JP2004348166A - Process unit and image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To transfer a toner formed on a photoreceptor to an intermediate transfer belt and transfer the toner image to a recording medium to obtain a recorded image. The size of the toner inlet of the waste toner container containing the removed transfer residual toner is reduced.
SOLUTION: Toner removed from an intermediate transfer belt 16 by a cleaning blade 32 is transported downward by a toner transport duct member 36, and the toner and toner removed from the photoreceptor 8 by the cleaning blade 19 are collected and collected. Through the toner inlet 40 to the waste toner container 35.
[Selection] Figure 2

Description

  The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus that forms a toner image on an image carrier, temporarily transfers the toner image to an intermediate transfer member surface, and then transfers the toner image to a recording medium to obtain a recorded image. It is.

  An image forming apparatus of the above type configured as an electronic copying machine, a printer, a facsimile, or a multifunction machine having at least two of these functions has been conventionally known. In this type of image forming apparatus, the toner image on the surface of the image carrier is transferred to the surface of the intermediate transfer member by a first transfer unit, and the toner image transferred to the surface of the intermediate transfer member is transferred to a recording medium by a second transfer unit. Is transferred to At this time, since the toner remains on the surface of the image carrier after the toner image has been transferred to the surface of the intermediate transfer member, the toner is removed from the surface of the image carrier by the first cleaning member. The toner remaining on the surface of the intermediate transfer member after transferring the image to the recording medium is also removed by the second cleaning member.

  As described above, the toner removed from the surfaces of the image bearing member and the intermediate transfer member is sent to a waste toner container detachably attached to the image forming apparatus main body and stored therein. When the waste toner container becomes full or nearly full of toner, the waste toner container is removed from the image forming apparatus main body, and a new empty waste toner container is mounted. The waste toner container is replaced.

  Here, conventionally, a waste toner container for storing the toner removed from the image bearing member and a waste toner container for storing the toner removed from the intermediate transfer member are provided, respectively. The waste toner container must be replaced separately, which complicates the operation.

  Therefore, the toner removed from the image carrier and the toner removed from the intermediate transfer member are also stored in a common waste toner container. By doing so, the replacement operation of the waste toner container can be simplified.

  At that time, it is necessary to send the toner removed from the image carrier and the intermediate transfer member into one waste toner container. Therefore, a large toner inlet extending in the longitudinal direction is formed in the waste toner container. , Each toner sent from the image carrier and the intermediate transfer member is sent into the container. Alternatively, two toner inlets are provided in the waste toner container, and the toner removed from the image carrier and the toner removed from the intermediate transfer member are respectively fed into the waste toner container through the respective intakes. I have. This is because it is considered that each of the toners sent from both the image carrier and the intermediate transfer member cannot be sent to the waste toner container unless this is done.

  However, in any of the above-described configurations, the entire opening area of the toner intake formed in the waste toner container becomes very large, and therefore, in order to replace the waste toner container, the container is removed from the image forming apparatus main body. When detached, the toner inside the container may leak out from the toner inlet having the large opening. An open / close shutter is provided on the waste toner container, and a configuration in which the open / close shutter closes the toner inlet when the container is detached from the image forming apparatus main body is also known. If the opening area is large, the total amount of toner adhering to the periphery of the toner inlet becomes considerably large. Therefore, when the waste toner container is replaced, the toner adhering to the periphery of the toner inlet drops or scatters around the periphery. Inevitable failure.

  The present invention has been made based on the above-described novel recognition, and an object of the present invention is to store the toner removed from the image carrier and the toner removed from the intermediate transfer member in a common waste toner container. An object of the present invention is to provide an image forming apparatus of the type described at the beginning, which can be fed and accommodated, and can have a smaller opening area of a toner inlet for feeding the toner into a waste toner container than before.

  In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides an image carrier on which a toner image is formed on a surface, an intermediate transfer body on which a toner image on the surface of the image carrier is transferred, and a toner image on the surface of the image carrier. A first transfer unit for transferring the toner image on the surface of the intermediate transfer member to a recording medium; a second transfer unit for transferring the toner image on the surface of the intermediate transfer member to a recording medium; A first cleaning member for removing toner that is removed, a second cleaning member for removing toner remaining on the surface of the intermediate transfer member after transferring the toner image to the recording medium, and a second cleaning member that is removed from the surface of the image carrier by the first cleaning member. Toner collecting means for collecting the toner removed and the toner removed from the surface of the intermediate transfer member by the second cleaning member at one place, and the toner collecting means collects the toner. And a waste toner container removably mounted to the image forming apparatus main body, the toner intake port being formed at a portion corresponding to the location, containing the toner fed through the toner intake port. Is proposed (claim 1).

