JP2013007833A - Developer conveyance device, cleaner, belt unit, and image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a developer conveyance device, cleaner, belt unit, and image forming apparatus that are able to restrict degradation in the suction performance of suction trapping means used to trap suspending developer.SOLUTION: Toner T accumulating in a trapping chamber 152 is guided toward a first opening 160 so as to slide over a guiding surface 162 and is moved to a moving chamber 158 through the first opening 160. The toner T that has moved to the moving chamber 158 is moved to a conveying chamber 150 through the moving chamber 158 by the rotation of the moving member 154 in the direction of arrow J. Accordingly, degradation in the trapping performance of a suction trapping member 142, caused by accumulation of the toner T in the trapping chamber 152, is restricted.

Description

  The present invention relates to a developer conveying device, a cleaning device, a belt unit, and an image forming apparatus.

  Patent Document 1 describes a cleaning unit that cleans a transfer belt by scraping off residual toner adhering to the transfer belt from the transfer belt.

  The cleaning unit is provided with a suction fan that prevents the toner (developer) scraped off from the transfer belt from scattering and a filter (capture member) that captures the toner sucked by the suction fan. ing.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 06-324611

  An object of the present invention is to suppress a reduction in the suction performance of the suction capturing means used for capturing the floating developer.

  The developer transport device according to claim 1 of the present invention includes a transport member that rotates and transports the developer in the rotation axis direction, a suction member that sucks the developer floating around the transport member, and the suction member A suction capturing unit including a capturing member that captures the developer sucked by the partition, a partition wall that partitions the transport chamber in which the transport member is disposed, and a capture chamber in which the capture member is disposed; and provided in the partition wall And a moving member that moves the developer deposited in the capture chamber to the transport chamber through the formed opening.

  The developer conveying device according to a second aspect of the present invention is the developer conveying device according to the first aspect, wherein the moving member has a rotating shaft extending along the rotating shaft direction and a base end portion fixed to the outer peripheral surface of the rotating shaft. And a plurality of blade portions extending in the radial direction of the rotating shaft and arranged at intervals on the rotating shaft.

  A developer conveying device according to a third aspect of the present invention includes a conveying member that rotates and conveys the developer in the rotation axis direction, a suction member that sucks the developer floating around the conveying member, and the suction member A suction capturing means including a capturing member that captures the developer sucked by the partition, a partition wall that partitions the transport chamber in which the transport member is disposed and the capture chamber in which the capture member is disposed, and in the rotation axis direction. A rotating shaft that extends along the vertical direction and that rotates from the capture chamber toward the transfer chamber, and a base end portion is fixed to the outer peripheral surface of the rotating shaft, and a distal end portion extends in the radial direction of the rotating shaft. A plurality of blade portions extending toward the rotation shaft and spaced apart from each other, and the developer accumulated in the trapping chamber is passed through the opening provided in the partition wall to the transport chamber. The moving member and the partition wall And an arcuate peripheral wall provided around the moving member as viewed from the direction of the rotation axis and partitioning the moving chamber in which the moving member is disposed and at least one of the transfer chamber and the capture chamber, and the opening And a lower end edge on the lower side in the vertical direction from the center of rotation of the rotating shaft is provided at one end portion of the peripheral wall portion and allows the developer to move from the capture chamber to the moving chamber. A first opening provided above in the vertical direction and the opening constitute the opening, and provided at the other end of the peripheral wall, allowing the developer to move from the transfer chamber to the transfer chamber, A lower opening provided on the lower side in the vertical direction and having a second opening provided vertically above the rotation center of the rotary shaft.

  The developer conveying device according to a fourth aspect of the present invention is the developer conveying device according to the third aspect, wherein the central angle of the peripheral wall portion with respect to the rotation center of the rotation shaft is adjacent to the rotation shaft when viewed from the rotation axis direction of the rotation shaft. It is characterized by being larger than the attachment angle of the blade portion.

  The developer conveying device according to claim 5 of the present invention is the developer conveying device according to claim 3 or 4, wherein the lower end edge provided on the lower side in the vertical direction of the first opening portion is connected to the moving chamber from the capture chamber. An end portion of the guide surface inclined so as to attract the developer is connected, and the developer is sent from the moving chamber to the transfer chamber at the lower end edge provided on the lower side in the vertical direction of the second opening. The end of the inclined delivery surface is connected.

  The cleaning device according to claim 6 of the present invention is provided with a peeling member for peeling off the developer attached to the object, and a transfer chamber in which the developer peeled off by the peeling member falls. And a developer conveying device described in any one of the above items.

  According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, there is provided a belt unit comprising: an endless endless belt as an object to which the developer is transferred and an image is formed on the surface; And a cleaning device according to claim 6, wherein the endless belt is cleaned by peeling the developer attached to the belt with a peeling member.

  An image forming apparatus according to an eighth aspect of the present invention includes: an image holding body on which an image is formed; and an endless endless belt in contact with the image holding body; A transfer member disposed upstream of the endless belt in the circulation direction with respect to the cleaning device provided in the belt unit, and transferring the image formed on the image holding member to the endless belt. .

  According to the developer transport device of the first aspect of the present invention, the developer deposited in the capture chamber is used to capture the floating developer as compared with the case where a moving member for moving the developer to the transport chamber is not provided. It can suppress that the attraction | suction performance of the aspiration capture | acquisition means part used falls.

  According to the developer transport device of claim 2 of the present invention, the developer deposited in the trapping chamber can be effectively transferred to the transport chamber as compared with the case where the moving member does not include the rotating shaft and the plurality of blade portions. Can move.

  According to the developer transport device of claim 3 of the present invention, the developer deposited in the capture chamber is used for capturing the floating developer as compared with the case where a moving member for moving the developer to the transport chamber is not provided. It can suppress that the attraction | suction performance of the aspiration capture | acquisition means part used falls.

  According to the developer transport device of claim 4 of the present invention, the developer is captured from the transport chamber as compared with the case where the center angle of the peripheral wall portion with respect to the rotation center of the rotating shaft is smaller than the mounting angle of the adjacent blade portion. The movement to the chamber can be suppressed.

  According to the developer transport device of claim 5 of the present invention, as compared with the case where the guide surface for guiding the developer from the capture chamber to the moving chamber and the delivery surface for sending the developer from the moving chamber to the transport chamber are not provided. Thus, the developer deposited in the trapping chamber can be effectively moved to the transfer chamber.

  According to the cleaning device of claim 6 of the present invention, the separated developer is scattered as compared with the case where the developer conveying device according to any one of claims 1 to 5 is not provided. Can be suppressed.

  According to the belt unit of claim 7 of the present invention, the floating developer is prevented from adhering to the endless belt provided in the belt unit as compared with the case where the cleaning device according to claim 6 is not provided. be able to.

  According to the image forming apparatus of the eighth aspect of the present invention, the quality of the output image can be improved as compared with the case where the belt unit according to the seventh aspect is not provided.

