JP2008051933A - Waste toner recovery box and image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a waste toner storage box with a simple structure where waste toners are almost uniformly deposited inside a box body, and the wastage of the inner volume of the box body can be suppressed, and to provide an image forming apparatus easily subjected to maintenance treatment. <P>SOLUTION: The waste toner recovery box comprises: a box body 91 having waste toner receiving port parts 8e, Ye, Me, Ce and Ke; a toner carrying/leveling member 92 elongating along a waste toner storage upper limit L in the box body, and rotatively driven; and a toner fullness detection part 93 for detecting a waste toner fullness condition. The toner carrying/leveling member 92 is a member in which coil parts 921, 922, and a stirring rod part 923 parallel to a rotation center line in each coil part and rotating at a rotary radius larger than the radius of each coil part are integrated. The coil part 921 faces to the receiving port parts 8e, Ye, the coiling part 922 faces to the receiving port parts Ce, Ke, the stirring rod part 923 faces to the detection part 93, and the detection part 93 is located in the outside of the rotary radius in the stirring rod part and faces to the waste toner storage upper limit L. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a waste toner containing waste toner discharged from a transfer residual toner cleaning device of an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine, a printer, a facsimile machine, or a combination machine combining two or more of them. The present invention relates to a storage box, and more particularly to a waste toner storage box having a plurality of waste toner receiving ports. The present invention also relates to an image forming apparatus including a waste toner storage box.

  In an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine, a printer, a facsimile machine, or a combination machine combining two or more of these, an electrostatic latent image is usually formed on an image carrier such as a photoreceptor, The electrostatic latent image is developed to form a visible toner image, and the visible toner image is transferred to a recording medium such as recording paper, or temporarily transferred to an intermediate transfer member such as an intermediate transfer belt, and then the intermediate transfer. Secondary transfer from the body to the recording medium is performed, and the toner image thus transferred to the recording medium is fixed to the recording medium.

  After the toner image formed on the image carrier is transferred to the recording medium or the intermediate transfer member, residual transfer toner and recording medium powder remaining on the image carrier are removed by a transfer residual toner cleaning device for the image carrier. Transfer residual toner, recording medium powder, etc. remaining on the intermediate transfer body after the toner image that has been cleaned and primarily transferred to the intermediate transfer body is secondarily transferred to the recording medium are transferred residual toner cleaning devices for the intermediate transfer body Is removed and cleaned.

  When the image forming apparatus is a monochrome image forming apparatus that directly transfers the toner image on the image carrier to the recording medium, there is usually only one for the image carrier. In the monochrome image forming apparatus in which the image forming apparatus uses an intermediate transfer body, at least two of the image forming apparatus and the intermediate transfer body are used.

  In the case of a color image forming apparatus, a plurality of cleaning devices are employed. Typical examples of the color image forming apparatus include a so-called four-cycle color image forming apparatus and a tandem type color image forming apparatus.

  In the four-cycle type color image forming apparatus, a yellow developing device, a magenta developing device, a cyan developing device, and a black developing device are provided on an image carrier such as a photosensitive drum or a photosensitive belt, or these developing devices. Is mounted on a rotatable developing device rack, and each developing device can face the image carrier by the rotation of the developing device rack.

  In a four-cycle color image forming apparatus, for example, when a full color image is formed using all four color developing devices, an electrostatic latent image for yellow is formed on the image carrier, This is developed by a yellow developing device to form a yellow toner image, and the yellow toner image is primarily transferred from the image carrier onto the intermediate transfer member. Further, following the formation of the yellow toner image, a magenta toner image, a cyan toner image, and a black toner image are sequentially formed on the image bearing member in the same manner, and these are sequentially superimposed on the intermediate transfer member for primary transfer. Is done. The multiple toner image primarily transferred onto the intermediate transfer member is secondarily transferred onto the recording medium and fixed to the recording medium. It is also possible to form an image using only one developing unit or a number smaller than four.

  In the four-cycle color image forming apparatus, at least two transfer residual toner cleaning devices are used, one for an image carrier common to four color developing devices and one for an intermediate transfer member.

  In a tandem type color image forming apparatus, a plurality of toner images are formed by using shared color toners along an intermediate transfer member (generally an endless intermediate transfer belt that is rotationally driven and travels on the surface). Image forming units are sequentially arranged (for example, a yellow image forming unit, a magenta image forming unit, a cyan image forming unit, and a black image forming unit are sequentially arranged along the intermediate transfer member). In addition, an image carrier such as a photoconductor, an image exposure device for each color, a developing device for each color, and the like are included.

  For example, in a tandem type color image forming apparatus that employs four image forming units of cyan, magenta, yellow, and black, a case where a full color image is formed using all of these image forming units is taken as an example. In the unit, a yellow toner image is formed on the image carrier in the unit and is primarily transferred onto the intermediate transfer member, and in the magenta image forming unit, a magenta toner image is formed on the image carrier in the unit. In the same manner, a cyan toner image is formed by the cyan image forming unit and a black toner image is formed by the black image forming unit, respectively, and the preceding toner image is formed on the intermediate transfer member. The primary transfer is repeated. The multiple toner image primarily transferred onto the intermediate transfer member in this way is secondarily transferred onto the recording medium and fixed on the recording medium. It is also possible to form an image using only one image forming unit or less than four image forming units.

