JP5229655B2 - Developer collection container and image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a developer recovery container and an image forming apparatus.

  In an image forming apparatus such as an electrophotographic copying machine or a laser beam printer, after a toner image developed on a photosensitive drum is transferred to a recording sheet, residual toner adhering to the photosensitive drum is removed by a cleaner. The residual toner thus collected is recovered as a waste toner (used developer) in a waste toner recovery box (developer recovery container) in the image forming apparatus.

  In recent years, a color image is obtained in which a multicolor toner image formed by a plurality of image forming engines is primarily transferred from a photosensitive drum to an intermediate transfer belt and then secondarily transferred from the intermediate transfer belt to a recording sheet. An image forming apparatus has also appeared. In the case of a color image forming apparatus, for example, for each yellow, cyan, magenta, and black image forming engine, a photosensitive drum and a cleaner for cleaning the photosensitive drum exist, and waste toner is collected from the cleaners of the four image forming engines. Need arises. Further, after the toner image is secondarily transferred from the intermediate transfer belt to the recording sheet, it is necessary to clean the residual toner adhering to the intermediate transfer belt, and a cleaner is provided for the intermediate transfer belt. ing. Therefore, in the case of a color image forming apparatus, waste toner is collected from a plurality of cleaners into a waste toner collection box.

  Further, in order to omit the replacement work of the deteriorated developer (used developer) in the developing device using the two-component developer composed of the toner and the carrier, the deteriorated developer is supplied while supplying a new two-component developer. A trickle development method is used. When this developing method is employed, the deteriorated developer discharged from the developing devices for each color is also collected in the waste toner collection box.

  The waste toner collection box is a consumable part, and is generally replaced with an empty waste toner collection box when the waste toner is full.

  Here, as for the waste toner collection box for collecting the used developer, for example, techniques described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Nos. 09-218627 and 2001-324904 are known.

JP 09-218627 A JP 2001-324904 A

  An object of the present invention is to provide a technique capable of reducing noise when a developer conveying means provided in a developer recovery container rotates.

In order to solve the above-described problem, the developer collection container of the present invention described in claim 1 includes a first space for storing the collected developer and a second space spatially connected to the first space . A housing forming a space , a hollow member disposed between the first space and the second space, and a developer disposed through the hollow member and accommodated in the first space Transporting means for transporting a part of the transporting part to the second space through the hollow member, the transporting means comprising: a first end which is an end to which a rotational force is supplied to the transporting means; The hollow member is rotatably supported at two locations, but is not supported at the second end opposite to the first end .

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the present invention, the conveying means is a helical conveying means, and the helical portion contacts the inner peripheral wall of the hollow member at a plurality of points. It is supported by the said hollow member by this.

The invention described in claim 3 is the invention described in claim 1 or 2, further comprising a recovery port that is provided in the first space and recovers the developer discharged into the first space. The conveying means is composed of a rotating shaft and spiral blades formed around the rotating shaft, and the interval between the spiral blades is a first interval at a location overlapping with the recovery port in the axial direction of the rotating shaft. And a second interval narrower than the first interval and positioned inside the hollow member in the axial direction of the rotation shaft .

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the invention according to any one of the first to third aspects, the conveying means is configured based on a friction coefficient between a material constituting the conveying means and a material constituting the casing. The friction coefficient between the material and the material constituting the hollow member is smaller.

In order to solve the above problems, an image forming apparatus according to a fifth aspect of the present invention is characterized in that the developer recovery container according to any one of the first to fourth aspects is attached.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, noise when the conveying means rotates is reduced as compared with the case where the three portions supporting the first end portion and the other end portion are also supported.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, noise when the conveying means rotates is reduced as compared with the case where the three portions supporting the first end portion and the other end portion are also supported.

According to invention of Claim 3, compared with the case where the space | interval of the blade | wing inside the hollow member of a conveyance means is made the same as the space | interval of the blade | wing in a collection port and an overlap part, the noise when a conveyance means rotates is produced. It is further reduced.

According to invention of Claim 4, compared with the case where the material which comprises a hollow member is made the same as the material which comprises a housing | casing, the noise when a conveyance means rotates is reduced further.

According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, an image forming apparatus having a developer collecting container attached with reduced noise when the conveying means rotates can be obtained.

