JP6464643B2 - Developer storage unit and image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a developer accommodating unit including an accommodating portion for accommodating a developer and an image forming apparatus including the developer accommodating unit.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there is known a developer storage unit that includes a storage portion that stores a developer and a transport member that transports the developer in the storage portion from one side in the front-rear direction to the other side (see Patent Document 1). .

JP 2009-210650 A

  By the way, in the case of providing the developer transport unit having a width smaller than the housing unit for transporting the developer toward the housing unit in the configuration of Patent Document 1, the transport member in the housing unit is configured to develop the developer in the developer transport unit. There was a possibility that the agent could not be conveyed toward the container.

The present invention has been made in view of the above background, carrying the current image agents, be provided with a small developer conveying unit width than the housing portion, the housing portion of the developer in the developer conveying unit It is an object of the present invention to provide a developer containing unit that can be conveyed toward the image forming apparatus and an image forming apparatus including the developer containing unit.

  In order to achieve the above-described object, the developer storage unit of the present invention includes a storage section that stores a developer, and a first transport that transports the developer from one side of the storage section toward the other side of the storage section. A member and a recovery port for recovering the developer, wherein a length in a first direction perpendicular to the direction from the one side to the other side and the vertical direction is longer than the length in the first direction of the housing portion. A developer transport unit that is short and is connected to the one side of the storage unit, and a second transport that is at least partially disposed in the developer transport unit and transports the developer from the developer transport unit toward the storage unit. A member.

  When a configuration in which a developer transport unit having a smaller width than the storage unit is employed in the developer storage unit, the transport member in the storage unit may not be able to transport the developer in the developer transport unit toward the storage unit. However, according to the above configuration, since at least a part of the second transport member is disposed in the developer transport unit, the developer is provided by the second transport member even if the developer transport unit is provided in the developer storage unit. The developer can be transported from the transport unit toward the storage unit.

  In the above-described configuration, the first transport member and the second transport member may be configured to transmit a driving force from the same drive source.

  According to such a structure, it is easy to synchronize operation | movement of a 1st conveying member and a 2nd conveying member.

  In the configuration described above, the second transport member may be formed integrally with the first transport member.

  According to such a configuration, the number of parts can be reduced.

  In the configuration in which the first transport member and the second transport member are integrally formed, the first transport member has a main body having a first transport surface that transports the developer from the one side to the other side, and A crankshaft having a rotating shaft that rotates around a predetermined axis, a support that revolves around the axis and supports the main body, and on the other side of the main body from the crankshaft. And a fulcrum part that moves to the one side and the other side, and includes a receiving part that receives the fulcrum part, and the second conveying member is disposed from the one side to the other in the developer conveying part. It is desirable to have a second conveying surface that conveys the developer to the side and to extend into the developer conveying unit from the one end of the main body.

  According to such a configuration, the range of the vertical movement of the tip of the second transport member is larger than the base end, so that it becomes easy to scrape off the developer in the developer transport unit.

  In the configuration in which the second transport member extends from the end of the main body into the developer transport section, the surface formed by the lower end of the second transport member is the surface formed by the lower end of the main body. It is desirable that the structure be inclined upward with respect to the direction extending from the other side to the one side.

  According to such a configuration, the surface formed by the lower end portion of the second conveying member is unlikely to interfere with the lower surface in the developer conveying portion.

  In the case where the developer storage unit described above includes a frame constituting the storage unit and the developer transport unit, and a handle disposed on the one side of the frame, the developer transport unit is configured with the handle. It is desirable to have a configuration that is arranged on the same side.

  According to such a configuration, it is possible to prevent the developer from spilling from the developer transport unit when the user grips the handle as compared with the configuration in which the developer transport unit is disposed on the other side.

  The image forming apparatus according to the present invention includes a developer storage unit having the above-described handle, and an apparatus main body in which an attachment / detachment port for the developer storage unit is formed on the handle side of the mounted developer storage unit. And the developer transport section protrudes more outward in the width direction than the storage section.

  According to such a configuration, the developer accommodating unit is attached to the apparatus main body even if the parts are arranged in the space outside the accommodating portion in the width direction of the apparatus main body, that is, the space on the other side of the developer conveying section. When attaching and detaching from the outlet, the developer conveying section does not interfere with the part. Therefore, the space on the other side of the developer conveyance section of the apparatus main body can be effectively utilized.

  In addition, the image forming apparatus of the present invention conveys the developer from one side of the housing part to the other side of the housing part, a photoreceptor that carries the developer image, a housing part that houses the developer. The container includes a first transport member and a recovery port for recovering the developer recovered from the photosensitive member, and the length in the first direction perpendicular to the vertical direction and the direction from the one side to the other side is the storage unit. A developer transport unit that is smaller than the length in the first direction and that is connected to the one side of the storage unit, and at least a part of the developer transport unit is disposed in the developer transport unit, from the developer transport unit toward the storage unit. A developer storage unit having a second transport member that transports the developer can be provided.

  According to the present invention, even when a developer transport unit having a width smaller than that of the storage unit is provided in the developer storage unit, the developer can be transported from the developer transport unit toward the storage unit by the second transport member. .

