JP2019174495A - Image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide an image forming apparatus in which a recovery container recovering a waste toner is removably attached to an apparatus body, the image forming apparatus capable of preventing a reduction in the accuracy of detecting the waste toner.SOLUTION: In a recovery container 12, a cover 60 having a window 63 is arranged on a left side wall 123 with an elastic member 70. On an apparatus body, an optical sensor, and positioning members for positioning the cover 60 with respect to the apparatus body are fixedly arranged. When the recovery container 12 is attached to the apparatus body, the positioning members on the apparatus body receive the cover 60 of the recovery container 12 that is urged by a restoring force of the compressively deformed elastic member 70, and thereby the cover 60 is positioned with respect to the apparatus body.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

  The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus in which a collection container for receiving and collecting waste toner discharged from an apparatus main body is detachable from the apparatus main body.

  In an image forming apparatus such as a printer that transfers a toner image formed on an image carrier such as a photosensitive drum or an intermediate transfer belt to a transfer material such as a recording sheet, the residual toner remaining on the image carrier after the transfer is removed by a cleaner. Generally, the removed residual toner is transported from a cleaner to a collection container as a waste toner and collected.

  The collection container can be attached to and detached from the device main body. When the waste toner in the collection container is full, the user removes the collection container from the device main body, and then inserts and installs an empty collection container into the device main body. I do.

  As a method for detecting that the collection container is full of waste toner, a translucent window is arranged on the side wall of the collection container, and the collection container can be transmitted through the window while it is attached to the main body. There is a method of using an optical sensor that monitors the amount of waste toner in the collection container from the window using detection light. This optical sensor is disposed on the apparatus main body side.

JP 2009-186835 A JP 2009-186836 A

  In a configuration where the user performs the work of mounting the collection container on the main body of the device, the recovery is performed so that the detection light of the optical sensor on the main body of the device is incident on the window of the recovery container after mounting at an angle suitable for detecting waste toner. It is desirable to position the container in the apparatus body.

  Conventionally, a positioning member, for example, a pin on the collection container side and a fixing plate having a hole into which the pin enters are provided on the apparatus body side at some locations on the apparatus main body and the collection container. Yes.

  When the collection container is set on the apparatus main body, the pin on the collection container side is fitted into the corresponding hole of the fixing plate on the apparatus main body side, so that the position of the collection container on the apparatus main body can be determined. . By reducing the difference between the pin diameter and the fixing plate hole as much as possible, rattling when the pin is fitted into the fixing plate hole is reduced. It is done.

  Higher positioning accuracy is desirable, but on the other hand, the smaller the difference between the pin diameter and the fixing plate hole, the more smoothly the pin fits into the fixing plate hole during installation. It becomes difficult.

  For this reason, conventionally, considering the user's setting workability, the diameter of the hole of the fixing plate is made slightly larger than the diameter of the pin, and the difference, for example, the shakiness of about several millimeters is allowed.

  However, within the range of shakiness, the collection container may be set in an upright posture that is straight with respect to the vertical direction, for example, or may be set in an inclined posture that is slightly inclined from the upright posture.

  When the collection container is set in an inclined posture, the collection container window is also inclined with respect to the upright posture, and the incident angle of the detection light of the optical sensor on the collection container window varies. In the upright position, even if the waste toner can be detected normally by the detection light incident on the window, if it is in the inclined position, the detection light incident on the window is irregularly reflected due to the variation in the incident angle, thereby improving the detection accuracy of the waste toner. May decrease.

  Further, if the window of the collection container is too close to or too far from the optical sensor, the detection light incident position on the window tends to vary. For example, if the edge off the center of the window becomes the incident position, most of the detection light escapes out of the window and only a part of the light can pass through the window, leading to a decrease in detection accuracy or the above-described backlash. Depending on the size of the protrusion, the window may come into contact with the optical sensor, and the detection light may not be correctly incident on the window, leading to a decrease in detection accuracy.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and provides an image forming apparatus capable of preventing a reduction in detection accuracy of waste toner in a configuration in which a collection container for collecting waste toner is detachable from the apparatus main body. The purpose is to do.

  In order to achieve the above object, an image forming apparatus according to the present invention is an image forming apparatus in which a collection container for receiving and collecting waste toner discharged from the apparatus main body is configured to be detachable from the apparatus main body. The recovery container is provided with a container body in which a through-hole is formed, an elastic member, and a transparent window, and is supported by the container body via the elastic member on the outside of the container body. A cover that is movable to a position where the window faces the through-hole when the elastic member is elastically deformed in a state of covering the through-hole of the container main body, and the apparatus main body includes the attached collection container The device has an abutting portion that contacts the cover, and is urged by the elastic force of the elastic member that is elastically deformed, and receives the cover at a position where the window faces the through hole. Book And an optical sensor that optically monitors waste toner accumulated in the container body through a through-hole of the container body from the window of the positioned cover. It is characterized by.

  The cover is plate-shaped, and the elastic member is a plate-shaped member interposed between the container main body and the first main surface of the cover on the side close to the container main body. A hole that is elastically deformed by contraction and penetrates in the thickness direction is provided, and the contact portion of the positioning member is the first of the cover to which the elastic force of the elastic member contracted in the thickness direction is applied. The second main surface opposite to the main surface may be received, and the window may face the through hole of the container body through the hole of the elastic member.

  The collection container is attached to the apparatus main body by inserting the collection container into the apparatus main body in a direction orthogonal to the thickness direction of the elastic member, and is attached to the second main surface of the cover. An inclined surface is formed at the distal end portion in the insertion direction, and during the operation of inserting the collection container into the apparatus main body, the inclined surface of the cover hits the contact portion of the positioning member, and the cover The elastic member may be elastically deformed in the thickness direction by approaching the container body via the elastic member according to the angle of the inclined surface with respect to the insertion direction.

  Here, an inclined surface for guiding the inclined surface of the cover may be formed at the contact portion of the positioning member.

  The recovery container is attached to the apparatus main body by inserting the container main body, the elastic member, and the cover into the apparatus main body in a direction in which the recovery container is inserted in this order, and the recovery container is inserted into the apparatus main body. During the operation, the second main surface of the cover hits the contact portion of the positioning member, and the cover approaches the container body via the elastic member, whereby the elastic member is elastically deformed in the thickness direction. You may do that.

  Further, the through hole is provided in a side wall of the container main body, the cover is plate-shaped, and the elastic member is movable by elastic deformation of the elastic member in a posture along the side wall of the container main body. The contact portion of the positioning member may receive the cover in a posture along the side wall of the container body against the elastic force.

  Here, the collection container is inserted into the apparatus main body in a direction along the side wall of the container main body and in a direction orthogonal to the direction in which the elastic force of the elastic member acts on the cover. When the distal end portion of the cover in the insertion direction hits the contact portion of the positioning member during the operation of inserting the collection container into the apparatus main body, the cover is moved along the side wall of the container main body. The elastic member may be elastically deformed by moving in a direction against the elastic force.

  Further, the window has a cap shape and protrudes from a second main surface of the cover opposite to the first main surface on the side close to the container body, and the optical sensor includes a light emitting unit and a light receiving unit. Are arranged at intervals, and the position of the cover relative to the apparatus body is such that the tip of the cap-shaped window is located in a space between the light emitting part and the light receiving part of the optical sensor. The tip of the cap-shaped window is interposed without contacting, and the protruding direction of the cover from the second main surface of the cover has a predetermined angle with respect to the direction in which the light emitting unit and the light receiving unit are arranged. It is good also as a position to have.

  Further, a pair of positioning members for positioning the container main body on the apparatus main body may be provided on the container main body and the apparatus main body.

  If the above configuration is adopted, the cover having a light-transmitting window is positioned on the apparatus main body. From the viewpoint of the workability of setting the collection container by the user as in the prior art, for example, between the pin provided on the container main body and the hole By providing a certain amount of shakiness to the container, even if the container body is set in a slightly inclined position from the upright position, the cover of the cover positioned with respect to the apparatus body is within the range in which the elastic member can be elastically deformed. The positional relationship between the window and the optical sensor disposed in the apparatus main body is not different from that in the upright posture, and it is possible to prevent a reduction in waste toner detection accuracy.

