JPH04277782A - Method and device for forming image - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To improve operability in the exchanging of a developer used on a cleaning device, without making a device large. CONSTITUTION:A toner hopper part 101a and a developer hopper part 1O1b are formed on a hopper 101, and replenishing rollers 108 and 107 to a developing unit 100 are provided on the lower part openings of each hopper part, respectively. A cartridge 500 housing toner and the developer in separate housing parts is mounted on the opening on the hopper, and the toner and developer are replenished into each hopper part. First, the developer is thrown away from the cleaning device into a recovery tank 117, a recycle screw 113 inside a recovery pipe 114, for reusing the toner recovered by the cleaning device is reversely rotated, next, the developer under using is sent from the developing unit into the cleaning device, and then, the developer is replenished from the developer hopper part into the developing unit. Thus, the exchanging of the developer is carried out.

Description

[Detailed description of the invention]

0001

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to image forming apparatuses such as copying machines and facsimile machines.

0002

2. Description of the Related Art Image forming apparatuses such as copying machines, which are widely used in general, use a cursor process (electrophotographic process) to form a visible image on a recording medium (sheet). This visible image is created by fine particles called toner stored in a developing device, but toner is a consumable item that is consumed each time an image is formed. Therefore, when the amount of toner falls below a predetermined amount, toner must be replenished each time, which is the most troublesome operation for maintaining the image forming apparatus. In addition, untransferred toner is removed from the photoreceptor by a cleaning device in the image forming apparatus,
In the case where this toner is collected as waste toner in a waste toner bottle, which is waste toner storage means provided in the apparatus, it is necessary to dispose of the waste toner before the waste toner bottle becomes full. In addition, agents used in developing devices and cleaning devices (
When the carrier (carrier) deteriorates due to use, its ability to charge toner and cleaning performance decreases, so it is necessary to replace it as appropriate. Although such maintenance work differs depending on the part targeted for maintenance,
It is complicated and troublesome for the operator, stains the operator's clothes and the surroundings of the device, and can only be done by service personnel with specialized knowledge.

[0003] Therefore, regarding the replacement of the agent in the cleaning device, the cleaning device is equipped with a dedicated hopper containing unused agent and a detector for detecting the deterioration of the agent, so that when the deterioration of the agent is detected, It has been proposed to automatically discharge the degraded agent in the cleaning device to the outside of the device and replenish the device with unused agent from the hopper (for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 147771/1982).
.

0004

However, in the prior art, it is necessary to provide a dedicated hopper to the current cleaning device, which leaves the problem that the device becomes large.

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object thereof is to provide an image forming method and an image forming apparatus in which the operability of agent replacement in a cleaning device is improved. .

[0006]

[Means for Solving the Problems] In order to achieve the above object, the image forming apparatus of the present invention includes a developing means for forming a visible image on a photoreceptor using toner, and a developing means for forming an image from the photoreceptor. In an image forming apparatus having a cleaning means for removing residual toner after operation, the agent stored in the developing means is transferred via an agent transfer means connecting the developing means and the cleaning means, and the agent is transferred by the cleaning means. The image forming method of the present invention is characterized by using:
A replenishment step in which toner and agent are replenished from the developer storage means to the replenishment section, a development step in which a visible image is formed with toner on the photoreceptor using a developing means, and an image is formed from above the photoreceptor using a cleaning means. A cleaning step for removing residual toner after the operation and a transfer means connecting the cleaning means and the developing means are used to transfer toner from the cleaning means to the developing means in accordance with the consumption of toner in the developing means. a transfer step of transferring the agent used in the cleaning means; a agent discharge step of discharging the agent used in the cleaning means from the cleaning means to the used agent storage section; and a step of transferring the agent from the cleaning means to the cleaning means.

[0007]

[Operation] According to the present invention, the agent stored in the developing means is transferred through the agent transfer means connecting the developing means and the cleaning means, and is used by the cleaning means.
The developing device is also used as a storage section for the agent to be used in the cleaning device.

[0008]

Embodiment A digital copying machine which is an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described. In FIG. 1, this digital copying machine includes a reading device (scanner) 10 that is a document reading means, and a copying device (printer) 9 that executes a series of processes for copying the read document information onto paper.
It consists of 0. The reading device 10 includes a contact glass 306 on which a document is placed, a document scale 305 provided at the edge of the contact glass, and a contact glass 30.
6, a fluorescent lamp 301 that illuminates the original below the contact glass 306, first to third mirrors 302 that reflect light reflected from the original,
303, 304, a lens 308 covered with a cover 309 through which the reflected light from the third mirror enters, and a CCD 310 placed at the imaging position of the lens 308 is attached to the A/D
An image reading plate 311 with a built-in converter, a substrate 312 on which an image processing circuit is formed, and a cooling fan 3 for cooling the inside of the device.
It is equipped with 13th mag. And contact glass 306
When an original is set on the top and the copy start button on the operation panel is turned on, an optical system such as a fluorescent lamp 301 is moved below the contact glass 306 to scan the original, and the reflected light from the original is passed through the lens. CCD via 308 etc.
310 and reads the document information. The original image formed on the CCD 310 is converted into a digital signal. This digital signal is processed by an image processing circuit, converted into digital recorded image information, and outputted to the image information storage device of the copying device 90.

Next, the copying apparatus 90 will be explained. In FIG. 1, a photosensitive drum 140, which is an image carrier, is rotated clockwise. As will be described later, this photosensitive drum 140 is constructed by wrapping a replaceable photosensitive sheet around a support drum. Near the top of the photosensitive drum 140, a transfer charger 350 is provided facing each other to form a transfer section. A conveyance path consisting of a conveyance guide plate 383, a first relay roller pair 327, and an intermediate roller pair 328, 329 is formed between this transfer section and a paper tray 349 which is provided horizontally at the top of the device and accommodates transfer paper. has been done. This paper tray 349 has a pickup roller 3.
24, a paper feed roller 325, and a reverse roller 326 are arranged to constitute a paper feed device 390. Further, a pair of registration rollers 330 is provided near the transfer portion of the conveyance path. Furthermore, between this transfer section and the paper ejection port, a conductor separation conveyance belt 351 is provided, and a fixing heater of about 700 W is provided inside.
A fixing device consisting of a Teflon-coated fixing roller 335 and a pressure roller 334 is provided. A cleaning device 130 is installed on the right side of the photoreceptor drum 140.
A agent collection bottle 117 is provided below the cleaning device 130 to collect and store the deteriorated agent. At the upper left of this agent collection bottle 117 is a static elimination lamp 341 facing the surface of the photoreceptor drum 140.
and a charger 342 provided with a grid 343. This charger 342 is connected to a high voltage generator of negative voltage, and uniformly charges the surface of the photoreceptor drum 140 to -600 volts. The photosensitive drum 140 has a writing optical system unit 38 installed horizontally at the bottom of the device.
An exposure section is formed to which the laser beam from 5 is irradiated. Inside this writing optical system unit 385, a semiconductor laser and a cylinder lens, which are not shown here, are included.
A polygon mirror 344 rotationally driven by a polygon mirror motor 345, an f-theta lens (not shown), and a reflecting mirror 3
46 etc. are provided. Above the writing optical system unit 385 is a developing device 10 equipped with a magnet roller 102 facing an upward movement area of the surface of the photoreceptor drum 140.
A developing device 386 consisting of a toner hopper 101 and a toner hopper 101 is provided. In addition to the magnetic roller 102, the developing device 100 is provided with a developing doctor and the like that regulates the amount of developer on the magnetic roller 102. Further, the toner hopper 101 has its lower part opened to the developing device 100, and a toner replenishment roller is provided in this opening.
Additionally, an agitator is provided to agitate the toner inside. The upper part of the hopper is opened upward, and this opening (hereinafter referred to as hopper opening) serves as a toner replenishment section into which a cartridge 500 containing toner and agent is attached. On the front side of the toner hopper 101 in the drawing, an empty cartridge storage box 550 is provided, which constitutes an empty cartridge storage section that stores empty cartridges 500 and the like after replenishing the toner hopper 101 with toner and the like.

