JP2018010328A - Waste toner storage container and image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent accumulation of waste toner in a conveyance guide part extending from a waste toner receiving port to a storage space inside a container to smoothly guide the waste toner to the storage space.SOLUTION: An image forming apparatus 1 comprises: an intermediate transfer belt 4A; a belt cleaning device 16 that removes waste toner from the intermediate transfer belt 4A to discharge the waste toner; and a waste toner storage container 50 that stores the waste toner discharged from the belt cleaning device 16. The waste toner storage container 50 is provided with a guide part 67 on its lateral face and an upper stage conveying screw 61 in its inside in a rotatable manner. The guide part 67 is provided with a movement mechanism 90 in its inside to cooperate with a rotation shaft 63 of the upper stage conveying screw 61. The movement mechanism 90 reciprocatingly moves a moving member 92 in the inside of the guide part 67. The guide part 67 has a regulating member 93 provided projecting in its inside, and regulates an extension end side of the moving member 92 periodically according to the reciprocating movement of the moving member 92 to bring the moving member 92 into contact with an inclined face 67B of the guide part 67.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 8

Description

  The present invention relates to a waste toner storage container that stores waste toner discharged from an image carrier and an image forming apparatus including the same.

  In an electrophotographic image forming apparatus such as a copying machine, a printer, and a FAX apparatus, generally, an electrostatic latent image formed on a photosensitive drum (image carrier) is visualized by a developer in a developing device, The visible image is transferred to a recording medium such as printing paper. At this time, toner that has not been transferred to the recording medium may remain on the surface of the photosensitive drum. Therefore, the residual toner is removed from the surface of the photosensitive drum by the cleaning device, and is collected as a waste toner in a waste toner container (see Patent Document 1).

  The cleaning device has a storage portion for temporarily storing the waste toner, and a screw is provided in the storage portion. The waste toner stored in the storage unit is conveyed in one direction by a screw and is discharged to the outside from a discharge unit provided in the storage unit. The discharge unit is connected to a waste toner storage unit, and the waste toner discharged from the discharge unit flows into the waste toner storage container and is stored in the waste toner storage container.

  Incidentally, a color image forming apparatus having a plurality of photosensitive drums includes a plurality of cleaning devices provided for each photosensitive drum. Further, the color image forming apparatus has an intermediate transfer belt (image carrier) that carries a color toner image transferred from each photosensitive drum. The color toner image on the intermediate transfer belt is transferred to a recording medium by a transfer device. At this time, the toner that has not been transferred to the recording medium remains on the surface of the intermediate transfer belt. Therefore, the color image forming apparatus is provided with a cleaning device for removing the toner remaining on the intermediate transfer belt, and the waste toner removed thereby is also stored in the waste toner storage container.

  In this type of image forming apparatus, waste toner that has flowed into the connecting portion of the waste toner container is stored in an internal storage space through a conveyance guide provided in the waste toner container. For this reason, waste toner may stay in the middle of the conveyance guide. In order to eliminate this stagnation, a plate member for scraping the waste toner staying in the conveyance guide is provided, and by operating the plate member, the staying waste toner is scraped off into the internal accommodation space. Yes.

JP 05-31482 A

  However, in the configuration of the conventional waste toner container, the waste toner may enter a gap between the plate member and the guide surface of the conveyance guide. The waste toner that has entered the gap eventually aggregates and adheres to the conveyance guide, and grows with time. In this case, there arises a problem that the path of the conveyance guide is clogged with aggregated waste toner.

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to prevent waste toner from staying in a conveyance guide section from a waste toner receiving port to a storage space in the container, and to smoothly guide the waste toner to the storage space. And an image forming apparatus including the same.

  A waste toner container according to an aspect of the present invention includes a container body, a conveyance guide unit, a conveyance unit, a conversion unit, a moving member, and a regulating member. The container main body stores waste toner discharged from an image carrier provided in the image forming apparatus. The conveyance guide portion is provided on the container main body, and has an inclined guide surface that guides the waste toner obliquely downward from a receiving port that receives the waste toner from the image carrier toward the inside of the container main body. The transport unit is rotatably provided inside the container main body, and transports the waste toner in the rotation axis direction by being rotated. The conversion unit is provided on a rotation shaft of the transport unit, and converts a rotary motion into a reciprocating motion in conjunction with the rotation of the rotation shaft. One end side of the moving member is connected to the conversion portion, and the other end side extends in the conveyance guide portion toward the receiving port, and reciprocates in a direction along the inclined guide surface as the conversion portion reciprocates. Moving. The restricting member restricts the moving member to the inclined guide surface side so that the other end side of the moving member can come into contact with the inclined guide surface. The regulating member periodically contacts the moving member according to the reciprocating movement of the moving member, and periodically pushes the moving member by pressing the moving member toward the inclined guide surface. Restrict to the inclined guide surface side.