  In such a tandem type color image forming apparatus, at least one for the image carrier of each image forming unit and one for the intermediate transfer member are employed as the residual transfer toner cleaning device. In the tandem type image forming apparatus having four image forming units of cyan, magenta, yellow and black, the number of cleaning devices is at least five.

  In any type of image forming apparatus, toner, recording medium powder (paper powder when using recording paper), etc., cleaned and removed by the cleaning device are often treated as waste toner. When processing as waste toner, for example, waste toner discharged from a cleaning device by a conveyor such as a screw conveyor is dropped into a waste toner storage box and stored.

  At this time, it is desirable that the waste toner storage box can be stored so that the waste toner is filled in the entire box by using the entire volume as much as possible.

  However, when the image forming apparatus employs a plurality of transfer residual toner cleaning devices, the waste toner storage box accepts the same number of waste toners as the number of cleaning devices corresponding to each of the plurality of cleaning devices. A mouth portion may be provided, and the box body may be configured to extend in the arrangement direction of the plurality of receiving mouth portions.

  For example, in the tandem type color image forming apparatus, a plurality of image forming units are sequentially arranged at predetermined intervals along the intermediate transfer member. Corresponding to the remaining toner cleaning device, there are provided a plurality of waste toner receiving ports, a total of waste toner receiving ports corresponding to the number of cleaning devices, and a waste toner receiving port corresponding to the cleaning device for the intermediate transfer member. And the form of a box main body is a form extended in the sequence direction of this some receiving port part.

  In this way, in the waste toner storage box in which a plurality of waste toner receiving ports are provided and the form of the box body extends in the arrangement direction of the plurality of receiving ports, each receiving port is used when no action is taken. Even if the waste toner that falls into the box body accumulates in a pile at the part inside the box corresponding to each receiving port, and there is still room to accommodate the toner in the box volume, The toner accumulated in the box is detected by the toner full detection unit provided in the box, and it is determined that the waste toner is full, so the replacement period with the empty box and the disposal process of the toner from the box body are shortened accordingly. As a result, maintenance of the image forming apparatus becomes troublesome.

  In this regard, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-45451 discloses a waste toner storage box for a tandem type color image forming apparatus, which includes a box main body and a toner conveying member in the box main body. Is a form having a plurality of waste toner receiving ports for dropping waste toner into the box body and extending in the arrangement direction of the plurality of waste toner receiving ports. The waste toner that is provided along the toner storage upper limit of the main body and is driven to rotate and falls from each waste toner receiving port is diffused in the box body by repeating forward rotation and reverse rotation. A waste toner storage box for smoothing is described.

  Also, in this publication, a pair of toner conveying members are provided in parallel to each other along the upper limit of toner accommodation in the box body, and these toner conveying members are driven to rotate in opposite directions, so that each waste toner receiving port is A waste toner storage box is also described in which the falling waste toner is diffused and leveled in the box body.

JP 2004-45451 A

  However, according to the waste toner storage box described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-45451, according to the waste toner storage box that rotates the toner conveying member provided along the upper limit of toner storage in the box body in the normal rotation direction, The toner transported by the driven transport member loses its place on the inner wall of the Bock body, rises in a mountain shape, overflows from the upper limit of toner storage, or the toner transported by the transport member driven in reverse is opposite to the Bock body. Since there is a risk of losing a place on the inner wall and rising up into a mountain shape and overflowing the toner storage upper limit, it is necessary to always repeat forward and reverse rotation of the conveying member frequently and to prevent the rotation direction of the conveying member to be appropriate. If the toner accumulation state at the forward rotation and the toner accumulation at the reverse point are detected by some means in order to set the rotation direction, Sometimes requiring control of such complicated rotational direction.

  Of the waste toner storage box described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-45451, a waste toner storage box in which a pair of toner conveying members are provided in parallel along the upper limit of toner storage in the box body, and these are rotated in opposite directions. Then, it is necessary to provide two toner conveying members, and the box structure becomes larger accordingly, and the control of the two conveying members is complicated.

Therefore, the present invention is a waste toner storage box for storing waste toner discharged from a plurality of transfer residual toner cleaning devices of an image forming apparatus for forming a toner image, and has a box body for storing waste toner. The box body has a plurality of waste toner receiving ports corresponding to the cleaning device, arranged in order at intervals for dropping the waste toner into the box body, and the plurality of waste toners. A waste toner storage box that has a configuration extending in the direction of arrangement of the receiving ports, has a simple structure, and deposits waste toner in the box body almost uniformly to suppress waste of the box body volume. It is a first object to provide a waste toner storage box that can be stored in a state where it is stored.

