JP2821356B2 - 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]

2. Related Art Conventionally, the residue remaining on an image carrier after transferring a developer image from the image carrier to a 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.

[0004]

However, when a developer, particularly a mesh filter, is used to separate the developer and other foreign matters to regenerate the developer, the paper contained in the residue removed from the image carrier is required. Clogging of the mesh due to foreign matter such as powder 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.

[0006]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention provides a mesh filter for restricting passage of foreign matter in a developer collected from a developer carrier, and a filter for allowing the collected developer to pass through the filter. The developer is a magnetic developer, and a magnetic field for adsorbing the developer as an adsorption unit is provided on the upstream side of the filter as viewed in the direction of gravity. A first magnetic field forming member to be formed is arranged. Further, according to the present invention, which solves the above-mentioned problems, a developing unit for forming a developer image on an image carrier, and a developer remaining on the image carrier after transferring the developer image to a recording material are collected and removed. An image forming apparatus comprising: a cleaning unit; a mesh filter for restricting passage of foreign matter in the collected developer; and a developer suction unit for passing the collected developer through the filter. A magnetic developer, which forms a magnetic field for adsorbing the developer as an adsorbing means on the upstream side of the filter as viewed in the direction of gravity.
It is characterized in that one magnetic field forming member is arranged.

[0007]

FIG. 1 is a schematic sectional view of an image forming apparatus to which the present invention is applied, and FIG. 2 is a developer for separating a residue removed from an image carrier by a cleaning means into a developer and other foreign matters. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing the configuration of the regenerating apparatus. FIG.
FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a state in which a magnetic toner and a non-magnetic substance (foreign matter) are separated by a developer regenerating apparatus.

Hereinafter, an image forming process of this apparatus will be described.

The rotating photoconductor (image carrier) 1 is first uniformly charged by a charger 7. Next, it is exposed to light 8a based on the original placed on the original table 9 (using the optical system 8), and an electrostatic latent image is formed. This latent image is visualized by supplying a one-component developer composed of a magnetic toner by a developing device 2. Further, the toner image formed on the photoconductor 1 is transferred to the recording material P by the transfer charger 4. The recording material P carrying the toner image is conveyed to a fixing device 12 by a conveyance belt 11, and the fixing device 12 fixes the toner image on the recording material P to the recording material P. Thereafter, the recording material P is discharged to the discharge tray 13. Since residual toner, paper dust, and the like remain on the photoconductor 1 after the transfer of the toner image, these residues are removed by the cleaning device 5. After this, the photoreceptor 1 receives the light from the pre-exposure device 6 and after its surface is neutralized, prepares for the next image formation.

The image forming apparatus shown in FIG. 1 removes foreign matter such as paper dust from the cleaned residue and transports only the residual toner (magnetic toner) to the hopper 3 of the developing device 2 for reuse. It is. Next, a developer regenerating apparatus according to a first embodiment for separating the residue collected from the surface of the photoreceptor into toner and other foreign substances will be described with reference to FIGS.

In the frame 17 of the regenerating apparatus, the end portion of a conveying path 24 having a conveying screw 24 'for conveying the residue collected by the cleaner 5 into the regenerating apparatus (a broken line in FIG. 3) and A sleeve 18 carrying the residue and rotating in the direction of arrow C; a magnet 18 'fixed in this sleeve 18 so as to be non-rotatable (i.e., with the south pole always facing upward as shown in FIG. 2); A regulating member 25 for regulating the layer thickness of the residue on the sleeve 18, a sleeve 19 (rotating in the direction of the arrow B) for adsorbing toner from the sleeve 18, and a rotation in the sleeve 19 (that is, as shown in FIG. 2). 1 so that the N pole always faces downward)
9 '(attracting member), a scraping blade 26 for scraping toner from the sleeve 19,
The start end of the transport path 27 (indicated by the broken line in FIG. 3) having a transport screw 27 'for transporting the toner scraped by the blade 26 to the developing hopper side, and a mesh formed between the sleeve 18 and the sleeve 19. A filter (made of non-magnetic stainless steel wire, non-magnetic brass wire, nylon fiber, or the like) 20 is provided. Reference numeral 30 denotes a seal member for preventing leakage of toner and the like.

A method for separating magnetic toner and other foreign matter by such a developer regenerating apparatus will be described below.

The transport screw 24 'in the transport path 24 is parallel to the sleeve 18 and is located on the inner side of the apparatus 17 (D in FIG. 3).
The transport path 2 which extends to the vicinity and faces the sleeve 18
4 has an opening on the sleeve 18 side. Therefore, the residue (magnetic toner and foreign matter such as paper powder) removed from the photosensitive drum and transported by the transport screw 24 ′ is attracted to the surface of the sleeve 18 by the magnetic force of the magnet 18 ′ in the sleeve 18 (at this time, the Foreign matter such as magnetic paper dust is covered with the magnetic toner, and thus is adsorbed on the surface of the sleeve 18 together with the magnetic toner.)

