JP2000056646A - Waste toner recovering device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a waste toner recovering device capable of improving accuracy in detecting the fullness of waste toner and saving space while restraining the rise of production cost to the minimum. SOLUTION: This waste toner recovering device is equipped with a carrying means 57b carrying the waste toner and a recovery container 100 storing the waste toner via a communicating part communicating with the carrying means 57b. The device is equipped with a sensor 105 for detecting that the container 100 drops to a base 103 when the holding state of a magnetic substance member and an iron plate arranged near the carrying means 57b and the container attaching part 101 of the container 100 is released. By detecting that the container 100 drops by means of the sensor, the waste toner stored amount and the waste toner full state of the recovering means are detected.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an electrophotographic image forming apparatus for forming an image using a toner, and more particularly to a waste toner collection for collecting a waste toner when a photoreceptor is cleaned after forming an image. The present invention relates to an apparatus and a waste toner collecting container.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art For example, in a conventional electrophotographic image forming apparatus using a photosensitive member and toner, not all toner forming a toner image on a photosensitive member is transferred onto a transfer material, but is transferred. After that, some toner remains on the photoconductor. Also, when an image is formed by using an intermediate transfer member as an image forming apparatus and transferring toner from the photosensitive member to the intermediate transfer member and from the intermediate transfer member to the transfer material, the photosensitive member, the intermediate member and the intermediate member are similarly used in each transfer process. The toner remains on the surface of the transfer body or the like.

Accordingly, the toner remaining on the photoreceptor and the intermediate transfer member is cleaned and removed by a cleaning device before the next image forming process. The toner that has been cleaned and removed from the surface of the photoreceptor and the intermediate transfer member is transported as waste toner and is accumulated in a waste toner collection container.

There is a limit to the amount of toner stored in the waste toner collecting container. If the waste toner is further transported in a full state, the waste toner cannot be completely contained in the container and spills, causing toner scattering. In some cases, the drive of the portion for transporting the waste toner may be locked. Therefore, when the container is full of the waste toner, it is necessary to take out the waste toner from the image forming apparatus and discard the waste toner. Further, in the case of a color image forming apparatus or an image forming apparatus having an intermediate transfer member and having a plurality of waste toner collecting sections, discarding the waste toner in a timely manner means that the waste toner collecting section is single. This is an even more important issue from the viewpoint of the operation rate of the apparatus.

Therefore, it is necessary to provide a configuration for detecting that the waste toner accumulated in the waste toner collecting container is full, and Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. Hei 2-250076 discloses an apparatus for detecting waste toner using an elastic body. There is a disclosure.

That is, in this publication, a toner collecting box for receiving and collecting toner from a toner collecting path is supported by an elastic support, and the limit of the amount of collected toner is detected based on the settling amount of the toner collecting box. In the image forming apparatus, by applying an initial load to the elastic supporting means, the limit of the amount of collected toner can be accurately detected, toner scattering can be prevented as much as possible, the configuration is simple, and the number of parts can be reduced. Is disclosed.

Further, the waste toner collecting container is made of a material that transmits light, an optical sensor is provided on the side surface of the collecting container, and when the waste toner is stored up to the installation position of the optical sensor, the light reflectance and transmittance are reduced. 2. Description of the Related Art A waste toner collecting device that detects a full state of waste toner by changing the state is known.

[0008]

As described above, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No.
In Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 250076/1997, an image forming apparatus in which a toner collecting box for receiving and collecting toner from a toner collecting path is supported by an elastic support, and the limit of the amount of collected toner is detected based on the settling amount of the toner collecting box. In the apparatus, by applying an initial load to the elastic support means, it is possible to accurately detect the limit of the amount of collected toner, to prevent toner scattering as much as possible, to have a simple configuration and to reduce the number of parts. A recovery device is disclosed.

However, according to the toner recovery device described in the publication, the waste toner recovery container is supported by an elastic support for detecting the fullness of the waste toner recovery container, and the amount of sedimentation is detected by increasing the weight of the waste toner recovery container. Therefore, when the characteristic variation of the elastic body is large, the detection accuracy is deteriorated, and there is a possibility that the detection of the fullness is performed even if the collection container is not full, or the failure that the fullness is not detected even though the collection container is full may occur. is there.

[0010] In both of the above-mentioned problems, since the problem in the case where the full state is not detected even though the full state is detected, it is inevitable to detect the full state before the recovery container is completely filled. In this case, the container area is configured with a margin sufficient for the low detection accuracy of the container, and there is a problem that the use efficiency of the container area (volume) is reduced and the area occupied by the collection container in the entire apparatus is increased.

Further, the toner collecting device described in the publication has a structure in which an initial load is constantly applied to the elastic body in order to detect with high accuracy and reduce the displacement amount with respect to the insertion port of the collecting pipe. Therefore, there is a possibility that a problem that the elastic force is reduced due to a change with time of the elastic body may occur, and erroneous detection of full detection may be caused regardless of whether the waste toner collecting container is not full. If the elastic body is strictly selected and employed, a new problem arises that the unit price of the elastic body increases, and it becomes difficult to provide an inexpensive waste toner detecting device.

Further, even if the initial load is constantly applied to the elastic body to reduce the amount of elastic deformation and save space, the fullness is detected by using the elastic body. It is necessary to provide a space for elastically deforming the elastic body and a space for the container to settle in the image forming apparatus in consideration of the elasticity variation, and there is a problem that it is difficult to reduce the space of the apparatus.

As another conventional technique, there is a case where a waste toner collecting container is made of a light-permeable material and an optical sensor is provided on a side surface of the collecting container to detect whether the waste toner is full. Since the container needs to be made of a material through which the light of the optical sensor can pass, the degree of freedom in designing the collecting container and the optical sensor is impaired, and unless fluidity is considered so that the waste toner does not easily adhere to the inside of the collecting container. However, when the waste toner falls, a part of the waste toner adheres to the wall surface of the collection container and is erroneously detected, so that there is a problem that a great restriction is imposed on the toner material.

