JPH01129280A - Toner collecting device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To plentifully fill a collecting container with toner with high concentration by preventing the motion of the collecting container in the direction to an opposite edge with the aid of a fixed member, detecting the acceleration with a detection sensor and executing the control of the acceleration based on the detected information. CONSTITUTION:A holding dish 14 repeats the motion that it moves to an opposite side by being energized by a spring 17 and collides with the fixed member 19 provided on a fixed frame 15. The toner received in the collecting container 13 integrated with the holding dish 14 from a toner reception port 13a is moved to the opposite edge side with the above-mentioned collision and a toner housing room is sequentially filled with the toner from the innermost part. And an acceleration sensor 21 is provided on the holding dish 14 and a controller 22 controls to drive a motor 20 according to the information of the sensor 21 so as to move the position of a spring hook 16, then the acceleration of the collecting container 13 can be kept constant. Thus, the collecting container can be plentifully filled with the toner with high concentration and it can be compactly incorporated in an image forming device.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Industrial Application Field] The present invention relates to a device for recovering toner remaining on the surface of an image carrier of an image forming apparatus such as an electrophotographic copying machine, and particularly to a device for recovering toner remaining on the surface of an image carrier using a cleaning device. The toner is removed and dropped into a collection container having a toner receiving port on one edge side, and the collection container is reciprocated in the direction of the one edge and the opposite edge, and is prevented from moving toward the opposite edge, thereby reducing impact acceleration. The present invention relates to a toner collection device that is provided with.

[Background of the invention]

The above-mentioned toner recovery device is disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 58-54369.
It is known from the publication no. The toner recovery device is
The collection container, which is swingably supported, is moved by a stepped eccentric cam against the spring bias toward the edge where the toner receiving port is provided, and the stepped portion of the cam drops it onto the small-diameter circumferential surface, and the container is collected. The container is designed to repeatedly receive a large acceleration that is stopped by the small-diameter circumferential surface of the cam, which causes the container to move toward the opposite side due to the spring bias. It is difficult to adjust the acceleration applied to the collection container, and this toner collection device uses a stepped eccentric cam that provides a large acceleration that sufficiently fills the collection container with toner to the edge opposite to the edge where the toner receiving opening is provided. Setting a spring not only increases wear and tear on the cam and cam follower, but also increases the impact noise and vertical vibration of the collection container, which cannot be suppressed, so the acceleration applied to the collection container is limited to a lower value, and therefore the toner is Toner tends to accumulate in the receiving eye area, and in order to store a large amount of toner in the collection container, the height of the collection container must be increased not only at the receiving eye area, but also at the part outside of it. There are other problems, such as the size of the image forming apparatus.

[Purpose of the invention]

The present invention has been made in order to solve the above-mentioned problems in the conventional toner collection device, and it reduces the occurrence of impact noise and vertical vibration, and increases the height of the collection container that has a toner receiving opening at one end. To provide a toner recovery device which can fill a recovery container with toner at a high density and can be compactly incorporated into an image forming apparatus.

[Structure of the invention]

In the present invention, toner on the surface of an image carrier of an image forming apparatus is removed by a cleaning device, and the toner is dropped into a collection container having a toner receiving opening on one edge side, and the collection container is reciprocated in the direction of the edge opposite to the one edge. In the toner collection device, the movement of the collection container toward the opposite edge is prevented by a fixing member, and the acceleration is detected by a detection sensor. The toner recovery device is characterized in that the acceleration is controlled by a control means based on the detected information, and this configuration achieves the above object.

〔Example〕

The present invention will be explained below using illustrated examples.

FIG. 1 is a schematic side view showing an example of an image forming apparatus equipped with the toner collecting device of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a partial side view showing an example of the toner collecting device of the present invention, and FIGS. FIG. 5 is a partial front view showing an example of a collection device, FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing different examples of the collection container, FIG. 6 is a graph showing changes in toner capacity and acceleration of the collection container, and FIG. 7 is acceleration of the collection container. 3 is a graph showing a state in which toner is filled.

In the image forming apparatus shown in FIG. 1, a photosensitive drum 1 serving as an image carrier rotates in the direction of the arrow, a charger 2 uniformly charges the surface of the photosensitive drum 1, and a laser beam scanner is used. The image exposure device 3 performs image exposure by dot exposure on the charged surface of the photosensitive drum 1 to form an electrostatic image, and one of the developing devices 4 to 6 converts the electrostatic image into yellow, cyan, magenta, etc. The photosensitive drum 1 is developed into a toner image, and the surface of the photosensitive drum 1 on which the toner image is formed passes through the transfer device 72, the separator 8, and the cleaning device 9, which are placed in an inactive state, and enters the second rotation. Then, charging is performed again by the charger 2, and an electrostatic image is formed by the image exposure device 3.

