JP7338343B2 - Container mounting device and image forming device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a container mounting device to which a toner container is mounted and an image forming apparatus.

For example, the image forming apparatus described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-200001 transfers an image onto a recording medium by electrophotography using toner discharged from a discharge port of a detachable toner bottle, and outputs the image. A plurality of detection means are provided at a plurality of locations on the toner bottle, and the toner distribution inside the toner bottle is calculated based on the detection results of the plurality of detection means, and the remaining amount of toner in the toner bottle is estimated from the toner distribution. was

JP 2018-66789 A

Generally, an image forming apparatus is provided with a cover (door) that is opened and closed when replacing a toner bottle. When replacing the toner bottle, it is preferable that the toner bottle is arranged substantially horizontally in consideration of ease of attachment and detachment. On the other hand, during operation of the image forming apparatus, the toner bottle is preferably slanted downward toward the discharge port so that the toner can easily flow toward the discharge port. Further, for example, in the case of a device that collects waste toner that has not been transferred onto a recording medium into a toner bottle, the toner bottle is placed near the discharge port so that the waste toner tends to flow away from the discharge port during operation of the image forming apparatus. preferably downwardly sloping toward the opposite side. However, in the above-described image forming apparatus and the like, sufficient consideration has not been given to the attitude of the toner bottle when the toner bottle is replaced and when the image forming apparatus is in operation.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides a container mounting device and an image forming apparatus that can change the orientation of a toner container according to opening and closing of a cover.

In order to achieve the above object, the container mounting device of the present invention is a toner container which extends in the axial direction and is formed so as to be able to accommodate toner, and is provided with a communication port for discharging or introducing the toner in one of the axial directions. and a mounting portion to which the toner container is detachably mounted along the axial direction, wherein the mounting portion includes a cover for opening and closing an opening for mounting and dismounting the toner container, and an opening for opening the cover. a first posture in which the toner container is horizontal when the cover is closed, and a second posture in which the toner container is inclined downward from the other axial direction toward the communication port when the cover is closed; or When the cover is opened, the toner container is placed horizontally or inclined upward in the other axial direction from the communication port. and an angle changing mechanism that assumes a second posture inclined downward toward the other direction.

In this case, the mounting portion has a support rail portion that slidably supports the toner container, and the cover is rotatable between a position to open and close the opening, and the support rail portion is rotatably supported in the vertical direction around a rotation shaft provided on the side of the communication port, and the angle changing mechanism preferably converts the opening and closing motion of the cover into the rotating motion of the support rail portion. .

In this case, a displacement sensor is further provided facing the toner container mounted on the mounting portion and detects an electrostatic capacity corresponding to the toner contained in the toner container, wherein the displacement sensor Between an unmounted state in which the toner container is detached from the mounting portion, a first state in which the toner container is in the first posture, and a second state in which the toner container is in the second posture. is detected, and in the first state and the second state, the capacitance that changes according to the amount of the toner contained in the toner container is detected.

In this case, it is preferable that the displacement sensor detects a change in the electric field between a transmitting electrode and a receiving electrode that are arranged to face each other with the toner container interposed therebetween.

In other cases, it is preferred that the displacement sensor detects changes in the electric field between a transmitting electrode and a receiving electrode arranged oppositely on one circumferential surface of the toner container.

In this case, the toner container includes a container body formed in a cylindrical shape and having a spiral conveying rib projecting radially inward from an outer peripheral surface, and one axial end portion of the container body being rotatably supported around an axis. and a cap having the communication port that communicates with the interior of the container body, wherein the mounting portion fixes the cap and rotatably supports the container body, and the cap mounted on the mounting portion By rotating the container body around the axis, the toner contained in the container body is conveyed toward the communication port, or the toner introduced into the container body through the communication port is transported. are conveyed axially toward the other.

In order to achieve the above object, an image forming apparatus of the present invention includes any one of the container mounting devices described above.

According to the present invention, the attitude of the toner container can be changed according to the opening and closing of the cover.

1 is a schematic diagram (front view) showing an internal structure of an image forming apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 1 is a plan view showing a paper feed cassette, a waste toner collecting device, etc. of an image forming apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a front side periphery of a waste toner collecting device according to a first embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a toner replenishing device according to a first embodiment of the invention; FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a toner bottle provided in an image forming apparatus according to a first exemplary embodiment of the invention; FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram (cross-sectional view seen from a plan view) showing a drum cleaning device, a belt cleaning device, and a discharge conveying device of the image forming apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention; FIG. FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along line VII-VII of FIG. 6; 1 is a perspective view showing a waste toner collecting device according to a first embodiment of the invention; FIG. FIG. 2 is a side view of the waste toner collecting apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention, showing a collection bottle in a first posture; FIG. 5 is a side view of the waste toner collecting apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention, showing the collection bottle in a second posture; FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line XI-XI of FIG. 2; 5 is a graph showing capacitance detected in each state by the displacement sensor of the waste toner collecting device according to the first embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view (front view) showing a waste toner collecting device and the like according to a second embodiment of the present invention;

Preferred embodiments of the present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the drawings, "Fr" indicates "front", "Rr" indicates "rear", "L" indicates "left", "R" indicates "right", and "U" indicates " "Upper" and "D" indicate "Lower". Terms indicating direction and position are used in this specification, but these terms are used for convenience of description and are not intended to limit the technical scope of the present invention.

[First embodiment]
An image forming apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3. FIG. FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram (front view) showing the internal structure of the image forming apparatus 1. As shown in FIG. FIG. 2 is a plan view showing the paper feed cassette 3, the waste toner recovery device 13, and the like. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the periphery of the front side of the waste toner collecting device 13. As shown in FIG.

[Overview of Image Forming Apparatus]
The image forming apparatus 1 is a color printer that forms an image by transferring a full-color toner image formed by electrophotography onto a sheet S. As shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 1, the image forming apparatus 1 includes an apparatus main body 2 having a substantially rectangular parallelepiped appearance. A cassette mounting portion 10 for mounting the paper feed cassette 3 is provided on the lower side of the apparatus main body 2 . The paper feed cassette 3 accommodates, for example, paper sheets S (or a bundle of sheets S). A discharge tray 4 for receiving a sheet S having an image formed thereon is provided on the upper surface of the apparatus main body 2 . Note that the sheet S is not limited to being made of paper, and may be a resin film, an OHP sheet, or the like.

The cassette mounting portion 10 constitutes a space for mounting the paper feed cassette 3 . A front opening of a cassette mounting portion 10 for attaching and detaching the paper feed cassette 3 is formed on the lower front surface of the apparatus main body 2 . The paper feed cassette 3 is formed in a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape (box shape) with an open top. The paper feed cassette 3 is detachably attached to the cassette attachment portion 10 .

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, a pair of slide guides 3A are fixed to the left and right sides of the paper feed cassette 3, and a pair of cassette rails 10A are provided to the left and right sides of the cassette mounting portion 10 (see FIG. 3). 2 and FIG. 3 only show the left side). The slide guide 3A and the cassette rail 10A are made of metal such as stainless steel. A pair of cassette rails 10A slidably holds a pair of slide guides 3A. Thus, the pair of cassette rails 10A slidably supports the paper feed cassette 3 via the pair of slide guides 3A.

