JP5505783B2 - Powder container and image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a powder container provided in an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine, a facsimile machine, and a printer, and an image forming apparatus including the powder container.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in an image forming apparatus provided with an image carrier such as a photosensitive member or an intermediate transfer member, a cleaning device that collects residual toner or the like attached on the image carrier is provided. For example, the toner collected by the cleaning device as waste toner is conveyed to, for example, a waste toner container provided in the image forming apparatus main body separately from the cleaning device.

  Usually, the waste toner container is configured to be detachable from the apparatus main body. When the waste toner in the waste toner storage container is full, take out the waste toner storage container from the main body of the apparatus, transfer the waste toner in the waste toner storage container to another container, and reattach it, or use a new waste toner storage container. Or wearing.

  In the image forming apparatus described in Patent Document 1, an electrostatic latent image formed on the surface of a drum-shaped photoconductor as a latent image carrier is developed by a developing device, and the resulting toner image is transferred from the photoconductor to a transfer body. Transfer to recording paper. Then, the transfer residual toner remaining on the surface of the photoreceptor after passing through the transfer process is removed by a scraping blade and then stored in a waste toner storage container. Also, based on the cumulative count result of the number of pixels of the output image, the amount of residual toner generated on the surface of the photoconductor is calculated, and whether the waste toner container is full based on the cumulative result of the calculation. Determine whether.

  In the image forming apparatus described in Patent Document 1, when it is determined that the waste toner container is full of waste toner based on the above calculation result, the amount of waste toner may actually be much less than full. . Even if it is not determined that the waste toner container is full of waste toner based on the above calculation result, the amount of waste toner has actually reached the full level. There are cases where the waste toner overflows from the waste toner container by being collected. That is, the image forming apparatus described in Patent Document 1 has a problem in that it cannot be accurately determined whether or not a predetermined amount of waste toner is stored in the waste toner storage container.

  The applicant of the present application has proposed an image forming apparatus described in Japanese Patent Application No. 2009-249819 (hereinafter referred to as “prior application”) for such problems.

  The powder storage device for storing the powder provided in the image forming apparatus described in the above prior application contains the powder that has been removed from the object to be cleaned by the cleaning means and dropped from the opening provided in the upper portion of the apparatus main body. It has a container that can be deformed and made of a flexible material. On the side surface of the storage container, there is provided a displacement member that is biased by the storage container expanded and deformed in accordance with the storage amount of the powder stored in the storage container and displaced in the horizontal direction. Further, a displacement amount detection means for detecting the displacement amount of the displacement member, and a storage amount detection means for detecting the storage amount of the powder stored in the storage container based on the detection result of the displacement amount detection means are provided. It has been.

  In the image forming apparatus described in the above-mentioned prior application, since the storage container is deformable with a flexible material, when the powder is stored in the storage container, the storage container is set according to the stored amount of the stored powder. Inflates. When the storage container expands in this way, the displacement member provided outside the storage container is urged by the storage container and displaced. Since the storage container expands in accordance with the storage amount, the displacement amount of the displacement member that is biased and displaced by the expanded storage container also corresponds to the storage amount. Accordingly, the powder stored in the storage container by the storage amount detection means from the displacement amount detected by the displacement amount detection means by previously obtaining the relationship between the storage amount and the displacement amount by experiments or the like. Can be detected. By directly detecting the amount of powder contained in the container as described above, the accuracy is higher than the configuration in which the amount of powder contained in the container is not directly detected as in the image forming apparatus described in Patent Document 1. The amount of powder contained in the container can be detected well. In addition, by setting in advance the displacement amount corresponding to the accommodation amount when the storage container is full of powder, whether or not the storage container is full based on the detection result of the displacement amount by the displacement amount detection means. It can be used for the determination.

