JPH09171338A - Color image forming device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a color image forming device capable of improving the operability of exchange of plural processing units and jam processing and exchanging units without taking the trouble to place other units outside. SOLUTION: A device main body is constituted an immobile main body frame part 9 and a front frame 8 capable of opening a transfer paper carrying path and the front frame 8 can be turned on a rotary supporting shaft 9A. The front frame 8 holds a resist roller 20A, a transfer roller 14, etc., to be a part of a carrying path. At the time of opening the front frame 8, the carrying path is opened to process the jamming of a paper sheet. In the main body frame 9, an intermediate frame 40 for holding a process cartridge 31 is provided to be turnable on a rotary supporting shaft 9B. The intermediate frame 40 can be opened to the side of the front frame 8, when the holding is released.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a color image forming apparatus such as a color copying machine, a color printer, a color facsimile having a process cartridge.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As a typical one of conventional color image forming apparatuses, a photosensitive drum for forming a latent image and a transfer paper are held and a toner image on the photosensitive member is transferred. A system using a transfer drum and a system transferring a plurality of toners on a photosensitive drum by superimposing them on a transfer paper have been put into practical use. In the method using a transfer drum, the transfer paper must be electrostatically or mechanically held on the transfer drum, so it is difficult to use small size paper such as postcards or thick paper as transfer paper. , Not so-called paper-free. Further, in the method of mechanically holding the front end of the transfer paper, the image cannot be transferred onto the entire surface of the transfer paper.

A method of superimposing a plurality of toner images on a photosensitive drum has also been proposed and put into practical use. In this method, a latent image is formed by recharging and exposing the surface of a photosensitive member on a previously transferred toner image. Therefore, it is difficult to maintain good charging uniformity and the image quality is inferior to the conventional transfer drum system.

In order to solve these conventional drawbacks, it is possible to achieve a paper-free property in which postcards and thick paper can be used as transfer paper, and as a system capable of achieving high-quality images, each of the colors formed on the photoreceptor is A method has been proposed in which toner images are sequentially superposed and transferred to the same position on an intermediate transfer member such as an endless belt, and the transferred images are transferred to a transfer paper to be fixed, whereby a full-color image is obtained. . However, the method of superimposing a plurality of toner images on the photosensitive drum does not require an extra transfer body, and in the method using the transfer drum, the transfer drum is stationary and the intermediate transfer body is mechanical. Since it must be handled as a replaceable replenishment item due to fatigue or deterioration of surface quality, there is a problem of unit replaceability including other process units and operability of jam processing.

To solve these problems, JP-A-2-29
Japanese Patent No. 4673 discloses that an intermediate transfer belt is used to make a transfer sheet transfer path an upper transfer type, the intermediate transfer belt is installed on a main body frame, and a front frame that can open the transfer path to the main body frame is provided. Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-242242 discloses a process cartridge that can be easily removed and another process cartridge can be pulled out and replaced from the side of the apparatus. However, in this method, since the operation direction of the process cartridge and the transfer paper transport path are perpendicular to each other, the operation is not one-way operation of the apparatus main body, and the operability is poor. Moreover, since a space corresponding to the operation direction is also required, there is a problem of installation area and installation location.

According to Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 4-366869, an intermediate transfer member is not used, but a process cartridge is installed in a main body frame in a transfer path on a transfer paper, and a front frame in which the transfer path is open to the main body frame is provided. Discloses that jam processing is facilitated, the process cartridge can be replaced, and all operations can be performed in one direction on the front surface of the apparatus main body. However, when replacing the process cartridge, it is necessary to remove the upper lid and once place it, and the operability is still poor. Further, even when the process cartridge has a different structure of the photoconductor and the developing device, the developing device cannot be replaced unless the photoconductor is once placed outside.

In view of the above problems of the prior art, the present invention improves the operability of a plurality of process unit replacements and jam treatments, and in particular, makes the operation directions the same, and enables the unit replacements without the need to place other units outside. An object is to provide a color image forming apparatus.

