CLEANING UNIT AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - Patent application

Abstract

To provide a cleaning unit that can prevent inhibition of operation of a lock mechanism to allow smooth operation of the lock mechanism.SOLUTION: A cleaning unit 7 is removably mounted in an apparatus body 2 of an image forming apparatus 1 comprising photoconductor drums 51 and a transfer belt 41 in contact with the photoconductor drums 51, and can store waste toner recovered from the image forming apparatus 1. The cleaning unit includes: a frame 70 that stores the recovered waste toner; and a handle 75 that has a pair of first parts 75A extending from the frame 70 of the cleaning unit 7 mounted in the apparatus body 2 along a direction orthogonal to an axis X direction of the photoconductor drums 51 and a second part 75B connecting the pair of first parts 75A to each other and extending in the axis X direction. The first part 75A has a lock mechanism 8 for locking the cleaning unit 7 to the apparatus body 2.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a cleaning unit and an image forming apparatus. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, in an electrophotographic image forming apparatus that forms an image by transferring a toner image carried by a photosensitive drum onto a sheet, as disclosed in Patent Document 1, for example, a cleaning unit that collects residual developer on the photosensitive drum and transfer belt, and a waste toner bottle that contains the collected developer, are provided.

[0003] The waste toner bottle is removably attached to the main body of the image forming apparatus and has a handle for holding the waste toner bottle. The handle of the waste toner bottle has a locking mechanism for preventing the attached waste toner bottle from coming off the main body of the apparatus.

[0004] The handle has a pair of first parts extending from the main body of the waste toner bottle and a second part connecting the pair of first parts and extending in a direction perpendicular to the direction in which the first parts extend, and is configured to be gripped by the second part of the handle when holding the waste toner bottle. The locking mechanism of the waste toner bottle is disposed in the second part of the handle. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] JP 2006-11360 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] However, since the locking mechanism in the above-mentioned waste toner bottle was located in the second part, which is the gripped part of the handle, there is a risk that the hand gripping the second part will cover the locking mechanism, making it difficult to operate the locking mechanism.

[0007] Therefore, the present invention provides a cleaning unit and an image forming apparatus in which operation of the locking mechanism is not hindered when a handle equipped with a locking mechanism is gripped, and the locking mechanism can be operated smoothly. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] The cleaning unit and the image forming apparatus that solve the above problems have the following features.

[0009] That is, the cleaning unit is detachable from a device body of an image forming device having a photosensitive drum and a belt that contacts the photosensitive drum, and is capable of storing developer recovered from the image forming device, and is equipped with a frame that stores the recovered developer, and a handle having a pair of first parts extending from the frame of the cleaning unit attached to the device body along a direction perpendicular to the axial direction of the photosensitive drum, and a second part that connects the pair of first parts and extends in the axial direction, and the first part is equipped with a locking mechanism for locking the cleaning unit to the device body.

[0010] As a result, the locking mechanism is located in the first part of the handle, and since the hand does not cover the locking mechanism when the second part of the handle is gripped, the sliding operation of the locking member in the locking mechanism is not hindered, and the locking mechanism can be operated smoothly.

[0011] The locking mechanism is slidable along a direction perpendicular to the axial direction and includes a locking member engageable with the device body, and a locked portion that slidably supports the locking member.

[0012] This allows the locking member to be switched between a locked position and an unlocked position by sliding it, simplifying the operation of locking the cleaning unit to the device body and the operation of unlocking the cleaning unit from the device body.

[0013] Moreover, the locking member is detachable from the locked portion.

[0014] With this, for example, when a used cleaning unit is removed from the apparatus body and a new cleaning unit is attached to the apparatus body, the locking member can be removed from the used cleaning unit and attached to the new cleaning unit.

[0015] In addition, the locking member is slidable between a locked position in which it engages with a hole formed in a sheet metal member provided on the device body and extending along the axial direction, and an unlocked position in which it does not engage with the hole, and when the locking member is in the locked position, the locking member engages with the locked portion.

[0016] This makes it possible to easily lock the cleaning unit to the apparatus body by sliding the locking member to the locking position.

[0017] In addition, the locking member includes an engaging piece that engages with the hole of the sheet metal member, a pressing piece that is pressed when the locking member is slid, an elastic piece that engages with the locked portion when the locking member is in the locked position and holds the locking member in the locked position, and first and second clamping pieces that slidably clamp the locked portion when the locking member is in the locked position and do not clamp the locked portion when the locking member is in the unlocked position.

[0018] As a result, by pressing the pressing piece and sliding the locking member to the locked position, the engaging piece engages with the hole in the sheet metal member and the first clamping piece and the second clamping piece clamp the clamped portion of the locked portion, thereby easily locking the cleaning unit to the device main body.

