JP4272860B2 - Cartridge and image forming apparatus using the same - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a process cartridge or a developing cartridge used in an electrophotographic image forming apparatus such as an electrophotographic copying machine or an electrophotographic printer, and an electrophotographic image forming apparatus using these.
[0002]
Here, the electrophotographic image forming apparatus forms an image on a recording medium using an electrophotographic image forming process.
[0003]
For example, an electrophotographic copying machine, an electrophotographic printer (such as an LED printer or a laser beam printer), an electrophotographic facsimile apparatus, and an electrophotographic word processor are included.
[0004]
Here, the process cartridge is a cartridge in which at least one of a charging unit, a developing unit, a cleaning unit, and an intermediate transfer unit and an electrophotographic photosensitive drum as an image carrier are integrally formed. Can be attached to and detached from.
[0005]
In addition, the developing cartridge is a cartridge in which a developing member for developing an electrostatic latent image formed on an electrophotographic photosensitive member and a toner storage portion for storing toner are integrally formed as a cartridge. Detachable.
[0006]
[Prior art]
2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a process cartridge system has been adopted in which an electrophotographic photosensitive member, a charging unit, a developing unit, a cleaning unit, and the like are integrated into a cartridge and the cartridge can be attached to and detached from the image forming apparatus main body.
[0007]
The operability is further improved by this cartridge system, and the user can easily perform maintenance of the process means. Therefore, this cartridge system is widely used in the image forming apparatus main body.
[0008]
In recent years, products in which various service information and process information are stored in a memory and the memory is mounted on a cartridge have been realized. The image forming apparatus main body further improves printing image quality and cartridge maintenance by utilizing the information stored in the memory of the cartridge. Some communication means for communicating with the image forming apparatus communicates with the memory of the cartridge by electrical contact.
[0009]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, in the case of contact communication, in order to achieve reliable contact, stable conduction, and high durability, the contact communication mechanism of the image forming apparatus main body and the memory contact on the cartridge side become complicated, and the printer is downsized and reduced. There was an aspect that was difficult to cost.
[0010]
For example, in the case of a conventional male-female connector-type contact connection configuration,
(1) There are few degrees of freedom in the mounting direction of consumables.
[0011]
(2) The size of the consumables and the main body is increased to accommodate the connector-type contact mechanism.
[0012]
(3) A connector-type contact mechanism including a memory is expensive.
For these reasons, it has been difficult to deploy a conventional memory connection configuration to a consumable part of a small low-cost printer. In addition, it has become a situation where it is not possible to sufficiently provide products utilizing cartridge memory in the field of small-sized low-cost printers, which are in great demand among small and medium-sized businesses, private offices and general users.
[0013]
The purpose of this embodiment is to provide a low-cost, small-space and highly reliable contact-type communication mechanism, thereby making it more proactive to use consumable memories in all fields, not just in the small low-cost printer field. It can be used in the future.
[0014]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
The present invention relates to a storage medium and a developing cartridge characterized by the following configurations and an image forming apparatus using the same, and the following are indicated by numbers corresponding to the claims.
[0015]
  In an electrophotographic image forming apparatus for forming an image on a recording medium,
  A rotary supported revolvingly on the apparatus main body of the electrophotographic image forming apparatus for developing a storage medium for storing information and an electrostatic latent image formed on the electrophotographic photosensitive member using toner. A rotary on which a plurality of developing cartridges are detachably mounted, each of which includes a developing roller, a storage unit that stores the toner, and a stirring member that rotates to stir the toner stored in the storage unit;
  A mounting opening provided in the apparatus main body for attaching and detaching the plurality of developing cartridges to and from the rotary;
  A door for opening and closing the mounting opening;
  A connector for reading or writing information on the storage medium;
  A contact / separation control mechanism for moving between a pressure position where the connector is brought into contact with the storage medium to read or write information and a separation position where the connector is separated from the storage medium; A contact / separation control mechanism for bringing the connector into contact with and separating from the storage medium of the developing cartridge downstream in the rotational direction of the developing cartridge relative to the developing cartridge positioned at a removal position where the developing cartridge can be attached and detached from the mounting opening; ,
  Any one of the plurality of developing cartridges may stop rotation of the rotary after completion of a predetermined print job, when the image forming apparatus is turned on, or when the door is closed. The control means for operating the contact / separation control mechanism to bring the connector into contact with the storage medium, and when the life warning of any one of the plurality of development cartridges is detected, the development with the shortest life If the cartridge is preferentially stopped at the take-out position and none of the plurality of developer cartridges has detected the life warning, the specific developer cartridge is not stopped at the take-out position every time. Control means for controlling the operation of the rotary;
An electrophotographic image forming apparatus comprising:
[0018]
(4) A cartridge mounted on a rotary supported in a revolving manner in the electrophotographic image forming apparatus main body according to (1) to (3) is for developing a latent image formed on an electrophotographic photosensitive member. A developing cartridge for an electrophotographic image forming apparatus, wherein the developing cartridge has a developing roller.
[0019]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Embodiments of a color image forming apparatus according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
[0020]
In the following description, the front surface of the apparatus refers to the upstream surface of the recording medium transported from the transfer process to the fixing process (right side in FIG. 1). Left or right. The longitudinal direction is a direction parallel to the surface of the recording medium and having a tolerance (substantially orthogonal) to the conveyance direction of the recording medium.
[0021]
{Outline of image forming operation of color image forming apparatus}
First, the overall configuration of the color image forming apparatus will be schematically described with reference to FIG.
[0022]
FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a schematic configuration of a color laser beam printer in which a developing cartridge, a drum cartridge, and an intermediate transfer body unit are loaded in a main body of an image forming apparatus as an embodiment of a color electrophotographic image forming apparatus embodying the present invention. is there.
[0023]
As shown in FIG. 1, the color image forming apparatus main body forms an image agent image (hereinafter referred to as a toner image) on an image carrier (hereinafter referred to as photosensitive drum 1) by irradiating a light image based on the image information from the exposure means 3. To do. Then, the transfer material is conveyed by a conveying means in synchronism with the formation of the toner image, and the toner image formed on the photosensitive drum 1 is transferred to the intermediate transfer member 5a.
[0024]
Next, the toner image on the intermediate transfer member 5a is transferred to the transfer material by the second transfer means, and the transfer material is conveyed to the fixing means 8 having the pressure roller 8a and the heating roller 8b, and the toner on the transfer material. The image is fixed and discharged to the discharge unit 10.
[0025]
The image forming process will be described in more detail.
[0026]
In synchronization with the rotation of the intermediate transfer belt 5a, the photosensitive drum 1 rotates in the arrow direction (counterclockwise) in FIG. Here, the surface of the photosensitive drum 1 is uniformly charged by the charging device 2 and, for example, a yellow image is irradiated by the exposure unit 3 to form a yellow electrostatic latent image on the photosensitive drum 1.
[0027]
The exposure means is performed through the following steps. The exposure unit 3 irradiates the photosensitive drum 1 with a light image by irradiating light based on image information read from an external device or the like, and includes a laser diode, a polygon mirror, a scanner motor, an imaging lens, and a reflection mirror. It is stored.
[0028]
When an image signal is given from an external device or the like, the laser diode emits light according to the image signal and irradiates the polygon mirror as the image light. The polygon mirror is rotated at a high speed by a scanner motor, and the image light reflected by the polygon mirror selectively exposes the surface of the photosensitive drum 1 through the imaging lens and the reflecting mirror. An electrostatic latent image is formed.
