JP7106339B2 - image forming device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus that forms an image on a sheet.

Generally, an image forming apparatus such as a full-color printer has a plurality of photoreceptors arranged side by side, and forms a color image on a sheet by transferring a toner image formed on each photoreceptor to a sheet. Conventionally, there has been proposed a printer in which the toner remaining on each of the plurality of photoreceptors is removed by a cleaning device (see Patent Documents 1 and 2).

The cleaning device has a cleaning brush and a cleaning blade, and the toner removed from the photoreceptor by the cleaning device is conveyed by a spiral conveyor. Gears are provided at the ends of the photoreceptor, the cleaning brush, and the spiral conveyor, respectively. When these gears are meshed, the photoreceptor, the cleaning brush, and the spiral conveyor are synchronously driven.

Further, an intermediate transfer type printer has been proposed in which a toner image formed on a photoreceptor is primarily transferred onto an intermediate transfer belt, and the toner image transferred onto the intermediate transfer belt is secondarily transferred onto a sheet (Patent Document 2). 3). In this printer, the toner removed from the photoreceptor by the drum cleaner is conveyed by the first conveying auger, and the toner removed from the intermediate transfer belt by the belt cleaner is conveyed by the second conveying auger. The toner transported by the first transport auger and the second transport auger is transferred to the fourth transport auger, and further transported to the toner collection bottle via the third transport auger. Driving force from a drive motor is transmitted to the ends of the rotating shafts of the first transport auger, the second transport auger, the third transport auger, and the fourth transport auger by a drive transmission mechanism.

JP-A-2007-3592 JP 2016-194583 A JP-A-2000-231316

However, in the printers described in Patent Documents 1 and 2, since the photoreceptor and the spiral conveyor are drivingly connected, the load torque on each photoreceptor is composed of the steady torque for driving the photoreceptor and the toner load on the spiral conveyor. and the unsteady torque for conveying Normally, the steady torque is set to be the same for each photoreceptor, but the unsteady torque is different for each cleaning device because the amount of toner used is different. For this reason, when a color image is produced, there is a possibility that an image defect such as a color shift may occur between the colors.

Further, in the printer disclosed in Patent Document 3, each transport auger is accommodated in each transport duct, and toner is transported within the transport duct. The end of the rotary shaft of each transport auger protrudes outward from the transport duct. As described above, each conveying duct is formed with a through hole through which the rotating shaft passes, and there is a risk that the toner may leak outward from the through hole.

In view of the above, the present invention drives a conveying section for conveying toner by a driving source different from a driving source for driving a photoreceptor, and drives and connects the first conveying section and the second conveying section within a case. An object of the present invention is to provide an image forming apparatus that solves the above problems.

The present invention provides an image forming apparatus comprising: a photoreceptor that carries a toner image; a transfer section that transfers the toner image carried on the photoreceptor onto a sheet; a cleaning unit for collecting toner remaining on the peripheral surface of the photoreceptor; a first conveying unit for conveying the toner collected by the cleaning unit in a first direction ; a second conveying unit that conveys the toner transferred from the first conveying unit in a second direction that intersects with the first direction; a first driving source that drives the photoreceptor; a second driving source that supplies a driving force to a second conveying unit; a first case that accommodates the first conveying unit and rotatably supports the first conveying unit; a case unit including a second case that rotatably supports the second conveying part and is separable from the first case ; and a biasing member that biases the first case downward toward the second case . The connecting portion includes a first engaging portion provided on the first conveying portion and a second engaging portion provided on the second conveying portion and capable of engaging with the first engaging portion. and the driving force is supplied to the first conveying portion from the second conveying portion via the second engaging portion and the first engaging portion .

Further, the present invention provides an image forming apparatus comprising: a plurality of photoreceptors carrying toner images; a transfer section for transferring the toner images carried on the plurality of photoreceptors onto a sheet; a plurality of cleaning units for respectively collecting toner remaining on the peripheral surfaces of the plurality of photoreceptors after being transferred to the photoreceptors; a conveying unit; and a second conveying unit disposed below the plurality of first conveying units for conveying the toner transferred from the plurality of first conveying units in a second direction intersecting the first direction. , a first driving source for driving the plurality of photoreceptors, a second driving source for supplying driving force to the plurality of first conveying sections and the second conveying section, and the plurality of first conveying sections , respectively . and a plurality of first cases that rotatably support the first conveying section; and a plurality of first cases that house the second conveying section and rotatably support the second conveying section and are separable from the plurality of first cases. a second case; a plurality of connecting portions disposed inside the case unit and drivingly connecting the plurality of first conveying portions and the second conveying portions ; an urging portion that urges the first case downward toward the second case , wherein the second drive source is connected to the second conveying portion, and the plurality of first conveying portions are configured to: A driving force is supplied from the second conveying section through the plurality of connecting sections .