A pair of rail holding members 11 for holding a pair of cassette rails 10A are provided on both left and right sides of the cassette mounting portion 10 (only the left side is shown in FIGS. 2 and 3). The rail holding member 11 is formed of, for example, a metal plate material such as stainless steel. The rail holding member 11 is arranged on the front side of the cassette mounting portion 10 (on the front side of the center in the front-rear direction). The rail holding member 11 is provided in an upright posture along the front-rear direction. The cassette rail 10A is fixed to a rail holding member 11, and the rail holding member 11 is fixed to the apparatus main body 2. As shown in FIG.

Further, as shown in FIG. 1, the image forming apparatus 1 includes a paper feed section 5, an image forming section 6, a fixing device 7, a toner replenishing device 12, and a waste toner collecting device 13. It is equipped inside. The paper feeding unit 5 is provided on the upstream side of a transport path 8 extending from the paper feeding cassette 3 to the paper discharge tray 4 . The fixing device 7 is provided on the downstream side of the transport path 8 , and the image forming section 6 is provided between the paper feeding section 5 and the fixing device 7 in the transport path 8 . The toner supply device 12 is provided above the image forming section 6 . The waste toner collecting device 13 is provided below the image forming section 6 .

The image forming section 6 includes an intermediate transfer unit 14 , four drum units 15 and an optical scanning device 16 . The intermediate transfer unit 14 is provided below the discharge tray 4 . The four drum units 15 are provided side by side in the horizontal direction below the intermediate transfer unit 14 . The optical scanning device 16 is provided below each drum unit 15 .

The intermediate transfer unit 14 has an intermediate transfer belt 21 wound around a drive roller 20A arranged on the right side inside the apparatus main body 2 and a driven roller 20B arranged on the left side inside the apparatus main body 2. . When the drive roller 20A is rotationally driven by a motor (not shown), the intermediate transfer belt 21 rotates counterclockwise (see the arrow in FIG. 1). A belt cleaning device 22 is arranged on the left side of the driven roller 20B.

Four drum units 15 are provided corresponding to four color toners. Each drum unit 15 includes a photosensitive drum 23 , a charging device 24 , a developing device 25 , a primary transfer roller 26 , a drum cleaning device 27 and a static elimination device 28 . Since the four drum units 15 have the same configuration, one drum unit 15 will be described below.

The photosensitive drum 23 is rotated by a motor (not shown) while contacting the lower surface of the intermediate transfer belt 21 . The charging device 24, the developing device 25, the primary transfer roller 26, the drum cleaning device 27, and the neutralizing device 28 are arranged around the photosensitive drum 23 in order of the transfer process. The primary transfer roller 26 is arranged to face the photosensitive drum 23 from above with the intermediate transfer belt 21 interposed therebetween. A secondary transfer roller 29 is in contact with the right side of the intermediate transfer belt 21 (driving roller 20A).

Four toner bottles 31 are detachably attached to the toner replenishing device 12 , details of which will be described later. The four toner bottles 31 contain replenishment toners (developers) of four colors (yellow, magenta, cyan, and black). The four toner bottles 31 are communicated with the four developing devices 25 via replenishment pipes (not shown) containing screws, and supply replenishment toner to the four developing devices 25 . A recovery bottle 61 is detachably attached to the waste toner recovery device 13 . The collection bottle 61 stores (collects) waste toner discharged without being transferred onto the sheet S. As shown in FIG.

Further, the image forming apparatus 1 is provided with a control section 17 for appropriately controlling devices to be controlled such as the image forming section 6 . The control unit 17 includes a processor or the like that executes various arithmetic processes according to programs and parameters stored in the memory. Note that the control unit 17 may be realized by a logic circuit (hardware) formed in an integrated circuit or the like instead of a processor or the like that executes a program or the like.

Here, the operation of the image forming apparatus 1 will be described. The control unit 17 executes image forming processing as follows based on the input image data.

The charging device 24 charges the surface of the photosensitive drum 23 . The optical scanning device 16 performs exposure corresponding to image data toward the photosensitive drum 23 to form an electrostatic latent image on the surface of the photosensitive drum 23 . The developing device 25 uses the toner supplied from the toner bottle 31 of the toner supply device 12 to develop the electrostatic latent image formed on the surface of the photosensitive drum 23 into a toner image. The four-color toner images carried on the four photosensitive drums 23 are sequentially primary-transferred onto the intermediate transfer belt 21 by the primary transfer rollers 26 to which a primary transfer bias is applied. Thereby, a full-color toner image is formed on the surface of the intermediate transfer belt 21 .

On the other hand, the paper feeding unit 5 feeds the sheet S in the paper feeding cassette 3 to the conveying path 8 . The secondary transfer roller 29 secondarily transfers the toner image on the intermediate transfer belt 21 onto the sheet S passing between the intermediate transfer belt 21 . The fixing device 7 heat-fixes the toner image on the sheet S. As shown in FIG. After that, the sheet S is ejected onto the paper ejection tray 4 . The drum cleaning device 27 removes waste toner (residual toner) remaining on the surface of the photosensitive drum 23 after primary transfer. The static eliminator 28 emits static elimination light to remove the charge on the photosensitive drum 23 . Further, the belt cleaning device 22 removes waste toner remaining on the surface of the intermediate transfer belt 21 after the secondary transfer. The waste toner removed from the photosensitive drum 23 and the intermediate transfer belt 21 is collected in a collection bottle 61 of the waste toner collection device 13 .

[Toner supply device]
Next, the toner supply device 12 will be described with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5. FIG. FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing the toner supply device 12. As shown in FIG. FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing the toner bottle 31. As shown in FIG.

The toner supply device 12 is arranged above the intermediate transfer unit 14 (developing device 25) (see FIG. 1). As shown in FIG. 4, the toner replenishing device 12 has four replenishment-side mounting portions 30 (mounting portions) for detachably mounting (inserting) four toner bottles 31 along the front-rear direction (axial direction). have. Each replenishment-side mounting portion 30 constitutes a space for mounting a toner bottle 31 thereon. A replenishment side opening 30A of a replenishment side mounting section 30 for attaching and detaching the toner bottle 31 is formed on the upper front surface of the apparatus main body 2 . The replenishment side mounting portion 30 is provided with a replenishment cover 37 for opening and closing the replenishment side opening portion 30A. The replenishment cover 37 is provided rotatably around a shaft at the bottom.

<Toner bottle>
As shown in FIG. 5, each toner bottle 31 (toner container) is formed so as to extend in the front-rear direction (axial direction) and accommodate toner. Each toner bottle 31 includes a container body 32 and a cap 33 . Note that the toner bottle 31 for containing black toner is formed to be thicker (larger in diameter) than the other toner bottles 31, and the replenishment side mounting portion 30 at the right end into which this toner bottle 31 is inserted is also the other replenisher. It is formed to have a larger diameter than the side mounting portion 30 (see FIG. 1). Since the four toner bottles 31 have the same configuration except for the difference in thickness, one toner bottle 31 will be described below. Further, in the following description, the direction is set with reference to the state in which the toner bottle 31 is attached to the replenishment side attachment portion 30 . The toner may be a two-component developer containing toner and carrier, or may be a one-component developer containing magnetic toner. Further, the four toner bottles 31 (four replenishment-side mounting portions 30) may all have the same size (diameter).

