JPH02178683A - Toner carrying device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To prevent the run-out phenomenon of a screw member and to efficiently prevent toner attachment by installing a linear core member on the coil of the screw member without being joined with a rotating and driving means and providing a projection at an appropriate location of the outer periphery of the core member. CONSTITUTION:The core member 52 is inserted and installed on the coil of the screw member 51 without being joined with the shorter shaft part 61 of the rotating and driving means 60 and a front wall part 14b, and is completely independent of the screw member 51. When the screw member 51 is in a dormant state, the core member 52 comes into contact with the almost entire length of the underside of the coiled screw part 51 by gravity. The projection provided at an appropriate location of the outer periphery of the core member 52 repeatedly butts at a part of the screw member 51, while the core member 52 abuts on the inner surface of the front wall part 14b and its move in the carrying direction is regulated when the screw member 51 rotates. Thus, the run-out phenomenon of the screw member is efficiently prevented, whereby toner is difficult to attach.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention [Field of Industrial Application] This invention converts an electrostatic latent image formed on an image forming body such as a photoreceptor drum by an electrophotographic recording method or an electrostatic recording method into a visible image using toner. The present invention relates to a device for transporting toner scraped off from an image forming body by a cleaning device after the toner image is transferred to a recording sheet. [Prior Art] In image recording devices (hereinafter simply referred to as copying machines) that utilize electrostatic latent images, such as electrophotographic copying machines and electrostatic recording devices, electrostatic latent images are formed on photoreceptor drums. After this electrostatic latent image is visualized by a toner developing device, the toner image is transferred and fixed onto a recording sheet to obtain a target recording material. In this case, approximately 70% of the toner supplied from the developing device onto the photoreceptor drum is consumed for visualization.
Approximately 30% of the remaining toner will remain on the photoreceptor drum as residual toner, but at the end of the predetermined exposure process, the charge held by the residual toner will be erased by a static eliminating electrode, and then scraped by a cleaning device. The toner is dropped and collected in the toner collection groove. In terms of -i, this toner collection groove is, for example,
As disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 7357, the used toner is usually placed parallel to the surface of the photoreceptor drum, and the accumulated used toner is placed in advance on the toner collection groove side. Due to the rotational driving force of the toner discharge screw member (hereinafter simply referred to as the screw member),
The toner is conveyed in a direction parallel to the axial direction of the photoreceptor drum, and is directly discharged into the collected toner container from the discharge port formed in the end wall located in that direction, or is discharged outside the end wall of the toner collection groove. The toner is configured to be conveyed to another toner discharge system installed in series. Conventionally, this screw member is of the type used as a screw for ships or general powder conveyance. Attached type screw members and coil type screw members that do not have their own rigid shafts were used. [Problem to be solved by the invention] However, in the screw member of the type (■) above,
Since the entire body is made of a rigid body, it cannot be used in a curved discharge path, and it places unnecessary structural restrictions on the toner collection groove itself and other toner discharge systems that are connected to the toner collection groove. It will be attached. In addition, the discharged toner tends to adhere to the rigid shaft, resulting in a deterioration in the toner conveying ability due to the rotational driving force of the screw member. In addition, since the outer peripheral end of the screw blade is fixed,
This results in undesirable phenomena such as blocking and so-called "kamakura". On the other hand, in the coil-type screw member of (1) above, as also disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Application No. 57-184962,
If a regulating member is not provided at one end of the coil located on the discharge opening side to prevent unruly movement, the free end side of the coil will be unruly during the toner discharge operation, and the photoconductors will be positioned parallel to each other with a relatively small distance between them. This results in an accident that damages the surface of the drum. Moreover, if a toner control member is provided along the screw member to prevent this accident, the toner being discharged will tend to accumulate near this control member, deteriorating the toner conveying ability. . In addition, in a copying machine configured to discharge accumulated toner directly into a collected toner container from the discharge opening of a toner collection groove, depending on how the collected toner container is handled when replacing it with a new container, the screw member may This can also cause an accident in which the central part of the blade becomes deformed and begins to sag. In view of these circumstances, it is an object of the present invention to provide a new toner conveying device using a coil-type screw member that is less likely to cause toner adhesion. Another object of the present invention is to provide a new toner conveying device that effectively prevents the screw member from running out of order and improves the toner discharging function within the toner collection groove. [Means for Solving the Problems] In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a coil-shaped screw member, at least one end of which is connected to a rotation drive means, in a toner collection groove installed parallel to the image forming body. In the toner conveying device, a linear core member is installed in the coil of the screw member without being connected to the rotational driving means, and a protrusion is provided at an appropriate position on the outer peripheral surface of the core member, so that the core member's own weight is reduced. The coil is configured to prevent the coil from running wildly by utilizing the linearity and linearity, and to prevent toner adhesion due to free contact between the core member and the coil and the snap-finger-like contact between the protrusion provided on the core member and the coil. be. [Embodiment] The present invention will be described below based on an embodiment shown in the accompanying drawings. FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram showing an example of the structure around the photosensitive drum of a copying machine to which the present invention is applied, and FIGS. 2 to 4 each show a coil-shaped screw member provided in a toner collection groove. FIG. In FIG. 1, reference numeral 10 indicates locking protrusions 10a, 10b on rails 70a, 70b provided on the lower side of the document table (not shown).
