JPH07191591A - Toner recovering device in image forming device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To prevent the occurrence of the scattering of toner at the time of opening a shutter because it is provided on the discharge port of waste toner and can be directly opened/closed by a hand as well and moreover, at the time of starting and completing the discharge of the waste toner into a waste toner housing case and attaching/detaching it as well, in a cartridge at least including a cleaning device removing the toner remaining on an image carrier and sending it to the outside. CONSTITUTION:The shutter 3 is provided in a discharge cylinder 20 and a waste toner carrying screw 11 is advanced into the shutter 3. A waste toner discharge port 13 is provided on the shutter 3 and closed by a scattering preventing sidewall 17. A shutter releasing member 4 is provided on the shutter 3 and a toner scattering preventing external wall 5 is provided outside the discharge cylinder 20. The waste toner housing case 2 is attached to the cartridge 1 by the wall 5 and when a waste toner protective cover 6 is lowered, a lever 7 pushes the shutter releasing member 4 to turn/open the shutter 3. Since the shutter 3 is not directly touched by the hand, the toner is never erroneously scattered.

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 such as a color copying machine or a color printer using an electrophotographic method, and a cleaning means for removing the residual toner on the image carrier and carrying it out to the outside. The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus including a cartridge.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A latent image corresponding to each color component is formed on an image carrier, the latent image is developed with a developer (hereinafter referred to as toner) corresponding to each color component, and the toner image is transferred onto a rotating transfer drum. A conventional color image forming apparatus for obtaining a multicolor image by repeating the step of transferring onto a transfer material a plurality of times is generally shown in FIG.

In FIG. 5, a is shown on one side of the apparatus main body 39.
From the paper feed cassette 31 that can be detached from the direction to the paper feed roller 3
The recording material 32 sent out in the a direction by 1f and 31b is sent to the registration roller 31e by the transfer roller 31d, and is transferred by the registration roller 31e so as to be synchronized with the image formed on the image carrier 12 of the first color. It is sent to 33, is attracted to the transfer drum 33, and is rotated. The image information sent from the scanner unit 40 is exposed on the image carrier 12 such as a photosensitive drum which rotates in the direction of the arrow in the drawing and is uniformly charged by the charging means 34b such as a corona charger to form a latent image. Then, the magenta developing device 35M of the developing means 35 develops the latent image of the first color using magenta toner, and then transfers it to the recording material 32 on the transfer drum 33 rotating at the same peripheral speed as the image carrier 12. After the transfer, the image carrier 12 is cleaned of residual toner after transfer by the cleaning device 34c, and at the same time, the developing devices 35M, 35C, 35Y, and
The developing means 35 equipped with 35BK has a center of 90 around the shaft 35e.
The index developing rotation causes the cyan developing device 35C to come to a facing position approaching the image carrier 12 and stop.

Similarly, uniform charging, exposure, latent image formation and development are carried out for the cyan color, and the cyan image is transferred onto the transfer drum 3.
3 is transferred onto the magenta image on the recording material 32 on 3
The same applies to yellow and black,
The recording material 32 supporting the unfixed full-color image is separated by the separating means 42, sent to the fixing portion 36, fixed, and discharged outside the apparatus.

FIG. 6 shows a color image forming apparatus which simplifies supply of consumables and maintenance of the apparatus in contrast to the above. 6, parts having the same functions as those in FIG. 5 are assigned the same reference numerals and explanations thereof will be omitted.

In FIG. 5, the residual toner remaining on the image carrier 12 after the transfer is attached to the casing and then the image carrier 12 is transferred.
The residual toner on the image carrier 12 is removed by the cleaning blade 9 which is pressed against the toner, and the waste toner carrying screw 11 carries the toner out of the cartridge body 1a. The cleaning device 34c includes the cleaning blade 9, the waste toner carrying screw 11 and the cartridge body 1a of the casing.
It has a cartridge (denoted by reference numeral 1) and is detachable in the direction orthogonal to the paper surface of FIG.

