JP4758206B2 - Toner recovery unit - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a toner collecting unit that collects used toner used in an image forming apparatus such as a printer, a copying machine, and a facsimile machine.

In the image forming apparatus, for example, a toner image is formed on a photosensitive drum, and the toner image is transferred to a sheet. On the other hand, the toner may remain on the photosensitive drum without being transferred to the paper. A toner collection unit is provided to collect the remaining toner.
The toner collection unit collects the remaining toner from the photosensitive drum, collects the collected toner inside, and conveys the toner to a container provided outside the toner collection unit via a pipe (for example, patents). Reference 1).

In Patent Document 1, the pipe is provided in the toner recovery unit, and an opening for discharging the toner is formed at the tip of the pipe. A rotary shutter, which is a cylindrical lid capable of opening and closing the opening, is rotatably attached to the end of the pipe. The opening can be opened and closed by rotating the rotary shutter around the pipe. For example, the opening is open when the container is connected to a pipe, and the opening is closed when the container is not connected to the pipe.
Japanese Patent No. 2897411

However, in Patent Document 1, the rotary shutter is not prevented from being detached from the pipe and the relative rotation angle with respect to the pipe is not restricted, so that the rotary shutter is not used when the container is removed from the pipe. There is a risk of rotating or disengaging. As a result, toner may leak out.
In order to prevent such a situation from occurring, it is conceivable to provide a stopper for preventing the rotary shutter from coming off the pipe. As the retaining, for example, it is conceivable that a retaining ring separate from the pipe is fitted into the outer periphery of the pipe and the retaining ring serves as a retaining stopper for the rotary shutter. However, since a retaining ring is required, the number of parts increases and the manufacturing cost increases.

Further, when the rotation angle of the rotary shutter is restricted, the number of parts is increased and the assembling cost is increased as in the case of providing the retaining stopper.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a toner recovery unit having a simple structure that can prevent toner leakage.

The toner collection unit of the present invention is a toner collection unit that is detachable from the image forming apparatus main body and collects used toner used in the image forming apparatus main body while being attached to the image forming apparatus main body. The toner recovery unit includes a wall surface that divides the recovery space, a substantially cylindrical guide pipe that is formed to protrude from the wall surface and that guides the toner in the recovery space when the toner recovered in the recovery space is discarded. A first disposal port formed on a peripheral surface of the guide pipe, an engagement projection on the outer peripheral surface of the guide pipe and projecting from the wall surface of the first discard port, and a cylindrical shape A rotary shutter that is fitted around the guide pipe so as to surround the peripheral surface of the guide pipe, and that can be rotated along the peripheral surface of the guide pipe. When the rotary shutter is rotated in a state where the engagement protrusion is in contact with one end of the engagement hole in the circumferential direction, the first disposal port The peripheral wall is the first disposal so as to close The first disposal port is opened so that the first disposal port opens when the rotary shutter is rotated in a state where the engagement projection is in contact with the other end in the longitudinal direction of the engagement hole. comprising a second waste outlet formed in the rotating shutter to face, and the inner periphery of the peripheral wall of the rotary shutter, it disposed to project radially inwardly along one circumferential direction The first disposal port includes a flat portion including a portion protruding radially outward of the guide pipe from an outer peripheral surface of the guide pipe, and a tip of the protruded portion can be in surface contact with the flat portion. And a biasing member for biasing the rotary shutter so as to block the tip of the protruding portion with the flat portion .

  According to the present invention, the rotation angle range of the rotary shutter is restricted by the end portion of the engagement hole in the longitudinal direction and the engagement projection coming into contact with each other and engaging. Further, the edge of the engagement hole on the wall surface side and the engagement protrusion engage with each other, so that the rotary shutter is prevented from falling off the guide pipe. As a result, inadvertent opening of the first disposal port is suppressed when the toner recovery unit is removed from the apparatus main body. As a result, the occurrence of toner leakage can be suppressed. In addition, since the engagement protrusion can be used for both preventing the rotation of the rotary shutter and regulating the rotation angle of the rotary shutter, the number of parts can be reduced and the structure can be simplified. As a result, the manufacturing cost can be reduced. it can.