It is also conceivable to provide a weight sensor or a pressure sensor near the bottom of the waste toner collecting container to detect the fullness of the collecting container by directly detecting the weight or the like of the collecting container. The cost is high, the adjustment of the sensor output and the compensation circuit are required, and not only the cost but also a dedicated space is required for the device, which hinders the miniaturization of the device.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems of the prior art, and has as its object to increase the accuracy of detecting the fullness of waste toner while minimizing the increase in manufacturing cost, and to save space. It is another object of the present invention to provide a waste toner collecting device which can be used.

[0016]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a removing unit for removing waste toner remaining on a toner carrier, a conveying unit for conveying the waste toner removed by the removing unit, In a waste toner collecting device having a detachable collecting unit for storing the waste toner conveyed by the conveying unit via a communication unit connected to the conveying unit, the waste toner collecting device includes At least a pair of holding means provided to face each other in the vicinity of the communication part and holding the collection means below the communication part of the transport means, and a detection means for detecting that the holding state of the holding means has been released, And a waste toner collecting device.

[0017] Therefore, compared to the case where fullness is detected using an elastic body, the detection accuracy is improved with a simple configuration, and the reference value for detection can be set close to the limit of the container capacity. The use efficiency of the volume is improved, and the space can be saved as compared with a conventional detection mechanism using an elastic body. Using an optical sensor, gravity sensor, and pressure sensor,
Compared to the case of full detection based on the accumulated amount of waste toner and the weight of the entire container, there is no loss of design flexibility, and no adjustment work by a compensation circuit, expensive sensors, service personnel, etc. is required, and manufacturing costs and maintenance are reduced. Cost rise can be reduced. In addition, no device space is required for adjustment, and space can be saved.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided the waste toner collecting apparatus according to the first aspect, wherein the holding means comprises a magnet member or a magnetic member. Therefore, in addition to the first aspect, the detection accuracy can be increased, the space can be saved, and the degree of freedom in design is not impaired by a relatively low-cost and simple configuration of a magnet or a magnetic material.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided an engaging means which is engaged when the collecting means is mounted on the waste toner collecting apparatus, and is provided in the vicinity of the communication portion, and the engaging means is not engaged. 3. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: an openable and closable opening / closing means capable of performing a closing operation without moving waste toner to the collecting means side, wherein the opening / closing means is constituted by the holding means. It is a waste toner collecting device. Therefore, cost reduction and space saving can be further achieved by using both the holding means of the collection container and the shutter member.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided the waste toner collecting apparatus according to the second or third aspect, further comprising a magnetic shielding means for magnetically shielding the vicinity of the holding means. Therefore, even when a magnetic material is used for the toner, it is possible to prevent the waste toner or the scattered toner from adhering to the holding member, and to remove the waste toner around the apparatus when the collection container is removed during maintenance or the like. The scattering of the toner and the accumulation of the toner around the holding member can prevent the movement of the waste toner from being hindered.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, the holding means comprises a plurality of pairs each having a different set holding force, and the detecting means detects that the holding means has come off. The waste toner collecting device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: Therefore, the accumulated amount of waste toner can be detected in multiple stages, a display indicating that the waste toner is almost full before the collection container is full, and the operation of the apparatus is stopped when the collection container is completely full. It is also possible to improve the maintenance efficiency and prevent the operating time from decreasing.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, there is provided the waste toner according to the first or second aspect, further comprising an interval adjusting unit for adjusting a distance interval between the pair of holding units. It is a recovery device. Therefore, even if the holding force of the holding unit varies, the initial setting can be performed with a simple operation of adjusting the interval without replacing the holding unit, and the accuracy of the detection capability is improved. be able to. Further, even when the holding force is reduced due to a change over time or the like, the detection ability can be maintained only by adjusting the interval. Even when the holding capacity is increased due to the usage environment or the like, appropriate detection can be performed by adjusting the interval widely, for example.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, there is provided the waste toner collecting apparatus according to the sixth aspect, wherein the interval adjusting means includes a plate-like means sandwiched by the holding means.
Therefore, compared with the case of measuring the interval of the holding means, the interval can be reliably and accurately adjusted by a simple operation of clamping a plate-like member having a certain thickness, and can be adjusted at the time of manufacturing and maintenance. Time can be reduced.

According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, there is provided the waste toner collecting apparatus according to the seventh aspect, wherein the plate-like means includes a non-magnetic material. Therefore, even when the holding means is made of a magnet or a magnetic material, the holding force can be reliably and accurately adjusted by a simple operation and configuration of holding the plate-shaped member made of a non-magnetic material.

According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, the plurality of pairs of the holding means are disposed annularly with a predetermined gap, and at least one of the holding means is rotated to adjust the facing area. The waste toner collecting device according to claim 2, further comprising an area adjusting unit. Therefore, the magnetizing force can be adjusted only by a simple operation of rotating one of the holding means to change the relative angle, and the space in the interval direction is less wasteful than the method of adjusting the interval.

According to a tenth aspect of the present invention, the detecting means is disposed with a predetermined gap from a bottom of the collecting means. Device. Therefore, high-precision detection is possible, and space saving and cost reduction can be achieved only by providing a simple detecting means for detecting that the holding state of the collection container is released and dropped.

[0027]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment in which the present invention is applied to an analog type electrophotographic copying machine will be described below, but the present invention is not limited to this.
An electrophotographic image forming method using toner can be applied to any device that cleans residual toner on a photoreceptor or an intermediate transfer member and conveys it to a waste toner portion, or to any device that includes the device. It is possible. Specifically, a laser printer, a digital copier, a digital multi-functional copier having a facsimile function and / or a printer function are listed.

