Waste powder container and electrophotographic imaging equipment thereof

Abstract

The waste powder container comprises a box body and a powder feeding screw rod, the box body comprises a first powder storage bin, a second powder storage bin and a light detection bin, the first powder storage bin can be used for collecting waste powder generated by electrophotographic imaging equipment, and the second powder storage bin is communicated with the first powder storage bin and can be used for receiving the waste powder in the first powder storage bin; the light detection bin is communicated with the second powder storage bin and can be used for receiving waste powder in the second powder storage bin, a powder fullness sensor is arranged in the light detection bin, the powder feeding screw rod is installed in the box body and sequentially passes through the first powder storage bin, the second powder storage bin and the light detection bin in the box body, and the powder feeding screw rod can convey the waste powder between the first powder storage bin and the second powder storage bin. And waste powder can be conveyed between the second powder storage bin and the optical detection bin. According to the waste powder container, the situation that when the waste powder container shakes or topples over, light detection is triggered to display powder fullness, and false detection is caused is avoided, the false detection probability can be greatly reduced, and the powder amount detection precision of the waste powder container is improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to the field of electronic photographic imaging equipment, in particular to a waste toner container and an electronic photographic imaging equipment thereof. Background Art

[0002] Electrophotographic imaging devices form images on recording materials by using electrophotographic imaging types. Electrophotographic imaging devices include electrophotographic copiers, electrophotographic printers (LED printers, laser beam printers, etc.), fax machines, multi-function machines having multiple functions of these machines, word processors, etc.

[0003] The electrophotographic imaging device forms an electrostatic latent image by emitting light corresponding to image information to a photosensitive body, and forms a toner image by supplying a developer to the electrostatic latent image. The electrophotographic imaging device prints an image on a recording medium by transferring the toner image to the recording medium and fixing the toner image to the recording medium by applying heat and pressure.

[0004] If a single-component developing method is used, toner is used as a developer, and if a two-component developing method is used, toner and a carrier are used as a developer, the carrier carries the toner and only the toner is developed on the photoreceptor to form a toner image. As the electrophotographic imaging device operates, waste developer may be generated by the photoreceptor, the intermediate transfer medium, and the developing unit, and the waste developer is conveyed to and received in a waste developer receiver, and a detection device for detecting the amount of waste toner is provided in the waste developer receiver, and the user replaces the waste developer receiver through feedback from the detection device.

[0005] However, if the existing waste developer receiver is shaken or tilted, causing the waste developer inside to move, the detection result of the detection device will no longer be accurate.

[0006] Therefore, a technical solution to the above problems is needed. Summary of the invention

[0007] In order to solve the technical problems existing in the prior art, an object of the present invention is to provide a waste toner container to solve the above technical problems.

[0008] In order to achieve the purpose, the present invention adopts the following technical solutions:

[0009] A waste toner container is detachably mounted on an electrophotographic imaging device and is used to collect waste toner generated by the electrophotographic imaging device. The waste toner container comprises:

[0010] The box body includes a first powder storage bin, a second powder storage bin and an optical inspection bin, wherein the first powder storage bin can be used to collect waste powder generated by the electronic photographic imaging device, the second powder storage bin is connected to the first powder storage bin and can be used to receive the waste powder in the first powder storage bin, the optical inspection bin is connected to the second powder storage bin and can be used to receive the waste powder in the second powder storage bin, and a powder full sensor is provided in the optical inspection bin; and

[0011] The powder feeding screw is installed in the box body and passes through the first powder storage bin, the second powder storage bin and the optical inspection bin in sequence in the box body. The powder feeding screw can transport waste powder between the first powder storage bin and the second powder storage bin, and can transport waste powder between the second powder storage bin and the optical inspection bin.

[0012] With the waste powder container having the above structure, when the waste powder in the first powder storage bin is full, it will be first transferred to the second powder storage bin, and then transferred from the second powder storage bin to the optical inspection bin by the powder feeding screw after the waste powder in the second powder storage bin is full, instead of falling directly into the optical inspection bin. This avoids the situation where the waste powder in the first powder storage bin may not be full when the waste powder container is shaken or tipped over, but the waste powder mistakenly falls directly into the optical inspection bin, causing the optical inspection to be triggered and displaying that the powder is full, resulting in false detection. This solution can greatly reduce the probability of false detection and improve the detection accuracy of the waste powder container.

