JP6507850B2 - Image forming apparatus and image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Description

  BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus such as a developing device attachable to and detachable from an image forming apparatus, and an image forming apparatus.

  Conventionally, an electrophotographic image forming apparatus is known as a printer, a copying machine, and the like. In such an image forming apparatus, the surface of the photosensitive drum is charged, the charged surface is exposed to form an electrostatic latent image, and a toner is attached to the electrostatic latent image by the developing device to form a toner image. Be done.

  Excess toner remaining on the photosensitive drum and the transfer unit is collected from the respective cleaning units into the image forming apparatus. Further, in the case of the developing device adopting the trickle method, in the developer in which the toner and the carrier are mixed, the deteriorated carrier called waste developer is collected from the discharge portion provided in the developing device to the collection portion. An image forming apparatus such as a developing device is configured to be detachable from an image forming apparatus for maintenance and inspection. For this reason, a discharge unit provided with a discharge port for discharging the waste developer is configured to be inserted into and removed from the collection unit on the image forming apparatus side.

  In such a configuration, the waste developer discharged from the discharge port may enter the gap between the discharge unit and the collection unit. When the waste developer that has entered the gap between the discharge unit and the collection unit leaks to the vicinity of the sealing member of the discharge unit, the waste developer passes from the collection unit to the sealing member by the operation of attaching and detaching the developing device. It may leak inside.

  Therefore, in the developing device, a technique has been proposed in which a waste developer discharge port is formed on the upper surface of the discharge unit (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

JP, 2005-18039, A

  However, if the waste developer discharge port is formed on the upper surface of the discharge unit, the waste developer discharge efficiency decreases, which causes the waste developer to be clogged. For this reason, when the discharge port is enlarged, the apparatus becomes large, and the leak of the waste developer can not be suppressed.

  The present invention has been made to solve such problems, and it is an object of the present invention to provide an image forming apparatus and an image forming apparatus capable of suppressing the leakage of waste developer at the time of mounting and demounting to the image forming apparatus. Do.

  In order to solve the problems described above, according to the first aspect of the present invention, a moving direction of the main body portion having a storage portion for storing the developer and the main body portion in an operation of attaching and detaching the main body portion to the image forming apparatus The discharge unit protrudes from the main body along the opening and is inserted into and removed from the collection unit provided in the image forming apparatus, the discharge port configured by providing an opening on the side surface of the discharge unit, and A feed unit is provided, and includes a transport unit that transports the waste developer to the discharge port by rotation of the feed unit. The discharge unit seals between the main body and the discharge port when inserted into the recovery unit. The discharge port is sealed by a member, and in the side portion on the upstream side with respect to the transport direction of the waste developer transported by the transport portion, the portion facing the side where the slope of the feed portion precedes is the slope of the transport portion. Accordingly, the image forming apparatus is retracted to the downstream side in the conveyance direction of the waste developer, and is separated from the sealing member.

  The invention according to claim 2 is the image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the discharge port is inclined at an upstream side with respect to the waste developer conveyance direction in accordance with the angle of the feed unit.

  According to the third aspect of the present invention, the discharge port has a trapezoidal shape in which the side portion on the upstream side with respect to the waste developer transport direction is inclined according to the angle of the feed portion, along the waste developer transport direction. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a short side portion which is one side portion is provided below a long side portion which is the other side portion.

  According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, the main unit projects from the side of the main unit on the same side as the discharge unit along the moving direction of the main unit in the operation of attaching and detaching the main unit to the image forming apparatus. The image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising an alignment unit that aligns the discharge unit.

  In the invention according to claim 5, in the alignment unit, the alignment unit is provided in the image forming apparatus before the discharge unit is inserted into the collection unit in the operation in which the main unit is attached to the image forming apparatus. 5. An imaging device according to claim 4, having a length which enters the alignment hole.