  At this time, in the image forming apparatus according to claim 1, the toner feeder that conveys the toner so that the toner fed from the toner inlet into the waste toner container spreads over the entire area in the longitudinal direction of the waste toner container. It is advantageous to provide means (claim 2).

  Further, in the image forming apparatus according to the second aspect, the lowermost portion of the toner feeding means may be located at a height level of １ ／ of the total internal height of the waste toner container or in an area higher than the height level. It is advantageous that the height position of the toner feeding means is set (claim 3).

  Furthermore, in the image forming apparatus according to claim 2 or 3, the toner inlet is formed at one end of the waste toner container in the longitudinal direction, and the toner amount detecting device is disposed at the other end. It is advantageous if this is done (claim 4).

  Further, in the image forming apparatus according to the fourth aspect, the center of the toner amount detecting device facing the inside of the waste toner container in the height direction is a height level of １ ／ of the total height inside the waste toner container, Alternatively, it is advantageous that the height position of the toner amount detection device is set so as to be located at a height higher than that (claim 5).

  Furthermore, in the image forming apparatus according to claim 4 or 5, the toner amount detecting device is disposed on the image forming device main body side and the waste toner container is set at a predetermined position of the image forming device main body. In this case, it is advantageous that a window is formed in a portion of the waste toner container corresponding to the toner amount detection device, and the window is covered with a thin film seal (claim 6).

  According to the image forming apparatus of the first aspect, the toner removed from the image carrier and the toner removed from the intermediate transfer member can be stored in a common waste toner container. The simplification and the provision of the toner conveying / collecting means make it possible to reduce the toner inlet formed in the waste toner container. Thereby, when the waste toner container is removed from the image forming apparatus main body, it is possible to prevent a large amount of toner from falling or scattering around.

  According to the image forming apparatus of the second aspect, although the toner intake is small, the toner inside the waste toner container can be entirely distributed, and the toner storage efficiency of the waste toner container is reduced. Can be blocked.

  According to the image forming apparatus of the third aspect, it is possible to prevent a toner bridge from being formed on the upper portion of the waste toner container, and to surely send the toner over the entire waste toner container by the toner feeding means. it can.

  According to the image forming apparatus of the fourth aspect, it is possible to eliminate the possibility that the toner amount detecting device detects that the toner is full by merely storing a small amount of toner in the waste toner container.

  According to the image forming apparatus of the fifth aspect, the possibility that the toner amount detecting device detects the fullness of the toner can be more reliably prevented only by storing a small amount of toner inside the waste toner container.

  According to the image forming apparatus of the sixth aspect, it is possible to prevent a problem that the toner amount detecting device is replaced when the waste toner container is replaced.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an internal structure of a color image forming apparatus configured as a printer. A main body 1 of the image forming apparatus shown here is a fixed main body that is immovably mounted on an installation surface such as a floor surface. 2 and a rotating main body 3 rotatably supported by the fixed main body 2. A process unit 4 in which a plurality of process elements are integrally attached to the rotating main body 3 is detachable. It is installed. FIG. 2 is a sectional view showing the inside of the process unit 4.

  1 and 2, an endless belt-shaped photoconductor 8 constituting an example of an image carrier is wound around rollers 6 and 7 rotatably supported by a unit case 5 of the process unit 4. As the image carrier, a drum-shaped photoconductor, a dielectric drum or a dielectric belt can be used. A charging device including a charging charger 9 is disposed at a position facing the photoconductor 8, and the charging charger 9 is also supported by the unit case 5.

  On the other hand, the fixed body 2 supports an exposure device configured as a laser writing unit 10, a rotary color developing unit 11, and a black developing unit 12, respectively. Have been.

  The color developing unit 11 is configured as a unit in which a yellow developing unit 11Y, a magenta developing unit 11M, and a cyan developing unit 11C are integrally assembled, and the whole is rotatably supported by the fixed main body 3.