[0013] Preferably, the powder feeding screw is provided with a first spiral section and a second spiral section, the pitch of the first spiral section is longer than the pitch of the second spiral section, and the first spiral section is located in the first powder storage bin, and the second spiral section is located in the second powder storage bin and the optical inspection bin. Thus, when the powder feeding screw is feeding powder, it will transport the waste powder from the first powder storage bin to the second powder storage bin through the powder feeding port connecting the first powder storage bin and the second powder storage bin, and the waste powder will pass through the gap between the powder feeding port and the powder feeding blades of the powder feeding screw. The powder feeding screw changes to a shorter pitch here, which will make the space through which the waste powder can pass smaller, so that a certain sealing effect can be achieved between the first powder storage bin and the second powder storage bin.

[0014] Preferably, the second powder storage bin is provided with a first receiving port for receiving waste powder in the first powder storage bin, and the first receiving port is set to be open. Thus, the open first receiving port increases the powder receiving area of ​​the second powder storage bin, and waste powder will fall into the optical inspection bin only when the second powder storage bin is full of powder, thereby avoiding the waste powder in the first powder storage bin not being full when the waste powder container is shaken or tipped over, but the waste powder mistakenly falls directly into the optical inspection bin, causing the optical inspection to trigger the display of full powder, resulting in false detection.

[0015] Preferably, the device further comprises a stirring component, which is disposed in the first powder storage bin and can stir and transfer waste powder in the first powder storage bin, thereby preventing waste powder in the first powder storage bin from agglomerating or accumulating.

[0016] Preferably, the stirring member is a powder stirring screw, and the powder stirring screw is provided with two sections of powder stirring blades, and the two sections of powder stirring blades are in opposite directions on the powder stirring screw. Thus, the stirring member can send waste powder at both ends of the first powder storage bin to the middle, preventing waste powder from accumulating at both ends of the first powder storage bin.

[0017] Preferably, the first powder storage bin is provided with a first inlet for introducing the first waste powder and a second inlet for introducing the second waste powder. Thus, the first powder storage bin can collect the first waste powder generated by the transfer unit in the electrophotographic imaging device through the first inlet and collect the second waste powder generated by the imaging unit in the electrophotographic imaging device through the second inlet.

[0018] Preferably, a powder feeding channel and a powder scraping component are provided between the first entrance and the first powder storage bin, the powder scraping component is connected to the stirring component, and the stirring component can drive the powder scraping component to scrape powder from the powder feeding channel to the first powder storage bin. Thus, by providing the eight powder components at the first entrance, waste powder accumulation at the first entrance can be prevented.

[0019] Preferably, the flour scraping component comprises a plurality of separators for scraping flour, and the plurality of separators are arranged in parallel. Thus, the separators are provided for scraping flour at the first entrance.

[0020] Preferably, a first sealing component is disposed outside the first inlet, and a second sealing component is disposed outside the second inlet, so that the first sealing component can prevent powder leakage when the first inlet is connected to the transfer unit, and the second sealing component can prevent powder leakage when the second inlet is connected to the imaging unit.

[0021] Preferably, in the vertical direction, the powder feeding screw is closer to the top of the second powder storage bin and the optical inspection bin in the box body. Thus, the powder feeding screw will only feed powder backwards when the second powder storage bin is about to be full of waste powder.

[0022] Preferably, a first powder storage bin and a closed cavity are provided in the box body, a powder delivery port is provided between the closed cavity and the first powder storage bin, and the powder delivery screw passes through the powder delivery port to deliver waste powder into the closed cavity, and a second powder storage bin and an optical inspection bin are provided in the closed cavity, and the second powder storage bin is closer to the powder delivery port than the optical inspection bin in the closed cavity. Therefore, the first powder storage bin and the closed cavity are provided in the box body, and the second powder storage bin and the optical inspection bin are provided in the closed cavity, so that waste powder can be prevented from falling directly from the first powder storage cavity to the second powder storage bin or the optical inspection bin when the waste powder container is tilted.

[0023] Preferably, the first powder storage bin is provided with a plurality of ribs extending from the bottom to the top, and the plurality of ribs divide the bottom of the first powder storage bin into a plurality of grooves in the first powder storage bin. Thus, the grooves provided in the first powder storage bin can prevent the waste powder in the first powder storage bin from accumulating at one end in a short time when the waste powder container is shaken or tipped over, thereby playing a buffering role.

[0024] The invention also includes an electrophotographic imaging device, which includes the above-mentioned waste toner container. Thus, the electrophotographic imaging device avoids misdetection caused by shaking or tipping of the waste toner container, which can greatly reduce the probability of misdetection and improve the detection accuracy of the waste toner container. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0025] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention, the drawings required for use in the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present invention. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative work.

[0026] Figure 1 A perspective view of the waste toner container of the present invention as viewed from the front;

[0027] Figure 2 A perspective view of the waste toner container of the present invention as viewed from the rear;

[0028] Figure 3 It is a front view of the waste toner container of the present invention;

[0029] Figure 4 for Figure 3 A cross-sectional view taken along the A-A direction;

[0030] Figure 5 It is a schematic diagram of the local structure of the connection between the connecting rod and the stirring component in the present invention;

[0031] Figure 6 It is a stereoscopic diagram of the powder feeding screw in the present invention;

[0032] Figure 7 It is a three-dimensional diagram of the stirring component in the present invention.