  The invention according to claim 6 includes an image forming device, and includes an image forming unit that forms an image on a sheet, and a fixing unit that fixes the image on a sheet on which the image is formed by the image forming unit. The apparatus is provided in the image forming apparatus so that the apparatus protrudes from the main body along the moving direction of the main body having a storage area for storing the developer and the main body in an operation of attaching and detaching the main body to the image forming apparatus. A discharge unit configured to be inserted into and removed from the collection unit, a discharge port configured to have an opening at the side surface of the discharge unit, and a helical feed unit provided to a shaft that is rotationally driven. A delivery unit is provided for delivering the waste developer to the outlet, and when the delivery unit is inserted into the recovery unit, the space between the main body and the delivery port is sealed with a sealing member, and the delivery port is delivered by the delivery unit In the side portion on the upstream side with respect to the waste developer transport direction, the Site, is retracted to the downstream side in the conveying direction of the waste developer according to the inclination of the feeding unit, an image forming apparatus that is separated from the sealing member.

  In the present invention, when the image forming apparatus such as the developing device is mounted on the image forming apparatus, the discharge unit of the developing device inserted into the collection unit of the image forming apparatus seals the position between the main body and the discharge port. Sealed by a stop member.

  In a device for rotating powder in the form of toner, carrier, etc. along the axial direction by rotating a helical feed unit, in a configuration in which a discharge port is provided on the side of the feed unit, the feed of the part facing the discharge port The portion is inclined in the direction in which one side leads the other along the powder transport direction. For this reason, the amount of powder discharged from the discharge port is larger on the side where the inclination of the feed section precedes.

  In the present invention, in the side portion on the upstream side with respect to the waste developer conveyance direction, the discharge port corresponds to the part facing the side where the inclination of the feed part precedes the conveyance direction of the waste developer according to the inclination of the feed part. Is retracted downstream of the sealing member and separated from the sealing member.

  Thus, in the present invention, the discharge port differs in the distance from the upstream side of the waste developer in the conveyance direction from the sealing member to the size of the amount of the waste developer to be discharged. In this case, waste developer is often discharged from the side where the distance to the sealing member is long.

  In the present invention, the side from which a large amount of waste developer is discharged at the discharge port increases the distance from the sealing member. As a result, even if the waste developer discharged from the discharge port enters the gap between the discharge portion and the recovery portion, the waste developer is suppressed from leaking to the vicinity of the sealing member, and the waste developer is recovered. It is suppressed that it leaks from a part over a sealing member into an apparatus.

  Further, in the present invention, the discharge port can increase the distance from the upstream side to the sealing member with respect to the transport direction of the waste developer without extending the length of the discharge portion. Can be prevented.

It is a block diagram which shows an example of the image development apparatus of this Embodiment. It is a block diagram which shows an example of the image development apparatus of this Embodiment. FIG. 2 is a main part configuration diagram of an image forming apparatus to which a developing device is attached. FIG. 2 is a main part configuration diagram of an image forming apparatus to which a developing device is attached. FIG. 2 is a main part configuration diagram of an image forming apparatus to which a developing device is attached. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of an image forming apparatus of the present embodiment.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of a developing device and an image forming apparatus of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

<Configuration Example of Developing Device of This Embodiment>
1 and 2 are block diagrams showing an example of the developing device according to the present embodiment, FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of main parts of the developing device, and FIG. 2 is an overall block diagram of the developing device. 3 to 5 are main configuration diagrams of the image forming apparatus to which the developing device is mounted.

  The developing device 1A of the present embodiment is an example of an image forming device, and is detachably mounted to the image forming apparatus 100, and supplies toner to the photosensitive drum D of the drum unit Du. The developing device 1A includes a main unit 2 in which a developer in which toner and carrier are mixed is stored, a discharge unit 3 that discharges the waste developer, a transport unit 4 that transports the developer and the waste developer, and a transport unit A discharge port 5 is provided to discharge the waste developer conveyed at 4.

  The main body portion 2 includes a developing roller 20 for supplying toner to the photosensitive drum D, a storage portion 21 for storing a developer, and a stirring portion 22 for stirring the stored developer.