According to the present invention, since torque fluctuations in the first conveying section and the second conveying section are not propagated to the photosensitive member, image defects can be reduced. Further, since the first conveying portion and the second conveying portion are driven and connected by the connecting portion, it is not necessary to make a plurality of holes in the case in order to input the driving force to the first conveying portion and the second conveying portion respectively. Therefore, toner leakage can be reduced.

1 is an overall schematic diagram showing a printer according to a first embodiment; FIG. (a) is a schematic diagram showing a first toner conveying unit, and (b) is a schematic diagram showing a support structure of a first duct. (a) is a perspective view showing a toner conveying path, and (b) is an enlarged perspective view showing a connecting portion between a first toner conveying unit and a second toner conveying unit. (c) is a view of the connecting portion of the first toner conveying unit and the second toner conveying unit viewed from the axial direction of the second screw, and (d) is the connecting portion of the first toner conveying unit and the second toner conveying unit. The figure seen from the axial direction of 1 screw. (a) is a perspective view showing a state in which the toner cartridge is connected to the second toner conveying unit, and (b) is a perspective view showing a state in which the toner cartridge is separated from the second toner conveying unit. (a) is a side view showing a state in which the first toner conveying unit is connected to the second toner conveying unit, and (b) is a side view showing a state in which the first screw runs over the second screw. (c) is a side view showing the state in which the photoreceptor is attached to the printer body with the first screw running over the second screw, and (d) is a side view showing the state in which the first screw is engaged with the second screw. . (a) is a perspective view showing a state in which a toner cartridge according to a modification is connected to a second toner conveying unit; (b) is a side view showing a state in which a first screw is meshed with a second screw; The side view which shows the driven part which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. The side view which shows the driven part which concerns on 3rd Embodiment. The side view which shows the drive part which concerns on 4th Embodiment.

<First embodiment>
〔overall structure〕
First, a first embodiment will be described. A printer 1 as an image forming apparatus is an electrophotographic full-color laser beam printer. The printer 1 has a feeding unit 10, an image forming unit 20, a fixing unit 48, and a discharge roller pair 50, as shown in FIG.

The image forming unit 20 includes four toner cartridges 21Y, 21M, 21C, and 21Bk for forming four-color toner images of yellow (Y), magenta (M), cyan (C), and black (Bk), and an exposure device 22Y. , 22M, 22C, 22Bk. Note that the four toner cartridges 21Y, 21M, 21C, and 21Bk have the same configuration except that the colors of images to be formed are different. Therefore, only the configuration and image forming process of the toner cartridge 21Y will be described, and the description of the toner cartridges 21M, 21C, and 21Bk will be omitted.

The toner cartridge 21</b>Y has a photosensitive member 23 carrying a toner image, a charging roller 24 and a developing device 25 . The photoreceptor 23 is constructed by coating an organic photoconductive layer on the outer periphery of an aluminum cylinder. In the image forming unit 20, a transfer belt 26 is arranged below the toner cartridges 21Y, 21M, 21C, and 21Bk, and the transfer belt 26 is wound around a drive pulley 26a and a driven pulley 26b. Inside the transfer belt 26, transfer rollers 27Y, 27M, 27C, and 27Bk are provided as transfer units.

The fixing unit 48 has a heating roller 48a and a pressure roller 48b that apply predetermined heat and pressure to the sheet. The feeding unit 10 has a cassette 11 that stores sheets P, a pickup roller 12 that feeds the sheets P stored in the cassette 11 , and a conveying roller pair 13 .

Next, the image forming operation of the printer 1 configured as described above will be described. When an image signal is input to the exposure device 22Y from a personal computer (not shown) or the like, the exposure device 22Y irradiates a laser beam corresponding to the image signal onto the photosensitive member 23 of the toner cartridge 21Y.