(A) (B) It is sectional drawing which showed the cleaning apparatus which concerns on 1st Embodiment of this invention. 1 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a developer transport device according to a first embodiment of the present invention. (A), (B), and (C) are cross-sectional views showing a state in which a moving member used in the developer conveying device according to the first embodiment of the present invention moves toner. (A) (B) It is the cross-sectional perspective view and sectional drawing which showed the contact state of the cleaning apparatus which concerns on 1st Embodiment of this invention. (A) (B) It is the cross-sectional perspective view and sectional drawing which showed the retracted state of the cleaning apparatus which concerns on 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is the expansion perspective view which showed the end side of the cleaning apparatus which concerns on 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is the perspective view which showed the end side of the cleaning apparatus which concerns on 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is the side view which showed the belt unit etc. which concern on 1st Embodiment of this invention. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram illustrating an image forming apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention. It is sectional drawing which showed the image development apparatus used for the image forming apparatus which concerns on 2nd Embodiment of this invention. FIG. 5 is a schematic configuration diagram illustrating an image forming apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

  An example of the developer conveying device, the cleaning device, the belt unit, and the image forming apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

(overall structure)
FIG. 9 shows the image forming apparatus 10. The image forming apparatus 10 is supplied from the sheet storage unit 12 in which the recording sheet P is stored and the sheet storage unit 12 provided on the sheet storage unit 12 from the lower side to the upper side in the vertical direction (arrow V direction). The image forming unit 14 that forms an image on the recording paper P to be formed, the document reading unit 16 that is provided on the image forming unit 14 to read the read document G, and each unit of the image forming apparatus 10 that is provided in the image forming unit 14 And a control unit 20 that controls the operation of the above.

  In the following description, the vertical direction of the apparatus main body 10A of the image forming apparatus 10 is described as an arrow V direction, and the horizontal direction is described as an arrow H direction.

  The sheet storage unit 12 is provided with a first storage unit 22, a second storage unit 24, and a third storage unit 26 that store recording sheets P of different sizes as an example of a recording medium. The first storage unit 22, the second storage unit 24, and the third storage unit 26 are provided with a delivery roll 32 that sends the stored recording paper P to a conveyance path 28 provided in the image forming apparatus 10. A pair of transport rolls 34 and transport rolls 36 that transport the recording paper P one by one are provided on the transport path 28 downstream of the feed roll 32. An alignment roll 38 that stops the recording paper P at one end and feeds it to a secondary transfer position (described later) at a predetermined timing downstream of the conveyance roll 36 in the conveyance direction of the recording paper P in the conveyance path 28. Is provided.

  The upstream portion of the conveyance path 28 is provided in a straight line from the left side of the sheet storage unit 12 to the lower left side of the image forming unit 14 in the arrow V direction when the image forming apparatus 10 is viewed from the front. The downstream portion of the conveyance path 28 is provided from the lower left portion of the image forming portion 14 to the paper discharge portion 15 provided on the right side surface of the image forming portion 14. Further, a double-sided conveyance path 29 through which the recording paper P is conveyed and reversed in order to form an image on both sides of the recording paper P is connected to the conveyance path 28.

  The double-sided conveyance path 29 includes a first switching member 31 that switches between the conveyance path 28 and the double-sided conveyance path 29 from the lower right side of the image forming unit 14 to the right side of the sheet storage unit 12 in a front view of the image forming apparatus 10. A reversing unit 33 linearly provided in the direction of arrow V, a transporting unit 37 transported in the direction of arrow H while the rear end of the recording paper P transported to the reversing unit 33 enters, a reversing unit 33 and a transporting unit And a second switching member 35 for switching 37. The reversing unit 33 is provided with a pair of conveying rolls 42 at intervals, and the conveying unit 37 is provided with a pair of conveying rolls 44 at intervals.

  The first switching member 31 is a triangular prism-shaped member, and the leading end of the first switching member 31 is moved to either the transport path 28 or the double-side transport path 29 by a driving unit (not shown) so as to switch the transport direction of the recording paper P. It has become. Similarly, the second switching member 35 is a triangular prism-shaped member when viewed from the front, and the leading end is moved to either the reversing unit 33 or the conveying unit 37 by a driving unit (not shown), thereby conveying the recording paper P. The direction is changed. The downstream end of the transport unit 37 is connected to the front side of the transport roll 36 in the upstream portion of the transport path 28 by a guide member (not shown). Further, a foldable manual sheet feeding unit 46 is provided on the left side surface of the image forming unit 14 and is connected from the manual sheet feeding unit 46 to a position in front of the alignment roll 38 in the conveyance path 28. .

  The document reading unit 16 includes a document transport device 52 that automatically transports the read document G one by one, a platen glass 54 that is disposed below the document transport device 52 and on which one read document G is placed, and a document transport device. An original reading device 56 that reads the read original G conveyed by 52 or the read original G placed on the platen glass 54 is provided. The document conveyance device 52 has an automatic conveyance path 55 in which a plurality of pairs of conveyance rolls 53 are arranged, and a part of the automatic conveyance path 55 is arranged so that the recording paper P passes over the platen glass 54. . The original reading device 56 reads the read original G conveyed by the original conveying device 52 while being stationary at the left end of the platen glass 54, or is read on the platen glass 54 while moving in the arrow H direction. G is read.

  On the other hand, the image forming unit 14 is provided with a cylindrical image carrier 62 as an example of a latent image carrier in the center of the apparatus main body 10A. The image holding body 62 is rotated in the arrow + R direction (clockwise direction in the drawing) by a driving unit (not shown) and holds an electrostatic latent image formed by light irradiation. A corotron charging member 64 that charges the surface of the image carrier 62 is provided above the image carrier 62 and at a position facing the outer peripheral surface of the image carrier 62.

  An exposure device 66 is provided at a position downstream of the charging member 64 in the rotation direction of the image carrier 62 and facing the outer peripheral surface of the image carrier 62. The exposure device 66 is configured by an LED (Light Emitting Diode), and irradiates (exposes) light to the outer peripheral surface of the image carrier 62 charged by the charging member 64 based on image signals corresponding to the respective toner colors. An electrostatic latent image is formed. The exposure device 66 is not limited to the LED system, and may be one that scans laser light with a polygon mirror, for example.

  The electrostatic latent image formed on the outer peripheral surface of the image carrier 62 is developed with toner of a predetermined color on the downstream side of the portion irradiated with the exposure light of the exposure device 66 in the rotation direction of the image carrier 62. A rotation switching type developing device 70 is provided as an example of a developing means that visualizes the image. The developing device 70 will be described later.

  A toner image formed on the outer peripheral surface of the image carrier 62 is transferred to the downstream side of the developing device 70 in the rotational direction of the image carrier 62 and below the image carrier 62, and a belt unit 138 is installed. An intermediate transfer belt 68 as an example of an endless belt is provided. The intermediate transfer belt 68 is endless, and is driven by being in contact with a drive roll 61 that is rotationally driven by the control unit 20, a tension applying roll 63 for applying tension to the intermediate transfer belt 68, and the back surface of the intermediate transfer belt 68. It is wound around a plurality of rotating transport rolls 65 and an auxiliary roll 69 that rotates in contact with the back surface of the intermediate transfer belt 68 at a secondary transfer position described later. The intermediate transfer belt 68 rotates in the direction of the arrow -R (the counterclockwise direction in the drawing) as the driving roll 61 rotates.