  The developing device 1A supplies the toner to the photosensitive drum D by the developing roller 20 disposed opposite to the photosensitive drum D, as shown in FIG. 3, while circulating the developer in the housing portion 21 and the stirring portion 22. The developing device 1A discharges the waste developer from the discharge unit 3 in order to collect the waste developer (carrier) by the image forming apparatus 100.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the developing device 1 </ b> A is attached to and detached from the mounting unit 101 provided in the image forming apparatus 100 by an operation of moving the main body unit 2 in the arrow A direction. The waste developer discharger 3 projects from the side of the main body 2 along the moving direction of the main body 2 in the operation of attaching and detaching the main body 2 to the mounting portion 101. The discharge part 3 has a substantially cylindrical shape, and a space communicating with the storage part 21 is formed inside.

  In the developing device 1A, the discharge unit 3 is inserted into and removed from the insertion opening 102a of the waste developer recovery unit 102 provided in the image forming apparatus 100 by the operation in which the main unit 2 is attached to and detached from the mounting unit 101 of the image forming apparatus 100. Ru.

  The insertion port 102 a of the recovery unit 102 is formed of a cylindrical recess fitted to the shape of the discharge unit 3, and an O-shaped sealing member 102 b is provided on the inner peripheral surface. In the developing device 1A, when the discharge unit 3 is inserted into the insertion opening 102a of the collection unit 102, the space between the main unit 2 and the discharge opening 5 is sealed by the sealing member 102b.

  The transport unit 4 is configured by providing a helical feeding unit 41 on a shaft 40 that is rotationally driven, and is provided in the storage unit 21. In the developing device 1A, the driving force is transmitted to the shaft 40 to rotate the feeding unit 41, whereby the waste developer is conveyed to the discharge port 5 along the extending direction of the shaft 40.

  The conveying portion 4 is provided with the feeding portion 41 in the same direction as a so-called positive screw, and rotates the waste developer in the arrow F direction by rotating clockwise as viewed from the downstream axial direction with respect to the waste developer conveying direction. Transport in the direction. In the developing device 1 </ b> A, the stirring unit 22 is provided with a stirring unit 42 having the same configuration as the conveyance unit 4.

  The outlet 5 is configured by providing an opening on the side surface of the outlet 3. In the developing device 1A, when the main body unit 2 is attached to the attachment unit 101 of the image forming apparatus 100 and the discharge unit 3 is inserted into the insertion port 102a of the recovery unit 102, the recovery port and the exhaust port (not shown) provided in the insertion port 102a The outlet 5 is in communication.

  The discharge port 5 has a shape in which the side portion 50 on the upstream side with respect to the transport direction of the waste developer shown by the arrow F transported by the transport unit 4 is inclined in accordance with the angle of the feed unit 41. In this example, when the discharge unit 3 is viewed from the side, the feed unit 41 of the portion facing the discharge port 5 and the side portion 50 are substantially parallel.

  Further, the discharge port 5 has a shape in which the side portion 51 on the downstream side with respect to the waste developer conveyance direction is substantially orthogonal to the waste developer conveyance direction. Furthermore, the discharge port 5 has a shape in which two side portions along the transport direction of the waste developer are substantially parallel to the transport direction of the waste developer.

  As described above, when the discharge port 5 is viewed from the side of the discharge unit 3, the side 50 on the upstream side with respect to the conveyance direction of the waste developer is not parallel to the side 51 on the downstream side, and the waste developer is conveyed. One side along the direction is a short side 52, and the other side is a long trapezoid.

  As a result, in the side 50 of the discharge port 5 on the upstream side of the waste developer in the conveyance direction, the portion opposite to the side where the inclination of the feed part 41 precedes the conveyance of the waste developer according to the inclination of the feed part 41 It becomes a position retracted to the downstream side in the direction, and is separated from the sealing member 102 b.

Therefore, in the state where the discharge unit 3 is inserted into the insertion opening 102 a of the collection unit 102, the discharge opening 5 is the side 50 on the short side 52 side of the side 50 on the upstream side with respect to the waste developer conveyance direction. distance _{L 1} to the sealing member 102b from the longer composed of the distance _{L 2} to the sealing member 102b from the side portion 50 of the long side portion 53 side.