  The present invention also provides an image forming apparatus for forming a toner image, having a plurality of transfer residual toner cleaning devices and a waste toner storage box for storing waste toner discharged from the plurality of cleaning devices. An image forming apparatus that has a long replacement cycle of the waste toner storage box or a waste toner disposal process from the box and that can easily perform an image forming apparatus maintenance process related to the waste toner. This is the second problem.

In order to solve the first problem, the present invention provides the following first and second waste toner storage boxes.
(1) First waste toner storage box A waste toner storage box for storing waste toner discharged from a plurality of transfer residual toner cleaning devices of an image forming apparatus for forming a toner image. A box main body, and the box main body has a plurality of waste toner receiving ports corresponding to the cleaning device and arranged in order at intervals to drop the waste toner into the box main body. A waste toner storage box having a configuration extending in an arrangement direction of a plurality of waste toner receiving ports, wherein the toner transport level is extended and rotated along a waste toner storage upper limit in the box body. And a toner that is provided in the box body and detects that the box body is full when the box body is full of waste toner. A full detection unit, and the toner conveying and leveling member has at least one coil part formed in a helical coil shape and a rotation greater than the radius of the coil part parallel to the rotation center line of the coil part. A stirring rod portion that rotates with a radius is an integral member, and the coil portion is at least one of the plurality of waste toner receiving ports arranged at intervals in the arrangement direction. The stirring rod portion is located in an area inside the box body facing the waste toner receiving port, and the stirring bar portion is located in an area inside the box body facing the toner full detection portion. A waste toner storage box facing the upper limit of waste toner storage in the box body outside the rotation radius.

(2) Second waste toner storage box A waste toner storage box for storing waste toner discharged from a plurality of transfer residual toner cleaning devices of an image forming apparatus for forming a toner image, and for storing waste toner A box main body, and the box main body has a plurality of waste toner receiving ports corresponding to the cleaning device and arranged in order at intervals to drop the waste toner into the box main body. A waste toner storage box having a configuration extending in an arrangement direction of a plurality of waste toner receiving ports, wherein the toner transport level is extended and rotated along a waste toner storage upper limit in the box body. And a toner that is provided in the box body and detects that the box body is full when the box body is full of waste toner. The toner conveying leveling member includes two coil portions formed in a helical coil shape, and is located between the two coil portions and parallel to the rotation center line of the coil portion. And a stirring rod portion rotating at a rotation radius larger than the radius of the portion, and one of the two coil portions is a plurality of waste toner receiving port portions arranged at intervals. A plurality of waste toner receiving ports arranged at an interval between the two coil portions are located in an area inside the box body facing a waste toner receiving port portion at one end in the arrangement direction. Is located in the box body inner region facing the waste toner receiving port at the other end in the arrangement direction, the coil winding directions of the two coil portions are opposite to each other, and the stirring rod portion is Tona Located in the box body in the region facing the full detector, the toner fullness detecting unit the agitation 拌棒 section the box waste toner storage box faces the waste toner storage limit in the body in turning radius outer.

  In both the first and second waste toner storage boxes, the toner transport leveling member is rotationally driven in the same direction so that the coil portion transports the waste toner toward the stirring rod portion. The waste toner that is dropped into the box body from each waste toner receiving port is piled up from the bottom into the box body below each waste toner receiving port until it accumulates enough to reach the toner transport leveling member. It accumulates in. When the mountain-shaped accumulation reaches the toner conveyance leveling member, the toner conveyance leveling member that is driven to rotate is leveled so as to be deposited substantially uniformly in the box body.

  More specifically, waste toner that has accumulated in a mountain shape from the bottom and reaches the coil portion of the toner conveying and leveling member is conveyed toward the stirring rod portion and the toner full detection portion by the rotation of the coil portion. As a result, the toner is leveled and accumulated in the direction of the rotation center line of the toner conveying leveling member. In addition, the coil portion has a space inside the coil and has a circular cross section, unlike the configuration in which the spiral wings are provided on the shaft rod. The waste toner can also be diffused radially outward, so that the waste toner is diffused and deposited not only in the longitudinal direction of the toner conveying leveling member but also on the lateral side of the member.

  At this time, the toner transport leveling member may be rotated in the same direction, and may not be rotated forward or backward depending on the waste toner accumulation state in the box body. The toner transport leveling member has a simple structure, and a plurality of toner transport leveling members may be provided, but it is not always necessary to do so.

  On the other hand, the stirrer part rotates with a rotation radius larger than the radius of the coil part, so that the waste toner deposited so as to come into contact with the stirrer part by being conveyed by the coil part is greatly agitated. It can be diffused in the cross section of the box body, and can be deposited evenly, and is deposited almost uniformly in the box body on the toner full detection section facing the upper limit of the waste toner storage capacity in the box body outside the rotation radius of the stirring bar. The waste toner that becomes full can be supplied to detect the toner full state.

