Powder collection container and image forming apparatus equipped with same

Abstract

To provide a powder recovery container that can effectively prevent powder from flowing out to the powder recovery container from discharge ports due to vibration and impact during transition and can improve workability of work carried out to avoid the outflow of powder during transition, and an image forming apparatus including the same.SOLUTION: A powder recovery container 300 storing powder F discharged from discharge ports 21a of powder discharge devices (2BK, 2C, 2M, 2Y) having powder discharge parts (21) provided with shutter members 211 for opening and closing the discharge ports 21a comprises a movable member 310 that is movable between a first position where it is in contact with the shutter members 211 to open the discharge ports 21a of the powder discharge devices (2BK, 2C, 2M, 2Y) and a second position where it is not in contact with the shutter members 211 to not open the discharge ports 21a of the powder discharge devices (2BK, 2C, 2M, 2Y).SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 10

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a powder recovery container and an image forming apparatus, such as a copying machine, a multifunction machine, a printer, or a facsimile machine, that is provided with the powder recovery container. [Background technology]

[0002] The powder recovery container that contains the powder discharged from the discharge port of the powder discharge unit is provided in, for example, the image forming apparatus, and is detachably provided in the image forming apparatus main body.

[0003] The powder recovery container provided in the image forming apparatus discharges, for example, waste toner discharged from a cleaning device acting as a powder discharge device and / or waste developer in a development tank of a development device acting as a powder discharge device (a so-called trickle development type development device) from the development device. Here, the cleaning device collects waste toner remaining on an image carrier such as a photosensitive drum that has not been transferred to an intermediate transfer body such as an intermediate transfer belt or a recording sheet such as recording paper, or waste toner remaining on an intermediate transfer body that has not been transferred to a recording sheet, and discharges it into the powder recovery container. In addition, in a trickle development type development device, toner is supplied to the development tank together with new carrier, while waste developer containing deteriorated carrier is discharged from the development tank to the powder recovery container.

[0004] The powder discharge section of the powder discharge device may be provided with, for example, a shutter member that opens and closes the discharge port. In this case, when the powder recovery container is attached to the image forming apparatus main body, for example, the container opens the shutter member of the powder discharge section and stores the powder that is transported by a transport member (a rotating transport screw) in operation and discharged from the discharge port with the shutter member of the powder discharge section open (for example, see Patent Document 1).

[0005] When the image forming apparatus is transported (for example, when it is shipped from a factory or moved after installation), the powder recovery container may be transported with the powder recovery container attached to the image forming apparatus body from the viewpoint of minimizing the packaging form. In this case, the powder discharge device may be subjected to vibrations and impacts during transportation, causing the powder in the powder discharge device to flow out of the discharge port into the powder recovery container through a gap between a conveying member (conveying screw not rotating) that is not in operation. Conventionally, the outflow of the powder into the powder recovery container has been prevented by attaching an outflow prevention sheet for transportation to the outlet of the powder discharge section and sealing the outlet of the powder discharge section with the outflow prevention sheet. However, the workability of the work performed to prevent the outflow of the powder during transportation is poor, and depending on the way in which the outflow prevention sheet is attached to the outlet, the outlet may not be sufficiently sealed, causing the powder to flow out of the outlet into the powder recovery container due to vibrations and impacts during transportation. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0006] [Patent Document 1] JP 2018-031968 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0007] Therefore, the present invention aims to provide a powder recovery container that can effectively prevent powder from leaking out of the discharge outlet into the powder recovery container due to vibration or impact during transport, and that can improve the workability of the work performed to avoid powder leakage during transport, and an image forming apparatus equipped with the same. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides the following: The first and second aspects A powder collection container and an image forming apparatus are provided.

[0009] (1 -1 ) The first aspect Powder collection container The present invention The first aspect The powder recovery container is a powder recovery container that contains powder discharged from a discharge port of a powder discharge device having a powder discharge section provided with a shutter member that opens and closes the discharge port, and is a movable member that is movable between a first position where the discharge port of the powder discharge device is opened by contacting the shutter member and a second position where the discharge port of the powder discharge device is not opened by not contacting the shutter member. a second biasing member that biases the moving member toward the first position; Equipped with The moving member is provided in the powder collecting container body so as to be movable in a predetermined moving direction while being biased toward the first position by the biasing force of the second biasing member. It is characterized by the fact that (1-2) Powder collection container according to the second embodiment A powder recovery container according to a second aspect of the present invention is a powder recovery container that stores powder discharged from an outlet of a powder discharge device having a powder discharge section provided with a shutter member that opens and closes the outlet, and is provided with a movable member that is movable between a first position where the outlet of the powder discharge device is opened by abutting against the shutter member and a second position where the outlet of the powder discharge device is not opened by not abutting against the shutter member, the powder discharge section is at least one of a waste toner discharge section that discharges waste toner and a waste developer discharge section that discharges waste developer, and a plurality of the waste toner discharge sections and the waste developer discharge sections are provided, and when the movable member is located at the first position, the movable member abuts against all of the shutter members in at least one of the plurality of the waste toner discharge sections and the plurality of the waste developer discharge sections, thereby opening all of the outlets, and when the movable member is located at the second position, none of the outlets are opened by not abutting against any of the shutter members.