  An image forming apparatus according to another aspect of the present invention includes the waste toner container, an image carrier, and a waste toner removing unit. The image carrier carries a toner image. The waste toner removing unit removes waste toner from the surface of the image carrier and discharges it to the waste toner container.

  According to the present invention, waste toner can be prevented from staying in the conveyance guide portion from the waste toner receiving port to the accommodation space in the container, and the waste toner can be smoothly guided to the accommodation space.

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 showing an internal configuration of the image forming apparatus shown in FIG. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of an image forming unit provided in the image forming apparatus of FIG. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating the toner flow path until the waste toner removed from the photosensitive drum and the intermediate transfer belt by the cleaning device flows into the waste toner container. FIG. 5 is a view showing the configuration of the waste toner container according to the embodiment of the present invention. 6 is a diagram showing an internal structure of the waste toner container shown in FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along section VII-VII in FIGS. 5 and 6. FIG. 8 is a view showing a state in which waste toner is stored in the waste toner container according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 9 is a view showing a modification of the restricting member according to the embodiment of the present invention.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of an image forming apparatus according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In addition, embodiment described below is only an example which actualized this invention, and does not limit the technical scope of this invention.

  FIG. 1 is an external perspective view showing a configuration of an image forming apparatus 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. Hereinafter, the present embodiment will be described using the vertical direction D1, the front-rear direction D2, and the left-right direction D3 defined in FIG. 1 with reference to the normal use state of the image forming apparatus 1.

  An image forming apparatus 1 shown in FIG. 1 is a printer. The image forming apparatus 1 prints an input image on a print sheet using a printing material such as toner. Note that the image forming apparatus 1 is not limited to a printer, and may be a facsimile, a copying machine, or a multifunction machine having these functions.

  The image forming apparatus 1 prints an image on a print sheet based on image data input from the outside via a network communication unit (not shown). As shown in FIG. 1, the image forming apparatus 1 includes a housing 2 including an outer frame cover and an inner frame.

  The image forming apparatus 1 is a so-called tandem color printer. As shown in FIG. 2, the image forming apparatus 1 includes a plurality of image forming units 3, an intermediate transfer unit 4, a secondary transfer device 5, a fixing device 6, an exposure device 7, and a paper feeding unit 8. , A paper discharge unit 9, a control unit 10, a belt cleaning device 16 (an example of a waste toner removing unit of the present invention), and a waste toner container 50.

  The plurality of image forming units 3 (3A to 3D) are arranged in parallel in the front-rear direction D2. The plurality of image forming units 3 form toner images having different colors. In FIG. 2, the image forming unit 3A located at the rearmost side forms a toner image with black toner. The second image forming unit 3B from the back forms a toner image with yellow toner. The third image forming unit 3C from the back forms a toner image with cyan toner. Then, the foremost image forming unit 3D forms a toner image with magenta toner. Each of the image forming units 3 includes a photosensitive drum 11, a charging device 12, a developing device 13, a primary transfer device 14, and a drum cleaning device 15. Accordingly, the image forming apparatus 1 includes a plurality of photosensitive drums 11, a developing device 13, a drum cleaning device 15, and the like.

  The intermediate transfer unit 4 includes an intermediate transfer belt 4A (an example of the image carrier of the present invention), a driving roller 4B, and a driven roller 4C. The intermediate transfer belt 4A carries a toner image composed of a plurality of color toner images (four colors in this embodiment). The intermediate transfer belt 4 </ b> A is supported by the drive roller 4 </ b> B and the driven roller 4 </ b> C so that the intermediate transfer belt 4 </ b> C can be rotationally driven, so that the surface of the intermediate transfer belt 4 </ b> A can move (run). When the intermediate transfer belt 4 </ b> A is rotationally driven, the surface thereof passes between the photosensitive drum 11 and the primary transfer device 14. At that time, the toner images of the respective colors carried on the plurality of photosensitive drums 11 are sequentially transferred to the intermediate transfer belt 4A so as to overlap each other.

