JP2017021102A - Image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an image forming apparatus that can satisfactorily recover a scattered toner without a duct extending from the vicinity of a developing device to a dust collection part from being clogged inside with the toner, and prevent mistakenly sucking a toner inside the developing device.SOLUTION: An image forming apparatus comprises a developing device, dust, fan, dust collection part, connection part, lid part, and regulation member. The developing device can be removably attached to an image forming apparatus body. The dust collection part collects a toner passed through the inside of the duct together with an airflow generated by the fan. The connection part is provided in the middle of the duct and can store part of the toner passing together with the airflow. The lid part can open/close the connection part. The regulation member regulates the opening of the lid part when the developing device is attached to the image forming apparatus body, and permits the opening of the lid part when the developing device is removed from the image forming apparatus body.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 9

Description

  The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine, a printer, a facsimile, or a complex machine thereof, and more particularly to an image forming apparatus that collects toner scattered when supplying toner to an image carrier.

  Conventionally, an image forming apparatus forms a visible image by supplying toner from a developing device to an electrostatic latent image formed by irradiating light on image data onto a uniformly charged image carrier. Then, the visible image is transferred onto a recording medium and then fixed to form an image. The developing device includes a developing roller disposed in a developing region facing the image carrier, and supplies toner adhered on the developing roller onto the image carrier. When the toner is supplied from the developing device to the image carrier, a part of the toner may be scattered and leak from the opening of the developing device facing the image carrier to contaminate the inside of the image forming apparatus.

  Therefore, the image forming apparatus described in Patent Document 1 is provided with a suction port for sucking scattered toner at a position in contact with the lower side of the developing device in the vicinity of the image carrier, and further, a duct communicating with the suction port is provided. . This duct communicates with a rear duct provided on the rear side of the image forming apparatus, and the rear duct is provided with a suction fan for sucking air and toner in the suction port and a filter for collecting the sucked toner. . Toner scattered in the vicinity of the development area is sucked together with air from the suction port, and the toner passing through the duct and the rear duct is collected by a filter, thereby preventing contamination inside the image forming apparatus.

  However, in the image forming apparatus disclosed in Patent Document 1, if the scattered toner is repeatedly sucked into the duct from the suction port, the toner gradually accumulates in the duct, and the duct may be blocked by the accumulated toner. There is a problem that the toner cannot be sucked up to the discharge port to which the filter is attached. In particular, in a portion where the duct is bent or a portion where the duct is thin, the sucked toner is more easily clogged, and as a result, there is a problem that the scattered toner cannot be efficiently collected. .

  In order to solve the above problems, Patent Document 2 discloses a duct communicating with a suction port provided in the vicinity of an opening of a developing device, and air that has passed through the suction port and the duct by generating an air flow in the duct. A first fan that discharges the toner to the outside of the apparatus main body, a dust collecting portion that collects toner that has passed through the duct together with the air flow generated by the first fan, and a toner that is provided in the middle of the duct and passes along with the air flow An image forming apparatus having a connecting part capable of storing a part of the connecting part and a lid part that can be opened and closed with respect to the connecting part main body is disclosed.

JP 2002-116670 A JP2013-190600A

  In the image forming apparatus disclosed in Patent Document 2, for example, after a predetermined number of prints have been performed, the lid of the coupling unit is periodically opened to collect the toner stored in the coupling unit. Accordingly, the toner accumulated in the duct is not clogged by repeating the suction of the toner, and the scattered toner can be recovered well.

  By the way, in order to efficiently collect the toner accumulated in the duct, there is a case where the lid provided on the connecting portion is removed and a suction device for cleaning is attached to suck the toner. At this time, if suction is performed in a state where the developing device is mounted on the image forming apparatus main body, there is a possibility that even necessary toner in the developing container may be sucked. In addition, when the developing device is mounted, the space near the suction port provided in the vicinity of the opening of the developing device is narrow, and the amount of air sucked by the suction device is reduced, so the efficiency of collecting toner in the duct is reduced. There was also the problem of doing.

