Toner storage container and image forming apparatus equipped with the same

Abstract

To provide a toner storage container that can more effectively convey toner entering from a receiving port.SOLUTION: A second lever 82 reciprocating centered on a shaft 829 is inserted into an internal space 610 of a receiving part 61 of a toner storage container 50, and the second lever 82 is provided with three projections 101, 102, 103 that project downward. The projections 101, 102, 103 are provided with shaft parts 111, 112, 113 along an X-axis direction erected therefrom, and rotating members 151, 152, 153 formed in a gear shape having a tooth form on its peripheral surface are pivotally supported by the shaft parts 111, 112, 113. A reciprocating motion of the second lever 82 causes the projections 101-103 and the rotating members 151-153 to scrape off waste toner T passing through a receiving port 611 of the receiving part 61 and falling onto a bottom face 612.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a toner storage container that stores toner that is no longer used for image formation in an image forming apparatus or toner that is to be used in the future. [Background technology]

[0002] In an image forming device such as a printer that transfers a toner image formed on an image carrier such as a photosensitive drum or an intermediate transfer belt to a receiving body such as a recording sheet, it is common for the residual toner remaining on the image carrier to be removed using a cleaner or the like after the transfer, and the removed residual toner is stored in a toner storage container as waste toner.

[0003] Patent Document 1 discloses a configuration in which a toner storage container has a waste toner receiving port, in which waste toner enters through the receiving port and accumulates on the bottom surface of the container body, is scraped off by a scraping surface of a scraping member that reciprocates around a crankshaft, and sent to the rear of the container body. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 7-325521 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] Due to demands for miniaturization of image forming apparatuses, the installation space for a toner storage container inside the image forming apparatus is often restricted.

[0006] 13(a) is a schematic cross-sectional view illustrating a toner storage container 900 that is subject to space limitations. The toner storage container 900 has a shape in which a waste toner receiving portion 902 protrudes to the right from an upper portion of a side wall 908 of a container body 901, which has a larger internal space (toner storage space) than the waste toner receiving portion 902. The space indicated by a dashed line 910 on the right side of the side wall 908 is the space in which the size of the toner storage container 900 had to be reduced due to limitations in device miniaturization.

[0007] In a toner storage container 900 having such a shape, in order to prevent waste toner T that has fallen onto a bottom surface 904 of the receiving portion 902 from a receiving port 903 provided on the upper surface of the receiving portion 902 from accumulating on the bottom surface 904, it is necessary to scrape off the waste toner T on the bottom surface 904 and send it to the container body 901. As a member for scraping off this waste toner T, it is possible to use a structure similar to that of the scraping member in Patent Document 1, that is, a scraping member 905 that reciprocates around a crankshaft; however, since the internal space 906 of the receiving portion 902 becomes somewhat narrow, it is necessary to move the scraping member 905 within that structure.

[0008] 13B is a schematic diagram showing the movement trajectory of the lower end of the scraping surface 951 of the scraping member 905 by a dashed line 952. As the internal space 906 of the receiving portion 902 becomes narrower, the area of ​​the bottom surface portion 953 (filled in portion) that deviates from the movement trajectory on the bottom surface 904 tends to become larger. The scraping surface 951 cannot scrape off the waste toner T on the bottom surface portion 953, and the waste toner T remains on the bottom surface portion 953.

[0009] Fig. 13(c) is a schematic plan view taken along line PP in Fig. 13(a). As shown in Fig. 13(c), scraping member 905 is located between side walls 911 and 912 spaced apart in the width direction, and some of the waste toner T that has fallen from receiving opening 903 has accumulated in areas 957 and 958 between scraping member 905 and side wall 912. In particular, a large amount of waste toner T has accumulated in area 957 beside bottom portion 953.

[0010] In area 958, even if a small amount of waste toner T accumulates and forms a mountain, the mountain of waste toner T collapses and flows in the width direction, and if it enters the movement trajectory of scraping surface 951, it will be scraped off by scraping surface 951. On the other hand, in area 957, it collides with waste toner T accumulated on the bottom surface portion 953 beside it and cannot enter the movement trajectory of scraping surface 951, and gradually piles up.

[0011] When the amount of waste toner Ta accumulates over a long period of time and a mountain of waste toner Ta is formed, the waste toner Ta tends to become coagulated and solidified. If the sliding resistance between the side surface 955 of the scraping member 905 moving in the direction of arrow Q and the mountain of solidified waste toner Ta increases, this may hinder the smooth movement of the scraping member 905 and reduce the scraping performance.

[0012] Furthermore, when the height of the pile of waste toner Ta reaches the ceiling surface 907 (FIG. 13(a)) of the receiving section 902, the pile of waste toner Ta acts as a bridge between the bottom surface 904 and the ceiling surface 907. If the toner T newly entering through the receiving port 903 is further piled up on the pile of waste toner Ta, the pile of waste toner Ta grows, and eventually reaches the receiving port 903, which may partially block the receiving port 903 and impede the reception of the waste toner T.

[0013] In recent years, toners with low melting temperatures have been increasingly used for low-temperature fixing from the viewpoint of energy saving. Such low-temperature fixing toners tend to form lumps at lower temperatures than conventional normal toners, and therefore accumulated waste toner Ta tends to solidify.

[0014] Conventionally, there has been no device that is provided with a means for breaking up the waste toner accumulated on the bottom surface 904 of the receiving portion 902, and there is a demand for a more effective transport of the waste toner.

[0015] Although the above describes an example of a toner storage container that stores waste toner that is no longer used in image formation in an image forming apparatus, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, in an image forming apparatus that supplies new toner in a toner supply bottle to a developing unit through a toner hopper as toner to be used in image formation from now on, the same problem may occur even in a configuration in which the toner hopper has a receiving unit and a container body similar to those described above.

