JP2012103483A - Developer recovery container and image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent toner from leaking from a recovery port from which toner is recovered in a waste toner recovery box.SOLUTION: A developer recovery container comprises: a transport chamber 81 on which a recovery port 58 for waste toner to be recovered is formed, the waste toner being transferred from the recovery port 58; a reservoir chamber 61 that is formed at the lower part of the transport chamber 81 and where the waste toner transferred to the transport chamber 81 is reserved; a partition wall 80 on which a passage port 80a through which the waste toner moving from the transport chamber 81 to the reservoir chamber 61 passes is formed corresponding to the recovery port 58 and which partitions off the reservoir chamber 61 from the transport chamber 81; a shutter 59 on which a first opening/closing part 59a for opening and closing the passage port 80a and a second opening/closing part 59b for opening and closing the recovery port 58 are formed and which turns toward the transport chamber 81 to open and close the passage port 80a and the recovery port 58; and a torsion spring 60 that provides the shutter 59 with torque so that the shutter 59 turns toward a closing position where the passage port 80a and the recovery port 58 are closed.

Description

  The present invention relates to a developer recovery container and an image forming apparatus.

  In an image forming apparatus such as an electrophotographic copying machine or a laser beam printer, after a toner image developed on a photosensitive drum is transferred to a recording sheet, residual toner adhering to the photosensitive drum is removed by a cleaner. The residual toner thus collected is recovered as a waste toner (used developer) in a waste toner recovery box (developer recovery container) in the image forming apparatus.

  In recent years, a color image is obtained by first transferring a multicolor toner image formed by a plurality of image forming units from a photosensitive drum to an intermediate transfer belt, and then performing secondary transfer from the intermediate transfer belt to a recording sheet. An image forming apparatus has also appeared. In the case of a color image forming apparatus, for example, a photosensitive drum and a cleaner for cleaning the photosensitive drum exist for each of the image forming units of yellow, cyan, magenta, and black, so that waste toner is collected from the cleaners of the four image forming units. Need arises. Further, after the toner image is secondarily transferred from the intermediate transfer belt to the recording sheet, it is necessary to clean the residual toner adhering to the intermediate transfer belt, and a cleaner is provided for the intermediate transfer belt. ing. Therefore, in the case of a color image forming apparatus, waste toner is collected from a plurality of cleaners into a waste toner collection box.

  Further, in order to omit the replacement work of the deteriorated developer (used developer) in the developing device using the two-component developer composed of the toner and the carrier, the deteriorated developer is supplied while supplying a new two-component developer. A trickle development method is used. When this developing method is employed, the deteriorated developer discharged from the developing devices for each color is also collected in the waste toner collection box.

  The waste toner collection box is a consumable part, and is generally replaced with an empty waste toner collection box when the waste toner is full.

  Here, as for the waste toner collection box for collecting the used developer, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-169435, US Pat. No. 5,132,740, US Pat. No. 6,041,212, US Pat. No. 6,526,243. Techniques described in US Pat. No. 7,221,887 and US Pat. No. 6,782,235 are known.

JP 2002-169435 A US Pat. No. 5,132,740 US Pat. No. 6,041,212 US Pat. No. 6,526,243 US Pat. No. 7,221,887 US Pat. No. 6,782,235

  An object of the present invention is to provide a developer recovery container and an image forming apparatus that can prevent leakage of the developer from a recovery port from which the developer is recovered.

  In order to solve the above problems, the developer collection container of the present invention according to claim 1 is provided with a collection port in which a developer is collected, a conveyance chamber in which the developer is conveyed from the collection port, and the conveyance A storage chamber that is formed below the chamber and stores the developer transported to the transport chamber, and a passage port through which the developer from the transport chamber toward the storage chamber passes are formed corresponding to the recovery port. A partition wall that divides the transfer chamber and the storage chamber, a first opening / closing portion that opens and closes the passage port, and a second opening / closing portion that opens and closes the recovery port are formed and rotated toward the transfer chamber side. And an opening / closing means for opening and closing the passage opening and the recovery opening, and an applying means for applying a rotational force in the direction of a closed position, which is a position for closing the passage opening and the collection opening, to the opening / closing means. It is characterized by having.

  The invention according to claim 2 is the invention according to claim 1, wherein the opening and closing means is divided into a pair of members that rotate on rotating shafts respectively disposed at two positions sandwiching the recovery port, A pair of the first opening / closing parts and a pair of the second opening / closing parts are provided.

  The invention according to claim 3 is the invention according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the first opening / closing portion includes the first opening / closing portion and the partition wall when the opening / closing means is in the closed position. A first sealing means for sealing a first gap formed between the first opening / closing section and the partition wall when the opening / closing means is in the closed position. A first sealing means for sealing a first gap and a second gap formed between the pair of first opening / closing sections is provided.

  The invention according to claim 4 is the invention according to claim 3, wherein the first sealing means contacts the partition wall to seal the first gap, or contacts the partition wall. In addition, the first gap and the second gap are sealed by overlapping with each other in the second gap.

  The invention according to claim 5 is the invention according to claim 3, wherein the first gap is crushed by elastic deformation to seal the first gap, or the first gap and the second gap are crushed by elastic deformation. It is characterized by sealing.

  The invention according to claim 6 is the invention according to any one of claims 2 to 5, wherein the second opening / closing portion includes a pair of the second opening / closing when the opening / closing means is in the closed position. A second sealing means is provided for sealing the third gap formed between the portions so as to overlap each other in the third gap.

