JP2006038989A - Image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To realize easy exchange of periodical replacement parts, inexpensive periodical replacement units, improved precisions for relative positions of periodical replacement parts, and simple detection of periodical replacement parts lifetimes. <P>SOLUTION: This image forming apparatus has an intermediate transfer belt 8 to carry the images to transfer to the transfer materials, a secondary transfer roller for transferring a toner image on the intermediate transfer belt 8 onto the transfer materials, an intermediate transfer means cleaning blade 11 to remove the toner remaining on the above intermediate transfer belt 8 after transferring, and a discarded toner container 14 to holds the toner removed by the above blade 11. Further, it has a replacement unit 25 which can be detached or attached to the main part of the image forming apparatus; and this replacement unit 25 includes the above intermediate transfer belt 8, the above secondary transfer roller 15, the above intermediate transfer component cleaning blade 11, and the above discarded toner container 14 all unitized together. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine or a printer having an exchangeable intermediate transfer member.

  In an electrophotographic full-color image forming apparatus, after a toner image is transferred from a photosensitive member to an intermediate transfer member, the toner image is superimposed on the intermediate transfer member, and then paper or the like is applied by a skew correction means such as a registration roller. The toner image on the intermediate transfer member is collectively transferred by the secondary transfer unit to the fed transfer material after correcting the skew of the transfer material leading end and aligning the leading end, and remains on the intermediate transfer member. Many image forming apparatuses that remove the removed toner with a cleaner such as a plate blade and transport the removed toner to a storage space such as a waste toner bottle have been put to practical use.

  In the image forming apparatus having the above-described configuration, when the life of the apparatus main body is long, it is necessary to periodically replace the intermediate transfer member, the cleaner, the waste toner bottle, and the secondary transfer member.

JP 2001-209295 A

  In the prior art, users or service technicians regularly replace the above-mentioned regular replacement parts. However, as described above, if there are multiple regular replacement parts, the life must be detected for each periodic replacement part. In addition, when the replacement timing (life) of each regular replacement part is different, there is a problem that the replacement becomes complicated.

  Further, when the intermediate transfer body cleaner or the waste toner bottle is replaced, the waste toner may be spilled. In order to prevent this problem, it has also been proposed to prevent the scattering of waste toner by providing a shutter or a valve at the opening of the intermediate transfer body cleaner or the waste toner bottle. On the other hand, problems such as operability of attachment / detachment, an increase in apparatus cost, and inaccuracy of the attachment position of the intermediate transfer body cleaner occur.

  In the prior art, the intermediate transfer member is a replaceable unit, while the secondary transfer member is attached to the image forming apparatus main body side, for example. In this case, there may be variations in the relative positions of the removable intermediate transfer member and the secondary transfer member on the apparatus main body side. The relative position of the removable intermediate transfer member and the secondary transfer member on the apparatus main body is an important element for transferring the toner image on the intermediate transfer member to the correct position on the transfer material, and is arranged with high accuracy. There is a need to.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and its purpose is to facilitate replacement of a periodic replacement part, to reduce the cost of a periodic replacement unit, to increase the accuracy of the relative position of the periodic replacement part, It is possible to simplify the life detection of replacement parts.

  In order to achieve the above object, a representative configuration of the present invention includes an intermediate transfer member that carries a toner image to be transferred to a transfer material, a transfer member that transfers the toner image on the intermediate transfer member to a transfer material, and a transfer member An image forming apparatus having a cleaning unit that removes toner remaining on the intermediate transfer member later and a waste toner container that stores toner removed by the cleaning unit, and is detachable from the main body of the image forming apparatus An exchange unit is provided, and the exchange unit integrally includes the intermediate transfer member, the transfer member, the cleaning unit, and the waste toner container.

