JP2005352220A - Image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent developer from being leaked from a bonding part between a developer discharging part and a developer receiving part. <P>SOLUTION: The image forming apparatus includes an image forming cartridge equipped with an image carrier and a cleaning part, a developer recovery part in which the discharged developer is stored, a body cover and a recovery part cover 30. It includes the developer discharging part for discharging the removed developer to the outside of the image forming cartridge, a shutter 24 for shuttering the opening of the developer discharging part, the developer receiving part formed in the developer recovery part and abutting on or fit in the developer discharging part, a shuttering detection part for detecting the shuttering state of the body cover or the recovery part cover 30, and a shutter driving part for shuttering the shutter 24 based on a shuttering detection signal. Thus, the developer discharging part is not exposed when the image forming cartridge or the developer recovery part is removed from an apparatus body or printing operation is performed. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in an electrophotographic image forming apparatus such as a printer, a facsimile machine, and a copying machine, a process cartridge is detachably disposed, and an exposure device and a transfer roller are disposed to face the process cartridge. Each process cartridge is provided with a photosensitive drum, and a charging roller, a developing device, and a cleaning device are provided around the photosensitive drum. A toner cartridge is detachably disposed with respect to the process cartridge.

  In the image forming apparatus having the above configuration, when the photosensitive drum is rotated, the charging roller uniformly and uniformly charges the surface of the photosensitive drum, and the exposure device irradiates the surface of the photosensitive drum. To form an electrostatic latent image. Subsequently, the developing device develops the electrostatic latent image to form a toner image. For this purpose, toner as a developer dropped from the toner cartridge is supplied to the developing device. The transfer roller transfers the toner image onto the paper supplied from the paper cassette.

  Incidentally, although toner remains on the surface of the photosensitive drum after the toner image is transferred, the cleaning device scrapes and removes the remaining toner. The removed toner is discharged by the developer discharge portion of the process cartridge.

  In addition, in order to collect the toner discharged by the developer discharge portion, a toner recovery tank is formed in the toner cartridge, and a developer receiving portion and the developer discharge portion formed in the toner recovery tank are provided. Connected. Note that a joint portion is constituted by the developer receiving portion and the developer discharging portion.

  FIG. 2 is a view showing an example of a conventional developer discharge portion, FIG. 3 is a view showing an example of a conventional developer receiving portion, and FIG. 4 is a view showing a state of a conventional joint portion.

  In the figure, reference numeral 101 denotes a developer discharge portion, and a shutter 102 is provided to prevent the toner from leaking into the developer discharge portion 101. The shutter 102 is attached to the front end (right end in the figure) of the rod 103, and is urged forward (rightward in the figure) by a spring 104 to be selectively opened and closed.

  Reference numeral 106 denotes a developer receiving portion. The developer receiving portion 106 includes a shutter 108 that selectively opens and closes the opening 107. A protrusion 109 is formed in the developer receiving portion 106 toward the opening 107.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the shutter 108 is opened, the developer discharge unit 101 is moved forward (moved in the right direction in the figure), and is fitted into the opening 107 so as to fit the developer receiving unit 106 and the developer. As the discharge part 101 is connected, the shutter 102 is pushed against the urging force of the spring 104 by the protrusion 109 and opened (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

  Next, another conventional joint will be described.

  5 is a first view showing the state of another conventional joint, FIG. 6 is a second view showing the state of another conventional joint, and FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing the state of another conventional joint. FIG.