  In order to solve the above problems, an image forming apparatus according to a seventh aspect of the present invention is characterized in that the developer recovery container according to any one of the first to sixth aspects is attached.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, it is possible to prevent the leakage of the developer from the recovery port when the developer recovery container is removed compared to the case where the present invention is not adopted.

  According to the second aspect of the present invention, as compared with the case where the present invention is not adopted, the dimension in the thickness direction of the developer recovery container is suppressed and the thickness is reduced.

  According to the third aspect of the present invention, as compared with the case where the present invention is not adopted, leakage of the developer from the recovery port is effectively prevented.

  According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, the leakage of the developer from the recovery port is more effectively prevented as compared with the case where the present invention is not adopted.

  According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, the leakage of the developer from the recovery port is more effectively prevented as compared with the case where the present invention is not adopted.

  According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, as compared with a case where the present invention is not adopted, leakage of the developer from the recovery port is effectively prevented.

  According to the seventh aspect of the invention, an image forming apparatus including a developer recovery container that prevents leakage of the developer from the recovery port is obtained.

1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a configuration of a printer to which a waste toner collection box according to an embodiment of the present invention is attached. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating an arrangement position of a waste toner collection box in the printer of FIG. 1. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line A-A ′ of FIG. 2. FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a waste toner collection box according to an embodiment of the present invention from the front side. FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a waste toner collection box according to an embodiment of the present invention, partly broken away from the front side in a direction different from FIG. 4. It is a perspective view which shows the waste toner collection box concerning one embodiment of this invention from the back side. It is a perspective view showing the inside of a front cover which is a component of a waste toner recovery box according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a perspective view showing the inside of a rear cover which is a component of a waste toner recovery box according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is the perspective view which looked at the internal structure of the waste toner collection box concerning one embodiment of the present invention from the rear side. It is the perspective view which looked at the internal structure of the waste toner collection box concerning one embodiment of the present invention from the front side. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along line B-B ′ of FIG. 4. It is sectional drawing of the principal part along the C-C 'line of FIG. It is a perspective view which shows the pipe which is a component of the waste toner collection box which concerns on one embodiment of this invention from the front lower part. It is sectional drawing of the radial direction of the pipe of FIG. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the vicinity of a recovery port of a waste toner recovery box according to an embodiment of the present invention from the outside. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the vicinity of a recovery port of a waste toner recovery box according to an embodiment of the present invention from the outside with a plate attached. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the vicinity of a collection port of a waste toner collection box according to an embodiment of the present invention from the inside with some shutters in an open position. FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing the vicinity of the collection port of the waste toner collection box according to the embodiment of the present invention from the inside with the shutter in the closed position. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing one side of a shutter attached to a waste toner collection box according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is explanatory drawing which shows the closed state of the collection port by the shutter attached to the waste toner collection box which concerns on one embodiment of this invention, and a passage port. It is a figure which expands and shows the part shown with the code | symbol S of FIG. It is explanatory drawing which shows the state which the shutter attached to the waste toner collection box which concerns on one embodiment of this invention was in a closed position. It is explanatory drawing which shows the state which the shutter attached to the waste toner collection box which concerns on one embodiment of this invention became an open position. It is a perspective view which shows the one side of the shutter as a comparative example. It is explanatory drawing which shows the state which the shutter as a comparative example was in the closed position. It is a perspective view showing one side of a shutter as a modified example attached to a waste toner collection box according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is explanatory drawing which shows the closed state of the collection port by the shutter of FIG.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment as an example of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Note that components having the same function are denoted by the same reference symbols throughout the drawings for describing the embodiment, and the repetitive description thereof will be omitted.

  As shown in FIG. 1, a tandem type color laser beam printer 1 (image forming apparatus) to which a waste toner recovery box for waste toner is attached forms a toner image for each color of yellow, magenta, cyan and black. Basic image forming units 10Y, 10M, 10C, and 10K are provided. In addition, an intermediate transfer belt 20 to which toner images are transferred (primary transfer) from these image forming units is provided, and the toner images transferred onto the intermediate transfer belt 20 are further transferred to the recording sheet P (secondary transfer). Thus, a full color image is formed.

  The intermediate transfer belt 20 is formed in an endless manner and is wound around a pair of belt conveying rollers 21 and 22, and toner formed by the respective color image forming units 10Y, 10M, 10C, and 10K while rotating in a direction indicated by an arrow. It is configured to receive a primary transfer of the image.

  A secondary transfer roller 30 is provided at a position facing one belt conveying roller 21 with the intermediate transfer belt 20 in between, and the recording sheet P and the secondary transfer roller 30 and the intermediate transfer belt that are in contact with each other so as to press each other. 20 to receive the secondary transfer of the toner image from the intermediate transfer belt 20. On the other hand, a belt cleaner 23 of the intermediate transfer belt 20 is disposed at a position opposite to the belt conveying roller 22 located on the opposite side, and toner remaining on the intermediate transfer belt 20 after the secondary transfer is removed from the intermediate transfer belt 20. To do. The residual toner removed by the belt cleaner 23 is transported to the front side (front side in FIG. 1) by a transport shaft 23a having spiral blades as waste toner, and is collected in a waste toner collection box described later. It is like that.

  The four image forming units 10Y, 10M, 10C, and 10K described above are arranged in parallel on the lower side of the intermediate transfer belt 20, and a toner image formed according to image information of each color is placed on the intermediate transfer belt 20. Primary transfer is designed. These four image forming units 10Y, 10M, 10C, and 10K are arranged in the order of yellow, magenta, cyan, and black in the rotation direction of the intermediate transfer belt 20, and generally, the most frequently used black image forming units The image forming unit 10K is disposed closest to the secondary transfer position.