The thickness of the residue adsorbed on the surface of the sleeve 18 is regulated by the doctor blade 25, and the rotation of the sleeve 18 causes the opposing area between the sleeve 19 and the sleeve 18 (the area where toner and foreign matter are separated), that is, the magnetic force of the sleeve 19. Is transported to an area where it sufficiently acts on the residue. Then, the residue sent to the separation section facing the sleeve 19 is
The concentrated magnetic field lines extending from S ₁₈ to N ₁₉ efficiently attract the sleeve 19. Magnetic force of separation part N ₁₉ , S ₁₈
Is set so that N ₁₉ > S ₁₈ , the toner is strongly attracted by N ₁₉ and is pulled upward through the holes of the mesh 20. Here, the mesh 20 has a gap several times the particle diameter of the toner [37.5 μm (# 400) to 150 when using a toner having an average particle diameter of about 5 to 20 μm].
μm (# 100) is preferred.], the toner easily passes through the mesh 20, but the paper dust flying with the magnetic toner is restricted by the mesh 20. Since the paper dust is regulated by the surface of the mesh 20 on the sleeve 18 side, the paper dust separated from the magnetic toner falls by its own weight, falls on the sleeve 18, and is again carried on the sleeve 18. The foreign matter such as paper dust is further conveyed together with the toner not adsorbed on the sleeve 19 and the foreign matter which does not fly, and is once separated from the surface of the sleeve 18 by the non-magnetic contact member 28 set on the downstream side of the separating portion. The non-magnetic abutting member 28 is provided on the sleeve 1 by a small abutting pressure.
8, foreign matter such as paper powder adhering to the sleeve 18 with a small force can be scraped off.
Non-magnetic abutting member 2 is used because the toner that has not been separated by the separating portion and remains is attracted to the sleeve by magnetic force.
8 cannot be scraped off, and is further transported by the rotation of the sleeve, so that an opportunity for separation is obtained again. Therefore, the developer is hardly collected in the collection unit 29, and most of the foreign matters made of non-magnetic material are stored in the collection unit 29.

As described above, since the sleeve 19, which is a developer-adsorbing member, is provided on the upstream side of the filter 20 with respect to the direction of gravitational action, foreign matter such as paper dust is separated from the filter by its own weight. Therefore, it is possible to satisfactorily separate the developer and other foreign matters without causing clogging of the filter.

In the present embodiment, the mesh 20 is further oscillated (preferably at a frequency of 50 Hz or more and an amplitude of 0.2 to 4 mm) through a support member 21 for holding the mesh 20 by a cam 22 connected to a drive motor 23. Degree) is given. The reason why the mesh is vibrated in this way is that the toner in the residue also includes agglomerated toner,
This does not completely pass through the mesh 20 and adheres to the gaps between the meshes 20. In particular, when the humidity is high, the degree of agglomeration further increases, and the toner that adheres to the gaps between the meshes without passing through the mesh 20 causes clogging of the mesh. This is because there is a fear.

By destroying the cohesive developer adhering to the mesh 20 by the vibration force in this way, clogging of the mesh 20 can be more reliably prevented (see FIG. 4). By setting the magnetic force such that the self-weight of the developer itself is small and the attraction force by the magnetic force is sufficiently large, the toner is easily carried to the upstream side in the gravitational action direction and adheres to the sleeve 19. Further, in this embodiment, the magnetic toner is set to be conveyed and separated from the downstream side in the direction of gravity to the upstream side, so that the non-magnetic substance (foreign matter) separated from the magnetic toner adheres to the lower side of the mesh. As a result, the non-magnetic material loses its adhesion to the mesh due to its own weight and the vibration applied to the mesh, and is knocked down. Therefore, the magnetic toner and the foreign matter can be efficiently separated, and clogging of the mesh can be continuously prevented. The magnetic toner separated from the paper dust and adsorbed on the sleeve 19 is conveyed by the rotation of the sleeve 19, is scraped off from the sleeve 19 by the scraping blade 26, and is conveyed out of the reproducing apparatus by the screw 27. Then, the separated magnetic toner is conveyed to a developing system by a conveying device (not shown) and supplied again for development.