  A primary transfer roll 67 is provided on the opposite side of the image carrier 62 across the intermediate transfer belt 68 to primarily transfer the toner image formed on the outer peripheral surface of the image carrier 62 to the intermediate transfer belt 68. . The primary transfer roll 67 is in contact with the back surface of the intermediate transfer belt 68 at a position away from the position where the image carrier 62 and the intermediate transfer belt 68 are in contact with the downstream side in the moving direction of the intermediate transfer belt 68. When the primary transfer roll 67 is energized from a power source (not shown), the toner image on the image carrier 62 is primarily transferred to the intermediate transfer belt 68 by a potential difference from the grounded image carrier 62. Yes.

  Further, on the opposite side of the auxiliary roll 69 across the intermediate transfer belt 68, a secondary transfer roll 71 as an example of transfer means for secondary transfer of the toner image primarily transferred onto the intermediate transfer belt 68 onto the recording paper P. Between the secondary transfer roll 71 and the auxiliary roll 69 is a secondary transfer position for transferring the toner image onto the recording paper P. The secondary transfer roll 71 is in contact with the surface of the intermediate transfer belt 68. When the secondary transfer roll 71 is energized from a power source (not shown), the toner image on the intermediate transfer belt 68 is secondarily transferred onto the recording paper P by a potential difference from the auxiliary roll 69 that is grounded. Yes.

  A cleaning device 100 as an example of a cleaning device that collects residual toner after secondary transfer of the intermediate transfer belt 68 is provided on the opposite side of the drive roll 61 with the intermediate transfer belt 68 interposed therebetween. The cleaning device is provided with a housing 102 and a cleaning blade 106 and a seal member 108 as an example of a peeling member supported by the housing 102 (see FIG. 8). Details of the cleaning device 100 will be described later.

  Further, a predetermined reference on the intermediate transfer belt 68 is detected by detecting a mark (not shown) on the surface of the intermediate transfer belt 68 at a position facing the tension applying roll 63 around the intermediate transfer belt 68. A position detection sensor 83 is provided for detecting a position and outputting a position detection signal that serves as a reference for the start timing of the image forming process.

  As described above, the belt unit 138 includes the intermediate transfer belt 68, the cleaning device 100, and each roll provided on the inner peripheral surface of the intermediate transfer belt 68.

  On the other hand, on the downstream side of the primary transfer roller 67 in the rotation direction of the image carrier 62, a cleaning device 73 that cleans residual toner or the like remaining on the surface of the image carrier 62 without being primarily transferred to the intermediate transfer belt 68. Is provided. The cleaning device 73 is configured to collect residual toner and the like with a cleaning blade and a brush roll that are in contact with the surface of the image carrier 62. Further, on the upstream side (downstream side of the primary transfer roll 67) of the cleaning device 73 in the rotation direction of the image carrier 62, a static eliminator 75 is provided that performs static elimination by irradiating the outer peripheral surface of the image carrier 62 with light. It has been. The static eliminator 75 irradiates the outer peripheral surface of the image carrier 62 with light before collecting residual toner or the like by the cleaning device 73 to reduce static electricity, thereby increasing the recovery rate of residual toner or the like. belongs to. It should be noted that neutralization means after collecting residual toner or the like may be provided downstream of the cleaning device 73 and upstream of the charging member 64.

  The secondary transfer position of the toner image by the secondary transfer roll 71 is set in the middle of the transport path 28 described above, and the secondary transfer roll 71 in the transport direction of the recording paper P in the transport path 28 (shown by the arrow A). On the further downstream side, a fixing device 80 for fixing the toner image on the recording paper P on which the toner image is transferred by the secondary transfer roll 71 is provided. The fixing device 80 is disposed on the toner image surface side (upper side) of the recording paper P, and has a heating roll 82 having a heat source that generates heat when energized, and the recording paper P disposed on the lower side of the heating roll 82 and the outer periphery of the heating roll 82. It is comprised with the pressurization roll 84 which pressurizes toward a surface. A transport roll 39 that transports the recording paper P toward the paper discharge unit 15 or the reversing unit 33 is provided downstream of the fixing device 80 in the transport direction of the recording paper P in the transport path 28.

  On the other hand, below the document reading device 56 and above the developing device 70, yellow (Y), magenta (M), cyan (C), black (K), first special color (E), and second special color. Toner cartridges 78Y, 78M, 78C, 78K, 78E, and 78F that store the respective color (F) toners are provided to be replaceable in the horizontal direction. The first special color E and the second special color F are selected from special colors (including transparent) other than yellow, magenta, cyan, and black, or are not selected. Then, when the first special color E and the second special color F are selected, the developing device 70 forms an image with six colors of Y, M, C, K, E, and F, and the first special color E When the second special color F is not selected, image formation with four colors Y, M, C, and K is performed. In this embodiment, as an example, a case where image formation is performed with four colors Y, M, C, and K and the first special color E and the second special color F are unused will be described. As an example, image formation may be performed with five colors using four colors Y, M, C, and K and the first special color E or the second special color F.

  Next, the developing device 70 will be described.

  As shown in FIG. 8, the developing device 70 includes yellow (Y), magenta (M), cyan (C), black (K), first special color (E), and second special color (F). Developing units 72Y, 72M, 72C, 72K, 72E, and 72F corresponding to the toner colors are arranged side by side in the circumferential direction (counterclockwise in this order), and are motors that are rotating means (not shown). Thus, the developing devices 72Y, 72M, 72C, 72K, 72E, and 72F that perform the development processing are switched by rotating at a central angle of 60 ° so as to face the outer peripheral surface of the image holding member 62.

  Since the developing units 72Y, 72M, 72C, 72K, 72E, and 72F have the same configuration, the developing unit 72Y will be described here, and the other developing units 72M, 72C, 72K, 72E, and 72F will be described. Is omitted.

  The developing device 72Y includes a case member 76 serving as a main body, and includes toner and a carrier that are supplied into the case member 76 from a toner cartridge 78Y (see FIG. 9) via a toner supply path (not shown). A developer (not shown) is filled. The case member 76 is formed with a rectangular opening 76 </ b> A facing the outer peripheral surface of the image holding body 62, and the outer peripheral surface of the opening 76 </ b> A faces the outer peripheral surface of the image holding body 62. A developing roll 74 is provided. Further, a plate-like regulating member 79 for regulating the layer thickness of the developer is provided along the longitudinal direction of the opening 76A at a portion near the opening 76A in the case member 76.

  The developing roller 74 includes a cylindrical developing sleeve 74A that is rotatably provided, and a magnetic member 74B that includes a plurality of magnetic poles fixed inside the developing sleeve 74A. The developing sleeve 74A rotates. Thus, the developer (carrier) magnetic brush is formed, and the layer thickness is regulated by the regulating member 79, whereby the developer layer is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the developing sleeve 74A. The developer layer on the outer peripheral surface of the developing sleeve 74A is conveyed to a position facing the image holding body 62, and toner corresponding to the latent image (electrostatic latent image) formed on the outer peripheral surface of the image holding body 62 is used. Develop with adhesion.