  Further, the shape in which the discharge port 5 is provided in the lateral direction of the discharge portion 3 and the short side 52 is positioned below the long side 53 in a state where the developing device 1A is mounted to the image forming apparatus 100. And

  The developing device 1 </ b> A includes a shutter 30 that opens and closes the discharge port 5. The shutter 30 is provided so as to be movable along the direction in which the discharge unit 3 protrudes, and the discharge unit 3 opens the discharge opening 5 by the operation of being inserted into the insertion opening 102 a of the collection unit 102. In addition, the discharge unit 3 closes the discharge port 5 by the operation of being removed from the insertion port 102 a of the collection unit 102.

  The developing device 1A includes an alignment unit 6 that aligns the discharge unit 3 with the insertion port 102a of the collection unit 102. The alignment unit 6 protrudes from the side of the main unit 2 on the same side as the discharge unit 3 along the moving direction of the main unit 2 in the operation of attaching and detaching the main unit 2 to the mounting unit 101 of the image forming apparatus 100. Do.

  In the developing device 1A, as shown in FIG. 5A, when the main body portion 2 is mounted on the mounting portion 101, the alignment portion 6 is inserted into the alignment hole portion 104 provided in the image forming apparatus 100. The discharge unit 3 is inserted into the insertion port 102 a of the collection unit 102.

  Here, the length of the alignment unit 6 is determined by the alignment unit 6 before the discharge unit 3 is inserted into the insertion opening 102 a of the collection unit 102 in the operation of mounting the developing device 1 A to the image forming apparatus 100. Is a length that enters the alignment hole 104. Thus, in the operation in which the developing device 1A is removed from the image forming apparatus 100, the alignment portion 6 is removed from the alignment hole portion 104 after the discharging portion 3 is removed from the insertion port 102a of the collection portion 102.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the developing device 1A needs to be positioned so that the developing roller 20 is parallel to the photosensitive drum D of the drum unit Du. Therefore, the developing device 1A has a configuration in which the abutting portion 10 abuts on the alignment portion D20 provided in the drum unit Du.

  Therefore, when the positioning accuracy of the sealing member 102b is increased in the insertion opening 102a of the recovery unit 102 into which the discharge unit 3 is inserted, the abutment unit 10 can not abut against the alignment unit D20 in a predetermined state. The positional accuracy of the developing roller 20 and the photosensitive drum D may be deviated. If the positional accuracy between the developing roller 20 and the photosensitive drum D is deviated, the image density is inclined, and the quality of the image is degraded.

  Therefore, the sealing portion seat 102c is formed of a brush-like member, and allows movement of the discharge portion 3 in the insertion port 102a.

<Example of Configuration of Image Forming Apparatus According to Embodiment>
FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing an example of the image forming apparatus of the present embodiment. The image forming apparatus 100 is, for example, an electrophotographic image forming apparatus such as a copying machine, and in this example, a full color image is formed by arranging a plurality of photosensitive members facing one intermediate transfer belt in the longitudinal direction. It is a so-called tandem type color image forming apparatus to be formed.

  The image forming apparatus 100 includes a document reading unit 110, an image forming unit 111, a sheet conveyance unit 7, and a fixing unit 8.

  The document reading unit 110 scans and exposes the image of the document by the optical system of the scanning exposure apparatus, reads the reflected light by the line image sensor, and thereby obtains an image signal. The image forming apparatus 100 may be configured such that an automatic document feeder (not shown) for feeding a document is provided at the top.

  The image forming unit 111 is an example of an image forming unit, and forms an image forming unit 111Y that forms an image of yellow (Y), an image forming unit 111M that forms an image of magenta (M), and an image of cyan (C). And an image forming unit 111 </ b> BK that forms an image of black (BK).

The image forming unit 111Y includes a photosensitive drum _{D Y} and arranged charging unit 12Y its periphery constituting a drum unit Du, the optical writing unit 13Y, a developing device 1A _Y and drum cleaner 15Y of this embodiment. Similarly, the image forming units 111M, 111C, and 111BK include the photosensitive drums D _M , D _C , and D _BK, and charging units 12 M, 12 C, and 12 BK, and optical writing units 13 M, 13 C, and 13 BK disposed around the photosensitive drums. The developing devices 1A _M , 1A _C , 1A _BK and drum cleaners 15M, 15C, 15BK of the embodiment are provided.

