JP2007199197A - Image forming apparatus and waste toner storage container - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To accurately detect a waste toner storage container being full. <P>SOLUTION: The waste toner storage container 100 is equipped with a first restriction plate 107 and/or a second restriction plate 108, which is arranged downstream from a coil auger 105 conveying stored toner along the length of a container section 100B whose length is made larger than its width and height and disperses the conveying direction of the toner conveyed by the coil auger 105, in the container section 100B. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus using, for example, an electrophotographic system, and more particularly to an image forming apparatus including a waste toner container that collects and stores toner remaining on the surface of a photoreceptor.

In an image forming apparatus such as a digital copying machine or a printer using an electrophotographic method, generally, the surface of a photosensitive drum rotating at a constant speed is uniformly charged by a charging device and then controlled based on image information. Laser light is scanned and exposed to form an electrostatic latent image. The electrostatic latent image formed on the photosensitive drum is developed by the developing device, and the developed toner image is electrostatically transferred onto the recording paper by the transfer device. Then, the toner image is fixed on the recording paper by the fixing device, and a print image is formed.
Further, after the toner image is electrostatically transferred onto the recording paper, a small amount of toner that has not been transferred remains on the surface of the photosensitive drum. Therefore, a cleaning device is disposed in a region downstream of the transfer device and upstream of the charging device so as to contact the photosensitive drum. The remaining untransferred toner is removed from the surface of the photosensitive drum by a cleaning device.

  In such an image forming apparatus, the untransferred toner removed from the surface of the photosensitive drum by the cleaning device is once accommodated in the cleaning device. In that case, even though a small amount of untransferred toner is generated in one image forming operation, it reaches a considerable amount after many thousands or tens of thousands of image forming operations. As a result, the interior of the cleaning device eventually becomes full. When the interior of the cleaning device becomes full, untransferred toner can no longer be accommodated inside the cleaning device, so that the cleaning capability of the cleaning device is greatly reduced. As a result, a so-called cleaning failure that cannot completely remove the untransferred toner remaining on the photosensitive drum occurs, and the image quality is remarkably deteriorated.

Therefore, the image forming apparatus is usually configured to form a conveyance path for conveying the toner to the cleaning apparatus, and to discharge the toner to the outside of the cleaning apparatus through the conveyance path. Thus, the amount of untransferred toner held inside the cleaning device is always kept below a predetermined amount to maintain the cleaning capability of the cleaning device.
In this case, the conveyance path formed in the cleaning device is connected to a waste toner container disposed outside the cleaning device, and untransferred toner is stored in the waste toner container. When the untransferred toner stored in the waste toner container reaches a predetermined amount, the waste toner container is replaced with a new one, or the toner is transferred from the waste toner container to another container. By being replaced, it will be collected. Further, the collected toner is disposed of, for example, by the manufacturer side without causing harm to the environment, or recycled and regenerated into toner or the like again.

  Incidentally, since the waste toner container is connected to the cleaning device through the transport path as described above, it is preferably arranged in the vicinity of the cleaning device. In addition, in order to efficiently store toner that is powder in the waste toner container, a configuration in which the toner is deposited from above to below is suitable. Furthermore, in order to keep the frequency of collecting untransferred toner low, it is advantageous that the waste toner container has a large capacity. In consideration of such circumstances, the waste toner container is generally disposed on the side of the cleaning device, and is generally formed in a vertically long bottle shape extending in the height direction (for example, Patent Document 1).

However, the configuration in which the waste toner container is disposed on the side of the cleaning device increases the installation area of the image forming apparatus by the installation area of the waste toner container, which is a factor that hinders downsizing of the image forming apparatus. Become one.
On the other hand, the configuration in which the waste toner container is disposed in parallel with the cleaning device, that is, the configuration in which the horizontally long waste toner container is disposed in parallel with the cleaning device is provided with the waste toner container. There is no need to provide a dedicated space. Therefore, it is an excellent arrangement configuration particularly in a small-sized image forming apparatus from the viewpoint of enabling a reduction in the installation area of the image forming apparatus.
Here, as a conventional technique for disposing a horizontally long waste toner container in parallel with a cleaning device, there is a technology in which a horizontally long waste toner container disposed in parallel with a cleaning device is configured to be detachable from a process unit. Exists (see, for example, Patent Document 2).

JP 2000-313515 A (page 6-7, FIG. 2, FIG. 5) JP 2000-227688 A (page 10, FIG. 2, FIG. 13)

  By the way, if the waste toner container has a horizontally long shape in the horizontal direction, it is necessary to provide a transport member that forcibly transports the stored toner from the entrance to the back side of the waste toner container. Further, the waste toner container is generally provided with a full detection sensor that detects that the waste toner container is full. In this case, in order to effectively use the capacity of the waste toner container, it is necessary to detect that the toner container is full when the toner is filled up to the inner area of the waste toner container. There is. For this reason, a region on the back side of the waste toner container is suitable as the arrangement position of the fullness detection sensor.

