JPS59143180A - Collecting device of developer - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To collect only the developer that it suited to reuse by providing a developer selecting means to a duct which transports the collected developer to transmit only the developer having a proper particle. CONSTITUTION:A cyclone type separator 14 is attached to a blow-out port 13 of a cleaner 2, and the regative pressure is generated within a duct 11. At the same time, an endless filter 16 serving as a developer selecting means 15 is set within the duct 11 constituting a transport device 5. The meshes of the filter 16 are slightly larger than the normal toner grain size. Therefore the developer containing large sized particles, the fragments of brushes, the pieces of transfer paper, etc. are eliminated by the filter 16. Thus only the developer that is suited to the development is collected by a developer supply container 4.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a developer recovery device for removing developer remaining on a photoreceptor surface of a copying machine and collecting the developer in a developer replenishment container of a developing unit for reuse.

In a copying machine, the developer remaining on the photoreceptor is removed by a cleaner after the toner image is transferred and before the next image is formed. Since most of the removed developer can be reused, developer recovery devices have already been proposed that collect the developer into a developer replenisher of a developer.

In collecting the developer, it is not preferable to simply return the developer after cleaning to the supply container. This is because pieces of transfer paper may be mixed into the collected developer, or the developer may adhere to each other and become large particles. Further, debris from a fur brush, cleaning web, cleaning blade, etc. used as a cleaning member may be mixed in. Furthermore, in a fur brush that rotates at high speed, frictional heat at the tip of the brush can cause thermal denaturation of brush fragments and developer. Therefore, in the conventional simple developer recovery device, it is undesirable that developer mixed with pieces of paper, fragments of cleaning members, large particles of developer, etc. is reused.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a developer recovery device that recovers only developer suitable for reuse.

In order to achieve this object, according to the present invention, only appropriate particles of developer are passed through the means for conveying the developer removed by the cleaning member from the cleaning device to the developer replenishment container of the developing device. A developer recovery device is provided which is characterized by being provided with a sorting means. Therefore, pieces of transfer paper, fragments of cleaning members, and large particles of developer will not be mixed into the developer supply container, and only developer suitable for reuse will be collected in the developer supply container. become.

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

In Figure 1, a drum-shaped photoreceptor 1 and a next 1 after transfer are shown.
A cleaning device 2 that cleans the photoconductor 1 before forming the film, and a conveyor 5 that conveys the developer removed from the photoconductor 1 by cleaning from the cleaning device 2 to the developer supply container 4 of the developing device 3 are illustrated. has been done. In addition to the cleaning device and developing device, a copying machine is equipped with processing equipment such as a charger, an optical system for exposure, and a conveyor for transfer paper, but these are omitted for the sake of explanation. .

A uniform charging position A, a rattan light position B1 and a transfer position C are indicated by symbols.

The photoreceptor 1 rotates in the direction of the arrow, and is uniformly imparted with photosensitivity at the heavy position A, and an electrostatic latent image corresponding to the image of the original (not shown) is formed at the exposure position iB, and this latent image is The developed image is developed by the developing device 3, and the developed image is transferred to a transfer paper (not shown) at the transfer position C.
transcribed into. After transfer, the developer remaining on the photoreceptor must be removed before the next image is formed. The cleaning device 2 removes this residual developer.

Although the cleaning device 2 is shown as being of the fur brush type with a pair of counter-rotating brush rolls 6.7, it may also be of other types; It is not intended to be limited to. For example, it may be a blade type, a cleaning web type, or any other type. A removal lamp 8 and a corona discharger 9 for static elimination are provided upstream of the cleaner 2.
Pretreatment is performed to remove the electrostatic latent image remaining on the photoreceptor and to reduce or eliminate the adhesion of the developer electrostatically adhered to the photoreceptor.

