JPH05165381A - Image forming device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To realize a reliable inexpensive discharged toner recovering device whose discharged toner recovering efficiency is high, which is small in size, and whose life in recovering discharged toner is long without lowering the filling rate of the discharged toner though a discharged toner recovering container has a slender shape. CONSTITUTION:Plural discharged toner discharging ports 23a-23d are provided along discharged toner carrying direction B in a discharged toner guiding path 22 through which the discharged toner is guided by a spiral discharged toner carrying screw 21 rotatably supported inside, and the opening part of the discharged toner container 24 is provided at a lower position opposed to the ports 23a-23d, so that the discharged toner recovering container 2 is successively and uniformly filled with the discharged toner from the port 23a on an upstream side in the discharged toner carrying direction B.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus having a waste toner collecting device such as a facsimile, a laser printer and a color copying machine.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, image forming apparatuses have been used in facsimiles, laser printers, color copying machines and the like.

FIG. 3 is a schematic configuration diagram of a conventional image forming apparatus, and FIG. 4 is an enlarged view of a toner collecting section of the conventional image forming apparatus. 3 and 4, the latent image carrier drum (hereinafter referred to as OPC drum) 1 is made of a photo-organic semiconductor. The charger 2 is attached close to the OPC drum 1 and charges the surface of the OPC drum 1 to a uniform electric charge. The laser irradiator 3 irradiates the OPC drum 1 with light according to the image information. The developing device 4 attaches toner to the electrostatic latent image formed on the OPC drum 1 to visualize it. The cleaning blade 5 is not transferred to the OPC drum 1
The toner remaining on the top is removed. The waste toner conveying screw 6 conveys the removed waste toner along the waste toner guide passage 7 to the waste toner discharge port 8. The waste toner guide passage 7 rotatably supports the waste toner conveying screw 6, and guides the waste toner to a waste toner discharge port 8 provided at the end of the guide passage 7. The waste toner collection container 9 is connected to the waste toner discharge port 8 and stores the waste toner discharged from the waste toner discharge port 8. The static eliminator 10 uniformly removes the electric charge on the OPC drum 1.

A paper cassette for storing copy paper 11
The copy paper 11 taken out of 12 is conveyed by the registration roller 13. The transfer device 14 transfers the toner image formed on the OPC drum 1 onto the copy paper 11 and supplies the copy paper 11 to the fixing device 15. The fixing device 15 fixes the toner image transferred on the transfer paper 11.

The operation of the image forming apparatus configured as described above will be described below. First, when the OPC drum 1 is rotationally driven in the direction of arrow A by a drive motor (not shown) and a voltage is applied to the charger 2, the surface of the OPC drum 1 is uniformly charged. When the laser irradiation unit 3 irradiates the surface of the photoconductor of the OPC drum 1 in this state with laser light having image information, O
In the irradiated portion of the surface of the photoconductor of the PC drum 1, the charge disappears and an electrostatic latent image is formed.

Next, in the developing device 4, the electrostatic latent image formed on the surface of the OPC drum 1 is visualized with toner. At this time, the copy paper 11 is separated and conveyed one by one from the paper cassette 12 and is made to stand by by the registration roller 13. Further, the registration roller 13 is rotated in time with the visualized toner image on the OPC drum 1, the copy paper 11 is conveyed between the OPC drum 1 and the transfer device 14, and at the same time, transferred to the transfer device 14. By applying a high voltage, O
The toner image is transferred from the PC drum 1 onto the transfer paper 11. Subsequently, the copy paper 11 on which the toner image is transferred is sent to the fixing device 15, where it is fixed and sent by the heat of the heat roller and the nip pressure between the pressure roller.

On the other hand, the toner remaining on the OPC drum 1 without being transferred onto the transfer paper 11 by the transfer device 14 is scraped off by the cleaning blade 5. The scraped residual toner is conveyed by the waste toner conveying screw 6 along the waste toner guide passage 7 to the waste toner discharge port 8. Then, the conveyed waste toner is dropped and accumulated from the waste toner discharge port 8 into the waste toner collecting container 9. The charge on the OPC drum 1 from which the residual toner has been scraped off in this manner is removed by the static eliminator 10.

[0008]

However, in the above-mentioned conventional structure, since the waste toner is naturally dropped from the waste toner discharge port 8 to be deposited in the waste toner collecting container 9, the toner accumulation state is conical. As a result, the filling rate of the waste toner collecting container 9 becomes low, and there is a problem that the capacity of the waste toner collecting container 9 is expanded, the reliability is lowered, and the maintenance cycle is shortened.

The present invention solves the above-mentioned conventional problems by improving the filling rate of the waste toner recovery container to reduce the recovery capacity loss, increase the reliability of recovery, and provide a waste toner recovery device having a long maintenance cycle. It is an object of the present invention to provide an image forming apparatus having the above.

[0010]

In order to solve the above problems, the image forming apparatus of the present invention removes the toner remaining on the surface of the photoconductor after the image transfer by the photoconductor imaged with the toner. An image forming apparatus having a waste toner collecting device that conveys the removed waste toner to a waste toner carrying-out port by a spiral waste toner carrying member and collects it from the waste toner carrying-out port into a waste toner collecting container, A plurality of waste toner discharge ports or a continuous long waste toner discharge port along the waste toner conveyance direction in the waste toner guide passage through which the waste toner is guided by the spiral waste toner conveyance member rotatably supported by And the opening of the waste toner collecting container is provided at a position facing the waste toner discharge port.

