JPH05232846A - Waste toner storage box - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Abstract] [Purpose] With respect to the structure of the waste toner storage box, an object thereof is to improve the storage efficiency of the waste toner. [Constitution] In the waste toner storage box for storing the waste toner after scraping off the residual toner on the transferred photosensitive drum by the cleaning blade, the toner storage capacity of the waste toner storage box is small in the axial direction of the photosensitive drum. If there is a level difference so that it greatly changes, insert the conveyor screw for conveying toner parallel to the photosensitive drum at the toner storage upper limit position near the cleaning blade of the waste toner storage box, and the twist angle of the screw of the conveyor screw is The toner storage volume is large in the small portion, and the conveyor screw is rotated to convey the waste toner from the small toner storage volume to the large portion so that the waste toner is uniformly accumulated.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a structure of a waste toner storage box. An electrophotographic recording device capable of recording high quality images on plain paper is used in a facsimile machine, a copying machine, and the like.

Toner is used for development in an electrophotographic recording apparatus, and disposal of waste toner is also an important matter.

[0003]

2. Description of the Related Art As shown in the side view of FIG. 2, an electrophotographic recording apparatus to which the present invention is applied includes a photosensitive drum 1 having a photosensitive layer whose surface changes its conductivity in response to light, and a photosensitive drum. 1 is a developing device 2 that attaches toner to the drum surface by a potential difference from the surface of the photosensitive drum 1, a charging device 3 that uniformly charges the surface of the photosensitive drum 1, and the amount of charge on the photosensitive drum 1 is changed by scanning laser light. And an optical system 4 for forming an electrostatic latent image,
A transfer unit 6 that transfers the toner image on the photosensitive drum 1 to the sheet 5, a fixing unit 7 that includes a halogen lamp that heats and fixes the toner image transferred to the sheet 5, and toner remaining on the surface of the photosensitive drum 1. And a cleaning blade 8 such as a rubber plate for removing

The toner removed by the cleaning blade 8 is stored in the waste toner box 15 by the toner conveying device 9. As shown in the front view of FIG. 3, the toner transporting device 9 has a storage blade 10 in which a cleaning blade 8 slides on the photosensitive drum 1 and receives and scrapes the scraped toner, and a storage portion 10 for storing the toner. Inside the storage section 10 provided in, the conveyor screw 11 is provided along the entire length in parallel with the photosensitive drum 1, and the toner sent to the left side in the figure by rotating the conveyor screw 11 is a waste toner box. 15
And a toner raising means (12) for carrying the toner.

The toner raising means 12 is, as shown in the side view of FIG. 4, a sleeve 13 and a conveyor fitted in the sleeve 13 for carrying the toner to the entrance of the waste toner box 15 located at a position higher than the toner storage portion 10. It is composed of a screw 14, and is arranged so that the lower part of the toner storage part 10 is in contact with and orthogonal to each other.

Therefore, the toner conveyed by the conveyor screw 11 rises in the sleeve 13 by the rotation of the conveyor screw 14, falls to the entrance of the waste toner box 15, and is stored in the waste toner box 15.

When the waste toner box 15 is filled with waste toner, only the waste toner box 15 is removed, discarded, and replaced with a new one. When the toner conveying device 9 is provided in this way,
The structure is complicated and expensive.

In order to prevent this, there is a case in which the waste toner storage box 16 is provided without the toner conveying device 9 and as shown in the side view of FIG. 5, the toner is stored in a state where the toner is naturally dropped.

When the toner is full, the waste toner storage box 16 of this type is removed together with the photosensitive drum 1, the developing device 2, the charging device 3 and the transfer device 6 which constitute the process unit, and is discarded and replaced with a new one.

[0010]

In the case of FIG. 2, there is an advantage that only the waste toner box 15 needs to be replaced.
There is a problem that the toner conveying device 9 is required, the structure becomes complicated and the cost becomes high.

In the case of FIG. 5, each process unit is replaced, but when the waste toner storage box 16 is filled with the waste toner, the toner in the developing device is also empty, so that it is not uneconomical.

The problem is that, as shown in the figure, for example, a part of the optical system 4 extends to the lower part of the waste toner storage box 16 having a capacity determined by multiplying the amount of toner stored in the developing device by the transfer efficiency. By occupying, waste toner storage box 16
6 has a step as shown in the front view of FIG. 6, and the waste toner 17 cannot be accommodated in a uniform cross section along the entire width.

In order to avoid this, the optical system 4 must be further moved to the lower part, which leads to an increase in size of the device. If the cross section is not uniform, the ridge line 17a of the waste toner 17 as shown in FIG.
Is high in a portion where the toner storage volume with the optical system 4 is small, and is low in a portion where the toner storage volume without the optical system 4 is large, causing a height difference.

The full detection of whether or not the waste toner in the waste toner storage box 16 is full is carried out by monitoring the height of the waste toner stored using an optical sensor or the like. Since there is a difference in height between the ridges, the erroneous detection is caused and it cannot be performed accurately.