In the figure, reference numeral 111 denotes a developer discharge portion, 112 denotes a toner collection tank, 113 denotes a developer receiving portion formed in the toner collection tank 112, and 115 denotes a front end portion (left end portion in the figure) of the developer discharge portion 111. The first shutter 116 slidably disposed at the lower end of the first shutter 116, the second shutter 116 slidably disposed at the front end of the developer discharge portion 111, and the developer receiving portion 113 117. A third shutter 118, which is swingably arranged, 118 is a spring that biases the first shutter 115 in the closing direction, and 131 is a spiral that conveys the toner in the developer discharge unit 111. As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, when the developer discharging portion 111 is moved forward (moved leftward in the figure) and is inserted into the opening 119 of the developer receiving portion 113, the third shutter 117. Is pushed by the developer discharge portion 111, and the first shutter 115 is pushed against the urging force of the spring 118 by the toner collecting tank 112 and opened. Then, the second shutter 116 is rotated and opened (see, for example, Patent Document 2).
Japanese Patent Publication No. 63-10424 JP-A-5-319539

  However, in the conventional image forming apparatus, in the case of the joining portion shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, the shutter 102 is pushed by the projection 109 when joining the developer discharging portion 101 and the developer receiving portion 106. Therefore, when the developer discharge unit 101 and the developer receiving unit 106 overlap to some extent and are not completely joined, the shutter 102 is opened to some extent. Therefore, the toner leaks from the joint portion, and the process cartridge is contaminated with the toner.

  5-7, if the operator accidentally presses the first shutter 115, the second shutter 116 opens, the toner leaks, and the process cartridge becomes dirty with the toner. End up.

  The present invention solves the problems of the conventional image forming apparatus, and provides an image forming apparatus capable of preventing the developer from leaking from the joint portion between the developer discharge portion and the developer receiving portion. With the goal.

  Therefore, in the image forming apparatus according to the present invention, the image bearing member, the image forming cartridge including the cleaning unit that removes the developer from the image bearing member, and the development containing the developer discharged from the image forming cartridge. The present invention is applied to an image forming apparatus having an agent recovery part, a main body cover for attaching / detaching the image forming cartridge to / from the apparatus main body, and a recovery part cover for attaching / detaching the developer recovery part to / from the apparatus main body.

  A developer discharging section for discharging the developer removed by the cleaning section to the outside of the image forming cartridge; a shutter for opening and closing an opening of the developer discharging section; and a developer collecting section. A developer receiving unit that contacts or fits with the developer discharge unit, an open / close detection unit that detects an open / closed state of the main body cover or the recovery unit cover, and an open / close detection signal from the open / close detection unit A shutter drive unit that opens and closes the shutter.

  According to the present invention, in an image forming apparatus, an image carrier that includes an image carrier, a cleaning unit that removes the developer from the image carrier, and a developer that stores the developer discharged from the image cartridge. The present invention is applied to an image forming apparatus having an agent recovery part, a main body cover for attaching / detaching the image forming cartridge to / from the apparatus main body, and a recovery part cover for attaching / detaching the developer recovery part to / from the apparatus main body.

  A developer discharging section for discharging the developer removed by the cleaning section to the outside of the image forming cartridge; a shutter for opening and closing an opening of the developer discharging section; and a developer collecting section. A developer receiving unit that contacts or fits with the developer discharge unit, an open / close detection unit that detects an open / closed state of the main body cover or the recovery unit cover, and an open / close detection signal from the open / close detection unit. A shutter drive unit that opens and closes the shutter.

  In this case, since the shutter is opened and closed with the developer discharging portion and the developer receiving portion being in contact with each other or fitted, the image forming cartridge or the developer collecting portion can be attached to and detached from the apparatus main body, or the printing operation can be performed. The developer discharge portion is not exposed when the operation is performed. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the developer from leaking from the joint portion between the developer discharge portion and the developer receiving portion, and it is possible to prevent the image forming cartridge from being stained with the developer.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In this case, a printer as an image forming apparatus will be described.

  FIG. 1 is a plan view of a process cartridge according to the first embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 8 is a sectional view of a printer according to the first embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 9 is a diagram according to the first embodiment of the present invention. It is a top view which shows the principal part of a process cartridge.