[0010] (2) Image forming device The image forming apparatus according to the present invention is The first or second aspect It is characterized by having a powder collection container. Effect of the Invention

[0011] According to the present invention, it is possible to effectively prevent powder from leaking out of the discharge outlet into the powder recovery container due to vibration or impact during transportation, and it is also possible to improve the workability of the work performed to prevent powder from leaking out during transportation. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0012] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, as viewed from the front. [Diagram 2] 2 is an exploded perspective view of the image forming apparatus shown in FIG. 1 with the opening / closing door removed and the powder recovery container detached, as viewed obliquely from above on the front side. [Diagram 3] 3 is a perspective view of the powder recovery container shown in FIG. 2, viewed obliquely from above on the rear side. [Figure 4] 4 is an exploded perspective view showing a state in which a moving member is removed from the powder recovery container shown in FIG. 3. [Figure 5A] 13 is a perspective view of a state in which the discharge port is not opened by the shutter member. FIG. [Figure 5B]13 is a bottom view including a partial cross section of the state in which the discharge port is not opened by the shutter member. FIG. [Figure 6A] 13 is a perspective view of a state in which the discharge port is opened by the shutter member. FIG. [Figure 6B] 13 is a bottom view including a partial cross section of the state in which the discharge port is opened by the shutter member. FIG. [Figure 7] FIG. 6C is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA shown in FIG. 6B. [Figure 8A] 11 is a perspective view showing a part of a moving member cut away at a contact portion between a contacted portion of a powder discharge portion of the developing device and a contact portion of a powder recovery container; FIG. [Figure 8B] 8B is an enlarged perspective view of the α frame portion shown in FIG. 8A. [Figure 9A] 4 is a partially cutaway perspective view of a movable member located at a first position in the powder recovery container shown in FIG. 3. FIG. [Figure 9B] 4 is a partially cutaway perspective view of the moving member located at a second position in the powder recovery container shown in FIG. 3. FIG. [Figure 10] 9C is a perspective view showing a state in which a stopper member is inserted into a through hole in the state shown in FIG. 9B. [Figure 11] 11 is a perspective view showing a state in which a sheet is provided on a stopper member inserted into a through hole in the powder recovery container. FIG. [Figure 12] 13 is a perspective view showing a detected portion of a moving member of the powder recovery container and a detector that detects the detected portion. FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0013] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following description, the same components are denoted by the same reference numerals. The names and functions of the components are also the same. Therefore, detailed description thereof will not be repeated.

[0014] [Image forming equipment] Fig. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of an image forming apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment as viewed from the front. Fig. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the image forming apparatus 100 shown in Fig. 1 with the opening and closing door removed and the powder recovery container 300 removed, viewed obliquely from above the front side. In the figure, the symbol X represents the left-right direction, the symbol Y represents the depth direction, and the symbol Z represents the up-down direction (vertical direction).

[0015] The image forming apparatus 100 according to this embodiment is a color image forming apparatus that forms multi-color and monochrome images on a recording sheet P such as paper. The image forming apparatus 100 performs image formation processing in response to image data read by a document reading device 90 or image data transmitted from an external device. Note that the image forming apparatus 100 may be a color image forming apparatus of another type. Also, the image forming apparatus 100 may be a monochrome image forming apparatus.

[0016] The image forming apparatus 100 includes an original reading device 90 and an image forming apparatus main body 110. The image forming apparatus main body 110 includes an image forming section 102 and a sheet transport system 103.

[0017] The image forming section 102 includes an exposure device 1 (exposure unit), a plurality of developing devices 2BK, 2C, 2M, and 2Y (developing units), a plurality of photoconductor drums 3-3 acting as image carriers, a plurality of cleaning devices 4BK, 4C, 4M, and 4Y (photoconductor cleaning units), a plurality of charging devices 5-5, an intermediate transfer belt device 6, a cleaning device 4T (belt cleaning unit), a plurality of toner cartridges 15-15, and a fixing device 7 (fixing unit). The sheet transport system 103 includes a paper feed tray 81, a discharge roller 31, and a discharge tray 14. Here, BK, C, M, and Y respectively mean black, cyan, magenta, and yellow. The intermediate transfer belt device 6 includes a plurality of intermediate transfer rollers 65-65 and an intermediate transfer belt 61. The intermediate transfer rollers 65-65 are provided inside the intermediate transfer belt 61. The intermediate transfer belt 61 moves in a predetermined rotational movement direction R. The intermediate transfer rollers 65-65 transfer the toner images of the respective colors formed on the surfaces of the photosensitive drums 3-3 onto the intermediate transfer belt 61 in a superimposed manner while rotating in accordance with the rotational movement of the intermediate transfer belt 61.

[0018] An original reading device 90 for reading an image of an original (not shown) is provided on the upper part of the image forming apparatus main body 110. The original reading device 90 reads an image of an original, and includes an original transport section 90a and an original reading section 90b. The original reading device 90 reads an image of the original with the original reading section 90b while transporting the original with the original transport section 90a, or reads the image of the original placed on the original table of the original reading section 90b by scanning it with the original reading section 90b. The image of the original read by the original reading device 90 is sent to the image forming apparatus main body 110 as image data, and the image is recorded on a recording sheet P.

[0019] A sheet transport path W1 is provided in the image forming apparatus main body 110. A sheet supply unit 11a supplies a recording sheet P to the sheet transport path W1. The sheet transport path W1 guides the recording sheet P to an output tray 14 via a transfer roller 10a of a secondary transfer device 10 and a fixing device 7. The fixing device 7 heats and fixes the toner image formed on the recording sheet P to the recording sheet P. Near the sheet transport path W1, the sheet supply unit 11a, a plurality of transport rollers 12a, a registration roller 13, a transfer roller 10a, a fixing roller 71 and a pressure roller 72 in the fixing device 7, and an output roller 31 are arranged.