In the present invention, the image forming apparatus further includes a conveying member disposed in the collection space and in the guide pipe and configured to convey the toner from the collection space to the guide pipe. The conveyance member includes a shaft and the shaft. The rotary shutter is configured to receive the end of the shaft in a rotatable manner, and is fitted into a hole formed in the end surface of the guide pipe. And a receiving portion formed integrally with the peripheral wall, and a gap is formed between the receiving portion and the end portion of the shaft, and between the receiving portion and the peripheral surface of the hole. In some cases, the rotary shutter can be displaced in the radial direction.
In the present invention, the rotary shutter may include a thin portion at the edge of the engagement hole on the wall surface side. In this case, when the rotary shutter is attached to the guide pipe, the thin portion is elastically deformed, so that the engaging protrusion gets over the thin portion and fits into the engaging hole. In a state where the engaging protrusion is fitted in the engaging hole, the thin wall portion elastically engages with the engaging protrusion and functions as a retainer. In addition, the thin portion may be a simple structure.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.
FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a schematic configuration of an image forming apparatus to which the toner recovery unit of the present embodiment is applied. Please refer to FIG.
An image forming apparatus 1 forms a toner image based on image data given from an input unit and transfers the image to a sheet as a predetermined transfer material. A fixing device 3 that heats and fixes the toner image on the paper, a paper transport unit 4 that feeds the paper to the image forming unit 2 and transports the paper, and an image forming apparatus main body that supports these units And a housing 5.

  The image forming unit 2 forms an electrostatic latent image corresponding to the light beam from the optical unit 6 and the optical unit 6 for obtaining a predetermined beam light corresponding to the image data based on the image data given from the input unit. Formed on the photosensitive drum 7, a main charger 8 (charging charger) that charges the photosensitive drum 7 when a high voltage is applied thereto, The image forming apparatus includes a developing device 9 that visualizes the electrostatic latent image with toner, and a transfer unit 10 that transfers the toner image formed on the photosensitive drum 7 to a sheet.

In addition, the image forming apparatus 1 includes a toner recovery unit 11 that recovers residual toner remaining on the photosensitive drum 7 without being transferred onto a sheet. The toner recovery unit 11 conveys the toner recovered from the photosensitive drum 7 to the container 12.
FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the toner recovery unit 11. Please refer to FIG. 1 and FIG.
The toner recovery unit 11 is formed in a box shape that is long in one direction, and a main body case 13 that divides the recovery space 13a therein, and a blade for removing toner from the photosensitive drum 7 and taking it into the recovery space 13a. A member 14 and a conveying member 15 that conveys the toner received in the collection space 13 a in the longitudinal direction Y of the main body case 13 are provided. A motor (not shown) as a drive source is connected to the transport member 15 so as to be driven.

  The toner recovery unit 11 can be attached to and detached from the housing 5 as the main body of the image forming apparatus. In a state where the main body case 13 of the toner recovery unit 11 is attached to the housing 5, the longitudinal direction Y of the main body case 13 is arranged in parallel to the rotation center axis of the photosensitive drum 7, and the removal member 14 is the outer periphery of the photosensitive drum 7. Is in contact with In this manner, the used toner used in the image forming unit 2 as the image forming apparatus main body is collected in a state where the toner collecting unit 11 is attached to the housing 5. The collected toner is transported along the longitudinal direction Y of the main body case 13 by the transport member 15.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of a main part of the toner recovery unit 11 and illustrates a state where the toner recovery unit 11 is attached to the image forming apparatus main body. Please refer to FIG. 2 and FIG.
The toner recovery unit 11 includes a guide pipe 16 provided on an end surface of the main body case 13 in the longitudinal direction Y, a rotary shutter 17 rotatably fitted in the guide pipe 16, and a rotary shutter 17 in a predetermined rotation direction. A biasing member 18 that biases F1 and an operation unit 19 for rotating the rotary shutter 17 against the biasing of the biasing member 18 are provided.