  As described above, the first and second waste toner storage boxes according to the present invention have a simple structure, in which waste toner is simply and substantially uniformly deposited in the box body, and waste of the box body volume is suppressed. A full state can be accommodated and the full state can be detected.

  In the first waste toner storage box according to the present invention, a waste toner receiving port located at one end in the arrangement direction among the plurality of waste toner receiving ports arranged at an interval, The waste toner receiving port portion in which the coil portion is disposed at least facing the waste toner receiving port portion is a waste toner receiving port portion having the largest amount of waste toner receiving among the plurality of toner receiving port portions. It is preferable. This is because the waste toner protrudes and accumulates in a large mountain shape below the waste toner receiving port having the largest amount of waste toner.

  In the second waste toner storage box according to the present invention, when the box main body has three or more waste toner receiving ports, for the same reason, in the arrangement direction of the plurality of waste toner receiving ports. It is desirable that the waste toner receiving port portion facing the coil portion at the one end and the other end has a larger amount of waste toner than the other waste toner receiving port portion.

  In order to solve the second problem, the present invention is an image forming apparatus for forming a toner image, and has a plurality of residual transfer toner cleaning devices and is discharged from the plurality of cleaning devices. An image forming apparatus having a waste toner storage box for storing the waste toner storage box, wherein the waste toner storage box is a waste toner storage box according to the present invention.

  The image forming apparatus according to the present invention includes the waste toner storage box according to the present invention as a waste toner storage box, and the box easily deposits the waste toner in the box main body so as to be substantially uniform. Therefore, the toner storage box can be replaced or the waste toner can be removed from the box for a long cycle, and the maintenance process of the image forming apparatus relating to the waste toner can be facilitated. is there.

  As described above, according to the present invention, there is a waste toner storage box for storing waste toner discharged from a plurality of transfer residual toner cleaning devices of an image forming apparatus for forming a toner image. A box main body, the box main body having a plurality of waste toner receiving ports corresponding to the cleaning device, arranged at sequential intervals for dropping waste toner into the box main body; A waste toner storage box having a configuration extending in the arrangement direction of the plurality of waste toner receiving ports, having a simple structure, and easily depositing the waste toner in the box body almost uniformly. It is possible to provide a waste toner storage box that can be stored in a state where waste of product is suppressed.

  According to the present invention, there is also provided an image forming apparatus for forming a toner image, having a plurality of transfer residual toner cleaning devices and a waste toner storage box for storing waste toner discharged from the plurality of cleaning devices. An image forming apparatus that has a long cycle of replacement of the waste toner storage box or disposal of the waste toner from the box and that can easily perform the maintenance process of the image forming apparatus related to the waste toner. can do.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 shows an example A of an image forming apparatus according to the present invention provided with an example 9 of a waste toner storage box according to the present invention.

  The illustrated image forming apparatus A is a tandem type full-color printer. The printer A has a drive roller 31 and an endless intermediate transfer belt 4 wound around a roller 32 facing the drive roller 31. The transfer belt 4 can be rotated counterclockwise in the figure (arrow direction in the figure) by a driving roller 31 driven by a belt drive unit (not shown).

  A transfer residual toner cleaning device 8 that removes and cleans secondary transfer residual toner and the like on the transfer belt 4 with a cleaning blade faces the transfer belt portion on the opposing roller 32. The waste toner accumulated in the cleaning device 8 is sent to the box by a screw conveyor 81 extended to a waste toner storage box 9 (see FIG. 2), which will be described in detail later.

The secondary transfer roller 5 faces the transfer belt portion on the driving roller 31.
The surface layer portion of the secondary transfer roller 5 is formed of an elastic material, and is pressed against the intermediate transfer belt 4 by a pressing unit (not shown) to form a nip portion between the intermediate transfer belt 4 and the intermediate transfer belt 4. , Or following the movement of the recording medium S fed into the nip as will be described later. A secondary transfer bias can be applied to the secondary transfer roller 5 from a secondary transfer bias power supply device (not shown).

  A timing roller pair 6 is disposed below the secondary transfer roller 5, and a recording medium storage cassette that stores a recording medium S such as recording paper (not shown) is further disposed below the pair of timing rollers 6. The recording medium S accommodated in the recording medium accommodating cassette can be pulled out one by one by a medium supply roller (not shown) and supplied to the timing roller pair 6.

A fixing device 7 is disposed above the transfer roller 5.
The fixing device 7 includes a fixing roller having a built-in heat source such as a halogen lamp heater (not shown) in this example, and a pressure roller pressed against the fixing roller.
A medium discharge roller and a medium discharge tray (not shown) are also provided downstream of the fixing device 7 in the recording medium conveyance direction.

  Between the rollers 31 and 32 around which the intermediate transfer belt 4 is wound, the yellow image forming unit Y, the magenta image forming unit M, the cyan image forming unit C, and the rollers 32 to 31 are arranged along the transfer belt 4. The black image forming units K are arranged in this order.

