JP4584745B2 - Powder adhering parts cleaning method - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a powder adhering part cleaning method, a transporter, and a powder container. For example, the present invention relates to a means for transporting residual toner remaining in various members to which powder has adhered such as dry toner in an image forming apparatus. The present invention relates to a powder adhering part cleaning method, a transporter, and a powder container that can be used for cleaning using the kinetic energy of the powder.

  From the viewpoint of saving waste, used office machines, electronic devices, home appliances, etc., are reprocessed and reused once used parts. For example, in the fields of image forming apparatuses such as copying machines, facsimiles, printers, etc., in other fields as well, toner containers and toner-attached parts that are currently consumed in large quantities, and other consumable parts to which powder is attached (hereinafter, Recycling of powder-adhered parts is required by companies as a social obligation.

  Technology that consumes as little energy as possible is required in all processes during manufacturing, use, and collection. In particular, here, the cost required for collection work is reduced, and the number of parts and varieties that can be recycled is increased. We focused on improving the rate of recycled parts. The cost required for recycling is mainly due to labor costs, and due to processes such as cleaning and inspection.

The general recycling procedure is
(B) Collection from users (b) Separation at collection site (c) Transport to recycling site (ii) Disassembly at recycling site (e) Cleaning (f) inspection at recycling site to select parts that can withstand reuse (G) Parts that do not meet the requirements are sent to material recycling. (H) Assembly / toner filling (RE) The parts are transported to the sales base, etc., and transported in the processes (A) and (C) above. In order to prevent sometimes being damaged, the powder adhering parts are generally collected in a dedicated transporter or individually packed in a collection bag.

  Here, the recycling base is a factory equipped with equipment that collects the collected parts and performs processing such as cleaning, inspection, functional recovery, etc., so that it can be used by the user. Refers to a base having a function of temporarily storing powder-adhered parts collected from customers, sorting them, and transporting parts that are highly recyclable to a recycling base.

  Conventionally, when recycling powder-fouled parts contaminated with toner, the remaining toner or agent leaks and scatters from the parts due to severe vibration during transportation, and even the surfaces of the parts that were not contaminated at the time of collection are contaminated. It was. Such powder-fouling parts with contaminated surfaces can contaminate the hands of workers or scatter in the air when unpacked, so a large air cleaner or cleaning device is required at the recovery site or recycling site. , Making handling difficult.

On the other hand, as recycling-related technology,
(A) A movable tank is provided with a main tank filled with cleaning liquid, the pallet can be driven up and down in the main tank, and the carriage is moved to install a device near the part to be cleaned. A technology for carrying out cleaning by placing a component to be cleaned and driving it up and down, eliminating the need to move the component to be cleaned and to perform an independent cleaning operation (see, for example, Patent Document 1),
(B) A dissolution tank is provided inside the cargo compartment, and a device for pulverizing used polystyrene products and a device for agitating the pulverized polystyrene fragments and d-limonene liquid are incorporated in the dissolution tank, and freight transportation and recycling of the polystyrene foam are performed. A technique for performing a dissolution process for use in parallel (for example, see Patent Document 2),
(C) A carrier is used as a cleaning medium, and the carrier is moved by a magnetic field of a magnet applied from the outside of the container to be cleaned to adsorb the toner. When the toner is non-magnetic, the carrier is agitated by a magnet equipped with a swinging mechanism, both are charged by friction with the toner, the toner is adsorbed by electrostatic force, and the surface and inside of the container to be cleaned are cleaned. (For example, see Patent Document 3).

  However, in the proposed technologies according to these Patent Documents 1 to 3, there is no cleaning that actively uses vibrations and accelerations applied to the cleaning medium by means for moving and transporting the parts to be cleaned and the recycled products.

Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 6-57473 Noto 3043017 JP 2002-268383 A

The present invention is an energy cost of cleaning of the powder deposition part, to provide a powder deposition part cleaning how that can reduce the time and challenge.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention is configured as follows.
In the first aspect of the invention, “the collected powder adhering parts are separated at the collection base,
Transporting the powder adhering parts from the recovery site to a recycling site by means of transportation;
A cleaning method for cleaning the powder-adhered component during the transportation,
In the collection base,
After holding the powder-adhered part to which the powder is adhered in the transporter and injecting the cleaning medium into the transporter,
Mounting the transporter in which the cleaning medium is loaded and the powder adhering part is held on the transport means and transporting to the regeneration site;
Due to the kinetic energy given to the cleaning medium due to the vibration and acceleration changes of the transportation means itself accompanying the transportation,
Driving the cleaning medium to fluidly contact the powder adhering part;
The powder adhering part cleaning method is characterized by cleaning the powder adhering part by adsorbing the powder adhering to the powder adhering part to the cleaning medium.
According to a second aspect of the present invention, the “powder adhering part cleaning method according to the first aspect, wherein the cleaning medium is particles adsorbing the powder”, did.
According to a third aspect of the present invention, “the powder adhering part cleaning method according to the first or second aspect, wherein the transporter includes a cleaning medium flow space through which the cleaning medium can flow. The method for cleaning the body-attached parts ”.
According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the powder adhering part cleaning method according to the third aspect, the cleaning medium flow space is formed by the powder adhering part and an inner wall of the transporter. The powder adhering part cleaning method characterized by having a continuous shape surrounding.
According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the powder adhering part cleaning method according to the third or fourth aspect, the cleaning medium flow space further includes an accelerating unit that accelerates the cleaning medium. "Adhesive parts cleaning method".
According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, “in the powder adhering part cleaning method according to any of the first to fifth aspects, the transporter is fixed to the transporting means by a fixing means, or via a movable means. The powder adhering part cleaning method characterized by being supported ".
According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in the powder adhering part cleaning method according to any one of the first to sixth aspects, the transporter is housed in a transport container that houses a plurality of transporters, and the transport container is A powder adhering part cleaning method characterized by being fixed to the transport means by a fixing means or supported via a movable means " .
In addition to the above means, the following technical features are provided.
(1) A step of holding the powder-adhered part to which the powder is adhered in a transporter, a step of putting a cleaning medium in the transporter, and the transporter holding the cleaning medium and the powder-adhered part in a transporting means. A step of transporting the powder adhering to the powder adhering part by driving the cleaning medium by the kinetic energy given to the cleaning medium by the transport means during the transport. A method for cleaning a powder-adhered part, wherein the powder-adhered part is cleaned by adsorbing to a powder.
(2) A step of supplying and sealing the cleaning medium to the powder-adhered part to which the powder is adhered, a step of holding the powder-adhered part in the transporter, and the transporter holding the powder-adhered part are regenerated by a transport means. Having the step of transporting to a base, and driving the cleaning medium by the kinetic energy given to the cleaning medium by the transporting means during the transport to adsorb the powder adhering to the powder adhering part to the cleaning medium And a powder adhering part cleaning method for cleaning the powder adhering part.
(3) In the powder adhering part cleaning method according to (1), when the powder adhering part is a container-shaped powder adhering part that contains the powder, the cleaning medium is put in the powder container in advance. Then, it decided to hold | maintain to the said transporter.
(4) In the powder adhering part cleaning method according to any one of (1) to (3), the cleaning medium is particles that adsorb the powder.
(5) In the powder adhering part cleaning method according to any one of (1) to (3), the cleaning medium has a brush shape.
(6) In the powder adhering part cleaning method according to any one of (1) and (3) to (5), the transporter includes a cleaning medium flow space in which the cleaning medium can flow.
(7) In the powder adhering part cleaning method according to (6), the cleaning medium flow space is formed from the powder adhering part and an inner wall of the transporter and has a continuous shape surrounding the powder adhering part. .
(8) In the powder adhering part cleaning method according to (6) or (7), the cleaning medium flow space includes a valve having a characteristic of allowing the cleaning medium to pass in one direction.
(9) In the powder adhering part cleaning method according to any one of (6) to (8), an acceleration unit that accelerates the cleaning medium is provided in the cleaning medium flow space.
(10) In the powder adhering part cleaning method according to any one of (6) to (9), the cleaning medium flow space is configured with a corner having an obtuse angle or a curved surface having a diameter equal to or larger than the diameter of the cleaning medium. It was decided that
(11) In the powder adhering part cleaning method according to any one of (1) to (10), the powder adhering part includes a cleaning medium flow space in which the cleaning medium can flow, and the cleaning medium flow space. The corner portion has an obtuse angle or a curved surface that is equal to or larger than the diameter of the cleaning medium.
(12) In the powder adhering part cleaning method according to any one of (1), (3) to (11), the transporter has an entrance / exit for the cleaning medium, and the size thereof is at least the cleaning The particle diameter of the medium was 5 times or more and less than the maximum diameter of the powder-adhered part.
(13) In the powder adhering part cleaning method according to any one of (1) to (12), the transporter is fixed to the transporting means by a fixing means or supported via a movable means.
(14) In the powder adhering part cleaning method according to any one of (1) to (13), the transporter is housed in a transport container that houses a plurality of the transporters, and the transport container is used as the transport means. It fixed with the fixing means, or hold | maintained through the movable means.
(15) In the powder adhering part cleaning method according to any one of (1) to (14), the movable unit is a unit that supports the transporter or the transport container so as to be able to vibrate, and is a resonance member in a vibration direction. Was provided.
(16) In the powder adhering part cleaning method according to any one of (1) to (15), the movable unit can be driven by a driving unit.
(17) In the powder adhering part cleaning method according to any one of (1) to (16), the powder is used as a toner.
(18) In the powder adhering part cleaning method according to any one of (1) to (17), the powder adhering part is a toner container.
(19) In the powder adhering part cleaning method according to any one of (1) to (18), the transport device includes a recording unit that records information related to cleaning.
(20) A powder adhering part to which powder has adhered and a cleaning medium that adsorbs the powder adhering to the powder adhering part and cleans the powder adhering part is held or accommodated and transported by transportation means. It was a means and it was set as the transport device hold | maintained at a transport means.
(21) In the transport device according to (20), the transport device includes a holding unit that holds the powder-adhered component.
(22) In the transport device according to (21), the transport device includes a cleaning medium flow space in which the cleaning medium can flow.
(23) In the transport device according to (22), the cleaning medium flow space is formed by the powder adhering part and an inner wall of the transporter and has a continuous shape surrounding the powder adhering part.
(24) In the transport device according to (23), a valve having a characteristic of allowing the cleaning medium to pass in one direction is provided in the cleaning medium flow space.
(25) In the transport device according to any one of (20) to (34), an accelerating unit that accelerates the cleaning medium is provided in the cleaning medium flow space.
(26) In the transporter according to any one of (22) to (25), the cleaning medium flow space is configured by a curved surface having an obtuse angle or a diameter equal to or larger than the diameter of the cleaning medium.
(27) The transport device according to any one of (22) to (26), further including an entrance for the cleaning medium, the size of which is at least five times the particle size of the cleaning medium, and the powder adhesion It was less than the maximum diameter of the part.
(28) The transport device according to any one of (20) to (27), further comprising recording means for recording information relating to cleaning.
(29) A container as a powder adhering part that is reused after containing and using powder, and the shape of the inner corner portion is an obtuse angle or a curved surface that is larger than the diameter of the cleaning medium.
(30) A container as a powder adhering part that is reused after containing and using powder, and has a cleaning medium entrance and exit, the size of which is at least five times the particle size of the cleaning medium That is all.