[0020] In the image forming apparatus 100, the recording sheet P supplied from the sheet supply unit 11a to the paper feed tray 81 is conveyed to the registration roller 13 via the conveying rollers 12a. Next, the recording sheet P is conveyed to the transfer roller 10a at a timing when the registration roller 13 aligns the recording sheet P with the toner image on the intermediate transfer belt 61, and the toner image is transferred onto the recording sheet P by the transfer roller 10a. After that, the recording sheet P passes through the fixing roller 71 and the pressure roller 72 in the fixing device 7, and is discharged onto the discharge tray 14 via the conveying rollers 12a, 12a and the discharge roller 31. When an image is formed on the back side of the recording sheet P as well as the front side, the recording sheet P is conveyed in the opposite direction from the discharge roller 31 to the inverted sheet conveying path W2. The recording sheet P is inverted via the inverted conveying rollers 12b, 12b, and is guided again to the registration roller 13. Then, the recording sheet P is discharged toward the discharge tray 14 after a toner image is formed and fixed on the back side of the recording sheet P in the same manner as on the front side.

[0021] The developing devices 2BK, 2C, 2M, and 2Y develop the electrostatic latent images on the photoconductor drums 3-3 with a two-component developer mainly composed of toner and carrier. In this example, the developing devices 2BK, 2C, 2M, and 2Y are trickle development type developing devices. In the toner cartridges 15-15, carrier is mixed with toner at a fixed ratio. The developing devices 2BK, 2C, 2M, and 2Y supply toner from the toner cartridges 15-15 together with new carrier to the developing tanks 2a-2a, while discharging waste developer containing deteriorated carrier from the developing tanks 2a-2a to the powder recovery container 300.

[0022] The cleaning devices 4BK, 4C, 4M, and 4Y collect waste toner remaining on the photoconductor drums 3-3 without being transferred to the intermediate transfer belt 61 by the intermediate transfer rollers 65-65, and transport the waste toner to the powder recovery container 300. The cleaning device 4T collects waste toner remaining on the intermediate transfer belt 61 without being transferred to the recording sheet P by the transfer roller 10a of the secondary transfer device 10, and transports the waste toner to the powder recovery container 300.

[0023] That is, the developing devices 2BK, 2C, 2M, and 2Y and the cleaning devices 4BK, 4C, 4M, 4Y, and 4T function as powder discharging devices.

[0024] (Powder collection container) Next, the powder recovery container 300 according to this embodiment will be described in detail below with reference to FIGS.

[0025] Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the powder recovery container 300 shown in Fig. 2, viewed obliquely from above on the rear side. Fig. 4 is an exploded perspective view showing the powder recovery container 300 shown in Fig. 3 with the moving member 310 removed. Figs. 5A and 5B are a perspective view and a bottom view including a partial cross section, respectively, in a state where the discharge port 21a is not opened by the shutter member 211. Figs. 6A and 6B are a perspective view and a bottom view including a partial cross section, respectively, in a state where the discharge port 21a is opened by the shutter member 211. Note that the powder recovery container 300 is omitted from Figs. 5A and 6A.

[0026] Fig. 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA shown in Fig. 6B. Fig. 8A is a perspective view showing a cutaway part of the moving member 310 at a contact portion between the contacted part 211a in the powder discharge section (21) of the developing device 2C and the contact part 311 of the powder recovery container 300. Fig. 8B is a perspective view showing an enlarged α frame part shown in Fig. 8A. Figs. 8A and 8B show a configuration corresponding to the cyan developing device 2C, but the configurations corresponding to the other developing devices 2BK, 2M, and 2Y are the same, and the cyan developing device 2C is shown as a representative.

[0027] In the image forming apparatus 100, an image is formed (printed) in the image forming unit 102 using toner supplied from the toner cartridges 15-15, while powder (waste toner and / or waste developer, in this example, waste toner and waste developer) discharged from the image forming unit 102 is collected in a powder collection container 300.

[0028] The powder recovery container 300 is attached to the image forming apparatus 100 in the direction of the arrow in the figure (Y2 direction). More specifically, the powder recovery container 300 is provided on one side Y1 (the front side, operation side in this example) in the depth direction Y of the image forming apparatus main body 110, as shown in Fig. 2. Specifically, the powder recovery container 300 is removed from the image forming apparatus main body 110 to one side Y1 (the front side in this example) in the depth direction Y, and attached from the front side toward the other side Y2 (the rear side in this example) in the depth direction Y to be attached to the front of the image forming apparatus main body 110.

[0029] The powder recovery container 300 contains powder F (see FIG. 7) discharged from the image forming apparatus main body 110. More specifically, the powder recovery container 300 contains waste toner sent from the cleaning devices 4BK, 4C, 4M, 4Y, and 4T, and waste developer sent from the developing devices 2BK, 2C, 2M, and 2Y. The developing devices 2BK, 2C, 2M, and 2Y (an example of a powder discharging device) each include a powder discharging section (waste developer discharging section 21-21) from which the powder (waste developer) is discharged.