[0033] In the figure: 100, waste powder container; 110, buckle structure; 120, box body; 121, first powder storage bin; 1211, first entrance; 1212, first sealing member; 1213, powder inlet channel; 1214, second entrance; 1215, second sealing member; 1216, cutout; 1217, rib; 122, second powder storage bin; 1221, partition; 1221a, inclined surface; 1222, first connection Closing; 123, optical inspection chamber; 1231, powder full sensor; 1232, second receiving port; 124, closed chamber; 125, powder delivery port; 200, powder delivery screw; 210, first spiral section; 220, second spiral section; 300, driving assembly; 400, stirring component; 410, powder stirring blade; 420, crankshaft structure; 500, powder scraping component; 510, frame; 520, partition; 530, connecting rod. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0034] In order to better understand the technical solution of the present invention, the embodiments of the present invention are described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0035] It should be clear that the described embodiments are only some embodiments of the present invention, not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without creative work are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0036] like Figure 1 FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of the waste powder container of the present invention.

[0037] like Figures 1 to 7 As shown, a waste toner container 100 is a component that needs to be replaced frequently on an electrophotographic imaging device. An electrophotographic imaging device (such as an electrophotographic copier, an electrophotographic printer, a copier, a printer, a fax machine, etc.) is an electrophotographic color imaging device, which can be equipped with a plurality of imaging units (such as a developing box, a toner box, etc.) storing developers of different colors, and prints a color image by using cyan (C), magenta (M), yellow (Y) and black (K) developers. The printing unit performs an imaging operation (or a printing operation) according to the control of a control unit (not shown) in the device housing of the electrophotographic color imaging device. The printing unit may include an imaging unit, an exposure unit, a transfer unit, and a fixing unit to perform an image forming operation, the exposure unit forms an electrostatic latent image on the imaging unit by emitting light modulated into corresponding image information to the imaging unit, the transfer unit includes an intermediate transfer belt and a transfer roller, the intermediate transfer belt is an intermediate transfer medium that temporarily transfers the image developed on the imaging unit of multiple developers C, M, Y and K, the multiple intermediate transfer rollers are arranged to face the imaging units of multiple developers C, M, Y and M through the intermediate transfer belt, the intermediate transfer bias can be applied to the multiple intermediate transfer rollers to transfer the image developed on the imaging unit to the intermediate transfer belt, and the fixing unit fixes the transferred image on the recording medium by applying heat and / or pressure.

[0038] After the electrostatic latent image is transferred to the intermediate transfer belt, the waste developer remaining on the imaging unit is removed by the cleaning scraper. The removed developer is waste powder. The removed developer is received in a waste developer receiver arranged in the photosensitive unit. A waste powder discharge component is arranged in the waste developer receiver. The waste powder discharge component can extend from the side wall of the waste powder receiver. The waste powder in the waste powder receiver is transported to the waste powder outlet by the waste powder discharge component and then transported to the waste powder container 100. After the developer is transferred to the recording medium, the waste powder remaining on the intermediate transfer belt is removed by the cleaning component and transported to the waste powder container 100 by the waste powder discharge component of the transfer unit.

[0039] The electrophotographic imaging device is provided with a mounting portion for mounting the waste toner container 100. The waste toner container 100 can be detachably mounted on the mounting portion, and can store the waste toner generated by the electrophotographic imaging device on the mounting portion. Preferably, a snap-fit ​​structure 110 can be provided between the mounting portion and the waste toner container 100, so that the waste toner container 100 is snapped onto the mounting portion through the snap-fit ​​structure 110, so that the waste toner container 100 can be detachably mounted on the electrophotographic imaging device.

[0040] The present application makes improvements to the waste toner container 100 , and the specific structure and working mode of the electronic photographic imaging device are prior art and will not be described in detail here.

