JP2013020091A - Waste toner recovery container and image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a waste toner recovery container adopting a configuration in which a member having parts for conveying waste toner in two different directions is included and capable of improving a fill factor of the waste toner in the configuration, and to provide an image forming apparatus such as a copy machine, a facsimile, and a printer including the same.SOLUTION: A waste toner conveying member 42 rotating in a constant direction includes: a conveying part 42b for conveying the waste toner in a direction D; and a conveying part 42c that is located in an upstream side of the conveying part 42b in the direction D and conveys the waste toner in a direction E inverse to the direction D. A waste toner accepting port 41a is located in a mid-course part of a waste toner recovery container 40 in the directions D and E. The conveying member 42 is displaced from a first position where the amount conveyed by the conveying member 42b is more than the amount conveyed by the conveying part 42c, to a second position where the amount conveyed by the conveying member 42b is less than the amount conveyed by the conveying part 42c, and in the downstream-side end part in the direction E, full-state detection means 49 detects the full state with the waste toner.

Description

  The present invention is provided in an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine, a facsimile machine, a printer, etc., and a waste toner collecting container for storing waste toner removed from an image carrier such as a photosensitive member by cleaning, and such an image forming apparatus having the same. About.

  Conventionally, such waste toner collection containers are known (see, for example, [Patent Document 1] and [Patent Document 2]). Such an image forming apparatus including such a waste toner collecting container is known (for example, see [Patent Document 1] and [Patent Document 2]).

  In such a waste toner collecting container, in order to improve the filling rate of the waste toner, a technique is known in which a rotating member having a screw that transports the waste toner received from the waste toner receiving port so as to equalize the inside is known. Yes. Further, in such a technique, in order to further improve the filling rate, a rotating member provided with two screws whose waste toner conveying directions are opposite to each other is provided, and each screw is provided at each end of the waste toner collecting container. A configuration has been proposed in which waste toner is conveyed toward the front (see, for example, [Patent Document 1] and [Patent Document 2]).

  However, in such a configuration, it is assumed that there may be a variation in the position where the waste toner received from the receiving port is supplied to the rotating member. In such a case, the amount of waste toner transported by each screw is assumed. This may cause a problem that the filling rate at one end of the waste toner collecting container is lowered.

  The present invention employs a configuration including a member having a portion for transporting waste toner in two different directions, and in this configuration, a waste toner collection container capable of improving the filling rate of waste toner and the same It is an object of the present invention to provide an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine, a facsimile, or a printer.

  In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a receiving port for receiving waste toner from the image forming apparatus main body side, and the waste toner received from the receiving port by being rotated in a predetermined direction inside the waste toner collecting container. A transport member that transports the waste toner in the first direction by being driven to rotate in the predetermined direction; and a first transport in the first direction. A second conveyance unit that conveys waste toner in a second direction opposite to the first direction by being positioned upstream of the unit and being rotationally driven in the same predetermined direction; a first conveyance unit; and a second conveyance unit The receiving port is located in the middle of the waste toner collection container in the direction of waste toner transport by the transport member, and the transport member is the same as the transport member. Change the conveying member in the second direction The waste toner received from the receiving port is received from the receiving port from a first position where the transport amount by the first transport unit is larger than the transport amount by the second transport unit. The amount of waste toner transported by the second transport unit is displaced to the second position where the transport amount by the first transport unit is larger than the transport amount by the first transport unit, and the fullness of the waste toner is detected at the downstream end in the second direction. A waste toner collecting container in which the fullness is detected by the fullness detecting means and an image forming apparatus having the same.

  The present invention has a receiving port for receiving waste toner from the image forming apparatus main body side, and a transporting member for transporting the waste toner received from the receiving port by being rotated in a predetermined direction inside the waste toner collecting container. The transport member is positioned upstream of the first transport unit in the first direction and a first transport unit that transports waste toner in the first direction by being rotationally driven in the predetermined direction. At the boundary between the second transport unit that transports waste toner in the second direction opposite to the first direction and the first transport unit and the second transport unit by being rotationally driven in the same predetermined direction. And the receiving port is located in the middle of the waste toner collection container in the direction of waste toner transport by the transport member, and the transport member moves the transport member in the second direction. By displacement means to displace As a result, the amount of waste toner received from the receiving port from the first position in which the transport amount by the first transport unit is greater than the transport amount by the second transport unit. The fullness detection means for detecting the fullness of the waste toner at the downstream end in the second direction is displaced to the second position where the transport amount by the second transport unit is larger than the transport amount by the first transport unit. Since the same fullness is detected, a configuration including a conveyance member having a first conveyance unit and a second conveyance unit that convey waste toner in two different directions is adopted, and in this configuration, filling of waste toner is performed. It is possible to provide a waste toner collecting container capable of improving the rate and increasing the amount of waste toner collected, and an image forming apparatus having the same.

1 is a schematic front view of an example of an image forming apparatus to which the present invention is applied. FIG. 2 is a schematic front view showing that the image forming apparatus shown in FIG. 1 is provided with a waste toner collecting container. FIG. 3 is a schematic front view of a state of an example of the waste toner collection container illustrated in FIG. 2, a part of a duct that transports waste toner to the waste toner collection container, and a configuration around the waste toner storage container. FIG. 3 is a schematic front view of another state of the waste toner collection container shown in FIG. 2, a part of a duct for transporting waste toner to the waste toner collection container, and an example of a configuration around the waste toner storage container. FIG. 4 is a schematic front view of another configuration aspect of the waste toner recovery container in the state illustrated in FIG. 3. FIG. 5 is a schematic front view of another configuration aspect of the waste toner recovery container in the state illustrated in FIG. 4. 3 is a flowchart illustrating an example of control related to a waste toner collection container in the image forming apparatus illustrated in FIG. 1.

  FIG. 1 shows an outline of an image forming apparatus to which the present invention is applied. The image forming apparatus 100 is a color laser printer, but may be other types of image forming apparatuses such as other types of printers, facsimile machines, copiers, and multifunction machines of copiers and printers. The image forming apparatus 100 performs an image forming process based on an image signal corresponding to image information received from the outside. The image forming apparatus 100 can form an image using plain paper generally used for copying, OHP sheets, thick paper such as cards and postcards, and envelopes as sheet-like recording media. .

  The image forming apparatus 100 is a first image carrier capable of forming an image as an image corresponding to each color separated into yellow, magenta, cyan, and black by carrying toner as an image forming substance. A tandem structure in which photosensitive drums 20Y, 20M, 20C, and 20BK, which are photosensitive bodies as latent image carriers, are arranged in parallel, in other words, a tandem system is adopted.

  The photosensitive drums 20Y, 20M, 20C, and 20BK are endless belts that are intermediate transfer members serving as flexible second image carriers that are rotatably supported by a frame (not shown) of the main body 99 of the image forming apparatus 100. 1 are arranged in this order from the upstream side in the A1 direction, which is the direction of movement of the transfer belt 11 and is the counterclockwise direction in FIG. Y, M, C, and BK added after the numerals of the respective symbols indicate members for yellow, magenta, cyan, and black.