  Below these image forming units 10Y, 10M, 10C, and 10K, there is provided a raster scanning unit 40 that exposes the photosensitive drum 11 provided in each image forming unit according to image information. The raster scanning unit 40 is shared by all the image forming units 10Y, 10M, 10C, and 10K, and four semiconductor lasers (not shown) that emit laser light L modulated according to image information of each color. A polygon mirror 41 that rotates at high speed and scans these four laser beams L along the axial direction of the photosensitive drum 11. Each laser beam L scanned by the polygon mirror 41 travels through a predetermined path while being reflected by a mirror (not shown), and then passes through each scanning image 42 provided on the upper portion of the raster scanning unit 40. The photosensitive drums 11 of the forming units 10Y, 10M, 10C, and 10K are exposed.

  Each of the image forming units 10Y, 10M, 10C, and 10K is formed on the photosensitive drum 11 by exposure of the photosensitive drum 11, the charging roller 12 that charges the surface of the photosensitive drum 11 to a predetermined potential, and laser light L. A developing device 13 that develops the electrostatic latent image formed to form a toner image, and a drum cleaner 14 that removes residual toner and paper dust from the surface of the photosensitive drum 11 after the toner image is transferred to the intermediate transfer belt 20. And a toner image corresponding to the image information of each color is formed on the photosensitive drum 11.

  In the printer 1 of the present embodiment, the developing device 13 is a type in which a two-component developer in which toner and carrier are mixed is used, and maintenance for replacing the developer accompanying deterioration with time is omitted. A trickle development system is used in which a developer in which toner and a carrier are mixed is supplied from a cartridge (not shown), and the deteriorated developer is automatically discharged.

  In each developing device 13, a new developer is replenished from the rear side (back side in FIG. 1) of the conveyance shaft 13a having the same spiral blade as the conveyance shaft 23a described above. The residual toner removed by each drum cleaner 14 is discharged to the front side as a waste toner by a conveyance shaft (not shown). The waste toner discharged from the drum cleaner 14 is collected in a later-described waste toner collection box.

  In this example, as an example of the developer to be collected, waste toner including used toner discharged from the drum cleaner 14 and used toner discharged from the belt cleaner 23 is collected. The present invention is also applicable to a collection box for collecting the carrier and toner discharged from the developing device 13 and a collection box for collecting only used toner discharged from the drum cleaner 14.

  Primary transfer rollers 15Y, 15M, 15C, and 15K are provided at positions facing the photoconductive drums 11 of the image forming units 10Y, 10M, 10C, and 10K so as to sandwich the intermediate transfer belt 20. Then, by applying a transfer bias voltage to these transfer rollers 15Y, 15M, 15C, and 15K, an electric field is formed between the photoconductor drum 11 and the transfer rollers 15Y, 15M, 15C, and 15K, and on the photoconductor drum 11 Thus, the charged toner image is transferred to the intermediate transfer belt 20 by Coulomb force.

  On the other hand, the recording sheet P is conveyed from the paper feed cassette 2 stored in the lower part of the printer 1 to the inside of the housing, specifically, to the secondary transfer position where the intermediate transfer belt 20 and the secondary transfer roller 30 are in contact. The paper feed cassette 2 is configured to be pushed in and set from the front side of the printer 1. A pickup roller 24 and a paper feed roller 25 for pulling out the recording sheet P accommodated in the paper feed cassette 2 are provided above the paper feed cassette 2 set. A retard roller 26 that prevents double feeding of the recording sheet P is provided at a position facing the paper feed roller 25.

  The conveyance path 27 of the recording sheet P inside the printer 1 is provided in the vertical direction along the left side surface of the printer 1, and the recording sheet P drawn from the paper feed cassette 2 located at the bottom of the printer 1 is conveyed. The path 27 is moved up, and the entry timing is controlled by the registration roller 29 to be introduced into the secondary transfer position. After the toner image is transferred at the secondary transfer position, the toner is transferred to the fixing device 3 provided above. Sent. Then, the recording sheet P on which the toner image is fixed by the fixing device 3 is discharged by the discharge roller 28 onto the paper discharge tray 1a provided on the upper surface of the printer 1 with the image forming surface down.

  In forming a full-color image by the color laser beam printer 1 having such a configuration, first, the raster scanning unit 40 loads the photosensitive drums 11 of the image forming units 10Y, 10M, 10C, and 10K in advance according to the image information of each color. Exposure is performed at a predetermined timing. As a result, electrostatic latent images corresponding to the image information are formed on the photosensitive drums 11 of the image forming units 10Y, 10M, 10C, and 10K. By supplying toner to these electrostatic latent images, the toner is supplied. An image is formed.

  The toner images formed on the photoconductive drums 11 of the image forming units 10Y, 10M, 10C, and 10K are sequentially transferred to the rotating intermediate transfer belt 20, whereby each color toner image is transferred onto the intermediate transfer belt 20. Overlapping multiple toner images are formed. On the other hand, the recording sheet P is sent out from the paper feed cassette 2 and the timing at which the toner image primarily transferred onto the intermediate transfer belt 20 reaches the secondary transfer position is measured. Passed between. As a result, the multiple toner images on the intermediate transfer belt 20 are secondarily transferred to the recording sheet P. Then, the toner image is fixed on the recording sheet P that has been secondarily transferred by the fixing device 3, thereby completing a full color image on the recording sheet P.