[0030] The powder recovery container 300 is provided with receiving openings 302-302 and 304-304 for the powder F. The receiving openings 302-302 are openings for receiving the waste developer sent from the developing devices 2BK, 2C, 2M, and 2Y, respectively. The receiving openings 302-302 are respectively connected to the discharge openings 21a of the developing devices 2BK, 2C, 2M, and 2Y when the powder recovery container 300 is attached to the image forming apparatus main body 110 (see FIG. 7). The receiving openings 304-304 are respectively openings for receiving the waste toner sent from the cleaning devices 4BK, 4C, 4M, 4Y, and 4T. The receiving openings 304-304 are respectively connected to the discharge openings of the cleaning devices 4BK, 4C, 4M, 4Y, and 4T when the powder recovery container 300 is attached to the image forming apparatus main body 110.

[0031] The powder recovery container 300 is provided with a waste developer recovery chamber 300a and a waste toner recovery chamber 300b as powder recovery chambers (see FIG. 7). The waste developer recovery chamber 300a is provided on the other side Y2 (the rear side in this example) in the depth direction Y. The waste developer recovery chamber 300a receives the waste developer sent from the developing devices 2BK, 2C, 2M, and 2Y through receiving ports 302-302. The waste toner recovery chamber 300b is provided on one side Y1 (the front side, the operation side in this example) in the depth direction Y. The waste toner recovery chamber 300b receives the waste toner sent from the cleaning devices 4BK, 4C, 4M, 4Y, and 4T through receiving ports 304-304.

[0032] In developing devices 2BK, 2C, 2M, and 2Y, before powder collection container 300 is attached to image forming apparatus main body 110, discharge port 21a of powder discharge section (21) is not opened (closed) by shutter member 211 biased by the biasing force of first biasing member 22 such as a coil spring, as shown in Figures 5A and 5B. On the other hand, when powder collection container 300 is attached to image forming apparatus main body 110, contacted portion 211a provided on shutter member 211 abuts against abutment portion 311 provided on moving member 310 of powder collection container 300, so that shutter member 211 moves to the opening side against the biasing force of first biasing member 22, as shown in Figures 6A, 6B, and 7. As a result, the powder F conveyed by the rotating conveying screw 23 (see FIG. 7) and discharged from the discharge port 21a falls into the waste developer recovery chamber 300a of the powder recovery container 300 through the receiving port 302 of the powder recovery container 300.

[0033] In detail, the shutter member 211 is provided to be movable between an open position and a closed position of the receiving port 302 in the attachment / detachment direction S (depth direction Y in this example) of the powder recovery container 300 relative to the powder discharge section (21). A contacted portion 211a that comes into contact with the contact portion 311 is provided on the contact portion 311 side of the moving member 310 of the shutter member 211. The first biasing member 22 is provided between the shutter member 211 and the powder discharge section (21) so as to bias the shutter member 211 toward the closed position.

[0034] The powder recovery container 300 according to this embodiment stores powder F discharged from the discharge port 21a of a powder discharge device (in this example, developing devices 2BK, 2C, 2M, 2Y) having a powder discharge section (21) provided with a shutter member 211 that opens and closes the discharge port 21a. The powder recovery container 300 includes a moving member 310. The moving member 310 is movable between a first position where the discharge port 21a of the powder discharge device (2BK, 2C, 2M, 2Y) is opened by contacting the shutter member 211, and a second position where the discharge port 21a of the powder discharge device (2BK, 2C, 2M, 2Y) is not opened by not contacting the shutter member 211.

[0035] According to this embodiment, when the moving member 310 (contact portion 311) is located at the first position, the discharge port 21a is opened by contacting the shutter member 211 (contacted portion 211a). When the moving member 310 (contact portion 311) is located at the second position, the discharge port 21a is not opened by not contacting the shutter member 211 (contacted portion 211a).

[0036] For example, when the image forming apparatus 100 is transported, the moving member 310 can be positioned at the second position. As a result, even if the powder recovery container 300 is attached to the image forming apparatus main body 110, the discharge port 21a is not opened by the shutter member 211. Therefore, even if the powder discharge device (2BK, 2C, 2M, 2Y) is subjected to vibration and / or impact during transportation, the powder F in the powder discharge device (2BK, 2C, 2M, 2Y) can be reliably prevented from flowing out of the discharge port 21a into the powder recovery container 300 through the gaps of the conveying member (conveying screw 23 that is not rotating) that is not in operation.

[0037] On the other hand, when the image forming apparatus 100 is installed, the movable member 310 can be positioned at the first position. At this time, the discharge port 21a is opened by the shutter member 211, so that the powder F conveyed by the operating conveying member (the rotating conveying screw 23) and discharged from the discharge port 21a with the shutter member 211 of the powder discharge section (21) open can be stored in the powder recovery container 300. Moreover, the discharge port 21a can be switched between an open state and a closed state by the simple operation of moving the movable member 310 to the second position or the first position, and therefore the workability of the operation performed to prevent the outflow of the powder F during transportation can be improved.

[0038] In this embodiment, the shutter member 211 is provided in the powder discharging section main body 201 so as to be movable in a predetermined opening and closing direction. The powder discharging section (21) is provided with a first biasing member 22 (see Figs. 5B and 6B) that biases the shutter member 211 toward the closing side. When the moving member 310 is located at the first position (see Figs. 5A, 5B, 8A, and 8B), it comes into contact with the shutter member 211 and moves the shutter member 211 toward the opening side against the biasing force of the first biasing member 22 toward the closing side of the shutter member 211. On the other hand, when the moving member 310 is located at the second position (see Fig. 10 described later), it does not come into contact with the shutter member 211 and maintains the closed state of the shutter member 211 by the first biasing member 22.