It is a figure which shows schematic structure of the color laser printer provided with the cleaning unit which concerns on one Embodiment. It is a perspective view of a cleaning unit. It is AA sectional drawing of FIG. It is the figure which looked at the cleaning unit of the state which took the upper wall of the flame | frame from the top. An enlarged view (a) of the vicinity of the first toner conveying portion of the cleaning unit as viewed from above, a BB sectional view (b) of FIG. (A), and a CC sectional view (c) of FIG. is there. It is figure (a), (b), (c), (d) which shows operation | movement of a conveyance member. It is a figure (a) equivalent to Drawing 5 (b) concerning a modification, and a figure (b) equivalent to Drawing 5 (c) concerning a modification. It is figure (a), (b) which shows the modification of a rotating member.

  Next, an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings as appropriate. In the following description, the direction will be described with reference to the user who uses the color laser printer 1. That is, the left side in FIG. 1 is “front”, the right side is “rear”, the front side of the page is “right”, and the back side is “left”. Also, the vertical direction in FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 1, a color laser printer 1 includes a paper feed unit 3 that supplies a paper S and an image forming unit that forms an image on the supplied paper S in a main body housing 2 as an example of an apparatus main body. 4 is mainly provided. The image forming unit 4 mainly includes an exposure device 5, a process unit 6, a transfer unit 7, and a fixing unit 8.

  The paper feed unit 3 is provided at a lower portion in the main body housing 2 and mainly includes a paper feed tray 31, a paper pressing plate 32, and a paper feed mechanism 33. The sheets S in the sheet feeding tray 31 are moved upward by the sheet pressing plate 32, separated one by one by the sheet feeding mechanism 33, and supplied to the image forming unit 4.

  The exposure apparatus 5 is provided in the upper part in the main body housing 2 and includes a plurality of laser light sources, polygon mirrors, a plurality of lenses, a plurality of reflecting mirrors, and the like (not shown).

  The process unit 6 is disposed between the paper feed tray 31 and the exposure device 5, and includes a drawer 60, a photoconductor drum 61 as an example of four photoconductors arranged along the front-rear direction, and each photoconductor drum 61. Are mainly provided with a charger 62 and a developing cartridge 63 provided one by one. Each developing cartridge 63 includes a developing roller 64, a supply roller 65, a layer thickness regulating blade 66, and the like. A toner storage chamber 67 for storing toner is formed in the housing of each developing cartridge 63.

  The drawer 60 is a member that holds four photosensitive drums 61 and the like, and is supported so as to be movable in the front-rear direction with respect to the main body housing 2. The drawer 60 can be pulled out to the outside of the main body housing 2 from an opening 21 </ b> A as an example of an attachment / detachment opening formed by opening the front cover 21 provided on the front side of the main body housing 2.

  The transfer unit 7 is provided between the paper feed tray 31 and the process unit 6 and is configured to be detachable from the main body housing 2. The transfer unit 7 mainly includes a driving roller 71, a driven roller 72, an endless conveyance belt 73 stretched between the driving roller 71 and the driven roller 72, and four transfer rollers 74.

  The conveyor belt 73 is arranged such that the upper part of the outer peripheral surface 73 </ b> A is in contact with each photosensitive drum 61, and the transfer rollers 74 sandwich the conveyor belt 73 between the photosensitive drums 61 inside thereof. Has been.

  Below the transfer unit 7, a cleaning unit 100 as an example of a developer storage unit for cleaning waste toner as an example of the developer on the conveyance belt 73 is disposed.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the cleaning unit 100 includes a frame 101, a cleaning roller 100A provided in front of the upper wall 101A of the frame 101, a recovery roller 100B, and a blade 100C.

  The cleaning roller 100 </ b> A is disposed at a position where the upper surface contacts the lower portion of the outer peripheral surface 73 </ b> A of the transport belt 73 and is configured to collect waste toner on the transport belt 73. The collection roller 100B is arranged at a position where the front surface contacts the rear surface of the cleaning roller 100A, and is configured to collect waste toner on the cleaning roller 100A. As shown in FIG. 3, the blade 100C extends obliquely forward and downward from a position away from the collection roller 100B, and is disposed at a position where the tip contacts the rear surface of the collection roller 100B. The waste toner is scraped off.

  An opening 101B is formed at a position on the upper wall 101A of the frame 101 corresponding to the contact portion between the collection roller 100B and the blade 100C, and waste toner scraped off by the blade 100C will be described later through the opening 101B. It is accommodated in the accommodating part 102.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the fixing unit 8 is provided behind the process unit 6 and the transfer unit 7, and includes a heating roller 81 and a pressure roller 82 that faces the heating roller 81 and presses the heating roller 81. Mainly prepared.

  In the image forming unit 4, the surface of the photosensitive drum 61 is uniformly charged by the charger 62, and then exposed by high-speed scanning of laser light (indicated by a one-dot chain line in the drawing) from the exposure device 5. An electrostatic latent image based on the image data is formed on the drum 61. The toner in the toner storage chamber 67 is supplied to the developing roller 64 via the supply roller 65 and enters between the developing roller 64 and the layer thickness regulating blade 66 so as to form a thin layer having a constant thickness. Supported on.