[0016] The present disclosure has been made in consideration of the above problems, and has an object to provide a toner storage container and an image forming apparatus that can more effectively transport toner that has entered through a receiving port. [Means for solving the problem]

[0017] In order to achieve the above-mentioned objective, the toner storage container disclosed herein is a toner storage container that stores in a container body toner that is no longer used for image formation in an image forming device or toner that is to be used in the future, and is characterized in that it comprises: a receiving section that is interposed between a toner discharge outlet already provided in the image forming device and the container body and receives through an receiving port the toner discharged from the toner discharge outlet, a scraping member that scrapes off toner that has fallen onto the bottom surface of the receiving section through the receiving port and sends it to the container body, and a rotating member that is axially supported on a shaft portion that stands upright from the scraping member in a direction intersecting the scraping direction of the scraping member.

[0018] The rotating member may be in the shape of a gear having teeth on its circumferential surface.

[0019] Furthermore, the rotating member may have a circular outer periphery.

[0020] The rotating member may rotate by friction with the toner when the rotating member comes into contact with the toner that has fallen onto the bottom surface of the receiving portion during the scraping operation of the scraping member.

[0021] Furthermore, the scraping member may have a protrusion on an edge facing the bottom surface of the receiving section, and a tip of the protrusion may scrape off the toner that has fallen onto the bottom surface of the receiving section.

[0022] Here, the convex portion may have a tip end formed in a curved shape that is convex toward the bottom surface of the receiving portion when the scraping member is viewed from the front.

[0023] The shaft portion may be provided on the protrusion.

[0024] Furthermore, the convex portion and the rotating member may have a relationship in which, in a direction toward the bottom surface of the receiving portion, the rotating member protrudes toward the bottom surface of the receiving portion further than the convex portion, or the rotating member and the convex portion are the same distance from the bottom surface of the receiving portion.

[0025] The container may also include a stirring and transporting member that stirs and transports the toner on the bottom surface of the container body by a rotational motion, and a motion conversion unit that converts the rotational motion of the stirring and transporting member into movement of the scraping member in the scraping direction.

[0026] Here, the motion conversion unit may be a crankshaft that rotates integrally with the stirring and transporting member on a circle of a predetermined rotation radius centered on the rotation axis of the stirring and transporting member, and the scraping member may perform a scraping action by reciprocating motion associated with the rotation of the crankshaft.

[0027] The receiving portion may be provided so as to protrude laterally from an upper portion of the side wall of the container body.

[0028] Furthermore, the device may include a drive unit that rotates the rotating member.

[0029] Here, the drive section may rotate the rotating member in a direction such that, when the rotating member hits the toner on the bottom surface of the receiving section, a force acts on the toner in the same direction as the scraping direction.

[0030] The toner that is no longer used for image formation may be waste toner discharged from the toner discharge port of the image forming apparatus, and the waste toner may be received from the receiving port.

[0031] The image forming apparatus according to the present disclosure is characterized in that the above-mentioned toner storage container can be attached thereto. Effect of the Invention

[0032] With the above configuration, when the rotating member supported on the shaft part of the scraping member hits the toner that has entered through the receiving port and accumulated on the bottom of the receiving part, the force in the rotational direction of the rotating member breaks it up, preventing the toner from accumulating on the bottom of the receiving part and reaching a height that would allow it to reach the receiving port. Furthermore, if a non-rotating fixed member is provided, for example, the force of the rotating member in the rotational direction acts on the toner accumulated on the bottom of the receiving part, so that the fixed member is unlikely to press the toner against the bottom of the container body from above and harden it. This makes it possible to more effectively transport the toner from the receiving part to the container body. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0033] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 illustrates a configuration of a printer according to an embodiment. [Diagram 2] 2 is an overall perspective view of a toner storage container removed from a printer body when viewed from the direction of arrow B shown in FIG. 1. [Diagram 3] 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line UU shown in FIG. 2. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line WW shown in FIG. [Diagram 5] 13 is a schematic diagram showing a state in which a second lever is oscillating due to a reciprocating motion. FIG. [Figure 6] FIG. 5 is a plan view taken along line DD shown in FIG. 4. [Figure 7]7A is a schematic exploded perspective view of the scraping unit and the rotating member as viewed from the direction of arrow H shown in FIG. 6, and FIG. 7B is a schematic side view of the scraping unit and the rotating member as viewed from the direction of arrow Xa shown in FIG. [Figure 8] 13 is a schematic diagram showing, by a broken line, a movement trajectory of the tip of a protrusion when the scraping portion reciprocates during a scraping operation. FIG. [Figure 9] 13A and 13B are schematic diagrams showing how a pile of waste toner accumulated on the bottom surface of a receiving section is broken down by a rotating member. [Figure 10] 13A and 13B are diagrams illustrating an example of the configuration of a rotating member according to a modified example. [Figure 11] 13A and 13B are schematic diagrams illustrating an example of a drive mechanism for a rotating member according to a modified example. [Figure 12] 13A and 13B are diagrams illustrating an example of the configuration of a toner hopper according to a modified example. [Figure 13] 1A to 1C are diagrams illustrating a configuration in which a conventional scraping member is applied to a toner storage container. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0034] Hereinafter, a toner storage container and an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described taking as an example a case in which the toner storage container and the image forming apparatus are applied to a color printer (hereinafter simply referred to as a "printer").

[0035] (1) Printer configuration 1 is a schematic front view illustrating the configuration of the printer 10. In this figure, the X-axis direction corresponds to the left-right direction when the printer 10 is viewed from the front, and the Y-axis direction corresponds to the up-down direction. The direction perpendicular to both the X-axis and the Y-axis is called the Z-axis direction (depth direction).

[0036] As shown in the figure, printer 10 is an electrophotographic image forming device equipped with an image forming unit 11, a paper feeding unit 12, a fixing unit 13, a toner storage container 50, etc., and is capable of executing a print job to print a color image on a recording sheet based on image data sent from an external terminal device (not shown) via a network (e.g., a LAN).

[0037] Color printing is performed by transferring and fixing toner images of yellow, magenta, cyan and black onto a recording sheet in a multi-layered manner. Hereinafter, the reproduced colors of yellow, magenta, cyan and black will be represented as Y, M, C and K, respectively.

[0038] The image forming unit 11 includes image forming units 20Y, 20M, 20C, and 20K corresponding to the respective colors Y to K, an intermediate transfer belt 21, and the like.