At this time, the surface of the photoreceptor 23 is uniformly charged to a predetermined polarity and potential by the charging roller 24 in advance. An electrostatic latent image is formed. The electrostatic latent image formed on the photoreceptor 23 is developed by the developing device 25 to form a yellow (Y) toner image on the photoreceptor 23 . Similarly, the photoreceptors of the toner cartridges 21M, 21C, and 21Bk are also irradiated with laser light from the exposure devices 22M, 22C, and 22Bk, and magenta (M), cyan (C), and black (Bk) are applied to the photoreceptors. A toner image is formed.

In parallel with this image forming process, the sheet P contained in the cassette 11 is fed by the pickup roller 12 of the feeding unit 10 . The sheet P is conveyed toward the transfer belt 26 by the conveying roller pair 13 and conveyed while being electrostatically attracted to the transfer belt 26 . The sheet P conveyed by the transfer belt 26 is transferred by the transfer biases applied to the transfer rollers 27Y, 27M, 27C, and 27Bk so that the toner images of each color formed on each photosensitive member are superimposed. As a result, a full-color toner image is formed on the surface of the sheet P. FIG.

The fixing unit 48 applies predetermined heat and pressure to the sheet P to which the toner image has been transferred, thereby fixing the toner image onto the sheet P. FIG. The sheet P on which the toner image is fixed is discharged to the discharge tray 51 by the discharge roller pair 50 .

[Detailed Configuration of Toner Cartridge]
Next, the configuration of the toner cartridge 21Y will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 2(a) and 2(b). As shown in FIG. 2A, the toner cartridge 21Y includes a cleaning member 28Y that can come into contact with the photoreceptor 23, and a first toner transport unit 30Y that can transport the toner removed from the photoreceptor 23 by the cleaning member 28Y. and have

A cleaning member 28Y serving as a cleaning unit collects toner remaining on the circumferential surface of the photoreceptor 23 after the toner image is transferred by the transfer roller 27Y. The first toner conveying unit 30Y has a first duct 31Y and a first screw 32Y as a first conveying section that is rotatably supported by the first duct 31Y and housed in the first duct 31Y. ing. The first duct 31Y has an open portion facing the cleaning member 28Y and the photoreceptor 23, and the toner removed by the cleaning member 28Y accumulates on the first duct 31Y. The toner accumulated in the first duct 31Y is conveyed from the front side of the paper to the back side by the first screw 32Y.

As shown in FIG. 2(b), an arm 33Y is rotatably supported by the rotating shaft 23a of the photoreceptor 23, and a long hole 33Ya extending in the vertical direction is formed at the tip of the arm 33Y. ing. The boss 31Ya of the first duct 31Y of the first toner conveying unit 30Y is engaged with the long hole 33Ya. It is possible to move in any direction.

The first duct 31Y is urged by a spring 34Y as an urging member so that the boss 31Ya abuts against the lower edge of the long hole 33Ya. That is, the spring 34Y biases the first duct 31Y toward the second duct 41, which will be described later. The rotating shaft 23a of the photoreceptor 23 receives a driving force from a motor M1 as a first driving source, and the photoreceptor 23 is rotated in the direction of the arrow by the driving force of the motor M1. Since the photoreceptor 23 is detachable from the printer main body 1A (see FIG. 1) together with the first toner transport unit 30Y, the photoreceptor 23 and the motor M1 are connected by a coupling or the like. The second duct 41 is supported by the printer body 1A.

[Toner transport path]
Next, referring to FIGS. 3(a) to 3(c), the conveying path of the toner removed from the photoreceptor 23 will be described in detail. As shown in FIG. 3A, first toner conveying units 30Y, 30M, 30C, and 30Bk for conveying toner removed from each photoreceptor are provided adjacent to each photoreceptor. The toner conveying units 30M, 30C, 30Bk and their peripheral configurations have the same configuration as the first toner conveying unit 30Y and its peripheral configuration described with reference to FIGS. 2(a) and 2(b). The toner conveying unit and its peripheral configuration are distinguished by adding "Y", "M", "C", and "Bk" corresponding to the color of each toner cartridge to the end of the reference numerals.

