JP6455346B2 - Powder discharging apparatus and processing apparatus using the same - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a powder discharging apparatus and a processing apparatus using the same.

As a conventional powder discharging apparatus, for example, the one described in Patent Document 1 is already known.
In Patent Document 1, in a waste toner discharge device that connects a waste toner pipe and a waste toner container in which a shutter member is loosely fitted to the outside, the shutter is disposed when the opening of the waste toner container is attached to the shutter member. There is disclosed a waste toner discharging apparatus including a moving unit that rotates a member to move the shutter member in an opening direction.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 5-303311 (Example, FIG. 1)

  The technical problem to be solved by the present invention is to increase the initial operating force during the closing operation of the opening / closing mechanism without unnecessarily increasing the operating force during the opening operation of the opening / closing mechanism of the powder discharging apparatus. is there.

  The invention according to claim 1 is provided in communication with a powder processing unit for processing using powder, and has a powder discharge port at a tip and a used powder in the powder processing unit. A transport pipe for transporting, and an opening / closing mechanism for opening and closing a discharge port of the transport pipe, and the opening / closing mechanism is fitted to an outer peripheral portion of the transport pipe so as to be movable along the transport direction of the powder, A lid member that moves between an open position of the discharge port and a closed position of the discharge port, and a state in which the cover member is prevented from rotating between a part of the outer peripheral portion of the transport pipe that is separated from the cover member And a biasing member that biases the lid member toward the closed position of the discharge port, and a part of the lid member, the tip of the transport pipe being a recovery port of the powder recovery container When inserted and connected to the powder collection container, the lid member is dammed to the collection port edge. A movable member that moves to the opening position of the discharge port in a direction against the urging direction of the biasing member, and is provided between the transport pipe and the lid member, the lid member being a closed position of the discharge port During the movement from a predetermined position to a position close to the opening position, the lid member is linearly guided along the conveying direction of the powder so as to compressively deform the biasing member, and the lid member is opened. A guide mechanism in which the lid member is guided with rotation along the circumferential direction of the transport pipe so as to compressively deform the biasing member with a twisting reaction force during the movement from the position near the position to the release position; And a powder discharging apparatus characterized by comprising:

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the powder discharging apparatus according to the first aspect, the guide mechanism has a guided portion in a part of the lid member, and is provided on an outer peripheral portion of the transport pipe. While the member moves from the closed position of the discharge port to a predetermined position before the open position, a first guide part in which the guided part is guided by a linear locus along the powder conveyance direction; An outer peripheral portion of the transport pipe is provided continuously to the first guide portion, and the guided portion is connected to the transport pipe while the lid member moves from the open position of the discharge port to the open position. And a second guide portion guided by a spiral trajectory along the circumferential direction.
According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the powder discharging apparatus according to the second aspect, the first and second guide portions of the guide mechanism are configured as guide grooves, and the guided portion slides along the guide grooves. It is a powder discharging apparatus configured as a movable guided projection.
According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the powder discharging apparatus according to the second aspect, the guided portion has a length in a direction along the linear direction of the first guide portion, the width direction dimension intersecting the linear direction. Is a powder discharging device characterized in that it is set longer.
The invention according to claim 5 is the powder discharging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the powder discharge device is provided between the transport pipe and the lid member, and the lid member is located at a predetermined position with respect to the transport pipe. The powder discharging apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a retaining mechanism for retaining the retaining mechanism, wherein a plurality of the guiding mechanisms are provided with the retaining mechanism interposed therebetween.
According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the powder discharge device according to the first aspect, the urging member is constituted by a coil spring, and one end is hooked on a portion of the transport pipe away from the discharge port, and the other end Is a powder discharging apparatus characterized by being hooked on a part of the lid member.

The invention according to claim 7 is a powder processing unit for processing using powder, and a powder discharging apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6 for discharging used powder in the powder processing unit. And a powder recovery container for recovering the powder discharged by the powder discharge device.
An eighth aspect of the present invention is the processing apparatus according to the seventh aspect, wherein the powder recovery container has an openable / closable sealing member that seals a recovery port into which a distal end portion of the transfer tube can be inserted. Is a processing device.
According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, in the processing apparatus according to the seventh aspect, the powder processing section includes an image carrier capable of holding an electrostatic latent image, and an electrostatic latent image formed on the image carrier. A developing device that develops with a developer as powder, a transfer device that transfers a visible image developed by the developing device to a recording material, and a cleaning device that cleans the developer remaining on the image carrier And the powder discharge device discharges the developer as the powder cleaned by the cleaning device.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, the initial operating force during the closing operation of the opening / closing mechanism can be increased without unnecessarily increasing the operating force during the opening operation of the opening / closing mechanism.
According to the second aspect of the invention, by devising the guide trajectory by the guide mechanism, the initial operating force during the closing operation of the opening / closing mechanism can be increased without unnecessarily increasing the operating force during the opening operation of the opening / closing mechanism. It can be increased easily.
According to the invention which concerns on Claim 3, the guidance mechanism for obtaining a desired guidance locus | trajectory can be constructed | assembled easily.
According to the invention which concerns on Claim 4, the guide operation of the cover member by a guide mechanism can be stabilized by suppressing an unnecessary inclination by devising the shape of a to-be-guided part.
According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, it is possible to effectively exhibit the function of preventing the lid member of the opening / closing mechanism from coming off and to prevent the lid member from being inclined unnecessarily during the guide operation by the guide mechanism.
According to the invention which concerns on Claim 6, it can attach easily in the state which stopped the urging | biasing member between the conveyance pipe | tube and the cover member, and it accompanies the urging | biasing force and torsional deformation accompanying a compression deformation to an urging | biasing member. The torsional reaction force can be maintained.
According to the seventh aspect of the invention, it is possible to increase the initial operating force during the closing operation of the opening / closing mechanism without unnecessarily increasing the operating force during the opening operation of the opening / closing mechanism of the powder discharging apparatus. A processing device can be constructed.
According to the invention which concerns on Claim 8, when removing a powder collection | recovery container, the leakage of the powder from the connection site | part with a powder discharge device can be prevented.
According to the invention of claim 9, the developer as the powder is used, and the initial force during the closing operation of the opening / closing mechanism is unnecessarily increased without unnecessarily increasing the operating force during the opening operation of the opening / closing mechanism of the powder discharge device. An image forming apparatus as a processing apparatus capable of increasing the operation force can be constructed.