[0039] The image forming unit 20K includes a photoconductor drum 1 and, arranged around it, a charging unit 2, an exposure unit 3, a developing unit 4, a primary transfer roller 5, a cleaner 6 for cleaning the photoconductor drum 1, and forms a K-color toner image on the photoconductor drum 1 which is driven to rotate in the direction of arrow A. The rotation axis of the photoconductor drum 1 is parallel to the Z-axis direction.

[0040] The other image forming units 20Y, 20M, and 20C have the same configuration as the image forming unit 20K, and form toner images of the corresponding colors (Y, M, or C) on the photosensitive drum 1. Note that reference numerals are omitted for the image forming units 20Y to 20C.

[0041] The intermediate transfer belt 21 is an endless belt that is stretched around a driving roller 22 and a driven roller 23 and travels in a direction indicated by an arrow in the figure.

[0042] The paper feed section 12 includes a paper feed cassette 31 that stores sheets S, a feed roller 32, a transport roller pair 33, a timing roller pair 34, a secondary transfer roller 35, and the like.

[0043] The fixing unit 13 includes a fixing roller and a pressure roller which are pressed against each other, a heater for heating the fixing roller, and the like.

[0044] In this configuration, when the printer 10 receives an instruction to execute a print job, it acquires image data from an external terminal. Based on the acquired image data, it drives a light source such as a laser diode of the exposure unit 3 for each of the imaging units 20Y to 20K. This causes the light source of each exposure unit 3 to emit a light beam L, which exposes and scans the photosensitive drum 1.

[0045] Prior to this exposure scanning, the photoconductor drum 1 for each of the imaging units 20Y to 20K is uniformly charged by the charging unit 2, and an electrostatic latent image is formed on the photoconductor drum 1 by the exposure scanning of the light beam L. The formed electrostatic latent image is developed (visualized) by a developer containing toner contained in the corresponding developing unit 4, and a toner image is formed on the photoconductor drum 1.

[0046] For each of the image forming units 20Y to 20K, the toner image on the photoconductor drum 1 is primarily transferred onto the intermediate transfer belt 21 by electrostatic force acting between the photoconductor drum 1 and the primary transfer roller 5. At this time, the image forming operation for each color is performed with a shift in timing so that the toner images are transferred to the same position on the intermediate transfer belt 21 in a superimposed state. Note that residual toner remaining on the photoconductor drum 1 without being primarily transferred onto the intermediate transfer belt 21 is removed from the photoconductor drum 1 by the blade 6a of the cleaner 6. The removed residual toner is stored in the toner storage container 50 as toner that is no longer used for image formation (waste toner).

[0047] The color toner images transferred onto the intermediate transfer belt 21 in multiple layers are moved to a secondary transfer position 351, which is a contact position between the secondary transfer roller 35 and the intermediate transfer belt 21, as the intermediate transfer belt 21 rotates.

[0048] In synchronization with the timing of the image forming operation, one recording sheet S, which has been fed out by a feed roller 32 from a paper feed cassette 31, is conveyed from the paper feed section 12 along a conveying path 37 via a conveying roller pair 33 and a timing roller pair 34. When this recording sheet S passes between the circulating intermediate transfer belt 21 and secondary transfer roller 35, the respective color toner images on the intermediate transfer belt 21 are secondarily transferred collectively onto the recording sheet S at a secondary transfer position 351 due to the action of the electrostatic force of the secondary transfer roller 35.

[0049] The recording sheet S that has passed the secondary transfer position 351 is transported to the fixing section 13, and as it passes through the fixing section 13, the toner image on the recording sheet S is heated and pressed to be fixed, and then the recording sheet S is discharged via a pair of discharge rollers 36 and stored in a storage tray 38.

[0050] Residual toner remaining on the intermediate transfer belt 21 without being secondarily transferred to the recording sheet S at the secondary transfer position 351 is removed from the intermediate transfer belt 21 by a blade 241 of a cleaner 24 disposed around the intermediate transfer belt 21. The removed residual toner is stored in a toner storage container 50 as waste toner.

[0051] The toner storage container 50 is located closer to the front of the device than the imaging units 20Y to 20K, the intermediate transfer belt 21, and the cleaner 24, and is detachably attached to the device housing (main body) 28. An openable front cover (not shown) is disposed further to the front of the device than the toner storage container 50 attached to the device main body 28, and when the user opens the front cover, the toner storage container 50 is visible to the user.

[0052] The user can replace the toner storage container 50 by opening the front cover, removing the currently installed toner storage container 50 from the device body 28, and installing a new empty toner storage container 50 in the device body 28.

[0053] (2) Overall structure of toner container 2 is an overall perspective view of the toner storage container 50 removed from the apparatus main body 28 when viewed from the direction of the arrow B shown in FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line UU shown in FIG.

[0054] 2 and 3, toner storage container 50 has front plate 51, rear plate 52, side plates 53 and 54 connected to the left and right ends thereof, and top plate 55 and bottom plate 56 connected to the top and bottom ends thereof, and a space 59 surrounded by these plate surfaces forms the internal space of container body 58. Of the front plate 51 to bottom plate 56, top plate 55 can be considered as a ceiling wall, bottom plate 56 as a bottom wall, and the other plates as side walls.

[0055] The plates from the front plate 51 to the bottom plate 56 form the exterior of the toner storage container 50, and the housing formed by connecting these plates forms the container body 58. The container body 58 is made of resin, such as ABS (a copolymer synthetic resin of acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene) or PS (polystyrene), but other materials may also be used.

[0056] On the upper surface of the top plate 55, five waste toner receiving sections 61 to 65 are provided, spaced apart from each other along the X-axis direction. The waste toner receiving section 61 has a receiving opening 611 that receives waste toner discharged from the toner discharge opening 242 (FIG. 1) of the cleaner 24. The receiving opening 611 communicates with the internal space 59 of the container body 58 through an internal space 610 (FIG. 3) of the waste toner receiving section 61. It can be said that the waste toner receiving section 61 is interposed between the toner discharge opening 242 already provided in the image forming apparatus and the container body 58.

