JPH0830161A - Image forming device - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Abstract] [Purpose] An image forming apparatus capable of arranging a large-capacity waste toner storage container in a limited space without impairing the handling property of the jam and without increasing the size of the apparatus. To provide. An image carrier, a transfer unit that transfers the toner image formed on the image carrier to a transfer paper, and a fixing unit that fixes the toner image transferred to the transfer paper by the transfer unit,
In the image forming apparatus 1 including the waste toner storage container 42 that collects and stores the waste toner remaining on the image carrier after the transfer, a part of the transport path Q that transports the transfer material is part of the transport path Q. The waste toner container 42 is composed of a part 42a of the outer surface. According to the present invention, a part of the transfer paper conveyance path Q is formed by a part 42a of the outer surface of the waste toner storage container 42, so that the jam processing property is not impaired and the size of the apparatus is increased. Instead, a large capacity waste toner container 42 can be arranged in a limited space.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus for forming an image on a transfer sheet, and more particularly to a transfer sheet conveying path, a waste toner storage container and their arrangement.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Recently, as an image forming apparatus for forming an image on a transfer material, a large number of apparatuses capable of processing a large amount at a time at a high speed have been proposed.

By the way, in such a high-speed image forming apparatus, the amount of waste toner per unit time generated by cleaning the toner remaining on the photoconductor, which is an image carrier, after the toner image is transferred onto the transfer paper is Since the amount of waste toner increases, the frequency of stopping the apparatus for treating waste toner increases. To prevent this, the capacity of waste toner storage containers is also increasing.

[0004]

However, the large capacity waste toner storage container requires a large space in the apparatus.

Further, it is becoming important to improve the workability of the jam processing work for removing the jammed transfer paper inside the apparatus, and open the guide plate of the transfer paper conveyance path and put a hand into the jammed paper. It is necessary to secure a sufficient jam processing space for taking out the jammed paper and visually confirming the presence or absence of jammed paper. Further, it is desirable that the jam processing operation itself does not require a complicated operation.

However, it is difficult to secure a sufficient space for the waste toner storage container and the jam processing space in a limited device, and particularly, the jam processing space of the transfer paper conveying path near the waste toner storage container. Is difficult to secure. As a result, the jam-disposal work becomes complicated, it cannot be confirmed that the jammed paper has been completely removed, and this causes frequent jamming and device failure.

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to achieve a large capacity in a limited space without impairing the jam processing property and without increasing the size of the device. An object is to provide an image forming apparatus in which a waste toner storage container can be arranged.

Further, the object of the present invention is to improve the workability of jam processing and the like, and to prevent forgetting to remove the jammed paper or the remaining of the pieces of paper to prevent the jam and the trouble of the device again. To provide a forming apparatus.

[0009]

In order to achieve the above object, the invention according to claim 1 is an image carrier, a transfer means for transferring a toner image formed on the image carrier to a transfer paper, and An image forming apparatus including a fixing unit that fixes the toner image transferred to the transfer paper by the transfer unit, and a waste toner storage container that collects and stores the waste toner remaining on the image carrier after the transfer. In the above, a part of a conveying path for conveying the transfer paper is constituted by a part of an outer surface of the waste toner storage container.

A second aspect of the present invention is characterized in that, in the first aspect of the invention, a rib is formed on the outer surface of the waste toner container to reduce resistance to the transfer paper.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the present invention, the waste toner storage container is removably arranged with respect to the apparatus main body, and the waste toner storage container is moved from a normal position. It is characterized in that a work space for jam handling etc. is secured by removing it from the main body.

A fourth aspect of the invention is characterized in that, in the first aspect of the invention, a transfer paper conveying roller is rotatably provided on the outer surface of the waste toner container.

[0013]

According to the present invention, since the transfer paper transport path is constituted by a part of the outer surface of the waste toner storage container, the jam disposability is not impaired, and the size of the apparatus is not increased. A large-capacity waste toner storage container can be arranged in a limited space.

Further, according to the present invention, by moving the waste toner storage container from the proper position or removing it from the main body, it is possible to secure a sufficiently large space necessary for the work such as jam removal. Therefore, it is possible to improve the workability of the jam processing and the like, and prevent forgetting to remove the jammed paper and the remaining pieces of the paper to prevent the jamming and the device failure again.

[0015]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

<Embodiment 1> FIG. 1 is a sectional view of a waste toner storage container and a paper guide portion of an image forming apparatus according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention, FIG. 2 is an overall sectional view of the image forming apparatus, and FIG. FIG. 4 and FIG. 5 are enlarged cross-sectional views of an essential part of the image forming apparatus, and FIGS.

First, the image forming apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment will be outlined with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3.
Is an optical system 2 for irradiating a document (not shown) and scanning it.
And the photosensitive drum 3 which is an image carrier on which the light image reflected from the original is projected, and the like.