(A) is explanatory drawing which shows the outline | summary of embodiment of the processing apparatus containing the powder discharge apparatus to which this invention was applied, (b) is explanatory drawing which shows the principal part of the powder discharge apparatus of (a). . FIG. 1B is an arrow view seen from the II direction, FIG. 1A is an explanatory view showing a state in which the opening / closing mechanism of the powder discharging apparatus closes the discharge port, and FIG. 1B is an opening / closing mechanism of the powder discharging apparatus. It is explanatory drawing which shows the state which open | released the discharge port. 1 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an overall configuration of an image forming apparatus as a processing apparatus according to Embodiment 1. FIG. FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a state where a waste developer collection container is assembled in the image forming apparatus according to the first embodiment. It is the arrow view seen from the V direction in FIG. FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing an overall configuration of a waste developer collection container used in Embodiment 1. FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing an overall configuration of a waste toner discharge device used in Embodiment 1. FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a main part of the waste toner discharging device in FIG. 7. FIG. 3 is a partial cross-sectional perspective view showing details of a connection portion between the waste toner discharge device and the waste developer collection container used in the first embodiment. It is principal part sectional drawing of FIG. FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing a peripheral structure of an opening / closing mechanism of a waste toner discharge device used in Embodiment 1. It is XII-XII sectional view explanatory drawing in FIG. (A) is explanatory drawing which shows the detail of the cover member of an opening-and-closing mechanism, (b) is BB sectional drawing in (a). It is the arrow view seen from the XIV direction in Fig.13 (a). (A) is explanatory drawing which shows the state which the opening-and-closing mechanism closed the discharge port in the waste toner discharge apparatus which concerns on Embodiment 1, (b) is explanatory drawing which shows the state of the guide mechanism of (a). (A) is explanatory drawing which shows the state which the opening-and-closing mechanism opened the discharge port in the waste toner discharge apparatus concerning Embodiment 1, (b) is explanatory drawing which shows the state of the guide mechanism of (a). FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram schematically illustrating the behavior of an opening / closing mechanism and a guide mechanism of a waste toner discharge device used in Embodiment 1. (A) is explanatory drawing which shows typically the guide mechanism used with the waste toner discharge apparatus which concerns on deformation | transformation form 1, (b) is typically the guide mechanism used with the waste toner discharge apparatus which concerns on modification 2. FIG. FIG. 4C is an explanatory view schematically showing a guide mechanism used in a waste toner discharging apparatus according to a comparative embodiment.

Outline of Embodiment FIG. 1A shows an outline of an embodiment of a processing apparatus including a powder discharging apparatus to which the present invention is applied.
In the figure, a processing apparatus includes a powder processing unit 15 that processes using powder, a powder discharging device 16 that discharges powder used in the powder processing unit 15, and a powder discharging device 16. And a powder collection container 17 for collecting the discharged powder.
Here, the powder processing unit 15 includes a wide range of processing using powder, and the powder discharging device 16 uses the powder used in the powder processing unit 15 as a powder recovery container 17. Includes a wide range of emissions.
For example, as a processing apparatus using a developer as powder, the powder processing unit 15 includes an image holding body capable of holding an electrostatic latent image and an electrostatic latent image formed on the image holding body as powder. A developing device for developing with a developer, a transfer device for transferring a visible image developed by the developing device to a recording material, and a cleaning device for cleaning the developer remaining on the image carrier. Examples of the body discharge device 16 include a device that discharges the developer as powder that has been cleaned by a cleaning device. In this case, the powder collection container 17 includes a container for collecting the developer as the powder discharged by the powder discharge device 16 described above.
Note that the collection target of the powder collection container 17 is not limited to this, and the developer as powder from the transfer device or the development device may be the collection target. For example, if the transfer device is an intermediate transfer type transfer device, the developer cleaned by the intermediate transfer body cleaning device is targeted for collection, and even if it is a direct transfer type transfer device, a cleaning device is attached to the transfer member. By adding the developer, the developer cleaned by the cleaning device may be collected. As a developing device, for example, if a two-component developer including toner and carrier is used, the toner is consumed, but the carrier is not consumed. Yes, an old developer may be collected.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 (a) and 1 (b), the powder discharge device 16 used in the present embodiment is provided in communication with a powder processing unit 15 that processes using powder, and a powder is discharged at the tip. A transport pipe 1 for transporting used powder in the powder processing unit 15, and an opening / closing mechanism 3 for opening and closing the discharge port 2 of the transport pipe 1. Is fitted to the outer peripheral portion of the conveying pipe 1 so as to be movable along the conveying direction of the powder, and the opening position P2 of the discharge port 2 (see FIG. 2) and the closed position P0 of the discharge port 2 (see FIG. 2) The lid member 4 that moves between the lid member 4 and the lid member 4 is provided in a state of being prevented from rotating between the lid member 4 and a part of the outer peripheral portion of the transport pipe 1 that is remote from the lid member 4. A biasing member 5 for biasing the lid member 4 and a tip of the transport pipe 1 provided at a part of the lid member 4, and a recovery port 1 of the powder recovery container 17. When being inserted into the powder recovery container 17 and connected to the powder recovery container 17, the opening position of the discharge port 2 is blocked by the edge of the recovery port 18 and the cover member 4 is directed against the biasing direction of the biasing member 5. It is provided between the movable member 6 to be moved to P2, the transport pipe 1 and the lid member 4, and the lid member 4 is moved from the closed position P0 of the discharge port 2 to a predetermined open position P1 (see FIG. 2). During the movement, the lid member 4 is linearly guided along the powder conveyance direction so as to compress and deform the urging member 5, and the lid member 4 moves from the open position P1 to the open position P2. Is provided with a guide mechanism 7 for guiding the lid member 4 with rotation along the circumferential direction of the transport pipe 1 so as to compressively deform the urging member 5 with a torsional reaction force.