[0057] The waste toner receiving unit 62 has a receiving opening 621 that receives the waste toner discharged from a toner discharge opening (not shown) of the cleaner 6 of the Y-color imaging unit 20Y. The receiving opening 621 communicates with the internal space 59 of the container body 58 through an internal space 620 of the waste toner receiving unit 62.

[0058] Similarly, the waste toner receiving sections 63, 64, 65 have receiving openings 631, 641, 651 for receiving waste toner discharged from toner discharge openings (not shown) of the cleaners 6 of the M, C, K imaging sections 20M, 20C, 20K. The receiving openings 631, 641, 651 communicate with the internal space 59 of the container body 58 through the internal spaces 630, 640, 650 of the waste toner receiving sections 63, 64, 65. This allows the waste toner entering from the receiving openings 611-651 to be stored in the container body 58.

[0059] As shown in FIG. 3, within container body 58, there are provided a stirring and transporting member 70 for stirring and transporting waste toner accumulated on bottom surface 560 of container body 58, a scraping section 80 for scraping off waste toner adhering to bottom surface 612 (FIG. 4) of receiving section 61, and a waste toner stacking section 90 used to detect whether the waste toner tank is full.

[0060] The agitating and conveying member 70 is disposed above the bottom surface 560, and includes a shaft body 71 that is long in the X-axis direction, a screw member 72 provided on the shaft body 71, and agitating members 73, 74, 75, and 76. The screw member 72 is provided around the shaft body 71 along the rotation axis of the shaft body 71. Each of the agitating members 73 to 76 is fixedly provided so as to protrude from the shaft body 71 in a direction perpendicular to the rotation axis of the shaft body 71.

[0061] One end 711 of the shaft 71 protrudes to the outside of the container body 58 via a bearing 712 provided on the side plate 53, and a gear 713 is attached to the protruding portion. The other end 716 of the shaft 71 is supported by a bearing 714 provided on the side plate 54.

[0062] A crankshaft 715 is provided in the shaft body 71 between the stirring member 76 and the other end 716 in the X-axis direction. The crankshaft 715 is a shaft that rotates integrally with the stirring and conveying member 70 on a circle of a predetermined rotation radius about the rotation axis of the shaft body 71.

[0063] In this configuration, when the driving force of the drive motor 19 (FIG. 1) provided in the apparatus body 28 is transmitted to the gear 713 shown in FIG. 3 and rotates in a fixed direction, the rotation of the gear 713 rotates the stirring and conveying member 70, that is, the screw member 72, the stirring members 73-76, and the crank shaft 715 rotate integrally with the shaft body 71 in the same direction as the gear 713. The drive motor 19 is rotationally driven, for example, during execution of a print job.

[0064] By the rotation of the screw member 72, of the waste toner T accumulated on the bottom surface 560 of the container body 58, the waste toner T existing on the side closer to the gear 713 than the waste toner stacking section 90 is transported in a direction approaching the waste toner stacking section 90. In addition, by the rotation of the stirring members 73-76, the waste toner T accumulated on the bottom surface 560 of the container body 58 is stirred, and is prevented from becoming lumpy or solidified.

[0065] When the amount of waste toner T stored in the container body 58 reaches a predetermined amount, the waste toner stacking section 90 receives a part of the liquid surface of the waste toner T from an opening 92 at the upper end of a cylindrical storage section 91 and stores it in the storage section 91. When the volume of the waste toner T in the storage section 91 reaches a certain level or more, a known optical detection sensor (not shown) provided on the device body 28 side detects this, thereby detecting that the toner storage container 50 is full of waste toner T.

[0066] (3) Configuration of scraping section The scraping part 80 has a first lever 81 made of a long flat plate connected to the crank shaft 715, and a second lever 82 (scraping member) made of a long flat plate connected to the first lever 81 and inserted into the internal space 610 between the side walls 615, 616 arranged at an interval in the X-axis direction of the receiving part 61, these constituting a reciprocating slider crank mechanism. The first lever 81 and the second lever 82 are made of resin, such as PC (polycarbonate) or PS, but other materials may be used.

[0067] Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line WW in Fig. 3, and shows the configuration of scraping unit 80. In Fig. 4, the X-axis direction (perpendicular to the paper) corresponds to the thickness direction of plate-like first lever 81 and second lever 82, and the inner surface (substantially flat) of side panel 54 is substantially parallel to main surface 810 of first lever 81 and main surface 820 of second lever 82. Furthermore, pins 541 and 542 are arranged on the inner surface of side panel 54, protruding in the X-axis direction, i.e., toward internal space 59 of container body 58.

[0068] As shown in FIG. 4, the receiving portion 61 of the toner storage container 50 protrudes laterally (here, in the direction of the arrow Z) from the upper portion of the side wall 52 of the container body 58, which has a larger waste toner storage space (internal space) than the receiving portion 61.

[0069] The receiving port 611 of the receiving portion 61 is provided on an upper surface 619 of the receiving portion 61, and a bottom surface (receiving portion bottom surface) 612 of the receiving portion 61 is provided directly below the receiving port 611, and the receiving portion bottom surface 612 is an inclined surface that slopes toward the bottom surface 560 of the container body 58. Hereinafter, the receiving portion bottom surface 612 will be abbreviated to bottom surface 612.

[0070] The waste toner T that enters the internal space 610 of the receiving section 61 through the receiving port 611 falls under its own weight onto the bottom surface 612. The bottom surface 612 is an inclined surface that slopes toward the bottom surface 560 of the container body 58, so if all of the waste toner T that has fallen to the bottom surface 612 through the receiving port 611 rolls under its own weight on the inclined bottom surface 612 and falls onto the bottom surface 560 of the container body 58, the waste toner T will not accumulate on the bottom surface 612; however, in reality, the waste toner T may remain attached to the bottom surface 612 and gradually accumulate thereon.

[0071] Therefore, a scraping portion 80 is provided for forcibly scraping off the waste toner T adhering to the bottom surface 612 and sending it to the bottom surface 560 of the container body 58.