  In addition, in the case member 76, two conveyance rollers 77 formed in a spiral shape are arranged in parallel so as to be rotatable, and the case member 76 is filled by rotating the two conveyance rollers 77. The developer is circulated and conveyed in the axial direction of the developing roll 74 (longitudinal direction of the developing device 72Y). The six developing rolls 74 provided in each of the developing units 72Y, 72M, 72C, 72K, 72E, and 72F are arranged in the circumferential direction so that the distance from the adjacent developing roll 74 is a central angle of 60 °. The next developing roller 74 is opposed to the outer peripheral surface of the image holding member 62 by switching the developing device 72.

  Next, an image forming process in the image forming apparatus 10 will be described.

  As shown in FIG. 9, when the image forming apparatus 10 is operated, yellow (Y), magenta (M), cyan (C), black (K), and the first special image processing apparatus (not shown) or from the outside. Image data of each color (E) and second special color (F) is sequentially output to the exposure device 66. At this time, as an example, the developing device 70 is rotated and held so that the developing device 72 </ b> Y (see FIG. 8) faces the outer peripheral surface of the image holding body 62.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 1B, the cleaning blade 106 and the seal member 108 of the cleaning device 100 have the toner images of the respective colors transferred onto the intermediate transfer belt 68 in a multiple (primary) manner and are secondary on the recording paper P. Until transfer, the intermediate transfer belt 68 is separated from the outer peripheral surface by a retraction mechanism (not shown) (retracted state). Similarly, the secondary transfer roll 71 is also separated from the outer peripheral surface of the intermediate transfer belt 68 by the movement of the auxiliary roll 69 (see FIG. 8).

  As shown in FIG. 8, subsequently, the light emitted from the exposure device 66 according to the image data exposes the outer peripheral surface (surface) of the image carrier 62 charged by the charging member 64, and the image carrier. An electrostatic latent image corresponding to yellow image data is formed on the surface 62. Further, the electrostatic latent image formed on the surface of the image carrier 62 is developed as a yellow toner image by the developing device 72Y. Then, the yellow toner image on the surface of the image carrier 62 is transferred to the intermediate transfer belt 68 by the primary transfer roll 67.

  Subsequently, the developing device 70 is rotated by 60 ° in the direction of the arrow + R, and the developing device 72M faces the surface of the image carrier 62. Then, charging, exposure, and development steps are performed, and the magenta toner image on the surface of the image carrier 62 is transferred onto the yellow toner image on the intermediate transfer belt 68 by the primary transfer roll 67. Similarly, toner images of cyan (C), black (K), and the first special color (E) and the second special color (F) are sequentially transferred onto the intermediate transfer belt 68 in accordance with the color setting. The

  Then, the secondary transfer roll 71 comes into contact with the outer peripheral surface of the intermediate transfer belt 68 by the movement of the auxiliary roll 69.

  On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 9, the recording paper P sent out from the paper storage unit 12 and transported through the transport path 28 is subjected to multiple transfer of each toner image onto the intermediate transfer belt 68 by the alignment roll 38. It is conveyed to the secondary transfer position at the same timing. The toner image that has been multiplex-transferred onto the intermediate transfer belt 68 is secondarily transferred by the secondary transfer roll 71 onto the recording paper P that has been transported to the secondary transfer position.

  Further, after the secondary transfer, as shown in FIG. 1A, the cleaning blade 106 and the seal member 108 of the cleaning device 100 are placed on the outer peripheral surface of the intermediate transfer belt 68 under the control of the control unit 20 (see FIG. 9). Contact. The toner T adhering to the outer peripheral surface of the intermediate transfer belt 68 is peeled off by the cleaning blade 106 and collected in the housing 102.

  As shown in FIG. 9, the recording paper P to which the toner image has been transferred is conveyed toward the fixing device 80 in the direction of arrow A (the right direction in the drawing). In the fixing device 80, the toner image is fixed on the recording paper P by being heated and pressed by the heating roll 82 and the pressure roll 84. Furthermore, the recording paper P on which the toner image is fixed is discharged to the paper discharge unit 15 as an example.

  When images are formed on both sides of the recording paper P, the image is fixed on the surface by the fixing device 80, and then the recording paper P is fed along the arrow -V direction to the reversing unit 33 and along the arrow + V direction. The leading edge and the trailing edge of the recording paper P are switched. Then, the recording paper P is conveyed in the direction of arrow B (left direction in the drawing) by the double-sided conveyance path 29 and further fed into the conveyance path 28 to perform image formation and fixing on the back surface of the recording paper P.

  Note that after the secondary transfer, the cleaning blade 106 and the seal member 108 come into contact with the outer peripheral surface of the intermediate transfer belt 68 by the operation of a retract mechanism (not shown). The toner T adhering to the outer peripheral surface of the intermediate transfer belt 68 is peeled off by the cleaning blade 106 and collected in the housing 102.

(Main part configuration)
Next, the cleaning device 100 will be described.

  As shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B, the cleaning device 100 is provided in the opening 104 and the housing 102 in which the rectangular opening 104 disposed to face the intermediate transfer belt 68 is formed. A plate-shaped cleaning blade 106 that contacts the intermediate transfer belt 68 and collects the toner T, and is provided in the opening 104 at a position opposite to the cleaning blade 106. And a film-like seal member 108 that seals a gap between the intermediate transfer belt 68 and the intermediate transfer belt 68.

  Hereinafter, the longitudinal direction of the housing 102 and the opening 104 is the arrow Z direction, the in-plane direction of the bottom plate 102A (see FIG. 4B) in the housing 102 is the arrow X direction, The arrangement of each member in the housing 102 will be described with the height direction of the housing 102 orthogonal to the arrow X direction and the arrow Z direction as the arrow Y direction. An arrow Z direction is a direction from the near side to the far side when the image forming apparatus 10 (see FIG. 9) is viewed from the front.

  As shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B, the housing 102 is a member having a shape in which both ends in the arrow Z direction and the upper left of the top plate as viewed in the arrow Z direction are opened. Side plates 114 (see FIG. 6) are attached to both ends in the Z direction with screws.

  In addition, a first movable member 116 made of a sheet metal having an L shape on the XY plane is provided on the upper portion of the housing 102 with the arrow Z direction as a longitudinal direction. 4A and 4B show a state where the cleaning blade 106 and the seal member 108 are in contact with the intermediate transfer belt 68 (contact state).

  The first movable member 116 is arranged in a mountain shape on the XY plane, and on the back side of one inclined portion 116A (inclined portion toward the lower left in the drawing), a support shaft 118 having an arrow Z direction as an axial direction. Is fixed. The support shaft 118 is rotatably supported at both ends by bearings (not shown) provided on the side plate 114. A support plate 119 made of L-shaped sheet metal on the XY plane is attached to the upper surface of the inclined portion 116A of the first movable member 116 with a screw. Furthermore, one end portion of the cleaning blade 106 arranged along the inclination direction of the inclined portion 116A is fixed to the lower portion of the support plate 119 by adhesion.