(container body)
The container main body 32 is made of a synthetic resin material such as PET resin (polyethylene terephthalate), and is formed into a substantially cylindrical shape elongated in the front-rear direction. The container body 32 is integrally formed with a helical conveying rib 34 projecting radially inward (toward the axis) from the outer peripheral surface of the container body 32 . The container body 32 and the conveying ribs 34 are formed with substantially the same thickness. A gripping portion G for gripping by a user protrudes from the front end surface of the container body 32 . The rear portion of the container body 32 is formed narrower than the other portions, and the rear end surface of the container body 32 is open (not shown). A substantially annular transmission gear 35 is fixed to the rear portion (thinned portion) of the container body 32 . The transmission gear 35 is connected to the drive motor M via a power transmission mechanism (not shown) such as a shaft and gears. Although the details will be described later, the container main body 32 is driven by the drive motor M to rotate around the axis, and the conveying ribs 34 rotate together with the container main body 32 to apply a conveying force along the axial direction to the toner inside the container main body 32 . act. Although the conveying ribs 34 are formed integrally with the container body 32, the present invention is not limited to this, and the conveying ribs and the container body may be formed of separate members (not shown).

(cap)
The cap 33 is arranged behind the transmission gear 35 and attached to the container body 32 so as to cover the rear end surface (opening) of the container body 32 . The cap 33 supports the rear end (one end in the axial direction) of the container body 32 so as to be rotatable around the axis. The cap 33 has a communication port 36 that communicates with the inside of the container body 32 . The communication port 36 is a substantially rectangular hole formed in the lower surface of the cap 33 . Further, the cap 33 is provided with a shutter (not shown) for opening and closing the communication port 36 so as to be slidable in the axial direction (front-rear direction). The shutter closes the communication port 36 when the toner bottle 31 is removed from the replenishment-side mounting portion 30 .

[Attaching Toner Bottle]
Here, a procedure for mounting the toner bottle 31 on the replenishment side mounting portion 30 will be described. As shown in FIG. 4, the user opens the replenishment cover 37 of the replenishment-side mounting section 30 to expose the replenishment-side opening 30A, directs the grip G toward the front, and directs the communication port 36 downward. The toner bottle 31 is inserted into the replenishment side mounting portion 30 (replenishment side opening portion 30A). In the process of inserting the toner bottle 31 , the shutter comes into contact with a part of the replenishment-side mounting portion 30 and slides relatively forward to open the communication port 36 . The open communication port 36 is connected to the upstream end of the supply pipe. After that, the user closes the supply cover 37 .

By the above, the mounting of the toner bottle 31 is completed. In this state, the supply-side mounting section 30 fixes the cap 33 and rotatably supports the container body 32 . Also, in this state, the transmission gear 35 is connected to the drive motor M via the power transmission mechanism, and the communication port 36 is connected to the developing device 25 via a supply pipe or the like.

[Replenish Toner]
When the drive motor M is driven by a toner replenishment command from the control unit 17, the container body 32 rotates around the axis together with the transmission gear 35. As shown in FIG. By rotating the container body 32 (conveyance rib 34) attached to the replenishment-side attachment portion 30 around the axis, the replenishment toner stored inside the container body 32 is provided rearward (on the one side in the axial direction). It is conveyed toward the communication port 36 . The toner is discharged from the communication port 36 and supplied (replenished) to the developing device 25 through the replenishment pipe.

Note that the replenishment-side mounting portion 30 is provided with a remaining amount confirmation sensor (capacitance sensor or the like) for detecting the amount of toner accommodated in the toner bottle 31 (not shown). The remaining amount confirmation sensor is arranged facing the toner bottle 31 attached to the replenishment side attachment portion 30, and detects the electrostatic capacity corresponding to the remaining amount of toner. The control unit 17 determines that the toner bottle 31 is empty (or the toner is low) based on the detection result of the remaining amount confirmation sensor. (not shown), a message indicating that the toner bottle 31 is empty, a message prompting replacement of the toner bottle 31, or the like is displayed. When replacing the empty (or low toner) toner bottle 31 , the user grasps the grip portion G and pulls out the toner bottle 31 toward the front to remove it from the replenishment side mounting portion 30 . As the toner bottle 31 is pulled out, the shutter is biased backward by a spring (not shown) to close the communication port 36 .

Next, the four drum cleaning devices 27 and the belt cleaning device 22 will be described with reference to FIGS. 6 and 7. FIG. FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram (cross-sectional view viewed from the top) showing the drum cleaning device 27, the belt cleaning device 22, and the discharging/conveying device 18. As shown in FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along line VII-VII of FIG. 6. FIG.

[Drum cleaning device]
Four drum cleaning devices 27 are provided corresponding to the four photosensitive drums 23 (see FIG. 1). Since the four drum cleaning devices 27 have the same configuration, one drum cleaning device 27 will be described below.

As shown in FIG. 7, the drum cleaning device 27 includes a drum-side housing 40, a polishing roller 41, a regulation roller 42, a cleaning blade 43, and a drum-side screw 44.

As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the drum-side housing 40 has a substantially box-like shape with an open surface facing the photosensitive drum 23 . A drum-side discharge port 40A connected to a discharge conveying device 18, which will be described later, is opened in the rear bottom surface of the drum-side housing 40. As shown in FIG. The polishing roller 41 and the regulating roller 42 are formed in a substantially cylindrical shape elongated in the front-rear direction, and are supported inside the drum-side housing 40 so as to be rotatable about their axes. The polishing roller 41 is in contact with the photosensitive drum 23 , and the regulation roller 42 is in contact with the lower right side of the polishing roller 41 . The cleaning blade 43 is made of, for example, synthetic resin in a plate shape and fixed to the drum-side housing 40 . The tip of the cleaning blade 43 is in contact with the photosensitive drum 23 . The drum-side screw 44 has helical blades fixed to the circumferential surface of a shaft extending in the front-rear direction, and is supported inside the drum-side housing 40 so as to be rotatable about its axis. The drum-side screw 44 is arranged in the lower left portion of the drum-side housing 40 .

[Belt cleaning device]
As shown in FIG. 7, the belt cleaning device 22 includes a belt-side housing 45, a bias brush 46, a recovery roller 47, a recovery blade 48, and a belt-side screw 49. As shown in FIG.