Further, as the waste toner collecting section, for example, in the case of forming an image of a plurality of colors or in the case of including an intermediate transfer member, even if the image forming apparatus includes a plurality of waste toner collecting sections, It goes without saying that the present invention can be applied to some or all of the waste toner collecting sections.

(General Description of Image Forming Apparatus) FIG. 1 shows a main cross-sectional view when an image forming apparatus is a copying machine as an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 shows a circulating original of the copying machine. FIG. 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view of an automatic feeding device, a manual document placing device, and an optical device. FIG. 3 is a schematic sectional view of the image forming device, the fixing device, and the sheet feeding device. Hereinafter, FIGS. 1 to 3
The general operation of the copying machine will be described based on the above.

As shown in FIG. 1, a circulating automatic document feeder 2 is provided above a copying machine main body 1 which is an image forming apparatus.
0, and a manual document placing device 30 for manually setting a document, and a post-processing device 70 is disposed on the left side of the copying machine body 1.

Next, as shown in FIG. 2, the originals placed on the original mounting table 21 of the circulating automatic original feeder 20 are separated one by one by an original separating and feeding means 22, and the originals are fed by a document feed roller. 23a, 23b, 23c, 23d, the first original exposure unit 2 on which a transparent member such as a contact glass is disposed
4 to make one surface thereof face the first document exposure unit 24.

The original that has passed through the first original exposure unit 24 is turned upside down by an original inversion unit 25 comprising a switchback mechanism, and the surface opposite to the surface facing the first original exposure unit 24 is the second original. It faces the exposure unit 26. The document that has passed through the second document exposure unit 26 is returned to the lowermost part of the document group placed on the document table 21 by the document return units 27a and 27b. In this way, the circulating automatic document feeder 20 is
The document is sequentially conveyed to the first document exposure unit 24 and the second document exposure unit 26, and a document traveling scanning is performed, which is exposed and scanned by an optical device 40 described in detail below.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 2, the manual original placing device 30 includes a contact glass 31 and an original cover 3 which is provided above the contact glass 31 so as to be freely opened.
And 2. When placing the original, manually place the original cover 3
When the document 2 is opened and the document is placed at the document placement reference position on the contact glass 31 and the document cover 32 is closed, the document is pressed against the contact glass 31 by the document cover 32. In the manual original placing apparatus 30, original stationary scanning in which an original stationary on the contact glass 31 is exposed and scanned by an optical device 40 described in detail below is performed.

An optical device 40 provided on the upper inside of the copying machine body 1 includes a scanning unit 43 in which an exposure lamp 41 and a first mirror 42 are integrally formed, a second mirror 44 and a third mirror 44.
The mirror 45 includes a movable mirror unit 46, a variable power lens 47, a fourth mirror 48a, a fifth mirror 48b, and a sixth mirror 49 integrally formed.

The light reflected from the original when the original is scanned by irradiating the original with the exposure lamp 41 is transmitted to the first mirror 42 and the second mirror 42.
A mirror 44, a third mirror 45, a variable power lens 47, and a fourth
The mirror 48a, the fifth mirror 48b, and the sixth mirror 49 guide the surface of the photoconductor 51 described below to form an original image.

When scanning a document using the circulating automatic document feeder 20, when scanning the document surface opposite to the first document exposure unit 24, the scanning unit 43 is used for the first document exposure unit. Is stopped at the stop position 43a, the document passing through the first document exposure unit 24 is exposed, and when scanning the surface of the document facing the second document exposure unit 26, the stop position 43b for the second document exposure unit To expose the document passing through the second document exposure unit 26.

When scanning the surface of a stationary document on the contact glass by using the manual document placing apparatus 30, the scanning unit 43 is connected to the standby position 4 at the left end of the contact glass.
The original is exposed while moving from 3c to the right, and the moving mirror unit 46 moves in the same direction at half the speed of the scanning unit 43.

Next, in FIG. 3, an image forming apparatus 50 provided at a substantially central portion inside the copying machine main body 1 surrounds the photosensitive member 51 in the rotation direction of the photosensitive member 51 (the direction of arrow A in FIG. 3). In this order, main components such as a charger 52, an exposure light path 53, a developing unit 54, a transfer unit 55, a peeling discharger 56, a cleaner 57, and a discharge lamp 58 are arranged.

The charger 52 supplies charges to the surface of the rotating photoconductor 51 to uniformly charge the surface of the photoconductor 51. Next, when the surface of the photoconductor 51 uniformly charged by the charger 52 reaches the exposure opening, the reflected light of the document guided through the exposure optical path 53 by the optical device 40 causes
The uniform charge on the surface of the photoconductor 51 becomes an electrostatic latent image corresponding to the original image.

When the surface of the photoreceptor 51 on which the electrostatic latent image is formed moves to a position facing the developing means 54, in the case of normal development, the original means 54 develops a charge of the opposite polarity to the charge of the electrostatic latent image. The developer is supplied, the developer adheres to the electrostatic latent image by electrostatic force, and the electrostatic latent image becomes a visualized developer image.

When the surface of the photoconductor 51 on which the developer image has been formed reaches a position facing the transfer unit 55, electric charges having the same polarity as the electric charge of the electric surface of the photoconductor 51 are transferred from the transfer unit 55 to the sheet feeding device. The sheet 90 is supplied to the sheet fed toward the photoconductor 51 by 90, and the potential of the sheet closely contacting the photoconductor 51 becomes higher than the surface potential of the photoconductor 51, and the developer image on the surface of the photoconductor 51 is transferred to the sheet side. To transfer the developer image from the surface of the photoconductor 51 onto the sheet. Then, the transfer device 55
A charge having a polarity opposite to the charge supplied to the transfer device is supplied by the peeling discharger 56 adjacent to the sheet, the adhesion between the surface of the photoconductor 51 and the sheet is reduced, and the sheet carries the developer image. Then, the photosensitive member 51 is separated from the surface.