  Each of the photoconductor drums 20Y, 20M, 20C, and 20BK serves as a photoconductor unit that is an image forming unit for forming yellow (Y), magenta (M), cyan (C), and black (BK) images. The image forming units 60Y, 60M, 60C, and 60BK are provided.

  The photoconductive drums 20Y, 20M, 20C, and 20BK are positioned on the outer peripheral surface side of the transfer belt 11 that is configured as an endless belt disposed substantially at the center inside the main body 99, that is, on the image forming surface side.

  The transfer belt 11 is movable in the direction of the arrow A1 while facing the photosensitive drums 20Y, 20M, 20C, and 20BK. Visible images, that is, toner images formed on the photosensitive drums 20Y, 20M, 20C, and 20BK are respectively superimposed and transferred onto the transfer belt 11 that moves in the direction of the arrow A1, and then a sheet as a recording material that is a recording medium. The image is transferred onto the transfer paper S as a batch. Therefore, the image forming apparatus 100 is an intermediate transfer type, in other words, an indirect transfer type image forming apparatus. Therefore, the image forming apparatus 100 is a tandem indirect transfer type image forming apparatus.

  The upper portion of the transfer belt 11 faces the photosensitive drums 20Y, 20M, 20C, and 20BK, and the opposed portions transfer the toner images on the photosensitive drums 20Y, 20M, 20C, and 20BK. A primary transfer portion 58 for transferring to the belt 11 is formed.

  In the superimposing transfer to the transfer belt 11, the toner images formed on the photosensitive drums 20Y, 20M, 20C, and 20BK are transferred to the same position on the transfer belt 11 while the transfer belt 11 moves in the A1 direction. As described above, by voltage application by primary transfer rollers 12Y, 12M, 12C, and 12BK as primary transfer means disposed at positions facing the respective photosensitive drums 20Y, 20M, 20C, and 20BK with the transfer belt 11 interposed therebetween, The timing is shifted from the upstream side in the A1 direction toward the downstream side.

  The transfer belt 11 has a multilayer structure in which the base layer is made of a material with little elongation, the surface of the base layer is covered with a smooth material, and the coat layer is formed on the base layer. Examples of the material of the base layer include a fluororesin, a PVDF sheet, and a polyimide resin. In this embodiment, polyimide is used. Examples of the material of the coat layer include a fluorine resin.

  Each of the transfer belts 11 has a detent guide (not shown) as a detent member at each edge thereof. The detent guide is arranged to prevent the transfer belt 11 from being biased in any of the width directions perpendicular to the paper surface in FIG. 1 corresponding to the main scanning direction when the transfer belt 11 rotates in the A1 direction. It is installed. The stopper guide is made of urethane rubber, but can be made of various rubber materials such as silicon rubber.

  The image forming apparatus 100 is disposed in the main body 99 so as to oppose the four image forming units 60Y, 60M, 60C, and 60BK and below the respective photosensitive drums 20Y, 20M, 20C, and 20BK. A transfer belt unit 10 as an intermediate transfer unit, which is a transfer unit, and a secondary transfer device 5 as a secondary transfer means disposed on the right side of the transfer belt 11 in FIG. And an optical scanning device 8 serving as an exposure unit as a writing unit, which is an optical writing unit serving as a latent image forming unit disposed opposite to the image forming units 60Y, 60M, 60C, and 60BK.

  The image forming apparatus 100 also serves as a paper feed cassette capable of stacking a large number of transfer sheets S conveyed toward the secondary transfer unit 57 between the transfer belt 11 and the secondary transfer apparatus 5 in the main body 99. The sheet feeding device 61 that is a sheet feeding tray and the transfer sheet S conveyed from the sheet feeding device 61 are fed at a predetermined timing in accordance with the toner image forming timing by the image forming units 60Y, 60M, 60C, and 60BK. A registration roller pair 4 that feeds out toward the secondary transfer unit 57 and a sensor (not shown) that detects that the leading edge of the transfer sheet S has reached the registration roller pair 4 are provided.

  The image forming apparatus 100 also has a fixing device 6 as a fixing unit of a belt fixing system which is a fixing unit for fixing the toner image, that is, an unfixed toner image, onto the transfer sheet S on which the toner image is transferred. And a transfer roller 14 for transferring the transfer paper S sent out from the sheet feeding device 61, and the registration roller pair 4 and the fixing device 6 are installed in the middle of the transfer paper S in the downstream side of the transfer roller 14 in the transfer direction. And a pair of paper discharge rollers which are discharge rollers for discharging the image output material, which is the fixed transfer paper S located at the end of the paper feed path 32, to the outside of the main body 99. The toner bottles 9Y, 9M, 9C, and 9 are disposed below the transfer roller unit 10 and the transfer belt unit 10 and are filled with toner for replenishing each color of yellow, cyan, magenta, and black. And K, and a paper discharge tray 17 as a sheet discharge unit for stacking the transfer sheet S discharged to the outside of the main body 99 by the discharge rollers 7 disposed on the upper side of the body 99.

  The image forming apparatus 100 also includes a driving device (not shown) as a driving unit (not shown) for rotating and driving the photosensitive drums 20Y, 20M, 20C, and 20BK in the main body 99, and a CPU (not shown) that controls the overall operation of the image forming apparatus 100. And a control unit 91 including a memory and the like, and an operation panel 92 that allows various information to be input to the image forming apparatus 100 and can be output by displaying information on the state of the image forming apparatus 100. .

  As shown in FIG. 2, the image forming apparatus 100 also stores waste toner generated and stored in the image forming units 60Y, 60M, 60C, 60BK and the transfer belt unit 10 in the main body 99 as described later. A waste toner bottle 40 as a collection container and a waste toner transport duct 50 that transports the waste toner toward the waste toner bottle 40 are provided.

  The image forming apparatus 100 also has a configuration used to improve the filling rate and the filling amount of the waste toner in the waste toner bottle 40 around the waste toner bottle 40 in the main body 99. Will be described later.

  The transfer belt unit 10, the image forming units 60 </ b> Y, 60 </ b> M, 60 </ b> C, 60 </ b> BK, the optical scanning device 8, and the fixing device 6 constitute an image forming unit located above the sheet feeding device 61.

  As shown in FIG. 1, in addition to the transfer belt 11, the transfer belt unit 10 has primary transfer rollers 12Y, 12M, 12C, and 12BK as primary transfer bias rollers and a drive around which the transfer belt 11 is wound. A driving roller 72 as a member, a cleaning facing roller 74 as a stretching roller, stretching rollers 75 and 33 as supporting rollers for stretching the transfer belt 11 together with the driving roller 72 and the cleaning facing roller 74, and the transfer belt 11 And a cleaning device 13 as a transfer cleaning mechanism as a cleaning unit as a belt cleaning device that is an intermediate transfer body cleaning device that is disposed facing the transfer belt 11 and cleans the surface of the transfer belt 11.