  The secondary transfer device 5 transfers the toner image transferred to the intermediate transfer belt 4 </ b> A onto the print sheet conveyed from the paper supply unit 8. The print sheet on which the toner image is transferred is conveyed to the fixing device 6. The fixing device 6 includes a heating roller 6A and a pressure roller 6B. The fixing device 6 conveys the print sheet on which the toner image is transferred while applying heat and pressure. As a result, the toner image is melted and fixed on the print sheet. The print sheet on which the toner image is fixed is conveyed further downstream, and is discharged and held in a tray-shaped paper discharge unit 9 arranged in the information of the intermediate transfer unit 4.

  The belt cleaning device 16 is disposed on the front side of the intermediate transfer unit 4. The belt cleaning device 16 includes a cleaning roller 24 that is a cleaning member, a screw member 25, and a toner box 26. The cleaning roller 24 is disposed so as to face the driven roller 4C, and the surface thereof is in contact with the intermediate transfer belt 4A. The cleaning roller 24 is rotatably supported in the toner box 26. When the rotational driving force is input to the support shaft of the cleaning roller 24, the cleaning roller 24 rotates. The cleaning roller 24 has substantially the same length as the intermediate transfer belt 4A. The cleaning roller 24 rotates while being in contact with the intermediate transfer belt 4 </ b> A, thereby removing toner remaining on the surface of the intermediate transfer belt 4 </ b> A after the transfer by the secondary transfer device 5. The removed toner (hereinafter referred to as “waste toner”) is taken into the toner box 26 by the action of gravity or the rotational force of the cleaning roller 24. The waste toner taken into the toner box 26 is conveyed by the screw member 25. A discharge port 27 (see FIG. 4) is formed on the right end portion side of the bottom surface of the toner box 26. The screw member 25 has a spiral blade around a cylindrical shaft member. When the screw member 25 is rotated, the waste toner is conveyed toward the discharge port 27 through the toner box 26 under the action of the blades. Thereafter, waste toner is discharged from the discharge port 27 to the outside. That is, the toner remaining on the surface of the intermediate transfer belt 4A is removed by the belt cleaning device 16 and discharged from the intermediate transfer belt 4A as waste toner.

  FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing the photosensitive drum 11, the developing device 13, and the drum cleaning device 15 in the image forming unit 3. Each of the plurality of image forming units 3 has the same configuration except that the color of toner used is different.

  The photosensitive drum 11 is a cylindrical rotating body having a photosensitive layer formed on the surface thereof. The photosensitive drum 11 is rotatably supported inside the housing 2 and rotates in a predetermined direction when a rotational driving force is input. A corresponding color toner image is carried on the surface of the photosensitive drum 11. Specifically, when the exposure device 7 exposes the surface of the photoconductive drum 11 while the surface of the photoconductive drum 11 is charged to a predetermined potential by the charging device 12, an electrostatic latent image is formed on the surface of the photoconductive drum 11. An image is formed. The electrostatic latent image is developed by a developing device 13 described later, whereby the toner image is carried on the surface of the photosensitive drum 11. The toner image on the photosensitive drum 11 is transferred to the intermediate transfer belt 4A by the primary transfer device 14.

  The developing device 13 visualizes the electrostatic latent image formed on the surface of the photosensitive drum 11 with the developer. The developing device 13 includes a developing case 37 and a magnet roller 38. A developer containing toner is accommodated in the developing case 37. The magnet roller 38 is used for development and is rotatably supported in the development case 37. A bias having the same polarity as the charging polarity of the photosensitive drum 11 is applied to the magnet roller 38. The developing case 37 is provided with a stirring screw (not shown). By rotating the stirring screw, the developer is stirred and the toner is charged to a predetermined charge. Further, the charged toner is conveyed to a position facing the photoconductive drum 11 by the magnet roller 38, and the toner is ejected from the position facing the electrostatic latent image on the surface of the photoconductive drum 11. As a result, the electrostatic latent image on the photosensitive drum 11 is developed. The developing case 37 is provided with a toner supply port 40, and toner is supplied to the developing case 37 from a toner container (not shown) via the toner supply port 40.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the developing case 37 of the developing device 13 has a partition wall 35. The partition wall 35 is erected on the bottom surface of the developing case 37 along the longitudinal direction of the developing case 37 (the direction corresponding to the left-right direction D3). The partition wall 35 divides the internal space of the developing case 37 into two spaces. Each of the two spaces communicates with the communicating portions 31 and 32 at both ends in the longitudinal direction. A screw member 33 (see FIG. 3) is provided in each of the two spaces to convey the developer while stirring. By the rotation of the screw member 33, the developer in the developing case 37 is circulated and conveyed through the spaces along the circulation path 30 (see the two-dot chain line in FIG. 4).

