JP2004240355A - Toner recycling mechanism - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To make a recycling container large in capacity and long in service life without making an image forming apparatus large in size by arranging the recycling container at a space other than a space dense with components in an image forming apparatus. <P>SOLUTION: The toner recycling mechanism is positioned on the downstream side of an intermediate transfer member 4 in the rotating direction, viewing from a transfer device 5 for transferring a toner image formed on the surface of the intermediate transfer member 4 capable of simultaneously carrying a plurality of toner images transferred from an image carrier 3a; and is provided with a cleaning member 6 for cleaning residual toner 12 left after a transfer process on the surface of the intermediate transfer member 4, the recycling container 2 where the toner 12 accumulates by free falling so as to be recycled, and a carrying device 1 for carrying the toner 12 cleaned by the cleaning member 6 to the recycling container 2. In the mechanism, the carrying device 1 is composed of a horizontal carrying part 1a for carrying the toner 12 cleaned by the cleaning member 6 in a horizontal direction, and an upper carrying part 1b for carrying the toner 12 carried by the horizontal carrying part 1a toward the inlet 2a of the recycling container 2. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO&NCIPI

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a toner collecting mechanism in an image forming apparatus using an electrophotographic method, such as a computer printer and a copying machine.
[0002]
[Prior art]
In an image forming apparatus using an electrophotographic method, an image is formed by electrostatically adsorbing a powdery toner. Among them, the method using an intermediate transfer member transfers a toner image from a developing device having an image carrier to an intermediate transfer member once, and further transfers the toner image from the intermediate transfer member to a transfer material such as paper or a plastic sheet. Thereby, an image is finally formed on the transfer material.
[0003]
Hereinafter, a conventional toner collecting mechanism in an image forming apparatus using an intermediate transfer member will be described with reference to FIGS.
[0004]
First, the configuration of a conventional toner collecting mechanism will be described. The developing device 3 includes an image carrier 3a that carries an electrostatic latent image, and the toner image 11 adheres to the surface of the image carrier 3a according to the electrostatic latent image. The image carrier 3a is disposed adjacent to the intermediate transfer member 4, and the image carrier 3a rotates in the direction of arrow A in FIG. 5, and the intermediate transfer member 4 rotates in the direction of arrow B in FIG. As viewed from the image carrier 3a, a transfer device 5 is arranged adjacent to the intermediate transfer member 4 in the rotation direction downstream of the intermediate transfer member 4, and rotates in the direction of arrow C in FIG. Between the developing device 3 and the transfer device 5, a cleaning member 6 such as a rubber blade is disposed in contact with the intermediate transfer member 4, and the transfer residual toner 12 attached to the surface of the intermediate transfer member 4 is removed. Scraping and cleaning of the surface of the intermediate transfer member 4 are performed. The collection container 2 for collecting the cleaned transfer residual toner 12 is provided near the cleaning member 6, and the transport device 1 is provided in a path between the cleaning member 6 and the collection container 2. As shown in FIG. 4, the transport device 1 includes a horizontal transport unit 1a that transports the toner 12 in the horizontal direction. A screw or the like is disposed immediately below the cleaning member 6 and rotated. The toner 12 is transported to the unit 2a.