  The transfer belt unit 10 also applies a primary transfer bias independently to a drive system (not shown) including a drive motor (not shown) that drives the drive roller 72 to rotate, and to the primary transfer rollers 12Y, 12M, 12C, and 12BK. A power supply as a first transfer bias applying unit (not shown) and a first transfer bias control unit realized as a function of the control unit 91 are included.

  The driving roller 72, the cleaning facing roller 74, and the stretching rollers 75 and 33 are support rollers that are wound around the transfer belt 11 so as to be able to be rotated and conveyed. The cleaning facing roller 74 and the stretching rollers 75 and 33 are driven rollers that rotate with the transfer belt 11 that is rotationally driven by the driving roller 72. The primary transfer rollers 12Y, 12M, 12C, and 12BK press the transfer belt 11 from the back surface toward the photosensitive drums 20Y, 20M, 20C, and 20BK to form primary transfer nips that are transfer portions. The primary transfer nip is formed in a portion of the transfer belt 11 that extends between the cleaning facing roller 74 and the stretching roller 75. The cleaning counter roller 74 and the stretching roller 75 have a function of stabilizing the primary transfer nip.

  In each primary transfer nip, a primary transfer electric field is formed between the photosensitive drums 20Y, 20M, 20C, and 20BK and the primary transfer rollers 12Y, 12M, 12C, and 12BK due to the influence of the primary transfer bias. . The toner images of the respective colors formed on the photosensitive drums 20Y, 20M, 20C, and 20BK are primarily transferred onto the transfer belt 11 due to the influence of the primary transfer electric field and nip pressure.

The drive roller 72 is a rubber roller, and is in contact with the secondary transfer device 5 via the transfer belt 11 to form a secondary transfer portion 57. Therefore, the drive roller 72 also serves as a secondary transfer counter roller.
The cleaning counter roller 74 has a function as a tension roller as a pressure member that gives the transfer belt 11 a predetermined tension suitable for transfer.

  The cleaning device 13 is disposed at a position facing the cleaning counter roller 74. The cleaning device 13 includes a cleaning blade 76 disposed so as to contact the transfer belt 11 at a position downstream of the secondary transfer portion 57 and upstream of the primary transfer portion 58 in the A1 direction, and a cleaning blade 76 And a case 77 housed inside.

The cleaning device 13 cleans the transfer belt 11 by scraping and removing foreign matters such as residual toner on the transfer belt 11 with a cleaning blade 76. The residual toner scraped and removed from the transfer belt 11 by cleaning the transfer belt 11 reaches the waste toner transport duct 50 together with other foreign matters as waste toner, and is transported inside the waste toner transport duct 50 to be discarded. The toner bottle 40 is accommodated.
The transfer belt unit 10 can be integrally attached to and detached from the main body 99.

  The sheet feeding device 61 accommodates a plurality of transfer sheets S in a stacked state, and is disposed below the toner bottles 9Y, 9M, 9C, and 9BK in the lower part of the main body 99. By the sheet feeding device 61, a paper bank 31 is formed at the bottom of the main body 99 as a paper feed unit that is a paper feed table.

The sheet feeding device 61 has a feeding roller 3 as a sheet feeding roller pressed against the upper surface of the uppermost transfer sheet S, and the feeding roller 3 is driven to rotate counterclockwise at a predetermined timing. Thus, the uppermost transfer sheet S is separated one by one and fed toward the registration roller pair 4. In this respect, the paper feed roller 3 also functions as a separation roller.
The transfer sheet S delivered from the sheet feeding device 61 is transported through the paper feed path 32 by the transport roller 14 to reach the registration roller pair 4 and is sandwiched between the rollers of the registration roller pair 4.

  The secondary transfer device 5 is disposed to face the drive roller 72. The secondary transfer device 5 is disposed so as to sandwich the transfer belt 11 with the drive roller 72, so that the toner image on the transfer belt 11 can be transferred to the transfer paper S passing between the transfer belt 11. A secondary transfer roller 64 as a transfer member, a cleaning device 65 for cleaning the secondary transfer roller 64, and a biasing member that biases the secondary transfer roller 64 toward the drive roller 72. And a spring (not shown).

  The secondary transfer roller 64 and a part of the transfer belt 11 near the secondary transfer portion 57 are disposed so as to face the paper feed path 32. The secondary transfer roller 64 is a second transfer bias control realized as a function of a power source and a control unit 91 (not shown) that applies a secondary transfer bias to and from the driving roller 72. Connected means.

  The power source applies to the secondary transfer roller 64 a bias having a polarity opposite to the charging polarity of the toner constituting the toner image carried on the transfer belt 11. Therefore, the secondary transfer roller 64 generates an attractive force with respect to the toner image carried on the transfer belt 11 by bias application from the power source, and electrostatically transfers the toner image onto the transfer paper S. In this respect, the secondary transfer roller 64 functions as an attractive roller.

  The cleaning device 65 mainly has a blade whose tip is in contact with the secondary transfer roller 64, removes foreign matters such as paper dust and toner adhering to the secondary transfer roller 64, and removes the secondary transfer roller 64. It is designed to be cleaned. It should be noted that foreign matter including waste toner scraped and removed from the secondary transfer roller 64 by cleaning the secondary transfer roller 64 is also accommodated in the waste toner bottle 40 via the waste toner transport duct 50. Also good.

  The secondary transfer device 5 may use an endless belt-like secondary transfer belt as a transfer member so as to have a sheet conveyance function of conveying the transfer sheet S after the toner image is transferred to the fixing device 6. .

  The fixing device 6 includes a heater 66 that is a heating roller heater as a first heating source serving as a first heating unit, a heating roller 68 that is a hollow metal roller having the heater 66 therein, and a pressure contact with the heating roller 68. A pressure roller 69 that is a hollow roller that forms a fixing nip 70 as a nip portion, and a pressure as a second heating source that is a second heating means disposed inside the pressure roller 69. A heater 84 as a roller heater and a fixing case 85 as a casing surrounding and enclosing the above-described configuration provided in the fixing device 6 are provided.

  The fixing device 6 passes the transfer paper S carrying a toner image between the fixing nips 70 so that the toner image carried on the transfer paper S is applied to the surface of the transfer paper S by the action of heat and pressure. It has become established.

