JP2821355B2 - Developer regenerating apparatus and image forming apparatus using the same - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a developer regenerating apparatus for regenerating a developer from a mixture of a developer and a foreign substance, and an image forming apparatus using the apparatus.

[0002]

[Related technology]

(1) Conventionally, the residue remaining on the image carrier after transferring the developer image from the image carrier to the recording material has been removed by a cleaning blade or the like and discarded as unnecessary material.

[0003] In view of the effective use of resources, various devices for separating the developer from the residue and devices for reusing the developer have been proposed. Among them, many devices have been proposed as a simple configuration which separates a developer which drops a residue on a mesh filter to slip through the filter and other foreign matter which cannot pass through the filter.

However, when a developer, particularly a mesh filter, is used to separate the developer and other foreign matter to regenerate the developer, a mesh formed by foreign matter such as paper dust contained in the residue removed from the image carrier is used. Clogging becomes a problem. In particular, if the mesh of the mesh is reduced to remove even small foreign matter, clogging of the mesh is likely to occur.

Therefore, the maintenance of the reproducing apparatus has to be performed frequently, and it has been difficult to put the reproducing apparatus to practical use.

In order to solve this problem, a magnetic field is formed by a pair of magnets so that the magnetic toner in the residue removed from the image carrier flies in a direction opposite to the direction of gravitational force. There has been proposed an apparatus in which a mesh filter is provided between magnets to restrict the passage of foreign matter such as paper dust flying while being covered with magnetic toner.

[0007] With this device, foreign matter composed of non-magnetic substances such as paper dust regulated by the mesh filter is separated from the magnetic toner and drops by its own weight, that is, separates from the mesh filter, which is very effective in preventing clogging of the mesh. It is.

[0008] (2) In recent years, in a situation where efforts for resource saving, recycling, reduction of waste, and the like have been demanded in consideration of environmental protection, parts and units of an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine are also used. In other words, so-called refurbishment, in which a device frame or the like is reproduced or reused, is performed, and it is expected that this tendency will become more and more popular in the future. In addition, there is an increasing demand for ease of dismantling in the work of dismantling and recycling products whose durability has passed.

In such a situation, in the refurbishment or disassembly of an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine, it is pointed out that the processing of the developer (toner) remaining in the apparatus is the most difficult and difficult to handle. ing. As a developer used in the device, powder is currently the mainstream, but powder is more difficult to handle than liquid or solid,
In particular, the problem of scattering into the air is a very serious problem when considering the effects on the environment and the human body, and urgent measures are being sought.

As one of measures against the above-mentioned problem, a special operating motor for storing all the developer remaining in each unit inside the apparatus as a waste toner in one container, and a mechanical motor for realizing this. An improved device has been proposed.

[0011]

[Problems to be solved by the invention]

(1) However, if you do not use the device for a long time,
The spikes of the magnetic toner (contaminants such as paper dust are also included in the toner) remain between the pair of magnets. Therefore, the magnetic toner that has become ears without passing through the mesh filter adheres to the mesh filter,
Even when the apparatus is operated, the toner may not be separated from the mesh filter and clogging of the mesh may be caused.

(2) In the above-mentioned conventional apparatus,
The developer remaining inside the device is generated as waste,
There is a problem that this process requires a great deal of trouble. In particular, it is not preferable to add a new mechanism for realizing refurbishment or the like, because it increases the amount of waste. In addition, the cost of the apparatus is high, which is an obstacle to providing an inexpensive apparatus.

(1) Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to prevent the developer from agglomerating and solidifying in the separation section, and to prevent the occurrence of image defects due to the developer to be reused.

(2) Another object of the present invention is to prevent contamination of the human body and the environment due to the scattering of the developer during refurbishment or disassembly of the apparatus.

[0015]

[Means for Solving the Problems]

(1) The present invention that solves the above-described problem has a pair of magnetic field forming members and a filter that regulates the movement of foreign matter from one of the pair of magnetic field forming members to the other, and a mixture of magnetic toner and foreign matter In a developer regenerating apparatus for regenerating a magnetic toner from a product and an image forming apparatus using the apparatus, the developer regenerating apparatus includes a switching unit for switching a shape of a magnetic field formed by the pair of magnetic field forming members, and the switching unit includes the pair of magnetic fields. The relative position of the pair of magnetic field forming members can be switched between a first position where the mutually facing magnetic poles of the forming member have different polarities and a second position different from the first position. And

(2) The present invention that further achieves the above object,
In an image forming apparatus provided with a separation device for separating non-magnetic substances mixed in a magnetic agent, the apparatus is used to separate and collect all the magnetic agents remaining inside the image forming apparatus by separating the non-magnetic substances. Is characterized by having control means for controlling.

[0017]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Next, a first embodiment of an image forming apparatus provided with a separation device to which the present invention is applied will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is an explanatory cross-sectional view schematically showing a schematic configuration of the image forming apparatus.

In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 denotes a photosensitive member as an image carrier, 2 denotes a developing device for visualizing a latent image formed on the image carrier 1 by applying a developer, and 3 denotes a developing device 2.
A hopper for feeding the developer (the developer in the present embodiment is a one-component developer having a magnetic toner) to the transfer member 4 for transferring the developer visualized on the image carrier 1 to a sheet (recording material) A separation charger, 5 is a cleaning device that collects the developer and other deposits remaining on the image carrier 1, 6 is a charge removing unit that removes electricity from the image carrier 1, and 7 is a uniform portion on the image carrier 1. 8 is an optical reading system for reading image information of a document, 8a is an exposure unit for forming the image information as a latent image on the image carrier 1, and 9 is a document processing for guiding the document to the image reading unit. Apparatus, 10 is a sheet feeding unit for feeding a sheet to the image forming unit, 11 is a conveyance table, 12 is a fixing device for fixing an image (developer image) on the sheet transferred by the image forming unit, and 13 is an image A sheet discharge unit 14 for discharging the formed sheet is provided on both sides. A re-feeding sheet guiding unit for guiding a sheet to be re-feeded at the time of recording or multiple recording, 15 is an intermediate tray for temporarily storing the re-feeding sheet, and 16 is an image forming unit for re-forming the sheet stored in the intermediate tray 15. This is a sheet re-feeding unit for feeding the sheet.