The guide pipe 16 is provided to guide the toner in the collection space 13a when the toner collected in the collection space 13a is discarded, and corresponds to the conveyance direction (longitudinal direction Y) of the main body case 13 by the conveyance member 15. ) At the downstream end.
When the toner recovery unit 11 is attached to the housing 5, the inside of the guide pipe 16 is opened so that the toner can be discarded. On the other hand, when the toner recovery unit 11 is detached from the housing 5, the guide pipe 16 is blocked by the rotary shutter 17 so that the toner in the recovery space 13 a does not leak.

The rotary shutter 17 is rotatably fitted around the guide pipe 16 and can close the guide pipe 16 or open the inside of the guide pipe 16 according to the rotational angle position.
In the present embodiment, the rotary shutter 17 is urged by the urging member 18 in a predetermined direction F1. As a result, when the toner recovery unit 11 is detached from the housing 5, the rotary shutter 17 autonomously closes the guide pipe 16. Further, in a state where the toner recovery unit 11 is attached to the housing 5, the operation unit 19 is configured to come into contact with a contact unit 20 provided in the housing 5. As a result, the operation unit 19 is operated, and the rotary shutter 17 autonomously rotates by a predetermined distance against the urging of the urging member 18 so that the inside of the guide pipe 16 is opened.

In this embodiment, a simple retaining structure for preventing the rotary shutter 17 from falling off the guide pipe 16, specifically, an engagement protrusion 22 and an engagement hole 28 described later are provided. .
The main body case 13 has a plurality of wall surfaces 13b (partially illustrated) extending along the box-shaped longitudinal direction Y and two wall surfaces 13c (partially illustrated) opposed to the longitudinal direction Y. . These six wall surfaces 13b and 13c are plate members having a predetermined thickness. A recovery space 13a is defined on the inner side surrounded by the wall surfaces 13b and 13c. As described above, the toner received in the collection space 13 a is transported by the transport member 15.

  The conveying member 15 has a shaft 15a and a spiral blade 15b formed on the outer periphery of the shaft 15a. The shaft 15a extends along the longitudinal direction Y of the main body case 13, and both end portions thereof are rotatably supported. One end (not shown) of the shaft 15a is connected to be driven by a motor. The other end 15 c of the shaft 15 a is introduced into the guide pipe 16. When the shaft 15a is driven in a predetermined direction by the motor, the toner is fed into the guide pipe 16 from the collection space 13a.

  The guide pipe 16 protrudes from the wall surface 13c and is integrally formed with the wall surface 13c and is formed of a synthetic resin, for example, ABS resin, into a hollow, substantially cylindrical shape. The guide pipe 16 has a circular cross section and has a peripheral surface 16a extending in the axial direction (corresponding to the longitudinal direction Y described above), and an end surface 16b formed at the extended end of the peripheral surface 16a. The peripheral surface 16a is a cylindrical member having a predetermined thickness in the radial direction R, and has an inner peripheral surface 16c and an outer peripheral surface 16d. The base end portion of the peripheral surface 16a is fixed to the wall surface 13c. The peripheral surface 16a extends from the wall surface 13c by a predetermined distance so that the axial direction thereof is orthogonal to the wall surface 13c. The inside of the guide pipe 16 communicates with the recovery space 13a through a hole 13d formed in the wall surface 13c. The end surface 16b is an annular plate member, and a hole 16e is formed at the center.

The guide pipe 16 is connected to the main body so that the cylindrical center axis 16f of the peripheral surface 16a of the guide pipe 16 is parallel to the longitudinal direction Y of the main body case 13 and coincides with the rotation center axis of the shaft 15a of the transport member 15. Arranged in the case 13.
FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the guide pipe 16 when viewed from obliquely below. FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the guide pipe 16 when viewed obliquely from above. Please refer to FIG. 4 and FIG.