  The drum cleaning device 15 is disposed on the rear side of the photosensitive drum 11. The drum cleaning device 15 is provided for each photosensitive drum 11. The drum cleaning device 15 includes a cleaning blade 41 that is a cleaning member, a cleaning roller 42, a screw member 43, and a toner box 44. The cleaning blade 41 and the cleaning roller 42 have substantially the same length as the photosensitive drum 11. The tip of the cleaning blade 41 is disposed in contact with or close to the surface of the photosensitive drum 11. The cleaning roller 42 is rotatably supported in the toner box 44. When the rotational driving force is input to the support shaft of the cleaning roller 42, the cleaning roller 42 rotates. When the photosensitive drum 11 is rotated, the cleaning blade 41 removes toner remaining on the surface of the photosensitive drum 11 after transfer by the primary transfer device 14. The removed toner (hereinafter referred to as “waste toner”) is taken into the toner box 44 by the action of gravity or the rotational force of the cleaning roller 42. The waste toner taken into the toner box 44 is conveyed by the screw member 43 in the discharge direction indicated by the arrow 47 in FIG. A discharge port 45 (see FIG. 4) is formed in the side wall at the right end of the toner box 44. The screw member 43 has a spiral blade around a cylindrical shaft member. When the screw member 43 is rotated, the waste toner is conveyed toward the discharge port 45 through the toner box 44 under the action of the blades. Thereafter, waste toner is discharged from the discharge port 45 to the outside. That is, the toner remaining on the surface of the photosensitive drum 11 is removed by the drum cleaning device 15 and discharged from the photosensitive drum 11 as waste toner.

  The photosensitive drum 11 and the drum cleaning device 15 are unitized as a drum unit 17 (see FIG. 4). A discharge port 45 provided in the drum cleaning device 15 protrudes from a housing (not shown) of the drum unit 17 to the outside, and is connected to a receiving port 65 (65A to 65D) of a waste toner container 50 described later.

  FIG. 4 shows a discharge flow until the waste toner removed from the photosensitive drum 11 by the drum cleaning device 15 and the waste toner removed from the intermediate transfer belt 4A by the belt cleaning device 16 are discharged to the waste toner storage container 50. It is explanatory drawing of a road.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the waste toner removed by the drum cleaning device 15 is conveyed by the screw member 43 in the discharge direction (see arrow 47) toward the right side of the left-right direction D <b> 3 of the image forming apparatus 1. The waste toner conveyed to the right end portion of the toner box 44 is discharged from the discharge port 45 through the receiving port 65 (65A to 65D) of the waste toner storage container 50 to the inside of the container main body 52 described later.

  Further, the waste toner removed from the intermediate transfer belt 4A by the belt cleaning device 16 is conveyed by the screw member 25 in the discharge direction (see arrow 48) toward the right side of the left-right direction D3 of the image forming apparatus 1. The waste toner conveyed to the right end side of the toner box 26 passes from the discharge port 27 on the bottom surface of the toner box 26 to the inside of the container main body 52 to be described later through the receiving port 65 (65E) of the waste toner container 50. Discharged.

  The waste toner container 50 is provided in the housing 2. As shown in FIG. 2, the waste toner container 50 is disposed below the intermediate transfer belt 4A. Further, as shown in FIG. 4, the waste toner container 50 is disposed further to the right than the right end portions of the drum cleaning device 15 and the belt cleaning device 16.

  As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the waste toner container 50 includes a container main body 52, an upper transport screw 61 (an example of the transport unit of the present invention), a lower transport screw 62, and a moving mechanism 90. I have. Here, FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the waste toner container 50 as viewed from the right side. FIG. 6 is a side view of the waste toner container 50 as viewed from the right side. For convenience of explanation, in FIG. 5 and FIG. 6, illustration of the cover portion constituting the container main body 52 is omitted.

  The container main body 52 includes a main body case 52A and a cover portion (not shown). The container body 52 is formed in a shape that is long in the front-rear direction D2. The main body case 52 </ b> A forms a left side (image forming unit 3 side) portion of the container main body 52, and the cover portion forms a right side portion of the container main body 52. By attaching the cover portion to the right side surface of the container body 52, the container body 52 having an accommodation space is formed.