[0011]

With the above structure, even if the waste toner collecting container has an elongated shape along the waste toner carrying direction, the waste toner is sequentially transferred from the waste toner discharging port on the upstream side in the waste toner carrying direction to the waste toner collecting container on the downstream side. Since it is filled, the filling rate of the collection container is improved, the reliability of the waste toner collection container is improved, the loss of the collection capacity is reduced, and the maintenance cycle is further lengthened. Further, the shape of the waste toner collecting container can be simplified and the running cost can be reduced.

[0012]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. It should be noted that the same effects as those of the conventional example are given the same reference numerals and the description thereof will be omitted.

FIG. 1 is an enlarged view of a waste toner collecting section in an image forming apparatus showing a first embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 1, the waste toner conveying screw 21 is configured to convey the removed waste toner along the waste toner guide passage 22 to the waste toner discharge port 23a.
Sequentially conveyed up to 23d. The waste toner guide passage 22 rotatably supports a waste toner conveying screw 21, and a plurality of waste toner discharge ports 23a to 23d are provided by the waste toner conveying screw 21 in the conveying direction B of the guide passage 22. We will guide waste toner one by one. The waste toner collecting container 24 is located below and facing the waste toner discharge ports 23a to 23d, and collects the waste toner discharged from the waste toner discharge ports 23a to 23d.

The operation of the image forming apparatus configured as described above will be described below. First, the collected waste toner is moved in the waste toner carrying direction B by the waste toner carrying screw 21, and the most upstream of the waste toner discharge ports 23a to 23d provided in the waste toner guide passage 22 on the way. From the waste toner discharge port 23a located on the side, the waste toner is dropped and stored in the waste toner collecting container 24. Then, when the accumulation of the waste toner in the waste toner collecting container 24 progresses and the top of the conical waste toner deposit reaches the waste toner discharge port 23a, the waste toner discharge port 23a is blocked, and the waste toner discharge port 23a is blocked. The toner drops from the next waste toner discharge port 23b into the waste toner collecting container 24. Then, the waste toner collecting container 24 is sequentially provided from the waste toner discharge ports 23c and 23d along the waste toner conveying direction B.
Waste toner is evenly filled inside.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of the waste toner collecting section in the image forming apparatus showing the second embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 1, the waste toner transport screw 31 transports the removed waste toner along the waste toner guide passage 32 to the waste toner discharge port 33. The waste toner guide passage 32 rotatably supports the waste toner conveying screw 31, and the waste toner conveying direction C
A waste toner discharge port 33 having a long continuous opening is formed in the waste toner discharge port 33 and guides the waste toner to the waste toner discharge port 33. The opening of the waste toner collection container 34 is located below the waste toner discharge port 33 so as to face the waste toner discharge port 33, and collects the waste toner discharged from the waste toner discharge port 33.

The operation of the image forming apparatus configured as described above will be described below. First, the collected waste toner is moved in the waste toner carrying direction C by the waste toner carrying screw 31, and the waste toner having a continuous opening in the waste toner carrying direction C is provided in the waste toner guiding passageway 32 during the moving. Waste toner collection container from the upstream side of the toner outlet 33
34 Dropped inside and stored. And waste toner collection container
When the accumulation of the waste toner inside the 34 progresses and the peak of the conical waste toner deposit reaches a part of the upstream side of the waste toner discharge port 33, a part of the upstream side of the waste toner discharge port 33 is removed. The waste toner discharge port 33 is blocked, and the waste toner is uniformly filled in the waste toner collecting container 34 while sequentially moving in the waste toner transport direction C.

[0017]

As described above, according to the present invention, the waste toner guide passage is provided with a plurality of waste toner discharge openings or a continuous opening of waste toner discharge openings along the waste toner conveying direction. Even with a waste toner collecting container having a long and narrow shape along the toner carrying direction, since the waste toner is sequentially filled from the upstream side in the waste toner carrying direction, it is possible to improve the filling rate of the waste toner collecting container. It is possible to realize an image forming apparatus which has a long life of collection without increasing the capacity of the waste toner collection container, is inexpensive, has high reliability of collection, and high efficiency of collection of waste toner.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an enlarged view of a waste toner collecting unit in an image forming apparatus showing a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of a waste toner collecting unit in the image forming apparatus showing the second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a schematic configuration diagram of a conventional image forming apparatus.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged view of a waste toner collecting unit in a conventional image forming apparatus.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 OPC Drum 5 Cleaning Blade 21, 31 Waste Toner Conveying Screw 22, 32 Waste Toner Guide Passage 23a-23d, 33 Waste Toner Discharge Port 24, 34 Waste Toner Collection Container

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A toner remaining on the surface of the photoconductor is removed after image transfer by a photoconductor on which an image is formed with toner, and the removed waste toner is discharged by a spiral waste toner conveying member. An image forming apparatus having a waste toner collecting device that conveys the waste toner to a waste toner collecting container from the waste toner carrying-out port, and guides the waste toner by the spiral waste toner conveying member rotatably supported inside. A plurality of waste toner discharge ports or a continuous long waste toner discharge port is provided in the waste toner guide path along the waste toner conveying direction, and the waste toner collecting container is opened at a position facing the waste toner discharge port. Forming apparatus provided with a section.