JPH055576Y2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed description of the invention] (Industrial application field) This invention relates to a waste toner collection device, and particularly to a waste toner collection device in which residual toner after transfer is scraped off from a photoreceptor by a cleaning device and collected in a container. .

(Prior art) This type of waste toner collection device was developed in the Showa era, for example.
It is disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 56-57076 published on May 19, 1982 and Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 58-54369 published on March 31, 1988. In order to deposit waste toner horizontally, the former uses a hammer arm that is driven vertically in conjunction with the rotation of the photoreceptor drum to strike the bottom of the waste toner container. In the latter, the peripheral edge of an eccentric cam is brought into contact with one side of a holder on which a waste toner container is placed, and by rotating the eccentric cam, the holder, that is, the waste toner container, is vibrated from side to side.

(Problems to be solved by the invention) The former of the above-mentioned conventional techniques generates noise, and the latter makes it difficult to detect the amount of accumulated waste toner because the waste toner accumulates unevenly in the waste toner container. However, there are problems in that the container volume cannot be used effectively.

Therefore, the main purpose of this invention is to provide a waste toner collection device that is quiet and can effectively utilize the volume of the container.

(Means for Solving the Problems) Simply put, this invention consists of a waste toner container for storing waste toner, an engaging portion formed on the circumferential side of the waste toner container, and a distal end of the engaging portion. A waste toner recovery device comprising: an engaging member engaged with the user; and a reciprocating means for horizontally reciprocating a tip of the engaging member in response to an electrical signal in a developer-related process including a toner replenishment signal. It is.

(Function) The waste toner container is mounted so that the engaging portion formed on the circumferential side is engaged with the tip of the engaging member. For example, when the developing device is replenished with toner in response to a toner replenishment signal, the reciprocating means applies horizontal reciprocating motion to the engaging member in response to the toner replenishment signal. Therefore, the container is directly vibrated in the horizontal direction by the engaging member at a timing related to the toner replenishment operation.

(Effects of the invention) According to this invention, since constant vibration in the horizontal direction is applied to the waste toner container, the collected waste toner is not piled up unevenly. For this reason,
The amount of accumulated waste toner can be accurately detected, and the waste toner container can be used effectively. Furthermore, since the waste toner container is directly vibrated by the engaging member, it is quiet and does not generate noise unlike the conventional method. Furthermore, in many cases, waste toner is discharged during a developer-related process such as toner replenishment to a developing device, and as in this invention, waste toner is stored in a waste toner container in response to an electrical signal in a developer-related process, including a toner replenishment signal. By vibrating in the horizontal direction, the waste toner in the container can be leveled extremely efficiently.

The above objects, other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description of embodiments with reference to the drawings.

(Embodiment) FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an electronic copying machine as an embodiment of the invention, and FIG. 3 is a sectional view for explaining the internal structure thereof.

Although this invention will be explained below as being applied to an electronic copying machine, it can also be applied to other image forming devices other than such electronic copying machines, such as printers and facsimile machines. Let me point this out in advance.

With reference to FIGS. 2 and 3, electronic copying machine 1
0 includes a copying machine main body 12, and this copying machine main body 12
On the upper surface of the document table 14 made of a transparent glass plate,
is fixedly provided. An automatic document feeder 16 is attached to the upper part of the document table 14 by a hinge 18 at a side end thereof. This automatic document feeder 1
On the starting end side of the automatic document feeder 16, a document table 22 is provided on which the original document 20 before being copied is stored, and on the terminal end side of the automatic document feeder 16, a tray 24 for receiving the copied original document is provided. Automatic document feeder 1
6 includes a plurality of rollers 26 for taking in and conveying the original 20 placed on the original placing table 22;
26, . . . and an endless belt 28.

A light source 30 is provided below the document table 14 in the copying machine main body 12 as a scanning means for exposing and scanning the document.
It is movable from one end side to the other end side and in the opposite direction. The movement of the light source 30 in the left-right direction is achieved by driving a servo motor (not shown). Associated with the light source 30 is a reflecting mirror 32 whose cross section is elliptical. A first movable mirror 34 is fixed to this reflecting mirror 32 . When the light source 30 is moved forward in the right direction in FIG. 3 by the servo motor, the document placed on the document table 14 is exposed to the slit, and when the light source 30 is moved forward in the left direction in FIG. No such exposure is performed.

A second movable mirror is provided in association with the first movable mirror 34, the second movable mirror including a pair of movable mirrors 36 and 38.
Reference numeral 8 is for reflecting the original image reflected by the first movable mirror 34 toward the imaging lens 40 again. This second movable mirror 36 and 38
can be moved in the same direction as the light source 30 at half the speed of movement of the light source 30. Note that the imaging lens 40 is constituted by a zoom lens, and therefore, the electronic copying machine of this embodiment can change the copying magnification.

