JP2017032703A - Toner conveying device and image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a toner conveying device capable of removing toner accumulated in a conveyance passage.SOLUTION: There is provided an image forming apparatus which has a first conveyance passage for conveying toner and a rotating shaft 376B which is rotatably disposed in the first conveyance passage and in which an axial end 376A is arranged at the terminal end part of one side of the first conveyance passage and comprises: a conveyance member for conveying toner toward the terminal end part; a second conveyance passage 375C which continues to the terminal end part of the first conveyance passage and extends in a direction crossing the first conveyance passage from the terminal end part; an opening 375D which is formed at a position apart from the rotating shaft 376B on a bottom face of the second conveyance passage 375C and through which toner is conveyed from the second conveyance passage 375C; and a flexible film member 377 which extends across an outer peripheral surface 376D of the conveyance passage from axial end 376A to a direction orthogonal to the rotating shaft 376B.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

  The present invention relates to a toner conveying device and an image forming apparatus including the toner conveying device.

  An image forming apparatus capable of forming an image by an electrophotographic system includes a cleaning member that removes toner remaining on an image carrier such as a photosensitive drum (see, for example, Patent Document 1). The toner removed from the image carrier by the cleaning member is transported in a transport path by a transport member such as a transport screw that is rotatably provided, and passes through an opening provided at a terminal portion of the transport path. It is stored in the toner storage unit.

JP 2005-37521 A

  By the way, in the image forming apparatus, the opening may be formed at a position shifted in a direction intersecting the transport path from the terminal end of the transport path, for example, due to structural restrictions. In such a configuration, conventionally, the shaft end portion of the rotation shaft of the conveying member is disposed at the terminal end portion, and the fin that pushes the toner toward the opening portion is provided at the shaft end portion. However, in the conventional technique, toner accumulates at a position where the fins do not reach in the region from the terminal portion to the opening, and the toner transported by the conveying member is hindered by the accumulated toner. is there.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a toner conveying apparatus and an image forming apparatus capable of removing toner accumulated on a conveying path.

  A toner conveying device according to one aspect of the present invention includes a first conveying path, a conveying member, a second conveying path, an opening, and a film member. In the first transport path, toner is transported. The transport member is rotatably provided in the first transport path, and has a rotation shaft having a shaft end portion disposed at one end portion of the first transport path, and is configured to supply toner toward the end portion. Transport. The second transport path is continuous with the end portion of the first transport path, and extends in a direction intersecting the first transport path from the end portion. The opening is formed at a position separated from the rotation shaft on the bottom surface of the second conveyance path, and the toner is carried out from the second conveyance path. The film member has flexibility and extends beyond the outer peripheral surface of the transport member in a direction perpendicular to the rotation axis from the shaft end.

  An image forming apparatus according to another aspect of the present invention includes a toner conveying device. The toner conveying device includes a first conveying path, a conveying member, a second conveying path, an opening, and a film member. In the first transport path, toner is transported. The transport member is rotatably provided in the first transport path, and has a rotation shaft having a shaft end portion disposed at one end portion of the first transport path, and is configured to supply toner toward the end portion. Transport. The second transport path is continuous with the end portion of the first transport path, and extends in a direction intersecting the first transport path from the end portion. The opening is formed at a position separated from the rotation shaft on the bottom surface of the second conveyance path, and the toner is carried out from the second conveyance path. The film member has flexibility and extends beyond the outer peripheral surface of the transport member in a direction perpendicular to the rotation axis from the shaft end.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to remove toner deposited on the conveyance path.

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of an image forming unit and an intermediate transfer device of the image forming apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a belt cleaning unit of the image forming apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a toner conveyance path of the image forming apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing the configuration of the film member of the image forming apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of the guide portion of the image forming apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a film member and a fixture of the image forming apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings for understanding of the present invention. The following embodiment is an example embodying the present invention, and does not limit the technical scope of the present invention.

[Schematic Configuration of Image Forming Apparatus 10]
First, a schematic configuration of an image forming apparatus 10 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. Here, FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the configuration of the image forming apparatus 10. FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the configuration of the image forming units 31 to 34 and the intermediate transfer device 36.

  The image forming apparatus 10 is a multifunction machine having a plurality of functions such as a facsimile function or a copy function, in addition to a scan function for reading image data from a document and a print function for forming an image based on the image data. The present invention is applicable to image forming apparatuses such as printers, facsimile machines, and copiers.

