JP3763261B2 - Image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus such as a printer, a facsimile, or a copying machine that forms an image using electrophotographic technology. In particular, the present invention relates to a waste toner generation source and a waste toner container.
[Prior art]
In general, an image forming apparatus using an electrophotographic technique has a photosensitive member having a photosensitive layer on an outer peripheral surface, a charging unit that uniformly charges the outer peripheral surface of the photosensitive member, and a charging unit that is uniformly charged by the charging unit. An exposure unit that selectively exposes the outer peripheral surface to form an electrostatic latent image, and a toner that is a developer is applied to the electrostatic latent image formed by the exposure unit to form a visible image (toner image). Developing means for transferring, a transfer means for transferring the toner image developed by the developing means to a recording material such as paper to be transferred, and a cleaning means for removing toner remaining on the surface of the photosensitive member after transfer. Have.
In addition, as a transfer unit, an intermediate transfer member that transfers (secondary transfer) a toner image formed on the photosensitive member (primary transfer) and further transfers (secondary transfer) the toner image to a recording material such as a sheet to be transferred. What is used is known, and a cleaning means is also provided for the intermediate transfer member.
In such an image forming apparatus, the cleaning unit is a so-called generation source of waste toner, and in order to increase the collection capacity of the toner (waste toner) removed by the cleaning unit, the cleaning unit It is desirable to collect the toner removed by the cleaning means using a separate waste toner container.
[0002]
Conventionally, there are at least two waste toner generation sources in the apparatus, and the image forming apparatus includes a waste toner container that collects waste toner generated from the waste toner generation source through separate recovery ports. The one shown in FIG. 5 is known (Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 7-32667).
In FIG. 5, 1 is a cleaning device, 2 is a transfer belt unit, and 3 is a waste toner container.
The waste toner container 3 is provided with a toner recovery protrusion 3a extending upward, and recovery openings 3b and 3c are provided in the recovery protrusion 3a. The toner discharge pipe 1a of the cleaning device 1 and the toner discharge tube 2a of the transfer belt unit 2 are connected to the recovery ports 3b and 3c, respectively, so that waste toner from the cleaning device 1 (waste toner generation source) and The waste toner from the transfer belt unit 2 (waste toner generation source) is collected in a waste toner container 3.
[0003]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
In the prior art shown in FIG. 5, it is unclear which waste toner from the cleaning device 1 and the transfer belt unit 2 is larger, but in any case, the toner container 3 is recovered. Since the ports 3b and 3c are provided vertically in the recovery protrusion 3a, the toner recovered from either of the recovery ports 3b and 3c is accumulated in the waste toner container 3 through the recovery protrusion 3a. Become.
Since the waste toner accumulated in the container 3 is accumulated in a mountain shape, if the collection ports 3b and 3c of the toner container 3 are arranged in the vertical direction as in this prior art, the waste toner) It is difficult to increase the recovery capacity. In order to increase the capacity, for example, a technique of increasing the capacity of the container 3 more than necessary, or providing a mechanism for applying vibration to the container 3 to level the accumulated waste toner is required.
[0004]
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to solve the above-described problems and increase the waste toner collection capacity without increasing the capacity of the waste toner container more than necessary or by providing a mechanism for vibrating the container. An object of the present invention is to provide an image forming apparatus capable of performing the above.
[0005]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to achieve the above object, the image forming apparatus according to claim 1 has at least two waste toner generation sources in the apparatus, and separates the waste toner generated from the waste toner generation sources through separate collection ports. In an image forming apparatus provided with a waste toner container collected via
Among the toner generation sources, a generation source that generates a larger amount of waste toner is disposed above the other generation sources, and
The waste toner container is provided with the collection port at a different position in the horizontal direction, and the collection port for the waste toner from the generation source generating the large amount of waste toner is higher than the other collection ports. In addition, the detection means for detecting the waste toner is a position biased toward the lowest recovery port side and is collected from the recovery port and accumulated in a mountain shape in the waste toner container. Waste toner is detected on a vertical line passing through a position where the inclined surfaces of toner collide with each other or in the vicinity thereof.
