JP3305502B2 - Electrophotographic recording device - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an electrophotographic recording apparatus, such as a printer, a copying machine, a facsimile, and the like, which uses a laser to repeatedly charge, write, develop, transfer, and clean and record on paper by an electrophotographic method. About. More specifically, the electrophotography in which the developer removed by the cleaning member falls under its own weight through the fall path of the developer collection device, and is collected in a collection tank for disposal or in a development tank for reuse. It can be applied to a recording device.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in a laser printer, for example, a developer remaining on a photoreceptor after image transfer is removed by a cleaning member such as a cleaning blade or a cleaning brush, and the removed developer is used as shown in FIG. The toner is collected at one end side of the cleaning device 3 by the collecting screw 2 through the collecting path 1a of the cleaning case 1, and is put into the case 5 of the developer collecting device 4 through the downward opening 1b of the cleaning case 1. The vertical falling path 5a of the case 5 , Falls under its own weight into the horizontal transport path 5b, transmits driving force from the outside to the gear 6, rotates the transport screw 7, and transports through the transport path 5b with the rotation of the transport screw 7,
For example, they were collected in a collection tank or a developing tank.

However, when the temperature and humidity are particularly high, the developer passing through the falling path 5a adheres to the inner surface 5c of the case 5 at the lower part of the falling path 5a, and aggregates to form a first step a. As shown in step b and third step c, the powder gradually accumulated, gradually narrowing the passage, and eventually prevented the recovery of the developer.

[0004] Therefore, in the conventional one, a weight is hung in a falling path 5a, and the weight is moved by the rotation of the conveying screw 7, and the developer is dropped on the developer adhering to the inner surface 5c of the case. There is an apparatus which prevents the accumulation of developer and prevents the developer from clogging in the falling path 5a (see Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 58-102269).

[0005] A coil-shaped elastic member is provided in the falling path 5a, the elastic member is vibrated, the developer is dropped on the developer adhering to the inner surface 5c of the case, and the accumulation of the developer is prevented to prevent the falling path 5a. (See JP-A-56-66884 and JP-A-62-4).
0484).

[0006] A plate-like elastic member is provided in the falling path 5a, the inner surface 5c of the case is hit by the elastic force of the elastic member, the developer attached to the inner surface 5c is dropped, and the accumulation of the developer is prevented to prevent the falling path. There is one that prevents developer clogging at 5a (see JP-A-5-20074).

[0007]

However, when the developer is left on the case inner surface 5c of the dropping path 5 for a long time in a state where the developer adheres to the case, when the developer eventually agglomerates, the weight is applied as in the prior art. However, even if the elastic member is vibrated or the inner surface 5c of the case is hit with the elastic member, the coagulated developer cannot be removed, resulting in a problem that the developer is finally clogged.

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide an electrophotographic recording apparatus for recovering a developer removed by a cleaning member through a falling path of a developer collecting apparatus, in which developer adhered to the inner surface of a case of the falling path is deposited and developed. An object of the present invention is to prevent the occurrence of clogging.

[0009]

Accordingly, the present invention provides
For example, as shown in the following illustrated embodiment, the developer remaining on the photoreceptor 10 after image transfer is removed by a cleaning member such as a cleaning blade 16, and the removed developer is passed through a falling path 27 of a developer recovery device 25. In an electrophotographic recording apparatus for dropping and collecting by its own weight, a support shaft 30 projecting from a collection case 26 of the developer collection device 25
Agitator 29 which rotates by receiving driving force outside
Is provided in a vertical pipe portion 26a of the recovery case 26 that forms the drop path 27.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the electrophotographic recording apparatus according to the first aspect, for example, as shown in the following illustrated embodiment, a support for the agitator 29 is provided at a lower portion of the falling path 27 so as to traverse the lowering path. A shaft 30 is provided and its support shaft 30
And a gear 31 to which a driving force is transmitted.

[0011]

When collecting the developer removed by the cleaning member, the collection case 26 of the developer collection device 25 is used .
The support shaft 30 protruding from the outside receives a driving force to rotate the agitator 29 to scrape off the developer adhering to the peripheral surface of the falling path 27.

According to the second aspect, the driving force from the outside is transmitted to the gear 31 to rotate the agitator 29 about the support shaft 30.

[0013]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 3 shows a schematic configuration of a main part of a laser copying machine according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Reference numeral 10 in the drawing denotes a drum-shaped photosensitive member provided substantially at the center of the main body. Around the photoconductor 10,
A charger 11 is provided at the upper left in the figure, and a developing device 12, a transfer device 13, and a cleaning device 14 are sequentially arranged clockwise from the charger 11. An optical writer 15 is further provided on the charger 11.

Then, when making a copy,
Set a document on a platen (not shown) and press the start switch. Then, the contents of the original are read by an original reading unit (not shown), and at the same time, the photoconductor 10 is rotated clockwise in the figure, and the surface is uniformly charged by the charger 11. Then, as the photoconductor 10 rotates, writing is performed by irradiating a laser beam from the optical writer 15 in accordance with the contents read by the document reading unit, and an electrostatic latent image is formed on the photoconductor 10.
Then, when the developer passes through the position of the developing device 12, the developer is adhered by the developing device 12, and the electrostatic latent image on the photoconductor 10 is visualized.

On the other hand, although not shown, the paper feed roller is appropriately rotated to feed out the paper from the paper feed cassette, and the lower side of the photoreceptor 10 is adjusted by the registration roller in time with the visible image on the photoreceptor 10. Send to. Then, the visible image is transferred to the upper surface of the fed sheet P by the transfer device 13,
The sheet P after the image transfer is conveyed to a fixing device (not shown), where the transferred image is fixed, and then discharged outside the machine main body.