1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a configuration of a printer to which a waste toner collection box according to an embodiment of the present invention is attached. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating an arrangement position of a waste toner collection box in the printer of FIG. 1. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line A-A ′ of FIG. 2. FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a waste toner collection box according to an embodiment of the present invention from the front side. It is a perspective view which shows the waste toner collection box concerning one embodiment of this invention from the back side. It is a perspective view showing the inside of a front cover which is a component of a waste toner recovery box according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a perspective view showing the inside of a rear cover which is a component of a waste toner recovery box according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is the perspective view which looked at the internal structure of the waste toner collection box concerning one embodiment of the present invention from the rear side. It is the perspective view which looked at the internal structure of the waste toner collection box concerning one embodiment of the present invention from the front side. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along line B-B ′ of FIG. 4. It is sectional drawing of the principal part along the C-C 'line of FIG. It is a perspective view which shows the pipe which is a component of the waste toner collection box which concerns on one embodiment of this invention from the front lower part. It is sectional drawing of the radial direction of the pipe of FIG. It is explanatory drawing which shows the relationship between the conveyance means and pipe in the waste toner collection box which concerns on one embodiment of this invention. It is explanatory drawing which shows the principal part of the pipe of FIG.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment as an example of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Note that components having the same function are denoted by the same reference symbols throughout the drawings for describing the embodiment, and the repetitive description thereof will be omitted.

  As shown in FIG. 1, a tandem type color laser beam printer 1 (an example of an image forming apparatus) to which a waste toner collection box for waste toner is attached forms a toner image for each color of yellow, magenta, cyan, and black. 4 image forming engines 10Y, 10M, 10C, and 10K. In addition, an intermediate transfer belt 20 to which toner images are transferred (primary transfer) from these image forming engines is provided, and the toner images transferred onto the intermediate transfer belt 20 are further transferred to the recording sheet P (secondary transfer). Thus, a full color image is formed.

  The intermediate transfer belt 20 is formed in an endless shape and is wound around a pair of belt conveyance rollers 21 and 22, and toner formed by the color image forming engines 10Y, 10M, 10C, and 10K while rotating in a direction indicated by an arrow. It is configured to receive a primary transfer of the image.

  A secondary transfer roller 30 is provided at a position facing one belt conveying roller 21 with the intermediate transfer belt 20 in between, and the recording sheet P and the secondary transfer roller 30 and the intermediate transfer belt that are in contact with each other so as to press each other. 20 to receive the secondary transfer of the toner image from the intermediate transfer belt 20. On the other hand, a belt cleaner 23 of the intermediate transfer belt 20 is disposed at a position opposite to the belt conveying roller 22 located on the opposite side, and toner remaining on the intermediate transfer belt 20 after the secondary transfer is removed from the intermediate transfer belt 20. To do. The residual toner removed by the belt cleaner 23 is transported to the front side (front side in FIG. 1) by a transport shaft 23a having spiral blades as waste toner, and is collected in a waste toner collection box described later. It is like that.

  The four image forming engines 10Y, 10M, 10C, and 10K described above are arranged in parallel below the intermediate transfer belt 20, and a toner image formed according to image information of each color is applied to the intermediate transfer belt 20. Primary transfer is designed. These four image forming engines 10Y, 10M, 10C, and 10K are arranged in the order of yellow, magenta, cyan, and black in the rotation direction of the intermediate transfer belt 20, and generally the most frequently used black The image forming engine 10K is disposed closest to the secondary transfer position.

  Below these image forming engines 10Y, 10M, 10C, and 10K, there is provided a raster scanning unit 40 that exposes the photosensitive drum 11 provided in each image forming engine in accordance with image information. The raster scanning unit 40 is shared by all the image forming engines 10Y, 10M, 10C, and 10K, and four semiconductor lasers (not shown) that emit laser light L modulated according to image information of each color. A polygon mirror 41 that rotates at high speed and scans these four laser beams L along the axial direction of the photosensitive drum 11. Each laser beam L scanned by the polygon mirror 41 travels a predetermined path while being reflected by a mirror (not shown), and then passes through each scanning window 42 provided on the upper portion of the raster scanning unit 40. The photosensitive drums 11 of the image engines 10Y, 10M, 10C, and 10K are exposed.