  In the printer 1 of the present embodiment configured as described above, the waste toner discharged from the belt cleaner 23 and each drum cleaner 14 is all collected in the same waste toner collection box 50 (an example of a developer collection container). It is configured to be.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the waste toner collection box 50 is provided slightly below the front side of each of the yellow, magenta, cyan, and black image forming units 10Y, 10M, 10C, and 10K arranged in parallel. The waste toner discharged from the drum cleaners 14 toward the front side is collected in a waste toner collection box 50. The waste toner removed from the intermediate transfer belt 20 by the belt cleaner 23 is also collected in the waste toner collection box 50.

  As shown in FIGS. 4 to 8, the waste toner collection box 50 includes a plastic front cover 51 and a rear cover 52 that are combined to form a space therein. The waste toner collection box 50 is long in the width direction and has a shape that is thinner than the length in the vertical direction. The length of the waste toner collection box 50 in the width direction is longer than the distance from the drum cleaner 14 to the belt cleaner 23 of the black image forming unit 10K described above. 10Y, 10M, 10C, 10K and the front side of the belt cleaner 23, waste toner is directly dropped into the internal space.

  As shown in FIG. 4 to FIG. 7, at the two upper portions of the front cover 51, the free ends face forward, and protrusions 54 are formed on the upper surface 53 a so that the upper surface 53 a moves up and down elastically. A lock piece 53 is formed. Further, a hole 55 having a size that opens forward and allows a plurality of fingers to enter is formed immediately below the lock piece 53. Furthermore, plate-like piece attachment portions 57 to which plate-like pieces 56 (FIG. 9) projecting downward are attached are formed at two locations below the front cover 51.

  Therefore, when the waste toner collection box 50 is attached to the printer 1, the plate-like piece 56 is inserted into a groove (not shown) formed on the printer 1 side, and the waste toner collection box 50 is used as a fulcrum. The protrusion 54 is fitted into a fixing hole (not shown) formed on the printer 1 side while the lock piece 53 is elastically deformed. Further, when removing the waste toner collection box 50 from the printer 1, the thumb is placed on the free end of the lock piece 53, the other finger is put into the hole 55, and the lock piece 53 is pushed down with the thumb and tilted forward. The fitting between the projection 54 and the fixing hole is released, and it is lifted obliquely upward.

  The waste toner collection box 50 is removed from the printer 1 when, for example, the waste toner collection box 50 is full and replaced, the intermediate transfer belt unit needs to be replaced, and the waste toner collection box. For example, the image forming units 10Y, 10M, 10C, and 10K located at the back of the 50 need to be replaced.

  As shown in FIGS. 6 and 8, five recovery ports 58 are formed in the upper portion of the rear cover 52. These are collection ports for waste toner discharged from the drum cleaners 14 of the image forming units 10Y, 10M, 10C, and 10K. When the waste toner collection box 50 is attached to the printer 1, the image forming units 10Y, 10M, and 10C are installed. The connecting pipe 74 (FIG. 5) protruding from the 10K drum cleaner 14 and the belt cleaner 23 to the front side is inserted and removed. When connecting pipes that transport the recovered waste toner are inserted into the recovery ports 58, the waste toner that is the developer discharged from the trickle-type drum cleaner 14 and sent through the connection pipe becomes waste toner. It is conveyed in the collection box 50. The five recovery ports 58 correspond to the black drum cleaner 14, the cyan drum cleaner 14, the magenta drum cleaner 14, the yellow drum cleaner 14, and the belt cleaner 23 from the right side in FIG. 6.

  As described above, the waste toner collection box 50 is provided so as to be bridged over one side of the image forming units 10Y, 10M, 10C, and 10K and the belt cleaner 23 arranged in parallel. Waste toner discharged from the forming units 10 </ b> Y, 10 </ b> M, 10 </ b> C, 10 </ b> K and the belt cleaner 23 is directly conveyed to the waste toner collection box 50.

  As shown in FIGS. 5 and 9 to 11, a partition wall 80 is provided in the waste toner collection box 50, and the internal space is partitioned vertically by the partition wall 80. The upper side is a transfer chamber 81 in which a recovery port 58 for collecting waste toner is formed, and the lower side is a storage chamber 61 in which the developer transferred to the transfer chamber 81 is stored. Further, the partition wall 80 has passage ports 80a formed at positions corresponding to the recovery ports 58 (in this embodiment, at five locations corresponding to the five recovery ports 58), and the transfer chamber 81 and the storage chamber 61 are connected spatially. Further, a projection 51 a is formed on the inner side of the front cover 51 at a position facing the recovery port 58 so as to be fitted at the insertion direction tip of the inserted connection pipe 74 and take out the waste toner in the connection pipe 74. ing.

  As a result, when the connecting pipe 74 is inserted into the recovery port 58 and the protrusion 51 a is fitted at the tip thereof, the waste toner in the connecting pipe 74 is transferred to the transfer chamber 81. Then, the waste toner transported to the transport chamber 81 passes through the passage port 80a, falls into the storage chamber 61, and is stored therein. Then, when the waste toner in the storage chamber 61 is fully accommodated (has reached the accommodation upper limit area), the waste toner collection box 50 needs to be replaced.

  As shown in FIGS. 5, 9 and 10, a shutter (an example of an opening / closing means) 59 is installed at the collection port 58. The shutter 59 has a pair of double doors that rotate toward the transfer chamber 81 in such a manner that it is divided into left and right from the center, and is attached to the inside of the rear cover 52 so as to be openable and closable.

  As shown in the drawing, the shutter 59 includes a first opening / closing part 59a for opening / closing the passage port 80a and a second opening / closing part 59b for opening / closing the collection port 58. The first opening / closing portion 59a and the second opening / closing portion 59b form an angle corresponding to the angle formed by the partition wall 80 and the inner wall surface of the waste toner collection box 50 described above, and are integrally formed with each other. Yes. Therefore, when the shutter 59 rotates, the passage port 80a is opened and closed by the first opening / closing portion 59a, and the collection port 58 is opened and closed by the second opening / closing portion 59b.