  The cleaning blade 106 is a plate made of resin that is rectangular in plan view, and is attached to the support plate 119 so that the longitudinal direction thereof is along the longitudinal direction of the opening 104. As a result, the cleaning blade 106 is provided along the downstream edge of the opening 104 in the conveyance direction (arrow -R direction) of the intermediate transfer belt 68.

  The cleaning blade 106 is arranged such that the free end side (the other end not bonded to the support plate 119) comes into contact with the intermediate transfer belt 68 when the first movable member 116 is disposed in a contact state. The residual toner T on the circulating intermediate transfer belt 68 is collected in the housing 102. Further, on the left side of the housing 102 on the XY plane, a second movable member 120 made of an L-shaped sheet metal whose longitudinal direction is the arrow Z direction is provided.

  The second movable member 120 is arranged so as to protrude leftward on the XY plane, and an arrow Z is provided on the back side of the inclined portion 120A (inclined portion that moves downward to the left in the drawing) arranged on the upper side. A support shaft (not shown) that is rotatably provided with the direction as an axial direction is attached. Thereby, the second movable member 120 is rotatably supported. The second movable member 120 is rotated (moved) in conjunction with the first movable member 116 by an interlocking device (not shown). In addition, one end portion in the short direction of the seal member 108 is fixed to the upper portion of the inclined portion 120A of the second movable member 120 by bonding.

  The seal member 108 is attached to the second movable member 120 so as to come into contact with the intermediate transfer belt 68 along the upstream edge of the opening 104 in the conveyance direction of the intermediate transfer belt 68. Further, the seal member 108 is located at the free end side (the second movable member 120) when the first movable member 116 is in a contact arrangement and when the cleaning blade 106 is in contact with the intermediate transfer belt 68. The other end portion that is not bonded to the intermediate transfer belt 68 is arranged so as to be in contact with the intermediate transfer belt 68.

  As a result, the gap between the housing 102 and the intermediate transfer belt 68 is sealed. Further, the seal member 108 is disposed below the cleaning blade 106. Here, the tip of the seal member 108 is disposed along the moving direction of the intermediate transfer belt 68 toward the downstream side, and the toner T is not scraped off by the seal member 108.

  Further, the cleaning device 100 is provided with a developer conveying device 140 that collects the toner T collected by the cleaning blade 106. The developer transport device 140 sucks and captures the transport member 121 that transports the collected toner T to the toner discharge portion and the toner T that floats in the vicinity of the opening 104 (around the transport member 121) into the housing 102. And a suction capture member 142 as an example of the suction capture means.

  The suction capture member 142 includes a suction fan 128 (see FIG. 7) as an example of a suction member, and a filter 112 as an example of a capture member that captures the toner T sucked by the suction fan 128. .

<Developer transport device>
Next, the developer transport device 140 will be described in detail.

  As shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B, a mounting member 113 for mounting the above-described filter 112 in the housing 102 is provided on the right side of the housing 102 on the XY plane. . The mounting member 113 has a frame shape in which an opening 113A made up of a plurality of rectangular through holes is formed in the longitudinal direction of a rectangular plate member in plan view, and is lower than the upper part in the XY plane. Is provided obliquely inside the housing 102 so as to be away from the intermediate transfer belt 68 and the opening 104.

  By being separated by the mounting member 113, a suction path 110A having an inverted triangular shape on the XY plane is formed on the right side of the housing 102.

  Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 7, a cylindrical member 111 that constitutes a suction path 110 </ b> B through which air sucked by the suction fan 128 passes is provided. And this suction path 110B and the suction path 110A (refer FIG. 4 (B)) divided by the attachment member 113 which attaches the filter 112 are connected so that air can be circulated.

  A plurality of spiral grooves are formed on the outer peripheral surface between the filter 112 and the second movable member 120 below the housing 102, and the conveyance is provided so as to be rotatable about the arrow Z direction as the rotation axis direction. A member 121 is provided.

  As shown in FIG. 6, a gear 146 is fixed to the end side of the rotation shaft 121 </ b> A of the conveying member 121. Further, a gear 149 that meshes with the gear 146 is provided, and the output shaft of the motor 148 is fixed to the rotation shaft of the gear 149. Then, when the motor 148 is driven and controlled by the control unit 20 (see FIG. 9), the conveyance member 121 causes the toner T collected in the housing 102 to be disposed on the back side in the arrow Z direction. It is intended to be transported toward (not shown).

  In addition, as shown in FIG. 4B, a partition wall 117 is provided that partitions the transfer chamber 150 in which the transfer member 121 is disposed and the capture chamber 152 in which the filter 112 is disposed. Further, a moving member 154 that moves the toner T captured by the filter 112 and accumulated in the capture chamber 152 to the transfer chamber 150 is provided between the partition wall 117 and the bottom plate 102 </ b> A of the housing 102.

  Specifically, the transfer chamber 150 and the capture chamber 152 are partitioned by a partition wall 117, a bottom plate 102A, and a side wall of the housing. With this configuration, the toner captured by the filter 112 attached obliquely falls from the filter 112 and is deposited on the bottom plate 102 </ b> A of the capture chamber 152.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the moving member 154 includes a rotating shaft 154A extending along the Z direction, and a plurality of moving shafts 154A, the base end portion of which is fixed to the rotating shaft 154A and the distal end portion extending in the radial direction of the rotating shaft 154A. (In this embodiment, four) plate-like blade portions 154B are provided. Specifically, the blade portions 154B are arranged at equal intervals (90 ° in the present embodiment) on the outer peripheral surface of the rotating shaft 154A.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 6, a gear 159 that meshes with a gear 146 fixed to the end side of the rotation shaft 121 </ b> A of the conveying member 121 is fixed to the end side of the rotation shaft 154 </ b> A. With this configuration, the rotation shaft 154A to which the rotational force of the motor 148 is transmitted through the gear 159, the gear 146, and the gear 149 rotates from the capture chamber 152 toward the transfer chamber 150 on the upper peripheral surface in the vertical direction. (See arrow J shown in FIG. 2).

  Further, as shown in FIG. 2, in a side view (XY plane), a moving chamber in which a part of the partition wall 117 described above is formed and the moving member 154 is arranged above the moving member 154. An arc-shaped peripheral wall portion 117A that partitions 158 from at least one of the transfer chamber 150 and the capture chamber 152 is provided. On the other hand, the bottom plate 102A below the moving member 154 protrudes outward in a side view (XY plane), and has an arc shape along the rotation locus of the moving member 154.

  A first opening 160 as an example of an opening that enables movement of the toner T from the capture chamber 152 to the moving chamber 158 extends between the one end of the peripheral wall portion 117A and the bottom plate 102A in the Z direction. Is formed. The lower end edge 160A on the lower side in the vertical direction of the first opening portion 160 is provided above the rotation center of the rotation shaft 154A in the vertical direction in a side view (XY plane). Further, the lower edge 160A has an end portion of the guide surface 162 formed on the bottom plate 102A while inclining downward from the trapping chamber 152 toward the moving chamber 158 to draw the toner T from the trapping chamber 152 to the moving chamber 158. It is connected.