The guide pipe 16 includes a first discard port 21 formed on the peripheral surface 16 a of the guide pipe 16, an engagement protrusion 22 formed on the outer peripheral surface 16 d of the guide pipe 16, and the first discard port 21. On the other hand, it has the convex part 23 which was arrange | positioned on the opposite side of radial direction, and protruded radially outward.
The first disposal port 21 penetrates the lower part of the peripheral surface 16a, opens downward, and penetrates a part of the end surface 16b. The peripheral edge portion of the first disposal port 21 includes a portion 21b that protrudes in the radial direction from the outer peripheral surface 16d.

  Referring to FIG. 3, the engagement protrusion 22 is disposed closer to the wall surface 13 c than the first disposal port 21 in the axial direction of the guide pipe 16, and protrudes upward. The engagement protrusion 22 has an inclined surface 22 a on the distal end side of the guide pipe 16. The inclined surface 22a is inclined with respect to the axial direction of the guide pipe 16, and is located closer to the wall surface 13c as it is a radially outward portion. The engaging protrusion 22 has an orthogonal surface 22b orthogonal to the axial direction on the opposite side of the inclined surface 22a in the axial direction. The engagement protrusion 22 protrudes from the outer peripheral surface 16 d with a predetermined length in the radial direction R, and the protruding tip reaches radially outward from the inner periphery 17 a of the rotary shutter 17.

The rotary shutter 17 is formed of a synthetic resin having low friction and wear resistance, such as a polyacetal resin, and has a bottomed cylindrical shape. The rotary shutter 17 has a cylindrical peripheral wall 17b and an end wall 17c that closes one end of the peripheral wall 17b in the axial direction.
The axis of the bottomed cylindrical shape of the rotary shutter 17 is along the axial direction of the guide pipe 16, and the peripheral wall 17b of the rotary shutter 17 surrounds the peripheral surface 16a of the guide pipe 16 on the peripheral surface 16a of the guide pipe 16. It is fitted. Thereby, the rotary shutter 17 can be rotated along the peripheral surface 16 a of the guide pipe 16. Further, the end wall 17 c of the rotary shutter 17 abuts on the end surface 16 b of the guide pipe 16, so that the rotary shutter 17 is restricted from moving toward the wall surface 13 c with respect to the guide pipe 16.

6 is a perspective view of the rotary shutter 17 of FIG. Please refer to FIG. 3 and FIG.
A receiving portion 17 d that receives the end portion 15 c of the shaft 15 a of the conveying member 15 is formed on the end surface wall 17 c of the rotary shutter 17. The receiving portion 17d is a cylindrical member concentric with the axis of the peripheral wall 17b, and protrudes from the inner surface of the end wall 17c with a predetermined length in the axial direction. The outer periphery of the receiving portion 17d is fitted in the hole 16e of the end surface 16b of the guide pipe 16 so as to be relatively rotatable, and the end portion 15c of the shaft 15a of the conveying member 15 is relatively rotated on the inner periphery of the receiving portion 17d. Fits freely.

The rotary shutter 17 is formed with a second disposal port 24 for discharging the toner. The second disposal port 24 penetrates the peripheral wall 17b. The second disposal port 24 is positioned at an axial position that can face the first disposal port 21 so that the guide pipe 16 can be opened when the second disposal port 24 faces the first disposal port 21. It is formed in the same size as 21.
A flat portion 25 is formed on the inner periphery 17 a of the peripheral wall 17 b of the rotary shutter 17. The flat portion 25 is formed so as to protrude radially inward from the inner periphery 17 a, is adjacent to the second disposal port 24 in the circumferential direction, and is continuous with the peripheral portion of the second disposal port 24. It gradually protrudes radially inward. An axial direction in which the flat portion 25 can face the first disposal port 21 so that the first disposal port 21 can be covered when facing the first disposal port 21 of the guide pipe 16. At the position, it is formed larger in the axial direction and the circumferential direction than the first disposal port 21, and is a contact portion that can block the first disposal port 21 and functions as a lid.