When the surface of the photoreceptor further moves and reaches a position facing the cleaner 57, the developer image remaining on the surface of the photoreceptor 51 without transferring to the sheet during transfer is transferred to the photoreceptor 5
1 from the surface. Then, when the surface of the photoconductor 51 from which the residual developer has been removed moves to the position of the charge removing lamp 58, the charge removing lamp 58 irradiates the charge removing light, and the photosensitive member 5
The surface potential of the photoconductor 51 is set to a substantially uniform low potential to prevent the surface potential of the photoconductor 51 from becoming too high and the uniformity of the surface potential from being lowered when charged by the charger 52.

These steps are continuously performed, and the scanned original image is formed on a sheet as a developer.
The developer collected by the cleaner 57 is sent to a developer collection container via a developer collection conveyance path (not shown).

A sheet feeding apparatus for feeding a sheet to the transfer section of the image forming apparatus 50 will be described with reference to FIG. 3. The sheet feeding apparatus 90 provided on the lower side inside the copying machine main body 1 will be described. Are a first sheet feeding device 91, a second sheet feeding device 92, a manual sheet feeding device 94, and a two-sided sheet feeding device 95.
It is composed of

The main means of each sheet feeding device is sheet mounting means 91a, 92a, 93a, 94a,
95a and attraction feeding means 91b, 92b, 93
b, 94b, 95b and separation feeding means 91c, 92c, 9
Feeding units 91d, 9 composed of 3c, 94c, 95c
2d, 93d, 94d, and 95d are arranged. Further, in a conveyance path for guiding the sheets fed one by one by each of the feeding devices 91 to 95 to the photoconductor 51, a synchronization alignment unit 96 provided immediately before the photoconductor 51 and each sheet feeding device 91 are provided.
Between 95 and 95, a transport roller is appropriately disposed.

The sheet fed from the sheet feeding devices 91 to 94 is sent to the synchronous aligning means 96 by a transport roller arranged in the middle of the transport path, and the leading edge of the sheet and the photosensitive member are rotated by the synchronous aligning means 96. The photoconductors 51 are fed toward the photoconductor 51 in synchronization with the axial direction of the photoconductor 51 and synchronized with the position of the developer image formed on the surface of the photoconductor 51.

The sheet carrying the developer image at the transfer section is separated from the photosensitive member 51 by the separation discharger 56 and sent to the fixing device 60 by the conveyor belt 59. As shown in FIG. 3, a fixing device 60 includes a heat roller 61 formed by coating a heat-resistant release resin on a surface of a metal pipe such as aluminum, and a heat-resistant elastic material such as silicon rubber around a metal core. A pressure roller 62 formed by coating a layer, a heater lamp 63 disposed inside the heat roller 61 and serving as a heating source for supplying heat, and a heat roller 61 for maintaining the temperature of the heater lamp 63 at a predetermined temperature. Temperature detector 6 such as a thermistor arranged with a contact or a gap on the outer circumference of
4, a peeling claw 65 disposed in contact with the outer periphery of the heat roller 61 or the pressure roller to peel off the sheet from the heat roller 61 or the pressure roller 62; It is composed of main parts such as means.

When the sheet carrying the unfixed developer formed by the image forming apparatus 50 is transported by the transport belt 59 to the fixing device 60 and passes between the heat roller 61 and the pressure roller 62, Heat and pressure are applied to the sheet, and the unfixed developer image is fixed on the sheet. Thereafter, the developer image is peeled off from the heat roller 61 or the pressure roller 62 by the peeling claw 65 and is sent out from the fixing device 60.

The sheet sent from the fixing device 60 is
After passing through the transport roller 66, the transport path is switched by the switching gate 67, and the copying machine main body 1 is discharged by the discharge roller 68.
Or is sent to the switchback conveyance path 84 by the conveyance roller 69 and the forward / reverse rotation roller 82.

The sheet conveyed into the switchback conveyance path 84 is conveyed out to the double-sided paper feeder 95 by switching of the conveyance path by the switching gate 81 and reverse rotation of the forward / reverse rotation roller 82. The sheets carried out from the switchback conveyance path 84 and passed through the feed rollers 83 are sequentially stacked on the double-sided sheet feeding device 95. The sheets temporarily placed on the double-sided paper feeder 95 are separated and fed one by one by a feeder 95b and a separation feeder 95c. The sheet fed to the double-sided sheet feeding device 95 is again moved so that the surface of the sheet on which the image is not formed faces the photoconductor 51.
The paper is fed toward the photoconductor 51.

When a single-sided mode in which an image is formed on only one side is selected by an operation panel (not shown), the sheets fed from the sheet placing units 91a to 94a are copied after the images are formed on one side and fixed. It is discharged from the machine body 1 to the outside of the machine. On the other hand, when the duplex mode in which images are formed on both sides is selected, the sheets fed from the sheet placing units 91a to 94a are fixed on the duplex sheet feeding device 95 after the images are formed on one side and fixed. And again, the photoconductor 51
And the image is also formed on the opposite side where no image is formed, and then discharged outside the copier body 1 as in the case of the single-sided mode.

The sheet discharged outside the copying machine main body 1 as described above is carried into the post-processing device 70. FIG.
As shown in (1), the post-processing device 70 includes main components such as a staple tray 74, a stapler 75, a pusher 76, a binding sheet discharge tray 77, and a stack tray 80.

The sheet discharged from the copying machine main body 1 is sent to the entrance roller 71, the conveyance path is switched by the switching gate 72, and is conveyed so as to be stacked on the staple tray 74 via the conveyance roller 73. Alternatively, the sheet is sent to be stacked on the stack tray 80 via the transport roller 78 and the discharge roller 79. The sheets stacked on the staple tray 74 are bound by a stapler 75 for each predetermined number of copies, and then discharged to a bound sheet discharge tray 77 by a pusher 76.

The various devices arranged in the copying machine described above obtain a driving force from a motor as a driving source arranged in the copying machine via a drive transmitting member.

