JP2009031824A - Driving force transmission apparatus and image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To efficiently transmit driving force to a detachable unit. <P>SOLUTION: The driving force transmission apparatus is provided with a driving side coupling 166 which is arranged in parallel to a rotational central axis of a base body and separated from the rotational central axis in the rotating base body and is provided with a piller-like projection formed with a cross-section form which is circular or a polygon with an obtuse inner angle and a receiving side coupling 124 arranged on the rotating base body separated from the rotational central axis of the base body and provided with a wall-like projection formed with a plane in which a normal line is orthogonal to the rotational central axis on an upstream side in the rotating direction. Then, the driving force transmission apparatus is composed so that rotation of the driving side coupling 166 is fixed when the receiving side coupling 124 is extracted in a direction orthogonal to the rotational central axis from the driving side coupling 166 and the receiving side coupling 124 is rotated by allowing the wall-like projection to come in contact with the pillar-like projection of the fixed driving side coupling 166. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a driving force transmission device that is used in, for example, an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine, a printer, and a facsimile machine and transmits driving to a detachable unit that requires rotation.

As a conventional image forming apparatus, an image carrier (for example, a photosensitive drum) that forms and supports a toner image obtained by developing an electrostatic latent image with a developing device, and an intermediate transfer member that is disposed to face the photosensitive drum (Intermediate transfer belt), a primary transfer device that transfers the toner image on the photosensitive drum onto the intermediate transfer belt, and a secondary transfer device that transfers the toner image on the intermediate transfer belt to a recording medium (for example, paper). There is something to prepare.
In such an image forming apparatus, since toner remains on the photosensitive drum after the primary transfer, the next toner image is formed after the residual toner is cleaned and removed by a drum cleaner. Further, since toner remains on the intermediate transfer belt after the secondary transfer, the remaining toner is cleaned and removed by a belt cleaner, and then the next toner image is transferred. The residual toner (waste toner) collected by these drum cleaners and belt cleaners is transported and collected in a collection container.

  In particular, in a color image forming apparatus, usually four photosensitive drums for forming yellow (Y), magenta (M), cyan (C), and black (K) images are arranged around the intermediate transfer belt. The waste toner is generated from the drum cleaner disposed on each photosensitive drum. Waste toner that transports waste toner from Y, M, C, and K drum cleaners and belt cleaners to the collection container in order to collect these Y, M, C, and K waste toners in a single collection container A transport unit is provided. This waste toner transport unit is configured to be detachable from the image forming apparatus main body because of the need for maintenance, and is configured such that a driving force is transmitted from the image forming apparatus main body to the transport member for toner transport by coupling. ing.

  In addition, when a two-component developer having toner and carrier is used as a developer, a toner container unit for supplying toner to the developing device is detachable from the image forming apparatus main body, but is stored in the toner container unit. A driving force is transmitted from the main body of the image forming apparatus to the conveying member that conveys the toner to the developing device by coupling.

  In such a unit that needs to transmit a driving force such as a waste toner conveyance unit and a toner container unit, it is coaxially connected to a driving shaft provided on the image forming apparatus main body side in consideration of the transmission efficiency of the driving force. For this purpose, a method of attaching to and detaching from the image forming apparatus main body in a direction parallel to the drive shaft is employed.

  Here, as a conventional technique, in a state where the developing cartridge is attached to a rotary unit provided in the image forming apparatus main body, the driving force receiving portion of the developing cartridge is positioned coaxially with the drive transmission member of the image forming apparatus main body, There is a technique in which a drive transmission member and a driving force receiving portion are coupled to each other (for example, see Patent Document 1). Further, there is a technique in which a coupling gear that rotates integrally with a toner supply roller of a developing device rotates substantially coaxially with a joint drive shaft provided in the apparatus main body and an Oldham joint at the tip thereof (see, for example, Patent Document 2).

JP-A-9-297443 (page 17, FIG. 11) JP 2000-227690 A (page 4, FIG. 3)

  By the way, a unit that needs to transmit a driving force such as a waste toner conveyance unit and a toner container unit can be attached and detached in a direction parallel to the drive shaft provided on the image forming apparatus main body depending on the arrangement configuration of the image forming apparatus. Therefore, there is a case where a configuration in which attachment / detachment is performed from a direction orthogonal to the drive shaft is employed. However, in a coupling configuration that can move from a direction perpendicular to the drive shaft, a system that combines gears is used. In such a system, if the distance between the shafts of the gears is not set with high accuracy, so-called tooth skipping occurs. There is a problem that the driving force cannot be efficiently transmitted. In addition, when a method of attaching and detaching in a direction parallel to the drive shaft is adopted, a two-stage operation in which a mounting operation in a direction parallel to the drive shaft is performed after a mounting operation from a direction orthogonal to the drive shaft. There is also a problem that the attaching / detaching operation becomes complicated.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above technical problems, and an object of the present invention is to efficiently transmit a driving force to a detachable unit. Still another object is to improve the detachability operability when the unit is mounted.

