JPH08202111A - Electrophotographic image forming apparatus using an intermediate transfer member - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] (Correction) [Purpose] Toner maintenance can be realized by consolidating the toner collection container in one place while considering that there is no unnecessary standby time during continuous output. An image forming apparatus using an intermediate transfer member is provided. [Structure] An intermediate transfer member 2 that rotates in contact with the image carrier 1 while facing it, a primary transfer device 3 that transfers the image carrier to the intermediate transfer member, and a toner image from the intermediate transfer member at once. A secondary transfer device 5 for transferring, a toner recovery holding device 6 installed downstream of the secondary transfer device and upstream of the primary transfer device, and operated after the operation of the secondary transfer device, and recovered waste toner. A toner returning device 7 that returns the toner to the intermediate transfer body during a non-image forming period during non-continuous output, a collecting device 4 that collects the toner output from the toner returning device and collects it with the residual toner of the primary transfer device, A controller 8 for controlling the toner collecting / holding device and the toner returning device based on the operation timing of the secondary transfer device.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an electrophotographic image forming apparatus using an intermediate transfer member such as a color copying machine, a color printer or a color facsimile.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In an electrophotographic image forming apparatus such as a color copying machine, a color printer, a color facsimile or the like, a toner image of each color developed for each of four colors is usually transferred onto an intermediate transfer member, a transfer paper or a photosensitive member. A single full-color image is obtained by overlapping. Further, as a method for superimposing toner images of respective colors in this type of image forming apparatus, an image forming apparatus using an intermediate transfer body has been actively studied because it does not matter what the quality of the transfer paper is and it is suitable for downsizing. ing.

In an image forming apparatus using this intermediate transfer member, toner images of four colors are usually sequentially superposed on the intermediate transfer member, and then the toner images superposed on the intermediate transfer member are collectively transferred onto a transfer paper. To obtain one full-color image. Therefore, in image formation in an image forming apparatus using this intermediate transfer member, four primary transfers for transferring the toner image of each color from the image carrier (photoreceptor) onto the intermediate transfer member, and from the intermediate transfer member are performed. Transfer full-color toner image onto transfer paper 1
Since the secondary transfer is required twice, it is necessary to remove the residual toner (transfer residual toner) on the photoconductor and the intermediate transfer body after each transfer process from the photoconductor and the intermediate transfer body.

For this reason, this type of image forming apparatus is usually provided with a toner collecting container for collecting the transfer residual toner that has been cleaned and removed after the primary transfer and the secondary transfer.
When the collected toner in the toner collecting container is full, measures such as replacing the entire toner collecting container with a new one are taken. Further, in the layout of a normal image forming apparatus, a toner collecting container for collecting the transfer residual toner after the primary transfer and a toner collecting container for collecting the transfer residual toner after the secondary transfer are separately provided. It is arranged. Further, if the filled toner recovery container is not discarded (replaced), the residual toner adheres to the image at the time of the next image formation, resulting in an image defect (remaining toner recovery defect).

By the way, the replacement work of a full toner recovery container is generally performed by the user, and since it is important as described above, it can be easily carried out in a short time and can be done by one person. Need to be designed. Therefore,
In this type of image forming apparatus, it is easier to replace the toner collecting container and the maintainability is improved by consolidating the toner collecting container in one place. Also, from the viewpoint of design, if there are two toner collection containers, the installation space becomes narrower, and it is necessary to provide two replacement ports, and the cover strength decreases, and these replacement ports are not provided. Since there is a problem that an extra sensor for detecting the open / closed state of the toner is required, it is clear that this toner recovery container should be integrated in one place.

Therefore, in the prior art, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 3-167579.
As in the "image forming apparatus" described in the publication, the secondary transfer residual toner is returned from the intermediate transfer member to the photosensitive member by a reverse bias, and the secondary transfer residual toner is transferred to the primary transfer residual toner on the photosensitive member in the same manner as the primary transfer residual toner. Cleaning with a cleaning member (cleaning means), or shifting the collection position of the secondary transfer residual toner to near the collection position of the primary transfer residual toner, remove the secondary toner recovery container,
A method of collecting the primary transfer residual toner and the secondary transfer residual toner collectively in the primary toner recovery container has been proposed.

[0007]

However, in the above-mentioned "image forming apparatus" described in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 3-167579, the dead time during continuous output increases. This is because the next color image forming process cannot be started as long as the uncleaned toner remains on the intermediate transfer member. In particular, with a seamed belt that is often used for intermediate transfer members, in order to prevent the seam from crossing the actual image area, a maximum idling of the seam interval is required. Dead time) will occur.

As a measure for solving this problem, an auger mechanism has been conventionally known, and by using this auger mechanism, the occurrence of the above waiting time is avoided and the residual toner is collected in one place. can do. However, as is well known, since the auger mechanism is disposed so as to traverse the inside of the image forming apparatus, it occupies a large installation space and weight and requires a large amount of power. However, there is a high possibility that technical uneasiness such as occurrence of poor conveyance of collected toner and toner scattering from the joint portion will remain.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned points, and an object thereof is to use a conventional auger mechanism while taking into consideration that unnecessary standby time is not generated during continuous output. Another object of the present invention is to provide an electrophotographic image forming apparatus that uses an intermediate transfer member that can realize a high maintainability by consolidating toner recovery containers in one place.

[0010]

In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides, in claim 1, an image carrier for carrying a toner image formed by an electrophotographic method, and the image carrier. An intermediate transfer member that rotates in contact with the body, a primary transfer device that transfers a toner image from the image carrier to the intermediate transfer member multiple times, and a plurality of layers from the intermediate transfer member to the transfer target Secondary transfer device for collectively transferring the toner images of the above, and a toner collecting and holding device installed downstream of the secondary transfer device and upstream of the primary transfer device and operated after the operation of the secondary transfer device. A toner returning device arranged near the toner collecting and holding device for returning the waste toner collected by the toner collecting and holding device to the intermediate transfer member during a non-image forming period during non-continuous output; The toner to be ejected is collected and used as the residual toner of the primary transfer device. A collecting device for collecting the, the toner collection holding device and the toner return device a configuration comprising a controller for controlling, based on the operation timing of the secondary transfer device.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, an image carrier for carrying a toner image formed by an electrophotographic method, an intermediate transfer member which is in contact with the image carrier for rotation, and a toner image are provided. A primary transfer device that transfers from the image carrier to the intermediate transfer member multiple times, a primary recovery container that recovers and stores the residual toner after the transfer to the intermediate transfer member, and a transfer target member from the intermediate transfer member. And a secondary transfer device that collectively transfers toner images of a plurality of layers, and a residual toner of the secondary transfer device that is installed on the downstream side of the secondary transfer device so as to be in contact with and separated from the upstream side of the primary transfer device. A toner collecting / holding and returning device that collects toner on the intermediate transfer member and returns the collected residual toner to the intermediate transfer member during a non-image forming period during non-continuous output, and collects the toner output by the toner collecting and holding device. A collecting device for collecting the toner remaining in the transfer device and the toner collecting and holding Configured to comprising a controller for controlling the to device.