In this invention, during the transportation of the powder adhering parts to be cleaned, cleaning can be performed using the kinetic energy given to the cleaning medium by the vibration and acceleration changes of the transport means itself accompanying the transport , Energy cost and time required for cleaning the powder-adhered parts can be reduced.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below.
[1] Powder and object to be cleaned The present invention is a reusable part, unit, etc., and is widely applied to remove powder adhering to it. Of the components and units of the employed image forming apparatus, those that require the removal of toner as powder at the time of recycling and recovery are exemplified.

  When the powder adhering to the cleaning object is toner, more toner can be adsorbed to the cleaning medium by selecting the cleaning medium that is charged with the opposite polarity to the electrostatic property of the toner, and the cleaning efficiency and scattering prevention effect Has the advantage of improving.

  Dry toners used for electrostatic development are powders of about 10 μm made of synthetic resin and pigment, and are roughly classified into one-component systems and two-component systems. The one-component system is a magnetic toner with magnetic properties and has a positive polarity. During development, it is magnetically attracted directly to the developing sleeve (magnet) and forms a visible image by contacting the electrostatic latent image on the photoreceptor. To do. The two-component system is a non-magnetic toner used by mixing toner and carrier. Some toners have positive and negative polarities, are charged by friction with the carrier, and contact with the electrostatic latent image to form a visible image. The carrier generally has a resin coat layer formed on the outside of iron or ferrite grains of about 70 to 300 μm.

  Here, an image device using a two-component toner is exemplified. In FIG. 1, a transfer belt device 10 having an intermediate transfer belt 11 is located at a substantially intermediate position in a box-shaped device main body 100. Four image stations ST1, ST2, ST3, and ST4 are arranged along the lower extending surface of the intermediate transfer belt 11.

  Each of these four image stations ST 1, ST 2, ST 3, ST 4 creates various toner images for forming yellow (Y), cyan (C), magenta (M), and black (Bk) toner colors. It is composed of members and has the same structure except for the color of the toner used.

  Since each image station ST1, ST2, ST3, ST4 has the same basic configuration except for the color of the toner to be handled, in FIG. The yellow image station is indicated by Y, the cyan image station is indicated by C, the magenta image station is indicated by M, and the black image station is indicated by Bk.

  In FIG. 1, the lower stretched surface of the transfer belt 11 is configured to travel rightward, and along the lower stretched surface, the leftmost image station ST1 is an image station that forms a yellow image. The body drum 20Y includes a charging device 30Y, a developing device 50Y, a cleaning device 40Y, and the like disposed around the body drum 20Y. Since the developing device 50Y contains toner and a carrier, and toner is consumed with development, the toner is replenished from a toner bottle described later.

  To the right of the image station ST1 that forms the yellow image, an image station having the same configuration as the image station ST1, that is, an image station ST2 that forms a cyan image, an image station ST3 that forms a magenta image, and an image station that forms a black image ST4 and the like are sequentially located.

  The primary transfer rollers 12Y, 12C, 12M, and 12Bk are rotated around the belt at positions inside the intermediate transfer belt 11 and facing the photosensitive drums 40Y, 40C, 40M, and 40Bk in each image station. Are arranged.

  The optical writing device 8 is positioned so as to face each of the image stations ST1 to ST4 in common. As is well known, this optical writing device 8 obtains scanning light by controlling the laser beam emitted from the laser light source with each color image information signal of Y, C, M, and Bk, and deflects this with a deflector. Thus, the light is ejected toward each of the photosensitive drums 20Y, 20M, 20C, and 20Bk.

  A toner bottle containing toner to be supplied to each of the developing devices 50Y, 50C, 50M, and 50Bk is disposed on the upper left side of the intermediate transfer belt 11. From the left in the figure, a toner bottle 60Y filled with yellow toner, a toner bottle 60C filled with cyan toner, a toner bottle 60M filled with magenta toner, 60Bk filled with black toner, and the like, a conveyance path not shown in the figure. Accordingly, the developing devices 50Y, 50C, 50M, and 50Bk for the respective colors are replenished by a predetermined replenishment amount.

  A paper feeding device 70 is disposed below the optical writing device 8. A paper feed cassette 1 containing transfer paper 2 is mounted on the paper feed device 70. The paper feeding device 70 is also provided with a paper feeding roller 3, and separates and sends out a large number of transfer sheets stored in the paper feeding cassette 1 from the top. The transfer paper that has come out of the paper feed roller 3 travels along a transport path provided upward. A pair of registration rollers 4 is arranged immediately before the secondary transfer roller 5 on the conveyance path.

  The secondary transfer roller 5 is opposed to the roller supporting the right end of the intermediate transfer belt 11 to form a secondary transfer portion, and the conveying path extends further through the secondary transfer portion, It is guided to the paper discharge unit 9 through the fixing device 6 and further through the discharge roller 7. Further, an intermediate transfer belt cleaning device 13 is disposed so as to face the roller supporting the right end of the intermediate transfer belt 11.

  In this configuration, the photosensitive drums 20Y, 20C, 20M, and 20Bk, which are uniformly charged by the charging devices 30Y, 30C, 30M, and 30Bk in advance, are exposed and scanned by the scanning light from the optical writing device 8, and each photosensitive drum. An electrostatic latent image is created on 20Y, 20C, 20M, and 20Bk.

  Each electrostatic latent image is developed with toner by the developing devices 50Y, 50C, 50M, and 50Bk for the respective colors, and yellow, cyan, magenta, and black toner images are formed on the surfaces of the photosensitive drums 20Y, 20C, 20M, and 20Bk. The

  Next, the intermediate transfer drum 11 rotates and a voltage is applied to the primary transfer rollers 12Y, 12C, 12M, and 12Bk, and the toner images on the photosensitive drums 20Y, 20C, 20M, and 20Bk are transferred onto the intermediate transfer belt 11. Sequentially overprinted.