  The waste toner discharged from the drum cleaning device 15 and the belt cleaning device 16 is accommodated in the container main body 52. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 5, five receiving ports 65 (65 </ b> A to 65 </ b> E) are provided on the left side surface of the main body case 52 </ b> A, and waste toner flows from each receiving port 65.

  As shown in FIG. 5, four receiving ports 65 (65A to 65D) having the same shape are provided on the left side surface of the main body case 52A. Each of the receiving ports 65A to 65D is equally spaced in the front-rear direction D2, and is disposed at substantially the same height position. The receiving port 65A is located on the most rear side. The receiving port 65A is provided at a position corresponding to the image forming unit 3A that forms a black toner image, and is connected to the discharge port 45 of the drum cleaning device 15 of the image forming unit 3A. That is, the black waste toner removed and discharged from the photosensitive drum 11 by the drum cleaning device 15 of the image forming unit 3A flows into the container main body 52 from the receiving port 65A. Similarly, the receiving port 65B is provided at a position corresponding to the image forming unit 3B that forms a yellow toner image. The receiving port 65C is provided at a position corresponding to the image forming unit 3C that forms a cyan toner image. The receiving port 65D is provided at a position corresponding to the image forming unit 3D that forms a magenta toner image. The receiving ports 65A to 65D are formed at the tip of a cylindrical portion 66 protruding leftward from the left side surface of the main body case 52A. The cylindrical portion 66 serves as a conveyance path that guides the waste toner that has entered the receiving ports 65 </ b> A to 65 </ b> D to the inside of the container main body 52.

  The container main body 52 is provided with a guide portion 67 (an example of the conveyance guide portion of the present invention). The guide portion 67 is provided on the most front side of the left side surface of the main body case 52A. The guide portion 67 has a shape protruding from the left side surface to the left side, and has an upper wall 67A having an upper surface formed as a horizontal flat surface. A receiving port 65E is provided on the foremost side of the left side surface of the main body case 52A. Specifically, a receiving port 65E is formed at the protruding end of the upper wall 67A of the guide portion 67. The receiving port 65E is an opening opened upward. The inside of the guide portion 67 is hollow and communicates from the receiving port 65E to the inside of the container body 52. On the bottom side of the guide portion 67, there is an inclined surface 67B (an example of an inclined guide surface of the present invention) that is inclined obliquely downward from the receiving port 65E toward the inside of the container body 52. The receiving port 65 </ b> E is formed at a position corresponding to the belt cleaning device 16. Specifically, the receiving port 65 </ b> E is formed at a position connectable to the discharge port 27 of the toner box 26. The discharge port 27 and the receiving port 65E are connected directly or indirectly by a conveyance guide member or the like (not shown). For this reason, the waste toner discharged from the discharge port 27 can flow into the receiving port 65E. Therefore, when the waste toner removed and discharged from the intermediate transfer belt 4A by the belt cleaning device 16 flows into the receiving port 65A, the waste toner passes through the inside of the guide portion 67 from the receiving port 65E and obliquely downward along the inclined surface 67B. Move to. That is, the waste toner moves downward as guided by the inclined surface 67B and flows into the storage space of the container main body 52.

  The container main body 52 is provided with an upper conveyance screw 61 in the container main body 52 and a lower conveyance screw 62 below the container main body 52 in order to eliminate the unevenness of the waste toner volume due to the deviation of the inflow amount of the waste toner. ing. The upper conveyance screw 61 and the lower conveyance screw 62 are rotatably provided inside the container main body 52.

  The upper conveyance screw 61 is rotatably provided in the container main body 52 in the vicinity of the middle in the vertical direction D1. The upper conveyance screw 61 passes through the side walls 54 and 55 located at both ends in the longitudinal direction and is rotatably supported by the bearings 101 and 102 in a state of being spanned over the side walls 54 and 55. The upper conveyance screw 61 is rotationally driven by a drive motor (not shown) via a drive transmission mechanism 110 described later. The upper conveyance screw 61 conveys waste toner in the container main body 52 in the rotation axis direction by being rotated.

  In the present embodiment, the upper conveyance screw 61 includes a rear conveyance unit 61A and a front conveyance unit 61B. In the upper conveyance screw 61, the rear conveyance unit 61A and the front conveyance unit 61B are arranged coaxially. That is, the rear conveyance unit 61 </ b> A is located on the rear side of the upper conveyance screw 61. The rear conveyance unit 61A is an example of the first conveyance unit of the present invention, and conveys the waste toner to the front side in the rotation axis direction by being rotated. Further, the front conveyance unit 61B is provided adjacent to the front side of the upper conveyance screw 61, that is, the front side in the rotation axis direction of the rear conveyance unit 61A. The front conveyance unit 61B is rotated to convey the waste toner to the rear side in the rotation axis direction. The waste toner is transported by spiral blades formed on the upper transport screw 61. In the present embodiment, the blades of the rear conveyance unit 61A and the blades of the front conveyance unit 61B are formed at different angles. Accordingly, when the upper conveyance screw 61 is rotated, the rear conveyance unit 61A and the front conveyance unit 61B convey the waste toner in different directions (opposite directions).