The invention described in claim 1 is a polygon having a circular cross-section or an obtuse angle in the cross-sectional shape, which is disposed on the rotatable base in parallel to the rotation center axis of the base and away from the rotation center axis. The drive transmission member having the columnar convex portion formed and the rotatable base are disposed away from the rotation center axis of the base, and the normal line is orthogonal to the rotation center axis on the upstream side in the rotation direction. A drive receiving member having a wall-like convex portion formed with a flat surface, and the drive transmission member rotates when the drive reception member is pulled out from the drive transmission member in a direction intersecting the rotation center axis. The drive receiving member is configured to be fixed when the drive receiving member is pulled out from the drive transmission member in a direction intersecting the rotation center axis. The columnar convex portion of the drive transmission member A driving force transmission apparatus characterized by being configured to rotate upon contact.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, the drive transmission member receives rotational drive from a drive source via a worm gear, and the drive reception member is pulled out from the drive transmission member in a direction intersecting the rotation center axis. The driving force transmission device according to claim 1, wherein the rotation is fixed by the worm gear.
According to the second aspect of the present invention, in the drive receiving member, an end portion of the wall-shaped convex portion opposite to the rotation center axis is fixed to the base, and a minimum rotation radius of the wall-shaped convex portion is the 2. The driving force transmission device according to claim 1, wherein the rotation radius of the columnar protrusion is smaller than the rotation radius of the columnar protrusion, and the rotation maximum radius of the wall-shaped protrusion is larger than the rotation radius of the columnar protrusion. is there.
  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the drive receiving member, the minimum radius of rotation of the wall-shaped convex portion is larger than the cross-sectional radius of the columnar convex portion of the drive transmission member. It is a driving force transmission device.
The invention according to claim 5 is the driving force transmission device according to claim 1, wherein the drive transmission member is provided with one or a plurality of the columnar convex portions.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, the drive source and the base rotated by the drive source are disposed in parallel to the rotation center axis of the base and away from the rotation center axis, and the cross-sectional shape is circular or A drive transmission member provided with a columnar convex portion formed in a polygon having an obtuse internal angle, and a rotatable base that is disposed away from the rotation center axis of the base and is normal to the upstream side in the rotational direction And a unit provided with a drive receiving member having a wall-like convex portion formed with a plane perpendicular to the rotation center axis, and the drive transmission member is arranged such that the unit is rotated from the drive transmission member to the rotation center. The rotation is fixed when pulled out in a direction intersecting with the axis, and the unit receives the drive receiving member when the unit is pulled out from the drive transmission member in the direction intersecting with the rotation center axis. But the wall Protrusion is an image forming apparatus characterized by being configured to rotate by rotation in contact with the columnar protrusion of the fixed said drive transmission member.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in the image forming apparatus according to the sixth aspect, the unit includes a waste powder collecting device.
The invention according to claim 8 is the image forming apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the unit includes a toner supply device.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to efficiently transmit driving force to a detachable unit.

Hereinafter, embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.
FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an overall configuration of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment. The image forming apparatus shown in FIG. 1 includes a printer main body 1 and a base 2 on which the printer main body 1 is placed. The printer main body 1 includes waste toner and waste developer discharged from the printer main body 1. A waste powder recovery apparatus 100 as an accommodating means for recovering (hereinafter also referred to as waste powder) is externally attached. FIG. 1 shows a state in which the front door 1a of the printer main body 1 is opened.

  FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating the printer main body 1. The printer main body 1 is connected to and received by an image process system 10 that forms an image corresponding to gradation data of each color and a sheet conveyance system 40 that conveys recording paper (sheets), such as a personal computer or an image reading device. An IPS (Image Processing System) 50, which is an image processing system for performing predetermined image processing on the obtained image data, is provided.

  The image processing system 10 includes four image forming units 11Y, 11M, yellow (Y), magenta (M), cyan (C), and black (K) that are arranged in parallel at regular intervals in the horizontal direction. 11C, 11K, a transfer unit 20 for transferring the color toner images formed on the photosensitive drums 12 of the image forming units 11Y, 11M, 11C, 11K onto the intermediate transfer belt 21, and image forming units 11Y, 11M, 11C. , 11K is provided with a ROS (Raster Output System) 30 which is an optical system unit for irradiating a laser beam to 11K. The transfer unit 20 and the intermediate transfer belt 21 constitute an intermediate transfer unit. Further, the printer main body 1 includes a fixing device 29 that fixes the toner image on the recording paper secondarily transferred by the transfer unit 20 to the recording paper using heat and pressure. Further, toner cartridges 19Y, 19M, 19C, and 19K for supplying toner of each color to the image forming units 11Y, 11M, 11C, and 11K are provided above the transfer unit 20.

