JP2012203307A - Storage device, image forming assembly, and image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a storage device highly capable of storing powder, an image forming assembly, and an image forming apparatus.SOLUTION: A storage device includes: a storage container 721 that has an inflow port 722 for powder below the uppermost portion of the internal space where powder is stored; a conveying member that is disposed at a position facing the inflow port internal of the storage container, has a rotation shaft along the inflow port, and conveys powder in a direction upward and separated from the inflow port by the rotation of the rotation shaft; and a partition wall 724 that is disposed at a position interposing the conveying member between the inflow port, and has an upper edge located above the rotation shaft of the conveying member and a lower edge of the inflow port.

Description

  The present invention relates to a storage device, an image forming assembly, and an image forming apparatus.

  A toner transfer unit that transfers the toner collected in the toner collection container in a direction away from the toner collection port is supported in the toner collection container so as to be swingable up and down, and the toner deposited on the bottom of the toner collection container is also supported. A toner recovery device that transmits a conveying force is disclosed (for example, see Patent Document 1).

  In addition, a partition plate in the container installed under the container recovery port for receiving the toner into the toner recovery container, a first space portion and a second space portion above and below the partition plate, and a third space portion communicating with them A toner collecting device having a first toner conveying member that discharges toner from the collecting port from the space portion to the space portion, and a second toner conveying member that conveys the toner falling from the space portion to the back side of the space portion Is disclosed (for example, see Patent Document 2).

JP 2008-209782 A JP 2008-083630 A

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a storage device, an image forming assembly, and an image forming apparatus having a high capacity for storing powder.

The storage device of claim 1
A storage container having a powder inlet below the uppermost part of the internal space in which the powder is stored;
A conveying member that is disposed at a position facing the inflow port inside the containing container, has a rotation axis along the inflow port, and conveys the powder upward and away from the inflow port by rotation;
The conveyance member is disposed at a position sandwiched between the inlet and the inlet, and has an upper edge positioned above the rotating shaft of the conveyor member and the lower edge of the inlet. .

  The storage device according to claim 2 is characterized in that the lower edge of the partition plate is in contact with the inner wall of the storage container.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a storage device in which the transport member is radially spread from the rotary shaft around the rotary shaft when the rotary shaft is viewed in the axial direction, and the distal end portion is the rotational direction of the rotary shaft. It is characterized by having a blade with a bent shape.

  The storage device according to claim 4 is characterized in that the partition plate has an inclined surface that descends from the upper edge toward the lower edge of the partition plate as viewed from the inlet.

  The storage device according to claim 5 is characterized in that the storage container has the inflow port on a side surface.

The imaging assembly of claim 6 comprises:
An image forming section for forming an image and discharging unnecessary powder generated during the image formation;
A recovery unit for recovering the powder discharged from the image forming unit,
The recovery unit is
A container having a powder inflow port below the top of the internal space in which the collected powder is stored;
A conveying member that is disposed at a position facing the inflow port inside the containing container, has a rotation axis along the inflow port, and conveys the powder upward and away from the inflow port by rotation;
The conveyance member is disposed at a position sandwiched between the inlet and the inlet, and has an upper edge positioned above the rotating shaft of the conveyor member and the lower edge of the inlet. .

The image forming apparatus according to claim 7 comprises:
A housing,
An image forming assembly that forms an image and is configured to be detachable from the housing and housed in the housing;
A transfer fixing unit that transfers and fixes the image onto a sheet and forms an image on the sheet;
The imaging assembly is
An image forming section for forming an image and discharging unnecessary powder generated during the image formation;
A recovery unit for recovering the powder discharged from the image forming unit,
The recovery unit is
A container having a powder inflow port below the top of the internal space in which the collected powder is stored;
A conveying member that is disposed at a position facing the inflow port inside the containing container, has a rotation axis along the inflow port, and conveys the powder upward and away from the inflow port by rotation;
The conveyance member is disposed at a position sandwiched between the inlet and the inlet, and has an upper edge positioned above the rotating shaft of the conveyor member and the lower edge of the inlet. .