[0008]

A color image forming apparatus according to a first aspect of the present invention is a color image forming apparatus, wherein a plurality of color image forming apparatuses are provided in a main body of the apparatus in order to improve operability of unit replacement and jam processing. The developing unit and the process cartridge including at least the image carrier are arranged, the paper feed unit is arranged on the lower side and the paper discharge unit is arranged on the upper side, and the transfer extending in the direction from the paper feed unit to the paper discharge unit In a color image forming apparatus provided with a paper conveyance path, the apparatus main body has a front case that allows the transfer paper conveyance path to be opened centering on the lower side of the immovable section case. A plurality of developing units are installed on the body, and a holding and rotating member that allows the process cartridge to rotate in the same direction as the opening direction of the front case is provided in the immovable section case. .

A color image forming apparatus according to claim 2 is
In order to further improve the attachment / detachment operability of unit replacement, the holding / rotating member is supported and fixed in at least two stages of the attaching / detaching position of the process cartridge and the attaching / detaching position of another unit in the turning operation of the holding / turning member. It is characterized by having done.

A color image forming apparatus according to claim 3 is
To improve the operability of the process cartridge holding member,
It is characterized in that the attachment / detachment position of the process cartridge is a position where the center of gravity of the process cartridge is substantially on the vertical line of the rotation center position.

A color image forming apparatus according to the fourth aspect is
In order to improve the handling operability of the process cartridge, a handle for attaching and detaching the process cartridge is provided above the center of gravity of the process cartridge, and the process cartridge is attached and detached vertically upward.

A color image forming apparatus according to claim 5 is
For simplification of the transfer / transport mechanism, the process cartridge is provided with a transfer paper transport roller, and the transport guide member is also used as the exterior member of the process cartridge.

A color image forming apparatus according to claim 6 is
For the workability of cleaning the charging member, the charging member is integrally provided on the process cartridge, and at the supporting position of the process cartridge at the attachment / detachment position of another unit,
It is characterized in that the charging member can be cleaned.

A color image forming apparatus according to claim 7 is
For the operability of the waste toner collecting container, at least a collecting container accommodating the waste toner collected in the cleaning step of the image carrier is provided so as to be replaceable, and the process cartridge at the attaching / detaching position of another unit is not provided. It is characterized in that the waste toner collecting container can be attached and detached at the supporting position.

An embodiment of a color image forming apparatus according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of the color image forming apparatus of the present invention. In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 denotes a flexible belt-shaped photosensitive member which is a belt-shaped image carrier, and the photosensitive belt 1 is installed between rotating rollers 2 and 3 and drives the rotating rollers 2 and 3. Is conveyed in the clockwise direction. Reference numeral 4 is a charging charger as a charging means, 5 is a laser writing system unit as an image exposing means, 6 is three developing means containing a color developer of yellow, magenta and cyan, that is, a rotary color developing device, and 7 is a color developing device. Bowl 6
It is a black developing device that is a developing means that contains a black developer separately provided.

In the laser writing system unit 5, a laser beam generated by a semiconductor laser (not shown) is rotationally scanned by a polygon mirror 5B rotated by a drive motor 5A, and an optical path is bent by the mirror through an fθ lens 5C. An electrostatic latent image is formed by exposing the circumference of the photoconductor belt 1 uniformly charged by the charging charger 4 as a charging means in advance. For this reason, the laser writing system unit 5 is incorporated in the main body of the apparatus by being housed in a holding case having a slit-shaped exposure opening on the upper surface. As the laser optical system 5, in addition to the one shown in the figure, an optical system in which a light emitting portion and a converging light transmission body are integrated is also used. Further, the charging charger 4, the laser writing light 5D, and the photoconductor cleaning blade 15A are provided on the rotating roller 2 side on which the photoconductor belt 1 is installed.

Each of the color developing device 6 and the black developing device 7 is equipped with a developing roller which comes in close proximity to or in contact with the photosensitive belt 1 at a predetermined position, and the latent image on the photosensitive belt 1 is non-contact developed or contact developed. It has the function of visualizing by the method. Reference numeral 10 denotes an intermediate transfer belt, which is an intermediate transfer member. The intermediate transfer belt 10 is provided between rotating rollers 11 and 12, and is conveyed counterclockwise by driving the rotating rollers 12 and 13. The photoconductor belt 1 and the intermediate transfer belt 10 are in contact with each other at the rotating roller 3, and the first visible image on the photoconductor belt 1 is intermediately transferred by the bias brush 13 provided in the intermediate transfer belt. By being transferred onto the belt 10 and repeating the same process,
The second, third, and fourth visible images are transferred onto the intermediate transfer belt 10 without any misalignment. A transfer roller 14, which is a secondary transfer member, is provided above the rotating roller 11 of the intermediate transfer belt 10 so as to come into contact with and separate from the intermediate transfer belt 10.