[0029]
Simultaneously with the formation of the electrostatic latent image, the yellow developing device 4Y is rotated to the developing position, a predetermined bias voltage is applied, and yellow toner is attached to the electrostatic latent image for development. Thereafter, a bias voltage having a polarity opposite to that of the toner is applied to a primary transfer roller 5j disposed opposite to the photosensitive drum 1 with the intermediate transfer belt 5a interposed therebetween, so that a yellow toner image on the photosensitive drum 1 is transferred to the intermediate transfer belt. Primary transfer is performed on 5a.
[0030]
As described above, when the primary transfer of the yellow toner image is completed, the next developing device rotates and is positioned at a position facing the photosensitive drum. By repeating the above steps for magenta, cyan, and black colors, four color toner images are superimposed on the intermediate transfer belt 5a.
[0031]
During this time, the secondary transfer roller 11 is not in contact with the intermediate transfer belt 5a. At this time, the cleaning charging roller 5f as a cleaning unit is also in a non-contact state with the intermediate transfer belt 5a.
[0032]
Then, after the four color toner images are formed on the intermediate transfer belt 5a, the secondary transfer roller 11 is pressed against the intermediate transfer belt 5a as shown in FIG. Further, in synchronization with the pressure contact of the secondary transfer roller 11, the transfer material waiting at a predetermined position in the vicinity of the registration roller pair 7 serving as the feeding means is placed at the nip portion between the intermediate transfer belt 5 a and the secondary transfer roller 11. Sent out.
[0033]
Here, immediately before the registration roller pair 7, a pre-registration sensor 14 is provided that detects the leading edge of the transfer material, interrupts the rotational driving force of the registration roller pair 7, and waits the transfer material at a predetermined position.
[0034]
A bias voltage having a polarity opposite to that of the toner is applied to the secondary transfer roller 11, and the toner image on the intermediate transfer belt 5 a is secondarily transferred collectively onto the surface of the transferred transfer material.
[0035]
The transfer material onto which the toner image has been secondarily transferred is conveyed to the fixing device 8 via the conveying belt unit 12 and fixed, and is conveyed along the sheet discharge guide 15 by the sheet discharge roller pair 13. 9 is discharged to a paper discharge tray 10 at the top of the color image forming apparatus to complete image formation.
[0036]
On the other hand, after completion of the secondary transfer, the cleaning charging roller 5f is pressed against the intermediate transfer belt 5a, and a predetermined bias voltage is applied to the surface of the intermediate transfer belt and the residual toner remaining after the secondary transfer to remove the residual charge.
[0037]
The discharged residual toner is electrostatically retransferred from the intermediate transfer belt 5a to the photosensitive drum 1 through the primary transfer nip portion, and the surface of the intermediate transfer belt 5a is cleaned. The residual toner remaining after the secondary transfer that has been retransferred to the photosensitive drum 1 is removed and collected by the cleaning blade 6 for the photosensitive drum 1.
[0038]
The collected residual toner follows a conveyance path to be described later as waste toner, and is collected and accumulated in the waste toner box 216.
[0039]
{Removal of cartridge}
As shown in FIG. 34, when the upper lid 64 of the apparatus main body is opened counterclockwise, the mounting opening 65 for mounting the cartridge is exposed. In this embodiment, all the cartridges of the developing cartridge 4 and the process cartridge 5 can be attached and detached from the mounting opening 65.
[0040]
On the other hand, jam processing or the like can be performed from the mounting opening 65 by removing the process cartridge 5 from the apparatus main body.
[0041]
In this way, replacement of consumables, jam processing, and the like can be accessed by opening one door (upper lid 64) of the apparatus main body, and the usability is improved.
[0042]
Next, attachment / detachment and positioning of the developing cartridge 4 will be described.
[0043]
{Removal and positioning of development cartridge}
A developing cartridge containing toner of each color of yellow, magenta, cyan, and black is fixed at a predetermined position in the rotary 67. Here, a method of positioning the developing cartridge on the rotary will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 9, 10, and 11. FIG.
[0044]
The developing cartridge is mounted by inserting it straight from the mounting opening 65 in the direction of the arrow.
[0045]
A rotary unit 66 is disposed in the apparatus main body, the rotary 67 revolves around the central shaft 51, and disk-shaped rotary flanges 50 are fixed to both sides of the central shaft 51.
[0046]
The rotary flange 50 has a guide groove 50c for guiding the mounting and dismounting of the developing cartridge 4, a first receiving portion 50a that is a positioning center of the developing cartridge 4, and a second receiving portion 50b that stops the rotation of the developing cartridge. Is formed.
[0047]
And the hole 50d is provided in the longitudinal side of the 1st receiving part 50a on the positioning center axis | shaft. The hole 50d serves as a hook hole for preventing the developer cartridge from falling off the rotary.
[0048]
On the other hand, on the left and right side surfaces of the developing cartridge 4, guide ribs 354 that guide the mounting and dismounting of the developing cartridge, the arc-shaped first protrusion 352 that is the positioning center of the developing cartridge 4, and the developing cartridge 4 are prevented from rotating. An arc-shaped second protrusion 353 is formed.
[0049]
In the cartridge guide groove 50 c of the rotary 67, an urging spring 53 for urging and energizing the developing cartridge 4 in the counterclockwise direction on the paper surface is disposed. With the urging spring 53, the second of the developing cartridge 4 is arranged. The protrusion is brought into close contact with the second receiving portion 50b of the rotary flange 50.
[0050]
As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, a projecting portion 380 a that can expand and contract in the longitudinal direction protrudes from the end surface of the first projecting portion 352. The movable protrusion 380a is formed at the end of a rod-shaped member 380 having a length that is approximately half the length of the developing cartridge 4. By sliding the rod-shaped member 380, the first protrusion is formed as described above. The movable protrusion 380a protrudes or retracts from the end surface of the portion 352. Hereinafter, this rod-shaped member 380 is referred to as a slider member.
[0051]
A hinge-like handle 381 is provided in the vicinity of the longitudinal center of the developing cartridge, and is biased in the opening direction by a torsion coil spring (not shown).
[0052]
In addition, the hinge handle 381 is configured by a pair of left and right hinge piece members 381a and 381b. Each hinge piece member is connected to the slider member 380 and interlocks with the opening and closing operation of the hinge handle 381. Then, the slider member 380 reciprocates.
[0053]
In a normal state, the hinge handle 381 is urged and opened by the torsion coil spring 382, and the protrusion 380a of the slider member 380 protrudes from the end surface of the first protrusion 352. When the hinge handle 381 is grasped, the hinge is closed, and the projection 380a of the slider member 380 is configured to be retracted inward from the end surface of the first projection 352.
[0054]
Each hinge piece is formed with gear teeth 381d on the opposite side to the portion gripped around the rotating portion, and both gears are engaged with each other. Therefore, even if only one hinge piece is closed, the other hinge piece is also closed, and both sliders always reciprocate simultaneously.
[0055]
When the developing cartridge is inserted, the hinge handle 381 is grasped and the guide ribs 354 on both sides of the developing cartridge are inserted along the guide grooves 50c of the rotary flange. Next, at the point where the arc-shaped first protrusion 352 formed on the side surface of the developing cartridge contacts the first receiving portion 50a on the side surface of the rotary flange, the gripping hinge handle 381 is released. Then, the movable projecting portion 380a protrudes from the end surface of the first projecting portion 352 and is caught in the above-described hooking hole 50d provided on the longitudinal side surface of the first receiving portion 50a.
