JPH0736374Y2 - Toner recovery device - Google Patents

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a toner collecting device in an image forming apparatus such as a dry electrophotographic copying machine.

(Prior Art) Conventionally, in a dry electrophotographic copying machine, the toner scraped from the photosensitive drum by the cleaning blade is provided outside the side plate of the copying machine body by a toner conveying means such as a spiral member provided at the bottom of the cleaning casing. It is being sent to the toner collection container located at.

In this case, the toner collecting container is configured to be attachable to and detachable from the toner discharge pipe provided at the end of the toner collecting and conveying means. For example, as shown in FIG. 3, in the case where the cleaning device 26 is provided on the upper frame unit 29 side with respect to the toner recovery container 30 located on the lower frame unit 28 side, the upper frame unit 29 is attached with the pivot shaft 27. By dissociating in the R direction to the center, the toner discharge port 31a of the toner discharge pipe 31 and the injection port 30a of the toner recovery container 30 can be separated and the toner recovery container 30 can be attached and detached. In this type, the toner discharge port 31a The inside of the copying machine is polluted by the falling of toner from the toner, and in order to prevent this contamination, a means for closing the opening of the toner discharge port 31a, the toner discharge port 31a and the toner recovery container 30 are provided.
It has the complexity of requiring a flexible conduit for connecting to the injection port 30a. Reference numeral 32 is a vibrating means for vibrating the toner collecting container. Further, as shown in FIG. 4, the toner collecting container 40 having the opening end 40a serving as an injection port is fitted to the opening pipe end 41a at the end of the toner discharge pipe 41, and the spiral member 38 is inserted from the bottom of the cleaning casing. When the toner collection container 40 is completely filled with the toner sent by, the tubular body 42 that can cover the opening pipe end 41a of the toner discharge pipe 41 moves to the right due to the release of the spring 43, and the toner collection container By detaching 40 from the toner discharge pipe 41, the tubular body 42 covers the opening pipe end 41a of the toner discharge pipe 41. In this case, the toner 44 drops in the tubular body 42, and when the toner recovery container 40 is attached to the opening tube end 41a, the toner 44 dropped in the tubular body 42 scatters in the copying machine, and the internal device is contaminated. Have

(Object of the Invention) The present invention provides a means for eliminating the conventional defect that toner is scattered when the toner recovery container is replaced as described above in an image forming apparatus such as a dry electrophotographic copying machine. An object of the present invention is to provide a device capable of synchronizing the opening and closing of the toner discharge port of the discharge pipe and the attachment and detachment of the toner recovery container by a simple means.

(Constitution of the Invention) In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the present invention provides a toner collecting device of an image forming apparatus, which removes toner remaining on a photoconductor in a cleaning device and sends the toner in a cleaning casing to a toner collecting container. The toner can be supplied to the toner discharge port of the toner discharge pipe by the toner conveying means arranged at the bottom of the cleaning casing, and the toner introduction part is partially formed between the toner discharge pipe and the toner collection container. A holding member provided with a sleeve portion slidable with respect to the toner discharge pipe and capable of opening and closing the toner discharge port, and a cylindrical portion capable of holding the toner collecting container on the outer periphery of the toner introducing portion. The toner collecting container can be positioned and the toner collecting container can be positioned by sliding the holding member when the toner collecting container is mounted. The present invention is characterized in that a stopper plate that can be engaged with the injection port edge of the container is formed in a part of the main body.

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

FIG. 1 shows a schematic structure of a dry electrophotographic copying machine to which the present invention is applied, which is placed on a document table 1 above the copying machine.
An original document (not shown) is moved to the right in the direction of the arrow while being pressed by the pressure plate, and the original image is formed on the surface of the photosensitive drum 4 by the illumination of the illumination lamp 2 and the optical system 3. Scanning exposure is performed in synchronization with the speed.

The photoconductor drum 4 which is driven to rotate clockwise is a charging device 5.
Are uniformly charged by the transfer paper 10 and the electrostatic latent image of the original image is formed on the surface by the exposure scanning, and the toner image visualized by the developing device 6 is supplied from the paper feed cassette 10.
Is transferred by the transfer corona discharger 8.

The transfer paper 10 on which the toner image has been transferred is separated via the separation corona discharger 9, and is fed to the fixing roller pair 12 by the conveyor belt 11, where the toner image is fixed on the transfer paper 10 and discharged to the discharge tray side. It

The toner remaining on the photoconductor drum 4 after being transferred from the photoconductor drum 4 to the transfer paper 10 is removed by the charge removal corona discharger 15 and the cleaning device 16, and the photoconductor having the residual charge removed by the charge removal device 17. The drum 4 is uniformly charged again by the charging device 5, and the above copying process is repeated.

The above copying process is the same as that in the conventionally known dry type electrophotographic copying machine, and its details are omitted.

Cleaning device 16 for the electrophotographic copying machine shown in FIG.
The cleaning blade 16b provided in the casing 16a scrapes off the residual toner on the photosensitive drum 4, and the spiral member 18 as a toner conveying means arranged at the bottom 16c of the casing 16a allows the side plate of the main body of the copying machine. It is sent to the toner collection container 20 arranged outside the.
Members including the photosensitive drum 4 and the cleaning device 16 are arranged inside the side plate of the copying machine body.

A second embodiment of means for attaching and detaching the toner collecting container 20 to and from the toner discharge pipe 21 which is a characteristic part of the present invention
It is shown in FIGS.