  The yellow, cyan, magenta, and black toners in the toner bottles 9Y, 9M, 9C, and 9BK are polymerized toners in which the wax component is uniformly dispersed therein. Less precipitation to the outside. The toner of each color is supplied to the developing devices 80Y, 80M, 80C, and 80BK provided in the image forming units 60Y, 60M, 60C, and 60BK by a predetermined supply amount through a conveyance path (not shown). Since the toner is a dry toner, the developing devices 80Y, 80M, 80C, and 80BK adopt the dry developing method.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the image forming units 60Y, 60M, 60C, and 60BK have the same configuration. The image forming units 60Y, 60M, 60C, and 60BK are respectively arranged around the photosensitive drums 20Y, 20M, 20C, and 20BK along the rotation direction B1, which is the clockwise direction in FIG. 12C, 12BK, cleaning devices 71Y, 71M, 71C, 71BK as cleaning units as cleaning means, static elimination devices 78Y, 78M, 78C, 78BK as static elimination means, and photosensitive drums 20Y, 20M, 20C, 20BK are uniformly provided. Charging devices 79Y, 79M, 79C, and 79BK as charging means for charging, and developing devices 80Y, 80M, 80C, and 80BK as developing means for performing development with a two-component developer.

  The image forming units 60Y, 60M, 60C, and 60BK can be pulled out from the main body 99 along guide rails (not shown) fixed to the main body 99, and can be pushed into the main body 99. In contrast, the process cartridge is detachably installed. When the image forming units 60Y, 60M, 60C, and 60BK as process cartridges are pushed into the main body 99, they are loaded and positioned at predetermined positions suitable for image formation. Making a process cartridge in this way is very preferable because it can be handled as a replacement part, so that the maintainability is remarkably improved. In addition, since the life of each part, which is an element of the process cartridge, is equal, unnecessary replacement is prevented and suppressed, and the structure is further preferable.

  The developing devices 80Y, 80M, 80C, and 80BK each have a toner hopper (not shown) that is replenished with toner from the toner bottles 9Y, 9M, 9C, and 9BK, and the toner supplied from the toner hopper is used as the photosensitive drum 20Y. Development is performed by attaching to 20M, 20C, and 20BK.

  The cleaning devices 71Y, 71M, 71C, and 71BK respectively scrape and remove foreign matters such as residual toner on the photosensitive drums 20Y, 20M, 20C, and 20BK with a cleaning blade (not shown), and the photosensitive drums 20Y, 20M, and 20C. , 20BK is cleaned. The residual toner scraped and removed from the photoconductive drums 20Y, 20M, 20C, and 20BK by cleaning the photoconductive drums 20Y, 20M, 20C, and 20BK reaches the inside of the waste toner transport duct 50 together with other foreign matters as waste toner. The toner is transported inside the waste toner transport duct 50 and stored in the waste toner bottle 40.

  The waste toner conveying duct 50 is a main body 51 shown in FIG. 2, a duct screw 52 disposed in the main body 51 as shown in FIG. 3, and a drive source (not shown) that rotationally drives the duct screw 52 in a predetermined direction. And a motor.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the main body 51 is connected to the cleaning device 13 and the cleaning devices 71Y, 71M, 71C, and 71BK, and collects the recovery ports 51A, 51Y, 51M, and 51C that receive foreign matters such as waste toner generated in each of them. , 51BK, and foreign matter such as waste toner that is connected to the waste toner bottle 40 and conveyed by the duct screw 52 is discharged by dropping toward the waste toner bottle 40 in FIG. 3 as indicated by an arrow A in FIG. And a discharge port 51B.

  The duct screw 52 is driven to rotate in a predetermined direction by a motor, and the first screw 52a that conveys foreign matter to the right side in the drawing as shown by an arrow B in FIG. And a second screw 52b that conveys the foreign matter to the left side in the drawing as shown by an arrow C in FIG.

  The waste toner bottle 40 is attached to and detached from a predetermined position of the main body 99. 2 to 6 show a state where the waste toner bottle 40 is mounted at a predetermined position of the main body 99. FIG.

  The waste toner bottle 40 includes a main body 41 shown in FIG. 2, a transport screw 42 disposed in the main body 41 as shown in FIG. The shutter 43 provided at a position facing the discharge port 51B and the elasticity of indirectly receiving the conveying force of the conveying screw 42 provided on the right side wall in FIG. 3 of the main body 41 through foreign matter such as waste toner. The member 44 includes an elastic member 45 that is an elastic cap that is provided on the left side wall of the main body 41 in FIG. 3 and indirectly receives the conveying force of the conveying screw 42 through foreign matter such as waste toner.

  A biasing spring as a biasing member that biases the conveying screw 42 in the left direction in FIG. 3 with the main body 41 mounted at a predetermined position in the main body 99 around the waste toner bottle 40 in the main body 99. As a displacing means for displacing the conveying screw 42 in the right direction in the figure against the urging force of the pressing spring 46 when energized with the pressing spring 46 and the main body 41 mounted at a predetermined position in the main body 99. A solenoid 47 is provided.

  Around the waste toner bottle 40 in the main body 99, the main body 41 is disposed at a position facing the elastic member 44 in a state where the main body 41 is mounted at a predetermined position in the main body 99. By detecting, a sensor 48 which is a displacement reading sensor as a fullness detecting means for detecting whether or not foreign matter such as waste toner is filled in the right side portion in the main body 41, and the main body 41 is in a predetermined position in the main body 99. In order to detect whether or not foreign matter such as waste toner is full in the main body 41 by detecting the amount of displacement of the elastic member 45. A sensor 49 which is a displacement reading sensor is provided as a full detection means.

  In the main body 99, around the waste toner bottle 40, the transport screw 42 can be driven to rotate in a predetermined direction around its axis with the main body 41 mounted at a predetermined position in the main body 99. It has a motor as member driving means.

  Note that the pressing spring 46, the solenoid 47, the sensor 48, the sensor 49, and the motor may be provided in any combination, and may be provided as an integral configuration on the waste toner bottle 40 instead of the main body 99 side.

  The main body 41 is formed at a position facing the discharge port 51B in a state where the waste toner bottle 40 is mounted at a predetermined position in the main body 99, and the main body 41 is dropped from the discharge port 51B, that is, from the main body 99 side. A receiving port 41a as a dropping port, which is a waste toner dropping hole for receiving foreign matter such as waste toner, is provided.

  The receiving port 41 a is opened and closed by the shutter 43. The diameter of the receiving port 41a is substantially the same as the diameter of the discharge port 51B. When the shutter 43 is opened, the receiving port 41a and the discharge port 51B are connected to each other.

When the waste toner bottle 40 is mounted at a predetermined position in the main body 99, the shutter 43 opens in contact with the peripheral wall portion of the discharge port 51B of the main body 51 in this mounting process, and when the mounting is completed, the shutter 43 opens. The discharge port 51B and the receiving port 41a are connected. Accordingly, when the waste toner bottle 40 is attached to a predetermined position of the main body 99, the receiving port 41a is opened, and foreign matter such as waste toner discharged from the main body 99 side can be received from the receiving port 41a into the main body 41. It becomes.
When the waste toner bottle 40 is removed from a predetermined position in the main body 99, the shutter 43 moves away from the peripheral wall portion of the discharge port 51B of the main body 51 in this removal process, and is closed accordingly. Closes the receiving port 41a and seals the inside of the waste toner bottle 40, that is, the inside of the main body 41. Therefore, foreign matter such as waste toner is prevented from leaking from the waste toner bottle 40 in a state in which the shutter 43 is detached from the main body 99, and handling such as transportation becomes easy.