1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a printer according to a first embodiment. It is a perspective view of a collection container. FIG. 3 is a perspective view when the collection container shown in FIG. 2 is viewed from a direction indicated by an arrow A. It is a disassembled perspective view which shows the structure of the cover and elastic member in a collection container. FIG. 5 is a perspective view when the cover shown in FIG. 4 is viewed from a direction indicated by an arrow B. FIG. 5 is a side view when the cover shown in FIG. 4 is viewed from a direction indicated by an arrow C. It is a front view when the cover shown in FIG. 4 is seen from the direction shown by arrow D. It is a perspective view which shows the structure of the optical sensor and positioning member of an apparatus main body side. (A) is a front view when the optical sensor and the positioning member shown in FIG. 8 are viewed from the container insertion direction Z, and (b) is a side view when viewed from the direction indicated by the arrow E in FIG. is there. (A)-(d) is a top view which shows a mode that the window of a collection container is positioned with respect to the optical sensor by the side of an apparatus main body by insertion of a collection container. It is sectional drawing in the FF line shown in FIG.10 (d). It is a perspective view which shows the structure of the slot opened on the side wall of the collection | recovery container which concerns on Embodiment 2, and the apparatus main body in which this is accommodated. It is a disassembled perspective view which shows the structure of the cover provided in a collection container and an elastic member. (A) is an arrow directional cross-sectional view of the cover shown in FIG. 13 and shows a state before positioning with respect to the optical sensor, and (b) shows a state of positioning. FIG. 10 is a perspective view illustrating a configuration of a collection container, an apparatus-side optical sensor, and a positioning member according to Embodiment 3. It is a disassembled perspective view which shows the structure of the cover provided in a collection container and an elastic member. (A) is a side view which shows the state before the window of a collection container is positioned with respect to the optical sensor by the side of an apparatus main body, (b) is a side view which shows the positioned state. (A) is the arrow sectional drawing of the cover in the II line | wire shown to Fig.17 (a), (b) is the arrow sectional drawing of the cover in the JJ line | wire shown in FIG.17 (b). is there.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of an image forming apparatus according to the present invention will be described by taking as an example a case where it is applied to a color printer (hereinafter simply referred to as “printer”).
<Embodiment 1>
(1) Configuration of Printer FIG. 1 is a schematic front view showing the configuration of the printer 10. In the figure, the X-axis direction corresponds to the left-right direction when the printer 10 is viewed from the front side, and the Y-axis direction corresponds to the up-down direction. Hereinafter, a direction orthogonal to both the X axis and the Y axis may be referred to as a Z axis direction (depth direction).

  As shown in the figure, the printer 10 forms an image by a known electrophotographic method, and includes image forming units 1Y, 1M, 1C, and 1K, an intermediate transfer belt 2, a paper feeding unit 3, and a fixing unit. When a print job execution instruction is received from an external terminal device (not shown) connected to a network (for example, a LAN), a yellow (Y ), Magenta (M), cyan (C), and black (K) color image formation is executed.

  The image forming units 1 </ b> Y to 1 </ b> K are located immediately below the intermediate transfer belt 2 and are juxtaposed along the traveling direction of the intermediate transfer belt 2.

  The image forming unit 1Y forms a Y-color toner image on the photosensitive drum 6 that rotates in the direction indicated by the arrow. This configuration is the same for the other image forming units 1M, 1C, and 1K, and the reference numerals are omitted in FIG. A corresponding color (Y to K) toner image is formed on each photosensitive drum 6.

  The paper feed unit 3 is disposed below the image forming units 1Y to 1K and includes paper feed cassettes 31 and 32, pickup rollers 33 and 34, a transport roller 35, a timing roller 36, and the like.

  The paper feed cassettes 31 and 32 are configured to stack and store sheets S as recording sheets. Here, the paper feed cassettes 31 and 32 have a two-stage configuration in which the paper feed cassette 32 is disposed below the paper feed cassette 31. . The sheet feeding cassettes 31 and 32 can set sheets S of different sizes, and the user can select which sheet feeding cassette to use.

  The pickup rollers 33 and 34 feed the sheet S from the paper feeding cassettes 31 and 32 to the conveyance path 30, and the conveyance roller 35 conveys the fed sheet S further downstream in the conveyance direction.

  The timing roller 36 takes a timing to send the sheet S conveyed by the conveying roller 35 to the secondary transfer roller 2a.

  The fixing unit 4 includes a fixing roller and a pressure roller, and heats and presses the sheet S at a predetermined fixing temperature to fix the toner image.

  The control unit 5 forms a corresponding toner image on the photosensitive drum 6 for each of the image forming units 1Y to 1K based on image data from an external terminal device.

  The toner image on each photosensitive drum 6 is primarily transferred onto the intermediate transfer belt 2. At this time, the image forming operation for each color is executed at different timings so that the toner image is multiplex-transferred to the same position on the intermediate transfer belt 2.

  The primary transfer for each image forming unit is preferably performed so that the entire toner image on the photosensitive drum 6 is transferred to the intermediate transfer belt 2, but actually remains on the photosensitive drum 6. There is a slight residual toner. A cleaner 7 for removing the residual toner from the photosensitive drum 6 is arranged for each image forming unit.

  The respective color toner images transferred onto the intermediate transfer belt 2 are transferred to a secondary transfer position 2b, which is a position where the secondary transfer roller 2a is pressed against the intermediate transfer belt 2 as the intermediate transfer belt 2 rotates.

  The sheet S is conveyed from the sheet feeding unit 3 via the timing roller 36 in accordance with the timing of the image forming operation, and the sheet S is rotated between the intermediate transfer belt 2 and the secondary transfer. Each color toner image on the intermediate transfer belt 2 is collectively transferred onto the sheet S at a secondary transfer position 2b.

  This secondary transfer is preferably executed so that all the color toner images on the intermediate transfer belt 2 are transferred to the sheet S, but in reality, the residual toner remaining on the intermediate transfer belt 2 is slightly reduced. Exists. A cleaner 8 for removing the residual toner from the intermediate transfer belt 2 is disposed.

  The sheet S that has passed through the secondary transfer position 2 b is conveyed to the fixing unit 4, where the toner image is fixed on the sheet S by heating and pressurization, and then discharged through the discharge roller 37 to the storage tray 38. Be contained.

  A slot 14 into which a collection container 12 for collecting waste toner removed by the cleaners 7 and 8 is inserted and mounted is provided at the bottom of the apparatus main body 11 and on the left side of the paper feed cassettes 31 and 32. It has been. Although not shown, for each of the cleaners 7 and 8, a transport pipe for transporting the waste toner to the collection container 12 is provided inside the apparatus main body 11, and the waste toner passes through each transport pipe. It is transported to the collection container 12 and accommodated and collected in the collection container 12. The collection container 12 is configured to be detachable from the apparatus main body 11 by a user.

(2) Configuration of Recovery Container FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the recovery container 12 and shows a state in which the recovery container 12 is removed from the slot 14 of the apparatus main body 11, and a part of the apparatus main body 11 is cut away. Show. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the collection container 12 shown in FIG. 2 as viewed from the direction indicated by the arrow A.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the collection container 12 has a front wall 120, a back wall 121, a right side wall 122, a left side wall 123, a top wall 124, and a bottom wall 125. The container main body 127 is formed by these walls. It is configured. The container main body 127 is long in the Z-axis direction, and has a flat outer shape with a narrow interval between the right side wall 122 and the left side wall 123. Hereinafter, the side where the front wall 120 is located in the Z-axis direction is referred to as the front side, and the side where the rear wall 121 is located is referred to as the back side.

  The container main body 127 is positioned on the long lower housing part 130 (FIG. 3) along the Z-axis direction (depth direction) and on the front side portion 138 of the lower housing part 130, and on the front side portion 138. The upper first accommodating part 131 that is in communication with the upper side second accommodating part 132 that is located on the rear side part 139 of the lower side accommodating part 130 and communicates with the rear side part 139, The waste toner from the apparatus main body 11 side is received through the waste toner receiving port 126 provided at the end on the back side, and the received waste toner is accommodated and collected in the internal space of the container main body 127.

  A rod-shaped handle 133 is passed between the upper first accommodating portion 131 and the upper second accommodating portion 132, and a handle 135 formed by a notch 134 is provided on the front wall 120. The user can hold the handles 133 and 135 and perform an operation of attaching / detaching the collection container 12 to / from the apparatus main body 11.

  A shaft body (not shown) protrudes from the back wall 121, and a gear 80 is rotatably fitted to the shaft body. The gear 80 applies a rotational driving force to a conveyance screw (not shown) arranged inside the container main body 127, and a driving force transmission mechanism (not shown) that connects the gear 80 and the conveyance screw is provided to the collection container 12. Is provided. In addition, a pin 81 for positioning the container main body 127 relative to the apparatus main body 11 protrudes from the back wall 121 at a position below the gear 80.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the slot 14 of the apparatus main body 11 is surrounded by a bottom wall 141, a right side wall 142, a left side wall 143, a top wall 144, and a back wall 145 that are long in the Z-axis direction, and the front side of the apparatus is open. It is exposed to the front side when the front cover 13 is opened.