In such technical means, the conveying tube 1 communicates with the powder processing unit 15 and has a powder discharge port 2 at its tip, and a conveying member for conveying the used powder inside. Many embodiments having 11 are employed.
In addition, the opening / closing mechanism 3 is configured so that the discharge port 2 of the transfer tube 1 is opened by the lid member 4 when the tip of the transfer tube 1 is connected to the recovery port 18 of the powder recovery container 17. The discharge port 2 of the transfer tube 1 is closed by the lid member 4 when the tip of the transfer tube 1 is not connected to the recovery port 18 of the powder recovery container 17. It only has to be done.
The opening / closing mechanism 3 only needs to include the lid member 4, the biasing member 5, the movable member 6, and the guide mechanism 7.
Here, the lid member 4 may be fitted to the outer peripheral portion of the conveying tube 1 so as to be movable along the conveying direction of the powder and move between the open position P2 and the closed position P0 of the discharge port 2. .
Further, the urging member 5 is provided in a state in which it is prevented from rotating between a part of the outer peripheral portion of the transport pipe 1 away from the lid member 4 and the lid member 4, and the lid is directed toward the closing position P0 of the discharge port 2. Any member that urges the member 4 may be used. Typically, a coil spring capable of increasing the compression force by torsional deformation is used.
Further, the movable member 6 is provided integrally with the lid member 4 or as a separate body from the lid member 4, and when the tip of the transport pipe 1 is inserted into the collection port 18 of the powder collection container 17, the collection port It is only necessary to move the lid member 4 in a direction against the urging direction of the urging member 5 by being dammed to the 18 edges, but in order to move the lid member 4 without tilting with respect to the transport pipe 1, it is recovered. It is preferable to have a portion that touches the entire periphery of the edge of the mouth 18 or symmetrically with the periphery.

Furthermore, the guide mechanism 7 is provided between the outer peripheral portion of the transport tube 1 and the lid member 4, and has a guide portion (for example, a guide groove) having a predetermined shape on the outer peripheral portion of the transport tube 1. The lid member 4 only needs to have a guided portion (for example, a guided projection) guided by the guide portion. As the guide portion, the lid member 4 moves from the closed position P0 of the discharge port 2 to the open position P1. The biasing member 5 has a guide trajectory that simply compresses and deforms until the cover member 4 reaches the opening position P2 from the opening position P1 of the discharge port 2 to the opening position P2. It is necessary to have a guide trajectory that compresses and deforms with a torsional reaction force.
In this type of opening / closing mechanism 3, there is a concern that powder may be mixed into the sliding movement portion between the outer peripheral portion of the transport tube 1 and the lid member 4, and accordingly, the lid member is accompanied by the mixing of the powder. 4 shows a technical problem in which the maximum static frictional force 4 increases and the lid member 4 at the open position P2 becomes difficult to move to the closed position P0.
At this time, a method of setting the urging force of the urging member 5 larger is conceivable. However, when the urging member 5 is assembled to the powder discharging device 16, the pushing force of the urging member 5 is increased, or the urging member is increased. Therefore, it is necessary to reinforce the retaining structure of the lid member 4 urged by 5.
On the other hand, if the guide mechanism 7 of this example is provided, as shown in FIG. 2 (b), the urging member 5 is in the situation where the lid member 4 is located at the opening position P2 of the discharge port 2. Since the torsional reaction force Mc is added in addition to the urging force Fp accompanying the compression deformation, the lid member 4 acts in the closing direction of the discharge port 2 without increasing the urging force of the urging member 5 itself. Even if the maximum static frictional force of the lid member 4 increases as the powder is mixed, the initial operating force when the lid member 4 of the opening / closing mechanism 3 is closed increases. The closing operation of the member 4 is stably performed.

Next, a typical aspect or a preferable aspect of the powder discharging apparatus and the powder recovery container according to the present embodiment will be described.
First, as a typical aspect of the guide mechanism 7, as shown in FIGS. 1B and 2A and 2B, a guided portion 8 is provided in a part of the lid member 4, and Provided on the outer periphery, while the lid member 4 moves from the closed position P0 of the discharge port 2 to a predetermined open position P1 as shown by an arrow x in FIG. 2A (in FIG. 2A) m1) is provided on the outer periphery of the conveying pipe 1 and the first guiding portion 9 in which the guided portion 8 is guided by a linear locus along the conveying direction of the powder, While the lid member 4 is moved from the open position P1 to the open position P2 of the discharge port 2 as indicated by an arrow x in FIG. 2B (m2 in FIG. 2B), the guided portion 8 is transported. The aspect which has the 2nd guide part 10 guided with the spiral locus | trajectory along the circumferential direction c of the pipe | tube 1 is mentioned.
In this embodiment, the first guide portion 9 may be any member that linearly compresses and deforms the urging member 5 by moving the cover member 4 from the closed position P0 of the discharge port 2 to the open position P1. The second guide portion 10 may be any member that compresses and deforms the urging member 5 in a helical manner by moving the lid member 4 from the open position P1 of the discharge port 2 to the open position P2. Thereby, when the lid member 4 reaches the opening position P2 of the discharge port 2, a resultant force of the urging force Fp accompanying the compression deformation and the torsional reaction force Mc accompanying the torsional deformation acts on the urging member 5. Thus, the initial operating force when the lid member 4 of the opening / closing mechanism 3 is closed is increased.

As a preferable aspect of such a guide mechanism 7, the first and second guide portions 9 and 10 are configured as guide grooves, and the guided portion 8 is configured as a guided protrusion that can slide along the guide grooves. The embodiment is mentioned.
Furthermore, as a preferable aspect of the guide mechanism 7, the guided part 8 has an aspect in which the length of the first guide part 9 in the direction along the linear direction is set to be longer than the width direction dimension intersecting the linear direction. It is done. In this aspect, since the guided portion 8 has a structure extending along the linear direction of the first guide portion 9, the guided portion 8 has the first guide as compared with the short length of the guided portion 8. It is preferable in that it is guided in a state where the inclination is restricted with respect to the linear direction of the portion 9.
Furthermore, as a preferable aspect of the guide mechanism 7, a retaining mechanism (provided between the transport pipe 1 and the lid member 4) that prevents the lid member 4 from slipping off from the transport pipe 1 at a predetermined position ( (Not shown), and a plurality of guide mechanisms 7 are provided across the retaining mechanism. In this aspect, since a plurality of guide mechanisms 7 are provided across the retaining mechanism, when the lid member 4 reaches the retaining position, the lid member 4 can be tilted with the retaining position as a fulcrum. The tilting operation of the member 4 is regulated on both sides of the retaining mechanism, and the situation in which the lid member 4 tilts unnecessarily is preferable in that it can be effectively suppressed.
Further, as a typical aspect of the rotation preventing structure of the urging member 5, the urging member 5 is constituted by a coil spring, one end is hooked on a portion away from the discharge port 2 of the transport pipe 1, and the other end is a lid. The aspect hooked in a part of member 4 is mentioned.
Furthermore, as for the structure of the recovery port 18 of the powder recovery container 17, there can be mentioned an embodiment having an openable / closable sealing member (not shown) that seals the recovery port 18 into which the tip of the transport tube 1 can be inserted. . According to this aspect, when the powder recovery container 17 is not connected to the powder discharge device 16, the recovery port 18 is sealed with the sealing member to prevent leakage of the powder recovered in the powder recovery container 17. be able to.

