JP2008052033A - Image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent toner from being scattered when replacing a process cartridge, to improve operability for a user, and to surely and inexpensively guarantee the opening/closing operation of a shutter. <P>SOLUTION: A toner supply shutter and a waste toner shutter are not opened/closed until the process cartridge is attached to a main body, and also the toner supply shutter and the waste toner shutter are opened/closed interlocked with the opening/closing of a door for replacing the process cartridge. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a toner shutter of a toner replenishment or waste toner discharge unit in an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine or a printer that forms an image on a recording material using an electrophotographic system.

In the image forming apparatus adopting the electrophotographic system, as toner circulation,
A replenishing toner delivery unit that supplies toner from the toner replenishing device to the developing device in the image forming apparatus, and a waste toner delivery unit that discharges toner remaining on the photoreceptor without being transferred from the photoreceptor to the recording material or transfer belt as waste toner There is. Then, the discharged waste toner is conveyed to a waste toner collecting device.

  Each of the replenishing toner delivery unit to the waste toner delivery unit has a delivery unit that communicates with each other's opening. The opening of the delivery unit is opened and closed, and shutter means is provided so that the toner is not scattered outside. In particular, a cartridge system in which the image forming apparatus can be detached from the main body apparatus is essential.

As this shutter means, the opening and closing are often used in conjunction with the attachment / detachment of the image forming apparatus. (For example, see Patent Document 1)
Here, the configuration of the waste toner shutter unit of the conventional detachable image forming apparatus will be described with reference to FIGS. (Shutter movement is horizontal)
First, as a first conventional example, FIGS. 16A, 16B, and 16C show an example of waste toner shutter means.

  A first waste toner conveyance 101A is provided in the image forming apparatus 100A in FIG. 16A, and the image forming apparatus is set in the main body apparatus by moving in the S1 direction. FIGS. 16B and 16C, in conjunction with the movement of setting the image forming apparatus 100A at a fixed position, the waste toner shutter 102A on the lower iron making apparatus side contacts the first opening member 103A of the main body apparatus, and the waste toner shutter is S2 The opening / closing member 107A is opened and the opening of the image forming apparatus is opened. Then, the main body waste toner shutter 104A on the main body side also comes into contact with the second opening member 105A, and the opening P1 of the image forming apparatus 100A and the waste toner conveying apparatus 106A communicates to enable delivery of waste toner.

  When the waste toner transport device 106A is replaced with the image forming apparatus set in the main body device, the shutter is opened by moving the waste toner transport device 106A in the S3 direction.

  Next, as a second conventional example, a case where the shutter mechanism is a rotary type will be described with reference to FIGS.

(Shutter movement is rotary / exposure device on bottom)
The image forming apparatus 100B is provided with a first shutter 102B. The gear 108B provided on the waste toner shutter 102A and the main body apparatus are provided in conjunction with the movement of setting the image shape forming apparatus 100B on the main body apparatus in the S4 direction. The rack gear 109B meshes, the waste toner shutter rotates in the S5 direction, and the opening portion XXX110B moves, so that waste toner can be discharged. In this configuration, a laser exposure device 111B is disposed on the lower surface of the image forming apparatus.

  Subsequently, as a third conventional example, a configuration in which an image forming apparatus opens and closes a replenishment shutter or waste toner after being set in the main body apparatus will be described with reference to FIGS.

  FIG. 18A shows a state in which the image forming apparatus 100D is set in the main body device, and the waste toner shutter 102D and the toner supply shutter 142C are the opening / closing handles 151C in the opening / closing device 150D that opens and closes the waste toner shutter 102D and the toner supply shutter 142C. When the user operates the T1 and T2 directions, the open / close rod 152D moves, and the replenishment shutter 142D is moved in the S1 and S2 directions, and the waste toner shutter 102D is linked in the V1 and V2 directions, thereby opening and closing each shutter. ing.