As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the belt-side housing 45 has a substantially box-like shape with an open surface facing the intermediate transfer belt 21 . A belt-side discharge port 45A connected to a discharge conveying device 18, which will be described later, is open at the rear bottom surface of the belt-side housing 45. As shown in FIG. The bias brush 46 and the recovery roller 47 are formed in a substantially cylindrical shape elongated in the front-rear direction, and are supported inside the belt-side housing 45 so as to be rotatable about their axes. The bias brush 46 is in contact with the intermediate transfer belt 21 and the collection roller 47 is in contact with the upper left side of the bias brush 46 . The recovery blade 48 is made of, for example, a synthetic resin in a plate shape and fixed to the belt-side housing 45 . The tip of the recovery blade 48 is in contact with the recovery roller 47 . The belt-side screw 49 has helical blades fixed to the circumferential surface of a shaft extending in the front-rear direction, and is supported inside the belt-side housing 45 so as to be rotatable about its axis. The belt-side screw 49 is arranged in the lower left portion of the belt-side housing 45 .

[Ejection transport device]
As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7 , the four drum cleaning devices 27 and the belt cleaning device 22 are connected to a discharge conveying device 18 that conveys waste toner toward the waste toner collecting device 13 . The discharge transport device 18 includes a transport housing 50 and a transport screw 51 .

The transport housing 50 is formed in a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape elongated in the left-right direction. Four drum-side introduction pipes 52 and four belt-side introduction pipes 53 are provided side by side in the horizontal direction on the upper surface of the transport housing 50 . Each drum-side introduction pipe 52 is connected to the drum-side discharge port 40A of the drum cleaning device 27 . The belt-side introduction pipe 53 is connected to the belt-side discharge port 45A of the belt cleaning device 22 . A transport discharge pipe 54 connected to the waste toner collecting device 13 is formed on the left bottom surface of the transport housing 50 . The conveying screw 51 has helical blades fixed to the circumferential surface of a shaft extending in the left-right direction, and is supported inside the conveying housing 50 so as to be rotatable about its axis.

[Waste toner recovery device]
Next, referring to FIGS. 2, 3, and 7 to 11, the waste toner collecting device 13 as an example of the container mounting device will be described. FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing the waste toner collecting device 13. As shown in FIG. FIG. 9 is a side view of the waste toner collecting device 13 showing the collection bottle 61 in the first posture P1. FIG. 10 is a side view of the waste toner collecting device 13 showing the collection bottle 61 in the second posture P2. FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view along XI-XI in FIG.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 , the waste toner recovery device 13 includes a recovery side mounting portion 60 (mounting portion) and a collection bottle 61 . A recovery bottle 61 is detachably attached to the recovery side attachment portion 60 . Waste toner discharged from the belt cleaning device 22 or the drum cleaning device 27 is stored in the recovery bottle 61 (container main body 32).

<Collection bottle>
The collection bottle 61 as an example of a toner container is the toner bottle 31 that has been emptied by consuming the replenishment toner (any of the four toner bottles 31 may be used) (see FIG. 5). That is, the empty toner bottle 31 is also used (reused) as the collection bottle 61 for collecting waste toner. Since the collection bottle 61 has the same shape as the toner bottle 31 already described, detailed description of the collection bottle 61 is omitted. The reference numerals attached to the structure of the collection bottle 61 are the same as the reference numerals attached to the structure of the toner bottle 31 . Although the empty toner bottle 31 is used as the recovery bottle 61, the present invention is not limited to this, and a dedicated recovery bottle 61 different from the toner bottle 31 may be prepared.

<Collecting part>
The recovery side mounting section 60 is arranged adjacent to the left side of the cassette mounting section 10 (see FIG. 2). The collection-side mounting portion 60 is arranged at a position corresponding to the transport/discharge pipe 54 of the discharge/conveyor 18 (see FIGS. 6 and 7). The collection side mounting portion 60 forms a space for mounting the collection bottle 61 . A collection side opening 60A of a collection side mounting portion 60 for attaching and detaching the collection bottle 61 is formed on the lower front surface of the device main body 2 .

As shown in FIGS. 2, 3 and 8, the recovery side mounting section 60 has a recovery cover 62, a support rail section 63, an angle changing mechanism 80, and a displacement sensor 64. As shown in FIGS. The recovery cover 62 is provided to open and close the recovery side opening 60A of the recovery side mounting portion 60. As shown in FIG. The support rail portion 63 slidably supports the collection bottle 61 . The angle changing mechanism 80 moves the collection bottle 61 up and down (changes the angle of inclination) via the support rail portion 63 . A displacement sensor 64 detects a capacitance corresponding to the waste toner contained in the collection bottle 61 .

(collection cover)
As shown in FIG. 8, the recovery cover 62 is made of, for example, synthetic resin, and the lower portion of the recovery cover 62 is connected to the recovery side mounting portion 60 (or the apparatus main body 2) via a rotating shaft 62A extending to both left and right sides. there is The recovery cover 62 is rotatable between a position to open the recovery side opening 60A and a position to close it (see FIGS. 9 and 10).

(Support rail part)
The support rail portion 63 is provided at the lower portion of the recovery side mounting portion 60 , and the upper surface of the support rail portion 63 is recessed in conformity with the peripheral surface of the container body 32 . The support rail portion 63 supports the container body 32 so as to be slidable in the axial direction and to be rotatable around the axis. The rear end portion of the support rail portion 63 (on the side of the communication port 36) is connected to the recovery side mounting portion 60 (or the apparatus main body 2) via a rotating shaft 63A extending to both left and right sides. The support rail portion 63 is supported so as to be vertically rotatable (swingable) around a rotation shaft 63A. A biasing member 63B is provided below the front side of the support rail portion 63 . The biasing member 63B is a compression coil spring installed between the front side of the support rail portion 63 and the frame of the recovery side mounting portion 60 (or the device main body 2). The biasing member 63B biases the front side of the support rail portion 63 upward.

(Angle change mechanism)
As shown in FIG. 9 , the angle changing mechanism 80 has an input gear 81 , an output gear 82 , an intermediate gear 83 and a rack gear 84 . Input gear 81, output gear 82 and intermediate gear 83 are spur gears. The input gear 81 is fixed coaxially with the rotating shaft 62A of the collection cover 62 . The output gear 82 and the intermediate gear 83 are rotatably supported by the collection side mounting portion 60 (or the device main body 2). The intermediate gear 83 is arranged between the input gear 81 and the output gear 82 and meshes with both gears 81 and 82 . A rack gear 84 is fixed to the lower front end of the support rail portion 63 and meshes with the output gear 82 .

The angle changing mechanism 80 places the recovery bottle 61 in a horizontal first posture P1 (see FIGS. 8 and 9) when the recovery cover 62 is open, and moves the recovery bottle 61 to the communication port when the recovery cover 62 is closed. 36 to a second posture P2 (see FIG. 10) that is inclined downward toward the front (the other axial direction). The angle changing mechanism 80 has a function of converting the opening/closing operation of the collection cover 62 into the rotating operation of the support rail portion 63 . Note that the term "horizontal" used in this specification does not require a strict level, but means that a slight error is allowed.

[Attaching the collection bottle]
Here, a procedure for mounting the collection bottle 61 on the collection side mounting portion 60 will be described. It should be noted that the recovery cover 62 is in its initial state when it is opened (see FIGS. 8 and 9). When the recovery cover 62 is opened, the output gear 82 is moved to the lower portion of the rack gear 84, and the support rail portion 63 is horizontally held in the front-rear direction (axial direction).

