Driving force transmitting device and image forming apparatus

【0001】

[Technical field to which the invention belongs]

The present invention relates to a driving force transmission device used in an image forming apparatus such as a copier, a printer, or a facsimile, and transmitting a drive to a detachable unit that requires rotation.

【0002】

[Conventional technology]

As a conventional image forming apparatus, an image carrier (for example, a photoconductor drum) that forms and supports a toner image obtained by developing an electrostatic latent image with a developing device and an intermediate transfer body that is arranged to face the photoconductor drum. (Intermediate transfer belt), a primary transfer device that transfers the toner image on the photoconductor drum onto the intermediate transfer belt, and a secondary transfer device that transfers the toner image on the intermediate transfer belt to a recording medium (for example, paper). I have something to prepare for. In such an image forming apparatus, toner remains on the photoconductor drum after the primary transfer, so that the next toner image is formed after cleaning and removing the residual toner with a drum cleaner. Further, since toner remains on the intermediate transfer belt after the secondary transfer, the next toner image is transferred after cleaning and removing the residual toner with a belt cleaner. Then, the residual toner (waste toner) collected by these drum cleaners and belt cleaners is conveyed and collected in a collection container.

【0003】

In particular, in a color image forming apparatus, four photoconductor drums that normally form yellow (Y), magenta (M), cyan (C), and black (K) images are arranged around an intermediate transfer belt. , Waste toner is generated from the drum cleaner arranged on each photoconductor drum. Waste toner that transports waste toner from drum cleaners and belt cleaners of Y, M, C, and K to a collection container in order to collect these Y, M, C, and K waste toners in a single collection container. A transport unit is provided. This waste toner transfer unit is configured to be detachable from the image forming apparatus main body due to the need for maintenance, and the driving force is transmitted from the image forming apparatus main body to the conveying member for toner transfer by coupling. ing.

【0004】

Further, when a two-component developer having toner and a carrier is used as the developer, a toner container unit for supplying toner to the developer is detachably arranged from the image forming apparatus main body, but is stored in the toner container unit. The driving force is transmitted from the image forming apparatus main body to the conveying member that conveys the toner to the developing device by coupling.

【0005】

Units that need to transmit driving force, such as waste toner transfer units and toner container units, are coaxially connected to a drive shaft provided on the image forming apparatus main body side in consideration of the transmission efficiency of the driving force. Therefore, a method of attaching / detaching to / from the image forming apparatus main body in a direction parallel to the drive shaft is adopted.

【0006】

Here, as a conventional technique, the driving force receiving portion of the developing cartridge is located coaxially with the driving transmission member of the image forming apparatus main body in a state where the developing cartridge is mounted on the rotary unit provided in the image forming apparatus main body. There is a technique for coupling and connecting a drive transmission member and a drive force receiving portion (see, for example, Patent Document 1). Further, there is a technique in which a coupling gear that rotates integrally with a toner supply roller of a developing apparatus rotates substantially coaxially with a joint drive shaft provided in the apparatus main body and an Oldham joint at the tip thereof (see, for example, Patent Document 2).

【0007】

[Patent Document 1]

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 9-297443 (Page 17, Fig. 11) [Patent Document 2]

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2000-227690 (page 4, FIG. 3) [0008]

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention]

By the way, for units such as waste toner transfer units and toner container units that need to transmit driving force, depending on the arrangement configuration of the image forming apparatus, attachment / detachment in a direction parallel to the driving shaft provided on the image forming apparatus main body side. Because it is difficult to do so, a configuration may be adopted in which the connector is attached / detached from a direction orthogonal to the drive axis. However, in the coupling configuration that can move from the direction orthogonal to the drive shaft, a method that combines gears is used, but in such a method, so-called tooth skipping occurs unless the distance between the gears is set with high accuracy. There was a problem that it was generated and the driving force could not be transmitted efficiently. In addition, when the method of attaching and detaching in the direction parallel to the drive shaft is adopted, the mounting operation is performed from the direction orthogonal to the drive shaft, and then the mounting operation is performed in the direction parallel to the drive shaft. There is also a problem that the attachment / detachment operation becomes complicated.

【0009】

The present invention has been made to solve the above technical problems, and an object of the present invention is to efficiently transmit a driving force to a detachable unit. Yet another purpose is to improve the attachment / detachment operability when mounting the unit.

【0010】

[Means for solving problems]

In the drive transmission device of the present invention, a drive force transmitting member having a drive-side convex portion arranged parallel to and away from the rotation shaft on a rotatable base, and a drive transmission member arranged on the rotatable base apart from the rotation shaft. When the coupling is formed by the driving force receiving member having the receiving side convex portion and the driving force receiving member is pulled out from the driving force transmitting member in the direction orthogonal to the rotation axis, the receiving side convex portion is on the driving side. It is configured so that the coupling is released by slipping through the convex portion. As a result, the driving force can be efficiently transmitted to the detachable unit. That is, the driving force transmitting device of the present invention has a driving force transmitting member having a driving side convex portion arranged on the rotatable base in parallel with the rotating shaft and separated from the rotating shaft, and a rotating shaft on the rotatable base. It is provided with a driving force receiving member having a receiving side convex portion arranged apart from the above, and when the driving force receiving member is pulled out from the driving force transmitting member in a direction orthogonal to the rotation axis, the receiving side convex portion is driven. It is characterized by being configured to slip through the lateral convex part.

