JP6499474B2 - Image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus that forms an image using an electrophotographic system.

  There has been proposed an image forming apparatus having a structure in which toner (developer) remaining on a transfer belt is scraped off by a blade, conveyed by a screw or the like, and collected in a collection container (see, for example, Patent Documents 1 and 2). .

JP 2011-43568 A JP 2006-162941 A

  In such an image forming apparatus, reduction in size and weight is desired.

  The present disclosure has been made in view of such problems, and an object thereof is to provide an image forming apparatus having a structure suitable for miniaturization and weight reduction.

An image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention includes an image forming unit that forms a toner image by developing toner, a transfer belt that is transported in a first direction and to which a toner image is transferred, and the transfer belt An intermediate transfer belt unit having a removal unit that removes toner remaining on the surface of the transfer belt from the surface of the transfer belt, and a first conveyance unit that conveys the toner removed from the surface of the transfer belt by the removal unit, and the intermediate transfer belt A recovery container that contains the toner transported from the unit; a toner recovery section that has a second transport section that transports the toner transported by the first transport section inside the recovery container; a first transport section and a first transport section; and one driving source for driving both the second conveying unit, a first power transmission unit configured to transmit the power of the drive source to the first transport portion, the first transportable The power of the transmitted driving source to the part, and a second power transmission unit configured to further transmit to the second conveying section. The first transport unit includes a first transport member and a second transport member that further transports the toner transported by the first transport member toward the second transport unit. The first power transmission unit transmits the power of the drive source in parallel to each of the first transport member and the second transport member. The power accompanying the operation of the second transport member is transmitted to the second transport section via the second power transmission section, so that the second transport section is driven.

  According to the image forming apparatus as an embodiment of the present disclosure, the image forming apparatus has a structure suitable for reduction in size and weight.

1 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of the overall configuration of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a perspective view illustrating an overall configuration example of an intermediate transfer belt unit illustrated in FIG. 1. FIG. 2B is an enlarged perspective view showing a part of the intermediate transfer belt unit shown in FIG. 2A. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the intermediate transfer belt unit shown in FIG. 1 viewed obliquely from below. FIG. 2B is a perspective view of the intermediate transfer belt unit shown in FIG. 1 viewed from the side opposite to FIG. 2A. FIG. 4B is an enlarged perspective view showing a part of the intermediate transfer belt unit shown in FIG. 4A. FIG. 2 is a plan view illustrating an internal structure of an intermediate transfer belt unit illustrated in FIG. 1. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view illustrating an internal structure of the intermediate transfer belt unit illustrated in FIG. 1. FIG. 2 is a perspective view illustrating a configuration example of an appearance of a waste toner collection container illustrated in FIG. 1. FIG. 2 is a perspective view illustrating an internal configuration example of a waste toner collection container illustrated in FIG. 1.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. The following description is an example of the present invention, and the present invention is not limited to the following embodiment. Further, the present invention is not limited to the arrangement, dimensions, dimensional ratios, and the like of the components shown in the drawings. The description will be made in the following order.
1. Embodiment An image forming apparatus in which a first conveyance unit in an intermediate transfer belt unit and a second conveyance unit in a toner recovery unit are driven by a common drive source.
2. Other variations

<1. Embodiment>
[Schematic configuration]
FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of the overall configuration of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. The image forming apparatus is, for example, an electrophotographic printer that forms an image (for example, a color image) on a sheet (also referred to as a recording medium, a printing medium, or a transfer material) P.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the image forming apparatus includes a paper holder 1 for holding paper P, a paper feed conveyance path 2, a paper cutting unit 3, a paper slack control conveyance path 4, and a writing timing adjustment conveyance path. 5, an image forming unit 6, an intermediate transfer belt unit 7 and a waste toner collecting container 10, a fixing unit 8, and a discharge conveyance path 9 are sequentially provided from upstream to downstream. The paper P supplied from the paper holder 1 includes a paper feeding conveyance path 2, a paper cutting section 3, a paper slack control conveyance path 4, a writing timing adjustment conveyance path 5, an image forming section 6, an intermediate transfer belt unit 7, and a fixing section 8. , And are conveyed in the order of the discharge conveyance path 9. In the present specification, in the direction in which the paper P travels, a position near the paper holder 1 serving as a supply source of the paper P when viewed from an arbitrary position is referred to as upstream, and a position far from the paper holder 1 is referred to as downstream. Further, in this specification, a direction orthogonal to the traveling direction of the paper P (Z-axis direction perpendicular to the paper surface of FIG. 1) is referred to as a horizontal direction.