  Each of the image forming engines 10Y, 10M, 10C, and 10K is formed on the photosensitive drum 11 by exposure of the photosensitive drum 11, the charging roller 12 that charges the surface of the photosensitive drum 11 to a predetermined potential, and laser light L. A developing device 13 that develops the electrostatic latent image formed to form a toner image, and a drum cleaner 14 that removes residual toner and paper dust from the surface of the photosensitive drum 11 after the toner image is transferred to the intermediate transfer belt 20. And a toner image corresponding to the image information of each color is formed on the photosensitive drum 11.

  In the printer 1 of the present embodiment, the developing device 13 is a type in which a two-component developer in which toner and carrier are mixed is used, and maintenance for replacing the developer accompanying deterioration with time is omitted. A trickle development system is used in which a developer in which toner and a carrier are mixed is supplied from a cartridge (not shown), and the deteriorated developer is automatically discharged.

  In each developing device 13, a new developer is replenished from the rear side (back side in FIG. 1) of the conveyance shaft 13a having the same spiral blade as the conveyance shaft 23a described above. The residual toner removed by each drum cleaner 14 is discharged to the front side as a waste toner by a conveyance shaft (not shown). The waste toner discharged from the drum cleaner 14 is collected in a later-described waste toner collection box.

  In this example, as an example of the developer to be collected, waste toner including used toner discharged from the drum cleaner 14 and used toner discharged from the belt cleaner 23 is collected. Further, the present invention can be applied to a collection box for collecting the carrier and toner discharged from the developing device 13 and a collection box for collecting only used toner discharged from the drum cleaner 14.

  Primary transfer rollers 15Y, 15M, 15C, and 15K are provided at positions facing the photoconductive drums 11 of the image forming engines 10Y, 10M, 10C, and 10K so as to sandwich the intermediate transfer belt 20. Then, by applying a transfer bias voltage to these transfer rollers 15Y, 15M, 15C, and 15K, an electric field is formed between the photoconductor drum 11 and the transfer rollers 15Y, 15M, 15C, and 15K, and on the photoconductor drum 11 Thus, the charged toner image is transferred to the intermediate transfer belt 20 by Coulomb force.

  On the other hand, the recording sheet P is conveyed from the paper feed cassette 2 stored in the lower part of the printer 1 to the inside of the housing, specifically, to the secondary transfer position where the intermediate transfer belt 20 and the secondary transfer roller 30 are in contact. The paper feed cassette 2 is configured to be pushed in and set from the front side of the printer 1. A pickup roller 24 and a paper feed roller 25 for pulling out the recording sheet P accommodated in the paper feed cassette 2 are provided above the paper feed cassette 2 set. A retard roller 26 that prevents double feeding of the recording sheet P is provided at a position facing the paper feed roller 25.

  The conveyance path 27 of the recording sheet P inside the printer 1 is provided in the vertical direction along the left side surface of the printer 1, and the recording sheet P drawn from the paper feed cassette 2 located at the bottom of the printer 1 is conveyed. The path 27 is moved up, and the entry timing is controlled by the registration roller 29 to be introduced into the secondary transfer position. After the toner image is transferred at the secondary transfer position, the toner is transferred to the fixing device 3 provided above. Sent. Then, the recording sheet P on which the toner image is fixed by the fixing device 3 is discharged by the discharge roller 28 onto the paper discharge tray 1a provided on the upper surface of the printer 1 with the image forming surface down.

  In forming a full-color image by the color laser beam printer 1 having such a configuration, first, the raster scanning unit 40 loads the photosensitive drums 11 of the image forming engines 10Y, 10M, 10C, and 10K in advance according to the image information of each color. Exposure is performed at a predetermined timing. As a result, electrostatic latent images corresponding to the image information are formed on the photoconductive drums 11 of the image forming engines 10Y, 10M, 10C, and 10K. By supplying toner to these electrostatic latent images, the toner is supplied. An image is formed.

  The toner images formed on the photoconductive drums 11 of the image forming engines 10Y, 10M, 10C, and 10K are sequentially transferred to the rotating intermediate transfer belt 20, whereby each color toner image is transferred onto the intermediate transfer belt 20. Overlapping multiple toner images are formed. On the other hand, the recording sheet P is sent out from the paper feed cassette 2 and the timing at which the toner image primarily transferred onto the intermediate transfer belt 20 reaches the secondary transfer position is measured. Passed between. As a result, the multiple toner images on the intermediate transfer belt 20 are secondarily transferred to the recording sheet P. Then, the toner image is fixed on the recording sheet P that has been secondarily transferred by the fixing device 3, whereby a full-color image is completed on the recording sheet P.