  Next, FIG. 18B shown as Conventional Example 4 is a case where the waste toner shutter 102D and the toner replenishing shutter 142C are opened and closed by the motor device 153E which is an electrical means, compared to Conventional Example 3.

When the image forming apparatus 100D is electrically recognized as being set in the main body apparatus, the motor apparatus 153E is driven and the open / close rod 152E is moved to move the replenishment shutter 142E in the S1 and S2 directions and the waste toner shutter 102E to V1. Each shutter is opened and closed by interlocking with the V2 direction.
JP 05-319539 A JP 2002-23579 A

  In recent years, when an image forming apparatus is detached from the main body apparatus and replaced, toner leaks from the toner replenishment shutter or the waste toner shutter of the image forming apparatus and is scattered in the main body apparatus. A problem has occurred.

  As shown in FIG. 16, the shutter mechanism (102A, 104A, 107A) opens and closes in conjunction with the attachment / detachment S1 / S3 of the image forming apparatus 100A as shown in FIG. , 104A, 107A) starts to open, and the waste toner 112A leaks.

  In particular, when the laser exposure device 111B is arranged on the lower surface as shown in FIG. 17, the scattered waste toner 112B accumulates on the exposure window 113B of the laser exposure device 111B, which causes a serious problem. In addition, the scattered waste toner attaches a lot to the first shutter part, and when the image forming apparatuses 100A and 100B are removed from the main body, the waste toner leaks and stains the floor and the user. It has become.

  In addition, after the image forming apparatus (100D, 100E) is set at a predetermined position of the main unit as in the conventional examples 3 and 4, the replenishment shutter (142D, 142E) and the waste toner shutter (102D, 102E) are opened and closed. If done, there will be no toner scattering due to shutter opening and closing.

  However, in Conventional Example 3, it takes time for the user to operate the opening / closing handle 151D, and if the image forming apparatus 100D is removed without operating the opening / closing handle 151D by mistake, the image forming apparatus 100D to the opening / closing apparatus 150D are damaged. As a result, the toner scattering main unit is broken, which is a big problem.

  Further, when the shutter is opened / closed by the motor device 153E as in the conventional example 4, the cost of the motor is high, and the motor device does not operate when the main body is not energized. When trying to remove the forming device, the toner scattering main body device is broken as in the case of Conventional Example 3.

A removable image forming device,
A first delivery unit for delivering toner necessary for the image forming apparatus from the main body device;
A second delivery unit for delivering waste toner remaining after image formation from the image forming apparatus to the main unit;
The first and second delivery units are each provided with a first shutter unit and a second shutter device for opening and closing the first and second delivery units between the image forming apparatus and the main body unit. And
The main body apparatus has a replacement door that opens and closes when the image forming apparatus is replaced.
When detaching the image forming apparatus from the main body apparatus,
In conjunction with opening and closing of the exchange door, the first shutter unit and the second shutter unit are opened and closed to shield or open the first delivery unit and the second delivery unit. Forming equipment.

  According to the present invention, when an image forming apparatus is replaced between a toner replenishing apparatus that supplies toner to the image forming apparatus or a waste toner collecting apparatus that is discharged from the image forming apparatus, toner scattering is prevented and In this way, an inexpensive shutter configuration that opens and closes the replenishment shutter or the waste toner shutter with certainty is realized.

  Next, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

  First, the configuration of the cleaning device and the waste toner conveying means in the image forming apparatus employing the electrophotographic technology of this embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.

  In this configuration, as an electrophotographic multi-color or full-color image forming apparatus, a plurality of photosensitive drums are arranged in a line according to each color, and toner images of the respective colors formed on the respective photosensitive drums are used as intermediate transfer belts. This is a so-called in-line type image forming apparatus that forms a color image by superimposing sequentially.

  FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of this configuration. The image formation includes four process cartridges 114C arranged on a substantially horizontal straight line at regular intervals, and forms yellow, magenta, cyan, and black images, respectively.