  The shutter 59 is attached with a torsion spring 60 (an example of an applying means) that applies a rotational force in the direction of a closed position, which is a position for closing the collection port 58 and the passage port 80a. The torsion spring 60 obtains a spring force by using the restoring force of the torsion part, and the shutter 59 is pressed against the wall surface of the rear cover 52 by the torsion spring 60.

  Normally, the shutter 59 closes the collection port 58 and the passage port 80a by the spring force of the torsion spring 60, and when the above-described connection pipe 74 is inserted into the collection port 58, the connection pipe 74 generates spring force. Accordingly, the recovery port 58 and the passage port 80a are opened.

  In FIG. 5, for convenience of explanation, the connecting pipe 74 is inserted only into the collection port 58 shown on the left side, the shutter 59 is in an open state, and the shutters 59 of the other collection ports 58 are in a closed state. ing.

  In the storage chamber 61, a conveying means 64 is provided along the longitudinal direction. The conveying means 64 is provided so as to straddle the side wall of the storage chamber 61 (that is, the left and right side walls 52a of the rear cover 52), and the waste toner dropped into the storage chamber 61 is directly below each passing port 80a. When the summit exceeds the accommodation upper limit of the waste toner collection box 50, the portion exceeding the accommodation upper limit is broken and transported.

  One side of the conveying means 64 is supported by a bearing 65 provided on the side wall 52a, and the tip protrudes to the outside. The leading end is an end to which a driving force (rotational force) is supplied to the conveying means 64, that is, a supply-side end, and conveys a driving force from a driving source (not shown) provided in the printer 1. A transmission unit 66 provided with a transmission gear train (not shown) for transmission to the means 64 is attached. Therefore, when the waste toner collection box 50 is attached to the printer 1, the transmission unit 66 is mechanically coupled to the drive source in the printer 1, and thereby the conveying means 64 is driven (rotated) by the drive source.

  The conveying means 64 is manufactured, for example, by injection molding of synthetic resin, and a spiral blade 62 for conveying the waste toner is formed around the rotating shaft 63. The spiral blade 62 is composed of a first blade 62a and a second blade 62b having different winding directions, and the winding direction of each of the blades 62a and 62b is determined when the rotating shaft 63 is rotated. The waste toner is conveyed in the direction from the two directions of the rotating shaft 63 toward the center.

  These blades 62a and 62b are interrupted at a position between the position immediately below the passage opening 80a corresponding to the yellow Y waste toner and the position directly below the passage opening 80a corresponding to the magenta M waste toner, and are at the conveyance end. Therefore, when the conveying unit 64 is rotated, the waste toner that has become a mountain in the storage chamber 61 is collapsed toward the position.

  Note that the shape of the blades for transporting the waste toner is not limited to the spiral blades as shown in the present embodiment, and for example, a plurality of flat blades provided at intervals. There may be. That is, as long as it has a function of conveying waste toner, blades having various shapes are applied.

  As shown in FIG. 11, the waste toner collection box 50 is provided with a detection chamber 67 into which waste toner exceeding the storage upper limit of the storage chamber 61 enters, and reaches a predetermined level in the storage chamber 61. When the waste toner accumulates in the storage chamber 61 (up to the storage upper limit), the waste toner that exceeds the level (that is, exceeds the storage upper limit) enters.

  As shown in FIG. 12, the detection chamber 67 has a sensing chamber 67 c that is attached to the rear cover 52 and formed of a transparent member that protrudes outward, and the waste toner collection box 50 is attached to the printer 1. At this time, the light-transmitting sensor 69 provided on the printer 1 side enters between the light emitting portion and the light receiving portion.

  As shown in FIG. 11, the introduction path 67b facing the inlet 67a of the detection chamber 67 is formed with an inclined surface so that the conveying means 64 is positioned below, and the sensing chamber 67c is positioned beyond the inclined surface. Yes. That is, the sensing chamber 67c is not disposed directly below the entrance 67a. Therefore, the waste toner dropped from the storage chamber 61 is gradually accumulated in the sensing chamber 67c by the slope of the introduction path 67b. When the light emitting unit and the light receiving unit of the light transmission sensor 69 are blocked by the waste toner in the sensing chamber 67c, the signal of the light transmission sensor 69 changes. As a result, it is grasped whether or not the waste toner has accumulated to the specified level in the storage chamber 61.

  The inlet 67a of the detection chamber 67 is formed at a position where the first blade 62a and the second blade 62b of the transport means 64 are interrupted, that is, a position facing the transport end. For this reason, the waste toner exceeding the upper limit of accommodation in the storage chamber 61 is conveyed by the conveying means 64 toward the inlet 67a of the detection chamber 67.

  As shown in FIGS. 13 and 14, a pipe 68 through which the conveying means 64 penetrates is arranged at the inlet 67 a of the detection chamber 67. The pipe 68 has an opening 68 a formed in a peripheral wall 68 b serving as a main body, and the opening 68 a faces the inlet 67 a of the detection chamber 67. Therefore, the conveyance means 64 has a waste toner conveyance termination point where the blades 62 a and 62 b are interrupted at the opening 68 a of the pipe 68, and the waste toner enters the detection chamber 67 as long as it does not pass through the pipe 68. It is designed not to enter. A partition wall 68 c that partitions the inlet 67 a of the detection chamber 67 and the storage chamber 61 is formed downward from the peripheral wall 68 b so that the waste toner does not enter the detection chamber 67 from other than the opening 68 a of the pipe 68. .