  In this way, a color-superimposed full-color toner image is formed on the intermediate transfer belt 11 by overlapping transfer of each color, and moves to the right as the intermediate transfer belt 11 moves. On the other hand, the transfer paper 2 is fed from the paper feed cassette 1 by the paper feed roller 3 at the timing so as to meet at the secondary transfer roller section, and the secondary transfer roller 5 The intermediate transfer belt 11 is transported to a secondary transfer portion formed by a nip portion.

  The full color toner image formed on the intermediate transfer belt 11 is secondarily transferred to the transfer paper 2 at the secondary transfer portion. The transfer paper 2 onto which the full-color toner image has been transferred is conveyed to the fixing device 6 and thermally fixed, and is sent out and stacked on a paper discharge tray 9 by a discharge roller 7.

  Residual toner on the photoconductive drums 20Y, 20C, 20M, and 20Bk is cleaned by the respective cleaning devices 40Y, 40C, 40M, and 40Bk, and then the charging devices 30Y, 30C, and 30C, in which the bias of the AC component is superimposed and applied to the direct current. 30M and 30Bk are charged simultaneously with static elimination to prepare for the next image formation. The residual toner on the intermediate transfer belt 11 is cleaned by the intermediate transfer belt cleaning device 13 to prepare for the next image forming process.

  In FIG. 2, these four image stations ST1, ST2, ST3, ST4 are generalized and denoted by the symbol ST. In FIG. 2, the image station ST includes an image carrier (hereinafter referred to as a photosensitive drum) 20, and a charging device 30, a developing device 50, a cleaning device 40, and the like disposed around the image carrier. ing. The photosensitive drum 20 is disposed in proximity to the intermediate transfer belt 11.

  The developing device 50 includes a developing case 55 having an opening, a developing roller 51 disposed so as to face and oppose the surface of the photosensitive drum 20, a doctor blade 52 that regulates the developer on the developing roller 51 to a constant layer thickness, The first conveying screw 53 and the second conveying screw 54 are arranged at a position facing the developing roller 51.

  The cleaning device 40 includes a cleaning case 43 having an opening, a cleaning blade 41 for cleaning residual toner on the photosensitive drum 20, and a waste toner screw 42 for transporting the cleaned waste toner to a waste toner bottle (not shown). Etc.

  The transfer belt device 10 includes an intermediate transfer belt 11, a primary transfer roller 12 for transferring a toner image on the photosensitive drum 20 to the intermediate transfer belt 11, an intermediate transfer belt case 14 for holding these components, and the like. ing. A charging device 30 made of a charging roller is in contact with the photosensitive drum 20, and a cleaning roller 31 for cleaning the charging device 30 is in contact therewith.

  Scanning light from the optical writing device 8 is irradiated on a region on the circumferential surface of the photosensitive drum 20 between a position where the charging device 30 is in contact and a portion where the developing roller 51 is closely opposed. It has become so.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the image station ST is a powder adhering part that can be attached to and detached from the apparatus main body 100 as process cartridges 160Y, 160C, 160M, and 160Bk, as shown in FIG. When it deteriorates with time, it is replaced with a new one.

  The combination of parts to be unitized here is not limited to a unit configuration in which the photosensitive drum 20, the charging device 30, the cleaning device 40, the developing device 50, and the like are integrated, but is configured by a combination pattern of a plurality of various components. . When these units or cartridges are recycled, not only the inside of the casing but also the outside may be contaminated with toner, and both the inside and outside must be cleaned. Further, for example, when the developing roller 51 is reused as a single product, there are some that only clean the outer surface of the roller.

  The toner bottles 60Y, 60C, 60M, and 60Bk that store toner therein are powder containers as powder adhering parts, more specifically, toner containers. As shown in FIG. Image forming such as 60a with which only the toner remaining on the inside needs to be washed, or the toner adheres not only to the inside but also to the outer surface of the bottle and must be removed. It depends on the type of device.

  When the object to be cleaned is a toner container, the number and frequency of recycling are high. Therefore, it can be said that it is advantageous to apply the cleaning method according to the present invention, which can clean a plurality of parts simultaneously by being mounted on a transportation means.

[2] Cleaning Medium In FIG. 5, a powder adhering part 201 is accommodated in a transporter 200 together with a cleaning medium 80a made of particles. Hereinafter, the cleaning medium 201 is illustrated and described as a rectangular parallelepiped having a simplified shape, except for the case where a toner bottle is exemplified. As the cleaning medium 80a, for example, the aforementioned carrier can be used. Alternatively, particles made of Soda Glass having a diameter of 1 mm, or cylindrical resin having a diameter of 2.0 mm and a height of 2.0 mm made of nylon resin can be used. The arrow 202 in the left-right direction is the direction of the kinetic energy received by the cleaning medium during transportation, and the kinetic energy causes the cleaning medium 80a to flow along the powder adhering part 201 and adhere to the powder adhering part 201 as indicated by the arrow 203. Adsorbed toner. The attractive force depends on magnetic force, electrical force, van der Waals force and others.

  Also, as shown in FIG. 6, a brush-shaped cleaning medium 80b can be used as the cleaning medium. Although shown in a simplified manner in FIG. 6, the brush-shaped cleaning medium includes a weight at a core portion, and the fibers are extended vertically on the entire surface of the core. The material of the brush bristles is made of nylon, and is positively charged by friction, and adsorbs negatively charged particles as powder on the surface.

  The vibration energy by the transportation means is sufficiently large, and the brush-shaped cleaning medium moves in the cleaning medium flow space under the inertial force of the weight. A cleaning effect can be obtained by the brush rubbing the surface of the powder-adhered part and scraping off the dirt component by the pressing force generated by inertial force or gravity or both.

  Next, the particle-shaped cleaning medium 80a enables dry cleaning by rubbing against the surface of the powder-adhered component when the particles flow into contact with the powder-adhered component, and is compared with the case of rough cleaning with a cleaning liquid. Thus, there is little leakage of sewage and trouble of drying.

  Hereinafter, when it is not necessary to distinguish the cleaning medium 80a and the brush-shaped cleaning medium 80b made of the particles in terms of form, they are simply referred to as the cleaning medium 80, and are expressed in the form of particles or powder for convenience.

[3] Cleaning method using vibration during transportation (1)
This is a cleaning method for cleaning the inside and the outside when the surface part of the powder-adhered part is cleaned or the powder-adhered part is a container-shaped powder container. For example, when the powder adhering part is the process cartridge 160 described above, the entire unit of the process cartridge has a container shape, and toner adheres to the inside and the outside, and this container shape is an image forming unit. Since it has a shape with an opening that is open to the outside when it is removed from the device, a container-shaped transporter is prepared and held together with a cleaning medium, and the transporter is mounted on the transport means. In this case, the cleaning medium can be circulated and flown into and out of the container shape using the vibration during transportation.

Further, for example, when the powder adhering part is the toner bottle 60 described above, this is a powder container, and the toner is naturally adhering to the inner side, but the outer side is also contaminated with toner scattered around. There is a case. Also in this case, the cap 60a is removed and held in the container-shaped transporter together with the cleaning medium, and if the transporter is mounted on the transporting means, the cleaning medium is shaped into the container using vibration during transport. It can be washed by circulating and flowing inside and outside.
In the case of the process cartridge 160 and the toner bottle 60, if the cleaning medium is previously placed inside the container-shaped portion, it is possible to gain time for the outer cleaning medium to flow to the inside. Further, the collected toner is prevented from scattering to the outside.

When the powder adhering part is a powder container for storing powder, for example, in the case of the toner bottle 60, the cleaning medium is previously put in the interior, the cap 60a is put, and the toner bottle 60 is put in a transporter. The cleaning medium 80 is moved by the kinetic energy such as vibration applied during transportation as shown in FIG. 7 by putting the cleaning medium into the transporter or holding the toner bottle 60 in a transporter that previously stores the cleaning medium. As indicated by arrows 204 and 205, the fluid flows inside and outside the toner bottle 60 and is simultaneously washed inside and outside. When the cap 60a is used in this way, the inside and the outside are partitioned by the cap 60a, and the cleaning area of the cleaning medium is limited. Therefore, the quality of the cleaning medium depends on the degree of dirt on the inside and outside of the toner bottle 60. The amount of toner collected can be adjusted and the collected toner can be prevented from scattering to the outside. This is not limited to the toner bottle, and can be implemented by appropriately taking a sealing means.
If the cap 60a is not provided, the cleaning medium can be recirculated between the inside and the outside of the toner bottle 60 depending on the position size of the opening. Work can be unnecessary.