  In the conveying screw 42, the waste toner bottle 40 is mounted at a predetermined position in the main body 99 and is driven to rotate in a predetermined direction by a motor, so that foreign matter such as waste toner received from the receiving port 41a in the main body 41 can be removed. It conveys to each edge part of the left-right direction in FIG. 3 in which the elastic members 44 and 45 are arrange | positioned.

  Therefore, the conveying screw 42 is driven to rotate in a predetermined direction by a motor, and a shaft portion 42a that is a rotation center shaft, and when the shaft portion 42a rotates in a predetermined direction, foreign matter such as waste toner is on the right side in the drawing. A first screw 42b serving as a first transport unit configured to transport in the direction D of the first screw, and disposed upstream of the first screw 42b in the first direction D and discarded when the shaft part 42a rotates in a predetermined direction. A second screw 42c as a second transport unit configured to transport a foreign substance such as toner in a second direction E on the left side in the figure opposite to the first direction D, and the winding directions different from each other. A boundary portion 42d that is a boundary located at a boundary portion between the first screw 42b and the second screw 42c.

  The first screw 42b and the second screw 42c are formed on the shaft portion 42a by spiral protrusions formed in opposite directions. The pitch of the first screw 42b and the pitch of the second screw 42c are equal to each other, and the screw diameters are also equal to each other, and the transport amounts of foreign matters such as waste toner per rotation of the shaft portion 42a are equal to each other. It has become.

  The first screw 42b and the second screw 42c are not spiral, but a plate-like member that extends from the shaft 42a and that is inclined with respect to the conveyance direction X of foreign matter such as waste toner by the conveyance screw 42 is the conveyance direction X. May be arranged in parallel. In this embodiment, the first direction D and the second direction E coincide with the transport direction X and are aligned on a straight line. However, if foreign matter such as waste toner is transported in the opposite direction, it is not always necessary. It does not have to be in line.

  The receiving port 41a is located in the middle of the main body 41 in the transport direction X, in other words, the first direction D and the second direction E. This is because of restrictions on the layout of the image forming apparatus 100, and the receiving port 41 a is disposed at the downstream end of the main body 41 in the first direction D or the downstream end of the second direction E. This is because it is difficult.

  Since the receiving port 41a is located in the middle portion, the conveying screw 42 is used to improve the filling rate and the filling amount due to foreign matters such as waste toner over the entire waste toner bottle 40 in the conveyance direction X. Foreign matter such as waste toner received from the receiving port 41a is directed to the downstream end in the first direction D and the downstream end in the second direction E, respectively, having a screw 42b and a second screw 42c. It is designed to be transported.

  The elastic member 44 is a rubber member, and is fixed to the side wall of the main body 41 that forms a surface perpendicular to the first direction D by bonding. When the elastic member 44 comes into contact with foreign matter such as waste toner conveyed by the first screw 42b, the elastic member 44 is deformed by receiving pressure due to the contact. The pressed surface 44a, which is a contact surface of the elastic member 44 with the foreign matter, is a surface perpendicular to the first direction D and has a large amount of deformation when subjected to such pressure, and is sensitive to such pressure. Is high.

  The sensor 48 optically detects the amount of deformation of the elastic member 44. The sensor 48 inputs a signal including information regarding the deformation amount to the control unit 91. The control unit 91 acquires the deformation amount based on the signal. The control means 91 compares the deformation amount detected by the sensor 48 with a predetermined threshold value, and determines whether or not the deformation amount has increased to a predetermined amount. That is, it is determined whether or not the amount of deformation is greater than or equal to the threshold value, or whether or not the threshold value is exceeded, and when it is determined that the amount of deformation is greater than or equal to the threshold value, Is determined to have increased to a predetermined amount. In the present embodiment, it is determined whether or not the deformation amount is equal to or greater than the threshold value. When it is determined that the deformation amount is equal to or greater than the threshold value, it is determined that the deformation amount has increased to a predetermined amount.

  Such a threshold value is the right side portion of the main body 41 in FIG. 3 when the deformation amount increases to a predetermined amount, that is, the region where the first screw 42b exists in the transport direction X, at least the transport direction X of the receiving port 41a and the discharge port 51B. The rotation of the conveying screw 42 is not stopped by the foreign matter containing waste toner filled, so that the downstream region in the first direction D with respect to the center position O in FIG. The range has been adjusted.

  Therefore, when the sensor 48 detects that the amount of deformation of the elastic member 44 has increased to a predetermined amount, the sensor 48 causes the downstream end of the main body 41 in the first direction D to enter such a part or region. It is detected that foreign matter including waste toner is full, and full detection is performed.

  The solenoid 47 comes into contact with the transport screw 42 in a state where the main body 41 is mounted at a predetermined position in the main body 99, and the transport screw 42 can be displaced in the first direction D. When the fullness is detected, the control means 91 energizes the solenoid 47 to oppose the conveying screw 42 against the urging force of the pressing spring 46, as shown in FIG. Displace to the side. The position of the conveying screw 42 before the displacement is defined as a first position, and the position of the conveying screw 42 after the displacement is defined as a second position. The state when the transport screw 42 occupies the first position is the first state of the transport screw 42, the waste toner bottle 40, and the image forming apparatus 100, and the transport screw 42 occupies the second position. This state is the second state of the conveying screw 42, the waste toner bottle 40, and the image forming apparatus 100.

  As shown in FIG. 3, in the first state, the position G occupied by the boundary portion 42 d in the transport direction X is upstream in the first direction D from the center position O. Therefore, in the first state, the transport amount of foreign matter such as waste toner by the first screw 42b is larger than the transport amount of foreign matter such as waste toner by the second screw 42c. This is because, as described above, the first screw 42b and the second screw 42c have the same transport amount of foreign matters such as waste toner per rotation of the shaft portion 42a.

  Therefore, in the first state, foreign matter such as waste toner that has fallen into the main body 41 from the discharge port 51B through the receiving port 41a is located in the first direction D, where the elastic member 44 is disposed, rather than the center position O. It will fill the downstream side.

  As shown in FIG. 4, in the second state, the position G is upstream in the second direction E from the center position O. Therefore, in the second state, the transport amount of foreign matter such as waste toner by the second screw 42c is larger than the transport amount of foreign matter such as waste toner by the first screw 42c.

  Therefore, in the second state, foreign matter such as waste toner that has fallen into the main body 41 from the discharge port 51B through the receiving port 41a is located in the second direction E, where the elastic member 45 is disposed, rather than the central position O. It will fill the downstream side.