[0012]

Embodiments of the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 shows a color image forming apparatus which is an embodiment of the present invention. In this image forming apparatus, the photosensitive belt 1 as an image carrier rotates clockwise in FIG. 1, and is first charged to a predetermined surface potential by the charging roller 20. Then, the laser writing device 21 forms an electrostatic latent image on the photoconductor belt 1 which is a partial image of high and low surface potentials. Here, as the exposure image by the laser writing device 21, an image pattern in which a full-color image is color-separated into yellow, magenta, cyan, and black is used. This electrostatic latent image consists of yellow, magenta, cyan,
Developers 22, 23, 2 respectively containing black developer
A rotary developing device having Nos. 4 and 25 sequentially develops each color to visualize the image.

Next, the intermediate transfer belt 2 as an intermediate transfer member comes into contact with the photosensitive belt 1 and rotates counterclockwise,
By the bias roller 3 as a primary transfer device, the toner images of respective colors are sequentially transferred (primary transfer) from the photosensitive belt 1 to the intermediate transfer belt 2, and are superposed. Here, the toner images of respective colors are transferred four times in the order of black, cyan, magenta, and yellow depending on the order of development by the developing device.

The full-color toner image superposed on the intermediate transfer belt 2 is fed from a paper feed table 26 to a paper feed roller 27.
Then, it is transferred (secondary transfer) from the intermediate transfer belt 2 onto the transfer paper P conveyed through the registration rollers 28 by the transfer roller 5 as a secondary transfer device. After the secondary transfer is completed, the secondary transfer toner image is fixed on the transfer paper P by the fixing device 29 and is output as a full-color image. The secondary transfer device 5 is composed of a transfer roller in the illustrated example, but may be a transfer charger.

After the primary transfer, the transfer belt residual toner is removed from the photosensitive belt 1 (details will be described later), and the charge is removed by a charge removing lamp 35 as a charge remover, and then the above-described image forming process is repeated. In addition, the intermediate transfer belt 2 after the secondary transfer
Also, after the transfer residual toner is removed as described below, the above-described image forming process is repeated.

Although the image carrier 1 in this embodiment is composed of a photosensitive belt in the illustrated example, it may be a photosensitive drum. Further, the intermediate transfer member 2 has a volume resistivity of 10 ⁸ to
It is composed of a sheet belt of 10 ¹² Ω · cm, and its material is made of rubber or plastic in which conductive particles are dispersed in PFA, PTFE, ETFE, PC or the like, or the material itself has ionic conductivity. Further, although the primary transfer device 3 in this embodiment is a bias roller in the illustrated example, a corotron charger or a scorotron charger may be used.

As shown in FIG. 2, the primary transfer residual toner collecting device 4 collects the primary transfer residual toner on the image carrier 1 and the secondary transfer residual toner on the intermediate transfer member 2. A second collecting member (separate collecting member) 42 for collecting toner;
It is composed of a collection container 43. Here, the primary recovery member 41 and the recovery container are configured to be removable from the apparatus main body so that they can be replaced when the cleaning performance is deteriorated and when the recovered toner is full, and are integrated in the illustrated example, It may be a divided structure.
The separate collection member 42 is configured to be able to come into contact with and separate from the intermediate transfer body 2.

In FIG. 2, the flow of the residual toner is shown by the one-dot chain line T1,
Shown as T2. T1 indicates the flow until the secondary transfer residual toner is collected and held by the toner collecting and holding device 6 during the secondary transfer (final stage of image formation). T2 indicates a flow when the toner collected and held in the toner collecting and holding device 6 is returned from the toner transfer device 7 to the intermediate transfer body 2 during non-image formation. The thin broken line in FIG. 2 indicates the transmission of the control signal of the controller 8, and the thick broken line indicates the transmission of the power of the controller 8.

The toner collecting / holding device 6 is a secondary transfer device 5.
Is installed on the upstream side of the primary transfer device 3. The restriction on the position of the toner collecting / holding device 6 is necessary for achieving both collecting and holding of the secondary transfer residual toner and image formation in the primary transfer during continuous output. The toner collecting / holding device 6 acts on the portion of the intermediate transfer member 2 on which the secondary transfer device 5 has acted, and collects and holds the residual toner remaining on the intermediate transfer member 2 as indicated by a chain line T1. To do.

The toner transfer device 7 is arranged in the vicinity (downstream side) of the toner collecting and holding device 6. The toner transfer device 7 operates during the non-image forming period while the intermediate transfer body 2 is idle, and the toner collected and held by the toner collecting and holding device 6 is transferred onto the intermediate transfer body 2 through the corridor 61. Transfer.

The controller 8 judges the presence / absence of continuous image output and whether it is during the image forming period or the non-image forming period,
The operations of the toner collecting and holding device 6 and the toner transfer device 7 are controlled. The apparatus of this embodiment operates as a system only when outputting continuous images. That is, in the apparatus of this embodiment, the secondary transfer residual toner is temporarily stored (held) in the toner collecting and holding device 6 during image formation during continuous image output, and by the toner transfer device 7 during non-image formation. The toner held in the toner collecting and holding device 6 is transferred onto the intermediate transfer body 2, and the residual toner transferred onto the intermediate transfer body 2 is finally collected by the separate collecting member 42 of the primary collecting device 4. Together with the primary transfer residual toner from the image carrier 1, the toner is collected and collected in the collecting container 43. Therefore, according to this apparatus, since the primary transfer residual toner and the secondary transfer residual toner are finally collectively collected in one recovery container 43, the waste toner disposal operation is performed by one recovery container 43. All you have to do is replace it. In addition, since it is possible to collect the secondary transfer residual toner without interrupting the image forming operation of the apparatus, the start of the next image forming operation is interrupted in order to collect the secondary transfer residual toner. You can eliminate the loss of time.

Next, FIG. 3 shows an example in which the toner collecting / holding device 6 and the toner transferring device 7 are integrated to form a toner collecting / holding / returning device 10, and the toner inlet / outlet is unified. As described above, by constructing the toner collecting / holding / returning device 10 by integrating the toner collecting / holding device 6 and the toner transfer device 7, the device can be made compact and its installation becomes easy. In the illustrated toner collecting / holding / returning device 10, a fur brush roller is used as a toner collecting / returning unit, but this unit may be configured by combining a semiconductor roller, a blade, or the like.

In FIG. 3, the controller 8 outputs two control signals for controlling contact / separation of the toner collecting / holding / returning device 10 and controlling the toner transfer direction. Here, the control of the toner transfer direction is performed by controlling the polarity (positive / negative) of the bias applied to the fur brush roller 100 and the conductive member 101 of the toner collecting / holding / returning device 10, as shown in FIG.
It is performed by switching. Further, the contact / separation control of the toner collecting / holding / returning device 10 with respect to the intermediate transfer member 2 is performed as follows.
As shown in FIG. 5, a contact / separation mechanism 1 rotated by a motor M
The cam 104a of No. 04 moves the conductive case 106 of the toner collecting / holding / returning device 10 up and down.