  In the printer 1 of the present embodiment configured as described above, the waste toner discharged from the belt cleaner 23 and each drum cleaner 14 is all collected in the same waste toner collection box 50 (an example of a developer collection container). It is configured to be.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the waste toner collection box 50 is provided slightly below the front side of the yellow, magenta, cyan, and black image forming engines 10Y, 10M, 10C, and 10K arranged in parallel. The waste toner discharged from the drum cleaners 14 toward the front side is collected in a waste toner collection box 50. The waste toner removed from the intermediate transfer belt 20 by the belt cleaner 23 is also collected in the waste toner collection box 50.

  As shown in FIGS. 4 to 7, the waste toner collection box 50 includes a plastic front cover 51 and a rear cover 52 that are integrated to form a housing, and a space (a storage chamber 61 described later). And a detection chamber 67). The waste toner collection box 50 is long in the width direction and has a shape that is thinner than the length in the vertical direction. The length of the waste toner collection box 50 in the width direction is longer than the distance from the drum cleaner 14 to the belt cleaner 23 of the black image forming engine 10K described above. 10Y, 10M, 10C, 10K and the front side of the belt cleaner 23, waste toner is directly dropped into the internal space (reservoir chamber 61).

  As shown in FIGS. 4, 5, and 6, at the two upper portions of the front cover 51, the free ends face forward, and the protrusions 54 are formed on the upper surface 53 a so that the upper surface 53 a moves up and down. A lock piece 53 that is elastically deformed is formed. Further, a hole 55 having a size that opens forward and allows a plurality of fingers to enter is formed immediately below the lock piece 53. Furthermore, plate-like piece attachment portions 57 to which the plate-like pieces 56 (FIG. 8) projecting downward are attached are formed at two locations below the front cover 51.

  Therefore, when the waste toner collection box 50 is attached to the printer 1, the plate-like piece 56 is inserted into a groove (not shown) formed on the printer 1 side, and the waste toner collection box 50 is used as a fulcrum. The protrusion 54 is fitted into a fixing hole (not shown) formed on the printer 1 side while the lock piece 53 is elastically deformed. Further, when removing the waste toner collection box 50 from the printer 1, the thumb is placed on the free end of the lock piece 53, the other finger is put into the hole 55, and the lock piece 53 is pushed down with the thumb and tilted forward. The fitting between the projection 54 and the fixing hole is released, and it is lifted obliquely upward.

  The waste toner collection box 50 is removed from the printer 1 when, for example, the waste toner collection box 50 is full and replaced, the intermediate transfer belt unit needs to be replaced, and the waste toner collection box. This is a case where the image forming engines 10Y, 10M, 10C, and 10K located at the back of 50 need to be replaced.

  As shown in FIGS. 5 and 7, five recovery ports 58 are formed in the upper portion of the rear cover 52. These are collection ports for waste toner discharged from the drum cleaners 14 of the image forming engines 10Y, 10M, 10C, and 10K. When the waste toner collection box 50 is attached to the printer 1, the image forming engines 10Y, 10M, and 10C are mounted. A connecting pipe (not shown) protruding from the 10K drum cleaner 14 and the belt cleaner 23 to the front side is inserted into these recovery ports 58, and waste toner discharged from the trickle-type drum cleaner 14 becomes waste toner recovery box 50. It is supposed to be dropped in. The five recovery ports 58 correspond to the black drum cleaner 14, the cyan drum cleaner 14, the magenta drum cleaner 14, the yellow drum cleaner 14, and the belt cleaner 23 from the right side in FIG. 5.

  In this way, the waste toner collection box 50 is provided so as to be bridged on one side of the image forming engines 10Y, 10M, 10C, and 10K and the belt cleaner 23 arranged in parallel. Waste toner discharged from the image engines 10Y, 10M, 10C, and 10K and the belt cleaner 23 is dropped directly into the waste toner collection box 50.