In the figure, reference numeral 15 is a waste toner collecting container including the cleaning blade 15A for the photosensitive belt 1, 16 is a cleaning device for the intermediate transfer belt 10, and the blade 16A of the cleaning device 16 is for the intermediate transfer belt 10 during image formation. The intermediate transfer belt 1 is kept at a position separated from the surface and is only shown at the time of cleaning after the secondary image transfer as shown in the figure.
It is pressed against the surface of 0.

FIG. 2 shows the internal structure of the color and black developing units 6 and 7, and FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the color developing unit 6. The rotary color developing device 6 includes a casing 21 which is a rotating body.
Is rotatably provided around a rotation center O, and the casing 21 can be rotated clockwise in the drawing by the drive of the senu drive mechanism shown in the drawing. The casing 21 is a developing unit 2 for yellow, magenta, and cyan.
2 (-Y, M, C) are integrally held. The developing units 22 (-Y, M, C) of each color have the same form and the same operation. The developing unit 22 is disposed obliquely below the photoconductor belt 1 and supplies toner as a non-magnetic one-component developer to the electrostatic latent image formed on the photoconductor belt 1.

At the developing position, the developing roller 23 is disposed opposite to the photosensitive belt 1 so that the developing roller 23 rotates in the same direction as the moving direction of the photosensitive belt 1 with a predetermined linear velocity ratio. . Further, below the developing roller 23, the supply roller 25 made of an elastic material such as foamed polyurethane slides on the developing roller 28 in the sliding portion and rotates in the same direction as the developing roller 23 at a predetermined linear velocity ratio. It is provided. On the downstream side in the rotation direction of the supply roller 25, a developing blade 26 made of a thin plate having a spring property such as stainless steel is provided.
One end thereof is provided so as to contact the developing roller 23.

As shown in FIG. 3, a toner accommodating portion 29 is provided on the front side of the developing device 6, and the screw-shaped first toner conveying member 27 extends from the toner accommodating portion 29 to the color developing device 6. Arranged in parallel with the developing roller 23 and the supply roller 25 to the rear side of the developing unit 22 side plate,
The toner is conveyed from the front side to the rear side in the figure. Then, it interlocks with the developing roller 23 and the supply roller 25 and rotates with them at a predetermined linear velocity ratio. The developing unit partition plate 24 is arranged so that a part of the developing unit partition plate 24 contacts the supply roller 25.
3, the supply roller 25, etc.
A toner transport space surrounding 7 is formed. The toner supplied onto the supply roller 25 is supplied to the surface of the developing roller 23 by the supply roller 25 and charged, and the developing roller 2 is charged.
3 supported on the surface. The toner carried on the surface of the developing roller 23 is thinned by the developing blade 26 to develop the electrostatic latent image formed on the surface of the photosensitive belt 1.

By the way, the toner not used in the developing process is conveyed by the first toner conveying member 27 to the rear end portion of the developing device 6 facing the toner containing portion 29, and the developing roller 23 and the supply roller 25. The toner reaches the toner circulating portion provided outside the effective diameter portion in the axial direction, and the toner falls below the developing unit 22 due to gravity. Development unit 22
In the lower part, a screw-shaped second toner carrying member 28 is also arranged in parallel with the developing roller 23, the supply roller 25 and the first toner carrying member 27, and is in the opposite direction to the first toner carrying member 27. The toner that has not been used in the developing process is conveyed to the toner storage unit 29 by rotating so as to convey the toner to the toner storage unit 29. By appropriately setting the toner transport amounts of the first toner transport unit 27 and the second toner transport member 28, the toner on the supply roller 25 can be detected without detecting the toner amount in the developing unit 22 or performing complicated toner supply amount control. The small color developing device 6 is capable of supplying toner, has a large degree of freedom in layout, and has a small cross-sectional occupation rate with respect to the photosensitive belt 1. The toner cartridge 30 shown in FIG. 3 is attachable to and detachable from the toner accommodating portion 29 so that the toner cartridge 30 can be replaced when replenishing the toner.