The developer removed by the fur brush roll 6.7 is collected in the center of the cleaner housing 10. In the center, there is a suction &
A vacuum source (not shown) or the like is connected to the duct 11 to apply negative pressure. Therefore, the developer removed by the cleaner 2 is conveyed from the suction port 12 to the discharge port 13. Although the discharge port 13 may be directly connected to the developer replenishing container 4 of the developing device 3, it is more convenient to provide a cyclone type separator 14 as shown in the figure in order to separate the air and the developer. . A rotary valve is provided at the lower end of this separator 14, and only the settled developer falls downward without impairing the airtightness of the cyclone, and is sent toward the developer supply container 4 by a spiral member called an auger, for example. and provided for reuse.

Since the brush roll 6.7 rotates at a high speed of, for example, 1200 RPM, not only brush fiber fragments may be mixed into the developer, but also pieces of transfer paper may be mixed into the developer remaining on the photoconductor, and brush friction may Developer particles that have become large particles due to thermal denaturation or the like may be mixed into the developer to be recovered. It is not advisable to reuse such foreign objects or unsuitable developer because it will impair the quality of the developer, cause uneven supply of developer in the developing device 3, and impair the image quality of the developed image. .

In the present invention, a developer sorting means 15 is provided in the middle of the duct 11 constituting the conveyor 5 to prevent passage of the developer, particularly particles larger than the toner particle size. Conveniently, this sorting means 15 includes a mesh filter 16 that is slightly larger than the normal toner particle size;
It consists of a housing 17 surrounding a housing 6. This filter 16 can be made of metal, but it can also be made of synthetic resin, for example, or it can be made of other filter materials. The point is that it is sufficient to construct a mesh that allows developer, especially toner, of an appropriate particle size to pass therethrough, and captures larger agglomerated toner and other foreign substances.

The filter 16 shown in FIG. 1 consists of two rolls 18.19.
It is formed as a long piece or web wound around the web. According to this, it is convenient because a new filter can be supplied when clogging occurs due to foreign matter such as large particle developer, debris of the cleaning member, and transfer paper J-''1 being captured.In this case, a new filter can be supplied. , rolls 18, 19 are rotated intermittently in response to the operation of the copying machine.

Apart from this, a sorting means 20 as shown in FIG. 2 can also be used. In this sorting means 20, a housing 22 is formed in the middle of the duct 11 so that a filter 21 can be inserted therein. The intermediate portion thereof is supported by a shaft 23. Although the filter 21 can stand upright, it is preferable to arrange it so that it is tilted forward toward the upper part or the upstream side of the duct 11 as shown in the figure. and foreign matter can collect at the bottom of the housing 22. For example, use a cam or the like to drop foreign objects from the filter 21! l! 1il123 may be vibrated from the outside.

This misalignment of the collection tray 24 to the position where the foreign objects, etc. fall makes it easier to dispose of the foreign objects, etc.

Therefore, according to the present invention, large particles of the developer and foreign substances such as fragments of the cleaning member and pieces of transfer paper are separated from the developer to be collected before being returned to the developer supply container by the conveyor. Since the developer is removed, the developer collected in the replenishment container is appropriate, and it is possible to prevent the quality of the developer in the developing device from deteriorating.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a side view of a developer recovery device to which the present invention is applied;
FIG. 2 is a side view showing another embodiment of the developer selection means. 1...Photoreceptor, 2...Cleaning device, 3...Developing device, 4
...Developer supply container, 5...Transporter, 6.7...
Fur brush roll, 11... duct, 14... Zykron separator, 15.20... developer sorting means,
16.21... Filter, 17, 22... Housing, 23... Shaft, 24... Collection pan

Claims (1)

[Claims] A developer recovery device having a cleaning device for removing developer remaining on a photoconductor after transfer and before the next image formation, and a means for conveying the removed developer from the cleaning device to a developer supply container, A developer recovery device characterized in that the conveyance means is provided with a developer selection means that allows only suitable particles of developer to pass through.