  Each of the Y, M, C, and K image forming units includes a drum-type photoreceptor 11 as an electrostatic latent image carrier, and a charger 2, an image exposure device 13, and a developer 14 are provided around the photoreceptor. A primary transfer roller 15, a transfer residual toner cleaning device 16 that removes and cleans the primary transfer residual toner on the photosensitive member, a light neutralization device 17, and the like are arranged in this order.

The photoreceptor 11, the charger 2, the developing device 14, the cleaning device 16, and the light neutralizing device 17 in each image forming unit are provided in a cartridge case, and form a process cartridge together with the cartridge case. That is, the yellow process cartridge YC for forming the yellow image forming unit Y, the magenta process cartridge MC for forming the magenta image forming unit M, the cyan process cartridge CC for forming the cyan image forming unit C, and the black image forming This is a black process cartridge KC for forming the unit K.
Each process cartridge is detachable from the printer body.

The primary transfer roller 15 faces the photoconductor 11 with the transfer belt 4 in between, and rotates as the belt travels. A primary transfer bias for primary transfer of the toner image formed on the photoreceptor 11 to the belt 4 can be applied to the primary transfer roller 15 from a primary transfer bias power supply device (not shown).
The exposure device 13 can perform image exposure on the photoconductor 11 using a laser beam in accordance with image information provided from a personal computer (not shown) or the like.

The photoconductor 11 in each image forming unit is a negatively chargeable photoconductor here, and can be driven to rotate clockwise in the drawing by a photoconductor drive motor (not shown).
A voltage can be applied to the charger 2 in each image forming unit from a charging power supply (not shown) at a predetermined timing.

  The developing device 14 in each image forming unit employs a negatively chargeable toner in this example, and an electrostatic latent image formed on the photoconductor 11 is developed from a developing bias applying power supply device (not shown) to a developing bias voltage. Can be reversely developed by the developing roller 141 to which is applied.

  The cleaning device 16 in each image forming unit removes and cleans the primary transfer residual toner and the like on the photoconductor 11 with a cleaning blade, and waste toner accumulated in the cleaning device 16 is a waste toner storage box 9 (described later in detail). It is sent to the box by a screw conveyor 161 extended to (see FIG. 2).

  The printer A can form an image using at least one of the image forming units Y, M, C, and K. Since the black image forming unit K often forms a monochrome image using black toner, the developing unit 14 is formed to be larger than the other units Y, M, and C so as to accommodate more toner.

  Taking a case where a full color image is formed using all of the image forming units Y, M, C and K as an example, first, a yellow toner image is formed in the yellow image forming unit Y, and this is formed on the transfer belt 4 as a primary. Transcript.

  That is, in the yellow image forming unit Y, the photoconductor 11 is rotated in the clockwise direction in the drawing, and the image exposure apparatus is applied to the charged area of the photoconductor 11 whose surface is uniformly charged to a predetermined potential by the charger 2. 13, yellow image exposure is performed, and a yellow electrostatic latent image is formed on the photoreceptor 11. The electrostatic latent image is developed by a developing roller 141 to which a developing bias of a developing unit 14 having yellow toner is applied to become a visible yellow toner image, and the toner image is transferred onto the transfer belt 4 by a primary transfer roller 15. Primary transfer is performed. At this time, a primary transfer bias voltage is applied to the primary transfer roller 15 from a power supply device (not shown).

  Similarly, a magenta toner image is formed in the magenta image forming unit M and transferred to the transfer belt 4, a cyan toner image is formed in the cyan image forming unit C and transferred to the transfer belt 4, and then in the black image forming unit K. A black toner image is formed and transferred to the transfer belt 4.

Yellow, magenta, cyan, and black toner images are formed at the timing when these toner images are transferred onto the intermediate transfer belt 4 in an overlapping manner.
Thus, the multiple toner image formed on the transfer belt 4 moves toward the secondary transfer roller 5 by the rotation of the transfer belt 4.

  On the other hand, the recording medium S is pulled out from a recording medium storage cassette (not shown) by a medium supply roller, supplied to the timing roller pair 6, and is on standby.

  The recording medium S waiting at the timing roller pair 6 is supplied to the nip portion between the transfer belt 4 and the secondary transfer roller 5 in accordance with the multiple toner image sent by the intermediate transfer belt 4 and is not shown. The multiple toner images are secondarily transferred onto the recording medium S by the secondary transfer roller 5 to which a secondary transfer bias is applied from the power supply device.

  Thereafter, the recording medium S is passed through the fixing device 7 where the multiple toner images are fixed on the recording medium S under heat and pressure. The recording medium S is continuously discharged to a discharge tray by a medium discharge roller pair (not shown).

  In each image forming unit, the toner remaining on the photoconductor 11 after the primary transfer of the toner image is removed and cleaned by the cleaning device 16, and the residual charge is erased by the photostatic device 17.