[0056]
Since the first protrusion 352 and the movable protrusion 380a are provided on the same axis, the developing cartridge can swing around the first protrusion 352. An urging spring 53 for urging the rotation in the clockwise direction is arranged. By the urging spring 53, the second protrusion 353 of the developing cartridge is brought into close contact with the second receiving portion 50b of the rotary flange 50. The position of the developing cartridge is fixed.
[0057]
On the other hand, when the developing cartridge is detached, as shown in FIG. 4, the movable protrusion 380a is retracted by grasping the hinge handle 381, and is detached from the hooking hole 50d and can be detached upward.
[0058]
As described above, the developing cartridge 4 can be detached and attached by the user's operation, and the rotary can be rotated without removing the developing cartridge from the rotary by the fixing method described above.
[0059]
Next, attachment / detachment and positioning of the process cartridge 5 will be described.
[0060]
{Removal and positioning of process cartridge}
With reference to FIGS. 1, 26, 27, and 35, a method for attaching and detaching the process cartridge 5 to / from the color image forming apparatus main body A and fixing the process cartridge 5 to a predetermined position will be described.
[0061]
When the upper cover 64 of the color image forming apparatus main body A is opened, the rotational driving force transmission coupling to the photosensitive drum 1 provided on the support portion 22 that supports the photosensitive drum bearing and the bearing portion of the intermediate transfer belt driving shaft are provided. The rotational driving force transmission coupling to the intermediate transfer belt driving roller provided in the supporting portion 23 to be supported is in a state of being slid and retracted in the axial direction (disconnected state).
[0062]
Regarding the retracting and connecting mechanism of the coupling, there is a method as described in JP-A-11-109836 and the like, and the description thereof is omitted in this embodiment.
[0063]
As shown in FIGS. 26 and 27, a photosensitive drum guide rail 30 and an intermediate transfer member guide rail 31 are provided on both sides of the apparatus main body with a step difference.
[0064]
As shown in FIG. 35, the process cartridge 5 is once inserted straight down in the direction of the arrow from the opening 65 of the apparatus, and is mounted with its direction changed from the middle to the left side.
[0065]
Specifically, the photosensitive drum right bearing 106 and the left rotation shaft 102 of the process cartridge 5 are transferred to the photosensitive drum guideline 30, the right bearing 205, the left bearing 201 of the intermediate transfer belt drive roller 240, the left and right side covers 260, The protrusions 203 and 204 provided on the H.261 are placed on the intermediate transfer member guide rail 31 and inserted while being slid.
[0066]
Finally, the photosensitive drum right bearing 106 and the left rotating shaft 102 fall into the support portion 22 that supports the photosensitive drum bearing, and the right bearing 205 and the left bearing 201 of the intermediate transfer belt driving roller 240 are driven by the intermediate transfer belt. It falls into the support part 23 which supports the bearing part of a shaft.
[0067]
On the other hand, the protrusions 203 and 204 provided on the left and right side covers respectively fall into the positioning grooves 24 and are pressed and fixed to the positioning of the apparatus main body frame by a torsion coil spring (not shown).
[0068]
{Development cartridge drive configuration}
Next, the driving configuration of the developing cartridge 4 will be described in detail.
[0069]
As shown in FIG. 9, rotary side plates 54 are arranged on both sides of the rotary flange 50, and the central shaft 51 is locked in such a manner that the rotary flange 50 and the rotary side plate 54 are skewered. In other words, the rotary flange 50 and the central shaft 51 are supported by the rotary side plate 54 so as to be able to revolve.
[0070]
A plurality of gears are fixed to one side of the rotary side plate 54 so as to be able to mesh with each other. The input gear 307 of the developing cartridge meshes with the most downstream terminal gear 55 in the gear train arranged on the rotary side plate 54, and rotationally drives the developing roller 305, the application roller, the stirring member, and the like.
[0071]
In this embodiment, the developing cartridge is revolved by a predetermined angle together with the rotary flange 50 to be connected to the terminal gear 55 of the rotary side plate 54. Here, when the developing cartridge rotates with the revolution of the rotary, the tooth tip of the terminal gear 55 of the rotary side plate 54 and the tooth tip of the input gear 307 of the developing cartridge may collide with each other, and the teeth may not be properly meshed. . In such a case, in the present embodiment, the developing cartridge is configured so that the teeth are surely engaged with each other by once swinging and retreating around the first receiving portion 50a of the rotary flange 50.
[0072]
More specifically, as shown in FIG. 28, when the end teeth 55 of the rotary side plate 54 and the tooth tips of the input gear 307 of the developer cartridge collide with each other, the developer cartridge receives the first receiving portion of the rotary flange 50 due to the impact. It swings slightly in the radial direction of the rotary around 50a. The collision of the tooth tips is eliminated by the swinging of the developing cartridge, and the developing cartridge is positioned at a predetermined position by the biasing spring 53 of the rotary flange 50 described above.
[0073]
Further, when the development cartridge is driven and revolved to the next position, even if the terminal gear 55 of the rotary flange 50 cannot be opened to the through state, the developing cartridge swinging mechanism The developing cartridge and the rotary flange 50 can be separated from the meshing portion of the terminal gear 55 of the rotary.
[0074]
When the input gear 307 of the developing cartridge is driven from the terminal gear 55 of the rotary side plate 54, it receives a meshing force F. Due to the meshing force F, the developing cartridge receives a rotational moment in the counterclockwise direction on the paper surface around the first receiving portion 50 a of the rotary flange 50.
[0075]
Due to this rotational moment, the second protrusion of the developing cartridge is pressed against the second receiving portion 50b of the rotary flange 50, thereby preventing the developing cartridge from moving from the positioning portion of the rotary flange 50 during driving. Since the meshing force is a closed force system in the rotary, there is little influence on the pressure applied to the photosensitive drum of the developing cartridge, which will be described later.
[0076]
{Storage medium}
The storage medium 70 attached to the developing cartridge of this embodiment is a tag-like member (hereinafter referred to as a memory tag) in which a storage element 71 and an electrical contact portion 72 are arranged on a printed board.
[0077]
First, the configuration of the memory tag 70 will be described with reference to FIGS.
[0078]
The memory tag 70 stores cartridge usage information, various setting information for controlling the image forming process, and history information. The engine controller of the main body of the image forming apparatus detects usage information of each cartridge by reading / writing data in the memory tag 70 in a timely manner (hereinafter referred to as R / W). R / W to the memory tag 70 is performed by the engine controller via the contact of the connector 80.
[0079]
The storage element used in the memory tag 70 is disposed in the center of the substrate, and the periphery of the storage element 71 is coated with a resin 73. The electrical contact portion 72 has two locations 72a and 72b, one on each side of the storage element 71. Further, abutting flat surface portions 74a and 74b are provided on both sides of the electrical contact portion 72, that is, on both end portions of the substrate, on which the projecting portions of the connector as the recording means of the apparatus main body abut. The electrical contact portions 72 a and 72 b and the abutting flat portions 74 a and 74 b are arranged in a line in the longitudinal direction of the memory tag 70.
[0080]
For example, glass cloth epoxy, glass base epoxy, glass paper epoxy, paper epoxy, paper polyester, paper phenol, and the like can be used as the base material of the printed board used in the memory tag 70. Either can be manufactured.