[0019] The engagement piece also has a projection that comes into contact with the periphery of the hole in the sheet metal member when the locking member is in the locked position.

[0020] This makes it possible to prevent the cleaning unit from rattling relative to the apparatus body when the cleaning unit is locked to the apparatus body.

[0021] In addition, the locked portion includes a clamped portion that is clamped by the first clamping piece and the second clamping piece when the locking member slides to the locked position, and a locking groove in which the elastic piece engages when the locking member slides to the locked position.

[0022] This makes it possible to maintain the cleaning unit locked to the main body of the apparatus.

[0023] In addition, in a direction perpendicular to the axial direction and the sliding direction of the locking member, the first clamping piece is located on one side of the clamped portion, and the second clamping piece is located on the other side of the clamped portion, and the locked portion has a through hole that penetrates in a direction perpendicular to the axial direction and the sliding direction of the locking member and through which the first clamping piece can pass when the locking member is in the unlocked position.

[0024] This allows the locking member to be easily removed from the locked portion by sliding the locking member to the unlocked position.

[0025] In addition, the locked portion includes a stopper that abuts against the locking member to restrict the sliding movement of the locking member when the locking member slides to the unlocked position, a first wall that restricts movement of the locking member to one side in a direction perpendicular to the sliding direction of the locking member, and a second wall that restricts movement of the locking member to the other side in a direction perpendicular to the sliding direction of the locking member.

[0026] This allows the locking member to be smoothly slid and easily stopped at the unlocked position, and also improves the rigidity of the locked portion.

[0027] The cleaning unit is supported by the frame and includes a cleaning roller for removing developer adhering to the belt.

[0028] This allows the developer adhering to the belt to be collected by the belt cleaning roller and stored in the cleaning unit.

[0029] The image forming apparatus includes a photosensitive drum, a belt in contact with the photosensitive drum, and the cleaning unit according to any one of claims 1 to 10.

[0030] As a result, in an image forming apparatus, when the second part of the handle of the cleaning unit is gripped, the hand does not cover the locking mechanism, so that the sliding operation of the locking member in the locking mechanism is not hindered and the locking mechanism can be operated smoothly. Effect of the Invention

[0031] According to the present invention, when the handle is gripped, operation of the locking mechanism is not impeded, and the locking mechanism can be operated smoothly. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0032] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is a central cross-sectional view showing the image forming apparatus. [Diagram 2] FIG. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an apparatus main body to which a cleaning unit is attached. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a cleaning unit. [Diagram 5] FIG. 2A is a perspective view showing the locking mechanism when the locking member is in the locked position, and FIG. 2B is a perspective view showing the locking mechanism when the locking member is in the unlocked position. [Figure 6] FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a locking member of the locking mechanism. [Figure 7] FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a locked portion of the locking mechanism. [Figure 8] FIG. 2A is a side cross-sectional view showing the locking mechanism when the locking member is in the locked position, and FIG. 2B is a side cross-sectional view showing the locking mechanism when the locking member is in the unlocked position. [Figure 9] FIG. 4 is a rear cross-sectional view showing the lock mechanism. [Figure 10] 13 is a front view showing a state in which a protrusion of a locking piece inserted into a hole in a sheet metal member abuts against an upper peripheral portion of the hole. FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0033] Next, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0034] [Image forming device] An image forming apparatus 1 shown in FIG. 1 is one embodiment of the image forming apparatus according to the present invention, and is a color laser printer that forms a multi-color image on a sheet S by electrophotography.

[0035] In the following description, the right side in Fig. 1 is defined as the front side of the image forming apparatus 1, the left side in Fig. 1 is defined as the rear side of the image forming apparatus 1, the front side of the paper in Fig. 1 is defined as the left side of the image forming apparatus 1, and the back side of the paper in Fig. 1 is defined as the right side of the image forming apparatus 1. In addition, the upper and lower sides in Fig. 1 are defined as the upper and lower sides of the image forming apparatus 1, respectively.

[0036] The image forming apparatus 1 comprises a device main body 2, a paper feed section 3 having a paper feed tray 10 that supports sheets S and a sheet transport section 30 that transports the sheets S, and an image forming section 5 that forms an image on the sheets S transported by the paper feed section 3.

[0037] The device body 2 is formed in a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape and houses the paper feed unit 3 and the image forming unit 5. An opening 2A is formed on the top surface of the device body 2, and the device body 2 has a top cover 23 that can open and close the opening 2A.

[0038] The top cover 23 is configured to be rotatable about a rotation shaft 23a at the rear end, and by rotating about the rotation shaft 23a, the top cover 23 can move between a closed position where the opening 2A is closed and an open position where the opening 2A is opened. The top cover 23 of the device body 2 is formed with a paper discharge tray 23b that is inclined downward from the front side to the rear side.