Note that on the upper wall of the copying device 90, paper trays 347, 348 and pickup rollers 314, 3 are installed inside.
19, paper feed rollers 315, 320, reverse roller 316,
Additional (optional) paper feed device 391 with 321 etc.
, 392 are arranged. And this paper feeding device 39
1 is provided with a third relay roller pair 317, and the paper feed device 392 is provided with a second relay roller pair 322, respectively. Each paper tray 349, 348, 347 can be freely pulled out, and is also provided with a set detection sensor and a size detection sensor (not shown). When the set detection sensor detects the set state, a lift motor (not shown) is driven to remove the paper. The transfer paper in the tray is raised to a position where it contacts the pickup rollers 324, 314, and 319. In addition, in order to detect the conveyance status of the transfer paper within the conveyance path, a first relay sensor 318,
A second relay sensor 323 and a registration sensor 331 are provided.

In the above configuration, the semiconductor laser in the writing optical system unit 385 is activated to emit light in response to digitally recorded image information, which is a binary signal of 1 bit (recording/non-recording) per pixel. The laser beam emitted from the semiconductor laser is reflected by the polygon mirror 344 and
The light passes through a lens (not shown), is reflected by a reflection mirror 346, and is irradiated onto the photoreceptor drum 140 to form an image. The polygon mirror 344 is rotationally driven at a constant speed by a polygon motor 345, and the aforementioned laser beam is scanned in the horizontal direction, which is a direction perpendicular to the moving direction of the photoreceptor drum 140.

The surface of the photosensitive drum 140 is connected to the charger 34.
2, it is uniformly charged to minus 600 volts. When the uniformly charged surface of the photoreceptor is irradiated with laser light emitted based on digitally recorded image information, the charge on the surface of the photoreceptor is transferred to the device via the conductive layer of the photoreceptor drum 140 due to a photoconductive phenomenon. It flows to earth and disappears. Here, the laser is not turned on in areas where the original density is low (the binary signal is at a non-recording level), and the laser is turned on in areas where the original density is high (the binary signal is at the recording level). As a result, the portion of the surface of the photoreceptor drum 140 corresponding to the light density portion of the original has a potential of approximately -600 volts, and the high density portion of the original has a potential of approximately -100 volts, which corresponds to the density of the original. An electrostatic latent image is formed. This electrostatic latent image is developed by a developing device 386 to form a toner image on the surface of the photoreceptor drum 140. Furthermore, the developing device 10
The toner in the developing device 100 is negatively charged by stirring, and the toner in the developing device 100
The inner magnet roller 102 is biased to about -450 volts by a developing bias generator, and adheres to areas of the photoreceptor drum 140 where the surface potential is higher than the developing bias, forming a toner image corresponding to the original image.

On the other hand, the transfer paper is stored in three paper trays 349.
. The toner image is transferred. The transfer paper on which the toner image has been transferred is attracted by the conveyor belt 351 and separated from the surface of the photoreceptor drum. Thereafter, the transfer paper passes between a fixing roller 335 and a pressure roller 334 to which the toner is fixed, and the transfer paper is separated by a separating claw 333 and discharged onto a paper discharge tray (not shown). After the toner image has been transferred to the transfer paper, the surface of the photoreceptor drum 140 is cleaned by cleaning device 1.
After the residual toner is removed by step 30, it is ready for the next uniform charging.

The toner in the developing device 100 is consumed to visualize the latent image on the photoreceptor, and the consumed amount is transferred from the toner hopper 101a to the toner supply roller 10.
8 into the developing device 100. In addition, developing device 1
The agents in the cleaning device 130 and the cleaning device 130 deteriorate as the number of copies increases, so they need to be replaced, and in this example, this is done automatically. Then, when the toner hopper 101 becomes empty, a new cartridge 500 is used to replenish toner. This cartridge 500 also accommodates a medicine as described later. In order to facilitate toner replenishment using this cartridge 500, a cartridge transport mechanism and the like are provided.

First, toner replenishment will be explained. In FIG. 2, cartridge transport is carried out by transporting the cartridge 500 inserted into the loading section 690 on the front side of the main body of the image forming apparatus to the lower part of the transport belt 603 and to the first transport roller 61.
0, the toner and agent are transported to the upper part of the hopper 101 by the upper second transport roller 611 and the upper third transport roller 612, and at the replenishment position, the cartridge seal 504 that seals the cartridge 500 is removed, and the toner and The agent is replenished into the hopper 101. Then, the empty cartridge 500 that has been refilled is transferred from the refilling position to the empty cartridge accumulating section 551 of the empty cartridge storage box 550 before the refilled toner is consumed and the next cartridge is inserted. The automatic exchange of agents using replenished agents will be described in detail later.

First, the cartridge 50 used in this embodiment
0 will be explained. FIG. 6 is a perspective view thereof. This cartridge 500 has an upper cartridge upper plate 501 and a lower cartridge lower plate 503 at the bottom, and a cartridge film 502 at the side connecting these upper and bottom parts, and a cartridge film 502 inside.
A toner accommodating section 502a and a developer accommodating section (hereinafter referred to as "agent accommodating section") 502b are formed by partitions made of a double layer of film made of the same material as 02. A guide wing portion 501a is formed on each of the left and right flanges of the cartridge top plate 501 that extend outward from the side surface, and extend further outward from the front end toward approximately the center in the front-rear direction. A timing groove 501b is formed on the upper surface of the cartridge upper plate 501 from the front end to the rear end approximately at the center in the left-right direction. The cartridge film 502 needs to be soft, and for example, a film-like member such as a polyester film or an elastic member such as polyurethane rubber is used. This is so that the cartridge can be stored in the empty cartridge accommodating section 551 in a vertically collapsed state (see FIG. 3), as will be described later. On each of the left and right flanges extending to the outside of the side surface of the cartridge lower plate 503, a pair of guide wing portions 503a extending further outward are formed at the same position in the front-rear direction and spaced apart from each other by a certain distance. There is. A timing groove 503b is formed on the upper surface of a pair of guide wings 503a formed on the left flange.
is formed. Further, the outer end surface of the guide wing portion 503a formed on the left flange portion and the cartridge film 502
The distance from the left side surface of the cartridge film 502 is the distance between the outer end surface of the guide wing 503a formed on the right flange and the cartridge film 502.
is larger than the distance from the right side of the Furthermore, an opening is formed in a portion of the cartridge lower plate 503 surrounded by the lower edge of the cartridge film 502, and this opening serves as an outlet for toner and agent. This opening is sealed by a cartridge seal 504 with toner and developer stored in the toner storage portion 502a and the agent storage portion 502b. Cartridge seal 504 seals hopper opening 12
4, the seal removal mechanism described later is located on the right flange side of the cartridge 500, so for example, after adhesive is applied to the flange of the cartridge lower plate 503, the inside of the flange on the front, rear, left and right sides is removed. , the pasting starts from the right flange, and after being pasted to the left flange, it is folded back and the free end is attached to the right flange 5.
03a, and the edge of this free end is glued to the right flange.

In this example, the cartridge upper plate 501
The cartridge lower plates 503 each have a thickness of 3 mm, and the overall height of the cartridge 503 is set to 86 mm. Further, when the cartridge 500 falls into the empty cartridge accommodating section 551, which will be described later, in order to prevent problems such as a portion of the cartridge 500 other than the cartridge lower plate 503 coming into contact with the member that was guiding the cartridge lower plate 503 until just before the cartridge falls, It is desirable to set the side and top surfaces of the cartridge lower plate 503, which is the bottom part, so that the upper part of the cartridge 500 can be projected thereon.