  As shown in FIG. 8, a shutter 59 is installed at the collection port 58. The shutter 59 has a double door structure that opens and closes in such a way that it is divided into left and right from the center, and is attached to the inside of the rear cover 52 so as to be openable and closable. The shutter 59 is provided with a torsion spring 60 that presses the shutter 59 against the wall surface of the rear cover 52 and closes the collection port 58 (FIG. 9). Therefore, the shutter 59 normally closes the recovery port 58 by the spring force of the torsion spring 60, and when the connecting pipe is inserted into the recovery port 58, the shutter 59 is pushed inward against the spring force by the connecting pipe. It becomes an open state.

As shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, a waste chamber 61 (an example of a first space) in which the collected waste toner is stored is disposed inside a waste toner collection box 50 including a front cover 51 and a rear cover 52. ) Is formed. The storage chamber 61 is located below the collection port 58, and waste toner is dropped from a connecting pipe inserted into the collection port 58. Then, when the waste toner in the storage chamber 61 is fully accommodated (has reached the accommodation upper limit area), the waste toner collection box 50 needs to be replaced.

  In the storage chamber 61, a conveying means 64 is provided along the longitudinal direction. The conveying means 64 is provided so as to straddle the side wall of the storage chamber 61 (that is, the left and right side walls 52 a of the rear cover 52), and the waste toner dropped into the storage chamber 61 is directly below each collection port 58. When the summit exceeds the accommodation upper limit of the waste toner collection box 50, the portion exceeding the accommodation upper limit is broken and transported.

  One side of the conveying means 64 is supported by a bearing 65 provided on the side wall 52a, and the tip protrudes to the outside. The leading end is an end portion to which a driving force (rotational force) is supplied to the conveying means 64, that is, a rotational force supply side end portion (first end portion), and a driving source (see FIG. A transmission unit 66 provided with a transmission gear train (not shown) for transmitting driving force from the conveyance means 64 to the conveyance means 64 is attached. Therefore, when the waste toner collection box 50 is attached to the printer 1, the transmission unit 66 is mechanically coupled to the drive source in the printer 1, and thereby the conveying means 64 is driven (rotated) by the drive source.

  The conveying means 64 is manufactured by, for example, injection molding of synthetic resin, and a spiral blade 62 (an example of a blade) for conveying waste toner around the rotating shaft 63 is formed. The spiral blade 62 is composed of a first blade 62a and a second blade 62b having different winding directions, and the winding direction of each of the blades 62a and 62b is determined when the rotating shaft 63 is rotated. The waste toner is conveyed in the direction from the two directions of the rotating shaft 63 toward the center.

  These blades 62a and 62b are interrupted at the positions between the position immediately below the collection port 58 corresponding to the yellow Y waste toner and the position just below the recovery port 58 corresponding to the magenta M waste toner, thereby ending the conveyance. Therefore, when the conveying unit 64 is rotated, the waste toner that has become a mountain in the storage chamber 61 is collapsed toward the position.

  Note that the shape of the blades for transporting the waste toner is not limited to the spiral blades as shown in the present embodiment, and for example, a plurality of flat blades provided at intervals. There may be. That is, as long as it has a function of conveying waste toner, blades having various shapes are applied.

As shown in FIG. 10, a detection chamber 67 (an example of a second space ) into which waste toner exceeding the storage upper limit of the storage chamber 61 is introduced is provided in spatial connection with the storage chamber 61. When the waste toner is accumulated up to a predetermined level in 61 (that is, up to the upper limit of accommodation in the storage chamber 61), the waste toner exceeding the level (that is, exceeding the upper limit of accommodation) enters. ing.

  As shown in FIG. 11, the detection chamber 67 has a sensing chamber 67 c that is attached to the rear cover 52 and formed of a transparent member that protrudes outward, and the waste toner collection box 50 is attached to the printer 1. At this time, the light-transmitting sensor 69 provided on the printer 1 side enters between the light emitting portion and the light receiving portion.

  As shown in FIG. 10, an inclined surface is formed in the waste toner passage path 67b extending from the inlet 67a of the detection chamber 67 so as to be positioned below the conveying means 64, and the sensing chamber 67c is located at the end thereof. doing. That is, the sensing chamber 67c is not disposed directly below the entrance 67a. Accordingly, the waste toner dropped from the storage chamber 61 is gradually accumulated in the sensing chamber 67c by the inclined surface of the waste toner passage 67b. When the light emitting unit and the light receiving unit of the light transmission sensor 69 are blocked by the waste toner in the sensing chamber 67c, the signal of the light transmission sensor 69 changes. As a result, it is grasped whether or not the waste toner has accumulated to the specified level in the storage chamber 61.