The image carrier 12 is not limited to the photosensitive drum, but includes the following, for example.
First, a photoconductor is used as the photoconductor, and examples of the photoconductor include amorphous silicon, amorphous selenium, zinc oxide, titanium oxide, and organic photoconductor (OP).
C) etc. are included. The shape on which the photoconductor is mounted includes, for example, a drum-shaped or belt-shaped rotating body and a sheet-shaped body. Generally, a drum-shaped or belt-shaped one is used.For example, in the case of a drum type photoconductor, a photoconductor is vapor-deposited or coated on a cylinder of aluminum alloy or the like. is there.

Although the cleaning device 34c is provided in FIG. 6 as well, the image carrier 12 and the charging means 34b are integrated into an image carrier unit 34, which is made into a cartridge (designated by reference numeral 1). In FIG. 6, the developing device 35M,
The toner cartridge, the paper feed cassette 31, and the image carrier unit 34 provided in each of 35C, 35Y, and 35BK are attached and detached from the front side orthogonal to the plane of the drawing.

The cleaning device 34c in the form of a cartridge shown in FIG. 5 and the image carrier unit 34 in the form of a cartridge shown in FIG. 6 are referred to as a cartridge 1, respectively.

Such a cartridge 1 is discharged from the cartridge 1 by the waste toner discharge screw 11 and then discharged toward the waste toner storage box 2 shown in FIG.

In FIG. 4, the cartridge 1 is attached to and detached from the main body 39 of the apparatus by the handle 18. The waste toner storage box 2 is mounted on the waste toner storage box mounting guide 19 provided on the apparatus main body 39. The toner inlet of the waste toner storage box 2 is located directly below the waste toner discharge port 13 provided in the cartridge 1. The waste toner discharge port 13 is provided in an inner cylinder of a shutter portion formed in the cartridge main body 1a as an inner and outer double cylinder, and the shutter 3 provided as an opening / closing member of the waste toner discharge port 13 is rotatable with respect to the inner cylinder. Is an outer cylinder that fits in
The shutter 3 is disengaged from the waste toner outlet 13 by rotating the shutter 3 at a position corresponding to the waste toner outlet 13, and the shutter 3 causes the waste toner outlet 13 to move.
The opening 3a is provided so as to close. After mounting the cartridge 1 on the apparatus main body 39, the shutter 3 is rotated by the shutter release lever 4 to open the waste toner discharge port 13,
The waste toner is dropped into the waste toner storage box 2. After rotating the shutter to close the waste toner discharge port 13, the cartridge 1 is removed from the apparatus main body 39.

[0012]

However, in the above-mentioned conventional example, when the user carelessly touches and pushes the release member of the opening / closing member of the toner discharge port of the cartridge when the cartridge is replaced or the waste toner storage box is replaced, There is a problem that the waste toner discharge port opens, and the toner remaining near the discharge port spills and stains the vicinity. Further, even when the opening / closing member of the toner discharge port is closed, there is a problem that the toner attached to the discharge port drops even though the amount is small.

Further, when loading the waste toner storage box, a separate guide has to be provided for loading, which has been a factor of cost increase. Further, since the cartridge is mounted inside the main body of the image forming apparatus, it is necessary to provide the cartridge main body with a handle for loading the cartridge, which also causes a cost increase.

Further, there is also a problem that the toner scattered by the opening and closing of the opening and closing member stains the surroundings when the waste toner storage box is replaced.

According to the present invention, as described above, the toner collecting device in the image forming apparatus is configured so that the toner is discharged from the cartridge having the cleaning means for removing the residual toner on the image carrier and stored in the waste toner storage box. In the above, the user can prevent the toner discharge port of the cartridge from being opened carelessly, the toner scattering that occurs even when the discharge port is closed and the toner scattering when the opening / closing member is opened / closed, and the waste toner storage box is An object of the present invention is to provide a toner recovery device in an image forming apparatus that does not require a separate guide member to be attached to the apparatus main body.

[0016]

A first aspect of the present invention is a cartridge having means for removing and collecting residual toner from the surface of an image carrier, a discharge port for the collected toner, and an opening / closing member for opening and closing the discharge port. And a waste toner storage box including a toner inlet for receiving the collected toner discharged from the discharge port, and a waste toner storage box having a storage section for storing the collected toner. The opening / closing member provided in the cartridge is provided inside the cartridge, and is opened by an operation member that is provided on the main body side of the image forming apparatus and can enter the inside of the cartridge. .