However, when the waste toner container is horizontally long and long, the following problems arise when the toner stored by the transport member is transported from the inlet to the back side. That is, while the toner conveying force is greatly received by the conveying member, the density of the stored toner tends to increase in the downstream region of the conveying member where the toner conveyance is blocked by the side wall of the waste toner container. As a result, in the horizontally long waste toner container, due to the structure, toner blocking tends to occur in the inner region of the waste toner container.
For this reason, when the full detection sensor is arranged at the back side of the waste toner container, the blocked toner prevents the toner from being conveyed to the full detection sensor, and the waste toner container is filled. It may be difficult to accurately detect the full sensor. In addition, the blocked toner causes an excessive driving load on the conveying member, which prevents the conveying member from being driven sufficiently, and makes it impossible to uniformly fill the waste toner container.

Accordingly, the present invention has been made to solve the technical problems as described above, and an object of the present invention is to provide a waste toner in an image forming apparatus including a horizontally long waste toner container. The purpose is to accurately detect that the container is full.
Furthermore, another object is to evenly fill the entire waste toner storage container with toner, and to maximize the capacity of the waste toner storage container.

  For this purpose, the image forming apparatus of the present invention includes a toner image carrier that carries a toner image, a transfer member that transfers the toner image carried on the toner image carrier to a transfer target, A cleaning member for removing toner remaining on the surface of the toner image carrier after transfer to the transfer member, a toner conveying member for conveying the toner removed by the cleaning member to the outside of the cleaning member, and a toner conveyed by the toner conveying member A waste toner storage container for storing the toner, the waste toner storage container storing the toner, and storing the toner having a shape elongated in the longitudinal direction of the toner image carrier, and the stored toner A toner conveying section that conveys the toner toward the longitudinal direction of the container section, and a toner conveying section that is disposed downstream of the toner conveying section and that separates the conveying direction of toner conveyed by the toner conveying section Is characterized in that a conveying regulating portion for.

Here, the conveyance regulating unit guides a part of the toner conveyed by the toner conveying unit in a direction different from the toner conveying direction by the toner conveying unit, and causes the remaining toner conveyed by the toner conveying unit to move in the toner conveying direction. It can be characterized by passing through. In addition, the waste toner container may be characterized in that the length of the container portion in the longitudinal direction is longer than the dimensions in the short side direction and the height direction.
Further, the waste toner storage container is disposed in the apparatus main body so that the longitudinal direction of the container portion is substantially horizontal, and the toner is stored from one end region in the longitudinal direction of the container portion. The toner can be transported toward the other end region in the longitudinal direction by the toner transport unit.

Further, the conveyance regulating unit may be configured by one or a plurality of plate-like members that intersect at a predetermined angle with respect to the toner conveyance direction by the toner conveyance unit. Further, the toner transport unit is configured by an auger that transports toner in the direction of the rotation axis while rotating, and the transport regulation unit is configured to have a region that overlaps the outer diameter range of the toner transport unit. You can also. In addition, the conveyance regulating unit may be characterized in that a gap through which the toner passes is formed in the toner conveyance direction by the toner conveyance unit.
Furthermore, the waste toner container may further include a full detection unit that detects whether or not the toner stored in the container unit is full. In addition, the waste toner container may be configured to be detachable from the apparatus main body.

  Further, the present invention is regarded as a waste toner container, and the waste toner container of the present invention is disposed in an image forming apparatus including a cleaning device that removes toner remaining on the toner image carrier and is discharged from the cleaning device. A waste toner storage container for storing toner, the container storing toner and having a longitudinal dimension formed longer than a short dimension and a height dimension, and the accommodated toner in a longitudinal direction of the container A toner transport unit that transports the toner toward the direction, a transport control unit that is disposed downstream of the toner transport unit, disperses the transport direction of the toner transported by the toner transport unit, and the toner contained in the container unit is full And a full detection unit for detecting whether or not.

  Here, the conveyance regulating unit guides a part of the toner conveyed by the toner conveying unit in a direction different from the toner conveying direction by the toner conveying unit, and causes the remaining toner conveyed by the toner conveying unit to move in the toner conveying direction. It can be characterized by passing through. The conveyance restricting unit is composed of one or a plurality of plate-like members that intersect at a predetermined angle with respect to the toner conveying direction by the toner conveying unit, and has a region that overlaps the outer diameter range of the toner conveying unit. It can also be characterized. Further, the fullness detection unit is arranged in an upper part on the end side in the longitudinal direction of the container part, and is arranged at a position offset in a short direction of the container part from a region in which the toner conveyance part is arranged. can do. In addition, the fullness detection unit may be arranged in the extension line direction of the conveyance regulation unit.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to accurately detect that the waste toner container is full when the entire waste toner container is filled with toner. Further, by effectively utilizing the capacity of the waste toner container, it is possible to reduce the replacement frequency of the waste toner container and to reduce the space occupied by the waste toner container.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.
[Embodiment 1]
FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a digital color printer 1 as an example of an image forming apparatus to which the exemplary embodiment is applied. A digital color printer 1 shown in FIG. 1 is a so-called tandem type, and an image forming process unit 20 that forms an image corresponding to image data of each color, and a control unit 21 that controls the image forming process unit 20, such as a personal computer ( The image processing unit (IPS) 22 is connected to the PC 3 and the image reading device 4 and performs predetermined image processing on the image data received from these.