[0006]
[Function and effect]
2. An image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein there are at least two waste toner generation sources in the apparatus, and waste toner containers generated by the waste toner generation sources are collected through separate collection ports. Among the toner generation sources, a generation source that generates a larger amount of waste toner is disposed above the other generation sources, and the waste toner container includes the recovery port. Are different in the horizontal direction, and the recovery port for waste toner from the generation source that generates the large amount of waste toner is provided above the other recovery ports. For example, the capacity of the waste toner container can be increased without increasing the capacity of the waste toner container more than necessary or without providing a mechanism for vibrating the container.
That is, the position of the collection port of the waste toner container is different in the horizontal direction, and the collection port for waste toner from the generation source that generates a large amount of waste toner is provided above the other collection port. Therefore, a larger recovery space is formed below the recovery port. Accordingly, it is possible to increase the waste toner collection capacity without increasing the capacity of the waste toner container more than necessary or by providing a mechanism for vibrating the container.
In addition, among the toner generation sources, the generation sources that generate a larger amount of waste toner are arranged above the other generation sources, so the connection between these generation sources and the recovery port is also simple. It can be carried out.
[0007]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
1 is a schematic front view mainly showing a photosensitive member and an intermediate transfer member in an embodiment of an image forming apparatus according to the present invention, FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a waste toner container, and FIG. FIG. 3B is a partial enlarged view, and FIG. 3B is a bb cross-sectional view (end view) in FIG.
[0008]
As shown in FIG. 1, the image forming apparatus includes a photosensitive member 10 having a photosensitive layer on an outer peripheral surface that is rotationally driven in a direction indicated by an arrow, and a charging unit that uniformly charges the outer peripheral surface of the photosensitive member 10. A charging roller) 11, an exposure unit 12 that selectively exposes the outer peripheral surface uniformly charged by the charging unit 11 to form an electrostatic latent image, and an electrostatic unit formed by the exposure unit 12. Four-color developing means (developing roller) 13 (Y, C, M, K) for forming a visible image (toner image) by adding toner as a developer to the latent image, and developing by this developing means 13 An intermediate transfer body (intermediate transfer belt) 14 to which a toner image is transferred (primary transfer) and further transferred (secondary transfer) to a recording material such as paper to be transferred, and a photoconductor 10 after the primary transfer. A first cleaner for removing toner remaining on the surface , A second cleaning means 30 for removing toner remaining on the intermediate transfer belt 14 after the secondary transfer, and a waste toner container 40 (for collecting waste toner from the first and second cleaning means) 2).
[0009]
The first cleaning means 20 has a cleaning blade 21 that scrapes off residual toner from the surface of the photoconductor 10 and a screw built-in that transports the toner scraped off by the blade 21 toward the waste toner bottle 40 (see FIG. 2). And a transport pipe 22. The first cleaning unit 20 is a first waste toner generation source.
The second cleaning unit 30 includes a cleaning blade 31 that scrapes residual toner from the surface of the intermediate transfer belt 14 and a screw that transports the toner scraped off by the blade 31 toward the waste toner bottle 40 (see FIG. 2). The transport pipe 32 is provided. The second cleaning unit 30 is a second waste toner generation source.
In this embodiment, since the first cleaning unit 20 generates a larger amount of waste toner than the second cleaning unit 30 out of the first and second cleaning units 20 and 30, the first cleaning unit 20 is used as the second cleaning unit. It is arranged above the means 30.
[0010]
As shown in FIG. 2, the waste toner container 40 includes a container main body 50 and a connection portion (waste toner waste) formed on the uppermost portion of the container main body 50 and connected to the transport pipe 22 of the first cleaning unit 20. 41, which is also a recovery port), and a connecting portion (which is also a recovery port for waste toner) 42 which is also formed on the upper portion of the container body 50 and connected to the transport pipe 32 of the second cleaning means 30.
The collection ports 41 and 42 are located at different positions in the horizontal direction, and the waste toner collection port 41 from the first cleaning unit 20 that generates a larger amount of waste toner is more waste from the second cleaning unit 30. It is provided above the toner collection port 42.