  According to the present invention, the periodic replacement parts that require periodic replacement are integrated as a replacement unit that can be attached to and detached from the main body of the image forming apparatus, so that the periodic replacement parts can be easily replaced. In addition, the relative position of the regular replacement parts can be improved. Also, by integrating regular replacement parts as a replacement unit, for example, the durability of regular replacement parts can be matched to the parts that are most likely to deteriorate, so the life detection of periodic replacement parts is simplified and the cost of replacement units is reduced. Is possible.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail.

[First Embodiment]
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a tandem color image forming apparatus which is an electrophotographic color image forming apparatus.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the color image forming apparatus forms an electrostatic latent image on the electrophotographic photosensitive member 2 of each image forming unit based on the image input data in the image forming portion. The single color toner is developed to form a single color toner image, the single color toner image is superimposed on the intermediate transfer body 8 to form a multiple toner image, and the multiple toner image is collectively transferred to a transfer material 20 such as paper, and transferred. The multiple toner image on the material is fixed by the fixing device 21.

  In each color image forming unit, photosensitive drums 2a, 2b, 2c, and 2d as electrophotographic photosensitive members (first image carriers) are arranged in a row.

  Around each photosensitive drum 2a, 2b, 2c, 2d, charging rollers 7a, 7b, 7c, 7d as primary charging means, exposure devices 1a, 1b, 1c, 1d, and developing device 3a constituting developing means. , 3b, 3c, 3d and photosensitive drum cleaning blades 5a, 5b, 5c, 5d. Each developing device accommodates toner cartridges 6a, 6b, 6c and 6d for each color.

  Each color photoconductor drum 2a, 2b, 2c, 2d is an organic photoconductor in the present embodiment and has an OPC photosensitive layer on an aluminum drum base (not shown). Driven at process speed.

  Below the respective color photosensitive drums 2a, 2b, 2c, and 2d, the primary transfer nip portions 13a, 13b, 13c, and 13d are endless intermediate transfer members constituting an intermediate transfer member (second image carrier). It is in contact with the primary transfer rollers 4a, 4b, 4c and 4d via the belt 8. The intermediate transfer belt 8 is stretched by a driving roller 10 and a tension roller 9 which are rotating bodies. The intermediate transfer belt 8 is driven by a driving roller 10 which also functions as a secondary transfer counter roller and an intermediate transfer member cleaner counter member. Rotated in the direction.

  The transfer material 20 separated and fed from the feeding cassette is abutted against the nip portion between the stopped registration roller 18 and the registration counter roller 17 constituting the skew feeding correcting means, and a loop is formed by the stiffness of the transfer material 20. By doing so, the skew of the front end of the transfer material is corrected. Then, the timing is determined by the signal from the registration sensor 16, whereby power is transmitted to the registration roller 18 via a registration clutch (not shown), and the transfer material whose skew has been corrected is fed to the secondary transfer section. The secondary transfer portion is a nip portion between the secondary transfer roller 15 as a transfer member and the driving roller 10 facing the secondary transfer roller 15 via the intermediate transfer belt 8.

  The timing of feeding to the secondary transfer portion is managed by the time from when the transfer material 20 reaches the registration sensor 16 until feeding by the registration roller 18, and by adjusting this time, intermediate transfer is performed. It is possible to obtain the relative recording position accuracy of the toner image on the belt 8 and the transfer material 20 conveyed to the secondary transfer portion.

  The transfer material fed by the registration roller 18 is guided along the conveyance guide 19 to a nip portion (secondary transfer portion) formed by the secondary transfer roller 15 and the intermediate transfer belt 8, and onto the intermediate transfer belt 8. The formed toner image is transferred onto the transfer material, and it is possible to obtain a fixed toner image on the transfer material by applying pressure and heating with the fixing device 21.

  On the other hand, the toner (waste toner) on the intermediate transfer belt 8 that could not be transferred to the transfer material in the secondary transfer portion is scraped off from the intermediate transfer belt 8 by the intermediate transfer member cleaning blade 11 as a cleaning member, and is then used as waste toner. It is sent to the waste toner container 14 by the feed mechanism 12.