[0072] One longitudinal end (lower end) 811 of a first lever 81 of the scraping unit 80 is rotatably connected to the crankshaft 715. The other longitudinal end (upper end) 812 of the first lever 81 is provided with a circular hole 813 penetrating in the thickness direction, and a pin 829 protruding in the X-axis direction from one longitudinal end (base end) 821 of the second lever 82 is fitted into this hole 813 so as to be rotatable in the direction of the arrow N.

[0073] An elongated hole 815 is formed in the first lever 81 at approximately the center in the longitudinal direction, penetrating in the thickness direction, and a pin 541 erected on the side plate 54 is fitted into the elongated hole 815. Similarly, an elongated hole 825 is formed in the second lever 82 at approximately the center in the longitudinal direction, penetrating in the thickness direction, and a pin 542 erected on the side plate 54 is fitted into the elongated hole 825.

[0074] The other end (tip) 822 of second lever 82 in the longitudinal direction enters into space 610 between receiving opening 611 and bottom surface 612 located immediately below it. Three protrusions 101, 102, 103 are provided on tip 822 of second lever 82, and corresponding rotation members 151, 152, 153 are provided on protrusions 101, 102, 103. The configurations of protrusions 101-103 and rotation members 151-153 will be described later.

[0075] When the crankshaft 715 rotates integrally with the stirring and conveying member 70, the first lever 81 connected to the crankshaft 715 swings up and down within the range in which it can move in the length direction of the long hole 815 relative to the pin 541, while the second lever 82 rotatably connected to the first lever 81 also swings left and right within the range in which it can move in the length direction of the long hole 825 relative to the pin 542.

[0076] FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing the second lever 82 swinging due to a reciprocating motion.

[0077] As shown in the figure, during one rotation of the crankshaft 715, the second lever 82 performs one reciprocating motion, descending in the direction of arrow 831 toward the bottom surface 612 from a first position indicated by a dotted line, through an intermediate position indicated by a dashed line, to a second position indicated by a solid line, while moving in the direction of arrow 832 (scraping direction) on the bottom surface 612, and then ascending in the direction of arrow 833 to return to the first position indicated by the dotted line.

[0078] During this one reciprocation, as the second lever 82 moves in the scraping direction, which is the direction of the arrow 832, on the bottom surface 612, the waste toner T that has fallen onto the bottom surface 612 is scraped off by the convex portions 101-103 and the rotating members 151-153, and is caused to fall along the slope of the bottom surface 612 and is sent to the bottom surface 560 of the container body 58.

[0079] The dimensions of each member of the scraping unit 80, such as the first lever 81, the second lever 82, the long holes 815, 825, etc., are determined in advance so that the second lever 82 performs the above-mentioned reciprocating motion in accordance with the rotation of the crankshaft 715. In this sense, the crankshaft 715 constitutes a motion conversion unit that converts the rotational motion of the stirring and conveying member 70 into reciprocating slider movement of the scraping member (second lever 82) during scraping. Note that the motion conversion unit is not limited to a configuration using a crankshaft as long as it is possible to perform reciprocating motion of the scraping member, and other configurations may be used.

[0080] 6 is a plan view taken along the line DD in FIG. 4, FIG. 7(a) is a schematic exploded oblique view of the convex portions 101-103 and the rotating members 151-153 as viewed from the direction of the arrow H in FIG. 6, and FIG. 7(b) is a schematic side view of the convex portion 101 and the rotating member 151 as viewed from the direction of the arrow Xa in FIG. 7(a).

[0081] As shown in Figures 6, 7(a) and (b), the second lever 82 has three protrusions 101, 102 and 103 that protrude downward (towards the bottom surface 612) from an edge 100 facing the bottom surface 612 and are arranged at intervals from each other in the Z-axis direction.

[0082] The lower ends (tips) 121, 122, 123 of the protrusions 101 to 103 are curved downwardly, in a circular arc shape here, when viewed from the front in the direction of the arrow Xa. Note that the shape of the tips 121 to 123 of the protrusions 101 to 103 is not limited to a curved shape, and the contour shape of the tip may be, for example, U-shaped, V-shaped, rectangular, etc.

[0083] Shafts 111, 112, 113 are provided along the X-axis direction on side surfaces 131, 132, 133 of protrusions 101, 102, 103. Here, side surfaces 131 to 133 can be said to be surfaces facing side wall 616.

[0084] The upright positions of the shafts 111-113 on the side surfaces 131-133 are equal to the positions corresponding to the centers of the arcs of the arc-shaped tips 121-123 of the convex portions 101-103. The convex portions 101-103 and the shafts 111-113 may be integrally molded from resin or metal, or the shafts may be attached to the convex portions by adhesion or welding. The shafts 111-113 may have elasticity such that they bend when a certain amount of force is applied in a direction perpendicular to the axial direction. The side surfaces 131-133 of the convex portions 101-103 are parallel to the YZ plane (vertical plane), and the shafts 111-113 are upright in a direction intersecting the scraping direction (the direction of the arrow 832 shown in FIG. 5), that is, in the example of FIG. 7(a), in a direction perpendicular to the side surfaces 131-133 (90°).

[0085] The shafts 111-113 are not limited to being provided on the protruding portions 101-103, and may be provided upright in an area above the edge 100. The angle of the axial direction of the shafts 111-113 with respect to the scraping direction is not limited to 90°, and may be an angle smaller than 90°, for example, an angle in the range of 60° to 90°, as long as the angle allows the rotating members 151-153 described below to effectively break up the piles of waste toner T.

[0086] The rotating members (rotating bodies) 151-153 are formed in a gear shape with teeth on the circumferential surface, and the shafts 111, 112, 113 are fitted into through holes 161, 162, 163 in the X-axis direction drilled at the center of the rotating members 151-153. The diameters of the through holes 161, 162, 163 are slightly larger than the diameters of the shafts 111, 112, 113, so that the rotating members 151-153 are rotatably supported by the shafts 111-113. The rotating members 151-153 are formed of the same size, shape, and material, such as ABS or iron, but may be different in shape, size, and material. Here, the rotating members 151-153 and the arcs of the tips 121-123 of the arc-shaped convex portions 101-103 are concentric circles.