[0039] In this way, the shutter member 211, which is movably provided on the powder discharging portion main body 201, can be biased toward the closing side by the first biasing member 22. This makes it possible to easily realize a state in which the discharge port 21a is opened by contacting the shutter member 211 when the movable member 310 is located at the first position, and a state in which the discharge port 21a is not opened by not contacting the shutter member 211 when the movable member 310 is located at the second position.

[0040] However, if the movable member 310 moves to the second position after the image forming apparatus 100 is installed, the discharge port 21a will not open because it does not come into contact with the shutter member 211. In this case, the powder F cannot be discharged into the powder recovery container 300.

[0041] In this regard, the powder recovery container 300 according to this embodiment further includes a second biasing member 320 (see FIGS. 4, 8A, and 8B) that biases the moving member 310 toward the first position. The moving member 310 is provided in the powder recovery container body 301 so as to be movable in a predetermined moving direction M (in this example, the left-right direction X) while being biased toward the first position by the biasing force of the second biasing member 320.

[0042] In this way, the movable member 310 can be maintained in the first position by the biasing force of the second biasing member 320. Therefore, after the image forming apparatus 100 is installed, the movable member 310 can be effectively prevented from moving to the second position, and the discharge port 21a can be reliably opened by contacting the shutter member 211. This allows the powder F to be reliably discharged into the powder recovery container 300.

[0043] Specifically, the moving member 310 is provided with a plurality of through holes 310a, 310a (see Figs. 3, 4, 8A, and 8B) along the moving direction M through which the fixed member SC is inserted. The powder recovery container body 301 is provided with the fixed parts 3011, 3011 at both ends of the four fixed parts 3011, 3011 arranged in parallel in the moving direction M at the pitch of the through holes 310a, 310a. The fixed parts 3011, 3011 protrude from the powder recovery container body 301 to the image forming apparatus body 110 side. The moving member 310 is fixed to the fixed parts 3011, 3011 in a state in which the fixed parts 3011, 3011 at both ends of the powder recovery container body 301 are inserted into the through holes 310a, 310a. This allows the moving member 310 to reciprocate along the moving direction M relative to the powder recovery container body 301. In this example, the long through holes 310a, 310a have male screws SCa (see FIG. 4), and the fixing portions 3011, 3011 at both ends are provided with female screws 3011a (see FIG. 4) which screw into the male screws SCa of the long through holes 310a, 310a.

[0044] 8B, the end of the moving member 310 on the second position side M2 ​​in the moving direction M is provided with a contact portion 310b that contacts one end 321 of the second urging member 320 and a cover portion 310c that covers the second urging member 320. The powder collecting container body 301 is provided with a contact portion 301a that contacts the other end 322 of the second urging member 320. The contact portion 301a protrudes from the powder collecting container body 301 toward the image forming apparatus body 110. The contact portion 310b and the contact portion 301a have contact surfaces 310b1 and 301a1 that are aligned with both the up-down direction Z and the attachment / detachment direction S, respectively. The cover portion 310c also covers the contact portion 301a of the powder collecting container body 301. 8A and 8B, the cover portion 310c is shown cut away, but actually covers the second biasing member 320 and the contact portion 301a.

[0045] Incidentally, in the powder discharge section (21), when the movable member 310 located at the first position abuts against the shutter member 211 and moves the shutter member 211 to the opening side, it is desirable to reliably maintain the movable member 310 at the first position.

[0046] In this regard, in the present embodiment, as shown in Fig. 8B, the powder recovery container body 301 is provided with a regulating portion 305. The regulating portion 305 regulates the movement of the moving member 310 from the first position toward the second position in the moving direction M. The moving member 310 is provided with a regulated portion 312. The regulated portion 312 is releasably regulated by the regulating portion 305.

[0047] In this way, the restricting portion 305 of the powder collection container body 301 restricts the restricted portion 312 of the moving member 310, thereby reliably preventing the moving member 310 from moving to the second position, and therefore, when the restricted portion 312 of the moving member 310 located at the first position abuts against the restricting portion 305 of the powder collection container body 301 to move the moving member 310 to the open side, the moving member 310 can be reliably maintained at the first position. Also, the restricted portion 312 of the moving member 310 can release the restriction on the restricting portion 305 of the powder collection container body 301, and therefore, the moving member 310 can be moved to the second position when the image forming apparatus 100 is transported.

[0048] Specifically, the powder collecting container body 301 and the moving member 310 are made of a resin material. The moving member 310 is provided with a flexible swinging part 313. The swinging part 313 extends obliquely downward from the lower surface 310d of the moving member 310 at the end of the second position side M2 ​​in the moving direction M of the moving member 310 toward the second position side M2 ​​in the moving direction M. The swinging part 313 is flexible, and the base end side is supported by the moving member 310 in a cantilever manner, and the tip side is swingable in the vertical direction Z. The regulated part 312 is provided on the tip side of the swinging part 313. An operating part 313a operated by an operator is provided on the tip side of the swinging part 313 of the swinging part 313. The regulating part 305 protrudes from the powder collecting container body 301 toward the image forming apparatus body 110. The restricting portion 305 and the restricted portion 312 respectively have a restricting surface 305a and a restricted surface 312a along both the up-down direction Z and the attachment / detachment direction S. When the moving member 310 is located at the first position, the restricting surface 305a and the restricted surface 312a engage with each other.