  On the other hand, when the powder adhering part is not a container shape, such as the developing roller 51 described above, it is sufficient to clean only the surface portion. In this, it can accommodate (hold | maintain) with a washing | cleaning medium, and can wash | clean similarly.

3.1 Basic Process The powder adhering part cleaning method of the present invention has at least the following three steps. It should be noted that the following steps 1 and 2 may be interchanged.
Step 1: A step of holding the powder-adhered part to which the powder is adhered in the transporter.

  An example of the powder is toner. Examples of the powder-adhered component 201 include a component to which toner is adhered and reused, that is, the process cartridge 160 and the toner bottle 60. The transport device 200 is a means for holding the powder-adhered part in the transport means. In this example, since the cleaning medium needs to flow around and inside and outside the powder-adhered part, the container shape surrounding the powder-adhered part is used. Use what you have done.

  Even if the powder adhering part is placed in a container-shaped transporter, it is held in the transporter. Even in such an unfixed state, the cleaning medium is driven by the vibration during the transportation during the transportation by the transportation means and flows in contact with the powder adhering part, so that the washing is performed.

  However, in such a floating state, when the powder adhering part moves through the transporter, it may collide with the wall of the transporter and be damaged. Moreover, since kinetic energy is consumed by movement, the cleaning effect may be reduced. Therefore, the powder adhering part is preferably fixed or semi-fixed (supported to be swingable or rotatable) to the transporter. When fixed or semi-fixed, the kinetic energy of the transportation means can be used more positively, the flow of the cleaning medium becomes more active, and the cleaning effect becomes remarkable.

  Step 2: The cleaning medium is put into the transporter.

  Since the cleaning medium needs to flow around the powder adhering part, the cleaning medium is put into the transporter. The step of supplying the cleaning medium to the transporter may be performed by supplying the cleaning medium to the transporter in which the powder adhering parts are accommodated (held) in Step 1 or by supplying the cleaning medium to an empty transporter. Thereafter, the powder adhering part may be held, fixed, semi-fixed, etc. in the transporter in which the cleaning medium is stored.

Step 3: A step of transporting the transporter holding the cleaning medium and the powder adhering part to the recycling base by transport means.
A transportation means is a means used for a transporter to move between processes. Specifically, for example, a large vehicle such as a truck is used for collection from a customer or transportation between factories. A belt conveyor, a lift car, etc. correspond to this.

  This process can be performed after steps 1 and 2 if the transporter is preloaded on the transport means, but the transporter is transported if the transporter is separated from the transport means. There is a “transporter mounting holding step” for loading and holding the means. When this “transporter mounting holding step” intervenes, there is no limitation on the time between Step 1, Step 2 and “Transporter mounting holding step”.

  Basically, through the above steps, the powder (toner) adhered to the powder adhering part by driving the cleaning medium by the kinetic energy given to the cleaning medium by the transport means during transportation, for example, acceleration or vibration. ) Is adsorbed to the cleaning medium, and the powder-adhered part is roughly cleaned. Accordingly, during transportation of the powder-adhered part to be cleaned, cleaning can be performed by using the kinetic energy received by the cleaning medium by the transportation means. The rough cleaning can be completed. For this reason, the reproduction | regeneration processing work time in the process after transport can be reduced. Further, since the vibration and acceleration of the transportation means are used, a device for driving the cleaning medium is unnecessary, and the energy cost and time required for cleaning the powder-adhered part can be reduced.

3.2 Cleaning process before and after execution of the basic process The present invention is implemented by the basic process described above. However, when viewed as the entire cleaning process, there are several steps before and after the basic process, supplementing the basic process. This will be described below. In FIG. 8 showing a part of the recycling process of the powder-adhered parts, the powder-adhered parts are collected at the collection site 206 before the basic process is performed. In some cases, a certain amount of powder and other contaminants remain on the collected powder-attached part. Since these can be removed relatively easily by using gravity, they are removed. In this invention, it is suitable for removing the powder still remaining on it.

  Next, after the steps 1 and 2 of the basic process are executed, the transporter 200 mounted on the transportation means 207 such as a truck is transported from the recovery base 206 to the regeneration base 208 (step 3). Here, if the transporter itself has a box shape, the transporter can be mounted on the transport means as it is, and can be loaded on a container or a loading platform as it is, or held on a rack provided in the transport means. Furthermore, it can be loaded after being placed in an appropriate shipping box. As described above, when the transporter is held in advance in the transport means, the steps 1 and 2 are performed on the transporter in the held state. In the course of transportation, powder such as toner moves from the powder adhering part to the cleaning medium and is adsorbed.

Step 4: Separation step of cleaning medium When the transport means arrives at the regeneration site 208, the transporter 200 is removed from the transport means 207. Next, as shown in FIG. 9, the transporter 200 that has been taken out is tilted so that the opening 200 a serving as the entrance and exit for the cleaning medium faces downward, the small lid 200 b that closes the opening 200 a is opened, and is indicated by an arrow 208. By applying a discharge vibration in the vertical direction to the transporter 200, the cleaning medium 80 adsorbing the toner in the transporter 200 is dropped and discharged and separated from the powder adhering part 201.

Step 5: Step of taking out toner-adhered parts FIG. 10 shows an example in which the transporter 200 is configured by a paper container. Of course, it is also possible to comprise resin other than paper containers. In this example, the transporter 200 is a paper box on a rectangular parallelepiped, and one of the six sides is a large lid 200c, 200d that opens and closes in a double-spread manner. 10A shows a state where the large lids 200c and 200d are closed, and FIG. 10B shows a state where the large lid 200c is slightly opened. When the large lids 200c and 200d are further opened, the powder adhering part opening 200e is sized so that the powder adhering part 201 can be taken in and out, so that the powder adhering part 201 is taken out from the opening 200e and provided at the recycling base 208. And put it into the equipment for the final cleaning process.

  Here, the position and size of the opening 200a, the significance of the small lid 200b, and the like will be described. Since the opening 200a is provided at the corner of the surface where the large lids 200c and 200d are provided, the cleaning medium can be easily charged and discharged. The small lid 200b can be opened and closed by a hinge 200f, and is configured so as not to leak the internal cleaning medium and toner when closed.

  The opening 200a is provided at the corner of the transporter 200 because the cleaning medium and the toner can be easily discharged by directing the opening 200a downward when the cleaning medium and the toner are discharged as shown in FIG. Because. Of course, it may be placed anywhere as long as the cleaning medium can be input and discharged.

  The diameter of the opening 200a needs to be at least 5 times the diameter of the cleaning medium 80 in order not to clog the cleaning medium 80, and more preferably 10 times or more the diameter of the cleaning medium 80. FIG. 11 is a graph showing experimental data in which the cleaning medium put into the transporter is discharged by natural fall. The discharge speed of the cleaning medium 80a is changed by changing the diameter of the experimental opening corresponding to the opening 200a. The result measured by volume conversion is shown. The X axis is the ratio of the diameter of the opening to the cleaning medium, and the Y axis is the volume of the discharge amount of the cleaning medium per second.

  As shown in FIG. 11, it was confirmed that when the diameter of the opening was less than 5 times the diameter of the cleaning medium, a block was generated, and it was impossible to discharge with a cleaning medium made of Soda Glass having a diameter of 1 mm. However, even if the ratio of the diameter of the opening to the cleaning medium is 5, the cleaning medium is blocked. However, since it is not impossible to discharge, it is at least 5 times the particle size of the cleaning medium. More desirably, the cleaning medium can be reliably discharged when the number is 10 or more. It has been empirically confirmed that the blocking phenomenon hardly occurs when the ratio of the diameter of the opening to the particle is 10 or more. The upper limit of the opening 200a is less than the maximum diameter of the powder-adhered component in order to prevent the transporter contents from falling.

  By providing the cleaning medium opening 200a, there is an advantage that the cleaning medium can be easily input and discharged. For example, when the cleaning medium opening 200a is opened and the cleaning medium is caused to flow, only the toner and the cleaning medium are discharged from the opening 200a, and the cleaning medium and the powder-adhered part can be easily separated. By providing the opening 200a with a diameter five times or more that of the cleaning medium, the cleaning medium can be discharged without clogging.