Next, the operation of the image forming apparatus will be described. When a copy operation button (not shown) is pressed, the original in the original processing device 9 is guided to the image reading unit, and then the image information of the original is read by the optical reading system 8.
The photoreceptor 1 thus neutralized is charged to a predetermined potential by the primary charger 7, and then the image information is written as a latent image in the exposure section 8a. Next, the latent image formed on the photoreceptor 1 is visualized by attaching a magnetic toner in the developing device 2. At this time, if the magnetic toner runs short in the developing device 2, the magnetic toner is appropriately replenished from the hopper 3. At the same time, when the sheet P is fed from the sheet feeding unit 10 to the transfer position of the image forming unit, the transfer separation charger 4
As a result, the developer image on the image carrier 1 is transferred onto the sheet P, and is transferred to the fixing device 12 by the transfer table 11 after the transfer, whereby the developer image on the sheet P is fixed. After the fixing, if the sheet P is a one-sided copy, the sheet P is directly discharged to the sheet discharging unit 1.
In the case of the double-sided recording mode or the multiple recording mode, the sheet is not discharged and is stacked and stored on the intermediate tray 15 by the re-feeding sheet guiding section 14, and when a predetermined number of sheets are stored, the sheet re-feeding section The sheet is separated and fed one by one by 16 and fed again to the transfer position of the image forming section. When the next document is guided to the image reading unit by the document processing device 9, the above-described steps are repeated in the same manner, and the document is discharged to the sheet discharge unit 13 after fixing.

The developer, paper dust, dust, and other residues on the photoreceptor 1 that are not transferred onto the sheet P by the transfer / separation charger 4 during the image forming operation are removed by the cleaning device 5.
Removed by The removed developer and other deposits (hereinafter, referred to as foreign matters) are sent to a developer regenerating device 17 (hereinafter, referred to as a regenerating device) described later.

Next, a reproducing apparatus will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional explanatory view showing the configuration of a reproducing apparatus to which the present invention is applied, FIG. 3 is a side explanatory view of the reproducing apparatus to which the present invention is applied, and FIG. FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of a main part showing a state of performing the operation.

In FIG. 1, reference numeral 17a denotes a frame of the reproducing device 17, which is a mesh filter 18 made of a non-magnetic material (for example, a non-magnetic stainless steel wire, a non-magnetic brass wire, a nylon fiber, or the like).
A non-magnetic sleeve 19 containing magnet rollers (magnetic field forming members) 19 ′ and 20 ′ is disposed above and below substantially perpendicularly to the direction of gravity (ie, α = 0 ° of inclination with respect to the horizontal plane). 20 are arranged. The magnet roller 19 ', 20' poles N ₁₉ of the S ₂₀ in FIG. 2
With the sleeve 19 always facing each other,
20 rotates in the direction of the arrow in FIG. This sleeve 20
Due to the rotation of the sleeve 20, the residue adsorbed on the surface of the sleeve 20 moves in the same direction as the rotation direction of the sleeve 20, and the rotation of the sleeve 19 causes the magnetic toner adsorbed on the surface of the sleeve 19 to move in the same direction as the rotation direction of the sleeve 19. Go to

The relationship between the magnetic forces of the magnetic poles N ₁₉ and S ₂₀ in the separation section where the sleeves 19 and 20 separate the foreign matter and the magnetic toner that are opposed to each other via the mesh 18 is N ₁₉
> Is set in such a way that S _20. Further, the mesh 18 is held by a support member 21, and a cam 23 connected to a drive motor 22 is in contact with the support member 21. Therefore, vibration is applied to the support member 21 by the cam 23 that is rotated by the drive of the drive motor 22, and the vibration is transmitted to the mesh 18 held thereby.

Reference numerals 24 and 25 denote transport screws for transporting the developer. The transport screw 24 transports the magnetic toner and foreign matters collected by the cleaning device 5 to the reproducing device 17. Reference numeral 25 denotes a unit for re-supplying the reproduced magnetic toner to the developing device 2 (including the hopper unit 3). Reference numeral 26 denotes a doctor blade for regulating the thickness of the deposit on the surface of the sleeve 20, and reference numeral 27 denotes a scraping blade for scraping off the magnetic toner attached to the surface of the sleeve 19. Reference numeral 28 denotes a non-magnetic contact member that scrapes off deposits (non-magnetic substances) adhering to the surface of the sleeve 20 to the collection unit 29. Reference numeral 30 denotes a seal member for preventing fine powder such as toner from leaking out of the reproducing apparatus.

Next, the operation of separating the magnetic toner and foreign matter by the reproducing device 17 will be described. First, the magnetic toner and foreign matters collected from the image carrier 1 by the cleaning device 5 are supplied to the sleeve 20 side inside the reproducing device 17 by the transport screw 24. Next, the magnetic toner and the foreign matter adhere to the surface of the sleeve 20 and are transported upward as the sleeve 20 rotates. Here, foreign matter such as paper dust is non-magnetic, but is covered with the magnetic toner when collected from the photoreceptor, and thus adheres to the surface of the sleeve 20 together with the magnetic toner. The mixture of the toner and the foreign matter attached to the sleeve 20 is removed by the doctor blade 25.
Thus, the sleeve 20 and the sleeve 19 are fed to the opposing separation section.