The first toner conveying units 30Y, 30M, 30C, and 30Bk each convey toner in the arrow A direction as the first direction. A second toner transport unit 40 is connected to the downstream ends of the first toner transport units 30Y, 30M, 30C, and 30Bk in the arrow A direction. The toner conveyed by the first toner conveying units 30Y, 30M, 30C, and 30Bk is transferred to the second toner conveying unit 40, and the second toner conveying unit 40 transports the toner in a second direction orthogonal to the arrow A direction. is conveyed in the direction of arrow B. The second toner conveying unit 40 is not limited to the direction perpendicular to the arrow A direction, and may convey toner in any direction as long as it intersects the arrow A direction. The toner conveyed by the second toner conveying unit 40 is stored in the waste toner container 49 . The first ducts 31Y, 31M, 31C, 31Bk and the second duct 41 as the first case constitute a case 70 that accommodates the first screws 32Y, 32M, 32C, 32Bk and the second screw 42 . Note that the first ducts 31Y, 31M, 31C, 31Bk and the second duct 41 may be configured by one case.

As shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B, the second toner conveying unit 40 is rotatably supported by a second duct 41 as a second case, and by the second duct 41. and a second screw 42 as a second conveying section to be accommodated. The second screw 42 is connected to a motor M2 as a second driving source, and is supplied with driving force from the motor M2.

[Drive connection structure of first screw and second screw]
Next, with reference to FIGS. 3(b) to 3(d), the driving connection structure of the first screws 32Y, 32M, 32C, 32Bk and the second screw 42 will be described. It should be noted that the first toner transporting units 30Y, 30M, 30C, 30Bk and the second toner transporting unit 40 are connected in the same configuration. A connection configuration with the transport unit 40 will be described as an example.

As shown in FIG. 3B, the first screw 32Y and the second screw 42 have a plurality of helical wings around the rotation shaft. The blade of the first screw 32Y is formed so that the toner is conveyed in the arrow A direction by rotating the first screw 32Y in the arrow C direction. The wings of the second screw 42 are formed so that the toner is conveyed in the arrow B direction by rotating the second screw 42 in the arrow D direction. The first duct 31Y and the second duct 41 have openings formed at positions facing each other, and the openings of the first duct 31Y and the second duct 41 are connected to each other without a gap. A connecting portion 60 for drivingly connecting the first screw 32Y and the second screw 42 is provided in the connecting portion of the first duct 31Y and the second duct 41, that is, inside the case 70. As shown in FIG.

The connecting portion 60 includes a driven portion 61 as a first engaging portion provided at the downstream end of the first screw 32Y in the arrow A direction, and a second engaging portion provided at the upstream end of the second screw 42 in the arrow B direction. and a drive unit 62 as a unit. The driven portion 61 and the driving portion 62 are engageable with each other, and the driving of the motor M2 is transmitted from the second screw 42 to the first screw 32Y by meshing the driven portion 61 and the driving portion 62. As shown in FIG.

More specifically, as shown in FIGS. 3(c) and 3(d), the driving portion 62 of the second screw 42 rotating in the direction of the arrow D by the driving force of the motor M2 engages the driven portion 61 of the first screw 32Y. The meshing causes the first screw 32Y to rotate. At this time, the downstream end 32Ya of the first screw 32Y is rotatably supported by the recess 31Yc provided on the inner surface of the side wall 31Yb of the first duct 31Y. As described above, since the side wall 31Yb of the first duct 31Y does not have a through hole, leakage of toner from the first duct 31Y can be reduced.

An upstream end 42a of the second screw 42 protrudes outward from a through hole 41b provided in the side wall 41a of the second duct 41 and is rotatably supported by the through hole 41b. A pulley wound around a gear or a belt, for example, is attached to an upstream end 42a projecting outward from the through hole 41b, and a driving force from the motor M2 is input. The through-hole 41b is formed at the upstream end of the second duct 41 in the direction of arrow B, which is the toner conveying direction of the second toner conveying unit 40. Therefore, even if there is a through-hole, the toner cannot flow out of the second duct 41. Leakage can be reduced.

Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 3(b), the second screw 42 is arranged below the first screw 32Y and is connected to the first screw 32Y below the first screw 32Y. Therefore, the toner conveyed by the first screw 32Y falls from the first duct 31Y to the second duct 41 due to gravity. Further, since the driving portion 62 is formed in a spiral shape like the wings of the second screw 42, the toner can be conveyed in the arrow B direction when the second screw 42 rotates. Therefore, it is possible to smoothly transfer and convey the toner in the connecting portion 60 .