  The inlet 67a of the detection chamber 67 is formed at a position where the first blade 62a and the second blade 62b of the transport means 64 are interrupted, that is, a position facing the transport end. For this reason, the waste toner exceeding the upper limit of accommodation in the storage chamber 61 is conveyed by the conveying means 64 toward the inlet 67a of the detection chamber 67.

  Now, as shown in FIGS. 12 and 13, a pipe 68 (an example of a hollow member) through which the conveying means 64 passes is disposed at the inlet 67 a of the detection chamber 67. The pipe 68 has an opening 68 a formed in a peripheral wall 68 b serving as a main body, and the opening 68 a faces the inlet 67 a of the detection chamber 67. Therefore, the conveying means 64 has a waste toner conveyance termination point where the blades 62 a and 62 b are interrupted at the opening 68 a of the pipe 68 (see FIG. 14), and the waste toner does not pass through the pipe 68. The detection chamber 67 is prevented from entering. A partition wall 68 c that partitions the inlet 67 a of the detection chamber 67 and the storage chamber 61 is formed downward from the peripheral wall 68 b so that the waste toner does not enter the detection chamber 67 from other than the opening 68 a of the pipe 68. .

  Here, in the present embodiment, the material constituting the pipe 68 is different from the material constituting the housing (the front cover 51 and the rear cover 52). Further, when the friction coefficient between the material constituting the conveying means 64 and the material constituting the casings 51 and 52 is compared with the friction coefficient between the material constituting the conveying means 64 and the material constituting the pipe 68, the latter The coefficient of friction is smaller.

  Specifically, the present embodiment will be described in detail. ABS (acrylonitrile, butadiene, styrene) in which glass fibers for improving strength and heat resistance are mixed in the constituent materials of the casings 51 and 52 and the conveying means 64. : Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene) is used, and POM (Polyacetal) is used as a constituent material of the pipe 68.

  Here, the friction coefficient between the conveying means 64 and the casings 51 and 52, both of which are made of ABS, is about 0.4. On the other hand, the friction coefficient between the conveying means 64 made of ABS and the pipe 68 made of POM is about 0.2. Therefore, compared with the case where the pipe 68 is made of the same material as the casings 51 and 52, the pipe 68 and the conveying means 64 rub against each other with a low frictional force, so that the noise when the conveying means 64 rotates is further reduced. Is done.

  Note that the constituent materials of the casings 51 and 52, the conveying means 64, and the pipe 68 are not limited to the above-described exemplary materials, and the materials constituting the conveying means 64 and the materials constituting the casings 51 and 52 are not limited. Various materials are used such that the friction coefficient between the material constituting the conveying means 64 and the material constituting the pipe 68 is smaller than the friction coefficient. For example, when the constituent materials of the casings 51 and 52 and the conveying means 64 are ABS, the constituent materials of the pipe 68 include PA (polyamide), PE (polyethylene), PTFE (polyethylene) in addition to POM. Tetrafluoroethylene: Polytetrafluoroethylene) or the like is applied.

  As shown in FIG. 14, a gap L3 is provided between the part where the first blade 62a is interrupted and the part where the second blade 62b is interrupted, so that the waste toner conveyed can easily fall. It has become.

  According to such a configuration, when the waste toner locally exceeds the upper limit of storage in the storage chamber 61, the corresponding waste toner is collapsed toward the center of the storage chamber 61 by the transport unit 64. At this time, since the waste toner is broken down toward the break of the spiral blade 62 of the conveying means 64, finally, a space remains in the storage chamber 61 only below the break of the spiral blade 62. When this space disappears due to the transport of the waste toner by the transport means 64, the storage chamber 61 is filled with the waste toner, that is, the accommodation upper limit is reached.

  Then, waste toner that exceeds the upper limit of accommodation is conveyed to the conveying means 64 and enters the pipe 68. The waste toner that has entered the pipe 68 enters the detection chamber 67 through the opening 68a of the pipe 68, and is detected by the light transmission type sensor 69 in the sensing chamber 67c as described above. Thereby, the output signal of the light transmission type sensor 69 changes, and it is grasped | ascertained that the storage chamber 61 became full.