[0039] The paper feed unit 3 is disposed at the bottom of the device body 2, and conveys the sheet S supported on the paper feed tray 10 to the image forming unit 5 by the sheet conveying unit 30. The paper feed tray 10 is configured to be slidable in the front-rear direction, and is configured to be movable between a storage position where it is stored in the device body 2, and a separation position where it is pulled out forward from the storage position.

[0040] The sheet conveying section 30 includes a paper feed roller 32, a separation roller 33, a separation pad 33a, a conveying roller pair 34, and a registration roller pair 35. Within the device body 2, a conveying path P for the sheet S is configured, which extends from the paper feed tray 10 through the image forming section 5 to the paper discharge tray 23a.

[0041] The sheets S supported by the paper feed tray 10 are separated one by one by the paper feed roller 32, the separation roller 33, and the separation pad 33a, and sent out to a transport path P. The paper feed roller 32 is a roller that transports the sheets S from the paper feed tray 10 toward the image forming unit 5. The separation roller 33 and the separation pad 33a constitute a separation means that separates the sheets S supported by the paper feed tray 10 one by one.

[0042] The sheet S sent to the conveying path P is conveyed toward the image forming unit 5 by a conveying roller pair 34 and a registration roller pair 35. The registration roller pair 35 regulates the movement of the leading edge of the conveyed sheet S, temporarily stops the sheet S, and then conveys the sheet S toward the image forming unit 5 at a predetermined timing.

[0043] The image forming unit 5 is disposed above the paper feeding unit 3, and includes four process cartridges 50 arranged side by side in the front-rear direction. Each process cartridge 50 is provided corresponding to each of the colors black, yellow, magenta, and cyan. The process cartridges 50 are detachably mounted in the apparatus main body 2. Each process cartridge 50 includes a photosensitive drum 51, a developing roller 52, a supply roller 53, a charger 54, and a drum cleaning roller 55.

[0044] The photosensitive drum 51 is formed in a generally cylindrical shape with an axis X extending along the left-right direction, and is rotatably supported by the process cartridge 50. That is, the left-right direction in this embodiment is the direction of the axis X of the photosensitive drum 51. The developing roller 52 extends in the left-right direction, and is rotatably supported by the process cartridge 50. The supply roller 53 supplies the toner contained in the process cartridge 50 to the developing roller 52. The toner is an example of a developer. The developing roller 52 supplies the toner to the photosensitive drum 51.

[0045] The device main body 2 has exposure heads 59 that expose the surfaces of the photosensitive drums 51. The exposure heads 59 are supported by the top cover 23. Four exposure heads 59 are provided corresponding to the respective photosensitive drums 51, and the exposure heads 59 are arranged side by side in the front-rear direction.

[0046] The exposure head 59 extends downward from the top cover 23, and has an exposure unit 59a at its lower end. The exposure unit 59a is disposed adjacent to and above the photosensitive drum 51 when the top cover 23 is closed. The exposure unit 59a is configured with an LED array having a plurality of LED elements arranged in parallel in the left-right direction.

[0047] The image forming unit 5 includes a transfer belt 41. The transfer belt 41 is disposed below and facing the photosensitive drum 51 across a transport path P. The transfer belt 41 is in contact with the photosensitive drum 51. The transfer belt 41 is an example of a belt that contacts the photosensitive drum.

[0048] The transfer belt 41 is stretched between a drive roller 42 and a driven roller 43 disposed in front of the drive roller 42. A transfer roller 44 is disposed at a position facing each of the photosensitive drums 51 across the transfer belt 41. In the image forming unit 5, a belt device 40 is configured by the transfer belt 41, the drive roller 42, the driven roller 43, the transfer roller 44, etc.

[0049] In the image forming unit 5, the photosensitive drums 51, which are uniformly charged by the chargers 54, are selectively exposed to light by the exposure heads 59. By this exposure, charges are selectively removed from the surfaces of the photosensitive drums 51, and electrostatic latent images are formed on the surfaces of the photosensitive drums 51.

[0050] The toner contained in the process cartridge 50 is positively charged between the supply roller 53 and the developing roller 52, and is carried on the surface of the developing roller 52. A developing bias is applied to the developing roller 52, and when the electrostatic latent image formed on the photosensitive drum 51 faces the developing roller 52, toner is supplied from the developing roller 52 to the electrostatic latent image due to the potential difference between the electrostatic latent image and the developing roller 52. As a result, a toner image is formed on the surface of the photosensitive drum 51.

[0051] When the sheet S transported toward the image forming unit 5 reaches the transfer belt 41, it is transported by the transfer belt 41 and passes sequentially between the transfer belt 41 and each photosensitive drum 51. Then, the toner image carried on the surface of the photosensitive drum 51 is transferred onto the sheet S by a transfer bias applied to the transfer roller 44 when it faces the sheet S.