[0005]
Next, the operation of the conventional toner collecting mechanism will be described. The toner image 11 formed on the surface of the image carrier 3a in the developing device 3 has a potential difference between the image carrier 3a and the intermediate transfer member 4 and a large or small difference in electrostatic attraction force. Transcribed to body 4. Thereafter, the intermediate transfer member 4 rotates in the direction of arrow B, and the toner image 11 transferred to the intermediate transfer member 4 is transported to a point of contact with the transfer device 5. Here, when a transfer material 10 such as paper or a plastic sheet is nipped and transported between the intermediate transfer body 4 and the transfer device 5, a potential difference is provided between the intermediate transfer body 4 and the transfer device 5 to cause electrostatic attraction. By providing a difference in force, the toner image 11 is transferred to the surface of the transfer material 10, and the toner image 11 is formed on the transfer material 10. At this time, the toner 11 forming an image on the surface of the intermediate transfer member 4 does not always have the same level of electrostatic attraction force, and the toner 11 is transferred from the intermediate transfer member 4 to the transfer material 10. At this time, there is a case where the transfer residual toner 12 is not transferred and is attracted to the intermediate transfer body 4 and remains. Since the intermediate transfer member 4 sequentially repeats the steps of transferring the image from the developing device 3 and transferring the image to the transfer material 10, the image transfer process between the transfer material 10 and the image transferring process from the developing device 3 is performed. In the meantime, it is necessary to remove the transfer residual toner 12 from the surface of the intermediate transfer member 4, and the cleaning member 6 scrapes the transfer residual toner 12 on the surface of the intermediate transfer member 4, so that the intermediate transfer member 4 is cleaned. . The scraped transfer residual toner 12 is sequentially conveyed horizontally to the entrance 2a by the horizontal conveyance unit 1a, and is accumulated in the collection container 2 by natural fall.
[0006]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
As described above, in the toner collecting mechanism of the conventional image forming apparatus, when the collecting container 2 is full of toner, it is necessary to replace the collecting container 2 itself or discharge the toner. In order to prevent the collection container 2 from becoming high, a large capacity and a long service life of the collection container 2 have been required.
[0007]
However, as described in the related art, since the collection container 2 is provided near the cleaning member 6, the collection container 2 does not interfere with components such as the cleaning member 6, the transfer device 5, or the traveling path of the transfer material 10. When considering a container, it is difficult to increase the capacity, and the increase in the capacity of the collection container can be expected only by a method of increasing the size of the image forming apparatus itself and securing a space.
[0008]
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to dispose the collecting container in a space other than the space where the components are densely arranged in the image forming apparatus, and increase the capacity of the collecting container without increasing the size of the image forming apparatus. And to extend the life of the collection container.
[0009]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
A typical configuration of the present invention for achieving the above object is to transfer a toner image formed on the surface of an intermediate transfer body capable of simultaneously carrying a plurality of toner images transferred from an image carrier to a transfer material. A cleaning member that is located on the downstream side in the rotation direction of the intermediate transfer member as viewed from the transfer device and cleans transfer residual toner on the surface of the intermediate transfer member, and a collection container in which the transfer residual toner is accumulated and collected by free fall. A transport device for transporting the transfer residual toner cleaned by the cleaning member to the recovery container, wherein the transport device transports the transfer residual toner cleaned by the cleaning member in a horizontal direction. And a second transport unit that transports the transfer residual toner transported by the first transport unit toward the upper part of the collection container.
[0010]
According to the above configuration, the collection container can be arranged in a separate space instead of a space where the components are densely packed in the image forming apparatus, without increasing the size of the image forming apparatus. The capacity of the collection container can be increased, and the life of the collection container can be extended.
[0011]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be illustratively described in detail with reference to the drawings. However, the dimensions, materials, shapes, relative arrangements, and the like of the components described in the following embodiments are to be appropriately changed depending on the configuration and various conditions of the apparatus to which the present invention is applied, and It is not intended to limit the scope of the invention to them only, unless specifically stated.
[0012]
[First Embodiment]
An embodiment of the present invention in an image forming apparatus using an intermediate transfer member will be described below with reference to FIGS.