  Specifically, as illustrated in FIG. 1, the image forming apparatus 10 includes an ADF (automatic document feeder) 1, an image reading unit 2, an image forming unit 3, a paper feeding unit 4, and an operation display unit 5.

  The ADF 1 includes a document setting unit (not shown), a plurality of conveyance rollers, a document pressing unit, and a paper discharge unit, and conveys a document read by the image reading unit 2. The image reading unit 2 includes a document table (not shown), a light source, a plurality of mirrors, an optical lens, and a CCD, and can read image data from the document.

  The operation display unit 5 includes a display unit such as a liquid crystal display that displays various types of information according to control instructions from a control unit (not shown), and operation keys that input various types of information to the control unit according to user operations. Alternatively, an operation unit such as a touch panel is included.

  The image forming unit 3 can execute an image forming process (printing process) for forming a color or monochrome image by electrophotography based on the image data read by the image reading unit 2. The image forming unit 3 can also execute the printing process based on image data input from an information processing apparatus such as an external personal computer.

  Specifically, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the image forming unit 3 includes a plurality of image forming units 31 to 34, an optical scanning device 35, an intermediate transfer device 36, a secondary transfer roller 38, a fixing device 39, and A paper discharge tray 40 is provided.

  The image forming unit 31 corresponds to Y (yellow), the image forming unit 32 corresponds to C (cyan), the image forming unit 33 corresponds to M (magenta), and the image forming unit 34 corresponds to K (black). is there. As shown in FIG. 1, the image forming units 31 to 34 are provided in the order of yellow, cyan, magenta, and black from the front along the front-rear direction of the image forming apparatus 10.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the image forming unit 31 includes a photosensitive drum 311, a charging roller 312, a developing device 313, a primary transfer roller 314, a drum cleaning unit 315, and a toner container 316. The image forming units 32 to 34 have the same configuration as the image forming unit 31. That is, the image forming units 32 to 34 include photosensitive drums 321 to 341, charging rollers 322 to 342, developing devices 323 to 343, primary transfer rollers 324 to 344, drum cleaning units 325 to 345, and toner containers 326 to 346. Prepare. Here, the photosensitive drums 311 to 341 are an example of the image carrier in the present invention.

  The optical scanning device 35 forms an electrostatic latent image on each of the photosensitive drums 311 to 341 included in the image forming units 31 to 34.

  The intermediate transfer device 36 uses the intermediate transfer belt 361 to convey the toner image transferred from the photosensitive drums 311 to 341 included in the image forming units 31 to 34 to the intermediate transfer belt 361. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the intermediate transfer device 36 includes an intermediate transfer belt 361, a driving roller 362, a stretching roller 363, and a belt cleaning unit 37.

  The intermediate transfer belt 361 is an endless belt member to which toner images formed on the surfaces of the photosensitive drums 311 to 341 included in the image forming units 31 to 34 are transferred. As shown in FIG. 1, the intermediate transfer belt 361 is stretched by a driving roller 362 and a stretching roller 363 that are spaced apart from each other in the front-rear direction of the image forming apparatus 10. Here, the intermediate transfer belt 361 is an example of a member to be transferred in the present invention.

  The driving roller 362 is driven to rotate along the rotation direction 362A by a driving force supplied from a power source (not shown), and causes the intermediate transfer belt 361 to travel. As a result, as shown in FIG. 1, the intermediate transfer belt 361 travels along the same conveyance direction 36 </ b> A as the front-rear direction of the image forming apparatus 10.

  The belt cleaning unit 37 removes toner remaining on the surface of the intermediate transfer belt 361. The belt cleaning unit 37 will be described later.

  The secondary transfer roller 38 transfers the toner image attached to the surface of the intermediate transfer belt 361 to the sheet. Here, the secondary transfer roller 38 is an example of a transfer portion in the present invention.

  The fixing device 39 melts and fixes the toner image transferred to the sheet by the secondary transfer roller 38 on the sheet. For example, the fixing device 39 includes a fixing roller and a pressure roller. The fixing roller is provided in contact with the pressure roller, and heats the toner image transferred to the sheet to fix it on the sheet. The pressure roller presses a sheet that passes through a contact portion formed between the pressure roller and the fixing roller.