[0081]
The area of the electrical contact portion 72 of the memory tag 70 has a rectangular shape, and a minimum width that can cope with the contact position variation of the connector 80 of the apparatus main body is secured. In the electric contact portion 72 of this embodiment, the copper plating surface is plated with Ni and further plated with gold. In this way, multilayer plating is performed to prevent corrosion and wear of the electrical contact portion.
[0082]
In this embodiment, the thickness of the surface gold plating is 0.05 μm or more, preferably 0.3 μm or more, and the connector 80 of the image forming apparatus has a low and stable contact resistance in 1000 times or more insertion / extraction tests. It is possible to keep
[0083]
The abutting flat surface portion 74 of the memory tag 70 of this embodiment is flush with the resist surface of the substrate. That is, the resist surface at the end of the substrate is used for the abutting flat surface. Further, the electrical contact portion is manufactured to have the same height as the abutting flat surface portion.
[0084]
Next, the mounting configuration of the memory tag 70 will be described.
[0085]
On the outer surface of the developing cartridge 4, a one-step recessed seat surface for attaching the memory tag 70 is formed, and this recessed seat surface is formed with respect to a radial segment centered on the rotary shaft 51 of the rotary. It is formed to be vertical. That is, the memory tag 70 is fixed so as to be parallel to the tangential plane in the rotational direction of the rotary.
[0086]
For this reason, at the R / W stop position, which will be described later, the connector 80 of the apparatus main body can abut against the memory tag 70 vertically, and it is possible to establish a stable wiping operation and conduction.
[0087]
As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, a plurality of convex ribs are arranged on the recessed seat surface 360 of the developing cartridge 4. A convex rib 361 for preventing the reverse mounting of the memory tag is disposed at the center of the recessed seat surface, and a convex rib 362a that determines the position in the short direction by abutting the memory tag on the left and right of the central convex rib 361. 362b are formed.
[0088]
On the other hand, the memory tag 70 has a notch 75 formed at the longitudinal center between the electrical contact portions. When the memory tag 70 is attached to the developing cartridge 4, the long side of the memory tag 70 is abutted against the convex rib 361 for positioning the memory tag to determine the position in the short direction.
[0089]
Further, the memory tag 70 has a notch in the center aligned with the convex rib 361 for preventing the reverse attachment of the developing cartridge 4 to prevent the memory tag 70 from being attached wrongly when the memory tag 70 is rotated by 180 ° by mistake. Yes.
[0090]
Further, in the present embodiment, the memory tag 70 has a notch 75 at the center as a rectangular concave groove, and the width of the concave groove is engaged with a convex rib 361 for preventing reverse mounting of the developing cartridge 4. That is, by engaging the rectangular concave groove 75 of the memory tag 70 and the convex rib 361 for preventing the reverse attachment of the developing cartridge 4, the longitudinal position of the memory tag 70 can be accurately positioned with respect to the developing cartridge 4. Attached to.
[0091]
If the positioning part in the longitudinal direction is a hole and the positioning rib on the cartridge side is used as a boss for engagement, it must be installed between the hole of the memory tag and the cartridge shaft if it is not attached straight to the mounting surface of the cartridge. May occur and the assemblability may deteriorate.
[0092]
However, in the memory tag of this embodiment, the positioning notch 75 has a rectangular concave groove shape, so that the positioning portion can be engaged without necessarily contacting the mounting surface of the cartridge. It is possible to suppress the deterioration of sex.
[0093]
Further, when the shape of the positioning portion in the longitudinal direction formed in the memory tag 70 is a hole, the width of the memory tag is increased. However, in this embodiment, since the shape is a rectangular groove, An increase in the width of the tag can be suppressed.
[0094]
Further, since the notch for positioning the longitudinal direction of the memory tag is formed in a concave groove shape, the positioning convex rib 361 on the container side to which the memory tag 70 is attached may not necessarily be parallel to the mold drawing direction. Positioning can be easily performed for other types of cartridges with different designs.
[0095]
By the way, the memory tag 70 of the present embodiment is detachably fixed to the cartridge with an adhesive such as a double-sided tape. A concave groove 364 is formed on the mounting surface of the memory tag 70 to assist in the removal of a commercially available tool such as a flat-blade screwdriver.
[0096]
For this reason, when a failure or a scratch is found in the memory tag 70 at the time of shipment inspection at the factory, the memory tag 70 can be easily removed and replaced by inserting a tool into the groove 364.
[0097]
In addition, the memory tag of the cartridge collected in the recycling factory with a well-known collection system and the cartridge returned to the manufacturer due to failure etc. can be easily removed in the same manner as described above. It is not necessary to prepare for each type of cartridge, and history information of all types of cartridges can be checked with one tool.
[0098]
Then, by examining the history information of the memory tag 70, it is possible to accurately grasp the quality problem that has occurred in the market. Further, by analyzing the history information, it becomes possible to develop a cartridge with higher customer satisfaction.
[0099]
As described above, the memory tag according to the present embodiment is small in size, has good assembling and disassembling properties, and can be attached to a plurality of products having different uses. Therefore, the common use of the memory tag can be promoted. By increasing the mass merit of the memory tag, it is possible to reduce the cost of the memory tag.
[0100]
{Connector configuration}
Next, the configuration of the connector arranged in the main body of the image forming apparatus that performs read / write (R / W) recording on the memory tag will be described with reference to FIGS. 14, 15, and 16.
[0101]
The connector 80 is removably fixed to the cartridge within the image forming apparatus main body by a mechanism described later. Protrusions 82a and 82b are formed at both ends of the connector 80, and four metal contact pins 81 are arranged inside the protrusions. The contact pins and the protrusions are arranged in a line along the longitudinal direction of the connector.
[0102]
In the contact pin 81 of this embodiment, the two contact pins are brought into contact with each other to the two electrical contact portions 72a and 72b arranged in the memory tag, and are brought into conduction. As described above, since a plurality of contact pins are in contact with one electrical contact portion, even if one of the contact pins becomes defective in conduction for some reason, the conduction can be guaranteed with the other contact pin. Redundant design.
[0103]
The contact pins are plated with Ni and gold plated at the tip of the contact pins, just like the electrical contact parts of memory tags that are manufactured by cutting and bending thin sheets of copper alloy. , Has increased durability and reliability.
[0104]
The tip of the contact pin is bent 90 ° with respect to the cutting direction, and the edge of the cut surface is in contact with the electrical contact portion of the memory tag. As shown in FIGS. 20, 21, and 22, when the tip of the contact pin hits the electric contact portion of the memory tag, the tip portion is elastically deformed and slidably moves on the surface of the electric contact portion by a certain amount.
[0105]
That is, the tip of the contact pin of this embodiment has a spring structure for wiping the surface of the electrical contact portion of the memory tag. Therefore, even if the electrical contact portion of the memory tag is contaminated with dirt such as scattered toner, it can be scraped off and cleaned, and stable conduction can be ensured.
[0106]
The deformation amount Δs of the tip of the contact pin 81 is accurately managed by the height of the protrusions 82a and 82b formed at both ends of the connector 80, and these protrusions are the end faces 74a and 74b of the substrate of the memory tag 70. The tip of the contact pin 81 is displaced by a certain amount.
[0107]
In the present embodiment, the tip of the contact pin when the contact pin is displaced by a predetermined amount, that is, the apex of the tip that is in contact with the electrical contact portion of the memory tag, as shown in the X position of FIG. It is designed to be aligned with the apexes of the protrusions formed at both ends of the connector.
