JP6790533B2 - Waste toner transfer device, process unit, image forming device and waste toner transfer method - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a waste toner transfer device, a process unit, an image forming device, and a waste toner transfer method.

In the waste toner transport mechanism, a configuration for transporting waste toner by a plurality of waste toner transport members (convey screws) is already known, for example, as described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2008-225118 (Patent Document 1). This known technique is intended to reduce the amount of toner in the transmission path so that the transportability is not impaired even after a long period of time. In this known technique, the stop timing of the vertical transport path is delayed from the stop timing of the horizontal transport path that stops the supply of waste toner from the horizontal transport path to the vertical transport path. By delaying the stop timing in this way, the vertical transport path operates even after the supply of waste toner is stopped, so that the residual toner in the vertical transport path can be reduced and the waste toner can be prevented from sticking and agglomerating. The waste toner can be stably conveyed even when the toner is restarted (after a long period of time) after being left for a long time.

However, in the waste toner transfer mechanism provided with a plurality of waste toner transfer members including the above-mentioned known technique, if the drum unit is tilted during jam treatment or the like, the waste toner may aggregate in the waste toner transfer path. When the waste toner is aggregated in the waste toner transfer path in this way, the waste toner transfer load becomes large when the waste toner transfer member is driven due to the influence of the toner aggregation, and the waste toner transfer member may be broken. there were.

Therefore, an object to be solved by the present invention is to suppress an increase in the waste toner transport load and prevent breakage of the waste toner transport member even if the waste toner is aggregated in the waste toner delivery portion.

In order to solve the above problems, one aspect of the present invention includes a waste toner recovery unit that is detachably attached to an image forming apparatus main body and collects waste toner generated in a photoconductor that executes an image forming process, and the waste toner recovery unit. A waste toner transport screw provided inside the unit and rotating when mounted on the image forming apparatus main body, and a first waste toner transfer member and a first waste toner transfer member for transporting the waste toner to the waste toner collection unit. The waste toner transport member of 2, the first power transmission means for driving the first waste toner transfer member on the upstream side in the transport direction, and the second waste toner transfer member on the downstream side in the transport direction are driven. A waste toner transfer device including the above power transmission means, which is transmitted from a drive source included in the image forming apparatus main body to the second power transmitting means when the waste toner conveying means is attached to the image forming apparatus main body. the waste toner conveying screw is rotated by the force, the drive start timing of the second waste toner carrying member that rotates by the rotation of the waste toner conveying screw is not early from the driving start timing of the first waste toner carrying member , Characterized by.

According to one aspect of the present invention, it is possible to suppress an increase in the waste toner transport load and prevent the waste toner transport member from breaking. Issues, configurations and effects other than the above will be clarified in the following description of the embodiments.

It is a schematic block diagram which shows an example of the image forming apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is explanatory drawing which shows the method of attaching and detaching the process unit to the image forming apparatus main body in FIG. It is a perspective view which shows the state which attached the toner cartridge to the process unit in FIG. It is a perspective view which shows the state which removed the toner cartridge from the process unit in FIG. It is a schematic block diagram which shows the waste toner transfer mechanism in embodiment of this invention. It is a timing chart which shows an example of the drive start timing of the waste toner transfer screw in embodiment of this invention. It is a timing chart which shows the drive timing of the waste toner transfer screw in embodiment of this invention. It is explanatory drawing which shows the transport capacity of the transport screw.

A feature of the present invention is that by accelerating the drive start timing of the waste toner transport member on the downstream side of the waste toner transport member on the upstream side in the transport direction, even if the waste toner is aggregated in the waste toner transfer portion, the waste toner is collected. The purpose is to suppress an increase in the transport load. Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram showing an example of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The image forming apparatus shown in FIG. 1 is a monochrome image forming apparatus. A process unit 1 as an image forming unit is detachably attached to the apparatus main body (image forming apparatus main body) 100. The process unit 1 includes a photoconductor 2, a charging roller 3, a developing device 4, a cleaning blade 5, and the like. The photoconductor 2 is an image carrier that supports an image on the surface. The charging roller 3 is a charging means for charging the surface of the photoconductor 2. The developing device 4 is a developing means for visualizing a latent image on the photoconductor 2. The cleaning blade 5 is a cleaning means for cleaning the surface of the photoconductor 2.