  In the image forming unit 3, a color image is formed on the sheet supplied from the paper feeding unit 4 according to the following procedure, and the sheet after the image formation is discharged to the paper discharge tray 40. The sheet is a sheet material such as paper, coated paper, postcard, envelope, and OHP sheet.

  First, in the image forming unit 31, the surface of the photosensitive drum 311 is uniformly charged to a predetermined potential by the charging roller 312. Next, light based on image data is irradiated onto the surface of the photosensitive drum 311 by the optical scanning device 35. As a result, an electrostatic latent image corresponding to the image data is formed on the surface of the photosensitive drum 311.

  The electrostatic latent image on the photosensitive drum 311 is developed (visualized) as a cyan toner image by the developing device 313. Specifically, toner is supplied from the developing roller of the developing device 313 to the photosensitive drum 311, whereby the electrostatic latent image on the photosensitive drum 311 is developed as a toner image. In the developing device 313, the developer including toner and carrier is frictionally charged by stirring with a stirring screw and sent to the magnetic roller, and the toner in the developer is sent from the magnetic roller to the developing roller. For example, the toner is triboelectrically charged to the positive polarity inside the developing device 313. The developing device 313 is supplied with cyan toner from a toner container 316 that is detachable from the image forming unit 3.

  Subsequently, the cyan toner image formed on the photosensitive drum 311 is transferred to the intermediate transfer belt 361 of the intermediate transfer device 36 by the primary transfer roller 314. On the other hand, the toner remaining on the surface of the photosensitive drum 311 is removed by the drum cleaning unit 315. For example, in the drum cleaning unit 315, the toner remaining on the surface of the photosensitive drum 311 is removed by a blade-shaped cleaning member. The toner removed by the cleaning member is transported to a toner storage container (not shown) by a transport screw and collected.

  Next, in the image forming units 32 to 34, each of the colors of the photosensitive drum 321, the photosensitive drum 331, and the photosensitive drum 341 included in the image forming units 32 to 34 is processed in the same processing procedure as that of the image forming unit 31. A toner image is formed and transferred onto the intermediate transfer belt 361 of the intermediate transfer device 36 in the order of cyan, magenta, yellow, and black. The toner image transferred to the intermediate transfer belt 361 is transferred to a sheet supplied from the paper feeding unit 4 by the secondary transfer roller 38.

  Thereafter, the sheet on which the toner image has been transferred is fused and fixed by the fixing device 39 to form an image, and is discharged to the paper discharge tray 40.

  Next, the belt cleaning unit 37 will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4. Here, FIG. 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the configuration of the belt cleaning unit 37. FIG. 4 is a schematic plan view showing the configuration of the toner conveyance path 375.

  The belt cleaning unit 37 cleans the surface of the intermediate transfer belt 361. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the belt cleaning unit 37 includes a housing 371, a cleaning member 372, a collection roller 373, a blade member 374, a toner conveyance path 375, a conveyance member 376, and a film member 377. The belt cleaning unit 37 includes a fixture 378, a guide unit 379, and a toner storage unit 380. The configuration including the toner conveyance path 375, the conveyance member 376, the film member 377, the fixture 378, and the guide portion 379 is an example of the toner conveyance device in the present invention.

  The housing 371 houses the cleaning member 372, the collection roller 373, the blade member 374, and the transport member 376. As shown in FIG. 3, a first transport path 375 </ b> A of the toner transport path 375 is formed inside the housing 371.

  The cleaning member 372 removes the toner remaining on the intermediate transfer belt 361 after the toner image is transferred by the secondary transfer roller 38. For example, the cleaning member 372 is a conductive brush roller that is rotatably provided at a position in contact with the intermediate transfer belt 361. The cleaning member 372 is charged to a polarity (negative polarity) opposite to the charging polarity of the toner by a voltage applied from a power supply device (not shown). The cleaning member 372 rotates along the same rotation direction 372A as the drive roller 362 by a power source (not shown). As a result, the cleaning member 372 electrostatically attracts toner adhering to the surface of the intermediate transfer belt 361.

  The collection roller 373 collects the toner removed from the surface of the intermediate transfer belt 361 by the cleaning member 372. For example, the collection roller 373 is a metal roller that is rotatably provided at a position in contact with the cleaning member 372. The recovery roller 373 is charged with the same polarity as that of the cleaning member 372 by applying a voltage higher than the voltage applied to the cleaning member 372 from a power supply device (not shown). Further, the collection roller 373 rotates along a rotation direction 373A opposite to the drive roller 362 by a power source (not shown). As a result, the collection roller 373 electrostatically attracts toner adhering to the surface of the cleaning member 372.