[0108]
As described above, since the connector 80 of the present embodiment has a portion in contact with the memory tag 70 in a straight line, when the connector 80 is rotated by the connector holder 83 described later, the deformation amount of the contact pin and the variation in the contact pressure are reduced. Can be reduced.
[0109]
Further, as shown in FIG. 20, since the protrusions for abutting are arranged at the far outside of the contact pin, that is, at both ends of the connector, even if the height of the protrusion varies within the tolerance. The connector does not tilt significantly. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the influence that the contact pressure of the four contact pins becomes uneven on the left and right sides and the conduction becomes unstable.
[0110]
In the present embodiment, the tip of the contact pin is shifted 0.5 to 2 mm in the abutting direction, and 0.5 to 2 mm is wiped in the short direction of the electrical contact portion. The contact pressure at this time is 40 to 80 g / pin.
[0111]
By the way, in order to accurately deform the contact pin with respect to the electrical contact portion of the memory tag by a predetermined amount, it is desirable that the protrusion of the connector is directly abutted against the electrical contact portion. It is necessary to further increase the width, and when expensive gold plating or the like is applied, the cost increases.
[0112]
Moreover, since the protrusion part of a connector is resin, it is also considered that resin powder (insulator) adheres to the electrical contact part of a memory tag by durability. Although it is possible to clean the resin powder by wiping the contact pins described above, unlike the toner, it is conceivable that the resin powder adheres more firmly.
[0113]
In order to perform complete cleaning only by wiping the contact pin, it is necessary to take measures such as increasing the contact pin contact pressure and increasing the amount of wiping movement. However, if this is done, peeling of the plating of the electrical contact portion of the memory tag is promoted, and there is a possibility that a conduction failure will occur before the life of the cartridge.
[0114]
In this embodiment, the protruding portion of the connector is abutted against the same surface different from the electrical contact portion of the memory tag, so that the contact can be made accurately without increasing the width of the electrical contact portion. And since the abrasion powder of the protrusion part of a connector does not adhere directly to the electrical contact part of a memory tag, the increase in contact resistance can be prevented.
[0115]
{Connector contact / separation control mechanism}
Next, the contact / separation control mechanism of the connector 80 will be described with reference to FIGS. 17, 18, 19, 33, and 34.
[0116]
The connector 80 is detachably fixed to the connector holder 83. Should an abnormality occur in the contact of the connector 80, only the connector 80 can be removed from the connector holder 83 and replaced.
[0117]
The connector holder 83 has a rotation shaft 85 parallel to the longitudinal direction of the connector, and the connector and the connector holder are rotated together with the rotation shaft 85 as a center. The rotating shafts 85a and 85b of the connector holder are engaged with a fixing arm protruding from the rotary stay 63 and are rotatably supported.
[0118]
On the back side of the connector holder 83, a retraction arm 86 is formed that extends vertically outward from the rotary shaft 85. The separation and pressurization operations of the connector 80 and the connector holder 83 are controlled by the contact and retraction of the terminal rib of the retraction arm 86 and the contact / separation cam 91.
[0119]
The connector holder 83 is urged to rotate by a connector pressure spring (not shown). When the retracting arm 86 and the contact / separation cam 91 are not in contact with each other, the connector 80 is pressurized in a direction to contact the memory tag 70. The When the retracting arm 86 and the contact / separation cam 91 are in contact, the connector 80 is retracted with respect to the memory tag 70. The separation and pressurization operations of the connector holder 83 and the connector 80 are performed by rotating the contact / separation cam 91 for a predetermined time.
[0120]
A rotation flag 92 is attached to the end of the pressure rotating shaft 90 which is the rotation center of the contact / separation cam 91. By detecting the timing at which the rotation flag 92 blocks the separation detection sensor 93, The direction of rotation is detected.
[0121]
The contact / separation cam 91 is rotationally driven by a contact / separation motor (not shown) that contacts and separates the rotary 67, and is also used for rotary contact / separation control, which will be described later. Specifically, by switching the rotation direction of the contact / separation motor, the connector 80 is moved to one of two positions, that is, a pressurizing position that contacts the memory tag 70 and a retracted separating position.
[0122]
When the connector 80 is in contact with the memory tag 70, the contact / separation motor is rotated in the reverse direction for a predetermined time. Then, when the contact / separation cam 91 rotates by a predetermined angle, the retracting arm 86 of the connector holder 83 is separated from the contact / separation cam, and the connector 80 is pushed out and brought into contact with the memory tag 70 as described above.
[0123]
When the connector 80 is retracted from the memory tag 70, the contact / separation motor is rotated forward for a predetermined time. Contrary to the pressurization, the retracting arm 86 of the connector holder 83 is pulled back by the contact / separation cam 91, and the connector 80 is separated from the memory tag 70.
[0124]
By monitoring the separation detection sensor 93, the pressure / retraction position of the connector 80 is detected. This control is also used for the rotary contact / separation operation described later.
[0125]
A guide rib 84 is disposed at the center of the connector holder 83 so as to enter the guide groove 363 of the developing cartridge 4. In this embodiment, the guide rib 84 is engaged with the guide groove 363 so that the displacement of the connector in the thrust direction with respect to the memory tag can be reduced.
[0126]
{R / W of storage medium}
As shown in FIGS. 12 and 13, the developing cartridge of this embodiment performs R / W of the memory tag 90 ° downstream from the take-out position that can be mounted on the rotary.
[0127]
Unlike the general cartridge fixed to the apparatus main body, the developing cartridge 4 of this embodiment repeats revolving movement in a rotary manner. Therefore, the contact between the memory tag of the developing cartridge and the connector of the apparatus main body is repeated very many times.
[0128]
If the life of a single color cartridge is 5000 sheets, and R / W is performed on a memory tag every time a job is completed, a maximum of 5000 R / W is performed on a single color memory tag.
[0129]
On the other hand, since the connector of the apparatus main body is in contact with the memory tags of four colors of yellow, magenta, cyan, and black, the contact is repeated up to 20,000 times per cartridge set. When the lifetime of the device body is 100,000, the connector is calculated to make contact with a maximum of 400,000 times.
[0130]
Further, when the printing rate of the cartridge is low, it may be used with the number of printed sheets more than twice the specified life, and it is considered that the number of contacts increases linearly with respect to the memory tag of the cartridge.
[0131]
In order to guarantee such a large number of contact times, both the memory tag and the connector are technically high hurdles. The memory tag and the connector of the present embodiment are aimed at a low cost and reliable one, and the following control is performed in order to reduce the number of R / W contacts.
[0132]
Reading is performed when (1) the power is turned on (2) when the cartridge door is closed (3) when an instruction is issued from the video controller.
[0133]
On the other hand, at the time of writing, (1) after completion of a predetermined number of jobs, (2) when an instruction is issued from the video controller.
[0134]
In this embodiment, for example, every 50 sheets are written in the memory tag, and the usage information is updated. In the case of continuous output of 50 sheets or more, writing to the memory tag is performed after completion of a predetermined number of jobs. When the cartridge is exchanged in the middle or when it is exchanged for a new one, pressing a panel button (not shown) writes usage information update to the exchange cartridge, and the cartridge rotates to the removal position.
[0135]
The DC controller has a built-in mirror memory that stores the memory contents of the cartridge. The usage information of the cartridge is confirmed by reading the information in the mirror memory of the main body of the device, and the cartridge memory tag is read each time. Is not read.