The toner collecting / holding / returning device 10 in this embodiment is arranged so as to correspond to the end of the suspension roller 2a for suspending the intermediate transfer member 2, as shown in FIG. This is because the suspension roller 2a is used as a counter electrode of the intermediate transfer body (intermediate transfer belt) 2. Here, when the resistance of the intermediate transfer belt 2 is equal to or lower than the medium resistance, the potential of the intermediate transfer belt 2 is also changed to GND, and therefore the position where the toner collecting / holding / returning device 10 is arranged is not limited to the above position.

Further, the toner collecting / holding / returning device 10 in this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4 and FIG. 5, makes contact with the fur brush roller 100 and the fur brush roller 100 arranged so as to face the intermediate transfer member 2. The arranged conductive member 101, the fur brush roller 100, and the conductive member 1
01 is rotatably rotatably supported, a conductive case 106 surrounding the fur brush roller 100 and the conductive member 101, and the fur brush roller 100 and the conductive member 101 are intermediately transferred together with the conductive case 106. A contact / separation mechanism 104 including a motor M, a cam 104a, and a one-way half-rotation clutch 104b for contacting and separating with respect to the body 2,
A gear train including a fur brush roller gear 109, an idler gear 110, and a conductive member gear 111 for rotating the fur brush roller 100 and the conductive member 101 arranged on the side of the conductive case 106, and a fur brush roller of this gear train. A fur brush roller driving gear 105 that meshes with the gear 109 to drive the fur brush roller 100 and the conductive member 101 to rotate, and the fur brush roller 100.
A power supply 10 for applying a transfer electric field between the intermediate transfer body 2 and the intermediate transfer body 2, and between the fur brush roller 100 and the conductive member 101.
7 and the conductive terminal 108 of the power source 107. Here, FIG. 4 mainly shows an electrical configuration related to the control of the toner transfer direction of the toner collecting / holding / returning device 10, and FIG. 5 shows a mechanical structure related to the contact / separation control of the toner collecting / holding / returning device 10. It shows a simple configuration.

The fur brush roller 100 is formed in the same manner as that used in a general cleaning device, and when the toner collecting / holding / returning device 10 is in contact with the intermediate transfer member 2 (during contact operation, The tip of the brush is configured to closely trace on the intermediate transfer body 2.
The conductive member 101 may have a shape other than the hexagonal shape shown in the figure as long as it has a shape in which corners are formed with an equal radius. The non-conductive bearing 102 insulates and supports the above-mentioned rollers with respect to the conductive case 106. The conductive terminal 108 has its base end insulated and fixed to the conductive case 106, and has its free end electrically connected (contacted) with the fur brush roller 100 and the conductive member 101.

Here, the conductive terminal 108 is disposed on the apparatus main body side separated from the toner collecting / holding / returning device 10, and its free end has the free end only during the contact operation of the toner collecting / holding / returning device 10. The conductive member 101 may be electrically connected. With this configuration, since the conductive terminal 108 is separated from the toner recovery / holding / returning device 10, the toner recovery / retaining / returning device 10 can be made more compact, and the toner recovery / retention / returning device 10 can be operated during the contact operation. Since only the bias is applied, no unnecessary current is generated in the power supply 107.

In the illustrated example, the contacting / separating mechanism 104 operates the cam 104a with a one-way half-rotation clutch 104b or a latch, but the cam 104a may be rotated using a latch solenoid, for example. It suffices if the recovery / holding / returning device 10 can be held at the contact position and the separation position at appropriate times. The contact / separation direction of the toner collecting / holding / returning device 10 is
It is set by a guide (not shown) vertically arranged on the apparatus body.

The fur brush roller drive gear 105 is rotated by the drive of the motor M, and is meshed with the fur brush roller gear 109 while the toner collecting / holding / returning device 10 is raised to the contact position by the contact / separation mechanism 104, and the fur brush roller gear 109 is engaged. The brush roller 100 is rotated in a direction opposite to the rotation direction of the intermediate transfer body 2. Further, the driving force of the fur brush roller drive gear 105 is the fur brush roller gear 109.
And the conductive member gear 11 via the idler gear 110.
1 and causes the conductive member 101 to rotate in a direction opposite to the rotation direction of the fur brush roller 100. here,
Since the fur brush roller 100 is driven with a relatively high load, its drive system is located upstream of the gear train. The speed ratio of the fur brush roller 100 may be configured to be changed between the time of collecting the toner and the time of returning the toner, so that the efficiency of collecting the toner and the efficiency of returning the toner may be increased.

The power supply 107 outputs its outputs V1, V2, V3.
Although the polarity of (V3 is GND) is switched by the relay inside the power supply, these outputs V1, V2, V3 may be created by their own power supplies.

By the way, in an image forming apparatus such as a laser printer in recent years, an OPC is usually provided on a photoconductor (image carrier).
However, since the negative-positive is used in the developing method, the toner is generally charged to the (-) polarity. Also, this toner
Usually, since it is a high-resistance toner (volume low efficiency is 10 ¹¹ Ωcm or more), the (−) charge is held for a long time. Therefore,
To switch between the toner collecting and holding operation and the toner returning operation by the bias, when toner collecting and holding; V1>V2> V3 (= GND), when toner returning; V1 <V2 <V3 (= GND), Good. Here, the potential of the intermediate transfer member 2 is set to G
Assuming ND, the potential difference between the intermediate transfer body 2 and the fur brush roller 100 is V2: GND. It should be noted that the method of applying the voltage by the power supply 107 shown in the figure is for generating a potential (potential difference), and of course is only an example.

Next, the operation of the toner collecting / holding / holding device 10 will be described with reference to FIGS. 6 to 8. The toner collecting / holding / retaining / holding device 10 is operated by a central processing unit, a storage device, and an input / output device in the controller 8 (all not shown). Since the toner collecting / holding / returning device 10 of the present embodiment is not operated except during the continuous output of a large number of sheets (during continuous image formation), first, the one sheet output or the continuous output of a few sheets is printed out to the controller 8. The time interval when the command arrives is measured, or it is judged in advance by the command of the selection signal from the host computer (not shown). Here, the former is a device having a function of continuing the output when the next image forming signal arrives before the end of image formation, and the latter is a device having a function of instructing output of multiple pages to the controller. Since all of these functions are well known, the flow up to the determination of continuous output of a large number of sheets is omitted in FIG.

In FIG. 6, if one sheet is output, the residual toner after the secondary transfer is collected by contacting / separating the separate collecting member 42. Therefore, the toner collecting / holding / holding device 10 is not used. On the other hand, if multiple sheets are continuously output, it is determined whether or not the output at that time is the output of the last sheet. This determination can be confirmed by measuring whether the time interval at the time of arrival of the print output command is less than or equal to a set value, as in the case of determining whether or not a large number of sheets are continuously output. In addition, when a large number of sheets continuous output command is previously input to the controller, it may be determined by a counter inside the controller.