Although not shown in FIG. 1, a waste toner storage box 9 shown in FIG. 2 is provided in front of the transfer belt 4 and the image forming unit.
The box 9 includes a box main body 91 for storing waste toner sent from a cleaning device 16 for cleaning the photoconductors 11 of the image forming units Y, M, C, and K and a cleaning device 8 for cleaning the transfer belt 4. Have.

  The box main body 91 has a plurality of waste toner receiving ports 8e, Ye, Me, Ce, and Ke corresponding to the cleaning device, which are arranged at intervals in order to drop the waste toner therein. Yes. The mouth 8e is a receiving port for waste toner sent from the transfer belt cleaning device 8, and the mouth Ye is a receiving port for waste toner sent from the photoconductor cleaning device 16 of the yellow image forming unit Y. Part. The opening Me is a receiving port for waste toner sent from the photoconductor cleaning device 16 of the magenta image forming unit M, and the mouth Ce is sent from the photoconductor cleaning device 16 of the cyan image forming unit C. The waste toner receiving port is a receiving port for the waste toner sent from the photoconductor cleaning device 16 of the black image forming unit K.

The box main body 91 has a form extending in the arrangement direction of the waste toner receiving ports.
A toner transport leveling member 92 that is rotationally driven is disposed in the box body 91. The toner conveying and leveling member 92 includes two coil portions 921 and 922 formed in a spiral coil shape, and a radius of the coil portion (outer periphery of the coil portion) between the two coil portions and parallel to the rotation center line of the coil portion. This is a member integrated with a stirring rod portion 923 that rotates with a larger radius of rotation.

  The toner transport leveling member 92 is provided so as to extend along the waste toner accommodation upper limit L in the box body 91. Furthermore, the rotation center line of the member 92 is provided along the upper limit L so that it takes a position lower than the upper limit L by approximately the member rotation radius. A shaft portion s1 integrated with the coil portion 921 is provided at the outer end of the one coil portion 921. The shaft portion s1 is rotatably supported by a bearing B1 provided on one side wall of the box body 91, and the box body. Projecting outward, the gear G is connected to the projecting portion.

  A shaft portion s2 integral with the coil portion 922 is provided at the outer end of the other coil portion 922, and the shaft portion s2 is rotatably supported by a bearing B2 provided on the other side wall of the box body 91. The rotation center lines of the shaft portions s1 and s2 coincide with the rotation center lines of the coil portions 921 and 922 and the stirring rod portion 923.

  By rotating the gear G by a driving unit (not shown), the coil units 921, 922, and 923 rotate in the same direction. However, the coil part 921 and the coil part 922 have the coil winding direction (spiral direction) opposite to each other. The toner transport leveling member 92 is driven to rotate so that the coil portions 921 and 922 transport toner toward the stirring rod portion 923, respectively.

One of the coil portions 921 is connected to a waste toner receiving port portion 8e at one end in the arrangement direction among a plurality of waste toner receiving port portions arranged at intervals, and a waste toner receiving port portion Ye adjacent thereto. It is located in the area inside the box body.
The other coil portion 922 is connected to the waste toner receiving port Ke at the other end of the plurality of waste toner receiving ports arranged in the arrangement direction and the waste toner receiving port Ce adjacent thereto. It is located in the area inside the box body.

  In the box main body 91, a toner full detection unit 93 is provided for detecting when the waste toner becomes full in the box main body. In this example, the detection unit 93 includes a light-emitting element and a light-receiving element that are spaced apart from each other. The toner enters between the two elements, and light projection from the light-emitting element to the light-receiving element is prevented by the toner. The toner full state is detected.

  The toner full detection unit is preferably provided so as not to face the waste toner receiving port, and in this example, the detection unit 93 is located between the coil portions 921 and 922 so as not to reach the waste toner receiving port Me. The waste toner accommodation upper limit L is reached outside the rotation radius of the stirring rod portion 923. The stirring rod portion 923 is located in the box main body region facing the toner full detection portion 93.

  The toner full detection unit is not limited to the above, and may be, for example, an actuator that operates with waste toner accumulated in a full state and detects the toner full state by detecting the movement of the actuator. Good.

  According to the waste toner storage box 9 described above, the toner transport leveling member 92 rotates in the same direction so that the coil portions 921 and 922 transport waste toner toward the stirring rod portion 923 and the toner full detection portion 93. Driven. The waste toner dropped into the box main body from each waste toner receiving port is accumulated in the box main body below each waste toner receiving port until it accumulates from below enough to reach the toner transport leveling member 92. It accumulates in a mountain shape. FIG. 3 illustrates this.

  Among the plurality of cleaning devices, the cleaning device 8 removes and cleans the secondary transfer residual toner for the multiple toner image having a large amount of toner from the transfer belt 4. Therefore, the waste toner is transported from the cleaning device 8. As shown in FIG. 3, the waste toner T tends to be accumulated below the toner receiving port 8e higher than the other lower toner receiving ports.

  Further, since black and white images are often formed with black toner, as shown in FIG. 3 below the waste toner receiving port Ke through which the waste toner is conveyed from the cleaning device 16 of the black image forming unit Y. In addition, the waste toner T tends to accumulate higher below the waste toner receiving ports Ye, Me, and Ce.