The image forming process unit 20 includes four image forming units 30Y, 30M, 30C, and 30K that are arranged in parallel at a predetermined interval. The image forming units 30Y, 30M, 30C, and 30K are uniform at a predetermined potential on the surface of the photosensitive drum 31 as a toner image carrier on which an electrostatic latent image is formed while rotating in the direction of arrow A. As an example of a charging roller 32 for charging, developing devices 33Y, 33M, 33C, 33K for developing an electrostatic latent image formed on the photosensitive drum 31, and a cleaning member for removing untransferred toner on the surface of the photosensitive drum 31. The drum cleaner 34 is included. Further, a laser exposure device 26 that scans and exposes the respective photosensitive drums 31 of the image forming units 30Y, 30M, 30C, and 30K with the laser beam Bm is provided.
Here, the image forming units 30Y, 30M, 30C, and 30K are configured in substantially the same manner except for the toner stored in the developing devices 33Y, 33M, 33C, and 33K. In each of the image forming units 30Y, 30M, 30C, and 30K, yellow (Y), magenta (M), cyan (C), and black (K) toner images are formed.

In addition, the image forming process unit 20 includes an intermediate transfer belt 41 onto which the toner images of the respective colors formed on the photosensitive drums 31 of the image forming units 30Y, 30M, 30C, and 30K are transferred, and the image forming units 30Y and 30Y. A primary transfer roll 42 as an example of a transfer member that sequentially transfers (primary transfer) each color toner image of 30M, 30C, and 30K to the intermediate transfer belt 41 at the primary transfer portion T1, and superimposed toner transferred onto the intermediate transfer belt 41. The secondary transfer roll 40, which is an example of a transfer member that collectively transfers (secondary transfer) the image onto the paper P that is a recording material (recording paper) in the secondary transfer portion T2, untransferred toner on the surface of the intermediate transfer belt 41 is used. A belt cleaner 45 as an example of a cleaning member to be removed, and a fixing device 80 for fixing the secondary transferred image on the paper P are provided.
The intermediate transfer belt 41 functions as a transfer medium during primary transfer and functions as a toner image carrier during secondary transfer.

  In the digital color printer 1 of the present embodiment, the image forming process unit 20 performs an image forming operation based on a control signal from the control unit 21. First, image data input from the PC 3 or the image reading device 4 is subjected to predetermined image processing by the IPS 22 and supplied to the laser exposure device 26. For example, in the yellow (Y) image forming unit 30Y, the surface of the photosensitive drum 31 is uniformly charged with a predetermined potential by the charging roll 32, and then the image data obtained from the IPS 22 by the laser exposure device 26 is used. The modulated laser beam Bm is scanned and exposed on the photosensitive drum 31. Thereby, an electrostatic latent image is formed on the photosensitive drum 31. The formed electrostatic latent image is developed by the developing device 33Y, and a Y toner image is formed on the photosensitive drum 31. Similarly, M, C, and K color toner images are also formed in the image forming units 30M, 30C, and 30K.

The respective color toner images formed by the image forming units 30Y, 30M, 30C, and 30K are sequentially electrostatically transferred (primary transfer) by the primary transfer roll 42 onto the intermediate transfer belt 41 that rotates in the direction of arrow C in FIG. As a result, a toner image superimposed on the intermediate transfer belt 41 is formed.
On the other hand, untransferred toner remaining on the photosensitive drum 31 at the time of primary transfer is removed by a drum cleaner 34 disposed on the downstream side of the primary transfer roll 42. Untransferred toner removed by the drum cleaner 34 is discharged to the outside of the drum cleaner 34 from a toner conveyance path described later.

The superimposed toner image formed on the intermediate transfer belt 41 is conveyed toward the secondary transfer portion T <b> 2 in which the secondary transfer roll 40 and the backup roll 49 are disposed as the intermediate transfer belt 41 moves. On the other hand, the paper P is taken out from the paper tray 71 by the pickup roll 72 and conveyed one by one to the position of the registration roll 74 by the conveyance roll 73.
When the superimposed toner image is conveyed to the secondary transfer portion T2, the paper P is supplied from the registration roll 74 to the secondary transfer portion T2 in accordance with the timing. Then, the superimposed toner images are collectively electrostatically transferred onto the sheet P as a transfer object by the action of the transfer electric field formed between the secondary transfer roll 40 and the backup roll 49 in the secondary transfer portion T2. (Secondary transfer).

Thereafter, the sheet P on which the superimposed toner image is electrostatically transferred is peeled from the intermediate transfer belt 41 and conveyed to the fixing device 80. The unfixed toner image on the paper P conveyed to the fixing device 80 is fixed on the paper P by being subjected to fixing processing by heat and pressure by the fixing device 80. Then, the paper P on which the fixed image is formed is conveyed to a paper discharge placement unit 91 provided in a discharge unit of the image forming apparatus.
On the other hand, the untransferred toner remaining on the surface of the intermediate transfer belt 41 after the secondary transfer is removed by the belt cleaner 45 in contact with the intermediate transfer belt 41 after the completion of the secondary transfer. The untransferred toner removed by the belt cleaner 45 is discharged to the outside of the belt cleaner 45 from a toner conveyance path described later.
In this way, image formation is performed by the digital color printer 1.