Developing is performed using one of the developing devices 4 to 6 different from the previous one, and the same process is repeated even in the third rotation to form a color image on the photosensitive drum 1 consisting of a combination of three color toner images. The transfer device 7 transfers the color image onto the recording paper fed by the paper feeding means 10, and the recording paper onto which the color image has been transferred is separated from the photosensitive drum 1 by the separator 8. 11 and fixing device 12
The color image is fixed on the recording paper by the fixing device 12, and the recording paper is discharged outside the machine. Then, residual toner is removed from the surface of the photosensitive drum 1 onto which the color image has been transferred by the cleaning device 9, and the state returns to the state where the next color image can be formed again.

The cleaning device 9 scrapes off toner on the surface of the photosensitive drum 1 with a scraping member 9a, and removes the toner from the guide plate 9.
b to the toner transport means 9C, and the toner transport means 9C transports the toner to one end in the width direction of the cleaning device 9, and drops it into the collection container 13 through a drop pipe 9d provided at the end. In the illustrated example, a blade is used as the scraping member 9a and a screw conveyor is used as the toner conveying means 9C, but the present invention is not limited to this. You can.

In the example shown in FIG. 1, the collection container 13 is placed below the transfer device 11 and the fixing device 12, but in the example shown in FIGS.
It may be arranged below the cleaning device 9 as shown in the figure. However, in the arrangement shown in Figure 1,
Since the toner head is large, the toner moves to the back from the toner receiving opening 13a without forming a pile in the collection container 13, and the position of the drop pipe 9d is on the side of the transfer device 11. It now comes off in the opposite direction, and the drop pipe 9
Since the connection between the drop pipe 9d and the collection container 13 is located below the transfer device 11, even if toner leaks from the connection between the drop pipe 9d and the collection container 13, the recording paper will not be damaged. It will not be contaminated, and furthermore, the collection container 13
When taking out the image forming apparatus from the image forming apparatus, you can take it out to the left side of the figure, or to the front or back side.2. The arrangement shown in FIG. 1 is preferable because it provides a degree of design freedom in that it can be extended evenly.

Although the drive mechanism of the collection container 13 is omitted in Fig. 1,
The drive mechanism is the collection container 13 shown in FIGS. 2 to 4.
Since the drive mechanism is the same as the one shown in FIG.

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, the collection container 13 has a toner receiving port 13a on one edge side, and as described below, is given a movement that allows it to be fully filled with toner, so that the cleaning device 9 In the image forming apparatus, the toner is integrally held in the holding tray 14 at least in the movement direction so that the toner can be installed compactly in the space created below the image forming apparatus and the collected toner can be removed from the image forming apparatus. .

The holding tray 14 is held by a fixed frame 15 of the image forming apparatus so as to be movable in the direction of one end edge having a toner receiving opening 13a where the toner storage chamber of the collection container 13 is widened and the opposite edge. A spring 17 tensioned between the spring hook 16 and a spring hook 16 provided on the side urges the collecting container 13 toward the edge opposite to the one end edge having the toner receiving opening 13a. Note that the holding plate 14 may come into contact with the fixed frame 15 through rollers with low friction;
In order to smoothly reciprocate and prevent the holding plate 14 from bouncing, contact is preferably made with a slider made of resin or the like having an appropriate coefficient of friction. And holding plate 1
4 is a stepped eccentric cam (Fig. 3) or a stepped surface cam (Fig. 4)
Alternatively, by an actuating means 18 such as an electromagnetically driven plunger, the collecting container 13 is displaced toward one end side having the toner receiving opening 13a against the bias of the spring 17, and the actuating means 18
When the actuation is released due to the step of the cam or de-energization of the electromagnet, it moves to the opposite side due to the bias of the spring 17 and repeatedly collides with the fixing member 19 provided on the fixing frame 15. In this way, the collision of the holding plate 14 with the fixing member 19 reduces the occurrence of impact noise and vertical vibration, and the toner receiving opening 13 in the collection container 13 integrated with the holding plate 14 is reduced.
It is possible to apply a large acceleration to move the snorer received from a to the opposite edge side and fill the toner storage chamber sequentially from the back.

The acceleration applied to the collection container 13 can be easily controlled by moving the position of the spring hook 16 or the fixing member 9. When controlling by moving the fixing member 19, the movement is limited within the maximum displacement range of the holding tray 14 given by the actuating means 18.