  According to the storage device of the first aspect, the ability to store the powder is high as compared with the case where the conveying member and the partition plate are not provided.

  According to the storage device of claim 2, the powder conveyed to the other side of the partition plate as viewed from the inlet passes between the lower edge of the partition plate and the inner wall of the storage container, and is on the near side as viewed from the inlet. Is prevented from moving to.

  According to the storage device of the third aspect, the conveying ability for conveying the powder is high as compared with the case of the conveying member having the blades having no bent shape.

  According to the storage device of the fourth aspect, the powder conveyed to the other side of the partition plate as viewed from the inlet is further sent by the partition plate in a direction away from the inlet.

  According to the storage device of the fifth aspect, as compared with the configuration in which the inflow port is provided on the upper surface, the degree of freedom of layout in which another member is disposed above the storage container is high.

  According to the image forming assembly of the sixth aspect and the image forming apparatus of the seventh aspect, compared with the case where the conveying member and the partition plate are not provided, the ability to accommodate the collected powder is high.

1 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a schematic configuration of an image forming apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention. It is a perspective view which shows the external appearance of the image forming apparatus shown in FIG. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a state where a door of the image forming apparatus shown in FIG. 2 is opened. It is a perspective view which shows the state in the middle of taking out a process cartridge. It is a perspective view which shows the external appearance of a process cartridge. It is sectional drawing which shows the structure of a process cartridge. It is sectional drawing which shows the structure of the process cartridge in 2nd Embodiment. It is sectional drawing which shows the structure of the process cartridge in 3rd Embodiment. It is sectional drawing which shows the structure of the process cartridge in 4th Embodiment. It is sectional drawing which shows the structure of the process cartridge in 5th Embodiment.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

[Entire configuration of image forming apparatus]
FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a schematic configuration of an image forming apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an appearance of the image forming apparatus shown in FIG.

  An image forming apparatus 1 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 is a printer that prints an image on paper by an electrophotographic method. The image forming apparatus 1 is an apparatus that supports not only paper, that is, a paper recording medium, but also a resin recording medium typified by an OHP sheet. However, in the following description, paper is used unless otherwise specified. It is assumed that the recording medium is described as a representative.

  The image forming apparatus 1 includes a toner image forming unit 10, an exposure device 20, a paper transport device 30, a transfer device 40, a fixing device 50, and a paper storage unit 60. The toner image forming unit 10 includes a photoconductor 11, a charging device 12, a developing device 13, a cleaning device 14, and a toner recovery path 15. The toner image forming unit 10 corresponds to an example of the image forming unit referred to in the present invention.

  The photoconductor 11 has a cylindrical surface and is driven to rotate in the direction of arrow a around the axis of the cylinder by a motor (not shown). The photoconductor 11 holds an electrostatic latent image and a toner image formed on the surface. The charger 12 charges the surface of the photoconductor 11. In the example shown here, the charger 12 is a charging roll that rotates in contact with the photoreceptor 11, but as another example, for example, a non-contact charging means using a corotron may be employed.

  The exposure device 20 exposes the photoconductor 11 to form an electrostatic latent image on the photoconductor 11. The exposure device 20 scans the surface of the photoconductor 11 charged by the charger 12 with a light beam Bm based on an image signal supplied from the outside, and forms a latent image on the surface of the photoconductor 11. The exposure device 20 scans the surface of the photoconductor 11 with the light beam Bm in the axial direction X in which the rotation axis of the photoconductor 11 extends.

  The developing device 13 develops the latent image on the photoconductor 11 with toner to form a toner image on the photoconductor 11. The developing device 13 includes stirring members 132 and 133 that stir the developer containing toner and a magnetic carrier, and a developing roll 131 that transports the stirred developer onto the photoreceptor 11.