Subsequently, in the digital color printer 1 of the present embodiment, from the drum cleaner 34 provided in the four image forming units 30Y, 30M, 30C, and 30K, and the belt cleaner 45 disposed in contact with the intermediate transfer belt 41. A mechanism for collecting the untransferred toner accommodated in these will be described.
FIG. 2 shows a drum cleaner 34 and a belt cleaner 45 provided in the image forming units 30Y, 30M, 30C, and 30K, toner transport paths 61, 62, 63, 64, and 65 connected thereto, and a drum cleaner 34, respectively. And a waste toner container 100 that collects and stores untransferred toner stored in the belt cleaner 45, and a main transport path 60 that connects the toner transport paths 61, 62, 63, 64, 65 and the waste toner container 100. It is a schematic plan view explaining the arrangement configuration regarding.

As shown in FIG. 2 (see also FIG. 1), the waste toner container 100 is horizontally long, and the drum cleaner 34 and the belt cleaner 45 are below the drum cleaner 34 and the belt cleaner 45. Are arranged in parallel. That is, the waste toner container 100 is formed in a so-called flat box shape in which the longitudinal direction substantially coincides with the rotation axis direction of the photosensitive drum 31 and the longitudinal dimension is longer than the lateral direction and the height direction. Has been. The configuration of the waste toner container 100 will be described in detail later.
Further, the waste toner container 100 is configured to be detachable from the main body of the digital color printer 1 in the direction of arrow D in FIG. When the waste toner container 100 becomes full of untransferred toner, the waste toner container 100 is removed from the main body of the digital color printer 1 and replaced with a new waste toner container 100 or inside. After the collected untransferred toner is removed, it is placed in the digital color printer 1 body again.
As described above, in the present embodiment, the waste toner container 100 is formed in a horizontally long shape extending in the direction of the rotation axis of the photosensitive drum 31 and arranged in parallel to the drum cleaner 34 and the belt cleaner 45. When designing the digital color printer 1, it is not necessary to provide a dedicated space for the waste toner container 100 in the plane area where the digital color printer 1 is installed. Thereby, the installation area of the digital color printer 1 is reduced.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the drum cleaner 34 and the belt are disposed at one end (the same end side) of the drum cleaner 34 and the belt cleaner 45 provided in the image forming units 30Y, 30M, 30C, and 30K. Connected to the inside of the cleaner 45, toner transport paths 61, 62, 63, 64, and 65 are disposed as toner transport members. The toner transport paths 61, 62, 63, 64, and 65 are connected to a main transport path 60 as a toner transport member, and the main transport path 60 is connected to a waste toner container 100 (see also FIG. 1). ).

Inside the drum cleaner 34 and the belt cleaner 45, a screw auger 66 as a toner conveying member for guiding untransferred toner accommodated in the drum cleaner 34 and the belt cleaner 45 to the toner conveying paths 61, 62, 63, 64, 65, respectively. Is arranged. Then, the screw auger 66 is rotated by a drive motor (not shown), so that the untransferred toner stored in the drum cleaner 34 and the belt cleaner 45 is moved in the toner transport paths 61, 62, 63, 64, 65 (arrows in the figure). ).
In the toner transport paths 61, 62, 63, 64, and 65 where the untransferred toner is transported, the untransferred toner is dropped into the main transport path 60 by the transport force (pushing force) from the screw auger 66 and the action of gravity. Then, untransferred toner is sent into the main conveyance path 60 from the openings 61 a, 62 a, 63 a, 64 a, 65 a provided in the main conveyance path 60.

Inside the main conveyance path 60, the untransferred toner from the toner conveyance paths 61, 62, 63, 64 is provided at a position facing the opening 101 (see FIG. 3 in the subsequent stage) of the waste toner container 100. A coil auger 67 as a toner conveying member that leads to the opening 60a of the conveying path 60 and a coil auger 68 as a toner conveying member that guides the untransferred toner from the toner conveying path 65 to the opening 60a are provided. The untransferred toner stored in the drum cleaner 34 of the image forming units 30Y, 30M, 30C, and 30K is removed by a coil auger 67 that is rotated by a drive motor (not shown) through the opening 60a. 100. The untransferred toner stored in the belt cleaner 45 is fed into the waste toner storage container 100 through the opening 60a by a coil auger 68 that is rotated by a drive motor (not shown).
In this way, the untransferred toner stored in the drum cleaner 34 and the belt cleaner 45 of the image forming units 30Y, 30M, 30C, and 30K is collected in the waste toner storage container 100.

Next, the configuration of the waste toner container 100 according to the present embodiment will be described.
FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the configuration of the waste toner container 100 of the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 3, the waste toner container 100 is composed of a lid 100A and a container 100B, and the lid 100A and the container 100B are bonded and fixed during normal use.
The lid 100A opens the opening 101 into which the untransferred toner from the drum cleaner 34 and the belt cleaner 45 is charged, and opens the opening 101 when the waste toner container 100 is installed in the main body of the digital color printer 1. When the digital color printer 1 is removed from the main body, it has a shutter 102 configured to be slidable so as to seal the opening 101, and a convex portion 103a formed of a transparent material. A full detection unit 103 that detects whether or not the inside of the waste toner container 100 is full by detecting light that is irradiated from one side and transmitted through the convex portion 103a on the other side; and A handle 104 is provided.