  The transfer unit 20 includes a drive roll 22 that drives an intermediate transfer belt 21 that is an intermediate transfer member, a tension roll 23 that applies a constant tension to the intermediate transfer belt 21, and a secondary transfer of the superimposed toner images of each color onto a recording sheet. A backup roll 24 for carrying out the process and a belt cleaner (cleaning means) 25 for removing residual toner and the like existing on the intermediate transfer belt 21 are provided. The intermediate transfer belt 21 is stretched between the drive roll 22, the tension roll 23, and the backup roll 24 with a constant tension, and is rotated by a dedicated motor (not shown) excellent in constant speed. The drive roll 22 is circulated at a predetermined speed in the direction of the arrow. As the intermediate transfer belt 21, for example, a belt whose resistance is adjusted with a belt material (rubber or resin) that does not cause charge-up is used. The belt cleaner 25 includes a cleaning brush 25a and a cleaning blade 25b disposed in contact with the intermediate transfer belt 21. Residual toner and paper dust are transferred from the surface of the intermediate transfer belt 21 after the secondary transfer process of the toner image is completed. , Talc and the like are removed to prepare for the next image forming process. Under the belt cleaner 25, residual toner (waste toner), paper powder, and the like removed by the cleaning brush 25 a and the cleaning blade 25 b are placed on the belt cleaner 25 along a direction orthogonal to the conveyance direction of the intermediate transfer belt 21. An auger 25c that conveys to the outside is provided.

  The ROS 30 includes a polygon mirror 31 that deflects and scans laser light (LB-Y, LB-M, LB-C, LB-K) emitted from the laser diode, in addition to a laser diode and a modulator (not shown). In the example shown in FIG. 2, since the ROS 30 is provided below the image forming units 11Y, 11M, 11C, and 11K, there is a risk of contamination due to dropping of toner or the like. Therefore, the ROS 30 is provided with a rectangular parallelepiped frame 32 for sealing each constituent member, and a glass window 33 through which laser light (LB-Y, LB-M, LB-C, LB-K) passes. Is provided above the frame 32 to enhance the shielding effect together with the scanning exposure.

  The sheet conveying system 40 includes a sheet feeding device 41 that stacks and supplies recording sheets on which images are recorded, a nudger roll 42 that picks up and supplies recording sheets from the sheet feeding device 41, and a recording that is supplied from the nudger roll 42. A feed roll 43 that separates and conveys the sheets one by one and a conveyance path 44 that conveys the recording sheets separated one by one by the feed roll 43 toward the image transfer unit are provided. In addition, a registration roll 45 that conveys the recording sheet conveyed through the conveyance path 44 in a timely manner toward the secondary transfer position, and is pressed against the backup roll 24 via the recording sheet provided at the secondary transfer position. Then, a secondary transfer roll 46 for secondary transfer of the image onto the recording paper is provided. Further, a discharge roll 47 for discharging the recording paper on which the image is fixed by the fixing device 29 to the outside of the printer main body 1 and a discharge tray 48 for stacking the recording paper discharged by the discharge roll 47 are provided. In addition, a double-sided transport unit 49 is provided that enables double-sided recording by reversing the recording paper on which the image is fixed by the fixing device 29.

  Next, the image forming units 11Y, 11M, 11C, and 11K in the image process system 10 will be described in detail. FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining the configuration of the image forming units 11Y, 11M, 11C, and 11K. Here, the yellow (Y) image forming unit 11Y and the magenta (M) image forming unit 11M are illustrated. It is shown. The other image forming units 11C and 11K are configured in substantially the same manner.

  The image forming units 11Y, 11M, 11C, and 11K are charged by a photosensitive drum 12 as an image carrier for supporting a toner image, a charger 13 that charges the photosensitive drum 12 using a charging roll 13a, and a charger 13. , A developing device 14 for developing an electrostatic latent image formed on the photosensitive drum 12 by a developing roller 14a by laser light (LB-Y, LB-M, LB-C, LB-K) from the ROS 30, an intermediate transfer A primary transfer roll 15 is provided to face the photosensitive drum 12 with the belt 21 interposed therebetween, and transfers the toner image developed on the photosensitive drum 12 onto the intermediate transfer belt 21. On the photosensitive drum 12 after the primary transfer, A drum cleaner 16 for removing the remaining toner is provided.

  In the present embodiment, a two-component developing method using a so-called two-component developer (hereinafter referred to as a developer) having toner and carrier in the developing device 14 is employed. The developing unit 14 is provided with a pair of augers 14b and 14c that are arranged in parallel along the axial direction of the photosensitive drum 12 and stir and convey the developer in opposite directions. This developing unit 14 is a trickle system in which toner containing a carrier is newly supplied into the developing unit 14 at a predetermined timing, and the developer remaining as a result in the developing unit 14 is discharged to the outside as waste developer. By adopting it, it is possible to remove carriers that have deteriorated with long-term use. For example, new developer is supplied from the upstream side of the auger 14b in the developer transport direction, and the discarded developer is discharged from the downstream side of the auger 14c in the developer transport direction. The drum cleaner 16 is provided with a cleaning blade 16 a disposed in contact with the photosensitive drum 12. Residual toner removed by the cleaning blade 16 a is disposed in the drum cleaner 16 along the axial direction of the photosensitive drum 12. An auger 16b that conveys the drum cleaner 16 to the outside is provided.