  As described above, in the cleaning method using vibration during transportation, rough cleaning can be realized with the cleaning medium during transportation of the powder-adhered parts by the transportation means. A reduction in time and a reduction in regeneration costs can be realized. In addition, the toner contamination is adsorbed on the cleaning medium during transportation, and the cleaning medium is separated at the recycling base 208, thereby shortening the working time of the cleaning process. Further, since toner dirt is adsorbed in the transporter or the powder adhering part, toner scattering is prevented, and as a result, it is not necessary to introduce air cleaning by a large dust collection facility or the like on the regeneration base 208 side.

  Further, as described with reference to FIG. 8, when the powder adhering parts are collected once from each user at the collection site 206 and moved from there to the regeneration site 208, the cleaning technique of the present invention is applied. In addition, since the moving distance of the powder-adhered part is constant, it is possible to perform rough cleaning without causing uneven cleaning. In this embodiment, the toner adhering component in the image forming apparatus is used as an example. However, the present method is not limited to this, and it can be used for cleaning a component contaminated with powder.

3.3 Configuration Example Related to Transporter Here, the powder adhering part 201 to which powder (toner) adheres and the powder (toner) adhering to the powder adhering part 201 are adsorbed to adsorb the powder. Several structural features of the transporter 200 that holds or houses the cleaning medium 80 that cleans the part 201 and is held by the transport means will be described.

Example 1 Cleaning medium flow space As illustrated in FIGS. 5 to 7, the transporter 200 has a container shape, and is surrounded by the inner wall of the transporter 200 around the powder adhering part 201 to be cleaned. A cleaning medium flow space 209 having a cross-sectional area through which the cleaning medium 80 can flow is provided.

When the cleaning medium 80 is put into the cleaning medium flow space 209 which is a space between the powder adhering part 201 and the inner wall of the transporter and a vibration is applied from the outside, the cleaning medium 80 flows in the transporter 200, Since the powder adhering part 201 and the cleaning medium 80 are brought into contact friction and the powder dirt is adsorbed by the cleaning medium 80, there is an advantage that it is possible to perform rough cleaning of the powder in a dry process.
The cleaning medium flow space 209 will be described in more detail with reference to FIG. FIG. 12A corresponds to a view seen from above in a state in which the large lids 200c and 200d in FIG. 10 are removed for convenience of explanation. 12B corresponds to the X1-X1 cross-sectional view of FIG. 12A, and FIG. 12C corresponds to the X2-X2 cross-sectional view of FIG.

  In order to realize the cleaning medium flow space 209, as shown in FIG. 12, a plurality of rib-shaped supports 201 that are integrated with the inner wall of the transporter 200 are provided in the transporter 200 so that the toner adhering component 201 is provided. It was set as the structure fixed on both sides of the notch formed in these support 201. FIG.

  12B shows a cross section of the support 201, and FIG. 12C is a cross section at a portion where the support 201 does not exist, so that the space around the powder adhering part 201 is a large space. As can be seen from FIG. 12, the space between the powder adhering part 201 and the inner wall of the transporter is a continuous circulation path-like space without a bag path, and a continuous loop-shaped cleaning medium flow space surrounding the powder adhering part 201. Is formed.

  12 (d) schematically shown, the hatched part attached to the powder adhering part 201 is a part gripped by the support 201, and is three-dimensionally crossed in three axial directions not blocked by the support 201. Spaces along the types of loop-shaped line segments 209X, 209Y, and 209Z are loop-shaped cleaning medium flow spaces. A loop similar to the line segment 209 can be formed not only between the supports 210 and 210 but also outside each of the supports 210 and 210. However, in FIG. Indicated.

  Since the cleaning medium flow space along these line segments 209X, 209Y, and 209Z does not have a bag path in which the cleaning medium stays, the cleaning medium 80 put in here can flow without staying or clogging. become.

Example 2 Holding Unit for Powder Adhering Parts The transporter 200 has a holding means for holding the powder adhering parts 201. When the transporter 200 is configured in a container shape, the powder adhering part 201 is held by the transporter only by housing the powder adhering part 201 in the container shape part. Become.

  As another example, in FIG. 12, a rib-like support 210 provided on the transporter 200 is a support fixing means for creating a cleaning medium flow space, but the constituent powder adheres to a notch formed in the support 201. Since it has a function of supporting and fixing the part 201, it is a holding means for holding the powder-adhered part. If only the function as the holding means is required, the support 210 need only have a function of fixing the powder adhering part 201 in the transporter 200 without creating a cleaning medium flow space.

  The holding means holds the powder adhering part in the transport device, so that the kinetic energy from the transport means acts on the cleaning medium, and cleaning by the flow of the cleaning medium becomes possible.

Example 3 Corner portion of cleaning medium flow space The cleaning medium flow space was formed of a curved surface having an obtuse angle or a diameter equal to or larger than the diameter of the cleaning medium. In FIG. 13, the shape of the corner of the cleaning medium flow space 209 formed by the inner wall of the transporter 200 is an acute angle of θ1 <90 degrees. In this case, there is a possibility that the cleaning medium 80a is caught between corners and stays. Further, since the gap at the corner becomes a wedge-shaped non-sweep space 211, toner is left behind.
In FIG. 14, the shape of the corner of the cleaning medium flow space 209 formed by the inner wall of the transporter 200 is an obtuse angle of θ2> 90 degrees. In this case, the cleaning medium 80a is not sandwiched between the corners and does not stay. Further, the gap between the corners is extremely small as compared with the case of FIG. 12, and the non-sweep space 211 is very small, so that the toner is hardly left behind.
In FIG. 15, the shape of the corner of the cleaning medium flow space 209 formed by the inner wall of the transporter 200 is configured with a radius R that is larger than the radius r of the cleaning medium 80a. In this case, since the cleaning medium 80a moves along the inner wall of the transporter 200, no stagnation occurs, and no non-swept space is generated, so that no toner remains.

  As described above, the cleaning medium flow space is configured with a corner having an obtuse angle or a curved surface having a diameter equal to or larger than the diameter of the cleaning medium, so that the cleaning medium does not stay in the corner and smoothly flows. The probability of contact with the powder-adhered parts is improved, and the efficiency of rough cleaning and adsorption is improved.

  When kinetic energy such as vibration and acceleration with sufficiently large energy is applied to the transporter having the configuration described in Examples 1 and 2, the cleaning medium 80 flows in the cleaning medium flow space due to inertia. The flowing cleaning medium 80 is in frictional contact with the powder-adhering component 201, so that the toner is separated from the toner-adhering component, and the cleaning medium itself is frictionally charged to adsorb the toner and prevent scattering. Become.

Example 4 Valve of Cleaning Medium Flow Space The cleaning medium flow space has a valve having a characteristic that allows the cleaning medium 80 to pass in one direction. In FIG. 16, the base end portion of the plate-like valve 212 is pivotally attached to the inner wall of the transporter 200 by a shaft 213. A torsion coil spring 214 is wound around the shaft 213, and both end portions of the coil spring 214 are hung on the stopper 215 and the valve 212. Due to the elasticity of the torsion coil spring 214, the valve 212 is urged clockwise about the shaft 213, and rotation due to this urging is prevented by the free end of the valve 212 coming into contact with the stopper 216.

  When in this blocked state, the free end of the valve 212 is close to the powder adhering component 201 and is in a closed state that blocks the cleaning medium flow space 209. The valve 212 has a width in a direction penetrating the paper surface. In the configuration of FIG. 13, when the valve 212 receives an external force indicated by an arrow 217 that is greater than the force of the torsion coil spring 214, the valve 212 rotates and displaces in the direction indicated by the arrow 218 to enter a valve open state. When the external force indicated by the arrow 217 is lost, the valve returns to the closed state.

  Thus, the valve 212 has a characteristic that allows the cleaning medium 80 to pass only in one direction indicated by the arrow 217. 17A to 17E, when the valve 212 described in FIG. 15 is provided in the transporter 200 mounted on the transport means, and the transporter 200 receives an inertial force in the direction opposite to the acceleration during transport. The operation of the valve 212 is shown in chronological order. 17 (a) is before vibration, FIG. 17 (b) is a rightward acceleration indicated by an arrow 219, FIG. 17 (c) is a leftward acceleration indicated by an arrow 220, and FIG. 17 (d) is a rightward acceleration indicated by an arrow 219. In FIG. 17E, leftward acceleration indicated by an arrow 220 is added, so that the valve 212 can move the cleaning medium 80 only in the leftward direction. Can do.