  In the figure, reference numeral 11 denotes a printer. The printer 11 is attached to a main body of the printer 11, that is, a process cartridge 12 as an image forming cartridge which is detachably disposed on the apparatus main body, the process cartridge 12 and the apparatus main body. A toner collecting unit 13 as a developer collecting unit, an exposure device 14, a transfer roller 15 as a transfer device, and a process cartridge 12 that are detachably disposed on the apparatus main body are swingable to be detachable from the apparatus main body. A main body cover 16 as a first opening / closing member and a toner collection portion 13 as a second opening / closing member which are swingably disposed to attach / detach the toner recovery portion 13 to / from the process cartridge 12 and the apparatus main body. A cover 30 and a fixing device 40 are included.

  The process cartridge 12 is exposed by the photosensitive drum 17 as an image carrier, a charging roller 18 as a charging device for charging the surface of the photosensitive drum 17, and the exposure device 14 to be exposed on the photosensitive drum 17. The formed electrostatic latent image is developed by attaching toner as a developer to form a toner image as a developer image, and the transfer roller 15 on a sheet (not shown) as a medium. After the toner image is transferred, the cleaning unit 20 removes the toner remaining on the photosensitive drum 17. The developing device 19 includes a developing roller 19a, a toner supply roller 19b, a developing blade 19c disposed in contact with the developing roller 19a, and the like.

  The cleaning unit 20 is made of urethane rubber, and is made of a cleaning blade 21 that removes toner remaining on the photosensitive drum 17 after the transfer process, a resin or a metal wire, and the toner removed by the cleaning blade 21 is removed from the process cartridge 12. A spiral 22 as a developer conveying member that is conveyed to one end of the toner, a toner discharging portion 23 as a developer discharging portion that discharges the toner conveyed by the spiral 22 to the outside of the process cartridge 12, and the toner discharging portion. The shutter 24 opens and closes the opening 23.

  The shutter 24 includes an opening 24a corresponding to the opening 23a of the toner discharge portion 23, and drives a solenoid 25 as a shutter driving portion disposed outside the process cartridge 12, as shown in FIG. Is pushed to the open position, the openings 23a and 24a are opened in unison, and the drive of the solenoid 25 is stopped as shown in FIG. Due to the biasing force of the spring as a member, it is placed in the closed position, and the openings 23a and 24a are not aligned and closed. In the present embodiment, the solenoid 25 is disposed outside the process cartridge 12, but may be disposed within the process cartridge 12.

  The toner collecting unit 13 includes a toner receiving unit 26 and a toner tank 27 as a developer receiving unit that abuts on the toner discharge unit 23, and the toner received by the toner receiving unit 26 is directly or by a conveying member (not shown). The toner is stored in the toner tank 27 and collected. When the toner receiving portion 26 is in contact with the toner discharging portion 23, the toner receiving portion 26 is completely disposed around the opening of the shutter 24 and the toner discharging portion 23 regardless of whether the shutter 24 is placed in the open position or the closed position. The size and shape can be covered.

  Opening / closing as a first opening / closing detection unit that is turned on / off as the body cover 16 is opened / closed at a predetermined position on the inner peripheral edge of the opening 11a that is selectively opened by swinging the body cover 16. The detection switch 28 is turned on / off in accordance with the swinging of the recovery unit cover 30 at a predetermined position on the inner peripheral edge of the opening 11 b that is selectively opened by swinging the recovery unit cover 30. An open / close detection switch 31 as a second open / close detection unit is provided, and the open / close state of the main body cover 16 and the collection unit cover 30 is detected by the open / close detection switches 28 and 31, respectively. The solenoid 25 is driven based on an open / close detection signal representing the sensor output of each open / close detection switch 28, 31.

  In the case of the printer 11 having a structure in which both the process cartridge 12 and the toner recovery unit 13 can be attached and detached when the main body cover 16 is rotated to open the opening 11a, The collection unit cover 30 and the open / close detection switch 31 are not necessary.

  Next, the operation of the shutter 24 when the process cartridge 12 is mounted on the apparatus main body will be described.