Cleaning casing in which the spiral member 18 is arranged
A toner discharge pipe 21 is provided on the side plate 19 located at the end of the bottom portion 16c of the 16a on the toner delivery side, and the toner collected through the toner discharge port 21a of the toner discharge pipe 21 is generated by the spiral member 18. The toner is sequentially sent to the toner collecting container 20 (FIG. 2 (a)).

Between the toner collection container 20 and the toner discharge pipe 21, a sleeve portion 22a that is slidable in the axial direction of the toner discharge pipe 21 and fits on the outer periphery of the toner discharge pipe 21,
On the bottom of the sleeve portion 22a, a toner introduction cylindrical portion 22b that can be aligned with the toner discharge port 21a of the toner discharge pipe 21.
A holding member 22 capable of supporting the toner recovery container 20 having a structure including is provided.

The toner introduction tubular portion 22b of the holding member 22 is fitted to the inner surface of the injection port 20a of the toner recovery container 20 via the seal material 23 on the outer periphery thereof, and between the toner introduction tubular portion 22b and the injection port 20a,
Toner is prevented from scattering.

At the mounting position of the toner collecting container 20 shown in FIG. 2A, the toner collecting container 20 is arranged so that the opening of the toner introducing cylindrical portion 22b of the holding member 22 coincides with the toner discharging port 21a of the toner discharging pipe 21. A stopper plate 24 that comes into contact with the injection port edge of is formed in the main body of the copying machine, and at this position, the toner recovery container 20 is narrowly attached between the toner introduction cylindrical portion 22b of the holding member 22 and the stopper plate 24, The stopper plate 24 also serves as a positioning means and a fixing means for the toner collecting container 20.

In this state, the toner sent by the rotation of the spiral member 18 can be sent into the toner collecting container 20.

When the toner filled in the toner collecting container 20 causes the toner detecting means appropriately arranged in the toner collecting container to notify that the toner collecting container 20 needs to be replaced, FIG. 2 (a) to FIG. 2 (b). The holding member 22 is pulled out to the position of
The toner introduction tube portion 22b of the holding member 22 is provided with the toner discharge pipe 21.
Is located to the right of the toner outlet 21a of the
1a is a sleeve portion 2 located on the left side of the toner introducing cylinder portion 22b
Blocked by 2a ₁ . On the other hand, the toner collecting container 20 is moved in the direction away from the stopper plate 24 by the edge of the toner introducing cylinder portion 22b when the holding member 22 is pulled out to the position shown in FIG. At the position where 21a is closed, the edge of the injection port 20a of the toner recovery container 20 is disengaged from the toner introducing cylinder portion 22b of the holding member 22, and the toner recovery container 20 can be replaced.

The holding member 22 that supports the toner collection container 20 is rotatably fitted to the toner discharge pipe 21 by the sleeve portion 22a, and the toner collection container 20 is rotated about the toner discharge pipe 21. It is possible to efficiently make the toner accumulation state in the toner recovery container 20 uniform, and in some cases, by rotating the holding member 22 with respect to the toner discharge pipe 21 instead of sliding it. Toner discharge pipe
It is also possible to close the toner discharge port 21a of 21.

(Effect of the Invention) With the configuration of the present invention, the toner is collected from the cleaning casing by the toner conveying means with the mounting member supporting the toner collecting container being set at a predetermined position with respect to the discharge pipe having the toner discharging port. The toner collection container that is stored in the container and filled with toner simply slides the sleeve part of the holding member in the direction to pull it out from the toner discharge pipe, and closes the toner discharge port of the toner discharge pipe with the sleeve part and collects toner. It is possible to replace the toner recovery container by pulling out the container to a position where it can be removed from the holding member, and it is possible to prevent toner from scattering from the toner discharge port of the discharge pipe when the toner recovery container is replaced.

In the structure of the present invention, the stopper plate formed on the main body further stops the sliding of the holding member by sliding the holding member mounted with the toner collecting container to the toner collecting position, and the stopper plate is engaged. It can be fixed and fixed securely, and when the toner collection container is removed, the retention member slides to the opposite side, so the engagement with the stopper plate is broken and the toner collection container can be easily removed. Has the effect of being able to.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic sectional view of a dry type electronic copying machine equipped with a toner collecting device of the present invention, and FIGS. 2 (a) and 2 (b) show the mounting and removal of a toner collecting container as an embodiment of the present invention. Sectional views, FIG. 3 and FIG. 4 are sectional views showing a conventional toner collecting device. 18 ... Toner transport means, 20 ... Toner collection container, 21 ...
Toner discharge pipe, 22 ... Holding member (22a ... Sleeve part, 22b ... Cylindrical part)

Claims (1)

[Scope of utility model registration request] 1. In a toner collecting device of an image forming apparatus, in which a toner remaining on a photoconductor is removed by a cleaning device and the toner in the cleaning casing is sent to a toner collecting container, a toner conveying means disposed at the bottom of the cleaning casing. The toner can be supplied to the toner discharge port of the toner discharge pipe by means of the toner discharge pipe and the toner collection container is partially formed between the toner discharge pipe and the toner collection container, and is slidable with respect to the toner discharge pipe. Further, a holding member having a sleeve portion capable of opening and closing the toner discharge port and a cylindrical portion capable of holding the toner collecting container is arranged on the outer periphery of the toner introducing portion, and the holding member is attached when the toner collecting container is attached. A stopper that can position the toner collection container by sliding the member and that can be engaged with the injection port edge of the toner collection container A toner collecting device characterized in that a plate is formed on a part of the main body.