  In the paper holder 1, a paper P, which is continuous paper such as roll paper, is rotatably accommodated. The paper P is set so that the printing surface on which the toner image is formed is directed in the direction of the arrow B, for example.

  Between the paper holder 1 and the paper feed conveyance path 2, an inlet sensor 201 and a feed roller pair 202 are provided in this order from upstream to downstream. The entrance sensor 201 is a position detection sensor that detects the leading edge of the paper P. The feeding roller pair 202 starts driving when the paper P is detected by the inlet sensor 201 and feeds the paper P downstream. A paper edge detection sensor 203 is provided in the paper feed conveyance path 2, and a second roller pair 204 is provided downstream of the paper feed conveyance path 2. When the leading end position of the paper P fed out from the feed roller pair 202 is detected by the paper end detection sensor 203, the second roller pair 204 is driven, and the paper P is conveyed to the downstream paper cutting unit 3.

  The paper cutting unit 3 has a fixed blade 301 and a rotary blade 302. In the paper cutting unit 3, the rotary blade 302 rotates in the direction of arrow C with respect to the fixed blade 301, thereby cutting the paper P with a predetermined length.

  The paper slack control transport path 4 is a path for transporting downstream while controlling slack of the paper P cut by the paper cutting unit 3.

  The write timing adjustment conveyance path 5 positioned downstream of the sheet slack control conveyance path 4 is for feeding the sheet P while adjusting the timing to the secondary transfer roller 707 (described later) in the intermediate transfer belt unit 7. The writing timing adjustment conveyance path 5 includes, for example, a leading end detection first sensor 501, a timing adjustment roller 502, and a leading end detection second sensor 503 in order from the upstream. The leading edge detection first sensor 501 and the leading edge detection second sensor 503 are sensors that detect the leading edge position of the conveyed paper P. The timing adjustment roller 502 is a member that conveys the paper P while adjusting the conveyance speed and timing.

  The image forming unit 6 is disposed above the intermediate transfer belt unit 7 and serves as a developing device that forms yellow (Y), magenta (M), cyan (C), and black (K) toner images. It has process units 6Y, 6M, 6C and 6K. The process units 6Y, 6M, 6C, and 6K are detachably disposed in order from the upstream side of the paper P conveyance path. The image forming unit 6 forms each color toner image on the surface of the intermediate transfer belt 701 (described later) of the intermediate transfer belt unit 7 by electrophotography. The image forming unit 6 corresponds to a specific example of the “image forming unit” of the present invention.

  The intermediate transfer belt unit 7 includes, for example, an intermediate transfer belt 701, a drive roller 702, a tension roller 703, a secondary transfer backup roller 704, a primary transfer roller 705, and a secondary transfer roller 707. . The intermediate transfer belt 701 is an endless elastic belt made of a resin material such as polyimide resin. The intermediate transfer belt 701 is stretched (stretched) by a drive roller 702, a tension roller 703, a secondary transfer backup roller 44, and the like. The drive roller 702 is a member that is driven by a drive motor 7M described later and rotates the intermediate transfer belt 701 in a predetermined transport direction F (see FIG. 2A). The tension roller 703 is a driven roller that follows the rotation of the intermediate transfer belt 701 and functions to apply tension to the intermediate transfer belt 701 by a biasing force from a biasing member such as a coil spring. The primary transfer roller 705 is disposed so as to face the image forming unit 6 with the intermediate transfer belt 701 interposed therebetween, and transfers the toner images formed by the process units 6Y, 6M, 6C, and 6K to the surface of the intermediate transfer belt 701. At this time, a predetermined voltage is applied. Further, the secondary transfer backup roller 704 and the secondary transfer roller 707 are arranged to face each other across the intermediate transfer belt 701 on the side opposite to the image forming unit 6 (below the intermediate transfer belt unit 7). A next transfer portion is formed. The secondary transfer backup roller 704 and the secondary transfer roller 707 secondarily transfer the toner image primarily transferred onto the surface of the intermediate transfer belt 701 onto the paper P. The intermediate transfer belt unit 7 uses the function of the writing timing adjustment conveyance path 5 when the toner image is secondarily transferred to the paper P, and the timing at which the image forming unit 6 forms the toner image on the intermediate transfer belt 701. Try to synchronize. The intermediate transfer belt unit 7 corresponds to a specific example of the “intermediate transfer belt unit” of the present invention, and the intermediate transfer belt 701 corresponds to a specific example of the “transfer belt” of the present invention. Further, the transport direction F corresponds to a specific example of “first direction” of the present invention, and the lateral direction perpendicular thereto corresponds to a specific example of “second direction” of the present invention.