  When such control means such as the valve 219 is not used, the cleaning medium 80 may vibrate only in a limited region, and as a result, cleaning unevenness may occur. By using the valve 219, the cleaning medium 80 can flow in a specific direction, and as a result, as shown in FIG. It will be. Therefore, the entire surface of the powder-adhered component 200 can be cleaned.

In this way, by providing the valve 212 in the cleaning medium flow space 209 and restricting the direction in which the cleaning medium flows, the cleaning medium 80 can be prevented from vibrating at one limited location, and the cleaning medium 80 can be more reliably disposed. The cleaning medium 80 can be circulated and moved in the transporter, and the cleaning medium 80 is guided to the upper surface portion of the powder adhering component 201 where the cleaning medium 80 is difficult to reach. The entire surface can be cleaned.
In this example, the amount of the cleaning medium input to the transporter 200 is set to 50% to 30% of the volume of the cleaning medium flow space so as to easily flow. The diameter of the cleaning medium should be selected so that it has a total surface area sufficient to adsorb toner that needs to be removed.

Example 5 Cleaning Medium Accelerating Unit As shown in FIG. 18, an accelerating unit that accelerates the cleaning medium 80 can be provided in the cleaning medium flow space 209 in order to promote the flow of the cleaning medium 80. In this example, an impeller 222 driven by a motor 221M is provided at a corner portion of the cleaning medium flow space 209 to serve as acceleration means. By rotating the impeller 222 in the direction of the arrow, the cleaning medium in contact with the blade is forcibly accelerated to promote the flow of the cleaning medium 80 in the direction indicated by the arrow with a large kinetic energy. The cleaning effect is improved by collision and friction with the area where the medium diffuses and the object to be cleaned. This means can be used as ancillary means when the transportation means stops operating and there is no kinetic energy from the outside, or more reliably if driven in parallel with the transportation means operation The cleaning medium can be circulated in the transporter to further reduce cleaning unevenness.

Example 6 Cleaning information recording means The transport device is provided with recording means for recording information relating to cleaning. The information related to cleaning records, for example, the collection time of the powder-adhered part. More specifically, it can be realized by sticking a barcode on which the recovery time is recorded to the outside of the transporter 200 with an adhesive component or the like. As other recording means, any recording means such as a magnetic tape or an IC chip may be used. Not only the collection time but also means for recording information that affects cleaning during transportation, such as transportation distance and container frequency, may be provided.

  The reproduction base is equipped with a recording means reading mechanism for reading the information recorded in the recording means, and the cleaning time calculation for calculating the cleaning time by calculating the recorded transportation start time and the recovery time at the reproduction base. Equipment. As an example of the calculation, if the information recorded in the recording means is the transport start time, the travel time of the transport means is calculated by subtracting this from the collection time at the recycling base, and is used as the cleaning time. If the recorded information is the position information of the transportation start point, the moving distance is calculated using map information or the like, and this is divided by the average speed of the transportation means to obtain the cleaning time.

Cleaning procedure using recording means For example, it is performed according to the following procedure. The cleaning object is a toner container, and several items are collected for each local user and then transported to a collection base. The collection truck, which is a transportation means, circulates the bases in such a region, collects the toner containers, and finally transports the toner containers to the collection base.

In this example, the term “finish cleaning” means a cleaning method used in a regeneration site such as air blow cleaning in which deposits are separated by high-pressure air, or ultrasonic cleaning in which ultrasonic waves are applied by being immersed in a water tank.
Procedure 1 Collect the toner container.
Procedure 2 Put the cleaning medium into the toner container and close the cap.
Step 3 Hold or fix the toner container on the transporter.
Procedure 4 Put the cleaning medium into the transporter and close the opening.
Step 5 Print out the barcode containing information about the time when the cleaning medium was loaded and paste it onto the transporter.
Step 6 Place the transporter side by side in the transport container in the transport truck and secure it.
Step 7 Start moving the transport truck. Repeat steps 1 to 6 at the next collection site.
Step 8 After visiting all collection areas, move to collection base.
Step 9 Remove the transporter from the shipping container.
Step 10 Remove the toner container from the transporter and discharge the cleaning medium from the toner container.
Step 11 The barcode is read by a barcode reader, and the time when transportation is started is read.
Step 12 The cleaning time is obtained by subtracting the transport start time of the transporter from the arrival time of the transport truck.
Procedure 13 Classify that the cleaning time exceeds a certain threshold into Group A, and classify those that do not exceed the threshold into Group B.
Procedure 14 The toner containers of group A are unpacked and put into a short cleaning process. In addition, the B group toner containers are unpacked and put into a long-time finishing cleaning process.

  Each transporter is divided into a plurality of stages according to the cleaning time thus calculated. By performing long finish cleaning for parts with a short cleaning time and short finish cleaning for parts with a long cleaning time, it is possible to allocate an optimal process time to each part and to shorten the overall tact time. In this example, the process is classified into two processes, long and short. However, for example, it is possible to classify into three or more groups and assign an optimum finish cleaning method.

  Thus, by providing the transporter with the function of recording the time when the powder-adhered parts are collected, when transported using the cleaning method according to the present invention and then collected at the regeneration site, From the arrival time and the information stored in each transporter, the time when the cleaning method according to the present invention is executed can be calculated for each part. Using this information, appropriate post-process conditions can be selected.

3.4 Examples related to powder-adhered parts When the powder-adhered part is a powder container containing powder, for example, in the case of the toner bottle 60, a cleaning medium is put inside the container and Since it is made to flow and wash with kinetic energy, a configuration that does not hinder the flow of the cleaning medium is useful, and an entrance / exit of the cleaning medium is necessary.

  Example 1 A powder container, which is a powder adhering part, includes a cleaning medium flow space, and the cleaning medium flow space is constituted by a curved surface having an obtuse angle or a diameter of the cleaning medium. Here, since it is assumed that the powder adhering part is a powder container for storing powder, this container portion becomes the cleaning medium flow space as it is.

  For the corner portion of the inner wall of the container forming the cleaning medium flow space, the cleaning medium flow space is formed at the corner portion for the same reason as described with reference to FIGS. 13 to 15 for the cleaning medium flow space in the transporter. The shape is an obtuse angle or a curved surface having a diameter equal to or larger than the diameter of the cleaning medium. Accordingly, the cleaning medium does not stay in the corner portion and smoothly flows, so that the probability that the cleaning medium contacts the powder-adhered part to be cleaned is improved, and the efficiency of rough cleaning and adsorption is improved.

Example 2 A container as a powder adhering part, which has an inlet / outlet for a cleaning medium, and the size thereof is at least 5 times the particle size of the cleaning medium. After cleaning, the powder container needs to have at least an entrance for the powder to enter and exit. However, for those in which the cleaning medium is put inside the container and flows to clean the inside of the container, the entrance and exit of the cleaning medium is required. As the entrance / exit of the cleaning medium, the opening 200a of the transporter 200 is set to be not less than five times the particle diameter of the cleaning medium in accordance with the example determined in accordance with the data of FIG. 11, thereby preventing the cleaning medium from being clogged. Can be put in and out.

3.5 Supporting means interposed between the transportation means and the transportation equipment The transportation equipment 200 is loaded directly on the cargo bed of the transportation means, for example, or on the tray installed on the cargo bed, and is fixed and fixed with an appropriate fixing tool. Is done. A well-known fixing means can be applied. By fixing, the kinetic energy during transportation acts on the cleaning medium efficiently.

  In addition, the kinetic energy of the transportation means can be used more positively by supporting the transporter 200 via a movable means that can be swung or slid instead of being fixed to the transportation means. An example is described below.

  Example 1 The movable means is composed of swingable support means.

  In FIG. 19A, a fixed base 223 is a base fixed to the transportation means. The support column 224 was raised on the fixed base 223, and the transporter 200 was pivotally attached to the rotation shaft 225 provided on the support column 224 so as to be swingable. The center of gravity of the transporter 200 is good for the place supported by the rotating shaft 225. In this example, the transporter 200 may be a paper container, but if there is a problem in strength, a resin is used instead of the paper container.

  With this support method, the transporter 200 is oscillated (vibrated) by the kinetic energy from the transporter, and the flow of the cleaning medium is promoted as shown by an arrow 240 in FIG. The body-adhered component 201 is cleaned. Between the lower left and right ends of the transporter 200 and the fixed base 223, there is a mechanical element or elastic means for generating a spring 241 or other resonance vibration as a resonance member in the oscillation (vibration) direction indicated by an arrow 229. Intervene (the same applies to the following examples).

