JP2003316170A - Cleaner unit and image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent leaking and scattering of a toner from an aperture of a cleaner unit at low cost with a simple configuration. <P>SOLUTION: The cleaning unit which is detachable from an image forming apparatus body and removes and recovers the toner remaining on an intermediate transfer member 18 has a cleaning blade 31 for removing the toner remaining on the member 18, a screw 35 for conveying the removed toner to a recovering section and a flexible resin sheet 95 for preventing the leakage of the recovered waste toner from the aperture when the cleaning unit is removed from the image forming apparatus body. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a cleaner unit for removing and collecting toner remaining on an image carrier in image formation using an electrophotographic system, and a cleaner unit including the cleaner unit, for example, a copying machine, a printer, a facsimile machine, and the like. The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art The structure of an image forming apparatus using an intermediate transfer member is often adopted, for example, in an image forming apparatus having a full color or multiple image forming function.

This is a plurality of color component images of a desired full-color image or multiple images on a first image carrier (photosensitive drum) such as an electrophotographic photosensitive member or an electrostatic recording dielectric member by an appropriate image forming process means. Component color toner images are sequentially formed, and those component color toner images are sequentially superimposed and transferred at the primary transfer portion onto an intermediate transfer member as a second image carrier, which is generally a rotating belt type. Then, a full-color image or a multi-toner image corresponding to a desired full-color image or a multi-image is formed on the intermediate transfer body. The toner image synthetically formed on the intermediate transfer member is collectively transferred onto a transfer material at a secondary transfer portion, and the transfer material is introduced into a fixing device to fix the image, thereby obtaining a full-color image formed product.

An image forming apparatus using a belt as the second image carrier (intermediate transfer member) will be described with reference to FIG. Note that FIG. 21 shows the intermediate transfer unit 100.
Further, the cleaner unit 120 is mainly shown, and only one of the plurality of image forming units is shown.

Component color toner images corresponding to a plurality of color component images formed on the photosensitive drum 101 are transferred to the photosensitive drum 101.
Then, the primary transfer portion T1 sandwiched between the primary transfer counter rollers 102 successively superimposes and transfers, and a target full-color image is formed on the intermediate transfer belt 103. The full-color image on the intermediate transfer belt 103 is collectively transferred onto a transfer material P at a secondary transfer portion T2 formed by a secondary transfer roller 118 and a secondary transfer counter roller 105, and an image is fixed by a fixing device (not shown). Thus, a full-color formed product is obtained.

The intermediate transfer unit 100 includes a primary transfer counter roller 102, an intermediate transfer belt 103, a triaxial drive roller 104 supporting the intermediate transfer belt 103, a secondary transfer counter roller 105,
Further, it is provided with a tension roller 106 as a movable roller, and is detachable from the apparatus main body.

The tension of the intermediate transfer belt 103 is kept constant by pressing a bearing 107 of a swingable tension roller 106 with a compression spring 108.

Further, around the intermediate transfer belt 103, a cleaner unit 120 for cleaning the toner remaining on the intermediate transfer belt 103 as a transfer residue without being transferred by the secondary transfer is arranged. The cleaner unit 120 includes a cleaning blade 121 as a cleaning member that contacts the intermediate transfer belt 103, a cleaner container 122 that stores the residual toner removed by the cleaning blade 121, and a screw 123 that conveys the removed waste toner 131. ing. The cleaning blade 121 is held in the cleaner container 122. Further, a tension roller 106 is provided as a backup roller on the opposite side of the cleaning blade 121.
Are arranged. The cleaner unit 120 is positioned by the bearing members at both ends of the tension roller 106 and fixed to the intermediate transfer unit 100. Therefore, the cleaning performance can be maintained with a simple structure. The waste toner 131 removed by the cleaning blade 121 is sent by the screw 123 and the waste toner bottle 130
Is discharged to.

In the cleaner unit 120, the waste toner 131 removed by the cleaning blade 121 is screwed to the screw 123.
Is provided with a discharge port for discharging to the waste toner bottle 130. Then, since the discharge port of the cleaner unit 120 fits into the intake port of the waste toner bottle 130, it is possible to prevent toner leakage at the connection portion. Therefore, the cleaner unit 120 and the waste toner bottle 130 can be independently replaced.

[0010]

However, in the above-mentioned conventional example, as shown in FIG. 22, the cleaner unit 120 requires an opening at the contact portion between the intermediate transfer belt 103 and the cleaning blade 121, so that the cleaner Unit 120
Cleaner unit 12
When 0 is taken out, the waste toner 131 accumulated in the cleaner unit 120 may leak or scatter from the opening 124 of the cleaner unit 120 as shown by the arrow in the figure.

The present invention is intended to solve the above problems,
An object of the present invention is to provide an image forming apparatus which has a simple structure and can prevent toner leakage and scattering from the opening of the cleaner unit at low cost.

[0012]

A typical structure according to the present invention for achieving the above object is detachable from an image forming apparatus main body and removes and collects toner remaining on an image carrier. In the cleaner unit, a cleaning unit for removing the toner remaining on the image carrier, a screw for conveying the removed toner to the recovery unit, and an opening of the recovered toner when removed from the image forming apparatus main body And a toner leakage prevention unit for preventing the toner from leaking.