If the sheet is not the last one, the toner collecting / holding / returning device 10 is brought into contact with the intermediate transfer body 2 and the bias at the time of the toner collecting described above is applied to remove the residual toner on the intermediate transfer body 2. After the primary recovery, the toner recovery / holding / returning device 10 is separated from the intermediate transfer member 2. Then, before the start of the next image formation, the determination as to whether or not the image is the last one is repeated. In this way, if it is determined that the toner has become the last sheet, there is no need to use the toner collecting / holding / returning device 10, and the separate collecting member 42 is brought into contact to collect the residual toner after the secondary transfer. Then, in this state, subsequently, the toner collecting / holding / returning device 10 is brought into contact with the intermediate transfer member 2, and the bias thereof is switched to the bias at the time of returning the toner and applied.

As a result, the toner collecting / holding / returning device 10
The waste toner temporarily collected and held therein is returned to the intermediate transfer body 2, and the waste toner returned to the intermediate transfer body 2 is collected in the collection container 43 through the separate collection member 42. . After that, when a predetermined time elapses, it is determined that the cleaning is completed, the bias application is stopped, and the toner collecting / holding / returning device 10 and the separate collecting member 42 are separated from the intermediate transfer body 2.

Next, the resistance range of the fur brush roller 100 will be examined. In a high resistance fur brush roller, if toner adheres during collection, the tip potential of the brush rises and the actual transfer electric field becomes low, so the cleaning efficiency thereof tends to decrease. This is due to charge-up due to toner adhesion to the brush, and occurs because the resistance of the brush is too high. On the other hand, in a low resistance fur brush roller, deterioration of the intermediate transfer body (intermediate transfer belt) 2 and the conductive member 101 is accelerated. Further, in this case, the charge polarity of the collected toner changes. It is considered that this is because the physical properties of the material of the intermediate transfer belt are changed and the charge is injected into the toner due to excessive current flow due to low resistance. Therefore, the range of the resistance value of the fur brush roller that does not change the toner recovery rate and the charging polarity is 10 ⁶ to 10 ¹⁰ Ω when contacting. The final transfer efficiency is also improved in this resistance region.

By the way, as is apparent from FIGS. 7 and 8, it is understood that the timing at which the toner collecting / holding / returning device 10 in the present embodiment comes into contact with the intermediate transfer member 2 is the operation of the secondary transfer device 5. . Therefore, the toner collecting / holding / returning device 10 and the secondary transfer device 5 can be integrated with each other, and the mechanism can be simplified by substantially integrating them. FIG. 9 shows the toner collecting / holding / returning device 10 and the secondary transfer device 5 in a conductive case 12.
An example in which they are substantially integrated via 0 and share their respective contact / separation drive mechanisms is shown. Here, the bold broken line indicates the transmission of the power of the motor M. Note that in the case of this configuration, the operation of the toner collecting / holding / returning device 10 at the time of outputting one sheet of FIG. 7 and at the last one of FIG. 8 cannot be omitted, so that the operation time is slightly extended. Since this operation timing is after the image formation, there is no particular problem.

Next, a method of increasing the amount of collected toner held by the toner collecting and holding / returning device 10 in order to improve (increase) the continuous image forming time of the image forming apparatus will be considered. However, it is unsatisfactory to simply increase the toner holding capacity of the toner collecting and holding case (conductive case) of the toner collecting and holding and returning device 10 as this method.
That is, in this method, the electric field force is less likely to act on the toner held at the bottom of the conductive case, and the toner at the bottom becomes dead toner that cannot be returned to the intermediate transfer body 2. Therefore, in this method, due to the generation of such dead toner, the volume of the conductive case is eventually wasted, and the load on the contact / separation mechanism is correspondingly increased. Therefore, as shown in FIGS. 10 to 12, the direction of the conductive case 130 of the toner collecting / holding / returning device 10 is changed between when the toner is collected and when it is returned, and the toner collecting / holding amount of the conductive case 130 is changed. To increase. That is, when the toner is collected and held, as shown in FIG.
As shown in (b), the conductive case 130 is oriented vertically. By doing this, the collected toner is
Due to its own weight, it is naturally deposited from the bottom side of the conductive case 130, and more toner is collected and held without disturbing the subsequent collection of toner. Next, at the time of returning the toner, FIG.
As shown in, the direction of the conductive case 130 is displaced to a substantially horizontal posture. In this way, the conductive case 13
The toner collected and held on the bottom side of 0 collapses along the slope portion 133 of the conductive case 130 and falls on the conductive member 101, so that the toner is efficiently returned toward the intermediate transfer body 2.

In order to realize the displacement operation of the conductive case 130 as described above, a rack 131 is formed on the side wall of the conductive case 130 as shown in FIG. The case rotation drive gear 132 may be meshed with each other, and the case rotation drive gear 132 may be normally and reversely rotated within a predetermined range. The conductive case 13
By setting the rotation angle of 0 larger, the toner recovery rate can be easily improved.

However, when the conductive case 130 is arranged to be displaced in the direction as described above, the displacement rotation of the conductive case 130 may cause the end of the toner recovery port to contact the intermediate transfer member 2. If the toner recovery port is made of a hard material, there is a risk of damaging the surface of the intermediate transfer member 2 due to the contact thereof. This problem occurs when the layout of the toner recovery port of the conductive case 130 is designed and the end of the toner recovery port and the intermediate transfer member 2 are designed.
This can be avoided by providing a sufficient gap between the conductive case 130 and the toner. However, since the toner recovery port is greatly increased in this way, as shown in FIG. 12C, the direction of the conductive case 130 is substantially horizontal. When the toner is displaced to any posture, toner scattering easily occurs from the toner recovery port. Therefore,
In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 10, an elastic material having conductivity (here, a conductive film 134) is configured to cover the toner recovery port, and damage of the intermediate transfer body 2 due to the contact thereof is caused. Also, toner scattering from the toner recovery port is avoided. The conductive film 134 is installed on the conductive case 130 while maintaining conductivity with a conductive tape or the like.

On the other hand, in order to efficiently pull up the collected and held toner accumulated on the bottom of the conductive case 130 to the conductive member 101 side, the conductive case 130 and the conductive member 101 are not used. A stronger electric field may be applied between and. However, if this electric field is too strong, a problem occurs that spark discharge occurs in a portion where the gap between the conductive case 130 and the conductive member 101 is short. Therefore, in this example, as shown in FIG. 13, the conductive case 130 is divided into an upper case 136 in which a toner recovery port is formed and a lower case 137 in which the recovered toner is accumulated, and the lower part thereof is divided into two parts. The case 137 is configured to have a larger transition electric field than the upper case 136. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 13, predetermined voltages V1, V2, V3, V4 are generated by resistance voltage division at the power source.
(V1>V2>V3> V4 = GND), V4 is applied to the lower case 137, and V is applied to the conductive member 101.
1 is applied and V3 is applied to the upper case 136 so that a strong electric field is generated only on the lower case 137 side of the conductive case 130. As a result, the capacity of the conductive case 130 can be increased without any problem, and the toner returning efficiency can be improved.