  Each process cartridge 114C is provided with a drum-type electrophotographic photosensitive member (hereinafter referred to as a photosensitive drum) 115C as an image carrier. Around the photosensitive drum 115C, a primary charger 116C, a developing device 117C, a transfer roller 118C as a transfer means, and a drum cleaner device 119C are arranged, respectively, below the primary charger 116C and the developing means 117C. Is equipped with a laser exposure apparatus 111C.

  Details of the process cartridge 114C will be described with reference to FIG. The photoconductive drum 115C is a negatively charged OPC photoconductor having a photoconductive layer on an aluminum drum base, and is rotated at a predetermined process speed by a driving device (not shown). A primary charger 116C as a primary charging unit uniformly charges the surface of the photosensitive drum 114C to a predetermined negative potential by a charging bias applied from a charging bias power source (not shown).

  The developing device 117C contains toner, and attaches each color toner to each electrostatic latent image formed on each photoreceptor drum 115C to develop (visualize) the toner image.

  A transfer roller 118C as a primary transfer unit shown in FIG. 1 is disposed in the intermediate transfer belt unit 1120C and is disposed so as to be urged to face the photosensitive drum 114C.

  The drum cleaner 119C has a cleaning blade or the like for removing, from the photosensitive drum 114C, residual toner remaining after the primary transfer on the photosensitive drum 115C.

  The intermediate transfer belt unit 120C includes a drive roller 121C that also serves as a secondary transfer counter roller and a gear on a drive roller shaft (not shown), and is rotationally driven by a drive gear on a main body (not shown). The drive roller 121C is disposed so as to face the secondary transfer roller 122C.

  Further, a fixing device having a fixing roller 123C and a pressure roller 124C is installed in a vertical path configuration on the downstream side of the secondary transfer roller 122C in the conveyance direction of the transfer material T.

  The exposure device 111C is composed of laser light emitting means that emits light corresponding to a time-series electric digital pixel signal of image information to be given, a polygon mirror, a reflection mirror, and the like. An electrostatic latent image of each color corresponding to the image information is formed on the surface of each photosensitive drum 114C charged by the charger 116C.

  The transfer material T separated from the toner image formed by such an image forming apparatus by the sheet feeding roller 125C in the sheet feeding device 129C is corrected by the registration roller 126C, and the image is formed by the secondary transfer unit 127C. The toner image formed by the apparatus is transferred to the transfer material T, fixed by heating / pressing with a fixing device, and discharged from the paper discharge roller 128C.

  Next, a toner circulation configuration in the image forming apparatus will be described with reference to FIGS.

  First, in FIG. 3, a predetermined amount of toner supplied from the toner cartridge 136C is supplied to the process cartridge 114C by the quantitative supply means 137C. In the process cartridge 114C, the toner is agitated by the two conveying screws (138C, 139C) in the developing chamber 117C, and the toner is supplied from the developing sleeve 140C to the photosensitive drum 115C. Then, the toner on the photosensitive drum 115C is transferred to the intermediate transfer belt.

  In the above configuration, as shown in FIG. 4, it is difficult to completely transfer all the toner developed on the surface of the photosensitive drum 115C to the transfer belt, and similarly, the toner on the transfer belt is completely transferred to the transfer material. Since this is difficult, it is inevitable that some toner remains on the surfaces of the photoconductor 115C and the transfer belt 120C.

  For this reason, it is an essential requirement to sufficiently clean the waste toner before entering the next image forming step. The drum cleaning device 119C is adjacent to the photosensitive drum 115C, and the belt cleaning device 130C. Are provided adjacent to the transfer belt. The details of the drum cleaning device 119C include a configuration in which a cleaning blade 131C made of an elastic member such as urethane rubber is brought into contact with the surface of the photosensitive member 114C to remove residual toner, and the configuration is simple and small in size. Since the removal function is excellent, it has been widely used. The configuration including this blade is the same in the belt cleaning means.