  In view of the above problems, the present invention prevents toner from being clogged in a duct extending from the vicinity of the developing device to the dust collecting portion, favorably collects scattered toner, and prevents erroneous suction of the toner in the developing device. An object is to provide a possible image forming apparatus.

  In order to achieve the above object, a first configuration of the present invention is an image forming apparatus including a developing device, a duct, a fan, a dust collecting unit, a connecting unit, a lid unit, and a regulating member. is there. The developing device includes: a developing container that contains toner; and a toner supply member that is disposed to face the image carrier by exposing a part of the outer peripheral surface from the opening of the developing container and supplies toner to the image carrier. And is detachable from the main body of the image forming apparatus. The duct communicates with a suction port provided in the vicinity of the opening of the developing container. The fan generates an air flow in the duct and discharges air that has passed through the suction port and the duct to the outside of the image forming apparatus main body. The dust collecting unit collects the toner that has passed through the duct together with the air flow generated by the fan. The connecting portion is provided in the middle of the duct and can store a part of the toner that passes along with the air flow. The lid part can open and close the connecting part. The restricting member restricts the opening of the lid when the developing device is attached to the image forming apparatus main body, and allows the lid to be opened when the developing device is detached from the image forming apparatus main body.

  According to the first configuration of the present invention, the lid portion can be opened only when the developing device is detached from the image forming apparatus. Therefore, the toner is accidentally sucked by the suction device while the developing device is attached. There is no risk of working. Therefore, it is possible to prevent problems such as sucking necessary toner in the developing device or reducing toner collection efficiency due to a decrease in the amount of air sucked by the suction device.

1 is a schematic configuration diagram illustrating an image forming apparatus 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention. Side surface sectional view showing the developing device 12 mounted in the image forming apparatus 100 of the present embodiment. The perspective view which shows the toner collection | recovery path | route from the developing device 12 to the dust collecting part 50 Sectional drawing which shows the dust collection part 50 roughly The perspective view which shows the connection part 55 The perspective view which shows the main body 56 of the connection part 55 of the state which removed the cover part 57 The perspective view which looked at the cover part 57 with which the main body 56 of the connection part 55 is mounted | worn from the back side. Side surface sectional view which shows the state which attached | subjected the suction device 60 to the main body 56 of the connection part 55 FIG. 7 is a side cross-sectional view showing a configuration from the rear end portion of the developing device 12 to the connecting portion 55, and shows a state where the developing device 12 is mounted. FIG. 6 is a side cross-sectional view showing a configuration from a rear end portion of the developing device 12 to a connecting portion 55, and shows a state in which the developing device 12 is removed.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a schematic configuration of an image forming apparatus 100 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, and the right side of FIG. 1 is illustrated as the front side of the image forming apparatus 100. Under the image forming apparatus 100, a paper feed cassette 1 that accommodates stacked paper is disposed. Behind the paper feed cassette 1 is formed a paper transport path 3 that extends upward and reaches the paper discharge unit 2 formed on the upper surface of the apparatus main body. A pickup roller 4, a registration roller pair 5, an image forming unit 6, a fixing unit 7, and a discharge roller pair 8 are arranged in this order along the sheet conveyance path 3 from the upstream side.

  The paper feed cassette 1 is provided with a paper stacking plate 9 that is rotatably supported on the bottom surface of the paper feed cassette 1. The paper stacked on the paper stacking plate 9 is sent out toward the paper transport path 3 by the pickup roller 4. The sheet sent to the sheet conveyance path 3 is conveyed to the registration roller pair 5, and the timing is adjusted by the registration roller pair 5 and supplied to the image forming unit 6.

  The image forming unit 6 forms a predetermined toner image on a sheet by an electrophotographic process. The image forming unit 6 is a photosensitive drum 10 that is an image carrier that is rotatably supported in a clockwise direction in FIG. The charging device 11, the developing device 12, the cleaning device 13, the transfer roller 14 disposed so as to face the photoconductive drum 10 across the sheet conveyance path 3, and the front of the photoconductive drum 10. The toner container 16 for supplying toner to the developing device 12 is disposed above the developing device 12.