With the above arrangement, it is possible to prevent toner leakage and the like even when the cleaner unit is removed from the main body of the apparatus.

[0014]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Next, an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

First Embodiment [Description of Entire Image Forming Apparatus] First, an overall configuration of a color image forming apparatus will be schematically described with reference to FIG.

FIG. 1 is an explanatory view of the overall configuration of a laser printer which is one form of a color image forming apparatus.

The color laser printer is, as shown in FIG. 1, yellow Y, magenta M, cyan C, black Bk.
An image forming section having a photoconductor drum 1 (1Y, 1M, 1C, 1K), which is an electrophotographic photoreceptor rotating at a constant speed for each color, and a color image developed and multi-transferred in the image forming section. Material 2 that holds the sheet and is fed from the feeding unit
And an intermediate transfer member 18 for further transferring to The transfer material 2 on which the color image has been transferred is conveyed to the fixing unit 50 to fix the color image on the transfer material 2, and is discharged to a discharge tray 65 on the upper surface of the apparatus by a discharge roller. The color developing devices for the four colors are detachably attached to the printer body.

Next, the structure of each part of the image forming apparatus will be sequentially described in detail.

[Photosensitive drum] The photosensitive drum 1 is integrally formed with the container 3 (3Y, 3M, 3C, 3K) of the holder of the developing device, and the developing unit is detachably supported by the printer body. The unit can be easily replaced according to the life of the photosensitive drum 1. The photoconductor drum 1 according to the present embodiment is formed by coating an organic photoconductor layer on the outside of an aluminum cylinder, and is rotatably supported by a container 3 of a holder of the photoconductor drum 1. By transmitting the driving force of a drive motor (not shown) to one end on the rear side in the figure, the photosensitive drum 1 is rotated counterclockwise in the figure in accordance with the image forming operation.

[Charging Means] The charging means 5 uses a roller charging method, and the charging roller uniformly charges the surface of the photosensitive drum 1 with an applied voltage.

[Exposure Means] The exposure of the photosensitive drum 1 is performed by the scanner unit 6 (6Y, 6M, 6C, 6K). That is, when the image signal is given to the laser diode, the laser diode outputs the image light corresponding to the image signal to the polygon mirror 6a (6Ya, 6Ma, 6Ca, 6).
Irradiate Ka). The polygon mirror 6a is rotated at a high speed by a scanner motor, and the image light reflected by the polygon mirror 6a is formed by an imaging lens 6b (6Yb, 6Mb, 6C).
b, 6 Kb), the surface of the photosensitive drum 1 rotating at a constant speed is selectively exposed, and as a result, the photosensitive drum 1 is exposed.
Form an electrostatic latent image on top.

[Developing Means] The developing means includes four developing devices 4 (4Y, 4Y, 4Y, 4Y, 4Y, 4Y, 4Y, 4Y, 4Y, 4Y, 4Y, 4Y, 4Y, 4Y each capable of developing each color of yellow, magenta, cyan, and black in order to visualize the electrostatic latent image.
4M, 4C, 4K). 4 color developing devices 4
The sleeve 3S (3Y) at a position facing the photosensitive drum 1.
S, 3MS, 3CS, 3KS) are arranged at a minute interval with respect to the photoconductor drum 1, and a visible image is formed on the photoconductor drum 1 by toner of each color.

To the developing device 4 for each color, the toner in the container is fed by a feeding mechanism, and powder obtained by mixing toner (non-magnetic) and developer (magnetic) on the outer periphery of the sleeve 3S rotates in the clockwise direction in the drawing of the sleeve 3S. Coat the outer circumference. After that, the toner in the powder is developed according to the electrostatic latent image on the photosensitive drum 1. Further, the toner containers 4T (4
The toner is supplied from TY, 4TM, 4TC, 4TK) at any time.

[Intermediate Transfer Member] The intermediate transfer member 18 serving as an image bearing member multiplex-transfers the toner image on the photosensitive drum 1 visualized by each developing device during a color image forming operation, so that the peripheral speed of the photosensitive drum 1 is increased. The intermediate transfer body 18 which rotates in the clockwise direction in the figure in synchronism with the multi-transfer and the intermediate transfer body 18 which is subjected to the multiple transfer is sandwiched and conveyed by the secondary transfer roller 60 to which a voltage is applied, thereby transferring the intermediate transfer body 2 to the transfer material 2. The toner images of the respective colors above are simultaneously transferred in multiplex.

The intermediate transfer member (intermediate transfer belt) 18 according to this embodiment is formed of a seamless resin belt having a peripheral length of about 1000 mm, and includes a driving roller 14, a secondary transfer counter roller 15,
The tension roller 16 is stretched around three axes, and springs 21 are loaded on both ends of the tension roller 16 to absorb the change amount even if the circumferential length of the intermediate transfer member 18 changes due to temperature and humidity in the main body or changes with time. It can be configured.