  However, when the storage container is installed in the apparatus main body so as to deviate from the predetermined position, the positional relationship between the displacement amount detecting means and the displacement member provided on the side surface of the storage container is such that the storage container is located at the predetermined position in the apparatus main body. It will deviate from the positional relationship when it was installed. Therefore, there arises a problem that the amount of powder stored in the storage container by the storage amount detection unit cannot be detected accurately from the displacement amount of the displacement member detected by the displacement amount detection unit.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a powder storage device capable of accurately detecting the amount of powder stored in a storage container and an image forming apparatus including the powder storage device. Is to provide a device.

In order to achieve the above object, the invention of claim 1 can be deformed by a flexible material that accommodates the powder that has been removed from the object to be cleaned by the cleaning means and dropped from the opening provided in the upper part of the apparatus main body. A storage container, a displacement member that is provided on a side surface of the storage container and is urged by the storage container that is inflated and deformed according to the storage amount of the powder stored in the storage container and is displaced in the horizontal direction, Powder having displacement amount detection means for detecting the displacement amount of the displacement member, and storage amount detection means for detecting the storage amount of the powder stored in the storage container based on the detection result of the displacement amount detection means In the storage device, positioning means for positioning the displacement member so that a positional relationship between the displacement member and the displacement amount detection unit when the powder is not stored in the storage container is a predetermined positional relationship. Yes it is, of themselves The housing is detachably disposed on the side, and is provided in a housing that is detachable from the apparatus main body, and an opening that communicates the inside of the housing and the outside of the housing formed on the side wall of the housing. A cylindrical guide member that guides the movement of the displacement member in the horizontal direction by sliding the outer peripheral surface of the displacement member on the wall surface of its own hollow interior, and the housing is moved and pressed by the guide member. A displacement member that moves in conjunction with the movement of the housing, the displacement amount detection means is provided on the displacement member, and the displacement member is brought into contact with the displacement member, The displacement member is positioned such that the positional relationship between the position and the displacement amount detecting means is a predetermined positional relationship .
Further, the invention of claim 2 is the powder container according to claim 1 , wherein the displacement member contacts the guide member only at both ends of the guide member, and the displacement member other than both ends of the guide member. The member is not in contact with the guide member.
According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided an image carrier having an image forming unit, a cleaning unit for removing powder on the image carrier, and a powder collecting unit for collecting powder removed by the cleaning unit. an image forming apparatus comprising bets, as the powder recovery means, according to claim 1 or is characterized in that using the powder container device 2.

  In the present invention, the displacement member is positioned by the positioning means so that the positional relationship between the position of the displacement member and the variable amount detection means when the powder is not stored in the storage container is a predetermined positional relationship. Thereby, it can suppress that dispersion | variation arises in the detection result of the displacement amount of the displacement member by a displacement amount detection means by the installation position of a storage container. Therefore, the storage amount of the powder stored in the storage container by the storage amount detection unit can be accurately detected from the displacement amount of the displacement member detected by the displacement amount detection unit.

  As mentioned above, according to this invention, there exists an outstanding effect that the accommodation amount of the powder accommodated in the storage container can be detected accurately.

Sectional drawing at the time of seeing a collection part from the side. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment. The schematic block diagram of the cleaning machine which concerns on this embodiment. Sectional drawing at the time of seeing a collection part from the upper part. The perspective view of the principal part of a collection | recovery part. The expansion perspective view of the principal part of a recovery part. The schematic diagram which showed the state before a collection | recovery cup is accommodated in a housing | casing. The schematic diagram which showed the state which storing of the collection | recovery cup to the housing | casing was completed. Sectional drawing of a guide member.

FIG. 2 shows an embodiment of an electrophotographic image forming apparatus.
The surface of the photosensitive member 2 is charged by a corona charger 32, and an electrostatic latent image is formed on the surface of the photosensitive member 2 by writing light L from a writing device 3 including a rotating polyhedron 33, a light source 34, an fθ lens 35, and the like. To do. The developing device 6 visualizes the toner by electrically attaching powder toner onto the electrostatic latent image formed on the photoreceptor 2. The visualized toner image on the photoreceptor 2 is transferred from the back surface (the surface not to be printed) of the paper 37 to the paper 37 by corona discharge by the transfer device 40. At this time, all the toner on the photosensitive member 2 remains slightly without being transferred. If printing is continued in this state, a ghost phenomenon occurs in which the main image appears after printing the next page. Therefore, the surface of the photoreceptor 2 is cleaned by the cleaning machine 7.