The user inserts the collection bottle 61 (empty toner bottle 31) with the grip portion G facing forward and the communication port 36 facing upward into the collection side mounting portion 60 (collection side opening 60A). In the process of inserting the collection bottle 61 , the shutter comes into contact with a portion of the collection side mounting portion 60 and slides relatively forward to open the communication port 36 . The open communication port 36 is connected to the downstream end of the transport/discharge pipe 54 (see FIG. 7). Further, the collection bottle 61 is supported by the support rail portion 63 in a first posture P1 that is horizontal in the front-rear direction (see FIGS. 8 and 9).

Next, the user rotates the collection cover 62 backward about the rotating shaft 62A to close the collection cover 62 (see FIG. 10). When the opened collection cover 62 is rotated rearward about the rotating shaft 62A, the input gear 81 also rotates in the same direction as the collection cover 62 . Rotation of the input gear 81 is transmitted to the output gear 82 via the intermediate gear 83 , and the output gear 82 rotates in the same direction as the input gear 81 . Since the output gear 82 relatively rolls upward from the bottom of the rack gear 84, the support rail portion 63 to which the rack gear 84 is fixed rotates downward about the rotating shaft 63A while compressing the biasing member 63B. do. When the recovery cover 62 is closed, the output gear 82 is moved to the top of the rack gear 84, and the support rail portion 63 is tilted downward from the rear to the front (see FIG. 10). The collection bottle 61 is supported by the support rail portion 63 in a second posture P2 that slopes down toward the front (see FIG. 10). Note that the inclination angle of the collection bottle 61 in the second posture P2 (the second posture P2) (the angle between the horizontal line indicated by the dashed line in FIG. 10 and the rotation center axis of the collection bottle 61 indicated by the one-dot chain line in FIG. 10) ) is set to, for example, 1 to 2 degrees, but the angle of inclination is not limited to this and may be set freely.

Thus, the mounting of the recovery bottle 61 is completed (see FIGS. 2 and 3). In this state, the collection-side mounting section 60 fixes the cap 33 and rotatably supports the container body 32 . Also, in this state, the transmission gear 35 is connected to the drive motor M (see FIG. 5) via the power transmission mechanism, and the communication port 36 is connected to the cleaning devices 22 and 27 via the discharging/conveying device 18 (see FIG. 5). See Figure 7). If the recovery bottle 61 is not properly attached to the recovery side attachment portion 60, the recovery cover 62 interferes with the grip portion G and does not close properly. In other words, the transmission gear 35 is not connected to the drive motor M when the collection cover 62 is not closed.

[Remove Waste Toner]
Next, an operation for removing waste toner (residual toner) will be described. A negative bias is applied to the bias brush 46 and the screws 44 , 49 and 51 .

When the image forming process is executed, the polishing roller 41 and the regulating roller 42 are rotated following the photosensitive drum 23, and the drum-side screw 44 is rotationally driven by a motor (not shown). Note that the polishing roller 41 and the regulation roller 42 may be rotationally driven by a motor. Waste toner (residual toner) remaining on the surface of the photosensitive drum 23 adheres to the surface of the polishing roller 41 to form a toner layer. The polishing roller 41 polishes the surface of the photoreceptor drum 23 via the toner layer. The regulation roller 42 makes the layer thickness of the toner layer uniform. The cleaning blade 43 scrapes off the waste toner adhering to the surface of the photosensitive drum 23 , and the waste toner is stored in the drum-side housing 40 . The drum-side screw 44 is rotationally driven by a motor, and conveys the waste toner stored in the drum-side housing 40 toward the drum-side discharge port 40A (see the arrow in FIG. 6). Waste toner is discharged from the drum-side discharge port 40A and enters the transport housing 50 through the drum-side introduction pipe 52 (see the arrow in FIG. 7).

Also, the bias brush 46, the recovery roller 47 and the belt-side screw 49 are rotationally driven by a motor. The bias brush 46 attracts waste toner (residual toner) adhering to the surface of the intermediate transfer belt 21 by electrostatic attraction force. A collection roller 47 receives the waste toner transferred to the bias brush 46 . The recovery blade 48 scrapes the waste toner moved to the recovery roller 47 and the waste toner is accommodated in the belt-side housing 45 . The belt-side screw 49 is rotationally driven by a motor, and conveys the waste toner stored in the belt-side housing 45 toward the belt-side outlet 45A (see the arrow in FIG. 6). Waste toner is discharged from the belt-side discharge port 45A and enters the transport housing 50 through the belt-side introduction pipe 53 (see the arrow in FIG. 7).

The conveying screw 51 is rotationally driven by a motor, and conveys the waste toner entering the conveying housing 50 toward the conveying discharge pipe 54 (see the arrow in FIG. 6). Waste toner that has entered the transport housing 50 enters the cap 33 (recovery bottle 61) through the communication port 36 through the transport discharge pipe 54 (see the arrow in FIG. 7).

The container body 32 (conveyance rib 34) attached to the collection side attachment portion 60 is driven by the drive motor M to rotate around the axis (opposite to the container body 32 attached to the replenishment side attachment portion 30). By rotating the container body 32 (conveyance ribs 34) around the axis, the waste toner introduced into the container body 32 through the communication port 36 is conveyed from the rear to the front (the other side in the axial direction). Since the collection bottle 61 is in the forward tilted second posture P2 (see FIG. 10), the waste toner can be easily flushed from the rear to the front. Further, the conveying rib 34 conveys the waste toner forward and makes the surface (upper surface) of the accumulated waste toner uniform.

As described above, waste toner is collected in the collection bottle 61 (container main body 32) (see FIG. 11).

(displacement sensor)
As shown in FIGS. 2, 3, and 8 to 11, the collection side mounting portion 60 is provided with a displacement sensor 64 for detecting the amount of waste toner stored in the collection bottle 61. It is The displacement sensor 64 is a capacitance sensor that is arranged facing the recovery bottle 61 attached to the recovery-side attachment portion 60 and detects a capacitance that changes according to the accumulated amount of waste toner accommodated in the recovery bottle 61 . be. Specifically, the displacement sensor 64 is a mutual-capacitance type capacitance sensor that detects changes in the electric field between a transmission electrode 65 and a reception electrode 66 that are arranged to face each other with the collection bottle 61 interposed therebetween. The displacement sensor 64 can detect the amount of accumulated waste toner from 0% to 100% of the volume of the collection bottle 61. However, the detectable accumulated amount may be freely set.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 11, the transmitting electrodes 65 and the receiving electrodes 66 are mounted on rectangular substrates 65A and 66A, respectively, elongated in the front-rear direction. The substrates 65A and 66A are provided in an upright posture along the front-rear direction and are fixed to a frame (not shown) of the recovery-side mounting section 60 . The transmitting electrode 65 and the receiving electrode 66 (substrates 65A, 66A) are provided above the support rail portion 63 . The transmitting electrode 65 and the receiving electrode 66 are formed on the surfaces of the substrates 65A and 66A on the container body 32 side. The transmission electrode 65 is arranged on the side opposite to the cassette mounting portion 10 (on the left side of the device main body 2) with the collection bottle 61 interposed therebetween. The receiving electrode 66 is arranged on the side of the cassette mounting portion 10 (sheet feeding cassette 3). The transmission electrodes 65 and the reception electrodes 66 are electrically connected to the control section 17 .