Embodiment 1
Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in more detail based on embodiments shown in the accompanying drawings.
<Overall configuration of image forming apparatus>
FIG. 3 is an explanatory view showing Embodiment 1 of an image forming apparatus as a processing apparatus to which the present invention is applied.
In the figure, an image forming apparatus 20 arranges image forming units 22 (specifically, 22a to 22d) of four colors (black, yellow, magenta, and cyan in this embodiment) in an apparatus casing 21 in the horizontal direction. A transfer module 23 including an intermediate transfer belt 230 that is circulated and conveyed along the arrangement direction of the image forming units 22 is disposed above the image forming unit 22. A recording material supply device 24 that accommodates the recording material is disposed, and a recording material conveyance path 25 from the recording material supply device 24 is disposed in a substantially vertical direction.

In the present embodiment, the image forming units 22 (22a to 22d) are, for example, for black, yellow, magenta, and cyan in order from the upstream side in the circulation direction of the intermediate transfer belt 230. (Not limited to) a toner image, a photoreceptor 31, a charging device (charging roll in this example) 32 that charges the photoreceptor 31 in advance, and each photoreceptor charged by the charging device 32. An exposure device 33 that writes an electrostatic latent image on 31 (in this example, a common exposure device is used for each image forming unit 22), and a corresponding color toner (this embodiment) that forms an electrostatic latent image formed on the photoreceptor 31. In this embodiment, a developing device 34 that develops with negative polarity, for example, and a cleaning device 35 that cleans the residue on the photoreceptor 31 are provided.
In this embodiment, each image forming unit 22 is configured as a process cartridge in which a photosensitive member 31, a charging device 32, a developing device 34, and a cleaning device 35 are integrated as shown in FIG. 21 is detachably attached to an assembly receiving portion (not shown).
Here, the exposure apparatus 33 includes, for example, four semiconductor lasers (not shown), one polygon mirror 42, an imaging lens (not shown), and mirrors corresponding to the respective photoreceptors 31 in the exposure housing 41. (Not shown), the light from the semiconductor laser of each color component is deflected and scanned by the polygon mirror 42, and the light image is guided to the exposure point on the corresponding photoreceptor 31 through the imaging lens and mirror. Is.
Reference numeral 36 (36a to 36d) denotes a toner cartridge for replenishing each developing device 34 with each color component toner.

Further, in the present embodiment, the transfer module 23 is, for example, a structure in which an intermediate transfer belt 230 is stretched between a pair of stretch rolls (one is a drive roll) 231 and 232, and the photoreceptor of each image forming unit 22. A primary transfer device (primary transfer roll 51 in this example) 51 is disposed on the back surface of the intermediate transfer belt 230 corresponding to 31, and a voltage having a polarity opposite to the charging polarity of the toner is applied to the primary transfer device 51, The toner image on the photoreceptor 31 is electrostatically transferred to the intermediate transfer belt 230 side.
Further, a secondary transfer device 52 is disposed at a portion corresponding to the tension roll 232 on the downstream side of the most downstream image forming unit 22d of the intermediate transfer belt 230, and a primary transfer image on the intermediate transfer belt 230 is recorded. Secondary transfer (collective transfer) is performed on the material.

In the present embodiment, the secondary transfer device 52 includes a secondary transfer roll 521 arranged in pressure contact with the toner image holding surface side of the intermediate transfer belt 230, and a secondary transfer roll disposed on the back side of the intermediate transfer belt 230. A backup roll (in this example, also serving as a stretching roll 232) is provided.
For example, the secondary transfer roll 521 is grounded, and a bias having the same polarity as the charging polarity of the toner is applied to the backup roll (stretching roll 232).
Furthermore, a belt cleaning device 53 is disposed on the upstream side of the most upstream image forming portion 22a of the intermediate transfer belt 230 so as to remove residual toner on the intermediate transfer belt 230.

Further, the recording material supply device 24 is provided with a supply roll 61 for supplying a recording material. A transport roll 62 for transporting the recording material is disposed immediately after the supply roll 61 and immediately before the secondary transfer site. A positioning roll (registration roll) 63 for supplying the recording material to the secondary transfer portion at a predetermined timing is disposed in the recording material conveyance path 25 positioned at the position.
On the other hand, a fixing device 66 is provided in the recording material conveyance path 25 located on the downstream side of the secondary transfer site. As shown in FIG. 3, the fixing device 66 is a heat fixing in which a heater (not shown) is incorporated. A roll 66a and a pressure fixing roll 66b that is arranged in pressure contact with the roll 66 and rotates following the roll 66a are provided. A recording material discharge device 67 is provided on the downstream side of the fixing device 66. The recording material discharge device 67 includes paired discharge rollers 67 a and 67 b for discharging the recording material in the apparatus housing 21. The recording material is sandwiched and conveyed to be discharged, and is formed on the upper portion of the apparatus housing 21. A recording material is accommodated in the material accommodating receptacle 68.
Further, in the present embodiment, a manual feed device (MSI) 71 is provided on the side of the apparatus housing 21, and the recording material on the manual feed device 71 is supplied by the supply roll 72 to the recording material conveyance path 25. It is to be supplied towards.
Furthermore, a double-sided recording module 73 is attached to the apparatus housing 21. The double-sided recording module 73 reverses the recording material discharging device 67 when selecting the double-sided mode in which image recording is performed on both sides of the recording material, and Then, the recording material on which one-side recording is performed is taken into the inside by the guide roll 74 before the entrance, the recording material is conveyed along the internal recording material return conveyance path 76 by an appropriate number of conveyance rolls 77, and the positioning roll 63 side again. To supply.