[0013]
First, in the color image forming section, the latent images are developed by the laser exposures L1 to L4 irradiated from the exposure devices 16 to 19 to the developing devices 3, 13, 23, and 33 corresponding to the four color components of yellow, magenta, cyan, and black. Formed on the image carriers 3a, 13a, 23a, and 33a. In the present embodiment, the image carriers 3a, 13a, 23a, and 33a are electrophotographic photosensitive drums. The developing devices 3, 13, 23, and 33 are arranged so as to be substantially perpendicular to the image forming apparatus S as shown in FIG. The latent image is developed with developing means, that is, toner, on the image carriers 3a, 13a, 23a, and 33a by the developing means in the developing devices 3, 13, 23, and 33 to develop respective color component images. Then, toner images corresponding to a plurality of color component images formed on each color image carrier are sequentially superimposed and transferred, and a target full-color image is formed on the intermediate transfer member 4. The full-color image on the intermediate transfer member 4 is collectively transferred to a sheet P as a recording material in the transfer device 5, and an unfixed full-color image is obtained. Further, as shown in FIG. 2, the intermediate transfer member 4 is disposed so as to be substantially perpendicular to the image forming apparatus S.
[0014]
Next, the configuration of the toner collecting mechanism will be described. An image carrier 3a for carrying an electrostatic latent image is provided in the developing device 3 as an image forming unit, and the toner image 11 adheres to the surface of the image carrier 3a according to the electrostatic latent image. The image carrier 3a is arranged adjacent to the intermediate transfer member 4, and the image carrier 3a rotates in the direction of arrow A in FIG. 1 and the intermediate transfer member 4 rotates in the direction of arrow B in FIG. As viewed from the image carrier 3a, a transfer device 5 is disposed adjacent to the intermediate transfer member 4 in the rotation direction of the intermediate transfer member 4, and rotates in the direction of arrow C in FIG. Between the developing device 3 and the transfer device 5, a cleaning member 6 such as a rubber blade is disposed in contact with the intermediate transfer member 4, and the transfer residual toner 12 attached to the surface of the intermediate transfer member 4 is removed. Scraping and cleaning of the surface of the intermediate transfer member 4 are performed. The collecting container 2 constituting the toner collecting mechanism is provided on the side opposite to the developing device 3 when viewed from the intermediate transfer member 4, that is, in the space where the components are not densely arranged in the image forming apparatus shown in FIG. The capacity is secured. The transport device 1 that transports the transfer residual toner 12 scraped off by the cleaning member 6 to the collection container 2 includes a first transport unit that transports the toner 12 in the horizontal direction to the portion E by rotating members such as a screw and a coil spring. , And an upper transport section 1b as a second transport section that transports the toner 12 from the section E to the entrance section 2a located above the collection container 2. The upper transport section 1b is a belt provided with a plurality of protrusions on the outer peripheral side. When the motor 7 is driven, the upper transport section 1b rotates in the direction of arrow D in FIG. In conjunction with this, the horizontal transport section 1a rotates so as to transport the toner 12 to the E section.
[0015]
Next, the operation of the toner collecting mechanism will be described. The toner image 11 formed on the surface of the image carrier 3a in the developing device 3 is subjected to intermediate transfer by providing a potential difference between the image carrier 3a and the intermediate transfer body 4 and providing a large difference in electrostatic attraction force. Transcribed to body 4. Thereafter, the intermediate transfer member 4 rotates in the direction of arrow B, and the toner image 11 transferred to the intermediate transfer member 4 is transported to a contact point with the transfer device 5. Here, when the transfer material 10 is nipped and transported between the intermediate transfer body 4 and the transfer device 5, a potential difference is provided between the intermediate transfer body 4 and the transfer device 5, and a difference in magnitude between the electrostatic attraction force is set. With the provision, the toner image 11 is transferred to the surface of the transfer material 10, and the toner image 11 is formed on the transfer material 10. At this time, the toner 11 forming an image on the surface of the intermediate transfer member 4 does not always have the same level of electrostatic attraction force, and the toner 11 is transferred from the intermediate transfer member 4 to the transfer material 10. At this time, there is a case where the transfer residual toner 12 is not transferred and is attracted to the intermediate transfer body 4 and remains. Since the intermediate transfer member 4 sequentially repeats the steps of transferring the image from the developing device 3 and transferring