FIG. 5 shows a second embodiment of the developer regenerating apparatus according to the present invention. Numerals 31 and 32 denote magnet rollers which are arranged so that magnetic poles of opposite polarities come at opposing positions of the separation unit. The magnetic poles (N ₁ , S ₁ ) of the magnet roller 31 and the magnetic poles (N
₂ , S ₂ ) are set so as to satisfy the relationship of N ₁ > S ₂ and S ₁ > N ₂ . Further, the magnetic poles are arranged at a certain set angle, and are set so that the magnetic poles of the opposing separating portions always have opposite polarities by rotating at the same speed by a driving source (not shown). Next, the operation will be described. The residue adhered to the surface of the magnet roller 32 after being removed from the photosensitive drum is removed by the doctor blade 25.
The layer thickness is regulated by this and transported to the separation section. The magnetic toner is efficiently attracted to the magnet roller 31 by the lines of concentrated magnetic force generated by the opposed magnetic poles. At this time,
As for the magnetic force of the separating portion, the upper magnetic forces N ₁ and S ₁ are larger than the lower magnetic forces N ₂ and S ₂ , so that the magnetic toner is strongly attracted by N ₁ and S ₁ and is pulled upward through the mesh 20. Then, the magnetic toner and the foreign matter are separated by the mesh 20 as in the first embodiment. Further, a scraping roller 33 made of a magnetic material is rotated in contact with the magnet roller 31, and the magnetic toner attached to the surface of the magnet roller 31 is once attracted onto the scraping roller 33, and is brought into contact with the scraping roller 33. The setting is such that the magnetic toner is scraped off by the scraping blade 26. Then, the magnetic toner separated from the foreign matter is transported to the outside of the reproducing apparatus by the transport screw 27. Foreign matter such as paper dust dropped from the mesh 20 is again carried on the magnet roller 32 and transported by the rotation of the roller 32. Then, the non-magnetic foreign matter is scraped off to the collecting section 29 by the projection 17a. At this time, mesh 20
The magnetic toner carried on the magnet roller 32 again without passing through the magnet roller 32 remains adsorbed on the magnet roller 32, is not collected by the cleaning brush 34, is conveyed as it is to the downstream side, and again has an opportunity of separation. You will get. Therefore, the magnetic toner is hardly collected in the collection unit 29, and most of the foreign matters made of non-magnetic material are stored in the collection unit 29.

In the above-described embodiment, the separation of the one-component developer having a magnetic toner and other foreign matters has been described. However, the developer is not limited to this, and the developer having a non-magnetic toner or the toner having a toner and a carrier may be used. It may be a component developer. In short, it is sufficient that the foreign matter other than the developer blocked by the filter is separated from the filter by its own weight. However, when regenerating non-magnetic toner,
A member that generates a force other than the magnetic force is required as a member that adsorbs the toner through the filter.

In the above-described embodiment, the filter is provided substantially perpendicular to the direction of gravitational action, that is, substantially parallel to the installation surface of the image forming apparatus. However, the present invention is not limited to this. If the foreign matter can be separated from the filter by its own weight, the installation angle of the filter is not limited to this.

Next, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG. 6 is a schematic sectional view of an image forming apparatus using the developer regenerating device of the third embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 6, reference numeral 101 denotes a document table glass on which a document is placed; 103, an illumination lamp (exposure lamp) for illuminating the document; 105, 107, and 109, respectively, scanning for changing the optical path of the reflected light of the document. A reflecting mirror (scanning mirror) 111 for focusing and zooming, 11
Reference numeral 3 denotes a fourth reflection mirror (scanning mirror) for changing an optical path. An optical system motor 115 drives the optical system, and 11
7, 119 and 121 are sensors, respectively.

Reference numeral 131 denotes a photosensitive drum, 133 denotes a main motor for driving the photosensitive drum 131, 135 denotes a high-pressure unit, 137 denotes a blank exposure unit, 139 denotes a developing device,
141 is a transfer charger, 143 is a separation charger, and 145
Is a cleaning device.

Reference numeral 151 denotes an upper cassette; 153, a lower cassette; 171, manual paper feed ports 155 and 157; paper feed rollers; and 159, a registration roller.

Reference numeral 161 denotes a conveyance belt for conveying the recording paper on which the image is recorded to the fixing side, and 163 denotes a fixing device for fixing the conveyed recording paper by thermal fixing.

The surface of the photosensitive drum 131 is made of a photoconductor and a seamless photoconductor using a conductor. The drum 131 is rotatably supported on a shaft, and operates in response to pressing of a copy start key. The rotation of the motor 133 is started in the direction of the arrow in FIG. Then, when the predetermined rotation control and potential control processing (pre-processing) of the drum 131 is completed, the original placed on the original glass 101 is illuminated by the illumination lamp 103 integrated with the first scanning mirror 105, The reflected light of the original is transmitted to the first scanning mirror 10.
5, the drum 1 through the second scanning mirror 107, the third scanning mirror 109, the lens 111, and the fourth scanning mirror 113.
An image is formed on 31.

The drum 131 is corona-charged by a primary charger 135. Thereafter, the image (original image) illuminated by the illumination lamp 103 is subjected to slit exposure, and an electrostatic latent image is formed on the drum 131 by a known Carlson process.

Next, the electrostatic latent image on the photosensitive drum 131 is
The toner is developed by the developing roller 140 of the developing device 139 and visualized as a toner image.
The data is transferred onto the transfer paper by 41.

That is, the transfer paper in the upper cassette 151 or the lower cassette 153 or the transfer paper set in the manual paper feed port 171 is supplied to the paper feed roller 155 or 1
The paper is sent into the main body device by 57, and the leading edge of the latent image and the leading edge of the transfer paper are matched.

Thereafter, the transfer charger 141 and the drum 131
Is discharged out of the main body 100 when the transfer paper passes through the gap.