The black developing device 6 is a developing device of the type in which black toner is contained in the developing container 41, and is a developing device integrally formed as a so-called developing cartridge whose life is replaced when the toner is out. is there. Like the developing unit 22 of the color developing device 7, the developing roller 23 is connected to the photosensitive belt 1.
Is arranged facing the photosensitive belt 1 so as to rotate in the same direction as the moving direction of the photosensitive belt 1 at a predetermined linear velocity ratio. In addition, above the developing roller 23, the supply roller 25 made of an elastic material such as polyurethane foam slides on the developing roller 23 at the sliding portion and rotates in the same direction as the developing roller 23 at a predetermined linear velocity ratio. Further, a developing blade 26 made of a thin plate having a spring property such as stainless steel is provided so that one end thereof contacts the developing roller 23. The developing blade 2 is provided in the developing container 41.
6 is provided with a paddle 42 having a plurality of blade-shaped portions for agitating the toner in the vicinity of 6 and a first agitator 4 for transporting and agitating the toner to the supply roller 25 and the developing roller 23 side.
3 and a second agitator 44 are provided.

The process cartridge 31 includes a photoconductor belt 1, a charging charger 4 and an intermediate transfer belt 1.
0, the cleaning device 16, and the registration roller 20B are integrated, and the waste toner collecting container 15 is replaceably incorporated in the process cartridge 31.
The surface of the registration roller 20B outside the case of the process cartridge 31 also has a function as a conveyance guide.

Here, the waste toner scraped by the cleaning blade 16A from the intermediate transfer belt 10 is
The auger 16B provided in the cleaning device 16 conveys the toner in the front direction of the cross section, and further conveys it to the waste toner collecting container 15 by a conveyance member (not shown) provided on the front side surface of the process cartridge 31, and collects it. As a result, the waste toner can be collected without replacing the process cartridge 31, so that the life of the process cartridge can be extended.

An image forming process by the above-mentioned color image forming apparatus is performed as follows. First, the formation of a multicolor image is performed according to the image forming system described below.
That is, the image data processing unit arithmetically processes the data obtained by the color image data input unit in which the image sensor scans the original image to create image data, which is temporarily stored in the image memory. Then, the image memory is taken out at the time of recording and is inputted to a recording unit, for example, a color image forming apparatus shown in the apparatus of FIG. That is, when a color signal output from an image reading device separate from the printer is input to the laser writing system unit 5, a laser beam generated by a semiconductor laser (not shown) in the laser writing system 5 is generated. On the circumference of the photoreceptor belt 1 which is rotationally scanned by the polygon mirror 5B rotated by the drive motor 5A, has its optical path bent by the mirror through the fθ lens 5C, and is uniformly charged beforehand by the charging charger 4 as a charging means. To form an electrostatic latent image.

Here, the image pattern to be exposed is a monochromatic image pattern when a desired full-color image is separated into yellow, magenta, cyan, and black. The formed electrostatic latent images of the three colors are developed by the rotary operation of the rotary color developing device 6 so that the yellow, magenta, and cyan developing units are sequentially opposed to the photoreceptor belt 1 to be developed, and are made into a monochromatic color. A monochromatic image is formed, and the black electrostatic latent image is developed by the black developing device 7 to be developed and monochromatic to form a monochromatic image. The monochromatic image formed on the photoconductor belt 1 is sequentially superimposed and transferred onto the intermediate transfer belt 10 that rotates counterclockwise while contacting the photoconductor belt 1. The yellow, magenta, cyan, and black images superposed on the intermediate transfer belt 10 are transferred onto the transfer paper which is transferred from the paper feed cassette 17 to the transfer unit via the paper feed roller 18, the transfer roller 19, and the registration roller 20. 14 is transferred. After the transfer is completed, the transfer paper is fixed by the fixing device 50 to complete a full-color image.

Next, the structure of the apparatus body will be described with reference to FIGS. The main body structure of the apparatus is composed of a main body frame 9 which is a stationary casing and a front frame 8 which is a front casing in which a transfer paper transport path can be opened. A paper feeding cassette 17 is arranged below the main body frame 9. The developing device and the process cartridge are replaceably arranged in the central portion, and the fixing device 50 is arranged above the developing device and the process cartridge to form a paper discharge stack portion.

