JP2000315039A - Powdery body recovery device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To improve durability and to decrease noise. SOLUTION: In this device, a scraping up plate 12b that can be rotated and moved while scraping up toner, a scraper plate 12d where the toner is scraped off the scraping up plate 12b by being slid against the scraping up plate 12b are provided and since both plates 12b and 12d are formed from elastic bodies, both of the plates 12b and 12d are bent when the scraper plate 12d is slid against the scraping up plate 12b and the toner is scraped off from the scraping up plate 12b. Thus, no great bending angle is generated in only one of the plate members and the durability is improved. Furthermore, being formed from the elastic body, a quieting effect is obtained when the scraping up plate 12b is separated from the scraper plate 12d.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a collecting device for collecting a powdery substance such as toner in an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine, a developer, that is, a toner, is used to develop a latent image on a photosensitive drum. Generally, the toner is a powder having a size of about 10 microns, and is composed of a resin and a magnetic substance or an adhesive.

At the time of image formation, toner is adsorbed on a photosensitive drum on which electric charges are accumulated, and then the toner is transferred to paper as an image forming body, and the toner is fixed on the paper using a fixing roller. .

[0004]

Generally, not all of the toner adsorbed on the photosensitive drum is transferred to the paper side, and a portion of the toner often remains on the photosensitive drum even after the transfer. . However, since the photosensitive drum is repeatedly charged and adsorbs the toner, if the toner remains on a part of the photosensitive drum, it may adversely affect the formation of the next image. Therefore, in general, a blade is brought into contact with the outer periphery of the photosensitive drum, and the toner remaining on the outer periphery is scraped off according to the rotating photosensitive drum. Further, from the viewpoint of toner recycling, the scraped toner is returned to the toner storage by the transport device and reused.

[0005] Incidentally, in a certain type of copying machine, paper is conveyed in a direction perpendicular to the photosensitive drum. According to this configuration, the toner scraping blade needs to be positioned above the photosensitive drum. In such a case, a toner collecting device for transporting the toner scraped by the blade to the toner storage is required.

In one example of such a toner collecting device,
The toner scraped by the scraping blade is scraped upward by a scraping plate attached to the rotating shaft, and the toner scraped by the scraping plate is scraped by a scraper plate in contact with the scraper. Thus, the toner is conveyed to the toner storage by the conveyance screw.

Here, in the conventional toner recovery apparatus, the scraper plate is made of a relatively hard material such as metal, and the scraping plate is made of a relatively soft resin. Therefore, when the scraper plate scrapes the toner scraped by the rotating scraper plate, the scraper plate is largely bent, but the scraper plate is hardly bent.

[0008] Accordingly, since the scraping plate has a large bending angle that causes the resin material to fatigue at an early stage, settling or the like is liable to occur, and the durability thereof is reduced. It was necessary to replace it in a short cycle. A similar problem is expected to occur in a configuration in which the scraper plate is bent instead of hardly bending the scraping plate.

Further, when the greatly bent scraping plate separates from the scraper plate, the bending suddenly returns to generate a loud "clicking" sound. Propagation can cause discomfort to the user. To prevent sound from propagating, for example, it is necessary to provide a sound absorbing material inside the image device,
This will increase costs.

[0010] In addition, it is convenient if the transportability of the powder can be further improved.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems of the prior art, and a powder collecting device capable of improving durability and reducing noise, and a powder having improved transportability of the powder. An object is to provide a body recovery device.

[0012]

In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the present invention provides a powdery material collecting apparatus, comprising: a first plate-like member for scooping up a powder; and a first plate-like member. A second plate-like member that slides and scrapes the powder from the first plate-like member, wherein the first plate-like member and the second plate-like member are separated from an elastic body. It is characterized by being formed.

According to the present invention, there is provided a powder material collecting apparatus, comprising: a first plate-like member for scooping up a powder; sliding on the first plate-like member; A second plate-like member for scraping a body, and a conveying unit disposed on the opposite side of the second plate-like member from the first plate-like member,
By being pressed by the moving first plate-like member, the second plate-like member moves, and the powder scraped by the second plate-like member is moved to the side of the conveying means. Is transmitted.

[0014]

According to the dust collecting apparatus of the present invention, the first plate-like member for picking up the powder and the first plate-like member are slid with respect to the first plate-like member. A second plate-like member for scraping the powder, wherein the first plate-like member and the second plate-like member are formed of an elastic body; When the member slides with respect to the first plate-like member and scrapes the powder from the first plate-like member, both plate members will bend, whereby one of the plate members is bent. A large bending angle does not occur only in the member, and the durability is improved. Also, when the first plate-like member is detached from the second plate-like member, a silent effect can be obtained because the first plate-like member is formed of the elastic body. For example, it can be used for a machine installed in an office or the like where quietness is desired. Here, the elastic body does not include a material having a small bending amount such as a metal or a hard resin, but includes a material having a relatively large bending amount such as a rubber or a soft resin.