  Here, when the image forming engines 10Y, 10M, 10C, and 10K are replaced, it is necessary to remove the waste toner collection box 50 that is positioned in front of the image forming engines 10Y, 10M, 10C, and 10K. At this time, if the removed waste toner collection box 50 is placed in a state in which the rotation shaft 63 of the conveying means 64 is not horizontal (that is, the rotation shaft 63 is inclined and is in the up-down direction), it is described above. When the pipe 68 is not provided, the waste toner in the storage chamber 61 collapses and a part enters the detection chamber 67 from the inlet 67a. When waste toner that is detected by the light transmission sensor 69 enters the detection chamber 67, the storage chamber 61 is not filled with waste toner when the waste toner collection box 50 is attached to the printer 1. Nevertheless, it is erroneously detected that the output signal of the light transmission type sensor 69 changes and the storage chamber 61 becomes full.

  In addition, dust generated from the waste toner is floating in the storage chamber 61. Dust is particularly generated when the waste toner is transported by the transport means 64, such as when a pile of waste toner that locally exceeds the upper limit of storage is broken by the transport means 64. Therefore, if the pipe 68 is not provided, the generated dust is lighter than the waste toner itself, so that the dust is not transferred to the transfer means 64 and partly floats from the inlet 67a to the detection chamber 67. Get in. Then, by repeating such a state, if dust of a level detected by the light transmission type sensor 69 is accumulated in the detection chamber 67, the storage chamber 61 is not filled with waste toner. Regardless, it is erroneously detected that the output signal of the light transmission type sensor 69 changes and the storage chamber 61 is full.

  On the other hand, in the present embodiment, the conveying means 64 having the spiral blade 62 passes through the pipe 68 and the conveying terminal end faces the opening 68a of the pipe 68, and the waste toner in the storage chamber 61 is As long as the pipe 68 is not passed through, it does not enter the detection chamber 67. Accordingly, waste toner that has collapsed when the waste toner collection box 50 is removed and dust generated when the transport means 64 transports the waste toner are blocked by the pipe 68 and the spiral blade 62 and enter the detection chamber 67. It is blocked from entering. This prevents erroneous detection that the waste toner collection box 50 is full and improves detection accuracy.

  In the configuration using the pipe 68 as described above, as shown in detail in FIG. 9, the conveying means 64 includes the pipe 68 and the above-described rotational force supply side end (the rotational force is supplied to the conveying means 64). (End part) and are supported rotatably. And the edge part on the opposite side to a rotational force supply side edge part is not supported.

  With such a structure, when supporting up to the end opposite to the rotational force supply side end, that is, compared with the case where three places are supported, the number of parts supporting the conveying means 64 is reduced by one. Therefore, noise when the conveying means 64 rotates is reduced.

  As shown in FIGS. 14 and 15, the pitches (intervals) of the blades 62a and 62b have two types of pitches: a first interval L1 and a second interval L2 that is narrower than the first interval. doing. In the present embodiment, the first interval is, for example, 20 mm and is located outside the pipe 68, and the second interval is, for example, 9 mm and is located inside the pipe. However, the pitch of the blades 62a and 62b is not limited to the numerical value, and it is sufficient that the second interval is narrower than the first interval.

  As shown in detail in FIG. 14, the boundary position S <b> 1 between the first interval L <b> 1 and the second interval L <b> 2 is outside the pipe 68 than the end position S <b> 2 of the pipe 68. That is, when viewed from the transport direction of the waste toner, the second interval L2 starts from the outside of the pipe 68 and continues to the transport end in the pipe 68.

  Thus, by setting the pitch of the blades 62 in the pipe 68 to the second interval L2 narrower than the first interval, the spiral blades 62 and the pipe 68 are compared with the case where the first interval L1 is set in the pipe 68. Since the contact area with the inner peripheral wall of the pipe 68 increases, the amount of friction per unit area between the inner wall of the pipe 68 and the spiral blade 62 decreases, and noise when the conveying means 64 rotates is further reduced. Is done.