  In the present embodiment, the photosensitive drum 12, the charger 13 and the drum cleaner 16 of each of the image forming units 11Y, 11M, 11C, and 11K are integrated into a process cartridge 60 shown in FIG. Only the process cartridge 60 can be removed from 1 and only the process cartridge 60 can be attached to the printer main body 1, and can be replaced by the user. Each process cartridge 60 is equipped with a nonvolatile memory unit 61. For example, the process cartridge 60 is mounted on the nonvolatile memory unit 61 in predetermined image forming units 11Y, 11M, 11C, and 11K such as the number of rotations of the photosensitive drum 12, the high voltage application time, and the number of prints. Each cartridge usage history information is stored. A discharge pipe 62 that houses an auger 16b (not shown, see FIG. 3) of the drum cleaner 16 is disposed on the side of the nonvolatile memory unit 61. A waste toner discharge port 62a is formed below the end of the discharge pipe 62 (upper side in the drawing), and a cap 63 having an opening 63a formed on the side is rotated at the end of the discharge pipe 62. It is attached as possible. The cap 63 is provided with a torsion spring 64 that is wound around and fixed to the discharge pipe 62. When the process cartridge 60 is attached to the printer main body 1, the cap 63 rotates to open the opening 62 a of the discharge pipe 62. And the opening 63a of the cap 63, the waste toner can be discharged to the outside.

  Further, in the printer main body 1 shown in FIG. 2, a recovery bottle 70 indicated by a broken line in the drawing is usually attached. 5A and 5B show the collection bottle 70. FIG. The collection bottle 70 has openings 71 to 79 for taking in waste toner and waste developer that are no longer needed. Among these, the openings 71 to 74 are collected by the drum cleaner 16 (both see FIG. 4) attached to the process cartridge 60 constituting each image forming unit 11Y, 11M, 11C, 11K (see FIG. 2). Waste toner or the like conveyed by the auger 16b (see FIG. 3) is carried in. Further, the waste developer conveyed by the auger 14c (both see FIG. 3) from the developing device 14 of each of the image forming units 11Y, 11M, 11C, and 11K (see FIG. 2) is carried into the openings 76 to 79. Further, waste toner or the like collected by the belt cleaner 25 and conveyed by the auger 25c (both shown in FIG. 2) is carried into the opening 75. Each opening 71 to 79 is attached with a sponge for preventing external leakage of waste toner and waste developer to be carried in.

  FIG. 6 is a view showing the waste powder recovery apparatus 100. A waste powder recovery apparatus 100 shown in FIG. 6 includes a primary recovery unit 110 that is detachably attached to the printer main body 1 (both see FIG. 2) instead of the recovery bottle 70 described above, and the waste recovered by the primary recovery unit 110. A secondary recovery unit 130 that finally stores toner and waste developer, and a transport unit 150 that transports waste toner and waste developer between the primary recovery unit 110 and the secondary recovery unit 130 are provided. . Here, the primary collection unit 110 is configured to be attached to and detached from the printer main body 1 in parallel from the front door 1a side of the printer main body 1 toward the arrangement direction of the process cartridge 60.

  FIG. 7 is a front view of the primary recovery unit 110, and FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing a state where four process cartridges 60 are mounted on the primary recovery unit 110. The primary recovery unit 110 has a hollow primary recovery container (recovery container) 110a. As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the primary collection container 110 a is formed with openings 111 to 119 for taking in unnecessary waste toner and waste developer. Here, the openings 111 to 114 are collected by the drum cleaner 16 (see FIG. 4) attached to the process cartridge 60 constituting each of the image forming units 11Y, 11M, 11C, and 11K (see FIG. 2), and the auger 16b. Waste toner or the like conveyed by (see FIG. 3) is carried in. That is, the openings 111 to 114 have a function as a waste toner carry-in port. Further, the waste developer conveyed by the auger 14c (both see FIG. 3) from the developing device 14 of each image forming unit 11Y, 11M, 11C, 11K (see FIG. 2) is carried into the openings 116 to 119. That is, the openings 116 to 119 function as a waste developer carry-in port. Further, waste toner or the like collected by the belt cleaner 25 (see FIG. 2) and conveyed by the auger 25c (see FIG. 2) is carried into the opening 115. That is, the opening 115 has a function as a waste toner carry-in port. Further, the openings 111 to 119 have a function as dropping means for dropping waste toner or waste developer into the primary collection container 110a. In addition, each opening 111-119 is attached with the sponge for leak prevention in which the cut | notch of the predetermined shape was put.

  A coil auger 120 as a conveying member is disposed along the longitudinal direction at the inner bottom of the primary recovery container 110a. The coil auger 120 is made of hard steel wire, and has an outer diameter of φ16, a wire diameter of φ1, and a pitch of 5 mm. One end of the coil auger 120 is connected to a gear 121 disposed outside the primary collection container 110a, and the other end extends further to the outside from the discharge port 122 provided on the lower side portion of the primary collection container 110a. Specifically, it extends to the downstream end of the transport pipe 151 of the transport unit 150. Further, the gear 121 that drives the coil auger 120 meshes with a gear 123 that is formed integrally with the receiving side coupling 124, and a driving force transmitted from a driving device 160 provided on the main body side as will be described later. It is to be driven by. As a result, the coil auger 120 can transport the waste toner and the waste developer carried into the primary recovery container 110a toward the transport pipe 151 side. As is apparent from the drawing, the transport pipe 151 is bent, but the coil auger 120 has flexibility, so that the waste toner and the waste developer are sufficiently transported even in the bent transport pipe 151. Is possible.