[0052] At this time, toner that has not been transferred to the sheet S may remain on the surface of the photosensitive drum 51. The waste toner remaining on the surface of the photosensitive drum 51 faces the drum cleaning roller 55 as the photosensitive drum 51 rotates. The waste toner facing the drum cleaning roller 55 is electrically held on the surface of the drum cleaning roller 55 by the drum cleaning bias.

[0053] In this embodiment, the transfer belt 41 is configured as a conveying belt that conveys the sheet S onto which the toner image is transferred, but it is also possible to configure it as an intermediate transfer belt in which the toner image is transferred to the belt itself and the toner image transferred to the belt is further transferred to the sheet S.

[0054] The sheet S onto which the toner image has been transferred is transported to a fixing device 60. The fixing device 60 includes a heating roller 61 and a pressure roller 62 that is in pressure contact with the heating roller 61. The toner image on the sheet S transported to the fixing device 60 is thermally fixed while the sheet S passes between the heating roller 61 and the pressure roller 62.

[0055] The sheet S on which the toner image has been thermally fixed is transported downstream in the transport direction from the fixing device 60, and further transported by a pair of intermediate discharge rollers 63 and a pair of discharge rollers 64 arranged downstream in the transport direction of the pair of intermediate discharge rollers 63, and discharged onto the discharge tray 23b.

[0056] A cleaning unit 7 that collects and stores toner adhering to the transfer belt 41 is provided below the transfer belt 41 and above the paper feed tray 10 in the device body 2. The cleaning unit 7 is detachably attached to the device body 2.

[0057] The cleaning unit 7 includes a frame 70, a belt cleaning roller 71, a collection roller 72, and a scraping blade 73. The belt cleaning roller 71 and the collection roller 72 are each rotatably supported by the frame 70.

[0058] The belt cleaning roller 71 is disposed below the transfer belt 41 at a position facing the backup roller 45 disposed within the transfer belt 41. The backup roller 45 is disposed within the transfer belt 41 so as to come into contact with the transfer belt 41 from above.

[0059] The collection roller 72 contacts the belt cleaning roller 71 from behind. The scraping blade 73 is supported by the frame 70, and is disposed below and behind the collection roller 72. The front end of the scraping blade 73 contacts the surface of the collection roller 72.

[0060] A storage chamber 74 for storing collected waste toner is formed inside the frame 70, and the cleaning unit 7 is configured to be able to store the waste toner collected from the image forming apparatus 1. The cleaning unit 7 is provided with a handle 75 that is gripped when holding the cleaning unit 7.

[0061] [Waste toner cleaning operation] In the image forming apparatus 1, when image formation by the image forming section 5 is completed, the waste toner held by the drum cleaning roller 55 is collected by the cleaning unit 7 and stored in the storage chamber 74, thereby performing a cleaning operation.

[0062] In the cleaning operation, first, the waste toner held by the drum cleaning roller 55 is discharged onto the surface of the photosensitive drum 51, and the photosensitive drum 51 is rotated. The waste toner discharged onto the surface of the photosensitive drum 51 faces the transfer belt 41 as the photosensitive drum 51 rotates.

[0063] The waste toner on the surface of the photosensitive drum 51 facing the transfer belt 41 is transferred to the surface of the transfer belt 41 by the transfer bias of the transfer roller 44. Thereafter, the waste toner transferred to the surface of the transfer belt 41 is transported to a position facing the belt cleaning roller 71 as the transfer belt 41 rotates.

[0064] The waste toner facing the belt cleaning roller 71 is electrostatically held on the surface of the belt cleaning roller 71 by a belt cleaning bias applied to the belt cleaning roller 71. In other words, the belt cleaning roller 71 removes the waste toner adhering to the transfer belt 41.

[0065] The belt cleaning roller 71 is a cleaning member for removing developer adhering to the belt. By configuring the cleaning member as the belt cleaning roller 71, which is a roller member, it becomes possible to easily and continuously remove the toner adhering to the transfer belt 41.

[0066] In this embodiment, an example is shown in which a belt cleaning roller 71, which is a roller-shaped member, is used as the cleaning member, but it is also possible to use other types of cleaning members, such as a blade-shaped cleaning member, as the cleaning member.

[0067] The waste toner held by the belt cleaning roller 71 is electrostatically transferred to the recovery roller 72. The waste toner transferred to the recovery roller 72 is scraped off by the scraping blade 73, drops, and is stored in the storage chamber 74. In this way, in the cleaning unit 7, the waste toner adhering to the transfer belt 41 can be collected and stored by the belt cleaning roller 71.

[0068] [Device body] 2 and 3, the device body 2 includes a first body frame 24 and a second body frame 25 that are spaced apart from each other in the left-right direction. The first body frame 24 is located at the right end of the device body 2 and extends in the front-rear and up-down directions. The second body frame 25 is located at the left end of the device body 2 and extends in the front-rear and up-down directions.

