JP3700842B2 - Residual toner recovery device for image forming machine - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a residual toner collecting apparatus that removes residual toner adhering to a peripheral surface of a photoreceptor in an image forming machine such as a printer, a copying machine, and a facsimile machine, and collects the removed residual toner.
[0002]
[Prior art]
In an image forming machine using an electrostatic latent image, such as a printer, a copying machine, or a facsimile machine, an electrostatic latent image is formed on a photosensitive member, and the electrostatic latent image is visualized as a toner image by a toner developing device. Thereafter, the toner image is transferred onto a recording paper and fixed to obtain a target recorded matter. In this case, about 2% of the toner supplied from the developing device onto the photoreceptor remains as residual toner, and this residual toner is removed by the cleaning mechanism and collected by the residual toner collecting device.
[0003]
The residual toner recovery device includes a toner recovery container that is attached to a cleaning mechanism that removes residual toner adhering to the photosensitive member and that stores residual toner transported through a toner transport pipe. However, in the case where the cleaning mechanism, the toner transport pipe and the photosensitive member are integrated as a unit, the unit can be detached from the apparatus main body during maintenance or replacement of parts. Accordingly, the toner conveying pipe constituting the residual toner collecting device is also detachable from the toner collecting container. For this reason, when the unit is extracted from the apparatus housing, that is, in a state where the toner transport pipe is extracted from the toner recovery container, it is necessary to prevent the toner from scattering from the toner outlet, and various countermeasures have been proposed. It is disclosed in JP-A-62-163085.
[0004]
A conventionally proposed residual toner collecting device has a toner transport pipe having a toner discharge port at the tip, and is fitted to the outer periphery of the tip of the toner transport pipe so as to be slidable in the axial direction. A cylindrical shutter member having an opening for opening, elastic urging means for urging the shutter member toward the front end side, and a toner recovery container for storing residual toner conveyed through the toner conveying pipe. When the toner transport pipe is pulled out of the toner collection container, the shutter member is positioned at a shielding position where the toner discharge port and the opening are not opposed by the biasing force of the elastic biasing means, and the toner transport pipe is mounted on the toner recovery container In this case, the shutter member is positioned at the opening position where the toner discharge port and the opening face each other against the urging force of the elastic urging means.
[0005]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
Thus, in the residual toner collecting device described above, the shutter member is positioned at the shielding position by the urging force of the elastic urging means in a state where the toner transport pipe is extracted from the toner collecting container, but the shutter member is elastically urged. It can move against the biasing force of the means. Therefore, when the shutter member comes into contact with a human factor or an object at the time of attachment / detachment, the shutter member moves to the opening position and the toner scatters to cause toner contamination, reducing the image quality inside the apparatus and contaminating the room outside the apparatus. There's a problem.
[0006]
The present invention has been made in view of the above-described facts, and a main technical problem thereof is an image forming apparatus in which the shutter member is configured to be unmovable from the shielding position when the toner transport pipe is pulled out of the toner recovery container. The present invention is to provide a residual toner collecting apparatus.
[0007]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to solve the above main technical problem, according to the present invention, a toner transport pipe that is attached to a cleaning mechanism that removes residual toner adhering to a photoreceptor and has a toner discharge port at a tip portion thereof, and the toner transport A cylindrical shutter member fitted in an axially slidable manner on the outer periphery of the tip of the pipe and having an opening corresponding to the toner discharge port, and an elastic biasing means for biasing the shutter member toward the tip And a toner collection container for storing the residual toner conveyed through the toner conveyance pipe, and when the toner conveyance pipe is extracted from the toner collection container, the shutter member is moved by the urging force of the elastic urging means. In a state where the toner discharge port and the opening are not opposed to each other and the toner transport pipe is mounted on the toner recovery container, the toner discharge port and the opening are resisted against the urging force of the elastic urging means. The jitter member in the residual toner collecting device configured image forming apparatus to position the mounting position where the said toner discharge port and the opening facing,
Restricting means for restricting movement of the toner conveying pipe to the front end side at the shielding position in a state where the toner conveying pipe is extracted from the toner collecting container, and the toner conveying pipe is extracted from the toner collecting container Lock means for restricting movement of the toner conveying pipe to the rear side at the shielding position in the state, and unlocking means for releasing the lock by the locking means when the toner conveying pipe is attached to the toner recovery container And comprising
A residual toner recovery device for an image forming machine is provided.