According to a second aspect of the present invention, a drop prevention wall is disposed on one side of the waste toner discharge port of the cartridge, and the wall has toner falling from the discharge port when the opening / closing member closes the discharge port. The toner in the image forming apparatus according to the first aspect, wherein the opening / closing member is arranged so as to cross the direction and face the direction in which the waste toner falls when the discharge port for the waste toner is opened. It is a recovery device.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, an outer wall surrounding the opening / closing member is disposed integrally with the cartridge body, and a part of the outer wall is used as a guide member when the waste toner storage box is attached to the cartridge. A toner recovery device in the image forming apparatus according to the first or second aspect of the invention.

A fourth invention of the present invention is the toner collecting device in the image forming apparatus according to the third invention, wherein the outer wall is a handle when the cartridge is attached to or detached from the main body of the image forming apparatus.

A fifth aspect of the present invention is characterized in that the outer wall is shaped so as to seal the opening / closing member together with the waste toner storage box so as to suppress toner scattering from around the opening / closing member. 4 is a toner recovery device in the image forming apparatus according to any one of the fourth aspect of the invention.

[0021]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

[Embodiment 1] FIG. 1 is a perspective view around a cartridge, in which a part of the cartridge body 1a is cut to show the inside.

The cartridge 1 is in contact with the image carrier 12 and scrapes off the residual toner on the image carrier 12 with a cleaning blade 9 and a stirring member 10 for sending the waste toner scraped by the cleaning blade 9 to a waste toner carrying screw 11. 1 has at least a waste toner carrying screw 11 rotatably supported by the cartridge body 1a of the body and driven from the outside. In the case of the image carrier unit 34, the image carrier 12 and the primary charging not shown in FIG. The cartridge body 1a further includes a container 34b.

The waste toner carrying screw 11 has screw blades 11b around the screw shaft 11a.
The screw shafts 11a respectively project from both sides of b. The screw shaft 11a is shown in FIG.
Is rotatably supported by the end wall 1a-2 on the opposite side and receives a driving force by the drive transmission means from the outside protruding, and the front side is rotatably supported by a bearing hole 20b provided in the end plate 20a of the discharge cylinder. Has been done.

When the cartridge 1 is mounted on the apparatus main body 39, the cartridge main body 1a of the housing is in a hermetically sealed state. The cartridge body 1a is an end wall 1a- on the front side of FIG.
A protruding wall 1a-3 is provided on the outer side of 1 in parallel with the end wall 1a-1, and the edges of the end wall 1a-1 and the protruding wall 1a-3 are connected by a peripheral wall 1a-4, and the inside is a space. . Perimeter wall 1a-4
A gap 8 is provided at the edge of the protruding wall 1a-3. The waste toner scattering prevention outer wall 5 integrally projects from the projecting wall 1a-3 so as to surround the discharge cylinder 20.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the discharge cylinder 20 projects outward from the projection wall 1a-3 in the waste toner scattering prevention outer wall 5. The discharge tube 20 has a cylindrical shape and has an opening 2 downwardly.
0a, and the waste toner discharge screw 11 is provided in the opening 20a.
A projecting edge 20c is provided in parallel with the axial direction of and the tip of the projecting edge 20c is suspended to form a waste toner scattering prevention side wall 17. In this example, the end plate 20d of the discharge cylinder 20 and the end edge 5a of the waste toner scattering prevention outer wall 5 are on the same plane.

A shutter 3 is rotatably provided in the discharge cylinder 20.
Are fitted. The shutter 3 has a cylindrical shape and is provided with a waste toner drop prevention wall 15 in the tangential direction on the cylinder. When the shutter 3 is rotated in the direction of arrow A in the figure, the upper end of the toner scattering prevention side wall 15a orthogonal to the prevention wall 15 has the discharge tube 20. Protruding edge 2 provided on the
At this time, the waste toner discharge port 13 at the tip of the waste toner drop prevention wall 15 coincides with the waste toner scattering prevention side wall 17, and the waste toner discharge port 13 is closed. The biasing of the shutter 3 in the direction of arrow B is by a spring (not shown).