  Further, the primary collection unit 110 is provided with four openings 125 to 128 in parallel. These openings 125 to 128 are for cleaning the glass window 33 (see FIG. 2) through which the laser light (LB-Y, LB-M, LB-C, LB-K) passes. FIG. 6 shows a state in which these openings 125 to 128 are hidden by a plate 129 for attachment to the printer main body 1.

Moreover, the secondary collection | recovery part 130 has the housing | casing cover 131 shown in FIG. 6, and the secondary collection | recovery container 132 shown in FIG. 9 is accommodated in the inside. Here, FIG. 9A is a perspective view showing the main parts of the secondary collection container 132 and the transport unit 150, and FIG. 9B is a side view thereof.
The secondary collection container 132 has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape, and a handle 133 is formed on the upper side thereof. Further, an opening 134 for carrying waste toner and waste developer is formed on the upper surface of the secondary collection container 132.
On the other hand, a connector 152 for attaching / detaching the secondary collection container 132 is attached to the end of the transport pipe 151 of the transport unit 150. The connector 152 can carry waste toner and waste developer into the secondary collection container 132 when the secondary collection container 132 is attached, and waste toner and waste development when the secondary collection container 132 is detached. The lid is configured to prevent the agent from leaking. Note that a cover 153 shown in FIG. 6 is attached to the transport pipe 151. The cover 153 is attached to the printer main body 1 (see FIG. 1).

  In this embodiment, as is apparent from FIG. 9B, the secondary collection container 132 is attached to the connector 152 in a state where it is inclined by a predetermined angle. By arranging the secondary collection container 132 in this way, waste toner and waste developer falling in the secondary collection container 132 will slide down the inner side wall of the secondary collection container 132. It is possible to suppress scattering of waste toner and waste developer.

  Next, the operation of the image forming apparatus according to the present embodiment will be described. A color material reflected light image of a document read by a document reading device (not shown) and color material image data formed by a personal computer (not shown) are, for example, R (red), G (green), and B (blue). Each 8-bit reflectance data is input to the IPS 50. In the IPS 50, image processing such as shading correction, position shift correction, brightness / color space correction, gamma correction, frame deletion, color editing, moving editing, and other image editing is performed on the input reflectance data. . The image data that has been subjected to image processing is converted into four color material gradation data of yellow (Y), magenta (M), cyan (C), and black (K), and is output to the ROS 30.

  In the ROS 30, laser light (LB-Y, LB-M, LB-C, LB-K) emitted from a laser diode (not shown) is changed to f-θ according to the input color material gradation data. The light is emitted to the polygon mirror 31 through a lens (not shown). In the polygon mirror 31, the incident laser light is modulated in accordance with gradation data of each color, deflected and scanned, and image forming units 11Y, 11M, 11C, and 11K through an imaging lens and a plurality of mirrors (not shown). The photosensitive drum 12 is irradiated. On the photosensitive drums 12 of the image forming units 11Y, 11M, 11C, and 11K, the charged surface is subjected to scanning exposure to form an electrostatic latent image. The formed electrostatic latent image is developed as a toner image of each color of yellow (Y), magenta (M), cyan (C), and black (K) in each of the image forming units 11Y, 11M, 11C, and 11K. Is done.

  The toner images formed on the photosensitive drums 12 of the image forming units 11Y, 11M, 11C, and 11K are sequentially transferred onto an intermediate transfer belt 21 that is an intermediate transfer member. At this time, the black image forming unit 11K that forms a black toner image is provided on the most downstream side in the moving direction of the intermediate transfer belt 21, and the black toner image is finally transferred to the intermediate transfer belt 21. The

  On the other hand, in the sheet conveyance system 40, the nudger roll 42 rotates in accordance with the timing of image formation, and recording paper of a predetermined size is supplied from the paper feeding device 41. The recording sheets separated one by one by the feed roll 43 are transferred to the registration roll 45 through the conveyance path 44 and are temporarily stopped. Thereafter, the registration roll 45 rotates in accordance with the movement timing of the intermediate transfer belt 21 on which the toner image is formed, and the recording paper is conveyed to the secondary transfer position formed by the backup roll 24 and the secondary transfer roll 46. . On the recording paper transported from the bottom to the top at the secondary transfer position, the toner images onto which the four colors are transferred and transferred are sequentially secondary transferred in the sub-scanning direction using a pressing force and a predetermined electric field. The The recording sheet on which the toner image has been secondarily transferred is subjected to a fixing process by heat and pressure by the fixing device 29 and then discharged to a discharge tray 48 provided on the upper portion of the printer main body 1 by a discharge roll 47. Note that the recording sheet can be reversed by the duplex conveying unit 49 by a switching gate (not shown) without being discharged to the discharge tray 48 as it is. After the reversed recording sheet is conveyed to the registration roll 45, an image can be formed on both sides of the recording sheet by forming an image on the other unprinted side by the same flow as described above. Become.