  On the other hand, between the other end portion of the peripheral wall portion 117A and the bottom plate 102A, a second opening portion 164 as an example of an opening portion that enables the movement of the toner T from the moving chamber 158 to the transfer chamber 150 is Z. It extends in the direction. The lower end edge 164A on the lower side in the vertical direction of the second opening 164 is provided above the rotation center of the rotation shaft 154A in the vertical direction in a side view (XY plane). Further, the lower end edge 164A has an end portion of the delivery surface 166 formed on the bottom plate 102A while being inclined downward from the moving chamber 158 toward the transfer chamber 150 to feed the toner T from the transfer chamber 158 to the transfer chamber 150. It is connected.

  The opening area of the first opening 160 described above is larger than the opening area of the second opening 164. Further, in the side view (XY plane), the central angle (K ° shown in FIG. 2) of the peripheral wall portion 117A with respect to the rotation center of the rotating shaft 154A is the mounting angle (L ° shown in FIG. 2) of the adjacent blade portion 154B. (90 ° in this embodiment)).

  Further, an elastically deformable film-like film member 168 is attached to the tip side of each blade portion 154B so as to protrude from the tip portion of the blade portion 154B. Thus, no gap is generated between the rotating blade portion 154B and the peripheral wall portion 117A or the bottom plate 102A.

(Function)
Next, the operation of the cleaning device 100 will be described.

  As shown in FIGS. 1A, 4A and 4B, when the toner image on the intermediate transfer belt 68 is secondarily transferred to the recording paper P (not shown), the outer peripheral surface of the intermediate transfer belt 68 The transfer residual toner T adheres to the surface.

  The cleaning blade 106 and the seal member 108 of the cleaning device 100 are in contact with the outer peripheral surface of the intermediate transfer belt 68 under the control of the control unit 20 (see FIG. 9) (contact state). Further, in this contact state, the suction fan 128 (see FIG. 7) is in a non-operating state under the control of the control unit 20.

  As the intermediate transfer belt 68 rotates in the −R direction, the untransferred toner T is transported to the cleaning device 100 and collected by the cleaning blade 106 in the transport chamber 150 inside the housing 102.

  Moreover, in this contact state, the conveyance member 121 rotates by the motor 148 (refer FIG. 6) being in an operation state by control of the control part 20 (refer FIG. 9). As a result, the toner T collected in the transfer chamber 150 is transferred from the transfer member 121 in the direction of the rotation axis of the transfer member 121 and discharged to a toner discharge portion (not shown).

  At this time, the seal member 108 is in contact with the outer peripheral surface of the intermediate transfer belt 68 and seals the gap between the housing 102 and the intermediate transfer belt 68. Thereby, the toner T collected in the housing 102 is prevented from leaking to the outside of the housing 102.

  In addition, since the suction fan 128 is in a non-operating state, dust containing the floating toner T is not collected (captured) on the filter 112.

  On the other hand, as shown in FIGS. 1 (B), 5 (A) and 5 (B), when the toner images of the respective colors are multiplex (primary) transferred to the intermediate transfer belt 68, the control unit 20 (see FIG. 9). ), The suction fan 128 is activated, and the suction force of the suction fan 128 (see FIG. 7) is generated in the housing 102 including the suction path 110A.

  Further, after the suction force is generated in the housing 102, the cleaning blade 106 and the seal member 108 are separated from the outer peripheral surface of the intermediate transfer belt 68 and enter a retracted state under the control of the control unit 20 (see FIG. 9). Further, in the retracted state, the motor 148 (see FIG. 6) is brought into a non-operating state by the control of the control unit 20 (see FIG. 9), so that the rotation of the conveying member 121 is stopped.

  The suction force of the suction fan 128 (see FIG. 7) is generated in the housing 102 including the suction path 110A, so that the toner T floating in the housing 102 is not released out of the housing 102 but the filter 112. , Is dropped and deposited in the capture chamber 152 (see FIG. 1B).

  On the other hand, after the toner image transferred to the intermediate transfer belt 68 by multiple (primary) transfer is transferred to the recording medium P, the cleaning blade 106 and the seal member 108 are subjected to intermediate transfer under the control of the control unit 20 (see FIG. 9). Contact with the outer peripheral surface of the belt 68 (contact state).

  As described above, in the contact state, the suction fan 128 (see FIG. 7) is inactive, and the motor 148 (see FIG. 6) is in operation.

  Here, as shown in FIG. 2, when the motor 148 is in an operating state, the conveying member 121 rotates, and the moving member 154 moves in the direction of arrow J via the gear 146 and the gear 159 (see FIG. 6). Rotate to.

  As shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B, the toner T accumulated in the trapping chamber 152 is guided toward the first opening 160 so as to slide on the guide surface 162, and passes through the first opening 160. To move to the moving chamber 158. As the moving member 154 rotates in the direction of arrow J, the toner T moved to the moving chamber 158 is placed on the blade portion 154B of the moving member 154 and rotates.

  As shown in FIGS. 3B and 3C, the toner T, which is placed on the blade portion 154B and rotates, moves through the second opening 164 to the conveyance chamber 150 and is conveyed so as to slide on the delivery surface 166. It moves toward the member 121.

  By repeating the steps shown in FIGS. 3A, 3B, and 3C, the toner T accumulated in the trapping chamber 152 moves to the transfer chamber 150 through the moving chamber 158. Then, the toner T moved to the transfer chamber 150 is transferred from the rotating transfer member 121 in the direction of the rotation axis of the transfer member 121 and discharged to a toner discharge unit (not shown).

  As described above, the toner T accumulated in the trapping chamber 152 moves to the transfer chamber 150 through the moving chamber 158. For this reason, a decrease in the capture performance of the suction capture member 142 caused by the toner T accumulating in the capture chamber 152 is suppressed.

  The moving member 154 rotates from the capture chamber 152 toward the transfer chamber 150 on the upper peripheral surface in the vertical direction. Furthermore, the lower end edge 160A of the first opening 160 is provided above the rotation center of the rotation shaft 154A in the vertical direction. For this reason, the toner T that has moved from the capture chamber 152 to the moving chamber 158 through the first opening 160 is placed so as to be scooped up by the blade portion 154 </ b> B of the moving member 154 and moves in the moving chamber 158. As described above, the toner T accumulated in the trapping chamber 152 effectively moves in the moving chamber 158.

  Further, as described above, when the blade portion 154B passes through the first opening 160, the blade portion 154B scoops up the toner T that has moved from the capture chamber 152. For this reason, even if the toner T that has moved from the transfer chamber 150 to the moving chamber 158 is placed on the blade portion 154B, the toner T is suppressed from being discharged into the capture chamber 152 through the first opening 160.

  The moving member 154 rotates from the capture chamber 152 toward the transfer chamber 150 on the upper peripheral surface in the vertical direction. Furthermore, the lower end edge 164A of the second opening 164 is provided vertically above the rotation center of the rotation shaft 154A. Therefore, the toner T scooped up by the blade portion 154B and moving in the moving chamber 158 is pushed out to the blade portion 154B through the second opening 164 and moves from the moving chamber 158 to the transfer chamber 150. Thus, the toner T that effectively moves in the moving chamber 158 moves to the transfer chamber 150.