The weight ratio of toner and agent contained in this cartridge 500 is preferably in the range of 1:1 to 3:1. In this example, as will be described later, the agent is automatically replaced in accordance with the loading of the cartridge 500 every time the toner runs out, so it is necessary to consume all the toner in the cartridge 500 before the agent reaches its end of life. It is. In this example, the cartridge contains 150 g of the agent, and the life of this agent is approximately 10,000 sheets. Therefore, for safety reasons, the amount of toner consumed by making 8,000 copies is assumed. The amount of toner consumed varies depending on the black area of the document, and the amount of toner consumed is 150 g when the average black area of the document is 3%, and 450 g when the average black area of the document is 9%. Therefore,
The weight ratio of consumed toner to agent is 3 when the average black area of the original is 3.
%, 1:1, and 3 when the average black area of the document is 9%.
:1. Since the area of the black portion of a document is generally 3% to 9%, the preferred ratio of toner to agent storage amounts is 1:1 to 3:1 as described above. In this example, the toner and agent storage sections have capacities of 1200 cc and 100 cc, respectively.

Next, the cartridge transport mechanism will be explained. FIG. 2 is a perspective view thereof, and FIG. 3 is a front view of the vicinity of the developing device 100. The main body of the device has an exterior part (hereinafter referred to as
Cartridge 5 formed in 690 (referred to as front exterior part)
00 insertion opening 692, a toner and developer replenishment section consisting of a hopper 101 located on the back side of the device, and an unsealing means for the cartridge 500 having an unsealing roller 680 disposed on the right side of the hopper opening;
A sealing member storage section (see FIG. 3) consisting of a seal storage box 681 disposed facing the opening roller 680, and an empty cartridge storage section consisting of an empty cartridge storage box 550 disposed between the hopper 101 and the front exterior section 690. A transport means having a lower transport belt 603, a lower transport rail 631, etc. is provided. And the front exterior part 6
In addition to the insertion window 692, a window 694 for inserting and removing the empty cartridge storage box 550 is also formed in the cartridge 90. The insertion window 692 of the insertion section is formed in a shape that is slightly larger than the cross-sectional shape when the cartridge 500 is cut perpendicularly to the insertion direction, and as a result, the insertion window 692 is used for guiding the cartridge 500. Wing part 501a
The length of the passage portions such as the guide wings 501a, etc. is also set to match the length of the guide wing portions 501a, etc. This prevents the cartridge 500 from being inserted sideways or from being inserted in the wrong direction, as described above.

Inside the front exterior part 690, there is an insertion window door 693 whose lower part is rotatably supported on a horizontal shaft 693b parallel to the exterior part, and which can cover the entire insertion window 692 in a closed state.
is provided. This insertion window door 693 is normally kept in a closed state by applying a rotational force in the closing direction by a biasing means (not shown), and by pushing the insertion window door 693 toward the inside of the device against this rotational force, it can be horizontally It can be rotated up to about 90 degrees around the axis 693b. and,
In the closed state, a protruding plate 693b having a protruding portion extending outward from the tip edge is provided on the upper part of the surface of the insertion window door 693 facing inside the device (hereinafter referred to as the inner surface) (FIG. 3). reference).

Above the insertion window 692 on the inner surface of the front exterior part 690 is a door sensor 70 equipped with a light emitting element and a light receiving element.
1, a lock mechanism including a lock release solenoid 700, and a lock plate 700a fixed to the plunger thereof. The door sensor 701 is inserted into the window door 6
The protrusion plate 693b is attached at a position where the protrusion portion of the protrusion plate 693b is interposed between the light emitting element and the light receiving element when the protrusion plate 93 is closed,
The locking mechanism is such that when the plunger is pulled out with the insertion window door 693 closed, the locking plate 700a is inserted into the protruding plate 6.
93b from the side opposite to the front exterior portion 690, and when the plunger is sucked, the lock plate 700a is engaged with the protruding plate 6.
It is attached in a position where it does not engage with 93b.

As shown in FIG. 5, a seal member 662 is attached to the upper surface of the periphery of the hopper opening of the toner replenishing section to prevent a gap from forming between the upper surface of the periphery and the lower surface of the flange of the cartridge 500. It has been set up. Further, as shown in FIG. 2, a hopper guide part 660 extending from the peripheral edge is formed on the side of the front exterior part 690 from the hopper opening, and a cartridge 500 is placed on the back side of the apparatus from the hopper opening. A cartridge abutment wall 661 is provided that is tilted forward toward the insertion window 692 for positioning, and the cartridge abutting wall 661 is opened toward the insertion window 692 by its inclined lower surface and the upper surface of the peripheral edge to which the sealing member 662 is attached. A wedge-shaped void is formed.

The unsealing roller 680 of the above unsealing means is shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 2, the upper and lower rollers 680 have a certain length corresponding to the gap between the front and rear guide wings 503a on the right side of the cartridge 500. The side roller 680 is a cylindrical roller made of an elastic material, and the upper roller 680 is a roller with an uneven surface. The rotation shafts of both rollers 680 are rotatably supported by a link mechanism that allows the distance between the two shafts to be changed, and can be driven by an unsealing motor (not shown). This link mechanism includes a spring that constantly applies a biasing force to make the distance between the vertical rotation shafts at least a distance that allows the guide wing portion 503a to pass between the pair of upper and lower rollers; A sealing member 50 seals the cartridge 500 between the pair of upper and lower rollers by adjusting the distance between the upper and lower rotating shafts against force.
A pinch solenoid for opening is connected, which can be set to a pinching distance of 4.

The seal storage box 681, which is the sealing member storage section, opens the cartridge 50 with the unsealing roller 680.
A receiving opening is provided for receiving the sealing member 504 removed from the zero opening. The empty cartridge storage box 113, which is the empty cartridge storage section, is shown in FIG.
It has an opening for receiving the cartridge 500 at the top and is configured to be detachable from the main body of the apparatus.

The transfer means includes first to third transfer rollers 610, which are driven by a transfer motor (not shown) capable of forward and reverse rotation.
611, 612, the lower conveyor belt 603, and the guide wing portion 501 of the cartridge upper plate 501 of the cartridge 500.
A first upper transport rail pair 632 and a second upper transport rail pair 633 that can support the cartridge upper plate 501 from below by contacting the lower surface of the cartridge upper plate 501 and the lower surface of the guide wing 503a of the cartridge lower plate 503 It is comprised of a lower transport rail 631 that can support the cartridge lower plate 503 from below, the hopper guide 660, and an insertion window door 693. Hereinafter, the case where the transport motor transports the cartridge 500 to the rear side of the apparatus will be referred to as normal transport, and the rotation of the transport motor at this time will be referred to as forward rotation, and the opposite case will be referred to as reverse transport or reverse rotation.

