| 摘要 |
PURPOSE:To surely carry residual toner by making the flexural rigidity of a planar member positioned in a cleaning device larger than that of an intercepting member in a toner collecting box. CONSTITUTION:When the residual toner in the toner collecting box 31 gets equal to or above a specified quantity, a float member 49 follows the level of the toner and rises with the intercepting member 51. When the member 51 rises in a projection part 53 and attains a certain height, it intercepts an optical path which is emitted from a light emitting element 57, transmitted through the projection part 53 and reaches a light receiving element 59. By detecting this interception, that the box 31 is full of the residual toner is detected. The planar member 34 is provided on a partition 32 which divides the box 31 so as to perform an action for scraping the toner and an action for preventing the toner accumulated in the box 31 from returning in the cleaning device 30. By making the flexural rigidity of the coil spring-like spiral body of the device 30 larger than that of a toner carrying auger 35 in a U-shaped pipe, the residual toner is surely carried. |