On the other hand, after the image is transferred, the surface of the photoreceptor 10 is cleaned by scraping off the remaining developer with the cleaning blade 16 of the cleaning device 14. Then, after the surface of the cleaned photoconductor 10 is neutralized by a static eliminator (not shown), it is charged again by the charger 11 and writing, development, and transfer are repeated in the same manner, recording is performed on the paper P, and the paper P is fixed. After discharging, the surface of the photoconductor 10 is cleaned.

In the illustrated copying machine, a tubular projection 20a as shown in FIG. 1 is provided below the cleaning case 20 of the cleaning device 14 so as to project from one end of the case 20 in the longitudinal direction. 20a downward opening 2
Ing to form a 0b. A collection path 21 is provided at the lower portion of the cleaning case 20 so as to enter the projection 20 a, and a collection screw 22 is provided in the collection path 21.
To store.

Then, although not shown, a rotary shaft that penetrates the cleaning case 20 is attached to one end of the recovery screw 22, and a gear is provided on the rotary shaft to apply a driving force from an external drive source to the gear. The collecting screw 22 is configured to rotate when the main body is operating.

As shown in FIG. 1, a developer collecting device 25 is connected to such a cleaning device 14. The collection case 26 of the developer collection device 25 includes a vertical tube 26a and a horizontal tube 26b. Then, a drop path 27 in one pipe section 26a and a transport path 28 in the other pipe section 26b communicate with each other.

As shown in FIG. 2, a support shaft 30 of an agitator 29 is provided across the lower part of the falling path 27, as can be seen from FIG. A gear 31 is fixed to one end of the support shaft 30 protruding from the collection case 26. Then, the driving force from a driving source (not shown) is transmitted to the gear 31 and the agitator 29
Is rotated.

On the other hand, a transfer screw 32 is provided in the above-described transfer path 28, and a rotary shaft 33 that penetrates one end of the pipe portion 26b is attached to one end of the transfer screw 32. A gear 34 is fixed to the rotating shaft 33. The gear 34 also transmits a driving force from a driving source (not shown),
The transport screw 32 is configured to rotate similarly to the collection screw 22.

Then, the upward opening 2 of the collecting case 26
6c communicates with the above-described downward opening 20b of the projection 20a, and through a packing 35, the collection case 26 of the developer collection device 25 and the cleaning case 2 of the cleaning device 14.
0 is hermetically connected. At this time, the developer collecting device 25
The other end of the open pipe portion 26 b enters the collection tank 36.

When the main body is operated, the driving force from the driving source is transmitted to rotate the collecting screw 22, the agitator 29, and the conveying screw 32, respectively, and remove the residual developer scraped off by the cleaning blade 16 into the collecting path 21. Put in
The downward opening 2 of the protruding portion 20a conveyed by the collecting screw 22
0b, the developer is dropped by its own weight into the transport path 28 while preventing the developer from adhering to the peripheral surface of the drop path 27, that is, the inner surface 26d of the case, by the agitator 29, and is transported by the transport screw 32. It is put into the collection tank 36 from the other open end of the tube 26b.

At this time, even if the developer adheres to the peripheral surface of the dropping path 27 and the developer is melted and sticks for a long period of time when the developer is not used for a long time, the developer is re-used. When started, the agitator 29 can be rotated to scrape off the stuck developer.

According to the present invention, not only the weight is moved by the transfer screw, the coil-shaped elastic member is vibrated, or the plate-shaped elastic member is hit, as in the prior art, but also according to the present invention.
Since the agitator 29 is rotated strongly by receiving a driving force from the outside, the stuck developer can be forcibly removed.

In the illustrated embodiment described above, an example in which a drum-shaped photosensitive member is used is shown, but a belt-shaped photosensitive member may be used, and an example in which a cleaning blade is used as a cleaning member is shown. However, a cleaning brush or the like may be used. Further, an example in which the collected developer is collected in the collection tank 36 in order to be discarded has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to the case where the collected developer is discarded. Can be applied.

[0028]

Therefore, according to the present invention, an agitator is provided in a vertical pipe portion of a collecting case forming a falling path, and when the main body of the machine is operated, the agitator is removed from the collecting case of the developer collecting device.
The protruding spindle receives the driving force from the outside and rotates the agitator to prevent the developer from adhering to the peripheral surface of the dropping path. Even if the sticking occurs, the sticking developer is forcibly scraped off, so that it is possible to prevent the developer attached to the peripheral surface of the falling path from accumulating and causing the developer to be clogged.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a partial cross-sectional view near a developer recovery device in a laser copying machine according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view along the line AA.

FIG. 3 is a schematic configuration diagram of a main part of the laser copying machine.

FIG. 4 is a partial cross-sectional view around a developer recovery device in a conventional laser printer.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 10 photoconductor 16 cleaning blade (cleaning member) 25 developer collecting device 27 dropping path 29 agitator 30 support shaft 31 gear

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (58) Field surveyed (Int. Cl. ⁷ , DB name) G03G 21/10-21/12 G03G 15/00 550 G03G 21/16-21/18

Claims (2)

(57) [Claims] An electrophotographic recording apparatus that removes a developer remaining on a photoreceptor after image transfer with a cleaning member and drops and removes the removed developer by its own weight through a falling path of a developer collection device. recovery of the developer recovery device
The support shaft protruding from the case receives an external driving force to rotate the agitator and rotates the agitator to form the collection path forming the falling path.
An electrophotographic recording device provided in a vertical tube portion of a base. 2. The electrophotographic recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a support shaft of the agitator is provided across the lower portion of the fall path, and a gear to which a driving force is transmitted is attached to the support shaft. .