  The waste toner feeding mechanism 12 is a member having a screw shape over the entire longitudinal width of the intermediate transfer belt 8 (the entire width direction orthogonal to the transfer material conveyance direction), and the waste toner scraped by the intermediate transfer cleaning blade 11 is a device. It is conveyed to the back side of the main body and sent to the waste toner feeding mechanism opening 22 shown in FIG.

  The waste toner sent to the waste toner feed mechanism opening 22 is sent to and stored in the waste toner container 14 by free fall.

  When the waste toner is dropped into the waste toner container 14 by free fall, it is necessary to widen the toner passage cross-sectional area (not shown) of the waste toner drop space so that the waste toner can be lubricated without clogging. There is. The required toner passage cross-sectional area differs depending on the waste toner conveyance speed of the screw of the waste toner feeding mechanism 12, that is, the screw rotation speed.

  If a sufficient toner passage cross-sectional area cannot be obtained due to space limitations inside the apparatus, the waste toner scraped by the intermediate transfer cleaning blade 11 is moved to the waste toner container 14 as shown in FIG. A moving member 23 is provided. By driving the waste toner moving member 23, the amount of waste toner moved can be increased. In the drawing, the waste toner moving member 23 has a caterpillar shape, but the present invention is not limited to this, and a screw shape or the like may be employed.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the image forming apparatus according to the present embodiment includes a replacement unit 25 that can be inserted into and removed from the main body of the image forming apparatus. The replacement unit 25 includes the following periodic replacement parts that require periodic replacement. It has the structure which has. That is, the replacement unit 25 according to the present embodiment includes an intermediate transfer belt 8, a tension roller 9, a driving roller 10, a secondary transfer roller 15 as a transfer member, and an intermediate transfer body cleaning blade 11 as a cleaning unit. The waste toner container 14 is integrally provided. Further, the replacement unit 25 according to the present embodiment includes a primary transfer roller 4 and a waste toner feeding mechanism 12.

  Note that the components of the replacement unit described above are descriptions of one embodiment of the present invention, and the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and can be appropriately modified within the scope of the gist of the present invention. is there.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the replacement unit 25 opens the door 26 as a cover member that also serves as the exterior of the image forming apparatus, so that the members disposed around the replacement unit 25 can be removed without being removed or retracted. The replacement unit 25 can be attached and detached.

  Next, the ease of replacement of the periodic replacement unit of this embodiment will be described.

  In the case of this embodiment, it is necessary to attach and detach a process cartridge including the photosensitive drum 2, the developing device 3, the charging roller 7, and the photosensitive drum cleaning blade 5 from the front side of FIG. 4 in the width direction of the transfer material. is there.

  In this case, if the replacement unit 25 including the intermediate transfer belt 8 is configured to be attached and detached in the same direction from the front side in FIG. 4, the opening on the front surface of the apparatus main body becomes too large, and the rigidity of the apparatus main body may not be maintained. Therefore, the replacement unit 25 needs to be pulled out from the left or right in FIG.

  In this embodiment, the transfer material paths are concentrated on the right side of the apparatus main body in FIG. 4, and the replacement unit 25 is attached and detached from the right side of the apparatus main body, which is the same as the work such as paper jam handling and fixing device 21 replacement. However, it is desirable from the viewpoint of usability and from the viewpoint of simplifying the apparatus.

  However, when the secondary transfer roller 15 is provided on the apparatus main body side as in the prior art, the secondary transfer roller is taken out or the secondary transfer is performed in order to take out the unit including the intermediate transfer belt 8 from the apparatus main body. If the roller 15 is not retracted, the intermediate transfer belt unit cannot be detached from the apparatus main body, and replacement of periodic replacement parts is complicated.

