JP4571035B2 - Toner bottle cleaning device, toner bottle cleaning method, and toner bottle - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a toner bottle cleaning device, a toner bottle cleaning method, and a toner bottle that can clean and reuse a toner bottle once used.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, it has been generally performed to collect, clean, and reuse used toner-containing containers (hereinafter sometimes referred to as “toner bottles”) instead of being disposable.
As a method of cleaning such a toner bottle, for example, as shown in FIG. 1, air from a compressor (not shown) is provided in the collected toner bottle 10 at the front end portion of the inner ejection air nozzle 5. In general, spraying is performed linearly on the inner wall of the toner bottle from the jetted holes, and the toner scattered by the air is sucked together with the air by the suction unit 6 to be cleaned. In FIG. 1, the inner jet air nozzle 5 and the air suction portion 6 have different configurations, and there is a problem that space is taken up.

However, the amount of toner remaining in the collected toner bottle is not constant, and may adhere to the side surface of the toner bottle due to the influence of humidity and temperature, and this toner adhering matter may not be sufficiently removed. In particular, in a toner bottle (see Patent Document 1) in which a spiral rib having a toner discharging function is provided on the side surface, there is a tendency that toner adhered matter accumulates on the spiral rib.
Using such a toner bottle in which the toner stuck matter remains, for example, when the toner is refilled in the toner bottle with a toner filling device as shown in Patent Document 2, an image is output when the image is output. There is a problem that the toner fixed matter may remain as a foreign substance in the inside, leading to damage to the photosensitive member which is the heart of the image forming apparatus.

  For this reason, after the toner bottle is cleaned, a visual inspection is performed, and when the toner adhering matter remains, the toner bottle has been washed or discarded again. However, it takes time and is extremely inefficient. At present, improvements and developments are desired.

JP 2004-54272 A Japanese Patent No. 3547730

  An object of the present invention is to solve the conventional problems in response to the above-mentioned demands and achieve the following object. That is, according to the present invention, toner and toner adhering matter are hardly attached to the wall surface of the toner bottle after cleaning, the toner bottle can be cleaned efficiently, and the used toner bottle can be reused. It is an object to provide a bottle cleaning device, a toner bottle cleaning method, and a toner bottle.

Means for solving the problems are as follows. That is,
<1> From an inner ejection air nozzle that ejects air to the inner surface of the toner bottle through an ejection hole, and an air suction portion that is provided concentrically on the outer periphery of the inner ejection air nozzle and sucks air from inside the toner bottle A toner bottle cleaning device comprising at least a nozzle having a double tube structure. The toner bottle cleaning device according to <1> has a double-pipe structure nozzle composed of an inner jet air nozzle and an air suction part. The toner sticking matter remains very little and the toner bottle can be cleaned efficiently.
<2> The toner bottle cleaning device according to <1>, wherein the inner jet air nozzle is inserted from the air suction portion so as to be able to advance and retreat in the toner bottle. In the toner bottle cleaning device described in <2>, the cleanliness of the side surface of the toner bottle is improved particularly when an inner jet air nozzle having a jet hole at the tip is used.

<3> The toner bottle cleaning device according to any one of <1> to <2>, wherein the inner jet air nozzle has a jet hole vertically arranged in a length direction of the nozzle and a jet port at a tip. is there.
<4> The toner bottle cleaning device according to any one of <1> to <2>, wherein the inner jet air nozzle has jet holes obliquely arranged in a length direction of the nozzle and a jet port at a tip. is there.
<5> The toner bottle cleaning device according to any one of <1> to <4>, wherein the inner jet air nozzle has a jet hole in accordance with the spiral interval of the spiral portion formed on the side surface of the toner bottle. is there.
In the toner bottle cleaning device according to any one of <3> to <5>, the cleaning effect on the side surface of the toner bottle is enhanced, and particularly excellent cleanability even when the toner bottle main body has a spiral portion. Can be demonstrated.

<6> The toner bottle cleaning device according to any one of <1> to <5>, wherein the inner jet air nozzle has an agitator at a tip portion of the nozzle.
<7> The toner bottle cleaning device according to <6>, wherein the agitator is formed of a disk-like disk having a plurality of center holes, and the center hole becomes smaller toward the nozzle tip.
<8> The toner bottle cleaning device according to <6>, wherein the agitator has a conical shape.
<9> The toner bottle cleaning device according to any one of <1> to <5>, wherein the inner jet air nozzle has a stirring blade at a tip portion of the nozzle.
In the toner bottle cleaning device according to any one of <6> to <9>, since the tip of the inner jet air nozzle has an agitator or a stirring blade, the cleaning effect is enhanced, and in particular, the toner bottom is clean. improves.