  During the image forming operation, the photoconductor 8 is rotated in the direction of arrow A by driving the roller 7 by a driving device (not shown). At this time, the surface of the photoreceptor is subjected to a charge removing operation by a not-shown discharging device, and then the surface of the photoreceptor is uniformly charged by a charging device including a charging charger 9. Exposure is performed by the modulated laser beam L1, whereby a first electrostatic latent image is formed on the surface of the photoconductor. At this time, for example, the yellow developing device 11Y of the color developing unit 11 is positioned to face the surface of the photoconductor 8, and the first electrostatic latent image is visualized as a yellow toner image by the developing device 11Y. Is done. At this time, the black developing unit 12 is separated from the surface of the photoconductor 8, and does not perform the developing operation.

  On the other hand, the unit case 5 rotatably supports an appropriate number of, in this example, two rotating rollers 14 and 15 that are spaced apart from each other. The intermediate transfer belt 16 is driven in a direction indicated by an arrow B by winding an endless intermediate transfer belt 16 as an example and driving one of the rotation rollers 14 by a driving device (not shown). The intermediate transfer belt 16 and the photoconductor 8 abut on each other at a transfer portion 17, and the front end of a transfer brush 18, which is an example of a first transfer unit, abuts on the back surface of the intermediate transfer belt 16 at this portion. The transfer brush 18 is also supported by the unit case 5. A transfer roller, a corona discharger, or the like can be used as the first transfer unit.

  As described above, when the yellow toner image formed on the surface of the photoconductor 8 reaches the transfer unit 17, a voltage having a polarity opposite to that of the toner is applied to the transfer brush 18, whereby the toner on the surface of the photoconductor 8 is The image is transferred to the surface of the intermediate transfer belt 16. After the transfer of the toner image, the toner remaining without being transferred adheres to the surface of the photoreceptor, and the toner is supported by the unit case 5 and the leading end thereof is pressed against the photoreceptor 8. The first cleaning member including the cleaning blade 19 is scraped off. The toner removed from the photoreceptor surface in this way falls into the toner receiver 20 integrated with the unit case 5. Other appropriate means such as a fur brush may be employed as the first cleaning member.

  The surface of the photoreceptor whose surface has been cleaned as described above is again subjected to the charge removing operation, is uniformly charged by the charging charger 9, and is then irradiated with the laser light L1 emitted from the laser writing unit 10 on the charged surface. Then, a second electrostatic latent image is formed on the photoreceptor surface. When this latent image passes through the color developing unit 11, the rotation of the unit 11 causes, for example, a magenta developing unit 11M to face the photoconductor 8, whereby the second electrostatic latent image can be used as a magenta toner image. It is visualized. This toner image is also transferred to the surface of the intermediate transfer belt 16 on which the yellow toner image has been previously transferred by being superimposed on the yellow toner image by the operation of the transfer brush 18 in exactly the same manner as described above. . The toner remaining on the surface of the photoconductor 8 after the transfer of the magenta toner image is also removed from the surface of the photoconductor by the cleaning blade 19.

  In exactly the same manner as described above, a cyan toner image and a black toner image are sequentially formed on the photoreceptor surface by a cyan developing unit 11C and a black developing unit 12 facing the photoreceptor surface, respectively. The toner image is superimposed on the previously transferred toner image and sequentially transferred to the surface of the toner image 16. The cleaning blade 19 removes the residual toner from the surface of the photoreceptor every time each toner image is transferred, and the surface is cleaned. Thus, a full-color toner image is formed on the surface of the intermediate transfer belt 16.

  On the other hand, a recording medium 22 made of paper, a plastic sheet, or the like is stacked on a sheet cassette 21 of the fixed main body 2, and the recording medium 22 is fed one by one in the direction of arrow C by rotation of a sheet feeding roller 23. You. The recording medium 22 fed as described above is conveyed by a pair of conveying rollers 24 and a pair of registration rollers 25 rotatably supported by the rotating main body 3, and a full-color toner image formed on the surface of the intermediate transfer belt 16. Is fed into the nip portion between the intermediate transfer belt 16 and the transfer roller 26 opposed thereto at the timing of the alignment. At this time, a full-color toner image on the surface of the intermediate transfer belt 16 is transferred to the surface of the recording medium 22 by a voltage having a polarity opposite to that of the toner applied to the transfer roller 26. The transfer roller 26 is rotatably supported by the rotating main body 3, and the roller 26 constitutes an example of a second transfer unit. As the second transfer unit, an appropriate unit such as a corona discharger or a brush can be used.