[0041] See also Figures 1 to 7 The present embodiment provides a waste powder container 100, the waste powder container 100 includes a box body 120 and a powder feeding screw 200 arranged in the box body 120, the box body 120 is provided with a first powder storage bin 121, a second powder storage bin 122 and a light inspection bin 123, the volume of the first powder storage bin 121 is much larger than the volume of the second powder storage bin 122 and the light inspection bin 123, the first powder storage bin 121 is provided with a waste powder inlet, the waste powder generated in the electronic photographic imaging device can be collected by the first powder storage bin 121 through the waste powder inlet, when the powder feeding screw 200 is installed in the box body 120, the powder feeding screw 200 passes through the first powder storage bin 121, the second powder storage bin 122 and the light inspection bin 123 in sequence, and the powder feeding screw 200 is used for the first powder storage bin 12 1 and the second powder storage bin 122, and between the second powder storage bin 122 and the optical inspection bin 123; when the waste powder container 100 is installed on the electronic photographic imaging device to collect the waste powder generated by the electronic photographic imaging device, after the waste powder collected in the first powder storage bin 121 reaches a certain height, the powder feeding screw 200 will transport the waste powder in the first powder storage bin 121 to the second powder storage bin 122, and after the waste powder in the second powder storage bin 122 accumulates to a certain height, the powder feeding screw 200 will transport the waste powder to the optical inspection bin 123, and a powder full sensor 1231 is provided in the optical inspection bin 123. After the powder full sensor 1231 detects the waste powder, it triggers the optical inspection alarm and displays that the waste powder is full, reminding the user to take out the waste powder container 100 for replacement.

[0042] Specifically, in the present embodiment, the box body 120 is a substantially long rectangular containing box, and the box body 120 may be a single shell, and the box body 120 is separated in its length direction by a first powder storage bin 121 and a closed cavity, and a powder delivery port 125 is provided between the closed cavity 124 and the first powder storage bin 121, and a second powder storage bin 122 and an optical inspection bin 123 are provided in the closed cavity 124, and the second powder storage bin 122 and the optical inspection bin 123 are connected to each other in the closed cavity 124, so that in the length direction of the box body 120, the first powder storage bin 121 is arranged on one side of the second powder storage bin 122 and is connected to the second powder storage bin 122, and the optical inspection bin 123 is arranged on the other side of the second powder storage bin 122 and is connected to the second powder storage bin 122 The powder feeding screw 200 is rotatably supported inside the box body 120, one end of the powder feeding screw 200 extends out of the box body 120 and is connected to a driving assembly 300. Preferably, the driving assembly 300 can be a gear assembly, through which the powder feeding screw 200 can be externally driven to rotate inside the box body 120 for powder feeding; and the powder feeding screw 200 is arranged in the box body 120 along the length direction of the box body 120, a part of the powder feeding screw 200 is located in the first powder storage bin 121, and the other part passes through the second powder storage bin 122 and the optical inspection bin 123 in the closed cavity 124. In the closed cavity 124, the second powder storage bin 122 is closer to the powder feeding port 125 than the optical inspection bin 123, so that the powder feeding screw 200 In the box body 120, the powder feeding screw 200 passes through the first powder storage bin 121, the second powder storage bin 122 and the optical inspection bin 123 in the length direction of the box body 120 in sequence, and can send the waste powder in the first powder storage bin 121 to the second powder storage bin 122 and the optical inspection bin 123 in the closed chamber 124. Preferably, the powder feeding screw 200 passes through the powder feeding port 125 and passes through the second powder storage bin 122 and the optical inspection bin 123 in the closed chamber 124; in the vertical direction, the powder feeding screw 200 is also located above the first powder storage bin 121, the second powder storage bin 122 and the optical inspection bin 123, and is closer to the top of the second powder storage bin 122 and the optical inspection bin 123, so that the waste powder collected in the first powder storage bin 121 reaches a certain height (i.e. After reaching the position of the powder feeding screw 200 in the first powder storage bin 121, the powder feeding screw 200 will transport the waste powder in the first powder storage bin 121 to the second powder storage bin 122. After the waste powder in the second powder storage bin 122 accumulates to a certain height, the powder feeding screw 200 will transport the waste powder to the optical inspection bin 123. A powder full sensor 1231 is provided in the optical inspection bin 123. Preferably, the powder full sensor 1231 may include a light emitter and a light receiver. When the waste powder falls between the light emitter and the light receiver, the light receiver cannot receive the signal emitted by the light emitter. After the powder full sensor 1231 detects the waste powder, it triggers the optical inspection alarm and displays that the waste powder is full, reminding the user to take out the waste powder container 100 for replacement.A first powder storage bin 121 is provided in the box body 120 to collect waste powder, an optical inspection bin 123 detects the amount of waste powder, and a second powder storage bin 122 is provided to separate the optical inspection bin 123 and the first powder storage bin 121. When the waste powder in the first powder storage bin 121 is full, it will be first transferred to the second powder storage bin 122 instead of directly falling into the optical inspection bin 123. When the waste powder container 100 detects the amount of waste powder, the second powder storage bin 122 is provided between the optical inspection bin 123 and the first powder storage bin 121 to prevent misdetection, and the use is convenient and accurate. In some embodiments, the waste powder container 100 may further include a cover (not shown), which may be a cover-like structure detachably mounted on the outer surface of the box body 120, so that the waste powder container 100 can open the cover to pour out the waste powder in the box body 120 for reuse. ;