The drum 131 after the transfer continues to rotate as it is, and its surface is cleaned by a cleaning device 145 including a cleaning roller and an elastic blade.

Thereafter, the collected residue is transported by the transport screw 148 and guided to the developer regenerating apparatus 200 shown in FIG.

Reference numeral 148 denotes a screw for transporting the residue from the cleaning device to the developer regenerating device 200, which transports the residue from the back side to the front side. Reference numeral 201 denotes a first magnetic field forming member, which attracts foreign matters such as magnetic toner and paper dust covered with the magnetic toner onto the sleeve by the magnetic force of a fixed magnet in the sleeve. Thereafter, the sleeve rotates in the direction of the arrow, and conveys the residue covered with toner and foreign matter to a position facing the second magnetic field forming member 202.

For example, the distance between the first and second sleeves is about 3 m.
m, the magnetic flux density at each opposing position
50 gauss and the second sleeve S pole 1000 gauss.

A non-magnetic, eg, bronze, mesh filter 203 is disposed substantially at the center between the first sleeve and the second sleeve, substantially perpendicular to the installation surface of the image forming apparatus, that is, substantially parallel to the direction of gravity. I do. The mesh roughness of the mesh filter is about 5 to 50 times the particle size of the toner, particularly 200 to 3 times.
00 mesh is optimal.

Vibration can be applied to the mesh filter. For example, as shown in FIG. 8, a mesh filter is sandwiched between the frame bodies 350 and 351, a leaf spring 352 is brought into contact with a part of the mesh filter, and an elastic plate cam 354 is attached to a rotating shaft 353 of the motor. When the cam rotates, the leaf spring vibrates and transmits the vibration to the mesh filter.

The residue carried on the first sleeve is
At the position facing the sleeve, ears are formed by a magnetic field formed by the first sleeve and the second sleeve. At this time, the magnetic toner in the residue is given a force to fly from the first sleeve to the second sleeve. Therefore, the magnetic toner flying from the first sleeve to the second sleeve passes through the mesh and is carried on the surface of the second sleeve.

At this time, since a part of the paper powder in the residue is covered with the toner, it flies from the first sleeve to the second sleeve together with the toner. However, because the paper dust is much larger than the toner, the mesh prevents movement to the second sleeve. Most of the toner that causes the paper dust to fly passes through the mesh, so that the paper dust that has reached the mesh loses its moving force. In addition, since the mesh is installed between the first sleeve and the second sleeve substantially in parallel with the direction of gravity, the paper dust that has reached the mesh slides down on the mesh surface by its own weight. This allows
It is possible to separate magnetic toner and foreign matter such as paper powder without causing clogging of the mesh.

In this embodiment, the mesh is further vibrated. When the mesh filter vibrates, the aggregated toner in the vicinity of the mesh filter is also separated and smoothly passes through the mesh filter. In addition, the paper powder that has reached the mesh also easily falls. The dropped paper dust is conveyed by the screw 206 to the contaminant collection section.

FIG. 9 shows the relationship between the frequency applied to the mesh filter and the amount of toner passing through the mesh filter per unit time (toner passage efficiency).

FIG. 10 shows the change in the amount of toner passing through the mesh filter per unit time (toner passing efficiency) with respect to the number of copies when a vibration having a frequency of 100 Hz is applied and when it is not applied. Line m is a case where vibration is applied, and line n is a case where vibration is not applied. 9 and 10, it can be seen that the toner passes through the mesh filter efficiently by applying vibration and stably without clogging the mesh for a long period of time.

The toner that has passed through the second sleeve is
The sleeve is conveyed by rotating in the direction of the arrow, stripped from the sleeve by the scraper 204, conveyed to the developer hopper or the developing device by the screw 205, and reused.

FIG. 11 shows a fourth embodiment. Reference numeral 148 denotes a screw that conveys the residue collected from the cleaner into the regenerating device. Then, the collected toner is attracted onto the sleeve 601 at, for example, the N pole of the sleeve 601 in which the magnet is fixed as the magnetic field forming means. The magnet is fixed and the sleeve rotates in the direction of the arrow to convey the collected toner. 20
3 is a non-magnetic mesh filter. A magnet roller 602 has a plurality of poles, for example, eight poles. This magnet roller rotates in the direction of the arrow. When the opposite magnetic pole of the magnet sleeve 601 has a different polarity, that is, when the S pole reaches the opposing portion, the collected toner has spikes, and the toner that has passed through the mesh filter from the magnet sleeve 601 adheres to the magnet roller 602. I do. The subsequent rotation of the magnet roller 602 causes the same polarity as the magnet sleeve 601 to be located, and ears disappear (or decrease), so that no collected toner is present near the mesh filter. By this repetition, an effect equivalent to the vibration of the mesh filter is obtained.

The non-magnetic contaminants do not pass through the mesh filter, fall along the mesh filter, and are conveyed by the conveying screw 606 to the contaminant collection section.

On the other hand, the toner adhering to the magnet roller 602 is conveyed in the direction
At 4, the toner is conveyed to the hopper or the developing device by the stripped conveying screw and reused.