  The blade member 374 is provided in contact with the collection roller 373 and removes toner attached to the surface of the collection roller 373. For example, the blade member 374 is a rubber blade whose other end is fixed to the housing 371 so that one end contacts the collection roller 373. The toner removed from the collection roller 373 by the blade member 374 falls to the first conveyance path 375A of the toner conveyance path 375.

  The toner transport path 375 transports the toner removed by the cleaning member 372. As shown in FIG. 4, the toner transport path 375 includes a first transport path 375A and a second transport path 375C.

  The toner removed by the blade member 374 is conveyed through the first conveyance path 375A. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the first transport path 375 </ b> A is formed along the left-right direction of the image forming apparatus 10 at a position below the blade member 374 by the inner wall of the housing 371.

  The conveying member 376 is rotatably provided in the first conveying path 375A and conveys the toner removed by the blade member 374. As shown in FIG. 4, the conveyance member 376 has a rotation shaft 376B in which a shaft end portion 376A is disposed at one end portion 375B in the first conveyance path 375A, and conveys toner toward the end portion 375B. For example, the conveyance member 376 is a conveyance screw that has fins formed in a spiral shape around the rotation shaft 376B and conveys toner along the conveyance direction 376C.

  In the second conveyance path 375C, the toner conveyed by the conveyance member 376 to the end portion 375B of the first conveyance path 375A is conveyed. As shown in FIG. 4, the second transport path 375C is continuous with the end portion 375B of the first transport path 375A and extends from the end portion 375B in a direction intersecting the first transport path 375A. The second transport path 375C is formed by a guide portion 379 described later.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the second transport path 375C has an opening 375D formed on the bottom surface at a position separated from the rotation shaft 376B. The toner transported to the end portion 375B by the transport member 376 is transported from the second transport path 375C via the opening 375D. The toner carried out from the second conveyance path 375C is stored in a toner storage unit 380 (see FIG. 6) connected to the opening 375D. For example, the toner container 380 is a resin container.

  By the way, in the image forming apparatus 10, due to structural limitations, as described above, the opening 375D is formed at a position shifted in the direction intersecting the first transport path 375A from the end portion 375B of the first transport path 375A. In such a configuration, conventionally, a fin that pushes toner toward the opening 375 </ b> D is provided at the shaft end 376 </ b> A of the conveying member 376. However, in the above-described conventional technique, toner accumulates at the position where the fins do not reach in the second conveyance path 375C, and the conveyance of the toner by the conveyance member 376 may be hindered by the accumulated toner. On the other hand, in the image forming apparatus 10 according to the embodiment of the present invention, as described below, it is possible to remove the toner deposited on the second conveyance path 375C.

  Hereinafter, the film member 377, the fixture 378, and the guide portion 379 will be described with reference to FIGS. Here, FIG. 5 is a schematic plan view showing the configuration of the film member 377 before being attached to the shaft end 376A of the transport member 376. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along arrow VI-VI in FIG. FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing the configuration of the film member 377 and the fixture 378 attached to the shaft end portion 376A of the transport member 376. 6 indicates the outer peripheral surface 376D of the conveying member 376.

  The film member 377 has flexibility and extends beyond the outer peripheral surface 376D of the transport member 376 in a direction orthogonal to the rotation shaft 376B from the shaft end 376A of the transport member 376. Specifically, the film member 377 is a narrow strip-shaped member formed of a flexible synthetic resin. For example, the film member 377 is formed with a thickness of 0.075 mm, a width in the lateral direction of 5 mm, and a width in the longitudinal direction of 33 mm. As shown in FIG. 5, the film member 377 has a circular through-hole 377 </ b> A formed at a position near the one end 377 </ b> B from the central portion in the longitudinal direction and at the central portion in the width direction.

  Here, the conveying member 376 has a columnar protrusion 376E (see FIGS. 6 and 7) that protrudes in a direction orthogonal to the rotation shaft 376B at the shaft end 376A. On the other hand, the through hole 377A of the film member 377 is formed in a shape into which the protrusion 376E can be inserted.