The collection bottle 61, the transmission electrode 65 and the reception electrode 66 are arranged substantially parallel to the rail holding member 11 (cassette rail 10A) (see FIG. 2). The transmitting electrode 65 and the receiving electrode 66 are arranged on the front side of the container body 32 (on the other side of the center in the axial direction) so as not to contact the container body 32 . The receiving electrode 66 is arranged between the container body 32 and the rail holding member 11 (as viewed from the front). Further, the receiving electrode 66 (substrate 66A) is arranged so as to face the rail holding member 11 without being in contact with the rail holding member 11 . More precisely, the front side (part of) of the receiving electrode 66 overlaps the rail holding member 11 provided immovably.

As the amount of accumulated waste toner in the collection bottle 61 increases, the electric field (capacitance) between the transmission electrode 65 and the reception electrode 66 changes. The control unit 17 periodically receives an output (detection result) from the displacement sensor 64 and determines the accumulated amount of waste toner in the collection bottle 61 .

Further, the displacement sensor 64 can detect not only the accumulated amount of waste toner in the collection bottle 61 but also the attachment/detachment state of the collection bottle 61 with respect to the collection side mounting portion 60 and the open/closed state of the collection cover 62 . .

Since the displacement sensor 64 faces the recovery bottle 61 (container body 32 ) attached to the recovery-side attachment portion 60 , the presence or absence of the recovery bottle 61 in the recovery-side attachment portion 60 causes displacement between the transmission electrode 65 and the reception electrode 66 . changes the electric field (capacitance) of The collection bottle 61 may be empty or may contain waste toner.

Further, as shown in FIG. 9, the transmission/reception electrodes 65 and 66 are arranged with respect to the rotation center axis of the collection bottle 61 (see the dashed line in FIG. 9) when the collection bottle 61 is in the first posture P1. It is arranged so as to incline (intersect). On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 10, the transmission/reception electrodes 65 and 66 are aligned with the rotation center axis of the collection bottle 61 (see the dashed line in FIG. 10) when the collection bottle 61 is in the second posture P2. They are arranged so as to be substantially parallel. Therefore, since the distance between the peripheral surface of the cylindrical collection bottle 61 and the displacement sensor 64 changes slightly according to the opening and closing of the collection cover 62, the electric field (capacitance) between the transmission electrode 65 and the reception electrode 66 changes.

Next, with reference to FIG. 12, a state detectable by the displacement sensor 64 will be described. FIG. 12 is a graph showing the capacitance detected by the displacement sensor 64 in each state. Note that the capacitance values shown in FIG. 12 are values shown for explanation and do not necessarily represent accurate values.

The displacement sensor 64 detects the amount of waste toner stored in the collection bottle 61, and the electrostatic capacitance that changes due to the attachment/detachment of the collection bottle 61 and the opening/closing of the collection cover 62 (more precisely, the posture change of the collection bottle 61). Specifically, the displacement sensor 64 detects the capacitance that changes between the unmounted state, the first state, and the second state. The unattached state is a state in which the recovery bottle 61 is detached from the recovery side attachment portion 60 regardless of whether the recovery cover 62 is opened or closed. The first state is a state in which the recovery cover 62 is open and the recovery bottle 61 is attached to the recovery side attachment portion 60 . That is, the first state is a state in which the collection bottle 61 is in the first posture P1. The second state is a state in which the recovery cover 62 is closed and the recovery bottle 61 is attached to the recovery side attachment portion 60 . In other words, the second state is a state in which the collection bottle 61 is in the second posture P2. In the first state and the second state, the displacement sensor 64 detects an electrostatic capacity that varies depending on the accumulated amount of waste toner contained in the collection bottle 61 .

In the non-mounted state, the displacement sensor 64 detects the capacitance F0 in the non-mounted state corresponding to the dielectric constant of the air in the recovery side mounting section 60 . In the first state, the displacement sensor 64 has a first capacitance corresponding to the combined dielectric constant of the collection bottle 61 (container body 32) in the first posture P1 and the waste toner in the container body 32. Detect F1. In the second state, the displacement sensor 64 has a second capacitance corresponding to the combined dielectric constant of the collection bottle 61 (container body 32) in the second posture P2 and the waste toner in the container body 32. Detect F2.

The capacitance F0 in the unmounted state is substantially constant. The first electrostatic capacitance F1 and the second electrostatic capacitance F2 may change according to the accumulated amount of waste toner in the collection bottle 61 (accumulation rate 0 to 100%). Therefore, the first state and the second state are states having a certain range (minimum value to maximum value).

The minimum value (Min) of the first capacitance F1 is a value larger than the capacitance F0 in the unmounted state, and the minimum value (Min) of the second capacitance F2 is the first capacitance F1. (F0<F1(Min)<F2(Min)). In the memory (not shown) of the control unit 17, the capacitance F0 in the unmounted state and the minimum value (Min) and maximum value (Max) of the first and second capacitances F1 and F2 are stored in advance. remembered. Note that the minimum value (Min) of the first and second capacitances F1 and F2 is the capacitance corresponding to the empty collection bottle 61 (accumulation amount 0%), and the first and second capacitances The maximum value (Max) of F1 and F2 is the capacitance corresponding to the collection bottle 61 in the full state (accumulation amount 100%).

It should be noted that the output of the displacement sensor 64 changes depending on the attachment and detachment of the adjacent paper feed cassette 3, and there is a possibility that the accurate capacitance cannot be detected. However, since the rail holding member 11 covers the receiving electrode 66, the distance between the receiving electrode 66 and the rail holding member 11 is kept constant even if the paper feed cassette 3 is attached or detached, and the displacement sensor 64 detects it. A change in capacitance is suppressed. Thereby, accurate capacitance can be detected.

[Capacitance detection]
Next, detection of capacitance in each state using the displacement sensor 64 will be described. The control unit 17 periodically receives an output (detection result) from the displacement sensor 64 . The interval (sampling rate) for receiving the output from the displacement sensor 64 can be freely set.

When the detection result is the capacitance F0 in the non-mounted state, the control unit 17 determines that the state is the non-mounted state. display a message or the like indicating that the is not installed. When the detection result is the minimum value (Min) of the first electrostatic capacitance F1, the controller 17 is in the first state, the empty collection bottle 61 is attached, and the collection cover 62 is left unclosed. For example, a message or the like prompting to close the recovery cover 62 is displayed on the touch panel. Note that the control unit 17 restricts the execution of the image forming process when determining that the device is in the non-mounted state or the first state.