Each of the upper transport rails 632 and 633 is an L-shaped rail in cross section, consisting of a vertical part and a horizontal part extending from the lower end toward the transport path of the cartridge 500.
They form a pair on the left and right sides of the transport path of the cartridge 500, respectively. The first transport rail 632 is provided above the empty cartridge accumulating section 551 of the empty cartridge storage box 550, and its front end extends below the first transport roller 610, and its back end extends to the second transport roller 610. It extends to the front of roller 611. Then, the first upper conveyance rail 63
The horizontal portion of the cartridge upper plate 501 is set so that the flange portion and the guide feather portion 501 of the cartridge upper plate 501 can be placed on the horizontal portion of the cartridge upper plate 501. The flange portion and guide wing portion 501a are arranged so as to be able to pass through. Second transport rail 633
is provided above the empty cartridge accommodating portion 551 and the hopper 101, and the rear end thereof connects the gap between the upper surface of the horizontal part and the lower part of the first conveying roller 610 to the cartridge upper plate 501.
It is positioned so that the flange portion and the guide feather portion 501a can pass through, and is inclined downward from the end portion to the front side to reach the lower part of the second conveying roller 611, and further from here to the first conveying roller 611.
Below the transport rail 632, empty cartridge storage section 55
It is arranged so as to extend above the central part of 1. The horizontal portion of the second transport rail 633 is
33, the cartridge upper plate 50 is attached to the front side area 633a of the device.
The flange portion and the guide wing portion 501a of the cartridge top plate 501 can be placed thereon, and the flange portion and the guide wing portion 501a of the cartridge upper plate 501 can be placed on the rear side region 633b of the device. or,
The length of the former region 633a is set to be the same as the length from the back side end of the guide wing portion 501 to the back side end of the flange portion of the cartridge top plate 501. Further, as shown in FIG. 2, a base end portion of a branching leaf spring 640 having a free end inclined upward toward the back side of the apparatus is fixed to the lower surface of the rear end portion of the first conveyance rail 632. ing. When the cartridge 500 is transported in the reverse direction, the branching plate spring 640 moves the cartridge upper plate 501, which has been guided by the second upper transport rail 633, to the second upper transport rail 633 below the first upper transport rail 632. This is to make sure that it continues.

The lower conveyance rail 631 is also a rail having an L-shaped cross section, consisting of a vertical portion and a horizontal portion extending from its lower end toward the conveyance path side of the cartridge 500. They are provided in pairs on the left and right sides of the conveyance path of the cartridge 500 at positions closer to the back of the apparatus than the center of the housing section 551 . The horizontal portion includes the flange portion of the cartridge upper plate 501 and the guide wing portion 50.
The gap between the upper surface of the cartridge and the lower surface of the lower conveyor belt 551 is
The height of the arrangement is set so that the flange portion and guide wing portion 501a can pass through. Furthermore, the length of the rail 631 in the front-rear direction is equal to the guide wing portion 50 of the cartridge lower plate 503.
It is set the same as the front and rear spacing of 3a, and the placement position is
When the cartridge 500 is transported in the reverse direction, the front and back gap between the guide wings 503a of the cartridge lower plate 503 is aligned with the rail 6.
The cartridge 500 is set so that when the cartridge lower plate 503 starts to fall opposite the cartridge 31, the cartridge 500 is positioned approximately at the center of the empty cartridge storage section 551 in the front-rear direction. Note that during this reverse conveyance, the cartridge lower plate 503
When the gap of the guide wing portion 503a faces the rail 631, the positional relationship in the conveying direction between the first conveying roller 610 and the lower conveying belt 603 and the cartridge 500 is such that reverse conveyance is possible. , the insertion window door 6 from above the opening of the empty cartridge storage section 551.
Since the cartridge 93 is retracted and there is nothing to support the cartridge 500 from below, the cartridge 500 starts to fall into the empty cartridge storage box 550, and no further reverse transport is performed. Further, the position of the second upper transport rail with respect to the lower transport rail 631 is set so that the cartridge upper plate also starts falling at the position where the cartridge lower plate starts falling.

Note that in order to detect the conveyance state of the cartridge 500, the empty cartridge storage box 550 is
A cartridge passage detection filler 703a is provided on the conveyance path between the cartridge 500 and the hopper opening, which is pressed down by the lower surface of the front flange of the cartridge 500 passing therethrough (see FIG. 2). This cartridge passage detection filler 7
The displacement 03a turns on an unsealing sensor (not shown) consisting of an issuing element and a light receiving element. The opening sensor includes a cartridge opening detection filler 703 whose tip is pushed toward the right side of the device by the sealing member 504 removed from the bottom surface of the cartridge 500 by the opening roller 680.
It is configured to be turned on also by the displacement of d.

Next, replenishment of developer will be explained. Generally, an image forming apparatus has a developing device and a cleaning device as units that use developer, and there are multiple developer transport paths for replenishing developer to these units within the device. It will be done. FIG. 25 schematically represents these routes. Depending on which of these routes is used, patterns A, B, and
It can be classified into six types: C, D, E, and F. The circled numbers in Table 1 correspond to the circled numbers attached to the routes in FIG. Also, toner reuse in Table 1 means
The untransferred toner on the photoreceptor collected by the cleaning device is conveyed to the developing device and reused.

Pattern A is one in which the agent is exchanged only through routes (1) and (2). The used agent in the cleaning device is discarded into the agent recovery tank through route (3). Next, half of the toner from the developing device is sent to the cleaning device through path (3), for example, by reversing the toner recycling screw. Next, a new agent is added to the hopper from the cartridge or the like and put into the developing device. The toner collected in the cleaning device is reused for development by normal rotation of the recycling screw. An advantage of pattern A is that only the routes ■ and ■ need to be used, so the route can be made the simplest.

[0031] In pattern B, agent exchange is performed using the routes ①, ②, and ②. The used agent in the cleaning device is discarded into the agent recovery tank through route (3). Next, half of the agent from the developing device is electrically deposited onto the photoreceptor drum and sent to a cleaning device. Next, a new agent from a cartridge or the like is added to the hopper and put into the developing device. The toner collected in the cleaning device is transferred to the developing device by the recycling screw (2) and reused. The advantage of pattern B is that the agent can be replaced in a short time by using only the pipes that make up the routes (1) and (2) and using the route (3).

[0032] In pattern C, the agent is exchanged using the routes ①, ②, ②, and ②. The used agent in the cleaning device is discarded into the agent recovery tank through route (3). Fresh agent is then supplied directly from the cartridge or hopper to the cleaning device through path (3). On the other hand, the used agent in the developing device is discarded into the agent recovery tank through path (3), and new agent is sent from the cartridge to the developing device through the hopper. The toner collected by the cleaning device is reused for development by normal rotation of the recycling screw (2). The advantage of pattern C is that the developer and cleaning device can be replaced in parallel, so
This allows the agent to be replaced in the shortest time possible. In addition, unused agent is supplied to the developing device and cleaning device from a cartridge installed at a predetermined position in the device, which is a replenishment section for unused agent, or from a hopper replenished with agent from such a cartridge. As a result, the replenishment section is shared by the developing device and the cleaning device, compared to a case where a dedicated replenishing section is provided for each of the developing device and the cleaning device.
In addition to simplifying and downsizing the device, the operator also has the advantage of being able to simply install a single cartridge containing an unused agent into the supply section, which improves maintenance work efficiency. There is also. Such a cartridge may be provided with a partition wall to accommodate the toner, and furthermore, if the characteristics of the agents used in the developing device and the cleaning device are different, a partition wall may also be provided to accommodate the respective agents. do. Furthermore, since the toner is recycled, the amount of toner consumed can be reduced.

[0033] In pattern D, agent exchange is performed using routes ①, ②, ②, and ②. The used agent in the cleaning device is discarded through path (1) into a agent recovery tank, and then fresh agent is supplied to the cleaning device directly from the cartridge or hopper through path (2). On the other hand, the used agent in the developer is discarded into the agent recovery tank through path (3), and new agent is sent from the cartridge to the developer through the hopper. The toner collected in the cleaning device is discarded into the waste toner collection tank by the screw (2). The advantage of pattern D is that the developing and cleaning devices can each perform agent replacement work in parallel, so that agent replacement can be done in the shortest time. Similar to the above pattern C, there is an advantage that the apparatus can be simplified by sharing the supply section. Furthermore, since recycled toner (reused toner) does not enter the developing device, extremely beautiful images can be obtained.