The shutter 3 extends from the protruding wall 1a-3 to the end wall 1
It extends to a-1 in a completely hollow cylindrical shape, and is rotatably supported by a bearing 22 (see FIG. 2) provided on the end wall 1a-1. A waste toner carrying screw 1 is provided in the shutter 3.
The screw blade 11b of No. 1 has entered. A shutter release member 4 integrally projects with the outer periphery of the shutter 3 between the end wall 1a-1 and the protruding wall 1a-3 in the radial direction in the form of a lever. The shutter release member 4 is below the gap 8 in the state of FIG. Located in.

As shown in FIG. 1, a waste toner box protective cover 6 is pivotally attached to the apparatus main body 39 shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 by a pivot 6a parallel to the waste toner conveying screw 11. When the waste toner box protection cover 6 rotates in the direction of arrow B in FIG. 1, it covers the toner scattering prevention outer wall 5, and the lower edge 6b of the central portion of the side plate 6a of the waste toner box protection cover 6 covers the waste toner scattering prevention outer wall 5. It comes to the outside of the edge 5a and covers the waste toner scattering prevention outer wall 5 and the upper part of the waste toner storage box 2 described later.

A lever 7 is fixed to the waste toner box protection cover 6. This lever 7 is a waste toner box protection cover 6
1 rotates in the direction of arrow B in FIG. 1 about the pivot 6a, enters the inside of the peripheral wall 1a-4 through the gap 8 and pushes the shutter release member 4.
That is, the lever is an operation member of the shutter release member 4.

A waste toner inlet cover 2a is provided on the upper portion of the waste toner storage box 2, and a waste toner storage portion 2b is provided on the lower portion thereof.
Has become. The waste toner storage box 2 is a hermetically sealed case, and the waste toner inlet 2c is opened on the upper surface. The waste toner inlet cover 2a is a cover that covers the waste toner inlet 2c and is integrally or fixed to the waste toner storage box 2. In FIG. 1, the side opposite to the edge 5a of the waste toner scattering prevention outer wall 5 of the cartridge 1 is opened. It is open at 2d. Waste toner inlet cover 2a
Both side plates parallel to the waste toner conveying screw 11 are insertion guide surfaces 16, and the distance between the guide surfaces 16 is such that the lower edge of the outer wall 5 of the waste toner scattering prevention shown in FIG. It is dimensioned to fit between the box mounting guide surfaces 14.

The waste toner inlet cover 2a is inserted between the waste toner scattering prevention outer wall 5 and the discharge cylinder 20, and the discharge cylinder 2
0 enters the waste toner inlet cover 2a, and the semi-cylindrical ceiling wall 2e of the waste toner inlet cover 2a is fitted into the semi-cylindrical cylinder on the discharge cylinder 20.

FIG. 1 shows the initial stage of the operation of mounting the waste toner storage box 2 on the cartridge 1 after mounting the cartridge 1 on the apparatus main body 39. The waste toner box protection cover 6 fitted to the waste toner scattering prevention outer wall 5 from above is lifted up around the pivot 6a, and the opening 2d of the waste toner entrance cover 2a of the waste toner storage box 2 is closed to the waste toner scattering prevention outer wall 5. The shutter 3 is rotated clockwise by a spring (not shown) so that the waste toner discharge port 13 is closed by a waste toner scattering prevention side wall 17. Therefore, in this state, toner scattering does not occur.