A fixed reflecting mirror 44 is provided in front of the imaging lens 40 to reflect the original image transmitted through the lens 40 toward the photosensitive drum 42. An infrared absorbing filter 46 is interposed between the fixed reflecting mirror 44 and the photosensitive drum 42.

The exposure position of the photosensitive drum 42, that is, the reflecting mirror 4
A side erase lamp 50 is provided upstream from the position where the original image is formed by the photoreceptor drum 42, and this side erase lamp 50 erases the electric charge on the portion of the photosensitive drum 42 corresponding to the side edge of the copy paper. It is for removal. This side erase lamp 50
Further upstream, a charging corotron 52 is provided for uniformly charging the photoreceptor drum 42 with a charge of a specific polarity.

A developing device 56 is provided downstream of the above-mentioned exposure position of the photosensitive drum 42, and this developing device 56
The charging corotron 52, the light source 30, and the imaging lens 40 control the photoreceptor drum 42.
The electrostatic latent image formed on the image is developed using toner. The developer device 56 includes a toner container 60 (FIG. 2) for supplying toner, and in conjunction with the toner container 60, the developer device 56 further includes screw conveyors 54 and 58. The screw conveyors 54 and 58 are for stirring the carrier and toner. Note that the toner container 60 is attached so as to be able to swing back and forth about a support shaft 62 (FIG. 2) as a fulcrum.

A paper feeding section is formed at one side end of the copying machine main body 12, and two paper feeding cassettes 68 and 76 are detachably attached to this paper feeding section in this embodiment. For example, A3 size papers 48 are stored in a stacked manner in the paper feed cassette 68, and in another paper feed cassette 76, for example, A4 size papers 48 are stored in a stacked manner. At the inner bottom of each paper feed cassette 68 and 76, a compression spring 70 and a support plate 7 are provided for pushing up the stacked papers 48.
2 is provided. This spring 70 and support plate 72
As a result, the uppermost sheet of paper stored in the paper feed cassettes 68 and 76 is pressed against the paper feed roller 74. By rotating the paper feed roller 74, the paper 48 pressed in this manner is transferred to the paper feed cassette 68 or 7.
6 to the register roller 75 one by one. In this embodiment, the paper feed section is further provided with a manual paper feed tray 78, and when the manual paper feed tray 78 is rotated clockwise from the state shown in FIG. manual paper feeding is possible.

Cassette sensors 69 and 77 are provided, respectively, which can detect the presence of paper feed cassettes 68 and 76 when they are installed. The cassette sensors 69 and 77 are each
The paper feed cassette 6 is attached to the main body 12.
8 and 76 include, for example, microswitches acting on their actuators.

On the downstream side of the developing device, there is a corotron 64 for transfer.
and a separation corotron 66 are integrally provided.

When paper 48 is supplied from the paper supply cassette 68 or 76, ie, the paper supply section, the toner image formed on the photosensitive drum 42 is transferred onto the paper 48 by the transfer corotron 64. During the transfer by the transfer corotron 64, the paper is transferred to the drum 42.
However, they are separated by a separating corotron 66 and transported toward a vacuum conveyor 92, which will be described later.

A cleaning device 80 is provided downstream of the transfer corotron 64 (upper left in FIG. 3) along the photoconductor drum 42.
Remove any toner left on the top. This cleaning device 80 includes a rubber blade 82 for scraping off residual toner on the photoreceptor drum 42, and the residual toner or waste toner scraped off by this blade 82 is transferred to the screw conveyor 8.
6, the waste toner is delivered to a waste toner container 84.
This invention is directed to a waste toner collection device that stores collected waste toner.

Furthermore, on the upstream side of the cleaning device 80,
A static elimination lamp 88 is provided to remove residual charges on the photoreceptor drum 42, and this static elimination lamp 88
Further downstream is the above-mentioned charging corotron 52.
is located.

The photosensitive drum 4 is separated by the separating corotron 66.
The paper separated from 2 is transferred to a vacuum conveyor 92.
is sent to the fixing device 90 by. The fixing device 90 includes a heating roller 96 having a built-in heater 94 and a pressure roller 98 for pressing the paper against the heating roller 96. Therefore,
The toner image transferred onto the paper 48 is heated and pressed by two rollers 96 and 98 to be fixed on the paper 48 . The paper that has been fixed is discharged onto a paper discharge tray 104 by a pair of paper discharge rollers 100 and 102. Note that the heating roller 9
6, an oil supply section 106 is provided for supplying silicone oil to this heating roller.