[0087] The outer diameter of the rotating member 151, that is, the diameter of a tooth tip circle 157 (FIG. 7(b)) centered on the shaft portion 111 and passing through the tooth tips 156 of each tooth 155 of the rotating member 151, is slightly larger than the diameter of the arc of the tip 121 of the convex portion 101. The difference in diameter is, for example, about 0.5 to 1 mm. As a result, when the rotating member 151 comes into contact with the bottom surface 612 as shown in FIG. 5, the tip 121 of the convex portion 101 is slightly lifted from the bottom surface 612. In other words, the convex portion 101 and the rotating member 151 have a relationship in which the rotating member 151 protrudes slightly toward the bottom surface 612 compared to the convex portion 101 in the direction toward the bottom surface 612 (the rotating member 151 is closer to the bottom surface 612 than the convex portion 101).

[0088] The relationship between the outer diameters is not limited to the above. For example, the diameter of the arc of tip 121 of convex portion 101 and the outer diameter of rotating member 151 may be the same, or the outer diameter of rotating member 151 may be smaller than the diameter of the arc of tip 121 of convex portion 101. In other words, the rotating member 151 and convex portion 101 may be at the same distance from bottom surface 612, or the convex portion 101 may protrude closer to bottom surface 612 than the rotating member 151.

[0089] It is sufficient if the size relationship allows convex portion 101 to efficiently scrape off waste toner T and rotating member 151 to efficiently break up piles of waste toner T. For example, if rotating member 151 mainly breaks up piles of waste toner T and convex portion 101 mainly transports the scraped (or broken) waste toner T, then in a configuration in which piles of waste toner T are likely to form, rotating member 151 can be made larger, and in a configuration in which it takes time for piles of waste toner T to grow, convex portion 101 can be made larger to improve the transportability of waste toner T. The same applies to convex portions 102 and 103 and rotating members 152 and 153.

[0090] FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram showing, by broken lines, the movement trajectories of the tips 121-123 and end portion 822 of the convex portions 101-103 when the convex portions 101-103 reciprocate in a scraping operation, and the rotating members 151-153 are not shown.

[0091] During the scraping operation, the tips 121-123 of the convex portions 101-103 move along a movement trajectory in the scraping direction indicated by the arrow G direction (corresponding to the arrow 832 shown in Figure 5), thereby scraping off the waste toner T that has fallen onto the bottom surface 612 and falls within the range of the movement trajectory of the convex portions 101-103 and sending it to the container body 58.

[0092] On the other hand, as described above in the section "Problems to be Solved by the Invention," waste toner T may remain attached to area 253 (corresponding to bottom surface portion 953 in FIG. 13(b)) that is out of the movement trajectory on bottom surface 612 of receiving unit 61. Even if waste toner T accumulates on area 253, when the top of the waste toner T enters the movement trajectory of the convex portion, it is scraped off by the convex portion, so that waste toner T does not pile up any more like a mountain on area 253.

[0093] The waste toner T on the bottom surface 612 is scraped by the convex portions 101 to 103 and gradually transported on the bottom surface 612 from the upstream side to the downstream side in the direction of the arrow G (scraping direction). Therefore, when the waste toner T scraped off in the region 259 enters the neighboring region 253 on the downstream side in the direction of the arrow G, the waste toner T accumulated on the region 253 at that time is pushed by the waste toner T entering the region 253 from the region 259 and is divided into some that moves downstream from the region 253 and some that moves in the X-axis direction (corresponding to the width direction in FIG. 13(c)).

[0094] When the waste toner T moves little by little in the X-axis direction on the region 253, it eventually reaches the region 255 between the second lever 82 and the side wall 616 on the bottom surface 612 shown in FIG. 6. In addition, a part of the waste toner T that hits the lower ends 122, 122 of the convex parts 102, 103 may escape in the X-axis direction and reach the region 255. Furthermore, the waste toner T that enters from the receiving port 611 may accumulate on the region 255, or may accumulate in the regions 258, 258 adjacent to the region 255 between the second lever 82 and the side wall 616. The waste toner T that has accumulated in the regions 255, 258 in this way is broken down and stirred by the rotating members 151 to 153 located in the space between the second lever 82 and the side wall 616 before it piles up or hardens into a large mountain shape.

[0095] (4) Agitation of waste toner by rotating parts 9A and 9B are schematic diagrams showing how the pile of waste toner T accumulated on the area 255 of the bottom surface 612 is broken up by the rotating member 152. FIG.

[0096] As shown in FIG. 9(a), the rotating member 152 descends in the direction of arrow I toward the area 255 of the bottom surface 612, and when the teeth 155 of the rotating member 152 come into contact with the pile of waste toner T, as shown in FIG. 9(b), the rotating member 152 rotates in the direction of arrow J around the shaft 112 due to the frictional force with the waste toner T while sliding in the direction of arrow G (scraping direction).

[0097] Tooth tips 156 of teeth 155 of rotating member 152 bite into the pile of waste toner T, breaking up the pile of waste toner T, while as rotating member 152 rotates in the direction of arrow J, the force with which rotating member 152 tries to press down on the pile of waste toner T from above is dispersed in the rotational direction and the rotational force Pf acts on the waste toner T, causing some of the waste toner T to be scattered (stirred) upstream of rotating member 152 in the scraping direction (to the right side in the figure), thereby breaking up the pile of waste toner T.

[0098] When the scattered waste toner T enters the movement path of the convex portions 101 to 103, it is scraped off by the convex portions 101 to 103. The other rotating members 151 and 153 also agitate the waste toner T on the bottom surface 612 by the same rotational operation as the rotating member 152.

[0099] As a result, even if waste toner T attempts to accumulate in areas on the bottom surface 612 of the receiving section 61 that cannot be scraped off by the convex portions 101-103, it is stirred by the rotating members 151-153, thereby preventing the waste toner T from gradually growing larger or becoming stuck, as was the case in the past, which would cause problems in transporting the waste toner.

[0100] <Modification> While the present disclosure has been described above based on the embodiments, it goes without saying that the present disclosure is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and the following modified examples are possible.

