 15 and put into the fixing device 25 where the fixing roller 2
6 and the pressure roller 27 apply heat and pressure to fix the transferred image. Thereafter, the sheet is discharged onto a tray (not shown) attached to the apparatus main body 10 through the sheet discharge path 38, for example.

When recording is also performed on the back side of a sheet using this copying machine, after recording on one side, the recording sheet is inserted into the duplex unit 35 through the reversing path 39, where it is reversed and again moved below the image carrier 12. Then, the image formed on the image carrier 12 is transferred to the rear surface in the same manner, and then discharged onto, for example, a tray (not shown).

Incidentally, the developing device 14 described above is
As can be seen from FIG.

In the developing tank 50, the first developing roller 5
First, a second developing roller 52, a paddle wheel 53, a stirring roller 54, a conveying screw 55, a separator 56, a doctor blade 57, a toner density sensor 58, and the like are provided in a developing case 59. Then, in the developing case 59, a two-component developer including a carrier and a toner is stored.

In the developing hopper 60, a gear-shaped toner supply member 61, a supply control plate 62, an agitator 63 and the like are provided. The developing hopper 60 contains toner.

In the developing device 14, the two-component developer in the developing case 59 is stirred and frictionally charged by the rotation of the stirring roller 54, and jumped up by the rotation of the paddle wheel 53. The first developing roller 51 and the second developing roller 52 are attracted by the magnet in the second developing roller 52.

The developer adsorbed on the first developing roller 51 and the second developing roller 52 is released from the first developing roller 51
And after being conveyed by a sleeve on the outer periphery of the second developing roller 52 and scraping off the excess by the doctor blade 57,
The electrostatic latent image adheres to the image carrier 12 by the developing bias and is developed on the image carrier 12.

In the developing device 14, the image carrier 1
When the toner adheres to No. 2 and the toner is consumed, the ratio (toner density) decreases. Therefore, when the toner concentration in the developer becomes a predetermined value or less with respect to the target value of the toner concentration, the agitator 63 is rotated to agitate the toner and transport the toner to the toner replenishing member 61. Then, the supply regulating plate 62 is swung to supply the toner from the developing hopper 60 into the developing tank 50 to maintain the toner concentration in the developer.

The toner concentration in the developer is determined by
Is measured by a toner density sensor 58 attached to the printer. The target value of the toner density is set by a value obtained by measuring a measurement toner image (P pattern) formed on the image carrier 12 with a photosensor.

In general, there is often no image on both sides of the sheet. Therefore, the toner is replenished from the developing hopper 60 in the toner replenishment area b (see FIG. 4) excluding both sides so that the amount of toner on both sides does not increase.

By the way, as described above, the image carrier 12
The toner attached to the sheet is electrostatically transferred to a sheet by the transfer / transport device 15. However, about 10% of the toner remains untransferred on the image carrier 12. The untransferred toner remaining on the image carrier 12 is scraped off the image carrier 12 by a cleaning blade 65 and a brush roller 66 provided in the cleaning device 16.

The image carrier 1 is cleaned by the cleaning device 16.
2 the toner scraped off from above
6 enters the collection tank 67. And the collection screw 6
By 8, it is conveyed to one side of the cleaning device 16, discharged from a discharge port (not shown), and guided to the toner recycling device.

In the illustrated laser copying machine, as shown in FIG.
0 is provided. The toner collecting device 70 is connected to the developing device 14 via an intake tube (intake tube) 71 to form
An exhaust means 72 is provided in the inside, and the exhaust means 72 and an exhaust tube (exhaust pipe) 73
And a toner collection container 74 therein.

As shown in FIG. 3, a suction duct 75 is attached to the tip of the intake tube 71. Suction duct 75
Has a connection port 76 for connecting one end of the intake tube 71 at the center of the upper surface, and has a large opening 77 on the lower surface as shown in FIG. However, a sheet member 78 such as a mylar is adhered to the lower surface thereof in correspondence with the toner supply area b of the developing hopper 60 to close the center of the opening 77,
Suction ports 79 are provided on both sides. A seal member 80 is attached around the opening 77 except for the side of the developing hopper 60.

As shown in FIG. 2, both ends of the suction duct 75 are inserted in the direction indicated by an arrow into guide grooves 82 provided on both sides of the developing case 59 so as to face each other.
9 is attached to the opening 83, and then the developing hopper 60 is attached to the developing tank 50 to prevent the developing tank 50 from coming off. A seal member 84 for sealing between the developing hopper 60 and the suction duct 75 is attached. Thus, the opening 83 of the developing case 59 is completely closed.

