WASTE TONER COLLECTING CONTAINER AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS USING THE SAME

摘要

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a waste toner collecting container which properly detects that an amount of collected waste toner in the container has reached a specified capacity, and an image forming apparatus using the same.SOLUTION: A piezo film 76 is arranged in such a way so as to seal a lower opening 75 of a chamber 57 for detecting a specified capacity of a waste toner from above, in which the chamber is provided in an upper end of a waste toner collecting container 29 arranged in an image forming apparatus 1. The piezo film 76 has one end fixed, and the other end which is a free end and electrodes 77, 78 with cables 81, 82 connected thereto are bonded on both surfaces of the piezo film. When an amount of waste toner Tn in the waste toner collecting container 29 has nearly reached the specified capacity, the waste toner Tn raised inside the container pushes up the piezo film 76, and enters into the chamber 57 for detecting the specified capacity of a waste toner. Warpage of the piezo film 76 is increased successively every time the toner enters into the chamber, and a voltageΔV is outputted to a CPU 85 of a control section via the cables 81, 82 by means of distortion of the warpage. The CPU 85 informs a notice of the specified capacity whenΣΔV indicates a notice threshold of the specified capacity, and informs the specified capacity when theΣΔV indicates a threshold of the specified capacity.