Since the magnetic relationship between the magnetic poles N ₁₉ and S ₂₀ in the separation section is set so that N ₁₉ > S ₂₀ as described above, the sleeve 20 is
The magnetic toner and the foreign matter sent to the separating section opposite to the above fly from the surface of the sleeve 20 toward the surface of the sleeve 19 by the magnetic field formed by the magnets 19 ′ and 20 ′.

At this time, since the mesh filter 18 is provided between the sleeves 19 and 20, only the magnetic toner having a small particle diameter passes through the mesh 18 and the paper dust much larger than the toner. The passage of foreign matter such as is restricted by the mesh 18.

The mesh 18 preferably has an opening (preferably, 150 μm (# 100) opening to 37.5 μm (# 40 opening).
As shown in FIG. 4, the magnetic toner has a gap several times the particle diameter of the magnetic toner (average particle diameter of 5 to 20 μm), so that the magnetic toner passes smoothly.

The non-magnetic foreign matter whose passage is regulated by the mesh 18 loses its flying force against gravity due to a decrease in the amount of magnetic toner adhering to the foreign matter, and the non-magnetic foreign matter falls on the surface of the sleeve 20 by its own weight. Fall.

Further, in the present embodiment, even if there is paper dust caught in the eyes of the mesh 18, the mesh 18 is vibrated by the cam 23 connected to the drive motor 22 (preferably, the frequency is 50 Hz or more, and the amplitude is 0). (Approximately 0.2 mm to 4.0 mm), the foreign matter caught on the mesh 18 is shaken off.

Further, by setting the magnetic field so that the weight of the magnetic toner itself is small and the conveying force by the magnetic force is sufficiently large, the magnetic toner can be more easily fly.

As described above, in the present embodiment, since the setting is made such that the residue is conveyed from the downstream side to the upstream side in the direction of gravitational force to separate the toner and the foreign matter, the non-magnetic substance ( The foreign matter) is restricted from passing by the lower surface of the mesh 18, so that the non-magnetic material that has lost the force to move to the sleeve 19 side falls onto the sleeve 20 by its own weight. Further, in this embodiment, since the non-magnetic material is forcibly shaken off by the vibration applied to the mesh 18, the magnetic toner and the foreign matter can be efficiently separated, and the mesh 18 can be continuously prevented from being clogged.

The magnetic toner separated and adhered to the sleeve 19 is conveyed to the downstream side with the rotation of the sleeve 19, is scraped off from its surface by the scraping blade 27, and is conveyed out of the reproducing device 17 by the conveying screw 25. Is done. Then, the reproduced magnetic toner is conveyed to the developing device 2 (including the hopper portion 3) by a conveying device (not shown) and supplied again to the development.

The foreign matter that has been separated by the separation unit falls onto the sleeve 20 and does not fly to the sleeve 19 side, but is further conveyed together with the magnetic toner remaining on the surface thereof, and comes into contact with the sleeve 20. Non-magnetic contact member 28
Is once separated from the surface of the sleeve 20. Since the non-magnetic abutting member 28 is in contact with the sleeve 20 by a small abutting pressure, foreign substances and the like adhering to the sleeve 20 with a small force can be scraped off, but cannot be completely separated at the separating portion and remain. Since the collected magnetic toner mass is strongly attracted onto the sleeve 20 by the magnetic force,
The non-magnetic contact member 28 cannot be scraped off, and is conveyed further downstream to obtain the opportunity for separation again. By repeating such a series of steps,
The mass of the magnetic toner is also gradually destroyed, and the sleeve 19
Will be attached to. Accordingly, the magnetic toner is hardly collected in the collecting section 29, and most of the foreign matters made of non-magnetic material are stored in the collecting section 29.

As described above, the agglomeration of the magnetic toner is destroyed, and the foreign substances adhering to the mesh 18 are knocked down in the direction of gravitational action, thereby suppressing the clogging of the mesh 18 and continuously separating efficiently. be able to.

Further, the reproducing apparatus according to the present invention is designed to prevent the mesh 18 from being clogged when the reproducing apparatus is not energized such as when the copying operation is stopped or when the main switch of the apparatus is turned off. , The relative positions of the magnetic poles of the magnets 19 ', 20' in the sleeves 19, 20 respectively arranged at the opposing positions can be displaced. The details will be described below with reference to FIGS.

Outside the frame 17a of the reproducing apparatus 17, shaft ends 19a and 20a of magnets rotatably built in the sleeves 19 and 20 protrude. The shaft ends 19a and 20a It has a D-cut shape. A pole determining plate 3 is attached to the shaft ends 19a and 20a of the D-cut shape.
One end of each of 1, 32 is fitted. The other end of the pole determination plate 31 is screwed to the frame 17a. The magnetic pole position of the magnet incorporated in the sleeve 19 when the regenerating apparatus operates to separate the toner and the paper powder is shown in FIG.
It is fixed at the position shown in FIG. In addition, magnet 2
A shaft 33 is fastened to the other end of the pole determining plate 32 fitted to the shaft fixed to 0 ', and a long hole 35 formed at one end of a lever 34 is fitted to the shaft 33. doing. The lever 34 has a rotation fulcrum 36 fixed to the frame 17a, and the other end of the lever 34 is fixed by a pin 37 to an iron core 3 of a solenoid 38.
9 is engaged. Also, a long hole 3 at one end of the lever 34
One end of a tension spring 40 is hooked near 5.
The other end of the tension spring 40 is hooked on a bent and raised portion 42 of a solenoid support 41. Thus, the magnet contained in the sleeve 20 is urged to rotate counterclockwise by the restoring force of the tension spring 40. Further, the position of the magnet of the sleeve 20 urged to rotate in this manner is regulated, that is, the magnetic pole position is fixed by the lever 34 abutting against the bent and raised portion 43 of the solenoid support 41. The rotation of the sleeves 19 and 20 is performed by a drive transmitted from a drive source (not shown) via gears and the like.

