JPS58163979A - Toner recovering device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To detect securely whether a vessel is installed or not, and the quantity of a toner, without causing a malfunction, by providing a shielding member for shielding an optical path of an optical sensor, on a part of a device, and providing a transparent bulging part for removing this member, on a toner collecting vessel. CONSTITUTION:A shielding plate 12 for shielding an optical path of an optical sensor 3 consisting of a light emitting element 31 and a photodetector 32 is provided on a part of a device rockingly by a shaft 14. On the other hand, a transparent bulging part having a guide face for removing this shielding plate 12 is provided on a toner collecting vessel 2. Accordingly, when a vessel 2 is not installed, the shielding plate 12 shields the optical path of the sensor 3, and the sensor 3 becomes a signal of non-operation. When the vessel 2 is installed, the shielding plate 12 is sprung up by the bulging part 22, and the sensor 3 enters into a detecting state. This bulging part 22 is like a bag, therefore, a toner does not adhere, and the quantity of a toner is detected exactly. Also, in case when it is forgotten to install the vessel, whether the vessel is installed or not can be detected securely without causing a malfunction.

Description

[Detailed description of the invention] Regarding the recovery device fR1.

In an electrophotographic apparatus that uses a dry development transfer method, untransferred toner on a photoreceptor is removed and collected in a toner collection container provided at an appropriate location within the apparatus. Normally, the toner that has not been collected in this way is used for development again. (When the container is full, the entire container is taken out of the machine and discarded, and a new container is installed inside the machine.) However, if the device is activated even though the container is full, or if the container is not fully installed or if you forget to install the container, the container will be transported from the cleaning section. The scattered toner falls into the machine, and the optical system members are contaminated by the scattered toner, which does not interfere with the image forming function.

In order to deal with such problems, many devices have been proposed in the past that detect the presence or absence of a collection container and the amount of collected toner by weight or optically and give warnings. With the detection means, it is not possible to detect an incompletely installed state 1, such as when the toner is installed in the opposite direction.Also, with a general optical means, when the inner wall of the container is contaminated with collected toner, This will cause a malfunction as if it were full, and furthermore,
Since the light-emitting element and the light-receiving element must be provided so as to sandwich the collection container, the distance between the pixel elements becomes large, and the problem still arises that the output of the light-emitting element must be increased more than necessary.〇The present invention In view of this problem, the system is designed to accurately detect the amount of collected toner in the container regardless of the type and output of the light emitting element that makes up the optical detection member, and to reliably detect the state of the container installation or even if it is forgotten to be installed. The purpose of this invention is to provide a simple toner collection device that can be used to collect toner, and the details of the present invention will be explained below based on an illustrated embodiment. Reference numeral 1 in the drawing denotes a swing plate pivotally supported on one side of the toner discharge pipe 5, and an optical sensor 6, which will be described later, is mounted at the tip of an arm 11 extending in the lateral direction. A shielding plate 12 that blocks the optical path is
It is bent parallel to the axis 14 and downward, and further,
A sliding contact plate 13 is integrally formed from the shielding plate 12 and is inclined upward toward an insertion opening of a toner collection container 2, which will be described later. Figure 2 shows the entire toner collection container 2 that is attached to the main body of the device.The upper side of the container 2, which is made of transparent plastic or the like, has a container extending from the cleaning unit 6 (Figure 1). An insertion hole 21 for receiving the tip of the toner discharge pipe 5 is formed to protrude laterally, and a narrow bulge is formed on the upper side wall of the container 2 on the side of the insertion hole 21 at a position facing the sliding contact plate 16 described above. The portion 22 projects vertically, and its top surface is formed as an inclined guide surface 22a that can contact the sliding contact plate 16 and push it up.Returning to FIG. 1 again, reference numeral 4 teeth,
The above-mentioned board is attached close to and parallel to the rocking plate 1, and these can get into the upper side, that is, the part where the shielding plate 12 and the bulging part 22 of the container 2 enter and exit. Light emitting elements 31 arranged oppositely across a bamboo gap
An optical sensor 6 consisting of a light receiving element 32 and a light receiving element 32 is attached. In addition, the reference numeral 41 in the figure indicates a centering pin of the swing plate 1.

In the embodiment described above, the toner collection container 2 is
When it is not attached, the rocking plate 1 rotates clockwise in the figure due to the weight of the arm 11, and is supported by the adjustment pin 41 to assume the posture shown in Figure 1. In this state, the light from the light emitting element 51 is passed through the light shielding plate 12 and does not reach the light receiving element 32, and the device is rendered inoperable by the output signal of the light receiving element 32. Also, there are signs on the panel surface such as unrecoverable toner. When a new toner collection container 2 is pushed into the installation position from this state, the inner surface 22a of the bulging portion 2 pushes up the sliding surface 16 and moves the light shielding plate 12 out of the optical path of the optical sensor 6. , enters there (FIGS. 3 and 4 (b)) and enters a state in which the optical sensor 3 detects the amount of toner in the container 2. The toner is discharged from the tip of the toner discharge pipe 5 and collected into the container 2. The toner is uniformly packed into the container 2 under the action of a vibration mechanism (not shown).

During this time, the toner that has fallen from the tip of the pipe 5 is scattered inside the container 2, but the scattered toner does not enter the bulge 22, which is narrowly formed outward in the shape of a dead end. The inner surface is maintained in a state that does not impede the transmission of light throughout almost the entire period of toner recovery. Eventually, when the amount of collected toner reaches close to the capacity limit of the container 2, the toner that has entered the bulge 22 blocks the light 1 from the light emitting element 51, and the light is not received in the same way as when the container 2 is not attached. The output signal of element 32 causes this condition to be displayed on the panel surface, and at the same time or after several hundred copies have been made from this point on, the apparatus is deactivated.

As described above, according to the present invention, the shielding member is removably provided in the optical path of the optical detection member, and the toner collection container has a transparent bulge that excludes the shielding member from the optical path and enters therein. As a result, not only can the presence or absence of a collection container and the amount of collected toner in the container be detected by a single optical detection member, but also the presence or absence of toner in the shielding member or bulge on the optical path can be detected. These states φ
This makes it possible to significantly reduce malfunctions compared to conventional devices that detect based on differences in transmittance.Moreover, the transparent bulge that enters the optical path has a bag-like shape, making it possible to detect the inside of the container. Since it is provided at the upper part of the side wall away from the toner inlet, scattered toner does not adhere to the inner surface during the entire period of toner collection, and an accurate detection state can always be maintained. What is also noteworthy is that depending on the thickness of the shielding member or bulge that enters the optical path, the gap between the light emitting element and the light receiving element that constitute the optical detection member can be made as narrow as possible. If the light-emitting element is a diffused type light-emitting element, a reliable detection action can also be performed.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a light shielding member constituting an embodiment of the present invention;
Fig. 2 is a perspective view showing the entire toner collection container, and Fig. 6 and Figs. 4 (a) and (b) all illustrate whether or not the toner collection container is attached and the state of detection of the amount of collected toner. 1... Light shielding plate, 2... Toner collection container (i2...
Swelling part, 5... Optical sensor, 5... Toner discharge pipe Representative patent attorney Nishikawa Harada) Figure 4th

Claims (1)

[Claims] In a dry development transfer type electrophotographic device in which a toner collection container for storing toner removed from the surface of a latent image holder is removably attached below a toner discharge port, a rotatable container is attached to a part of the device. A shielding member that is attached and normally occupies a position that shields the optical path of the optical detection member, and a transparent bulge that protrudes from the upper part of the side wall and can penetrate into the optical path by excluding the shielding member from the optical path. A toner collection device comprising a toner collection container.