An LED head array 6 as an exposure means for exposing the surface of the photoconductor 2 is provided at a position facing the photoconductor 2. Further, a toner cartridge 7 as a developer container is provided detachably from the upper surface (mounting portion) of the developing device 4 included in the process unit 1. The toner cartridge 7 has a toner accommodating portion 8 in the container main body 22 for accommodating toner which is a developer to be replenished to the developing apparatus 4. Further, the toner cartridge 7 of the present embodiment also integrally has a toner collecting unit 9 for collecting the toner (waste toner) removed by the cleaning blade 5.

Further, the image forming apparatus includes a transfer device 10 for transferring an image to paper as a recording medium, a paper feeding device 11 for supplying paper, a fixing device 12 for fixing the image transferred to the paper, and an image forming apparatus. It is provided with a paper ejection device 13 for ejecting paper to the outside of the apparatus.

The transfer device 10 includes a transfer roller 14 as a transfer member, and the transfer roller 14 is in contact with the photoconductor 2 with the process unit 1 mounted on the image forming apparatus main body 100, and the transfer nip is at the contact portion between the two. Is formed. Further, the transfer roller 14 is connected to a power source (not shown), and a predetermined direct current voltage (DC) and / or alternating current voltage (AC) is applied.

The paper feed device 11 includes a paper feed cassette 15 containing the paper P and a paper feed roller 16 for feeding the paper P housed in the paper feed cassette 15. A pair of resist rollers 17 are provided on the downstream side of the paper feed roller 16 in the paper transport direction as timing rollers for transporting the paper to the secondary transfer nip at the timing of transport. Paper P also includes thick paper, postcards, envelopes, plain paper, thin paper, coated paper (coated paper, art paper, etc.), tracing paper, and the like. It is also possible to use an OHP sheet, an OHP film, or the like as a recording medium other than paper.

The fixing device 12 includes a fixing roller 18 as a fixing member and a pressure roller 19 as a pressure member. The fixing roller 18 is heated by a heating source (not shown) such as a heater. The pressurizing roller 19 is pressurized toward the fixing roller 18 and comes into contact with the fixing roller 18, and the contact point is a fixing nip.

The paper ejection device 13 includes a pair of paper ejection rollers 20. The paper discharged to the outside of the device by the paper ejection roller 20 is loaded on the paper ejection tray 21 formed by denting the upper surface of the image forming apparatus main body 100.

The image forming operation of the image forming apparatus according to this embodiment is as follows.

When the image-drawing operation is started, the photoconductor 2 is rotationally driven, and the surface of the photoconductor 2 is uniformly charged to a predetermined polarity by the charging roller 3. Then, an electrostatic latent image is formed on the charged surface of the photoconductor 2 by exposure from the LED head array 6 based on image information from a reading device or a computer (not shown). When toner is supplied to the electrostatic latent image formed on the photoconductor 2 by the developing device 4, the electrostatic latent image is visualized (visualized) as a toner image.

Further, when the image drawing operation is started, the paper feed roller 16 starts the rotation drive, and the paper P is sent out from the paper feed cassette 15. The paper P that has been sent out is temporarily stopped by the resist roller 17, and then the resist roller 17 starts rotating at the timing when the toner image on the photoconductor 2 reaches the transfer nip, and the paper P is transferred nip. Will be transported to.

At this time, a transfer voltage having a polarity opposite to the toner charging polarity of the toner image on the photoconductor 2 is applied to the transfer roller 14, whereby a transfer electric field is formed in the transfer portion. Then, the toner image on the photoconductor 2 is transferred onto the paper P by this transfer electric field. The residual toner on the photoconductor 2 that could not be transferred to the paper P is removed by the cleaning blade 5 and collected by the toner collecting unit 9 in the toner cartridge 7.