  The charging device 11 is provided with a conductive rubber roller 11 a to which a power source (not shown) is connected. The conductive rubber roller 11 a is disposed so as to contact the photosensitive drum 10. Then, when the photosensitive drum 10 rotates, the conductive rubber roller 11a comes into contact with the surface of the photosensitive drum 10 and rotates, and at this time, by applying a predetermined voltage to the conductive rubber roller 11a, the photosensitive member The surface of the drum 10 is uniformly charged.

  Next, an electrostatic latent image based on the image data input on the photosensitive drum 10 is formed by the beam light emitted from the exposure device 15, and toner is attached to the electrostatic latent image by the developing device 12, so that the photosensitive drum A toner image is formed on the surface 10. Then, the sheet is supplied from the registration roller pair 5 to the nip portion (transfer position) between the photosensitive drum 10 and the transfer roller 14 at a predetermined timing, and the transfer roller 14 forms a toner image on the surface of the photosensitive drum 10 on the sheet. Transcribed.

  The sheet on which the toner image is transferred is separated from the photosensitive drum 10 and conveyed toward the fixing unit 7. The fixing unit 7 is disposed on the downstream side of the image forming unit 6 in the sheet conveyance direction. The sheet on which the toner image is transferred in the image forming unit 6 includes a heating roller 7 a provided in the fixing unit 7, and this The toner image heated and pressed by the pressure roller 7b pressed against the heating roller 7a is fixed on the toner image transferred to the paper.

  The sheet on which the image is formed is discharged to the paper discharge unit 2 by the discharge roller pair 8. On the other hand, the toner remaining on the surface of the photosensitive drum 10 after the transfer is removed by the cleaning device 13, the photosensitive drum 10 is charged again by the charging device 11, and image formation is performed in the same manner.

  2 is a side cross-sectional view of the developing device 12 mounted on the image forming apparatus 100, FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a toner recovery path from the developing device 12 to the dust collecting unit 50, and FIG. 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a dust collection unit 50. FIG. 2 shows a state viewed from the back side of FIG. 1, and the arrangement of each member of the developing device 12 is reversed from that of FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the developing device 12 includes a developing container 20 in which a two-component developer containing a magnetic carrier and toner (hereinafter simply referred to as a developer) is accommodated, and the developing container 20 has a partition wall. The agitating and conveying chamber 21 and the supply and conveying chamber 22 are partitioned by 20a. In the agitating / conveying chamber 21 and the supply / conveying chamber 22, an agitating / conveying screw 25 a and a supplying / conveying screw 25 b for mixing and charging the toner supplied from the toner container 16 (see FIG. 1) with a magnetic carrier are charged. It is rotatably arranged.

  Then, the developer is agitated by the agitating / conveying screw 25a and the supply / conveying screw 25b and conveyed in the axial direction (perpendicular to the paper surface of FIG. 2) to pass through the developer (not shown) formed at both ends of the partition wall 20a. It circulates between the stirring and conveying chamber 21 and the supply and conveying chamber 22 through the path. That is, a developer circulation path is formed in the developer container 20 by the agitating / conveying chamber 21, the supply / conveying chamber 22, and the developer passage.

  The developing container 20 extends obliquely upward to the right in FIG. 2, a magnetic roller 30 is disposed above the supply / conveying screw 25 b in the developing container 20, and a developing roller 31 is disposed obliquely to the upper right of the magnetic roller 30. Opposed. A part of the outer peripheral surface of the developing roller 31 is exposed from the opening 20b of the developing container 20, and faces the photosensitive drum 10 (see FIG. 1). The magnetic roller 30 and the developing roller 31 rotate in the counterclockwise direction in FIG.

  The magnetic roller 30 is composed of a non-magnetic rotating sleeve that rotates counterclockwise in FIG. 2 and a fixed magnet body having a plurality of magnetic poles contained in the rotating sleeve.