  In the present embodiment, the upper conveyance screw 61 will be described with respect to the configuration having the rear conveyance portion 61A and the front conveyance portion 61B, but the upper conveyance screw 61 has a configuration without the front conveyance portion 61B, that is, It may consist only of the rear conveyance unit 61A.

  The lower conveyance screw 62 is rotatably provided in the container main body 52 on the lower side in the vertical direction D1. Specifically, the lower conveyance screw 62 is provided below the upper conveyance screw 61 and in parallel with the upper conveyance screw 61. The lower conveyance screw 62 passes through the side walls 54 and 55 located at both ends in the longitudinal direction and is rotatably supported by the bearings 103 and 104 in a state of being spanned over the side walls 54 and 55. The lower conveyance screw 62 is rotationally driven by a drive motor (not shown) via a drive transmission mechanism 110 described later. The lower conveyance screw 62 conveys the waste toner on the bottom side in the container main body 52 to the rear side in the rotation axis direction by being rotated. The lower conveying screw 62 is rotated so as to convey the waste toner flowing in from the receiving port 65E backward so as to be away from the receiving port 65E.

  In the present embodiment, the waste toner transport force by the upper transport screw 61 is set to be larger than the waste toner transport force by the lower transport screw 62. Specifically, the conveying force can be varied by changing the size of the blades included in the upper conveyance screw 61 and the lower conveyance screw 62 or by varying the inclination angle of the blades. Further, the rotational speeds of the upper transport screw 61 and the lower transport screw 62 may be made different. The conveyance force can also be expressed as an amount (conveyance amount) by which the waste toner moves per unit time.

  A drive transmission mechanism 110 is provided on the side wall 54. The drive transmission mechanism 110 includes a gear 111 and a gear 112. The gear 111 is connected to the end of the rotating shaft 63 of the upper conveyance screw 61 that penetrates the side wall 54 to the outside, and is provided coaxially with the upper conveyance screw 61. The gear 112 is connected to the end of the rotating shaft 64 of the lower conveyance screw 62 that penetrates the side wall 54 to the outside, and is provided coaxially with the lower conveyance screw 62. The gear 111 and the gear 112 are meshed with each other. The gear 111 is connected to the drive motor via an idle gear so as to be able to transmit drive. When the rotational driving force of the drive motor is transmitted to the drive transmission mechanism 110, the gear 111 is rotated in the direction of the arrow 71, and the upper conveyance screw 61 is also rotated in the same direction. Thereby, the rear conveyance unit 61A can convey the waste toner to the front side, and the front side conveyance unit 61B can convey the waste toner to the rear side. On the other hand, the gear 112 is rotated in the direction opposite to that of the gear 111 (the direction indicated by the arrow 72), and the lower conveyance screw 62 is also rotated in the same direction. Accordingly, the lower conveyance screw 62 can convey the waste toner to the rear side.

  In the process in which the waste toner passes through the guide portion 67 and is transported to the storage space of the container main body 52, the waste toner may stay in the middle of the guide portion 67. In order to eliminate this stagnation, in this embodiment, a moving mechanism 90 having a moving member 92 described later is provided in the container main body 52.

  The moving mechanism 90 includes an eccentric shaft 91 (an example of the conversion unit of the present invention) and a moving member 92.

  As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the eccentric shaft 91 converts the rotary motion into a reciprocating motion in conjunction with the rotation of the rotary shaft 63, and is provided on the rotary shaft 63 of the upper conveyance screw 61. ing. The eccentric shaft 91 is formed integrally with the rotating shaft 63 at the front end of the rotating shaft 63. The eccentric shaft 91 has an axis whose center position is shifted from the rotation shaft 63. For this reason, when the rotational driving force is input to the rotating shaft 63 and rotates, the eccentric shaft 91 rotates around the rotating shaft 63 in conjunction with the rotation. In the present embodiment, the eccentric shaft 91 is a columnar member formed in a size larger than the outer diameter of the rotating shaft 63, and rotates in a state where the center is separated from the center of the rotating shaft 63 in the direction perpendicular to the axis. It is formed integrally with the shaft 63. One end of a moving member 92 is connected to the eccentric shaft 91. As described above, when the eccentric shaft 91 rotates around the rotation shaft 63, the moving member 92 reciprocates. The eccentric shaft 91 is not limited to the cylindrical member as described above, and may be any shaft as long as it has an axis whose center position is deviated from the rotation shaft 63. Good. The eccentric shaft 91 may have at least a structure that converts the rotational motion of the rotational shaft 63 into a reciprocating motion.