  According to such a configuration, when the waste toner locally exceeds the upper limit of storage in the storage chamber 61, the corresponding waste toner is collapsed toward the center of the storage chamber 61 by the transport unit 64. At this time, since the waste toner is broken down toward the break of the spiral blade 62 of the conveying means 64, finally, a space remains in the storage chamber 61 only below the break of the spiral blade 62. When this space disappears due to the transport of the waste toner by the transport means 64, the storage chamber 61 is filled with the waste toner, that is, the accommodation upper limit is reached.

  Then, waste toner that exceeds the upper limit of accommodation is conveyed to the conveying means 64 and enters the pipe 68. The waste toner that has entered the pipe 68 enters the detection chamber 67 through the opening 68a of the pipe 68, and is detected by the light transmission type sensor 69 in the sensing chamber 67c as described above. Thereby, the output signal of the light transmission type sensor 69 changes, and it is grasped | ascertained that the storage chamber 61 became full.

  Here, when the image forming units 10Y, 10M, 10C, and 10K are replaced, it is necessary to remove the waste toner collection box 50 located in front of the image forming units 10Y, 10M, 10C, and 10K. At this time, if the removed waste toner collection box 50 is placed in a state in which the rotation shaft 63 of the conveying means 64 is not horizontal (that is, the rotation shaft 63 is inclined and is in the up-down direction), it is described above. When the pipe 68 is not provided, the waste toner in the storage chamber 61 collapses and a part enters the detection chamber 67 from the inlet 67a. When waste toner that is detected by the light transmission sensor 69 enters the detection chamber 67, the storage chamber 61 is not filled with waste toner when the waste toner collection box 50 is attached to the printer 1. Nevertheless, it is erroneously detected that the output signal of the light transmission type sensor 69 changes and the storage chamber 61 becomes full.

  In addition, dust generated from the waste toner is floating in the storage chamber 61. Dust is particularly generated when the waste toner is transported by the transport means 64, such as when a pile of waste toner that locally exceeds the upper limit of storage is broken by the transport means 64. Therefore, if the pipe 68 is not provided, the generated dust is lighter than the waste toner itself, so that the dust is not transferred to the transfer means 64 and partly floats from the inlet 67a to the detection chamber 67. Get in. Then, by repeating such a state, if dust of a level detected by the light transmission type sensor 69 is accumulated in the detection chamber 67, the storage chamber 61 is not filled with waste toner. Regardless, it is erroneously detected that the output signal of the light transmission type sensor 69 changes and the storage chamber 61 is full.

  On the other hand, in the present embodiment, the conveying means 64 having the spiral blade 62 passes through the pipe 68 and the conveying terminal end faces the opening 68a of the pipe 68, and the waste toner in the storage chamber 61 is As long as the pipe 68 is not passed through, it does not enter the detection chamber 67. Accordingly, waste toner that has collapsed when the waste toner collection box 50 is removed and dust generated when the transport means 64 transports the waste toner are blocked by the pipe 68 and the spiral blade 62 and enter the detection chamber 67. It is blocked from entering. This prevents erroneous detection that the waste toner collection box 50 is full and improves detection accuracy.

  As shown in detail in FIG. 10, the conveying means 64 is rotatably supported at two locations, the pipe 68 and the supply-side end (the end where the rotational force is supplied to the conveying means 64). ing. And the edge part on the opposite side to a supply side edge part is not supported.

  With such a structure, when the conveying unit 64 is rotated as much as the number of supporting parts is smaller than when supporting up to the end opposite to the supply side end, that is, when supporting three places. Noise is reduced.

  As shown in FIG. 15, a plate holding portion 70 that extends in the lateral direction and has both ends bent upward is formed immediately below the collection port 58 on the outer wall of the rear cover 52. As shown in FIG. 16, the plate holding unit 70 closes the two small windows 52-1, which are viewed through the upper end of the rotation shaft 71 of the shutter 59, which will be described later, and also connects the connecting pipe 74 that carries waste toner. A plate 72 in which a hole 72-1 having a diameter slightly smaller than the outer diameter is formed is held.

  Now, as shown in FIGS. 17 and 18, the shutter 59 has a double door structure that opens and closes by being divided into a pair of members that are divided into right and left from the center, and has two positions (with the collection port 58 in between) ( In the present embodiment, the collection port 58 and the passage port 80a are opened and closed by rotating to the transfer chamber 81 side by rotating shafts 71 respectively arranged at two positions sandwiching the collection port 58 from the lateral direction). Accordingly, the first opening / closing portion 59a (opening / closing the passage port 80a) and the second opening / closing portion 59b (opening / closing the collection port 58) constituting the shutter 59 are also in pairs. In the present embodiment, the shutter 59 and the rotating shaft 71 are integrally formed, but may be separate from each other. In addition, the shutter 59 may not have a shape that is divided into left and right, but may have a shape that is divided into two, for example, up and down.

  Both ends of the rotating shaft 71 arranged so as to extend in the vertical direction are small diameter portions 71a and 71b (see FIG. 19) whose diameters are reduced through a step. As shown in FIGS. 17 and 18, the small-diameter portion 71 a at the upper end is rotatably fitted in a claw portion 52-2 that is formed to protrude inside the rear cover 52. Further, the small-diameter portion 71b at the lower end is fitted into a hole (not shown) formed in the partition wall 80 so as to be freely rotatable from above. The partition wall 80 also has a function as a member for supporting the shutter 59 via the rotation shaft 71 because the lower end of the rotation shaft 71 is fitted into the hole.