  Then, the toner carried on the developing roller 64 is supplied to the electrostatic latent image formed on the corresponding photosensitive drum 61, whereby the electrostatic latent image is visualized and is transferred onto the photosensitive drum 61. A toner image is formed. Thereafter, the sheet S supplied from the sheet feeding unit 3 is conveyed on the conveying belt 73 and passes between the photosensitive drum 61 and the transfer roller 74, thereby forming a toner image formed on each photosensitive drum 61. Are sequentially superimposed and transferred onto the paper S.

  The sheet S on which the toner image has been transferred is conveyed between the heating roller 81 and the pressure roller 82, whereby the toner image is thermally fixed. The sheet S on which the toner image is heat-fixed is discharged from the inside of the main body housing 2 by the conveying roller 23 and the discharge roller 24 provided in the main body housing 2 and placed on the paper discharge tray 22.

Next, details of the cleaning unit 100 will be described.
As shown in FIG. 2, the cleaning unit 100 has a handle 101 </ b> C that is substantially U-shaped in plan view and is arranged at the center in the left-right direction of the front end of the frame 101. As shown in FIG. 1, the cleaning unit 100 can be attached and detached after removing the process unit 6 and the transfer unit 7 from the opening 21A formed on the front side of the body housing 2 with respect to the body housing 2. It has become. That is, the main body housing 2 has an opening 21 </ b> A for attaching / detaching the cleaning unit 100 on the handle 101 </ b> C side of the attached cleaning unit 100.

  As shown in FIGS. 1, 3, and 4, the frame 101 includes a storage unit 102, a first toner conveyance unit 103, a guide unit 104, a detection unit 105, and a second toner conveyance unit 106. ing. In other words, the storage unit 102, the first toner conveyance unit 103, the guide unit 104, the detection unit 105, and the second toner conveyance unit 106 are formed by walls that constitute the frame 101. In FIG. 4, the wall portions that form the storage portion 102, the first toner conveyance portion 103, the guide portion 104, the detection portion 105, and the second toner conveyance portion 106 are taken into consideration in view of the drawing. Assume that dots are finer than a seal member 114 described later.

  In addition to the cleaning roller 100A, the recovery roller 100B, and the blade 100C described above, the frame 101 is provided with a rotating member 110, a conveying member 120 as an example of a first conveying member, and an auger 130.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the storage portion 102 is provided within a range corresponding to the cleaning roller 100A from the rear end of the frame 101, and is configured to store waste toner. The accommodating portion 102 is in a range from a partition wall 101E (described later) on the front side of the cleaning roller 100A of the frame 101 to the rear wall of the frame 101.

The first toner transport unit 103 is connected to the storage unit 102 from the front side of the cleaning roller 100A, and includes a first transport unit 103A and a second transport unit 103B. The first toner conveyance unit 103 and the above-described guide unit 104 form a developer conveyance unit.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the first conveyance unit 103 </ b> A is formed to extend in the left-right direction on the front side of the cleaning roller 100 </ b> A, and the right end is left and right of the right side surface 102 </ b> A of the frame 101 corresponding to the storage unit 102. It is arranged to protrude outward in the direction, that is, on the right side. In other words, the first transport unit 103A extends in the left-right direction from the outside of the right end 73B of the transport belt 73 toward the inside of the right end 73B of the transport belt 73, that is, toward the left side.

  The second transport unit 103B extends rearward from the left end of the first transport unit 103A, that is, the inner end in the left-right direction, and is connected to the front side of the right end of the storage unit 102. The length in the left-right direction is the storage unit. It is shorter than the length of 102 in the left-right direction.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the lower part B1 of the inner surface of the second transport unit 103B is disposed below the lower part A1 of the inner surface of the first transport unit 103A. The lower part B1 on the inner surface of the second transport part 103B is connected to the lower part A1 on the inner surface of the first transport part 103A by a connection part B2.

  The connecting portion B2 is inclined so as to be positioned downward from the rear end of the lower portion A1 of the inner surface of the first transport portion 103A toward the front end of the lower portion B1 of the inner surface of the second transport portion 103B.

  As shown in FIGS. 5A and 5B, the guide portion 104 extends upward from the right end portion of the first transport portion 103A, and a recovery port 104A for recovering waste toner is formed at the upper end. Yes. As shown in FIG. 1, the recovery port 104A is positioned above the cleaning roller 100A, and is located on the upper portion of the outer peripheral surface 73A of the conveyor belt 73, that is, on the side of the conveyor belt 73 that contacts the photosensitive drum 61. It is located below the extended surface.

  In addition, on the upper side of the guide unit 104, a photosensitive toner conveying unit 61A is provided. The photoreceptor toner transport unit 61A collects waste toner collected from the photoreceptor drum 61 by a photoreceptor cleaning blade (not shown) disposed on the rear side of the photoreceptor drum 61, and collects the waste toner into the collection port 104A. This is the part that is transported toward. The photoconductor toner transport section 61A extends in the front-rear direction and is formed in a range where the photoconductor drums 61 are arranged, and is connected to the upper end of the guide section 104, that is, the recovery port 104A at the front end. As shown in FIG. 5A, the photoreceptor toner conveying portion 61A is provided with an auger 61B.

  The auger 61B extends in the front-rear direction, and is configured to transport waste toner collected from the photosensitive drum 61 from the rear side toward the front collection port 104A.