【0011】

Further, the driving force transmission device of the present invention is arranged on a rotatable substrate in parallel with the rotation axis and away from the rotation axis, and is a columnar shape formed by a polygon having a circular cross-sectional shape or an blunt internal angle. A wall-shaped convex portion having a driving force transmitting member having a convex portion and a plane formed on a rotatable base so as to be separated from the rotation axis and whose normal line is orthogonal to the rotation axis on the upstream side in the rotation direction. It is characterized in that it is composed of a driving force receiving member provided with. Further, the drive force receiving member can be characterized in that it is configured to be rotatable from the drive transmission receiving member side. Further, the driving force transmitting member can be characterized in that it receives rotational driving from a driving source via a worm gear. Further, the driving force receiving member can be characterized in that the minimum rotation radius of the wall-shaped convex portion is larger than the cross-sectional radius of the columnar convex portion of the driving force transmitting member. Further, the driving force transmitting member can be characterized in that one or more columnar convex portions are arranged.

【0012】

Further, the drive transmission device of the present invention has a wall-shaped convex portion formed on a rotatable substrate away from the rotation axis and a plane having a normal line orthogonal to the rotation axis on the upstream side in the rotation direction. A columnar convex portion formed by a provided driving force transmitting member and a polygonal shape having a circular cross-sectional shape or an blunt internal angle while being arranged on a rotatable substrate in parallel with the rotating shaft and away from the rotating shaft. It is characterized by being composed of a provided driving force receiving member. Further, the driving force transmitting member can be characterized in that it is configured to be rotatable from the driving force transmitting member side.

【0013】

Further, the drive transmission device of the present invention is arranged on a rotatable substrate in parallel with the rotation axis and away from the rotation axis, and is a columnar convex formed by a polygon having a circular cross-sectional shape or an blunt internal angle. A wall-shaped convex portion having a driving force transmitting member provided with a portion and a plane formed on a rotatable substrate so as to be separated from the rotation axis and whose normal line is orthogonal to the rotation axis on the upstream side in the rotation direction. Therefore, the joint portion between the substrate and the wall-shaped convex portion is arranged on the outside including the turning radius of the columnar convex portion of the driving force transmitting member.

【0014】

Further, regarding the present invention as an image forming apparatus, a drive source and a drive force transmitting member having a drive side convex portion arranged on a substrate rotatable by the drive source in parallel with the rotation axis and separated from the rotation axis are provided. When pulling out a unit in which a driving force receiving member having a receiving side convex portion arranged apart from the rotating shaft is arranged on a rotatable substrate from the driving force transmitting member in a direction orthogonal to the rotating shaft. In addition, the receiving side convex portion is configured to pass through the driving side convex portion.

【0015】

Further, the image forming apparatus of the present invention is disposed on a drive source and a substrate rotatable by the drive source in parallel with the rotation axis and away from the rotation axis, and has a circular cross-sectional shape or an blunt internal angle. It is provided with a driving force transmitting member having a columnar convex portion formed in a square shape, is arranged on a rotatable substrate away from the rotation axis, and has a plane whose normal line is orthogonal to the rotation axis on the upstream side in the rotation direction. It is characterized in that a driving force receiving member having a formed wall-shaped convex portion is arranged, and a unit in which the driving force receiving member is coupled with the driving force transmitting member to form a coupling is detachably configured. In particular, the unit can be characterized by being equipped with a waste powder recovery device. The unit can also be characterized by being equipped with a toner supply device.

【0016】

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

Hereinafter, embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an overall configuration of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment. The image forming apparatus shown in FIG. 1 has a printer main body 1 and a base 2 on which the printer main body 1 is placed, and the printer main body 1 has waste toner and waste developing agent discharged from the printer main body 1. A waste powder recovery device 100 is externally attached as a storage means for collecting (hereinafter, also referred to as waste powder). Note that FIG. 1 shows a state in which the front door 1a of the printer main body 1 is opened.

【0017】

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the printer main body 1. The printer body 1 is connected to and received from an image process system 10 that forms an image corresponding to gradation data of each color, a sheet transfer system 40 that conveys recording paper (sheet), for example, a personal computer or an image reading device. It is equipped with IPS (Image Processing System) 50, which is an image processing system that performs predetermined image processing on the image data.

【0018】

The image process system 10 is composed of four image forming units 11Y, 11M, yellow (Y), magenta (M), cyan (C), and black (K), which are arranged in parallel at regular intervals in the horizontal direction. 11C, 11K, transfer unit 20, image forming unit 11Y, 11M, 11C that multiplex transfer toner images of each color formed on the photoconductor drum 12 of these image forming units 11Y, 11M, 11C, 11K onto the intermediate transfer belt 21. It is equipped with ROS (Raster Output System) 30, which is an optical system unit that irradiates laser light at 11K. The intermediate transfer means is composed of the transfer unit 20 and the intermediate transfer belt 21. Further, the printer main body 1 is provided with a fixing device 29 for fixing the toner image on the recording paper secondarily transferred by the transfer unit 20 to the recording paper by using heat and pressure. Further, on the upper part of the transfer unit 20, toner cartridges 19Y, 19M, 19C, 19K for supplying toner of each color to the image forming units 11Y, 11M, 11C, 11K are provided.