Next, as shown in FIG. 5, the exhaust means 72 shown in FIG.
1 and the other end of the exhaust tube 73 to the exhaust port 88. The eccentric pin 91 attached to the drive shaft 90 of the motor 89 is fitted to a part 93 of the rubber member 92.

Then, the motor 89 is driven in conjunction with a developing motor (not shown), and the center of the rubber member 92 reciprocates in the direction shown by the arrow in FIG. The illustrated exhaust valve is closed, air in the developing device 14 is sucked through the suction port 79 of the suction duct 75 described above, and is introduced into the pump 86 from the intake port 87 through the exhaust path in the intake tube 71, or the intake valve is closed. The exhaust valve is opened, and the air in the pump 86 is sent to the toner collecting container 74 through the exhaust path of the exhaust tube 73.

As described above, when the developing device 14 is operating, the exhaust means 72 is always driven, and the air in the developing device 14 is sucked by the toner collecting device 70 so that the floating toner in the developing device 14 is While sucking
A suction airflow is generated in the developing opening 95 of the developing case 59 shown in FIG. 2, and the surrounding air is sucked, for example, as indicated by an arrow a in FIG. 6, so that the toner scatter from the developing device 14 can be prevented.

Even if the toner collecting device 70 is not provided, the rotation of the developing rollers 50 and 51 generates an airflow that sucks the surrounding air from the developing opening 95.
Is provided, more air is sucked in, and the scattering of toner from the developing device 14 can be further prevented.

As shown in FIG. 7, the toner collecting container 74 has a width and a height, and an opening is formed in the toner collecting container main body 97 having a small depth and a peripheral edge thereof is adhered to close the opening to form a large filter 100. Is provided. Then, as shown in FIG. 1, the paper feed table 43 is disposed outside the paper feed table 43 along the transport path 46. On one side of the upper surface, as shown in FIG. 7, an inlet 98 serving as an air feeding position is provided, and the other end of the exhaust tube 73 is connected to the inlet 98.

As shown in FIG. 8, the filter 100 is composed of an expanded porous PTFE 100a and a reinforcing member 100b attached to the periphery thereof. Expanded porous PTFE10
No. 0a is obtained by stretching PTFE (polytetrafluoroethylene) having the highest scientific stability among fluororesins by a special technique to have a fine continuous porous structure. For example, PET (polyethylene terephthalate) is used as the reinforcing member 100b.

The air sent from the exhaust means 72 through the exhaust tube 73 flows through the inlet 98 through the toner collecting container 74.
When the toner is sent into the inside of the toner collecting container, the toner and the like in the sent air are blocked by the filter 100, and the blocked toner and the like are stored in the toner collecting container main body 97. It is discharged to the outside of the main body 97 and is sent out of the apparatus main body 10 through an exhaust grill (not shown).

When the expanded porous PTFE 100a is used as the filter 100, unlike the conventional filters such as an electrostatic filter, there is no toner leakage even when air is applied while applying pressure. Can be collected reliably. In addition, expanded porous PTFE1
Since the reinforcing member 100b is attached to the toner collection container 100a, the flexible filter 100 is less likely to be broken to facilitate handling, and can be easily attached to the toner collection container main body 97.

The toner collecting container 74 is provided with a toner full detecting means (not shown) to detect toner full. When the toner is full, the toner in the toner collection container 74 is discarded, or the toner collection container 74 is replaced with a new one.

Of course, the toner collecting container 74 is not limited to the shape as shown in FIG.
And the like. Further, an opening of the toner collecting container main body 97 and a filter 1 for closing the opening are provided.
00 is preferably as large as possible so that clogging does not occur. In FIG. 9, the reference numerals used for the corresponding parts in FIG. 7 are used as they are, and redundant description is omitted.

In the above-described example, the exhaust path is formed by using the intake tube 71 as the intake pipe and the exhaust tube 73 as the exhaust pipe.
The exhaust path may be formed using a pipe or the like.

By the way, in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 0, a means 102 for applying vibration may be provided. This means 102 includes a rotating shaft 104 of a motor 103.
A cam 105 is mounted on the cam 105 and the motor 105 is appropriately driven to rotate the cam 105.
To vibrate the toner collection container 74,
The toner and the like adhering to 00 fall. Thus, the problem that the suction airflow becomes weak due to clogging and the toner scattering prevention effect is not achieved can be solved, and the filter 100 can be permanently used.