  In the first state, foreign matters such as waste toner are already filled at least downstream in the first direction D from the center position O, and the transport screw 42 is also in the first state in the first state. It rotates in the same rotation direction as the rotation direction of the state, and the conveyance toward the first direction D by the first screw 42b is continued on the downstream side in the first direction D from the position G. Accordingly, even in the second state, a state in which foreign matter such as waste toner is filled is maintained on the downstream side in the first direction D from the position G, and the downstream in the second direction E from the position G. On the side, foreign matter such as waste toner newly falling into the main body 41 is filled, so that the foreign matter such as waste toner fills the entire main body 41 at a high filling rate.

  Once the fullness is detected, at least when the conveying screw 42 is driven to rotate and foreign matter including waste toner is conveyed, the conveying screw 42 is maintained in the second position. For example, when the power of the image forming apparatus 100 is turned off, the energization to the solenoid 47 is also stopped. Therefore, the conveying screw 42 occupies the first position by the urging force of the pressing spring 46. Stores the fact that the fullness has been detected in the non-volatile memory. When power is turned on to the image forming apparatus 100, the solenoid 47 is energized, and the conveying screw 42 is moved from the first position to the second position. In this state, the conveying screw 42 is driven to rotate, and foreign matter including waste toner is conveyed.

  When the transport screw 42 is displaced to the second position, the transport screw 42 itself or a member that is displaced integrally therewith comes into contact with the positioning member provided in the waste toner bottle 40 or the main body 99 and energizes the solenoid 47. The first position may be maintained even if the operation is stopped. In this case, when the conveying screw 42 is displaced to the second position, the control means 91 controls the energization to the solenoid 47 to be stopped. By doing so, there is an advantage that power consumption by continuing to energize the solenoid 47 is reduced.

  The elastic member 45 is a rubber member, and is fixed to the side wall of the main body 41 that forms a surface perpendicular to the second direction E by bonding. When the elastic member 45 comes into contact with foreign matter such as waste toner conveyed by the second screw 42c, the elastic member 45 is deformed by receiving pressure from the contact. The pressed surface 45a, which is a contact surface of the elastic member 45 with the foreign matter, is a surface perpendicular to the second direction E, and has a large amount of deformation when subjected to such pressure, and is sensitive to such pressure. Is high.

The sensor 49 optically detects the amount of deformation of the elastic member 45. The sensor 49 inputs a signal including information regarding the deformation amount to the control unit 91. The control unit 91 acquires the deformation amount based on the signal. The control means 91 compares the deformation amount detected by the sensor 49 with a predetermined threshold value, and determines whether or not the deformation amount has increased to a predetermined amount. That is, it is determined whether or not the amount of deformation is greater than or equal to the threshold value, or whether or not the threshold value is exceeded, and when it is determined that the amount of deformation is greater than or equal to the threshold value, Is determined to have increased to a predetermined amount.
In the present embodiment, it is determined whether or not the deformation amount is equal to or greater than the threshold value. When it is determined that the deformation amount is equal to or greater than the threshold value, it is determined that the deformation amount has increased to a predetermined amount.

  The threshold is such that when the amount of deformation increases to a predetermined amount, the left side portion of the main body 41 in FIG. 3, that is, the region where the second screw 42c exists in the transport direction X, at least the center position O, the second direction E. Is adjusted within a range in which the rotation of the conveying screw 42 is not stopped by the filled foreign matter including waste toner so that the downstream side is filled with foreign matter containing waste toner.

  Therefore, when the sensor 49 detects that the deformation amount of the elastic member 45 has increased to a predetermined amount, the sensor 49 causes the downstream end portion of the main body 41 in the second direction E to enter the portion or region. It is detected that foreign matter including waste toner is full. The sensor 48 has already detected the fullness at the downstream end of the main body 41 in the first direction D, that is, at least downstream in the first direction D from the center position O. When the fullness detection is also performed at the downstream end of the main body 41 in the second direction E, the entire body 41 in the transport direction X is filled with foreign matter including waste toner. Therefore, full detection is also performed at the downstream end portion in the second direction E, and thus full detection of the waste toner bottle 40 due to foreign matters such as waste toner is detected.

  When this full detection is made, the control means 91 informs the operation panel 92 that the waste toner bottle 40 is full, or instead of or in addition to this, the waste toner bottle 40 should be replaced or waste toner. The fact that the inside of the bottle 40 should be emptied is displayed. As a result, the user or the like is informed of the full state of the waste toner bottle 40 and full notification, which is a notification prompting the user to take such measures, is performed. In this respect, the operation panel 92 functions as a full notification means.

  When the waste toner bottle 40 is removed from a predetermined position in the main body 99, the display is reset once, and the energization to the solenoid 47 is stopped, so that the conveying screw 42 occupies the first position. Reset. However, when the waste toner bottle 40 is filled with foreign matter such as waste toner, such as when the waste toner bottle 40 is not actually replaced with a new one but is set again at a predetermined position of the main body 99. Depending on this state, the conveying screw 42 is positioned again at the second position, or full detection is performed, and the display as described above is performed again.

  The fullness detection in the first state and the fullness detection in the second state may be performed not by a so-called cap method using the elastic member 44 and the elastic member 45 but by a torque method in which the rotational torque of the conveying screw 42 is detected by the motor. Alternatively, an estimation method using the number of formed images, an image area ratio, or the like may be used. However, the cap method has higher detection accuracy than the estimation method, and is superior in that detection at each end of the conveying screw 42 is easy and accurate, which is difficult to detect with the torque method. Yes.

  In the image forming apparatus 100 having such a configuration, when a signal indicating that a color image should be formed is input, a print job including image information corresponding to a full color image that is a desired image to be formed by the control unit 91 is performed. A certain image forming job is stored and held in the memory, the driving roller 72 is driven, the transfer belt 11, the cleaning facing roller 74, and the stretching rollers 75 and 33 are driven to rotate, and the photosensitive drums 20Y, 20M, and 20C are driven. , 20BK are rotationally driven in the B1 direction.

  Each of the photoconductive drums 20Y, 20M, 20C, and 20BK is uniformly charged with a predetermined polarity by the charging devices 79Y, 79M, 79C, and 79BK along with the rotation in the B1 direction, and is an optical scanning device that is a laser scanner. 8 corresponds to each color of yellow, magenta, cyan, and black by exposure scanning or irradiation of light-modulated laser light directed upward in a main scanning direction substantially coinciding with the vertical direction of the drawing of FIG. A latent image formed by the electrostatic latent image is formed by optical writing, and the electrostatic latent image formed in this exposure process is developed with toners of yellow, magenta, cyan, and black by developing devices 80Y, 80M, 80C, and 80BK. Thus, a single-color image composed of toner images of magenta, cyan, and black is formed.

  Note that the control unit 91 decomposes the image information stored in the memory into color information of each color of yellow, magenta, cyan, and black when driving the optical scanning device 8 to form an electrostatic latent image corresponding to each color. The optical scanning device 8 is driven based on each color image information which is monochromatic image information separated into each color. When the image forming apparatus 100 is a copying machine equipped with a document reading device, the optical scanning device 8 performs exposure based on the optical image of the document read by the document reading device. The optical scanning device 8 may perform exposure by another method using an LED or the like.