<Waste developer collection container>
In the present embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the waste developer that has been used as a powder collection container is opened on the front side of the apparatus casing 21 by opening the front cover 21 a of the apparatus casing 21. A waste developer collecting container 100 for collecting the toner is assembled.
In this example, hinge parts 101 and 102 are installed on the front side of the bottom of the apparatus casing 21 on the left and right as viewed from the front, and the waste developer collection container 100 is supported by the hinge parts 101 and 102 while the apparatus is being supported. It is rotated and moved to the front side of the housing 21.
In the present embodiment, the developer as powder recovered in the waste developer recovery container 100 is a two-component developer including toner and carrier, and is intended to be conveyed from the following three systems.
(1) The cleaning device 35 of each image forming unit 22 (22a to 22d) cleans the developer (waste toner) remaining on the photoreceptor 31, and the cleaned waste toner is transported inside the cleaning device 35. Is discharged from one end of the cleaning container and is recovered into the waste developer recovery container 100 via the waste toner discharge device 80 (specifically 81 to 84) as shown in FIGS.
(2) The belt cleaning device 53 cleans the developer (waste toner) remaining on the intermediate transfer belt 230. The cleaned waste toner is discharged from one end of the belt cleaning container by a conveying member inside the belt cleaning device 53. Then, as shown in FIGS. 3 to 5, the toner is collected into the waste developer collecting container 100 via the waste toner discharging device 85.
(3) The developing device 34 of each image forming unit 22 (22a to 22d) has a developing roll disposed in the developing container, and the developing container is charged while stirring and mixing the developer, for example, a plurality of stirring transport members However, since the carrier of the developer remains without being consumed, there is a concern that the charging characteristics of the developer may be hindered when the carrier of the developer becomes old. For this reason, in this example, after the old developer (waste developer) is periodically discarded from the developing container to the outside, it passes through the waste developer discharging devices 86 to 89 as shown in FIGS. Then, it is recovered into a waste developer recovery container 100.

Further, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the waste developer collection container 100 includes a front case 100 f located on the front side of the apparatus housing 21 and a rear case 100 r located on the back side of the front case 100 f. And a storage space for waste developer is secured inside.
In this example, a waste toner discharge device 80 (specifically 81 to 84), 85 and a waste developer discharge device 86 to 89 can be connected to the rear case 100r of the waste developer collection container 100. Specifically, 111-114), 115, 116-119 are established.
Hereinafter, in the present embodiment, a waste toner discharge device 80 (81 to 84) that discharges waste toner from the cleaning device 35 will be described as an example.

<Waste toner discharge device>
In the present embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the cleaning device 35 has a cleaning container 351 that extends in the direction of the rotation axis of the photoconductor 31. A transport member (not shown) capable of transporting waste toner is disposed along the rotation axis direction, and a waste toner discharging device 80 (81 to 84) is attached to the end side of the cleaning container 351 in the waste toner transport direction. Is.
In the present embodiment, the waste toner discharge device 80 (81-84) is connected to the cleaning container 351 and connected to the cleaning container 351, and has a substantially rectangular discharge port 131 that opens downward at the tip. And a shutter mechanism 140 as an opening / closing mechanism that opens and closes the discharge port 131 of the transport duct 130.
-Conveyance duct-
In this example, as shown in FIGS. 7 to 10, the transport duct 130 has a substantially cylindrical cross-section with the tip closed by a resin material (for example, POM) having good sliding mobility (so-called slidability). A conveying member 132 (in this example, a spiral blade 134 is formed around the rotation shaft 133 is integrally formed coaxially and integrally with a conveying member (not shown) in the cleaning device 35. Aspect) is provided.
-Shutter mechanism-
The shutter mechanism 140 is fitted to the outer periphery of the transport duct 130 so as to be movable along the transport direction of the waste toner, and a predetermined opening position P2 of the discharge port 131 (see FIGS. 16 and 17) and the discharge port. A shutter member 141 as a lid member that moves between a closed position P0 (see FIGS. 15 and 17) of 131, and a portion of the outer peripheral portion of the transport duct 130 away from the shutter member 141 and the shutter member 141. And a biasing spring 160 as a biasing member that biases the shutter member 141 toward the closed position P0 of the discharge port 131, and the shutter member 141 is opened from the closed position P0 of the discharge port 131. A guide mechanism 170 that guides the movement path with respect to the transport duct 130 when moving between the position P2 and a shutter member 141 with respect to the transport duct 130 Is provided with a stopper mechanism 180 is prevented from coming off, the.

<Each element of shutter mechanism>
-Shutter member-
In this embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 13A and 13B, the shutter member 141 is made of a resin material (for example, POM) having a good sliding mobility (so-called sliding property), and the transport duct 130. A cylindrical main body 142 having an insertion hole 143 into which the outer peripheral portion of the cylindrical main body 142 can be inserted, and a flange portion 150 extending integrally around the cylindrical main body 142 on the side of the waste developer collecting container 100 are integrally formed. It is.
In this example, the recovery ports 110 (specifically 111 to 114) of the waste developer recovery container 100 are circular with an outer diameter slightly larger than the outer diameter of the transport duct 130, as shown in FIGS. When the front end portion of the transport duct 130 is inserted into the recovery port 110, the flange portion 150 of the shutter member 141 is blocked by the edge of the recovery port 110, and only the front end portion of the transport duct 130 is discarded. A discharge port 131 that is inserted into the recovery port 110 of the developer recovery container 100 and formed at the tip of the transport duct 130 is arranged in the recovery port 110. In other words, in this example, the flange portion 150 of the shutter member 141 functions as a movable member that moves the shutter member 141 relative to the transport duct 130 until it reaches the open position P2 of the discharge port 131. .
Further, in the present embodiment, a seal member 120 as an airtight holding member using a sponge material such as urethane rubber is provided on the outer peripheral edge of the recovery port 110 of the waste developer recovery container 100. For example, the shutter member 141 When the flange portion 150 contacts the seal member 120 at the edge of the recovery port 110, the airtightness between the flange portion 150 and the edge of the recovery port 110 is maintained. Further, a sealing member 121 made of an elastic film material is provided inside the recovery port 110 of the waste developer recovery container 100 so as to be rotatable with the upper edge portion serving as a rotation fulcrum 122, and the front end portion of the transport duct 130 is the recovery port 110. In a state where the recovery member 110 is not inserted, the sealing member 121 is arranged at a position where the recovery port 110 is closed by the urging spring 123 attached to the rotation fulcrum 122.

−Biasing spring−
As shown in FIGS. 11 to 16, the urging spring 160 is spirally wound around the outer periphery of the transport duct 130 and is held by the following detent structure.
In other words, the rotation preventing structure of the urging spring 160 is formed with the hooking protrusion 155 formed on a part of the shutter member 141 opposite to the flange portion 150 of the cylindrical main body 142, and the shutter member 141 of the transport duct 130. A stopper ring 156 partially formed with a stopper piece 157 is provided at a part away from the center, and one end of the urging spring 160 is hooked on the hooking protrusion 155 of the shutter member 141 and attached to the stopper piece 157 of the stopper ring 156. The urging spring 160 is compressed and torsionally deformed while the other end of the urging spring 160 is hooked and both end positions of the urging spring 160 are prevented from rotating.