The side that adsorbs the residue and flies in the mesh direction may be a rotary magnet roller, the side that adsorbs toner via the mesh may be a sleeve, or a pair of magnetic field forming means are both rotary magnet rollers only. May be configured.

Further, in the third embodiment, the vibration is applied to the mesh filter by the rotating cam. However, as shown in FIG. 12, the ultrasonic vibrator 701 may be provided in a part of the mesh filter to apply the vibration. .

Next, on the first magnetic field forming means,
An embodiment in which some foreign matter such as paper dust is removed will be described.

FIG. 13 shows a fifth embodiment.

Reference numeral 148 denotes the cleaning device 2
The screw transports the residue removed from the surface of the photoconductor at 00, and transports it from the back side to the front side. 201 is the first
A magnet sleeve that attracts the collected toner onto the sleeve by a magnetic force of a magnet in the sleeve. Thereafter, the sleeve rotates in the direction of the arrow, and the layer thickness is regulated to, for example, 300 μm by the blade 210. As a result, paper dust and the like are collected by the blade. At the same time, the amount of the collected toner that is conveyed to the position facing the second magnet sleeve 202 is regulated, and clogging due to a large amount of collected toner going to the mesh filter at one time is also prevented.

For example, the distance between the first and second sleeves is about 3 m.
m, the magnetic flux density at each opposing position
50 gauss and the second sleeve S pole 1000 gauss.

A non-magnetic mesh filter 203 made of, for example, phosphor bronze is provided substantially at the center between the first sleeve and the second sleeve.
Is arranged. The mesh roughness of the mesh filter is optimally about 5 to 50 times the particle size of the toner, particularly 200 to 300 mesh.

Vibration can be applied to the mesh filter. For example, similarly to the first embodiment, the frame bodies 350 and 351
, A leaf spring 352 is brought into contact with a part of the mesh filter, and the rotating shaft 3
An elastic plate cam 354 is attached to the 53, and the plate spring vibrates by rotating the plate cam to transmit the vibration to the mesh filter.

The collected toner on the first sleeve rises at the position facing the second sleeve, and a part of the toner rising due to the concentrated magnetic field at the second sleeve passes through the mesh filter toward the second sleeve. Receive. When the mesh filter vibrates, the aggregated toner in the vicinity of the mesh filter breaks apart and smoothly passes through the mesh filter. On the other hand, the paper dust or the like collected by the blade portion is scraped off by the cleaning member, for example, the felt 211 or the like by the blade being released and rotated, and is dropped as it is, and is conveyed to the contaminant collecting portion by the conveying screw 206. You. For example, in FIG. 14, the relationship between the number of copies and the amount of toner passing through the mesh filter per unit time (toner passage efficiency) is shown by a solid line when there is a blade, and by a broken line when there is no blade. This indicates that the toner efficiently and stably passes through the mesh filter with the blade even when the number of copies increases.

The toner that has passed through the second sleeve is
The sleeve is conveyed by rotating in the direction of the arrow, stripped from the sleeve by the scraper 204, conveyed to the developer hopper or the developing device by the screw 205, and reused.

FIG. 15 shows a sixth embodiment. The residue is attracted to the first magnet sleeve in the same manner as in the previous embodiment, and then the sleeve rotates in the direction of the arrow. A brush roll 215 has a space of about 0.5 mm from the sleeve and rotates in the counter direction. Paper dust and the like are collected by the brush. At the same time, the amount of the collected toner that is conveyed to the position facing the second magnet sleeve 202 is regulated, and clogging due to the toner going to the mesh filter at one time is also prevented. After that, the toner that has passed through the mesh filter is reused as in the third embodiment. On the other hand, the paper dust and the like collected by the brush roll are beaten down by the elastic plate 216, fall down, and are conveyed by the conveying screw 206 to the contaminant collecting section. Even if a roller is used instead of the brush roll, the same effect can be obtained although the effect of removing paper dust is reduced.

In the seventh embodiment, the thickness of the collected toner is regulated by a blade with the same configuration as that of the fifth embodiment. FIG.
By making the shape of the blade tip in a sawtooth shape as described above, the efficiency of paper dust removal can be enhanced, and at the same time, the blade portion is less likely to be clogged and the collected toner can be stably conveyed to the mesh filter portion.

As described above, the mesh filter is provided vertically, the toner is caused to pass horizontally through the conveying mesh filter by the magnetic force generating means, and the mesh filter is vibrated to separate the aggregated toner in the vicinity of the mesh filter. By regulating the thickness of the toner layer in the mesh filter section and pre-treating paper dust etc., the efficiency of toner passing through the mesh filter is improved, and even if there is a lot of collected toner at once, the efficiency can be increased There is an effect that can be maintained.

As can be understood from the above-described first to seventh embodiments, the installation angle of the filter is an angle (α) parallel to the installation surface of the image forming apparatus main body as in the first and second embodiments. =
0 °) to an angle perpendicular to the installation surface (α = 90 °) as in the third to seventh embodiments.