  The transfer unit 40 is a roll that rotates with a sheet sandwiched between the photoreceptor 11 and transfers the toner image on the photoreceptor 11 onto the sheet. The fixing device 50 fixes the toner image transferred from the photoconductor 11 on the sheet. The fixing device 50 includes a heating roll 51 and a pressure roll 52, and heats and pressurizes the toner by passing the sheet on which the toner image before fixing is formed. As a result, an image composed of a fixed toner image is formed on the paper. The combination of the transfer device 40 and the fixing device 50 corresponds to an example of a transfer fixing unit according to the present invention.

  The cleaner 14 contacts the photoconductor 11 and cleans the photoconductor 11 by removing unnecessary toner generated on the photoconductor 11 remaining after the transfer of the toner image onto the paper. . In the example shown here, the cleaning device 14 is a plate-like blade extending along the photoconductor 11, but as another example, for example, a brush may be employed.

  The toner collection path 15 discharges the toner removed from the photoconductor 11 by the cleaner 14 to the toner collection unit 72. The toner recovery path 15 has a paddle 151. The paddle 151 is disposed at a position facing the cleaner 14 inside the toner recovery path 15. The paddle 151 has a rotation shaft 151 a extending in the axial direction X along the cleaner 14. The rotation shaft 151a rotates in the arrow b direction around the axis. The drive source of the rotating shaft 151a is a motor that drives the photoreceptor 11 to rotate. For this reason, the rotation speed of the rotating shaft 151 a changes according to the change in the rotation speed of the photoconductor 11. The paddle 151 has blades 151b having a shape radially extending from the rotation shaft 151a around the rotation shaft 151a when the rotation shaft 151a is viewed in the axial direction X. The paddle 151 conveys the toner removed from the photoconductor 11 by the cleaner 14 toward the toner collecting unit 72 by rotating the rotation shaft 151a having the blades 151b in the direction of arrow b.

  The paper storage unit 60 stores paper on which an image is formed. The paper storage unit 60 includes three paper containers 61, 62, and 63 that store three types of paper. Of the three sheet containers 61 to 63, the two sheet containers 62 and 63 disposed below are pulled out from the front surface of the image forming apparatus 1 in the front direction F by the operator, and the sheets are replenished, and the backward direction. By being pushed into B and accommodated in the image forming apparatus 1, an image can be formed on the paper. Of the three paper containers 61 to 63, the remaining paper container 61 disposed above is exposed to the outside when the manual door 81 provided on the front surface of the image forming apparatus 1 is opened in the forward direction F. The paper is replenished.

  The paper transport device 30 transports the paper on a transport path R that passes through the transfer position. The transfer position is a position where the paper receives the toner image from the photoconductor 11 and is a position sandwiched between the photoconductor 11 and the transfer device 40. The sheet transport device 30 includes a take-out roll 31, a separating roll 32, a registration roll 33, a discharge roll 34, and a reverse transport roll 35. The take-out roll 31 takes out the paper from the paper containers 61 to 63. The separation roll 32 spreads the sheets taken out by the removal roll 31 one by one. The registration roll 33 feeds the paper to the transfer device 40 at the timing when the toner image is formed on the photoconductor 11. The discharge roll 34 discharges the paper on which the toner image is fixed by the fixing device 50 to the outside of the image forming apparatus 1. The paper discharged by the discharge roll 34 is discharged onto a discharge table 83 provided at the upper part of the image forming apparatus 1. A part of the discharged paper that protrudes from the discharge table 83 is placed on the door 82. The door 82 is a member that covers the front surface and the upper surface of the image forming apparatus 1. The mechanism inside the image forming apparatus 1 is exposed when the door 82 rotates in the front direction F around a shaft 82 a provided on the front surface of the image forming apparatus 1. When double-sided printing is performed, the discharge roll 34 reverses in a state where the sheet is conveyed halfway, and conveys the sheet along the reverse conveyance path R ′. The reverse conveyance roll 35 conveys the paper along the reverse conveyance path R ′ and sends it to the registration roll 33. As a result, a new image is formed on the opposite side of the sheet on which the image has already been formed.