  As shown in FIG. 5B, the guide portion 104 is lower than the upper portion 104B in the upper portion 104B in which the width in the left-right direction is substantially constant in the vertical direction and in the left-right direction in which the first transport portion 103A extends. And a lower portion 104C that becomes wider as it goes toward the center.

  As shown in FIG. 5C, the guide portion 104 becomes wider in the front-rear direction, which is the moving direction of the upper portion of the outer peripheral surface 73 </ b> A that contacts the photosensitive drum 61, of the transport belt 73 as it goes upward. . That is, the upper part 104B and the lower part 104C described above become wider as they go upward in the front-rear direction, and the upper part 104B is longer in the front-rear direction than the lower part 104C. As a result, the recovery port 104A can be widened in the front-rear direction, and the waste toner conveyed by the auger 61B can be easily recovered at the recovery port 104A.

  As shown to Fig.5 (a), the guide part 104 is comprised so that the cross section cut by the horizontal surface of an upper end part and a lower end part may become a rectangular shape. The guide portion 104 is formed such that the first side 104D on the long side of the rectangular cross section at the lower end and the second side 104E on the long side of the rectangular cross section of the upper end extend in different directions. The first side 104D extends in the left-right direction, and the second side 104E extends in the front-rear direction.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the detection unit 105 is located on the front side of the storage unit 102 and on the left side of the second transport unit 103B, and by a partition wall 101E that protrudes from the bottom wall 101D of the frame 101 and is connected to the upper wall 101A. It is disposed at a position separated from the accommodating portion 102. The detection unit 105 is partitioned from the second transport unit 103B by the left side wall 103C of the second transport unit 103B and a plurality of walls arranged on the left side of the side wall 103C.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the detection unit 105 is formed to be recessed downward from the bottom wall 101 </ b> D of the frame 101. In other words, the detection unit 105 protrudes downward from the bottom wall 101D of the frame 101. The detection unit 105 is configured to accommodate a part of the waste toner, and is configured of a transparent member that can transmit light from an optical sensor (not shown). In such a detection unit 105, waste toner overflowing from the storage unit 102 is stored, and light from the optical sensor is blocked by the waste toner, so that it is possible to detect that the storage unit 102 is full. Become.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the partition wall 101E extends from the rear end of the left side wall 103C of the second transport unit 103B to a position on the left side of the detection unit 105. The left end of the partition wall 101E is arranged at a distance from the left side wall 101G of the frame 101. A portion on the left side of the detection unit 105 between the partition wall 101E and the front wall 101F of the frame 101 is a second toner conveyance unit 106.

  A toner intrusion prevention wall 101I that connects the partition wall 101E and the front wall 101F is provided between the partition wall 101E and the front wall 101F. The toner intrusion prevention wall 101 </ b> I has a recess along the peripheral surface of the rotation shaft 131 of the auger 130. A gap is formed between the rotating shaft 131 and the upper wall 101A disposed in the recess, and the waste toner can move in the second toner conveying unit 106 through the gap.

  The second toner conveyance unit 106 includes a communication unit 106A that communicates with the storage unit 102 between the left end of the partition wall 101E and the side wall 101G. Waste toner overflowing from the storage unit 102 enters the second toner transport unit 106 from the communication unit 106A.

  The rotating member 110 is provided in the first conveyance unit 103 </ b> A, and includes a rotation shaft 111, a first conveyance blade 112, and a second conveyance blade 113.

  The rotating shaft 111 extends in the left-right direction and is supported by the left and right side walls 103D of the first transport unit 103A.

  The first conveying blade 112 is provided so as to be spirally wound around the rotation shaft 111 from the right end to the left side of the first conveying unit 103A.

  The second conveying blade 113 is formed along the left-right direction, and extends from the rotating shaft 111 to the outside in the radial direction of the rotating shaft 111 in a plate shape. Two second conveying blades 113 are provided on both sides of the rotating shaft 111. The second transport blade 113 is disposed at a position corresponding to the second transport unit 103B in the left-right direction, and is connected to a left end portion that is an inner end portion of the first transport blade 112 in the left-right direction.

  By rotating the rotating member 110, waste toner is placed on the first conveying blade 112 from the right side to the left side, that is, from the outside of the right end 73B of the conveying belt 73 toward the inside of the right end 73B of the conveying belt 73. It can be transported. Then, the rotating member 110 can be transported by pushing the waste toner toward the second transport unit 103B on the rear side, that is, on the radially outer side of the rotating shaft 111 by the second transport blade 113. It has become.

  On the left side wall 103D side of the rotating member 110, a seal member 114 made of an elastic member such as sponge is provided. The seal member 114 is provided around the rotation shaft 111 between the second conveying blade 113 and the left side wall 103D. Accordingly, it is possible to suppress the waste toner conveyed in the first conveyance unit 103A from leaking between the left side wall 103D and the rotation shaft 111.

  The conveying member 120 includes a main body part 121, a crankshaft 122, a fulcrum part 123, and an extending part 124 as an example of a second conveying member. The main body part 121, the fulcrum part 123, and the extension part 124 are integrally formed.