  As shown in FIG. 19, the shutter 59 is formed with a notch 59c for avoiding interference with the claw portion 52-2 which is a rotating shaft support member. That is, when the space of the claw part 52-2 supporting the rotation shaft 71 of the shutter 59 is to be suppressed, the claw part 52-2 enters the rotation region of the shutter 59. Therefore, as shown in the figure, by forming a notch 59c in the shutter 59, interference between the shutter 59 and the claw portion 52-2 is avoided.

  As shown in detail in FIGS. 19 and 20, a film 73 (an example of a first sealing means) is attached to the first opening / closing part 59a of the shutter 59, and a film 76 (first film) is attached to the second opening / closing part 59b. An example of 2 sealing means) is attached. The film 73 is formed between the first gap 91 and the pair of first opening / closing portions 59a formed between the first opening / closing portion 59a and the partition wall 80 when the shutter 59 is in the closed position. The second gap 92 is sealed. The film 76 seals the third gap 93 formed between the pair of second opening / closing parts 59b when the shutter 59 is in the closed position.

  These films 73 and 76 protrude from the mutually opposing end portions of the pair of shutters 59, the shutter 59 is in the closed position, the second opening / closing portion 59 b closes the collection port 58, and the first opening / closing is performed. When the portion 59a is in a position to close the passage port 80a, the second gap 92 and the third gap 93 overlap each other, and the gaps 92 and 93 (the gaps 92 and 93 have a shutter 59 with a double-opening structure). In some cases, it is inevitably formed in consideration of tolerances) (see FIG. 21). Further, the film 73 is in contact with the partition wall 80, and the first gap 91 is sealed by the contact. Note that the contact between the film 73 and the partition wall 80 can be achieved by, for example, overlapping the film 73 by the thickness of the first gap, or the end of the film 73 (passage opening formed in the partition wall 80 as shown in the figure). This is realized by bending downward the end corresponding to the peripheral edge of 80a.

  The films 73 and 76 are made of, for example, a polyurethane material. The first opening / closing portion 59a has a surface that contacts the peripheral edge of the passage port 80a, and the second opening / closing portion 59b has a surface that contacts the peripheral edge of the recovery port 58. It is affixed to the surface using double-sided tape. The film 73 may be formed of a material other than polyurethane, and may be attached to the shutter 59 using a material other than double-sided tape.

  Here, since the film 76 is attached to the surface of the shutter 59 that is in contact with the peripheral edge of the recovery port 58, the thick portion, which is the overlapping portion of the film 76, is recovered by the spring force of the torsion spring 60. It is pressed against the peripheral edge of the mouth 58. Therefore, a sealing force larger than that obtained when the film 73 is attached to the surface of the shutter 59 opposite to the above-described surface is obtained, and the sealing reliability is improved.

  The films 73 and 76 are preferably attached to the surface of the shutter 59 that is in contact with the peripheral portions of the collection port 58 and the passage port 80a, but may be attached to the surface opposite to the surface.

  Next, the opening / closing operation by the shutter 59 in the waste toner collection box 50 of the present embodiment having the above-described configuration will be described with reference to FIGS.

  In FIG. 22, when the shutter 59 is in the closed position, the first opening / closing part 59a closes the passage port 80a, and the second opening / closing part 59b closes the recovery port 58. Since the passage opening 80a is closed by the first opening / closing part 59a of the shutter 59, even if the waste toner collection box 50 is detached from the printer 1 for replacement, the waste toner in the storage chamber 61 is handled. Becomes difficult to move to the transfer chamber 81. Since the collection port 58 formed in the transfer chamber 81 is closed by the second opening / closing part 59b of the shutter 59, the waste toner is prevented from leaking outside from the collection port 58. .

  At this time, the shutter 59 is divided into a pair of members that are rotated by rotating shafts 71 disposed at two positions sandwiching the recovery port 58, and a pair of first opening / closing parts 59a and a pair of second opening / closing parts. Since 59b is provided, the radius of rotation of the shutter 59 is smaller than in the case where the shutter 59 is not divided. Accordingly, the thickness of the waste toner collection box 50 in the thickness direction is suppressed, and a reduction in thickness is realized.

  A film 73 is attached to the first opening / closing part 59a of the shutter 59, and a first gap 91 formed between the first opening / closing part 59a and the partition wall 80 in the closed position and a pair of the opening / closing part 59a. The second gap 92 formed between the first opening / closing portions 59a is sealed. This makes it difficult for waste toner in the storage chamber 61 to move to the transfer chamber 81 through the first gap 91 and the second gap 92, so that the passage port 80a is more reliably closed and the waste toner from the collection port 58 is discarded. Toner leakage is effectively prevented.

  Moreover, since the film 73 contacts the partition wall 80 and seals the first gap 91 and overlaps with each other by the second gap 92, the second gap 92 is sealed. The waste toner is more difficult to move to the transfer chamber 81 through the first gap 91 and the second gap 92, the passage port 80a is more reliably closed, and the waste toner is more effectively leaked from the collection port 58. Is prevented.

  In addition, a film 76 is attached to the second opening / closing part 59b, and a third gap 93 formed between the pair of second opening / closing parts 59b in the closed position is defined as the third gap 93. They are overlapped and sealed. As a result, the collection port 58 is more reliably closed and the waste toner in the transfer chamber 81 is less likely to leak to the outside.

  When the connecting pipe 74 is inserted into the recovery port 58, as shown in FIG. 23, the shutter 59 is rotated so as to be pushed by the connecting pipe 74, and the first opening / closing portion 59a passes through the passage port 80a. While opening, the 2nd opening-and-closing part 59b moves to the open position which opens the collection port 58. FIG. Accordingly, as described above, the waste toner in the connection pipe 74 is transported to the transport chamber 81 and is stored in the storage chamber 61 through the passage port 80a.