The paper P on which the toner image is transferred is conveyed to the fixing device 12, heated and pressurized by passing through the fixing nip between the fixing roller 18 and the pressure roller 19, and the toner image is transferred onto the paper P. Is fixed. After fixing, the paper P is discharged out of the device by the paper ejection roller 20 and stocked on the paper ejection tray 21.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing a method of attaching / detaching the process unit 1 to / from the image forming apparatus main body 100.

As shown in FIG. 2, in the present embodiment, the cover 101 provided at the front portion of the image forming apparatus main body 100 can be opened and closed. Further, when the cover 101 is opened, the LED head array 6 is retracted upward by a link mechanism (not shown). With this configuration, with the cover 101 open, the process unit 1 is located in front of the device (the side facing the traveling direction of the discharged paper P) while avoiding interference with the LED head array 6. FIG. Can be removed from the right side of). At this time, with the toner cartridge 7 mounted on the process unit 1, the toner cartridge 7 can be removed from the front of the image forming apparatus main body 100 as an integrated process unit. Further, the toner cartridge 7 can be attached to and detached from the process unit 1 regardless of whether the process unit 1 is attached to or removed from the image forming apparatus main body 100.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a state in which the toner cartridge 7 is attached to the process unit 1, and FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a state in which the toner cartridge 7 is removed from the process unit 1.

In FIG. 3, the direction indicated by the arrow A1 is the mounting direction when the process unit 1 and the toner cartridge 7 are mounted on the image forming apparatus main body 100, and the direction indicated by the arrow A2 is the mounting direction when the process unit 1 and the toner cartridge 7 are mounted. This is the removal direction when removing from the image forming apparatus main body 100. Further, in FIG. 4, the direction indicated by the arrow B1 is the mounting direction when the toner cartridge 7 is mounted on the process unit 1, and the direction indicated by the arrow B2 is the removal when the toner cartridge 7 is removed from the process unit 1. The direction.

Hereinafter, in the toner cartridge 7 and the process unit 1, the front side of the mounting direction A1 (or mounting direction B1) is referred to as the back side, the rear side opposite to the mounting direction A1 (or mounting direction B1) is referred to as the front side, and the front side of the mounting direction A1 (or mounting direction B1) is referred to as the front side. The explanation will be given by defining the right side and the left side.

On the front side of the toner cartridge 7 in the mounting direction, a grip portion 25 for the operator to grip when attaching / detaching to / from the image forming apparatus main body 100 or the process unit 1 is provided. The grip portion 25 is rotatably attached to a support shaft 35 (see FIG. 4) which is a columnar rod member horizontally arranged in the longitudinal direction of the container body 22. When the toner cartridge 7 and the process unit 1 are removed from the image forming apparatus main body 100, or when the toner cartridge 7 is removed from the process unit 1, the grip portion 25 is rotated toward the front side as shown in FIG. , The grip portion 25 can be gripped.

On the other hand, after the toner cartridge 7 and the process unit 1 are mounted on the image forming apparatus main body 100, as shown in FIG. 3, the grip portion 25 is rotated to the back side to bring the grip portion 25 into the stored state. Can be done. Further, even if the operator forgets to rotate the grip portion 25 to the back side in the mounted state of the process unit 1 as shown in FIG. 2, the cover 101 is rotated from below to hit the grip portion 25. The rotation center (support shaft 35) of the grip portion 25 is provided below the center of gravity of the grip portion 25 so that the grip portion 25 can be rotated together to be in the stored state.

FIG. 5 is a schematic configuration diagram showing a waste toner transfer mechanism according to the present embodiment.

The residual toner on the photoconductor 2 that could not be transferred to the paper P is removed by the cleaning blade 5 (see FIG. 1), and the space near the first transfer screw 201 in the process unit 1 (hereinafter, the first transfer). It is housed in (indicated as 201 copies of screw). The toner contained in 201 parts of the first transport screw is delivered to 202 parts of the second transport screw in conjunction with the rotational operation of the photoconductor 2. In other words, the residual toner is transferred from 201 parts of the first transfer screw to 202 parts of the second transfer screw. The second transfer screw 202 is rotationally driven in conjunction with the rotational operation of the waste toner transfer screw 203. The toner conveyed to the second transfer screw 202 is conveyed to the toner collection unit 9 side by the rotational operation of the waste toner transfer screw 203 in the toner collection unit 9 of the toner cartridge 7, and is delivered to the toner collection unit 9. Toner.