That is, if the angle of the plane perpendicular to the direction of the gravitational action is α = 0 °, it is sufficient that 0 ° ≦ α ≦ 90 °.

As in the first to seventh embodiments described above, the attractivity is located upstream of the filter in the direction of gravity.
By disposing the ng member, clogging of the filter can be prevented, and the number of maintenance operations of the device can be reduced.

The following embodiment can prevent the mesh filter from being clogged even when the apparatus is stopped.

Hereinafter, an eighth embodiment of the present invention will be described. Note that members having the same functions as those of the above-described embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals.

The developer regenerating apparatus according to the eighth embodiment has magnets of sleeves 18 and 19 disposed at opposing positions via the mesh 20 in order to prevent the mesh 20 from being clogged when the copying operation is stopped or stopped. Are configured to be displaceable.

The details will be described below with reference to FIGS. 17, 18 and 2.

Outside the frame 17a of the reproducing apparatus 17, shaft ends 19a and 20a of magnets rotatably built in the sleeves 18 and 19 protrude.
9a and 20a have a D-cut shape. One ends of pole determining plates 31, 32 are fitted to the D-cut shaft ends 19a, 20a, respectively. The other end of the pole determining plate 31 is the frame
Screw fixed to 17a. The magnetic pole position of the magnet incorporated in the sleeve 19 when the reproducing device is operating to separate the toner and the paper powder is fixed to the position shown in FIG. A shaft 33 is fastened to the other end of the pole determining plate 32 fitted to the shaft fixed to the magnet 18 ', and an elongated hole 35 formed in one end of the lever 34 is formed on the shaft 33. Are fitted. The lever 34 has a rotation fulcrum 36 fixed to the frame 17a, and the other end is engaged with an iron core 39 of a solenoid 38 by a pin 37. Also, an elongated hole 35 at one end of the lever 34
One end of a tension spring 40 is hooked in the vicinity, and the other end of the tension spring 40 is
Has been caught on. Thus, the magnet contained in the sleeve 18 is urged to rotate counterclockwise by the restoring force of the tension spring 40. Further, the position of the magnet of the sleeve 18 urged to rotate in this manner is regulated, that is, the magnetic pole position is fixed when the lever 34 comes into contact with the bent and raised portion 43 of the solenoid support 41. The sleeves 18 and 19 are rotationally driven 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 20 as shown in FIG.

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

That is, during the copying operation, as shown in FIG. 17, by energizing the solenoid 38 and attracting the iron core 39, the magnetic pole position of the magnet built in the sleeve 18 is changed to the developer regenerating state as shown in FIG. It is fixed in a possible position. Here, the solenoid 38 can be attached to the support 41 so as to be adjustable in order to make the magnetic pole position of the magnet 18 'accurate when the iron core 39 is attracted.

When the copy operation is completed, FIG.
As shown in (2), the energization of the solenoid 38 is turned off, the lever 34 rotates counterclockwise due to the restoring force of the tension spring 40, and the pole determination plate 32 also rotates in the same direction.
The magnetic pole N _{18 of the} 8 'is the magnetic pole N of the magnet of the sleeve 19.
When the lever 34 is opposed to the solenoid ₁₉ ,
The magnetic pole position of the magnet 18 'is fixed by contacting the bent and raised portion 43 of the magnet 41'. That is, at times other than the copy operation,
Magnetic toner because N ₁₈ and N ₁₉ against mesh 20 faces does not fly from the N ₁₈ to N _19.

With the above configuration and operation, the sleeve 1
Aggregation and solidification of the developer in the vicinity of the separation portions 8 and 19 can be prevented from occurring during a pause of the copying operation or when the main switch of the image forming apparatus is turned off.

In the above embodiment, when the solenoid 38 is turned off, the rotation direction of the magnet is
Is set in the same direction as the rotation direction of the sleeve 18, but it may be set to rotate in the opposite direction to the rotation direction of the sleeve 18. In this case, the doctor blade 25 and the sleeve 18
When the copying operation is stopped, the contaminants (foreign matter) such as paper powder other than the developer that has entered between the sleeve 18 and the blade 25 are stopped.
Since the material acts so as to come out of the sleeve 18, the thickness of the developer layer on the surface of the sleeve 18 partially changes due to the formation of a lump of the developer between the sleeve 18 and the blade 25 due to these contaminants. As a result, it is possible to avoid problems such as a decrease in the developer transfer force to the 20 parts of the mesh.

Further, in the above embodiment, the sleeve 18
Needless to say, the magnet built in the sleeve 19 may be rotated instead of the magnet 18 'built in the sleeve.

As shown in FIG. 19, a mesh 20 as a mesh filter is installed substantially vertically, and sleeves 18 and 19 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 ninth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 20 is an explanatory cross-sectional view illustrating the configuration of the separation device according to 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. 20, 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 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 , S ₁₁ > N ₂₁ . Further, the magnetic poles are arranged at a certain set angle, and are set so that the opposite magnetic poles in the separation unit always have the opposite polarities by being rotated at the same speed by a driving source described later.