  First, the main body cover 16 is opened, and the process cartridge 12 is mounted at a predetermined position in the printer 11. Along with this, the toner discharge portion 23 and the toner receiving portion 26 are completely brought into contact with each other. In this state, when the main body cover 16 is closed, the open / close detection switch 28 is turned on, the solenoid 25 is driven, the shutter 24 is pushed, and is placed at the open position. Therefore, the shutter 24 is opened and the toner is discharged.

  Next, the operation of the shutter 24 when removing the process cartridge 12 from the apparatus main body will be described.

  First, when the main body cover 16 is opened, the open / close detection switch 28 is turned off, the drive of the solenoid 25 is stopped, and the shutter 24 is placed in the closed position by the biasing force of the spring. Therefore, the shutter 24 is closed and toner cannot be discharged. As a result, the process cartridge 12 can be removed from the apparatus main body.

  Similarly, when the collection unit cover 30 is opened and the toner collection unit 13 is attached or detached, the shutter 24 is opened and closed based on the on / off state of the open / close detection switch 31.

  That is, when the toner recovery unit 13 is mounted on the apparatus main body, first, the recovery unit cover 30 is opened, and the toner recovery unit 13 is mounted at a predetermined position in the printer 11. As a result, the toner discharge portion 23 and the toner receiving portion 26 are completely brought into contact with each other. In this state, when the recovery unit cover 30 is closed, the open / close detection switch 31 is turned on, the solenoid 25 is driven, the shutter 24 is pushed, and the open position is set. Therefore, the shutter 24 is opened and the toner is discharged.

  When removing the toner recovery unit 13 from the apparatus main body, first, when the recovery unit cover 30 is opened, the open / close detection switch 31 is turned off, the drive of the solenoid 25 is stopped, and the shutter 24 is biased by the spring. Placed in the closed position. Therefore, the shutter 24 is closed and toner cannot be discharged. As a result, the toner recovery unit 13 can be removed from the apparatus main body.

  As described above, since the shutter 24 is opened and closed while the toner discharging portion 23 and the toner receiving portion 26 are in contact with each other, the process cartridge 12 or the toner collecting portion 13 is attached to and detached from the apparatus main body, or a printing operation is performed. The toner discharge portion 23 is not exposed. Therefore, the toner can be prevented from leaking from the joint portion between the toner discharge portion 23 and the toner receiving portion 26, and the process cartridge 12 can be prevented from being contaminated with the toner.

  By the way, the photosensitive drum 17 is rotated by driving a motor 29 as a driving unit. For this purpose, the gear g1 attached to the output shaft of the motor 29 and the gear g2 attached to one end of the photosensitive drum 17 are engaged with each other. In addition, the spiral 22 is rotated by driving a motor 29 in the same manner as the photosensitive drum 17. For this purpose, the gear g2 and the gear g3 attached to one end of the spiral 22 are meshed with each other. The solenoid 25 is driven only when the motor 29 is driven.

  Accordingly, when the motor 29 is driven with the process cartridge 12 mounted on the apparatus main body, the photosensitive drum 17 and the spiral 22 are operated and rotated, and the solenoid 25 is driven and the shutter 24 is opened. . On the other hand, when the driving of the motor 29 is stopped, the rotation of the photosensitive drum 17 and the spiral 22 is stopped, the driving of the solenoid 25 is stopped, and the shutter 24 is closed.

  In this case, since the spiral 22 is rotated and the shutter 24 is opened only when the toner is discharged, for example, the toner discharge unit 23 and the toner reception are assumed under severe conditions that receive vibration. Even when a gap is formed between the portion 26 and the portion 26, the toner leakage can be minimized.

  Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. In addition, about the thing which has the same structure as 1st Embodiment, the description is abbreviate | omitted by providing the same code | symbol, and the effect of the invention by having the same structure uses the effect of the same embodiment.

  FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view of the printer according to the second embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating a state in which the second shutter according to the second embodiment of the present invention is closed, and FIG. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a state in which the second shutter in the second embodiment is opened, FIG. 13 is a plan view of a process cartridge in the second embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 14 is a second embodiment of the present invention. It is a top view which shows the principal part of the process cartridge in a form.

  In this case, the first shutter 32 is disposed inside the toner discharge portion 23 as the developer discharge portion, and the second shutter 33 is disposed outside, and the first and second shutters 32 and 33 constitute an opening / closing device. Is done. Further, when a projection 34 is formed on the main body cover 16 as an opening / closing member toward the inside of the printer 11, the first shutter 32 is pushed and opened by the projection 34, and the pressing force from the projection 34 disappears. It is closed by the biasing force of the spring as the first biasing member that is not performed.

  Then, as shown in FIG. 12, the second shutter 33 is pushed by a toner receiving portion 26 as a developer receiving portion, so that the second shutter 33 is placed outside the contact portion between the toner discharging portion 23 and the toner receiving portion 26. When the toner discharge portion 23 and the toner receiving portion 26 are separated as shown in FIG. 11, they are attached to a spring as a second urging member (not shown). It is placed in the closed position by force and closed. The first and second shutters 32 and 33 have a structure that is not interlocked with each other.

  Next, the operation of the first and second shutters 32 and 33 when the process cartridge 12 as an image forming cartridge is attached to and detached from the apparatus main body will be described.

  FIG. 15 is a time chart showing the operation of the first and second shutters when the process cartridge according to the second embodiment of the present invention is attached to and detached from the apparatus main body.

  When the process cartridge 12 (FIG. 10) is not attached to the apparatus main body, the first and second shutters 32 and 33 are placed in the closed positions. When the process cartridge 12 is mounted on the apparatus main body, the toner discharge unit 23 and the toner receiving unit 26 approach each other, and the second shutter 33 is pushed by the toner receiving unit 26 at the timing t1, so that the process cartridge 12 is set to a predetermined level. When mounted in the position, the toner discharge portion 23 and the toner receiving portion 26 come into contact with each other, and the second shutter 33 is placed in the open position. At this time, the first shutter 32 remains in the closed position.

  Next, when the main body cover 16 is closed, the first shutter 32 is pushed by the projection 34 at the timing t2 and placed at the opening position. At this time, the opening of the toner discharge portion 23 is opened, and the toner can be discharged.

  On the other hand, when the main body cover 16 is opened, the pressing force from the protrusion 34 disappears, and at the timing t3, the first shutter 32 is placed in the closed position by the biasing force of the spring. At this time, the opening of the toner discharge portion 23 is closed, and the toner cannot be discharged.

  Subsequently, as the process cartridge 12 is removed from the apparatus main body, the second shutter 33 is placed in the closed position at timing t4.

  The same operation is performed when the toner recovery unit 13 as the developer recovery unit is attached to or detached from the apparatus main body.

  As described above, in the present exemplary embodiment, in the toner discharge unit 23, the first shutter 32 is disposed on the inner side and the second shutter 33 is disposed on the outer side, and the process cartridge 12 or the toner recovery unit 13 is disposed in the apparatus main body. When mounting, the second and first shutters 33 and 32 are opened in this order, and when removing the process cartridge 12 or the toner collection unit 13 from the apparatus main body, the first and second shutters 32 and 33 are closed in this order. Therefore, it is possible to prevent toner as a developer from adhering to the second shutter 33.

  Therefore, since the first shutter 32 that is highly likely to be stained with toner can be covered with the second shutter 33, the appearance of the process cartridge 12 can be improved.

  In addition, since the first and second shutters 32 and 33 are not interlocked with each other, even if the operator opens the second shutter 33 by mistake, the first shutter 32 is not opened and the toner may leak. Absent.

  In each embodiment, the toner discharge portion 23 and the toner receiving portion 26 are brought into contact with each other. However, the toner receiving portion 26 can be fitted into the toner discharge portion 23.

  In addition, this invention is not limited to the said embodiment, It can change variously based on the meaning of this invention, and does not exclude them from the scope of the present invention.