(Explanation of Waste Toner Collection Apparatus) When the toner image on the photosensitive member 51 is transferred to the sheet, the waste toner remaining on the photosensitive member 51 is removed by the cleaner 57 as described above.
Cleaning. In the cleaner 57, as shown in FIG. 4, the residual toner on the photoconductor 51 is scraped off by, for example, a cleaning blade or the like.
It falls to the bottom of 7a.

The waste toner accumulated in the toner receiving portion 57a is transported by a transport pipe 57b having a screw or the like, which is a rotary spiral, and is recovered in a waste toner recovery container 100 connected to the tip of the transport roller 57b. . In addition, various materials can be adopted as the material of the collection container. Normally, a material formed of resin is used except for the holding member, but the entire collection container may be formed of a material that functions as a holding member. .

As shown in FIG. 5, a container mounting portion 101 is provided at the tip of the transport pipe 57b, and the container 100 is mounted on the container mounting portion 101. Container 1
00 is held by a magnetic force on the container mounting portion 101 and is held in a slightly floating state on a table 103 provided therebelow. When a predetermined amount of waste toner 104 is accumulated in the container 100, the weight of the container overcomes the magnetic force and drops.
This drop is detected by the sensor 105 below the container, and the full state of the waste toner collecting container 100 is detected.

The present embodiment exemplifies a configuration in which the detection means for posting the release of the holding state and detecting the fullness is provided with a predetermined gap from the bottom of the collection container. However, for example, a reflection type optical sensor or actuator may be provided near the holding means, and the holding state may be released and the detached state may be detected. By doing this,
There is an effect that the space in the vertical direction can be reduced as compared with the case of detecting at the bottom.

As the sensor 105, a reflection-type or transmission-type optical sensor, a microswitch using an actuator, or the like can be used. For example, a pressure sensor or the like may be provided to detect a drop. Various applications are possible without departing from the spirit of the present invention. Also, this sensor only needs to detect the fall of the container,
Relatively expensive to detect the weight, no need for a compensation circuit or the like that needs to be adjusted, and the circuit configuration is simple compared to when detecting the weight of the entire container with a weight sensor or pressure sensor. And there is no need to make detailed output adjustments.

The toner outlet in the transport pipe 57b is closed by a shutter to prevent toner spillage when the container 100 is not mounted, and the shutter is opened simultaneously with the mounting of the container.

First, the configuration of the mounting portion of the container will be described with reference to FIG.
This will be described with reference to FIG. As shown in FIG. 6, the toner outlet of the transport pipe 57b is closed by the shutter member 120 when the container 100 is not mounted. The shutter member 120, as shown in FIG.
It has a shutter portion 121 for closing the toner discharge port of the transport pipe 57b, a tongue piece 122, and an engaging portion 123.

Further, two shutter guide portions 124 provided with guide grooves are provided, and the shutter member 120 is provided by engaging the engagement portions 123 with the guide grooves of the shutter guide portions 124. It is slidable in the horizontal direction.

A spring 125 is provided between the shutter member 120 and a side wall on which the shutter guides 124 are fixed.
0 is moved to the closed position by the spring force. Container 100
At the time of mounting, the container is inserted against the spring force while keeping the side surface of the container in contact with the tongue piece 122 of the shutter member 120. As a result, the shutter member 120 moves, and the toner outlet of the transport pipe 57b is opened. Container 100
When the container is inserted up to the mounting position, the container is lifted up and held by magnetic force.

The container holding mechanism will be described in detail below with reference to FIG.
The magnetic member 106 is attached by a fixing member such as the nut 102. The magnetic member 106 may be configured such that the nut 102 itself is made of a magnetic material.
Alternatively, a structure in which a magnet is bonded to the magnet may be used. When the nut 102 itself is a magnetic material, when the container is recycled, the trouble of removing or peeling the magnetic material from the nut 102 is omitted, and the recycling is facilitated. Here, an embodiment in which a ring-shaped magnet 107 is bonded to a nut 102 will be described.

The magnet 1 is placed around the opening of the container 100.
The iron plate 108 is attached so as to face 07.
That is, the container 100 is provided with the magnet 10 of the container mounting portion 101.
7 and the iron plate 108 of the container 100 are connected to the transport pipe 57b by a magnetic force acting between them. Note that the iron plate 108 may be attached to the entire surface, but may not be attached to the entire surface, but may be configured to partially provide the non-adhesion region 100a as shown in FIG. According to this structure, when the container is recycled, the iron plate can be easily peeled off by inserting a jig having a projection into the non-contact area 100a, and there is an advantage that the recycling process is facilitated.

In the container mounting portion 101, a non-magnetic member 109 is mounted below the magnetic member 106 by, for example, a nut 102 or the like. Non-magnetic member 109
Has a flange 109a, and when the container is connected,
A flange 109a exists between the magnet 107 and the iron plate. The nonmagnetic member 109 is a member for adjusting the magnetic force, and can be omitted when the adjustment of the magnetic force is unnecessary or when another adjustment method is used.

When the non-magnetic member 109 is provided, the container 1
Since the iron plate 108 is in contact with the flange portion 109a, the iron plate 108 does not directly contact the magnet 107. Therefore, if the relative distance between the magnetic member 106 and the non-magnetic member 109 is changed, the distance between the iron plate 108 and the magnet 107 can be changed, the magnetic force can be adjusted, and furthermore, the detection of the full state of the container can be performed. It is possible to make adjustments and to reduce variations among devices.

Here, the nut 1 of the non-magnetic member 109 is used.
By rotating 02, the relative distance between the magnetic member 106 and the non-magnetic member 109 can be changed, and the magnetic force can be adjusted. However, as long as the relative distance between the magnetic member 106 and the non-magnetic member can be changed, the adjustment of the distance is not limited to the nut 102, and various adjustments can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention. May be adopted. The use of the nut 102 has an advantage that the magnet can be easily recycled as described above.