  The waste toner collected by the drum cleaning device 119C is transported outside the cleaning device, that is, outside the process cartridge 114C by the first transport screw 132C as shown in FIG. Passed to device 133C via R1.

  The waste toner transport device 133C is a transport path for transporting waste toner discharged from the belt cleaner device 130C and the four drum cleaner devices 119C to the right side of the main body of the apparatus, and the second toner transport device is disposed inside the waste toner transport device. The screw 134C is rotatably arranged and is driven to rotate in the → K1 direction. A waste toner storage device 135C is disposed at the front end of the waste toner conveyance device 133C in the conveyance direction, and is configured to collect all waste toner.

  Next, the lock configuration of the replenishment shutter and the waste toner shutter of the process cartridge 114C will be described with reference to FIGS.

  First, FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a process cartridge, in which a waste toner shutter mechanism 140C and a replenishment shutter mechanism 141C for opening and closing an opening for discharging waste toner are arranged.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the waste toner shutter mechanism is configured such that the waste toner shutter 102C is prevented from rotating in the K2 direction by the first shutter lock member 142C and cannot be rotated in the K3 direction by the protrusion 143C provided on the cartridge housing. It has become. For this reason, even if the user tries to rotate the first shutter by mistake, it does not rotate, so the opening J1 of the process cartridge 114C and the opening J2 of the waste toner shutter are not connected. Further, the claw 144C provided on the waste toner shutter 102C is caught by the protrusion 145C of the cartridge housing, and the waste toner shutter 102C does not come off in the K4 direction, so that a reliable shutter lock configuration is obtained.

  Next, a method for releasing the lock mechanism will be described with reference to FIG.

  FIG. 7-A shows the process cartridge 114C before being set in the main unit, and the waste toner shutter for waste toner and the replenishment shutter 147C for toner replenishment are locked in the portions Q1 and Q2. When this process cartridge 114C is set in the main body, as shown in FIG. 7-B, the main body frame 146C and the first shutter lock member 142C come into contact with each other at the Q3 portion, and the shutter lock member 142C moves in the K2 direction, thereby locking the Q1 portion. Is released. On the replenishment side, the second shutter lock member 149C comes into contact with the release member 148C provided on the main body and moves in the K6 direction, so that the lock of the Q2 portion is released. As a result, the waste toner shutter 102C and the replenishment shutter 147C can be opened and closed, and the first shutter 102C moves in the K7 direction and the replenishment shutter 147C moves in the K8 direction by transmitting the drive to move the shutter as shown in FIG. 7- (C). Then, it can be connected to the opening on the main body side.

  As shown in FIG. 8, after unlocking the first door 020C in the main body device 010A in the K11 direction, the replacement door 030C is opened in the K10 direction, and the process cartridge 114C is moved in the K9 direction. This can be done by setting the main unit 010C.

Next, the open / close configuration of the replenishment shutter and the waste toner shutter, which is the feature of this embodiment, will be described with reference to FIGS. 9 to 15. First, FIG. It is a perspective view. The replacement door is in a closed state so as to be in a predetermined position of the main body.

Next, in FIG. 10, in order to remove the process cartridge 114C from the main unit, the replacement door 030C supporting the intermediate transfer belt device 120C is supported by the main unit with the shaft 154C, and the replacement door 030C is rotated in the K10 direction. FIG. 11 is a perspective view of the process cartridge 114C and the shutter opening / closing device 150C with the replacement door not shown.

(A) shows shutter (102C, 142C) with toner circulation path blocked (process cartridge 114C is removable)
(B) shows the shutter (102C, 142C) with the toner circuit open (main unit operating state: process cartridge 114C cannot be removed)
Next, the shutter opening / closing configuration of the process cartridge 114C will be described with reference to FIGS.

  First, the configuration of the waste toner shutter will be described with reference to FIG.