Photosensitive drum D _Y, the surface by the charging unit 12Y has been is uniformly charged by a scanning exposure by the optical writing unit 13Y, a latent image is formed on the photosensitive drum D _Y. Further, the developing device 1A _Y develops the latent image on the photosensitive drum D _Y by developing with toner. Thus, on the photosensitive drum D _Y, predetermined color image corresponding to the yellow (toner image) is formed.

Similarly, the photosensitive drum D _M, the surface by the charging unit 12M has been is uniformly charged by a scanning exposure by the optical writing unit 13M, a latent image is formed on the photosensitive drum D _M. Further, the developing apparatus 1A _M is visualizes the latent image on the photosensitive drum D _M by developing it with toner. Thus, on the photosensitive drum D _M, the toner image of a predetermined color corresponding to magenta is formed.

Photosensitive drum D _C, the surface by the charging unit 12C has been is uniformly charged by a scanning exposure by the optical writing unit 13C, the latent image is formed on the photosensitive drum D _C. Further, the developing apparatus 1A _C is visualizes the latent image on the photosensitive drum D _C by developing it with toner. Thereby, the photoreceptor drum D _C, the toner image of a predetermined color corresponding to the cyan is formed.

Photosensitive drum D _BK, the surface by the charging unit 12BK has been is uniformly charged by a scanning exposure by the optical writing unit 13BK, a latent image is formed on the photosensitive drum D _BK. Further, the developing device 1A _BK develops the latent image on the photosensitive drum D _BK by developing with toner. As a result, a toner image of a predetermined color corresponding to black is formed on the photosensitive drum _DBK .

The images formed on the photosensitive drums D _Y , D _M , D _C and D _BK are formed on the intermediate transfer belt 16 as a belt-like intermediate transfer member by the primary transfer rollers 17 Y, 17 M, 17 C and 17 _BK. Sequentially transferred to the location.

  The image of each color transferred onto the intermediate transfer belt 16 is transferred by the secondary transfer unit 18 to the sheet P transported by the sheet transport unit 7 at a predetermined timing. The secondary transfer portion 18 forms the transfer nip portion 19 by disposing the secondary transfer roller 18 a in pressure contact with the intermediate transfer belt 16, and transfers the image onto the sheet P while transporting the sheet P.

  In the secondary transfer portion 18, in order to transfer the toner image to the sheet P, a voltage is applied from the back side of the sheet P by the secondary transfer roller 18a.

  The sheet conveyance unit 7 includes a plurality of sheet feeding trays 71 in the present embodiment in which sheets P are stored, and a sheet feeding unit 71 a that feeds the sheets P stored in the sheet feeding tray 71. Further, the sheet conveyance unit 7 includes a main conveyance path 73 in which the sheet P fed from the sheet feeding tray 71 is conveyed, and a reverse conveyance path 74 in which the sheet P is reversed.

  The main conveyance path 73 constitutes a conveyance path from the paper feed tray 71 to the paper discharge tray 75. When the external feed tray 72 referred to as a manual feed tray is opened and used, the transport path from the external feed tray 72 merges with the main transport path 73 on the upstream side of the merging point of the main transport path 73 and the reverse transport path 74. Do.

The developing devices 1A _B , 1A _M , 1A _C , and 1A _{BK according to the} present embodiment are mounted on the upper side of the sheet conveyance path by the main conveyance path 73, and as shown in FIG. 4, the development devices 1A _B , 1A _M , In the operation of attaching and detaching 1A _C and 1A _BK , the discharge unit 3 passes on the sheet conveyance path.

  The sheet conveyance unit 7 corrects an inclination of the sheet P called a skew with respect to the sheet P conveyed on the main conveyance path 73 and a registration roller 76 that corrects the deviation of the position of the sheet P in the width direction orthogonal to the conveyance direction. Equipped with The sheet conveyance unit 7 further includes a loop roller 77 that abuts the sheet against the registration roller 76.

  The registration roller 76 includes a pair of rollers facing each other across the sheet P conveyed in the main conveyance path 73, has an axis orthogonal to the conveyance direction of the sheet P, and rotates along the conveyance direction of the sheet P Do.