[0136]
When the power is turned off or the cartridge door is open, it is possible that the cartridge has been replaced with another one, so it is necessary to check the memory contents of the cartridge every time.
[0137]
In this embodiment, when the power is turned on and the cartridge door is closed, only the cartridge at the take-out position performs the memory tag reading operation.
[0138]
After completion of the predetermined job, the cartridge is moved to the take-out position. In this embodiment, the four color cartridges are sequentially moved to the take-out position.
[0139]
For example, if there is a yellow color at the takeout position after the previous job, the magenta color, which is the second color order, is moved to the takeout position after the end of the next job. Then, after the end of the next job, the cyan color which is the third color order is taken out and moved to the position. Further, after the next job is finished, the black color which is the fourth color order is taken out and moved to the position.
[0140]
That is, after completion of each job, the cartridge at the take-out position is rotated in the order of yellow, magenta, cyan, and black.
[0141]
The cartridge door is opened and closed when replacing the developing cartridge and when replacing the jam processing or the process cartridge.
[0142]
As described above, since the cartridge of a specific color is prevented from coming to the take-out position, access to the memory tag of the cartridge of the specific color is concentrated every time the cartridge door is opened except for the replacement of the developing cartridge described above. Less chances to do.
[0143]
It is also conceivable to turn off the power supply of the main body every day. However, even when the power supply is turned on every day, a cartridge of a specific color does not come to the cartridge removal position. You can reduce the chance of access concentration.
[0144]
Next, a method for reducing the number of accesses to the memory tag other than the above method will be described.
[0145]
By counting the number of times of contact with the memory tag, storing the number of times in the memory tag, and returning the developing cartridge having the smallest contact count number to the take-out position, the memory tag of a specific cartridge is transferred to the memory tag as in the above-described embodiment. Can be prevented from being concentrated.
[0146]
As described so far, by setting the R / W access condition for the memory tag of the cartridge and rotating the color of the cartridge removal position, the number of R / W times of the memory tag and the connector can be greatly reduced. it can.
[0147]
Needless to say, the developing cartridge of this embodiment is configured such that the developing cartridge cannot be removed from the rotary at a position other than the removal position.
[0148]
Further, when the toner life notice of the cartridge is detected, the cartridge having the shortest life among the four colors is preferentially moved to the take-out position.
[0149]
{Pressure configuration of developing cartridge}
In this embodiment, the four color developing cartridges are housed in the rotary, and the pressure of the developing cartridge against the photosensitive drum is performed as follows.
[0150]
9 and 28, it has been described that the rotary flange 50 is held so as to be able to revolve with respect to the rotary side plate 54. However, the rotary side plates 54 on both sides are swingably arranged on the upper part thereof. The shaft 60 is positioned and fixed to the side plate of the apparatus main body. In other words, the developing cartridge, the rotary flange 50, and the rotary side plate 54 are configured to swing together. That is, the developing cartridge 4 is configured to be pressed and separated from the photosensitive drum by a swinging motion in which the developing cartridge 4 and the rotary 67 are integrated.
[0151]
The contact / separation operation of the rotary 67 is performed by rotating the pressure cam 94. The pressure cam 94 is disposed on the same axis as the pressure rotation shaft 90, and the contact / separation cam 91 of the connector 80 described above. And coaxial arrangement. Then, similarly to the above-described contact / separation control of the connector, the rotary 67 is moved to two positions, that is, a pressure position and a separation position by switching the rotation direction of the contact / separation motor.
[0152]
The rotary pressurization is performed by rotating the contact / separation motor forward for a predetermined time. By this forward rotation, the pressure cam 94 rotates by a predetermined amount, and the rotary 67 is pushed out with respect to the photosensitive drum.
[0153]
At the time of rotary separation, the contact / separation motor rotates in the reverse direction to perform the operation opposite to that at the time of pressurization.
[0154]
In the present embodiment, the separation position of the rotary 67 can be selected from half separation and full separation. Specifically, the developing cartridge is separated from the drum by L / 2 = about 2 mm at the half-separated position and L = about 4 mm at the fully-separated position.
[0155]
Therefore, the rotary can be moved to three positions: a pressurization position, a half separation position, and a full separation position. The three rotary stops are performed by rotating the pressure cam 94 in three steps of 0 °, 90 °, and 180 ° with a contact / separation motor.
[0156]
In the present embodiment, during the image formation, the rotary 67 is revolved and the contact / separation operation is performed at the half separation position. The total separation of the rotary 67 is performed when the developer cartridge 4 is taken out and the developer cartridge 4 is read / written to the memory tag.
[0157]
Compared with the case where the developing cartridge 4 is brought into contact with the photosensitive drum from the fully separated position, when the developing cartridge 4 is brought into contact with the photosensitive drum from the half separated position, the rotary 67 can be pressurized with a short moving distance, It is possible to halve shock and operating noise.
[0158]
{Rotary rotation control}
As shown in FIG. 9, gears are integrally formed on the outer peripheral surfaces of the rotary flanges 50 on both sides, and a pair of driven gears 59 that mesh with the gears are disposed on both sides. The driven gears 59 on both sides are connected by a rotation shaft, and when one rotary flange 50 rotates, the other rotary flange 50 is rotated in the same phase via the driven gear 59. Yes.
[0159]
With such a drive configuration, one of the rotary flanges 50 is prevented from being twisted when the rotary flange 50 revolves or the developing roller is driven.
[0160]
A rotary drive gear for rotating the rotary flange 50 is disposed at the swing center of the rotary side plate 54, that is, the swing shaft 60, and is connected to a rotary drive motor 61 (not shown).
[0161]
A known encoder 62 is attached to the end of the rotary shaft of the rotary drive motor 61 to detect the amount of rotation of the rotary drive motor 61 and control the rotation speed. On the other hand, a flag 57 projecting sideways is formed on the outer periphery of the rotary flange 50, and rotates so as to pass through a photo interrupter 58 fixed to the rotary side plate 54 shown in FIG.
[0162]
In this embodiment, control is performed so that the rotary at a predetermined angle revolves with reference to the time when the flag 57 blocks the photo interrupter 58. The revolution angle is controlled by detecting the amount of rotation by the encoder 62. Moreover, conventionally, the amount of rotation of the rotary was controlled using a pulse motor or the like, but there was a side effect that the harmonics due to excitation were annoying, but in this embodiment, since the drive control is performed by the DC motor, more Quiet rotary drive.
[0163]
When the developing cartridge is driven, the rotary 67 may be rotated and displaced, and therefore it is necessary to lock the rotation of the rotary cartridge. Although it is possible to lock the rotation of the rotary 67 by applying an electric brake to the DC motor that is the drive motor of the rotary 67, there is a high possibility that the DC motor will be heated up and burned out if this is done for a long time.
[0164]
In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 36, a brake groove 95 is arranged on the rotation shaft of the driven gear 59 that rotates together with the rotary 67, and a stopper 96 is provided in the brake groove 95 for each stop position of the developing cartridge 4. The nails are inserted. The stopper 96 is raised and lowered by turning the solenoid 97 on and off at a predetermined timing.
[0165]
Thus, the mechanical brake is used so that the stop position of the rotary 67 does not shift.