In FIG. 1, the waste toner storage box 2 is moved toward the cartridge 1 in the axial direction of the waste toner conveying screw 11 so that the waste toner storage box mounting guide surface 14 and the waste toner storage box insertion guide surface 16 are aligned with each other, and The top plate constituting the ceiling wall 2e of the waste toner inlet cover 2a is positioned between the waste toner scattering prevention outer wall 5 and the discharge cylinder 20 and is further moved to between the waste toner scattering prevention outer wall 5 and the discharge cylinder 20. And the waste toner storage box 2 is made to hit the protruding wall 1a-3.
When the hand supporting the waste toner storage box 2 is released, the ceiling wall 2e of the waste toner inlet cover 2a is placed on the discharge cylinder 20, and the top plate 2c of the waste toner storage portion 2b of the waste toner storage box 2 is placed. And the lower surface 5c of the waste toner scattering prevention outer wall 5 coincide with each other.
The waste toner storage box 2 is supported by the cartridge 1. As a result, the lower opening 20a of the discharge cylinder 20 and the waste toner inlet 2c of the waste toner storage box 2 face each other.

Next, when the waste toner box protection cover 6 is rotated about the pivot 6a and lowered, the cover 6 advances toward the waste toner scattering prevention outer wall 5, and the side plate 6a of the cover 6 is provided with the waste toner inlet. Proceed toward the outside of the cover 2a. At the same time, the lever 7 enters the peripheral wall 1a-4 through the gap 8 and pushes the shutter release member 4 to rotate the shutter 3 counterclockwise in the direction opposite to the arrow A against the spring force of a spring (not shown), and to discontinue. The toner discharge port 13 is separated from the waste toner scattering prevention side wall 17,
Open downward. As a result, the waste toner does not suddenly drop from the opened waste toner discharge port 13 and slides down on the waste toner drop prevention wall 15, so that toner scattering is suppressed. Further, since the peripheral wall of the toner discharge port 13 enters the waste toner inlet 2c, the toner scattering is further reduced. At this time, toner scattering B around the waste toner discharge port 13
Even if (see FIG. 3) occurs, the waste toner discharge port 13 is surrounded by the inlet cover 2a of the waste toner storage box 2 and the waste toner scattering prevention outer wall 5 prevents the toner scattering.

In FIG. 1, the screw shaft 11a receives a rotational force and the waste toner conveying screw 11 rotates, and the waste toner sent by the screw blade 11b in the direction of arrow A shown in the figure advances into the shutter 3 and is opened. The toner drops from the waste toner discharge port 13 and is stored in the waste toner storage portion 2b of the waste toner storage box 2 through the waste toner inlet 2c.

When removing the waste toner storage box 2, the waste toner box protection cover 6 is lifted up around the pivot 6a to bring it to the state shown in FIG. As a result, the shutter release member 4, which has been pressed by the lever 7 until now, is rotated clockwise by the arrow A in FIG. 1 by a spring force (not shown), and the toner is scattered at the waste toner discharge port 13 as shown in FIG. The prevention side wall 15a is the discharge tube 2
The waste toner discharge port 13 is blocked by the waste toner scattering prevention wall 17 while stopping at the protruding edge 20c of 0. Also at this time, even if toner scattering B (FIG. 3) occurs around the waste toner discharge port 13, the inlet cover 2 of the waste toner storage box 2
Since the waste toner discharge port 13 is surrounded by a and the waste toner scattering prevention outer wall 5 is provided, the toner is not scattered to the outside. After that, the waste toner storage box 2 is pulled out in the direction A of FIG. 1 and removed.

In the embodiment, the shutter 3 as an opening / closing member is rotatably supported on the inner diameter of the discharge tube 20.
The shutter 3 may be rotatably supported on the outer circumference of the discharge cylinder 20 with the inner diameter side of the shutter release member 4 in this case.
And the gap 8 are provided in the waste toner scattering prevention outer wall 5, the discharge cylinder 20 extends to the end wall 1a-1 of the cartridge body 1a, and the screw blades 11b of the waste toner conveying screw 11 are fitted in the discharge cylinder 20. In this case, the waste toner storage box 2
In order to support the waste toner scattering prevention outer wall 5, a protruding rib is provided on the insertion guide surface 16 of the waste toner storage box 2 so as to engage with the inside of the lower edge of the outer wall 5.