Therefore, in the illustrated example, an acceleration sensor 21 is provided on the holding tray 14, and based on the information, the control device 22 drives and controls the motor 20 to move the position of the spring hook I6.
The acceleration of 3 is kept constant. The present invention is not limited to this, and the fixed member 19 may be moved by the motor 20. If such acceleration control is not performed, the acceleration changes as shown in FIG. 6 as the amount of toner stored in the collection container 13 changes.

In FIG. 6, the dotted curves A and B indicate the acceleration α caused by the collision of the stepped eccentric cam with the small-diameter peripheral surface of the stepped portion, and the solid curve C indicates the case where a urethane rubber buffer member 19a is provided on the collision surface. This is a case where the damage is caused by a collision with the fixed member 19. In order to fully fill the collection container 13 with toner from the back side, α is preferably kept at 1.0 G (G is the acceleration of gravity) or more, and α is applied to the small-diameter circumferential surface of the stepped portion of the stepped eccentric cam. In order to suppress vertical vibrations that reduce the toner transport effect of impact noise and acceleration, especially when caused by a collision with
It is preferable that α does not exceed 2.0G, but if α is given by the collision of the stepped eccentric cam with the small-diameter circumferential surface of the stepped portion, α will maintain 1.0G or more, as seen in curves A and B. If this is done, α will be 2.0 when the amount of toner in the collection container 13 is small.
If it becomes larger than 0G, it becomes impossible to suppress impact noise and vertical vibration, and if you try to keep α below 2.0G,
When the amount of toner in the collection container 13 increases, α becomes less than 1.0G, and even less than 0.5G, which makes it impossible to fill the collection container 13 with toner. On the other hand, if α is given by the collision with the fixed member 19, then
As shown in curve C, since the change in α becomes gradual, it becomes possible to fill the collection container 13 almost completely with toner and suppress impact noise and harmful vertical vibrations.

However, in order to fully fill the collection container 13 with toner at high density, it is necessary to suppress impact noise and vertical vibration.
It is preferable to keep α constant as high as possible, and the control described above makes this possible. Regarding this, the upper limit of 2.0G of the above-mentioned preferred range of α is the case where α is given by the collision of the stepped eccentric cam with the small diameter circumferential surface of the stepped portion, and the fixed member 1
9, especially in the example of FIG. 4 in which a stepped surface cam is used as the actuating means 18, the force applied to the cam is in the axial direction, so the stepped eccentricity is such that the force is applied in the direction perpendicular to the axis. Compared to the example shown in FIG. 3 using a cam, impact noise and vertical vibration are generated less, and it is possible to suppress impact noise and vertical vibration even if α is increased to about 3.0G.

Further, in the example shown in FIG. 4, the drive system for the collection container 13 can be simplified, and the toner collection device can be more compactly incorporated into the image forming apparatus. To reduce vertical vibration by using a stepped eccentric cam, it is preferable to use the cam so that the camshaft is in the vertical direction.

To explain the relationship between α and the situation in which the collection container 13 is filled with toner, referring to FIG. The filled toner filling area F grows in such a way that its growth front Fa is kept parallel to the back edge of the collection container 13 and advances toward the edge where the toner receiving port 13a is located. When the toner starts to overflow into the eye 13a, the collection container 13 becomes t'
), but α is 0.5G.
If it is below, the growth front Fa of the toner filling area F will be greatly retreated on the side wall side of the collection container 13 away from the toner receiving opening 13a, so that even when toner overflows into the toner receiving opening 13a, On the side wall side where the growth front Fa is still retreating, a considerable amount of empty space will remain in the toner storage chamber of the collection container 13. Needless to say, if α is 0, even if toner overflows at the toner receiving port 13a, most of the other portions remain empty.

Therefore, in the collection container 13! - In order to fill the cup with toner, keep α at 1.0G or more, and in order to fill it more densely, 2. It is preferable to control α to a constant high level of about 3.0 G, and the toner recovery device of the present invention that controls α makes it possible. In addition,
The hatched area in FIG. 7 is an unfilled toner area, and the white area is a toner-free area where there is almost no toner.

As described above, in the toner recovery device of the present invention,
Since α can be kept constant at a sufficiently large value, the collection container 13 has a shape as shown in FIG. , or even if the width is wider at the back side, the collection container 13 can be filled with toner at a high density, without losing the feature that it can be installed compactly in the image forming apparatus. , the cycle of toner removal or replacement of the collection container 13 can be lengthened.

In order to stably lengthen the period of toner removal or replacement of the collection container 13, it is necessary to accurately know when the collection container 13 is filled with toner.