  Further, since the space between the spiral blades 62 at the portion overlapping the end of the pipe 68 becomes dense and the space for storing waste toner is reduced, the waste toner that has collapsed when the waste toner collection box 50 is removed is removed from the pipe. 68 becomes difficult to enter. This makes it difficult for the waste toner to reach the opening 68a of the pipe 68, and prevents erroneous detection that the waste toner collection box 50 is full.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, the second interval L2 of the spiral blade 62 extends from the entire inner area of the pipe 68 to a part of the outer side, but the interval L2 is at least a portion located inside the pipe 68. As long as it is part of

  Further, in the present embodiment, the material constituting the pipe 68 and the material constituting the casing (the front cover 51 and the rear cover 52) are different, and the material constituting the conveying means 64 and the casing 51, 52 are configured. The friction coefficient between the material constituting the conveying means 64 and the material constituting the pipe 68 is smaller than the friction coefficient with the material. Therefore, compared with the case where the pipe 68 is made of the same material as the casings 51 and 52, the pipe 68 and the conveying means 64 rub against each other with a low frictional force, so that the noise when the conveying means 64 rotates is further reduced. Is done.

  In this embodiment, the spiral blade 62 is provided in the entire area of the rotating shaft 63, but it is sufficient if it is formed outside the pipe 68 at a location overlapping with the waste toner collection port 58. That is, it suffices if the portion having the first interval L1 of the spiral blade 62 is formed at a portion overlapping the waste toner collection port 58.

  If the spiral blades 62 are formed only at locations where the spiral blades 62 overlap with the recovery port 58 outside the pipe 68, the amount of waste toner increases at a portion facing the recovery port 58 where the amount of waste toner tends to increase. And the surface area of the spiral blade 62, which is a member to which waste toner may adhere, is reduced.

  Although the invention made by the present inventor has been specifically described based on the embodiment, the embodiment disclosed in this specification is an example in all respects and is limited to the disclosed technology. Should not be considered. That is, the technical scope of the present invention should not be construed restrictively based on the description in the above-described embodiment, but should be construed according to the description of the scope of claims. All modifications are included without departing from the technical scope equivalent to the described technique and the gist of the claims.

  For example, in the present embodiment, the blades of the transport unit 64 include the first blade 62a and the second blade 62b that transport waste toner toward the center from both directions of the rotation shaft 63. The conveying means may be constituted by a blade having only one winding direction for conveying the waste toner in one direction of the shaft 63.

  In the above description, the case where the developer collection container of the present invention is applied to an image forming apparatus that records a color image is shown, but it may be applied to an image forming apparatus that records a monochrome image.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Printer 50 Waste toner collection box 51 Front cover 52a Side wall 53 Lock piece 53a Upper surface 54 Projection part 55 Hole part 56 Plate-like piece 57 Plate-like piece attachment part 58 Collection port 59 Shutter 60 Torsion spring 61 Storage chamber 62 Spiral blade 62a 1st Blade 62b second blade 63 rotating shaft 64 transport means 65 bearing 66 transmission unit 67 detection chamber 67a inlet 67b waste toner passage 67c sensing chamber 68 pipe 68a opening 68b peripheral wall 68c partition wall 69 light transmission type sensor S1 boundary position S2 End position Z1, Z2 Transport end

Claims (5)

A housing that forms a first space that accommodates the collected developer and a second space that is spatially connected to the first space;
A hollow member disposed between the first space and the second space;
Conveying means arranged to penetrate the hollow member and convey a part of the developer accommodated in the first space to the second space through the hollow member;
The conveying means is rotatably supported at two places, that is, a first end that is an end to which a rotational force is supplied to the conveying means and the hollow member, but is opposite to the first end. Not supported at the second end of the side,
A developer recovery container. The conveying means is a helical conveying means, and the helical portion is supported by the hollow member by contacting the inner peripheral wall of the hollow member at a plurality of points.
The developer recovery container according to claim 1, wherein A recovery port provided in the first space and for recovering the developer discharged into the first space;
The conveying means is constituted by a rotating shaft and a spiral blade formed around the rotating shaft,
The interval between the spiral blades is
A first interval at a location overlapping with the recovery port in the axial direction of the rotation shaft;
A second interval that is located inside the hollow member in the axial direction of the rotation shaft and is narrower than the first interval;
The developer collecting container according to claim 1 or 2, wherein The friction coefficient between the material constituting the conveying means and the material constituting the hollow member is smaller than the friction coefficient between the material constituting the conveying means and the material constituting the housing,
The developer recovery container according to claim 1, wherein the developer recovery container is a developer recovery container. The developer recovery container according to claim 1 is attached.
An image forming apparatus.

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