Image forming apparatus having toner cartridge including first and second containing units, one of which is configured to contain collected waste toner
An image forming apparatus includes a housing; a partition wall which is provided in the housing along a substantially vertical direction, the partition wall partitioning an inner space of the housing into a first space and a second space; developing units which are disposed in parallel along the substantially vertical direction in the first space, each of the developing units comprising a first reception opening and a return opening; and developer cartridges which correspond to the plurality of developing units, the developer cartridges being disposed in parallel along the substantially vertical direction in the second space, each of developer cartridges comprising a supply opening and a second reception opening. The first reception openings of the developing units communicate with the supply openings of respective ones of the developer cartridges, and the return openings of the developer units communicate with the second reception openings of respective ones of the developer cartridges.
1. An image forming apparatus comprising:
a photosensitive drum having an axis extending in a first direction;
a developer carrier disposed in parallel with the photosensitive drum and configured to supply toner to the photosensitive drum;
a belt;
a collecting member configured to collect waste toner on a surface of the belt and disposed at an opposite side to the developer carrier with respect to the photosensitive drum in a second direction orthogonal to the first direction, wherein the belt is disposed between the collecting member and the photosensitive drum; and
a toner cartridge disposed at one side of the photosensitive drum in the first direction, the toner cartridge comprising:
a first containing unit disposed to be overlapped with the developer carrier when viewed in the first direction and configured to contain toner to be supplied to the developer carrier; and
a second containing unit disposed to be overlapped with the collecting member and the belt when viewed in the first direction and configured to contain waste toner collected by the collecting member.
2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the collecting member is configured to contact a surface of the belt to collect waste toner.
3. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the toner cartridge is disposed outside of an end face of the photosensitive drum at the one side in the first direction.
4. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a developing unit comprising the photosensitive drum and the developer carrier,
wherein the toner cartridge comprises a cartridge side supply opening for supplying toner to the developer carrier, and the developing unit comprises a developing unit side reception opening disposed to oppose the cartridge side supply opening in the first direction.
5. The image forming apparatus according to claim 4 , further comprising:
a housing; and
a partition wall which is provided along a substantially vertical direction in the housing, the partition wall partitioning an inner space of the housing into a first space configured to receive the developing unit and a second space configured to receive the toner cartridge, the partition wall being configured to support the photosensitive drum in the first space and attachably and detachably support the toner cartridge in the second space,
wherein the partition wall comprises a first partition wall opening opposing the cartridge side supply opening and the developing unit side reception opening.
6. The image forming apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein the developing unit further comprises a conveying member extending in the first direction, which is substantially orthogonal to an opening plane of the developing unit side reception opening, and the conveying member is configured to convey toner received through the developing unit side reception opening to the developer carrier.
7. The image forming apparatus according to claim 6 ,
wherein the developing unit comprises a developing unit side return opening for returning toner conveyed by the conveying member to the toner cartridge,
wherein the partition wall comprises a second partition wall opening opposing the developing unit side return opening, the second partition wall opening being configured to allow toner having passed through the developing unit side return opening to pass therethrough, and
wherein the toner cartridge further comprises a cartridge side reception opening opposing the second partition wall opening, the cartridge side reception opening being configured to receive toner having passed through the second partition wall opening.
8. The image forming apparatus according to claim 7 , wherein the cartridge side supply opening is larger than the cartridge side reception opening.
9. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a housing; and
a developing unit comprising the photosensitive drum and the developer carrier,
wherein an attachment and detachment direction of the developing unit with respect to the housing is different from an attachment and detachment direction of the toner cartridge with respect to the housing.
10. The image forming apparatus according to claim 9 , wherein the developing unit is configured to be attached to and detached from the housing along a substantially vertical direction.
11. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a housing comprising a first side wall substantially parallel to the first direction and a second side wall opposite to the first side wall across the toner cartridge,
wherein the toner cartridge extends to the first side wall, and is configured to be attached to and detached from the housing from a side of the first side wall.