  The main body 121 is a lattice-shaped member, and a plurality of rectangular holes 121A penetrating vertically are formed. Of the surfaces forming the holes 121 </ b> A of the main body 121, the surface facing the rear is a first conveyance surface 121 </ b> C for conveying waste toner from the front side to the rear side.

  A plurality of supported portions 121B, which are rotatably supported by the crankshaft 122, are provided side by side in the left-right direction at the front portion of the main body 121 in the front-rear direction center.

  The crankshaft 122 extends in the left-right direction, and both end portions in the left-right direction are supported by the left and right side walls 102B of the housing portion 102. The crankshaft 122 is connected to the first gear 120A outside the left side wall 102B. A driving force is transmitted to the first gear 120A from a motor M as an example of a driving source.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the crankshaft 122 includes a rotating shaft portion 122A, an arm portion 122B, and a support portion 122C. The rotation shaft portion 122A is a shaft that rotates about the axis line X at the center thereof, and constitutes both end portions of the crank shaft 122 in the left-right direction.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the arm portion 122B extends radially outward from the inner ends of the rotating shaft portions 122A on both the left and right sides.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the support portion 122C is a shaft portion parallel to the rotation shaft portion 122A, and rotatably supports the supported portion 121B of the main body portion 121. The support portion 122C is disposed between the left and right arm portions 122B, and revolves around the axis X of the rotation shaft portion 122A as the rotation shaft portion 122A rotates.

  The fulcrum portion 123 is disposed at the rear end portion of the main body 121 and protrudes outward from the main body 121 in the left-right direction. As shown in FIG. 3, a first wall 102C that protrudes upward from the bottom wall 101D and a second wall 102D that protrudes downward from the upper wall 101A are provided at positions corresponding to the fulcrum 123 of the housing portion 102. It has been.

  The first wall 102C and the second wall 102D are receiving parts that receive the fulcrum part 123, and sandwich the fulcrum part 123 from above and below. The fulcrum 123 slides back and forth between the first wall 102C and the second wall 102D.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the extending portion 124 extends from the front end of the main body portion 121 in the first toner conveying portion 103, specifically along the inner surface of the second conveying portion 103 </ b> B. In addition, a plurality of rectangular holes 124A penetrating vertically are formed side by side. Of the surfaces forming the holes 124A, the surface facing the rear side is a second conveying surface 124B for conveying the waste toner from the front side to the rear side.

  In the extension part 124, the waste toner transport amount on each second transport surface 124 </ b> B is larger than the waste toner transport amount of the rotating member 110. For this reason, the amount of waste toner transported by the transport member 120 is greater than the amount of waste toner moving from the first transport unit 103A.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the extension portion 124 is inclined upward with respect to the direction in which the main body portion 121 extends. In other words, the extension portion 124 is inclined upward with respect to the surface formed by the lower end portion, that is, the lower surface 124C with respect to the surface formed by the lower end portion of the main body portion 121, that is, the lower surface 121D. ing. Specifically, the extension portion 124 is configured such that a gap is provided between the lower surface 124C of the extension portion 124 and the bottom wall 101D when the front end of the lower surface 121D of the main body portion 121 is at the lowest position. . That is, the extended portion 124 is configured such that the lower surface 124C does not come into contact with the bottom wall 101D when the transport member 120 is rotated.

  And the extension part 124 is arrange | positioned in the position where the front-end | tip does not contact the connection part B2, even if the conveyance member 120 rotates. In other words, the extension part 124 is configured such that the trajectory of movement when rotating is not overlapped with the connection part B2 when viewed from the left-right direction. That is, the conveyance member 120 is configured not to interfere with the connection portion B2 when rotated.

The operation of the conveying member 120 will be described with reference to FIGS.
When the rotary shaft 122A rotates counterclockwise in the figure from the state of FIG. 6D, the support part 122C revolves around the axis X counterclockwise in the figure as shown in FIG. The portion 122C moves to a position obliquely above the front of the position in FIG. Accordingly, the main body 121 and the fulcrum part 123 move to the front side, and the main body part 121 rotates upward about the fulcrum part 123, whereby the front end part of the main body part 121 moves to the front diagonally upper side.

  As shown in FIG. 6 (b), when the support portion 122C moves to a position obliquely below the front in FIG. 6 (a), the main body portion 121 and the fulcrum portion 123 move further to the front side, and the main body portion 121 becomes the fulcrum. By rotating downward about the part 123, the front end part of the main body part 121 moves to the front diagonally lower side.

  As shown in FIG. 6 (c), when the support portion 122C moves to a position obliquely below the rear in FIG. 6 (b), the main body portion 121 and the fulcrum portion 123 move to the rear side, and the main body portion 121 becomes the fulcrum. By rotating further downward about the portion 123, the front end portion of the main body 121 moves rearward and obliquely downward.

  Then, as shown in FIG. 6 (d), when the support portion 122C moves to a position obliquely rearward from the position of FIG. 6 (c), the main body portion 121 and the fulcrum portion 123 further move to the rear side, and the main body portion The front end of the main body 121 moves rearward and obliquely upward as the 121 rotates upward about the fulcrum 123.