Guide ribs 19 made of rubber are attached to the entire circumference of both inner edges of the intermediate transfer member 18 with an adhesive. Further, flanges 20 and 20 'made of resin are provided at both ends of the tension roller 16 with a slope, and the guide rib 19 and the flanges 20 and 20' form an intermediate transfer member.
The movement in the direction perpendicular to the traveling direction of 18 (hereinafter referred to as the "shift") is restricted. When the deviation of the intermediate transfer body 18 occurs, one of the guide ribs 19 provided on the intermediate transfer body 18 has flanges 20 arranged at both ends of the tension roller 16,
It hits one of the 20 'slopes and regulates further deviation.

The intermediate transfer member 18 is supported by the main body with the driving roller 14 as a fulcrum, and the driving force of a driving motor (not shown) is transmitted to one end of the driving roller 14 on the rear side in the drawing, so that the intermediate transfer member 18 forms an image. According to the above, it is rotated clockwise in the drawing. Furthermore, this intermediate transfer unit
13 can be easily attached and removed in the right direction in the figure.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the tension applying mechanism portion of the intermediate transfer member unit 13 according to the embodiment of the present invention, in which 22 is a tension bearing rotatably fitted to the shaft 16a of the tension roller 16. Is. A compression spring 21 is attached between the end surface 22b of the tension bearing 22 and the wall surface 23b of the frame 23 at a predetermined pressure as in the conventional example. As the material of the tension bearing 22, a conductive polyacetal resin is used as in the conventional case, and the tension roller 16 is electrically grounded. Tensioner 17 and tension roller 16 shaft 16a
While rotating and sliding as in the conventional case, the load applied to the inner wall of the bearing portion of the tensioner 17 is reduced, and wear on the inner wall becomes almost zero. On the other hand, the inner wall 22a of the tension bearing 22 and the tension roller shaft 16a are worn as usual, but the positional relationship between the tensioner 17 and the tension roller 16 does not change, and the relative positional relationship between the tension roller 16 and the blade 31 is also changed. It does not change. Due to this wear, the mounting dimension of the compression spring 21 slightly changes, but the slippage of the belt does not occur due to the pressure drop due to the amount of change.

Although the conductive polyacetal resin is used as the material of the tension bearing 22, the same effect can be obtained by using, for example, an iron-based or copper-based oil-impregnated sintered material.

[Paper Feed Unit] The paper feed unit is, as shown in FIG.
The transfer material 2 is fed to the image forming unit, and a cassette 7 containing a plurality of transfer materials 2 and a sheet feeding roller 8, a feeding roller 9, a retard roller 10 for preventing double feeding, a sheet feeding guide 11,
The transport roller pair 61 and the registration roller pair 12 are mainly included.

At the time of image formation, the paper feed roller 8 is driven to rotate in accordance with the image forming operation to separate and feed the transfer materials 2 in the cassette 7 one by one, and at the same time, the paper feed guide 11 guides the transfer material 2 to convey the roller pair 61. To the registration roller pair 12 via. The pair of registration rollers 12 moves the transfer material 2 during the image forming operation.
Non-rotating operation to make the stand still and the transfer material 2 is an intermediate transfer member.
The rotation operation for transporting toward 18 is performed in a predetermined sequence, and the position of the image and the transfer material 2 at the time of the next transfer step is aligned.

[Transfer Section] The transfer section is a swingable transfer roller.
It consists of 60. The transfer roller 60 has a metal shaft wound with a medium-resistance foamed elastic body, is movable up and down in the drawing, and has a drive.
While the four-color toner image is formed on the intermediate transfer member 18, that is, until the toner image on the intermediate transfer member 18 reaches the secondary transfer portion T2, the image is not disturbed, as indicated by the dotted line in FIG. As shown, the transfer roller 60 is located below and separated from the intermediate transfer member 18.

After that, the transfer roller 60 is moved to a position at an upper position shown by a solid line in the drawing by a cam member (not shown), that is, to the intermediate transfer member 18 via the transfer material 2 in accordance with the timing of transferring the color image to the transfer material 2. It is pressed with a predetermined pressure. At this time, a bias is simultaneously applied to the transfer roller 60, and the toner image on the intermediate transfer body 18 is transferred to the transfer material 2. Here, since the intermediate transfer member 18 and the transfer roller 60 are respectively driven, the transfer material 2 sandwiched between the two is simultaneously transferred at the predetermined speed in the left direction in the figure at the same time as the transfer step is performed. It is sent to the fixing unit 50 which is.

[Intermediate Transfer Body Cleaning Section] Intermediate Transfer Body
A cleaner unit 30 for cleaning 18 includes a cleaning blade 31 as a cleaning means, a pressure spring 36 for pressing the cleaning blade 31 against the intermediate transfer member 18, and a cleaner container 34 for holding these.

The cleaning blade 31 is made of urethane rubber and is formed on a blade holding plate 33 made of a metal plate. The intermediate transfer member 18 is rotated by a pressure spring 36 about a shaft 32 held in a cleaner container 34 as a rotation center. Since it is pressed against the intermediate transfer member 18 at a predetermined angle, it can uniformly contact the intermediate transfer member 18.

A tension roller 16 is arranged as a backup roller on the opposite side of the cleaning blade 31 so that the cleaning blade 31 can come into contact with the intermediate transfer member 18 with a predetermined contact pressure. The toner image is scraped off from the intermediate transfer member 18 at the point of contact with the cleaning blade 31, and the intermediate transfer member 18 is cleaned.