  Further, as described above, when the blade portion 154B passes through the second opening 164, the blade portion 154B pushes out the toner T moving in the moving chamber 158 to the transfer chamber 150. For this reason, the toner T is prevented from moving from the transfer chamber 150 to the moving chamber 158 through the second opening 164.

  Further, the central angle (K ° shown in FIG. 2) of the peripheral wall portion 117A with respect to the rotation center of the rotating shaft 154A is based on the mounting angle (L ° shown in FIG. 2 (90 ° in the present embodiment)) of the adjacent blade portion 154B. It has been enlarged. Accordingly, since the inner peripheral surface of the peripheral wall portion 117A always faces the tip of at least one blade portion 154B, the toner T that floats in the transfer chamber 150 when the moving member 154 rotates. Is prevented from flowing into the capture chamber 152 through the moving chamber 158.

  The opening area of the first opening 160 is larger than the opening area of the second opening 164. For this reason, the toner T accumulated in the trapping chamber 152 effectively moves to the transfer chamber 150 through the moving chamber 158.

  Further, the lower end edge 160 </ b> A of the first opening 160 is connected to the end of the guide surface 162 that is inclined downward toward the moving chamber 158 and draws the toner T from the capturing chamber 152 to the moving chamber 158. For this reason, the toner T accumulated in the trapping chamber 152 effectively moves from the trapping chamber 152 to the moving chamber 158.

  Further, the lower end edge 164 </ b> A of the second opening 164 is connected to the end of the delivery surface 166 that is inclined downward toward the transfer chamber 150 and sends the toner T from the moving chamber 158 to the transfer chamber 150. Therefore, the toner T moving in the moving chamber 158 effectively moves from the moving chamber 158 to the transfer chamber 150.

  Further, since the capture performance of the suction capture member 142 is suppressed from decreasing, the toner T peeled off from the intermediate transfer belt 68 is suppressed from scattering.

  Further, since the floating toner T is prevented from being released to the outside from the opening 104 of the cleaning device 100, the floating toner T is prevented from adhering to the intermediate transfer belt 68 provided in the belt unit 138. .

  Further, since the floating toner T is prevented from adhering to the intermediate transfer belt 68, the quality of the toner image output from the image forming apparatus 10 is improved.

  Next, an example of the developer conveying device and the image forming apparatus according to the second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. In addition, about the same member as 1st Embodiment, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected and the description is abbreviate | omitted. In the figure, UP indicates the upper part in the vertical direction.

(overall structure)
As shown in FIG. 11, the image forming apparatus 200 includes an image holding body 202 in which an electrostatic latent image is formed on the surface by irradiating laser light after being uniformly charged, and an image holding body 202 A charging device 204 that uniformly charges the surface, an exposure device 206 that forms an electrostatic latent image by irradiating a laser beam to the image carrier 202 based on image data, and a toner is selectively applied to the electrostatic latent image. A transfer device 212 for transferring the toner image on the surface of the image carrier 202 to a recording paper P as a recording medium supplied along the conveyance path 210, and a recording paper. A fixing device 214 that heats and pressurizes the toner image on P to fix it on the recording paper P, and a cleaning device 216 that cleans the toner remaining on the image carrier 202 after the toner image is transferred are provided. To have. Details of the developing device 208 will be described later.

  The image forming apparatus 200 is covered with a main body side cover 200B and a top plate 200A. A shaft 200C that rotatably connects the top plate 200A to the main body side cover 200B is provided at the upper corner portion of the main body side cover 200B. The top plate 200A is arranged in the direction of arrow M about the shaft 200C. By rotating, the inside of the image forming apparatus 200 is opened.

  Here, the charging device 204 and the cleaning device 216 are configured as one charging unit 218, and the developing device 208 and the image holding body 202 are replaced cartridge 220 as one assembly. By opening the top plate 200A of the image forming apparatus 200, the charging unit 218 and the replacement cartridge 220 can be attached to and detached from a main body frame (not shown) inside the image forming apparatus 200, respectively.

  Further, on the side of the image forming apparatus 200, there is a manual sheet feed table 222 that can manually feed the recording paper P to the image forming unit 221 formed by the image carrier 202 and the transfer roll 212. The manual feed tray 222 is provided with a half-moon shaped delivery roll 224. Further, a separation roll 226 is provided with the recording paper P sandwiched between the delivery roll 224 and the feed roll 224.

  The separation roll 226 is pivotally supported by a support member (not shown) provided at both ends, and is further biased toward the delivery roll 224 by a biasing force of a coil spring provided inside the support member. . With this configuration, when the delivery roll 224 rotates, the recording paper P placed on the manual paper feed tray 222 is sent to the image forming unit 221 one by one by the delivery roll 224 and the separation roll 226.

  A paper feeding device 230 that feeds the recording paper P one by one is provided below the image forming apparatus 200. The paper feeding device 230 includes a paper feeding member 231 on which a plurality of recording papers P are stacked. The recording papers P stacked on the paper feeding member 231 are sequentially taken out by the take-out roll 232 and further rotated. The sheet feeding roll 234 and the separation roll 236 provided on the sheet feeding member 231 are configured to be conveyed one by one.

  Further, a plurality of transport rolls 238 are provided along the transport path 210 of the recording paper P, and the recording paper P moves downstream along the transport path 210 in the transport direction of the recording paper P (hereinafter simply referred to as downstream). It is designed to be transported.

  Further, the fixing device 214 described above is provided on the downstream side of the image forming unit 221, and the fixing device 214 includes a heating roll 214H and a pressure roll 214N. Then, the recording paper P passes between the heating roll 214H and the pressure roll 214N, so that the toner image on the recording paper P is fixed to the recording paper P.

  Further, on the downstream side of the fixing device 214, a discharge roll 240 for discharging the recording paper P on which the toner image is fixed to the upper surface of the top plate 200A is provided.

  In the image forming apparatus 200 configured as described above, an image is formed as follows.

  First, the charging device 204 to which a voltage is applied uniformly charges the surface of the image carrier 202 with a predetermined potential. Subsequently, the exposure device 206 exposes the charged surface of the image carrier 202 based on image data read by a scanner (not shown) or data input from the outside, and an electrostatic latent image is formed on the surface of the image carrier 202. Form.

  That is, an electrostatic latent image corresponding to image data is formed on the image carrier 202 by turning on / off the laser of the exposure device 206 based on video data supplied from a control device (not shown). Further, the electrostatic latent image is visualized as a toner image by toner supplied from the developing device 208.

  Therefore, the recording paper P taken out from the paper feed member 231 by the take-out roll 232 is delivered to the transport roll 238 one by one by the paper feed roll 234 and the separation roll 236 and sent to the transport path 210. The recording paper P sent to the conveyance path 210 passes through an image forming unit 221 formed between the image carrier 202 and the transfer roll 212, and the toner image is transferred to the recording paper P. The transferred toner image is fixed on the recording paper P by passing between a heating roll 24H and a pressure roll 24N provided in the fixing device 214, and is discharged onto the top surface of the top plate 200A by the discharge roll 240. The

  In the image forming apparatus 200 of this embodiment, the number of the developing devices 208 is one. However, when forming a color image, Y (yellow) and M (magenta) are positioned at positions facing the image carrier 202. , C (cyan), and K (black), the developing devices 208 for four colors are arranged.