  The waste toner collecting container 10 is disposed inside a space surrounded by the intermediate transfer belt 701 and stores toner (hereinafter referred to as waste toner) remaining on the surface of the intermediate transfer belt 701 after the secondary transfer. is there. The waste toner collection container 10 corresponds to a specific example of the “collection container” of the present invention.

  The fixing unit 8 is provided downstream of the intermediate transfer belt unit 7. The fixing unit 8 applies heat and pressure to the toner image transferred to the paper P conveyed from the secondary transfer unit constituted by the secondary transfer backup roller 704 and the secondary transfer roller 707, and the toner image Is melted and fixed on the paper P. The fixing unit 8 includes a pair of rollers 801 and 802 that are pressed against each other with a predetermined pressure, a heat source 803 that is built in the roller 801 and heats the roller 801, and a heat source 804 that is built in the roller 802 and heats the roller 802. Have. The heat sources 803 and 804 are, for example, halogen lamps.

  The discharge conveyance path 9 is provided downstream of the fixing unit 8 and includes a conveyance detection sensor 901, a conveyance roller pair 902, and a discharge conveyance path 903 in order from the upstream. The conveyance detection sensor 901 detects the passage of the paper P on which the toner image is fixed in the fixing unit 8. A pair of transport rollers 902 discharges the paper P transported from the fixing unit 8 to the outside of the image forming apparatus through a discharge transport path 903.

[Detailed Configuration of Intermediate Transfer Belt Unit 7]
Next, a detailed configuration of the intermediate transfer belt unit 7 will be described with reference to FIGS. 2A to 8. 2A is a perspective view illustrating an example of the overall configuration of the intermediate transfer belt unit 7, and FIG. 2B is an enlarged perspective view illustrating a portion surrounded by a two-dot chain line IIB in FIG. 2A. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the intermediate transfer belt unit 7 as viewed obliquely from below. 4A is a perspective view of the intermediate transfer belt unit 7 as viewed from the side opposite to FIG. 2A. 4B is an enlarged perspective view showing a portion surrounded by a two-dot chain line IVB in FIG. 4A. FIG. 5 is a plan view showing the internal structure of the intermediate transfer belt unit 7, and FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view showing the internal structure of the intermediate transfer belt unit. FIG. 7 is a perspective view illustrating a configuration example of the appearance of the waste toner collection container 10 illustrated in FIG. FIG. 8 is a perspective view illustrating an internal configuration example of the waste toner collecting container 10.

  The intermediate transfer belt unit 7 has a pair of frames 120A and 120B at both lateral ends thereof. The pair of frames 120A and 120B are members that rotatably hold the drive roller 702, the tension roller 703, the primary transfer roller 705, and the like. The waste toner collection container 10 is also held on the frames 120A and 120B.