[0011]
The waste toner container 40 is detachably attached to an appropriate position of the main body of the image forming apparatus. When the waste toner container 40 is attached, the transport pipes 22 and 32 and the recovery ports 41 and 42 are connected to each other, and the cleaning units 20 and 30 are connected. The waste toner is collected in the waste toner container 40 through the transport pipes 22 and 32. Waste toner from the transport pipes 22 and 32 is stored in the waste toner container 40 by natural fall. The waste toner collected from the collection ports 41 and 42 in this manner is normally accumulated in a mountain shape in the container 40 as indicated by a broken line T ′ in FIG.
[0012]
As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the side wall 51 of the container main body 50 on the image forming apparatus main body side (front side in FIG. 2) is disposed outward (downward on the front side in FIG. 2 (FIG. 3B)). )), A light-transmitting thin-walled portion 52 is integrally formed which is convex in the inner space and extends in the vertical direction and is gradually filled with the collected waste toner.
In this embodiment, the container body 50 is formed by blow molding a transparent (or translucent) synthetic resin, and thus the thin portion 52 is formed simultaneously with the container body 50 by this blow molding.
[0013]
On the other hand, in the appropriate place 16 (see FIG. 3B) of the image forming apparatus main body, when the waste toner container 40 is mounted on the apparatus main body, the thin portion 52 of the waste toner container 40 is sandwiched from both sides. A transmissive optical sensor 17 is provided as detection means.
The optical sensor 17 has a light projecting unit 17a and a light receiving unit 17b, and when there is no toner in its optical path (optical path crossing the thin part 52), that is, when the thin part 52 is not filled with toner, the light projecting part When the light from 17a passes through the thin part 52 and is received by the light receiving part 17b, and the thin part 52 is filled with toner, the light from the light projecting part 17a is shielded by the toner in the thin part 52, and the light receiving part No light is received by 17b. Thus, the detection position in the thin portion 52 is filled with the toner, that is, in this embodiment, the replacement timing of the waste toner container 40 is detected.
[0014]
As clearly shown in FIG. 4, the optical sensor 17 as described above is disposed between the collection ports 41 and 42 in the horizontal direction of the waste toner container 40 and is disposed at a portion outside the region directly below the collection ports 41 and 42. Is detected.
In addition, the optical sensor 17 detects waste toner at a position biased toward the collection port (in this case, the collection port 42) at the lowest position.
Further, the optical sensor 17 is disposed on or near the vertical line V passing through the position P where the inclined surfaces T1 and T2 of the waste toner T collected from the collection port and accumulated in a mountain shape in the waste toner container 40 meet. Is detected. That is, the thin portion 52 is formed along the vertical line V or in the vicinity thereof.
[0015]
In this embodiment, as shown in FIG.
The angle of repose of the toner is θ,
The distance from the bottom surface of the waste toner container 40 to the collection port 41 is A,
The distance from the bottom surface of the waste toner container 40 to the recovery port 42 is B,
The horizontal distance between the collection ports 41 and 42 is C,
The distance from the bottom surface of the waste toner container 40 to the detection position (see reference numeral P) by the optical sensor 17 is L,
The optical sensor 17 is provided at a position that satisfies the following expressions 1 and 2 at the same time.
L <B− (C−D) tan θ Formula 1
L <A-Dtanθ Formula 1
[0016]
In FIG. 2, reference numeral 43 denotes a gripping portion that is gripped when the waste toner container 40 is replaced, 44 denotes a positioning recess formed by engaging a not-shown projecting piece provided on the image forming apparatus main body side, and 45 denotes a manufacturer, for example. It is a cap that can be opened when the waste toner is discarded from the waste toner container 40 collected by the above method.
[0017]
According to the image forming apparatus as described above, the following effects can be obtained.
(A) Of the toner generation sources 20 and 30, the generation source 20 that generates a larger amount of waste toner is disposed above the other generation sources 30, and the waste toner container 40 includes a collection port. 41 and 42 have different positions in the horizontal direction, and the waste toner collection port 41 from the generation source 20 that generates a large amount of waste toner is provided above the other collection ports 42. The waste toner collection capacity can be increased without increasing the capacity of the waste toner container 40 more than necessary, or without providing a mechanism for vibrating the container 40.