[0166]
{Configuration of developing cartridge}
As shown in FIG. 2, the developing cartridge is roughly divided into a toner storage portion and a developing portion. The toner storage unit is filled with toner of a predetermined color, and the stirring unit rotates to convey a predetermined amount of toner to the developing unit. The transported toner is supplied to the surface of the developing roller 305 by the rotation of the sponge-like toner supply roller in the developing unit, and further, an electric charge is applied by the friction between the thin plate-like developing blade and the developing roller 305 to form a thin layer. The toner on the thinned developing roller 305 is conveyed to the developing unit by rotation, and an electrostatic latent image on the photosensitive drum is visualized as a toner image by applying a predetermined developing bias.
[0167]
The residual toner that has not contributed to the visualization of the latent image on the photosensitive drum, that is, the undeveloped toner on the surface of the developing roller 305 is peeled off again by the toner supply roller unit, and at the same time, new toner is put on the developing roller 305. Then, new development operations are continuously performed.
[0168]
{Configuration of process cartridge 5}
In this embodiment, a part including the photosensitive drum 1, the intermediate transfer belt 5a, and the waste toner box 216 is configured as an integrated process cartridge.
[0169]
FIG. 23 is a longitudinal sectional view of the process cartridge 5 as seen from the left side. FIG. 24 is a perspective view seen from the left side of the process cartridge 5, and FIG. 25 is a perspective view seen from the right side.
[0170]
The process cartridge 5 includes a photosensitive drum unit 20 including the photosensitive drum 1 and an intermediate transfer body unit 21 including an intermediate transfer belt 5 a and a waste toner box 216.
[0171]
The photosensitive drum unit 20 is disposed in the upward projection direction of the intermediate transfer body unit 21, and the left and right side plates 260 and 261 of the intermediate transfer body unit 21 extend to both side surfaces of the photosensitive drum unit 20 and are held from the side surface of the photosensitive drum unit 20. It is configured.
[0172]
{Configuration of Photosensitive Drum Unit 20}
As shown in FIGS. 24 and 25, the photosensitive drum unit 20 has a photosensitive drum 1 held by a right bearing 106 and a left rotating shaft 102 so that both ends thereof can rotate freely, and an apparatus main body via a coupling 124 at the right end. A predetermined rotational driving force is transmitted from the motor.
[0173]
Further, the charging roller 2 is pressed against the photosensitive drum 1 with a predetermined force by a compression spring 126 through bearings at both ends, and is driven to rotate.
[0174]
At least one of the bearings is made of a conductive material, and the surface of the photosensitive drum 1 is uniformly negatively charged by applying a predetermined charging bias voltage to the charging roller 2.
[0175]
The photosensitive drum unit 20 is provided with a drum shutter 119 that opens and closes in conjunction with an operation of attaching to and detaching from the image forming apparatus main body.
[0176]
Further, the photosensitive drum 1 is provided with a cleaning blade 6 at a predetermined position, and the residual toner on the intermediate transfer belt 5a is collected on the photosensitive drum 1 and scraped off together with the residual toner on the photosensitive drum 1. It is configured as follows.
[0177]
Further, the scraped waste toner is prevented from falling onto the intermediate transfer belt 5a by the squeeze sheet 127, and the residual toner accumulated between the cleaning blade 6 and the squeeze sheet 127 rotates the feed blade 151, whereby the photosensitive drum It is swept out to the back of the container 129, that is, in a direction away from the photosensitive drum 1.
[0178]
The first screw 128 is provided further to the back than the feed blade 151. When the first screw 128 rotates, the waste toner is conveyed to the left as viewed from the front of the apparatus. (Front side in FIG. 23)
In the photosensitive drum container 129, an opening 152 is provided in the downward direction at the left end of the groove portion where the first screw 128 is disposed, and the waste toner is conveyed to the left end by the first screw 128 and falls from the opening 152 to the middle. It is sent out to the receiving port 253a of the transfer belt unit 21. A seal member (not shown) is provided on the lower surface of the opening 152 to prevent toner leakage at the joint with the receiving port 253a.
[0179]
{Configuration of intermediate transfer belt unit 21}
Next, the configuration of the intermediate transfer belt unit 21 will be described.
[0180]
As shown in FIG. 1, the intermediate transfer belt unit 21 has means for transferring an image transferred from the photosensitive drum 1 by the intermediate transfer belt 5a to a transfer material, and means for collecting and storing waste toner. The configuration of the intermediate transfer belt unit will be described below for each means.
[0181]
{Intermediate transfer means}
As shown in FIG. 23, the intermediate transfer belt 5a is stretched around an intermediate transfer member frame 245 by two rollers, a driving roller 240 and a driven roller 241.
[0182]
Both ends of the driving roller 240 are rotatably supported by a right bearing 205 and a left bearing 201, and a predetermined rotational driving force is transmitted from the apparatus main body via a coupling 242 at the right end. The bearings 243 at both ends of the driven roller are provided with compression springs 244 so as to apply a predetermined tension to the intermediate transfer belt 5a.
[0183]
A primary transfer roller 5j is provided at a position facing the photosensitive drum 1 with the intermediate transfer belt 5a interposed therebetween, and is pressed by a compression spring 247 with a predetermined force via a bearing (not shown) to be rotated. It is like that.
[0184]
At least one of the bearings is made of a conductive material, and the toner on the surface of the photosensitive drum 1 is primarily transferred onto the intermediate transfer belt 5a by applying a DC plus bias to the primary transfer roller 5j.
[0185]
Also, at a position facing the intermediate transfer belt driving roller 240, a cleaning charging roller portion 223 is provided for applying a predetermined bias voltage to the residual toner on the intermediate transfer belt 5a and aligning the residual charge with a charge of a predetermined polarity. It has been.
[0186]
The cleaning charging roller 5f and the cleaning auxiliary roller 5p are pressed against each other with a predetermined force by a compression spring via a bearing (not shown) so as to be driven to rotate.
[0187]
The cleaning auxiliary roller 5p applies DC plus buy eye, and charges the negatively charged residual toner on the intermediate transfer belt 5a to the plus side. Next, a DC positive buy eye and an AC bias are applied to the cleaning charging roller 5f to charge the residual toner uniformly to the positive side, thereby facilitating the cleaning of the intermediate transfer belt in the next step.
[0188]
Next, a DC positive bias is applied to the primary transfer roller 5j, and a DC negative bias is applied to the photosensitive drum 1, thereby generating a potential difference between the photosensitive drum and the intermediate transfer belt. The residual toner is electrostatically retransferred onto the photosensitive drum 1, removed by the cleaning blade 6, collected in the photosensitive drum unit 20, and accumulated in the waste toner box 216 as described above.
[0189]
{Waste toner collection and saving means}
As shown in FIG. 23, the intermediate transfer unit is provided with a waste toner box 216 on the opposite side of the photosensitive drum unit 20 with the intermediate transfer belt 5a as the center. The waste toner box 216 is formed in a box shape by joining a partition plate 250 to a part of the intermediate transfer member frame 245, and the residual toner on the photosensitive drum 1 is finally stored in the waste toner box 216. The
[0190]
An impeller cover 253 is coupled to the left side surface of the intermediate transfer member frame 245 with a seal member interposed therebetween. The impeller cover 253 has an opening 253a on the upper side, and is joined to an opening 152 provided at the lower left end of the photosensitive drum container 129 with a seal member interposed therebetween, and waste toner dropped from the opening 152 is disposed inside the impeller cover 253. Fall into.