  Further, by attaching the secondary transfer roller 15 to the door 26, it is not necessary to take out or retract the secondary transfer roller 15, but the positional accuracy of the secondary transfer roller 15 with respect to the intermediate transfer belt 8 is significantly deteriorated. As a result, there is a possibility that the transferability is lowered, and if the positional accuracy of the secondary transfer roller 15 relative to the intermediate transfer belt 8 is to be increased, the apparatus becomes complicated and the cost is increased.

  Therefore, in the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4, since the replacement unit 25 having the intermediate transfer belt 8 constituting the intermediate transfer member has the secondary transfer roller 5 integrally, The door 26 that can be opened and closed is opened, and the rail 27 provided on the side surface of the replacement unit 25 is moved along the rail guide 28 provided in the apparatus main body, so that it is arranged around the replacement unit 25. The replacement unit 25 can be attached and detached without removing or retracting the member, and there is an advantage that a user who is not familiar with the apparatus can easily perform replacement.

  Next, cost reduction of the regular replacement unit of this embodiment will be described.

  Among the members constituting the replacement unit 25, the members whose characteristics deteriorate due to use vary depending on the unit structure and the material of the member, but the intermediate transfer belt 8 and the like are generally raised as those having a long life.

  When a member with a long life such as an intermediate transfer belt is set at a different replacement timing from a member with a short life such as an intermediate transfer member cleaner as in the prior art, the replacement unit including the intermediate transfer belt requires a running cost. In order to suppress this, a structure capable of withstanding durability is required, resulting in a problem that the initial cost increases.

  In particular, in the intermediate transfer belt, materials that can withstand a long life are limited, and very expensive high-performance polymer materials represented by polyimide have to be selected.

  Further, when the intermediate transfer cleaner blade is in contact with the upper surface of the intermediate transfer belt and the opening of the intermediate transfer cleaner faces downward, if only the intermediate transfer cleaner having a short life is replaced, There is a problem that the toner staying in the toner spills from the opening.

  In order to take measures against this, it is necessary to take measures such as attaching a shutter for closing the opening to the intermediate transfer cleaner, which causes a problem that the mechanism becomes complicated and the replacement unit itself becomes expensive.

  Therefore, in the present embodiment, the replacement unit 25 having the intermediate transfer belt 8 constituting the intermediate transfer member integrates the intermediate transfer member cleaning blade 11 constituting the intermediate transfer member cleaning means and the waste toner feeding mechanism 12 together. Therefore, the door 26 that can be opened and closed with respect to the apparatus main body is opened, and the rail 27 provided on the side surface of the replacement unit 25 is moved along the rail guide 28 provided on the apparatus main body. Thus, the replacement unit 25 can be attached and detached without removing or retracting the members arranged around the replacement unit 25, and can be easily replaced even by a user who is not familiar with the apparatus. There is an advantage that it can be done. Further, the life of the replacement unit is used as a cleaning means for the intermediate transfer member that is most likely to deteriorate, and the intermediate transfer belt 8 is selected from inexpensive general-purpose polymers such as PET, acrylic, and ABS in accordance with the resistance of the cleaning means. As a result, the replacement unit can be made cheaper than the conventional one.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, the periodic replacement part that requires periodic replacement is integrated as the replacement unit 25 that can be attached to and detached from the image forming apparatus main body. . Furthermore, since it is integrated as the replacement unit 25, the relative position of the periodic replacement parts constituting the unit can be improved. Also, by integrating the regular replacement parts as the replacement unit 25, for example, the durability of the regular replacement parts can be matched to the parts that are most likely to deteriorate, so the life of the periodic replacement parts can be easily detected and the cost of the replacement unit can be reduced. Can be realized.