  Further, the paper 37 in the paper hopper 41 is sent out to the fixing device 42 via the transfer device 40 by the paper transport mechanism 38 and the paper transport mechanism 39. The sheet 37 fed into the fixing device 42 has a heating roller 44 in which a heater lamp 55 provided in the fixing device 42 is embedded and covered with a material having good releasability, and the surface is made of an elastic body. The powder toner is fixed by heat and pressure by being nipped and conveyed by the covered pressure roller 45.

  Here, the buffer plate 54 is a mechanism for absorbing a difference in conveyance speed between the paper conveyance mechanism 38 and the paper conveyance mechanism 39, the heating roller 44, and the pressure roller 45.

  The paper feed roller 46 feeds the paper 37 so as not to be wound around the heating roller 44 and the pressure roller 45. The fed sheet 37 is folded and stored in a sheet stacker unit 50 including a swing fin 47, a paddle 48, a stacker table 49, and the like.

  Moreover, as shown in FIG. 3, the cleaning machine 7 is comprised by the blower 11, the filter 12, the cyclone filter 13, the cleaning part 14, the collection | recovery part 17, etc.

  The cleaning unit 14 includes a brush 15 provided so as to rub the surface of the photosensitive member 2 and a housing 16 surrounding the brush 15, and removes waste toner adhering to the surface of the photosensitive member 2 with the brush 15. The residual toner is removed from the surface of the photosensitive member 2 by scraping.

  Residual toner (waste toner) removed from the surface of the photoreceptor 2 is sucked from the housing 16 to the cyclone filter 13 by the suction airflow generated by the blower 11. The sucked waste toner is separated by the cyclone filter 13 and about 90% by weight is collected and accumulated in the collecting unit 17. The remaining waste toner of about 10% by weight is collected by the filter 12.

  The collection unit 17 includes a box-like container and a bag-like container, so-called a collection cup 18 and a toner bag 19, and a housing for storing them. When the toner bag 19 is filled with waste toner, Then, the toner bag is taken out of the image forming apparatus, and the toner bag 19 is replaced with a new one.

  In this replacement, the toner bag 19 is removed from the recovery cup 18 and replaced, and the recovery cup 18 itself is diverted. Note that both the collection cup 18 and the toner bag 19 may be replaced with new ones.

  In the above configuration, an embodiment of the present invention will be described as means for detecting the amount of waste toner collected by the collection unit 17. FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a collection unit 17 as a powder container of the present invention as viewed from the side. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the collection unit 17 as viewed from above. FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a main part of the collection unit 17. FIG. 6 is an enlarged perspective view of a main part of the collection unit 17.

  The collection cup 18 of the collection unit 17 is formed of a rigid body such as plastic whose outer shape is difficult to change, and a toner bag 19 made of a flexible material such as paper or nonwoven fabric is provided in the recovery cup 18. Yes.

  Since the toner bag 19 is made of a flexible material and can be deformed, when the waste toner is stored, the toner bag 19 expands according to the amount of stored waste toner.

  In addition, when the recovery cup 18 is mounted on the image forming apparatus P, the recovery cup 18 has guide sheets 22 made of plastic or the like positioned between the toner bag 19 and the recovery cup 18 above and below the recovery cup 18. It is fixed by screws (not shown). The material of the guide sheet 22 is not limited to plastic but may be paper or the like as long as it can be easily deformed.

  Further, the recovery cup 18 is guided to the inner wall of the cylindrical guide member 26 in conjunction with the arm 23 attached to the recovery cup 18 via the swing base 27 so as to be swingable. And a rod 24 that is displaced in the horizontal direction.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 6, the rod 24 is disposed so that the rod 24 is biased toward the arm 23 by a spring 25. At the tip of the rod 24 opposite to the side in contact with the arm 23, a retaining ring 28 that stops the rod 24 from coming off from the guide member 26 is attached.