Further, if at least one of the first plate-shaped member and the second plate-shaped member is formed from a material having a low coefficient of friction, frictional resistance during sliding can be reduced,
A smoother operation can be ensured.

[0016] In addition, the second plate-like member is attached to a fixed member, and the first plate-like member is attached to a rotating shaft so as to rotate and move, and a tip of the first plate-like member is provided. By providing a predetermined distance between the trajectory and the fixing member to which the second plate-shaped member is attached, it is possible to further improve the durability of the second plate-shaped member. .

According to the powder recovery device of the present invention, the first plate-like member for scooping up the powder and the first plate-like member slide with respect to the first plate-like member. A second plate-like member for scraping the powder, and the second plate-like member interposed therebetween;
A transport unit disposed on the opposite side to the first plate-like member, wherein the second plate-like member is pushed by the moving first plate-like member to thereby move the second plate-like member. Since the powder material scraped off by the shape member is sent out to the transporting means side, the transportability of the powder material is improved, and the powder material can be collected more efficiently.

[0018]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a toner collection device according to the present embodiment, which is installed in a copying machine that is an image forming apparatus.

The copying machine shown in FIG. 1 is of a type in which paper P is vertically conveyed to a rotating drum 1 in order to facilitate double-sided copying and the like. Therefore, the photosensitive drum 1 with which the paper P contacts
The charging device 2 is arranged on the opposite side (left side) with respect to the position (1). Due to such an arrangement relationship, the toner collecting device 10 is arranged above the photosensitive drum 1. In addition, on the right side of the toner collecting device 10, there is provided a peeling device 4 for peeling off the paper P when it is stuck to the outer peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum 1.

The toner collecting device 10 includes a toner scraping section 11, a toner scraping section 12, and a toner conveying section 13. The toner scraping unit 11 includes a blade 11 a having one end contacting the outer peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum 1,
The blades 11a are arranged vertically between the holding plates 11b and 11c, which are swingable, and disposed between the left end of the holding plate 11c and the housing 11d to apply a predetermined urging force to the holding plate 11c. And a spring 11e.

On the other hand, the toner scraping unit 12 is
d and a side wall 12c are disposed in a space (scooping chamber) formed by the motor and a rotating shaft 12a that is driven to rotate by a motor (not shown). A pair of scraping plates (first plate-like members) 12b and a scraper plate (second plate-like member) 1 which slides in contact with the rotating scraping plate 12b.
2d. In addition, the scraping plate 12b is
A scraper plate 12 made of urethane which is an elastic body
d is formed of PET which is an elastic body.

Further, the transport section 13 has a transport screw 13a disposed in a space (transfer chamber) formed by the guide member 13b disposed on the holding plate 13b and the housing 11d. In addition, the guide member 13b as a base is
It has an inner wall corresponding to the shape of the transport screw, and has one end of a scraper plate 12d attached.

In the operation of the copying machine according to the present embodiment, while the photosensitive drum 1 is rotating in the direction shown in FIG. 1, the paper P sent from a registration roller (not shown) receives guides 5a, 5b, 5c, the photosensitive drum 1 comes into contact with the outer peripheral surface on the right side of the photosensitive drum 1 and moves further upward.
At this time, the photosensitive drum 1 charged by the charging device 2
The toner corresponding to the image to be copied is adsorbed on the outer peripheral surface of the paper P, and the toner is transferred to the paper P, so that copying is performed.

Incidentally, the toner adsorbed on the outer peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum 1 is not completely transferred to the paper P, and a part of the toner often remains on the photosensitive drum 1. If such residual toner is left unattended, it may affect the image to be copied next. Therefore, it is necessary to remove the residual toner from the outer peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum 1. On the other hand, from the viewpoint of recycling, the residual toner should not be discarded, but is preferably transported to a toner storage and reused.

Therefore, the toner collecting device 10 operates as follows. First, the blade 11a, which applies a given force to the outer peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum 1 by the urging force of the spring 11e, scrapes off the toner adhered to the outer peripheral surface without damaging it.

The toner scraped from the outer peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum 1 by the blade 11a first enters a lower portion of a scraping chamber formed by the housing 11d and the side wall 12c. The toner that has entered the lower portion of the scraping chamber is scooped up by a scraping plate 12b that rotates counterclockwise together with the rotating shaft 12, is conveyed to the upper portion of the scraping chamber, and is transferred to a scraper plate 12d. It is sent to the transfer chamber. The delivered toner is transported to a toner storage (not shown) by the transport screw 13a and is reused.

Further, the operation at the time of transferring the toner will be described in more detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 2 is an enlarged view showing the toner scraping unit 12 and the transport unit 13. In FIG. 2, the scraping plate 12b, which has been rotated upward while scooping up the toner, abuts the end of the scraper plate 12d extending obliquely upward and to the right. , The toner on the scraping plate 12b moves to the upper surface of the scraper plate 12d with the aid of its own weight.