  The developing roller 31 includes a cylindrical developing sleeve that rotates counterclockwise in FIG. 2 and a developing roller side magnetic pole fixed in the developing sleeve. The magnetic roller 30 and the developing roller 31 are opposed to each other. The positions are opposed to each other with a predetermined gap. The developing roller side magnetic pole has a different polarity from the opposing magnetic pole of the fixed magnet body.

  Further, a spike cutting blade 35 is attached to the developing container 20 along the longitudinal direction of the magnetic roller 30 (direction perpendicular to the paper surface of FIG. 2), and the spike cutting blade 35 rotates in the rotational direction of the magnetic roller 30 (see FIG. 2 (counterclockwise direction) is positioned upstream of the facing portion R between the developing roller 31 and the magnetic roller 30. A slight gap (gap) is formed between the tip of the earbrushing blade 35 and the surface of the magnetic roller 30.

  A DC voltage and an AC voltage are applied to the developing roller 31, and a DC voltage and an AC voltage are applied to the magnetic roller 30. These DC voltage and AC voltage are applied to each sleeve of the developing roller 31 and the magnetic roller 30 from a developing bias power source via a bias control circuit (both not shown).

  As described above, the toner is charged by circulating through the agitating and conveying chamber 21 and the supplying and conveying chamber 22 in the developing container 20 while the developer is agitated by the agitating and conveying screw 25a and the supply and conveying screw 25b. The developer is conveyed to the magnetic roller 30. Then, a magnetic brush (not shown) made of a developer is formed on the magnetic roller 30, and the thickness of the magnetic brush on the magnetic roller 30 is regulated by the ear cutting blade 35, and then the magnetic roller 30, the developing roller 31, A thin toner layer is formed on the developing roller 31 by a potential difference between a bias applied to the magnetic roller 30 and a bias applied to the developing roller 31 and a magnetic field.

  The toner thin layer formed on the developing roller 31 by the magnetic brush is conveyed to the opposite portion (developing region D) between the photosensitive drum 10 and the developing roller 31 by the rotation of the developing roller 31. Since a predetermined bias is applied to the developing roller 31, the toner flies due to a potential difference with the photosensitive drum 10, and the electrostatic latent image on the photosensitive drum 10 is developed.

  Remaining toner that is not used for development is conveyed again to the facing portion R between the developing roller 31 and the magnetic roller 30 by the rotation of the developing roller 31 and is collected by the magnetic brush on the magnetic roller 30. The magnetic brush is peeled off from the magnetic roller 30 at the same polarity portion of the fixed magnet body of the magnetic roller 30 and then falls into the supply transfer chamber 22.

  A first duct 43 is disposed above the developing container 20. The first duct 43 is formed by the upper end portion 20 d of the developing container 20 and a duct cover 43 a attached to the first duct 43.

  Further, an air outlet 20e that is a suction port is formed in the upper end 20d of the developing container 20 in the vicinity of the opening 20b. The air outlet 20e is an opening arranged on the surface facing the developing roller 31, and a plurality of air outlets 20e are formed so as to penetrate the upper end 20d along the longitudinal direction of the developing container 20. The air outlet 20e is provided in communication with the first duct 43 so that air in the developing container 20 and floating toner are discharged into the first duct 43. Of the toner on the developing roller 31 that has not been used for development, the toner that has not been collected on the magnetic roller 30 by the magnetic brush at the facing portion R floats in the developing container 20, and this floating toner is opened in the opening 20b. The toner floating in the developing container 20 and the toner leaking out of the developing container 20 are collectively referred to as scattered toner.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the first duct 43 is provided to extend in the longitudinal direction above the developing container 20, and the first duct 43 and the second duct 47 are connected via a connecting portion 55. The first duct 43, the second duct 47, and the connecting portion 55 constitute a duct 42.

  The first duct 43 extends from the front to the rear of the apparatus main body of the image forming apparatus 100 (from the left side to the right side in FIG. 3), and the second duct 47 bends in a direction perpendicular to the first duct 43. It extends along the rear of the apparatus main body and is connected to the dust collecting unit 50. The connecting portion 55 is a portion that connects the first duct 43 and the second duct 47 to communicate with each other, and is disposed in the vicinity of the bent portion between the first duct 43 and the second duct 47.