[0191]
Inside the impeller cover 253, the impeller 255 rotates counterclockwise when viewed from the left side to convey the waste toner inside to the waste toner box 216. The impeller cover 253 is overlapped on the left side surface of the waste toner box 216, and a hole communicating with the inside of the impeller cover 253 is provided in the overlapped portion.
[0192]
Further, a second screw 258 is provided at a position extending in the longitudinal direction from the hole, and waste toner conveyed by the impeller 255 rotates the second screw 258 to rotate the second toner 258 from the left side to the right side. It is conveyed to.
[0193]
The waste toner box 216 is partitioned into several small rooms by a plurality of partition walls perpendicular to the second screw 258, and is sequentially filled from the leftmost small room to the right adjacent small room. In the rightmost small room, a detection unit 269 that detects whether the waste toner box 216 is full is provided.
[0194]
  Less thanAs explained above, the bookExampleThe cartridge and the image forming apparatus using the cartridge obtain the following effects.
[0195]
(1) The number of contacts of the connector of the image forming apparatus main body with respect to the storage medium can be greatly reduced, and wear of the electrical contact portion of the storage medium and the connector of the apparatus main body can be reduced. In addition, since it is not necessary to use expensive electrical contact portions and connectors, the cost of the image forming apparatus main body and the cartridge can be suppressed.
[0196]
(2) Since the number of contacts of the connector of the image forming apparatus main body with respect to the storage medium is small, an increase in contact resistance of the contact portion can be suppressed due to durability, and stable reading / writing (R / W) can be performed.
[0197]
  (3) In (1) and (2), low-cost and highly reliable contact communication is possible, so that a modulation signal conversion processing unit that is necessary in conventional non-contact communication becomes unnecessary, and the image forming apparatus main body The cost can be further reduced.
【The invention's effect】
  As described above, according to the electrophotographic image forming apparatus of the present invention, it is possible to prevent concentration of access to the storage medium of a specific developing cartridge, and to reduce wear of the storage medium and the connector. .
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of an electrophotographic image forming apparatus embodying the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a sectional view of a developing cartridge.
FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a developing cartridge.
FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing slider movement of the developing cartridge.
FIG. 5 is a plan view of a memory tag.
FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing a method for attaching a memory tag.
FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing a state in which a memory tag is attached.
FIG. 8 is a communication block diagram of a memory tag.
FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a rotary.
FIG. 10 is a side view of the developing cartridge mounting direction in the rotary.
FIG. 11 is a perspective view of the developing cartridge mounting direction in the rotary.
FIG. 12 is a perspective view in which a developing cartridge is mounted on a rotary.
FIG. 13 is a perspective view of the R / W position.
FIG. 14 is a perspective view of a connector.
FIG. 15 is a perspective view of the connector attached to the connector holder.
16 is a side view of FIG.
FIG. 17 is a perspective view showing the moving direction of the connector holder.
FIG. 18 is a perspective view showing the moving direction of the connector holder.
FIG. 19 is a perspective view showing the moving direction of the connector holder.
FIG. 20 is a diagram showing a contact state of the connector memory tag.
FIG. 21 is a diagram showing a contact state of the connector memory tag.
FIG. 22 is a diagram showing a contact state of the connector memory tag.
FIG. 23 is a main sectional view of a process cartridge.
FIG. 24 is a perspective view of a process cartridge.
FIG. 25 is a perspective view of a process cartridge.
FIG. 26 is a perspective view illustrating mounting of a process cartridge.
FIG. 27 is a perspective view for explaining mounting of a process cartridge.
FIG. 28 is a side view showing a driving state of the developing cartridge.
FIG. 29 is a cross-sectional view showing a contact state of the rotary
FIG. 30 is a cross-sectional view showing a half-separated state of the rotary
FIG. 31 is a cross-sectional view showing a fully separated state of the rotary
FIG. 32 is a cross-sectional view showing a mounting position of the developing cartridge and a memory access position.
FIG. 33 is a sectional view showing a separated state of the connector.
FIG. 34 is a sectional view showing the contact state of the connector.
FIG. 35 is a cross-sectional view showing attachment and detachment of a cartridge.
FIG. 36 is a perspective view showing a brake mechanism of a rotary.
[Explanation of symbols]
1 Photosensitive drum
2 Charging roller
3 Exposure means
4 Development cartridge
5 Process cartridge
6 Cleaning blade
5a Intermediate transfer belt
5f Cleaning charging roller
5j Primary transfer roller
216 Waste toner container
20 Photosensitive drum unit
21 Intermediate transfer belt unit
28 First screw
50 Rotary flange
50a first receiving part
50b 2nd receiving part
50c guide groove
51 Center axis
52 Fixed spring
53 Biasing spring
54 Rotary side plate
55 End gear
56 Development drive motor
57 flags
58 Photointerrupter
59 Driven gear
60 Oscillating shaft
61 Rotary drive motor
62 Encoder
63 Rotary stay
64 Upper lid
65 Mounting opening
66 Rotary unit
67 Rotary
70 Memory tag
72 Electrical contacts
74 Butting plane part
75 rectangular groove
80 connector
81 Contact pin
82 Protrusion
83 Connector holder
85 Rotating shaft
86 Retraction arm
90 Pressure rotary shaft
91 Contact / separation cam
92 Rotation flag
93 Separation detection sensor
94 Pressure cam
95 Brake groove
96 stopper
97 Solenoid
98 Rotary pressure spring

Claims (3)

In an electrophotographic image forming apparatus for forming an image on a recording medium,
A rotary supported revolvingly on the apparatus main body of the electrophotographic image forming apparatus for developing a storage medium for storing information and an electrostatic latent image formed on the electrophotographic photosensitive member using toner. A rotary on which a plurality of developing cartridges are detachably mounted, each of which includes a developing roller, a storage unit that stores the toner, and a stirring member that rotates to stir the toner stored in the storage unit;
A mounting opening provided in the apparatus main body for attaching and detaching the plurality of developing cartridges to and from the rotary; and a door for opening and closing the mounting opening;
A connector for reading or writing information on the storage medium;
A contact / separation control mechanism for moving between a pressure position where the connector is brought into contact with the storage medium to read or write information and a separation position where the connector is separated from the storage medium; A contact / separation control mechanism for bringing the connector into contact with and separating from the storage medium of the developing cartridge downstream in the rotational direction of the developing cartridge relative to the developing cartridge positioned at a removal position where the developing cartridge can be attached and detached from the mounting opening; ,
Any one of the plurality of developing cartridges may stop rotation of the rotary after completion of a predetermined print job, when the image forming apparatus is turned on, or when the door is closed. The control means for operating the contact / separation control mechanism to bring the connector into contact with the storage medium, and when the life warning of any one of the plurality of development cartridges is detected, the development with the shortest life If the cartridge is preferentially stopped at the take-out position and none of the plurality of developer cartridges has detected the life warning, the specific developer cartridge is not stopped at the take-out position every time. Control means for controlling the operation of the rotary;
An electrophotographic image forming apparatus comprising:   The control means preferentially stops the cartridge having the smallest number of reading or writing at the take-out position when none of the plurality of developing cartridges has detected the lifetime notice. The electrophotographic image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the electrophotographic image forming apparatus is controlled. The plurality of developing cartridges each have yellow, magenta, cyan, and black toners,
The control means, when none of the plurality of developing cartridges has detected the end of life notification, causes the developing cartridge to be stopped at the take-out position to be yellow, magenta, cyan, black The electrophotographic image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the rotation control is performed in the following order.

Images