The front frame 8 is supported so as to be rotatable about a rotation support shaft 9A provided on a main body frame 9 serving as a rotation fulcrum, and at the time of image formation output, as shown in FIG. It is held by the frame 9. By releasing the holding during the jam processing, it becomes possible to open in the clockwise direction, and the open state can be maintained by the power of the tension spring or the like. The front frame 8 holds a registration roller 20A, a transfer roller 14 and the like, which are a part of the conveyance path. As a result, when the front frame 8 is opened, as shown in FIG.
As shown in, the conveyance path is opened and the paper jam processing is performed. At this time, only jam processing can be performed without operating the image forming system unit, so that there is no problem such as toner loss.

Further, the main body frame 9 holds a process cartridge 31 in a structure described later, and an intermediate member supported so as to be rotatable about a rotation support shaft 9B provided on the main body frame 9 serving as a rotation fulcrum. The frame 40 is shown in FIG.
It is provided on the left and right as shown in. Intermediate frame 40
Is normally held by the main body frame 9 (except when the process cartridge and each developing device are replaced), and can be opened in the clockwise direction by releasing the holding.

FIG. 6 shows the attachment / detachment position of the process cartridge 31, and FIG. 7 shows the attachment / detachment state of the process cartridge 31. Rail-shaped projections 32 are provided on both side surfaces of the process cartridge 31 so as to be parallel to the attachment / detachment operation direction.
Corresponding to this, the intermediate frame 40 is also provided with a rail-shaped groove 40A that is parallel to the attachment / detachment operation direction. Therefore, the process cartridge 31 is held by the intermediate frame 40 during mounting. Also, the intermediate frame 4
When the process cartridge 31 is operated in the direction of the arrow while 0 is supported and fixed at the position shown in FIG. 6, the process cartridge 31 can be easily attached to and detached from the intermediate frame 40. In particular, the handle 33 is attached to the end of the process cartridge 31.
By providing, the operability is further increased. As for the shape of the groove 40A, if the insertion side of the process cartridge 31 is opened like a trumpet, a slight deviation can be mounted without any problem.

Here, the operation direction of the process cartridge 31 is the direction in which the two rollers of the intermediate transfer belt 10 are stretched, and the stretched belt surface of the photosensitive belt 1 is with respect to the intermediate transfer belt surface. Since they are arranged so as to be substantially parallel to each other, the space between development and transfer can be narrowed and the cross section of the apparatus main body can also be reduced.

The intermediate frame 40 can be further opened with respect to the attachment / detachment position of the process cartridge 31, and reaches the same position as the opened position of the front frame as shown in FIG. By supporting and fixing the intermediate frame 40 while mounting the process cartridge at this position, the developing units 6 and 7 arranged on the back side of the process cartridge can be made large without temporarily retracting the process cartridge to the outside of the apparatus main body. Since it is opened, the attachment / detachment operability of the developing devices 6 and 7 is good.

Here, as an example of a mechanism for supporting and fixing the intermediate frame 40 in two stages, as shown in FIG. 7, two grooves are provided on the lower side of the rotation fulcrum of the intermediate frame 40, and the leaf spring 34 is shown in FIG. It is built into the main body frame so that it swings in the direction of the arrow with a constant spring force. The swinging tip portion 34A of the leaf spring 34 is rotated by the intermediate frame 40 so that the groove 40
Corresponding to B and C, the intermediate frame 40 is latched, supported and fixed in two stages by entering. At this time, the process cartridge 31 is supported and fixed at a position in the attachment / detachment rotation direction such that the gravity center position G of the process cartridge is substantially on the vertical line of the rotation center position of the intermediate frame 40, and the attachment / detachment movement direction is made on the substantially vertical line. By adjusting the positions of the handles as described above, the spring force of the leaf spring 34 for supporting and fixing the process cartridge is small, the stability during rotation of the intermediate frame 40 is stable, and the process cartridge is not gravitationally unbalanced. It can be operated without falling into a stable state. Further, at the second supporting and fixing position of the intermediate frame 40, if a part of the front frame is used as a stopper member for stopping rotation, the groove 40C of the intermediate frame 40 can be eliminated.