The process cartridge is suspended through the The process cartridge 10 has a structure in which a photosensitive drum 11 having a structure known per se, a charging device 2, a developing device 13, and a cleaning device 14 are arranged around the photosensitive drum 11. Note that the transfer device is not shown here because it is provided on the copying machine main body side corresponding to the lower surface of the photosensitive drum 11. The developing device 13 is equipped with a developing sleeve 15, a main stirring member 16, and an auxiliary stirring member 17, and a part of the developer scraped up by the main stirring member 16 passes through the gap with the doctor 18 and is used for development. adheres to the surface of the sleeve 15,
The other part of the developer used to develop the electrostatic latent image formed on the surface of the photoreceptor drum 11 and sent to the rear through the gap with the regulation piece 19 is transferred to the partition plate 20. The liquid flows from the provided opening 21 to the auxiliary stirring member 17 via the inclined plate 22 as shown by arrow A. A toner concentration sensor 23 for detecting magnetic permeability is provided on the flow path surface of the developer flowing as shown by arrow A, and a control signal corresponding to the detected value is sent to the replenishing roller 2.
It is configured to output to a drive source (not shown) of No. 5. That is, when a drive signal is output from this sensor 23,
The replenishment roller 25 provided in the toner replenishment chamber 24 starts rotating, and the toner in the replenishment chamber 24 falls into the developing section 13 from between the replenishment roller 25 and the opening end member 26 of the opening groove. Adjust the concentration to a predetermined value. 27 is a toner storage chamber, and 28 is a ladder chain provided in the toner storage chamber 27, which connects the toner storage chamber 27 to the window 2.
This is for feeding new toner into the toner supply chamber 24 through the toner supply chamber 24. Therefore, the cleaning device 14 has the photosensitive drum 11
A cleaning blade 34 is provided so as to be pressed against the surface of the photoreceptor drum 11, and is configured to scrape off toner remaining on the surface of the photoreceptor drum 11 after the toner image is transferred.
The cleaning blade 34 itself is attached to the front edge side of a support frame 37, which is given a counterclockwise rotational force about a shaft 35 by the biasing force of a compression spring 36. Further, used toner (residual toner) scraped off by the cleaning blade 34 is collected between the left side wall 14a of the cleaning device 14 and the photoreceptor drum 11.
Additionally, a toner collection groove 38 for collecting toner is formed. A toner guide plate 39 is provided between the toner collection groove 38 and the surface of the photoreceptor drum 11, but the toner guide plate 39 can also be constructed integrally with the toner collection groove 38. Reference numeral 50 denotes a toner conveying device, and the toner discharging squeegee member 51, which is a main component thereof, is located in the toner collecting groove 38 so that the direction of its rotational driving force (the axial direction of the coil) is aligned with the direction of the photosensitive drum 11. It is installed so as to be substantially parallel to the surface and the left side wall portion 14a of the cleaning device 14. Typical examples of this screw member 51 are shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, but specific conditions for configuring the toner discharge coil, such as the length, outer diameter,
Regarding the diameter, number of turns, pitch, material, etc. of the coil wire,
Of course, it is set similarly to a known screw member of this type. A suitably structured toner discharge opening 40 is provided between the screw member 51 and the front wall portion 14b located in the direction of its rotational driving force, and a collected toner container of a known structure per se is provided below the toner discharge opening 40. 41 is set to be replaceable. On the other hand, on the back wall portion 14c formed on the side opposite to the direction of the rotational driving force of the screw member 51 (on the back side of the copying machine), there is a rotation driving means 60 for rotating the screw member 51 in a predetermined direction. is provided. The rotation drive means 60 includes, for example, a short shaft portion 61 rotatably provided through the back wall portion 14c, and a short shaft portion 61 provided at an outer end of the short shaft portion 61 so as to be rotatable integrally with the short shaft portion 61. It consists of a gear 62 and a motor drive system (not shown) that transmits the necessary power to the gear 62. The left end portion 51a of the screw member 51 is fixed to the inner outer peripheral portion of the short shaft portion 61 by appropriate means, and the right end portion 51b of the screw member 51 faces above the aforementioned toner discharge opening 40 as a free end. It is composed of A core member 52 is inserted into the coil of the screw member 51 so as to be uncoupled with the short shaft portion 61 of the rotational drive means 60 and the front wall portion 14b-. Core member 52
is made of a suitable material that can maintain linearity, such as a non-magnetic metal material or a hard plastic material with a heavy specific gravity, but its length is somewhat shorter than the length of the screw member 51, and its thickness is smaller than that of the screw member 51. The inner diameter of the member 51 is made to have sufficient play, for example, 1/2 or less of the inner diameter. Incidentally, when a toner conveyance passage (not shown) extends from the toner collection groove 38, the screw member 51 may extend into the toner conveyance passage. In that case, when the conveyance path is curved in the middle, the core member 52 is inserted and installed except for the curved portion (only the straight portion). In the case of the second illustration, the core member 52 is completely independent of the screw member 51. Therefore, when the screw member 51 is in a stopped state, the core member 52 is in contact with the lower portion of the coil of the screw member 51 over almost the entire length due to its own weight. Therefore, when the screw member 51 starts rotating when discharging toner, the screw member 51
While moving in the linear direction (R feed direction) and vertical direction (circumferential direction) due to friction within the internal space of the screw member 51, its own weight and linearity prevent the violent movement of the screw member 51 when it rotates toward the internal space side. It acts as a deterrent from In particular, the free end (right end) 51b of the screw member 51 swings more than the proximal end (left end), but this swing is caused by the core member moving in the conveying direction and abutting the inner surface of the front wall 14b. 5
2's weight and linearity can be better suppressed. In the case shown in the third figure, a core member 52 is provided on the inner surface of the front wall portion 14b.