Further, the above-described operation unit 19 is integrally formed on the outer periphery 17 e of the peripheral wall 17 b of the rotary shutter 17. The operation portion 19 is disposed on the outer periphery 17e corresponding to the flat portion 25, and protrudes in the radial direction from the outer peripheral surface 17e.
A receiving portion 26 that receives the biasing member 18 is integrally formed on the outer peripheral surface 17 e of the peripheral wall 17 b of the rotary shutter 17. The receiving part 26 has a groove part for receiving the urging member 18. In the present embodiment, a torsion coil spring is used as the biasing member 18. As will be described later, the rotary shutter 17 is fitted to the guide pipe 16 so that the first disposal port 21 is closed. At this time, the torsion coil spring is elastically twisted around the axis of the coil. One end of the wire rod is locked to the groove portion of the receiving portion 26 of the rotary shutter 17, and the other end of the wire rod is locked to the groove portion of the receiving portion 27 (see FIG. 7) formed on the wall surface 13c. The elastic restoring force at that time works so that the first disposal port 21 is closed. Thereby, the urging member 18 urges the rotary shutter 17 to rotate in the direction F1 in which the first disposal port 21 is closed.

  The rotary shutter 17 is formed with an engagement hole 28 that receives the engagement protrusion 22 of the guide pipe 16. The engagement hole 28 is disposed at the end 17f of the circumferential wall 17b that is closer to the wall surface 13c in the axial direction, and penetrates the circumferential wall 17b. The engagement hole 28 is long in the circumferential direction of the rotary shutter 17 and is formed with a predetermined length. This predetermined length is set as follows. That is, the angular range D1 in which the engagement protrusion 22 received in the engagement hole 28 can move in the circumferential direction of the rotary shutter 17 within the engagement hole 28 is the second disposal port 24 and the flat portion 25 in the circumferential direction. Is set to a value that is equal to or close to the central angle D2 between the central portions of the two (see FIG. 8).

  FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a main part of the toner recovery unit 11 shown in FIG. 2, and shows a state where the guide pipe 16 is closed. FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of a main part of the toner recovery unit 11 shown in FIG. 2, and shows a state where the guide pipe 16 is closed. FIG. 9 is a partial cross-sectional view of a main part of the toner recovery unit 11 shown in FIG. 2 and shows a state where the guide pipe 16 is closed. Please refer to FIG. 7, FIG. 8, and FIG.

  When the toner recovery unit 11 is detached from the housing 5, the rotary shutter 17 is urged in the predetermined direction F <b> 1 by the urging force of the urging member 18. As a result, the rotary shutter 17 is rotated so that the engagement protrusion 22 is in contact with and close to one end 28 a in the longitudinal direction (corresponding to the circumferential direction T) of the engagement hole 28. At this time, the flat portion 25 of the peripheral wall 17 b faces the first disposal port 21 so as to close the first disposal port 21.

  When the first disposal port 21 is closed, the flat portion 25 of the rotary shutter 17 and the protruding portion 21b of the peripheral portion of the first disposal port 21 of the guide pipe 16 come into contact with each other and come into close contact with each other, and The inner surface 17a of the peripheral wall 17b of the rotary shutter 17 and the convex portion 23 of the guide pipe 16 are in elastic contact with each other. Thereby, the 1st disposal port 21 can be pressed elastically and can be sealed reliably.

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of a main part of the toner recovery unit 11 shown in FIG. 2, and shows a state where the guide pipe 16 is opened. FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view of a main part of the toner recovery unit 11 shown in FIG. 2, and shows a state where the guide pipe 16 is opened. Please refer to FIG. 10 and FIG.
As described above, when the toner recovery unit 11 is attached to the housing 5, the operation unit 19 is operated by the contact unit 20, and the rotary shutter 17 is guided against the urging of the urging member 18. It rotates with respect to the pipe 16. At this time, the rotary shutter 17 is rotated in a state where the engagement protrusion 22 is close to or in contact with the other end 28b of the engagement hole 28 in the longitudinal direction (corresponding to the circumferential direction T). The second disposal port 24 faces the first disposal port 21 so that the first disposal port 21 opens.