-Guiding mechanism-
As shown in FIGS. 11 to 16, the guide mechanism 170 bulges and forms a guided projection 171 as a guided portion on the inner peripheral surface of the insertion hole 143 of the cylindrical main body 142 of the shutter member 141. A guide groove 175 is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the guide member 171 as a guide part that can be guided by being engaged with the guided projection 171, and the shutter member 141 is moved along a predetermined guide locus with respect to the transport duct 130. .
In this example, a pair of guided projections 171 is provided at a portion corresponding to the position of a substantially horizontal plane passing through the center of the insertion hole 143 of the cylindrical main body 142, and a semicircular cross section extending along the length direction of the transport duct 130. It is formed as a ridge. In this example, the guided protrusion 171 is selected such that the length direction dimension k of the transport duct 130 is several times (for example, 2 to 5 times) longer than the width direction dimension w intersecting the length direction.
As shown in FIGS. 15 and 16 in particular, the guide groove 175 has a semicircular cross section in which the guided projection 171 fits slidably on the outer peripheral surface of the transport duct 130, and extends from the front end surface of the transport duct 130. A first guide groove 176 extending linearly along the length direction of the transport duct 130 and the first guide groove 176 are formed so that the guided protrusion 171 moves slidably. And a second guide groove 177 extending spirally along the circumferential direction of the transport duct 130.

Here, the first guide groove 176 is formed while the shutter member 141 moves from the closed position P0 of the discharge port 131 of the transport duct 130 to the front position P1 (m1 in this example (see FIG. 17)). The guided projection 171 is guided along a linear locus along the length direction of 130.
In addition, the second guide groove 177 is formed while the shutter member 141 moves from the open position P1 to the open position P2 of the discharge port 131 of the discharge duct 130 (m2 in this example (see FIG. 17)). The guided protrusion 171 is guided according to a spiral locus along the circumferential direction.
In this example, the first guide groove 176 has a straight line portion longer than at least m1 and has a width dimension substantially corresponding to the width direction dimension w of the guided projection 171.
On the other hand, the length of the second guide groove 177 along the length direction of the transport duct 130 is selected to be substantially equal to the length direction dimension k of the guided projection 171 and the width dimension g of the shutter member 141 is m2. This is a parameter that determines the amount by which the shutter member 141 is rotated when it is pushed in the length direction of the transport duct 130 only.
The cross-sectional shape of the second guide groove 177 has a depth corresponding to the radius of the guided projection 171 having a semicircular cross section, and the guided projection 171 has a depth when the shutter member 141 moves to the open position P2. Only the cross-sectional shape of the edge portion with which the longitudinal portion contacts is formed in a semicircular shape.

Further, a pair of guided projections 171 are formed in the insertion hole 143 of the cylindrical main body 142 of the shutter member 141, and as shown in FIGS. 13A and 13B and FIG. 14, these guided projections 171 are formed. When 171 is guided by the second guide groove 177, a force that rotates the shutter member 141 in the circumferential direction acts on the transport duct 130, so that the guided protrusion 171 of the cylindrical main body 142 of the shutter member 141 is moved. Two reinforcing ribs 145 to 148 are formed on the formed outer circumferential surface along the length direction of the transport duct 130.
In this example, since the reinforcing ribs 145 to 148 are formed so as to abut against the flange portion 150 of the shutter member 141, the flange portion 150 is in contact with the edge of the recovery port 110 of the waste developer recovery container 100. The flange portion 150 is reinforced against impact force.
Note that the hooking protrusion 155 formed on the shutter member 141 may be formed integrally with a part of the reinforcing rib 145, for example.

-Retaining mechanism-
In the present embodiment, the retaining mechanism 180 forms a retaining piece 181 that protrudes in the radial direction in a part of the insertion hole 143 of the cylindrical main body 142 of the shutter member 141, as shown in FIGS. On the other hand, a retaining groove 182 in which the retaining piece 181 of the shutter member 141 slides is formed on the outer peripheral surface in the vicinity of the distal end portion of the transport duct 130, and the retaining groove 182 is slipped near the distal end of the transport duct 130. A retaining wall 183 with which the stopper piece 181 contacts is formed.
In this embodiment, the retaining mechanism 180 is provided on the upper part of the cylindrical main body 142 of the shutter member 141, and a plurality of guide mechanisms 170 are provided on both sides of the retaining mechanism 180.
Note that a retaining piece 181 is formed in the insertion hole 143 of the cylindrical main body 142 of the shutter member 141. When the retaining piece 181 hits the retaining wall 183, an impact force is applied to the retaining piece 181. Therefore, in this example, a reinforcing frame 185 having a box-shaped cross section is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical main body 142 where the retaining pieces 181 are formed.

Next, the operation of the waste toner discharging apparatus according to this embodiment will be described.
<When assembling the waste developer collection container>
Now, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, when the waste developer collection container 100 is assembled to the apparatus housing 21, as shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, the waste toner discharge device 80 (specifically, 81 to 84) is inserted into the recovery port 110 (specifically, 111 to 114) of the waste developer recovery container 100.
At this time, the shutter mechanism 140 of the waste toner discharging device 80 operates as follows.
(1) The flange portion 150 provided on the shutter member 141 hits the edge of the recovery port 110 of the waste developer recovery container 100.
In this state, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, when the waste developer collection container 100 is raised and moved toward the final assembly posture, the flange portion 150 provided in the shutter member 141 is blocked and transported. The tip of the duct 130 is inserted into the collection port 110.
(2) Here, the shutter member 141 relatively moves along the length direction of the transport duct 130 as the transport duct 130 moves.
In this state, the shutter member 141 is guided by the guide mechanism 170, but as shown in FIGS. 15A, 15B, and 17, the closed position P0 of the discharge port 131 of the transport duct 130 to the open position P1 is located. Since the guided protrusion 171 moves along a linear locus along the first guide groove 176 during the movement (m1 in this example), the shutter member 141 is linearly along the length direction of the transport duct 130. The biasing spring 160 is compressed and deformed.
(3) Further, when the waste developer collection container 100 is raised and moved toward the assembly posture, the shutter member 141 is moved to the discharge port of the transport duct 130 as shown in FIGS. 16 (a) and 16 (b) and FIG. During the movement from the open position P1 131 to the open position P2 (m2 in this example), the guided protrusion 171 moves according to the spiral trajectory along the second guide groove 177, so that the shutter member 141 is transported. The urging spring 160 is linearly moved along the length direction of the duct 130 to compress and deform the urging spring 160, and the urging spring 160 is torsionally deformed by rotating a predetermined amount g in the circumferential direction of the transport duct 130.
In this state, the shutter member 141 is held at the open position P2 of the discharge port 131, the waste developer collection container 100 is assembled at the assembly position, and the discharge port 131 located at the front end portion of the transport duct 130 is the waste developer collection. It is disposed in the collection port 110 of the container 100.