  In the film member 377, the protrusion 376E is inserted into the through hole 377A, and one end 377B in the longitudinal direction is wound around the shaft end 376A. Then, the one end 377B is bonded to the region between the through hole 377A and the other end 377C of the film member 377 with a double-sided tape or the like, and fixed to the shaft end 376A (see FIGS. 6 and 7). Thereby, the film member 377 is fixed to the shaft end portion 376A by extending the other end portion 377C from the shaft end portion 376A in a direction orthogonal to the rotation shaft 376B. Further, the protrusion 376E is inserted into the through hole 377A of the film member 377, so that the position on the outer periphery of the shaft end 376A of the other end 377C is fixed. Note that the one end portion 377B and the shaft end portion 376A may be bonded by a double-sided tape or the like.

  The other end 377 </ b> C of the film member 377 rotates about the rotation shaft 376 </ b> B as the transport member 376 rotates. Thereby, the other end portion 377C is a part of a region A1 (see FIG. 6) from the bottom surface of the second transport path 375C directly below the shaft end portion 376A to the edge portion 375E on the shaft end portion 376A side of the opening 375D. Alternatively, the toner deposited on the area A1 is removed by contacting all of them. The other end portion 377C is in contact with the bottom surface of the second transport path 375C and bends. Therefore, even if the other end portion 377C extends beyond the outer peripheral surface 376D of the transport member 376 from the rotation shaft 376B, the transport member 376 is provided. The rotation of is not hindered. The conveying member 376 may be rotated clockwise in FIG. 6 or may be rotated counterclockwise.

  Here, as shown in FIG. 6, the length L1 in the extending direction of the film member 377 is equal to or longer than the distance L2 from the shaft end 376A to the edge 375E on the shaft end 376A side of the opening 375D. Thereby, the other end part 377C of the film member 377 can contact the entire region A1. The length L1 in the extending direction of the film member 377 may be less than the distance L2 as long as the other end 377C can contact a part of the region A1. For example, in the image forming apparatus 10, when a gap is provided between the outer peripheral surface 376D of the transport member 376 and the bottom surface of the second transport path 375C as shown in FIG. The length L <b> 1 may be greater than the total value of the distance from the shaft end 376 </ b> A to the outer peripheral surface 376 </ b> D of the conveying member 376 and the distance of the gap. In the image forming apparatus 10, when the outer peripheral surface 376D of the transport member 376 and the bottom surface of the second transport path 375C are provided in contact with each other, the length L1 in the extending direction of the film member 377 is What is necessary is just to exceed the distance from the edge part 376A to the outer peripheral surface 376D of the conveying member 376.

  The fixture 378 is an annular member that is externally fitted to the shaft end portion 376A so as to sandwich the one end portion 377B of the film member 377 with the shaft end portion 376A. For example, as shown in FIG. 7, the fixture 378 is formed by bending a narrow strip-shaped sheet metal member into a C shape, and the curvature between the center portion and both end portions in the arc direction changes. It can be elastically deformed. Fixing tool 378 has a through-hole 378A in which a projection 376E can be inserted in the center in the arc direction.

  The fixing member 378 is attached with the film member 377 by releasing the elastic deformation by inserting the protrusion 376E into the through hole 378A in a state where both ends in the arc direction are expanded in a direction to be separated from each other and elastically deformed. It is fitted on the shaft end 376A in the pressed state. The film member 377 is sandwiched between the fixture 378 and the shaft end portion 376A by a restoring force from elastic deformation that acts on both ends of the fixture 378 in the arc direction. As a result, the adhesive force of the double-sided tape or the like affixed to the one end 377B of the film member 377 is reduced due to long-term use of the image forming apparatus 10, and the film member 377 is prevented from being detached from the shaft end 376A. The Note that the fixing device 378 may not be provided in the image forming apparatus 10.

  The guide part 379 forms the second transport path 375C. As shown in FIG. 6, the guide part 379 has a bottom face part 379A, an arc guide part 379B, and an inclined guide part 379D. For example, the guide portion 379 is a resin member having a bottom surface portion 379A, an arc guide portion 379B, and an inclined guide portion 379D, and is attached to the end portion 375B of the first transport path 375A. The guide portion 379 may be formed integrally with the housing 371.

  The bottom surface portion 379A forms the bottom surface of the second transport path 375C. The arc guide portion 379B is provided on the opposite side of the shaft end portion 376A from the opening 375D side, and is formed on the arc along the outer peripheral surface 376D of the transport member 376. The inclined guide part 379D extends obliquely downward from the upper end part 379C in the arc direction of the arc guide part 379B in the extending direction of the second transport path 375C and tapers at the end part in the extending direction of the second transport path 375C. Create a space.