(Main part configuration)
Next, the developing device 208 will be described.

  As illustrated in FIG. 10, the developing device 208 is disposed below the developing roll 242 arranged to face the image carrier 202 and the developing roll 50 in the vertical direction, and supplies developer to the developing roll 50. And a first agitation transport auger 244. Next to the first stirring / conveying auger 244, a developer conveying device 256 and a second stirring / conveying auger 246 as an example of a conveying member are provided. Further, a housing 248 that houses the developing roll 242, the first agitation transport auger 244, and the second agitation transport auger 246 is provided.

  Further, a suction capture member 142 is provided on the opposite side of the first agitation transport auger 244 across the second agitation transport auger 246. Further, a partition wall 117 is provided between the transfer chamber 250 in which the second agitating transfer auger 246 is disposed and the capture chamber 252 in which the filter 112 provided in the suction capture member 142 is disposed. Further, a moving member 154 is disposed below the partition wall 117.

  Further, an arcuate circumferential portion 117A constituting the partition wall 117 is provided below the partition wall 117, and a first opening 160 and a second opening 164 are formed at both ends of the circumferential portion 117A. Has been.

  Then, in order to suppress the floating developer from scattering between the developing roll 242 and the edge of the casing 248, a fan (not shown) is operated to adjust the pressure in the casing 248.

  As described above, the developer conveying device 256 includes the second agitating / conveying auger 246, the suction capturing member 142, the partition wall 117, and the moving member 154.

  As described above, the developing device 208 includes the developer transport device 256, so that the developer floating inside the housing 248 is suppressed from being released to the outside through the gap provided around the developing roll 242. The

  Although the present invention has been described in detail for the first and second embodiments, the present invention is not limited to such embodiments, and various other embodiments are possible within the scope of the present invention. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art. For example, in the above-described embodiment, the number of the blade portions 154B is four, but the number may be other than four.

  Although not particularly mentioned in the above embodiment, the central angle of the circular hole portion of the bottom plate 102A that partitions the moving member 154 from the outside is larger than the mounting angle of the adjacent blade portions 154B. As a result, the inner peripheral surface of the bottom plate 102A that is in the shape of a hole is always opposed to the tip of at least one blade portion 154B. Therefore, when the moving member 154 is rotating, The toner T floating in the chamber 150 is prevented from flowing into the capture chamber 152 through the moving chamber 158.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Image forming apparatus 62 Image holding body 67 Primary transfer roll (an example of transfer member)
68 Intermediate transfer belt (an example of an endless belt)
100 Cleaning device (an example of a cleaning device)
106 Cleaning blade (an example of a peeling member)
112 Filter (an example of a capture member)
117 Partition wall 117A Peripheral wall part 121 Conveying member 128 Suction fan (an example of a suction member)
138 Belt unit 140 Developer transport device 142 Suction capture member 150 Transport chamber 152 Capture chamber 154 Moving member 154A Rotating shaft 154B Blade portion 160 First opening (an example of opening)
160A Lower end edge 162 Guide surface 164 Second opening (an example of an opening)
164A Lower edge 166 Delivery surface 200 Image forming apparatus 246 Second agitating and conveying auger (an example of conveying member)
250 Transport chamber 252 Capture chamber 256 Developer transport device

Claims (8)

A conveying member that rotates and conveys the developer in the direction of the rotation axis;
A suction capture means comprising: a suction member that sucks the developer floating around the transport member; and a capture member that captures the developer sucked by the suction member;
A partition wall that partitions the transfer chamber in which the transfer member is disposed and the capture chamber in which the capture member is disposed;
A moving member that moves the developer deposited in the capture chamber to the transfer chamber through an opening provided in the partition wall;
A developer conveying device comprising: The moving member is
A rotation axis extending along the rotation axis direction;
A base end portion is fixed to the outer peripheral surface of the rotating shaft, and a plurality of blade portions are arranged with a distal end extending in a radial direction of the rotating shaft and spaced from the rotating shaft;
The developer conveying device according to claim 1, comprising: A conveying member that rotates and conveys the developer in the direction of the rotation axis;
A suction capture means comprising: a suction member that sucks the developer floating around the transport member; and a capture member that captures the developer sucked by the suction member;
A partition wall that partitions the transfer chamber in which the transfer member is disposed and the capture chamber in which the capture member is disposed;
A rotating shaft that extends along the rotation axis direction and that rotates vertically from the capture chamber toward the transfer chamber, and a base end portion is fixed to the outer peripheral surface of the rotation shaft, and a distal end portion rotates the rotation shaft. A plurality of blades extending in the radial direction of the shaft and spaced from the rotation shaft, and the developer deposited in the catching chamber through an opening provided in the partition wall A moving member that moves to the transfer chamber;
An arc shape that constitutes the partition wall and that is provided around the moving member as viewed from the direction of the rotation axis and that partitions the moving chamber in which the moving member is disposed and at least one of the transfer chamber and the capture chamber. The peripheral wall,
While constituting the opening and provided at one end of the peripheral wall, allows the developer to move from the catching chamber to the moving chamber, and the lower edge on the lower side in the vertical direction is the rotation of the rotating shaft A first opening provided vertically above the center;
It constitutes the opening and is provided at the other end of the peripheral wall, allows the developer to move from the moving chamber to the transfer chamber, and has a lower edge on the lower side in the vertical direction of the rotating shaft. A second opening provided vertically above the center of rotation;
A developer conveying device comprising:   4. The developer conveying device according to claim 3, wherein a central angle of the peripheral wall portion with respect to a rotation center of the rotation shaft when viewed from a rotation axis direction of the rotation shaft is larger than an attachment angle of the adjacent blade portions. The lower end edge provided vertically below the first opening is connected to the end of the guide surface inclined so as to draw the developer from the capture chamber to the moving chamber,
5 or 4 is connected to the lower end edge provided on the lower side in the vertical direction of the second opening, with the end of the delivery surface inclined so as to send the developer from the moving chamber to the transfer chamber. The developer conveying device according to the description. A peeling member for peeling off the developer attached to the object;
The developer conveying device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, further comprising a conveying chamber in which the developer peeled by the peeling member falls,
A cleaning device comprising: The developer is transferred to form an image on the surface, and an endless endless belt as an object that circulates and conveys the image;
The cleaning device according to claim 6, wherein the developer attached to the endless belt is peeled off by a peeling member to clean the endless belt;
A belt unit comprising: An image carrier on which an image is formed on the surface;
The belt unit according to claim 7, comprising an endless endless belt in contact with the image carrier.
A transfer member that is disposed upstream of the endless belt in the circulation direction with respect to the cleaning device provided in the belt unit, and that transfers the image formed on the image carrier to the endless belt;
An image forming apparatus comprising:

Images