When the detection result is the minimum value (Min) of the second electrostatic capacitance F2, the controller 17 is in the second state, in which the empty collection bottle 61 is attached and the collection cover 62 is closed. and permits the execution of the image forming process. During or after the image forming process, the control unit 17 periodically receives detection results from the displacement sensor 64 and calculates the accumulated amount of waste toner in the collection bottle 61 . When the detection result is the maximum value (Max) of the second electrostatic capacitance F2, the control unit 17 determines that the collection bottle 61 is full, and immediately stops the image forming operation. In addition, the control unit 17 displays, for example, on the touch panel a message that the collection bottle 61 is full, a message prompting replacement of the collection bottle 61, or the like.

When the user opens the recovery cover 62 to replace the full recovery bottle 61, the support rail portion 63 is lifted by the action of the angle changing mechanism 80 and the biasing force of the biasing member 63B, and the recovery bottle 61 is moved to the second position. 2 is changed to the first posture P1 (see FIG. 9). The user grips the grip portion G of the recovery bottle 61 in the first posture P1, pulls the recovery bottle 61 forward, and separates it from the recovery side mounting portion 60 . As the recovery bottle 61 is pulled out, the shutter is biased backward by a spring (not shown) to close the communication port 36 .

For example, when waste toner is stored in the collection bottle 61, the first capacitance F1 has a range in which the values overlap with the second capacitance F2. In some cases, the state cannot be determined by the control unit 17 based only on the condition. However, when the state changes between the first state and the second state, the electrostatic capacity (the electrostatic capacity corresponding to the change in the posture of the collection bottle 61) increases or decreases momentarily. , it is possible to determine that the capacitance has changed between the first state and the second state by referring to the amount of change in capacitance within a predetermined time. Further, when the state cannot be determined, the control unit 17 displays a message to that effect on the touch panel, for example.

According to the waste toner collecting device 13 (container mounting device) according to the first embodiment described above, by opening the collection cover 62 when the collection bottle 61 is replaced, the collection bottle 61 is placed in a horizontal posture (first posture P1). ). As a result, it is possible to provide the user with an operational feeling of inserting and removing the collection bottle 61 in a horizontal direction, and the operation of exchanging the collection bottle 61 can be performed smoothly. Further, according to the waste toner collecting device 13, by closing the collecting cover 62, the collecting bottle 61 can be set to the second posture P2. As a result, the waste toner introduced inside through the communication port 36 can be easily flowed in the direction away from the communication port 36 by utilizing the downward slope. As described above, the orientation of the collection bottle 61 can be changed according to the opening and closing of the collection cover 62, and the orientation of the collection bottle 61 can be changed according to the replacement of the collection bottle 61 and the operation of the image forming apparatus 1 (during execution of the image forming process). , the recovery bottle 61 can be placed in a good posture.

Further, according to the waste toner collecting device 13 according to the first embodiment, the turning force of the collecting cover 62 can be directly transmitted to the support rail portion 63 via the angle changing mechanism 80, and the opening and closing of the collecting cover 62 can be performed. and the lifting and lowering of the support rail portion 63 can be accurately interlocked.

Further, in the waste toner collecting device 13 according to the first embodiment, the collection bottle 61 moves up and down according to the opening and closing of the collection cover 62 . According to this configuration, the distance between the peripheral surface of the collection bottle 61 and the transmission/reception electrodes 65 and 66 changes as the collection bottle 61 moves up and down, so that the displacement sensor 64 can detect different capacitances. can. As a result, the displacement sensor 64 that detects the accumulated amount of waste toner stored in the collection bottle 61 detects the electrostatic capacitance corresponding to the presence or absence of the collection bottle 61 and changes the attitude of the collection bottle 61 in conjunction with the opening and closing of the collection cover 62 . can be detected. As a result, the structure of the waste toner collecting device 13 can be simplified and the manufacturing cost can be reduced compared to the case where separate sensors detect the accumulated amount of waste toner and the opening and closing of the collecting cover 62. can.

Further, according to the waste toner collecting device 13 according to the first embodiment, the posture of the collection bottle 61 is changed (lifted/lowered) between the sending/receiving electrodes 65 and 66, so that it・Changes in the distance to the receiving electrodes 65 and 66 can be detected by the displacement sensor 64 . As a result, the opening and closing of the recovery cover 62 can be detected by the displacement sensor 64 that detects the accumulated amount of waste toner, thereby preventing forgetting to close the recovery cover 62 and ensuring normal drive connection. .

Further, according to the waste toner collecting device 13 according to the first embodiment, since the cylindrical container body 32 rotates around the axis, the rotation of the container body 32 changes the distance between the displacement sensor 64 and the container body 32 . This distance can be kept constant. As a result, the displacement sensor 64 can accurately detect the capacitance, so that the accumulated amount of waste toner contained in the collection bottle 61 can be properly detected. In addition, since the cylindrical container body 32 moves up and down in accordance with the opening and closing of the collection cover 62 , the distance between the circumferential surface of the container body 32 and the displacement sensor 64 changes. can be detected.

In the waste toner collecting device 13 according to the first embodiment, the front side of the receiving electrode 66 faces the rail holding member 11, but the rear side of the receiving electrode 66 and the entire receiving electrode 66 are not limited to this. It may be arranged opposite to the holding member 11 (not shown). Further, in the waste toner collecting device 13 according to the first embodiment, the receiving electrode 66 of the displacement sensor 64 is arranged to face the rail holding member 11, but the present invention is not limited to this. The receiving electrode 66 and the transmitting electrode 65 may be exchanged so that the transmitting electrode 65 faces the rail holding member 11 (not shown). In other words, the rail holding member 11 may be arranged so as to face at least a part of the displacement sensor 64 . Furthermore, in the waste toner collecting device 13 according to the first embodiment, the transmitting/receiving electrodes 65 and 66 are arranged to face each other in the horizontal direction. (not shown).

[Second embodiment]
Next, a waste toner recovery device 70 according to the second embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 13 is a sectional view (front view) showing the waste toner recovery device 70 and the like. In the following description, the same components as those of the waste toner collecting device 13 according to the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the same description is omitted.

In the waste toner collecting device 70 according to the second embodiment, the transmitting electrode 68 and the receiving electrode 69 of the displacement sensor 67 are vertically aligned on one substrate 67A. In FIG. 13, as an example, the transmitting electrode 68 is arranged on the lower side of the substrate 67A and the receiving electrode 69 is arranged on the upper side of the substrate 67A. good. The displacement sensor 67 is a mutual capacitance that detects changes in the electric field between a transmission electrode 68 and a reception electrode 69 arranged facing the right side of the collection bottle 61 (between the collection bottle 61 and the rail holding member 11). It is a capacitive sensor of the method. The transmitting/receiving electrodes 68 and 69 are not in contact with the rail holding member 11 , and the front sides (parts) of the transmitting/receiving electrodes 68 and 69 overlap the rail holding member 11 .

According to the waste toner collecting device 70 according to the second embodiment described above, it is possible to detect the opening and closing of the collection cover 62 using the displacement sensor 67 that detects the accumulated amount of waste toner. The same functions and effects as those of the waste toner collecting device 13 can be obtained.