Therefore, in the developer reproducing apparatus of this embodiment, the magnet 19 'is always fixed in the same direction during the copying operation and at other times. That is, the N pole is always fixed at a position facing the mesh 18 as shown in FIG.

On the other hand, the magnet 20 'changes its magnetic pole facing the mesh 18 during the copying operation and at other times.

That is, during the copying operation, as shown in FIG.
By energizing the solenoid 38 and attracting the iron core 39, the magnetic pole position of the magnet incorporated in the sleeve 20 is fixed to the developer reproducible position as shown in FIG. Here, the solenoid 38 is attached to its support 41 by an iron core 39.
In order to make the position of the magnetic pole of the magnet 20 'accurate at the time of suction of the magnet, the magnet 20' can be attached so as to be adjustable.

When the copying operation is completed, as shown in FIG. 6, the energization of the solenoid 38 is turned off, the lever 34 rotates counterclockwise by the restoring force of the tension spring 40, and the pole determining plate 32 also moves. rotates in the same direction, the lever 34 is in contact with the bent-up portion 43 of the solenoid abutment 41 where the magnetic pole N ₂₀ of the magnet 20 'is opposed to the magnetic pole N ₁₉ of the magnet sleeve 19, magnet 2
The magnetic pole position of 0 'is fixed. That is, when other than the copying operation, the magnetic toner does not fly from the N ₂₀ to N ₁₉ because N ₂₀ with N ₁₉ are opposed with respect to the mesh.

With the above configuration and operation, the sleeve 1
The coagulation and solidification of the developer in the vicinity of the separation portions 9 and 20 may be caused by the suspension of the copy operation or the main switch of the image forming apparatus
Occasionally, it can be prevented.

In this embodiment, the opposite magnetic poles of the pair of magnetic field forming members are set to have the same polarity when copying is stopped. However, it is not always necessary that the magnetic poles have the same polarity. The intermediate position between S ₂₀ and N ₂₀ may be opposite to ₁₉ . However, facing N ₂₀ to N ₁₉ is more effective due to clogging of the mesh. In short, it is sufficient to form a magnetic field between the pair of magnetic field forming members such that magnetic toner (including non-magnetic foreign matter at this time) cannot stand when the reproducing apparatus is not operating.

In the above embodiment, when the solenoid 38 is turned off, the rotation direction of the magnet
Although the rotation direction is set to the same direction as the rotation direction of the sleeve 20, the rotation direction may be set to be opposite to the rotation direction of the sleeve 20, and in this case, the doctor blade 26 and the sleeve 2 are rotated.
During the copying operation is stopped, the foreign matter (foreign matter) such as paper powder other than the developer that has entered between the sleeve 18 and the blade 26 during the copying operation is stopped.
Since it acts so as to come out from between, the contaminants cause a lump of developer between the sleeve 20 and the blade 26, and the thickness of the developer layer on the surface of the sleeve 20 is partially changed. As a result, it is possible to avoid problems such as a reduction in the force of transporting the developer to the mesh 18 portion.

Further, in the above embodiment, the sleeve 20
Sleeve 19 instead of the magnet 20 '
It is needless to say that a configuration may be adopted in which the magnet built in the device is rotated.

As shown in FIG. 7, a regenerating system is provided in which a mesh 18 as a mesh filter is installed substantially vertically, and sleeves 19 and 20 containing magnets as magnetic generating means are installed at opposing positions on both sides thereof. The above-described present invention can be applied to the apparatus.

Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 8 is an explanatory sectional view showing the configuration of the present embodiment. The members having the same functions as the members described in the above-described embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals.

In FIG. 8, reference numerals 51 and 52 denote magnet rollers as magnetic force generating means arranged so that magnetic poles of opposite polarities come to the opposite position of the separating portion. The magnetic force relationship between the magnetic poles (N ₁₁ , S ₁₁ ) of the magnet roller 51 and the magnetic poles (N ₂₁ , S ₂₁ ) of the magnet roller 52 is N
₁₁ > S ₂₁ and S ₁₁ > N ₂₁ are set. Further, the magnetic poles are arranged at a certain set angle,
When both are rotated at the same speed by a drive source to be described later, the opposite magnetic poles in the separation unit are always set to have the opposite polarities.

Next, the operation of the developer regenerating apparatus will be described. The layer thickness of the developer on the magnet roller 52 is regulated by the doctor blade 26 and is conveyed to the separating section, and the developer is efficiently attracted by the concentrated magnetic lines of force by the opposed magnetic poles. At this time, the magnetic force relationship of the magnetic poles in the separation portion is that the magnetic poles N ₁₁ and S ₁₁ of the upper magnet roller 51 are larger than the magnetic poles N ₁₂ and S _{12 of the} lower magnet roller 52 as described above. The magnetic poles N ₁₁ and S ₁₁ are strongly attracted to the magnetic poles N ₁₁ and S _{11 and} are pulled upward through the mesh 18. Then, the developer and the foreign matter are separated by the mesh 18.