By the way, since fine powder such as toner easily adheres to the inner wall of the conductive case 130 due to electrostatic force, it is originally better to have a strong transfer electric field in addition to the bottom of the conductive case 130. It is preferable for strengthening the power. Therefore, as shown in FIGS. 14 and 15, the concave-convex groove 1 is formed on the inner wall of the conductive case 140 as the toner collecting container.
41 is formed. In this conductive case 140, as shown in FIG.
As shown in, the electric field concentration points 142 are formed by the respective corners of the concave and convex groove 141 on the inner wall thereof, and a stronger transfer force acts, so that the transfer force of the toner is strengthened. Here, the uneven groove 141
The shape of is meaningless if it is smooth, and it is preferable to form a rectangular groove as shown in FIG. Since such a conductive case 140 is generally formed by molding, the uneven groove 141 can be easily integrally formed by providing a square groove that is easy to draw in the molding direction. Since the electric field does not work on the toner filled in the groove of the concave-convex groove 141 of the conductive case 140, this toner becomes dead toner. Therefore, in the conductive case 140, it is desirable that the groove of the concave-convex groove 141 is formed as shallow as possible to reduce the generation amount of dead toner. Further, here, the example in which the electric field concentration point 142 is formed by the concave-convex groove 141 is shown, but the electric field concentration point 142 may be formed by a hole (dimple) having an acute edge.

On the other hand, as a method for reducing the toner adhesion to the inner wall of the case as described above, the conductive case is vibrated to
The toner attached to the inner wall of the case may be separated by vibration. Here, as a means for vibrating the conductive case, as shown in FIG. 16, as a cam of the contact / separation mechanism 104, a contact / separation cam 144 in which irregularities 143 are formed on the periphery is formed.
The conductive case is vibrated by intermittent sliding of the unevenness 143 of the contact / separation cam 144 and the conductive case during the contact / separation operation of the toner collecting / holding / returning device 10. As a result, the toner attached to the inner wall of the case is separated by the vibration of the conductive case. As another means for vibrating the conductive case, as shown in FIG. 17, a protrusion 146 extending into the rotation path of the conductive member 101 is provided on a part of the inner wall of the conductive case 145. , Conductive member 101
The conductive case 145 is vibrated by the engagement and disengagement of the conductive member 101 and the protrusion 146 accompanying the rotation of the. As a result, the toner adhering to the inner wall of the case does not adhere to the conductive case 14.
It is shaken off by the vibration of 5.

When the continuous image output operation is executed for a long period of time, the toner collected in the toner collecting / holding / returning device 10 may cause blocking (aggregation) in the conductive case 106. Such aggregated toner tends to be dominated by gravity rather than electrostatic force, which causes a reduction in return efficiency when returning toner.
In the toner collecting and holding / returning device 10, it is necessary to reduce blocking of the collected toner in the conductive case 106 as much as possible. An agitator used in a developing device is known as a means for preventing this type of toner blocking. In a normal developing device, the agitator is configured to agitate substantially the entire bottom and upper layers of the contained toner to prevent toner blocking. Then, the lighter toner in the upper layer of the collected toner moves toward the conductive member 101 and is agitated at appropriate time.
It is possible to effectively prevent the blocking of the collected toner by stirring only the relatively heavy toner settled at the bottom of the toner. Therefore, in the present example, as shown in FIG. 18, an agitator 150 configured to agitate the toner collected at the bottom of the conductive case 106 is disposed, and power is obtained from the shaft of the idler gear 110 described above. By reciprocating the agitator 150, the conductive case 1
The relatively heavy toner that settled to the bottom of 06 is agitated to prevent blocking of this toner. This agitator 1
As shown in FIG. 19, 50 can be realized by a simple structure using a wire or the like as a material. Also, this agitator 15
In addition to preventing toner blocking, 0 can directly apply a shearing force to the toner adhered to the bottom inner wall of the conductive case 106, so that toner adhesion to the bottom inner wall of the conductive case 106 can also be prevented.

When the above-mentioned vibration operation of the conductive case is performed during the image forming operation, the vibration due to this vibration is transmitted to other image forming means, which adversely affects the image formation. Also,
If this vibration is performed during toner collection, the collected toner may scatter due to the vibration. Therefore, in the present example, the above-described vibration operation of the conductive case is not performed during the image forming operation and the toner collecting operation of the toner collecting and holding / returning device 10.

On the other hand, as a method for reducing the toner adhesion force itself to the inner wall of the conductive case and the conductive member, FIG.
As shown in, the outer periphery of the conductive member 101 and the inner wall of the conductive case 106 are coated with a material having a large contact angle (for example, Teflon (trade name) 160). This allows
The toner adhesion force to the inner wall of the conductive case 106 and the conductive member 101 can be drastically reduced, and the recovery efficiency of the recovered toner is improved. Here, Teflon 16 in this example
In No. 0, conductivity is imparted by dispersing conductive particles. The toner adhesion force described above is explained as van der Waals force.

Next, the toner collecting / holding / returning device 10 described above.
The processing of the waste toner returned from the non-image formation will be described. In the image forming apparatus shown in FIG. 2, the toner returned to the intermediate transfer body 2 by the toner collecting / holding / returning device 10 is
Another recovery member 42 arranged vertically above the primary recovery device 4.
Are collected in the collection container 43. The separate collection member 42 uses the contacting / separating power of the contacting / separating mechanism 104 of the toner collecting / holding / returning device 10 as it is, and the intermediate transfer body 2 is used.
It is configured to approach and separate from. The movement of the waste toner returned to the intermediate transfer member 2 by the toner collecting / holding / returning device 10 is represented by a one-dot chain line T2 in FIG. The movement of the waste toner from the separate collection member 42 to the collection container 43 is performed by free fall of the waste toner due to its own weight. Therefore, in this example, a complicated toner conveying mechanism for moving the waste toner from the separate collecting member 42 to the collecting container 43 is unnecessary,
Further, the contact / separation mechanism of the separate recovery member 42 is also simplified, and the waste toner can be reliably recovered.

FIG. 21 shows an example in which the contacting / separating mechanism 104 of the toner collecting / holding / returning device 10 is used to form the contacting / separating mechanism of the separate collecting member 42 with respect to the intermediate transfer member 2. As is clear from this example, a special contact / separation mechanism is not required for this separate collection member 42, so that the contact / separation system can be simplified.

In FIG. 22, the waste toner returned from the toner collecting / holding / returning device 10 to the intermediate transfer body 2 during non-image formation is transferred from the intermediate transfer body 2 onto the image carrier 1 by the reverse bias transfer electric field. An example is shown in which the waste toner transferred onto the image carrier 1 is collected in the collection container 43 by the primary collection member 41 of the primary collection device 4. In this toner collecting method, in order to transfer the waste toner from the intermediate transfer body 2 onto the image carrier 1, the polarity of the bias transfer electric field to the intermediate transfer body 2 by the primary transfer device 3 is reversed. Therefore, this toner recovery method requires the power supply 160 capable of switching between positive and negative for reversing the polarity of the transfer bias of the primary transfer device 3. According to this example, since the separate collection member 42 described above is unnecessary, the number of parts around the intermediate transfer body 2 can be reduced, and the apparatus can be configured compactly. FIG. 23 shows a control sequence during continuous output of a large number of sheets in this example. In the control flow of this example and the sequence for outputting one sheet, the contact / separation operation control of the separate collection member 42 described above may be replaced with the polarity reversal control of the transfer bias of the primary transfer device 3, and therefore the illustration and description thereof will be given. Is omitted.