As a method of adjusting the magnetizing force, FIG.
(C). That is, the magnet 107 and the iron plate 108 are provided in a part of the circumferential direction without making the magnet 107 and the iron plate 108 into a complete ring shape. By rotating the magnet 107 to change the relative angle with respect to the iron plate 108, the area of the facing portion between the magnet 107 and the iron plate 108 is changed. Thereby, the magnet 107 and the iron plate 10
Thus, the magnetic flux generated in the portion opposing the magnet 8 can be changed, and the magnetizing force can be adjusted.

In FIG. 10A, the magnetic member 106
Is rotatable and movable up and down. The magnetic member 106 is fixed to the non-magnetic member 1 by a nut 102 which is a fixing member.
09 and is fixed by pressing against the body 109b. If the nut 102 is loosened, the magnetic member 106 is rotated to adjust the magnetic force, and the nut 102 is tightened again, the magnetic force can be easily adjusted.

An elastic member for preventing toner leakage, for example, a malt 110 is attached to the lower surface of the non-magnetic member 109, and the malt 110 is attached to the non-magnetic member 109 side. And the container 10
0, and there is no need to remove the malt 110 when the container 100 is recycled. further,
When the magnetic toner is used, if the malt 110 is outside the magnet or the iron plate, the waste toner is
Is expected to adhere to the
07 and the inner peripheral side of the iron plate 108 can prevent the waste toner from adhering to the magnet and the iron plate.

(Explanation of Multi-Stage Detection Function) A configuration in which the magnetized portions of the magnet and the iron plate are provided in plural and the accumulated capacity of the waste toner is detected in multiple stages will be described with reference to FIG. A first holder 111 having a first magnet 112 is attached to the lower surface of the container attaching portion 101, and the first holder 11
1, there is a first holder 113 provided slidably with respect to the container mounting portion 101.
A first iron plate 114 is provided at a position facing the first magnet 112 on the upper surface of the first magnet 112, and a second magnet 1 is provided on the lower surface of the holder 113.
A stopper 116 is provided below the second holder 113. In addition, the first holder 1
The stopper 11 and the stopper 116 are fixed to the container mounting portion 101.

First, when the empty container 100 is attached, as shown in FIG. 11A, the first magnet 112 of the first holder 111 and the second holder 113
And the first iron plate of the second holder 1 is magnetized.
13 is held at the uppermost position. At this time, a slight gap d is formed between the second holder 113 and the stopper 116. Further, the second magnet 115 of the second holder 113 and the iron plate 108 of the container 100 are magnetized, and the container 100 is held.

Here, the first magnet 112 and the first iron plate 1
14, the magnetizing force between the second magnet 115 and the iron plate 1
Assuming that the magnetizing force between F.08 and F.sub.2 is F2, the relationship is set to F1 <F2. That is, the magnetizing force F1 is set so as to be substantially equal to the total weight of the container and the waste toner when the capacity of the container becomes a predetermined remaining amount (for example, when the waste toner is accumulated to half of the container). Is set to be substantially equal to the total weight of the container and the waste toner when the container is almost full of waste toner. Here, the expression of being substantially equal is used, but F1 and F2 are set in consideration of variations in the magnetic force of magnets, dimensional accuracy of components, assembly accuracy, aging, design margin, and the like. Is done.

Thus, before the container is filled with waste toner, first, when a predetermined amount of waste toner is accumulated in the container,
As shown in FIG. 11B, the magnetization between the first magnet 112 and the first iron plate 114 is released. Then, the second holder 113 falls to a position where it comes into contact with the stopper 116. At this time, since the second magnet 115 and the iron plate 108 are still in a magnetized state, the container 100 falls slightly with the sliding operation of the second holder 113 but does not fall completely.

Further, waste toner is accumulated in the container 100,
When the container is almost full, the second magnet 115 and the iron plate 10
8 is released, and the container 100 falls. In this way, the container 100 is dropped when the magnetization between the first magnet 112 and the first iron plate 114 is released and when the magnetization between the second magnet 115 and the iron plate 108 is released. Is detected by a sensor such as an optical sensor, the amount of waste toner accumulated in the container 100 can be detected stepwise.

(Description of Another Embodiment of the Present Invention) In the above description, an example was shown in which the waste toner collecting container 100 was mounted from below the transport pipe 57b. An embodiment will be described in which this is done.

As shown in FIG. 12, the waste toner collecting container 130 has an engaging portion 131 near the opening thereof, and the container mounting guide member 132 ( FIG. 13). As shown in FIG. 13, the container mounting guide member 132
And a guide portion 133 for guiding the first sliding movement of the container 130 and an opening portion 13 for inserting the waste toner discharge port of the transport pipe 57b.
And 4. A magnet 135 is fixed to the upper surface of the container mounting guide member 132.

Further, as shown in FIG.
The toner outlet 7b is closed by a shutter 136 to prevent the toner from spilling when the container 130 is not mounted. Is opened so that waste toner can be accumulated in the container 130.

As shown in FIG. 14, the shutter 136 is rotatably supported by a shaft 137 near the toner discharge port of the transport pipe 57b. The shutter 136 includes a shutter plate 138 that closes the toner discharge port when the container 130 is not mounted, and a shutter 138 that closes the toner outlet.
And a container abutting portion 139 that abuts on the container when the camera is mounted and moves the shutter 136 to the open position.

The shutter 136 may be provided with a magnet in part, and may be configured to maintain a closed position by a magnetic force when the shutter is closed, or a spring or the like to maintain the shutter closed position. A configuration in which the elastic member is used to urge in the closing direction may be employed.

Next, the operation of inserting and mounting the container 130 will be described with reference to FIG. 15. First, as shown in FIG. 15 (a), the toner outlet of the transport pipe 57b is mounted with the container 130. When not in operation, it is closed by the shutter member 136. And container 130
Is inserted, after the engaging portion 131 of the container 130 is engaged with the guide portion 133 of the mounting guide member 132, and slides.