A scraping roller 53 made of a magnetic material is rotated in contact with the magnet roller 51.
The separated developer on the magnet roller 51 is set so as to be once attracted onto the scraping roller 53, and the developer is scraped off by the scraping blade 54 in contact with the scraping roller 53. The developer separated from the foreign matter is transported to the outside of the reproducing device 17 by the transport screw 25. Further, the remaining foreign matter is transported further downstream by the magnet roller 52 together with the residual developer, is collected by the cleaning brush 55 made of a non-magnetic material, and is scraped off to the collecting part 29 by the projection 17al. At this time, since the developer has magnetism, it remains adsorbed by the magnet roller 52, is conveyed to the downstream side without being collected by the cleaning brush 55, and obtains an opportunity of separation again. . Accordingly, the developer is hardly collected in the collection unit 29, and the collection unit 2
Most of the foreign substances stored in the storage area 9 are made of non-magnetic substances.

In order to prevent the mesh 18 from being clogged when the copying operation is stopped or stopped, the apparatus 17 is provided with magnets 51 and 52 disposed at opposing positions via the mesh 18. The position is configured to be displaceable. The details will be described below with reference to FIGS. 9 and 10 are explanatory diagrams showing the configuration of a magnetic pole displacement mechanism in the reproducing apparatus, and FIG. 11 is a block diagram showing a control system of the reproducing apparatus.

A gear 56 is fitted on the shaft end 51a of the magnet roller 51 outside the frame 17a of the reproducing device 17, and is not shown via a gear 57 rotatably provided on the frame 17a. The drive is transmitted from the drive source. Also, the gear 5 is attached to the shaft end 52a of the magnet roller 52.
A gear 58 that meshes with the gear 6 is provided, and a one-way clutch 59 that regulates the rotation direction in one direction is provided between the shaft end 52a of the magnet roller 52 and the gear 58. The magnet roller 52 rotates in the direction of the arrow in cooperation with the gear 58 only when the gear 58 rotates in the direction of the arrow when the separating device is operated by the action of the one-way clutch 59. The gear 5
6 and the number of teeth of the gear 58 are magnet rollers 51, 52
Are required to be rotated in phase so that the magnetic poles at the opposing portions always have opposite polarities, and therefore are configured with the same number of teeth. When disassembling and assembling the magnet rollers 51 and 52 and their gears 56 and 58 at the time of initial assembly or at the time of service, the magnet rollers 51 and 52 are provided with a reference such as an engraving for magnetic pole alignment so that initial phase adjustment is performed. Is possible.

The magnet rollers 51 and 52 rotate in the direction of the arrow in the drawing to separate foreign matters such as paper dust from the collected developer during normal operation. The wheels 51 and 52 rotate in response to the drive from the drive shaft in the direction of the arrow. The flag 60 fixedly provided on the side surface of the drive gear 56 of the magnet roller 51 is provided on the frame 17a of the reproducing device 17 by the supporting plate 61.
Now that blocks the photo sensor 62 provided through the drives is stopped of the magnet rollers 51 and 52 by a signal from the photo sensor 62, and the magnetic pole N ₁₁ and the magnetic pole S ₂₁ is opposed by the demultiplexer position (See FIG. 8).

Thereafter, a drive source (not shown) drives the magnet rollers 51 and 52 to rotate in the direction opposite to the direction of the arrow in response to a command from a microprocessor unit (MPU) for controlling the apparatus main body. When a flag 63 similarly fixed to the side surface of the drive gear 56 blocks a photo sensor 64 provided via the support plate 61, a signal from the photo sensor 64 causes the magnet rollers 51, 52 The rotation is stopped.

In the above operation, since the one-way clutch 59 acting as described above is provided between the magnet roller 52 and the gear 58, while the gear 58 rotates in the direction opposite to the arrow direction as described above. The magnet roller 52 does not rotate. Therefore, the magnetic pole S ₁₁ and the magnetic pole S ₂₁ of the magnet roller 52 of the magnet roller 51 where the final the flag 63 intercepts the photosensor 64 can be configured to stop opposite the separation portion.

As shown in the block diagram of FIG. 11, the control system of the reproducing apparatus transmits signals from the photo sensors 62 and 64 to a microprocessor unit (MPU) 66 via an input interface 65, , A motor driver 68 is driven via an output interface 67 to drive a drive motor 69 for driving the magnet roller.

In the reproducing apparatus of this embodiment described above,
When the same poles of the magnet rollers 51 and 52 face each other in the separation section, the repulsive force of the magnet rollers 51 and 52 causes
In consideration of the fact that the opposing magnetic pole is displaced due to the rotation of the 52, a small current is applied to the motor as the driving source, and the rotation is prevented with the holding force. May be provided.

Further, the drive transmission to the magnet roller may be transmitted from the magnet roller 52 in a manner opposite to the above-described separation device, and the one-way clutch 59 may be provided between the magnet roller 51 and the gear 56. Needless to say.

Next, a third embodiment of the image forming apparatus to which the present invention is applied will be described with reference to the drawings. Since the configuration and operation of the image forming apparatus and the separating device provided in the image forming apparatus have been described in detail in the above-described embodiment, detailed description thereof will be omitted. Members having the same function are denoted by the same reference numerals.

FIG. 12 is an enlarged perspective view schematically showing the transport path of the developer removed from the image carrier. As shown in FIG. 12, foreign matters such as developer and paper dust removed from the image carrier 1 are sent from the cleaning device 5 to a transport pipe 70 having a transport screw or the like inside. The foreign substances such as the developer and paper powder sent to the transport pipe 70 are sent to the separating device 17 described above. Further, the developer from which foreign matter such as paper dust has been separated in the separating device 17 is sent to the hopper portion 3 and then supplied to the developing device 2 to again contribute to image formation.