  The loop roller 77 is configured by a pair of rollers facing each other across the sheet P conveyed in the main conveyance path 73, and is provided on the upstream side of the registration roller 76 in the conveyance direction of the sheet P. The loop roller 77 has an axis orthogonal to the conveyance direction of the sheet P, and conveys the sheet P by rotating along the conveyance direction of the sheet P.

  In a state where the registration roller 76 is stopped, the sheet P is conveyed by the loop roller 77, and the leading end of the sheet P is abutted against the nip portion 76a formed by the contact portion of the pair of rollers. By conveying the sheet P until it is in the state, the inclination in the direction along the surface of the sheet P is corrected.

  After the inclination of the sheet P is corrected, the registration roller 76 is rotationally driven in the conveyance direction of the sheet P, whereby the sheet P is nipped and conveyed. Further, by moving the registration roller 76 in the width direction of the sheet P orthogonal to the conveyance direction of the sheet P, the position in the width direction of the sheet P is corrected. As described above, a series of sheet position correction operations for correcting the deviation of the position in the width direction while conveying the sheet P is referred to as resist oscillation.

  The reverse conveyance path 74 branches from the main conveyance path 73 on the downstream side of the fixing unit 8, and is provided with a switching gate 73 a at the branch point of the main conveyance path 73 and the reverse conveyance path 74. The reverse conveyance path 74 includes a first reverse conveyance path 74 a branched from the main conveyance path 73 and extending substantially horizontally below the main conveyance path 73. In the first reverse conveyance path 74a, the conveyance direction of the sheet P is reversed from the direction of arrow D1 to the direction of arrow D2.

  The reverse conveyance path 74 branches upward from the first reverse conveyance path 74 a in the conveyance direction indicated by the arrow D 2 and bends in a substantially U-shape from the second reverse conveyance path 74 b and the second reverse conveyance path 74 b. , And a third reverse conveyance path 74c extending along the first reverse conveyance path 74a. Furthermore, the reverse conveyance path 74 includes a fourth reverse conveyance path 74 d that is bent in a substantially U shape from the third reverse conveyance path 74 c and merges with the main conveyance path 73.

  In the image forming apparatus 100, the sheet P which has been conveyed through the main conveyance path 73 and passed through the transfer nip portion 79 and the fixing portion 8 forms an image on the surface facing upward. When forming an image on both sides of the sheet P, the sheet P having the image formed on one side facing upward is transported from the main transport path 73 to the first reverse transport path 74 a of the reverse transport path 74. , The image forming surface faces downward.

  The sheet P transported to the first reverse transport path 74 a is transported from the second reverse transport path 74 b to the third reverse transport path 74 c, so that the image forming surface faces upward. Then, the sheet P conveyed to the third reverse conveyance path 74c is conveyed from the fourth reverse conveyance path 74d to the main conveyance path 73, so that the image forming surface faces downward. As a result, the sheet P is turned upside down, and an image can be formed on the other side facing upward.

  The fixing unit 8 is an example of a fixing unit, and performs a fixing process for fixing the image on the sheet P on which the image is transferred. The fixing unit 8 includes a fixing roller 81 and a fixing roller 82 as a pair of fixing members disposed in pressure contact with each other. The fixing roller 81 and the fixing roller 82 are in pressure contact to form a fixing nip portion 83.

  The fixing unit 8 also includes a fixing heater 84 that heats the fixing roller 81 as a heating unit that heats the fixing member. The fixing heater 84 is turned on by energization and, for example, a halogen lamp can be used. The fixing unit 8 fixes the image on the sheet P by conveying the sheet P and performing pressure fixing by the pair of fixing rollers 81 and 82 and heat fixing by the fixing heater 84.

<Operation Example of Developing Device of This Embodiment>
Next, an operation example of the developing device of the present embodiment will be described with reference to the respective drawings. When the developing device 1A is mounted to the mounting portion 101 of the image forming apparatus 100, the alignment portion 6 is inserted into the alignment hole portion 104 of the image forming apparatus 100, and then the discharge portion 3 is inserted into the insertion port 102a of the collection portion 102. Inserted into The position between the main body 2 and the discharge port 5 of the discharge unit 3 inserted into the insertion port 102 a of the collection unit 102 is sealed by the sealing member 102 b.