[0069] The cleaning unit 7 is disposed between the first body frame 24 and the second body frame 25, and is supported by the first body frame 24 and the second body frame 25 in a detachable manner.

[0070] The device body 2 includes a sheet metal member 26 that extends in the left-right direction and connects the first body frame 24 and the second body frame 25. By connecting the first body frame 24 and the second body frame 25 with the sheet metal member 26, the rigidity of the device body 2 is improved.

[0071] The sheet metal member 26 has a horizontal portion 26a whose plate surface faces in the up-down direction, and a vertical portion 26b whose plate surface faces in the front-rear direction and is formed by bending the front end of the horizontal portion 26a upward. A hole 261 penetrating in the front-rear direction is formed in the vertical portion 26b. The hole 261 is formed in a rectangular shape that is elongated in the left-right direction (see FIG. 10).

[0072] When the cleaning unit 7 is attached to the apparatus body 2 , the horizontal portion 26 a is located below the handle 75 , and the vertical portion 26 b is located in front of the handle 75 .

[0073] [Cleaning unit] 3 and 4, the belt cleaning roller 71 and the collection roller 72 of the cleaning unit 7 attached to the apparatus body 2 extend in the left-right direction. The handle 75 of the cleaning unit 7 includes a pair of a first portion 75A and a second portion 75B.

[0074] The pair of first portions 75A are positioned apart in the left-right direction. The first portions 75A extend along the front-rear direction. In this embodiment, the first portions 75A extend forward from the front end portion of the frame 70. The front-rear direction in this embodiment is a direction perpendicular to the axis X direction of the photosensitive drum 51. The second portions 75B extend in the axis X direction and connect the pair of first portions 75A.

[0075] The first part 75A of the handle 75 is provided with a locking mechanism 8 for locking the cleaning unit 7 to the device body 2. By locking the cleaning unit 7 to the device body 2 with the locking mechanism 8, the cleaning unit 7 attached to the device body 2 is fixed to the device body 2, and it is possible to prevent the cleaning unit 7 from coming off from the device body 2. The locking mechanism 8 is formed on the left first part 75A. However, the locking mechanism 8 can also be formed on the right first part 75A.

[0076] [Locking mechanism] 5, the locking mechanism 8 includes a locking member 80 and a locked portion 750. The locking member 80 is slidable in the front-rear direction on the first portion 75A of the handle 75, and is configured to be engageable with the device body 2. The locked portion 750 supports the locking member 80 on the first portion 75A of the handle 75 so as to be slidable.

[0077] The locking member 80 is slidable between a locked position (position shown in FIG. 5(a)) where it engages with a hole 261 formed in the sheet metal member 26, and an unlocked position (position shown in FIG. 5(b)) where it does not engage with the hole 261. The locked position is located forward of the unlocked position. Furthermore, the locking mechanism 8 is configured so that when the locking member 80 is in the locked position, the locking member 80 engages with the locked portion 750.

[0078] In this way, by sliding the locking member 80 to the locked position, the locking member 80 engages with the sheet metal member 26 and the locked portion 750, and the cleaning unit 7 is locked to the device body 2. In addition, by sliding the locking member 80 to the unlocked position, the locked state of the cleaning unit 7 with respect to the device body 2 is released, and the cleaning unit 7 can be removed from the device body 2.

[0079] As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the locking member 80 includes a main body portion 81, an engagement piece 82, a pressing piece 83, an elastic piece 84, a first clamping piece 85, and a second clamping piece 86. As shown in FIG.

[0080] The main body 81 is slidably supported by the locked portion 750. The engagement piece 82 protrudes forward from the front end of the main body 81, and engages with the hole 261 of the sheet metal member 26 when the locking member 80 is in the locked position. Moreover, the engagement piece 82 does not engage with the hole 261 of the sheet metal member 26 when the locking member 80 is in the unlocked position.

[0081] The pressing piece 83 protrudes upward from the rear end of the main body 81, and is a portion that is pressed when sliding the locking member 80. For example, by pressing the pressing piece 83 backward, the locking member 80, which is in the locked position, can be slid to the unlocked position.

[0082] The elastic piece 84 is formed in a rod shape extending in the front-rear direction and has elasticity. The front end of the elastic piece 84 is supported by the front end of the main body 81, and the rear end of the elastic piece 84 is elastically deformable in the up-down direction. A locking protrusion 841 protrudes downward from the underside of the rear end of the elastic piece 84. The locking protrusion 841 of the elastic piece 84 locks with the locked portion 750 when the locking member 80 is in the locked position. The locking protrusion 841 of the elastic piece 84 locks with the locked portion 750, thereby holding the locking member 80 in the locked position.