Next, the connection between the receiving side coupling 124 provided in the primary recovery unit 110 and the driving device 160 provided on the main body side in the image forming apparatus will be described.
FIG. 10 is a view for explaining the connection between the driving device 160 and the receiving side coupling 124. The driving device 160 includes a DC motor 161 as a driving source, a worm 162 attached to the motor shaft of the DC motor 161, a worm wheel 163 that meshes with the worm 162 and changes the direction of the rotating shaft to a direction orthogonal to the motor shaft, A gear 164 that is coaxially coupled to the worm wheel 163, a gear 165 that is meshed with the gear 164, a drive-side coupling 166 that is integrally formed coaxially with the gear 165, and a drive-side coupling 166 that is integrally mounted. The base member 167 is fixed.
In the driving device 160, the driving of the DC motor 161 is reduced to about 1/100 when transmitted from the worm 162 to the worm wheel 163, and is transmitted to the driving side coupling 166 via the gear 164 and the gear 165.

On the other hand, the primary recovery unit 110 is disposed on the side of the driving device 160 on the side of the driving device 160, a gear 121 that transmits driving to the coil auger 120 disposed on the inner bottom of the primary recovery container 110a, and a gear 123 that is meshed with the gear 121. The receiving side coupling 124 is provided as a drive receiving member formed integrally with the gear 123.
When the primary recovery unit 110 is mounted in parallel from the front door 1a side of the printer main body 1 toward the arrangement direction of the process cartridge 60, the drive side coupling 166 of the drive device 160 and the primary recovery unit 110 are received. The side coupling 124 is coupled.

  Here, the driving side coupling 166 and the receiving side coupling 124 will be described. FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating the driving side coupling 166, and FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating the receiving side coupling 124. As shown in FIG. 11, the drive side coupling 166 is formed by integral molding of plastic coaxially with the gear 165. The drive side coupling 166 includes a disk-shaped base 166a and a columnar columnar convex portion 166b fixed vertically to the base 166a at a position 6 mm away from the rotation center axis of the base 166a.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 12, the receiving side coupling 124 is formed by integral molding of plastic coaxially with the gear 123. The receiving-side coupling 124 has a cylindrical base 124a having an outer diameter of 18.5 mm and an inner diameter of 14 mm, a wall-like convex part 124b fixed on the upper surface of the base 124a and away from the rotation center axis, It is comprised by the reinforcement member 124c which reinforces the convex part 124b. The wall-shaped convex portion 124b is formed in an oval shape with a cross-sectional shape combining a rectangle and a semicircular shape, and a side surface 124d formed in a plane is disposed on the upstream side of the receiving side coupling 124 in the rotation direction. Furthermore, the wall-shaped convex portion 124b is fixed vertically to the upper surface of the base body 124a so that the normal line of the side surface 124d faces a direction orthogonal to the rotation center axis.

  Here, a case where the primary collection unit 110 is attached to the printer main body 1 will be described. When the primary recovery unit 110 is mounted, the receiving side coupling 124 is coupled to the driving side coupling 166 from a direction in which the wall-shaped convex portion 124 b is orthogonal to the rotation axis of the driving side coupling 166. At this time, the rotational axis of the driving side coupling 166 and the rotational axis of the receiving side coupling 124 are positioned so as to coincide with each other. After the primary recovery unit 110 is mounted, the columnar convex portion 166b comes into contact with the side surface 124d of the wall-shaped convex portion 124b by the rotation of the driving side coupling 166. The receiving side coupling 124 receives the driving force from the columnar convex portion 166b on the side surface 124d of the wall-shaped convex portion 124b and rotates.

  As described above, the receiving side coupling 124 is provided with a flat side surface 124d, and receives the driving force from the columnar convex portion 166b. For this reason, when the columnar convex portion 166b abuts against the wall-shaped convex portion side surface 124d, it is possible to form a large allowable contact area in which the driving force from the columnar convex portion 166b can be efficiently transmitted. That is, by forming the wall-like convex side surface 124d sufficiently long in the normal direction of the base body 124a, the columnar convex portion 166b reliably contacts the wall-like convex side surface 124d and efficiently transmits the driving force. be able to.

  Here, the cross-sectional shape of the wall-shaped convex portion 124b is not limited as long as the side surface 124d with which the columnar convex portion 166b abuts is formed as a flat surface, and as shown in FIG. In addition to an oval shape ((a)) that combines a 5 mm rectangle and a semicircle with a radius of 1.5 mm, it is formed in a hexagonal shape ((b)) or a pentagonal shape ((c)) that combines a rectangle and a triangle. May be. Note that the side surface 124d is not only formed as a flat surface, but may be provided with a convex portion or a concave portion formed with a gentle curve as long as it does not hinder the transmission of driving force and the withdrawal of the receiving side coupling 124.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 14, the end of the wall-shaped convex portion 124b is positioned on the upper surface of the base body 124a so that the wall-shaped convex portion 124b is disposed in a region inside the outer peripheral surface 124e of the base body 124a. So that it is fixed. The rotation radius r of the columnar convex portion 166b of the drive side coupling 166 is set so as not to be larger than the outer peripheral radius R of the base body 124a, and the columnar convex portion 166b is driven from the inner side than the outer peripheral surface 124e of the base body 124a. Is configured to transmit. In the present embodiment, the rotation radius r of the columnar convex portion 166b is 6 mm, and the radius R of the outer peripheral surface 124e of the base body 124a is set to 9.25 mm. The rotation radius r of the columnar convex portion 166b and the radius R of the outer peripheral surface 124e of the base body 124a may be set to be equal.