[0008]
The locking means includes a locking protrusion provided on the toner conveying pipe, a groove provided on the shutter member that allows relative movement of the locking protrusion, and a lock claw that engages with the locking protrusion. It has. The restricting means includes a locking projection provided on the toner transport pipe, a groove provided on the shutter member that allows relative movement of the locking projection, and an engagement that engages with the locking projection. It has a nail. Further, the unlocking means comprises a release rod formed integrally with the toner recovery container.
[0009]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
A preferred embodiment of a residual toner recovery device for an image forming machine constructed according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.
[0010]
FIG. 1 shows a schematic configuration of a laser beam printer as an image forming machine to which a residual toner collecting apparatus configured according to the present invention is applied.
The illustrated laser beam printer includes a photosensitive drum unit 2 that is detachably disposed in a front-rear direction (a direction perpendicular to the paper surface in FIG. 1) at a substantially central portion of a body housing (not illustrated). The photosensitive drum unit 2 includes a photosensitive drum 3 that is rotatably supported by a unit housing (not shown). The photosensitive drum unit 2 is configured integrally with a cleaning mechanism 4 described later. When the photosensitive drum unit 2 is mounted in a machine housing (not shown), the photosensitive drum 3 is connected to a transmission mechanism (not shown) and is charged in the direction indicated by the arrow, electrostatic latent image forming area, developing area, image transfer area. The cleaning area and the static elimination area are sequentially driven to rotate. Around the photosensitive drum 3, there are a charging corona discharger 5 in the charging area, a developing device 6 in the developing area, a transfer device 7 in the image transferring area, a cleaning mechanism 4 in the cleaning area, and a discharging lamp 8 in the discharging area. It is arranged. A laser unit 9 as an electrostatic latent image forming unit is disposed above the photosensitive drum unit 3. The laser unit 9 projects laser light based on image information output from a computer, for example, onto the peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum 3 in an electrostatic latent image forming area between the charging area and the developing area. The cleaning mechanism 4 may have a known configuration, and includes a cleaning case 41, a rubbing roller 42 disposed in the cleaning case 41, a cleaning blade 43, and a toner conveying screw 44.
[0011]
Next, the operation of the laser beam printer described above will be briefly described.
While the photosensitive drum 3 is rotated in the direction indicated by the arrow, the charging corona discharger 5 charges the photosensitive layer of the photosensitive drum 3 to a specific polarity. Next, laser light is projected onto the photosensitive drum 3 from the laser unit 9 in the electrostatic latent image forming area between the charging area where the charging corona discharger 5 is disposed and the developing area where the developing device 6 is disposed. Then, an electrostatic latent image corresponding to the image information is formed on the peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum 3. Thereafter, the developing device 6 causes toner to act on the electrostatic latent image on the photosensitive drum 3 to visualize the electrostatic latent image as a toner image. On the other hand, the recording paper P fed from a paper feeding device (not shown) is temporarily stopped by a pair of registration rollers (not shown), and the transfer device 7 is timed with the photosensitive drum 3 on which the toner image is formed as described above. And the photosensitive drum 3 are conveyed to an opposing image transfer area. A toner image formed on the peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum 3 by the action of the transfer device 7 is transferred to the surface of the recording paper P conveyed to the image transfer area. The recording paper P onto which the toner image has been transferred is peeled off from the photosensitive drum 3, conveyed to a fixing device (not shown), the toner image is heated and fixed, and then discharged out of the machine housing.