  7 and 8 are views showing the moving member 92. FIG. One end of the moving member 92 is connected to the eccentric shaft 91, and reciprocates in the direction along the inclined surface 67 </ b> B of the guide portion 67 by the reciprocating force received from the eccentric shaft 91. The moving member 92 includes a connecting portion 94 that is externally fitted to the eccentric shaft 91, a plate-like base portion 95 that extends from the connecting portion 94 toward the receiving port 65 </ b> E, and a base portion 95. And an arm portion 96 extending toward the receiving port 65E. The moving member 92 is a resin product, in which a connecting portion 94, a base portion 95, and an arm portion 96 are integrally formed. The arm portion 96 has a configuration in which three comb teeth portions 96B are provided in a skewer shape on a rod-like member 96A extending from a corner portion of the extending end portion of the base portion 95 toward the receiving port 65E. The comb tooth portion 96B1 located on the most extended end side is brought into contact with the inclined surface 67B by its own weight unless it is disturbed by waste toner or the like existing in the guide portion 67.

  When the rotating shaft 63 is rotated, the eccentric shaft 91 is rotated, and the rotational motion of the rotating shaft 63 is converted into a reciprocating motion by the eccentric shaft 91. At this time, the reciprocating motion is transmitted from the connecting portion 94 to the moving member 92, and the moving member 92 reciprocates in the direction along the inclined surface 67B. For this reason, even when the waste toner stays in the guide portion 67, the waste toner is agitated while being scraped off by the reciprocating moving member 92 and moves downward along the inclined surface 67B.

  However, there are cases where the waste toner staying on the inclined surface 67B cannot be scraped off sufficiently. For example, when the eccentric shaft 91 rotates, a gap is generated between the moving member 92 and the inclined surface 67B, and if waste toner enters the gap, the waste toner is hardly scraped off. Eventually, it aggregates and adheres to the inclined surface 67B of the guide portion 67, and grows greatly with the passage of time. In this case, the waste toner cannot be scraped off. In addition, as described above, the moving member 92 is a resin product, and since it is a small member that is disposed in a narrow space in the guide portion 67, its weight is light. Therefore, when the amount of waste toner discharged is large, the moving member 92 may only reciprocate on the upper layer of the waste toner on the inclined surface 67B and may not be sufficiently scraped off. In order to solve such a problem, in this embodiment, a regulating member 93 is provided inside the container body 52.

  The restricting member 93 is provided inside the guide portion 67. The regulating member 93 presses the moving member 92 against the inclined surface 67B so that the extending end side of the moving member 92 can be brought into contact with the inclined surface 67B. In other words, the restricting member 93 restricts the upward displacement of the moving member 92 so that the comb tooth portion 96B1 of the moving member 92 is not separated from the inclined surface 67B. In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 7, the guide portion 67 has a side wall 67C extending upward from the inclined surface 67B. The regulating member 93 is a projecting member provided in a projecting manner on the inner surface of the side wall 67C. The restricting member 93 protrudes perpendicularly from the inner surface of the side wall 67C and is formed in a rib shape extending substantially parallel to the inclined surface 67B. The restricting member 93 is not limited to a rib shape, and may be a columnar protrusion.

  As shown in FIG. 8, the restricting member 93 is in a state (the state shown in FIG. 8A) in which the eccentric shaft 91 is rotated and disposed at the position closest to the receiving port 65 </ b> E. Is in contact with the upper end of the arm portion 96 of the moving member 92 and is disposed at a position where the moving member 92 can be regulated downward (that is, upward displacement can be regulated). In the state where the eccentric shaft 91 is arranged at the position farthest from the receiving port 65E (the state shown in FIG. 8B), the moving member 92 is not regulated by the regulating member 93.