  With the front cover 13 open, the user slides the collection container 12 on the front side of the apparatus so that the right side wall 122 slides in the arrow Z direction on the bottom wall 141 with the right side wall 122 parallel to the YZ plane. To the back of the space 146 in the slot 14 toward the back side. As a result, the gear 80 of the collection container 12 meshes with the drive gear 148 that is pivotally attached to the back wall 145 of the apparatus main body 11, and the pin 81 of the container body 127 is fitted into the hole 149 provided in the back wall 145. When the user closes the front cover 13 in this state, the front cover 13 presses the container main body 127 to the back side, and the container main body 127 is locked to the apparatus main body 11. The front cover 13 serves as a locking member that locks the container main body 127 with respect to the apparatus main body 11. Thereby, the mounting of the collection container 12 to the apparatus main body 11 is completed.

  The drive gear 148 is rotated by a rotational drive force from a drive motor (not shown) disposed in the apparatus main body 11. The gear 80 of the collection container 12 is rotated by the rotation of the drive gear 148, and the conveyance screw in the container main body 127 is rotated by the rotation of the gear 80.

  When the collection container 12 is attached to the apparatus main body 11, the waste toner receiving port 126 of the collection container 12 comes to a position facing the waste toner discharge port 147 provided on the top wall 144 of the apparatus main body 11. . The waste toner discharge port 147 is connected to the outlet of the above-described conveyance pipe that conveys the waste toner from the cleaners 7 and 8 toward the collection container 12, and the waste toner conveyed through the conveyance pipe is discharged to the waste toner discharge port. 147, and enters the container main body 127 through the waste toner receiving port 126 of the container main body 127.

  Waste toner that has entered the container main body 127 from the waste toner receiving port 126 falls and accumulates on the bottom wall 125 of the container main body 127 and is transported toward the front wall 120 by a rotating transport screw.

  The amount of waste toner collected in the container main body 127 increases, and the height of the liquid surface (upper surface of the waste toner accumulation layer) is a translucent window 63 provided on the left wall 123 (FIG. 3). If the height exceeds the above, waste toner adheres to the window 63.

  Waste toner adhering to the window 63 is optically detected by the detection light of the optical sensor 51 fixedly disposed on the left side wall 143 of the apparatus main body 11. In this way, the window 63 of the collection container 12 becomes a light-transmitting window that can optically monitor the amount of waste toner deposited inside the container main body 127 from the outside. Specific configurations of the window 63 and the optical sensor 51 will be described later.

  When the control unit 5 determines from the detection result of the optical sensor 51 that the collection container 12 is full of waste toner, the control unit 5 displays a message to that effect on the operation panel 9 disposed at the top of the apparatus main body 11. The user is prompted to replace the collection container 12. Control for prohibiting execution of the image forming job may be performed together with the message display.

  After opening the front cover 13, the user pulls out the collection container 12 filled with waste toner from the slot 14 of the apparatus main body 11 to the front side, and then attaches the empty collection container 12 to the slot 14 of the apparatus main body 11. By doing so, the recovery container 12 can be replaced.

  When the empty collection container 12 is attached, the waste toner is no longer detected by the optical sensor 51, so the control unit 5 turns off the above message. If the image forming job is prohibited, the message can be turned off and the prohibition can be canceled and the execution of the image forming job can be resumed.

  The collection container 12 is attached to the apparatus main body 11 in the state where (a) the container main body 127 is placed on the bottom wall 141 of the apparatus main body 11 and (b) the gear 80 on the collection container 12 side is on the apparatus main body 11 side. This is done by engaging with the drive gear 148 and (c) the pin 81 of the container body 127 is fitted in the hole 149 on the apparatus body 11 side, and (d) the front cover 13 is closed.

  In order to further improve the positioning accuracy of the container main body 127 with respect to the apparatus main body 11, a pair of positioning members such as pins and holes different from the above may be additionally arranged on the container main body 127 and the apparatus main body 11. .

  On the other hand, if the positioning accuracy is increased too much, as described in the above section “Problems to be solved by the invention”, it is not easy for the user to attach the collection container to the apparatus main body.

  In consideration of the workability of setting the collection container 12 to the apparatus main body 11 by the user, in this embodiment, the diameter of the hole 149 is slightly larger than the diameter of the pin 81. For example, when the diameter of the pin 81 is 5 mm, the hole The diameter of 149 is about 7 to 10 mm. As a result, a rattling of about several millimeters occurs between the pin 81 and the hole 149, but the pin 81 is more easily fitted into the hole 149 than the configuration with little rattling.

  Due to the rattling, for example, the right side wall 122 of the container main body 127 is slightly tilted within the range of shakiness relative to a straight upright attitude (solid line in the figure) along the vertical direction (see FIG. 11 may be set at the broken line W).

  When the collection container 12 is set in an inclined position, the window 63 of the collection container 12 is also inclined with respect to the upright position, and the incident angle of the detection light of the optical sensor 51 on the window 63 varies. Even when the collection container 12 is set in the upright posture, the variation in the incident angle can be detected normally by the irregular reflection of the detection light incident on the window 63 when the collection container 12 is set in the upright posture. There is a possibility that the detection accuracy of the toner is lowered.

  Therefore, in the present embodiment, even when the collection container 12 is set in an inclined posture, the posture of the window 63 of the collection container 12 with respect to the optical sensor 51 is kept the same as that in the upright posture, and the detection light of the optical sensor 51 is detected. Thus, the incident angle to the window 63 is configured so as not to vary, thereby improving the detection accuracy of the waste toner.

(3) Configuration of the window of the collection container As shown in FIG. 3, a plate-like elastic member in which the cover 60 having the window 63 is made of urethane foam on the wall portion near the front wall 120 of the left side wall 123 of the collection container 12. 70 is attached. The outer surface of the wall part to which the cover 60 is attached via the elastic member 70 among the left side walls 123 is a plane parallel to the YZ plane.

  4 is an exploded perspective view showing the configuration of the cover 60 and the elastic member 70, FIG. 5 is a perspective view when the cover 60 shown in FIG. 4 is viewed from the direction indicated by the arrow B, and FIG. 4 is a side view when the cover 60 shown in FIG. 4 is viewed from the direction indicated by the arrow C, and FIG. 7 is a front view when the cover 60 shown in FIG. Hereinafter, the arrow Z direction that is the insertion direction of the collection container 12 into the apparatus main body 11 may be referred to as a container insertion direction Z.

  As shown in FIGS. 4 to 7, the cover 60 covers the through-hole 129 provided in the left side wall 123 of the container main body 127, and extends along the container insertion direction Z on a rectangular thin flat base 61. Three long ridges 62, 63, 64 are provided at intervals in the Y-axis direction (vertical direction), and here are formed of a transparent resin material.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the protrusion 62 has a configuration in which a front end surface 620 in the protruding direction is divided into a surface 621 on the upstream side in the container insertion direction Z and a surface 622 on the downstream side with the partition 625 interposed therebetween. . The surface 621 is a plane parallel to the base 61, and the surface 622 is an inclined surface that descends in a direction approaching the base 61 from the partition 625 toward the downstream side in the container insertion direction Z.

  The protrusions 63 and 64 have the same configuration as the protrusion 62. That is, the front end surfaces 630 and 640 of the ridges 63 and 64 are divided into upstream planes 631 and 641 and downstream inclined surfaces 632 and 642 in the container insertion direction Z with the partitions 635 and 645 interposed therebetween. Here, the planes 621 and 641 are flat surfaces located on the same virtual plane 629 parallel to the YZ plane as shown in FIG. 7, and the height of the plane 631 from the base 61 is the plane 621. , 641 is slightly lower.

  Of the protrusions 62 to 64, the protrusion 63 at the center in the vertical direction forms a light-transmitting cap-shaped window, and as shown in FIG. 5, the through-hole 68 (the first hole) provided in the base 61 of the cover 60. 1 hole) is covered from the surface 66 (second main surface) side opposite to the back surface 65 (first main surface close to the container main body 127) of the cover 60, and a space is formed inside the cap-shaped window 63. 69 is formed.

  The protrusions 62 and 64 positioned above and below the window 63 are engaged with positioning members 52 and 53 (FIG. 8) on the apparatus main body 11 side, which will be described later, and the apparatus main body 11 of the window 63 on the collection container 12 side. It is used for positioning with respect to the optical sensor 51 on the side. In this sense, the ridges 62 and 64 constitute a positioned portion 67 that is positioned by the positioning members 52 and 53. The positioning method will be described later.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the elastic member 70 has a thin plate shape of, for example, about 5 mm, has approximately the same size and shape as the base 61 of the cover 60, and has a through hole 71 (through hole: 2nd hole) is provided. Here, foamed urethane is used as the material of the elastic member 70, but a resin such as sponge is used as long as it is elastic in the thickness direction and can secure the sealing between the left side wall 123 and the cover 60. be able to.