When the first disposal port 21 is opened, a gap is opened or lightly in contact with the inner surface 17a of the peripheral wall 17b of the rotary shutter 17 and the convex portion 23 of the guide pipe 16.
3 and 6, the rotary shutter 17 includes a thin portion 28d of the edge portion 28c of the engagement hole 28 on the wall surface 13c side. The thin-walled portion 28d is formed such that the outer circumference 17e of the peripheral wall 17b is recessed and the radial dimension (thickness) is smaller than the axial dimension (width). The thin-walled portion 28d is determined so that a predetermined amount of elastic bending deformation can be performed in the radial direction as follows. That is, when the rotary shutter 17 is assembled to the guide pipe 16 by moving relative to the wall surface 13c along the axial direction, the inclined surface 22a of the engagement protrusion 22 is radially outward from the central portion in the circumferential direction of the thin portion 28d. Press toward. Thereby, the thin-walled portion 28d is elastically bent and deformed by a predetermined amount radially outward. At this time, the engagement protrusion 22 can pass through the inside of the thin portion 28d in the radial direction.

  As described above, according to the embodiment of the present invention, the end portions 28a and 28b in the longitudinal direction of the engagement hole 28 and the engagement protrusion 22 are brought into contact with and engaged with each other. Be regulated. Further, the edge portion 28c of the engagement hole 28 on the wall surface 13c side, specifically, the thin-walled portion 28d and the engagement projection 22 are engaged with each other, thereby preventing the rotary shutter 17 from falling off the guide pipe 16. Is done. As a result, when the toner collection unit 11 is removed from the housing 5 as the image forming apparatus main body, inadvertent opening of the first disposal port 21 is suppressed. As a result, the occurrence of toner leakage can be suppressed. In addition, the engagement protrusion 22 can be used both for preventing the rotation of the rotary shutter 17 and for regulating the rotation angle of the rotary shutter 17, so that the number of parts can be reduced and the structure can be simplified. As a result, the manufacturing cost can be reduced. it can.

  In the present embodiment, the rotary shutter 17 includes the thin portion 28 d at the peripheral portion 28 c of the engagement hole 28. As a result, when the rotary shutter 17 is attached to the guide pipe 16, the thin portion 28 d is elastically deformed, so that the engagement protrusion 22 gets over the thin portion 28 d and fits into the engagement hole 28. In a state in which the engagement protrusion 22 is fitted in the engagement hole 28, the thin portion 28d elastically engages with the engagement protrusion 22 and functions as a stopper. In addition, the thin portion 28d may have a simple structure.

In the present embodiment, the rotary shutter 17 includes the receiving portion 26 that is urged by the urging member 18 so as to close the first disposal port 21 in a state where the toner recovery unit 11 is detached from the housing 5. Since it is integrally formed, the structure can be simplified.
The rotary shutter 17 rotates the rotary shutter 17 so as to open the first disposal port 21 by contacting the contact portion 20 as the engagement portion in a state where the toner recovery unit 11 is attached to the housing 5. Since the operation part 19 for moving is integrally formed, the structure can be simplified.

Moreover, the following modifications can be considered about this embodiment. In the following description, differences from the above-described embodiment will be mainly described, and the same components are denoted by the same reference numerals and description thereof is omitted.
For example, it may be possible to eliminate the biasing member 18. It is also conceivable that the peripheral edge portion 28c of the engagement hole 28 does not include the thin wall portion 28d and the wall thickness is the same as that of the peripheral wall 17b over the entire circumference. Further, the flat portion 25 of the rotary shutter 17, the portion 21 b that protrudes in the radial direction from the outer peripheral surface at the peripheral portion of the first discard port 21 of the guide pipe 16, and the convex portion 23 of the outer periphery 16 d of the guide pipe 16 are provided. It can be abolished.

  Further, the end portions 28a and 28b of the engagement hole 28 and the engagement protrusion 22 need only be able to contact each other, and the toner recovery unit 11 does not have to be in contact in the mounted state or the detached state. . In addition, various design changes can be made within the scope of matters described in the claims.