The waste toner collected by the cleaning blade 31 is collected in the cleaner container 34, and the cleaner container 34
The toner is sent to and collected by a waste toner bottle 40 separately arranged in the main body by a screw 35 arranged at the bottom of the. The screw 35 transmits the driving force of a drive motor (not shown) to one end of the screw
It is designed to rotate in the transport direction.

[Waste Toner Bottle] As shown in FIG. 3, the waste toner bottle 40 has a cleaner unit at the waste toner intake γ.
The configuration is such that 30 discharge ports δ are inserted, and toner leakage at the connection portion of both units can be prevented. Further, since the waste toner bottle 40 is held by the waste toner bottle holding member 70 arranged in the main body, even if the waste toner accumulates, no load is applied to the connecting portion. Further, the waste toner bottle holding member 70 is configured to move up and down in conjunction with the contact / separation operation of the intermediate transfer body unit 13, and when exchanging other unrelated consumables or when there is no relation such as during jam processing. There is no need to put on and take off.

[Fixing Unit] The fixing unit 50, as shown in FIG. 1, fixes the toner image formed by the developing means on the transfer material 2 via the intermediate transfer member 18. As shown in FIG. 16, the fixing roller 51 for applying heat to the transfer material 2 and the fixing roller 51 for fixing the transfer material 2 are used.
And a pressure roller 52 for press-contacting with each other. Each roller is a hollow roller and has a heater (not shown) therein, and is configured to convey the transfer material 2 simultaneously by being rotationally driven. That is, the transfer material 2 holding the toner image is conveyed by the fixing roller 51 and the pressure roller 52, and the toner is fixed on the transfer material 2 by applying heat and pressure.

[Image Forming Operation] Next, the operation of forming an image by the apparatus configured as described above will be described.

First, the sheet feeding roller 8 shown in FIG. 1 is rotated to separate one sheet of the transfer material 2 in the sheet feeding cassette 7, and the sheet is conveyed to the registration roller pair 12.

On the other hand, the photosensitive drum 1 and the intermediate transfer member 18 rotate in the direction of the arrow in the figure at a predetermined peripheral speed V (hereinafter referred to as "process speed").

An arbitrary point on the outer circumference of the intermediate transfer member 18 is S in FIG.
When the photosensitive drum 1 whose surface is uniformly charged by the charging means 5 when it comes to the position of
Laser exposure is performed at the positions of (EM, EC, EK) to form an image. A primary transfer portion T1 (T1) which is a contact portion with the intermediate transfer member 18 in a counterclockwise direction from the exposure position E of the photosensitive drum 1.
Y, T1M, T1C, T1K) distance and intermediate transfer member 18
The distance from point S in the figure to the primary transfer portion T1 is equal, and therefore, after a lapse of time, the exposure position E at the beginning of image writing and the point S on the intermediate transfer member 18 coincide at the position of the primary transfer portion T1. That is, the image is formed counterclockwise on the intermediate transfer member 18 with the point S as the tip.

The scanner portion 6Y irradiates a yellow image with a laser to form a yellow latent image on the photosensitive drum 1. Simultaneously with the formation of this latent image, the yellow developing device 4Y is driven to apply a voltage of substantially the same potential as the charging polarity of the photoconductor drum 1 so that the yellow toner adheres to the latent image on the photoconductor drum 1. Develop. At the same time, the yellow toner image on the photosensitive drum 1 is primarily transferred to the outer periphery of the intermediate transfer member 18 at the first transfer portion T1Y slightly downstream of the developing portion. At this time, a voltage having a characteristic reverse to that of the yellow toner is applied to the intermediate transfer member 18 to perform the primary transfer.

When the image to be formed is A3 size, the length is 420 m
m, and an image is formed from the outer peripheral point S of the intermediate transfer member 18 to the point L1.

Similarly, magenta, cyan, and black color images are sequentially formed on the photoconductor drums 1M, 1C, and 1K, and the toner images are sequentially transferred to the intermediate transfer body 18 in a superimposed manner.

As described above, latent image formation and development and toner transfer to the intermediate transfer member 18 are performed in the order of yellow, magenta, cyan, and black in the primary transfer portions T1Y, T1M, and T1.
C, T1K is performed, and a full-color image including four types of toners of yellow, magenta, cyan, and black is formed on the surface of the intermediate transfer member 18.

Before the transfer of the black toner to the intermediate transfer body 18 is completed, that is, the primary transfer of the black toner of the fourth color is completed, the image front end S of the intermediate transfer body 18 on which the full color image is formed is the secondary transfer portion T2. The transfer material 2, which has been waiting by the pair of registration rollers 12 described above, is started to be conveyed at the right timing before reaching the position.

When the image of each color is formed on the intermediate transfer body 18 of the above four colors, the transfer roller 60, which is in a non-contact state with the intermediate transfer body 18, is waited downward, and the transfer roller 60 is simultaneously cammed upward (not shown).
The transfer material 2 is pressed against the secondary transfer portion T2 of the intermediate transfer member 18 at the same time, and at the same time, a bias having a characteristic opposite to that of the toner is applied to the transfer roller 60, so that the full-color image on the intermediate transfer member 18 is transferred to the transfer material 2. Transfer four colors at once.