  A through hole 129 having substantially the same size as the through hole 71 of the elastic member 70 is formed in the left side wall 123. The through hole 129 of the left side wall 123 is covered with the cover 60, and the internal space 69 of the window 63 of the cover 60 is connected to the internal space 128 of the container main body 127 through the through hole 68 of the base 61 and the through hole 71 of the elastic member 70. The left side wall 123 and the back surface 72 of the elastic member 70 are fixed by adhesion or the like, and the front surface 73 of the elastic member 70 and the back surface 65 of the cover 60 are fixed by adhesion or the like so as to communicate with each other.

  By interposing the elastic member 70 between the cover 60 and the left side wall 123, when a pressing force in a direction approaching the left side wall 123 is applied to the cover 60, the elastic member 70 is compressed by an amount corresponding to the pressing force, The cover 60 approaches the left side wall 123 by the amount of compression.

  When the amount of waste toner accumulated in the collection container 12 increases and the liquid level of the accumulated waste toner exceeds the through hole 129 of the left side wall 123, the through hole 129, the through hole 71 of the elastic member 70, and the cover 60 are disposed. Waste toner enters the internal space 69 of the window 63 through the through hole 68 of the base 61 and adheres to the window 63. Waste toner adhering to the window 63 is detected by the optical sensor 51 on the apparatus main body 11 side.

(4) Configuration of Optical Sensor and Positioning Member on Apparatus Body FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing the configuration of optical sensor 51 and positioning members 52 and 53.

  As shown in the figure, the optical sensor 51 has a main body portion 511, a light emitting portion 512, and a light receiving portion 513, and is fixed so as not to move with respect to the left side wall 143 of the apparatus main body 11 via a mounting plate. Yes. The light emitting unit 512 and the light receiving unit 513 are arranged to face each other via the space 515, and the detection light Lt (broken line) is emitted from the light emitting unit 512 toward the light receiving unit 513. This space 515 is a space into which the window 63 of the recovery container 12 enters when the recovery container 12 is attached to the apparatus main body 11.

  When the waste toner accumulated in the collection container 12 does not reach the height of the window 63, since the waste toner does not enter the window 63, most of the detection light Lt emitted from the light emitting unit 512 is a transparent window. The light is received by the light receiving surface 514 of the light receiving unit 513 after passing through 63. The main body 511 outputs a signal corresponding to the amount of light received by the light receiving surface 514. Here, there is a relationship in which the signal value increases as the amount of received light increases.

  When the amount of waste toner collected in the collection container 12 increases and the accumulated waste toner reaches the height of the window 63 and the waste toner enters the internal space 69 of the window 63, it is emitted from the light emitting unit 512. The detected light Lt hits the waste toner adhering to the window 63 and is absorbed, whereby the transmission of the window 63 is blocked and the light receiving surface 514 can hardly receive light. At this time, the magnitude of the signal value from the optical sensor 51 is considerably low.

  The control unit 5 determines the magnitude J1 of the signal value to be output from the optical sensor 51 when the waste toner is not attached to the window 63, and the signal value to be output from the optical sensor 51 when the waste toner is attached. A value J3 that is intermediate to the magnitude J2 (<J1) is stored in advance as a threshold value. When the magnitude of the signal value from the optical sensor 51 is larger than the threshold value J3, it is determined that the collection container 12 is not full of waste toner, and when the value is smaller than the threshold value J3, the waste toner becomes full. Judge that

  Positioning members 52 and 53 that constitute a positioning portion 57 that determines the position of the window 63 of the collection container 12 with respect to the optical sensor 51 are positioned at positions spaced apart from each other with the optical sensor 51 interposed therebetween. It is fixed so that it does not move against.

  The positioning members 52 and 53 are resin or metal block-like members having the same size and the same shape, and the surfaces 520 and 530 on the opposite side to the left side wall 143 sandwich the partitions 525 and 535, respectively. The structure is divided into upstream surfaces 521 and 531 and downstream surfaces 522 and 622 in the insertion direction Z.

  9A is a front view when the optical sensor 51 and the positioning members 52 and 53 shown in FIG. 8 are viewed from the container insertion direction Z, and FIG. 9B is a direction indicated by an arrow E in FIG. It is a side view when seen from.

  As shown in FIG. 9A, the surfaces 522 and 532 of the positioning members 52 and 53 are planes located on the same virtual plane 528 parallel to the YZ plane, and the surfaces 521 and 531 are shown in FIG. In this manner, the inclined surface is descending in a direction approaching the left side wall 143 from the partitions 525 and 535 toward the upstream side in the container insertion direction Z.

  The inclined surfaces 521, 531 of the positioning members 52, 53 come into contact with the tip surfaces 620, 640 of the ridges 62, 64 of the cover 60 during the operation of inserting and mounting the collection container 12 into the apparatus main body 11, and the ridges. It becomes a guide surface which guides 62 and 64 in the container insertion direction Z. Further, the surfaces 522 and 532 of the positioning members 52 and 53 are in surface contact with the flat surfaces 621 and 641 of the protrusions 62 and 64 of the cover 60, thereby determining the position of the window 63 of the cover 60 with respect to the optical sensor 51. It becomes a surface. Hereinafter, the surfaces 522 and 532 may be referred to as positioning surfaces, and the flat surfaces 621 and 641 may be referred to as positioning surfaces.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 9B, the positioning members 52 and 53 have the same position in the container insertion direction Z, and the optical sensor 51 and the positioning members 52 and 53 are optical sensors as indicated by a one-dot chain line 538. The edge 51 of the container insertion direction Z of 51 is arrange | positioned in the position which aligns with the downstream edge 529,539 of the container insertion direction Z of the positioning member 52,53.

  In such a configuration, when the collection container 12 is inserted into the slot 14 of the apparatus main body 11, the positioning portion 57 on the apparatus main body 11 side and the positioned portion 67 on the collection container 12 side engage with each other, thereby opening the window 63. The cover 60 is positioned with respect to the apparatus main body 11, that is, the window 63 of the collection container 12 is positioned with respect to the optical sensor 51 on the apparatus main body 11 side.

(5) Positioning of recovery container window with respect to optical sensor on main body side FIGS. 10A to 10D show that the window 63 of the recovery container 12 is moved by inserting the recovery container 12 in the container insertion direction Z. It is a top view which shows a mode that it positions with respect to the optical sensor 51 by the side of the apparatus main body 11 in steps. The container insertion direction Z corresponds to a direction orthogonal to the thickness direction of the elastic member 70.

  Here, in FIG. 10A to FIG. 10D, only the upper ridge 62 of the ridges 62 and 64 of the cover 60 included in the positioned portion 67 of the collection container 12 is shown. Of the positioning members 52 and 53, only the upper positioning member 52 is shown, but the protrusion 64 is hidden behind the protrusion 62, and the positioning member 53 is also hidden behind the positioning member 52 and is not visible. The engagement between 62 and the positioning member 52 and the engagement between the protrusion 64 and the positioning member 53 are executed simultaneously. Note that a position Q on the X axis shown in FIGS. 10A to 10D indicates a position on the X axis of the positioning surface 522 of the positioning member 52. This position Q is fixed and does not move when the collection container 12 is inserted into the apparatus main body 11.

  As shown in FIG. 10A, when the protrusion 62 of the collection container 12 inserted along the container insertion direction Z does not reach the positioning member 52 and does not contact the positioning member 52, the left side wall 123 of the collection container 12. The elastic member 70 interposed between the cover 60 and the cover 60 is in a natural state not compressed by the cover 60 and has a thickness α. The position of the window 63 of the cover 60 at this time with respect to the through hole 129 of the left side wall 123 is referred to as a first position.

  The protrusion 62 of the recovery container 12 reaches the positioning member 52, and the recovery is performed in a state where the inclined surface 622 of the protrusion 62 of the recovery container 12 is in surface contact with the inclined surface 521 of the positioning member 52 as shown in FIG. As the container 12 is inserted into the apparatus main body 11, the inclined surface 622 of the protrusion 62 is guided along the inclined surface 521 of the positioning member 52. The inclined surface 521 is a surface that is inclined in a direction approaching the left side wall 123 as it proceeds downstream in the container insertion direction Z, so that the inclined surface 521 of the positioning member 52 is inclined on the protrusion 62 of the collection container 12. A pressing force P in the X-axis direction due to a reaction according to the angle of the surface acts.

  Due to the action of the pressing force P, the protrusion 62, that is, the cover 60 compresses the elastic member 70 and is displaced in a direction approaching the left side wall 123. FIG. 10B shows a state in which the thickness of the elastic member 70 becomes β (<α) by compression.

  When the collection container 12 is further inserted into the apparatus main body 11 and the inclined surface 622 of the protrusion 62 rises above the inclined surface 521 of the positioning member 52, the protrusion 62 of the recovery container 12 is shown in FIG. The positioned surface 621 is in surface contact with the positioning surface 522 of the positioning member 52.