By the way, when the amount of collected waste toner per image forming sheet is remarkably large, the waste toner can be collected in time only by the toner collecting means by the polarity reversal of the transfer bias of the primary transfer device 3 as shown in FIG. Disappear. Therefore, in such an image forming apparatus, the method of collecting the waste toner by the separate collecting member 42 and the method of collecting the waste toner by reversing the polarity of the transfer bias of the primary transfer device 3 are used together. , The waste toner is collected. With this configuration, for example, in a device having a significantly high image ratio such as a high-speed machine or a full-color image forming device, it is possible to prevent the generation of waste toner collection failure at the time of non-image formation due to excessive waste toner, and to carry an image. The waste toner can be more reliably collected in the collection container 43 on the body 1 side.

By the way, when the amount of toner held in the toner collecting / holding / returning device 10 is large, as soon as the toner collecting / holding / returning device 10 is brought into contact with the intermediate transfer member 2 and a returning bias is applied, a considerable amount of waste toner is intermediate. It adheres to the transfer body 2 at once. Therefore, in this case, since a large amount of waste toner adheres only to a part of the surface of the intermediate transfer body 2, when the large amount toner adhered portion of the intermediate transfer body 2 reaches the separate collection member 42, the separate collection member. There is a possibility that toner recovery failure may occur at 42. Therefore, when such a large amount of toner adhering portion of the intermediate transfer body 2 passes through the separate collecting member 42, it is desirable to temporarily enhance the toner collecting ability of the separate collecting member 42. FIG. 24 shows a blade type separate collecting member 420 configured to temporarily increase the toner collecting ability of the separate collecting member 42. This blade type recovery member 420
Then, since the pressing force of the blade 421 against the intermediate transfer member 2 is changed by the collecting member contacting / separating cam 44,
The toner collection capacity can be changed. That is, the collecting member contacting / separating cam 44 is formed with the convex portion 45 for increasing the pressing force of the blade 421, and when a large amount of toner adhering portion of the intermediate transfer body 2 passes through the separate collecting member 42, The pressing force of the blade 421 is increased by the convex portion 45. In this way, the method of increasing the pressure of the blade 421 to increase the toner collecting ability of the separate collecting member 420 increases the driving rotation load of the intermediate transfer body 2, and thus, as described above, This is performed only when the large amount of toner-attached portion 2 reaches the separate collection member 420 and is not normally used. Further, in the case of the toner collecting means by reversing the polarity of the transfer bias of the primary transfer device 3 as shown in FIG. 22, the transfer bias value of the primary transfer device 3 is changed to change the intermediate transfer member 2 to the image carrier. This problem can be relatively easily addressed by controlling the transfer amount of the waste toner transferred to the upper part.

On the other hand, as described above, the toner collecting / holding / returning device 10 is preferably constructed so as to prevent the collected toner from adhering to or agglomerating on the inner wall of the conductive case 106 as much as possible. However, in the layout of the toner collecting / holding / returning device 10, as shown in FIG. 1, since the fixing device 29 is arranged in the vicinity thereof, it is easy to absorb the residual heat of the fixing device 29 and raise the temperature, Aggregation due to toner melting easily occurs. Aggregation of toner due to such a high temperature environment is often a problem even in a normal cleaning device, and in a device that utilizes electrostatic force for toner recovery and recovery as in this example, such a high temperature environment Aggregation of the toner due to becomes a more serious problem. Therefore, in the toner collecting / holding / returning device 10 of the present example, as shown in FIG. 25, heat is radiated from the outside to the outer wall portion of the conductive case 170 near the heat source (here, the fixing device 29). Cavity 171 for blocking
To form. Here, the hollow portion 171 may be filled with a commercially available heat insulating material, or a cold air flow may be passed through the hollow portion 171 by an air flow generating means such as a blower or a fan (not shown). According to this configuration, heat radiation from the outside to the toner collecting / holding / returning device 10 can be blocked more reliably, and toner aggregation in the toner collecting / holding / returning device 10 can be further reduced.

[0053]

As described above, according to the present invention, in claim 1, since the auger mechanism is not used, space saving is achieved.
Weight reduction and high reliability can be achieved. Further, since the secondary transfer residual toner and the primary transfer residual toner can be collected together in one recovery container, it is possible to improve the time and effort for replacement and maintenance of the recovery container.

According to the second aspect, the structure of the toner collecting / holding / returning device can be made compact, and the assembling into the device main body can be facilitated.

According to the third aspect, the collecting and holding operation and the returning operation of the secondary transfer residual toner can be realized with a simple structure.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, it is possible to realize the toner collecting / holding / returning device without mounting a complicated independent drive source and without the need to pull the electric cable.

According to the present invention, since the fur brush roller in the medium resistance region is used, the charge-up decrease due to toner adhesion as seen when using the high resistance fur brush roller and the photosensitivity as seen in the low resistance fur brush roller. The deterioration of the body belt and the reverse charging of the toner can be prevented, and the toner can be continuously used for a long time.

In the sixth aspect, the mechanism can be simplified by sharing it with the contact / separation drive system of the secondary transfer device.

According to the seventh aspect, the toner recovery / holding amount can be increased and the toner can be efficiently returned when the toner is returned, and the toner recovery / holding / returning device can be used for continuous image formation for a long time.

According to the eighth aspect, the degree of sealing of the toner recovery port of the toner recovery holding / returning device can be increased, and the toner scattering from the toner recovery port can be prevented. Further, the layout design of the toner collecting / holding / returning device is facilitated.

According to the ninth aspect, a strong electric field can be applied to the bottom of the collecting container of the toner collecting and holding and returning device to give a strong returning force to the collected toner at the bottom of the collecting container, thereby reducing the dead toner in the collecting container. be able to.

According to the tenth aspect, a strong transfer electric field is applied to the toner stuck to the inner wall of the collecting container of the toner collecting / holding / returning device, and the toner adhesion to the inner wall of the collecting container can be reduced.

According to the eleventh and twelfth aspects, the toner attached to the inner wall of the collecting container of the toner collecting and holding / returning device can be separated by vibrating to reduce the toner adhesion to the inner wall of the collecting container.

According to the thirteenth aspect, the toner adhering to the inner wall of the recovery container of the toner recovery holding / returning device can be peeled off and the blocked toner can be loosened.

In the fourteenth aspect, it is possible to prevent the toner from scattering from the collecting container of the toner collecting / holding / returning device and the adverse effects on the image due to the vibration.

According to the fifteenth aspect, it is possible to reduce the toner attached to the inner wall of the recovery container of the toner recovery holding / returning device and the conductive member by the Van der Waals force.