Next, the operation of the developer regenerating apparatus will be described. The layer thickness of the developer on the magnet roller 25 is regulated by the doctor blade 26 and 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 between the magnetic poles in the separation portion is determined by the upper magnet roller as described above.
The magnetic poles N ₁₁ and S ₁₁ of the 51 have lower magnet rollers 52.
Is larger than the magnetic poles N ₁₂ and S _{12 of the
11} and S ₁₁ are strongly attracted and pulled up through the mesh 20. Then, the developer and the foreign matter are separated by the mesh 20.

A scraping roller 53 made of a magnetic material is rotated against the magnet roller 51 so that the separated developer on the magnet roller 51 is once attracted to the scraping roller 53, and the scraping roller 53 is pulled. The developer is scraped off by a scraping blade 54 in contact with 53. The developer separated from the foreign matter is transported to the outside of the reproducing device 17 by the transport screw 27 '. Further, the residual foreign matter is transported further downstream by the magnet roller 52 together with the residual developer, and the foreign matter is collected by the cleaning brush 55 made of a non-magnetic material.
It is scraped off to the collecting section 29 by a1. At this time, since the developer has magnetism, the developer remains adsorbed on the magnet roller 52, and is conveyed as it is without being collected by the cleaning brush 55 to the downstream side, so that an opportunity for separation is obtained again. . Therefore, the developer 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.

In order to prevent the mesh 20 from being clogged when the copying operation is stopped or stopped, the apparatus 17 is provided with magnets 51 and 52, which are disposed at opposing positions via the mesh 20, respectively. The position is configured to be displaceable. The details will be described below with reference to FIGS. 21 and 22 are explanatory diagrams showing the configuration of a magnetic pole displacement mechanism in the reproducing apparatus, and FIG. 23 is a block diagram showing a control system of the reproducing apparatus.

A gear 56 is fitted to 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. A gear 58 meshing with the gear 56 is provided on the shaft end 52a of the magnet roller 52.
The shaft end 52a of the magnet roller 52 is provided.
A one-way clutch 59 for defining the rotation direction in one direction is provided between the gear 58 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 number of teeth of the gear 56 and the gear 58 is a magnet roller
Since the magnetic poles at the opposing portions of 51 and 52 need to be rotated in phase so as to always have opposite polarities, they are configured with the same number of teeth. And the magnet rollers 51 and 52 and their gears.
When disassembling and assembling at the time of initial assembling of 56 and 58 or at the time of service, initial phase matching can be performed by providing the magnet rollers 51 and 52 with a reference such as engraving for magnetic pole alignment.

During normal operation, the magnet rollers 51 and 52 rotate in the direction of the arrow in the figure to separate foreign matters such as paper dust from the collected developer. 51 and 52 subsequently rotate in the direction of the arrow in response to the drive from the drive shaft. And a magnet roller
Flag 60 fixedly attached to the side of 51 drive gear 56
Interrupts the photo sensor 62 provided on the frame 17a of the reproducing device 17 via the support plate 61, and the signal from the photo sensor 62 stops the driving of the magnet rollers 51 and 52, and the magnetic pole N ₁₁ and the magnetic pole S ₂₁ is regulated at a position facing the separation section (see Figure 20).

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 fixedly provided on 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 roller to move.
The rotation of 51 and 52 is stopped.

In the above operation, a one-way clutch acting as described above is provided between the magnet roller 52 and the gear 58.
Since the gear 59 is provided, the magnet roller 52 does not rotate while the gear 58 rotates in the direction opposite to the arrow direction as described above. 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. 23, the control system of the reproducing apparatus transmits signals from the photosensors 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 above-described reproducing apparatus of the present embodiment,
When the same poles of the magnet rollers 51 and 52 oppose each other at the separation section, a small current is supplied to the motor as a drive source in consideration of the repulsive force rotating the magnet rollers 51 and 52 and causing the opposing magnetic poles to shift. A configuration may be provided according to the degree of the repulsive force, for example, to prevent the rotation with the holding force.

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

[0087]

As described above, according to the present invention, since the adsorbing means for adsorbing the developer via the filter is arranged on the upstream side of the filter with respect to the direction of gravity, clogging of the filter can be prevented. Good separation performance can be exhibited over a long period of time.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a main body illustrating an image forming apparatus according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a configuration of a developer recycling device.

FIG. 3 is a side view of the developer recycling device.

FIG. 4 is a diagram 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 sectional view of a developer regenerating apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of an image forming apparatus according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram of a developer regenerating apparatus according to a third embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a mesh filter vibration imparting device.

FIG. 9 is a diagram for explaining a frequency and a toner passing efficiency.

FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a change in toner passage efficiency depending on the presence or absence of vibration.

FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram of a developer recycling device according to a fourth embodiment.

FIG. 12 is a view showing a modification of the developer regenerating apparatus of the third embodiment.

FIG. 13 is a schematic view of a developer regenerating apparatus according to a fifth embodiment.