  As shown in Fig. 9-B, the process cartridge 114C set in the main unit 010C fits into the projection 160A of the first shutter 102C on the process cartridge 114C side and the hole 160C provided in the main unit waste toner shutter 104C on the main unit side Thus, the waste toner shutter 102C and the main body waste toner shutter 104C can be rotated together. Then, by transmitting the drive to rotate the shutter, it rotates in the K12 direction, and the opening J1 of the professional cartridge, the first shutter opening J2, the opening J3 of the second shutter, and the opening J4 of the waste toner conveying device 133C The waste toner can be delivered through communication.

  As shown in FIG. 7A, the replenishment shutter is in a state in which a replenishment opening / closing member 161C built in the shutter opening / closing device in the main body device is on standby before inserting the process cartridge 114C into the main body. When the process cartridge 114C is mounted on the main body, the protrusion 162C provided on the replenishment shutter 142C and the groove 163C of the replenishment opening / closing member 161C are fitted together at the G1 portion. Is moved (in the H1 and H2 directions) to open / close the toner circulation path by moving the replenishment shutter 142C.

  Next, the movement mechanism of the replenishment shutter and the waste toner shutter will be described with reference to FIGS.

  FIG. 13-A shows the state where the toner circulation path is blocked and the process cartridge can be attached / detached, and FIG. 13-B shows the main body operating state where the toner circulation path is opened and the process cartridge cannot be attached / detached. By opening in the K10 direction, the process cartridge can be attached and detached, and can be accessed from the L1 and L2 directions in Fig. 13-A. At this time. The shutter opening / closing device 150C is interlocked with the rotation of the replacement door, and is transmitted to the first opening / closing gear 155C, the second gear 156C, the third gear 157C, and the fourth gear 158C of the replenishment shutter, so that the opening / closing rod 152C becomes T1. Move in the direction.

  At this time, as shown in FIG. 14, the rack gear 164C provided on the opening / closing rod 152C in the shutter opening / closing device 150C on the waste toner conveying device 133C meshes with the gear 153C coupled to the main body waste toner shutter 104C, and the opening / closing rod 152C The main body waste toner shutter 104C moves in conjunction with the movement in the T1 direction. Furthermore, the replenishment shutter 142C moves from the opening / closing rod 152C via the fifth gear through the fifth gear so that the replenishment shutter 142C moves in conjunction with the H2 direction, and the replenishment shutter and waste toner shutter move to the process cartridge detachable position. it can.

  Next, the shutter moving configuration after process cartridge replacement will be described. By closing the replacement door (direction of Fig. 9-K11), as shown in Fig. 13-B, the supply shutter first open / close gear 155C, second gear 156C, third gear 157C, and fourth gear 158C rotate in reverse. As a result, the open / close rod 152C moves in the T1 direction. Then, the replenishment shutter 142C moves in the T1 direction, and the waste toner shutter moves in the T2 direction as shown in FIG. 14-B, thereby opening the toner circulation path and supplying toner to the process cartridge or discharging waste toner from the process cartridge. Thus, the toner circulation path during operation of the main body is completed.

  Further, the waste toner discharged from the process cartridge 114C is driven by the transport screw 132C in the process cartridge 114C as shown in FIG. 15, and the waste toner in the process cartridge is transferred to the waste toner transport device 133C through the opening connected to the R1 section. Delivered and sent to the waste toner storage container 135C through the transport screw 134C in the waste toner transport device 133C.

  As described above, in this configuration, the toner replenishment shutter and the waste toner shutter are opened and closed only when the process cartridge is mounted on the main body and set at a predetermined position. In addition, the toner replenishment shutter and the waste toner shutter are opened and closed in conjunction with the opening and closing of the process cartridge replacement door. Therefore, when the user replaces the process cartridge, the toner replenishment shutter and the waste toner shutter are surely provided in any case. Since the toner circulation path is shielded, the operability for the user is improved and the safety of opening and closing the shutter is greatly improved. Further, since an expensive electric device such as a motor is not required, the structure is very inexpensive.