A shaft support 53 having a hole 53a for supporting the shaft end of the shaft is provided. The hole 53a of the shaft support 53 is approximately the same as or slightly larger than the inner diameter of the screw member 51. That is, this is to allow the core member 52 to be inserted even when it is located in the lower part of the coil. In other words, even if the core member 52 is erroneously moved when the screw member 51 rotates, it is regulated so that it does not move beyond the size of the hole 53a, and the screw member 51
This is to more reliably prevent the appearance of dust. In the case shown in FIG. 4, the right end 52a of the core member 52 shown in the embodiment of FIG.
It is partially fixed to 1a. In this example, the screw member 51 and the core member 52 are fixedly moved in a unified manner to prevent the screw member 51 from running wildly. As shown in the figure, it is sufficient to provide this fixed portion only on the free end side of the screw member 51 where it is likely to become loose. Reference numeral 55 denotes a projection provided at a suitable position on the outer peripheral surface of the core member 52. The protrusion 55 rotates when the screw member 51 rotates.
2 is in contact with the inner surface of the front wall portion 14b and its movement in the conveyance direction is restricted, a part of the screw member 51 repeatedly contacts the screw member 51. Therefore, the protrusion 55 causes the screw member 51 to touch the strings of a stringed instrument. It works to make the finger vibrate (vibrate). As a result, the toner that is about to adhere to the surface of the screw member 51 is removed on the spot. In the illustrated example, only one hemispherical protrusion 55 is shown on the outer peripheral surface of the core member 52, but its shape can be arbitrarily determined, and the number thereof may be two or more. Further, the protrusion 55 may be configured to flip the proximal end side of the screw member 51 or the free end side, but in the case shown in the fourth figure, the intermediate portion of the screw member 51 is It is necessary to position the ball to play more proximally. As explained above, in the present invention, it is possible to use the coil-shaped screw member 51 which inherently has less risk of toner adhesion, and moreover, the screw member 51 and the core member 52 can be used.
On the one hand, it suppresses the phenomenon of the end of the coil flailing, which tends to occur in the case of a coil, and on the other hand, it prevents free contact between the core member 52 and the coil. Since the toner is prevented from adhering to the screw member 51, the core member 52, or the wall of the cleaning device 14 by the finger-shaped contact between the protrusion 55 provided on the core member and the coil, no toner is deposited in the toner collection groove 38. It is now possible to smoothly discharge the accumulated collected toner. Although the illustrated embodiments have been described above, it should be noted that the present invention is not limited thereto, and that various modifications can be made without changing the gist thereof. [Effects of the Invention] As described above, the present invention provides a toner conveying device including a coil-shaped screw member with at least one end connected to a rotational drive means in a toner collection groove installed parallel to an image forming body. A linear core member is disposed within the coil of the member in a state where it is not connected to the rotational drive means, and a protrusion is provided at an appropriate position on the outer peripheral surface of the core member, so that the phenomenon of unruliness of the screw member can be prevented. In addition, it is possible to efficiently prevent toner adhesion and improve toner transportability.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram showing an example of the structure around the photosensitive drum of a copying machine to which the present invention is applied, and FIGS. 2 to 4 show a coil-shaped screw member provided in a toner collection groove. It is a partially enlarged view. O...Process cartridge, photosensitive drum 2, charging device 3, developing device 4, cleaning device 4a, left side wall 4b, front wall 4c, back wall 8, etc. Toner collection groove 0...Toner discharge opening l...Collected toner container 0...Toner conveyance device 1...Toner discharge screw member 1a...Left end portion 1b...Right end portion 2-Core member 2a・-Right end portion 3・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・Protrusion 60 ・・・One rotation drive means 61 ・・Short shaft part 62 -・・Gear

Claims (1)

[Claims] In a toner conveying device comprising a coiled screw member having at least one end connected to a rotational drive means in a toner collection groove installed parallel to an image forming body, a linear core member is disposed within the coil of the screw member. 1. A toner conveying device, characterized in that the toner conveying device is installed in a state where it is not connected to a rotational drive means, and that projections are provided at appropriate positions on the outer circumferential surface of the core member.