By projecting the light image reflected from the original on the photosensitive drum 3, an electrostatic latent image corresponding to the original is formed on the photosensitive drum 3, and the electrostatic latent image is developed by the developing device 4. It is visualized as a toner image.

Further, the image forming apparatus 1 is provided with a plurality of paper feed units 5, 6 and 7 for accommodating transfer papers P having different sizes, and the transfer paper P is selected from any one of them. It is sent to the photosensitive drum 3 of the image forming unit. Then, the transfer paper P sent to the photosensitive drum 3 receives the transfer of the toner image on the photosensitive drum 3 in the transfer unit 8, and then is transferred to the fixing device 10 by the transport unit 9 to be fixed with the toner image. Here, if the copy is a normal one-sided copy,
The transfer paper P is ejected by the pair of feed rollers 11 and 12 into the paper ejection unit 13
Sent to and discharged.

On the other hand, when performing double-sided copying on the transfer paper P, the flapper 14 rotates from the position shown in FIG. 3 in the direction of arrow a to the position shown in FIG. The transfer paper P sent out is a pair of feed rollers 11, 1.
It is guided to the conveyance path 16 between the five. At this time, when the sensor 17 detects the transfer paper P, the reversing roller pair 18 starts to rotate in the direction of arrow b. Further, the flapper 20 provided below the pair of feed rollers 15 rotates from the position shown in FIG. 3 in the direction of arrow c to the position shown in FIG. 5, and as a result, the transfer paper P is guided to the conveyance path 22. Get burned.

When the rear end of the transfer paper P passes through the sensor 26 provided near the flapper 20 and is detected, the reversing roller pair 18 reverses and the transfer paper P is conveyed.
To the inside of the discharge portion 28. Here, the discharge unit 28
Inside, a plurality of discharge roller pairs 29, 30, 31, 32 and flappers 33, 34, 35 are provided, and
A plurality of outlets 36, 37, 38, 39 are formed respectively. Each flapper 33, 34, 35 is rotated by the operation of a solenoid (not shown) to open the discharge ports 36, 37, 38.

On the other hand, the transfer paper P
There are provided a plurality of detection units (not shown) for detecting the size of the. Then, the transfer paper P is discharged from the four types of discharge ports 36, 37, 38, 39 according to the size detected by the detection unit.

For example, the size of the transfer paper P is A3 or A4.
, The flapper 3 is activated by the operation of the solenoid.
3 rotates clockwise in FIG. 3 to open the discharge port 36. Then, the transfer sheet P sent into the discharge section 28 is discharged to the intermediate tray 40 provided below the discharge section 28.

When the size of the transfer paper P is the legal size, another solenoid is operated and the flapper 34 rotates clockwise in FIG. 3 to open the discharge port 37. Further, when the size of the transfer sheet P is A4 or B5 and the transfer sheet P is vertically fed, another solenoid is operated and the flapper 35 is rotated clockwise in FIG. open. Then, the transfer paper P sent into the discharge unit 28 is discharged to the intermediate tray 40 from the respective discharge ports 37 and 38.

On the other hand, when the size of the transfer sheet P is A4 or B5 and the transfer sheet P is laterally fed, neither solenoid operates and the transfer sheet P advances in the discharge section 28 to the leading end. Then, it is discharged from the discharge port 39 to the intermediate tray 40.

Thus, the transfer paper P stocked in the intermediate tray 40 is sent to the image forming section again and an image is formed on the back surface thereof, and after the toner image is fixed as in the one-sided copying, the paper is ejected. It is sent to the section 13 and discharged.

When carrying out multiplex copying on the transfer paper portion P, the transfer paper P is sent to the conveying path 16 in the same manner as double-sided copying. And in this case, the lower flapper 2
0 does not rotate in the direction of arrow c, and the transfer paper P sent from the transport path 16 is sent to the discharge section 28 via the path 41 and then stocked in the intermediate tray 40. Then, the transfer paper P re-fed from the intermediate tray 40 receives the transfer of the toner image again on the surface on which the image is already formed, and then the fixing device 1
When the toner image is fixed at 0, it is discharged from the paper discharge unit 13 to the outside of the machine.

In the image forming apparatus 1 according to this embodiment, 4,000 sheets of transfer paper P can be set in the paper feed section 5, and 1,000 sheets of transfer paper can be transferred in the paper feed sections 6 and 7, respectively. Paper P
Can be set.

By the way, in the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, the transfer path Q on the downstream side of the reversing roller pair 18 in which the transfer sheet P is guided and reversed during the above-mentioned double-sided copying (for reversing). The paper guide of the space) is constituted by the guide plate 41 and a part 42a of the outer surface of the waste toner storage container 42. The waste toner storage container 42 stores the waste toner introduced from the cleaner 44 (see FIGS. 2 and 3) through the waste toner transport pipe (not shown) from the waste toner inlet 45. However, this is arranged so as to be detachable from the apparatus body.