【0019】

The transfer unit 20 secondary transfers the drive roll 22 that drives the intermediate transfer belt 21, which is an intermediate transfer body, the tension roll 23 that applies a constant tension to the intermediate transfer belt 21, and the superimposed toner images of each color on the recording paper. It is provided with a backup roll 24 for removing the residual toner and the like existing on the intermediate transfer belt 21 and a belt cleaner (cleaning means) 25 for removing the residual toner and the like. The intermediate transfer belt 21 is hung between the drive roll 22, the tension roll 23, and the backup roll 24 with a constant tension, and is rotationally driven by a dedicated motor (not shown) having excellent constant speed. The drive roll 22 is circulated and driven at a predetermined speed in the direction of the arrow. As the intermediate transfer belt 21, for example, a belt material (rubber or resin) whose resistance is adjusted by a belt material (rubber or resin) that does not cause charge-up is used. The belt cleaner 25 includes a cleaning brush 25a and a cleaning blade 25b that are contact-located with the intermediate transfer belt 21, and residual toner and paper dust from the surface of the intermediate transfer belt 21 after the secondary transfer process of the toner image is completed. , Talc, etc. are removed to prepare for the next image formation process. At the lower part of the belt cleaner 25, residual toner (waste toner), paper dust, etc. removed by the cleaning brush 25a and the cleaning blade 25b are applied to the belt cleaner 25 along a direction orthogonal to the transport direction of the intermediate transfer belt 21. An auger 25c for transporting to the outside is provided.

【0020】

The ROS30 includes a laser diode (not shown), a modulator, and a polygon mirror 31 that deflects and scans the laser beam (LB-Y, LB-M, LB-C, LB-K) emitted from the laser diode. In the example shown in FIG. 2, since the ROS30 is provided under the image forming units 11Y, 11M, 11C, 11K, there is a risk of contamination due to dropping of toner or the like. Therefore, the ROS30 is provided with a rectangular parallelepiped frame 32 for sealing each component, and a glass window 33 through which laser light (LB-Y, LB-M, LB-C, LB-K) passes. Is provided above the frame 32 to enhance the shielding effect with scanning exposure.

【0021】

The sheet transport system 40 includes a paper feed device 41 for loading and supplying recording paper on which images are recorded, a nager roll 42 for picking up and supplying recording paper from the paper feed device 41, and a recording supplied from the nager roll 42. It is provided with a feed roll 43 for separating and transporting sheets one by one, and a transport path 44 for transporting the recording paper separated one by one by the feed roll 43 toward the image transfer unit. Further, the resist roll 45, which transports the recording paper conveyed through the transport path 44 at the same timing toward the secondary transfer position, and the backup roll 24 provided at the secondary transfer position via the recording paper are pressed against each other. A secondary transfer roll 46 for secondary transfer of an image onto recording paper is provided. Further, it has a discharge roll 47 for discharging the recording paper whose image has been fixed by the fixing device 29 to the outside of the printer main body 1, and a discharge tray 48 for loading the recording paper discharged by the discharge roll 47. It also includes a double-sided transport unit 49 that enables double-sided recording by reversing the recording paper on which the image is fixed by the fixing device 29.

【0022】

Next, the image forming units 11Y, 11M, 11C, 11K in the image process system 10 will be described in detail. FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining the configuration of the image forming units 11Y, 11M, 11C, and 11K. Here, the yellow (Y) image forming unit 11Y and the magenta (M) image forming unit 11M are shown. It is shown. The other image forming units 11C and 11K are configured in substantially the same manner.

【0023】

The image forming units 11Y, 11M, 11C, 11K are charged by a photoconductor drum 12 as an image carrier for supporting a toner image, a charger 13 for charging the photoconductor drum 12 using a charging roll 13a, and a charger 13. , Developer 14, which develops the electrostatic latent image formed on the photoconductor drum 12 by the laser beam (LB-Y, LB-M, LB-C, LB-K) from ROS30 with the developing roll 14a, intermediate transfer A primary transfer roll 15 which is provided so as to face the photoconductor drum 12 with the belt 21 sandwiched between them and transfers the toner image developed on the photoconductor drum 12 onto the intermediate transfer belt 21, and on the photoconductor drum 12 after the primary transfer. It is equipped with a drum cleaner 16 that removes residual toner.