[Second Embodiment]
The schematic configuration of the image forming apparatus in the second embodiment is substantially the same as that of the first embodiment described above, but the members constituting the replacement unit are different. FIG. 5 shows a schematic configuration of the exchange unit according to the second embodiment.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the replacement unit 25 according to this embodiment includes a primary transfer roller 4, an intermediate transfer belt 8, a tension roller 9, a driving roller 10, a secondary transfer roller 5, an intermediate transfer member cleaning blade 11, and a waste. Not only the toner feeding mechanism 12 and the waste toner container 14 are integrated, but also a registration roller 18, a registration counter roller 17 and a conveyance guide 19 constituting a skew feeding correction unit are integrated.

  As described above, by including the registration roller 18, the registration counter roller 17, and the conveyance guide 19 in the replacement unit 25, the recording position accuracy is maintained while maintaining the ease of attaching and detaching the replacement unit described in the first embodiment. Can be further improved. The following describes how the recording position accuracy improves.

  In order to obtain an image with high recording position accuracy on the transfer material, the transfer material 20 fed from the registration roller 18 does not skew at a specified time, and the nip (2 of the secondary transfer roller 5 and the intermediate transfer belt 8). It is essential to enter the next transfer section.

  With reference to FIG. 6, description will be given of how an image with high recording position accuracy and a stable leading edge margin can be obtained on a transfer material.

  FIG. 6 shows the timing at which the transfer material enters the nip (secondary transfer portion) of the secondary transfer roller 15 after passing the registration sensor 16, and shows the registration sensor signal, registration clutch signal, and image area on the intermediate transfer belt. It is schematically represented by using.

  In FIG. 6, A is the time when the transfer material reaches the registration sensor 16, B is the time when the transfer material reaches the registration roller 18 nip in a stopped state, C is the time when the transfer clutch is turned on and the transfer material is fed, D Means the time when the leading edge of the transfer material enters the nip of the secondary transfer roller 5.

  Assuming that the transfer speed of the transfer material is constant, the time from time A to time B (hereinafter referred to as tA-B) is the time for the transfer material to reach the registration roller 18 after reaching the registration sensor 16. And the relative distance between the registration rollers 18.

  During a time period from time B to time C (hereinafter referred to as tB-C), the transfer material hits the nip between the registration roller 18 and the registration counter roller 17 in a stopped state, and further, the transfer material is pushed in to form a loop. It is time to correct the skew.

  If this time is too short, the skew correction at the leading edge of the transfer material is insufficient, which causes the transfer material to be skewed and sent to the secondary transfer portion.

  In the present embodiment, a program stored in a CPU (not shown) serving as a control means included in the apparatus main body includes a time tA-C (time A to C), that is, a transfer material cuts the registration sensor 16. The time from feeding to the registration roller 18 is stored as a constant.

  Therefore, when the time tA-B is increased, the time tB-C is decreased, and the skew of the transfer material leading end portion may be deteriorated.

  In order to stabilize the time tA-B, that is, to make the distance from the registration sensor 16 to the registration roller 18 constant, the registration sensor 16 and the registration roller 18 are attached by attaching the registration sensor 16 to the replacement unit 25. The accuracy can be improved.

  However, in the present embodiment, even when the registration sensor 16 is installed on the apparatus main body side, there is little variation in time tA-B. Therefore, the registration sensor 16 is installed on the apparatus main body side. Installation on the side 25 is also an effective means.

  Further, when a photo sensor is used as the registration sensor 16, since the photo sensor does not normally deteriorate in performance due to use, the sensor flag may be installed in the replacement unit and the sensor itself may be installed in the apparatus main body. Thus, the cost of the replacement unit can be reduced.

  During the period from time C to D (hereinafter referred to as tC-D), assuming that the transfer material conveyance speed is constant, the transfer material is fed from the registration roller 18 and along the conveyance guide 19, the secondary transfer roller 5 nip. This corresponds to the trajectory distance that the transfer material passes through until it enters, and is directly related to the leading edge margin of the transfer material.

  In FIG. 6, the time (distance) from time D to E corresponds to the leading edge margin to the image area of the transfer material, and if the time (distance) to time D is shortened (D ′ in FIG. 6) The leading edge margin becomes longer (D 'to E), and if the time (distance) to the time D becomes longer (D' 'in FIG. 6), the leading edge margin becomes shorter (D' 'to E). E).