<Status after waste toner discharge by waste toner discharge device>
As shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, the waste toner discharging device 80 (specifically 81 to 84), when the waste toner cleaned by the cleaning device 35 is transported by a transport member (not shown), Waste toner is transported into the transport duct 130 by the transport member 132 coaxially and integrally connected to the member, and the waste toner is discharged into the waste developer collection container 100 through the discharge port 131 of the transport duct 130.
When such waste toner discharging operation is performed over time, the internal pressure of the waste developer collecting container 100 becomes higher than the atmospheric pressure, and therefore the toner cloud is collected from the transport duct 130 of the waste toner discharging device 80 and the waste developer collecting. There is a concern that the container 100 may flow out from the periphery of the connection portion with the recovery port 110.
In this state, the seal member 120 is provided on the outer peripheral edge of the recovery port 110, and the flange portion 150 of the shutter member 141 contacts the seal member 120, so that the airtightness between the shutter member 141 and the waste developer recovery container 100 is maintained. Therefore, the toner cloud that has flowed out is likely to be mixed into the gap between the shutter member 141 and the transport duct 130. When the toner cloud is mixed in this way, the sliding resistance of the shutter member 141 with respect to the transport duct 130 increases, and when the waste developer collection container 100 is removed, the shutter member 141 located at the open position P2 moves toward the closed position P0. It is difficult to close the shutter mechanism and the opening / closing operation of the shutter mechanism 140 may become unstable.
However, in the present embodiment, as described below, the guide mechanism 170 of the shutter mechanism 140 is devised, and thus such a concern is solved.

<Basic action of shutter mechanism>
In this embodiment, when the waste developer collection container 100 is assembled, the shutter mechanism 140 of the waste toner discharge device 80 is the guide mechanism 170 (guided protrusion 171, first guide groove 176, first guide groove 176, as described above). By guiding the shutter member 141 along the guide locus by the second guide groove 177), the discharge port 131 is moved from the closed position P0 to the open position P2.
At this time, as shown in FIGS. 15 to 17, the urging spring 160 is compressed and deformed by m1 + m2, so that the urging force Fp acts on the shutter member 141 from the urging spring 160, and the urging spring 160 further. In response to the torsional deformation, a torsional reaction force Mc also acts.
Therefore, in the present embodiment, in a situation where the waste developer collection container 100 is assembled, both the urging force Fp and the torsional reaction force Mc described above by the urging spring 160 act on the shutter member 141. The state is kept.
Therefore, for example, when the waste developer collection container 100 is removed, the above-described urging force Fp and torsional reaction force Mc are used as the initial operating force for moving the shutter member 141 from the open position P2 toward the closed position P0. Therefore, it is possible to ensure a necessary and sufficient initial operating force of the shutter member 141 without increasing the elastic coefficient of the biasing spring 160 and setting the biasing force itself to a large value.
Therefore, the situation that the shutter member 141 of the shutter mechanism 140 does not reach the closed position P0 even if the sliding resistance of the shutter member 141 with respect to the transport duct 130 is increased due to the toner cloud is effectively eliminated.

<Assembly operability of waste developer collection container>
In the present embodiment, when the waste developer collection container 100 is assembled, the guide mechanism 170 of the shutter mechanism 140 guides the shutter member 141 along the linear locus with respect to the transport duct 130 by the first guide groove 176. After that, the second guide groove 177 guides the shutter member 141 along the spiral locus with respect to the transport duct 130.
At this time, when the shutter member 141 moves along the linear locus via the first guide groove 176, the biasing spring 160 gradually compresses and deforms until reaching m1, and when the shutter member 141 reaches m1, the biasing spring 160 applies bias. The force Fp ′ acts.
Thereafter, when the shutter member 141 moves along the spiral locus via the second guide groove 177, the urging spring 160 is further compressed and deformed by m2, and the urging force Fp acts from the urging spring 160. A torsional reaction force Mc acts upon the torsional deformation of the force spring 160.
As described above, when the assembly of the waste developer collection container 100 is started, the biasing spring 160 is only gradually compressed and deformed, and it is not necessary to select the biasing spring 160 having a particularly high elastic coefficient. There is no concern that the repulsive force from the spring 160 adversely affects the operability at the start of assembly of the waste developer collection container 100.
When the end of the assembly of the waste developer collection container 100 is reached, the shutter member 141 moves along the guide locus by the second guide groove 177, and the urging spring 160 reacts with compression deformation and torsion deformation. Force (biasing force Fp, torsional reaction force Mc) acts, but in the operation process just before the end of the assembly of the waste developer collection container 100, even if the torsional reaction force Mc of the urging spring 160 is added, the waste development There is no concern of deteriorating the assembling operability of the agent recovery container 100.

<Other features of shutter mechanism>
In the present embodiment, the shutter mechanism 140 has the following characteristic points.
(1) Guided protrusion 171 of the guide mechanism 170
In this example, since the guided protrusion 171 of the guide mechanism 170 is configured by a long protruding line along the first guide groove 176, the guided protrusion 171 is inclined in the first guide groove 176. Move without sliding. For this reason, the shutter member 141 can stably slide without being inclined with respect to the transport duct 130.
(2) Layout of guide mechanism 170 and retaining mechanism 180 In this example, since a plurality of guiding mechanisms 170 are provided with the retaining mechanism 180 interposed therebetween, the retaining pieces 181 of the shutter member 141 are attached to the retaining wall 183. Even when the shutter member 141 tries to tilt with the contact portion as a fulcrum when contacted, the position of the shutter member 141 is restricted by the transport duct 130 by the guide mechanisms 170 on both sides, so the shutter member 141 is held by the transport duct 130. Posture is stable.
(3) Shape of the shutter member 141 The shutter member 141 is integrally formed with a flange portion 150 as a movable member, a guided projection 171 of the guide mechanism 170, and a retaining piece 181 of the retaining mechanism 180, respectively. A load is applied.
However, the shutter member 141 of this example is provided with the reinforcing ribs 145 to 148 and the reinforcing frame 185 as described above. Therefore, even if a load is applied to the shutter member 141, the shutter member 141 is deformed. It has a difficult structure.