It is a top view of the process cartridge in the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the example of the conventional developer discharge part. It is a figure which shows the example of the conventional developer receiving part. It is a figure which shows the state of the conventional junction part. It is a 1st figure which shows the state of the other conventional junction part. It is a 2nd figure which shows the state of the other conventional junction part. It is a perspective view which shows the state of the other conventional junction part. It is sectional drawing of the printer in the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a top view which shows the principal part of the process cartridge in the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is sectional drawing of the printer in the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the state in which the 2nd shutter in the 2nd Embodiment of this invention was closed. It is a figure which shows the state in which the 2nd shutter in the 2nd Embodiment of this invention was opened. It is a top view of the process cartridge in the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a top view which shows the principal part of the process cartridge in the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. 12 is a time chart showing the operation of the first and second shutters when the process cartridge according to the second embodiment of the present invention is attached to and detached from the apparatus main body.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11 Printer 12 Process cartridge 13 Toner collection part 16 Main body cover 17 Photoconductor drum 20 Cleaning part 22 Spiral 23 Toner discharge part 24 Shutter 25 Solenoid 26 Toner receiving part 28, 31 Opening / closing detection switch 29 Motor 30 Collection part cover 32, 33 1st , Second shutter

Claims (4)

An image bearing member, an image forming cartridge including a cleaning unit that removes the developer from the image bearing member, a developer collecting unit that accommodates the developer discharged from the image forming cartridge, and the image forming cartridge in the apparatus main body. In an image forming apparatus having a main body cover for attaching to and detaching from the apparatus main body, and a recovery part cover for attaching and detaching the developer recovery part to the apparatus main body
(A) a developer discharge section for discharging the developer removed by the cleaning section to the outside of the image forming cartridge;
(B) a shutter that opens and closes the opening of the developer discharge portion;
(C) a developer receiving portion that is formed in the developer collecting portion and contacts or fits with the developer discharging portion;
(D) an open / close detection unit for detecting an open / closed state of the main body cover or the recovery unit cover;
(E) An image forming apparatus comprising: a shutter drive unit that opens and closes the shutter based on an open / close detection signal from the open / close detection unit. In an image forming apparatus having an image carrier, an image forming cartridge including a cleaning unit that removes the developer from the image carrier, and a developer collecting unit that stores the developer discharged from the image forming cartridge.
(A) a developer discharge section for discharging the developer removed by the cleaning section to the outside of the image forming cartridge;
(B) a developer transport member that transports the developer removed from the image carrier to the developer discharge portion;
(C) a drive unit for operating the developer conveying member;
(D) a shutter that opens and closes an opening of the developer discharge section;
(E) a developer receiving portion formed in the developer collecting portion and contacting or fitting with the developer discharge portion;
(F) An image forming apparatus comprising: a shutter driving unit that opens the shutter when the driving unit is driven. In an image forming apparatus having an image carrier, an image forming cartridge including a cleaning unit that removes the developer from the image carrier, and a developer collecting unit that stores the developer discharged from the image forming cartridge.
(A) a developer discharge section for discharging the developer removed by the cleaning section to the outside of the image forming cartridge;
(B) an opening and closing device that opens and closes the opening of the developer discharge portion;
(C) having a developer receiving portion formed in the developer collecting portion and abutting or fitting with the developer discharging portion;
(D) The image forming apparatus, wherein the opening / closing device includes first and second shutters that are not interlocked with each other. (A) having a main body cover for attaching and detaching the image forming cartridge or the developer recovery unit to the apparatus main body;
(B) The first shutter is disposed inside the developer discharge portion, and the second shutter is disposed outside.
(C) When the image forming cartridge or the developer collecting unit is attached to the apparatus main body, the second and first shutters are opened in this order, and when the image forming cartridge or the developer collecting unit is removed from the apparatus main body. The image forming apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the first shutter and the second shutter are closed in this order.

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