[0034] In pattern E, agent exchange is performed using the routes ①, ②, and ②. The used agent in the cleaning device is discarded into the agent recovery tank through route (3). Next, half of the agent from the developing device is sent to the cleaning device through path (3). Next, the new agent in the cartridge is put into the developing device through the hopper. The toner collected in the cleaning device is discarded into the waste toner collection tank by the screw ①. The advantage of pattern E is that it does not contain recycled toner, so it can produce extremely beautiful images. Moreover, since the agent is delivered using a screw, it is delivered reliably.

[0035] In pattern F, agent exchange is performed using the routes ①, ②, and ②. The used agent in the cleaning device is discarded into the agent recovery tank through route (3). Next, half of the agent from the developing device is electrically deposited onto the photoreceptor drum and sent to a cleaning device. Next, the new agent in the cartridge is put into the developing device through the hopper. The toner collected in the cleaning device is discarded into the waste toner collection tank by the screw ①. The advantage of pattern F is that it does not contain recycled toner, so an extremely beautiful image can be obtained. Furthermore, since only the pipes ■ and ■ need to be used, the cost is low.

Path (3) in the above six patterns is not necessarily necessary, and a collection area may be provided in the cleaning device.
You may also put a drainage agent here. The configuration in which the cartridge 500 of the copying machine shown in FIG. 1 is automatically transported within the apparatus can be used in an image forming apparatus that employs any of the above patterns.

Next, automatic agent exchange in the copying machine shown in FIG. 1 will be explained. Figure 7 is an enlarged view of the photoreceptor drum.
FIG. 8 is a diagram showing the arrangement of the toner recycling pipe, FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a toner and agent transport system around the photosensitive drum, and FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the developing device. With this copier,
Replace the agent in pattern A above. And developing device 1
When replacing the agent used in 00, the hopper 101 is replenished with an unused agent together with toner using the cartridge 500. Then, when the cartridge is mounted on the hopper 101 which is the mounting part (loading part), the toner hopper part 101 formed in the hopper 101
The toner accommodating portion 502a and the agent accommodating portion 502b of the cartridge 500 are installed in the upper openings of the agent hopper portion 101b and the toner accommodating portion 502a of the cartridge 500, respectively.
The respective lower openings are configured to face each other. First, the toner and agent supplied from the cartridge 500 are supplied to the toner hopper 101a and agent hopper 101b, respectively. The replenished toner is stirred by the stirring member 106, and the toner is fed to the developing device 1 by the toner supply roller 108.
00 will be replenished. The toner density within the developing device 100 is controlled by the amount of toner supplied. This is done, for example, by reading the density of a predetermined reference image formed on the photosensitive drum 140 using a reflective optical density sensor (P sensor) 352 as shown in FIG. On the other hand, the agent is supplied to the developing device 101 by rotating the agent replenishing roller 107 in response to the agent replenishment signal. Note that the agent replenishment roller 107 and the toner replenishment roller 108 have different cross-sectional shapes. The agent replenishing roller 107 is intended to replenish a large amount of agent from the hopper to the developing device 100 in a short period of time, so one or more deep grooves are formed in the roller. On the other hand, the toner replenishing roller 108 has shallow grooves because it is intended to replenish toner little by little. Further, it is also possible to change the replenishment amount by changing the rotation speed using the same roller shape. The toner supply roller 108 and the agent supply roller 107 are connected to couplings 150 and 15, respectively.
1 to electromagnetic clutches 180, 181, and transmission is transmitted by turning ON/OFF the electromagnetic clutches 180, 181 (see FIG. 10). Also, if the amount of replenishment per unit time can be controlled, the agent replenishment roller 1
07 may be a shutter type instead of a roller type.

The agent and toner replenished into the developing device 100 are mixed by the mixing and agitating member 104, and then transferred to the conveying member 103.
is carried to the magnet roller 102 by. The agent and toner attached to the magnet roller 102 are removed by the developing doctor 1.
05, and the remaining amount is regulated to a certain amount by the photoreceptor drum 140. Meanwhile, the current plate 10
9 and the conveying screw 110 to create a uniform developer in the developing device 100.

Photosensitive drum 14 remaining after being transferred to paper
The toner on the 0 is cleaned by the mag brush cleaning device 130. The toner cleaned by the agent adhering to the magnet roller 120 is collected by the bias roller 112 to which voltage is applied, and then collected by the bias blade 122. The collected toner is transferred to the recycling pipe 11 by the recycling screw 113.
4 and is returned to the developing device 100 for reuse (see FIG. 8). The conveying member 111, the rectifying plate 118, the conveying screw 121, and the cleaning device doctor 119 function similarly to the conveying member 103, the rectifying plate 109, the conveying screw 110, and the developing doctor 105 of the developing device 100, respectively.

In FIGS. 8 and 9, the agent recovery screw 115 is used to recover the agent in the cleaning device 130, and the rotation of the agent recovery screw 115 causes the agent to pass through the agent recovery pipe 116 and into the agent recovery tank 117. It will be collected. The capacity of the agent recovery tank 117 is 7000cc.
The size is equivalent to 750,000 copies. The larger the capacity of this tank, the better, but due to space issues, it needs to be at least 750cc or larger, which is equivalent to 80,000 copies. It should be noted that the capacity of this agent recovery tank 117 is determined by the capacity of the developing device 100 and the cleaning device 130 until the end of the life of the copying machine, when satisfactory copies cannot be obtained even if the necessary replacement parts are replaced appropriately. If the capacity is set to accommodate the total amount of used agent ultimately collected from the cleaning device 130, it is possible to eliminate the need to replace the agent recovery tank 117 until the end of the life of the copying machine body. .

FIG. 1 Regarding automatic recovery of the agent in this example
This will be explained using the timing chart of No. 4. First, when the toner runs out, the cartridge 500 is replaced. Then, when the cartridge 500 is set above the hopper opening, the agent exchange system is activated. Specifically, when the insertion operation of the cartridge 500 is completed, that is, at the timing when the abutment opening sensor 703 is turned off,
Agent and toner replenishment rollers 107, 1 of the developing device 386
08 and the agitator 103, set a delay time until the motor starts up, and turn on the agent recovery clutch (■ in Fig. 14).
By the rotation of the agent recovery screw 115, all the developer in the cleaning device 130 is recovered into the agent recovery tank 117 through the agent recovery pipe 116. When the agent in the cleaning device 130 has been collected by rotation for 30 seconds, the agent recovery clutch is turned OFF to stop the agent recovery screw 115, and at the same time, the rotation direction of the recycling screw 113 used for toner recycling is reversed. The developing device 100 is rotated to convey the agent in the developing device 100 to the cleaning device 130 (■ in FIG. 14). By continuing to rotate in reverse for 120 seconds, about half of the developer is removed from the cleaning device 130.
At the same time, the recycle motor is turned off to stop the recycle screw 113, and at the same time, the agent replenishment clutch is turned on and the agent replenishment roller 107 is rotated to remove the agent accumulated in the agent hopper 101b (t3 = 30 seconds) (Fig. (2) in 14) When all of the toner is put into the developing device 100 and both the toner replenishment clutch and the toner replenishment clutch are turned off, the main drive motor is turned off and the toner replacement is completed. Note that if the time for agent replenishment and toner replenishment is made the same due to the shapes of the agent replenishment roller 107 and toner replenishment roller 108, the agent replenishment clutch and toner replenishment clutch may be combined into one and used as the agent and toner replenishment clutch. Can be done.

Further, agent replenishment and toner replenishment are performed by operating the clutch as shown by the broken line in FIG. 14 to perform intermittent replenishment, thereby allowing smooth stirring in the axial direction of the magnet roller 102. However, in this case, there is a drawback that it takes a long time to complete the replenishment operation. Furthermore, a shutter can be used instead of the agent replenishment roller 107 and toner replenishment roller 108. In this case, the agent replenishment clutch ON time t3 and the cleaning agent replenishment (recycle motor reverse rotation) time t2 are shortened and kept constant. The agent is replenished during standby after the number of copies has been made. During the above series of operations and at the end of each operation, a status flag indicating the status is set and reset (1 or 0) in the non-volatile RAM, and the process can be continued even if the power is momentarily cut off during execution. It has become.