<10> The toner bottle cleaning device according to any one of <1> to <9>, further including an outer ejection air nozzle that blows air on an outer surface of the toner bottle.
<11> The toner bottle cleaning device according to <10>, wherein the outer jet air nozzle has a jet hole in accordance with a spiral interval of a spiral portion formed on a side surface of the toner bottle.
<12> The toner bottle cleaning device according to any one of <10> to <11>, wherein the outer jet nozzle has a brush capable of contacting the outer surface of the toner bottle.
In the toner bottle cleaning device according to any one of <10> to <12>, since the outer jet air nozzle is provided, not only the inner surface but also the outer surface of the toner bottle can be cleaned.

<13> The toner bottle cleaning device according to any one of <1> to <12>, wherein the air is air containing negative ions. In the toner bottle cleaning device of <13>, since the air that is ejected or sucked is air containing negative ions, it is difficult for the toner after filling to adhere to the side surface of the toner bottle, and dust can be prevented from adhering. effective.
<14> A toner bottle cleaning method, wherein the toner bottle is cleaned using the toner bottle cleaning device according to any one of <1> to <13>.
<15> A toner bottle that is cleaned by the toner bottle cleaning method according to <14>.
The toner bottle of the present invention is cleaned by the toner bottle cleaning method of the present invention after use and can be reused repeatedly, and is extremely excellent in resource saving and environmental performance.

  According to the present invention, various problems in the prior art can be solved, and toner and toner adhering matter are hardly adhered to the wall surface of the toner bottle after cleaning, and the toner bottle can be cleaned efficiently and used toner. A toner bottle cleaning method and a toner bottle cleaning apparatus capable of reusing a bottle, and a toner bottle can be provided.

(Toner bottle cleaning device, toner bottle cleaning method, and toner bottle)
The toner bottle cleaning device of the present invention has at least a double-tube nozzle composed of an inner jet air nozzle and an air suction part, and further has other configurations as required.
The toner bottle cleaning method of the present invention is performed using the toner bottle cleaning device of the present invention.
The toner bottle of the present invention is cleaned by the toner bottle cleaning method of the present invention.
Hereinafter, through the description of the toner bottle cleaning device of the present invention, details of the toner bottle cleaning method and the toner bottle of the present invention will be clarified.

The air suction part is provided concentrically on the outer periphery of the inner jet air nozzle, and sucks air from the inside of the toner bottle.
The inner ejection air nozzle ejects air to the inner surface of the toner bottle through the ejection hole.
The air suction part and the inner jet air nozzle form a double tube nozzle, and the air suction part is connected to, for example, a suction pump or a vacuum pump. The inner jet air nozzle is connected to, for example, a compressor.
The air pressure ejected from the inner ejection air nozzle is preferably 0.01 to 10 MPa.
The air pressure sucked by the air suction part is preferably 0.01 to 5 MPa.

The inner jet air nozzle is preferably inserted from the air suction part so as to be able to advance and retreat inside the toner bottle from the viewpoint of enhancing the cleaning effect on the side surface of the toner bottle, and particularly the inner side having the jet hole only at the tip part. This is effective when a nozzle for ejecting air is used.
As the nozzle for the inner jet air, (1) a mode having jet holes arranged vertically in the length direction of the nozzle and jet nozzles at the tip, (2) jet holes arranged diagonally in the length direction of the nozzle And the aspect which has a jet nozzle at the front-end | tip, etc. are preferable. In this case, it is preferable to provide the ejection holes in accordance with the spiral interval of the spiral portion formed on the side surface of the toner bottle from the viewpoint of enhancing the cleaning effect on the side surface of the toner bottle.
There is no restriction | limiting in particular in the number of the ejection holes in the said nozzle for inner side ejection air, Although it can select suitably according to the objective, 2-50 pieces are preferable.

The inner jet air nozzle preferably has an agitator at the tip of the nozzle. As the agitator, for example, (1) an aspect composed of a disk-shaped disk having a plurality of center holes, the center hole being made smaller toward the tip, (2) an aspect having a conical shape, Etc. are preferable.
In the agitator (1), by changing the number of disks and the diameter of the center hole of the disk, the direction and amount of the blown air can be adjusted, and the cleaning effect can be enhanced.
In the agitator of (2), air is ejected from the gap between the conical agitator and the nozzle at a constant angle, and in particular, the cleaning effect on the bottom of the toner bottle can be enhanced.