According to the present embodiment, therefore, when the transfer paper P is jammed and remains in the vicinity of the conveying path Q, a sufficient space is created by removing the waste toner container 42 outside the apparatus. Further, the jammed transfer paper P can be easily removed, jam processing can be facilitated, and forgetting to remove jammed paper or remaining piece of paper can be prevented to prevent jamming and trouble of the apparatus again.

Further, a part 4 of the outer surface of the waste toner storage container 42
Since 2a constitutes a paper guide, it is not necessary to open the guide plate as in the conventional case, and workability is further enhanced.

It should be noted that the waste toner storage container 42 may be slightly moved rather than being removed from the apparatus to secure the jam processing space.

<Second Embodiment> Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. 6 is a sectional view of the waste toner container and the paper guide portion of the image forming apparatus according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 6, a waste toner storage container 46 is arranged below the conveyance path of the transfer paper P fed from the paper feed units 6 and 7.

The waste toner container 46 is a container for introducing the waste toner conveyed through a waste toner conveying pipe (not shown) from the waste toner inlet 47 and storing the waste toner. The shaft 47, the cam 49, and the spring 50 are rotatably supported with the inlet 47 as a fulcrum.
Is urged toward the upper guide 51 side. If the shaft 48 is rotated by a lever (not shown) and the cam 49 is rotated to the position of the broken line in the direction of the arrow d in the drawing, the bias of the waste toner storage container 46 can be released, and the cam 49 is moved in the opposite direction. By rotating the waste toner container 46 to the original position (the position shown by the solid line), the waste toner container 46 can be kept in the biased state again.

By the way, a bearing (not shown) is provided on a part 46a of the outer surface of the waste toner container 46, and the transfer paper carrying roller 53 is rotatably supported by the waste toner container 46 by this bearing. ing.

A rib 46b is provided on the waste toner container 46.
By the action of the rib 46b, the transfer paper P conveyed in a transfer paper conveyance path formed by a gap formed between the waste toner storage container 46 and the upper guide 51 by the action of the rib 46b. The resistance to

When a jam occurs and the transfer sheet P remains in the conveyance path, the bias of the waste toner container 46 is released by operating the lever (not shown) as described above. In this case, since a sufficient space for jam clearance is secured, the same effect as that of the first embodiment can be obtained.

[0039]

As is apparent from the above description, according to the present invention, a part of the outer surface of the waste toner accommodating container constitutes the transfer paper transport path, so that the jam disposability is not impaired. Moreover, there is an effect that a large-capacity waste toner storage container can be arranged in a limited space without increasing the size of the apparatus.

Further, according to the present invention, by moving the waste toner storage container from the proper position or removing it from the main body, it is possible to secure a sufficiently large space necessary for the work such as jam removal. For this reason, the workability of jam processing and the like can be improved, and it is possible to prevent forgetting to remove jammed paper and to prevent paper pieces from remaining and to prevent jamming and device failure again.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a waste toner storage container and a paper guide portion of an image forming apparatus according to a first exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an overall cross-sectional view of the image forming apparatus according to the first exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a main part of the image forming apparatus according to the first exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a partial cross-sectional view for explaining the operation of the reverse pass portion of the image forming apparatus according to the first exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a partial cross-sectional view for explaining the operation of the reverse pass portion of the image forming apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of a waste toner container and a paper guide portion of the image forming apparatus according to the second exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Image forming apparatus 3 Photosensitive drum (image carrier) 8 Transfer part (transfer means) 10 Fixing device (fixing means) 41 Guide plate 42 Waste toner storage container 42a Part of outer surface of waste toner storage container 46 Waste toner storage container 46a Part of the outer surface of the waste toner storage container 46b Rib 53 Transfer paper transport roller P Transfer paper Q Transport path

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. An image carrier, a transfer unit for transferring the toner image formed on the image carrier to a transfer paper, a fixing unit for fixing the toner image transferred to the transfer paper by the transfer unit, and a transfer unit. In an image forming apparatus including a waste toner storage container that collects waste toner remaining on an image carrier and stores the waste toner, a part of a transport path that transports the transfer paper is provided in the waste toner storage container. An image forming apparatus comprising a part of the outer surface of the image forming apparatus. 2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a rib is formed on the outer surface of the waste toner container to reduce resistance to the transfer paper. 3. The waste toner storage container is removably arranged with respect to the main body of the apparatus, and the waste toner storage container is moved from a proper position or removed from the main body to secure a work space for jam processing and the like. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein 4. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a transfer paper transport roller is rotatably provided on the outer surface of the waste toner storage container.