1 is a schematic diagram of a schematic configuration of an image forming apparatus to which a toner recovery unit according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the toner recovery unit shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 2 is a partial cross-sectional view of a main part of the toner recovery unit shown in FIG. FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the guide pipe shown in FIG. 3 when viewed obliquely from below. It is a perspective view of the guide pipe of FIG. 3 when it sees from diagonally upward. FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the rotary shutter of FIG. 3. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a main part of the toner recovery unit shown in FIG. 2, illustrating a state where a guide pipe is blocked. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of a main part of the toner recovery unit shown in FIG. 2, showing a state where a guide pipe is blocked. FIG. 3 is a partial cross-sectional view of a main part of the toner recovery unit shown in FIG. 2, showing a state where a guide pipe is blocked. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a main part of the toner recovery unit shown in FIG. 2, illustrating a state where a guide pipe is opened. FIG. 3 is a transverse cross-sectional view of a main part of the toner recovery unit shown in FIG. 2, illustrating a state where a guide pipe is opened.

Explanation of symbols

2. Image forming unit (image forming apparatus main body)
5. Housing (image forming apparatus main body)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11 ... Toner collection unit 13a ... Collection space 13c ... Wall surface 16 ... Guidance pipe 16a ... Peripheral surface 16d ... (Guide pipe) outer peripheral surface 17 ... Rotating shutter 17b ... (Rotating shutter) circumferential wall 21 ... First 1 waste port 22 ... engagement protrusion 24 ... second waste port 28 ... engagement hole 28a ... one end (in the longitudinal direction of the engagement hole) 28b ... other end (in the longitudinal direction of the engagement hole) 28d ... thin-walled portion T ... circumferential direction (longitudinal direction of engagement hole)

Claims (3)

A toner collecting unit that is detachable from the image forming apparatus main body and collects used toner used in the image forming apparatus main body while being attached to the image forming apparatus main body.
A wall that partitions the collection space;
A substantially cylindrical guide pipe that protrudes from the wall surface and that guides the toner in the recovery space when the toner recovered in the recovery space is discarded;
A first waste outlet formed on the peripheral surface of the guide pipe;
An engaging projection on the outer peripheral surface of the guide pipe and projecting closer to the wall surface than the first disposal port;
A rotary shutter that has a cylindrical peripheral wall, is fitted around the guide pipe so as to surround the peripheral surface of the guide pipe, and is rotatable along the peripheral surface of the guide pipe;
An engagement hole formed in the rotary shutter and extending in the circumferential direction to receive the engagement protrusion of the guide pipe;
When the rotary shutter is rotated in a state where the engagement protrusion is adjacent to one end in the longitudinal direction of the engagement hole, the peripheral wall faces the first disposal port so as to close the first disposal port. When the rotary shutter is rotated in a state where the engagement protrusion is adjacent to the other end in the longitudinal direction of the engagement hole, the first disposal opening is opposed to the first disposal opening. and a second waste port formed in rotating shutter,
The inner periphery of the peripheral wall of the rotary shutter includes a flat portion arranged so as to project radially inward along one circumferential direction,
The first disposal port includes a portion protruding radially outward of the guide pipe from the outer peripheral surface of the guide pipe,
The tip of the protruding part is formed in a flat shape that can come into surface contact with the flat part,
A toner recovery unit , further comprising: an urging member that urges the rotary shutter so as to block the tip of the protruding portion with the flat portion .   The toner recovery unit according to claim 1,
  A transport member disposed in the recovery space and in the guide pipe for transporting the toner from the recovery space to the guide pipe;
  The conveying member includes a shaft and a spiral blade formed on the outer periphery of the shaft,
  The rotary shutter is configured to be able to rotatably receive the end of the shaft, and is fitted into a hole formed in the end surface of the guide pipe, and is integrally formed on the peripheral wall. Part
  A gap is formed between the receiving portion and the end portion of the shaft, and between the receiving portion and the peripheral surface of the hole, and the rotary shutter can be displaced in the radial direction. Toner recovery unit. The toner recovery unit according to claim 1 or 2 ,
The toner recovery unit according to claim 1, wherein the rotary shutter includes a thin portion at an edge of the engagement hole on the wall surface side.

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