In the state where the intermediate frame 40 is in the second supporting and fixing position, that is, in the replacing position of the developing device, the charging charger 4 appears in the opening portion by the rotation of the process cartridge. Here, as shown in FIG. 9, the charging charger 4 can be cleaned by picking up the charging cleaner 45, which is a charging cleaning member arranged in advance outside the effective charging width, and moving the charging cleaner 45 in the lateral direction. Charge cleaner 45
May be separated from the charging charger 4, stored in the main body of the apparatus, and attached at the time of cleaning. Similarly, when the intermediate frame 40 is in the second supporting and fixing position, the waste toner collecting container 15 also appears in the opening portion due to the rotation of the process cartridge. here,
As shown in FIG. 9, the waste toner collecting container 15 can be attached and detached in the direction of the arrow, and in particular, at this time, since the opening of the cleaning blade 15A is the upper surface, there is no problem such as toner drop.

[0036]

As described above, in the color image forming apparatus according to the first aspect of the present invention, the main body of the apparatus is a front housing which can open the transfer paper transport path centering on the lower side with respect to the stationary housing. And a plurality of developing units are installed in the immovable part housing,
Since the process cartridge holding and rotating member that allows the process cartridge to rotate in the same direction as the opening direction of the front housing is provided in the stationary housing, the transport path from the paper feed section to the paper discharge section can be shortened. Since the transfer quality can be stabilized and the transfer paper transfer path for jam clearance is opened at the front of the device and the fulcrum of opening is on the lower side, the jam clearance operation is easy to understand and You can operate with peace of mind without worrying about dropping the cover, and you can only perform jam processing without operating the image forming unit, so there is no problem such as toner falling and you can use the process cartridge holding member when replacing the unit. By rotating it, the process cartridge can be attached and detached, and even when replacing other units such as the developing unit, the process cartridge can be replaced without leaving it outside the main body of the device. Becomes ability, thus can unify the operation direction of the unit replacement and jam processing, there are many effects that both improve operability can be improved.

In the color image forming apparatus according to the second aspect, since the rotation holding member of the process cartridge is supported and fixed in at least two stages of the process cartridge attaching / detaching position and the other unit attaching / detaching position, the color image forming apparatus according to the first aspect. In addition to the effects common to the forming apparatus, in the first supporting position, the process cartridge is set to a position where it can be easily lifted and put in the upper side, and in the second supporting position, the developing unit disposed on the back side of the process cartridge. By setting the position such that the unit is largely opened, the operability of attaching and detaching each unit is improved.

In the color image forming apparatus according to the third aspect of the invention, the process cartridge mounting / removing position is set such that the position of the center of gravity of the process cartridge is substantially on the vertical line of the center of rotation of the holding member. In addition to the effect common to the forming apparatus, there is an effect that a force for supporting and fixing the process cartridge at the attaching / detaching position of the process cartridge requires only a small amount, and a sense of stability is obtained when the holding member is rotated.

In the color image forming apparatus according to the fourth aspect, since the handle and the center of gravity of the process cartridge are in the same vertical operation direction, in addition to the effect common to the color image forming apparatus of the third aspect, the process There is an effect that the cartridge can be operated without falling into a gravitationally unstable state.

In the color image forming apparatus according to the fifth aspect of the present invention, the process cartridge is provided with the transfer sheet conveying roller, and the conveying guide member is also used as the exterior member of the process cartridge. In addition to the effect common to the above, when carrying out the jam processing by opening the front case, the carrying roller pair is separated and the jam processing can be easily performed, and the exterior member of the process cartridge also serves as the carrying guide member. The effect is that it can be configured without complicating.

In the color image forming apparatus according to the sixth aspect of the present invention, the process cartridge is integrally formed with the charging member, and the charging member can be cleaned at the supporting position of the process cartridge at the other unit attaching / detaching position. In this way, the charging member can be cleaned at another unit attachment / detachment position. Therefore, in addition to the effect common to the color image forming apparatus according to claim 2, the periodical cleaning work is replaced with a shorter life than the process cartridge. The user can be instructed to work when other units are frequently replaced, and therefore, it is possible to prevent abnormal images due to dirt on the charging member.