  In order to stabilize the leading edge margin to the image area of the transfer material, it is necessary to make the variation in the distance from D to E 1 mm or less, preferably 0.5 mm or less.

  However, in the prior art in which the intermediate transfer belt 8, the secondary transfer roller 5, and the registration roller 18 are not on the same unit, it is difficult to attach these members with high accuracy, and as a result, the leading edge margin exceeds the above variation. There was variation.

  Therefore, by installing the intermediate transfer belt 8, the secondary transfer roller 5 and the registration roller 18 on the same unit as shown in FIG. 5, it is possible to attach with high accuracy and obtain a stable leading edge margin. It was.

  In order to achieve higher accuracy, the secondary transfer roller 5, the registration roller 18, the registration counter roller 17 and the driving roller 10 that determines the position of the intermediate transfer belt 8 in the secondary transfer portion are connected to the same support member (frame). It is effective to position on the side plate.

  By attaching the intermediate transfer belt 8, the secondary transfer roller 5, the registration roller 18, and the registration counter roller 17 with high accuracy as described above, the alignment of these parts is improved and the skew correction at the leading edge of the transfer material is further improved. .

  Further, by attaching the intermediate transfer body cleaning blade 11 constituting the cleaning means for the intermediate transfer body to the same supporting member as described above, the relative position of the intermediate transfer body cleaning blade 11 with respect to the intermediate transfer belt 8 is stabilized and stabilized. Cleaning performance can also be obtained.

  Next, a method for attaching and detaching the replacement unit in the second embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

  Also in the second embodiment, the door 26 that can be opened and closed with respect to the image forming apparatus main body is opened so that the rail 27 provided on the side surface of the replacement unit 25 follows the rail guide 28 provided on the apparatus main body. By moving, it is possible to attach / detach the replacement unit 25 without removing or retracting members arranged around the replacement unit 25, and it is easy even for a user who is not familiar with the apparatus. There is an advantage that it can be exchanged.

  Note that the present invention is not limited to the application to the image forming apparatus exemplified in the above-described embodiment, and a conventionally known or well-known technique can be replaced and added as necessary. A modification is described in FIGS.

  Since the operation of the image forming apparatus shown in FIG. 8 is the same as that described in the second embodiment, the same reference numerals are assigned to members having equivalent functions, and the description thereof is omitted. A unit 25 includes a primary transfer roller 4, an intermediate transfer belt 8, a tension roller 9, a driving roller 10, a secondary transfer roller 5, an intermediate transfer member cleaning blade 11, a waste toner feeding mechanism 12, a waste toner container 14, a registration roller 18, The registration counter roller 17 and the conveyance guide 19 are integrated. As a result, the replacement unit can be easily replaced and high recording position accuracy can be realized.

  Similarly, in the image forming apparatus shown in FIG. 9, the replacement unit 25 includes a primary transfer roller 4, an intermediate transfer belt 8, a tension roller 9, a driving roller 10, a secondary transfer roller 5, an intermediate transfer member cleaning blade 11, and waste toner. The feed mechanism 12, the waste toner container 14, the registration roller 18, the registration counter roller 17, and the conveyance guide 19 are integrated. As a result, the replacement unit can be easily replaced and high recording position accuracy can be realized.

[Third Embodiment]
The replacement unit of the image forming apparatus according to the third embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

  The replacement unit 25 according to this embodiment shown in FIG. 10 is substantially the same as the replacement unit 25 of the image forming apparatus described in the first embodiment. In this embodiment, a waste toner full detection sensor 29 is installed as waste toner full detection means for detecting the fullness of waste toner in the waste toner container 14 in the replacement unit 25.