◎ Deformation 1
In the present embodiment, the guided protrusion 171 of the guide mechanism 170 is formed as a long protruding line along the first guide groove 176, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, FIG. As in the first modification shown in FIG. 1, the guided protrusion 172 may have a pin structure that fits slidably along the first guide groove 176 and the second guide groove 177. In this aspect, the width dimensions of the first guide groove 176 and the second guide groove 177 may be selected to be approximately the same.
Further, in this aspect, in the aspect in which the plurality of guide mechanisms 170 are provided, the installation position of the guided protrusion 172 may be provided symmetrically. However, for example, if the position of the shutter member 141 with respect to the moving direction is displaced. It is preferable in that the inclination of the shutter member 141 with respect to the transport duct 130 can be effectively avoided.
◎ Deformation form 2
Further, as in the second modified example shown in FIG. 18B, a plurality of (slidably movable fits along the first guide groove 176 and the second guide groove 177 as the guided protrusion 173 of the guide mechanism 170 ( In this example, two pin structures (specifically, 173a and 173b) may be used. In the present embodiment, the second guide groove 177 has a structure (specifically, 177a, 177b) branched from the first guide groove 176 at a plurality of locations in accordance with the position of the guided projection 173 (173a, 173b). That's fine.

Comparison Mode In this embodiment, the guide mechanism 170 has a first guide groove 176 (linear trajectory) and a second guide groove 177 (spiral trajectory) connected to the first guide groove 176. However, a helical guide groove 179 (inclination θ with respect to the length direction of the transport duct 130 is formed on the outer peripheral portion of the shutter member 141 as in a comparative guide mechanism 170 ′ shown in FIG. The structure in which the guided protrusion 174 is slidably fitted in the guide groove 179 is examined.
In this comparative embodiment, for example, when the waste developer collection container 100 is assembled, the guided protrusion 174 of the guide mechanism 170 ′ moves according to the spiral locus of the guide groove 179, so the shutter member 141 is the length of the transport duct 130. While moving along the direction, it simultaneously rotates in the circumferential direction of the transport duct 130. For this reason, in addition to the urging force accompanying the compression deformation, the torsional reaction force accompanying the torsional deformation acts on the urging spring 160 from the initial assembly stage of the waste developer collection container 100, and It is understood that there is a concern that the repulsive force may adversely affect the operability at the start of assembly of the waste developer collection container 100.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Conveyance pipe, 2 ... Discharge port, 3 ... Opening / closing mechanism, 4 ... Lid member, 5 ... Energizing member, 6 ... Movable member, 7 ... Guide mechanism, 8 ... Guide part, 9 ... First guide part, DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... 2nd guide part, 11 ... Conveyance member, 15 ... Powder processing part, 16 ... Powder discharge apparatus, 17 ... Powder collection container, 18 ... Collection port

Claims (9)

A conveying tube that is provided in communication with a powder processing unit for processing using powder, has a powder discharge port at the tip, and conveys used powder in the powder processing unit;
An opening and closing mechanism for opening and closing the discharge port of the transport pipe,
The opening / closing mechanism is fitted in an outer peripheral portion of the transport pipe so as to be movable along the transport direction of the powder, and a lid member that moves between an open position of the discharge port and a closed position of the discharge port;
A biasing force that is provided between the lid member and a part of the outer peripheral portion of the transport pipe that is separated from the lid member and biases the lid member toward the closed position of the discharge port. A member,
The lid is provided at a part of the lid member, and is clogged to the edge of the collection port when the tip of the transfer tube is inserted into the collection port of the powder collection container and connected to the powder collection container. A movable member that moves the member in a direction against the biasing direction of the biasing member to the open position of the discharge port;
Provided between the transport pipe and the lid member, and while the lid member moves from a closed position of the discharge port to a predetermined open position, the biasing member is compressed and deformed. While the lid member is linearly guided along the conveying direction of the powder and the lid member moves from the position before the open position to the open position, the biasing member is compressed and deformed with a twisting reaction force. So that the lid member is guided with rotation along the circumferential direction of the transport pipe,
A powder discharging apparatus comprising: In the powder discharging apparatus according to claim 1,
The guide mechanism has a guided portion in a part of the lid member,
While the cover member moves from the closed position of the discharge port to a predetermined position before the open position, the guided part is provided with a linear locus along the conveying direction of the powder. A first guidance section guided at
An outer peripheral portion of the transport pipe is provided continuously to the first guide portion, and the guided portion is connected to the transport pipe while the lid member moves from the open position of the discharge port to the open position. And a second guide portion guided by a spiral locus along the circumferential direction. The powder discharging apparatus according to claim 2,
The first and second guide portions of the guide mechanism are configured as guide grooves, and the guided portion is configured as a guided projection that is slidable along the guide groove. . The powder discharging apparatus according to claim 2,
The powder discharging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the guided portion has a length in a direction along a linear direction of the first guide portion set to be longer than a width direction dimension intersecting the linear direction. In the powder discharging apparatus according to claim 1,
Provided between the transport pipe and the lid member, and having a retaining mechanism for retaining the lid member at a predetermined position with respect to the transport pipe;
2. A powder discharging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of the guide mechanisms are provided across the retaining mechanism. In the powder discharging apparatus according to claim 1,
The urging member is constituted by a coil spring, one end is hooked on a part of the transport pipe away from the discharge port, and the other end is hooked on a part of the lid member. . A powder processing unit for processing using powder;
The powder discharging apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein used powder is discharged from the powder processing unit;
A processing apparatus comprising: a powder recovery container for recovering the powder discharged by the powder discharging apparatus. The processing apparatus according to claim 7, wherein
The said powder collection container has the sealing member which can be opened and closed which seals the collection port which can insert the front-end | tip part of the said conveyance pipe | tube. The processing apparatus according to claim 7, wherein
The powder processing unit includes an image holding member capable of holding an electrostatic latent image, a developing device that develops the electrostatic latent image formed on the image holding member with a developer as powder, and the developing device. A transfer device that transfers the visible image developed in step 1 to a recording material, and a cleaning device that cleans the developer remaining on the image carrier,
The processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the powder discharging device discharges the developer as the powder cleaned by the cleaning device.

Images