  The yellow, magenta, cyan, and black toner images obtained by visual development are developed from the yellow toner image located on the most upstream side in the A1 direction, from the magenta toner image, the cyan toner image, and the black toner image. In order, the primary transfer is performed at the same position on the transfer belt 11 rotating in the A1 direction by the primary transfer bias formed by the primary transfer rollers 12Y, 12M, 12C, and 12BK. A synthetic color image, which is a full-color toner image, is formed and carried on the transfer belt 11 by the process.

  On the other hand, with the input of a signal indicating that a color image should be formed, the feeding roller 3 provided in the sheet feeding device 61 of the paper bank 31 rotates to feed out the transfer sheet S and feed it separately one by one. The transfer paper S fed into the paper path 32 and further fed into the paper feed path 32 is further transported by the transport roller 14 and stops in a state of being abutted against the registration roller pair 4.

  In accordance with the timing at which the composite color image superimposed on the transfer belt 11 moves to the secondary transfer portion 57 as the transfer belt 11 rotates in the A1 direction, in other words, the sheet feeding timing is measured, and the registration roller pair 4 The secondary color transfer unit 57 is in close contact with the transfer sheet S sent to the secondary transfer unit 57, and the combined transfer image is applied to the transfer sheet S by the action of the secondary transfer bias and the nip pressure. Next transfer is performed, and recording is performed on the transfer sheet S by the secondary transfer process.

  The transfer sheet S is transported by the secondary transfer device 5 and sent to the fixing device 6, and when passing through the fixing nip 70, that is, the fixing portion between the heating roller 68 and the pressure roller 69 in the fixing device 6, heat and pressure are transferred. As a result, the carried toner image is melted and the composite color image is fixed.

  The transfer sheet S on which the composite color image has been fixed and passed through the fixing device 6 is discharged out of the main body 99 through the discharge roller 7 as the transfer sheet S on which the output image is formed. Stacked on the tray 17.

  The photosensitive drums 20Y, 20M, 20C, and 20BK have transfer residual toner that is a residual toner of several percent remaining after transfer removed from the surface by the cleaning devices 71Y, 71M, 71C, and 71BK, and the static eliminators 78Y, 78M, 78C, and The static electricity is removed by 78BK, the surface potential is initialized, and it is used for the next charging by the charging devices 79Y, 79M, 79C, and 79BK.

  The transfer belt 11 that has passed the secondary transfer portion 57 after the secondary transfer is cleaned by removing the transfer residual toner remaining on the surface after the transfer by the cleaning blade 76 provided in the cleaning device 13, and the next transfer. Prepare for.

  Foreign matter such as waste toner generated by removing from the surface of the photosensitive drums 20Y, 20M, 20C, and 20BK by the cleaning devices 71Y, 71M, 71C, and 71BK, waste toner generated by removing from the surface of the transfer belt 11 by the cleaning device 13, and the like The foreign matter is accommodated in the waste toner bottle 40 through the waste toner conveyance duct 50 and the receiving port 41a.

  As shown in FIG. 7, the waste toner bottle 40 is in the first state in a relatively initial state, and the conveyance screw 42 is driven to rotate (S 1). As shown in FIG. 3, the solenoid 47 is OFF (S2), and foreign matters such as waste toner are mainly conveyed downstream in the first direction D.

  With such conveyance of foreign matter such as waste toner, when the displacement amount of the elastic member 44 is equal to or greater than the threshold value and fullness is detected (S3), the solenoid 47 is turned on (S4), and the conveyance screw 42 is the first. As shown in FIG. 4, the second state is reached, and foreign matter such as waste toner is mainly conveyed downstream in the second direction E.

  Along with the conveyance of foreign matter such as waste toner, when the displacement amount of the elastic member 45 exceeds the threshold value and full detection is performed (S6), the rotation drive of the conveyance screw 42 is stopped and the foreign matter such as waste toner is detected. Is stopped (S7), the image formation is stopped, and the full notification described above is performed (S8).

  In the form described above, the position G is located upstream of the center position O in the first direction D in the first state, and the position G is second from the center position O in the second state. It is located on the upstream side in the direction E. In the first state, this is because the transport amount of foreign matter such as waste toner by the first screw 42b is greater than the transport amount of foreign matter such as waste toner by the second screw 42c. This is because the amount of foreign matter such as waste toner conveyed by the second screw 42c is made larger than the amount of foreign matter such as waste toner conveyed by the first screw 42b in the second state.

  In the first state, from the viewpoint of increasing the amount of foreign matter such as waste toner conveyed by the first screw 42b from the amount of foreign matter such as waste toner conveyed by the second screw 42c, as shown in FIG. In the state 1, the position G is located on the upstream side in the first direction D with respect to the region occupied by the receiving port 41a in the transport direction X, or on the upstream side in the first direction D of the same region. In the first state, the first screw 42b occupies the entire area occupied by the receiving port 41a in the transport direction X, and foreign matter such as waste toner is transported only in the first direction D only by the first screw 42b. It is preferable to make it.

  In this way, even if there is variation in the amount of foreign matter such as waste toner supplied to the transport screw 42 in the transport direction X, in other words, falling toner, the total amount of foreign matter such as waste toner is the first screw. The foreign matter such as waste toner is surely filled first in the downstream of the first direction D, and the full detection using the elastic member 45 occurs before the full detection using the elastic member 44. In combination with the fact that this is avoided, the filling rate and the filling amount are improved.

  In the second state, from the viewpoint of increasing the transport amount of foreign matter such as waste toner by the second screw 42c from the transport amount of foreign matter such as waste toner by the first screw 42b, as shown in FIG. In the state of 2, the position G is located on the upstream side in the second direction E with respect to the area occupied by the receiving port 41a in the transport direction X or the position that coincides with the upstream end position in the second direction E of the same area. In the second state, the second screw 42c occupies the entire area occupied by the receiving port 41a in the transport direction X, and foreign matter such as waste toner is transported only in the second direction E only by the second screw 42c. It is preferable to make it.

  In this way, even if there is a variation in the amount of foreign matter such as waste toner supplied to the transport screw 42 in the transport direction X, that is, falling toner, the total amount of foreign matter such as waste toner is the second screw. It is avoided that foreign matters such as waste toner are conveyed in the first direction D. Therefore, in the second state, foreign toner such as waste toner is already filled, and the pressure of waste toner or the like at the downstream end portion in the first direction D of the transport screw 42 becomes excessive and the transport screw 42 rotates. The problem that the load becomes excessive and the conveying screw 42 does not rotate is prevented. Further, there is an advantage that the conveyance efficiency of foreign matters such as waste toner in the second direction E is high, and the filling rate and filling amount are improved.