In an apparatus having such a mechanism, when the apparatus is regenerated or disassembled, the developer removed from the image carrier 1 in the developer conveying path such as the cleaning device 5, the conveying pipe 70, the separating device 17 and the like. And the unused developer also remains in the developing device 2 and the hopper portion 3. Therefore, the image forming apparatus according to the present invention has a control system for controlling the apparatus so as to collect all of these developers at one place before regenerating or disassembling the apparatus.

In the present embodiment, a collection container (not shown) is provided in the hopper 3 for collecting all the developer in the apparatus main body at one place, and the developer is automatically collected. The collecting mode is configured to be performed on an operation panel of an operation unit (not shown) of the apparatus main body. Thus, the developer can be easily removed from the apparatus main body, and the removed developer can be reused.

FIG. 13 is a block diagram showing a control system of the image forming apparatus according to the present invention. When the setting for automatically recovering the developer in the apparatus is performed in the operation unit 71, an electric signal is input through the input interface 72, and the microprocessor unit (MPU) 73 that receives the electric signal and controls the apparatus main body includes: , And issues a command as follows.

That is, regarding the collection of the developer remaining in the developing device 2 and the hopper portion 3, a solid image or the like is formed on the image carrier 1 and collected by the cleaning device 5 via the output interface 74. A drive signal is issued to a motor driver 76 of a driving means such as a main motor 75 for driving each unit such as the image carrier 1 and a predetermined image formation is performed on process means around the image carrier 1 such as the charger 7. Is issued. Under these controls, the developer remaining in the developing device 2 and the hopper 3 is sent to the cleaning device 5. Here, during the collection operation, the developing device 2 and the developer remaining amount detecting means of the hopper 3 are controlled so as not to operate.

Then, in order to collect the developer collected in the cleaning device 5 and the developer remaining in the developer conveyance path, the cleaning device 5, the conveyance pipe 70,
The microprocessor unit (MPU) 73 issues a signal to the motor driver 76 of each driving means (such as the main motor 75) via the output interface 74 so as to continue driving the separation device 17. By these controls, the developer in the apparatus is all collected at one place.

The developer remaining at the end is separated by a separating device 17.
At the stage of collecting as a reusable developer through
Since there is no developer supplied from the developing device 2 already on the image carrier 1, the cleaning device 5 removes the developer on the image carrier 1 with the cleaning blade and the image carrier 1.
The frictional force of the image carrier 1 is increased, and the blade of the conventional cleaning blade made of urethane rubber is turned up. The driving load of the image carrier 1 is rapidly increased, and the driving of the apparatus main body is stopped. It is expected to be. In order to prevent this, in the image forming apparatus according to the present invention, the following materials are used as the material of the cleaning blade.

That is, as the composition of the material of the cleaning blade, rubber which is a polymer alloy of fluororubber and molten fluororesin is used, and as a rubber having this composition, a product name such as "Rulon LE" has already been commercialized. I have. The present inventor has confirmed that the cleaning blade formed of the material having the above-described composition does not turn up the blade by appropriately selecting the blade pressure even when the developer is not interposed between the cleaning blade and the image carrier. Since rubber of this composition is integrally molded, it has the feature of being superior in durability and cost as compared with the conventional fluororesin sticking or coating which has been performed to improve the slipperiness of rubber. Therefore, it is suitable as a material of the cleaning blade of the image forming apparatus having the above control system. Further, no special time or cost is required for reducing the blade pressure only when the developer is collected, which is particularly advantageous in terms of the reliability and cost of the apparatus.

The cleaning device 5 of the image forming apparatus has a roller for collecting the developer scraped off by the cleaning blade. As this roller, a silicon rubber roller is brought into direct contact with the image carrier. A product having a configuration or a configuration in which a developer layer having a predetermined thickness is formed on a magnet roller and the developer layer is brought into contact with an image carrier has been commercialized. The developer layer adhering to the surface cannot be collected. Therefore, by providing a member that comes into contact with and separates from the magnet roller to remove the magnetic agent layer, it is possible to collect all the toner on the magnet roller. Hereinafter, the cleaning device described above will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 14 is an explanatory cross-sectional view showing a schematic structure of the cleaning device 5. The cleaning device 5 extending in the direction perpendicular to the paper is formed in a cylindrical shape and rotates in the direction of the arrow in the figure. 1, the cleaning blade 81 has one end edge pressed against the image carrier and the other end attached to a support member 81a. Is rotatably connected to a shaft 82.

Further, the shaft 82 is attached to a support member 83a pivotally attached to a shaft 83 extending in a direction perpendicular to the plane of the drawing.
The upper cover 8 of the cleaning device 5 is attached to the support member 83a.
Spring 85 with one end locked to support member 85a attached to
The other end is attached. Therefore, the edge of the cleaning blade 81 is pressed against the surface of the image carrier 1 by the action of the spring 85. With this configuration, the edge of the cleaning blade 81 can be constantly in contact with the surface of the image carrier 1 uniformly over the entire length to scrape off the residual developer.

A shaft 86a shown in FIG. 15 is provided inside the cleaning device 5 and upstream of the cleaning blade 81 (as viewed in the running direction of the image carrier). A magnet roller 86 that rotates relative to the image carrier 1 is provided, and the surface of the image carrier 1 is rubbed by a magnetic brush formed on the surface. A shaft 87a shown in FIG. 15 is provided with a transport screw 87, and discharges the developer collected in the cleaning device 5 to the outside of the device.

Further, a developer layer regulating roller 88 made of a non-magnetic material is disposed in the vicinity of the magnet roller 86, and the roller 88 is fixed to a fixed portion of the cleaning device 5 at an appropriate position. A scraper 90 attached to an abutment 89 having an opening for agent passage is in contact therewith,
The thickness of the developer layer formed on the surface of the magnet roller 86 is regulated by the roller 88, and excess developer is guided to the transport screw 87 from an opening provided in the support 89.