【0024】

In this embodiment, the developer 14 employs a two-component developing method using a so-called two-component developing agent (hereinafter referred to as a developing agent) having toner and a carrier. The developer 14 is provided with a pair of augers 14b and 14c arranged in parallel along the axial direction of the photoconductor drum 12 and agitating and transporting the developer in opposite directions. In this developer 14, a trickle method is used in which toner containing carriers is newly supplied into the developer 14 at a predetermined timing, and as a result, the excess developer in the developer 14 is discharged to the outside as a waste developer. By adopting it, it is possible to remove carriers that have deteriorated due to long-term use. The new developer is supplied from, for example, the upstream side of the auger 14b in the developer transport direction, and the discarded developer is discharged from the downstream side of the auger 14c in the developer transport direction. Further, the drum cleaner 16 includes a cleaning blade 16a that is contact-arranged with the photoconductor drum 12, and inside the drum cleaner 16, residual toner removed by the cleaning blade 16a is applied along the axial direction of the photoconductor drum 12. An auger 16b is provided to transport the drum cleaner 16 to the outside.

【0025】

Further, in the present embodiment, the photoconductor drum 12, the charger 13 and the drum cleaner 16 of each image forming unit 11Y, 11M, 11C, 11K are integrated to form the process cartridge 60 shown in FIG. 4, thereby forming the printer main body. Only this process cartridge 60 can be removed from 1 and only the process cartridge 60 can be attached to the printer main body 1 so that it can be replaced by the user. A non-volatile memory unit 61 is mounted on each process cartridge 60. The process cartridge 60 is mounted on the non-volatile memory unit 61 in a predetermined image forming unit 11Y, 11M, 11C, 11K, for example, the rotation speed of the photoconductor drum 12, the high voltage application time, the number of prints, and the like. At that time, the usage history information of each cartridge is stored. A discharge pipe 62 for accommodating the auger 16b (not shown; see FIG. 3) of the drum cleaner 16 is arranged on the side of the non-volatile memory unit 61. A waste toner discharge port 62a is formed on the lower side (upper side in the drawing) of the end of the discharge pipe 62, and a cap 63 having an opening 63a formed on the side of the discharge pipe 62 rotates. It is installed as possible. A torsion spring 64 wound around and fixed to the discharge pipe 62 is mounted on the cap 63, and when the process cartridge 60 is mounted on the printer body 1, the cap 63 rotates and the opening 62a of the discharge pipe 62 By matching the opening 63a of the cap 63 with the opening 63a of the cap 63, waste toner can be discharged to the outside.

【0026】

Further, in the printer main body 1 shown in FIG. 2, a collection bottle 70 shown by a broken line in the figure is usually attached. Figures 5 (a) and 5 (b) show the recovery bottle 70. The collection bottle 70 is formed with openings 71 to 79 for taking in waste toner and waste developing agent that are no longer needed. Of these, openings 71 to 74 were collected by the drum cleaner 16 (both see FIG. 4) attached to the process cartridge 60 constituting each image forming unit 11Y, 11M, 11C, 11K (see FIG. 2). Waste toner, etc. transported by the auger 16b (see Fig. 3) is carried in. Further, the waste developer conveyed by the auger 14c (both see FIG. 3) is carried from the developer 14 of each image forming unit 11Y, 11M, 11C, 11K (see FIG. 2) into the openings 76 to 79. Further, waste toner or the like collected by the belt cleaner 25 and conveyed by the auger 25c (both see FIG. 2) is carried into the opening 75. A sponge for preventing external leakage of waste toner, waste developer, etc. that is carried in is attached to each of the openings 71 to 79.

【0027】

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing the waste powder recovery device 100. The waste powder collection device 100 shown in FIG. 6 has a primary collection unit 110 that is detachably attached to the printer main body 1 (both see FIG. 2) instead of the collection bottle 70 described above, and waste collected by the primary collection unit 110. It has a secondary recovery unit 130 that finally stores the toner and the waste developing agent, and a transport unit 150 that conveys the waste toner and the waste developing agent between the primary recovery unit 110 and the secondary recovery unit 130. .. Here, the primary collection unit 110 is configured to be attached / detached to / from the printer main body 1 in parallel from the front door 1a side of the printer main body 1 toward the arrangement direction of the process cartridge 60.

【0028】

FIG. 7 is a front view of the primary collection unit 110, and FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing a state in which four process cartridges 60 are mounted on the primary collection unit 110. The primary collection unit 110 has a hollow primary collection container (collection container) 110a. As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the primary recovery container 110a is formed with openings 111 to 119 for taking in waste toner and waste developing agent that are no longer needed. Here, the openings 111 to 114 are collected by the drum cleaner 16 (both see FIG. 4) attached to the process cartridge 60 constituting each image forming unit 11Y, 11M, 11C, 11K (see FIG. 2) and are collected by the auger 16b. Waste toner, etc. transported by (see Fig. 3) is carried in. That is, the openings 111 to 114 have a function as a waste toner carry-in port. Further, the waste developer conveyed by the auger 14c (both see FIG. 3) is carried from the developer 14 of each image forming unit 11Y, 11M, 11C, 11K (see FIG. 2) into the openings 116 to 119. That is, the openings 116 to 119 have a function as a waste developing agent carry-in port. Further, waste toner or the like collected by the belt cleaner 25 (see FIG. 2) and conveyed by the auger 25c (see FIG. 2) is carried into the opening 115. That is, the opening 115 has a function as a waste toner carry-in port. Further, the openings 111 to 119 have a function as a dropping means for dropping the waste toner or the waste developing agent into the primary recovery container 110a. A leak-preventing sponge having a notch having a predetermined shape is attached to each of the openings 111 to 119.