  Since the restricting member 93 is provided at such a position, the comb tooth portion 96B1 comes into contact with the inclined surface 67B by the restricting member 93 in the process in which the moving member 92 is reciprocated. Further, since the moving member 92 is periodically regulated by the regulating member 93 according to the reciprocating movement of the moving member 92, the moving member 92 moves in the upper layer portion of the waste toner staying on the inclined surface 67B. Even if it exists, the comb-tooth part 96B1 is contact | abutted to the inclined surface 67B periodically. Therefore, the waste toner can be reliably scraped off at the guide portion 67, and the occurrence of clogging of the guide portion 67 due to the retention of the waste toner can be prevented. Accordingly, the waste toner that has flowed into the receiving port 65E is smoothly guided to the storage space of the container body 52.

  In the above-described embodiment, the configuration in which the moving mechanism 90 and the regulating member 93 are provided in the guide portion 67 that guides the waste toner discharged from the intermediate transfer belt 4A is illustrated. However, the present invention is not limited to the above-described configuration. I can't. For example, the moving mechanism 90 may be applied to the cylindrical portion 66 that guides the waste toner from the photosensitive drum 11. In this case, the regulating member 93 is provided on the inner wall of the cylindrical portion 66.

  In the above-described embodiment, the restricting member 93 provided on the side wall 67C of the guide portion 67 is exemplified, but the present invention is not limited to the restricting member 93 described above. As shown in FIG. 9, the moving member 92 may be regulated downward by a regulating member 98 provided in the moving member 92 instead of the regulating member 93. Here, the regulating member 98 is provided on the upper portion of the arm portion 96 of the moving member 92. More specifically, the regulating member 98 is a protruding member that protrudes upward from the upper portion of the arm portion 96. The upper end portion 98A of the restricting member 98 is formed in an arc shape, and the upper end portion 98A is the back surface of the upper wall 67A in a state where the eccentric shaft 91 is disposed at the most vertically upper position (the state shown in FIG. 9). Abut. Even in such a restricting member 98, the comb tooth portion 96B1 abuts on the inclined surface 67B by the restricting member 98 in the process in which the moving member 92 is reciprocated.

1: Image forming apparatus 4: Intermediate transfer unit 4A: Intermediate transfer belt 11: Photoconductor drum 13: Developing device 15: Drum cleaning device 16: Belt cleaning device 50: Waste toner container 52: Container body 61: Upper transport screw 67 : Guide part 90: Movement mechanism 91: Eccentric shaft 92: Movement member 93, 98: Restriction member

Claims (5)

A container main body for storing waste toner discharged from an image carrier provided in the image forming apparatus;
A conveyance guide portion provided on the container main body and having an inclined guide surface for guiding the waste toner obliquely downward from a receiving port for receiving the waste toner from the image carrier toward the inside of the container main body;
A conveyance unit that is rotatably provided in the container body and conveys the waste toner in the rotation axis direction by being rotated;
A conversion unit that is provided on a rotation shaft of the transport unit and converts a rotational motion into a reciprocating motion in conjunction with the rotation of the rotation shaft;
One end side is connected to the conversion part, the other end side is extended toward the receiving port in the conveyance guide part, and a moving member that reciprocates in the direction along the inclined guide surface with the reciprocation of the conversion part; ,
A regulating member for regulating the moving member to the inclined guide surface side so that the other end side of the moving member can come into contact with the inclined guide surface;
The regulating member periodically abuts on the moving member in accordance with the reciprocating movement of the moving member and presses the moving member toward the inclined guide surface, thereby periodically moving the moving member on the inclined guide surface side. Waste toner container that regulates The conveyance guide portion has a side wall extending upward from the inclined guide surface,
The waste toner container according to claim 1, wherein the restricting member is a protruding member that protrudes from the side wall and abuts against an upper end of the moving member on the other end side to restrict the moving member downward. . The transport guide portion has an upper wall including the receiving port opened upward,
2. The waste toner according to claim 1, wherein the restriction member is a protruding member that protrudes upward from an upper portion of the moving member and that abuts against an inner surface of the upper wall to restrict the moving member downward. Containment container. The image carrier is a transfer belt that carries toner images of a plurality of colors that are transferred during an image forming process in the image forming apparatus,
The conveyance guide unit is disposed at one end of the container main body in the direction of the rotation axis, and receives waste toner from the transfer belt and guides the toner toward the inside of the container main body. A waste toner container according to any one of the above. A waste toner container according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
An image carrier for carrying a toner image;
An image forming apparatus comprising: a waste toner removing unit that removes waste toner from the surface of the image carrier and discharges the waste toner into the waste toner container.

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