  The inner jet air nozzle preferably has a stirring blade at the tip of the nozzle. There is no restriction | limiting in particular as said stirring blade, Although it can select suitably according to the objective, For example, a 2 blade | wing, a 4 blade | wing, etc. are mentioned.

Further, in the present invention, the outer surface of the toner bottle is improved in cleanliness by having an outer jet air nozzle that blows air against the outer surface of the toner bottle.
It is preferable that the outer ejection air nozzle has an ejection hole in accordance with the spiral interval of the spiral portion formed on the side surface of the toner bottle. There is no restriction | limiting in particular in the number of the said ejection holes, Although it can select suitably according to the objective, 2-50 pieces are preferable.
In addition, it is preferable that the outer jet air nozzle has a brush that can contact the outer surface of the toner bottle from the viewpoint of further improving the cleanliness of the outer surface of the toner bottle.

The air ejected from the nozzle and the air sucked into the air suction part are preferably air containing negative ions. Accordingly, there is an advantage that the toner after filling in the toner bottle is less likely to adhere to the inner surface of the toner bottle, and dust can be prevented from adhering.
Here, the negative ion means a substance (atom, molecule, or molecular group) that is slightly charged and contained in the air. Such air containing negative ions can be generated by, for example, an air ion generating means.

Here, the toner bottle cleaning device and the toner bottle cleaning method of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
As shown in FIG. 2, the toner bottle 10 is cleaned by the air ejected through the ejection hole of the inner ejection air nozzle 5 and the air sucked by the air suction portion, and the ejected air hits the inner wall surface of the toner bottle. The air suction unit sucks air from the vicinity of the bottom surface of the toner bottle. As a result, it is possible to efficiently remove the toner accumulated in the spiral portion of the inner wall of the toner bottle and the toner fixed matter.
In this case, as shown in FIG. 3, suction air (arrow A in FIG. 3) and jet air (arrow B in FIG. 3) are the inner jet air nozzle and air concentrically provided on the outer periphery of the nozzle. Since suction or ejection is performed via a nozzle having a double-pipe structure composed of a suction part, a more compact design is possible as compared with the prior art.
In the double pipe structure nozzle, it is preferable that the blown air is blown from the inner blown air nozzle at the center of the double pipe structure nozzle, and the suction air is sucked from the air suction part of the double pipe structure nozzle. .

The inner ejection air nozzle is not particularly limited as long as it can eject air to the inner wall of the toner bottle through the nozzle, and can be appropriately selected according to the purpose. For example, FIG. As shown, an inner jet air nozzle 5 having a plurality of jet holes along the outer peripheral surface of the tip is used.
Further, as shown in FIG. 5, an inner jet air nozzle 5 having jet holes arranged vertically along the length direction of the nozzle and a jet outlet at the tip of the nozzle is used. Compared with the nozzle shown in FIG. 4, this nozzle has jet holes arranged in a vertical arrangement, so that the cleaning effect on the side surface of the toner bottle is improved.
In this case, it is preferable that the toner bottle has a spiral portion on the side surface and the nozzle is provided with an ejection hole in accordance with the spiral interval from the viewpoint of removing the toner accumulated in the spiral portion and the toner fixed matter.

  Further, in the inner jet air nozzle 5 shown in FIG. 6 and FIG. 7 which is an enlarged view thereof, the nozzle tip of the jet air has an agitator 8, and the agitator has a plurality of central holes as shown in FIG. It is composed of a disk disc having a central hole, and the center hole becomes smaller toward the tip. Thereby, since air is ejected from the gap between the disc and the disc, the cleaning effect on the bottom of the toner bottle is improved.

Further, in the inner jet air nozzle 5 shown in FIG. 8, the stirring action is improved and the cleaning effect on the side surface of the toner bottle is enhanced by having the stirring blade 9 at the tip of the nozzle. In the example of FIG. 8, two stirring blades are used.
Further, the nozzle 5 for the inner jet air shown in FIG. 9 has the jet holes obliquely arranged along the axial direction of the nozzle and the jet outlet at the tip, so that the air is stirred and the side surface of the toner bottle is cleaned. improves.
Further, in the nozzle 10 for the inner jet air shown in FIG. 10 and FIG. 11 which is an enlarged view thereof, an agitator 8 is provided at the nozzle tip, and the agitator has a conical shape. For this reason, as shown in FIG. 11, since the air is ejected from the gap between the conical agitator and the nozzle at a constant angle, the cleaning effect especially on the bottom of the toner bottle is enhanced.

