JPH086474A - Ep cartridge - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To provide an EP cartridge capable of effectively preventing the leakage of toner even if a shield plate has the occurrence of waving. CONSTITUTION:A toner recovering means 3 recovering untransferred toner T on a latent image carrier 1 is constituted to provide a cleaning blade 3A scraping the untransferred toner T from the latent image carrier 1, the shield plate 3B receiving the transferred toner T scraped by the cleaning blade 3A and a waste toner supplying roller 4A supplying the untransferred toner T received by the shield plate 3B to a waste toner box 4. Then, the surface part of the side abutted on the latent image carrier 1 of the shield plate 3B is arranged in a position where the surface part enters into the lower part of the carrier 1.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an EP cartridge, and more particularly to an EP cartridge equipped with a toner collecting means and incorporated in a printer, a facsimile, a copying machine or the like.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Most of electrophotographic recording devices such as printers, facsimiles, copiers, etc. incorporating an electrophotographic process are integrated with at least a latent image carrier, a developing device, a charging device, and a toner collecting means. It owns an EP cartridge or an EP cartridge having a two-part structure of a developing device and a latent image carrier.

In this case, the toner collecting means of the EP cartridge sends the untransferred toner remaining on the latent image carrier to the waste toner box by scraping it off with a cleaning blade, a brush or a roller. It has a function of collecting.

3 to 4 show a conventional example of the EP cartridge 60. 3 to 4, reference numeral 51 indicates a latent image carrier. A developing device 52 portion is mounted on the right side of the latent image carrier 51 in FIG. 1, and a toner collecting means 53 portion is mounted on the left side of FIG.

As shown in FIG. 3, the toner collecting means 53 scrapes off the untransferred toner T on the latent image carrier 51 from the latent image carrier 51 by the cleaning blade 53A, and the toner is transferred to the front chamber 58 by the feeding roller 54. The waste toner T is collected. Here, the cleaning blade 53A
The scraped-off waste toner T is received by the shield plate 55 and guided to the front chamber 58 so that the scraped-off toner T is not dropped to the outside of the EP cartridge 60.

Reference numeral 55A indicates a fixing member for supporting the shield plate 55 at its lower end. Reference numeral 53B indicates a sealing material. The sealing material 53B is separately provided at both ends of the cleaning blade 53A and the shield plate 55, and thereby toner leakage from both side portions between the cleaning blade 53A and the latent image carrier 51 is effectively prevented.

When the waste toner T is accumulated in the front chamber 58 to some extent, the waste toner T is transferred to the waste toner box 59 by the waste toner sending roller 54 over the low partition 58a. Reference numeral 57 indicates a check valve for toner.

Here, the shield plate 55 is made of planar urethane, and as shown in FIG. 3, the shield plate 55 stands up at an angle of 60 ° to 80 ° in the horizontal direction with respect to the latent image carrier 51, and its tip end. The part is set to be in contact with the rotating surface of the latent image carrier 51.

[0009]

However, in the above-mentioned conventional cleaner mechanism, the shield plate 5 is used.
5, the contact angle with respect to the latent image carrier 51 is 60 in the horizontal direction.
Since the shield plate 55 is set at an acute angle of 80 ° to 80 °, a waviness occurs due to a slight external vibration or the like on the contact surface of the shield plate 55 with the latent image carrier 51, which causes the latent image carrier 51 and the shield plate. There is a disadvantage in that a gap is generated between 55 and toner leakage easily occurs.

[0010]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide an EP cartridge capable of improving the disadvantages of the prior art and effectively preventing toner leakage even when a wavy state occurs in the shield plate. .

[0011]

According to the present invention, a drum-shaped latent image carrier, developing means for developing an electrostatic latent image formed on the latent image carrier with toner, and a latent image carrier. In the EP cartridge provided with a toner collecting means for collecting the untransferred toner, the toner collecting means includes a cleaning blade for scraping off the untransferred toner from the latent image carrier and an untransferred toner scraped off by the cleaning blade. A configuration is provided that includes a shield plate that receives the waste toner, and a waste toner sending roller that sends the untransferred toner received by the shield plate to the waste toner box.

The surface portion of the shield plate on the side of contact with the latent image carrier described above is arranged at a position that is below the latent image carrier. This aims to achieve the above-mentioned object.

[0013]

[Operation] Since the surface portion of the shield plate 3B on the contact side with respect to the latent image carrier 1 is located at a position that is below the latent image carrier 1, it is scraped off by the cleaning blade 3A. The waste toner T can always be received by the shield plate 3B.

[0014]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS.

In FIGS. 1 and 2, reference numeral 10 is E.
A P cartridge is shown. This EP cartridge 10 is
A drum-shaped latent image carrier 1, a developing unit 2 for developing the electrostatic latent image formed on the latent image carrier 1 with toner, and a toner for collecting the untransferred toner T on the latent image carrier 1. The collecting means 3 is provided.