[0039]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, the toner removed from the surface of the image carrier is recovered, and the waste toner, which has become the toner to be discarded, is discharged from the discharge port to the waste toner storage box. In the toner collecting device of the image forming apparatus, an opening / closing member that can open and close the waste toner discharge port of the cartridge is disposed inside the cartridge so that the operation member provided on the main body side of the image forming apparatus enters the cartridge. Since it is opened by doing so, the user cannot directly touch the opening / closing member, and the user accidentally operates the opening / closing member to open the waste toner discharge port and spill the toner remaining near the discharge port. It has the effect of preventing accidents.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the present invention, a drop prevention wall is arranged on one side of the waste toner discharge port of the cartridge, and the wall is provided when the opening / closing member closes the waste toner discharge port. Since the opening / closing member is arranged so as to cross the direction in which the waste toner falls and the opening / closing member faces the direction in which the waste toner drops when the waste toner discharge port is opened, the waste toner drops when the waste toner is discharged. Since the waste toner slips down on the prevention wall, when the opening / closing member opens the waste toner discharge port, the waste toner does not suddenly jump out from the waste toner discharge port but slides down the fall prevention wall, causing toner scattering. It is possible to prevent the scattered toner from leaking from the minute gap between the cartridge and the waste toner storage box.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the first or second aspect, a part of the outer wall surrounding the opening / closing member is used as a guide member when the waste toner storage box is attached to the cartridge. Can be easily installed in the correct position.

In the fourth aspect of the present invention, the outer wall in the third aspect is used as a handle when the cartridge is attached to and detached from the main body of the image forming apparatus. Therefore, it is not necessary to separately provide a handle, and the number of parts can be reduced. Therefore, the cost can be reduced.

According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, in the third or fourth aspect, the outer wall is combined with the waste toner storage box to close the opening / closing member. Therefore, when the waste toner is discharged from the cartridge, the waste toner is temporarily removed. Even if the toner is scattered near the discharge port, it is possible to prevent the scattered toner from leaking to the outside.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of FIG. 1 viewed from the lower left.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of FIG. 2 seen from the lower right.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a conventional waste toner collecting device.

FIG. 5 is a vertical sectional view of an image forming apparatus to which the present invention is applied.

FIG. 6 is a vertical sectional view of an image forming apparatus to which the present invention is applied.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Cartridge 1a Cartridge body 2 Waste toner storage box 3 Shutter 4 Shutter release member 5 Toner scattering prevention outer wall 6 Waste toner box protection cover 7 Lever 8 Gap 9 Cleaning blade 10 Stirring member 11 Screw 12 Image carrier 13 Waste toner discharge port 14 Waste Toner storage box installation guide surface 15 Waste toner drop prevention wall 16 Waste toner storage box insertion guide surface 17 Toner scattering prevention side wall 18 Cartridge attachment / detachment handle 19 Waste toner storage box installation guide

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A means for removing and collecting residual toner from the surface of an image bearing member, a discharge port for the collected toner, a cartridge having an opening / closing member for opening and closing the discharge port, and a collected toner discharged from the discharge port. A toner inlet for receiving, and a waste toner storage box having a storage portion for storing the collected toner,
In the toner collecting device of the image forming apparatus having the above-mentioned, the opening / closing member provided in the discharge port of the cartridge is disposed inside the cartridge, is provided on the main body side of the image forming apparatus, and is an operation member that can enter the inside of the cartridge A toner collecting device in an image forming apparatus, which is opened by means of. 2. A drop prevention wall is arranged on one side of a waste toner discharge port of the cartridge, and the wall crosses a direction in which toner drops from the discharge port when an opening / closing member closes the discharge port. The toner collecting device in the image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the opening / closing member is arranged so as to face a direction in which the waste toner falls when the waste toner discharge port is opened. 3. An outer wall surrounding the opening / closing member is arranged integrally with the cartridge body, and a part of the outer wall serves as a guide member when the waste toner storage box is attached to the cartridge. Or a toner recovery device in the image forming apparatus according to item 2. 4. The toner collecting device in an image forming apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the outer wall is a handle when the cartridge is attached to and detached from the main body of the image forming apparatus. 5. The outer wall is shaped so as to seal the opening / closing member together with a waste toner storage box so as to suppress toner scattering from the periphery of the opening / closing member. A toner recovery device in the image forming apparatus according to item 1.