In the waste toner collecting device 70 according to the second embodiment, the front sides of the sending/receiving electrodes 68 and 69 face the rail holding member 11. The side or the entire transmitting/receiving electrodes 68, 69 may be arranged facing the rail holding member 11 (not shown). Also, the transmitting electrode 68 or the receiving electrode 69 may be arranged facing the rail holding member 11 (not shown). Also, the transmitting electrode 68 and the receiving electrode 69 may be mounted side by side in the horizontal direction on one substrate 67A (not shown).

In the waste toner collecting devices 13 and 70 according to the first and second embodiments, the orientation in which the collection bottle 61 is horizontal is the first orientation P1, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the posture in which the recovery bottle 61 is tilted upward from the communication port 36 toward the front (the other side in the axial direction) may be the first posture P1 (not shown).

[Third Embodiment]
In the first to third embodiments described above, the fullness detection displacement sensors 64 and 67 are also used to detect attachment/detachment of the collection bottle 61 and open/close detection of the collection cover 62. However, the present invention is not limited to this. As another example of the container mounting device, the features of the present invention may be applied to the toner replenishing device 12 (fourth embodiment). Specifically, the remaining amount confirmation sensor for detecting the remaining amount of the toner bottle 31 (toner for replenishment) is used to detect attachment/detachment of the toner bottle 31 and to detect opening/closing of the replenishment cover 37 (more precisely, detection of the replenishment cover 37). It may also be used to change the posture of the toner bottle 31 in conjunction with the opening and closing of the . More specifically, an angle changing mechanism (not shown) converts the opening/closing operation of the replenishment cover 37 into a rotating operation of a support rail (not shown) for the toner bottle 31 . Then, the angle changing mechanism places the toner bottle 31 in a horizontal first posture P1 with the replenishment cover 37 open, and moves the toner bottle 31 from the front (the other axial direction) with the replenishment cover 37 closed. A second posture P2 in which it is inclined downward toward the communication port 36 is assumed. According to this configuration, it is possible to facilitate the flow of replenishment toner toward the communication port 36 . The features of the present invention may be applied to both the toner replenishing device 12 and the waste toner collecting device 13. Also, the characteristics of the waste toner collecting devices 13 and 70 according to the first and second embodiments may be applied to the toner replenishing device 12 according to the third embodiment.

In the first to third embodiments, the toner bottle 31 and the container body 32 of the collection bottle 61 are rotated about their axes, so that the toner inside (replenishment toner, waste toner) is transported in the axial direction. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, as a modification, the toner container may include a screw for conveying toner in the container body (not shown). In this case, the container body is attached to the replenishment side attachment portion 30 and the collection side attachment portion 60, and the internal screw rotates around the axis, thereby conveying the toner inside the container body in the axial direction.

Further, the waste toner recovery devices 13 and 70 according to the first and second embodiments and the toner replenishing device 12 according to the third embodiment are controlled by the control unit 17 provided in the image forming apparatus 1. The invention is not so limited. Aside from the control unit 17, a dedicated control unit (not shown) for controlling the waste toner recovery device 13, 70 or the toner replenishing device 12 may be provided.

Further, in the waste toner recovery devices 13 and 70 according to the first and second embodiments and the toner replenishing device 12 according to the third embodiment, the angle changing mechanism 80 is composed of a plurality of gears 81 to 84. The invention is not so limited. For example, the angle changing mechanism may be composed of a solenoid, a piston cylinder, or the like that moves the support rail portion 63 up and down.

In addition, in the waste toner collecting devices 13 and 70 according to the first and second embodiments and the toner replenishing device 12 according to the third embodiment, the angle changing mechanism 80 moves the support rail portion 63 up and down so that the toner bottle 31 and the toner bottle 31 Although the posture of the collection bottle 61 is changed, the present invention is not limited to this.
For example, the angle changing mechanism may have an actuating member (not shown) that contacts the toner bottle 31 and the recovery bottle 61, and the orientation of the toner bottle 31 and the recovery bottle 61 may be directly changed by the actuating member.

Further, in the first to third embodiments, the displacement sensors 64 and 67 are not in contact with the rail holding member 11. good too. In addition, although the displacement sensors 64 and 67 are not in contact with the collection bottle 61 in order to ensure smooth rotation of the container body 32, they may be in contact with each other.

Further, in the first to third embodiments, the biasing member 63B that biases the support rail portion 63 upward is provided. The biasing member 63B may be omitted (deleted).

In addition, in the description of the first to third embodiments, as an example, the case where the present invention is applied to the image forming apparatus 1 (color printer) has been shown, but the present invention is not limited to this, and may be, for example, a monochrome printer, a copier, or a facsimile machine. Alternatively, the present invention may be applied to a multifunction machine or the like.

It should be noted that the description of the above embodiment shows one aspect of the container mounting device and the image forming apparatus according to the present invention, and the technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment. The present invention may be changed, replaced, and modified in various ways without departing from the spirit of the technical idea, and the claims include all embodiments that can be included within the scope of the technical idea.

1 image forming apparatus 12 toner supply device (container mounting device)
13, 70 waste toner collecting device (container mounting device)
30 replenishment side mounting part (mounting part)
30A replenishment side opening 31 toner bottle (toner container)
32 container body 33 cap 36 communication port 37 supply cover (cover)
60 collection side applied part (applied part)
60A collection side opening 61 collection bottle (toner container)
62 recovery cover (cover)
63 Support rail portion 64, 67 Displacement sensor 65, 68 Transmitting electrode 66, 69 Receiving electrode 80 Angle changing mechanism P1 First posture P2 Second posture

Claims (3)

a toner container extending in the axial direction so as to accommodate toner, and having a communication port for discharging or introducing the toner in one axial direction;
a mounting portion to which the toner container is detachably mounted along the axial direction;
The mounting part is
a cover for opening and closing an opening for attaching and detaching the toner container;
a support rail portion that slidably supports the toner container;
A first posture in which the toner container is horizontal when the cover is open, and a second posture in which the toner container is inclined downward from the other axial direction toward the communication port when the cover is closed. Or, when the cover is opened, the toner container is placed horizontally or in a first position inclined upward in the other axial direction from the communication port, and when the cover is closed, the toner container is placed in the first position. an angle changing mechanism that assumes a second posture inclined downward from the communication port toward the other axial direction;
the cover is rotatable between a position where the opening is opened and a position where the opening is closed;
The support rail portion is supported so as to be vertically rotatable around a rotation shaft provided on the side of the communication port,
The container mounting device, wherein the angle changing mechanism converts an opening/closing operation of the cover into a rotating operation of the support rail portion . The toner container is
a container body formed in a cylindrical shape and having a spiral conveying rib projecting radially inward from an outer peripheral surface;
a cap that supports one end in the axial direction of the container body so as to be rotatable around the axis and has the communication port that communicates with the inside of the container body;
The mounting portion fixes the cap and rotatably supports the container body,
By rotating the container body attached to the attachment portion around the axis, the toner contained in the container body is conveyed toward the communication port, or the toner contained in the container body is conveyed from the communication port to the container body. 2. The container mounting device according to claim 1, wherein said toner introduced into said container is transported in the other axial direction. An image forming apparatus comprising the container mounting device according to claim 1 or 2 .

Images