The developing device 100 and the cleaning device 130 use the same agent. In this example, the weight of the cleaning agent 130 is 150 g, and that of the developing device 100 is 300 g. Further, the amount of the agent contained in the cartridge 500 is 150 g. In other words, when replacing the agent, first 150g of agent is transferred from the cleaning device 130 to the agent recovery tank 11.
7, and then about 150 g of the used agent is sent from the developing device 100 to the cleaning device 130, and then the developing device 10
Add 150 g of new agent from cartridge 500 to 0. Repeat this.

Generally, the recycle screw 113 is located at the upper part of the developer 100, and the recycled toner is generally dropped onto the agent accumulated at the bottom and stirred. In the example, a recycling screw 113 is located at the lower part of the developing device 100 and introduces recycled toner into the developer. This is so that the agent in the developing device 100 can be sent to the cleaning device 130 by reversing the recycle screw 113.

The ratio of the weight of the agent in the developing device 100 to the weight of the agent in the cleaning device 130 is 2:1, and the amount of the agent in the developing device 100 is larger. This is because the agent used in the developing device 100 is reused in the cleaning device 130, so that deterioration of the agent in the developing device 100 is reduced, and it is possible to support a high-speed developing system. In other words, as the speed increases, it is necessary to start up a large amount of developer. In this example, the ratio of 2:1 is 300g and 150g, but if the amount of cleaning agent is increased to 300g, it is also possible to use 1:1. However, in this example, the amount of cleaning agent is 150 g to save space.

Next, the control for allowing the image reading operation during the developer replacement will be explained. In conventional digital image forming apparatuses, image forming operations are completely prohibited during developer replacement, resulting in reduced image forming productivity. Therefore, in this embodiment, in order to improve the productivity of image formation even a little, it is not necessary to use the recording section around the photoreceptor drum 140, such as the developing device 386 and the cleaning device 130, during developer replacement. , which allows image reading operations.

A detailed explanation will be given below using the control flowcharts shown in FIGS. 15 and 16. In FIG. 15, first, in steps 1 to 3, it is determined whether the cartridge is being set, whether the cartridge opening flag is set, and whether the image memory, which is a storage means, is full. Here, the cartridge opening flag (step 2) indicates the seal 504 of the cartridge 500.
This flag is set while the package is being opened. If any one of these matches, the process returns to the main flow. If neither of these conditions apply, proceed to the next step. Thereafter, in steps 4 to 11, it is determined whether to accept an instruction to start copying or only to read the original, depending on whether the recording unit is in a usable state. A agent exchange request flag (step 4) that is set from the time the cartridge is unsealed until the time when agent collection begins, and an agent recovery flag that is set during agent collection and is reset when the agent starts being transported from the developing device 100 to the cleaning device 130. medium flag (step 5), and a agent transport flag (step 6) that is set when the agent is being transported from the developing device 100 to the cleaning device 130 and reset when agent replenishment begins.
), the agent replenishment flag (step 7), which is set while replenishing the agent after the agent transport is completed, and the toner replenishment flag, which is set when the seal of the cartridge is completed, and is reset when toner replenishment begins after the agent transport ends. The replenishment request flag (step 8) and the toner replenishment flag (step 9), which are set from the start of the toner replenishment operation to the end of the replenishment after the agent transport is completed, are checked, and any one of them is set. If so, since the recording section is in an unusable state, a display indicating that the document can be read is displayed in step 14, and a document readable flag is set in step 15. If none of the flags are set in steps 4 to 9 above, step 10,
In step 11, it is determined whether fixing heat-up is being performed and whether process control is being performed. If any of these operations is in progress, the recording section is similarly not in use, so steps 14 and 15 are executed. If none of these operations is in progress, the recording unit is usable, so in step 12 a display indicating that copying is possible is made, and in step 13 a copying flag is set. And Figure 16
Waits for the press of the "scan/copy key" which is used for both the reading start command and the copy start command using the control shown in FIG.

In the subroutine shown in FIG. 16, first, in steps 1 and 2, it is determined whether the image memory is full or not and whether the above-mentioned "scan/copy key" has been pressed. Until the "scan/copy key" is pressed in the state where the "scan/copy key" is not pressed, the process returns to the main flow. If the "scan/copy key" is pressed while the image memory is not full, the process proceeds to step 3, where it is determined whether the document reading flag (see step 15 in FIG. 15) is set. If this is set, the recording unit is in an unusable state, so the document reading operation is executed in step 4, the copy reservation flag is set in step 5, and the memory use flag is set in step 6. This copy reservation flag is set when an original is read during agent replacement, and 1 to 4 are set in sequence depending on the number of originals. Also, the memory use flag is 4 for an A4 size document in the transfer paper size depending on the document and magnification ratio.
This is a flag to indicate which location of page memory is being used, and flags corresponding to memories 1 to 4 are used. If the original readable flag is not set in step 3, proceed to step 7, and determine whether the copyable flag (see step 13 in FIG. 15) is set. , since the recording section is ready for use, a copy operation is executed in step 8. Conversely, if the flag is not set,
Return to the main flow.

As described above, in this example, a control means is provided that enables the reading operation of the document, which is image information, to be executed under certain conditions even during developer replacement, and thereby the recording section, which is the writing means, is Since the reading operation can be performed prior to the operation of the writing means even during agent replacement when the writing means is inoperable, the productivity of image formation is improved.

Next, the empty cartridge accumulating section 551
An empty cartridge storage box that is formed and is removably attached to the main body of the apparatus will be described. FIG. 11 is a perspective view of the box, which can accommodate ten empty cartridges 500 in this example. Since the cartridge 500 stores approximately 360 g of toner as described above, approximately 8,000 copies can be made with standard use. Therefore, approximately 80,000 copies can be made before the empty cartridge accumulating section 551 becomes full. The total height of the empty cartridge accumulating section 551 is set to 110 mm. Regarding the empty cartridge accumulation section 551, for example, in an apparatus with a slow copy speed, the amount of toner used is small and the loading cycle of the cartridge 500 is long, so the number of empty cartridges to be stored may be set to five. In that case, the total height of the empty cartridge accumulating section 551 can be set to, for example, 60 mm, making it possible to provide an empty cartridge accumulating section whose total height is lower than the cartridge 500 in a state in which the developer is stored. Further, numeral 559 in the figure is a handle when attached to the main body. The main body of the device has an empty cartridge storage box 550 and an insertion window 69 below the cartridge insertion window as described above.
4 (see FIG. 2), and the operator inserts and takes out the empty cartridge storage box 550 through the window. Further, the empty cartridge storage box 550 is provided with a notch 558 into which the lock member 707a of the lock solenoid 707 shown in FIG. 3 enters, and a shutter mechanism. In the figure, 552 indicates a shutter shaft of this shutter mechanism.

According to the empty cartridge storage box 550 of this example, the user's maintenance work regarding the toner used in the apparatus main body is to insert a cartridge every time 8000 copies are made, and to make 80000 copies. Once a copy is obtained, it is only necessary to discard the empty cartridge storage box 550, resulting in extremely improved operability. Furthermore, with regard to photoreceptors, recent technological advances have led to the realization of long-life photoreceptors that are about 10 times as long as conventional photoreceptors, although they are expensive. Such photoreceptors are installed in high-speed, high-grade, and expensive equipment. Therefore, by using such a long-life photoreceptor, it is possible to provide an image forming apparatus that requires even less maintenance work.