[0049] In the powder recovery container 300 described above, when the moving member 310 is located at the first position, the operator grips the operating part 313a of the swinging part 313 and swings the operating part 313a upward. This releases the engagement between the regulated part 312 of the moving member 310 and the regulating part 305 of the powder recovery container body 301. This makes it possible to easily release the restriction of the regulated part 312 on the regulating part 305. This release operation allows the moving member 310 to move to the second position. In addition, when the operator releases the operating part 313a of the swinging part 313, the regulated part 312 returns to its original position.

[0050] In this embodiment, powder recovery container 300 is provided in image forming apparatus 100, and is detachably provided in image forming apparatus main body 110.

[0051] In this way, the powder discharge device having the powder discharge section (21) can be applied to trickle development type developing devices 2BK, 2C, 2M, 2Y and / or cleaning devices 4BK, 4C, 4M, 4Y, 4T (in this example, developing devices 2BK, 2C, 2M, 2Y).

[0052] In this embodiment, the powder discharge section is at least one of the waste toner discharge section 41 that discharges waste toner and the waste developer discharge section 21 that discharges waste developer (in this example, the waste developer discharge section 21), which can effectively prevent the waste toner and / or waste developer (in this example, the waste developer) from flowing out from the discharge port into the powder recovery container 300 due to vibration or impact during transportation, and can improve the workability of the work performed to avoid the flowing out of the waste toner and / or waste developer (in this example, the waste developer) during transportation.

[0053] In this embodiment, a plurality of waste toner discharge portions 41 and a plurality of waste developer discharge portions 21 are provided. When the moving member 310 is located at the first position, the moving member 310 comes into contact with all of the shutter members 211 in at least one of the plurality of waste toner discharge portions 41 and the plurality of waste developer discharge portions 21 (in this example, the plurality of waste developer discharge portions 21), thereby opening all of the discharge openings 21a. When the moving member 310 is located at the second position, the moving member 310 does not come into contact with all of the shutter members 211, thereby not opening any of the discharge openings 21a.

[0054] In this way, when the moving member 310 is located at the first position, the powder F discharged from all of the discharge ports 21a-21a in at least one of the waste toner discharge portions 41-41 of multiple colors and the waste developer discharge portions 21-21 of multiple colors (the multiple waste developer discharge portions 21-21 in this example) can be stored in the powder recovery container 300. In other words, the present invention can be applied to a color image forming apparatus (100) that uses toners and developers of multiple colors.

[0055] Second embodiment Figures 9A and 9B are perspective views showing a part of the moving member 310 in the first position and the second position in the powder recovery container 300 shown in Figure 3, respectively. Figure 10 is a perspective view showing the state in which the stopper member 330 is inserted into the through-hole 310e in the state shown in Figure 9B.

[0056] Incidentally, during transportation of the image forming apparatus 100, it is desirable to reliably maintain the movable member 310 in the second position.

[0057] In this regard, the present embodiment further includes a stopper member 330 (see Figs. 9B and 10) that is detachable from the powder recovery container body 301. The stopper member 330 restricts the movement of the moving member 310 to the first position due to the biasing force of the second biasing member 320 when attached to the powder recovery container body 301, while allowing the movement of the moving member 310 to the first position due to the biasing force of the second biasing member 320 when detached from the powder recovery container body 301.

[0058] In this way, when the stopper member 330 is attached to the powder recovery container body 301 by the operator, the stopper member 330 can reliably maintain the moving member 310 located at the second position at the second position. When the stopper member 330 is detached from the powder recovery container body 301 by the operator, the moving member 310 located at the second position can be moved to the first position by the biasing force of the second biasing member 320. At this time, in the case where the regulating portion 305 is provided on the powder recovery container body 301 and the regulated portion 312 is provided on the moving member 310 (see FIG. 8B) as in this embodiment, the regulated portion 312 of the moving member 310 can overcome the regulating portion 305 of the powder recovery container body 301 by the biasing force of the second biasing member 320. In this example, the regulated portion 312 has an inclined surface 312b (see FIG. 8B) that is inclined so as to become lower toward the first position side M1 in the moving direction M. In this configuration, when the moving member 310 located at the second position is moved to the first position by the biasing force of the second biasing member 320, the inclined surface 312b of the moving member 310 abuts against the regulating portion 305 of the powder recovery container body 301, and the swinging portion 313 elastically deforms in the opposite direction to the regulating portion 305. At this time, the regulated portion 312 climbs over the regulating portion 305, and the swinging portion 313 returns to its original position. Then, the regulated portion 312 is regulated by the regulating portion 305.

[0059] In this embodiment, the powder recovery container body 301 is provided with a protruding portion 306 protruding toward the moving member 310. The moving member 310 is provided with a through hole 310e that is adjacent to the first position side M1 in the moving direction M when the moving member 310 is located at the second position. The stopper member 330 is detachably inserted into the through hole 310e when the moving member 310 is located at the second position, and abuts against the protruding portion 306, thereby restricting the movement of the moving member 310 to the first position.

[0060] With this arrangement, when restricting the movement of the movable member 310 to the first position, the stopper member 330 can be easily inserted into the through hole 310e when the movable member 310 is located at the second position. Also, when allowing the movement of the movable member 310 to the first position, the stopper member 330 can be easily pulled out from the through hole 310e. This allows the stopper member 330 to be attached to and detached from the powder collection container body 301 by a simple operation by an operator.