  As shown in FIG. 4, a first fan 51 is disposed in the dust collecting unit 50, and the first fan 51 is an axial fan that sucks air in a duct 42 (see FIG. 3). The air in the developing container 20 (see FIG. 2) is sucked into the first duct 43 from the air outlet 20e by the first fan 51. Further, the air passes through the first duct 43, the connecting portion 55, and the flow path in the second duct 47 (duct 42), is sucked to the dust collecting portion 50, and is discharged from the dust collecting portion 50 to the outside of the image forming apparatus 100. .

  A first filter 53 is disposed on the upstream side of the air flow of the first fan 51. The scattered toner sucked from the air outlet 20 e together with the air in the developing container 20 by the first fan 51 is collected by the first filter 53. When image formation is repeated and a predetermined amount of toner adheres to the first filter 53, the toner is recovered by replacing the first filter 53 with a new one, and there is no possibility of contaminating the outside of the image forming apparatus 100.

  The detailed structure of the connection part 55 is shown in FIGS. 5 is a perspective view of the connecting portion 55, FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the main body 56 of the connecting portion 55 with the lid portion 57 removed, and FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the lid portion 57 of the connecting portion 55. is there.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the connecting portion 55 includes a main body 56 formed of resin or the like, and a lid portion 57 that can be attached to and detached from the main body 56.

  The main body 56 includes an upstream opening 56a connected to the first duct 43 (see FIG. 3), and a downstream opening 56b having an opening formed in a direction orthogonal to the opening of the upstream opening 56a. Have The downstream opening 56b is connected to the second duct 47 (see FIG. 3). When the first fan 51 (see FIG. 4) is driven to rotate, the first fan 51 causes air and toner to flow in the distribution path F1 (see FIG. 6) and the distribution path F2 (see FIG. 6) in a direction perpendicular to the distribution path F1. It passes through the connecting portion 55 in order.

  The main body 56 has a plurality of (three in this embodiment) locking claws 56 c, and the locking claws 56 c are configured to be engageable with and disengageable from a plurality of protrusions 57 a formed on the lid portion 57. When removing the lid portion 57 from the main body 56, by separating the lid portion 57 from the main body 56 to the front side (right side in FIG. 5) in a state where the plurality of locking claws 56c are elastically deformed and pushed outward, The lid part 57 is removed. By removing the lid portion 57 from the main body 56 and opening the inside of the connecting portion 55, the toner accumulated in the connecting portion 55 can be collected.

  As shown in FIG. 6, in the main body 56, as described above, the circulation portion 56d composed of the circulation path F1 and the distribution path F2 is formed. The circulation part 56d is formed above the inside of the main body 56, and a storage part 56e having an arcuate inner surface is formed below the circulation part 56d.

  By the first fan 51, the toner flowing in from the upstream opening 56a flows out from the downstream opening 56b and is collected in the dust collecting section 50 (see FIG. 3) through the second duct 47 (see FIG. 3). . However, the first fan 51 (see FIG. 4) does not collect all the toner in the dust collecting unit 50, and the air flow generated by the first fan 51 in the bent portions of the distribution path F1 and the distribution path F2. Therefore, the toner tends to stay. The storage part 56e is for storing the staying toner. When image formation is repeated, the toner gradually accumulates in the storage portion 56e. For example, after a predetermined number of prints have been performed, the lid portion 57 of the connecting portion 55 is periodically opened to accumulate in the storage portion 56e. By collecting the toner, the toner is not clogged in the duct 42, and the toner can be recovered satisfactorily.