In the second transfer screw 202, the driven gear 206 provided at the end of the second transfer screw 202 on the waste toner transfer screw 203 side meshes with the gear 207 to be engaged with the drive gear 209 of the waste toner transfer screw 203. It meshes with 208. As a result, the rotational driving force of the waste toner transfer screw 203 is transmitted to the second transfer screw 202, and the second transfer screw 202 rotates in conjunction with the waste toner transfer screw 203. The reason why the second transfer screw 202 is interlocked with the waste toner transfer screw 203 via the driven gear 206 is that the toner cartridge 7 is detachable from the process unit 1.

In the case of an all-in-one (AIO) or other toner cartridge integrated type, it is also possible to increase the length of the second transport screw 202 downstream in the transport direction and drive it directly with the gear 210 on the toner recovery unit 9 side. Is. However, with toner having poor fluidity and low bulk density, for example, one-component crushed toner, waste toner cannot be stored in the toner cartridge 7 until the life of the process unit 1, so that the toner cartridge 7 can be replaced. You will need it. If a replaceable configuration is not selected, the toner cartridge 7 becomes large and the machine size increases significantly.

The toner conveyed by the second transfer screw 202 is a waste toner transfer unit provided between the second transfer screw 202 in the process unit 1 (not shown) and the waste toner transfer screw 203 of the toner collection unit 9. Through 220, it is conveyed to the downstream side of the waste toner transfer screw 203 part, and is conveyed to the middle side of the toner recovery unit 9.

The drive of the photoconductor 2 is connected to the drive of the main body, and the drive of the waste toner transfer screw 203 is also connected to the drive of the main body. However, the photoconductor 2 and the waste toner transfer screw 203 are driven separately. Therefore, the drive can be started and stopped individually.

The driving force of the photoconductor 2 is transmitted from the main body to the photoconductor 2, and the driving force of the photoconductor 2 is transmitted from the further gear 204 to the first transfer screw 201 via the gear 205. The driving force is transmitted from the main body to the photoconductor 2 by inserting a convex portion on the main body side (not shown) into the concave portion 2a of the photoconductor 2 formed on the right side of the process unit 1 in FIG. 3 and engaging the two. Will be

The waste toner transfer screw 203 of FIG. 5 is driven by driving the gear 210 from the main body. The driving force of the waste toner transfer screw 203 drives the driving gear 209 as described above, and this driving force is transmitted to the driven gear 206 via the gear 208 and the gear 207. The driving force transmitted to the driven gear 206 serves as a driving source for the second transport screw 202 and rotates the second transport screw 202. The gear 210 is coupled by inserting the gear on the main body side into the coupling gear 49 of FIG. 3 in the axial direction of the waste toner transfer screw 203, and the driving force is transmitted.

Further, the grip portion 25 linked to the operation of the cover 101 is provided with a fan-shaped gear that rotates around the support shaft 35, which meshes with the gear 207 and rotates by the fan-shaped gear in conjunction with the movement of the grip portion 25. To do.

FIG. 6 is a timing chart showing an example of drive start timing of the first transfer screw 201 on the upstream side in the waste toner transfer direction and the second transfer screw 202 on the downstream side in the waste toner transfer direction.

In the present embodiment, when the process unit 1 is operated, the drive start timing of the waste toner transfer screw 203 is earlier than the drive of the photoconductor 2, so that the second transfer screw 202 and the waste toner transfer screw 202 on the downstream side in the waste toner transfer direction are eliminated. The drive start timing of the toner transfer screw 203 is set earlier than the drive start timing of the first transfer screw 201 on the upstream side by a time Δt [s]. That is, the drive source on the main body side performs drive control for starting the drive of the first transfer screw 201 after the drive start time Δt [s] of the second transfer screw 202.