[0101] (1) In the above embodiment, the rotating members 151 to 153 as the rotating bodies for breaking up the pile of waste toner T are gear-shaped, but this is not limited thereto. For example, as shown in FIG. 10, a cylindrical or columnar rotating body 159 that can rotate freely on the shaft portion 111 erected on the protruding portion 101, that is, a rotating body with a circular outer periphery, can be used. In the cylindrical or columnar configuration, since there are no teeth 155 on the outer periphery, it is not possible to make the tooth tips 156 bite into the pile of waste toner T to make it easier to break it up, but it is still a rotating body. When the peripheral surface 158 of this cylindrical or columnar rotating body hits the waste toner T on the bottom surface 612, it rotates in the direction of the arrow J as shown in FIG. 9(b), so that a force Pf in the rotation direction can be applied to the waste toner T, and the pile of waste toner T can be broken up.

[0102] (2) In the above embodiment, the receiving unit 61 has three protruding portions 101-103 for scraping off the waste toner T on the bottom surface 612, and a total of three rotating members 151-153 corresponding to the three protruding portions are provided as stirring members for the waste toner T. However, the number is not limited to this. Depending on the device configuration, the number of each of the protruding portion and the rotating members may be one, or two or more.

[0103] (3) In the above embodiment, the rotating members 151-153 rotatably supported on the shafts 111-113 erected on the convex portions 101-103 move integrally with the convex portions 101-103 in the scraping direction, and when they hit the waste toner T on the bottom surface 612, they rotate due to friction with the waste toner T. However, this is not limited to the above. For example, it is also possible to provide a separate drive unit that imparts a rotational drive force to at least one of the three rotating members 151-153, and to forcibly drive the rotating member to rotate using the drive force.

[0104] FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram showing a configuration example of a drive unit for a rotating member.

[0105] As shown in the figure, the driving section 450 of the rotating member has an ultra-compact motor 451 attached to the side surface 105 of the second lever 82, a worm shaft 453 is connected to a rotating shaft 452 of the motor 451, and one rotating member 553 is formed into a worm wheel shape that meshes with the worm shaft 453. This rotating member 553 corresponds to the rotating member 153 described above.

[0106] When the rotating shaft 452 of the motor 451 rotates, the worm shaft 453 rotates integrally with the rotating shaft 452 in the same direction, and the rotational force of the worm shaft 453 is transmitted to a rotating member 553, which is a worm wheel, so that the rotating member 553 is rotated in the direction of the arrow J. Power is supplied to the motor 451 by running a lead wire (not shown) along the side wall of the container body 58 with a sufficient length so as not to affect the scraping operation, and leading the tip of the lead wire out of a through hole (not shown) provided in the container body 58 and connecting it to a power supply unit (not shown) provided in the device body 28. Power is supplied from the power supply unit to the motor 451 when, for example, a print job is executed, and is terminated when the job is completed.

[0107] In the above, one rotating member 553 is rotationally driven, but one or both of the other two rotating members 151 and 152 may also be rotationally driven. This can be achieved by further extending the worm shaft 453 shown in FIG. 11 in the Z-axis direction.

[0108] In the above description, the rotating member 553 is rotated in the direction of the arrow J. Alternatively, the rotation direction of the motor 451 may be set to rotate in the direction of the arrow Ja (broken line) opposite to the direction of the arrow J. The direction of the arrow Ja corresponds to the same direction as the scraping direction of the convex portion 103 on the bottom surface 612, that is, the direction approaching the container body 58. Therefore, when the teeth 555 of the rotating member 553 hit the waste toner T on the bottom surface 612, a force in the same direction as the scraping direction acts on the waste toner T, and the waste toner T to which the force is applied moves in the same direction as the convex portion 103, making it easier to be stored in the container body 58.

[0109] The drive unit is not limited to the above-described configuration having a worm shaft and a worm wheel, and other configurations may be used as long as they are capable of rotating a rotating member.

[0110] (4) In the above embodiment, a configuration example in which the receiving portion 61 is provided so as to protrude laterally from the upper portion of the side wall 52 of the container body 58 has been described, but this is not limited to this. For example, the scraping portion 80 described above can also be applied to a configuration in which the receiving portion 61 protrudes laterally from the middle portion of the side wall 52 of the container body 58.

[0111] (5) In the above embodiment, an example of the toner storage container 50 that stores waste toner that is no longer used in image formation has been described, but the present disclosure is not limited to this. For example, the technology of the present disclosure can also be applied to a toner hopper that supplies replenishment toner to the developing unit 4. The replenishment toner is consumed for image formation in the developing unit 4, and can therefore be said to be toner that is to be used for image formation in the future.

[0112] 12 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of the toner hopper 40. As shown in the figure, the toner hopper 40 is disposed above the developing unit 4, and has a container body 401 and a receiving portion 402 extending from the upper portion of the container body 401 to the right.

[0113] An upper surface of the receiving portion 402 is provided with a receiving port 403, which communicates with a toner discharge port 411 of a toner supply bottle 41 that contains replenishment toner Tb. This toner discharge port 411 is also a discharge port already provided in the image forming apparatus.

[0114] A supply screw 404 for supplying replenishment toner Tb to the developing unit 4 is provided at the bottom of the container body 401 .

[0115] The toner hopper 40 accumulates a certain amount of toner Tb in the container body 401 by replenishing toner Tb from the toner replenishing bottle 41, and when the amount of toner in the developing unit 4 decreases, it performs known toner replenishing control to supply the toner Tb in the container body 401 to the developing unit 4.

[0116] That is, when a sensor or the like detects that the amount of toner in the developing unit 4 is less than a specified value, the supply screw 404 is driven to supply toner Tb from the toner hopper 40 to the developing unit 4. When the amount of toner in the developing unit 4 reaches the specified value, the drive of the supply screw 404 is stopped, and toner supply is stopped.

[0117] When the amount of toner Tb in the container body 401 becomes less than a predetermined amount due to the supply of toner Tb from the toner hopper 40 to the developing unit 4, a supply screw (not shown) in the toner supply bottle 41 supplies the remaining amount of toner Tb in the toner supply bottle 41 to the container body 401 through the discharge outlet 411 and the receiving port 403 of the receiving unit 402.