  The intermediate transfer belt unit 7 has a gear train 102 on one side surface in the lateral direction, and a drive gear 702A disposed in the vicinity thereof and connected to the drive roller 702 (see FIGS. 2A, 2B, etc.). . The gear train 102 includes, for example, three gears 102A to 102C that are rotatably held by the frame 120A. The gear 102A is disposed between the gear 102B and the gear 102C and engages with both the gear 102B and the gear 102C. Further, the gear train 102 is disposed to face the gear train 101 (FIGS. 2A and 3) provided in the main body of the image forming apparatus. For example, the gear train 101 includes a gear 101D that engages with the gear 102A, a gear 101C that engages with the gear 101D, a gear 101B that engages with the gear 101C, and a gear 101A that engages with the gear 101B. Is. Here, the gear 101A is connected to a drive motor 7M (FIG. 2A), and is rotated by receiving power from the drive motor 7M. The gear 101B is engaged with the drive gear 702A. Therefore, by driving the drive motor 7M, the power is transmitted to the drive roller 702 via the gear 101A, the gear 101B, and the drive gear 702A in order, and the drive roller 702 rotates. As a result, this image forming apparatus is configured such that the intermediate transfer belt 701 rotates in the transport direction F. Here, the drive motor 7M corresponds to a specific example of the “drive source” of the present invention.

  The intermediate transfer belt unit 7 further includes a shaft 105 that extends in the lateral direction and includes one end fixed to the gear 102C (see FIGS. 2B and 3). The other end of the shaft 105 is fixed to a gear 102D that is rotatably held by the frame 120B (see FIG. 3).

  The intermediate transfer belt unit 7 has a waste toner conveyance path 130 (FIGS. 3 and 5) extending in the lateral direction so as to connect the frame 120A and the frame 120B. The intermediate transfer belt unit 7 further extends in a direction connecting the drive roller 702 and the tension roller 703 along the conveyance direction F, and further includes a waste toner conveyance path 104 (FIGS. 3 to 5) attached to the frame 120B. doing. The waste toner conveyance path 130 and the waste toner conveyance path 104 communicate with each other. The waste toner conveyance path 130 and the waste toner conveyance path 104 are paths through which waste toner remaining on the surface of the intermediate transfer belt 701 is conveyed. As shown in FIG. 5, a coil screw 131 is installed inside the waste toner conveyance path 130, and a spiral 134 is installed inside the waste toner conveyance path 104.

  The coil screw 131 corresponds to a specific example of the “first conveying member” of the present invention, and conveys the waste toner in the lateral direction so as to cross the intermediate transfer belt 701. More specifically, the coil screw 131 is composed of a thin wire spirally wound around the rotation axis J131 extending in the lateral direction as a central axis, and rotates in the direction of the arrow Y131 by rotating around the rotation axis J131. The waste toner is transported to the head. A gear 102B (FIGS. 2A and 2B) is attached to one end of the coil screw 131 so as to follow the rotation of the gear 102A.

  On the other hand, the spiral 134 corresponds to a specific example of the “second transport member” of the present invention, and transports the waste toner transported by the coil screw 131 further toward the waste toner collection container 10 along the transport direction F. To do. More specifically, the spiral 134 has a shaft 134A that extends in the transport direction F and a wing part 134B that spirally winds around the shaft 134A. The spiral 134 can convey the waste toner in the direction of the arrow Y134 by rotating around the rotation axis J134. A gear 103A is attached to one end of the spiral 134, and a gear 103B is attached to the other end (see FIGS. 4A and 5). Of these, the gear 103A is engaged with the gear 102D. A waste toner outlet 104A for discharging waste toner conveyed by the spiral 134 is provided at the bottom of the waste toner conveyance path 104 near the gear 103B (FIG. 4B). Further, gears 103C to 103E are rotatably held on the frame 120B (FIG. 4A). Of these gears 103C to 103E, the gear 103C is engaged with the gear 103B, whereby the power from the gear 103B is sequentially transmitted to the gears 103C to 103E (FIG. 4B).

  The coil screw 131 and the spiral 134 described above function as a “first transport unit” that transports the waste toner remaining on the surface of the intermediate transfer belt 701. The gear trains 101 and 102 function as “first power transmission units” configured to transmit the power of the drive motor 7M to the coil screw 131 and the spiral 134.