  The film member 377 rubs the arc guide portion 379B and the bottom surface portion 379A as the transport member 376 rotates. For example, when the transport member 376 is rotated in the clockwise direction, the other end 377C of the film member 377 extends from the upper end 379C of the arc guide portion 379B to the edge 375E of the bottom portion 379A on the inner surface of the guide portion 379. Rub the area between them in a bent state. Further, when the conveying member 376 is rotated counterclockwise, the other end portion 377C rubs in a state where the region between the edge portion 375E and the upper end portion 379C on the inner surface of the guide portion 379 is bent. . Accordingly, the toner conveyed to the terminal end portion 375B by the conveying member 376 is scraped out from the edge portion 375E or the upper end portion 379C by the film member 377. The inclined guide portion 379D guides the toner scraped from the edge portion 375E or the upper end portion 379C by the other end portion 377C of the film member 377 to the opening portion 375D.

  As described above, in the image forming apparatus 10, the film member 377 is provided on the shaft end portion 376 </ b> A of the conveying member 376. Accordingly, it is possible to remove the toner deposited in the region A1 between the position immediately below the shaft end 376A on the bottom surface of the second transport path 375C and the edge 375E on the shaft end 376A side of the opening 375D.

  The present invention may be applied to the drum cleaning units 315 to 345 included in the image forming units 31 to 34. For example, when each of the drum cleaning units 315 to 345 is provided with a toner conveyance path as shown in FIG. 4, a film member 377 is provided at the shaft end portion of the conveyance screw included in each of the drum cleaning units 315 to 345. May be.

  The present invention may also be applied to toner containers 316 to 346 included in the image forming units 31 to 34. For example, when each toner container 316 to 346 is provided with a toner conveyance path as shown in FIG. 4, a film member 377 is provided at the shaft end of the conveyance member that conveys the toner included in each of the toner containers 316 to 346. May be.

1: ADF
2: Image reading unit 3: Image forming unit 4: Paper feeding unit 5: Operation display unit 10: Image forming devices 31 to 34: Image forming unit 35: Optical scanning device 36: Intermediate transfer device 37: Belt cleaning unit 371: Housing 372: Cleaning member 373: Collection roller 374: Blade member 375: Toner transport path 376: Transport member 377: Film member 378: Fixing tool 379: Guide section 380: Toner storage section 38: Secondary transfer roller 39: Fixing device

Claims (6)

A first conveyance path through which toner is conveyed;
A conveyance member that is rotatably provided in the first conveyance path and has a rotation shaft having a shaft end disposed at one end of the first conveyance path, and conveys toner toward the termination; ,
A second conveying path that is continuous with the terminal end of the first conveying path and extends from the terminal end in a direction intersecting the first conveying path;
An opening formed on a bottom surface of the second conveyance path at a position separated from the rotation shaft, and from which the toner is carried out from the second conveyance path;
And a flexible film member extending beyond the outer peripheral surface of the conveying member in a direction perpendicular to the rotation axis from the shaft end.   The toner conveying device according to claim 1, wherein a length of the film member in the extending direction is equal to or longer than a distance from the shaft end portion to an edge portion of the opening on the shaft end portion side.   The film member is formed in a narrow band shape, and one end portion in the longitudinal direction is wound around and fixed to the shaft end portion, and the one end portion of the film member is interposed between the shaft end portion. The toner conveying device according to claim 1, wherein an annular fixture is fitted on the end portion of the shaft so as to be clamped. A guide portion that forms the second transport path;
The guide portion is provided on a side opposite to the opening portion side of the shaft end portion, and an arcuate arc guide portion along the outer peripheral surface of the transport member, and an upper end portion in the arc direction of the arc guide portion 4. An inclined guide portion that extends obliquely downward toward the extending direction of the second transport path from the end and forms a tapered space at an end portion in the extending direction of the second transport path. The toner conveying device according to 1.   An image forming apparatus comprising the toner conveying device according to claim 1. A transfer member to which a toner image formed on the image carrier is transferred;
A transfer unit for transferring the toner image transferred to the transfer member to a sheet;
A cleaning member that removes toner remaining on the transfer member after transfer by the transfer unit;
The image forming apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the toner conveying device conveys the toner removed by the cleaning member.

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