  This configuration is based on the following reason. For example, the wall-shaped convex portion 124b is disposed so as to be positioned outside the outer peripheral surface 124e of the base 124a, and the columnar convex portion 166b is abutted on the outer side than the outer peripheral surface 124e of the base 124a to transmit the driving force. It can also be configured. However, when the contact position of the columnar convex portion 166b is outside the outer peripheral surface 124e, the wall-shaped convex portion 124b is joined to the upper surface of the base body 124a in which the wall-shaped convex portion 166b is fixedly provided. A large force that tries to tilt in the direction of rotation will work.

  That is, f = rF / R, where F is the force by which the columnar convex portion 166b presses the wall-shaped convex portion 124b, and f is the force acting on the upper surface of the base body 124a to which the wall-shaped convex portion 124b is fixed. The Therefore, when r> R, r / R> 1 and f becomes a force larger than F. For this reason, a large shearing force acts on the joint portion of the wall-shaped convex portion 124b, and a phenomenon occurs in which the wall-shaped convex portion 124b is damaged at the joint portion. On the other hand, as in the present embodiment, when r ≦ R, r / R ≦ 1 and f is not larger than F. Therefore, by configuring the contact position of the columnar convex portion 166b to be inside the outer peripheral surface 124e of the base body 124a, it is possible to suppress the force for tilting the wall-shaped convex portion 124b. For this reason, the phenomenon that the wall-shaped convex part 124b is damaged does not occur. As in the present embodiment, in order to prevent damage to the wall-shaped convex portion 124b, a reinforcing member 124c is disposed on the downstream side in the rotational direction of the wall-shaped convex portion 124b to reinforce the wall-shaped convex portion 124b. It is also effective.

  Next, a case where the primary collection unit 110 is taken out from the printer main body 1 will be described. Since the driving side coupling 166 is connected to a worm gear including the worm 162 and the worm wheel 163 and is locked, it cannot be rotated from the driving side coupling 166 side. On the other hand, the receiving side coupling 124 is not subject to such a restriction in configuration, and thus can be freely rotated. Therefore, when the primary recovery unit 110 is pulled out, the wall-shaped convex part 124b of the receiving side coupling 124 is pushed by the columnar convex part 166b and rotates to a position where it can pass through the columnar convex part 166b in synchronization with the pulling-out operation. . Further, since the side surface 124d of the wall-shaped convex portion 124b is formed in a flat surface and the columnar convex portion 166b is formed in a cylindrical shape, the side surface 124d of the wall-shaped convex portion 124b may slide on the cylindrical side surface of the columnar convex portion 166b. it can. That is, by the operation of pulling out the primary recovery part 110, the receiving side coupling 124 rotates, passes through the columnar convex part 166b, and the coupling is released.

  As described above, at least one of the driving side coupling 166 and the receiving side coupling 124 is configured to be freely rotated without being locked. As a result, when the primary recovery unit 110 is pulled out, it can be rotated to a position where either the driving side coupling 166 or the receiving side coupling 124 can be slipped through in synchronization with the pulling operation. At this time, a wall-like convex portion having a flat side surface is disposed on the rotatable coupling so that the receiving-side coupling 124 is not obstructed, and a cylindrical shape is provided on the stationary coupling. It is necessary to arrange the columnar projections.

Further, as shown in FIG. 15, the wall-shaped convex portion 124 b is such that the rotational radius (minimum rotational radius) b of the rotating shaft side end portion 124 f is larger than the radius a of the columnar convex portion 166 b of the driving side coupling 166. It is configured. With this configuration, even when the columnar convex portion 166b is positioned so as to overlap the rotational axis x when viewed from the direction in which the primary recovery unit 110 is pulled out, the wall-shaped convex portion 124b is connected to the columnar convex portion 166b and the rotational axis x. Since the clearance b-a can be obtained by being positioned so as to be perpendicular to the plane to include, it can be easily removed.
Thus, the receiving side coupling 124 can be smoothly removed from the driving side coupling 166 without the columnar protruding part 166b becoming an obstacle no matter where the columnar protruding part 166b is located.

  In this embodiment, the driving side coupling 166 is provided with one columnar convex portion 166b, but a plurality of columnar convex portions 166b are provided as long as it does not obstruct the withdrawal of the receiving side coupling 124. You can also Further, although the columnar convex portion 166b is formed in a cylindrical shape, if the side surface 124d of the wall-shaped convex portion 124b can slide, the polygonal columnar shape having an obtuse internal angle or a part of the flat surface is provided. It may be formed in a cylindrical shape or the like.

In addition, the driving device 160 is configured to use a worm gear including a worm 162 and a worm wheel 163 so that the driving side coupling 166 is locked from the driving side coupling 166 side. The drive gear may be configured so as not to be locked.
At this time, the gear may be configured so that the receiving side coupling 124 side is locked. However, as described above, the receiving side coupling 124 is provided so as not to obstruct the withdrawal of the receiving side coupling 124. It is necessary to dispose a columnar convex portion having a cylindrical shape, and to arrange a wall-shaped convex portion having a flat side surface on the driving side coupling 166.

  Furthermore, the driving force transmission device according to the present embodiment is not limited to the case where it is applied to the waste powder collection device 100, but can be applied to all units detachably attached to the main body device having a mechanism for transmitting driving force such as a toner supply device. Applicable.