Here, the driving section 62 is configured to have a toner conveying force greater than or equal to that of the first screw 32Y by increasing the number of spiral wings. As a result, clogging of toner when the toner is transferred from the first screw 32Y to the second screw 42 can be reduced.

Further, the second screw 42 conveys the toner while also transmitting the driving force to the first screws 32M, 32C, and 32Bk by the driving portion, similarly to the first screw 32Y. The driving portions of the second screw 42 that are drivingly connected to the first screws 32Y, 32M, 32C and 32Bk are respectively referred to as driving portions 62Y, 62M, 62C and 62Bk (see FIG. 4B). At this time, the toner conveying force F1, which is the total toner conveying amount per unit time of the first screws 32Y, 32M, 32C, and 32Bk, and the toner conveying forces F2, F3, F4, and F5 of the driving units 62Y, 62M, 62C, and 62Bk is set as follows:
F1≤F2≤F3≤F4≤F5

In this manner, the driving portions 62Y, 62M, 62C, and 62Bk have a toner conveying force greater than or equal to that of the first screws 32Y, 32M, 32C, and 32Bk, and the toner conveying force is greater for the driving portions located downstream in the toner conveying direction. is set. As a result, when the toner is transferred from the first screws 32Y, 32M, 32C, 32Bk to the second screw 42, clogging of the toner can be reduced.

[Removing the Toner Cartridge]
Next, a method for attaching and detaching the toner cartridges 21Y, 21M, 21C, and 21Bk from the printer main body 1A (see FIG. 1) as the apparatus main body will be described. As shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B, the toner cartridges 21Y, 21M, 21C, and 21Bk are detached from the printer main body 1A as the toner and photoreceptor are consumed. In this embodiment, the toner cartridges 21Y, 21M, 21C, and 21Bk are integrally provided with the photosensitive members and the first toner conveying units 30Y, 30M, 30C, and 30Bk, respectively. Therefore, for example, when the toner cartridge 21Y is removed from the printer main body 1A, the photoreceptor 23 and the first toner conveying unit 30Y are also separated from the second toner conveying unit 40 supported by the printer main body 1A. That is, the first duct 31Y (see FIG. 3A) and the second duct 41 can be separated from each other, and when the photoreceptor 23 and the first duct 31Y are removed from the printer main body 1A, the first duct 31Y are separated from the second duct 41 .

On the other hand, when the toner cartridge 21Y is attached to the printer main body 1A, as shown in FIG. It can mesh with the driving part 62 . However, as shown in FIG. 5B, when the driven portion 61 and the driving portion 62 are in phases that do not mesh with each other, the driven portion 61 rides on the wings of the driving portion 62 (running portion E). reference). At this time, as shown in FIG. 2(b), the first toner conveying unit 30Y can be moved upward relative to the photoreceptor 23 by the arm 33Y. , the photoreceptor 23 is mounted with the driven portion 61 riding on the driving portion 62. As shown in FIG. Incidentally, the broken line shown in FIG.

When the photoreceptor 23 is located at the mounting position, the photoreceptor 23 is drivingly connected to the motor M1, while the first toner conveying unit 30Y is not drivingly connected to the second toner conveying unit 40. FIG. At this time, the first toner transport unit 30Y is urged downward by the spring 34Y (see FIG. 2B) and its own weight.

Further, generally, when the toner cartridge 21Y is replaced, the printer 1 performs an initialization operation and a check operation before image formation. Further, even if the initialization operation and the check operation are not performed, the driving portion 62 rotates by a predetermined amount until the toner image formed on the photoreceptor 23 by the developing device 25 is conveyed to the cleaning member 28Y. Therefore, after the toner cartridge 21Y is replaced, as shown in FIG. 5D, the driven portion 61 is engaged with the driving portion 62 before the waste toner is generated, and there is no problem in collecting the waste toner.

[Modification]
In the above embodiment, the toner cartridge is integrated with the first toner conveying unit, but as shown in FIGS. may be provided. That is, the first toner conveying units 130Y, 130M, 130C, 130Bk and the second toner conveying unit 40 are fixed to the main body of the printer. good. In this case, unlike the above embodiment, there is no need to consider engagement between the driven portion 61 and the driving portion 62 when replacing the toner cartridge, and the arm 33Y and the spring 34Y can be omitted.