【0029】

Further, a coil auger 120 as a transport member is arranged along the longitudinal direction on the inner bottom portion of the primary collection container 110a. The coil auger 120 is made of hard steel wire, the outer diameter of which is φ16, the wire diameter is φ1, and the pitch is 5 mm. One end of the coil auger 120 is connected to a gear 121 arranged on the outside of the primary collection container 110a, and the other end extends further to the outside than the discharge port 122 provided on the lower side of the primary collection container 110a. Specifically, it extends to the downstream end of the transport pipe 151 of the transport section 150. Further, the gear 121 that drives the coil auger 120 meshes with the gear 123 that is integrally formed with the receiving side coupling 124, and the driving force transmitted from the driving device 160 provided on the main body side as described later. It is designed to be driven by. As a result, the coil auger 120 can convey the waste toner and the waste developing agent carried into the primary collection container 110a toward the transfer pipe 151 side. As is clear from the figure, the transport pipe 151 is bent, but since the coil auger 120 has flexibility, waste toner and waste developer can be sufficiently transported even in the bent transport pipe 151. It is possible to do.

【0030】

Further, the primary collection unit 110 is provided with four openings 125 to 128 in parallel. These openings 125 to 128 are for cleaning the glass window 33 (see FIG. 2) through which the laser beam (LB-Y, LB-M, LB-C, LB-K) passes. Note that FIG. 6 shows a state in which these openings 125 to 128 are hidden by a plate 129 for mounting on the printer main body 1.

【0031】

Further, the secondary collection unit 130 has a housing cover 131 shown in FIG. 6, and a secondary collection container 132 shown in FIG. 9 is housed inside the housing cover 131. Here, FIG. 9 (a) is a perspective view showing the main parts of the secondary collection container 132 and the transport unit 150, and FIG. 9 (b) is a side view thereof. The secondary collection container 132 has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape, and a handle 133 is formed on the upper side thereof. Further, an opening 134 for carrying in waste toner and waste developing agent is formed on the upper surface of the secondary recovery container 132. On the other hand, a connector 152 for attaching / detaching the secondary collection container 132 is attached to the end of the transport pipe 151 of the transport unit 150. The connector 152 can carry waste toner and waste developing agent into the secondary collecting container 132 when the secondary collecting container 132 is attached, and waste toner and waste developing to the outside when the secondary collecting container 132 is removed. It is configured so that the lid can be opened to prevent the agent from leaking. The cover 153 shown in FIG. 6 is attached to the transfer pipe 151. The cover 153 is attached to the printer main body 1 (see FIG. 1).

【0032】

Then, in the present embodiment, as is clear from FIG. 9B, the secondary collection container 132 is attached to the connector 152 in a state of being tilted by a predetermined angle. By arranging the secondary recovery container 132 in this way, the waste toner and the waste developing agent that fall in the secondary recovery container 132 slide down the inner side wall of the secondary recovery container 132, so that the waste toner and the waste developing agent slide down inside the secondary recovery container 132. It is possible to suppress the scattering of waste toner and waste developer.

【0033】

Next, the operation of the image forming apparatus according to the present embodiment will be described. The color material reflected light image of the document read by the document reader (not shown) and the color material image data formed by a personal computer (not shown) are, for example, R (red), G (green), B (blue). It is input to IPS50 as reflectance data of 8 bits each. In IPS50, the input reflectance data is subjected to image processing such as shading correction, position shift correction, brightness / color space correction, gamma correction, frame erasing and color editing, and various image editing such as movement editing. .. The image data that has undergone image processing is converted into four color material gradation data of yellow (Y), magenta (M), cyan (C), and black (K), and output to ROS30.

【0034】

In ROS30, the laser light (LB-Y, LB-M, LB-C, LB-K) emitted from the laser diode (not shown) is f-θ according to the input color material gradation data. It is emitted to the polygon mirror 31 through a lens (not shown). In the polygon mirror 31, the incident laser beam is modulated according to the gradation data of each color, deflected and scanned, and the image forming unit 11Y, 11M, 11C, 11K is passed through an imaging lens (not shown) and a plurality of mirrors. The photoconductor drum 12 of the above is irradiated. In the photoconductor drum 12 of the image forming units 11Y, 11M, 11C, 11K, the charged surface is scanned and exposed to form an electrostatic latent image. The formed electrostatic latent image is developed as a toner image of each color of yellow (Y), magenta (M), cyan (C), and black (K) by each image forming unit 11Y, 11M, 11C, 11K. Will be done.

【0035】

The toner image formed on the photoconductor drum 12 of the image forming units 11Y, 11M, 11C, 11K is sequentially transferred onto the intermediate transfer belt 21 which is an intermediate transfer body. At this time, the black image forming unit 11K that forms the black toner image is provided on the most downstream side in the moving direction of the intermediate transfer belt 21, and the black toner image is finally transferred to the intermediate transfer belt 21. Toner.