This is a problem that the efficiency of accommodating the waste toner 17 is extremely poor. An object of the present invention is to improve the waste toner storage efficiency of the waste toner storage box.

[0016]

In the present invention, FIG.
When there is a step in the axial direction of the photosensitive drum 1 such that the toner storage volume of the waste toner storage box 16 changes from small to large, as shown in the front view of FIG. A conveyor screw 18 for conveying waste toner is inserted in the toner storage upper limit position in parallel with the photosensitive drum 1, and the conveyor screw 18 is rotated to convey the waste toner 17 from a portion having a small toner storage volume to a portion having a large toner storage volume. The waste toner 17 is accumulated evenly, and the twist angle of the screw 18a of the conveyor screw 18 is increased in the portion where the toner storage volume is small.

[0017]

[Function] By inserting the conveyor screw for conveying toner into the waste toner storage box in parallel with the photosensitive drum and rotating the conveyor screw, the waste toner is stored from a portion having a small toner storage volume and a high accumulation amount. It is transported to the part where the volume is large and the volume is low.

Further, by making the screw twist angle of the conveyor screw upright in a portion where a large amount of waste toner is accumulated and standing upright in a portion where a large amount of waste toner is accumulated, the amount of waste toner rapidly increases from the portion where the toner storage volume decreases. The waste toner is conveyed to a portion and agitated in a large portion to make the accumulation of the waste toner uniform.

[0019]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS In the present invention, as shown in the front view of FIG. 1, a waste toner storage box 16 is arranged in the axial direction of the photosensitive drum 1.
When there is a level difference such that the toner storage capacity of the waste toner changes from small to large, the conveyor screw 18 for conveying the waste toner is installed in parallel with the photosensitive drum 1 at the toner storage upper limit position near the cleaning blade 8 of the waste toner storage box 16. Insert,
By rotating the conveyor screw 18, the waste toner 17 is conveyed from a portion with a small toner storage volume to a large portion,
The waste toner 17 is accumulated evenly.

The twist angle of the screw 18a of the conveyor screw 18 is as large as 130 ° in a portion where the toner storage volume is small as shown in the drawing, and is 0 in a large portion.
And the middle portion has a twist angle between them, for example 119
It is intended to be °.

Forming the conveyor screw 18 in this way is effective when there is a large difference in height between the ridges of the waste toner 17 that has a large step difference in the waste toner storage box 16.

By using such a conveyor screw 18, the waste toner 17 is rapidly transferred from a portion having a small toner storage volume and high accumulation to a portion having a large toner storage volume and low accumulation. Be transported to.

At the intermediate twist angle (119 °) portion of the intermediate portion, the waste toner 17 is decelerated to be conveyed to a portion having a large toner storage volume. In a portion where the toner storage volume is large, the waste toner 17 is agitated by the upright screw and accumulated efficiently with the ridge line horizontal.

In this embodiment, an upright screw is provided in a portion where the toner storage capacity is large, but this portion may have a structure in which the screw is unnecessary or have a small twist angle.

Then, the waste toner is stored in the waste toner storage box 16.
When 17 is filled, the transfer unit and the developing unit, in which the photosensitive drum 1, the charger 3, and the transfer unit 6 are integrated in the waste toner storage box, are removed and discarded as in the prior art, and are replaced with new ones.

[0026]

According to the present invention, it is possible to improve the efficiency of storing waste toner in the waste toner storage box, and to achieve great economic and industrial effects.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a front view of a waste toner storage box of the present invention,

FIG. 2 is a side view of an electrophotographic recording apparatus to which the present invention is applied,

FIG. 3 is a front view of the toner conveying device,

FIG. 4 is a side view of the toner conveying device,

FIG. 5 is a side view showing another example of the electrophotographic recording apparatus to which the present invention is applied,

6 is a view on arrow A of FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 photosensitive drum, 2 developing device, 3 charging device, 6 transfer device, 8 cleaning blade, 16 waste toner storage box, 17 waste toner, 18 conveyor screw, 18a screw,

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A waste toner obtained by scraping off residual toner on a transferred photosensitive drum (1) with a cleaning blade (8).
In the waste toner storage box for storing (17), the waste toner storage box is arranged in the axial direction of the photosensitive drum (1).
When there is a step so that the toner storage volume of (16) changes from small to large, the photosensitive drum (1) is located at the toner storage upper limit position near the cleaning blade (8) of the waste toner storage box (16). Parallel to the conveyor screw (1
8) and rotate the conveyor screw (18) to remove the waste toner.
A waste toner storage box characterized in that (17) is conveyed from a portion having a small toner storage volume to a portion having a large toner storage volume so that the waste toner (17) is uniformly accumulated. 2. The waste toner storage box according to claim 1, wherein a twist angle of the screw (18a) of the conveyor screw (18) is large in a portion where the toner storage volume is small.