  In the image forming apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment, the paper containers 62 and 63 are pulled out to the front side of the image forming apparatus 1 to supply paper. In this image forming apparatus 1, the paper P supplied to the paper containers 61 to 63 from the position in the front direction F from the image forming apparatus 1 is the rear part of the image forming apparatus 1, specifically, the rear direction from the photoconductor 11. It is transported from the bottom to the top along the transport route R provided in B. The sheet P on which the image is formed is discharged toward the front direction F on the discharge table 83 at the top of the image forming apparatus 1. In this image forming apparatus 1, a new sheet is replenished by an operator and a sheet on which an image is formed is taken out from a position in the front direction F from the apparatus. Accordingly, the image forming apparatus 1 can be installed in a place where there is no space on both sides in the axial direction X. Further, an image reading device can be arranged above the image forming apparatus 1 with a gap for taking out paper and replacing parts.

  The image forming apparatus 1 is also provided with a toner recovery unit 72, a container mounting unit 73, a toner supplier 74, and a control unit 1C.

  The toner collecting unit 72 collects the toner removed from the photoconductor 11 by the cleaner 14 and discharged by the toner collecting path 15. The toner recovery unit 72 corresponds to the first embodiment of the storage device of the present invention, and also corresponds to an example of the recovery unit in the image forming assembly and the image forming apparatus of the present invention. A specific structure of the toner recovery unit 72 will be described later.

  The container mounting portion 73 is detachably mounted with a toner container (toner cartridge) TC. The toner container TC contains toner for replenishment to the developing device 13. When the toner is consumed, the operator removes the toner container TC and replaces it with a new toner container TC.

  The toner supplier 74 supplies the toner contained in the toner container TC to the developing device 13. The toner supply unit 74 has a structure in which a spiral blade member 74a is arranged in a tube extending from the lower part of the toner container TC to the upper part of the developing unit 13. The toner supplier 74 conveys the toner from the toner container TC toward the developing device 13 by the rotation of the blade member 74a. The control unit 1 </ b> C controls each unit of the image forming apparatus 1.

  The toner image forming unit 10, the toner collecting unit 72, the container mounting unit 73, and the toner supplier 74 described above are provided in the process cartridge CR. The process cartridge CR is detachably attached to the main body 1A of the image forming apparatus 1. The process cartridge CR corresponds to the first embodiment of the image forming assembly of the present invention, and the main body 1A corresponds to an example of the casing referred to in the present invention. The toner container TC is detachably attached to the process cartridge CR. Here, a direction in which the process cartridge CR is mounted on the main body 1A is referred to as a mounting direction J, and a direction opposite to the mounting direction J is referred to as a removal direction K. Further, a bidirectional direction including the mounting direction J and the detaching direction K is referred to as an attaching / detaching direction JK. The process cartridge CR is also provided with a handle 76 that is grasped by an operator when being attached to and detached from the main body 1A. A specific structure of the process cartridge CR will be described later.

[Basic operation of image forming apparatus]
The basic operation of the image forming apparatus 1 shown in FIG. 1 will be described.

  In the toner image forming unit 10, the photoconductor 11 is rotationally driven in the direction of arrow a, and a charge is applied to the surface of the photoconductor 11 by the charger 12. The exposure device 20 irradiates the surface of the photoconductor 11 with exposure light based on an image signal supplied from the outside, thereby forming an electrostatic latent image on the surface of the photoconductor 11. The photoconductor 11 rotates while holding the electrostatic latent image.

  The developing device 13 develops the electrostatic latent image on the photoconductor 11 with toner to form a toner image. To the developing device 13, toner is supplied from a toner container TC by a toner supplier 74. The photoconductor 11 rotates while holding the toner image formed by the developing device 13.