[0043] In order to better illustrate the structure of the waste powder container 100, a three-dimensional rectangular coordinate system ZYX is established as shown in the figure, the Z axis, the Y axis, and the X axis are perpendicular to each other, the length direction of the box body 120 is defined as the X axis direction, the Z axis direction is usually the vertical direction, and the direction perpendicular to the X axis direction and the Z axis direction is set as the Y axis direction, that is, the width direction of the box body 120. Preferably, in this specification, the direction from the first powder storage bin 121 to the second powder storage bin 122 is defined as the +X axis direction, the top refers to the +Z axis direction, the bottom refers to the -Z direction, the left refers to the +Y axis direction, and the right refers to the -Y axis direction.

[0044] The waste powder inlet includes a first inlet 1211 for introducing the first waste powder and a second inlet 1214 for introducing the second waste powder. The first powder storage bin 121 can collect the waste powder generated by the electronic photographic imaging device through the first inlet 1211 and the second inlet 1214. Specifically, in the present embodiment, when the waste powder container 100 is installed on the electronic photographic imaging device, the waste powder generated by the transfer unit in the electronic photographic imaging device is the first waste powder, and the waste powder generated by the imaging unit in the electronic photographic imaging device is the second waste powder. When the waste powder container 100 is installed on the electronic photographic imaging device, the first inlet 1211 on the first powder storage bin 121 is arranged on the -X axis side of the second inlet 1214. The first inlet 1211 on the first powder storage bin 121 can be connected to or indirectly connected to the transfer unit on the electronic photographic imaging device (such as: connected to the waste powder discharge component), and is introduced into the first powder storage bin 121 through the first inlet 1211. The second inlet 1214 on the first powder storage bin 121 is connected to or indirectly connected to the imaging unit in the electronic photographic imaging device (such as: connected to the waste powder discharge component), and the second waste powder is introduced into the first powder storage bin 121 through the second inlet 1214.

[0045] Further, there are multiple imaging units in the electronic photographic imaging device, so there are multiple second inlets 1214 on the box body 120, and each second inlet 1214 can be connected to an imaging unit, so that the waste toner in the multiple imaging units can be collected into the first toner storage bin 121 of the waste toner container 100. Specifically, in this embodiment, there are four second inlets 1214, which are 1214C, 1214M, 1214Y and 1214K in the X-axis direction, and the four second inlets 1214 correspond to the four imaging units provided on the electronic photographic imaging device. When the waste toner container 100 is installed in the electronic photographic imaging device, the four second inlets 1214 are respectively connected to the four imaging units, and the four second inlets 1214 are all connected to the first toner storage bin 121, so that the waste toner generated by the four imaging units on the electronic photographic imaging device can be collected by the waste toner container 100.

[0046] Furthermore, a first sealing member 1212 is provided on the first inlet 1211, and a second sealing member 1215 is provided on the second inlet 1214. When the first inlet 1211 is connected to the transfer unit and the second inlet 1214 is connected to the imaging unit, powder will not leak between the first inlet 1211 and the transfer unit and between the second inlet 1214 and the imaging unit. Specifically, in the present embodiment, the first sealing member 1212 is a sponge, which is installed on the outside of the first inlet 1211. The shape of the sponge is adapted to the shape of the first inlet 1211. An inlet is provided on the sponge, so that when the sponge is installed on the outside of the first inlet 1211, it will not affect the introduction of waste powder into the first inlet 1211; the second sealing member 1215 is composed of a sponge and a PET sheet. The PET sheet is pasted and covered on the surface of the sponge, and its shape is basically the same as that of the sponge. A cutout 1216 is provided on the second sealing member 1215, that is, both the sponge and the PET sheet are provided with a cutout 1216, so that the second sealing member 1215 is used to allow the powder discharge port of the imaging unit to enter and communicate with the first powder storage bin 121 of the waste powder container 100, which can prevent the powder discharge port of the imaging unit from damaging the second sealing member 1215 when the user replaces the waste powder container 100 multiple times, thereby reducing the sealing performance.