[0061] Specifically, the through hole 310e of the moving member 310 is formed in a slit shape along the moving direction M. In the stopper member 330, an insertion piece 332 to be inserted into the through hole 310e is erected from the stopper member body 331 toward the powder recovery container body 301. The stopper member body 331 is formed in a plate shape along both the moving direction M and the up-down direction Z. The insertion piece 332 is formed in a plate shape along both the moving direction M and the attachment / detachment direction S. The stopper member body 331 and the insertion piece 332 are integrally formed. This makes it possible to minimize the space occupied by the stopper member body 331 when the insertion piece 332 is inserted into the through hole 310e. In addition, the size of the through hole 310e in the moving direction M is larger by a predetermined distance than the size of the insertion piece 332 in the moving direction M to such an extent that the insertion piece 332 can be smoothly inserted into the through hole 310e. This makes it possible to reliably maintain the moving member 310 at the second position when the insertion piece 332 is inserted into the through hole 310e.

[0062] Third embodiment FIG. 11 is a perspective view showing a state in which a sheet 340 is provided on a stopper member 330 inserted into a through hole 310e in the powder recovery container 300. As shown in FIG.

[0063] By the way, when installing the image forming apparatus 100, it is necessary to remove the stopper member 330, but it may be difficult for an operator to find the position of the stopper member 330.

[0064] In this regard, in the present embodiment, a long sheet 340 is provided on the stopper member 330. In this example, the long sheet 340 is adhered to the stopper member 330 by an adhesive member (specifically, a double-sided adhesive sheet).

[0065] With this arrangement, when installing the image forming apparatus 100, the sheet 340 can alert the operator to remove the stopper member 330 from the powder collecting container body 301.

[0066] Here, the color of the sheet 340 is a color that allows an operator to easily recognize that the stopper member 330 should be removed during installation, and in this example, is red. The length of the sheet can be such that it protrudes to the outside when the exterior powder recovery container 300 is attached to the image forming apparatus main body 110. Examples of the material of the sheet include paper and resin.

[0067] (Fourth embodiment) FIG. 12 is a perspective view showing the detected portion 314 of the moving member 310 of the powder recovery container 300 and a detection portion 350 that detects the detected portion 314. As shown in FIG.

[0068] Incidentally, if an operator forgets to place the movable member 310 in the first position after installing the image forming apparatus 100 and the movable member 310 remains in the second position, the image forming operation will be performed even though the discharge port 21a in the powder discharge section (21) is not opened by the shutter member 211. This will cause the powder F to become clogged in the powder discharge section (21), which in turn will cause the powder discharge devices (developing devices 2BK, 2C, 2M, 2Y) to become locked, which is an inconvenience.

[0069] In this regard, in the present embodiment, image forming apparatus 100 includes detection unit 350 that detects whether movable member 310 is located at the first position and / or the second position (in this example, the second position).

[0070] In this way, even if the operator forgets to position the movable member 310 at the first position, when the detection unit 350 detects that the movable member 310 is at the second position (and / or is not at the first position), the image forming apparatus 100 can notify the operator that the movable member 310 is at the second position and further prohibit the image forming operation. That is, the image forming apparatus 100 can be provided with a notification means for notifying the operator that the movable member 310 is at the second position when the detection unit 350 detects that the movable member 310 is at the second position (and / or is not at the first position), and further with a prohibition control means for prohibiting the image forming operation.

[0071] More specifically, the moving member 310 is provided with a detected portion 314 that is detected by the detection unit 350. The detection unit 350 is provided at a position in the image forming apparatus main body 110 corresponding to the detected portion 314 of the moving member 310. In this example, the detected portion 314 is provided at an end portion of the moving member 310 on the second position side in the moving direction M. The detection unit 350 detects the presence or absence of the detected portion 314. The detection unit 350 is an optical sensor that detects an optical change due to the presence or absence of the detected portion 314. In this example, the detection unit 350 includes a light emitting unit 351 and a light receiving unit 352. The detection unit 350 detects the presence or absence of the detected portion 314 between the light emitting unit 351 and the light receiving unit 352.

[0072] The detection unit 350 is electrically connected to an input system of the control unit 400 (see FIG. 1). The detection unit 350 transmits a first signal (ON signal) to the control unit 400 when the detected portion 314 is not present between the light-emitting unit 351 and the light-receiving unit 352. The detection unit 350 transmits a second signal (OFF signal) to the control unit 400 when the detected portion 314 is present between the light-emitting unit 351 and the light-receiving unit 352. This allows the control unit 400 to detect whether the moving member 310 is located at the first position and / or the second position (the second position in this example).

[0073] The control unit 400 includes a notification unit and a prohibition control unit. When the power is turned on and the image forming apparatus 100 starts up, and the detection unit 350 detects that the moving member 310 is located at the second position (and / or is not located at the first position), the notification unit performs an operation of displaying a message on a display screen of a display unit (not shown) provided on the image forming apparatus main body 110, and / or turning on an alarm light (LED), and / or emitting an alarm sound. Furthermore, when the detection unit 350 detects that the moving member 310 is located at the second position (and / or is not located at the first position), the prohibition control unit prohibits the image forming operation even if the user instructs the image forming operation.