Therefore, in the examples shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, α changes according to the amount of toner contained in the collection container 13, as shown in FIG. Information on the acceleration sensor 21 or the spring hook 16 or the fixing member 19 is
Based on the information about the movement of the collection container 13, the control device 22
The system determines when the toner is full and issues a warning using a warning means such as a lamp or buzzer (not shown).

Regarding this, if an impact pressure sensor is provided in addition to the acceleration sensor 21 at the collision part of the fixing member 19 or the holding plate 14, and the warning timing is determined from the ratio of the information from the impact pressure sensor and the information from the acceleration sensor 21, The accuracy of warning timing can be improved. As described above, it is possible to minimize the amount of toner removed or replaced in the collection container 13.

In a particularly preferred embodiment of the present invention, the toner collection device is incorporated into the image forming apparatus as shown in FIG. 1, the collection container 13 is shaped as shown in FIG.
For this purpose, a stepped surface cam as shown in FIG.
a and is fixed by a fixing member 19.
The stroke of the step is approximately 5, and the number of revolutions of the stepped surface cam is 5.
Orpm, α is 1. by controlling the position of the spring hook 16.
An example is that the toner is kept constant in the range of 0G to 2.0G, and a warning is given that the collection container 13 is about to be full of toner based on the movement amount information of the spring hook 16.

This allows the image forming apparatus to be configured compactly,
The collection container 13 can be stably filled with toner at a high density without contaminating the recording paper with the collected toner, with little impact noise or vertical vibration, and the toner removal or replacement cycle of the collection container 13 can be reduced. This has the effect of increasing the durability of the toner collection device.

In order to allow the collection container 13 to be taken in and out horizontally, the holding tray 14 has its left wall in the direction perpendicular to the reciprocating direction in the example of FIG. 1, and in the reciprocating direction in the example of FIG. The left side wall in one figure, and the right side wall (not shown) in the example in Figure 4, are configured to collapse horizontally. In addition, the collection container 13 can be taken in and out horizontally, and the drop pipe is designed so that the toner does not come out from the part where the drop pipe 9d of the cleaning device 9 is in contact with the toner receiving port 13a of the collection container 13. A flange lid is provided at the bottom of 9d. This flange lid is placed in the drop pipe 9d so as to be in contact with the upper surface of the collection container 13 rather than being fixed to the drop pipe 9d.
It is preferable to slidably engage the outer shape of d.

〔Effect of the invention〕

The toner recovery device of the present invention is capable of filling a recovery container having a toner receiving port on one end edge with toner at a high density, making it possible to lengthen the cycle of toner removal or replacement of the recovery container, and to avoid shocks. It has many advantages such as being able to suppress noise and harmful vertical vibrations, being excellent in durability, and being able to be compactly incorporated into an image forming apparatus.

[BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS] FIG. 1 is a schematic side view showing an example of an image forming apparatus equipped with the toner collecting device of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a partial side view showing an example of the toner collecting device of the present invention, and FIG. 4 is a partial front view showing an example of a toner collection device, FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a different example of a collection container, and FIG. 6 is a graph showing changes in toner capacity and acceleration of the collection container. , FIG. 7 is a graph showing the acceleration of the collection container and the state in which it is filled with toner. 1... Photosensitive drum, 2... Charger, 3...
・Image exposure device, 4 to 6...Developing device, 7...
Transfer device, 8... Separator, 9... Cleaning device, 9a... Scraping member, 9b... Guide plate, 9c
... Toner conveyance means, 9d ... Drop pipe, 10.
...paper feeding means, 11... receiving and passing device, 12
...Fixing device, 13...Collection container, I3a
... Toner receiving port, 14 ... Holding tray, 15 ...
Fixed frame, 16... Spring hook, 17... Spring, 18... Operating means, 19... Fixed member, 19a... Buffer member, 20... Motor, 21... Acceleration sensor, 22...control device. Figure 4 Figure 5 Figure 6 200 400 600 Bo. Toner 1 length T (9)

Claims (3)

[Claims] (1) The toner on the surface of the image carrier of the image forming apparatus is removed by a cleaning device, and the toner is dropped into a collection container having a toner receiving opening on one edge side, and the collection container is reciprocated in the direction of the edge opposite to the one edge. , in a toner collection device that is subjected to impact acceleration by being prevented from moving toward the opposite edge, the movement of the collection container toward the opposite edge is prevented by a fixing member, and the acceleration is detected by a detection sensor. , a toner recovery device characterized in that the acceleration is controlled by a control means based on the detected information. (2) The toner recovery device according to claim 1, wherein the acceleration is controlled by moving the position of a spring hanging member of a spring that urges the movement of the recovery container toward the opposite edge. (3) The toner recovery device according to claim 1, wherein the acceleration is controlled by moving the position of the fixing member.