Here, the full detection unit 103 is a rear region of the waste toner container 100 in order to efficiently use the capacity of the waste toner container 100 in the horizontally long waste toner container 100. In addition, it is disposed on the upper portion (the lid portion 100A side) of the waste toner container 100.
Further, the fullness detection unit 103 is disposed at a position offset in the width direction (short direction) from the extension line of the coil auger 105 in the container unit 100B described below. This is because the region on the extension line of the coil auger 105 (the region where the coil auger 105 is arranged) is strongly subjected to the conveying force of the coil auger 105 and untransferred toner tends to accumulate. In other words, by avoiding the area on the extension line of the coil auger 105, it is erroneously detected that the waste toner container 100 is full even though the entire waste toner container 100 is not filled with untransferred toner. This is to avoid doing.

  On the other hand, the container unit 100B includes a coil auger 105 serving as a toner conveyance unit that conveys untransferred toner introduced from the opening 101 to the rear side in the longitudinal direction of the waste toner container 100, a support shaft 106 that supports the coil auger 105, A part of the untransferred toner conveyed by the coil auger 105 is guided to the full detection unit 103 side, and the remainder of the untransferred toner is passed toward the inner side of the coil auger 105 in the conveyance direction, thereby changing the toner conveyance direction. A first restriction plate 107 and a second restriction plate 108 serving as a conveyance restriction unit to be dispersed, and a discharge port 109 used when discharging untransferred toner collected in the waste toner container 100 to the outside are provided.

Here, the first restriction plate 107 and the second restriction plate 108 will be described.
4 is a schematic plan view showing the container 100B from above, and FIG. 5 is a schematic view of the internal cross section of the waste toner container 100 as viewed from the opening 101 side. As shown in FIG. 4, the coil auger 105 is installed in a region from the end on the opening 101 side to a position slightly closer to the back side than the center in the longitudinal direction of the waste toner container 100. The first restricting plate 107 and the second restricting plate 108 are formed of plate-like members, and are on the downstream side of the region where the coil auger 105 is installed, and overlap the extension line of the coil auger 105. Arranged to have an area.
The first restricting plate 107 and the second restricting plate 108 are both formed toward the position where the full detection unit 103 is installed, and the angle θ (θ is the amount of toner) with respect to the extension line of the coil auger 105. It is arranged so as to be inclined by a predetermined angle (which can change the traveling direction). That is, the fullness detection unit 103 is disposed on an extension line of the first restriction plate 107 and the second restriction plate 108.

Further, as shown in FIG. 5, the first restricting plate 107 is disposed above and the second restricting plate 108 is disposed below the rotation center axis of the coil auger 105, that is, the support shaft 106 that supports the coil auger 105. Is arranged. Moreover, the 1st control board 107 and the 2nd control board 108 are arrange | positioned so that it may mutually overlap in an up-down position (refer FIG. 4). A gap g having a predetermined interval is formed between the first restriction plate 107 and the second restriction plate 108.
In addition, the 1st control board 107 and the 2nd control board 108 can be formed by shape | molding integrally at the time of formation of the cover part 100A and the container part 100B, respectively.

  In the waste toner container 100 according to the present embodiment, the untransferred toner charged into the waste toner container 100 from the opening 101 is discharged to the waste toner container 100 by a coil auger 105 that is rotated by a drive motor (not shown). It is conveyed toward the back in the longitudinal direction. At this time, in the waste toner container 100, the untransferred toner is gradually accumulated from the region on the opening 101 side toward the back side. Finally, the entire waste toner container 100 is filled with untransferred toner. At that time, the area beyond the area where the first restricting plate 107 and the second restricting plate 108 are arranged is filled with the untransferred toner.

  In this way, when the area behind the area where the first restriction plate 107 and the second restriction plate 108 are disposed is filled with untransferred toner, the first restriction plate 107 and the second restriction plate 108 are By dispersing the toner conveyance direction, the conveyance pressure from the coil auger 105 to the untransferred toner accommodated in the back side is relieved, and the untransferred toner conveyed by the coil auger 105 is filled with the full detection unit. It acts so as to guide smoothly toward the 103 side. Therefore, it is possible to suppress an excessive increase in the toner density on the far side in the longitudinal direction. As a result, the untransferred toner is reliably conveyed to the full detection unit 103 in a state where the area behind the area where the first restriction plate 107 and the second restriction plate 108 are disposed is filled with the untransferred toner. It becomes possible.

The functions of the first restriction plate 107 and the second restriction plate 108 will be further described.
First, since the coil auger 105 is always rotated by the drive motor, it always tries to convey the untransferred toner to the back side in the longitudinal direction. Therefore, assuming a configuration in which the first restricting plate 107 and the second restricting plate 108 are not disposed, the conveying force by the coil auger 105 is directly received, particularly in the rear end region in the extending direction of the coil auger 105. Therefore, the toner density tends to increase. When the toner density becomes higher than a predetermined value, a blocking phenomenon occurs in which a part of the untransferred toner aggregates and becomes a lump, and the fluidity of the untransferred toner is significantly reduced. As a result, the untransferred toner stays in the rear region of the waste toner container 100 and does not move.