At both ends of the magnet roller 86, scrapers (not shown) are fixedly provided, thereby preventing the developer layer from being formed at these portions.
The position of the scraper is outside the image forming area to prevent toner scattering from the end of the cleaning device 5.

As shown in detail in FIG. 16, a scraper 92 attached to a shaft 91 over the entire length of the magnet roller 86 in the longitudinal direction is provided with a magnet roller 8.
6 is provided so as to be able to approach and separate. A lever 93 is provided at one end of the shaft 91, and an end of the lever 93 is attached to a plunger of a solenoid 94.
A spring 95 biases the shaft 91 in a direction in which the scraper 92 is separated from the magnet roller 86.

Therefore, when the above-mentioned developer collecting operation is started, the solenoid 94 is turned on and the scraper 92 is turned on.
Abuts on the magnet roller 86, and removes the developer attached to that portion through the developer passage opening 92a.

FIG. 17 is a sectional explanatory view of a cleaning apparatus showing another embodiment. In this apparatus, arms 97 are provided at both ends of a shaft 96 arranged in parallel with a magnet roller 86. A roller 98 is provided between the arms 97, and the roller 98 comes into contact with the magnet roller 86 when the developer is collected, thereby similarly removing the developer layer. It can be easily understood that the means for moving the roller 98 to and away from the magnet roller 86 can be configured in the same manner as in the case shown in FIG.
With such a configuration, the same operation as in the above-described embodiment can be achieved, and in this case, there is no fear that the magnet roller will be worn.

In the above embodiment, the scraper 92
Alternatively, a solenoid is used as means for contacting and separating the roller 98 from the magnet roller 86, but the scraper 92 or the roller 98 is connected to the magnet roller 86 in synchronization with the rotation of the magnet roller 86 or the toner layer regulating roller 88 using a cam, for example. It is also possible to separate them.

[0078]

【The invention's effect】

(1) As described above, since the relative positions of the magnets are configured to be displaceable such that the same poles of the two magnetic force generating means facing each other via the mesh filter face each other in the separation unit, the apparatus main body is stopped or stopped. At the same time, it is possible to avoid problems such as aggregation and solidification of the developer and the like in the separation section, and it is possible to maintain the function of separating foreign matters such as paper powder from the collected developer for a long period of time. Can be largely omitted. Further, the occurrence of image defects due to the coagulated and solidified developer can be prevented, and a highly reliable and high image quality apparatus can be provided.

(2) As described above, the image forming apparatus has the control means for controlling the apparatus so as to recover the magnetic agent remaining in the apparatus main body as a reusable magnetic agent. Before conducting the refurbishment or disassembly of the apparatus, all of the magnetic agent can be collected at one place, and the magnetic agent can be prevented from being scattered at the time of refurbishment or disassembly of the apparatus, thereby preventing contamination of the human body and the environment. Further, when the cleaning device has a magnet roller, since the cleaning device includes a removing member for removing the developer on the magnet roller, the developer can also be collected. Further, since a polymer alloy molded article of a fluororubber and a molten fluororesin having a low coefficient of friction is used as a cleaning blade of the cleaning device, the occurrence of blade turn-up expected at the time of collecting the developer is reduced, for example, to reduce the blade pressure. This can be prevented without providing a special mechanism, and a highly reliable and inexpensive device can be provided.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing a schematic configuration of an image forming apparatus provided with a developer regenerating apparatus of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a configuration of a developer recycling device according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a side view of a developer recycling apparatus to which the present invention is applied.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory view of a main part showing a state in which a developer and a non-magnetic substance (foreign matter) are separated by a developer regenerating apparatus.

FIG. 5 is a configuration explanatory view showing a configuration of a magnetic pole displacement mechanism in the first embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a configuration explanatory view showing a configuration of a magnetic pole displacement mechanism in the first embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a sectional view showing a modification of the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a configuration of a separation device according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a configuration explanatory view showing a configuration of a magnetic pole displacement mechanism in a second embodiment.

FIG. 10 is a configuration explanatory view showing a configuration of a magnetic pole displacement mechanism in a second embodiment.

FIG. 11 is a block diagram illustrating a control system of the developer regenerating apparatus.

FIG. 12 is an enlarged perspective view schematically showing a transport path of a developer removed from an image carrier.

FIG. 13 is a block diagram illustrating a control system of the image forming apparatus according to the present invention.

FIG. 14 is an explanatory sectional view showing a schematic configuration of a cleaning device in the image forming apparatus.

FIG. 15 is a perspective view illustrating a cleaning device in the image forming apparatus.

FIG. 16 is an enlarged schematic view of a magnet roller portion in the cleaning device.

FIG. 17 is an explanatory sectional view showing a schematic configuration of a cleaning device in the image forming apparatus.

