JPS6348350B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to a toner recovery device for an electrophotographic copying machine including a printer or a copying machine to which an electrophotographic process is applied.

[Conventional technology]

Conventionally, in copying machines that do not store toner inside the cleaner body, the unnecessary toner on the photoreceptor is guided to the cleaner body using a cleaning mechanism such as a blade or brush, and then the toner is transferred to the cleaner body using a belt, bead chain, etc. A transport mechanism such as an auger was used to send the toner to a toner collection box located at a distance from the main body of the cleaner.

In addition, as disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 55-96974 as a toner collection device for a conventional electrophotographic copying machine, the inside of the photoreceptor drum is used as a residual toner collection chamber and the toner is rotated from above the photoreceptor layer of the photoreceptor drum. Some toner scrapers scrape off residual toner with a fur brush, convey it to an outlet with a screw conveyor, and then introduce it into a residual toner storage chamber through a guide tube by rotation of a toner conveying coil.

[Problem to be solved by the invention]

In the above-described toner recovery device for a copying machine that does not store toner inside the cleaner body,
The toner transport path becomes long and the direction must be changed midway, so a bevel gear or the like has been used mechanically.

This makes it difficult to adjust the parts and increases the number of parts, leading to a decrease in the reliability of the entire mechanism and cleaning performance.

In addition, the toner collection box is located away from the main body of the cleaner, making it difficult to use space effectively.

In addition, in the toner recovery device of an electrophotographic copying machine described above in which the inside of the photoreceptor drum is used as a residual toner storage chamber, if the residual toner storage chamber becomes full of toner while the photoreceptor drum has a sufficient life remaining. ,
When disposing of this toner, it is necessary to scrape out the toner from the remaining toner storage chamber in the photoreceptor drum, and the surrounding area of the copying machine is likely to be contaminated with toner, making handling difficult.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and its purpose is to shorten the toner transport path, reduce the number of parts, and greatly improve cleaning performance without reducing the reliability of the entire mechanism. To provide a toner recovery device for an electrophotographic copying machine, which can improve the performance of an electrophotographic copying machine, enables efficient use of space, and is easy to handle without contaminating the surrounding area of the copying machine with the residual toner when discarding the residual toner. There is a particular thing.

[Means to solve the problem]

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a cleaning member 9 for removing toner remaining on the photoreceptor drum 1.
, a collection container 3 which is separate from the photoreceptor drum 1 and which stores the residual toner, and a conveyance means which transports the residual toner to the collection container 3. It is arranged so that it can be attached to and detached from the support shaft 7.

[Effect]

The residual toner collection container 3 is replaced many times during the life of the photosensitive drum 1 as soon as it becomes full of residual toner, and the residual toner is disposed of.

〔Example〕

Hereinafter, the present invention will be explained with reference to the drawings.

1 in the drawing is a photoreceptor drum, and this photoreceptor 1
A collection container 3 for collecting residual toner is housed inside. The upper part of the collection container 3 has a V-shaped section 14, and the bottom of this V-shaped section 14 has a bearing section 15 with a circular section.
It is open to There is an input port 1 at the bottom of the bearing part 15.
6 is formed. Further, a sealing member 12 is provided on the bearing portion 15 so as to surround the input port 16.
Further, the bearing portion 15 is provided with a rubber magnet 13.

The support shaft 7 of the photoreceptor drum 1 is hollow, and inside this support shaft 7 is a pipe member 1 with an auger.
0 is inserted and fitted, and a hole 17 is formed on the circumferential surface of this pipe member 10, and the hole 17 is inserted into the support shaft 7.
It communicates with the hole 18 of.

A bearing 8 is rotatably provided on the support shaft 7.

The support shaft 7 is inserted into a bearing portion 15 of the recovery container 3, and the bearing 8 of the support shaft 7 is held by attraction by a rubber magnet 13. Further, the hole 18 of the support shaft 7 is located at a position relative to the input port 16.

The support shaft 7 is rotatably supported by the photoreceptor support 2 on the frame 11 at its end.

In the drawing, 4 is a cleaner body, and this cleaner body 4 includes a cleaning member 9 such as a blade for removing toner remaining on the photoreceptor drum 1, and a cleaning member 9 that transports toner dropped into the cleaner body 4. A flexible auger 5 is provided, and a guide pipe 6 is connected to the outlet side of the flexible auger 5, and this guide pipe 6 is rotatably connected to a pipe member 10 fitted to the support shaft 7. There is.

In the cleaning process of each process for the photoreceptor, the unnecessary toner on the photoreceptor drum 1 is dropped into the cleaner main body 4 using the cleaning member 9. This toner is supplied into the pipe member 10 via the guide pipe 6 by the flexible auger 5. This pipe member 10 rotates with the rotation of the photoreceptor drum 1 and has an auger (helical groove), so the toner is sent to the back of the pipe member 10 and the hole 1.
Reach 7.

When the hole 18 of the support shaft 7 faces downward and aligns with the input port 16, the toner flows from the input port 16 into the collection container 3.
It is put inside.

Note that the collection container 3 is in a stationary state, and the support shaft 7
rotates via a bearing held in the bearing portion of the collection container 3 by a rubber magnet.

In this way, when the collection container 3 becomes full with the stored toner, push the collection container 3 downwards from the support shaft 7 to remove it from the support shaft 7, and then pull it out of the machine. It can be taken out.

In addition, when taking out the cleaner body 4 and the photoreceptor drum 1 from each machine, each can be taken out of the machine independently by pulling out the guide pipe 6 inserted into the groove of the pipe member 10 in the support shaft 7. It can be taken out.

〔Effect of the invention〕

The present invention has been described in detail above, and the residual toner collection container 3 disposed inside the photoreceptor drum 1
is provided separately from the photoreceptor drum 1 and is removably disposed on the support shaft 7 of the photoreceptor drum 1.
The toner transport path is shortened, which reduces the number of parts, greatly improves the cleaning performance without reducing the reliability of the entire mechanism, and in particular makes it possible to use space more effectively.

In addition, the residual toner collection container 3 can be replaced many times during the life of the next-stage photoreceptor drum 1 when it becomes full of residual toner, and the collection container 3 can be removed and replaced as a whole, so the surrounding area of the copying machine can be easily cleaned. It doesn't get dirty.

Moreover, since the collection container 3 is disposed on the support shaft 7 of the photosensitive drum 1 and can be easily attached and detached, it is easy to handle.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

The drawings show one embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 1 is a side view of a cleaning device and a photosensitive drum, and FIG.
The figure is a perspective view of the cleaning device, Figure 3 is a front view of the support shaft of the photoreceptor drum, and Figure 4 is Figure 3.
A cross-sectional view along the line, FIG. 5 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the collection container,
FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken along the line of FIG. 5. 1 is a photosensitive drum, 3 is a collection container, 7 is a support shaft, and 9 is a cleaning member.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1 A cleaning member 9 for removing toner remaining on the photoreceptor drum 1, a collection container 3 separate from the photoreceptor drum 1 that stores the residual toner, and a conveying means for transporting the residual toner to the collection container 3. A toner recovery device for an electrophotographic copying machine, characterized in that the recovery container 3 is removably disposed on a support shaft 7 inside the photosensitive drum 1.