  The paper P stored in the paper containers 61, 62, 63 is taken out by the take-out roll 31, and is transported along the transport path R toward the transfer device 40 by the separating roll 32 and the registration roll 33. The sheet P is sent to the transfer device 40 by the registration roll 33 at the timing when the toner image is formed on the photosensitive member 11. The transfer device 40 transfers a toner image on the photoconductor 11 onto the paper by applying a transfer bias voltage between the photoconductor 11 and the paper. The sheet on which the toner image is transferred by the transfer unit 40 is conveyed to the fixing unit 50, and the transferred toner image is fixed on the sheet. In this way, an image is formed on the paper. The sheet on which the image is formed is discharged onto the discharge table 83 by the discharge roll 34.

  After the transfer by the transfer device 40, the toner remaining on the photoconductor 11 is removed by the cleaning device 14. The toner removed from the photoconductor 11 by the cleaner 14 is discharged to the toner recovery unit 72 through the toner recovery path 15 and is recovered and stored in the toner recovery unit 72.

[Removal of process cartridge]
FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a state where the door of the image forming apparatus shown in FIG. 2 is opened.

  The description will be continued with reference to FIGS. The process cartridge CR is exposed to the outside of the image forming apparatus 1 when the door 82 covering the front surface and the upper surface of the image forming apparatus 1 is opened in the forward direction F. More specifically, when the door 82 is opened, the container mounting portion 73, the toner container TC, and the handle 76 of the process cartridge CR are exposed. The process cartridge CR is disposed in a cavity provided in the mounting portion 90 of the main body 1A. The cavity of the mounting portion 90 has a mounting opening 91 that opens obliquely upward in the front direction F of the main body 1 </ b> A of the image forming apparatus 1.

  FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a state in the middle of taking out the process cartridge. In FIG. 4, the arrangement position of the image reading device RD that can be arranged on the upper part of the image forming apparatus 1 is indicated by a broken line. The image reading device RD is a device that reads an image from a document, and supplies the read image data to the image forming apparatus 1 to cause the image forming apparatus 1 to function as a copying machine, for example.

  When the operator grasps and pulls the handle 76, the process cartridge CR is pulled out from the main body 1A of the image forming apparatus 1 obliquely upward in the front direction F, that is, in the removal direction K. When the image reading device RD is arranged above the image forming apparatus 1, a space for taking out the paper is provided between the image forming apparatus 1 and the image reading device RD. When the process cartridge CR is attached or detached, the process cartridge CR moves in a space for taking out the paper between the image forming apparatus 1 and the image reading apparatus RD.

[Process cartridge configuration]
FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing the appearance of the process cartridge. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view showing the configuration of the process cartridge.

  In FIG. 6, the position of the transfer device 40 in a state where the process cartridge CR is mounted on the main body 1 </ b> A (see FIG. 1) of the image forming apparatus 1 is also indicated by a broken line.

  The process cartridge CR is an exchange unit in which the toner image forming unit 10, the toner collecting unit 72, the container mounting unit 73, the toner supplier 74, and the handle 76 are integrated. Among these, the toner image forming unit 10 includes a photoreceptor 11, a charger 12, a developing device 13, and a cleaner 14. Therefore, in the image forming apparatus 1 (see FIG. 1), when the process cartridge CR is replaced, all of the photosensitive member 11, the charger 12, the developing unit 13, the cleaning unit 14, and the toner collecting unit 72 are replaced with new ones. Will be. Since the toner container TC is detachably mounted on the container mounting portion 73 of the process cartridge CR, the toner cartridge TC is detached from the container mounting portion 73 while the process cartridge CR is still mounted on the main body 1A (see FIG. 1). Replaced with a new one.