  As described above, the main body portion 121 moves back and forth while swinging around the fulcrum portion 123, and as shown in FIGS. 6 (a), (b), (c), and (d), the extension portion After moving 124 from the position of FIG. 6 (d) to the front diagonally upper side, it moves to the front diagonally lower side and moves to the rear diagonally lower side. That is, when the extension part 124 approaches the first transport part 103A, the extension part 124 moves upward, then moves downward, and moves away from the first transport part 103A while moving downward. .

  For this reason, the conveying member 120 moves up and down as it goes to the front side of the rotating shaft portion 122A, and rotates so as to scrape waste toner by the second conveying surface 124B and the first conveying surface 121C. Thereby, the conveyance member 120 can convey waste toner from the front side toward the rear side.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the auger 130 includes a rotation shaft 131 provided in the second toner conveyance unit 106 and extending in the left-right direction, and a helical conveyance blade 132 provided around the rotation shaft 131. doing. The auger 130 is configured to rotate so that the waste toner is carried on the conveyance blade 132 and conveyed from the left side to the right side.

  In the auger 130, the amount of waste toner transported by the transport blade 132 is larger than the amount of waste toner transported by the rotating member 110. For this reason, the amount of waste toner transported by the auger 130 is larger than the amount of waste toner transported toward the storage unit 102.

  The rotation shaft 131 extends from the left side wall 101G of the second toner conveyance unit 106 to the vicinity of the left side wall 103C of the second conveyance unit 103B. The left end of the rotation shaft 131 is connected to the second gear 130A provided on the left side of the frame 101, that is, the side surface 101H opposite to the first toner conveyance unit 103, and the right end is the left side of the second conveyance unit 103B. Is connected to a third gear 130B provided on the left side of the side wall 103C. Further, the fourth gear 110A connected to the left end of the rotary shaft 111 described above is disposed on the front side of the third gear 130B.

  The second gear 130A is configured such that a driving force is transmitted from the motor M via a gear train (not shown). That is, the second gear 130 </ b> A transmits a driving force to the auger 130.

  The third gear 130B is connected to the fourth gear 110A via a gear train (not shown). Accordingly, the auger 130 transmits the driving force from the second gear 130A to the rotating member 110 via the third gear 130B. In other words, the second gear 130 </ b> A transmits a driving force to the rotating member 110.

  The second gear 130A is also connected to a cleaning roller gear (not shown) connected to the cleaning roller 100A via a gear train (not shown) so that driving force is transmitted from the cleaning roller gear.

The operation of the cleaning unit 100 configured as described above will be described.
As shown in FIG. 1, after the image formation, the waste toner adhering to the conveyance belt 73 moves to a position corresponding to the cleaning unit 100 by the rotation of the conveyance belt 73 and is collected by the cleaning roller 100A. On the other hand, the waste toner adhering to the photosensitive drum 61 is collected by the photosensitive member cleaning blade and collected in the photosensitive member toner transport unit 61A.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the waste toner collected by the cleaning roller 100A moves to a position corresponding to the collection roller 100B by the rotation of the cleaning roller 100A and is collected by the collection roller 100B. The waste toner collected on the collection roller 100B is moved to a position corresponding to the blade 100C by the rotation of the collection roller 100B and scraped off by the blade 100C, and is accommodated in the accommodation unit 102 through the opening 101B.

  As shown in FIG. 5A, the waste toner collected in the photoreceptor toner transport unit 61A is transported in the front-rear direction by the auger 61B and enters the guide unit 104 through the recovery port 104A. Here, since the collection port 104A is wide in the front-rear direction, even if a large amount of waste toner is conveyed by the auger 61B, the waste toner is prevented from leaking in the vicinity of the collection port 104A.

  As shown in FIG. 5B, the waste toner that has entered the guide unit 104 passes through the guide unit 104 and enters the first conveying unit 103A due to its own weight. Here, since the lower portion 104C of the guide portion 104 becomes wider as it goes downward, even when a large amount of waste toner enters the guide portion 104, clogging at the entrance of the first conveyance portion 103A is suppressed.

  By the way, since waste toner accumulates at the right end portion of the first conveyance unit 103A connected to the guide unit 104, it is necessary to convey the waste toner from the right side to the left side of the first conveyance unit 103A. For example, in a configuration in which waste toner is conveyed from the right side to the left side of the first conveyance unit 103A by using vibration or the like, the vibration easily causes a malfunction in the cleaning roller 100A portion. Note that the malfunction in the cleaning roller 100A portion is that the gear meshes poorly, the driving force from the motor is difficult to be transmitted, and the contact between the cleaning roller 100A and the surface of the conveyor belt 73 becomes unstable. , Cleaning unevenness occurs.

  However, in this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4, the waste toner that has entered the first conveyance unit 103 </ b> A is directed from the right side to the left side in the first conveyance unit 103 </ b> A by the first conveyance blade 112 of the rotating member 110. Are transported. Thus, the waste toner collected from the photosensitive drum 61 can be conveyed from the right side to the left side without vibrating the cleaning roller 100A.

  Then, the conveyed waste toner is conveyed toward the second conveyance unit 103B so as to be pushed out by the second conveyance blade 113. Here, since the left end of the second conveying blades 113 and the first conveying blades 112 are connected, the waste toner placed on the first conveying blades 112 is quickly delivered to the second conveying blades 113 and is smoothly second. It is conveyed to the conveyance unit 103B.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 3, since the lower part B1 of the inner surface of the second conveying unit 103B is located below the lower part A1 of the inner surface of the first conveying unit 103A, the waste toner is smoothly fed by its own weight to the second conveying unit 103B. Move to.