  In this configuration, in this embodiment, when the waste toner collected from the photoreceptor 2 is stored in the toner bag 19, the toner bag 19 is inflated as shown in FIG. The rod 24 is pushed and displaced, and the rod 24 jumps out from the guide member 26 through a hole 65 formed in a plate 58 described later in conjunction with the displacement of the arm 23.

  In addition, a plate 58 that is movable in the horizontal direction from the combination of the pin 59 and the spring 60 is provided in the housing installed on the apparatus main body side, and a lead for detecting the displacement of the rod 24 is provided on the plate 58. A switch 21 and a leaf spring 20 that is pushed by the rod 24 and bends toward the reed switch 21 are provided.

  Therefore, the reed switch 21 can detect the amount of displacement of the arm 23 that is pushed and displaced by the toner bag 19 that is inflated by containing waste toner inside through the rod 24 and the leaf spring 20. .

  In addition, the detection timing of the reed switch 21 corresponds to the relationship between the amount of waste toner accommodated and the amount of displacement of the rod 24 obtained through experiments and the like, and the position of the rod 24 relative to the toner bag 19 determined.

  On the other hand, generally, a play (gap) is provided between the collection cup 18 and the housing 61 installed in the apparatus main body for performing the attachment / detachment work of the collection cup 18. For this reason, when the collection cup 18 is housed in the housing 61, “variation” occurs in the positional relationship between the reed switch 21 and the rod 24. Even when the recovery cup 18 is stored in the casing 61, even if the recovery cup 18 is located at a predetermined position in the casing 61, some external force is applied to the recovery cup 18 and the recovery cup 18 is As a result, the positional relationship between the reed switch 21 and the rod 24 varies. Therefore, “variation” also occurs in the timing of detecting the amount of waste toner collected.

  However, in the present invention, as shown in FIG. 1, the reed switch 21 is installed on a plate 58 that is movable in the horizontal direction A by being composed of a combination of a pin 59 as a slide mechanism 57 and a spring 60, and further a rod 24 is attached to a position where the plate 58 is pushed in in a state in which the recovery cup 18 is accommodated in the casing 61, so that the position where the recovery cup 18 is accommodated with respect to the casing 61 varies. In this case, the positions of the reed switch 21 and the rod 24 are always kept constant. That is, the plate 58 is pressed by the guide member 26 provided in the housing 61 so that the guide member 26 and the plate 58 come into contact with each other, whereby the positional relationship between the rod 24 located inside the guide member 26 and the reed switch 21 is established. The rod 24 is positioned so as to have a predetermined positional relationship, and the positional relationship between the rod 24 and the reed switch 21 can be kept constant.

  The reason why the positional relationship between the reed switch 21 and the rod 24 is always kept constant is that the reed switch kumi (slide mechanism 57, reed switch 21 and leaf spring 20) can be used even if the mounting position of the recovery cup 18 varies. This is because the structure moves according to this (the reed switch scum is always pressed against the guide member 26 of the recovery cup 18 by the spring 60).

  In other words, since the reed switch 21 moves following the movement of the collection cup 18, the position of the reed switch 21 is determined by the position of the collection cup 18. Here, the positional relationship between the reed switch 21 and the rod 24 refers to a detection position where the reed switch 21 is turned on when the rod is displaced by 3 mm, for example. Further, in this embodiment, the reed switch cum is movable only in the horizontal direction A.

  Here, FIG. 7 shows a state before the collection cup 18 is housed in the casing 61, and shows a state where the operator is pushed in the B direction. FIG. 8 shows a state where the collection cup 18 is completely stored in the housing 61. At the position where the collection is completed, the tip of the guide member 26 attached to the collection cup 18 pushes the plate 58 to the right. , Moving.