As described above, in the present embodiment, the second screw 42 and the first screw 32Y are drivingly connected by the connecting portion 60, so that the driving force of the motor M2 transmitted from the second screw 42 is applied to the first screw 32Y. rotate by Therefore, the toner is conveyed by the first screw 32Y and the second screw 42 driven by a motor M2 separate from the motor M1 for driving the photosensitive member 23, and the load torque of the first screw 32Y and the second screw 42 is Photoreceptor 23 is not affected. Therefore, the torque fluctuation when the first screw 32Y and the second screw 42 convey the toner is not propagated to the photoreceptor 23, and the torque difference between the photoreceptors of each color is reduced, thereby reducing image defects. can be done.

A connecting portion 60 that drives and connects the first screw 32Y and the second screw 42 is arranged inside the case 70 . Therefore, as compared with the configuration in which the first screw 32Y and the second screw 42 are driven and transmitted separately, toner leakage from the case 70 can be reduced, the device can be made smaller, and the cost can be reduced.

<Second Embodiment>
Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. In the second embodiment, the shape of the driven portion 61 of the first embodiment is changed. Therefore, the configuration similar to that of the first embodiment will be omitted from illustration or given the same reference numerals in the drawings.

As shown in FIG. 7, the driven portion 161 according to the second embodiment has a plurality of helical wings and has a screw shape. Therefore, the driven portion 161 can convey the toner in the direction of the arrow A when the first screw 32Y rotates. can be done.

<Third Embodiment>
Next, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described. In the third embodiment, the arrangement of the driven portion 161 of the second embodiment is changed. Therefore, the configuration similar to that of the second embodiment will be omitted from the illustration or given the same reference numerals in the drawing.

The driven portion 161 of the second embodiment is provided with the wings of the driven portion 161 separated from the wings of the first screw 32Y. However, as shown in FIG. 8, the wings of the driven portion 261 of the third embodiment are formed integrally and continuously with the wings 35 of the first screw 32Y. As a result, the toner conveying force at the connecting portion 60 can be improved, and the flow rate of toner can be easily controlled.

<Fourth Embodiment>
Next, a fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described. In the fourth embodiment, the shape of the driving portion 62 of the first embodiment is changed. Therefore, the configuration similar to that of the first embodiment will be omitted from illustration or given the same reference numerals in the drawings.

In the driving portion 62 of the first embodiment, the wings of the driving portion 62 are provided apart from the wings of the second screw 42 . However, as shown in FIG. 9, the wings of the driving portion 162 of the fourth embodiment are formed integrally and continuously with the wings 45 of the second screw 42 . As a result, the toner conveying force at the connecting portion 60 can be improved, and the flow rate of toner can be easily controlled.

In any of the above-described embodiments, an ETB (Electrostatic Transfer Belt) method of transferring a toner image onto a sheet using a transfer belt 26 that electrostatically attracts the sheet is adopted, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, an ITB (Intermediate Transfer Belt) method may be adopted in which toner images formed by a plurality of photoreceptors are collectively transferred onto a sheet using an intermediate transfer belt. In this case, the transfer section that transfers the toner image onto the sheet includes a primary transfer roller, an intermediate transfer belt, and a secondary transfer roller.

Further, in any of the above-described embodiments, the second screw 42 only conveys the toner delivered from the first screws 32Y, 32M, 32C, 32Bk toward the waste toner container 49. is not limited to For example, the second screw 42 may carry toner removed from an intermediate transfer belt in an ITB printer.

Further, in any of the above-described embodiments, the full-color printer 1 is described as an example, and the printer 1 includes a plurality of photoreceptors, cleaning units, first screws, and connecting units.
It is not limited to this. For example, in a monochrome printer, one first screw conveys toner removed from one photoreceptor, and one second screw conveys toner transferred from the first screw toward the waste toner container. , may be provided. In this case, of course, one cleaning member 28Y and one connecting portion 60 are provided.

Further, in any of the above-described forms, the shapes of the driven parts 61, 161, 261 and the driving parts 62, 162 are not limited, and the first screw 32Y and the second screw 42 are simply driven by gears, belts, or the like. may be concatenated. Also, the first to fourth modes may be freely combined.