[0012]
The residual toner adhering to the peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum 3 after transferring the toner image from the photosensitive drum 3 to the recording paper P as described above is caused by the rubbing roller 42 and the cleaning blade 43 of the cleaning mechanism 4. It is removed and dropped into the cleaning case 41. The residual toner removed from the surface of the photosensitive drum 3 and dropped into the cleaning case 41 in this way is conveyed by a conveying screw 44 to a residual toner collecting device described later. Note that. The surface of the photosensitive drum 3 that has passed through the cleaning area is neutralized by the neutralization lamp 8 in the neutralization area.
[0013]
Next, a residual toner collecting device for collecting the residual toner removed from the peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum 3 by the cleaning mechanism 4 will be described with reference to FIGS.
The residual toner recovery device 10 in the illustrated embodiment is fitted with a toner transport pipe 11 that protrudes from the cleaning case 41 and is mounted on the outer periphery of the tip of the toner transport pipe 11 so as to be slidable in the axial direction. The cylindrical shutter member 12 is provided, and is provided between the rear end of the shutter member 12 and a spring receiver 111 provided on the toner transport pipe 11, and elastically urges the shutter member 12 toward the front end side. A compression coil spring 13 as a biasing means and a toner recovery container 15 for storing residual toner conveyed through the toner conveying pipe 11 are provided. The toner transport pipe 11 is formed of an appropriate synthetic resin, and a toner discharge port 112 is formed on the lower side thereof. The front end of the toner transport pipe 11 is provided with two locking projections 113, 113 formed to protrude in the radial direction on the upper outer periphery on the side facing the toner discharge port 112. A locking projection 114 is provided on the outer periphery of the portion so as to protrude in the radial direction. The toner transport pipe 11 is provided with the tip of the toner transport screw 44 of the cleaning mechanism 4 inserted therein.
[0014]
The cylindrical shutter member 12 fitted to the front end portion of the toner transport pipe 11 is formed of an appropriate synthetic resin, and the front end thereof is sealed with an end wall 121, and corresponds to the toner discharge port 112 on the lower side. An opening 122 is formed. On the side of the shutter member 12, a groove 123 that allows relative movement of the locking projection 114 in the axial direction is formed, and an engaging claw 124 that appropriately engages with the locking projection 114 is formed. Is provided. Note that the relationship between the locking projection 114 and the engagement claw 124 is shown in FIG. 5 when the shutter member 12 is moved to the front end side by the spring force of the compression coil spring 13 in a state where the toner transport pipe 11 is pulled out from the toner collection container 15. 3 are configured to engage with each other. At this time, the opening 122 formed on the lower side of the shutter member 12 is positioned at a shielding position that is formed on the lower side of the toner conveying pipe 11 and does not face the toner discharge port 112 as shown in FIG. Therefore, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the toner in the toner transport pipe 11 does not scatter through the toner discharge port 112 and the opening 122 when the toner transport pipe 11 is extracted from the toner collection container 15. As described above, the engaging protrusion 114 and the engaging claw 124 that engage with each other in a state in which the toner transport pipe 11 is extracted from the toner collection container 15 are provided to the front end side of the toner transport pipe 11 at the shielding position. It functions as a restricting means for restricting movement.
[0015]
In addition, a groove 125 that allows relative movement of the two locking protrusions 113 and 113 in the axial direction is formed on the upper portion of the shutter member 12, and the two locking protrusions 113 and 113 are formed. There are provided two lock claws 126 and 126 which are appropriately engaged with each other. Note that the relationship between the locking protrusions 113 and 113 and the lock claws 126 and 126 is based on the spring force of the compression coil spring 13 in a state where the toner transport pipe 11 is pulled out from the toner collection container 15 as shown in FIGS. The shutter members 12 are configured to engage with each other at the shielding position where the shutter member 12 has moved to the tip side. The engagement between the locking projections 113 and 113 and the lock claws 126 and 126 restricts the movement of the shutter member 12 to the rear side even if it comes into contact with human factors or an object. It will be. As described above, the locking protrusions 113 and 113 and the lock claws 126 and 126 that are engaged with each other in a state where the toner transport pipe 11 is extracted from the toner collection container 15 are located behind the toner transport pipe 11 at the shielding position. It functions as a lock means for restricting movement to the side. In the illustrated embodiment, the lock claws 126 and 126 are formed continuously at the rear portion (opening side) by the connection portion 127, and relative movement of the locking protrusions 113 and 113 is formed at the connection portion 127. An escape recess 128 is provided to allow the clearance. Therefore, the shutter member 12 can be easily assembled from the tip of the toner transport pipe 11.