According to the sixteenth aspect, when the return toner from the toner recovery holding / returning device is recovered, the toner is recovered in the recovery container by the weight of the toner itself, so that the toner can be reliably transported with a low cost structure.

In the seventeenth aspect, since the second collecting member can be driven to contact and separate using the same contact and separation driving source as the contact and separation mechanism of the toner collecting and holding and returning device, the contact and separation driving system of the collecting member can be simplified. .

According to the eighteenth aspect, since the return toner of the toner recovery / holding / returning device is recovered by the reverse bias to the primary transfer device, a separate recovery member and its contact / separation mechanism are not required, and the primary recovery device of the return toner can be made compact. Can be configured.

According to the nineteenth aspect, since the return toner of the toner recovery holding / returning device is recovered by using the reverse bias to the primary transfer device and the separate recovery member together, the return toner can be reliably recovered to the primary recovery device.

According to the twentieth aspect, a large amount of the returned toner at the time of starting the return of the toner recovery / holding / recovery device can be recovered by enhancing the toner recovery capability, so that the defective recovery of the returned toner of the primary recovery device can be prevented.

According to the twenty-first aspect, it is possible to prevent the temperature of the recovery container of the toner recovery / holding / recovering device from rising and prevent the toner in the recovery container from agglomerating. You can

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of an embodiment of an image forming apparatus using an intermediate transfer member of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic configuration diagram showing a toner recovery path in an image forming apparatus using the intermediate transfer member of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a schematic configuration diagram showing an operation of a toner collecting / holding / returning device in an image forming apparatus using the intermediate transfer member of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a configuration of a toner collecting / holding / returning device in an image forming apparatus using the intermediate transfer member of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a schematic side view showing a configuration of a drive system of a toner collecting / holding / returning device in an image forming apparatus using the intermediate transfer member of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing the operation of the toner collecting / holding / returning device in the image forming apparatus using the intermediate transfer member of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is an operation sequence when outputting one sheet of the toner collecting / holding / returning device in the image forming apparatus using the intermediate transfer member of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is an operation sequence of the toner collecting / holding / returning device in the image forming apparatus using the intermediate transfer member of the present invention when a large number of sheets are continuously output.

FIG. 9 is a schematic configuration diagram of another embodiment of the toner collecting / holding / returning device in the image forming apparatus using the intermediate transfer member of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing another configuration of the toner collecting / holding / returning device in the image forming apparatus using the intermediate transfer member of the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a schematic perspective view showing the configuration of another drive system of the toner collecting / holding / returning device in the image forming apparatus using the intermediate transfer member of the present invention.

FIG. 12 is a schematic operation mode diagram showing an operation of another toner collecting / holding / returning device in the image forming apparatus using the intermediate transfer member of the present invention.

FIG. 13 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing still another configuration of the toner collecting / holding / returning device in the image forming apparatus using the intermediate transfer member of the present invention.

FIG. 14 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing still another configuration of the toner collecting / holding / returning device in the image forming apparatus using the intermediate transfer member of the present invention.

FIG. 15 is a schematic partial cross-sectional view showing the operation of the toner collecting / holding / returning device shown in FIG. 14 in the image forming apparatus using the intermediate transfer member of the present invention.

FIG. 16 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing still another configuration of the toner collecting / holding / returning device in the image forming apparatus using the intermediate transfer member of the present invention.

FIG. 17 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing still another configuration of the toner collecting / holding / returning device in the image forming apparatus using the intermediate transfer member of the present invention.

FIG. 18 is a schematic sectional view showing still another configuration of the toner collecting / holding / returning device in the image forming apparatus using the intermediate transfer member of the present invention.

19 is a schematic partial perspective view showing the configuration of the toner collecting / holding / returning device shown in FIG. 18 in the image forming apparatus using the intermediate transfer member of the present invention.

FIG. 20 is a schematic partial cross-sectional view showing still another configuration of the toner collecting / holding / returning device in the image forming apparatus using the intermediate transfer member of the present invention.

FIG. 21 is a schematic configuration diagram of another embodiment of the image forming apparatus using the intermediate transfer member of the present invention.

FIG. 22 is a schematic configuration diagram of still another embodiment of the image forming apparatus using the intermediate transfer member of the present invention.

FIG. 23 is an operation sequence during continuous output of a large number of sheets in the embodiment shown in FIG. 22 of the image forming apparatus using the intermediate transfer member of the present invention.

FIG. 24 is a schematic view showing another configuration of another collecting member in the image forming apparatus using the intermediate transfer member of the present invention.

FIG. 25 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing still another configuration of the toner collecting / holding / returning device in the image forming apparatus using the intermediate transfer member of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 image carrier (photosensitive belt) 2 intermediate transfer member (intermediate transfer belt) 3 primary transfer device (bias roller) 4 primary recovery device 5 secondary transfer device (transfer roller) 6 toner recovery and holding device 7 toner transfer device ( Toner returning device) 8 Controller 10 Toner collecting / holding returning device 20 Charging roller 21 Laser writing device 22, 23, 24, 25 Developing device 26 Paper feeding table 27 Paper feeding roller 28 Registration roller 29 Fixing device 35 Static elimination lamp 41 Primary recovery member 42 Separate collection member 43 Collection container 44 Collection member contact / separation cam 45 Convex portion of cam 61 Corridor 100 Far brush roller 101 Conductive member 102 Non-conductive bearing 104 Contact / separation mechanism 105 Far brush roller drive gear 106 Conductive case 108 Conductive Terminal 109 Fur brush roller gear 110 Idler gear 11 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Conductive member gear 130 Conductive case 131 Rack 132 Case rotation drive gear 133 Slope part of case 134 Conductive film 136 Conductive case upper case 137 Conductive case lower case 140 Conductive case 141 Concavo-convex groove 142 Electric field concentration point

─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁶ Identification number Office reference number FI Technical indication location G03G 21/10 21/14 (72) Inventor Shigeo Kurotaka 1-3-3 Nakamagome, Ota-ku, Tokyo No. 6 in Ricoh Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Go Tsuyoshi 1-3-3 Nakamagome, Ota-ku, Tokyo ・ In Ricoh Co. (72) Inventor Takeshi Motohashi 1-3-6 Nakamagome, Ota-ku, Tokyo・ Ricoh Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Tomonori Yabuta 10-3 Kitamura, Tottori City, Tottori Prefecture ・ Inside Ricoh Micro Electronics Co., Ltd.