[0074] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, but can be embodied in various other forms. Therefore, the embodiment is merely illustrative in all respects and should not be interpreted as being restrictive. The scope of the present invention is defined by the claims, and is not limited in any way by the text of the specification. Furthermore, all modifications and changes within the scope of the claims are within the scope of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0075] 100 Image forming device 110 Image forming apparatus main body 201 Powder discharge unit body 21 Waste developer discharge section 210a Contact part 211 Shutter parts 211a Abutted part 21a Outlet 22 First biasing member 23 Conveying screw 2BK developing device (powder discharge device) 2C Developing device (powder discharge device) 2M developing device (powder discharge device) 2Y developing device (powder discharge device) 2a Developer tank 300 Powder collection container 300a Waste developer collection room 300b Waste toner collection room 301 Powder collection container body 3011 Fixed part 3011a female screw 301a Contact part 302 Reception 304 Receiving entrance 305 Regulatory Department 305a Regulatory aspects 306 Protrusion 310 Moving parts 310a Through hole 310b Contact part 310b1 Contact surface 310c Cover part 310d bottom side 310e through hole 311 Contact part 312 Regulated part 312a Regulated surface 312b Slope 313 Swinging part 313a Control unit 314 Detected part 320 Second biasing member 321 One end 322 Other end 330 Stopper member 331 Stopper member body 332 Insertion piece 340 seats 350 Detection unit 351 Light-emitting part 352 Light receiving part 400 Control section 41 Waste toner discharge section 4BK Cleaning Equipment 4C Cleaning Equipment 4M Cleaning Equipment 4T Cleaning Equipment 4Y Cleaning Equipment F. Powder M Movement direction M1 1st position side M2 2nd position side S Removal direction SC Fixing material X Left / right direction Y Depth direction Y1 one side Y2 other side Z vertical direction

Claims

1. A powder recovery container for accommodating powder discharged from a discharge port of a powder discharge device having a powder discharge section provided with a shutter member for opening and closing the discharge port, a movable member movable between a first position where the discharge outlet of the powder discharge device is opened by contacting the shutter member and a second position where the discharge outlet of the powder discharge device is not opened by not contacting the shutter member; A second biasing member that biases the moving member toward the first position; Equipped with The powder recovery container is characterized in that the movable member is provided on the powder recovery container body so as to be freely movable in a predetermined movement direction while being biased toward the first position by the biasing force of the second biasing member.

2. 2. The powder recovery container according to claim 1, a restricting portion that restricts movement of the movable member from the first position toward the second position in the movement direction, The powder recovery container according to claim 1, wherein the movable member is provided with a regulated portion that is releasably regulated by the regulating portion.

3. The powder recovery container according to claim 1 or 2, A stopper member is further provided which is detachable from the powder recovery container body, A powder recovery container characterized in that, when attached to the powder recovery container body, the stopper member restricts the movement of the movable member to the first position due to the biasing force of the second biasing member, while, when detached from the powder recovery container body, the stopper member allows the movement of the movable member to the first position due to the biasing force of the second biasing member.

4. The powder recovery container according to claim 3, The powder recovery container body is provided with a protruding portion protruding toward the moving member, the movable member is provided with a through hole adjacent to the first position side in the moving direction when the movable member is located at the second position, A powder recovery container characterized in that the stopper member is removably inserted into the through hole when the movable member is located at the second position and abuts against the protrusion, thereby regulating the movement of the movable member to the first position.

5. The powder recovery container according to claim 3 or 4, A powder recovery container characterized in that a long sheet is provided on the stopper member.

6. A powder recovery container according to any one of claims 1 to 5, The powder recovery container, wherein the powder discharge section is at least one of a waste toner discharge section for discharging waste toner and a waste developer discharge section for discharging waste developer.

7. 7. The powder recovery container according to claim 6, a plurality of the waste toner discharge units and a plurality of the waste developer discharge units are provided; A powder recovery container characterized in that when the movable member is located at the first position, it abuts against all of the shutter members in at least one of the multiple waste toner discharge sections and the multiple waste developer discharge sections, thereby opening all of the discharge outlets, and when it is located at the second position, it does not abut against any of the shutter members, thereby not opening any of the discharge outlets.

8. A powder recovery container for accommodating powder discharged from a discharge port of a powder discharge device having a powder discharge section provided with a shutter member for opening and closing the discharge port, a movable member movable between a first position where the discharge port of the powder discharge device is opened by contacting the shutter member and a second position where the discharge port of the powder discharge device is not opened by not contacting the shutter member, the powder discharge section is at least one of a waste toner discharge section that discharges waste toner and a waste developer discharge section that discharges waste developer, a plurality of the waste toner discharge units and a plurality of the waste developer discharge units are provided; A powder recovery container characterized in that when the movable member is located at the first position, it abuts against all of the shutter members in at least one of the multiple waste toner discharge sections and the multiple waste developer discharge sections, thereby opening all of the discharge outlets, and when it is located at the second position, it does not abut against any of the shutter members, thereby not opening any of the discharge outlets.

9. A powder recovery container according to any one of claims 1 to 8, the shutter member is provided on the powder discharging portion body so as to be movable in a predetermined opening and closing direction, The powder discharge section is provided with a first biasing member that biases the shutter member in a closing direction, A powder recovery container characterized in that, when the movable member is located at the first position, it abuts against the shutter member and moves the shutter member toward the opening side against the biasing force of the first biasing member toward the closing side of the shutter member, and, when located at the second position, it does not abut against the shutter member and maintains the closed state of the shutter member by the first biasing member.

10. A powder recovery container according to any one of claims 1 to 9, A powder recovery container which is provided in an image forming apparatus having the powder discharge device and is detachably provided on a main body of the image forming apparatus.

11. 11. An image forming apparatus comprising the powder recovery container according to claim 1.

12. 12. The image forming apparatus according to claim 11, An image forming apparatus comprising: a detection unit that detects whether the movable member is located at the first position and / or the second position.

Images