  After leaving the intermediate transfer belt 16, the recording medium 22 onto which the full-color toner image has been transferred passes between a fixing roller 28 and a pressure roller 29 of a fixing device 27 provided on the fixed main body 2, and at this time, heat and The toner image is fixed on the surface of the recording medium 22 by the action of the pressure. The recording medium 22 that has exited the fixing device 27 is discharged with the image surface downward to a discharge stack portion 31 above the fixed main body by a pair of discharge rollers 30 rotatably supported by the fixed main body 2.

  On the other hand, the toner remaining on the intermediate transfer belt 16 after transferring the full-color toner image onto the recording medium 22 is scraped off by a cleaning blade 32 having a front end pressed against the surface of the intermediate transfer belt 16, and the surface of the intermediate transfer belt 16 is Is cleaned. The cleaning blade 32 is an example of a second cleaning member. The cleaning blade 32 is fixed to an arm 33 swingably supported by the unit case 5, and is scraped from the intermediate transfer belt 16 by the cleaning blade 32. The received toner is received by a toner receiver 34 fixed to the arm 33. As the second cleaning member, a cleaning member of another appropriate form such as a fur brush can be adopted.

  The cleaning blade 32 is freely movable toward and away from the surface of the intermediate transfer belt by the swing of the arm 33. When each toner image is transferred onto the surface of the intermediate transfer belt 16, the cleaning blade 32 is moved to the surface of the intermediate transfer belt. Away from After transferring the full-color toner image on the surface of the intermediate transfer belt to the recording medium 22, only when cleaning the toner remaining on the surface, the tip of the cleaning blade 32 is pressed against the surface of the intermediate transfer belt by the swing of the arm 33, The transfer residual toner is scraped off.

  The above description is about the image forming operation when forming a full-color image on the recording medium 22. However, a single-color image is formed using only one of the developing units constituting the color developing unit 11 and one of the black developing units 12. An image can be formed, or a two-color or three-color image can be formed.

  As described above, the image forming apparatus according to the present embodiment includes an image carrier configured as the photoconductor 8 on which a toner image is formed on the surface and an intermediate transfer belt 16 to which the toner image on the image carrier is transferred. The configured intermediate transfer member, a first transfer unit configured as a transfer brush 8 for transferring the toner image on the surface of the image carrier to the surface of the intermediate transfer member, and transferring the toner image on the surface of the intermediate transfer member to the recording medium 22 A second transfer unit configured as a transfer roller 26, a first cleaning member configured as a cleaning blade 19 configured to remove toner remaining on the surface of the image carrier after transferring the toner image to the surface of the intermediate transfer member, and a toner image And a second cleaning member configured as a cleaning blade 32 for removing toner remaining on the surface of the intermediate transfer member after transferring the toner image onto the recording medium 22.

  Further, in the illustrated image forming apparatus, the rotating main body 3 constituting a part of the image forming apparatus main body 1 is configured such that the rotating main body 3 forms the center axis of one rotating roller 15 around which the intermediate transfer belt 16 is wound around the fixed main body 2. It is pivotally supported so as to be rotatable in the direction of arrow E in FIG. The state of a part of the rotating main body 3 when rotated in this way is shown by a chain line in FIG.

  As described above, transfer residual toner is removed from the surfaces of the photoreceptor 8 and the intermediate transfer belt 16 by the cleaning blades 19 and 32, respectively, and these toners are stored in a common waste toner container 35 and described later. It is conveyed and sent in such a manner as to be stored in the container 35. The waste toner container 35 of this example is detachably mounted on the container receiving portion 5a of the unit case 5. When the rotating main body 3 is rotated to the open position indicated by the chain line in FIG. 1 as described above, the upper portion of the waste toner container 35 is opened, and this container 35 can be removed from the unit case 5. In this example, the waste toner container 35 is detachably attached to the unit case 5 of the process unit 4, and the waste toner container 35 is detachably attached to the image forming apparatus main body 1 via the case 5. The toner container 35 may be directly and detachably supported on the image forming apparatus main body 1.