When the scraping plate 12b further rotates, the scraping plate 12b applies a pressing force to the end of the scraper plate 12d, but both plates 12b and 12d are formed of an elastic body and cantilevered. Therefore, in both cases, the free end side is bent. FIG. 2 shows such a state.

As described above, by bending both plates 12b and 12d, one of the plates (in the prior art, the scraping plate 1) is bent.
2b) does not cause a large bending angle, and the durability of the scraping plate 12b is improved.

Further, when the scraping plate 12b rotates and separates from the scraper plate 12d, the two plates 12b, 12d
Is formed of an elastic body, the sound generated when the scraper plate 12b separates from the scraper plate 12b is reduced,
It is possible to provide a quieter copying machine.

In addition, in the present embodiment, since the scraping plate 12b is made of relatively flexible urethane and the scraper plate 12d is made of PET having a relatively low friction coefficient, the two plates 12b and 12d are in close contact with each other. The two plates 12b,
The slidability of the 12d can be improved, so that a smooth operation can be ensured.

When the scraper plate 12d is bent as shown in FIG. 2 by the rotation of the scraper plate 12b, the scraper plate 12d is further moved by the transport screw 13a.
Therefore, the toner placed on the scraper plate 12d can be sent out to a place close to the conveying screw 13a, whereby the toner conveying efficiency can be improved.

According to the research results of the present inventors, the distance Δ between the position at which the rotating scraping plate 12b separates from the scraper plate 12d and the base of the scraper plate 12d.
Is set to 2 to 3 mm so that the scraper plate 12d
It has been found that the stress generated in the steel is reduced and the durability is further improved.

In this way, a new charged latent image is formed by the charging device 2 on the outer peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum 1 from which the toner has been removed by the toner collecting device 10 in accordance with the image to be copied next. It will be.

The present invention has been described with reference to the embodiments. However, the present invention should not be construed as being limited to the above embodiments, and it is needless to say that modifications and improvements can be made as appropriate. is there. For example, according to the present embodiment, urethane and PET are taken as examples of the elastic body, but various materials can be used as long as they are excellent in flexibility. Further, the powder collecting apparatus of the present invention can be used not only in an image forming apparatus such as a copying apparatus but also in various apparatuses.

[0036]

According to the present invention, the first plate-like member for picking up the powder and the first plate-like member slide with respect to the first plate-like member. A second plate-like member for scraping the powder from the member, wherein the first plate-like member and the second plate-like member are made of an elastic material, When the plate-like member slides with respect to the first plate-like member and scrapes off the powder from the first plate-like member, both plate members will bend. No large bending angle is generated only for the plate member, and the durability is improved. Also, when the first plate-like member is detached from the second plate-like member, a silent effect can be obtained because the first plate-like member is formed of the elastic body. For example, it can be used for a machine installed in an office or the like where quietness is desired.

According to the powder recovery device of the present invention, the first plate-like member for scooping up the powder and the first plate-like member are slid with respect to the first plate-like member. A second plate-like member for scraping the powder, and the second plate-like member interposed therebetween;
A transport unit disposed on the opposite side to the first plate-like member, wherein the second plate-like member is pushed by the moving first plate-like member to thereby move the second plate-like member. Since the powder material scraped off by the shape member is sent out to the transporting means side, the transportability of the powder material is improved, and the powder material can be collected more efficiently.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a toner collection device according to an embodiment, which is installed in a copying machine that is an image forming apparatus.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged view showing a toner scraping section 12 and a transport section 13;

[Explanation of symbols]

 REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 photosensitive drum 2 charging device 10 toner collecting device 11 toner scraping unit 12 toner scraping unit 12 b scraping plate 12 d scraper plate 13 transport unit

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A first plate-like member for scooping up a powdery body, and a second plate sliding on the first plate-like member and scraping the powdery body from the first plate-like member. And a first plate-shaped member and the second plate-shaped member are formed of an elastic body. 2. The powder recovery device according to claim 1, wherein at least one of said first plate member and said second plate member is formed of a material having a low coefficient of friction. apparatus. 3. The first plate-shaped member is attached to a base, and the first plate-shaped member is attached to a rotating shaft to rotate and move, and the first plate-shaped member is attached to a rotating shaft. 3. A powder according to claim 1, wherein a predetermined distance is set between a tip trajectory of the member and the fixing member to which the second plate member is attached. Body recovery device. 4. A first plate-like member for scooping up a powdery body, and a second plate sliding on the first plate-like member to scrape the powdery body from the first plate-like member. And a conveying means disposed on the opposite side of the first plate member with the second plate member interposed therebetween, wherein the second plate member moves the first plate member. A powder recovery device, wherein the powder recovered by the second plate-like member is pushed out by the second plate-like member to send out the powder-like body to the side of the transporting means.