Above the fixing device 90 in the copying machine main body 12,
A control box 108 is formed in which components 110 for the control system are housed.

Note that on the front of the main body 12 of the electronic copying machine 10,
Front door 107 whose lower end is supported by a hinge
will be provided. The front door 107 is configured to be openable and closable, and can be opened for inspecting or repairing the inside of the main body 12. For example, a cylindrical projection or post 109 is protrudingly provided on the inner surface of the front door 107 at a position corresponding to the waste toner container 84 . This post 109 prevents the front door 107 from closing when the waste toner container 84 is improperly attached.

As shown in FIG. 2, the operation panel 112 of the electronic copying machine 10 is provided with a display 114. This indicator 114 displays that a predetermined amount or more of waste toner has been collected in the waste toner container 84, thereby notifying the operator of this fact. That is, the display 114 is connected to a photo sensor 126, which will be described later.
The display can be driven by a CPU (not shown) in response to signals from the CPU (not shown).

As shown in FIG. 1, a waste toner container 84 is provided in association with the cleaning device 80, and the waste toner removed from the photoreceptor drum 42 by the cleaning device 80 falls into the waste toner container 84 and is collected. be done.

The waste toner container 84 is preferably configured so that the collected waste toner 116 can be seen from the outside.
It is made of transparent material such as synthetic resin. A protrusion 118 is formed at the top of the waste toner container 84 . The protrusion 118 has a screw conveyor 86.
An opening 120 is provided which fits into the discharge part of the holder. Furthermore, the protrusion 118 is provided with a protrusion 122 . With this protrusion 122 in between, the light emitting element 12
4 and a photo sensor 126 are arranged. That is, when the waste toner 116 is accumulated, the light emitted from the light emitting element 124 is blocked by the waste toner 116 accumulated on the protrusion 122, thereby detecting that various amounts of waste toner 116 have been collected. be done. In response to the detection signal from the photo sensor 126, the CPU sends a message to the display 114 (see FIG. 2).
A display signal is given to the

Note that in the method of detecting whether or not a predetermined weight of waste toner has been collected, it is not necessary to provide this protrusion 122.

The waste toner container 84 is arranged so that its bottom is substantially horizontal, and a recess 128 into which a fitting member, which will be described later, is fitted is formed at the bottom. Recess 1
28 may be a hole formed approximately at the center of the bottom, or may be a groove formed across the waste toner container 84. Waste toner container 84
defines the opening 120 and the recess 128, respectively.
The screw conveyor 86 and the engaging member 140 are fitted so as to fit together. The waste toner container 84 mounted in this manner is supported by the protrusions 130 provided on the main body 12 with its bottom maintained in a horizontal state at two points. The protrusion 130 has a semicircular cross section so that the waste toner container 84 can easily slide horizontally.

A recess 132 is formed between the protrusions 130 of the main body 12 . A solenoid 134 is provided in the recess 132.
is fixedly provided. The solenoid 134 has a plunger 136 having a U-shaped tip, and a shaft 138 is connected to the plunger 136. Axis 13
A fitting member 140 is fixed to the upper part of the waste toner container 8, and this fitting member 140 is fitted into the recess 128 of the waste toner container 84 described above.

A shaft 138 connected to the plunger 136 includes:
One end of the coil spring 142 is hooked to the inner wall of the recess 132, and the other end of the coil spring 142 is hooked. The coil spring 142 normally pulls the shaft 138 in the direction of arrow A. Further, when the solenoid 134 is in the on state, the plunger 136 is displaced in the direction of arrow B against the pulling force of the coil spring 142.

FIG. 4 is a circuit diagram showing an example of a solenoid drive circuit. One end of the solenoid 134 and one end of the relay coil 144 are connected to Vcc (+24V). The other end of the solenoid 134 and the other end of the relay coil 144 are grounded via the collector-emitter of a transistor 146. The base of transistor 146 is connected to the collector of transistor 150. The emitter of the transistor 150 is connected to Vcc (+5V), and the base is connected to the CPU 152 built into the main body 12 of the copying machine. This CPU 152 also includes a developing device 56 (a third
A toner concentration sensor 154 provided in the image forming apparatus (FIG.) is connected.

On the other hand, a contact 144a of the relay coil 144 and a toner replenishment motor 148 for replenishing toner into the developing device 56 constitute a closed circuit.

In the copying process, as shown in the timing diagram of FIG. 5, when the toner concentration sensor 154 detects a decrease in the toner concentration in the developing device 56, the toner concentration signal X from the sensor 154 becomes low level. When a low level is supplied from the toner concentration sensor 154, the CPU 152 outputs the low level as output Y. Accordingly, transistor 1
50 is turned on, and transistor 146 is turned on.
When the transistor 146 is turned on, the solenoid 134 and the relay coil 144 are connected to the power supply Vcc.
(24V) is supplied, and these solenoid 134 and relay coil 144 are energized.