  As described above, since the waste toner container 35 is detachably attached to the image forming apparatus main body 1, when the toner in the container 35 becomes full or almost full, the container is 35 can be easily removed from the image forming apparatus main body, and a new empty waste toner container can be attached to the image forming apparatus main body 1. The waste toner container 35 can be replaced. However, when the photoconductor 8 is further deteriorated and its life has expired, the rotating main body 3 is rotated to the open position indicated by the chain line in FIG. Then, the entire process unit 4 can be replaced with a new one.

  In the following description, the fact that the toner in the waste toner container 35 is full or nearly full and the state in which the toner needs to be replaced simply means that the waste toner container is full or the life is short. It will be described as having become.

  Since the toner removed from the photoconductor 8 and the toner removed from the intermediate transfer belt 16 are housed in the common waste toner container 35 as described above, each toner is housed in a separate waste toner container. The operation for replacing the waste toner container 35 can be simplified as compared with the case where the replacement is performed. However, since it is necessary to send each toner removed from the photoreceptor 8 and the intermediate transfer belt 16 to one waste toner container 35, conventionally, a large-sized toner extended in the longitudinal direction is stored in the waste toner container 35. Either an inlet is formed or two toner inlets are formed, and the toner removed from the photoconductor and the intermediate transfer belt is sent to a waste toner container. For this reason, the total opening area of the toner inlet becomes extremely large, and as described above, when the waste toner container is removed from the image forming apparatus main body, there is a possibility that the toner may fall or scatter. I could not escape.

  Therefore, in the image forming apparatus of the present embodiment, a toner conveying / collecting unit is provided for collecting the toner removed from the photoconductor 8 by the cleaning blade 19 and the toner removed from the intermediate transfer belt 16 by the cleaning blade 32 at one place. By forming a toner inlet at a portion of the waste toner container 35 corresponding to a portion where the toner is collected by the means, the opening area of the toner inlet can be reduced. Specific examples related to this are as follows.

  The cleaning blade 32 shown in FIG. 2 extends in the width direction of the intermediate transfer belt 16, and the toner receiver 34 extends along the cleaning blade 32. A toner conveying screw 37 is formed along the toner receiver 34. A transport device is arranged. The toner conveying screw 37 is driven to rotate around its central axis by a driving device (not shown) disposed in the image forming apparatus main body 1, and thereby the cleaning blade 32 scrapes off the surface of the intermediate transfer belt 16. The toner that has been removed and dropped into the toner receiver 34 is conveyed to one end of the intermediate transfer belt 16 in the width direction, in this example, a near side in a direction perpendicular to the paper surface of FIGS. 1 and 2.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the toner conveying duct member disposed on the front side of the unit case 5 has a toner conveying path which is conveyed while being guided by the toner receiver 34. An opening on one end side of 36 is connected and fixed. The duct member 38 extends obliquely downward, and the other end opening is connected and fixed to the front end of the toner receiver 20 shown in FIG.

  While being guided by the toner receiver 34, the toner sent to the near side by the toner conveying screw 37 enters the duct member 36 from one end opening of the toner conveying duct member 36, and is dropped and conveyed inside the duct member 36 by its own weight. It is fed into the toner receiver 20 through the other end opening.

  On the other hand, the cleaning blade 19 that is in pressure contact with the photoconductor 8 also extends long in the width direction of the belt-shaped photoconductor 8, and the toner receiver 20 extends along the cleaning blade 19. A toner transport device configured as 38 is disposed. In the example shown in FIG. 3, the toner conveying screw 38 is divided into two portions 38a and 38b, and the spiral directions of the blades of these portions are reversed. Therefore, when the toner conveying screw 38 is rotationally driven by a driving device (not shown) on the image forming apparatus main body side, the toner removed from the photoconductor 8 by the cleaning blade 19 is guided to the toner receiver 20 while the toner is removed. The conveyed screw 38 is gathered at a collecting part 39 at a middle part in the longitudinal direction. At this time, the toner removed from the intermediate transfer belt 16, transported through the toner transport duct member 36, and sent to the toner receiver 20 is also collected by the toner transport screw 38 to the intermediate collecting section 39. The toner removed from the intermediate transfer belt 16 and the toner removed from the photoconductor 8 are both collected at one location, that is, at the collection unit 39.