  Note that the rotation of the toner supply shutter and waste toner shutter in this configuration does not need to use all the opening and closing angles of the replacement door, only the area necessary for opening and closing the shutter is used for opening and closing the shutter, and the replacement door is the other process. You may open to the area | region required for attachment or detachment of a cartridge.

  In addition, there is a time difference between opening and closing the toner replenishment shutter and the waste toner shutter, and (1) toner replenishment shutter → waste toner shutter or (2) waste toner shutter and toner replenishment shutter are opened in this order, thereby opening the replacement door. User operation can be reduced.

1 is a side sectional view of an image forming apparatus to which the present invention is applied. Section of process cartridge same as above. 1 is a side sectional view of an image forming apparatus to which the present invention is applied. FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram of a toner circulation configuration. FIG. FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram of a waste toner shutter configuration. Supply shutter lock release configuration explanation. Process cartridge mounting explanatory drawing. The perspective view at the time of an exchange door and main body mounting | wearing. The perspective view at the time of process cartridge exchange (when the exchange door is opened). Shutter opening and closing configuration explanatory diagram. FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram of a waste toner shutter configuration. Shutter opening and closing configuration explanatory diagram. FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram of a waste toner shutter configuration. Waste toner circulation configuration explanatory diagram. FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram of a waste toner shutter configuration in Conventional Example 1. FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram of a waste toner shutter configuration in Conventional Example 2. FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram of a waste toner shutter configuration in Conventional Examples 3 and 4.

Explanation of symbols

010C Main unit
030C replacement door
100A, B, C Image forming equipment
102A, C, D, E Waste toner shutter
114C process cartridge
115A, C Photosensitive drum
133C Waste toner transport device
142C, D, E Toner supply shutter
150C, D, E Shutter opening and closing device
152C, D, E Open / close rod
161C Supply opening / closing member

Claims (14)

A removable image forming device,
A first delivery unit for delivering toner necessary for the image forming apparatus from the main body device;
A second delivery unit for delivering waste toner remaining after image formation from the image forming apparatus to the main unit;
The first and second delivery units are each provided with a first shutter unit and a second shutter device for opening and closing the first and second delivery units between the image forming apparatus and the main body unit. And
The main body apparatus has a replacement door that opens and closes when the image forming apparatus is replaced.
When detaching the image forming apparatus from the main body apparatus,
In conjunction with opening and closing of the replacement door, the first shutter means and the second shutter means are opened and closed to shield or open the first delivery section and the second delivery section. Forming equipment.   The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a shutter operating unit that opens and closes the first shutter unit and the second shutter unit.   3. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the replacement door includes an intermediate transfer device.   The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image forming apparatus includes a photosensitive drum and a developing device. A first locking device for preventing the opening of the first shutter means and a second locking device for preventing the opening of the second shutter means;
The first locking device and the second locking device are released when the image forming apparatus is set at a predetermined position of the main body device,
5. The image forming apparatus and the delivery unit of the main body device communicate with each other by opening the shutter device after the image forming device is set at a predetermined position of the main body device. The image forming apparatus described in 1.   The first shutter means to the second shutter means are characterized in that the opening of the first delivery section to the second delivery section is opened and closed by rotating the replacement door. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1.   7. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the second shutter unit moves after the first shutter unit moves with respect to the opening / closing movement of the replacement door.   8. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first shutter unit is moved after the second shutter unit is moved with respect to the opening / closing movement of the replacement door.   9. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first shutter unit to the second shutter unit are configured to open and close by lateral movement.   10. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first and second lock mechanisms are released by a housing that supports the image forming apparatus of the main body device.   The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the waste toner is a transfer residual toner on a photosensitive drum.   12. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the waste toner is a transfer residual toner on the intermediate transfer belt. The main body device is supplied with toner to the image forming apparatus,
13. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a toner replenishing device separate from the image forming apparatus. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the main body apparatus includes means for conveying and collecting waste toner discharged from the image forming apparatus separately from the image forming apparatus.

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