  Here, as a comparison object, a case where a film 176 is attached to a shutter 159 not provided with the first opening / closing part 59a as shown in FIG. 24 will be considered.

  In the shutter 159 having such a shape, as shown in FIG. 25, the collection port 58 is closed when the shutter 159 is in the closed position, but the passage port 80a is not closed. For this reason, the waste toner in the storage chamber 61 is easily moved to the transport chamber 81. Even if the recovery port 58 formed in the transport chamber 81 is closed by the shutter 159, the waste toner does not leak from the recovery port 58. It is not prevented.

  As described above, in the waste toner collection box 50 of the present embodiment, the interior of the waste toner collection box 50 is partitioned into the upper transfer chamber 81 and the lower storage chamber 61 by the partition wall 80. Since the passage opening 80 a formed in the partition wall 80 is closed by the first opening / closing portion 59 a of the shutter 59, the waste toner in the storage chamber 61 is difficult to move to the conveyance chamber 81. The collection port 58 formed in the transfer chamber 81 is closed by the second opening / closing part 59b of the shutter 59. Therefore, waste toner is prevented from leaking out of the collection port 58.

  Therefore, by attaching the waste toner collection box 50 to the printer 1, the printer 1 including the waste toner collection box 50 that prevents the waste toner from leaking from the collection port 58 can be obtained.

  Here, as shown in FIG. 26, a member 77 that is elastically deformed and crushed like a urethane sponge is disposed between the first opening / closing portion 59a and the film 73, and the member 77 and the film 73 An example of one sealing means may be configured.

  According to this, as shown in FIG. 27, the first gap 91 and the second gap 92 are sealed by being elastically deformed, and the waste toner in the storage chamber 61 is removed from the first gap 91 and the second gap 92. It becomes more difficult to move to the transfer chamber 81 through the second gap 92, the passage port 80a is more reliably closed, and leakage of waste toner from the collection port 58 is more effectively prevented.

  Although the invention made by the present inventor has been specifically described based on the embodiment, the embodiment disclosed in this specification is an example in all respects and is limited to the disclosed technology. Should not be considered. That is, the technical scope of the present invention should not be construed restrictively based on the description in the above-described embodiment, but should be construed according to the description of the scope of claims. All modifications are included without departing from the technical scope equivalent to the described technique and the gist of the claims.

  For example, in the above description, the shutter 59 has a structure that is divided into a pair of members that are rotated by the rotation shaft 71 that is disposed at two positions across the collection port 58, but is not divided. It may be. In this case, each of the first opening / closing portion 59a and the second opening / closing portion 59b is one, so the second gap 92 formed between the pair of first opening / closing portions 59a or the pair of The third gap 93 formed between the second opening / closing portions 59b is eliminated, and therefore, consideration for sealing these gaps 92 and 93 is not necessary.

  In the above description, the case where the developer collection container of the present invention is applied to an image forming apparatus that records a color image is shown, but it may be applied to an image forming apparatus that records a monochrome image.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Printer 50 Waste toner collection box 51 Front cover 52 Rear cover 58 Collection port 59 Shutter 59a 1st opening / closing part 59b 2nd opening / closing part 59c Notch part 60 Torsion spring 61 Storage chamber 73 Film 74 Connection pipe 76 Film 80 Partition wall 80a Passing Mouth 81 transfer chamber 91 first gap 92 second gap 93 third gap

Claims (7)

A collection port for forming the developer is formed, and a conveyance chamber in which the developer is conveyed from the collection port;
A storage chamber that is formed below the transfer chamber and stores the developer transferred to the transfer chamber;
A passage port through which developer from the transfer chamber toward the storage chamber passes is formed corresponding to the recovery port, and a partition wall that partitions the transfer chamber and the storage chamber;
A first opening / closing portion that opens and closes the passage opening, and a second opening / closing portion that opens and closes the collection opening, and an opening / closing means that rotates toward the transfer chamber and opens and closes the passage opening and the collection opening;
An applying means for applying a rotational force in the direction of a closed position, which is a position for closing the passage port and the recovery port, to the opening and closing means;
A developer collection container characterized by comprising: The opening / closing means is divided into a pair of members that are rotated by rotating shafts respectively disposed at two positions across the collection port, and includes a pair of the first opening / closing portions and a pair of the second opening / closing portions. ,
The developer recovery container according to claim 1, wherein In the first opening / closing part,
First sealing means for sealing a first gap formed between the first opening / closing portion and the partition wall when the opening / closing means is in the closed position, or the opening / closing means is in the closed position. A first gap that is formed between the first opening and closing portion and the partition wall and a second gap that is formed between the pair of first opening and closing portions is sealed. Sealing means are provided,
The developer collecting container according to claim 1 or 2, wherein The first sealing means contacts the partition wall to seal the first gap, or contacts the partition wall and overlaps with the second gap to overlap the first gap and Sealing the second gap,
The developer collecting container according to claim 3. The first sealing means is crushed by elastic deformation to seal the first gap, or is crushed by elastic deformation to seal the first gap and the second gap.
The developer collecting container according to claim 3. In the second opening / closing part,
Second sealing means for sealing a third gap formed between the pair of second opening / closing portions when the opening / closing means is in the closed position, overlapping each other with the third gap; Provided,
The developer collection container according to claim 2, wherein the developer collection container is a container. The developer recovery container according to claim 1 is attached.
An image forming apparatus.

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