The transfer material 2 that has passed through the secondary transfer portion T2 is peeled from the intermediate transfer member 18 and conveyed to the fixing portion 50 to carry out toner fixing, and then the discharge tray 65 at the upper part of the main body via the discharge roller pair 62, 63, 64. The image is discharged upward with the image surface facing downward, and the image forming operation is completed.

As described above, in order of yellow, magenta, cyan, and black, latent image formation and development, and toner transfer to the intermediate transfer member 18 are performed in the respective primary transfer portions T1Y, T1M, T1C,
Performed at T1K, a full-color image including four types of toners of yellow, magenta, cyan, and black is formed on the surface of the intermediate transfer member 18.

Before the transfer of the black toner to the intermediate transfer member 18 is completed, that is, the primary transfer of the black toner of the fourth color is completed, the image front end S of the intermediate transfer member 18 on which the full-color image is formed is the secondary transfer portion T2. The transfer material 2, which has been waiting by the pair of registration rollers 12 described above, is started to be conveyed at the right timing before reaching the position.

When the image of each color is formed on the intermediate transfer body 18 of the above four colors, it stands by below, and the transfer roller 60 which is not in contact with the intermediate transfer body 18 is simultaneously cammed upward (not shown).
The transfer material 2 is pressed against the secondary transfer portion T2 of the intermediate transfer member 18 at the same time, and at the same time, a bias having a characteristic opposite to that of the toner is applied to the transfer roller 60, so that the full-color image on the intermediate transfer member 18 is transferred to the transfer material 2. Transfer four colors at once. The transfer material 2 that has passed through the secondary transfer portion T2 is peeled off from the intermediate transfer member 18 and fixed to the fixing portion.
After being conveyed to 50 and fixing the toner, a pair of discharge rollers 62,
The image is discharged face down on the discharge tray 65 at the top of the main body through 63 and 64, and the image forming operation is completed.

[Mounting of Cleaner Unit] Next, the structure of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 16 and 3 to 20.

As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the intermediate transfer body unit 13 includes a stay 82 arranged on the front and rear side plates 53 (see FIG. 3) of the main body, four cams 83, and the two stays 82. By the contact / separation means constituted by the shaft 81 and the lever 80 connecting the four, the four cams 83 move the intermediate transfer body unit 13 up and down by moving the lever 80 to a predetermined contact position α and separation position β, respectively. Thus, the contact state and the separated state can be created.

As shown in the perspective view of FIG. 6, the intermediate transfer body unit 13 has a boss for positioning the cleaner unit 30.
24 and 24 'are arranged in two places. The boss 24, 24 '
The tensioner 1 at both ends of the tension roller 16.
7 and 17 'are formed integrally with each other, and even if the tension roller 16 moves, the axis O of the tension roller shaft 16a and
The line O'connecting the axes of the bosses 24, 24 'at both ends is always kept parallel. The tensioner 17 'at the rear of FIG.
On one side, there is an oblong hole 25 into which the screw drive input section 41 of the cleaner unit 30 fits, and when the cleaner unit 30 is set, it serves as a rotation stop.
Further, the cleaner unit 30 has a detent member 42 on the front side in the figure, and the detent member 42 is positioned on one side of the tensioner 17 on the front side in the figure.

Further, the positioning grooves 43 and 43 'provided in the cleaner unit 30 are fitted into the bosses 24 and 24', and the cleaner unit 30 is fixed to the intermediate transfer body unit 13 by the latches 44 and 44 '. Can be positioned. The cleaner container 34 has an intermediate transfer member.
A cleaning blade 31 for cleaning 18 is arranged at an opposing portion of the tension roller 16, and is held so as to contact the intermediate transfer body 18 at a predetermined angle with the swing shaft 32 as a rotation center. ing. Further, the cleaning blade 31 is configured to contact with a compression spring 36 with a predetermined contact pressure. The cleaning blade 31 is fixed to the blade holding plate 33.

Therefore, the cleaning blade 31 is
Since a constant contact state can always be maintained regardless of the position of the tension roller 16, it is possible to maintain good cleaning performance with a very simple structure and low cost.

[Cleaner Unit Setting Method] As a method of setting the cleaner unit 23, as shown in FIGS. 7 to 10, in the separated state, the main body is moved forward in the direction orthogonal to the paper conveying direction (see FIG. 7). Insert it from the front side) and push it until it hits an abutting portion (not shown) on the rear side (the back side in FIG. 7) of the intermediate transfer body unit 13. Then, in the pushed state, the cleaner unit 30 is equipped with the shaft 45
With the lever 46 rotatable around the center, the lever is rotated about the shaft of the waste toner conveying screw and pushed up until the latches 44, 44 'are caught by the bosses 24, 24'. On the contrary, at the time of taking out, the latches 44 and 44 'are released by the lever 46 which also serves as a latch release, and the cleaner unit 30 is put in the separated state and pulled out forward.

