JP2006091038A - Waste toner recovery device and image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a waste toner recovery device capable of efficiently recovering waste toner with simple constitution. <P>SOLUTION: The waste toner recovery device 60 has a plurality of waste toner recovery parts 61 to 63, a recovery bottle 64 for storing the waste toner recovered by the waste toner recovery parts 61 to 63, and a waste toner conveying path 65 for conveying the waste toner recovered by the waste toner recovery parts 61 to 63 to the recovery bottle. The waste toner recovery part 61 for recovering the waste toner whose fluidity is not good, out of the plurality of waste toner recovery parts 61 to 63, is connected to the waste toner conveying path 65 on a more downstream side than another waste toner recovery part 62. By arranging the waste toner whose fluidity is not good on the downstream side, a conveying distance to a recovery box is shortened, so that the waste toner is efficiently recovered without causing toner clogging or the like. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a waste toner collecting apparatus and an image forming apparatus.

  As an example of a conventional image forming apparatus, for example, an electrophotographic system, an electrostatic latent image is formed on a latent image carrier such as a photosensitive drum, and then the electrostatic latent image is converted into toner by a developing device. The toner image is developed and transferred to a transfer material such as paper directly or via an intermediate transfer member. In such an image forming apparatus, since the residual toner remains on the latent image carrier or the intermediate transfer member after the toner image is transferred to the transfer material, the residual toner is usually cleaned as waste toner by a cleaner. A cleaning process is performed.

  Further, in this type of image forming apparatus, for example, a mode has already been proposed in which a toner recovery device is provided in which waste toner in a cleaner for cleaning a latent image carrier is recovered in another toner recovery bottle. . As a toner recovery device in this aspect, a toner recovery bottle is disposed at a position away from the cleaner, usually at a position lower than the cleaner, and the cleaner and the toner recovery bottle are connected to each other through a toner conveyance path. A toner auger is provided in the toner conveyance path, and waste toner cleaned by a cleaner is collected on the toner collection bottle side. The following are proposed as such conventional techniques.

  The waste toner collection device described in Patent Document 1 is provided with a collection unit having a large amount of waste toner collection among a plurality of waste toner collection units on the downstream side to prevent toner clogging in the collection path.

  The electrophotographic recording apparatus described in Patent Document 2 prevents toner clogging due to toner adhesion on the inner surface of a merging portion by vibration using a sphere or the like.

Japanese Patent No. 2912073 JP 7-92875 A

  However, the above-described waste toner collecting device of Patent Document 1 is designed to prevent toner clogging in consideration of the transport capability. However, depending on this device, waste toner having poor fluidity can be transported efficiently. Therefore, there is a problem that toner clogging cannot be completely prevented. Further, the apparatus described in Patent Document 2 has a problem that the structure becomes complicated in order to prevent toner clogging by vibration.

  SUMMARY An advantage of some aspects of the invention is that it provides a waste toner collecting apparatus and an image forming apparatus that can efficiently collect waste toner with a simple configuration.

  In order to solve the above problems, according to the present invention, a plurality of waste toner recovery units, a recovery box for storing the waste toner recovered by the waste toner recovery unit, and the waste toner recovery are provided. A waste toner transport path for transporting waste toner collected at the recovery box to the recovery box, and the waste toner recovery unit for recovering waste toner having poor fluidity among the plurality of waste toner recovery units The waste toner collecting device is connected to the downstream side of the waste toner transport path from the collecting unit. According to the present invention, a waste toner collecting unit that collects waste toner having poor fluidity is connected to the downstream side of the waste toner conveying unit, so that the conveyance distance to the collection box can be reduced for waste toner having poor fluidity. Since the toner can be shortened, toner clogging and the like can be prevented, and waste toner can be efficiently collected.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, a connecting portion of the waste toner collecting unit that collects waste toner having poor fluidity among the plurality of waste toner collecting units to the waste toner conveyance path is connected to another waste toner collecting unit. It has a junction that is larger than the connecting portion to the waste toner conveyance path. According to the present invention, the waste toner collecting unit having poor fluidity has a larger joining port, so that the waste toner can be smoothly conveyed with a low cost and simple configuration.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, the connecting portion of the waste toner collecting portion that collects waste toner having poor fluidity among the plurality of waste toner collecting portions to the waste toner conveyance path is connected to another waste toner collecting portion. The distance to the junction is shorter than the connecting portion to the waste toner conveyance path. According to the present invention, the waste toner collecting unit that collects waste toner having poor fluidity has a shorter distance to the junction than the other waste toner collecting units, and thus can easily prevent clogging of the waste toner at the connecting portion. Smooth conveyance can be performed with a simple configuration.