When relay coil 144 is energized, its contact 144a is turned on, turning on toner supply motor 148 and supplying toner into developing device 56 (FIG. 3).

Meanwhile, at the same time, the solenoid 134 is energized, and the plunger 136, which had been constrained in the direction of arrow A by the coil spring 142, is moved by the coil spring 1.
42, and is attracted in the direction of arrow B.

Thereafter, when the toner concentration recovers to a normal value, the output of the toner concentration sensor 154 returns to the high level. When the toner density signal X becomes high level,
The output signal Y from the CPU 152 becomes high level, so that the transistor 150 is turned off and the transistor 146 is also turned off. Then, the toner supply motor 148 stops and the solenoid 134 opens the plunger 136. Therefore, toner supply is stopped, and the plunger 136 is again pulled in the direction A by the coil spring 142.

In this way, when the toner concentration signal X as shown in FIG. 5 is input, the plunger 136 is displaced and the shaft 138 is given reciprocating motion in the directions of arrows A and B. Accordingly, the engagement portion 14 of the shaft 138
0 is engaged, the waste toner container 84 vibrates in the directions of arrows A and B, that is, in the horizontal direction. When the waste toner 116 falls into the waste toner container 84 that is reciprocating in the directions of arrows A and B, the waste toner 1
16 is averaged and deposited horizontally instead of being deposited in a conical shape only at the point of fall.

When the waste toner 116 is accumulated up to the protrusion 122, the photo sensor 126 no longer receives the light from the light emitting element 124. When the photo sensor 126 no longer receives light, the display 114 (FIG. 2) of the display panel of the copying machine 10 accordingly displays this fact, and the copying machine becomes disabled. In this case, the operator can look at the display 114 and empty the waste toner container 84 by discarding the waste toner 116 in the waste toner container 84 as necessary, or replace it with a new waste toner container.

FIG. 6 is an illustrative view showing another embodiment of this invention. A motor 158 is installed in the recess 132 of the main body 12.
is fixedly provided, and an eccentric cam 156 is directly connected to the shaft of this motor 158. This motor 158
A link 160 is rotatably supported near the eccentric cam 156 so as to come into contact with the peripheral edge of the eccentric cam 156. The upper end of the link 160 is provided with a recess 1 of the waste toner container 84.
A fitting portion 162 that is fitted to 28 is formed. A hole 164 is formed at the lower end, and the other end of the coil spring 142, one end of which is hooked onto the inner wall of the recess 132, is hooked into the hole 164. Therefore,
The coil spring 142 is attached to the link 16 by the attractive force.
0 is always brought into contact with the eccentric cam 156. Therefore, the rotational movement of the eccentric cam 156 is converted into a reciprocating movement in the directions of arrows A and B by the link 160, and therefore a certain horizontal vibration is applied to the waste toner container 84.

Note that the motor 158 is driven by the solenoid 13.
4 (FIG. 1), it is controlled by the CPU 152 (FIG. 4).

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an illustrative cross-sectional view showing the main parts of an embodiment of this invention. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an electronic copying machine as an embodiment of this invention. Figure 3 shows
FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional illustrative view for explaining the internal structure of FIG. 2; FIG. 4 is a circuit diagram showing an example of the control circuit of the embodiment shown in FIG. FIG. 5 is a timing diagram for explaining the operation of the control circuit of FIG. 4. 6th
The figure is an illustrative cross-sectional view showing the main parts of another embodiment. In the figure, 84 is a waste toner container, 128 is a recessed portion, 134 is a solenoid, 138 is a shaft, 140 is a fitting portion, 142 is a coil spring, 156 is an eccentric cam, and 158 is a motor.

Claims (1)

[Claims for Utility Model Registration] 1. A waste toner container for storing waste toner, an engaging portion formed on the circumferential side of the waste toner container, and an engaging member whose tip is engaged with the engaging portion. , and a waste toner recovery device comprising reciprocating means for horizontally reciprocating the tip of the engaging member in response to an electrical signal in a developer-related process including a toner replenishment signal. 2. The waste toner recovery device according to claim 1, wherein the reciprocating means has a plunger connected to the engaging member and includes a solenoid for linearly displacing the plunger. 3. The waste toner recovery device according to claim 1, wherein the reciprocating means includes a cam whose peripheral edge contacts the engaging member, and a rotating means for rotating the cam. 4. The waste toner recovery device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the engaging portion includes a recess formed approximately at the center of the circumferential side of the waste toner container.