  By the way, since the 2nd conveyance part 103B connected with the accommodating part 102 is shorter than the accommodating part 102 in the left-right direction, when providing the conveying member comprised only in the main body part in the accommodating part, for example, There is a possibility that the waste toner may not be conveyed to the storage unit.

  However, in the present embodiment, the waste toner transported into the second transport unit 103B is scraped off by the second transport surface 124B of the extension unit 124 disposed in the second transport unit 103B. It is transported toward the storage unit 102. In this way, the waste toner collected from the photosensitive drum 61 is stored in the storage unit 102.

  The waste toner stored in the storage unit 102 is transported from the front side to the rear side by being scraped off by the first transport surface 121C of the main body unit 121. Thereby, since the waste toner is conveyed to the rear side of the storage unit 102, it is possible to accumulate the waste toner in order from the back, and the space in the storage unit 102 can be effectively used.

  When the waste toner accumulates in the storage unit 102, the waste toner overflowing from the storage unit 102 enters the second toner transport unit 106 from the communication unit 106A as shown in FIG. The waste toner that has entered the second toner conveyance unit 106 is conveyed from left to right by the auger 130 and enters the detection unit 105. Then, it is detected that the waste toner accumulated in the detection unit 105 blocks light from an optical sensor (not shown), and the storage unit 102 is full.

According to the above, the following effects can be obtained in the present embodiment.
Since the extending part 124 of the conveying member 120 is arranged in the second conveying part 103B that is connected to the accommodating part 102 and has a smaller width than the accommodating part 102, the extending part 124 causes the accommodating part 102 to be separated from the second conveying part 103B. Waste toner can be conveyed toward

  Since the extension part 124 is formed integrally with the main body part 121, there is no need to provide a motor for the extension part as in the configuration in which the extension part and the main body part are made of different members. Therefore, the number of parts can be reduced.

  The transport member 120 rotates so as to increase in the vertical direction as it goes to the front side of the rotating shaft portion 122A. That is, the range of the vertical motion of the distal end of the extension portion 124 is larger than the base end, so the second transport portion Even if waste toner accumulates on the front side of 103B, it is easily scraped off by the extending portion 124.

  Since the extension part 124 is inclined upward with respect to the main body part 121, the lower surface 124C of the extension part 124 is unlikely to interfere with the lower part B1 of the second transport part 103B.

  Since the handle 101C and the first toner conveyance unit 103 are arranged on the front side, which is the same side, when the user grasps the handle 101C as compared with the configuration in which the first toner conveyance unit is arranged on the rear side, It is possible to suppress waste toner from spilling from the first toner conveying unit 103.

  Further, since the first toner conveyance unit 103 is disposed adjacent to the right side of the handle 101C, the space on the right side of the handle 101C can be effectively used, and the cleaning unit 100 can be downsized.

  Since the first toner conveying portion 103 protrudes to the right side of the accommodating portion 102, the parts are arranged in the space on the right side of the accommodating portion 102 of the main body housing 2, that is, the space on the rear side of the first toner conveying portion 103. Even when the cleaning unit 100 is attached to and detached from the opening 21A of the main body housing 2, the first toner conveyance unit 103 does not interfere with the component. Therefore, the space on the rear side of the first toner conveyance unit 103 of the main body housing 2 can be effectively utilized.

  As mentioned above, although embodiment of this invention was described, this invention is not limited to the said embodiment. About a concrete structure, it can change suitably in the range which does not deviate from the meaning of this invention.

  In the embodiment, the lower portion 104C of the guide portion 104 is formed so as to become wider in the left-right direction as it goes downward. However, as shown in FIG. 7A, the guide portion 104 has an upper end in the left-right direction. You may form so that it may become wide as it goes to a lower end part from a part.

  Moreover, as shown in FIG.7 (b), the guide part 104 may be formed so that it may become wide at least as the lower part 104C goes below in the front-back direction.

  In the embodiment, the first conveying blade 112 is provided so as to wrap around the rotating shaft 111, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, as shown in FIG. One conveyance blade 115 may be provided so as to surround the periphery of the rotation shaft 111. The 1st conveyance blade 115 is comprised with the wire. Further, as shown in FIG. 8B, a plurality of first conveying blades 116 may be provided so as to wrap around the rotating shaft 111.

  In the above-described embodiment, the first toner conveyance unit 103 is configured to convey the waste toner collected from the photosensitive drum 61. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the first and second toner conveyance units 103 and 103 It may be configured to transport waste toner collected from different members.

  In the above-described embodiment, the first toner conveyance unit 103 is connected from the front side of the storage unit 102. However, the present invention is not limited to this, for example, the right side surface 102A of the storage unit 102 on the front side of the cleaning roller 100A, It may be connected to the left side.

  In the above embodiment, the lower part B1 of the inner surface of the second transport unit 103B is located below the lower part A1 of the inner surface of the first transport unit 103A. However, the present invention is not limited to this, for example, the lower part B1, A1 may be the same height.