  In the developing device 1A that transports the waste developer along the axial direction by rotating the spiral feeding unit 41, in a configuration in which the discharge port 5 is provided on the side of the feeding unit 41, a portion facing the discharge port 5 The feed portion 41 is inclined in a direction in which one side leads the other along the waste developer transport direction. For this reason, the amount of waste developer discharged from the discharge port 5 is larger on the side where the inclination of the feeding portion 41 precedes.

  In the present embodiment, the discharge port 5 has a substantially trapezoidal shape in which the side portion 50 on the upstream side with respect to the waste developer conveyance direction is inclined in accordance with the angle of the feed portion 41. As a result, in the side 50 of the discharge port 5 on the upstream side of the waste developer in the conveyance direction, the portion opposite to the side where the inclination of the feed part 41 precedes the conveyance of the waste developer according to the inclination of the feed part 41 It becomes a position retracted to the downstream side in the direction, and is separated from the sealing member 102 b.

  Therefore, in the discharge port 5, the waste developer discharged from the short side 52 side is large from the inclination direction, the angle and the rotation direction of the feeding part 41, and the waste developer discharged from the long side 53 side is small. Also, the side from which the waste developer is discharged at the discharge port 5 has a longer distance from the sealing member 102b.

  Furthermore, the discharge port 5 is provided in the lateral direction of the discharge part 3 and has a shape in which the short side 52 is located below the long side 53.

  Thus, even if the waste developer discharged from the discharge port 5 enters the gap between the discharge portion 3 and the insertion port 102a of the collection portion 102, the waste developer may leak to the vicinity of the sealing member 102b. Even if the sealing member 102b does not have a strong brush-like sealing force, the waste developer is prevented from leaking from the recovery portion 102 to the inside of the apparatus beyond the sealing member 102b.

  As shown in FIG. 4, in the configuration in which the discharge unit 3 passes above the sheet conveyance path in the operation of attaching and detaching the developing device 1A, when the waste developer leaks from the collection unit 102 into the apparatus, the sheet conveyance path The waste developer adheres to the image, which may cause image defects called white spots or black spots. Further, the iron powder contained in the waste developer causes a failure such as a short circuit of an electric component.

  In the present embodiment, since the waste developer is suppressed from leaking out of the recovery unit 102 beyond the sealing member 102 b and into the apparatus, the waste developer is prevented from adhering to the sheet conveyance path, and an image is formed. It is possible to suppress the occurrence of defects such as the occurrence of defects and the failure of electrical components.

  Further, by making the shape of the discharge port 5 trapezoidal, without extending the length of the discharge part 3, the discharge port 5 extends from the side portion 50 on the upstream side to the sealing member 102b with respect to the transport direction of the waste developer. Distance can be increased, and enlargement of the device can be prevented.

  Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 5B, in the operation in which the developing device 1A is removed from the image forming apparatus 100, the alignment unit 6 is aligned before the discharge unit 3 is removed from the insertion port 102a of the recovery unit 102. In the configuration of being removed from the hole portion 104, the positional accuracy is deteriorated before the discharge portion 3 is removed from the sealing member 102b. Therefore, when the waste developer enters the gap between the discharge unit 3 and the insertion port 102a of the collection unit 102, the waste developer may leak from the insertion port 102a.

  On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 5A, in the operation in which the developing device 1A is removed from the image forming apparatus 100, the alignment unit 6 is positioned after the discharge unit 3 is removed from the insertion port 102a of the collection unit 102. In the configuration of coming out of the alignment hole portion 104, the positional accuracy does not deteriorate before the discharge portion 3 leaves the sealing member 102b. Therefore, even when the waste developer enters the gap between the discharge unit 3 and the insertion port 102a of the collection unit 102, the waste developer may leak from the collection unit 102 to the inside of the apparatus through the sealing member 102b. It can be suppressed.