If the process unit 1 is pulled out from the main body and tilted during jam processing or the like, the waste toner is biased and aggregated at the transfer section of the waste toner transfer path (the transfer section 220 of the first transfer screw 201 and the second transfer screw 202). I have something to do. When the waste toner is agglomerated in this way, when the waste toner transfer screw 203 is driven, in addition to the influence of the toner aggregation, the waste toner transferred from the first transfer screw 201 causes the waste toner transfer load of the second transfer screw 202. May increase and the flexible second transfer screw 202 may twist and break. Therefore, if the drive start timing of the second transfer screw 202 and the waste toner transfer screw 203 on the downstream side is earlier than the drive start timing of the first transfer screw 201, the toner is aggregated at the transfer portion 220 of the waste toner transfer path. However, the agglomerates can be broken down and transported. As a result, it is possible to suppress an increase in the waste toner transport load due to the influence of toner aggregation, and it is possible to suppress breakage of the second transport screw 202. If the influence of toner aggregation is small, the drive may be separated without providing a difference in the drive start timings of the first transfer screw 201 and the second transfer screw 202. However, if a difference is provided in the drive, the breakage of the second transport screw 202 can be further suppressed and the life can be extended.

Further, if the first transport screw 201 on the upstream side is driven first, the waste toner on the upstream side is transported toward the toner agglomerating portion, and is in the waste toner transfer path in the process unit 1. Depending on the amount of toner, the transport load increases and the second transport screw 202 breaks.

Further, in the waste toner transfer path in the first transfer screw 201 part and the second transfer screw 202 part, the size of the process unit 1 is reduced as much as possible and the size of the machine itself is reduced. Therefore, the second transfer is performed. The wing diameter of the screw 202 is made smaller than the wing diameter of the first transfer screw 201 to reduce the size of the process unit 1 in the axial direction of the first transfer screw 201. Therefore, if the toner aggregates at the waste toner transfer portion 220 of the second transport screw 202 portion, the transport load increases and the possibility that the second transport screw breaks increases.

FIG. 7 is a timing chart showing the drive timings of the first transfer screw 201 on the upstream side in the waste toner transfer direction and the second transfer screw 202 on the downstream side in the waste toner transfer direction. FIG. 7A shows the first and second transport screws 201 when the initialization operation (main body operation) such as when the front cover is opened and closed for jam processing is performed before the unit operation as shown in FIG. , 202 drive timings are shown.

When the drive of the image forming apparatus main body 100 is started after the jam processing is completed, the second transfer screw 202 and the waste toner transfer screw 203 on the downstream side in the transfer direction are moved by opening and closing the front cover or rotating the grip portion 25 as an initialization operation. The drive is started and stopped before the first transfer screw 201. After that, as a unit operation, the photoconductor 2 or the drum unit of the process unit 1 is driven as in FIG. 6, and the first transfer screw 201 on the upstream side is also driven behind the second transfer screw 202. .. FIG. 7B has the same initialization operation as that of FIG. 7A. The initialization operation once drives the second transfer screw 202 and the waste toner transfer screw 203 on the downstream side, stops the drive, and then operates the unit. The drive of the first transfer screw 201 on the upstream side, the second transfer screw 202 on the downstream side, and the waste toner transfer screw 203 is started at the same time.

That is, when the initialization operation (main body operation) is performed and only the second transfer screw 202 and the waste toner transfer screw 203 on the downstream side in the transfer direction can be driven, the unit operation is as shown in FIG. 7 (b). The drive start timing on the downstream side at the time of is the same as that on the upstream side. In FIG. 7A, the second transfer screw 202 on the downstream side and the waste toner transfer screw 203 are driven for a time equal to or longer than Δt [s] in FIG. 6 by the initialization operation, and the second transfer screw 202 on the downstream side is driven. And the main body drive control for accelerating the drive start timing of the waste toner transfer screw 203 is not required.

Further, the process unit 1 equipped with the first transfer screw 201 on the upstream side is not always driven but is driven during the image forming operation, and the second transfer screw 202 and the waste toner transfer screw 203 are integrated. Since it is not driven by the screw, it is possible to extend the life of key parts such as the photoconductor 2.