[0047] refer to Figure 1 and Figure 6The powder feeding screw 200 is also provided with a first spiral section 210 and a second spiral section 220. When the powder feeding screw 200 is installed in the box body 120, the first spiral section 210 is located in the first powder storage bin 121, and the second spiral section 220 is located in the second powder storage bin 122 and the optical inspection bin 123. The pitch of the first spiral section 210 is longer than the pitch of the second spiral section 220. When the powder feeding screw 200 is feeding powder, it will pass through the powder feeding port (i.e., the first powder storage bin 121) connected to the second powder storage bin 122. The connecting point between the powder bin 121 and the second powder storage bin 122) transports the waste powder from the first powder storage bin 121 to the second powder storage bin 122, and the waste powder passes through the gap between the powder feeding port and the powder feeding blades of the powder feeding screw 200. The powder feeding screw 200 is at the change point between the first spiral section 210 and the second spiral section 220. The powder feeding screw 200 changes to a shorter pitch, which makes the space through which the waste powder can pass smaller, thereby achieving a certain sealing effect between the first powder storage bin 121 and the second powder storage bin 122. Specifically, in this embodiment, two spiral sections with different pitches are provided on the powder feeding screw 200 in the length direction, and the two spiral sections are arranged adjacent to each other. When the powder feeding screw 200 is installed in the box body 120, the two spiral sections of the powder feeding screw 200 fall into the first powder storage bin 121, the second powder storage bin 122 and the optical inspection bin 123 respectively. The pitch of the spiral section of the powder feeding screw 200 in the first powder storage bin 121 is longer than the pitch of the spiral section in the corresponding position of the second powder storage bin 122 and the optical inspection bin 123, so that a certain sealing effect can be achieved.

[0048] refer to Figure 1 and Figure 3The second powder storage bin 122 is provided with a first receiving port 1222 for receiving waste powder, the optical inspection bin 123 is provided with a second receiving port 1232 for receiving waste powder, and the top of the second powder storage bin 122 is provided with an inclined surface 1221a, which can expand the first receiving port 1222 of the second powder storage bin 122 for receiving waste powder in the box body 120, and reduce the second receiving port 1232 of the optical inspection bin 123 for receiving waste powder, to prevent the waste powder from falling from the second powder storage bin 122 to the optical inspection bin 123 when the user shakes the waste powder container 100, thereby causing false detection. Specifically, in the present embodiment, the second powder storage bin 122 and the optical inspection bin 123 are separated by a partition 1221 in the closed cavity 124. The top of the partition 1221 in the closed cavity 124 is tilted and tilted toward one side (+X-axis side) of the optical inspection bin 123, so that the first receiving port 1222 for receiving waste powder above the second powder storage bin 122 is enlarged and opened outward to increase the powder receiving area of ​​the second powder storage bin 122. The partition 1221 is tilted toward one side of the optical inspection bin 123 to reduce the second receiving port 1232 above the optical inspection bin 123. The second receiving port 1232 of the optical inspection bin 123 is closed inward. The shape is designed to reduce the powder receiving area of ​​the optical inspection bin 123. When the second powder storage bin 122 is full of powder, waste powder will fall into the optical inspection bin 123. A powder full sensor 1231 is provided at the lower end of the optical inspection bin 123. After the powder full sensor 1231 detects the waste powder, it will display that the waste powder container 100 is full, prompting the user to replace the waste powder container 100. At the same time, it avoids the situation where the waste powder in the first powder storage bin 121 may not be full when the waste powder container 100 is shaken or tipped over, but the waste powder may mistakenly fall directly into the optical inspection bin 123, causing the optical inspection to be triggered to display that the powder is full, resulting in a false detection. This solution can greatly reduce the probability of false detection and improve the powder amount detection accuracy of the waste powder container 100.

[0049] refer to Figure 1 , Figure 3 and Figure 7 The waste powder container 100 further includes a stirring component 400, which is disposed in the box body 120 and can stir the waste powder and prevent the waste powder from accumulating. Specifically, in the present embodiment, the stirring component 400 is a stirring screw disposed in the box body 120, the stirring screw is rotatably supported in the first powder storage bin 121 of the box body 120, and the stirring screw is disposed in the first powder storage bin 121 along the length direction (X-axis direction) of the box body 120, and the stirring screw is provided with two sections of stirring blades 410 in opposite directions, one end of the stirring screw extends out of the box body 120 and is transmission-connected with the driving assembly 300, and when the stirring assembly is driven to rotate in the box body 120, the stirring screw can separate the accumulated waste powder in the first powder storage bin 121 by providing two sections of stirring blades 410 in opposite directions on the stirring screw.

[0050] Furthermore, the stirring component 400 passes through the first inlet 1211 and the four second inlets 1214 in the length direction of the box body 120 in sequence, so that the stirring component 400 can stir and convey the waste powder input from the first inlet 1211 and the second inlet 1214 to prevent the waste powder from accumulating. Specifically, in this embodiment, the inlets at both ends of the length direction (X-axis direction) of the first powder storage bin 121 are respectively the first inlet 1211 corresponding to the transfer unit and the second inlet 1214K corresponding to the imaging unit K, wherein the waste powder generated by the imaging unit K will be more than the waste powder of the other three color imaging units, and the waste powder generated by the transfer unit will also be more than the waste powder of the other three imaging units, which will cause the waste powder to accumulate at both ends of the length direction of the first powder storage bin 121. The two sections of the stirring blades 410 on the stirring screw are set in opposite directions, which can transport the waste powder at both ends of the length direction (X-axis direction) of the first powder storage bin 121 to the middle, prevent the waste powder from accumulating at both ends of the length direction (X-axis direction) of the first powder storage bin 121, and make the powder in the powder storage bin evenly distributed.