1: Image forming apparatus (printer)/1A: Apparatus main body (printer main body)/23: Photoreceptor/27Y, 27M, 27C, 27Bk: Transfer section (transfer roller)/28Y: Cleaning section (cleaning member)/31Y, 31M , 31C, 31Bk: first case (first duct)/31Yc: concave portion/32Y, 32M, 32C, 32Bk: first conveying section (first screw)/32Ya: downstream end/34Y: biasing member (spring)/ 35: Spoiler/41: Second case (second duct)/41b: Through hole/42: Second conveying portion (second screw)/42a: Upstream end/45: Spoiler/60: Connection portion/61: First Engaging portion (driven portion)/62: Second engaging portion (driving portion)/70: Case/M1: First driving source (motor)/M2: Second driving source (motor)

Claims (9)

a photoreceptor carrying a toner image;
a transfer unit that transfers the toner image carried on the photoreceptor onto a sheet;
a cleaning unit that collects toner remaining on the peripheral surface of the photoreceptor after the toner image is transferred onto the sheet by the transfer unit;
a first conveying unit that conveys the toner collected by the cleaning unit in a first direction;
a second conveying unit arranged below the first conveying unit for conveying the toner transferred from the first conveying unit in a second direction intersecting the first direction;
a first drive source for driving the photoreceptor;
a second driving source that supplies driving force to the first conveying unit and the second conveying unit;
a first case that houses the first transport section and rotatably supports the first transport section; and a first case that houses the second transport section and rotatably supports the second transport section; a case unit including a second case separable from ;
a connecting portion arranged inside the case unit for drivingly connecting the first conveying portion and the second conveying portion;
a biasing member that biases the first case downward toward the second case ;
The second drive source is connected to the second transport section,
The connecting portion has a first engaging portion provided on the first conveying portion, and a second engaging portion provided on the second conveying portion and capable of being engaged with the first engaging portion,
A driving force is supplied to the first conveying portion from the second conveying portion via the second engaging portion and the first engaging portion,
An image forming apparatus characterized by: The second engaging portion is capable of conveying toner in the second direction when the second conveying portion rotates.
2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein: The first engaging portion is capable of conveying toner in the first direction when the first conveying portion rotates.
3. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein: The first conveying unit is a screw having a helical blade around a rotating shaft,
The first engaging portion is formed integrally and continuously with the blade of the first conveying portion,
4. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein: The second conveying unit is a screw having a helical blade around a rotating shaft,
The second engaging portion is formed integrally and continuously with the wings of the second conveying portion,
5. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein: The first case has a concave portion that supports a downstream end of the first conveying portion in the first direction,
The second case has a through hole that supports an upstream end of the second conveying unit in the second direction,
6. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein: A device body that supports the second case,
The photoreceptor is detachable from the apparatus main body together with the first case,
When the photoreceptor and the first case are removed from the device main body, the first case is separated from the second case,
7. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein: a plurality of the photoreceptor, the cleaning unit, the first conveying unit, and the connecting unit;
The plurality of first conveying units are drivingly connected to the second conveying unit by the plurality of connecting units, respectively.
8. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein: a plurality of photoconductors carrying toner images;
a transfer unit that transfers the toner images carried on the plurality of photoreceptors onto a sheet;
a plurality of cleaning units for respectively collecting toner remaining on the peripheral surfaces of the plurality of photoreceptors after the toner image is transferred onto the sheet by the transfer unit;
a plurality of first conveying units for respectively conveying the toner collected by the plurality of cleaning units in a first direction;
a second conveying unit arranged below the plurality of first conveying units for conveying toner transferred from the plurality of first conveying units in a second direction intersecting the first direction;
a first drive source that drives the plurality of photoreceptors;
a second driving source that supplies driving force to the plurality of first conveying units and the second conveying unit;
a plurality of first cases each housing the plurality of first transport units and rotatably supporting the first transport units; and a plurality of first cases housing the second transport units and rotatably supporting the second transport units. a second case separable from the plurality of first cases; and
a plurality of connecting portions disposed inside the case unit and drivingly connecting the plurality of first conveying portions and the second conveying portions;
a biasing unit that biases the plurality of first cases downward toward the second case ;
The second drive source is connected to the second transport section,
Driving force is supplied to the plurality of first transport units from the second transport unit via the plurality of connecting units,
An image forming apparatus characterized by:

Images