The waste toner 90 collected by the cleaning blade 31 is conveyed forward in the drawing by the waste toner conveying screw 35 disposed at the bottom of the cleaner container 34.
From the connecting portion between the cleaner container 34 and the waste toner bottle 40, the waste toner bottle 40 is dropped and collected. The waste toner carrying screw 35 is rotated by transmitting a driving force from a driving motor (not shown) to a driving input portion 41 at one end on the rear side in the drawing. Further, the connection portion of the cleaner unit 30 has a shutter that opens and closes in accordance with the attachment / detachment operation of the waste toner bottle 40, so that the waste toner 90 does not leak when the cleaner unit 30 is carried alone. There is.

The drive source of the waste toner conveying screw 35 is a fixing drive source, and the number of motors can be reduced, and the structure is simplified.

If the life of the intermediate transfer unit 13 and the life of the cleaner unit 30 do not match, it is inefficient to replace both units at the same time, so that each unit can be replaced independently.

[Support of Waste Toner Bottle] As shown in FIGS. 3 and 11, the waste toner bottle 40 is held by the waste toner bottle holding member 70 arranged on the main body side plate 53, while the waste toner bottle 40 is held. Waste toner intake γ at the top of bottle 40
And the discharge port δ of the cleaner unit 30 is fitted and connected for positioning. At this time, the waste toner bottle
40 is held by the waste toner bottle holding member 70 while maintaining a gap in the horizontal direction in the drawing, and the cleaner unit 30
Therefore, the posture of the waste toner bottle 40 can be maintained without affecting the positioning portion of the waste toner bottle 40.

Therefore, the position change of the tension roller 16 (horizontal direction in the drawing) due to the change with time of the intermediate transfer belt 18 and the expansion and contraction due to heat, that is, the cleaner unit 30.
Even if the position of the discharge port δ of (1) is changed (horizontal direction in the drawing) and the position of the connection portion with the waste toner bottle 40 is changed (horizontal direction in the drawing), it can be held by the waste toner bottle holding member 70. .

The waste toner bottle holding member 70 is arranged so as to be slidable up and down with respect to the main body side plate 53. Then, the front stay connected to the lever 80 that abuts and separates the intermediate body transfer unit 13 from each other.
It is configured to be fitted to the shaft 84 provided in 82, and the contact / separation operation of the intermediate transfer unit 13, that is, the lever
The structure is such that it can move up and down in synchronization with the movement of the intermediate body transfer unit 13 in synchronization with the movement of 80. Therefore, the cleaner unit 30 fixed to the intermediate transfer unit 13
Then, the waste toner bottle 40 held by the waste toner bottle holding member 70 can move together while being connected.

With the above-described structure, the weight of the waste toner bottle 40, which is increased when the waste toner 90 is accumulated in the waste toner bottle 40, can be supported by the waste toner bottle holding member 70. Yes, the cleaner unit 30
An unnecessary external force is applied to the discharge port δ of the waste toner carrying screw 35 so that the waste toner carrying screw 35 is bent and a noise is generated, or a driving torque is increased.

Further, the same is applied to the contact and separation operation of the intermediate body transfer unit 13 so that an unnecessary external force is not applied to the connecting portion between the cleaner unit 30 and the waste toner bottle 40. Further, the waste toner bottle holding member 70 is provided with a full tank detection sensor 71 for detecting the full state of the waste toner bottle 40.

As described above, since the waste toner bottle 40 is configured to move in synchronization with the cleaner unit 30, the cleaner unit 30 can be directly connected to the waste toner bottle 40 without a connecting member, The number of parts is reduced and the configuration can be simplified. Furthermore, since the connecting portion can be fitted, the sealing performance can be improved without using a separate sealing member. Further, as the waste toner bottle 40 moves up and down, the accumulated waste toner 90 is vibrated, the packing density of the waste toner 90 increases, and the waste toner 90 is collected to the full capacity of the waste toner bottle 40. You can

The full tank detection sensor 71 is a light transmission type sensor, and a light emitting portion 71a and a light receiving portion 71b are arranged on both sides below the waste toner intake γ. The waste toner bottle 40 includes the light emitting portion 71a and the light receiving portion 71b.
The part on the optical axis that connects the two is formed of a transparent member and can transmit the sensor light. When the collected waste toner 90 is accumulated in the waste toner bottle 40 and the sensor light of the waste toner full detection sensor 71 is blocked as shown in FIG. 12, a warning to replace the waste toner bottle 40 is issued. It is a mechanism to issue.

[Attachment / Detachment of Waste Toner Bottle] As shown in FIG. 13, the waste toner 90 collected from the waste toner inlet γ does not easily spill into the waste toner bottle 40 when removed from the main body. A shutter 73 for performing the operation is provided.

A seal member 74 is attached to the shutter 73, and the waste toner intake γ is completely sealed while the shutter 73 is biased by the spring 75 toward the waste toner intake γ. It is configured to. Then, as shown in FIG. 3, the shutter 73 is connected to the cleaner unit 30.
When the waste toner discharge port δ is inserted into the waste toner intake port γ, the waste toner discharge port δ is pushed and opened along a guide arranged in the waste toner bottle 40.

Further, as shown in FIGS. 14 and 15, the waste toner 90 scraped off by the cleaning blade 31 is scattered or leaked to the outside of the cleaner unit 30 in the cleaner unit 30. In order to prevent the above, and to surely collect in the cleaner container 34, it is located in the vicinity of both ends of the cleaning blade 31, the cleaner container
An end seal for closing the gap between 34 and the intermediate transfer member 18.
37 are arranged.