The toner collecting means 3 is a cleaning blade 3A for scraping off the untransferred toner T from the latent image carrier 1.
And a shield plate 3B for receiving the waste toner T scraped off by the cleaning blade 3A, and a waste toner delivery roller 4A for delivering the untransferred toner T received by the shield plate 3B to the waste toner box 4. . Here, reference numeral 3C represents a holding metal fitting for fixing and holding the shield plate 3B.

Reference numeral 5 indicates a front chamber in which the waste toner delivery roller 4A is housed. The front chamber 5 is open at the lower left end and the lower right end in FIG. 1, respectively. A low partition portion 5a having a relatively low height is projected from the lower portion of the figure in the lower left end portion of the front chamber 5 in FIG. 1, and the low partition portion 5a is directed downward from the upper portion of FIG. And a backflow prevention plate 5A for toner.

Therefore, even if a considerable amount of the waste toner T is sent into the waste toner box 4, the backflow prevention plate 5A for toner causes the waste toner from the inside of the waste toner box 4 to the front chamber 5. Backflow is effectively blocked.

Further, the surface portion of the above-mentioned shield plate 3B on the side of contact with the latent image carrier 1 is arranged at a position which is below the latent image carrier 1.

More specifically, this shield plate 3B is made of planar urethane, and the inclination angle α for its tip to contact the latent image carrier 1 is as shown in FIG. Based on the horizontal line, “α = 100-
It is set to an obtuse angle of "120 degrees".

In this case, the contact surface of the shield plate 3B with respect to the latent image carrier 1 may be arranged on the tangent line at the position where the tip of the shield plate 3B contacts the latent image carrier 1.

Further, in the opening portion of the front chamber 5 below the right end portion in FIG. 1, seal members 8 are provided on both sides of the latent image carrier 1 as viewed from the side of the latent image carrier 1 described above, whereby the latent image carrier 1 is provided. The toner leakage from both sides of the is effectively prevented.

Next, the operation of the above embodiment will be described.

The untransferred toner T on the latent image carrier 1 is scraped off by the cleaning blade 3A, received by the shield plate 3B and transferred to the front chamber 5. At the same time, the waste toner sending roller 4A in the front chamber 5 sends the waste toner to the waste toner box 4 from between the backflow prevention plate 5A and the low partition portion 5a.

As described above, according to the above-described embodiment, the shield plate 3B is arranged in the horizontal direction with respect to the latent image carrier 1.
Since they are in contact with each other at an angle of 0 ° to 120 °, the toner does not drop directly on the printing surface even if the shield plate 3B has some waviness.

Further, since the surface portion of the shield plate 3B on the contact side with respect to the latent image carrier 1 is arranged at a position which has entered the lower side of the latent image carrier 1, it is scraped off by the cleaning blade 3A. Further, the toner T can be received by the shield plate 3B without fail. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the processing precision of the shield plate 3B is not required, so that the toner can be obtained at low cost.

[0027]

As described above, according to the present invention, since the surface portion of the shield plate on the contact side with respect to the latent image carrier is arranged at the position which is below the latent image carrier, the cleaning blade is provided. Thus, it is possible to provide an excellent EP cartridge, which has never been known, in which the toner scraped off can effectively prevent toner leakage even if a slight waviness occurs on the shield plate.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing a toner collecting means portion in an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a detailed explanatory view showing a shield plate portion disclosed in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing a toner collecting means portion in a conventional example.

FIG. 4 is a detailed explanatory view showing a shield plate portion disclosed in FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Latent image carrier 2 Developing means 3A Cleaning blade 3B Shield plate 4 Waste toner box 4A Waste toner sending roller 5 Front chamber 10 EP cartridge T Untransferred toner (waste toner)

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A drum-shaped latent image carrier, developing means for developing an electrostatic latent image formed on the latent image carrier with toner, and untransferred toner on the latent image carrier. In an EP cartridge including a toner collecting unit, the toner collecting unit includes a cleaning blade that scrapes off untransferred toner from the latent image carrier, and a shield plate that receives the untransferred toner scraped off by the cleaning blade, The shield plate is configured to include a waste toner delivery roller that sends the untransferred toner received by the shield plate to a waste toner box, and a surface portion of the shield plate on the side of contact with the latent image carrier is used to carry the latent image carrier. An EP cartridge characterized in that it is placed at a position under the body. 2. The EP cartridge according to claim 1, wherein the contact angle of the shield plate with the latent image carrier is set to an obtuse angle with respect to the horizontal. 3. The EP cartridge according to claim 1, wherein the contact surface of the shield plate with the latent image carrier is
An EP cartridge characterized in that it is arranged on a tangent line at a position where a tip of the latent image carrier is in contact.