As described above, in the copying machine shown in FIG. 1, untransferred toner (residual toner) collected by the cleaning device is transferred to the developing device
The present invention can also be applied to a copying machine that discards such untransferred toner without reusing it. FIG. 17 is a front view showing the general structure of such a copying machine, FIG. 18 is a left side view showing the structure of the toner replenishment mechanism of the copying machine, and FIG. 19 is a view of the toner replenishment mechanism seen from the upper left. 20 is a schematic diagram of the vicinity of the photoreceptor of the copying machine; FIG. 21 is a plan view of the developer conveyance system of the copying machine;
FIG. 12 is a perspective view of an empty cartridge storage box of the copying machine. The cartridge transport mechanism and cartridge 500 of this copying machine can be the same as those of the copying machine shown in FIG. The configurations of the developing device 100 and the cleaning device 130 are basically the same, and the difference is that the untransferred toner collected from the photoreceptor by the cleaning device 130 is not reused in the developing device 100, but as shown in FIG. , the conveyance screw 133 and the pipe 114 are provided, and the waste toner is stored in the waste toner storage section 561 formed in the empty cartridge storage box 550, and the recycling pipe 1 of the copying machine shown in FIG.
44 from the developing device 100 to the cleaning device 130
The difference is that a dedicated pipe (not shown) is used to transfer the agent from the developer 100 to the cleaning device instead of transferring the agent to the cleaning device. The latter point will be discussed later. The structure of the hopper 101 of the developing device is also the same as that of the copying machine shown in FIG.
The structure shown in Fig. 0 is used as is in this copying machine.

[0053] The automatic exchange of agents in this example will be explained. First, when the toner runs out, use the cartridge 500.
exchange. Then, when the cartridge 500 is set above the hopper opening, the agent exchange system is activated. Specifically, at the time when the insertion operation of the cartridge 500 is completed, that is, at the timing when the abutment opening sensor 703 is turned off, the drive source for the agent and toner replenishing rollers 107, 108 and the agitator 103 of the developing device 386 is activated. Turn on the main drive motor, set a delay time until the motor starts up, turn on the agent recovery clutch,
By the rotation of the agent recovery screw 115, all the developer in the cleaning device 130 is recovered into the agent recovery tank 117 through the agent recovery pipe 116. When the agent in the cleaning device 130 is completely recovered by rotation for 30 seconds, the agent recovery clutch is turned OFF and the agent recovery screw 115 is stopped. By rotating the screw in the pipe dedicated to transferring the agent inside, the developing device 10
The agent in 0 is transported to the cleaning device 130. By continuing this conveyance for 120 seconds, about half of the agent in the developing device 100 is transferred to the cleaning device 130, and then the agent replenishment clutch is turned on to remove the agent accumulated in the agent hopper 101b by rotating the agent replenishing roller 107 and developing it. Put everything into the container 100 and make sure both the agent replenishment clutch and toner replenishment clutch are O.
When it is turned off, the main drive motor is turned off to complete the agent exchange.

In this example, the same agent is used in the developing device 100 and the cleaning device 130, and the weight of the agent in the cleaning device 130 is 150 g, and that in the developing device 100 is 300 g. Further, the amount of the agent contained in the cartridge 500 is 150 g. That is, when replacing the agent, first, 150 g of the agent is dumped from the cleaning device 130 into the agent recovery tank 117, then about 150 g of the agent in use is sent from the developing device 100 to the cleaning device 130, and then from the cartridge 500 to the developing device 100. Add 150g of new agent. Repeat this.

Next, the empty cartridge storage box 550 in this copying machine will be explained. FIG. 12 shows such an empty cartridge storage box 550. The toner storage section 561 is empty cartridge accumulation section 551
It is formed integrally with these on the sides. this is,
In order to improve the operability of disposing of such waste toner, an empty cartridge storage box 561 is formed integrally with the empty cartridge storage box. The empty cartridge accumulating section 551 is the same as that in the copying machine shown in FIG.
61 will be mainly explained. Inside the toner accommodating portion 561, a small room 568 whose bottom is open is formed by a partition wall 565. An inlet 569 is formed on the outer wall of the small room to receive waste toner transferred from the cleaning device 130 through a collection pipe or the like (see FIGS. 12 and 21). The lower opening of the small room 568 has a loading port 5.
A rotationally driven feeding member 563 is provided in order to compress the waste toner carried into the small room from the small room 69 and drop it into the large room, which is a portion other than the small room 568. The waste toner discharged from the cleaning device 130 is
First, it is carried into the small room 538 through the carry-in entrance 569. Since the carry-in port 569 is provided above the feeding member 563, the waste toner falls near the feeding member 563 under its own weight and accumulates. The accumulated waste toner is sent from the small chamber 538 to the large room by the rotation of the feeding member 563. Since the small room 538 is provided above the large room, the feeding member 563 is not subject to any rotational load due to the weight of the waste toner fed therein. With the above configuration, it is possible to dispose the waste toner storage means, which improves storage efficiency by compressing and storing waste toner, separately from the cleaning device 130.

By the way, as will be described later, under standard use, waste toner is generated approximately in proportion to the amount of toner used. On the other hand, the number of empty cartridges 500 naturally occurs in proportion to the amount of toner used. Therefore, if the volume of the waste toner storage section is set appropriately, the empty cartridge storage section 551 and the waste toner storage section 561 can be filled at approximately the same time. . However, since the amount of waste toner generated varies depending on the transfer efficiency, the waste toner capacity needs to be set assuming the worst transfer rate. In this example, 360 g of toner is stored in the cartridge 500, and 3600 g of toner is replenished with 10 cartridges. If the worst transfer rate is 70%, 1080g of waste toner is discharged. This has a volume of 3,600 cc, but since it is compressed and stored at a compression ratio of 2.5, its volume becomes 1,400 cc. Therefore, the storage capacity of the large room is set to 1450 cc, and the storage capacity of the small room 538 is set to 50 cc. Further, the empty cartridge storage box 550 is provided with a lock mechanism that prohibits removal from the main body and a shutter mechanism that opens and closes the upper opening of the empty cartridge storage section.

According to the empty cartridge storage box 550 of this example, the empty cartridge accumulating section 551 and the waste toner accommodating section 561 become full at approximately the same time, so if one of them becomes full, the cartridge can be discarded. It becomes possible to discard two waste storage means at the same time in one operation without wasting the storage section. Also, for example, if the capacity is set as above, the user's maintenance work regarding the toner used within the device would be as simple as inserting a cartridge every time 8,000 copies are made and making 80,000 copies. At this point, it is only necessary to discard the empty cartridge storage box 550, and the operability is greatly improved. Furthermore, with regard to photoreceptors, recent technological advances have led to the realization of long-life photoreceptors that are about 10 times as long as conventional photoreceptors, although they are expensive. Such photoreceptors are installed in high-speed, high-grade, and expensive equipment. Therefore, if this long-life photoreceptor is used in an apparatus main body to which the empty cartridge storage box 550 of this example (first type) can be applied, it is possible to provide an image forming apparatus with further reduced maintenance work.