FIG. 8 is an enlarged view of a part of the second transport screw 202, and the transport capacity of the transport screw will be described.

The transport capacity of the transport screw is affected by the outer diameter D1, inner diameter D2, pitch PH, and rotation speed RPM of the transport screw. The larger the difference between (outer diameter D1-inner diameter D2), the higher the transport capacity. Further, the larger the pitch PH, the higher the transport capacity. The faster the rotation speed RPM, the higher the transport capacity. From these items, the transfer capacity of the first transfer screw 201, the second transfer screw 202, and the waste toner transfer screw 203 is determined.

The transport capacity of the first transport screw 201, the second transport screw 202, and the waste toner transport screw 203 is higher on the downstream side than on the upstream side, and more toner is transported to the downstream side. As a result, it is possible to prevent the waste toner from agglomerating in the waste toner transport path and the waste toner delivery section 220, and it is possible to suppress an increase in the transport load. As a result, the second transport screw 202 can be prevented from breaking.

As described above, if the present invention corresponds to the present embodiment, the following effects can be obtained. In the following description, each component in the claims and each part of the present embodiment correspond to each other, and when the terms of the two are different, the latter is shown in parentheses and the corresponding reference code is attached. The correspondence between the two was clarified.

(1) A plurality of waste toner transport members including the first and second waste toner transport members (first transport screw 201, second transport screw 202) and the first waste toner transport member on the upstream side in the transport direction. A first power transmission means (recess 2a, gear 205) for driving the member and a second power transmission means (second transfer screw 202) for driving the second waste toner transfer member (second transfer screw 202) on the downstream side in the transfer direction. A waste toner transfer device including a coupling gear 49 and a gear 210), the drive start timing of the second waste toner transfer member is earlier than the drive start timing of the first waste toner transfer member (FIG. 6). FIG. 7) According to the waste toner transfer device according to the present embodiment, even if the waste toner is aggregated on the waste toner transfer portion 220, the toner aggregation can be prevented, so that the waste toner transfer load is increased. It is possible to prevent the waste toner transport member (second transport screw 202) from breaking.

(2) The present embodiment in which the driving of the first waste toner transport member (first transport screw 201) and the drive of the second waste toner transport member (second transport screw 202) are separate drives. According to the waste toner transfer device according to the above, the difference in start timing between the first waste toner transfer member and the second waste toner transfer member can be easily achieved.

(3) The second waste toner transfer member (second transfer screw 202) is driven by mounting on the image forming apparatus main body 100 to which the waste toner transfer device is mounted, and then the first waste toner transfer member is mounted. According to the waste toner transfer device according to the present embodiment in which the toner transfer member (first transfer screw 201) is driven by driving the photoconductor 2, the second toner transfer member on the downstream side in the transfer direction is first after the jam treatment. Since the waste toner transport member of No. 1 is driven, it is possible to prevent the waste toner transport member (second transport screw 202) from breaking for the same reason as in (1) above.

(4) The present embodiment relates to the present embodiment in which the transport capacity of the second waste toner transport member (second transport screw 202) is higher than the transport capacity of the first waste toner transport member (first transport screw 201). According to the waste toner transfer device, since the transfer capacity on the downstream side is higher than that on the upstream side, it is possible to further suppress an increase in the waste toner transfer load, and the waste toner transfer member (second transfer screw 202) is broken. It is possible to improve the margin for prevention.

(5) Since the process unit 1 includes the waste toner transfer device according to the above (1) to (4), it is possible to provide the process unit 1 having the effects described in the above (1) to (4). Further, since the maintenance parts can be replaced in one operation, the maintainability can be improved.

(6) Since the image forming apparatus includes the process unit 1 of the above (5), it is possible to provide an image forming apparatus that achieves the effects described in the above (1) to (4). Further, since the maintenance parts can be replaced by the replacement of the process unit 1 in one operation, the maintainability can be improved.