[0118] By applying scraping unit 480 similar to scraping unit 80 described above to toner hopper 40 configured as above and providing a mechanism for converting the rotational driving force of supply screw 404 into reciprocating motion of second lever 82 via a crankshaft similar to crankshaft 715 described above, it is possible to scrape off toner Tb on bottom surface 421 of receiving portion 402. This makes it possible to prevent toner Tb from accumulating on bottom surface 421, causing a mountain of accumulated toner Tb to rise up to receiving port 403 and interfere with the reception of toner Tb from toner supply bottle 41 through receiving port 403.

[0119] (6) In the above embodiment, an example of a toner storage container that stores waste toner cleaned by the cleaners 6 and 24 as waste toner that is no longer used for image formation has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, in a trickle development method, specifically a development method in which a small amount of replenishment developer containing toner is replenished little by little from a resupply port of a housing that contains developer in a development unit, and a portion of the developer containing toner that becomes excessive as a result of the replenishment is discharged to the outside of the housing from a discharge port of the housing, the developer discharged from the development unit can be regarded as waste toner, and the toner storage container can be configured to store this waste toner.

[0120] (7) In the above embodiment, a configuration example has been described in which the rotational driving force of the stirring and conveying member 70 is transmitted from the drive motor 19 on the device main body 28 side via the gear 713. However, this is not limited to this, and it is also possible to adopt a configuration in which, for example, a drive unit such as a drive motor is provided in the toner storage container 50.

[0121] (8) In the above embodiment, a color printer has been described as an example of the configuration of an image forming apparatus, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the present invention can be applied to a printer capable of forming only monochrome images. Furthermore, the present invention can be applied to image forming apparatuses in general, such as copying machines, facsimile machines, and MFPs (Multiple Function Peripherals), without being limited to printers.

[0122] The shapes, sizes, materials, etc. of the toner storage container 50, scraping portion 80, protrusions 101 to 103, rotating members 151 to 153, etc. are not limited to those described above, and appropriate shapes, etc. are determined according to the device configuration.

[0123] Furthermore, the contents of the above-described embodiment and the above-described modified examples may be combined to the greatest extent possible. [Industrial Applicability]

[0124] The present disclosure can be applied to a toner storage container that stores toner. [Explanation of symbols]

[0125] 6.24 Cleaner 10. Printers 20Y, 20M, 20C, 20K imaging section 28 Device body 40 Toner Hopper 50 Toner storage container 58, 401 Container body 61, 402 Reception Department 70 Agitating and conveying member 80, 480 scraping section 82 Second lever (scraping member) 100 Edge of scraping member facing bottom surface of receiving portion 101, 102, 103 Convex 111, 112, 113 Shaft 121, 122, 123 Tip of protrusion 151, 152, 153, 159, 553 Rotating members 155, 555 teeth 242, 411 Toner outlet 403, 611 Reception 450 Drive unit 612 Bottom of receiving section 715 Crankshaft T Waste Toner

Claims

1. A toner storage container that stores toner that has not been used for image formation in an image forming apparatus or toner that is to be used in the future in a container body, a receiving portion interposed between a toner discharge port already provided in the image forming apparatus and the container body, and receiving the toner discharged from the toner discharge port through a receiving port; a scraping member for scraping off the toner that has passed through the receiving opening and fallen onto the bottom surface of the receiving portion and sending the toner to the container body; a rotating member supported on a shaft portion erected from the scraping member in a direction intersecting the scraping direction of the scraping member; A toner storage container comprising:

2. 2. The toner storage container according to claim 1, wherein the rotating member has a gear shape with teeth on a circumferential surface thereof.

3. 2. The toner storage container according to claim 1, wherein the outer periphery of the rotating member is circular.

4. The toner storage container according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the rotating member rotates by frictional force with the toner when it comes into contact with the toner that has fallen onto the bottom surface of the receiving section during the scraping operation of the scraping member.

5. The toner storage container according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the scraping member has a protruding portion on an edge facing the bottom surface of the receiving portion, and a tip of the protruding portion scrapes off toner that has fallen onto the bottom surface of the receiving portion.

6. 6. The toner storage container according to claim 5, wherein the protrusion has a tip end that is curved convexly toward the bottom surface of the receiving portion when the scraping member is viewed from the front.

7. 7. The toner storage container according to claim 5, wherein the shaft portion is provided on the protruding portion.

8. 8. The toner storage container according to claim 7, wherein the convex portion and the rotating member have a relationship in which, in a direction toward the bottom surface of the receiving portion, the rotating member protrudes toward the bottom surface of the receiving portion further than the convex portion, or the rotating member and the convex portion are the same distance from the bottom surface of the receiving portion.

9. a stirring and conveying member that stirs and conveys the toner on the bottom surface of the container body by a rotating operation; a motion conversion unit that converts a rotational motion of the stirring and conveying member into a movement of the scraping member in a scraping direction; The toner storage container according to any one of claims 1 to 8, further comprising:

10. the motion conversion unit is a crankshaft that rotates integrally with the agitating and transporting member on a circle having a predetermined rotation radius around a rotation axis of the agitating and transporting member, 10. The toner storage container according to claim 9, wherein the scraping member performs the scraping action by a reciprocating motion accompanying the rotation of the crankshaft.

11. 11. The toner storage container according to claim 1, wherein the receiving portion is provided so as to protrude laterally from an upper portion of the side wall of the container body.

12. 4. The toner storage container according to claim 1, further comprising a drive unit that drives the rotating member to rotate.

13. 13. The toner storage container according to claim 12, wherein the driving unit drives and rotates the rotating member in a direction such that, when the rotating member hits the toner on the bottom surface of the receiving portion, a force acts on the toner in the same direction as the scraping direction.

14. The toner storage container according to any one of claims 1 to 13, characterized in that the toner that is no longer used for image formation is waste toner discharged from the toner discharge port of the image forming device, and the waste toner is received from the receiving port.

15. An image forming apparatus capable of mounting the toner storage container according to any one of claims 1 to 14.

Images