the image to the transfer material 10, the image transfer process between the transfer material 10 and the image transferring process from the developing device 3 is performed. In the meantime, the transfer residual toner 12 needs to be removed from the surface of the intermediate transfer member 4, and the cleaning member 6 wipes off the toner 12 on the surface of the intermediate transfer member 4 to clean the intermediate transfer member 4. Note that the cleaning member 6 is provided at a position below the intermediate transfer body 4 and moves in the direction of arrow B. Therefore, the toner scraped off by the cleaning member 6 falls under its own weight and is stored in the collection container 2. Then, the toner 12 scraped off by the cleaning member 6 is conveyed in the horizontal direction to the portion E by the thrust generated by the rotation of the horizontal conveying portion 1a. Thereafter, in the upper transport section 1b rotating in the direction of arrow D in FIG. 2 in conjunction with the horizontal transport section 1a, a plurality of projections provided on the outer peripheral side sequentially pump up the toner 12 transported to the E section. Thus, since the toner 12 is transported to the entrance 2 a disposed above the collection container 2, the toner 12 can be efficiently accumulated and collected in the entire collection container 2 by free fall.
[0016]
Here, the transport amount of the toner 12 per unit time determined by the number, height, and width of the projections on the belt used for the upper transport unit 1b is determined by a unit determined by the wire diameter and the pitch of the screw and the coil spring used for the horizontal transport unit 1a. If the amount of toner 12 transported per unit time is set to be larger than that, the toner 12 can be transported to the collection container 2 without being clogged in an intermediate route such as a portion E. In addition, since an elastic body is used for the upper transport section 1b, an initial tension can be applied with a simple configuration that does not require a tension roller or the like.
[0017]
As described above, according to the present embodiment, in the toner collection mechanism of the image forming apparatus, the transport device 1 that transports the toner 12 scraped off by the cleaning member 6 to the collection container 2 is provided with the upper transport portion 1b. In the image forming apparatus, it is possible to transport the toner to the large-capacity collection container 2 installed on the opposite side of the developing device 3 with the intermediate transfer member 4 therebetween, avoiding the space where the components are densely arranged. The upper transport section 1b is provided at an end outside the intermediate transfer member 4 in the width direction of the image forming apparatus S (the axial direction of the image bearing member 3a). As a result, the life of the collection container can be extended without increasing the size of the image forming apparatus, and the collection container can be changed less frequently, thereby improving usability.
[0018]
[Other embodiments]
In the above-described embodiment, four developing devices each having an image carrier are used as the image forming unit. However, the number of used devices is not limited, and may be appropriately set as needed.
[0019]
In the above-described embodiment, a printer is exemplified as an image forming apparatus. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, another image forming apparatus such as a copying machine or a facsimile apparatus, or a function thereof. Another image forming apparatus such as a multifunction machine combining the above, or an image forming apparatus that uses a transfer material carrier and transfers toner images of each color sequentially on a transfer material carried on the transfer material carrier. The same effect can be obtained by applying the present invention to the toner collecting mechanism in the image forming apparatus.
[0020]
Although various embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the spirit and scope of the present invention are not limited to the specific description and drawings in this specification, but rather include the following claims. It will be understood that the scope covers various modifications and changes, all mentioned in the scope. Hereinafter, examples of embodiments of the present invention will be listed.
[0021]
[Embodiment 1]
A plurality of toner images transferred from the image carrier can be simultaneously held. The toner image formed on the surface of the intermediate transfer body is transferred to a transfer material. A cleaning member for cleaning the transfer residual toner on the surface of the intermediate transfer member; a collection container for collecting and collecting the transfer residual toner by free fall; and a transfer container for transferring the transfer residual toner cleaned by the cleaning member to the collection container. A first transport unit that transports the transfer residual toner cleaned by the cleaning member in a horizontal direction, and a transfer residual toner that has been transported by the first transport unit. And a second transport unit that transports the toner toward the upper part of the recovery container.