  On the other hand, when the recovery cup 18 is attached to and detached from the apparatus main body, the portion where the rod 24, the guide member 26, and the like are provided adheres to the vicinity of the connecting portion between the apparatus main body and the recovery cup 18. Waste toner may fall, and the outer peripheral surface of the rod 24 may become dirty due to the waste toner. When the waste toner enters the contact portion between the outer peripheral surface of the rod 24 and the guide member 26, the sliding resistance increases, and the smooth movement of the rod 24 is hindered.

  For this reason, in this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 9, the inside of the guide member 26 is a cavity 63 and the rod 24 is supported only by both end portions 62 of the guide member 26, thereby reducing the contact area between them as much as possible. Thus, the resistance due to the adhesion of waste toner is reduced.

  The smaller the contact area, the lower the resistance due to the adhesion of waste toner. However, in practical use, it is necessary to determine the size in consideration of the usage conditions of the electrophotographic apparatus from the viewpoint of wear of the contact portion. There is.

  Here, since the notch 64 is provided near the center of the guide member 26, even if a small amount of waste toner enters and accumulates in the cavity 63 of the guide member 26, it falls from the notch 64. There is no problem of increase in sliding resistance due to the inside being filled with waste toner.

  Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 8, the leading end of the guide member 26 is closed by the plate 58 at the storage position of the collection cup 18, so that it is scattered during printing and the inside of the casing 61 and the collection cup 18 are scattered. It is possible to prevent waste toner floating in the vicinity from adhering to the rod 24.

  Thus, according to the present embodiment, it is possible to accurately determine whether or not a predetermined amount of powder is stored in the toner bag 19 by eliminating the “variation” that affects the displacement of the rod 24. Become.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, the toner, which is the powder that has been removed from the photosensitive member 2 that is the member to be cleaned by the cleaning device 7 that is the cleaning unit and dropped from the opening provided in the upper portion of the apparatus main body, is accommodated inside. The toner bag 19 which is a flexible and deformable container, and the toner bag 19 provided on the side surface of the toner bag 19 and inflated and deformed according to the amount of toner accommodated in the toner bag 19 is urged The rod 24 is a displacement member that is displaced in the horizontal direction, the reed switch 21 is a displacement amount detecting means for detecting the displacement amount of the rod 24, and the toner bag 19 is accommodated based on the detection result of the reed switch 21. In the present embodiment, in the collection unit 17 that is a powder storage device that includes the control unit that is a storage amount detection unit that detects the storage amount of toner, Having a positioning means for positioning the rod 24 such that the position relationship between the position and the reed switch 21 of the rod 24 have a predetermined positional relationship at the time when the powder is not accommodated in the grayed 19. Thereby, the rod 24 is positioned so that the positional relationship between the position of the rod 24 and the reed switch 21 when the powder is not contained in the toner bag 19 is a predetermined positional relationship. Accordingly, it is possible to suppress variation in the detection result of the displacement amount of the rod 24 by the reed switch 21 depending on the installation position of the toner bag 19. Therefore, the amount of powder contained in the toner bag 19 can be accurately detected by the control unit from the amount of displacement of the rod 24 detected by the reed switch 21.
In addition, according to the present embodiment, the toner bag 19 is detachably disposed inside thereof, and the recovery cup 18 that is a detachable casing with respect to the apparatus main body is formed on the side wall of the recovery cup 18. A cylindrical guide member 26 that is provided in an opening that communicates the inside of the collection cup and the outside of the collection cup, and that guides the movement of the rod 24 in the horizontal direction by sliding the outer peripheral surface of the rod 24 on the wall surface of its own hollow interior. The plate 58 is a moving member that moves in conjunction with the movement of the collection cup 18 by moving the collection cup 18 and pressing it with the guide member 26, and the reed switch 21 is provided on the plate 58. When the guide member 26 is in contact with the plate 58, the rod 24 is positioned so that the positional relationship between the position of the rod 24 and the reed switch 21 is a predetermined positional relationship. As a result, even if the attachment position of the recovery cup 18 varies, the reed switch 21 moves following the movement of the recovery cup 18, so that the position of the reed switch 21 is determined by the position of the recovery cup 18. The positional relationship between the rod 24 located inside the guide member 26 provided at 18 and the reed switch 21 can be kept constant.
Further, according to the present embodiment, the rod 24 is in contact with the guide member 26 only at both ends of the guide member 26, and the rod 24 is not in contact with the guide member 26 except at both ends of the guide member 26. Since the contact between the rod 24 and the guide member 26 is limited to both ends of the guide member 26 and the contact area is reduced, the load resistance can be kept small, so that there is an advantage that variations in detection timing can be reduced. Therefore, it can be accurately determined whether or not a predetermined amount of powder is stored in the toner bag 19.
Further, according to the present embodiment, the photosensitive member 2 that is an image carrier included in the image forming unit, the cleaning unit 7 that is a cleaning unit that removes toner that is powder on the photosensitive unit 2, and the cleaning unit 7. In the image forming apparatus P provided with the powder collecting means for collecting the removed toner, the toner bag 19 for containing the toner is provided by having the collecting unit 17 as the powder containing apparatus of the present invention as the powder collecting means. The amount of toner contained in the toner bag can be accurately detected. For example, it can be accurately determined whether or not the toner bag 19 is full.