As shown in FIG. 12, the outer surface of the toner bottle can be cleaned by blowing air from the outer jet air nozzle 7 onto the outer surface of the toner bottle 10 simultaneously with the cleaning of the inner surface of the toner bottle. Note that only the outer surface of the toner bottle may be cleaned alone.
In this case, it is preferable to provide an ejection hole in the outer ejection air nozzle in accordance with the spiral interval on the side surface of the toner bottle from the viewpoint that dust accumulated in the spiral portion can be removed.
In addition, as shown in FIG. 13, the cleaning effect on the outer surface of the toner bottle is improved by bringing the brush 8 provided on the outer jet air nozzle 7 into contact with the outer surface of the toner bottle 10. In this case, as shown in FIG. 13, it is preferable to clean the toner bottle 10 by sandwiching it from the upper and lower sides.

The toner bottle cleaned by the toner bottle cleaning device and the toner bottle cleaning method of the present invention is not particularly limited and can be appropriately selected according to the purpose. The shape is cylindrical, and includes a main body portion that stores toner, and a mouth portion that has a toner discharging function, a function of sealing the toner with a cap, a positioning function with the image forming apparatus main body, and the like. It is preferable that the main body portion is formed with a spiral rib toward the axis (center axis).
The toner bottle can be cleaned and recycled (reused) by the toner bottle cleaning method using the toner bottle cleaning device of the present invention described above, and is excellent in resource saving and environmental performance. Is.

Examples of the present invention will be described below, but the present invention is not limited to these examples.

Example 1
In the toner bottle cleaning device shown in FIG. 2 (having a nozzle with a double pipe structure comprising an inner jet air nozzle and an air suction part), a nozzle having a plurality of jet holes at the tip shown in FIG. 4 is used. And 100 used toner bottles (spiral ribs are formed on the main body portion toward the axis (center axis)) under the conditions of suction air pressure of 0.1 MPa and jet air pressure of 0.3 MPa. Cleaning was performed.

(Example 2)
In Example 1, 100 used toner bottles (in the same manner as in Example 1 except that a nozzle having jet holes arranged vertically in the length direction and a jet port at the tip shown in FIG. 5 was used. In the main body, a spiral rib was formed toward the axis (center axis).

(Example 3)
In Example 1, 100 used toner bottles (in the main body part toward the axis (center axis)) were used in the same manner as in Example 1 except that a nozzle having an agitator at the tip shown in FIG. 6 was used. And spiral ribs are formed).

Example 4
In Example 1, 100 used toner bottles (in the main body part, the axis line (the axis line) is the same as in Example 1 except that a nozzle having two stirring blades is used at the tip part shown in FIG. A spiral rib is formed toward the central axis).

(Example 5)
In Example 1, 100 used toners were used in the same manner as in Example 1 except that the nozzles having the nozzle holes obliquely arranged in the length direction of the nozzles shown in FIG. The bottle (the main body has spiral ribs formed toward the axis (center axis)) was cleaned.

(Example 6)
In Example 1, 100 used toner bottles (the main part has an axis (center axis) in the same manner as in Example 1 except that a nozzle having a conical agitator is used at the tip shown in FIG. A spiral rib is formed toward the surface).

(Example 7)
Example 1 is the same as Example 1 except that nozzles having longitudinally arranged ejection holes and a nozzle outlet at the tip shown in FIG. 5 are used, and air containing negative ions is used as air. Then, 100 used toner bottles (the main body portion is formed with a spiral rib toward the axis (center axis)) were cleaned. Air containing negative ions was generated using an air ion generator.

(Example 8)
In Example 1, there are 100 used toner bottles (the main body portion has an axis line) in the same manner as in Example 1 except that the nozzle for the outer ejection air shown in FIG. 12 is provided and air is blown against the outer surface of the toner bottle. (A spiral rib is formed toward the central axis).

Example 9
In Example 1, 100 brushes are provided in the same manner as in Example 1 except that the brush shown in FIG. 13 and the nozzle for the outer ejection air are provided, air is blown against the outer surface of the toner bottle, and the brush contacts the outer surface of the toner bottle. The used toner bottle (the main body portion is formed with a spiral rib toward the axis (center axis)) was cleaned.