  The waste toner full detection sensor 29 according to this embodiment is incident so that light from the light emitting element passes through the waste toner container 14, and the light intensity after passing through the waste toner container 14 is measured by the light receiving element. The toner fullness is detected, and the installation position may be either the replacement unit 25 or the image forming apparatus main body.

  In the present embodiment, the replacement timing (life) of the replacement unit 25 is defined by the life of the member having the shortest life among the members whose performance deteriorates due to use in the replacement unit 25 or the earlier one that detects waste toner fullness. It is in place.

  In the replacement unit 25, there are a primary transfer roller 4, an intermediate transfer belt 8, an intermediate transfer body cleaning blade 11, a secondary transfer roller 5, and a driving roller 10 as members whose performance is deteriorated by use.

  Although the main life determining factor depends on the material to be used, the primary transfer roller 4 and the secondary transfer roller 5 are increased in electrical resistance and change in outer diameter due to deterioration of energization, and the intermediate transfer member cleaning blade 11 is cleaned by blade tip wear. This is because the intermediate transfer belt 8 is wrinkled or broken on the surface layer, the waste toner container is full, and the driving roller 10 is caused by a decrease in frictional resistance.

  In the case of an image forming apparatus such as the related art in which the member whose durability is deteriorated is not unitized, it is necessary to replace each member based on its lifetime.

  In this case, it is necessary to measure the number of recorded sheets, energization time, and rotation time for each member, hold the results, and notify them when the life is achieved.

  On the other hand, in this embodiment, since the member whose durability is deteriorated is integrated as an exchange unit, only the member whose life is likely to be shortened among the members whose durability is deteriorated is detected. Good.

  The life of a member whose durability deteriorates varies depending on the apparatus configuration and the member used. In this embodiment, since the life of the intermediate transfer member cleaning blade 11 is the shortest, the life detection of only the intermediate transfer member cleaning blade 11 is detected. Is going.

  In the present embodiment, the life of the intermediate transfer member cleaning blade 11 has a good correlation with the accumulated running time of the intermediate transfer belt 8, and therefore, the intermediate transfer belt is controlled by a CPU (not shown) as a control means provided in the apparatus main body. 8 is measured, and the result is stored in the memory. When the value exceeds the threshold value for the lifetime, the lifetime of the intermediate transfer member cleaning blade 11 is determined.

  NV (Non Volatile) RAM was used as the memory for storing the life data. The memory may be installed on the replacement unit 25 or on the apparatus main body.

  On the other hand, with regard to waste toner, since the collection rate of waste toner varies greatly depending on the image pattern used and the use mode, it is extremely difficult to know its life by the number of sheets and the energization time.

  Therefore, in the present embodiment, the earlier of the waste toner full detection detected by the waste toner full detection sensor 29 and the life detection of the intermediate transfer member cleaning blade 11 is set as the life of the replacement unit. In this way, when it is determined that the replacement unit 25 has reached the end of its life, the user is notified of the end of life.

  In this embodiment, the life of the intermediate transfer member cleaning blade 11 is detected. However, depending on the configuration of the image forming apparatus, the life of other members in the replacement unit 25 may be shorter. Other members may be used as long as they have the longest possible lifetime among the members in the replacement unit 25. Further, as the life detecting means for detecting the life of the member whose durability is deteriorated, the control unit of the image forming apparatus main body measures the accumulated traveling time of the intermediate transfer belt 8 and stores the result in the memory, and the value is set to the threshold value. Although the configuration for determining whether or not it has been exceeded is exemplified, the configuration is not limited to this, and other configurations may be used as long as the lifetime of a member that detects the lifetime of a member that deteriorates in durability is detected. .

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, the periodic replacement part that requires periodic replacement is integrated as the replacement unit 25 that can be attached to and detached from the image forming apparatus main body. . Furthermore, since it is integrated as the replacement unit 25, the relative position of the periodic replacement parts constituting the unit can be improved. Further, by integrating the periodic replacement parts as the replacement unit 25, for example, the durability of the periodic replacement parts can be matched with the parts that are most likely to deteriorate, so that the life detection of the periodic replacement parts that tend to be complicated is simplified. In addition, the cost of the replacement unit can be reduced.