  In the above, the case where the first screw 42b and the second screw 42c have the same conveyance amount of foreign matter such as waste toner per rotation of the shaft portion 42a has been described, but the position G is illustrated in the first state. If the position shown in FIG. 5 is set to the position shown in FIG. 6 in the second state, the first screw 42b and the second screw 42c convey foreign matters such as waste toner per rotation of the shaft portion 42a. The quantities do not have to be equal to each other.

  In this case, in this case, the first screw 42b and the second screw 42c do not depend on the conveyance amount of foreign matters such as waste toner per rotation of the shaft portion 42a, and the first screw 42b and the second screw 42c are in the first state. Since the transport amount by the second screw 42c is larger than the transport amount by the second screw 42c and the transport amount by the second screw 42c is larger than the transport amount by the first screw 42b in the second state, first, the fullness detection using the elastic member 44 is performed. This is because the fullness detection using the elastic member 45 is performed next, and the filling rate and filling amount of the waste toner bottle 40 are improved.

  If the conveyance amount by the first screw 42b is larger than the conveyance amount by the second screw 42c in the first state, and the conveyance amount by the second screw 42c is larger than the conveyance amount by the first screw 42b in the second state. Regardless of the relationship between the amount of foreign matter such as waste toner per rotation of the shaft portion 42a in the first screw 42b and the second screw 42c, the position G is in the first state and the second state. The position in the area occupied by the receiving port 41a in the transport direction X, in other words, the position directly below the receiving port 41a may be occupied.

  The amount of foreign matter such as waste toner per rotation of the shaft portion 42a can be adjusted by adjusting the pitch and diameter of a screw or a swash plate. As long as the 1st conveyance part and the 2nd conveyance part maintain each conveyance direction, ie, the 1st direction, the 2nd direction, a part of the 1st conveyance part and a part of the 2nd conveyance part In addition, a reverse screw or swash plate may be provided.

  The preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above. However, the present invention is not limited to the specific embodiments, and the present invention described in the claims is not specifically limited by the above description. Various modifications and changes are possible within the scope of the above.

  For example, the elastic member 44 is positioned away from the position where the receiving port 41a is disposed in the transport direction X and avoids a position where foreign matter such as waste toner falls, and is discarded by the first screw 42b in the first state. As long as foreign matter such as toner is conveyed, it may be disposed at a position different from the above-described position. Similarly, the elastic member 45 is located away from the receiving position of the receiving port 41a in the transport direction X and avoids a position where foreign matter such as waste toner falls, and in the second state, the elastic member 45 is moved by the second screw 42c. As long as it is a region where foreign matter such as waste toner is conveyed, it may be disposed at a position different from the above-described position.

  Even if the image forming apparatus to which the present invention is applied is a tandem type, it is possible to adopt a direct transfer system instead of the indirect transfer system described above. Further, the image forming apparatus is not a so-called tandem type image forming apparatus, and sequentially forms toner images of respective colors on a single photosensitive drum (image carrier) and sequentially superimposes the respective color toner images to obtain a color image. The present invention can be similarly applied to a so-called one-drum type image forming apparatus, and also to an image forming apparatus such as a system using a plurality of intermediate transfer members (image carriers) or a method using intermediate color toner. Can be applied as well

  In addition, in recent years, in accordance with demands from the market, color image forming apparatuses, such as color copiers and color printers, have increased in number, but image forming apparatuses can only form monocolor images. It may be.

The developer as an image forming material used in such an image forming apparatus is not limited to a two-component developer but may be a one-component developer.
The image forming apparatus may not be a copier, a printer, and a facsimile machine, but may be a single unit thereof, or may be a multi-function machine of another combination such as a copier and printer. .

  The effects described in the embodiments of the present invention are only the most preferable effects resulting from the present invention, and the effects of the present invention are limited to those described in the embodiments of the present invention. is not.

40 Waste Toner Collection Container 41a Receiving Port 42 Conveying Member 42b First Conveying Unit 42c Second Conveying Unit 42d Boundary Part 44 First Detected Member 44a Pressed Surface 45 Second Detected Member 45a Pressed Surface 47 Displacement Means 48 Full detection means 49 Full detection means 99 Image forming apparatus main body 100 Image forming apparatus D First direction E Second direction

JP 2011-85734 A JP 2009-217078 A

Claims (10)

A receiving port for receiving waste toner from the image forming apparatus main body side;
A conveying member that conveys waste toner received from the receiving port by being rotated in a predetermined direction inside the waste toner collecting container;
The conveying member is positioned to be upstream of the first conveying unit in the first direction by being rotated in the predetermined direction to convey waste toner in the first direction. It is positioned at the boundary between the second transport unit that transports waste toner in a second direction opposite to the first direction and the first transport unit and the second transport unit by being rotationally driven in the direction. A boundary portion,
The receiving port is located in the middle of the waste toner collection container in the waste toner transport direction by the transport member,
The transport member is displaced by a displacement unit that displaces the transport member in the second direction, so that the transport amount of the waste toner received from the receiving port by the first transport unit is by the second transport unit. The waste toner received from the receiving port is displaced from the first position larger than the transport amount to the second position where the transport amount by the second transport unit is larger than the transport amount by the first transport unit,
A waste toner collecting container in which the fullness is detected by a fullness detecting means for detecting the fullness of the waste toner at the downstream end in the second direction. The waste toner collecting container according to claim 1,
The waste toner collecting container according to claim 2, wherein the transport member is located at the upstream side in the second direction with respect to the region occupied by the receiving port in the transport direction in the transport position. The waste toner collecting container according to claim 1 or 2,
The waste toner collecting container according to claim 1, wherein, in the first position, the boundary portion is located upstream of the region occupied by the receiving port in the transport direction in the first direction. The waste toner collecting container according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
A waste toner collecting container, wherein the fullness is detected by a fullness detecting means for detecting the fullness of waste toner at a downstream end portion in the first direction. The waste toner collecting container according to claim 4,
A first detected member that is displaced by pressure received from waste toner conveyed by a first conveying unit, wherein the fullness is detected by detecting a displacement amount by the fullness detecting means, Waste toner collection container. The waste toner collecting container according to claim 5,
The first detected member has a pressed surface perpendicular to the first direction, which is in contact with the waste toner conveyed by the first conveyance unit and receives pressure from the waste toner. Toner collection container. The waste toner collecting container according to claim 5 or 6,
The transport member is displaced from the first position to the second position by the displacement means when the fullness detection means detects that the displacement amount of the first detected member has increased to a predetermined amount. A waste toner collecting container. The waste toner collecting container according to any one of claims 1 to 7,
A second detected member that is displaced by pressure received from waste toner conveyed by a second conveying unit, wherein the fullness is detected by detecting a displacement amount by the full detecting unit; Waste toner collection container. The waste toner collecting container according to claim 8,
The second detected member has a pressed surface perpendicular to the second direction, which is in contact with the waste toner conveyed by the second conveyance unit and receives pressure from the waste toner. Toner collection container.   An image forming apparatus comprising the waste toner collecting container according to claim 1.

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