<Modified Example of Developing Device of This Embodiment>
In the developing device 1A of the present embodiment, the discharge port 5 may be provided downward rather than in the lateral direction of the discharge unit 3. In this case, it is preferable that the short side portion 52 be shaped to be the lowest end. Further, the discharge port 5 may have a different angle as long as the side portion 50 on the upstream side in the conveyance direction of the waste developer is not substantially parallel to the feeding portion 41, as long as the direction of inclination is the same.

  Furthermore, in the side 50 on the upstream side of the waste developer in the conveyance direction of the waste developer, the part facing the side where the inclination of the feed part 41 precedes the side 50 in the conveyance direction of the waste developer according to the inclination of the conveyance part. The shape may be elliptical, semicircular, or the like as long as it is a shape that is retracted downstream and separated from the sealing member. In the above example, the developing device has been described as an example of the imaging device, but other imaging devices that have a waste carrier and a discharge unit for waste developer including waste toner and that can be attached to and detached from the image forming apparatus 100 By providing the same discharge port 5 in the discharge portion, it is possible to suppress the waste developer from leaking into the apparatus.

  The present invention is applied to an image forming apparatus for transferring a toner image to a sheet.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1A ... developing device, 2 ... main-body part, 3 ... discharge part, 4 ... conveyance part, 5 ... discharge port, 100 ... image forming apparatus, 101 ... mounting part, 102: Recovery part, 102a: Insertion port, 102b: Sealing member

Claims (6)

A main body portion having a storage portion for storing the developer;
A discharge unit which protrudes from the main body along a moving direction of the main body in an operation of attaching and detaching the main body to the image forming apparatus, and which is inserted into and removed from a collection unit provided in the image forming apparatus;
An outlet formed by providing an opening on a side surface of the outlet;
A helical feeding unit is provided on a shaft that is rotationally driven, and a conveying unit is provided that conveys the waste developer to the discharge port by the rotation of the feeding unit.
When the discharge unit is inserted into the collection unit, a space between the main body and the discharge port is sealed by a sealing member.
In the discharge port, in the side portion on the upstream side with respect to the transport direction of the waste developer transported by the transport unit, a portion facing the side where the tilt of the feed unit precedes the discharge port according to the tilt of the transport unit An image forming apparatus characterized by being retracted to the downstream side in the conveyance direction of the waste developer and separated from the sealing member. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the discharge port is inclined at an upstream side with respect to a waste developer conveyance direction in accordance with an angle of the feeding unit. The discharge port is a trapezoidal shape in which the side on the upstream side with respect to the direction of conveyance of the waste developer is inclined according to the angle of the feed portion, and is one side along the direction of conveyance of the waste developer The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the short side portion is provided below the long side portion that is the other side portion. The main body portion projects from the side of the main body portion on the same side as the discharge portion along the moving direction of the main body portion in the operation of attaching and detaching to the image forming apparatus, and the discharge portion with respect to the collection portion The image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising: an alignment unit that performs alignment of the image forming apparatus. The alignment unit is an operation for mounting the main body unit to the image forming apparatus, and is a position where the alignment unit is provided to the image forming apparatus before the discharge unit is inserted into the collection unit. The image forming apparatus according to claim 4, having a length that enters the alignment hole. An image forming unit having an image forming device and forming an image on a sheet;
And fixing means for fixing the image on the sheet on which the image is formed by the image forming means.
The imaging device
A main body portion having a storage portion for storing the developer;
A discharge unit which protrudes from the main body along a moving direction of the main body in an operation of attaching and detaching the main body to the image forming apparatus, and which is inserted into and removed from a collection unit provided in the image forming apparatus;
An outlet formed by providing an opening on a side surface of the outlet;
A helical feeding unit is provided on a shaft that is rotationally driven, and a conveying unit is provided that conveys the waste developer to the discharge port by the rotation of the feeding unit.
When the discharge unit is inserted into the collection unit, a space between the main body and the discharge port is sealed by a sealing member.
In the discharge port, in the side portion on the upstream side with respect to the transport direction of the waste developer transported by the transport unit, a portion facing the side where the tilt of the feed unit precedes the discharge port according to the tilt of the transport unit An image forming apparatus, wherein the image forming apparatus is retracted to the downstream side in the conveyance direction of the waste developer and separated from the sealing member.

Images