[0083] The first clamping pieces 85 are formed in a pair on the left and right sides in the middle of the front and rear of the main body 81. The left first clamping piece 85 protrudes leftward from the main body 81, and the right first clamping piece 85 protrudes rightward from the main body 81.

[0084] The second clamping pieces 86 are formed as a pair on the left and right sides in a portion forward of the first clamping piece 85 of the main body 81. The left second clamping piece 86 protrudes leftward from the main body 81, and the right second clamping piece 86 protrudes rightward from the main body 81. In the up-down direction, the first clamping piece 85 is located at the bottom of the locking member 80, and the second clamping piece 86 is located above the first clamping piece 85.

[0085] The first clamping piece 85 and the second clamping piece 86 slidably clamp the locked portion 750 when the locking member 80 is in the locked position. The first clamping piece 85 and the second clamping piece 86 do not clamp the locked portion 750 when the locking member 80 is in the unlocked position.

[0086] As shown in FIGS. 5 and 7, the locked portion 750 includes a support portion 751, a stopper 752, a first wall 753, a second wall 754, a clamped portion 755, a locking groove 756, and a through hole 757.

[0087] The support portion 751 slidably supports the main body portion 81 of the locking member 80. The stopper 752 is located at the rear end of the locked portion 750, and protrudes upward beyond the support portion 751.

[0088] When the locking member 80 slides to the unlocked position, the stopper 752 comes into contact with the locking member 80 to restrict the sliding movement of the locking member 80. In other words, when the locking member 80, which is in the locked position, slides rearward and reaches the unlocked position, the locking member 80 comes into contact with the stopper 752 and is restricted from moving further rearward.

[0089] The first wall 753 is located at the left end of the locked portion 750, and protrudes upward beyond the support portion 751. The first wall 753 is close to the left side of the locking member 80 supported by the locked portion 750, and restricts movement of the locking member 80 to the left. The left side is an example of one side in a direction perpendicular to the sliding direction of the locking member.

[0090] The second wall 754 is located at the right end of the locked portion 750, and protrudes upward beyond the support portion 751. The second wall 754 is close to the right side of the locking member 80 supported by the locked portion 750, and restricts movement of the locking member 80 to the right. The right side is an example of the other side in the direction perpendicular to the sliding direction of the locking member.

[0091] The rear end of the first wall 753 and the rear end of the second wall 754 are connected by a stopper 752, and the rigidity of the locked portion 750 is improved by the first wall 753, the second wall 754, and the stopper 752.

[0092] The clamped portions 755 are arranged in pair at the left and right ends of the locked portion 750. The clamped portions 755 are clamped between the first clamping piece 85 and the second clamping piece 86 when the locking member 80 slides to the locked position.

[0093] Specifically, the left clamped portion 755 is clamped between the left first clamping piece 85 and second clamping piece 86 of the locking member 80, and the right clamped portion 755 is clamped between the right first clamping piece 85 and second clamping piece 86 of the locking member 80. By clamping the clamped portion 755 between the first clamping piece 85 and the second clamping piece 86, the locking member 80 and the locked portion 750 are engaged with each other.

[0094] The locking groove 756 is formed on the upper surface of the support portion 751 and has a groove shape that is recessed downward. When the locking member 80 slides to the locked position, the locking protrusion 841 of the elastic piece 84 of the locking member 80 engages with the locking groove 756.

[0095] The through hole 757 is a hole that penetrates the locked portion 750 in the up-down direction. In the up-down direction, the first clamping piece 85 of the locking member 80 is located below the clamped portion 755, and the second clamping piece 86 of the locking member 80 is located above the clamped portion 755. The through hole 757 is located behind the clamped portion 755 and is configured to allow the first clamping piece 85 to pass through from below to above when the locking member 80 is in the unlocked position.

[0096] The up-down direction is an example of a direction perpendicular to the axial direction of the photosensitive drum and the sliding direction of the locking member. The lower side is one side in the direction perpendicular to the axial direction of the photosensitive drum and the sliding direction of the locking member, and the upper side is the other side in the direction perpendicular to the axial direction of the photosensitive drum and the sliding direction of the locking member.

[0097] 8(a) and 9, when the locking member 80 in the locking mechanism 8 is in the locked position, the engagement piece 82 of the locking member 80 engages with the hole 261 of the sheet metal member 26, and the clamped portion 755 of the locked portion 750 is clamped in the vertical direction by the first clamping piece 85 and the second clamping piece 86 of the locking member 80. As a result, the cleaning unit 7 and the sheet metal member 26 of the device body 2 are connected to each other, and the cleaning unit 7 is locked to the device body 2.

[0098] Therefore, in the lock mechanism 8, the cleaning unit 7 can be easily locked to the apparatus body 2 by sliding the lock member 80 to the lock position.