As shown in FIGS. 15A and 16, iron plates 140 a and 140 b (1
The iron plates 140a and 140b are magnetized with the magnet 135 with the mounting guide member 132 interposed therebetween in an initial state of insertion.

Then, as shown in FIG.
When the container 130 is further inserted while being magnetized by the magnet 135, the side surface of the container 130 comes into contact with the shutter 136 and the container contact portion 139. When the container 130 is further inserted in this state, the container contact portion 139 is pushed to the side of the container, and the shutter 136 shifts from the closed position to the open position. As shown in FIG. 15C, when the container 130 is inserted to the mounting position, the shutter 136 is in a completely closed state.

FIG. 16 shows the state in which the container 130 is mounted.
As shown in (1), the iron plate 140a of the container 130 is magnetized with the magnet 135 with the mounting guide member 132 interposed therebetween, whereby the container 130 is held in a state of floating from the table 141. The magnetizing force at this time is set substantially equal to the weight of the container including the waste toner when the waste toner is almost completely collected in the container. When the state is released and the container 130 falls, and the drop is detected by the sensor 142, it can be detected that the waste toner is accumulated in the container until it is full.

Here, as the sensor 141, a transmission type or reflection type optical sensor including a light emitting portion and a light receiving portion for optically detecting is illustrated, but the sensor is not limited thereto. Instead, for example, a weight sensor may be used to detect the impact at the time of falling, and various detection methods can be adopted.

The engagement between the engaging portion 131 of the container 130 and the guide portion 133 of the mounting guide member 132
At the initial stage of inserting the container, it is for guiding the insertion of the container. If the container 130 is engaged while the container is in the mounted state, the container 130 does not fall even when the container is full. It is configured so as not to be engaged with the portion 133.

As described above, when the container is slid and mounted, the iron plate on the upper surface of the container is slid and inserted while being magnetized with the magnet 135 with the mounting guide 132 interposed therebetween.
Therefore, in order to make the sliding smooth, it is desirable to set a small friction coefficient on the contact surface of the mounting guide member 132 with the iron plate.

Further, in the embodiment of the present invention, a case has been described in which a magnet and a magnetic body are used as a pair as the attracting means. However, the present invention is not limited to this. An electromagnet may be used, and any suction means may be used as long as it can suck the collection container and the opening of the transport pipe.
Electrostatic force may be used.

[0090]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, at least one pair of holding means are provided so as to be opposed to each other in the vicinity of the communicating portion between the conveying means and the collecting means, and hold the collecting means below the communicating portion of the conveying means. And, since it is characterized by comprising a detecting means for detecting that the holding state of the holding means has been released, compared with the case of full detection using an elastic body,
Since the detection accuracy is high with a simple configuration, the detection reference value can be set close to the limit of the container capacity, the container volume usage efficiency is improved, and the conventional detection mechanism using an elastic body is used. As a result, a special effect that space can be saved can be obtained.

Further, as compared with the case where the waste toner accumulation amount or the full state is detected by using an optical sensor, a gravity sensor, and a pressure sensor, the degree of freedom of design is not impaired, and a compensation circuit, an expensive sensor and a serviceman are not damaged. This eliminates the need for adjustment work, etc., so that increases in manufacturing costs and maintenance costs can be reduced, and there is also an effect that no space is required for adjustment and space can be saved.

According to the invention described in claim 2, according to claim 1
In the above, since the holding means is constituted by a magnet member or a magnetic material member, in addition to the effect of claim 1, the detection accuracy is relatively low-cost, simple structure of a magnet or a magnetic material, and the detection accuracy is improved. It is possible to obtain an effect that the height can be increased, the space can be saved, and the degree of freedom of design is not impaired.

According to the invention set forth in claim 3, according to claim 1
Or 2, in which the collecting means is provided in the vicinity of the communicating portion with the engaging means which is engaged when the collecting means is mounted on the waste toner collecting device,
Opening and closing means capable of performing a closing operation that does not move waste toner to the collection means side when the engagement means is not engaged,
Since the opening / closing means is characterized by being constituted by a holding means, using the holding means of the collection container and the shutter member together has the effect of further reducing cost and space.

According to the invention set forth in claim 4, according to claim 2,
(3) In the above (3), a magnetic shielding means for magnetically shielding is provided in the vicinity of the holding means. Therefore, even when a magnetic material is used for the toner, waste toner or scattered toner adheres to the holding member. Can be prevented, and when the collection container is removed during maintenance or the like, the waste toner is scattered around the apparatus, or the toner is stacked around the holding member, thereby hindering the movement of the waste toner. Can be prevented.

According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, the first aspect is provided.
Or in 2, the holding means comprises a plurality of pairs having different set holding forces, and the detecting means detects that the holding means has come off, respectively, so that the amount of waste toner stored is multi-stepped. It is also possible to indicate that the waste toner will be full soon before the collection container is full, and to stop the operation of the device when it is completely full, which makes maintenance efficient. There is an effect that it is possible to prevent an increase in operation time and a decrease in operation time.

According to the invention of claim 6, according to claim 1,
Or 2 is characterized in that a distance adjusting means for adjusting the distance between the pair of holding means is provided, so that even if the holding force of the holding means varies, The initial setting can be performed by a simple operation of adjusting the interval without replacing the means, and the accuracy of the detection capability can be improved. Further, even when the holding force is reduced due to a change over time or the like, the detection ability can be maintained only by adjusting the interval. Further, even when the holding capacity is increased due to the use environment or the like, appropriate detection can be performed by adjusting the interval widely, for example.

According to the invention of claim 7, according to claim 6,
In the above, since the interval adjusting means includes a plate-shaped means sandwiched by the holding means, compared to the case of measuring the spacing of the holding means, a simpler method of sandwiching a plate-like member having a certain thickness. With a simple operation, the interval can be adjusted reliably and accurately, and the adjustment time during manufacturing and maintenance can be shortened.