1 is a schematic configuration diagram of an image forming apparatus according to a first embodiment. The block diagram of the exchange unit concerning a 1st embodiment Detailed view of waste toner feeding mechanism in the replacement unit Explanatory drawing of the attachment / detachment method of the exchange unit of the image forming apparatus which concerns on 1st Embodiment. Configuration diagram of an exchange unit according to the second embodiment Explanatory drawing regarding the leading edge margin in the image forming apparatus according to the second embodiment. Schematic configuration of an image forming apparatus according to a second embodiment Schematic configuration diagram of a modification of the image forming apparatus according to the second embodiment Schematic configuration diagram of a modification of the image forming apparatus according to the second embodiment Configuration diagram of an exchange unit according to the third embodiment

Explanation of symbols

1a, 1b, 1c, 1d ... exposure apparatus (exposure means)
2a, 2b, 2c, 2d ... photosensitive drum (image carrier)
3a, 3b, 3c, 3d ... developing device (developing means)
4a, 4b, 4c, 4d ... primary transfer rollers 5a, 5b, 5c, 5d ... photosensitive drum cleaning blades 6a, 6b, 6c, 6d ... toner cartridges 7a, 7b, 7c, 7d ... charging rollers (charging means)
8 ... Intermediate transfer belt (intermediate transfer member)
9 ... tension roller 10 ... drive roller 11 ... intermediate transfer member cleaning blade (cleaning means)
12 ... Waste toner feed mechanisms 13a, 13b, 13c, 13d ... Primary transfer nip 14 ... Waste toner container 15 ... Secondary transfer roller (transfer member)
16: Registration sensor 17: Registration counter roller 18: Registration roller (skew correction means)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 19 ... Conveyance guide 20 ... Transfer material 21 ... Fixing device 22 ... Waste toner feed mechanism opening 23 ... Waste toner moving member 25 ... Replacement unit 26 ... Door 27 ... Rail 28 ... Rail guide 29 ... Waste toner full detection sensor (waste toner full) Detection means)

Claims (6)

An intermediate transfer member carrying a toner image to be transferred to a transfer material; a transfer member for transferring the toner image on the intermediate transfer member to a transfer material; and a cleaning means for removing toner remaining on the intermediate transfer member after transfer. An image forming apparatus having a waste toner container for storing the toner removed by the cleaning means,
The image forming apparatus includes an exchange unit that can be attached to and detached from the image forming apparatus main body, and the exchange unit integrally includes the intermediate transfer member, the transfer member, the cleaning unit, and the waste toner container. Forming equipment. A skew feeding correcting means for correcting skew feeding of a transfer material conveyed to a transfer portion by the transfer member for transferring the toner image on the intermediate transfer member, and the replacement unit further comprising the skew feeding correcting means. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein: The intermediate transfer member included in the replacement unit includes an endless belt member, two or more rotating members that stretch the endless belt member, and a support member that rotatably supports the rotating member. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 or 2. The cleaning unit included in the replacement unit includes a cleaning member that scrapes residual toner on the intermediate transfer member, and a waste toner feeding mechanism that sends the toner scraped off by the cleaning member to the waste toner container. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1. The openable and closable cover member that forms part of the exterior of the image forming apparatus is provided, and the replacement unit is detachable by opening the cover member. The image forming apparatus described in the item. A waste toner full detecting means for detecting that the waste toner in the waste toner container is full, and a life detecting means for detecting the life of a member deteriorated by use in the replacement unit,
6. The life of the replacement unit is determined by detecting either the waste toner full detection by the waste toner full detection means or the life detection of a member in the replacement unit by the life detection means. The image forming apparatus according to any one of the above.

Images