  Since both the positioned surface 621 and the positioning surface 522 are parallel to the container insertion direction Z, the magnitude of the pressing force P changes even when the collection container 12 is inserted into the apparatus main body 11 in this surface contact state. The thickness of the elastic member 70 due to compression is stabilized at γ (<β). The position of the window 63 of the cover 60 at this time with respect to the through hole 129 of the left side wall 123 is referred to as a second position. The second position is a position where the window 63 is closer to the through hole 129 than the first position by the amount of change (α−γ) in the thickness of the elastic member 70.

  The collection container 12 is inserted to the back of the slot 14 of the apparatus main body 11, the gear 80 (FIG. 2) of the collection container 12 meshes with the drive gear 148 of the apparatus main body 11, and the pin 81 of the collection container 12 is connected to the apparatus main body 11. When it is in a state of being fitted in the hole 149, it cannot be inserted further into the back. Thereby, the mounting of the collection container 12 to the apparatus main body 11 is completed. FIG. 10D shows a mounting state in which the collection container 12 is mounted on the apparatus main body 11, and FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line FF shown in FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 11, in the mounted state, the positioning surfaces 621 and 641 of the protrusions 62 and 64 provided on the cover 60 of the collection container 12 face the positioning surfaces 522 and 532 of the positioning members 52 and 53 of the apparatus main body 11. It is in a state of being pressed by the elastic force (restoring force) of the compressed elastic member 70 while contacting.

  That is, the positioning members 52 and 53 of the apparatus main body 11 have positioning surfaces 522 and 532 (contact portions) that contact the cover 60, and the cover 60 that is urged by the elastic force of the elastic member 70 that is elastically deformed. The window 63 is received at a position facing the through hole 129 of the left side wall 123. Thereby, the cover 60 having the window 63 is positioned with respect to the apparatus main body 11.

  In the positioned state, the tip of the cap-shaped window 63 in the cover 60 of the collection container 12 is interposed between the light emitting part 512 and the light receiving part 513 of the optical sensor 15 without contacting the optical sensor 15, and the light emitting part It is in a state of entering into a space 515 between 512 and the light receiving unit 513 in a straight posture.

  Specifically, among the cap-shaped window 63 of the cover 60, this posture is the side wall 633 on which the detection light Lt emitted from the light emitting unit 512 is incident, and the side wall 633 is transmitted into the internal space 69 of the window 63. The side wall 634 from which the detection light Lt that has entered enters the window 63 is perpendicular to the detection light Lt. The side walls 633 and 634 are thin flat plates standing upright from the surface 66 of the cover 60, for example, about 1 mm.

  The position of the cover 60 in this straight posture becomes the positioning position of the cover 60 with respect to the apparatus main body 11. Here, the projection direction (corresponding to the X-axis direction) of the cap-shaped window 63 from the surface 66 of the cover 60 is predetermined with respect to the direction (corresponding to the Y-axis direction) in which the light emitting unit 512 and the light receiving unit 513 are arranged. A position having an angle, specifically 90 °.

  When the window 63 of the cover 60 is not in a straight posture, for example, when the window 63 is slightly inclined or the position with respect to the optical sensor 51 is slightly shifted, the detection light Lt is incident on the side wall 633 of the window 63 as described above or the side wall. When the light is emitted from the light source 634, irregular reflection occurs and the detection accuracy of the waste toner tends to be lowered. However, if the posture is straight, the irregular reflection of the detection light Lt hardly occurs, and the detection accuracy of the waste toner does not decrease. This is known in advance.

  The window 63 is a part of the cover 60 having the protrusions 62 and 64, and the cover 60 is supported by the left wall 123 of the container body 127 via the elastic member 70, so that the elastic member 70 can be elastically deformed. In such a range, the left side wall 123 can be flexibly displaced in the thickness direction of the elastic member 70.

  The size displaceable in the thickness direction is within the range of rattling between the pin 81 (FIG. 2) and the hole 149, for example, with respect to an upright posture in which the left side wall 123 is parallel to the vertical direction (Y-axis direction). Even when the collection container 12 is mounted in an inclined posture as shown by the broken line W, the size is determined in advance so that the inclination can be absorbed.

  As a result, the cover 60 that is biased by the elastic force of the elastic member 70 that is elastically deformed in the mounted state, regardless of whether the collection container 12 is mounted on the apparatus main body 11 in the upright position or the inclined position. The posture of the window 63 positioned by receiving the protrusions 62 and 64 by the positioning members 52 and 53 of the apparatus main body 11 does not change from the straight posture described above.

  The positioning of the cover 60 on which the window 63 is provided by the positioning members 52 and 53 on the apparatus body 11 side means that the window 63 on the collection container 12 side is positioned with respect to the optical sensor 51 fixed to the apparatus body 11. be equivalent to.

  Therefore, it is possible to prevent a reduction in waste toner detection accuracy caused by irregular reflection when the detection light Lt emitted from the light emitting unit 512 of the optical sensor 51 enters the side wall 633 of the window 63 or exits from the side wall 634.

  Further, the cover 63 is pressed in the X-axis direction by the positioning members 52 and 53 on the apparatus main body 11 side by the elastic force in the thickness direction of the elastic member 70, so that the window 63 is positioned in the X-axis direction with respect to the optical sensor 51. It is configured to be.

  Therefore, the collection container 12 is not in an inclined position, but the collection container 12 is in a position slightly to the right of the position shown by the solid line in FIG. Even if the cover 60 is attached, if the cover 60 is pressed leftward by the positioning members 52 and 53 within the elastically deformable range of the elastic member 70, the left and right positions of the left wall 123 are Even if it fluctuates within the range of shakiness, the position of the window 63 in the left-right direction with respect to the optical sensor 51 does not change.

  Accordingly, the incident position of the detection light Lt on the window 63 does not vary because the window 63 is too close to or far from the optical sensor 51. For example, when the window 63 is too far to the right from the main body 511 of the optical sensor 51 and the incident position of the detection light Lt on the window 63 becomes the end 63a of the window 63, only a part of the detection light Lt is obtained. The detection accuracy does not decrease due to the fact that it does not enter the inside of the window 63, and a decrease in detection accuracy can be prevented. Further, there is no possibility that the window 63 gets too close to the main body 511 of the optical sensor 51 and comes into contact therewith, and the optical sensor 51 or the window 63 is damaged by the impact.

  In the above description, the positioning position of the cover 60 with respect to the apparatus main body 11 is set to a position where the predetermined angle is 90 °. However, depending on the apparatus configuration, the detection accuracy can be improved by setting the position different from 90 °. In this case, the position of the cover 60 that is stationary at the time of mounting at the different angle can be used as the positioning position.

<Embodiment 2>
In the first embodiment, the configuration example in which the insertion direction of the collection container 12 into the apparatus main body 11 is the Z-axis direction (the longitudinal direction of the collection container 12) has been described. However, in the second embodiment, the collection container is inserted. The direction is the X-axis direction (the thickness direction of the collection container 12), and this is different from the first embodiment. Hereinafter, in order to avoid duplication of description, the description of the same contents as those of Embodiment 1 is omitted, and the same components are denoted by the same reference numerals.

  12 is a perspective view showing the configuration of the recovery container 212 according to the second embodiment and the slot 214 opened in the side wall 11a of the apparatus main body 11 in which the recovery container 212 is accommodated. FIG. 13 is a cover provided in the recovery container 212. 2 is an exploded perspective view showing configurations of 260 and an elastic member 270. FIG.

  As shown in FIGS. 12 and 13, the collection container 212 has substantially the same shape as the collection container 12 of the first embodiment. However, due to the difference in the insertion direction into the apparatus body 11, the collection container 212 is used for positioning the container body 127. The arrangement positions of the pins 281 and 282 and the shapes of the cover 260 and the elastic member 270 are different.

  Specifically, as shown in FIG. 12, the pins 281 and 282 are erected on the left side wall 123 of the container body 127 of the collection container 212 with a gap in the Z-axis direction.

  As shown in FIG. 13, the cover 260 is different from the horizontal direction in the first embodiment in that the longitudinal direction of the window 263 and the protrusions 262 and 264 as the positioned portions 265 are vertical. The front end surface 231 of the window 263 and the front end surfaces 221 and 241 of the protrusions 262 and 264 are only flat surfaces, and are not provided with slopes. The tip surfaces 221 and 241 of the protrusions 262 and 264 are positioned surfaces that are positioned on the same virtual plane parallel to the YZ plane, and are slightly higher than the tip surface 231 of the window 263.