[0051] refer to Figure 1 , Figure 3 and Figure 5 , a powder scraping component 500 is also provided at the first inlet 1211, and the waste powder at the first inlet 1211 can be scraped into the first powder storage bin 121 through the powder scraping component 500. Specifically, in this embodiment, a powder inlet channel 1213 is provided between the first inlet 1211 and the first powder storage bin 121, and the first end of the powder scraping component 500 is connected to the axial end of the powder stirring screw, and the second end is movably mounted on the powder inlet channel 1213. The first end of the powder scraping component 500 can rotate around the axis of the powder stirring screw as the powder stirring screw rotates, driving the powder scraping component 500 to move on the powder inlet channel 1213, thereby scraping out the waste powder on the powder inlet channel 1213, and preventing the waste powder from accumulating in the powder inlet channel 1213.

[0052] Furthermore, the powder scraping component 500 is composed of a frame 510, a plurality of partitions 520 and a connecting rod 530 arranged on the frame 510, wherein the plurality of partitions 520 are arranged in parallel on the frame 510 at a certain distance, and the frame 510 is connected to the connecting rod 530; a crankshaft structure 420 is provided on the powder stirring screw, and the connecting rod 530 of the powder scraping component 500 is sleeved on the crankshaft structure 420, and the connecting rod 530 can rotate relative to the crankshaft structure 420, and the crankshaft structure 420 can be connected to the connecting rod 530 by the connecting rod 530. The rod 530 drives the frame 510 to move; the frame 510 is installed on the powder feed channel 1213 and can move. When the mixing screw rotates to mix and drive the waste powder, the mixing screw drives the connecting rod 530, and the connecting rod 530 pushes the frame 510 to reciprocate on the powder feed channel 1213, thereby driving the partition plate 520 on the frame 510 to scrape out the waste powder in the powder feed channel 1213 to the first powder storage bin 121, and the powder scraping component 500 moves in the powder delivery channel to prevent waste powder from accumulating in the channel.

[0053] The first powder storage bin 121 is also provided with a rib 1217 for separation. The first powder storage bin 121 is divided into a plurality of grooves by the rib 1217. The grooves in the first powder storage bin 121 can prevent the waste powder in the first powder storage bin 121 from accumulating at one end in a short time when the waste powder container 100 shakes or falls, thereby playing a buffering role. Specifically, in this embodiment, the rib 1217 is arranged in the first powder storage bin 121 to extend a certain height from the bottom of the first powder storage bin 121 to the top of the first powder storage bin 121, and a plurality of ribs 1217 are arranged in an array along the length direction (X-axis direction) of the first powder storage bin 121. The plurality of ribs 1217 divide the bottom of the first powder storage bin 121 into a plurality of grooves in the length direction (X-axis direction) of the box body 120. When the waste powder container 100 shakes or falls, the waste powder in the first powder storage bin 121 will not accumulate at one end in a short time through the grooves arranged in the first powder storage bin 121, thereby playing a buffering role.

[0054] When the waste powder container 100 of the present invention is used, it is first detachably mounted on the mounting portion of the electronic photographic imaging device through the snap-fit ​​structure 110. After the waste powder container 100 is mounted on the mounting portion, the first inlet 1211 of the waste powder container 100 can be connected or indirectly connected with the transfer unit, so that the waste powder of the transfer unit can pass through the first inlet 1211, and the powder discharge port of the imaging unit enters the second inlet 1214 and is connected with the first powder storage bin 121 of the waste powder container 100, so that the waste powder of the transfer unit and the imaging unit can be collected by the first powder storage bin 121 of the waste powder container 100; when the waste powder container 100 is mounted on the mounting portion, the drive assembly 300 provided on the waste powder container 100 is also connected with the electronic photographic imaging device. The driving source of the device is connected by transmission. The electronic photographic imaging device can drive the powder feeding screw 200 and the powder stirring screw to rotate in the box body 120 through the driving component 300. When the waste powder collected in the first powder storage bin 121 reaches a certain height, the powder feeding screw 200 will transport the waste powder in the first powder storage bin 121 to the second powder storage bin 122. After the waste powder in the second powder storage bin 122 accumulates to a certain height, the powder feeding screw 200 will transport the waste powder to the optical inspection bin 123. A powder full sensor 1231 is provided in the optical inspection bin 123. After the powder full sensor 1231 detects the waste powder, it triggers the optical inspection alarm, indicating that the waste powder is full, and reminds the user to take out the waste powder container 100 on the electronic photographic imaging device for replacement.