(Comparative Example 1)
Using the conventional toner bottle cleaning device shown in FIG. 1, using a nozzle having a plurality of jet holes at the tip shown in FIG. 4, 100 used with a suction air pressure of 0.1 MPa and a jet air pressure of 0.3 MPa. The toner bottle (the main body is formed with a spiral rib toward the axis (center axis)) was cleaned.

<Evaluation>
In Examples 1 to 9 and Comparative Example 1, 100 clean toner bottles required the number of defective products (whether toner and toner fixed matter remained inside the toner bottle) and 100 cleans. Time was evaluated. The results are shown in Table 1.

From the results shown in Table 1, it was found that in Examples 1 to 9, compared to Comparative Example 1, the toner and the toner fixed matter remained less in the toner bottle after cleaning, and the cleaning could be performed efficiently. In Examples 8 and 9, the cleanliness of the outer surface of the toner bottle was also good.

  The toner bottle cleaning device and the toner bottle cleaning method of the present invention have very little adhesion of toner and toner adhering matter to the wall surface of the toner bottle after cleaning, clean the used toner bottle once, and efficiently use the used toner bottle. The image forming apparatus can be reused, and is suitably used for an electrophotographic image forming apparatus or the like for an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine or FAX.

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a method for cleaning a toner bottle using a conventional toner bottle cleaning apparatus. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a method for cleaning a toner bottle using the toner bottle cleaning apparatus of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a partially enlarged view of FIG. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of an inner jet air nozzle. FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating another example of the nozzle for the inner ejection air. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of an inner jet air nozzle having an agitator at the tip. FIG. 7 is an enlarged view of the tip portion of FIG. FIG. 8 is a view showing an example of an inner jet air nozzle having a stirring blade at the tip. FIG. 9 is a view showing still another example of the inner jet air nozzle. FIG. 10 is a view showing another example of an inner jet air nozzle having an agitator at the tip. FIG. 11 is an enlarged view of the tip portion of FIG. FIG. 12 is a view showing another example of a method for cleaning a toner bottle using the toner bottle cleaning device of the present invention, and using an outer jet air nozzle. FIG. 13 is a view showing another example of a method for cleaning a toner bottle using the toner bottle cleaning device of the present invention, and using an outer jet air nozzle having a brush.

Explanation of symbols

4 Ejection Hole 5 Inner Ejection Air Nozzle 6 Suction Part 7 Outer Ejection Air Nozzle 8 Brush 9 Stirring Feather 10 Toner Bottle

Claims (13)

A double nozzle comprising an inner ejection air nozzle that ejects air to the inner surface of the toner bottle through an ejection hole, and an air suction portion that is concentrically provided on the outer periphery of the inner ejection air nozzle and sucks air from the toner bottle. Having at least a nozzle having a tube structure;
The toner bottle cleaning apparatus, wherein the inner jet air nozzle has a jet hole in accordance with a spiral interval of a spiral portion formed on a side surface of the toner bottle.   2. The toner bottle cleaning device according to claim 1, wherein the inner jet air nozzle is inserted from the air suction part so as to be able to advance and retreat in the toner bottle.   3. The toner bottle cleaning device according to claim 1, wherein the nozzle for the inner jet air has jet holes arranged vertically in the length direction of the nozzle and a jet port at the tip. 4.   3. The toner bottle cleaning device according to claim 1, wherein the inner jet air nozzle has jet holes arranged obliquely in the length direction of the nozzle and a jet port at the tip. 4.   The toner bottle cleaning device according to claim 1, wherein the inner jet air nozzle has an agitator at a tip portion of the nozzle.   6. The toner bottle cleaning device according to claim 5, wherein the agitator is formed of a disk-shaped disk having a plurality of center holes, and the center hole becomes smaller toward the nozzle tip.   The toner bottle cleaning device according to claim 5, wherein the agitator has a conical shape.   The toner bottle cleaning device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the inner jet air nozzle has a stirring blade at a tip portion of the nozzle.   The toner bottle cleaning device according to claim 1, further comprising an outer jet air nozzle that blows air on an outer surface of the toner bottle.   The toner bottle cleaning device according to claim 9, wherein the outer jet air nozzle has a jet hole in accordance with a spiral interval of a spiral portion formed on a side surface of the toner bottle.   11. The toner bottle cleaning device according to claim 9, wherein the outer jet air nozzle has a brush capable of contacting the outer surface of the toner bottle.   The toner bottle cleaning device according to claim 1, wherein the air is air containing negative ions.   A toner bottle cleaning method, comprising: cleaning a toner bottle using the toner bottle cleaning device according to claim 1.