[0058] Instead of using such a long-life photoreceptor, the copying machine uses a sheet-like photoreceptor (hereinafter referred to as photoreceptor sheet), which must be replaced every certain number of copies, and this is automatically replaced. In the case of replacement, if the storage section for storing the used photoreceptor sheet is also integrally formed with the empty cartridge storage box 550 shown in FIG. 1 or 12 above, the used photoreceptor sheet can be stored together with the empty cartridge etc. Sheets can be discarded. In this case, it is desirable to reduce the size of each accommodating section to the necessary minimum to reduce the size of the empty cartridge storage box 550. Regarding this point, a description will be given of an empty cartridge storage box in which three parts are formed: an empty cartridge accumulation section, a toner storage section, and a photoreceptor sheet storage section. As will be described later, under standard use, waste toner is generated approximately in proportion to the amount of toner used. On the other hand, the number of empty cartridges 500 naturally occurs in proportion to the amount of toner used. Further, the photoreceptor sheet deteriorates depending on the total copy amount. Therefore, if the volumes of the waste toner storage section and the empty cartridge storage section 551 are appropriately set in relation to the life of the photoreceptor sheet, the timing of the end of the life of the photoreceptor sheet and the empty cartridge storage section 551 and the waste toner storage section 561 can be filled up at approximately the same time. FIG. 13 shows the relationship between toner consumption, amount of waste toner, and deterioration of the photoreceptor. As can be seen from the figure, the relationship between the number of copies (CV) and the amount of toner consumed is approximately proportional, although it has a certain range. This constant width occurs because the dark areas of the document are not constant. Moreover, the untransferred toner (waste toner) on the photoreceptor more accurately follows the amount of toner consumption than the number of copies. However, the amount generated varies greatly depending on the transfer efficiency. For example, if the transfer charger becomes dirty over time, the transfer efficiency will deteriorate and the waste toner generation rate will increase (generally, the efficiency is about 70 to 80%). Furthermore, since the photoreceptor also repeatedly comes into contact with the developer and cleaning agent and comes into close contact with and separated from the transfer paper during copying operations, the incidence of scratches and streaks on the surface increases as the CV increases. Increase in drum defects due to increase in CV,
By combining changes in the three parameters of increasing the amount of waste toner and toner consumption, it is possible to make the time when the photoreceptor sheet reaches the end of its life and the time when the empty cartridge storage section etc. become full approximately equal. . Specifically, for example, the relationship between the maximum waste toner generation amount (TB) and the maximum toner consumption amount (TA) with respect to the CV of the drum life (TC) shown in FIG. 13 is used. If it is integrally formed, the following equation (1) is required, and the waste toner storage section volume≧TB×1/compression ratio (
1) Furthermore, if the number of cartridges stored in the empty cartridge storage section is n, then the following equation (2) is required. n×350g≧TA
(2) Therefore, the upper limit CV is determined from TC, TA is determined from this CV, and TB is determined by considering the worst transfer rate. This determines the volumes of the various storage parts. According to this, in the empty cartridge storage box 550, since the time when the empty cartridge accumulation section 551 and the waste toner storage section 591 become full and the life of the photoreceptor sheet are approximately the same time, at least one of the empty cartridge storage boxes 550 is full or If they are disposed of at the end of their service life, it is possible to dispose of three waste containers at the same time in one operation without wasting the storage section.

[0059]

According to the image forming apparatus of the present invention, the agent stored in the developing means is transferred via the agent transferring means that connects the developing means and the cleaning means, and is used by the cleaning means, Thereby, the developing device is also used as a storage section for the agent to be used in the cleaning device, so there is no need to provide a dedicated hopper in the cleaning device, and the device can be downsized. Furthermore, since the replenishment of the agent is carried out via the developing means, if the replenishment of the agent to the developing means is carried out at the same time as the replenishment operation for the toner normally replenished to the developing means, the replenishing agent for the cleaning means can be refilled. Also, the operability of agent replacement in the cleaning means can be improved. Furthermore, if the weight ratio of the agent used in the developing means and the agent used in the cleaning means is set to 1:1 to 2:1, it will be sufficient to increase the image forming speed. You can. Further, if the agent transfer means transfers the residual toner removed from the photoreceptor by the cleaning means from the cleaning means to the developing means, it can also be used as a toner transfer means for reusing the residual toner. Therefore, it is possible to improve the exchangeability of the agent in the cleaning device without increasing the size of the image forming apparatus that reuses the residual toner. Further, according to the image forming method of the present invention, the agent in the developing means is transferred from the developing means to the cleaning means as an agent to be used in the cleaning means, and thereby, by replenishing the agent to the developing means, the cleaning means Since the cleaning agent can also be replenished, there is no need to provide a dedicated hopper to the cleaning device, and the device can be made more compact.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a front view showing a schematic configuration of a digital copying machine according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view for explaining the outline of a toner replenishment mechanism of the copying machine.

FIG. 3 is a left side view showing the configuration near the hopper opening of the toner replenishment mechanism.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the configuration near the hopper opening of the toner replenishment mechanism as seen from the upper left side of the device.

FIG. 5 is a front view showing the configuration near the hopper opening of the toner replenishment mechanism.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a cartridge used in the copying machine.

FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram of the vicinity of the photoreceptor of the copying machine.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing the developer transport system of the copying machine, (a
) is a top view, and (b) is a front view.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the developer transport system.

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the developing device of the copying machine.

FIG. 11 is a perspective view of an empty cartridge storage box of the copying machine.

12 is a perspective view of an empty cartridge storage box used in the copying machine shown in FIG. 17. FIG.

FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram of factors related to the replacement timing of an empty cartridge storage box that includes an empty cartridge accumulation section, a waste toner storage section, and a photoreceptor sheet storage section.

14 is a timing chart of control when opening a cartridge in the copying machine of FIG. 1. FIG.

FIGS. 15(a) and 15(b) are flowcharts of a reading permission control subroutine in the copying machine.

FIG. 16 is a flowchart of another subroutine of the same control.

FIG. 17 is a front view of a toner non-recycling type digital copying machine according to a modification.

FIG. 18 is a left side view of the toner replenishment mechanism of the copying machine.

FIG. 19 is a view of the toner replenishment mechanism seen from the upper left.

FIG. 20 is a schematic diagram of the vicinity of the photoreceptor of the copying machine.

FIG. 21 is a plan view of the developer transport system in the copying machine.

FIG. 22 is an explanatory diagram showing a conveyance path for agents, etc. in a copying machine.

[Explanation of symbols]

100 Developing device
, 101 hopper 101a toner hopper section ,
101b Agent hopper section 107 Agent supply roller
, 108 Toner supply roller 117 Agent collection tank
, 130 cleaning device 386 developing device
, 500 Cartridge 501 On the cartridge plate
, 501a Cartridge plate upper blade 501b Cartridge plate upper timing belt 502
Cartridge film, 502a
Toner storage section 502b, agent storage section,
550 Empty cartridge storage box 551 Empty cartridge accumulation section,
561 Waste toner storage section 569 Waste toner inlet
, 680 Unsealing roller 681 Cartridge seal accumulation section

Claims (5)

[Claims] Claims: 1. An image forming apparatus comprising: a developing means for forming a visible image on a photoreceptor using toner; and a cleaning means for removing residual toner from the photoreceptor after an image forming operation, wherein the developing means includes a developing means for forming a visible image using toner; An image forming apparatus characterized in that the stored agent is transferred through an agent transfer means that connects the developing means and the cleaning means, and is used by the cleaning means. 2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the weight ratio of the agent used in the developing means and the agent used in the cleaning means is 1:1 to 2:1. 3. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the agent transfer means transfers the residual toner removed from the photoreceptor by the cleaning means from the cleaning means to the developing means. 4. The agent transfer means is characterized in that the toner is transferred from the cleaning device to the developing means by forward rotation, and the agent is transferred from the developing means to the cleaning means by reverse rotation. No. 3 image forming apparatus. 5. A replenishing step of replenishing toner and agent from a developer storage means to a replenishing section; a developing step of forming a visible image with toner on a photoreceptor using a developing means; and a cleaning means from above the photoreceptor. A cleaning step is used to remove residual toner after the image forming operation using a toner, and a transfer means that connects the cleaning means and the developing means is used to remove toner from the cleaning means as the toner in the developing means is consumed. a transfer step of transferring the toner to the developing means; a agent discharging step of discharging the agent used in the cleaning means from the cleaning means to a used agent storage section; and a step of using the agent in the developing means in the cleaning means. An image forming method comprising the step of transporting an agent from the developing means to the cleaning means.