  5. The waste toner collection unit according to claim 4, wherein the waste toner collection unit is at least one of a waste toner collection unit that collects waste toner from a belt cleaner and a waste toner collection unit that collects waste toner from a drum cleaner. including.

  6. The belt cleaner according to claim 5, wherein the waste toner collection unit includes at least a waste toner collection unit that collects waste toner from a belt cleaner and a waste toner collection unit that collects waste toner from a drum cleaner. The waste toner collecting unit that collects the waste toner from the drum cleaner is connected to the downstream side of the waste toner conveyance path with respect to the waste toner collecting unit that collects the waste toner from the drum cleaner.

  According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an image forming apparatus including the waste toner collecting device according to any one of the first to fifth aspects. According to the present invention, the waste toner collecting unit that collects waste toner with poor fluidity is connected to the downstream side of the waste toner conveyance path, so that the conveyance distance to the collection box for waste toner with poor fluidity is shortened. Therefore, it is possible to provide an image forming apparatus that prevents toner clogging and the like and can efficiently collect waste toner.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a waste toner collecting apparatus and an image forming apparatus that can efficiently collect waste toner with a simple configuration.

  Hereinafter, the best mode for carrying out the present invention will be described. FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing an embodiment of an image forming apparatus to which the present invention is applied. In the present embodiment, an intermediate transfer type color image forming apparatus will be described. FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining a waste toner collecting device provided in the image forming apparatus.

  In FIG. 1, reference numeral 20 denotes a main frame that constitutes a frame of the image forming apparatus. Various apparatus devices as shown below are stored in the main frame 20. Reference numeral 21 denotes, for example, a photosensitive drum (latent image carrier) that rotates in the direction of an arrow, 22 denotes a charger such as a corotron that charges the photosensitive drum 21 in advance, and 23 denotes a photosensitive drum 21 on the photosensitive drum 21 based on each color component image information. An image writing device such as a laser scanning device (ROS) that writes an electrostatic latent image corresponding to each color component, 24 corresponds to each color of yellow (Y), magenta (M), cyan (C), and black (K). The developing devices 241 to 244 are a rotary type (rotary type) developing device mounted on a rotary holder 245. The electrostatic latent image formed on the photosensitive drum 21 is developed by any of the developing devices 241 to 244 to form each color component toner image.

  Reference numeral 25 denotes a transfer pretreatment device such as a discharge lamp that facilitates the transfer operation of each toner image on the photosensitive drum 21, 26 denotes a drum cleaner that removes residual toner on the photosensitive drum 21 as waste toner, and 27 denotes a drum. A pre-cleaning processor such as corotron that facilitates the cleaning process by the cleaner 26, and a static eliminator such as a static elimination lamp that removes residual charges on the photosensitive drum 21. Reference numeral 30 denotes an intermediate transfer belt disposed so as to be in contact with the surface of the photosensitive drum 21, and is stretched around a plurality of rolls 31 to 34 so as to rotate in the arrow direction. Reference numeral 31 is a drive roll for the intermediate transfer belt 30, 32 is a driven roll, 33 is a tension roll for controlling the tension of the intermediate transfer belt 30 to be constant, and 34 is an opposing roll (backup roll) for secondary transfer. .

  A primary transfer roll 29 is disposed on the back side of the intermediate transfer belt 30 at a portion (primary transfer position) of the intermediate transfer belt 30 facing the photosensitive drum 21. The toner image on the photosensitive drum 21 is electrostatically attracted to the intermediate transfer belt 30 by applying a voltage having a polarity opposite to the toner charging polarity to the primary transfer roll 29. A secondary transfer device 40 is disposed at the secondary transfer position of the intermediate transfer belt 30 facing the conveyance path of the sheet P as a sheet. A secondary transfer roll 35 disposed in pressure contact with the toner image carrying surface side of the intermediate transfer belt 30 and a counter roll (backup roll) 34 disposed on the back side of the intermediate transfer belt 30 and serving as a counter electrode of the secondary transfer roll 35. And. The secondary transfer roll 35 is grounded.