  According to the shape of the window 263, the shape of the through hole 271 of the elastic member 270 and the shape of the through hole 229 of the left side wall 123 are also long in the vertical direction, and the internal space 228 of the container body 127 is the through hole of the left side wall 123. The inner space 269 of the window 263 of the cover 260 is communicated with the 229 and the through hole 271 of the elastic member 270.

  On the other hand, on the apparatus main body 11 side, holes 291 and 292 corresponding to the pins 281 and 282 of the collection container 212 are provided in the side wall 243 of the slot 214 as shown in FIG. In consideration of the workability of setting the collection container 212 to the apparatus main body 11 by the user, the diameters of the holes 291 and 292 are larger than the diameters of the pins 281 and 282, for example, several millimeters. This is the same as Form 1.

  A driving gear 248 that transmits a driving force to the gear 80 of the collection container 212 is exposed through a hole provided in the side wall 243 of the slot 214, and a waste toner discharge port 247 is provided on the upper wall 244 of the slot 214. Opened.

  Further, an optical sensor 251 corresponding to the window 263 of the recovery container 212 and a positioning member 252 as a positioning part 255 corresponding to the positioned part 265 of the recovery container 212 are provided on the upper portion of the side wall 243 of the slot 214 on the front side of the apparatus. 253 is arranged. The optical sensor 251 is attached to the side wall 243 via the mounting plate 254.

  The positioning member 252, the optical sensor 251, and the positioning member 253 are arranged in this order so that the optical sensor 251 and the positioning members 252 and 253 have a positional relationship corresponding to the window 263 and the protrusions 262 and 264 on the collection container 212 side. They are arranged in parallel along the axial direction.

  The positioning members 252 and 253 have a rectangular shape in a side view, and the positioning surfaces 256 and 257 pressed by the protrusions 262 and 264 of the cover 260 of the collection container 212 are only flat surfaces, and the inclined surfaces as in the first embodiment. Is not provided. The positioning surfaces 256 and 257 are located on the same virtual plane parallel to the YZ plane.

  Further, on the side wall 11a of the apparatus main body 11, lock members 201 and 202 are slidable in a direction approaching each other from a position indicated by a solid line to a position indicated by a broken line on one side and the other side in the Z-axis direction across the slot 214. Has been placed.

  In such a configuration, when the collection container 212 is inserted into the internal space 215 of the slot 214 of the apparatus main body 11 by the user in the direction indicated by the arrow G, the pins 281 and 282 of the collection container 212 are positioned on the positioning hole on the apparatus main body 11 side. 291 and 292. The gear 80 of the collection container 212 meshes with the drive gear 248 on the apparatus main body 11 side, and the waste toner receiving port 126 of the collection container 212 communicates with the waste toner discharge port 247 on the apparatus main body 11 side.

  Then, the positioning portion 265 on the collection container 212 side is engaged with the positioning portion 255 on the apparatus main body 11 side, whereby the window 263 is positioned with respect to the optical sensor 251.

  After the collection container 212 is inserted all the way into the slot 214 of the apparatus main body 11, the lock members 201 and 202 are slid by the user, whereby the collection container 212 in the slot 214 is pressed onto the side wall 243 of the slot 214. Locked. Thereby, the mounting of the collection container 212 to the apparatus main body 11 is completed. When the user closes the right cover 213, the collection container 212 attached to the apparatus main body 11 is prevented from being exposed.

  14A is a cross-sectional view taken along line HH of the cover 260 shown in FIG. 13 and shows a state before positioning with respect to the optical sensor 251, and FIG. 14B shows a state where the cover 260 is positioned. ing.

  As shown in FIG. 14A, before positioning, the elastic member 270 interposed between the cover 260 of the collection container 212 and the left side wall 123 is in an uncompressed natural state and has a thickness α. ing. The position of the window 263 of the cover 260 at this time with respect to the through hole 229 of the left side wall 123 is the first position.

  When the user inserts the collection container 212 into the apparatus main body 11 in the direction of arrow G, the protrusions 262 and 264 of the cover 260 of the collection container 212 hit the positioning surfaces 256 and 257 of the positioning members 252 and 253 on the apparatus main body 11 side. Thereafter, the collection container 212 is further pressed against the apparatus main body 11 side by the lock by the lock members 201 and 202 described above.

  As a result, the elastic member 270 is compressed in the thickness direction to a thickness γ (<α) as shown in FIG. 14B, and the elastic force (restoring force) generated by the compression is applied to the protrusions 262, 264 of the cover 260. The positioning surfaces 221 and 241 are pressed against the positioning surfaces 256 and 257 of the positioning members 252 and 253, and the window 263 of the cover 260 is positioned with respect to the optical sensor 251. At this time, the position of the window 263 in the X-axis direction with respect to the through hole 229 of the left side wall 123 is the second position.

  That is, the positioning members 252 and 253 of the apparatus main body 11 have positioning surfaces 256 and 257 (contact portions) that contact the cover 260, and the cover 260 that is urged by the elastic force of the elastic member 270 that is elastically deformed. The window 263 is received at a position facing the through hole 229 of the left side wall 123.

  As long as the elastic member 270 can be elastically deformed, the position of the window 263 of the cover 260 relative to the optical sensor 251 is maintained even when the collection container 212 is set in an inclined posture that is slightly inclined with respect to the upright posture. There is no difference from the case of the upright posture, and it is possible to prevent the detection accuracy of the waste toner from being lowered due to the irregular reflection of the incident light and the outgoing light of the detection light Lt of the optical sensor 251 on the window 263.

  Further, depending on the amount of rattling in the direction in which the recovery container 212 is pushed into the apparatus main body 11 by the lock members 201 and 202, for example, the window 263 is too far away from the optical sensor 51 in the insertion direction of the recovery container 212, When the end 63a (FIG. 14A) becomes the incident position of the detection light Lt, most of the detection light Lt escapes out of the window 263, and only a part of the detection light Lt can pass through the window, and the detection accuracy decreases. Or the window 263 may be too close to the main body 511 of the optical sensor 51 to collide. In the second embodiment, the position of the window 263 relative to the optical sensor 51 in the insertion direction of the collection container 212 is determined by the positioning members 252 and 253, so that the window 263 is too far from or too close to the main body 511 of the optical sensor 51. Therefore, it is possible to prevent a decrease in waste toner detection accuracy.

<Embodiment 3>
In the first embodiment, by arranging the cover 60 having the window 63 on the left side wall 123 of the container body 127 via the plate-like elastic member 70, the window 63 has a thickness direction of the elastic member 70, that is, the left side wall 123. However, in the third embodiment, the cover having a window can be displaced in the vertical direction along the left side wall 123, which is different from the first embodiment.

  FIG. 15 is a perspective view illustrating the configuration of the collection container 312, the optical sensor 51 on the apparatus main body 11 side, and the positioning member 352 according to the third embodiment. FIG. 16 is a diagram illustrating a cover 360 and an elastic member provided on the collection container 312. 370 is an exploded perspective view showing the configuration of 370. FIG. In FIG. 15, the slot 14 on the apparatus main body 11 side is indicated by a broken line.

  As shown in FIG. 15, the collection container 312 has substantially the same shape as the collection container 12 of the first embodiment, and the insertion direction of the collection container 312 into the apparatus main body 11 is indicated by the arrow Z as in the first embodiment. As shown, the cover 360 and the elastic member 370 are different.

  Specifically, as shown in FIG. 16, the cover 360 has two long protrusions 362 and 364 along the container insertion direction Z on a substantially rectangular flat plate-like base 361, which are mutually in the Y-axis direction (vertical direction). A protruding window 363 is provided in the middle between the upper protrusion 362 and the lower protrusion 364, and here is formed of a transparent resin material. .

  The protrusion 362 has a configuration in which an upper surface 320 (an upper end surface of the cover 360) 320 is divided into an upstream surface 321 and a downstream surface 322 in the container insertion direction Z with the partition 325 interposed therebetween. The surface 321 is a plane (positioned surface) parallel to the XZ plane, and the surface 322 is an inclined surface that descends from the partition 325 toward the downstream side in the container insertion direction Z.

  The lower surface of the protrusion 364 (the lower end surface of the cover 360) 368 is also a plane parallel to the XZ plane.

  The window 363 is located at the center of the base 361, has a length in the Z-axis direction that is about half that of the protrusions 362 and 364, and has an internal space 369 that communicates with an opening 368 provided on the back surface 386 of the base 361. Is formed.

  The end surface 381 on the upstream side in the Z-axis direction and the end surface 382 on the downstream side of the base 361 are respectively located in the middle of the Y-axis direction (vertical direction) and below the upper side of the position. Is provided with a step formed by protruding in the Z-axis direction. Portions protruding from the step are referred to as shoulder portions 391 and 392.

  A through hole 329 is formed in the left side wall 123 of the container main body 127, and protrusions 315 and 316 that contact the shoulder portions 391 and 392 of the cover 360 are formed on one side and the other side in the Z-axis direction across the through hole 329. Is erected.