  When such a pile-like accumulation of waste toner in the box body 91 reaches the toner transport leveling member 92, the toner transport leveling member 92 that is driven to rotate is deposited substantially uniformly in the box body 91. To be leveled.

  More specifically, the waste toner T that has accumulated in a mountain shape from below and reaches the coil portions 921 and 922 of the toner conveying and leveling member 93 is rotated by the stirring portion 923 as shown in FIG. Then, the toner is transported toward the toner full detection unit 93, and is thereby uniformly deposited in the direction of the rotation center line of the toner transport leveling member 92. In addition, the coil portions 921 and 922 have a space inside the coil and convey the toner T in a portion having a circular cross section, unlike the configuration in which the spiral wings are provided on the shaft rod. The waste toner T can be diffused to the outer side of the coil portion in the radial direction, so that the waste toner T is diffused and deposited not only in the longitudinal direction of the toner conveying leveling member 92 but also on the lateral side of the member.

  At this time, the toner transport leveling member 92 may be rotated in the same direction, and may not be rotated forward or backward depending on the accumulation state of the waste toner T in the box body 91. Further, the toner transport leveling member 92 has a simple structure. A plurality may be provided so as not to collide, but it is not always necessary to do so.

  On the other hand, the stirring rod portion 923 is rotated so as to rotate at a rotation radius larger than the radius of the coil portions 921 and 922, so that the stirring rod portion 923 is deposited so as to come into contact with the stirring rod portion 923. The waste toner T can be diffused and uniformly accumulated in the box body cross-sectional direction in the box body while greatly agitating the waste toner T, and the toner facing the waste toner storage upper limit L in the box body outside the rotation radius of the stirring rod portion 923 The full toner detection unit 93 can be supplied with waste toner that is deposited almost uniformly in the box body and becomes full to detect the full toner state.

  When the toner full detection unit 93 detects a toner full state, the detection signal can be used by a printer operation control unit (not shown) to stop the printer operation so as not to damage the printer components.

  As described above, the waste toner storage box 9 has a simple structure, and the waste toner T can be easily and substantially uniformly deposited in the box main body 91 so that the waste of the internal volume of the box main body is stored in a full state. And the full state can be detected.

  Further, the printer A as a whole includes a waste toner storage box 9 as a waste toner storage box. The box 9 simply deposits the waste toner T in the box main body 91 in a substantially uniform manner so that the volume of the box main body is increased. Since it can be accommodated up to a full state in a state where waste is suppressed, the cycle of replacement of the toner storage box 9 or disposal processing of the waste toner from the box 9 becomes longer, and the maintenance process regarding the waste toner can be facilitated accordingly. .

  Although the waste toner storage box 9 has been described above, the waste toner storage box according to the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, the waste toner storage box 9 'shown in FIG.

A box 9 ′ in FIG. 6 includes a waste toner receiving port e ′ having a large amount of waste toner received in the box body 91 ′ and a waste toner from the box body 91 ′ according to the number of transfer residual toner cleaning devices in the image forming apparatus body (not shown). Two waste toner receiving ports e "with a small amount of receiving are provided, and a toner transport leveling member 92 'is provided in the box body 91'.
The toner conveyance leveling member 92 ′ has one coil portion 921 ′ and a stirring bar portion 923 ′ that is integrally continuous therewith. In FIG. 5, s1 is a shaft portion extending to the end of the coil portion 921 ′, B1 is a bearing for supporting the shaft portion, G is a gear for driving a toner conveying leveling member connected to the shaft portion, and s2 is a gear. A shaft portion B2 extending to the end of the stirring rod portion 923 ′ is a bearing that supports the shaft portion. Reference numeral 93 denotes a toner full detection unit.

  The toner transport leveling member 92 ′ is also provided so as to extend along the waste toner storage upper limit L in the box body 91 ′. Furthermore, the rotation center line of the member 92 ′ is provided along the upper limit L so that it takes a position lower than the upper limit L by approximately the member rotation radius.

  The coil portion 921 ′ is disposed in the box main body region facing the waste toner receiving port portion e ′ and the adjacent waste toner receiving port portion e ″, and the stirring bar portion 923 ′ is disposed at the end of the waste toner receiving port portion. It is arranged in the area inside the box body facing e ″. The stirring bar 923 ′ is located in an area inside the box body facing the toner full detection unit 93, and the detection unit 93 is positioned outside the rotation radius of the stirring bar 923 ′ so as not to face the waste toner receiving port e ″. Thus, the toner storage limit L is reached.

  Such a waste toner storage box 9 ′ is also simple in structure, and waste toner is simply and substantially uniformly deposited in the box main body 91 ′ so that the waste of the internal volume of the box main body is stored to a full state. And the full state can be detected.

  The present invention can be used to provide a waste toner storage box that stores waste toner discharged from the transfer residual toner cleaning device, and an image forming apparatus including the box.