According to the invention of claim 8, according to claim 7,
In the above, since the plate-shaped means includes a non-magnetic material, even when the holding means is made of a magnet or a magnetic material, a simple operation and configuration of sandwiching the plate-shaped member of the non-magnetic material is achieved. Thus, an effect is obtained that the holding force can be adjusted reliably and accurately.

According to the ninth aspect of the present invention, a second aspect is provided.
Wherein the plurality of pairs of the holding means are disposed annularly with a predetermined gap, and provided with facing area adjusting means capable of adjusting the facing area by rotating at least one of the holding means. Therefore, even if there is a large variation in the holding force, the magnetizing force can be adjusted by a simple operation of rotating one of the holding means to change the relative angle, and the method of adjusting the interval. In comparison with the above, an effect is obtained that the space in the interval direction is not wasted.

According to a tenth aspect of the present invention, in the first or second aspect, the detecting means is provided with a predetermined gap from a bottom of the collecting means. Only by providing a simple detecting means for detecting that the holding state of the collection container has been released and dropped, high-precision detection is possible, and space saving and cost reduction can be achieved.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an overall sectional view of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a mechanism configuration of a portion for placing and feeding a document and an exposure portion in the image forming apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram for explaining an operation outline of a main body in the image forming apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view illustrating a toner receiving portion and a transport pipe portion according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is an overall sectional view of a waste toner collecting device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view for explaining a state of attachment / detachment of a collection unit and a conveyance unit in FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is an enlarged perspective view of the vicinity of the engagement means and the opening / closing means in FIG. 5;

FIG. 8 is a partially enlarged view of a communicating portion that connects a conveying unit and a collecting unit in FIG. 5;

FIG. 9 is a partially enlarged view illustrating a holding unit of the collecting unit according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIGS. 10A and 10B are diagrams for explaining a communication unit and a holding unit according to an embodiment of the present invention, wherein FIG. 10A is a partially enlarged view of the vicinity of the communication unit, and FIG. (C) shows a second perspective view showing the shape of the holding means.

FIG. 11 is an enlarged view of the vicinity of a communication portion according to an embodiment of the present invention, in which (a) shows a state in which an empty collection container hangs, and a first magnet and a first iron plate are magnetized; ) Indicates a state in which a predetermined amount of waste toner is stored in the collection container and the first magnet and the first iron plate are separated.

FIG. 12 is a perspective view illustrating that a collection container is inserted from a lateral direction into a communication position of a transport unit according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 13 is a perspective view of the vicinity of an engaging portion according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 14 is a perspective view of the vicinity of an opening / closing means according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 15 is a view for explaining the operation of the opening / closing means and the engaging means when the collection container is inserted according to the embodiment of the present invention, wherein (a) shows a state in which the opening / closing means is closed;
(B) is an enlarged view of a state where the opening / closing means is open, and (c) is an enlarged view of a state where the opening / closing means is open.

FIG. 16 is a diagram for explaining the entire configuration of a waste toner collecting device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Copier 57 Cleaner 57a Toner receiving part 57b Transport pipe 100, 130 Waste toner collection container 100a Non-contact area 101 Container mounting part 102 Nut 103, 141 units 104 Waste toner 105, 142 Sensor 106 Magnetic member 107, 135 Magnet 108 Iron plate 109 Non-magnetic material member 109a Flange part 109b Body part 110 Malt 111 First holder 112 First magnet 113 Second holder 114 First iron plate 115 Second magnet 116 Stopper 120 Shutter member 121, 136 Shutter part 122 Tongue One part 123, 131 Engagement part 124 Shutter guide part 125 Spring 132 Container mounting guide member 133 Guide part 134 Opening 137 Shaft 138 Shutter plate 139 Container contact part 140a, 140b Iron plate

Claims (10)

[Claims] A removing unit that removes waste toner remaining on the toner carrier; a transport unit that transports the waste toner removed by the removing unit; and a transport unit that transports the waste toner transported by the transport unit. A waste toner collecting device provided with a detachable collecting means for storing through a communicating part communicated with the means, wherein the conveying means and the collecting means are provided so as to face each other in the vicinity of the communicating part; A waste toner collecting apparatus, comprising: at least a pair of holding means for holding a collecting means at a lower portion of a communicating portion of the transport means; and a detecting means for detecting that the holding state of the holding means has been released. 2. The waste toner collecting device according to claim 1, wherein the holding unit is formed of a magnet member or a magnetic member. 3. An engaging means which is engaged when the collecting means is mounted on the waste toner collecting apparatus, and is provided near the communication portion, and is directed to the collecting means when the engaging means is disengaged. 3. The waste toner collecting device according to claim 1, further comprising an openable / closable opening / closing unit capable of performing a closing operation without moving the waste toner, wherein the open / close unit includes the holding unit. 4. 4. The waste toner collecting device according to claim 2, further comprising a magnetic shielding unit for magnetically shielding the vicinity of the holding unit. 5. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the holding means comprises a plurality of pairs having different holding forces, and the detecting means detects that the holding means is detached. The waste toner collecting device as described in the above. 6. The waste toner collecting device according to claim 1, further comprising an interval adjusting unit for adjusting a distance interval between the pair of holding units. 7. The waste toner collecting device according to claim 6, wherein the interval adjusting unit includes a plate-shaped unit sandwiched by the holding unit. 8. The waste toner collecting device according to claim 7, wherein said plate-like means includes a non-magnetic material. 9. A plurality of pairs of the holding means,
3. The waste toner collecting device according to claim 2, further comprising a facing area adjusting means which is arranged in a ring shape with a predetermined gap, and is capable of adjusting the facing area by rotating at least one of them. 10. The waste toner collecting device according to claim 1, wherein the detecting unit is provided with a predetermined gap from a bottom of the collecting unit.