  A bias having the same polarity as the toner charging polarity is stably applied to the backup roll 34 via the power supply roll 36 during the transfer operation. The secondary transfer roll 35 is provided with a blade cleaner 38 for removing the transferred toner. Reference numeral 41 denotes a belt cleaner that removes residual toner on the intermediate transfer belt 30 as waste toner. The paper transport system 50 transports the paper P from the paper trays 51 to 53 or the manual feed tray 55 via a predetermined paper path 56 and temporarily stops the positioning of the paper by a registration roll (registration roll) 57 in the paper path 56. Later, the paper P is transported to the secondary transfer position at a predetermined timing, and the paper P after the secondary transfer is guided to the transport belt 58 and transported to the fixing device 42 by the transport belt 58. . The paper path 56 is provided with a suitable number of paired transport rollers 59.

  In such an image forming process of the image forming apparatus, an electrostatic latent image for each color component of yellow, magenta, cyan, and black is formed on the photosensitive drum 21, and each developing device 241 to 244 in the rotary developing device 24 is formed. Each of the electrostatic latent images is visualized with the corresponding color toner, and then primary transfer is sequentially performed on the intermediate transfer belt 30, and an overlapping transfer image of each color component toner image on the intermediate transfer belt 30 is transferred onto the paper P. The next transfer is performed. When the secondary transfer process is completed, the residual toner on the photosensitive drum 21 is cleaned by the drum cleaner 26, and the residual toner on the intermediate transfer belt 30 is cleaned by the belt cleaner 41.

  The waste toner collecting device 60 collects waste toner from the developing device 24, the drum cleaner 26, and the belt cleaner 41. As shown in FIG. 2, the waste toner collection device 60 includes a plurality of waste toner collection units 61 to 63, a collection bottle 64, and a waste toner conveyance path 65. The waste toner collection device 60 collects waste toner from the plurality of waste toner collection units 61 to 63. In the example shown in FIG. 1, the recovery bolt 64 is disposed using a space in the vicinity of the drum cleaner 26 in the main frame 20. In FIG. 1, only the waste toner collecting device 60 and the collecting bottle are shown. The collection bottle 64 stores the waste toner collected by the waste toner collection units 61 to 63. The waste toner conveyance path 65 conveys the waste toner collected by the waste toner collection units 61 to 63 to the collection bottle 64. The waste toner collection units 61 to 63 and the waste toner conveyance path 65 include a screw or coil-shaped auger, that is, a spiral rotating body.

  The waste toner collection unit 61 collects the waste toner A1 from the belt cleaner 41 (transfer collection). The waste toner collecting unit 62 collects the waste toner A2 from the drum cleaner 26. The waste toner collecting unit 63 collects the waste toner A3 from the developing device 24. Since the waste toner A3 from the developing device 24 is mixed with the carrier, the fluidity is better than the waste toners A1 and A2 from the belt cleaner 41 and the drum cleaner 26. In FIG. 2, XERO is an abbreviation for xerographic, and DEVE is an abbreviation for development. In the example shown in FIG. 2, the waste toner A1 from the belt cleaner 41 has poor fluidity compared to the waste toner A2 from the drum cleaner 26 and the waste toner A3 from the developing device 24. That is, the poor fluidity of the toner collected from each of the waste toner collecting units 61 to 63 has a relationship of A1> A2> A3.

  Therefore, in the waste toner collecting device 60, the waste toner collecting unit 61 that collects waste toner having poor fluidity among the waste toner collecting units 61 to 63 is disposed in the waste toner transport path 35 more than the waste toner collecting units 62 and 63. Connected downstream. That is, since the waste toner A1 from the belt cleaner 41 has a lower fluidity than the waste toner A2 from the drum cleaner 26, the waste toner collection unit 61 for the belt cleaner 41 is more than the waste toner collection unit for the drum cleaner 26. Is also connected to the downstream side of the waste toner conveyance path 65. As a result, the transport distance from the waste toner collection unit 61 to the collection bottle 64 can be shortened, so that toner clogging can be prevented and waste toner can be collected efficiently. Further, by connecting waste toner collecting units 62 and 63 for collecting waste toner having good fluidity to the upstream side of the waste toner transporting path 65, the waste toner transporting path 65 has a flow of waste toner having good fluidity. Waste toner having poor fluidity can be efficiently conveyed.