  The protrusions 315 and 316 are bent in the direction in which the protruding direction ends approach the through-hole 329, and the upright portions from the left side wall 123 to the bent portions hit the shoulder portions 391 and 392 of the cover 360, and the bent end portions 317 and 318 contact the surface 385 of the base 361. As a result, the base 361 is sandwiched between the tip portions 317 and 318 of the protrusions 311 and 312 and the left side wall 123. The protrusions 315 and 316 constitute a support portion that supports the cover 360 so as to be movable in the vertical direction below the protrusions 315 and 316 in a posture along the left side wall 123.

  An elastic sheet (not shown) is stuck around the opening 368 on the back surface 386 of the base 361, and this elastic sheet is compressed in the thickness direction and elastically deformed. The base 361 of the cover 360 sandwiched between the front end portions 317 and 318 and the left side wall 123 is pressed by the left side wall 123 so that the state in close contact with the wall portion of the left side wall 123 excluding the through hole 329 is maintained. It has become.

  A step 313 is formed in the left side wall 123 at a position below the through hole 329, and the outer surface of the left side wall 123 has a shape in which the lower side protrudes above the step 313.

  The step 313 becomes a seating surface that supports the cover 360 from below via compression coil springs 371 and 372 as elastic members 370, and the shoulders 391 and 392 of the cover 360 are elastic forces of the compression coil springs 371 and 372. (Restoring force) stops in a state where the projections 315 and 316 of the left side wall 123 are pressed from the bottom to the top. In this stationary state, the internal space 369 of the window 363 of the cover 360 and the internal space 328 of the container main body 127 communicate with each other through the through hole 329 of the left side wall 123.

  On the other hand, the optical sensor 51 and the positioning member 352 on the apparatus main body 11 side are fixed to the left side wall 143 so that the positioning member 352 is positioned immediately above the optical sensor 51, as shown in FIG. The positioning member 352 has a lower surface divided into an upstream surface 521 and a downstream surface 522 in the container insertion direction Z. The surface 522 is a plane (positioning surface) parallel to the XZ plane, and the surface 521 is an inclined surface that rises toward the upstream side in the container insertion direction Z.

  In such a configuration, when the collection container 312 is inserted into the apparatus main body 11 along the container insertion direction Z, the window 363 is positioned with respect to the optical sensor 51 as follows.

  FIG. 17A is a side view showing a state before the window 363 of the collection container 312 is positioned with respect to the optical sensor 51 on the apparatus main body 11 side, and FIG. 17B shows the positioned state. FIG. The arrow Z direction shown in FIGS. 17A and 17B indicates the container insertion direction Z, the direction along the left side wall 123 and the direction in which the elastic force of the compression coil springs 371 and 372 acts on the cover 360 (upward direction). Corresponds to the direction orthogonal to ().

  18A is a cross-sectional view of the cover 360 taken along the line I-I shown in FIG. 17A, and FIG. 18B is the cover 360 taken along the line JJ shown in FIG. FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 17A, during the operation in which the collection container 312 is inserted into the apparatus main body 11 along the container insertion direction Z, the inclined surface 322 that is the distal end portion in the insertion direction of the protrusion 362 of the cover 360 is formed. When the inclined surface 521 of the positioning member 352 on the apparatus body 11 side has not yet been reached, the shoulder portions 391 and 392 of the cover 360 are pressed against the protrusions 315 and 316 of the left wall 123 by the restoring force of the compression coil springs 371 and 372. It has become.

  In this pressed state, the vertical positional relationship between the window 363 of the cover 360 and the optical sensor 51 is such that the window 363 is located at an intermediate position between the light emitting unit 512 and the light receiving unit 513 as shown in FIG. You can see that it is shifted upward. At this time, the position of the window 363 of the cover 360 in the Y-axis direction with respect to the through hole 329 of the left side wall 123 is the first position.

  When the collection container 312 is inserted into the apparatus main body 11 and the inclined surface 322 of the protrusion 362 of the cover 360 starts to contact and be guided by the inclined surface 521 of the positioning member 352 on the apparatus main body 11 side, the container insertion direction Z The cover 360 moves and moves downward with respect to the step 313 against the elastic force of the compression coil springs 371 and 372 along the inclined surface 521 that descends as it goes downstream. With the downward displacement, the compression of the compression coil springs 371 and 372 further proceeds, and the shoulder portions 391 and 392 of the cover 360 are separated downward from the protrusions 315 and 316 of the left side wall 123. That is, the cover 360 moves downward in a posture along the left side wall 123 due to the elastic deformation of the compression coil springs 371 and 372.

  Then, the inclined surface 322 of the protrusion 362 of the cover 360 gets over the inclined surface 521 of the positioning member 352, and the positioning surface 321 of the protrusion 362 of the cover 360 and the positioning member 352 are positioned as shown in FIG. When the mounting of the collection container 312 to the apparatus main body 11 is completed in a state where the surface 522 is pressed by the elastic force of the compression coil springs 371 and 372 and is in surface contact, the window 363 is positioned with respect to the optical sensor 51.

  In this positioning state, the window 363 of the cover 360 is straight in the space 515 between the light emitting part 512 and the light receiving part 513 of the optical sensor 51 and at an intermediate position between the light emitting part 512 and the light receiving part 513 as shown in FIG. It is in a state of entering with a correct posture. At this time, the position of the window 363 of the cover 360 with respect to the through hole 329 of the left side wall 123 is the second position, that is, the window 363 is closer to the through hole 329 than the first position.

  In the third embodiment, the cover 360 having the window 363 can be moved in the vertical direction by the compression coil springs 371 and 372 with respect to the left side wall 123, and the cover 360 is moved from below by the elastic force of the compression coil springs 371 and 372. The window 363 is positioned in the vertical direction with respect to the optical sensor 51 by being pressed by the positioning member 352 on the 11th side.

  That is, the positioning member 352 of the apparatus main body 11 has a positioning surface 522 (contact portion) that contacts the cover 360, and the compression coil springs 371 and 372 that are elastically deformed when the collection container 312 is attached to the apparatus main body 11 are used. The cover 360 urged by the elastic force is received at a position where the window 363 faces the through hole 329 of the left side wall 123. Thereby, the cover 360 provided with the window 363 is positioned with respect to the apparatus main body 11.

  For example, even when the container main body 127 is mounted at a position where the left side wall 123 is slightly lower than the position shown in FIG. 18B due to rattling between the pin and the hole of the container main body 127, the compression coil spring 371, If the cover 360 is pressed from below by the positioning member 352 within the elastically deformable range of 372, even if the vertical position of the left side wall 123 changes, the window 363 relative to the optical sensor 51 is changed. The vertical position does not change.

  Accordingly, there is no possibility that the window 363 of the cover 360 gets too close to and contacts the light emitting part 512 or the light receiving part 513 of the optical sensor 51, and the window 363, the light emitting part 512 or the light receiving part 513 is damaged by the impact.

<Modification>
As described above, the present invention has been described based on the embodiment. However, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and the following modifications may be considered.

  (1) In the first embodiment, the configuration example in which the entire cover 60 including the window 63 is formed from a transparent resin material has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, in the cover 60, only the window 63 may be formed of a light-transmitting material, and all the others may be formed of a non-light-transmitting material (resin, metal, etc.). As the light-transmitting material, resins such as PS (polystyrene) and ABS (acrylonitrile / butadiene / styrene copolymer synthetic resin), glass, and the like can be used.

  Further, the window 63 of the recovery container 12 faces the through hole 229 of the container main body 127 in a state where the recovery container 12 is mounted on the apparatus main body 11, and the window 63 passes through the through hole 229 on the outside of the recovery container 12. The waste toner accumulated in the container main body 127 may be optically monitored, and the size of the window 63 is not limited to the above. For example, the size of the window 63 may be the same as or smaller than the diameter of the through hole 229.

  (2) In the first embodiment, the protrusions 62 and 63 are provided on the cover 60 on the collection container 12 side, and the protrusions 62 and 63 abut against the positioning members 52 and 53 on the apparatus main body 11 side. Although the configuration example in which the positioning in the X-axis direction with respect to the optical sensor 51 has been described, the configuration is not limited thereto. What is necessary is just to be able to position the window 63 with respect to the optical sensor 51.

  Specifically, only the positioning member 52 is disposed at a position where the front end surface 630 (FIG. 4) of the window 63 hits when the collection container 12 is inserted into the apparatus main body 11, and the inclined surface 632 of the window 63 is inclined to the positioning member 52. After being guided on the surface 521 and climbing over the inclined surface 521, the positioned surface 631 of the window 63 comes to a standstill while being in surface contact with the positioning surface 522 of the positioning member 52. This configuration substantially corresponds to a configuration in which the protrusion 62 shown in FIG. That is, the window 63 itself included in the cover 60 is configured to also serve as the positioned portion 67.