Claims (21)

[Claims] 1. An image carrier for carrying a toner image formed by an electrophotographic method, an intermediate transfer member rotatably moving in contact with the image carrier, and a toner image for a plurality of times. A primary transfer device that transfers the image carrier to an intermediate transfer member, a secondary transfer device that collectively transfers the toner images of a plurality of layers from the intermediate transfer member to the transfer target, and a downstream of the secondary transfer device. Side toner collecting and holding device that is installed upstream of the primary transfer device and is operated after the operation of the secondary transfer device, and waste toner that is arranged near the toner collecting and holding device and collected by the toner collecting and holding device. A toner returning device for returning the toner to the intermediate transfer body during a non-image forming period during non-continuous output, a collecting device for collecting the toner discharged by the toner returning device and collecting the residual toner of the primary transfer device, and the toner collecting device. A holding device and a toner returning device Electrophotographic image forming apparatus using an intermediate transfer member, characterized by comprising a controller for controlling, based on the operation timing of the transfer device. 2. An image carrier for carrying a toner image formed by an electrophotographic method, an intermediate transfer member that rotates in contact with the image carrier, facing the image carrier, and a toner image for a plurality of times. A primary transfer device for transferring from the image carrier to the intermediate transfer member, a primary recovery container for recovering and storing the residual toner after the transfer to the intermediate transfer member, and a plurality of layers of toner from the intermediate transfer member to the transfer target A secondary transfer device that collectively transfers images, and a secondary transfer device that is installed downstream of the secondary transfer device and upstream and downstream of the primary transfer device so as to be contactable and separable with the residual toner of the secondary transfer device on the intermediate transfer body. And a toner recovery holding / returning device for returning the recovery residual toner to the intermediate transfer member during the non-image forming period during non-continuous output, and the toner output from the toner recovery / retaining device for recovering the residual toner of the primary transfer device. Together with a collecting device for collecting the toner, and a controller for controlling the toner collecting and holding and returning device. Electrophotographic image forming apparatus using an intermediate transfer member, characterized by comprising a controller. 3. The toner recovery holding / returning device comprises a fur brush roller arranged facing the intermediate transfer member, a conductive member arranged in contact with the fur brush roller, the fur brush roller and the conductive member. A non-conductive bearing that rotatably supports a member, a conductive case that surrounds the fur brush roller and the conductive member, and the conductive case together with the fur brush roller and the conductive member with respect to the intermediate transfer member. A contact / separation mechanism for contacting and separating, a gear train for rotating the fur brush roller and the conductive member arranged on the side of the conductive case, and a rotation of the fur brush roller and the conductive member in mesh with the gear train. A transfer electric field is applied between the fur brush roller driving gear to be driven, the fur brush roller and the intermediate transfer member, and the fur brush roller and the conductive member. Source and be configured with an electrophotographic image forming apparatus using an intermediate transfer member according to claim 2, wherein. 4. The fur brush roller drive gear and the power source are arranged independently of the toner collecting / holding / returning device, and the fur brush roller is brought into contact with the intermediate transfer member by the contact / separation mechanism. 4. An electronic apparatus using an intermediate transfer member according to claim 3, wherein only the gear train is engaged with the fur brush roller drive gear, and the fur brush roller and the conductive member are connected to the power source. Photographic image forming apparatus. 5. The contact resistance of the fur brush roller is 10
^An electrophotographic image forming apparatus using the intermediate transfer member according to claim 3, which has a resistance of ⁶ to 10 ¹⁰ Ω. 6. The toner recovery / holding / returning device and the secondary transfer device, wherein the toner recovery / retaining / returning device and the secondary transfer device are substantially integrated with each other, and one contact / separation mechanism is shared by the intermediate transfer member. The electrophotographic image forming apparatus using the intermediate transfer member according to claim 2, wherein the electrophotographic image forming apparatus is configured to contact and separate. 7. An electronic apparatus using an intermediate transfer member according to claim 2, wherein the toner collecting / holding / returning device is vertical when the toner is collected and held, and is rotated substantially horizontally or more when the toner is returned. Photographic image forming apparatus. 8. An electronic apparatus using an intermediate transfer member according to claim 7, wherein a toner recovery port of a toner storage case for storing the recovered toner of said toner recovery / holding / recovering device is covered with a conductive elastic member. Photographic image forming apparatus. 9. An electrophotographic image forming apparatus using an intermediate transfer member according to claim 3, wherein a high electric field is applied from the inlet side to the bottom side of the toner collecting container made of the conductive case. 10. A toner collecting container comprising the conductive case is provided with irregularities or grooves on an inner wall thereof, and a high-voltage bias is applied to the toner collecting container.
An electrophotographic image forming apparatus using the described intermediate transfer member. 11. A contact portion of the contacting / separating mechanism with respect to the toner collecting / holding / returning device is provided with an uneven portion for vibrating the toner collecting / holding / returning device when the contacting / separating mechanism is operated. An electrophotographic image forming apparatus using the described intermediate transfer member. 12. An electrophotographic image forming apparatus using an intermediate transfer member according to claim 3, wherein a convex portion vibrating in contact with the conductive member is provided on a bottom portion of the conductive case. 13. An electronic apparatus using an intermediate transfer member according to claim 3, wherein an agitator for agitating the recovered toner is provided at the bottom of the toner storage portion of the toner recovery container made of the conductive case. Photographic image forming apparatus. 14. An electronic device using an intermediate transfer member according to claim 10, wherein the toner recovery container is controlled so as not to vibrate during an image forming period and during toner recovery. Photographic image forming apparatus. 15. The intermediate transfer member according to claim 3, wherein at least one of the surface of the conductive member and the inner wall of the conductive case is covered with a coating material made of a material having a large contact angle. An electrophotographic image forming apparatus using. 16. A primary recovery container for recovering residual toner after transfer from the image bearing member to the intermediate transfer member,
The waste toner returned to the intermediate transfer body by the toner recovery holding / returning device is recovered by a second recovery member arranged vertically above the primary recovery container so that the waste toner can be brought into contact with and separated from the intermediate transfer body. An electrophotographic image forming apparatus using the intermediate transfer member according to claim 2. 17. The second collection member uses the same contact / separation drive source as the contact / separation mechanism for contacting / separating the toner recovery / holding / returning device with respect to the intermediate transfer body, and is used for the intermediate transfer body. The electrophotographic image forming apparatus using the intermediate transfer member according to claim 16, wherein the electrophotographic image forming apparatus is contacted and separated. 18. The waste toner returned from the toner collecting / holding / returning device to the intermediate transfer member is transferred to the image carrier by applying an electric field in a direction different from that at the time of image formation to the primary transfer device, The electrophotographic image forming apparatus using the intermediate transfer member according to claim 2, wherein the electrophotographic image forming apparatus collects the primary transfer container. 19. The second toner according to claim 16, wherein the waste toner returned from the toner collecting / holding / returning device to the intermediate transfer member is used.
An electrophotographic image forming apparatus using an intermediate transfer member according to claim 2, wherein the recovery member and the primary recovery container according to claim 18 are used for recovery. 20. The second collecting member according to claim 16, or the portion according to claim 18, for a portion where the toner from the toner collecting / holding / returning device starts to be returned onto the intermediate transfer body.
An electrophotographic image forming apparatus using an intermediate transfer member according to claim 3, wherein the toner collecting power of the primary collecting container is increased. 21. The intermediate transfer member according to claim 1, wherein a cavity for disposing a heat insulating material is provided in a part of a recovery case for recovering the waste toner of the toner recovery and holding device. An electrophotographic image forming apparatus using.