[0022]
[Embodiment 2]
The toner collection mechanism according to claim 1, wherein the amount of toner transported per unit time of the upper transport unit is larger than the amount of toner transported per unit time of the horizontal transport unit.
[0023]
[Embodiment 3]
3. The toner recovery mechanism according to claim 1, wherein an endless belt having a plurality of protrusions on an outer peripheral side is used for the upper transport unit.
[0024]
[Embodiment 4]
The toner collection mechanism according to claim 3, wherein the endless belt is an elastic body.
[0025]
[Embodiment 5]
The toner recovery mechanism according to any one of embodiments 1 to 4, wherein the horizontal transport unit and the upper transport unit are driven to rotate in conjunction with each other.
[0026]
[Embodiment 6]
The toner collection mechanism according to any one of embodiments 1 to 5, wherein the collection container is disposed on a side facing the image forming unit via the intermediate transfer member.
[0027]
[Embodiment 7]
There are a plurality of image forming units for forming a toner image on the image carrier, and in order to collectively transfer the toner images formed on the image carrier to the transfer material in the plurality of image forming units, adjacent to the image carrier, An image forming apparatus comprising: an intermediate transfer member capable of simultaneously supporting a plurality of toner images transferred from the image bearing member; and a transfer device configured to transfer a toner image formed on the surface of the intermediate transfer member to a transfer material. A cleaning member that is located on the downstream side in the rotation direction of the intermediate transfer member as viewed from the transfer device, and that cleans the transfer residual toner on the surface of the intermediate transfer member; and that the transfer residual toner is accumulated and collected by free fall. A transfer device configured to transfer the transfer residual toner cleaned by the cleaning member to the collection container, the transfer device horizontally transferring the transfer residual toner cleaned by the cleaning member; And a second transport section that transports the transfer residual toner transported by the first transport section toward an upper portion of the collection container. Image forming device.
[0028]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the present invention, toner can be transported to a large-capacity collection container that is installed while avoiding a space where components are densely packed in an image forming apparatus. Therefore, the life of the collection container can be prolonged without increasing the size of the image forming apparatus, and the collection container can be replaced less frequently, and usability can be improved.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a front view showing a main part of a toner collecting mechanism according to the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a side view illustrating a main part of a toner collection mechanism and an image forming apparatus including the same according to the present invention.
FIG. 3 is a side view illustrating a part of a cleaning member and a transfer device.
FIG. 4 is a front view illustrating a main part of a toner collecting mechanism according to the related art.
FIG. 5 is a side view showing a main part of a conventional toner recovery mechanism and an image forming apparatus provided with the same.
[Explanation of symbols]
L1 to L4 Laser exposure P Sheet S Image forming apparatus 1 Transport apparatus 1a Horizontal transport section 1b Upper transport section 2 Collection container 2a Inlet sections 3, 13, 23, 33 Developing apparatuses 3a, 13a, 23a, 33a image carrier 4 intermediate transfer member 5 transfer device 6 cleaning member 7 motor 10 transfer material 11 toner image (toner)
12: Transfer residual toner (toner)
16-19 Exposure equipment

Claims (1)

A plurality of toner images transferred from the image carrier can be simultaneously held. The toner image formed on the surface of the intermediate transfer body is transferred to a transfer material. A cleaning member for cleaning the transfer residual toner on the surface of the intermediate transfer member; a collection container for collecting and collecting the transfer residual toner by free fall; and a transfer container for transferring the transfer residual toner cleaned by the cleaning member to the collection container. A toner collecting mechanism having a transport device that performs
A transport unit configured to transport the transfer residual toner cleaned by the cleaning member in a horizontal direction, and transport the transfer residual toner transported by the first transport unit toward an upper portion of the collection container; And a second transport unit.

Images