【0036】

On the other hand, in the sheet transport system 40, the nager roll 42 rotates in accordance with the timing of image formation, and the paper feed device 41 supplies recording paper of a predetermined size. The recording sheets separated one by one by the feed roll 43 are transferred to the resist roll 45 via the transport path 44, and are temporarily stopped. After that, the resist roll 45 rotates according to the movement timing of the intermediate transfer belt 21 on which the toner image is formed, and the recording paper is conveyed to the secondary transfer position formed by the backup roll 24 and the secondary transfer roll 46. .. Toner images in which four colors are superimposed and transferred are sequentially transferred in the sub-scanning direction on the recording paper that is conveyed from the bottom to the top at the secondary transfer position using a pressure contact force and a predetermined electric field. Toner. Then, the recording paper on which the toner image is secondarily transferred is subjected to a fixing process by heat and pressure by the fixing device 29, and then discharged to the discharging tray 48 provided on the upper part of the printer main body 1 by the discharging roll 47. It is also possible to reverse the recording paper by the double-sided transfer unit 49 by a switching gate (not shown) without discharging the paper to the discharge tray 48 as it is. After transporting this inverted recording paper to the resist roll 45, it is possible to form an image on both sides of the recording paper by forming an image on the other unprinted surface by the same flow as described above. Become.

【0037】

Next, the connection between the receiving side coupling 124 provided in the primary collection unit 110 and the driving device 160 provided on the main body side in this image forming apparatus will be described. FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining the connection between the drive device 160 and the receiving side coupling 124. The drive device 160 includes a DC motor 161 as a drive source, a worm 162 attached to the motor shaft of the DC motor 161, and a worm wheel 163 for meshing with the worm 162 to change the direction of the rotation axis to a direction orthogonal to the motor axis. A gear 164 coaxially coupled to the worm wheel 163, a gear 165 arranged in mesh with the gear 164, and a drive side coupling 166 as a drive transmission member integrally formed coaxially with the gear 165 are attached. It is composed of a base member 167 to be fixed. In the drive device 160, when the drive of the DC motor 161 is transmitted from the worm 162 to the worm wheel 163, it is decelerated to about 1/100 and transmitted to the drive side coupling 166 via the gear 164 and the gear 165.

【0038】

On the other hand, the primary recovery unit 110 is arranged on the side portion on the drive device 160 side, the gear 121 that transmits the drive to the coil auger 120 arranged at the inner bottom of the primary recovery container 110a, and the gear 123 that meshes with the gear 121. , The receiving side coupling 124 as a driving receiving member formed integrally with the gear 123 is provided. Then, when the primary collection unit 110 is mounted in parallel from the front door 1a side of the printer main body 1 toward the arrangement direction of the process cartridge 60, the drive side coupling 166 of the drive device 160 and the primary collection unit 110 are received. It is coupled with the side coupling 124.

【0039】

Here, the drive side coupling 166 and the receiving side coupling 124 will be described. FIG. 11 is a diagram for explaining the drive-side coupling 166, and FIG. 12 is a diagram for explaining the receiving-side coupling 124. As shown in FIG. 11, the drive-side coupling 166 is integrally molded with plastic coaxially with the gear 165. The drive-side coupling 166 is composed of a disk-shaped base 166a and a cylindrical columnar convex portion 166b fixed perpendicularly to the base 166a at a position 6 mm away from the rotation center axis of the base 166a.

【0040】

Further, as shown in FIG. 12, the receiving side coupling 124 is integrally molded with plastic coaxially with the gear 123. The receiving side coupling 124 has a cylindrical base 124a having an outer diameter of 18.5 mm and an inner diameter of 14 mm, a wall-shaped convex portion 124b, which is the upper surface of the base 124a and is fixed at a position away from the central axis of rotation, and a wall-shaped convex portion. It is composed of a reinforcing member 124c that reinforces the portion 124b. The wall-shaped convex portion 124b is formed in an oval shape in which the cross-sectional shape is a combination of a rectangle and a semicircle, and a flat side surface 124d is arranged on the upstream side in the rotation direction of the receiving side coupling 124. Further, the wall-shaped convex portion 124b is fixed perpendicularly to the upper surface of the substrate 124a so that the normal of the side surface 124d faces the direction orthogonal to the rotation center axis.

【0041】

Here, a case where the primary collection unit 110 is attached to the printer main body 1 will be described. When the primary recovery unit 110 is attached, the receiving side coupling 124 is coupled to the driving side coupling 166 from the direction in which the wall-shaped convex portion 124b is orthogonal to the rotation axis of the driving side coupling 166. At that time, the rotation axis of the driving side coupling 166 and the rotation axis of the receiving side coupling 124 are positioned so as to coincide with each other. After the primary recovery unit 110 is mounted, the columnar convex portion 166b comes into contact with the side surface 124d of the wall-shaped convex portion 124b due to the rotation of the drive side coupling 166. Then, the receiving side coupling 124 receives the driving force from the columnar convex portion 166b on the side surface 124d of the wall-shaped convex portion 124b and rotates.