Further, as shown in FIG. 11, for example, an opening is formed in the upper surface of the toner collecting container main body 97, the opening is closed by the filter 100, and the weight 107 is attached near the center of the filter 100. Good. Weight 107
For example, an iron plate of about several tens g is used.

In this way, when air is sent into the toner collecting container 74 by driving the exhausting device 72, the internal pressure of the toner collecting container 74 increases, the filter 100 expands, and the driving of the exhausting device 72 is stopped. When the supply of air is stopped, the filter 100 returns. At this time,
The return of the filter 100 is accelerated by the weight 107.

Thus, the problem that the toner or the like adhering to the filter 100 drops due to the reaction of the return of the filter and the suction air flow becomes weak due to clogging with a simple structure and the toner scattering prevention effect is not achieved can be solved. 100
Can be used permanently.

In the above-described example, only the peripheral portion of the filter 100 is attached to the toner collecting container main body 97. However, as shown in FIG. 12, for example, a bar 97a is provided in the toner collecting container main body 97 and the opening is formed by dividing the bar, so that one filter 100 has a bar 97a at the center as well as the peripheral portion.
It is good to stick it on.

In this manner, the length of the filter 100 is shortened to prevent the filter 100 from loosening due to its extensibility.
The possibility of peeling or tearing can be eliminated.

In the toner collecting container 74, for example, as shown in FIG. 13, the filter 100 may be mounted above the air feeding position h to the toner collecting container main body 97. In this way, the filter 10
The filter 100 drops by gravity before passing through the filter 100.
Can be reduced, and the filter 100 can be permanently used without clogging of the filter 100.

Further, as shown in FIG. 14, for example, between the air feeding position h and the mounting position of the filter 100, there are provided a plurality of partition plates 108 which obstruct the flow of air from the air feeding position h to the filter 100. It is good to do so. By doing so, the amount of toner that adheres to the partition plate 108 and reaches the filter 100 before passing through the filter 100 can be reduced, and clogging of the filter 100 can be eliminated so that the filter 100 can be used permanently. .

In the illustrated toner collecting device 70,
The diameter of the exhaust tube (exhaust pipe) 73 is made larger than the diameter of the intake tube (intake pipe) 71. With this configuration, the air discharge resistance of the exhaust unit 72 can be reduced to prevent the backflow of air and prevent the toner from scattering.

FIG. 15 shows the relationship among the number of rotations of the pump 86 in the exhaust means 72, the pump flow rate, and the width c (see FIG. 6) of the edge of the developing opening 95. As can be seen from the figure, as the number of rotations of the pump increases, the scattered toner can be sucked at first to reduce the edge stain width c. However, when the number of revolutions of the pump 86 exceeds a certain value, the opening and closing of the intake valve and the exhaust valve cannot keep up with each other, and the air flows backward, so that the toner scattering increases and the edge stain width c increases.

In FIG. 15, when the diameter of the intake tube 71 is φ6 mm, the diameter of the exhaust tube 73 is
mm and φ12 mm. As can be seen from the figure, toner scattering starts to increase at the rotation speed exceeding 3500 rpm in the exhaust tube 73 of φ6 mm. However, a φ12 mm exhaust tube 7
In No. 3, the rotation number starts to increase only after exceeding 4500 rpm. The latter can clearly prevent toner scattering and reduce the edge stain width c.

Further, in the illustrated toner collecting device 70, FIG.
As shown in (1), the exhaust tube 73 is turned around from the exhaust unit 72, and the toner in the exhaust tube 73 falls into the toner collecting container 74 by gravity. This eliminates the possibility that toner dropped due to gravity will block the exhaust path, thereby preventing toner scattering.

FIG. 16 is a flowchart showing the operation of the toner collecting device 70. As described above, the motor 89 is driven in conjunction with the developing motor (not shown) to start suctioning air. Then, after driving for a certain period of time τ, the suction of air is terminated. At this time, if the developing motor has already stopped, the operation is terminated as it is. However, when the developing motor continues to operate, the suction of air is started again after a certain time τ has elapsed. Repeat this.

That is, in the illustrated toner collecting device 70, air is intermittently sent into the toner collecting container 74 by the exhaust means 72. With this configuration, the toner or the like adhering to the filter 100 is dropped by reciprocating the filter 100, the clogging of the filter 100 is prevented with a simple configuration, the toner is prevented from being scattered, and the filter 100 can be permanently used. can do.

As shown in FIG. 17, the toner collecting device 70
When the number of On / Off switching times is increased, the driving time τ for each switching becomes shorter, and the amount of toner scattered from the developing device 14 increases. At the same time, as shown in FIG. 18, the amount of collected matter such as toner on the filter 100 decreases gradually.