FIG. 14 is a diagram illustrating a change in toner passage efficiency depending on the presence or absence of a blade.

FIG. 15 is a schematic diagram of a developer recycling device according to a sixth embodiment.

FIG. 16 is a partially enlarged view of a blade for regulating a residue layer thickness of the developer regenerating apparatus according to the seventh embodiment.

FIG. 17 is a configuration explanatory view showing a configuration of a magnetic pole displacement mechanism in a developer regenerating apparatus according to an eighth embodiment.

FIG. 18 is a configuration explanatory view showing a configuration of a magnetic pole displacement mechanism in a developer regenerating apparatus according to an eighth embodiment.

FIG. 19 is an explanatory sectional view showing a configuration of a developer regenerating apparatus according to an eighth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 20 is an explanatory cross-sectional view illustrating a configuration of a developer recycling device according to a ninth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 21 is a configuration explanatory view showing a configuration of a magnetic pole displacement mechanism in a ninth embodiment.

FIG. 22 is a configuration explanatory view showing a configuration of a magnetic pole displacement mechanism in a ninth embodiment.

FIG. 23 is a block diagram showing a control system according to a ninth embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

 2 Developing device 5 Cleaner 18, 19 Sleeve with a magnet built inside 20 Mesh 22 Cam 23 Vibration imparting motor 28 Non-magnetic contact member 29 Collection unit 31, 32 Magnet roller 34 Non-magnetic brush

Continuation of front page (72) Inventor Michio Koike 3-30-2 Shimomaruko, Ota-ku, Tokyo Inside Canon Inc. (56) References JP-A-62-144191 (JP, A) Jpn. JP, U) Japanese Utility Model Showa 55-128060 (JP, U) Japanese Utility Model Showa 63-194467 (JP, U) Japanese Utility Model Showa 63-33155 (JP, U) (58) Fields surveyed (Int. Cl. ⁶ , (DB name) G03G 21/10-21/12 G03G 15/08

Claims (11)

(57) [Claims] 1. A developer regenerating apparatus comprising: a mesh filter for restricting passage of foreign matter in a developer collected from a developer carrying member; and a developer adsorbing means for passing the collected developer through the filter. Wherein the developer is a magnetic developer, and a first magnetic field forming member that forms a magnetic field for adsorbing the developer as an adsorption unit is disposed upstream of the filter as viewed in the direction of gravity. Developer recycling device. 2. The size of the mesh is # 400 or more.
2. The developer recycling apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the number is 100 or less. 3. The filter has a flat surface, and the installation angle α of the flat surface is an angle perpendicular to the direction of gravitational action α =
2. The developer recycling apparatus according to claim 1, wherein 0 ° ≦ α ≦ 90 ° when 0 ° is set. 4. The apparatus further comprises a second magnetic field forming member downstream of the filter with respect to the direction of gravitational force, and a mixture of magnetic toner and foreign matter is adsorbed and transferred to the second magnetic field forming member. 2. The developer regenerating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the developer is transferred to a position facing the first magnetic field forming member, and flies toward the first magnetic field generating member. 5. The first and second magnetic field forming members, which are disposed opposite each other with the filter interposed therebetween, have magnetic poles of different polarities facing each other, and the magnetic flux density of the first magnetic field generating member is equal to the second magnetic field generating member. 5. The developer regenerating apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the developer regenerating apparatus is larger than a magnetic flux density of the member. 6. A developing means for forming a developer image on an image carrier, a cleaning means for transferring a developer image onto a recording material and then collecting and removing the developer remaining on the image carrier, An image forming apparatus having a mesh filter for restricting passage of foreign matter in the developer and a developer adsorbing means for passing the collected developer through the filter, wherein the developer is a magnetic developer, An image forming apparatus comprising: a first magnetic field forming member that forms a magnetic field for adsorbing a developer as an adsorbing unit is disposed upstream of the filter. 7. The size of the mesh is # 400 or more.
7. The image forming apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the number is 100 or less. 8. The filter has a flat surface, and the installation angle α of the flat surface is an angle perpendicular to the direction of gravitational action α = 0.
7. The image forming apparatus according to claim 6, wherein 0 ° ≦ α ≦ 90 °. 9. The apparatus further comprises a second magnetic field forming member downstream of the filter with respect to the direction of gravitational force, and a mixture of magnetic toner and foreign matter is adsorbed and conveyed to the second magnetic field forming member. 7. The image forming apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the image forming apparatus is transferred to a position facing the first magnetic field forming member and flies toward the first magnetic field generating member. 10. The first and second magnetic field forming members, which are disposed opposite each other with the filter interposed therebetween, have magnetic poles of different polarities facing each other, and the magnetic flux density of the first magnetic field generating member is equal to the second magnetic field generating member. Claim 9: Larger than the magnetic flux density of the member
Item 10. The image forming apparatus according to item 1. 11. The image forming apparatus according to claim 6, wherein said apparatus further comprises a conveying means for conveying the developer regenerated by the suction means and the filter to the developing means.