The end seal 37 is made of an elastic material such as sponge. The end seal 37 in the present embodiment
Uses a PTFE fiber pile bonded onto moltoprene. Further, a squeeze sheet 38 is arranged in the cleaner container 34 so as to be in parallel with the cleaning blade 31 and to come into contact with the intermediate transfer member 18 upstream of the contact position of the cleaning blade 31. still,
The squi sheet 38 is attached to a sheet metal 39 with a double-sided tape, and the sheet metal 39 is attached to the cleaner container 34 with a double-sided tape.

[Opening Seal Structure of Cleaner Unit] Next, the sealing structure of the opening of the cleaner unit 30 will be described. As shown in FIG. 16, the cleaning blade
The flexible resin sheet 95 (a PET sheet is used in the present embodiment) serving as a toner leakage preventing means so as to contact the cleaner container 34 so as to close the opening 94 between the screw 31 and the screw 35. By arranging them, it is possible to prevent the waste toner 90 accumulated in the cleaner unit 30 from leaking out of the cleaner unit 30, as shown by the arrow in FIG.

Further, the cleaning blade 31 is configured to rotate about the swing shaft 32 as a center of rotation,
The flexible resin sheet 95 is attached to a member that rotates integrally with the cleaning blade 31. for that reason,
As shown in FIG. 17, the cleaning blade 31 moves to a state of contacting the intermediate transfer member 18 and a non-contact state shown in FIG. 16, respectively. The tip of the resin sheet 95 contacts the inner wall of the cleaner container 34 to completely close the opening 94, and in the contact state, a gap is formed between the cleaner container 34 and the flexible resin sheet 95, and the waste The toner 90 can be collected via the screw 35.

Further, as shown in FIG. 18, by simply disposing the flexible resin sheet 95 between the cleaning blade 31 and the screw 35, the toner scraped off by the cleaning blade 31 can be removed. It may accumulate between the flexible resin sheet 95 and the cleaner container 34, and may not reach the screw 35. When that happens,
There is a possibility that the waste toner 90 cannot be completely collected and leaks out of the cleaner unit 30.

Therefore, in this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 17, when the cleaning blade 31 is in contact with the intermediate transfer member 18, that is, when the transfer residual toner is scraped off, the flexible resin The seat 95 is arranged so that the tip of the seat 95 contacts the rotating screw 35.

With this structure, the rotation of the screw 35 causes the flexible resin sheet 95 to vibrate,
It is possible to prevent the waste toner 90 from adhering to or accumulating on the flexible resin sheet 95.

In the present embodiment, the tip of the flexible resin sheet 95 is applied to the fin of the screw 35 by a non-counter contact with the tip of the flexible resin sheet 95 with respect to the rotation direction of the screw 35. Does not get caught.

The thickness of the flexible resin sheet 95 used in this embodiment is preferably 50 μm to 100 μm. If the thickness is less than the above thickness, the stiffness is weak and thus the leakage of the waste toner 90 cannot be prevented, or a jig or the like is required to cause waviness or bending when sticking. If it is too thick, vibration will not be transmitted.

Further, as shown in FIG. 19, by slitting the flexible resin sheet 95, it is possible to more effectively apply vibration to the flexible resin sheet 95. At this time, it is desirable to form slits having a pitch d (d <D) smaller than the fin pitch D of the screw 35. When the pitch of the slits is d <D, the flexible resin sheet 95
As shown in FIGS. 20 (a) and 20 (b), the waste toner 90 is reliably collected in the cleaner container 34 because it is repeatedly pressed and bent by the fins of the screw 35 and becomes free. be able to.

As described above, by arranging the flexible resin sheet 95 inside the cleaning blade 31 and abutting the tip of the flexible resin sheet 95 on the toner conveying screw 35, the inside of the cleaner unit 30 can be simplified with no increase in cost. It is possible to prevent the toner from leaking and scattering.

Although the image forming apparatus using the intermediate transfer belt as the intermediate transfer member 18 has been described as an example of the configuration described in the above embodiment, the present invention is not limited to this, and an image using a photosensitive belt or a transfer belt is used. The configuration is similarly effective for the forming device.

In the above-described embodiment, the intermediate transfer member is used.
Although the example in which the residual toner is removed and collected by the cleaner unit 30 is shown in FIG. 18, the cleaner unit according to the present invention may be configured to remove and collect the transfer residual toner remaining on the photosensitive drum as an image bearing member. Good.

[0085]

Since the present invention is constructed as described above,
Even when the cleaner unit is removed from the main body of the apparatus, it is possible to prevent toner leakage and the like.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a main cross-sectional view showing the outline of the overall configuration of an image forming apparatus.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the structure of a tension roller of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing the relationship between the cleaner unit of the present invention and a waste toner bottle.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a lift mechanism for moving an intermediate transfer member unit of the present invention up and down.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view showing the relationship between the intermediate transfer member unit and the cleaner unit of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing the relationship between the intermediate transfer body unit and the cleaner unit of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a side view showing a method for attaching and detaching the cleaner unit of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a side view showing a method for attaching and detaching the cleaner unit of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a side view showing a method for attaching and detaching the cleaner unit of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a top view showing a cleaner unit of the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a front view showing the shapes of the cleaner unit of the present invention and the waste toner intake portion of the waste toner bottle.

FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view showing a state where the waste toner bottle of the present invention is full of waste toner.

FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the waste toner bottle of the present invention is removed from the main body.

FIG. 14 is a sectional view showing the relationship between the cleaner unit and the intermediate transfer member unit of the present invention.

FIG. 15 is a top view showing the outer shape of the cleaner unit of the present invention.

FIG. 16 is a cross-sectional view showing the configuration of the cleaner unit according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 17 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the leakage prevention sheet is in contact with the screw when the cleaner unit of the present invention is positioned in the intermediate transfer body unit (contact state).

FIG. 18 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which waste toner is collected between the leakage prevention sheet and the container of the cleaner unit of the present invention.

FIG. 19 is a view showing the relationship between the screw of the present invention and the slit of the leak prevention sheet.

20A is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the cleaner unit is in contact with the screw and the tip of the cleaner unit is swinging, and FIG. 20B is a relationship between the screw and the leak preventer sheet of FIG. 20A. FIG.

FIG. 21 is a main cross-sectional view showing a conventional example.

FIG. 22 is a cross-sectional view showing a conventional cleaner unit.

[Explanation of symbols]

D: Fin pitch E ... Exposure position T1 ... Primary transfer part T2 ... Secondary transfer part d ... pitch α ... Contact position β: Separated position γ ... Waste toner intake δ ... Discharge port 1 ... Photosensitive drum 2 ... Transfer material 3 ... Container 3S ... Sleeve 4 ... Developer 4T ... toner container 5 ... Charging means 6 ... Scanner section 6a ... Polygon mirror 6b ... Imaging lens 7 ... Paper feed cassette 8 ... Paper feed roller 9 ... Feed roller 10 ... Retard roller 11… Paper feed guide 12… Registration roller pair 13 ... Intermediate transfer unit 14… Drive roller 15… Secondary transfer counter roller 16… Tension roller 16a ... axis 17, 17 '... Tensioner 18 ... Intermediate transfer member 19… Guide ribs 20, 20 '… Flange 21 ... Spring 22… Tension bearing 22a… Inner wall 22b ... End face 23… Frame 23b… Wall 24, 24 '... Boss 25… Oval hole 30… Cleaner unit 31… Cleaning blade 32… Oscillation axis 33… Blade holding plate 34… Cleaner container 35… screw 36 ... Pressure spring 37… Edge seal 38… Squishy sheet 39… Sheet metal 40… Waste toner bottle 41… Screw drive input section 42… Rotation prevention member 43, 43 '... Groove 44,44 '… Latch 45… Axis 46… Lever 50… Fixing section 51… Fixing roller 52… Pressure roller 53… Front and rear side plates 60… Secondary transfer roller 61… Conveyor roller pair 62, 63, 64 ... Ejection roller pair 65… Ejection tray 70… Waste toner bottle holding member 71… Full sensor 71a ... Light emitting part 71b ... Light receiving part 73 ... Shutter 74… Seal member 75… Spring 80… lever 81… Axis 82… Stay 83 ... cam 84… Axis 90… Waste toner 94 ... Opening 95… Flexible resin sheet

   ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continued front page    F-term (reference) 2H134 GA01 GA06 GB02 HD01 JA03                       JA08 JB01 JB04 KF06 KG04                       KG07 KG08 KH07 KH10                 2H200 GA23 GA44 GA47 GB12 HB12                       HB22 JA01 JC03 JC12 LB02                       LB09 LB13 LB17

Claims (9)

[Claims] 1. A cleaning unit, which is detachable from an image forming apparatus main body and removes and collects toner remaining on an image carrier, and cleaning means for removing toner remaining on the image carrier, And a screw for conveying the removed toner to the collecting unit, and a toner leakage preventing unit for preventing the collected toner from leaking from the opening when the toner is removed from the main body of the image forming apparatus. Cleaner unit. 2. The toner leakage prevention means moves to a position where a path for allowing the collected toner to reach the screw is opened during cleaning, and moves to a position where the path is closed during non-cleaning. The listed cleaner unit. 3. The cleaner unit according to claim 1, wherein the leak prevention unit is formed of a flexible resin sheet. 4. The cleaner unit according to claim 3, wherein the tip of the flexible resin sheet is in contact with the screw. 5. The cleaner unit according to claim 3, wherein the flexible resin sheet has a slit. 6. The cleaner unit according to claim 5, wherein the distance d between the slits is d <D, where D is the fin pitch of the screw. 7. The cleaner unit according to claim 3, wherein the arrangement position of the flexible resin sheet changes depending on whether the flexible resin sheet is set in the main body of the image forming apparatus or not. 8. The cleaner unit according to claim 1, wherein the cleaning unit is a cleaning blade. 9. A cleaner having a cleaning means for transferring the toner image formed on the image carrier to a transfer material and removing the toner remaining on the image carrier after the transfer, and a screw for conveying the removed toner to a collecting section. An image forming apparatus that removes and collects by a unit, wherein the cleaner unit according to any one of claims 1 to 9 is used as the cleaner unit.