[0099] 8(a), when the locking member 80 is in the locked position, the locking protrusion 841 of the elastic piece 84 of the locking member 80 is locked into the locking groove 756 of the locked portion 750, thereby restricting the locking member 80 from sliding in the front-rear direction relative to the locking protrusion 841. This prevents the locking member 80 from accidentally sliding out of the locked position, and the cleaning unit 7 can be kept locked to the apparatus body 2.

[0100] In addition, when the locking member 80 is in the locked position and the locking protrusion 841 of the elastic piece 84 is engaged with the locking groove 756, the elastic piece 84 is elastically deformed upward, and the locking member 80 is biased upward against the locked portion 750.

[0101] As shown in Figures 8(a) and 10, the locking piece 82 of the locking member 80 has a protrusion 821 that protrudes upward from the upper surface of the locking piece 82, and when the locking member 80 is forced upward, the protrusion 821 of the locking piece 82 abuts against the upper peripheral portion 261a of the hole 261 in the sheet metal member 26.

[0102] In this way, when the locking member 80 is in the locked position, the protrusion 821 of the engaging piece 82 abuts against the upper peripheral portion 261a of the hole 261 in the sheet metal member 26, thereby preventing the cleaning unit 7 from rattling relative to the device body 2 when the cleaning unit 7 is locked to the device body 2.

[0103] In the lock mechanism 8, the lock member 80 can be slid to the unlocked position by pressing rearward the pressing piece 83 of the lock member 80 that is in the locked position.

[0104] In this case, the first wall 753 of the locked portion 750 is adjacent to the left side of the locking member 80, and the second wall 754 of the locked portion 750 is adjacent to the right side of the locking member 80, so that when the locking member 80 slides in the front-rear direction, the locking member 80 can be guided by the first wall 753 and the second wall 754. This allows the locking member 80 to be slid smoothly.

[0105] In addition, when the locking member 80 that has slid rearward reaches the unlocked position, the locking member 80 abuts against the stopper 752 and is restricted from moving further rearward, so that the locking member 80 can be easily stopped at the unlocked position. This makes it possible to prevent the locking member 80 from sliding rearward beyond the unlocked position and coming into contact with the belt cleaning roller 71 located behind the handle 75.

[0106] When the image forming apparatus 1 is shipped from the factory, the cleaning unit 7 is locked to the apparatus body 2 by the locking mechanism 8. Thereafter, when the cleaning unit 7 becomes full of waste toner, an operator slides the locking member 80 from the locked position to the unlocked position, removes the used cleaning unit 7 from the apparatus body 2, and replaces it with a new cleaning unit 7.

[0107] When an operator slides the locking member 80 from the locked position to the unlocked position, for example, the operator slides the locking member 80 while gripping the second part 75B of the handle 75. In this case, the locking mechanism 8 is disposed in the first part 75A of the handle 75, and the hand does not cover the locking mechanism 8 when gripping the second part 75B of the handle 75. Therefore, the sliding operation of the locking member 80 in the locking mechanism 8 is not impeded, and the locking mechanism 8 can be operated smoothly.

[0108] In addition, since the locking member 80 can be switched between a locked position and an unlocked position by sliding it, the operation of locking the cleaning unit 7 to the device body 2 and the operation of unlocking the cleaning unit 7 from the device body 2 can be simplified.

[0109] 8(b), when the locking member 80 is in the unlocked position, the engagement piece 82 of the locking member 80 slips rearward out of the hole 261 of the sheet metal member 26 and is not engaged with the hole 261. Also, the second clamping piece 86 of the locking member 80 abuts against the upper surface of the clamped portion 755, but the first clamping piece 85 of the locking member 80 is located rearward of the clamped portion 755, and the first clamping piece 85 and the second clamping piece 86 do not clamp the clamped portion 755. As a result, the cleaning unit 7 is released from the locked state with respect to the apparatus body 2 by the locking mechanism 8.

[0110] Furthermore, when the locking member 80 is in the unlocked position, the first clamping piece 85 of the locking member 80 is located in a position in the front-rear direction where the through hole 757 of the locked portion 750 is formed, and can pass through the through hole 757 from below to above. The first clamping piece 85 passes through the through hole 757 from below to above, thereby making it possible to remove the locking member 80 from the locked portion 750. In other words, the locking member 80 is detachably attached to the locked portion 750.

[0111] In this way, since the locked portion 750 is provided with the through hole 757, the locking member 80 can be easily removed from the locked portion 750 by sliding the locking member 80 to the unlocked position.

[0112] Furthermore, since the locking member 80 is detachable from the locked portion 750, for example, when a used cleaning unit 7 is removed from the device body 2 and a new cleaning unit 7 is attached to the device body 2, the locking member 80 can be removed from the used cleaning unit 7 and attached to the new cleaning unit 7.