【0042】

As described above, the receiving side coupling 124 is provided with the side surface 124d formed on a flat surface, and receives the driving force from the columnar convex portion 166b. Therefore, when the columnar convex portion 166b abuts on the wall-shaped convex portion side surface 124d, it is possible to form a large contact allowable range in which the driving force from the columnar convex portion 166b can be efficiently transmitted. That is, by forming the wall-shaped convex side surface 124d sufficiently long in the normal direction of the substrate 124a, the columnar convex portion 166b reliably abuts on the wall-shaped convex side surface 124d, and the driving force is efficiently transmitted. be able to.

【0043】

Here, the cross-sectional shape of the wall-shaped convex portion 124b may be such that the side surface 124d with which the columnar convex portion 166b abuts is formed on a flat surface, and as shown in FIG. 13, the cross-sectional shape is, for example, 3 mm in width and 3.5 mm in length. In addition to the oval shape ((a)) that combines the rectangle and the semicircle with a radius of 1.5 mm, the hexagonal shape ((b)) or the pentagonal shape ((c)) that combines the rectangle and the triangle is formed. May be good. The side surface 124d may be formed not only on a flat surface but also as a convex portion or a concave portion formed by a gentle curve as long as it does not interfere with the transmission of the driving force and the pulling out of the receiving side coupling 124.

【0044】

Further, as shown in FIG. 14, the end portion of the wall-shaped convex portion 124b is located on the upper surface of the base 124a so that the wall-shaped convex portion 124b is arranged in the region inside the outer peripheral surface 124e of the base 124a. It is fixed as. The radius of gyration r of the columnar convex portion 166b of the drive-side coupling 166 is set so as not to be larger than the outer peripheral radius R of the base 124a, and the columnar convex portion 166b is driven from the inside of the outer peripheral surface 124e of the base 124a. Is configured to convey. In the present embodiment, the radius of gyration r of the columnar convex portion 166b is set to 6 mm, and the radius R of the outer peripheral surface 124e of the substrate 124a is set to 9.25 mm. The radius of gyration r of the columnar convex portion 166b and the radius R of the outer peripheral surface 124e of the substrate 124a may be set to be equal to each other.

【0045】

This configuration is based on the following reasons. For example, the wall-shaped convex portion 124b is arranged so as to be located outside the outer peripheral surface 124e of the base 124a, and the columnar convex portion 166b is brought into contact with the outer peripheral surface 124e of the base 124a to transmit the driving force. It is also possible to configure it. However, when the contact position of the columnar convex portion 166b is outside the outer peripheral surface 124e, the joint portion of the wall-shaped convex portion 124b with the upper surface of the substrate 124a on which the wall-shaped convex portion 166b is fixed. A large force that tries to tilt in the direction of rotation works with the fulcrum as a fulcrum.

【0046】

That is, if the force of the columnar convex portion 166b pushing the wall-shaped convex portion 124b is F and the force acting on the joint on the upper surface of the substrate 124a on which the wall-shaped convex portion 124b is fixed is f, it is expressed as f = rF / R. To. Therefore, when r> R, r / R> 1 and f has a larger force than F. Therefore, a large shearing force acts on the joint portion of the wall-shaped convex portion 124b, and a phenomenon occurs in which the wall-shaped convex portion 124b is damaged at this joint portion. On the other hand, as in the present embodiment, when r R, r / R 1 and f is not larger than F. Therefore, by configuring the contact position of the columnar convex portion 166b to be inside the outer peripheral surface 124e of the substrate 124a, it is possible to suppress the force for tilting the wall-shaped convex portion 124b to be small. Therefore, the phenomenon that the wall-shaped convex portion 124b is damaged does not occur. In addition, as in the present embodiment, in order to prevent the wall-shaped convex portion 124b from being damaged, a reinforcing member 124c is arranged on the downstream side in the rotation direction of the wall-shaped convex portion 124b to reinforce the wall-shaped convex portion 124b. That is also effective.

【0047】

Next, a case where the primary collection unit 110 is taken out from the printer main body 1 will be described. Since the drive side coupling 166 is connected to the worm gear including the worm 162 and the worm wheel 163 and is in a locked state, it cannot be rotated from the drive side coupling 166 side. On the other hand, the receiving side coupling 124 is not subject to such restrictions due to its configuration, so that it can rotate freely. Therefore, when the primary collection unit 110 is pulled out, the wall-shaped convex portion 124b of the receiving side coupling 124 is pushed by the columnar convex portion 166b to a position where it can slip through the columnar convex portion 166b and rotates in synchronization with the pulling operation. .. Further, since the side surface 124d of the wall-shaped convex portion 124b is formed in a flat surface and the columnar convex portion 166b is formed in a cylindrical shape, the side surface 124d of the wall-shaped convex portion 124b can slide on the cylindrical side surface of the columnar convex portion 166b. it can. That is, by the operation of pulling out the primary recovery unit 110, the receiving side coupling 124 rotates, slips through the columnar convex portion 166b, and the coupling is released.