  By the way, full detection in the waste toner container 100 is performed by the light source 110 on the side of the digital color printer 1 provided at one side of the convex part 103a of the waste toner container and the convex part 103a. This is performed by a light detection sensor 111 provided on the other side portion of the digital color printer 1 main body. That is, light is emitted from the light emitting source 110 toward the convex portion 103a, and the light detection sensor 111 detects the amount of light passing through the convex portion 103a. As a result, the light detection sensor 111 detects that the waste toner container 100 is full when the untransferred toner is filled in the convex portion 103a by a predetermined amount. In that case, the light detection sensor 111 outputs to the control unit 21 of the digital color printer 1 that the waste toner container 100 is full. Upon receiving a signal indicating that the waste toner container 100 is full from the light detection sensor 111, the control unit 21 displays on the display unit (not shown) that the waste toner container 100 is full, and replaces the waste toner container 100. Alternatively, an instruction is given to remove the untransferred toner collected from the waste toner container 100.

  Here, in the waste toner container 100 formed in a horizontally long shape in the horizontal direction, in order to efficiently use the capacity of the waste toner container 100, the fullness detection unit 103 is provided in the longitudinal direction of the waste toner container 100. It is a side region and is disposed on the upper portion (the lid portion 100A side) of the waste toner container 100. Therefore, as described above, if the untransferred toner is blocked in the back side region of the waste toner container 100 and does not stay and move, even when the entire waste toner container 100 becomes full of untransferred toner. Therefore, it becomes difficult to feed the untransferred toner into the convex portion 103a of the full detection portion 103. As a result, the light detection sensor 111 cannot accurately detect that the waste toner container 100 is full, and even when the waste toner container 100 becomes full, It becomes impossible to instruct replacement or removal of untransferred toner collected from the waste toner container 100. As a result, the toner may leak from the waste toner container 100 to contaminate the inside and outside of the machine with the toner, or the waste toner container 100 may be damaged.

On the other hand, in the waste toner container 100 of the present embodiment, the coil auger 105 is located in a region from the end on the opening 101 side to a position slightly closer to the back side than the center in the longitudinal direction of the waste toner container 100. The first restricting plate 107 and the second restricting plate 108 are disposed on the downstream side of the region where the coil auger 105 is disposed. Accordingly, the toner conveying direction is dispersed by the first restriction plate 107 and the second restriction plate 108. For this reason, when the area behind the area where the first restriction plate 107 and the second restriction plate 108 are disposed is filled with the untransferred toner, the coil auger 105 for the untransferred toner accommodated in the back side. From the area where the first restricting plate 107 and the second restricting plate 108 are disposed, the toner density in the region farther from the region where the first restricting plate 107 and the second restricting plate 108 are disposed is excessive. It is suppressed that it becomes high. Further, with respect to the longitudinal rear side direction in which the coil auger 105 attempts to convey the untransferred toner, the toner conveyance amount is limited to the gap g between the first restriction plate 107 and the second restriction plate 108, so that the toner Is suppressed from being excessively pressurized.
As a result, the non-transferred toner is prevented from blocking in the back region of the waste toner container 100, and the fluidity of the stored non-transfer toner can be maintained. As a result, when the longitudinal rear side region of the waste toner container 100 is filled with untransferred toner, the full detection unit 103 can be filled with untransferred toner, so that the waste toner container 100 can be fully filled. It becomes possible to detect.
In addition, the blocked toner prevents the coil auger 105 from being driven excessively and the coil auger 105 is not driven sufficiently, so that the toner can be evenly filled throughout the waste toner container 100. It becomes.

  In addition to this, when the area farther in the longitudinal direction than the area where the first restriction plate 107 and the second restriction plate 108 are disposed is filled with untransferred toner, the full detection unit 103 is installed. The untransferred toner conveyed by the coil auger 105 by the first restricting plate 107 and the second restricting plate 108 installed toward the existing position is not sent to the far side, and the full detection unit 103 Will be led to the side. Therefore, when the back side region of the waste toner container 100 is filled with untransferred toner, the full detection unit 103 can be smoothly filled with untransferred toner. It is possible to detect well.

Here, FIG. 6 shows (a) the toner density (g / cc) distribution inside the waste toner container 100 in a configuration in which the first restriction plate 107 and the second restriction plate 108 are not provided, and (b) the first restriction. 6 is a diagram illustrating a toner density distribution inside the waste toner container 100 of the present embodiment provided with a plate 107 and a second regulating plate 108. FIG. In FIG. 6, the toner density is higher in the region where the image density is displayed higher.
As shown in FIG. 6A, in the configuration in which the first restriction plate 107 and the second restriction plate 108 are not provided, a region where the toner density reaches 0.9 to 1.0 (g / cc) is generated (FIG. 6). Medium, black areas). When the toner density reaches 0.9-1.0 (g / cc), there is a very high possibility that blocking will occur in the untransferred toner. For this reason, the fluidity of the untransferred toner is remarkably reduced, and when the waste toner container 100 is entirely filled with the untransferred toner, the untransferred toner does not enter the convex portion 103a that detects the fullness. Is likely to occur.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 6B, in the waste toner container 100 according to the present embodiment, the waste toner container 100 is provided by providing the first restriction plate 107 and the second restriction plate 108. The toner density can be suppressed to 0.4 to 0.7 (g / cc) almost uniformly throughout. Therefore, it is possible to maintain the high fluidity of the untransferred toner stored in the entire waste toner storage container 100. As a result, when the entire waste toner container 100 becomes full with untransferred toner, the full detection unit 103 can be filled with untransferred toner, so that the waste toner container 100 can be fully filled and It becomes possible to detect accurately.
In addition, the blocked toner prevents the coil auger 105 from being driven excessively and the coil auger 105 is not driven sufficiently, so that the toner can be evenly filled throughout the waste toner container 100. It becomes.