  (3) In the first embodiment, the positioning surfaces 522 and 532 of the positioning members 52 and 53 and the positioned surfaces 621 and 641 of the cover 60 that come into surface contact with the positioning members 52 and 53 are flat surfaces. Absent. Any shape can be used as long as the cover 60 can be positioned on the apparatus main body 11. Instead of the flat surface, for example, one of the positioning member and the cover can be a flat surface, and the other can be a circular arc surface or a curved surface.

  Similarly, although the inclined surfaces 521 and 531 are provided on the positioning members 52 and 53 and the inclined surfaces 622 and 642 are provided on the cover 60, the present invention is not limited thereto. It is sufficient that the cover 60 can be guided in the direction in which the elastic member 70 compresses. For example, one of the positioning member and the cover can be an inclined surface and the other can be a flat surface. The same applies to the third embodiment.

  (4) In the above-described embodiment, the configuration example of the transmissive sensor in which the optical sensor 51 includes the light emitting unit 512 and the light receiving unit 513 has been described. However, the configuration is not limited thereto. The detection light Lt is incident on the translucent window 63 from the outside of the collection container 12, and waste toner accumulated in the container body 127 is optically monitored through the window 63 and the through hole 129 of the container body 127. Any optical sensor may be used. For example, a reflective sensor may be used.

  When a reflective sensor is used, a light reflecting member is disposed in the container main body 127 at a position facing the window 63 with the through hole 129 of the container main body 127 interposed therebetween. If the liquid level of the accumulated waste toner does not reach the height of the light reflecting member, it is emitted from the light emitting part of the reflective sensor, passes through the window 63, and enters the container main body 127. After the detection light Lt is reflected by the light reflecting member, it passes through the window 63 again, goes out of the container main body 127, and is received by the light receiving portion of the reflective sensor. Thereby, it is detected that the waste toner is not full.

  On the other hand, when the liquid level of the accumulated waste toner reaches the height of the light reflecting member, the detection light Lt that has passed through the window 63 and entered the container main body 127 becomes the waste toner that has reached the light reflecting member. It is absorbed and is not reflected by the light reflecting member, and is not received by the light receiving portion of the reflective sensor. Thereby, it is detected that the waste toner is full.

  When a reflective sensor is used, the window 63 of the cover 60 does not protrude from the base 61. For example, a structure in which a light-transmitting window is embedded in the through hole 68 of the base 61 can be employed. What is necessary is just the position where the translucent window embedded in the through-hole 68 of the base 61 faces the through-hole 129 of the container main body 127.

  (5) In the first embodiment, one pin for positioning the container main body 127 to the apparatus main body 11 is provided, and in the second embodiment, two configuration examples are described. However, the pin and the hole into which the pin is fitted are described. The number is not limited to the above and can be 1 or more.

  Further, the container main body 127 may be attached to the apparatus main body 11 in a state where a certain tolerance (rattle) determined by user workability is allowed, and one of the container main body 127 and the apparatus main body 11 has a pin on the other side. Can be provided correspondingly. Furthermore, it is not limited to a pair of pins and holes. For example, it is also possible to employ a configuration in which one of the members having a concave shape and the other having a convex shape are used as a pair of alignment members, and these are engaged.

  Furthermore, the size, shape, material, and the like of the container main body 127, the cover 60, the window 63, the elastic member 70, the positioning member 52, and the like are not limited to the above, and the size, shape, and the like suitable for the apparatus configuration are determined. .

  (6) In the above embodiment, the configuration example of the color printer capable of forming a color image as the image forming apparatus has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this. A printer, copier, facsimile machine, MFP (Multiple) capable of forming a monochrome image, which is configured to be detachably attached to the apparatus body for receiving and collecting waste toner discharged from the apparatus body (not used for image formation). It can be applied to general image forming apparatuses such as Function Peripheral).

  Further, the contents of the above embodiment and the above modifications may be combined as much as possible.

  The present invention can be applied to an image forming apparatus in which a collection container for receiving and collecting waste toner discharged from the apparatus main body can be attached to and detached from the apparatus main body.

1Y, 1M, 1C, 1K Image forming unit 10 Printer 11 Device main body 12, 212, 312 Collection container 14, 214 Slot 51, 251 Optical sensor 52, 53, 252, 253, 352 Positioning member 60, 260, 360 of the device main body Cover 62, 64, 262, 264, 362 Projection 63, 263, 363 Window 65 Back surface of cover (first main surface)
66 Cover surface (second main surface)
69, 269, 369 Internal space of window 70, 270, 371, 372 Elastic member 71, 271 Through hole 81, 281, 282 Pin 123 Left side wall of collection container 127 Container body 129, 229, 329 Through hole 143 of collection container 243 Left side wall of apparatus main body 149, 291, 292 Holes 221, 241, 321, 621, 641 Positioned surface 256, 257, 522, 532 Positioning surface 512 Light emitting unit 513 Light receiving unit Lt Detection light

Claims (9)

An image forming apparatus in which a collection container for receiving and collecting waste toner discharged from the apparatus main body is configured to be detachable from the apparatus main body,
The collection container is
A container body in which a through hole is formed;
An elastic member;
A translucent window is provided, supported by the container body via the elastic member on the outside of the container body, and the elastic member elastically deforms in a state of covering the through hole of the container body. A cover movable to a position where the window faces the through hole;
With
The apparatus main body is
By receiving the cover urged by the elastic force of the elastic member that is elastically deformed and having a contact portion that contacts the cover of the attached collection container, at a position where the window faces the through hole A positioning member for positioning the cover with respect to the apparatus main body;
An optical sensor for optically monitoring waste toner accumulated in the container body from the positioned window of the cover through the through hole of the container body;
An image forming apparatus comprising: The cover is plate-shaped,
The elastic member is a plate-like member interposed between the container main body and the first main surface on the side close to the container main body of the cover, and is elastically deformed by contraction in the thickness direction and penetrates in the thickness direction. Holes are provided,
The contact portion of the positioning member receives a second main surface opposite to the first main surface of the cover, to which the elastic force of the elastic member contracted in the thickness direction is applied,
The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the window faces a through hole of the container body through a hole of the elastic member. The mounting of the recovery container to the apparatus main body is performed by inserting the recovery container into the apparatus main body in a direction orthogonal to the thickness direction of the elastic member,
On the second main surface of the cover, an inclined surface is formed at the tip in the insertion direction,
During the operation of inserting the collection container into the apparatus main body, the inclined surface of the cover hits the contact portion of the positioning member, and the cover is interposed via the elastic member according to the angle of the inclined surface with respect to the insertion direction. The image forming apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the elastic member is elastically deformed in the thickness direction by approaching the container main body.   The image forming apparatus according to claim 3, wherein an inclined surface that guides the inclined surface of the cover is formed in the contact portion of the positioning member. The mounting of the collection container on the apparatus main body is performed by inserting the container main body, the elastic member, and the cover into the apparatus main body in a direction in which the cover is arranged in this order.
During the operation in which the recovery container is inserted into the apparatus main body, the second main surface of the cover hits the contact portion of the positioning member, and the cover approaches the container main body via the elastic member. The image forming apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the elastic member is elastically deformed in the thickness direction. The through hole is provided in a side wall of the container body,
The cover is plate-like, and is supported by the container body via the elastic member so as to be movable by elastic deformation of the elastic member in a posture along the side wall of the container body.
The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the contact portion of the positioning member receives the cover in a posture along the side wall of the container body against the elastic force. The collection container is attached to the apparatus main body by being inserted into the apparatus main body in a direction along the side wall of the container main body and in a direction orthogonal to the direction in which the elastic force of the elastic member acts on the cover. ,
During the operation of inserting the recovery container into the apparatus main body, when the tip of the cover in the insertion direction hits the contact portion of the positioning member, the cover is subjected to the elastic force along the side wall of the container main body. The image forming apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the elastic member is elastically deformed by moving in a resisting direction. The window has a cap shape and protrudes from a second main surface of the cover opposite to the first main surface on the side close to the container body;
In the optical sensor, the light emitting unit and the light receiving unit are arranged with a gap therebetween,
The positioning position of the cover with respect to the device main body is
The tip of the cap-shaped window is interposed in the space between the light emitting part and the light receiving part of the optical sensor without contacting the optical sensor, and
A protruding direction of the tip of the cap-shaped window from the second main surface of the cover is a position having a predetermined angle with respect to a direction in which the light emitting unit and the light receiving unit are arranged. The image forming apparatus according to claim 2.   The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a pair of positioning members for positioning the container main body on the apparatus main body are provided on the container main body and the apparatus main body. apparatus.

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