  In the above-described embodiment, the waste toner conveyance amount of the extending portion 124 is larger than the waste toner conveyance amount of the rotating member 110. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and for example, even if each waste toner conveyance amount is the same. Good.

  In the embodiment, the waste toner transport amount of the auger 130 is larger than the waste toner transport amount of the rotating member 110. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and for example, the waste toner transport amounts may be the same.

  In the embodiment, the auger 130 is configured to transmit the driving force to the rotating member 110. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the driving force is applied to the rotating member 110 via a member different from the auger 130. The structure which transmits may be sufficient.

  In the embodiment, the main body 121 and the extension 124 are integrally formed, but the present invention is not limited to this and may be a separate body. In this case, it is desirable that the driving force is transmitted from the same driving source to the first conveying member corresponding to the main body and the second conveying member corresponding to the extending portion. According to such a structure, it is easy to synchronize operation | movement of a 1st conveying member and a 2nd conveying member.

  In the above-described embodiment, the extension portion 124 is inclined upward with respect to the main body portion 121. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and may not be inclined upward.

  In the embodiment, the detection unit 105 is formed to be recessed downward from the bottom wall 101D. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and may be formed to protrude forward from the front wall of the frame 101, for example. .

  In the above embodiment, the present invention is applied to the color laser printer 1, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the present invention may be applied to other image forming apparatuses such as a copying machine and a multifunction machine.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Color laser printer 2 Main body housing | casing 21A Opening 61 Photosensitive drum 100 Cleaning unit 101 Frame 101C Handle 102 Storage part 103B 2nd conveyance part 104A Recovery port 120 Conveyance member 121 Main body part 122 Crankshaft 122A Rotating shaft part 122C Support part 123 Part 124 extension part

Claims (8)

An accommodating portion for accommodating the developer;
A first conveying member that conveys the developer from one side of the accommodating portion toward the other side of the accommodating portion;
Has a recovery port developer is recovered to a said one developer conveying section connected to the side of the receiving portion in a first direction perpendicular to a direction from the one side to the other side and the vertical direction , said developer conveying portion the receiving portion and the lead length of the portion have shorter than the length of the first direction of the receiving portion developer conveying portion,
A second transport member that is disposed at least in part in the developer transport section and transports the developer from the developer transport section toward the housing section;
A rotating member disposed in the developer conveying portion and extending along the first direction; and a spiral conveying blade provided around the rotating shaft, wherein the rotating member is recovered from the recovery port. A rotating member that conveys the developed developer toward the second conveying member ,
The developer transport unit is located upstream of the storage unit in the direction from the one side to the other side,
The developer accommodating unit, wherein the second conveying member is disposed at a position overlapping the rotating member in the first direction .   2. The developer accommodating unit according to claim 1, wherein a driving force is transmitted from the same driving source to the first conveying member and the second conveying member.   The developer storage unit according to claim 1, wherein the second transport member is formed integrally with the first transport member. The first conveying member is
A main body having a first transport surface for transporting the developer from the one side to the other side;
A crankshaft having a rotating shaft that rotates around a predetermined axis, and a support that revolves around the axis and supports the main body;
A fulcrum portion disposed on the other side of the main body portion and moving to the one side and the other side of the crankshaft;
A receiving portion for receiving the fulcrum portion;
The second transport member has a second transport surface for transporting the developer from the one side to the other side in the developer transport section, and the end of the main body section from the one end to the inside of the developer transport section. The developer accommodating unit according to claim 3, wherein the developer accommodating unit extends in a distance.   The surface formed by the lower end portion of the second conveying member is inclined upward with respect to the direction in which the surface formed by the lower end portion of the main body portion extends from the other side to the one side. Item 5. The developer accommodating unit according to Item 4. A frame constituting the housing part and the developer transport part;
A handle disposed on a side surface of the one side of the frame,
6. The development according to claim 1, wherein the developer transport unit is disposed at a position overlapping the handle in a direction from the one side toward the other side. Agent storage unit. The developer accommodating unit according to claim 6;
An apparatus main body in which an attaching / detaching port of the developer containing unit is formed on the handle side of the mounted developer containing unit;
The image forming apparatus, wherein the developer conveying portion protrudes outward in the first direction from the housing portion. An image forming apparatus comprising a photosensitive member carrying a developer image, and a developer containing unit,
The developer containing unit is:
An accommodating portion for accommodating the developer ;
A first conveying member that conveys the developer from one side of the accommodating portion toward the other side of the accommodating portion ;
A developer transport unit having a recovery port for recovering the developer recovered from the photosensitive member and connected to the one side of the housing unit, and orthogonal to a direction from the one side to the other side and a vertical direction in the first direction, and said developer conveying unit is the housing unit and the lead portion of the length the receiving portion of the first direction of the small yet developer conveying portion than the length,
A second transport member that is disposed at least in part in the developer transport section and transports the developer from the developer transport section toward the housing section ;
A rotating member disposed in the developer conveying portion and extending along the first direction; and a spiral conveying blade provided around the rotating shaft, wherein the rotating member is recovered from the recovery port. were developer have a, a rotary member for conveying the second conveying member,
The developer transport unit is located upstream of the storage unit in the direction from the one side to the other side,
The image forming apparatus, wherein the second conveying member is disposed at a position overlapping the rotating member in the first direction .

Images