  By the way, as shown in FIG. 5, at least one of the first restriction plate 107 and the second restriction plate 108 has a region located within the outer diameter range of the coil auger 105 (a region overlapping the outer diameter range). It is preferable to comprise so that it may have. As a result, at least one of the first restriction plate 107 and the second restriction plate 108 has an untransferred toner in a region on the back side of the region where the first restriction plate 107 and the second restriction plate 108 are disposed. When it is satisfied, it becomes possible to directly receive the transport pressure from the coil auger 105 with respect to the untransferred toner accommodated in the back side. Therefore, the effect of reducing the conveyance pressure from the coil auger 105 and suppressing the toner density from becoming excessively high in the region farther from the region where the first restriction plate 107 and the second restriction plate 108 are disposed is provided. It can be raised sufficiently.

  As described above, in the digital color printer 1 of the present embodiment, the waste toner container 100 that is horizontally long is disposed in the horizontal direction, and the waste toner container 100 is disposed from the end on the opening 101 side. The coil auger 105 is installed in a region up to a position slightly closer to the far side than the center in the longitudinal direction of the toner container 100, and the first regulating plate 107 is disposed on the downstream side of the region where the coil auger 105 is installed. A second regulating plate 108 is disposed. As a result, when the coil auger 105 tries to convey the untransferred toner to the back side in the longitudinal direction, the toner conveyance direction is dispersed. As a result, when an area behind the area where the first restriction plate 107 and the second restriction plate 108 are disposed is filled with untransferred toner, the coil auger for the untransferred toner accommodated in the backside is filled. The conveyance pressure from 105 is relaxed by the first restricting plate 107 and the second restricting plate 108, and the toner density in the region on the back side of the region where the first restricting plate 107 and the second restricting plate 108 are arranged is reduced. It is restrained from becoming too high.

Therefore, since it can be accurately and reliably detected that the waste toner container 100 is full, the untransferred toner is stored in the waste toner container 100 even though the waste toner container 100 is already full. By continuing the operation, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of toner leakage from the waste toner container 100 and contamination of the inside and outside of the apparatus with the toner and the occurrence of image contamination. Further, since the capacity of the waste toner container 100 can be maximized, the replacement frequency of the waste toner container that contains the untransferred toner can be kept low, and the maintenance cost can be reduced. It becomes.
Further, the blocked toner prevents the coil auger 105 from being overdriven and the coil auger 105 is not driven sufficiently, so that the toner can be uniformly filled throughout the waste toner container 100. It becomes possible.
Further, the volume of the waste toner container can be effectively used with a simple structure, and the waste toner container can be downsized at a low cost. In addition, since the degree of freedom of the space for storing the waste toner container can be increased inside the printer apparatus main body, it is easy to make the printer apparatus main body small.

[Embodiment 2]
In the first embodiment, in the waste toner container 100 that is horizontally long in the horizontal direction, the first restriction plate 107 is disposed above the waste toner container 100 and the second restriction plate 108 is disposed below. explained. In the second embodiment, a configuration in which only the first restriction plate 107 is disposed above the inside of the waste toner container 100 will be described. In addition, the same code | symbol is used about the structure similar to Embodiment 1, and the detailed description is abbreviate | omitted here.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing the configuration of the waste toner container 100 according to the present embodiment. FIG. 8 is a schematic view of the internal cross section of the waste toner container 100 as viewed from the opening 101 side. As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, in the waste toner container 100 of the present embodiment, from the end on the opening 101 side to a position slightly closer to the back side than the center in the longitudinal direction of the waste toner container 100. The coil auger 105 is installed in this area, and the first restricting plate 107 is arranged at the upper part on the downstream side of the area where the coil auger 105 is installed.
The first restricting plate 107 forms a gap g ′ with the bottom of the container 100B. The first restricting plate 107 is configured to have a region located within the outer diameter range of the coil auger 105.

  As described above, in the waste toner container 100 of the present embodiment, only the first regulating plate 107 is disposed, so that when the coil auger 105 attempts to convey the untransferred toner to the back side in the longitudinal direction, the toner is conveyed. The direction is dispersed. As a result, when the area behind the area where the first restriction plate 107 is disposed is filled with untransferred toner, the conveyance pressure from the coil auger 105 for the untransferred toner accommodated in the back side is It can be relaxed by the first restricting plate 107. As a result, it is possible to suppress an excessive increase in toner density in a region on the back side of the region where the first restricting plate 107 is disposed.

Therefore, since it can be accurately and reliably detected that the waste toner container 100 is full, the untransferred toner is stored in the waste toner container 100 even though the waste toner container 100 is already full. By continuing the operation, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of toner leakage from the waste toner container 100 and contamination of the inside and outside of the apparatus with the toner and the occurrence of image contamination. In addition, since the capacity of the waste toner container 100 can be utilized to the maximum, the collection frequency of untransferred toner can be kept low, and the maintenance cost can be reduced.
Further, the blocked toner prevents the coil auger 105 from being overdriven and the coil auger 105 is not driven sufficiently, so that the toner can be uniformly filled throughout the waste toner container 100. It becomes possible.