[0113] The cleaning unit 7 newly attached to the device body 2 by replacing the cleaning unit 7 can be used even when not locked to the device body 2 by the locking mechanism 8, but can also be locked to the device body 2 by the locking mechanism 8.

[0114] In this case, the locking member 80 is placed on the locked portion 750 of the newly attached cleaning unit 7 so that it is positioned in the unlocked position, and the pressing piece 83 of the placed locking member 80 is pressed forward to slide the locking member 80 from the unlocked position to the locked position.

[0115] By pressing the pressing piece 83 to slide the locking member 80 to the locked position, the engaging piece 82 is engaged with the hole 261 of the sheet metal member 26 and the clamped portion 755 of the locked portion 750 is clamped between the first clamping piece 85 and the second clamping piece 86, so that the cleaning unit 7 can be easily locked to the device body 2. Furthermore, when the locking member 80 is slid to the locked position, the elastic piece 84 of the locking member 80 is engaged with the locking groove 756 of the locked portion 750, so that the locked state of the cleaning unit 7 by the locking mechanism 8 can be maintained. [Explanation of symbols]

[0116] 1. Image forming device 2. Device body 5. Image forming section 7 Cleaning unit 8 Locking mechanism 26 Sheet metal parts 41 Transfer belt 51 Photosensitive drum 70 frames 71 Belt cleaning roller 75 Handle 75A Part 1 75B Part 2 80 Locking member 82 Engagement piece 83 Pressing piece 84 Elastic piece 85 First clamping piece 86 Second clamping piece 261 Hole 261a Peripheral part 750 Locked part 752 Stopper 753 First wall 754 Second wall 755 Clamped part 756 Locking groove 757 Through hole 821 Protrusion X-axis

Claims

1. A cleaning unit that is detachable from a main body of an image forming apparatus including a photosensitive drum and a belt that contacts the photosensitive drum, and that is capable of storing a developer recovered from the image forming apparatus, a frame for accommodating the recovered developer; a handle having a pair of first parts extending from the frame of the cleaning unit attached to the apparatus body along a direction perpendicular to the axial direction of the photosensitive drum, and a second part connecting the pair of first parts and extending in the axial direction, The cleaning unit according to claim 1, wherein the first part includes a locking mechanism for locking the cleaning unit to the apparatus body.

2. The locking mechanism includes a locking member that is slidable along a direction perpendicular to the axial direction and engageable with the device body, and a locked portion that slidably supports the locking member. The cleaning unit according to claim 1 , further comprising:

3. 3. The cleaning unit according to claim 2, wherein the locking member is detachable from the locked portion.

4. the locking member is slidable between a locked position where it engages with a hole formed in a sheet metal member that is provided in the device body and extends along the axial direction, and an unlocked position where it does not engage with the hole, 4. The cleaning unit according to claim 2, wherein the locking member and the locked portion are engaged with each other when the locking member is in the locked position.

5. The locking member is an engagement piece that engages with the hole of the sheet metal member; A pressing piece that is pressed when the locking member is slid, an elastic piece that engages with the locked portion when the locking member is in the locked position to hold the locking member in the locked position; The cleaning unit according to claim 4, characterized in that it comprises a first clamping piece and a second clamping piece that slidably clamp the locked portion when the locking member is in the locked position and that do not clamp the locked portion when the locking member is in the unlocked position.

6. 6. The cleaning unit according to claim 5, wherein the engagement piece has a projection that comes into contact with a peripheral portion of the hole in the metal plate member when the locking member is in the locked position.

7. The locked portion is a clamped portion that is clamped by the first clamping piece and the second clamping piece when the locking member is slid to the lock position; 7. The cleaning unit according to claim 5, further comprising: a locking groove in which the elastic piece is locked when the locking member is slid to the locking position.

8. In a direction perpendicular to the axial direction and the sliding direction of the locking member, the first clamping piece is located on one side of the clamped portion, and the second clamping piece is located on the other side of the clamped portion, The cleaning unit according to claim 7, characterized in that the locked portion has a through hole that penetrates in a direction perpendicular to the axial direction and the sliding direction of the locking member, and through which the first clamping piece can pass when the locking member is in the unlocked position.

9. The locked portion is a stopper that comes into contact with the locking member to restrict the sliding movement of the locking member when the locking member slides to the unlocked position; a first wall that restricts movement of the locking member to one side in a direction perpendicular to a sliding direction of the locking member; The cleaning unit according to any one of claims 4 to 8, further comprising: a second wall that restricts movement of the locking member to the other side in a direction perpendicular to the sliding direction of the locking member.

10. The cleaning unit includes:

10. The cleaning unit according to claim 1, further comprising a cleaning roller supported by the frame for removing developer adhering to the belt.

11. A photosensitive drum; A belt in contact with the photosensitive drum; 11. An image forming apparatus comprising: the cleaning unit according to claim 1.

Images