2 Photoconductor 3 Writing device 6 Developing device 7 Cleaning device 11 Blower 12 Filter 13 Cyclone filter 14 Cleaning unit 15 Brush 16 Housing 17 Recovery unit 18 Recovery cup 19 Toner bag 20 Leaf spring 21 Reed switch 22 Guide sheet 23 Arm 24 Rod 25 Spring 26 Guide member 27 Swing base 28 Ring 32 Corona charger 33 Rotating polyhedron 34 Light source 35 Lens 37 Paper 38 Paper transport mechanism 39 Paper transport mechanism 40 Transfer device 41 Paper hopper 42 Fixing device 44 Heating roller 45 Pressure roller 46 Roller 47 Swing fin 48 Paddle 49 Stacker table 50 Paper stacker section 54 Buffer plate 55 Heater lamp 57 Slide mechanism 58 Plate 59 Pin 60 Spring 61 Housing 62 Both ends 63 Cavity 64 Notch 65 hole

JP-A-2-293886

Claims (3)

A container that is removed from the object to be cleaned by the cleaning means and falls inside the opening provided in the upper part of the apparatus main body, and that is deformable with a flexible material;
A displacement member that is provided on a side surface of the storage container and is biased by the storage container that is inflated and deformed according to the storage amount of the powder stored in the storage container and is displaced in the horizontal direction;
A displacement amount detecting means for detecting a displacement amount of the displacement member;
In a powder storage device having a storage amount detection means for detecting the storage amount of the powder stored in the storage container based on the detection result of the displacement amount detection means,
And have a positioning means for positional relation between the displacement member and the displacement amount detecting means in when no powder is accommodated in the accommodation container is to position the said displacement member to have a predetermined positional relationship ,
A housing that is detachably disposed on the inside of the device, and that is detachably disposed on the apparatus body;
Provided in the opening formed on the side wall of the housing that communicates the inside of the housing and the outside of the housing, the displacement member is moved in the horizontal direction by sliding the outer peripheral surface of the displacement member on the wall surface of its own hollow interior. A cylindrical guide member that guides
A moving member that moves in conjunction with the movement of the housing by moving the housing and pressing it with the guide member;
The displacement amount detecting means is provided on the moving member,
The powder is characterized in that the displacement member is positioned so that the positional relationship between the position of the displacement member and the displacement amount detecting means becomes a predetermined positional relationship when the guide member is in contact with the moving member. Containment device. The powder container of claim 1 ,
The powder accommodating device, wherein the displacement member is in contact with the guide member only at both ends of the guide member, and the displacement member is not in contact with the guide member except at both ends of the guide member. . An image carrier having image forming means;
Cleaning means for removing powder on the image carrier;
In an image forming apparatus provided with a powder recovery means for recovering the powder removed by the cleaning means,
As the powder recovery means, an image forming apparatus characterized by using the powder container according to claim 1 or 2.

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