[Arrangement of toner collection unit]
In the process cartridge CR shown in FIG. 6, the container mounting portion 73 to which the toner container TC is mounted is not adjacent to the toner image forming portion 10 but is provided at a position away from the toner image forming portion 10. The toner collecting unit 72 extends in a space between the toner image forming unit 10 and the container mounting unit 73.

  The toner container TC and the toner image forming unit 10 excluding the toner collecting unit 72 are parts that occupy the largest space in the process cartridge CR. By disposing the toner container TC and the toner image forming unit 10 at positions separated from each other, a large space is secured between the toner container TC and the toner image forming unit 10 without providing a protruding portion in the process cartridge CR. The toner collecting unit 72 extends in a space sandwiched between the toner container TC and the toner image forming unit 10. For this reason, for example, a large capacity is ensured as compared with the case where the toner collection unit is disposed using a gap between other parts without providing a protruding portion in the process cartridge with the toner container TC adjacent to the toner image forming unit. .

  The toner collecting unit 72 becomes unusable when the toner cannot be accommodated therein, that is, when the toner removed from the photoconductor 11 by the cleaner 14 is in a full state where the toner is not sent into the toner collecting unit 72. . Therefore, it is required to replace the process cartridge CR with a new one. That is, the capacity of the toner recovery unit 72 is one of the factors that determine the life of the process cartridge CR. In order to extend the life of the process cartridge CR, it is necessary to efficiently store the toner in the toner recovery unit 72.

[Structure of toner collection unit]
As shown in FIG. 6, the toner collection unit 72 includes a toner collection container 721, a paddle 723, and a partition plate 724.

  The toner collection container 721 has a toner inlet 722 below the uppermost part 721a of the internal space in which the collected toner is stored. More specifically, the toner collection container 721 has an inlet 722 on the side surface 721b. For this reason, compared with the case where the inlet is arranged on the upper surface of the toner collection container, the degree of freedom of layout is high in that other members are arranged above the toner collection container 721. The toner recovery container 721 corresponds to an example of a storage container according to the present invention.

  The paddle 723 is disposed inside the toner recovery container 721 at a position facing the inflow port 722. The paddle 723 has a rotation shaft 723 a extending in the axial direction X along the inflow port 722. The rotation shaft 723a rotates in the direction of the arrow c that is around the axis. The drive source of the rotating shaft 723a is a motor that drives the photoreceptor 11 to rotate. For this reason, the rotation speed of the rotation shaft 723a changes in accordance with the change in the rotation speed of the photoconductor 11. The paddle 723 has blades 723b having a shape radially extending from the rotation shaft 723a around the rotation shaft 723a when the rotation shaft 723a is viewed in the axial direction X. The paddle 723 conveys the toner upward and away from the inflow port 722, that is, in a direction away from the inflow port, as the rotation shaft 723 a having the blades 723 b rotates in the direction of the arrow c. The paddle 723 corresponds to an example of the conveying member referred to in the present invention.

  The partition plate 724 is disposed at a position where the paddle 723 is sandwiched between the inflow port 722. In the partition plate 724, the upper edge 724 a is positioned above the rotation shaft 723 a of the paddle 723 and the lower edge 722 a of the inflow port 722. The partition plate 724 has a lower edge 724 b spaced from the inner wall 721 c of the toner recovery container 721. The partition plate 724 has both side edges 724 c in contact with the inner wall 721 c of the toner collection container 721. This partition plate 724 corresponds to an example of a partition plate according to the present invention.

[Toner Flow in Toner Collection Unit]
The flow of the toner discharged to the toner collecting unit 72 through the toner collecting path 15 in the toner collecting unit 72 will be described.