  In the example shown in FIG. 4, the direction of the helix of the blade of the toner conveying screw 38 is constant, so that the toner removed from the photoconductor 8 by the cleaning blade 19 is rotated by the rotation of the toner conveying screw 38. While being guided by the toner receiver 20, the toner is conveyed to one end side in the longitudinal direction (the front end side in FIGS. 1 and 2 in the example of the drawing), and is collected by the collection section 39 at the one end side. The toner removed from the transfer belt 16 and collected by the toner conveying duct member 36 together with the toner sent to the toner receiver 20.

  As described above, in the illustrated example, the toner conveying screws 38 and 37, the toner receivers 20 and 34, and the toner conveying duct member 36 are formed by the first cleaning member including the cleaning blade 19 and the surface of the image carrier including the photosensitive member 8. An example of a toner transport and collection unit that collects the toner removed from the toner and the toner removed from the intermediate transfer body including the intermediate transfer belt 16 by the second cleaning member including the cleaning blade 32 at one location, that is, the collection unit 39 Make up.

  As described above, the toner discharge port 50 is formed and the toner guide tube 51 is connected and fixed to the portion of the toner receiver 20 corresponding to the portion where the toner is collected by the toner conveying and collecting means. The lower opening of the toner guide tube 51 coincides with the toner inlet 40 formed in the waste toner container 35. As described above, the toner inlet 40 is formed in the portion of the waste toner container 35 corresponding to the portion where the toner is collected by the toner conveying / collecting means. In the illustrated example, the upper wall 35a of the waste toner container 35 is formed. A toner intake port 40 is formed in a part. The collected toner passes through the toner outlet 50 and the toner guide tube 51, is fed into the waste toner container 35 through the toner inlet 40, and is stored therein.

  As described above, in the image forming apparatus of the present embodiment, each toner removed from the intermediate transfer belt 16 and the photoreceptor 8 is collected at one place by the toner conveying and collecting means, and the collected toner is collected by the toner inlet 40. From the waste toner container 35, the opening area of the toner intake port 40 can be made significantly smaller than in the prior art. Moreover, it is not necessary to provide a plurality of the toner inlets 40, and only one is required. For this reason, the waste toner container 35 detachably attached to the image forming apparatus main body becomes full. Therefore, when the container 35 is detached from the image forming apparatus main body 1 in the above-described procedure, the toner inlet of the container 35 is removed. It is possible to prevent the toner from leaking from the forty.

  Normally, a shutter (not shown) is provided in the toner inlet 40. When the waste toner container 35 is set as shown in FIG. 2, the shutter opens the toner inlet 40 and the waste toner container 35 is opened. When the shutter is removed, the shutter is operated to close the toner inlet 40 and prevent leakage of toner. However, even if such a shutter is provided, if the opening area of the toner inlet is large, When the waste toner container is removed, the toner attached to the peripheral edge falls and scatters around the container. However, if the opening area of the toner intake port 40 is small as in this example, the amount of toner adhering to the peripheral edge becomes extremely small, and therefore, even when the attached toner drops when the waste toner container 35 is removed. The amount is extremely small, so that the problem of soiling the periphery with toner can be suppressed.

  As described above, the toner inlet 40 formed in the waste toner container 35 can be made extremely small. However, if the opening area of the toner inlet 40 is small as described above, the above-described advantages can be obtained. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the toner T in the waste toner container 35 is in the area of the toner inlet 40, and the toner T does not reach the entirety of the waste toner container 35. The storage efficiency may be reduced.

  Therefore, in the illustrated image forming apparatus, as shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, a toner conveying screw 41 as an example of a toner feeding unit is provided inside the waste toner container 35. In the illustrated example, the waste toner container 35 extends long in the width direction of the photoreceptor 8 or the intermediate transfer belt 16, and each end of the shaft of the toner conveying screw 41 has a longitudinal end wall 35 b of the waste toner container 35. , 35c rotatably supported, and the shaft of which is rotatably driven by a driving device disposed in the image forming apparatus main body.