In such a configuration, the resonance frequency can be calculated from the mass of the rotating part including the cleaning medium and the powder adhering part, the spring constant, and the degree of freedom (in this example, the degree of freedom of uniaxial oscillation). When a transportation means such as a truck is used as an external vibration source, the power spectrum of inertia applied to the platform of the truck transportation means is measured in advance, and K is adjusted so that the resonance frequency of the transporter is included in the power spectrum. Shall. For example, the power spectrum of a truck running on a city road is shown in Fig. 20 (Reference: About recent efforts in packaging of home appliances http://www.jema-net.or.jp/Japanesse/denki/de-0108/de_ll. As shown in (pdf), power of 10 ⁻⁴ G ² / Hz or more is distributed from 0 to 30 Hz, and a relatively large vibration energy can be obtained using a transporter that resonates in this range. Large kinetic energy is also given to the internal cleaning medium.

  In addition, when transporting in an environment such as moving between processes in a factory, for example, conditions are generally better than city roads, so the vibration energy of the transport means does not have a sufficient amount There is. In this case, the same result can be obtained even when the movable means is driven by the drive means as shown in FIGS.

  Example 2 The movable means is composed of support means that can move in parallel.

  In FIG. 21, a fixed base 226 is a base fixed to the transportation means. The upper surface of the fixed base 226 forms a slide surface that slidably supports the transporter 200. If the horizontal direction of the fixed base 226 is the direction of vibration by the transportation means, stoppers 227 and 228 are raised at the left and right ends of the fixed base 226. In this example, a spring 230 is provided between the stopper 228 and the transporter 200. It is provided.

  With this support method, the transporter 200 is swung (vibrated) in the left-right direction by the kinetic energy from the transporting means, and the flow of the cleaning medium is promoted using resonance in accordance with Example 1 to clean the powder-adhered parts. Is done.

  Example 3 Example 1 and Example 2 are examples in which the transporter 200 is supported by the transporting means via the movable means. In this example, the lid 231a is opened and closed as shown in FIGS. 22 (a) and 22 (b). A transport container 231 capable of accommodating a plurality of transporters 200 in a removable manner is supported on the transport means by a movable means. In other words, the column 234 was raised on the fixed base 233, and the center of gravity of the transport container 231 was pivotally attached to the rotation shaft 235 provided on the column 234 so as to be swingable. Further, a spring 242 is provided between the transport container 231 and the fixed base 233 in the vibration direction indicated by an arrow 243. Also in this example, using the resonance according to Example 1, the transport device is simultaneously and parallelly oscillated in the transport device 200 via the resonance of the transport container 231 to promote the flow of the cleaning medium 80 and adhere to the powder. The component 201 is cleaned. In addition, as a support method of a transport container, the parallel support method according to FIG. 21 can also be used.

  Example 4 This is an example in which the movable means is driven by the driving means.

  In FIGS. 23A and 23B, a fixed base 244 is a base fixed to the transportation means. The support column 245 was raised on the fixed base 244, and the shaft 246 supported by the support column 245 was fixed at the center of gravity of the transporter 200. A belt 250 connects the pulley 247 fixed to one end of the shaft 246 and the pulley 249 fixed to the rotating shaft of the motor 248M installed on the fixed base 244. A stopper 251 is provided on the fixed base 244 facing the left and right lower ends of the transporter 200. In such a configuration, by rotating the motor 248M forward and backward, the transporter 200 is vibrated as indicated by an arrow 252 to promote the flow of the cleaning medium.

  As a modified example, as shown in FIG. 24, the transporter 200 is rotatably supported by a shaft 253, and between the fixed base and the left and right lower end portions of the transporter 200, an extensible spring 254 at the left lower end portion, A cam 255 rotated by a motor 256M is provided at the lower right end, and the motor 256 is driven to rotate forward to vibrate the transporter 200 as indicated by an arrow 252 to promote the flow of the cleaning medium.

  As described above, in the example in which the movable means is driven by the driving means such as a motor, in addition to the force from the transportation means, vibration and rotational motion can be applied to the powder adhering part, the transporter, and the cleaning medium. The cleaning effect can be enhanced by controlling and adding the amplitude and speed which are not easily generated by the vibration of the means.

  In each example of Example 4, the motor is controlled such that a sine wave is given as a command value and the transporter 200 is swung (vibrated). In these examples, instead of the transporter 200, the transport container 231 illustrated in FIG. 22 can be swung by a motor.

  In each of the examples using the movable means, as described above, as the cleaning procedure, the toner adhering part is held in the transporter, the lid is closed, and the cleaning medium is put in, and then mounted on the transporting means. Follow the steps.

  In each of the examples 1 to 4, the movable means is provided, and this vibrates at the resonance frequency due to the vibration of the transportation means, so that the cleaning medium and the powder adhering parts to be cleaned are bundled. The result is similar to shaking vigorously. That is, a large kinetic energy is given to the cleaning medium inside the transporter, and the cleaning power is improved. Further, in the configuration that rotates and swings as in this example, since the kinetic energy in the vertical direction is applied to the cleaning medium, the cleaning medium diffuses, and the cleaning medium sufficiently contacts the entire surface of the powder-adhered part. As a result, uniform cleaning can be realized. In this example, the example using the swing mechanism and the parallel movement mechanism has been described. However, other configurations that convert the lateral acceleration / deceleration by the transport means into the vertical acceleration / deceleration can be used.

In the configuration using the movable means, the transporter itself provides a degree of freedom of movement with respect to the fixed base to the transport means, so that the transporter itself vibrates greatly in the direction of the degree of freedom. For this reason, the inertial force acting on the cleaning medium works more strongly in the same direction. Thereby, the inertial force given to the cleaning medium is also increased, and the cleaning effect is enhanced. Further, as a secondary effect, by utilizing the fact that the direction of vibration is limited, it is possible to cause more cleaning medium to collide or rub against the surface to be surely roughly cleaned.
Further, in an example in which an elastic member such as a spring is interposed in the vibration direction, the movable part of the transporter has a resonance frequency due to the elastic member in the direction of freedom of movement. By applying a resonance frequency vibration to the transporter from the outside to resonate, the amount of kinetic energy of the cleaning medium inside the transporter increases, and the effect of improving the diffusion region and cleaning power can be obtained.
[4] Cleaning method using vibration during transportation (2)
When the powder adhering part is a powder container, this is a cleaning method for cleaning only the inside.

  For example, when the powder adhering part is the toner bottle 60, this is a powder container, and since the toner is naturally adhering to the inside, cleaning is necessary, but the outside is not necessarily required. The cleaning method of this example is applied when cleaning only the inside of the powder-adhered part.

  As shown in FIG. 25, the toner bottle 60 that is a powder adhering part is previously filled with a cleaning medium 80 and sealed with a cap 60a. The toner bottle 60 is held in a transporter 260 and transported. When the container 260 is mounted on the transport means and transported, the cleaning medium 80 flows inside the toner bottle 60 as indicated by the arrow 261 by the kinetic energy such as vibration in the direction of the arrow 262 given during transport, and the inside is cleaned. The In this way, the cap 60a prevents the spilling outflow to the outside. The present invention is not limited to toner bottles, and is applied to parts that have a sealable container shape and require cleaning only on the inside.

4.1 Basic Process The powder adhering part cleaning method of the present invention has at least the following three steps. It should be noted that the following steps 1 and 2 may be interchanged.
Step 1: A step of holding the powder-adhered part to which the powder is adhered in the transporter.

  An example of the powder is toner. The powder adhering part 201 is a sealable powder container, for example, a toner bottle 60, to which toner is adhered and reused. The container shape is not necessarily required for the transporter, and it is sufficient if it has a function of holding the powder-adhered part. Rather than eliminating the shape of the container, for example, in the case of a container-shaped transporter, even if a powder adhering part is placed in the transporter, it will be held inside the transporter, and due to impact during transportation, etc. There is an advantage that can be protected from damage. If the transporting device is provided with means for holding the powder adhering parts, the kinetic energy of the transporting means can be used more positively, the flow of the cleaning medium becomes more active, and the cleaning effect becomes remarkable.

Step 2: A step of introducing a cleaning medium into the powder-adhered part.
Since the cleaning medium needs to flow into the powder-adhered part, the cleaning medium is put into the powder-adhered part. In this step, the cleaning medium may be put in the state where the powder adhering part is held in Step 1, or the cleaning medium is first put in the powder adhering part and then the powder adhering part is put in the transporter. May be held.