[0016]
The toner recovery container 15 is formed of an appropriate synthetic resin, and is disposed on the inner side of the machine housing (not shown). The toner transport pipe 11 and the shutter are disposed on the wall surface facing the cleaning mechanism 4 as shown in FIG. An insertion port 151 into which the member 12 is inserted is formed. Further, on the wall surface of the toner collection container 15 facing the insertion port 151, the engagement between the two locking projections 113 and 113 and the lock claws 126 and 126, that is, the release as a lock release means for releasing the lock state. A rod 152 is integrally formed. The release rod 152 abuts against the inclined surfaces 126a and 126a of the two lock claws 126 and 126 to elastically deform the lock claws 126 and 126 in both sides to release the engagement with the locking projections 113 and 113. It has a width and is provided at a height position where it comes into contact with the upper side of the locking projections 113, 113 on the inclined surfaces 126a, 126a. As described above, in the illustrated embodiment, the locking means including the locking projections 113 and 113 and the lock claws 126 and 126 is on the side facing the toner discharge port 112 formed on the lower side of the tip of the toner transport pipe 11. Since it is arranged on the upper side, it is easy to take the arrangement space, and the release rod 152 as the lock release means can be easily provided.
[0017]
The residual toner collecting apparatus 10 in the illustrated embodiment is configured as described above, and the operation thereof will be described below.
When the photosensitive drum unit 2 is pulled out from a machine housing (not shown) for maintenance or replacement of parts, the toner transport pipe 11 and the shutter member 12 mounted on the cleaning case 41 of the cleaning mechanism 4 are also inserted into the insertion port 151 of the toner recovery container 15. Drawn from. In this state, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the shutter member 12 is moved to the distal end side by the spring force of the compression coil spring 13, and the locking projection 114 that constitutes the restricting means in the state of being positioned at the shielding position. The engaging claws 124 engage with each other, and the locking projections 113 and 113 constituting the locking means engage with the locking claws 126 and 126. As described above, the movement of the shutter member 12 to the distal end side is restricted by the restricting means while the shutter member 12 is positioned at the shielding position, and the movement is restricted to the rear side by the locking means. Therefore, since the shutter member 12 is restricted from moving backward even if it comes into contact with human factors or an object, the toner in the toner transport pipe 11 is reliably prevented from scattering through the toner discharge port 112 and the opening 122. it can.
[0018]
Next, when the photosensitive drum unit 2 is mounted on a machine housing (not shown), the toner transport pipe 11 and the shutter member 12 mounted on the cleaning case 41 of the cleaning mechanism 4 are inserted from the insertion port 151 of the toner recovery container 15. As shown in FIG. 6, the release rod 152 abuts the inclined surfaces 126a and 126a of the two lock claws 126 and 126 provided on the shutter member 12, and the two lock claws 126 and 126 are elastically deformed laterally. To release the engagement with the locking projections 113, 113. At this time, the tip of the shutter member 12 comes into contact with the inner wall surface of the toner recovery container 15. When the toner transport pipe 11 is further inserted, as shown in FIG. 7, the shutter member 12 abuts against the inner wall surface of the toner recovery container 15 so that the movement of the shutter member 12 is restricted. Advances against the spring force. As a result, the shutter member 12 has moved to the rear side relative to the toner transport pipe 11, and the opening 122 is positioned at the mounting position facing the toner discharge port 112 as shown in FIG. When the shutter member 12 is positioned at the mounting position shown in FIG. 7, the residual toner transported through the toner transport pipe 11 is discharged into the toner recovery container 15 through the toner discharge port 112 and the opening 122.
[0019]
As described above, the residual toner collecting apparatus configured according to the present invention has been described based on the embodiment applied to the laser beam printer. However, the present invention is not limited to the embodiment, and various image formation such as a copying machine and a facsimile can be performed. Can be applied to the machine.