(7) The first power transmission means (recess 2a, gear 205) drives the first waste toner transfer member (first transfer screw 201) on the upstream side in the transfer direction, and the second power transmission means (coupling gear). 49, the gear 210) drives the second waste toner transport member (second transport screw 202) on the downstream side in the transport direction, and the first and second power transmission means of the second waste toner transport member. According to the waste toner transfer method according to the present embodiment in which the drive start timing is driven earlier than the drive start timing of the first waste toner transfer member, the effect described in (1) above can be obtained.

(8) The first and second power transmission means (recessed portion 2a, coupling gear 49) acquire driving force from different driving portions (convex portion on the main body side, gear on the main body side) of the image forming apparatus, and obtain the driving force from the image. According to the waste toner transfer method according to the present embodiment, in which the drive start timing of the first and second waste toner transfer members is set based on the drive start timing of the drive unit of the forming device, the image forming apparatus main body The drive timing of the first and second waste toner transfer members can be set based on the operation timing.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications can be made without departing from the gist of the present invention, and all the technical matters included in the technical idea described in the claims are all. It is the subject of the present invention. Although the above-described embodiment shows a suitable example, those skilled in the art can realize various alternative examples, modifications, modifications or improvements from the contents disclosed in the present specification. These are included in the technical scope described in the appended claims.

1 Process unit 2 Photoreceptor 2a Recess (first power transmission means)
49 Coupling gear (second power transmission means)
100 Image forming apparatus main body 201 First transfer screw (first waste toner transfer member)
202 Second transport screw (second waste toner transport member)
205 gear (first power transmission means)
210 gear (second power transmission means)
220 Delivery section

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2008-225118

Claims (8)

A waste toner collecting unit that is detachably attached to the main body of the image forming apparatus and collects waste toner generated in the photoconductor that executes the image forming process.
A waste toner transfer screw provided inside the waste toner collecting unit and rotating when the image forming apparatus is mounted on the main body of the image forming apparatus.
A first waste toner transport member and a second waste toner transport member for transporting the waste toner to the waste toner collection unit,
A first power transmission means for driving the first waste toner transport member on the upstream side in the transport direction, and
A second power transmission means for driving the second waste toner transport member on the downstream side in the transport direction, and
It is a waste toner transfer device equipped with
The waste toner transfer screw is rotated by the driving force transmitted from the drive source included in the image forming apparatus main body to the second power transmitting means when the image forming apparatus main body is attached .
The drive start timing of the second waste toner carrying member that rotates by the rotation of the waste toner conveying screw, not early than the drive start timing of the first waste toner carrying member,
A waste toner transfer device characterized by this. The drive of the first waste toner transfer member and the drive of the second waste toner transfer member are separate drives.
The waste toner transfer device according to claim 1. The waste toner transfer device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the first waste toner transfer member is driven by driving the photoconductor after the drive of the second waste toner transfer member is started. The transport capacity of the waste toner by the second waste toner transport member is higher than the transport capacity of the first waste toner transport member.
The waste toner transfer device according to any one of claims 1 to 3. The waste toner transfer device according to any one of claims 1 to 4 is provided.
A process unit characterized by that. The process unit according to claim 5 is provided.
An image forming apparatus characterized in that. This is a waste toner transfer method in which waste toner generated in a photoconductor that executes an image forming process is detachably attached to an image forming apparatus main body and is transported to a waste toner collecting unit provided with a waste toner transport screw inside .
It is transmitted from the drive source included in the image forming apparatus main body to the second power transmission means for driving the second waste toner conveying member on the downstream side in the conveying direction of the waste toner when the image forming apparatus main body is attached. The waste toner transfer screw is rotated by the driving force of the waste toner.
The drive start timing of the second waste toner transfer member, which is rotated by the rotation of the waste toner transfer screw, is driven by the first power transmission means. Drive of the first waste toner transfer member on the upstream side in the waste toner transfer direction. Earlier than the start timing,
A waste toner transfer method characterized by this. The first power transmission means and the second power transmission means acquire driving force from different driving units of the image forming apparatus, and the first abolition is based on the driving start timing of the driving portion of the image forming apparatus. The drive start timing of the toner transfer member and the second waste toner transfer member is set.
The waste toner transport method according to claim 7.