Step 3: A step of transporting the transporter holding the powder-adhered parts to a recycling site by transport means.
Basically, by passing through the above steps, the powder adhering to the inside of the powder adhering part by driving the cleaning medium by kinetic energy given to the cleaning medium by the transportation means during transportation, for example, acceleration or vibration ( The toner is adsorbed by the cleaning medium, and the powder-adhered part is roughly cleaned. Since the cleaning medium is charged and sealed in the container and cleaned, it is possible to prevent the powder remaining inside the collected powder-adhered parts from being scattered, and to clean the interior by rubbing and removing dirt. Since the cleaning is performed during the transportation of the powder-adhered part to be cleaned, the rough cleaning of the powder-adhered part can be completed before reaching the destination for transportation. For this reason, the reproduction | regeneration processing work time in the process after transport can be reduced. Further, since the vibration and acceleration of the transportation means are used, a device for driving the cleaning medium is unnecessary, and the energy cost and time required for cleaning the powder-adhered part can be reduced.

4.2 Cleaning process before and after basic process execution Before the basic process is executed, powder adhering parts are collected at the collection base. Next, after steps 1 and 2 of the basic process are executed, the transporter mounted on the transportation means such as a truck is transported from the recovery base to the regeneration base (step 3). In the course of transportation, powder such as toner moves from the powder adhering part to the cleaning medium and is adsorbed.

Step 4: Separation step of cleaning medium When the transportation means arrives at the recycling base, the transportation device is removed from the transportation means. Next, for example, the toner bottle 60, which is a powder adhering part, is removed from the transporter, and the internal cleaning medium is dropped and discharged by releasing the cap 60a and then tilting and the like, and separating from the toner bottle.

  The transporter does not need the cleaning medium and the toner discharge opening as in the above example. However, the powder adhering part requires an opening for cleaning medium and toner discharge, and its size is at least five times the diameter of the cleaning medium 80 in order not to clog the cleaning medium 80. Preferably, the diameter of the cleaning medium is 10 times or more. The reason is as already described in FIG.

  As described above, in the cleaning method using vibration during transportation, rough cleaning can be realized with the cleaning medium during transportation of the powder-adhered parts by the transportation means, so that the rough cleaning process at the recycling base becomes unnecessary and the work time is reduced. Can be reduced and the regeneration cost can be reduced. In addition, the toner contamination is adsorbed on the cleaning medium during transportation, and the cleaning medium is separated at the recycling base, thereby shortening the working time of the cleaning process. In addition, since toner dirt is adsorbed inside the powder-adhered parts, toner scattering is prevented, and as a result, there is no need to introduce air cleaning by a large dust collection facility on the regeneration site side. There is an advantage according to the contents described in “Cleaning method using vibration, part 1”.

4.3 Examples related to powder-adhered parts As described in “Cleaning method using vibration during transportation, part 1”, the powder container, which is a powder-adhered part, has a cleaning medium flow space. The space is formed of a curved surface having an obtuse angle or a diameter equal to or larger than the diameter of the cleaning medium to promote the flow of the cleaning medium.

  Further, the cleaning medium has an entrance / exit, and the size thereof is at least five times the particle size of the cleaning medium so that the cleaning medium is not clogged.

4.4 Configuration Example Related to Transporter As in the above-mentioned “Cleaning Method Using Vibration During Transport, Part 1”, the transport medium does not flow along the inner wall of the transporter. There is no need for a cleaning medium acceleration means such as a cleaning medium flow space constituted by an inner wall, a configuration in which corners of the cleaning medium flow space are curved, a valve provided in the cleaning medium flow space, and an impeller provided in the cleaning medium flow space. However, a means for holding the powder-adhered component is necessary, and as an example, a device conforming to the rib-shaped support 210 in FIG. 12 is provided to hold the powder-adhered component. As for the recording means for recording information relating to cleaning and the means for supporting the transporter on the transporting means, the example described in the above section “3.5 Supporting means interposed between the transporting means and the transporter”. 1 to 4 can be applied.

  In the present embodiment, an example is shown in which the method of the present invention is used for rough cleaning as a pretreatment for finishing cleaning at a recycling base. Of course, the present invention can be implemented even if it is used for the purpose of finishing cleaning.

1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a main part of an image forming apparatus. It is a figure explaining the structure of the image station. FIG. 6 is a perspective view illustrating a process cartridge that can be separated from the apparatus main body. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a toner bottle. It is sectional drawing of the transporter which accommodated the powder adhesion part. It is sectional drawing of the transporter which accommodated the powder adhesion part. It is sectional drawing of the transporter which accommodated the powder adhesion part. It is a figure explaining the collection system of the toner adhesion part by a transportation means. It is a figure explaining a mode that a cleaning medium is discharged from a transporter. FIG. 10A is a perspective view of the transporter with the lid closed, and FIG. 10B is a perspective view of the transporter with the lid open. 6 is a graph showing the relationship of the cleaning medium discharge speed with respect to the ratio of the diameter of the opening and the cleaning medium. 12 (a) is a plan view of the transporter with the lid removed, FIG. 12 (b) is a cross-sectional view taken along line X1-X1 of FIG. 12 (a), and FIG. 12 (c) is X2 of FIG. 12 (a). -X2 sectional view, FIG. 12 (d) is a perspective view of a powder adhering part supported by a support in the transporter. It is the figure which demonstrated the relationship with the washing | cleaning medium when a corner | angular part is an acute angle. It is the figure which demonstrated the relationship with the washing | cleaning medium when a corner | angular part is an obtuse angle. It is the figure which demonstrated typically the relationship with the washing | cleaning medium when a corner | angular part is a curved surface. It is the figure explaining the structure of the valve. FIGS. 7A to 7D are cross-sectional views of the transport device illustrating the function of the valve and the state of the granular medium. It is sectional drawing of the transporter with an impeller. FIG. 19A is a front view of the transporter supported by the support means, and FIG. 19B is a cross-sectional view of the transporter supported by FIG. It is the figure which showed the power distribution of the truck bed with respect to frequency. It is the figure which illustrated the transporter support means of the mechanism which vibrates horizontally. FIG. 22A is a front view for explaining the transportation container support means of the mechanism that swings and vibrates, and FIG. 22B is a sectional view of the transportation container. FIG. 23A is a front view illustrating the transporter support means of the mechanism that oscillates, and FIG. 23B is a side view of the transporter support means. It is the front view explaining the transporter support means of the mechanism which rocks and vibrates. FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a state where only the inside of the toner bottle held by the transporter is cleaned.

Explanation of symbols

80 Cleaning medium 200 Transporter 201 Powder adhering parts

Claims (7)

The collected powder-attached parts are separated at the collection base,
Transporting the powder adhering parts from the recovery site to a recycling site by means of transportation;
A cleaning method for cleaning the powder-adhered component during the transportation,
In the collection base,
After holding the powder-adhered part to which the powder is adhered in the transporter and injecting the cleaning medium into the transporter,
Mounting the transporter in which the cleaning medium is loaded and the powder adhering part is held on the transport means and transporting to the regeneration site;
Due to the kinetic energy given to the cleaning medium due to the vibration and acceleration changes of the transportation means itself accompanying the transportation,
Driving the cleaning medium to fluidly contact the powder adhering part;
A powder adhering part cleaning method, wherein the powder adhering part is cleaned by adsorbing the powder adhering to the powder adhering part to the cleaning medium. In the powder adhering part washing | cleaning method of Claim 1,
A method for cleaning a powder-adhered part, wherein the cleaning medium is particles adsorbing the powder. In the powder adhering part cleaning method according to claim 1 or 2,
The method for cleaning a powder-adhered part, wherein the transporter includes a cleaning medium flow space through which the cleaning medium can flow. In the powder adhering part washing | cleaning method of Claim 3,
The cleaning medium flow space is formed from the powder adhering part and the inner wall of the transporter,
A powder adhering component cleaning method, wherein the powder adhering component has a continuous shape surrounding the powder adhering component. In the powder adhering part cleaning method according to claim 3 or 4,
A method for cleaning a powder-adhered part, comprising: acceleration means for accelerating the cleaning medium in the cleaning medium flow space. In the powder adhering part washing | cleaning method in any one of Claims 1 thru | or 5,
The method for cleaning a powder-adhered part, wherein the transporter is fixed to the transporting means by a fixing means or supported via a movable means. The powder adhering part cleaning method according to any one of claims 1 to 6,
The transporter is housed in a transport container that houses a plurality of transporters,
The method for cleaning a powder-adhered part, wherein the transport container is fixed to the transport means by a fixing means or supported via a movable means .

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