  As shown in FIG. 7, the lid portion 57 has a flange portion 57 b formed around it, and a protrusion 57 a that can be engaged with and disengaged from the locking claw 56 c (see FIG. 6) of the main body 56 is formed on the outer periphery of the flange portion 57 b. It is formed. The lid portion 57 is fitted so that the inner peripheral surface of the collar portion 57 b is in close contact with the outer peripheral surface of the main body 56, and the toner accumulated in the storage portion 56 e of the main body 56 and the toner passing through the connecting portion 55 do not leak. It is like that. When collecting the toner accumulated in the connecting portion 55, the lid portion 57 is removed from the main body 56, the toner accumulated in the storage portion 56e of the main body 56 is removed, and the removed toner is accommodated in the lid portion 57 having the flange portion 57b. By doing so, the toner can be collected without staining the periphery of the connecting portion 55. The outer peripheral surface of the flange portion 57b may be fitted to the inner peripheral surface of the main body 56, and the flange portion 57b may be accommodated in the connecting portion 55. In this configuration, toner is accumulated on the collar portion 57b by repeating image formation, and when the lid portion 57 is removed from the main body 56, the toner is directly accommodated in the lid portion 57, so that the toner can be easily collected. It becomes.

  As described above, the portion from the first duct 43 (see FIG. 3) of the duct 42 to the connecting portion 55 is bent so as to be substantially orthogonal, and it is difficult to completely remove the accumulated toner by manual work. is there. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the suction device 60 provided separately from the image forming apparatus 100 is mounted on the main body 56 of the connecting portion 55, and the toner accumulated in the first duct 43 and the connecting portion 55 is periodically removed. I try to remove it by suction.

  FIG. 8 is a side sectional view showing a state in which the suction device 60 is mounted on the main body 56 of the connecting portion 55. The suction device 60 includes a second fan 61, a second filter 63, a suction duct 65, and a suction port 67. The second fan 61 is an axial fan, and sucks the air in the first duct 43 and the connecting portion 55 along the flow path F <b> 3 through the suction duct 65. A second filter 63 is disposed on the upstream side of the second fan 61 with respect to the flow path F3.

  When the toner in the first duct 43 and the connecting portion 55 is removed using the suction device 60, first, the back cover (not shown) of the image forming apparatus 100 is opened, and the lid portion is removed from the main body 56 as shown in FIG. 57 is removed. Next, as shown in FIG. 8, the suction port 67 of the suction device 60 is attached to the opening from which the lid portion 57 of the main body 56 is removed. A protrusion 67a that can be engaged with and disengaged from the locking claw 56c of the main body 56 is formed on the outer periphery of the suction port 67. By engaging the locking claw 56c and the protrusion 67a, the suction port 67 is connected to the main body 56. So as to be in close contact with the opening. This prevents pressure loss of the airflow flowing into the suction duct 65 from the connecting portion 55 and prevents the toner from leaking from the connecting portion between the main body 56 and the suction device 60.

  The toner accumulated in the first duct 43 and the connecting portion 55 is sucked by rotating the second fan 61 in the state shown in FIG. The sucked toner passes through the suction duct 65 together with the air flow and is collected by the second filter 63.

  Here, when the toner suction operation by the suction device 60 is performed in a state where the developing device 12 is mounted on the image forming apparatus 100, the required toner in the developing device 12 is sucked through the first duct 43 and the connecting portion 55. Will end up. Further, when the developing device 12 is mounted, the space on the upstream side of the first duct 43 serving as an intake port for air sucked by the second fan 61 is narrowed, and the amount of air sucked by the suction device 60 is reduced. Therefore, the recovery efficiency of the toner accumulated in the first duct 43 and the connecting portion 55 is lowered. Therefore, it is necessary to perform the toner suction operation by the suction device 60 with the developing device 12 removed from the image forming apparatus 100.

  However, when removing the lid 57 from the back side of the image forming apparatus 100 and mounting the suction device 60, it is impossible to check whether the developing device 12 is mounted, so that the developing device 12 is erroneously mounted. There is a risk of toner suction work.

  Accordingly, in the present embodiment, the structure in which the lid portion 57 cannot be removed when the developing device 12 is mounted on the image forming apparatus 100 prevents toner suction work by the suction device 60 when the developing device 12 is mounted. doing.