  Further, the waste toner collecting unit 61 that collects waste toner having poor fluidity among the waste toner collecting units 61 to 63 is connected to the waste toner carrying path 65 by a waste toner carrying path 65 of another waste toner collecting unit 62. 65 has a junction 61b that is larger than the junction 62b of the connecting portion 62a. That is, there is a relationship of the junction 61b> the junction 62b. As a result, it is possible to prevent the waste toner A1 having poor fluidity from being clogged with the connecting portion 61a, so that the waste toner A1 can be efficiently conveyed to the collection bottle 64. Therefore, it is inexpensive and can carry smoothly with a simple configuration. Further, the connecting portion 61a of the waste toner collecting portion 61 has a fan shape so as to spread toward the junction 61b in order to prevent waste toner having poor fluidity from adhering to the inner surface.

  Further, the connecting portion 61a of the waste toner collecting portion 61 that collects waste toner having poor fluidity among the plurality of waste toner collecting portions 61 to 63 to the waste toner transport path 65 is a waste toner of another waste toner collecting portion 62. The distance to the junction is shorter than the connecting portion 62a to the conveyance path 65. That is, there is a relationship of the height Y1 of the connecting portion 61a <the height Y2 of the connecting portion 62a. Accordingly, clogging of waste toner at the connection portion can be prevented, and smooth conveyance can be performed with a simple configuration.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, by disposing the waste toner having poor fluidity on the downstream side, the transport distance to the collection bottle is shortened, and the toner can be efficiently collected without causing clogging. In addition, the waste toner collecting unit having poor fluidity has a larger junction and a shorter distance to the junction, so that it can be transported without requiring a complicated configuration such as a sphere, and can be achieved with an inexpensive configuration. . The collection box corresponds to the collection bottle.

  Although the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above, the present invention is not limited to the specific embodiments, and various modifications, within the scope of the gist of the present invention described in the claims, It can be changed.

1 is an explanatory diagram showing an embodiment of an image forming apparatus to which the present invention is applied. It is a figure for demonstrating the waste toner collection | recovery apparatus by this embodiment.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 20 Image forming apparatus 24 Developing device 26 Drum cleaner 41 Belt cleaner 60 Waste toner collection device 61, 62, 63 Waste toner collection part 64 Collection bottle 65 Waste toner conveyance path

Claims (6)

A plurality of waste toner collecting sections;
A collection box for storing the waste toner collected by the waste toner collection unit;
A waste toner conveyance path for conveying the waste toner collected by the waste toner collection unit to the collection box;
A waste toner collecting unit that collects waste toner having poor fluidity among the plurality of waste toner collecting units is connected to a downstream side of the waste toner conveying path with respect to other waste toner collecting units. Toner recovery device. Of the plurality of waste toner collection units, a connection unit of the waste toner collection unit that collects waste toner having poor fluidity to the waste toner conveyance path is a connection unit of another waste toner collection unit to the waste toner conveyance path The waste toner collecting device according to claim 1, wherein the waste toner collecting device has a larger confluence. Of the plurality of waste toner collection units, a connection unit of the waste toner collection unit that collects waste toner having poor fluidity to the waste toner conveyance path is a connection unit of another waste toner collection unit to the waste toner conveyance path The waste toner collecting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the distance to the junction is shorter than that of the waste toner collecting apparatus. The waste toner collecting section includes at least one of a waste toner collecting section for collecting waste toner from a belt cleaner and a waste toner collecting section for collecting waste toner from a drum cleaner. The waste toner recovery device according to any one of claims 1 to 3. The waste toner collection unit includes at least a waste toner collection unit that collects waste toner from a belt cleaner and a waste toner collection unit that collects waste toner from a drum cleaner,
The waste toner collecting unit that collects waste toner from the belt cleaner is connected to a downstream side of the waste toner conveyance path with respect to the waste toner collecting unit that collects waste toner from the drum cleaner. The waste toner recovery device according to any one of claims 1 to 3. An image forming apparatus comprising the waste toner collecting device according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

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