Since the expanded porous PTFE 100a has an extensibility, the filter 100 swells or dents due to a change in the internal pressure of the toner collecting container 74 and vibrates in a simple manner. Therefore, the collected matter on the filter 100 is the filter 1
00 Fall from above. Thereby, the toner collecting device 70
By intermittently sending air into the toner collection container 74 by finely controlling On / Off of the filter 100, clogging of the filter 100 can be prevented and the effect of preventing toner scattering can be enhanced.

FIG. 17 is a diagram showing the O of the toner collecting device 70.
9 is a graph showing the relationship between the number of on / off switching times per minute and the ratio of the scattered toner amount based on the scattered toner amount after a certain time, when the number of n / Off switching times is set to 0. FIG. 18 shows the filter 100 after a certain time when the number of On / Off switching of the toner collecting device 70 is set to 0.
On the basis of the amount of collected matter such as toner, the above
It is a graph which shows the relationship between the number of times of / Off switching and the ratio of the amount of collected matter.

In the example shown in FIG. 16, in order to simplify the control, after driving for a certain time τ, the suction of air is once stopped, and when the developing motor continues to operate, the same time τ has elapsed. Thereafter, the air suction was started again. However, the time for driving the motor 89 may be different from the time for stopping the motor 89.

[0089]

As described above, according to the first aspect of the present invention, since expanded porous PTFE is used as a filter, even if air is passed through the filter while applying pressure, conventional filters such as an electrostatic filter can be used. Unlike the other filters, there is no toner leakage, and the toner can be collected reliably. In addition, since the reinforcing member is attached to the expanded porous PTFE, the filter is less likely to be broken, handling is facilitated, and attachment to the toner recovery container main body can be simplified.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, since the vibration applying means is provided, the vibration is applied by the means to drop the toner adhered to the filter 5, and the suction airflow becomes weak due to clogging. The problem that the toner scattering prevention effect is not achieved can be solved, and the filter can be permanently used.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, since the weight provided for accelerating the return of the filter is provided when the supply of air is stopped, the toner adhering to the filter is dropped by the recoil of the return of the filter, and a simple operation is achieved. With this configuration, the problem that the suction airflow becomes weak due to clogging and the toner scattering prevention effect is not achieved can be solved, and the filter can be permanently used.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, since the filter is attached not only to the peripheral portion but also to the central portion of the toner collecting container body, there is no possibility that the filter is peeled off or broken by the weight of the attached toner. be able to.

According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, since the filter is mounted above the position where air is supplied to the toner collecting container main body, the amount of toner that falls by gravity and reaches the filter before passing through the filter is reduced. However, it is possible to eliminate the clogging of the filter and to enable the filter to be used permanently.

According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, since a partition plate that hinders the flow of air is provided between the air feeding position and the filter mounting position, the partition plate adheres to the partition plate before passing through the filter. It is possible to reduce the amount of toner that reaches the filter, eliminate clogging of the filter, and enable permanent use of the filter.

According to the seventh aspect of the present invention, since the diameter of the exhaust pipe is made larger than the diameter of the intake pipe, the air discharge resistance of the exhaust means is reduced to prevent backflow of air and to prevent toner scattering. Can be.

According to the eighth aspect of the present invention, since the toner in the exhaust pipe falls into the toner collecting container by gravity, the toner dropped by gravity does not block the exhaust path, and the toner scatters. Can be prevented.

According to the ninth aspect of the present invention, since air is intermittently fed into the toner collecting container by the exhaust means, the filter reciprocatingly moves by the pressure change in the toner collecting container to remove the toner adhering to the filter. With a simple structure, the filter can be clogged, the toner can be prevented from being scattered, and the filter can be used permanently.

According to the tenth aspect of the present invention, since the toner collecting container according to any one of the first to sixth aspects is provided, the toner collecting container capable of achieving the effects of the first to sixth aspects is provided. An image forming apparatus provided with the image forming apparatus can be provided.

According to the eleventh aspect of the present invention, since the toner collecting device according to any one of the seventh to ninth aspects is provided, the toner collecting apparatus capable of achieving the effects of the seventh to ninth aspects is provided. An image forming apparatus provided with the image forming apparatus can be provided.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a laser copying machine provided with a toner collecting device according to the present invention, and is an overall schematic configuration diagram of an internal mechanism of the copying machine.

FIG. 2 is a partially enlarged configuration diagram of a main part thereof.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a suction duct attached to a distal end of an intake tube, which constitutes the toner collecting device.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the intake duct viewed from a lower surface side.

FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view of an exhaust unit constituting the toner collecting device.

FIG. 6 is a partially enlarged perspective view of the vicinity of a developing opening of a developing device in the laser copying machine.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a toner collecting container constituting the toner collecting device.

FIG. 8 is a front view of a filter used in the toner collecting container.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of another example of the toner collection container.

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of another example of the toner collection container including a means for applying vibration.

FIG. 11 is a perspective view of another example of the toner collecting device having a weight.

FIG. 12 is a perspective view of still another example of the toner collecting device.

FIG. 13 is a perspective view of still another example of the toner collecting device.

FIG. 14 is a perspective view of still another example of the toner collecting device.

FIG. 15 is a graph showing the relationship between the pump rotation speed of the toner recovery device, the pump flow rate, and the width of stain on the edge of the developing opening.

FIG. 16 is an operation flowchart of the toner collecting device.

FIG. 17 is a graph illustrating the relationship between the number of times of On / Off switching per minute and the ratio of the amount of scattered toner.

FIG. 18 is a graph showing the relationship between the number of On / Off switching times per minute and the ratio of the amount of collected matter.

FIG. 19 is a configuration diagram of a toner collecting device used in a conventional developing device.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Copier apparatus main body 12 Image carrier 14 Developing device 59 Developing case 70 Toner recovery device 71 Intake tube (intake tube) 72 Exhaust means 73 Exhaust tube (exhaust tube) 74 Toner collection container 86 Pump 87 Intake port 88 Exhaust port 95 Development Opening 97 Toner recovery container main body 97a Bar 98 Inlet 100 Filter 100a Expanded porous PTFE 100b Reinforcing member 102 Means for applying vibration 107 Weight 108 Partition plate h Air feeding position

Continued on the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁷ Identification symbol FI Theme coat II (Reference) B01D 46/42 G03G 21/00 538 G03G 21/00 538 15/08 507C (72) Inventor Ryo Tagami Nakata, Ota-ku, Tokyo 1-3-6 Magome F-term in Ricoh Co., Ltd. (reference) 2H027 JA03 JB02 JB03 JB13 JB14 JB15 JB27 JC06 2H077 AA12 AA15 AA16 AA18 AB01 AB14 AC03 AD06 AD13 AD18 AE06 BA08 CA01 CA12 CA16 CA19 DA10 DA42 A03 EA04 CB04 4D058 JA12 JB14 JB23 KA06 KA30 KC01 MA02 MA06 QA01 QA07 QA21 RA01 SA20

Claims (11)

[Claims] 1. A filter is provided in a main body of a toner collection container,
The filter prevents the passage of the toner in the air sent into the toner collection container main body, and stores the blocked toner in the toner collection container main body while collecting only the air through the filter to collect the toner. A toner collection container to be discharged to the outside of the container body, wherein the filter uses expanded porous PTFE to which a reinforcing member is attached. 2. The toner collection container according to claim 1, further comprising means for applying vibration. 3. The toner collection container according to claim 1, further comprising a weight for accelerating the return of the filter when the supply of air is stopped. 4. The toner collecting container according to claim 1, wherein not only the peripheral portion but also the central portion of the filter is attached to the toner collecting container main body. 5. The toner collection container according to claim 1, wherein the filter is mounted above a position where air is supplied to the toner collection container main body. 6. The toner collection container according to claim 1, further comprising a partition plate that hinders the flow of air between the air feeding position and the mounting position of the filter. 7. A toner collection device, wherein an intake pipe is connected to an intake port of an exhaust means, and an exhaust pipe is connected to an exhaust port, and the exhaust means sends air to the toner collection container according to claim 1 through the exhaust pipe. , The diameter of the exhaust pipe is made larger than the diameter of the intake pipe. 8. A toner collection device wherein an intake pipe is connected to an intake port of an exhaust means and an exhaust pipe is connected to an exhaust port, and the exhaust means sends air to the toner collection container according to claim 1 through the exhaust pipe. Wherein the toner in the exhaust pipe falls into the toner collection container by gravity.
Toner collection device. 9. A toner collection device, wherein an intake pipe is connected to an intake port of an exhaust means, and an exhaust pipe is connected to an exhaust port, and the exhaust means sends air to the toner collection container according to claim 1 through the exhaust pipe. 3. The toner collecting device according to claim 1, wherein air is intermittently sent into the toner collecting container by the exhaust unit. 10. An image forming apparatus provided with the toner collection container according to claim 1. 11. An image forming apparatus provided with the toner recovery device according to claim 7.