In the color image forming apparatus according to the seventh aspect of the present invention, at least a recovery container for storing the waste toner recovered in the cleaning step of the image carrier is provided so as to be replaceable with the process cartridge, and the recovery cartridge of the process cartridge at another unit attaching / detaching position is installed. Since the waste toner collecting container can be attached and detached at the supporting position, in addition to the effect common to the color image forming apparatus according to claim 2, it is possible to prevent the life of the process cartridge from being shortened due to the full amount of the waste toner collected. In addition, the waste toner collection container can be attached and detached at the other unit attachment / detachment position.Therefore, the waste toner full detection sensor can be eliminated by instructing the user to replace the waste toner collection container when the other unit is replaced. Therefore, there is an effect that the cost can be reduced.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a sectional view showing an embodiment of a color image forming apparatus of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing an internal configuration of a color and black developing device of the color image forming apparatus of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a color developing device of the color image forming apparatus of FIG.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the color image forming apparatus of FIG. 1 with a front frame opened.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a process cartridge and an intermediate frame for supporting the process cartridge.

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view showing an attachment / detachment position of a process cartridge.

FIG. 7 is a side view showing a detached state of the process cartridge.

FIG. 8 is a sectional view of an intermediate frame in an open state.

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which a waste toner collection container is attached and detached.

[Explanation of symbols] [Explanation of symbols]

 1 Photoconductor Belt 2, 3 Rotating Roller 4 Charging Charger 5 Laser Writing System Unit 6 Color Developing Device 7 Black Developing Device 8 Front Frame 9 Main Frame 10 Intermediate Transfer Belt 11, 12 Rotating Roller 13 Bias Brush 14 Transfer Roller 15 Discarding Toner collection container 16 Cleaning device for intermediate transfer belt 17 Paper feeding cassette 18 Paper feeding roller 19 Conveying roller 20 Registration roller 21 Casing 22 Color developing unit 23 Developing roller 24 Partition plate 25 Supply roller 26 Developing blade 27 First toner conveying member 28th Two toner conveying members 29 Toner accommodating portion 30 Color toner cartridge 31 Process cartridge 32 Rail protrusion 33 Handle 34 Leaf spring 40 Intermediate frame 41 Developing container 42 Paddle 43 First agitator 44 Second Agitator 45 Charge cleaner 50 Fixing device

─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁶ Identification number Reference number in the agency FI Technical display location G03G 21/10 G03G 21/00 326 (72) Inventor Noriyuki Kimura 1-3 Nakamagome, Ota-ku, Tokyo No. 6 in Ricoh Co., Ltd.

Claims (7)

[Claims] 1. A process cartridge including a plurality of developing units and at least an image carrier is arranged in a main body of the apparatus,
In the color image forming apparatus, a paper feed unit is arranged below the paper feed unit, a paper discharge unit is arranged above the paper feed unit, and a transfer paper conveyance path extending in a direction from the paper feed unit to the paper discharge unit is provided. However, it has a front case in which the transfer paper transport path can be opened centering on the lower side with respect to the stationary section housing, a plurality of developing units are installed in the stationary section housing, and the process cartridge is A color image forming apparatus, wherein a holding and rotating member that is rotatable in the same direction as the opening direction of the front case is provided in the immovable case. 2. In the rotating operation of the holding rotating member,
2. The color image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the holding and rotating member is supported and fixed in at least two stages, that is, a mounting position of the process cartridge and a mounting position of another unit. 3. The color image forming apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the mounting / removing position of the process cartridge is a position where the center of gravity of the process cartridge is on a substantially vertical line of the rotation center position. 4. The process cartridge above the center of gravity,
4. The color image forming apparatus according to claim 3, wherein a handle for attaching and detaching the process cartridge is provided, and the process cartridge is attached and detached vertically upward. 5. The process cartridge is provided with a transfer paper transfer roller, and the transfer guide member is also used as an exterior member of the process cartridge.
Color image forming apparatus. 6. A charging member is integrally provided on the process cartridge, and the charging member can be cleaned at a supporting position of the process cartridge at a mounting / dismounting position of another unit. Item 2. The color image forming apparatus according to item 2. 7. A recovery container for accommodating waste toner recovered at least in a cleaning step of the image carrier is provided in a replaceable manner with the process cartridge, and the waste toner is recovered at a supporting position of the process cartridge at a mounting / dismounting position of another unit. The color image forming apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the container can be attached and detached.