[0055] The waste powder container of the present invention is provided with a first powder storage bin, a second powder storage bin and an optical inspection bin. When the waste powder in the first powder storage bin is full, it will be first transported to the second powder storage bin, rather than falling directly into the first powder storage bin. This avoids the situation where the waste powder in the first powder storage bin may not be full when the waste powder container is shaken or tipped over, but the waste powder mistakenly falls directly into the optical inspection bin, causing the optical inspection to trigger and display that the powder is full, resulting in a false detection. This solution can greatly reduce the probability of false detection and improve the powder amount detection accuracy of the waste powder container. When the second powder storage bin is full of powder, the waste powder will fall into the optical inspection bin. A powder full sensor is provided at the lower end of the optical inspection bin. After the powder full sensor detects the waste powder, it will display that the waste powder container is full, prompting the user to replace the waste powder container.

[0056] The above are only some embodiments of the present invention. For those skilled in the art, several modifications and improvements can be made without departing from the creative concept of the present invention, which all belong to the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A waste toner container, detachably mounted on an electrophotographic imaging device, for collecting waste toner generated by the electrophotographic imaging device, characterized in that: The waste toner container comprises: A box body, comprising a first powder storage bin, a second powder storage bin and an optical inspection bin, wherein the first powder storage bin can be used to collect waste powder generated by the electronic photographic imaging device, the second powder storage bin is connected to the first powder storage bin and can be used to receive waste powder in the first powder storage bin, the optical inspection bin is connected to the second powder storage bin and can be used to receive waste powder in the second powder storage bin, and a powder full sensor is provided in the optical inspection bin; and A powder feeding screw is installed in the box body and passes through the first powder storage bin, the second powder storage bin and the optical inspection bin in sequence in the box body. The powder feeding screw can transport waste powder between the first powder storage bin and the second powder storage bin, and can transport waste powder between the second powder storage bin and the optical inspection bin.

2. A waste toner container according to claim 1, characterized in that: The powder feeding screw is provided with a first spiral section and a second spiral section, the pitch of the first spiral section is longer than the pitch of the second spiral section, and the first spiral section is located in the first powder storage bin, and the second spiral section is located in the second powder storage bin and the optical inspection bin.

3. A waste toner container according to claim 1, characterized in that: The second powder storage bin is provided with a first receiving port for receiving waste powder in the first powder storage bin, and the first receiving port is configured to be open.

4. A waste toner container according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that: It also includes a stirring component, which is arranged in the first powder storage bin and can stir and transport waste powder in the first powder storage bin.

5. A waste toner container according to claim 4, characterized in that: The stirring component is a powder stirring screw, and the powder stirring screw is provided with two sections of powder stirring blades, and the two sections of the powder stirring blades are in opposite directions on the powder stirring screw.

6. A waste toner container according to claim 4, characterized in that: The first powder storage bin is provided with a first inlet for introducing the first waste powder and a second inlet for introducing the second waste powder.

7. A waste toner container according to claim 6, characterized in that: A powder feeding channel and a powder scraping component are provided between the first inlet and the first powder storage bin. The powder scraping component is connected to the stirring component. The stirring component can drive the powder scraping component to scrape powder from the powder feeding channel to the first powder storage bin.

8. A waste toner container according to claim 7, characterized in that: The flour scraping component comprises a plurality of separators for scraping flour, and the plurality of separators are arranged in parallel.

9. A waste toner container according to claim 6, characterized in that: A first sealing component is disposed on the outer side of the first inlet, and a second sealing component is disposed on the outer side of the second inlet.

10. A waste toner container according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that: In the vertical direction, the powder feeding screw is closer to the top of the second powder storage bin and the optical inspection bin in the box body.

11. A waste toner container according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that: The box body is provided with the first powder storage bin and a closed cavity, the closed cavity and the first powder storage bin are connected by a powder delivery port, the powder delivery screw can deliver waste powder into the closed cavity through the powder delivery port, and the closed cavity is provided with the second powder storage bin and the optical inspection bin, and the second powder storage bin is closer to the powder delivery port than the optical inspection bin in the closed cavity.

12. A waste toner container according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that: The first powder storage bin is provided with a plurality of ribs extending from the bottom along the top, and the plurality of ribs divide the bottom of the first powder storage bin into a plurality of grooves in the first powder storage bin.

13. An electrophotographic imaging device, characterized in that: A waste toner container comprising any one of claims 1 to 12.

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