  The intermediate transfer belt unit 7 further includes a shaft 133 extending in the lateral direction in the vicinity of the waste toner conveyance path 130 and a blade 132 disposed so as to face the shaft 133 so as to sandwich the traveling intermediate transfer belt 701. (See FIG. 6). The blade 132 is disposed between the waste toner conveyance path 130 and the coil screw 131 and the shaft 133. The blade 132 extends in the lateral direction so as to face the intermediate transfer belt 701 and scrapes off the residual toner remaining on the surface of the intermediate transfer belt 701 (that is, removes the waste toner from the surface of the intermediate transfer belt 701). And a cleaning member for cleaning. The waste toner scraped off (removed) by the blade 132 falls to the waste toner conveyance path 130 and is conveyed in the direction of arrow Y131 (FIG. 5) by the coil screw 131. The blade 132 is a specific example corresponding to the “removal unit” of the present invention.

  As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the waste toner collecting container 10 includes a main body 142 in which waste toner is accumulated and a lid 143 that covers the main body 142. Part of the lid 143 is provided with a waste toner inlet 10A at a position facing the waste toner outlet 104A of the waste toner conveyance path 104. As a result, the waste toner transported through the waste toner transport path 104 by the spiral 134 is introduced into the main body 142. Immediately below the waste toner inlet 10A, a coil screw 140 extending in the lateral direction inside the main body 142 is disposed. The coil screw 140 has one end connected to the gear 103E and the other end connected to a holder 141 provided inside the main body 142 (FIG. 8). The coil screw 140 is held by the main body 142 and the holder 141 so as to be able to rotate following the rotation of the gear 103E. As the coil screw 140 rotates, the waste toner input from the waste toner input port 10A is conveyed to the back of the main body 142 along the horizontal direction inside the main body 142. Here, the coil screw 140 corresponds to a specific example of the “second transport unit” of the present invention. The coil screw 140 and the waste toner collection container 10 function as a “toner collection unit” of the present invention.

  The power of the drive motor 7M transmitted to the spiral 134 is further transmitted to the coil screw 140 by the rotation of the gears 103B to 103E. That is, the power accompanying the rotational operation of the spiral 134 is transmitted to the coil screw 140 through the gears 103B to 103E, so that the coil screw 140 is driven. The gears 103B to 103E correspond to a specific example of “second power transmission unit” of the present invention.

[Action / Effect]
(A. Printing operation)
In this image forming apparatus, the toner image is transferred onto the paper P as follows.

  Specifically, as shown in FIG. 1, first, the paper P is fed out from the paper holder 1 in the paper feeding direction A by the feed roller pair 202. When the leading end position of the paper P fed out from the feed roller pair 202 is detected by the paper end detection sensor 203, the second roller pair 204 is driven, and the paper P is conveyed to the downstream paper cutting unit 3. Next, after the paper P is cut at an arbitrary length in the paper cutting unit 3, the paper P cut in the paper cutting unit 3 passes through the paper slack control conveyance path 4 and then is written by the writing timing adjustment conveyance path 5. At an appropriate timing, the secondary transfer backup roller 704 and the secondary transfer roller 707 are conveyed to the opposing secondary transfer unit.

  In the image forming unit 6 and the intermediate transfer belt unit 7, toner images of respective colors are formed by the following electrophotographic process. That is, for example, the surface of the photosensitive drum is uniformly charged by a charging roller to which a predetermined applied voltage is supplied. Next, exposure is performed by irradiating light from the LED head toward the surface of the photosensitive drum, whereby an electrostatic latent image corresponding to the print pattern is formed on the photosensitive drum. Further, toner is attached from the developing roller to the electrostatic latent image on the photosensitive drum. The toner (toner image) on the photosensitive drum is transferred to the surface of the intermediate transfer belt 701 by an electric field between the opposing primary transfer rollers 705. Further, the toner image on the surface of the intermediate transfer belt 701 is transferred onto the paper P in the secondary transfer portion.

  Thereafter, the toner (toner image) on the paper P is fixed by applying heat and pressure in the fixing device 8. The sheet P on which the toner is fixed is discharged to the outside of the image forming apparatus via the discharge conveyance path 9.

(B. Waste toner processing operation)
Next, the waste toner processing operation in this image forming apparatus will be described with reference to FIGS.