FIG. 2 is a diagram schematically illustrating a configuration of an example of an image forming apparatus including an example of a waste toner storage box according to the present invention. It is a schematic sectional drawing of a waste toner storage box. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a state where waste toner is stored in a state where the waste toner storage box illustrated in FIG. 2 is not yet full. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a state in which waste toner is stored in a full or substantially full state in the waste toner storage box illustrated in FIG. 2. It is a figure which shows the other example of the waste toner storage box which concerns on this invention.

Explanation of symbols

A Printer Y Yellow image forming unit M Magenta image forming unit C Cyan image forming unit K Black image forming units YC, MC, CC, KC Process cartridge 11 Photoconductor 12 Charger 13 Image exposure device 14 Developer 141 Developer roller 15 Primary Transfer roller 16 Transfer residual toner cleaning device 161 Screw conveyor 17 Photostatic discharge device 31 Driving roller 32 Opposing roller 4 Intermediate transfer belt 5 Secondary transfer roller 6 Timing roller pair 7 Fixing device 8 Transfer residual toner cleaning device 81 Screw conveyors 9, 9 ′ Waste toner storage box 8e, Ye, Me, Ce, Ke, e ', e "Waste toner receiving port 91, 91' Box body 92, 92 'Toner transport leveling members 921, 921', 922 Coil parts 923, 923 'Stir bar s1, s Shank B1, B2 bearing G gear L waste toner storage limit T waste toner S recording medium

Claims (5)

A waste toner storage box for storing waste toner discharged from a plurality of transfer residual toner cleaning devices of an image forming apparatus for forming a toner image, and having a box main body for storing the waste toner, And having a plurality of waste toner receiving ports corresponding to the cleaning device and arranged in a sequential order for dropping waste toner therein, and an arrangement direction of the plurality of waste toner receiving ports A waste toner storage box having a configuration extending to the inside of the box body, the toner transport leveling member extending along a waste toner storage upper limit in the box body and driven to rotate, and provided in the box body A toner full detecting unit for detecting that the box body is full when the box body is full of waste toner. The transport leveling member is integrally formed with at least one coil portion formed in a spiral coil shape and a stirring rod portion that is parallel to the rotation center line of the coil portion and rotates at a rotation radius larger than the radius of the coil portion. The coil portion is formed in a region inside the box body facing the waste toner receiving port portion at least one of the plurality of waste toner receiving port portions arranged at intervals in the arrangement direction. The stirring rod portion is located in an area inside the box body facing the toner full detection portion, and the toner full detection portion accommodates waste toner in the box main body outside the rotation radius of the stirring rod portion. A waste toner storage box characterized by reaching an upper limit. Among the plurality of waste toner receiving ports arranged at intervals, the waste toner receiving port located at one end in the arrangement direction, at least facing the waste toner receiving port and the coil The waste toner receiving box according to claim 1, wherein the waste toner receiving port portion in which the waste toner receiving port is disposed is a waste toner receiving port portion having the largest amount of received waste toner among the plurality of toner receiving port portions. A waste toner storage box for storing waste toner discharged from a plurality of transfer residual toner cleaning devices of an image forming apparatus for forming a toner image, and having a box main body for storing the waste toner, And having a plurality of waste toner receiving ports corresponding to the cleaning device and arranged in a sequential order for dropping waste toner therein, and an arrangement direction of the plurality of waste toner receiving ports A waste toner storage box having a configuration extending to the inside of the box body, the toner transport leveling member extending along a waste toner storage upper limit in the box body and driven to rotate, and provided in the box body A toner full detecting unit for detecting that the box body is full when the box body is full of waste toner. The transport leveling member includes two coil portions formed in a spiral coil shape, and a stirring rod that is between the two coil portions and rotates at a rotation radius that is parallel to the rotation center line of the coil portions and larger than the radius of the coil portions. And one of the two coil portions is a waste toner receiving port located at one end in the arrangement direction of the plurality of waste toner receiving port portions arranged at intervals. Located in the box main body region facing the mouth, the other of the two coil portions is at the other end in the arrangement direction of the plurality of waste toner receiving ports arranged at intervals. The two coil portions are positioned in an area inside the box body facing the waste toner receiving port, the coil winding directions are opposite to each other, and the stirring bar portion is an area inside the box body facing the toner full detection section. Located in, waste toner storage box the toner fullness detecting unit, characterized in that faces the waste toner storage limit in the box body in turning radius outer the agitation 拌棒 portion. The box body has three or more waste toner receiving ports, and the waste toner receiving ports at the one end and the other end in the arrangement direction of the plurality of waste toner receiving ports are the other waste. The waste toner storage box according to claim 3, wherein the amount of waste toner received is greater than that of the toner receiving port. An image forming apparatus for forming a toner image, which has a plurality of residual toner cleaning devices and a waste toner storage box for storing waste toner discharged from the plurality of cleaning devices The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the waste toner storage box is a waste toner storage box according to claim 1.