  The toner discharged through the toner collection path 15 falls from the inlet 722 to the internal space of the toner collection container 721 due to the weight of the toner. Since the internal space is partitioned by the partition plate 724, the toner accumulates in the internal space on the side where the paddle 723 is provided in the internal space. When the toner accumulated in the internal space on the side where the paddle 723 is provided accumulates up to the height where the paddle 723 is provided, the accumulated toner is scooped up by the rotation of the paddle 723 and viewed from the upper side and the inlet 722. Conveyed to the side. That is, the accumulated toner is conveyed to the inner space on the inner side of the partition plate 724 as viewed from the inlet 722 by the rotation of the paddle 723, and the partition plate is placed in the inner space on the inner side. 724 is deposited to the height of the upper edge 724a.

  Here, when the above-described paddle 723 and partition plate 724 are not provided in the toner collection container 721 having the inlet 722 on the side surface 721b, the collected toner is accumulated to the height of the inlet 722. As a result, the inlet 722 may be blocked, and the toner may not be collected any more.

  In the first embodiment, since the toner can be accumulated up to the height of the upper edge 724a of the partition plate 724 located above the rotating shaft 723a of the paddle 723 and the lower edge 722a of the inlet 722, the paddle 723 and the partition plate are disposed. Compared with the case where 724 is not provided, the ability to store the collected toner is high.

  The description of the first embodiment has been completed, and the second to fifth embodiments of the image forming apparatus of the present invention will be described below. The second to fifth embodiments are different from the above-described first embodiment in that a toner collecting unit having a different configuration is used instead of the above-described toner collecting unit. Hereinafter, the description will be given focusing on the difference.

[Second Embodiment]
FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a configuration of a process cartridge according to the second embodiment.

  As shown in FIG. 7, the lower edge 724 b of the partition plate 724 of the toner collection unit 72 of the second embodiment is in contact with the inner wall 721 c of the toner collection container 721. Therefore, the toner conveyed to the back side of the partition plate 724 when viewed from the inflow port 722 passes between the lower edge 724b of the partition plate 724 and the inner wall 721c of the toner collection container 721, and is on the near side as viewed from the inflow port 722. Backflow is prevented.

[Third Embodiment]
FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a configuration of a process cartridge according to the third embodiment.

  As shown in FIG. 8, the partition plate 724 of the toner collection unit 72 according to the third embodiment has a slope 724 d that is lowered from the upper edge 724 a toward the lower edge 724 b as viewed from the inlet 722. For this reason, the toner conveyed to the back side of the partition plate 724 as viewed from the inlet 722 is further sent to the back by the partition plate 724.

[Fourth Embodiment]
FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a configuration of a process cartridge according to the fourth embodiment.

  As shown in FIG. 9, the partition plate 724 of the toner recovery unit 72 of the fourth embodiment has a lower edge 724 b at the inner wall of the toner recovery container 721, similar to the partition plate 724 of the toner recovery unit 72 of the second embodiment. 721c is in contact. Similarly to the partition plate 724 of the toner recovery unit 72 of the third embodiment, the partition plate 724 has a slope 724d that is lowered from the upper edge 724a toward the lower edge 724b as viewed from the inflow port 722.

[Fifth Embodiment]
FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a configuration of a process cartridge according to the fifth embodiment.

  As shown in FIG. 10, the partition plate 724 of the toner collection unit 72 according to the fifth embodiment has a lower edge 724 b at the inner wall of the toner collection container 721, similar to the partition plate 724 of the toner collection unit 72 according to the second embodiment. 721c is in contact. Further, the partition plate 724 has an inclined surface 724d that is lowered from the upper edge 724a toward the substantially middle portion between the upper edge 724a and the lower edge 724b as viewed from the inflow port 722.

  Further, the paddle 723 of the toner recovery unit 72 of the fifth embodiment has a shape in which the tip end portion 723c of the blade 723b is bent in the rotation direction of the rotation shaft 723a when the rotation shaft 723a is viewed in the axial direction X. For this reason, when the rotary shaft 723a is viewed in the axial direction, the conveyance capability for conveying the toner is higher than in the case of a paddle having blades having a shape without bending.