  As a result, the toner feeding means including the toner conveying screw 41 conveys the toner T so that the toner T fed into the waste toner container 35 from the toner inlet 40 spreads over the entire area of the waste toner container 35 in the longitudinal direction. . In the example of FIG. 3, the toner conveying screw 41 is composed of two parts 41A and 41B, and the spiral directions of its blades are opposite to each other. Are conveyed toward each end. In the example shown in FIG. 4, the direction of the spiral of the blade of the toner conveying screw 41 is constant, and the toner T sent from the toner inlet 40 is conveyed toward the opposite side. In this way, although the toner inlet 40 is small in size, it is possible to prevent the toner T that has entered from staying in a mountain-like bulge at the site of the inlet 40, and to store the toner in the waste toner container 35. Efficiency can be increased.

  The toner conveying screw 41 conveys the toner T as described above. At this time, if the screw 41 is located below the inside of the waste toner container 35, even if the toner conveying screw 41 rotates, the waste toner There is a possibility that the toner hardens in a bridge shape in the upper region of the container 35 and is not conveyed well.

  Therefore, in the image forming apparatus of the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, the lowermost portion 41a of the toner feeding means composed of the toner conveying screw 41 is at a height level L which is １ ／ of the total height H of the waste toner container 35. The height position of the toner feeding means is set so as to be located in a region above or above. Preferably, the toner feeding means is disposed very near the upper wall 35a of the waste toner container 35.

  According to the above configuration, since the toner conveying screw 41 is located at the upper portion in the waste toner container 35, when the screw 41 rotates, a toner bridge is not formed in the upper region in the waste toner container 35. In addition, the toner can be efficiently transported over the entire area of the waste toner container 35 in the longitudinal direction.

  By the way, when the toner in the waste toner container 35 is full, that is, when the life thereof has expired, the waste toner container 35 is replaced with a new empty waste toner container as described above. Normally, the life of the waste toner container 35 is shorter than the life of the photoconductor 8, and is set to, for example, about の of the life of the photoconductor 8.

  When the life of the waste toner container 35 expires, it is necessary to notify the operator of the fact. For this purpose, the waste toner container 35 is provided with a toner amount detecting device 42 as shown in FIGS. As a result, it is detected that the toner in the waste toner container 35 is full, and based on the detection signal, the fact is displayed on a display unit provided outside the image forming apparatus main body. , The waste toner container 35 is replaced by the procedure described above. As the toner amount detecting device 42, for example, a piezoelectric element is used.

  At this time, as shown in FIG. 4, a toner inlet 40 is formed at one end of the waste toner container 35 in the longitudinal direction, and a toner amount detecting device 42 is provided at the other end of the waste toner container 35. It is desirable to arrange. In this way, the toner T sent from the toner inlet 40 into the waste toner container is transported from one end to the other by the toner transport screw 41, and the amount of the transported toner is reduced. Since the toner amount is detected by the toner amount detecting device 42, even if the number of the toner amount detecting devices 42 is one, the full state can be detected and the full state can be detected only when the toner in the waste toner container 35 becomes full. It is possible to detect correctly.

  Assuming that a toner amount detecting device is provided near the toner inlet 40 shown in FIG. 4, the toner is not yet full at the end of the waste toner container opposite to the inlet 40. The toner amount detecting device detects that the toner is full, and there is a problem that the waste toner container is replaced even though the toner can still be sufficiently stored.

  For the same reason, it is desirable to provide the toner amount detection device 42 in the upper region of the waste toner container 35. More specifically, as shown in FIG. 2, the center D in the height direction of the toner amount detection device portion facing the inside of the waste toner container 35 is a height equal to １ ／ of the total height H inside the waste toner container 35. The height position of the toner amount detection device 42 is set so as to be at the level L or a height higher than the level L. In the illustrated example, the center axis of the toner conveying screw 41 and the center D of the toner amount detecting device 42 have substantially the same height.

  As described above, when the detection surface of the toner amount detection device 42 is disposed in an area above the height of the waste toner container 35, the detection device is filled with toner while the toner in the waste toner container 35 is small. Can be prevented from being detected. When the waste toner container 35 is actually filled with toner, the fact is detected by the toner amount detecting device 42 for the first time. Therefore, the maximum amount of toner can be stored in the waste toner container 35, and the waste toner container 35 can be replaced with a new one in this state.

  Incidentally, the toner amount detecting device 42 used in each of the above-described configurations can be supported by an appropriate element, and may be fixedly supported on the side wall 35d of the waste toner container 35, for example. However, when the toner amount detecting device 42 is fixed to the waste toner container 35 in this manner, the toner amount detecting device 42 is also replaced every time the waste toner container 35 is replaced because the waste toner container 35 is a replacement part. This imposes a burden on the target.