1 is a diagram illustrating an overall configuration of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment. It is a figure which shows a printer main body. It is a figure which shows the structure of an image forming unit. It is a figure which shows a process cartridge. (a) (b) is a figure which shows a collection | recovery bottle. It is a figure which shows a waste powder collection | recovery apparatus. It is the figure which looked at the primary collection | recovery part from the front. It is a figure which shows the state which mounted | wore four process cartridges to the primary collection | recovery part. (a) is a perspective view which shows the principal part of a secondary collection container and a conveyance part, (b) is the side view. It is a perspective view for demonstrating connection with a drive device and a receiving side coupling. It is a perspective view explaining a drive side coupling. It is a perspective view explaining a receiving side coupling. It is a figure explaining the cross-sectional shape of a wall-shaped convex part. It is a figure explaining the positional relationship of a columnar convex part and a wall-shaped convex part. It is a figure explaining the relationship between the arrangement configuration of a wall-shaped convex part, and the diameter of a columnar convex part.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Printer main body, 10 ... Image process system, 11Y ... Yellow image formation unit, 11M ... Magenta image formation unit, 11C ... Cyan image formation unit, 11K ... Black image formation unit, 12 ... Photoconductor drum, 13 ... Charger, DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 14 ... Developer, 15 ... Primary transfer roll, 16 ... Drum cleaner, 20 ... Transfer unit, 25 ... Belt cleaner, 30 ... ROS, 40 ... Sheet conveyance system, 50 ... IPS, 60 ... Process cartridge, 70 ... Collection bottle, DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100 ... Waste powder collection | recovery apparatus, 110 ... Primary collection part, 110a ... Primary collection container, 111-119 ... Opening, 120 ... Coil auger, 124 ... Reception side coupling, 124a ... Base | substrate, 124b ... Wall-shaped convex part, 124c ... Reinforcing member, 124d ... Side face, 124e ... Outer peripheral face, 130 ... Secondary recovery part, 132 ... Secondary Container, 150 ... conveying section, 151 ... conveying pipe, 152 ... connector, D ... waste developer, T ... waste toner, 161 ... DC motor, 162 ... worm, 163 ... worm wheel, 164,165 ... gear, 166 ... Drive-side coupling, 166a ... base, 166b ... columnar projection, 167 ... base member

Claims (8)

In together when disposed away rotation center axis of the base body to the rotatable base and parallel to the rotation axis, the columnar convex portions have sectional shape formed by a polygon circular or interior angle is obtuse A drive transmission member provided;
In together when disposed apart from the rotation center axis of the base body in a rotatable substrate, normal to the rotation direction upstream side it is provided with the rotational center axis orthogonal to the plane formed wall-shaped convex portions A drive receiving member ,
The drive transmission member is configured to be fixed in rotation when the drive receiving member is pulled out from the drive transmission member in a direction intersecting the rotation center axis,
The columnar convex portion of the drive transmission member, the rotation of which is fixed to the wall-shaped convex portion when the drive receiving member is pulled out from the drive transmission member in a direction intersecting the rotation center axis. A driving force transmission device configured to rotate when in contact with a motor. The drive transmission member receives rotational drive from a drive source via a worm gear, and the rotation is fixed by the worm gear when the drive reception member is pulled out from the drive transmission member in a direction intersecting the rotation center axis. The driving force transmission device according to claim 1 . In the drive receiving member, an end of the wall-shaped convex portion opposite to the rotation center axis is fixed to the base, and a minimum rotation radius of the wall-shaped convex portion is that of the columnar convex portion of the drive transmission member. 2. The driving force transmission device according to claim 1, wherein the rotational radius of the wall-shaped convex portion is smaller than the rotational radius, and the rotational radius of the columnar convex portion is larger than the rotational radius. It said driving force receiving member, the driving force transmitting device according to claim 1, wherein rotating the minimum radius of the wall-shaped convex portions is equal to or greater than the cross-section radius of the columnar convex portion of said drive transmission member. It said drive transmission member, driving force transmission device according to claim 1, characterized in that the columnar convex portion is 1 or more provided. A driving source;
While being disposed apart from the rotation center axis parallel to the axis of rotation of the substrate to the substrate to be rotated by the driving source, the columnar convex cross-sectional shape formed by a polygon circular or interior angle is obtuse A drive transmission member having a portion;
A drive receiver provided with a wall-like convex portion that is disposed on a rotatable base body apart from the rotation center axis of the base body, and a plane whose normal is perpendicular to the rotation center axis is formed on the upstream side in the rotation direction. A unit provided with a member,
The drive transmission member is configured such that rotation is fixed when the unit is pulled out from the drive transmission member in a direction intersecting the rotation center axis.
When the unit is pulled out from the drive transmission member in a direction intersecting the rotation center axis, the drive receiving member is formed in the columnar shape of the drive transmission member in which the wall-shaped convex portion is fixed in rotation. An image forming apparatus configured to rotate by contact with a convex portion . The image forming apparatus according to claim 6 , wherein the unit includes a waste powder collecting apparatus. The image forming apparatus according to claim 6 , wherein the unit includes a toner supply device.

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