  In each embodiment described above, a monochrome printer is shown as an example of the image forming apparatus. However, the image forming apparatus according to the present invention is not limited to this, and may be, for example, a color printer that forms a color image.

  In each of the above-described embodiments, a printer is shown as an example of the image forming apparatus. However, the image forming apparatus referred to in the present invention is not limited to a printer, and may be a copying machine or a facsimile, for example.

  Further, in each of the above-described embodiments, the conveyance member according to the present invention has been described with reference to the example in which the rotation shaft rotates in the direction of the arrow c around the axis. However, the conveyance member according to the present invention is not limited to this. The rotating shaft may be rotated in the direction opposite to the arrow c direction around the axis.

  Further, in each of the above-described embodiments, the powder according to the present invention has been described by taking the toner collected from the photoconductor as an example. However, the powder according to the present invention is not limited to this and is not yet limited. The toner may be used, or may be a carrier in the two-component development system or a mixture of toner and carrier.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Image forming apparatus 1A Main body 10 Toner image forming part 11 Photoconductor 12 Charging device 13 Developing device 14 Cleaning device 15 Toner recovery path 20 Exposure device 30 Paper transport device 40 Transfer device 50 Fixing device 72 Toner recovery portion 721 Toner recovery container 721a Upper part 721b Side surface 721c Inner wall 722 Inlet 723 Paddle 723a Rotating shaft 723b Blade 723c Tip part 724 Partition plate 724a Upper edge 724b Lower edge 724c Side edge 724d Slope 73 Container mounting part

Claims (7)

A storage container having a powder inlet below the uppermost part of the internal space in which the powder is stored;
A conveying member that is disposed at a position facing the inflow port inside the containing container, has a rotation axis along the inflow port, and conveys the powder upward and away from the inflow port by rotation;
A partition plate is disposed at a position sandwiching the transport member between the inlet and an upper edge of the partition plate positioned above a rotation shaft of the transport member and a lower edge of the inlet. Containment device.   The storage device according to claim 1, wherein the lower edge of the partition plate is in contact with an inner wall of the storage container.   When the conveying member is viewed in the axial direction, the conveying member has a blade having a shape that extends radially from the rotating shaft around the rotating shaft, and the tip portion is bent in the rotating direction of the rotating shaft. The storage device according to claim 1, wherein the storage device is a storage device.   4. The partition plate according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the partition plate has an inclined surface that is lowered from the upper edge toward the lower edge of the partition plate as viewed from the inflow port. The storage device according to claim 1.   The storage device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the storage container has the inflow port on a side surface. An image forming section for forming an image and discharging unnecessary powder generated during the image formation;
A recovery unit for recovering the powder discharged from the image forming unit;
The collection unit is
A container having a powder inflow port below the top of the internal space in which the collected powder is stored;
A conveying member that is disposed at a position facing the inflow port inside the containing container, has a rotation axis along the inflow port, and conveys the powder upward and away from the inflow port by rotation;
A partition plate is disposed at a position sandwiching the transport member between the inlet and an upper edge of the partition plate positioned above a rotation shaft of the transport member and a lower edge of the inlet. Imaging assembly. A housing,
An image forming assembly that forms an image and is configured to be detachable from the housing and housed in the housing;
A transfer fixing unit that transfers and fixes the image onto a sheet to form an image on the sheet;
The imaging assembly comprises:
An image forming section for forming an image and discharging unnecessary powder generated during the image formation;
A recovery unit for recovering the powder discharged from the image forming unit;
The collection unit is
A container having a powder inflow port below the top of the internal space in which the collected powder is stored;
A conveying member that is disposed at a position facing the inflow port inside the containing container, has a rotation axis along the inflow port, and conveys the powder upward and away from the inflow port by rotation;
A partition plate is disposed at a position sandwiching the transport member between the inlet and an upper edge of the partition plate positioned above a rotation shaft of the transport member and a lower edge of the inlet. Image forming apparatus.

Images