[Explanation of symbols]

 REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 image carrier 2 developing device 3 hopper unit 4 transfer / separation charger 5 cleaning device 6 static eliminator 7 primary charger 8 optical reading system 8a exposure unit 9 document processing device 10 sheet feeding unit 11 transport table 12 fixing device 13 sheet discharge Unit 14 Refeeding sheet guiding unit 15 Intermediate tray 16 Sheet refeeding unit 17 Separator 17a Frame 17al Projection 18 Mesh 19, 20 Sleeve 19a, 20a Shaft end 21 Support member 22 Drive motor 23 Cam 24, 25 Transport screw 26 Doctor Blade 27 Scraping Blade 28 Non-magnetic Contact Member 29 Recovery Unit 30 Sealing Member 31, 32 Pole Determination Plate 33 Shaft 34 Lever 35 Long Hole 36 Rotating Support Point 37 Pin 38 Solenoid 39 Iron Core 40 Tension Spring 41 Solenoid Abutment 42 , 43 Bending part 51, 52 Magnet Rollers 51a, 52a Shaft end 53 Scraping roller 54 Scraping blade 55 Cleaning brush 56, 57, 58 Gear 59 One-way clutch 60 Flag 61 Support plate 62 Photo sensor 63 Flag 64 Photo sensor 65 Input interface 66 Microprocessor unit 67 Output interface 68 Motor driver 69 Drive motor 70 Transport pipe 71 Operating section 72 Input interface 73 Microprocessor unit (MPU) 74 Output interface 75 Main motor 76 Motor driver 81 Cleaning blade 81a Support member 82, 83 Shaft 83a Support member 84 Top lid 85 Spring 85a Support member 86 magnet roller 86a shaft 87 transport screw 87a shaft 88 developer layer regulating roller 8 9 Abutment 90 Scraper 91 Shaft 92 Scraper 92a Opening 93 Lever 94 Solenoid 95 Spring 96 Shaft 97 Arm 98 Roller

Continuation of the front page (58) Field surveyed (Int.Cl. ⁶ , DB name) G03G 21/10-21/12 G03G 15/08

Claims (19)

(57) [Claims] 1. A developing device comprising: a pair of magnetic field forming members; and a filter for restricting movement of foreign matter from one of the pair of magnetic field forming members to the other, and reproducing magnetic toner from a mixture of magnetic toner and foreign matter. In the agent regenerating apparatus, there is provided switching means for switching a shape of a magnetic field formed by the pair of magnetic field forming members, and the switching means is provided at a first position at which mutually facing magnetic poles of the pair of magnetic field forming members have different polarities. And a second position different from the first position, the relative position of the pair of magnetic field forming members can be switched. 2. The filter according to claim 2, wherein said filter has a mesh.
2. The developer recycling device according to 1. 3. The developer reproducing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the magnetic field forming member has a magnet roller. 4. The apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the apparatus further comprises a sleeve rotatable around the magnet roller. 5. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the magnetic poles of the pair of magnetic field forming members face each other with different polarities when reproducing the magnetic toner, and the magnetic poles face with the same polarity except during reproduction.
3. The developer recycling device according to claim 1. 6. The apparatus further comprises a first sleeve carrying a mixture on the surface thereof, and a second sleeve carrying magnetic toner flying from the surface of the first sleeve, wherein the filter has a direction of gravity. 5. The developer regeneration device according to claim 4, wherein the developer regeneration device is disposed upstream of the first sleeve and downstream of the second sleeve. 7. The first and second sleeves rotate when the pair of magnet rollers face each other with a different polarity, and stop rotating when the pair of magnet rollers face each other with the same polarity. 7. The developer regenerating apparatus according to claim 6, wherein: 8. The switching means has a solenoid for driving at least one of the pair of magnet rollers,
7. The developing device according to claim 6, wherein when the solenoid is energized, the pair of magnet rollers oppose each other with different polarities, and when energization to the solenoid is cut off, the pair of magnet rollers oppose each other with the same polarity. Agent regeneration device. 9. The developer regenerating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the second position is a position where mutually facing magnetic poles of the pair of magnetic field forming members have the same polarity. 10. An image carrier, an image forming means having a developing unit for supplying a magnetic toner to the image carrier, and a residue remaining on the image carrier after transferring a toner image from the image carrier to a recording material. Cleaning means for removing from the image carrier, a pair of magnetic field forming members, and a filter for restricting the movement of foreign matter from one of the pair of magnetic field forming members to the other, and from a residue removed from the image carrier. An image forming apparatus for reproducing magnetic toner, comprising switching means for switching a shape of a magnetic field formed by the pair of magnetic field forming members, wherein the switching means has opposite magnetic poles of the pair of magnetic field forming members having different polarities. An image forming apparatus, wherein a relative position of the pair of magnetic field forming members can be switched between a first position and a second position different from the first position. 11. The image forming apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the filter has a mesh. 12. The image forming apparatus according to claim 10, wherein said magnetic field forming member has a magnet roller. 13. The image forming apparatus according to claim 12, wherein said apparatus further comprises a sleeve rotatable around said magnet roller. 14. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the magnetic poles of the pair of magnetic field forming members face each other with different polarities when reproducing magnetic toner, and the magnetic poles face with the same polarity except during reproduction.
11. The image forming apparatus according to 10. 15. The apparatus further comprises a first sleeve carrying a mixture on the surface, and a second sleeve carrying magnetic toner flying from the surface of the first sleeve, wherein the filter has a gravity action direction. 14. The image forming apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the image forming apparatus is disposed upstream of the first sleeve and downstream of the second sleeve. 16. The developing device according to claim 6, wherein the first and second sleeves rotate when the pair of magnet rollers face each other with different polarities, and the pair of magnet rollers face each other with the same polarity. Agent regeneration device. 17. The switching means has a solenoid for driving at least one of the pair of magnet rollers, and when the solenoid is energized, the pair of magnet rollers oppose each other with different polarities. 16. The image forming apparatus according to claim 15, wherein when the power supply to the solenoid is cut off, the pair of magnet rollers face each other with the same polarity. 18. The image forming apparatus according to claim 10, wherein said apparatus further comprises a conveying means for conveying the reproduced magnetic toner to said developing section. 19. The image forming apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the second position is a position where mutually facing magnetic poles of the pair of magnetic field forming members have the same polarity.