  First, the gear 101A is rotated in the direction of an arrow R101A (FIG. 2A), for example, by the power transmitted from the drive motor 7M. Thereby, the power is sequentially transmitted from the gear 101A to the gear 101B and the drive gear 702A. As a result, the drive roller 702 rotates in the same direction as the gear 101A, and the intermediate transfer belt 701 is conveyed in the conveyance direction F.

  When the intermediate transfer belt 701 is conveyed in the conveyance direction F, the waste toner remaining on the surface of the intermediate transfer belt 701 during the printing operation is scraped off by the blade 132 and falls to the waste toner conveyance path 130 (FIG. 6). ).

  On the other hand, when gear 101A is rotated in the direction of arrow R101A (FIG. 2A), the power is sequentially transmitted from gear 101A to gear 101B, gear 101C, gear 101D, and gear 102A. Due to the rotation of the gear 102A, the gear 102B engaged therewith rotates, and the coil screw 131 rotates. As the coil screw 131 rotates in this manner, the waste toner that has fallen into the waste toner transport path 130 is transported in the direction of the arrow Y131 (FIG. 5) and sent to the waste toner transport path 104.

  Further, since the gear 102A is rotated by the rotation of the gear 102A, the shaft 105 connected to the gear 102C is rotated. Therefore, the power transmitted from the drive motor 7M is sequentially transmitted from the shaft 105 to the gear 102D and the gear 103A, and the spiral 134 is also rotated. That is, the waste toner conveyed through the waste toner conveyance path 130 by the coil screw 131 reaches the waste toner conveyance path 104 and is further conveyed by the spiral 134 toward the waste toner collection container 10 through the waste toner conveyance path 104. The Rukoto. The waste toner conveyed by the spiral 134 finally falls from the waste toner outlet 104A and is put into the waste toner collection container 10 from the waste toner inlet 10A.

  Furthermore, since the gears 103B to 103E also rotate depending on the rotation of the spiral 134, the coil screw 140 also rotates. That is, the power accompanying the rotational operation of the spiral 134 is transmitted to the coil screw 140 through the gears 103B to 103E, whereby the coil screw 140 rotates. The waste toner input from the waste toner input port 10 </ b> A is conveyed to the back of the main body 142 along the horizontal direction by the coil screw 140 inside the main body 142.

(C. Effect)
As described above, in the image forming apparatus according to the present embodiment, the coil motor 131, the spiral 134, and the coil screw 140 are all rotated by the drive motor 7M that is one drive source. Therefore, this image forming apparatus is smaller, lighter, and lower in cost than a configuration in which dedicated drive motors are individually provided for each of the coil screw 131, the spiral 134, and the coil screw 140, for example. And has an advantageous configuration.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the power of one drive motor 7M is transmitted in parallel (individually) to each of the coil screw 131 and the spiral 134 that require relatively large power for the rotation operation. . For this reason, the coil screw 131 and the spiral 134 are connected in series and, for example, compared with the case where the power required for the rotational operation of the spiral 134 is transmitted from one drive motor 7M via the coil screw 131, the coil screw 131 and the spiral 134 are connected. Both rotation operations can be performed smoothly. That is, when the coil screw 131 and the spiral 134 are rotated, high responsiveness and high power transmission efficiency are obtained.

  On the other hand, the power required for the rotating operation of the coil screw 140 may be smaller than the power required for the rotating operation of the coil screw 131 and the spiral 134. For this reason, even if power is transmitted from the drive motor 7M to the coil screw 140 via the spiral 134, the coil screw 140 can smoothly rotate. In the present embodiment, the rotational operation of the coil screw 140 is thus made dependent on the rotational operation of the spiral 134 based on the power of the drive motor 7M via the gears 103B to 103E. A drive motor is not required. In addition, the number of power transmission members such as gears can be reduced as compared with the case where the power of the drive motor 7M is transmitted in parallel to both the coil screw 140 and the spiral 134. Therefore, this image forming apparatus has a configuration suitable for reduction in size and weight while suppressing an increase in cost.