[0020]
【The invention's effect】
In the residual toner collecting apparatus of the image forming machine according to the present invention, the shutter member fitted to the tip of the toner transport pipe is positioned at the shielding position in a state where the toner transport pipe is pulled out from the toner collecting container. Since the movement toward the front end side is restricted by the above-mentioned movement and the movement toward the rear side is restricted by the locking means, the shutter member does not move even if it comes into contact with a human factor or an object at the time of attachment / detachment. Therefore, when the shutter member is attached or detached, the shutter member moves in contact with a human factor or an object, and toner scattering occurs due to the toner discharge port provided in the toner conveyance pipe and the opening provided in the shutter member facing each other. Can be prevented.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a laser beam printer as an image forming machine to which a residual toner collecting apparatus configured according to the present invention is applied.
FIG. 2 is a side view showing a part of a residual toner collecting apparatus constructed according to the present invention in a cutaway manner.
FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a main part of the residual toner collecting apparatus shown in FIG.
4 is a cross-sectional view of the main part of the residual toner recovery device shown in FIG. 2. FIG.
5 is a plan view of an essential part of the residual toner recovery device shown in FIG. 2. FIG.
6 is a cross-sectional view showing a process of mounting the residual toner recovery device shown in FIG.
7 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the residual toner collecting device shown in FIG. 2 is mounted. FIG.
[Explanation of symbols]
2: photosensitive drum unit 3: photosensitive drum 4: cleaning mechanism 41: cleaning case 42: rubbing roller 43: cleaning blade 44: toner conveying screw 5: charging corona discharger 6: developing device 7: transfer device 8: static elimination Lamp 9: Laser unit 10: Residual toner collecting device 11: Toner transport pipe 13: Compression coil spring 111: Spring receiver 112: Toner discharge port 113: Locking protrusion 114: Locking protrusion 12: Shutter member 121: End wall 122: Opening 123: Groove 124: Engaging claw 125: Groove 126: Lock claw 127: Connection portion 128: Escape recess 13: Compression coil spring 15: Toner collection container 151: Insertion port 152: Release rod

Claims (4)

A toner transport pipe that is attached to a cleaning mechanism that removes residual toner adhering to the photoreceptor and has a toner discharge port at the tip, and is fitted to the outer periphery of the tip of the toner transport pipe so as to be slidable in the axial direction. A cylindrical shutter member having an opening corresponding to the toner discharge port, elastic urging means for urging the shutter member toward the distal end side, and toner for storing residual toner conveyed through the toner conveying pipe The shutter member is positioned at a shielding position where the toner discharge port and the opening are not opposed by the urging force of the elastic urging means in a state where the toner transport pipe is pulled out from the toner collection container. In a state where the toner transport pipe is mounted on the toner recovery container, the shutter member is mounted at a mounting position where the toner discharge port and the opening face each other against the biasing force of the elastic biasing unit. In the residual toner collecting device configured image forming apparatus to position the,
Restricting means for restricting movement of the toner conveying pipe to the front end side at the shielding position in a state where the toner conveying pipe is extracted from the toner collecting container, and the toner conveying pipe is extracted from the toner collecting container Lock means for restricting movement of the toner conveying pipe to the rear side at the shielding position in the state, and unlocking means for releasing the lock by the locking means when the toner conveying pipe is attached to the toner recovery container And comprising
A residual toner recovery device for an image forming machine.   The locking means includes a locking projection provided on the toner conveying pipe, a groove provided on the shutter member that allows relative movement of the locking projection, and a lock claw that engages with the locking projection. The residual toner recovery device for an image forming machine according to claim 1, comprising:   The restricting means includes a locking projection provided on the toner conveying pipe, a groove provided on the shutter member that allows relative movement of the locking projection, and an engagement claw that engages with the locking projection. The residual toner recovery device for an image forming machine according to claim 1, comprising:   2. The residual toner collecting device for an image forming machine according to claim 1, wherein the lock releasing means is a release rod formed integrally with the toner collecting container.

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