  9 and 10 are side cross-sectional views showing the configuration from the rear end portion of the developing device 12 to the connecting portion 55. FIG. 9 shows a state in which the developing device 12 is mounted, and FIG. 10 shows that the developing device 12 is removed. Shows the state. In the present embodiment, a regulating member 70 that swings as the developing device 12 is attached and detached is provided.

  The regulating member 70 extends downward from the swing support shaft 70a and faces the rear end of the developing device 12, and extends from the swing support shaft 70a in a direction perpendicular to the press portion 71. It is a substantially L-shaped member in side view having an arm portion 73 facing below the connecting portion 55, and is swingably supported by the first duct 43 with the swing support shaft 70 a as a fulcrum. A restricting portion 73 a protruding upward is formed at the tip end portion (swinging end) of the arm portion 73.

  In a state where the developing device 12 is mounted on the image forming apparatus 100, the rear end portion of the developing device 12 is in contact with the pressing portion 71 as shown in FIG. 9. At this time, the restricting member 70 has the arm portion 73 in a substantially horizontal state, and the restricting portion 73 a formed at the tip of the arm portion 73 is held at a position (first position) overlapping the front surface of the lid portion 57. It is impossible to remove the lid 57 from 56.

  When the developing device 12 is removed from the state of FIG. 9, the holding force by the developing device 12 is removed as shown in FIG. 10, so that the regulating member 70 swings in the clockwise direction of FIG. To do. As a result, the restricting member 70 is disposed at a position (second position) where the tip end portion of the arm portion 73 is lowered and the restricting portion 73 a is retracted downward from the front surface of the lid portion 57. Can be removed.

  With the above-described configuration, the lid 57 can be removed only when the developing device 12 is removed from the image forming apparatus 100. Therefore, when the developing device 12 is attached, the toner suction operation by the suction device 60 is erroneously performed. There is no risk of doing. Accordingly, it is possible to prevent problems such as sucking necessary toner in the developing device 12 and reducing toner collection efficiency due to a decrease in the amount of air sucked by the suction device 60.

  Further, since the suction port 67 of the suction device 60 is held in close contact with the connecting portion 55 by using the locking claw 56c that holds the lid portion 57, there is no possibility that the suction device 60 is detached from the connecting portion 55 during the toner suction operation. . Furthermore, the structure can be simplified by sharing the holding structure of the lid portion 57 and the suction device 60 with respect to the connecting portion 55 (main body 56).

  In addition, this invention is not limited to the said embodiment, A various change is possible in the range which does not deviate from the meaning of this invention. For example, in the above-described embodiment, an example in which the present invention is applied to the developing device 12 of the two-component developing system including the developing roller 31 disposed in non-contact with the photosensitive drum 10 and the magnetic roller 30 that forms a magnetic brush is shown. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and a two-component developer containing toner and a magnetic carrier is carried on the surface of the developing roller as a magnetic brush, and the electrostatic latent image on the photosensitive drum 10 is formed by the toner in the magnetic brush. The developing device 12 may be applied to a two-component developing system 12 that develops the above. Further, the present invention may be applied to a developing device 12 of a magnetic one-component developing system that does not use a carrier.

  Further, in the above-described embodiment, the configuration in which the toner floating in the developing container 20 is collected using the air outlet 20e formed in the upper end portion 20d of the developing container 20 as a suction port is shown, but the present invention is not limited thereto. If the suction port is disposed in the vicinity of the opening 20b of the developing container 20, the suction port is provided outside or in the developing container 20 together with or separately from the developing container 20, and the toner leaking outside from the developing container 20 is collected. It may be configured. Further, when applied to the image forming apparatus 100 in which the developing device 12 is disposed on the upper side with respect to the photosensitive drum 10, the suction port is preferably disposed on the lower side of the developing container 20. In this case as well, the same effects as in the above embodiment can be obtained.