【0048】

As described above, at least one of the driving side coupling 166 and the receiving side coupling 124 is configured to be able to rotate freely without being locked. As a result, when the primary collection unit 110 is pulled out, it can be rotated to a position where either the drive side coupling 166 or the receiving side coupling 124 can pass through in synchronization with the pull-out operation. At that time, a wall-shaped convex portion having a flat side surface is provided on the rotatable side coupling so as not to interfere with the pulling out of the receiving side coupling 124, and the fixed side coupling has a cylindrical shape. It is necessary to dispose the columnar convex portion of.

【0049】

Further, as shown in FIG. 15, the wall-shaped convex portion 124b has a radius of gyration (minimum radius of rotation) b of the end portion 124f on the rotation axis side larger than the radius a of the columnar convex portion 166b of the drive side coupling 166. It is configured in. With this configuration, even when the columnar convex portion 166b is located at a position where the columnar convex portion 166b overlaps the rotation axis x when viewed from the direction in which the primary recovery portion 110 is pulled out, the wall-shaped convex portion 124b can be made to have the columnar convex portion 166b and the rotation axis x. Since the clearance of ba can be obtained by locating it so as to be perpendicular to the including plane, it can be easily removed. In this way, the receiving side coupling 124 can be smoothly removed from the driving side coupling 166 without the columnar convex portion 166b becoming an obstacle regardless of where the columnar convex portion 166b is located.

【0050】

In the present embodiment, one columnar convex portion 166b is provided on the driving side coupling 166, but a plurality of columnar convex portions 166b are provided as long as the pulling out of the receiving side coupling 124 is not hindered. You can also do it. Further, although the columnar convex portion 166b is formed in a cylindrical shape, if the side surface 124d of the wall-shaped convex portion 124b has a shape that allows it to slide through, it has a polygonal prism shape having an obtuse internal angle or a part having a flat surface. It may be formed in a cylindrical shape or the like.

【0051】

Further, a worm gear composed of a worm 162 and a worm wheel 163 is used for the drive device 160 so that the drive side coupling 166 is locked from the drive side coupling 166 side, but the drive side coupling 166 side. The drive gear may be configured so as not to be locked from. At that time, the gear may be configured so that the receiving side coupling 124 side is locked, but as described above, the receiving side coupling 124 does not interfere with the pulling out of the receiving side coupling 124. It is necessary to dispose a columnar convex portion having a columnar shape, and to dispose a wall-shaped convex portion having a flat side surface on the drive side coupling 166.

【0052】

Further, the driving force transmission device of the present embodiment is not limited to the case where it is applied to the waste powder recovery device 100, and can be applied to all units that can be attached to and detached from the main body device having a mechanism for transmitting the driving force such as a toner supply device. Applicable.

【0053】

[Effect of the invention]

As described above, according to the present invention, it has become possible to efficiently transmit the driving force to the detachable unit.

[Simple explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an overall configuration of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a printer main body.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a configuration of an image forming unit.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a process cartridge.

5 (a) and 5 (b) are diagrams showing collection bottles.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a waste powder recovery device.

FIG. 7 is a front view of the primary collection unit.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a state in which four process cartridges are mounted on the primary collection unit.

9 (a) is a perspective view showing a main part of a secondary collection container and a transport part, and FIG. 9 (b) is a side view thereof.

FIG. 10 is a perspective view for explaining the connection between the drive device and the receiving side coupling.

FIG. 11 is a perspective view illustrating a drive side coupling.

FIG. 12 is a perspective view illustrating a receiving side coupling.

FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating a cross-sectional shape of a wall-shaped convex portion.

FIG. 14 is a diagram illustrating a positional relationship between a columnar convex portion and a wall-shaped convex portion.

FIG. 15 is a diagram illustrating the relationship between the arrangement configuration of the wall-shaped convex portion and the diameter of the columnar convex portion.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 ... Printer body, 10 ... Image process system, 11Y ... Yellow image formation unit, 11M ... Magenta image formation unit, 11C ... Cyan image formation unit, 11K ... Black image formation unit , 12 ... Photoreceptor Drum, 13 ... Charger, 14 ... Developer, 15 ... Primary Transfer Roll, 16 ... Drum Cleaner, 20 ... Transfer Unit, 25 ... Belt Cleaner, 30 ... ROS, 40 ... Sheet transport system, 50 ... IPS, 60 ... Process cartridge, 70 ... Recovery bottle, 100 ... Waste powder recovery device, 110 ... Primary recovery section, 110a ... Primary recovery container, 111 ~ 119 ... Opening, 120 ... Coil auger, 124 ... Receiving side coupling, 124a ... Base, 124b ... Wall-shaped convex part , 124c ... Reinforcing member, 124d ... Side, 124e ... Outer surface, 130 ... Secondary collection part, 132 ... Secondary collection container, 150 ... Transport part, 151 ... Conveyor pipe, 152 ... connector, D ... waste developer, T ... waste toner, 161 ... DC motor, 162 ... worm, 163 ... worm wheel, 164,165 ... gear, 166 ... Drive side coupling, 166a ... Base, 166b ... Columnar convex part, 167 ... Base member