  In the waste toner container 100 of the present embodiment, only the first restricting plate 107 is disposed at the upper part on the downstream side of the region where the coil auger 105 is installed, but the coil auger 105 is installed. It is also possible to adopt a configuration in which only the second restricting plate 108 is disposed in the lower part on the downstream side of the region.

1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a digital color printer as an example of an image forming apparatus to which the present invention is applied. FIG. 4 is a schematic plan view illustrating an arrangement configuration relating to a drum cleaner and a belt cleaner, a toner conveyance path, a waste toner container, and a main conveyance path respectively coupled to the drum cleaner and the belt cleaner. 3 is a perspective view illustrating a configuration of a waste toner container according to Embodiment 1. FIG. It is the schematic plan view which showed the container part from upper direction. FIG. 3 is a schematic view of an internal cross section of a waste toner container as viewed from the opening side. FIG. 6 is a diagram comparing toner density distributions inside a waste toner container. 6 is a perspective view illustrating a configuration of a waste toner container according to Embodiment 2. FIG. FIG. 3 is a schematic view of an internal cross section of a waste toner container as viewed from the opening side.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Digital color printer, 20 ... Image formation process part, 21 ... Control part, 30Y, 30M, 30C, 30K ... Image formation unit, 31 ... Photosensitive drum, 32 ... Charging roll, 33Y, 33M, 33C, 33K ... Development 34 ... drum cleaner, 40 ... secondary transfer roll, 41 ... intermediate transfer belt, 42 ... primary transfer roll, 45 ... belt cleaner, 60 ... main transport path, 61, 62, 63, 64, 65 ... toner transport path , 66 ... Screw auger, 100 ... Waste toner container, 100A ... Lid, 100B ... Container part, 101 ... Opening part, 102 ... Shutter, 103 ... Full detection part, 103a ... Convex part, 104 ... Handle, 105 ... Coil Auger 106 ... support shaft 107 ... first regulating plate 108 ... second regulating plate 109 ... discharge port 110 ... light source 111 ... light detection sensor

Claims (14)

A toner image carrier for carrying a toner image;
A transfer member for transferring a toner image carried on the toner image carrier to a transfer target;
A cleaning member that removes the toner remaining on the surface of the toner image carrier after the transfer to the transfer target by the transfer member;
A toner conveying member for conveying the toner removed by the cleaning member to the outside of the cleaning member;
A waste toner storage container for storing the toner transported by the toner transport member;
The waste toner container is
A container portion for containing toner and containing toner having a shape elongated in the longitudinal direction of the toner image carrier;
A toner transport unit that transports the stored toner in the longitudinal direction of the container unit;
An image forming apparatus comprising: a conveyance regulating unit that is disposed downstream of the toner conveyance unit and disperses the conveyance direction of the toner conveyed by the toner conveyance unit.   The transport regulating unit guides a part of the toner transported by the toner transport unit in a direction different from a toner transport direction by the toner transport unit, and allows the rest of the toner to pass in the toner transport direction. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1.   The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the waste toner container is formed such that the longitudinal dimension of the container part is longer than the lateral dimension and the height dimension.   The waste toner container is disposed in the apparatus main body so that the longitudinal direction of the container portion is substantially horizontal, and accommodates toner from one end region in the longitudinal direction of the container portion. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the toner is conveyed toward the other end region in the longitudinal direction by the toner conveyance unit.   The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the conveyance regulating unit is configured by one or a plurality of plate-like members that intersect at a predetermined angle with respect to a toner conveyance direction by the toner conveyance unit.   The toner transport unit is configured by an auger that transports toner in a rotation axis direction while rotating, and the transport regulation unit is configured to have a region overlapping an outer diameter range of the toner transport unit. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1.   The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the conveyance regulating unit is formed with a gap through which toner passes in a toner conveyance direction by the toner conveyance unit.   The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the waste toner container further includes a full detection unit configured to detect whether or not the toner stored in the container unit is full.   The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the waste toner container is detachable from the apparatus main body. A waste toner container that is disposed in an image forming apparatus including a cleaning device that removes toner remaining on a toner image carrier and stores toner discharged from the cleaning device;
A container portion containing toner and having a longitudinal dimension longer than a lateral dimension and a height dimension;
A toner transport unit that transports the stored toner in the longitudinal direction of the container unit;
A transport regulating unit disposed downstream of the toner transport unit and configured to disperse the transport direction of the toner transported by the toner transport unit;
A waste toner container, comprising: a full detection unit that detects whether or not the toner stored in the container is full.   The transport regulating unit guides a part of the toner transported by the toner transport unit in a direction different from a toner transport direction by the toner transport unit, and allows the rest of the toner to pass in the toner transport direction. The waste toner container according to claim 10.   The conveyance regulating unit is composed of one or a plurality of plate-like members that intersect at a predetermined angle with respect to the toner conveyance direction by the toner conveyance unit, and has an area that overlaps the outer diameter range of the toner conveyance unit. 11. The waste toner container according to claim 10, further comprising:   The fullness detection unit is arranged at an upper portion on the end side in the longitudinal direction of the container unit, and is located at a position offset in a short direction of the container unit from an area where the toner conveyance unit is disposed. The waste toner container according to claim 10, wherein the container is a waste toner container.   The waste toner container according to claim 10, wherein the fullness detection unit is disposed in an extension line direction of the conveyance regulation unit.

Images