  Moreover, although the connection part 55 was shown in the said embodiment in the vicinity of the bending part of the 1st duct 43 and the 2nd duct 47, or the vicinity of the part with a small cross-sectional area of the duct 42, this invention showed this invention. Not only this but the duct 42 may be comprised linearly. Further, even if the cross-sectional area of the duct 42 is not greatly changed, the connecting portion 55 can be appropriately provided in the duct portion where the toner may stay.

  The present invention can be used in an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine, a printer, a facsimile, or a complex machine thereof, and more particularly, in an image forming apparatus that collects toner scattered when supplying toner to an image carrier. be able to.

10 Photosensitive drum (image carrier)
12 Developing Device 20 Developing Container 20b Opening 20d Upper End 20e Air Outlet (Suction Port)
30 Magnetic roller 31 Developing roller (toner supply member)
42 Duct 43 First duct 43a Duct cover 47 Second duct 50 Dust collector 51 First fan (fan)
53 1st filter 55 Connecting part 56 Main body 56a Upstream opening 56b Downstream opening 56c Locking claw 56d Flowing part 56e Storage part 57 Lid part 57a Protrusion (second protrusion)
57b Hut 60 Suction Device 61 Second Fan 63 Second Filter 65 Suction Duct 67 Suction Port 67a Projection (First Projection)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 70 Restriction member 70a Oscillation spindle 71 Press part 73 Arm part 73a Restriction part 100 Image forming apparatus

Claims (8)

A developing container that contains toner; and a toner supply member that is disposed to face the image carrier by exposing a part of the outer peripheral surface from the opening of the developer container and that supplies toner to the image carrier. A developing device detachable from the image forming apparatus main body,
A duct communicating with a suction port provided in the vicinity of the opening of the developer container;
A fan that generates an air flow in the duct and discharges the air that has passed through the suction port and the duct to the outside of the image forming apparatus main body;
A dust collecting unit that collects toner that has passed through the duct together with an air flow generated by the fan;
A connecting portion provided in the middle of the duct and capable of storing a part of the toner passing along with the air flow;
A lid part capable of opening and closing the connecting part;
In an image forming apparatus comprising:
Restriction of opening of the lid when the developing device is attached to the image forming apparatus main body, and allowing opening of the lid when the developing device is detached from the image forming apparatus main body An image forming apparatus comprising a member. The regulating member extends from the swing support shaft, a pressing portion extending downward from the swing support shaft to face the developing device, and extending from the swing support shaft in a direction perpendicular to the pressing portion. An arm portion facing downward of the connecting portion, and a restricting portion protruding upward from the swinging end of the arm portion,
When the developing device is mounted on the image forming apparatus main body, the restricting member is held at a first position where the restricting portion overlaps the front surface of the lid portion by the pressing portion coming into contact with the developing device. ,
When the developing device is detached from the image forming apparatus main body, the restricting member is disposed at a second position where the swinging end of the arm portion is lowered and the restricting portion is retracted from the front surface of the lid portion. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1.   The connecting portion can be attached with a suction device for sucking toner in the duct and the connecting portion with the lid portion opened, and the connecting portion is provided with a suction port formed in the suction port of the suction device. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a locking claw that engages with one protrusion and holds the suction port closely is formed.   The said latching claw is engaged with the 2nd protrusion formed in the said cover part, when the said connection part is closed by the said cover part, The said cover part is closely_contact | adhered and hold | maintained. The image forming apparatus described. The duct includes a first duct that communicates with the suction port and is provided along the longitudinal direction of the developing container, and a second duct that bends and extends with respect to the first duct and communicates with the dust collection portion. Have
The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the connecting portion is disposed in the vicinity of a bent portion between the first duct and the second duct.   The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the connecting portion is disposed in the vicinity of a portion having a smaller cross-sectional area in the duct than other portions.   The main body of the connecting part includes a circulation part through which toner passes toward the dust collecting part, and a storage part provided below the circulation part and in which a part of toner is accumulated. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1. The lid portion is detachably provided to the main body of the connecting portion,
The image forming apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the lid portion is formed with a collar portion that can store toner accumulated in the storage portion when the lid portion is removed.

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