That is, the collection ports 41 and 42 of the waste toner container 40 have different positions in the horizontal direction, and the waste toner collection port 41 from the generation source 20 that generates a large amount of waste toner is the other collection port. Since it is provided above 42, a larger recovery space is formed below the recovery port 41. Accordingly, it is possible to increase the waste toner collection capacity without increasing the capacity of the waste toner container 40 more than necessary or by providing a mechanism for vibrating the container 40.
In addition, among the toner generation sources 20 and 30, the generation source 20 that generates a larger amount of waste toner is disposed above the other generation sources 30, so that these generation sources 20 and 30 and the recovery port Connection with 41 and 42 can also be performed with a simple structure.
[0018]
(B) On the vertical line V passing through the position where the slopes T1 and T2 (see FIG. 4) of waste toner collected from the collection ports 41 and 42 and accumulated in a mountain shape in the waste toner container 40 meet each other. Alternatively, since the waste toner is detected in the vicinity thereof, it is possible to efficiently prevent the waste toner from leaking out of any of the collection ports 41 and 42.
[0019]
(C) The waste toner container 40 is convex toward the outside on the side wall 51 and extends in the direction of the vertical line V, and the inside is gradually filled with the collected waste toner. In addition, the image forming apparatus main body is provided with the transmissive optical sensor 17 at a position sandwiching the thin portion 52 from both sides as a detection unit. As the amount of waste toner collected in the container 40 gradually increases, the inside of the thin portion 52 of the waste toner container 40 is gradually filled with waste toner, and this waste toner is filled with the optical sensor. By blocking the transmitted light 17, it is detected that the toner has reached a predetermined amount in the waste toner container 40, and the replacement time of the waste toner container 40 is detected.
Therefore, according to this image forming apparatus, it is possible to reliably detect the replacement timing of the waste toner container.
Further, according to this image forming apparatus, the thin wall portion 52 having a light transmitting property extending in the vertical direction and extending in the vertical direction is integrally formed on the side wall 51 of the waste toner container 40. The apparatus main body only needs to be provided with the transmissive optical sensor 17 at a position where the thin portion 52 is sandwiched from both sides, so that the replacement timing of the waste toner container 40 can be detected with a simple structure.
[0020]
Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and can be appropriately modified within the scope of the gist of the present invention.
For example, in the above-described embodiment, the case where there are two waste toner generation sources and two recovery ports has been described, but the present invention can also be applied to the case where there are three or more.
[0021]
【The invention's effect】
According to the image forming apparatus of the first aspect, it is possible to increase the waste toner collection capacity without increasing the capacity of the waste toner container more than necessary or by providing a mechanism for vibrating the container. .
[0022]
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a schematic front view mainly showing a photoreceptor and an intermediate transfer member in an embodiment of an image forming apparatus according to the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a waste toner container.
3A is a partially enlarged view of FIG. 2, and FIG. 3B is a sectional view (end view) taken along line bb in FIG.
FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of the arrangement of detection means 17;
FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram of a conventional technique.
[Explanation of symbols]
20 First cleaning means (source of waste toner)
30 Second cleaning means (source of waste toner)
40 Waste toner container 41, 42 Collection port

Claims (1)

In an image forming apparatus provided with a waste toner container that collects waste toner generated in the waste toner generation source through a separate collection port, wherein there are at least two waste toner generation sources in the apparatus.
Among the toner generation sources, a generation source that generates a larger amount of waste toner is disposed above the other generation sources, and
The waste toner container is provided with the collection port at a different position in the horizontal direction, and the collection port for the waste toner from the generation source generating the large amount of waste toner is higher than the other collection ports. In addition, the detection means for detecting the waste toner is a position biased toward the lowest recovery port side and is collected from the recovery port and accumulated in a mountain shape in the waste toner container. An image forming apparatus, wherein waste toner is detected on or near a vertical line passing through a position where the inclined surfaces of toner collide with each other.

Images