JPH04311968A - Process kit for electrophotography device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To ensure the easy and proper control of a process kit lifetime by causing the positional change of a counter reset member for counting the number of sheets used in the kit via the rotation of a photo-sensitive body. CONSTITUTION:A carriage shaft 15 is supported on bearings 16a and 16b, and caused by a drive gear 14 to rotate. Concurrently therewith, a screw spring 17 rotates, and toner is thereby fed toward a delivery port. The carriage shaft 15 is partly provided with a screw section 18, and a nut 19 is coupled thereto. This nut 19 can travel in the axial direction of the shaft 15, but the rotation thereof is prevented by a retaining member 20. Consequently, the nut 19 travels in an arrow B direction due to the rotation of the shaft 15, and arrives at a position enclosed with a dot line ultimately. In this case, constitution is so made that the count value of a counter is reset, only when the existence of the nut 19 is detected by a sensor 22.

Description

[Detailed description of the invention]

0001

[Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to a process kit for an electrophotographic apparatus, and is particularly characterized by a structure that allows it to be easily determined whether the process kit has been used once or not. .

0002

2. Description of the Related Art There are two conventional methods for disposing of waste toner in a process kit for an electrophotographic apparatus. One is when the waste toner after photoconductor cleaning is stored in a waste toner box fixedly provided inside the process kit, and the other is when waste toner is stored in a waste toner bottle outside the process kit. . In the former case, it is possible to detect that the waste toner box is full and determine the life of the process kit without counting the number of times the process kit has been used. However, with this method, even if the photoreceptor is still usable, the life of the process kit is determined by the capacity of the waste toner box, resulting in the photoreceptor being wasted. Furthermore, if the capacity of the waste toner box is increased until the life of the photoreceptor, there is a problem in that the apparatus becomes larger.

Although the latter is more advantageous than the former in terms of device miniaturization, it is necessary to detect the lifespan of the process kit, and conventionally the paper counter is automatically reset when a new process kit is used. The life of the process kit is determined based on the counted value of this counter. Therefore, a means for distinguishing whether a process kit is new or used is required. A conventionally used method is to provide a process kit with a protruding member, and when the process kit is installed in a device, the protruding member operates a reset means for the entire device, and then the protruding member is mechanically removed. There is a method of moving the member to a position where the reset means does not operate again.

0004

However, with the method described above, if the process kit is installed while the device is in an operating state with the power turned on, it is possible to detect that the process kit is new; There has been a problem in that if a new process kit is installed while the power is off, even if the power is turned on afterwards, it cannot be detected that it is new.

[0005]

[Means for Solving the Problems] In order to solve this problem, the process kit for an electrophotographic apparatus of the present invention includes a screw partially formed on a rotating shaft that rotates as a photoreceptor in the process kit rotates. A member is provided that is engaged with the rotary shaft and is movable to a predetermined position as the rotation shaft rotates.

[0006]

[Operation] With this configuration, even if a new process kit is installed while the power to the device is OFF, the parts will move due to the rotation of the photoreceptor after the power to the device is turned on, so the process kit can be reliably installed. You can tell whether it is used or not.

[0007]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Examples of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 2 shows an outline of a process kit. Reference numeral 1 denotes a process kit, which is composed of a photoreceptor 2, a charger 3, and a cleaning device 7. As shown in FIG. It is composed of a cleaning blade 8, a collection roll 9, and a conveyance screw 10. The photoreceptor 2 is uniformly charged by a charger 3, a latent image is formed by exposure 4, and the latent image is made visible by a developer 5. The image is then transferred onto a transfer paper (not shown) by a transfer device 6. The toner remaining on the surface of the photoreceptor 2 after the transfer is cleaned by a cleaning blade 8, collected by a collection roll 9, and discharged into a waste toner bottle 11 by a conveying screw 10. Thereafter, the photoreceptor 2 is uniformly charged again by the charger 3 and the printing process is repeated.

FIG. 3 shows the relationship between the drive gear 12 of the photoconductor 2, the drive gear 13 of the recovery roll 9, and the drive gear 14 of the conveyance screw 10. As the photoconductor 2 rotates, the conveyance screw 10 rotates. will be done.

FIG. 1 is a detailed view of the conveying screw 10 of the present invention, in which the conveying shaft 15 has a bearing 16a and a bearing 1.
6b. The conveyance shaft 15 is rotated by the drive gear 14, and the screw spring 1 is rotated accordingly.
7 rotates and sends the toner in the direction of arrow A toward the discharge port. The conveying shaft 15 is partially provided with a threaded portion 18, and a nut 19 is attached to this threaded portion 18, and this nut 19 is movable in the axial direction of the conveying shaft 15 by a rotation stopper member 20. However, it is designed not to rotate. Therefore, as the conveyance shaft 15 rotates, the nut 19 moves in the direction of arrow B, and finally moves to the position surrounded by the dotted line (the unthreaded part of the conveyance shaft 15), and does not move any further. . Said nut 19
There is a detection window 21 above the original position of the nut 19, and a sensor 22 is provided in the main body of the apparatus opposite to the detection window 21 to detect the presence or absence of the nut 19.

When the process kit 1 is unused, the nut 19 faces the sensor 22, but when the photoreceptor 2 rotates, it moves from the position facing the sensor 22, and the nut 19 is no longer detected by the sensor 22. Become. Therefore, the configuration may be such that the count value of the counter is reset only when the nut 19 is confirmed by the sensor 22.

[0011]

[Effects of the Invention] As described above, in the present invention, since the reset member for the counter for the number of used process kits is moved by the rotation of the photoreceptor, life management of the process kits can be easily and reliably managed. be able to.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a front sectional view showing details of a conveyance screw in a process kit for an electrophotographic apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[Figure 2
] A side view schematically showing an electrophotographic apparatus using a process kit according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a front view showing the rotational direction of the drive gear in the embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 Process kit 2 Photoreceptor 7 Cleaning device 10 Conveyance screw 15 Rotation axis 19 Nut

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A process kit that includes at least a photoreceptor that holds an electrostatic latent image and a cleaning device, and that is removably attached to the main body of an electrophotographic apparatus, wherein a portion is mounted on a rotation shaft that rotates as the photoreceptor rotates. a member that engages with a screw formed on the rotary shaft and is movable to a predetermined position as the rotary shaft rotates, and whether or not a process kit is used at the position of the member on the rotary shaft; A process kit for an electrophotographic device that detects.