  Therefore, in the image forming apparatus of the present embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 6, the toner amount detecting device 42 is fixed to the image forming apparatus main body 1 via a bracket (not shown). In a state where the waste toner container 35 is set at a predetermined position of the image forming apparatus main body as shown in FIG. Is formed, and the window hole 43 is covered with a thin film seal 44. As the thin film seal 44, for example, a flexible sheet made of rubber or synthetic resin having a thickness of 0.5 mm or less can be used.

  According to the above configuration, when the waste toner container 35 is set to the image forming apparatus main body 1, the detection surface of the toner amount detection device 42 faces the inside of the waste toner container 35 via the thin film seal 44. Therefore, the toner full state can be detected without any trouble. Moreover, since the window hole 43 is covered with the thin film seal 44, the toner in the waste toner container 35 does not leak outside through the window hole 43.

  When the waste toner container 35 is full of toner and its life is expired, when the waste toner container 35 is detached from the image forming apparatus main body 1 as described above, the toner amount detecting device 42 is connected to the image forming apparatus main body. Left on the 1 side. For this reason, the toner detecting device 42 is not replaced, and the economy can be improved.

  As described above, an example in which the present invention is applied to a color image forming apparatus having the image forming apparatus main body 1 including the fixed main body 2 and the rotating main body 3 and the process unit 4 detachably mounted on the rotating main body 3 is described. As described above, the present invention can be widely applied to various types of image forming apparatuses other than the image forming apparatus. It is apparent that the present invention can be applied to an image forming apparatus including an electronic copying machine, a facsimile, or a multifunction peripheral thereof.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of an image forming apparatus. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view illustrating an internal structure of a process unit. FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example in which a toner inlet is provided at a central portion in a longitudinal direction of a waste toner container. FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example in which a toner intake port is provided at one longitudinal end of a waste toner container. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the waste toner container shown in FIG. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the waste toner container shown in FIG. 4 cut at a portion of the toner amount detection device.

Explanation of reference numerals

1 Image Forming Apparatus Main Body 35 Waste Toner Container 40 Toner Inlet 41a Bottom 42 Toner Amount Detector 43 Window Hole 44 Thin Film Seal D Center H Total Height L Level T Toner

Claims (6)

An image carrier on which a toner image is formed, an intermediate transfer member onto which the toner image on the image carrier is transferred, and a first transfer means for transferring the toner image on the image carrier surface to the intermediate transfer member surface A second transfer unit for transferring the toner image on the surface of the intermediate transfer member to a recording medium, a first cleaning member for removing toner remaining on the surface of the image carrier after transferring the toner image to the surface of the intermediate transfer member, A second cleaning member for removing toner remaining on the surface of the intermediate transfer member after transferring the toner image to the recording medium; and an intermediate transfer member comprising the toner removed from the surface of the image carrier by the first cleaning member and the second cleaning member. A toner conveying and collecting means for collecting the toner removed from the surface at one place, and a toner inlet at a part corresponding to a place where the toner is collected by the toner conveying and collecting means. Made is, accommodates the toner fed through the inlet the toner, an image forming apparatus including a detachably mounted waste toner container to the image forming apparatus main body. 2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a toner feeding unit that conveys the toner fed from the toner inlet into the waste toner container so as to spread over the entire area in the longitudinal direction of the waste toner container. 3. The height position of the toner feeding means is set such that the lowermost part of the toner feeding means is located at a height level of の of the total internal height of the waste toner container or in an area higher than it. The image forming apparatus according to claim 2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the toner inlet is formed at one end of the waste toner container in a longitudinal direction, and a toner amount detection device is arranged at the other end. The height direction center of the portion of the toner amount detection device facing the inside of the waste toner container is located at a height level of 1/2 of the total height inside the waste toner container, or at a height higher than that. The image forming apparatus according to claim 4, wherein a height position of the toner amount detection device is set. A portion of the waste toner container corresponding to the toner amount detection device in a state where the toner amount detection device is disposed on the image forming device main body side and the waste toner container is set at a predetermined position of the image formation device main body. The image forming apparatus according to claim 4, wherein a window is formed in the window, and the window is covered with a thin film seal.

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