  Further, in this image forming apparatus, the drive roller 702 that conveys the intermediate transfer belt 701 is rotated using the power of the drive motor 7M that performs all the rotation operations of the coil screw 131, the spiral 134, and the coil screw 140. I made it. For this reason, this image forming apparatus has a preferable configuration in terms of size reduction, weight reduction, and cost reduction compared to a configuration in which a dedicated drive motor for driving the drive roller 702 is provided.

  Further, in this image forming apparatus, the coil screw 131 and the waste toner collecting container 10 are provided in the space surrounded by the intermediate transfer belt 701 that is an endless belt having an annular shape. Can be realized.

<2. Other variations>
While the present invention has been described with reference to the embodiments and modifications, the present invention is not limited to these embodiments and the like, and various modifications can be made.

  For example, in the above embodiment, an image forming apparatus that forms a color image has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and for example, only a black toner image is transferred to form a monochrome image color image. It may be an image forming apparatus.

  Moreover, in the said embodiment etc., although the LED head which has a light emitting diode as a light source was used as an exposure part, you may use a laser element etc. as a light source, for example.

  Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment and the like, an image forming apparatus having a printing function has been described as a specific example of the “image forming apparatus” in the present invention, but the present invention is not limited to this. That is, in addition to such a printing function, for example, the present invention can also be applied to an image forming apparatus that functions as a multifunction peripheral having a scanning function and a fax function.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Paper holder, 2 ... Paper feed conveyance path, 3 ... Paper cutting part, 4 ... Paper slack control conveyance path, 5 ... Write timing adjustment conveyance path, 6 ... Image formation part, 6Y, 6M, 6C, 6K ... Process unit , 7: Intermediate transfer belt unit, 8: Fixing unit, 9: Discharge transport path, 10 ... Waste toner collection container, 10A ... Waste toner inlet, P ... Paper, 101, 102, 103 ... Gear, 104 ... Waste toner transport , 104A ... waste toner conveyance outlet, 105 ... shaft, 120A, 120B ... frame, 130 ... waste toner conveyance path, 131, 140 ... coil screw, 132 ... blade, 133 ... shaft, 134 ... spiral, 140 ... coil screw, 141 ... Holder, 142 ... Body, 143 ... Lid, 201 ... Entrance sensor, 202 ... Feeding roller pair, 203 ... Paper end detection sensor 204 ... Feeding second roller pair, 301 ... Fixed blade, 302 ... Rotating blade, 501 ... First end detection first sensor, 502 ... Timing adjustment roller, 503 ... Second end detection second sensor, 701 ... Intermediate transfer belt, 702 ... Drive roller 703, tension roller, 704, secondary transfer backup roller, 705, primary transfer roller, 707, secondary transfer roller, 801, 802, roller pairs, 803, 804, heat source, 901, transport detection sensor, 902, transport. Roller pair, 903... Discharge conveyance path.

Claims (5)

An image forming unit that forms a toner image by developing the toner;
A transfer belt that is transported in the first direction and onto which the toner image is transferred; a removal unit that removes the toner remaining on the surface of the transfer belt from the surface of the transfer belt; and An intermediate transfer belt unit having a first transport unit for transporting the toner removed from the surface;
A toner collection unit that contains the toner conveyed from the intermediate transfer belt unit, and a toner collection unit having a second conveyance unit that conveys the toner conveyed by the first conveyance unit inside the collection container; ,
One drive source that drives both the first transport unit and the second transport unit;
A first power transmission unit configured to transmit power of the drive source to the first transport unit;
A second power transmission unit configured to further transmit the power of the drive source transmitted to the first transport unit to the second transport unit;
The first transport unit includes a first transport member and a second transport member that further transports the toner transported by the first transport member toward the second transport unit,
The first power transmission unit transmits the power of the drive source in parallel to each of the first transport member and the second transport member,
An image forming apparatus in which the second conveyance unit is driven by transmitting power associated with the operation of the second conveyance member to the second conveyance unit via the second power transmission unit. The second conveying member conveys the toner along the first direction;
The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first transport member transports the toner along a second direction intersecting the first direction. The image forming apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the second transport unit transports the toner along the second direction. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a driving roller that conveys the transfer belt by power of the driving source. The transfer belt is an endless belt having an annular shape,
The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the collection container is provided in a space surrounded by the transfer belt.

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